by: Shirley Ann Burton
Another wacky disclaimer:
I really don't have to tell anything about The Magician or Sailor
Moon, since that can be found in the opening of The Magic Force Moon
Crystal Reunion. Always remember the rules, though--if you want to
use any of my original characters in a story, please ask me first.
This is the second tag story, which follows a couple of days after Tough
Decisions.
Ace, Angie, Serena, Darien, and all their friends were out on another shopping trip at the DNA Mall, but all of them split into groups of four to make sure no one got lost.
Serena's attitude had changed for the better. She was no longer trying to get things only for herself. "Let's see, I think Mom would love this necklace." She checked to make sure she could afford it. "I'm about ten dollars short." She went to the counter and said, "Excuse me, Miss. I want to find a good necklace for my mother, but I have a strict budget to spend on each family member."
"How much do you want to spend for your mother?"
"I'd like to give her that $60 necklace, but I only had $50 set for her."
Mina walked up to her. "Serena, did your dad really want anything?"
"I'm not sure. Let me check the list." She took out her list of what to buy for each relative. "Dad wanted just a Magician baseball cap and an autographed poster."
"I'm sure you can get the autographed poster for nothing," Mina whispered. "Remember, we're staying with Mr. Cooper in the Express."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. I guess I can get the necklace after all." Serena turned to the clerk and said, "I will buy that necklace. I have enough now."
"All right." The clerk opened a drawer to get the key to that particular counter. She opened that counter with the necklace and took it out. "Would you like it gift-wrapped?"
"Sure. Does it cost extra?"
"No. Purchases of $50 or more give you free gift-wrapping. It's just too bad you can't do that with everything else."
Serena giggled. "That would be nice."
Raye and Angie, who were with Mina and Serena, both saw how nice and calm Serena had become. "Our adventure has changed Serena into someone we don't know," said Raye. "I've never seen her be so cool, calm, and collected before. I like it."
Angie smiled. "Serena's finally understanding that life won't always go the way she wants it to. Just look at Victor and me. We can't always spend time together, but we take advantage when we get a chance. In fact, we want to surprise Serena and Darien next week by inviting them on a double date with us to the Croesus Palace. Mona's working on a new song and doesn't want to premiere it until the double date. What do you think?"
"I think it's a great idea! Do they know about it yet?"
"No. In fact, you're the first person to be told of this. Think you can keep it a secret?"
"I'll try. Of course, I blew that kidnapping secret."
"Don't worry about it, Raye. It was time for that secret to be revealed. Serena needed to know why I was acting so rough on her."
Serena completed her purchase. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I hope your mother enjoys her gift."
"She will. Believe me, she will." She checked off her list. "That's all for Mom. Now, on to Sammy."
In another group, Ace went with Cosmo, Lita, and Amy. It's nice to see everything almost back to normal. Mona said Jack and Diamond are both recovering nicely, as well as Ulene's other unexpected victims at the hospital. I know she's busy working on that new song for next week, so I don't want to bother her today.
Lita and Amy were in another shop looking for souvenirs when Cosmo noticed a sign on the store window. "Whoa, dude! Check this out."
"What is it?" asked Ace.
"There's a cooking contest taking place here in the DNA Mall in two days, and the deadline for entry is…this afternoon at 5:00!"
"So?"
"Ace, Angie could enter that cooking contest with her ginger shrimp scaloppini recipe! She could blow away the competition with her cooking!"
"Yes, she could, but don't you think we need to ask her first?"
"Aw, come on, Ace. What could it hurt?"
Ace thought carefully about the matter. "I don't see why not. Okay, Cosmo. As soon as Lita and Amy are done with their shopping, we'll sign Angie up for the cooking contest." I just hope we're not making a mistake.
The ladies completed their shopping and walked behind Ace and Cosmo as they went to the information desk to enter Angie into the contest. The female clerk smiled. "Thank you very much, gentlemen."
"C'mon, dude," Cosmo said as he looked at the clock. "The others are waitin' for us."
