It's that time again! :D The time when we get to say hello to new and old friends and celebrate the newest members of the herd. Tonight, I shall be celebrating Brooke. I don't know about you, but I have personally been waiting for FOURTEEN years for this girl to show up, And I couldn't be happier that Sid has finally found his match. As for the new movie, while it felt a bit rushed, I had a grand time hanging out with old friends (hah, get it cause a good portion of the herd are possums... and they hang... from trees... ok, i'll let myself out) and getting to meet new ones (Hello Brooke! Hello Julian!) greeting long-lost friends back (Welcome back Buck! I think I speak for the entire fandom when I say WE MISSED YOU!) and even saying goodbye to some friends too (Fare-thee-well Granny, I wish you the best of luck with your bunny-boyfriend) Overall a wonderful addition to the series and very much enjoyed it. Ok, to make a long story short, this is my practically required Sooke (Sid/Brooke) one-shot. I must say, I LOVED these guys! They were SO cute, and she is absolutely perfect for him! So sit back and enjoy, it's SLOTH TIME!
Disclaimer: Sadly, Sid and Brooke don't belong to me, they belong to Blue Sky Studios. Happily, this means they are canon! GO SOOKE!
"Well, that was sure fun, wasn't it?" Brooke asked cheerfully.
The wedding of Julian and Peaches was an unequivocal success and the animals who had attended the event celebrated well into the night. Even Louis, Peaches' old friend from her teenage years had attended, proudly showing off his own bride, the lovely she-molehog Evelyn (or Eve for short), who he would be marrying in a month. Eventually the happy couple decided that it was time to turn in for the night and politely thanked everyone for sharing in their special day before retiring for the evening. The party having ended and the guests heading back to their normal lives, Manny and Ellie, the parents of the bride, and, since, as was typical of young men his age, Julian was a member of a bachelor herd, the only parents of the bride-groom in attendance at the ceremony, also decided that it was time to head off to their own cave for the night for some well-earned rest. A short time after the mammoths had left the party, the sabers, Diego and Shira, had discreetly slipped into the nearby woods undoubtedly planning to catch some dinner before going to sleep themselves. This left only a few animals in the neighborhood awake as most had attended the event and one of these animals, Sid the sloth, was now headed back to his own cave with his new friend Brooke in tow. The pair had worked their way past Crash and Eddie, who were currently sitting with Buck listening to one of his many stories of his adventures down underground, and, having picked up Brooke's bag, which contained her mandolin, the stone on which Sid had drawn a picture of himself, and a few other personal possessions of hers were currently on the path to Sid's cave, hoping to get to sleep before the sun started to come up.
"Yeah." Sid replied "Peaches is a good kid, It seems like yesterday she was still a baby. Oh, you should have seen her as a baby Brooke, She was so cute!"
"I bet." Brooke giggled "I also bet you were a great babysitter too!"
"I'm great with kids!" Sid replied enthusiastically "I don't understand why Manny was so hesitant to let me watch her when she was little."
"It must be a father being overprotective of his daughter type of situation." Brooke pondered as she shifted the weight of her bag so it was a little bit easier to carry.
"You sure you don't want me to hold that for you?" Sid asked her, sticking his own stone on which Brooke had drawn a picture of herself under his arm against his side, and reaching his hand out to take the bag. Brooke smiled at him.
"It's ok." She said gratefully "It's more awkward than anything else. I'm not used to carrying this many things with me at once." Sid nodded in understanding before looking over at her again.
"You never did tell me what happened." He said
"What do you mean?" Brooke asked.
"Well" Sid said "The last time I saw you, you and all your friends were old. But you're here, and you're young! How?" he asked stretching his arms out in front of him in emphasis. This caused his Brooke-Stone to fall out from under his arm, he scrambled quickly and picked it back up, carrying it loosely in his hand.
"Oh right, That." Brooke blushed, giggling a bit at Sid's quick retrieval of his stone "Well, after you left we all decided to sit for a while in the hot springs."
"Oooh." Sid replied "those sound nice." Brooke giggled again.
"They were nice." She responded "of course, I did miss you." She continued before slipping her hand into his and smiling at him sweetly. Sid blushed and squeezed her hand gently in response.
"I missed you too." He confessed quietly. The pair stopped walking and faced each other. Sid stared at the beauty that was in front of him. He still could not believe that she was standing in front of him, and that she was HIS. The whole situation was enough to make his head hurt.
"Right" Brooke coughed after a short moment of silence, "Where were we?"
"You were in the hot springs." Sid replied, the pair continuing their walk, their fingers intertwined with each other's.
