Pandamonium

Marie burst through the door to the Lab, panting and assuming a dramatic stance. Light filtered in behind her, and she held a paper high in the air.

Writ therein on the small piece of paper was a fate so horrible, so heinous, SO DEVASTATING, that it had taken Marie every ounce of strength she could muster to bring herself to say it.

...It wasn't her report card. It wasn't an invitation to some distant kin's wedding. It wasn't a recipe for her mother's fruitcake.

No, this was far worse.

"You guys gotta help me!" she wailed, "This is an invitation to a family reunion!"

*insert dramatic, horrific music*

Cat's head shot up, her brow furrowed. "What? Hm? Who? How now, sow cow?"

"'Brown cow', Cat," corrected Jerm.

"Meh..."

"This..." she said, handing the paper off to an unsuspecting Cat, "is the invitation to my family reunion." she repeated.

"Also referred to as my funeral, you know." she added dryly.

Cat took the paper, read, and winced. "Ouch...when?"

"Tomorrow." she said, falling heavily into a chair. "WhaddamygonnaDOOOO?"

Jerm adjusted his glasses. "It's not all that bad, is it? I mean, it's just a family get together... I think you're blowing it WAY out of proportion."

"...Alright, let me put this in terms you guys can understand..." she said. "One of my uncles wears a knit, multicolored hat with a braid on the end...for fun. He's also the odd, artistic type. Painter. Art professor out in Alabama."

Cat blinked in horror. "Oh, dear God..."

"You have no idea..." she mumbled, "...And...on my dad's side...I have four girl cousins...and they're...so...Iddaknow. GIRLY!"

"I still don't see the problem. So you have an eccentric family. We all do, in our own ways, don't we?"

Cat stared at Jerm, half-pitying, half-vexed. "You can't see the plroblem? Come on, Jeremy, use your head!"

"...One of my cousins speaks fluent Japanese and majored in Journalism, and the other's a theater major..." Marie said flatly, "Do the math."

The blank look on his face told it all. "I still don't--"

"Jerm! How can you be so smart, but be so--Idunno, not smart?"

"Okay...let's just say that getting my family together is like throwing everything in your kitchen into a blender and hitting the 'puree' button." Marie explained. "Chaos. And we don't taste too good, either."

Cat glared at Jerm. "And if you don't get that analogy, I'm gonna smack you." She turned to Marie. "Anything we can do to help? Like, make up and excuse to get you away for a few days? I think Jerm can whip up a school trip note or something..."

Marie sighed deeply, "Weeeell..." she wheedled, "There is...one thing you guys could do..."

"Go on..."

All her composure departed, as she took a deep breath and delivered her eloquent plea

"CAN YOU TWO COME TO THE REUNION WITH ME PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!"

Cat closed her eyes and grimaced, obviously fighting with her instincts. "Yeah," she said finally, "I'll come. I can't let you have all the fun, now can I?"

"Fun. Yeah....loads of it. Pracitcally bucketfuls."

Marie hugged Cat, "But OHHH I'll bake you cookies. Or something."

Cat grinned wryly. "Cookies, eh? Yummeh." She grinned for real, shaking her head. "Party at Marie's, be there, or be square!"

"Yes. Cookies. Now then...TO THE BATMOBILE!" Marie cried, half dragging, half carrying Jerm and Cat out the door

Cat tripped over her feet, but regained her composure and followed Maire. "Wait, 'Batmobile'? You can drive?"

"...Define 'driving'...." Marie said, smiling devilishly.