Author's Note: Readers… wake up… the Shark Tale matrix has you… (Snaps back to reality) Sorry 'bout that. Anyway… I'm back with another chappie! All right, so in the last chappie, Markie killed Ronnie, Lenny killed Markie, and now Lenny's on the run from the police. What happens now?

Yay! The reviewers came back! And I got a new reviewer! Woo hoo!

Insane Pirate Dragon- I'm a dark eleven year old. Fear my darkness. Mwahaha. But, you shouldn't really be calling me dark just now. Trust me, you haven't seen dark yet. Wow, anime style crying with the full waterworks. (Hands Insane Pirate Dragon a hankie.) Here's a hankie… but don't use it all up just now… there are more dark moments… Yup, I had to go all tragic on ya'll. And you must really know my style… but if you have a feeling on what's gonna happen, Shhh! don't spoil the stuff:)

MononokeShojo- Yay, new reviewer! Yup, Ronnie is dead. Poor Lenny. Maybe he and Oscar will be friends again… and maybe they will be the worst of enemies… Thanx for liking my story!

The Crouching Tiger Shark- Darkness and creepiness… Lenny really HAS gone bad. Stay on the positive, optimistic side… 'cause you won't be finding out what his gift is anytime soon. He's right back where he started, only this time, it'll be harder for him to find a safe place because he's a runaway criminal. Thanx for the tip about Jennifer Lopez. And I shall keep on writin'! Yay, I'm still loved!

Lav'O'Dolphin- Surprise! I went that far! And c'mon, it's not THAT dark… is it? Ronnie is now sleepin' with the fishes… the dead ones. And poor Lenny made sure that Markie is sleepin' with the fishes. Markie finally got what he deserved. Keep on hoping for that happy chappie. It'll come… eventually.

On a personal note, I went to a football game and my team won!

On wit da story!

Chapter Fifteen: Two weeks later

It was Wednesday. The sky was partly cloudy, and thing were going on as usual in Reef City. Everything seemed all right; every fish was going through life as usual, without the slightest suspicion that something bad was going to happen. Unfortunately, something bad was going to happen. You see, Oscar had gotten out of the hospital? That doesn't sound bad, now does it? Well, the bad part is, he had gotten out of the hospital in two weeks; the day Angie was going to move. He had found out that Angie had rescheduled her moving time from Ernie and Bernie, who had just recently visited him.

The moving people were arriving at Angie's apartment in approximately two hours, and there was no rescheduling this time. Nothing was going to change Angie's mind. It was too late for Oscar to make an apology; too late for him to make up any excuses. Angie was moving; he'd never see her again. But the worst part was, Oscar knew why she was leaving; and knew that it was his fault she was moving in the first place.

'Why me?' Oscar thought. 'If I had only admitted everything, none of this would've happened in the first place!'

Oscar swam inside his penthouse. He wasn't going to stop by Angie's apartment to see her go; it would be too sad. Besides, she wouldn't want to see him anyway. Rueben would be going to see her move; another reason why Oscar couldn't go down there. He would have to feel the sting of Rueben's glares burning holes through his back.

Turning on his TV, Oscar flipped to Sea9 news. There was nothing else on. He expected to see the usual Sea9 news; the gossip on celebrities, the reports on traffic, the best restaurants to take your date. But, little did he know, that listening to the news would give him a report that would change his life; a change that wouldn't go so well with him.

"We have an important news broadcast with us today!" Katie Current was saying, a hint of fear in her voice. "Part of a ship has been ripped open, and large amounts of gasoline have been poured over some apartments!"

'So what?' Oscar thought, drinking his soda. 'Just get something to clean it up.'

"And somehow, a flame has caught onto the gasoline, creating a huge fireball on the apartment!" Katie said.

Oscar spit out his soda. 'WHAT?'

"For the rest of the broadcast, we go to Brent Abyssal." Katie said. "Brent?"

The screen switched over to a trout holding a microphone.

"Thanks Katie." Brent said. "About a few seconds ago, gasoline has poured over an apartment. Now, as we all know, gasoline is very dangerous when it comes into contact with fire. Police and detectives still haven't found where the fire came from, but they're working on it as we speak."

'Aw man, I hope that everyone's okay.' Oscar thought, eyes glued to the screen.

"All right, so where did the fire take place, and is everyone okay?" Katie asked.

"Well, at the time of the fire, it seems like everyone was out of the apartment." Brent said. "But the local rescue team is still checking. As for which apartment the fire burned down, it's called 'Seashell apartments.'

Panic gripped Oscar's throat. 'Seashell apartments? That's where Angie lives!'

