Tropical Island Adventure
Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned Speed Racer or related
characters. I also do not own Disney World or related companies and
paraphernalia. The only thing that I have claim to are the ideas and settings, which came out of my own head. So therefore, coming after me for
this fic would be as successful as trying to defeat Speed in a race.
A/N: This is my very first Speed Racer fan fiction. I normally do Pokemon
fan fiction but when I bought a Speed Racer DVD I got interested in dabbling in a new genre. Since this is my first fic in a new genre, please be kind in your reviews and don't flame me. Please review because that is
how I get better
Chapter 1: The Day Before
It was a beautiful May afternoon with the sun shining high and bright in the sky. As soon as school got out, 12-year-old Spritle Racer stood waiting for the school bus that would take him home for the day. He couldn't manage to contain his excitement as he thought about what the next day would hold. He was in the eighth grade and at the end of the school year the entire eighth grade always took a trip to Walt Disney World and took a cruise to a tropical destination. This year's destination was going to be the Bahamas.
As soon as the school bus pulled up in front of the Racer house, Spritle got off and was immediately greeted by Chim Chim, who ran up to him chattering excitedly. Chim Chim was going to be accompanying Spritle on his little vacation.
"Hi, Chim Chim. Let's go inside and get our things together so we can be ready for tomorrow." Spritle said as he turned and walked into the house.
As soon as Spritle walked in the house he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table. Upon hearing the two enter, Pops Racer looked up from the newspaper article he was reading and smiled at his youngest son.
"Did you have a good day at school today, Spritle?"
"I sure did, Pops! We talked about the trip in all of my classes today. Everyone is really excited about it. Chim Chim and I were just going to go upstairs and get everything together so we can be ready in the morning. I just can't wait to get going. I wish it was tomorrow already." Spritle said excitedly.
"Well, that sounds like a good idea but why don't you and Chim Chim have a little snack before you start packing?" Mom Racer suggested as she set a plate of cookies and two glasses of lemonade on the table.
"That is a good idea." Spritle shoved two cookies in his mouth at once as he spoke.
* * * * *
After finishing his snack, Spritle was up in his bedroom trying to decide what he wanted to pack to take with him. His mother had already helped him get his clothes together so what was left was to decide what he wanted to take to keep himself entertained on the long bus ride. First, Spritle pulled out his cd player and gathered some discs and then he dug through his closet until he located his camera. Suddenly Chim Chim pulled on his shirt, holding out his portable video game.
"Yeah! That's a good idea, Chim Chim. My video games will be a great source of amusement." Spritle grinned as he took the system and a few games and stuffed them into his bag. Then he continued to ransack his room, looking for a few other things that he wanted to pack for the bus.
* * * * *
While Spritle and Chim Chim were upstairs tearing the bedroom apart, Mom and Pops Racer were still sitting at the kitchen table talking. Suddenly Mom Racer got an idea and she turned to her husband with a smile.
"I have a wonderful idea of something that we can do tonight. Why don't we call Speed and Trixie and see if they would like to come and we can all go out to dinner tonight. Since Spritle doesn't have to go to school in the morning because of his trip we can have a nice evening."
"That is a good idea. We haven't all gone out and done something together in months. Do you want me to call Speed and ask them if they want to do that?" Pops offered.
"Yes. That's good, dear. I'll go let Spritle know what we're doing." Mom said as she turned and headed up the stairs toward the banging and clunking that she heard going on in the bedroom.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, in a small house across town, Speed Racer was helping his fiancé Trixie get things together for the next day. Speed and Trixie, along with their best friend Sparky and his girlfriend Lindsey, were going to be chaperones for the eighth grade trip. They were finishing some last minute details while they were waiting for Sparky and Lindsey to arrive because the two were staying the night with Speed and Trixie so that they wouldn't have as far to travel the next day.
"So do you think we have everything together and ready to go, Trixie?" Speed asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah, I think so. We've got our clothes all together and I've got the walkmans and things and some books to read. I also brought a couple of the pillows that I made and one of my blankets." Trixie announced.
"That's just great. Since we're going to be spending the night on a bus on the way to Florida the blanket and pillows were a really great idea. Now I know one of the reasons I love you so much. You're always thinking on your toes." Speed smiled and kissed Trixie just as someone rang the doorbell.
"That'll be Sparky and Lindsey."
