I have no excuse for my temporary hiatus on several of my stories, I can only offer explainations: Since my last update I have gone through several major changes with my career, schooling, and personal life. I tried to upload this while over Christmas break but my internet was down as well so it made things extra hard. Now as a proud member of the US military forces, I am proud to present this next chapter of Crimson Gemini
Disclaimer: You know the drill
Chapter 8: Holiday Mash-Up
Needlessly to say, just as Rox predicted, things did go swimmingly for about two week or so. Rox and Brontes settled into the routines at the Café as well as the Cyniclons boys with their new employment, and the girls fell back into the chaotic step that was the Café's holiday rush and school life. And yet somehow, the new—or in Dren and Zoey's case, reinstated—couples always found some way to find time for each other.
Dren would try and not steal any kisses from Zoey when out in public, but of course that would fail when he would catch another guy giving Zoey the up-and-down look, and we know how that turns out.
The usual cheerful monkey mew could be found linked arm-to-arm with the less-than-annoyed alien as they walked through the city zoo, amusement parks, sweet shops or sometimes the local parks for both to give a stunning performance of acrobatics (of course Tarb would cheat with his alien powers but only Kiki knew that and none were the wiser).
And without any more recent attacks from the Knights (that's what I'm calling them for now, but if you have any ideas on what the new enemies should be called, don't be afraid to push the button at the bottom), things were quite blissful…
Well…..not so much in Sardon and Bridget's case. You see whenever they got the chance to go out—after finding sometime between working at the café and Bridget's upcoming holiday events—to either the library or the city museum to see the new exhibits, they would always found themselves either being followed or being constantly interrupted whenever the mood for a romantic kiss was shattered by….you guessed it…Aidan.
It just didn't sit right with Aidan that his cute and precious baby sister was going out with this…this…guy that was four years her senior and just had this menacing aura around him. His family didn't seem to mind about the situation. In fact, they took quite a liking to the young man when he introduced himself after walking Bridget home with him the first night Aidan met Sardon. Both parents complimented Bridget on how she managed to catch a fine intellectual gentleman, and of course they didn't mind the age difference seeing as their marriage had a six-year gape. And after setting some grounds rules about the couple's courting, and thorough warning from Mr. Verdant to Sardon that if he didn't take proper care of their only irreplaceable daughter there will be consequences, they gave their blessings to the young couple (Mrs. Verdant quietly commented to her husband that they would have such beautiful children); though that didn't stop Aidan from being the over-protective (sometimes over-bearing) brother that he was.
The first time Aidan interrupted them (after Sardon walked Bridget to the door and wanted to give her a goodnight kiss) and got caught for it, Sardon let it go, much to Bridget's relief. All Sardon could do was let out a breath of annoyance, 'I suppose I can let him off easy on this go. He is just being an older brother by watching out for Bridget.' But it still didn't change the fact that he felt slightly peeved.
This went on again after Aidan was caught again when Sardon spotted him behind the children section of the library where their second date was. 'Okay. He's being an overly protective brother so I suppose he can get away with it ….this time.'
Third date; hiding behind a potted tree in a restaurant. 'Okay. Being a bit overprotective. Nothing to lose face about; even if it is becoming tedious.'
Fourth date; hiding behind the static electricity generator orb at the Science and Beyond Emporium with a new hairdo. 'All right. Now he is just becoming rather grating.'
And after the fifth date ….well let's just say that it took all of Sardon's will power to not grab his war fan and blow the irritating man away. And poor Bridget, she didn't know how to handle this. She was just as frustrated as Sardon but being the kind girl that she was, she didn't voice it. It was becoming rather bothersome about their interrupted dates and she wanted her brother to trust Sardon just as she did, but she didn't want to offend Aidan either.
Yes, it was the beginning of a true dilemma. But let's get caught up to speed with the others, shall we?
(Scene change to the Café)
As usual, the café was very busy with the hustle and bustle that was the holiday crowd. The sun was barely high in the sky, the soft rays bouncing off the white of the snow on the ground and trees, before the staff began to feel the strain of the popularly crowded café. Zoey, Kiki, and Corina were busying busing tables while Rox and Brontes were on cleanup and register duty; Renee was in the back helping Wesley with cooking. Dren and Sardon were assigned grocery duty so they let Tarb stay behind to help out at the Cafe. After the morning crowd had left, everybody decided to take their lunch break….well almost everyone….
"Hey, has anybody seen Bridget yet?" Zoey inquired before taking a bite of her tuna sushi roll.
Her answer was the sudden quietness in the air as everybody mulled over their sudden realization.
