Ollie and Francisco and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman
Ivonne, Ava, and Silas (c) Me
After what seemed like an eternity, Ivonne finally arrived at her apartment. Slamming the door behind her, she headed straight to her bedroom, tossed her stuff onto the floor, and flopped onto the bed. She buried her face in her pillow, wishing that she could just vanish completely. What a day. First she hurt Ollie after he had been so sweet to her, and now she was given the one assignment that would doom him and his friends once and for all, some Valentine's Day.
Day of romance my foot, she thought bitterly.
Suddenly she remembered the bouquet of roses that Terrence had given her. Reaching wearily over the edge of her bed, she brought up the bouquet. She sat up studying the ruby red roses that seemed to stare back at her. She sighed, feeling disgusted with her self. She rejected Ollie's rose, yet here she was holding the dozen that Terrence gave her. Twelve roses, eleven more than what Ollie gave her. Yet, all these roses didn't make her feel the way that single rose did. All the roses in the world combined couldn't.
A knock at the door brought Ivonne out of her thoughts. Curious as to whom it could be, she forced her self off of her bed and walked to her front door. She peeked through the peephole and recognized the familiar face of Ava. Relieved to see her friend, Ivonne opened the door. She desperately needed to get everything off her chest and knew Ava would be willing to listen.
"Hey, Ivonne!" Ava greeted, walking into the apartment. She was in her usual cheerful mood.
"Hi, Ava," greeted Ivonne in a tired voice, "Boy am I glad to see you."
Ava flopped down onto the living room couch. "Yeah, Silas told me to check up on you when I got off work. He said you looked shaken up after your meeting with the boss…even more so than all the other times."
She leaned back against the couch. "So, what's up?" She asked. She suddenly sat straight up, her eyes practically popping open.
"Oooooo! Who gave you those?!" She asked excitedly, pointing to the rose bouquet Ivonne held in her hand. Ivonne glanced in surprise at the bouquet. For a minute she forgot she was holding them.
"Oh, um, Terrence gave them to me," she answered.
"Terrence?" Ava replied, "Well, he always did have an eye for you. You're really becoming Miss Popular today."
"Lucky me," Ivonne mumbled sarcastically, "He gave it to me as a Valentine's gift."
"Uhhhh huh," Ava replied, not impressed, "So he gives you a dozen roses, right after Ollie gives you a rose. Ha! That guy's just being a copycat!"
"No! Well, maybe…okay you're right," Ivonne admitted, sitting down next to her friend.
Ava folded her arms and nodded. "Mmm hm, that guy's just trying to make you think he's better than Ollie, that's all."
Ivonne fiddled with the bouquet. "Maybe but…he did offer to take me to lunch tomorrow," she said, staring at the roses, "Even to a movie after that. Maybe I should go."
Ava looked at her friend skeptically. "You're kidding, right?" She said with a laugh.
Ivonne shook her head. "He's smart, strong, and…he can be nice at times," she said, though not convincingly, "We've been a good team in the past. He seems to care about me. Maybe…maybe I should be with him instead."
"What!?" Ava cried, "Why? You love Ollie not Terrence!"
"Because I'm thinking about what's best for me and Ollie!" Ivonne claimed loudly, "The boss won't care if I'm with Terrence. Don't you see? This is my way out of this mess! Besides, I've already hurt Ollie enough!"
"But…aren't you only gonna hurt him more if he sees you with Terrence?" Ava replied.
"Y-Yes," said Ivonne, "But…it's for his own good. I'll just bring him to harm. The sooner he gets over me the better."
"Well, I guess I can see what you're saying," said Ava scratching her head, "But you're forgetting one thing."
"What's that?" Ivonne asked.
"Even if you're crazy idea does work, it'll be all for nothing once the plan is put into action," Ava pointed out.
Ivonne blinked, then looked as if she were about to cry. With a sad moan, she flopped back against the sofa. "You're right," she almost sobbed, "Either way, Ollie's gonna get hurt. And I can't tell him what's going on…I can't! It'll shatter him. He'll hate me. He'll never believe me again after that."
She stared at the ground, her lips quivering. "And if the boss finds out I told…"
Ava sat back down on the couch, staring sadly at her friend. She could tell that Ivonne was clearly distressed about this. Ivonne looked at her friend, a hopeless expression on her face.
