I do not own Pepe or Penelope (or any of the Looney Tunes characters or episodes.) I do not even own the brand Keds. You already knew that!
I do own Pepe's family, Penelope's family, the two cons and Pepe's girlfriends.
Author's Note: I'm losing my brain!! Too many plots and ideas and now my daily schedule of life is back on course! That means only a few moments to upload! I hate my life sometimes! I'm sorry if you're all getting confused with these stories. So hears how I'm doing it officially: This one here is about the many meetings of Pepe and Penelope (hopefully I can stay faithful to Chuck Jones masterpieces.) It shouldn't be as long as my other two stories. This weekend I'll start the first chapter of another story in which Pheffe's life has a huge change (a good change!) I'm only doing one chapter for this story at the moment because the ideas I had for it are missing from my brain. I'll need to recover those. First part though I have! If I have enough time I will wrap up my To Have and to Hold story. (I forgot to put something in there and I felt stupid that I realized that detail about a day after I uploaded it!) I'll still do the others in progress when I get those two little pieces finished. So there you go and thank you for being splendid readers who are patient with me. This one starts in Casbah…about five years before the events of Le Pew Tails. Penelope is twenty and Pepe is twenty-one. I must have watched all of Pepe's cartoons (especially The Cat's Bah) to help me write this chapter! Oh, and I heard there will be new Looney Tunes episodes on television! Really!
Le Pew Tails: Love at Many Sights and Scents
By:
bellechat
Chapter One
Cat Meets Skunk
Nancy heaped spoonfuls of chocolate mousse into a big bowl. It was her homemade recipe that was as delicious and luscious as a fine quality mousse from the most expensive restaurant. She had made it for dessert for her large family whom she always had on her mind. She felt sorry for one particular son in mind. One who usually did not have a breakable heart, but tonight that had changed.
Miniona Nouvel, a skunk he had considered being engaged to, had not been the one. He had found out the truth, she was a certain type of dancer in New York on the weekends when she had really been telling him she had a sick grandmother to nurse.
It was Shamus who found out on a school trip to America. It was for selecting fine colleges across seas. In that little "restaurant" he and some school companions went to there were the women danced on objects attached to the floor and ceiling. Shocked he wondered if his brother knew.
He did not.
He confronted her that evening only to realize she did not really love him. She wanted only on certain thing from him and he would not give it. He left her, crushed and hurt. He thought that one thought everyone thinks: "Doing the right thing is so hard!"
It was not normal for him to feel this way. He never let break-ups get to him. He shook off the past and moved on. Yet now he couldn't find the courage to do so.
Nancy went onto the porch were he sat in the creaky porch swing.
"Pepe?" she said. "I brought some chocolate mousse. Chocolate can help ease the hurt I'm sure. Zhat's why women eat eet a lot."
She chuckled, but her twenty-one year old son did not smile. He sniffed. He had been in silent tears for the last five minutes. Crying was not normal to him when upset. Nancy sat next to him and put the bowl in his lap.
Reluctantly he took spoonfuls of the mousse to his mouth.
"Mom," he said, clearing his throat. "Eet's not doing anytheeng."
"Diet Pepsi," Nancy said dearly. "Many women would say eet's your fault, but eet's not. Eet was Miniona's fault. Eet was zhe girl. She lied to you and tried to use you. She toyed weeth you heart."
"You don't know heartbreak Mom," said Pepe. "You married Dad fast."
"I deed," she said. "I'm trying to calm you down. Zhat's what a Mom does. You deed zhe right theeng een saying 'no.'"
"Doing zhe right zhing eez painful!" said Pepe. "Why do I feel so bad?"
"You pretty much just told me right now," said Nancy. "Zhe right zhing eez not easy, but eet's worth eet. Maybe not at once, but eet does. I'm not een a rush for you to find zhe girl of your dreams, I just want you to keep your promise of staying faithful until you are married. Eet weell mean more."
"Why do I even bother?" said Pepe leaning back in the swing. "Why should I even go on weeth zhe search."
"Pepe," sighed Nancy. "I don't care whether you do marry or not. Eet's just…I want you have someone to take care of you because your father and I can't always be around to do so. I don't want you to be alone, but eef zhat's what you want zhen I'll learn to understand. I don't zhink you understand zhat love takes time to grow, eet doesn't always take a moment to happen."
