I'm back with not one, but two chapters! (And a short story, which you can read under my pen name or in the Pinky and the Brain section!) In this two-parter, Nori's weekend plans are thwarted by her mother, but once Yakko, Wakko, and Dot find out what's going on, it's a rescue Warner-sib style! And we get to see how Nori and Yakko's relationship is developing now that they've reached a truce...

Two weeks after Halloween, Nori woke feeling better than she had in a long time. She and Yakko had mended their fences, and the last few days had been great: he'd started joking around with her more but never straying into innuendo-land – after all, they still had a bet going on. But his wordplay and quick wit tickled her and gave her the chance to sharpen her own comebacks. They'd even started studying together, doing their homework at the same time. Wakko and Dot even got in on the fun sometimes, with a new way to study: songs. When Nori had a test on the capitals of the United States, Wakko sang a ditty that named every capital city and their states, all while playing the fiddle (which Nori, a country music fan, loved). Most recently, Yakko had a quiz on the water cycle, and Dot had been too happy to hop in with a number about the very subject. Nori had not asked Yakko if he himself had a song, but she wouldn't put it past him, given the Warners' collective passion for song and dance.

No homework was on the agenda today. The day was fully open, which meant anything was possible, and with the Warners, anything went. It was a sunny Saturday, perfect for having some fun. Of course, this probably meant some more sulking and complaining from Jodi, who had been making her displeasure over her live-in maid having an actual job well-known since Nori began working at Warner Bros. Nori, used to her mother's histrionics by now, merely ignored it and continued her work – which was giving her the most joy she'd felt in a long time. As she dressed, brushed her hair, and dabbed on some makeup, Nori thought that they might go to the arcade or the local park to shoot hoops, or maybe visit Slappy to give her a break from Skippy's antics. Or the library, maybe; Dot had been wanting a new book to read for a while now. Either way, today was going to be fun, and Nori was still turning possible outings over in her head as she headed to the front hall to grab her keys…

Only her keys weren't there. Nori frowned at the empty hook. That's weird. I thought I hung my keys up last night… Confused, she ran back to her room and dug around in search of her keys. A quick scan of the living room turned up nothing, and the kitchen yielded no results, either. I don't get it. Where could… A nasty suspicion crept into her mind. No, she didn't. If she did… Nori ran to her mother's room, anger beginning to bubble inside her. "Mama!" she called, throwing her mother's bedroom door open without knocking.

Nori's mouth fell open and shock washed over her at what she saw. Jodi's room was completely trashed – clothes and shoes strewn all over the floor, plates with leftover food clinging to them lying about, and various knickknacks lying pell-mell on the dressers. It was an unholy wreck, to say nothing of the smell. In the middle of it all, on the unmade bed, reclined Jodi, as made up as ever, a vicious smile curving her lips. "Hi, darlin'," she drawled innocently, but Nori wasn't falling for it.

"Mama, where are my keys?" she asked once the shock wore off.

Jodi raised her eyebrows. "Keys?" she asked, clearly trying to play dumb.

Nori fought the urge to facepalm. "Keys, Mama. Little metal objects with sharp teeth that unlock doors and cars?"

"I know very well what they are, Elinor; don't get sassy with me," Jodi said, a frown mark puckering her forehead.

"Oh, good. Now that we know you're smart, maybe you can tell me where you hid my keys?"

"Are you accusing me of stealing your keys? Do you really think I would do such a thing?"

"Yes and yes." Nori planted her hands on her hips and stared her mother down. "What did you do with them, Mama? You know I'm sitting for the Warners today."

"Are you? Must've slipped my mind," Jodi said, examining her fingernails.

"Don't play games with me. You know darn well I babysit on the weekends, too, and today's no different." Nori glared at Jodi. "Where are my keys, Mama?"

Jodi's lip curled before she reached into her cleavage and withdrew Nori's keys. "You mean these?"

"Yes," Nori sighed with relief. "May I have them, please?"

Jodi closed her fingers around the keys. "You can have them back when I say you can."

Nori closed her eyes, biting back the snap that threatened to come. "Mama, please don't do this. I need those keys; I have a job to do! There are three kids on the Warner lot who need me!"

"They need you?" Jodi laughed. "What about me? I need you far more than three pieces of scrap paper ever could!"

Nori gasped. She couldn't believe her ears. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot may have been made of paint and ink instead of flesh and blood, but it didn't make them any less of people. "I can't believe you! How can you say that? Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are no less alive than you and me!"

