Family & Friends

Part 5

The Misfits Break Up!

By Nick Maro

"Mary," David began slowly as he knelt to one knee before her and taking one of her hands, "Harvey Gabor is your biological father. Phyllis is your half-sister and I'm your half-brother."

Stormer dropped her notepad in shock not hearing it hit the floor. Kimber gasped in surprise. "I don't fucking believe it!" Roxy said breaking the awkward silence.

Jetta felt her jaw drop as she searched for something snarky to say. "wow," was all she was able to come up with.

Stormer shook her head in disbelief while feeling her mouth go dry and trying to remember how to speak. "W-w-wait, how is that possible? My brother Craig has the same color of hair as me. Wouldn't I look at least a bit like you or Pizzazz?"

"The genes that determine how your hair and eyes will be are usually on the mother's side." Harvey Gabor stood in the doorway of his study. "I'll let David explain it. I need to check on this whole Evelyn affair." He slipped back into his study and closed the doors knowing his son was better at explaining things.

David put his arm around the shaken Stormer. He guided her into the living room to one of the couches. The others followed close behind. David sat next to Stormer with his arm still around her. Roxy sat on the other side of her. Kimber sat next to David. Jetta sat in a chair next to Kimber, far from the other Misfits. "Mary." David kept his voice soft. "Remember when I came back I talked about why my parents fought?"

"Y-yeah?" Stormer stuttered like she usually did when she was nervous.

David cleared his throat and glanced at everyone in the room. "Well, as it turns out the waitress he got pregnant was your mother."

"Wait a second, something doesn't make sense here." Roxy leaned forward to look at David. "Stormer is only two years younger than you. You were eight when you heard that argument. So when your mother took you to Japan, Stormer would've been six years old. It must've been another woman."

"Roxy, I can explain it." He turned back to his newly discovered half-sister. "My mother knew about my father's affair with your mother. She knew for six years. What I heard was only part of the argument. My mother had just found out that my father was giving your mother money to help raise you and your brother. She was furious because he said he had no contact with you or your mother. In fact, he bought the house we're both living in, Mary. My mother found the papers for it and went ballistic. That night she took me away to Japan."

"I-I-I never thought about it. I just never thought about how my mother could afford a house like ours on her pay." Stormer looked up at her half-brother. "She always had money for us too.

"But what this really helps me understand is why my mom quit her job as a waitress." Stormer hooked a lock of hair behind her ear and sighed, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. "She took a job here as a maid and brought me here when I wasn't in school. Craig was older so he was allowed to hang out at a friend's house after school. I didn't have any friends at school. Mr. Gabor paid for Craig to attend a boarding school in England. So I didn't see him much, except at holidays. He came home for the summer but he had his own friends to be with here. Craig didn't want anything to do with Pizzazz. So I never talked about him to her.

"Pizzazz was my only friend. She wasn't mean at first, but that changed when we started junior high. She started hanging out with the popular crowd. I tagged along with her because I didn't know what else to do. I finally asked my mother if I could go to boarding school in my freshman year of high school. That was a huge mistake. After two months of what I considered hell, I called home and left. Pizzazz always said that I abandoned her like her mother had. She never mentioned you, David. I'd never saw any photos of you at all." Stormer sighed and wiped back her tears. "She blamed me for the popular kids leaving her in the dust. She said it was because she was always seen with a loser like me.

"After we had graduated high school, Pizzazz and I decided to start a band. I took piano lessons and Pizzazz always sounded pretty good when singing. Plus, she had some skill with the guitar. Problem was that we only had two people. That's when we decided to search for a new member. We spent months checking local clubs and not finding anything. We were about to give up when we heard someone just playing with all their heart. We went into the club and saw Roxy on stage. Right then and there, I knew we had our third member. Pizzazz went up to Roxy when she was getting her drinks. The crowd was ready to start throw eggs at us when we started. However that changed quickly when they began to cheer, but no one knew what to chant. Pizzazz got on the mic, ready to shout out what the band was called when she glanced at me for help. My mind raced with a name. I was a misfit all my life and whether Pizzazz knew it or not, she was too, so why stop now. I yelled into my mic The Misfits! That night we were born and our friendship was reborn, as well.

"The more gigs we got, the larger our fan base got. We knew we were going to need a manager. One night we met Eric Raymond. He was an executive at Starlight Music. Emmett Benton had just passed away and Eric was promoted. He became our manager. Before we could get an album out, we had to win that rigged Battle of the Bands in the park. That's when Jem and the Holograms first appeared." She stopped for a moment and looked at everyone. "I guess everyone here knows the rest of that story."

