Animaniacs 1. Chapter 1

Little Angelina Warner

Chapter one:

Special delivery

It was a normal morning at warner brothers studio. Dr. Scratchinsniff was doing some paperwork while having his morning coffee. Hello nurse was busy typing away at her computer. And Mr. Plotz, was checking his desk to make sure that the Warners weren't hiding inside.

He carefully checked each drawer one by one. And when he had finally reached the last one, out popped a life sized inflatable Yakko doll!

Plotz let out a startled yelp and fell over backwards in his chair. He then clamored back to his feet and strangled the Yakko doll till it popped.

Now while all that was going on, something strange was happening over by the entrance to the studio.

Unbeknownst to Ralph the guard, who had recently lost a fight with the sand man thanks to missing his morning coffee. A loopy looking stork carrying a tiny bundle with it's beak had just landed in front of his guard station. It clumsily stumbled it's way past the gate, then stopped and looked up at the water tower.

"This must be the spot!" The stork said in a dizzy tone. The bird was clearly stinking drunk.

"Sure is a good thing they labeled this one. Left in such a hurry I forgot to ask for the address." The stork said. He then paused and checked his watch.

"Look at the time!" The stork said. "They're probably wondering why I'm not back yet! Better hurry up and make this delivery right away!"

With that, he flew to the top of the water tower and slammed into the door, the sound waking the youngest Warner sibling. She climbed out of bed and went to investigate.

Being careful not to wake her brothers, Dot sleepily descended the stairs and walked to the tower door in her pink nightgown and hair curlers.

Once there, she grabbed a jacket off the coat rack next to the door and put it on. Then she opened the door and found the stork laying there unconscious. She nudged him a bit with her foot to see if he was still alive. Then he suddenly sprang back to life, causing her to instinctively jump back and shut the door. A few seconds later, she heard a knock.

"Pardon me miss." The stork said through the door. "Didn't mean ta give ya such a fright there. Just making a delivery." He said. Dot slowly reopened the door a bit.

"What is it?" Dot asked cautiously.

"Why it's a girl of course!" The stork said.

"A girl? You mean there's a baby wrapped up in there?! Are you nuts?! She could smother like that! Give her here!" Dot said, extending her hands demandingly.

"Ok, here's your baby ma'am. Have a nice day." The stork said as he handed Dot the baby. Then he tipped his hat and flew away.

"Creepy little bird." Dot muttered to herself. Then she turned and shut the door.

Dot walked into the kitchen and gently sat the baby on the table. Then freed the infant's head from the blanket she was wrapped in, and suddenly found herself face to face with the cutest little Warner baby she had ever seen. And, incidentally, the first.

"Am I dreaming here?" Dot asked, pinching her cheek to make sure she was truly awake.

She stood there blinking for a moment after that. Then unwrapped the rest of the baby's blanket to further study the young Warner's features.

Aside from a lack of gloves and her toon rabbit style feet, the baby had all the classic Warner traits. But what really caught Dot's eye was the WB shield symbol on the back of the baby's right hand. She looked at her own hand for a moment, then slipped off her glove, revealing an identical mark. A mark that she and her brothers had all shared since the day they were born.

"What's going on here?" Dot asked, looking back to the baby in a deep state of confusion. Then she was suddenly startled out of her temporary daze by the sound of one of her brothers falling out of bed. A dire realization regarding the baby instantly struck her at that moment. She was the only existing female Warner aside from the child in front of her, and there was really only one thing that someone entering the room at that time would most likely think.

"Oh no, they'll be down here any minute now!" Dot squeaked. "Do you realize what kind of situation this looks like!" She whispered to the baby. Then she franticly scanned the kitchen for a place to hide her. Each potential hiding place seemed more inhumane than the last unfortunatly, and there was really nowhere else to go that didn't require crossing paths with her brothers, who she could already hear moving around up stairs.

Seemingly out of options, Dot was starting to panic. Then an idea suddenly hit her. She tucked the baby into her jacket and zipped it up, seconds before the door opened.

Yakko and Wakko entered the kitchen wearing groggy expressions. Without a word, Wakko walked to the refrigerator and curled up on the floor near it's coils before dozing off again. Yakko, who was a bit more awake, couldn't help but notice his sister's sudden weight gain.

"Ok Dot, what's in the jacket?" He asked.

"Uh...live chicken." She fibbed. Yakko eyed her wearing a skeptical and somewhat bewildered expression.

"Wow." Yakko said. "If that's the cover story, I don't even wanna know what's really going on." He said. Then he turned and opened the refrigerator.

At that, Dot decided to make a break for it. But just before she reached the door, the baby started cooing.

"Did I just hear a baby?" Yakko asked, looking up from the refrigerator.

"Uh...no. That was...uh, that was a... That was me! Yeah! See, I was just trying to think of new ways to be cute! And I decided that if I made baby sounds, I might be able to achieve a whole new level of cuteness!" Dot said. Yakko gave her a look that said, 'I'm not buying it.' Then she let out a sigh of defeat.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything. But you're not gonna believe it." Dot said. "Ya see, about ten minutes ago, I heard something crash into the tower. So I went to go see what it was. And when I opened the door, a stork handed me this baby and said, 'here's your baby ma'am, have a nice day.' Then he just flew away." She said.

"Oh… is that all?" Yakko asked. "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" He asked.

"Well, I was afraid you wouldn't believe me and think she was mine." Dot said.

"Why would I think something like that?" Yakko asked. "I mean you're too young, and far too thin to have just had a baby. And besides, if you were really gonna have a baby, I think I would've noticed something funny was going on over the past nine months." He said as he took some bread out of the cabinet.

"I guess so." Dot agreed.

"Oh, and by the way. You'd better get that kid outta there before the title of this story changes to Warners sing the prison blues." Yakko said as he reopened the refrigerator and stuck his head in.

Dot started to take the baby out of her jacket, just as Wakko happened to be waking up again. And you can pretty much guess what his interpretation of events was.

"Faboo! I'm an uncle!" Wakko said enthusiastically as he hopped to his feet and ran over to see the baby.

Yakko raised up from the fridge, and was about to correct his brother. But then he saw the tiny infant in his sister's arms for the first time. His eyes filled with shock, the jar of Mayo he was holding fell from his hand and shattered.

"That...that's a Warner baby." He choked out before sinking to the floor. "How could I have let something like this slip past me for nine whole months? Why didn't you tell me about this Dot? Didn't you trust me to understand?" He asked in an anguished tone.

"What?! But it's not like that Yakko! I don't know anymore about this baby than you do! You gotta believe me!" Dot said. After a few painful moments, Yakko replied.

"So a stork brought her, huh?" Yakko said. "Well, I guess that if Wakko can pop off his head and juggle it, then a stork can bring a baby."

"So you believe me then?" Dot asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I only said that other stuff cause it was in the script." Yakko said. "Though that does leave me wondering where that baby came from. It's not like we have any aunts, uncles, or cousins to speak of. After all, we're the only Warners there are." Yakko said.′

"Maybe she just looks like a Warner." Wakko suggested.

"You just might have something there Wakko." Yakko said. "There are a few toons out there who look vaguely similar to us. She could be one of their kids. Maybe she just happens to be a lot better looking than her parents are."

"Or maybe, Mr. Borax decided to make us a fourth sibling or something." Dot said.

"Nope, he doesn't exist in this story." Yakko said.

"He doesn't exist? But that doesn't make any sense! How did we get here if that's the case! We don't have any parents!" Dot exclaimed.

"Hay, don't ask me. I'm not the one writing this thing. You can always take it up with the author if you don't like it. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to you." Yakko said, though he clearly didn't mean it.

"Uh... like I was just saying, that makes perfect sense!" Dot said with a false smile. "But even if Mr. Borax isn't responsible for her, I still think she's a warner." She added.

"And why is that?" Yakko asked.

"Just look at the mark on the back of her hand, she has to be a Warner!" Dot said as she showed Yakko the baby's hand.

"That is pretty strong evidence. But if she really is a Warner, then who are her parents?" Yakko asked rhetorically.

"Well, I don't know. But I do know how we can find out." Dot said. "The studio recently had a new state of the art genetics lab put in for the sake of this story. And there's this machine that's supposed to be able to find anyone's relatives by comparing they're DNA to genetic profiles stored in a government database." She said.

"Right… we could do that." Yakko said.

(A.N) Isn't it great how the tower's layout can change to suit a writer's needs if necessary? My design includes a closed off kitchen. A living room, a laundry room. Two bedrooms upstairs. One for Yakko and Wakko, one for Dot. A bathroom of course. And just above all that, an attic.

On a separate note, this story was inspired by Village Of The Tooned, a fanfic from another site, written by Troy Klinger. An excellent author.

Disclaimer-I don't own Animaniacs. I don't pretend to own Animaniacs. And I'm not making any money off this story.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

The Name Game

Dot anxiously paced back and forth across the waiting room floor. She and her brothers had been waiting hours to find out who this baby belonged to. And still, no results.

What the heck was taking so long with that stupid test she wondered. This was a cartoon for crying out loud! Things should've been going faster than they did in real life! Instead they seemed to be going slower. And all this waiting was begining to drive her nuts.

She paused and took a deep breath, telling herself to relax. That all this would be over soon enough. And that she just had to stay focused till then.

They would find out who this baby belonged to and take her back to her family. Then they would be happy, and she would be happy. And they'ed all smile, The End.

It sounded like a happy enough ending anyway. And yet, she found herself wondering, was it really the ending she wanted?

She had felt this strange sort of connection between herself and this baby since the moment she first saw her. Maybe it was the symbol on the back of her hand. Maybe it was the fact that they looked so much alike. Or simply because she was a Warner. Maybe it was something altogether different. Whatever it was, it already felt as if something would be missing if she wasn't there.

But what was she even thinking about? It wasn't as if she could actually keep the baby. Even if she didn't have to go back to her family, there was no way she could handle raising her.

Babies needed to be fed, changed, and washed, all the time! Plus you have to keep an eye on them nearly constantly! Then there was the crying of course. Babies could cry for hours if they wanted. Just thinking about it made her ears hurt. There was no way she could deal with having a baby around Dot decided.

Her resolve proved to be weak however. When she looked at the tiny Warner baby in her brother's arms, Dot found herself reconsidering everything.

The young Warner did seem to be a fairly quiet baby. And come to think of it, she wouldn't have to take care of her all by herself. She had Yakko and Wakko! And they already had experience from taking care of her when she was little. With their help, she could surely handle it!

But with a baby around, would she still be able to do the things that made her who she was? After all, you couldn't go bouncing around the tower like a pinball or any of that other stuff with a baby around. And you couldn't just go outside to wreak havoc when you're too busy being worried about a baby she thought with a sigh.

Why was she even having this stupid debate with herself in the first place? After all was said and done, the baby would still have to go back to her family. Thinking about all this had just been a big waste of her time she thought as she finally stopped pacing and took a seat with a sour faced expression.

