A/N: Hey guys, I'm back yay! I didn't get to thank people in the last chapter because I forgot ;-; but not this time! Also, I have no idea what I wrote in this chapter so I'll probably have to come back to edit this properly.
Nari-nee-chan: I'm glad I updated too! But thank you so much, I'm literally so happy you enjoyed that chapter! Hope you enjoy this one too xx
TheGreatestWriter: love your name :p but yay, thank you for that. I didn't think I did a good job on portraying their feelings at all and thought I was just writing random stuff but I'm happy you were able to appreciate my efforts.
QueenDramaLlama: This isn't the best KND fanfic at all because there are so many other ones that are amazing with authors who are actually creative haha, but thank you! Reading that made me smile so hard I thought my face was gonna break in half. Support like that means a lot to me xx
Chapter 17: Operation R.E.M.E.M.B.E.R
Even though life in the treehouse had significantly changed, Nigel and the others never stopped looking for an antidote for Abby. The latter even went on solo missions to retrieve it but he never said anything about whether he found one or not. He just silently walked into his room each and every time and shut the door behind him.
Wally could feel the tension and the grief that everyone was emitting, even him. It was practically engulfing the treehouse almost every day and he was probably feeling it the worst out of all of them. Although, he could argue that Abby was taking it even harder than all of them combined. But then again, why should he expect anything from her? How could she miss them if she didn't even remember them?
That thought always hit him hard. Not being able to joke around with Abby made his heart tighten and the coil in his chest to tighten slowly as if torturing him. It was what kept him awake at night; the thought of the girl he loved not ever remembering the things they said and did together.
They were all small things but they shared moments together that he could only dream of doing once upon a time with Kuki. With Abby, it came naturally. And everything had been destroyed just as he had realised his feelings for her and now...he didn't even think he would be able to ask her if she ever, even just a little bit, felt something for him, too.
As Abby came down, he was shaken from his thoughts. The others turned and grinned, making jokes and making it seem as normal as they could so that she didn't feel out of place or upset in any way. Wally tried but it just didn't feel the same, knowing that she wasn't truly their Abby. It was like talking to another person, someone in her body. She was still as kind and as motherly as always but there was also a gap or a distance between them that was normally present with a stranger as if a big chunk of something was missing. He hated torturing himself with the thought; the events of what had happened replayed in his head like a broken video.
Though they were all hurting on the inside, the last thing they wanted was to have a flashback to what had happened over and over again. The best thing they could do was move on and help her remember. Wally wanted nothing more than for her to remember.
"Ooh, remember this Numbuh 5?" Kuki exclaimed with a bright grin on her face as she picked up a pancake with her fork. "You used to make the best pancakes for us!"
Wally nearly face-palmed at this; she couldn't possibly remember making pancakes if the pancakes that were in front of them weren't even hers. Wait, could she?
His lips were twisted into a frown and he didn't even realise that Abby was staring at him until she spoke up. "Did you like them?"
"Huh—what?" He blinked.
"Did you like the pancakes Abby used ta make?"
He found himself grinning widely, just delighted at the fact that she was finally making conversation with him. And willingly!
"Well, duh, course I cruddy did. They were the best!" He turned to the others, the others being Hoagie and Kuki as Nigel had once again left for his solo mission, and they all nodded in agreement.
"My pancakes," Hoagie quipped in, "aren't nearly as good as yours, though. I think you should be the one in charge of breakfast from now on so you can make those awesome pancakes!" The boy instantly cringed when Abby's smile faltered. Wally shot a 'what the crud' look at the boy with the goggles who shrugged sheepishly, mouthing a 'sorry'.
Wally facepalmed as the boy then eyed Kuki who frowned as she chewed, stabbing at the second pancake lying flat on the plate. Abby quickly recovered, seemingly unaware of the other three in their own worlds and silently communicating with each other, cutting a piece and eating it herself.
