Chapter Two – Honey Moon
"I can't believe we used up this much!"
"Gene, you're getting worked up again."
"How can I NOT get worked up?! Did you see how busy we were?!"
The games may have been over but that did not mean that the DAY was over. The moment that Calhoun and Mouse stepped off the trolley were they greeted by NICELANDERS.
SO MANY NICELANDERS.
And they were running about, trying to clean up this, trying to reorganize that, running here and there and EVERYWHERE!
"Well." Mouse said, looking about as the little people toddled to and fro "I keep forgettin' just how ODD it is seein' these guys attempt ta run."
"Felix!" Calhoun waved, seeing her husband cleaning up some of the broken branches around the apartment.
Upon seeing his wife, Felix smiled brightly and made a bee-line for her.
"Tamera!"
BUT HALT!
He stopped, the smile disappearing once he was a few inches away from her.
What was wrong?
"Oh sweet corn puddin'…." The man said as he turned around, getting back to work "Sorry babe! Gots lots of stuff we need ta clean up now."
And here Calhoun and Mouse were aching for pie.
"Um, anythin' we can help ya with?" the older Marine said as she stepped forward, Ralph carrying a downed tree near the woods.
"We could always use a few extra hands." The Wrecker said as he clapped his hands of dirt "But I got things covered. It's tha USUAL SUSPECTS that need a'bit of…ASSISTANCE."
Calhoun looked at the Nicelander, the lot of them still going about like honey bees trying to clean up this, fix that, everyone so busy and frantic.
"WOW! What's got them so wound up?" asked Mouse as she thumbed over to Pearl and Carlos, the two taking turns rolling some bricks into the recycling pile.
"We just had a VERY unexpected day." Sighed Felix "Ya know that party that came outta nowhere?"
Calhoun snorted "Yup! So many quarters."
"Yeah, quarters aimed at us." The Repairman breathed out, shaking his head "We had an AVALANCHE of kids today, Tammy an' tha guys-!"
"WE NEARLY RAN OUT OF PIES!"
The Heroes jolted at the sharp voice, Gene still looking panicked as Mary tried her best to calm the man down.
"So…." Calhoun smiled "How many times did he go flyin'?"
Ralph welcomed the jab, mirroring the Marine's sneaky little grin but Felix on the other hand was far more concerned.
"Sir, please don't get yourself into a mess." The Repairman sighed, going over to the couple "Ya did fine so there's no reason for ya ta-!"
"OH PROGRAMMERS!" Gene panted "Had we ran outta-! I mean, OUT OF PIES-!"
Nice one, Gene. Gotta keep the poshness up, right?
"But we didn't!" Mary said as she took ahold of her husband's cheeks and smushed them, drawing him closer to her nose "Ooooh, big fluffy blueberry. Getting so worked up over nothing."
"It's not NOTHIN'! I mean….it's not ANYTHING! I mean, AAUUURGH!"
"Say Mouse. Gene's cured of that power-up thing, right?" Ralph asked the Cadet.
"Yes. Why do ya ask?"
"Because if he gets anymore worked up, I swear he's gonna go Genezilla on us at any moment."
Without warning, Mary JUMPED upon Gene, the man crying out as he managed to catch her before tumbling over on his back.
"Geeeene!"
"Urgh, MARY!"
"Do I really have to drag you upstairs and tie you to the bed to calm you down?" the woman in pink said, her cheeks puffed out in a pout "You haven't rest a single DAY since we got married and if you carry on like this, we-!"
"Hold on a moment!"
The two Nicelanders looked up, Calhoun giving them a stunned look.
"Ya 'haven't rested a day'? What are ya carryin' on about, Genie?"
The man blushed, turing his head away from the taller woman.
"Not to be rude, young lady, but this is something I would prefer that we kept to ourselves."
"Don't tell me he was this bad durin' you HONEY MOON!" Calhoun said, finding it impossible NOT to laugh at the thought "C'mon, Genie! Can't ya lighten up a bit before-!"
"Honey moon?"
Why did Mary say that word in such a tone.
"Yeah…." Calhoun continued, the small characters looking up at her with slightly confused eyes "I mean…"
There was something odd about the silence that surrounded the two that made the woman realize something, something that nearly sent her back onto the ground.
"Hold on a sec…..Don't tell me ya two DIDN'T go on your honey moon!"
First Gene blushed, but then Mary….and then FELIX!
"Are ya SERIOUS!" the woman said in an astonished voice "After all'a that! After EVERYTHIN' ya two went through ta get ta tha aisle, ya haven't-!"
"Tamera, PLEASE!" Gene said, clearing his throat as he got back to his feet "As much as Mary and I would have ENJOYED going on a holiday we have been unable to."
"For what REASONS!?"
"PLENTY OF REASONS!" Gene shot back, getting on his tip-toes.
"Gene, your anger…."
The rotund Mayor placed a hand to his forehead, pixelated storm clouds forming over him.
"We had work the next day…..the arcade has been busier than ever…" he began "We hardly have any real time to ourselves so what good would it be for us to ABANDON the game in such a manner."
The look on Calhoun's face was that of pure HORROR, all around her surprised that SHE of all people seemed to be hit the most with Gene's declaration.
"Ya,…ya can't be serious, Mayor!"
"I'm sorry but that's just the way things are." Gene puffed, sounding rather disappointed not just in the circumstance but himself.
Calhoun could hear it in his voice; he wanted to do something but not for the sake of taking time away from the game but for MARY.
It always came back to Mary and why wouldn't it?
He LOVED her.