Seconds later, the waiting room door came open, and out stepped Hello Nurse. She wore a dark green skirt, a light green blouse, with a long white lab coat on top. She wore her hair up, just like Kim Novak did in Vertigo. And a pair of glasses completed the professional look. The Warners started to rise from their seats as she approached, but she quickly stopped them. "I wouldn't advise standing." She said.

"Is something wrong with the baby or something?" Dot asked in a concerned tone.

"No, nothing like that. It's just that, how do I put this... The labs computer system has found one matching genetic profile so far. And, well, it's...yours." Hello Nurse said.

"What?! Me?! But that's impossible! Some bird just brought her! There has to be some kind of mistake!" Dot said.

"I'm sorry Dot. But I've already checked the test results several times. And I came up with a one hundred percent match every time." Hello Nurse said.

"But how can that be? I'm too young and too cute to have a baby!" Dot wailed.

"Well, for what it's worth. I still believe your story. After all, I've seen you around the studio pretty much every day this year. And I know there's no way you could've been carrying a healthy normal sized baby, all that time, without gaining at least a little weight." Hello Nurse said.

"Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence." Dot said. "I guess I'll be going now." She said as she got up to leave.

"Wait a second Dot. I know this might not be the best time for me to bring this up. But since you're a minor, I'm legally required to inform you of your option to put the baby up for adoption." Hello Nurse said.

"Put her up for adoption? I can't do that to her! There's no telling how long she might stay in the system! Or where she'll end up at for that matter!" Dot said. "What if the people who adopt her turn out to be bad parents! What if they decide they don't want her anymore after a while and send her off to some smelly orphanage where they make all the kids eat unidentifiable mushy glop and force them to make gym shoes all day! What if everyone has a nineteenth century English accent like in Oliver Twist!" She exclaimed.

"Relax Dot, I'm just informing you of your options." Hello Nurse said. "Now if you wish to maintain custody of the baby, you'll just need to fill out some paperwork, and have your legal guardian sign it as well. However, seeing as how you don't have one, I can take care of that part myself if you like." She said as she stepped behind her desk and took out the necessary papers. She handed the papers to Dot and they both took a seat on opposite sides of the desk.

As Dot sat there holding the papers, uncertainty suddenly started to creep into her heart. She asked herself if she was really doing what was right for the baby, and wondered if bringing her home was really fair to Yakko and Wakko. After all, they would have to help take care of her.

She looked to her brothers as if to ask, 'is this ok with you?' They both nodded reassuringly, sensing that she was seeking their approval. Dot returned to the papers with a more certain expression on her face. It quickly faded however.

"Something wrong?" Yakko asked.

"I just realized she doesn't have a name yet." Dot said. "I can't finish this without one. I need a naming dictionary or something."

"Here, you can use mine." Hello Nurse said as she handed her a naming dictionary. Dot thanked her, then immediately opened the book.

"Now let's see, I could name her Debbie, or Rosemary. Maybe something a little shorter like Beth or Lisa. Or maybe something that stands out a bit more. Like Sasha, or Carolina." Dot said as she thumbed through the book.

"This is gonna take a while, isn't it?" Yakko said to his brother. Therer was no response however, and he quickly realized why. Wakko was already out cold. And oh how he envied his brother at that moment.

"Maybe I should just head back to the tower and wait for the next scene to start." Yakko said to himself. Then he sat the baby next to Wakko on the bench and started to slip away.

After taking no more than a singal step, Yakko immediately noticed that something was weighing down his leg, and looked to find that he had somehow been shackled to the bench he was sitting at. He sighed in defeat, then returned to his seat.

An hour passed. Then another. Then another. Then half an hour. Yakko was starting to get more than a bit restless. And he wasn't the only one.

"This is going nowhere." Dot sighed.

"Ya got that right." Yakko commented snidely.

"This is serious Yakko! Having a suitable name is very important to a child's psychological development!" Dot said. "At least that's what it says in this naming dictionary anyway. Can you think of any good ones?" She asked.

"Nope." Yakko replied.

"Oh come on Yakko, help me out here. Pleeeeeease." Dot pleaded, stretching out the word please in the cutest manner possible.

"Fine, fine, I'll help." Yakko said. "How about Paige? It's easy to say. Plus it's short, so she'll learn how to spell it faster." He suggested.

"Well, that is true. But I just don't think it goes with the last name Warner." Dot said.

"I do." Yakko said.

"Well I don't." Dot countered. Yakko merely sighed.

"Ok, what about Dorothy? That goes with Warner." Yakko said.

"It does. But it's just not cute enough, ya know." Dot said.

"Alright then, what about Casey? That's a cute name, and it goes with the last name Warner." Yakko said.

"Yeah, but I know someone named Casey. And she makes me sick." Dot said.

"I see." Yakko said with more than a hint of irritation in his tone. "Well, what do you think of the name Kimmie then?" He asked.

"It's just not what I'm looking for." Dot said.

"Well just what are you looking for?" Yakko asked in an exasperated tone.

"I was thinking maybe something that starts with an a." Dot replied.

"Okay, how do you feel about the name Amanda then?" Yakko asked, grasping at straws.

"She doesn't look much like an Amanda to me." Dot said.

"How about Alice?" Yakko asked.

"Nah."

"Amy?"

"Nope."

"Audrey?"

"Negative."

"Alexis."

"Nugatory."

"Antonina?"

"Nay captain." Dot said in a mock Scottish accent.

"Well maybe she can just borrow one of your names, miss Angelina Contessa Luisa!" Yakko snapped.

"Ha, ha, very funny Yakko!" Dot said sarcastically. "Although, that's not such a bad idea actually. In fact, I think I'll do just that! I'll name her Angelina after me, and give her a few back up names just in case!" She said as she rapidly wrote out the baby's name.

"Done! Your name is now officially, Angelina, Carolina, Debbie Rosemary Beth! But we'll just call you Annie for short." Dot said with a smile as she held up the birth certificate so Annie could see it. "Now all I have to do is figure out what day you were born." She added.

"Maybe this copy of the author's notes can help." Hello Nurse said as she took a large red book from behind her desk. She flipped through the pages till she found what she was looking for.

"Here it is. According to this, she was born on September tenth. The same day Animaniacs premiered in the area our author grew up in." She said with her finger on the page.

With that, Dot completed the document and handed it to Hello Nurse. Hello Nurse signed it and printed out a file copy. Then gave the original back to Dot.

"Your name is Natasha?" Dot asked when she saw Hello Nurse's signature.

"It is indeed. I had it legally changed just last month. I felt I would get more respect with a name like Natasha. I've been thinking about doing it for a few years now actually." Natasha said.

"So that's why you had a naming dictionary." Dot said.

"Exactly! But enough about me. You're going to be late for your next scene if you don't get moving soon." Natasha said.

"Ok. I guess we'll see you later then." Dot said. Then she got up and walked over to Wakko. "Hay Wakko, wake up. We're leaving." She said as she shook him a bit. He refused to budge at first, so she shook him again. That time he opened his eyes and drug himself to his feet. He stood there wobbling for a moment or so, then fell flat on his face. Dot and Yakko looked down at their fallen brother and found an empty syringe marked, 'Heavy Sedative' sticking in his rear end.

"Wow, that's never happened before, has it?" Yakko asked.

"Not to my knowledge." Dot replied.

"I thought as much." Yakko said. Then he threw Wakko over his shoulder and carried him outside. Dot followed closely behind carrying Annie, but stopped at the door to say a few parting words.

"By the way, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this little visit of ours between the five of us for now. I'd like to avoid a scandal for as long as possible." Dot said before making her exit.

(A.N) Please excuse any inaccuracies regarding legal matters referenced in this chapter. I actually know very little about these sorts of laws, so I simply pieced something together based on things I've heard over the years.

On a separate note, I've got a little game for anyone who's interested. There are subtle rimes hidden here and there in certain chapters. See how many you can pick out as I post them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

Baby Blues

Shortly after they're visit with Natasha, the Warners arrived back at the water tower. Wakko was still out cold, so Yakko carried him up to bed. After doing that, he went down to the living room where he found Dot sitting on the couch in front of a blank TV screen. Her expression told him something was troubling her.

"A penny for your thoughts Dot." Yakko said.

"I was just thinking about that stupid test again." Dot said. "According to the results, I'm either a pathological liar, or just plane delusional. And to tell you the truth Yakko, I'm starting to wonder if it's right."

"Oh come on Dot, you're not crazy. At least no more than me anyway." Yakko said as he walked over and leaned against the back of the couch.

"I appreciate you saying that Yakko. But I just don't know what to think anymore. What if I really did just imagine the whole stork story?" Dot said.

"So you're telling me you're not even sure you can trust yourself?" Yakko asked. Dot merely looked away.

"Then I guess I'll just have to be sure enough for the both of us, now won't I Dottie?" Yakko said as he playfully messed up Dot's hair.

"Don't...call...me...Dottie!!!!!!!!!!" Dot shouted.

"Now that's the Dot I know!" Yakko said before ducking an incoming mallet. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that after all." He said to himself. Then he took off running. Dot took off after him, swinging her mallet and wrecking everything in her path.

"Come back here Yakko! Your sister has something she wants to show you!" Dot shouted as she carved a path of destruction behind him. Yakko soon found himself cornered, but quickly escaped by leapfrogging over her head.

"You're not gonna get off that easy Yakko!" Dot shouted after him. Then she opened a nearby closet, sending a huge mound of toys tumbling out on top of her. She emerged on top of the toy mound moments later, armed with two high powered water guns, and a basket full of water balloons strapped to her back. She tied a red bandanna around her forehead to complete the look, then leapt from the pile of toys and started to search for her target.

"Now where'd he get to?" She said, not realizing that Yakko was sneaking up behind her.

He took one of the water balloons from the basket on her back, and was about to use it. But froze when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned and found himself face to face with another Dot, who happened to be smiling.

Before Yakko could react, both Dots began bombarding him with an unyielding barrage of water balloons and water gun fire. He was thoroughly drenched and looking like something the cat had dragged in by the time it was all over.

Yakko coughed a bit, then smiled and bowed to Dot like a proper gentleman. "A hand well played warrior maiden." He said. "Please allow me to express my utmost regard by giving you a hug!" He added with a devilish grin.

Dot knew what was coming, but it was already too late to get away. He picked her up and gave her a great big soaking wet hug, leaving her almost as soaked as him. He put her back down and pet her on the head as she looked up at him with an angry cross eyed expression. Then he took off running again. Dot managed to tackle him by his legs before he really got going and clung on tight. Unfortunately, Yakko was just a bit too slippery for her, and quickly freed himself. Then he unleashed the fury of his secret special move, the tickle typhoon!

"Just say uncle and I'll let you up." Yakko said.

