Chapter 4
A/N: Hello all. Yes, I am still alive. I am so sorry about the long wait, but things have been really crazy at home, I have not had time to write. Plus, I have been playing around with a couple other story ideas, and got really distracted. Thanks to all that have reviewed, favorited, and put this on story alert, that is awesome. Oh and Linnup, I loved the little Harry Potter story. I love the idea of tormenting Dolores Umbridge, I hate her almost as much as Quaritch. Me (Bug), and my nephew (Scraps) do not own Avatar. But we do own this story, and I do have give my nephew credit for this chapter, since it was an idea of his. There is no list in this chapter, since I could not find a way to put one in. But it is extra long.
"I think I have the perfect idea for a prank!" Scraps declared one morning at breakfast. He and Bug were eating alone, because of the 300 feet rule everyone made. Bug grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"Oooh, what are we doing to Quaritch today?" She asked excitedly. Scraps shook his head, which pushed his black bangs out of his eyes.
"We're not getting Quaritch. Not today anyway." He leaned in closer. "I'm talking about Parker and Aunt Grace." Bug's eyes widened, and with her glasses, it really made her look like a demented insect.
"I'm listening." She said. Scraps got a deranged smile on his face, and he told Bug his plan.
!#$%&*!
"Did you bring the handcuffs like I asked you?" Scraps asked as his sister came scampering next to him three hours later.
"Mmhmm." Bug replied, patting her jacket pocket. She glanced around the Operations Center, in the direction of her aunt, who was busy looking over her reports, and then in the direction of Parker's office. Parker was slumped over his desk, fast asleep. Perfect.
"Okay, on my mark." Scraps whispered. "Get set . . . now!"
"Aunt Grace! Aunt Grace!" Bug and Scraps said in unison, rushing over to Grace. "You gotta see this. You gotta see this!" They began tugging Grace's wrists, dragging her in the direction of Parker's office.
"Guys, what is it? I'm a little busy." Grace protested.
"Trust us, Aunt Grace." Bug said, "It's Parker, and it's really important!" The next thing Grace knew, she was standing in front of Parker's sleeping form.
"So? Parker's sleeping. He's been doing that a lot lately, ever since he's felt the need to have one eye open at night." She gave an irritated look at the twins.
"Just keep looking, you'll see it." Scraps insisted. Grace sighed in annoyance, but she did as she was told. She put her hands behind her back, not noticing the twins sharing a grin, or Bug reaching into her pocket. The next sound Grace heard was a 'click', and ice cold metal pierced her wrist.
"Wha-Guys, what the hell?" She demanded. Bug and Scraps didn't listen, and instead took the other end of the handcuffs and connected it with one of Parker's limp wrists. Grace's face turned a shade that matched the color of her hair, and began tugging wildly, as if hoping her wrist would slip out.
"I swear to Ewya, you two if I am going-"
"Wha-?" Parker moaned as he slowly woke up, his vision started out blurry, but when it became clear, the first thing he saw was a red haired woman frantically tugging his wrist, and the shiny handcuffs that were attached. "OH MY GOD!" He began yanking his hand back.
"Ow! Don't tug so hard, it hurts, OW!" Grace snapped, as she tried yanking in her direction.
"Well, ow, your tugging hurts too, Grace. How the hell did this happen?"
He then noticed the terrible twins were laughing hysterically in a corner. "I should have guessed." Parker growled.
"Okay guys, this is cute. NOW GET US OUT OF THIS!" Grace screamed, near hysterics. The twins shared a glance. They weren't ones to back down from an act of mischief, but at the same time, they couldn't ignore their favorite aunt. Bug sighed, and reached into her pocket for the key, only to find it wasn't there. Instead, she found a hole. Granted, it was a small hole, but it was big enough for a key to slip out of. She gulped.
"Uh, Bug?" Scraps whispered, "Where is it? Where's the key?"
"I . . . don't . . . . know!" Bug hissed back as she frantically checked all her other pockets, with no avail. She slowly turned to the two extremely angry adults, who were still tugging desperately in opposite directions.
"Well?" Parker demanded. The twins grinned nervously.
"Ah well, this . . . is a funny story. See . . . ." Scraps began, as beads of sweat formed on his head.
"We, uh, sorta can't find . . . the key." Bug finished softly. Outside, various workers jumped at Grace's shriek,
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THE KEY?" The twins were now backed against the wall, and the door flew open. It was Quaritch.
"What's with all this yelling?" He demanded. Parker and Grace held up their cuffed hands, furious looks on both their faces.
"It's their doing, sir." Parker said, pointing to Bug and Scraps.
"Of course." Quaritch responded as he began to bite his lower lip. "Well, you two laughed at me when they dyed my hair, now it's my turn to laugh at you." He immediately began laughing and after it was all out of his system, he turned to the twins.
"Now, what to do with you?" He had a malicious grin spread on his face.
