Thanks for all the reviews you guys! In this chapter, you'll figure out why I tagged it as a "romance" story!
Disclaimer- I don't own Hamtaro or any related material.
Stan's Your Ham!
Chapter 3- The Underground Caper
Stan could only manage a stifled gasp, as his sister seemed to overshadow him. He couldn't even describe the rage emanating from Sandy's face. It was as if he, in his petrified state, were shrinking while Sandy was growing, looming over him.
"I…uh…" He stammered.
"Stan! I told you to stay away from here while we're working on my project for Ma…" She caught herself, but it was too late.
Stan immediately snapped back into reality and smirked, knowing he now had control of the conversation. "So, sis, a little present for your boyfriend?"
Sandy's face practically lit up. She couldn't believe she'd let that slip out. Now she was speechless.
"Well," Stan snickered, "I guess since you guys don't want me here, I'll head back to the game and tell Maxwell about your little 'surprise.'" He teased her, taking a small step back, toward the tunnel entrance.
"N-no! Stan! Please don't tell him! I want this to be a surprise for his birthday…" Her voice trailed off, fearing she had given too much information, but then realized it didn't matter now that Stan knew.
He couldn't help but feel compassion for her, because after all, they were still brother and sister. "Ok, ok, fine…I won't tell him."
Sandy's eyes sparkled as she ran up to Stan and hugged him. "Aw, thanks bro! You know how much this means to me."
"Aww…" Bijou and Pashmina cooed as Penelope giggled.
"Yeah, yeah, chill, sis." He almost pushed her away, trying to act "tough" as he thought he should. Secretly though, he did care about Sandy, although he would never admit it to anyone.
Sandy smiled. "Okay, so now that you, like, know, do you think you could, like…help us out?"
Stan wasn't expecting that. A bewildered expression spread across his face as he tried to come up with a response. "Yeah, sure, I guess…"
Pashmina chimed in, "Well, we're almost done with the project, so maybe you could keep watch and make sure no one comes in until we're done." She had been staring at him the entire time, but he hadn't noticed.
Stan dashed to Pashmina's side and winked, "Anything for you, baby."
Pashmina blushed at Stan's remarks. He's so cute…
"Hey! I said you could help us out, not flirt with my friends!" Sandy seemed to be getting back to her usual self.
"Always gotta ruin the fun, don'tcha sis…" Stan smiled and Pashmina almost leaned her head on him, but Sandy pulled him away.
She still had a dreamy look in her eyes, and Bijou noticed. "Pashmina? Are you okay?"
Pashmina almost jumped, still red-faced. "Yeah…I'm fine…"
Bijou gasped and a smile spread across her face as she whispered, "Aww Pashmina! You like Stan, don't you!"
Pashmina covered her face with her paws, trying to hide the inevitable blush that overtook her face. "…Yeah…" she whispered back. It wasn't her fault…she had to tell somebody after all this time.
Sandy spoke up. "Come on, girls. We gotta finish the project. Stan, if anyone shows up, you, like, have to tell us, okay?"
"No problem, sis." He winked at Pashmina, she blushed, and Bijou practically dragged her back inside the clubhouse. Penelope and Sandy soon followed, leaving Stan alone outside a closed door.
"How did I get myself into this…?" Stan pondered. He sat down a few feet from the door, took out his maracas and shook them quietly to entertain himself while humming a favorite song of his.
After about a half-hour of Stan's absence, Hamtaro began to get worried. He stopped the game and called the ham-hams together. "Guys, Stan still isn't back…maybe we should go look for him."
Boss spoke. "Huh, I didn't even notice he was gone…" Everyone sweat dropped. "Well, uh, okay, we'll start a search. Hamtaro, Oxnard, and I will go check out the park."
"Boss, can I come too?" Cappy said, his green cap nearly covering his face.
"Sure." Boss responded.
"I can go investigate the streets." Dexter declared.
Howdy added, "Yeah, well, I guess I'll go check out that there pond."
"Alright…Maxwell, where are you gonna look?" Boss questioned.
"Well, I suppose I could scrutinize the area by the large oak tree."
"Okay, then. Ham-hams move out!" Boss shouted as the others fled in their separate directions, leaving Maxwell there alone. That's peculiar…where could he have gone? Maxwell walked toward the tree when he remembered, wasn't Sandy working on a project for something? What could it be? The thought of her excited him. As he neared the clubhouse entrance, he thought about how she was always so cheerful, or at least tried to be, especially when she was around him. The way she twirled her ribbon, it made him feel, as though that was himself, twirling and whirling for her.
He had to find out just what she was planning.
Inside the clubhouse, behind a closed door, the girls sat and added the final touches to a huge birthday card for Maxwell. It was neat and colorful, and inside it read: "Happy Birthday Maxwell!!! Love, Sandy " Underneath the writing was a crude drawing that depicted herself and Maxwell sitting under a tree, holding hands and smiling. The sketch didn't show much artistic ability, but art wasn't really Sandy's forte, and besides, she knew that he would love it no matter what it looked like. After finishing the card itself, Sandy slipped into a large snow-white envelope and tied it shut with a red ribbon. On the front of the envelope, Sandy carefully wrote "Maxwell" in the neatest cursive she could manage.
"There! Now all I have to do is figure out a way to give it to him without the other ham-hams noticing." Sandy stated.
"It is beautiful." Bijou complimented.
"Yeah, he's gonna love it!" Pashmina added.
"Ookwee!" Penelope agreed.
"Okay, this is getting pretty lame." Stan complained. He'd been sitting outside the door for only a few minutes, but to him it felt like an eternity. "She has to be done by now." With his words assuring him that keeping watch was no longer necessary, he entered through the door, unaware of who was only a few paces behind him.
"You done, sis?" Stan asked.
"Yeah, we're done, but where should I hide…" A familiar tall ham-ham appeared in the doorway and spoke.
"Hide what?"