Chapter Eleven-
*Two Dates, and a Duo of Children*
Okay, a few things to say here:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOLDANGEL2!!!!! I'm really looking forward to your next piece of artwork^_^, and I hope you have a lovely day Wednesday.
As usual, I thank all of you for your wonderful *yet threatening* feedback, and I still hope not to make this an epic...^__^
However, I tried to get this chapter done, unlike so many of the others, incredibly fast, so if you find any typos, please just ignore them and mention them in a review, which reminds me, *ahem*
PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING YOU'RE ALL SO GREAT!!
^__^
~
**The Lovely Li'l Town Known as the Bronx for Nickname Appeal**
Everyone was sitting around the breakfast table, all but Kohana, Francoise, and Ivan, who were still waking up. Joe was sipping coffee, glancing occasionally at Jet, who was fidgeting shamelessly. Joe smiled, actually quite calm on the outside for someone that was going on a date with a woman who, in his opinion, was one of the most gorgeous people alive. G.B. and Chang were both fighting over who would be able to make better pancakes for Kohana and Ivan, and Dr. Gilmore was drinking his coffee while reading a newspaper, paying no heed to the ritualistic activity around him.
Finally, Kohana ran into the kitchen, Francoise coming in behind her, carrying baby Ivan in her arms. Joe stared at Kohana and Francoise, thinking to himself, 'What a family I have...'
Gleefully, Kohana shouted, "Goooood morning everybody!"
A few chuckles met her outburst, and Geranimo kneeled down to help her into her chair. He handed her a small flower, that she grinned at him for, then he sat down beside of her. Joe got up, and offered Francoise his chair, which she took with a shy smile at him. Joe took the chair that was across from her, so that he sat on the other side of Kohana. Repeatedly, he and Francoise kept meeting each other's eyes and grinning nervously.
Dr. Gilmore noticed this when he took Ivan to feed him, so Francoise could eat, and chuckled to himself. "So, we're in New York, everyone," he commented, giving Ivan his bottle. "What are you all planning on doing until we find the Black Ghost base here?"
Joe smiled at Kohana, then Francoise, saying, "I have plans."
Kohana grinned, and exclaimed, "Mommy and Papa have a date set!" Everyone looked at the couple, while Francoise blushed wildly and Joe just smiled with a calm look.
"Nice observation, little Apollene," Francoise finally muttered. The rest of the crew beamed; they knew, eventually, that Joe and Francoise would get together, they had just been waiting and waiting for that special day.
"That's nice," Chang said, then turned to Jet, "And what has you so nervous, 002?"
"002's going to see his girlfriend!" Kohana exclaimed again, causing 002, whom up to this point, was drinking a glass of orange juice rather quickly, to choke and sputter, falling backwards in his chair. "See? He's really jumpy!"
"Wow, Kohana," G.B. said, "You could be a matchmaker or something, couldn't you?"
Kohana tilted her head to the side, frowning, "A matchmaker? What's that?"
Dr. Gilmore chuckled, "A matchmaker, Kohana, is a person who gets two people together, and, depending on the chemistry between those two people, can one day attend their wedding."
Again, Kohana looked confused, "Chemistry? What kinda chemistry?"
Joe shook his head, and said, "THAT, little Missy, can wait for another day." Jet finally crawled back up to the table, and lay his head down in misery, watching Kohana as she looked at him and smile with an innocent glance.
"What a bummer..." he said aloud. Everyone looked at him, "We have two kids onboard, and both of them can read minds..." He then looked up at the clock, and grinned, "Well, I'm off-"
"To see your girlfriend!" Kohana finished for him, greedily attacking a pancake.
Jet paused, looking at her, and sighed, "Yes, Kohana, to see my GIRLFRIEND...would you like to come along and tell her everything on my mind while you're at it?"
"I'd like to, but I'm afraid you'd become embarrassed," Kohana said innocently, earning another fit of laughter from everyone but Jet, who just chuckled and waved at them.
"Be back before dawn tommorrow," he shouted. The group exchanged a strange glance, then Francoise stood up.
"Well, I'm going to go get ready...Kohana, dear, would you like to come with me..." Kohana looked at her from a massive amount of syrup, "...And maybe get cleaned up a little bit?"
"Sure, Mommy!" As the two went off, Joe chuckled.
"What's so funny, 009?" G.B. asked.
"I was just thinking that I'd love to see Kohana try to stay CLEAN for one whole day."
"Yeah, lucky for you, her 'Mommy' is going to keep her that way," Pyunma joked. Joe shrugged, wearing the same calm smile, before he, too, stood up.
"I guess that's my cue to go get a book to read; I'd hate to get bored waiting for two women to get ready..." he commented, waving at the rest of them as he left the kitchen.
Chang grinned, and sighed, "Ah, what it's like to be young and in love..."
G.B.'s face grew shocked, and he said in awe, "006, you were both YOUNG AND in LOVE?? Whoa, what a thought..." Crashing and breaking glass sounded off in the kitchen, signaling yet another fight between the two cyborgs...
