PREVIOUSLY…

Bob: Let me guess; it was you who came up with the idea to put in that song, huh?

Mr. Lunt: Oh, alright! I did! But you have to admit, you had fun dancing with Madame Blue, Bob.

Bob: …Yeah, I guess I can't deny that. She's a great dancer.

(We then cut to Bob and Mr. Lunt in Bob's office, where Eddie Russell has started talking about his proposed deal.)

Eddie: I'll just tell you flat out, Mr. Tomato: I'd like to work with you as assistant producer.

Bob: Are you serious? We're about to start shooting in three days! Besides, I have an assistant producer.

Eddie: With my expertise in the field, the film will be a faithful parody to the film that it's named after. Plus, Radical Animation wants to sign on to do three more films with Big Idea. The revenue from our partnership alone will be a hundred million dollars.

Bob: Well, to be honest, I really don't know…

Mr. Lunt: Listen, Eddie, Bob's got enough on his plate as it is. Now you're here talking about becoming his assistant producer, and that's going to make him stressed out even more!

(We then cut to Lovey, Petunia and Eddie outside the fashion room, arguing.)

Lovey: Do you need something?

Eddie: Yes, I do. I need you to do me a favor and keep your big mouth shut, lady!

Petunia (coming out of the room): Hey, leave her alone! Who do you think you are, talking to her like that?

Eddie: I can talk to anyone anyway I want to. And since you're here, I'm going to tell you and your little gossip group what I said to her: you'd better mind your own business for the next few days, or else.

(Later, when Eddie's on the phone)

Eddie: I'm sure once they see my folder, they'll change their minds. And once that happens, I'll put my little plan into motion. (smirks) These idiots don't even know why I'm here. It won't be long before I have total control of Veggie Tales.

(Scallion 1 sneaks back into the bathroom. A few scenes later, Eddie has him backed into a wall, threatening him.)

Eddie: You'd better be telling the truth, because if I find out that you lied to me…guess who I'm going to take my crazy out on?

Scallion 1: I'm telling you the truth. I heard nothing.

Eddie: Just remember, rapscallion. You've only got a glimpse of how dangerous I can be.

(In the Big Idea viewing room)

Mr. Lunt: Whoa, since when did this turn into a soap opera?

Larry: If you really think about it, it has been, minus all the killings and shocking family reveals. This Eddie fellow is certainly going to bring everything to a halt.

Mr. Lunt: If this thing loses its romantic fluff later on, I'm out of here!


(If Veggie Tales were a soap opera, this is how it would turn out.)

Iheartgod175 presents:

Hugs and Kisses: A Love Story

Created: January 25th, 2013

Published: January 28th, 2013

Rated: K+ (For the romantic stuff.)

This Chapter: September 3rd, 2013

Plot: A new episode parodying Casablanca is being filmed, and the producers have decided to throw in some romantic scenes. Bob, who is the head producer of this episode, isn't at all fazed by this...until he learns that said romantic scenes are going to feature him and Madame Blueberry, who are playing the main characters! Since he's never had any experience in the romantic field, he's a nervous wreck about the whole thing; Madame Blueberry, however, is delighted, being that she has quite the crush on the tomato. It's not long before romance happens behind the scenes...Bob/Madame Blueberry, with some Larry/Petunia and minor Archie/Lovey.

Author's Note: Prepare for more soap opera style writing today! I really have been influenced by General Hospital as of late. If you thought you didn't like Eddie before, you REALLY won't like him in this.

Disclaimer: As much as I love Veggie Tales, I never will own them. The series belongs to Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, the creators. If they decided to suddenly drop the company into my hands, then this story would be real. Other than that, don't count on it.


Chapter 9: The Confrontation

Larry found himself growing concerned for Bob. The tomato was definitely out of it; earlier, he had walked straight into the supply closet and had told Larry to come in. After the cucumber had steered him in the right direction to his office, he asked him if he was alright. Bob said he was, although he was feeling a little dizzy. After they got inside the presentation room, Larry pulled Petunia over while Madame Blue and Lovey went in to help Bob set up the projector.

"What's wrong, Larry?" Petunia asked.

"Something's wrong with Bob, Petunia. He's completely out of it. You noticed that he walked straight into the supply closet, right?" he said low so no one could overhear.

"Yes. I think he's working himself towards getting a fever," Petunia said. "If he keeps going, he's going to pass out."

"We have to get him to lie down for a while. If he passes out during the meeting, we'll never get anything done!" Larry said.

