PREVIOUSLY…

Following the events of last episode, Bob managed to get some state of normalcy into the studio after confronting Eddie Russell. What he doesn't know is that Eddie has already made up in his mind to continue with his plan to get control of Carrotblanca and eventually Veggie Tales-and to make sure that no one gets in his way, he's going to get rid of the head producer…permanently.

On the first day of shooting, Scallion 1 came to Bob asking for resignation, and told him more about Eddie Russell. Bob gave him a letter that the corporate offices-and a pep talk to keep him on the film. However, Eddie overheard, and ripped up the letter, as well as knocking out the scallion. Bob headed down to start filming, but what he got was a shocking revelation: his co-star, Madame Blueberry, is in love…with him! This confession also brings to light the feelings that he had for the blueberry, but buried them because he was afraid that she didn't like him. They affirm their affection towards each other, but Eddie Russell is now determined to drive them apart for good. He revealed his true intent to the group: to take over Big Idea and destroy their reputation to save his own company from bankruptcy. Chaos reigns as the robot goes completely out of control with the zucchini's intention to kill Bob. Mr. Lunt, Mr. Nezzer and Larry chase down the psychopath, while Bob puts himself in front of a giant robot to protect Madame Blueberry.

The finale to this suspense filled arc begins now.

(In the Big Idea viewing room)

Mr. Lunt: They finally told each other their feelings, and then this psycho dude had to mess up everything?! Man, I'm out of here!

Larry: Hey, relax. I think this is supposed to be the last time he's going to be here.

Mr. Lunt: I hope so. I don't want this to be drawn out like they do on the soaps. Speaking of which, isn't General Store supposed to be on?

Larry: Yeah. Pa's watching it in the break room.

Mr. Lunt: I'm going to watch that. Tell me what happens.

Chapter 11: The Chase

The first thing that Scallion 1 heard when he woke up was a loud crash, and a yell. He sat up slowly, pain screaming through his head. What happened while I was out? He wondered. Upon hearing another crash, he sat up fully and stared at the massive hole in the floor. Something had punched straight up from the bottom floor to the top.

But, nobody was that tall enough-

At once, it clicked. "The robot….it's on a rampage!" Scallion 1 said. He pulled himself from off the floor, shaking his head. Other than the lights being knocked out, everything looked about the same as it was before-save for the copier that Eddie had hurled him into. His body print was caved deep into the machine.

"I'd better go and see what's going on," Scallion 1 said. As he hurried down the hall, he muttered aloud, "Where is everybody?"

Bob rushed into the costume room before the robot had made it down the hall. It was as if that thing had a built-in GPS, as it knew every room in the office. He searched through the junk drawer to see if there was anything that he could use to stop this thing. If he couldn't find anything, he was screwed.

At once, he found what he was looking for. It was his Thingamabob costume from League of Incredible Vegetables. Fortunately, the gadgets were still in there, and it worked like it had a year ago. He remembered how Madame Blueberry had fawned over his costume, saying that he looked like a real superhero.

"I made a promise to you, Madame Blueberry, and I intend to keep it," he said, and then put on his costume. When he was done, he heard loud footsteps outside the door. In case the robot decided to bash through the wall, he rushed over to the other side of the room and braced himself.

The door to the fashion room flew off its hinges and slammed into the opposite wall, revealing the robot standing there. Bob gulped, knowing that he'd have to face this thing on his own. He pulled out the large hammer he had, and leapt into the air as high as he could with his hammer held above his head.

"TAKE THIS!" he yelled, and hit the robot in the head with a loud clang. It left a square sized hole in it. Bob flew over it, but then he remembered that unlike on set, there wasn't any safety equipment to keep him from hurting himself. The tomato tumbled to the floor, rolling until he hit the wall. For a moment, the world spun around him, and he saw five different robots until he got his vision right again.

Apparently, that hit had caused the robot to become disoriented for a moment, so Bob got up and ran. But the moment he turned the corner, it had regained its sense of direction…and seemed to lose more control. It smashed through the rest of the wall and tore down the hallway like a madman, its arms flying everywhere. Bob realized that the only weapon he'd used was also the only that didn't need remote control. The hammer had been dropped off at the costume room.

