Save for whomever and whatever I came up with myself, I own none of the characters or elements in this story, which belong to DreamWorks Animation and Ted Key and Jay Ward.
Sherman held a picture.
It didn't look like much, considering the slight bend in the upper left corner and the tiny tear diagonal from it—the direct result of Mr. Jameson and the photographer getting into a fight over the cost since "no picture should hafta gouge someone like a freakin' ice cream scoop, you straight up scam artist!"
A suppressed laugh echoed in the boy's throat. Keanu had not been having a good day at the time, so Peabody had figured—erroneously, it later turned out, much to the genius's dismay—that a trip to the park would combat the slump exacerbated by the bipolarity.
Needless to say, the park got a restraining order against them after that. Keanu made a point to smile proudly at every mention of it.
That only made the memory even sweeter in Sherman's opinion.
One could not deny the little boy and two dogs' jubilant smiles in the photo or the way they affectionately clung to each other despite the smaller dog's apparent bewilderment and the various dirt/grass stains that spotted both clothes and fur alike.
Sherman shifted his view over to the direction in which his other father had gone shortly after returning from work alongside Mr. Jameson. The beagle said something about 'looking into some off-to-the-side research'. Normally that in itself would not be unusual; several of the inventions Mr. Peabody concocted over the years had been done during downtime, after all.
The looks he'd tossed at Keanu just prior to leaving—that had caught Sherman's attention. What Peabody hoped to discover, Sherman could not fathom and his gut instinct dictated Keanu was in the same boat, so it'd be best to just hang around until Ms. Leilani arrived.
'I wonder how Keanu's doing.'
Seemingly on cue, faint ukulele strums reminiscent of Leona Lewis's "How Everything You Are" streamed in from the kitchen. Sherman turned his head in that direction to discover Keanu sitting on a stool just behind the breakfast bar that marked the kitchen/living room boundary, the ebony canine lost in his music-making as verified by his intent downcast eyes, absorbed in the crisp simple tunes while his trancelike focus left no hint to his inner emotions in this silent reprieve.
This impressed Sherman considering how open-booked the terrier usually tended to be. 'I guess those lessons with Mr. Peabody are really starting to pay off.'
"But it's not that I don't care...and it's not that I don't wanna share..."
"Keanu?"
"Hmm?" The addressed broke out of his trancelike singing and fixed his son with patient expectant regard. "Yeah, little guy?"
"Do you think...," Sherman fiddled with the picture, "do you think Pearl will able to help?"
"Ya don't believe in her?"
The ginger shook his head. "It's not that. She and you used to be in love, so I think she really cares about what happens to you. It's just..."
A finger tilted his chin up, his eyes meeting the one trait he and Keanu shared despite their lack of blood relation.
"Then we just find another way. A Peabody never gives up."
"What about a Jameson?"
"They half-ass their way through with mayhem."
Sherman giggled. "Language, Mr. Jameson."
That same finger pushed the boy's head down like a button; Keanu's face looked convincingly serious. "Hey, I am not about ta euphemize an essential truth. Shit happens, just like J.R. Ward said in Lover Mine. Besides," his solemnity melted into an adorably idiotic grin, "that's what adds spice to life."
What little tension remained in the air evaporated, a round of laughter permeating it now as the ginger-haired boy and goofball terrier shared a hug that perfectly summarized their hope for the future, unaware of a pair of verdant eyes watching on with nothing short of love and relief.
Mr. Peabody, for all his usual confidence, had spent the last half-hour struggling to find a hint, much less a definite solution, capable of resolving this entire matter. The search did not come up short, per say; on the other hand, it did not bear much promise either. If anything, the beagle realized the full depth of what he and his family were contending with. This was beyond any calculation or experimental testing; it was organic, a problem seated in fields a scientist might have balked at.
Then again, science in itself was not narrow-minded. It could react, could grow, and most importantly could adapt. That was simply part of its nature...just like with this family.
'This beautiful, beautiful family.' He carefully cut the tender moment off with a gentle yet audible ahem. Once he obtained the attention of four curious orange eyes, Peabody gestured a hand to the kitchen. "Would you like to prepare some tea for everyone, Keanu? You always did brew up a mean green tea."
Because judging by the cryptic answer Pearl ended their earlier conversation with, Peabody had a feeling they'd be needing a lot of the beverage.
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Keanu was enjoying himself right now. Very, very much.
Okay granted, he ought to feel some sympathy for Pearl at the moment and, to be honest, he didn't mean any malice in finding amusement in the poor woman's predicament. He just found this too humorous a moment to pass up. 'It's not every day I get ta see someone else go through our kid's zest fest.'
A slight exaggeration, as Keanu was prone to. The boy was energetic but not a firecracker like Penny. Still Sherman could be a real handful at times due to his curiosity. Seated on the plushy red chair in front of the sofa occupied by Mr. Peabody and his son (Keanu was in the kitchen, pouring in the hot water for the tea), their visitor looked perfectly lost for words as the fascinated boy calmly yet insistently fired question after question at her.
