Authoress' Notes: Well, here's Chapter 19, but the climax is coming soon!

Better Off Alone

Chapter 19: Family

She opened her eyes to the whiteness of a soft pillow, awakening to a soft, feathery bed. The blankets were warm with the sun from outside and her body heat. She hugged her pillow passionately, snuggling her face in its warmth. Her tail curled, pulling the sheets closer to her midsection for comfort. She stayed like this and nodded off, only to wake up again soon afterwards.

Everything was still and quiet, not a sound in the house. Vivian stayed in her cozy position, watching microscopic dust float around in a ray of sunlight. Quickly growing bored of them, she rose from the mattress, stretching.

There were several strands of her old bandages thrown across the bed. The mayor must've changed them while she slept. She reached under the cover to feel for any remaining wounds. To her surprise, she only felt silky smooth skin; not a piece of it was out of place. No marks, scratches, or scars from yesterday... If anything, her skin was even softer than before.

This hadn't been the first time this happened. Every time she sustained a serious, even life-threatening injury, it'd be completely gone in up to two days. She never thought much of it, since it was so beneficial, but it still bothered her a little...

Carefully sliding off the mattress, she silently crept down the hallway, unsure of this strange, new environment. She walked on until she came across a weird smell. It smelled hard and robust, like some kind of energizing concoction.

She followed it to the end of the hall, peeking through a doorway with no door. It had all the distinct makings of a kitchen, possessing a stove, sink, refrigerator, and tiled floor. Her view scanned past a small window over the sink, an open cabinet, and finally came to rest on a table. Sitting at the table was the mayor and another Koop. She noticed the mayor had a steaming cup of what looked like coffee.

Almost on cue, the younger Koopa turned to see her in the doorway. "Vivian?"

"Well, look who finally decided to get up," said Kroop. "Has anyone ever said you sleep like a log?"

"...Did I sleep in too late?"

Koops shook his head. "That's not true. Ignore him." He stood to go into the other room. "I'll go get your stuff."

Kroop took a sip from his cup. "Koops has been telling me all about that crazy adventure you went on. Did you really have to fight so many bad guys and monsters?"

"Yes, sir. It was really... exhilarating," she said, awkwardly.

"Not only that, but you were along with that Murphy character..." He nodded. "The story seems even more believable with him in it. From what you folks say, he can do anything."

Koops returned from the other room with Vivian's tattered blanket, her belongings wrapped inside. "This is all you had, right?"

"Yes, that's it."

Kroop opened the door. "Well, your father should be expecting you back anytime now, so I'll guess you'll be on your way."

Vivian walked out and Koops stopped. "Thanks again for taking care of things," he said, rubbing the back of his head shamefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Nonsense!" he chortled. "It was a treat talking to someone new for a change. Although, it wouldn't kill her to pay me a visit sometime..."

Vivian didn't hear Koops' response, as the wonders of the outdoors completely enthralled her in its beauty. It greeted her with warm air and a gentle breeze. The grass was lush and green, with dozens of flowers sprouting all the around the houses. There was a clear, running stream under a small bridge and the sky was as clear as ever. The quaint little village looked like the pinnacle of places to live, not being too much or too little of anything.

There were even Bub-ulbs amongst the swaying flowers and fluttering butterflies. She hadn't seen any of them in years, as they only lived in the cleanest, most beneficial areas. It was all like the complete opposite of Twilight Town; a true paradise if she'd ever seen one.

"I never realized how nice this town was... I didn't even think a place like existed around here."

"There aren't many," said Koops, walking down the steps. "I guess you could say we're on the 'good side' of Rogueport. Before I met Mario, I had no idea there was such a place like Twilight Town."

Such information shocked her. "Really? ...That's strange. Twilight Town's been around for ages. I thought everyone knew about it."

"I always thought more people knew about Petalburg, but we don't get too many visitors. We're a little secluded, not to mention Hooktail gave us such a bad name..."

"That's a shame." She looked down upon the bright cobblestone path. "I'd love to live here."

"Well, now's your chance. You can stay here and maybe... catch up on things?"

