I do not own Pepe or Penelope (or the short Two Cents Worth) that one is favorite so I've been looking forward to this! Hey, have you guys ever noticed this? In some shorts, Pepe's tail is his height, and then in other ones it is like way high over his head? Weird!

Chapter Twelve

Worth One Scent

In the countryside Penelope went to meet her family who were delayed in seeing her. Of course, Pepe was close around in her proximity. He was on his own escaping the pressures of finding a job since he had been fired from the perfume shop.

Penelope had awoken refreshed from a good night's sleep and showered that morning after a nice breakfast. She went out onto the small village she was in dressed in dark denim jeans, black flats and a grey shirt. Nobody was out since it was when the villagers took naps around that time. She sighed and hummed a tune.

Pepe was up as well and had been for a while watching the sunrise. His high-tops were now dry from the grass that had been damp before giving the white capped shoes a glistening shine. He had rolled the cuffs of his new dark denim jeans because they were a little long two times for the appropriate length. In a raglan shirt with the sleeves black and the rest grey he breathed the fresh air.

He glanced down at the small village and saw her on the outskirt of it. She was smiling and wandering on her own. He felt his heart rush and then before he knew what he was doing he was hurrying quietly behind her smiling.

"Guess who?" he said placing his hands in front of her eyes. She froze.

"Le Pew," she sighed. Pepe smiled in that she had remembered his name. Last name, but that was better than nothing.

"Ugh! What a weird name!" she thought.

"Bonjour Penelope," he said freeing his hands from her eyes which she rubbed quickly.

"Ah, you too." She said sharply wanting him to leave.

"Where are you heading of to on your own?" asked Pepe. She started walking, but Pepe stepped in front of her and walked backwards easily. Penelope kept on walking ignoring him. He finally turned when they were among a wood and he turned…SLAM!

Right into a tree. Penelope was genuinely was concerned that he was hurt. He wasn't for he followed more.

"If you do not mind," she said. "I am going to walk alone now."

Pepe grabbed her hand which jerked her back.

"I won't have you do zhat," he said kindly. "A woman should never be on her own een zhe wild."

"Exactly," Penelope thought.

Instead she said; "What do you want me to do?"

"Stay weeth me," said Pepe almost whispering. He still clung to her hand. Their left hands intertwined. Penelope thought his hands would be sweaty, but they were not.

"With you?" she asked looking him in the eye.

"Weeth me Cherie," he said lovingly. He kissed her hand, her wrist, then up her arm to the cheek he kissed before. Penelope trembled with what he could do to her alone in the woods.

"Will you stop that!" she snapped. Pepe was not taken aback, but he stopped.

"You know," he thought to himself letting go of her hand. "Eet eez not just a keess of physical attraction. I admire her mind too."

Penelope went on at a steady pace. She might have called the police, but she couldn't find anything bad that Pepe had done and she felt guilty at the thought of putting someone in jail.

She went on with Pepe not too far behind her. Then she broke out into a run. She ran up the small hill which would lead out to a cable car.

"He's been lost," she thought looking over her shoulder. She couldn't see Pepe, so she went into the cable car which was empty. By accident she went to the front and leaned onto a lever which gave it a jolt and a slow shake.

Pepe now sat in the front row and smiled at her then gave a small wave that was flirty. She looked back randomly to see him as usual. She gasped to see him. He was just sitting there with a smart-aleck and intimate look with his right hand under his chin.

"Nice going Cherie," said Pepe. She may have run, but he knew how to run faster even if he was in last place.

"Amazing," she said. She couldn't believe how they kept on meeting each other. She and Pepe didn't even believe in jinxes. So there must have been something greater happened between the two of them.

The cable car went on every now and then with a annoying jerk and jolt.

JERK!

JOLT!

It went that way for twenty minutes. Now Penelope wondered if she could climb out and tiptoe on the wire that cable car was going on.

JERK!

Her thoughts were interrupted by the annoyance.

JOLT!

She nearly fell out of her seat which was in the captain's place.

"How annoying!" she wanted to complain. "I am stuck on an old cable car with the last man I would want to be intimate with!"

Pepe was leaning back in his seat and shook his right foot that had fallen asleep.

"I hate eet when zhat happens?" he said.

"What does?" asked Penelope to break the silence.

"When your foot falls asleep."

"Oh yes that is annoying."

"Or een zhe hand when you keep eet clenched or somezhing."

"Yes that too."

The cable car finally rested at the station. Penelope leapt out and bolted away into the next part of the woods.

"Where eez she going?" Pepe thought.

Penelope dashed out onto the woods and rested under a tree to catch her breath. Pepe spotted her and smiled.

"Navigator to pilot," he said to himself. "Pretty girl at three o'clock. Over! Roger! Wilco!"

He took a few paces and chuckled at how funny she could be with her mannerisms.

He reached her tree and leaned against the trunk. Penelope glanced at him. Figures! He climbed up a branch.

Then to Penelope's shock and amusement he made eck sounds rapidly and pointed his fingers like they were weapons.

"I pierce you weeth zhe eck-eck of love flowerpot," he said charmingly. She held back a smile at his saying.

"Very funny," she said. She got up and slowly walked since she felt tired from running and bolting away. Pepe reached out to he the branches of the closely growing trees and swung himself easily to the next one to follow her.

"You are like a monkey," she said. "Swinging like that."

"Merci," he said and jumped down.

The two walked slowly. The sun beamed high and Penelope felt groggy. She sat in the grass and lay on her side. She almost forgot that Pepe was there because she felt content. Like a small child having a lazy and enjoyable day.

Pepe sat next to her and glanced up at the sky.

"Eet's lovely," he said.

Penelope ignored him and dozed. Her eyelids began to droop at the sound of his voice.

"Zhis had been a good day for me," said Pepe. "I like seeing you Penelope."

She said nothing and twitched her hand. Pepe stared at her and struggled to find his feelings about her. Was this love? Was this a mere crush? Just smitten? Just fond of?

Whatever it was he found himself leaning towards her cheek again and kissed it. Penelope rolled over from the feeling.

"You're a good lady Penelope," he said gently. "I don't know why zhose men don't see you for you." They would treat her as if she was worth once cent than more.

Penelope heard that! She wanted to react, but sleep was taking over her body (which Pepe was starting to notice since they were close to each other.)

"She eez so beautiful," he thought and lay back with his hands behind his head and dreamed of her even though she was right at his side. "I hope you find zhe right one for you Penelope. Wherever he eez."

If only they both knew…