"Great timing as usual Sparky." Speed groaned as he went to the door and Trixie giggled as she followed.
Speed and Trixie opened the front door to see Sparky and Lindsey standing there smiling at them. They were all looking forward to this little vacation because none of them had had much of a chance to relax lately.
"Hiya, Sparky. How's it going?"
"Hi, Speed. Hey, Trixie. Everything's great. This is going to be so much fun." Sparky smiled as Speed and Trixie moved away from the door to allow the two to enter.
"So, Lindsey, what did you think when Sparky asked you to come along with us?" Trixie asked.
"Actually, I was a little bit surprised but it was a good kind of surprised. This is something that I have been imagining for some time." Lindsey giggled, blushing, as Sparky wrapped an arm around her.
Just then the phone started ringing in the kitchen and Speed went to answer it, leaving Trixie to get their friends settled in.
"Hello." Speed said happily.
"Hey, Speed. How is everything going, son? How's Trixie?" Pops asked.
"Oh, hi Pops. Things are going fantastic here. Trixie's doing great too. She's in the living room getting Sparky and Lindsey settled in. They just got here and they're staying with us tonight so they wouldn't have so far to drive tomorrow evening."
"Glad to hear it. The reason I called is that your mother had a nice idea since you guys are going to chaperone Spritle's trip tomorrow and we haven't done something together in a while. We were wondering if you guys wanted to meet us at Los Amigos tonight for dinner. It would be a nice way to spend the evening and since Spritle doesn't have to go to class in the morning, we won't have to worry about time. So what do you think? Would you guys like to do that?"
"Yeah. That sounds like a nice idea, Pops. What time do you want us to meet you?" Speed asked.
"We were thinking that we could meet there about 7:30 since it's 6:00 now. This is wonderful. We'll see you guys there."
"Bye, Pops." Speed smiled as he hung up the phone and went back into the living room to join the others.
"Who was that on the phone, Speed?" Trixie asked as soon as Speed reappeared.
"That was Pops. He and Mom want us to meet them at Los Amigos at 7:30 so we can have dinner with them and Spritle before we all leave tomorrow evening. I told them that we would do that. That's okay with you guys, right?"
"Yeah. That sounds like a great idea." Trixie said.
"It's fine with me. I've been meaning to get in touch with Pops to discuss something with him anyway." Sparky smiled.
"Sure. I haven't had Mexican food in a long time." Lindsey agreed.
"Great. Let's get ready and head out. We don't want to keep them waiting."
* * * * *
At 7:30, the group met at Los Amigos and were soon seated around a large table and were waiting to get their dinner. There was a buzz of dinner conversation, most of which was about the upcoming trip, except for Pops and Sparky who were engrossed in conversation about car engines.
"I'm glad that I talked you guys into coming as chaperones, Speed. It's going to be a lot of fun. The reason I asked you was because I knew that you could all use a break." Spritle said.
"I know it's going to be fun. I'm really glad that you asked us to come along. I also appreciate that you were so concerned about everyone, Spritle." Speed smiled as he put an arm around his brother's shoulders.
"What do you think about having to spend the night on a bus?"
"Well, it's going to be different. That much I can say for sure. But well worth it for the fun we're going to get to have."
"Speed's right. So what are you looking forward to most, Spritle?" Trixie asked.
"I can't really decide. Both things are new for me because they are things that I have never done before. I've heard that Disney World is really awesome and I have a friend that has been on a cruise and he said that is really cool too. Plus it's going to be my first time going on vacation without Mom and Pops." Spritle said, causing Speed and Trixie to smile.
"Just make sure that you behave yourself and don't go getting into any trouble, son." Pops warned as he and Sparky took note of the conversation.
"Of course I will, Pops. Don't I always?" When Spritle said this everyone at the table began laughing.
Once their food had come and everyone sat talking over the hum of lively dinner conversation, he realized that they didn't even know everything that they needed to about this trip yet because Speed hadn't seen Spritle to ask him about it.
"Hey, Spritle. Do you know what time we're supposed to be at your school tomorrow evening? I really need to know that because it wouldn't look good for us to be late." Speed asked.
"Yeah, I do. Actually we got our trip itinerary today and I brought it with me to show to you. Here you go, Speed."
"This looks great. If they follow this itinerary here then things should run smoothly the whole time." Speed handed the paper to Sparky so that he and Lindsey could take a look at it.
