Chapter 8: Clueless, As Usual

Meanwhile...

"Where could he BE?" Caitlin shouted as she paced around the table.

"Does he have his cellphone?" Natsu inquired as she sat at the table with Kayla and Megan.

"It's on the dresser." Caitlin sighed. "I wonder why he's doing this to me again..."

"It may not be him," Megan supposed. "You would presume it was him doing this, but maybe something happened..."

"What are you proposing?" Kayla asked.

"I'm saying something could have happened to him...again."

Caitlin sighed dramatically. "I wish he knew that I hate when he does this or whenever this happens." She sat down at the table. "Maybe it's just me..."

"It's not just you, CC..." Natsu glanced down at the floor. "I mean... Maybe he just went shopping again and he doesn't know it's time to come home."

"...Mike called him about three thirty in the morning."

"He did?" Kayla asked. "What for?"

"I'm not sure. He said he was gonna go walking... That's who he's been walking with in the morning. I was half-awake, so I heard some of their conversation. Mike wanted some hot cocoa, so Boss made it. It was most likely the worst thing that guy had tasted, but peh... So he starts coughing, prolly from the bad taste, and it wakes up wittle Bossy, and he starts crying. Boss comes back into the bedroom to pacify him. When Bossy stopped crying, he walked out of the room. And then I heard the door open, and they must have gone walking... Boss never cleans up the cups, so that's most likely why I had to clean up the kitchen..."

"So you're saying he's most likely with Mike?" Megan questioned.

"Yes, most likely."

"...That may be the problem."

"How? I mean..."

"Mike prolly put something in that hot cocoa of his..."

"I really doubt that though." Caitlin sighed. "Ah, it doesn't mean anything until he doesn't come home till late this night..."

"Or he doesn't at all."

"True," Natsu murmured. "What if he doesn't?"

Caitlin sighed. "Dunno. Let's do some more shopping, gallies." She got up from the table and walked out the door. The three other double agents glanced around at each other and then got up to follow behind her.

Once they got into town, it was a big mess. It was a flush of green and red, and the whole town was covered with Santa hats. Everyone had them. The four double agents bought new Santa hats and wore them around town.

"What should I get him...?" Caitlin asked herself as she wandered away from the rest of the group. When she snapped back into reality, she was standing alone in a mob of hamsters. Caitlin sighed as she walked over to a store window and looked in idly.

"Cait!" Mike's voice called out.

Caitlin spun around on her heels. Mike was walking quickly toward her.

"Hey," Caitlin remarked. "Do you know-"

Mike held up his paw. "I have no idea. We were walking, and then he went in some other direction... I have no idea."

"...Wellys, I WAS gonna ask you that and if you had seen Natsu and them or not."

"Oh, no..." Mike shook his head. He glanced around. "Um, I better go."

"Wait-"

Too late, Mike had already run the other way. Caitlin sighed. "I wonder what his problem is. Might he be in relation with this? I didn't quite understand what he tried to tell me..."

"Caitlin!"

Caitlin turned around. The three other double agents were running over to her.

"Where did you go?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know..." Caitlin shrugged.

"Wow, intelligent," Megan remarked.

"I just saw Mike..."

"Did he know anything?"

"He didn't quite tell me anything... He just said he had better go and ran off."

"Obvious he's planning something."

"Yes, I believe."

Meanwhile a few minutes later...

Boss glanced idly out the window from the table. He was sort of in some kind of daze thinking. He could see the snow pile atop of it and feel the striking cold of each snowflake. Boss sighed and muttered, "...And this is just depressing, like my wife..."

"Oh, shut up, you," Mike murmured. He was sitting across from him at the table. "Your wife is just mildly depressing... This is "

"How do you know? You're wearing a coat..."

Mike glanced down at his brown coat. "Shut up, you."

"So how do I explain this to CC? 'HAHAHA, I got mail!'?"

"...Where the crap did that come from?"

"I have no idea... So how do I explain this one?"

"...I dunno. Say, 'Oh, I went to visit my other family' for me, alright?"

"Hell, no... I don't even have another family..."

"...Fine then. I will...eventually. Say...'Oh, sorry, I was being a dumbass and drank that hot cocoa that Mike put a knockout pill in.' How about that?"

"Sure, that sounds good enough...excluding the dumbass part..."

"Then you wouldn't be telling the truth." Mike shrugged.

"Shut up, man..."

"That's me." Mike glanced away toward the door. He got up from the table and walked out. Boss glared after him and sighed. He sat there for a minute before Mike came back in. Mike was carrying a bowl and a spoon. He slung it down in front of Boss and sat back down.

"What's this?"

"Try it, and then I'll tell you."

"Poison, right?"

"No...not this time."

Boss rolled his eyes and glared at the contents of the bowl. It was some sort of yellow-brown custard, and heat was rising from it. He then tried it.

"...Wow... What is this?"

"Well, heh, your wife made it... I took it out of your refrigerator... It's that burlee stuff."

"...Dammit."