[A/N: This fic is the accumulation of everything I have learned so far
watching "Smallville" and reading at FanFiction. It's kinda like one
of those final exams I have to take this week. Well, that's a stretch.
Here's what you need to know before you read: A) the gang is in first
grade, so they're around 6 B) I stole the 'show and tell' idea from
Mallory's brilliant "The Making of a Hero" C) I'm not sure if this is in
character for six-year-olds, since it's been a while since I thought like
that. Also, I threw in a lot of former FOTWs for fun, so enjoy! And
please REVIEW! You know you want to. See, I got ideas for two more
chapters after this, plus "Secrets of Secrets" and "Remember Me" are in
progress, so if you want me to go back to any of them, you must review.
Yes! Now read!]
Rugrats
Chapter 1 - Show & Tell
"Oh, Kimberly. You know I fight evil," Pete paused for effect, "just for you." He raised his voice to sound feminine.
"I love you Jason! Be careful, Rita's a mean one," he said, stressing every word with the dramatic widening of his eyes. Slowly but surely, he pushed the two action figures together, and just as they were about to touch at the helmet-
"Pete! Man, that's gross!" Clark contorted his face in disgust. "What is it with you and girls? You know they got cooties. It's dangerous!"
Pete smirked - or as close to a smirk as a six-year-old got. "Like you wouldn't do this with, say, Lana Lang for example." He gestured over the playful first grader a table over, who was giggling with Tina Greer and playing with their Barbies.
"Eww, no!" retorted Clark, who could hardly bear to look at the girl. "She doesn't even like Power Rangers!"
As if on cue, Lana looked up and smiled at the duo. But just as she was about to abandon her gal-pal for the boys, the teacher clapped her hands impatiently. "In your seats, boys and girls! It's time to start!" She bent over and set her hands on her knees so she was barely eye-level with the toddlers. "It's Show and Tell day, you know."
Most of the class cheered, while a few rebels groaned childishly. This earned frowns from their neighbors. Clark was among the groaners, but Pete was grinning ear to ear.
"Why is this fun again?" Clark asked his friend in a whisper.
"Because," he leaned over and proudly displayed his two figurines. "I gots two. Think she'll give me an extra sticker for the chart?"
"But I don't got any!" whined the taller of the two, making sure their teacher couldn't hear. "I got nothin' to show."
"Nothing?" Pete seemed impossibly appalled by this. "No baby blankets or stuffed animals, even? That's always somethin' good." Clark shook his head violently, but didn't respond. He didn't trust himself enough to remind Pete of his adoption without bursting into tears. Again.
Suddenly, Pete seemed to remember. "Here," he said, sliding a Power Ranger under the table into Clark's outstretched hands. "Enjoy. And say you got it last weekend. Don't want Miss Suggett yellin' at me."
Clark grinned in gratitude and appreciation. Pete couldn't help but return the megawatt smile.
"Pete, just what are you so happy about?" the teacher called to the back of the room. Some girls in the corner, including Lana and Tina, giggled.
"Just excited 'bout Show and Tell, Miss Suggett. That sure is all. Yuppers." He nodded with each sentence to accentuate his point.
"Then you wouldn't mind presenting first?" It wasn't a question, but a kind command. Every child in the class knew it, and Pete was no exception. He stood and marched to the front of the class.
"For Show and Tell," he addressed the class with the standard introduction, "I brought my favorite Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, the red one. His dinosaur is the T-rex, which is my favorite. His name is Jason, and he lives in Angel Grove." Clark began, with the rest of the class, to applaud the presentation. But still, Pete continued with his last comment persistently. "I think he and Kimberly should go out."
At this, the class erupted in a fit of giggles, laughter, and shouts. Most of the children watched the new action show every day when the got home from school, and were well versed in the characters, plots, and villains. They all knew that - while the red and pink rangers had obvious affection and were the most logical couple of the group, it was not intended to be believed. It was a show designed for first graders like themselves and, as Clark had addressed earlier, girls and boys were somewhat allergic to each other. The only cure was the fabled Cootie Shot, and those were very expensive.
