A/N: Thank you Venus and Lil Tifa for the reviews. It makes me feel great!
I'd love some constructive comments on this part, I wasn't so sure about
it. I really like this story but I'm not feeling a lot of love from the
narrative so please tell me what you really think. Thanks!
By 9am that morning, when the rest of the Planet Express crew were sat at the conference table, Leela had finished another thorough search of the building. She slumped forward on the table as if she were trying to sleep but she was wide awake. Fry, who was sat next to her, looked at her and said.
"Are you okay, Leela?"
"No" she sniffed, "I can't find my bracelet. I don't know where it is."
"Good news, Leela!" The professor exclaimed as soon as he arrived.
"What?" Leela perked up hopefully.
"I found the watch you lost, remember? You were all upset about it the other day."
"I didn't lose a watch, I lost my bracelet!"
"Huh? What's the difference?" the Professor asked.
"Well," Hermes cut in, "both are worn around the wrist, however, one tells the time and the other doesn't."
"So, surely you'd rather have a watch than the bracelet? After all, it does tell the time." Bender suggested.
"Exactly! It's clearly an infinitely superior device."
"I don't want the damn watch," Leela replied through clenched teeth, "I want my bracelet!"
"Oh very well, you ridiculous sentimental. I'll just keep the watch and use it to create a new invention! The Death-watch!"
"Do you really have no idea where you had it last?" Amy asked.
Just then, something in Leela clicked, "That's it!" she exclaimed, "Our last mission! Junglar 4! I must have lost it when we pulled Bender out of the mud pit!" Leela visibly brightened at this revelation.
"What was he doing in a mud pit?" asked Amy reluctantly.
"Well, I was trying to have a drink. There I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden this giant mud monster lunges out of nowhere and goes for my beer. But it missed and got the rest of my body instead."
"It was big and snake like! Just like a worm." Fry commented.
"Oh my god! How did you get him out?" said Amy.
"It spat him out, then we just pulled him out and ran." Leela answered.
"Yes, mud monster's don't find steel very nourishing," the Professor stated, "and you're 40% steel, Bender, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's right." Bender confirmed with a touch of his typical Robo-pride.
"That must be where I lost my bracelet!" Leela insisted.
"Well, good luck getting it back!" Hermes chortled from across the desk.
"Thanks," Leela said, as she got up and began heading for the ship.
"He was being humorous, you lunatic!" The Professor yelled dramatically. "You can't just waltz up to a giant serpent and ask to go foraging around in it's lair!"
"Not on Junglar 4, at least." Zoidberg added.
"It will eat you alive!" The Professor continued.
"But," Leela tried interrupting.
"But nothing! You wouldn't stand a chance! Besides, if your bracelet fell into the mud, there's virtually no chance of you seeing it again. Mud-pits can be ludicrously deep."
"I'm sorry, Leela." Amy said.
"I can't believe I've lost it, for good."
Leela put her hand on the back of her head and tried to come to terms with what she'd just said.
"Oh well, never mind!" jollied the Professor, "Ooh, I have more good news! Today you'll be making a delivery of Glass Onions to Memoria 12! Off you go!"
***
Leela was completely torn up about her bracelet, and had been very quiet the whole way to Memoria 12. She mostly just sat in her pilot's chair and focused on flying. As the Planet Express ship shot back through the cosmos towards Earth, Fry tried cheering Leela up.
"Hey, Leela. Maybe you didn't lose it in that mud pit. Maybe it'll turn up somewhere else entirely. You never know." Fry said.
"Maybe."
Fry was sitting at his usual seat on the bridge. He looked at Leela's face as she stared through the front window and felt really sorry for her. He hadn't seen her look this miserable since she lost Nibbler.
"I hate myself for losing it." Leela said suddenly, "My Dad made that bracelet for me just after I was born. When I was a kid, growing up in the Orphanarium, I used to play with it-" Leela looked at her bare wrist and stroked it once as she said that, "-and feel a connection with my real parents. It gave me so much hope back then. It was like a link to the world outside."
