Life of Stewie: The Toy Store

Written by Mysterion's Marshadow and DecaTilde

UPDATE: Mysterion's Marshadow just PM'd me; she said that she only permitted me to post the final chapter of "Life of Stewie". So, I had to delete the first three chapters and leave only this final chapter. Don't be mad at her for this, please. She can at least download the cover I drew for her fanfic at deviantART, though, and use it if she likes.

"Wake up!"

Brian jolted awake at the sound of Stewie's voice. "Wh-what?! Oh god, we didn't miss it, did we?"

"Calm down, Bry. We're fine, I was keeping track of the time while you were asleep."

Still not convinced, the dog took a peek at the digital clock on the shelf. He breathed a sigh of relief upon reading the time.

"Eight... Thank god..."

"You've got about a half hour to get yourself whatever breakfast you'd need, and then we need to leave as soon as you're done."

"So...I take it you thought up a decent plan last night?"

"Plans." Stewie replied, emphasizing that he had created multiple. "Backups, in case something were to go wrong. I'll walk you through it on the way there."

After getting in the car and beginning the half-hour drive to the mall, Stewie briefed Brian on the specifics of the plan. While most of it he already knew from when they were first discussing it, the details were helpful to know.

"I'll wait outside the store, and let you know when he's close. Then, you can pull him aside and get to giving him the spoilers."

Brian cocked his head, confused. "Wait, why can't I just wait outside with you?"

Stewie frowned. "I'm not sure what would happen if he saw you, Bry. He might try to prevent altering his future by avoiding you, or maybe travel back in time on the spot. Either way, you can't reveal yourself until he's close enough to confront him."

"And...if we get him to believe us, will that restore you back to normal?"

"Well…things won't actually change until he goes back to his own time. But yes, that is the desired outcome." His expression became downcast for a moment, before he shook off whatever was on his mind.

Concerned, the dog reached out towards his dead friend. "Is there something wrong? Something you're not telling me?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. We'd better get into position, otherwise we might miss him."

Brian nodded, still worried about Stewie, but decided to put his concerns aside for the time being. They had bigger things to focus on.

While Stewie lingered around outside the mall, Brian found a place to wait near the food court. It wasn't too far away from the entrance, but it wasn't so close enough that Past Stewie would get scared off by him. For now, all the two of them could do was wait for their plan to fall into place.

The next few hours were some of the most agonizing of Brian's life. Time seemed to move normally for everyone but him; for Brian, it moved exceptionally slow. Whenever his ears picked up the sound of the mall doors opening, (which was difficult, due to the loudness that came with the Christmas his hopes would always disappear upon seeing that his football-headed friend wasn't among them. At this point, despite knowing that this was the date of the Jolly Farm playset's release, he was beginning to wonder if Stewie even arrived on the same day.

No. The kiddo said this was the right day, and I'm sure that he of all people would know that. I…I trust him…

But even now, that trust was slightly weaker than what he started out the day with. Hell, Stewie was a small kid, he could've blended in with the crowd and been missed entirely! Overwhelmed with the sheer anxiety the situation was bringing him, and distracted by the pessimistic thoughts plaguing his mind, Brian nearly missed Stewie's voice calling out to him.

"Brian! I just saw him warp in! He's coming, get ready!"

The dog's hopes soared, his tail wagging uncontrollably. "Wh…What did you say?!"

"You know damn well what I said! Keep your eyes peeled, he's going through the doors!"

Nodding eagerly, Brian strained his eyes through the crowd, trying to pinpoint the boy he so desperately loved, and wanted to save. He was so close…so close…!

A familiar smell wafted up and tickled Brian's nose, one that he hadn't smelled in weeks. It brought a warm sense of comfort, and the last time he smelled it was when he slept in Stewie's crib the night of his death. Which confirmed the fact that Stewie was here. It was his smell, and Brian used his nose to pinpoint what he had trouble seeing.

And then he saw him. The bouncy red stocking hat. The fluffy brown winter jacket. That unmistakable football-shaped head…!

There was no doubt anymore. It was Stewie. His Stewie. Brian's heart filled with joy at the very thought.

Stewie glanced around the mall, trying to find the store that held the product which he sought. He smiled with pleasure at the thought of everyone seeing his Jolly Farm playset, and how jealous they were all going to be. Honestly, it was almost enough to make him want to be evil again, and he was beginning to wonder why he didn't think of doing this sooner.

He walked through the automatic doors of the toy store, and scanned the nearby shelves for the newly-released merchandise. And sure enough, there it was. The familiar characters that he'd grown to love decorated the exterior package, and he nearly squeed from the excitement.

"Oh my god, YES! I've been waiting mon—well—minutes for this! Ah, the luxuries of time travel!" He snatched the playset off the shelf, and speed-walked over to the cashier, eager to claim his prize.

The cashier smiled, eager to serve his approaching customer. "Wow, good timing, little fella. This just came out today!"

Stewie chuckled, if only he knew… "Yeah, I kinda knew that already…" he said, as he handed his purchase in to be scanned.

