A/N: And here is a new story. And it's based on... well, I think you can guess at this point. I grew up watching this show when I was little, and I loved it. Of course, it had its ups and downs, but the ending of the series felt a bit unsatisfactory for my taste. So, this is my attempt to give it, and a few of its downs, a better ending. However, I'm sad to say I can't address all of them as this story would take place in Season 3 and beyond. But you own't have to worry about Mac's mom and Terrence. I'm going to liven things up as far as these two are concerned. Oh, and my OC would actually be based off of Craig McCracken himself, much like Frankie is based off of Lauren Faust, so you can see the similarities in my OC. I hope you enjoy this prologue. :)
Prologue: Application
It all started that day as a young man was walking out on the sidewalk. He had a light tan color on his skin and was dressed up in a baggy black shirt with a picture of Wander from Wander over yonder on the middle of it, a loose grey hoodie jacket open hanging on his shoulders, and dark green cargo shorts. He also had a lean skinny body build, shaggy, short messy black hair, long skinny arms, slightly big hands, a pale skin tone, and a flat nose.
They were followed by his thin lips, small green colored eyes, long gangly legs, slightly small feet, round small ears covered by his hair, thin black eyebrows, high white tube socks reaching near his knees, and dark blue tennis shoes. He held a paper in his hands, checking to make sure he got every last detail right.
"Okay, the last few interviews didn't work out. Not much left after this one. Hopefully, I can get the job…"
This young man was currently on the hunt for a job. He's been to several of them before. First, he applied for an office job, but he was passed over. Then, he tried to be a delivery guy for fast food, but he couldn't learn fast enough. Next, he applied to be a grocery store clerk, and when that didn't work out, he was a mailman. But sadly, he couldn't keep any of those jobs. He hoped this one would be different.
He hoped that whatever was asked of him, he'd be able to handle it. More than that, he needed to handle it. His past experiences did help him keep afloat in his old jobs. But he couldn't last long enough. However, this didn't deter him for long. Otherwise, he would've given up a long time ago. It was at this moment that he looked up from the resume and stared up at a vast mansion.
It was possibly the most unique building in the neighborhood. The mansion could easily be spotted, passing through the Gothic gate with "Foster" decorating the upper arc, with a massive willow tree bigger than the house itself in the garden. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (at least, that's what it appeared to be called from the sign next to it) was a very tall Victorian building painted in many shades of bright orange and red, with tall windows, balconies, three visible chimneys, two of them tied together. Decorating the very top is a long flag with the Foster's seal on it.
"Huh. It looked a lot smaller on TV. Then again, anything would look small on TV."
The young man cautiously pushed on the front gate. It was not locked. While he did feel creeped out by the atmosphere, he nevertheless went onward. The closer he got to the main door, the larger the mansion seemed to be. He hadn't really seen imaginary friends for himself, so it made him wonder why this mansion was necessary. Though, a part of him hoped it'd be empty; at the very least it wouldn't be too much of a hassle if a few people lived there, even if they were old.
All the same, whatever or whoever the manager is, he aimed to make sure they don't let him go too soon, or preferably not at all. To do that, he needed to take that first step. He knew it deep in his heart as he took a deep breath.
"Okay, Gabe. No matter who or what you see behind that door, keep that focus. Stick to the questions, and you'll be fine."
Gabe, as the young man called himself, knocked on the door's wood after a moment's hesitation. For a while, nobody answered.
At first, he thought nobody was home. But how could anybody leave the gate unlocked and not be home? That didn't make sense to him. But after a few seconds, the door opened. And the person at the door was the last thing he expected: it was a giant rabbit!
He was a man-sized white rabbit dressed in a tuxedo, top hat and monocle. The rabbit looked at the stupefied young man with curiosity as he replied.
"Good day, gentleman. How may I be of assistance?"
Gabe blinked his eyes a few times before rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining him. Sure enough, when they were open, the rabbit was still standing in front of him.
"Okay. It's official; I'm actually talking to a rabbit butler."
The rabbit quickly became cross with him as he spoke up.