She fiddled with her necklace. "So... you're sure you don't mind me staying, 'cause..."

"No, I don't mind. What kind of kind of person would I be to leave you without anywhere to go?"

That made her smile a little. Even though she knew his intentions were good, it was still nice to hear him declare them. Instead of continuing down the path, Koops made an abrupt stop next door, much to Vivian's surprise. The house seemed pretty normal on the outside, looking almost identical to every other one in town.

With several flowers decorating the side and back, it seemed like a nice place to stay. Koops peered through a small window on the door to see if anyone was home, then knocked.

"Is your family nice?" she asked, still admiring the adobe.

"Yeah, very. My dad's a little... weird, though."

"Weird? Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, I wouldn't say so, but he likes to mess around a lot. You'll get used to it."

The knob unlocked from the other side and the door opened. Koops was about to go in, but suddenly stopped, having a better idea. Instead, he opened the door further, stepping out of the way.

"Uh... Ladies first," he said, sheepishly.

It seemed to surprise her, this act of kindness. She looked at Koops, then at the open doorway, seemingly confused of his intentions.

After realizing he was serious, she stepped inside. "Oh, uh... Thank you."

Opening the door for her? No one ever did that. Sometimes people even let it close in her face on purpose. The very thought of it made Vivian feel significant. After having to deal with so many rude people in her life, it was nice to have someone show a little courtesy.

"Oh, hello there!"

Vivian suddenly snapped back to reality, this new voice unfamiliar to her. No sooner had she entered, a female Koopa appeared from another room. This caught the Shadow Siren off-guard, changing her entire outlook of the place. Koops never said anything about another Koopa, especially a female...

The girl held out her hand. "You must be Vivian! Nice to finally meet you!"

"Oh, yeah..." interjected Koops. "Uh... I meant to tell you, this is Koopie Koo... She's been a friend of mine since we were little kids..."

Koops felt like kicking himself. How could he forget to mention Koopie Koo?! Of all people, she was the main one he was worried about and he actually forgot to tell Vivian about her?! Things weren't exactly getting off to a good start...

Vivian hesitantly offered her hand, slightly annoyed at such a twist. "...Yes, it's nice to meet you, too."

"Aw, she's so polite!" squealed Koopie Koo. "I love your hair, and your hat is adorable! Ooh, and look at this beautiful necklace..." She fingered the pearls around her neck. "It's gorgeous! I sure wish someone would buy me one..."

Koops didn't seem too thrilled at that remark, but decided to play along to keep from looking stupid.

"Oh, so I see you're the Shadow Siren Koops was talking about," said a male Koopa, coming downstairs. He walked over to her and laughed heartily. "Why, you're a strange-looking one, aren'tcha?"

She frowned. "Thank you?"

His son shot him a stern look. "Dad, do you think you could at least introduce yourself?"

He continued laughing, shoving Koops inside. "Don't be silly! She should already know who I am! I'm the first Koopa you've should've told her about!"

"I had a feeling you were his father," she smiled, remembering what Koops'd said. "He warned me about you."

"Eh, I figured as much. He always thinks I'm such a threat to people, so he keeps telling them I'm some sort of nutcase."

"It's not my fault you don't know when to stop goofing around..." muttered Koops.

Koopie Koo rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop it, you two. You're being rude." She turned to Vivian. "They tend to get like that sometimes. Y'know, father/son stuff..."

"At least they have a good relationship with each other. I think it's sweet."

She smiled. "Oh, it is. We've always been like a big, happy family, and we've only gotten closer since Koops came back. It was so unnerving waiting for him to return..."

"I don't see why," said Koopley. "Koops is stronger than he looks, much stronger. How could you ever doubt him?"

"There's a difference between doubt and worry. I just didn't want him to get hurt, that's all."

"Koops has a way of coming back from the brink. I never once imagined him in any trouble!" He faced Vivian. "Was Koops ever any trouble for you guys?"

"Not really..." she shrugged, inching away.

'Not really'? Koops couldn't help but ponder over that statement...

