The sun shone through the large glass window that encompassed the lake house. The Watterson's all slept peacefully, oblivious to the rest of the world around them. Gumball had his arm wrapped around his son Tristan, both now with fuzzy and frizzled fur that were near identical to one another.
Nicole groggily opened her eyes, the sun shining translucently through the blanket; its rays warming her and providing a blissful relaxation. Richard, who was next to her in a double sleeping bag, was still snoring in a low baritone hum.
Nicole rolled her eyes with a slight smile and slowly shifted her body out of the sleeping bag. She stealthily pranced out of the makeshift fort and towards the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Yawning as she put the hazelnut coffee into a mug, she then looked out of the window of the kitchen; to be greeted to a beautiful and clear sunny day.
She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee in her mug, and then heard familiar sets of steps behind her in the kitchen entrance. Her son Gumball and her grandson Tristan entered, also careful to not awaken anyone else in the house. The small blue cat went over to his Grandmother and gave her a warm hug.
"Good morning Grandma! Nice day isn't it? It's a major improvement from yesterday's weather for sure!"
Nicole put her mug down and picked up the small blue feline in her arms.
"It is indeed little man! Maybe we can all do something together today as well!?"
Gumball smiled, he was glad to be able to create the fort with his son and the rest of the family. They never really were able to have a movie night like that in ages, due to him working the long arduous shifts of the Rainbow Factory.
He then spoke up.
"Hey Mom? Do you know when that festival begins?"
Nicole, still with Tristan in her arms, gave a contemplative expression.
"Hmmmm...well it really shouldn't be too far away now I would assume. Oh goodness! We haven't really planned anything special for the occasion have we?! Do we have any outfits that we could wear for the dance?"
Gumball took a sip of his coffee.
"Well we really hadn't planned on anything special in terms of attire, we really had no clue that Reedsville even had an annual summer music festival. But when I went with Tristan to Reedsville, I did spot some clothing stores, so maybe we can get the family to drive there and see what we can find!"
Nicole's face lit up with excitement and anticipation.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea Gummypuss! We should keep our outfits a secret though until the day of the festival. It should really set the tone and mood then."
Gumball then nodded his head.
"Agreed."
Soon shuffling and commotion could be heard in the living room, no doubt its source being the makeshift fort.
Suddenly running could be heard inside the fort as the three blue cats peeked out from the kitchen entrance.
Penny ran out with Penelope in her arms, both pinching their noses to cover an anonymous smell.
"Goodness! It reeks in there! What happened?!"
Penny asked, now allowing herself to get some fresh air from the outside.
Louis stepped out with a gas mask on.
"Good thing I still kept this since Okinawa!"
Then a stampede of the rest of the Watterson family emerged from the fort, all disgusted with an obviously rancid smell.
All emerged...except for one tall pink bunny.
Suddenly, he walked out with a yawn and stretch.
"What's going on? Why is everybody staring at me?"
Gumball and Nicole glanced at one another and then covered their faces with their paws and silently chuckled.
The Watterson kids then laughed out loud together, causing a chain reaction in the entire room. Suddenly, a choir of contagious laughter had infected the Watterson's. The pink bunny, still confused, then joined in still unaware that the situation was at his expense.
Breakfast had finished, with Penny and Gumball preparing western styled omelets, complete with bologna, onions, and peppers mixed in with the egg.
"Wow Gumball and Penny! These are fantastic!"
Darwin had stated, sitting next to his wife Carrie who nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure you guys wouldn't want to help out at the taco restaurant?"
The couple laughed.
"I'm sure we could if we were not so busy Darwin. But thanks for the offer!"
Gumball said, as Carrie then gulped down another bit of omelet.
"Well the offer is always there if you guys want it!"
The female ghost then smiled.
"Thanks guys!"
Penny exclaimed.
Soon, the Watterson family had finished breakfast and cleaned any leftover dishes.
Nicole then motioned everyone to the living room for a family meeting.
"Alright everyone! Now I know it is a beautiful day and Gumball and I were discussing this morning of something to plan before you had woken up. The Reedsville festival as you know, is quickly approaching, and we need some outfits to fit the occasion! Now, this is not a formal festival so try to dress appropriately for the season of summer!"
