Summary:Self Explanatory!
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Peace overwhelmed the senses of a young female rat. Never before had she felt this way before. Human activity above the sewer world gently vibrated the concrete shores, sending little waves to lap against the side of her boat. She wasn't the only one feeling the peace and serenity.
Sitting opposite her was her first mate. He stared into space toward the back of the boat. The two were the most famous rats in the sewer world, and every villian wanted to terminate them. On their way to deliver a rat from the girl's past back to the human world, the two hadn't encountered any sort of danger.
Rita Malone knew this rat from her previous years had to go back to where he came from. If Gabriel decided to pursue Rita, it'd be a bloodbath. Gabe would start cornering Rita, then Roddy would come to the rescue(like she needed two males fighting over her) and then everything'd be a mess.
Rita felt it was time to bring up the anchor and get moving.
"C'mon, you two. Get up and c'mon, let's get going!"
"What? What's going on?" Roddy mumbled as he snapped out of his trance.
"Sure. Anything, Rita." Gabriel oozed. Rita wanted to throw up, preferably on him.
"Shut up and get to work." Rita hissed. Gabriel and Roddy set to work, reluctant of working with each other. "Scoot over. You're hogging my space.""No, you scoot!" the two quarreled.
"Boys," Rita called from the cockpit. "I swear to you, you're acting like five year-olds." Roddy starighned up, grinned and bore it while Gabriel still hunched over, half pouting. Rita decided to tease him.
"Now, Tommy, we don't pout in public. Seriously, Gabriel. Grow up!!" Gabriel jumped when Sid came up from below deck. "Fixed the leak below deck," he announced.
"Good work, Sid." Rita told Sid.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting hungry. Anyone else need anything?"
Gabriel and Roddy pulled up the anchor. Gabriel piped up eagerly. "I could do with something to eat,"
Sid started below deck again. "Then come get it yourself."
Rita steered the boat silently. She and Roddy were alone on the deck, and neither one spoke. Rita refused to talk to Roddy, and Roddy was just afraid to talk to Rita. The two had gotten in a fight over resposibilities and authority, and Rita wasn't about to forgive him for what he had done. He had started steering the Dodger while Rita was below deck charging an extra engine power-up. Roddy gulped and attemped to scrape together an apology.
Only Roddy knew what had REALLY happened. Gabriel had gotten a hold of some substance that stuck to flesh and bonded instantly and was almost impossible to get off, but Rita had come up just in time to find Roddy stuck and with much effort, pulled him hard enough to get his hands unstuck from the wheel. Rita was convinced that he had been refusing to let go, but Roddy knew he couldn't, and Gabriel knew he couldn't.
Rita, I-" Roddy tried to use the best diction he could, admitting that what he did was wrong, ever even touching the wheel. "I know what I did was wrong. Gabriel said you needed something up here by the wheel,"(which Gabriel had said when Rita hadn't said anything of the sort)"and I came up here to look for it. I saw the wheel, and immediately was tempted to just steer it for a moment, just to get a feel of what it's like to steer. I knew it was wrong, but I was just trying to get back at you. I knew I shouldn't have, but I hadn't ever wanted a bit of revenge before, and what I'm trying to say is, that, well, I'm sorry."
Roddy's words were true and 100 percent genuine, so genuine that they hit Rita right in the heart. She felt tears coming but blinked them back. She looked at Roddy, whose eyes just begged for forgiveness. Rita looked down, feeling some kind of guilt in misunderstanding him. She gathered up all she had in her five inch frame and looked at him. She couldn't speak for a moment.
"I-I guess you could learn how to steer to take over for me," Rita said apologeticly. "I'll teach you."
Slugs on the walls and roof of the cockpit began to sing a scene-setting song. (Song is 'Little Wonders' by Rob Thomas from the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack)
Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder.
Don't you know,
That the hardest part is over.
Rita watched how smoothly Roddy steered the boat. "Good work, Rodders." she said to him, putting her hand on the wheel. She felt his hand there and awkwardly pulled her hand away. She blushed and looked at Roddy, who was also blushing.
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
in the end,
we will only remember how it feels.
Rita smiled and looked ahead.
Our lives are made,
In these small hours.
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate.
Time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain.
Rita saw their reflections momentarily as she looked into the tunnel that lay before them.
Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you.
Let it shine,
Until you feel it all around you.
Rita felt a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time with Roddy next to her.
And I don't mind,
If it's me you need to turn to.
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end.
Rita felt her heart melt when she looked at Roddy when he stopped the boat.
Our lives are made,
In these small hours,
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate.
Time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain.
Rita looked away as Roddy shyly took her hand.
All of my regret,
will wash away somehow.
But I cannot forget,
the way I feel right now.
The longer Rita looked away, the more she knew she had feelings for Roddy.
in
these small hours,
these little wonders,
these twists &
turns of fate,
these twists & turns of fate.
Rita looked Roddy in the eye and found herself moving closer to him. She hadn't felt like this before.
Time falls away, but these small hours,
These small hours still remain.
Rita felt her heart speed up faster when she was centimeters from Roddy.
still
remain.
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of
fate.
time falls away,
Rita felt her lips on Roddy's and blushed.
But
these small hours,
These
small hours still remain.
Rita pulled away and looked at Roddy. He was about as red as she was.
"Steering lessons seem to have gotten off topic, Roddy joked. Rita laughed as she continued to supervise his steering.