"Mom I'm twenty-one, shouldn't I have found zhe girl now?" asked Pepe looking into her eyes.
"I zhink you weell find her," said Nancy as she put her arms around her son. "To be found, you have to be lost first. Or zhere's no point een searching."
"I don't know about anyzhing anymore," he said. "All I know eez I have to go to Casablanca tomorrow afternoon to receive zhose perfumes zhe shop wants."
"Perfume shops are strange," said Nancy. "I can't see why zhe boss and heez two employees can't go togezher."
"I don't know eizher," said Pepe who felt the hurt feeling in him slowly heal because of his mother's kindness. He smiled a little. "I won't search anymore zhen, I'll just stay lost."
"Good, but when you're found seize eet!" said Nancy and she perched a kiss on her son's head.
It was the next afternoon that Pepe left for Casablanca after many hugs from his two youngest sisters Marie and Ann who hated him being far away.
On that same day, a cat was living in her new suite which was far across Paris from where Pepe lived singly. Penelope Pussycat was twenty and was preparing for a trip to Casablanca to meet another suitor. She couldn't remember his name, but he sounded like another crick in her neck and was thirty! Ten years older than her! He was old enough to be her father! She was dreading the trip, but she knew it was best to obey her mother's orders than go her own way.
Leonardo, her father, was there to see her off at her suite. Actually, he was the only one who was there to see her off.
"Now be careful of pickpockets," he said as he carried her suitcase for her to the lobby. "Keep your money close with you and do not go out far on your own. Do not let stalkers or assaulters come near you."
"Papa," said Penelope. "As nervous as I am, I am looking forward to going to a new place. Now if only my suitor would not let me wear pants with my dresses since he does not want me showing of my legs."
"Silly demand," muttered Leonardo.
"I hate courting Papa," said Penelope sadly. She really did. She dreaded it all the time.
"Do not worry," reassured Leonardo. "The courting is only for a week, no more or less. If I had it my way you would not be going by yourself or going in general but you know you mother. She just wants you out of the house."
"How will I ever know if I am in love?" asked his daughter. "Will I even find love?"
"I think you will in time," said Leonardo. "You will know you are in love. Somehow you just know. Do not worry about it. Do not worry about courting. As soon as you come home you just rest and not worry for a long time. Your mother will be at of town, so she will not be bothering you."
Casablanca
It had been only a day since he arrived and Pepe was relieved to have the trip of his to finally stop! The perfumes were ordered and ready to be sent to Paris. Pepe, however, felt longing for a little adventure and decided to stay one extra day in Casablanca. Penelope was given a few hours of freedom from courting and went for a stroll into the city.
Casablanca was a place of intrigue and the place of two cons: Patrice and Gustave. Two skunks friends who traveled around searching for women to seduce and playing hoaxes on others. They were wanted men.
Pepe was not aware of the two men and only spent time thinking about his past. The girlfriends he had had: Jovianne, Bibiane, Ihpegenie, Odetta, Josette, Aimee, Ghislaine, Mimi, Candide, Gigi, Gidget, Clarisse, Claire (those four sisters,) Bertille, Fifi, Elise, Jeanine and Miniona had been failures.
Jovianne left him because she only liked him as a friend, and Pepe never saw her again.
Bibiane, Iphegenie and Odetta lost interest of him after a month.
Josette, Aimee, Ghislaine and Mimi broke up with him after their ex-boyfriends begged from them to give them a second chance.
Candide was more of a blind date than a girlfriend, but Pepe thought of her that whole week before the date about her so she was to him. Instead she was a chihuahua by his shock. He vowed never to love someone who was not a skunk.
Gigi heard a rumor from Gidget that he was seeing another girl when that was not true and rudely broke up with him. Gidget had really wanted to be with him (she had started the rumor) and was mad that Pepe had thought of dating her while with Gigi. That made her mad for thinking of another woman while with her sister and threw champagne at his face in front of patrons in a café. Clarisse secretly dated him and it lasted a while until she began to like another guy. Claire was afraid of commitment and splashed wine in Pepe's face at the same café when he asked her about taking their relationship to the next step which was kissing. The sisters hated his guts after that!
Bertille was using him to cheat on to make her boyfriend jealous which almost got Pepe a punch in the eye.