The family all chatted amongst themselves.
"Have I made myself clear?"
Everyone nodded in agreement with Nicole.
"Good! Now let's get this show on the road shall we?!"
Soon, the Watterson family were piling into their vehicles. It was Gumball's turn to drive the kids this time, while the rest of the adults drove in separate vehicles.
Tristan made sure to reserve shotgun for himself, while Penelope, Anastasia, and Vlad sat in the back seat.
(If Love you in the Fall By Paul Westerberg is compatible with your device, please press play now)
Soon a convoy of vehicles, lead by Gumball, drove out onto the dirt road leading to the main highway.
The kids were talking to one another in the backseat, with Tristan in the passenger seat gazing out the window. Gumball had noticed this and initiated conversation.
"Hey little man, remember what we did last time we were on the road?"
The small blue feline then readjusted his position in the car seat and straightened his posture.
"Yeah, I remember Dad, of course!"
"Well how about we have some fun and give Mom and Grandma a scare?"
The blue kitten then gave a concerned expression.
"But what if they are angry with us? Mom really hates it when something dangerous happens!"
Gumball then placed a paw off the wheel, and patted the kittens head.
"Hey! Remember what I said before? I will take the blame for anything that should transpire in the way of endangerment of you kids. Plus I did have a conversation of how I was going to change on this vacation, and what better way is there of showing that, then placing you in the responsibility of operating a motorized vehicle on a busy freeway! Besides, Dad is always a man of his word!"
Vlad then heard this and spoke up.
"That's not what Mom and Dad told me, apparently Uncle Gumball had a debt system for favors people did for him around Elmore and the debts were returned way beyond when they were supposed to, if at all. Mom said he sometimes would just flat out forget to repay the debt of returning the favor to the person who helped him!"
The Watterson children gave stern expressions to the blue cat at the wheel, who was now donning a nervous smile.
"Well...most of the time I am a man of my word. But between you guys and I, those were some very important favors that needed to be done for yours truly!"
The children then laughed.
"Sure thing Dad..."
Tristan stated, as he let out a cute chuckle.
Gumball then regained his composure at the wheel and then started to talk.
"Alright, so here is how this is going to play out kids! One of you is going to get on the walkie talkie and converse on the main channel, that I passed out, and Tristan has taken command of the wheel. When Grandma Nicole's vehicle pulls up to check, you guys are going to pretend to be in a panic. When they are genuinely freaked out, I'll regain consciousness and look to the window from the driver seat, waving, indicating it was a prank! Everyone understand?!"
The kids all nodded their heads eagerly.
"Alright, show time guys!"
Just behind them were Nicole, Penny, and Carrie.
The three mothers were conversing about miscellaneous topics as they had done before on the vacation. Penny had taken the wheel for this drive, while Nicole and Carrie were passengers, with Nicole riding shotgun.
"Anyway, that's why I hardly ever go in that section in the supermarket, there are hardly any good deals there most of the time and when there is; it's mostly on the processed food. One time you could get 30 cents for an entire pallet of ground beef when I was caring for my kids!"
Nicole stated, as Carrie and Penny were nodding.
"I know, it really is variable sometimes of what to buy and how to buy these days. Definitely not like when we were kids, and even then it was tough..."
Penny exclaimed, as her husband's car applied the brakes for a second, causing her to abruptly apply the brakes as well.
"Woah!"
All three women exclaimed at the abrupt stop in the middle of the freeway.
"Is Gumball alright? He nearly caused an accident there!"
Penny exclaimed.
"I really hope he is, it's very unlike him to not know the rules of the road..."
Nicole stated in a nervous tone, as static started to be intercepted on their walkie talkie with a small timid voice breaking through. All three women instantly recognized it as Penelope.
"Mom, Grandma? I think there is something wrong with Dad, He just passed out and he's unconscious at the wheel, Tristan is at the wheel with Vlad at the brakes and accelerator!"
The three women looked at one another with shocked expressions.
Nicole then pressed the button to talk on the walkie talkie.
"Okay sweetie, just hold on we're going to pull up alongside and assess the situation further alright!?"
Static then could be heard at the other end. The kids silently chuckled, along with Gumball trying to put on his best unconscious driver act.
