Leia: MAN-DUH-TORY!
Wally: That's not funny!
Kuki: (between giggles) yes it is!
Wally: is not!
Leia; tisk, tisk, no flir-
Wally: (throws an overripe tomato at Leia)
Leia: (blinks in a stunned manner) Thanks...(spits out tomato juice) let's just say hi to people who reviewed...
Review response!
SuperSmashGal: Yes, indeed Wally was a DC, but he's all better now, isn't that right Wallabee! (Pinches #4's cheeks).
Tgirl: Thanks, and I have written more!
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Leia: All right, this is nearing the end, I'm only planning on about maybe 5 chapters and a really short 6th one. Hope you've enjoyed this, I want to write lots more for you guys!
Disclaimer: I do not own KND. I only own Janey, Mrs. Veen and Mr. Veen.
Chapter 4: Matchmaking2 days remained (plus that day) before the date of the 'required attendance' ball. It was really just to check up on the newly assigned members and make sure their team was being fair to them. Janey had tried everything to get 4 to ask 3 to the dance at the least. Since there had been no hint of him being any closer to doing that, she had decided to take action.
At breakfast that Wednesday morning, Numbuh 6 sat at one end of the table, watching the targets munching on cereal, unaware of what she had in store. She sat opposite Numbuh 1, who had #2 on his left and #3 on his right. #4 was next to 3, and 5 sat next to #2. She took a deep breath and started up the conversation.
"Hey, Numbuh 3. What do you think you're going to wear to the dance?"
"Oh, I dunno," She said, "Maybe a pretty white one, or a shiny blue one, or even a really long green one!"
"Really? I'm thinking about wearing my sparkly red long one."
5 seemed to sense what they were doing and chipped in, "Numbuh 5's gonna wear a blue, sleeveless one and the new diamond earrings she got for her birthday."
"Ooh, can we see them?!" Kuki squealed, clapping excitedly over her bowl of multi-colored cereal.
Nigel and Hoagie had begun conversing and not paying much attention to the girls after they too realized what was going on.
Numbuh 4 had begun to feel uneasy. He wanted so badly to say something to the Asian, but he couldn't do it in front of the whole team. They'd all make fun of him for 'going soft'. That was the last thing he needed after being a hypnotized puppet for the Delightful Children.
"Ah...um...I'll be in my room." He muttered, taking his dished to the sink and dumping them in carelessly.
He walked quickly out of the kitchen, blushing furiously as Numbuh 3 said, "Okay, see ya later!" This was not his day.
He was reading his comic books when he heard someone shutting the door 'quietly'. He leaned over the ropes on his wrestling ring bed. She looked up and grinned in an I-know-something-about-you-that-you-don't-want-everyone-else-to-know way.
"What are you doing in my room?" he spat, glaring at the brunette.
"Negotiating." She answered simply, "I want to make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" he asked suspiciously
"I'll tell you if you come down, Tarzan." She said with a stab of sarcasm in her voice as she crossed her arms and began tapping her foot.
Wally climbed down resentfully and looked her in the eye, "What kind of deal?" he repeated malevolently.
"You ask Numbuh 3 to the dance by 9:00 tonight, or I'll ruin your chances with her forever. You know I can do that."
His face was a mask hiding his screaming inside. The thoughts running through his head were innumerable.
'How could you let someone figure it out?' he shrieked at himself.
'I don't know! But isn't it a little obvious? #3's just thick and couldn't see a crush if it bit her in the face!' he yelled back
"Stop stalling," she said impatiently, "You don't have much of a choice."
"Alright, fine."
"And make it personal." Janey said, turning to leave. "And here, buy her a present too." She tossed a few bills and coins at him. He caught them and as soon as she was out he fell over on the ground.
"What did I just do?!" he cried.
After contemplating a plan a few minutes, Wally gathered himself and made his way out to the kitchen and made some lunch, while considering his plan even more. He decided his final plan over nachos and the 2:00 episode of the Yipper TV series.
As the 3 girls approached the TV room, he was quick to scurry out and on his way to the store, so as to avoid contact with the menace that had gotten him into this mess. Unfortunately, in his hurry, he had forgotten any winter-weather clothing.