"My good man, I will have you know that I am Mr. Herriman, the head of business affairs at this facility, and am in no way a butler or any other member of the service trade. Now, if you will please state your business."
Gabe cleared his throat in a momentary nervous reaction before he replied.
"Right. Sorry, sir. See, my name's Gabe, Gabe Daniels, and I came here because I wanted to apply here for a job."
To prove this, he held out his resume for Mr. Herriman to see. The rabbit took a glance at it and opened his eyes for a moment, almost in surprise before he responded in a deadpan tone.
"Oh. Quite right. Very well. I shall arrange a tour for you. Come on inside."
Mr. Herriman hopped inside the mansion with Gabe following him. When he got inside, he couldn't believe his eyes. There were so many more countless beings in the mansion than he ever expected. One of them was a literal walking pair of scissors. Another was a giant green blob. There was a lot more to count than the two, but his fingers wouldn't be enough to count the grand total of Imaginary Friends he saw in plain sight that very moment. He would've looked on forever, but Mr. Herriman spoke up.
"Normally, I'd have Ms. Frances give you the tour, but as she's currently otherwise engaged, I will lead you on myself."
Mr. Herriman hopped over to the stairs with Gabe following close behind him. Gabe wasn't sure he could refrain from asking until the end, but even so, he had to play along with it.
"Uh… okay."
As Herriman led him on, Gabe took notice of the vast hallways they passed over. There were so many doors, it might as well be a hotel for Imaginary Friends.
"As you can plainly see, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is quite a rather spacious place. And it was founded by none other than Madame Foster herself. Without her, all the Imaginary beings you see before you wouldn't be where they are today. And your job, should you be accepted, is to help look after each and every one of them."
All Gabe could do was gulp. That sounded like a lot of work for just one man to take care of. Herriman spoke up to him again as he got out a piece of parchment with what appeared to be a whole list of the Imaginary Friends with check marks next to it for a brief enough moment to show him before tucking it away.
"However, you won't be in it alone. In fact, Ms. Frances will be aiding you in your tasks."
Next, Herriman showed Gabe a large bathroom up ahead. Though in spite of the size, all it consisted of was a sink and a tub with a shower curtain. There was also a hand soap next to the sink.
"They all have their own bathrooms and bedrooms as well. So, it would be your job to prep the bathrooms and clean the bedrooms accordingly."
And the next moment, Gabe and Herriman were walking down a different hallway with a dark yellow wood color.
"And the same goes for one who's lived here for her whole life: Ms. Frances."
As Herriman gestured to her, the woman in question turned over to him, though her look was a bit sour.
"What is it now, Mr. Herriman? I'm almost done with—"
Before she could finish, she took notice of Gabe and was utterly amazed at who she saw. For that matter, Gabe was just as struck in amazement. She had apricot skin, red hair that was tied into a spiky ponytail and black eyes with white sclera. She wore a white midriff-exposing t-shirt with red trim on the collar and sleeve ends as well as a minimalistic Powerpuff Girls symbol on the front depicting Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup flying away into the sky, a long-sleeved hooded green jacket, a dark purple miniskirt, golden orange socks and blue and white trainers. She also wore a purple hair clip, a thin black choker around her neck and had multiple piercings in her ears.
At the moment, Frances was dusting a painting in the hallway using a stepping stool. But that was until the woman saw Gabe for herself. She got down from her stepping stool and bore a warm smile on her face.
"Oh, hi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Frankie."
As she held out her hand, Gabe looked up at Frankie and smiled back to her.
"Same here. I'm Gabe."
Gabe reached out to shake her hand and did so gently as he kept his eyes on her.
"It's nice to meet someone else who can help out with all the work. I don't know if you can tell, but a lot of the pressure usually goes on me."
Gabe stopped shaking hands with her before he replied back. As it turned out, he related a lot to that.
"I noticed. But you know, that's something we have in common."
Before the conversation could go any further, Mr. Herriman cleared his throat, catching the duo's attention.
"If you want to have one more thing in common with Ms. Frances, I suggest you follow me."
Herriman hopped along down the hall as Gabe waved to her.
"Well, see you later."
"Yeah, you too, Gabe."
