Winter Tales
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Stephanie yawned as she awoke early the next morning. Pushing back the covers, it took her a moment to remember where she was.
/ I'm at Robbie's /
She realized, remembering the storm that they had been caught in. She heard noises in the kitchenette and turned to see the lanky villain maneuvering a large frying pan to the stove top. Stephanie smiled as she watched him.
/...like Dad use to do.../
Getting up from her makeshift bed, she carefully tiptoed between the still slumbering forms of Ziggy and Sportacus and took a seat at the small table to watch the man cook.
"Morning Robbie..." She said "…what are you cooking..?"
" Hmmm I suppose that depends on what you want to eat for breakfast.." He shrugged "...don't get your hopes too high mind you...I don't usually entertain house guests.."
" ..How about banana pancakes..?" Stephanie suggested.
Robbie snorted " Sorry Pinky...No sports candy in this house remember.."
" Oh.." Stephanie sighed feeling a bit disappointed, before an idea came to her. ".. oh wait! I remember.." She dashed over to Ziggy's backpack and looked inside. " Ziggy said he had some sports candy with him yesterday and Sportacus will need something to eat for breakfast too." She pulled out an orange, apple and a banana. " I'm sure he won't mind if we have some."
" Hmm YUCK!, " Robbie scowled at the fruit. "Alright bring it over here and I'll make you some pancakes... hopefully you know the recipe."
"Oh Yes" Steph nodded " …my Dad use to make them.."
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It was some time later in the morning when the warm smells of breakfast brought Sportacus awake.
" Hmm.." He grinned, giving a long sinuous stretch and sniffing at the wonderful scents that floated out of the kitchen. The blanket next to him began to move as an unruly mope of blonde hair popped up from the mass of blankets.
" Good morning Ziggy..." The elf smiled " How you feeling..?"
" Hungry...!" Ziggy said, taking a sniff "mmmm is that bacon..?" The young boy tossed off the covers and hurried over to the table where Stephanie was happily eating her pancakes.
"These are great Robbie" She beamed, as the man set a plate of eggs, toast and bacon in front of Ziggy.
" I try.." He replied dryly, taking a seat and setting down with a plate of his own." Now let's eat.."
" unnggg Robbie, bacon with syrup..?" Sportacus gagged horrified. The elf opened his mouth to give voice to more of his protests at all the unhealthy sugar, syrup, and sweetness at the table when Robbie deftly plucked the apple from the table and shoved it in his mouth, cutting off the lecture.
"And there you go Sportakook... breakfast for you too." Robbie smirked at him giving his mustache a deft tweek and receiving an unamused glare from the health nut as the kids laughed.
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" OH my Goodness Stephanie !" Mayor Meanswell exclaimed, grabbing Stephanie as she flew into his arms.
"We were so worried about you dear..." Bessie said standing beside the mayor. "Sportacus, Robbie..how can we ever thank you..?"
"Ziggy ! Oh Ziggy.." His mother cried, holding him tightly.
" I'm sorry Momma..." The young boy said, hugging his mother tightly.
" What have I told you about running off..? You scared me to death.." She said trying without much success at being stern.
"I know.." He murmured "I just wanted to... to be in the contest too..."
"Oh Ziggy.." Zira sighed, ruffling his blonde locks " I know you do honey...but..." She grimaced, looking back at the others grouped about them.
" The rules state you need a Father to enter.." Bessie interjected.
"Ahem.." Robbie said, stepping up beside the town gossip. "It seems to me... it's this silly rule that needs changing... it doesn't allow for everyone to enter."
"That's right" Stephanie agreed. "Ziggy and I don't have father's but we should be allowed to be part of the contest too. I mean what's a father anyway..? I say it's a man who takes the time to play with you and teach you things...and...to hold you when you're sad, encourage you when you can't quite get something..." Stephanie shrugged.
Ziggy nodded. "Stephanie's right...Sportacus came after me when I ran away...and I know that's what hero's do... but it's more than that... he always listens to me and plays with me he doesn't have to..but he does. Sportacus may not be MY father..but...but he'd be a good one.."
Sportacus smiled warmly "Thanks Ziggy"
The whole town looked up at the Mayor expectantly.
" Ahhh .. oh Dear... well... I don't know.. I mean to change something...so close to the contest too.." He stammered.
" I recall a certain Halloween festival that was changed to include one sugar intolerant elf... and if memory serves me correctly the party was just as memorable. It allowed the whole town to participate" Robbie commented dryly.