Leela sighed. She remembered feeling a huge affinity with her bracelet. It had always given her hope of a real Mom and Dad. They left her that gift because they still cared for her. It gave her strength when she saw all the other children leave with foster parents while she stayed.
"It kept me going because, I knew I wasn't completely alone when I had it. My parents are gonna be so disappointed in me, I lost the one gift they were able to give me as a child. How will I be able to look at them and say that I lost it? It meant so much.For a long time, it was the only thing I had."
"I'm sure they won't care. I mean, it's you that they care about. Not some bracelet." Fry said.
"Yeah.but still," Leela looked at her wrist again, there was a small tear in her eye.
At this moment, Bender joined the conversation. "Oh come on, Leela! Get over it!" He demanded energetically, "Your bracelet's gone and that's that. There's nothing you can do about it so why worry yourself? Now how about we please lift the atmosphere in here before the auto-pilot completely sobers up?" Bender offered.
"Yeh," Leela agreed, "There's no point being down, I guess. I'm sorry."
"There you go!" Bender congratulated, "Cheer up!"
"You're right," Leela turned her attention back to flying for a moment.
Leela drummed her fingers on the wheel a couple of times then tried, "Hey, you guys wanna here something funny?" She asked, forcing up a sweet little smile.
"Sure!"
"Did you here the one about the Human, the Robot and the Neptunian?"
"No."
"Well, heh," Leela smiled, "There was a Human, a Robot and a Neptunian. One day, they're walking down the street and the Robot says, 'Hey! You guys wanna get drunk?'" Leela starts to giggle a little, Fry smiles in anticipation "'Sure' the other two say. So they walk down the street and the human, heh, and the Neptunian walk into this Bar and the Robot says 'Are you guys okay?' Hahaha!" Leela started laughing hard at her own joke. Bender and Fry drew blank looks at each other, however Leela is laughing so hard that she buckles forward and has to hold her sides. Bender looks angry and Fry forces a weak "Heh"
Leela looks up and smiles, "Do you not get it?"
***
After a terrible day, Leela entered her apartment and sleepily made her way over to her bed. She closed the door, kicked off her boots and then crashed backwards onto the sheets.
She closed her eye and took a cleansing breath.
"I should just try and forget about it." She said. "Just forget about it."
***
"Hey, that was close! We almost got caught that time!"
It was a bright summer day. There was a blue sky, green tree tops and a golden sun. In the corner of a noisy New New York playground, a small one- eyed girl was kneeling on the warm concrete having a conversation with an imaginary friend. Actually, to be more accurate, an imaginary big brother.
"Yeh, but that ugly space Rhino didn't scare me!"
Brad had one eye too, and purple hair, and was very strong. The two each had a magic bracelet which their parents gave to them and which made them very special. They would often run away together and have adventures trying to rescue their parents from an ancient castle on a far away world. They had been turned to stone by an evil sorceress you see, and only their children could save them.
"Gee, hee, hee! I love you." The girl giggled.
"Come on, let's run!" he said.
Brad was a great big brother, he'd make her feel loved, but he didn't stick around when it really mattered. But the girl loved him all the same.
Brad got hit by a car one day, when the girl had grown up a bit.
When she was a little older, she lay on her back, on her bed, in her room, late one night, and looked at the black sky through her barred window.
"Hello Leela," her blonde room-mate said as she entered the room, "You missed some fun tonight."
Leela didn't say anything, she just kept looking at the stars.
"Oh that's right, you have trouble with the monkey-bars, don't you?" she laughed.
She stopped looking out the window and turned away, "Shut up."
"I'm turning off the light, good night, one-eye."
As the ribbed moonlight filtered through the window, Leela looked at her shiny bracelet in the inadequate light and thought of a better place. A beautiful alien world where she belonged. That she'd find one day, when she got out of here. She drew her fingers down the grooves of the symbols and smiled.
***
When she woke up she knew she HAD to get it back.