He began to back up as the robot came flying around the corner. It turned and fixed its red eyes on him, and then started running like a madman towards him. Whatever was left of Bob's plans disappeared in an instant.

"Okay, now I'm scared!" he said cautiously. The robot then raised its right arm, its hand balled into a fist, and Bob yelled, "HELP!"

But just when it looked like the robot was going to turn him into ketchup, someone yelled, "Get down, Bob!" The robot stopped midway to the shivering tomato, and Bob merely jumped down. Something was hurled through air, and crashed into the robot. It exploded, sending grape soda everywhere. There was an electric humming noise as the robot started to short circuit. But whatever Eddie Russell had done to the robot had made it resilient, for it started to raise its arm to try and punch Bob again.

Another soda can flew, this one orange. The drink got all over Bob, and he turned to see who had thrown the soda can. He couldn't believe who it was. A determined Scallion 1 was standing there, holding one more can of orange soda. He saw the tomato staring up at him in surprise, and yelled, "Bob! Get out of there!"

Bob wasted no time in jumping up and rushing over to the tall scallion's side. Once he had made it over, Scallion 1 took aim and flung the last can. It hit the robot in the same spot where Bob had hit him on the head. At once, the robot began to short circuit completely, tendrils of electricity spreading over its body. Finally, the electric sparks disappeared, and the robot tipped over. It crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Panting heavily, Scallion stammered out, "Did I…did I get him?"

After a few moments, Bob turned to Scallion 1. "That…that was close. Thanks for saving me back there," he said.

Scallion 1 looked shocked. "Wow. I didn't think that our own machine would be turned against us," he said.

"Neither did I. I just hope that nobody got hurt," Bob said. "I have to go downstairs and check on Madame Blueberry. I'm sure she's worried sick about me."

"I see." Scallion 1 then looked at Bob's costume. "Why are you wearing your Thingamabob costume?"

Bob shrugged. "I thought it'd be nice to play as the hero for once."

The doors to the first floor burst open and Eddie Russell spilled through them, gasping for air as he ran. Behind him, Mr. Nezzer and the others were catching up fast. Not long after he'd made it towards the down the hall, the doors flung open to reveal Mr. Lunt standing there. He saw Eddie and yelled, "Get back here!" Eddie merely responded by taking off, and the gourd chased him down. Mr. Nezzer and Larry were right behind him.

"Don't let him get away!" Larry yelled.

"Trust me, I won't!" Mr. Lunt shouted back. He seemed to be the most determined to catch Eddie. When they reached the end of the hallway, they saw Eddie standing near the camera room, catching his breath.

"We've got you now, Eddie! Surrender or else!" Mr. Nezzer said. Eddie looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Alright, alright! I surrender…suckers!" Eddie smashed open the controls to the camera room before Larry could stop him, and jumped backwards as a laser bolt shot out of the room. Soon, multiple lasers started flying out of the room, leaving burn marks in the walls. The other three veggies had to duck to avoid getting hit by the lasers.

"He somehow got that camera to shoot lasers again!" Larry said.

"Brilliant deduction, cucumber. See if you can get past this, stupid gourd!" Eddie laughed, and took off down the hall at the speed of an Olympic medalist, leaving the hallway looking like a laser show.

Mr. Lunt looked ready to chase after him, but Mr. Nezzer held him back. "You can't go in there! You could get seriously hurt by those lasers!"

"But that psycho is getting away! He could get outside and seriously hurt someone!" Mr. Lunt pleaded.

"I'm pretty sure that you don't want to end up looking like Swiss cheese!" Mr. Nezzer shot back.

"Alright, guys, focus! We need to find another way to the lobby!" Larry said. After a few seconds, he said, "We can take the back way! There's a roundabout way to get the lobby!" He had to duck as another stray laser nearly hit him. It hit the floor behind him, leaving a black mark on the floor.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get outta here!" Mr. Lunt said, and the three veggies turned around and ran back the way they came, avoiding lasers along the way.