Stormer hugged David tightly and stood up. "I need to be by myself for awhile and process everything." He saw tears from realizing what the truth meant now as he watched her leave through the front door.

Roxy got up and chased after her. "Stormer! Wait up!" Jetta went up the stairs to see Pizzazz. Each of the Misfits were beginning to see that they were closer than they had realized before.

David leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Ceiling needs to be painted."

Kimber looked at him. "Huh?" She looked up at the ceiling. "What does that mean?"

"Something my mother used to always say. Whenever she had a problem she'd look at the ceiling and say, 'Ceiling needs to be painted.' Means no matter how big your problem is there's usually a more annoying one looming over your head. So don't worry about it." He turned his head and smiled at her. Kimber put her head on his chest and listened to the rhythm of his heart beating. David put his arm around her shoulders and relaxed.

Harvey Gabor put the video of the press conference on pause. "Phyllis, you were correct. Evelyn was about five foot and seven inches; this woman here is about five feet and five inches. I can tell because Eric is five feet and eight inches. There's a three inch difference." He turned to his daughter. "Good eye for details. Just like your mother." She smiled at his praise. "But unfortunately that won't hold up. You have to reveal her for the fraud she is in some place public."

"How about at a black tie affair?" Everyone in the room turned toward the voice that came from the doorway.

"How did it go, Clash? Get what I asked you for?" David leaned against the wall behind the chair Kimber was sitting in.

Clash walked into the room, her purple hair reflecting in the light. She held up a folder full of papers and a few thumb drives. "All you had to do was ask."

Pizzazz looked at David confused. "What's going on here?"

David was looking through the papers while he navigated his way to the computer in his father's study. "Evidence and from the looks of this we have all of the evidence we need to put Eric Raymond away for a long time." He looked up from the papers. "I remembered someone saying Clash was great at disguises. So I had her dress up as a cleaning lady last night. I got her into the building using the default security code for Stingers Sound. It is still owned by one Mr. Harvey Gabor." David glanced at his father. "I asked Clash to get anything that would help us out. And looking at what she brought me; bank statements, payment records and memos. It seems we have what we need." He turned back to Clash. "These are copies aren't they?" he asked.

"Yeah, they are, but should we be talking about this here?" she asked with concern in her voice. "The house is wired for sound."

Pizzazz put her hand in her pants pocket and pulled out a small microphone. "We found this in Daddy's picture frame over there." She pointed over her father's desk. "There's a crew going through the house now looking for others. I have feeling they were put in a few weeks ago. I let a new security firm come in and install their system because they said Daddy ordered it. How was I supposed to know?" She gave an innocent shrug.

"Now that they know that we know about the imposter Evelyn won't Eric cancel the party?" Roxy asked as she looked up from the music sheets that Stormer had given her the previous night.

"He can't and won't." Jetta smirked at her. "If he cancels now he'll lose out on potential supporters of Stingers Sound."

"Okay, we don't know if he knows or not," Kimber said hoping she wasn't out of place in speaking up. "Is he able to record what goes on while he's not listening or not."

David looked at a piece of paper. "These schematics don't say. But Kimber is right, we don't know."

"So we have to assume he does know." Pizzazz finished for him.

They sat in silence while David looked at the information on the thumb drives. "How the hell did Eric know what Mrs. Gabor looked like? Especially now." Roxy asked the most obvious unasked question.

"I can help there," an unfamiliar voice answered, "Eric used his hench goon Zipper to break in here a few weeks back. He was one of the security people who installed the microphones."

"Techrat!" the Misfits and Clash yelled at once. David looked at his father and Kimber confused.

"What are you doing here, Techrat?"

"Pizzazz called me after she found the microphone," the strange man replied. "I will admit it is my work. I didn't know it would be used to hurt the Misfits." He turned to David. "The machine the microphone is connected to does not have recording abilities. It only broadcasts like a radio."

"Just how long were you standing there?" David asked him.

"Long enough to know that I could trust you."

David went back to the drives. He was looking at bank statements for Gabor Industries. "Dad, come look at this." He pointed out on the monitor to his father.

Harvey's eyes got wide as his body shook with anger. "Why that worm! He's been embezzling from me for years!" Harvey patted David on the shoulder. "Good work, son! You've just found the way to put him away for years."

