(A/N: Yeah, this is a major fast forward. Enjoy! I hope.)

Tucked Pickles

Ch. 2

12-year-old Shenzi Tuck was lounging in the living room after having lunch on a Saturday early afternoon. In case you're wondering, she has no memory of the earthquake from 10 years ago. Her father never mentioned it to her, in fear of her believing she now has head trauma, seemingly explaining her strange, but endearing quirks.

After hearing a truck drive away, Shenzi looked at the package that had just arrived, and was surprised to see that it was meant to be delivered to Tommy's house. "Mom? This package was meant for Tommy's place. I'm going to deliver it to them real quick."

"Alright," Felicia Tuck, her stepmother, called out to her, "Be careful."

"I will." Shenzi lifted the huge package up in her arms, and stumbily walked along the sidewalk to her destination.

For the nice day, she was in Stitch alien tropical denim shorts, a black Converse one-star button up shirt, a black Stitch tattoo muscle top under it, black matte ball stud earrings, black Converse dance lace sneakers, blue Stitch ankle socks, and a berry blue hair extension on her long bangs, which now laid over the left side of her face. Thick black eyeglasses now rested on the bridge of her short nose, and braces lined her teeth.

She arrived at the front door, and tried to hold the package with one arm, but quickly had to use both when it almost fell. It was a pain for her to pick up, so setting it down was out of the question. She attempted to use one foot to ring the doorbell, but had to step back down when she almost stumbled. "Hmm," She tried to think of another way, then shrugged and used her forehead.

After a couple seconds, Stu opened the door. "Oh, hey Shenzi," He greeted her.

"Hi. Uh, this package came to my house, but it was addressed to you, so I thought I'd deliver it."

"Thanks! I've been waiting for that to come! Here, I'll take it." Stu held onto it and set it on the floor inside the house, as she rested her arms.

"Phew," She sighed in relief, "Thanks. So, um..."

"Didi took Tommy and Dil out for lunch; I'm just holding down the fort. You can stay for a little bit, if you want."

"Mmm, sure," She shrugged, "Sounds good. Thanks." She walked in the house after he stepped aside, and they sat in the living room. The old family dog, Spike, was sleeping in the kitchen. "So uh, how are things here? How's Spike?"

"Spike's good," He replied, "I can't believe he's almost 12."

"Wow!" Her eyebrows raised up. "He's a trooper!"

"Yes he is. So, how's your relationship with Chuckie going?"

"It's going great," She let a smile grow. Chuckie had been her boyfriend for several weeks now, almost 2 months, and their bond was still strong. "Chuckie is the best boyfriend I could ever ask for."

"Good!"

"We always have lunch or dinner in the Big Mall food court instead of fancy restaurants. I don't want him to end up broke for me."

"That's very nice of you."

A shy blush grew on her cheeks. "Thanks. The Big Mall is more fun than any uptight restaurants, anyway. I love the food there."

After a few minutes, Shenzi stood on the floor. "Well um, I'd better get home before dinner. Thanks for having..." She stopped when the ground started rumbling. "Wha-what's happening?"

"Earthquake!" Stu grabbed onto her, and hunched over at the wall, where the living room and the hall met, praying that Spike was safe.

Shenzi had a death grip on him in fear, but then saw that she left her new phone on the couch, vulnerable to possible debris. "Wait, my phone!" She started struggling, but Stu kept his grip tight.

"No! I'm not making that same mistake! Not again!"

"What do you mean again?!" She exclaimed over the rumbling, but he didn't answer. Spike came running in, and she lunged down to shield him from any debris, so Stu followed her lead in shielding them both. He felt bits of the ceiling fall on his back and head, but they didn't cause any pain.

After a couple minutes, the rumbling stopped. The two cautiously straightened up, Shenzi holding onto Spike, and managed to relax after the terror was over. She let out a huge sigh of relief, leaning back on Stu's shoulder. "That... that was scary."

"Yep," He nodded, "You okay?"

"Uh huh," She replied, "But uh... what'd you mean by "again"?"

"I, I guess your father never told you."

"No," She shook her head, and shifted over to sit in front of him. Spike was just behind her back.

"Well, when you were 2 years old, I babysat you while I was dogsitting for my boss." She nodded, indicating that she was listening. "And... while we were there, an earthquake hit." She looked fearfully surprised at that. "And, uh..." Stu had trouble continuing, "Your... your toys were out in the open, so you... went to get them. I couldn't get to you in time, before a... piece of the ceiling hit your head, knocking you out cold." She let out a small gasp, with her hands on her head. "The guilt's been eating me alive ever since."

"Did I have a concussion?"

"No," He shook his head, "You got lucky. The doctor said the piece wasn't big enough to cause permanent damage."

"Good," She nodded, "It sounds scary, either way."

"It was, believe me."

"I believe you. And please don't feel bad for it. I'm not angry at you for what happened that time, I promise. It could've gone worse than it had, and it didn't. Please don't beat yourself up over it anymore."

"You promise?"

"I promise." She leaned forward and hugged Stu, surprising him. "Don't worry about me, Mr. Pickles; I'm fine."

"Well, if you're really sure," He hugged her back.

They drew away after a few seconds. "Um, I, while it's safe, I'm going to head home." She grabbed her phone, which was undamaged, from the couch.

"Here, I'll walk you home." Stu lead her out of the house, locking the door along the way, and accompanied her.

"Thanks, Mr. Pickles."

"My pleasure. And call me Stu."

"'Kay," She nodded, and they stopped at her house, "Well, thanks for having me."

"You're very welcome. Stay safe."

"I will," She then walked into the house, which was slightly dirty with ceiling debris from the earthquake, but otherwise untouched.

"Shenzi!" Friar Tuck rushed up, and took her in his arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Dad," She assured him, "Stu protected me. And... he told me about an earthquake from 10 years back."

"O-oh," He stammered, "I'm sorry I never told you."

"It's okay. I understand why. Are you, Mom, and Frankie okay?" Frankie was her stepsister, who was older than her by only 6 months.

"They're fine. They're a little shaken up, but are unharmed."

"Oh good," She sighed in relief.

Since the kitchen was a mess, and the appliances were out of order, the family went out to eat, where thankfully, everything still worked. Afterwards, they cleaned up the house together, feeling exhausted after they were done.

In bed that night, Shenzi stayed awake despite her fatigue, her mind filled with thoughts of the not one, but apparently two earthquakes that she experienced in her lifetime. She hoped that she had no brain damage from the incident 10 years back, and that Stu wasn't still fussing over the same incident. He promised her that he wouldn't, so she hoped that he would keep it.

(A/N: Well, I hope the ending was good, as was the whole story! You know the disclaimer.)