#45 Fifteen Candles
It was 7am on Monday, April 19th that Megan Cruz awoke from her sleep thanks to the chiming of her phone alarm and immediately gave an excited squeal as today was her 15th birthday; sure, most people weren't too happy about a Monday birthday, but she made red velvet cupcakes to bring to class today as well as was going to have a special dinner at the Lucky Cat Café, courtesy of Cass. Things were admittedly a bit awkward between Hiro's aunt and her dad since he left in the middle of their date to go after Fred, but they were still talking at least; him coming home covered in leaves and mud was definitely not how Megan saw that night ending, but she was just glad he was safe after the fiasco that unfolded thanks to his pursuit of BH6.
Megan soon got out of bed and immediately went to get dressed. She put on her favorite green and white-striped shirt, jeans and black jacket, but she decided to add something extra to her ensemble today by putting a rainbow pin on as well. Once satisfied, she pocketed her cellphone and swiftly headed to the bathroom, where she inspected herself in the mirror and began brushing her teeth, humming along to "Keep It" as she went. After she got all fresh and clean, she went back into the hallway and realized she smelled something cooking.
"Mmm, chocolate chip pancakes," the young reporter said out loud in bliss before she quickened her pace and went down the stairs in two seconds flat.
"I think I hear a certain birthday girl coming this way," came the voice of her father from the kitchen, who Megan saw standing next to the stove once she made it to the other room. Her dad had a spatula in his hand and two plates resting on the counter next to him with one already having a pancake on it. The supersleuth also noted that the kitchen table had been set with a glass of milk for her, a cup of orange juice for her dad and both had a banana next to the silverware to go with breakfast.
"Hey kiddo. I was beginning to wonder if you were awake yet, but here you are. Anyway, happy birthday Megan," Diego greeted his daughter as he lifted the completed pancake onto the second plate.
"Thanks dad," she replied with a bright grin as she walked over and gave him a hug. He returned the gesture after he sat the spatula down and turned off the burner.
"Love you dad," Megan said as she looked up at him and made the embrace a little tighter.
"Love you too," he quickly told her as he did the same. They then pulled apart as her father proceeded to grab the two plates and gestured towards the table.
The duo was sitting a couple seconds later with Megan reaching for the syrup first, applying a generous amount and lastly passing it off to her dad. "Thanks again for breakfast. They're delicious," she complimented him once she had a couple bites, already savoring the semisweet chocolate chips in the pancakes.
"You're welcome. I know they're not as good as Cass's or Joe's Diner, but I'm glad the box mix did the job," Diego remarked as he started to dig into his meal.
The daughter and father pair were silent for a couple minutes afterwards, save for the sounds of chewing, sipping and clinking of the fork on the plate, but was eventually broken by the chief of police. "So, you excited for this evening?" he tried to casually ask.
Megan nodded and answered with a grin, "Uh-huh. It'll be nice to have just a little get together with friends and I can't wait to see what Cass made me for my cake."
Diego smiled warmly at his daughter's reaction and followed up with, "You still just planning Hiro and his other college friends to attend or did you want some from your own class too?"
The supersleuth playfully rolled her eyes at her father's question and with slight admonishment said, "Dad, I already told you that Jessie has swim practice tonight, Ava has a project due this week and Michelle has to babysit her little brother. I know this happens when you have a birthday party on a Monday, but since you're treating everyone to a day at the Pizza-Party-torium on Saturday, I thought having something less hectic and stressful tonight would be nice."
Her dad quirked an eyebrow and retorted with, "Are you sure it's not because you want to have two parties instead of one?"
Megan gave him a deadpanned look until her dad finally raised his hands up placatingly and said, "Alright, alright. My mistake." She smiled at that and the two returned to eating, finishing less than 10minutes later. Once they were done, the 15yr old gathered up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, earning her an affectionate head shake from her dad. "You know I could have taken care of that."
