Okay, so, this is my first story...please be gentle. Dx Um, sorry that the beginning is so short, but...hey, it's a prologue. I wanted to get it out there. Please review, so I can make stuff better. Enjoy!

There was something different in Whoville today.

First off, the weather was very odd. Wind pushed the speck this way and that, whipping WhoTrees into windows and sent light, little Who's flying into the cautious hands of their mothers. Second, the highest cliff in Whoville had two grown Who's perched on it. This might not have been an unusual occurrence on any other day, when the weather was nice, but quite frankly…well, today was not a nice day to be outside. Not only that, but these two Who's were none other than the Mayor of Whoville and his wife!

Ned McDodd and Sally McDodd were huddled together in a nervous bundle of excitement. "Ned, are you really sure that they're coming today? I'd hate to think that they're muscling through this wind!"

Ned nodded, determined eyes on the skies and said, "It's today. Lazlo's never been late for anything in his life, and he's not about to start now."

Sally smiled, remembering some memory from years past, back from the times when Ned had a Whofro and everybody wore polyester jumpsuits. She quickly shook out of it when she caught something on the horizon. "Ned! Ned, is that them?"

Ned peered into the distance, tight lipped in concentration…and as the tiny, black dot grew closer and gained some shape, his face broke out into a grin and he yelled, "IT'S THEM! THEY'RE HERE!"

Sally let out an excited laugh, and the dot turned into a multi-colored, hot air balloon with a large smiley painted on it. And as it got even closer, one could make out two shapes in it. It rocked back and forth, but its path was steadfast towards the cliff. Ned jumped up and down, waving his arms, "LA-A-A-A-AZLO! RU-U-U-UBY! LAND HERE, LAND HERE!" Sally waved her arms as well, and joined Ned in a cheer. She couldn't help it. Neither of them had seen their good friend in a decade.

She heard a joyous, "AHA!" from above, and she had to pull Ned out of the way for fear the hot air balloon would crush him as it landed. He kept yelling over the roar of the wind, and Sally kept laughing with pure happiness. Finally, the balloon touched down, perfect and poised, and the flame went out.

The Who in the balloon was about the same age as Ned, but taller and skinny as a rail. He had light brown fur and a shock of crimson red hair, wearing a typical aviator uniform. He didn't bother opening the door of the wicker basket he'd floated in on. He hopped over it, threw out his arms and yelled, "NED! SALLY!"

Ned and he ran at each other, crashing and laughing and hugged a manly Who hug. Sally was soon to follow, giggling as the Who swept her up in a hug and yelled, "OH, JOYOUS DAY! HOW'S MY FAVORITE COUPLE?!"

"We're great, Lazlo, just great!"

The redhead laughed, spinning around and breathing deep. "It's so good to be HOME! Smell that fresh air, that wondrous dust that smells of a TRUE CITY!"

Ned was too busy laughing to say anything. Sally asked, "Where's Ruby?"

"OH!" Lazlo snapped his fingers, running back to the wicker basket and, once again, hopped into in. He bent down, beyond the eyes of his two friends, and emerged with a sleeping girl in his arms. "HERE SHE IS!" He held her out, as if presenting a gift.

The girl rubbed her eyes as she woke, "Are we there yet?" She was about the age of Ned and Sally's son, but held a startling resemblance to Lazlo. Her crimson red hair was gathered in a messy up-do on top of her head, and her light brown fur was the same color as his. She was just as thin as he was, but nowhere near as tall. The only other differences were their eyes and demeanor. While Lazlo's were brown, hers were a vibrant shade of blue, many shades darker than her powder blue sweater dress. And…well, Lazlo oozed a radiant sort of enthusiasm, tinged with a hint of crazy. She was calm, sleepy...and a little more serious.

But it didn't' stop her face from spreading into a grin at the sight of the two Who's in front of her.

"Uncle Ned! Aunt Sally!" She threw her arms out, and her "Uncle" Ned easily plucked her from her father's arms (she was a little on the vertically challenged side, as Who's went.) "RUBY!" He hugged her tight, "Oh, we missed you, kiddo!"

Ruby laughed, and as soon as Ned set her down, she hugged Sally, "I missed you guys, too!" Sally lovingly hugged her back, "How are you, sweetie? We haven't seen you in forever!" She held Ruby out at arm's length, teary with joy. "Oh, you're getting so big! And you're still absolutely beautiful!" Something caught in her throat, and she quickly stifled it with a laugh. But Ned knew exactly what Sally was thinking.

Ruby so reminded them of Lila.

Lazlo picked his daughter up and boomed, "NOW, POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NEAREST FOOD, MY FRIENDS!" Ruby groaned "Dad!" rolled her eyes, smiled. She was used to her father and his insane outburst. Ned, still laughing, clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Oh, we missed you, Lazlo. C'mon, you two, we've got dinner at home. We can catch up." Ruby started to say, "Dad-" but Lazlo's eyes went wide at the sound of dinner. "That sounds wondrous!"

"Dad-"

"I haven't tasted one of Sally's home cooked meals in…by Who, a decade!"

"We made Hash!"

"Dad, I really think-"

"And right afterwards, we've got a house set up for you! It's beautiful, wide open spaces, and all your experiments have already been transferred."

"I picked out the cutrains myself, Lazlo!"

"You've always had an eye for curtains, Ned."

"DAD!" Ruby rolled out of her Dad's arms, rushed back to the balloon, and pulled out four large suitcases. "LUGGAGE!"

"I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING!" announced Lazlo, who rushed back to his daughter (who was drooping under the weight of the suitcases) and snatched all four from her. He carried them easily. "See?" He said quietly to her, hefting the cases, "I don't droop. I enjoy being tall."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Showoff." She nabbed one of the suitcases and stuck her tongue out. Lazlo laughed, led his daughter back to Ned and Sally, and the four set out for town.

A town that Ruby could barely recall called Whoville.