Amy nodded. "It's been fun, but I think I want to do something besides shopping tomorrow."
Ace patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Amy. Tomorrow you'll all stay home and relax while Cosmo and I prep for that show next week at the Ring."
"I look forward to that. By the way, where's Mona today?"
"She's at her home working on a new song for her performance next week at the Croesus. When she starts writing, she stays with it. Her longest writing stint has been 2 ½ straight days with no sleep."
Lita's eyes widened in shock. "I couldn't do that if I tried."
"That's nothing," Cosmo said. "Ace has gone that long in mastering a new trick."
"You've done the same thing when trying to finish a video game," Ace retorted with a chuckle.
"Okay, Ace, whatever."
Soon, the entire group was back together and on their way back to the Magic Express. Ace was pleased to see Serena's new and more pleasant attitude. "How was your shopping trip?"
"Great! Mom's going to love the necklace I got her. I was able to find Sammy some nice shirts and some cool souvenirs—mostly involving you, Mr. Cooper."
He laughed. "Sammy really admires me, doesn't he?"
"Ever since you came to Japan a couple of years ago, he's been tracking your every move on the Internet. I'm just glad he's back home and not over here stalking you."
"I would've let him stay, you know."
Rini stuck her head in the front seat of the van. "Don't be so sure of that, Mr. Cooper. He can be as bratty as the old Serena."
Serena said, "Hey, Rini, I'll still act like that some days, but hopefully not as often anymore."
"Hey, if you do, we'll let ya know." The little one gave a wry wink.
"That's what you think," Serena joked as she fluffed the top of Rini's hair.
As the two vans returned home, Rini was already getting sleepy. "Ready for a nap, Rini?" asked Darien.
"If it's okay with all of you."
Angie said, "Sure thing. You get some rest while Lita and I start dinner. Shall we?"
"You bet, Angie."
The others went to their own rooms to relax while Angie and Lita worked together on the supper. Ace and Cosmo worked diligently in the practice room on his show for the next week, but Ace still had his worries about entering Angie into the cooking contest. "I don't know if this is going to work. Our bond keeps growing stronger all the time. I can shield this from her, yes, but I'm not sure she really wants to be a part of it."
"Dude, will you stop worrying? She'll be so thrilled to get the chance to show off her cooking skills. Like I said, she'll blow away the competition with her dishes."
"Cosmo, this isn't Iron Chef. Most cooking contests allow each person to create one great dish only. Angie does have her ginger shrimp scaloppini dish, but the only concern I have is that she—"
"Look, Ace, I told ya, she'll be fine! You need to stop thinking something's wrong about it. Now, whatever you do, don't tell her until morning after tomorrow."
"That's the day of the contest, Cosmo! It'll be too close for her to get anything done!"
"So, what? She's greatest when she's under pressure."
Ace sighed in defeat. "All right, Cosmo. I'll go along with it…for now."
Angie and Lita completed their dishes and served to everyone that night. Angie had a feeling Ace was trying to hide something, but she could not penetrate his strong shield. What's he trying to do? Oh, well, I can't worry about that now. Maybe it's some kind of surprise for me.
Little did she know she would get
a surprise the next day…
The next morning, Ace and Cosmo went to the Ring Theatre to work on the new show, leaving Angie with the others. The Express's mailman arrived at the door. "Good morning, Angie."
"Hi, Robbie. What's up?"
"Nothing much. Just the usual bills, and…oh, something addressed to you, Angie."
"Just me? Hmm, the last time something was addressed to me, I had to attend that parole hearing. I sure hope it isn't something else bad."
"Hey, don't worry about it for now. Just open it. It can't be all bad."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Robbie."
"No problem, Angie. I'll be back tomorrow with the usual fan mail."
"Okay. Don't work too hard."
She went back inside and noticed the address. "The DNA Mall?