Fifi and Elise he found out had lied about their ages being two young and he gently broke it to them they needed to find someone their age because twenty and fourteen did not go together. (Both girls had said they were nineteen.) They both took it hard.
Jeanine dumped him on his mother's birthday because she did not like his family. The family to her was annoying and loud. She detested his brothers and did not feel comfortable around Nancy or Henry. Anyone who did not feel comfortable around Nancy or Henry had a serious problem since the husband and wife were always good company. Pepe was extremely upset over her was that she found Marie and Ann to be bratty. She even told them that to their faces which made both little girls cry. Pepe hated seeing his little sisters to cry, so that did it! He was glad that she left him. Anyone who hated his loving family was not worth his time.
Then came Miniona, the one he thought was the most attractive woman he had ever seen. They spent so many days together kissing and going out on lazy nights. Then he found out why she was seeing him and it cut him. It smacked his heart against stone pavement.
Three years of dating and it had brought him to this: heartbreak. He was perhaps to be a bachelor forever. Those skunks (and surprising Chihuahua) had not done anything good for him. If they didn't bring him good, then who would?
Was there another pretty female out there for him? All the pretty ones left him, could there be another? Too many questions about pretty ones and other things!
With nothing else left on his mind he shook his troubles off. He ignored everything, even his mother's advice and left the hotel seeking for something exciting before he went home.
"Engarde," he said aloud to himself as he faced what was ahead of him.
Penelope left her suite on the other side of the town and walked slowly enjoying the sights. She wore a nice, white shirt, jeans and high heels boots in black. She liked being at alone, but she didn't feel safe.
In fact, Gustave had been watching her and signaled to Patrice that she was not with anyone. Gustave took a shortcut to catch her for he knew how a woman would run away.
Patrice looked at Penelope from where he was in an outdoor restaurant and was suddenly hot on her heels when she turned a corner and followed her even more closely.
Penelope heard him and felt herself grow tense. She dared to not look over her shoulder to see who it was. She may give off the wrong message if she looked over.
"A stalker," thought Penelope in fear. She trembled in fright. She walked a little faster. Patrice walked faster. "Shake him off! Get rid of him!"
Patrice could only think of the delicious figure she had under her clothes. A disgusting thought that Penelope was afraid he was thinking of.
"Going somewhere Pigeon?" he said. His voice was husky from heavy smoking and with a French accent. "I wouldn't run eef I were you."
"Please leave," said Penelope, but her voice was soft.
"You know you want to," said Patrice. He got closer to her back.
Penelope inched further away. She had heard stories about such men who ran through the streets looking for women to seduce. He was one of them. She knew it! She could smell that horrible skunk scent and then the smokiness on his breath. She did not know what he looked like, but she couldn't have cared less about that. She felt sick. She then felt faint. Why was she so weak? Why couldn't she be like other women who just gave them a sock in the eye without fear? The reason was because she was not like other women. She was shy and timid of everything.
"Zhis can be done zhe easy way or zhe hard way," said Patrice. His voice caused Penelope to quiver in fright.
"No!" she replied to him. She took off running. Patrice walked slowly behind her with his eyes on the prize.
Gustave was waiting for her a few feet ahead. He came from his hiding place with a smooth tone in his husky voice.
"Darling!" he said as if he had been searching for her. Penelope dodged away, but Gustave lifted her up into his arms. She squirmed and tried screaming. No one could hear or see her in that part of the alley ways and also Gustave had cupped one hand over her mouth. The other now let go of her and was placed over her chest, feeling the two figures under. Penelope felt like crying. This just couldn't be happening! She was going to get hurt by two thugs and become an outcast to her family. She wanted her father there to protect her.
"Papa," her heart cried in fear and longing. "Help me please! Save me!" It was no use. Penelope could have sworn a few tears began to form in her black eyes. How she wanted to be at Paris where she was safe. She wished she was little girl again, safe in her house with Leonardo reading a book to her while she sat on his lap while drinking water in her little teacup. It seemed like her childhood flashed before her eyes.
Then Patrice finally came up with an object in his hand. A knife.
"Eef you don't do what we say," he said gruffly. "We weell put you out of your meesery." He put the flat side of the knife close to her chest. Penelope couldn't breathe from fear. Gustave roughly pushed her against the wall.
