Later the next morning, Linus and Lucy were eating lunch in front of the television. And the most interesting thing about this: the two of them were actually getting along and were watching a program that they amicably agreed on. Lucy didn't try to fight with Linus or threaten violence on him just because she wanted to watch her show.

If one were to ask Linus just a couple of months ago if he ever believed that Lucy would begin to mellow out in regards to her usual demeanor, whether it'd be in regards to the television or something else, he would've merely scoffed. But all this was real. Since the day Lucy had interacted with that Matthew kid, she had been, slowly but surely, really beginning to improve at a person. Lucy's psychiatric journey had been long, and at several points she seemed like she was on the verge of quitting, but the payoff was becoming more and more apparent. Linus was just so proud of his big sister and he would continue to be by her side right to the very end.

A short time later, the phone began to ring.

"I'll get it," Linus said before standing up. He then went over to answer it and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Linus, is that you?" came the voice from the other end. It sounded like it was crying.

"Janice?" Linus asked, immediately sounding concerned. "What's up? Are you okay?"

"No!" Janice cried from the other end. "It's gone!"

"What are you talking about? What's gone?" Linus inquired.

"The pendant that I got for Christmas is gone! It just... disappeared!" Janice exclaimed.

"Whoa, easy there, Janice," Linus said, trying to calm her down. "Are you sure you looked everywhere?"

"Yes, I did. I looked on the floor, I looked in all my drawers, you name it," Janice explained.

"That's really weird, Janice, because you never take it out of the box," Linus said.

"Yeah. Today was going to be that I finally decided to try wearing it," Janice said tearfully. "But now I can't!"

"Do you want me to come over and help you look for it?" Linus offered.

"Would you please?" Janice said. "I could use the help of someone who isn't an emotional wreck right now."

"You are not a wreck, Janice. I'd be really upset too if it was one of my most precious possessions suddenly going missing," Linus said consolingly. "Anyway, I'll be right over. We'll find your pendant, Janice. Don't you worry."

Linus then hung up before rushing over to get his coat.

"Looks like you can watch your show after all, Lucy. I have an emergency to attend to," he told his older sister.

"Oh! Okay then," Lucy said.

Linus then went out the door. After he was gone, Lucy snatched up the controller and changed the channel to the one she wanted.

"Yes!" she said triumphantly before kicking back in the beanbag chair.

Linus had a sort of grim expression on his face as he was making his way over to Janice's house. In regards to this situation, he was feeling a deep sense of dread. He already had a hunch as to what potentially had happened to his friend's pendant. He would wait until he was absolutely certain before taking any action, but if it turned out to be the case that "she" had actually stolen Janice's pendant, then he was going to make her answer to him.

A short time later, Linus arrived at his destination and knocked on the door. It was answered seconds later by Janice's younger curly-haired sister.

"Oh, yes! Janice's knight in shining armor has come to say the day," Janelle said teasingly, causing Linus' cheeks to tinge pink. "Please, come on in."

Linus nodded and stepped inside, immediately proceeding to make his way to Janice's bedroom. The door was already open, so he went straight in. Janice was sitting atop her bed, looking sadly down at the ground. Her room was completely disheveled, evidently as a result of her pulling everything apart in search of her pendant.

"Janice?" Linus said, getting her attention.

"Oh, Linus, thank goodness you're here," Janice said as she hopped off the bed.

"You're room has become a mess," Linus acknowledged, looking around at all the clothes and other stuff scattered everywhere.

Janice blushed in embarrassment. "Tell me about it. I've spend the whole morning looking for my pendant."

"Welp, I'm here now. Let's both look together," Linus suggested. "And perhaps clean up this mess while we're at it."

Janice nodded in agreement and the two of them got to work.

After about an hour, the room has been put back together, but despite their best efforts, they has still been unable to find Janice's pendant.

"Aaugh, it's no good!" Janice exclaimed. "What if we never find it?!"

"Don't say that, Janice! Come on, you're stronger than this," Linus tried to assure her. "We will find it."

Before Janice could respond, Janelle arrived on the scene. "Hi. Sorry to bug you guys, but Janice, someone is on the phone for you."

"Really? Right now?" Janice said, sounding stressed.

Janelle merely nodded before fleeing the scene.

Janice shook her head and massaged her temples. "Sorry, I have to get this. I'll be right back."

Linus nodded and Janice proceeded to go and answer the phone.

Linus leaned against the open door as Janice began talking to the person at the other end of the phone line. He could faintly hear Janice's voice from where he was standing.

"Hello? Yes. Meet up with you at the park? In an hour? But Sally! Sally, seriously, this is not a good... Ugh, fine. I'll be there. But this better truly be important. Yes, I'll see you in a bit. Bye."

