When we left off, the Warners had just helped Nori get her house in order before her mother came home. Now, Jodi Bennett is coming home and a fight is about to go down. Let's get ready to rumble...

Author note: Die-hard WB cartoon fans will recognize one particular line here, spoken by the one toon who is least likely to say it! On that note, this chapter is dedicated to the late, great Mel Blanc, who gave the Looney Tunes unforgettable vocal life. Thanks for the laughs, Mel, and thanks for paving the way for Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, and Jess Harnell to voice the true heirs to Bugs and the gang. You're still the voice acting king.

At that moment, a car came peeling down the road and screeched to a halt in front of the house – complete with metallic crash; it sounded like a trash can got sideswiped. The next minute, a loud shriek sounded, causing Nori to wince. "I take it the she-wolf howled?" Yakko asked.

Nori nodded. "Hurricane Jodi is here."

Another shriek – more furious this time – sounded, and Wakko and Dot woke with a jolt. "What happened? Did someone die? Is there a fire? Are we in trouble? Is something about to go down?" Dot asked frantically.

"No, no, most likely, and oh yeah," Yakko answered. "I think Nori's mom got a load of your handiwork out there and she's ticked."

Wakko raised an ear when laughter filtered in from outside. "I think the neighbors like it, though."

Dot grinned. "At least some people have good taste." She turned to Nori. "No offense, but I don't think your mom has taste in her mouth."

Nori's eyes darted toward the front hall as angry footsteps pounded up the path. "Are you brave enough to say that to her face?"

"You bet we are. There's a whole heckuva lot I'd like to say to her face – and her butt if we can wing it," Yakko said with a wicked smile. "Sibs, battle stations." While Wakko and Dot braced themselves, Yakko took Nori's hand in his. "This is your fight, but we're here to defend you. Always." His heart leapt when she squeezed his hand, smiled, and said "Thank you," that same warmth glowing in her eyes. Settle down and take a powder, he mentally told his stomach, which was kicking up a nice little samba at Nori's touch. He let go of her hand not a minute too soon, for the door flew open and slammed against the wall, heralding the arrival of a very angry mama.

"Elinor Elizabeth Bennett, where are you? What the Sam Hill have you done to this house? I'm gonna –" A middle-aged redhead with a face to match stormed into the living room, PO'd enough to breathe fire, but slammed on the brakes when she saw that her daughter had company. Toon company, no less. "What in the world are they?" she asked upon spotting the Warners.

Your worst nightmare, Yakko was tempted to say. He squashed the Terminator urge and hauled out the snake-oil salesman special. "Well, that's the question of the 20th century, ain't it?" he said, putting on a shark-toothed grin. "Nobody can really put their finger on what we are. I mean, we've ruled out dogs, cats, monkeys, and certain varieties of fish, and any idiot can tell we ain't human."

"I can see that!" Mrs. Bennett snapped, still seething.

"See my point?" Yakko asked, grinning widely. "We don't really fit the bill for any kinda animal, although I have been told I'm a fox." He slicked back his ears and growled. "We're smart-alecks…"

"A little weird," Wakko continued.

"Very cute," Dot piped up.

"Animaney…"

"Totally insaney…"

"Cockamamie…"

"Animaniacs, and those are the facts, Jack," Yakko finished. "But, for all intents and purposes, you can call us Yakko…"

"Wakko…"

"And Dot!"

The siblings struck ta-da poses. "We're the Warners!"

Mrs. Bennett's expression flipped from confused to shocked to angry quicker than traffic lights. "You're the toon rejects my daughter babysits."

Yakko arched an eyebrow at the words toon rejects. Admittedly, he'd heard worse used to describe them, but the epithet still smarted. It wasn't easy being reminded that no one wanted you.

"That's enough, Mama."

Yakko's eyes zipped over to Nori. She had stepped forward to face her mother, drawn up to her full height and shoulders squared. Her jawline was tense, and her dark eyes were throwing off sparks. He'd never seen her so ticked, not even before they struck their bet, and it impressed and scared him at the same time. Fight, Nori. Let her see how great you are.

"These toons are my friends," Nori said, and Yakko's heart swelled with joy at the pride in her voice. "They've been nothing but good to me since I met them, and they treat me like a person ought to be treated. I'm not a maid, a chef, or even just a babysitter to them." She turned to smile at Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. "I'm their family."