"That'll be $10.24." the cashier said, after calculating the sales tax of the playset. "And by the way, would you like to donate an extra dollar to the Quahog Food Bank?"

Stewie rolled his eyes. He should've seen this coming. "Oh, sure," he replied sarcastically, handing over the cash promised in exchange for the toy. "And would you like to come home and clean my toilet, while we're both doing stuff for each other?"

Before the cashier had a chance to try and convince Stewie otherwise, he snatched the Jolly Farm playset from the man's grasp, and left the toy store promptly afterward.

"Donate to the Quahog Food Bank… Seriously, who the deuce does that bastard think he is? Asking a one-year-old for donations, does he really have nothing better to—?"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as he was suddenly rendered immobile by someone who practically tackled him the minute he stepped outside the store. A rather furry someone, to be precise.

"Stewie… Oh god… I missed you so much…"

"What the f— Brian?! Let…go…"

Rather than releasing him, the dog's embrace only tightened. "Never again. I'll never let you go again, Stewie…"

The child frowned. What the devil has gotten into him? He sighed in frustration, and wrenched himself out of Brian's iron grip. The dog looked shocked, almost hurt to see him so angry. Okay, this was really weird. This wasn't the Brian he knew…

"Ah, of course. You must be the Brian of this timeline. Am I correct?"

He nodded, trying his best to find the best way to start a soon-to-be difficult conversation. Obviously, he couldn't just blurt out: "By the way, you're dead in this timeline, I nearly committed suicide over your death, and I've developed mutual feelings with your ghost. How are you?" No, that would not go over well.

"I knew it. That explains why you're acting so strange. Well," he trailed off, reaching for his return pad. "I've gotten what I wanted, but since you're here, make sure to do something nice for the other me, alright? Y'know, seeing as how it's almost Christmas. Maybe make him some cool hwhip, perhaps? I'm sure he'll really appreciate it."

That was it. Brian couldn't take it anymore. He rushed forward and grabbed Stewie's hand before he could activate the return pad. The child opened his mouth to protest, but the fearful look in Brian's eyes filled him with concern rather than frustration. Seriously, what was going on with him?

"I…I can't, Stewie."

Okay, now this is just getting confusing. "You can't what, Brian? What the deuce are you talking about?"

"I can't make the other you some cool 'hwhip,'" he murmured, putting emphasis on the "h" on purpose, like Stewie always did. "I can't gather around the Christmas tree with him and open presents with him. I can't go in his amazing time machine and see all the different possibilities with him. Stewie… there is no 'other you.' Not in this timeline, anyway."

He let go of Stewie's hand, who, out of curiosity and slight fear, chose to hear Brian out.

"What are you talking about? I've told you about multiverse logic before, haven't I? There's a different version of me for every universe there is, whether it be past, future, or a different timeline altogether. Wait a minute…" he paused, remembering the last thing Brian had said. "You said 'in this timeline' specifically. Brian…did something happen…to me?"

The dog opened his mouth, trying to find the words that needed to be said. Trying to acknowledge the truth, despite his eyes telling him that Stewie was right in front of him, alive and unharmed. But no sound came. His throat was closed up to the point where it rendered him temporarily mute.

"…Brian?! Answer me!"

The child's eyes widened, the silence frightening him nearly as much as the potential answer his friend was going to give.

"It's alright. Bry, you don't have to tell him."

The all-too-familiar thick British accent pierced Stewie's ears, and when he spun around to find its source, he almost didn't believe it. It was him, and yet it wasn't. This version of Stewie looked the same as he ever did, but with one crucial difference. His appearance flickered in and out of existence, and he was completely see-through.

The baby's eyes widened, slowly understanding the situation with newfound horror. "Brian... am I... dead?"

Ghost Stewie nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so."

"This…this can't be right…" Past Stewie shook his head in shock. "How? How can I be dead in the future? It's impossible! I would have prevented it! I have the knowledge and means to do so! I…"

Brian cut him off, pulling him into a tear-filled embrace. The infant's shock was still present, but he clung onto his canine companion as tightly as he could.

"The day you died was by far the most awful moment of my life. I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't try and bring you back."

Past Stewie froze in fear. "What happened?" he asked. "What happened before I died?"

Brian sighed. "You...destroyed your time machine. It was because of you and I having too many close calls with death. And that trip to 1607 Jamestown was the last straw for you. So, in order to prevent it, you got the guns back from the Native Americans."

"You mean..." Past Stewie gulped, "I caused the deaths of the Englishmen at the hands of the Powhatan tribe?"

Brian nodded sadly.

"And..." Past Stewie continued, about to cry, "...how...how did I die?"

Brian explained, "The next day, after you destroyed your time machine, we brought back some street hockey equipment in great shape from the city dump, and while we were about to play, a car had caressed toward me. You pushed me out of the way to save my life, but you sacrificed yourself while doing so. It broke my heart. It broke everyone's hearts. The Griffins, all of Quahog, everyone."

"Oh, God," Past Stewie shuddered. "If what you're saying is true, then, I... I shouldn't destroy my time machine," Past Stewie choked up with tears, "no matter what."