"The whole point of Christmas is about giving and being together...enjoying those you have around you and ...and remembering those that maybe aren't here anymore...it should be celebrated together... nobody should be alone on Christmas...or left out." Stephanie finished.
The mayor looked about him "Is anybody in objection of changing the rules to include father and er…father like figures..?" The question was met with silence.
" Oh wonderful..." Bessie quipped, pushing past the Mayor " I did say how that rule needed to be done away with and now everybody can participate." The crowed broke into applause.
" Oh but Stephanie...you and Ziggy..who are you going to enter with..? It's only a week until the contest" the mayor said. Stephanie and Ziggy gave each other a startled look.
"Ahem...if we may have a word with you Mayor.." Robbie said, pulling the man aside.
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A short time later the Mayor stood up on the stage to announce the last two entries into the contest.
"Ladies and gentlemen we have two last minute entries. Ziggy Swartz and Sportacus and Stephanie Meanswell and Robbie Rotten..!" The crowd cheered the two teams as they made their way down from the stage.
"Hey that's not fair...! Stingy cried " Ziggy gets MY Sportacus!"
"He's not YOUR Sportacus!" Jives snapped back.
"Get over it Stingy " Trixie sighed.
"Ya besides we all know who's gonna win" Gogggi laughed.
" Ya me!" Pixel snapped glaring at the other boy.
" Honestly what's with you two...you've been mad at each other for days" Trixie said.
"Oh really and you and Stingy haven't..?" Goggi replied.
"What..?" Trixie replied hotly, "I don't know what your talking about"
"yeah the both of you going on and on about who's gonna get more than the other...Besides I'm gonna win.." Pixel grinned.
"Don't bet on it.." Goggi growled "I've got the best invention yet.!"
"Best stolen invention you mean.." Pixel corrected.
"You're still at it I see.." Sportacus sighed, walking over to the small group of children with Robbie.
"Yes ! And don't try to stop us, you can't make us work together if we don't want to!" Goggi snapped.
" No ... you're right... I can't..." He said quietly. " I can't make you do anything you don't want to... and I wouldn't. You have to decide for yourselves what you want." Sportacus shrugged as he continued on his way, greeting the other members of the town.
"What that's it...no lecture… he's not gonna try to make us work together..?" Pixel asked as he watched the elf walk away.
"No" Robbie answered him "..like he said he can't... he's never forced you in a decision Pickle.."
"Pixel.."the boy corrected him.
"Whatever" Robbie replied "…point is, you and the others are all growing up... you must make your own choices in life. Sportacus is just here to help guide you, but soon you won't be kids anymore..." The two young boys glanced at each other, then back at Robbie. " If I remember you two worked well together didn't you, Gooey"
"Goggi" The boy muttered.
"You were so thrilled to finally have a comrade to delve into those electronic adventures with you, where you not..Poodle?"
" Pixel.. and yeah I guess" Pixel shrugged ".. we do work well together..."
" But this is a contest..." Goggi interrupted " ..and I want to win.."
" Well so do I " Pixel replied.
"Is what you want worth more than what you need.." Robbie asked.
" huh..?" Pixel looked at him " I don't need anything.."
"Not even a friend..?" The man asked.
The young boy looked uncertain. "well...maybe…"
"I had a friend once... we were alot like you two. Tech nerds...but we let disagreements come between us. I lost so much from that one single disagreement." Robbie turned pinning the boys with an intense look "…don't let a difference of opinion rob you of the important things in life... Stop focusing on what you want and look instead to what you need. The boys stared at him blankly and he was unsure whether he had reached them or not.
With a sigh, Robbie nodded his goodbyes to two of them and trudged down the pathway towards the edge of town to his home.
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It was the early hours of morning some days later that found the town villain frantically pacing his lair in deep distress. Robbie plucked the old brown teddy bear from the shelf, looking at it with doubt.
"What am I doing..? why am I getting attached again..?" he cursed himself. The misgivings had been eating at him for some time now. Ever since he'd agreed to enter the contest with Pinky.
/ It's treachery, that's what it is….you're a traitor Robbie.. !/ His heart screamed.
The tall man felt his strength leave him and he crumbled to the floor with his head in his hands. His mind in a turmoil of confusing emotions.
/Noel I'm so sorry I couldn't save you...and now with Stephanie...I feel as though I am somehow betraying you./ He sniffed, letting his sorrow flow through him, when suddenly he felt a phantom hand on his cheek.