"So you do know I'm alive, do you?" Jodi said spitefully. "While you've been off gallivanting around Los Angeles with those toons –" She spat the word like it was bile in her mouth – "I've been wasting away here because my only child doesn't care enough to keep this family fed!"

Nori balled her hands into fists, but kept them firmly locked at her sides. No way was she going to let Jodi sucker her into overreacting. "In case you haven't noticed, I still go shopping every week," she said, keeping her voice level. "Every single Sunday, we have food in this house." Because if I didn't shop, we'd both starve to death.

"Well, what about the cooking? I haven't had one of your homemade dinners in ages because you're gone so much."

"Mama, we've had this discussion before. You are more than capable of cooking your own meals. I know because I've seen you actually make the effort when you've got the boyfriend of the week to impress, and then you put on the image of the perfect Southern belle."

Jodi's eyes were smoldering as she glared at Nori. "And the chores? You're never around to do them, either," she said, sounding like a petulant teenager.

"Think again. I make sure this house is cleaner than the ER every Wednesday and Sunday. You never see it because while I'm up early cleaning, you're still lazing in bed."

The look Jodi was giving Nori was murderous, but Nori didn't care. She'd shot down every single argument, and Jodi knew she couldn't come up with any other excuses – which was precisely why she was so furious. Her jaw worked for a good minute before she spoke again. "You think you're better than me, don't you?"

This time, Nori didn't hold the facepalm back. "Mama, don't start," she groaned, thinking here we go again. Whenever Jodi didn't get her way or was losing an argument, she did one of two things: sulked like a toddler or turned on the histrionics. Today, it was the second option: drama, tears, drama, manipulation, drama, theatrics, and more drama. All things considered, Nori would rather have had the sulking. At least when that happened, Jodi clammed up like the cat that wouldn't say boo.

"You do! You think you're the be-all, end-all because you're working at Warner Bros., but you're nothing but a glorified nanny to three ink blots the studio hates. I should've known they'd never hire you as an actress." She dropped the drama long enough to give Nori a pitying look. "You didn't get a fraction of my beauty, bless your heart."

Though she'd heard this enough to make her numb, Nori still felt an indignant sting at her heart. I am not ugly. Dad thought I was beautiful, and Yakko thinks so, too. She almost froze at that thought. Where did that come from?

"No doubt you're putting on that Little Miss Perfect act with everyone at the studio, making them think you're the sweetest thing that ever drew breath, just like you have since you could talk."

Nori pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "It's called being a decent person, Mama."

Jodi sniffed. "Self-righteous is what it's called. Just like your father."

Never before had Nori wanted to scream at someone so much. Her face was burning and she was white-knuckling her fists, and she had to take several deep breaths to steady herself. "There's a big difference between being self-righteous and trying to do what's right. Dad always tried to do what was right, and that's what he taught me," she ground out. "He always told me to think of others before myself."

Jodi didn't take the hint. "Fine job he did. You never think of me, after all I've done for you. I'm always thinking of you. Why can't you ever think of me?"

Nori was incredulous. Always thinking of me? Yeah, right! "Mama, the only time you ever think of me is when you need someone to clean up your mess, cook your meals, and wait on you hand and foot. When was the last time you thought about making my life a little easier, or about letting me be a kid for once? When was the last time you told me you loved me?"

Jodi gave her a nonplussed stare. "How can someone love a person who thinks the world revolves around them?"

Despite the pain that seared through her heart, Nori glared back at her mother. "You tell me, Mama," she said bluntly. "Now give me my keys."

Jodi held the keys out of reach. "Not until you've cleaned this house from top to bottom, missy," she spat.

"Mama, I am not kidding! I need to go to work, now give me my keys!" Nori made a grab for her keys, but Jodi was up and in her face in a flash.

"You listen to me and listen good, Elinor Elizabeth," she hissed, her hazel eyes narrowed. "You are going nowhere until this house is sparkling from the floor to the roof. Every. Single. Room. And I want this room –" she gestured at the tornado-worthy mess behind her – "immaculate. So clean I can see myself in the walls. I expect this to be done by the time I get back."

"Back from where?"

"Dodgers Stadium. They're having a special event today – someone is talking about how to survive the Y2K crisis on New Year's Eve! He already had an amazing article in Time about his plan to help us through the computer crash, and now he's speaking in person!" Jodi's eyes glittered. "And I'm not going to miss it." She dangled Nori's keys in front of her face and then stowed them back in her cleavage. "Clean, young lady. Do I make myself clear?"

