"Greenway has been eliminated for his failure"
"Hmph!" Rein still pouted like a child despite the necklace she now wore, the price of which could feed a small country for a year. "He shouldn't have failed in the first place"
"Agreed, it was a calculated risk that should have paid off"
"If only that nurse hadn't intervened, Melissa would be six feet under"
"Yes, who was that nurse"
"She appeared out of nowhere"
"Greenway hadn't seen her before"
"Never mind her, what do we do now?"
"We watch and wait"
…...
The party continued, growing more lively after Florence's forced departure. Everyone felt they could breathe, especially Melissa who couldn't stop smiling.
That's when the doorbell rang.
Jenny went to answer and returned shortly with Zack and Ivy behind her.
"Detectives"
"Carmen"
"Don't worry Melissa," Chief popped into the room, "We come waving a white flag"
"No attempts tonight, promise," Ivy added.
Melissa breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, Shaggy where's your girlfriend at?" Zack noticed the absence of the hybrid who was usually right beside Shaggy when he wasn't working.
Shaggy face-planted into the table with a sad groan.
"Nice going little bro," Ivy jabbed Zack in the ribs.
…...
It didn't matter how loudly she played. He was still outside the room, wanting to be let in.
Christina wasn't having it.
"GO AWAY ALREADY"
"Christy-"
"I don't want to hear it! And don't call me Christy!"
"Can't we just talk?"
Finally, she opened the door.
"The nerve of you!" she spat. "You tease! You don't understand! You don't understand anything!"
"Why'd you have to go?"
She snapped, the spell concealing her scars shattered instantly.
"I WENT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!"
and with that she slammed the door.
Walking away from the pounding and to the piano, she stepped onto the bench, then the keys before stepping into the piano and shutting it behind her.
A pocket realm could do her some good.
…...
Despite the initial hiccup, everyone carried on with the festivities, Melissa, patting Shaggy on the back when he sat up. After their feast, the party moved to the living room where Carmen had a surprise, two surprises really.
"What's that?" Daphne pointed to the odd sheet-covered thing sitting on the floor.
"It's for Avalon," Carmen grinned.
Kneeling, Melissa carefully lifted the sheet to discover a pair of baby rabbits. Lop-eared rabbits with pink twitching noses.
"You remembered," Melissa laughed.
"Of course"
"Bunnies!" Anya cheered clapping excitedly.
"Remembered what?"
"She likes rabbits" Carmen replied.
"You do?" Fred asked, "I'd never have thought"
"Yeah, I like rabbits" Melissa turned back to her friends, "I like most animals except-"
"Snakes and certain lizards," Dick cut in.
"I do have one more surprise" Carmen politely redirected the conversation, "Something to help you"
everyone present thought it would be some crazy invention. But then the front door opened and a chocolate lab wearing a service dog vest was led inside.
"I know you just lost Marley and this might be painful but I've been working on this since April"
"To help with her..." Zack trailed off, his ribs were still aching.
"Yes," nodded Carmen, "Exactly"
Melissa ran to hug her mother.
It was times like these when the detectives remembered there was far more to Carmen than planning a perfect heist.
…...
Melissa had to shove Jenny out the door with the little ones the next morning.
"I'm not sure that I should-"
'Relax Jenny," Melissa said easily, "There's a flock of robins, at least two acme agents and one guy in blue hiding around here somewhere, now go"
Only then did Jenny leave.
The clock read 7:00 AM when Melissa checked. After making herself some coffee the teen trudged her way to the coveted spot on the couch and turned on the TV.
"Doctor dies in a freak accident" the news lady announced.
After seeing Greenway's picture flash across the screen Melissa rolled her eyes declaring karma had been served.
It did not escape her that both her pet and 'doctor' had died so suddenly.
Strange.
Truly strange.
…...
"Hi, Kitten"
"Selina!" Melissa whirled, "I didn't hear you come in"
"Stealth like a cat," Selina chuckled giving Melissa a one-armed hug, "How are you?"
"I got out of the loony bin yesterday so, exhausted but not tired enough to sleep anymore"
"Restless"
"Yeah, guess so"
"I'm sorry I missed your party yesterday"
"That's okay," Melissa shrugged, returning to the coffee pot, "Black right?"
"Yes, Ma'am" Selina sat at the bar, "I hear I missed some fireworks"
"No kidding!" Melissa set a mug in front of Selina before perching across from her, "You want to hear about it?"
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Melissa grinned.
…...
"Florence was blitzed last night," Bruce leaned against the wall with a carefully concealed expression.
"Was she?" Carmen replied half focused on the nearby guard rotations.
"What did you do, Carmen?"
"I don't know what you're talking about? I was at Avalon's welcome home party last night"
Bruce could hear the smirk in her voice.
"You should have come, Bruce, it was fun"
Just as Bruce could hear the smirk in Carmen's voice she could hear the infamous Bat-glare. Both knew that Bruce had no proof Carmen had done anything.
They also knew that deep, deep, deep down Bruce viewed the blitz as the justice Florence deserved.
He wasn't going to do anything about it.
…...
"May I see the rabbits?" Selina asked Melissa.
"Sure!" Melissa was clearly excited to show off her pets, "They're in the living room"
One was tan with a white belly while the other was all white. Both sleeping.
"They're still getting used to me, to everything really so I don't want the dogs to scare them"
"What did you name them?"
"Pinky," she pointed to the tan one, "and The Brain" she pointed to the white rabbit.
"Aren't Pinky and Brain mice?"
"Yes, but they're both boys and Pinky here isn't the brightest bulb"
"What did he do?"
"Ran into the cage full-speed...twice"
"Ouch"
"I know!"
"What about your new dog?"
"Hershey," Melissa called.
The lab trotted into the room before sitting at Melissa's feet.
"He's big"
"I know, but he loves cuddles"
"He gets along with Jesse?"
"Instant friends," Melissa nodded, "It's fun and games until the vest comes on"
"He'll go everywhere with you?" Selina moved to the couch.
"Yes, even on cases"
"Have you been on one since your reinstatement?"
"No. surprisingly" Melissa shrugged, patting Hershey, "I probably won't be for a while anyway"
"True," Selina glanced out the window, Melissa followed her gaze but didn't see anything, "I have to go, Kitten"
"So soon?"
"Yes, I'm sorry," Selina hugged the teen, "I'll see you soon"
And Selina was gone.
Well, that was weird.
…...
A few hours later Melissa, clad in Frozen PJs and fuzzy socks, was shoveling popcorn into her mouth when the front door opened suddenly.
Shaggy-clearly frazzled-walked inside.
"Can I help-"
He rounded the couch and crumpled to the floor.
"What's the matter?"
There was no response.
Putting her popcorn aside, Melissa got to her knees, awkwardly patting Shaggy's arm. "Want my popcorn?" she offered the bag which he took, slowly and without moving from the floor.
"I'm stressed," he finally grumbled.
"Stressed is not a good thing"
"I need a break"
"Then get on that couch," Melissa ordered, "I have hours of Cutthroat Kitchen recorded and you can't watch from the floor"
Slowly, shakily, Shaggy got to his feet only to collapse onto the couch.
He needed this. He needed a distraction.
And Melissa knew it too.
Even so, she couldn't focus on the television in front of her or the stressed mumbling of her friend. Her mind was a storm of questions.
Questions that she needed answers to.
The bunnies were extremely close to being named Babs and Buster but I happened to be mumbling the Pinky and The Brain theme while I was writing.
Speaking of almost names: Avalon was almost Anastasia.
I LOVE that movie LOL.
But I used Anastasia's orphan name Anya later so I got my movie reference.