"Okay kids, get ready! I can see them putting on their turn signal to get into the other part of the double lane of the freeway!"
Soon a minivan pulled alongside the sedan and the three women saw Tristan driving with what appeared to be Gumball passed out in the Driver's seat.
The rest of the Watterson kids were pretending to scream and panic, as the three women in the adjacent car looked over in horror.
Suddenly Gumball awoke from his fake unconscious state and waved to the three women.
This prompted laughs from the kids in the car, as Tristan got back into the passenger seat.
"It was just a prank you guys don't worry!"
Gumball stated, as he spoke into the walkie talkie that Penelope handed to him.
Something also caught Gumball off guard and practically surprised him as he was expecting a complete opposite reaction. The three women, who instead of blaring into the walkie talkie with embroiled rage and anger, were laughing as well!
"Well played guys, well played..."
Nicole said, as Gumball regained the leading position in front of the convoy; but not before saluting back at the three women with a smile.
Finally the convoy had reached Reedsville, with the Watterson family filing out of their vehicles.
Naturally the three women who witnessed the prank on the highway went to Gumball's sedan first, where Gumball was helping the kids out of the car.
"Gummypuss that was a well executed prank, but must it have been on a main freeway with traffic flowing in every direction?"
Gumball smiled.
"Well Mom, the best pranks require the most risk, plus the kids were all on board with it and there were so many elements that went so well. You should have seen your faces turn from complete shock and awe to the realization it was all a well planned ruse!"
The blue feline now reveling in his prank's success, got a playful punch in the arm from Nicole who gave a smile as she walked away.
Penny was smiling as well and gave a peck on the cheek to the blue feline.
"You know, your Mom is right. Bringing back your old self doesn't have to involve audacious, outlandish, and frankly deadly pranks."
Gumball then wrapped his arms around the yellow fairy and gazed into her eyes.
"Don't you remember when we were teenagers and had plenty of dangerous experiences?"
The yellow fairy now blushed.
"Yes I do...Remember when you tried to help my Dad with the lawn and put a turbo booster on the lawnmower believing it would cut the grass faster, but instead you mowed half the lawns in all of Elmore, along with a few fences ruined?!"
Gumball laughed.
"Yeah that was pretty awesome, Patrick couldn't believe how well I did...even if I eventually ended up in the pool with the lawnmower in the end. Mom was pretty upset with the damage bill the town hall gave her to pay for the expenses of all the fences I destroyed though..."
Penny laughed.
"I think you made your point very clear honey, now come on! Let's join the others and get our outfits for the festival!"
The blue cat and yellow fairy, were now joining each other with paw and hand; walking a steady pace to catch up to the family ahead of them.
Eventually, they all stopped to a general clothes store and entered to see Larry at the checkout.
"Good to see you Larry!"
Penny stated in a happy tone, as the Watterson's all greeted the man who kept most businesses in the greater Elmore metropolitan area in check.
"Yes well, when I told Mr. Watterson I took a summer job at the ice cream stand...I kind of lied. I should have said jobs plural!"
This caused everyone to laugh, along with Larry, who was wearing a generic tailor uniform.
"So how can I help you all today?"
Nicole then stepped forward.
"We're looking to pick out some outfits for the upcoming Reedsville music festival on Independence day, would you mind helping us Larry?"
Larry smiled.
"It would be my pleasure Mrs. Watterson, right this way everyone!"
Larry led the family to the interior of the store that lead into various aisles.
"To your left the boys and men will find everything to accommodate their needs to look their most handsome and refreshed, and to the left, everything a woman or girl will need to express their beauty and look presentable for a gentleman!"
Larry then bowed.
"If you need anything, I'll be at the front desk!"
With that, the Watterson's went off to pick out their outfits.
Gumball was not really a fashion connoisseur, but he wanted something that would meet the balance of outgoing summer attire and formal dance attire.
He scanned the area around him, most of the family had already entered the changing rooms quickly with their desired selections; but he had just begun his search.
"What the what? How did they find something to wear that quickly?! We literally just started and there's such a wide selection to choose from!"
He then walked around the men's summer wear.
"Right, let's see what we have here..."
