Sorry for the delay! Also sorry that this is the last chapter for anyone who expected anything on the scale of Wishing Only Wounds the Heart. Sorry! I hope you enjoyed the story nonetheless!
I'll start posting new one-shots soon!
"…Hut….hut….hut…hike!"
As soon as Bloo roared out the signal, immediately the front lawn of Foster's broke out into absolute chaos as the opposing team charged the defense line.
"Go!" the little blob friend bellowed before handing off the ball to his behemoth bullish teammate. Frightened into galvanization, Eduardo promptly stampeded off. At first, it looked liked an easy touchdown as everyone literally threw themselves out of the massive figment's path, with the exception of one child who was either incredibly valiant or absolutely mad as she calmly stood her ground.
Just before Eduardo inadvertently flattened her into the earth in his mad rush, Goo sprung high into the air, with pigtails flailing, arms waving, and a toothy smile spanning from ear to ear as she shrieked gleefully,
"BOO!"
Immediately, Ed erupted with a scream of surprise and threw his arms up in the air as he stopped dead in his tracks only inches away from the girl, who beamed triumphantly as she watched the ball tumbled into her outstretched arms.
"Thank you!" she squeaked politely before bolting by.
"NO!" Bloo howled with dismay as he watched his master game plan fall to pieces. As Goo raced off towards the opposite end of the lawn, Coco and her infuriated blobbish teammate sprinted off after the little girl.
"Get her!" Bloo cried as he led the fierce charge. Just before they were upon her, however, Goo just smiled sweetly as she skidded to a halt and unexpectedly threw the football straight up above her head, allowing Wilt to grab it out of the air with ease as he zipped by.
"Go long!" the towering creature shouted as he prepared to throw, while a lanky redhead dashed around him and kept rushing onwards.
"Throw it! Throw it!" Frankie hollered as she neared the goal line.
"Oh no you don't!" Bloo screeched defiantly as he started scrambling towards the young woman as fast as he possibly could, pumping his little stubby arms furiously.
"The only way you're going to catch that ball," he huffed as he raced along at record speed borne out of desperation, "Is over my cold, dead, bo-OOF!"
THUMP!
"Go for it!" Mac laughed encouragingly as he lunged from nowhere and tackled Bloo to the ground, pinning his creation beneath him and leaving Frankie free to make the catch.
"NOOOO!" Bloo screeched in despair and started clawing the ground frantically like a blob possessed in a futile attempt to free himself. "NOT AGAIN!"
"TOUCHDOWN!" Frankie jubilantly whooped as the ball spiraled into her arms. Immediately the triumphant caretaker spiked the football before breaking out into an impromptu victory dance in the end zone. As the rest of her team broke out cheering, Bloo's shrill whines rang out above the din of the celebrations.
"No! No! No! No! No!" the outraged blob howled heavenwards as he beat his fists furiously upon the lawn. "Ed, I told you, this time you were supposed to not be scared by Goo! Not! K-N-O-T!"
The furry beast whimpered and sheepishly shuffled his feet as he was chewed out by his infuriated teammate.
"I sorry, I sorry!" he apologized gruffly with a guilty frown. "I no help it though, Senorita Goo muy good at spooking me so bad…"
Wilt chuckled good-naturedly as he gave his embarrassed friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Ed, it's only a game."
"Yeah, it's okay, Eduardo! I just think someone here needs to think up a new play for once." Mac teased with a smirk as he helped his creation back up. Once he was back on his feet, Bloo scowled sourly at the nine-year-old.
"It's not fair, that's what it is!" he whined miserably. "It's just not fair! It's three against four, you guys outnumber us by like, two-to-one! It's just not fair!"
"Yes it is, uh-huh, so fair, yep, you betcha!" Goo objected happily, while nodding so furiously it was as if her head was upon springs. "Yeah-huh, it's so fair! Frankie and Wilt have me and Mac on the team, see, but we're little, like really, really, really, really little, but you and Coco have Ed, who equals like, three of Mac and me on platform shoes, which would be kinda silly because they went out of style in the 70's, so maybe we'd be better off wearing stilts instead, so anyway even if we were wearing stilts and standing on each others' shoulders we still wouldn't be as big and tall as Ed, and don't say it's not fair, because when we play you always, always call Ed to be on your team-"
"Well…uh…" Bloo searched frantically for a witty retort before he narrowed his eyes and accused lamely, "It's unfair because you guys are a bunch of cheating jerks!"