"Oh, yes." Brooke continued "We were all sitting in the hot spring when a small crystal fell out of the sky and landed in the water. Before we knew it, we were all young again!"
"The water made you young?" Sid asked.
"Yes." Brooke answered "It was quite amazing. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Then what happened?" Sid questioned.
"Well, When I realized I was young again. I was excited, I could be with you!" She smiled as she remembered. "But… then I realized that I had no idea where you were." She frowned "I was devastated. We were the right ages and everything, but I had no way of finding you." Sid squeezed her hand in reassurance.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"I was about to give up, when your grandmother came up to me." Brooke smiled.
"Granny?" Sid asked "What'd she have to say?"
"She wanted to know what I was doing there." Brooke giggled. "Asked me 'why aren't you going after Sidney?'"
"And she was young too?" Sid couldn't believe it, his own grandmother had apparently helped in bringing Brooke back to him.
"Yeah." Brooke smiled "I think she and Teddy are really going to hit it off." Sid shuddered at the thought.
"Then what?" He asked.
"I told her that I wanted to go after you, but I had no idea where you were going. And I didn't really see much reason in leaving the springs if I couldn't find you." Brooke responded as the pair made it to the clearing right outside Sid's cave.
"What did Granny have to say to that?" Sid wondered as he took Brooke's bag from her and put it and his Brooke-Stone down inside the cave.
"She laughed." Brooke replied "and reminded me about the wedding."
"Peaches' wedding?" Sid questioned.
"Yeah." Brooke replied "She said that all I needed to do was find the wedding, which wouldn't be that hard to do, I mean, weddings aren't that common of a thing around here I guess, but she said that all I needed to do was find the wedding, and if I could do that, then I could find you."
"And you did!" Sid grinned. Brooke smiled back as she sat down on a rock within the cave. Sid began to gather a few sticks from his stockpile and began organizing them on his campfire circle.
"I did." Brooke sighed "It took a few days, but I finally overheard someone talking about a wedding that they were going to later that day and, turns out it was the right one!" Sid grinned happily as he walked over to Brooke and took her hands in his.
"I'm really happy you're back Brooke." He said softly. Brooke looked up at him with a big smile on her face.
"Me too Sid, Me too." She replied. Sid carefully lifted one of her hands up to his mouth and gently kissed it. Brooke giggled and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Sid stepped back for a moment, dazed as he put his hand to the spot where she had kissed him. This only caused Brooke to laugh more, aww-ing at the expression on his face. After a few moments, Sid shook his head and returned to building the fire for the night.
"What are you doing there?" Brooke asked as she stood up and walked over to Sid to examine his work.
"I'm building a fire!" he replied. Brooke's eyes widened.
"You can make fire?" She asked, impressed. Sid's chest puffed out and he grinned.
"I sure can!" he said proudly. "I'm the only one in the herd that can. In fact, there's a herd of mini-sloths out there somewhere who call me their fire king!" Sid bragged as he hit his fire-rocks together to create a spark. Within seconds his campfire was blazing with color and heat, a comforting haven compared to the chill in the air that was so common these days. After making sure that his fire was all set, Sid sat down a log he had put down near the fire pit. Brooke grinned and sat down next to him, scooting herself so her side touched his.
"I guess that makes me your fire queen, huh?" She asked flirtatiously. Sid's eyes widened as he looked at her.
"Hey, yeah!" He replied "You're right!" he chuckled at the thought of the reaction of the mini-sloth tribe to his new love. He turned to her and grasped both of her hands in his. "My lovely fire queen." He said dramatically, causing Brooke to giggle some more, "The fairest in the land." Brooke awwed at his sentiment and leaned her head on his shoulder. Sid wrapped his arm around her and the pair sat contentedly for a while, just staring at the fire and reveling in the other's presence.
"This is perfect." Brooke sighed after a while, snuggling into Sid's side. Sid smiled down at her, his heart filled to overflowing. Was it even possible to be this happy? He wasn't sure.
"It is." He replied. "But not as perfect as you." Brooke shifted so that she could look him in the eyes.
"Oh Sid." She said happily "Where have you been all my life?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Sid admitted, scooting a bit so he could look her in the eyes better. "I mean, I was alone for so long. My brothers, Zac, Marshall and Bernie were all so lucky in finding girls, and I was always left behind. Sure, I had my friends but, Manny found Ellie, and then Diego found Shira… Even Peaches found someone! and I was alone… until you came along." Brooke smiled sympathetically up at him.
"I know what you mean." She said sadly, looking down at her hands which were clasped in her lap. "I never really had luck with guys until you came along. That's why my parents decided to send me over to Shangri-Llama. They thought that if I couldn't find a mate, at least I could make something of myself as an advisor to him or something."