Nori was trembling with anger and a furious diatribe was fighting to break free, and she was sorely tempted to just let go and yell. However, long experience told her that having a meltdown was exactly was Jodi wanted, so she could play the wounded mother (and have the perfect excuse to ground Nori for God only knew how long). And if it would tick Jodi off to know her button-pushing hadn't succeeded, good. After a deep breath, Nori locked eyes with Jodi and ground out, "Crystal."

Jodi's jaw worked for a minute. Yes, she was miffed that she hadn't gotten the reaction she wanted. Nevertheless, she schooled her face into a smirk and patted Nori on the head. "Good girl," she said in a condescending tone.

Nori's blood boiled. That's all I am to you, isn't it? Your lap dog, not your daughter. She didn't even look at Jodi as her mother sauntered out the door, tossing another "clean" over her shoulder. As soon as she heard the engine of Jodi's car turn over, Nori stormed to her bedroom and grabbed a pillow off her bed, screaming into it. Hot tears gathered in her eyes but she furiously swiped at them, refusing to cry. Dropping the pillow on her bed, she picked up the photo of her dad from her nightstand and held it to her heart. I wish you were here, she thought, sinking onto the mattress. Mentally exhausted and feeling completely empty, Nori closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.

Sometime later, she was awoken by the ringing of her cell phone. Wiping sleep out of her eyes, Nori fumbled on her nightstand until she found her Nokia. "Hello?" she answered, her voice husky from slumber.

"Hello, yourself," came a familiar toon voice.

"Yakko?" Energy suddenly flooded into Nori's limbs. Thank you, God; I'm saved!

"The one and only. You forget to rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty? Wakko, Dot, and me have been goin' nuts thinkin' you left us hangin'."

"No, believe me; I'd never forget about you guys. I'm stuck here because Mama took my car keys."

Silence on the other end, and then: "Say that again?"

"Mama took my car keys. She's hoppin' mad because she thinks I'm paying more attention to y'all than her, so she swiped my keys, trashed her own bedroom, and expects me to have both it and the rest of the house cleaned and shining by the time she gets home." Nori massaged her forehead. "Lord knows when that'll be."

"Hold the phone," Yakko said. "Did I hear you right? Your mom trashed her own room on purpose and wants you to clean it up, just 'cause she's got a bug up her butt about you babysitting us?"

"Welcome to my world, Yakko," Nori said flatly.

"That tears it. I'm comin' over there."

"Yakko, I appreciate it, but I don't need you to fight my battles for me," Nori protested.

"Who said anything about fighting for you? We're comin' to fight with you. Heck, even Patton needed help in battle. Besides, you're like family to us, and families stick together."

Nori nearly dropped her phone in surprise. Family, he'd said. The Warners thought of her as family. She didn't know what to say – it had been a long time since she'd been considered anyone's family, or felt like part of one. Or experienced this kind of loyalty, for that matter. For the first time since she'd known him, Nori wanted to hug Yakko Warner.

"Nori?" Yakko sounded confused. "Did I lose you?"

No, you might just have me. Nori banished the flirty reply and said, "No, you didn't lose me." She cleared her throat. "How soon can y'all be here?"

"In a flash!" Nori could hear the grin in his voice.

"Great!" She gave him the address and ended the call, fully prepared to start cleaning – until a knock at the door sounded. Huh? She made tracks to the front entrance and pulled the door open, and was greeted by a brilliant flash of light.

Yakko hung up the phone feeling foul, and not in the chicken sense. Okay, he could get behind a parent giving their kid chores for some responsibility or allowance money; that was no biggie. But a parent (and he used that term loosely here) pulling the Cinderella trick on their kid? Yeah, he was good and ticked off. Plotting revenge against Mrs. Bennett, however, was putting him in a far better mood. And boy, did he have some good ideas. He turned to Wakko and Dot, who had been pacing the water tower worrying about their babysitter. "Sibs, we got a job to do."

"What job? And where's Nori?" asked Dot.

"That's the job. Her crazy mother swiped her car keys and is tryin' to make her clean house instead of bein' with us."

Dot's mouth dropped open. "Her mom did that to her?"

"She's treating Nori like Cinderella?" Wakko asked, stunned.