"Jerk? Jerk?" Goo repeated indignantly before glaring daggers. "Nuh-uh! You're the jerk for calling us a bunch of jerks, you jerk!"
"Nuh-uh!" Bloo immaturely replied with a sneer. "You're the jerk!"
"Guys-" Mac tried to cut in before he was immediately drowned out by an explosion of enraged jabbering.
"If I took out a dictionary right now, and looked up 'jerk,' your picture wouldn't just be next to it, it'd take up thirty whole pages!" Goo snapped. "Yeah-huh!"
"Eh? What's that?" Bloo shot back as he cupped a hand over a nonexistent ear. "I can't understand you, I don't speak jerk!"
"Oh yeah? Well, if they held a big jerk contest downtown, and you showed up they wouldn't let you in because they'd be all like, 'sorry, no professionals, you jerk', and…"
Quickly sensing that she was about to have a minor brawl on her hands, Frankie hastily jogged over to put and end to the vicious bickering.
"All right guys, break it up!" she scolded as she stepped in between the two. "Stoppit!"
"But she called me-" Bloo whined.
I said stoppit, and I mean it! It's only a game. Look, if we'll have to redo the teams, then we will! Just cut it out, all right? Seriously, there's never any need for name calling-"
Apparently though, adults were exempt from this rule, for just as she had begun restore order, a cry rang out from the front gates, surprising the little group gathered upon the lawn.
Hey! Hey, Foster! Is that your real hair color, or did something bleed to death on top of your head?"
Oddly enough, Frankie only burst out grinning like a nitwit at the insult as she turned and replied cheekily, "Oh yeah? Better a redhead than butt-ugly!"
As Kathy burst out laughing as she strode in through the front gates, Frankie likewise joined in, thoroughly bemusing all the others as they watched the young women behave like a pair of mischievous schoolchildren.
"…Frankie?" Mac inquired bemusedly at the spectacle. The caretaker just tittered as she handed him the ball.
"You guys keep playing; the adults have some grown-up stuff to take care of." She chortled with a wink before jogging over to meet her friend.
"Hey!" she cried happily. "What are you doing here…at this…time of…"
Once she noticed Kathy's prim attire and familiar clipboard in her arms the joy abruptly vanished from her expression as Frankie stumbled to a halt gawked incredulously for several moments.
"Oh…no…" she moaned in disbelief.
"S-sorry…" Kathy quickly murmured apologetically with a wan smile as she fidgeted anxiously. "It's just-"
"Oh, what gives?" the despairing redhead protested. "I thought you told me that this stupid investigation was done with! For the love of-"
"Well…yeah, and so did I." her friend admitted truthfully. "It's just-"
"So what is it now?" Frankie groaned. "You said that you had put in an appeal to end this already, and-
"I know what I said, and I thought straight eight visits without anything to prove any suspicions of abuse would be enough for anyone." Kathy explained. "I swear, we're almost in the clear. It's just…look, before we could finalize anything, the boss decided to go for one last surprise check-in, just to make sure-
"Oh my God, when is it going to stop?" Frankie lamented despairingly. "Is she only going to get off my back if I'm sitting in jail and Mac's stuck in some-"
"Whoa c'mon! Relax, will you? For cripes sake, it's not the end of the world here!" the social worker pointed out. "All we just have to do one more visit, and I honestly doubt this the time I'll take the little guy away just for a change in routine."
"I know, I know." The redhead muttered as she settled down somewhat, and the knot in her gut loosened slightly. "Sorry, it's just…y'know…"
"I know you don't like this, and I'm not exactly giddy with glee here." Kathy grumbled. "But honestly though, what's the worst that can happen? As far as the boss knows, the best she can get to work this case has been doing everything she can to see if you're a threat or not. And if I can't find you guilty of anything, then who can?"
"…You promise this is the last time?" Frankie pried hopefully after taking a few breaths to try and settle her rattled nerves. Her friend grinned.
"The harpy sure as hell isn't happy about it, but if she's anything, she's a stickler for the rules. If we get a report of abuse, then we investigate, but ff we don't have proof of abuse, we can't do single thing. Unless of course maybe today's the day I get lucky." She joked, getting a weak chuckle from Frankie, who finally seemed to calm down.