~ ~ ~
"Joe, where are we going, anyway?" Francoise asked, tucking in Kohana, who'd fallen asleep watching her get ready. Francoise looked at Joe, who could only stare at her. The calm look on his face was replaced with something between shock and disbelief. For their big date, Francoise put her hair up in a French Twist (what else? lol) and wore a white strapless sun dress that accented her graceful curves rather well. Ever since he'd laid eyes on her when she'd left her room, Joe had been staring at her. "Joe?"
"Oh, um, sorry," Joe said, finally snapping back to reality. He was wearing his traditional blue vest and white undersweater, with khakkis, and felt a little underdressed compared to her. "You were saying?"
"Where are we going?"
"Well, we're going--hey, wait, none of that, now!" Joe stopped himself, "I told you this morning it was a surprise!"
"Oh, all right," Francoise sighed defeatedly, then smiled at him. He offered her his arm, and she took it accordingly, grinning as they left the sleeping girl's room and the Dolphin. Kohana waited until she knew they were well gone, opening one eye to look around mischeviously, then jumped up on her bed, crawling on her dresser, where her mommy had left the window open, and she could easily crawl out on the tree they were landed next to. Crawling down the tree was no problem, and she ran off, because, besides her mommy and daddy, she also had to make sure another match was properly made...
~ ~ ~
Jet lifted his fist to knock on Kathy and Jimmy's door, then paused, his hand still clenched in midair. He sighed heavily, then went to knock again. This time, he froze because he heard something. Inside, he heard Jimmy running around, "Momma, Momma, look, I'm Jet!" A smile played across his features as he heard Kathy tell Jimmy to 'get off of that dresser because he'd kill himself, he didn't fly like Jet and he wasn't about to!'
Finally, he gathered up the courage to knock on the door. "Coming!" Jimmy cried from inside, opening the door a few seconds later. For a moment, the two had a staring contest, then suddenly Jimmy cried out, "Oh MY GOSH!! MOM!!!" Kathy came running, and nearly collided into Jimmy's back, also looking bug-eyed at the sight of Jet.
Finally, Jet gave them both his signature smirk, and chuckled, "So, you two gonna invite me in or we gonna sit here staring at each other all day?" In that instant two sets of arms flew around him; the first one around his neck, the second around his legs. "Whoa!" he cried, almost losing his balance as he wrapped an arm around Kathy and put his free hand on Jimmy's head.
"Jet, you're finally home," Kathy whispered in his ear, then pulled away to wipe her tears and take Jimmy, drawing both of them inside. Jet grinned at the sound of that; home. Yeah, he supposed he was finally home, but, maybe, he could stay longer than before. Maybe he could make his new family a permanent one. Maybe...maybe they could finally beat Black Ghost, and get on with their regular lives.
That was the first step, Kohana decided, watching her 'Uncle Jet' walk through the door to Kathy's apartment. She grinned; they'd be going to a restaurant right across the street from the one her Papa was taking her Mommy. This was a good thing; she could simultaneously check on both couples. Yes, very good. She nodded in finality, and turned around to skip off and find that restaurant.
~ ~ ~
"Wow, Joe, this was really nice of you," Francoise commented, awestruck at the beauty of the restaurant. It was French; all of it. French food and French waiters and a funny French cook that looked suspiciously similar to Chang. Joe hadn't spoken the entire time, merely smiled at her whenever she said something and nodded. She was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, when finally, he took a deep breath.
"Francoise..." he said, his voice failing its mission and breaking halfway through the word. "I..."
"Yes, Joe?" Francoise asked, puzzled with his sudden articulation.
"I...I've been wanting to speak to you about a few things," Joe finally managed to sputter. Francoise raised a curious eye brow, and leaned forward, intertwining her fingers and resting her chin on them as she leaned on her elbows. Glad to have her attention, he took a deep breath again, before continuing, "Well, like you know, Kohana's...forced me to think of a few things, and of how...how I feel toward you." Francoise's eyes widened a bit, but glittered with an untold emotion as she swallowed and listened closely, giving him all the time he needed but waiting ever-so-impatiently on the inside. He chuckled, and bashfully looked into her eyes, blushing, "And, I guess...well...I really don't know how to start this..." He laughed at himself half-heartedly, and again tried, "Okay, I'm going to get this out right if it kills me. Francoise, out of all the people I've known, it seems I can turn to you more than anyone. You seem to know everything about me; you can make me melt with just the slightest glance or word. Even before Kohana came, I always felt...warmth whenever I was with you. Like I could do anything, defeat any enemy, move a mountain, if I had to! All I wanted was for you to be by my side, in my sight. You and your lovely dance." Francoise held her breath now, chewing on the corners of her mouth. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is...is that...I'm in love with ya, Francoise."
Her breath came out in a completely relieved sigh, and she smiled at him radiantly, which, as he'd just stated, made his insides melt and drop to his feet as he gazed into the emerald eyes he loved so deeply. Finally, she spoke, "Oh, is that so, Joe Shimamura?" The tone of her voice made his heart drop from his throat. He frowned, anxious for her to continue. "Well, it damn well took you long enough to say so." Her voice returned to its rich warmth, and she grinned, "Because I've been wanting to tell you the same thing for what seems like a century." The full meaning of her words sank into his brain, and his spirit soared again. They looked at each other, and he leaned forward, dropping a feather-light kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened, but before she could react, he stood up, holding out his hand to her and tilting his head to the dance floor.
