Wakko, Buster, Red and Harpo had fallen asleep on the beach shortly before midnight to the rhythm of the waves breaking on the soft sand of the shore. Buster, who hadn't fallen asleep before daybreak in over ten years, found himself slowly slinking into unconsciousness lulled by both the music of the ocean and from the three Long Island iced teas he'd managed to consume in a couple hours' time. Harpo had been the last to find sleep; he missed Toontown so badly he thought his heart might break but he managed to keep things to himself until the other three had drifted off. That's when he sat up and looked to the heavens, silently wishing for something – anything – that might bring back his normal life. Two days ago he'd been a normal kid, worried about things like girls and homework. Today he was in a place he'd never heard of, thousands of miles from home, with two convicts and a superstitious human as his company, wondering if he'd ever see Yakko and Babs again. It was not a change he welcomed.

Wakko, never one to worry too much about things like fate or what tomorrow would bring, slumbered blissfully until daybreak when he found himself torn from his sleep and gasping. He sat straight up and noticed right away he was soaking wet; the morning sun was blocked by someone standing over him holding an empty bucket.

"You should be happy," the voice snapped. "That's some of the first fresh water on this island in weeks."

Buster and Harpo sat up while Wakko dazedly brushed some of the water off of him. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

The figure leaned down until she was just inches from Wakko's face. A ray of sunlight caught her features and Wakko's breath caught in his throat. "What's the matter, big brother? Don't remember me?"

"Dot!" Wakko cried happily, tackling his sister to the sand. He laughed. "It's you!"

"Of course it's me!" she said in an irritated voice. She pushed away from him and stood up, brushing herself off. "I don't usually go throwing fresh water at strangers on the beach. You're family. For everyone else, salt water is good enough."

"It's so good to see you again!" Wakko reached for her embrace but received a sharp slap on his left cheek instead. He yelped in surprise and rubbed his cheek. "What was that for? I haven't screwed up yet!"

"That's to let you know that this isn't a family reunion, this is business. It's good to see you again too, but I didn't call you down here for a vacation." She turned her attention for the first time to Buster and Harpo. "Who are these two?" she nodded towards them.

"Hell Dot, you mean you don't remember me?" said Red sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. "I only left here a week ago!"

"Not you! Them!" Dot said. She sighed and frowned down at Red. "Hopeless," she muttered.

"You know me, Dot," Buster said, standing up.

Dot couldn't help but smile. "Buster Bunny. Well, never thought I'd lay eyes on you again. How's life?"

"Better, now that I'm not stuck in an eight by ten jail cell."

"No explanation necessary. I suppose you're here to help."

"And to partake of complimentary drinks and sunsets."

"Of course. You get paid in rum, I remember that now," Dot said sarcastically. "You can drink yourself under the table for all I care as long as you get the job done." She turned her hard gaze on Harpo, who couldn't believe he was related to such a no-nonsense person. "And this? Who's this?" she said, pointing to him as if he were an object on the shelf.

"My son," Wakko answered. He stood up and stretched in the sunlight. "His name is Harpo."

"Figures. One son and he has to have the name of a Marx Brother," Dot sighed. She looked at Harpo impatiently. "So you're Wakko's kid. What do you do?"

"Wh-What?" Harpo stuttered, not sure of what she meant.

"What do you do, kid?" Harpo looked at her helplessly. She sighed again. "You fit your namesake, you know that? I mean, why are you here? Wakko and Buster are good with explosives, Red is good at everything, and I'm the boss. So why did you tag along? Just skipping school or is there something more amazing that you're capable of doing?"

"He needed a place to go, sis. Go easy on him, huh? He's just a kid," Wakko said, patting his son's shoulder protectively.

"The result of one of your drunken adventures, no doubt," she scoffed, beginning to walk back to the bar. She felt a strong hand on her arm swing her around until she was inches away from the stormy expression on Wakko's face.

"Look," he said quietly so that the rest couldn't hear him. "I've never given one shit what you think about me, but watch what you say about my son. One more comment like that, and we're gone. Fuck your excavation and fuck your treasure. If we leave, you're screwed. Keep that in mind, little sister."

Dot nodded silently. She wasn't used to Wakko defending himself and frankly, she was impressed. She smiled. "So Wakko finally found a family worth having."

"That's right, and I'm not going to lose him again. Not for anybody or anything. Even you."

"Fair enough," she concurred. She jogged ahead and caught up with Harpo. "Harpo," she said stiffly. He turned to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry I came off a little harsh. I'm not really like that."

"Oh no?" Harpo said in mock surprise. "It was just me who had the rare privilege of your breviloquence?"