"They left you there?" Sid asked, shocked that they'd do such a thing.
"Yes." Brooke admitted "They tricked me, and just left me there, I had no say in the matter. And then of course Shangri-Llama found the crystals…" Sid sat up straight.
"My parents left me too!" Sid said, excited to find someone who could share in this misfortune "They just up and left me behind one morning when they were migrating. And then a few years later they stopped by and dropped Granny off, and did it again!"
"They left you twice?" Brooke asked, shocked.
"Yeah." Sid said "I'm not that smart I guess, or else I woulda caught onto it." Brooke smiled at him and put one of her hands on his.
"Sid, you are plenty smart." She comforted him. "I mean, I don't know anyone else that can make a fire!" Sid smiled sadly at her.
"Yeah, you're right." He said, "It just hurts sometimes, you know?"
"Yeah, it does." Brooke replied before looking up at him "But I promise not to leave you like that!" she said before grasping his hands in hers. "Now that I've found you, I won't give you up easily. I would NEVER do that to you Sid." Sid smiled.
"I promise not to leave you too, Brooke!" He said whole-heartedly before hugging her tightly against him. Brooke wrapped her arms tightly against his and nuzzled her face into his neck, reveling in the comfort it provided.
"I was so lonely there." She sniffled "In Geotopia." Sid looked down at her, hugging her tighter against him, hoping to provide comfort to his new girlfriend.
"How long were you stuck there for?" He asked softly.
"A couple-hundred years." Brooke admitted "and you're the first he-sloth that ever gave me the time of day." Sid sat up straight. A couple hundred years? His heart filled with affection for the she sloth in his arms. The poor thing. No wonder she had been so excited to see the herd when they arrived. Who knows how long it had been since outsiders came in?
"Oh, Brooke." Sid said, gently rubbing her back. "I thought I had it bad. I'm so sorry." Brooke continued to sniffle a little bit before looking back up at Sid, tears in her eyes. Sid smiled sadly and gently wiped the tears from her face.
"You're so beautiful." He said softly, spellbound by the look of her face in the firelight. Brooke smiled sadly and giggled tearfully before taking her hand and gently caressing Sid's cheek.
"I love you Sidney." She said quietly, pouring as much emotion as she could into her eyes. Sid's heart overflowed, never, NEVER had he heard these words from any girl other than his mother, even Sylvia, the girl he used to date when he was young, hadn't said these three magic words.
"I love you too Brooke." He replied affectionately, "So much." The pair looked in each other's eyes before Brooke closed her eyes, leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Sid closed his eyes and reveled in the kiss. He didn't have much experience in the practice but he was sure that this was heaven. Sure, he had enjoyed their first kiss, back right after they had stopped the asteroid, but, this, this was unbelievable. This time, with the pair the same age, and able to stay together, it meant so much more. It didn't mean "I like you, but goodbye and here's something to remember me by" it meant "I love you, and I am NEVER leaving you, no matter what" it meant "You are the best thing that ever happened to me" it meant the world to the pair. Brooke of course was now far away from the crystals of Geotopia and the fountain of youth that had so graciously brought her youth back to her, so she would be aging normally now. But she did not mind a bit. In her mind, a life with Sid, being able to be by his side, as his love, as his mate, was completely and utterly worth it. After a while their lips parted, and the pair looked into each other's eyes.
"Wow." They both said in unison, a deep connection already forming in their hearts, there was NO way that they could even imagine being with anyone else now. The pair blushed and scooted a bit to give each other room, turning so they were facing the campfire. The glowing flames a perfect representation of the flames that they felt going through their bodies right now. Brooke shyly took a tendril of her hair and began curling it with her fingers before turning over to Sid.
"So…" She said softly "Are we still engaged or…"
"What do you want?" Sid asked softly, taking her hands in his.
"You." Brooke replied, affection in her eyes. "I don't care, I just want you."
"I want you too." Sid smiled, gently rubbing the tops of her hands with his thumbs. "But… maybe… maybe we should get to know each other a bit more before making it official." Brooke smiled at him, looking down at her feet.
"I was thinking the same thing." She said "Before, I was so nervous, and I felt rushed because of the asteroid, but now that it's gone…"
"We have more time." Sid replied.
"Exactly." Brooke responded, smiling up at him.
"Tell you what." Sid said, beaming as he jumped up and went over to a corner of the cave. "I have an idea." He quickly picked up a clamshell and walked up in front of Brooke and kneeled in front of her.
"This was Granny's." He replied "She told me to give it to someone special… I tried to give it to a girl before but, she said no."
