(A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been active lately! I came down with a cold last Tuesday [the 6th], but it's close to going away. Writers' block is to blame as well. Enjoy!)


Forever and Always

Ch. 6


"Well, that was fun!" Shenzi remarked as Chuckie took out the map. "What's next?"

"Hmm... what do you want to do?" He asked her.

She looked over the map, before a ride nearby caught her eye. "Ooh, Autopia! I loved riding that when I was little!"

"Autopia it is," He nodded, and they headed for that area.

As they walked, they passed by a snack cart by Star Tours with a short line. "Oh, Chuckie! Can we get a snack real quick?"

"Sure," He nodded, and led her to the start of the line. "What would you like?"

"Umm... a Mickey cheese pretzel!"

"Whatever the mother of my baby wants," He kissed her cheek, "I packed Lactaids."

"Yay," She smiled, "What're you getting?"

"Um, I... I was thinking that we could share one pretzel," He admitted.

"Oh, we can do that!" She agreed to it. "They seem kinda big anyway."

"Yep," He nodded, "Even for little, pregnant you."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"N-no, no!" He stammered nervously. "Nope!"

"Relax, I'm kidding," She giggled, "Although you should be prepared for mood swings from me later on, mister. Plus weird food cravings, constant bathroom breaks, ec cetera."

"I understand," He chuckled, "I'll try to brace myself."

"'Kay," She nodded, and they waited in silence. "I uh, I hope our pretzel digests before we go on Autopia."

"Me too," He agreed with her.

"How may I help you today?" The woman at the cart asked them once they were up.

"Can we please get a Mickey cheese pretzel?" Chuckie requested. "We're sharing it."

"Today's my birthday!" Shenzi blurted out.

"Oh, happy birthday! I'll get started on that pretzel."

"Thanks," He nodded, "We're Chuckie and Shenzi."

"Alright," The woman nodded, "Your pretzel will be finished momentarily."

"Thanks!" Shenzi exclaimed happily.

After a few minutes, they got their pretzel after hearing their names, and sat on an empty bench nearby. "You want the first bite?" He asked her.

"Uh huh!" She nodded, and playfully gnarled off a small amount after taking a Lactaid. "Mmm! That's good!"

"Is it?" Chuckie took a bite, and raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that is good," He remarked after swallowing. After they finished, they headed for Autopia, with Chuckie leading the way. When a few minutes passed, he folded up the map. "Here we are," He announced, and they stopped at the start of the line. "What color car do you want?"

"Doesn't matter," She shrugged, feeling hesitant.

"Shen," He smirked, "You can choose whichever you want. Any of them are fine with me."

"Umm... how about black?"

"Whatever the lady desires," He patted his wife's head, making her giggle, "It looks like we'll have to wait 13 minutes."

"Oh, that's not too long," She shrugged, "At least our pretzel will digest."

"Yep," He nodded, "This ride looks like a fun one."

"Oh, it is," She assured him, "You'll enjoy it, I know it."

"I trust you on that," He smiled, and kissed her temple.

After several minutes, they were at the front of the line. "I hope there's a black car available," Shenzi expressed her hope as she and her husband followed the walkway to the boarding area. But when they were on their way to their destination, a couple of obnoxious teenagers behind them pushed ahead of them, almost knocking her over, and claimed the black car. "Aww," She frowned sadly.

"Some people," He shook his head, "Come on, Shen. Let's go in a red one."

"Okay!" She perked up, and they quickly sat in the red car, with Chuckie in the driver's seat.

"You sure you don't want to drive?" He asked her.

"Oh no, that's okay," She assured him, while buckling her seat belt. "This is your first time, not mine. You go ahead."

"Well, if you say so," Chuckie buckled himself in, and prepared for driving. "Besides, you need to relax anyway."

"True," She nodded, then noticed that the safety recommendations were coming to an end. "Get ready... go!" With that, Chuckie started gently pushing on the gas pedal. "Whee!" She squealed excitedly, making him smile.

"This is nice," He remarked.

"Yep," She nodded, "Very relaxing." She snapped pictures of the Asimo robots as Chuckie "drove" smoothly along the track. For fun, he moved the steering wheel in the same directions as the track. At the bridge, he pushed on the gas pedal a bit harder, surprising his wife when they were going faster. "Whee! This is great!" She held onto the car during the turns, and when Chuckie slowed to a stop near the end. They then disembarked, and were back on the concrete. "That was fun! What's next?"

"Hmm... how about we head back to Fantasyland?" He suggested after taking out the map. "Man, why are the Haunted Mansion and Small World so far apart?"

"I wish I knew," She shrugged, "Come on, let's head to Fantasyland."

Before they could walk too far, something caught Chuckie's eye. "Hmm... Shen, you want to ride the monorail there? It'll save a lot of time."

"Sure!" She nodded, then looked at the map. "Ohh, wait... there's no station close to Fantasyland."

