Author's Note: I would like to thank Ravine8BB, Officer 1BDI, and Coot for their reviews. I always appreciate feedback! This chapter's a little long, but it sets the stage for the rest that are soon to come, so enjoy! Chapter 9 is on the way.
Chapter Eight – Friendly Advice
Leela stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her dress. The entire crew was to meet at Le Club Paris, the newest and ritziest restaurant and club in New New York, tonight to celebrate the negotiations for the largest delivery Planet Express had ever seen: a delivery of food and supplies for the entire fleet of galactic soldiers to DOOP headquarters. In less than a week, Brannigan would be coming to iron out the final details and to set the delivery date.
Leela smiled to herself as she put on her earrings, tiny pearl cascades Rodney had given her. Tonight, she wouldn't be celebrating Brannigan's soon arrival, but that of her love. In less than one week, she would be seeing Rodney for the first time in three months. The ordeal with Fry over the past week had been all but forgotten and was now settled in the deep recesses of her memory. She could now focus all her attention and hopes on Rodney's arrival.
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Fry sat with Bender and Zoidberg at the table. It was 7:30 and early yet. The meal itself wasn't scheduled to arrive until around eight. The three had already ordered their drinks and Fry sat quietly sipping his champagne while Bender and Zoidberg attempted to make conversation.
Fry scanned the room, his eyes lingering momentarily on the couples dining in the restaurant that night. There was an orchestra playing there tonight and the lights were dimmed, setting the mood for romance. Already, there were couples on the dance floor, holding each other close and moving in time to the music. Though he tried to clear his mind, his thoughts were on Leela.
"Hey, meat bag, I'm talkin' here," Bender's voice interrupted Fry's thoughts.
"Huh...Wha...Oh...Yeah...sorry, Bender. I guess I'm just a bit..." His voice started to trail off as Leela entered the room, "...distracted.." he finished. Bender and Zoidberg turned to follow Fry's line of vision. There, next to the hostess, stood Leela in a stunning evening gown. Fry's jaw dropped.
"My God...she's gorgeous," he half whispered as he got up to greet her. Bender tried to pull him back to his seat as he left, but Fry was determined to be the one to escort Leela to her seat.
"Let him go," Zoidberg said as Fry left the table, "the young fool is in love. Isn't is romantic?"
Bender shook his head, "It's not romantic. He's gonna make an idiot out of himself."
She looks so beautiful, Fry thought, just like an angel. He smiled at Leela and she returned a warm smile and a gentle hug. Fry offered his arm and Leela accepted and he escorted her to the table.
"You look really nice tonight, Leela," Fry said softly, Leela's hand still locked in his elbow.
"Thanks, Fry. You look pretty good too. You know, you should wear a tux more often. It suits you," she said, smiling.
Fry looked away to his the blush that was creeping into his face. She looked so beautiful in her strapless crimson gown. Her flowing purple hair laid in waves perfectly around her shoulders and her black elbow gloves added the perfect amount of sophistication. Around her neck hung a dainty strand of pearls that matched the cascade earrings she wore. The thought suddenly struck him, She looks like an officer's wife, and he realized how awkward she must look on the arm of a plain-faced delivery boy. Still, he proudly escorted her to the table and seated her next to him.
Shortly after, Hermes and Amy, who informed them that the professor would be joining them later, joined them. To keep his mind and eyes off Leela, he tried to focus on Amy and her outfit for the evening, a light blue halter dress that seemed to show off everything and cling to just the right places. Ironically, despite Amy's extreme wealth, she didn't seem to have the sophistication and class of Leela. Though she had the curves of a woman, when Fry looked at Amy, he saw the playful immaturity and awkwardness of a girl.
Within twenty minutes, the professor had joined them and Hermes called over a waiter who began to take the order for their dinner. Meanwhile, the professor began to brief everyone as to his tardiness.
"As you all know, DOOP has arranged for a mass delivery of supplies to their headquarters. What you didn't know is that you all aren't getting paid for it!"
Everyone, especially Hermes, looked at the professor in a mix of shock and horror.
"Professor, you mean we're going to all that work for nothing?!?" Leela asked, not even bothering to mask the shock and building frustration in her voice.
The professor laughed, "Oh my no, I'm getting paid, you're just not getting any of it."
"Explain yourself, mon!" Hermes exclaimed, his voice rising.
"You see, I have been experimenting with a method of total organ transplantation for the past six years. I knew that if I could get adequate funding, I would have uncovered a method so easy even an incompetent like Dr. Zoidberg here couldn't screw it up!"
