Two more chapters, hot off the press! In our first installment, Nori and the Warners are back at the studio lot telling their story to Scratchy and Heloise, but they're about to get interrupted – and later, there's some fun courtesy of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Stay tuned at the end of each chapter for an author note.

Special thanks to my faithful readers Mr. Yaksalot and Jenny – y'all make my day with your feedback! You've both given me some inspiration once again, so my gratitude goes out to you both!

Soundtrack: "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan; "Swing the Mood" by Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers (look up the video "Back to the 60s Jive Bunny" for an idea of the dancing done here!)

Yakko was right – Scratchy and Heloise couldn't believe their ears when Nori told them the story. At first, they sat flabbergasted at Jodi Bennett's treatment of her daughter. Scratchy, tender-hearted as he was, was horrified; Heloise's jaw set with anger and steel appeared in her eyes. The outrage soon gave way to laughter when Nori described the antics of the Warners, and when she explained how Wakko and Dot got her keys back, the mirth could be heard clear to Calabasas. Scratchy turned bright red and covered his mouth to no avail, while Heloise just let it all out in a howl of laughter.

"You didn't!" the nurse chortled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Darn tootin' we did," Dot said smugly. "It was Yakko's idea, but honestly, we'd have done it anyway. That witch needed to be embarrassed."

"Yakko's idea? Well, color me surprised," Heloise said, her smile belying the dirty look she threw the eldest Warner.

Yakko shrugged. "What can I say? There's always room for Jell-O."

"Normally, I'd crown you for that, but in this case, I'm willing to make an exception," Heloise said, grinning at the Warners. "Nori, I sure hope your mother's learned a valuable lesson from this."

Nori snickered. "Yeah. Never make a boob out of yourself," she quipped. She dissolved into laughter along with the Warners, and Yakko high-fived her over the pun. Once her giggles had abated, Nori stole a look at Scratchy and waved at the siblings to be quiet. "Guys, cool it. I think we're embarrassing Scratchy. Look how red he is."

"He'll get over it. He's from a time when you meant two chuckleheads if you were talkin' about a pair of –"

"All right, Yakko," Heloise said firmly, rubbing Scratchy's back. "Breathe, Otto. Do you need some water?"

Scratchy looked up, his flush fading to pink. "Nein, libeling. I'll be all right," he assured her, patting her hands. She squeezed his in return.

This was greeted by oohs and whistles from Yakko and Dot, a growl from an annoyed Wakko, and a smile from Nori, followed by the eldest and youngest Warners singing "Scratchy and Heloise sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Scratchy went red again. "Achtung, you two!"

"Hey, we could've sung the one about sittin' in a car," Yakko said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Enough," Heloise said, her tone brooking no argument. "Yakko, someone might just remember that if you have a kiss of your own."

Yakko almost said what do you mean, if, but kept his mouth shut. He didn't need to jeopardize their very-publicized bet by being cocky, and he sure as heck didn't want to shatter his new friendship with Nori. If he did make it to New Year's Eve, that kiss would be his dream come true. Besides, he loved her company. Heck, he loved everything about her.

"On another note, I think we'd better keep this between us," Heloise said. "Mr. Plotz might have a fit if he finds out what you three did to Nori's mother."

"Hey, just 'cause my name's Yakko doesn't mean I'm gonna blab this all over the lot," the eldest Warner replied. "I'm not too keen on getting one of T.P.'s Gucci loafers planted across my butt."

"Secret's safe with me," Dot affirmed.

"Ditto," concurred Nori.

Wakko rubbed the back of his neck, looking very sheepish. "Uhh…"

Yakko's eyes snapped onto his little brother. Wakko's expression had guilty, guilty, and guilty again written all over it. "Whattaya mean, uhh?" he asked suspiciously. "Did you let the cat out of the bag?"

"No, I didn't! Look!" Wakko took out his gag bag and pulled out a frazzled-looking tabby cat. "I did tell our story to Miss Flamazel, though."