"Come to think of it," Kiki mumbled around her sandwich before eating then swallowing a bite. "I haven't seen her all morning and she's usual the first one here besides the guys."
Tarb nodded in agreement while Bronx and Rox exchanged glances.
"She must have had something important to do for her not to be here." Renee mentioned before taking a sip of her juice.
"I didn't notice anything. I thought she was just being her quiet self again when she served my tea." The lorikeet mew said as she took a sip of her tea.
"Corina, I put your tea out this morning because Bridget was missing. She's normally the one who does it." Zoey interjected.
"So that's why my morning tea tasted wonky. I was wondering about that."
Just before Zoey could reply with a snapping remark while Rox was trying to calm her down, Dren and Sardon popped in, each with hands full of groceries. "We're baaaack!" Dren drawled out, pulling the warm snow cap off his head.
Rox observed all the bags that were brought in and placed on a nearby table. "You guys sure bought a lot of stuff back," she pointed out as she noticed different fruits, veggies, and god knows what else.
Dren shrugged his shoulders. "The old couple that runs the market took quite a shine to Sardon, so we ended up getting a lot of good stuff on discount."
"It would have been rude to refuse it otherwise." Sardon went back to the door, his hand on the handle to open the door, "I left some still outside that I still need to bring in."
Just he as he opened the door, he saw something green fall forward and, out of reflex, caught the object before it hit the tile floor. It only took a split second for him to recognize who it was before he bolted past the crowd that gathered around the table of groceries. "HEY BLONDIE, WHERE'S THE INFIRMARY?"
The stunned group watched as he made his way up the stairs, fast but mindful of the package he was carrying. Then they heard several steps clamoring up the stairs, a "What's going on?" and an "I have an actual name, you know." before a door slam was heard.
Everybody owlishly blinked a few times (well, except for Renee and Brontes who have managed to perfect the art of being stoic, they just blinked) before Kiki, Zoey, and Rox piped up.
"Well, that was weird. And I mean more than the usual kind."
"I wonder what that was all about."
"Hey, didn't anybody notice what Sardon was actually holding? It was green and it looked like a body."
Dren looked over to the girls nonchalantly, "Didn't you guys see? That was Bridget."
Again silence was heard before the excepted scream of, "SAY WHAT?!"
Sure enough, Bridget was lying in bed, blankets covering her body to keep her warm, even though her face held a slight tinge of pink coloring her cheeks, contrasting her loose and wet emerald hair that lay scattered around her head.
"It looks like she just collapsed due to heat exhaustion." Wesley diagnosed as he put away a stethoscope into the emergency aid kit. Sardon let out the breath that he wasn't aware of holding as Wesley asked him, "You said that she just collapsed in front of the Café doors?"
"That's right. Thankfully it was by coincidence that I happened to be there before she could actually sustain any harm." He let a hand brush back some bangs from her forehead before pressing an open palm to the skin. "Her fever's settled down. That's good."
"Now that the patient has been diagnosed safe," Elliot moved away from the wall he was leaning on to the door, "I think the others will want to know." He pulled back the door and in fell onto the floor were Zoey, Kiki, and Corina. Those who weren't in the pile quickly filled the room around the trio as they got up and dust themselves.
Kiki was the first to show concern. "How's Bridget?"
"She's doing fine," Wesley answered. "She just over-heated her body and that caused her to faint. Though I can't find out why she stressed out herself like this."
Renee came forward carrying a light blue sports bag and gave it to Elliot, who moved to be by Wesley. "I found this outside the door. It has Bridget's name on the handle tag."
After opening the bag, they found a number of miscellaneous things: A pair of flippers, a slightly damp towel, an empty water bottle with some bits of leftover fruit cores from fruit in a ziploc, goggles, a swim cap with the logo of the Mountain Valley Sables, waterproof bandages, a pencil case, and finally a hardcover folder with choral music in it.
As everybody was in quiet thought, Dren picked up the Ziploc. "Well….this is interesting." And with that he tossed the bag into the trash.
Zoey picked up the folder and went through the sheets. "Hey, these are the songs that are going to be played at the Christmas Festival at our school."
All the girls circled around Zoey and peered over her shoulder.
"If I remember right, the festival was supposedly moved onto the same week as the Aquatic Finale championships, a day after the other I think. All the local schools and the schools from other cities are coming as well." Corina mentioned.
"Yeah but that still doesn't explain on why Bridget is like this." Kiki chirped in.
"I wondered why she called in this yesterday." Elliot said as he scratched his cheek. He meant to say it quietly but unfortunately Zoey heard him.
"What did you mean by 'she called'?" she glowered and glared daggers at Elliot.