Scooter was at the front desk of the lobby, his eyes glued to the screens in front of him. A half- eaten donut fell on the table. What he was seeing on them belonged in an action film, not in real life. Bob and Scallion 1 were coming down the stairs, and Mr. Nezzer and the others were chasing Eddie Russell. From what he could tell, both groups were heading to the lobby.

"What's going on in here?" he asked himself. Just then, someone yelled his name, and he turned around to see that it was Madame Blueberry. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Madame Blueberry, what is the meanin' of this?" he asked.

"Scooter, Eddie Russell is trying to destroy this company, and nearly tried to kill Bob! He's running loose around the building, and I need your help! Otherwise, we're in danger!" she explained. "You need to call the police, the fire department, the FBI, the CIA-"

"Whoa, now just hold your horses, ma'am," Scooter said. "I can call the police and everything, but why exactly are we all in danger?"

Before Madame Blueberry could respond, there was a large crack that resounded from the ceiling. When they looked up, a huge robot covered in soda, along with lots of plaster, fell through the ceiling. Scooter and Madame Blueberry screamed as the debris and the robot crashed on top of the desk, smashing the computers. White dust filled the air around them.

Madame Blueberry silently thanked God that they weren't hurt, and Scooter looked scared out of his mind. He looked all over the place for the phone. Thankfully, it was the only thing on the desk that wasn't smashed to pieces. He reached over and snatched up the receiver, rapidly dialing 911.

"Emergency Services, how can we help you?"

"HELP! There's a psycho around here trying to destroy our company! Send the police, the fire department, the FBI, the CIA! Send the army, even!" he yelled into the phone. "And get here fast! Drive like there's free coffee and donuts!"

Madame Blueberry was about to tell Scooter to relax, when she heard massive footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Eddie Russell burst out the front doors of the lobby. The noise had also brought Scooter's attention, who was currently on the phone freaking out.

"Stop right there, Mr. Russell!" he yelled, and hung up the phone and took off running after the mad vegetable. The doors slammed closed as he left the building. Ten seconds later, Mr. Lunt came flying around the corner, nearly crashing into Madame Blueberry.

"Sorry, Madame Blue. But where's Eddie?" he asked, looking around for him.

"He went out to the parking lot, and Scooter's chasing him! We just called the police, and they should get here soon!" she said.

"Thanks. Come on, guys!" Mr. Nezzer and Larry came from the other side of the lobby, and all three veggies rushed outside.

"I hope Bob's okay," Madame Blueberry said, worry beginning to creep back in. Just then, someone else yelled her name. She gasped when she recognized the voice.

"BOB!" she yelled, and rushed towards him. He was wearing his Thingamabob costume, had bruised his side, and was covered in orange soda, but she didn't care. She was just glad that he was alive. She rushed to him, and kissed him on the lips. He picked her up and swung her around as she did, just as happy to see her. After he set her down, she nearly buried him in a hug and started to cry.

"Bob, I was so worried about you! When I heard all of those crashes upstairs, I feared the worst!" she said through her sobs. "But…I'm so glad that you're alive! You really did come back for me!"

Bob smiled. "I never break a promise, Madame Blue," he said. Then he noticed that nobody was in the studio. "Where is everybody?"

"Scooter, Mr. Lunt, Larry and Mr. Nezzer are out chasing Eddie through the parking lot. Pa, Jimmy and Jerry went to the corporates offices. I think everyone else went to get help," Madame Blueberry said.

"If that's the case, then we need to stay here until everyone gets back. That way, we can talk to the police and tell them to hunt down Eddie," Bob said.

Scallion 1 had appeared in the doorway. "We need to tell the media about this, don't we?"

"I guess so. We can't let Eddie Russell run loose through town! What do you think he'll do to the people in town?" Madame Blueberry said.

"I'll call the local radio stations and tell them to look out for him," Scallion 1 said. Beside him, Bob groaned.

"What's wrong, Bob?" Madame Blue asked.

"I feel like I just took a bath in sugar," he moaned. The blueberry laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I can clean that off you."

