Finally, the Nftnat has come back to Rugrats fanfic. Yes, it's time I get back to planning The Rugrats Weddings. High time. I couldn't leave Tommy down in the basement with all of you wondering, now could I? So here we are.
As to the reviews...
Junior, thank you. I didn't know that about Kimi's father. And I'd thought we'd hear no more on the subject. May I ask where you got this information?
Kimmy Larisa, thanks.
Thank you too, Nightw2. As you might have noticed by now, I'm fond of slipping in references to anything and everything.
Thanks, PJS. I will put in beaucoups C/A here. There's unresolved issues between them which we need to explore. Look forward to your fics. I have reviewed one Histeria fic; better than nothing right? I'm smiling one of those smiles accompanied by flop sweat here. I'll try to do better. Hmm, Tenchi...
Thank you, whoever you are. Nah, I know it's you Ally, or whoever you are. Hey, you're entitled; sometimes I don't know who I am. Don't worry about it.
Much thanks to SN, for your reviews, and your own excellent fics. I just Chapters 24 & 25 and will soon review. I'll save the comments I have on it for there. Here we find out what Tom's doing as a majority of this chapter's about him. Maybe I didn't make myself clear previously. I don't intend to add that other blonde to the plot although we will see her before I'm through here. What I meant was there are similarities between that relationship and C/A. and worry not for Dil; I have plans for him.
Book-Master, thanks for saying my work is very good; I do try. That aside, as to your recommendation that we all get together and come up with one official version, that ain't happenin'. Sure, I was inspired by the works of others; and yes, I have borrowed from others, although I will maintain to the end that I came up with the housing situation we'll see here on my own despite similarities to a fic written by another reviewer, and she knows what I'm talking about; but we're not going to agree on a single storyline, and there's no reason we should be expected to. Like you said, everyone is trying to write their own thing. That's what fanfiction is all about. There's those here who want Tommy with Kimi for instance (myself for one), those who prefer him with Lil; how to please bothe sides? You can't. You're right; none of it's real. The real stuff is what we see on Nickelodeon, although I'm sure we'd all want to turn our thoughts into reality on the small screen. *shrug* I guess we could invoke the old standby of parallel universes er sum junk like they did in the Sonic ff community, but that got real messy real quick. With respect, sir, what you suggest would be the biggest fiction of all, although I do find the idea intriguing.
And thank you, LK. I shouldn't complain about your tardiness given how derelict I've been in reviewing. I will get to it.
Rugrats and The Wild Thornberries are created, owned, and / or copyrighted by Klasky-Csupo and / or Nickelodeon, which in turn is owned by Viacom.
DareDevilles and Fort DareDeville are my ideas and I claim rights to them.
Red River Valley is a traditional melody and is public domain for all I know.
Beautiful Dreamer was written by Stephen Foster.
Sunrise, Sunset was written by Bock & Harnick and is copyright New York Times Music.
Tweedledum & Tweedledee and Through the Looking Glass
The Oscar is copyright the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Ricky Ricardo is copyright Desilu Entertainment, a subsidiary of Paramount Television, which is a unit of Viacom.
Animaniacs and all characters and situations from same are copyright Warner Brothers Animation & Amblin Entertainment.
The theme song to The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is by Max Shulman & Lionel Newman and is copyright Weiss and Barry Inc.
Cadillac is copyright the Cadillac division of General Motors.
The Peanut Gallery is copyright the Howdy Doody Show.
Timberly Johanssen & the Hey Arnold concept are copyright Craig Bartlett, Snee-Oosh, and / or Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom.
In the workshop set up in the basement of the Pickles house, Tom sat in his usual position, hunched over his working table. This time, however, his hands held not plans for new toys or business contracts. They held a newspaper, the classified section to be specific.
His concentration was broken by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the hand belonged to his father.
"How are you doing, Champ?"
Tommy smiled. "'Champ'. You've always called me that, Dad."
"And for good reason; look what you've already accomplished. After all my years of trying, you have finally done what I never could quite do: you've put Pickles Toys on the map."
A grin broke out on Tom's face. "I couldn't have done it without you, Dad. You started the company, kept it going until I could start working with you. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else or for anyone else."
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that, son. But you are the 'Champ'. Ever since your mother told me she was carrying you, I knew there was something special about you. Even right after you were born, when we didn't know if you'd make it or not, I never doubted. I knew you'd survive, and thrive. I knew that you'd succeed in whatever you tried to do. And it's a true blessing that you chose to do it with me. I've always been proud of you. I tried to keep it quiet as you were growing up, never wanted to put pressure on you. But I couldn't stop calling you 'Champ'."
No more words were said as father & son enveloped each other in the kind of a hug done only by fathers & sons.
Stu finally broke the hold. "You never did answer my question."
Wordlessly, Tom held out the paper & pointed to a certain section. Stu took it in, then his eyes re-focused on his firstborn. "Are you sure about this?"
"We're getting married, Dad. It's the next step. And we can well afford them."
"You're no longer satisfied with 'Fort DareDeville'."
"It's all right for a bunch of single people; but for couples, starting their own families, no, we need this."
"Well, do what you think is right. And you will, Champ."
And another grin broke out on Tom's face.
But further conversation was cut short as Susie reached the bottom of the stairs just then.
"You know it's a shame he's too old for child labor laws to apply, but the 40 hour work week has been in force for around a century, & it applies to even the bosses."
Stu held up his hands in defense. "I'm innocent, Susie. I tried to deal with this, but my son remains conscientious to a fault."
"Well, that's all right when you're working. But 'all work and no play...'"
"Go on, Champ. You'd better join your friend."
"Friends," corrected Susie. "The whole gang's in the backyard."
"And Mom didn't tell me?" Tom wondered.
"She didn't know. The Devilles were next door, I was across the street, & if your fiancee & your best friend need to check in..."
"All right, I'm coming." he said as he gathered some things. "So what's going on?"
"Kimi is picking everyone's brains for info about her future hubby. And she's pumping 'em good."
"How good?"
"I'm not sure. When I got there Chuck was talking about someone named Prudence?"
"Uh-oh. Gotta run, Dad."
"You just take care of yourself. And Kimi."
"I will if she doesn't beat me to it. C'mon, Susie."
"Wait, Tommy! Are you forgetting something?" called Stu as he held up a medium-sized package.
"OH! You're right; thanks, Dad." By the time Tommy had finished that statement he'd already snatched the package & returned to Susie's side.
She eyed the package. "What is that?"
Tom shook his head. "Sorry, that's classified."
"He won't even tell me what he's been working on." came from Stu.
"Let's go, Susie." Tom interjected from the stairs. "I'll tell you as much as I can on the way."
She followed. "See ya, Mr. P."
"See ya, Susie."
Going up the stairs...
"So who is Prudence?"
"You know her. Prue."
"Prue? Her?"
"Yeah."
"And you knew her back when you were one?"
"We met a couple of times. It's a long story."
"Mm."
"I'll fill you in later, although I get the feeling you're the only one of the group who doesn't know all about it, now."
"In that case I'll get it out of Phil later."
"That, among other things."
"Behave, Pickles."
Tom cackled in response as he opened the door to the kitchen.
On the other said of the door was Didi Pickles, humming.
Susie noticed the tune. "What, no 'Red River Valley'?"
Didi smirked. "Believe it or not, I do know more than one song."
"I know," Tom put in, "Dil always liked your 'Beautiful Dreamer'."
Didi picked up her thought. "I thought the occasion called for 'Sunrise Sunset'."
"Because of the wedding, or weddings?" Susie guessed.
"No." Didi countered as she kissed her son on the head. "I thought it would be appropriate because my son is rising from the basement in time for the sunset."
Tom grimaced, from his mother's sense of humor more than from her affection. "It comes from hanging around teenagers all day. And I wouldn't change it if I could."
Didi now beamed as she added a hug to the kiss. "Bright boy we raised, wouldn't you say?"
"We did a good job all right."
"Fine, take all the credit."
"She deserves at least some of it." Tom defended. "She's always been our mentor and protector."
"I know, dear. It was nice of her to finally clue me in as to the party in back, of my own yard."
"It's just the usual, Mom. She was across the street, Phil & Lil next door, and Kimi & Chuck think they can come & go as they please. And who can blame them."
"I know that too. Speaking of the group, are you going to honor them with your presence any time soon?"
Tom was about to respond, when a thought hit him. "In a moment. First, I need to have a word with Susie."
Which caught Susie by surprise. "You do?"
Tom communicated with his eyes.
Up on which she picked. "Oh. Right. You do."
On that thought, she allowed herself to be pulled into the living room.
Back in the kitchen, Didi shook her head good-naturedly, wondering what the kids were up to now, & reminding herself of what had been drilled into all of her generation since the kids were teenagers: that they were only parents, what did they know. She then turned her attention back to preparing the feast of welcome for her younger son, due in that day.
While in the living room...
"All right, spill it, Pickles. What do you have in mind?"
"You go on and rejoin the others. Tell them I'll be out in a minute."
"And what will you be doing?"
"Um, all right, you I can trust. I'll be sneaking around the side of the house and trying to eavesdrop on the conversation."
"What?"
"You said Kimi's pumping everyone; I want to see her in action."
"Oh, Tommy."
"I'll be able to do it if you cooperate. I noticed her back's to the house; I should be able to get an earful before she gets wise."
"Not nearly as much of an earful as you'll get afterward."
"Let me worry about that." he said, subconsciously patting the package he'd carried up from the basement.
Susie's eyebrows shot up, which did not go unnoticed.
"You'll see. For now, give this to Chuck & the Devilles" he said as he wrote something on a sheet of paper in his little notebook. "Say it's a show-related matter which is for their eyes only."
"Meaning Kimi's not to see it."
"That's the idea. And neither are you."
"I'm not?"
"That's what you're to say if asked. But for the record it says 'I'm trying to sneak up on Kimi. Please don't let on. Tommy'."
Now it was Susie's turn to shake her head. "All right, but I still think it's a crazy idea."