Megan smiled, shrugged and slyly replied, "It's not exactly a hard thing to do."
"You've got me there kiddo," the older man conceded with a smirk. He then looked around and told her, "Better get your bag for school. I'll drive you today so you don't have to juggle those cupcakes."
His daughter nodded in understanding and chirped, "Thanks dad," followed by giving him another brief hug and leaving the kitchen.
The young teen did as she was ordered and went back upstairs to fetch her backpack, which she had the foresight to pack the night before, but still checked to she had everything nonetheless. "Okay," she stated to herself after she zipped the bag back up, checked her phone for any missed messages and quickly made her way downstairs. "Ready," Megan announced, where she then grinned widely at the sight of her dad coming down the hallway with 2-1/2 dozen cupcakes in their plastic containers.
"And I'm ready too," Diego cheekily informed her as he got closer, prompting Megan to open the door for him. "Well, thank you kindly little lady," he told her with an inflection as he stepped outside.
"Dad," the supersleuth lightheartedly groaned as she soon followed and locked the door behind her, helping her dad get the treats into the police car and officially ready to start the school day.
"Man, I was not expecting that pop quiz in math today. I'm glad it wasn't too hard, but giving it to us on a Monday is just cruel," Megan grumbled to her friends Ava and Jessie as she ate lunch with them. The young reporter's day up to this point had gone over pretty well, save for the surprise in math class. She had gotten to school with plenty of time to spare thanks to her dad, so she was already able to give several of her cupcakes away to various other students before her first class started in the morning, which was chemistry; the teacher Ms. Turner also accepted one and appreciated how the baked treat happened to apply to her subject matter.
Once that class was done and she received some homework on stoichiometric balancing of a chemical reaction, Megan had her fated math class, which was getting easier to understand thanks to Hiro helping her sometimes, but it still wasn't her favorite subject. The 15yr old teen proceeded to share her sweets yet again with her classmates there, which only left four of them by the time they were hit with the quiz. Now that she was halfway through her school day, she got to enjoy her lunch of ravioli, salad, pudding, and milk that the cafeteria provided. Her two friends Ava and Jessie were in the same block as her for eating, but were in biology before coming to join her.
Ava was taller than Megan with long, black hair tied into a ponytail, wearing purple-rimmed glasses, white pants, a yellow shirt with a rose on it and a jean jacket. Her other friend Jessie was the same height as Megan, but was more muscular due to being on the swim team as well as had a really short haircut to go with his chosen sport; as for his attire today, it consisted of black pants, a green T-shirt and a San Fransokyo Ninjas wind breaker.
"Yeah, I feel for you, but be thankful you didn't have to give a report on the difference between plant and animal cells. Boring," Jessie huffed as he took a bite of his peanut butter sandwich.
Ava nodded in agreement, but waited until she finished sipping her apple juice to kindly add, "Well, it's over and I think you did a good job."
"Thanks," the young man replied with a smile. He then turned back to Megan and politely asked, "So, besides math, how's your birthday been going?"
The aforementioned teen set her fork down and gave a small shrug as she said, "Not too bad actually. I've gotten tons of birthday wishes and the cupcakes are popular, so I'm sure I've made several people's day as well."
"Speaking of which," Ava suddenly chimed in before she reached across the table to open up the container and take one of the desserts. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Megan cheerfully told her before she went for a bite of salad.
The trio were then silent for a few minutes as they made a dent in their meals while the noisy chatter of all the other students provided the ambiance. Jessie spoke up again though once he finished his bag of chip and inquired, "You still going to the Lucky Cat tonight and the party's this weekend, right?"
"Uh-huh, and I'm glad you can make the one on Saturday. My dad promised he would get the pizza and game package, so we should be covered for a couple hours of fun at least," Megan promptly answered, followed by taking another sip of milk. "He also said he'd get a chocolate chip cookie pizza for dessert since it'll be yummy and way easier to deal with leftovers than a regular cake," she added a moment later, earning her some head nods in confirmation.