"What?" Yakko and Dot yelped together. "When?"

"Remember when I needed a bathroom break?" Wakko grimaced. "I went into the office building."

Yakko slapped a hand to his forehead. "A hundred johns on this lot and you had to pick Administration's," he groaned. "Why?"

"Miss Flamazel's so nice! She always gives me candy if we're in the office, and I thought she'd laugh if I told her the story." Wakko reached into his pocket and took out two pieces of strawberry candy. "She gave you guys some," he said, offering them to his brother and sister.

Yakko accepted his piece with a sigh. "I don't know what's bigger, Wak; your heart or your belly."

"Jury's out on that one," said Dot, unwrapping her candy. "Let's hope Mr. Plotz wasn't spying on the intercom while you were telling the story."

Timing being what it was, a great bellow thundered down the hall from Scratchy's office. "WARNERS!"

Yakko winced. "That hope is a nope, sis."

The next thing they knew, Scratchy's office door crashed open and in stormed Mr. Plotz. The CEO was red as a ripe tomato and madder than a wet cat. Immediately, Yakko gathered Wakko and Dot behind him, shielding them. If you wanna lay a finger on my sibs, you'll do it over my dead body.

"Why am I not surprised? Whenever you three are out of the water tower, disaster can't be far behind!" Mr. Plotz ranted about locking them up and how they did nothing but cause trouble for Lord only knew how long, until he got to the heart of the matter. "Explain yourselves, now! Is it true that you attacked your babysitter's mother?"

"Semantics, Thad," Yakko spoke up. "You call it an attack; I call it vigilante justice."

"Horse hockey! Just because you're allergic to discipline doesn't mean you get to play Batman with a perfect stranger!"

Yakko strode forward, his brows drawn into a frown. "Okay, couple-a things here. First, I ain't in the mood to play horse hockey. I don't have my stick and the horse sucks at the game. Second, I auditioned to play Batman and you and the rest of the boardroom stiffs threw me over for Pretty-Boy Clooney. Third, I'm not allergic to a lecture or even a swat on the butt. What I am allergic to is an entitled mama giving her own kid the Cinderella treatment."

"That's no ex –" Mr. Plotz stopped mid-yell, the blood draining from his face. "What do you mean, Cinderella treatment?"

"Well, if you'll quit yellin' for a minute, I'll tell you," Yakko said. "Sheesh, Mount St. Helens didn't blow off this much steam."

Nori rose and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yakko, I think I'd better handle this. He might understand if it's coming from me."

Yakko met her eyes and knew she was right. Mr. Plotz was programmed to disbelieve anything he and his sibs said, so it made sense that he would take it better coming from someone else. He nodded and squeezed her hand, then stepped back to let her speak.

"Mr. Plotz, I gave the Warners permission to go after my mama. She'd taken my car keys and was forcing me to stay home and clean the entire house, because she didn't want me spending time with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot," Nori explained.

The CEO's eyebrows raised. "She took your keys? Well, maybe she was concerned about you. Those three can get wild, you know."

"With all due respect, sir, the only times Mama has ever been concerned about me is if she needs the shopping done, dinner cooked, or the toilet unclogged," Nori said. "And she got her info on the Warners from the National Enquirer. Do the math: common sense and my mother don't exactly add up."

A look akin to concern was coming over Mr. Plotz's face. "I see. If she was really treating you so…"

Heloise stood up. "Mr. Plotz, think about this for a second. Mrs. Bennett was trying to keep Nori from coming here to babysit. If she's not here, what are Yakko, Wakko, and Dot going to do? They'll bust out of the water tower, you'll have unaccompanied minors running around the lot, and that might throw a monkey wrench in your plans for the New Year's party."

"Or a socket wrench," Yakko said, holding up said wrench.

"Or a lug wrench," added Dot.