"So what's new?"
"True."
And with that he exited via the front door. Susie, still more than bemused, turned around to head for the back door via the kitchen.
"It was the best party I'd ever had!"
"It's still the only party he's ever had."
"That's true, technically. Chuckie's not been directly responsible for any of the parties we've had. I'll have to work with him a bit."
"You know I'm not good at having parties, Lil."
" *sigh* , Guess Susie's not the only one with her work cut out for her."
"Am I hearing my name taken in vain?"
Heads turned at the self-announced approach of the good doctor.
"SUZE!!"
Phil had almost closed the gap between him & his fiancee before Kimi stopped him.
"Wait, where's Tommy? You were supposed to bring him, Susie."
"He, um, got held up on the ground floor. But he'll be out in a minute."
"That's good to know." Kimi turned back to the table. "Good news, everyone. Only another minute before you guys can kiss."
Groaning, Chuck & Lil looked longingly at each other, as did Phil & Susie.
Phil had apparently been trained to the extent that he automatically pulled Susie's chair out for her.
"I'm impressed, Susie." Lil complimented.
"What about me?" Phil asked.
Kimi got her digs in. "No offense, Phil, but one compliments the trainer, not the trainee."
Phil didn't like that. "Have I been insulted?"
"Constantly." Chuck intoned.
Then Susie glimpsed Tom, just barely in sight, alongside the house. She had to act fast. "Um, I have a message here for the people in charge of DareDevilles." She held up the folded note Tom had given her.
"That's us." three voices piped up.
The one voice that didn't respond had something else to say. "Wait, that's from Tommy's little notebook. What's this about, doc?"
"He said it was about the show."
"But the show's over. We're on summer break now." Lil said.
"You can't start planning these things too early." Chuck commented as he took the message off of Susie's hands. "You know the department stores start planning for their Christmas hullabaloos in February?"
"'hullabaloos'?" wondered Phil.
"Let me see that." Kimi demanded of her brother.
"We'll be let in on it later, Kimi." said Susie.
"You mean you don't know either? But he gave the message to you!"
"Because he knows I won't look at it if he asks me not to."
"That's right," echoed Phil as he hugged his betrothed with one arm, "she's a good girl, most of the time."
This drew an elbow. "Whadda ya mean? I'm good all the time."
Chuck rolled his eyes at this. "And I thought there was someone here who didn't have a big head."
"You don't." Lil pointed out.
"Yes I do, when I'm at work."
"That's different; it's something that goes with your suits, just part of the job."
During the conversation the message from Tom had been passed from Chuck to Lil to Phil, with not unexpected humorous --- if quiet --- reactions from the three of them. Kimi noticed, and was understandably upset at being left out, and getting more so by the second.
"All right. Someone had better tell me what's going on that everyone thinks is so funny, before I get cranky!"
"Uh-oh." escaped from Chuck as memories of previous cranky episodes involving his sister replayed themselves in his memory. He started to chant, "Please come soon, Tommy. Please come soon, Tommy. Please come soon, Tommy." Started, but didn't get very far; try saying it yourself, it's a tongue twister. As Chuck found out; his body didn't take to it too well.
In a trice Lil was at his side slapping his back. "Just breathe, Chuckie, deep, cleansing breaths."
Of course Susie couldn't ignore the calling of her occupation; she endeavored to see what she could do, to which Lil didn't take well.
"Thanks, I'll see about him."
"Hey, who's the doctor here."
"You are, but this one's all mine."
"You're not jealous because Chuck & Suze used to be an item, are you, Lillian?" came from her twin.
"Of course not, Phillip! I'm just joking."
Susie was at a loss. Phil then took it upon himself to save the situation; rare for him. He faked a coughing fit so Susie would have an excuse for a graceful exit. Not to mention getting in a little cuddling; Kimi was still keeping an eye out for kissing.
That's not all she was doing; she was also doing what is known in the movies as a slow burn.
"Excuse me? Is someone going to tell me what's going on with that note and everything, or am I going to have to start--"
But now Susie saved the day, a role to which she was used. "I'd rather talk about what was going on when I got here. What was that about Chuckie throwing a party? And why didn't you ever throw one when we were dating, you cheapskate?" She added the last part directly to the redhead, drawing a scowl from Lil, followed by a smirk.
"It was back when we were babies." Lil began.
"Yeah! I was two at the time; I didn't know what I was doing." Chuck put in.
Phil was quick to start contributing as well, and soon the three of them were doing a round-robin recounting of Chuckie's bachelor pad. After a few minutes...
"And all this happened in that shed in your yard?" Susie asked.
"Where Fifi had the puppies?" Kimi seconded.
"That's right. And it was also where we got flashed by Tom yet again." Phil answered, getting a little dig in at the one who hadn't joined them yet, at least officially.
He could see Tom right then, behind Kimi but still out of her sight. And the conversation had been so compelling it hadn't even occurred to her to wonder if he was there.
And she was all the more interested when she heard about seeing the other side of her fiancee. "My Tommy flashed you guys?"
"Whoa!" came from Susie. "Tell on, troops, tell on!"
"It was after the hard partying had finished." Chuck explained.
"I'd eaten too much." came from Phil.
"I'd bounced too much." from Lil.
"And for some odd reason, which to this day even he can't explain, Tom's diaper was on top of his head." Chuck finished.
"Wha-a-a?" Susie started before going into a giggling fit. As did Kimi.
"So was that when you started to be attracted to him, Lil? When you saw what he had to offer?"
"KIMI!!" came from a shocked older brother.
"As if!" she defended.
"Besides," Chuck continued, "it's not like we saw anything. He was on the other side of the bed."
"Yeah," Phil concurred. "I was on the bed and I didn't see anything."
"I was at the foot of the bed, and I didn't see anything. Fortunately, he was wearing a long shirt, said Lil, before adding, "that time."
"You mean there were other times?" Kimi's attention, and for the matter Susie's, was now riveted on the other three. Which was fortunate for Tom, as he was now desperately trying to shush them without alerting Kimi.
But it wasn't working; those three were going to make him pay for making them wait for affection, to say nothing of implicating them in his ruse.
Chuck was first to twist the knife. "You have no idea. Why, I can remember way back when we thought there was another world on the other side of the mirror."
"Like in 'Through the Looking Glass'?" Susie asked.
"Exactly. He said that in Mirrorland they wear their diapers on their heads."
"Hey, maybe that explalins it; maybe he thought he was in Mirrorland after that party." Phil conjectured.
To silence.
"Well, he could have."
Lil finally picked up the conversation. "That's nothing; let me tell you two about the time we got lost in the woods."
"I remember hearing about that. What happened?" Susie asked.
"It was right after Dil was born." Phil continued. "Things were not pleasant."
"To say the least." came from Lil.
"So Tweedledum &, uh, uh, uh, Tweedledear here," Chuck faltered on realizing what he was almost calling his fiancee.
"Passable recovery, Chuckster." she complimented.
"Thanks." he whispered, before continuing, "were determined to take him back to the hospital & get his money back."
"Money?" Susie wondered.
"Long story, doc, although you might ask your mom about a gold foil-wrapped chocolate Tommy gave her around that time."
"Thanks, I will."
"So the Devilles hated Dil. What about you, big brother? And what about my Tommy?"
"Are you kidding? He was his brother; Tommy was constantly defending him. And I just wanted everyone to get along."
"Got it. But what does this have to do with the naked truth about him?"
"Well, one time in the woods, he was defending Dil to the Devilles for the umpteenth time. He was standing next to the Reptar wagon, where Dil happened to be. A small hand reached out, pulled on the tape of his diaper, and next thing you know..."
"Ooh!" Kimi & Susie chorused.
"And he even used that occasion to try to make his brother look good." Phil continued.
"Yeah. 'little breeze, feels good.' As if!" came from Lil.
"I don't know; you didn't seem to mind at the time." Chuck hinted.
"Let's not start that again."
"Oh, come on, Lillian! We all saw that look on your face."
"It was a look of embarrassment, Phillip! I looked away, didn't I?"
"Yeah, right."
"I must admit I'm seeing a whole new side of Tommy." said Kimi. "Or at least hearing about seeing a new side of him."
Chuck then continued, slipping into a Caribbean accent as he did so for some reason known only to him. "But you have not yet heard the most egregious example of wild behavior from the man you love, my sister."
"It was worse than what I've been hearing?"
"Oh, yes." came from big brother. "You see, when he was a baby he went through a phase during which he was a nudist."
"NO, WAY!" came from Susie.
"Yes, way!" from her sweetie.
"This I gotta hear!" Kimi demanded.
To which her brother acquiesced. "Well, one day it occurred to him, 'Hey, Spike's naked! And Reptar's naked too! I wanna be naked!'..."
"...and after that you couldn't keep anything on him." Phil finished.
Kimi and Susie were in hysterics.
"It gets worse, ladies." Phil cautioned.
Seconded by his twin. "He even got Phil & me to go along with him."
"Mom didn't like that at all."
"We couldn't go to the Pickles' house for a while."
"We were out of there quick as you could say, 'GREAT EVONNE GOOLAGONG!'"
"Whoever she was."
"She was an aboriginal Australian tennis player from the late '60's, early '70's." Kimi being the resident jock, it wasn't that surprising she would know. "Not on Billie Jean King's level, but who was at the time."
"I still say the battle of the sexes was a sham." Phil thought out loud.
Kimi continued. "Still she did manage to win at least a couple of majors. But don't let me interrupt; go on."
"There's really not much to say after that." said Chuck. "After he streaked Lou Pickles' Wombat Lodge meeting he started thinking about the advantages of clothes and he figured we're not animals & we have to wear clothes. Took a bit to convince him to get undressed for baths, though."
Susie's hand was on her forehead, which was shaking. "I really didn't need to hear this. All of my little friends--"
"I for one am not so little, Suze." Phil insinuated.
"Ewww!" and "NASTY!" came from somewhere.
