guestsurprise, who owns Zambanza and Maxine, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)
Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel and Courtney.
Reminding You How Good It Is To Have Someone Who Cares
Rachel threw the Frisbee threw the air and Courtney jumped up to catch it, landing on her feet perfectly. "Good catch, honey," she heard her mother say.
Grinning, the young girl decided to try a trick that her father, Rook, had taught her the other day and did a leap in the air and spun around before tossing the Frisbee to her mother, who smiled and leapt up, catching the disk in her hand and landing on the ground, but nearly toppling over. "I did it!" Courtney said excitedly.
"Did what?" Rachel asked in amusement.
"Dad taught me that trick the other day and I practiced it yesterday," the eleven-year-old girl said.
"Well, I'd say you nailed it," the older woman said, catching her daughter and tickling her stomach, making her giggle happily.
Rachel then glanced up to see where the sun was when she saw a familiar figure fly past and she softly gasped. "Zambanza," she said quietly so Courtney wouldn't hear. She turned her attention back to her daughter. "Honey, didn't you say that you wanted to ask your father if he'd help you with that history report?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Courtney said. "Do you think he's home right now?"
"I think so," Rachel answered and saw Ben pull up and wave to them. She waved back and headed over with Courtney beside her. "Hey, Ben," she said.
"Hey, Rach," he said and noticed Courtney and looked curious. "And who's this?"
"This is Courtney, Rook's and mine oldest daughter," the older woman answered.
"Ah, I was wondering why she looked familiar," Ben said. "Rook was telling me how proud he was that she won first place in a contest recently. A spelling bee, right?"
"That's right," Rachel said, seeing Courtney look curious. "Honey, this is your uncle Ben. He works with your dad."
"The one who has the watch?" Courtney asked.
"Same one," her mother said before looking thoughtful. "Ben, where are you headed by chance?"
"I was headed for the Mansion when I saw you two," he said. "Would you like a lift?"
"Actually, could you take Courtney home for me? There's something I have to take care of," Rachel said.
"Sure," Ben said, unlocking the door and Courtney got in, buckling up.
"Will you be home soon, Mom?" She asked.
"I will be, honey," she said with a reassuring smile. "Good luck on that report."
Seeing Ben drive off and knowing Courtney was safe with him, Rachel took off to find Zambanza, following her from the park to a nearby playground and seeing the ten-year-old magician land on an old jungle gym. Sneaking closer to see what the child was up to, Rachel found a good spot and listened carefully.
Zambanza sighed. "I have to move soon to another state," she said to herself, but unknown to her, Rachel heard her. "And I need to get my share of the gold back from Maxine."
That gold business again? Rachel asked herself and let out a very quiet huff of amusement. She certainly doesn't give up, but I think we're beginning to show her that we don't give up either on finding kids a good home, especially ones who need it, but think they don't, like she does.
Leaning to look around to see what Zambanza was going to do, the young woman felt her foot slip a little and it scuffed in the dirt. Gasping as she knew the sound alerted the child, Rachel quickly went to hide, spying a hole in the wall and decided to slip through it, but when she got halfway through it, she got stuck and struggled to get free.
Hearing the sound and knowing she had an intruder, Zambanza waved her magic wand, about to attack. "I'll take care of you, eavesdropper!" She said angrily.
"Zambanza, wait!" Rachel cried out.
The young girl stopped in surprise, instantly recognizing Rachel's voice and she dropped her hand, putting away her wand. Because Rachel and her family hadn't done anything to hurt Zambanza, they were some of the few she wouldn't attack, but just then, she felt mischievous.
Rachel, who was wondering why Zambanza wasn't attacking, worked to try and get free again, but a moment later, she felt Zambanza remove her shoes and start tickling her feet. "Hey!" The older woman cried out before she began laughing, surprised that instead of attacking, the young girl was feeling mischievous and seemed to be enjoying the fact that the older woman was stuck and unable to get free right away, which gave the ten-year-old a chance to tickle her.
After a few minutes, Zambanza stopped. "Well, maybe you'll be careful not to get stuck like that next time," she said cheekily.