"Or an Allen wrench," said Wakko. "But who's Allen?"

Jokes aside, Yakko could see Mr. Plotz doing the math in his head. No Nori plus unaccompanied Warners equaled kibosh on party plans. Kibosh on party plans plus highly PO'd party guests, minus goody bags stuffed with expensive loot minus chance to doll up in tuxes and designer gowns and millions of simoleons' worth of jewelry minus the food and bubbles they all expected to get stuffed and snockered on, equaled pandemonium and really bad publicity. Multiply this by a factor of blame-shifting and another factor of good old-fashioned Hollywood spite, and the grand result was that he, Thaddeus Plotz, would be blamed for not being able to control three little cartoon kids long enough to keep a party going. Domino effect, a lot of the invited guests would never want to work at Warner Bros. again, which meant no moolah for Mr. Plotz to roll around in. And when his wallet was involved, Mr. Plotz could do the math better than his accountants. Heloise knew this, which was why the CEO wasn't arguing with her.

After several minutes of calculation and scenarios, Mr. Plotz finally spoke. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Heloise, you're right. The potential consequences would have been far too costly." He nodded at Nori. "I hope you'll accept my apology, Miss Bennett."

Nori smiled. "I appreciate it, sir, but I don't think I'm the one who needs the apology," she said, glancing meaningfully at the Warners.

A deep flush shot through Mr. Plotz's face and one of his eyes twitched. It was all Yakko could do not to laugh; as it was, every drop of ink in his body was screaming to yell in your face at Mr. Plotz, coupled with the obligatory butt-shaking victory dance. Which wasn't immature at all. But Yakko felt he and his sibs were more than a little entitled to some gloating, given how the proud CEO had never apologized to them for anything. For now, though, he, Wakko, and Dot settled for staring at Mr. Plotz with matching smug grins. And he responded with some impressive facial spasms. Apparently, the thought of saying I'm sorry to the Pests of the West was giving him a stroke. Dang, I wish I had my camera. This is a Kodak moment if I ever saw one.

"Mr. Plotz?" Heloise prompted, gazing pointedly at him. "Remember, true strength is admitting you were wrong."

Ooh, smart. Yakko wasn't sure what Mr. Plotz hated more – apologizing to them or looking weak. Ultimately, the fear of looking like a wuss won out. "Uh… Yakko… Wakko… Dot… I'm…" He swallowed so loudly, you could hear the gulp in Hawaii. "I'm…" Mr. Plotz's whole body slumped. "I'm sorry."

Wakko and Dot gasped gleefully and prepared to tease, but Yakko held out his arms. "Hold it, sibs. Mr. Plotz was big enough to apologize to us, so let's be mature about this." Rising from his seat, he drew himself up and extended a hand to Mr. Plotz. "Apology accepted." Surprise crossed the CEO's face and he shook Yakko's hand. The eldest Warner shook back, determined to be mature.

Right. And Porky Pig was gonna sprout wings. Yakko broke out in a huge grin and barked a loud "HA!" in Mr. Plotz's face. "Only took ya sixty years!" He turned to Wakko and Dot. "Let 'er rip!"

Wakko and Dot didn't need telling twice. They jumped in line with their brother and busted into the taunting dance of the century, featuring nyah-nyahs and oh yeah, plenty of butt-shaking. Nori was laughing, Scratchy was muttering "Yakko, you giftzwerg," and Heloise was glaring at the Warners with a smile – proof that she was more amused than angry. As for Mr. Plotz, he'd turned the color of a ripe plum and was grinding his teeth, but Heloise put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Plotz, let them have this moment. Lord knows you've had plenty of times doing this little song-and-dance. Need I remind you what happened when you announced the AOL talks to the board?"

