Chapter 2
Zulia's Secret Heartache

Zulia hummed pleasantly as she brushed her daughter Heidi's hair, getting her ready for school.

"There you go, hon," she said, tying Heidi's hair up in a high ponytail, "You're going to be the most beautiful girl in the class!"

Heidi smiled as Zulia kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, mom!" she called, putting on her school backpack, "Bye, Sparky!"

"Have a great day, honey!" called Zulia, as Heidi skipped out of the house towards the school bus. Zulia glanced over at Sparky, who was wolfing down a bowl of his favourite cereal: crispy slugworm flakes with chocolate frosting. Delicious. "See ya later, mom!" he announced, wiping the frosting off his mouth and striding towards the door, "I've got a very important mission to go on!"

"OK, hon," Zulia said, fondly, "And do be careful."

"Mom!" exclaimed Sparky, "I'm not a kid anymore! I can take care of myself! I'm a hero, remember!"

Zulia chuckled. "Of course you are. See you tonight, hero boy." She pinched his cheek affectionately and watched him stride out of the house in a conceited way.

Zulia smiled, fondly. She sat down at the kitchen table and poured herself some slugworm flakes. They were a little on the stale side, but they would do.

She picked up the Neutropian newspaper and scanned the text for any news. There wasn't any. Zulia sighed and put down the paper. Hardly anything exciting ever happened to her these days, and Zulia often felt rather lonely at home by herself. When Zulia was a child, she used to have adventures all the time. She hadn't been a Galactic Guardian, like Sparky, but she had had a very exciting life nonetheless. Now she was an adult and had two kids to care for, and her duty revolved mainly around cooking. True, a few interesting things did happen to her once every now and again, but not as much as they used to.

Zulia laid back against the cushions of the chair and let her mind drift off to some of the exciting adventures she had had in the past. She remembered the time a few months ago when she had been kidnapped and taken to Glacies by a supervillain called The Scribe, intended to be murdered. But Sparky, with the help of his friends, had rescued her. She also remembered the notorious Masticula, whom she, along with Admiral DeGill, Spindly Tam Kanushu and Chef Bernadette, had sentenced to be frozen on Glacies forever so she could cause no more harm. But when Sparky had been cooking nearby, the heat from his grill had melted the ice, freeing Masticula, who vowed to have her revenge on the ones who had imprisoned her. She had kidnapped Zulia, DeGill, Bernadette and Spindly Tam, and condemned them to be frozen on Glacies, just as she had, but once again, Sparky and his friends had saved the day.

Zulia smiled. She was so proud to have a son who was such a hero. She didn't know what she would ever do without him.

Then, Zulia thought of another memory. A memory that had taken place before her adventures with Masticula and The Scribe. A memory she had not thought of for a long time. But this one was a different memory. It was a memory which, unlike the others, did not have a happy ending. It was a very painful memory, one that caused Zulia to feel great sadness when she remembered it. It had all started less than two years ago, when Zulia had joined a dating service in hopes that she could find a new partner...

...

Zulia gazed out the window of the spaceship, watching a huge colourful explosion take place, its remains rocketing out through the starry sky. "This is amazing, Maxy!" exclaimed Zulia, in awe, "What a view! However did you find such a place!?"

"I am well-travelled," replied Maximus I.Q., who was sitting beside her in the seat of the spaceship. He snapped his fingers. Minimus pressed a button, and another planet exploded in an array of light and colours.

"Oh look! Another one!" exclaimed Zulia, gazing out the window in admiration. "To be honest, I had my doubts when I joined that intergalactic dating service," she admitted, "But you have been absolutely wonderful."

"I, too, was hesitant," Maximus said, seductively, "But when my worthless assistant found your radiant beauty amidst the common fodder, I couldn't help myself." He flashed her a flirtatious grin. "I was smitten."

"Oh, stop it," said Zulia, playfully.

"Um, boss?" said Minimus, who had spotted Atomic Betty's bright red starcruiser shooting towards them, "Betty at twelve o'clock!"

