Chapter 9: Remodeling Time

Charlie Brown and the others awoke the next morning with a very clear goal in mind,now that James had officially loaned them some money from the bank in secret,they could finally start cleaning up the community theater downtown and start their temporary stage careers. If they could get enough people to see their shows for the nights they would hold them in the next two weeks,they would practically have way more than enough to pay off their debt to the bank.

Charlie Brown was sitting on the steps that led up to his back door in the backyard,he was just staring off into the yellow morning sky as he quietly whispered to himself in anticipation "Just you wait Charles,pretty soon we'll have us enough money to buy us a car…..or at least I hope we will." before he suddenly heard the sound of the door behind him opening to which he slowly turned around to see Rebecca standing at the doorway.

"Oh,hi there Rebecca." Charlie Brown happily greeted his friend as Rebecca calmly greeted him back while she sat down on the stairs "Hi Charlie Brown,your sister let me in. So today's the start of something big. Super excited." Charlie Brown however was quick to notice that Rebecca seemed a little…..off,aside from the words coming out of her mouth she didn't look nearly as excited as she said she was as he raised an eyebrow and politely confronted her about it "Are you alright Rebecca? Is something wrong?" to which the girl perked up,forced a smile on her face and fibbed "What? No,everything's fine. I'm just tired that's all."

Charlie Brown on the other hand was not believing her lying one bit as he merely gave off a stern and authoritative glare at Rebecca to which the girl's smile slowly reduced back into a frown before she sighed and caved in "Alright I'll tell you,I've been thinking about the money we got yesterday and….and I was wondering if I could…..borrow some of it?" to which Charlie Brown replied in slight confusion "Borrow? Well what for?"

"Well,it's just that…..I want to start building Ed's house soon and I was gonna see if I could use some of the money we got to help me build it? I mean I went out and found a nice patch of woods nearby that would be the perfect place for it,so I just need a little bit of the money so I can build it easier….please." Rebecca nervously explained her reasoning for wanting to borrow some of the money in the first place while Charlie Brown merely sat there in total silence for at least five seconds to which Rebecca sat up from the stairs and tried to call the whole thing off "On second thought,no,we need the money for the-"

"Rebecca,of course you can borrow some." Charlie Brown suddenly interrupted Rebecca's attempt to call off her money borrowing scheme before he cheerfully continued "We got plenty of money,Linus tallied it all up last night and he said that we have way more than enough. I'm beginning to think that James may have overdone it a little." to which Rebecca grew a wide smile and timidly thanked him "Charlie…..I...t-thank you so much."

Charlie Brown got a little red in the face as a result of this and stammered in an attempt to brush his deed aside like it was nothing "It's really nothing Rebecca,in fact if we have any money left when this is all done,that can go towards our pay the bank plot. You don't need to feel guilty,like a leech,or anything of the sort." before Rebecca got a little red in the face herself and nodded her head in agreement "Yeah,you're right,there's nothing to worry about."

However it was then and there that Rebecca suddenly noticed in her peripheral vision that Snoopy wasn't on top of his doghouse,and that Amy and Woodstock weren't in their cozy little nest up in the tree as she grew a slight look of concern and asked "Hey,where's Snoopy,Amy and Woodstock?" only for Charlie Brown to shrug his arms and reply honestly confused himself "I guess the three of them and Jasper stayed on the bus and went off to a bar,but aside from that,who knows where they could be? Honestly I wish I did know because the more help we have at the theater the better." to which Rebecca perked up and excitedly suggested "You know speaking of which,why don't we head over to the theater and get this show started?"

"Yeah you're right,the others should be meeting us by the road." Charlie Brown nodded his head and enthusiastically agreed with Rebecca's decision as he stood up from the stairs and made his way back inside with Rebecca following him.


However they weren't even able to make it halfway through the kitchen before Sally suddenly came running in and frantically announced "Big brother! You have to take a look outside,there's a band of dogs by the road!" to which Charlie Brown perked up and asked himself in confusion "Band of dogs? Wait a minute,is it them?" before he made his way for the front door and opened it to be immediately greeted by the familiar sight of Snoopy's family,the thin as a needle Spike,the massively overweight Olaf,the incredibly shaggy furred Andy,the absolutely beautiful with a heart shaped patch of black fur Belle and lastly the multiple brown spotted and shoes wearing Marbles standing at the edge of the sidewalk. They all seemed to have their instruments from the reunion they had with Snoopy a couple years ago in hand such as Spike and Belle's fiddles,Olaf's empty blow bottle,Marbles's banjo and lastly Andy's set of drums.

"Hey! Spike,Olaf,Andy,Belle,Marbles! When did y'all get here?" Charlie Brown happily greeted the family of beagles as they all smiled and waved at him before Rebecca came to the front door and happily greeted them as well when she also noticed their presence "Hey you guys! It's nice to see the four of y'all again." to which the beagles happily waved at her as well.