Letting out a brief sigh and looking a touch guilty, Ava felt the need to tell her, "Again, I'm sorry I couldn't make it tonight, but I promise to be there on Saturday."
"Oh, you don't need to apologize Ava. It's all good. I know you're finishing up that presentation for English class on Wednesday. I'm just glad that I got mine done on Saturday, which isn't super ideal for a weekend activity, but I'll take it over it messing with my plans tonight," Megan reassured her, even gently patting the other's arm.
The black-haired teen smiled at the gesture and replied, "Thanks. So…do you want me to give you your present today or at the party? I brought it and put it in my locker just in case."
"Ummm…is it okay if we open it before lunch ends?" the supersleuth asked with a touch of hesitancy.
Ava gave a small, lighthearted scoff and told her, "Of course it is!"
"Can I see what it is too?"
The two women then turned to Jessie, who looked between them and quirked an eyebrow before he stated, "What? I'm curious." They all shared a chuckle, but the young man was quick to add, "I was just going to bring you your present on Saturday so you had something to open then."
"That's fine Jessie. I can't wait to see what it is," Megan chirped with a big smile. Afterwards, the teenagers returned to their meals for another 10minutes with an occasional question about classes or the next story for the school paper, but they eventually finished their lunches.
"Ready?" Ava proceeded to ask as she picked up her belongings and mostly empty tray, followed by gesturing to the cafeteria exit.
"Yep," the birthday girl simply said as she copied the other's actions and stood up alongside her, which was promptly mirrored by Jessie too. The trio then walked over to the trash cans, where they dumped their garbage, set the trays on the available holder and left to see what was in Ava's locker.
Shimamoto High was one of the biggest schools in the city with two floors, around forty classrooms, a large gym, and even a training field out back, so the crew had to go up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Jessie started to absentmindedly whistle a little tune as they made the trek, echoing down the vacant halls and providing a reprieve from the usually eerie setting schools could create when they got like this.
"Here we are," Ava announced as they stood in front of locker 275. "One moment," she then added before she turned to input her combination, mumbling to herself as she did so with each correct number. When she put in the last one and the lock clicked open, she pulled it off, lifted the handle and made a grand gesture as she opened it. "Ta-da!"
Megan and Jessie looked inside to find a pretty full locker with books, papers, some folders, and binders stacked or placed next to each other on the various shelves and a clarinet case lying on the bottom; on the very top however, there was a wrapped package patterned with balloons, which Ava proceeded to grab before shutting her locker once again.
"Happy birthday Megan," the young woman cheerfully told the other as she held out the present that bent in her hands. Megan then passed her remaining cupcakes over to Jessie as she took the gift and thanked her.
With the other two staring expectantly, the 15yr old began gently ripping off the wrapping paper until a black T-shirt was revealed. "Oh sweet!" she remarked as she unfolded the clothing to see what was written on it and couldn't help but smile and give a scoff in disbelief; on the front of the shirt, in edgy-looking white letters, it read: Supersleuth Megan Cruz.
"Seriously Ava?! Wow! Thank you! This is incredible and it also makes it official," the birthday teen happily exclaimed as she then went in for a one arm hug with her friend.
"Aww, you're welcome," Ava said as she returned the gesture.
"I better get a hug next," Jessie chimed in once again with a faux pout, prompting the other two teens to giggle for a moment.
"Alright, alright," the reporter placatingly told him with a touch of amusement still in her voice as she let go of Ava and hugged the taller teen, who had to maneuver his arms so he didn't hit Megan with her own cupcakes. When they pulled apart, the black-haired high schooler took the opportunity to get in a quick embrace of her own, but Jessie didn't refuse it.
Megan proceeded to fold her new shirt back up in the meantime and tuck it into her backpack, followed by taking the desserts from her friend. Before anyone could say anything more though, the alarm bell sounded from overhead, causing the trio to flinch in surprise. Once it stopped ringing, they stared at each other sheepishly until students started filing out of the multiple classrooms.