"Can you really make volcanos explode then?"
"Uh..."
"Does that mean you have friends who are gods, too?"
"Ur..."
"Wait, doesn't that mean you could be a superhero if you wanted to?"
"W...Well—"
"Sherman," gently admonished Peabody, who accepted a cup of tea with a dash of lemon (his favorite) from Keanu, though there was no mistaking the slight smirk on the prodigy's face as well, "I understand your interest but please do give our guest a bit of space."
The ginger obediently did so; he put his hands in his lap and gave the lanky Polynesian woman an apologetic face "Yes Mr. Peabody. Sorry, Ms. Leilani."
Pearl blinked once before offering an unsure smile. Children were evidently not her strong point. "Uh, no problem. To answer all your questions at once: no, I can't do that anymore, I have no friends who are, used to be, and hopefully will never be gods, and lastly, while I don't have any superpowers, I do have certain talents that distinguish me from other people."
Sherman perked at that last part, as did his dads to a lesser extent. "Like what?"
Pearl crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. "Like for instance," she nodded her head, "I'm particularly good at seeing flaws in nonliving objects: buildings, vehicles, artwork, landforms etc. One look and I instantly know which could fall apart and needs reinforcement." She smirked a little. "A ton of architects have even asked me for help with their projects."
'Ah, so that explains her acing some of her classes.' Mr. Peabody hummed, impressed. He could recall Pearl aiming for a degree in Architecture back then—and doing quite well at that. Apparently being an ex-goddess in tune with the structural integrity of the planet had its benefits.
'Hmm, that's got me thinking...' Keanu put a hand to his chin before asking in an interested tone, "So I'm guessing...?"
"That it's the same way with..." Pearl continued for the terrier, already knowing the question, only to pause and scrunch her face up in uncertainty. She twirled a finger at the ebony dog in a 'help-me-out-here' fashion. "Uh, what exactly is your special talent?"
"My 'super-duper daydream mode'?" Keanu chuckled at her bemused countenance, as did Peabody and Sherman. The terrier put his hands up in playful surrender. "Hey that's my name for the patent. Sue me. Don't know what it has to do with being a pig-man version of Moses, but I'll take what I've got."
Thoughtfully Pearl put a thumb to her chin. "True. Maybe it wasn't your past self's powers that decided it but his personality and experiences." At the others' inquisitive stares, she elaborated. "What I mean is Kama Pua'a is a child at heart, just like you. No one ever gave him the love he craved, so maybe your talent is a manifestation of his wish to escape from his lonely reality."
Keanu mused with wistful sigh. 'That sounds familiar alright. My life's not always a bowl of cherries either. Then again, whose is?' A hug on his left arm and a furry presence on his lap revived his optimism. 'What counts is what you make it to be, just like mom would say.' Returning Sherman's hug and wrapping his other arm around Peabody, Keanu faced Pearl with a sincere smile. "For what it's worth, I hope he can feel what I feel. That's why I think it's time we cut to the chase. Poor guy's been on his own long enough."
Peabody nodded in agreement, his face somber as he put down his teacup onto a coaster on the table between his family and Pearl. "Could you enlighten us as to why the aquatic phenomenon as of late connects to Keanu's...," he stole a look over his shoulder at the terrier as if half-expecting him to shapeshift again, "situation?"
Pearl heaved a heavy sigh. "Honestly, Peabody? I'm not sure the exact way this works either. When it started happening to me, all I was told was that the sooner I came to terms with who I am, the better off my second life would be."
"And who told you that?" inquired Sherman.
Opening her mouth at first as if to answer, Pearl stopped herself, seeming to think better of it, before taking a deep breath. At Peabody and Jameson's suspicious looks and Sherman's concerned stare, her exhale carried an air of guilt. "I'm sorry. It's...not my place to disclose that information. I'd be in trouble for just being here." Her eyes grew mischievous. "For example, I shouldn't say that Keanu's right: Kama Pua'a has been carrying a lot of baggage throughout his life, and judging by what you guys described so far, I'd say it's high time for that baggage to be settled once and for all."
All at once, Peabody felt a sudden bizarre amalgam of fear and hope. On the one hand, he would gladly appreciate and support any attempt intended to help Keanu come to terms with himself; on the other, worrisome thoughts deluged his mind. Strong-willed as the terrier was, the beagle had seen enough over the years to recognize that even someone as resilient as Jameson had their limits. Peabody willed these thoughts away immediately, knowing it'd be best to take a page out of Keanu's book. Pessimism would serve no use in this situation.
Calling upon his natural calm, Peabody steepled his fingers and leaned his elbows onto the table, all the while fixing upon the Hawaiian woman a stern gaze. "I question the tactics of your superiors regarding their attitude towards this situation. It brings to question what they'd hope to gain from all this and judging by your being here, I take it would not be in Keanu's best interest to concede to their demands. So tell us; how do you propose we settle said baggage?"