After the introductions, Vivian turned her attention toward the structure of the house's inside. The den was nice and wide, complete with a soft-looking couch, a coffee table, and a nice TV. There was a wide doorway leading into the kitchen and a staircase that continued on upstairs. She ventured into the kitchen, its atmosphere warm with the scent of roasted Mushrooms and fresh bread.

Afterwards, she returned to the den and sat on the couch. "Koops, I never knew your house was so... roomy."

"You like it?"

"I love it. It's beautiful. I can't thank you enough for letting stay."

"Well, what're friends for?" he said, resulting in her shyly playing with her hair. That was a good sign; she usually did that when flattered.

Just then, Koopie Koo jumped in. "Hey, y'know what? I'm really glad Koops invited you over." She butted in-between the two, separating them. "Now that you're here, there's finally another girl in the house. I feel like I'll finally have someone else to really talk to."

"...I guess that's true," she lied, not interested.

"And since you're new here, maybe I can take you on a tour of the town and Petal Meadows, and you can meet the neighbors and--"

"Aw, she doesn't wanna see any of that stuff," laughed Koopley. "She probably just wants to go upstairs and catch up on some napping, right?"

"Well..."

"Dad, stop it. You're bothering her," groaned Koops.

"What? So now I can't ask her simple questions?"

"No, but you're asking her stupid questions, and it's a little annoying..."

"Okay, okay..." Koopley waved his hands in defense. "I'll stop. I know how you kids these days always have 'clicks' and 'stuff' to talk about and it's not cool for me to know, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's it..." Koops nodded, going with his assumption.

He shrugged, making his way to the door. "I guess Koopie Koo could keep you company, since she's into that sort of thing... I have to go out for dinner, anyway."

"Actually, I need to go, too," said Koopie Koo, getting up. "Kroop knows how much you like Koopa Tea, so he invited me to get some Turtley Leaves."

"Oh, and don't forget to ask him for some Horsetails! You know how they make great spices..."

With that, the two shut the door and left to go their separate ways. Koops was ecstatic, but no one could've guessed from his delayed reaction. Now that they were gone, what could he say to Vivian?

After a tense silence, she asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Koops grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. "Dinner's not for another few hours, so we'll just have to wait 'til they get back."

It was oddly silent, despite how much the two had on their minds. Vivian couldn't think of anything to say, while Koops couldn't put anything into words.

Instead, he flipped through channels, going from show to show until he got an idea. Amid the myriad of flashing pictures, he passed one channel with what looked like a political debate on it. Vivian remembered he said something about becoming mayor... Maybe she could talk about that.

"...You said you wanted to be mayor someday?"

He nodded, still flipping. "Yeah, when I get old enough."

"Is anybody going to be running against you?"

"Not that I know of. No one's really tried yet, so I'm kind of running unopposed."

"Is anyone going to vote for you or against you, or...?"

"It'd be kind of a moot point, since no one else wants to be mayor, but yeah, they do."

"...I'd vote for you."

He looked up, surprised at her sudden and honest response. Seeing his reaction, she began shifting uncomfortably. Was she trying to hint at something?

"I mean... I think you'd be a great mayor. You being in charge would make Petalburg a better place to live... I mean, if it's not already."

Despite her efforts to hide it, Koops could see a small smile starting to form under the shade of her hat. He decided to add to her happiness by agreeing with her.

"That'd be really great. I was hoping to get more positive feedback from you and the others."

"I was thinking that, too," she looked up, beaming. "It's great that you're thinking so positively about the future. I'd never be able to do that."

"Why?"

She laughed weakly. "I'm not good at making decisions by myself. I think I'm too easily persuaded. I'd probably have the town in ruins within a week."

"You have to stop doubting yourself. I bet you'd make a great mayor."

She shrugged with a sense of 'I don't know' in her body language. Before he had the chance to elaborate on what he meant, Koopie Koo opened the door. He immediately lost all interest in the subject.

"Hey, guys, I'm back," she chirped.

"Oh... great," replied a disappointed Koops.

"I've got about a dozen Turtley Leaves here, so I hope Vivian's got a taste for Koopa Tea!"

"Well, I actually like Koopa Tea, if it's not too hot," said the Shadow Siren.