"Well, if it's the last time…" she murmured. "So...just the usual?"
"To tell you the truth…not exactly." The social worker answered honestly after a pause. "Since this is hopefully the last visit, the boss wanted to mark the occasion with something a little extra."
"…Say that again?" her friend inquired confusedly.
"See, the boss decided to try and make the most of this little last hurrah and hedge her bets by making me take someone else to come with-"
"What?" Frankie yelped as she was temporarily hurled into the throes of a minor panic attack. "Wait…you mean someone else is here to-"
"No, it's okay!" Kathy hastily reassured, gesturing for the redhead to calm down before she worked herself into a hysterical mess. "Settle down! Just-"
"Settle down?" Frankie lowered her tone to a frantic hiss lest the others heard them. "How can I when-"
"No, it's all right!" Kathy persisted. "We're going to get through this! I got to choose who went with me, see, and-"
"But are you sure that-" the redhead pried suspiciously.
"Seriously, I put a lot of thought into this! Don't worry, he's a new guy, but he'll definitely see that you're all right. Honest, he won't jump to conclusions."
"…You sure?" the caretaker inquired warily. Kathy smiled as she tried to stifle a giggle, which went unnoticed by her friend.
"Trust me; he's fine."
"…I……I guess it's okay…" Frankie reluctantly agreed with a wary grimace. "So, where-"
THWACK!
"OW!"
The football struck the young man square atop the head almost the instant he stepped out Kathy's car. Startled, Frankie glanced towards the front gate just in time to watch the fellow in the crumpled black pants and equally wrinkly jacket and shirt stumble about dazedly for a few moments. Before she could instinctively help him, her alarm abruptly gave way to panic once she spotted a little boy scramble by towards the scene of the accident.
"Mac!" the horrified woman yelped.
"It was an accident!" he cried while rushing over to the social worker to bombard him with apologies.
"I-I'm sorry!" Mac sputtered as he skidded to a halt. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you, I swear! We were just playing football over there, and…and my imaginary friend was about to tackle me, so I panicked and…and I just sort of threw it and…I didn't mean to hit you, honest!"
Frankie held her breath as she frantically tried to decide if she would look bad if she didn't reprimand Mac. Before she decided though, much to the surprise of both her and her charge, as soon as the young man recomposed himself, he took just one glance at the guilt-ridden child and only grinned reassuringly.
"Ah…don't worry about it." He brushed the incident aside with a weak chuckle. "It's okay, it was only a bad pass."
"Really?" Mac smiled, as not too far away his guardian gasped in relief. Nodding warmly, the social worker retrieved the football from where it lay a foot or two away.
"It's not a problem." He chortled good-naturedly. "Just be thankful you're not like me; I used to hit my dad square between the eyes every time we tried to play catch when I was your age."
Mac laughed at the little joke, and accepted the ball back with a polite nod before scampering off, leaving the man to retrieve an almost absurdly disorganized file folder from the car. Once he had tucked it somewhat securely under his arm, he jogged over to where the two young women stood, with genuine confusion stamped all over his face.
"Wait…Kathy, is that the kid that Corningston's been making you keep a close eye on for the past month?"
His co-worker tried to hide a sly grin as he approached and replied calmly, "Yep, that's the one."
Her answer surprisingly did little to alleviate his bewilderment, and the fellow looked as hopelessly befuddled than ever.
"But…" he murmured as he scratched his head, disturbing his already disheveled hazelnut hair even more. "Wait…so…why are we here? He seems pretty happy to me. Does the guardian need any help with anything, or…well, it doesn't look like it at least, seeing that-"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Kathy asked as she casually gestured towards the redhead standing by her side.
He looked up, and only then seemed to finally notice Frankie for the first time. After glancing straight into those emerald eyes, to her shock, he appeared quite surprised. He wasn't merely slightly startled though; he was genuinely at a total loss for words and after going temporarily mute, he just stared wordlessly like a deer in headlights for a few moments. While Frankie started to fidget anxiously, unsure of what to make of this reception, he finally managed to regain control of his vocal cords, and promptly started babbling nervously.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry! I…I-I was insinuating anything before, honest, I…I-I seriously didn't see you there, I just…I really didn't mean to…"
As the humiliated fellow jabbered on, the young woman swiftly felt the impulse to try and assuage his mortification. Strange enough as it was though, as she took stock of him, she found the words coming unusually harder to her than she would've liked. Even stranger though, she couldn't help but dwell on the fact that he had long since forgiven Mac for the football incident, and thus there was no need to be embarrassed anymore.
