Iheartgod175 presents:

Hugs and Kisses: A Love Story

Created: January 25th, 2013

Published: January 28th, 2013

Rated: K+ (For the romantic stuff.)

Summary: A new episode is being filmed, and the producers have decided to throw in some romance. Bob isn't at all fazed by this...until he learns that the romantic scenes will feature him and Madame Blueberry, who are the main characters! Although he's a nervous wreck about the whole thing, Madame Blueberry is delighted, being that she has quite the crush on the tomato. It's not long before their fun-filled lives draw them closer together...Bob/Madame Blueberry, with some Larry/Petunia and minor Archie/Lovey.

Author's Note: Well, seeing as a lot of people liked my first Veggie Tales story, I'm going to write another one, but this one won't be a one-shot full of shorts like the first. I thought of this as a four-shot, but I'm not entirely sure about doing the story that way. This is, apparently, the first fic for Bob/Madame Blueberry outright, but there will be a little bit of Larry/Petunia. There may also be some Archie/Lovey, but I'm won't spoil my own story. So, enough of my pointless rambling, let's rock!

Disclaimer: As much as I love Veggie Tales, I never will own them. The series belongs to Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, the creators. If they decided to suddenly drop the company into my hands, then this story would be real. Other than that, don't count on it.

Quick Note: A special thanks to Comment person who got me into this pairing in the first place!

Chapter 1: Announcements

At Big Idea Productions, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber were in the briefing room with the other vegetables, discussing the plans for their newest episode, which was meant to be a spoof of the movie Casablanca. There wasn't full confirmation on the script yet, but from what the producers were saying, it seemed like Bob was going to get a major role in the film, while Larry was going to be a supporting character.

Bob the Tomato was, to put it lightly, very excited to be put in a major role. Although he had one in their recent episode, 'The Little House that Stood', it was the first time he was mainly going to go solo, since most of his other roles included Larry, inarguably the star of the whole thing.

"So, who has any ideas for the movie?" he asked.

Larry thought for a moment, and then said, "We could do something like an 'Opera Songs with Larry' for the Silly Song!"

Archibald Asparagus looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Don't you know that singing opera takes a long time to master, Larry?"

"Like, how long, Archie?"

"It takes years of preparation. First you have to take various lessons, and then perfect your voice. Some people have taken over 5 years to do that sort of thing," Archibald stated.

Larry sat in stunned silence. "You know, on second thought, why don't we do a jazzy song instead? We can invite Blind Lemon Lincoln again," he said.

"I'm not sure about that, Larry. Right now, he's on tour, and has several concerts going on now," Bob said.

"I say we should wait to find out what music they're going to compose, and then we'll figure out the Silly Song," Archie said.

"Okay," Larry resigned unhappily.

"Well, does anyone else have any other suggestions?" Bob asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I've got one! How about we add some romantic scenes in the story?" Petunia asked.

"Well, considering that 'Casablanca' is a romantic drama, I guess they're going to add that in there," Bob replied.

"Don't they have a few kissing scenes in that movie?" Mr. Lunt asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Although, I think it's just one," Bob said. "It's been a while since I've seen the movie."

"Have they decided on who the female lead is?" Madame Blueberry asked.

"Not yet. They're thinking on either choosing you, Madame, or somebody else," Bob said.

Madame Blueberry sighed dreamily. "I sure hope I get the part…"

"I'm pretty sure you will, since you're a very good actress, Madame Blue," Larry commented.

Madame Blueberry blushed a bit. "Thank you, dear," she said.

"You're welcome," Larry replied cheerfully.

"Okay then, I think that's all that we've covered on this list. Let's head off to lunch, and I should be receiving the call sheet afterwards," Bob said.

In the cafeteria, everyone was cheerfully chatting with each other over all sorts of topics. Pa Grape was remembering the days of his youth, Mr. Lunt was telling yet another tall tale, and Archibald was telling Bob all about his days at Cambridge. The only ones who weren't saying anything were Jimmy and Jerry, but that wasn't a surprise since they were eating.

"So, Petunia, how are you and Larry doing?" Madame Blueberry asked.

