Tucker had just turned 18. Over the past few years, life hadn't changed all that much for him or Danny and Sam. They had graduated from high school and were on their way to college, and ghosts still needed thermosing and sending back to the Ghost Zone. But, what had begun to sting now, was the fact that Tucker was still the third wheel of their relationship. Anytime they went anywhere, Danny and Sam stuck together. They sat as close as the huge armrest would allow in the theater, they walked side by side in the malls, they smooched when they thought Tucker wasn't paying attention, and so on.
This used to annoy Tucker, but he realized that it wasn't their fault, really. They were in love, and they were basically a perfect fit for each other. Of course hey were going to do all that cheesy stuff. Tucker would do it if he knew someone who connected with him that well. And besides, even when their lovey dovey antics annoyed him, he was happy for them.
There was a time when he considered asking Jazz out, but he never got the guts. And besides, they probably wouldn't have worked out in the long run, not to mention how awkward it'd make Tucker's friendship with Danny.
Tucker sighed, mulling over his situation. He had a part time job in a small computer gadgets store. He was the only one working that night, and now, it was closing time. Tucker walked to the front door and flipped the window sign from OPEN to CLOSED, and went around locking up the display cases.
Suddenly, his PDA rang. He retrieved it, and saw that Danny was calling. He picked up.
"Hey, Danny." Tucker said, holding the PDA between his shoulder and head so he could continue locking up.
"Hey, Tuck!" Danny replied. "You're off work now, right?"
"Locking up right now." Tucker said.
"Great! Sam and I are going to see a movie tonight. Starts in 20 minutes. You in?" Danny asked.
Tucker paused. He had mostly gotten past the bitterness, but the movies were still a sore spot. Having to sit there, pretending not to notice Danny and Sam sneak kisses on each other...
"...20?" Tucker asked. "I... don't think I can make that. A customer spilled a Pepsi here and I have to wash it out before it dries and gets sticky."
This was a lie, of course. He wasn't sure if Danny bought it.
"That sucks." Danny replied. "Well, it's also playing in two and a half. Shouldn't take you that long to clean up, right?"
"...ha, no, I sounds good!" Tucker said, not wanting to suffer through the conversation that would come with turning down that offer. "Where are we meeting up?"
"Sam's." Danny said. "We're heading there right now, so come by whenever you're done."
"Cool, be right there." Tucker replied. "See ya."
"Bye." Danny said, and hung up.
Tucker groaned and hung up. If he was lucky, the movie would be good enough to keep them from swapping spit for half of it.
Tucker stepped out of the store and locked the front door. He checked to make sure it was locked, then began walking down the street. It was 6 pm, just starting to get dark. His place was just a 15 minute walk away. The sky was a faint orange, with a light breeze blowing down the street. It was Sunday, so the streets were empty.
Suddenly, Tucker heard a cackle in the sky above. He looked around for its source, and saw her.
Penelope Spectra, in her true black form, was circling him in the sky.
"Aww, no Halfa here to protect you now! You're all alone!" Spectra taunted. "Tragic, tragic..."
With a cackle, Spectra dove down at Tucker. Tucker instinctively dove to the side, accidentally shoving a door open and falling into the store to his side. It was a big mattress store, with about 50 full beds on display in one massive room. It was empty, since the two employees there were starting to close up.
"Run!" Tucker yelled to them, springing to his feet.
The employees looked at him, confused, but gasped in surprise when Spectra flew in through the door. Tucker backed away from her as she advanced, a smirk on her face.
"Aww, poor you." Spectra said. "Cheer up! There's no 'I' in 'misery', except in your case!"
Tucker had a smaller version of the Thermos, a water bottle, which he carried everywhere. He quickly pulled it out and aimed at her, but Spectra dove for him, tackling him to the ground. The water bottle rolled out of reach. Spectra flew through Tucker and into the floor, and a second later, flew up through the floor, grabbed the bottle, and flew back under it.
The two employees bolted, running out the back door as fast as they could.
Tucker got to his feet, and frantically looked around. Spectra was nowhere to be seen. He turned around, and just barely had time to see Spectra flying at him. She flew through him again, knocking him off his feet, and cackled maniacally as he hit the ground. His glasses fell off his head and slid away.