"Abby, unfortunately, doesn't remember the recipe but still, this sure tastes good to me," she replied with a smile after swallowing. Hoagie returned it, straightening up as he grinned. "I mean, it could be better." At his frown, they all burst out laughing and Wally couldn't help but glance at her, watching to make sure she was okay.
Ever since he had confessed to himself that he loved her, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Or staring at her. Though she was smiling brightly, he knew her well enough to know, memories gone or not, that she was hiding how she was truly feeling on the inside.
Wally resisted the urge to sigh and plastered a smile. "Abs—Abby—" he quickly corrected, "did ya wanna go out somewhere today?"
She stopped chewing and looked up at him for a few seconds. It was as if she was contemplating whether or not it was safe and just the thought made his heart shatter once again into a million pieces. With a shaky smile, he shook his head, head full of blond hair flopping about with the action.
"Never min-"
"Abby'd love ta," she said, cutting him off. He snapped his head up, eyes wide as he stared at her, not sure if he had heard right.
"Uh, whaddja say?"
"I said I'd love ta go with ya, boy."
"Oh," he mumbled. He hadn't processed what had just happened until Hoagie kicked his foot from under the table. The blond yelped as he jolted in his chair. At the look everyone was giving him, he bit down on his lip, shooting a sharp glare at the boy who continued eating as if nothing had happened. He turned to Abby quickly, forcing a smile. "I-I mean, great! I can't wait!"
Wally quickly stood up and limped over to the kitchen to put his used plate back before racing, still with a limp, to his room, trying to calm his racing heart down. He made it his mission to help her regain her memories, even if it was through something as small as a trip to the amusement park and the beach for ice cream like they used to. Wally hoped the trip was just as much an important memory as it was to him, though he hadn't seen it like that at first. With determination, he freshened up early to get ready for his not-so-date.
"So, where ya taking me?" Abby asked as they got off the bus. Wally shoved his hands in his pockets, both excitement and fear overwhelming him. He wondered how she would react once he told her that they had been here plenty of times together.
He wondered if she would finally remember him.
Letting out a slow sigh, he jerked his head towards the amusement park, the Ferris wheel twinkling as the sun began to set. They only had an hour left until it would close for the day but it was better than nothing.
Wally heard Abby take a sharp breath of air as her eyes widened. "Woah. That looks beautiful," she whispered.
"It sure does," he mumbled back, the blissful look on her face bringing hope within him again. He mustered the confidence to gently grab her hand as to not startle her and tugged her towards a ride. "You wanna go on it?"
She glanced over his shoulder and then looked at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Sure thang, boy. Let's do it."
Wally couldn't stop the wide grin on his face as they both climbed into the ride. Several rides later, they got off and laughed at each other's state and ruffled hair. Abby was bent over, pointing at Wally's hair that looked like he had rubbed a hundred balloons against his hair for it to stick up as it did.
He narrowed his eyes at her, lips pursed. "Shuddup, will ya?!" he snapped as he tried to flatten his hair down. She just shook her head.
"No way. You look ridiculous!"
"Whatever," he mumbled, rolling his eyes even though a small smile tugged at his lips. The awkward silence that had been engulfing them before had soon disappeared and they were talking like they used to. Wally couldn't be happier but didn't want to mention anything in case her mood would dampen about the thought of her old self.
As they went to sit down on a bench, Wally grabbed her hand and guided her in the opposite direction. Her eyebrows furrowed but he ignored it, eagerly walking ahead.
"Where you taking me now, boy?"
"Ta the beach. It's roight there!" They went from walking to running and by the time they got there, she was panting. But, Wally didn't care about that. He raced forward without her and to the ice cream truck that had was getting ready to leave.
"Oi! Wait!" he yelled from behind as he pumped his legs faster to get to it. When the truck abruptly stopped, he nearly fell onto the floor to kiss it but then straightened up as he realised that he needed to be quick.
The man behind the small window in the truck glanced down at him, eyebrows raised in irritation. "What do you want, kid?"