Rachel smirked and with a heave, got herself free of the hole and sat down, putting her shoes back on while Zambanza watched, looking pleased with herself. The young woman then stood up and smiled. "So…you like being mischievous, do you?" Rachel asked, her smile growing wider as she raised her hands, fingers wiggling as she reached for Zambanza. "Well, as the saying goes, two can play that game."
Zambanza's smile fell into a surprised look that instead of running away, as the young girl had been expecting Rachel to do, she was instead turning the tables on her. "What?" She asked in shock. "How…How come you're not running?"
"Why would I run, except if I'm chasing you?" Rachel asked.
The young magician was now in shock because she hadn't played with anyone in a long time and she wasn't used to anyone except Maxine wanting to be near her. Unsure of what to do except escape, Zambanza turned and began running, looking over her shoulder to see Rachel was hot on her heels and still smiling. "You're not getting away that easily, Zambanza," she said to her, reaching for her. "I'm going to get you."
Even more confused and a little startled by that, Zambanza continued running and went to pull out her wand, but Rachel lunged forward. "Gotcha!" She said.
"Eek!" The ten-year-old squeaked, dropping her wand, but she kept running. Rachel picked up the wand and put it in her backpack before she took off after the young girl again.
"I'm going to find you, Zambanza," she said teasingly. "You need a great big tickle torture and I'm going to give you one."
Her teasing, playful voice reached the child, who was confused and trying to stay hidden. Without her wand, she had no way to defend herself.
Rachel, meanwhile, had been thinking and pulled out Zambanza's wand, getting an idea after she spotted the child behind a tree and saw the tree had vines. Smiling, she pointed the wand at the vines. A small spark of magic flew out and touched the vines, making them come alive and they grabbed Zambanza. "Hey!" She cried out in surprise as the vines wrapped around her arms and her ankles, tying her to the tree and keeping her secure. Rachel came from around the tree, holding up Zambanza's wand and the girl looked at her fearfully.
"Well, this makes catching you easier," she said, putting the wand back in her backpack and looming over the ten-year-old. "Now, where should I start tickling you?"
Zambanza tried to struggle, but the vines were too strong. "Oh, you're not getting away from a tickle torture that easily," Rachel said, smiling before she lifted up the young girl's shirt to the bottom of her rib cage. "Let's see if that little stomach of yours is ticklish."
The young girl shook her head, but the young woman smiled and took a deep breath, blowing a big raspberry right onto Zambanza's belly button. To the young girl's shock, it tickled so bad that she couldn't stop the laugh that came out of her. It was so unexpected that she couldn't have stopped it in time. "Aha!" Rachel said. "A very ticklish tummy. And I just love ticklish tummies."
"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" Zambanza squealed as Rachel blew another raspberry into the ticklish skin before feeling the older woman playfully pretend to munch on her stomach, which tickled so much that the ten-year-old couldn't stop laughing.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Well, well, who would have guessed a young magician would be so ticklish?" Rachel said teasingly as she gave the young girl a break before raising her hands. "I'm going to make you laugh yourself silly, Zambanza."
"No, please," Zambanza begged through her giggles, but Rachel only smiled.
"You like being tickled, otherwise you won't have tickled me," she said before her fingers began wiggling into the young girl's sides, making her laugh again as she squirmed around, but Rachel's tickling fingers didn't let up and began tickling her underarms, neck, stomach, and ears, making the young girl arch her back in an effort to get away, but Rachel blew another raspberry into her stomach, which made Zambanza squeak and giggle helplessly.
"Well, we've covered your neck, ears, sides, and stomach," the older woman said. "So, how about your knees and feet?"
The ten-year-old didn't have time to react as Rachel gently squeezed her knees, making her giggle shrilly. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" She cooed at the little one teasingly. "Giggle to your heart's content, sweetheart, because I'm not through tickling you yet."
With that, she blew a raspberry into Zambanza's neck, making her try to scrunch up her neck to block the playful attack but she was reduced to a pile of laughter as Rachel gave her another breather before removing the magician's shoes. "Now, let me see those little feet," she said, wiggling all ten fingers into the young girl's feet.