Pearl released a huff of air. "It'll be a little complicated from what I can remember of it because Pele had trouble trusting me at first. The time she first interacted with me coincided with my time on the Mauna Loa project, so she did not take my interference with her volcano well. Kama won't be as bad because Keanu's had a support system for most of his life. It was harder for me since I wasn't as fortunate in that regard."
Keanu almost made to ask yet refrained, feeling that might be too personal.
"Anyway," Pearl continued, "I guess I don't have to tell you that the link between you and the ocean is a joint effect, right?" Keanu nodded. "Then you can call out Kama so he can experience your life firsthand. Don't worry, you'll still be all you. Your past and present lives will simply become more coherent. Once that happens and Kama fully integrates into you, his powers will be forfeit to nature and the oceans and rain return to normal."
With a heavy sigh, the terrier rubbed his nape. "Yeah about that. I've been getting some second thoughts that I swear aren't mine. Any ideas on how ta lure the big guy out?"
"I believe I have the solution," Peabody immediately spoke up as he turned towards his mate, "Keanu, do you remember how you and I would play Hide and Seek as puppies?"
The ebony dog good-naturedly scoffed. "How could I not? I could never win against you. And the only way you could ever get me to come out of hiding was imitating my favorite cartoon characters." He chuckled at his own childhood gullibility...only to freeze in realization then regard the smaller dog with wide eyes. "Hang on, you're not suggesting that..."
Peabody nodded firmly. "We mimic the voice of someone who elicits strong emotions in him. Fortunately," he trailed off as he pointedly turned his gaze towards the lone female in the room.
Quick as a whip, Pearl caught on and rolled her eyes. "Somehow I just knew it would come to this. Alright, Pele and I have more or less the same voice, so I'll give it a shot. Just don't sue me if this backfires."
Standing up then approaching the family with a purposeful stride, she faced Keanu and got to her knees so she and the terrier were eye to eye. Stare full of intent and mind calling on what memories she could gather from her past life, the Polynesian mentally sighed, 'Here goes hopefully something.'
"You are too powerful," she began in a faint yet powerful tone of voice, "I cannot be queen with someone who dwarfs my might at my side."
Peabody noticed the fingers of Keanu's left hand clench into a fist for a quick second. How odd. The beagle paid close attention to the other dog's entire body to catch any other telltale signs.
"Take to the valleys of Mohala and I will claim this region as my own," Pearl continued. In truth, the Polynesian was feeling more and more as if she were having an out-of-body experience; these words belonged to her, yes, yet not her-her. Difficult to explain and even more so to decipher her own feelings regarding it. "Perhaps one day, though, you will find someone with whom you can remain."
Sherman worriedly furrowed his brows at the tears he noticed leaving Keanu's eyes.
Pearl noticed as well and therefore hesitated. But only for a split moment. She had to take the plunge, her higher-ups be damned. 'I may have failed others before but I'm not about to fail you.'
With a deep breath, she spoke clear and true, "I am sorry."
All hell broke loose.
In the blink of an eye, Keanu leapt off the couch, Pearl managing to somehow shoot up and back away just in time to avoid being knocked over by the surprisingly infuriated dog, orange eyes burning with untold rage and hurt.
"Sorry? SORRY?! THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY, HUH?!" For every word, he marched closer and closer to Pearl, the woman holding her ground yet unable to hide the guilt in her eyes as she listened. "AFTER EVERYTHING I WENT THROUGH FOR YOU, EVERY SINGLE DAMN WOUND I LET YOU INFLICT ON ME, THIS IS ALL YOU GIVE ME IN RETURN?!"
Sherman could only watch in horror and sympathy at this drastic change in his father and best friend.
Peabody merely stared on, eyes unreadable.
"MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED BEING SO HIGH AND MIGHTY AND CLIMBED OFF OF YOUR LITTLE THRONE OF BLUSTER AND FUME FOR ONCE, YOU'D SEE JUST HOW LONELY POWER IS IN THE END!"
In the initial moments of silence, the being who looked and (for the most part) sounded like Keanu stood heaving and heaving his breath, eyes wild and satisfied as like those of a newly made alpha male.
Once reality began to sink in, however, his senses returned. The stares of everyone in the room, stares all focused on him, shrunk his pride in the blink of an eye. Slowly and with dread, his eyes shifted downward and grew wide at what they discovered: his hands and feet now cloven, three digits for each. He did not have to feel for the familiar bones protruding from beneath his nose and fur-tipped tail wagging apprehensively behind him to know their presence.
A complete contrast to the souls around him. Why hadn't they left yet? Why hadn't anyone screamed yet? What were they waiting for?
Did he dare look anyone in the eye? No, the idea alone paralyzed him...until a smooth cultured voice pierced the brooding storm of his mind.
"A pleasure to meet you, Kama Pua'a."