"You and Madame Blue should talk to him. You two are closer to him than I am," she said. As the other veggies started trickling in, Larry realized that she was right.

"Okay. I'll tell Madame Blue about what's going on," Larry said. The two then went inside, only to find Madame Blueberry coming towards them. One look on her face told Larry that she knew what was going on with the tomato.

"I just went over to Bob. He looks awful. I didn't realize that work was taking his toll on him. He needs to rest," Madame Blue said.

"If you try to tell him that, he'll just say he's okay. I think it'll be a while before we can get him to stop working," Larry replied.

Before Madame Blueberry could say anything, the lights were dimmed in the room, and the three scampered to their seats. After making a mental note of everyone present, Bob started the meeting.

"Okay, I know a lot of you have been wondering why I called a staff meeting. Well, today, we might be getting a new addition to our staff," he said.

"I hope we don't," Mr. Lunt growled under his breath. Thankfully, Bob didn't hear him.

"How many of you have heard of Radical Animation before?" Bob asked.

"I have. I've heard they've worked on lots of very important films. One of them was Lettuce Love One Another," Archie said.

"One of their employees worked on that movie, and he came to my office today with a proposition. He said that if we let him work on our film, and if we let Radical Animation team up with us, the revenue from our combined effort would be over $100 million dollars," Bob said.

Jimmy spat out his soda at this, sending cola flying all over the place. Philippe's jaw went slack. On his spot in the middle of the table, Khalil whistled.

"That's a lot of money! Do you know what we can do with that sort of cash?" he said.

"I can think of several. We can update the technology and have better equipment for our movies. We could even start putting everything in high definition!" Pa said.

"If I remember correctly, we did start doing things in high definition," Archie said.

"Oh...must've forgot!" Pa replied.

"The thing is, I told him that we already have an assistant producer. The tall scallion is the one who's been writing majority of the screenplay, and he was looking forward to being involved in the project. If I replace him with this guy, there's a good chance we won't be seeing him and his friends again for a while," Bob replied.

"I agree. I think it would be a bad thing if we just told him to leave before he actually got to act in the movie," Petunia replied.

"So, who is this guy?" Larry asked.

Bob turned to the projector screen. "His name's Eddie Russell. He's got pretty impressive skills as a producer. He was one of the head writers for the fifth Tales from the Fridge movie," he said. Eddie's picture came up on screen, and Lovey gasped. Everyone at the table turned to look at her in surprise.

"Lovey, what's wrong?" Bob asked, confused.

"That's him. That's the zucchini who threatened me earlier!" she said. The whole room erupted into a chorus of gasps, and Archie looked ready to jump out his chair.

"What?!" he shrieked. "Did he do anything to you? If he did…"

"Don't worry, Archie. I'm alright. Larry came just in time to save me and Petunia from him," Lovey said.

Archie looked at the cucumber, a worried expression on his face. "Is that true?"

"Yeah. I was coming to check on Petunia to make sure that she was okay, and then I saw him all up in her face. When I confronted him, he left. Both of them looked ready to get him," Larry replied.

"Thank goodness you came out of the room in time. I don't know what would have happened," Archie replied, relieved. "He should be happy that it wasn't me who had walked down that hall."

"Wow. I had no idea why you all were standing out in the hall until just now," Bob said. He was somewhat upset about this, as he should be. He certainly couldn't have an assistant producer who was going around threatening his coworkers.

"Plus, I don't trust this guy," Mr. Lunt added. He had been completely silent the whole meeting, which was rare for him. "There's this vibe around him that screams 'Control Freak' and 'Dangerous'."

"That, and he's got anger issues," Lovey said. "He tried to grab me earlier."

Archie looked ready to find Eddie Russell and punch him in the face. "If he pulls another stunt like that again, I'll be the one grabbing him," he said.

"Well, then, it's decided. I'm not keeping around a guy who's going to be a bad influence on my coworkers and friends. He can forget the deal; I'm not hiring him as an assistant producer," Bob said sternly.

"Finally, that's the best thing that's happened all day!" Upon seeing Madame Blue's glare, Mr. Lunt added quickly, "Well, that's the second best thing that's happened all day."

"I'm going to head to my office and call him in. Then I'll tell him that the deal's off," Bob said. "Meeting adjourned." When Jimmy turned the lights on, Bob felt a massive headache begin from his forehead to the back. He moaned in pain.

Madame Blue, who was getting ready to leave, stopped when she saw him. He looked even worse than when they'd come in for the meeting. She went over to him, concerned. "Bob, you don't look so good. Are you sure that you don't want to lie down?"