"I didn't even want to be in this organization in the first place," she said bitterly, "Why am I even here?"
Ava sighed regretfully. "You didn't have a choice, Girl," she said sadly, "A lot of us didn't."
They were silent for a while, both with their own thoughts. Then Ivonne turned to look at her friend. "I have to tell you something," she confessed quietly, "It's about my meeting with the boss."
Ava listened intently as Ivonne described the meeting, about the plan and what the boss wanted her to do. Ava's expression became more and more anxious as Ivonne went through the whole scenario. When she finished, both just stayed silent. Then Ava asked the obvious question:
"Dang, so what're you gonna do now?"
Ivonne sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I don't know," she groaned.
Ava patted her friend on the shoulder. "Look," she said consolingly, "You had a really rough day and you look beat. Why don't you try taking a nap? It's still hours before you have to leave for D.O.O.M. Maybe a nap will clear your head. Heck, who knows? Maybe you'll dream up an answer. I'll do my best to think of something too"
Ivonne looked up at her friend, amazed at her unwavering optimism. "Maybe I will," she replied wearily, "I do feel drained after today. A quick cat nap couldn't hurt."
"You mean possum nap," Ava said with a chuckle. Despite how she felt, Ivonne managed to give a small laugh.
"You're a nerd," she said, "You can stay if you want. Help yourself to anything in the fridge."
"Ooooo, don't mind if I do," Ava said gratefully, while hopping off the couch, "Don't worry, I'll mind the fort. You go get some rest."
"Thanks," said Ivonne, heading off to her room.
"If you dream of Ollie, tell 'im I said 'Hi'," Ava called. A pillow whacked her in the face.
"Shut up!" Ivonne laughed from down the hall.
It was a few hours before Ivonne finally woke from her sleep. She looked at the time on her clock. Man, I was out, she thought. Ava was right though, a nap did help her feel a lot better than she had felt earlier. Her mind felt much clearer and her heart a little less heavy. But… the pain was still there, deep in her heart. Ivonne stretched and slowly got up from her bed. She went over to her vanity mirror, sat down in the chair, and began to brush her hair. Her movements were almost mechanical as she thought about all that had happened. One image kept entering her mind that caused the pain in her heart to increase bit by bit. She tried to push it away, but it always managed to sneak back. She just kept seeing it…the expression on Ollie's face when she gave him back the rose, when she told him "no," the look of hurt and rejection. Ivonne set down her brush with a hopeless sigh and stared at the mirror. She felt a mixture of emotions welling up within her. Sadness, anger, regret, and many other feelings whirled around within, making her confused and frustrated.
"I wish he never came to the park today," she finally muttered, "I was fine until he came along."
Then it came back. That same small whispering voice she had heard in the park.
No you weren't.
"Yes I was. I was looking forward to a good day in the park. Then he came along and ruined it."
He was the reason why you came to the park in the first place.
"Well that was a mistake. This whole thing is a mistake. Meeting him was a mistake. I wish he never came into my life!"
Before he came, you didn't even have a life.
"Did so!"
Doing assignments for your boss, always being so serious, being like an emotionless robot. Yes, you had fun with your friends sometimes, but it was half hearted. You're all living under the threatning shadow of your boss, the fear, the unpredictability of his nature, like a storm waiting to break.
"I can handle it, I've always have."
That's what drew you to Ollie in the first place: his calm temperament, his gentleman ways.
"Signs of weakness."
He was the calm in the midst of your stormy life. You didn't have to pretend to be strong around him, to be defensive. He saw your intelligence, your resourcefulness…what most men didn't even try to see.
"I don't need him."
Yes you do. You know that. He's the one thing you can hold onto, depend on. But now you're in danger of losing that, of losing him.
"I don't care."
You do care. If you didn't, you wouldn't have acted the way you did today, nor would you be in this struggle between him and the plan. You'd just be playing along with the ruse, with no concern whatsoever for him.
"There is no struggle!" Ivonne closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the little voice of her conscience.
Yes there is. Because continuing with your boss' plan could mean losing him forever, and with him gone, you'll have what you started with…nothing.