Then it occurred to Kimi. "Wait, what about you, big brother? Did he talk you into going au naturel?"
Lil came to his defense, hugging him in the process. "Ha! Not MY Chuckie. Discretion has always been one of his better parts."
Now Phil horned in. "Oh? What are his other better parts?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out never." Chuck shot.
"Party pooper."
Chuck smoothed things. "Hey, it's all good. He's long since reformed; there's no chance he'll be streaking on stage when Lil accepts her Oscar, and she will."
"Thanks, Chuckie." came from Lil.
"You're right, big brother." Kimi was strangely serene, or quietly confident, or both. "We know that I'm the only one for whom Tommy will be getting naked now. And we also know that if I have to get him a chastity belt to make sure of it, I will."
Gulps were heard all around.
Chuck leaned over the table to talk with Susie. "I didn't know they made chastity belts for men."
"Neither did I."
It was at this time that Tom finally made his presence to his fiancee. "It's interesting that you should mention that, my dear."
"TOMMY!!!" Taken by surprise though she was, and even from a sitting position, Kimi managed to launch herself in less than a second.
On top of the man she loved, Kimi was happy. The same could not be said for everyone, however.
Phil pulled a Ricky Ricardo. "Tommy, you got some 'splainin' to do!"
Seconded by his twin. "Do you have any idea what we've been going through? Your little friend has banned kissing all around until she can get her hands on you."
"Oh, that reminds me." said Kimi, before plantin' 'em all over her intended.
Chuck observed, "I think the ban on kissing has been lifted."
The balance of the membership celebrated the occasion, and soon the scene was starting to resemble something out of ancient Rome.
But Tom broke it up. "Whoa, whoa, wait up everyone."
That didn't meet with their approval.
"I didn't think I'd be the one to say this, but I'm not sure this is such a good idea."
"Hey!" Chuck didn't like Tom stealing his line.
But he explained himself. "Look, we're in my parents' back yard. My mom's in the kitchen, which looks out on this yard. Any time she could look out here and--"
"And what she'd see is three engaged couples showing their affection for each other and what's wrong with that?" came from Susie.
But Tom wasn't mollified. "Please, this is my mother we're talking about. Would you feel as comfortable doing it across the street, Susie? Or next door, Phil & Lil?"
There was silence; to look at people's faces, Tom had made his point.
Then Kimi changed the subject when she noticed the package lying on the ground at Tom's feet. "Aaaahhhhh! Aaaahhhhh!! Aaaaaahhhhh!!!"
Chuck smiled. "It's been too long since I've heard that out of my sister."
"Is there a butterfly around here?" came from Phil.
"No, I think it's about that package."
"Package?" Phil quipped, slipping into a Liverpudlian accent. "That's disgusting!"
Susie knew where he was going with this; she too was a devotee of Warner cartoons. "Look who's talking, Mr. Potty Emergency." she responded in her best German imitation.
"Yes, but I never said package!"
"Excuse me." Kimi butted in on the routine. "Could you two Animaniacs rein it in?"
"The phrase is rope it in, Kimi, but I agree." said Lil. "You were saying something about that thing on the ground at Tom's feet."
"Right. So what is it, Tommy? Did you bring me something?"
Tom smiled. "I thought that's what someone's supposed to be asked by their child."
"Getting ahead of--"
"Point to Watanabe-Finster."
"Thank you. So?"
Tom picked it up, his smile deepening. He set the wrapped box on the table and motioned for Kimi to be seated. She did, and the others followed suit.
"It just happens to go perfectly with what you were talking about just before I interrupted. And for the record..." Here he turned his gaze upon her brother. "I'm not the only one with a history of parting with his clothes."
"Hey, I never did it on purpose, unlike you."
Instead of arguing the point, Tom turned back to Kimi, who was thinking over his last words to her.
"I forget, what were we talking about?"
"Open it and see."
She tore through the wrappings in buzzsaw fashion, flipped the lid off, and pulled out a... what was it?
She asked as much, eyes communicating multitudinous questions.
Kimi wasn't the only one wondering; next to the scene, Chuck & Susie were doing their best to examine the object in question from a couple feet away.
"What do you think, doc?"
"I'm afraid to say what I'm thinking; why don't you go first, C.C.?"
"All right. I'm not sure, but I think there's kind of a resemblance to certain things I've seen in the books in some medieval course I once took."
"I was afraid of that."
"Why?"
Her eyes met his. "I had come to the exact same conclusion."
"Excuse, please?" came from across the table, from Phil. "We're getting so curious over here it's a good thing none of us are cats."
"We are owed an explanation for playing along with you, Tom." from Lil.
Who was suddenly faced by her mischievous twin. "Couldn't you have put that another way, Lillian?"
"Don't start, Phillip; it's been years."
"You'd better spill it, Pickles, before those Devilles drag out the skeletons, which won't do any of us any good." Chuck counseled.
"All right. Kimi, everyone, this is for you, for her, but I'm the one who's going to be wearing it."
Stupefaction reigned.
"So it is a chastity belt..." Susie ventured.
"...only for males?" Chuck finished.
"For me, specifically. I built it on my exact specs." He then picked it up to give Kimi a better look at some parts of it. "You see that thing there? That's for you to talk into. This thing's voice activated, and it only works with your voice. Once it's on, you're the only one who can take it off."
Kimi was stunned. She now remembered what she had been talking about, but she had been joking. Her brother had to poke her to snap her out of it.
"Whu-?"
"Welcome back to the land of the livid, Kimi."
"Didn't you already use that line on me?" Chuck queried.
"Hey, it works in both cases." Tom then turned his attention to where it belonged. "Wow, Kimi, I haven't seen you like that since I popped the question."
Kimi had been returning to Earth in her mind, but only now did she find a firm footing on terra firma. "Wait, you're going to wear that?"
"If you want me to. If you think it's necessary. Who knows; it might just go with that dominatrix outfit you might or might not have. I'll look forward to finding out."
Kimi was concerned. "Tommy, are you sure about this? I mean, couldn't you get hurt in the, in, in the last place you'd want to get hurt?"
"I'm not my Dad, Kimi. I'm not trying anything until it's passed the most rigorous safety checks from Inspector Me! Especially something like that."
"I don't get it, Tommy."
"Not yet, she doesn't." Phil whispered to Susie, who promptly elbowed him.
"Why?"
"Because I know what's been going on. You've worried about me because of my popularity and my record as a babe magnet. I just wanted to prove to you, once and for all, that I will always be interested only in you, not Hannah or Belinda or Lil, no offense, Lil."
"None taken, Tom." she said as she tightened her grip on Chuck. "Hopefully, you'll have an easier time convincing her than I did convincing her brother."
He turned back to Kimi. "Believe me, Kimi, when I say I love you. That I want to be with you for life. That I'm yours & yours alone."
"'Cause Tommy wants to have a girl to call his own!'" Phil sang before being gang tackled by the others other than Tom & Kimi. After Chuck & Lil had incapacitated him, the good doctor silenced him as only she could.
Which caused some raised eyebrows.
"We have this understanding; whenever he says something silly or stupid I'm to shut him up any way I choose."
"In that case he might never come up for air." Lil thought out loud.
"And your point is?"
"Stay out of this, Lillian!"
"SHHHHH!" came from Tom, causing the others to tone down their acts. He then turned back to Kimi, who was again in a state of catatonia. "Kimi?"
Then she pounced. In no time flat Tom once again found himself flat, on his back, on the grass, looking up at what to him was the most beautiful sight in the world, his girlfriend getting frisky, as they used to say.
"Tommy Pickles, I want you! Now!!"
His smile grew. "I'm glad you like it."
Her kisses were heating up. "I mean it; take me now!"
"WHOA!" came from almost all around.
"You don't want to do that."
"Kimi, please, not where my mother might see!"
"Or definitely not where your brother will see; remember me?"
"It could scar him for life."
Silence.
Some heads turned toward the only one who hadn't been heard from yet.
"Hey, I get the feeling I should stay out of this. If I opened my mouth I'd have to spend the evening with my nose in The Rules."
More silence before the balance of the membership shrugged.
Tom took the occasion to try to extricate himself from his enviable position. "Kimi, please, we do have some business to discuss."
She looked down at her boyfriend with surprise. "You mean that wasn't just a gag?"
"Well, the message was. And although that line was the truth and nothing but the truth, it wasn't the whole truth." By now he was helping the both of them up as seats were now being filled around the table.
"Meaning?" she asked from her now seated position.
"Meaning it's not just Chuck & Phil & Lil I need to talk with; it's all of us who need to be in on this."
As he talked, he picked up the newspaper which he had brought out with the box and which had somehow escaped Kimi's onslaught of unwrapping.
"Go on." said Chuck.
But before he could, Phil jumped in. "I believe the ladies have a question first."
"We do?" Susie puzzled, before remembering, "Oh yeah. Ladies, on three, 1, 2, "
"Did you get a group rate on these?" three voices demanded, holding ring fingers aloft, complete with engagements rings.
"No!" came in unison from the males.
"Now that that's over with, what were you going to say, Tom?" came from Chuck.
"Thanks, Chuck. It's this. everyone, has anyone given any thought to what we're going to do after the weddings?"
Phil grimaced. "Aww, man! Why'd you have to throw out a line like that; you just know what I'm going to say in response."
They knew; Susie took preventative measures with another liplock.
But Tom wasn't finished. "All right; after the honeymoons, then."
Susie came up for air in time to say, "What?"
"Consider what the six of us are right now, and what we're about to be."
Silence again.
"Make sense, Pickles." came from Lil.
"Very well. We are currently six single people sharing a duplex. And we're about to become three married couples, sharing a duplex?"
Comprehension dawned. "I get it." said Chuck. "We'll need to find other accommodations?"
"Exactly. Consider this: all of us here have siblings; could you feel comfortable getting romantic shall we say, when you know your brother or sister is in the next room?"
Finsters & Devilles looked uncomfortably at each other.
"I mean, I know I'd be reluctant if Dil was that close to what was going on."
