The Bloo Panther

[Ub3rD4n]

Here we go again with another fanfic, which is good news for those of you who read my fics and no news for those who don't. I really appreciate the highly positive response from those of you who do take the time to make a comment here, it makes it that much easier to put up the next chapter (and there's ALWAYS a next chapter). So, I'll be hopefully able to put up a few chapters a day these coming few days since I'm on holiday, which'll make up for my absence from Thursday (again, this is New Zealand time) to next Friday, since I'll have no internet access for that time. But enough about me, on with the fanfic:

Title shot: The title in Red and Blue, on a neon pink background

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Stop

"Frankie, I'm bored! Frankie? Frankie? Fraaaaankiiiiiiiie? Why aren't you answering me?"
"Because I'm trying to drive!"
Frankie was getting quite justifiably irritated with Bloo, as she was driving him, Wilt, Coco and Eduardo home from the Game Hive.
"Are we home yet?"
"No, Bloo, I told you, I have some errands to run before I can drop you guys back home. You'll just have to be patient."
"But I haaaate being patient! Why couldn't you have done the errands first, then picked us up?"
"Because this way cuts 20 minutes off my time." said Frankie, swerving through traffic
"Are we done yet?'
"No."
"Are we done yet?"
"No."
"Are we dooone yeeeet?"
"No!"
"Frankie?"
"What?! What is it!" Frankie screeched.
"I don't feel so good." said Eduardo.
"Oh, you don't mean- how bad?"
Eduardo began to make gulping noises and put both hands to his mouth.
"Oh, nonnononono! Don't do that in here! Look, I'll pull over, we'll find a bathroom."
Frankie swerved violently into the nearest parking space and opened the doors to the Fosters bus, told Bloo to stay put, then half-led half-shoved Eduardo out the doors and into a place named "Swanky Bagels", which was the nearest establishment which even looked REMOTELY like it had a bathroom. Almost immediately, Bloo followed.
"Hey, what's this place? Looks cool!'
"I'm sorry Frankie, he slipped out of my grasp!"
"Cococo coco?"
"No, Coco, we do not have time for bagels!" Frankie protested, trying to catch Bloo and stop Coco from going up to the counter to order at the same time. Eduardo then leaned on her.
"Frankieee.....I REALLY feel sick in my tummy...."
It was about that time that Frankie noticed some snickering coming from one of the tables.
"You guys can just kill me if you ever find me wrangling an unwashed gaggle of three-year-old imaginary friends." said a young lady about Frankie's age, in a suit, who was eating some bagels with her friends. "Man, did SHE let her life go down the toilet. What a crappy job! To say nothing of her fashion sense."
"Hey, my fashion sense is just fine!" Frankie found herself saying.
"Yeah, right! What do you live with your grandma or something?" at which all the ladies at the table began to laugh.
"But-I-uh..."
"Hey, bonyface!" called Bloo from across the room, bearing down on the anonymous lady. "Why don't you mind your own business, huh? For your information, Frankie has an AWESOME job. She gets to work with all kindsa cool imaginary friends like me."
"Oh, that is a cool job......if you're eight!"
"Oh yeah?" Bloo yelled angrily, jumping onto the table so he could be eye to eye with his target. "Well, if she's so pathetic, then what does that make you? You got nothing better to do but sit here eating your bagels and making fun of random strangers to make yourself feel better? And speaking of fashion sense, at least Frankie doesn't look like she's going to a funeral! And by the way, what do you, starve yourself? Trying to overcompensate for someone not thinking you're "pretty"?" at this, the lady in the suit's friends began laughing at her. The lady stopped looking smug and began looking angry, and stood up at her full height to tower over the short blob.
"Listen you little drooling child brain-fart! Real people don't take kindly to being insulted by make-believe weirdos, so why don't you just go back to your playpen and eat some small removable toy parts?"
"Whatever, lady. I don't care what you say about me, cause you're just some creepy stranger, but if you want to insult Frankie, you gotta deal with me."
"And me." said Wilt, standing in front of Frankie.
"Co co!"
"And m-bluuuurgh!" Ed couldn't finish, as his bus-sickness finally caught up on him. All over the lady's suit! Everyone just stared with their mouths open for a while. Then Frankie spoke.
"I-I-I'm sorry, I'll-"
"Get! Out!"
"But I can-"
"I don't care! Just get away from me!" the lady screeched. Bloo, Ed, Wilt, Coco and Frankie all ran out of the bagel shop and back into the Fosters bus, and Frankie shut the doors and stared at the steering wheel for quite a while. Then her mouth started to wobble, and she cracked up laughing! And so did everyone else, except Eduardo.
"Did you see the look on her face?" Frankie asked, still laughing.
"After I burned her, or after Eduardo threw up on her?" Bloo responded.
"I'm sorry, but she got what she deserved!" Wilt added.
"Cococo coco co!" mentioned Coco, still cracking up.
"...........I is sorry Frankie." said Eduardo softly, looking very sorry indeed. Frankie walked up to him and put an arm on his shoulder.
"Don't be, Ed. It wasn't your fault. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Well, except maybe Duchess."
This seemed to cheer Eduardo up. "So you no mad at me?"
"No, Ed, I'm not mad at you." Frankie then got into the driver's seat and started the bus. "And by the way, Bloo.....thanks."
"For what?"
"For standing up for me."
"Ah, no problem Frankie. It's what friends do. You'd have done the same for me."
Frankie looked touched for a moment, then got herself together."Okay, guys, let's get this show back on the road. Tell you what, we'll stop for ice cream later on, okay?"
This was met with enthusiastic agreement, as the bus drove off. Outside the bus, the lady in the now ruined suit stood outside Swanky Bagels, looking furious. "Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends......I'll get you back. I swear it!"