Mr. Plotz froze. Hoo boy, did he remember. For a while now, he and the CEO of America Online had been talking about joining forces, since AOL was the most popular Internet provider and naturally, Warner Bros. led the way in entertainment. This would mean doubling, if not tripling, their media influence and raking in some big-time money. The deal was expected to be formally announced in early 2000 (barring the Y2K nonsense, of course), but it hadn't met without some resistance from the studio board, who seemed to think the merger would mean financial disaster. Once they'd all given in, Mr. Plotz had done a little butt-shaking of his own, threats of failure notwithstanding. "You're right as always, Heloise. I need a vacation," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"I can't! There's the invitations for the Green Mile premiere to go out, we have talks for engaging the director of Harry Potter, and I have a meeting with the decorator for the New Year's party!"

"I can take care of it," Heloise assured him. "You go home and get some rest. I'll attend the meetings on your behalf and explain you're out sick. They'll understand."

Of that, he had no doubt. Heloise had been present for some of his meetings before and had negotiated for him when the hardball smacked him in the face. The Hollywood big shots seemed to like her because she was direct without being a hard-nosed witch, so perhaps it was better if she took over for a little while. "Very well, Heloise." He dropped his office keys into her palm. "I leave Warner Bros. in your hands." After another get some rest from her, Mr. Plotz took his leave, wondering if early retirement would be a possibility after all.

Meanwhile, the Warners had ended their teasing and were high-fiving each other and Nori. Yakko was on Cloud Nine – first cheering Nori up, then dishing out just desserts to her mom, and now and apology from old man Thad? So far, this was the best day of his life. And the fact that he and his sibs had gotten away with yanking Mr. Plotz's chain was the cherry on top. "Hey, Heloise? Thanks for lettin' us razz Mr. Plotz for a while. I'm amazed he didn't blow up at us."

"No problem. I reminded him that he's done that little dance quite a bit himself, so he didn't have any room to talk. He's gone home to take a breather, so…" Heloise jingled the keys. "I'm in charge for a while."

Wakko immediately bowed down to the floor at her feet. "Hellooo, CEO Nurse!" he said, kissing her white pumps.

Yakko smiled. Not long ago, he'd have done the same, but meeting Nori had changed that. He figured, let Wakko have a crack at the fantasy – that is, if his little brother could get over the teensy-weensy little hurdle of Heloise becoming Scratchy's main squeeze. Wakko had sported a sour puss when he'd learned that their p-sychiatrist and the nurse were going steady, and he'd likewise gotten pickle-faced when Yakko and Dot were singing "Sittin' In a Tree." Yakko wasn't too worried, though. Wakko had a huge heart and he'd be happy for them eventually. He just needed to work the green-eyed monster out of his system.

Heloise laughed. "Get off the floor, you goofball," she said, picking Wakko up and setting him on his feet. "It's just for a little while. I've got a couple of meetings to go to, so does anybody need anything before I leave?" Silence greeted her. "Okay, I'm off, then."

Scratchy gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, mein libeling," he said with a smile. "You'll be wunderbar."

Heloise returned his smile. "I'll see you later," she said, kissing his lips. She walked out leaving a few things in her wake: a blushing boyfriend, a scowling Wakko, a smiling Nori, and Yakko and Dot oohing and ooh-la-laing. Scratchy eventually shooed them away (to avoid future teasing, no doubt), so back to the water tower they went.

Once they were inside, Nori set about making them a late lunch. Good old peanut butter and banana sandwiches worked for now, until they could start dinner. The Warners stayed behind in the living room while Nori threw the sandwiches together – they claimed they had a surprise for her. Nori didn't ask questions. Whatever they had planned, it had to be great, given the amazing stunts they pulled earlier.

Nori couldn't help giggling to herself as she spread peanut butter on bread, sliced bananas, and fried a little bacon (for Wakko, who wanted the Elvis version of the sandwich). Even though she hadn't seen Wakko and Dot retrieve her keys, the thought of how they did it still made her laugh. She'd never dreamed that her mother would one day reap what she had sown, but Yakko and his sibs made sure Harvest Day arrived.

