Gumball walked across the lawn on the exterior of the garage premises.
"Where is he placing these fireworks?"
Soon Gumball stumbled upon a confused Richard Watterson, who was ultimately attempting his hand at a set of fireworks, each laid out in a horizontal column.
"Oh, hey son! I told your Mother I would do the fireworks again this time around, I'm really trying to make amends for last time all those years ago!"
"No worries Dad, we didn't have to mow the backyard for the entire summer because of that incident!"
Both the feline and bunny chuckled heartily together at the memory.
"So, your Mother told me that you were going to try and spend more time with your family! I'm glad you've taken that initiative Gumball!"
The blue feline now was helping to organize the fuse circuits needed to launch the fireworks.
"Yeah...it took me way too long to come to my senses, but now I've really been trying to change that over the course of this vacation. Say, perhaps you and Mom could stay with us for the rest of the summer season! We have an extra guest room available, and the kids would love to catch up with you guys after all these years. It just seems unfair to cut off communication so quick after this vacation..."
The pink bunny then placed a paw on the blue cat's shoulder, which then caused him to turn and face his Father.
"That sounds like a great idea son."
Both then embraced in a hug.
"Listen Gumball...I realize I was a bit of a fool when you guys were kids, and I'm truly sorry for that. I wish I could have been more supportive to you, Anais, and Darwin. I let down your Mother time and time again with my antics, that saw me put you guys into unnecessary scorn and ridicule. I-I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry..."
The blue feline then smiled. He knew his Father truly meant well and was glad to see how much he changed since he left for college. No doubt with more free time together in retirement, Nicole was able to hone and focus her attention on supporting Richard in becoming more mature and forthright in helping make amends with her and their kids.
"Dad... I got to ask you something. Do you remember when Anais, Darwin, and I ransacked the house after Mom received employee of the month?"
Richard looked towards the lake, now the calmest it had been all day; dusk soon enveloping the lake house and the sun retreating behind the tree line to the west.
"Yeah that was a rather eventful afternoon you kids caused, your Mother was certainly surprised!"
Gumball smirked.
"Well Dad, the entire reason why things were not in order was because of one integral part of the household: You."
The pink bunny felt tingly, goosebumps now forming after hearing such heartfelt and sincere remarks from his son. Their relationship in the past was certainly rocky, but the good times came rushing back. The pranks, game nights, and saving his son from being crushed in a trash compactor; made the pink bunny swell with tears forming in his eyes.
"I love you son..."
"I love you too Dad..."
Once again, they both shared a hug; tighter than the last.
"Alright then, once this circuit is completed we should rejoin the others in the garage for some activities!"
"Agreed!"
Gumball fastened and tied the circuit, with Richard making sure each firework was secure and at a safe distance for launch.
The two then went to congregate back at the garage, where Penny, Nicole, and Carrie were finishing picking up the meal plates from the family dinner on the picnic table.
"Oh hey guys!"
Nicole approached to give both a quick peck on the cheek.
"We just got to take these dishes back to the lake house and we'll be right back!"
Gumball then stepped in.
"Mom actually, you guys prepared the meal, the least we could do is return the favor and clean the dishes back at the lake house kitchen."
Nicole smiled.
"That's very kind of you Gumball, Tristan did want me to play a competitive video game he had set up in the garage on the mounted television."
Gumball gave a confused chuckle.
"Mom I thought video games were not your forte?"
Nicole then let out a sigh.
"They're not really, but it's the quality time that counts. Plus Tristan promised to teach me something after the few karate lessons I gave him yesterday."
Gumball smiled.
"How was he?"
"He's a natural, it really seems to run in the family genes!"
Both chuckled.
"Well I better get these dishes back to the lake house."
Carrie stepped in to pick up a dirty dish, which probably belonged to Frankie judging by how bad of a state it was in.
"I'll help Gumball, you guys go enjoy the evening with the rest of the family; we'll catch up!"
With that, Gumball and Carrie collected the rest of the dishes and began to walk back to the lake house.
Gumball looked at Carrie, who was levitating most of the dishes to ease the burden on the blue cat.
"So Carrie, how's life with Darwin been? I'm sure you guys have a lot to manage with the taco restaurant along with raising two kids!"
Carrie smiled.
