"Hey guys! Guess what?" AJ ran excitedly into the game room, waving his cell phone.
"The store got a new shipment of Slugbots of Goopworld 5?" Spinner asked excitedly. He had been waiting for the game for almost a month now.
"Uh, no…" AJ said. Spinner picked the game controller back up, grumbling.
"What?" Vert asked.
"Remember our dearest friend Stella?" AJ asked. The excitement level in the room instantly grew, and the team began mumbling amongst themselves.
"Yes!" Spinner spoke for all of them.
"Well, Spring Break is next week for her school, and my aunt and uncle are taking the kids to Disneyland, so they gave her the week off."
"And?" Stanford asked, bored of hearing about someone other than himself.
"She's gonna stay with us!" AJ exclaimed.
"Dude! Sweet!" Zoom high-fived AJ.
"Better stock up on chocolate chips and pancake batter." Sherman joked. AJ nodded seriously.
"I'll write a list!" He ran off to the kitchen.
"I can't believe we get to see her again! It's been so long…" Agura trailed off as they all remembered the cheerful girl.
"I'll go tell Sage." Vert said.
"I'll come." Zoom followed.
"Wait!" AJ reappeared in the doorway, holding a notepad. "I forgot to tell you guys! She doesn't know yet, so we're going to surprise her and pick her up from school!"
"Awesome! Hey, it's in a week, right?" Spinner asked.
"Yeah." AJ responded.
"Then she'll be here for my birthday!" Spinner exclaimed.
"Oh yes, your birthday's…when again?" Stanford asked.
"APRIL 23rd!" Spinner exclaimed, hitting Stanford on the leg with his controller. "Which is in exactly eight days, which is exactly one day after Stella comes, which is in exactly seven days!"
"Ouch." Stanford said, still rubbing his leg.
"C'mon, Zoom." Vert said, and they went to tell Sage.
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"Sage! Stella's coming back!" Zoom yelled.
"When?" The Sentient asked.
"A week from today. She's staying for Spring Break." Vert responded. "But it's going to be a surprise." Zoom added.
"Excellent." Sage responded, then resumed to her screen. Vert shrugged.
"Wanna go get some celebratory za?" He asked.
"No thanks, I have a few things I have to do to make sure everything's ready." Zoom responded. He walked off, looking for Agura.
"Hey Agura?" He asked once he found her in the kitchen with Sherman and AJ.
"Yeah?" She responded. "Oh, put eggs on that list, AJ." He nodded, flipping to a second page.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?' He motioned for her to step outside the kitchen, leaving Sherman and AJ to their inventory.
"Uhm, what could I do to impress Stella?" He blurted. She smiled.
"Well, it's sweet of you even to ask." She began. "You know, she was stopping to smell almost every flower we passed when I took her shopping. Maybe you could plant some in her room? Or on the roof or something?" She suggested. Zoom nodded.
"Sounds good. Thanks!" He ran to the Chopper. Agura smiled.
"Ah, love." She said to herself.
"Hey Agura? Where are the chocolate chips?" Sherman hollered.
"If you can't find them we probably need to buy some!" She shouted back and re-joined them in the kitchen.
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Zoom entered the flower store.
"Hello, can I help you?" An elderly, friendly looking lady asked him over the top of her glasses.
"Yeah, I want to buy some flowers to surprise a friend of mine." He began awkwardly.
"A special friend?" She raised her eyebrows. "No, don't blush young man, all sorts of flowers mean different things."
"Well, a special friend I guess." He conceded. She smiled.
"We have some stellar morning glories over here. These are unique because they open in the morning and close at night." Given the lady's use of the word "stellar" Zoom felt it was fate.
"I'll take some of those." He said.
"Wonderful! We also have some absolutely marvelous roses over here! Come, come!" She beckoned. Zoom followed her to a display of roses in all colors.
"Now, each color has a special message. For example, yellow is friendship. Pink means several things such as thank you, happiness, and appreciation. Red means I love you, and if you give her a rose without thorns it means love at first sight." Zoom thought over his options as he stared at the roses.
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"Oh yeah, we're driving, and we're gonna pick up Stella, uh huh!" Spinner made up a song as the seven vehicles (not Tezz) drove toward Phoenix.
"We have two hours to go, Spin, I'd save the singing for THE END." Agura made it clear she was not to be argued with.