"Never!" Dot cried defiantly. Then a thought suddenly hit Yakko and he stopped.

"Where's Annie right now?" He asked. Dot's eyes widened with horror.

"I left her on the counter when I was warming her bottle in the kitchen!!" Dot said in a panicked tone. Then, without words, they both rushed into the kitchen where they found Annie reaching for the baby bottle that was warming in a pot on the stove. Yakko managed to grab her just before she knocked over the pot. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat at the kitchen table so his heart would stop beating so fast.

"Now that, was a close one." Yakko said breathlessly.

"I know." Dot said in a downhearted tone as she leaned against the kitchen cabinets, letting herself sink to the floor.

"I'm just not cut out for this Yakko." Dot said. "Annie's only been here for a day, and already she's had her first near death experience thanks to me."

"I left her all alone, in the kitchen, with the stove on. Then I forgot about her! How could I be so stupid?!!" Dot said.

"You're not stupid Dot." Yakko said as he sat next to Dot and put his arm around her. "Having your whole world turned upside down in one day tends to leave you a bit out of it."

"So you made a mistake, it could've happened to anyone in your situation." He added.

"But what if I mess up again, and you're not there to fix it next time?" Dot asked. "Annie could be...she could be..."

"Nothing is gonna happen to Annie Dot, trust me." Yakko said as he held her closer.

"Is that a promise?" Dot asked weakly as she unsuccessfully attempted to hold back tears.

"It's a promise." Yakko said as he stroked the back of her head.

Comforted, Dot soon drifted off to sleep. Yakko carried her up to bed, then returned to the kitchen and put another bottle of milk on the stove for Annie. The other one had sort of melted.

As he waited for the bottle to warm, millions of questions about the events of the day spiraled around inside Yakko's head. He eyed Annie inquisitively, then leaned in closer till he was face to face with her.

"Where did you come from?" He asked, half expecting an answer. Annie reached up and grabbed his nose.

"Not in the mood to talk, huh Annie?" He asked jokingly. Then the kitchen timer he had set went off. He went to check the bottle's temperature.

"Good news Annie." Yakko said after testing it. "Your bottle's ready now." He said.

"What's that? You wanted to know if you could come watch a video with me while you drink it? Well of course you can! I'd be glad to have your company!" Yakko said playfully. Then he carried Annie out to the couch and put a tape into the VCR. It's label read, 'Yakko Sings All The Words In The English Language Unabridged Edition. Volume One.'

Yakko got settled in and began feeding Annie her bottle as the tape started up. He nodded off roughly thirty minutes into the tape, while Annie on the other hand, continued to watch attentively until it ended. Then she fell asleep as well.

At some point later that night, Dot got up to get a drink of water. On her way to the kitchen, she noticed that the TV was still on. She walked over to shut it off, and noticed Yakko and Annie asleep on the couch. Yakko was mumbling something or other in his sleep periodically, while Annie sucked on his thumb like a pacifier. Dot couldn't help but smile at the adorable scene.

She looked at them both lovingly and kissed their foreheads. Then she shut off the TV and bid them goodnight.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Rabbits Feet

Dot woke up in a good mood the next morning. Such a good mood that she decided to surprise her brothers by making them breakfast. However, before she could get started, the phone started to ring. She rushed to answer it so the sound wouldn't wake Yakko and Wakko. "Hello." She said.

"No, it's Natasha now. I had it legally changed last month, remember?" Natasha said.

"What did you call me for?" Dot asked, sounding rather annoyed.

"Sorry about the bad pun there. I just had to do it at least once." Natasha said. "Anyway, the reason I called was to tell you that the computer found a second match shortly after you left the other day. He's a former Toon actor turned writer, who answers to the name Buster Bunny. And he's currently living in Burbank. I can get you his phone number and address if you'd like to meet him." She said.

"No thanks, I already have them." Dot said. "Ya see, I sort of spent the day with him a few months ago... Nine to be exact."

"What?" Natasha asked.

"Babs was there too...most of the day." Dot said.

"Most of the day?" Natasha repeated.

"We got separated from her for a couple of hours thanks to the crowds at the amusement park." Dot explained.

"Which means that lots and lots of people probably saw just the two of you that day, right?" Natasha asked.

"Right." Dot replied.

"This is too much Dot." Natasha said. "Why were you spending the day with them in the first place? You never spent time with them before."

"We were talking about a movie script he wrote." Dot said. "He wanted me to play the lead role if he ever got the project off the ground. I agreed to do it, and that was the end of it. I haven't even talked to him since then." She said.

"Well you two certainly have a lot to talk about now. You should call him right away Dot." Natasha said.

"I've got a better idea. How about I don't, and just say that I did?" Dot said.

"He deserves to know about this too Dot." Natasha insisted.

"And what exactly am I supposed to say to him? 'Hello, you're the father of my mystery baby.' I don't think so!!" Dot said, maintaining a hushed tone.

"I see your point there... But you can't just run away from this because it's awkward." Natasha said. "Would it help at all if I was there when you talk to him? You could even meet at my apartment if you want." She offered.

"I guess it would be a little easier if I didn't have to face him alone." Dot said. She paused and thought for a moment. "Ok, I'll call him." She finally said.

"Great, just make sure to call me back once everything is set though. I need to know when to come pick you up." Natasha said.

"Ok." Dot replied. "I guess I'll talk to you in a few minutes then." She said. Then she ended the call and took the phone up to her room. Once there, she fished a card with Buster's phone number on it out of her purse. After hesitating for a bit, she dialed the number and waited for him to pick up. He answered after only three rings.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello, Buster... It's me, Dot….. There's something I need to tell you." She said.

"Does this involve the words, I can't do your movie after all?" Buster asked.

"No, it's not about the movie actually. But it does involve you." Dot said. "We need to talk as soon as possible. In person that is. It's really important." She said.

"Ok, I'll come right away then." Buster said. "Where should I meet you?" He asked.

"55507 North Crown Street. It's a friend of mine's place. She lives in Maple Crest apartment complex, room number 206." Dot said.

"Got it." Buster said. "That's about an hour away from where I live. I should be able to get there sometime before eight if I leave right now. Just try to be there when I arrive, ok." He said.

"Ok." Dot replied. Then she ended the call and sat there thinking for a moment. After that she called back Natasha.

Roughly thirty minutes later, Dot arrived at Natasha's apartment with Annie in tow. Not long after that, Buster showed up. Once they had all exchanged greetings and so on, it was time to drop the bomb.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet Buster." Dot said before bringing Annie into the room.

"Cute kid." Buster said. "I take it this is about her?" He asked.

"That's right." Dot replied.

"She's yours, isn't she?" Buster asked.

"Well, no. Not exactly anyway. And, not exactly not." Dot said.

"I don't follow." Buster said.

"Well, the thing is. I didn't actually have a baby. Someone just sort of handed her to me." Dot said.

"Well that explains the not exactly. But what about the not exactly not part?" Buster asked.

"That's the part I can't explain." Dot said. "Ya see, according to a genetic test, she _is_ mine. And, well, the same test says that she's yours too."

"Oh. So that's why she has rabbit's feet. I was wondering what it meant when you said that this involved me." Buster said in a surprisingly casual tone.

"You say that like this isn't the first time a girl has said something like this to you." Dot said. "Don't you have at least a little trouble swallowing all this?" She asked.

"Not really." Buster said. "I figure if you can tell me a story that outlandish with a straight face, you must be telling me the truth."

"But how can you be so calm about this? Aren't you at least a little surprised?" Dot asked.

"Oh, I'm very surprised." Buster said. "It's just that I'm too busy wondering how I can explain this one to Babs, without my picture ending up on the back of a milk carton. With the words, 'have you seen me,' written below it"

"I take it she doesn't exactly agree with your views on outlandish stories." Dot said.

"Ya got that right." Buster replied. "So, what's the baby's name anyway?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Angelina Carolina Debbie Rosemary Beth. But you can call her Annie." Dot said, beaming with pride.

"That's some name." Buster said. "Mind if I hold her for a bit?" He asked, extending his arms a bit.

"Why not." Dot said as she passed Annie to Buster.

Annie looked up at Buster curiously as she quietly rested in his arms. Almost as if she knew him somehow. He smiled back affectionately, feeling strangely attached to the young Warner.

"Well, you're not crying yet. I guess that must mean you like me then." Buster said.

"Hay, as long as you're holding her. Would you mind feeding her too?" Dot asked.

"Not at all." Buster replied. "In fact I'd be glad to." He added. Then Dot handed him the baby bottle and he offered it to Annie. She started to drink right away. They both looked on with adoring smiles as she rapidly emptied it.

"She is so impossibly cute." Buster said.

"She gets it from me ya know." Dot added.

"Isn't that the problem? " Buster joked.

"Yes, it is. And it's a big problem too." Natasha interjected.

"She's right." Buster said. "If anyone else finds out about Annie, we're both toast."

"I'm an adult in this fan fic. So I'll go to jail, you'll lose any chance you may've had for making a comeback. And we'll both end up spending the rest of our lives as forgotten scandal sheet headlines." Buster said.

"Sounds pretty harsh." Dot said. "But how are we supposed to avoid it? I mean, we can't just keep Annie a secret forever, right?"

"Don't have to. Just tell everyone she's your cousin. And if anyone asks how you got a cousin, just say something like... 'Well, I'd tell you. But I don't think the censors would approve." Buster said.

"That's a great idea! And not a bad line either. You really are a good writer!" Dot said.

"Yeah, I know. And speaking of writing, I finally got a studio to pick up my script today. It's a new place called Total Pictures. I was just about to call and tell you about it earlier, but you called me first of course." Buster said.

"Oh…" Dot said, sounding less than enthusiastic. "That's great and everything. But don't you think it might be a little dangerous to go back in front of the public eye right now? I mean, do you really think we can pull it off without anyone finding out that Annie is, _not exactly not our daughter_?" She asked.

"Of course we can. Someone is more likely to get suspicious if we don't do the movie." Buster said.

"This movie deal is your chance to make a comeback, my chance to become a known screen play writer slash director. And if we suddenly turned down an opportunity like this for no apparent reason, someone might wanna know why. And aside from that, I just really wanna do this movie." Buster said.

"Well, I still think it's kinda risky." Dot said. "But I wanna do it anyway! When can we start shooting!" She asked excitedly.

"There's no specific date yet. But I already got most of the cast to sign on ahead of time like I did with you. So we might be ready to start shooting in like, two weeks. I'll know for sure after the planning meeting today." Buster said. Then he checked his watch.

"Speaking of which, I'm about to be late for it in like ten minutes. I'll call and tell you what happened later ok." Buster said on his way out of the apartment. Then halfway down the hallway, he suddenly realized he was still holding Annie and rushed back to return her. After that he went out to his car and drove off.