This sudden revelation seemed to awaken something in Ivonne. She opened her eyes, to find her own reflection staring back at her from her vanity mirror. She started to think… really think. She thought back to when she first saw Ollie, when the plan was formed, when she started working with him. She thought back to all the assignments they went on together, all the past conversations and bits of fun that they had, all that had happened leading up to now, and realized…
It was true.
All that had run through her mind just now was all true. How she felt about Ollie, why she had fallen for him, and why she didn't want to lose him. The truth was: he really was the best thing that ever happened to her. With him she felt things were normal, with him she felt…safe, and not in the "someone to protect me" sense. With him, she discovered emotions that she didn't know she was still capable of feeling. He really was the calm in the midst of the storm that was the organization she worked at. A sudden feeling overwhelmed her heart, a warm feeling of fondness, gratefulness, and appreciation towards the British opossum, …a feeling of love. She smiled as she thought about him: his bright blue eyes, funny yet cheerful voice, and jolly laugh. She thought about that morning, how she felt when he gave her the rose, how he unintentionally made her laugh…how she suddenly wanted to be near him. She then realized just what she was in danger of losing, and she knew…she couldn't bear to lose it…to lose him. How could she have even considered choosing Terrence? She loved Ollie and he loved her…she was sure of it. But I have to hear it from him, she thought.
Then she began to feel a great anger…towards her boss. For having to suffer under his shadow for so long. That she was forced into his organization with no choice. That he was the one that kept her from truly enjoying life. That he was the one obstacle that threatened to take away the one thing that made her life in that place bearable. No, she was not going to end up with nothing…not again. Not after seeing now what she truly had. But what could she do?
She looked out the window of her room. It was already getting dark. She turned back to her mirror and finished fixing her hair. She stood up and headed resolutely to her closet door. Inside she opened up a practically invisible compartment that contained her spy suit. She then hurried to the bathroom to change. She had to hurry if she was to make it to D.O.O.M. headquarters. Changing quickly, she headed towards the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat. As she passed through her living room, she saw Ava watching TV.
"What're you watching?" she asked her monitor friend.
"Oh, welcome back," Ava greeted, "Just some breaking news. Apparently some dog got his tongue stuck in the coin slot of a vending machine. A Dudley something or other."
"Weird," said Ivonne, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge, "I'm just gonna eat something, then head on over to D.O.O.M."
Ava turned completely around on the couch to face Ivonne. "So have you figured out what you're gonna do?" She asked anxiously. Ivonne shook her head as she munched on her snack.
"'fraid not," she admitted, "But I did do some thinking, and I do know one thing, something I should've admitted to myself a long time ago."
"What's that?" Ava asked, leaning forward in anticipation.
Ivonne looked her friend in the eye. "I love Ollie," she said, "and I'm not going to lose him."
Ava stared wide eyed at her friend…then let out a squeal of delight. She ran over to Ivonne and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Hallelujah! She finally admits it!" Ava cried, hopping up and down with Ivonne still in her embrace.
"Ava? Ava! I'm gonna hurl if you keep doing that!" Ivonne exclaimed, starting to feel a bit nauseous. Ava quickly released her friend, looking a bit sheepish.
"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm just glad that you finally stopped being so stubborn about it."
Ivonne breathed deeply, getting a second wind, then smiled. "Right," she said, "I still don't know what exactly I'm gonna do though. Maybe Ill think of something on the way."
Ava sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Ivonne," she apologized, "I tried to think of something, I really did, but...I'm stumped."
Ivonne hugged her friend gratefully. "I know, you tried Ava, thanks" she said consolingly, "Honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to get through this whole thing without you. Thanks for listening to me rant, and for always having my back."
Ava smiled. "Hey, that's what best friends are for," she replied.
Ivonne buckled on her belt and placed her laptop in its carrying case. "You mind waiting here until I get back?" She asked, "I have a feeling I'm gonna need someone to talk to after this mission."
"Oh, heck yeah!" Ava exclaimed enthusiastically, "You know I never miss the chance for some good gossip!"
Ivonne shook her head in amusement."You know where the spare keys are if you need to go out and get something," she called as she headed out, "Keep your communicator on, just in case. And I wanna see my apartment in one piece when I get back."
"Aye, aye Captain!" Ava called back, "Good luck!"