"Buzzkill alert!" Spinner pretended to scan all the cars. "Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep." His hand/scanner reached the Tangler. "BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEEPBEEPBEEP!"
"The first upgrade to the Buster you'll be making when we get back is an "Agura Alert" if you don't cut that out!" She threatened. Spinner gulped.
"I'm done."
"Good."
Silence was heard as their teammates tried not to snicker.
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"Are we there yet, are we-"
"SPINNER!" Everyone yelled. Spinner covered his ears.
"Sorry." He muttered, pulling out a video game.
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"AHH! NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO! Kick him! Ugh! Stupid Goomba... Yes! Get the powerup! Oh yeah! We're big now huh Bowser! YESSSS!"
"AJ, please tell me we're there!" Stanford groaned.
"We're pulling into the school parking lot now, Stan." AJ said in relief.
"There is a God." Vert muttered.
"So, not to be pessimistic, but…how are we going to find Stella? There's going to be tons of kids out here when the bell rings!" Sherman reminded them.
"Well…we could ask those cheerleaders…" Stanford grinned, pointing to a group of uniformed girls practicing on the football field.
"Dude." Spinner said.
"LET'S GO!" AJ spoke for all of the guys. Everyone got out of the cars and jogged over to the cheerleaders. The guys watched, open-mouthed, as the girls performed flips, cartwheels, and stretched. A blonde was in the center of it all, using what seemed to be a walkie-talkie.
"Is this Mitch? Hey Mitch. We need two catchers here ASAP." She paused for a second, listening. "Well, tell them to bench some other time! This routine needs to be perfect!" She paused again. "Kay, thanks!" The head cheerleader said sweetly. "Alright ladies, get those legs straight! Fliers, you're on in five!" She directed the groups. Staring as if hypnotized, the guys were startled when a petite, peppy looking brunette holding a clipboard came up to them.
"This is a closed practice, guys. You know the drill."
"Right. Sorry, we're looking for a friend of ours. Do you know anyone named Stella?" Vert asked. The brunette burst out laughing, and the team looked at each other, confused.
"What's so funny?" Spinner asked.
"Besides your hair?" She retorted, causing the team to snicker and Spinner to pet his 'do lovingly.
"You really don't go to this school, do you?" She asked, smiling. They shook their heads. "Didn't think so." The brunette bounced off to talk to the cheerleader in the middle of the group. Seconds later, they had returned, with a full squad of girls trailing behind them.
"Stella?" Zoom exclaimed. The team gasped as they realized it was her. Stella had grown to just a few inches shorter than Zoom. She hadn't gained a pound, but looked healthier. Her blonde hair was in a stylish side-braid, and her blue eyes had been emphasized with mascara. But what stood out the most was the cheerleader uniform.
"I believe that's been established." She joked, laughing. The girls behind her, in matching uniforms, snickered as well.
"Ooh, Stel, who's this?" A girl with dark red hair standing to the cheerleader's right asked.
"IDK." Stella responded.
"Rating?" The brunette who had helped them, on Stella's left, asked.
"Eight, five, seven, eight, nine, nine." She looked over the group.
"Not bad." The red-head said.
"You don't…remember us?" Vert asked, stepping forward.
"Not that I remember." She smirked.
"If you DK him, can I date him?" The brunette who had greeted them asked eagerly.
"Madds! You can't date a guy you just met!" The red-head scolded jokingly.
"Says who?" "Madds" asked, seductively applying a coat of lip gloss and smiling.
"Says how NOT to get raped dot com!" Stella responded. "Besides, not to burst your bubble, Maddi, but blondie here obvs has a girlfriend." She nodded her head towards Agura, who looked at Vert and blushed.
"Oh, I'm not-"
"We're just-" They both stuttered over there words. The conversation had brought back a memory of that kiss, so long ago.
"Desperately in love!" Maddi pretended to swoon.
"Ah, romance." The red-head sighed.
"Girls! RTSAH! Puh-lease!" Stella groaned. "Sorry about them. Best friends, CLWT,CLWT."
"Ah, you know you love us!" The red-head grinned, hugging Stella.
"FAEAE! Anyway, what were you saying?" She referred back to the team.
"You really don't remember us?" Stanford asked. The red-head gasped.
"Accent upgrade! He's a total eight." She exclaimed.
