Working Through the Hard Times

Episodes referred to in this story: The New Jerry, Do You Believe in Magic?, Halloween, The Dusk of Dawn, and The Elevator.

I own the rights to nothing but Numbears , Vinnie, and the Perfect Pet. Enjoy.

Penthouse Dorm- Mali U- Present day

Sam was sick with a blocked nasal passage, awake much too early, and unable to fall asleep.

Nasal spray, medicine, plenty of liquid, and tissues were helping a little, but she still had to ride out the cold. Miserable, her mind drifted to the darker side of her life experiences.

She, Alex, and Clover had countless close calls over the years, and were truly blessed to be alive. They were usually upbeat and positive due to their gifted lives. Their setbacks could get extreme, but they'd grown to be mentally tough over the years. Their first mission had been quite intense, including nearly being ejected from a space station. But it wasn't until Tim Scam's car bomb that the girls hit their first psychological setback.

Beverly Hills High School exterior- Years ago

The Monday following the capture of Scam, the girls were seated on a bench after having a light lunch outside, quietly talking.

"I'm still shook up over that car bomb," Alex said looking to Sam, then Clover.

"Same here, Alex. We were almost- assassinated," Clover said gloomily, folding her hands.

"And to think if there wasn't a random sunglasses hut out on that road... If we didn't stop there, we wouldn't even be here," Sam mused.

"I don't think it was random. That's why I went to church yesterday with Mommy," Alex said.

"Alex, you're so sweet when you talk like that," Clover said managing to smile at her close friend.

Alex giggled at that. "So? Want to come with next Sunday? It's here in Bev Hills. Really cool place. And cute guys..."

"I don't know. The supernatural's not really my thing," mumbled Sam.

"Oh come on Sammie. Let's try it," Clover said encouragingly.

"You just want to meet a cute boy there," Sam joked with a smirk. "OK, I'm in," she said.

Penthouse Dorm- Mali U- Present day

Sam blew her nose, and tossed the tissue into the small trashcan nearby. After drinking some water, she thought back to how they'd enjoyed going to the large, modern, lively place of worship. Though they didn't attend regularly, it was something they were glad they'd done. In the early stages of their life as spies, they were especially young and emotionally vulnerable. They lived with their parents, but unfortunately couldn't confide their fears with them, so as to keep their spy identities a secret.

After reading a bit of modern writing for her literature class, taking a trip to the restroom, and returning to bed, Sam's thoughts drifted back to another difficult experience for the three of them.

Clover's House- High school years

The night after bringing The Great Kandinsky to justice, Clover was having a dream which followed the events at the castle in Transylvania. She'd almost fallen from a suspension bridge into a moat with vicious crocodiles. Then Sam had almost been impaled on spikes that inexplicably appeared from the bridge as they tried to escape.

But what had shaken them to the core was being captured and put beneath a pendulum-style guillotine. Their wrists were chained, and Clover had to butt the side of Sam's head with her own to cause the redhead's hairpin gadget to activate. It sent out an extendable rod to turn the entire stone slab they laid upon. Sam told them to raise their chains as the pendulum swung down, breaking the chains. They then rolled off the slab before it swung back into the place where they'd been a moment before.

In Clover's nightmare, though, the slab didn't rotate, meaning the angle was wrong for raising their arms to break the chains. Kandinsky had chatted too long with them, and by the time he left and the gadget failed to help, there was no time for another plan. The blade swung ever closer to their midsections, eliciting a scream from the three of them as it swung one final time.

Clover woke up in a panic, then slowly began sobbing quietly. Neither of her parents had come to her room, so she at least hadn't screamed out loud. She almost wished she had, to receive comfort, but it would have to wait for the next day.

Sam's House- High school years

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Alex gushed as Sam opened the front door for her best friends.

Clover smiled as she entered. "Very nice. Thanks for having us over," she said.

At school that day, Clover was miserable, and had asked Sam and Alex if she could talk to them somewhere in private about a serious concern. Sam invited them to her house for the first time.

The girls went into the kitchen for refreshments, engaged in small talk with Sam's mom, and took a brief tour of the expansive home, ending with Sam's room.

"So what's on your mind Clover?" Sam asked. Alex sat in Sam's desk chair, while Sam and Clover sat on the side of her bed.

Clover recounted her nightmare, then sighed and looked down at her hands. "I called Jerry and left a message asking him to not put me on a mission til I can get through this," she added, starting to tear up.

"Oh Clover, it's okay," Sam said, holding her friend in a hug. "It was scary for all three of us," she said, recalling the vicious style of attempted execution.

Alex got up and sat on the other side of Clover and put an arm around her shoulders, then stroked her head soothingly. "We love you Clover. Stay brave, and we'll keep looking out for each other," she said in a tender voice.

"You guys," replied Clover. Sam and Alex let go of her, and Sam handed her a tissue. After dabbing at the tears, she accepted another to blow her nose. "I wanted to tell my parents last night, when I was so scared. But we need to keep our spy lives a secret, and I didn't want to say something by accident," she added. "Sammie, we rely on you so much. Thank you," Clover said, looking at Sam intently.

"It's my pleasure, Clover," she said warmly. "It's amazing how Jer always has the perfect gadget for us every time," she said gazing out of the large window on the far wall.

"Yeah, let's stay positive, and take one day at a time, okay?" Alex said, and held Clover's hand consolingly in both of hers.

"Okay. Thanks guys," replied Clover. "I'm going to call Jer and let him know I'm ready for missions," she said quietly.

"That's our girl," Sam said enthusiastically, adding a shoulder hug for emphasis. They shifted to small talk until Alex and Clover left a bit later.

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