Chapter 5: Surprise

"Happy 10th Anniversary Blu and Jewel!" Everyone shouted out the names of the jewellers in chorus, who were still looking around in slight bewilderment trying to see what was going on. They felt surprised and frankly didn't know what to do when confetti fell on their heads, and they saw in front of them a banner made especially for their 10th anniversary, with the slogan "Special Blue Couple!" displayed on it. Everyone cheered at the sight of them, finally beginning to slowly understand what was going on here, Blu noticed Nic and Pedro standing in front of the banner, encouraging the rest of the gathering to give louder and hotter cheers in honour of the newcomers.

"They remembered us...all along!" Said an overjoyed Jewel as she saw the club prepared especially for them. Blu embraced his wife with a wing hugging her to himself. Their children were slightly embarrassed by what was happening, they know it's inappropriate for them to shadow a couple of jewellers, so they moved aside joining the cheering.

"Hey inseparable birds! Happy anniversary to you!" A familiar voice came from above, it was Rafael, who landed in front of them hugging Jewel and Blu.

"Rafi! It's good to see you, when we arrived there was nothing here...we were starting to worry" communicated an embarrassed Blu.

"There was nothing to worry about! We knew perfectly well that you were here! We also know that you flew into Rio yesterday" Rafael communicated. Blu looked uncertainly at Jewel, who also seemed surprised by this news, then back at the toucan who laughed at ara's reaction.

"Where did you guys get that..."

"Oh...we just had one spy to tell us when you would be in Brazil so that we would be ready to receive you! And oh it worked! Everything went according to plan, it's a party especially for you," said Rafael. Blu felt a little uncomfortable with this information, but on the other hand he felt nice when he heard that it was all to celebrate their anniversary with dignity! It sounded very sweet...

"Everyone who is here not just to party, but to celebrate your relationship...everyone who is here now was here 10 years ago, on a sunny carnival day when you were chained, everyone saw you dance, everyone from here participated in the fight against the marmosets, some from here even owe you their freedom!" Communicated Rafael pointing with his wing at the guests. Blu and Jewel looked around them, there were lots of birds everywhere, cheering them on continuously. At first they were a little embarrassed by this, but as time went on they started to enjoy it, they were starting to get into the rhythm of the party, they were starting to get the hang of it...

"That's exactly right Rafael, it's here in our club that you got closer, with our song, the hottest samba rhythm that everyone loves, isn't it?" Asked Nico, everyone said "Yes" in chorus.

"But before we start dancing to the music that started it all, it's time to show off something we recently managed to find in Luiz's garage!" Pedro added. A bulldog emerged from behind the birds and, carrying a blue box on its back with a bow on top, walked out to the centre of the stage placed the mystery box on the stage and greeted the spix Macaw couple.

"You'll never guess what's inside," said Luiz excitedly. Blu and Jewel could only guess what might have been hidden in there. It might as well have been a gift of some kind, flowers, some balloons, or anything else that could only fuel the imagination of the two blue parrots more!

"Go ahead, get close to the box and open it!" Said Rafael encouragingly. Blu and Jewel tentatively approached the box. The medium-sized box seemed to hide one particular item, but it was hard to imagine what could be hiding in there!

"Shall we open ?" Asked Blu uncertainly to which Jewel nodded with a motion of her head. Blu flew to the top of the box, grabbed the bow with his beak then untied it sliding the red ribbon to the ground.

"This is certainly not what you were expecting..." Said Luiz, after which he removed the top part of the box with his paws. Blu was the first to be able to look inside and what he saw caused him to stir and laugh. He leaned against the edge of the box and, with a smile on his face, laughed quietly at what he saw with slight disbelief.

"Is this the same one..."

"Yes, the same one from 10 years ago. Definitely the same one," confirmed Luiz. Rafael pointed with his wing for Jewel to also see what was inside the surprise. When she stood next to Blu she stared with bewilderment at the object inside.

"Is it really him? How is he...it was ten years ago, how is he still there?" Jewel asked surprised.

"When it jammed in the saw I took it out and put it in a drawer where there was nothing. A week ago while doing some tidying up I found it" Communicated the bulldog. The item in question was the chain with which Blu and Jewel were chained 10 years ago when they first met. They were both touched by this sight, which immediately brought back a lot of memories and emotions to their minds. As a side note, Tiago, Bia and Carla did not know what was inside and were a little surprised by their parents' reaction. They could not think of any object that could be so important to them.