I wonder if this is from either Victor or his father." She opened
the letter and read it intently:
Dear Miss Jacobs,
We are pleased to know that you have decided to enter the DNA Mall Cook-Off, which is to take place on Friday. Please come at 10 a.m. with your necessary ingredients to create your one best dish. We look forward to your competing against some of Electro City's best cooks.
Sincerely yours,
Bob Raven
Angie gasped in shock. "What the—? I didn't enter the Cook-Off. I—wait a minute. That's what Ace was hiding from me. He and Cosmo must've entered me into the contest, but why didn't they ask me first? I didn't want to enter."
Lita walked into the living room and saw Angie's fuming anger. "What's the matter?"
"It appears I've been entered into a contest without any questions." She handed the letter to Lita.
"Do you think it may have been your boyfriend Victor?"
"No. Victor knows I love to cook, but neither he nor his father would enter me without asking. I know who did it, and I am not happy at all. I'm gonna make Ace and Cosmo pay for this one."
Lita saw something else in the letter. "Wait, hold it. It says, P.S. If you are not able to enter due to illness, please let us know. You may also send in a substitute if needed."
Angie looked at Lita with a light in her eyes. "That just gave me an idea. How would you like to take my place tomorrow?"
"Me? But, you're not sick."
"No, not yet. However, I think I'll ask Angel to help me get sick suddenly, and just long enough to make sure I don't get to the cook-off tomorrow. I do need one other person to help me out on this. Angel?"
The dodecahedron appeared. "Yes, Angie?"
"Place a call to Mona and tell her it's important."
"As you wish, Angie."
Mona managed to get a couple hours of sleep in spite of trying to write her new song. When she heard the phone, she answered. "Hello?" she said with a yawn.
"Mona, it's Angie. Listen, I need your help with something. Can you meet me here at the Express at around 10?"
"Sure. I'm just going to check on my father first. Doctors called me last night and said they can both be back at work as early as Saturday."
"That's good to hear, Mona. I just wish my news were as good."
"What do you mean? What's wrong?"
"I'll tell you when you get here. You've got to trust me on this one."
"Okay, Angie. I'll see you at 10." She hung up the phone while wondering why Angie was so uptight. "I sure hope no one's going after her again. She went through that enough times."
She arrived at the Express five minutes earlier than expected. "Angel, may I come in?"
"Of course, Mona."
She entered and saw Rini, Darien, and Serena all enjoying an old television show in the living room.
Rini smiled. "Hi, Miss Malone."
"Good morning, Rini. Have you seen Angie?"
"I think she and Lita were in the kitchen."
"Thanks." Mona rushed to the kitchen and found the two ladies. She saw Angie's not-so-happy face. "Angie, what's the matter?"
"Mona, have you ever been entered into something without being asked first?"
"Yes, lots of times. Most of that can be blamed on my father, but that's not important right now. What happened?"
"It appears Ace and Cosmo entered me into the DNA Club Cook-Off scheduled for tomorrow. I didn't want to enter the contest to begin with."
Lita understood Angie's reasoning. "Of course, I get it now."
Mona smiled, too. "Something tells me you've got a plan to get even with them."
"Right. All it'll take is being sick, and someone to take my place. Lita, would you like to take my place tomorrow?"
"You want me to—but, I can't do it."
Angie said, "Lita, I believe in you. But believe in yourself. Just go for one of your best dishes. Meanwhile, I need Angel's help to…get sick. I'll have to work fast because Ace and Cosmo will be home this afternoon."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Mona.
"Yes, I am. I know they mean well, but this is one contest I do not want to be a part of." She went to the computer control room to ask Angel a favor. "Can you whip up something that'll make me sick just long enough to avoid the cook-off tomorrow?"
"I believe I can, Angie. Give me about ten minutes to create the serum to allow you to become ill."
"Thanks, Angel, and whatever you do, please don't tell Ace or Cosmo about this." She also understood something else she had to do. Since Ace is blocking me from him about the cook-off, I'll have to block him from knowing I'm faking this illness. It's the only way this plan will work.
Mona and Lita joined her in the computer room. "Well?" asked the two ladies together.