Turning off the TV, Oscar rushed out his penthouse, heading for Seashell apartments.

Scene Change

Two weeks. Lenny had been swimming away from the city for two weeks. That meant he had two weeks of no food, no drinks, and no shelter. The only thing he had with him was the present he had brought for Ronnie and seven thousand dollars (which was in the present.) He couldn't use the seven thousand dollars though; he had made a promise that he'd never open the gift. Tired and hungry, Lenny continued to swim in search of a place to stay. There had been no sign of a city or town in the last few miles he had traveled, and it didn't seem like there would be. But, luckily for Lenny, he spotted a patch of seaweed. Though the big softie had a taste for blood now, he still ate veggies. Grabbing up a big clump of seaweed, he began to munch on it. It was saltier than any veggie he had ever tasted, but hey, it had been two weeks since his last meal. He certainly wasn't going to complain.

After eating the seaweed, Lenny studied the horizon. Still no sign of a place to stay or anybody who could help him. The sun was going to go down soon; that meant another night alone. Lenny had hated it when nighttime came. He had no place to stay, and nobody who was traveling with him. His case would've been better if he had been in a city and sleeping on the streets, but he wasn't. He had to sleep in the middle of nowhere on the sand.

'At least I have a choice of bedding now.' Lenny thought bitterly. 'Rocks, sand, or a patch of kelp.'

"Hi there."

Startled, Lenny turned around to see a sharkess with midnight blue eyes.

"Don't be startled." The sharkess said. "I'm just here to help."

"Help?" Lenny asked. "Help me how?"

"I don't know." The sharkess said, swimming closer to Lenny. "I just know that I've gotta help you." She was now in Lenny's face.

"Uh, you're kind of close here…" Lenny said nervously.

"This isn't close," The sharkess said in her sensual voice, "But this is."

Before Lenny could say anything, the sharkess had kissed him, leaving a shocked expression on his face. Suddenly, his vision became blurry.

"Sweet dreams." He heard the sharkess say.

A few seconds later, he blacked out.

Scene Change

Oscar had arrived at Seashell apartments. There was a huge crowd outside, including hospitals for those who were caught in the blast. Brent Abyssal was still reporting on the fire, interviewing a detective that was trying to find out where the flame came from. But, Oscar didn't care about Brent and the detective right now. He was trying to find out if Angie was okay. He searched the scene for signs of the Angelfish, but found nothing. After examining the scene more closely, he decided that it didn't matter if he saw her or not. He just wanted to know if she was okay. He spotted Officer O'Hara and decided to ask him.

"Officer O'Hara!" Oscar called out.

Officer O'Hara turned around and swam over to Oscar. "'Ey, top 'o the mornin' Oscar!"

"'Sup officer." Oscar said. "Listen, would you happen to know if Angie is okay?"

"Of course I know if Angie is okay." Officer O'Hara said. "She lost everything though. Heard she was about to move, and the moving company canceled it."

"Yeah." Oscar said. "So, would you happen to know where she is?"

"Aye, that I do." Officer O'Hara said. "Last I saw of her, she was in an alley. She seemed sad. She has a right to be; she lost everything. I feel sorry for the lass."

"I do too." Oscar sighed. "Well, thanks for the tip officer."

"No problem, Oscar." Officer O'Hara replied. He heard his name coming from Brent. "Looks like I ought to be going then."

Oscar watched as Officer O'Hara swam over to talk about the fire.

'If I had confessed earlier, none of this would've happened.' Oscar thought sullenly.

With one final glance at the scene, Oscar swam off to find Angie.

Scene Change

Oscar had looked in every alley he could. He checked every nook and every cranny; but there was still no sign of Angie! Just as he had given up hope, he heard two familiar voices coming from an alley that he hadn't checked. Those voices belonged to Rueben and Oscar. Sneaking over to the alley, Oscar hid behind the wall and listened in to the conversation.

"I've lost everything Rueben." Angie said tearfully. "My home, my job, the little bit of money I had left. The only thing that wasn't burned was my grandmother's pearl."

"How's that?" Rueben said.

"Because it's in a fireproof case." Angie said. She smiled slightly and looked up at the sky. "Always count on my grandma to make sure that things don't get destroyed easily."

"She sounds smart." Rueben said.

"What am I supposed to do now Rueben?" Angie said tearfully. "I don't have any money, and I don't have a place to live. I can't live on the streets."

"You could sell your grandma's pearl." Rueben suggested.

"What? I can't sell my grandmother's pearl! It's supposed to be passed down from generation to generation!" Angie said.

"Sorry, stupid idea." Rueben said.

