(A/N: Phew! This is finally up! I meant to finish this long ago, but writer's block had other ideas. Enjoy this new story!)
Could It Be?
Prologue: Meet the Tucks Pt. 1
When 2-year-old Chuckie Finster woke up one day, it never occurred to him that what the day was going to offer will change his life forever, and a day. He and Chaz Finster were on their way to the Pickles house, where Chuckie was going to stay while Chaz would be at work. For the young redhead, it became a routine, basically; Same old, same old. But today was going to be different. Very different. He was too busy wondering what adventures he'll have with 1-year-old Tommy Pickles, and 1 ¾-year-old twins Phil and Lil DeVille to see the commotion at the house next to where the Carmichaels resided.
Just before Chaz rang the doorbell, he heard the noise behind him. "What's going on back there?" He looked, and saw a U-Haul truck parked in front of the house, with furniture and boxes in the trailer; Some of the latter were in the grass. Chaz glanced down at his son. "Hey Chuckie, it looks like someone's moving in over there, next door to the Carmichaels." He then spied a box filled with baby toys. "Ooh, and it looks like they have a baby. Maybe they'll be a new friend for you and your friends."
Chuckie looked, and saw that he was right; He also saw what looked like pieces of a crib being lugged out by who he assumed was the driver. When he spotted a box on the sidewalk labeled "Baby Clothes" (he still can't read yet, so he didn't understand it), he was surprised at what, or who, he saw next to it. A little girl, who couldn't be older than him, was grasping the edge with her tiny fingers. But she wasn't 100% human; She had light purplish-grey skin, black pointy ears near her scalp, and a round, black nose. For some reason, Chuckie couldn't take his eyes off of this girl; Her wild black hair seemed to frame her face, almost covering her large eyes. From where he stood, he couldn't tell what color they were; They looked blue or green to him. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a big white Saturn on the front, a green skirt that seemed to move a lot, white socks with black bows and ruffles, a purple bow headband in her hair, and black sneakers with white laces that dragged on the ground.
As Chaz talked to Stu and Didi Pickles, Chuckie watched the girl across the street. She hoisted herself up, revealing her black ruffled diaper cover, and fell in the box headfirst. He was afraid that she was hurt, but he faintly heard giggles. "What are you doing in there?" He heard an unfamiliar "grown-up" voice. A "grown-up" who looked like a badger dressed in what seemed to be from the Renaissance fair walked up to the box, and lifted her out. "You're a silly girl, Shenzi." He set her on her feet on the sidewalk, and ruffled her hair. Shenzi? That was an odd name. Chuckie never heard it before... at least he didn't think so. "You can play with the box after we settle in, okay?" With that, he continued to lug boxes and furniture in the house, with the truck driver assisting.
The toddler, apparently named Shenzi, gazed around the neighborhood she would call home. She wondered if there were any kids her age that she could play with living nearby. Her friends were in Florida, while she was all the way out here. When she looked across the street, she was surprised to see a boy who looked to be her age on the house porch. He had wild red hair, and pale peachy skin with freckles on his cheeks, although she couldn't see them very clearly. He was wearing purple square eyeglasses, a blue shirt with a yellow and red Saturn on the front, green cargo shorts, yellow socks, and red sneakers with white, untied laces. Now feeling intrigued, when he started walking in the house he was at, she started running up to him, but before she could go too far, she felt two strong hands gently grab her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Her daddy, Friar Tuck lifted her up in his arms. "You can't walk into the street like that, sweetheart. You could get seriously hurt." She stayed quiet, due to being quite timid, and not being able to talk just yet. "Come on, let's bring your stuff in."
Across the street, after entering the Pickles house, Chuckie was very surprised when the new girl tried to run up to him. He also wondered how anyone could get hurt from walking across the road. When inside, he was too busy viewing the house through the door window to hear what the adults were talking about. "Did you see the Carmichaels' new neighbors?" Stu asked Chaz.
"Yeah, Chuckie and I did just before we came in," Chaz replied, "And it seems they have a baby."
"I bet he or she will make a great new friend for the kids," Didi remarked, "We should invite them over for dinner, if they don't already have plans."
"That's a good idea, Deed," Stu agreed.
In the living room, Tommy and the twins overheard the adults talking. "Did you hear that, guys?" Tommy turned to Phil and Lil, "We have new neighbors!" They stood at the window, and peered at the house next to Susie's.
"You guys! You guys!" Chuckie dashed into the room after Chaz set him down. "Did you see the new peoples across the street?"
"We see them right now," Phil replied, not averting his gaze.
"Yeah," Lil turned to the redhead, "Come on!" She gestured for him to join them, and he jumped up between Tommy and Phil.
"What are those pointy things on her head, I wonder?" Chuckie remarked.
"I think they're her ears," Lil guessed.
"Naw, they're horns," Phil shook her head.