"Well the perks to being a ghost is the ability to be everywhere seemingly at once. Darwin manages the preparation of the tacos in the kitchen, while I am able to serve multiple tables at once with their orders. It really comes in handy, sometimes Vlad will chime in; along with Anastasia helping to prep in the kitchen when they are not in school."
Gumball smiled when he heard this.
"Darwin and I used to wake up on Saturday mornings and order Burrito delivery without answering the door for Larry."
Carrie raised an eyebrow.
"So...you didn't move to answer the door? How did you pay and eat the food?"
Gumball smirked.
"We had it put through the mail slot and had Larry take a shovel to catapult it in our direction..."
"Gross! Heh,heh,heh, that has got to be a first for me! So this was every Saturday morning?!"
"Not really, we did it occasionally, but it was a blast when we did do it. It sorta became a brotherly tradition, one that lasted right up until high school!"
Carrie smiled.
"Well I'm glad you guys were able to connect during your guys' childhood, you certainly caused some interesting antics in school. Did your Mother ever disapprove of these shenanigans?"
Gumball chuckled.
"Most times, yes, but on occasion she did let out her fun side and joined in on the family fun. This mostly happened when she was not stressed out from work, which was pretty seldom. But man it was awesome when she joined in, she became an entirely different person...in a good way of course!"
Both chuckled as they approached the front door of the lake house.
Carrie turned the lock to the door using her telekinetic abilities, and both entered the house and onwards to the kitchen with the massive pile of dishes. Both had finished within minutes, mostly thanks to Carrie; and proceeded back to the garage outside.
"Well it was nice chatting with you Carrie!"
"You too! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to teach my little rascal of a son a new potion I just learned in an old alchemy book I brought for the trip!"
Gumball raised an eyebrow.
"Does this involve a prank?"
Carrie gave smug smile and flicked her bang.
"Perhaps..."
Gumball shook his head with his paw placed on his face.
"Everybody was occupied with something that night, we didn't have anything big planned for our early Independence day celebration, but we Watterson's loved improvisation. As a matter of fact, we basically lived off of it, taking things in stride and adapting somehow and someway to provide whatever we needed to do for the current task. I don't believe we'd have it any other way."
Gumball was soon surveying everybody in the garage. He was truly happy to see everyone sharing joyous laughs and fun times together.
He then spotted Tristan and Nicole playing a fighting game, much like the one Darwin and him used to play as kids.
"Oh! You beat me again! It's really counter intuitive to have the buttons so close together, it makes it so easy for kids to win at this!"
Nicole holding back her fighting spirit, Gumball hands were in his pockets and he was smiling behind them spectating the furious battle of wits.
"So, it seems the game is going well?!"
Nicole turned to face her son, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
"Well if the game is so easy, why don't you give it a try Gummypuss?"
Gumball then playfully cracked his hands.
"Sit back and watch the master perform Mom..."
Gumball then sat in the middle of the couch between Tristan and Nicole, with Nicole passing the controller.
"It's no use Dad, I know all of the combos! I'd like to see you even try to get a hit on me at least once!"
Gumball then looked to Nicole.
"Did you try to replicate the combos he was doing?"
"Well I mean, it was working well for him, so naturally I thought the key to winning was memorizing the combos! You know, fight fire with fire!"
Gumball then gave a playful finger wag.
"Watch this, it will blow your mind!"
Both cats picked their respective characters. Soon the countdown initiated to signal that the fight was about to begin.
3.
2.
1.
FIGHT!
Almost instantaneously, Gumball furiously mashed every button on the controller; not giving his younger son even a second to react to what was happening on the screen. Before all three knew it, the fight was over just as quick as it began.
The two cats sitting next to Gumball were flabbergasted.
"Ho-how did you even manage to do that? You must have cheated Dad! There's no way you could have beaten me by just mashing random buttons!"
Gumball smiled.
"Ah, but that's just it! The greatest combo of them all is button mashing, they just put all of that super sophisticated stuff in there so people won't realize how simple it really is!"
Nicole smirked with one eyebrow up at her grandson.
"So should we have a rematch now that I have discovered this painfully obvious truth?"
All three cats then broke out into spontaneous laughter and had a group hug.
"Alright you two, you get back to that rematch of yours; I'm going to check on the rest of the family okay?"
With that, Gumball arose from the couch and checked around the garage to see what the rest of the family were doing.
He spotted Penelope and Penny painting a picture. Curious as to what the picture was, he went over to investigate.