"Wow. Everything is planned down to the last minor detail. I wish we got to do things like this back when we were in school." Sparky remarked.
"Yeah, I know. It would have been totally awesome to get to get away from the books for a whole week and just go and goof off. School kids are really lucky these days." Speed said as he sipped his margarita.
When Speed said this, Trixie began thinking of what something like that would have been like and sat staring off into space. She was imagining what it would have been to get to travel around with Speed back then because before she and Speed had started dating, they had been classmates and Trixie had had a major crush on him. Just then, she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Speed speaking to her.
"Trixie? Earth to Trixie. Are you all right?" Speed asked as he waved his hand up and down in front of her face.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Speed. I was just thinking about what Sparky just said and I was imagining what it would have been like to do something like this when we were in school together." Trixie admitted, blushing slightly as Speed laughed and put his arm around her.
After dinner, the group sat around talking for another hour and then at 10:00 Speed and Trixie decided it was time for them and their party to take their leave.
"Hey, it's getting late and we all need to get to bed so we can be rested tomorrow. Thanks for inviting us to dinner Mom and Pops. We had fun." Speed smiled as Trixie nodded her agreement from beside him.
"That's right. Tomorrow is a very big day and Spritle needs to get some rest too." Sparky agreed as he and Lindsey got up as well.
"Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow afternoon. Spritle, we'll come and pick you up at 5:00 so make sure that you and Chim Chim are ready." Trixie smiled.
"We actually need to be leaving too. It's getting late." Pops agreed.
"We'll be ready and waiting for you tomorrow, Speed." Spritle grinned as he gave his brother a hug before leaving with his parents. Then the other four got into their cars and headed back to Speed and Trixie's house.
* * * * *
On the way back in the Mach 5, Speed and Trixie were talking over some things. They were really looking forward to getting a chance to relax and forget about all of the stresses in their everyday lives. Just then something occurred to Trixie and she leaned her head on Speed's shoulder.
"I just thought of something, Speed."
"What's that?" Speed asked as he smiled lovingly at her.
"I was thinking that maybe getting away from it all for a week might be just what you need to cure this bout of insomnia you've been having lately. You might be able to rest easier without all the stress on you." Trixie said honestly as she put her hand on Speed's arm.
"I sure hope you're right about that, Trixie. It's been over a week since I've gotten a decent night's sleep and it's beginning to make me feel a bit run down. Hopefully you are right and getting free of all the pressures of my daily life will help me get a good sleep. We'll just have to wait and see though." Speed shook his head as he and Trixie cruised toward their home in the Mach 5.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, in Sparky's car, Lindsey was staring blankly out the window at the sky, obviously lost in thought about something. It was clear to Sparky that his beloved girlfriend had something on her mind, it seemed she often did on these pretty, clear nights, so he decided that he might try again to draw her out and get her to open up about what was bothering her.
"Hey, are you okay? You seem a thousand miles away right now?" Sparky asked softly.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a few things on my mind. It's nothing really major. Just a few things that I have to work out for myself. These clear nights just get me a little down, I guess." Lindsey answered.
"I just don't like seeing someone I care about so upset. I'd like to help you through whatever burden you seem to be bearing. I wish that you would talk to me and let me go through this with you."
"Maybe I will someday. I just need time to sort it out on my own and make sense out of it before I get anyone else involved. I really hope you understand."
"Of course I do. I understand that you need time and I promise I won't pressure you. Just know that whenever you want to talk about it, I'll be here to listen." Sparky whispered as he took Lindsey's hand.
"Thank you for being so understanding. That's why I love you so much." Lindsey smiled as Sparky pulled the car into Speed and Trixie's driveway.
* * * * *
Once they were all settled in back at the house, the two couples sat in the living room talking for a little while. Sparky was hoping that some positive conversation would be a distraction for Lindsey.
"So, I think this is going to be great. I know that all four of us have been stressed and under a tremendous amount of pressure lately and having this chance to get away from it all for a whole week so we can goof off and just have fun is exactly what we need." Speed said.
"I know it'll be great for me. It seems like I've been moving at triple time for the last several weeks and I haven't had a lot of time to myself to relax." Sparky agreed.
"Well, think about it from the point of view of the women who love you so much. When you guys are under so much pressure and get stressed out then it makes us get stressed." Lindsey pointed out.