Shortly after Buster left, Dot decided to head home as well. When she got there. Yakko and Wakko were up on the water tower, scanning the lot with binoculars.

"There she is!" Yakko called out when he saw her approaching. Then he rushed down the ladder and wrapped his arms around her like he hadn't seen her in years.

"Did I miss something?" Dot asked.

"We've been looking all over for you." Yakko said. "Where on earth have you been all day?" He asked.

"I was with Natasha." Dot said. "You mean you really didn't get the note I left taped to your forehead?" She asked.

Yakko felt his forehead, then pealed the note off and looked at it.

"Why did you let me walk around with this thing on my head all day?" Yakko asked his brother.

"Well, I couldn't see it cause my contacts fell down the sink while I was trying to put them in this morning." Wakko replied.

"You wear contacts?" Yakko asked.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone ok." Wakko requested.

"Not a problem." Yakko said dryly. "Now lets get back inside the tower. We've got a lot of work to do if we wanna make the place suitable for Annie." He said. Then he started up the ladder, followed closely by his siblings.

The hours that followed were spent cleaning, and in general, baby proofing the tower. Annie was kept amused by volume two of Yakko sings all the words in the English language while the other Warners worked. It was a few minutes after eleven P.M when they finally wrapped things up.

"Well sibs, I think we should all congratulate ourselves for a job well done," Yakko said. Then they all proceeded to literally congratulate themselves.

"Good job Yakko. Go take a rest." Yakko said as he gave himself a pat on the back.

"I'm so proud of you Dottie!" Dot said as she hugged herself.

"Don't call me Dottie!!!!" She shouted back. Then she took out a mallet and whacked herself in the foot with it.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just don't hit me again!" She pleaded.

Yakko merely looked into the camera and sighed. "Everybody's a little crazy folks." He said. "Some are just a bit crazier than others." He added. The line was supposed to be Wakko's cue to do something even crazier. But he just stood there doing nothing for some reason.

"Hay Wakko, it's your turn. What's the holdup?" Yakko whispered.

"I don't know what my next line is." Wakko whispered back.

"You don't know what your next line is?" Yakko asked, growing slightly agitated.

"I couldn't read the script cause I lost my contacts this morning, remember?" Wakko asked.

"Fine, let's just skip it then." Yakko said. Then he took out a clipboard that seemed to come from nowhere. "The next item on the agenda is reassembling Dot's old crib so Annie can use it." He announced.

"That can wait till tomorrow Yakko." Dot said. "Annie can bunk with me for tonight. Just go to bed and get some rest, ok."

"Ok. I guess we'll do it in the morning when we set up all the other baby furniture." Yakko said. Then both he and Wakko went up stairs to turn in for the night.

Dot picked up Annie, and was about to head up to her room as well. But she changed her mind and sat on the couch with Annie in her lap, deciding to linger a bit longer.

"Well Annie, starting tomorrow you'll be using my old crib." Dot said. "I would say I hope you like it as much as I did. But then, I liked it a bit too much. I refused to give it up even when I was getting too big for it. Yakko eventually managed to talk some sense into me though."

"I had to do a lot of growing up that day. And I guess I'll have to do even more now that you're here. But I don't mind. The fact is, I'm actually glad that you're here. I might not understand how you got here. But you're one of us now, and that's all that really matters." Dot said. She was silent for a moment after that. Then she looked up at the clock on the wall.

"Well, looks like it's about time we got some shuteye." She said before heading up to her room with Annie.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Let's get the ball rolling, shall we.

Early the following morning, the Warners took all of Dot's old baby stuff down from the attic. The crib, the clothes, the toys, etc.

Just as they were about to start setting things up, the phone started ringing. Dot went into the kitchen to answer it, leaving Yakko and Wakko to the task at hand.

"Hello." She said after picking up the receiver.

"Hay Dot. It's me, Buster. Just calling to tell you how the meeting went." Buster said.

"So what's the news?" Dot asked.

"Well, it's going to take a bit longer than I thought to get everything ready. It'll be at least three weeks before we can start shooting. However, I will need you to drop by the studio for a costume fitting before then. At the end of this week that is." Buster said.

"Ok, guess I'll see you in three days then." Dot said. "Was there anything else?" She asked.

"Nope. That's all you'll have to worry about for now. I'll talk to you again later, ok." Buster said.

"Wait a second Buster." Dot said before he could end the call. "There's something I'd like to ask you. That is, I was wondering if you told Babs about Annie yet."

"Afraid not." Buster said. "But if I don't put some serious thought into my explanation. Things could get pretty ugly, really fast."

"Sorry to cause you so much trouble." Dot said.

"Don't be. It's not like you did anything wrong." Buster said. "I'm just glad I found out about Annie from you instead of some magazine. Or a cop for that matter. Also I'm glad I got a chance to meet her. Strange as it may seem, I'm already fairly attached to the little cutie. Even now it feels like I should be there taking care of her." He said.

"You're a pretty neat guy, ya know that Buster." Dot said with a smile.

"I know, and I do impressions too." Buster said.

"I take it back." Dot said. Then they both chuckled a bit.

"Anyway, I'd better be getting back to work now." Buster said.

"Ok, talk to you later then." Dot replied. Then she ended the call and walked back into the living room to help Yakko and Wakko.

"Who was that on the phone just now?" Yakko asked.

"A friend." Dot replied. Yakko decided not to pry any further and they all went back to work. The crib was soon fully assembled.

"So, where do you think we should put it?" Yakko asked.

"My room is big enough." Dot volunteered.

"Ok, but you might regret it once she starts crying." Yakko warned.

"Maybe." Dot said. "But if she has to share a room with someone, I want it to be me. That way I'll know if she needs anything during the night. Plus I just feel like being close to her for some reason." She said.

"Guess I can't argue with that." Yakko said. "Very well sister sibling, your room it is." He said. Then he and Wakko lifted the crib and headed for Dot's room.

"Careful up there." Dot said as they started to climb the stairs. "Annie might still be sleeping. So don't wake her up, ok."

"No problem." Yakko replied. Then he pressed his noise like a button, and the word mute appeared at the bottom of the screen. "Pretty neat, huh." He said, using a subtitle. Then he and Wakko continued moving the crib without making a sound.

While her brothers were busy moving the crib, Dot took a few boxs of her old baby clothes into the laundry room to wash them. She smiled warmly at thoughts of the future as she loaded them into the washing machine. It seemed that the Warners were off to a good start.

A few days later, it was time for Dot to go get fitted for her costume at Total Pictures studio. Her visit with the tailor went by rather quickly.

On her way out, she was approached by a studio page who handed her a sealed manila envelop. Inside it was a note.

"Meet me in my office as soon as possible. Pretend you have a bone to pick with me about the script or something." The note read. Buster's name was written at the bottom of it. Deciding to play along, Dot walked to Buster's office and pressed the button on the intercom at his door.

"Excuse me Mr. Bunny, we need to talk about what happens in scene three." Dot said, doing her best to sound irked. He buzzed her in and she slammed the door on her way inside.

"How was that?" Dot whispered once the door was closed.

"Excellent!" Buster said. "And don't worry about the volume by the way. This room is sound proof." He added.

"Ok." Dot said. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked. Buster paused for a moment before speaking.

"Well, I've been thinking. What if your character in the movie had a baby sister she had to take care of?" Buster said.

"Oh? And just who did you have in mind to play this baby sister? Anyone I know?" Dot asked facetiously.

"Ok, so it's Annie." Buster said. "But before you decide whether or not to agree with my idea, I would just like to state that this is probably the only way I can see her without attracting unwanted attention. Also, I think including Annie might actually add something to the film." Buster said.

"Well..." Dot started, before being cut off by her cell phone ringing. "Hang on a sec, I have to get this." She said. Then she took the phone out of her purse and answered it.

"Hello." Dot said.

"Dot! you have to get back here! Annie's taking her first steps!" Yakko said.

"Are you taping it?" Dot asked.

"Every second." Yakko replied.

"So you want me to rush all the way over there just to see something I can always watch later?" Dot asked, sounding unconcerned.

"I'll drive." Buster volunteered.

"I'm riding shotgun!" Dot said as they both rushed out of the office.

Soon they were out of the studio and in the parking lot. They hopped into Buster's car and made a quick exit.

"Ya know, I think we just might be making mistake number one right now." Buster said as they raced down the street.

"Drive now, think later!" Dot replied. Buster did as he was told and floored it.

In seemingly no time at all, they neared warner brothers studios. Buster was about to slow down and stop at the gate. But before he could, Dot leaned out the window brandishing a bazooka and blew a hole in the wall surrounding the studio.

At that point, stopping at the gate seemed completely pointless. So Buster simply continued through the new entrance without bothering to slow down.

"Coming through!" Dot shouted as they tore across the lot, avoiding cars, people, and other miscellaneous obstructions.

They soon came to a sharp stop at the foot of the water tower and hopped out of the car. They promptly started climbing as fast as they could.

"Was all that really necessary? I mean, we just broke so many laws just now." Buster said as they climbed.

"It'll be fine. They're used to this sorta thing by now." Dot said. "The contracting company is on the speed dial of every phone in the studio." She added. Then they reached the top, and were almost instantly inside.

"Dot, you made it just in time!" Yakko said as they entered. Then he noticed Buster was there too. "What's he doing here?" Yakko asked.

"Later Yakko, later." Dot replied. Then she rushed over to Annie.

"I guess she hasn't told them about my part in all this just yet." Buster thought as he watched Dot trying to get Annie to come to her. He smirked and shook his head. "I sure hope I'm not still here when they find out." He thought


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six:

Amazing

"Uh oh." Buster said when he saw the morning paper. The headline read, 'Bonnie Warner And Clyde Bunny On The Rampage.'

"And now, here to read you that article, is Babs Bunny! Over to you Babs!" The Announcer said as the camera panned over to Babs in a news room behind a desk with papers in her hands.

"Yesterday at 11:00 AM. Dot Warner and former Tiny Toon Adventures star, Buster Bunny, reportedly stormed warner brothers studios. A section of the studio's outer wall was destroyed during the incident, using a bazooka fired by Dot Warner. Though property damage was significant, no one was injured. And the studio heads have officially stated that they will not be pressing charges, as they do not feel it would be of any benefit." Babs said in a professional tone. Then the scene with Buster resumed, already in progress.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be." Buster said after reading the article. Then he tossed the paper aside and finished his breakfast. After that he got to work on some changes to the script. Dot had given him the go ahead to include Annie in the movie shortly before he left the tower the other day.

It took roughly a week to make all the necessary changes to the script. Copies of the augmented script were sent out to all the actors the day after completion. Buster decided to deliver Dot's copy personally as an excuse to see Annie.

The first day of filming soon arrived. All the actors involved had studied the script and knew it well. It seemed as if even Annie had rehearsed her part, with the way she cried, smiled, and giggled as if on cue.