He looked, and saw his mistake. "... Oh. That's a bummer; I wanted to ride the monorail. Hmmm..." He then thought of a solution. "Hey, I know! Let's ride the monorail, then take the train! That way, we'll save time and rest our legs and feet."

"Good idea!" She nodded, and they headed for the monorail station nearby. They glanced at the Autopia track on the way to their destination.

"A-a-a-an-n-n-nd," Chuckie drew out, "After we ride It's a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, and anything else you have in mind, we'll take the train back to the downtown district, and head to California Adventure."

"Okay," She nodded, "Sounds good."

After a few minutes, she took out her phone and opened up a game on it. "What'cha doin'?" Chuckie asked her.

"I'm playing this new game I got," She replied, "Disney Crossy Road."

"Crossy?" He smirked.

"It's a great game," She giggled, "I've been playing it on and off for a few days now. Although I forgot until today."

"Ah," He nodded. As she played, he gently guided her along the line when it moved, making her briefly smile up at him.

"You want to try?" She offered after completing one course.

"Sure," He shrugged, and held onto her phone. After he selected a character, he began playing. "Hey, this is fun," He remarked as he guided Mickey across the road. "D'oh! Got hit." He gave the phone back to his giggling wife. "That is a fun game."

"Yep," She nodded, and turned her phone off. After stashing it in her purse, she sneaked her hand in his, and their fingers locked together. As they waited, she laid her head on his shoulder, exhaling quietly in relaxation, and he rested his head on hers. "I love you," She mumbled.

"I love you too," Chuckie whispered and kissed her dark hair.

After a few minutes, they were granted permission to board. The couple chose a bench near the entrance, and made themselves comfortable as other guests boarded. Shenzi set her purse in her lap, held onto it securely, and laid back on Chuckie's shoulder. After the safety recommendations were given, the monorail started moving, heading for the downtown area. Her eyes started drooping as the car smoothly rode along the track. Chuckie noticed that she was drowsy after she let out a yawn and a sleepy moan. "You can sleep for a bit if you're tired. I'll wake you up when we get there." He rubbed her arm in a soothing way, so she snuggled up in his shoulder, and let her heavy eyelids close. She shifted a bit, so she was facing her husband's right side, and her hair almost completely concealed her face like a dark, silky curtain drape. He held her closer with his arm on her back and his hand at her elbow, quickly catching her purse when it started to fall from her lap. He held onto it as his wife made herself comfortable in her peaceful slumber.

Chuckie kissed her forehead at her hairline, and rubbed her arm again as she snuggled deeper in his soft shirt. Throughout the excitement that the day offered, he was still in shock that she was pregnant with his child. He had overheard his parents wishing for grandkids, and they were going to get one. Whether it was going to be a handsome boy or a beautiful girl, he was overjoyed at the concept of becoming a father. Not to mention he was blessed for the baby to have such a beautiful, loving mother.

Speaking of which, he looked down when he heard his wife mumble quietly and shift in her sleep. "M-Marvin for boy, Maya for girl." He smiled at that; She must've been dreaming about their child, deciding on a name. He had a feeling that she chose Marvin for a boy, after his now late grandfather, and Maya for a girl, after her birth mother. He loved both choices, and couldn't wait to pick one when the gender is confirmed.

When he heard the announcement that they were arriving at the downtown station, he looked back down at Shenzi after glancing at the ceiling. "Shen?" He whispered to her face, but she stirred a bit and stayed asleep. "Shen?" He gently poked her side where it was bared, making her flinch harshly.

"Eek!" She squeaked, gaining other guests' attention. "Are we there yet?" She giggled.

"Yep," He nodded with a chuckle, and glanced to his right, "Just about." After about a minute, the monorail car slowed to a steady stop, and the guests were granted permission to exit. "Come on, Shen." He stood up, and led her back to the door, so they exited the vehicle. "Now, let's head for the train."

They trailed along the walkway amongst the crowd, before something caught Shenzi's eye. "Ooh, there's the Rainforest Cafe!"

"Yep," He nodded.

"Um," She hesitated, "They have candy there, don't they?" She twiddled her fingers and played with her ring.

"Come on," He chuckled at her cute shyness, and led her into the large gift shop, "We may as well look around here for anything interesting." To his amusement, his wife went straight for the candy, and selected one bag of gummy frogs, and one of sour gummy worms. That made him wonder just how wacky her cravings were going to be. Hopefully nothing she'll regret asking for.

"I found gummies!" She ran up to him with her candy bags, practically oozing ecstasy.

"Nice," He smiled, "Anything else you want?"

"Umm," She looked around briefly, then shook her head, "I don't think so."

"Alright," He nodded, "Let's go pay for these. It's on me."

"Uh-uh!" She shook her head again. "Don't you remember our deal? I pay for any souvenirs I pick out!"

"Oh, right," He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. She giggled, and shifted in front of him in the moderately-sized line. "You're going to share those, right?"

She shrugged with a playful smirk. "Maybe."