"Uh, ice cream? That's what you guys sell, roight?" he asked, sarcastically.
The man heaved out a heavy sigh and stared at him owlishly. Wally knit his eyebrows at his odd behaviour but shook it off. He wasn't there to wonder about the weird man. Abby and him having a good time together was the main priority.
"Oi, Abs, c'mere!" He didn't even hesitate to call her by the nickname. The more he called her like he used to instead of treating her like a stranger, the better and faster she would remember. At least, he hoped. Abby didn't look at him immediately, not until he called her once more. She probably didn't associate the nickname to herself just yet, but she would. She would remember.
He was cruddy sure of it.
He plastered a smile. "Whaddya want?"
Abby turned to look at the list glued to the side of the truck and bit her lip, eyes travelling over each word. Wally stared at her as if he was piercing a hole through her.
C'mon, ya know what ya want, Abs. Say pistachio. C'mon. He muttered those words over and over under his breath until she looked up at the man.
"Can I please get Rocky Road?"
Those words caused Wally's shoulders to slump in disappointment and he shut his eyes tightly. Of course, she wasn't just going to ord-
"Oh, wait, nevermind, could I get the pistachio ice cream, instead?"
For a few seconds, it didn't register until the man reached down to hand her the creamy, green ice cream. Wally stared at her, eyes wide and unable to keep the grin, that was slowly appearing, off his face.
Abby looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, confused and slightly worried. "What, boy? Why ya staring at Abby like that?"
He nearly let out a disbelieving laugh. "Ya ordered that disgustin' pistachio ice cream!" It wasn't as if ordering pistachio ice cream was a big deal in general, but it was to him. It was her favourite ice cream flavour. It couldn't be a coincidence. He wouldn't believe that. Unless the memory wiping machine left out her favourite ice cream flavour, he knew that this was a step in the right direction.
She blinked at him as if he was crazy. "I'm guessin' you ain't too fond of pistachio?"
"Nah. Hate it!" he said with too much cheer. "Why'd ya order it, Abs?"
Shrugging she went to open her mouth when she hesitated. It was as if she was confused to why as well. "I...I don't know. One minute, I wanted to eat Rocky Road but somethin' in me was telling me to order pistachio. I think it..." she looked up at him then, eyes glazed over and he clenched his jaw to stop tearing up himself.
"Do ya remember?" he whispered, urging her to with his gaze. She just stared at him silently, afraid to speak. "We used to do this from time ta-"
"You gonna order or not, kid?" The man in the ice cream truck asked as he looked between the two weirdly.
Wally sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly annoyed by the interruption. He shot a sharp glare at the man, fists clenched. "Nah, I ain't so shuddup, ya old fart!" The man just stared at him with wide eyes as the boy fished out some money from his pockets and slapped it onto the small space provided.
Grabbing Abby's hand, he tugged her to a bench near the beach and the amusement park, the one where they had sat that day when they caught Nigel on a date with Lizzie. She licked her ice cream hesitantly and then shuddered. Wally didn't say anything and stared out in front of him, his hopes deflating like a balloon as time slowly ticked by.
That was until she spoke up.
"This is...this is Abby's favourite flavour," she looked at him expectantly, "right?"
He glanced at her, unsure of how to feel. Did she say that because he had pushed her to or because she actually remembered? He didn't know what to say, wanting her to know for herself.
"Whaddya think, Abs? Do ya remember anythin'?"
Her face scrunched up as if she was in physical pain before she shook her head with a sigh of resignation. "Not much, boy. But...this feels familiar. Abby don't have a clue to why or if she's makin' things up but it does. The feelings just eating this gives me must mean something to my old self. It has to."
"Or it could just be cuz ice cream tastes awesome," Wally quipped in with a shrug. Abby chuckled at that.
"Yeah, that's possible." They settled into silence; he had expected too much from her. Obviously, she wasn't going to remember anything as quickly as he had hoped. It was a slow process. Who knew if she would ever get it back?