Mrs. Bennett let out a disbelieving laugh. "Family? Them? Have you forgotten that you already have a family, young lady? You have me!"

"Unfortunately. Family doesn't treat you like a slave, Mama, and a family's love doesn't come with strings." Nori held out her hand. "Speaking of which, give me my keys. We did exactly what you said, so now it's your turn. Put your money where your mouth is and cough 'em up."

Mrs. Bennett's lips twisted into an ugly smirk. "Are you blind? You didn't do what I said! Covering the house in pink glitter wasn't what I meant when I said I wanted the place to sparkle!"

"Wait, what?" Nori frowned and darted outside. Oh yeah, she hasn't seen Dot's masterpiece yet, Yakko reminded himself. A minute later, Nori returned, clearly trying not to laugh. Her gaze focused on Dot, who was sporting a halo and a who-me expression. "Well, Mama," she said, "You've always wanted to be the center of attention. Looks like you got your wish."

"Becoming the laughingstock of the neighborhood is not the attention I wanted!"

"Well, maybe you should've been more specific," Nori said, not bothering to hide her smile now. "Any toon worth their salt will take your words at face value."

"Yup," Dot said, hopping onto Mrs. Bennett's shoulder to study her face. "Ballpark, less than ten bucks. Twenty if we're counting the nose job. You went to Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon, didn't you?"

"Get off me, you little furball!" Mrs. Bennett made a grab for Dot, but she wasn't quick enough. The Warner sister was back on the ground faster than you could say I'm cute. "I paid top dollar for –" She froze mid-sentence as it finally registered that the walls were now mirrors. "What have you done to the walls?"

"Good old-fashioned spit 'n polish," Yakko said, nudging Nori. "What, you don't like it? I thought you wanted to see yourself in the walls. Maybe you just need some time to reflect."

Horrified, Mrs. Bennett spun in a circle, trying and failing to find a surface that wasn't reflective. "This isn't happening," she said, hurrying to her bedroom. Yakko counted down "Three… two… one…" and right on cue, a scream echoed down the hall. An instant later, Mrs. Bennett came tearing back into the living room, eyes wild. "My bedroom's spotless! And the walls are mirrors there, too!" she wailed.

Nori folded her arms. "We did exactly what you wanted, Mama. For real, you asked for it." She held out her hand once more. "Come on. You owe me a set of car keys."

Mrs. Bennett's face congealed into a downright sinister look. "The only thing I owe you, missy, is a permanent grounding. You'll be lucky to even spit in Warner Bros.' direction when I'm through with you. I'm keeping your keys and I want your cell phone."

Nori stood her ground. "No."

The one word apparently caused Mrs. Bennett's brain to short-circuit. She stood gaping at Nori like a fish out of water; Dot whispered to her brothers, "She's gonna catch every fly in the neighborhood."

It was all Yakko could do not to dance a jig. Hot dog, this is gonna be good! "Get your popcorn out, sibs. It's about to go down," he whispered to them, whipping out his own bowl and digging in.

Mrs. Bennett blinked furiously before remembering she could speak. "What did you say to me?"

"Heh. Dumber than advertised," Yakko chuckled, shoving some popcorn in his mouth.

"You heard me, Mama. I'm not giving you my phone, and you're not keeping me a prisoner here." Nori raised her chin. "Who does the shopping for us? Me. Who makes sure the bills are paid? Me. And what are you gonna do if that doesn't happen? It's not my credit that's gonna get wrecked. And if your credit gets wrecked, guess what's gonna happen to your MasterCard?" She mimed snipping scissors.

For the first time, a flicker of fear crossed Mrs. Bennett's face. Aha, Yakko thought. Get her where it hurts: the wallet. Check.

"How can you be so mean?" Mrs. Bennett asked, having the nerve to look and sound like Nori had smacked her. "You would let this house go to pot and ruin my credit? You'd take my credit cards from me? You'd let me be humiliated in front of my friends and all Los Angeles? What have I done to you to deserve this?"

Her voice took on a pathetic whine on the last couple of questions, and Yakko was sure his eyes were glued to the ceiling, he'd rolled them so high. "Yeesh. You want some cheese with that whine?"

