Note: February, also known as Black History Month and the month of Valentines Day. It is also another month for new stories, new chapters and new authors. For this story, it will receive an update that will continue where the last chapter left off. Though, if you're following the story, you were waiting for an update. However, if you are not, it is recommended that you head back to the first chapter and start reading from there. Spoiling the story for first-time readers is not recommended, though.

In order to keep myself from rambling, which I tend to do, let's hurry up and get on with the story. It's time for chapter twenty-six.

Chapter 26: Dinner Date at the Belcher Residence

It had been days since Aelita had received a mysterious message, so the Lyoko Warriors felt as though everything would be fine. Of course, they would have to fight X.A.N.A whenever a Tower was activated on Lyoko, but nothing else was out of the ordinary. The team resumed tutoring at Wagstaff, even helping out the teachers with certain things. Nothing major was planned that week, so it was rather calm. Even if a X.A.N.A attack were to happen, it wasn't anything the group couldn't stand up to. As far as they were concerned, X.A.N.A, despite all the power he held, was a bully who liked to flex his strengths on those he considered beneath him.

While the Lyoko Warriors went back to tutoring, Tina, Gene and Louise just went through the week like nothing important was going on. There were no tests planned and the kids hadn't gotten into trouble, but that made the week boring to them. Even Louise, who would often plan a prank or put together a scheme, had nothing in mind that she felt would make the week better. As such, the Belcher children hoped that the week would be over in no time, considering how nothing big or important was going on. The weekend, in the very least, gave them the opportunity to hang out with the Lyoko Warriors. In case they couldn't hang out with their teammates/tutors, the Belcher siblings hoped to spend the weekend like any kid would.

Bob and Linda continued working at the restaurant, serving customers and collecting tips. They were a tad disappointed by the wild goose chase Aelita had inadvertently led them on, secretly hoping that a mission would have happened. Aside from that, nothing much had been going on throughout the week, despite how great business was. If anything, it was just another week in Seymour's Bay. They hoped that something fun would happen, no matter how big or small. Little did they know, something fun would happen, just before the weekend.

As they arrived home from school on Friday, Tina, Gene and Louise noticed that Bob was serving a customer while Linda was on the phone. Thinking they could be quiet enough for their parents not to notice, the kids carefully pushed the door open and entered. Having no homework that night, they hoped to chill out for the rest of the day. If something came up on Lyoko, then they would head to the factory and bring their mother and father with them. Bob and Linda couldn't (to their knowledge) enter Lyoko, but they could still support the team. Even if Louise persuaded Jeremy to let her Virtualize her parents, Jeremy would veto that decision, primarily out of respect to Aelita.

"Hey, you guys are home early." Bob spoke.

"We got most of our work done." Gene said.

"Who's Mom on the phone with?" Louise asked.

"Gayle." Bob said.

True to Bob's word, Linda was talking with her sister on the phone, having an important conversation. She was so involved in it, she didn't notice her kids entering the restaurant and taking a seat at the counter. When she did notice them, the woman waved at her son and two daughters, with them waving back. However, Linda continued chatting with Gayle, who sounded happier than usual. Whatever was going on, she was in high spirits. Bob and the kids watched as the conversation continued.

"Okay Gayle, you can come tonight." Linda spoke. "You don't have to bring anything, Bob's making dinner. Don't worry, this won't be like the last dinner date you had here. Okay, see you later! Love you, bye!"

Linda hung up the phone, putting it back on the set.

"What's going on?" Tina asked.

"Gayle's coming over for dinner and she's bringing her new boyfriend with her." Linda said.

"Anything you want us to do for dinner?" Louise asked. "Dress in formal wear? Sing for Gayle? Want us to dig some holes and lay in them throughout the entire thing?"

"You don't have to do anything like that." Bob said, a little puzzled.

"What's for dinner tonight?" Gene asked.

"Spaghetti and salmon." Linda stated.

"Spaghetti and salmon?" Louise asked. "Does Aunt Gayle's new boyfriend like fine cuisine or is he a fisherman?"