"Yup. And we're gonna be the fairy godparents. I told Nori we'd be there in a flash, so…" Yakko grinned at his sibs. "You ready to light up her life?"

Dot groaned. "Not one of your better ones, Yakko. But if it means we get to make light of the situation…" She grinned as her brothers rolled their eyes. "You got your gag bag, Wakko?"

Wakko dug in his pocket and pulled out his bag. "Yup. I always travel light," he joked; his siblings let out groans as they took hands and unleashed a toon trick they'd been saving for a rainy day.

Several bad puns later, the Warners arrived at Nori's front door in a blinding flash of light – but not before Yakko stuck an arm out of the light and knocked. Nori opened the door and shielded her eyes against the flash. When the light died down, Yakko grinned and said, "When we say in a flash, we ain't kidding."

"I'll say," Nori said once she'd blinked to get her vision back. "Y'all sure know how to make an entrance. You could blind someone, flashing them like that."

"Goodnight, everybody," Yakko said, relishing Nori's look of surprise and following smile. Their bet was still on for sure and that had been a great double entendre, but Yakko had spent the last couple of weeks practicing control over his reaction to the innuendoes. He still got the urge to blow steam from his ears sometimes, but it was getting better thanks to Scratchy's therapy and Nori's newfound friendship. He'd quickly figured out that he could keep up with the goodnight, everybodys as long as it was for an unintentional joke – Nori appreciated this as an alternative to the flirting, and he got the idea that she was beginning to get tickled by them.

"Nice place you got here," he said as he and his sibs crossed the threshold. The house wasn't flashy, very country-style, which suited Nori well.

"Mama wanted to get away from the country, but she still decorates like it because that's the in-thing right now," Nori said with a shrug of her shoulders. "She's always been all about fads and what's on the surface."

"Style over substance. Puh," Dot commented, wrinkling her nose. "Sounds more like your mom cares more about it being a nice house than a nice home."

"Pretty much."

Wakko took a deep sniff. "I smell something." He sniffed again. "Apples. Rotten apples. Been rotten for about two days." He sniffed once more, even deeper. "I've got something else. It's not fruit, it's a veggie…" His face suddenly turned green and he gagged. "Ugh, rotten broccoli," he croaked, coughing. "Two weeks rotten. I think I'm gonna puke."

"Toilet's down the hall," Nori said, pointing the way. "No offense, Wakko, but I really don't want to scrub puke out of the carpet."

"None taken." Wakko inhaled through his mouth a few times, pulled a candy bar out of his gag bag, and waved it under his nose. The green faded from his face and he sighed in relief. "That's better," he said, cramming the Crunch into his mouth.

Yakko nudged Nori. "He's got the best schnoz this side of the Rockies. Wakko can smell clam chowder clear to the Chesapeake Bay." He turned to his little brother. "Where'd you smell the trash heap?"

Wakko pointed down the hall. "Down there, to the right."

Yakko's eyes flicked to Nori. "Lemme guess. Your mom's room?"

"Yup, although your first description was spot-on." Nori motioned for the Warners to follow her, and they paused in front of a closed door. "Brace yourselves," Nori said, opening the door.

All three Warners' jaws hit the floor; Yakko's hit and ricocheted back up with such force, he was surprised none of his teeth cracked. "Holy crapola, Batman," he said, surveying the filthy room. "What a dump."

"You said a mouthful," said Dot. "Wakko's never made this big a mess."

Wakko beamed. "Thanks, sis."

"Told you." Nori folded her arms and shook her head at the junk heap before them. "Hurricane Jodi strikes again."

"Well, count your blessings, 'cause you've got a cleanup crew here to help," Yakko said, sliding an arm around Nori's shoulders. She turned to him in surprise, but didn't flinch away from his touch. This was a good sign – if she was okay with a sidearm hug, maybe the day would come when he could hold her in his arms, feel her warmth next to him.

Much to his relief, she smiled. "You guys would do that for me?"

"You bet your sweet bippy. No one picks on one of our own and gets away with it." Yakko briefly wondered if he'd gone too far by saying one of our own, but he meant it. Nori was one of them at that point, flesh and blood notwithstanding. Wakko and Dot loved her like a sister, and Yakko himself… well, he was sure his feelings went beyond brotherly love or even friendship.

Nori's brown eyes were shining as she gazed at Yakko and his sibs. "I don't know what to say."

