Chapter 4

Miles away in a strange city, Sportacus was sitting on his bed, still numb from the days events. He was still trying to grasp everything that had happened. He had woken up that morning in Lazytown, a place he had finally started to consider his true home. He was also having feelings about Fiona that he had never had before. And suddenly he was in a strange town with no friends, no familiarity, and no Fiona. It was a cold, dark feeling.

Back in Lazytown, Fiona, the kids, Mayor Meanswell and Bessie were cramming themselves in Bessie and Stingys' car, completely ignoring Stingy's protests. The mayor and Bessie were both in the drivers' seats, and they quickly hit the gas, heading north for the closest town. The kids scanned the air looking for Sportacus's airship, while Fiona stared blankly at the passing scenery. The two cars drove for hours, farther out of Lazytown then anyone had ever been. They were now driving through a depressing, desolate town. The situation was starting to look hopeless when suddenly Ziggy let out a shout. He was pointing at the sky, where Sportacus's airship was floating. The two cars squealed to a halt, and everyone jumped up. With Fiona leading the way, the group slowly walked through town, looking for any sign of Sportacus. Suddenly Fiona froze. There he was, standing 50 yards away. All of a sudden she was afraid. What if he didn't take her back, or didn't believe her. She just stared at him, until she felt something touch her elbow. Stephanie and the other kids had stepped up right behind her. Stephanie and Ziggy each took one of Fiona's hands and gripped it tight. "Go get him," whispered Stephanie, with a smile of encouragement. "We're right behind you."

Fiona took a deep breath and started walked towards Sportacus. Finally she got her voice back. "Sportacus!" He turned around, and seeing Fiona, quickened his step. Fiona ran up to him, still calling his name. He continued to ignore her, until finally she stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He still would not meet her eyes. "Sportacus, wait, let me explain," she practically begged. Sportacus, however, walked up to the ladder leading to his airship, and climbed up, leaving Fiona dumbstruck and heartbroken.

XXX

Sportacus meanwhile was back in his airship, sitting on the edge of his bed with tears welling in his eyes. He had never felt for anyone what he felt for Fiona. With Fiona, it had been the first time he had ever felt unsure or scared about something; it was an exhilarating feeling.

Fiona could do nothing but sit against a wall, with her arms around her chest. Bessie, the Mayor, and the children didn't know what to do or say. They all stood around in a silent group. Finally Stephanie sat down next to Fiona resting her head on her shoulder. Fiona appreciated the attempt to comfort her, but it wasn't making her feel any better. She had begun to care about him so much. He had such a youthful innocence about him that made her trust him completely. She longed to have his arms wrap around her again.

It was the Mayor who finally broke the silence. "Fiona, Robbie was the one that wrote that letter. Robbie is the one who convinced Sportacus that you don't care about him. You need to convince Sportacus that you do care. Don't give up. I believe in you."

"What if he never really cared about me either though?" Fiona couldn't help but ask.

"Fiona darling, it's clear to everyone that Sportacus does care about you. He has never experienced this before though. He's new at it. Show him that you care, and things will fall into place." Bessie placed her hand on Fiona's shoulder. Fiona looked around at all of her new friends standing behind her, urging her to go on. Fiona stood up, swept her hair out of her face and spun around to face the group.
"Alright," she said, a determined look on her face. "I'm not giving up on him."

She turned on her heels and left the group, heading towards Sportacus's airship.

XXX

Sportacus was still sitting in his airship when suddenly his crystal went off. Something in his heart told him that it was Fiona that was in trouble. He immediately descended down to the city. His airship had been parked near a train yard. There, in the middle of the tracks, was Fiona. She had been crossing the tracks to get to his airship when she had tripped and gotten her foot caught. A train was coming down the track and was only about 500 meters away. Sportacus felt a panic in his chest that he had never felt before. He ran across to Fiona. "Oh Sportacus, you came!" she gasped. Sportacus couldn't speak. He just knelt down and began to tug at her foot. He finally got her free and scooped her up. He leapt away from the train tracks just in time, as the train came barreling down the tracks. He carried her away from the tracks. He put her down and started to walk away. Fiona started to say something, but was interrupted by the shouts of their friends running towards them.
"Oh Fiona, we saw the whole thing! We couldn't get here in time!" Bessie was gasping in panic as Ziggy and Stephanie threw their arms around Fiona in relief. Fiona assured her friends she was ok. Then she turned and shouted after Sportacus.

"Sportacus, please wait! Let me explain! Robbie Rotten wrote that letter. I would never have said that!" Sportacus stopped in his tracks.

"it's the truth! Honest!" Stephanie couldn't help but pipe in. The whole group nodded their heads as Sportacus turned around. He had tears in his eyes.

Fiona started walked up to him. She looked up into his eyes, but he wouldn't meet her glance. She finally did the only thing she could think of. She reached up, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him. Sportacus was in shock. He had never kissed a girl before. But he knew from the minute her lips touched his that she was telling the truth. She really did care. Fireworks went off in his head. She pulled away after a few seconds, barely aware of the whoops and cheers coming from their friends. She looked up at him, and this time he met her gaze. "I didn't write that Sportacus, I would never. I…I love you." Sportacus just reached for Fiona and kissed her. He was unsure of what he was doing, but he got his point across. As they pulled away, he whispered "I love you too."

XXX