Bob opened his eyes, and attempted a small smile despite his painful headache. "Don't worry, Madame Blueberry. I'm perfectly alright. Just feeling a little dizzy, is all," he replied.

"If you're sure," she said, although she figured she should stay just to make sure he was okay.

Bob knew he wasn't feeling good now. He was working his way towards getting a headache, and he felt cold despite it being a comfortable temperature in the room. Thank goodness it's quitting time, he thought. Once he got home, he could lie down and get some well-deserved sleep.

He didn't get to the door. After taking two steps, the world around him started swirling. This, combined with his headache, made standing too much for him. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor.

Someone screamed, possibly Madame Blueberry. Within seconds, the other veggies were in the room, and various shouts filled the air as they rushed over to him. Bob could barely make out what they were saying, but it sounded like, "Bob! Are you okay? Wake up!"

That was the last thing he remembered before the world went black.


"Staff meeting in presentation room. Will be back at quitting time. Bob."

"Drat," Scallion 1 breathed after he'd read the producer's hastily scribbled note. He'd run up the stairs to tell Bob what he'd just heard about Eddie Russell. Now the tomato was gone, as was everyone else in the building at the moment. That meant he'd have to wait until later to talk to him.

He looked up at the clock. It was already quitting time.

"Perhaps he already went home. I wouldn't blame him, with all the work he has to do." Sighing, Scallion 1 made his way down to his small office so he could gather his things and go home.

Little did he know the real reason why Bob wasn't in his office…


"ob…ake….up! Bob…wake up!"

"Wha…?" Bob replied groggily as he opened his eyes. White light streamed into them, and surrounding him were the worried faces of his colleagues. They looked relieved to see him.

"How are you feeling, Bob?" Petunia asked.

"Ugh…like I hit my head on a rock," Bob groaned.

"Thank goodness I decided to stay behind, Bob. If I had left, who knows what would have happened," Madame Blueberry said. It was obvious she had been crying; her mascara was running and her eyes were puffy.

Larry sighed. "The doctor was here earlier, Bob. He said that you had worked your way to a fever. When he took your temperature, it was sky high," he said. He showed Bob the thermometer they had. It read 105.

"Oh, geez…it was that bad?" Bob replied. Larry nodded.

"Be happy it wasn't worse." Archie came in with an ice pack and put to his head. "The doctor says that you need to rest for the next three days. During that time period, you're not doing any more work."

"But, what about the rest of the things I need to do before we start shooting?" Bob asked.

"That's why you have an assistant producer. He'll make sure everything is good to go for Friday," Archie said. "And if he doesn't know what to do, I'll be there to help him."

"In the meantime, Madame Blue and I offered to take care of you while you're at home," Larry added. "And we're going to make sure you stay away from anything that looks like work."

Bob smiled. "Thanks, guys. I feel better already," he said.

"Hey, man, what are friends for?" Mr. Lunt replied.


Eddie Russell slammed the phone receiver down on the table, nearly shattering it with the force. The nerve they had to tell him that he wasn't going to be hired! And it had to be that stupid gourd to tell him that too, rather rudely, if he must add.

He hadn't counted on the scallion from the bathroom to overhear his conversation on the phone. Although he'd said that he didn't know what he was saying, Eddie suspected that the scallion wasn't telling the truth. Well, even if he wasn't, it wouldn't matter in the end. He'd take care of him when the time came.

The scallion, though, was the least of his problems. He had to figure out a way to get that job soon, and fast, or his plan would fall through entirely. He paced the floor for a few uncomfortable moments before sitting at his computer, at a loss.

Then he remembered something else. The CEO headquarters was not too far from where they were in Illinois. The process would take two days, but they could officially have him hired as the assistant producer.

Eddie smirked, and he started typing on the computer. After a moment, he pulled up the website for Big Idea's corporate offices. He looked below and found the number for the contact numbers, then picked up his phone and dialed. The machine caught it, and told him to leave a message. After it was done, he cleared his throat and started speaking.

"Hello, this is Eddie Russell of Radical Animation. I'm calling to inform you that my request form didn't go through to your main studio. I would like to personally send it to you, and get a stamp of approval. I need to schedule the meeting with you as soon as possible, possibly tomorrow morning if that's alright." Eddie left his phone number and email address, and hung up. He laughed.

"Bob, you're going to regret not hiring me on the spot," he said. He then dialed another number on the phone and waited for the speaker to answer.

After a couple of rings, he answered. "Eddie, what are you calling about this time?"

"Well, I've called to say that our original plan fell through. But not to worry; I'm going to the backup plan."