A/N: One more chapter to come, its gonna be special! Well I'm gonna try anyway. Also, to Lil Tifa I am a HUGE VII fan. If you'd like, please take a look at my final fantasy fan fiction! It's not 7 tho
By 9am that morning, when the rest of the Planet Express crew were sat at the conference table, Leela had finished another thorough search of the building. She slumped forward on the table as if she were trying to sleep but she was wide awake. Fry, who was sat next to her, looked at her and said.
"Are you okay, Leela?"
"No" she sniffed, "I can't find my bracelet. I don't know where it is."
"Good news, Leela!" The professor exclaimed as soon as he arrived.
"What?" Leela perked up hopefully.
"I found the watch you lost, remember? You were all upset about it the other day."
"I didn't lose a watch, I lost my bracelet!"
"Huh? What's the difference?" the Professor asked.
"Well," Hermes cut in, "both are worn around the wrist, however, one tells the time and the other doesn't."
"So, surely you'd rather have a watch than the bracelet? After all, it does tell the time." Bender suggested.
"Exactly! It's clearly an infinitely superior device."
"I don't want the damn watch," Leela replied through clenched teeth, "I want my bracelet!"
"Oh very well, you ridiculous sentimental. I'll just keep the watch and use it to create a new invention! The Death-watch!"
"Do you really have no idea where you had it last?" Amy asked.
Just then, something in Leela clicked, "That's it!" she exclaimed, "Our last mission! Junglar 4! I must have lost it when we pulled Bender out of the mud pit!" Leela visibly brightened at this revelation.
"What was he doing in a mud pit?" asked Amy reluctantly.
"Well, I was trying to have a drink. There I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden this giant mud monster lunges out of nowhere and goes for my beer. But it missed and got the rest of my body instead."
"It was big and snake like! Just like a worm." Fry commented.
"Oh my god! How did you get him out?" said Amy.
"It spat him out, then we just pulled him out and ran." Leela answered.
"Yes, mud monster's don't find steel very nourishing," the Professor stated, "and you're 40% steel, Bender, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's right." Bender confirmed with a touch of his typical Robo-pride.
"That must be where I lost my bracelet!" Leela insisted.
"Well, good luck getting it back!" Hermes chortled from across the desk.
"Thanks," Leela said, as she got up and began heading for the ship.
"He was being humorous, you lunatic!" The Professor yelled dramatically. "You can't just waltz up to a giant serpent and ask to go foraging around in it's lair!"
"Not on Junglar 4, at least." Zoidberg added.
"It will eat you alive!" The Professor continued.
"But," Leela tried interrupting.
"But nothing! You wouldn't stand a chance! Besides, if your bracelet fell into the mud, there's virtually no chance of you seeing it again. Mud-pits can be ludicrously deep."
"I'm sorry, Leela." Amy said.
"I can't believe I've lost it, for good."
Leela put her hand on the back of her head and tried to come to terms with what she'd just said.
"Oh well, never mind!" jollied the Professor, "Ooh, I have more good news! Today you'll be making a delivery of Glass Onions to Memoria 12! Off you go!"
***
Leela was completely torn up about her bracelet, and had been very quiet the whole way to Memoria 12. She mostly just sat in her pilot's chair and focused on flying. As the Planet Express ship shot back through the cosmos towards Earth, Fry tried cheering Leela up.
"Hey, Leela. Maybe you didn't lose it in that mud pit. Maybe it'll turn up somewhere else entirely. You never know." Fry said.
"Maybe."
Fry was sitting at his usual seat on the bridge. He looked at Leela's face as she stared through the front window and felt really sorry for her. He hadn't seen her look this miserable since she lost Nibbler.
"I hate myself for losing it." Leela said suddenly, "My Dad made that bracelet for me just after I was born. When I was a kid, growing up in the Orphanarium, I used to play with it-" Leela looked at her bare wrist and stroked it once as she said that, "-and feel a connection with my real parents. It gave me so much hope back then. It was like a link to the world outside."
Leela sighed. She remembered feeling a huge affinity with her bracelet. It had always given her hope of a real Mom and Dad. They left her that gift because they still cared for her. It gave her strength when she saw all the other children leave with foster parents while she stayed.