"How'd you get her to do all that anyway?" Buster asked at the end of the day.

"I gave her acting lessons." Dot replied.

"Acting lessons?" Buster asked.

"Yeah, acting lessons." Dot said. "Watch this." She said as she walked around to the front of Annie's stroller.

"Annie. Show me, distress." Dot said. Annie immediately started wailing.

"Now gimme a smile." Dot said as she smiled, holding the tips of her fingers to her cheeks. Annie's adorable little face lit up as well.

"Wow, that's really amazing." Buster said. "But how'd you get her to do it without the signals?" He asked.

"Well, she was always in the room with me when I was rehearsing. So as a game, I taught her those signals. Then later, I used the signals to teach her to react when I delivered certain lines." Dot said.

"That's even more amazing." Buster said. "Not even four weeks old yet, and already she can remember all that." He said.

"Amazing huh, that's a good word for Annie." Dot said as she smiled down at Annie affectionately. Buster did the same.

From her stroller, Annie looked up at the two of them smiling down at her. She looked back and forth between them for a moment or so, then raised her arm and pointed to Dot. "Mommy." She said. Then she pointed to Buster with her other hand. "Daddy." She said. Then the room went completely silent for a moment or so.

"She just called me Mommy." Dot said.

"She just called me Daddy." Buster said.

"She just said her first words!" They said in unison.

"A tape recorder! We need a tape recorder or something in case she says it again!" Buster said as he looked around franticly and searched his pockets.

"No need, I've been wired for sound and images since the day Annie took her first steps. This flower in my hair is really a digital video camera." Dot said as she pointed to the flower.

"Normally, I would say that's just a bit extreme. But ya can't argue with results." Buster said. "Incidentally, could I get a copy of that video later?" He asked.

"Sure." Dot replied. They talked for a bit longer after that, then Dot was off to the tower to tell Yakko and Wakko the big news about Annie.

"Hey guys, guess what! Annie said her first words today!" Dot said as she entered the tower.

"Seriously?" Yakko asked.

"Uh-huh, she pointed right at me and said Mommy! Say it again for uncle Yakko and Wakko, ok Annie!" Dot said cheerfully.

"Mommy!" Annie said.

"That's my smart little girl!" Dot said as she cuddled Annie affectionately.

"And she even does request!" Yakko said. "Let's see if she knows this tune. Can you say, Yakko?" He asked.

"Yakko!" Annie said.

"She said it! She really said it!" Yakko said.

"My turn! My turn!" Wakko said. "Can you say, Wakko?" He asked.

"Wakko! Yakko Wakko Mommy!" Annie said while pointing to each of them in that order.

"She really knows us!" Dot gushed adoringly.

"Let's see what else she knows." Yakko said. Then he went into the kitchen and returned with an arm full of stuff moments later.

"Ok Annie." Yakko said. "Can you say, Jam?" He asked as he held up the jam and pointed to it with his other hand.

"Jam." Annie said, pointing to the jam as well. Yakko held up the next item.

"Bread." Yakko said, pointing to the bread.

"Bread." Annie repeated, pointing to the bread as well. It continued like that through milk, meat, and cheese as well.

"That's amazing." Yakko said. "But let's see just how smart she really is." He added. Then he started over and pointed to each of the same items without saying their names. One by one, Annie said the correct name of each as he pointed. Next, he pointed to each item in random order. And once again, Annie said the correct name of each.

"She's really picking this up." Yakko said. "We just might have a little genius on our hands here."

"Well don't get any on Annie if you do." Dot said. Yakko started to say something, then paused and held a hand to his chin as if pondering something.

"Let's just end the chapter on that note." Yakko said.

(A.N) The previous chapter was a bit short, so I decided to post this one sooner rather than later. The next chapter promises to be much longer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Let's Talk About Annie

In what little time had passed since Annie's arrival on the Warner's door step, she had not only taken her first steps, but said her first words as well. Within that same time, she had become a welcomed favorite around the studio. Even managing to win over Mr. Plotz, which was really saying something.

He had nearly fainted when he first heard the news of there being a fourth Warner, but soon realized that the Warner's new addition was keeping them too busy to cause as much trouble. And it was around that point that he learned to appreciate Annie's presence.

Among the three Warner siblings, it was Dot who spent the most time of all with Annie. To everyone's surprise, including hers, she had taken on the role of primary caregiver. Yakko and Wakko still helped out of course, and were a big part of Annie's life.

Wakko's time with Annie was mostly play time. He loved to teach her all sorts of games and show off his vast collection of strange items.

Much of Yakko's time with Annie was spent teaching her to use various words and phrases. She soaked up everything he showed her like a little sponge, and never seemed to forget.

Within just four months, she sounded more like a four year old than a four month old. Her motor skills had developed to match.

At six moths old, Annie possessed an even more impressive vocabulary for her age, and was just getting started on reading lessons.

She had become such a cute little bundle of energy at that point. Always roaming about the tower in search of some new game or activity. She was quite the little acrobat as well.

"Look Mommy! I can stand on my head, see!" Annie said.

"Bravo Annie!" Dot applauded. "She is so cute." She whispered to Yakko.

"Cuter than you?" Yakko asked.

"Do not go there Yakko, the waters are very dangerous." Dot warned. Then she checked her watch. "Ok Annie, bed time. Go pick out which book you want me to read you tonight." She said.

"Ok Mommy." Annie said. Then she rushed up to the room that she and Dot shared and opened the chest full of books and things at the foot of Dot's bed. She happened upon a book with no pictures in it, and was instantly fascinated by it. She had never seen a book like that before.

"What kind of book is this Mommy?" Annie asked as Dot entered the room.

"That? That's a chapter book." Dot said.

"Why is it called that?" Annie asked.

"It's called a chapter book because the story is split up into sections called chapters. You want me to read it to you tonight?" Dot asked.

"Uh-huh." Annie said as she shook her head yes.

"Ok. But let's get you dressed for bed first." Dot said. Then she helped Annie into her pajamas, and the reading began.

Annie listened intently, wanting to hear chapter after chapter. Dot eventually had to cut it short unfortunately. It was getting late, and they did have an appointment in the morning.

"Please Mommy, one more chapter." Annie pleaded as she stood in the crib with her hands on the bars.

"But I just read you one more chapter. _Twice!_ It's bed time now." Dot said.

"But this is the best story I've ever heard! Can't we please read just a little bit more?" Annie asked.

"We've already been up an hour longer than we should've been Annie. We'll miss the interview tomorrow if we stay up any longer. And you begged me to let you come along in the first place! So I want you to lay down, close those little eyes, and go to sleep. I'm serious." Dot said, finishing with a more firm tone.

"Can we do one more page at least?" Annie asked.

"The book will still be here tomorrow Annie, and I promise that I'll read it to you then. But right now, it's bed time. End of story." Dot said.

"Ok..." Annie relented disappointedly. "Can I hold the book for tonight at least?" She asked hopefully. Dot thought about it for a second.

"Yes you may." Dot said as she handed Annie the book.

"Thanks Mommy." Annie said, sounding more enthusiastic than Dot had expected.

"You're welcome Annie." Dot said as she pet Annie's head. "Now lay down and go to sleep like I told you." She added gently.

"Yes Mommy." Annie said as she complied. Meanwhile, Dot climbed into her own bed.

"Goodnight." Dot said before shutting off the lamp next to the bed.

"Goodnight Mommy." Annie said. Then she quietly drifted off to sleep, holding her new favorite book just like a stuffed animal. The following morning, she took it with her when they went to do the interview.

"We're here to shoot a promotional interview with Tyron Garble." Dot said to the receptionist when they first arrived.

"Take the door to your left, make a right, then keep going till you reach the door at the end of the hallway." The receptionist said. Dot and Annie followed her directions and took the door she pointed to.

"Now remember Annie, the same rules that apply on the movie set, apply here too." Dot said as they walked down the empty hallway. "No calling me mommy, no referring to Yakko and Wakko as uncle Yakko and Wakko. And you always call your daddy, Mr. Bunny." She said.

"Why do I always have to talk different whenever we go somewhere?" Annie asked. Dot stopped and gently turned Annie to face her as she kneeled to be closer to Annie's eye level.

"We've been though this before Annie." Dot said. "If someone were to find out that I'm your mommy, and that Mr. Bunny is your daddy. They might think that certain laws were broken. Then things would just be a big mess all around."

"But why would somebody think some kind of law was broken if they heard me call you mommy? What kind of law is that?" Annie asked.

"Annie, I realize there are things you wanna know. But I'm just not ready to talk about them right now. Can you please just trust me till I am?" Dot asked pleadingly.

"Ok..." Annie said reluctantly.

"Thanks Annie." Dot said as she hugged her. "Now lets hurry before we're late for that interview." She added in a more cheerful tone. Then they started down the hall once again.

"Can we get some ice cream after this?" Annie asked as they walked.

"Sure. We can get some from that cart we saw in the park on the way here." Dot replied. A few minutes later, they were on the set of Dig Tickets, being interviewed by Tyron Garble.

"Evening folks. I'm Tyron Garble, here with Dot Warner, and her young costar, Annie Warner. Both here promoting their new film in the works. Titled, Hide and seek." Tyron said. "So what can you tell us about this project miss Warner?" He asked as he turned his attention to his guests.

"Well, it's all about this little orphan girl who happens to witness a crime, and she's supposed to be going into a witness protection program along with her baby sister. Unfortunately, the people who come to pick them up turn out to be impostors sent to silence her. She somehow manages to escape with her sister just in time, then the adventure really gets started." Dot said.

"Sounds interesting." Tyron said. "So tell us, what's it feel like to be playing the first serious role of your career?" He asked.

"It's different in a lot of ways really. Mostly cause I've never worked without my brothers before. Also it's my first time working with Annie here." Dot said.

"Could you tell us a bit about Annie?" Tyron asked.

"I could. But I think she'd rather do it herself." Dot said.

"She can talk already? How much?" Tyron asked.

"Ask her a question and find out." Dot replied.

"Ok. Tell us a bit about yourself Annie." Tyron said as he held out a microphone handed to him by a stagehand.

"What should I say?" Annie whispered away from the microphone as she looked to her Mommy. Dot leaned in closer and started to whisper in her ear.

"I'm six moths old... My full name is Angelina Carolina Debbie Rosemary Beth Warner... My favorite color is blue... I like playing hide and seek... And I really like books." Annie said, mirroring the words that Dot whispered.

"And I see you brought one with you today." Tyron said.

"Yup, this is my favorite book ever, and I'm keeping it with me from now on!" Annie said on her own.

"Your favorite book, huh? Don't tell me you're already reading too." Tyron said.

"No, but I'm learning. And my mommy reads to me every night." Annie said.

"Your mommy sounds like a nice lady. Can you tell us a bit about her?" Tyron asked.

"Well, she's taller than me." Annie said.