So why was it that her hair and complexion were still indistinguishable at this point?
"…I mean, seriously, the kid…uh, Mac, that's his name, right?" the flustered fellow asked as he checked the file in his hands. "Yeah, doesn't look like he's having any problems at all. And honestly, I don't think…I mean, usually I can tell up front if there's a problem, and I'm sure that-"
"N-no, no, it's all right, really!" she finally managed to blurt out. "It's all right, honest! You're just doing your job, and…look, no need to apologize, it's okay, honest!"
"…You mean it?" he mumbled, still sheepishly averting direct eye contact. Frankie looked right into his eyes and to her surprise she could feel the blood surge to her face.
"Yes, of course! It's okay, it's…it's…"
After trailing off, she toyed nervously with her jacket zipper for a few moments before she grinned weakly, feeling quite flattered by this point. "Hi…I'm Frankie…"
As they shook hands, the young man's face went noticeably flush. "Please to meet you, Fra-"
"Oh, wait, but don't think that's my actual name!" she blurted out in panic. "I mean, I-I wasn't named Frankie as a baby, like…like a boy or anything, it's really Frances, but…see I just prefer Frankie because…because…"
"No, it's okay!" he replied as he removed a form marred with a brown splotch from his folder. "I read your file this morning, so I…oh God, the coffee stain's still on it, isn't it? Gah! I'm sorry, it's just that this morning-"
"No, no, that's all right, it's…"
As the two continued on, incessantly apologizing to one another while averting each other's gazes like bashful teenagers, Kathy had long since given them some space, and now wore an idiotic smirk of triumph as she watched from a couple yards off. It wasn't long before the ridiculous spectacle had caught the attention of the others. While at first they all just gawked confusedly, Mac swiftly caught on, and immediately flashed Kathy a fat grin.
"Well, well, fancy that." The young woman joked with a wink as she ruffled the little boy's hair. "Looks like they're hitting it off…who woulda thought?"
Once realization struck Goo, the little girl started giggling ecstatically before breaking out softly into song,
"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…"
"Okay guys, I'm coming down!"
Frankie announced as she clumsily started down the stairs in her high heels. To say that the very idea she was about to have her first date in months had reduced her to a nervous wreck would've have done any justice depicting her incalculable anxiety. As what felt like a flock of butterflies fluttered about like mad inside her stomach, she descended into the foyer, causing the three little ones and the lanky scarlet figment lounging patiently on a nearby sofa to smartly leap to attention.
"Here's your purse!" Wilt announced as he passed the little black leather bag into her hands. "I checked to make sure that you already have your cell phone in there, and your wallet, make-up, but I also threw in a few Band-Aids just in case, a small pack of tissues…okay, I think that's just about every-oh! Hold on, you have a speck of…here, gimme a sec…"
Like a ten-foot fretful mother, he immediately licked his thumb and proceeded to try and wipe her cheek, while she hastily covered her face as she recoiled.
"Wilt, it's okay, you don't need to…wait! Wait!" she yelped as her eyes bugged in alarm. "My hair! My hair's all right, isn't it?"
"No, don't worry, it's okay! It's…wait, I'm sorry, just lemme…"
As the two over-fussed over the tight bun she had done her scarlet locks up in, the little ones observed a bit bemusedly until Frankie decided everything was set.
"…All right, I think that's good. Thank you!" she thanked her towering imaginary friend. Promptly he squatted down with a massive grin, and the two hugged tightly for a moment before she turned to the others. "Okay, final check; how do I look?"
As she spun about in her favorite black dress with a jangle of bracelets and hoop earrings, Wilt immediately flashed his trademark smile and flashed a thumbs-up, while Bloo just shrugged and muttered apathetically,
"Eh…it's all right."
"Nuh-uh! You're good! Better than good, beautiful! Spectacular! Gorgeous!" Goo gushed shamelessly as she quivered with excitement. "Like a magazine model! Ooooh, but not like the ones who are like, skeletons and stuff who're so twiggy they look like they climbed out of the grave and walked into a photo shoot, which would be freaky, but more like…"
As the little girl prattled on, Mac smiled happily and commented sincerely, "You look great, Frankie."