"Sorry, Stac, (pronounced Stay-sss) but the upgrade is strictly relevant to hotness. I'd put him at a seven-point-five." Stella said.
"Aww." She pouted.
"And to answer your question, no." Stella said to the team. "Thorry." She gave a spot-on Gilly impression and the girls behind her started singing.
"She's always making trouble, her hair is like a bubble, what's that? Who's that? It's GILLY!"
"Thorry." Stella ended the song sweetly, causing the girls to crack up.
"But, seriously? Nothing?" Spinner asked.
"For the last time, NO! I don't! So, why don't you take your clown cars back to wherever it is you came from, because I have better things to do!" She turned sassily on her heel and snapped a finger above her head. Immediately, all the girls turned, and, in perfect synchronization, followed her back on to the field.
"Okay, so this is a minor setback." Sherman said.
"Ya think?" Spinner asked. "How are we going to get her to stay with us for a week if she has no idea who we are?"
"I can't believe she forgot us…" Zoom mumbled.
"I'd like to know how? What would cause memory loss like that?" Agura pondered.
"My guess? One of Hatch's experiments. Possibly the same one that caused her to lose her memory when she was first captured." Sherman said grimly.
"Well, why don't we have Sage test her? OH WAIT." Stanford said with sarcasm.
"Well, there is…" Vert spoke uneasily. Everyone turned to him, and the leader sighed. "Sage was afraid this might happen, so she gave me this." He pulled out a needle, with a white liquid inside the tube. "It's a sedative. It should last long enough for us to get her back to the Hub."
"We are NOT using that on her!" Agura cried. "That's…that's-"
"We don't really have a choice, Agura. Stella would want us to." Sherman spoke gently but firmly. The Huntress sighed.
"Alright. Hey, it looks like they're done with practice. Here she comes now." Stella walked toward them, now in a bright, multicolored Hollister skirt and matching V-neck tee.
"Alright. She's walking by us. Hide!" Vert whispered, and the team ducked as she went by.
"Bye Stac! Bye Mads! Bye Ally! See you at the party! Don't forget your dailies!" She shouted over her shoulder.
"BYE STEL!" Everyone replied. "ILY!"
"ILY squared, girls!" She yelled back.
Once he was behind her, Vert reached out and managed to poke the needle into her calf. Stella shuddered for a second, then collapsed, right into his arms.
"Stanford, she's with you. Let's move out!" He commanded. The team jumped into their vehicles and drove off.
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"Uhm, Sage? You now how you said Stella might not remember us?" AJ asked.
"Yes?" Sage responded.
"Well, you were right, my glowy blue friend." Stanford said. Sherman retrieved Stella's unconscious body from his car.
"She did not remember you?" Sage asked. Sherman shook his head. "I was afraid this might happen." The Sentient said worriedly. "I have been preparing for this problem, and believe I can restore her memory using the same device I did to erase your memories when we found Quardian."
"You can do that? Could you possibly restore her memories that were lost before? The ones about her childhood?" Sherman asked.
"I should be able to, but it is not my decision to make." Sage gestured to Stella. "I will restore her memories of everything that happened after she was captured. If she wants to know about her Homeworld, it will be her choice." Sherman placed Stella in the chair, and Sage activated the Cerebral Reformatter. The team watched as the process took place.
"This process will take much longer than yours." Sage said. "I would advise you to come back in half an hour at least." The team filed out; Zoom going outside. He climbed the ladder he had installed on the side of the garage (with the help of Sherman and the Tangler) up to the roof. He looked at the morning glories he had so careful planted there, beginning to close at the twilight hour, and sighed. He pulled out his Ipod and began the song that reminded him of her.
The stars lean down to kiss you, and I lie awake and miss you.
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere.
The scout sang along softly, thinking of the love that he had lost.
'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly, but I'll miss your arms around me.
I'd send a postcard to you dear; 'cause I wish you were here.
He remembered all they had shared as the music played.
I'll watch the night turn light blue; it's not the same without you.
Because it takes two to whisper quietly.
The silence isn't so bad, til I look at my hands and feel sad,
'cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly.
I'll find repose in new ways; though I haven't slept in two days
'cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone.
But drenched in vanilla twilight, I'll sit on the front porch all night
waist-deep in thought because when I think of you, I don't feel so alone.