"May I have this dance, Madamoiselle?"
Francoise looked at his hand, and followed it up to his face, smiling and sliding hers into his, "Oui, Monsieur, you may indeed." He took her to the floor, and spun her around in a waltz, the couple getting looks from everyone else, who commented on how graceful they were together.
~ ~ ~
Jimmy followed his mother and Jet as they left the apartment, Jet was saying how much he'd missed them, and was about to treat them both to dinner, a movie, and ice cream, for Jimmy's benefit. He smiled, remembering how his mother and Jet had used to dislike one another, but had gotten somewhat closer when Kathy found out Jet's 'little secret.' It was amazing, how adults' minds worked, he contemplated. No matter how stubborn, strong, independent they were, they were always struck down in a bittersweet way by Lady Love. And she managed to take good care of these two, luckily for him. He didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to his mother and his adoptive father.
Just ahead, Jet and Kathy were getting quite quiet. In a nervous sort of way. Jet looked away, but his hand reached out, and intertwined with Kathy's. Surprised, she looked at their hands, then up at him, and he felt her return the pressure of his hand with a squeeze of her own, and glanced over at her with a smile. "Jimmy," he called, causing the child to run up to him.
"Yes, Jet?"
"Can you see anything from way down their, kiddo?" Jet asked. When Jimmy shook his head no, Jet smiled, and put the child up on his shoulder. Jimmy's eyes widened; New York was more beautiful from being up so high at night, especially when all the lights were lit and stars could just be seen twinkling above the sky scrapers. The full moon was looking down on them from afar, and Jet caught Kathy looking at it longingly. "You know, Kat, they say the full moon's the perfect time for love to bloom." Realizing he'd just said something MUSHY, Jet turned beet red, and looked away, and Kathy giggled at him girlishly.
"Yes, Jet, I know," she said, surprising him by leaning into his side. He smiled, taking his hand from her and wrapping his arm around her, as others viewed their perfect little family, he thought he caught hints of envy from them. And he was proud of that. God Almighty, Jet was proud of people thinking he was the father of this family. He craved nothing more. He grinned up at the moon, partially thanking it for its beauty, partially thanking it for its timing. Now, Lady Love, if you could only help me control my own voice, we'll be pretty cool, won't we? Jet thought to himself. Somewhere, he felt, someone chuckled, and winked at him in return. Yes, Lady Love had many forms; the one form she had tonight was a small, black-haired child, that was just making sure her parents were fairing well, before checking on her uncle and, maybe, future aunty...
~ ~ ~
Back at the Dolphin...
Dr. Gilmore looked up at the clock, then listened to the rest of the crew. Something wasn't right. It was nearly eleven o'clock, Chang and G.B. were fighting over which movie they wanted to watch, Geranimo was holding Ivan, both watching the aforesaid fighting over a movie, Albert was reading a book, the rest of the ship was silent, the town below the ship, which was landed on an insignificant hill, a clock was ticking...wait, the rest of the ship was silent? Where was...?
"Albert, would you check on Kohana?" Dr. Gilmore asked, brow etching with concern. "I haven't seen her for a while." Ivan smirked behind his pacifier. He knew exactly where the girl was, but he wasn't about to say that. He may have been a baby, but he was an eighty-some year old baby, and he knew that Kohana would be in DEEP trouble if the doctor and crew found out she'd run off. And, being a child himself, he also knew getting in trouble wasn't fun. At all.
So, to calm their worries when Albert returned and reported a missing Kohana, Ivan spoke through a yawn, 'She's playing hide-and-seek. She'll wait for hours until Joe finds her.'
"Just Joe, huh?" Geranimo asked suspiciously. The baby in his arms nodded, and everyone else shrugged, returning to their normal activity. Dr. Gilmore was the only one left uneasy about the idea of Kohana playing hide-and-seek in a battle ship, but he knew she'd be all right, so long as she stayed away from that damned Self-Destruct Button!
~ ~ ~
Jet and Kathy were talking at the ice cream cafe, and Jimmy was getting kind of bored. So he asked his mother, "May I go over there and play?" while pointing to a park just across the street.
Kathy sighed, and said, "Oh, all right, but be back here in ten minutes, okay?"
He nodded, and skipped off joyously. But when he was about to enter the park's gate, he crashed right into someone. Both of them fell back on the ground a bit dazed, before Jimmy said, "Hey, you! Watch yourse-" He was cut off when he met the cutest face he'd ever seen. The girl who returned his steady gaze was about three or four years younger than him, but, geesh, she was so freaking cute! He smiled sheepishly, standing and holding out a hand to help her up. "Sorry," he mumbled, surprised when she smiled at him.
"No, I am sorry, it was my fault. I was in a hurry to find my Uncle Jet and make sure-"
"Wait, your uncle Jet?" Jimmy asked, confused. "Jet doesn't have any brothers or sisters. How can he be your uncle?"
"He doesn't have to be related to me to be my uncle!" the girl retorted hotly. Jimmy shrugged.