Yakko. A warm feeling was beginning to spread through Nori's heart as she pondered how her relationship with the eldest Warner had changed. She'd thought for sure that she would view him as a frog forever, proof that she had been too quick to judge him. Although the wiseacre was still alive and well in him, the wannabe Casanova had vanished. The Yakko she knew now was funny, kind, and loyal beyond measure. He'd proven his twisted, yet irresistible, sense of humor in his takedown of her mother, his kindness in rushing to help her out of a jam, and his loyalty in standing up for her. And the fact that he'd called her family… man, that was the icing on the cake. Far from the arrogant toon she'd once thought him, Nori now realized how beautiful his heart was. It shone through his eyes, which were also downright beautiful, like glittering black onyx…

Whoa! Nori dropped her butter knife to the counter, startled by her own thoughts. Where the heck is this sap coming from? Yakko's my friend!

Uh-huh, said a teasing voice at the back of her mind. There's friend and friendlier, remember? And those thoughts about Yakko were getting pretty friendly.

I don't like him, like him! I just like him, okay?

Like ain't the word, sugar. You also remembered how he thinks you're the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and you didn't gag at the thought. He's not a frog to you anymore, he's a –

Hold your horses. He's not my prince.

Wake up, girl. Disney ain't your style. You said yourself you wanted a guy who was sweet, smart, had a wicked sense of humor, and didn't mind being challenged. Come on, who does that sound like?

Will you hush already? I'm not in love with him!

Nori's conscience chuckled. Give it time. You know what they say about the river in Egypt.

Nori told herself the heat in her cheeks was from the skillet as she took the bacon out, but her heart said otherwise. No way. No way do I have a crush on Yakko. She lay the bacon on Wakko's sandwich, piled it on a plate with the others, and paused to take a gulp of chocolate milk. No way. Was it just her, or did she waver a little on that last one?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a song beginning on the stereo. What the… disco. It was disco music that now played, an oldie-but-goodie revived Miami Sound Machine-style. Nori had seen the Warners do enough show-tune dancing before, and she knew Yakko was capable of the Thriller, but disco? Oh, this I've gotta see. Leaving the sandwiches behind, she made her way into the living room.

Nori gasped in astonishment. The living room had been transformed into a 70s discotheque straight out of Saturday Night Fever, complete with mirror ball. Wakko, clad in denim bell bottoms and a matching jacket, was playing DJ at an old-fashioned record setup; Dot, wearing a gold lamé disco dress and platforms, was doing her best Hustle on the floor. Both of them were singing along to "Turn the Beat Around" and having a fine old time. Yakko was nowhere to be seen, but Nori had a feeling he would make a grand entrance soon.

Her instinct was right. A nearby door burst open and Yakko spun out, striking the classic disco pose. Nori had to clamp both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing. From the white suit to the platform shoes, he was doing a John Travolta for all he was worth. He sang along with his sibs, whirled around, and beamed when he saw Nori. "Surprise! What better way to celebrate your jailbreak than with a little dancing?"

Nori laughed at last. "Has anyone ever told y'all disco's dead?"

"Nah. We missed the obituary."

Dot scampered over to Nori and tugged on her hands. "Come on! Let's boogie!"

Nori shook her head. "Guys, I swing-dance. I can do the Jitterbug and the Lindy Hop; heck, I can even do the Bunny Hop. My dance teachers never even touched the 70s."

"We can show you." Yakko smiled. "To quote Leo di Caprio, don't think! Just go with it!" he said, grabbing Nori's hands and whirling her out onto the dance floor.

Nori yelped, startled by the sudden motion. Once she'd regained her equilibrium, she studied Yakko and Dot as they danced, slowly following their steps. At first, she felt like a fish out of water, but she soon managed to get the rhythm down and her feet listened to the beat. After that, she was grooving along with the Warners, laughing and shaking it, realizing Yakko was right. She didn't have to worry about looking silly. She just had to go with it – and this was a lot more fun!