There was a pause and then his boss said, "Care to explain what it is?"

Eddie explained.


Thursday morning, Larry walked to Bob's house, carrying in some extra groceries that the tomato had asked him to get. It reminded him of the time they'd worked at the fish factory years ago, after that fight they'd had that got them fired. Bob had made him go out and get all of his groceries for him while he was in bed. After Larry had shown that he was willing to pay him back for the incident, the tomato had warmed up to him, and before long, they were on good terms.

Before he could ring the doorbell, Madame Blueberry had opened the door. Last night, she had offered to stay with Bob as he had nearly gotten up and started working again. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, she finally got Bob to lie down on the couch, and that was where he was currently staying at this morning.

"Thanks for getting these, Larry. Bob's in the living room, watching TV," she said. She stepped aside to let Larry in, and they headed into the living room. Bob was propped up on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and holding the remote. He groaned as he changed the channels.

"There's nothing good on this morning!" he muttered. Then he turned and saw Larry and Madame Blueberry standing in the kitchen. He brightened when he saw them. "Hey guys! Thanks for getting the groceries."

"You're welcome, Bob. Always happy to help," Larry said. "You're starting to look better already." This was true; Bob had looked paler two days before, but now he looked more like his regular self.

"Yeah. And you know, it actually feels good to sleep in for a long time. I feel refreshed already," Bob replied. "And I'm feeling hungry."

"You need to eat some soup, Bob. Doctor's orders," Madame Blueberry said, bringing a bowl of chicken noodle soup to him. Bob sighed, but started eating it anyway. As he finished up his breakfast, Madame Blueberry settled next to him. "So, I take it this means that lunch is cancelled?"

"Hm? Oh, no, Madame Blue. Once I get my strength up, I'd like to go to that sandwich place. That, or we could stay home and make sandwiches like last time," Bob said. Then, he added shyly, "Plus…I really like spending time with you, Madame."

Madame Blueberry's skin was tinged with a light pink. "Oh, Bob, you're flattering me," she said.

"No, I really mean it! I like spending time with you more than anyone else!" The words were out before he realized it, and he looked surprised at what he'd just said. Madame Blueberry seemed even more surprised than he was. Then, she started to blush even more as she replayed his words over in her head.

"Aw...thank you, Bob," she said. "That really means a lot to me."

Bob smiled. "You're welcome," he replied, shyly. In the kitchen, Larry watched this from over the sink, and smiled. Things between the two of them were starting to go along nicely. Just then, the phone rang.

"I got it!" Bob said. The phone was right next to him, so he picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bob! Are you feeling better?" It was Mr. Lunt.

"Hey, Mr. Lunt. I'm doing much better now, thank you. And staying away from work," Bob said.

"That's good. Everyone here's been working on their lines and stuff. And that scallion guy's been doing pretty good as an assistant producer. Archie's only needed to help him on a few things."

"That's great. So, has Eddie shown up at all since I was gone?"

"Nope. Made it clear he was not welcome here when I gave him the message. That should keep him out of our studio for a while. By the time you come back, everything will be ready to go."

"That's good to hear. I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Dude, you've apologized, like, thirty times already. We all told you that we're not mad at you at all. Let us take care of the stuff with the film, and you just take care of yourself. Got it?"

Bob sighed. "Got it," he said.

Then, a teasing tone entered the gourd's voice. "So…how are things going between you and Madame Blueberry?"

If the gourd were in front of him, Bob would've given him a death glare. "We're both fine, thank you," he said.

"Oh, come on, Bob. You still haven't made a move on her?"

"Mr. Lunt, Madame Blueberry is a friend of mine. I don't really think of her as anything else," Bob said.

Mr. Lunt chuckled on the other end. "At the moment," he said.

Bob hung up the phone before the gourd could say anything else. He knew that Mr. Lunt meant well, but sometimes, his probing could get really annoying.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and he nearly jolted off of the couch. He turned to find Madame Blueberry standing with her back to him. Apparently she was about to go into the kitchen to put his bowl away.

"Madame Blue, are you alright?" he asked, about to get up from the couch. But the blueberry stopped him.

"I'm perfectly fine, Bob," she said, although she didn't sound fine at all. Before the tomato could say anything, the blueberry quickly left the room. Bob stared at her, astonished, and turned to Larry for an answer.

"Was it something I said, Larry?" he asked. Larry had seen what had happened, and knew exactly why Madame Blue had left so abruptly. He sighed. Was his friend really that oblivious?

