Chapter 14 - Best Short Story and Best Series

Once the song ended, Sharper then made his way back to the stage.

"And welcome back, everyone! We have ten more awards to go before we get to The Big One. But, first things first, our next presenter for the next award is a legend for making KP short stories...see what I did there!" He gave a wink of his right eye.

"Give it up for Michael aka Eddy13!"

The audience applauded as Eddy13 came up to the stage.

"Thank you!" Eddy13 said gatefully, "It's nice to still be part of the Fannies even if I'm not in the running. Still...perhaps next year!"

He added with a chuckle before clearing his throat.

"Anyway, short stories. These are the stories that are longer than a one-shot, but much shorter than a novel, ranging from three to five chapters. However, just because they aren't particularly long doesn't mean they can't be memorable. Despite what Mr. Barkin said before, quantity isn't necessarily better than quality!"

Eddy13 felt a cold sweat come over him as a blue aura flared up from a table next to the stage. "With a few exceptions, such as winning talent shows!"

Eddy13 quickly added in a squeaky voice and was relieved when the aura dissipated.

"Anyways, the nominees for Best Short Story are..."

The Tweeb and the Queen Bee by MasterDuelist Michael

"Switching minds? Seems impossible there, Kim..." Dr. Anne Possible assessed.

"Not necessarily, honey," her husband, Dr. James Possible retorted. "My friends at the Space Center worked on the exact machine that Kimmie was talking about, but they deemed it too dangerous for use, so they put it in the hands of the military."

"Now it's in the hands of Camille Leon to be used to frame her celebrity friends for crimes," Kim said under her breath.

"So how are we supposed to handle things while Kim looks for Camille?" 'Tim' and 'Bonnie' say in unison.

"Yeah...Tim and Bonnie are...dating."

This revelation shocked the Dr.'s Possible. "TIMOTHY SPENCER POSSIBLE!" Mr. Dr. Possible bellowed.

"Oh boy...I'm in trouble," 'Bonnie' freaked only to hear the rocket scientist say..."Well done, kiddo! A freshman hooking a senior cheerleader is unheard of, but you pulled it off!"

"And as for how to handle things while in each other's bodies...just act as if you were the other person. So Tim, you gotta act like Bonnie and Bonnie has to act like Tim..."

"This is gonna be tougher than it looks!" the couple said to each other.

"JINX! You so owe me a soda when this is over!" 'Bonnie' said to 'Tim'.

"DANG IT!" 'Tim' chided.

Awkweird by SimplyShelbs16

"Got your back, KP!" he told her, just as his character went to revive her. "Ahhh, no, why would you do that!?"

"Sorry!" Kim replied, trying to get the zombie horde under control.

"Noooooo!" she and Ron both shouted in unison, laughing together all the while.

"Get me another slice of pizza?" she asked him, holding out her plate.

"Not after leaving me with that zombie horde," he joked, still taking the plate and putting another slice on it for her. "I should just eat your share."

"Oh, c'mon, no!" she laughed, reaching out for the plate. He made her work for it, eventually giving in, only because she knew where he was ticklish.

"Remember when we were kids, playing up in the treehouse?" Ron asked.

"Yeah…" Kim replied, "…what of it?"

"I was just thinking of that pact we made," Ron told her.

"I remember," she smiled. "You told me that if anyone ever broke my heart, you'd always be there to put it back together again…and I promised you the same."

"Did I uphold my end?" he asked. "Are you…okay?"

"Ron, the decision was mutual. It hurt us both, but it was better in the long run," she told him. "I mean, look at us. We're okay. We're still best friends. You're happy. I'm happy."

Motherhood by Taurusdoodles99

Hego took his sister into an embracing hug."Don't say that about yourself, sissy. You are not a bitch. You're a wonderful woman with…. Attitude problems is all." She began to sniffle into her brother's chest as he caressed her sleek black hair. Hego rested his chin on her head then continued. "But I'm sure Drew would wants the baby. He loves doesn't he? You aren't going to know until you tell him, Scarly."

Hego let go of Shego and helped her up. "Why not go take a warm shower? That always calms my nerves." Shego nodded and Hego lead her to Mego's connecting bathroom. He then took some of Mego's clothes out for Shego to wear, something baggy but fitting. He chose a pair of random sweatpants and a shirt and laid then on the bed. Then left for the living area.