"You'd better share those with me, young lady," Chuckie whispered in her ear, and quickly moved his hands down her sides, his fingers moving up and down rapidly like spider legs, and tapping her midsection.

She let out a squeal and almost dropped her candy bags to hug herself, as other guests stared at them. "I told you! Don't tickle me here!"

"Fine," He chuckled, and drew his hands away.

"And to answer your question, yes, I'll share these with you," She smiled up at him, feeling a little cautious at him standing behind her. "Jerk," She whispered to herself in a playful tone.

"I heard that," Chuckie whispered to her face, his breath purposely tickling her neck.

"Hehehe!" She giggled, her shoulders shrugging up. "I was kidding! You're not a jerk!" She leaned up, stood on her toes, and pecked his lips. "You're the best guy in the whole world." They shared an eskimo kiss, before they continued waiting, with her now next to him.

Before long, they were walking out of the store. The woman at the register tried to flirt with Chuckie, but grudgingly backed off upon learning that he was married. "I just love Fantasyland," Shenzi remarked, "It has some of the best rides." She took the map out of his hands, and looked at the said area as they passed by Starbucks. "Is the Jungle Cruise there? We can't miss that!"

"Hmm, doesn't look like it," Chuckie replied, "But it's not too far away from there. We can stop there after doing time at Fantasyland."

"Awesome!" She exclaimed, and they continued their walk to the nearest train station. On the way, Shenzi opened her bag of gummy frogs, and shared them with Chuckie. By the time they made it to the train station, they had finished the frogs, and thrown the bag out in a trash can just a minute earlier. "Should I open the worms now?" She wondered aloud.

"Um, I think we should wait for a while, until the frogs take their course," He chuckled, patting his stomach.

"'Kay," She nodded, and held the bag in one hand, with her other hand in his. After they were deeper into the line, she put the bag in her purse, so her one hand was free. "I, I know I've said this before, but this is the best birthday of my life."

"And I'm still glad," He smirked, and kissed her cheek over her long bangs.

After a few minutes, they boarded the train near the middle, with Chuckie making his wife sit in the middle between him and their bags. She sighed in relaxation once she took her seat, and laid on his shoulder. "My feet were getting sore," She remarked.

"How come you didn't say anything?" He asked her out of curiosity. "I could've carried you."

"I didn't want to burden you," She admitted, "In case your feet were sore too."

"Shen, if my feet were exhausted from running a marathon, I still would've carried you."

A blush flared up on her cheeks. "Thanks, Chuckie."

After the safety recommendations were given, the train started moving. "Here we go," Chuckie smirked.

"Yep," Shenzi nodded, and watched the scenery go by. They spotted the Jungle Cruise very close by, but stuck to their original plan of going for it after Fantasyland. After only one or two minutes, the train stopped at the next station. "Ooh, there's the Haunted Mansion!" She exclaimed. "We should stop here first!"

"Alright," He nodded, and they disembarked, "Good thing it's close by."

On the way to the attraction, a booth caught Shenzi's eye. "Hey, Chuckie?" He looked down at her with a smile, making her heart skip. "C-can we get a churro after this?"

"Sure," He nodded, "Sounds great. Still not full yet, huh?"

"I guess not," She giggled, "Our baby's going to be quite an eater once he/she is born."

"Yep," He nodded. "We should get souvenirs too!" She piped up again, gesturing to the Haunted Mansion souvenir booth close to the ride.

"Sounds good," He nodded again. They made it to the start of the line, and waited patiently, Shenzi snapping pictures. "Looks like we'll be waiting 21 minutes."

"A'ight," She nodded, and stifled a yawn.

"You getting tired?"

"A little," She shrugged, "But I don't want this day to end."

"Sorry Shen," He rubbed her upper back, his hand shifting under her soft tresses, "All days come to an end."

"True," She nodded a bit.

"But... we'll always have the memories."

"Yes we will," She smiled up at him, shifted herself, and kissed his lips.

"Get a room," They heard a woman behind them, and she didn't sound happy. They separated and glanced at her, then looked at each other.

"That'll be a memory," Chuckie whispered in Shenzi's ear, and they stifled laughter.

"Oh, Chuckie?"

"Yes?"

"If you get scared, you can hold onto me as tightly as you want to," She offered, "But not in certain places," She whispered in his ear, and let giggles out.

"Will do," He whispered back with a chuckle.

"There are kids here," The rude woman hissed to them, clearly eavesdropping.

"And yet, you're wearing a tube top and butt shorts," Shenzi retorted off the cuff, and smirked to Chuckie.

"Mom!" A boy exclaimed in embarrassment, and cut in front of the woman, then turned to the couple. "Sorry, guys."

"It's cool," Chuckie assured him, "I think my wife took care of her."

"Yeah, it's okay," She added.

"It's your birthday?" The boy gestured to her pin.

"Uh huh," She nodded.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

With that, they continued waiting in line for the iconic attraction. Although Chuckie couldn't help but feel nervous.


(A/N: I know, abrupt ending. You know the disclaimer.)