"Well, he's over there with my mom..."
"...Oh, so you must be Jimmy then?"
Jimmy looked her straight in the eyes, "Yeah, and? Who are you?"
She held out a tiny hand to shake his, "I'm Kohana." Oh, that was simple, he thought, taking her outstretched hand and returning her smile with one of his own. "Wanna help me watch them?"
"Huh?" Jimmy asked confusedly.
"Watch them...my papa and mommy, and my uncle and your mommy." She smiled at him, and he found himself unable to resist for some reason.
"Uh...okay, sure," he said, allowing her to lead him back to her family. He only momentarily glanced back at his mother, seeing that she was way too divulged with Jet to worry. He followed Kohana to a restaurant across the street, where they lifted their eyes over a box of french flowers, through the front window, where a horde of couples gathered on a dance floor, but the one Kohana pointed to was one with a man with a mahogany mane and honey-golden eyes and a blonde woman with emerald eyes. They gazed at one another lovingly, transfixed in each other's eyes. Jimmy looked over to Kohana to see that she was smiling dreamily, her ice blue eyes sparkling with an unspoken joy.
"Hey, Kohana," he said in a whisper, almost afraid to break the silence of the girl and her 'parents' waltz. She looked over to him. "Would you like me to take you home?"
"Uh, sure," Kohana said with a smile.
"Tell me where it is, and we'll head off, a princess and her knight!" Jimmy said victoriously. Kohana giggled, and allowed Jimmy to walk her to the Dolphin, where he was kind enough to help her into her room, then she blew a kiss down at him.
"Thank you, my Noble Knight!" she called from her window.
He winked, "Not a problem for a lovely princess!" Then he ran off to get back to his mommy and Jet.
~ ~ ~
Jet was staring at Kathy, who was blushing furiously, both grinning under the moonlight. She said dreamily, "So...do you have to leave again soon?"
"Nah, I don't think so..." he answered, in the same quiet tone. "Kat, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"If I were to tell you I loved you, how badly would you slap me?"
"Who said I would slap you?"
"Good answer." He leaned over, pulling her his way, and planted a firm kiss on her lips. They stayed that way for awhile, until a small voice cleared its throat, causing them to break the kiss and look down at Jimmy, who was looking quite bashful at interrupting.
"Sorry..." he mumbled. Jet and Kathy blushed, looking at each other with a smile, then Jet picked up Jimmy.
"C'mon, Kat, kiddo, I'll take you home and tuck you both in."
"Should I be scared by that?" Kathy asked curiously. Jet gave her a scoffing look.
"Now, who wouldn't be afraid of the great 002?" he laughed, cracking the rest of his little family up with him. They walked off uncaringly, a true-hearted family, for once.
~ ~ ~
"Joe..." Francoise said as he was walking her back to the Dolphin.
"Hm?" he asked.
"I love you," she said, smiling at the sound of the voiced words. "I love you, Joe Shimamura."
Joe smiled victoriously, "I know...I love you too, by the way." He had her in the ring of his arm, and stopped, whirling her around to plant a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. When he broke the kiss, he smiled at her, a dreamy look in both their eyes. "And, Francoise, I'm not letting you go...never again."
"Oh?" she asked, a giggle in her voice. "And what will you do about sleeping and missions." His eyes took on a mischevious glint, and his eye brows rose a bit, causing her to laugh and push away from him, "You beast."
"Aren't we all?" he asked evilly. She winked at him, and cupped his cheek in her palm.
"A bit...but you'd better behave, or else your first daughter will be your only one." He chuckled, taking her by her waist, and leading her the rest of the way to the Dolphin. It was now after midnight, and only Pyunma and Albert remained awake on the ship. They cast a suspicious glance at the couple when they boarded the ship.
"A bit late, aren't we?" Pyunma asked.
"Yeah, what were you two doing? Playing naughty while away, were we?" Albert asked in a teasing voice. Francoise and Joe looked at each other in a way that made Pyunma and Albert both very well aware that they seemed a lot closer than usual.
"Well, not playing naughty, persay," Francoise said, tugging at Joe's collar. "Tuck me in...?" she asked him. He nodded, then led her to her room, sending a wink to the now speechless duo still there. Albert blinked, then looked at Pyunma.
"Hm, now I know why they're both so quiet..." he observed.
"Why's that?"
"It's always the quiet ones, that end up being the loudest." Pyunma gave Albert a disgusted look, throwing a random book at him as he laughed.
"You perv."
'Thank you, ever so much." Albert then heard Jet coming in, and for the second time in his life, became speechless. The ever-so-mighty warrior they all knew and loved, Jet, was standing with a dreamy-eyed look, blushing and looking quite...mystical. "What the hell happened to you?!" Albert demanded. Jet looked at him innocently. "Ah, I see...you told her, didn't you?"
"Yup...and might I say, I must be the happiest guy on earth."
"Second happiest," Joe added, returning from Francoise's room and going into his own. Jet looked after him, then questioned Albert and Pyunma with his eyes, both of them chuckling.
"Ya buncha love-struck pansies," was the last comment Jet heard from Pyunma as he closed his door. It was the end to one of the most glorious days of everyone's lives.