Despite the shower of sincere compliments, Frankie still appeared to be quite far from calmed. Gnawing nervously on her lip, she got down on her knees in front of the boy and began to explain fretfully,
"Okay, the number for the restaurant's on the fridge, and I'll make sure to keep my cell phone on. I promise, I'm going to try and be back home at ten thirty at the very latest, but just in case I'm not, call me-"
"You already told him earlier." Wilt reminded gently with a chuckle and a pat on the shoulder.
"Oh…right…" she acknowledged softly as she nodded in the lanky figment's direction. The second she looked back at her charge though, immediately she felt a twinge of guilt, and started inquiring anxiously,
"Are you sure you're okay, pal? If you don't like what's going on, you can tell me. Are you really going to be fine with this?"
Still grinning, the boy replied honestly, "I'm fine; are you sure you're okay with all this?"
The well timed-question worked like a charm, and Frankie instantly broke out chuckling as she threw her arms around him in a tight loving squeeze. "C'mere."
"Frankie, it's going to be all right." He reassured again as he treutrned the hug.
"I know." She admitted softly. "But you know how I feel when I leave you home like-"
"Well too bad, Mama Hen, because now you don't have any choice." Someone cut in teasingly. A little startled, everyone in the foyer glanced up to spot a familiar face peering in through one of the windows.
"Babysitter's here." Kathy announced with a wave before she disappeared from sight, only to enter through the front door moments later.
"Kathy, for Pete's sake, you didn't need to come over here tonight." Frankie, slightly flush, protested as she clambered to her feet. "Wilt can look after them just fine."
Her friend just smiled sweetly in defiance as the caretaker's imaginary friend corrected with gently, "Frankie, it's not them she's here for."
"He's got that right, Miss-Gonna-Leave-Your-Babies-All-Alone." Kathy teased. "You of all people deserve at least one night out all to yourself, if this doesn't get you out of the house, I don't know what will. Also, it's either this, or I spend tonight at home with Flounder, and there's only so much company a goldfish can provide. So what else am I gonna do tonight-"
"Well, you could go out to the bars or clubs and stuff, but that would be poor planning on your part because you always, always accidentally overdo it on the drinks, but not like you're a drunk or anything, see, but anyway, the problem is that Frankie wouldn't be there to help you out, or at least that's what usually happens according to Bloo and Mac! Remember?" Goo blurted out, not realizing the question was rhetorical. In a heartbeat the young woman went silent as a stump as her cheeks started to shine with a scarlet glow.
"Um………yeah …" Kathy murmured, obviously uncomfortable with the fact that rarely had such truer words been spoken. After barely managing to muffle a giggle, Frankie hastily stepped in to put an end to her friend's plight as she promptly dove into a lengthy list of instructions.
"Okay, here's the number of the restaurant I'll be at." She started to explain as she pressed a piece of paper into her friend's palm. "I already talked to Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman, so they know all about how you're hanging out here tonight. Goo's mother is also letting her spend the night here, so they can stay up late, but just make sure they don't watch anything too scary on TV, okay? Also, they can have some snacks, but nothing sugary for Mac at all, or he'll get…well, don't worry too much about that, he knows what he can and can't have. If you have any trouble with anything, just ask Wilt here, okay? Any questions about anything?"
Kathy shook her head, snorted with laughter and asked playfully with an impudent smile,
"Just one question; when they're thirsty, do they prefer antifreeze, or just a tall glass of good old-fashioned dish soap?"
As the little ones burst out snickering at the wisecrack comment, Frankie groaned exasperatedly.
"Relax, will you?" Kathy laughed. "I promise; everything's going to be just fine while you're gone. There's nothing for you to worry about, okay?"
The redhead just gazed at the sincere young woman for a few moments before she couldn't help herself but start chuckling.
"Jeez, Kath…you really didn't have to do this-"
"I told you," Kathy argued, "One night hanging out here isn't going to kill me-"
"It's not that!" Frankie attempted to protest. "I mean…this! All of this! You didn't have to do-"
"If by that you mean 'I finally need to start returning the favor after the thousand times you yanked my butt out of the fire,' then yes, you would be absolutely correct." Kathy chortled. "If you ask me, I say it's only fair; it's about time someone starts looking out for you."
"Yeah, but-"
"Just think!" she joked with a foolish grin. "At this rate, we'll finally to be even by the time we're sixty!"