Pete blushed a bit, and then eased back to his seat. Clark gave a smile of approval, but his friend didn't miss the crimson blush that accompanied it.
The teacher looked over her pupils, and chose the least anxious-looking one. "Lana, would you like to come up and present?"
The chipper girl nodded and stood near her chair. She reached behind her neck, and fiddled with a small mechanism with the utmost care. Slowly but surely, she removed her necklace.
The class "ooh"-ed and "aah"-ed at the silver chain that supported an over- sized green gem that cast an eerie glow in the dim light of the corner. It spun tentatively to right, and then reversed. The first-graders gaped in awe.
"This is my favorite necklace," the girl announced proudly. "My aunt Nell gave it to me when she became my mommy." Lana was interrupted by a hand shot in the air.
"Greg?" the teacher called, curious as to what the boy would have a question about in the middle of such an emotional presentation.
"What happened to your real mommy?"
Silence settled over the small nursery that housed the class. Most of the children knew what happened to the Langs and others like them that fateful day three years before. It was a touchy subject that the children were taught to ignore and avoid at all costs. But what could stop curious toddlers who had been mere babies when this remarkable event took place?
Lana furrowed her brow. "They got smooshed by a… by a…" She stopped and sniffled back tears and a stray booger. "This is a piece of the meteor." She sat abruptly.
The children marveled as their teacher fumbled a bit on the touchy subject, but she quickly regained her stamina and attempted to smooth things over.
"Lana, would you like to pass your beautiful necklace around?" The girl nodded hesitantly. As if reading her mind, the teacher warned her students to be very careful. "That necklace means a lot to Lana, boys and girls."
Lana handed the necklace to Tina, who experimentally tried it on. When its owner gave a disapproving glare, Tina abruptly passed it on to Greg Arkin, the curious boy at the next table. He tentatively sniffed the gem, and then gave it to Eric Summers next to him. As if he felt the sorrow in it, he quickly handed it to Shawn Kelvin. The boy rolled it in his hands, then playfully tossed it at Jodie Melville, who gawked at the steadily growing glow before Shawn muttered, "She'll probably try to eat it." A couple of the kids laughed, and this earned a disappointed look for their teacher. Pete frowned. Jodie embarrassingly offered it to a couple of chatting children. When Amy and Sasha wouldn't accept it, she shyly slipped it to Pete, carefully brushing her hand against his. Pete accepted the jewel with a blush.
"Look at this, man. It killed Lana's parents." The boys stared in wonder. Pete gestured for Clark to take it so he can pass it to Erica Fox at the next table.
As the taller boy took it, he immediately wiped a bead of sweat that had magically appeared on his temple. His stomach was doing massive somersaults, his mouth went dry. Before he knew what was happening, he dropped the necklace instinctively and collapsed to his knees. Erica noticed this, and quickly shot her hand into the air.
"Miss Suggett! Clark fell!"
Meanwhile, Pete was desperately trying to talk to his friend.
"Clark! Clark-man! Are you okay? Talk to me!"
The raven-haired six-year-old struggled to his feet. This must be what sick feels like, he decided. It was a sensation he had never felt before, but he had heard his parents and Pete mention being ill. He had longed to see what it was like, but he never realized it was so unpleasant.
"I'm fine, Miss Suggett. I just feel sick, is all."
"Then we should get you to the nurse!" the woman exclaimed, and shakily directed Pete to accompany Clark to the nurse's office.
As soon as he left the room, Clark felt better. The sickness had left him, the desire to vomit eradicated. Still, he had seen Pete act sick for days at a time, and figured that it would be odd to have a sudden recovery. His parents had told him many times that there would be things he would need to keep from his friends, and he decided this was one of them. He feigned nausea all the way through the halls, and let Pete support him. When they got to the office, the young nurse immediately diagnosed a 24-hour bug, and called his parents to pick him up. Pete waved goodbye, and started back towards the classroom with a heartfelt "Feel better, man."