"I guess she would have to be." Tyron said. "But could you tell us a bit, _more _about her?" He asked.

"Why do you keep saying us? Is somebody hiding behind your chair or something?" Annie asked.

"No. When I say us, I'm referring to me and the people watching on TV." Tyron said as he gestured towards the camera.

"Oh…" Annie said. "Hi people watching on the TV!" She said as she turned and waved to the camera.

"Right..." Tyron said. "Let's go ahead and show that movie clip you two brought before we run out of time for it, ok. Roll it Jimmy." He said. Then the screen behind them lit up and started to play the movie clip.

The clip opened with a shot of Dot and Annie huddled up behind something at a construction site.

"I wish I had never seen what I saw. Then the two of us wouldn't be in danger like this." Dot's character said. "But don't worry Annie. You won't lose me the way we lost mom and dad. And I'm not gonna lose you either. I'll never let that happen." She said.

"And that was, Hide and seek. In theaters this fall. Next up, I'll be speaking with Mell Gibson about his new film, Return." Tyron said as the cheesy commercial break music started to play.

"Can we get that ice cream now?" Annie asked abruptly. Roughly ten minutes later, they were in the park eating ice cream.

Annie played quietly in the sandbox while eating her ice cream with the other hand. Dot looked on contentedly from a nearby park bench.

It was a nice day out, and it felt good to be doing something spontaneous after having spent the past months only leaving the tower for appointments.

After the ice cream was gone, Annie wanted to go on the swing. Dot gladly pushed her.

"Can we come back here again sometime Mommy?" Annie asked as Dot pushed her on the swing.

"Sure Annie. We can come here as many times as you like. And you know what? I'm gonna start taking you out to a lot more places too." Dot said.

"Really?" Annie asked.

"Really." Dot replied. "We'll go to the zoo, and all kinds of places." She said.

"Can we go on that slide over there right now?" Annie asked.

"Well sure we can." Dot said. "But let's make it just a bit more interesting first." She added. Then she put on a hard hat and tool belt, and quickly went to work on the slide.

"Um, are we allowed to do that to the slide Mommy?" Annie asked as she watched Dot make some less than slight alterations to the slide.

"Sure we are. It's public property, right? And we're the public, aren't we?" Dot said as she climbed down the enormous slide she had built where the other one once stood.

"Uh, I guess so..." Annie said, sounding slightly confused. "Can we go on the slide now?" She asked, quickly switching to a more upbeat tone.

"Yup. Just hop up on my back, and it's up we go!" Dot said.

"Ok." Annie said. Then she climbed up on Dot's back.

They started up the ladder and climbed till they reached the top. Dot placed Annie in her lap and prepared to launch them down the slide.

"You ready Annie?" Dot asked.

"Ready Mommy!" Annie replied.

"Then let's go." Dot said. And with that, she pushed off.

They quickly gained speed as they barreled down the gigantic slide. They passed through loops, twist, turns, one after another. It was like riding a roller coaster without the seats! A roller coaster that somehow seemed to stretch clear across the city!

"Having fun Annie?" Dot shouted over the sound of wind in their ears.

"How are we gonna stop when we get to the end of this thing Mommy?" Annie asked, growing wary of the speed.

"It'll be a while before that happens. We can think of something when we get there." Dot said casually. Annie's eyes widened with horror.

"Could we think of something right now Mommy?" Annie asked nervously.

"Not to worry Annie, I was Just kidding before." Dot said reassuringly. "So could you please let go of Mommy's legs so she can feel her toes again?" She added in a slightly pained tone.

Minutes later, the ride was over. And Dot and Annie were back on the ground.

"How did we get off that slide so fast Mommy? It stretched all the way across the city, didn't it?" Annie asked. "And why are we back in the park? Shouldn't we be somewhere else if we really reached the other end? And how did you build something like that in the first place? Shouldn't it take more than just a few seconds to do something like that? And more importantly, why is it gone now?" She asked, gesturing towards the original slide that had somehow reappeared in it's place.

"It seems you're in desperate need of a lesson on toon physics Annie." Dot said. "To put it simply, the slide is gone because we're done with it. Props don't stick around very long if you're not gonna to use them again. As for where they go when we're done with them, not even I'm too sure about that one." She added.

"But how can something just disappear like that? It doesn't make any sense." Annie said.

"Things don't really have to make much sense in a cartoon Annie. Like the way your uncle Wakko can eat over three thousand pounds of food in one sitting, and still not gain even an ounce of weight. Cartoon characters can bend all kinds of rules like that!" Dot said.

"As a cartoon character, you can hide in places much smaller than your body. Then pop out and scare people!" Dot continued. "You can even pop up in places you weren't even hiding to begin with. Especially if someone is chasing you, or trying to get away from you."

"For example, if someone were to get mad and try to smash you. You would just pop up somewhere else like nothing had happened. The trick there, is that you have to know it's coming, and that it can't be an accident. If someone or something hits you accidentally, you'll get hurt for real." Dot said.

"Look out!" Someone shouted as if on cue.

Annie turned and saw a ball headed directly for her face. She put her arms up just in time to avoid getting a broken nose.

The impact took her off her feet, and would've been enough to leave a mark had she not been covered with fur. But she was otherwise fine.

"Annie!" Dot cried, rushing to Annie and kneeling at her side. "Are you ok?" She asked in a voice filled with concern.

"Won't you tell us that you're ok?" The young squirrel boy who kicked the ball asked as he rushed over, looking and sounding very concerned. We all know him as Skippy by the way.

"I'm ok" Annie said. "Can I have some more ice cream?" She suddenly asked.

"Sure Annie, as much as you want." Dot said as she hugged her.

"I'll get it." Skippy volunteered. Then he rushed off and returned with the ice cream a few moments later.

"Here ya go." He said as he handed her the ice cream.

"Thank you!" Annie said happily. Then she started in on the ice cream cone.

"You're welcome." Skippy said. "And I'm really sorry about the soccer ball by the way." He added. Annie paused and looked up at him briefly, then went back to eating her ice cream without saying a word.

"It's ok." Dot said. "Judging from the way she's eating that ice cream, I'd say that you and I are the only ones who're upset about all this."

"Well, that's good to hear." Skippy said, sounding a bit relieved. "Anyway, I'd better be going now. It was nice seeing you again by the way." He said to Dot. "And nice meeting you." He said to Annie. "Bye now." He added with a wave as he made his exit.

"Who was that just now Mommy?" Annie asked.

"That was Skippy. We used to work on the same show together." Dot replied. Annie looked off in the direction Skippy had just walked off in.

"Skippy." Annie said to herself.

Later that day, back at the water tower, Dot and Annie were watching TV with Yakko and Wakko. The interview they had done earlier that day was on. Annie was sitting in Dot's lap, eating ice cream as they watched. Elsewhere, Skippy happened to be watching the same program.

"Six months old? I thought she was just small for her age!" Skippy said to himself as he looked on in disbelief. He had realized Annie was younger than himself the moment he first saw her. But with the way she spoke, he had naturally assumed she was at least older than that.

After the interview was over, he shut off the TV and simply stood there scratching his head. Back at the water tower, the Warners were giving their reactions to the interview as well.

"That went pretty well I'd say. Not bad for your first interview Annie." Yakko said. Dot cleared her throat. "And your mommy did pretty good too." He added.

"Naturally, I am an expert after all. Right Annie?" Dot asked.

"Right Mommy!" Annie said. Then she finished the last bit of the ice cream in her bowl. "Can I have some more ice cream please?" She asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Two And Two Together

Babs shut off the T.V after watching the interview. It was the first time she had actually seen Annie, and she was none too pleased about it. All the things that had bugged her over the past six months were suddenly starting to make sense.

The nervous edge that appeared in Buster's tone at the slightest mention of Annie's name. The never ending list of excuses he had made to prevent them from meeting face to face. His sudden insistence on having her in his film. His evasive response when she questioned him about the incident in the papers. The rabbit's feet had pretty much said it all.

But that was impossible, right? This was Buster she was talking about after all. Her husband! Her imagination was simply getting the better of her she told herself. Yet that nagging feeling remained, and she soon found herself snooping around in Buster's things.

She eventually stumbled upon a disc hidden between the pages of a book at the bottom of a draw in his desk. _**'Words'**_ was the title written on the face of it. She popped the disc into the computer and waited for it to read, then opened one of the files and watched as a video started. The image of Annie sitting in her stroller appeared on the screen.

"Mommy." Annie said as she pointed to one side. "Daddy." She said as she pointed to the other side. Whoever she was pointing at remained silent for a moment.

"She just called me Mommy." Dot said.

"She just called me Daddy." Buster said. Babs instantly recognized the sound of their voices.

"She just said her first words!" Dot and Buster said in unison.

"A tape recorder! We need a tape recorder or something in case she says it again!" Buster said.

"No need, I've been wired for sound and images since the day Annie took her first steps. This flower in my hair is really a digital video camera." Dot said as she pointed to the flower.

"Normally, I would say that's just a bit extreme. But ya can't argue with results." Buster said. "Incidentally, could I get a copy of that video later?" He asked.

"Sure." Dot replied. "She's just as much your daughter as she is mine after all." She added. Then the video abruptly ended. It was then that Babs happened to notice Buster's reflection in the partially darkened monitor. He gave a nervous grin, realizing she could see him. Her blood began to boil and she turned to face him.

"Why you blue eared devil, I ought'a clobber you!" Babs said as she rose and stalked towards him.

"Babs, Babsie, I can explain." Buster said as he backed away nervously. "See, no one actually had a baby. This bird just came along and left her at the tower. And somehow, according to a genetic test, she happens to be our biological daughter." He explained.

The following morning, Buster woke to find himself laying on the floor with a splitting headache and a swollen left eye.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

The Chapter With No Name.

Because I Couldn't Think Of One.

"Can I have some ice cream Mommy?" Annie asked shortly after waking up the day after the interview. Dot gave a quick yawn and walked to the crib.

"Sure Annie." Dot said as she let down the bars on the crib and started to pick her up.

"Wait a second Mommy, I need to get my book." Annie said. She quickly grabbed up the book and Dot carried her down to the kitchen. She sat Annie in her highchair, then filled a bowl with ice cream.

"Here ya go Annie." Dot said in a lightly cheerful but sleepy tone as she handed Annie the bowl.

"Thanks Mommy!" Annie said before digging in.

"You're welcome." Dot said, giving Annie a smile.

"Do we have any tapes of that show you were on Mommy?" Annie asked between spoons of ice cream.

"Annie, we have a library." Dot said. "Your uncle Yakko keeps every episode of Animaniacs ever made inside a chest in his closet." She said.

"Can I watch some?" Annie asked.

"Sure, I'll go ask him to bring it down for you." Dot said. "Sounds like he's getting up right about now anyway." She added before leaving the kitchen. Minutes later, Annie was sitting in front of the TV about to watch the premiere episode of Animaniacs.