Angie sighed. "Not like it would matter if I sold it. I sure can't do anything with it now. Everything's hopeless."

"Don't say that!" Rueben said, sitting down next to Angie. "You'll make it through this! You've been getting along fine through all these years and you'll get along fine now."

Angie smiled. "Thanks Rube."

"Don't mention it, it's what I do." Rueben replied.

"But still, where am I supposed to get money for an apartment?" Angie asked.

Rueben thought for a while. Finally, he said, "You could get your old job back at the Wash. Sure; it would take a while until you've saved enough to get everything you need, but you'll get there. Besides," Rueben smiled, "Ernie and Bernie are messing up the phone call thing. We need you back."

Angie laughed. "Well, since you put it that way, I think I will go back."

"All right!" Rueben said cheerfully. "It's about time! Everybody at the wash missed you; you don't know how happy they'll be to see you back!"

"So, where am I supposed to live until then?" Angie asked.

After Angie said that, Crazy Joe popped out of a nearby dumpster.

"You could live with me!" He said sincerely.

"Uhh… no thanks Crazy Joe." Angie said.

"Oh." Crazy Joe said. "Well, you wanna see my puppets?"

"No." Angie said. "Thanks for asking though."

"All right, suit yourself… ooh! My show is on!" Crazy Joe popped into his shell, disappearing into the dumpster.

"Imagine living with Crazy Joe…" Angie said, shaking her head.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Rueben's head. "Hey," he said, "You can live with me!"

Angie's eyes widened. "Oh no, I couldn't, I mean… you barely have enough to afford your groceries and rent! And your bills… it's a wonder how you're able to pay them off."

"I guess I'll just have to cut back on some things then." Rueben said.

"Oh, no you aren't!" Angie said. "You can barely take care of yourself!"

"I guess you're right." Rueben sighed. Suddenly, another idea popped into his head. "I know! You could stay with Ernie and Bernie!"

"Ernie and Bernie?" Angie said incredulously.

"Yeah!" Rueben said. "I mean, they do owe you after all those times you saved their stingers, plus, you know them! And, they're middle class, so you won't have to worry about money shortages!"

"That's… a great idea Rueben!" Angie said, beginning to cheer up. "I think it can work!"

"Great! Then it's settled." Rueben said. "We'll ask them tomorrow when you try to get your job back. But in the meantime, you'll be spending the night with me."

"Thanks Rueben." Angie said. "I owe you BIG time."

"Do you think you can get me a raise?" Rueben asked hopefully.

"Sorry, can't do that." Angie said with a smile.

"Oh. Well then, I guess I have to keep thinking." Rueben said. "Now c'mon. I'm having breakfast for dinner."

Following Rueben, Angie got ready for tomorrow. As Angie and Rueben passed by Oscar, Oscar hid behind a mailbox. As happy as he was that Angie was going to get a place to stay, he was still sad that it was his fault that Angie was going through this in the first place. Looking back at the alley, Oscar swam home.

Scene Change

'Ugh… where am I?'

Lenny's vision was slowly coming back. His hearing was working well though.

"Hey boss, he's wakin' up!"

Lenny's vision had fully returned, and he jumped back when he saw something pointy in his face. It turned out to be a swordfish's nose!

"Hey look, the Great White's afraid of a swordfish!" The first swordfish said, chuckling.

The other swordfish slapped his friend and said, "Quiet you."

Lenny was confused. All he did was stare at the two swordfish in front of him. Suddenly, a Tiger shark came into his view.

"Ah, I see that you're awake." The Tiger Shark said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lamont; your new boss."

"Boss?" Lenny said. "You're not my boss. And I'm not gonna work for you."

"You have no choice." Lamont said. "If you choose not to work for me, my boys over here will make sure you don't work for anyone else." He pointed to the two swordfish. "And plus, you have to pay me back. If it wasn't for my daughter, you might still be wandering around. So, are you going to work for me, or should my boys take care of you?"

Lenny stared at the swordfish for a while. They were very intimidating. Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"All right." Lenny said. "I'll work for you."

"You made the right choice." Lamont said. "Welcome to the business. Now, take this bandanna and tie it around your neck."

Taking the blue bandanna from Lamont, Lenny tied it around his neck.
It was either do as he says or get taken out by the swordfish guys over there.

"Good." Lamont said. "Now, C.J. will be your roommate. He'll show you to your new apartment." He turned to one of the swordfish. "Ace, call C.J."

"You got it boss." Ace said. "C.J.! Get your tail fin out here!"

A Great White shark came into the door. He had violet eyes and a white bandanna around his neck.

