I must warn you, I wasn't in the most sane state of mind when I started writing this... Although I think it's a pretty darn good idea. Yeah. Umm... Enjoy!
~Nekofujin, Queen of the Midget People Republic (and cat ladies)
**Disclaimer** I don't own Outlaw Star, I'm not making any money off it, no matter HOW hard I think. Hope. Wish.
...Darn. Almost worked this time.
It was a dark and stormy night. Except it was really about ten after noon. Actually, it was more overcast than stormy... Whatever.
As the crew of the Outlaw Star puttered around Starwind and Hawking Enterprises on their own business, Melfina perused a magazine she had picked up from the newspaper stand. Lately she'd been buying different issues of different periodicals (sometimes to Gene's benefit-- once or twice she'd picked up a Playboy magazine mistaking it for a childrens' sport magazine), and they all seemed to have parental themes. Gene also appeared to have avoided Melfina when she said she wanted to talk, making up excuses like he had to walk the dog ("What dog?" would be Melfina's usual response, and the best Gene had come up with so far was "The one I was hired to walk"). However, one day, Gene wasn't so lucky...
"Gene, I think we need to talk," Melfina said as Gene dozed on his couch. Gene suddenly got up. "Where are you going...?"
"To walk the dog," Gene replied in a clearly rehearsed tone.
"You've already walked the dog twice today, Gene..." There was a long pause.
"Damn."
"Gene, I wanted to talk to you about-" -Gene cringed- "Jim."
Another long pause ensued, which was broken by Gene's nervous laughter. "Heh..." he finally said once he got his breath back. "I thought you were going to want to talk about something else..."
Melfina was obviously puzzled. "...What?"
"Um... Nevermind." Gene replied. "Now, what's this about Jim?"
"Oh, right," Melfina said, getting back on subject. "I've been wondering if Jim's been growing up properly..."
It took a moment to sink in. "Growing up... properly?" It finally hit Gene that Jim was only eleven, twelve in three months. "I never really thought about it..."
"Well, I've been reading a lot of parenting literature, and I'm beginning to think that Jim isn't acting like a normal eleven-year-old should be-"
"I don't think we have a whole lot to worry about, Mel," Gene interrupted, attempting to dismiss the subject with a wave of his hand. "He seems to be a pretty upright kid."
Melfina appeared to be flustered. "But... well..." Another pause. "I think we should enroll Jim in school."
Gene stared at Mel and ran his hand through his hair. He has very nice hair, you know. "Ummm... okay, you're kidding... right?"
Melfina appeared to be puzzled once more. "I don't think so..."
"Okay, why exactly is it you want to put Jim in school?"
Melfina extracted a magazine from a pile she had heaped together on a nearby table. "It says right here that he should be intereacting with other children his age..." She pointed to a rather lengthy excerpt written by psycholgist Dr. I.M.A. Cannibal.
Gene turned around, shaking his head. After some silent cogitating-- all through which Melfina waited patiently-- Gene decided it wasn't worth possibly throwing the whole engagement with Mel down the toilet over a silly little thing like education, no matter how unlikey the chances were of Melfina dumping him.
"All right," he finally said, running his hand through his hair some more. "I suppose it couldn't hurt the little twerp..."
Jim's going to school! *gasp* What strange and horrifying adventures await our juvenile hero in the next chapter?? And why haven't we seen hide nor hair of Jim since my last fan fic?? ...Why do I sound like I'm foreshadowing when I'm really not? ...No, really, I'm not. Darn it, just wait and see.
~Nekofujin, Queen of the Midget People Republic (and cat ladies)
**Disclaimer** I don't own Outlaw Star, I'm not making any money off it, no matter HOW hard I think. Hope. Wish.
...Darn. Almost worked this time.
It was a dark and stormy night. Except it was really about ten after noon. Actually, it was more overcast than stormy... Whatever.
As the crew of the Outlaw Star puttered around Starwind and Hawking Enterprises on their own business, Melfina perused a magazine she had picked up from the newspaper stand. Lately she'd been buying different issues of different periodicals (sometimes to Gene's benefit-- once or twice she'd picked up a Playboy magazine mistaking it for a childrens' sport magazine), and they all seemed to have parental themes. Gene also appeared to have avoided Melfina when she said she wanted to talk, making up excuses like he had to walk the dog ("What dog?" would be Melfina's usual response, and the best Gene had come up with so far was "The one I was hired to walk"). However, one day, Gene wasn't so lucky...
"Gene, I think we need to talk," Melfina said as Gene dozed on his couch. Gene suddenly got up. "Where are you going...?"
"To walk the dog," Gene replied in a clearly rehearsed tone.
"You've already walked the dog twice today, Gene..." There was a long pause.
"Damn."
"Gene, I wanted to talk to you about-" -Gene cringed- "Jim."
Another long pause ensued, which was broken by Gene's nervous laughter. "Heh..." he finally said once he got his breath back. "I thought you were going to want to talk about something else..."
Melfina was obviously puzzled. "...What?"
"Um... Nevermind." Gene replied. "Now, what's this about Jim?"
"Oh, right," Melfina said, getting back on subject. "I've been wondering if Jim's been growing up properly..."
It took a moment to sink in. "Growing up... properly?" It finally hit Gene that Jim was only eleven, twelve in three months. "I never really thought about it..."
"Well, I've been reading a lot of parenting literature, and I'm beginning to think that Jim isn't acting like a normal eleven-year-old should be-"
"I don't think we have a whole lot to worry about, Mel," Gene interrupted, attempting to dismiss the subject with a wave of his hand. "He seems to be a pretty upright kid."
Melfina appeared to be flustered. "But... well..." Another pause. "I think we should enroll Jim in school."
Gene stared at Mel and ran his hand through his hair. He has very nice hair, you know. "Ummm... okay, you're kidding... right?"
Melfina appeared to be puzzled once more. "I don't think so..."
"Okay, why exactly is it you want to put Jim in school?"
Melfina extracted a magazine from a pile she had heaped together on a nearby table. "It says right here that he should be intereacting with other children his age..." She pointed to a rather lengthy excerpt written by psycholgist Dr. I.M.A. Cannibal.
Gene turned around, shaking his head. After some silent cogitating-- all through which Melfina waited patiently-- Gene decided it wasn't worth possibly throwing the whole engagement with Mel down the toilet over a silly little thing like education, no matter how unlikey the chances were of Melfina dumping him.
"All right," he finally said, running his hand through his hair some more. "I suppose it couldn't hurt the little twerp..."
Jim's going to school! *gasp* What strange and horrifying adventures await our juvenile hero in the next chapter?? And why haven't we seen hide nor hair of Jim since my last fan fic?? ...Why do I sound like I'm foreshadowing when I'm really not? ...No, really, I'm not. Darn it, just wait and see.