Author's Note: So... my first multi-chapatered Codename: Kids Next Door fanfiction! I hope all of you are as excited as I am! Anywho, this chapter will have quite a bit of dialogue (as a lot of my writing does), but there will be a good amount of hints at Abby/Nigel and Kuki/The Incredibly Obvious Person. Who everyone knows except Kuki. xD; Also, everyone will be referred to by first name unless they're outside of the tree house.
Second Author's Note: I kinda borrowed the last line of chapter three (Goodbies and Fireflies) from Silverflare07's story Memories Away. It's a really well-done story, and I think every Abby/Nigel fan should check it out!
Basic Stuff: Thoughts/Emphasis in italics. Telling them apart is fairly easy.
Disclaimer: Codename: Kids Next Door and all its trademarks, logos, etc., belong to Mr. Warburton and his creative team.
That Thursday afternoon found Rachel T. McKenzie, also known as Numbuh 362 or the Soopreme Leaduh of the Kids Next Door, walking down the block, a pair of headphones covering her ears as she made her way home. During the middle of her music, she heard her private phone (to which a very few operatives had access) ring. Pausing her CD player, she removed her headphones and answered the call.
"Numbuh Three Sixty-Two?" a thick-accented girl asked when she picked up the phone.
"Numbuh Five? What's the matter? Is everything all right?" No one usually called this phone unless it was super important.
"Everything's good," she told her superior, "Numbuh Five's plannin' a surprise party, and she's gonna need yo' help."
"I see," the blonde answered as she walked through her house and into her room. "Who's the party for?"
"Numbuh Three."
"Oh! But... Why...?"
"Cause," Abby explained, "She wants this party really bad, and Numbuh Five knows the perfect present to get her."
Both girls giggled at the inside joke. "I've got some last-minute chores to do, since my parents are out of town for a week, but I can come over later. Do the boys know?"
"Numbuh One does. Numbuh Two had to go home today and Numbuh Four's been trainin' since this mornin'. He didn't wanna be bothered."
"Oh. I'll let you know when I'm on my way."
"Aight. Thanks, Rachel."
"No problem, Abby. See you in a bit."
Abby Lincoln smiled as she hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen. She got herself a plate and a fork before grabbing a piece of cheesecake out of the fridge. Rich, comforting laughter filled the room as Nigel Uno walked in, shaking his head and grinning.
"What's so funny, Boss?"
He looked at her. "Lizzie just dumped me."
Her first reaction was surprise. "What?"
"Yeah! She started ranting and raving and the next thing I know - bam! - she dumps me! It's hilarious!"
"And why is that funny?" she asked.
"Because," he had to pause and catch his breath, "She dumped me for not buying her an ice-cream today! Of all the things..."
"...Wow. Talk about needy," she started to laugh.
"I know, right?" he plopped down beside her on the couch. "That's one less thing I have to worry about. So when exactly are you planning to have Kuki's party?"
"Abby's aimin' for Saturday night; since Kuki won't be back til then, Abby figured it'd be the best time. Rachel's comin' tonight to help me get decorations, a guest list, activities, and all that stuff. Abby knows what she's gettin' Kuki, too."
Nigel's eyes peered at her from above his sunglasses. "And what are you getting her, exactly?"
She grinned. "You know. That."
He tilted his head at her in confusion until he she rose her hands to his eyes, fingers in the shape of a heart. His face lit up as he figured it out. "Oh. That. You're going to need help with that, you know."
"Will you help Abby?" she asked. "This is one thing that can not go wrong."
He grinned at her.
"You didn't even have to ask."
Numbuh Four, aka Wallabee (Wally) Beatles had finally stopped his training. Since they hadn't had any missions today, he'd decided to practice non-stop, or at least until he wore himself out. Having reached this point, he exited his room and made his way to the big lounging couch. He stopped when he noticed Abby and Nigel sitting there, talking and laughing - and Nigel was slowly inching closer to his best friend. Grinning, Wally turned and silently walked out.
Kuki wasn't the only oblivious girl in the tree house.
As Abby and Nigel talked, her Kids Next Door mobile phone rang. She picked it up only to hear the voice of Rachel. "I'm on my way."
"All right. See you in a minute, Sir!"
"See you." Click.
"Who was that?" Nigel asked.
"That was Rachel; she's on her way."
"Oh. Does she know about your little plan, Abby?"
"Our little plan, and yeah. She's gonna help too."
Minutes later, after all its cameras and sensors made sure she wasn't an adult, Rachel stepped into Sector V's tree house. "Whoa," she whispered. "This is one cool tree house!"
Abby and Nigel both thanked her simultaneously, which caused the former to blush a bit. Noting this little development, Rachel set her stuff down in the living room and talked to her two friends. "So, Abby. How exactly are we getting that for Kuki?"
"The party's gonna be set up just for that. We're gonna have karaoke and - "
"K-Karaoke!?" Nigel sputtered, "Abby, you know I can't sing!"
"Abby never said you had to. Besides, she likes your singin' just fine."
The British boy's face turned even redder, and Rachel couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassment. "C'mon, Nigel. It's like she said, you don't have to sing; you can just mingle with the guests. You're good at that. Speaking of which, Abby, I want to keep this party as limited to guests as possible. Too many people will cause too much attention."
"Yeah. I know it's all of us," Abby waved an arm to indicate that she was talking about the tree house's residents, "And you, and Fanny. Who else do you think should come?"
"Davie, from the Hub Unit's Med Lab - Numbuh Seventy-Seven."
Abby quickly scribbled all the names down onto a piece of notebook paper. "Anyone else?"
Nigel thought about it before shaking his head. "That's plenty of people."
"Yeah. Oh! You know she's going to want a sleepover, right?"
"Definitely. Is it okay if we have our girls' thing here?"
Both girls looked at the sector leader for an answer. "Of course it is! Us boys will just keep to ourselves at the back of the tree house unless we're really hungry. Or thirsty."
"Now, we have to set up the karaoke stuff and clear the floor..."
Later that night, as Rachel pulled the couch into a bed, she smiled, thinking of all the love that would be filling this room on Saturday night.
"Abby?"
"Yeah?"
The blonde girl brought her voice to a whisper. "I think he likes you."
"What?"
Giggles filled the silence. "Yeah. Sometimes, a girl just knows."
"Girl, I wish I knew... I'm no good at this kind of thing, you know that."
"I think the party's gonna be good for everyone - " a yawn interrupted the global leader - "But for now, I need to sleep. G'night Abby."
"Night, Rachel."
With the stealth that she was known for, Abby snuck down the halls and quietly knocked on Nigel's door. Knowing who it was, he pulled the door open for her, a grin decorating his face.
"Come on in; I've got some hot chocolate."
Fighting the urge to squeal, she excitedly ran (albeit silently) to the tray standing beside his bed. Taking a cup, she sat down on the bed, enjoying the warmth and peace surrounding her. "So how are you dealin' with the Lizzie thing?" she asked cautiously.
Nigel sipped at his cocoa for a few minutes before answering. "I was going to dump her anyway, you know. She's so... So... "
"Annoyin'?"
"Yes! Goodness gracious, Abby; you've seen how bad it's been. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy."
She couldn't help wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug. "Abby's glad, baby. Abby's glad."
He held her close, taking the opprotunity to breathe her in. He sorely missed these rare moments with her, and he knew she felt the same. All too soon, she pulled herself away and looked into his eyes.
"Don't you ever let a girl get in the way of our friendship again!"
After seeing the expression on his face, she chuckled.
And he couldn't help himself; he laughed too.