Dot shook her head. "Pitiful. She doesn't know how to whine and look adorable while doing it."

Wakko's eyes were doleful as he watched his babysitter square off against her witch of a mother. "She's the mean one. Nori's nice – that's probably why her mum hates her."

Yakko reached over and squeezed his brother's hand. People tended to view Wakko as the simpleton of the three, which couldn't have been farther from the truth. Was he a goober? Yes, they all were. But Wakko was capable of great insight, largely due to his big heart. "I think you nailed it, little bro."

"Do you really want me to answer that question, Mama? 'Cause we'll be here all night if I do," Nori retorted.

Yakko hid a snicker. Ooh, digging up old sins; nice one. Check again. And unless I'm kidding myself (and who are we fooling here, I ain't), Mommy Dearest is getting steamed 'cause Nori isn't yelling at her. Double check.

When the whining didn't have its desired effect, Mrs. Bennett pursed her lips so hard, she looked like she was about to swallow her chin. "Well, the studio won't miss you if you don't show up for work. They can always get another nanny. How hard can watching those three be?"

Yakko released a dark chuckle and tossed a piece of popcorn in his mouth. "She don't know us very well, do she?"

"Oh, they'll miss me, all right. Mr. Plotz, the studio boss, isn't gonna be happy if his babysitter goes AWOL, 'cause that means these three run wild on the lot and their big New Year's party is on the line. And if I'm being kept at home, he's gonna want to know why." Nori folded her arms. "You've always wanted to be famous, Mama. Is this really how you want to do it?"

Yakko made the yes! motion with his fist. Now we're talking! The truth wrapped around a threat. Checkmate, we're outta here!

Now Mrs. Bennett really looked scared. Yakko had seen this too often to count with many a Hollywood star who thought the sun didn't shine until they rolled out of bed. Hit 'em in the wallet and they'd kvetch, but threaten to tarnish their precious reputations, and you'd get fireworks – and they'd scatter like rats escaping the light. And Nori – his beautiful, whip-smart, take-no-ish Nori – had sprung the trap, telling her mom about herself without screaming the house down. Iron fist in a velvet glove. Whatta woman.

It took a moment for Mrs. Bennett to regain her composure. She worked her face into a snotty look, but the fear never left her eyes. "Even so… you can't make me give you your keys back. You can't make me."

Dot's face was incredulous. "That's it? She resorts to playing kindergarten keep-away? What a baby."

"Don't lose your cool, sis. I think Mrs. Bennett might've nailed her own coffin," Yakko said, eyeing Nori.

To his deep satisfaction, he was right. Nori merely nodded and said "You're right. I can't." She grinned evilly and pointed at the Warners. "But they can." She faced them with a smile. "Give her hell, guys."

Yakko leaped off the couch with a "Yeehaw!" worthy of a cowboy. For someone who'd been thrown in the clink for causing some toon chaos, give her hell was almost as good as I love you. "With pleasure," he said, cracking his knuckles.

Mrs. Bennett began to laugh. "What can they do? I doubt they'd want the cops called on them."

"Good luck with that. We scare the LAPD," Yakko said, staring Nori's mother down with a slightly evil smile. He could see a resemblance to Nori in the older woman's face, but said face had been stretched and injected so much, any trace of natural beauty was gone. And he was ready to bet the silicone and collagen didn't end there, although Yakko had a feeling that Mrs. Bennett's heart had always been made of plastic.

"How? By stealing their donuts?" Mrs. Bennett snarked.

"They never proved it!" Wakko said, grinning proudly.

The devil on Yakko's shoulder was Snoopy-dancing. She'd asked how they scared people. Anyone with common sense knew you didn't hand a toon a loaded gun like that and expect them not to fire it. But Nori's mom didn't seem to have much sense and was cocky on top of it – a combo that, for a toon, was a red flag waving at a bull. "I'm glad you asked, Mrs. B. We specialize in just about everything from the classic bedsheet over the head to the big-time booga-booga." At this, Wakko popped over Mrs. Bennett's shoulder, in full Wolfman makeup and growling like an angry tiger. Mrs. Bennett shrieked and swiped at Wakko, but the junior werewolf held on tight as a tick and gave her face a huge lick with his tongue.