"I think she overheard part of your conversation with Mr. Lunt, Bob," Larry said, hoping that he would get the point.

"The part where I said that she was just a friend of mine?" Larry nodded. Bob was still confused.

"I don't get it, Larry. Why would Madame Blue be so upset over that?"

"It's as clear as day, Bob! Don't you know that Madame Blueberry's in love-"

He was interrupted when the phone rang, startlingly loud. "What was that, Larry?" Bob asked.

"I'll tell you later," Larry said. "Or rather, I'll let you find out for yourself." The cucumber then went into the kitchen without another word.

What am I doing that's making them both mad? Bob thought. The phone's rings snapped him out of his thoughts, and he snatched up the phone before the machine got it. "Hello?"

"Bob, it's Petunia. You've got to get down here right away." Petunia sounded panicked.

"Whoa, Petunia, calm down. What's going on?" Bob asked. Larry perked up when he heard Petunia's name.

"Petunia's on the phone? Can I talk to her, Bob?" he asked.

"Not right now, Larry," he said. Then he realized that Petunia was still talking. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"It's terrible, Bob. You've got to get down here, and bring Larry and Madame Blue with you."

"You know, I'm not supposed to be back until tomorrow-" Bob stopped as he heard what Petunia had to say. He was so shocked he dropped the receiver. Larry poked his head out of the kitchen, concern on his face.

"You okay in there, Bob?" he asked.

The tomato's response was frantic. "Larry, go get Madame Blue out of her room this minute, and tell her we've gotta go back to Big Idea!" he said. Bob shot off the couch and ran down the hall to his room. The door slammed shut behind him.

Larry was confused. He went into the living room and picked up the phone. "Um, Petunia, what happened? Is everything okay?" he asked.

All of a sudden, he heard shouting on the other end. Mr. Lunt was yelling angrily at somebody, and Pa was trying to keep peace in the background. Then, there was a guttural growl, a scream, and then a whoosh as something flew through the air. There was a loud crash, and then everything got deathly quiet.

"Petunia! Are you there?!" Larry asked frantically.

Someone picked up the phone. But it wasn't Petunia. The voice that answered was gravelly and full of anger.

"Unless you want me to really hurt your girlfriend, pickle boy, don't. Call. Here. Again."

The phone went dead.

Set into total panic mode, Larry ran down the hallway and straight into Bob, who had just exited his room. While they were recovering from the crash, Madame Blueberry came out into the hall. She looked like she'd spent the last few minutes crying.

"What's going on, Larry?" She then noticed that Bob was dressed, and immediately perked up. "Bob, what are you doing dressed? You're supposed to stay home!"

"Madame Blueberry, I'm already feeling better, thanks to you and Larry. But right now, we've got to move! We've got to get back to Big Idea!" he said.

"Bob, what happened? What did Petunia say? When I tried to talk to her, all I heard were shouts, and then the phone went dead!" Larry looked like he was going to cry, and his words poured out in a rush due to how worried he was.

Bob didn't know how well they would take this. But he figured the best thing to do was to tell them what was going on in four words.

"Eddie Russell is back."


Archie surveyed the parking lot for any sign of Bob. Beside him, Scallion 3 sat on the steps, holding an ice pack to his black eye, and Pa was out there as well tending to his other bruises. Pa looked up at the asparagus. Normally one to be freaking out at this situation, Archie remained silent as he looked for Bob's car. From what he could tell, Archie was beyond furious. Wordlessly, he just looked out for Bob as well, trying to think about anything than what had just happened in the lobby.

After a couple of moments, Pa sighed. "Doesn't Bob know the meaning of 'Get down here right away'?" he asked impatiently.

The sound of squealing tires answered his question. All three of them looked up to see Bob's car fly into the parking lot. It zigzagged through the maze of cars, narrowly avoiding several, and screeched to a stop several inches away from the steps. Madame Blueberry jumped out of the front seat, and ran towards them. Larry and Bob were slower to get out of the car, possibly because of how erratic the blueberry drove.

"Where is everyone, Archibald? Is everyone alright? Did anyone get hurt?" she asked. Then she got a full view of Scallion 3 and gasped. "Oh dear! Who did this to you?"

Scallion 3 sighed. "Go ask Eddie. I'm sure he'd like to explain," he said sourly.

Bob stumbled up the stairs, still dizzy from the drive. "Madame Blue, next time, I'm driving," he said.

"You said you wanted to get here as fast as possible. We are here, right?" she replied.

"Yes, well, erm…I hadn't expected you to be the type of person who drives like that," Archie said.

