"Jeff! Jeff!" Ness was running as fast as he could. Jeff was just about to play a quick round of Donkey Kong when Ness darted into the arcade.
"Jeff…Jeff…" Ness repeated as he tried to catch his breath.
"What is it, Ness?" Jeff asked. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Paula's birthday party starts this afternoon, and I have nothing to give her!" Ness panicked.
"Whoa, calm down!" Jeff shouted as he startled the person next to him, who seemed deeply concentrated on Tapper. "What do you think she'd like?"
"I…I don't know." Ness replied. "I've never really gotten to know Paula that well. I mean, we've been so hellbent on defeating Giygas that we never really got to know each other well! If only I knew what to get her!"
Jeff could see Ness's eyes turn watery. He was also perspiring like a garden fountain. Jeff never liked seeing Ness sad. Especially when he became homesick when they stayed in Fourside. It was while he was working on a broken lead pipe, he could hear Ness sniffling. He looked back and saw it in his face that he desperately wanted to go home and his motivation was slowly dwindling. It seemed contagious, as Jeff began shedding tears so great they nearly rusted the lead pipe. There were many of those times, but Paula and Ness's mom both knew how to cheer him up.
"Listen, calm down for a minute." Jeff told Ness. "We'll think of something."
Suddenly, something caught his eye. A blonde Abraham Lincoln-esque bearded man in a top hat, glasses and a suit with a Napoleonic stature was yelling at a Stacker machine. It was the mysterious man that would repeatedly appear out of nowhere and snap pictures of them during their journey!
"Hey, Ness." Jeff said.
"Hey, what?" Ness asked.
"I just got an idea." Jeff said.
Jeff walked up to the man and tapped him in the shoulder.
"PICTURES TAKEN INSTANTANEOUS-"
AAAAAAAAH! WHACK!
"What the hell was that for?" Ness asked Jeff.
"What?" Jeff asked. "He scared me!"
Jeff reached into his pocket, found something, and took a look at it.
"Perfect."
Paula's living room was filled with many colorful decorations, and a banner at the top reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA". Jeff, Poo, the Apple Kid, Ricardo, and many other people they met on their journey were there. The cake went in.
"I'm starting to worry." Paula said. "Where's Ness?"
"Relax." Jeff said. "I'm sure he has it under control."
Ness was running as fast as he could. He had woken up late for the party and had to be there as soon as possible. He finally reached Polestar. Apparently, he ran so fast that the teleport spell was activated. He burst through the door, and, not having picked up enough speed to teleport, slammed face first into the wall. He fell over, KO'd, but triumphant.
Everyone quickly rushed over to Ness's aid. Paula held Ness in her arms as he slightly opened his eyes.
"That…that hurt." Ness chuckled a little.
"I guess you should leave the teleporting to Poo from now on." Paula laughed. "You need practice."
With the remainder of his strength, Ness reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket Jeff had built with a photo of him and Paula there at the Winters Lake while Jeff was unconscious.
"You…you got this for me?" Paula asked.
"Well, Jeff built it." Ness explained. "However, for the picture, it was a bit of a different story."
"What do you mean?" Paula asked.
"You…you don't wanna know" Ness said as his face turned red.
Suddenly, familiar music played, and the man beamed into the house with a bandaged head.
"PICTURES TAKEN INSTANTANEOUSLY!"
Paula laughed.
"Oh, Ness." she said.
"Oh it was-"
Before Ness could say anything, Paula dove in and passionately kissed Ness on the lips. Ness held her tight as the man snapped a photo.
The End