"Here's how eet goes," he said. "You do what we say and you'll leeve to tell zhe tale." Patrice got close to her now and ran a hand along her side then up under her shirt.
Penelope flinched away. She only wished someone would save her now! Anyone! Anyone who was a kind enough to help her would have helped. No. Not one person came to her aid. Not even a kind stranger.
"Don't fuss," said Patrice. Penelope still continued to flinch.
"Let go of me," she said. She continued to move around in the barricade of Gustave's arms and Patrice's filthy hands. She now felt angry. Angry that couldn't win her way out of this situation or anything else in her life!
Suddenly she punched Gustave (by accident) causing him to step back in pain. Penelope ran as soon as she saw the moment.
Patrice growled in anger at her and his partner in crime.
"C'mon!" he snapped at Gustave. They both ran after her again. Penelope thankfully had a head start. She dared to not look back. She only ran forward not caring where she was heading. Her heart raced in her chest and she nearly lost her breath. She couldn't stop now! She had to be in a far proximity. She had been told skunks were lustful and not trustworthy. Well, she had been proved right! Her mother had been right and Penelope had been kind enough to not think of anyone that way before. Now she felt fright of the certain creatures.
She was so far ahead of Gustave and Patrice that she didn't notice how far she had run. She was practically on the other side of the town. Then it happened.
She looked over her shoulder for the first time and saw no one. Relief swept through her, but she didn't stop running. She couldn't bring herself to a halt and then…
She smacked into someone. She felt in the quick second that the someone she ran into was taller than her and that familiar musk she had escaped from returned to her nose. The worst part? It was another male. She went backward from her balance and her eyes shut from the fall. Whoever else it was fell on top of her, but moved off of her quickly. Penelope was scared again and opened her eyes. She sat up, but propped her hands under her. She looked to see him.
He was a skunk to her fear. Yet, a cleaner one compared to the other two. Clad in dark jeans and a loose blue jacket with a red shirt underneath. His shoes were black Keds with the white soles scuffed. He was leaning back, propped by his elbows, but his posture was good as if he had a coat hanger keeping him straight. His tail was black, long with a white stripe, then another stripe in black running in the white. His eyes were black yet deep. His arms appeared long, yet a little thick, but they were not packed with muscles. From what Penelope could tell about his frame was that he was tall and for sure a thin and long torso was hidden under his shirt. He was perhaps her age. His hair was black and white on top with snags. His chest heaved slowly up and down from losing his breath from the hit. There was something attractive about him, but Penelope could not figure out what it was.
For a minute they both locked eyes in shock from the surprise hit. They're mouths partly open in surprise. Then Penelope felt afraid of skunks again and dashed up and ran. The skunk looked over his shoulder and she ran, still with the same expression on his face. There was something about that girl he couldn't stop thinking about. She mesmerized him.
She was a delicate cat. She had a white with black face giving her face a slim appearance. Her eyes were black like a night sky without stars. Her tail was long and completely black. Her body reminded him of a rose, soft, sweet, lovely and needed to be handled gently. Her eyelashes like an ocean wave over her eyes. She was beautiful. That was the only adjective that came to his head. He had never described a woman that way before.
Still there on the ground and breathing heavily he wondered why she had caught his attention. He slowly got up and walked in the same way she had run. He came to a village square where he saw her again. She was wet from a barrel of water she had collapsed into. She was shivering and panting. She looked like she was crying. Two women were helping her up and putting their coats on her. Some were staring at Penelope.
That same skunk she ran into leaned against walls of a building and looked at her. He felt compassionate for her embarrassment and had a feeling she had been running away from a trouble of hers.
Now she looked at him again. She couldn't take her eyes off of him in fear that he was planning to get her like those two cons had tried to do.
She glanced away from him and hoped to never see him again. The last thing she needed was another trouble about a male, especially if he was a total opposite of her own kind. She did not even want to know his name or where he was from.
"Poor girl," said Pepe to himself with a fondness in his voice. He felt a deep sympathy for the girl he had never seen before. He didn't even know her name. However, a strange feeling in him that he couldn't describe or yet understand came over him. Maybe it wasn't love or perhaps it was. Certainly an awaked fondness tinged his heart that was frozen from grief and caused it to be warm once again. Only this time it would grow greater and stronger than any other emotion or feeling he ever felt for someone.