Janice then hung up the phone. Seconds later, she arrived back in the room.

"That was Sally," she said, sounding a mix of annoyed and concerned. "She said that she wants to meet me at the park to discuss about something. Something supposedly very important."

Linus' face darkened and he whispered something under his breath. Janice took notice of his expression.

"Is... everything okay?" Janice asked, furrowing her brows.

Linus shook his head and sighed. "Janice, I have a bad feeling this. I fear I know what this is actually about."

Janice was silent for a few seconds, but she then got a worried expression on her face. "Wait, you don't think that... no. She couldn't. She wouldn't..."

Linus looked sadly at Janice. "I do, Janice. I think I may know where your pendant is."

Janice balled her fists, once again working to keep control of her emotions as Linus put his arm around her. "But..."

"I'm going with you to go and meet Sally," Linus informed her, his jaw becoming firm. "I can't believe she would do something like this, but if what Sally needs to 'discuss' with you is what I think it is, then unfortunately, I'm going to need to take some drastic measures with her."

Janice still had many questions running through her mind, but couldn't find the means to ask any of them. With a sigh, she nodded.

"Okay," she said in barely above a whisper.

Roughly an hour later, Linus and Janice were walking to the park, where Janice was supposed to be meeting up with Sally. The air was thick with tension as both Linus and Janice were afraid as to what was going to happen.

"So... what are you going to do once we get there?" Janice asked her bestie. "And the even more important question: why do you suspect that Sally would have my pendant?"

Linus looked at Janice. "My theory is that this is a very twisted attempt at blackmail. I think what she's about to do is reveal to you that she has the pendant, and that the only way she'll ever give it back to you is if you agree to no longer talk to me."

Janice gulped.

"You remember that just days ago she had tried to get you to cut contact with me in exchange for you two 'starting over', so to speak, don't you?" Linus continued.

Janice slowly nodded. What Linus was explaining to her, as upsetting as it was, was making sense. Still, assuming all this was true, Janice couldn't believe that Sally would resort to something like this, all for the sake of 'keeping' a boy to herself who didn't even reciprocate Sally's feelings towards him.

Linus then began to explain to Janice his reason for tagging along for this confrontation. "Now, as for what I'm going to do, to start, once we get close to where you and Sally are supposed to be meeting, we are going to split up. You will go on to meet Sally, and I'm going to hide nearby, like behind a tree or something, and listen in on you two. If things play out as I believe they will, then I will emerge onto the scene, and I will deal with Sally once and for all. This will be it; Sally will not carry on with this deluded idea that I am her Sweet Babboo any longer."

Janice was silent, but she nodded.

A few minutes later, the destination came into view. As Janice and Linus arrived at the entrance, the two of them stopped and looked at each other. After a few seconds, Linus nodded at Janice, motioning for her to proceed to find Sally. At the same time, Linus went off into the distance to look for a spot to hide that was far enough away where he would be out of eyeshot, but close enough where he could hear Janice's and Sally's conversation.

As Janice made her way into the park, she soon found Sally sitting and waiting on one of the park benches. Linus, meanwhile, had parked himself behind a large tree that was just mere yards away from the scene.

After taking a very deep breath, Janice approached the other blonde girl.

"Hi, Sally," she said, her guard up.

Sally nodded. "Janice. I'm glad you could be here," she said before standing up. She casually placed her hands into her coat pockets as she positioned herself in front of Janice.

"Sooo... why is it that you wanted to meet me here?" Janice asked Sally. "Especially since, with all due respect, I was dealing with an important issue that was urgent for me."

Sally was silent at first as Janice awaited her answer. After a short amount of time had passed, an evil smirk appeared on Sally's face.

"Alright. I will cut right to the chase," she said deviously.

Sally ruffaged her hand around in her right pocket before pulling something out and showing it to Janice. Janice's mouth fell open in shock.

"You... you do have it," Janice said, stuttering in her speech.

Sally nodded. "Indeed I do."

From behind the large tree, Linus looked absolutely flabbergasted. Even though he knew that there was a very good chance that Sally had in fact stooped this low, seeing that it was really true had Linus speechless. How could this be?!

"But... why, Sally Brown? Why?" Janice asked, the hurt evident in her voice.

"It's quite simple, really," Sally replied, ignoring Janice addressing her by her full name. "We have some business we need to take care of."

Janice felt her insides start to squirm. She remained silent.

"I'm going to make you a deal, and this is your only chance to agree to it," Sally continued. "I will give you back your precious pendant, no questions asked, IF... and only if you agree to cease any and all further contact with my Sweet Babboo."

Janice pressed her hand against her chest as she gulped. Linus, meanwhile, was feeling an intense surge of rage now rushing through him that was reminiscent to the one he felt that day when that large bully kid was tormenting Janice over her bald head.