"He's right. There's no way any lovin' would be happenin' with Edwin or Buster or Alyssa right there."
"Phillip's disgusting enough as it is, but to think about him in that situation..."
"The idea of you getting it on isn't that pleasing a prospect either, Lillian!"
Chuck jumped in. "And I wouldn't even want to think about it. And neither would you, right, Kimi?"
pause
"Kimi?"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."
"KIMI!"
"Just kidding."
"So we start looking for houses first chance we get?" Lil asked.
"I've already started, and maybe finished, subject to the approval of the membership." Tom held up the newspaper to underscore his latest point.
"You've already found houses for us?" Susie asked.
"Maybe. If price is not a concern." With this, he spread the paper on the table as the others crowded around to get a good look.
"536, 537, and 538 Greenbriar Ridge?"
"Hey, I know that area. That's one of the best neighborhoods in town!"
"Price wouldn't be a consideration; it would have to not be with the prices they must be asking."
"More to the point, consider those addresses."
"Wouldn't those addresses have to be..."
"...next door to and across the street from each other!"
"We'd all still be together!"
"Exactly." Tom ended the round robin. "I was thinking Kimi & I could take this house, Chuck & Lil, you'd be here, and Phil & Susie, here."
"Hey, I'd be across the street from you again!"
"And I'd be next door again."
"Not me; I'd have moved across the street, not that there's anything wrong with that." Phil hastily added.
"So what do all of you think? All in favor of taking these houses..."
Five other voices shouted "Aye!"
"Motion carried."
Chuck spoke. "All right. I'll contact the agent, see what I can do."
"It's as good as done, then." Tom asserted, confident in his friend's abilities.
"So is there any other business, old or new?" Phil asked.
Tom smiled. "No; we can turn ourselves to pleasure now."
"Amen to that!" Kimi shouted.
Chuck looked askance at his friend. "Do you perchance have something in mind there too?"
"Sure. Am I the only one who thinks we should do something to celebrate our engagements?"
"Tommy! We had that bash last night, on top of the one at the station with Uncle Freddy, and the one in South America, and now you want more?"
"Well, sure! It'll be fun, & I could use the break from work."
Kimi spoke up. "Oh, as if you'll really take any time off! Sometimes I think your mind's more on Pickles Toys than on me."
"Now you know that's not true."
"Hmm, audience?"
"TRUE!!!" four voices responded.
"Oh, very funny."
But now Chuck was thinking. "Getting back to the topic, think maybe we should do something tonight to celebrate? After all, we are betrothed now."
"Getting in some of that Old World charm, Chuckster?"
"Oh, dry up."
"I know. How 'bout we go to a movie, & not watch the movie?" Phil suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Susie seconded.
Lil chimed in. "And the best part is since we'll all be having fun together, those who have siblings in the immediate area will be too busy with their respective intendeds to notice said siblings doing the same."
"Are you saying I'll be concentrating too much on making out to notice you doing the same?" Phil asked.
"And vice versa."
"So now that that's settled, what movie will it be?" Tom asked.
"Does it matter?" from Phil.
Chuck pondered. "Y'know, I can remember when we'd go to the movies & actually watch what was going on on the screen."
Phil was now checking the movie listings on the other side of paper the real estate listing were in. "We just might do that this time. I see The Return of Mecha-Reptar is playing at the drive-in."
Kimi was surprised. "Drive-in? They still have those things?"
"Oh, there's a few of them still around." Susie confirmed. And she would know.
Tom grabbed the paper away from Phil. "Wait, let me see that. Return of Mecha-Reptar. I remember this movie; Pickles Toys did some work on it. We're talking endorsements, screen credit, product placements..."
Kimi now turned a worried face to the others. "Could we go to some other movie? He's going to be watching for Pickles on the screen the whole time, which means I won't get to see his."
"KIMI!!" came shocks from either side of her.
"What?"
"That's it." Tom shot. "Just for that, no Pickles for you until after the wedding."
"Aw, nuts! I was so hoping..."
Chuck glared at the young couple. "Considering what I've just heard, Return of Mecha-Reptar it is."
"Oh, you're no fun."
"And I promise, I'll concentrate on you." Tom reassured.
That out of the way, Lil now turned to logistics. "Great. So how will we work this. Three couples, two cars?"
"What do you mean two cars? I'm taking Kimi in the Pickles Wagon. Lots of room to..."
"Tom..."
"I'm engaged to her now. And besides, we're both adults."
"She's still my sister."
"Now what if Phil made as much of a fuss as you do?" Kimi asked.
Which Phil answered. "If I did that, none of us would have any fun. Take my advice, Chuckie, concentrate on your date & forget about what your sister's doing; I know I intend to."
But Chuck wasn't finished. "I'm serious, Pickles. I don't want to hear about my sister's love life. Even after the wedding I won't want to hear about it."
"I will." Lil confided to Kimi. "We'll have to make sure to get together every week or so to dish all the dirt."
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"'Cause you still have a crush on Tommy."
"I do not!"
"And besides if I talk to you about my sex life, you'll want to start talking to me about yours. And seeing that it's with my brother that would be equally weird."
"You can talk to me about it." Susie told Kimi. "But not you, Lil. Since mine will be with your brother."
Now Lil was disconsolate. "Oh, Chuckie, what are we going to do? Our closest friends won't share with us, because one couple includes my brother & the other includes your sister."
"It is a bit of a problem, all right."
"I guess we'll just have to break them up & have them switch partners."
"Hmm, Tommy & Susie, Phil & Kimi. It has possibilities."
"HEY!!!!" came from four outraged voices.
"Gotcha!" from the other two voices.
Tom tried to restore order. "Anyway, before the peanut gallery took over..."
Where Chuck got the peanut is anyone's guess. "Peanut, peanut! Anyone want a peanut? Getcha peanut...HONK!"
"Whadda ya know, that peanut was good for something."
"HONK!!"
"Now, Take 2. Before I was interrupted by the peanut gallery, twice, I was trying to say that Kimi & I will be going in the Pickles wagon, so both Cadillacs are at your disposal. And two couples & two cars works out quite nicely."
"Fine, so Chuckie & I can go in Deville 1, & Phil & Susie can go in Deville 2."
"I don't think so; Susie & I will go in Deville 1, & you & Chuckie can go in Deville 2."
"No, I'm going in Deville 1."
"No, I am."
"I am!"
"I am!"
"I AM!!"
"I AM!!"
"I AM, PHILLIP!"
"I AM, LILLIAN!"
"I guess we'll just have to settle this in the usual way." The Devilles now turned toward their agent.
Who almost ran out of reach. "Oh, no! Nonononono! You two are not pulling out any more of my hairs to settle your little differences! I'm pulling enough out worrying about your dangerous stunts on the show!"
"Now what?"
Now it was Tom's turn to step in. "If I might make a suggestion, there's this concept they've come up with in the past couple of centuries. It's called flipping a coin." He produced one as he talked. "Look, heads Lil gets Deville 1, tails Phil gets Deville 1. Okkay?"
"All right."
"Yes! I get Deville 1."
"Oh, poo."
"It was about time we changed; Lil was always getting the long hair anyway."
"I was not, Phillip!"
"You were so, Lillian!"
Yet another twin pique was headed off by Susie. "I don't get it; those Cadillacs are identical in every way."
"It's the principle of the thing."
Now a period of calm settled over the table, particularly with regard to the super agent to the stars.
"Wow, I haven't seen you this calm since you slept in a crib, Chuck." Tom observed.
"I just feel on top of the world. All of us are about to spend the rest of our lives with the people we love, and all of our needs are provided for. I just feel like nothing could go wrong in our lives right now."
"Don't say that!" Phil panicked. "In the movies that's what someone says just before everything goes crazy!"
"Phil, that's the movies; this is real life. If we were in the movies we'd have met that Thornberry bunch that used to have our time slot while we were on our travels."
"Um, Chuckie, we did that." Lil gently remonstrated.
"We did?"
nods
"Oh. I thought I dreamed that. Well, if we were in the movies we'd have met that kid with the weird-shaped head. You know, the one who went into the jungle to look for his parents?"
Now it was Susie's turn to take the wind out of his sails. "Actually, Timberly could introduce us to him. He happens to be her brother's best friend."
"Oh." Chuck's voice was now very small. "I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"It doesn't look like it, big brother."
That was when Tom noticed another car pulling up to his parents' house. "Wonder who that is?"
The group moved over to the fence to get a better look.
"Whoever it is is rolling in it."
"Or trying to give that impression."
"That's a rental car."
"You sure?"
"As much time as I spend around airports? Yes."
"Wait, they're getting out, its..."
All conversation halted as the occupants revealed themselves to be...
"Timmy and Angelica."
"Aren't they supposed to be in Paris?"
"Whether they are or not, they're here now."
"Well, this should be interesting." said Susie, her eyes on her best friend and the man said best friend had taken away from her.
Lil squeezed Chuck's hand as he muttered, "Oh, give me strength."
Her twin looked at him and intoned, "You were saying, Chuck?"
And so we come to the end of yet another chapter. Be on the look-out for Chapter 13: Come the McNultys.
There's something else y'all should be on the look-out for. I've been looking at this fic and I realized I'm not being fair. There's a lot of time in between All Growed Up and The Rugrats Weddings. Much could happen and has happened. I've alluded to bits and pieces of it here, but I need to go into detail. Quesitons need to be answered. Such as why are the couples coupled the way they are? How did they get that way? Was there any conflict between them? How did Angelica snare Timmy? How did Susie come to get involved with the group, especially with Phil? Were there any blow-ups? These and other questions I will hopefully answer in a fic series on the Rugrats in high school, maybe college.
First, though, I will post a fic taking place around the start of high school in which they lose someone. The title: I Miss You a Little. Coming soon to this board. And although I'll be posting it in pieces, I almost have it finished. So there won't be any unreasonable delays. And don't worry: I won't neglect this story either.