"They're ears, Philip!" She started an argument.
"Horns, Lillian!"
"Stu, can you keep an eye on the kids, so I can invite our new neighbors over for dinner later?" Didi requested as the twins quarreled.
"Sure thing," He complied, and sat near where the toddlers were gathered. "You kids fascinated by our new neighbors?" He asked them, but they didn't respond in any way. It was as if there was a television playing Reptar outside the window.
After grabbing a Jello mold out of the fridge, Didi carefully walked across the street, and arrived at the house. She gazed absentmindedly at the boxes as she tried to think of a way to start a conversation once she found the new neighbors. She smiled at the adorable baby clothes she briefly saw in one of the boxes; After seeing the dresses, frilly socks, and general femininity, she concluded that the baby was a girl. She snapped her gaze away from the boxes, and focused on finding the new residents.
Didi stopped at the open doorway, which led to the mostly empty living room. The kitchen was already furnished with a fridge, stove, oven, cupboards, and a table with 3 regular chairs, and one white and dark pink high chair, while the living room only had a small cupboard on the floor with a picture frame. "Hello? Anyone home?" She called out. "It's your new neighbor!" She was surprised to hear slightly squeaky footsteps, like Chuckie's, accompanied by a little girl who looked to be his age at least, gazing at the boxes in curiosity from across the room. She was a very cute child, especially with her long hair, large eyes, and long eyelashes. As the toddler wandered around the room, Didi knelt down to her level, being careful with the Jello mold. "Hello there." The child stopped dead in her tracks, and stared like there was a monster at the door. Basically, she looked shellshocked. "It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your new neighbor, sweetie." The little girl stared for a couple more seconds, before she walked up to the box labeled "Baby Clothes". To Didi's surprise, she hoisted herself up, and fell in the box. "Oh, goodness!" She hoped that the toddler was alright, and not hurt.
"Again?" She heard a guy's voice, and saw who she guessed was the child's father walk in the room, and up to the box. He reached in with both hands, lifted her out, then set her on her feet. "We'll be done with this stuff soo..." He stopped when he saw the red-haired woman at the door. "Oh, hi."
"Hello," Didi greeted him, standing straight up, "I live across the street, and I thought I'd stop by, and welcome you to the neighborhood." As she explained, the toddler stared at her as she sucked on her knuckles, practically fluttering her eyelashes with every blink. She was going to be a man-stealer in her adolescence. "I'm Didi Pickles."
"Everyone calls me Friar Tuck," The child's father introduced himself, "I don't know if you've met my daughter, Shenzi." He glanced down at the toddler, who looked back up at him.
"I saw her fall in that box," Didi explained, "She's not hurt, is she?"
"She's fine," He assured her, "It's not the first time she's done that."
"Oh, alright." Didi then remembered why she came to the house. "I brought you this Jello mold, as a housewarming gift."
"Thanks," Friar Tuck smiled, "That looks great. You can just put that in the fridge."
The red-haired woman went and did just that, then walked back in the empty room. "Your daughter has beautiful eyes," She knelt to Shenzi's level, as the little girl stared. "Are they blue, or green? I can't really tell."
"They're both," He smirked, "She has heterochromia."
"Does she?" Didi was surprised. "I've never seen anything like it. Her mother must be a beautiful woman."
"She was," Friar Tuck smiled sadly. Shenzi's mother, Maya Tuck, had passed away when the former was just months old.
Didi caught on almost immediately. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She then decided to change the subject to one that was less depressing. "Um, you have a very nice house."
"Thanks. All I have to do is get everything else for the living room, and then I'll be done."
"When you're settled in, you think you can come over to my house for dinner? To properly welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Actually, that would be great," He accepted the offer.
"You can bring Shenzi along; I have a 1-year-old son, and I think he would make a great new friend for her."
"That sounds very nice; I'll bring her with me when I come over."
As the adults discussed, Shenzi felt intrigued; Were they talking about that redhead she saw earlier? Or was it someone else? Most likely the latter, because he didn't look like he was only a year old. Either way, she couldn't wait to meet him/her! "Alright, I'll let you and Shenzi get settled in. See you at dinner!"
"We'll be over there as soon as we can."
After a while, it had been at least an hour since the U-Haul truck left, and the Tuck house was completely furnished. Friar Tuck watched as Shenzi rolled a ball, so it bounced off the wall and rolled back to her, as if she was craving a playmate her age. He hoped that Didi's son would be a great friend for his little girl, as she predicted. Ever since they moved, she had that lonely look in her eyes, from being away from her former friends. Just then, he decided that it was time to go across the street. "Come on, Shen." He lifted his daughter up. "Let's go make some new friends." As she cooed and babbled, he exited the house, locking all the doors before doing so, and walked up to the Pickles residence.