"I agree. But right now I think we all need to try and get some sleep so we will actually be some help tomorrow." Trixie agreed. Then she and Speed showed Sparky and Lindsey to the guest room before going to bed themselves.
* * * * *
In the guest room, Sparky and Lindsey were getting ready to go to bed. As he sat on the end of the bed watching his girlfriend look through her bag for her pajamas, Sparky wished that there were something that he could do to take some of the burden off of her. It killed him that he had to stand by and watch her rage an emotional war and not be able to do a thing to help.
"It's hard to stand by and watch her suffer, but you need to remember that you promised that you wouldn't pressure her." Sparky told himself as he stared at the floor. Just then he felt Lindsey sit on the bed beside him and put her arms around him.
"Now who's the one deep in thought? What are you thinking about?" Lindsey whispered.
"Nothing really. I was just letting my mind wander. I have a tendency to do that sometimes. No need to worry your pretty little head about it." Sparky smiled as he lay down on the bed and Lindsey came and rested in his arms.
"Well, I think for tonight we should both stop worrying and get a good night's sleep so we'll be ready to go tomorrow. Goodnight. I love you, Sparky."
"I love you too." Sparky whispered as Lindsey fell asleep in his arms. "I love you so much." Then he settled in and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him away.
* * * * *
In their bedroom, Speed and Trixie were just lying in bed, relaxing and talking. Speed had his arm around Trixie and she lay beside him with her head on his chest. It was in moments like these that Speed was reminded just how much he truly loved Trixie.
"So, have you ever been on a cruise before, Trix?"
"Nope. I've heard about it though. I heard that it's very romantic. I'm looking forward to getting to enjoy it with you." Trixie smiled.
"Mmm hmm. I think this is going to be a first for every one of us. It'll probably feel weird at first to not have anything to take care of and to just get to relax. I'm looking forward to that."
"Yeah, I know. Well, let's try to get some sleep. We need to get up early in the morning to make sure that we have everything together that we intend to take. Goodnight, Speed. I love you." Trixie yawned as she snuggled closer to Speed and closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"I love you, Trixie." Speed whispered. Then he turned on the television at a low volume and prepared to wait out another sleepless night.
Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned Speed Racer or related
characters. I also do not own Disney World or related companies and
paraphernalia. The only thing that I have claim to are the ideas and settings, which came out of my own head. So therefore, coming after me for
this fic would be as successful as trying to defeat Speed in a race.
A/N: This is my very first Speed Racer fan fiction. I normally do Pokemon
fan fiction but when I bought a Speed Racer DVD I got interested in dabbling in a new genre. Since this is my first fic in a new genre, please be kind in your reviews and don't flame me. Please review because that is
how I get better
Chapter 1: The Day Before
It was a beautiful May afternoon with the sun shining high and bright in the sky. As soon as school got out, 12-year-old Spritle Racer stood waiting for the school bus that would take him home for the day. He couldn't manage to contain his excitement as he thought about what the next day would hold. He was in the eighth grade and at the end of the school year the entire eighth grade always took a trip to Walt Disney World and took a cruise to a tropical destination. This year's destination was going to be the Bahamas.
As soon as the school bus pulled up in front of the Racer house, Spritle got off and was immediately greeted by Chim Chim, who ran up to him chattering excitedly. Chim Chim was going to be accompanying Spritle on his little vacation.
"Hi, Chim Chim. Let's go inside and get our things together so we can be ready for tomorrow." Spritle said as he turned and walked into the house.
As soon as Spritle walked in the house he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table. Upon hearing the two enter, Pops Racer looked up from the newspaper article he was reading and smiled at his youngest son.
"Did you have a good day at school today, Spritle?"
"I sure did, Pops! We talked about the trip in all of my classes today. Everyone is really excited about it. Chim Chim and I were just going to go upstairs and get everything together so we can be ready in the morning. I just can't wait to get going. I wish it was tomorrow already." Spritle said excitedly.
"Well, that sounds like a good idea but why don't you and Chim Chim have a little snack before you start packing?" Mom Racer suggested as she set a plate of cookies and two glasses of lemonade on the table.
"That is a good idea." Spritle shoved two cookies in his mouth at once as he spoke.