All that being said, please review this chapter. I remain Nftnat. On e-mail, I'm nftnat@aol.com . And on IM I'm Nftnat . Cy'all around.
As to the reviews...
Junior, thank you. I didn't know that about Kimi's father. And I'd thought we'd hear no more on the subject. May I ask where you got this information?
Kimmy Larisa, thanks.
Thank you too, Nightw2. As you might have noticed by now, I'm fond of slipping in references to anything and everything.
Thanks, PJS. I will put in beaucoups C/A here. There's unresolved issues between them which we need to explore. Look forward to your fics. I have reviewed one Histeria fic; better than nothing right? I'm smiling one of those smiles accompanied by flop sweat here. I'll try to do better. Hmm, Tenchi...
Thank you, whoever you are. Nah, I know it's you Ally, or whoever you are. Hey, you're entitled; sometimes I don't know who I am. Don't worry about it.
Much thanks to SN, for your reviews, and your own excellent fics. I just Chapters 24 & 25 and will soon review. I'll save the comments I have on it for there. Here we find out what Tom's doing as a majority of this chapter's about him. Maybe I didn't make myself clear previously. I don't intend to add that other blonde to the plot although we will see her before I'm through here. What I meant was there are similarities between that relationship and C/A. and worry not for Dil; I have plans for him.
Book-Master, thanks for saying my work is very good; I do try. That aside, as to your recommendation that we all get together and come up with one official version, that ain't happenin'. Sure, I was inspired by the works of others; and yes, I have borrowed from others, although I will maintain to the end that I came up with the housing situation we'll see here on my own despite similarities to a fic written by another reviewer, and she knows what I'm talking about; but we're not going to agree on a single storyline, and there's no reason we should be expected to. Like you said, everyone is trying to write their own thing. That's what fanfiction is all about. There's those here who want Tommy with Kimi for instance (myself for one), those who prefer him with Lil; how to please bothe sides? You can't. You're right; none of it's real. The real stuff is what we see on Nickelodeon, although I'm sure we'd all want to turn our thoughts into reality on the small screen. *shrug* I guess we could invoke the old standby of parallel universes er sum junk like they did in the Sonic ff community, but that got real messy real quick. With respect, sir, what you suggest would be the biggest fiction of all, although I do find the idea intriguing.
And thank you, LK. I shouldn't complain about your tardiness given how derelict I've been in reviewing. I will get to it.
Rugrats and The Wild Thornberries are created, owned, and / or copyrighted by Klasky-Csupo and / or Nickelodeon, which in turn is owned by Viacom.
DareDevilles and Fort DareDeville are my ideas and I claim rights to them.
Red River Valley is a traditional melody and is public domain for all I know.
Beautiful Dreamer was written by Stephen Foster.
Sunrise, Sunset was written by Bock & Harnick and is copyright New York Times Music.
Tweedledum & Tweedledee and Through the Looking Glass
The Oscar is copyright the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Ricky Ricardo is copyright Desilu Entertainment, a subsidiary of Paramount Television, which is a unit of Viacom.
Animaniacs and all characters and situations from same are copyright Warner Brothers Animation & Amblin Entertainment.
The theme song to The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is by Max Shulman & Lionel Newman and is copyright Weiss and Barry Inc.
Cadillac is copyright the Cadillac division of General Motors.
The Peanut Gallery is copyright the Howdy Doody Show.
Timberly Johanssen & the Hey Arnold concept are copyright Craig Bartlett, Snee-Oosh, and / or Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom.
In the workshop set up in the basement of the Pickles house, Tom sat in his usual position, hunched over his working table. This time, however, his hands held not plans for new toys or business contracts. They held a newspaper, the classified section to be specific.
His concentration was broken by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the hand belonged to his father.
"How are you doing, Champ?"
Tommy smiled. "'Champ'. You've always called me that, Dad."
"And for good reason; look what you've already accomplished. After all my years of trying, you have finally done what I never could quite do: you've put Pickles Toys on the map."
A grin broke out on Tom's face. "I couldn't have done it without you, Dad. You started the company, kept it going until I could start working with you. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else or for anyone else."
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that, son. But you are the 'Champ'. Ever since your mother told me she was carrying you, I knew there was something special about you. Even right after you were born, when we didn't know if you'd make it or not, I never doubted. I knew you'd survive, and thrive. I knew that you'd succeed in whatever you tried to do. And it's a true blessing that you chose to do it with me. I've always been proud of you. I tried to keep it quiet as you were growing up, never wanted to put pressure on you. But I couldn't stop calling you 'Champ'."
No more words were said as father & son enveloped each other in the kind of a hug done only by fathers & sons.
Stu finally broke the hold. "You never did answer my question."
Wordlessly, Tom held out the paper & pointed to a certain section. Stu took it in, then his eyes re-focused on his firstborn. "Are you sure about this?"
"We're getting married, Dad. It's the next step. And we can well afford them."
"You're no longer satisfied with 'Fort DareDeville'."
"It's all right for a bunch of single people; but for couples, starting their own families, no, we need this."
"Well, do what you think is right. And you will, Champ."
And another grin broke out on Tom's face.
But further conversation was cut short as Susie reached the bottom of the stairs just then.
"You know it's a shame he's too old for child labor laws to apply, but the 40 hour work week has been in force for around a century, & it applies to even the bosses."
Stu held up his hands in defense. "I'm innocent, Susie. I tried to deal with this, but my son remains conscientious to a fault."
"Well, that's all right when you're working. But 'all work and no play...'"
"Go on, Champ. You'd better join your friend."
"Friends," corrected Susie. "The whole gang's in the backyard."
"And Mom didn't tell me?" Tom wondered.
"She didn't know. The Devilles were next door, I was across the street, & if your fiancee & your best friend need to check in..."
"All right, I'm coming." he said as he gathered some things. "So what's going on?"
"Kimi is picking everyone's brains for info about her future hubby. And she's pumping 'em good."
"How good?"
"I'm not sure. When I got there Chuck was talking about someone named Prudence?"
"Uh-oh. Gotta run, Dad."
"You just take care of yourself. And Kimi."
"I will if she doesn't beat me to it. C'mon, Susie."
"Wait, Tommy! Are you forgetting something?" called Stu as he held up a medium-sized package.
"OH! You're right; thanks, Dad." By the time Tommy had finished that statement he'd already snatched the package & returned to Susie's side.
She eyed the package. "What is that?"
Tom shook his head. "Sorry, that's classified."
"He won't even tell me what he's been working on." came from Stu.
"Let's go, Susie." Tom interjected from the stairs. "I'll tell you as much as I can on the way."
She followed. "See ya, Mr. P."
"See ya, Susie."
Going up the stairs...
"So who is Prudence?"
"You know her. Prue."
"Prue? Her?"
"Yeah."
"And you knew her back when you were one?"
"We met a couple of times. It's a long story."
"Mm."
"I'll fill you in later, although I get the feeling you're the only one of the group who doesn't know all about it, now."
"In that case I'll get it out of Phil later."
"That, among other things."
"Behave, Pickles."
Tom cackled in response as he opened the door to the kitchen.
On the other said of the door was Didi Pickles, humming.
Susie noticed the tune. "What, no 'Red River Valley'?"
Didi smirked. "Believe it or not, I do know more than one song."
"I know," Tom put in, "Dil always liked your 'Beautiful Dreamer'."
Didi picked up her thought. "I thought the occasion called for 'Sunrise Sunset'."
"Because of the wedding, or weddings?" Susie guessed.
"No." Didi countered as she kissed her son on the head. "I thought it would be appropriate because my son is rising from the basement in time for the sunset."
Tom grimaced, from his mother's sense of humor more than from her affection. "It comes from hanging around teenagers all day. And I wouldn't change it if I could."
Didi now beamed as she added a hug to the kiss. "Bright boy we raised, wouldn't you say?"
"We did a good job all right."
"Fine, take all the credit."
"She deserves at least some of it." Tom defended. "She's always been our mentor and protector."
"I know, dear. It was nice of her to finally clue me in as to the party in back, of my own yard."
"It's just the usual, Mom. She was across the street, Phil & Lil next door, and Kimi & Chuck think they can come & go as they please. And who can blame them."
"I know that too. Speaking of the group, are you going to honor them with your presence any time soon?"
Tom was about to respond, when a thought hit him. "In a moment. First, I need to have a word with Susie."
Which caught Susie by surprise. "You do?"
Tom communicated with his eyes.
Up on which she picked. "Oh. Right. You do."
On that thought, she allowed herself to be pulled into the living room.
Back in the kitchen, Didi shook her head good-naturedly, wondering what the kids were up to now, & reminding herself of what had been drilled into all of her generation since the kids were teenagers: that they were only parents, what did they know. She then turned her attention back to preparing the feast of welcome for her younger son, due in that day.
While in the living room...
"All right, spill it, Pickles. What do you have in mind?"
"You go on and rejoin the others. Tell them I'll be out in a minute."
"And what will you be doing?"
"Um, all right, you I can trust. I'll be sneaking around the side of the house and trying to eavesdrop on the conversation."
"What?"
"You said Kimi's pumping everyone; I want to see her in action."
"Oh, Tommy."
"I'll be able to do it if you cooperate. I noticed her back's to the house; I should be able to get an earful before she gets wise."
"Not nearly as much of an earful as you'll get afterward."
"Let me worry about that." he said, subconsciously patting the package he'd carried up from the basement.
Susie's eyebrows shot up, which did not go unnoticed.
"You'll see. For now, give this to Chuck & the Devilles" he said as he wrote something on a sheet of paper in his little notebook. "Say it's a show-related matter which is for their eyes only."
"Meaning Kimi's not to see it."
"That's the idea. And neither are you."
"I'm not?"
"That's what you're to say if asked. But for the record it says 'I'm trying to sneak up on Kimi. Please don't let on. Tommy'."
Now it was Susie's turn to shake her head. "All right, but I still think it's a crazy idea."
"So what's new?"
"True."
And with that he exited via the front door. Susie, still more than bemused, turned around to head for the back door via the kitchen.