"Plan B, what's plan B?" Bug hissed to her brother.
"Run, definitely RUN!" Scraps answered and without hesitation, they bolted out the door at top speed.
!#$%&*!
"Hey, Trudy?" Norm asked nervously as he approached Trudy in the Samson garage, "Can I hang out in here with you for a little bit? It's really crazy everywhere else right now." Trudy raised her eyebrow, but nodded.
"Sure. Um, just what exactly is going on up there? I keep hearing what sounds like a cat yowling."
"Cat? Oh, that's Grace. See, Bug and Scraps just did something completely insane."
"Insane for Bug and Scraps, or insane for ordinary people?"
"I think this is crazy even for them. They handcuffed Parker and Grace together, and apparently they can't find the key. Now the place is a mad house."
"Holy crap." She noticed the black and blue mark forming on Norm's cheek. "And how'd THAT happen?" Norm looked down at the floor.
"Uh, Bug and Scraps sorta knocked me into a link unit as they ran for their lives."
"Of course they did."
!#$%&*!
"How long was that freaking hole in your pocket?" Scraps demanded of his sister, as he began to barricade the door of their room.
"I don't know! That's the problem. It could be anywhere."
"Well we need to find it soon, or Aunt Grace and Parker are gonna kill us!"
"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Now get over here at help me. Hopefully the key is somewhere in the room."
"Why should I help you? You're the one that lost it." Bug put her hands on her hips.
"Need I remind you that this whole thing was your idea, genius? Now help me, or I will throw you out there as live bait." Scraps didn't protest, knowing Bug's threat was dead serious. They began searching the premises which strongly resembled a mad scientist's lab. No luck.
"We're screwed." Bug moaned, "Their going to have our butts mounted over the wall."
"Maybe not," Scraps said, "We just need to think. Where could it possibly be?" There was a long pause.
"I've got it!" Bug finally exclaimed, "The bathroom! I stopped there directly before I came to you. I thought I heard something clink on the ground. I didn't think about it at the time, but it was probably the key! Our butts are saved!"
"Just one problem. How are we going to get out of here to said bathroom with them," Scraps jerked his thumb at the door, "Literally man hunting us?"
"Well, we'd better get thinking haven't we, Scrappy old pal?"
!#$%&*!
While Bug and Scraps were busy trying to sneak to the bathroom to find the key, Grace and Parker were busy hunting them down and trying to escape their handcuffs at the same time.
"Will you try not to pull so hard, Grace?" Parker snapped.
"Oh, poor, poor thing, am I hurting your wittle wrist?" Grace said in a mock baby voice.
"Yes and will you cut it out with the sarcasm? This sucks just as much for me as it does for you. Maybe more."
"Really? Gee, I didn't know. You've only mentioned it forty times!"
"Will you two shut up already? In case you haven't noticed, it's not helping!" Quaritch snapped as he rubbed his head. Parker and Grace gave the Colonel a deathly glare that made even him shrink back.
"No, no Quaritch, let 'em keep arguing. It's entertaining." Jake protested.
"You stay out of this, Sully!" Quaritch, Parker, and Grace snapped. Parker turned to look at Grace.
"Where are those little demons?" Grace shook her head.
"I dunno, probably their room, but by the time we get there they could be gone. Doubt they'd get very far."
"Well that's very helpful, Gracie."
"Do NOT call me Gracie, Parker, and I'm just telling the truth. I am after all their Aunt."
"That's sure a swell thing to admit to right now, isn't it?"
"Will you shut up, you pompous greedy-"
They began their arguing again, and Quaritch groaned and began banging his head against the wall as Jake grinned in delight.
!#$%&*!
Back in their room, Bug and Scraps were as armed as they could be, Bug holding a tennis racket, Scraps a can of silly string. Over their clothes, they were wearing shields made out of pillows and shiny duct tape, and on their heads they wore old bike helmets.
"Ready Bugs?" Scraps whispered.
"Ready Scrappy." Bug whispered back. "Here goes nothing." She slowly began turning the brass knob, and jumped as the door slowly opened. She looked down the hallway in all directions to check for any ambushes. She motioned to Scraps the coast was clear, and they began tiptoeing through the hall. On most occasions like this, Scraps would hum the tune to Mission Impossible or The Pink Panther, but today he was silent, as this was a matter of whether or not their butts would remained attached to their body another day. So far, no sign of an ambush from anybody. The only problem was their shoes, which caused the floor to creak, and in the empty hallway, it created an echo.
"This is a problem." Scraps muttered. Bug didn't answer, and instead leaned over to untie her fluorescent green high tops and throw them over her shoulder.
"What, in the name of Ewya are you doing?" Scraps hissed.
"Taking off my shoes, dummy. Come on, take yours off too. We'll make less noise that way." Scraps nodded, and removed his blue sneakers. Unlike, Bug, he didn't carry his shoes. Instead, he set them on the ground, and the two went on.