Phil didn't know what to think when Pa burst into the office room. The grape had spilled out some story about a crazy zucchini trying to take over Veggie Tales and the production of the new movie, and he was doing it in all the wrong ways. After he'd explained the zucchini's whole plan and what he was currently doing at the company, Phil didn't say anything for a moment. In fact, he was too angry to even think clearly.

"So, you see, Mr. Vischer, I've come to tell you that the offices made a big mistake hiring this guy as the assistant producer. He's threatened, beat up and nearly tried to kill your employees! You need to fire him, pronto!" Pa said. He paused to take a drink of water, as all that explaining had made him completely parched.

"Oh, he won't just be fired; I'm going to make sure he never works at another company ever again. Someone like that does not need to be around people," Phil said. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Pa. But my question is why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Eddie has a way of finding out information. One of the employees who works there was going to fax you a letter explaining the whole thing, but I guess it never got through," the grape explained.

"I see. Thank you again, Pa," he said. "You can go and find your friends. Try to repair the studio as much as you can until the police arrive." After the grape had left, Phil picked up the phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone picked up on the other end.

"Yes, this is Phil Vischer, head of corporate offices at Big Idea. I need you to put me through to Mr. Julian Maverick of Radical Animation, please."

When Archie skidded to a stop in front of the local television station, Lovey let out a breath. It was a good thing he only drove like this when he was pressed for time, or else they would have an accident.

"Come along, ladies. We mustn't waste any time, you know," he said. At once, he, Petunia and Lovey got out, and went inside the television station. When they walked in, they were met by a mob of reporters.

"Archibald! Tell us about your new movie! We've heard that it was going to be more suspenseful than the other one you did!" a carrot asked.

"Will there be romance in it?" a zucchini said on his right.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there won't be a picture because we have a problem!" Archie answered. At once, people began asking fifty different questions at once, and Archie tried to get everyone to calm down.

"Everyone, the reason I have come here today is to tell the media that there is a mad vegetable on the loose, and he could possibly hurt people in town. His name is Eddie Russell, he's a tall zucchini with black hair-"

"Wait a second, did you say Eddie Russell? As in, the zucchini who was involved in that Morningstar Animation fiasco?" a reporter asked. Archie turned to see a lettuce with black hair and wearing a blue suit.

"Um…what exactly is the Morningstar Animation fiasco?" Petunia asked.

"Morningstar Animation used to be a British animation company that created good children's entertainment, like Big Idea does. I had planned to work there years ago, but in 1993, they suddenly went bankrupt," Lovey explained.

"The reason why is because of Eddie Russell. He got hired as the head producer and then completely ruined the shows they were producing by adding mature content. Before the public could have his head, he disappeared, and Morningstar tried to recoup by returning the show to how it was before. But Eddie had ruined their reputation so badly that they ended up wasting their money for nothing. They ended up closing down, and Eddie took what was remaining of their business, and used it to expand Radical Animation," the reporter said.

"So you're saying that this wasn't the first time he'd ruined a business?" Petunia asked.

"Nope. He's actually ruined four other companies before that. Morningstar's demise just caught the attention of the public eye. The police have been trying to catch him for years, but just like that their leads would disappear," he said.

"Well, he's not going to mess with Big Idea!" Archie said. "Mr.-"

"Jameson," he said. "Eric Jameson, sir."

"Mr. Jameson, we need you to get the word out about this to everyone," Archie said urgently.

Eric pulled out a notepad and pen. "You just tell me everything that you know about him, and I'll have this on the air in twenty minutes."

Inside his dark office, Julian Maverick paced the floor. Just a couple of minutes ago, he'd gotten a call from Phil Vischer, CEO of Big Idea. He was beyond furious, saying that Radical Animation was trying to destroy his company. Julian, putting on his famous charisma, tried to convince the enraged Vischer that they'd done no such thing.

And then Vischer had told him that he was planning on suing him for the damages done to Big Idea. At once, Julian's façade had broken. He demanded to know who had done damage to the company, for he had no recollection of the event. When Vischer told him who, he thought he might break the receiver in half.