"Oh, we're doing fine. He's such a sweet, fun-loving guy to be around. I can't wait until he takes me out again," Petunia said.

A little while after finishing 'It's a Meaningful Life', Larry and Petunia had become boyfriend and girlfriend, and had been in a steady relationship for about two years. Everyone, including Bob, reacted to the news with "It's about time!"

"I can imagine," Madame Blueberry replied. "He's practically the life of the show."

"Hey, Madame Blue, how come you want to be the female lead in this episode?" Laura asked.

"Oh, I've always wanted to be in a romantic scene. I wanted to try out for a soap opera before I came to Big Idea," Madame Blue replied.

"Really?" Laura asked, eyes wide.

"Really," Madame Blueberry replied. "Also…Petunia's not the only one who likes somebody."

All of the girls gasped, clearly not expecting this news. "Who is it? Who is it?" they asked eagerly.

Madame Blueberry looked around for dramatic effect, then muttered, "Oh…just the head producer of this episode."

"Bob?" Laura asked in a low tone, so that way they wouldn't attract everybody else's attention.

"Oui. I've had a crush on him since my very first show," Madame Blueberry said.

"Wow, I didn't know that," Laura replied, looking over at Bob. He was talking to Mr. Lunt and Archibald about their latest projects outside of work.

"So, are you going to tell him?" Petunia asked.

"I'm planning to. But I'm just not sure how," Madame Blue admitted.

"Ooh, I know! Maybe you should tell him right up front that you like him," Laura said.

"I would, but the mere thought of it makes me nervous," Madame Blueberry replied, blushing a bit.

"Maybe you should send him a note," Annie said. "That would be an easier choice for me if I ever liked a guy."

"That sounds like a good idea," Madame Blueberry replied. "I might try it."

While the girls were talking about different ways to confess to a boy, the guys were discussing the plans for the weekend.

"Me and the boys are planning on creating another album," Mr. Lunt said. "This one's going to have more songs on here than last time."

"Yeah, a lot of people wanted another album from us," Jimmy said, before eating a chocolate bar.

"Really? That's pretty cool," Bob said. "What are you planning to do this weekend, Archie?"

"Hmm…this weekend, I'm going to visit Lovey," he said.

"Lovey Asparagus? She used to be on our show, right?" Bob asked.

"Right. She's going to be in town for a week, so I've offered to take her around town," the asparagus replied. "She said she hasn't seen much of it the last time she was here." He then paused to drink some tea.

"Maybe you should use this as an opportunity to ask her out, man," Mr. Lunt said, drinking his root beer. Archibald nearly choked on his tea.

"W-What are you talking about? Lovey and I are just friends!" he retorted.

"Aw, come on, Archie," Pa Grape butt in, "Larry and Petunia were 'just friends'!"

"I think he's blushing," Larry teased. Archibald's skin changed to the shade of a chili pepper, earning more laughter from the guys.

"I rest my case," Mr. Lunt chuckled.

"W-Wait just a minute…" Archie stammered, but his protest did no good as the guys continued their laughter.

Meanwhile, Scallion 1, eating a slice of cheese pizza, sighed. "I guess nobody wants to know what I'm going to do this weekend," he said sadly.

After lunch was over, Bob the Tomato went back to his office, eager to see the call sheet that confirmed all the roles for the movie. He found it on top of the stack of office papers that were on his desk.

"I sure hope I got the lead role," he said, and began to read it. "Yes! I did get the lead role! Larry gets the second male role, and Madame Blueberry is the female lead…"

He stopped himself short of that sentence. After reading the cast list over again, it took him a few seconds to let the fact sink in that Madame Blueberry would be playing the role of Ilsa in the story. There wasn't anything wrong with that, seeing that she was a good actor, but there was just one little problem: his character was supposed to fall in love with hers. Being that he wasn't the guy who knew how to do romantic scenes, this made Bob grow nervous.

And at that moment, he remembered that later on in the movie, there was one scene where he had to kiss her. That's right-he had to actually kiss Madame Blueberry, with everybody's eyes locked on them as he did so.

Oh, dear.

Oh, dear gosh.