"I can't believe I didn't show you these before you had to ask about them." Yakko said as he put in the first tape.

"Can I have some more ice cream uncle Yakko?" Annie asked, holding out her empty bowl.

"That could be arranged." Yakko said. Then he took the bowl and returned with more ice cream a few moments later. They continued watching for a while after that.

"Is something wrong with that girl uncle Yakko?" Annie asked when she first saw an episode of Buttons and Mindy.

"A lot's wrong with that girl Annie." Yakko replied.

"Can I have some more ice cream?" Annie suddenly asked.

"Sure." Yakko replied. Then he took the bowl again and went to get more ice cream. When he returned, Dot and Wakko were gathered around the TV as well.

They all wound up spending the rest of the day watching Animaniacs together, mostly just to see Annie's reactions to it. She made all sorts of amusing comments on various characters and episodes.

The next day, it was back to the movie set for Dot and Annie. It had been at least three days since their last visit, and Annie couldn't wait to see her daddy again. She wondered about the shades he was wearing when she saw him, but didn't think much of it.

"What happened to your eye?" Dot asked once Annie was out of earshot for a moment.

"I finally got around to having that little talk with Babs. Right after she found out on her own." Buster said.

"She hit you?" Dot asked in disbelief. Though it wasn't very hard to believe.

"Not as hard as she could've. And she still hasn't called the cops yet." Buster said. "I think she actually wants to believe in me. But it's gonna take her a while to actually come back."

"In the meantime, we've still got a movie to make. So let's not waist any more time on my problems, ok." Buster said. Then it was back to business as usual for the next few hours.

"Did you see me on TV this week Daddy?" Annie asked when she got a chance to talk to Buster in his office.

"I sure did." Buster said. "Ya did great kiddo." He said as he pet her on the head. "In fact, you did so great, I thought you deserved a prize." He said as he walked to the back of his desk. "So, I got you... this." He said as he reached behind the desk and came back up with a blue gift box tied with a gold colored ribbon. He sat it on the desk right across from Annie's seat.

"What is it? Can I open it right now?" Annie asked excitedly as she stood up in her chair to get a better look.

"Well it's yours, isn't it? Sure you can open it." Buster said in a cheerful tone.

Annie quickly climbed out of her chair and onto the desk, then carefully untied the ribbon and neatly folded it before placing it in her pocket. After that, she opened the box and found a cute little blue backpack inside. Her face lit up the second she saw it.

"Wow, thanks Daddy!" Annie said.

"I thought you might like it." Buster said. "This way you'll be able to carry around that book you like so much, and still keep both hands free. And look, it even has waterproof compartments inside. That way you don't have to worry about anything getting wet if it rains or something." He said as he pointed out one of the compartments.

"There's something inside." Annie said as she inspected the backpack.

"I also bought the next installment of your favorite book. Had to make sure it would fit the one you already have, right?" Buster said.

"Thanks Daddy." Annie said for the second time as she hugged him.

"You're welcome Annie." Buster said as he returned the hug. Then he suddenly happened to remember something. "Oh, incidentally, guess what happened after you and your Mommy's interview aired the other day." He said.

"What?" Annie asked.

"The phone in my office started ringing off the hook with calls from people who wanted you two as guest on their shows! You and your Mommy are regular media sweet hearts right now Annie!" Buster said enthusiastically. And truer words couldn't have been spoken. Everyone who was anyone, was currently interested in Dot and Annie.

Over the next week, Dot and Annie appeared on a number of different talk shows, received numerous offers for commercial deals and so on. All while filming scenes for the movie in between. To say the least, it was a busy week.

At the end of the week, the Warners received a letter from some director guy, saying that he was interested in casting all four Warners in a new film! Along with the letter, he had sent four tickets to the opening of a new amusement park as a gift to help persuade them.

"Think we should accept his offer?" Dot asked after Yakko had read the letter to everyone.

"Maybe." Yakko replied. "But we can think about that after we've used these tickets tomorrow!" He said.

The next day, the Warners arrived at the amusement park at around eight PM. Roughly an hour after the gates had opened. One of the park mascots was waiting to greet them.

"Excuse me. You four are the Warners, right?" The mascot asked.

"We are." Dot replied.

"Well I'm supposed to give you a special guided tour of the place. So if you would, please follow me." The mascot said as he turned and gestured for them to follow. "The first stop on our tour is the hall of illusions." He announced as they walked.

"What's that?" Yakko asked.

"It's one of the most interesting new attractions I've seen at an amusement park in years! It's got all these rooms with lots of different special effects inside. Even holograms." The mascot said.

"Why does it look so dark on the outside?" Annie asked as they got closer.

"It's not scheduled to open till later tonight. The owner is supposed to come by and give some big speech about the return of attractions with the same type of draw as the classic hall of mirrors before anyone gets to see it. But seeing as how you're all such special guest, I'm allowed to show it to you right now." The mascot said as they reached the entrance. Then he unlocked the door.

"Please enjoy the hall of illusions!" The mascot said as he ushered them in. "I'll be waiting on the other side." He added as the door slowly fell closed behind them.

"We're leaving the same way we came once we get done here, agreed?" Yakko asked once the door was completely closed.

"Agreed." The others replied in unison. Then they all started to look around.

The room they stood in looked like a standard house of mirrors at first site. But when they stood in front of the first set of mirrors, the reflections they saw were facing backwards somehow. As if they were looking at themselves from behind. The deeper they went into the room, the more impressive the mirror tricks got. In every direction the Warners looked, their eyes met with some new and fascinating spectacle.

The next room they explored was modeled after a Japanese garden at night. Tiny lights danced around like fireflies, reacting to the Warner's movements, and occasionally forming complex shapes in the air.

The third room was almost completely dark inside. The only light source was the dim glow of a large white tile near the entrance. It lit up brightly the second they stepped on it, starting a chain reaction. Patterns of blue light started to move across the walls, converging at the other end of the room and forming into blue holographic images shaped like the Warners.

"Look Mommy! I'm twins!" Annie said, pointing to her neon colored doppelganger. It mimicked her and pointed right back. She laughed and scampered towards the center of the room, meeting her holographic twin up close.

She gleefully compared details, danced about playfully, waved her arms, made faces. Whatever she could think of at the moment. Then, as the hologram continued to mimic her every move, she started to wonder if she couldn't somehow stump her holographic double.

She paused and held a hand to her chin as she thought back to the white tile that had activated the holograms in the first place. The way it lit up when they stepped on it reminded her of a camera, and she figured it had probably taken their picture to make the holograms. And if that was the case, she knew exactly how to trick the system!

She opened her backpack, taking out one of her books and opening it. The hologram copied her movements, but had no book in it's hands. Annie triumphantly put the book away, having successfully bested the hologram at it's game of mimicry.

"So it turns out that the book is mightier than the hologram." Yakko said as he walked up to Annie along with Wakko and Dot.

"Tell us Miss Warner, what's it feel like to be the new champion?" Dot asked, playfully pretending to hold out a microphone. Then, without warning, the lights suddenly blacked out.

"Uh... I don't think that was supposed to happen." Yakko said. "Anybody got a flashlight?" He asked.

"Not me. What about you Wakko?" Dot asked.

"Didn't bring one today." Wakko replied.

"Then I guess we're in the dark for a while." Yakko said. Then he paused for a moment. "We'd better get outta here." He decided. "Everyone hang onto each other so we don't get separated on the way out ok." He said.

"Hang on a sec." Dot said as she felt around in the spot Annie had been standing. No one was there. "We're leaving Annie, say something so I can find you." She called out.

"Over here Mommy." Annie said. Dot followed the sound of her voice.

"There you are." Dot said once she had found Annie. She picked her up and slowly started back towards Yakko and Wakko. Before she could make it more than half way there, they all heard what sounded like a door opening and paused to listen.

"The four of you ok in there?" They heard the mascot guy call from a few rooms down.

"We'll be fine once we get outta of here." Yakko called back.

"Just stay right where you are then. I'm coming to get you." The mascot guy said. A few moments later, they saw a light approaching.

"There you are." The mascot guy said as he neared the room they where in. "I'm really sorry you didn't get to see the whole thing by the way." He added.

"What happened to the lights anyway?" Yakko asked. Then he suddenly heard a strange sound, like something moving rapidly through the air. Seconds later, he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, followed by an odd moist sensation. He quickly realized it was blood, and that he had just been shot. Apparently by a gun with a silencer. A quick glance at Wakko revealed that he too had been hit in the shoulder. Dot and Annie however, remained unharmed.

"To answer your question, I shut off the lights so I could get close without you seeing this gun in my hand." The mascot guy said, standing just outside the room they where in.

As he stepped in and started to approach, it was plane to see he had changed clothes. Instead of the goofy looking costume from before, he wore a white T-shirt, jeans, a dark colored jacket, plus a ski mask and gloves.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess, and say that you don't really work here, right?" Yakko asked, joking despite all the pain he was in.

"That would be correct." The masked man said. Then he whacked Yakko over the head with his gun and kicked him off to the side.

"Yakko!!!" Dot cried.

"Zip it little miss Warner! What happened to your brother just now, happened because he didn't understand his place in this situation! And if you don't want me to remind him again, I suggest that you promptly hand over the girl." The masked man shouted while keeping his gun trained on Yakko. However, instead of intimidating Dot, he had only succeeded in making her mad.

"No way creep!" Dot shouted, kicking him in the shin, then taking off running.

"Get back here now girlie, or your brothers die!" The masked man shouted after her. He turned to carryout his threat, but found two cardboard cutouts standing there in place of Yakko and Wakko. He turned again and saw a large mallet rushing towards his face. The impact knocked him to the ground, causing him to drop both the gun and his flashlight.

"Wakko! Grab the light!" Yakko shouted.

"Got it!" Wakko said as he snatched up the flashlight before the masked man could get to it.

"Good, now let's go!" Yakko said. Then they dashed out of the room, leaving the masked man in the dark. They quickly caught up with Dot and Annie, then made their way to the exit.

"It's locked!" Yakko said when door refused to budge.

"Hang on a second." Dot said as she put Annie down. Then she took out a large mallet and knocked the door clean off it's hinges. She picked Annie back up again, then they all dashed out towards a crowd of people who were gathered around something or other.

As the Warners drew closer to the spectators, they noticed that a pair of cops were near the center of the crowd. The two officers were talking to a man who was wrapped in a blanket and had rope marks on his wrist. The back of the man's head was bandaged, where he had apparently been hit over the head with something.

"What's going on?" Yakko casually asked a man in the crowd.

"Some guy got his costume stolen." The man responded without looking at them.

"I think we may've seen the guy who took it." Yakko said.

"Really? How could you tell him apart from all the other park mascots?" The man asked, still not looking at the Warners. Yakko tapped him on the shoulder and he finally looked in their direction. A stunned expression instantly etched it's way across his face.