"I was just on my way to check the mail when I suddenly saw these guys walking up the street. I have no idea what they're doing here big brother." The voice of Sally suddenly joined in on the conversation in confusion while she walked out the front door all ready to go as Charlie Brown got a slight look of confusion as well and added "Yeah that is strange,what are you guys doing here anyway?" to which they all pulled out four white pieces of paper and handed them to Charlie Brown before he rolled his eyes and read the first one out loud

"Dear Marbles,

It has come to my attention that me and my friends could possibly be losing our homes on Christmas Day,so we have decided to start putting on a couple shows at the community theater,would you and the rest of the family be willing to join us here and be orchestra and possible cast members?

Your Brother,Snoopy."

It now seemed that Snoopy was willing to hire some extra help for their cause as Charlie Brown glanced at the pitch black pawprint at the very bottom of the letter for a brief moment before he looked back up at the beagles and asked in awe just to be sure "So you guys are here to help us out with the shows?" to which the dogs cheerfully nodded their heads.

"Aww thanks you guys,that's really sweet of y'all to come all the way out here to help us." Rebecca happily thanked the beagles as she rubbed the fur on their heads one by one,making Andy,Spike,Olaf and Marbles's faces turn bright red before the fat beagle told the others through his thoughts with a dopey smile "I really like this girl,she gives the best belly rubs." before the other three males nodded their heads in agreement.

However it was then and there that Charlie Brown noticed that the others hadn't remotely showed up yet despite them all agreeing to meet up in front of his house as he looked around the sidewalk and asked in confusion "Where is everyone? I thought we were all gonna meet over here and then head over to the theater?" to which the others also looked around in an attempt to see if the rest of the gang were on their way,only for them to see nothing but the unwinding neighborhood streets.

"You know that also reminds me,Snoopy,Woodstock,Amy and Jasper aren't here either." Rebecca suddenly perked up and remarked with a hint of worry in her voice as Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and groaned "Oh good grief." before Sally nervously asked the beagles "Did any of you guys see them or the others on your way here?" to which the dogs merely shrugged their arms,signifying that they hadn't seen them.

"Well this is just great-"

*HONK!*

The loud and blaring roar of what sounded like a car's horn suddenly interrupted Charlie Brown's sarcastic remark as he,Rebecca and Sally were launched up into the air and they all screamed in terror before they landed on the ground with a loud thud. "What in the world was-" Charlie Brown tried to ask in a pained tone of voice as he stood back up and regained his posture with the others before he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what looked like a bright yellow tour bus parked in front of them,and the sight of it was all the boy needed for him to realize what this meant as he facepalmed and quietly groaned to himself "Why do I already know who's inside that thing?"

Sally on the other hand was absolutely furious as a result of this little stunt of the driver as she stormed straight towards the shut bus door and demanded while she pounded her fists on it "What's the big idea of scaring us half to death like that?! Come on out and show yourself!" to which the door immediately opened up to reveal none other than Snoopy,Woodstock,Amy,Jasper and all the other birds at the driver's seat wearing blue conductor hats before they all burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Snoopy?!" Rebecca asked in complete shock and bewilderment just to make sure that she was seeing things right while Charlie Brown merely rolled his eyes and sarcastically remarked "Wow,how surprising? It's not like you did this exact same trick before Snoopy." before Spike,Olaf,Andy,Marbles and Belle happily greeted their brother in unison with cheers and laughing of their own to which the driver finally noticed their presence outside,ecstatically jumped out of the bus and came together with his family for a group hug.

"Hey there brother,how have you been?" Spike happily greeted his brother and asked out of curiosity through his thoughts as Snoopy broke free of their hugs and cheerfully replied "Oh nothing,just on the verge of becoming a Broadway star!" before Belle enthusiastically asked for clarification "You mean like Idina Menzel from Wicked?" to which Marbles added equally as excited "Or Michael Crawford from The Phantom Of The Opera?"

"Yep,except we're gonna be even better!" Snoopy nodded his head and ecstatically confirmed their guesses before the rest of the Peanuts gang along with Rerun suddenly came waltzing out of the bus and onto the sidewalk as Sally,Charlie Brown and Rebecca all gasped at once "HUH?!" to which Linus chuckled and immediately tried to explain themselves "We know you're confused,so let us try to explain what's going on."

"You better because I have so many questions entering my mind right now,I think it may explode!" Sally fearfully pleaded that they go ahead and tell them why they were here like this as Peppermint Patty cleared her throat and cheerfully replied "Well me,Marcie and Franklin were just on our way to meet you guys here,until good ole Snoop over here suddenly showed up in this tour bus." before Rerun suddenly noticed Spike's presence and happily greeted him with a hug "Hey Spike! It's been ages since I've seen you,I'm glad you're here thus Christmas."

