Chapter 12: Big Blue Eyes
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own T.U.F.F. Puppy. This is the second half of the last chapter. It contains secrets about Maria and the Chameleon's past and Mario being cute. Yeah, it turns out Maria's met Ol' Red Eyes earlier than they thought. It was inspired by a dream I had once.
The couple sat in Baskin-Robin's on their ice cream social/date. They both got the new seasonal flavor: Holiday Mint Twist. It was red and green and peppermint-flavored with chocolate chunks mixed in. It was a little early for Christmas, but it was still good. Maria got extra chocolate on hers and the Chameleon got extra mealworms.
"I bet this is much better than what goes on at D.O.O.M.," said Maria.
"I bet you're right. Angel, do you remember when you said you can't turn down a dare?"
"Oh boy. I'm not sure if I like where this is going."
He laughed. "Try one of my mealworms." He tossed it to her.
She eyed it with disgust and swallowed it. She shuddered. "I expected worse. Let's play a game."
"What kind?"
"Let's see who gets brain freeze first."
He chuckled and shook his head. "You're out of your league, Angel." They started eating. Then he clutched his head and moaned. "I won."
"No fair! You're cold-blooded!"
He laughed, then shivered. "So cold!" he groaned.
"I can fix that." She pressed her lips to his. "Better?"
"Yeah. Want a rematch?"
"You know it!"
This time Maria won. How did she do that? the Chameleon thought.
She gasped and took a few deep breaths. "I've been to Petropolis before, many years ago. I had almost forgotten, but it all came back."
"Wait a minute! When I hit my head, it jogged my memory. You don't suppose we're remembering the same thing, do you?"
"Maybe. What are you remembering?"
FLASHBACK
Nine years ago. A seventeen year old Chameleon ran through the mean streets of Petropolis. He moved undetected among the masses. In his Molecular Transformation Suit, he can be anyone or anything he pleases.
He spied a rich family of foxes in line at the PMC movie theater. A mom, a dad, and two little kids, a boy and a girl. It seemed to be someone's birthday. The girl's. She waved some dollar bills in the air, from her dad to use at the concession stands. Big mistake. The boy held a teddy bear with a blue bow tie and a fireman's hat.
He got behind her and took the money. He took the bear too, on a whim. The little fox kids screamed. He ran away and the T.U.F.F. mobile started chasing him. He already knew the occupants. Jack Rabbit, and his trainee partner, Kitty Katswell, who the Chameleon had a small crush on at the time, anyway.
The agents got out of the car. Jack blocked the Chameleon and Kitty grabbed him from behind. He panicked. "Let me go, or I'll turn into a chainsaw! I'm serious!"
"I don't think so," said Jack. He held a full watering can.
"That was really low, Chameleon," said Kitty. "Give the money back to the little girl!"
"No, I think I need it more than that kid needs it. She looks pretty well off."
"But it's her birthday!"
"I can't! Besides, I'd probably go to jail anyway, so what's my motivation?"
He turned around and saw the little fox girl he robbed. She was crying and her party hat was slipping. "Please, mister," she pleaded. "Can you give me back my money? It's my birthday. I'm ten years old." She sniffed. "Please."
She was cute, with chestnut pigtails and big blue eyes. Oh, those eyes! Something about them made his resolve weaken. He sighed and didn't know why, but he gave the money back.
She squealed and hugged him. It made him feel weird. Something about it made him feel . . . good. "Thanks," she said. "I'm Maria."
"I'm the Chameleon. Are you sure you're ten? You look younger."
She giggled. "Yes, I turned ten today. And my brother Mario is eight."
Mario showed up, dragging his feet. "Where's my bear?" he cried.
The Chameleon held out the bear. Mario snatched it. "Osito!" he shouted. "I missed you so much!" He buried his face in his friend's fur.
Maria gasped and shook. She collapsed on the ground and started wheezing. Her lips turned pale blue. She was having an asthma attack.
Mario wailed. "What's happening to Sissy?" He looked at the Chameleon. "Is she gonna be okay? Please tell me she'll be okay!"
"I-I'm sure she'll be just fine," he said, fearing that he was lying through his teeth. "What do I do?" he asked the T.U.F.F. agents.
"I don't know," said Jack. "But don't forget, you're still going to jail."
"That can wait! She needs help!" He picked Maria up and ran back to her parents. He grabbed Mario's hand. "Come on kid!" Kitty and Jack went after them.
The Chameleon panted and held Maria out to her mom. "What's wrong with her? Do something!"
Maria's mom pulled an inhaler out of her pocket and revived her daughter. "Mom, mom!" she said. "That nice Chameleon gave the money back and he gave Osito back to Mario!"
"Thank you," said Marge.
A tall, imposing fox with wild hair stepped towards him glaring. It was Maria's dad, Malcolm. The Chameleon's teeth chattered and he took a few steps back. Kitty gasped from inside the T.U.F.F. mobile. Even Jack became nervous. "What do you think you're doing with my daughter?" snarled Mr. Foxxy.
"Daddy!" said Maria. She ran to her dad with open arms. His mood changed instantly.
"There's my little princess!" said Malcolm, picking her up. "We better hurry, sugar, or the movie will start without us!"
"Dad, can the Chameleon come to the movie with us?" begged Maria.
"Yeah, pleeease, Dad?" said Mario.
Malcolm considered it. He rarely denied his daughter's requests, but of course the majority of them were fairly reasonable. "Um, sir?" said Jack. "The Chameleon is a criminal. Thought you and your family should know."
Malcolm consulted his wife. "We can't take him. You heard what that rabbit said."
"Please, Daddy?" said Maria. "It's my birthday."
"Malcolm," said Marge. "Maybe we should use some compassion on that poor boy. Maybe he is being forced to steal because it's his only means of income."