As he entered the room, Mego jumped up, agitated with the wait and worry of sister. But Mego hadn't waited for his older sibling to talk. "She isn't going to-"

"That was years ago, so no. But uh," Hego paused. "She's scared."

"Why? Are they taking the pardons back on her?"

"What? No, no they aren't." Hego slipped a piece of his black hair behind his ear. "She's pregnant but is afraid to tell Drew. You know Drew, right? Her ex-boss, now boyfriend."

"Yup. Hate that blue ass scared jerk bag."

"Okay, give me your drink. You're getting cranky."

"What the f***, no. I don't trust that guy with my baby sister. Plus he's like a gagillion years older than her!" Hego sighed irritatedly.

Reunion: Memories and Resolution by Nathaniel Kenway

"Ron, you know what I'm talking about," She sighed, slightly annoyed by his attitude and more annoyed that she couldn't blame him for it. "It's awkward between us; I know what I did was wrong, I know that you're angry with me and I'm sorry for cheating on you."

"Really Kim?" Ron's voice had gone from sarcastic to harsh, and he lurched to his feet. "Did you know it was wrong? You sure didn't seem to care enough to not do it or even to listen to Monique when she confronted you. I don't think you're sorry you cheated, on me, you're sorry I found out!"

"Yeah Kim, Monique told me she talked to you about it and how you blew her off," He continued, staring down at her. "It's obvious I wasn't even a concern because I was just plain old Ron, the comfort boyfriend and not a hottie who had a motorcycle or handsome looks. I mean, did you ever love me, or was I just a rebound? Was I always the save choice, who'd never do you wrong while you were looking for the one you wanted?"

Kim shook off her shock an stood up, right in Ron's face.

"You're one to talk Ron," She snapped. "Instead of confronting me or talking to me about it, what did you do, you just up and left me! You ran away like a coward. How did you think I felt? I knew what I did was wrong but don't ever assume I didn't love you. You were not a rebound and you were certainly not a safe choice."

"Oh don't put the blame on me princess," Ron hissed, knowing that Shego's old nickname would get under her skin. "I didn't push you into that bastard's arms, you did it yourself and don't say you loved me when you were in his bed. It's obvious you haven't changed since Eric; always going for hotties and leaving me on the sidelines. Do you know what it was like being mocked and laughed at behind your back about your cheating girlfriend? Hell, I had to hear about your cheating from someone else. Why didn't you talk to me before doing it?"

The Adventures of Anna Stoppable: Trip to Japan by F86Sabre53

Anna shrugged her shoulders, "Well...when you read about legendary warriors, you end up learning more than just the fighting moves they've invented. And I still find it incredible that Toshimiru created this school using only a sword. Dubbed the Lotus Blade, the sword can transform into any weapon of the user's choice. There's a catch, only one with Mystical Monkey Power can tap into the sword's abilities."

Sensei was amazed, "Anna-san, you truly are a very knowledgeable young woman."

"And one who can keep a secret too," Anna added.

"Yori-chan and I are glad you are willing to keep a secret," Sensei said. "Yamanouchi and the stuff surrounding it are stuff you must never discuss with any outsider."

"Even Mom and Dad?" Anna asked.

"They, along with Rufus-san, and Ron-san's parents know," Sensei said. "Just don't discuss it with anyone else."

Anna shook her head, "I won't."

Suddenly, something Sensei said got Anna asking, "Did you say that Mom, Dad, Rufus, Grandma and Grandpa know about this place?"

"I did," Sensei replied. "But they needed to keep it a secret from everyone else."

Anna shrugged her shoulders, "Well, if Yamanouchi is a super-secret school then I will honor that secret."

The Initiative and Other Interruptions by Jimmy1201

"Colonel Fury," growled Ron, "What part of 'No' didn't you understand? Wait, did you get your eye fixed?"

The dark man on the couch looked annoyed, "Young man, I am not Colonel Fury, I am..."

"Augustus Gibbons," said Kim, "Imagine my surprise on seeing you here on my couch. I thought that you never wanted to see me again."

"You know him?", asked Ron.