"Yeah,but back to what we were saying,after Snoopy and the other animals showed up in the bus,they offered to pick us all up one by one and give us a ride to the theater. Certainly saves us a lot of money than having to take the regular bus." Marcie brushed Rerun's reunion with Spike aside and happily continued to which Linus finally concluded their explanation of how they all got there "Yeah,and all we gotta do now is pick you guys up and we'll be off to the theater."

"Well that sure explains it all doesn't it?" Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and questioned in a sarcastic tone of voice before Peppermint Patty ecstatically suggested "Yes it does Chuck! So why don't we all get our behinds in here already and let's get this show on the road?!" to which everyone happily cheered in excitement and piled onto the tour bus,with the exception of Charlie Brown however who instead went back up the stairs to his house for a brief moment.

"Alright Charles,you just have to make sure that you have enough money left for Rebecca's birthday party tomorrow night. You gotta make her first birthday in Sparkyville a great one." Charlie Brown quietly whispered to himself in determination as he locked up the front door to his house before he suddenly heard the sound of the bus starting up and taking off without him as he turned around and yelled in a panic while he ran after it "Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm still out here! Stop!" to which Snoopy finally stopped the bus and allowed Charlie Brown to get on.

"Not. Funny." Charlie Brown angrily scolded Snoopy for nearly leaving him behind back at the house even if he didn't intend to when he noticed the dog and the rest of the animals quietly giggling to themselves before he slowly headed over to the last remaining seat at the back of the bus while Snoopy started it back up and made his way towards the community theater downtown.


Once everyone had finally made it to the old and nature overridden building that was once Sparkyville's greatest source of musical entertainment downtown,they all piled off of the bus and headed on inside to see that the inside of the building wasn't that much better,in fact it was equally as old and decrypted as the outside was,which resulted in some of them getting a little bit intimidated by the mere sight of the wear and tear. But to Charlie Brown however,this was nothing that they couldn't fix up as long as they made a huge team effort as he slowly looked around the huge auditorium and confidently stated "We can make this work,let's clean this place up gang." to which all of their spirits were all lifted up in a flash and they all nodded their heads in determination.

"Ah good morning everyone and…..beagles." The voice of James suddenly joined in on the conversation as everyone turned around to see the boy himself in a more casual and work geared set of clothes at the front doors while Peppermint Patty greeted him in confusion "James? What are you doing here?" to which the boy cheerfully explained himself "Well my father has for once given me a day off,so I've decided to use it to come help you all out. If that's alright of course."

"Hey the more help we have,the better. It's nice to have you here James." Linus chuckled and enthusiastically obliged to let James help them out with the cleaning with a handshake to which Charlie Brown nodded his head and cheerfully added while he turned back around to face the stage "Linus is right,come on everyone,it's showtime." And the next thing they all knew,they were fixing up the theater with help from James,Snoopy's family,Woodstock,Amy,Jasper and the rest of the birds.

Just before the dawn,when the light's still gone,shine,shine your way.

And you may not know,where to go,shine,shine your way.

Open road but it's still dark,build a fire from a spark and shine,shine your way.

Feed the feeling in your heart,don't conceal it then you'll to start to find,find your way.

(No one can stop,what has begun,you must believe when I say.)

"All of your tears will dry faster in the sun,(starting today),shine,shine,shine,shine your way."

Sometime later during the day,Rebecca had decided to use some of the money that Charlie Brown had given her to finally start building her dream home for Ed in the woods while the others were on a lunch break back at the theater.

(There's an open sky,and a reason why you shine,shine your way.)

(There's so much to learn,and now it's your turn to shine,shine your way.)

There's a feeling deep inside,you can let it be your guide to find,find your way.

And there's no time for us to waste,got to take a leap of faith and fly,fly away.

(Don't have to walk,now you can run,nothing can get in your way.)

All of your tears will dry faster in the sun,(starting today),shine,shine,shine,shine your way.

Pretty soon things were looking pretty good at the theater and they were actually going by pretty quick as well. Snoopy,his family,the birds and Scheroder were writing the lyrics to the songs. Violet,Rebecca,Lucy,Sally and Patty Swanson were designing the costumes and props backstage,and Charlie Brown and the others were continuing to clean up the auditorium.

Morning is breaking. (Darkness is fading.) We've found our way to the light,it's such a beautiful sight.

Anytime,anywhere,turn around and I'll be there to shine,shine your way.

(Like a star burning bright,lighting up the darkest night I'll shine),shine your way.

(Now I can see),you are the one,(sent here to show me the way.)

All of our tears will dry faster in the sun,(starting today),shine,shine,shine.

We're on our way. Shine,shine,shine. That's what we say,shine,shine,shine,shine your way!

There's a reason why you shine,shine your way! All of our tears will dry faster in the sun,shine your way!

"Shine Your Way." Copyright Of Relatively Music Group. Written By Alan Silvestri,Glen Ballard,Kirk Demicco,and Chris Sanders. Performed by Owl City and Yuna.