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As soon as the process ended, Stella's eyes popped open. She looked around to find herself in the Hub. She only saw Sage, whose back was turned. Hearing the distant strains of music, she vaporized and followed the sounds up to the roof.
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When violet eyes get brighter, and heavy wings get lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again.
Zoom turned and saw her, standing with tears in her eyes, watching him. His voice caught, and he stopped, but still heard the music.
And I'll forget the world that I knew, but I swear I won't forget you.
She sang to him, and he knew it was more than just a lyric. Their voices joined for the ending line.
Oh if my voice could reach back to the past, I'd whisper in your ear…
Oh darling I wish you were here.
She ran to him and they embraced tenderly; both tearful.
"Zoom!" She cried. "I missed you so much."
"Oh Stella," He murmured into her ear; arms around her waist. "I never stopped thinking about you." He kissed her passionately, and she kissed him back. Pulling away, her eyes found the morning glories.
"Oh Zoom!" She exclaimed, running over to feel the flowers. "They're beautiful! Thank you!" She hugged him again, as if she never wanted to let go. He left the embrace to grab a single, thornless red rose from behind the morning glories. He handed it to her.
"Love at first sight." She spoke, voice barely above a whisper. "I love you too."
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Zoom and Stella re-entered the Hub.
"Stella!" Agura ran up to her worriedly. "Where were you? You gave us a heart attack!"
"Sorry," Stella blushed. "I…I had to see Zoom." Agura winked at her.
"Seriously, you can't just run off like that! We were worried!" Vert said.
"I wouldn't have left." She responded honestly. "Speaking of which, how'd I get here?"
The team gave her details of her memory loss and "kidnapping." Vert earned himself a slap on the cheek.
"OW!" He exclaimed, rubbing the red mark.
"Kidnapper!" She retorted. "Hey, so how long am I staying?"
"The week!" Spinner exclaimed. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but…well, you forgot us, so…Hey! Did I tell you tomorrow's my birthday?" He asked.
"Well, no. Wait!" She held up a finger, rummaging around in her somewhat-oversized purse. Finally, she pulled out a video game case, and handed it to Spinner. "Happy early birthday!" She exclaimed, as Spinner's eyes scanned the label. He gasped.
"SLUGBOTS OF GOOPWORLD FIVE?" He danced around his teammates. "HOW DID YOU ACQUIRE DIS EPICNESS?"
"I have nerd friends. They gave it to me, and I wasn't going to use it, so…Ugh, now I sound like a re-gifter! DANGET!" She laughed.
"They just gave it to you?" Spinner's eyes popped out of his head. "WHY?"
"IDK." She shrugged. "You have fun now!" She jokingly patted him on the head and he ran to the game room.
"Well, that should shut him up for about a week." Sherman commented, making everyone laugh.
"Hey, Stella? We only restored your memory to about your first day on Vandal, but Sage can restore it fully. You know, if you want." Zoom shyly offered. She jumped over and hugged the Sentient, then Zoom, then Sage again.
"You can do that?" She breathed excitedly. Sage awkwardly separated herself from the eager girl.
"Yes. Are you sure that you want to know? It may not be what you expected." Stella paused.
"I didn't think of that." She said. "Can…can I get back to you?" She asked uneasily
"Take as long as you need." Sage offered kindly.
"Thanks." She smiled at the Sentient.
"Maybe some food will help? WHO WANTS ZEKE'S?" Spinner called.
"Isn't it kinda late?" Sherman asked responsibly.
"C'mon! It's karaoke night at Zeke's!" Spinner said.
"Karaoke? Let's go!" Stella exclaimed, jumping on the back of the Chopper. "I'm with Zoom!"
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"I'm here! Anyone have a request?" Stanford boasted as he entered the diner.
"I request that we duct-tape his mouth closed before karaoke starts!" Agura called, walking in behind Stanford.
"Oh, haha." He said dryly.
"Nice one! But save it for open-mike, Agura." Stella smiled, next to her. Most of the people in the diner turned their heads at the sight of the new, and not to mention pretty face.
"Uhm, guys? Where are we gonna sit?" Spinner whispered when they were all in the diner.
"Don't worry!" Stella said quietly. "Oh, shoot! All these booths are full! I guess we'll just have to leave…" Her voice, which had raised in volume, trailed off sadly. Almost instantly, a group of teenage guys had vacated their booth.
"You guys can sit here." One of them offered.