Ivonne went silently out to where the cars were parked and hopped onto her motorcycle. Putting on her helmet and making sure the handbag she carried was secured, she sped off into the night.
It wasn't long before Ivonne found herself approaching D.O.O.M. HQ, an old abandoned factory which was situated by the sea. She could make out the giant letters forming the words of Verminious Snaptrap's evil organization. Ivonne shook her head in disbelief. Only Snaptrap would be dumb enough to announce his organization's hideout to the world…not that it was really hidden to begin with.
Parking her motorcycle, and making sure it was well hidden, Ivonne walked stealthily to the front entrance of D.O.O.M. and knocked. Nothing. She tried again. Still nothing. Ivonne sighed in exasperation. They knew I was coming, she thought angrily. She then stared up towards the roof. Maybe she could go up and peek in to see if anyone was in. She went to the side of the building where it was darkest, and fired a grappling hook towards the roof. After making sure it had hooked onto something tight, she began her climb up the wall. Peeking over the top, she saw that the rooftop was empty, save for the three giant smokestacks along the top, though no smoke was spewing out tonight. As she climbed carefully over, she thought she heard something on the other side of the smokestacks. Keeping her hand on her blaster, she padded silently towards the right end smokestack and carefully peeked around it. There, standing near the small wall that ran along the edge of the roof, were the figures of Ollie and Francisco. They both seemed to be in a conversation.
Ivonne was about to go over to them when she heard Ollie mention her name. She paused and tried to listen in. I wonder if he's talking about me, she thought. Then she remembered a listening device she had in one of the pouches that hung on her belt. It enabled one to hear conversations many feet away. It wouldn't hurt to listen just for a few minutes, she thought as she reached into the pouch. She placed the small device in her ear, turned it on, and listened. Ollie was scolding Francisco.
"I can't believe you were trying to spy on us!" He exclaimed, "I mean I know that's what we do, but we're chums! You don't spy on your chums it's not…chummy!"
Francisco rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I won't do it again," he said. He then noticed the look of disappointment on Ollie's face.
"Hey uh, sorry about what happened today, pal," he said. Ollie just sighed in reply.
"Ehh, no offense Ollie," Francisco continued, "But what were you expectin'? For her to get all mushy and start kissin' ya' when you gave her the rose?"
"What! No!" Ollie replied, "Well…perhaps the thought did cross my mind. Okay, yes. I…I just wanted to do something nice for her. I mean it is Valentine's Day. I just thought she deserved something special, that's all."
"Ah, come on, Ollie," Francisco smirked, "I know you want that girl ta' like ya...I mean really like ya. I saw that look on your face when we first ran into her and those other agents she was with. It hasn't gone away since. Heh, you've fallen for her bad, Pal."
Ollie sighed in defeat and placed his hands in his suit pockets. "Alright, guilty as charged," he admitted, "A chap can dare to dream can't he?"
"Yeah, sure," said Francisco skeptically, "But uh, didn't she hate your guts when her boss and Snaptrap started this whole team up thing?"
"Harsh choice of words," Ollie muttered, "But yes, she did "hate my guts" as you so tactfully put it. It wasn't a… pleasant start I admit…"
Francisco just raised one eye in response. Ollie threw up his hands.
"Alright, it was a living heck!" He exclaimed.
Ivonne cringed when she heard him say this, because it was true. She hadn't treated him kindly at all when they first started. Little did I know, she sighed inwardly. She snapped out of her thoughts as Ollie spoke again.
"But, she's different now," he argued, "She treats me much more decent. She smiles at me a lot more. We talk a lot and even joke. She said herself that she enjoyed working with me. I…I guess I just hope that… maybe..."
"Let me guess," said Francisco. He batted his eyes outrageously, "You hope that she'll fall in wuv with you. And then you guys can hold hands, go for long romantic strolls, make kissy faces at each other …
"Oh, shut up!" Ollie snapped, giving Francisco a whack with his hat, but the alligator was undeterred.
"And then you can get married and have little possum babies runnin' around everywhere…" he continued.
"I said- Wait, WHAT!?" Ollie exclaimed, his face turning red. Ivonne blushed as well.