"Alright, where's Mr. Lunt? I need to talk to him right now," Larry interrupted, changing the subject.

"Uh, it's best if you didn't. He's in the break room. We're trying to keep him as far away from Eddie as possible." Pa sighed. "I knew he and Eddie didn't like each other, but for things to come to this…" He shook his head.

"What exactly happened?" Larry asked. "Is Petunia alright?"

"Don't worry, Petunia is alright," Archie said. "But as for the other two scallions, and for Mr. Lunt, I don't know. This one happened to be coming down the hall when Eddie smacked him in the eye."

"And I didn't do anything to deserve it either," Scallion 3 groaned.

"Archie, just tell me what happened," Bob said.

"Well, it all started not even ten minutes after Mr. Lunt called you. While he and I were in the lobby to get the schedules for everyone, Eddie came in. Mr. Lunt demanded to know why he was back after he'd told him that he didn't get the job. Eddie said that he'd contacted the corporate offices to get officially hired as Bob's assistant producer, and then said that his first job was to replace his role in the movie with someone else," Archie said."They started yelling at each other, which brought everyone into the lobby. When they saw him, everyone threw insults at Eddie, and he said some things that I won't dare repeat."

"I tried to calm everyone down, but then Mr. Lunt said that he was going to tell you what happened: which is that Eddie lied to the offices saying that his form didn't go through when in all reality, we didn't hire him. Eddie hurled him against a wall…and after that, he threatened to hurt him even more. Everyone wanted a piece of him after that, but his threat kept everyone from doing anything. By the time Archie and I got everyone to calm down, Eddie had left," Pa finished.

"And had the time to punch me in the face," Scallion 3 said.

"Eddie hurled Mr. Lunt into a wall?" Madame Blueberry was shocked. "That's awful!"

Bob was livid. This time, the zucchini had taken things too far. When he spoke, his voice was wracked with rage. "Where is Eddie now?"

"I'm not sure. He'd probably gone upstairs to head to the second floor, where the offices are," Archie said. "You may not want to head up there. He's more than willing to follow up on his threat."

"I don't care if he has the strength of ten wrestlers! First, he threatens my co-stars, then he lies his way into the building, and then he hurts one of my friends?! I'm going up there to confront him myself, Archie! He won't get away with this!" Bob replied. Before Archie could stop him, the tomato was up the stairs and in the building.

"Oh boy, Eddie's really done it this time," Madame Blueberry commented. "I hope nothing serious happens upstairs." She whipped out her phone. "I'm calling the police. He needs to be tossed out of here immediately."

"That's the best decision I've heard all day," Scallion 3 added.

"Wait a second," Larry said. "If the corporate offices hired Eddie as the assistant producer, then that means-"

"Yes," Archie replied gravely. "Scallion 2 is no longer the assistant producer."

"Well, he'll be getting his job back soon enough," Madame Blueberry said. "Eddie won't be around here for long."


"You've got to believe me on this. Since nobody downstairs is talking to me right now, you're the only one I can say this to."

"What are you saying? There's no way a successful zucchini like Eddie Russell could be evil."

Scallion 1 sighed. For the past ten minutes, he'd been trying to tell his friend that Eddie Russell was not at all who he appeared to be. But explaining something like that to Scallion 2 was like talking to a stone wall. The taller veggie was completely unaware of the eminent danger that he was getting himself into by not listening.

"Please, I'm begging you to listen to me!" Scallion 1 pleaded as they neared Scallion 2's office. "You must stop believing that fake charade that he's playing! Eddie Russell is evil, and I mean evil."

"And just how is he evil?"

Scallion 1 turned around to face his friend. He had to tell him directly, or else he wouldn't get it.

"What I'm about to tell you is something you must swear to only tell Bob about. Don't tell another living soul about this…because I'm already in hot water with Eddie Russell as we speak," Scallion 1 said. This did catch the taller scallion's attention, and he looked down at his friend.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." Scallion 1 looked around warily, and then leaned in closer. He explained everything that he'd learned about Eddie, including how he'd been threatened by the zucchini. When he was done, he said, "If you ask me, this incident sounds like Eddie's doing."

"So, in other words, you think he's going to destroy the company?" Scallion 2 asked.

"I don't think; I know. He told me that he'd do it from the inside out. That's why he wants your job as assistant producer so badly; it's so he can have charge over most of the screenplay and change what he wants," Scallion 1 said.

Scallion 2 blinked. He'd never expected something like this to happen. "Wow…now that you put it that way…"

"If he finds out that I told you, that psycho is going to try and kill me!" Scallion 1 said.