"It was the best party I'd ever had!"
"It's still the only party he's ever had."
"That's true, technically. Chuckie's not been directly responsible for any of the parties we've had. I'll have to work with him a bit."
"You know I'm not good at having parties, Lil."
" *sigh* , Guess Susie's not the only one with her work cut out for her."
"Am I hearing my name taken in vain?"
Heads turned at the self-announced approach of the good doctor.
"SUZE!!"
Phil had almost closed the gap between him & his fiancee before Kimi stopped him.
"Wait, where's Tommy? You were supposed to bring him, Susie."
"He, um, got held up on the ground floor. But he'll be out in a minute."
"That's good to know." Kimi turned back to the table. "Good news, everyone. Only another minute before you guys can kiss."
Groaning, Chuck & Lil looked longingly at each other, as did Phil & Susie.
Phil had apparently been trained to the extent that he automatically pulled Susie's chair out for her.
"I'm impressed, Susie." Lil complimented.
"What about me?" Phil asked.
Kimi got her digs in. "No offense, Phil, but one compliments the trainer, not the trainee."
Phil didn't like that. "Have I been insulted?"
"Constantly." Chuck intoned.
Then Susie glimpsed Tom, just barely in sight, alongside the house. She had to act fast. "Um, I have a message here for the people in charge of DareDevilles." She held up the folded note Tom had given her.
"That's us." three voices piped up.
The one voice that didn't respond had something else to say. "Wait, that's from Tommy's little notebook. What's this about, doc?"
"He said it was about the show."
"But the show's over. We're on summer break now." Lil said.
"You can't start planning these things too early." Chuck commented as he took the message off of Susie's hands. "You know the department stores start planning for their Christmas hullabaloos in February?"
"'hullabaloos'?" wondered Phil.
"Let me see that." Kimi demanded of her brother.
"We'll be let in on it later, Kimi." said Susie.
"You mean you don't know either? But he gave the message to you!"
"Because he knows I won't look at it if he asks me not to."
"That's right," echoed Phil as he hugged his betrothed with one arm, "she's a good girl, most of the time."
This drew an elbow. "Whadda ya mean? I'm good all the time."
Chuck rolled his eyes at this. "And I thought there was someone here who didn't have a big head."
"You don't." Lil pointed out.
"Yes I do, when I'm at work."
"That's different; it's something that goes with your suits, just part of the job."
During the conversation the message from Tom had been passed from Chuck to Lil to Phil, with not unexpected humorous --- if quiet --- reactions from the three of them. Kimi noticed, and was understandably upset at being left out, and getting more so by the second.
"All right. Someone had better tell me what's going on that everyone thinks is so funny, before I get cranky!"
"Uh-oh." escaped from Chuck as memories of previous cranky episodes involving his sister replayed themselves in his memory. He started to chant, "Please come soon, Tommy. Please come soon, Tommy. Please come soon, Tommy." Started, but didn't get very far; try saying it yourself, it's a tongue twister. As Chuck found out; his body didn't take to it too well.
In a trice Lil was at his side slapping his back. "Just breathe, Chuckie, deep, cleansing breaths."
Of course Susie couldn't ignore the calling of her occupation; she endeavored to see what she could do, to which Lil didn't take well.
"Thanks, I'll see about him."
"Hey, who's the doctor here."
"You are, but this one's all mine."
"You're not jealous because Chuck & Suze used to be an item, are you, Lillian?" came from her twin.
"Of course not, Phillip! I'm just joking."
Susie was at a loss. Phil then took it upon himself to save the situation; rare for him. He faked a coughing fit so Susie would have an excuse for a graceful exit. Not to mention getting in a little cuddling; Kimi was still keeping an eye out for kissing.
That's not all she was doing; she was also doing what is known in the movies as a slow burn.
"Excuse me? Is someone going to tell me what's going on with that note and everything, or am I going to have to start--"
But now Susie saved the day, a role to which she was used. "I'd rather talk about what was going on when I got here. What was that about Chuckie throwing a party? And why didn't you ever throw one when we were dating, you cheapskate?" She added the last part directly to the redhead, drawing a scowl from Lil, followed by a smirk.
"It was back when we were babies." Lil began.
"Yeah! I was two at the time; I didn't know what I was doing." Chuck put in.
Phil was quick to start contributing as well, and soon the three of them were doing a round-robin recounting of Chuckie's bachelor pad. After a few minutes...
"And all this happened in that shed in your yard?" Susie asked.
"Where Fifi had the puppies?" Kimi seconded.
"That's right. And it was also where we got flashed by Tom yet again." Phil answered, getting a little dig in at the one who hadn't joined them yet, at least officially.
He could see Tom right then, behind Kimi but still out of her sight. And the conversation had been so compelling it hadn't even occurred to her to wonder if he was there.
And she was all the more interested when she heard about seeing the other side of her fiancee. "My Tommy flashed you guys?"
"Whoa!" came from Susie. "Tell on, troops, tell on!"
"It was after the hard partying had finished." Chuck explained.
"I'd eaten too much." came from Phil.
"I'd bounced too much." from Lil.
"And for some odd reason, which to this day even he can't explain, Tom's diaper was on top of his head." Chuck finished.
"Wha-a-a?" Susie started before going into a giggling fit. As did Kimi.
"So was that when you started to be attracted to him, Lil? When you saw what he had to offer?"
"KIMI!!" came from a shocked older brother.
"As if!" she defended.
"Besides," Chuck continued, "it's not like we saw anything. He was on the other side of the bed."
"Yeah," Phil concurred. "I was on the bed and I didn't see anything."
"I was at the foot of the bed, and I didn't see anything. Fortunately, he was wearing a long shirt, said Lil, before adding, "that time."
"You mean there were other times?" Kimi's attention, and for the matter Susie's, was now riveted on the other three. Which was fortunate for Tom, as he was now desperately trying to shush them without alerting Kimi.
But it wasn't working; those three were going to make him pay for making them wait for affection, to say nothing of implicating them in his ruse.
Chuck was first to twist the knife. "You have no idea. Why, I can remember way back when we thought there was another world on the other side of the mirror."
"Like in 'Through the Looking Glass'?" Susie asked.
"Exactly. He said that in Mirrorland they wear their diapers on their heads."
"Hey, maybe that explalins it; maybe he thought he was in Mirrorland after that party." Phil conjectured.
To silence.
"Well, he could have."
Lil finally picked up the conversation. "That's nothing; let me tell you two about the time we got lost in the woods."
"I remember hearing about that. What happened?" Susie asked.
"It was right after Dil was born." Phil continued. "Things were not pleasant."
"To say the least." came from Lil.
"So Tweedledum &, uh, uh, uh, Tweedledear here," Chuck faltered on realizing what he was almost calling his fiancee.
"Passable recovery, Chuckster." she complimented.
"Thanks." he whispered, before continuing, "were determined to take him back to the hospital & get his money back."
"Money?" Susie wondered.
"Long story, doc, although you might ask your mom about a gold foil-wrapped chocolate Tommy gave her around that time."
"Thanks, I will."
"So the Devilles hated Dil. What about you, big brother? And what about my Tommy?"
"Are you kidding? He was his brother; Tommy was constantly defending him. And I just wanted everyone to get along."
"Got it. But what does this have to do with the naked truth about him?"
"Well, one time in the woods, he was defending Dil to the Devilles for the umpteenth time. He was standing next to the Reptar wagon, where Dil happened to be. A small hand reached out, pulled on the tape of his diaper, and next thing you know..."
"Ooh!" Kimi & Susie chorused.
"And he even used that occasion to try to make his brother look good." Phil continued.
"Yeah. 'little breeze, feels good.' As if!" came from Lil.
"I don't know; you didn't seem to mind at the time." Chuck hinted.
"Let's not start that again."
"Oh, come on, Lillian! We all saw that look on your face."
"It was a look of embarrassment, Phillip! I looked away, didn't I?"
"Yeah, right."
"I must admit I'm seeing a whole new side of Tommy." said Kimi. "Or at least hearing about seeing a new side of him."
Chuck then continued, slipping into a Caribbean accent as he did so for some reason known only to him. "But you have not yet heard the most egregious example of wild behavior from the man you love, my sister."
"It was worse than what I've been hearing?"
"Oh, yes." came from big brother. "You see, when he was a baby he went through a phase during which he was a nudist."
"NO, WAY!" came from Susie.
"Yes, way!" from her sweetie.
"This I gotta hear!" Kimi demanded.
To which her brother acquiesced. "Well, one day it occurred to him, 'Hey, Spike's naked! And Reptar's naked too! I wanna be naked!'..."
"...and after that you couldn't keep anything on him." Phil finished.
Kimi and Susie were in hysterics.
"It gets worse, ladies." Phil cautioned.
Seconded by his twin. "He even got Phil & me to go along with him."
"Mom didn't like that at all."
"We couldn't go to the Pickles' house for a while."
"We were out of there quick as you could say, 'GREAT EVONNE GOOLAGONG!'"
"Whoever she was."
"She was an aboriginal Australian tennis player from the late '60's, early '70's." Kimi being the resident jock, it wasn't that surprising she would know. "Not on Billie Jean King's level, but who was at the time."
"I still say the battle of the sexes was a sham." Phil thought out loud.
Kimi continued. "Still she did manage to win at least a couple of majors. But don't let me interrupt; go on."
"There's really not much to say after that." said Chuck. "After he streaked Lou Pickles' Wombat Lodge meeting he started thinking about the advantages of clothes and he figured we're not animals & we have to wear clothes. Took a bit to convince him to get undressed for baths, though."
Susie's hand was on her forehead, which was shaking. "I really didn't need to hear this. All of my little friends--"
"I for one am not so little, Suze." Phil insinuated.
"Ewww!" and "NASTY!" came from somewhere.
Then it occurred to Kimi. "Wait, what about you, big brother? Did he talk you into going au naturel?"