"Say, isn't your species known for making lots of babies in one litter?" Francisco asked, "Does that mean you'll probably start out with thirteen kids or somethin'?"
"FRANCISCO!"
"Sheesh, just kiddin'," Francisco said with a chuckle. Ollie looked out across the sea in silence. The alligator watched his friend intuitively.
"You really care about her don't ya?" He asked seriously.
Ollie nodded. "She's just…amazing, you know?" He said fondly, "Yes she seems a bit serious and no nonsense but, she can be quite fun and free spirited when she wants to be. I've seen it…and I like it. The thing is, she can be enjoyable to be around. Once she drops the serious demeanor, she's so…full of life. And she's clever too, intelligent, not at all "ditzy" as some would say. And can she fight. She's a tough girl that one. She's just…fascinating."
Ivonne felt her heart leap. She didn't know he thought that way about her. A wave of emotions started to stir in her as she felt her face grow warm.
Francisco shook his head. "You're headed for a big heartbreak, pal," he warned, "Ehh, girls like that are way out of our league. I mean, come one, you know we ain't exactly the kind of guys most ladies would be attracted to. They want strong, handsome, dashin', manly men. And, well, look at us. I'm hunchbacked with a crooked snout and uh, no offense, but you ain't exactly a muscle man. I mean, you're so skinny you could fall through a grate. At least most of you is, except for this little belly on ya."
He gave Ollie's belly a poke. "See, this is what happens when ya' drink too much tea."
Ollie smacked Francisco's hand away. "I'm aware of my physical appearance!" He exclaimed indignantly.
"Eh, anyways," Francisco continued, "You even mentioned yourself once that 'Ladies don't really talk to us,' remember?"
"Yes, that I recall, but, Ivonne's not like other girls," Ollie argued, "She's not like those air headed women that fawn over the latest hot fellows in a movie star magazine. She's more sensible than that."
"Yeah, maybe," Francisco agreed with a shrug, "But after hearin' how she reacted today, I think it'd be better if you just backed off for now. You told me the stuff she said to ya' when you started workin' together. She must've really meant it."
Ollie stared down at his feet. "Perhaps," he said.
"And uh, didn't she say that her boss don't exactly approve of his agents having relationships with those outside of his organization?" The alligator asked.
Ollie's face became downcast. "Yes, she did say that," he answered quietly, "But maybe all that will change when we finally carry out our plan to get rid of T.U.F.F."
Ivonne's heart practically fell down to her feet. Oh Ollie, how can I ever tell you?
Francisco sympathized with his friend. "Uhhh, look, Ollie," he said consolingly, "I'm not trying to dash your hopes and dreams here, I'm just tellin' ya' to be careful and not get your hopes up so high, that's all. That's what pals do. They keep their friends from hopin'."
"Um, right," said Ollie, knowing what his friend meant.
Francisco lazily scratched his side. "Well, I'm ready to head inside and watch some TV," he said to Ollie, "How about you?"
"Nah," Ollie replied, "I think I'll stay up here for a while. I…what's this?"
He bent down and picked up a piece of paper that had fallen from beneath Francisco's shirt. Francisco frantically tried to grab it, but unfortunately, Ollie was much taller than him.
"Nothin', here I'll take it," he said anxiously as he kept trying to grab the paper.
"What the- this is the letter I received from my mum!" Ollie exclaimed.
"I only peeked a little bit!" Francisco said defensively.
"You read my mail!?" Ollie said angrily.
"It was lying on your bunk. You were practically invitin' someone to read it!" Francisco argued.
"A man's letter from his mum is personal!" Ollie growled, "First the park and now this!? I can't believe you!"
"By the way, 'My Jolly Ollie?'" Francisco said with a chuckle, "What's with that?"
"It-It's a pet name!" Ollie replied, turning red, "She had pet names for me and all my siblings!"
"Ha!Ha! 'Jolly Ollie'?" Francisco laughed, "Oh, I'm gonna get a lot out of this!"
Ollie narrowed his eyes and whispered threateningly: "I swear, if you tell anyone…"
"Hey uh, while we're on the subject," Francisco interrupted, "Could you ask her to send some more of those cookies she sent ya last time. Ow! Ow! Hey quit it!"
Ollie began smacking Francisco along the head with his hat. The alligator dodged him and raced to the stairway that led downstairs.
