Okay, I have to apologize up front for this chapter…or at least for part of it…

You see, my sight went a while back and for the most part I'm describing everyone from memory…so if the description of one character…or more later on in the story…is inaccurate please bare with it. Feel free to correct me so it can be fixed in further chapters…but yeah…just thought I'd let you guys know incase you thought I was either loosing it or trying to turn a character into an OC or something…anyhow I'll shut up so you can get on with the story so ENJOY!

Chapter 3: Stranger Danger

"You're late."

"I'm really sorry, Stephon, I was visiting my brother and lost track of time." Marina sqeaked as she slid to a stop by a table and clumbsly took her seat, panting heavily. She had ran all the way from the observatory to the diner, a total of ten blocks, in five minutes. I should try out for Acme Tech's track team if I don't die right here and now, she thought as she lifted up her menue and started peering down the list of sandwitches.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you." He said. "You're eating the seaweed wrap with avocado dip."

She smiled. He really was the nicest guy she'd ever met. They'd only been going out for a month and he already knew her favorite lunch order.

Stephon was tall. He had blonde hair and coco skin that made her think of hot chocolate that had too much milk in it. The only fault she could find in him were his eyes. They were cold, calculating, and held some nameless evil behind them. They softened ever so slightly when he looked at her, but she still saw it there.

"Do you see them?" a giant man in a dark cloak asked the tiny woman sitting across from him. The woman peered from behind her menue.

"Yup. The little duckling is eating him up. This is brilliant." She cackled in a mad whisper.

"So, when are you going to introduce me to your brother?" Stephon asked, taking a bite out of his roast beef sub. "We're a solid item now, after all, aren't we? Don't you think I should meet your family?"

Marina stared out of the window. She liked Stephon, but she doubted Erin would. But, Stephon was right. If they really were serious, then they needed to come out to there families, right? She knew he didn't have any. He had come from some weird country across the sea and was new to Acmetropolis. But there was no reason why she couldn't show him off to her brother, was there? Her parents were out of the question. She hadn't spoken to them in about three months, ever since they found out she had contacted her biological brother and changed her name back to the one she had been given at birth. There was a lot of bad karma between her parents and Duck and she knew a wild haired, evil eyed, older boy, would be the breaking point to their tolerance. But, Erin. She could tell him. He may not like Stephon but at least he couldn't nor wouldn't band her from seeing him.

"Let me call him and see if he's free. You don't have to be back at work until three thirty so we could pop over and meet him after lunch if you'd like." She said at last, turning her blue gaze back to his steady one. He nodded.

"I would like that." He bent his face into his sandwitch again, hiding a satisfied smile. If you only knew how much I would like to meet your brother. He thought as they finished eating.

"Marina, hey are you okay? I was really worried about you." Duck said immideately when he answered his cell phone.

"Yes, Erin, I'm fine. I just needed to meet someone for lunch and I was a little nervous about meeting the legendary Loonatics." She said, her light and tinkling tone ringing in his ear. At least she was sounding like her old self, he thought as he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Who did you have to meet that was more important that your's truly?" he asked in a teasingly arrogant voice.

"My boyfriend." She said simply.

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, his name's Stephon. Would you like to meet him?"

"Yes, I would." He said, his heart thudding fast at the thought of his baby sister dating. He didn't even have a girlfriend yet. She was outshining him. This wasn't good. Oh, and of course he started thinking right away that no matter who it was, he was a dead man for coming near his little Mermaid.

"Are you free now?" she asked.

"To meet your boyfriend? I'm always free for that." He said, making sure she didn't hear the tention in his voice.

"Great!" she said brightly. "See you soon!"

"(Your sister?)" Slam asked. Duck nodded.

"Parently she has a boyfriend."

"Well, she is eighteen, Duck." Lexi said as she and the others walked into the living room. "I'm sure she's been dating since she was sixteen."

Duck growned. "I don't want to know." He moaned with his arm over his face, head back against the head of the coutch. "Where are you all going anyways?"

"We're gonna go get some fresh air 'n ice cream." Ace said, his arm around Lexi's shoulder's and Tech's around Rev's. "Ya guys wanna come?"

"(Yeah, ICE CREAM!)" Slam leapt up off the sofa and ran to grab his coat.

"Can't, Marina's bringing her boyfriend over here in a few." Duck said as he picked up the remote and flipped through stations.

They all looked worried. "I don't-" began Tech.

"think-" added Rev.

"that's a good idea." Finished Lexi. "What if Mastermind or Massive try and break in? You shouldn't be alone, none of us should be anywhere alone." She said nervously.

"Tech upgraded the security thingy so it should be okay. Plus it's like in the middle of the day so what could possibly happen?" he asked them in a laid back tone.

"Ya knows Duck, d'ere's be'n brave, d'en d'ere's be'n just down right stupid." Ace muttered.

"I'll be fine. You guys go on ahead." Duck assured them as he landed on the news. His eyes got wide and a far away expression filled them as he looked at his favorite weather girl, Misty Breeze. "Why wont you love me?" he whined.

Tech shook his head. "That's just sad." He sighed.

"(Painflul, if you ask me.)" Slam said.

"That's-mean." Scolded Rev, trying to suppress a burst of laughter. Ace and Lexi didn't bother though, they cracked up.

"Okay, Duck." Ace finally said, still laughing. "Ya can stay here 'n dream 'bout ya star cross love. We'll be back in a while." They all left, Slam ruffling Duck's hair as he passed. He was the eldest Loonatic, though they sometimes forgot this little fact, and looked down on all of them like younger simblings.

Duck pushed his hand away looking annoyed, but never took his eyes off of the TV. A few minutes after they left, he heard the door bell.

"Hey." He greated his sister with a hug and led her and the tall man behind her into the living room. He screwtinized the burley man for a moment. He thought he looked farmilar somehow, but couldn't put his finger on it. He had blonde hair that stuck up, reminding Duck of the hair on those tiny troll dolls. He was tall and brown, wore a blue sleeveless muscle shirt, jeans and sneakers, and had small, cold, menacing eyes. It had to be the eyes, thought Duck as he studied him. But even after he figured out that they were farmilar he still couldn't tell where he'd seen them before. He did however, get a sudden sense of paranoia and false security. He pushed this away, thinking it was just his own insecurity fighting to break out again.

"Nice to meet you." He said politely, his eyes flitting to a small crome necklace that somehow seemed out of place with the outfit and holding out his hand.

"Same here." Stephon said, taking Duck's hand. "I've always wanted to meet a Loonatic member."

"The moron doesn't even recognize him." Laughed the tiny woman from the diner as she and the giant man watched on a small hand held screen at the incounter with Duck, Marina and Stephon. "This is almost too easy."

"Remember, we're not going in for the kill, just yet." The man warned, afraid she was going to get so excited she'd jump the gun.

"I know that." She snapped. "Why don't you go and set your part of the plan in motion if you're so anxious." She told him as she turned her attention back to the screen. He sighed but got up from the bench they were sitting on.

"Fine, I will." He walked off.

"Yes?" a gruffy man asked as he opened his door, a beer bottle in his hand.

"Mr. Dale?" the huge man asked, glaring down at him.

"What ya want?" growled the smaller man, trying to fix the other in his sights.

"I have a proprosition for you."

…riiiight…R&R! XD