And the more Calhoun thought about it, the more she saw Gene's point. After all, the day after the wedding only brought upon more work and the same happened day in and day out with the only 'free' day the inhabitants having being that of Sunday once more.
And what good would a ONE DAY Honey Moon be?
"Urgh, I should be counting my pixels I was even lucky enough to get as much as I have now…." The Mayor said recalling all the VERY close shaves he and everyone around him had shared before the wedding "So….so I am grateful for what I have now."
"Awww, ya big baby…" Mary said as she smiled, nuzzling Gene enough to make his blush return "The cause is noble but still. You should not run yourself like this. It's not healthy."
"I know…." The man sighed "But I'm still Mayor, honey. I still have RESPONSIBILITIES to uphold and as Mayor, I can no longer allow myself to falter or-!"
"Big Guy?"
Gene jolted upon hearing Calhoun's voice, his neck craned up towards her.
"Y-Yes, what is it?"
The woman singled the bunch to follow her, all five walking into the building as she led them to the apartment she and Felix shared.
"Honey, what's goin' on?"
The woman said nothing as she walked in, the others close by. She went into the office, going through the drawers until-
"Ah-ha!"
What had she found?
"Genie? Miss Mary?"
The two Nicelanders moved closer towards each other, the Mayor looking more nervous than his chubby wife.
"Yes, dear?"
Held in Calhoun's hand was a packet of paper, the sheets folded together neatly.
"This was one of our gifts from OUR weddin'…." The Marine grinned "But with so much stuff we got, Felix an' I kinda forgot that we had it."
"O-Oh?" Gene said nervously as he took ahold of the paper "And what are they?"
Calhoun only grinned "Look, an' you'll see."
The two Nicelanders were still confused by the other character's rouse but they looked upon the paper.
SEVEN DAYS
"Seven days?"
ALL EXPENSES PAID
Gene arched a brow.
STAY AT CRYSTAL SHORES, BEACH BONANZA'S BEST DESTINATION!
"Beach Bonanza?!" Gene gasped, nearly dropping the paper "You mean-?! That water-racer?!"
"Yup!" Calhoun nodded "That was their gift ta Felix n' me but like I said, we just got so caught up we never used it!"
"Oh yeah, now I remember." Felix said, smiling "Nice of 'em ta think of us like that."
"But-! But why are you giving this to us?!"
"Because I want ya ta have it." Said Calhoun "Think of it as our SECOND weddin' gift ta ya!"
Gene blanched, not expecting such a LUXURIOUS gift to befall himself and his blushing wife, let alone from the likes of Calhoun of all people.
"We-! We can't take this!" Gene said nervously, his throat going dry "I mean-! I don't want to sound rude but-! But this is too much, young lady! And this is for you and Felix! What would be if we were to usurp your chances for a vacation?"
"Well, ya can always give it ta MEEEEE?" Ralph teased as he pulled Mouse closer, the Cadet in on the game "I mean, Mousey and I were planning on, as they say, jumping the broom so if his Mayorishship does not want such a FINE gift-!"
"Oh, Geeene!" Felix laughed, all but Gene joining in with him "Sir, I'm more than happy ta see ya an' Mary have a vacation! I don't mind at all!"
"Ar-are you certain?" Gene gulped, still not sure what he should do "And after all-!"
"Yes?"
"What about the others!" the Mayor blurted "You know they are no better than CHILDREN without me to control them!"
*BONK!*
"OW!"
"Like we didn't hear that, Butthole!"
Gene turned, rubbing the back of his head and scowling but the scowl was replaced a look of abject HORROR as there at the door stood the rest of the Nicelanders, their expressions just as cheeky as that other others.
And as Gene looked down, Lucy was well armed with yet another apple to throw.
"So what's this?" the youngest Nicelander said "Gene gets all the good presents for nothin'? Huh, this is why I don't it when ya bellyache all tha time, Genie."
"LUCILE-ALISON!" Gene fumed, marching over to the girl "ONE! How dare you throw something at me like that and TWO!"
"M'yeeeeees, sir?"
"TWO, we are NOT going on vacation!"
"And who said you could make the final choice on that, BLUEBERRY?" Mary said, her arms crossed.
"Oh, don't tell me you want to risk this!"
"Didn't you say you wanted to try new things?" Mary said, cooing as she moved in closer on the Mayor, his face once again flashing red "Don't forget your promise."
As of things could not get anymore pressed for the poor man, especially with SO MANY PEOPLE watching the scene unfold him but he knew Mary had him cornered and not just with her own desires to travel.
He HAD made a promise to her, a promise to HIMSELF as well.
He wasn't going to hold back anymore.
He wasn't going to fear anymore.
He wasn't going to be that man anymore.
It was a gallant promise but still, some old habits were hard to drop but as he looked in Mary's eyes….
"Blueberry…"
They were so bright, so full of love and excitement; he just could not turn away, he could not deny her the world that he had promised her.
And the others?
He could still hear snickering from the other Nicelanders, a few of them on their toes to what the final choice would be but Felix hushed them, putting a finger to his lips.
"Guys, leave him be okay?"
Mary looked at Gene without saying a word, wrapping her arms around his chubby frame and hugging him.
Yeah, Genie-Boy. It was alright.
He sighed, resting his chin upon her shoulder and rubbing her back. He could have stayed that way forever but he knew there was far much more to do….
"Calhoun? Young lady?"
The taller woman once more smirked at the Nicelander, her hands going to her hips.
"Yes, Big Guy?"
"Is there a specific time we have to leave?"