"Hey, I'm a very good doctor," Zoidberg said, defensively," 25% of my patients go on to lead almost semi-perfectly normal lives!"
Hermes rolled his eyes, "You skills are about as realistic as your degree, mon!" he said, glaring at the lobster.
"Quiet down you two and let me finish," the professor interjected, "Now, as I said before, I have uncovered a remarkable discovery that will allow an entire organ system to be transplanted from one body to another without disassembling the system. It would be so easy that anyone could do it."
He sat there, looking proud of himself and his discovery, but was met with only confused looks from his crew.
"What does that have to do with the volunteer crap you've signed us up for, old man?" Bender finally asked, taking a puff of his cigar.
"Wha? Oh, right. In exchange for the free delivery of supplies, DOOP is going to fund my research and provide their own soldiers for me to experiment on! Being that Brannigan's off on another of his useless conquests, there's bound to be plenty of dead bodies to choose from," the professor said, looking very satisfied with himself.
Leela cringed at the thought, "That's...er...great, Professor..."
"Yes it is, Professor, but I'm afraid Planet Express doesn't have de resources to be doing volunteer work. It's simply out of de question," Hermes said.
"No, it's not even in the question! I've already made the agreement with DOOP and Brannigan is coming to finalize the details next week. So there, you penny pinching bureaucrat!" the professor spat.
Hermes scowled, "You can't just jump in and made quick decisions for de company like dat, Professor. Planet Express is well on its way to becoming Bankrupt Express as it is."
Thee Professor looked a bit hurt and Leela suddenly found herself feeling sorry for the old man.
"Hermes," she interjected," maybe this is the pick up that Planet Express needs. After all, once we become DOOP's official delivery service, think of all the orders we'll be getting. Think what that could mean for business..."
"She's right, you know," Zoidberg added quietly, still recovering from the degradation of his medical skills and degree.
Hermes sighed, "I suppose you've got a point der. Okay, Professor, we'll do de volunteer job, but if Planet Express folds, I'll be expecting a sparkling recommendation."
The food began to arrive and the Professor smiled at Leela. He had been watching her all night long and had noticed Fry watching her as well. He usually made it a point not to meddle in familial or employee affairs, but he knew something had to be done about his idiot relation before he made a complete fool of himself.
After the meal was finished, Amy asked Fry to dance after she noticed how uncomfortable Leela was becoming. Grudgingly, he accepted her invitation.
Once out on the dance floor, Fry held Amy close, his face buried in her neck. He had never danced with Leela like this, but holding Amy, he knew that he could at least pretend and for the moment, that was good enough for him. He nuzzled his face in her neck. "That tickles, Fry," Amy said, giggling.
"Oh, sorry," he said pulling away slightly and putting a small but noticeable distance between them. No, he couldn't pretend that she was Leela. She could never be the woman that he loved. Not that it really mattered since she was engaged to Kipf now. Fry tried to zone out as he whisked Amy around the dance floor and shot a smile in Leela's direction twice. At least he could look like he was having fun, if even for her sake.
Leela watched them as they danced, a look of torn heartbreak on her face. She didn't know why seeing him holding Amy like that bothered her, but it did, terribly. She had been having a wonderful evening, but seeing her two friends like that reminded her of she and Fry's night together all over again. It had felt good to be in his arms and she had to keep telling herself that it wasn't where she belonged. She loved Rodney and soon he would be here and she could be in his arms again. Then, none of this would matter. It never mattered when she was with Rodney.
The Professor, noticing Leela's apparent distress, leaned over and began to whisper to her, "Leela, I don't usually meddle in my employee's personal affairs, but I've known you for a while now and I can tell you that you're making a mistake."
Leela looked at him, confused.
The professor jerked his head in the general direction of Fry and Amy, "Don't think I haven't noticed the way Fry has been eyeing you this evening and if I'm not mistaken, there was a bit of reverse eyeing, too."
Leela blushed slightly, "I don't know what you're talking about, Professor."
"I may be old, but I'm not stupid. If you ever want any chance of being truly happy with Rodney, do yourself a favor and forget about Fry."
"Professor, I don't want to hurt him and I don't want to forget about him! He's my friend and nothing more and..." she hesitated, looking out at him holding Amy and nuzzling her, "He realizes that," she said, taking a sip of champagne.
"Tell yourself what you want, Leela, but Fry will be fine and the sooner you let go, the sooner he will too. Trust me on this one."