"He's an office worker who happens to go fishing every now and then." Bob said. "At least, that's what Gayle told us."

"And this is a new guy, so you have to be on your best behavior." Linda said.

"Not a problem." Tina said.

"Eating dinner will be hard, though." Gene said.

"We're up to nothing crazy this time." Said Louise. "Trust me, by the time dinner is over, Gayle's new boyfriend is gonna love us."

After closing the restaurant, Bob and Linda went to work on dinner while the kids watched some TV. All that was on was a cool spy movie that was rated PG-13, so Tina, Gene and Louise knew that it was okay. Granted, it had none of the violence or excitement one would expect from a spy movie meant for older audiences, but it was still enjoyable for all ages. Bob would come in every so often, usually because he liked how well the choreography for each fight scene was. He went back to working on dinner, however, because he wanted it to be done before Gayle arrived with her new boyfriend. The kids continued watching it, wanting to see how it ended.

While waiting for dinner, the kids wondered what Gayle's new boyfriend was like. Tina was thinking that the guy was a rich gentleman with a handsome son from a previous marriage. Gene was hoping that he played in a band whenever he wasn't at work. Louise felt as though Gayle's boyfriend was a fun person who liked to tell the occasional scary story or anecdote. As long as Gayle wasn't dating Mr. Frond, that was fine with her. The kids didn't know about the new guy, but they hoped to know him by the time he arrived at the restaurant.

Just as the credits rolled, a knock came at the door. As Bob and Linda were still busy with dinner, Tina went to go get it. Once she got there, the preteen opened the door and saw Gayle standing in the doorway. Standing next to the woman, however, was a red-haired man wearing a business suit. He was two inches taller than Gayle, but he was skinnier than her, looking like he rarely ate. His skin was somewhat tanned, presumably due to spending enough time in the sun to give his skin some health. It wasn't hard for Tina to determine that this was Gayle's boyfriend.

"Hey, Tina, are we late?" Gayle asked.

"No, it should be just about ready." Tina said, then turned her head to the top floor. "Dad, is it almost ready?"

"Yeah, we just need to get the salmon on plates and the sauce in the spaghetti!" Bob called from upstairs.

"And if Gayle's here with her boyfriend, let them in!" Linda spoke.

Pulling the door open as far as she could, Tina let Gayle and her boyfriend in. The two went upstairs, where Gene and Louise were still watching TV. Once they saw the guy who was with their aunt, the younger Belcher siblings were surprised. While he wasn't anything like they were expecting, they were surprised to see that he was real. Gayle was known for being crazy and having a bad track record when it came to her love life, so her having an actual boyfriend was like seeing a mythological creature up close. Not only that, but the guy didn't seem at all bothered that there were kids in the house.

"Gene, Louise, how are you doing?" Gayle asked.

"Pretty good." Gene said.

"Who's the guy standing next to you?" Louise asked. "Is he your plus one?"

"That's her new boyfriend, guys." Tina said, having come up the stairs.

Right as Tina said that, Bob and Linda came into the room. Needless to say, they were as surprised as the kids were when they saw Gayle's new boyfriend. Bob thought that the new guy would be dressed casually, someone who didn't mind wearing regular clothes. Linda was hoping that he would be a man who liked to tell jokes. The man was smiling, but it was more likely a way of being friendly on his part. What he was like was something the Belchers wanted to see for themselves, considering how they never met him before.

"Dinner is ready." Bob spoke.

"Gayle, is that the guy you were telling us about?" Linda asked.

"Sure is." Gayle said. "Everyone, meet Rory O'Shaughnessy."

"Good evening, everyone." Rory, the man next to her, spoke.

"Nice to meet you." Tina said.

"How's it hanging?" Gene asked.

"Dinner's on the table, in case you want to eat." Bob said.

"Oh yes, we should go ahead and eat." Rory said. "It would do good to get some food in our bellies."