Lil came to his defense, hugging him in the process. "Ha! Not MY Chuckie. Discretion has always been one of his better parts."
Now Phil horned in. "Oh? What are his other better parts?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out never." Chuck shot.
"Party pooper."
Chuck smoothed things. "Hey, it's all good. He's long since reformed; there's no chance he'll be streaking on stage when Lil accepts her Oscar, and she will."
"Thanks, Chuckie." came from Lil.
"You're right, big brother." Kimi was strangely serene, or quietly confident, or both. "We know that I'm the only one for whom Tommy will be getting naked now. And we also know that if I have to get him a chastity belt to make sure of it, I will."
Gulps were heard all around.
Chuck leaned over the table to talk with Susie. "I didn't know they made chastity belts for men."
"Neither did I."
It was at this time that Tom finally made his presence to his fiancee. "It's interesting that you should mention that, my dear."
"TOMMY!!!" Taken by surprise though she was, and even from a sitting position, Kimi managed to launch herself in less than a second.
On top of the man she loved, Kimi was happy. The same could not be said for everyone, however.
Phil pulled a Ricky Ricardo. "Tommy, you got some 'splainin' to do!"
Seconded by his twin. "Do you have any idea what we've been going through? Your little friend has banned kissing all around until she can get her hands on you."
"Oh, that reminds me." said Kimi, before plantin' 'em all over her intended.
Chuck observed, "I think the ban on kissing has been lifted."
The balance of the membership celebrated the occasion, and soon the scene was starting to resemble something out of ancient Rome.
But Tom broke it up. "Whoa, whoa, wait up everyone."
That didn't meet with their approval.
"I didn't think I'd be the one to say this, but I'm not sure this is such a good idea."
"Hey!" Chuck didn't like Tom stealing his line.
But he explained himself. "Look, we're in my parents' back yard. My mom's in the kitchen, which looks out on this yard. Any time she could look out here and--"
"And what she'd see is three engaged couples showing their affection for each other and what's wrong with that?" came from Susie.
But Tom wasn't mollified. "Please, this is my mother we're talking about. Would you feel as comfortable doing it across the street, Susie? Or next door, Phil & Lil?"
There was silence; to look at people's faces, Tom had made his point.
Then Kimi changed the subject when she noticed the package lying on the ground at Tom's feet. "Aaaahhhhh! Aaaahhhhh!! Aaaaaahhhhh!!!"
Chuck smiled. "It's been too long since I've heard that out of my sister."
"Is there a butterfly around here?" came from Phil.
"No, I think it's about that package."
"Package?" Phil quipped, slipping into a Liverpudlian accent. "That's disgusting!"
Susie knew where he was going with this; she too was a devotee of Warner cartoons. "Look who's talking, Mr. Potty Emergency." she responded in her best German imitation.
"Yes, but I never said package!"
"Excuse me." Kimi butted in on the routine. "Could you two Animaniacs rein it in?"
"The phrase is rope it in, Kimi, but I agree." said Lil. "You were saying something about that thing on the ground at Tom's feet."
"Right. So what is it, Tommy? Did you bring me something?"
Tom smiled. "I thought that's what someone's supposed to be asked by their child."
"Getting ahead of--"
"Point to Watanabe-Finster."
"Thank you. So?"
Tom picked it up, his smile deepening. He set the wrapped box on the table and motioned for Kimi to be seated. She did, and the others followed suit.
"It just happens to go perfectly with what you were talking about just before I interrupted. And for the record..." Here he turned his gaze upon her brother. "I'm not the only one with a history of parting with his clothes."
"Hey, I never did it on purpose, unlike you."
Instead of arguing the point, Tom turned back to Kimi, who was thinking over his last words to her.
"I forget, what were we talking about?"
"Open it and see."
She tore through the wrappings in buzzsaw fashion, flipped the lid off, and pulled out a... what was it?
She asked as much, eyes communicating multitudinous questions.
Kimi wasn't the only one wondering; next to the scene, Chuck & Susie were doing their best to examine the object in question from a couple feet away.
"What do you think, doc?"
"I'm afraid to say what I'm thinking; why don't you go first, C.C.?"
"All right. I'm not sure, but I think there's kind of a resemblance to certain things I've seen in the books in some medieval course I once took."
"I was afraid of that."
"Why?"
Her eyes met his. "I had come to the exact same conclusion."
"Excuse, please?" came from across the table, from Phil. "We're getting so curious over here it's a good thing none of us are cats."
"We are owed an explanation for playing along with you, Tom." from Lil.
Who was suddenly faced by her mischievous twin. "Couldn't you have put that another way, Lillian?"
"Don't start, Phillip; it's been years."
"You'd better spill it, Pickles, before those Devilles drag out the skeletons, which won't do any of us any good." Chuck counseled.
"All right. Kimi, everyone, this is for you, for her, but I'm the one who's going to be wearing it."
Stupefaction reigned.
"So it is a chastity belt..." Susie ventured.
"...only for males?" Chuck finished.
"For me, specifically. I built it on my exact specs." He then picked it up to give Kimi a better look at some parts of it. "You see that thing there? That's for you to talk into. This thing's voice activated, and it only works with your voice. Once it's on, you're the only one who can take it off."
Kimi was stunned. She now remembered what she had been talking about, but she had been joking. Her brother had to poke her to snap her out of it.
"Whu-?"
"Welcome back to the land of the livid, Kimi."
"Didn't you already use that line on me?" Chuck queried.
"Hey, it works in both cases." Tom then turned his attention to where it belonged. "Wow, Kimi, I haven't seen you like that since I popped the question."
Kimi had been returning to Earth in her mind, but only now did she find a firm footing on terra firma. "Wait, you're going to wear that?"
"If you want me to. If you think it's necessary. Who knows; it might just go with that dominatrix outfit you might or might not have. I'll look forward to finding out."
Kimi was concerned. "Tommy, are you sure about this? I mean, couldn't you get hurt in the, in, in the last place you'd want to get hurt?"
"I'm not my Dad, Kimi. I'm not trying anything until it's passed the most rigorous safety checks from Inspector Me! Especially something like that."
"I don't get it, Tommy."
"Not yet, she doesn't." Phil whispered to Susie, who promptly elbowed him.
"Why?"
"Because I know what's been going on. You've worried about me because of my popularity and my record as a babe magnet. I just wanted to prove to you, once and for all, that I will always be interested only in you, not Hannah or Belinda or Lil, no offense, Lil."
"None taken, Tom." she said as she tightened her grip on Chuck. "Hopefully, you'll have an easier time convincing her than I did convincing her brother."
He turned back to Kimi. "Believe me, Kimi, when I say I love you. That I want to be with you for life. That I'm yours & yours alone."
"'Cause Tommy wants to have a girl to call his own!'" Phil sang before being gang tackled by the others other than Tom & Kimi. After Chuck & Lil had incapacitated him, the good doctor silenced him as only she could.
Which caused some raised eyebrows.
"We have this understanding; whenever he says something silly or stupid I'm to shut him up any way I choose."
"In that case he might never come up for air." Lil thought out loud.
"And your point is?"
"Stay out of this, Lillian!"
"SHHHHH!" came from Tom, causing the others to tone down their acts. He then turned back to Kimi, who was again in a state of catatonia. "Kimi?"
Then she pounced. In no time flat Tom once again found himself flat, on his back, on the grass, looking up at what to him was the most beautiful sight in the world, his girlfriend getting frisky, as they used to say.
"Tommy Pickles, I want you! Now!!"
His smile grew. "I'm glad you like it."
Her kisses were heating up. "I mean it; take me now!"
"WHOA!" came from almost all around.
"You don't want to do that."
"Kimi, please, not where my mother might see!"
"Or definitely not where your brother will see; remember me?"
"It could scar him for life."
Silence.
Some heads turned toward the only one who hadn't been heard from yet.
"Hey, I get the feeling I should stay out of this. If I opened my mouth I'd have to spend the evening with my nose in The Rules."
More silence before the balance of the membership shrugged.
Tom took the occasion to try to extricate himself from his enviable position. "Kimi, please, we do have some business to discuss."
She looked down at her boyfriend with surprise. "You mean that wasn't just a gag?"
"Well, the message was. And although that line was the truth and nothing but the truth, it wasn't the whole truth." By now he was helping the both of them up as seats were now being filled around the table.
"Meaning?" she asked from her now seated position.
"Meaning it's not just Chuck & Phil & Lil I need to talk with; it's all of us who need to be in on this."
As he talked, he picked up the newspaper which he had brought out with the box and which had somehow escaped Kimi's onslaught of unwrapping.
"Go on." said Chuck.
But before he could, Phil jumped in. "I believe the ladies have a question first."
"We do?" Susie puzzled, before remembering, "Oh yeah. Ladies, on three, 1, 2, "
"Did you get a group rate on these?" three voices demanded, holding ring fingers aloft, complete with engagements rings.
"No!" came in unison from the males.
"Now that that's over with, what were you going to say, Tom?" came from Chuck.
"Thanks, Chuck. It's this. everyone, has anyone given any thought to what we're going to do after the weddings?"
Phil grimaced. "Aww, man! Why'd you have to throw out a line like that; you just know what I'm going to say in response."
They knew; Susie took preventative measures with another liplock.
But Tom wasn't finished. "All right; after the honeymoons, then."
Susie came up for air in time to say, "What?"
"Consider what the six of us are right now, and what we're about to be."
Silence again.
"Make sense, Pickles." came from Lil.
"Very well. We are currently six single people sharing a duplex. And we're about to become three married couples, sharing a duplex?"
Comprehension dawned. "I get it." said Chuck. "We'll need to find other accommodations?"
"Exactly. Consider this: all of us here have siblings; could you feel comfortable getting romantic shall we say, when you know your brother or sister is in the next room?"
Finsters & Devilles looked uncomfortably at each other.
"I mean, I know I'd be reluctant if Dil was that close to what was going on."
"He's right. There's no way any lovin' would be happenin' with Edwin or Buster or Alyssa right there."