Tucker instinctively crawled for them, but Spectra grabbed them just as he got there.
"Tragic, tragic..." Spectra taunted, suddenly transforming into her human form. "But hey, at least hindsight is always 20/20, right?"
"...what do you want?!" Tucker asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Spectra asked, advancing on Tucker and making him back away. "You've been a thorn in my side for waaayyy too long, and it ends here!"
Spectra's hands began to glow with ectoplasma. She raised them, preparing to blast Tucker. Tucker desperately looked around, and tackled Spectra. Spectra let out a surprised scream as she fell on her back.
Tucker quickly pushed off her and dove for the water bottle, having to grope for it a little in his blurred vision. He grabbed it and quickly spun around. Spectra was already on her feet, and had almost reached Tucker, but stopped dead when the bottle was aimed at her. She wouldn't have time to reach him before he sucked her in.
The two stared at each other, a tense silence filling the room.
"...it's over, Penny. Back to the Ghost Zone." Tucker finally said.
Tucker moved to take the cap off the bottle, but stopped when he saw the look on Spectra's face. It almost looked like her eyes were starting to water. Tucker squinted, trying to see clearly without his glasses.
"...Spectra?" Tucker asked.
Spectra appeared to wipe her eyes, and quickly turned away from him.
"Spectra, are you... crying?" Tucker asked, walking up to her.
"Get away from me!" Spectra yelled, moving for the door.
Tucker ran and grabbed her before she could leave.
"Okay, you have my glasses, so no leaving yet." Tucker said. "But still... uh... what's wrong?"
Spectra still had her back turned to Tucker. She wiped her eyes with a sniffle, and slowly turned to face him. She looked at him, and he looked right back. He could make out the sadness in her face, but still had to squint.
"Is... is it because I was about to trap you?" Tucker slowly asked. "That's never bothered any of you before..."
Spectra wiped her eyes and just shook her head, not making a sound save for her quivering breathing.
"...no?" Tucker asked. "Then... what? ...what I said? 'It's over, Pen-'"
Before Tucker could finish the sentence, Spectra burst into tears. She quickly turned away from him, leaned her arms against the wall, and hid her face in them, crying to herself.
Tucker had no idea what to do. Everything inside him told him to comfort this woman, but this was a ghost, after all. One of the most dangerous and sadistic ones he'd ever met, at that.
"...why does that expression make you cry?" Tucker finally asked.
Spectra didn't say anything. She was calming down, but still sobbed in her arms.
"...what if I told you what movies make me cry? Would that help?" Tucker asked. "It's a really pathetic list. I'd be really embarrassed. You'd love it."
Spectra let out a quiet laugh.
"So... what is it?" Tucker asked.
Spectra looked back at Tucker.
"It's just... that..." Spectra began, but stopped, wiping her eyes.
"...come on, let's hear it." Tucker gently persisted. "We can... sit, if it helps."
Tucker backed away to the nearest bed, and sat on the edge. Spectra glanced at him. Tucker gently patted the edge of the bed beside him.
"You'll feel better if you tell me." Tucker said.
Spectra eyed the spot Tucker patted, and slowly walked towards him. She paused, wiped her eyes, and slowly sat down.
"...okay..." Tucker said. "So... let's just forget about what just happened, okay? It's gone, it never happened. Attack? What attack? Now... whats wrong?"
"...it's... it's personal..." Spectra said quietly.
"...Titanic. I've never gotten through it without crying." Tucker said.
"...that's... not that bad." Spectra replied.
"Maybe not, but crying at the ending of Home Alone is." Tucker said.
Spectra laughed, as Tucker expected. But there was something different about her laugh. It wasn't her usual cackle. It seemed more... human.
"Told you, embarrassing." Tucker said, first nodding, then shaking his head. "So..."
"...alright..." Spectra slowly said. "When... when I was alive... my name was Penny... well, Penelope still, but I went by Penny... Penny Speca."
She looked at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.
"It was the 80's... I was a guidance counsellor at your school."
"...Mr. Lancer didn't recognize you when he hired you again?" Tucker asked.