"I mean exactly that," he said calmly ignoring the glares from Zoey. "She called in last night saying that something suddenly came up with her school functions and she couldn't do the first part of her shift today."
"And this came to you now?!" Zoey seethed, just about ready to strangle the blonde. He always did this!
"It slipped my mind this morning," he shrugged.
Before Zoey could do any harm to him, Bridget sat up. "What's going on?"
Wesley calmly walked over to take the damp towel that fell on to her lap. "How are feeling, Bridget?"
"I feel a bit better, though the dizziness is still there." She smiled. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble."
Zoey looked to the girls before asking, "Bridget, where were you this morning anyway? We were getting worried since we didn't hear that you asked for the morning off."
"I'm sorry to have worried all of you." Bridget deeply apologized. "You see, I got a call last night from the swim coach, Mr. Eloc. Turns out one of our synchro swimmers had her knee operated on and I was her backup so Mr. Eloc thought it would be for the best to hold an emergency practice for the team. Of course, it didn't help any that my choir practice was at 7 a.m. and the synchro practice was right after that which was at nine o'clock so I didn't have the chance to go home to get something to eat. Once practice was let out, I came straight here."
"That explains why you passed out. With the combination of your hunger and stress levels, it's a wonder how you managed to make it to the Café in one piece." Rox commented as she handed the athletic bag to Bridget, her tone holding a lot of concern. "Since when was it a good idea to go running in the middle of winter while your hair was still wet from your practice? You do realize you could have caught pneumonia."
"She would have been lucky if that was all she caught." Dren commented dryly.
"Actually, I forgot that my hair was wet when I ran here. I was afraid I was going to be late after practice got out late." Bridget replied. Rox just shook her head and sighed. "I'm really sorry for causing everybody so much."
It was Corina who stopped her. "All right, all ready. We accept your numerous apologies and future ones for that matter too. Just as long as you actually tell us ahead of time the next time you call in."
"That's right." Kiki chirped in. "It felt weird not saying hi to this morning."
Bridget just smiled. "All right. I'll remember next time."
Wesley took a look at the clock on the wall and directed everyone to the door. "Ok everyone. Lunch break is just about done. Let's clean up."
Everyone managed to clear out the room, save for Wesley, Sardon and Bridget, who was just about to get up herself, when Sardon placed his hand her shoulder. "Not you Bridget. You need rest." His voice, still monotone, held a lot concern.
She didn't agree. "I'm all right Sardon. Really I am. I need to get ready for work." Bridget slid her legs off the bed and took a couple of steps before the dizziness washed over her. A small gasp escaped as her knees buckled and saw the floor coming to her.
Luckily, Sardon had the foresight to be near her when tried to walk and caught her with the simplest of ease when she stumbled. Lifting her bridal-style, he carried her back to the bed. "As I said, you need rest. Listen to your body. You've completely exhausted yourself and don't have any energy for work. You can't even stand without getting faint, can you?"
The answer he got was a small squeak and a full-face blush. Restraining a diminutive sigh, he placed her back underneath the blankets and pulled the sheet until it meet at her waist as Bridget leaned back on the pillows on the headboard.
Sardon let a small smile tug at his lips, his hand coming up to push some of the wet hair away from her face. "Just lay back and rest. I'll be back with some food in a bit."
Her hand came up to cover his in a loving caress. "You worry too much."
"Only with you." He got up and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before moving towards. "I'll be back. Do you want anything specific?"
"No, so long as it doesn't have any mushrooms."
And with that Sardon closed the door behind him to leave Bridget to rest.
"Honestly I think it was because Bridget has the genes of the finless porpoise that prevented her body to become chilled from the water and the cold air." Zoey mentioned as she swept around the doors and tables.
"Well we're used to, back on Cyclonia, that if someone came down with even a cold they were quarantined from the rest of the people and they were bed-ridden until they were cured." Tarb quipped in as he helped Kiki with aligning the chairs.
"And how long did that take?" Kiki asked.
"It used to be anywhere between two weeks to several months, depending on how bad the illness was and if the medical supply was still in stock and usable." Sardon answered as he came down the stairs.
By then he was swarmed with questions as the girls save for Renee gathered around him.
"How is Bridget?"
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Does she need anything right now?"
"Am I going to work her shift now?"
It didn't take long for Sardon to process these questions while taking a step back from the girls. "She's alright now. She just overheated her body and needs to rest. All she wants right now is some food and more than likely you will have to work, Corina."
That last one left Corina in a bit of huff as Zoey spoke. "I guess that means that Bridget will still be able to attend that choir concert and the school aqua meet."