Eddie Russell. For years, the zucchini had been going about his job, ruining other smaller animation companies for him in order to keep Radical Animation on top-preferably companies that preached about good morals and all that stuff. Julian had always told Eddie that if they tried to push him back, then use enough force to keep them under your thumb, and then take it over. So far it had worked, with five other animation companies gone.

He hadn't realized, however, that this time, Eddie had used too much force…and he was starting to go off the deep end. Thanks to his destructive psychopathic employee, Radical Animation was going to be sued…and they were going to lose the lawsuit, resulting in the dissolving of the company. He'd have to fire everyone, and then he'd be arrested for being the ringleader behind the destruction of five other companies.

Julian picked up his suitcase and walked out of the room. It was time to pay his employee a visit.

Eddie ran to the outskirts of the parking lot, where his car was parked at. Remembering that he was far ahead of the other veggie, he made a mad dash to his car, hoping he could get away before the police showed up.

All of a sudden, there was a war cry of sorts, and Eddie turned to his right to see Mr. Lunt fly at him. The zucchini had no time to react as he was tackled to the ground. Soon, he and the gourd were wrestling each other on the concrete, each trying to throw the other off.

Larry, Mr. Nezzer and Scooter came running around the corner. When Eddie saw them, he picked up Mr. Lunt and threw him at Larry. The gourd slammed straight into the cucumber, knocking him down like a bowling pin. Mr. Nezzer and Scooter glared at the zucchini.

"You do that again, and you're gonna be real sorry!" Mr. Nezzer said.

Eddie looked ready to take off again. "Stay back! I'm warning you!" he said. For the first time ever, he looked afraid.

Before either zucchini could make a move, there were the sounds of squealing tires on the pavement. A station wagon and a sedan came flying into the parking lot, screeching to a stop a few feet away from Eddie. Jimmy, Jerry and Pa came out of the station wagon, while Archie, Lovey and Petunia jumped out of the sedan. They all circled Eddie, blocking his way out.

"Heh, you think you can stop me?! What if I told you that your beloved producer is nothing but a pile of ketchup!" he said. At this, everyone gasped. Larry stared at the zucchini in shock.

"Y-Y-You killed Bob?!" he yelled, shaking in anger.

A crazy look came into Eddie's eyes then. "Of course I did! I would've offed him even if I didn't wreck your stupid building. That's how I took over those other companies," he said, not even caring that Larry was getting angry.

"This time, IT'S PERSONAL!" Larry yelled, and charged at the zucchini, as did Mr. Lunt. Archie, Jimmy and Mr. Nezzer swiftly stepped in and grabbed both veggies, trying to control them.

"Didn't you hear what he said? He killed Bob!" Larry yelled.

"And there's nothing you can do about it!" Eddie said. He rudely pushed Pa to the ground and took off, running towards his car.

"NO!" Mr. Lunt yelled, and struggled to wring free of Jimmy's grip. "We have to stop him!" At once, a chorus of police sirens filled the air.

"I don't think we need to," Jerry said. "Look!"

In the distance, a swarm of blue and white lights came speeding in their direction. Eddie jumped in his car, started the ignition, and attempted to speed out of the parking lot, but when he was about to pull off, a police car slammed into the front of the car, and another hit the side. Following the other police car were ten others, and on the left, a police truck skidded to a stop.

Eddie spilled out of the car, and soon, the parking lot was overrun by police officers. Several of them even had guns, and two forced Eddie down on the ground. The zucchini tried to fight back, but it was no use, and he finally gave up. News trucks and helicopters surrounded the area then. The Big Idea staff watched the scene in shock, and then they heard Larry start to cry.

"If only Bob were here," he sobbed. At once, everyone felt the same pain Larry was feeling. They had lost their best friend to this maniac, and they never even got to say goodbye to him.

"Um, guys, I'm right here you know."

"I can still hear his voice right now," Mr. Lunt sobbed, tears running down his face.

"Guys, that IS Bob's voice!" Petunia said. Everyone turned around to see Bob, who was staring at them with a peculiar expression.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. All of a sudden, he was mobbed by everyone trying to give him a hug all at once. "He-Hey! What's going on?!"

"Eddie told us you were dead, Bob! He said you had been turned into ketchup!" Larry wailed.