*Two Dates, and a Duo of Children*
Okay, a few things to say here:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOLDANGEL2!!!!! I'm really looking forward to your next piece of artwork^_^, and I hope you have a lovely day Wednesday.
As usual, I thank all of you for your wonderful *yet threatening* feedback, and I still hope not to make this an epic...^__^
However, I tried to get this chapter done, unlike so many of the others, incredibly fast, so if you find any typos, please just ignore them and mention them in a review, which reminds me, *ahem*
PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING YOU'RE ALL SO GREAT!!
^__^
~
**The Lovely Li'l Town Known as the Bronx for Nickname Appeal**
Everyone was sitting around the breakfast table, all but Kohana, Francoise, and Ivan, who were still waking up. Joe was sipping coffee, glancing occasionally at Jet, who was fidgeting shamelessly. Joe smiled, actually quite calm on the outside for someone that was going on a date with a woman who, in his opinion, was one of the most gorgeous people alive. G.B. and Chang were both fighting over who would be able to make better pancakes for Kohana and Ivan, and Dr. Gilmore was drinking his coffee while reading a newspaper, paying no heed to the ritualistic activity around him.
Finally, Kohana ran into the kitchen, Francoise coming in behind her, carrying baby Ivan in her arms. Joe stared at Kohana and Francoise, thinking to himself, 'What a family I have...'
Gleefully, Kohana shouted, "Goooood morning everybody!"
A few chuckles met her outburst, and Geranimo kneeled down to help her into her chair. He handed her a small flower, that she grinned at him for, then he sat down beside of her. Joe got up, and offered Francoise his chair, which she took with a shy smile at him. Joe took the chair that was across from her, so that he sat on the other side of Kohana. Repeatedly, he and Francoise kept meeting each other's eyes and grinning nervously.
Dr. Gilmore noticed this when he took Ivan to feed him, so Francoise could eat, and chuckled to himself. "So, we're in New York, everyone," he commented, giving Ivan his bottle. "What are you all planning on doing until we find the Black Ghost base here?"
Joe smiled at Kohana, then Francoise, saying, "I have plans."
Kohana grinned, and exclaimed, "Mommy and Papa have a date set!" Everyone looked at the couple, while Francoise blushed wildly and Joe just smiled with a calm look.
"Nice observation, little Apollene," Francoise finally muttered. The rest of the crew beamed; they knew, eventually, that Joe and Francoise would get together, they had just been waiting and waiting for that special day.
"That's nice," Chang said, then turned to Jet, "And what has you so nervous, 002?"
"002's going to see his girlfriend!" Kohana exclaimed again, causing 002, whom up to this point, was drinking a glass of orange juice rather quickly, to choke and sputter, falling backwards in his chair. "See? He's really jumpy!"
"Wow, Kohana," G.B. said, "You could be a matchmaker or something, couldn't you?"
Kohana tilted her head to the side, frowning, "A matchmaker? What's that?"
Dr. Gilmore chuckled, "A matchmaker, Kohana, is a person who gets two people together, and, depending on the chemistry between those two people, can one day attend their wedding."
Again, Kohana looked confused, "Chemistry? What kinda chemistry?"
Joe shook his head, and said, "THAT, little Missy, can wait for another day." Jet finally crawled back up to the table, and lay his head down in misery, watching Kohana as she looked at him and smile with an innocent glance.
"What a bummer..." he said aloud. Everyone looked at him, "We have two kids onboard, and both of them can read minds..." He then looked up at the clock, and grinned, "Well, I'm off-"
"To see your girlfriend!" Kohana finished for him, greedily attacking a pancake.
Jet paused, looking at her, and sighed, "Yes, Kohana, to see my GIRLFRIEND...would you like to come along and tell her everything on my mind while you're at it?"
"I'd like to, but I'm afraid you'd become embarrassed," Kohana said innocently, earning another fit of laughter from everyone but Jet, who just chuckled and waved at them.
"Be back before dawn tommorrow," he shouted. The group exchanged a strange glance, then Francoise stood up.
"Well, I'm going to go get ready...Kohana, dear, would you like to come with me..." Kohana looked at her from a massive amount of syrup, "...And maybe get cleaned up a little bit?"
"Sure, Mommy!" As the two went off, Joe chuckled.
"What's so funny, 009?" G.B. asked.
"I was just thinking that I'd love to see Kohana try to stay CLEAN for one whole day."
"Yeah, lucky for you, her 'Mommy' is going to keep her that way," Pyunma joked. Joe shrugged, wearing the same calm smile, before he, too, stood up.
"I guess that's my cue to go get a book to read; I'd hate to get bored waiting for two women to get ready..." he commented, waving at the rest of them as he left the kitchen.
Chang grinned, and sighed, "Ah, what it's like to be young and in love..."
G.B.'s face grew shocked, and he said in awe, "006, you were both YOUNG AND in LOVE?? Whoa, what a thought..." Crashing and breaking glass sounded off in the kitchen, signaling yet another fight between the two cyborgs...