"You know, for an "English gentleman" you ain't very gentle!" he shouted.
"Oh, go bite someone!" Ollie shouted back, stuffing the letter into his suit.
"Later, Jolly Ollie!"" Francisco called back with a laugh.
Ollie muttered something under his breath then turned towards the sea. It wasn't long before his mind was off his anger and onto the conversation he and Francisco just had. He knew his friend meant well but, Ollie couldn't help it. He was smitten with Ivonne. She was beautiful, there was no denying that but… there was much more to her than that. He saw it. Ollie smiled as he remembered how she was when he offered her the rose. She looked like she truly was about to kiss him.
But then, why did she draw back? Every time they seemed to get close, she'd back away. Ollie went through his mind all the assignments he and Ivonne went on together, all the times they had spoken to each other. He sighed sadly. Who was he kidding? There was no real evidence that Ivonne felt that way about him. All he was doing was trying to come up with a valid argument…and failing.
"Maybe I am just fooling myself," he said bitterly, "I've hoped and dreamed that Ivonne would eventually feel for me the way I do for her but…maybe that's all it is, a dream…a foolish dream."
Oh Ollie, Ivonne thought sadly.
Ollie stuck his hands back into his suit pockets and stared out at the horizon. "What do I have to offer her anyway?" He asked himself, "I'm just a plain abnormally thin opossum from England with a big snout, a Monty Pythoneqsque accent, and two front teeth that for some inexplicable reason don't match. I'm not like those other fellows she works with...like that Terrence chap."
No, Ivonne thought, you're much better.
"How can I tell her?" He said sadly to himself. He reached into his suit and pulled something out.
Ivonne gasped. It was the rose he had given her at the park. He still kept it? She thought. She felt her heart almost leap out of her chest. Ollie studied the rose in his hand. He gently stroked the petals contemplatively as Ivonne had done earlier, as he continued to sadly ponder aloud.
"How can I tell her how I feel? That…that I care about her? That she's the strongest, most graceful, most intelligent, most beautiful woman I've ever met? That it makes my day just to see her? And when she smiles at me…I feel like someone worthwhile?" He sighed in frustration. "I just want a chance," he said softly, "A chance to get to know her better, a chance to prove that I'm worthy of her affection, her time… her love...because she's worthy of mine."
He stared at the rose sadly. "Maybe even too worthy."
Ivonne felt as if her heart would burst with happiness. He means it, she thought tenderly, He really means it. He does love me! Oh, Ollie, you are worthy, you are.
She had to check herself before she instinctively rushed over to him. I can't let him know I've been listening, she thought, Not yet. Putting the listening device away, she walked back to where she had climbed over the roof top. Grabbing the grappling hook, she banged it against the wall loud enough for Ollie to hear.
"Hello?" She heard him call out, "Who's there?"
"Ollie?" she called back, trying to sound surprised, "Is that you?" She saw his silouhetted form come into clear view as he came closer.
"I-Ivonne?" He stuttered, suddenly sounding nervous. She gave him a small smile.
"Hi," she said.
"Um, hello," Ollie answered back, a bit confused, "W-What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? Didn't you get the message?" Ivonne asked, even more confused than him.
Ollie scratched his head. "Message?" He asked dumbly.
"From Silas," she answered, "He was going to tell you about the upgrades. The upgrades I have to give to your computers."
Ollie just stared at her, a blank expression on his face.
Ivonne stared back in disbelief. "You didn't get any message did you?" She asked flatly, folding her arms.
"N-none that I know of," Ollie confessed, "Perhaps one of the other agents received it. C'mon, we'll go downstairs and see."
Ivonne followed Ollie down the steps that led from the roof to D.O.O.M.'s main chamber. She could sense that Ollie was being somewhat cautious around her, most likely because of what happened at the park. How can I ever convince him not to be afraid after that? She thought sadly to herself. If only I could speak to him alone. Then he could know. He could know how I really feel. But what do I do about my mission?
Aww, sweetness.^^ At least Ivonne knows Ollie truly loves her. Ollie you 'ol romantic, you. Finally, Ivonne's stopped being so stubborn about her feelings for the British chap. But...will she reveal everything to him? Including the plan? We'll see...