Koops sighed and went back to watching TV, unaware that Vivian was feeling the same disappointment. It probably wasn't the best time to tell her anyway, since Koopie Koo was only going next door. He shuddered at what would've happened if she came back to catch him flirting with this strange shadow girl. No, that would've been awful, and he thanked the stars it didn't happen. Maybe he could try again later...

The rest of the day went by fast and it was dinnertime before anyone knew it. Koops wasn't sure how it'd go over with another person at the table, especially with Koopley and Koopie Koo. Vivian tried her best to exhibit good behavior at the table. Koops made sure he sat next to her, with Koopley separating him and his ex-girlfriend. The dinner was Koopasta, which was odd, since Koopie Koo rarely used any of Zess T.'s recipes. She mentioned something about trying her hand at them, but still...

"So," said Koopley, starting on his dinner. "Where do you come from, exactly?"

"Twilight Town."

"Ah, Twilight Town. Shoulda guessed with the whole, y'know, eerie, dark complexion."

Koops sharply elbowed him, whispering, "Stop it, Dad!"

"I know this may sound strange to you, but why do you always wear that hat?" asked Koopie Koo. "Is there any reason, or...?"

"No," she answered quietly. "It's just... an accessory."

Koopley twisted Koopasta around his fork. "It's very becoming of you; kinda fits with your style. With so many Koopas around here, it's nice to see something different."

"Can you see from underneath it?"

"Yes."

"How?" Koopie Koo waved her hand in front of the siren's face. "I can't see your see your eyes, or anything. Koops, can you?"

"Uh, no..." he frowned, not wanting to get on the subject.

Koopley raised an eyebrow. "Do you even have any eyes?"

"Well..." Vivian shifted her hat. "I'd rather not talk about it..."

"Really? How mysterious..." Koopie Koo slurped up more Koopasta. "Is that how you, like, fake out your enemies?"

"No, it's just... me," she replied, taking a small bite of her food.

"I don't see what the big deal is; Piranha Plants don't have eyes, and they couldn't be better off."

Koopie Koo shuddered. "Ooh, don't mention those things! They're so icky and creepy, I don't even want to think about them!"

"Icky and creepy?" Koopley fingered his beard. "Hey, Viv, do any of those live in Twilight Town?"

Vivian made a disgruntled face at such a stupid question. "No, they don't live anywhere near there..."

"Really? Well, you'd think a town of perpetual darkness would be crawling with weirdoes, and Piranha Plants are just about as weird as they come! I bet we'd stand out like sore thumbs on your turf!" he laughed.

Koops massaged his head in frustration and groaned. It was going to be a long dinner...

Fortunately for him, the rest of the evening wasn't that bad. Koopie Koo and Koopley did all the talking, going on about what Vivian was and where she came from. Despite his wishes, they still asked her the dumbest questions they could think of. He was practically silent through the whole thing, wishing the conversation would just end soon. Vivian wasn't saying much, either, only wanting to enjoy her food in peace. Koops ate quickly and quietly, being the first to finish and going into the den. Vivian finished soon after and put away their plates.

Getting away from the rambling of the kitchen table, he sat on the couch and waited for Vivian to follow. He wanted to make sure she sat next to him, not Koopie Koo. If he could just have her alone for a few minutes, maybe he'd finally tell her. At this point, he didn't think he could wait any longer... As planned, she left the kitchen first.

Seeing her coming, he casually gestured to the cushion beside him. "Uh... You can sit here, if you want to."

Smiling, she took his offer and happily filled the empty spot. Combing through her hair, she commented, "That Koopasta was delicious. I almost wish you had some dessert."

"Yeah. I could go for some Choco Cake right about now."

"You, too?" she giggled. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Maybe we can make some tomorrow and have it then... to celebrate you coming over."

He could see from her expression he hit the nail on the head, as she swooned at the very idea. She responded to his suggestion by playing with her necklace and looking at him coyly. Koops wasn't sure exactly, but he could've sworn Vivian inched a little closer to him.

"Okay!" called Koopley, shattering the romantic mood. "Whose turn is it to do the dishes?"