As Gayle and Rory took their seats at the table, the Belchers hoped that the evening would go well. They had nothing special planned for the evening, but that was because they were used to Gayle finding someone new and going on dates with the guy she met. In this case, she had met him because she had gotten a job in a service that was next to his workplace. Bob and Linda were surprised that the neurotic cat-owner was turning her life around so fast, but they were secretly proud of her. As for the kids, they had nothing planned to mess with Rory, but that was due to them not expecting him to be real. Despite that, they figured that he could be a fun person to hang around with.

Once everyone had a plate of spaghetti and a piece of salmon, they immediately ate. As they ate, Tina could see that Rory seemed to enjoy the food. Whether he was eating it because he liked it or because he wanted to be nice was not clear to her, but she was hoping on the first option. Bob and Linda were just talking with Gayle, focusing primarily on what they did throughout the day. Gene was just eating his spaghetti, not being a huge fan of salmon. Louise, on the other hand, didn't seem interested in eating, only looking at the table.

"So, Rory, how do you like the food?" Tina asked.

"I won't lie to you, having salmon with spaghetti is a combination that I never thought I would see." Rory said. "But, looking past that, it's rather good."

"I wanted to make garlic bread, but I thought it would be overkill." Bob spoke.

"Plus, we didn't have enough stuff to make garlic bread with." Linda said. "Hopefully, you're not mad."

"Why would I be mad?" Rory asked.

"Because it doesn't feel like there are enough options in this meal?" Louise suggested.

"Louise." Bob said.

"Oh, there's plenty to eat!" Gayle said. "Trust me, I had a big lunch."

"I'll take your word for it." The restauranteur said.

"In case you want to know about our day," Gene spoke, "we helped our tutors fix certain machines at school."

"Really?" Rory asked. "You work with machines?"

"He's lying," Louise said, "all we did was attend class, eat lunch and speak with our tutors as usual."

"By the way, how long are those tutors supposed to be at your school?" Gayle asked.

"They're at Wagstaff until the end of the school year." Bob said. "I want to assume they keep on tutoring until summer vacation."

The Belchers, Gayle and Rory continued eating dinner, wanting to get their bellies full. While doing so, the phone in the kitchen rang, causing Linda to get up and answer it. She thought that the caller would be her friend Ginger, but she was proven wrong when the caller asked for the kids. Usually, when someone called to speak with the kids, it was a family friend, one of their acquaintances or even Wagstaff. This time, however, it was someone the family had come to know ever since the tutors/Lyoko Warriors arrived at school. With that in mind, Linda immediately turned her head towards the living room.

"Kids, someone wants to speak to you." Linda spoke.

Upon hearing her voice, Gene and Louise left the room to go speak to whoever was on the phone. Tina stayed behind, wanting to speak with Rory some more. Bob watched as the younger two went into the kitchen, secretly hoping that the caller wasn't a random creep from the shadows. Gayle continued eating her dinner, having some more spaghetti. Rory looked at his watch, checking the time to see how late it was. As for Linda, she came back in the room, intent on speaking with Bob.

"While Gene and Louise are talking on the phone, Bob and I are going to have a conversation." Linda said.

"Not to be rude, though." Bob added.

Standing up, Bob walked to the master bedroom with Linda, so that they could have their conversation in secret. This left Tina with Gayle and Rory, who were just about done eating. As such, she hoped to keep talking to them, wanting to be on friendly terms with her aunt's new boyfriend. For all the preteen knew, this could be the relationship the older woman needed.

In the kitchen, Louise held the phone, having taken it from Linda. Gene stood by, hoping to join in on the call.

"Hello?" Louise spoke into the phone.

"Louise, do you have a minute?" Jeremy's voice came out of the line.

"Well, we're currently meeting our aunt's new boyfriend, but we've got some time to kill." The nine-year-old said. "What's up?"

"Aelita and I are finally going to rebuild the Skid." The spectacled blonde said. "Not only that, but we're going to update it so that everyone can use it."

"How?" Gene asked, leaning his head towards the phone.