"He's the NSA Agent in charge of the Triple Z program."

"Agent Xandra," replied the Agent, "Your country requires your services again. The X-14 chip has been stolen. Only instead of the X-14 Alpha version your Triple Z team dealt with, this one is the X-14 Psi version. The developers seem to have exceeded all expectations for building an over-engineered greeting card chip that is now a military threat."

"Uh, KP," the blond asked, "I thought we recovered that chip right before I left for Paris on vacation with my family?"

Drakken leaned over to Shego and whispered, "I'll get some popcorn...," then left for the kitchen.

"We did," explained the redhead, "but it got snatched before I could return it and apparently some Congressman pushed the NSA to recover it. Agent Gibbons came to my house talking about skateboards and empty swimming pools and the next thing I know, I'm on a jet flying to Morocco with Rufus... I thought about asking to have them call you in, but this was the first family vacation that you had gone on with your parents in a long time. I couldn't spoil that."

"You went on a mission with Rufus and you never told me?"

"And the winner is..." Eddy said as he opened the envelope, "...Awkweird by SimplyShelbs16!"

Shelbs, in a blue evening gown and topaz earrings, hugged her best friend, Cheyenne and went up to the stage. She accepted the award from Eddy and got out her acceptance speech.

"Thank y'all so much for voting Awkweird for Best Short Story! It was just this little plot bunny that I never thought anyone else but myself, and my friend, would like. I'd like to thank the television show, Shadowhunters, for having a scene that inspired it. I would also like to thank my bestie in the audience, Cheyenne, for always reading my work and encouraging me. You are my ride or die. Lastly, I'd like to thank Christy and Will for just simply being amazing people and voicing the subject of my fics in my favorite animated show!"

With that, Shelbs went back to her seat.

Sharper then went back to the mic and said, "And to present the award for Best Series for the second year in a row, give it up for the man behind Team Probable, Slyrr!

Slyrr appeared in a three-piece tuxedo on the stage with both the Golden Rufus and winning envelope.

"Developing a string of intriguing stories in one narrative can indeed be a challenge but it is all worth it in the end. Although I don't have my usual suspects with me, they will still be around! The nominees for Best Series are..."

-Center Will Not Hold Series by SimplyShelbs16

-Blonde Moments Series by Eoraptor

-S Plus D Equals K Series by Neo the Saiyan Angel

-Where the Wind Blows Series by LJ58

-This Is Our Year Series by F86Sabre53

and

-I Let Her Lie Series by Nathaniel E. Kenway

"And the Golden Rufus goes to...S Plus D Equals K Series by Neo the Saiyan Angel!"

Neo walked out from the backstage area. She looked clammy and was clearly still horribly nervous. But there was a certain look in her eye that showed determination at taking care of the task at hand.

"Firstly," she started as she got to the podium, "I'm okay. Just a really bad case of the nerves. A really, really bad case. Like, wow.

"Second, I'm really super-excited for this award!" Neo's hand stroked the side of the Fannie. "If I had to pick which one I really wanted, I would've gone with this one. This one award was the Big One. Would've been the most disappointing if I'd lost this one." She shifted her stance and coughed. Then, clearing her throat, she contined, "This Fannie means that everything I wrote for this universe, S Plus D Equals K, has value. All of it together was good enough to earn this award. Memores, Turkey Day, Fallout, S Plus D Equals K...yea. That's worth more than most of the other awards to me."

"Even though you deserve NONE of them!" Dr. Lipsky hollered from the crowd. Sheila elbowed him hard to which the blue man gave a solid yelp of pain.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm mean..." Neo rolled her eyes before giving a small smile. "Anyway, this is pretty freakin' fantastic. Thanks for the award, you guys! I'm glad I'm doing some good work!"

And with that, Neo returned to her seat, now with six Golden Rufuses at her table.

Sharper then returned to the stage and said, "Congrats to both Shelby and Neo for their awards in this segment. But we are going up against another commercial. When we return, we'll give out the awards for Best M-Rated Story, Best New Author, and Best Single Line. So stay tuned!"

"End of the Road" by Boys II Men played in the background during the break.

In the lobby, Carmella chuckled, rubbing her hands together, "It's almost time!"