"How are the two most important gals in my life doing? Decided to take up a bit of drawing, hmmm?"
Penelope then lifted the painting to show the blue feline what it was.
Gumball then witnessed something that melted his heart completely. The painting consisted of every member of the Watterson's hand prints around the crests of the page's margins. In the center, a vibrant recreation of the lake house could be seen, with the entire Watterson family standing in front of it.
"We're doing a family painting as to remember this vacation in the coming years ahead! As a matter of fact, we were just about to ask you to add your paw print to the painting Dad!"
Gumball smiled and picked up the small fairy in his arms.
"Of course I will sweetheart, that's a wonderful illustration that you and your mother Did! I'm so proud of you both!"
Penny then gave Gumball a pallet of blue paint the two fairies had been using.
"Just place your paw flat into the pallet and dab your print at the top of the page."
Gumball placed a paw into the cold paint, making sure it covered the complete surface area for the indent.
Gently, he pressurized his paw on the top of the page; creating a slight ripple depression in doing so.
With that, the painting was now complete.
Gumball hugged his wife and daughter, holding back tears.
"Thanks for this awesome vacation Penny..."
The fairy now looked at the blue cat.
"You have made this truly an awesome experience Gumball, you've shown the entire family what it means to know true fun again!"
Gumball blushed, and scratched the back of his neck.
In nervous instinct, he checked his wrist watch: "11:55 PM".
His eyes then lit up as he realized it was almost midnight.
"Gosh darn it! I completely forgot about the fireworks!"
Gumball then stood up and walked to the center of the room.
"Attention everyone! Please, can I have your attention!?"
Soon every member of the Watterson family in the garage turned to the blue feline, who was now standing in the middle of the space.
"As you all know, we decided to have our independence day celebration early due to the dance at the Reedsville festival on the day of. Now with this, we have brought fireworks to launch at midnight to celebrate the occasion!"
The children in the room cheered, while the adults gave somewhat concerned expressions; especially Nicole, Anais, and Darwin, knowing full well the experiences they had with fireworks in the past...and who prepped them.
Gumball noticed this and quickly attempted to reassure everyone.
"For those of you who were alive during previous celebrations, you can put your mind at ease! We insured a safe distance for each firework, the fuse line was secured, along with it being next to water; this should prevent any accidental fires!"
The adults then expressed a sigh of relief at hearing the blue feline's words, even more with knowing Gumball helped Richard.
Soon, the entire Watterson family was walking outside near the lake to see the column of fireworks all set up.
"I think Dad should have the honor of launching them, he has made sure that all of us have enjoyed our vacation so far; and has saved our hide on numerous occasions. Go ahead Dad!"
Soon cheers of encouragement broke out for the blue feline, as he dawned a smile.
"Alright guys, I'll do it!"
Gumball took a match and lit the fuse. One by one, each firework launched into the air simultaneously, revealing an orchestra of colors in the sky; each being complimented by the moonlit starry night. Gumball then wrapped his arm around Penny, with Nicole and Richard doing the same.
Nicole had a paw placed on Richard's chest as they gazed upon the starry night sky, now littered with fireworks.
"You boys did a fantastic job! Thanks for helping your Father, Gummypuss."
Gumball then turned to face his Mother and Father.
"Actually Dad did a great job Mom, he has really improved since last time!"
This revealed a smile on the Pink bunny's face and warranted a kiss on the cheek from Nicole.
The vibrant colors from past fireworks were still lingering in the night sky, receiving ooos and ahhhs from the family.
"These fireworks are really great Dad! Where did you buy them?"
"The Awesome Store!"
Suddenly the three adults were staring at Richard.
"Was it something I said?"
Gumball then let go of Penny and walked to Richard and Nicole.
"Dad? You wouldn't by any chance still have the packaging the fireworks were encased in would you?"
"Yeah, sure! Why?"
"I just need to inspect it for a moment."
The pink bunny then handed the boxes which had once contained the fireworks in them.
The label on one of them had read "Radical Fireworks/-".
Gumball was unable to read further due to the price tag that was covering the title.
He slowly peeled off the tag to reveal something that caught him off guard...something rather ominous and foreboding.
"What the what is white phosphorous capsules?"
Unsure of what to make of the brand's scientific ending, he quickly rushed over to Anais who was enjoying the fireworks with the kids.