Stormer was looking at some of the papers. "I think we have a name for Evelyn," she announced. "One Ms. Susan Drake, retired actress."

Pizzazz and David ran over to her. "Are you sure?" Pizzazz asked.

"Right here on this check receipt and it figures that Eric would pay with a check. I recognized the name. She was a good actress until her breakdown. She disappeared from the camera eye a few years back." Stormer let a touch of pride enter her voice.

"Okay, now I have a question." Roxy paced. "How did a clipping of my parent's death get in one of David's boxes?"

Techrat stepped forward. "That was Zipper's doing. Eric wanted to help form a rift in the Misfits. His plan was make you break up so he could cancel your contracts."

"And you know this how?" Jetta asked walking up to him.

"This house isn't the only place I bugged. I personally bugged his office as well," Techrat said smiling. "I never trusted him."

"I have a plan that might work," Harvey Gabor told the young men and women in the room as they gathered around to listen to him carefully.

The cars were lined up in front of the Kool Klub. Celebrities waved and smiled as they strode inside for the biggest party of the year. One of the biggest stretch limos that Jason had ever seen pulled up. He opened the door and one very angry green haired woman came flying out. She turned around to the open limo door. "Fuck you, Roxy! Fuck you, Stormer! And most of all, fuck you, David! I've had enough of your shit!" She yelled into the car. "This idea is stupid and insane! It'll never work!" She turned to head inside the club after shoving the young man aside.

Jetta climbed out after Pizzazz. "David, I just want to say you and your snotty little Holoslut can go fuckin' die!" She caught up to Pizzazz. "Let's go tell the world, luv."

The usher taking tickets looked at the furious approaching women and asked nervously. "T-t-tickets, p-p-please."

Pizzazz glared at him. "I don't need no fuckin' ticket. I'm Pizzazz!" She shoved her way past him nearly knocking him down.

"Yeah, sod off, ya bloody wanker!" Jetta said as she knocked him down. She stepped over him while laughing.

David, Kimber, Stormer and Roxy all climbed out of the limo. They jumped over the downed usher. "The tickets are in the limo!" Roxy yelled to him.

By the time the four reached the dance floor, Pizzazz and Jetta were on their way to the stage. "We've got to stop them!" Stormer shrieked. She was pushing her way through the crowd along with the rest. She spotted Eric Raymond and Riot. She felt the blood drain from her face. "I think we've been spotted," she said to the others.

David saw Pizzazz reach a microphone. She saw him and raised her middle finger in his direction. "I know this isn't my party but I still have something I want to say." People turned to look at the two furious women standing on the stage.

Kimber saw something she wasn't expecting, her sister and Rio. "Jerrica and Rio are here," she whispered to David. He nodded and kept pushing through the mass of people.

Pizzazz noticed the four of them trying to get through. "Let them through," she yelled. "There isn't a damn thing they can do now anyway." The crowd parted for Roxy, Kimber, Stormer and David. Roxy ran past David to the stage. Stormer was close behind her. Kimber ran to Jerrica and Rio. David followed Stormer. The three friends all made it on stage without resistance. "You can't stop me, David. I'm doing it right fuckin' now," Pizzazz yelled at him. "Ladies and gentlemen I want to just announce that the Misfits are broken up!"

The crowd gasped in shocked. David was watching Eric Raymond the whole time out of the corner of his eye. He saw him pull his arm down and whisper, "Yes!"

Predictable, David thought to himself.

Eric, The Stingers and Evelyn pushed their way up the stairs. "My dear Pizzazz," Eric started as he walked toward her, "your news saddens my heart. The Misfits were a wonderful little band. You could always sing back up for the Stingers."

David glanced to the back of the room. He saw his father and the police slowly making their way in. That was Kimber and his cue. David walked to where his mother was. "Mother, it's been so long since I've seen you." He began to cry as he tried to give her a hug. Kimber, Jerrica and Rio made their way to the stage behind the Stingers.

Before he could give his mother a hug Eric tried to block his way. "I'm sorry, David, but she's put you behind her now. So get lost, kid!" David circled around behind Eric toward his mother. Eric spun the young man around. "Didn't you hear me, Dav—" he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, David was now falling backwards towards the older woman. He reached out snagged her hair with his flailing hands. The wig easily came off her head. Evelyn Gabor was now exposed as a fraud on television.

"Oh my God!" yelled Kimber in mock surprise. "That's not Evelyn Gabor! It's Susan Drake!"