Leela sat looking at her empty plate, tears burning in her eye. She knew that the Professor was right. If she ever wanted a future with Rodney, she had to let go of her past with Fry. But now, a new question was forming in her head, was she really holding on for Fry's sake...or for her own?
Chapter Eight – Friendly Advice
Leela stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her dress. The entire crew was to meet at Le Club Paris, the newest and ritziest restaurant and club in New New York, tonight to celebrate the negotiations for the largest delivery Planet Express had ever seen: a delivery of food and supplies for the entire fleet of galactic soldiers to DOOP headquarters. In less than a week, Brannigan would be coming to iron out the final details and to set the delivery date.
Leela smiled to herself as she put on her earrings, tiny pearl cascades Rodney had given her. Tonight, she wouldn't be celebrating Brannigan's soon arrival, but that of her love. In less than one week, she would be seeing Rodney for the first time in three months. The ordeal with Fry over the past week had been all but forgotten and was now settled in the deep recesses of her memory. She could now focus all her attention and hopes on Rodney's arrival.
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Fry sat with Bender and Zoidberg at the table. It was 7:30 and early yet. The meal itself wasn't scheduled to arrive until around eight. The three had already ordered their drinks and Fry sat quietly sipping his champagne while Bender and Zoidberg attempted to make conversation.
Fry scanned the room, his eyes lingering momentarily on the couples dining in the restaurant that night. There was an orchestra playing there tonight and the lights were dimmed, setting the mood for romance. Already, there were couples on the dance floor, holding each other close and moving in time to the music. Though he tried to clear his mind, his thoughts were on Leela.
"Hey, meat bag, I'm talkin' here," Bender's voice interrupted Fry's thoughts.
"Huh...Wha...Oh...Yeah...sorry, Bender. I guess I'm just a bit..." His voice started to trail off as Leela entered the room, "...distracted.." he finished. Bender and Zoidberg turned to follow Fry's line of vision. There, next to the hostess, stood Leela in a stunning evening gown. Fry's jaw dropped.
"My God...she's gorgeous," he half whispered as he got up to greet her. Bender tried to pull him back to his seat as he left, but Fry was determined to be the one to escort Leela to her seat.
"Let him go," Zoidberg said as Fry left the table, "the young fool is in love. Isn't is romantic?"
Bender shook his head, "It's not romantic. He's gonna make an idiot out of himself."
She looks so beautiful, Fry thought, just like an angel. He smiled at Leela and she returned a warm smile and a gentle hug. Fry offered his arm and Leela accepted and he escorted her to the table.
"You look really nice tonight, Leela," Fry said softly, Leela's hand still locked in his elbow.
"Thanks, Fry. You look pretty good too. You know, you should wear a tux more often. It suits you," she said, smiling.
Fry looked away to his the blush that was creeping into his face. She looked so beautiful in her strapless crimson gown. Her flowing purple hair laid in waves perfectly around her shoulders and her black elbow gloves added the perfect amount of sophistication. Around her neck hung a dainty strand of pearls that matched the cascade earrings she wore. The thought suddenly struck him, She looks like an officer's wife, and he realized how awkward she must look on the arm of a plain-faced delivery boy. Still, he proudly escorted her to the table and seated her next to him.
Shortly after, Hermes and Amy, who informed them that the professor would be joining them later, joined them. To keep his mind and eyes off Leela, he tried to focus on Amy and her outfit for the evening, a light blue halter dress that seemed to show off everything and cling to just the right places. Ironically, despite Amy's extreme wealth, she didn't seem to have the sophistication and class of Leela. Though she had the curves of a woman, when Fry looked at Amy, he saw the playful immaturity and awkwardness of a girl.
Within twenty minutes, the professor had joined them and Hermes called over a waiter who began to take the order for their dinner. Meanwhile, the professor began to brief everyone as to his tardiness.
"As you all know, DOOP has arranged for a mass delivery of supplies to their headquarters. What you didn't know is that you all aren't getting paid for it!"
Everyone, especially Hermes, looked at the professor in a mix of shock and horror.
"Professor, you mean we're going to all that work for nothing?!?" Leela asked, not even bothering to mask the shock and building frustration in her voice.
The professor laughed, "Oh my no, I'm getting paid, you're just not getting any of it."
"Explain yourself, mon!" Hermes exclaimed, his voice rising.
"You see, I have been experimenting with a method of total organ transplantation for the past six years. I knew that if I could get adequate funding, I would have uncovered a method so easy even an incompetent like Dr. Zoidberg here couldn't screw it up!"
"Hey, I'm a very good doctor," Zoidberg said, defensively," 25% of my patients go on to lead almost semi-perfectly normal lives!"