* * * * *
After finishing his snack, Spritle was up in his bedroom trying to decide what he wanted to pack to take with him. His mother had already helped him get his clothes together so what was left was to decide what he wanted to take to keep himself entertained on the long bus ride. First, Spritle pulled out his cd player and gathered some discs and then he dug through his closet until he located his camera. Suddenly Chim Chim pulled on his shirt, holding out his portable video game.
"Yeah! That's a good idea, Chim Chim. My video games will be a great source of amusement." Spritle grinned as he took the system and a few games and stuffed them into his bag. Then he continued to ransack his room, looking for a few other things that he wanted to pack for the bus.
* * * * *
While Spritle and Chim Chim were upstairs tearing the bedroom apart, Mom and Pops Racer were still sitting at the kitchen table talking. Suddenly Mom Racer got an idea and she turned to her husband with a smile.
"I have a wonderful idea of something that we can do tonight. Why don't we call Speed and Trixie and see if they would like to come and we can all go out to dinner tonight. Since Spritle doesn't have to go to school in the morning because of his trip we can have a nice evening."
"That is a good idea. We haven't all gone out and done something together in months. Do you want me to call Speed and ask them if they want to do that?" Pops offered.
"Yes. That's good, dear. I'll go let Spritle know what we're doing." Mom said as she turned and headed up the stairs toward the banging and clunking that she heard going on in the bedroom.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, in a small house across town, Speed Racer was helping his fiancé Trixie get things together for the next day. Speed and Trixie, along with their best friend Sparky and his girlfriend Lindsey, were going to be chaperones for the eighth grade trip. They were finishing some last minute details while they were waiting for Sparky and Lindsey to arrive because the two were staying the night with Speed and Trixie so that they wouldn't have as far to travel the next day.
"So do you think we have everything together and ready to go, Trixie?" Speed asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah, I think so. We've got our clothes all together and I've got the walkmans and things and some books to read. I also brought a couple of the pillows that I made and one of my blankets." Trixie announced.
"That's just great. Since we're going to be spending the night on a bus on the way to Florida the blanket and pillows were a really great idea. Now I know one of the reasons I love you so much. You're always thinking on your toes." Speed smiled and kissed Trixie just as someone rang the doorbell.
"That'll be Sparky and Lindsey."
"Great timing as usual Sparky." Speed groaned as he went to the door and Trixie giggled as she followed.
Speed and Trixie opened the front door to see Sparky and Lindsey standing there smiling at them. They were all looking forward to this little vacation because none of them had had much of a chance to relax lately.
"Hiya, Sparky. How's it going?"
"Hi, Speed. Hey, Trixie. Everything's great. This is going to be so much fun." Sparky smiled as Speed and Trixie moved away from the door to allow the two to enter.
"So, Lindsey, what did you think when Sparky asked you to come along with us?" Trixie asked.
"Actually, I was a little bit surprised but it was a good kind of surprised. This is something that I have been imagining for some time." Lindsey giggled, blushing, as Sparky wrapped an arm around her.
Just then the phone started ringing in the kitchen and Speed went to answer it, leaving Trixie to get their friends settled in.
"Hello." Speed said happily.
"Hey, Speed. How is everything going, son? How's Trixie?" Pops asked.
"Oh, hi Pops. Things are going fantastic here. Trixie's doing great too. She's in the living room getting Sparky and Lindsey settled in. They just got here and they're staying with us tonight so they wouldn't have so far to drive tomorrow evening."
"Glad to hear it. The reason I called is that your mother had a nice idea since you guys are going to chaperone Spritle's trip tomorrow and we haven't done something together in a while. We were wondering if you guys wanted to meet us at Los Amigos tonight for dinner. It would be a nice way to spend the evening and since Spritle doesn't have to go to class in the morning, we won't have to worry about time. So what do you think? Would you guys like to do that?"
"Yeah. That sounds like a nice idea, Pops. What time do you want us to meet you?" Speed asked.
"We were thinking that we could meet there about 7:30 since it's 6:00 now. This is wonderful. We'll see you guys there."
"Bye, Pops." Speed smiled as he hung up the phone and went back into the living room to join the others.
"Who was that on the phone, Speed?" Trixie asked as soon as Speed reappeared.
"That was Pops. He and Mom want us to meet them at Los Amigos at 7:30 so we can have dinner with them and Spritle before we all leave tomorrow evening. I told them that we would do that. That's okay with you guys, right?"