"C.J., this is Lenny. He'll be staying with you." Lamont said.

"C'mon." C.J. said, gesturing to Lenny.

Lenny followed after C.J., but stopped. He turned around to Lamont. "Hey, how'd you know my name? I didn't tell you."

"That's not important right now." Lamont said. "What's important is that you follow C.J. And here." Lamont tossed the present Lenny had to Lenny. "This belongs to you. Now go."

Lenny dashed out the door. C.J. closed the door behind him and went to make sure Lenny didn't get himself into any trouble.

Scene Change

Lenny and C.J. had arrived at the apartment. It was like the ones at Reef City, only much bigger and less colorful.

"All right." C.J. said. "Now that we're here, I've got some rules to go over. No touching my stuff, and no annoying me. Follow those rules, and we'll get along just fine. Got it?"

"Yeah, I've got it." Lenny said.

"Also, since you're new to the job, I've got some rules to go over about the business. I could say all of them, but I'll just say the main ones. No squealing, and whatever the boss tells you to do, you do it."

"Okay, I understand that, but… what's the business?" Lenny asked.

"What you're in is a business of hit men." C.J. explained.

"What!" Lenny shouted. "I can't be in a business of hit men! I'm not a killer!"

"Not a killer, huh?" C.J. said. "Well tell me how come it says in newspapers 'round these parts, that you killed Markie Loreto?"

Lenny did a double take and stared at C.J., a question written all over his face. "How do you know about that?"

"Everybody knows." C.J. said, turning on the TV. "Well, okay, so the cops and other authorities don't know, but everybody around here can guess that you did. In the newspaper, it says that Markie was killed, and the last person around him was a sharkess named Ronnie and a shark named Lenny. Since it said that Markie had killed Ronnie, you were the only one left, so you had to have killed him."

Lenny stared at C.J. in shock. "Are you sure that no authorities know?"

"Of course I'm sure." C.J. said. "So, what's in the present?"

Lenny stared at the present. "I don't really want to say."

"Oh, so you're the secretive type, huh? All right." C.J. said. "Could ya at least tell me who it was for?"

"It was for Ronnie." Lenny answered. "It was her birthday."

C.J.'s eyes widened. "So you mean, when that Markie fellow killed him, it was her…" He trailed off as Lenny nodded his head.

"Damn. Now that ain't right." C.J. commented.

"Yeah, it's not right. But who cares about that right now?" Lenny said. "I've gotta get outta here!"

"If you leave, Lamont and his boys will hunt you down." C.J. said. "Once you're in the business, you can't get out."

"So basically, I'm stuck here?" Lenny asked.

"Yup." C.J. said. "So, how'd you get here anyway?"

"I was swimming away from the city, when I met this sharkess, and she kissed me, and the next thing I knew, I was blacking out." Lenny answered.

"The sharkess kissed you and you blacked out, huh?" C.J. asked. "That must've been Carlotta."

"Carlotta?" Lenny questioned. "Who's she? And why did I black out like that?"

"You see, she's Lamont's daughter." C.J. explained. "And you blacked out because when she kissed you, she had poison on her lips. Usually, she puts on the poison that causes death, but this time, she put on the type that makes you black out. And just in case you wanna know why she puts poison on her lips, her father sends her out on missions too. She usually gets a job involving men. It goes like this; the shark sees Carlotta, wants to date her, takes Carlotta back to his apartment, Carlotta kisses him with her 'kiss of death', the shark dies, Carlotta takes his money. Another shark down."

"Wow." Lenny said. "I guess I'll turn in for the night."

Lenny swam into his new room. He couldn't believe what he had gotten into. He had murdered a guy, and in an attempt to swim away from that, he had become a hit man!

'What am I gonna do now?' Lenny thought. 'I'm not a killer!'

'You are now.' A voice in his head said. 'And you can't take it back.'

Lenny sighed. That voice in his head was right. He couldn't go back to the city because the cops might notice him, and he definitely couldn't go back in time and reverse what he did. Turning off the lamp beside him, Lenny dozed off.

TBC…

Angie's apartment is gone? Oscar still hasn't confessed? Ernie and Bernie might have a roommate? Lenny has become a hit man? What'll happen to Lenny? Why's Carlotta important in this story? Is Lola gonna come back into this story? Will Oscar ever see Lenny again? Only one way to find out, and that's to stay tuned for the next chappie!

R&R pleez. New characters' profiles will be appearing soon in my profile. And uh… for all those who choose to review… could I get some suggestions? For the past two chappies, I've been clueless on what to write about and just typed as I went along. Ideas for the next chappie will be really appreciated!