He trudged insistently through the snow for what seemed a long while (about a ½ hour). When he arrived at the store, he was shivering and the bottoms of his pant legs were soaked.
"Hi there, Wallabee!" Mrs. Veen called from over the counter. She was Mr. Veen's short, thin wife. They were both elderly and both of Asian descent. "Come to buy something for someone special?" she chirped merrily, "Valentine's Day is coming up Saturday!"
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, thinking he would kill himself if someone from school walked in while he was looking at jewelry for Kuki.
"Well, would you like to see the jewelry? It's probably within your price range."
He spent a good 2 hours or so looking at girly bracelets and necklaces he thought She would like. He was unsure until he came across a (fake) silver necklace with star charms all over it and a matching bracelet. He purchased the gift and Mrs. Veen put it in a fancy-looking red box and tied a pink ribbon around it.
Wally had other ideas, though. He was quick to shove the package into the pocket on his sweatshirt when a couple boys came in. He thanked Mrs. V quickly and quietly, then dashed out the door into the already a foot deep snow and disappeared from sight in the swirling white curtains of frozen precipitation.
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5:00 PM
Kitchen
"3 cups of flour!" Numbuh 3 read out of the cookbook.
Numbuh 5 found the measuring cup and held it as Numbuh 6 scooped the white powder shakily into the glass cup.
"2 eggs!"
This time 6 found the eggs and 5 cracked them easily on the rim of the large mixing bowl and poured the contents of the shells onto the other ingredients.
"Stir until smooth!" she cried, jumping off the stool she had been on and said, "I get to lick the spoon!"
They all took turns stirring the cake batter, chatting happily about the dance. Abby began pouring the creamy mixture into the pan, Kuki licked the spoon of its thick liquid happily, and Janey had pulled her bright red hoodie on because the drafts were pretty bad in the treehouse.
The door opened unexpectedly and they all looked up. Numbuh 4 staggered through, accompanied by clouds of white. He slammed the door behind him and collapsed on the sofa.
6 ran over and pulled the box out of Wally's pocket and stuffed it discreetly into her own. Then, with motherly love, she placed a pillow under his head and rolled him all the way on the couch. She told 3 to go get some blankets. "Thick ones!" She shouted after her as she skipped up the stairs into one of many hallways.
When the humming of the Rainbow Monkeys theme had faded from the room, Numbuh 5 came over to see what Numbuh 4 had purchased for his crush under 'orders' from the new girl.
"Ooooo! Numbuh 5 knows she's gonna like that!"
"Yeah." 6 agreed, "It's so cool! I wish I had a boyfriend like that, who gets presents for me."
"Oh be quiet ya cruddy girls." He growled. He barely had his eyes open, but he was still awake enough to be blushing redder than a traffic light.
"Cruddy girls? Does that imply to Numbuh 3 as well?" #6 said, exchanging mischievous glances with Numbuh 5.
"No! Uh...I mean... Would it kill ya to leave me alone?!" He finally spat, crossing his arms and rolling over so they couldn't see his face.
"Fine. We'll-Oh hi Numbuh 3!"
"Blankets for Numbuh 4!" she cried, "and I brought him a teddy bear and pajamas!" she handed him the pj's and he shuffled off to the bathroom to change.
"Numbuh 5 thinks soup for dinner might just be what we all need."
"YAY! COOKING!" 3 said, skipping ahead as they headed for the kitchen yet again.
"You do realize he's only got about 4 hours left." Abby muttered.
"Yeah, but he'll manage. I know he will."
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7:00 PM
Dinner
"So, Numbuh 4, any plans for tonight?" 2 asked with a slight chuckle. By now, everyone knew about the deal except #3, of course.
Wally said nothing. Just glared at him and continued eating the soup off the spoon Kuki kept feeding him with. He couldn't do this himself, as he had been wrapped in a blanket so tightly that his arms were immobile.
"All right, leave him alone. He has the right to eat in silence." Janey said, calmly slurping on the chicken noodle soup in her bowl.
They all sat in silence for a few moments. Numbuh 4 had finally resorted to wiggling inside the blanket enough to loosen his arms in order to eat his dinner using his own limbs.