Maximus's eyes widened in panic!

"Betty?" repeated Zulia.

"Er...yes...ion storm Betty," invented Maximus, quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion in her, "Isn't it cute how they give these galactic storms girlish names?"

Minimus slammed his foot onto the accelerator, and their ship shot away, racing round planets and diving between asteroids, with Betty's starcruiser in hot pursuit.

"I must apologise for this weather!" gasped Maximus, as he and Zulia were violently thrown around in the spaceship due to the breakneck speed, "We could be in for a bumpy ride!"

"You should talk to your driver!" Zulia exclaimed, as she was thrown around. She leapt onto Maximus's lap and clutched his robe in fright. "I think he's going a bit too—"

She broke off as they caught each other's eyes.

They both grinned sexily, then Maximus puckered up and aimed a kiss at Zulia's lips.

"Hang on!" exclaimed Minimus from the front.

He divebombed the spaceship down into a geyser of a nearby planet. Narrowly dodging the huge spurts of scalding water shooting out of other geysers, he steered the spaceship underground, Betty's starcruiser still hot on their heels. They dived across the pits of boiling water, swerving past the stalagmites, then swerved to a halt against a dead end. Betty's starcruiser cornered them. Then suddenly, the water around them bubbled, and a huge geyser shot up, catapulting them up into space!

"Phew!" said Minimus, shakily, as they zoomed away from the planet, "Looks like we made it!"

Maximus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow!" exclaimed Zulia, breathlessly, "That was...that was exciting! Where to next?"

"What would you like to do, my little doomsday button?" asked Maximus, in a syrupy voice. He tickled her chin, affectionately, making her giggle.

"Well, I am kind of hungry," admitted Zulia.

"I know the perfect place to have a picnic," declared Maximus, "You're going to love it!"

He seemed to be a little frightened by her appetite when they sat down on the asteroid and she started devouring everything in the picnic basket.

"Heh heh," Maximus laughed, nervously, "You have quite the...appetite."

She noticed him glance away as she ate. It was all delicious.

"Look," exclaimed Maximus, pointing up at a moon in the sky. Zulia looked up at the moon and saw that it had been carved into a heart with her and Maximus's faces in it. Minimus was a good moon-carver. The likeness was uncanny.

Zulia giggled. "Oh, Maxy, that's so sweet," she said.

"Think nothing of it, my little death ray," Maximus cooed, "Tis a small, insignificant gesture."

Suddenly, a series of faint high-pitched squeals sounded from where Minimus was carving another heart onto a moon with a lazer. The rocks spraying from the lazer's track were smashing onto the inhabitants, making them scream.

"Do you hear something?" asked Zulia, looking round to where the faint squeals were coming from.

"Ah, yes..." replied Maximus. He snapped his fingers. Five Blood Monks instantly beamed down from his ship and began to play romantic music, giving the atmosphere a cosy feeling. "Perhaps it is...our song," he crooned, seductively.

"Oh, Maxy..."

They looked at each other, lovingly.

Then Maximus picked up his wine glass. "To your ravishing beauty," he said, raising his glass.

"To your exquisite charm," cooed Zulia. They clinked glasses. Then they both puckered their lips and went in for a kiss.

...

Zulia's mind drifted back into reality. It was an old memory, one that should have been long-forgotten, yet Zulia still remembered it as clear as a crystal. The journey, the picnic, the kiss...although actually, they hadn't kissed. Minimus's lazer had accidentally sliced the asteroid clear in half just as their lips had been about to meet. Zulia wasn't sure if that had been for better or for worse.

Zulia had a bad habit of dating criminals. Originally she had dated Maximus I.Q., then later, a good long while after they broke up, she had gotten engaged with somebody called Max Sr., but it had gone badly. It turned out that Max Sr. was a two-timing crook who had only been using her to get his hands on some cash and jewellery. Talk about a real heartbreaker.

