Behind the Scenes
A fanfic by Artiques14
This story is my interpretation of the Warners life outside of television and how they really are in real life. We'll learn about the origins of the Warners and their family, and learn what happened during the production of Animaniacs.
I do not own Animaniacs, nor did I create it. All rights go to their rightful owners. I'm writing this story for my own fun, and for the enjoyment of others.
Well, I guess that's all I have to say for now. I hope you enjoy this story.
The perfect gift
september 12 1985
The mall wasn't particularly busy today, in fact, the mall was practically empty. True, it was Thursday, most people were working, but you would think the mall would be more populated.
A woman with dark long hair, short pointy ears, and a long tail walked down the hall hallway. She was with her nephew, on a shopping trip to the mall to buy a small gift for her sister.
He was looking away from her. She was started to get worried that her nephew was getting disinterested. She hoped not, he was so excited earlier that day when she came over.
Her sister had been quite sad recently after she found out that she was pregnant with her second child. Arenia tried telling her sister that evreything would be fine, but she just wouldn't listen. Ellenia would just keep worrying about this. Arenia figured the best thing she could do was to get her sister a present. Something to at least bring a smile to her face.
The boy looked to his right at the various shops aligned across the wall. He was feeling disappointed, he thought they were finding a present for his mom. He thought back to what his aunt said in the car.
We're looking for a present for your mom, she had told him, try thinking of something special you want to buy for her.
He didn't quite understand what she meant by that, his mom's birthday was in February, and it was the middle of September. Even though he was only starting to understand the concept of time, he knew that was a long time apart.
And they hadn't really found anything the whole time they were there. The only thing they bought was a card, with flowers on the cover, and a pink envelope for the card. But other than that, they didn't buy anything special for his mom.
Feeling dissatisfied, he tugged on his aunt's shirt to get her attention.
She stopped walking, she nearly fell from the sudden jerk. She looked down at him, rubbed his head.
"What is it bud", she asked.
"We been walking for a long time, and we haven't found gift for Mommy".
"What about the card we got"?
"That isn't good enough", he quickly replied.
"What do you mean", his aunt asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"We didn't find anything special".
His aunt glared at him, tilting her head slightly.
"We found something Yakko", she told him," Remember the card we bought at that one store we went to? You know, the one with all the flowers on it"?
Yakko remembered the card they bought. He picked it out himself. but he didnt feel that was enough.
"Mommy need more, auntie", Yakko told his aunt," auntie Arenia take me to more stores"!
"Yakko, bud, its getting late. The mall is gonna be closing soon. A card should be enough, lets just leave, ok"?
He became very upset at that moment. He frowned, squinting his eyes. He was starting to shut down.
"No auntie", Yakko whined," We go to more stores!! Card not enough!! Mommy wont like it"!!
He collapsed onto the floor, putting his hands over his eyes, balling into his hands. He felt his aunt kneel down in front of him. He couldn't see it, but he felt that she was doing it.
His aunt Arenia took his hands off of his face. He could hardly make out his aunt from his teary eyes. His eyes were so wet that she looked like a blob
"Please don't cry bud", she said in a soothing tone," there's no reason to be sad".
Yakko stopped crying, he looked up at his aunt. Tears were still coming out of his eyes, the fur on his face was damp from all the crying.
"What do you mean"?
"It means that there's no concrete reason to be crying".
"Yeah, but what does it mean"?
He heard his aunt sigh.
"Look, you don't have to go all out on a fancy gift. You don't have to worry if she won't like what you get her. It's a gift, and it came from you".
She pressed her finger against his nose, which made Yakko giggle a little bit.
"Do you really think she will?", He asked.
"Of course, your mom will love whatever you get her".
Feeling better, Yakko put his arms around his aunt, giving her a hug. Arenia put her arms around her nephew. She kissed him on the cheek. Yakko laughed, he loved being kissed on the cheek. It always made him feel better.
"Now come one", Arenia said," It's about time we get home".
She broke the hug, and stretched up off the floor. Yakko took her hand, and they continued walking down the long hallway.
Though Yakko felt better about the card he had picked out for his Mom, he still felt like something was missing. He wanted to find something more special than a card, something that his mom never expected. He looked around at the shops surrounding him, though he saw nothing that he thought was special. Though, if he couldn't find anything else, then a card would have to do.
He looked over at his aunt, for no particular reason. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something.
"Look Auntie, Look!!" Arenia heard a small little voice shout.
