Disclaimer: Don't own…show…-sob- Nor do I own MerryBrite. I stole that name off my Christmas present's tag. It was a teddy bear! I named him Baker! 'Cause that's the last name of my friend who gave me Baker. We call her Tom-Tom!

Duck: Who's that?

Jessica: …Stop breaking the fourth wall…

-------

Promise

(thump)

"Ow…"

Duck pushed himself off the ground and rubbed his beak. I gotta think of better ways to make dramatic exits, he thought. (Does the Loonatics' HQ even have windows?)

Stars still in his eyes, he shook his head and looked around. He was in an alleyway.

Correction. I gotta think in general.

Duck stood up and brushed himself off. He was in quite a dilemma now. What to do…

After a bit of thought, (which caused a headache) Duck decided to head over to New Chinatown, where there was a family he once knew.

Maybe now is a time that we should learn a bit more of Duck's past. In addition to being a pool boy, he was also a babysitter. Most of the time, he was hired by a rich family by the name of Moy. The 5 year old girl he babysat, whose name was Belle, wasn't the usual I-torture-the-babysitter-while-Mommy-and-Daddy-are-gone kind of kid. In fact, she was quite the opposite, and Danger Duck (then known as Daniel Duck) found this an easy, well-paying job. He usually left the house with a number of bills and a drawing or short story in his hand; one was from the parents, the other from Belle, who was very creative for such a young child. The two became great friends eventually, and Belle's parents considered making Duck a full-time caretaker.

That was right before the meteor hit.

Then Duck had become part of the Loonatics. He and Belle never saw each other since then. He never even thought about her until now. That's why Duck was so nervous as he approached the mansion owned by the Moys. Would they still remember me? he thought as he pressed the doorbell.

"Coming!" The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with long black hair, who Duck recognized as Belle's mother. "Daniel! Its been such a long time!" she exclaimed. "Well, you're always busy when you're a superhero," boasted Duck, showing off. (as usual.) "Anyways, um, is Belle here?"

While Mrs. Moy went upstairs to get Belle, Duck looked around the room he was in, the living room. It seemed exactly like it did the last time he came here, two years ago. Same plants, (except the small one in the corner seems just a bit bigger) same couch, same coffee table…oh wait, the coffee table wasn't there before…never mind…

"Danny! YAY!"

Suddenly, Duck found himself being glomped by a small girl, (and when I say small, I mean 3 feet tall.) and he fell over. She still stuck to him like glue. Or like a person who hasn't seen her only friend in…two…five…three…no, wait, two years. Er…

(Brief intermission while the authoress is bricked by her conscience personified.)

Ow…Two years. That's about right.

"Erm…"

Duck tried to pry Belle off his knees, (unsuccessfully) but fortunately, she let go. (Duck: Ow.) She looked up with a happy, beaming face, but it disappeared, replaced with a sad puppy dog kind of face. "Why didja leave?" Belle asked. But then her face brightened again. "Didja come back for more of Mommy's cookies?"

Duck shook his head. "No. Actually, I need your help…"

---

Under the MerryBrite Amusement Park

Click. Click. Click.

A boy in his mid-teens continually flipped channels on a gigantic screen. It's fun to hack security cameras, thought Max, but yet so boring. But it was his job, and the boss had said to keep an eye out for anything that could help them. Click.Boring. Click. Boring. Click. Ew. That's just-ew. Click.

"…need your help…"

Max stood up so fast, his chair went spinning across the room. It was one of the Loonatics. He quickly pressed record, and listened carefully as to what he was saying.

"I'm a helper!" said the girl on the screen. "What do you need?"

"See, its like this…me and Ace have a bet that I couldn't hold a promise for a week, and, well, I dunno what promise should I make…"

Max listened to the whole thing, and his smile grew wider and wider. But not as wide when he heard Belle's suggestion…

"How about you promise to keep the next promise you make?"

Won't the boss like this, thought Max. Won't he like this…

-------

Belle's original name: Jess

Max: LU hater that I know from school

I'm glad I thought of the name 'Belle'. I likes it.

Please excuse that brief intermission in the middle…somewhere. My conscience personified (named Bugs) was trying to force me to do my homework. Or figure out what to write. …One of the two, either works.

Also, if the next chapter sucks, blame Bugs, he's the one who bricked me.

Bugs: (bricks her)

Jessica: Ow!