"And if you do not agree to my terms," Sally continued, leaning her face closer to Janice's. "I will personally have this pendant sent off so far away somewhere that you can be sure you never saw it again."

Sally then gingerly placed the pendant away back into her pocket. Janice, meanwhile, felt the tears beginning to sting her eyes. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She could never have imagined that Sally would resort to something like this. All in the name of keeping to herself a boy whom clearly did not reciprocate any feelings that Sally had towards him.

But before this confrontation could continue on any further, Linus came quickly onto the scene, storming up from behind the tree.

"Ah-ha!" he shouted, pointing directly at Sally.

Sally jumped, startled, and then whirled around to see Linus marching up towards her. His face was red and he was gritting his teeth.

"You blockhead! What's the matter with you?!" he yelled at her.

Sally remained rooted on the spot as she began to stutter.

"You give that pendant back to her RIGHT NOW!" he bellowed at Sally.

Sally quickly grew fearful. She was used to seeing an annoyed or flustered Linus that was the result of her (unwanted) advances towards him, but she had never seen this side of him before. He clearly looked, even to her, that he was basically out for blood at this moment, just like way back when he was defending Janice from that bully kid.

"Wait, Linus, let me explain!" Sally said to him.

"Explain? EXPLAIN?!" Linus shouted. "How do you 'explain' stealing such an important item from a girl, only because you're jealous of the bond she has with someone else?!"

"Linus, I know you're probably not going to accept this as an excuse, but here it is anyway," Sally began. "I had been trying practically since I was a baby to get you to return the feelings I had for you. I had been in love with you basically since I have been able to walk."

"Okay? And what does this have to do with anything going on here?" Linus demanded.

"I was getting to that. And I'll give it to you as straight as it can be given," Sally responded. "When Janice had come back to Sparkyville, knowing how close you two are, I was afraid that she was going to get in the way of you and me being together. Linus, I was the one chasing after you for all these years. I am the one who is head over heels for you." Then, to Linus' dismay, Sally wrapped her arms around him. "You're supposed to be my Sweet Babboo."

Sally kept her arms wrapped tightly around Linus as she felt for a moment that just maybe what she had said would break through to Linus. But a few seconds later, she found herself landing on the ground square on her bottom. She then looked up at Linus in utter shock, and even Janice was rather taken aback by this. Linus had just shoved Sally right off of him!

"Sally, I am only going to say this one more time," Linus said, his voice sounding eerily calm. "Yes, you have been obsessing over me for what was it? Eight years now? Yes, you have insisted hundreds upon hundreds of times that I am your 'Sweet Babboo'. But Sally..."

Linus glared down at Sally, who helplessly looked back up at him. She could not see anything in those eyes. Nothing except for anger and disgust. Maybe... maybe he really wasn't going to reciprocate any feelings she had for him.

"I am not your Sweet Babboo. I never have been and I never. Will. Be. So it's time for you to, once and for all, STOP this nonsense and accept that fact. Move on. You can do it. If I could get over my deluded idea that there's such a thing as the Great Pumpkin, you too, can get over your deluded idea that we will become a couple."

A brief period of silence washed over the area, though the air was still very thick with tension. After a few seconds, Linus had just a few more words for Sally.

"Sally, give Janice back her pendant," he told her. "Otherwise, next stop? The police station."

Slowly, and while furiously shaking, Sally stood up and approached Janice. She reached into her pocket and took out her pendant before handing it over to Janice. Without saying anything, Janice accepted the return of her pendant.

Linus took a deep breath. "Now then, if we are finished here, Janice, would you like me to bring you back home."

Janice said nothing, but nodded in response before the two of them began to walk away.

Sally stood and did nothing as she watched Linus and Janice walking away. However, she had balled her fists and was still shaking as she tried to hold in the emotions that had furiously begun coursing through her.

So, that was that. She and Linus really never were meant to be after all. She had spent eight years longing after, chasing after, obsessing over a boy only for this to be the end result. Linus... was not her Sweet Babboo. The furthest thing from it now in fact.

Not able to contain herself any longer, Sally cupped her face into her hands and began running off towards home at an insane speed.

AN: And I am FINALLY done with this chapter. Janice has her pendant back and Sally finally now understands that Linus is NOT her Sweet Babboo and never will be. However, what we have now is a very broken Sally. What shall we do about that? Well, this Sally arc isn't over yet. Now it's time for the fun part.

So, if you Sally fans are not too mad at me for what I did here and will continue to stick around, I think you're going to like what I have planned for her. This is the part now where Sally is going to grow up. You know, mature. The time has come for Sally to become a whole new person, and this part of her story arc will begin next chapter. Until then, stay tuned!

Next time: Chapter 26 - Fixing Up A Broken Babbooette Part 1