"But…I know, but-"
The quick beep of a car horn followed by the distinct sounds of someone parking in front of the house abruptly interrupted them, and in a flash the redhead was beset with raging anxiety once more.
"He's here! He's here!" she yelped as her hands immediately flew up to start fixing her hair yet again, while Kathy clapped a hand on her back and laughed,
"So what the heck are you waiting for? Get going!"
Obediently the flustered caretaker bolted out the door without a word. Grinning jubilantly, Kathy nodded in satisfaction as she turned to her temporary charges for the night.
"Now that she's finally gone-"
She got no further before Frankie, looking genuinely mortified as could be, scrambled right back inside.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she gasped apologetically. "I didn't mean to just dash out like that! Sorry!"
"Oh my God, what are you freaking out about now?" Kathy groaned exasperatedly, though only a moment later everything became clear as the redhead dropped to her knees and Mac scampered over to her.
"I knew you wouldn't forget." The child laughed as he tossed his arms around her neck, as she likewise enveloped him in a tight embrace.
"Bye, pal." She whispered as she planted a peck on his forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too, Frankie." Mac replied as he returned the affection with a quick kiss on her cheek. Although it was supposed to be little more than a routine farewell-hug, Frankie apparently had been contently holding it for a tad too long, or at least that's the impression she got when Kathy grabbed hold of Mac and gently pulled him away.
"Leave it to you to drag out your goodbyes." she teased.
"Sorry! Sorry, it's just…" Frankie murmured as she blushed deeply. "It's just-"
"Hey…don't you have someone waiting for you, Miss Fussy?" Kathy coolly reminded as she started pushing her gently towards the door. Instantly Frankie's eyes bulged, she elicited a shrill yelp of dismay, before she whirling around.
"Bye!" she managed to sputter before dashing out the door and vanishing from sight.
"Go get 'em!" Kathy whooped encouragingly as she shut the front door. With Foster's resident caretaker finally gone, the young woman grinned excitedly as she removed the small backpack from her shoulders, opened it up and started sorting through its contents.
"Now then, before I was so rudely interrupted," She chuckled as she dug out a sizable container of frozen pre-made, artificially sweetened cookie dough, causing all the little ones' eyes to sparkle with delight. "Who wants to help me see if we can finish this all tonight?"
"Ooooooh! Ooooooh! Me! Me! Me! I wanna help! Me! Me! Me! Me!" Bloo squealed ecstatically, and without further ado the hopelessly over-elated blob darted over, snatched the tub from her hands, and bolted towards the kitchen.
"Hey, don't start without us!" the self-proclaimed babysitter laughed as she and the others followed hot on the imaginary friend's non-existent heels.
"…H-hi, Rudy." Frankie greeted in a noticeable tremor as she approached the sedan, while simultaneously trying to tame the flock of butterflies in her stomach. Luckily for her, she wasn't alone when it came to nearly being overwhelmed by an anxiety-attack as the young man started stammering the second he clambered from his car,
"H-hey, Frankie. I brought you……some…oh, nuts! My bad! Oh, my bad! Just…just gimme a second, I only need to…uh…"
As soon as he realized he wasn't holding anything, the poor fellow dived back into his vehicle. Once she realized she was in good company, Frankie could feel her nerves settle considerably, and she actually managed a chuckle or two as she watched her date clumsily emerge after nearly crawling all the way into the back seat of the car.
Never would she have imagined she'd be going to dinner with someone from the same government agency that that…well, there was a first time for everything, wasn't there? Anyhow, although she had only known him for a few days, she liked what she saw, especially the fact that the good-natured fellow had yet to be fazed by the "adoptive parent" factor, which was a rare bonus for her. Plus, if her best friend thought he was suitable, then as far as she was concerned, this was just as good as shot as any.
"Here, I…" he stammered as he climbed out. "Well, Kathy didn't tell me what you liked, so I just thought…see…"
As soon as she laid eyes upon the dazzling array of color that was the assorted bouquet in his hands, Frankie squealed uncontrollably and clasped her hands in delight.
"Oh, they're beautiful! You…you shouldn't have…"
As her blush nearly lit up the entire neighborhood, the young man grinned shyly and murmured, "It was nothing really, I-"
The moment was suddenly shattered by a sudden burst of peculiar racket emitting from the house. Startled, Frankie wheeled about just in time to watch what looked suspiciously like a blob of cough and chocolate chips fire out the kitchen chimney.