"Phew!" Nori breathed when the dance was over. "Man, that was fun!"

"Told ya," smirked Yakko. "You were great!"

"Well, now that you got me to boogie, it's my turn." Nori grinned. "How are y'all at swing dancing?"

"Are you kidding? We were in the mood before Glenn Miller made it cool," Yakko said.

Nori's grin widened. "Perfect!" She ran up to Wakko's DJ booth and asked to see his CD collection. He hauled out the box and she thumbed through the jewel cases, finally pulling out a disc loaded with swing medleys. She popped the disc into the stereo's CD player and hit the Play button. As the opening notes of "In the Mood" began, the Warners snapped their fingers. The disco décor flashed to a USO ballroom, and the siblings insta-changed into tuxes (the boys) and a pink swing dress and pearls..

Totally unfazed in her jeans and blouse, Nori hopped down from the DJ booth (as did Wakko, eager to dance) and walked straight up to Yakko. "Will you dance with me?"

Yakko broke into a radiant smile. "Is a frog's butt watertight?" he crowed. "Hang on a sec." He stuck his thumb in his mouth and blew, instantly growing to a height a few inches taller than Nori. "That's better," he said, taking her hands and getting into position with her. Nori briefly wondered if it was adrenaline or something else entirely that was making her heart pound. Praying Yakko couldn't hear her heartbeat, Nori focused on her steps as she and her partner swung into the Lindy Hop.

Joy soon chased her self-consciousness away. Yakko matched her steps so perfectly, swung her and spun her so fluidly, it was almost like dancing on air. And it got even better when the medley shifted into songs like "Rock Around the Clock," "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," and one of Wakko's favorites, "Jailhouse Rock." The Lindy Hope morphed into the Jitterbug, and four pairs of feet were flying. This dance, Nori could tell, was the Warners' favorite, for it gave them a chance to show off their footwork and just… well, be themselves. Nori glanced over at Wakko and Dot more than once to see them flipping their feet, kicking their legs out, and Wakko swinging Dot off her feet – even throwing her in the air a few times. And Dot didn't just fall back into her brother's arms, either. She did acrobatics worthy of an Olympic gymnast before hitting the floor.

Yakko laughed as his sister did a pirouette with a half-twist in midair. "Dottie-a Comaneci is at it again."

"No way could I pull that off," Nori said. "I'm good, but not that good."

"Maybe not, but we can still do this," Yakko said, putting his hands on her waist and flinging her up, holding her tight while she kicked the air. He brought her back down, gave her a spin, and pulled her back in.

"Whoo!" Nori whooped. She switched positions with Yakko so she was now leading. "Any chance I can try that with you?"

"You know it!" Yakko shrunk back to his regular size and waited for the right moment in the dance. Nori flung him into the air, and he somersaulted at light-speed before jackknifing back to the floor. He grinned at her. "How do you like that?"

Nori smiled. "I love it. It's not usual for a Jitterbug, but nothing's really usual about you guys." She didn't have to clarify that this wasn't an insult – Yakko would understand.

And he did. "Thank God. If we're ever boring, may lightning strike us."

"What, is it a sin for a toon to be boring?"

"If it is, they oughta give us sainthood!" Yakko said. Nori laughed, privately thinking that this toon and his sibs were angels – and feeling warmth from Yakko's touch.

Author note: The merger discussed in this chapter was indeed a real thing – America Online and Time Warner formally announced their deal in January 2000, with the merger taking place in 2001. On paper, it seemed like a great thing, but the merger turned out to be a major financial disaster, with AOL and Time Warner eventually splitting back into separate companies. Dubbed "the worst merger in history," it made sense to me that Mr. Plotz would be the mastermind behind this humiliation for Warner Bros. After all, he was the one who locked the Warners away for decades – the man can't be that bright.