Ten minutes later, Martha rushed in. She worriedly grabbed Clark and moaned "My baby, my baby." The first-grader enjoyed the attention, but not in front of the pretty nurse. He forcefully dragged his mother by the hand, hopped into the truck's cab, and buckled his seatbelt readily. Martha shrugged, and drove off towards the Kent Farm.
Rugrats
Chapter 1 - Show & Tell
"Oh, Kimberly. You know I fight evil," Pete paused for effect, "just for you." He raised his voice to sound feminine.
"I love you Jason! Be careful, Rita's a mean one," he said, stressing every word with the dramatic widening of his eyes. Slowly but surely, he pushed the two action figures together, and just as they were about to touch at the helmet-
"Pete! Man, that's gross!" Clark contorted his face in disgust. "What is it with you and girls? You know they got cooties. It's dangerous!"
Pete smirked - or as close to a smirk as a six-year-old got. "Like you wouldn't do this with, say, Lana Lang for example." He gestured over the playful first grader a table over, who was giggling with Tina Greer and playing with their Barbies.
"Eww, no!" retorted Clark, who could hardly bear to look at the girl. "She doesn't even like Power Rangers!"
As if on cue, Lana looked up and smiled at the duo. But just as she was about to abandon her gal-pal for the boys, the teacher clapped her hands impatiently. "In your seats, boys and girls! It's time to start!" She bent over and set her hands on her knees so she was barely eye-level with the toddlers. "It's Show and Tell day, you know."
Most of the class cheered, while a few rebels groaned childishly. This earned frowns from their neighbors. Clark was among the groaners, but Pete was grinning ear to ear.
"Why is this fun again?" Clark asked his friend in a whisper.
"Because," he leaned over and proudly displayed his two figurines. "I gots two. Think she'll give me an extra sticker for the chart?"
"But I don't got any!" whined the taller of the two, making sure their teacher couldn't hear. "I got nothin' to show."
"Nothing?" Pete seemed impossibly appalled by this. "No baby blankets or stuffed animals, even? That's always somethin' good." Clark shook his head violently, but didn't respond. He didn't trust himself enough to remind Pete of his adoption without bursting into tears. Again.
Suddenly, Pete seemed to remember. "Here," he said, sliding a Power Ranger under the table into Clark's outstretched hands. "Enjoy. And say you got it last weekend. Don't want Miss Suggett yellin' at me."
Clark grinned in gratitude and appreciation. Pete couldn't help but return the megawatt smile.
"Pete, just what are you so happy about?" the teacher called to the back of the room. Some girls in the corner, including Lana and Tina, giggled.
"Just excited 'bout Show and Tell, Miss Suggett. That sure is all. Yuppers." He nodded with each sentence to accentuate his point.
"Then you wouldn't mind presenting first?" It wasn't a question, but a kind command. Every child in the class knew it, and Pete was no exception. He stood and marched to the front of the class.
"For Show and Tell," he addressed the class with the standard introduction, "I brought my favorite Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, the red one. His dinosaur is the T-rex, which is my favorite. His name is Jason, and he lives in Angel Grove." Clark began, with the rest of the class, to applaud the presentation. But still, Pete continued with his last comment persistently. "I think he and Kimberly should go out."
At this, the class erupted in a fit of giggles, laughter, and shouts. Most of the children watched the new action show every day when the got home from school, and were well versed in the characters, plots, and villains. They all knew that - while the red and pink rangers had obvious affection and were the most logical couple of the group, it was not intended to be believed. It was a show designed for first graders like themselves and, as Clark had addressed earlier, girls and boys were somewhat allergic to each other. The only cure was the fabled Cootie Shot, and those were very expensive.
Pete blushed a bit, and then eased back to his seat. Clark gave a smile of approval, but his friend didn't miss the crimson blush that accompanied it.
The teacher looked over her pupils, and chose the least anxious-looking one. "Lana, would you like to come up and present?"