The birthday teen then gave a clearing cough, making sure she had their attention prior to loudly telling them, "Well, I've got to head to Social Studies guys, but I can't wait for Saturday and thanks again Ava! I'll wear it as soon as it gets washed." She earned a couple thumbs up from the other two, followed by the group going their separate ways and waving a short goodbye to each other.
Eeee! This gift is so cool, Megan internally remarked on her trek to her next class, weaving around the swarming masses of students. She then found herself thinking, Okay. Just two more subjects to go and I'm free to celebrate tonight. Oh! I hope everyone shows up.
"Okay! Coming through! Got cake incoming," Cass announced as she came through carrying a medium-sized rectangular cake, expertly decorated with Megan's name, multi-colored candles and blue rosettes.
Currently, it was a little after 6pm and the aforementioned supersleuth was at the Lucky Cat with her friends and father as planned, all having just finished eating a simple but yummy dinner of burgers and fries (with a couple of veggie ones for Wasabi and Honey Lemon) that the café owner was kind enough to make; granted, Hiro had helped some with prep while Baymax checked to make sure everyone's meal had safely been cooked to above the 165°F mark.
Once everyone had finished the main course, that only left cake and presents, which Cass was seeing to at the moment. As she walked towards the group, everyone started to slowly sing "Happy Birthday" to Megan so that by the time the dessert was set in front of her, the song was complete; Fred tried to keep it going with some added lyrics, but Go Go was quick to nudge him to indicate that was enough.
The 15yr old giggled and told the brunette woman, "Thank you. It's very pretty and I can only imagine what it tastes like."
"Pfft. It's no big deal at all Megan, and forget imagining it. Just blow out the candles and find out," Cass excitedly insisted as she, Diego and Honey Lemon all pulled out their phones to record or take pictures.
Without further delay, the young reporter took a big breath and blew out all the candles in one go, followed by everyone giving a round of applause. Cass then moved over to where the knife, forks and plates were on the table and began cutting pieces out for everyone, revealing the inside of the dessert to be almost black in color with white, speckled filling between the two layers of cake. "Here you go dear. One slice of my cookies and cream cake for you," the café owner informed her before handing her the plate.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it dear," Cass dismissively said, but still wore a big, proud smile on her face nonetheless. She then turned to Wasabi and told him, "Don't worry Wasabi. I made a couple cupcake versions and stashed them behind the counter for you. I remembered your preference from your own birthday."
The physicist smiled and offered a sincere, "Thank you," followed by grabbing a plate of his own and headed off to grab himself a treat. For another minute or so afterwards, Cass cut out decent-sized pieces of cake for everyone, receiving their gratitude in return and prompting them to start eating once they got it.
"Mmm. Aunt Cass, you are my absolute favorite baker of all time, but please don't tell Heathcliff that," Fred complimented/earnestly requested to the café owner, making her give an awkward smile at what the other said before replying, "Okay, I won't."
There were several more "Mmms" from the group as they continued eating, along with "This is delicious" and "I love it" from Hiro and Honey Lemon.
"Aww! You all are too sweet," Cass bashfully responded when her nephew and his friends gave their words of praise, leaving Diego last to remark.
Suddenly put on the spot, he grinned nervously and briefly flitted his eyes from the social pressure, but he eventually focused and told her, "You did a splendid job. Probably one of the best cakes I've ever had. I may have to ask you to cater whenever we have an officer's birthday or retirement party at work."
Cass smiled warmly in return, giving him a gentle nudge before she joked, "That'd be fine with me. I'll see if I can get you the friends and family discount." The two proceeded to chuckle lightly while everyone else just stared uncomfortably at their mild attempt at flirting.
Hiro gave a clearing cough in hopes that they'd transition to a different conversation, but it ended up resulting in Baymax asking, "Are you alright Hiro? Do you require water to prevent any further obstruction from bothering you?"