"Hey Anais? Did you notice how long the colors are remaining in the air?"
Anais then turned with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, they really should have dissipated from the air by now..."
Gumball then handed the box to his younger sibling .
"Would this have something to do with that?"
Suddenly, the Pink Rabbit's expression changed to one of fear and anguish.
"GET EVERYONE OFF THE LAWN NOW!"
Gumball and Anais were rushing to grab the kids and the rest of the adults attention, who were somewhat confused but nonetheless followed suit; running away to the lake house just across the lawn. Some stood concerned, while Anais was still scared looking to the sky for stray embers.
"Hey Anais, would you mind explaining why we just ran away?"
Before Gumball got a response, Anais pointed to the lawn they were once sitting on was set ablaze, and quickly approaching the garage.
Suddenly Penny looked around, everyone was accounted for except one person: Penelope.
"Gumball! Penelope went back to get the painting in the garage! She's still in there!"
Gumball knew how bad the situation was, but was unsure of how bad the danger truly was about to become.
Anais quickly rushed towards her brother.
"If we don't act quickly, she's going to perish for sure! That's not just a regular fire that we can just extinguish! It's white phosphorus, it burns the skin on contact and is reactant to oxygen in the air! I need to get a copper salt solution out of my bag in the house! Carrie! Do you have anything that can duplicate liquids into large quantities?!"
The ghost then flew over to meet the pink bunny.
"I do, but it's also in the house in my potion bag!"
"Alright, let's make haste and get things ready!"
Soon both women were heading into the house and gathered their supplies, knowing that each moment was precious to save the small fairy.
Quickly they emerged back outside.
"Okay I just need to pour this into a water solution and it should extinguish that fire over there! Does anyone have a pressurized hose and a fire hydrant?!"
All of the Watterson family shook their heads in disagreement and confusion.
"Right, kind of an asinine question...Carrie I need you to conjure a fire hose and a hydrant! When that is complete, duplicate these copper salt solutions and mix them into the water!"
The ghost woman gave a quick nod, and went to work preparing everything needed to save the fairy almost instantaneously.
"Alright everyone! Grab the hose and move it towards the garage! Make sure to protect your eyes and skin as much as possible!"
With that in mind, the Watterson family moved the hose towards the fire; the heat and stinging pain in their eyes and skin was being felt as they got closer.
Making sure not to advance without getting any embers in front of them first, the family was making quick progress and eventually conquered the fire before it reached the garage.
Penelope soon ran out to her Mother and Father, jumping into their arms for a hug. Tears were streaming down their faces at how close they almost lost their daughter.
In the back, Richard was feeling especially guilty and nauseous. He messed up once again, causing it to almost cost the life of his granddaughter.
Gumball had noticed this and quickly rushed over to comfort the bunny.
"Dad don't worry, it's not your fault. There's no way you could have known how dangerous those fireworks truly were...I'm also going to have a serious one on one with that salesman of the Awesome Store the next time I encounter him!"
Everyone let out a nervous chuckle, many were still visibly shaken; but soon the entire family embraced in a group hug. Happy that they made it out alive and well.
Inside the lake house everybody was making preparations for bed, with many having cleaned off the remnants of any minor burns or scars they had after their showers.
Gumball was treating the wounds that were sustained by Penelope in the washroom, the first aid kit was on the counter next to the sink.
"Ow!"
"I know it hurts sweetie, but an infection is not something you want to have either."
Gumball was applying a cold press cloth to the wounds of the small fairy, who sustained the most damage out of the family.
Carefully he applied bandages to each wound, ensuring the fairy was clean of any scar tissue before doing so.
"Okay sweetheart, we're done. Do you feel better?"
"Yeah I'm okay, is Grandpa Richard okay?"
Gumball gave a comforting smile.
"He's okay, both of us never realized the label was covered, so really it was my fault too. Just make sure to remind your brother to be careful of a red van, should you encounter it back in Elmore."
The fairy gave a confused look.
"I don't understand though, Grandpa Richard got Uncle Darwin from the same van; so it couldn't be all that bad right?"
Gumball placed both paws on the shoulders of the fairy.
"I know, but unless I accompany you guys, or your mother, please do not purchase anything on your own from that store okay? There's even some things I do not completely understand after all my years knowing it. Dad and Mom still have that magical fridge-"
"A MAGICAL FRIDGE!?"
Gumball quickly placed his paw on the fairy's mouth.