Koops sank into the couch and grumbled. Out of all the nights it could've fallen on, it just had to be his turn tonight! Why couldn't Koopie Koo do the dishes this time? She always seemed so eager to do them every other day. He and Vivian were close friends--at least for the moment--yet everyone was so set on pulling the two apart... Could that mean something?

"I still have pruned hands from last night and this morning, so that means it's Koops' turn!" Koopie Koo joked, pinching his cheek as she came in. Koops used to enjoy that, but now it made him annoyed.

"Um..." Vivian raised a finger. "I could do it, if you want me to."

Koops looked at her in shock. Offering to wash the dishes? Was she doing that for his benefit or hers? Or was it a show of gratitude?

"Thanks for the offer, but Koops has been a little lazy as of late," Koopley snickered, giving him a noogie.

"...I'll do it for him. He could take the night off and maybe do it some other time?"

"Well... if you insist." Koopley let go of his son. "But you're washing them tomorrow."

Koops rubbed his sore head, muttering, "Yeah, fine. Whatever."

"Aw, Vivian, that's so nice of you! Doing the dishes for Koops? I hope he's nice to you like this all the time."

"Of course he is," she smiled. "Koops is a great guy. It's a plesure to know him."

"Yes, he sure does try his hardest," she smirked. "He needs a little work in some spots, but I guess nobody's perfect."

The object of their affection pouted on the other end of the couch, which made Koopie Koo laugh. He wasn't just mad at his father's embarrassing antics, but also at Koopie Koo's incessant ramblings, especially to Vivian. Sure, she may've been playing around, but she just didn't know when to stop.

He decided to ignore her, randomly flipping through channels and trying to look busy. At that moment, Vivian swiftly brushed past his view, the TV's pictures making her purple image shimmer as she made her way to the kitchen. In an instant, all of his frustration melted away, replaced with admirable wonder. She seemed to get prettier all time...

Koopie Koo snatched the remote, grinning at Koops' frowning response. "Oh, don't get all offended, now. I was only joking."

He went back to pouting. "Yeah, but did you have to do it in front of Vivian?"

"Does it really bother you that much?"

"To tell you the truth, it does. If you keep telling her stuff like that, you'll make her think I'm a dork."

She scoffed. "You're at home now. I think she understands you're not the same person out on the road."

"It's not me, it's you and Dad. You keep treating me like a baby and it's really... embarrassing."

Koopie Koo rolled her eyes and began changing channels. Switching from the Mushroom Kingdom News, a shopping network, and a travel channel with some dancing Piantas, she finally stopped on a sappy romantic movie where two Koopas were dancing at a prom.

"Now," she said, wrapping an arm around him. "Stop making that face and let's watch this together. I heard it's really good."

He sighed and sank back in the couch, stuck watching the boring movie. He really hated stuff like this, but Koopie Koo wouldn't be letting go any time soon...

The lame, overdramatic movie went on for some time before Vivian came back, wearing an apron. Both it and her hands were soaking wet, not to mention she wasn't wearing her gloves.

Koopie Koo was the first to notice, letting go of Koops. "You're finished already?"

"Oh, uh..." She glanced back quickly at the spotless kitchen. "Yeah. There weren't that many."

"I don't think anyone's ever washed the dishes that fast before. Did you even use soap?"

"I liked the smell, so I used the lemon-scented kind... I hope that was okay."

"Sure, not a problem at all. That's actually my favorite kind, too."

"Oh, and um..." She began nervously playing with her hair, almost ashamed of what she'd done. "Also, the table was a little dirty, so I cleaned it. The stove had some rings and there was some coffee on the counter, so I got that, too."

Koopie Koo's mouth dropped. "Really? You did all that? How'd you do it so fast?"

Her answer was hesitant. "...Practice, I guess..."

"That's just too good to be true. It'd take me hours to do that!" She stood up. "I want to see it for myself."

Vivian simply shrugged and allowed Koopie Koo to visit the kitchen, somewhat glad she was gone. She spotted Koops and immediately took her seat, trying to look as innocent as possible. Although both knew she had no business sitting there, they failed to see anything wrong with it. They could've cared less as Koops grabbed the remote and turned to a comedy starring some Bandits.