"The plan's all set. However, if we don't want anything to go wrong, we must keep this to ourselves. Lita, I hope you're not offended."
"Are you kidding? Telling Serena would be like telling the world."
Mona giggled. "And I'm real
good with secrets myself. Ace and Cosmo won't know what hit them."
Ace and Cosmo returned home that afternoon and noticed only Lita in the kitchen.
"Hey, Lita," said Cosmo, "where's Angie? Wasn't she supposed to cook dinner tonight?"
"Sorry, Cosmo, but Angie's sick."
Ace became concerned. "Sick? How?"
"She was complaining her stomach felt like crud, and she was vomiting a lot today. Angel said she's got a bad little stomach virus."
"I see. Is she in her room now?"
"Yeah, resting comfortably."
The two men walked to Angie's room, where they found her lying in bed. Her face had a pale color and a pallid complexion.
"Angie, are you all right?" asked a concerned Ace.
"Not…really. I don't know how I got this stomach virus. Could there be something going around?"
"I don't know, Angie. You just get some rest. We'll leave you alone."
They left Angie's room, and Cosmo immediately started panicking. "Dude, what about the cook-off tomorrow!? Angie was supposed to be there!"
"I know. I'm not sure what we can do now. Maybe we can ask Lita to take her place. One of the rules said if she can't make it, someone else can go as a alternate."
"Yeah, I guess we could ask her, but it's got to stay a secret."
"Okay, okay. You go ask her."
Cosmo went to the kitchen and said, "Lita, listen, I've gotta ask you a favor, and it's really important."
"Sure, Cosmo, what is it?"
"Listen, we…entered Angie into this cooking contest at the DNA Mall, and it's tomorrow. With Angie sick now, we need someone to take her place. Would you mind doing it?"
Lita pretended to be shocked. "You're asking me? Hmm, perhaps it is a chance for me to show off some of my culinary skills to the people of Electro City. Problem is I'm not a resident."
"You don't have to be. We've had tourists enter the contest before, and they've actually won a few times. Please, Lita, I know you've got several good dishes. Just pick one dish and have the ingredients ready tomorrow morning."
"I can do that, Cosmo. I just hope Angie's going to be all right."
"Yeah, me, too. When's dinner?"
"Should be done in about 20 minutes." After Cosmo nodded and left the kitchen, Lita gave a wicked smile. "Angie's plan is working perfectly. They've taken the bait."
When Lita served dinner, she made sure she took a bowl of soup to Angie in her room to maintain the illusion of illness. "Here you go, Angie. The chicken noodle soup you showed me how to make."
"Thanks, Lita. So, how are things going with the cook-off?"
"It's going exactly as planned. Cosmo asked me to fill in for you tomorrow morning and had to spill about entering you into the cook-off. I think tomorrow will be very interesting, especially when Mona enters the picture tomorrow morning. I'll just call her in front of Mr. Cooper and Cosmo to let her know."
"Please do, Lita," said Angie with a smirk on her face. "Please do. The serum should wear off by the time the contest is over tomorrow at 11:30."
"What happens if I somehow win, though?"
"Then you'll have a prize to take home to Japan. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Thanks, Angie. I'll give it my all tomorrow at the cook-off."
"I'd better call Victor from here and let him know what's going on. I don't want to leave him in the dark." She reached for the phone to call her boyfriend Victor Raven.
At the mall, Victor finished his security shift when his father entered the security office. "Phone call for you, son. It's Angie."
Victor took the phone and said, "Hi, Angie. I was meaning to ask you about the cook-off tomorrow. I—"
"Vic, wait. I won't be at the cook-off. I'm pretending to be sick. I didn't enter the contest by choice. Ace and Cosmo signed me up without asking me first."
"I wondered why your name was in there. So, this fake illness is a bit of revenge against Ace and Cosmo, huh?"
"Yes. I need to ask you a favor. Please scratch my name off the list of contestants and put Lita Kino's name in there. She's taking my place."