Dot wasn't entirely sure what that word meant but figured maybe Harpo wasn't a dummy after all. "Look kid, I'm trying to make up here, all right? We can either be enemies or friends, but I am your aunt and I'd like to get to know you."

"Well I'd like to get to know you too, but you can drop this tough-chic attitude. It doesn't scare me and it doesn't impress me," he said with his arms crossed. "And insulting people is not the way to go about making allies."

"You're right," Dot said agreeably, with a smile. Though she could be over-the-top in brashness, she secretly reveled in being taken down a few notches by those who dared to have the guts to challenge her. She was starting to like this kid.

"Dot! Where have you been?" Red said as he passed a beer to Dot. "We've been here for almost twenty four hours."

"Oh, my heart bleeds. Stuck on an island with nothing to do but drink free liquor and swim in the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean sea," she drawled back. "Look, the island was out of water. I did a favor for the owner and went to the next island over and bought a few thousand gallons of fresh water. The guests were about to eat him alive."

"In return for what?"

She smiled. "I got the Island Soul back."

Red's jaw dropped. "But what about the treasure?"

"Relax Red. I haven't forgotten about that. But I saw an opportunity and I took it. If you can get a free hotel, take it, even if you don't think you'll need it." She took a long sip of the beer and looked around thoughtfully. "To tell you the truth, I sort of missed this place. Regardless of the roaches and bad paint job."

"It sort of grows on you. I wouldn't mind owning a little hotel on an island somewhere. To have a permanent home and a permanent job." He sighed. "I can tell you one thing, though. I wouldn't let that cistern go out again. To hell with buying water."

"You do what you gotta do," Dot said with a shrug. She pounded on the bartop. "Time for a meeting!" she shouted to Wakko, Harpo and Buster who were sitting in the corner, immersed in a card game. They reluctantly threw down their hands and meandered over to the bar. "Don't look at me like that," she said to all of them, frowning. "You want to know what the hell we're doing, right?"

"Not if I'm up twenty bucks!" Buster said loudly.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Quick meeting."

Two and a half hours later, Wakko stumbled onto the beach and lit up a cigarette. "Quick meeting my ass…" he muttered, exhaling slowly into the mid-morning. "Feel like I know more about that ship than the people who sank on it…" He sat down on a piece of driftwood and watched the waves for a few minutes until he felt someone sit down next to him. He looked over and smiled at his son, who was holding a large glass of iced water. Harpo offered a sip to Wakko, who took it gratefully. "Whoever knew water could taste better than beer when you're really thirsty, eh?" he laughed.

Harpo smiled weakly and looked away. "Look Dad…before we go out on this excursion…I guess you want to know why I insisted on coming with you."

Wakko took another gulp of the cold water and shrugged. "Son, I learned a long time ago that people aren't going to talk about something until they are good and ready. You don't have to explain anything. Believe me, if I could count the number of times I had to get the hell out of somewhere as fast as I could – "

"It's not like that. I mean, I wasn't in any trouble. Well, maybe I was…I don't know…"

"Don't tell me you regret coming?" Wakko looked over at him seriously.

"No, it's not that. I mean, I don't know if I'm glad I came, but…well…" Harpo stole a glance at his father, who sat patiently looking back at him. Wakko smiled gently and Harpo sighed. He hadn't realized how easy going and good natured his father was until he'd followed him to Little Trouble Island. When one is in the presence of someone who has made mistakes and is not afraid to admit them, very little animosity can exist and neither can much anger. Harpo was relieved – and perhaps felt that in a way, this had been fate – that the person he was with knew life inside and out. It left comfortable discussion open to almost anything, and that's exactly what he needed at the moment. Harpo bit his lip. "You know, I feel really bad that you and Yakko fought."

"Don't feel too bad about it, kiddo. Frankly it seems to happen a lot in my life, and I'm used to it," Wakko laughed to himself.

"But – your nose – "

" – will heal," Wakko finished. "It's fine, Harpo. Don't worry about Yakko and I."

"So Yakko's the one who gave you that shiner," Dot said quietly as she sat down on the driftwood next to Harpo, looking worriedly at Wakko. "I wondered where you'd got it. You know, I've got a doctor friend on the island. He's wanted for malpractice, but really he's a good guy. Gave the wrong woman an enema, or something. Who knows. I know a lot of people who deserve an unexpected enema or two." She smiled but it faded quickly. "Look…I know I gave you sort of a rough reception, Wakko, but I'm really glad to see you. And I'm glad to know you, too, Harpo." Harpo blushed a bit.