"She doesn't know what she's missing out on." Brooke grinned.
"Anyway." Sid continued "I thought maybe, maybe you should have it." He gently opened up the clamshell to reveal a beautiful delicate diamond, laying carefully inside the shell, just waiting for a new owner to pick it up.
"Oh, Sid!" Brooke gasped.
"Brooke." Sid said confidently "I love you, and while we only met a week ago, I feel like I've known you my entire life."
"Me too Sidney." Brooke gushed.
"This isn't an engagement stone." Sid explained "It's a promise stone. It means that while we're not engaged YET, I promise that someday, in the future, I will propose to you properly. In the meantime, we can spend time together, get to know each other well, and enjoy being boyfriend and girlfriend, without having to worry about the unknowns of the future."
"Sid…" Brooke started, tears in her eyes.
"So what do you say Brooke?" Sid asked "Will you accept this promise? Will you be mine?"
Brooke was silent for a moment before responding.
"YES!" she replied enthusiastically, beaming as she leapt into his arms, knocking the he-sloth down onto his back, this didn't matter to her though. She continued crying happy tears as she proceeded to kiss him repeatedly all over his face, causing Sid to start laughing with glee "Yes! Yes! Oh, Sid, I love you so much." She gave him a few more pecks on his face before pulling back, beaming at him, laughing with glee. Sid beamed in response before pulling her down to him and connecting their lips once again. After a few moments, the pair separated, breathing hard.
"Still wow." The pair said in unison before Brooke helped him back up to his feet. The sloth couldn't believe his luck. She said yes, she said yes, she said YES… it was too much to take, and his eyes also started to fill with happy tears. He quickly got his bearings and picked up the shell from the ground where it had dropped when Brooke had jumped on him. He walked over to Brooke and presented it to her.
"This is yours." He said smiling before gently putting it in her hands. The she-sloth carefully opened it up and gasped at the gemstone inside.
"Oh Sid." She said quietly. "This… this is the most beautiful gemstone I've ever seen. Where did you find it?"
"I dunno where it came from." Sid said, shrugging. "I think Grandad is the one who found it, but he's been gone for years."
"Well still, it's gorgeous." Brooke stated before squealing and running over to her bag, tripping over her feet in the process, she managed to get right back up though and rushed to her goal. Once she got to the bag she opened it up and pulled out a string. She hummed to herself as she continued to work with it and the gemstone with her back to Sid. Causing the sloth to watch her curiously. After a few minutes she squealed again and rushed over to Sid, plopping something into his hands. He looked down. She had taken the gemstone and tied it into the string, making a necklace. It was then that he noticed that the purple gemstone necklace she had owned when he first met her was missing.
"Put it on me!" Brooke said excitedly, practically jumping in excitement. Sid grinned at her happiness and tied the necklace around her neck, careful to make sure that her long, lustrous hair was not caught in the string. Once he was done, Brooke ran over to a reflective ice wall in the back of the cave and admired her new possession. She jumped up and down in happiness.
"Oh Sid!" She said gleefully. "It's beautiful!" she then ran up to him and grabbed him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much." She whispered. "I love it." Sid grinned down at her and returned the embrace.
"I'm glad you like it." He said happily. He knew he made a good choice in who to give the diamond to, his granny would be proud. The pair stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other's arms, Brooke once again nuzzling her face into his neck, 'I think this is going to be one of my favorite spots' she thought to herself.
KRA-KOOOM!
Brooke jumped up and spun around to look out of the cave to find the source of the noise only for a downpour to start just before she reached the entrance.
"Wh-what's happening?" she asked nervously. Sid stood back for a moment before another thunderclap startled Brooke again, causing her to run back into her beau's arms, gasping in surprise when a bolt of lightning crossed the sky. Sid looked down at his love before realizing why she was so unsettled. She had lived in Geotopia for hundreds of years, she had completely forgotten what a rainstorm was. They didn't have them in there.
"It's just a rainstorm." He told her comfortingly, stroking her hair. "We'll be perfectly safe as long as we stay in the cave."
"Oh." Brook said, slowly stepping out of Sid's arms, and cautiously looking out the entrance of the cave. "I think I remember hearing about these. It's when water falls out of the sky, They're what allows the plants to grow, right?" Sid nodded as she looked down embarrassedly, twirling a strand of her hair in her hand "Sorry." She said "I guess I'm not that bright about life out here." Sid walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll show you all kinds of neat stuff, starting tomorrow, You'll be an expert of life outside of Geotopia in no time!" He said confidently as Brooke relaxed and smiled at him.