"Don't cry Daddy..."a small voice whispered.
"Noel..?" He choked, looking at the small form in front of him.
"Daddy please don't be so sad. I'm still with you…. remember you always carry those you love with you in your heart."
Robbie was speechless, as a man of science he didn't believe in ghosts, but here in front of him was undeniable proof.
"Noel...I...I'm sorry" He stammered.
" I need you to do something for me ..." She smiled.
"Anything snowflake... anything you ask.." he gasped.
" Daddy...please laugh again, smile and play again like you used to do. I want you to live. You still have me... you'll always have me in your heart."
Robbie shook his head.
"No….Noel, you and I ...it was special ….what we had..."'
"… you have a chance to have something special again.." the little girl said.
"It won't be the same.." Robbie sighed.
"….so?" Noel giggled as she flitted about him." Who'd want everything to be the same…?"
Robbie was silent as he stared at the floor. " I ... I don't...know.."
Noel floated down to sit in Robbie's lap laying her head across his shoulder.
" Daddy... you were my best Christmas present ever... the father I needed. But now someone else needs you. Let someone love you again." She said.
Robbie felt a feather light kiss on his cheek, and suddenly his eyes grew heavy.
" Wha..? what's ...wait.." he struggled to stay wake.
" I have to go now Daddy" Noel said, softly drifting slowly from his grasp " ...I'll always love you."
"Noel ! please ...don't go... don't go !"
Robbie shot awake blinking rapidly. He was laying on his side on the floor by the fireplace. Picking himself up he rubbed his temples, wondering what had just transpired.
"…was it all just a dream..?" he thought. Pulling his hand away he started with surprise noticing for the first time he was holding a red ribbon in his grasp.
" Where did that come from..?"
"Meow"
Robbie jumped at the noise, there at his feet was the tuxedo kitten looking up at him. "Where do you keep coming from..?" He muttered, running his hand through his hair.
With a meow the kitten pounced at him.
"Hey wait, get back here you, give that back !" Robbie cried as the kitten dashed up the steps and out the door, the red ribbon in its jaws.
Robbie flung the door open, looking about in the blinding white of the snow covered landscape.
/Where'd it go..?/ He glanced around the billboard, but the kitten had quite disappeared.
"Hmmph.." he snorted.
"Robbie .." Stephanie called, her breath billowing before her, as she caught up to him by the billboard
" Hey Pinky..." he said glancing over the fields.
" Hey...I …I…..haven't seen you much since we got back to town the other day..."
"Well ...things got a bit hectic….I don't do crowds much.." Robbie replied.
"Yeah..of course not.." She replied, kicking at the snow with her boot, the silence becoming awkward.
" Look Pinky, I should probably get going… things to do and all…" The man replied uncomfortably.
" Robbie…wait.. " The young girl struggled for the right words. "I just wanted to say… to tell you … Thank you, for everything… not just for being my partner in the talent show . You're a great skating partner and I'm looking forward to the contest.…..but when the talent show's over …after Christmas…."
Robbie glanced away staring at the ground. / I know after X-mas it's back to being ignored and shunned back to being the bad guy…. the "villain" again…/
" It's ok Pinky… I know …" he sighed.
She looked at him "No I don't think you do…Robbie." The tall man gave her a curious glance.
"Robbie…I… I don't want things to go back... like they were before…" She said in a small voice. "I don't want to just forget all that happened….." The man looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Come on Pinky...lets ….lets go inside...have a hot chocolate.." He replied. Inside he poured two steaming cups and took a seat at the table.
"I think it's fair to say we both know we can't replace what the other has lost, kiddo . You'll never be Noel" he stated bluntly, looking at her over the rim of his cup.
" I know...and you'll never be my Dad.." She replied placing her own cup down on the table and looking him in the eye. "... but ….but maybe we have something else. It's not what we had... it won't be like before... it's different... but …it's here... we're here..." she said.
" You and me huh..? He grinned.
"Ya.." she said softly. " I like you Robbie, I like being with you and doing things together..…just… just don't be a stranger ok.."
"I won't" He promised.
" We can still go skating, and in the summer .. we can go exploring in the forest, maybe even camping…. or a picnic" She said hopefully. Robbie smiled warmly thinking back to days spent frolicking with a different little girl.
/….someone else needs you. Let someone love you again.../ He smiled.
"I'd like that ...Stephanie."
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To Be Continued...