"Well, Gene, we might add a few extra Nav Skids to the sub." The teen said. "I'm also thinking of adding a turret to it, so that it has some extra defense."

"That's great, Jeremy." Louise said. "But, we really have to go. Gayle and her boyfriend are waiting for us."

"I hope he doesn't leave before I play my song." Gene said.

"I'll let you guys go." Jeremy said. "I'll see you when I'm able to. Take care!"

"You too!" Gene and Louise chorused.

After hanging up the phone, Gene went to get his keyboard while Louise stayed in the kitchen. She wanted to head back to the living room, but hearing the news from Jeremy made her happy. Not only were the Lyoko Warriors gaining an advantage over X.A.N.A, but they were bringing back an old weapon of theirs, albeit with a few updates. Once the dinner date was over, Louise wanted to call Jeremy back, intent on having him recruit some more people to the team. They had plenty of people in the group, but they needed all the help they could get in their battle against X.A.N.A. Besides, there might be a few people who would be willing to join the team.

Meanwhile, Bob and Linda were in the master bedroom, having their conversation as quietly as they could.

"Well, Rory's not as bad as Gayle's other boyfriends." Bob spoke.

"Yeah," Linda said, "and she works near his workplace, so they can speak whenever they want. It helps them grow closer."

"And he might not cheat on her like Mr. Frond did." He said.

"Mr. Frond cheated on Gayle while they were dating?" She asked.

"Tina told me that after the day where she was helping that crazy nurse with her imaginary lice situation." The restauranteur said. "Believe it or not, the nurse still works at the school."

"At least Tina saved everyone from getting their heads shaved and their hats burned." The cashier/server stated. "Louise would've lost her ears."

"I'm glad that she stopped the nurse from doing that."

"Me too, Bobby, me too."

Bob and Linda kissed, then debated on whether or not to go back to the table. There wasn't much else to do in the Belcher residence, so they hoped that Rory enjoyed the food. He had more-than-likely eaten food from restaurants that made dinner look like a frozen meal, but he didn't seem to be a snob. If he was, he was probably being nice on Gayle's behalf. Knowing that Tina was still at the table with her aunt and the new guy, Bob and Linda decided to stay in the master bedroom just a little bit longer. After all, their eldest child could be a great conversationalist.

Still sitting at the table with Gayle and Rory, Tina decided to speak with them.

"How did you like the food?" Tina asked.

"It was pretty good." Gayle said.

"I do believe your parents asked that question earlier." Rory said.

"What do you think of the weather?" Tina asked.

"Pretty decent outside." The redhead said.

"Better than how it was yesterday." Gayle said.

Thinking that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, Tina decided to switch subjects.

"Are you guys planning on getting married?" She asked.

Gayle and Rory looked at each other for a minute, then they looked at the latter's watch.

"Gee, it's almost eight!" Gayle spoke.

"We should leave now." Rory said. "It was nice meeting all of you!"

"Mom, Dad, Gayle and her boyfriend are leaving!" Tima spoke.

"Bye!" Linda's voice rang out.

"See you later!" Bob said.

The next day, the Belcher children met up with the Lyoko Warriors. Jeremy had yet to fully recreate the Skidbladnir, but he was making progress. As such, Tina told them about the dinner date at the Belcher residence. Upon hearing about what Rory was like, the Lyoko Warriors found him rather boring. But as long as he wasn't an enemy, they were fine with him, like how the kids were fine with Gayle dating anyone who wasn't Mr. Frond. Besides, they only spoke to him once. Who knows what will happen next?

Note: Yes, the ending was a bit rushed, but that's what happens when you put off writing to do other stuff. I wanted to write a story for Valentine's Day, but I wound up not doing so, unable to come up with an idea. Now that Gayle's new boyfriend has been revealed, will their relationship last? How much longer does Jeremy have to go in order to reprogram the Skid? What updates are awaiting our heroes? Who will get to use the updated submarine?

Until next time, guys, this is ElectricWizard99, signing off. Peace!