Eric tried to move forward but was being held back. He looked behind himself and saw Harvey Gabor standing next to a police officer. The Stingers turned away from what had just happened. Susan looked in shock at Eric. "What do you think you're doing?!" exclaimed Eric.

"Mr. Raymond, you're under arrest." An officer took Eric's arms and roughly pulled them behind him.

"On what grounds?"

"Embezzlement for starters," Harvey Gabor said with a wicked smile. "Get him the hell out of here." He nodded to the officer.

Susan Drake ran off stage after Eric shrieking and hitting him as they went. David stood up and dropped the wig. The Stingers started toward David. Rio tapped Riot on the shoulder. "You don't how long I've wanted to do this." Rio smirked.

"Do what?" Riot asked smugly.

"This." Rio pulled back his arm and punched Riot as hard he could rebreaking the blonde man's nose.

Minx and Rapture helped Riot off the stage. David looked at the crowd as he approached the microphone. "Dad, please tell the officer to hold on one moment. I have a special surprise for Eric." Harvey put his thumbs up for his son. The officer stopped Eric and turned him towards the stage.

Kimber, Jerrica and Rio got off the stage. David spoke to the crowd before him. "Eric, Riot, I've two words for you."

"Fuck you!" Someone in the back of the crowd yelled.

David laughed and smiled wide. "They're back!"

The curtains behind him opened to reveal the Misfits with their instruments. They had made their way into back during the confusion. Pizzazz walked up to the mic and spoke in a clear, confident voice, one she hadn't felt in a long time "I want to thank my brother, David. Oh, and Eric, Riot we have something to say to you." The Misfits broke out into the one song that they felt was the most appropriate. The band burst into an impassioned version of their song Jack Take a Hike.

"In case you don't get the message," Pizzazz said after the song finished.

"You're fired!" They all yelled at the same time.

David stood with his arm around Kimber and smiled. He looked over at Jerrica and Rio as they smiled back. "Jerrica, Rio, I want you both to finally meet David Ikari." Kimber made the introductions.

He glanced at Kimber. "David Gabor," he corrected her. "I'm David Gabor."

Jerrica hugged him tight, surprising both David and Kimber. "I'm very pleased to finally meet you. So, you're the one who saved Aja."

Rio shook his hand. "I heard a lot about you from Kimber and Aja."

Kimber couldn't wait any longer she pulled David down by his shirt. Bringing her face close to his, she whispered seductively, "I've wanted to do this for too long." She pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back returning the long repressed sentiment. When they finally broke the kiss they both found Pizzazz was standing next to them with her hands on her hips.

"Great, my brother is dating a Holotwerp." She tried to look annoyed at them then broke into a genuine smile for Kimber. Pizzazz finally turned to Jerrica while she searched for the right words to say. "Listen, this is tough for me, but what the hell, y'know?" She put her hand out. "In light of everything that's happened I'm sorry for everything we've done. Forgive us?"

Jerrica looked at the hand for a long moment. She pushed the hand aside and hugged the startled Pizzazz. "Yeah, why not?" Pizzazz slowly returned the hug feeling a little more at peace and knowing she just made a true friend.

Eric sat in the holding cell awaiting his lawyer. "Someone's here to see you." A guard led Eric to an empty room. There sat a man he had never seen before.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Raymond," the man offered with a hand gesturing to the chair opposite of him.

Eric sat down and the guard left the room shutting the door. "What do you want?" Eric asked cautiously.

"My name is Mr. Kite," the mystery man said. "I represent a man who has some interest in you. He's just learned you've become a, how shall we say, a free agent again."

"Go on, I'm listening."

Mr. Kite smiled as Eric leaned closer.

"Let me get this straight," Kimber said trying to make sense of what David had just explained. "Eric never could have dropped the Misfits from Stingers Sound because he didn't own them, right?"

"Yeah, my father owns Stingers Sound and all intellectual properties within," David explained as he walked next to his new girlfriend. "And that included the Misfits' contracts. He did take great joy in tearing up the Stingers' contracts though. I think I heard him whooping last night as he burned the pieces in the fireplace." Kimber giggled and pressed closer to his arm.

Kimber stopped walking before entering the building that stood before them. She turned to David. "Just a few things I don't understand. Jetta and Roxy were at each other's throats before. What happened?"

David turned to face her as people entered the office building. "Jetta eventually apologized for her comments. Roxy naturally forgave her. I think the fight Pizzazz and I had had an effect on more than one person. I'm still somewhat amazed myself."