~ ~ ~
"Joe, where are we going, anyway?" Francoise asked, tucking in Kohana, who'd fallen asleep watching her get ready. Francoise looked at Joe, who could only stare at her. The calm look on his face was replaced with something between shock and disbelief. For their big date, Francoise put her hair up in a French Twist (what else? lol) and wore a white strapless sun dress that accented her graceful curves rather well. Ever since he'd laid eyes on her when she'd left her room, Joe had been staring at her. "Joe?"
"Oh, um, sorry," Joe said, finally snapping back to reality. He was wearing his traditional blue vest and white undersweater, with khakkis, and felt a little underdressed compared to her. "You were saying?"
"Where are we going?"
"Well, we're going--hey, wait, none of that, now!" Joe stopped himself, "I told you this morning it was a surprise!"
"Oh, all right," Francoise sighed defeatedly, then smiled at him. He offered her his arm, and she took it accordingly, grinning as they left the sleeping girl's room and the Dolphin. Kohana waited until she knew they were well gone, opening one eye to look around mischeviously, then jumped up on her bed, crawling on her dresser, where her mommy had left the window open, and she could easily crawl out on the tree they were landed next to. Crawling down the tree was no problem, and she ran off, because, besides her mommy and daddy, she also had to make sure another match was properly made...
~ ~ ~
Jet lifted his fist to knock on Kathy and Jimmy's door, then paused, his hand still clenched in midair. He sighed heavily, then went to knock again. This time, he froze because he heard something. Inside, he heard Jimmy running around, "Momma, Momma, look, I'm Jet!" A smile played across his features as he heard Kathy tell Jimmy to 'get off of that dresser because he'd kill himself, he didn't fly like Jet and he wasn't about to!'
Finally, he gathered up the courage to knock on the door. "Coming!" Jimmy cried from inside, opening the door a few seconds later. For a moment, the two had a staring contest, then suddenly Jimmy cried out, "Oh MY GOSH!! MOM!!!" Kathy came running, and nearly collided into Jimmy's back, also looking bug-eyed at the sight of Jet.
Finally, Jet gave them both his signature smirk, and chuckled, "So, you two gonna invite me in or we gonna sit here staring at each other all day?" In that instant two sets of arms flew around him; the first one around his neck, the second around his legs. "Whoa!" he cried, almost losing his balance as he wrapped an arm around Kathy and put his free hand on Jimmy's head.
"Jet, you're finally home," Kathy whispered in his ear, then pulled away to wipe her tears and take Jimmy, drawing both of them inside. Jet grinned at the sound of that; home. Yeah, he supposed he was finally home, but, maybe, he could stay longer than before. Maybe he could make his new family a permanent one. Maybe...maybe they could finally beat Black Ghost, and get on with their regular lives.
That was the first step, Kohana decided, watching her 'Uncle Jet' walk through the door to Kathy's apartment. She grinned; they'd be going to a restaurant right across the street from the one her Papa was taking her Mommy. This was a good thing; she could simultaneously check on both couples. Yes, very good. She nodded in finality, and turned around to skip off and find that restaurant.
~ ~ ~
"Wow, Joe, this was really nice of you," Francoise commented, awestruck at the beauty of the restaurant. It was French; all of it. French food and French waiters and a funny French cook that looked suspiciously similar to Chang. Joe hadn't spoken the entire time, merely smiled at her whenever she said something and nodded. She was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, when finally, he took a deep breath.
"Francoise..." he said, his voice failing its mission and breaking halfway through the word. "I..."
"Yes, Joe?" Francoise asked, puzzled with his sudden articulation.
"I...I've been wanting to speak to you about a few things," Joe finally managed to sputter. Francoise raised a curious eye brow, and leaned forward, intertwining her fingers and resting her chin on them as she leaned on her elbows. Glad to have her attention, he took a deep breath again, before continuing, "Well, like you know, Kohana's...forced me to think of a few things, and of how...how I feel toward you." Francoise's eyes widened a bit, but glittered with an untold emotion as she swallowed and listened closely, giving him all the time he needed but waiting ever-so-impatiently on the inside. He chuckled, and bashfully looked into her eyes, blushing, "And, I guess...well...I really don't know how to start this..." He laughed at himself half-heartedly, and again tried, "Okay, I'm going to get this out right if it kills me. Francoise, out of all the people I've known, it seems I can turn to you more than anyone. You seem to know everything about me; you can make me melt with just the slightest glance or word. Even before Kohana came, I always felt...warmth whenever I was with you. Like I could do anything, defeat any enemy, move a mountain, if I had to! All I wanted was for you to be by my side, in my sight. You and your lovely dance." Francoise held her breath now, chewing on the corners of her mouth. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is...is that...I'm in love with ya, Francoise."
Her breath came out in a completely relieved sigh, and she smiled at him radiantly, which, as he'd just stated, made his insides melt and drop to his feet as he gazed into the emerald eyes he loved so deeply. Finally, she spoke, "Oh, is that so, Joe Shimamura?" The tone of her voice made his heart drop from his throat. He frowned, anxious for her to continue. "Well, it damn well took you long enough to say so." Her voice returned to its rich warmth, and she grinned, "Because I've been wanting to tell you the same thing for what seems like a century." The full meaning of her words sank into his brain, and his spirit soared again. They looked at each other, and he leaned forward, dropping a feather-light kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened, but before she could react, he stood up, holding out his hand to her and tilting his head to the dance floor.