"Of course not! I couldn't leave you guys here, to deal with that guy around here!" Bob replied after everyone had stepped back and given him some room. "Besides, I had a promise to keep…to Madame Blueberry."

"Aw, how sweet!" Lovey said.

"What exactly happened to ya?" Scooter asked. Bob told his friends everything that had happened, leaving no parts out-including his moments with Madame Blue. After he was done, his friends were relieved that Eddie's declaration from earlier was false.

"Man, you came out here just in time. Larry and I were about to get that creep when the police showed up," Mr. Lunt said. Then his mouth twitched at the corners to form a grin. "So…you and Madame Blueberry are together now, huh?"

"I hope so. They looked so cute kissing each other!" Petunia said, which only made Bob blush and the others laugh.

A police officer came up to them then, holding a small notepad. "Excuse me, but I'll need to ask you guys some questions pertaining to Mr. Russell," he said.

It would be several hours before they were able to take a break. After they'd all explained what happened to the police, the news reporters showed up and assaulted them with a barrage of questions. They had to repeat the story they'd told earlier, and while the other reporters lingered around, the staff went inside to see just how bad the damage was.

Madame Blueberry had just sent off some reporters when everyone came in. She sighed, relieved that everyone was alright.

"Did the police get Eddie?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks to Pa and the others. I don't think that he's going to bother anyone for a long time," Bob said. All of a sudden, squealing tires filled the air. All of the veggies came outside to see three jet black cars pull up in the spaces marked 'CEO Parking'. The doors opened, and three veggies walked out. One was a tomato with graying hair and glasses. The second was a cucumber with dark brown hair, and the third was an asparagus with a dark brown goatee.

Pa's mouth dropped when he saw them. "They really did come! I didn't expect for the CEO's to show up to the business!" he said.

"This incident is serious enough to warrant our attention, Pa. Once we've inspected the damage, we'll head out to find Eddie Russell. We have a few words to say to him," the tomato said.

"Do you mind if I go out to find him first?" the asparagus asked.

"Go right ahead, Julian. You are his boss, after all." The asparagus turned and stormed out of the building. The other veggies watched with peculiar expressions.

"Who was that, Mr. Vischer?" Bob asked.

"That was Julian Maverick, the CEO of Radical Animation. From what I've discovered about him, he's the one responsible for the end of those five other animation companies-including Morningstar. He used Eddie as a tool to do so. But I guess he wasn't so careful this time," Phil said.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Radical Animation is going to have to repay us for damages done to the company. The money that Eddie and Julian accumulated together is going to be sent to the CEOs of the five companies as compensation. And both Eddie and Julian are being sent to jail," Mike said.

"Now that's the best thing that's happened all day!" Mr. Lunt said, and everyone agreed.

Bob then asked, "Will shooting continue to go after all of this is done?"

"Of course. We'll push the release date back some so you guys can have some more time to film," Phil said.

"Thank goodness for that," Bob replied.

"Well, we'd better get going. I know the media is eager to know what happened," Phil said. "See you later, Bob. Also, congrats on the relationship."

Bob blanched. Did he hear that right? "H-How did you find out about…"

"When Pa told me everything that was going on at the studio, he told me about that, too." Bob glared accusingly at the grape, who feigned a look of surprise.

"Well, I had to explain everything that happened around here!" he said, and everyone laughed. After the CEOs left, Bob sighed. He knew that they had a lot of work to do.

"Alright, everyone. I think today would be a good day for us all to go home and get some rest," he said. "It's going to be a couple of days before the fire department can get this all cleaned up."

"Yeah, and I'm starving," Mr. Lunt said. "How about we all go to the café downtown? I've heard that they have an awesome lunch menu."

"Sounds good," Bob said.

"Hey Dad, after work today, can we go and get ice cream? Jimmy and Jerry just came up with a new recipe for a triple decker banana split, and Laura said it was awesome!" Junior said.

His dad looked over at his son, surprised. "Wow, uh, that sounds really…interesting, Junior. But Mom said that we're having dinner as soon as we get home. So maybe that ice cream isn't such a good idea," he said.