No! He couldn't think like that. He wasn't gonna. Things were gonna be fine and he was gonna make sure of it.
"But do ya remember anythin' else?"
She remained silent for a little while before speaking up. "Sittin' here with you and spendin' time with ya feels familiar. I ain't too sure but we've done this before a lot, haven't we?"
He perked up at this and stared at her, eyes wide. "Yeah, we have!" He let out a disbelieving laugh. "We sat roight here the last time when Numbuh 1 came over and we've talked 'bout the randomest things evah!" Another bout of laughter left his parted lips. "Ya remember! Well, sort of, but it's bettah than nothin'!"
He pumped his fist into the air, feeling hopeful for the days to come and a grin curved her full lips as she watched him smile goofily on behalf of her. It wasn't much of a development but even if it was small, it was still something.
And he couldn't be any prouder of her. "I can't believe it, Abs-I mean Abby," he faltered, trying not to let his stumble get in the way of his celebration. Abby looked at him with those gentle ink-black eyes that not only seemed to shine with a bright intensity but always threatened to devour him.
"Ya can call me Abs, boy." She grinned. "I like it."
Suddenly full of the joys of spring, Wally beamed at her.
A few days later, after a mission and a 'sub-mission' as the bald boy called it, they had come back to the treehouse to relax, chattering amongst themselves. They stopped once they saw Abby and smiled, waving at her.
Not once did they speak about what they did on their sub-missions around her; she assumed it was to find the cure for her missing memories. It made sense to why they didn't want to speak of it in case it triggered bad 'memories' of what had happened.
Which, since she didn't actually remember it, she didn't think she would really be upset or all that mad about.
Kuki and Wally randomly chattered to her about all the butt-kicking and the people that begged for their lives to be spared and she couldn't help but laugh at Wally's narration, especially. He was always animated, standing on the couch to demonstrate and wave his arms freely around. His jade orbs always seemed to glow whenever she smiled and listened attentively.
She didn't understand why but it made her feel special. They all did.
Whilst Nigel retreated to his room silently as he always did, everyone else did their own thing. Wally had calmed down and was reading a comic book, Kuki was on the floor playing games with her Rainbow Monkeys and Hoagie was just tweaking some technology that he apparently used in battle.
Abby was glad that no one talked about her loss of memories. Even though she didn't remember anything up to the point where her memories were erased, she was glad that they weren't trying to make her feel bad about not remembering them. They tried to speak to her normally, even if they did bring up the occasional 'oh, remember this' and 'remember that'. It was always unintentional; the flush of their cheeks and the wince that would follow confirmed that it was.
It did cause a familiar twinge of pain to strike at her heart, though. Abby wasn't able to join in the conversations where they would reminiscence or make a joke that was known by them all. They didn't make her feel like she was missing out, not intentionally, but Abby made it her mission to make herself feel bad. She didn't understand how she could forget these people who loved each other and even her like family.
It wasn't fair to them. She could tell they were hurting just as much as she was; she hated being the victim.
Whilst they all did their own thing, Abby got up and walked down to Nigel's front door wanting to go out for some fresh air. When she opened the door, to her confusion, a blond boy – a teenager – with electric crystal blue eyes stared back at her, fist raised up as if to knock on the door. He let his hand fall limply beside him as he peered into her eyes. Then, shoving his hands into his pockets, he grinned at her.
"Hey, kid."
She furrowed her eyebrows, suddenly feeling defensive. She had never seen this boy before, though his face and his manner of speaking felt familiar. It didn't give her a good feeling, though. Her brain was sending her signals, like a warning for her to stay away.
"Uh, hey? Who are ya?"
The boy raised his eyebrow as if he wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "You playing a prank on me or something?"
Abby didn't say anything and stared back at him defiantly, wanting him to speak up. He only sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked away.
"Right, I guess not. I thought this was just a rumour but I guess it's pretty serious, huh?"