"Did you really clean the entire kitchen?" he finally asked.

She nodded proudly. "It's not that hard if you have experience. I've been working in kitchens for a pretty long time."

"Really? Why?"

"It was the only way to get money. Sometimes, we had to do that so we wouldn't run out of food..."

She suddenly frowned, realizing that 'we' no longer applied to her. It felt so strange trying to explain her past experiences and not include her sisters. There wasn't one thing she could remember doing without them. According to Beldam, the only thing she could do by herself was cause trouble.

"Did your sisters ever help?"

"No, I usually had to do it myself. I was more of a distraction than anything else. They'd usually just sneak in, steal stuff, and run off once they had enough supplies."

At this point, Koops was intrigued. "Then what?"

She was about to answer when Koopie Koo came back, much to their dismay. They were both secretly wishing she'd go away a little while longer.

"I can't believe how well you did with the kitchen! Everything's so shiny and clean!" she laughed. "It's like we went out and bought a new one!"

"Well, it's the least I can do for everyone having me over."

"I think Koops could learn a thing or two from you and your cleaning skills. Have you ever brought that up?"

"It's kind of hard to keep things clean when you're traveling..." the siren responded, as-a-matter-a-factly.

"Oh, that's right! I keep forgetting you were all on that adventure thing." She sat beside her, not noticing she was now on the other edge of the couch. "I meant to ask, how is it in Twilight Town? It sounds like a really romantic getaway, but some people say it was once cursed by a monster. Which is really true?"

Koops began channel-surfing as Vivian answered more of Koopie Koo's relentless questions of what happened in the past few months. He could tell she didn't want to talk about it by the way she kept pausing and trying to get off the subject. It wasn't long before Koopie Koo did manage to stray from the story and started talking about how she always wanted to visit Glitzville, but couldn't because she was afraid of heights. He could only hope she'd eventually get tired and stop rambling on like this...

Vivian sighed. She was starting to get tired of this girl talking. She didn't mind answering questions, but she just kept coming up with new ones that made her wonder if she'd even answered the first one right. Surely she had something better to do than sit here and talk her ear off about how sweaty and smelly the Glitz Pit fighters must be. But she didn't want to be rude; as much as Vivian disliked her ongoing inquiry, she was a guest and had to act as such...

After what seemed like forever, she finally ran out of things to talk about and turned her attention to the TV. With Koopley already turning in for the night, only the three of them were left to watch sitcoms, movies, and reality shows; whatever happened to catch their undivided attention.

Koops thanked the TV in so many ways for its ability to keep others quiet. Hours passed by without a word from either Vivian or Koopie Koo; there was a change of expression every now and again, but otherwise, nothing. He was ready to switch from a commercial about the dangers of eating Yoshi eggs when Koopie Koo yawned.

"I'm getting sleepy," she said. "And there's nothing on anymore. The last good thing went off an hour ago."

At the sound of her voice, Vivian groggily sat up. She stopped paying attention to TV hours ago, just fighting to stay awake. Exhausted, she rubbed her face and sniffled.

Koops looked at the clock, which read a quarter to midnight. "It's late anyway. Maybe we should go to bed."

"All right," yawned Koopie Koo. Getting up, she walked past Koops and motioned for a kiss. "Good night."

Pretending not to notice, he quickly stood up. "Uh... Good night. C'mon, Vivian, let me show you to your room."

"Oh... Well, okay then..." She gave him a puzzled look, sounding hurt. "I'll be up there soon..."

"Okay," Koops curtly said, going upstairs. Like the shadow she was, Vivian trailed behind him.

With each step he took, his conscience gnawed at him from how he brushed off the other girl...

How could you do such a thing? it growled. Treating her that way and she's actually being nice to Vivian? You should be ashamed of yourself! You're supposed to let her down gently, not toss her aside like a Dried Shroom! Some friend you are!

Regardless, he continued pushing upstairs and focusing on Vivian, who followed him like a lost puppy. She needed even more attention if she was that uncertain of herself. Koopie Koo would survive the night, and he'd apologize tomorrow... If it was that big of a deal.

