At the treehouse, Numbuh 5 is sitting and contemplating. Contemplating on Numbuh 362's decision to try and find Numbuh 1 in space, and how to handle the team when she gets back. She is then joined by Numbuh 2, who has been invited to have dinner at her house.
"Hey Numbuh 5, you ready to go?" The portly operative asks.
"Yeah. Numbuh 5's just thinkin' about everything that's gonna happen. She probably wants me to lead when she leaves to find him." Numbuh 5 responds.
"Well actually, she told me who she wants to bring with her." Numbuh 2 says, causing Numbuh 5 to cock her eyebrow with curiosity.
"Did she now? Who?" Numbuh 5 asks.
"She wants to bring Sector Z. Without Numbuh 74.239 around, she wants me in the Deep Sea Lab to work on recommissioning them." Numbuh 2 explains.
"Not a bad choice. You can do it, right?" Numbuh 5 asks.
"We'll see. But let's head to your house, I'm starving." Numbuh 2 says, rubbing his stomach.
"Alright, we're goin' baby."
At the Lincoln residence, Mrs. Renée Lincoln is making dinner while Dr. Lincoln is on call at the hospital. She is serving Numbuh 5, Numbuh 2, Cree, and Maurice her favorite French dish; duck confit.
"It is just so wonderful to spend a night with my daughters, and their handsome boyfriends." Mrs. Lincoln states in a thick French accent, causing her daughters to blush from embarrassment.
"Mama, stop it." Numbuh 5 says, half laughing from embarrassment.
"Oh but it is so nice to see my babies so happy; with the smiles, and the laughing, and the romance, and the oh you." Mrs. Lincoln responds.
"Well everything's still delicious Mrs. Lincoln, thank you." Maurice interjects.
"Oh Maurice you little gentleman. I see why Cree loves you, you're almost all she ever talks about." Mrs. Lincoln says. Cree holds Maurice's hand, albeit very tightly.
"You got that right mama." Cree comments, clinging possessively to Maurice's hand.
Suddenly, the phone rings and Mrs. Lincoln goes to answer it. When she answers it, she comes back into the dining room.
"I do apologize young ones, I am needed at the parlor. I will get back as soon as I can." Mrs. Lincoln says, before leaving.
"Watch out for your little sister, Cree." Mrs. Lincoln calls.
"She'll be fine mama, we all will be." Cree calls back in an innocent tone.
When Mrs. Lincoln is gone, Cree changes tones and sits back down to eat.
"Alright, listen up you little brats! I was nice enough not to say anything in front of my mom, but I won't hold my tongue anymore!" Cree snaps.
"What you talkin about girl?" Numbuh 5 asks, angry as she has a good idea of what Cree is implying.
"This. You and him." Cree answers, pointing at Numbuh 2.
"We can't have one night without you bitching about kids, can we?" Numbuh 5 quips.
"Well if you didn't bring this tubby little creep into our house, I wouldn't have to!" Cree snaps back. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Numbuh 2 excuses himself to the bathroom. Unbeknownst to him, Cree follows him upstairs. When he exits the bathroom, he says Cree standing over him with the angriest look she has ever given.
"What is it? Did you need to go?" Numbuh 2 asks nervously.
"No. But I need you to go." Cree answers.
"What?" Numbuh 2 asks.
"I don't want you in this house. I want you away from Abigail. I'm not gonna let my sister date a fat little pervert." Cree says, bringing Numbuh 2 to the point of tears.
"What's wrong with you? Don't you want Abby to be happy in life? What did I do to you that was ever as bad as the stuff you have done to us?" Numbuh 2 justifiably asks, causing Cree to get more angry.
"Watch it kid, you're on thin ice." Cree warns.
"Figured you'd be happy dating her. I'm not flirting with you and I thought- OOF!" Before he can finish his thought, Cree punches him straight in the stomach and knocks the wind out of him.
"That's enough out of you. Now get up, and get out of this house." Cree demands callously. As Numbuh 2 catches his breath, he gets to his knees, looks Cree in the eyes, and flips her off.
"You little shit." Cree looks at Numbuh 2, grabs him by the arm, and throws him down the stairs. On the way down, he hits his head on the bannister and the wall before hitting the floor.
Hearing this, Numbuh 5 and Maurice rush to the find Numbuh 2 is unconscious.
"Hoagie? Shit, HOAGIE!" Numbuh 5 rushes to his side. Maurice checks his pulse, which he finds.
"We need to get him to a hospital. Should I get Cree to drive?" Maurice asks. With that, Numbuh 5 looks away from Numbuh 2 and at Maurice.
"You serious? You and I both know Cree did this to him." Numbuh 5 then looks around, finding dents in the wall and on the bannister. She then lifts his shirt up, noticing a mark on his stomach. Maurice takes note of this.
"Jesus Christ. I didn't think she'd do this in her own home." Maurice comments.