"Be more than happy to, Ange. Besides, if Lita wins tomorrow, that actually benefits the plan. I'd better not tell Dad about this prank, though. I'll just let him know you've become ill and can't take part. Tell Lita I wish her the best of luck."
"You got it, Vic, and thanks for your help." She looked at Lita and said, "It's all set for tomorrow. My name is being taken off while yours is being added. Victor will tell his father only that I'm sick."
"I can't wait for everything to happen tomorrow morning."
"Me, neither."
When Friday morning came, Lita was gathering her ingredients for the cook-off, leaving the others to eat cereal for breakfast.
Rini became curious. "Lita, what are you doing?"
"Simple. Since Angie's sick and can't make the DNA Mall Cook-Off this morning, I'm taking her place. Cosmo asked me yesterday. I hope you guys don't mind."
Raye smiled. "Not at all, Lita. You could show up some of the chefs with one of your own dishes. Which one are you planning on making?"
"After thinking carefully last night, I decided on the calamari cakes. I just hope I can impress the judges."
"The way you make 'em," said Serena, "you'll do fine. I'm just sorry Angie can't compete."
"Me, too." I'm also sorry I can't tell you guys, but Serena would easily blow everything with her mouth.
Mina asked, "Would you mind if we came with you for some crowd support?"
"Not at all, Mina, but make sure you don't cheer too loudly. After all, the other chefs need to concentrate on what they're doing. I want to be fair about the matter."
"We can handle that, right, Serena?"
"What? You think I can't restrain myself?"
"Remember Amy's game show experience?" Raye chided. "You nearly blew it there, too."
"Okay, okay. I get your point. Could I at least make a poster?"
Lita laughed. "That you can do. I could use the support, and a poster can be just as effective as cheering."
"We'll help you make it," said Darien. "We'd better get started as soon as we're done with breakfast."
Ace and Cosmo lagged behind in eating breakfast, knowing Angie should have been the one in the cook-off instead of Lita.
Lita felt sad for them but understood the entire situation. "Hey, guys, maybe she can try it next year. She knows it's not the end of the world."
Ace smiled with those comforting words. "You're right, Lita. So Angie can't make it this year. In a way, it's a good opportunity for you. If you win, you can take this special memory back to Japan with you. Isn't that right, Cosmo?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess you're right. Still…"
"Come on, Cosmo," Lita said, "I don't think Angie wanted to risk giving the virus to someone else at the competition."
"Okay, when you put it that way, you've got a point. Good luck today."
"Thanks, Cosmo. I think I'll call Mona and let her know, too." She already knows what's going on, but to keep up the trick, I have to call her.
At her home, Mona finished eating her veggie omelette when she heard the phone ringing. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mona, it's Lita. Angie can't compete in the cooking contest today, and I have to take her place."
"Aww, that's too bad," the singer said in an innocent tone of voice. "What happened?"
"She got sick yesterday with a stomach virus. She didn't want to make anyone else sick, so I'm going to fill in for her."
"Maybe I need to stop over and cheer Angie up." I'm actually going to help with the end of the gag, but I have to see Ace and Cosmo's faces when their gig is up.
"Cool. I'll see you just before Mr. Cooper takes me and the gang to the cook-off."
At 9:15, Mona arrived at the Express just as Ace gathered Serena and her friends into the van. She noticed the poster. "Wow, nice poster, Serena."
"Thanks, but we all pitched in together on it. We can't make too much noise while the cooks are making their dishes, so we opted for the poster."
Mona nodded and allowed the others to get into the van. She looked at Lita and said, "Do your best, Lita. You've got my support, too. I'm going to stay with Angie and Cosmo."
"I'll come home after I drop them off," said Ace. "I don't want to be seen on TV, if you know what I mean."
"Don't worry, Ace, we'll be here. Relax." Relax until you get yours, Ace, she thought with a mean chuckle.
Mona went to the Express, where Cosmo was playing around with Zina in the living room. "Hi, Cosmo. Angie still sick?"