"Aw, thanks babe!" Stella said, blowing him a kiss and sitting down. He bushed and turned to whisper with his friends as the team sat down.
"That. Was awesome!" Spinner said, but was cut off by Zeke.
"Alright, it's Friday, and you know what that means!" He said into the mike.
"KARAOKE NIGHT!" Everyone in the diner exclaimed.
"Who's first?" Zeke asked. Stanford made a move to stand up, but as just as quickly pushed down by his teammates. Two girls in the diner went to stand at the mike.
"Alright, I'm Jen, and this is Ella, and we'll be singing Jar of Hearts." Stella gasped.
"I heart that song!" She exclaimed as the music started. Once the song was over, the audience applauded.
"Alright, we'll be taking a short pizza break for a minute here." Zeke announced. He turned on the radio and went into the kitchen. Stella started tapping her fingers.
"Is this We R Who We R?" Spinner asked. "I didn't know Zeke's radio received signals from this generation!"
"No way! This is like, THE most played track on my iPod!" Stella said, and started singing along.
"Hot and dangerous, if you're one of us then roll with us; 'cause we make the hipsters fall in love, when we got our hot pants on and up." She sang, softly at first, but growing in volume.
"Uhm, Stella?" Vert whispered, but she held up a finger in the universal "Just a sec," position.
"And yes, of, course we does, we runnin' this town just like a club. And no, you don't wanna mess with us; got Jesus on my necklace-ace ace." A few of the guys who had given up their booth cheered her on, and, without hesitation, Stella grinned at the team, all of who were giving her uncertain looks, and strutted up to the microphone.
"She wouldn't." Stanford gaped.
"She did." Vert replied.
"Got that glitter on my eyes! Stockings ripped all up the side. Looking sick and sexy-fied. So let's go-o-o. LET'S GO!" The crowd started cheering.
"Tonight we're going hard, hard, ha-ha-ha-hard. Just like the world is our-our-our, our, our, ours. We're tearing it apart, part, pa-pa-pa-part. You know we're superstars; WE R WHO WE R!" Stella belted the last verse and continued singing.
"Who knew she could sing like that?" Vert asked.
"I did." AJ said, sipping his soda. They turned to him in confusion. "Remember when you left your Queen CD in the kitchen radio, Stanford? And Stella somehow got it to play? Well, she must have listened to it a lot, because the whole way to Phoenix, she was singing." He said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Stanford asked.
"I didn't really think it was a big deal…?" AJ said, confusedly.
"It is if she can sing like that!" Stanford pointed to Stella on the karaoke stand. "We could have had a duet!" Agura snorted. "Hey! It could happen!" Stanford insisted.
"Point is, what are we going to do?" Spinner said.
"She's enjoying herself. Why do anything?" Agura shrugged.
"It's embarrassing!" Spinner cried. "Quick, make a run for it! She's coming!" He ducked under the table, only to be bopped on the head by Sherman.
"It's just karaoke, big bro. You'll survive! If anything, you'll be better off. The audience loves her." Sherman spoke realistically.
"Thanks guys!" They heard Stella announce into the mike. Some people started chanting "En-core! En-core! En-core!" "Aww! I blush! But why don't we give someone else a turn at the mike?" She gave them a final smile and flounced back to the team.
"Why?" Spinner moaned.
"I couldn't deny my audience!" She blew a kiss and sat down, making the guys on the ground blush and nudge each other.
"I didn't know you had it in ya." Vert said. She shrugged.
"Eh. Life is short; make it count." She said. "Hey, I'm tired. Are we almost ready to go?"
"Yeah, we just have to pay." Sherman hinted for the bill as Zeke walked by.
"You kiddin'?" The owner asked. "After that performance, it's on the house!"
"Awesome!" Spinner exclaimed, hugging Stella.
"Mood swing much?" She joked, shoving him off.
"You guys ready to go?" Sherman asked. Everyone nodded and filed out, Stella saying a final thanks to the guys that had given up their table. As she got on the Chopper, tightly gripping Zoom's waist, he turned around.
"Great job tonight." He said softly, kissing her nose. She smiled at him.
"Thanks." She rested a tired head on his shoulder and they drove off.
DK: Don't Know
RTSAH: Return To Subject At Hand
CLWTCLWT: Can't Live With Them, Can't Live Without Them
FAEAE: Forever And Ever And Ever
ILY: I Love You
