“I’ll gladly contend in this bout,” Gigi announces.

    “Eh, why not?  I could use the exercise.” Kammy says as she teases to torment poor Ent as well.

    “You girls stay away from me,” he says.  “I’d like to graduate and not be mailed to some distant planet by four crazy women.”  The girls all continue to tease the fellow, with none of his buddies voicing any concern or help.  Thanks a lot, friends.

    With the day saved and her kids now official heroes of a real universe-threatening event, Duplica can’t resist doing a silly little dance as she congratulates her class.  “If it were up to me, I’d let you all graduate right now, but I can’t do that, ha ha!  You definitely pass whatever exam you would’ve had if not for this embarrassing debacle.  In fact, I might credit this to next year to some degree.  At any rate, sorry I got carried away with being so proud of you, Faye.  You’re still not allowed to date my son until he’s eighteen, he he!  I mean, the grumpy System Director won’t let me peek into the future, but I’m pretty sure you’re going to end up his girlfriend and very much more in the next few years, he he!  In my mind, you’re his girlfriend now, since it’s only a few months away and you’ve proven yourself.  BUT principle is principle, ha!  I know the mature hero of mine that you are can handle a few more short weeks, right?”

    “Glee!  Of course!” Faye says clapping her hands.

    “Also,” Cat says, her smile dying on her face as she walks over to hug the girl, “I’m so, so, so very sorry, baby.  I tried very hard to save your mother.  We’ll try to revive her with the time device, okay?”

    The others all join in to hug the girl who lost her mom.

    After a brief moment of silence, Faye speaks, “I’m not sad.  Either she’ll be back by this afternoon, or I’ll see her at the party.  In reality, her being dead would mean she gets to retire, so I’d live on Juniper and just have a longer commute to school until I marry Elfie, he he.  Then I can visit Mom whenever.”

    “Wow!  Good plan,” Cat says in shocked admiration.

    The Rugs work with their two fellow teachers to finish anything that’s needed before officially dismissing the class for the day.  After this is done, everyone stays anyway to help clean up the mess Ultimaxine had made earlier since it won’t take long at all to reassemble the damaged property.  Duplica also knows that anyone lost to the phantoms will most likely be restored within a day or two.  Hopefully there won’t be too many people designated as permanent Juniper dwellers since Cat feels partially responsible as it was her face, per say, that caused all of this trouble.  Doug hugs his wife and does his best to comfort her over this thought.  He’s very happy to know she would never really do such a terrible thing, and he’s overjoyed that he can now make up for the lost day.  He’s already been given the clear to take the first week of summer vacation off so he can spend time with his family, specifically with his Kitty Kat.

    Migrating to their parents, Ent and Gigi join in with encouraging Cat as they, too, were horrified that their existence would ever be enough to push their mother over the edge.  “Mommy,” says Gi, “hearing everything I’ve heard today makes me hate my role as your replacement.  I know it was chosen for a reason, but I hate that you lost what was promised to you when you did everything right.”

    “Grace,” Cat says with a sneaky smile, “who got their own Ultimate Maximum arch spanning the entire series?  I don’t exactly feel like leftover material after that!  But I’m not as mad at AB and the System Director as that phony accused me of being.  I love you guys.  It’s like, ‘You were going to be the next leader of this army of paperwork, but now we’re just going to put you in charge of your own planet of kittens and puppies and bunnies and a life supply of crossword puzzles.’  Why the snot would I be disappointed in that changeup?”  With her hand holding up her daughter’s chin, Duplica warmly says, “Don’t you ever be ashamed of who you are or what you’ve been blessed with.  Do you know what a successor is?  It’s someone who receives an inheritance.  Grace, you are the greatest inheritance I’ve ever received, and every success you two have…is my success, too.”  Then, after hugging her kids, she cheerfully gloats, “Besides, you two dopes are merely the next AB and Cici.  I’m, like, AB and Cici and Fiona and Patriarch, all rolled into one!”

-Next Page-

-Previous Page-