"Case in point," Yakko chortled. He held up a raw steak. "Down, boy!" Wakko grinned and leapt down; Yakko threw the steak across the room with a "Go long, Cujo," and his brother took off after it.

Mrs. Bennett was still wiping drool off her face when Dot tapped her on the leg. "What?"

"I want you to meet my pet," Dot said sweetly, holding out a plain box. She lifted the lid and out sprang a hideous, hairy green monster with red eyes and black claws. The hairy beast roared and Mrs. Bennett screamed again, jumping about a foot in the air. When she landed, Yakko's trained ear heard a jingling sound – and unless he was mistaken, it was coming from her chest. He put two and two together and a truly evil plan formed in his mind. Either Victoria's Secret's given Jingle Bells a whole new meaning or Nori's keys are stashed in her mom's bra. This just keeps getting better. For now, he settled for his own method of spooking Mrs. Bennett, and he had a good idea of what her worst fear was.

"Did you wet yourself?" he asked with a grin. Mrs. Bennett, hair disheveled and eyes wild, growled at him. "Temper, temper. Y'know, either you oughta lower your cholesterol or you're not getting enough of it."

Mrs. Bennett drew herself up indignantly. "Excuse me? I'll have you know I actually put in the effort to keep my figure, unlike some people," she said, firing a dirty look at Nori.

Yakko recalled a conversation with Nori about having her figure and eating habits criticized, and another puzzle piece clicked into place. Uh-huh. Old Green Eyes is back. "And who else would want it?" he asked, pouring the charm over the snarky question. "But I got a secret for you. Come here." He motioned her close and hauled an arm around her shoulders when she bent down, even though the cloying smell of her perfume darn near choked him. "Did'ja know there's something even worse for your looks than calories? It's something not even the best surgeon in LA can fix."

Mrs. Bennett's eyes widened. Yup, he figured baiting her vanity would snag her attention. "What is it? Don't tell me it's the Botox; I've heard that one before."

"No, no, this is worse than that." He looked around and whispered, "It starts out with wantin' to be noticed. Then once you've got the attention, it grows into something ugly, and you need to put others down so you feel better. It just gets uglier from there until the day comes when you just can't hide it anymore and…" He maneuvered Mrs. Bennett around to face the mirrored wall and waited.

He was not disappointed. Mrs. Bennett's face blanched white, her chin quivered, and true terror came into her eyes as she screamed at her reflection. He snuck a glance at Nori and saw she looked confused – he made a mental note to explain things to her later. Right now, only he and her mom could see what was in the mirror. And he really didn't blame Mrs. Bennett for screaming. "The mirror doesn't lie, sweet cheeks," he said grimly, but he couldn't help feeling some vindication on Nori's behalf.

Mrs. Bennett's eyes were welling with tears. "Why would you do something so awful to me?"

"Hey, it's easily avoided." Yakko jabbed a finger in Nori's direction. "Treat her right."

Mrs. Bennett's eyes darted from Yakko to Nori and back again, the terror and tears quickly giving way to anger. "You nosy little snot," she spat at him. "How I treat my daughter is none of your business. From what I've heard, you don't have any right to call someone out on mistreating someone."

Yakko's ink began to bubble. Oh, she was not going there. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know all about what you did in the 30s. You nearly burned Warner Bros. to the ground because you didn't have any regard for anyone besides yourself."

The bubble turned into a boil. Nobody called him selfish. Nobody. Strike she parroted the rumor mill, strike two. "Check your sources, sweetheart. That's about as legit as the ham sandwich that killed Mama Cass."

"Which means it's true!" Mrs. Bennett cried triumphantly, pointing a finger at Yakko. "You were jealous of the other toons because they were more talented than you, and you nearly killed the studio executives because they knew your cartoons were garbage. Why they allowed you three to exist, I don't know. Your shorts never made any kind of sense…"

Yakko was clenching his fists so hard, it was a miracle his knuckles didn't tear through his gloves. He was fighting like heck to control his temper, because he was scared of what he would do if he lost it. As it was, steam was beginning to spout from his ears, his teeth were gritted tight, and his whole body was shaking with rage. This stuck-up, self-centered witch-with-a-B didn't know jack squat about what went down at Warner Bros. back in the day, and she was still flapping her lips, spewing nasty accusations against him and his sibs. Dangerous… deserve to be locked up… should have been dipped. These and more assaulted his ears until he'd finally had enough. Yakko channeled his white-hot fury away from the itch for his mallet and into three words this loony toon was asking for. Breathing in as much air as his lungs would allow, he bellowed with all of his toon might, "AAH, SHUT UP!"