"I wonder what's inside there," Carla said curiously, she wanted to walk slowly forward but was stopped by Tiago and Bia.

"It's their holiday, let's not interrupt them" Bia communicated. A little bitterly, Carla retreated to the row with her siblings.

"Nice of you to remember us so much, we didn't expect you to celebrate our 10th anniversary so much" thanked Blu to Rafael and Luiz.

"It's your 10th anniversary, what kind of friends would we be if we didn't remember you? Now let's have as much fun as we can!" A toucan called out. It took to the air, flying up to Nic and Pedro, who were watching the whole incident from above from their private, VIP seat. Luiz also retreated into the row to make room for the pair of jewellers. Blu timidly moved towards the middle of the dance floor, glancing at Jewel, who didn't look like she wanted to go.

"Something wrong sweetie?" Asked an embarrassed Blu. Jewel tore her gaze away from the chain and looked at Blu.

"Nothing, it's just...this may sound terribly silly, but can we have this dance...in this chain? You know, to celebrate our anniversary in a special way..." Jewel replied embarrassed. She stared at Blu, who, hearing her suggestion, smiled brightly. He walked over to the box and took out a chain, a little rusty by now, but it was the same chain! Finally Carla, Bia and Tiago noticed what was hidden inside the mysterious box, they were surprised to see the chain!

"A chain? Did they give them a chain?" Asked a perplexed Carla seeing the piece of metal in her father's hands.

"Exceptionally...an original gift you have to admit" added a disgusted Tiago.

"Ekh...do you really not understand anything? Dad and mother told us many times how they were chained when they met! It must be the chain" replied Bia helplessly hearing the siblings' displeasure. She was a little disappointed at their poor memory...or they just weren't listening.

"Aaa, actually, that makes sense. It's interesting that it still exists after 10 years" pointed out Tiago. Bia did not reply, she sighed heavily, trying not to pay attention to her siblings' idiotic observations.

"Great idea darling, only how do we get it off afterwards? It's got a bit of rust, saliva might not be enough..." Replied a worried Blu. Rust in some places was making the piece of metal less frictionally sound than it used to be.

"Don't worry about that, I've prepared a key that will open the shackles," Luiz added from behind him. This made it clear to Blu and Jewel what they should do. Luiz walked over to them and gave a key for Blu, which opened the shackles that both Jewel and Blu had put their claws into, then closed them. They were handcuffed again as they had been 10 years ago when they met in the same chain, which they didn't hide was something... specific feeling.

"Let's dance then," said Jewel seductively as she strolled past Blu pulling her feathers through the beak of the male, who murmured in pleasure and followed his wife. When they were in the middle of the stage it was just them, and the chain they were chained together again. Nico and Pedro hushed everyone gathered, the lights focused again on the blue couple, and then a rhythm began to fly in the background, at which they almost kissed 1 time, almost, because this first attempt was interrupted by the marmosets. The party began to wind down.

Blu with Jewel were the first to have the right to dance starting it off as Nico and Pedro began their showstopping number "I Wanna Party", Blu and Jewel's initial movements were a little uncoordinated by the chain which hindered them a little at first, the presence of the foreign object was uncomfortable for them at first, but they got used to it quite quickly performing ever smoother stunts. Raphael watched it all from the sidelines and was also impressed by how close everything was to the time when they were being chased by the marmosets. Even the toucan shrugged at the sight, remembering that this was 10 years ago! It seemed that everyone had a good time admiring Blu and Jewel's first dance, only their children looked on a little perplexed, they still didn't quite understand it, but they didn't want to spoil the moment for their parents. They knew that all eyes were on them and they were the ones to enjoy themselves.

At one point Blu lifted his other half into the air (at the point where Yana was singing), the chain effectively restricting her distance from Blu, but that's what it was all about! Blu watching Jewel sing reminded himself what a beautiful angel he has for a wife.

'Just as beautiful as the day I met her' thought a delighted Blu. Jewel rolled her eyes at him, smiling most likely because of the silly face Blu made under the impression she made on him with her appearance. After a few seconds of rising, Jewel landed next to Blu, then did what she hadn't done the first time at the club - kissed him. Their hot kiss prompted a mass of cheers and shouts of 'Aww.

"Just like before didn't it?" Asked Jewel quietly after the kiss.

"You don't even know how well I remember it," said Blu, after which they kissed once more.