"Well, I guess he can come," said Malcolm as he rolled his eyes.
"Yay!" cheered the siblings.
"Really?" said the incredulous teenage lizard.
"Yes. However!I think we should have some other guests come along. Oh, Agents Rabbit and Katswell?"
The agents reluctantly agreed to accompany them. In the line to buy tickets, Mario said to the Chameleon, "You're funny looking."
"Well, so are you."
"You look funnier."
"You look the funniest."
"You have funny eyes."
"You have funny hair."
"You have a funny outfit."
"Oh, yeah? Well . . . you're still the funniest!"
"Why are you wearing that? Are you a dancer?"
"No, I'm not a dancer."
"When I grow up, I wanna be a firefighter!" He showed the Chameleon his bear. "Look, Osito's a firefighter too! What do you wanna be?"
"I don't know. But with my Molecular Transformation Suit, I can be whatever or whoever I want!"
"Really? Cool! Can you be a firefighter?"
"Tip of the iceberg. Watch." He turned into a fire hose.
"Whoa! No way!"
"Wait, it gets better." Then he turned into a fire truck-a floating fire truck!
"Wow! I want a floating fire truck and one of your magic dancer outfits! Maybe on my birthday!I changed my mind! I don't wanna be a firefighter anymore! I wanna do what you do!"
Finally, they took their seats in the theater with their three extra-large, extra-butter buckets of popcorn, boxes of Junior Mints, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, and their drinks. Jack said, "This is nice," and put his arm around Kitty. She moved away a little bit, so he moved his arm and they both relaxed. Maria sat on the Chameleon's lap, but Malcolm had one eye on them and one on the Extreme Screen. Mario fell asleep during the coming attractions.
After they left the theater and the agents, who had agreed to reduce the Chameleon's jail time due to him helping Maria, drove away, Mario whined, "I didn't see any of the movie because I fell asleep! It's not fair!"
"I'll tell you all about it tonight," said his sister.
"Thanks, sissy. Maybe when I grow up I'll make movies!"
"And when I grow up, I want to be in movies!"
"Maybe you two can be a brother-sister team?" the Chameleon suggested.
"Yeah, what he said!" As the Foxxy family got in the Jaguar, Maria looked around quickly, making sure no one was looking, and jumped up and gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then she giggled. "Thanks for coming."
She left him there, and he never saw her again.
PRESENT DAY
"Until now," said the Chameleon.
"Wow," said Maria. "I couldn't believe I forgot about that. That was one of my best birthdays, except for the asthma attack."
"What about being robbed?"
"That part wasn't too bad. I mean, if you didn't rob me, we never would have met. Besides, you gave it back, so I figured you couldn't be that bad. Kind of funny, isn't it? It turns out you were my first kiss after all, it was just earlier than I thought. Did you know Mario still has that bear? Oh, and you didn't hear it from me!"
They finished their ice cream. "Do you want to go home now, Maria?"
"Soon. I think we should make just one more stop first."
She whispered where she wanted to go, his eyes lit up and his grin turned evil.
They went to D.O.O.M. HQ and rang the doorbell. An irritated Snaptrap answered the door. "What do you want?! You two are interrupting our ice cream social!"
"Oh yeah!" said Maria. "Well, we just had our own ice cream social, and it was twenty times better than yours!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!" said the Chameleon. "So I don't need you to invite me to one of yours anymore! Just thought you should know! Good day!"
"Toodles!" said Maria. They kissed and left the rat standing in the doorway baffled.
"What was that about, boss?" said Francisco.
"I think those two are a couple now," said Snaptrap.
"Whoa ho ho, stop the presses, Catherine Obvious!" said Larry.
"Actually, the expression is Captain Obvious," corrected Ollie.
"Well, Larry, for obviously pointing out that I'm pointing out the obvious, and for calling me Catherine, you're going in the Shark Tank!"said Snaptrap as he threw Larry in the Shark Tank screaming.
Out of the blue(no pun intended!), the Chameleon asked, "I don't know why, but those big blue eyes of yours have some kind of effect on me."
"What kind of effect?"
"I don't know, it's like looking into them puts me under your will. It's so weird and yet so wonderful. Yeah, I think your eyes are your best feature. What do you think my best feature is?"
"Hmm. Let me think. Maybe it's your scales."
"You like reptiles, huh? Do you find Francisco from D.O.O.M. attractive, then?"
She winced. "Actually, he scares me. Very few people freak me out, but he gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"Do I scare you?"
"Not like that. Maybe it's your eyes. Red's always been my favorite color. No, wait, now I've got it. Your best feature is your lips." She kissed him again.
At last, they went back home. It was 8:50. "Goodbye, Angel."
"Goodbye, Red-Eyes."
The Chameleon felt happier then he ever did before. "Being in love is fantastic!" Then he thought to himself, Can it be true? Could I be that lucky? Does she love me?
There was a knock, and a piece of paper was slid under the door. It was a card that read "To My Best Friend" on the front. Maria. He opened it.
Dearest Chameleon,
You are the parachute that catches me when I fall.
You watch over me when I need you most of all.
I'm the queen and you're the king,
You are my everything.
No matter what happens and whatever we go through,
You'll always have me and I'll always have you.
Love,
Maria "Angel" Claire Foxxy, the Red Baron.
He read it again. And again. "She loves me. She loves me!" He threw the card in the air and started dancing around the room. "Oh, I love you too, my angel! I'm so happy I could die and it's alright!"
Wow. That took an eternity to write. The last line was taken from the song "So Happy I Could Die" by Lady Gaga. I liked the bantering between Mario and the Chameleon, which was inspired by a scene from Rango. Well, I'm done rambling for now, and I would love some more reviews! Adios!