"Oh. Okay. But can we have ice cream later, for dessert?" Junior asked.

"Sure! We're running low on desserts anyway," Dad replied.

"Alright!" Junior cheered. As they passed Big Idea Studios, the little asparagus saw something he hoped to never see again. "Dad, stop the car!" he yelled.

His dad slammed on brakes, nearly causing the SUV behind them to crash into them. "What is it, Junior? Is something wrong?"

"Look at the parking lot of Big Idea!" his son replied. Dad did, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. A crush of police cars surrounded the parking lot, as did news trucks and other vehicles. Above the building, three news helicopters were flying around. A dozen police officers carried a zucchini and an asparagus into a police truck.

When he finally got to speak, he could only stammer. "Wha…what in the world?" he asked.

"Maybe we should go and find Bob! He can explain what's going on!" Junior said.

"Good idea, son. We're going to take the other way to the parking lot."

Bob was on his way to his car when he heard someone yell his name. He turned around to see Madame Blueberry trying to catch up to him. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.

"Hi, Madame Blue," Bob said.

"Hello, Bob. I was hoping we can chat, since my car is parked next to yours," she said.

"Oh, really? Well, sure!" Bob said. The two walked together to their cars, not really saying anything. Both were thinking about all that happened today, mainly with how they'd finally admitted their feelings to each other. Now, they'd have to transition from being friends to something more.

"Madame Blue, do you think that I'd make, well, a good boyfriend?" Bob asked.

"Of course you would, Bob! You've already proven that earlier, when you protected me from that robot," Madame Blue said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, the reason is because I've never been in a relationship with a girl before. In high school, I was a nervous wreck around girls," he said.

"I've never had that problem. A lot of boys used to chase after me all the time," Madame Blueberry said. "But I almost always turned them down, because the only thing they were interested in was my cash."

Bob was surprised. "Well, don't worry about me, Madame Blue. I'm not the kind of guy who's dating you for your money. Having a lot of money is nice, but cash doesn't equal love," he said. "If something happened and you lost all of your money, I would still love you, no matter what happened."

Madame Blueberry's skin had darkened because of how heavily she was blushing. "Oh, Bob…you're so sweet," she said. "I think you're a good boyfriend already."

Bob smiled, his face lighting up with happiness. "Gee, thanks, Madame Blue," he said.

They were halfway to their cars when Junior and his dad drove into the parking lot, parking at the last spot adjacent to the exit. The car shut off, and Dad and Junior jumped out. Worry was all over their faces.

"Bob, we saw police cars and helicopters while we were here," Dad Asparagus said. "What's going on?"

"Yeah! Did something bad happen?" Junior asked.

Bob sighed, not feeling like explaining the whole thing again. He looked over at Madame Blue, who had the same look of annoyance as he did.

"Do you want to explain, or me?"

Author's Commentary: I consider this chapter to be the most confusing I've ever written. This was me pretty much trying to make it look all "action-packed" and stuff, although in all reality I threw in all sorts of characters and even the real life producers of Veggie Tales for no other reason than to show how evil Eddie really is. Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki were there because they were the heads of the corporate offices, but I decided against that, as I didn't want to get into trouble with Big Idea. Also, there was a lot of whiplash in this chapter: first, there were suspenseful moments, then we switch to comical moments, and so on. In the revised chapter 11, I had the romantic parts come first, and then have the big drop, which continues throughout chapter 12.

On the bright side, this chapter shows that this isn't the first time he tried to destroy another company, and it introduced the son of my original character, Letti Jameson, who will appear in Very Veggie Romance. Letti didn't appear until the very end of Chapter 16, and Eric doesn't even appear. And of course, the fact that Eddie ruined five companies is explained in the revised chapters 9 and 11 by both Eddie and Julian.

Julian Maverick, who showed up in chapter 11: The Incident, Part 1, was not meant to have a huge role in the story at all. He was only supposed to be there as the man behind the man, and was the one responsible for Eddie's behavior. He's not responsible for Eddie's behavior at all, though; Eddie's got his own personal issues, and Julian is a bit crazy himself.