Next thing she knew, Yakko detached from her and ran to the storefront of a jewelry store. Wondering what had triggered her nephew to be so excited, Arenia ran after Yakko.
She saw Yakko smeared his face on the glass, hands placed on the window. Arenia saw that he was staring at a necklace, made up of diamond beads. A silver heart was placed at the tip of the necklace, it had writing on it reading I love you forever and ever.
She pointed to the necklace.
"Is this what you're looking at", she asked him.
Yakko took his hands off the glass and looked at her. He was wearing a huge grin on his face.
He nooded his head, "Yes!! Can we get it Auntie? can we, can we!?"
Arenia nodded, "Of course sweetie, that necklace looks beautiful."
Yakko then suddenly bolted away from her into the jewelry store. It was the second time her nephew had shocked her that day.
Toddlers really are unpredictable aren't they, Arenia thought to herself.
Arenia followed her nephew into the store. Hopefully he didn't go too far as this was a jewelry store they were going into. Toddlers are prone to breaking stuff, even if it's on accident. The last thing she wanted to do was spend hundreds of dollars on replacing broken items.
When she entered the store, she saw a young, human toon with blond hair reading a magazine. The women looked up, and smeared her and Yakko.
"Can I help you?", the woman said in a tired voice.
"Yeah I saw a necklace in the window, and I wanted to know if it was for sale"?
"Yeah, you wanna buy it".
Arenia nodded.
The employee sniffed, and aggressively got off the stool she was sitting on. She then slowly walked over to the display, whispering under her breath.
Yakko was anxiously standing by the register, he was still wearing a huge grin on his face, he felt very pleased with himself.
He then saw his aunt approach him, she too was wearing a smile on her face. She rubbed his head, something that Yakko always enjoys.
"You picked out a beautiful present bud", she said," your mom is going to love it".
"Will she kiss me"?
Arenia chuckled, and shrugged her shoulders.
"Mabey".
The employee soon came back, holding the necklace in her hand. She slouched back in the stool, she almost fell over.
Yakko watched as the employee put the necklace in a small box, then put it into a small, plastic bag. The cashier handed the bag over to Arenia, and she gave the bag over to him.
Yakko felt like he was on top of the world at that moment, he had found the perfect present for his mom. He loved his mom more than anything in the world, she would always give him hugs and kisses. He knew the importance of showing his appreciation for everything she does for him.
He had only recently learned the word, appreciation, to show someone you care about them. His mom was so proud of him when he first used the word in front of her. he felt very smart.
"That'll be $16.45", the cashier said.
Yakko watched as Arenia dug through her purse, and pulled out a small pink wallet. She dug around in there, and pulled out some cash and gave it to the cashier. The cashier grabbed the money and put it in the cash register in a careless manner, almost closing her hand into the register.
After she was done, his aunt then took his hand and they started heading out of the store.
"Thank you for shopping at Big Lips Jewelry Store", the cashier groaned," I hope you come aga… oh forget it, I hate this job"!!
The cashier aggressively took off her name tag and threw it on the ground. She then started ranting about how much she hated her job. Luckily, they got out of there before she could insult them.
"Attention customers, the mall will be closing shortly." a voice said on the intercom."Please make your way towards the exit. Thank you for shopping with us tonight."
Yakko grinned as he walked with his aunt, holding the present bag in his hand. He was proud to have found the gift all by himself. He couldn't wait to give it to his mom when he got home, he knew it would be a lot better than a flimsy card.
Mommy will be happy, Yakko thought to himself. Mommy will hug me and kiss me..
His thoughts were interrupted all of a sudden, when something caught his eye. Yakko's moved his eyes to a huge, magnificent fountain in the distance. It was impossible to miss, as the fountain was at the center of the mall, right as you walk in.
Without further thinking, Yakko let go of his aunt's hand and darted towards the glorious fountain.
"Yakko!? Yakko, get back here!" He heard his aunt say as she ran behind him.
Yakko ran up to the edge of the fountain, he looked up to see water splashing high up into the air. He thought the fountain was beautiful, it was his favorite part of going to the mall. He'd always loved making a wish at the fountain.
Yakko Warner, what do you think you're doing"!!
Yakko froze, he knew that tone very well. It was the tone that adults use to scold their children. He slowly turned around to find his aunt standing behind him. She had her hands on her hips, her eyebrows crossed on her face. Yakko's heart was racing, for he knew he was in trouble...again.