"Phillip's disgusting enough as it is, but to think about him in that situation..."
"The idea of you getting it on isn't that pleasing a prospect either, Lillian!"
Chuck jumped in. "And I wouldn't even want to think about it. And neither would you, right, Kimi?"
pause
"Kimi?"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."
"KIMI!"
"Just kidding."
"So we start looking for houses first chance we get?" Lil asked.
"I've already started, and maybe finished, subject to the approval of the membership." Tom held up the newspaper to underscore his latest point.
"You've already found houses for us?" Susie asked.
"Maybe. If price is not a concern." With this, he spread the paper on the table as the others crowded around to get a good look.
"536, 537, and 538 Greenbriar Ridge?"
"Hey, I know that area. That's one of the best neighborhoods in town!"
"Price wouldn't be a consideration; it would have to not be with the prices they must be asking."
"More to the point, consider those addresses."
"Wouldn't those addresses have to be..."
"...next door to and across the street from each other!"
"We'd all still be together!"
"Exactly." Tom ended the round robin. "I was thinking Kimi & I could take this house, Chuck & Lil, you'd be here, and Phil & Susie, here."
"Hey, I'd be across the street from you again!"
"And I'd be next door again."
"Not me; I'd have moved across the street, not that there's anything wrong with that." Phil hastily added.
"So what do all of you think? All in favor of taking these houses..."
Five other voices shouted "Aye!"
"Motion carried."
Chuck spoke. "All right. I'll contact the agent, see what I can do."
"It's as good as done, then." Tom asserted, confident in his friend's abilities.
"So is there any other business, old or new?" Phil asked.
Tom smiled. "No; we can turn ourselves to pleasure now."
"Amen to that!" Kimi shouted.
Chuck looked askance at his friend. "Do you perchance have something in mind there too?"
"Sure. Am I the only one who thinks we should do something to celebrate our engagements?"
"Tommy! We had that bash last night, on top of the one at the station with Uncle Freddy, and the one in South America, and now you want more?"
"Well, sure! It'll be fun, & I could use the break from work."
Kimi spoke up. "Oh, as if you'll really take any time off! Sometimes I think your mind's more on Pickles Toys than on me."
"Now you know that's not true."
"Hmm, audience?"
"TRUE!!!" four voices responded.
"Oh, very funny."
But now Chuck was thinking. "Getting back to the topic, think maybe we should do something tonight to celebrate? After all, we are betrothed now."
"Getting in some of that Old World charm, Chuckster?"
"Oh, dry up."
"I know. How 'bout we go to a movie, & not watch the movie?" Phil suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Susie seconded.
Lil chimed in. "And the best part is since we'll all be having fun together, those who have siblings in the immediate area will be too busy with their respective intendeds to notice said siblings doing the same."
"Are you saying I'll be concentrating too much on making out to notice you doing the same?" Phil asked.
"And vice versa."
"So now that that's settled, what movie will it be?" Tom asked.
"Does it matter?" from Phil.
Chuck pondered. "Y'know, I can remember when we'd go to the movies & actually watch what was going on on the screen."
Phil was now checking the movie listings on the other side of paper the real estate listing were in. "We just might do that this time. I see The Return of Mecha-Reptar is playing at the drive-in."
Kimi was surprised. "Drive-in? They still have those things?"
"Oh, there's a few of them still around." Susie confirmed. And she would know.
Tom grabbed the paper away from Phil. "Wait, let me see that. Return of Mecha-Reptar. I remember this movie; Pickles Toys did some work on it. We're talking endorsements, screen credit, product placements..."
Kimi now turned a worried face to the others. "Could we go to some other movie? He's going to be watching for Pickles on the screen the whole time, which means I won't get to see his."
"KIMI!!" came shocks from either side of her.
"What?"
"That's it." Tom shot. "Just for that, no Pickles for you until after the wedding."
"Aw, nuts! I was so hoping..."
Chuck glared at the young couple. "Considering what I've just heard, Return of Mecha-Reptar it is."
"Oh, you're no fun."
"And I promise, I'll concentrate on you." Tom reassured.
That out of the way, Lil now turned to logistics. "Great. So how will we work this. Three couples, two cars?"
"What do you mean two cars? I'm taking Kimi in the Pickles Wagon. Lots of room to..."
"Tom..."
"I'm engaged to her now. And besides, we're both adults."
"She's still my sister."
"Now what if Phil made as much of a fuss as you do?" Kimi asked.
Which Phil answered. "If I did that, none of us would have any fun. Take my advice, Chuckie, concentrate on your date & forget about what your sister's doing; I know I intend to."
But Chuck wasn't finished. "I'm serious, Pickles. I don't want to hear about my sister's love life. Even after the wedding I won't want to hear about it."
"I will." Lil confided to Kimi. "We'll have to make sure to get together every week or so to dish all the dirt."
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"'Cause you still have a crush on Tommy."
"I do not!"
"And besides if I talk to you about my sex life, you'll want to start talking to me about yours. And seeing that it's with my brother that would be equally weird."
"You can talk to me about it." Susie told Kimi. "But not you, Lil. Since mine will be with your brother."
Now Lil was disconsolate. "Oh, Chuckie, what are we going to do? Our closest friends won't share with us, because one couple includes my brother & the other includes your sister."
"It is a bit of a problem, all right."
"I guess we'll just have to break them up & have them switch partners."
"Hmm, Tommy & Susie, Phil & Kimi. It has possibilities."
"HEY!!!!" came from four outraged voices.
"Gotcha!" from the other two voices.
Tom tried to restore order. "Anyway, before the peanut gallery took over..."
Where Chuck got the peanut is anyone's guess. "Peanut, peanut! Anyone want a peanut? Getcha peanut...HONK!"
"Whadda ya know, that peanut was good for something."
"HONK!!"
"Now, Take 2. Before I was interrupted by the peanut gallery, twice, I was trying to say that Kimi & I will be going in the Pickles wagon, so both Cadillacs are at your disposal. And two couples & two cars works out quite nicely."
"Fine, so Chuckie & I can go in Deville 1, & Phil & Susie can go in Deville 2."
"I don't think so; Susie & I will go in Deville 1, & you & Chuckie can go in Deville 2."
"No, I'm going in Deville 1."
"No, I am."
"I am!"
"I am!"
"I AM!!"
"I AM!!"
"I AM, PHILLIP!"
"I AM, LILLIAN!"
"I guess we'll just have to settle this in the usual way." The Devilles now turned toward their agent.
Who almost ran out of reach. "Oh, no! Nonononono! You two are not pulling out any more of my hairs to settle your little differences! I'm pulling enough out worrying about your dangerous stunts on the show!"
"Now what?"
Now it was Tom's turn to step in. "If I might make a suggestion, there's this concept they've come up with in the past couple of centuries. It's called flipping a coin." He produced one as he talked. "Look, heads Lil gets Deville 1, tails Phil gets Deville 1. Okkay?"
"All right."
"Yes! I get Deville 1."
"Oh, poo."
"It was about time we changed; Lil was always getting the long hair anyway."
"I was not, Phillip!"
"You were so, Lillian!"
Yet another twin pique was headed off by Susie. "I don't get it; those Cadillacs are identical in every way."
"It's the principle of the thing."
Now a period of calm settled over the table, particularly with regard to the super agent to the stars.
"Wow, I haven't seen you this calm since you slept in a crib, Chuck." Tom observed.
"I just feel on top of the world. All of us are about to spend the rest of our lives with the people we love, and all of our needs are provided for. I just feel like nothing could go wrong in our lives right now."
"Don't say that!" Phil panicked. "In the movies that's what someone says just before everything goes crazy!"
"Phil, that's the movies; this is real life. If we were in the movies we'd have met that Thornberry bunch that used to have our time slot while we were on our travels."
"Um, Chuckie, we did that." Lil gently remonstrated.
"We did?"
nods
"Oh. I thought I dreamed that. Well, if we were in the movies we'd have met that kid with the weird-shaped head. You know, the one who went into the jungle to look for his parents?"
Now it was Susie's turn to take the wind out of his sails. "Actually, Timberly could introduce us to him. He happens to be her brother's best friend."
"Oh." Chuck's voice was now very small. "I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"It doesn't look like it, big brother."
That was when Tom noticed another car pulling up to his parents' house. "Wonder who that is?"
The group moved over to the fence to get a better look.
"Whoever it is is rolling in it."
"Or trying to give that impression."
"That's a rental car."
"You sure?"
"As much time as I spend around airports? Yes."
"Wait, they're getting out, its..."
All conversation halted as the occupants revealed themselves to be...
"Timmy and Angelica."
"Aren't they supposed to be in Paris?"
"Whether they are or not, they're here now."
"Well, this should be interesting." said Susie, her eyes on her best friend and the man said best friend had taken away from her.
Lil squeezed Chuck's hand as he muttered, "Oh, give me strength."
Her twin looked at him and intoned, "You were saying, Chuck?"
And so we come to the end of yet another chapter. Be on the look-out for Chapter 13: Come the McNultys.
There's something else y'all should be on the look-out for. I've been looking at this fic and I realized I'm not being fair. There's a lot of time in between All Growed Up and The Rugrats Weddings. Much could happen and has happened. I've alluded to bits and pieces of it here, but I need to go into detail. Quesitons need to be answered. Such as why are the couples coupled the way they are? How did they get that way? Was there any conflict between them? How did Angelica snare Timmy? How did Susie come to get involved with the group, especially with Phil? Were there any blow-ups? These and other questions I will hopefully answer in a fic series on the Rugrats in high school, maybe college.
First, though, I will post a fic taking place around the start of high school in which they lose someone. The title: I Miss You a Little. Coming soon to this board. And although I'll be posting it in pieces, I almost have it finished. So there won't be any unreasonable delays. And don't worry: I won't neglect this story either.
All that being said, please review this chapter. I remain Nftnat. On e-mail, I'm nftnat@aol.com . And on IM I'm Nftnat . Cy'all around.