"Yeah. Luna, Artemis, and Diana are all sitting with her for a little comfort."
Mona went to Angie's room. "Hi, Ange. How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing as well as expected," she said in innocence, "but I can't wait till this serum wears off."
Luna said, "Serum? What are you talking about?"
Angie smiled at Luna. "What you're about to learn cannot leave this room. I'm playing a nasty trick on Ace and Cosmo, with some assistance from Mona, Lita, and Victor. Not even the other Scouts or Darien know about this. We couldn't afford Serena blowing the cover. I'm not really sick. The guys entered me into the cook-off without asking me first."
"Oh," said Artemis, "and you're doing this as a way to get even with them, right?"
"Right. This serum should wear off completely when Kendra Rayler announces the winner of the cook-off at around 11:30. That's when we spring the trap on Ace and Cosmo."
"This should be good," said Diana.
"Yeah, but don't let them know what's going on. I just hope my mental shield can hold out for another two hours. This is one of the toughest shields I've tried against Ace."
"And he doesn't suspect a thing?" Mona asked with a little concern.
"Not yet, but I hope to drop the
shield when the time's right."
At the mall, Ace took Serena and her friends into the mall by the designated entrance for cook-off contestants. He noticed Victor at the door. "Morning, Vic."
"Hi, Ace. Ah, the substitute contestant. Angie did call me last night about her not being well enough to participate. Lita, come on in. I'll take you to the site of the contest."
"Thanks, Victor. See you guys at the competition at 10."
"I'm going to head home," Ace said. "I don't want the publicity shifting over to me for no reason."
When they were out of earshot, Victor asked, "How's the trick going?"
"Perfectly. Mona's already at the Express, ready to help Angie let them have it when the winner's announced."
"Good. Dad only knows she's sick and you're filling in; nothing else."
"I sure hope this works."
"Me, too, Lita."
Ace returned to the Express and joined Cosmo and Zina in the living room. "Competition should be starting in about 15 minutes."
"Yeah, but I just wish Angie was there."
"Cosmo, there's always next year. Don't worry about it now."
"You're right, dude. I guess the best thing to do is to wish Lita luck. By the way, Mona's sitting with Angie in her room right now."
"Good. Angie can use a couple of friends to cheer her up. I know the cats are also with her." I wonder if Angie's upset about not being well enough to be there. Nah, I'm going to leave her mind alone for now.
As the contest was taking place, Angie's stomach was slowly getting better, much to the relief of Mona and the cats.
Lita's calamari cakes had some stiff competition at the cook-off with some dishes like fluffy blueberry muffins, pesto pasta with homemade pesto sauce, and beer cheese soup. Fortunately, the beautifully decorated poster Serena and the others gave Lita a boost of confidence.
At 11:30, the judges had made their final decisions while Angie felt a lot better, creating two cream pies with her magic. Mona took one while Angie took the other. They were sneaking their way into the living room as Ace and Cosmo were both watching for the results.
Kendra Rayler took the envelope. "The judges have declared the runner-up and the winner. The runner-up for this year's cook-off is…Lita Kino with her calamari cakes!"
"Dude!" yelled Cosmo. "She got second place!"
"Way to go, Lita!" Ace exclaimed. "That's one she'll take back to Japan with her!"
Lita was given a second-place trophy and a ribbon by Kendra. "Miss Kino, you were substituting for Angela Jacobs, who fell ill before the competition. Is there anything you want to say to her if she's watching right now?"
Noting the time at exactly 11:30, Lita said, "Actually, two things. First, I have to thank Angie for letting me fill in for her, for this is something I can take back to Japan. I will cherish this personal victory for years to come. And secondly is this…Angie, Mona, let them have it!"
Ace and Cosmo looked behind them and saw a surprisingly well Angie and Mona with cream pies in each hand.
The ladies threw their pies right into the men's faces, leaving them covered with cream all over their faces.
The ladies laughed so hard they nearly fainted. "Gotcha!" they exclaimed.