"What were you thinking, Yakko. Why'd you run off like that?"
"I just want to make wish," he said honestly.
Yakko saw her press her hand against her face, not a good sign.
"We can't, sweetie," Arenia said." The mall will be closing soon. We have to go now."
"But why!?" Yakko whined. "I just want to make a wish, auntie!!"
"I'm sorry, maybe another day, ok"?
Yakko pouted, scrunching up his face. He stomped his left on the floor as he formed his hands into little fists. He always hated when adults would tell him no when he asked for something.
"I want to make a wish!!" he whined. "Please Auntie, it won't take long. It's just a wish!" Yakko made a sad, puppy-eyed look on his face.
Arenia smirked, she shook her head. She stayed silent for a while. It looked as if his plan was working.
She sighed, " Ok fine. But make it very quick, we don't have a lot of time".
Works every time.
Yakko had pretty much mastered the art of convincing. His aunt was quite a push over, it was easy to make her do what he wanted. He could never do this with his parents. His parents would've slapped him, or sent him to his room if he did this.
That was one of the perks of having an aunt, they were always chill, and more laid-back than parents would ever be.
"Thank you Auntie," Yakko said to his aunt cheerfully.
"My pleasure, kiddo," Arenia told him.
Yakko watched as his aunt pulled a nickel from behind her back. Yakko was always fascinated when his aunt pulled objects from behind her back, it would always bring a smile to his face.
he took the nickel from her hand, then he turned towards the fountain. He thought for a second of a wish, but nothing came across his mind at that moment. Knowing that his aunt would rush him if he didn't act quick enough, he threw the nickel into the fountain without making a wish.
The nickel splashed as it collided with the water, some water even got on Yakko, he laughed a little.
Alright bud, you made your wish, now let's go"!
Yakko jumped off the fountain back onto solid ground. He nearly tripped over, the short distance from the fountain to the floor was longer than he thought.
"You ok bud", Arenia asked.
"Yup", Yakko replied as he nodded his head.
He took his aunt's hand, and they started walking away from the fountain. His mistake actually paid off as the fountain was located right behind where the fountain was. The automatic doors opened as Yakko and his aunt exited the mall.
It was cool outside, a gentle breeze brushed across the parking lot. The sun was setting to the west of the mall, the western horizon was coated in a dark orange color.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the car. Arenia opened the door for Yakko, he climbed inside. He struggled to pull himself up, but he managed to climb into the seat after a few tries.
A little while later, Arenia got in the car, she placed the bag with the presents in the back seat of the car. Yakko grinned brightly, he was very excited.
"Well you look happy," Arenia said," Are you excited to give your mom your presents"?
"Yes auntie, I can't wait!!" Yakko screamed in excitement.
His aunt smiled as she took the car keys out of her purse and shoved it into the keyhole. The car engine roared and the vehicle starting vibrating slightly. She put her foot on the clutch, and shortly afterwards, the vehicle started moving out of the parking space.
Yakko looked out the window as his aunt droce down the large parking lot of the mall. lampposts shined brightly across the lot as it was practically dark outside now. He felt tired, he knew that his bedtime was soon. But the excitement inside him was keeping him from falling asleep.
The drive back to Yakko's house took only about a few minutes. Arenia stopped the car once she pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park. She unbuckled her seatbelt, then Yakko's, before exiting the car. She came around to let her eager nephew out of the car, he came bolting out as soon as she opened the door.
She came back into the car and reached into the backseat to get the presents. She then came back out, closing and locking the car door.
"I'm guessing you want to hold this", Arenia said as she handed Yakko the bag.
As expected, he took the bag as soon as it was put in front of him, he was that excited.
Yakko couldn't wait to see the reaction on his mom's face when he gave her the necklace.
He ran up to the door and knocked, waiting for an answer. Arenia caught up to her nephew and stood beside him.
A creek came from the door as it opened. Behind the door was his dad, wearing a blue button down shirt and brown khakis, smoking a cigarette. He looked like an adult version of Yakko, he had a long neck and oval head, tall curved shaped ears, and a black and white color palette. The only difference they had is that he had a much shorter tail than him.
"There's my boy", he said as he held his arms out.
Yakko ran up to him and gave him a hug around the waist. His dad patted his head.
"What you got in the bag?"he asked.
"Its for Mommy, where is she"?
"The living room, though she's napping, so don't run up to her".