This got the others out of their funk as they lightheartedly laughed before Hiro answered him with, "I'm good buddy. I've still got my drink from dinner." The healthcare companion seemed satisfied with the answer as he held a thumbs up a few seconds later, prompting all the humans to resume eating the rest of their dessert in relative peace for roughly another five minutes. Once done and all the dishes were collected, this meant there was only one activity left: opening presents.
"Woo! Presents," Fred cheered, bringing his gift over from one of the empty café tables while Cass moved the leftover cake off to the side.
Megan rested her head on her hand and told him with a laugh, "Geez Fred. You act like it's your birthday, not mine."
"Can't be helped. Giving, getting, it's still the surprise of it all and I think you're gonna love what I got ya," the comic book lover said with confidence as he set a red and blue-striped bag in front of the teenager.
"Wait," came a call from the other room as the Lucky Cat owner returned with her phone out, followed by Diego doing the same.
Megan lifted her head and started to blush from embarrassment now as she whined, "Dad, you don't need to take any pictures. I'm not five anymore. I'll remember these moments and what I opened."
With a smirk, her father slyly replied, "You sure are sounding like a five-year-old right now."
The young reporter rolled her eyes and huffed, "Fine," seeing she had no way out of this. She then returned her attention to the present she was meant to open and began pulling out the white tissue paper inside to reveal a brand-new camera. Megan instantly perked up in astonishment at receiving such an expensive gift, but she quickly remembered that Fred was rich and it made sense he would likely spend more than the others.
"Holy cow Fred! This is insane! Thank you," she emphatically told the other as she inspected the device.
The flame-throwing superhero shrugged with a wide smile of satisfaction on his face at the comment and responded, "It's no biggie. I know it'd help you with your journalism stuff and it's not like you can't use if for fun too."
"Okay, now smile," Cass suddenly chirped as she and Diego took pictures with Megan doing her best to smile, but quickly dropping it when their flashes made her blink her eyes rapidly.
"Ugh," she simply uttered as she rubbed her eyes with one hand. Once her vision cleared, she placed the camera back in the bag and moved it off to the side as Honey Lemon soon came over with a pink-wrapped box with a big yellow bow on top.
"I hope you like it," the chemist chirped as she stepped back beside her other friends.
While Megan was working to remove the paper, Wasabi couldn't help but lean over to Go Go and sassily say, "Thanks to Fred, all four of our gifts are going to look like we went to the dollar store by comparison," making the other smirk in agreement.
Soon a plain box was revealed by the birthday teen, who promptly pulled the tape off the tabs and opened it up. "Oh my gosh Honey Lemon! It's gorgeous," Megan remarked in awe as she pulled out a glass bowl with rippling, wavy edges that had multicolored confetti speckled throughout it.
The group gathered around to admire the object, followed by the chemist informing everyone, "I got lucky one day when I went to this craft fair they had a few weeks ago as the Marianas Market, so I thought, 'What the heck? I'll get it.' So, I take it you like it?"
The15yr old nodded and replied, "Uh-huh! I love the random burst of color, but I'm not sure what I'll use it for yet though. Maybe I can keep some pins in it or hey, even car keys once I'm old enough."
Megan then turned to her dad with a cheeky expression, who proceeded to give a fake laugh before getting serious and bluntly telling her, "Not likely. No driving for you young lady, not for a long time."
His daughter playfully rolled her eyes, followed by posing for the next photo, blinking once again after they were done. Megan turned to find Go Go walk up next and simply hand her an envelope.
"Here you go. Enjoy," the speedster said as they all watched the other open it, revealing $50 inside.
"Wow Go Go! This is so generous. Thank you," Megan told her as she folded the envelope and put it in her back pocket.