He noticed a nice pair of dress jeans that caught his eye and he quickly picked it up with his paws. The dark blue denim really caught his attention, the material laced together perfectly. He then spotted a pair of shiny brown dress shoes, gleaming with fine leather and other synthetic material. Finally, he found a beige-brown collared button up hoodie; that really completed the outfit.
"This seems to be adequate enough, I'd better see if my intuition is correct though..."
He then walked over to one of the vacant men's changing rooms.
He quickly removed his shorts and shirt and placed the outfit he had selected on himself, complete with the shiny brown dress shoes.
"You know what Gumball, for a guy, you don't have that bad of a fashion sense!"
The blue cat was admiring himself in the changing room mirror, before he heard a small voice call out from the other side of the room door.
"Dad, not rushing you or anything, but we all have our outfits picked out. Did you find anything that caught your eye per chance?"
Tristan asked in a considerate tone.
"No problem little man, I actually believe I hit the jackpot on this one!"
Gumball changed back into his original summer attire, and walked back out to the front desk checkout where Larry was waiting. Tristan walked up beside his Father, but could not catch a glimpse of the outfit he had picked out with his smaller height and stature.
"Will that be all Mr. Watterson? You surely have picked out a nice combination here, well done!"
Gumball smiled.
"Thanks Larry, it just had that certain panache to it that caught my eye. I hope Penny likes it!"
"I'm sure Mrs. Fitzgerald, or should I say Watterson, will be pleasantly surprised at your clothing choice. Just be sure to make the evening special for your family alright? The Reedsville music festival truly is a wonderful venue for the celebration of our nation's birth! The rides, games, dancing, and firework display are well worth the price of admission!"
Gumball chuckled.
"You always were great at promoting stuff Larry!"
Larry then returned a humble smile.
"Well when you've been doing what I have been doing for 40 years, it really just becomes a sixth sense or second nature if you will."
Gumball then motioned his paw forward to initiate a handshake, with Larry accepting.
"Well thank you so much again Larry."
Gumball gave a generous tip to the man.
"Thank you so much Mr. Watterson!"
Gumball smirked.
"Please Larry, just call me Gumball. I'm really not used to someone I used to torment as a kid being that respectful and courteous..."
Larry chuckled.
"As you wish...Gumball."
The blue cat now walking out of the store with a plastic bag of clothes he had just purchased and his son grasping his other paw, made his way back to the parking lot to rendezvous with his family to return home to the lake house.
Penny and Gumball were changing into their night attire and preparing for bed once again.
"It's going to be so nice to see what everyone has picked out, the kids were really excited to be able to pick out their own clothes for once!"
Penny was now sitting in bed with a romance novel she had been reading.
"I know! Larry told me that the festival should be equally as interesting too, the whole family should have an enjoyable time!"
Gumball, now in his night time attire, climbed slowly into bed and turned out the nightstand light next to them.
Penny closed her book and set it aside on the nightstand.
"This vacation really has flown by hasn't it?"
Penny said, as she now placed a hand on the chest of the blue cat and rested her head on him as well.
Gumball smiled.
"Well you know me Penny, when it comes to fun times, I tend to be a "Glass half full" type of guy. We still have plenty of time on this vacation yet, I heard from a local on the way back to the vehicles; that there is a small recreational center that would be great for the kids. There is also a nice family restaurant there as well, we should try to go there tomorrow!"
Penny smiled.
"That sounds like a great idea...you know, you just reminded me so much of your old self just now."
Gumball turned to stare into the fairy's eyes.
"Really? I'm glad to hear that honey, but can I ask how that is the case?"
Penny snuggled closer.
"The way your voice and tone were so youthful in sound and inflection, it brought me back to when you would plan fun events off the top of your head, much like you did just now...I think you're finally tapping into that old Gumball we all used to know!"
Gumball was happy to hear this, especially it being the remarks of the love of his life.
"Thanks Penny, it means the world that you said that..."
The fairy smiled as she closed her eyes.
"Indeed...*yawn* goodnight...Gum...Ball..."
Soon the fairy was fast asleep, her soft breathing warmed the heart of the blue feline, as he once again stared out the bedroom window to see the moon shining with the sky full of vibrant; gleaming stars.
"You still got it Mr. Watterson, you still got it..."
*END OF CHAPTER*