"Well, we'll just have to call the corporate offices and have him tossed out of here. Mr. Lunt already told him that he wasn't welcome here, and while Bob's not here, I'm in charge. So, I'm going to enforce the rules," Scallion 2 said. "Come on. My office is right down this hall." Relieved that his friend had finally got the message, Scallion 1 went down the hall to the office.

It was when they neared the door that they knew something was wrong. A large white bin was sitting outside the door, filled to the brim with Scallion 2's things. A sticky note was on the side, and it read 'For the loser producer'. Scallion 1 couldn't believe what he was seeing, but Scallion 2 was angry. He marched straight into the office, and Scallion 1 followed him.

Sitting at the large desk twirling a pencil in the air, Eddie Russell looked bored as he had been when he'd first shown up. But Scallion 1 knew better. Behind that expression was veiled pride and triumph. Scallion 2 cleared his throat, and the zucchini looked up. His face contorted into a frown when he saw him.

"What are you doing here? Your stuff's outside the door in case you can't see it," he said.

"What are you doing in my office?" Scallion 2 asked.

The zucchini looked astonished, and then he laughed. "What are you talking about? This is my office," he said.

"Nobody but the assistant producer is allowed to be in here, and that means me!"

"Correction: that means me." Eddie stood up and went up to the scallion with a slip of paper. When he read it, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was the admissions form for the assistant producer position, and on the bottom was the official seal of approval from the corporate offices. "When Bob didn't want to hire me, I went to the offices and asked them to officially hire me. Whatever the office says goes. You of all people should know that."

"S-S-So, you mean to tell me that this means-"

"That you're out of a job, and you don't deserve to be here. What kind of a company uses nameless scallions as producers? A garbage company like this, that's what," Eddie spat. "You can't hold a candle to what I have. You're only touching the bare surface of the water when it comes to movies, kid; I've had ten years to know the deal. Why don't you three go to film school together and stay there? Then I won't have to see you again. Nobody likes you worthless weeds anyhow. "

He hit them everywhere it hurt, and he could see it in their eyes. He smiled as he decided to close up his tirade. "And since Bob's not here, I'm currently in charge of this operation, which means I'll be able to do whatever I want to. You two are relieved of your duties, effective immediately," he said.

Both scallions stared at him in hurt and shock. "What?!" they yelled together. "We have important roles in the movie!"

"You two, important? That'll be the day," Eddie snorted. "By the time I turn around, you two had better be out of my office. Or should I do what I did to that stupid gourd to make you leave?"

"You won't be doing anything to anybody in my studio." Eddie and the Scallions turned around to see Bob standing in the doorway. Judging by the enraged look on his face, he'd overheard the entire conversation. The Scallions looked at him in relief and surprise.

"I need you two to leave. Now. This is between me and Eddie," Bob ordered. Noting the authority in his voice, the two Scallions hastily left the room and shut the door. When they were gone, Bob turned his glare on Eddie, who put on a calm, pleased expression.

"Hello, Bob. I trust that you're feeling better?" he asked.

"Quit the small talk, Eddie. I've come up here to do one thing, and that is to throw you out!" Bob said.

"For a tomato, you certainly have a hot temper." The smile dropped from the zucchini's face. "In case you haven't heard, I've been granted permission by the corporate offices to allow me to work here as your assistant producer."

"Correction: you lied your way in here. Archie told me about it, and I'd take his word over yours any day," Bob countered, enjoying the brief look of shock that crossed Eddie's face. Just as quickly, Eddie's expression was replaced by a look of utter anger.

"Well, they were stupid enough to believe me, that's for sure," Eddie said. "I'm still the assistant producer, so I can get rid of these guys when I want."

"Wrong, Eddie: Bob's the head producer of this episode, so that means he makes the rules!" Both occupants turned to see Madame Blueberry standing in the office, glaring angrily at Eddie. "And off the record, you can't even be called assistant producer anymore, because you're losing your job!"

"Says who, blue?" Eddie asked.

"Says me!" Bob answered, stepping in to defend Madame Blue.

"And them!" Madame Blueberry said, turning to the doorway. The office was soon overrun with police officers. Two officers jumped onto the zucchini, who attempted to barrel his way through them. He tried to fight back, but it was no use and he gave up. The officers hauled him up, and started dragging him to the door.

"How did you get here?!" he yelled angrily.

"This lovely blueberry told us everything that was going on," an officer replied briskly, motioning to Madame Blue. "You're too dangerous to work here-or anywhere for that matter."