Although Numbuh 5 didn't know it, Janey had taken actions earlier to ensure that she would also receive a date to the dance that night. A certain person would deliver the lines she had given him after the meal when he caught Abigail alone. That left just her dateless. 'Nig-...Numbuh 1 has Lizzie, and those guys have each other, so where do I stand? Nowhere near being a couple with someone.' She thought, sighing, 'Typical. The matchmaker has no match.'
A crisp, English accent jerked her out of her imaginings. "Numbuh 6? Are you feeling ok?"
"Huh?" she said, looking up from the puddle of soup in the bottom of her bowl, "Yeah, I'm fine." She blew out another long sigh and started clearing the table and doing the dishes.
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8:00 PM
TV room
1 was sitting over in a comfy-looking armchair, thinking hard. 2 was playing 3 in video games and loosing each one. 4 was lying on the sofa, still wrapped up, looking sick and uneasy. 5 was reading a book in another armchair, ignoring the others. 6 was hanging over the opposite end of the sofa 4 was on, dull-eyed with boredom.
Wally checked his watch. The set-up distraction was to be any minute now. The team would rush out, he would stop Numbuh 3, and he could give her the present in private and ask her to the dance. It was all too brilliant!
KABOOM!
"What was that?" Hoagie yelped
"I don't know, but lets go find out!" Numbuh 1 said. "Kids Next Door, Battle Stations!"
1,2,5 and 6 grabbed a weapon. The plan was made simpler by the fact that Kuki wouldn't leave Wally unprotected.
Storming out of the room, the other four operatives went to see what was going on.
He took a deep breath "So...Numbuh 3." He said shakily (This was WAY harder than it looked)
She looked at him with raised eyebrows, "What? Ooo! Do you have a secret!? Tell me, tell me, tell me!!"
"Eh, well, it's kinda a secret..." he said, shrugging off the blanket and reaching towards his hoodie pocket.
He pulled out the tattered red box with the frayed pink ribbon. Kuki's eyes were round and shining with curiosity.
"What is it?!" she exclaimed, "who's it for?"
"Well, uh...you." He managed. She stared at the present. Then suddenly, out of a frozen state, she pulled him into a bone-breaking hug.
"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" she screeched. Of course, she realized he was suffocating and let him go. He handed her the package and she slid the ribbon off it and carefully lifted the top of the box.
She gasped as the silver bracelet and necklace caught the light. The little reflected lights danced across her face and for the first time all day, he smiled.
He helped her put on the jewelry, and when she had stopped admiring the 'pretty silver' she turned back to him and asked in a serious tone, "Why did you get it for me?"
"'Cause...I...uh...W-will you go...to the...dance with me?" he mumbled
After a stunned silence, she giggled like her normal self and responded, "Of course I will, silly! Why wouldn't I?"
He breathed a deep sigh of relief and she hugged him again. But then she stopped and said, "Now the only question is, what will we wear?"
-------Meanwhile-------
Nigel led the way with Janey on his heels. Hoagie guarded the back, and Abby trekked along in front of him.
The two in front were out of earshot, and this would probably be his only chance.
"Numbuh 5?"
"Hn?"
"I...uh..." he cleared his throat and continued, "My time at the dance will be like a plain taco without you to spice it up."
She stopped mid-step and blurted, "Tacos? Man, that was the lamest-" but then it dawned on her, "oh."
She turned around and gazed at him like she'd never really noticed him. Then, in a new understanding of what he meant, she said softly, "Yeah, Numbuh 5'll go to the dance with ya."
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Leia: Sorry I took so long. I've been really sidetracked lately and didn't have much time to work on this.
Kuki: But what are we gonna wear!!!
Leia: It doesn't really matter! Now, SHH!!
Janey: I want a boyfriend...but who am I to want one. I am but a lonely matchmaker.
Leia: oh stop pitying yourself! Anywho, 3 more non-flame reviews before the next one, please. It might go up anyway if I get it done before the reviews.
Lizzie: Am I ever gonna be in here!!!???
Leia: We'll see... (Smiles mischievously)