"Say what you need us to do." In a twinkling, all three Warners insta-changed from their street clothes into T-shirts and overalls, complete with cleaning supplies. "Reporting for duty, ma'am," Yakko said, saluting.

Nori laughed. "Okay. Dot, can you help me pick up Mama's clothes? We need to see what can be put away and what needs washing."

"I'm on it!" Dot affirmed, diving headfirst into the nearest pile of clothing. Skirts, pants, and blouses went flying into separate piles.

Nori turned to the middle Warner. "Wakko, we're gonna need your nose. Can you sniff out any food in here and make sure it gets in the trash?"

Wakko rooted in his gag bag and pulled out a gas mask. He snapped it on and gave Nori the thumbs-up. "I'm ready."

Nori grinned at him and rested her eyes on Yakko. "Yakko, anything you can do, take your pick. Mama said she wants this place to sparkle from top to bottom – so clean, she can see herself in the walls. Think you can make that happen?"

So Mrs. Bennett wanted to see herself in the walls, did she? The wheels in Yakko's mind were greased and spinning. "If that's what she wants, that's exactly what she'll get," he said with a devious grin. "Shall we get to work?"

"Hang on." Nori flung a blouse aside to reveal the radio on Mrs. Bennett's nightstand and switched it on. A Latin-infused dance hit blasted out. "Now, let's get to work!"

For the next few hours, Nori and the Warners really were living la vida loca as they scrubbed and scoured the house. Dot had half of Jodi's clothes hung up and packed away, while the other half whirred in the washer with a healthy dose of Wisk. "Ring around the collar," she'd sung tauntingly, slinging the dirty clothes into the machine. Wakko got all the food sniffed out and thrown away (except for the little that wasn't rotten or stinking to high heaven, which promptly went into his belly). And Yakko was making good on the order to have the house sparkling. After they got Jodi's room back in shape, all four of them busted out the sponges and put a little spit and polish on the walls – very literally, in the Warners' case. After Nori and Yakko scrubbed the walls with good old soap and water, Wakko and Dot hawked and spat, which made the walls shine like mirrors when rubbed in. (Toon logic. Go fig.) Of course, this turned into a spitting contest, which Nori and Yakko were only too happy to join in on.

Yakko's heart darn near burst with happiness, seeing Nori get some fun out of something that had been intended to make her miserable. Little did she know he was the king of turning a bad situation into a glorious one, and of making chores into games. It wasn't often he looked fondly on their 60-year jail sentence, but in this instance, he gave thanks for the creativity it helped him develop. Many a time had he created fun ways of doing the housework, so Wakko and Dot would be entertained and they could all have some fun while they were under house arrest. And speaking of, he had another idea up his sleeve.

Nori rubbed a sponge on the wall after a spit take, revealing a gleaming, mirrored surface that she could indeed see herself in. "Mama's in for one heck of a surprise. I bet she never expected to see herself in the walls for real."

Dot chuckled. "Based on all those high-end labels I saw on her clothes, she's the kind of lady who can't pass a mirror without looking at herself."

"Ha! Says the girl who always asks her mirror who's the cutest one of all," Yakko snarked.

"Yakko, I wouldn't talk if I were you," Nori cut in before Dot could say something sharp. "On your best days, you'd fall into a pond trying to kiss your own reflection."

"Huh?" Yakko whipped around, stung – until he saw Nori's gotcha grin and the twinkle in her eyes. Teasing me again, are ya? I can live with that. Heck, he knew how to laugh at himself. And his sibs were laughing, which was even better. "Hey, you should've seen me last time. I fell in so deep, I swallowed a fish."

Wakko started laughing. "It was so funny. The fish was jumping around inside him and his tummy looked like Jell-O."

"Not my best moment, considering I have a six-pack normally," Yakko said, patting his belly.

"Coke or Sprite?" Nori asked, teasing him again.

"Sharpie, actually. Problem is, it washes off in the shower," Yakko quipped back, examining the fur on his abdomen to hide his grin at Nori's bark of laughter. "Oh well, I'm furry and cute. That makes up for not having a mess of muscles." He looked back up at Nori and – was it just him, or was she giving him a once-over?

"Nah, you don't need a bunch of muscles. I think you're great the way you are," she said with a smile.