Just then, Stewie started to fade from see-through to opaque, and he descended to the floor. Past Stewie's decision had completely undone Stewie's death, as he was no longer a ghost, and back to being flesh and blood.

"I'm alive," he gasped, smiling, as a blue coat suddenly appeared over his yellow shirt and red overalls. "I'm alive!"

Brian, upon seeing this, had shed tears of joy.

"But how?" Brian replied. "You said that things won't change until Past Stewie returned to his own time."

"It was Past Stewie's decision."

Death's voice had gotten the attention of all three.

"It's just one of a few ways that things can change, Stewie," Death continued. "A past individual who goes forward into time returning to their home time isn't the only thing that can undo what has been done. There are other ways that can undo things. And a past individual making a decision not to do anything that causes a chain of events is one of them."

Stewie had chuckled.

"Oh, Stewie," Brian whispered as he hugged his newly-revived best friend. "Welcome back."

Past Stewie and Death were glad to see the two friends reunite.

"Thank you, Past Stewie," Brian said. "I'll never forget this moment."

Death was about to erase Brian and Stewie's knowledge of the latter's now-undone death, but after hearing what Brian had just said, he agreed not to, for their sake.

After nodding in agreement to what Brian said, Past Stewie got his return pad out of his backpack, got on it, and disappeared in a flash, as did Death when he tapped his scythe on the floor, leaving a happy Brian and Stewie behind.

"Brian," Lois' voice suddenly called, getting his attention in confusion. "Come on, it's time for Stewie to see Santa."

Because of Past Stewie's decision, a new timeline was created, similar to this one, only this time, Stewie had never sacrficed himself to save Brian in the first place, and the rest of the Griffins, not knowing about Stewie's undone death, were in the mall. It was time for the annual Christmas Carnival.

The two had rushed to the rest of the Griffin family, as they were in line for Stewie to see Santa. He was happy that, when Lois picked him up, he could feel again.

Minutes had passed, and after a few patrons, it was time for Stewie to see Santa.

"Oh, Stewie, you're next," Lois said, as his time had come.

"Ho-ho-ho!" the Mall Santa called as Lois placed Stewie in his lap. "Mall Santa is brought to you in part this season by Chipotle. Between good and garbage, it's Chipotle." Lois was about to get her camera out. "So, what do you want for Christmas?"

Before Stewie could answer, he happily looked at his family, then at the Mall Santa.

"You know what, Santa?" Stewie replied. "I don't want anything else for Christmas. I already have what I wanted, right here." At this, Stewie patted himself on the chest.

Brian was happy to hear. "It's good to have you back, Stewie," he thought.

The Mall Santa, however, was confused. "You don't want me to put anything under your tree?"

"No," Stewie replied, still smiling. "I'm fine this season."

Because of Past Stewie's decision, Lois' knowledge that her infant son had a lab and that he could talk was completely erased, and Rupert never went to the afterlife; everything was back to normal. Sure, Brian and Stewie still went to 1607 Jamestown, but as Past Stewie promised, the time machine was never destroyed, leading to the hockey equipment not to be picked up from the dump. Of course, the return pad had to be repaired because of the bullet riddles it took, though.

Brian and Stewie kept the knowledge about the latter's undone death with them.

When Christmas came, as the rest of the family were opening their presents, Brian and Stewie sat under the tree to open theirs.

"Here you go, Stewie," Brian said, handing him a present. "Merry Christmas."

Stewie opened his present, and found that it was a picture frame of himself in an elf costume and Brian in a Santa hat, with the words "Friends Forever" engraved in a gold plaque under the photo.

"Brian," Stewie began, "it's...wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Stewie," Brian whispered in reply. "It's the least I could do for my newly-saved best friend."

Stewie laughed. "I...really didn't need anything else, but at least this is enough to satisfy me. I just can't imagine if you were killed instead of me."

"Don't worry, Stewie," Brian assured. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't know if you guys would get a different dog and move on or not if I was, but I just hope that dog is happy with whatever he or she currently has."

Outside the Griffin house, and of Quahog, the supposed replacement dog, Vinny, who appeared to be a cross between a Pit Bull and a German Shepherd, had tan fur with some cream white from his nose all the way to his belly, and wore a black collar, was sitting in the lap of his owner, an old man named Leo, in a tiny apartment in Providence. They had celebrated a wonderful Christmas together.

"Boy, Leo," Vinny said in a Brooklyn-accented voice that resembled Paulie Gualtieri from The Sopranos, "it sure is great that I'd celebrate another Christmas with you. I just can't imagine life without you."

The End

Co-Author's Note Well, everyone, that's it. The story is finally over. Stewie has been resurrected, and Lois no longer knows about him having a lab or intentions on killing her, or about him being a genius and able to talk.

To Marshadow, which will be my current nickname to Mysterious Marshadow for the time being, you can leave a review and publicly reveal what you intended the fanfic's ending to be if you'd like. But to all, I hope you like this ending better than the one she planned.

I'll get back to writing "An Unexpected Valentine's Day" sometime. Until then, this is DecaTilde signing off. Peace. :)