"Though something tells me that even if Bridget was still sick, she would still go to these events." Rox chimed in with Brontes nodding in agreement.
Dren drawled out a long whistle. "Man, didn't know your girl was that stubborn, Sardon." He jabbed.
He only answered with a cool façade and matching tone as he made his way to the kitchen. "It is not so much as stubbornness but dedication to see her commitments to the end. If you want a prime example of being stubborn, I suggest you recall your actions during the time you stalked your girlfriend during our attack."
"Hey I still got the girl." Dren snapped back.
"And that alone was a wonderment in itself." Brontes added in. Quiet snickering from the general group was heard with that.
Dren tossed a glare to the werewolf/vampire hybrid giant. "Nobody asked for your opinion."
Again coolness only greeted the heated gaze. "True but I gave that one for free."
Just as it looked like they were about to get into it, the café door chimed for new customers. It was Kiki who got them, surprisingly without her circus ball. "Welcome to Café Mew Mew. Is it just for three today?"
"Yes. It's just for three." A voice answered that sent a familiar chill down Zoey's and Corina's neck. They had turned around to see if they were right in their suspicions. Aww great THEY'RE here…
Sure enough, there was a girl with black hair in a page-boy style with no bangs, another with short red hair and a bang covering her right eye, and finally the last girl with orange-blond wavy hair in a red headband, being escorted by Kiki to their table. These girls Zoey and Corina knew as the Three Becky's from Bridget's old high school, Excalibur High. Just as Kiki came back with their orders, they quickly pulled her into the kitchen with Renee following behind them, leaving a bewildered Dren, Tarb, Rox and Brontes in the main room and a confused Wesley cooking at the stove and intrigued Sardon preparing a dinner tray.
"Do you guys realize who that was?" Zoey harshly whispered.
"If I remember right, those were the Three Becky's." Corina answered.
"The who?" Kiki questioned as she gave the ticket order to Wesley. By this time, Renee had joined their little circle.
"This was before you or Renee joined the Café. When Bridget first joined, she was being bullied and pushed around by the Three Becky's at her school because she didn't have any friends at the time. And even after she became a Mew, she was still being pushed around by them. Ohhh those girls make me so mad!" Zoey exclaimed, clenching a napkin between her teeth while raising a fist.
"It stopped soon after Bridget transferred to Mountain High, but I wouldn't have doubted that if they found out where she worked, they would still hound on her." Corina crossly mentioned. She didn't seem like it but over the few years, she had gotten protective of the girls.
"So now what do we do? I really don't want to serve those girls now." Kiki inquired.
Just as Wesley came over with the trays of the ordered sweets, Renee had taken them. "I will take the order then, unless you want him to do it." She pointed towards Sardon.
The girls had looked over to him and they let out a small squeak to see that he was seething… No not even that. It seemed like he had this aura around him that was fueled on anger and rage, and it was ready to do a lot of damage. So needless to say, his expression definitely matched his mood. The girls sweat dropped at this. "Yeah, let's not." Zoey stated and the girls nodded in sync.
Just as Renee walked past the kitchen doors and stepped into the main room, she stopped. The girls, and even Sardon watched with curiosity as to the reason of why she stopped. Thanks to the girls genetically-enhanced senses (and Sardon's Cyniclon hearing), they soon found out why.
"So you know that we're going up against Mountain Valley High for the Aqua Meet right?" The black-haired Becky mentioned.
"Isn't that the same school lil' miss Bridget transferred to?" The red-haired Becky questioned snarkly.
"Oh yes, the very same. Anyways I figured that since she was also such a goody two shoes, she has to be volunteering for this event. What do you say to conveniently 'meeting up' with her and go down memory lane?"
"Oh I would like that very much." The blond-hair Becky brought a hand to her mouth in a diminutive gesture but the girl's attitude suggested otherwise. "I bet she still that mousey, quiet push-over that still willing to do anybody's homework just to get a 'friend'. Do you think she actually has developed a life yet and got a boyfriend?"
"Pfft, please…her? I almost guarantee that she still doesn't have the courage to say no to others, especially saying her feelings to a guy."
All three of them shared a laugh that sounded like a combination of snideness and wickedness. It pretty much boiled the blood in everybody as they listened to this. Renee was about to walk over there to give them a piece of her mind when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned in time to see Sardon grabbed the tray she was holding and walked over to the Becky's table, pretty much slamming the tray onto the table, making the girls jump.
"Hey, what gives?" All three girls chirped but were stopped short of Sardon's expression. He seemed as though he resumed that same icy disposition that girls remembered that he first had on when they meet him on the battlefield, but it was his voice that truly gave way to his icy cold fury.