Bob was standing there, practically petrified, when Larry came into the office. "Hey, Bob, did the call sheet come in ye-" Larry stopped when he saw Bob's expression. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Bob, are you okay? You look terrified," Larry said.

"L-Larry, I have something very important to tell you," he said.

"W-What is it, Bob?" Larry asked.

Bob swallowed a huge lump before continuing. "Okay, so I got the call sheet back, and I did get the lead role in the movie. To be short, everyone got the parts they wanted."

"Even Madame Blueberry?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, even Madame Blue," Bob said. "I have a problem with that."

"You don't think Madame Blue's a good choice for the part?"

"N-No, of course I don't! I think she'd do a great job as the female lead, but…there's one part in the movie I'm worried about," Bob replied.

"What part in the movie?" Larry asked.

"Well, you know how I mentioned that Casablanca was a romantic drama, and that the producers were probably going to throw some romance in this film?" Bob asked. Larry nodded.

"Well, um, those romantic scenes are going to feature me and Madame Blueberry," Bob said nervously.

"As in…it's also going to have the kissing scenes?" Larry asked. Bob nodded, looking down at the floor.

For a moment, neither veggie said anything. Larry could see that this was a very sensitive issue for his best friend.

"And the whole thing is, I'm not really a romantic, Larry. In fact, I don't remember ever kissing a girl. Just thinking about the whole thing is making me nervous," Bob continued.

"Hey, Bob, remember when I had to kiss Petunia for one of the other films we did, and I made a big deal over it?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, I do remember. I told you to go talk to Petunia about it, and you seemed much better after that," Bob said.

"Well, I think that you should do the same thing with Madame Blueberry. You should talk to her about how you feel on the scenes, and then talk with the directors to see if they can change things," Larry replied.

At this, Bob looked up from the ground at his best friend. Larry had practically hit his problem dead on. He really did give Larry a lot less credit than he deserved.

"So, are you going to talk to the director afterwards?" Larry asked.

Bob nodded. "Alright then, I will. But not until after I get the call sheet out. I know that everyone is waiting to see what role they got. Thanks for your help, Larry," he said. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Bob. Just returning the favor," Larry said. Bob smiled, and the two soon exited Bob's office, going to the board where they usually put the call sheets.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Next time on Hugs and Kisses:

Archibald: Wow, it seems like I'm going to be demoted to an extra in this movie. Oh well, I needed a break from the spotlight, anyhow.

Scallion 1: I actually get a name in the movie? Alright!

Madame Blueberry: Yes, I get the lead female role!

Petunia: Wait a second, doesn't that mean that you and Bob are going to be doing some romantic scenes together?

Madame Blueberry: Oui. It's going to be so exciting!

Mr. Lunt: You really are a romantic type of gal, aren't you, Madame Blue?

Bob: I was somewhat afraid of that…

Madame Blueberry: Hm? How come?

Bob: I'll have to speak to you in private about it.

Madame Blueberry: Eh?

(Everybody else gasps)

Jimmy: Things are starting to get pretty dramatic around here...

Jerry: Yeah...say, does anybody have any food?

Stay tuned for Chapter 2: Negotiations!

So, how was that? It took me a while to write this one, since I flip-flopped on how I wanted it to work out. My original plan was going to be where the CEOs (in this case Phil and Mike) discuss the episode with the veggies, but I didn't like it, so I changed it to where Bob and the others receive what the film will be about, and discuss it. Scallion 1, Jimmy and Jerry will appear next chapter, and I hope to squeeze in a little more Larry/Petunia, as well as do my research on Casablanca, since I don't own a copy of the movie and therefore have never seen it.

Constructive criticism is great, but no flames, please. I got a few people who said that Bob was a bit OOC in the last Veggie story I wrote, so I tried to make his reaction to kissing one of his friends as realistic as possible. I mean, I would act the same way if I had to kiss a guy for a part in a movie (and to let you know, I am female).

Oh, and the part where Larry was talking about his experience with kissing scenes was from a part I remembered from Comment person's story. You should read it, since it also has hints of Bob/Madame Blueberry.

Well, that's all I've got for now. See you around.

God bless, iheartgod175