"What? What are ya talkin' about, boy?"
He shrugged. "You don't show up to the fights anymore. Thought those Delightful Kids were lying about wiping your memory. Didn't think they'd ever get the upper hand against the Kids Next Dorks, to be honest."
Abby couldn't help but pierce him with a stare, fists shaking beside her. How could he mock her or her team like that? She didn't know who exactly they fought but the boy in front of her seemed to be trouble. "You know, Abby thinks it'd be best for ya if ya leave."
Instead of getting mad at her or leaving as she had expected, he smiled at her. A small, gentle smile that suddenly caught her off guard. The frown she had on her face slowly disappeared and her fists relaxed.
"I'm not trying to get you mad or anything. Just," he shrugged, "thought you'd need a friend during this time. Though we're actually anything but friends so don't go getting any ideas, kid. I just wanna help." He smirked as he gauged her reaction. "Name's Chad, by the way."
Chad...Chad? Why does that sound so familiar?
Shaking the thought off, she studied him warily. "Abby."
He snorted, eyes flashing with slight amusement. "I know."
Right. She felt a little foolish at that but straightened her shoulders to make sure he didn't catch her in a moment of vulnerability.
"Well, what do ya want, Chad?"
He shrugged for the billionth time. "Like I said, I thought you'd need a friend and some time to relax. So I wanted to invite you out to a party. After our talk down at the lake, I feel like we're close enough to hang out a little bit."
She narrowed her eyes. Of course, she didn't remember the talk down at the river but he wasn't someone she saw every day. How could she believe that he was trustworthy and part of their team? What if he was just making things up?
"Abby's fine hanging with the others here," she said.
His eyes flashed with a hint of amusement. "Ah, the other dorks. Well, the invite's still open. I'll be waiting here at seven and we'll go together. See ya." He shot her a breezy half-smile, the corner of his lips tilting up before he turned and walked away.
Abby watched as his figure disappeared around the corner, forgetting all about her plans to get some fresh air. Instead, she turned and robotically walked back to where the others were, unsure about what to do. It was only when Wally spoke up that she realised she had, without even knowing she did so, plopped onto the couch, staring mindlessly at the TV.
"Uh, Abs? You alroight?" he asked, his pear-green eyes looking up from his comic to focus on her. Though she didn't remember much, his gaze was familiar, even though she didn't understand why he was looking at her the way he did, she knew it wasn't new.
"Yeah. Abby's fine," she muttered, before shaking her head wanting to tell him the truth. "I just met a boy called Chad. Ya know him?"
Two heads snapped up to stare at her, eyes wide as soon as she uttered the boy's name. Wally's lips were set in a thin line soon after and his eyes narrowed.
"Why was that snot-bag 'ere?"
By their reactions, Abby could tell that he wasn't good news. She wasn't sure if she was to mention that he had also gone out of his way to invite her to a party. Would going be a betrayal?
Taking a deep breath, she decided to be honest. After all, they were all like family and she didn't want to ruin anything they seemed to have. "He invited me out to a party. Apparently, he knows all about what happened."
The others stiffened and shared a glance with each other before Hoagie got up and sprinted off. "I'll go get Numbuh 1!"
Kuki just stared at her, goggle-eyed as if she had seen a ghost. Wally just sat there, unmoving, however, she could see that his fists were clenched. As Nigel appeared, they all stared at him, unsure of what he would do.
He looked at her as he came and stood in front of her. "So, Chad invited you out to a party?"
"Yeah." She made eye contact with everyone. "Y'all look pale. Is he one of the bad guys?"
"Yes, he's one of our many enemies," Nigel said, putting his chin in his hand. "But a party, hmm..."
"Why're ya even thinkin', Numbuh 1?" Wally snapped, his sun-kissed skin turning slightly pink. "Ya can't let 'er go to that dumb party! Just say no, already!"
"Who knows what they'll do to her there," Hoagie piped in before shuddering as if imagining the worst. Kuki just looked between all of them, nodding her head in agreement.