Zambanza was sure she left her skin as she threw her head back and laughed hard, trying to move her feet away from the playful attack, but Rachel didn't let her get away from the tickles that quickly. "Oh, no. You are mine, Zambanza," she said with a playful smile, giving the young girl another breather. "I'm not done cheering you up. But I'll let you have longer breather this time."
The ten-year-old took in some deep breaths before looking at her. "Please, let me go," she said.
Rachel took out the magic wand, smiling at her. "Zambanza, I'm not going to hurt you," she said, her voice gentle as she went over and gently pinched the right side of the young girl's face, making the ten-year-old look up at her in surprise.
"But…why did you capture me?" She asked.
"Because I wanted to tickle you back for tickling me," Rachel said. "And I wanted you to give me a chance to talk to you, because you have a tendency to fly off and disappear before any of us talk to you. Why is that?"
Zambanza looked down. "Why do you even want to be near me?" She asked. "No one wants to be near me. Everyone's afraid."
"Now who would I be afraid of a cute girl who just needs some guidance and perhaps someone who cares too much to let her go and possibly get herself hurt?"
The magician opened her mouth, but then stopped, Rachel's words making her think. Rachel gently tilted Zambanza's chin up so the child was looking at her. "You've been on your own for so long, you don't know what it feels like to have someone who cares, do you?" She asked gently. Zambanza shook her head. "And that's why you run from us. You're not scared of us, but rather…you're frightened when we show you that we care about you and are worried about you."
Tears filled Zambanza's eyes and Rachel gently wiped them away. "Oh, sweetheart," she said gently. "You shouldn't be afraid when someone shows they care. Maxine is especially worried about you and she told me that she wants you to find a family."
The young girl sniffled. "But…who would want me?" She asked.
"Well, there's many families at the mansion and you know some of the aliens have been trying to convince you to trust them," Rachel said with a gentle smile.
"But…it's just a trap," Zambanza said softly.
The owner of the Grant Mansion shook her head. "No, it's not a trap," she said, her voice still gentle. "There wouldn't be an ambush or a bunch of Plumbers who would take you away. You'd be safe. Don't you want to feel loved again? Have two people to call your parents? Have a family who you know would welcome you with open arms and help you feel like you belong?"
The ten-year-old gave that some thought and looked up at Rachel. "How…How do you know that…I do want that?" She asked.
"Because many of the children who have come to live at the mansion have come from hardships and want those things," Rachel said. "And they got those things when members of my family adopted them. They gained a family and I gained nieces and nephews."
Zambanza gave that some thought and saw the young woman smile. "Now, how about some more tickles?" She asked, pointing the wand as the tree. While the vines kept the child in place, eight more vines slid down and took their places by the young girl's ears, neck, underarms, sides, stomach, and belly button while four roots came out of the ground and took their places by her knees and feet. Rachel smiled. "Tickle, tickle, tickle!" She said teasingly.
A squeal left the child as six of the vines tickled her ears, neck, and sides while one tickled all over her stomach and one wiggled into her belly button and two roots tickled her knees mercilessly and the other two tickled her feet all over. Zambanza had never been tickled so much before, but she squirmed around as she laughed, trying to get the vines to stop, but they continued tickling her before Rachel saw tears begin to build up in the child's eyes and waved the wand, calling off the tickling vines and the roots while now only two vines kept the little one secured to the tree.
The ten-year-old took some deep breaths and felt something touch her lips and saw it was a water bottle. She gave Rachel a grateful look and drank the water, feeling better. "Okay, now will you let me go?" She asked.
"Hmm," the older woman gave it some thought and smiled. "You feel better, but are you going to stay put and listen to me if I let you go?"
"Yes," Zambanza said instantly, seeing it was her chance to be free, but the smile on her face wouldn't go away.
"Hmm, I don't think you will," Rachel said. "So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to tickle that belly button of yours until you truly mean that you won't run if I release you. This is also for not giving us the chance to talk to you all the times before."
Before the child could protest, Rachel began wiggling a finger into Zambanza's belly button and the little one threw her head back and began laughing, squirming again to get away. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" The older woman cooed before she had another idea, stopping the tickle torture to give the child another breather. "Hmm, I bet you've never had this next trick done to your ticklish little stomach before."