"It kept me going because, I knew I wasn't completely alone when I had it. My parents are gonna be so disappointed in me, I lost the one gift they were able to give me as a child. How will I be able to look at them and say that I lost it? It meant so much.For a long time, it was the only thing I had."
"I'm sure they won't care. I mean, it's you that they care about. Not some bracelet." Fry said.
"Yeah.but still," Leela looked at her wrist again, there was a small tear in her eye.
At this moment, Bender joined the conversation. "Oh come on, Leela! Get over it!" He demanded energetically, "Your bracelet's gone and that's that. There's nothing you can do about it so why worry yourself? Now how about we please lift the atmosphere in here before the auto-pilot completely sobers up?" Bender offered.
"Yeh," Leela agreed, "There's no point being down, I guess. I'm sorry."
"There you go!" Bender congratulated, "Cheer up!"
"You're right," Leela turned her attention back to flying for a moment.
Leela drummed her fingers on the wheel a couple of times then tried, "Hey, you guys wanna here something funny?" She asked, forcing up a sweet little smile.
"Sure!"
"Did you here the one about the Human, the Robot and the Neptunian?"
"No."
"Well, heh," Leela smiled, "There was a Human, a Robot and a Neptunian. One day, they're walking down the street and the Robot says, 'Hey! You guys wanna get drunk?'" Leela starts to giggle a little, Fry smiles in anticipation "'Sure' the other two say. So they walk down the street and the human, heh, and the Neptunian walk into this Bar and the Robot says 'Are you guys okay?' Hahaha!" Leela started laughing hard at her own joke. Bender and Fry drew blank looks at each other, however Leela is laughing so hard that she buckles forward and has to hold her sides. Bender looks angry and Fry forces a weak "Heh"
Leela looks up and smiles, "Do you not get it?"
***
After a terrible day, Leela entered her apartment and sleepily made her way over to her bed. She closed the door, kicked off her boots and then crashed backwards onto the sheets.
She closed her eye and took a cleansing breath.
"I should just try and forget about it." She said. "Just forget about it."
***
"Hey, that was close! We almost got caught that time!"
It was a bright summer day. There was a blue sky, green tree tops and a golden sun. In the corner of a noisy New New York playground, a small one- eyed girl was kneeling on the warm concrete having a conversation with an imaginary friend. Actually, to be more accurate, an imaginary big brother.
"Yeh, but that ugly space Rhino didn't scare me!"
Brad had one eye too, and purple hair, and was very strong. The two each had a magic bracelet which their parents gave to them and which made them very special. They would often run away together and have adventures trying to rescue their parents from an ancient castle on a far away world. They had been turned to stone by an evil sorceress you see, and only their children could save them.
"Gee, hee, hee! I love you." The girl giggled.
"Come on, let's run!" he said.
Brad was a great big brother, he'd make her feel loved, but he didn't stick around when it really mattered. But the girl loved him all the same.
Brad got hit by a car one day, when the girl had grown up a bit.
When she was a little older, she lay on her back, on her bed, in her room, late one night, and looked at the black sky through her barred window.
"Hello Leela," her blonde room-mate said as she entered the room, "You missed some fun tonight."
Leela didn't say anything, she just kept looking at the stars.
"Oh that's right, you have trouble with the monkey-bars, don't you?" she laughed.
She stopped looking out the window and turned away, "Shut up."
"I'm turning off the light, good night, one-eye."
As the ribbed moonlight filtered through the window, Leela looked at her shiny bracelet in the inadequate light and thought of a better place. A beautiful alien world where she belonged. That she'd find one day, when she got out of here. She drew her fingers down the grooves of the symbols and smiled.
***
When she woke up she knew she HAD to get it back.
A/N: One more chapter to come, its gonna be special! Well I'm gonna try anyway. Also, to Lil Tifa I am a HUGE VII fan. If you'd like, please take a look at my final fantasy fan fiction! It's not 7 tho
