(A/N: I still can't believe how long this story is! It's got more than I expected to put in! Let's get this chapter started and see what's going to happen now!)
It was late November in the city of Petropolis. Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and the T.U.F.F. agents were hard at work, putting the bad guys behind bars. Now they wouldn't be able to cause trouble on Thanksgiving, and the citizens could be thankful for that. Say, let's head on over to T.U.F.F. and check up on agents!
Well, it was actually time for the agents to go home, and it was the night before Thanksgiving.
"Man, I wish we could spend the holiday together. I hate being away from you for long." Dudley said to Kitty.
"I know, Dudley, but I thought you'd be happy about tomorrow. You know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and that brings a feast that you'd enjoy more than the Grinch would." Kitty reminded him.
"It'd be more fun if I could spend it with you. I'd be thankful for that, because I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful to have you in my life." Dudley said as he hugged Kitty.
"I'm thankful to have you in my life, too, Dudley. I'm gonna miss you during our time off, but maybe we'll see each other over the weekend, and you and Bruce can help me and Katrina with video games." Kitty told him, returning the hug.
Bruce and Katrina were also finding it difficult to leave the other's side.
"Is there anything you're thankful for, Bruce?" Katrina asked Bruce.
"Yeah. I'm thankful for the fact that I've finally worked up the courage to do something I've been wanting to do for a while now." said Bruce.
"Courage? But you're so brave when we go out and stop bad guys who are bent on destroying the world... and us. Why do you need courage?" Katrina asked.
"So I can do this." Bruce said, and with that last word no more than spoken, he pulled Katrina into his arms and kissed her on the lips.
Katrina was surprised when she realized what Bruce was doing, and she practically melted into his arms right there on the spot.
A few minutes later, the kiss ended.
"Oh, Brucie..." Katrina swooned.
"What?" Bruce asked, surprised.
"Katrina, you shouldn't have done that..." Dudley said.
"Why? What's wrong?" Kitty asked.
"Bruce doesn't like being called-" Dudley started, but he was interrupted when Bruce said, "Actually, Dudley, she can call me 'Brucie' if she wants to."
"What?! But you hate being called-" Dudley tried again, but Bruce once again interrupted, saying, "No, it's okay if Katrina does it."
"He hates when Mom calls him 'Brucie', yet he says that it's okay for Katrina to do that. What is he saying?" Dudley asked Kitty in a whisper.
"Keep listening, and we might hear why." Kitty whispered, although she had a pretty good idea as to why Bruce felt the way he did.
"What's going on?" Katrina asked, snapping out of her stupor.
"It took courage to kiss you like that. I'm hoping you might have figured out why I did that." Bruce said.
"Are you saying...?" Katrina started.
"I love you, Katrina baby. I wouldn't have kissed you like that if I didn't love you. I've never kissed a girl the way I did you." Bruce said, still holding Katrina close to him.
"Brucie say what?" Katrina asked, looking surprised.
"I love you." Bruce told her.
"You do?" Katrina asked, eyes wide.
"Yes." Bruce replied.
"You really mean it?!" Katrina almost shrieked.
"You'd better believe it." Bruce smiled.
"Well, then. Letting you know that I'm thankful to have someone amazing like you in my life is my way of telling you that I love you, too. More than my own life." Katrina replied sweetly, meaning every word.
"Then I guess we're thankful that we've found love at last." Bruce said.
"Yeah. That's true." said Katrina.
"Guys, happy as Dudley and I are to see you two end up together, we've gotta go home." Kitty said. She was already in the car, and Dudley was waiting for Bruce.
"One sec!" Katrina said to her sister. She turned back to Bruce and gave him a quick kiss and said, "I hope to see you during the weekend."
"Looking forward to it, my love." Bruce said before kissing her back.
Then Katrina got in the car with Kitty, and Dudley and Bruce got in their own car. Then they all drove home.
The next day was Thanksgiving, and the Katswell twins went to their mother's house for the feast. And when it was time to eat, Mrs. Katswell asked her daughters what they were thankful for.
"I'm thankful to be back in Petropolis." Kitty said.
"What about your husband? I thought he'd be here with you." Mrs. Katswell said, looking a little concerned.