"What?" Zambanza asked but then her eyes widened in fear at seeing Rachel lean her face down towards the ticklish stomach. "Oh, no! Not more raspberries! Please!" She pleaded.
"Oh, this isn't raspberries," Rachel said with a smile.
"Then…what is it?" The magician asked.
In response, the older woman began kissing Zambanza's stomach with quick, playful kisses that tickled so much that the ten-year-old couldn't stop giggling, the hilarious action making her laugh too.
Finally, Rachel saw that the child was tired and smiled. "Okay, how about you agree to stay put and listen to me, or I'll call Wildvine and Snare-Oh and have them bring you to the mansion and have all the aliens tickle you to pieces?" She asked, half joking, but also half serious.
Zambanza gave her a pleading look. "I won't run, not until you've said what you want to say," she promised.
"Alright," the young woman said. "And to be sure, I'll keep your wand with me, but I'll give it back before you go."
With that, she waved the wand and the vines released the tired child as Rachel put the wand in her backpack again and hung the backpack up on a tree branch and picked up Zambanza, holding her like a mother would a young child.
The young magician went still as she hadn't been held like this in a very long time, but she had to admit, she liked it and she slowly slid her arms around Rachel's neck, hoping for a hug. Immediately, Rachel's arms came around her in a warm hug. "Do you feel better, sugar dumpling?" Rachel asked with a gentle smile.
Zambanza nodded, actually liking the nickname the older woman called her. "You're…You're one of the few who has been really nice to me or even wants to be near me," she admitted. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
"Trouble? What trouble?" Rachel asked. "You haven't hurt any member of my family, you helped my daughter escape those criminals sometime back, and you've helped stop Zombozo. How is that you causing trouble?"
"Well, because you wanted to capture me and I wouldn't let you," Zambanza said.
"Honey, we didn't want to capture you, at least not in that sense," the owner of the Grant Mansion said reassuringly. "We wanted you to come to the mansion so we could help you. We could see you had a difficult past and we wanted to help you see that not everyone would treat you that way, but you made it very difficult to do so until today."
The ten-year-old sighed softly. "Miss Rachel, would…would someone at the mansion…adopt me? For real?" She asked.
"I believe so," Rachel said. "Many of them have been talking about you and I know two in particular who have been seriously discussing about seeing if you would let them adopt you."
The young girl looked uncertain. "I…I don't…really know," she said uncertainly.
"Well, you don't have to give an answer right away to that, but I do want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"I want you to promise me that if you run into danger or if you're in some kind of trouble and need a place to stay for the night or just someplace to crash, you come to the Mansion," Rachel told her. "Any hour of the day or even night, you just come and knock on the door. One of us will hear you and let you in."
Zambanza looked up at her. "No tricks?" She asked.
"No tricks," the young woman promised. "Do you promise?"
The ten-year-old nodded. "I promise," she said, meaning it and then, she hugged Rachel, who returned the hug. "Thank you, Miss Rachel."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," she said and stood up, setting Zambanza down and going to get her backpack, pulling out the girl's wand. "Well, a deal's a deal."
She handed the wand back and the magician accepted it and gave Rachel a grateful smile. "I keep your offer in mind. And…I'll think about…the whole adoption thing," she promised.
The owner of the Grant Mansion nodded and watched as Zambanza disappeared. "Remember, honey, our door's always open for you," she said before she began heading back for the Grant Mansion to tell everyone what had happened and how the young magician seemed to be seriously considering what had been told to her.
Zambanza, back at her hideout, began to think about what Rachel said and she remembered how Rachel had tickled her playfully and even hugged her. The feeling that left her with reminded her of how she felt the same way long ago before she was an orphan. She went over to her bed and picked up a blanket that had been hers ever since she was a baby and was the only thing she had left to remind her that her birth parents had loved her very much.
Deep down, she wanted parents again and began to wonder who Rachel meant by two that wanted to adopt her if she was okay with it. She lay down on her bed and pulled the blanket around her, still thinking about Rachel's words long after she had fallen asleep.
Hmm. Who does Rachel mean about the two that wish to adopt Zambanza? Will Zambanza take Rachel up on her offer? That will be revealed in a later story. :)
Please leave a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418