"May I have this dance, Madamoiselle?"
Francoise looked at his hand, and followed it up to his face, smiling and sliding hers into his, "Oui, Monsieur, you may indeed." He took her to the floor, and spun her around in a waltz, the couple getting looks from everyone else, who commented on how graceful they were together.
~ ~ ~
Jimmy followed his mother and Jet as they left the apartment, Jet was saying how much he'd missed them, and was about to treat them both to dinner, a movie, and ice cream, for Jimmy's benefit. He smiled, remembering how his mother and Jet had used to dislike one another, but had gotten somewhat closer when Kathy found out Jet's 'little secret.' It was amazing, how adults' minds worked, he contemplated. No matter how stubborn, strong, independent they were, they were always struck down in a bittersweet way by Lady Love. And she managed to take good care of these two, luckily for him. He didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to his mother and his adoptive father.
Just ahead, Jet and Kathy were getting quite quiet. In a nervous sort of way. Jet looked away, but his hand reached out, and intertwined with Kathy's. Surprised, she looked at their hands, then up at him, and he felt her return the pressure of his hand with a squeeze of her own, and glanced over at her with a smile. "Jimmy," he called, causing the child to run up to him.
"Yes, Jet?"
"Can you see anything from way down their, kiddo?" Jet asked. When Jimmy shook his head no, Jet smiled, and put the child up on his shoulder. Jimmy's eyes widened; New York was more beautiful from being up so high at night, especially when all the lights were lit and stars could just be seen twinkling above the sky scrapers. The full moon was looking down on them from afar, and Jet caught Kathy looking at it longingly. "You know, Kat, they say the full moon's the perfect time for love to bloom." Realizing he'd just said something MUSHY, Jet turned beet red, and looked away, and Kathy giggled at him girlishly.
"Yes, Jet, I know," she said, surprising him by leaning into his side. He smiled, taking his hand from her and wrapping his arm around her, as others viewed their perfect little family, he thought he caught hints of envy from them. And he was proud of that. God Almighty, Jet was proud of people thinking he was the father of this family. He craved nothing more. He grinned up at the moon, partially thanking it for its beauty, partially thanking it for its timing. Now, Lady Love, if you could only help me control my own voice, we'll be pretty cool, won't we? Jet thought to himself. Somewhere, he felt, someone chuckled, and winked at him in return. Yes, Lady Love had many forms; the one form she had tonight was a small, black-haired child, that was just making sure her parents were fairing well, before checking on her uncle and, maybe, future aunty...
~ ~ ~
Back at the Dolphin...
Dr. Gilmore looked up at the clock, then listened to the rest of the crew. Something wasn't right. It was nearly eleven o'clock, Chang and G.B. were fighting over which movie they wanted to watch, Geranimo was holding Ivan, both watching the aforesaid fighting over a movie, Albert was reading a book, the rest of the ship was silent, the town below the ship, which was landed on an insignificant hill, a clock was ticking...wait, the rest of the ship was silent? Where was...?
"Albert, would you check on Kohana?" Dr. Gilmore asked, brow etching with concern. "I haven't seen her for a while." Ivan smirked behind his pacifier. He knew exactly where the girl was, but he wasn't about to say that. He may have been a baby, but he was an eighty-some year old baby, and he knew that Kohana would be in DEEP trouble if the doctor and crew found out she'd run off. And, being a child himself, he also knew getting in trouble wasn't fun. At all.
So, to calm their worries when Albert returned and reported a missing Kohana, Ivan spoke through a yawn, 'She's playing hide-and-seek. She'll wait for hours until Joe finds her.'
"Just Joe, huh?" Geranimo asked suspiciously. The baby in his arms nodded, and everyone else shrugged, returning to their normal activity. Dr. Gilmore was the only one left uneasy about the idea of Kohana playing hide-and-seek in a battle ship, but he knew she'd be all right, so long as she stayed away from that damned Self-Destruct Button!
~ ~ ~
Jet and Kathy were talking at the ice cream cafe, and Jimmy was getting kind of bored. So he asked his mother, "May I go over there and play?" while pointing to a park just across the street.
Kathy sighed, and said, "Oh, all right, but be back here in ten minutes, okay?"
He nodded, and skipped off joyously. But when he was about to enter the park's gate, he crashed right into someone. Both of them fell back on the ground a bit dazed, before Jimmy said, "Hey, you! Watch yourse-" He was cut off when he met the cutest face he'd ever seen. The girl who returned his steady gaze was about three or four years younger than him, but, geesh, she was so freaking cute! He smiled sheepishly, standing and holding out a hand to help her up. "Sorry," he mumbled, surprised when she smiled at him.
"No, I am sorry, it was my fault. I was in a hurry to find my Uncle Jet and make sure-"
"Wait, your uncle Jet?" Jimmy asked, confused. "Jet doesn't have any brothers or sisters. How can he be your uncle?"
"He doesn't have to be related to me to be my uncle!" the girl retorted hotly. Jimmy shrugged.