"Yeah... About that..." Kitty started. She felt stupid for not telling her mom, but she knew her mom would not be amused once she found out that the marriage didn't work out.
"Don't tell me you and him got a divorce! How long were you kids married, anyway?" Mrs. Katswell asked, clearly unhappy.
"Only 3 months. But we shouldn't have gotten married in the first place. We knew nothing about one another, and the royal life was a royal pain in the you-know-where." Kitty said.
"Well, I'm surprised you were married for more than a month, but you are right. Marrying someone you don't even know can't always be a good thing." Mrs. Katswell said. Then she turned to Katrina and asked, "So, what are you thankful for, Katrina?"
"For Brucie..." Katrina replied with a dreamy expression on her face.
"Who?" Mrs. Katswell asked.
"Brucie. He's partners with me, Kitty, and Dudley. In fact, he's Dudley's older brother, and my boyfriend. He's an amazing guy, and I can't imagine my life without him. And we told each other we loved each other before we left work the other day." Katrina said.
"So you found someone to love, and he loves you in return. That's wonderful." Mrs. Katswell replied. Then she told them that she was thankful that 2 of her daughters were doing something useful with their lives.
"I thought you liked Katty better." Kitty said bitterly, thinking about how their mother would compare her to Katty.
"I did, but she keeps getting herself thrown in jail, and that's not good. I should be proud of the two of you. You two go out every day and keep the city safe, and that's a good thing." Mrs. Katswell said, which made Kitty and Katrina smile and give their mother a hug.
At Dudley's house, Dudley was watching the football games, trying hard not to think about how much he missed Kitty, but it wasn't easy. Especially when it was time for the feast, and Dudley's mom called him to the table.
"Coming, Kitty. I mean, MOM!" Dudley said, proving that Kitty was still on his mind.
"What did you call me?" Peg asked.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I know that Kitty's been back in Petropolis for months, but she's always on my mind. And she's one of the things I'm thankful for." Dudley said.
"Apology accepted, Dudley. By the way, what other things are you thankful for?" Peg asked.
"You and Bruce, of course." Dudley said.
"You're a good boy, Dudley." Peg replied, giving her son a hug.
"Thanks, Mom." Dudley said, returning the hug.
Then Peg asked Bruce what he was thankful for.
"For my baby..." Bruce replied.
"Your what?" Peg asked, wondering exactly what Bruce meant.
"My girl, Katrina. I finally got the courage to tell her that I love her before we left work." Bruce said.
"You have a girlfriend now?! What is she like? Is she pretty, and smart, with a good job?" Peg asked. She hadn't heard much about Katrina lately, and so forgot about her.
"You bet! Here's her picture." Bruce said, pulling up a picture of Katrina on his phone and handing it to Peg to look at.
"Hmm... she looks a lot like the girl Dudley was thinking about marrying..." Peg said, looking at Katrina.
"Mom, Kitty and I weren't really getting married. It was a trap for the bad guys so they'd stop stealing wedding presents." Dudley said.
"And like I said, both Kitty and Katrina are pretty, and smart, and they both work at T.U.F.F., which is where Dudley and I work, and being a secret agent is a good job." Bruce said.
"I guess I can't argue with you there, Brucie. Your girlfriend is kinda pretty..." Peg said.
"Mom, I told you to stop calling me 'Brucie'! And secondly, Katrina's more than 'kinda' pretty; she's the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on!" Bruce said.
"And he still doesn't complain if Katrina's the one calling him 'Brucie'. Then again, he's in love." Dudley said to himself.
"Okay. But you're also right about your jobs. You're good at what you do, and you keep the city, sometimes even the world, safe. I won't complain." Peg said.
"Thanks, Mom." Dudley and Bruce said.
"As for me, I'm thankful for my two handsome boys. Now come give your mom a hug." Peg said.
Unable to deny their mom, Dudley and Bruce did as she said.
"Can we eat now?" Dudley asked, looking at the food in order to get his mind off of Kitty.
"Sure." Peg smiled.
Okay, I felt like I needed a sweet chapter like this since I was still mad about the KittyXEric stuff I had to write early on in the fic, and now I feel good. There should be DudleyXKitty stuff on the way, so stay tuned!