Maximus, on the other hand, really had loved her. Zulia just couldn't understand how somebody so charming could be so evil.

Holy caramel slugworms! Zulia thought, Did I just think what I thought I thought?

Zulia knew it was crazy, but a few weeks later she had started to miss him. He had seemed so nice, the way he talked to her, and the journey he took her on. That is, of course, until he had found out Sparky was her son, and had attempted to obliterate her. But even so, she had still begun to miss him. It seemed like so much time had passed since Sparky had become a Galactic Guardian, and Zulia often felt rather lonely at home with only her kitchen utensils as company. Sparky was always either off on a mission or hanging out with Betty and X-5, and Heidi spent most of her life hanging out at her best friend's house when she wasn't in school. Most of the time they just popped in for mealtimes and then scooted back off. Zulia knew that Sparky cared for her very much, but he was just never around. Oh, how she cherished those rare occasions when he would come and stay for a few hours, actually spending time with her, rather than hanging outside all the time. Zulia was glad her children were having fun, but the house always felt so empty when they were out. She often wished she had a partner to keep her company. Someone charming and handsome, who told exciting stories and knew how to captivate. Someone like...well...Maximus.

Zulia had heard what people said about love. How there weren't any rules in it, and how there was no telling when it might occur, or who it might occur with. But what if it was wrong, as in very, very wrong, to like a certain person? Everyone said that love wasn't supposed to make sense, but what if it was crazy? What if it was impossible? What if the person you liked was the Supreme Evil Overlord of the Galaxy, and the arch-nemesis of the Galactic Guardians?

Zulia sighed. All this was so confusing.

She remembered how she had seen Maximus again when he had shrunk the No-L Nine down to ornament size at Christmas and the Guardians had banded together to stop him. It was a terrible crime, and everyone knew it, but to be honest, Zulia thought that shrinking planets to hang on a Christmas tree was just about the most terrific idea ever, had it not been so evil. She also remembered the evil speeches he made when he thought he had won. Evil, yes. Heavy-handed, yes. Dreadfully repetitive, yes. But the way he had said them sounded rather imposing, which, in a way, was rather romantic.

But it was impossible. Maximus obviously didn't love her anymore. He had pointed a death ray at her and she had hit him with her kitchen utensils in retaliation, which wasn't exactly the most romantic ending to a date.

Zulia sighed. She knew he was the galaxy's most notorious supervillain, but she just couldn't seem to erase her feelings for him. He had seemed so perfect. Ever since that fateful ending to that wonderful day, Zulia had never been able to think of him without getting fuzzy feelings inside. They really had liked each other, after all. Maybe there was just the faintest, slimmest, tiniest possibility that Maximus still cared about her.

Zulia got together her confidence. Maximus I.Q.'s citadel was located in V Quadrant. Everyone knew that. Maybe she could go there and tell him how she felt. Surely he would had cooled off after all this time? She shook her head with frustration. No. This was too crazy. He might try to obliterate her again. But she could bring her frying pan or rolling pin and threaten him with it if he did. Maybe it would be worth it. No, no, no, this was just too insane. Thinking that Maximus I.Q. still loved her was like finding a needle in a haystack on your first try. It had to be a billion to one at the very least.

But then again, Zulia realized, a billion to one was still a chance.

A chance that could be worth taking.

A/N

By the way, this story is a Maximus x Zulia fanfiction. I've always been a huge fan of Maximus being with Zulia, and decided to write this story where they make up their "tragedy" from Slime Of The Century. And if you were wondering about Heidi, she is Sparky's sister, the one who was mentioned in the episode The X-Rays. Since she was kept anonymous in the show, I decided to call her Heidi.

I wonder how Maximus and Zulia would have reacted in Slime Of The Century if, while they were having that picnic or looking at the moon carvings together, someone came up to them and said "In only a few short minutes, you're going to try to obliterate her with a death ray, and you're going to hit him with your handbag in retaliation."

They'd never believe it.