"Don't worry about the reception. I got more than a slap in the face at my entrance in Toontown, I can tell you that," Wakko said, touching his nose tenderly and wincing.

Harpo saw the pain in his father's eyes and before he could stop himself, burst, "I'm sorry, Dad!"

Both Wakko and Dot looked at him strangely. "I already told you, buddy. Don't worry about it. It's not like it's your fault," Wakko said seriously. "Kid, you've got a guilt complex as big as Yakko's ego."

"Okay, I can't stand this anymore!" Harpo stood up and began to pace. "I want to tell you. I have to tell someone. If I don't, I think I'll go crazy." He kicked a shell and didn't lift his eyes from the white sand beneath him. "When I first saw you standing in the living room, I wanted to scream and punch and kick you. Even when you were talking, all I could think about was how I could hurt you with words and how I could get away from you forever. But when Yakko grabbed you, I just…didn't know he could do such a thing. I'd never seen him that angry. I'd never seen him try to hurt anyone and it scared me. I didn't know he was capable of something like that. And – And – I can't believe I'm saying this, but while it was happening, it was him I wanted pull off you. I don't know if it was pity for you or just because I couldn't stand to watch my perception of Yakko be shattered like that. Maybe it was both. He was always supposed to be the charismatic, dependable, responsible person in my life – he was my hero, Dad. And he's not anymore." Harpo wiped his nose with the back of his sleep. "And I feel terrible for feeling that way."

"Look, Harpo. He is all the things you admired him for. You just caught Yakko in a bad moment. We all have our breaking points. I'm just sorry you had to see Yakko's. "

"I haven't told you the rest," Harpo said sharply. He sniffed hard, trying to will the tears not to come. "You sit here and defend your brother, which is what he tried to do for you when I was little. Alballa was like some nightmare world of my dreams, and all I knew is that you were the token symbol of it. So Yakko was the one I turned to for everything. He was my father, my friend and my teacher." He laughed mirthlessly. "I sound like a bad movie, I know, but it's true. He was my whole world. He and Babs were the only people on earth who didn't just see me as 'Wakko Warner's illegitimate son.' If no one else understood, they always did." Harpo sniffed again. "Then you left that day. And Yakko started saying stuff…stuff like, he had never really wanted me…that I was just one more thing his stupid little brother unloaded on him…" Harpo shook his head. "Part of me had been expecting it for a long time. But Dad…he said….well, he said…"

"Take your time, kid," Wakko said softly.

Harpo had tried to tell his father this when he first met him outside the bar a few nights ago, before they took off to break Buster out of jail, but it was no easier to spit it out now than it had been then. "He looked at me square in the eye, cool and collected, and said that I was 'just' Wakko's kid, always had been and always would be." Harpo exhaled shakily. "I can handle the whole world thinking that. But not Yakko. Not him." None of them spoke for a long moment nor looked one another in the face. The waves beating steadily against the shore was the only noise until Harpo said slowly, "To me, you had always been the depths of what I didn't want to be. To Yakko, you were the person he wanted to love but couldn't. Put those two together and then imagine being stuck with the title. I had to come, Dad. I had no where else to go."

"I guess I understand now why you were so adamant to come with us," Wakko said, rubbing his cheek. He shook his head. "I can't believe Yakko would say something like that…"

"Oh, can't you?" Dot said. She looked up at Harpo. "I can. He's got the gift of gab, and he can use it to maim as easily as he can use it to heal. It's his ego that does that."

"My sister, the psychoanalyst," Wakko said glibly, pointing to Dot and smiling.

Dot rolled her eyes. "As soon as you understand Yakko's ego, you can see right through him."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't help me any," Harpo said, gathering up his glass and walking swiftly back to the bar. Dot stood up to follow him, but Wakko put a hand on her arm.

"Sis, leave him be," he said quietly. "Let him sort things out."

"How could Yakko say such things?" she said in an irritated voice. "That kid adored him in a way most parents aren't adored, and Yakko just throws it away because – because – why did he do it again?"

"Ego?"

"Probably." She sank to the sand and sighed. "Life's complicated, Wakko."

"Life is not what's complicated. Emotions are complicated." He scratched his head. "All you really need to be happy is a place to call home and some people who love you. Who knew that would be so hard to maintain?"

"You're asking the wrong person. I haven't been 'home' in nearly twenty years and the only people who 'love' me are the ones who want my money or my body."

"I love you," Wakko said without thinking. "And I don't even want your money or your body."

Dot smiled and hugged her brother close. "Thanks, Wakko. Love you too."