"Yeah. That sounds like a great idea." Trixie said.
"It's fine with me. I've been meaning to get in touch with Pops to discuss something with him anyway." Sparky smiled.
"Sure. I haven't had Mexican food in a long time." Lindsey agreed.
"Great. Let's get ready and head out. We don't want to keep them waiting."
* * * * *
At 7:30, the group met at Los Amigos and were soon seated around a large table and were waiting to get their dinner. There was a buzz of dinner conversation, most of which was about the upcoming trip, except for Pops and Sparky who were engrossed in conversation about car engines.
"I'm glad that I talked you guys into coming as chaperones, Speed. It's going to be a lot of fun. The reason I asked you was because I knew that you could all use a break." Spritle said.
"I know it's going to be fun. I'm really glad that you asked us to come along. I also appreciate that you were so concerned about everyone, Spritle." Speed smiled as he put an arm around his brother's shoulders.
"What do you think about having to spend the night on a bus?"
"Well, it's going to be different. That much I can say for sure. But well worth it for the fun we're going to get to have."
"Speed's right. So what are you looking forward to most, Spritle?" Trixie asked.
"I can't really decide. Both things are new for me because they are things that I have never done before. I've heard that Disney World is really awesome and I have a friend that has been on a cruise and he said that is really cool too. Plus it's going to be my first time going on vacation without Mom and Pops." Spritle said, causing Speed and Trixie to smile.
"Just make sure that you behave yourself and don't go getting into any trouble, son." Pops warned as he and Sparky took note of the conversation.
"Of course I will, Pops. Don't I always?" When Spritle said this everyone at the table began laughing.
Once their food had come and everyone sat talking over the hum of lively dinner conversation, he realized that they didn't even know everything that they needed to about this trip yet because Speed hadn't seen Spritle to ask him about it.
"Hey, Spritle. Do you know what time we're supposed to be at your school tomorrow evening? I really need to know that because it wouldn't look good for us to be late." Speed asked.
"Yeah, I do. Actually we got our trip itinerary today and I brought it with me to show to you. Here you go, Speed."
"This looks great. If they follow this itinerary here then things should run smoothly the whole time." Speed handed the paper to Sparky so that he and Lindsey could take a look at it.
"Wow. Everything is planned down to the last minor detail. I wish we got to do things like this back when we were in school." Sparky remarked.
"Yeah, I know. It would have been totally awesome to get to get away from the books for a whole week and just go and goof off. School kids are really lucky these days." Speed said as he sipped his margarita.
When Speed said this, Trixie began thinking of what something like that would have been like and sat staring off into space. She was imagining what it would have been to get to travel around with Speed back then because before she and Speed had started dating, they had been classmates and Trixie had had a major crush on him. Just then, she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Speed speaking to her.
"Trixie? Earth to Trixie. Are you all right?" Speed asked as he waved his hand up and down in front of her face.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Speed. I was just thinking about what Sparky just said and I was imagining what it would have been like to do something like this when we were in school together." Trixie admitted, blushing slightly as Speed laughed and put his arm around her.
After dinner, the group sat around talking for another hour and then at 10:00 Speed and Trixie decided it was time for them and their party to take their leave.
"Hey, it's getting late and we all need to get to bed so we can be rested tomorrow. Thanks for inviting us to dinner Mom and Pops. We had fun." Speed smiled as Trixie nodded her agreement from beside him.
"That's right. Tomorrow is a very big day and Spritle needs to get some rest too." Sparky agreed as he and Lindsey got up as well.
"Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow afternoon. Spritle, we'll come and pick you up at 5:00 so make sure that you and Chim Chim are ready." Trixie smiled.
"We actually need to be leaving too. It's getting late." Pops agreed.
"We'll be ready and waiting for you tomorrow, Speed." Spritle grinned as he gave his brother a hug before leaving with his parents. Then the other four got into their cars and headed back to Speed and Trixie's house.
* * * * *
On the way back in the Mach 5, Speed and Trixie were talking over some things. They were really looking forward to getting a chance to relax and forget about all of the stresses in their everyday lives. Just then something occurred to Trixie and she leaned her head on Speed's shoulder.
"I just thought of something, Speed."
"What's that?" Speed asked as he smiled lovingly at her.
"I was thinking that maybe getting away from it all for a week might be just what you need to cure this bout of insomnia you've been having lately. You might be able to rest easier without all the stress on you." Trixie said honestly as she put her hand on Speed's arm.