"That man needs help." Spectra replied. "Anyway... I was the guidance counsellor there, and a motivational speaker.
"...there's no 'I' in 'misery' unless you spell it that way?" Tucker asked.
"...it's a good line!" Spectra protested with a small smile.
"...sure, that's what it is." Tucker replied.
"Hehe... anyway, yeah, that's the kind of stuff I said." Spectra continued. "But I didn't do it to hurt people like I do now... I always tried to get people to be happy, to think happy, to always look on the bright side of anything. It's so important." Spectra looked at Tucker. "Don't you find that you just have better luck when you keep a positive outlook?"
"I... haven't been keeping score." Tucker replied.
Spectra looked back at her feet. "Well, you do. And besides, what's the point of living if you're not happy with life?"
Tucker's eyes widened slightly, realizing the implication of that statement.
"Spectra, did you... kill yourself?" Tucker asked carefully.
"What?! No!" Spectra exclaimed, looking at Tucker. "That's not what I was saying!"
"Alright, alright, sorry!" Tucker quickly said, holding his hands up defensively.
"All I'm saying is that there's not much point in waking up in the morning if you have a negative outlook on everything." Spectra said, wiping her eyes.
For a few seconds, Spectra didn't say anything.
"...Spectra?" Tucker asked.
"It's... it's too personal..." Spectra said, standing up.
"...come on, I'd like to hear the rest." Tucker protested.
Spectra began to walk to the door, wiping her eyes.
"...So the Drama." Tucker blurted out.
"...what?" Spectra asked, stopping.
"That Kim Possible movie. So the Drama. I cry at the end of it." Tucker said.
Spectra slowly turned around, an amused smile on her face.
"You... why??" She asked, barely suppressing laughter.
"It's touching when they finally kiss!" Tucker protested.
Spectra had to hold her hand over her mouth to control herself. Tucker nodded, and looked away, embarrassed.
Spectra paused, still holding back laughter, and finally walked back to Tucker. She sat back down, and after a second, got herself under control.
"Alright..." She said, her face quickly filling with sadness. "See, I was... I was dating this guy for four years.
Tucker nodded. It was always about a guy. Ember, Desiree, now Spectra.
"I was 26 at the time, and he was 22." Spectra continued. "A bit of an age difference, but everything seemed to be going so perfectly, so great, for four years... but then... then..." Spectra sobbed softly, wiping her eyes. "I found out he'd been cheating on me for the past three years, with some 19 year old prom queen..."
Spectra buried her face in her hands, crying. Tucker looked at her, everything in him screaming to comfort her. He carefully raised an arm and wrapped it around her, expecting her to attack him for it. She didn't.
"...so..." Spectra said, wiping her eyes. "I kept going, trying to make everyone feel happy and all... I kept trying to find the... the bright side to it..."
"...denial isn't good." Tucker gently said.
"I... it totally took over my life..." Spectra said. "I was so distracted by it, I... I was driving along one night... not even watching the road... car crash."
"...that's how you died?" Tucker asked.
Spectra just buried her face in her hands again, crying.
Tucker scooted closer to her, fully wrapping his arm around her. He placed his other hand on her knee.
"It's... it's alright, let it out..." Tucker said, totally out of his element.
Spectra responded by turning towards him and hugging him close, crying on his shoulder. Tucker rubbed her back with one hand, and started piecing all this information together.
"...that's why you're obsessed with keeping youthful. Because he... you know, for someone younger..." He said.
Spectra didn't say anything, just sobbing more on his shoulder.
"And... you try to make everyone depressed... so they can feel what you felt?" Tucker asked. "Trying to go through life happy, trying to think the best of everything, when it turns out that... the... the happiest part of your life is what caused the most sorrow? You want everyone else to go through that?"
Spectra pushed off his shoulder, wiped her eyes, and looked at him, surprised.
"...I..." was all she could say.
"...sometimes you don't realize how... how you're acting, until... you know, someone describes it to you..." Tucker said, choosing his words carefully.
Spectra suddenly shoved him off the bed, to the floor. Tucker landed on his stomach, and frantically pushed himself onto his back. Spectra was on her feet, hand glowed with ectoplasma, and she looked like she was about to blast him. But instead, she just stood there, breathing hard, tears running down her face. After a few seconds, her hand stopped glowing. She sat back on the bed, wiped her eyes, and stared at the floor.