"It ain't your fault. Cree's a psychopath, ain't no tellin' what those sickos are gonna do next. Can you help me get him on a ship, I wanna take him to my dad's hospital." Numbuh 5 says. Maurice lifts up Numbuh 2 and carries him to Numbuh 5's ship. Unknown to them, Cree overheard their conversation.
"I don't why Maurice would try to help those brats, but I'm gonna find out why." Cree thinks to herself.
At the hospital, Numbuh 2 is with another doctor as Dr. Lincoln is performing a surgery at the moment. While the doctor is with Numbuh 2, Numbuh 5 is sitting in a chair outside, crying on Maurice's shoulder.
"I got you Abby. It'll be okay." Maurice says, in an attempt to comfort.
"Stop saying that! Nothing's gonna be okay with that psychopath around!" Numbuh 5 cries.
"I know. If I just feel so dead inside having to date her, as an undercover assignment." Maurice states.
"Really? Then why do you do it?" Numbuh 5 asks.
"To help you guys. I care about you guys to see you get hurt. Most teens undercover feel that way. Christ, even Chad confessed it to me a couple of times that the person he regretted hurting most was Nigel." Maurice replies, causing Numbuh 5 to look at him startled.
"Really, he REGRETS the shit he pulled?!" A flabbergasted Numbuh 5 asks.
"Hard to believe but yes. Pretty sure he had, and may still have, feelings for Nigel." Maurice confesses.
"God damn." Numbuh 5 bluntly states.
"Listen, if I didn't have to, I wouldn't be dating your sister." Maurice says. Unfortunately for the two of them, Cree bursts through the door, having heard what they both said. Her face shows a mixture of anger and sadness.
"Are y'all serious? Is that how you feel about me?" Cree asks, attempting to bury her emotions. Numbuh 5 is both mad at and scared of her sister. Maurice looks at her with nothing but disgust.
"Cree, what is the matter with you? Do you take pride in what you do? Do you want to make it your life's mission to make me miserable?" Numbuh 5 asks.
"Abby, don't ever talk to me like that again. I did everything to try and help you, and you spat in my face. You fuck up my life more than you can know. And you bring that fat little creep into OUR house, invite him to eat OUR food. He'll dump you for someone else, he went from me, to you, Christ I'm amazed he never flirted with Mom." Cree says callously. Numbuh 5 then jumps and Cree and starts swinging.
"FUCK YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Numbuh 5 yells as Cree tries to pull her off.
"WELL I HATE YOU TOO, YA LITTLE SHIT!" Cree yells back, fighting her off. Maurice pulls Numbuh 5 off of Cree and fixes her up.
"Enough of this. Listen, I think you should go sit in the room with Hoagie. I'll deal with this." Maurice leads Numbuh 5 into the room, she has tears now streaming down her face. Cree starts to walk after her.
"Get back here Abby, I'm not done with you yet!" Cree yells, but is stopped by Maurice.
"You stay the hell away from them." Maurice says in a firm tone.
"How can you stand up for her? She attacked me! How can you be helping those KND brats? I poured my heart out to you, brought you in on my plans and this is how you thank me?!" Cree rants.
"It kills me to see you do this to your sister. Your own flesh and blood for Christ's sake." Maurice grabs Cree by the hand and shows Numbuh 5 crying over a barely conscious Numbuh 2.
"Take a good look. You did that to her. This was all your fault. Everytime there's a good thing going on in her life, you have to go and fuck it up for her. You selfish, evil cunt." Cree then slaps Maurice hard across the face.
"How DARE you talk to me like that?!" Cree snaps.
"I'm not wrong in what I say. Why can't you just let her be happy? What good has becoming a traitor ever done for you?" Maurice lectures.
"I… I… What do you mean?" Cree truly doesn't know how to answer.
"Has anything you've done made your life better?" Maurice asks. Cree then breaks down crying.
"I loved you. I didn't want to lose you. Didn't you ever love me?" Cree pleads.
"Cree, you could have been one of the best in the TND. But you fucked THAT up. There's no coming back from the path you've taken. If you had just left gracefully, we'd all be fine now." Maurice explains.
"That doesn't answer my question." Cree responds.
"I don't see a future for us Cree. I hate to say it, but it's about time you heard all of this." Maurice then turns away to join Numbuh 5 in Numbuh 2's room. Cree then completely collapses into tears. Soon after, Betty and Tommy Gilligan come rushing through the door.
"Where is he? Where's my Hoagie?" Betty tells, completely frantic. Cree notes this and points to the room.
"Thank you." Betty says. She then rushes into the room with Tommy in tow. Cree peaks in to see them all sad to see Numbuh 2 in the state that Cree had put him in. Feeling guilt for the first time in her life, Cree realizes that she now has a decision to make. A decision that she hopes will change everyone's lives for the better. Leave.
End of Part 5. Definitely one of the most difficult chapters I've ever had to write for a Kids Next Door story. I initially felt it was too dark to write, however I do believe Cree needed this to be said to her. One of the questions Maurice asks her is actually a quote from one of my favorite movies, "American History X." The next part of the story is going to be back in space. Until the next update, happy reading. Please review.