"It will do you good to listen well since I am a man of action and only going to say this once." He started, the dark fire in his eyes growing with each word. "Not only does it show your immaturity to talk about someone behind their back, it shows your cowardice and pettiness. Your immaturity is further displayed by you willing to plot on the bullying of another person, not only by one but all three of you. It will do you well if you leave this person be, unless you are willing to accept the full consequences of your planned actions and rest assured these consequences will be severe."
It left everyone in the café in a stupor. For the Mew Crew and the boys, it was honestly the first time they could ever recall Sardon saying so much at one time. For the hybrids, it was the first time they heard someone relatively young channel their rage into a mature but deadly warning. For the Becky's, it was honestly the first time a guy, a cute one for that matter, to call them out and proverbial smack them down.
With that being said, it was the red-haired Becky that spoke up first. "Oh yeah? Who are you to butt into our private conversation like that?!"
This snapped the other two Becky's out of their stupor as well. "Yeah, it's not like you know who we are talking about anyways!"
"Again, that is where you are dead wrong." Sardon batted back with deadly ease and tone. "Not only is that your matter of privacy flew out the window the minute you started this conversation in no quiet manner, you are talking about the planned bullying of a dear friend of the staff here," he gestured towards the girls, Roxanne and Brontes, as well as Tarb and Dren lining out by the register, each with their own trademark scowl on their face. "In contrast with your earlier statement, Bridget Verdant has gained many loyal and fierce friends that are ready and willing to defend her name and honor to the very end, so I would carefully watch the next words you are planning to say."
The Becky's knew that they were losing this battle. They had come to this café to meet and discuss their plans for Bridget, but they didn't count on meeting a whole defense team that was the staff. Not bothering to even touch their orders, they got up and began to make their exit. It was the blond-hair Becky that wanted to get in the last word. "What is about Bridget that has you so enticed? She's clumsy, awkward, dull, and doesn't even have class. I mean she's not even pretty. How can she, of all people, have your attention?"
Funny, when the last world left Becky's mouth, the crew and boys all had the same thought; Ohhh, She just signed her death warrant. There was no way that Sardon was going to let this go.
And they were right. "You are correct. Bridget Verdant is not a pretty girl. She is the most beautiful, kind, caring, courageous, confident, and sweetest woman that any man could ever be blessed with. Something that your twisted beauty and hearts can't even hold a mere flicker to." And with that, Sardon promptly slammed the door and leaned against the strong wood, placing a hand onto the bridge of his nose, while mentally gathering his stressed wits.
A slow, single clap began to ring out through the café. Pretty soon it was joined by another, and by another, and by another. Sardon looked up to see that everybody was clapping at his brave performance to the girl-bullies, even Kiki through a whistle. They soon began to form around Sardon, Dren and Tarb clapped their hands on his shoulders, while Brontes offered a fist bump which was gladly reciprocated. The girls expressed their congratulatory in words.
"Nice job, Sardon."
"It was about time somebody brought those girls down from their high horses. I'm just sorry it wasn't me."
"That was awesome. Talk about a knight coming to defend the honor of his princess."
"Yeah, more like an alien warrior saving his heroine."
It was then Elliot and Wesley decided to make their presences known. "While that was good for defending Bridget and all, I hope this doesn't become a daily routine though." Elliot added in cynically.
"Believe me, it was not in my intentions to drag this whole scenario out." Sardon answered solemnly.
"Well now we know that we may have to be prepared in case they do go after Bridget during the meet." Renee advised.
"Leave that to me, I'll be with Bridget during the Aqua Meet, while we can all watch her at the Winter concert." Zoey offered heatedly as the girls nodded in agreement.
Dren laid his head to rest against his hands on the back of his head. "How are you going to do that, honey? Last time I checked, kitties generally don't like water."
"No, but this cat sure does. Plus, one of my best friends is the manager for the swim team. She had asked if me and our two other friends could do a bit of cheerleading for the team's morale support." Zoey countered.
"And Elliot and I will be there at the choir festival to support Bridget as well." Wesley said as he handed another food tray to Sardon. "I believe you have a patient waiting for you upstairs." He said to Sardon before he turned to the others. "Let's get back to work shall we?"
That pretty much set the group back into their daily routine of the café as more customers came in and left the two lovebirds upstairs to their own world, leaving the verbal battle to the memory of the day. A memory not forgotten however
I hope this lives up to everyones expectations. I do plan to write more. AND I NOT GOING TO GIVE UP THIS STORY. I SWEAR TO THE ALMIGHTY FATHER AND SPIRITS ABOVE, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY! OOH-RAH!