Yakko pushed past his dad's legsand ran through the hallway to the living room. He saw his mom sitting on the couch, she was wearing red pajamas, watching TV. She too looked very similar to Yakko with a black and white color palette, and a long tail. Though she had short, triangular ears, a round head, and had a shorter snout than he and his dad.
His mom looked sort of like his Aunt. He never knew why, but he guessed it was no more than just a coincidence.
She looked up from the couch at her son, she had a big smile on her face.
"Hi sweetie", she said as Yakko ran up to her.
Yakko hugged his mom, she ruffled his head.
"What you got there", she asked, looking at the bag.
"It's for you".
"Really, thank you", she said as she took the bag from her son.
First she looked at the card, on the inside Yakko wrote, to Mommy , love Yakko. He drew some hearts next to where he wrote it.
"Awww thank you so much".
Yakko grinned, his aunt was right, his mom loved the card that they had bought.
He tried to hold back his excitment as his mom opened the box with the necklace inside of it. Her jaw dropped when she saw the bright golden necklace inside the box. Yakko grinned, giggling in excitment.
Yakko watched as his mom carefully lifted the precious necklace out of the box. She put it around her neck, Yakko thought it looked beautiful on her.
"Thank you so much Yakko", she said, " your such a sweetheart".
She kissed him on the head. Yakko beamed as bright as the sun, he felt so good about what he did for his mom.
His mom then laid down on the couch, Yakko hopped up onto the couch afterward, and laid beside her. She smiled weakly at him, trying to look happy. But Yakko knew she was not. Her smile was forced, and her eyes read of sadness. It made him wonder if his mom was really happy, or if that's what she wanted him to think.
He laid his head on his mom's belly.
"Where is baby", he asked.
"Baby is there Yakko, you just can't hear him".
A little while ago, Yakko's mom had told him that she would be having a baby. She said that he would have a little brother soon, someone to play with, someone to look after. He would be a big brother to his baby sibling.
Yakko didn't really understand what being a big brother meant. He imagined that his brother would look just like him, act like him too. He and his brother could play with all of his toys together.
He stayed quiet, and listened for a while, hoping he would hear at least something. After a couple of minutes, he heard a very tiny bump come from his mom's belly.
His head jerked upwards, he had a surprised look on his face. He then started jumping up and down on the couch in excitement.
"I heard my baby brother!!" he announced to his mom," I heard him, I heard him!!"
"That sure was your brother, alright," his mom said to him.
Yakko sat back down on the couch, he laid his head on his mother's chest. His mom put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer to her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"When am I going to be a big brother", Yakko asked.
"Don't worry, your little brother is going to be due very soon. About two weeks from now, actually".
Yakko suddenly remembered he aunt's discussion about days of the week. He remembered that day being VERY boring. Yakko hated learning, he always did.
A week has seven days, his aunt had told him. So if you add 77, then two weeks is fourteen days.
As much as Yakko hated to admit it, his aunt's talk about days of the week sort of helped him, in a way. If it weren't for that lesson about days of the week, he wouldn't have known how long before his brother would be born. But still, Yakko hated learning.
Suddenly, Yakko had the urge to ask his mom some questions about being a big brother. True, he was excited, but he was also nervous. Mostly, he was confused.
"Mommy,'' Yakko asked.
"Yes sweetheart", she replied.
"What is being a big brother like"?
His mom pulled herself into a sitting position, she struggled some, but managed to do it. Yakko snuggled closer to his mom, resting his head against her lap. he felt his mom rub his head, Yakko loved when she would do that.
"Well actually, I was the youngest in the family, so I'm not quite sure what being the oldest is like," she told him. "That should be something you should talk about with auntie, ok"?
Yakko didn't understand practically anything his mom had just told him. Why did she want him to talk to his aunt about this? He sighed, he wanted to ask his mom another question, but decided not to. Besides, it sounded like his mom was tired.
OK Mommy", Yakko said.
"Yak, it's time to get ready for bed", Yakko heard his dad call from upstairs.
Yakko gave his mom one more hug before he left.
"I love you Mommy", Yakko said as he snuggled his head against her chest.
"Love you too".
His mom gave him one last kiss on the cheek, then Yakko jumped off the couch, and ran upstairs where his dad was waiting for him. He was happy, for it had been another great day. Most days were great, he always had fun playing with toys and spending time with his parents.
Yakko enjoyed being an only child. His parents were his entire universe, he didn't know what he would do without them. He was beyond excited for the arrival of his brother, another addition to the family.
End of Chapter 1