The chipper girl nodded and stood near her chair. She reached behind her neck, and fiddled with a small mechanism with the utmost care. Slowly but surely, she removed her necklace.
The class "ooh"-ed and "aah"-ed at the silver chain that supported an over- sized green gem that cast an eerie glow in the dim light of the corner. It spun tentatively to right, and then reversed. The first-graders gaped in awe.
"This is my favorite necklace," the girl announced proudly. "My aunt Nell gave it to me when she became my mommy." Lana was interrupted by a hand shot in the air.
"Greg?" the teacher called, curious as to what the boy would have a question about in the middle of such an emotional presentation.
"What happened to your real mommy?"
Silence settled over the small nursery that housed the class. Most of the children knew what happened to the Langs and others like them that fateful day three years before. It was a touchy subject that the children were taught to ignore and avoid at all costs. But what could stop curious toddlers who had been mere babies when this remarkable event took place?
Lana furrowed her brow. "They got smooshed by a… by a…" She stopped and sniffled back tears and a stray booger. "This is a piece of the meteor." She sat abruptly.
The children marveled as their teacher fumbled a bit on the touchy subject, but she quickly regained her stamina and attempted to smooth things over.
"Lana, would you like to pass your beautiful necklace around?" The girl nodded hesitantly. As if reading her mind, the teacher warned her students to be very careful. "That necklace means a lot to Lana, boys and girls."
Lana handed the necklace to Tina, who experimentally tried it on. When its owner gave a disapproving glare, Tina abruptly passed it on to Greg Arkin, the curious boy at the next table. He tentatively sniffed the gem, and then gave it to Eric Summers next to him. As if he felt the sorrow in it, he quickly handed it to Shawn Kelvin. The boy rolled it in his hands, then playfully tossed it at Jodie Melville, who gawked at the steadily growing glow before Shawn muttered, "She'll probably try to eat it." A couple of the kids laughed, and this earned a disappointed look for their teacher. Pete frowned. Jodie embarrassingly offered it to a couple of chatting children. When Amy and Sasha wouldn't accept it, she shyly slipped it to Pete, carefully brushing her hand against his. Pete accepted the jewel with a blush.
"Look at this, man. It killed Lana's parents." The boys stared in wonder. Pete gestured for Clark to take it so he can pass it to Erica Fox at the next table.
As the taller boy took it, he immediately wiped a bead of sweat that had magically appeared on his temple. His stomach was doing massive somersaults, his mouth went dry. Before he knew what was happening, he dropped the necklace instinctively and collapsed to his knees. Erica noticed this, and quickly shot her hand into the air.
"Miss Suggett! Clark fell!"
Meanwhile, Pete was desperately trying to talk to his friend.
"Clark! Clark-man! Are you okay? Talk to me!"
The raven-haired six-year-old struggled to his feet. This must be what sick feels like, he decided. It was a sensation he had never felt before, but he had heard his parents and Pete mention being ill. He had longed to see what it was like, but he never realized it was so unpleasant.
"I'm fine, Miss Suggett. I just feel sick, is all."
"Then we should get you to the nurse!" the woman exclaimed, and shakily directed Pete to accompany Clark to the nurse's office.
As soon as he left the room, Clark felt better. The sickness had left him, the desire to vomit eradicated. Still, he had seen Pete act sick for days at a time, and figured that it would be odd to have a sudden recovery. His parents had told him many times that there would be things he would need to keep from his friends, and he decided this was one of them. He feigned nausea all the way through the halls, and let Pete support him. When they got to the office, the young nurse immediately diagnosed a 24-hour bug, and called his parents to pick him up. Pete waved goodbye, and started back towards the classroom with a heartfelt "Feel better, man."
Ten minutes later, Martha rushed in. She worriedly grabbed Clark and moaned "My baby, my baby." The first-grader enjoyed the attention, but not in front of the pretty nurse. He forcefully dragged his mother by the hand, hopped into the truck's cab, and buckled his seatbelt readily. Martha shrugged, and drove off towards the Kent Farm.