"And Zipper, what happened to him?"

"Arrested for breaking and entering. Techrat should have been implicated as an accessory. But since he came forward and helped us out, he was cleared of all charges."

Kimber thought for a moment as she started walking then stopped again. "Don't you think it was convenient for Eric to leave all of the plans in his office like that?"

"No," David said with a slight chuckle. "Eric Raymond thought he was invincible and untouchable. Men like that are usually overconfident. Raymond was just sloppy and suffered from delusions of grandeur. He really is his own worst enemy."

They walked into the building that was framed in skeletal work. The windows being replaced with silver reflecting glass and the metal was being repainted from black to silver. Missing was the Stingers Sound sign that had sat at the top for a short while. It was replaced by the old, familiar Misfits Music sign. Kimber noted that the video screen was missing but it still looked good. They walked arm in arm past the doorman who greeted them in a cheerful tone. "'Morning, Mr. Gabor, Ms. Benton."

"Harry, its David and Kimber," he corrected the doorman. "Save the Mister stuff for my father."

"You're the boss, Mr. Gabor." Harry teased him.

Kimber stopped David again in the lobby quickly kissing him, "Why the change of the building's look?"

David was glad she had asked that. "It was my idea. A giant black building isn't very good for a corporation. It represents death. Plus it just didn't look right next to Starlight Music. I wanted this building to be the brightest one on the skyline not a giant pox on the city." David glanced at his watch. "Damn, we're gonna be late."

"Well, someone had to stop at Dunkin' Donuts. I'm not naming names…David." She winked playfully at him.

"About frickin' time you showed up," Pizzazz chastised her twin. "Daddy's almost ready to announce you. Is that powdered sugar on your chin?"

David brushed his chin off. "Is that better," he asked Kimber. She looked closely then licked it off.

"There you go," she said cheerfully.

"Ugh, get a room you two," Roxy whispered them. Kimber jokingly flipped her off. "Anytime, honeybunch," Roxy smirked and winked.

"…and now, without further ado," David heard his father's voice boom, "the new senior vice president of Misfits Music, David Gabor."

David kissed Kimber for luck and walked out on the makeshift stage to a thunderous applause. He approached his father shook his hand and then hugged him. He walked up to the podium and spoke into the microphones. "Thank you. First of all I'd like to thank my father Harvey Gabor. I hope I make him proud by taking over this company for him. Now, I'm not one for speeches, unlike Dad." David glanced back to see his father chuckle. "So let's get on with it. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I present to you the Misfits!"

Right on cue Pizzazz, Stormer, Roxy and Jetta all came out on stage. They stood a few feet behind David. "We have three new additions to the Misfits. First is their new sound engineer; Constance Montgomery, better known as Clash. We have their new technical advisor; only known as Techrat. And now for the new manager of the Misfits." David flourished his arm out dramatically and waited a few beats and looked around. "Hmmm, let me go look for him." David walked off stage. The press and the Misfits mumbled to themselves. David came back up on the stage chuckling. "I feel stupid now. Their new manager is me David Gabor."

The audience burst in applause while flashes went off from cameras and David waved Kimber on stage. She ran up and hugged him tight with a wide smile on her face.

Pizzazz – The confidence

Stormer – The heart and soul

Roxy – The strength

Jetta – The passion

Clash – The enthusiasm

Techrat – The brains

Myself – The wisdom

David stopped writing in kanji in his journal. "Hurry the hell up will ya!" he heard Roxy yell. "Otherwise we're starting the movie without you!"

"Be there in a minute!" he yelled back. He put his journal back in the drawer bumping the ring case on the way. He paused and opened it up. The diamonds on the ring sparkled like a million wildfires at once in the desk light. He closed it and put it back. He was walking out the door when he ran into Kimber.

"I was sent to fetch you," she said taking his hand. "Jetta stole my spot, too. So now I must kill the black haired wench." She saw David look back in his room, scanning everything in wonderment. "Something the matter?" Kimber asked gently.

He turned and looked at her with a smile. "Nope. Nothing. Nothing at all." They walked into the living room of his and his half-sister Stormer's house. No longer were these people here strangers. No longer were they just friends. On many levels they were his family. He just smiled.

"You move, you lose, Kimber! Them's the rules!"

"Prepare to die, Jetta!" Kimber playfully tackled her. "Now gimme my spot back!"

David smiled. They were his family all right a dysfunctional family at that.

TO BE CONTINUED IN

FAMILY OBLIGATIONS PART 1