Okay, definitely not just him. Nori just complimented me. She thinks I'm great! Me! Great! It was like a rush of sweet sugar to his ego and Yakko had one heck of an urge to slick his ears back and wink at her, but he doused it quick. Bet! You've still got a bet, fool! The uncontrollable smoke from his ears didn't happen, thankfully, but suppressing the urge to flirt manifested in another way. Alias, flaming red, full-face-blush way. He looked away quickly so Nori wouldn't see, but not so quick that his little brother didn't notice.

"You feeling all right, big brother?" Wakko asked. "Your face is redder than your nose."

"Fine and dandy, Wak," Yakko said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Yowza. I gotta cook up a distraction. Once his face had cooled off, he looked up with a smile. "Nori, the kitchen's got hardwood floors, right?" When she nodded, he clapped his hands together. "Sweet! I've got an idea."

His idea turned out to be as big a hit as spit-shining the walls. Strapping sponges to their feet and skating across the floor to mop it up was a lot of fun, especially when Yakko and Wakko donned hockey gear and shot plasticware into the dishwasher. Yakko didn't even care when Dot rolled her eyes and quipped "Ladies and gentlemen, the Mighty Schmucks." He was having too much fun catching the dishes Nori threw to him for loading, drying, or putting away following a hosedown in the sink. And although she was fine polishing the countertops, Wakko asked to shine up the sinks, which he did – with his butt.

"Not sure how Mama's going to react to the sink getting cleaned by Wakko's butt," Nori said, watching the middle Warner use his butt like a buffing machine.

"She wanted shine, she's getting it. She'll just have to turn the other cheek," Yakko said with a grin, which earned him a laugh in return. I'll never get tired of that, he thought, his chest swelling with glee. I wanna keep hearing that beautiful laugh.

The chores continued with vacuuming the rest of the house – which included Nori taking Wakko for a ride on the roaring beast – and Dot putting her own spin on Mrs. Bennett's order to make the house "sparkle." At long last, they had the house in order and they kicked back on the couch, celebrating with a glass of Hawaiian Punch. Wakko and Dot eventually zonked out, leaving Nori and Yakko alone to talk.

"Here, lemme get that for you," Yakko said when Nori reached for the bottle of Hawaiian Punch.

"Thanks," Nori said, raising her now-full glass in salute.

Yakko mimicked the gesture. "Here's mud in your eye," he said, knocking back half the glass. He surveyed the gleaming walls of the living room with satisfaction. "I think we've done good here. No way can your mom say we didn't do what she said."

"For real," Nori chuckled. "She's not gonna know what hit her when she walks through the door."

"I'm tempted to take you up on that one. I've got a mallet with her name on it."

Nori eyed him for a second. "I appreciate the thought, but aren't y'all forbidden to use your powers on mortals?"

"We are, but it doesn't mean we can't, uhh… spook someone now and then. We can get the point across without dropping a piano on a mortal's head. None of us are really that nuts, not even the villains. We don't need a repeat of Toontown in '47."

Nori nodded. "Point taken," she said, sipping her punch. "I remember reading about that."

Yakko's lips quirked. He hadn't needed to elaborate on the Toontown reference, which impressed him. Nori knew her toon history, and that the toons had a code of honor to follow. "Okay. I'll keep the mallet out of it. Would you say no to a glass of water over her head?"

"Trying to see if she melts?" Nori chuckled.

"On second thought, maybe not. We don't want another mess to clean up." He glanced up at Nori and caught his breath. Her eyes were so warm, they reminded him of sweet chocolate. She'd never gazed at him with such warmth before, and it was playing pattycakes with his tummy. That fish doin' the Shim-Sham-Shimmy in my belly ain't got nothing on this, he thought, his heart thumping.

"I can't thank you all enough for helping me today, and for making it so fun. It's been a long time since anyone's done something so nice for me."

Yakko knew the feeling. Until Scratchy and Heloise began spending time with them, no one had given him or his sibs a kind thought. "Hey, we were happy to do it. If there's one thing that sticks in my craw, it's a jerk making someone else miserable."

Nori gave him a searching look. "You're speaking from experience, aren't you?"

Yakko squirmed a little. You have no idea how much. "Yeah," he said, praying she wouldn't probe further. He'd tell her the whole story one day, but right now wasn't the right time. He wasn't ready yet. She held his gaze for another minute, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she let the subject drop.

"You know, Mama might be back at any time. If y'all want to bounce before she gets here, I totally get it."

"No way, José. We're not throwin' you to the she-wolf. We're stickin' with you no matter what happens."

The timing couldn't have been worse – or better, depending on how you viewed the situation…