Dead silence fell over the room. Mrs. Bennett looked completely poleaxed, while Nori and his sibs were all three gaping at him. Catching his breath, Yakko motioned for Wakko and Dot to join him. "Come here." He huddled them together and whispered his plan to them. "Can you do it, sibs?"

Identical evil grins spread over Wakko and Dot's faces. "You know it!"

Yakko pointed at the still-shocked Mrs. Bennett. "Sic 'er."

That snapped Mrs. Bennett out of her daze. Upon realizing she was about to get hit with a cyclone of furry toon fury, she shrieked and ran down the hall, Wakko and Dot hot on her heels.

Nori stared after them. "What did you tell them?"

"Shh," Yakko shushed her. "Listen."

Both human and toon inclined their ears. A series of yelps and growls were heard, followed by "Get off! I can't see!" from Nori's mother. Next, Wakko said "All aboard, Silicone Valley!" and Dot cried "Cannonball!" A scream-queen shriek from Mrs. Bennett sounded, and then silence.

Yakko let out a delighted cackle. "Bingo!" He turned to Nori with a grin. You really wanna know what I told them? I told them to get your keys."

Nori raised her eyebrows. "How did you…"

"Heard 'em when Dot scared your mom. Didn't take a genius to figure out where she had them."

A smile crept across Nori's face. "So that means Mama just got…"

Yakko beamed, all kinds of proud. This joke, he had a feeling she'd love. "Booby-trapped, yes ma'am!" Sure enough, Nori busted out laughing, bending double from mirth, eventually burying her face in his shoulder. He prayed she couldn't hear his heart beating out a mambo, and his prayers were answered when Wakko and Dot came skipping back into the living room. Saved by the bell. I owe you one, Big Guy.

"Got 'em!" Dot crowed, jingling Nori's keys.

When she'd stopped laughing, Nori gratefully took the keys in hand. "Thank God and thank y'all," she said, pocketing the keys. "I can't believe you actually took a dive into Mama's –"

"It was for a good cause," Dot said quickly. "By the way, tell her she needs a refund, 'cause she got gypped."

Wakko shrugged. "Guess I didn't miss much."

"Nah, your head's hard. Wouldn't have made a dent."

Yakko chuckled. "I'm proud of you, sibs. We outdid ourselves today."

"You sure did, but… what about Mama?" Nori asked, her eyes flickering to the hallway. "You think she's not gonna try and get back at you guys?"

"Not if she knows what's good for her," Yakko said. "You made that pretty crystal. Thad won't like it if she keeps you here, and if that gets out, she can kiss her wannabe status goodbye. Nah, if she's got half a brain cell, she'll start treatin' you right."

Nori gave them a sad smile. "Thanks, guys, but I'm not holding my breath."

"Yeah, don't do that. Your face'll turn blue and you'll look like a Smurf," Yakko said, trying to turn the moment into a laugh.

"And your eyes'll bug out!" Dot added.

"And your lungs might blow up!" Wakko said.

Nori laughed and knelt, holding her arms out. Wakko and Dot raced into them; Yakko hung back, unsure if it meant him, too. Fireworks exploded inside him when she nodded and motioned him forward with a smile. He ran and threw his arms around her and his sibs, feeling her arms envelop them in a group hug. Okay, it wasn't the one-on-one embrace he still craved, but he savored this hug nonetheless. It meant she wanted to be close to him. And when she said to them, "You guys are the best," he felt like flying.

Too soon, the hug broke. "Come on, y'all, let's go back to the studio. We've got a heck of a story to tell Scratchy and Heloise," Nori said.

Yakko laughed. "They ain't gonna believe this."

"That's how a Southern fairy tale starts."

"What's a Southern fairy tale?" Dot asked.

Nori grinned. "A Northern fairy tale begins with 'Once upon a time.' A Southern fairy tale begins with 'Y'all ain't gonna believe this!'"

"Really? Shoot, we've been tellin' them for years!" Yakko said, glorying in the resulting laughter as they all took off for the WB lot.