They reached the bathrooms, and Bug made her way to the door with the sign for girls.
"Woah, woah, woah. This is the girl's bathroom." Scraps protested.
"Well where'd you think it was going to be? Now, come on." Scraps didn't move. "You're not gonna catch cooties, or anything Scrappy. Chances are, it's nicer than your facilities." She grabbed Scraps by the wrists, and dragged him along.
!#$%&*!
Parker and Grace made their way down the same hall Bug and Scraps had walked through just before, only they went in the opposite direction.
"Which one is Scraps and Bug's?" Parker asked. Grace pointed with her free hand at a door at the end of the hall with a 'Keep Out' sign plastered on it. They managed to get to the door without a struggle, and Grace slowly turned the knob.
Pushing the door open, she leaned in and pulled Parker with her.
"They're not here." She said closing the door. "Damn." They leaned against the wall, slightly banging their heads against it. Parker examined his surroundings, and noticed something he hadn't seen before.
"Grace? What is that?" Grace opened her eyes.
"Looks like . . . shoes." She went over to investigate, yanking Parker along with her. Sure enough, she saw a pair of bright blue sneakers, and knew exactly who they belonged to. "So they have been here." The only question was: where did they go from here?
!#$%&*!
"Wow, you girls have it nice!" Scraps exclaimed as he walked around the appropriately pink bathroom. "At least nicer than us boys." Bug rolled her eyes
"Gee, thanks. Now, you look over by the sinks, I'll look in the stalls." They began their search, thoroughly examining everything.
"Wow, fancy soaps? You girls are SO lucky. They smell soo good."
"Scraps! Focus!"
"Sorry." Just as hope was almost lost, Bug suddenly exclaimed from one of the stalls,
"Found it! Found it!" In her hands, she held a key, small, silver, shiny, their savior.
"Really?" Scraps came tearing in. "I'll take it." But Bug yanked it away, clutching it protectively to her chest.
"No! I found it, I should take it!" Scraps put his hands on his hips.
"You'll probably just lose it again, like you did last time!"
"No I won't!"
"Yes you will! Give it to me!"`
"No!"
"Yes!" They began to wrestle, fighting for the little key, and as if things could not get worse, it somehow got knocked out of their hands and began to fly in the direction of the toilet. Time seemed to slow down as the twins dove to catch it with no avail. The key fell smack into the toilet, and slid out of site. Bug turned to Scraps, looking very calm.
"Well Scraps, it's official." Her face darkened with fear, "WE'RE SCREWED!" She leaped in the direction of the pipes, trying to loosen them, but her thin arms weren't strong enough.
"Scraps, help me out." But not even Scraps had strong enough arms.
"Shit, Bug, why couldn't someone have given me muscles."
"They wouldn't do any good. You need a wrench to open those pipes." A voice from behind them said.
"Really thanks . . ." They turned around and let out a simultaneous scream at the sight in front of them.
"Aunt Grace, Parker." Bug began nervously. Parker and Grace had frighteningly calm expressions on their faces, and the twins grinned nervously.
"He-Hello," Scraps said, "How are you today? We're fine. We were just talking. We were talking about our kind, wonderful, forgiving aunt, who knows we didn't mean to lose the key in the toilet," His words grew faster and faster, "Please don't cut off our butts and mount them over the wall." The two adults didn't answer, but merely looked at each other. Bug and Scraps closed their eyes, awaiting the punishment they were about to receive.
!#$%&*!
Later that evening, Parker and Grace were in the middle of a mini-golf tournament, not attempting to kill each other, completely handcuff free. Surprisingly, they appeared to be having a good time.
"Hey guys." Norm said, as he appeared around the corner, a bandage around his bruised nose. "I see you got out of the handcuffs." Grace nodded.
"Yeah. It took a good chunk of time. We had to tear apart the pipe system and everything."
"Wow. That must've sucked." Grace paused.
"You know, it wasn't that bad. We actually got along pretty well when our hands were bound together with metal."
"You know Grace," Parker said. "You're not as big a bitch as I thought you were."
"Thanks Parker. You're not as big of a pain in the ass as I thought you were." It may not seem like much, but in the world of Parker and Grace, these were considered compliments.
"See? Our prank brought benefit?" Bug called from her corner.
"Isn't that sweet?" Scraps added. Grace whirled around.
"Did I SAY you could turn around?" She demanded. The twins immediately went silent and turned back to their corners.
Yet another A/N: Okay, so I don't know when the next update for this story will be. Partly, because I want to focus on my other to stories, and maybe work on a new one, and partly because I haven't had a chance to discuss any new ideas with my nephew, and it wouldn't feel right to write anything without him. The next update will probably be sometime next week at earliest. Also, the current results of the poll are: a tie between Jake and Trudy. If you are opposed to this, vote, because I have no problem with it. It'll probably be up til the next update, then I'll go with whatever it says.