Steel Magnolias

by Tinselcat

Disclaimer: Steelbeak, Bushroot, F.O.W.L. and Saint Canard all belong to the Walt Disney company, and are used without permission.

Rating: PG

Summary: Steelbeak gets a bit of a shock…

notes: this first chapter has no slashiness, but never fear, ye faithful, there'll be plenty to go around later, and we'll crank up the rating while we're at it. this first chapter is more of a teaser than anything else.



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Steelbeak staggered into his roomy apartment. He unceremoniously threw his keys and overcoat on the couch, flicking a switch on the wall which closed the curtains of his large windows against the fingers of dawn which slowly crept above the Saint Canard skyline.

*wat a night* he thought to himself as he threw off his dark clothing on his way to the bedroom, *I rob a chemical lab, nea-ly get blown up while I'm at it, and ta top off da poifect night, 'ave a run-in wit' dat mask- wearin' pansy!* he drew the small vial from his pants pocket before depositing them on the floor and examined the clear liquid. *all dat fer some'ting dat could be dish-washin' liquid fer all I know* he popped the vial into a padded envolope and tossed onto his bedside table before crawling into his bed, relishing in the welcome feel of the satin sheets. *wat a night* he thought one more time before drifting off to sleep.

******

Steelbeak awoke to the harsh sound of his cell phone ringing. Groaning, he turned over and tried to ignore it. it persisted, until he finally rolled over, flung his arm outside the covers and groped about on his bedside table for the phone. His hand passed over the padded envelope and closed on his phone. Pulling the ringing monstrosity underneath the covers, he beeped the 'talk' button.

"waddaya want?" he rasped into the phone.

"Agent Steelbeak…"

"yeah, ya wanna make some'tin of it?"

"did you complete your mission?"

"yeah, yeah, I gots da stuff."

"you will report to base in an hour, bring the solution with you."

"youse got it." he grumbled.

The person on the other end hung up.

Swearing at the trio of idiots he called 'bosses', he sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and stood up, stretching.

He immediately noticed that something was wrong. He couldn't name it but… he just felt… different. He padded into the bathroom. When he spotted himself in the full-length mirror, he let out a blood-curdling, high- pitched scream.

*********

Hee hee, yes, I'm evil, I'll admit it. like I said, this is a teaser, kinda like the one at the beginning of X-files or West Wing episodes. In the next chapter, we find out just what happened to poor Steelbeak, and Bushroot enters the story. Oh, and since I'm moving back home for the summer tomorrow, I anticipate being rather busy for the next few days, and I might not post the next chapter for up to a week, as I probably won't have time to write. However, I will be checking out the reviews, so rest assured that I'll see any input/suggestions/comments. I'm also unsure of how I'm writing for Steelbeak so far, I've never written for him before, so I'd appreciate any insight into how I'm doing. Thanks a bunch.