*****
Okay, disclaimer time. Him and Professor Utonium
aren't mine. They belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network, I'm just
playing.
Note: The reason for cutting out the graphic parts
of this story is mainly that it is illegal for a minor to read such stories,
much less write them. Besides, I'm
sure those of you reading this can come up with something
better. ;-)
*****
Professor's P.O.V.
*****
"It's really unneccessary for you to do this, Professor."
Sherri... (Oops, sorry. I mean Dr. Mallar) protested as she sat down. I
had decided that I would
invite her to lunch at the new resturaunt in town,
called "Cafe L'Amore", and we could just talk. I've been to two sessions
since my first, and I'm starting to
like her a lot.
"I insist." I said, taking a seat of my own. "I thought it might be nice to get out of that office of yours for a bit. It's kind of hot in there."
Sherri laughed. "True. I hadn't really noticed." A waiter passed by our table and tripped on a crack in the concrete. The many dishes he had been carrying scattered across the outdoor dining section we were sitting in. One large platter fell onto the table Sherri and I were sharing. Needlessly to say, it shattered and pieces flew all over.
I shielded my eyes, but nonetheless I felt extreme
pain as the sharp splinters of porcelain pierced into my cheeks and arms.
Then, just as suddenly, the
pain was gone. I took my hand from across my eyes
and looked. It was as if someone had pressed a giant "rewind" button.
The shattered pieces of the large plate moved together
and merged. The platter rebounded off of the table and back to the clumsy
waiter, along with all
the other assorted china. I turned my eyes to Doctor
Mallar. "What...?" was all I could manage to get out of my mouth. I was
stunned, but she just looked
at me and smiled.
"I guess my cover's blown. I knew it couldn't last,
but the chance to spend time with you, even in disguise, was too tempting
to resist." At that, she
snapped her fingers and she transformed into... Take
a wild guess. That's right, Him. I stared for a moment, then stared at
the sparrow. It was frozen in
midair, and once I looked at the other people, I
noted they were frozen too.
My eyes swiveled back to Him. "What have you done to them?" I asked.
"I just stopped time for a little bit. Since you won't remember any of this..."
"Oh, yes I will." I insisted.
Him looked at me incredulously. "Why? So you can humiliate me? So you can rub it in my face?"
It was my turn to look surprised. "Why would I do something like that?" I asked. "If I tell anyone, it'll be me that will be the most harmed."
"Oh," said Him bitterly, a fiercely mocking tone to his voice, "So it's your reputation on the line, how you're looked at. Nothing about me in there. Who cares about the villain, anyways?"
Him leaned back in his chair and sighed, then picked
a dark red rose from a conveniently placed vase nearby. Staring at it,
he continued. Him's voice was
suddenly vunerable. "I don't even know why I did
it really. Disguise myself as Sherri, I mean. I just couldn't stand to
see you tear yourself apart over the
dreams." He sprang up and glared at me. "You were
supposed to forget them when you woke up, damn it!"
"I take it you had a hand in the creation of them." I said, needing answers desperately.
"It's how I.. excuse me, Sherri said. The dreams are manipulated, yes." His eyes pierced mine. I couldn't look away, didn't want to for some reason. Him laughed bitterly. "You'd better nip those thoughts in the bud." he advised, still looking at me. "Dreams will stay dreams."
"Why?" I asked anrgily. "Because you're afraid of
rejection? You manipulate my dreams, disguise yourself a a psyciatrist
to be around me, you've destroyed
any chance of my having a relationship with anyone
else." I rose from my seat and walked over to face Him. "I find myself
comparing every woman I know
with you." I said softly. Him was visibly startled
by this confession. "And do you know what frightens me about it?" I whispered.
Him shook his head, so I
continued. Taking a deep, only marginally calming
breath, I said, "None of them can compare."
Him's jaw dropped as he stared at me. Gently, with
trembling fingers, I placed my hand under his chin and pushed up to close
his mouth. He turned away
with obvious difficulty. "You have no idea what you're
getting yourself into, do you, Professor?"
"No, and I don't think I care any more than you do." I glanced down and plucked the rose he was holding out of his claw. With a sigh, Him closed his eyes.
"You have no idea how much I'm tempted to make your
dreams and mine a reality." he said, "But I can't. Your girls would kill
me, and maybe you." Him then
dissappeared in a puff of smoke, and time started
again.
"No they wouldn't." I whispered at the sky, and went home.
Later that night, as I tucked the girls into bed,
I asked them how they would feel if I started dating again. Bubbles squealed
with delight. "That would be
awesome, Professor!" Blossom was more thoughtful,
true to her nature. "As long as you're totally sure of their identity,
I guess it would be okay." I
nodded.
"I would be totally sure." I said.
"Only cool people, okay?" Buttercup demanded.
I laughed. "Noted." I kissed them goodnight, and went into my room.
To my total lack of suprise, Him was sitting on my
bed. He looked up at me and smiled in an oddly sweet and sensual fashion.
To put it simply, that smile
shut down most of my higher brain functions. "Thank
you." Him said. "For trying, I mean. It still won't help, but..."
I rolled my eyes. "You're quite the pessimist, aren't you?" I sat down on the bed next to Him and put a hand on his claw.
He frowned but didn't draw back. "What is it that you're so afraid of?" I continued.
"You." Him said. "You're the only being in this universe
that has any
power over me. What if you wake up in the morning
and say this was all a bad idea, or even worse, that I coerced you? I don't
think I could take it."
I rolled my eyes and sighed, then placed my other hand on Him's shoulder. "'Coerced'?" I teased. "I'll show you 'coerced'..."
I didn't even think about what I was doing until I
had already done it. In one swift movement, I leaned over and kissed Him
lightly on the lips. One arm
wrapped around my back as the kiss deepened. Still
kissing, I lay back on the bed, pulling Him on top of me.
*****
*****
I woke up in the morning with a sweaty face buried
in the back of my neck. Oh, no. Had I really...? I turned around and saw
Him, still asleep, lying next to
me. I stared into that contented face for some time,
then heard through the wall the first sounds of my girl's waking up. My
eyes widened, and I shook Him
awake. "What is it, Mon... Oh!" He stared at me for
a second, then smiled. "Did we really...?"
"Obviously so. Listen, the girls are waking up."
Him nodded. "Don't regret this, please. Now or ever,
because I don't think I could take it." That pleading voice doubled with
desperate eyes touched me
deeply. I nodded and kissed Him lightly on the cheek.
He smiled and dissappeared.
Feeling kind of light-headed, I dressed and went downstairs
to prepare breakfast. For some reason, I wasn't suprised to find a large,
decadent breakfast
already prepared. Sitting down, I discovered a note,
written on a scrap of parchment, by my plate. It said "Remember, your appointment
is at two o'clock.
Don't be late." I wouldn't.