He stopped at a light peach-colored house with 4 windows at the front, a tiny awning over the door, and a matching, flat roof with a satellite dish and weather vane on top, and a garage to his right. After he arrived, he rang the doorbell as Shenzi stayed quiet. After a second or two, Didi answered the door. "Oh, you're here! You're right on time! Come on in!" She stepped aside to let him walk in the house to the hallway.
"Thanks. This is a very nice house."
"Thank you." Just then, Stu came up from the living room. "Oh, Stu! This is our new neighbor."
"Everyone calls me Friar Tuck. This is my daughter, Shenzi." She babbled a bit, with her hand at her mouth.
"Stu Pickles," Stu introduced himself, "How old is this little princess?" He patted Shenzi's head as she stared at him in the same way as she did with Didi. He could've sworn that she was going to stare into his soul with those large eyes.
"She turned two just last month," Friar Tuck replied, "She's growing up fast."
"I know how you feel. Now, the kids are right in here." Didi led him to the living room, where the toddlers were in the red-fenced playpen.
"Which one is yours?" He asked her in curiosity.
"This here is Tommy, my son," Didi patted Tommy's head. "They are Phil and Lil, our friend Betty's twins, and this is Chuckie, our friend Chaz's son."
Shenzi physically perked up when she saw Chuckie. She remembered seeing him earlier, when the boxes were getting lugged in her new house. "She seems interested in Chuckie already," The badger remarked.
"Looks like it," Didi agreed with him, before a kitchen timer dinged. "Oh! Sounds like the spaghetti's done. Why don't we let Shenzi get acquainted with her new friends?"
"Alright." Friar Tuck set his daughter in the playpen, so she was facing away from the other toddlers. "You play nice with the other kids, okay?" He kissed her forehead, then followed Didi in the kitchen.
Shenzi watched him go, then turned to the other kids, who seemed to be staring at her. Her heart jumped when she saw the redhead again. "Hey! I 'member you!" She pointed at him with eagerness.
Chuckie looked back and forth, before pointing to himself. "Who, me?"
"Uh huh!" She nodded, then sat on the floor. "I'm Shenzi, what're your names again?"
"I'm Tommy," The bald baby introduced himself, "They're Phil and Lil," He gestured to the twins, who waved their hands in a greeting way.
"And I'm Chuckie," The redhead timidly finished.
"My daddy and I just started living at that house over there," Shenzi pointed in the direction her new home was at.
"Oh, oh yeah!" Chuckie exclaimed. "I 'member now. I sawed you when my dad and I came here."
"Do you live here, Chuckie?" She asked her.
"Nope," He shook his head, "This is Tommy's house."
"Ohh! Well, I like it!"
"Thanks, Shenzi!"
"Maybe sometime, you guyses can come see my new house. Everything's in there."
"Even your room?" Tommy asked her, recalling the time Susie first moved to the neighborhood, and he helped her find her bedroom.
"Uh huh," She nodded, "Why do you ask?"
"Well you see..." Tommy was about to explain, but he was cut off.
"Hello, babies!" 3-year-old Angelica Pickles walked up to the playpen. "I just watched the first episode of Cynthia P.I. What a great show! Who's your new friend?"
"Angelica, this is Shenzi," Tommy introduced her to the new girl, "She and her daddy moved next to Susie's house."
"Oh great," Angelica rolled her eyes, "As if four wasn't enough, another dumb baby comes in."
"Hey! You can't talk to her like that!" Phil stood up for their new friend.
"What was that?" She got in his face, making him nervous.
"N-nothing."
"Whatever. I'm going to go get some cookies from the kitchen. I can smell them." Angelica walked out of the room, and in the kitchen.
"Don't listen to her, Shenzi," Tommy told the black-haired girl.
"Is she always that mean?" She asked them, and they all nodded.
"You have no idea," Chuckie added, "We won't let her be mean to her."
"We just did," Phil pointed out.
"Can't we make one mistake?"
"It's okay," Shenzi assured them, "I can take care of my own self. I used to have this friend with a cousin as mean as her."
"Really?" Tommy was surprised. "Because Angelica's my cousin."
"Uh huh," Shenzi nodded to his question, "I was actually friends with two twins too."
Tommy, Chuckie, and the twins listened intently as she told them about her former friends back in Florida. Apparently, the one with the mean cousin was actually the leader of their little group, while the twins liked getting dirty a little too much, along with eating worms and bugs. What surprised Chuckie the most was, she seemed to have the same role in her former group as him! She expressed her feeling nervous during any adventures, but coming on them anyway, not wanting to be left behind.
What delighted her most, was that it felt like she had her friends back, along with a new one that completely understood her! Life was going to be great in Yucaipa, California. She just knew it.
(A/N: Well, I hope this was a good start! You know the disclaimer; Any Rugrats characters belong to Klasky-Csupo, Friar Tuck [this version at least] belongs to Disney, and Shenzi belongs to me.)