Anywhere But Burbank

Chapter 51: The Alternate Lead Finale

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to give you a little filler here. The song up above was the original song I had planned for Chapter 49 to lead into the finale of this book. I just wanted to give you the taste of what it would have been like.)

Carrie watches as both Chloe and Raquel get dragged out of the ballroom by Norita and Ralph, putting on her jacket over her royal purple dress. She looked around at all the people that had gathered around for the party. Fellow toon friends, her family, and stagehands alike. Brain came up to her and stood in her hand. "Hey. We're sorry for how we have treated you and your family. Me and Pinky both." Carrie looks down at the two. "I'm sorry too for giving you guys a hard time like I did." Pinky grinned and then points to another mouse friend. "We got ourselves a new assistant for our adventures! Narf!!"

Carrie looked down at the small mouse with glasses and grinned. "Look at her, she is so precious." Melody blushed at the compliment and took off her red cat eye glasses. "Hi. I'm Melody ma'am. I bet you look as wonderful as you sound." Carrie noticed her grayed eyes. No pupils, Iris, anything. "Oh my.. Blindness is beauty. There's nothing to be ashamed about." She pets her and sets the three lab mice down and they went to the snack table to get what's left of the cheese.

Carrie looked over at everyone having a wonderful time at the party. She brought them all together, just like a hero would do. Someone had always told her to 'Never stop believing in yourself and those around you, you might do something big one day. Cause that's what a family does.' And she forgot who taught her those words. Not a single name came to her mind at all. Not one bit. She went to the table where Amelia, Daniel, and Cassandra were at and she sat down.

"Hey sweetheart. What's going on? Aren't you having a great time out here?" Cassandra asked her as Carrie nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm having a wonderful time. I've just been thinking about some words that I remember being taught about some time ago." She rested her head on the table and looked at the ceiling. Amelia herself was curious about these words and then asked her daughter. "What did this person say?" She asked her and Carrie simply stated "They told me 'To never stop believing in myself and the others around me. That I would do something big one day, cause that's what a family does.'" Carrie tells them. "All I remember was that it was on some form of paper."

Daniel then pulled something out of his pockets. "I forgot to give this to you. Somebody gave it to me while I was still an angel." He handed it over to Carrie and she looks at it. "What is it?" "It was an old photo of you as a child. There's a surprise inside." She opened up the photo and looks to see what was inside. It was of her when she was around 5 years old. Some of her hair in a side ponytail and the rest was down. "I remember always loving the Looney Tunes and the Muppets while growing up." Carrie chuckles, but then notices the same wording on the picture, and a noticeable signature on the bottom. Then she remembered.

(Flashback: 1984. Carrie is 5.)

Carrie was walking with her dad around New York City and enjoying the cityscapes with him. They ended up lost when they ended up at a random movie set. "Uh daddy? I think we're lost." She looked up at him as he looks at his map. "Huh, you're right. This place isn't on the map. We should probably leave to the Crown Prince Hotel before we get into trouble. I think we're trespassing." They turn to leave before some kids approach Carrie and greeted her. She just hides her face in her Raggedy Ann doll and then heard footsteps approach them and a gentle man's voice telling them "The way back to that hotel is that way."

"Ooohhhh!! I forgot that Follow That Bird was still filming. Sorry. I was just trying to show my daughter around the city here." Daniel tells the man as Carrie still hugged onto her dad and her doll as the man looks down at the small little girl wearing her Muppets shirt. "Isn't she adorable?" "Come on Carrie, don't be afraid to say hello." Daniel encouraged her and she just lets out a small wave. "She's just so shy. Her mother plagued her to never trust anyone around her. That dreams are always not going to happen." Carrie finally looked up and felt comfortable to show her face. The small blue eyes, the rosy cheeks.