As Frankie got back to dusting, she looked back to see Gabe walking behind Herriman, still looking around in awe at the place. She knew that he was bound to be out of the loop in some areas, even with Herriman giving him the tour. If he should get the job, she'd be there for him to help him through it. She began to form a soft smile on her face as he walked out of sight.
With the large length of the house, the tour was actually over in an hour by this point. So now, Gabe was sitting in a red velvet chair in front of Mr. Herriman at his desk. The room was decorated in Victorian motifs, with quills for writing and dial telephones. The room also had a terminal to the mansion's communication system. And the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with file drawers on the right side, not to mention a fireplace on the left. Needless to say, Gabe was getting quite anxious.
He knew what was going to come out of that. He'd been in this situation before. And every time he's failed. But all the same, he was determined not to let anything faze him.
"Alright, now, on to the questions... which I will be asking of you."
Herriman leaned closer to him as he asked, never giving him an inch.
"What are your skills?"
Gabe kept a calm look as he replied, though he had to admit, he was a little nervous.
"I do have a photographic memory. And I—"
Before he could finish, Herriman proceeded to the next question quickly as he inches closer to his face.
"What are your references?"
Gabe held out his resume to Herriman as he explained.
"I got them listed in my resume."
His right eye looked towards the resume for a few seconds before he moved on, moving dangerously close to his face.
"What do you see in this position of a Foster's Home associate for the future?"
Gabe blinked his eyes before he replied, starting to sound a little more nervous than calm.
"Uh… apparently you in front of my face?"
Herriman narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Unfortunately, Gabe knew what this meant. He was going to get sacked before he got the job, again. But suddenly, when all hope seemed lost, a door swung open. Both Gabe and Herriman spun around to see a rather surprising visitor. She had glasses on her face, her silver hair tied up in a bun along with a green felt jacket, a plain tan shirt, and a blue skirt. She had in her hand a cane as she walked inside. Mr. Herriman seemed rather aghast that she came in, and Gabe had a good feeling why, which was confirmed as the rabbit stammered.
"M-M-Madame Foster! I wasn't aware you'd be coming in so soon."
Madame Foster raised her hand up as she replied to him with a gentle smile.
"Oh, it's quite alright, Herriman. I just wanted to see the new guy who came in."
Gabe was utterly speechless. Did the news travel that fast around here?
"Wait. You, uh, you knew about me?"
"Of course I did. Word around here spreads like wildfire. Which comes in handy since it takes me a while to get down the stairs. Now, then, let's get a good look at you."
Madame Foster leaned closer towards Gabe, who started to become a little more nervous than before. He wasn't sure how long she'd be staring at him. After a few seconds, however, she held out her hand to him, making Gabe cautious as he reached his hand out to her and shook it gently. The instant he did, Madame Foster spoke bluntly with an eager smile.
"You're hired."
Those two words took both Herriman and Gabe by shock and awe.
"What?!"
"I am?! B-But why? Why-why would you agree to that so quickly?"
Madame Foster walked out to the door before turning to Gabe with a gentle smile.
"I just have a good feeling you'd be a big help in this house."
Madame Foster then took her leave before she closed the door gently. Gabe didn't know what had happened, but after a few failed attempts to get a job, he'd finally gotten one. Gabe was feeling a surge of emotions all at once, from shock, to confusion, to nervousness, and finally from excitement. The last of the four was showing as he stood up and turned back to Herriman, who was having just as much trouble processing it.
"D-Did she really just hire me? J-Just making sure I heard right."
After a brief moment of stupefaction, Herriman replied with a sigh.
"It is apparently so… Master Gabriel."
Mr. Herriman hopped away over to the file cabinets as Gabe stood in complete surprise. Nobody was willing to hire him before; well, nobody he went to. And they especially didn't hire him that quickly. What did Madame Foster see in him? And how did she know he'd be a big help? Gabe turned over to Herriman, hoping he'd have some idea, but then he took notice of what he was doing. Herriman was practically digging into the files like one would look through a toy chest.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
Herriman made no answer other than picking up a huge stack of papers from the bin and hopping over to his desk, where he set the papers with a heavy thud. Not long after, Herriman took up half of the stack and set them on the side before picking up the other half and handing them over to Gabe. He began to struggle as the whole weight of papers began to weigh him down.