Tucker slowly got to his feet.
"...you're right..." Spectra said quietly.
Tucker slowly sat down beside her again. She didn't do anything to stop him.
"Well... that explains a lot, but it didn't answer my question." Tucker said. "Why did my words make you snap like that?"
Spectra gave a small laugh, her voice quivering, and nodded.
"When... when I found him out, you know what he said to me?" Spectra asked. "His first words when I confronted him, and his last words he ever said to me... 'It's over, Penny.'"
Tucker's eyes widened slightly at that amazing coincidence, but nodded in understanding. He carefully wrapped an arm around her again, and she didn't stop him.
"He... he was a terrible person... he shouldn't have done that to you." Tucker said, knowing that he should say something but having no idea what. "If it makes you feel any better... Halo 3."
Spectra wiped her eyes, and looked at him.
"...don't tell me." She said in surprise. "You cried... from Halo 3?"
"He went through all that just to rescue Cortana!" Tucker explained.
Spectra buried her face in her hands again, still sobbing, but this time with laughter mixed in. Tucker nodded, embarrassed. Spectra was still holding his glasses, and he slowly reached out and grabbed them. Spectra released them without a fuss.
"...well... I'm sorry, but I really have to get home." Tucker said, putting his glasses on. Spectra nodded in understanding.
"But you know..." Tucker continued. "I'm going to the movies later with Danny and Sam. Would you... want to come? Those two will just be smooching through the whole thing, so you can feed off my misery."
Spectra looked at him, surprised.
"I... think I'm too old to go on a date with you, kid." She replied, wiping her eyes.
Tucker had heard that all too many times, among a dozen other excuses. Even so, he wasn't asking her on a date, really.
"I wasn't asking you out." Tucker said. "It just seems like you shouldn't be alone right now."
Spectra gave a small smile.
"That's sweet, but I'll be fine." She said. "I'd prefer to have some time alone right now..."
"...alright." Tucker said. "I guess... see you later, then?"
Spectra got up, and walked over to him. After a pause, she hugged him.
"Thanks for this..." She whispered to him.
Tucker returned the hug. "Anytime." He replied.
Spectra transformed into her shadowy self and disappeared through the floor.
Tucker looked around for a second, then walked out.
It had been half an hour since Tucker arrived at home. He had quickly showered, changed clothes, and was getting ready to head to Sam's. He shut off his computer, plucked his PDA off its charger, and began to clean his glasses.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it, probably Danny!" Tucker called out, and walked to the door.
He opened it, cleaning his glasses, and saw a young woman with red hair.
"...can I help you?" He asked, putting his glasses on. When his vision came into focus, though, he gasped.
Spectra was standing there. She looked about 19. Her usually weird hair was now nicely combed, coming down to the base of her neck. She wore powerful red pants with matching shoes, and a black tank top that showed some waist.
"...we still on for that movie?" She asked after an awkward pause
"...h-how...?" Was all Tucker could reply.
Spectra smirked, delighted at his reaction.
"I found my old boyfriend." She explained. "Girlfriend cheated on him, along with three others, and he's got kids with all of them. Five minutes of soaking up that misery and I could pick pretty much any age I wanted."
"...and... why did you p-pick this one?" Tucker stuttered.
"So this time, when you ask me to the movies, I can give the right answer." Spectra replied.
Tucker stared at her, speechless. She was beautiful.
"...ask me to the movies, stupid!" Spectra said with a smirk.
"...I'm... going with Danny and Sam to the movies. Want to come?" Tucker finally asked.
"I'd love to." Spectra replied. "When does it start?"
"...about an hour. Which should give us enough time to explain this to them." Tucker said.
Spectra smiled and kissed Tucker's cheek. Tucker gasped, and quickly looked away, blushing. Spectra gave a small laugh, and hugged him.
"Thanks for everything. I think you pretty much saved my afterlife." She said.
"...don't mention it." Tucker replied, hugging her back.
With that, they climbed into Tucker's car and drove off for Sam's.