Up on the second floor, there were several doors in the narrow corridor. There was a bathroom, a closet, and a couple of empty bedrooms. All were slightly opened, except for one at the end of the hall, which was Koopley's room. Koops walked over to a pair of doors in the hallway's middle.

"This is my room," he said, opening the door.

Vivian peered inside, thinking it looked pretty organized for someone his age. Everything was in place and the bed was neatly made. Even if Koopie Koo had cleaned it up before, at least he kept it that way.

He opened the second one. "And this is yours. See? It's right next to mine. I thought you'd like that."

And she did. She liked it a lot. Of course, she wouldn't express it through anything more than a shy smile. The room was neat and clean, complete with basic things, such as a bed, dresser, and window. It reminded her a lot of the mayor's guestroom.

"Whose room is this?"

"Nobody's, really. It used to be more of a storage room, but Koopie Koo cleaned it up a few years ago."

She sat on the bed and hugged a pillow. "You know, this may sound a little weird, but I actually think this was a good day. Your dad is... nice. And Koopie Koo is, too. If it'll make you feel any better, they weren't that bad with the silly questions. It's only normal they'd be curious about a weirdo like me." She laughed bitterly at her last remark.

Koops frowned sadly. "Don't say that. It's not weird to be different. You fit in perfectly here."

"It's a good thing, too. I was a little scared they wouldn't like me."

"How could they not? They love you, and it's not hard to see why."

Vivian looked at him hard, hard enough for Koops to tell his comment triggered something. A smile spread across her face, going from a shy smirk to a big, happy grin. It was a loving, sweet smile that told him he'd hit the mark.

"Thank you," she gushed, hugging the pillow tighter. "Koopie Koo was wrong about you."

"Huh?"

"Even though nobody's perfect, I think you're the closest there is."

Now it was Koops' turn to be flattered. Her opinion sounded so honest and sincere, he felt like it was the truth. He was the pinnacle of perfection all because she said so.

"Well... good night," she said, standing to grab the doorknob.

"Good night," he replied. Her smile remained as she gently closed the door.

His smile soon turned into a frown, knowing he wouldn't see her again until tomorrow. He placed a hand on the door's wooden surface, wishing he could have a measly ten minutes to talk to her alone. Today, he barely got five...

He washed up, changed into his two-piece, light blue pajamas, and retreated to his room. He sat in bed and stared at the ceiling, Vivian running through his mind more than ever.

Having her recover so quickly was a miracle if he'd ever seen one. He had to tell her soon before something else prevented them from being together... Unfortunately, three weeks of being who-knows-where had left her softer than he last remembered. He needed to make her feel comfortable before doing anything brash. There was no way he could just burst into her room, shout "I love you!" and expect her to take it seriously. No, this matter had to be handled with care...

But with his father and Koopie Koo in the house, it'd only become more and more difficult to spend time alone with Vivian, especially if they didn't know how he felt about her. Koopley wouldn't be that hard to explain his predicament to, but Koopie Koo was a different story. As smitten as she was with him, she was slowly destroying any chance he had of making a future with the siren. If Vivian ever found out about Koopie Koo, it'd break her heart; if Koopie Koo found about her, they'd both end up hating him and each other.

And her face. Oh, that face! The image of Koopie Koo's puzzled expression came to mind. Her feelings were obviously hurt, but he didn't mean any harm. He just couldn't stand for her to kiss him anymore, and vice versa. He had to let her down gently. There would be tears, but then, acceptance... At least, he hoped so.

Koops sighed. With so much on the line, he had to break up with Koopie Koo first; the sooner the better. He could take her tantrum over the decision and Vivian would be flattered that he chose her over his own kind. He was going to have the perfect surprise on the night he planned to tell her...

"One week," he told himself. "Give me one week and I'll do it."

Satisfied with his plan, he turned over and switched off the light, already practicing what he was going to say...

Authoress' Notes: You have to feel a little sorry for Koopie Koo... Oh, well. This story is angst for a reason. :(