The zucchini's eyes went wide, and he glared at her in anger. "You did what?!"

"Threatening my friends is something I don't like, but flat out hurting them is where you've crossed the line!" Madame Blue snapped. "We'll make sure the corporate offices hear about this incident, Mr. Russell."

The zucchini lunged at her then, intent on grabbing her. Bob jumped in front of her then, and Eddie hit him full in the face. Bob yelped in pain, and Madame Blue was over at his side in an instant. Before Eddie could do further damage, the officers wrestled him out of the room, leaving the two alone in the room.

"Bob! Are you alright?!" Madame Blueberry half screamed. The tomato had a huge bruise covering the left side of his face.

"You don't have to yell, Madame Blue," Bob said softly. "I-I'm okay. I'm just glad this didn't happen to you." He grimaced as he tried to smile. "Ow, that hurts."

"Come on. I'm taking you downstairs. We need to go and check on Mr. Lunt anyway," she said. After making sure that everyone else was gone, she and Bob headed down the hall to the elevator.

As they walked along, Bob asked, "Are you feeling okay, Madame Blue?"

"A little shaken, really. But I'm alright," she said. "I just hadn't expected him to do that." Then she blushed. "Thanks for saving me, Bob. You really are a hero."

Bob blushed a bit. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far. I was just doing what I knew was the right thing. No matter what happened, I would still protect you from that monster," he said.

"Thank you very much, Bob. And here's a token of my appreciation for you," she said, stopping suddenly.

"I-I don't think tha-Mmph!" Bob didn't get to finish his sentence as Madame Blueberry pulled him in and kissed him full on the lips. For a moment, he felt like his heart had skipped a beat. Or two. Or six.

When she let go, it took a moment for him to regain his senses. Once he did, his face exploded in a dark red, and all he could do was stammer.

"I-I, uh...w-well, that is to say, uh..." He quickly cleared his throat to regain some composure. "Um, thanks, Madame Blueberry..."

Madame Blueberry blushed as well. She couldn't believe she'd actually done that. Still, it didn't replace the warm, tingly feeling she got from kissing him.

"Well, then," she said after a long pause. "Let's get you to the nurse's office, shall we? Mr. Lunt and everyone else will be waiting for us."

"Uh, yeah. Let's go," he said. The two entered the elevator, and didn't really say much on the way down, too preoccupied with their own thoughts.

If he didn't get the message before, I hope he does now, Madame Blue thought.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Next time on Hugs and Kisses:

Bob: Alright, guys, I have good news! Eddie's out of here, and that means we'll be free to work on the movie.

Mr. Lunt: Alright!

Bob: For now, you all need to go home and get some rest. I know how tough this is for all of you.

Scallion 1: I can't work here anymore, guys. I'm going to leave Big Idea.

Scallion 3: What? Why are you doing that? Eddie's gone, so you won't have to worry about him anymore.

Scallion 1 (looking around warily): There are things I discovered about Eddie Russell two days ago that I think you need to hear. And I have a feeling that he's going to be back. But I don't want Bob to know about this. It could seriously put him in danger.

Bob (who has shown up out of nowhere): You don't want me to know about what?

(Eddie is seen in the police car, being carried to jail. All of a sudden, he throws the car door open.)

Officer: What the-?!

Eddie: Sorry, officers, but this is my stop.

(He jumps out of the car, rolling onto the road.)

Officer: Grab him!

Stay tuned for Chapter 10

This is actually the second time that I've tried writing something this dark in VeggieTales. The first time was when this story was named Very Veggie Romance, and three scallion guys trashed Bob's office with guns and baseball bats. Eddie Russell was still the villain, but he was determined to literally destroy their competition instead of trying to take over the company by dishonest means like he does here. But he's still pretty evil anyway, as evidenced by his actions. And this won't be the last we see of this guy, folks.

I really enjoyed writing Bob and Madame Blue in the last section of this chapter, because it's great showing other sides of characters. I'm also enjoying writing the Scallions and Larry as well. They'll be appearing next chapter, as will a couple of other characters. I was also surprised by how nasty I made Eddie in the last section. He was basically ripping into Scallion 1 and 2, and might have done something else if Bob hadn't stepped in when he did.

Expect the next two or three chapters to be suspenseful and dramatic; the following chapters after that will be lighthearted like they were before. Chapter 10 is undergoing a complete overhaul, so please be patient. Also, I was thinking of doing the preview for Very Veggie Romance, but I think that'll wait until I'm nearly done with the story.

I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know what you think.

-God bless, iheartgod175