"Shhhh! Yes we have a magical fridge, I'll show you sometime when we visit your grandparents; but your grandmother doesn't like me mentioning it!"
Suddenly a pair of footsteps were at the washroom door.
"Is everything alright in there you two?"
It was Nicole's voice.
Gumball frantically scrounged together what words he could muster for a complete sentence.
"Uh-uh-ye-yeah everything is okay Mom! I was just cleaning a wound that was sensitive on Penelope and she screamed!"
Nicole on the other side of the door knew he was hiding something, her intuition was kicking into overdrive. But since it was already late in the night, she decided to not pursue further.
"Alright, well goodnight! It should be another great day in terms of weather tomorrow! Goodnight Penelope! Grandma loves you very much!"
Both cat and fairy responded in unison.
"Goodnight Grandma Nicole!"
"Goodnight Mom!"
Nicole then moving away from the door and back towards her and Richard's bedroom, smiling and rolling her eyes as she carefully opened the door.
"Do you think Grandma Nicole knew what we said?"
Gumball smirked.
"If she did, she'll confront me about it tomorrow morning. Now come on, I'll tuck you in for bed."
The blue feline then picked up the small fairy in his arms, as she slowly dozed off nuzzling into her father's neck. He soon opened the washroom door to the hallway, down towards the kids bedroom.
Back in Nicole and Richard's bedroom, Nicole was wearing her signature pajamas and so was Richard.
Richard, who was usually asleep by now, was still feeling guilty about the incident from earlier in the evening.
"Hi honey, is everything okay?"
Nicole slowly slid into bed next to Richard.
The pink bunny let out a defeated sigh.
"It seems whenever I try my hand at something, it always ends up with the same result: failure."
Nicole was taken aback by these words, and slowly shifted in to her husband putting a paw on his chest.
"Oh Richard, it wasn't anybody's fault. They would have appeared as just regular fireworks to anybody, not just yourself. Don't kick yourself over it, it happens to the best of us from time to time!"
Richard then turned to face the blue feline's face, her fur still as soft as the day he met her.
"Thanks Nicole..."
"No problem honey."
Both then embraced for a passionate hug.
"Say, I know what will help get us both to sleep!"
Nicole then got up out of bed and raised her arms in the air to stretch.
"This upcoming weekend is going to feature a dance at the Reedsville festival, so...how about we practice our dance beforehand?!"
Richard then got up out of bed as well.
"That sounds like a great idea!"
(If Remember When by Alan Jackson is compatible with your device please press play now)
Slowly the couple waltzed in a graceful fashion, Nicole placing her head on the chest of Richard, while he rested his chin on top of her head.
"You know Richard, I was thinking about this vacation so far. Do you... ever think back to how this all began? How our family grew and our children moved on?"
Richard then looked into the eyes of Nicole, the room and lake house remained silent. The only light illuminating the room was the moon outside their patio window, the lake donning a bright calm reflection of tranquility.
"Always! I mean, it still seems like only yesterday you met me when I was stuck in that tree log..."
Nicole chuckled.
"Yes indeed Richard, but that meeting brought so much more than just that; we have grandkids now! Can you believe that!?"
Richard then smiled.
"Sometimes I pinch myself thinking about it, we certainly came a long way haven't we? I certainly don't feel old, but that could be all the weight I lost on that diet program..."
Nicole then released another bout of chuckles.
"Oh Richard, I don't believe I've told you this yet, but perhaps now is the time. Every moment I've spent with you has been memorable, even the times you and the kids would drive me to my limit; I still never stopped caring for each and every single one of you. I wouldn't have changed one iota or traded in that meeting with you all those years ago for anything in the world. You truly have shown me what life is all about...Thank you Richard Watterson..."
Richard smiled and then pulled something from his pocket. It was a small acorn.
"Richard...another acorn?"
"Not just any acorn, I took another acorn from the stump where we met for the first time. It's been with me ever since as a reminder that I will always love you and only you."
Tears were starting to swell in the eyes of the blue feline, and soon they began to rush out like a stream.
"Until death do us part Nicole Watterson."
The couple soon finished their dance and dozed off to sleep. With Richard placing his arm over the feline to cuddle.
Nicole smiled as she drifted off into a deep sleep, one last thought entering her mind.
"This vacation truly has been magical in so many ways..."
*END OF CHAPTER*