The motorcyclist shrugged with a small smile and replied, "Eh, it's no big deal. Get yourself a new video game, treat yourself to lunch, save it, whatever you want to do. I don't care." Megan nodded, clearly fine with the gift, but that meant no photo needed from Cass or Diego, much to her relief.
"Alright. I guess I'll go next," Wasabi spoke up as he reached over to the other table to grab a glittery silver gift bag and placed it before the teenager.
"Ooo! Let's seeee, it's aaaa…" Megan suspensefully narrated to everyone else as the green tissue paper inside was removed until she finally found the contents. "Whoa Wasabi! Did you make these?" she inquired as she pulled out two pairs of socks, one with green and white stripes and the other was pink and blue.
As she felt and examined them, the physicist smiled proudly and answered, "Yep. It's baby alpaca wool and I did my best with the sizes since I'm used to making sweaters and baby booties for nieces and nephews, but you can always roll them up if anything else."
"Well, you did a good job Wasabi. I love them! I mean, I have no idea how to make something so cute, but I'll know who to ask if I try," Megan politely replied with a wink.
"Okay, now hold them both up please," Diego requested, interrupting the moment and prompting his daughter to huff before the inevitable pictures came. She proceeded to place the socks back in the bag when done and set it off to the side just as she noticed Cass leave to pull something from behind the counter.
"Here's just a little something from Hiro and myself. I hope you like it," the café owner told her as she and Hiro looked at Megan expectantly.
Smiling, she turned towards the present, which was a rectangular box and wrapped in sparkly gold paper and began effortlessly ripping it off; instead of it being a plain, unmarked package with a mysterious gift inside though, it was a clearly labeled one that advertised a custom pin making set, complete with 20 designs and multicolored packs that allowed for thousands of combinations.
"Wow! It's so pretty! I haven't seen anything like this, even when I went into that giant craft place Jicama's. This is just perfect. I was in need of a little more variety, but this'll be way cooler. Thanks," Megan sincerely said, turning to face the others as she did so and earning a couple of proud grins because of it. The young reporter proceeded to inspect her gift again, noting there were arches for rainbow-esque pins, 5-pointed stars, circles, squares, and even a couple animals like cat-heads and fish.
A clearing cough then drew her attention away as she forgot about photos, but she was still able to give a big grin from receiving such a gift. When Cass and Diego were done, Megan was fully prepared for that to mean they would need to start packing up everything and go home, but her dad surprised her by pulling a slightly bent birthday card from his pant pocket.
Grinning sheepishly, he said, "Here you go kiddo. Sorry it's a little warped, but I wanted to keep it a surprise," as he handed it over to her.
The 15yr old eyed the card before she took it and told him, "Thanks dad," followed by opening the blue envelope. It took a little effort and a slight rip did happen, but she managed to remove the card inside, revealing a picture of a glittery, square present surrounded with ribbon and confetti patterned throughout like an explosion of color. She then opened it up and found a message written inside by her dad, which read:
Although it's your special day with lots of gifts and cake, never forget that none will ever compare to the gift that is you, given to me fifteen years ago today.
Happy birthday Megan,
Love Dad.
The young teen didn't read it aloud, but the sincere, appreciative smile she carried upon finishing the short inscription was telling enough to the others as she soon stood up and gave her father a big hug. Diego quickly returned the tight embrace, making Cass, Honey Lemon and Wasabi all go aww at the action, followed by the café owner snapping several pictures of the hugging pair. They held their position for a few seconds before pulling apart and just stared at each until Megan finally said, "Thanks Dad. Love you too."
The police chief patted his daughter's shoulder as he continued to proudly smile and replied, "I know and I'll always love you no matter how old you get." He then affectionately tussled her hair, making her give a soft giggle before noticing all the attention was on her. She blushed slightly but managed to regain her composure as she scratched the back of her neck and rather awkwardly said, "Well, should we get going or can we stay a little while longer?"