"Alright birds! It's party time!" Shouted Nico ceremoniously, after which the rest of the birds joined in the fun.

After a few hours of partying, with everyone partying all the way and no end to the relaxation, it was nearing the end of Blu and Jewel's 10th wedding anniversary party. Everyone was, as if not to say, drunk with the ecstasy of the party that was going on the whole time, the loud music and the hot samba rhythm meant that a large number of birds were a little bit in another world. Blu and Jewel had a great time, to be honest even the chain didn't bother them, which was only supposed to be attached for 1 dance was with them for the whole party! They only took it off when they were about to go home. Bia, Tiago and Carla also had a great time, at first they were a bit lost with what was going on, but soon found the rhythm of the party.

Most of the party went on without any major incidents, halfway through one parrot forgot how to behave and started rushing everyone in singing and dancing, but was quickly calmed down by the security guards who were guarding the club. Everyone from the club eventually left happy and full of positive humour knowing that they had been to one of the best parties of the season, which has only just begun.

The last couple to leave the club were naturally Blu and Jewel with their children, who chatted with their friends for a while longer. They also chatted during the event, but then it was hard to have a meaningful dialogue, amidst the shouting and other loud noises it was impossible to talk.

"We hope you enjoyed the party for your part," Nico said proudly.

"It was brilliant! Thank you for being so mindful of us, I honestly didn't expect us to celebrate our 10th anniversary so lavishly" replied Jewel.

"Yes...this party was amazing...it was just wow! We won't forget it any more than we'll forget our first dance," added Blu.

"Aww...I remember when you flew here you were completely lost in it all and didn't know what to do" Communicated Rafael, to which everyone started laughing, including Blu who was slightly embarrassed by his words.

"It was really amazing...thank you for the party, it was really amazing " thanked Jewel, after which everyone started to say goodbye. It was getting dark, so that was the sign to go home. They all said their goodbyes, after which the Gunderson family left the club.

When they left the club it turned out that it was already quite dark, darker than Blu had assumed, which worried him a little because they had promised for Linda and Tulia to come back in the evening to find out more about the surprise. The party was so successful that they completely lost count of the time! They had a great time during those hours, they were really proud that their friends remembered their anniversary in such a way, it was something really special and amazing...and to think that they were worried that they wouldn't remember them!

After such a party, it was nice to fly under the navy blue starry skies, your head could rest a bit from the loud sounds that were present in the club all the time. Blu didn't want to admit it, but listening to such loud music for several hours at a time gave him some headaches. Therefore, flying home, he hardly spoke at all, enjoying the silence and the gentle breeze. Fortunately, Jewel was talking to the children explaining in more detail what the chain they were chained with meant for them, so no one was paying attention for Blu, who simply needed a moment of silence.

Once they were close to the Monteiro family's house, Blu became more and more excited about the message Linda had for him. He had many ideas in his head as to what it could be, but how would he know which idea was the right one?

"I wonder what kind of surprise Linda has in store for us," Jewel said curiously.

"We'll certainly find out in a little while. We're not too late, the lights in the house are still on" replied Blu. He saw that the window for them was open which reassured Blu, who was worried that they would arrive too late. They flew into the house through the ajar window and immediately took notice of the family, who were sitting together on the sofa looking like they were getting ready for something.

"Oh there you are, I was already worried you weren't coming back!" Said Linda as she saw the familiar birds. She started to ask if they wanted something to eat or drink, Blu meanwhile focused on the suitcases that stood by the stairs, which interested him.

"This must have some connection to the surprise" thought Blu. Tulio noticed that Blu quickly spotted the suitcases, which were already packed. The bird's enquiring gaze was quickly noticed by a man who also glanced at the suitcases standing by the stairs, quickly associating what it was all about for Blu.

"You're thinking right Blu, we're leaving," remarked Tulio.

"Ah...I thought you wouldn't pay attention so quickly Blu. We have great news for you! We are leaving for a certain place, a familiar place, maybe Blu can guess?" Linda asked. Blu shrugged his wings at the woman's question letting her know that he had no idea where they might be flying off to. They had travelled very little in the past, so it was hard for him to guess where they might be going.

"Well, we are flying out to Minnesota, starting tomorrow!" Announced Linda solemnly, which sent Blu into a stupor.

Thank you for reading the chapter! This may be the last chapter in 2022, so thank you all for reading my stories, rating them and commenting, it means a lot to me! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We'll see you in 2023!