When Angie's shield finally came down, Ace said, "Wait a minute…you weren't really sick?"
She finally composed herself and said, "That's right, Ace. I wasn't sick at all. I asked Angel to make a concoction to fake my illness. Mona, Lita, Victor, and the cats were all in on this."
"But…why'd you do it, Ange?" asked a confused Cosmo. "You could've won the contest hands down."
"I did this to teach both of you a lesson. You two had no right to enter me into the cook-off without asking me first."
Ace crossed his arms. "I knew we shouldn't have done it, Cosmo, but I had to listen to you anyway. I'm just as guilty as you are." Making a handkerchief appear and cleaning his face of the pie, he said, "Angie, I think I know why you didn't want to enter in the first place. It's because people would assume you would cheat by using magic, right?"
"That's exactly right. Even though I don't like to use my magic to cook dishes, most of the people would have automatically thought I was going to use my powers to compete. I am a fair person, but I have to think about what others would have believed."
Mona said, "What you two didn't know was that Angie received the letter in the mail yesterday saying she was a contestant in the cook-off today. She was not very pleased with what you did to her. That's why she needed to pull off the elaborate plan. Serena and the others don't know about it, either, but they're going to find out as soon as they all come back or sooner; I have an idea. Angie, why don't you go pick them up from the mall?"
"I'll be glad to. We'll discuss how I'm going to punish you both when I'm back with the others." Angie drove the van to pick up Serena, Lita, and the others.
"Punish?" said a worried Cosmo. "She's kidding, right?"
"No, she isn't, Cosmo. I have a pretty good idea what that punishment's going to be."
The van returned after about 30 minutes, and Serena was first to enter, fuming at both Ace and Cosmo. "You two didn't ask her? You've got some nerve!"
"Yeah, trying to get her into something she didn't want to be a part of!" exclaimed Raye angrily.
Darien added, "Did you two even think about her reasons?"
"Okay, that's enough," said Angie calmly. "After all, I do have a punishment to give them." She paced around the pair, whose faces were cleaned. "Gentlemen, for your part in this, I will not cook for you two for the next week. It'll give you time to consider what you did and make sure you never try this again."
Cosmo panicked. "But Angie, we didn't—"
"Forget it, Cosmo," Ace interrupted. "Angie, we accept the punishment. We deserved it for what we did, and we're really sorry. I had a bad feeling about doing this, but I let him enter you into the contest anyway. The next time there's a contest, we will consult with each other before anyone enters, right, Cosmo?"
"Yeah. We're sorry, Ange. We just wanted you to show off your own skills. Can you…forgive us?"
Angie smiled. "Of course I can. I know you both meant well, but what would've happened if I entered you into a contest you didn't really like?"
"She's definitely got a point there," Ace said. "Come on, Cosmo. We'd better find some Chinese take-out and other places where we can buy lunch and dinner. We have to go a whole week without Angie's cooking."
"I'll consider cutting it back…by your good behavior."
"You're letting your darker self show in a good way. You're definitely getting better. And nice job shielding the whole plan from me."
"It was one of the toughest and longest shields I had to attempt."
"Maybe I can show you how to strengthen your shields without straining yourself. We'll practice that tomorrow, but I don't want to be off the hook for doing this."
"I know you're telling the truth. No matter what happens, you're still my two brothers."
All three hugged each other, knowing their friendship held strong.
Mina smiled. "We go through these things all the time."
Raye put her arm around Serena's shoulder. "Especially the two of us. But it's like what Ange said. No matter what happens, we're still going to be friends."
"Mm-hmm, no matter how fractured things can be between us."
Everyone smiled, knowing that despite all their differences, deep down their friendship would never falter.
The End
Ace and Cosmo learned a hard lesson from Angie when they did something behind her back. She had her reasons for not wanting to enter the cook-off in the first place, but Cosmo talked Ace into getting her in without considering what she wanted herself. They have to go a week without any of her cooking, but they will take it in stride because their friendship still stands.