"Well, he's over there with my mom..."
"...Oh, so you must be Jimmy then?"
Jimmy looked her straight in the eyes, "Yeah, and? Who are you?"
She held out a tiny hand to shake his, "I'm Kohana." Oh, that was simple, he thought, taking her outstretched hand and returning her smile with one of his own. "Wanna help me watch them?"
"Huh?" Jimmy asked confusedly.
"Watch them...my papa and mommy, and my uncle and your mommy." She smiled at him, and he found himself unable to resist for some reason.
"Uh...okay, sure," he said, allowing her to lead him back to her family. He only momentarily glanced back at his mother, seeing that she was way too divulged with Jet to worry. He followed Kohana to a restaurant across the street, where they lifted their eyes over a box of french flowers, through the front window, where a horde of couples gathered on a dance floor, but the one Kohana pointed to was one with a man with a mahogany mane and honey-golden eyes and a blonde woman with emerald eyes. They gazed at one another lovingly, transfixed in each other's eyes. Jimmy looked over to Kohana to see that she was smiling dreamily, her ice blue eyes sparkling with an unspoken joy.
"Hey, Kohana," he said in a whisper, almost afraid to break the silence of the girl and her 'parents' waltz. She looked over to him. "Would you like me to take you home?"
"Uh, sure," Kohana said with a smile.
"Tell me where it is, and we'll head off, a princess and her knight!" Jimmy said victoriously. Kohana giggled, and allowed Jimmy to walk her to the Dolphin, where he was kind enough to help her into her room, then she blew a kiss down at him.
"Thank you, my Noble Knight!" she called from her window.
He winked, "Not a problem for a lovely princess!" Then he ran off to get back to his mommy and Jet.
~ ~ ~
Jet was staring at Kathy, who was blushing furiously, both grinning under the moonlight. She said dreamily, "So...do you have to leave again soon?"
"Nah, I don't think so..." he answered, in the same quiet tone. "Kat, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"If I were to tell you I loved you, how badly would you slap me?"
"Who said I would slap you?"
"Good answer." He leaned over, pulling her his way, and planted a firm kiss on her lips. They stayed that way for awhile, until a small voice cleared its throat, causing them to break the kiss and look down at Jimmy, who was looking quite bashful at interrupting.
"Sorry..." he mumbled. Jet and Kathy blushed, looking at each other with a smile, then Jet picked up Jimmy.
"C'mon, Kat, kiddo, I'll take you home and tuck you both in."
"Should I be scared by that?" Kathy asked curiously. Jet gave her a scoffing look.
"Now, who wouldn't be afraid of the great 002?" he laughed, cracking the rest of his little family up with him. They walked off uncaringly, a true-hearted family, for once.
~ ~ ~
"Joe..." Francoise said as he was walking her back to the Dolphin.
"Hm?" he asked.
"I love you," she said, smiling at the sound of the voiced words. "I love you, Joe Shimamura."
Joe smiled victoriously, "I know...I love you too, by the way." He had her in the ring of his arm, and stopped, whirling her around to plant a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. When he broke the kiss, he smiled at her, a dreamy look in both their eyes. "And, Francoise, I'm not letting you go...never again."
"Oh?" she asked, a giggle in her voice. "And what will you do about sleeping and missions." His eyes took on a mischevious glint, and his eye brows rose a bit, causing her to laugh and push away from him, "You beast."
"Aren't we all?" he asked evilly. She winked at him, and cupped his cheek in her palm.
"A bit...but you'd better behave, or else your first daughter will be your only one." He chuckled, taking her by her waist, and leading her the rest of the way to the Dolphin. It was now after midnight, and only Pyunma and Albert remained awake on the ship. They cast a suspicious glance at the couple when they boarded the ship.
"A bit late, aren't we?" Pyunma asked.
"Yeah, what were you two doing? Playing naughty while away, were we?" Albert asked in a teasing voice. Francoise and Joe looked at each other in a way that made Pyunma and Albert both very well aware that they seemed a lot closer than usual.
"Well, not playing naughty, persay," Francoise said, tugging at Joe's collar. "Tuck me in...?" she asked him. He nodded, then led her to her room, sending a wink to the now speechless duo still there. Albert blinked, then looked at Pyunma.
"Hm, now I know why they're both so quiet..." he observed.
"Why's that?"
"It's always the quiet ones, that end up being the loudest." Pyunma gave Albert a disgusted look, throwing a random book at him as he laughed.
"You perv."
'Thank you, ever so much." Albert then heard Jet coming in, and for the second time in his life, became speechless. The ever-so-mighty warrior they all knew and loved, Jet, was standing with a dreamy-eyed look, blushing and looking quite...mystical. "What the hell happened to you?!" Albert demanded. Jet looked at him innocently. "Ah, I see...you told her, didn't you?"
"Yup...and might I say, I must be the happiest guy on earth."
"Second happiest," Joe added, returning from Francoise's room and going into his own. Jet looked after him, then questioned Albert and Pyunma with his eyes, both of them chuckling.
"Ya buncha love-struck pansies," was the last comment Jet heard from Pyunma as he closed his door. It was the end to one of the most glorious days of everyone's lives.