"What on earth?" she exclaimed in horror, and for a few moments, just gawked mutely at the sight before whirling around, taking a deep breath, and attempting to ask as calmly as she could,
"C-could…could you wait for just a couple more minutes?" she sputtered. "Please? Just a little bit more?"
"Uh…" the stupefied fellow just grunted in astonishment at the sight before replying softly with a weak, but sincere reassuring smile, "Sure, t-take your time…don't worry, I'll be waiting right here for-"
How she managed to move like the wind in high heels, he had no idea. But in a flash, Frankie had bolted off, and in record time she had sprinted up the walkway, raced into the foyer and made a beeline for the kitchen, shouting frantically,
"Is everyone all right...in…oh…my…God…"
It truly was a breathtaking sight to behold; bits of chocolate chip cookie dough lay scattered all throughout the kitchen, from floor to ceiling, covering everything and everyone, including five barely recognizable mix-splattered figures.
"…That…was AWESOME!" Goo shrieked delightedly, bouncing up and down in inexpressible elation as she picked chocolate chips from her pigtails. "Did you see that? Did you? Huh? Huh? When Bloo opened up the container and dumped it in the electric mixer, and when he turned it on and it shot everything everywhere like…"
As the hopelessly over-stimulated child chattered excitedly, nearby a dough-covered blob and his creator were locked in fierce argument.
"…Hey, how was I supposed to know you were just supposed to scoop the stuff out and stick it in the oven?" Bloo protested.
"Because the instructions on the container say so!" Mac snapped. "Look what you did!"
"So I made a little bit of a mess-"
"Little? Little? Bloo, just look at the…"
As those two bickered, an extremely frantic ten-foot figment was already wiping frantically at the wall with a dishtowel as he tried to tend to the hideous mess.
"Not okay, not okay, so not okay…" he murmured over and over to himself before turning to the culprit behind the disaster. I'm sorry Bloo, but this is terrible! Look at all the-"
"C'mon, it's not that bad." Bloo swiftly tried to pass off the blame. "Hey, if you ask me, it's the manufacturer's fault for this defective mixture-"
"Oh no you're not!" Mac snapped. "You're not going to-"
"Mac! Mac! Mac! Didya see it! Huh? Lookit! It's all sticking to the ceiling and the floor and the walls and the cupboards, and-"
"I'm sorry Goo," Wilt interrupted as he shoved a handful of paper towel into her hands. "But this isn't the time to-"
"Don't tell me you want to get rid of it already! Quick, someone go get a camera or-"
"See, she's okay with it! So why sre you guys freaking out over just a teensy bit of-"
"For the last time, Bloo…"
As the others all jabbered at once, in the midst of ithe pandemonium was one very stunned young woman, standing speechless with shock before she suddenly broke out wailing,
"How? How? In the name of all of God's creation, how? There is absolutely no way there was that much in that little container! Bloo, how did you manage to-"
"…Guys?" Frankie finally murmured hoarsely. Once they heard her, the aghast perpetrators of the mini-catastrophe went mute, and in near unison all wordlessly turned to face the redhead. After a near half-minute of dead silence, Mac took a nervous gulp as he stepped forward, whimpering softly,
"H-hi, Frankie…"
Temporarily too stunned to think straight, Frankie instinctively scooped up the child and started to gently wipe the globs of dough from his face as she muttered,
"…What happened?"
"Nothing!" Kathy sputtered as she glowed from head to toe with a brilliant scarlet shine. "Nothing at all! Absolutely nothing that can ruin your completely stress-free night! Just a little accident, it's all right! Really, this won't take long to clean up at all! When you get back, it'll be like no one was even here, we just…just…we just need to…go…there's no need to get frustrated or anything, we just…just have to…get a mop, and…and…"
Quickly deciding that she wasn't fooling anyone, Kathy trailed off, blew a few curly jet-black strands from out of her eyes and begged, "Oh for the love of God, someone please shut me up!"
The caretaker couldn't help it: it was all just far too much for her to handle. Still clutching Mac, she collapsed to her knees as the tears started to cascade unchecked down the sides of her face in twin rivulets.
As far as Frankie was concerned, she had never laughed so hard in her entire life.
The End