"Hmm, you're all right but think about it, guys. At the party, there'll be a bunch of teens. They're always plotting something against us. Maybe we can find something out if we send her in there."
Wally furrowed his eyebrows, throwing his back into the couch rather aggressively as he crossed his arms. "She's lost 'er cruddy memories, how's she gonna know what to look out for?"
Nigel scratched his cheek, looking a bit lost. "Oh, well that's true." He then glanced down around at all of them, his eyes lingering on Wally for a little too long. The blond narrowed his eyes into slits, lips pulled up into a sneer.
"Oi, don't look at me like that! I ain't gonna wear a cruddy dress and go disguised as a girl like last time!"
"I didn't ask you to, did I, Numbuh 4?"
Wally's face flushed pink as he looked away, muttering incoherently under his breath. Nigel snickered a little before his eyes landed on Kuki's. "Well, since Wally isn't interested, I guess we'll send Numbuh 3 in with Numbuh 5," he joked. But then his face turned serious. "Don't worry, Numbuh 5. We'll be watching from the bushes. If you're in trouble, just yell into the earpieces we give you. You'll be fine. No teenager is smart enough to think that a girl with no memories will arrive with backup."
Everyone was wary of the plan as they shared another round of worried glances. Even Abby wasn't sure but she agreed for the sake of the team leader. Wally seemed to take it the worst as he was fidgety the entire time, his leg bouncing up and down repeatedly. Meanwhile, Kuki saw that as her moment to shine, grabbing Abby's hand and taking her to her colourful room to get dressed.
At first, she had insisted that she'd wear her regular clothes but Kuki wasn't having it and so Abby gave up. In fact, she didn't mind being pampered. It felt nice. Different. Kuki was like a younger sister she'd never had before and perhaps she had had that thought plenty of times before but to think of that now, she was sure it was because she was feeling closer to them.
"So, how do you like your new look, Numbuh 5?!" Kuki beamed at her after allowing the African-American girl to look in the mirror. To say she looked like a completely different person was an understatement. And not in a bad way, either.
She thought she was going to be dressed in a girly way, but she wasn't. It was simple and elegant. She had on a plain navy blue dress paired with black flats, her hair that resembled beach waves was taken out of its regular plait and framed her face perfectly. Speaking of which, her face didn't look like it was worked on too much either. Lip-balm and eyeliner were all that was put on but that was all that was needed.
Abby didn't think she'd love it but she did. She really really did and she didn't have anyone else but Kuki to thank. So, she did what she could without using words that would sound insincere considering her situation. She hugged the tall, Japanese girl tightly and it was instantly reciprocated. Abby could feel all the love and care through that one embrace and she couldn't help but smile, the tears threatening to leak past her eyelids.
Pulling away, she beamed at Kuki who forced out a wavering grin. "I think you're ready, Numbuh 5. Let's go show the others, come on!"
She pulled on her hand and dragged her out to show the others. Though, when they got there, the only people that were there was Hoagie and Nigel going through the plan for the night. Wally was nowhere to be seen and Abby couldn't help but let her eyes wander, looking for the aggressive but also gentle boy.
The others complimented her and she smiled at them. But she wasn't really paying attention to them. Not even when Nigel gave her the earpiece and got Kuki to help her insert them. She was too antsy as the time ticked by and Wally was nowhere to be found. The others didn't seem too concerned, as if it was normal. So, she tried to relax, too. But she couldn't.
The plan was set in motion and the reality of what was going to happen hit her. She was going to a party with a teenager she didn't even know and was potentially dangerous. He said he was a 'friend' but she didn't know if she could trust him. Even though Kuki would be with her and watching from inside, she didn't know what to expect.
Letting out a long breath, she found it easy to regain confidence, knowing the others would be keeping a careful eye on her. She could place all her trust in them because she had a feeling they wouldn't let her down.
Now, all Abby had to do was wait until seven.