Diego blinked in realization and simply uttered, "Oh," followed by checking the time on his watch. "6:36. Hmmm. Yeah, it is getting up there kiddo." He then turned to Cass and in an apologetic tone told her, "I'm sorry to leave so soon, but it is a school night after all and I'm sure Megan has some homework she neglected to tell me about so we could still do this little party. Thanks again for having us. It was a really swell time."
The brunette smiled kindly and with a dismissive gesture replied, "No worries, Diego. I know what it's like thanks to raising Hiro and Tadashi, so it's fine. I'm glad you and everyone seemed to have a nice time." There was a murmur of "Yeps" and Yeahs" from the collection of superheroes off to the sides as they shared the sentiment until Cass chirped in a moment later with, "Oh, before you go, let me get you some cake for the road." She proceeded to head back to kitchen and returned 20seconds later with a clear, rectangular container, setting it down onto the table and cutting out a huge chunk of dessert to place inside.
"Here you go," she cheerfully said as she passed it to the police chief. Cass then asked, "Do you need help taking everything out to the car?"
Megan and her dad looked over to the pile of presents she amounted, seeing that although it wouldn't be as light as a feather, it wasn't super heavy either. "Thanks, but I think I can handle it…so long as Megan here doesn't mind getting the door for me," the older man replied with a wink aimed at his daughter, who gave a short laugh.
"Sure dad. I'll take care of it," the young reporter stated in a sarcastic tone, but she smiled too so she made it clear she was just kidding.
Diego smirked and proceeded to start collecting the presents, stacking them with the boxes on the bottom and everything on top with Wasabi's gift being set inside Fred's bag to save some space. Once he lifted everything and Megan grabbed the cake, the two of them turned to Cass with the older one saying, "Thanks, and uh…I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Until tomorrow," the café owner replied, giving a small smile before Megan chimed in too and told her, "Yep. Thank you and everything tasted amazing." The 15yr old then faced Hiro to begin hugging the rest of the partygoers goodbye. "Great getting to see you all and thanks for all the gifts."
"No problem."
"Of course."
"Have a good rest of your week."
"Goodbye."
"Always good to see you too."
"Stay out of trouble."
The embraces were done one by one with Go Go admittedly passing on the hug, but that wasn't wholly unexpected given the speedster's preferences and she still managed to give Megan a small shoulder punch. After the farewells were completed, Diego smiled warmly at the sight before heading towards the door, prompting the other to hastily get pass him to open it for him.
"Thank you kindly, young lady," her dad said with an air of amusement making Megan playfully role her eyes again. She stole one last look inside and waved to everyone, receiving the same gesture from all seven of them and then shutting the café door.
The supersleuth quickly caught up to her dad, walking side by side with him until they got to his police car, where she was then handed the gifts for a moment as he unlocked the car and opened the door for her. "And thank you, kind sir," she now said to with a lofty tone as Diego took the presents off her hands and let her slide into her seat.
Once she was buckled in, the stack of presents was given back to be set next to her. The police chief then shut the door and soon got in on his side, swiftly fastening himself in and starting the car. Before he put it into gear though, he turned to his daughter and with a smile asked, "So, you think Saturday's party will top this one?"
Megan didn't need longer than a moment to think about it as she could only reciprocate the grin and simply answer, "It'll be different and fun I'm sure, but this was a lot nicer."
With that said and a comforting atmosphere set, her dad carefully pulled out into traffic and headed for home, cementing this evening as a pretty good way to end such a special day.
NOTES
I need to do birthday stories for more of the BH6 team, but since the show would have overlapped with when Megan's birthday occurred, I was sad that we didn't get to see any of it, so I did my best here. :) Hopefully you enjoyed all the gifts Megan got. ;)
I'll probably wait another 4-5 weeks to post again since this story and the next one are longer than average and thus took longer to work on. Hopefully I'll have another story or two made in that time, but as always, it's a process. :/
The next "Cutscenes" will be about Globby taking care of a sick Felony Carl. 333