Chapter two: Happy Birthday!

"Hey, mom…" Ashley said as she walked in her mom's office.

"Hello Ashley," Helen said as she looked up from the dreaded paper work she had been attempting to do. "do you need something?" Helen asked as she noticed her daughter looking around the room.

"Oh.. uh no not really, why?" Ashley asked realizing she had been looking around her mom's office.

"You were looking around like you were looking for something," Helen answered back.

"Uhhh.. are we off our little lock in? Henry and I?"

"No, not quite yet."

"But mom! Seeing the sanctuary walls for 3 days on end is driving me insane! Do you want me insane?" Ashley complained.

"Well, no we don't, an insane you would mean trouble for the rest of us, but punishment is punishment."

"Fine, then I'll just go cause trouble elsewhere," Ashley warned as she walked out the door.

"Don't pick on poor Nikola! His hair is STILL pink!" Helen yelled to the receding figure of her daughter. Ashley heard the warning and just shook her head mumbling to herself.

"I don't always pick on him."

Henry's room

Knock… knock.. knock… door opens.. "Geesh Ash ever heard of knocking?" Henry yelled as he pulled on his shirt.

"I did threeeee times!" she said holding up two figures.

"Umm that's two not three." Henry pointed out.

"Sooooo your pwoint?" Ashley semi-slurred out, and then started giggling.

"Uh.. Ash.. how much sugar have you had? Better yet, how much lucky charms?" Henry asked scared.

"Pht none! Why would you think that? ooooo hey you wanna go get coffeeeeee?"

"Uh… are we allowed to leave the house? Or are we still grounded? And do you really need the coffee?"

"Nope, yep, and definitely! And I neeeeed to find/ figure out ideas for mom's birthday."

"Sooo you suggest we sneak out? What if your mom finds out!"

"About the sneaking out? She won't, but if she does, but again she won't let me talk to her."

"NO! the coffee! Your mom is like uber strict when it comes to stuff like that!"

Ashley actually laughed as she replied to Henry's complaint, "Your… afraid.. of my…. Mom?"

"Yes! She's the Great Helen Magnus! She could have ways to punish us!" Henry whined.

"Oh grow up! Live a little! Haven't we already had this talk? Now come on grab your phone and your brain and lets get a move on before mom gets out of her conference!"

"Okay, but why do I let you talk me into this stuff?"

"Cause you like the excitement of doing something bad!"

They snuck their way out of the Old City Sanctuary and headed for New City Café.

Café.

Ashley and henry waited in line for their coffee. It was a really long line and Ashley was getting quite annoyed, because the people in front couldn't make up their darn mind! "Would they hurry up!" Ashley whispered to Henry.

"It would appear not, so what are your plans for your mom's birthday?"

"I dunno! Honestly what do you get the woman who has literally seen it all?" Ashley said raising her hands almost hitting the guy in front of her. Yes, they were moving!

"Flowers?" Henry suggested.

"No! those are lame! Like oh hey happy birthday I kinda couldn't think of something for you so all I got you were these flowers that will die! No thanks, what else you got?" another person down, two to go. "oh, we could get her coffee as a joke and then a real present?"

"Ya and if she doesn't laugh we sure will." Henry agreed.

"Exactly." Ashley said. Yay! She was next In line!

"Okay, oh and then you could bake her a cake!"

"Ha! Me cook? Ya right! The thing would sprout legs and run away!... but now that you think about it that would be cool too but anyways."

"Ya an abnormal created by you! Best present ever!"

"True. Hmmm… coffee…cake… and flo.." Ashley said but was cut off by the barista asking her what coffee she wanted.

"What would you like miss?"

"Ha.. umm. A medium Caramel Mochiado." Ashley said, the ironic thing being she had just complained about someone not knowing what they wanted when she herself didn't know, lovely. Henry ordered the same thing and they got the coffee grounds they wanted for her mom. After they paid and got their coffee they left the Café and headed for the flower Shoppe.

"As I was saying, Coffee, flowers. Cake. Let's go make cake, or at least attempt to make cake." Ashley said with a wicked grin on her face.

"this will end badly I just know it,"

"Oh ye of little faith, let's just make it into the house first."

"Agreed."

In the Kitchen

"Uh, Henry, are you sure this is right?" Ashley asked as she looked at the cake baking in the oven, it looked well, abnormalish.

"Well, we did as the instructions said. Now all we have to do is wait for the ding, but we might want to clean up before someone comes down here and sees this mess."

"I agree." They started cleaning and then heard a ding. Ashley took the cake out of the oven and set it on the counter to cool, just as she set it down it grew two legs and arms and eyes and darted up and ran around the big kitchen. "Ahhh! Catch it!" Ashley screamed as she scrambled to get the cage.

"I have it cornered!" Henry announced after they chased it around the kitchen for ten minutes doing a wonderful job of tearing up the place.

"Got it!" Ashley announced as she put it in the cage. Just then they heard the click click of high heals coming from down the hall. "Crap! Mom's coming!" Ashley hissed as she looked around the kitchen, it was a complete disaster!

"What in the world is going on?" Helen said as she entered the door, only to stop short as she noticed the state of her poor kitchen.

"Mom!" Ashley said as she slid around the counter to hide the cake abnormal thing from her.

"Ashley, Henry, what is going on? What happened to my poor kitchen?"

"I-I- I can explain.." Henry stammered out.

"Well start explaining." Helen said looking mainly at her daughter."

"Being as its your birthday tomorrow, andwe didn't know what to get thw woman whom has lived for like ever, we decided to make you a cake.." Ashley said.

"Ashley, there is such a thing as before my time, but go on," Helen said.

"Really?" Ashley said being herself.

"Cheeky monkey,… now why is my kitchen a mess and why is there no cake, and what pray tell are you two hiding?"

"The cake is in this cage which is what we were hiding, and is why this room is a mess. I think this should be dubbed like the best birthday present ever! And you can even have it now!" Ashley said as she motioned for Henry to move to show her the cake abnormal.

"Why does it have legs?"

"I dunno! But it is a new abnormal created by me and Henry! This is shweet! Right?" Ashley asked excitedly.

"Yes very much so, the best birthday present ever, thank you guys, I love you."

"Love you too mom." Ashley mumbled as she and Henry were pulled into a hug.

"There is more to your present but that can wait or you can have it now either way."

"Now is fine."

"Okay here it is!" Henry said half laughing as he handed it to her, coffee and white roses (her favourite).

"Coffee?" Helen said in disgust as she wrinkled her nose receiving a laugh from both Henry and Ashley. "Thank you for the flowers and the abnormal, I think I shall call him, Ashry, now, clean my kitchen you too, and honestly, coffee?"

"Yes! Coffee is awesome! And really! We have to clean the kitchen?"

"Yes, clean, now!" Helen said with a smile on her face as she walked out the door to leave them to clean the kitchen.

"Well Happy birthday to you too." Ashley said as she and Henry started to clean the Kitchen, more cleaning, ick…