Author's Note: Filler chapter is filler? I meant to put more plot in it, but by the time I remembered it was almost over. Oops

Chapter 7

Sportacus got up at his regular, insanely early, time of 4:45 AM and started his morning routine. Brushing his teeth vigorously, a quick shower, a healthy breakfast, and then onto his morning exercise routine. By the time he was done with this is was nearly 6 and most other people were starting theirs days as well.

Stephanie had once asked him why he got up so early.

"Because people are always getting into trouble. I need to get up early so that that I'm always awake to help them." Was all he'd said in reply. Part of it might've just been that he loved the sunrise, and waking up so early always insured that he got to see it.

Now that the town was starting to wake up Sportacus descended from his airship to greet the day. He decided to go for a jog. Part of him anticipated going past the Mayor's house, but he didn't really expect Stephanie to be awake. It was early still, surely she'd want to sleep in.

But as he went past the Mayor's house he slowed down anyway. Stephanie's window was open. As his curiosity got the better of him he hopped the fence and peeked in.

Stephanie was awake. She was in a leotard and slippers and her hair was up in a loose bun. Quiet music was playing in the background as she lifted one of her legs in the air and moved it into different positions. Sportacus could see her other leg straining as she contorted. The movements were slow and deliberate. Stephanie put her leg down and very slowly descended into a split, her arms held high and her head tilted far back.

It was so completely breathtaking.

Stephanie wheeled her arms and leaned back as far as she could while still holding the split. She opened her eyes and saw Sportacus at the window. She jerked up and turned around.

"Sportacus!" She shouted. Sportacus gasped and sighed, catching his breath with a shiver. Stephanie got up off the floor and sat on her bed to lean on the windowsill. She smiled cheerfully at him.

"Good morning!" She said.

"Stephanie..." Sportacus hesitated. "That was so beautiful." He said after a moment. He sounded so amazed that Stephanie blushed.

"It's Victoria's Solo from Cats." Stephanie said. "My instructor wants me to practice it to build muscle strength in my legs. He says that fast dances are easy for me because I never hold still anyway, but the slow dances give me trouble." Stephanie elaborated.

"It was perfect." Sportacus praised. Stephanie decided not to argue with the compliment.

"So, what are you doing up so early?" Sportacus asked, recovering from being awestruck.

"I always get up early now. I get up at 5 and do my daily stretches and try to get in some dance practice before I start my day." Stephanie answered.

"That's a very good routine." Sportacus nodded in approval.

"I know what you're doing. You always get up early and take a jog around Lazytown to make sure everyone's alright in the morning." Stephanie said wisely.

"Every day." Sportacus agreed.

"But I don't get up as early as you do, so I still have to shower and get breakfast." Stephanie informed him. "So maybe I'll see you later?"

"Right." Sportacus did a flip over the fence and landed on the sidewalk. He started jogging in place. "I'll see you later Stephanie!" He gave a little salute with a smile and started his jog again.

Stephanie shook her head with a giggle and closed her window and curtains.

Stephanie showered and ate breakfast and decided to take a walk around town to get reacquainted with the old landmarks and her old favorite hangouts. She passed by the perpetually closed Ice Cream Stand, and by the old treehouse, and by the billboard that 'hid' the entrance to Robbie Rotten's house. After circling the town once over she ended up at the sports field, where she ended up catching up to Sportacus.

Sportacus spent a lot of time at the sports field. Exercising, or playing some solo game to amuse himself, and very VERY rarely he could be seen just relaxing in the shade under a tree. At this very moment he was doing push-ups. The elaborate kind that he did when he got bored with just the up and down ones. With bouncing, and one arm, and spinning around before his hands hit the ground again.

Stephanie could only assume that he was rather engrossed in this, because he hadn't noticed her walk up at all. She was practically right next to him before an idea popped into her head. She crept up next to him as he was in the middle of a few basic push-ups and slid onto his back with a giggle.

Sportacus stayed down a moment, not expecting the extra weight. Then he pushed up fast, making Stephanie bounce a little.

"Stephanie." Sportacus laughed.

"Hi Sportacus." Stephanie said over his shoulder.

"How was your morning?" Sportacus asked as he continued his push-ups.

"It was nice. I walked all over Lazytown." Stephanie answered, sitting up into a cross-legged position on Sportacus' upper back as he continued his routine.

"Have the people in Lazytown changed at ALL in the last 3 years?" Stephanie asked suddenly.

"How do you mean?" Sportacus asked, turning his head sideways to look at her.

"Well... I just don't know what anyone's been doing. And I know that I'll catch up with everyone eventually, but you could tell me at least part of it. All your letters ever said was that everyone was okay." She explained.

"Ah." Sportacus said as he understood. He put a knee down and Stephanie slid off of him so that he could sit up. Sportacus stood up and helped Stephanie off the ground.

"Well..." Sportacus crossed his arms as he thought about it. "Pixel graduated early and works as an electronics handyman of sorts. He goes and fixes things around town for people."