"I guess you're right." She yawned. "although, right now, I think I'm a bit tired. We should probably get some sleep."
"Yeah, we should." Sid said, walking over and patting the large, moss covered rock that he used as his bed. He began to climb up onto it before noticing that Brooke was staring out at the still raging storm, a nervous look in her eyes, with her hands clasped together in fear. Sid sighed a bit. "Hey, Brooke?" he asked "Why don't you get the rock tonight? I can find another one for me tomorrow." The she-sloth nodded as he helped her up onto the rock and, once on the rock, lay down, still facing the storm.
"Thank you." She said blankly. "it's soft." Another thunderclap and lighting bolt crossed the sky, causing her to jump again in fear. "Um, Sid?" she asked the male sloth who was currently flattening out a spot on the floor near the campfire to sleep on. "Would-Would it be too forward for you to stay on the rock with me… just for tonight?" Sid smiled at her.
"Not at all, mi amor" he said grinning as he walked up to the rock and joined the giggling Brooke on top, lying down and wrapping his arms around her. "Better?" he asked.
"Much." Brooke said grinning, before giving him a light peck on the nose. "Love you."
"I love you too." Sid said, rubbing his nose gently against hers, causing both to giggle a bit. The pair then grew silent, Brooke staring at the diamond on her necklace, toying with it in her hand, admiring it's sparkle in the firelight.
"So pretty." She said sleepily as she yawned and then closed her eyes and cuddled up close to Sid who wrapped his arms tighter around her. It wasn't long before her breathing slowed and she fell into a peaceful sleep. Sid grinned down at her, gently moving a strand of her hair out of her face.
She was so beautiful, and she was his. He still couldn't believe it. He wasn't sure how in the world he was going to be able to fall asleep now, knowing that he finally had the thing that he had been wanting for so incredibly long… true love. He had thought he had lost her, but here she was, in his arms, wearing HIS diamond around her neck, proclaiming herself as his.
"I love you so much Brooke." He said quietly, staring at the perfect creature in his arms, gently stroking his hand through her hair 'I could do this forever' he thought. Brooke shifted in her sleep before wrapping her arms around Sid and sighing happily. Sid smiled down at her and squeezed his arms around her a bit tighter. She was a complete gem, and he was never going to let this precious gem go.
When he was younger his parents had told him and his brothers that they were like puzzle pieces the parts of pictures painted onto stones and shattered, with the goal of putting them back together, and their mate was the one piece who fit with you. The one who's quirks and abilities, hopes and hobbies fit with yours. Sid glanced down at Brooke, he had found her. After all the years of searching, and hoping, and praying and heartbreak… he had actually found the one piece that fit with him, and he couldn't be any happier. With this thought, Sid sighed happily before giving Brooke a soft kiss on the forehead and putting his head down to sleep himself. Before the asteroid came, he thought that his life was over, that he wouldn't have anything to look forward to, that everything would just end. But the asteroid was stopped, thanks in part to the lovely creature in his arms, and that meant that his world was not going to end. That he could have things to look forward to, like getting to see Manny as a grandfather someday, or meeting Diego's cubs for the first time, Or even getting married and having children himself. And, with luck, Brooke would be with him through it all. She was the puzzle piece that coincided with his, and with her at his side, after years and years of longing and desperation and loneliness, he finally felt complete.
I must say, one of the main reasons that I loved Sooke so much was the fact that it felt like the style of their interactions is exactly the style that comes to me naturally while writing, and as a result, this came out REAL easily. I personally think that the two are in good character, but I guess the real determination is up to you, the readers.
Man, isn't it nice to see all three of the main guys with someone!? I mean, I get such a kick out of looking at the three guys, and then looking at the three girls, and seeing the similarities, and they are THERE you guys, seriously. I personally wouldn't mind seeing an adventure with JUST the girls... that would be fun, don't ya think?
Another funny thing, is that the movie came out in the USA on Sid's b-day (John Leguizamo's b-day) so it was kind of like the universe was like "Happy birthday Sid, Here's the love of your life!"
Also, sorry about the lack of Buck in this story, I'm concerned that because he is ALL OVER THE PLACE, that he would end up being quite a hard character to write, hmmm... perhaps I need my sister, the big Buck fan in our family to help me out? *COUGH* Hint *COUGH*
Thank you all for sticking with me for TEN years, TEN years guys! Can you believe it!? I look forward to continuing to write as more and more inspirations come, and there's quite a few sequels lined up in the next few years that I feel are going to give me some inspiration (Is it time for Toy Story 4 yet... Uggggh can't wait!)
Once again, I thank you for joining me, and I look forward to seeing your works soon guys! See ya!