Hermes rolled his eyes, "You skills are about as realistic as your degree, mon!" he said, glaring at the lobster.
"Quiet down you two and let me finish," the professor interjected, "Now, as I said before, I have uncovered a remarkable discovery that will allow an entire organ system to be transplanted from one body to another without disassembling the system. It would be so easy that anyone could do it."
He sat there, looking proud of himself and his discovery, but was met with only confused looks from his crew.
"What does that have to do with the volunteer crap you've signed us up for, old man?" Bender finally asked, taking a puff of his cigar.
"Wha? Oh, right. In exchange for the free delivery of supplies, DOOP is going to fund my research and provide their own soldiers for me to experiment on! Being that Brannigan's off on another of his useless conquests, there's bound to be plenty of dead bodies to choose from," the professor said, looking very satisfied with himself.
Leela cringed at the thought, "That's...er...great, Professor..."
"Yes it is, Professor, but I'm afraid Planet Express doesn't have de resources to be doing volunteer work. It's simply out of de question," Hermes said.
"No, it's not even in the question! I've already made the agreement with DOOP and Brannigan is coming to finalize the details next week. So there, you penny pinching bureaucrat!" the professor spat.
Hermes scowled, "You can't just jump in and made quick decisions for de company like dat, Professor. Planet Express is well on its way to becoming Bankrupt Express as it is."
Thee Professor looked a bit hurt and Leela suddenly found herself feeling sorry for the old man.
"Hermes," she interjected," maybe this is the pick up that Planet Express needs. After all, once we become DOOP's official delivery service, think of all the orders we'll be getting. Think what that could mean for business..."
"She's right, you know," Zoidberg added quietly, still recovering from the degradation of his medical skills and degree.
Hermes sighed, "I suppose you've got a point der. Okay, Professor, we'll do de volunteer job, but if Planet Express folds, I'll be expecting a sparkling recommendation."
The food began to arrive and the Professor smiled at Leela. He had been watching her all night long and had noticed Fry watching her as well. He usually made it a point not to meddle in familial or employee affairs, but he knew something had to be done about his idiot relation before he made a complete fool of himself.
After the meal was finished, Amy asked Fry to dance after she noticed how uncomfortable Leela was becoming. Grudgingly, he accepted her invitation.
Once out on the dance floor, Fry held Amy close, his face buried in her neck. He had never danced with Leela like this, but holding Amy, he knew that he could at least pretend and for the moment, that was good enough for him. He nuzzled his face in her neck. "That tickles, Fry," Amy said, giggling.
"Oh, sorry," he said pulling away slightly and putting a small but noticeable distance between them. No, he couldn't pretend that she was Leela. She could never be the woman that he loved. Not that it really mattered since she was engaged to Kipf now. Fry tried to zone out as he whisked Amy around the dance floor and shot a smile in Leela's direction twice. At least he could look like he was having fun, if even for her sake.
Leela watched them as they danced, a look of torn heartbreak on her face. She didn't know why seeing him holding Amy like that bothered her, but it did, terribly. She had been having a wonderful evening, but seeing her two friends like that reminded her of she and Fry's night together all over again. It had felt good to be in his arms and she had to keep telling herself that it wasn't where she belonged. She loved Rodney and soon he would be here and she could be in his arms again. Then, none of this would matter. It never mattered when she was with Rodney.
The Professor, noticing Leela's apparent distress, leaned over and began to whisper to her, "Leela, I don't usually meddle in my employee's personal affairs, but I've known you for a while now and I can tell you that you're making a mistake."
Leela looked at him, confused.
The professor jerked his head in the general direction of Fry and Amy, "Don't think I haven't noticed the way Fry has been eyeing you this evening and if I'm not mistaken, there was a bit of reverse eyeing, too."
Leela blushed slightly, "I don't know what you're talking about, Professor."
"I may be old, but I'm not stupid. If you ever want any chance of being truly happy with Rodney, do yourself a favor and forget about Fry."
"Professor, I don't want to hurt him and I don't want to forget about him! He's my friend and nothing more and..." she hesitated, looking out at him holding Amy and nuzzling her, "He realizes that," she said, taking a sip of champagne.
"Tell yourself what you want, Leela, but Fry will be fine and the sooner you let go, the sooner he will too. Trust me on this one."
Leela sat looking at her empty plate, tears burning in her eye. She knew that the Professor was right. If she ever wanted a future with Rodney, she had to let go of her past with Fry. But now, a new question was forming in her head, was she really holding on for Fry's sake...or for her own?