"I sure hope you're right about that, Trixie. It's been over a week since I've gotten a decent night's sleep and it's beginning to make me feel a bit run down. Hopefully you are right and getting free of all the pressures of my daily life will help me get a good sleep. We'll just have to wait and see though." Speed shook his head as he and Trixie cruised toward their home in the Mach 5.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, in Sparky's car, Lindsey was staring blankly out the window at the sky, obviously lost in thought about something. It was clear to Sparky that his beloved girlfriend had something on her mind, it seemed she often did on these pretty, clear nights, so he decided that he might try again to draw her out and get her to open up about what was bothering her.
"Hey, are you okay? You seem a thousand miles away right now?" Sparky asked softly.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a few things on my mind. It's nothing really major. Just a few things that I have to work out for myself. These clear nights just get me a little down, I guess." Lindsey answered.
"I just don't like seeing someone I care about so upset. I'd like to help you through whatever burden you seem to be bearing. I wish that you would talk to me and let me go through this with you."
"Maybe I will someday. I just need time to sort it out on my own and make sense out of it before I get anyone else involved. I really hope you understand."
"Of course I do. I understand that you need time and I promise I won't pressure you. Just know that whenever you want to talk about it, I'll be here to listen." Sparky whispered as he took Lindsey's hand.
"Thank you for being so understanding. That's why I love you so much." Lindsey smiled as Sparky pulled the car into Speed and Trixie's driveway.
* * * * *
Once they were all settled in back at the house, the two couples sat in the living room talking for a little while. Sparky was hoping that some positive conversation would be a distraction for Lindsey.
"So, I think this is going to be great. I know that all four of us have been stressed and under a tremendous amount of pressure lately and having this chance to get away from it all for a whole week so we can goof off and just have fun is exactly what we need." Speed said.
"I know it'll be great for me. It seems like I've been moving at triple time for the last several weeks and I haven't had a lot of time to myself to relax." Sparky agreed.
"Well, think about it from the point of view of the women who love you so much. When you guys are under so much pressure and get stressed out then it makes us get stressed." Lindsey pointed out.
"I agree. But right now I think we all need to try and get some sleep so we will actually be some help tomorrow." Trixie agreed. Then she and Speed showed Sparky and Lindsey to the guest room before going to bed themselves.
* * * * *
In the guest room, Sparky and Lindsey were getting ready to go to bed. As he sat on the end of the bed watching his girlfriend look through her bag for her pajamas, Sparky wished that there were something that he could do to take some of the burden off of her. It killed him that he had to stand by and watch her rage an emotional war and not be able to do a thing to help.
"It's hard to stand by and watch her suffer, but you need to remember that you promised that you wouldn't pressure her." Sparky told himself as he stared at the floor. Just then he felt Lindsey sit on the bed beside him and put her arms around him.
"Now who's the one deep in thought? What are you thinking about?" Lindsey whispered.
"Nothing really. I was just letting my mind wander. I have a tendency to do that sometimes. No need to worry your pretty little head about it." Sparky smiled as he lay down on the bed and Lindsey came and rested in his arms.
"Well, I think for tonight we should both stop worrying and get a good night's sleep so we'll be ready to go tomorrow. Goodnight. I love you, Sparky."
"I love you too." Sparky whispered as Lindsey fell asleep in his arms. "I love you so much." Then he settled in and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him away.
* * * * *
In their bedroom, Speed and Trixie were just lying in bed, relaxing and talking. Speed had his arm around Trixie and she lay beside him with her head on his chest. It was in moments like these that Speed was reminded just how much he truly loved Trixie.
"So, have you ever been on a cruise before, Trix?"
"Nope. I've heard about it though. I heard that it's very romantic. I'm looking forward to getting to enjoy it with you." Trixie smiled.
"Mmm hmm. I think this is going to be a first for every one of us. It'll probably feel weird at first to not have anything to take care of and to just get to relax. I'm looking forward to that."
"Yeah, I know. Well, let's try to get some sleep. We need to get up early in the morning to make sure that we have everything together that we intend to take. Goodnight, Speed. I love you." Trixie yawned as she snuggled closer to Speed and closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"I love you, Trixie." Speed whispered. Then he turned on the television at a low volume and prepared to wait out another sleepless night.