"Which is why he wears that tool belt with all the stuff now." Stephanie realized. She'd wondered why it was so complicated looking. Sportacus nodded.

"Yes." He agreed. "And Ziggy, his new favorite candy is..." Sportacus couldn't think of the name.

"What are those sugar stick things called again?" He wondered aloud with his hand to his chin.

"Pixie Stix?" Stephanie asked.

"That's the one." Sportacus said, his hand pointing into the air.

"And Trixie and Stingy..." Sportacus looked confused again. "They are in a relationship... but they like to pretend that they are not. I think Trixie calls this an... 'off again on again relationship'?" He didn't sound quite sure about that.

"Really?" Stephanie asked in surprise. Sportacus shook his head in exasperation.

"I can never be sure whether or not they're fighting or not one week to the next. I'm not really sure what that means for them." He explained. "I'm always having to pull Trixie off of Stingy in one way or another."

Stephanie was picturing Trixie beating up Stingy, but Sportacus was thinking more of the PDAs that risked going just a little too far that he'd had to break up more than once. He coughed uncomfortably.

"Oh, and Ziggy's joined the school basketball team." Sportacus said, veering back into more comfortable territory.

"Basketball! That sounds like a great idea." Stephanie said enthusiastically.

"Up for some one on one?" Sportacus challenged.

And so the game began.

Stephanie and Sportacus played for a long while. Sportacus, of course, had an impressive lead. But Stephanie put up a good fight. She was short enough to get under him to make a basket, and not afraid to cheat a little to try to prevent him from scoring. She'd jump on his back to try to get the ball and be a general nuisance.

Of course because it was just the two of them it devolved into over complicated ways of making baskets. Stephanie would stand on Sportacus' shoulders and make a basket. Sportacus would toss the ball in completely the wrong direction and they'd watch as it ricocheted off of different things to finally land in the basket. Stephanie applauded.

"Eeeeeeek!" Stephanie screamed, putting a sudden stop to the game.

"Stephanie!" Sportacus turned towards her swiftly. Stephanie had a completely shocked look on her face and she was standing rigid. Sportacus couldn't immediately define what made her scream, but then his eyes focused to just behind her. Trixie was behind her with a wicked grin on her face and a water gun in hand. Sportacus then notices the water pooling around Stephanie's feet. Trixie had shot her in the back.

Sportacus chuckled, but was cut short by a jet of icy water hitting him in the side of the head.

"Aah!" Sportacus spluttered. When the stream stopped he looked to where it was coming from and Stingy was snickering at him. Pixel and Ziggy were standing off to the side with guns poised at the ready.

"Oh no!" Sportacus moaned. "Stephanie, they've got us surrounded." He said with the air of one who was utterly defeated. Stephanie wasn't fooled.

"What do we do now Sportacus?" Stephanie pleaded, not quite holding in a giggle. Sportacus grinned.

"Watergun!" He shouted into the air. A pair of water pistols fell from his airship. He caught them and tossed one to Stephanie.

"Aha!" Stephanie rounded on Trixie, who then took off running.

The game was a water fight, and it was on.

For the next hour there were jets of water flying every which way, leaving the pavement completely soaked. People ducked behind walls and dived through the air and ran around screaming and laughing and ended up drenched.

Finally, quits was called.

"Well, I guess I win." Sportacus beamed. He'd barely gotten a drop on him after that first hit. The group looked at each other for a split second and then at him. 5 jets of water shot at him simultaneously. Even he wasn't good enough to dodge all of them.

Sportacus, despite their treachery, decided that everyone could use a nice, refreshing apple. Which is acquired off of a nearby tree.

Stephanie's shirt was apparently bothering her. It stuck and clung and annoyed her so much that she decided to shed it, and her shoes and socks, and let them try over a tree branch. She didn't think much of this because she had on a modest sports bra underneath. But it was enough to cause a titter among the boys.

Trixie, perhaps jealous of how much of Stingy's attention this move afforded Stephanie, did the same. This was a slightly bigger deal, given her more ample chest size, though her bra was no more revealing.

"I love summer." Stingy said with a sigh, staring a bit more openly than was polite. Trixie smirked with satisfaction.

There was emphatic agreement from all around, half the group missing the point.

Sportacus was pointedly ignoring the fact that the two girls were half naked from the waist up, being that he was so chivalrous. But that hadn't stopped him from nearly choking on his apple when Stephanie first peeled her shirt off. He'd been behind her as she'd reached behind her shoulders and stretched her arms upward. As her shirt went up the muscles in her back had pulled and flexed and... Sportacus shivered and looked away as he bit into his apple again.

"Don't think about it." Sportacus mentally instructed. "It'll only cause trouble."

Author's Note: Calling back to the beginning of the chapter - You should really look up Victoria's Solo on Youtube. It's only about a minute long and it's absolutely gorgeous. I can imagine Sportacus being really taken with it because it's such a physical feat to be able to do. If you don't think so there are also videos of amateurs attempting to do it on youtube as well.

Apologies again for the filler chapter, but at least I've been updating quickly. *knock on wood*