"Now that you'll be working with us under Madame Foster's insistence, you'll have to fill out all the files for proper legal info for the house record. After that, you will begin your work this coming Monday."
Gabe looked up at Herriman in disdain as he struggled with the paper.
"Really? I have to fill out… ALL of these?"
"Yes. Welcome to Foster's Home, Master Gabriel."
Gabe then walked out to the door before the new employee turned to Herriman and gave him his gratitude.
"Well, uh, thanks for the job."
When he got out, Gabe was now in the waiting room. It was a room with a table and chair with several clocks ticking away. At least, he had a place to sit down, he thought. From there, Gabe set the papers down and filled out file after file regarding his legal info. But with the large stack, the odds of filling them all out seemed impossible. At this rate, he had a feeling it would take up the rest of his day.
Hours later, however, it wasn't the case. He just got done finishing up the last file before setting down his pen.
"Finally. I filled out all the files…"
However, it was obvious that the long hours spent weighed on him. His face had bags underneath his eyelids. There were often times where he tried to stay awake enough to write legibly. And even that was a hassle with how he was used to sitting in the chair. At that moment, a door opened up, and Gabe looked over to see Frankie holding a cup of hot coffee in her hand. She seemed to feel sorry for him. But then again, at this point, who wouldn't?
"Oh, Gabe. You've been staying here all day?"
"Yeah. I got the job, but I had to fill out all the files for the house record."
Frankie sat down beside him as she offered him her cup.
"I heard. Madame Foster told us. Here. It'll help perk you up."
Gabe graciously accepted the cup of coffee, barely having the strength to do anything else.
"Thanks…"
The instant Gabe drank the coffee, his eyes widened, as if he hadn't gone tired at all. His waning energy was coming back to him.
"Wow! Thanks, Frankie. I really needed that."
Frankie smiled at him as she replied.
"You're welcome. You know, part of this job is actually looking after everyone. Well, it's actually the whole point of the job, but it helped me pay some attention to what everyone needs."
Gabe became impressed to hear it from her.
"Really? You mean 'everyone' everyone?"
"Yeah. But if I'm being honest, it…"
Frankie stopped for a moment to take a big sigh before she continued.
"It can get exhausting most of the time. Especially from Duchess. She's convinced that she's the best idea ever thought of, but it couldn't be further from the truth. And she's always demanding high expectations out of me. Both her and Herriman! How I managed to work all that time, I honestly have no idea!"
Before Frankie could continue her rant, she stopped and noticed Gabe was staring at her in a flummoxed look. The way she talked, it sounded like she had the worst job in the world. Perhaps it was an exaggeration, but she began to feel guilty for saying it all to someone who just got hired.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
Frankie didn't get to finish her apology. Gabe only stood up and went over to her. While it did concern him about the job, most of that concern was about his new work buddy.
"No, it's-it's okay. It sounded like you have a lot to get off your chest."
Frankie looked down as she rubbed her arm.
"Well, that would be an understatement. But thanks for hearing me out. You're probably the only person here who does."
Frankie then gave Gabe a hug. The young man was initially surprised before he returned the hug and replied back.
"Sure, Frankie. Anytime."
After the hug, Frankie began to walk over to the door before she spoke out to him.
"See you on Monday, Gabe. Welcome to the nightmare."
Gabe made a small laugh before he replied with a smile.
"Good one, Frankie."
Frankie smiled back at him before she closed the door. With Frankie out of the room, Gabe's smile began to fade away as he recalled what Frankie just told him about her own job. Then he looked over to the huge stack of files he just filled out. From the way she sounded, Frankie gave him the impression that the job might not be the best pick after all.
"Wait. Was she serious about all that…?"
However, his suspicions seemed to fade away before he scoffed to himself.
"Pfft. No, she can't be. I-It's gotta be a joke. It is a joke."
After another silence, Gabe looked up at the ceiling, wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into.
"I hope…"