"Call it a hunch." Yakko said. The man promptly called over the two cops, diverting the crowds attention to the Warners as well.

"Where did you last see the person who did this to you?" One of the cops asked while the other officer radioed for an ambulance.

"In there." Yakko replied, pointing to the hall of illusions. The cop who was talikng to him took off running towards it, and was soon joined by the other cop who covered the other exit. They searched, but didn't find anyone inside. They searched the surrounding area as well, but still turned up nothing.

The paramedics soon arrived and transported Yakko and Wakko to the hospital. Dot and Annie were driven there by the two cops.

At the hospital, Dot was interviewed by the two officers while she and Annie waited to see Yakko and Wakko. She answered their questions as best as she could, and told them all about the tickets and the letter they had received. The officers temporarily broke off their questioning when a nurse finally came to tell Dot she could see her brothers.

After Dot and Annie had visited with Yakko and Wakko, the officers asked a few more questions. When they were done, they offered to drive Dot and Annie home. Dot declined however. She just couldn't leave after what had happened that night.

As the two officers walked away, Dot took Annie's hand and got up to make a couple phone calls. The first one was to Natasha. The second one was to Buster. She told them what had happened, let them know where she was, and made arrangements to stay with Natasha till Yakko and Wakko were out of the hospital.

After she got off the phone, one of the nurses informed Dot that there were some extra beds available if she was going to be staying for the night, and pointed her towards the nearest room. Dot thanked the lady, then entered the room with Annie still in tow. She let out a short sigh once the door was closed, then walked to the bed and started pulling back the covers.

"Well Annie, looks like I might not be able to keep my word about taking you out to more places after all. Not right away at least." Dot said as she got the bed ready. She heard a small, almost inaudible sniffle escape from Annie, and looked to find that her eyes were filling with tears.

"Don't worry Annie, I'll make it up to you eventually." Dot said as she placed a hand on Annie's shoulder and kneeled to be closer to her eye level.

"I'm sorry Mommy." Annie said.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Dot asked.

"Uncle Yakko and Wakko got hurt because of me." Annie said. Dot briefly paused to consider her response.

"Annie, the one responsible is the one who hurt them, not you." Dot said.

"But... if I hadn't been there with you, he never would've come." Annie said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What happened was not your fault Annie. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. If I hadn't gone along with the idea to involve you in that stupid movie, that guy never would've even known you existed." Dot said.

"He would've come sooner or later. The man in the white coat told him to find me." Annie said.

"What are you talking about Annie? Who's the man in the white coat?" Dot asked, growing even more concerned.

"He was there the day I was born." Annie replied.

"You remember things from the day you were born?" Dot asked.

"Not till today. I remembered when that man with the gun was yelling at you. He was doing the same thing the first time I saw him." Annie said.

"You saw him? Do you remember what he looked like?" Dot immediately asked.

"I never saw his face. He was wearing a mask just like this time." Annie replied.

"What about the man in the white coat? Do you remember seeing his face?" Dot asked.

"No, just his coat." Annie said.

"What about their names? Do you remember hearing any names at all?" Dot asked. Annie shook her head no.

"Sorry." Annie said as she let her head droop sadly.

"_I'm putting too much pressure on her. I should be trying to think of a way to deal with this myself_." Dot thought to herself. She wiped away Annie's tears and wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Don't worry about it Annie. We'll get through all this one way or another." Dot said. "I'll think of something. You'll see." She said.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Unwanted Attention

"Wow, I don't look so good." Dot said to herself as she looked into the mirror. It was early the morning following the amusement park incident, and she had just spent much of the night laying awake in bed. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she just plane looked tired. She splashed some cold water on her face, attempting to wake herself up a bit. Then heard a light knock at the door. She walked to the door and answered it to find Natasha standing there. As arranged over the phone the previous night, she had arrived to pick them up.

"Wow. You don't look so good." Natasha said when she saw Dot.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Dot explained.

"Well, that's certainly understandable." Natasha said. "How's Annie doing by the way?" She asked.

"She was pretty upset last night. But at the moment, she's sleeping." Dot said.

"We can wait around a bit if you'd rather not wake her right away." Natasha offered.

"Nah, I've got too much to do today. I'll just carry her out to the car without waking her." Dot said.

"Ok." Natasha replied. "But we'll have to go out the back way I came in through. There's a swarm of cameras and reporters waiting for you to leave the building out front." She said. They exited the hospital minutes later, and found to their surprise that the reporters were now waiting for them at the rear of the building.

"How do you feel about your brothers shooting miss Warner?" One of them asked.

"Is it true that the shooter was attempting to abduct your cousin for use in some form of ritual?" Another asked. Dot merely sighed and proceeded to Natasha's car. She was still holding Annie, so Natasha got the door for her.

"Can we expect any delays in the production of your new film miss Warner?" Yet another reporter asked as Dot entered the vehicle.

"No." Dot replied. Then she gave a nod and Natasha closed the door behind her.

"I really didn't need that just now." Dot said as Natasha entered the vehicle as well.

"Sorry about all that. They must've recognized me and realized I was here to pick you up." Natasha said. "Did they wake Annie?" She asked.

"No. There doesn't seem to be much that can stir her today." Dot replied.

"Then I'll go ahead and ask." Natasha started. "Are you sure about what you said to that reporter just now? That guy from the amusement park might come after Annie again." She said.

"That'll happen even if we don't finish the movie." Dot said. "Besides, I have a plan now. I'll need a little help to pull it off of course, but it should work." She added.

"Any chance I can talk you out of it?" Natasha asked. Dot shook her head no in response.

"In that case, I'll do whatever I can to help out." Natasha said.

"Well, for starters, you can take me to Total Pictures studios to pick something up. Then we'll need to pay a visit to a certain tree house." Dot said.

"Understood." Natasha replied. Then she started the car and left the parking lot. With that, Dot's plan was set in motion.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

Sympathy For A Blue Eared Devil.

Alone in the small hotel room she'd been staying in for the past week or so, Babs lay with her feet dangling over the side of her mattress. She glanced idly at the T.V as images of Dot being hounded by reporters played across the screen once again. She sighed and looked away, having already seen reports about the shooting more times than she cared to think about. She closed her eyes, trying to think of something else. And found her mind drifting back to the moment when she first saw Annie.

She could only imagine the negative affect all this messy shooting business was likely having on the young Warner, and couldn't help feeling sorry for her. Buster was no doubt experiencing similar sentiments at the moment. She imagined his distressed expression, and found herself thinking back to her less than civil conversation with him.

She felt more than just a bit guilty for hitting him at the moment. In truth, she had toyed with the idea that he may have actually been telling the truth from the moment she had calmed down enough to stop seeing red.

The idea of such a sweet little cutie like Annie being the product of something so... Well, it just didn't seem right. And as she had told herself once before, this was Buster she was talking about. She wanted to believe his story, no matter how outlandish. But could she actually bring herself to do so? She decided the answer was yes and checked out of the hotel.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

Not So Sweet Dreams

Only vague flashes of memories had come rushing through Annie's head as the masked man shouted with his gun aimed at Yakko. However, later that same night, a more detailed vision of those memories came flooding in when she finally drifted off to sleep.

She found herself on the floor, surrounded by broken glass, as well as a thick cloud of smoke that blocked her view of anything else in the room.

As the obstructing cloud slowly cleared, Annie was able to see at least three people in the room with her. She recognized them from her previous flash back, and was terrified by all three.

One was the masked man from the amusement park. The second was a less imposing and slightly shorter masked man with a stockier build. The third was a considerably smaller man wearing a white lab coat. His face was blocked from Annie's view by a table.

The three men were arguing, and didn't seem to notice Annie at first. Not till the taller masked man happened to turn and spot her. He promptly drew his gun and took aim without the slightest hesitation.

"No!!!! Do not destroy the creature! I need to study it!'' The man in the white coat shouted before the masked man could fire. "If I can decipher how our little lab accident could create such a thing, I will have made an even greater scientific achievement than my original project would've yielded!" He exclaimed. His words echoed through Annie's head.

Creature. Lab accident. She hadn't remembered that part the first time. The words struck her like so much dead weight. She grew detached from the dream world around her, even as events continued to unfold.

"We're still getting paid for that stuff you had us steal, right?" The shorter masked man asked.

"Yes, yes, you're still getting paid." The man in the white coat said dismissively. "Now fetch me a blanket from that closet over there!" He ordered. "I'd like to keep the creature healthy for the time being, and having it catch cold in this frigid lab is simply out of the question." He added. The shorter masked man did as he asked and got the blanket. Just as he was about to hand it over, the sound of glass shattering filled the room as a bird came crashing through the window. It plowed directly into the blanket, tearing it from his grip before hitting the floor and rolling to stop.

The bird fumbled about till finally freeing it's self from the tangled mass of fabric, then stumbled about dizzily till it happened to notice Annie.

"Just in time for today's pick up I see." The bird said, his breath reeking of booze. This bird, was of course, our old friend the drunken stork. He noted the WB shield symbol on the back of Annie's right hand, assuming it was some form of label. Then he took the blanket he had just escaped from, and neatly wrapped Annie in a bundle he could carry with his beak. With that done, he turned and gave a quick salute as the three men continued to look on dumbfounded.

"Later fellas. Have a nice day." He said. Then he started to flap his wings for take off. It was then that the man in the white coat finally snapped out of his stupor.

"What are you two idiots waiting for?! Do something!" The man in the white coat ordered. The two masked men took aim and fired. The stork's sperratic flight pattern somehow kept both himself and Annie out of harms way, without him even seeming to notice he was under fire.

"No!!! Stop shooting you idiots! You'll make him drop the creature!" The man in the white coat shouted.

"They'll get away if we don't shoot." The taller masked man said.

"Stop them some other way!" The man in the white coat demanded.

"There is no other way! In case you didn't notice, he's flying!" The taller masked man shot back angrily.

"Then follow them till he stops flying!" The man in the white coat said.

"That counts as tracking. Tracking comes with a separate fee." The taller masked man said.

"Then track them already!! I want that creature back here no matter what! Do you hear me?!!! I don't care how long it takes you! Just bring it back!!!" The man in the white coat shouted as the stork carried Annie out the window. His voice echoed as the dream faded in a white haze.

Annie woke feeling dazed and almost completely numb at the thought of what she'd just learned. She simply lay there in silence for a time before the tears finally came.

(A.N) By special request, a link for Village Of The Tooned has been added to my profile. Sorry it took so long. I only check my E-mail once every few months, so I only just now got the message.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

Determined

Days after the amusement park incident, Yakko and Wakko were released from the hospital to finish their healing at home. That ment it was back to the water tower for all four Warners.

Upon arriving at the tower's entrance, the Warners lingered, fearing in the back of their minds that someone might be lurking about inside. Being the oldest, Yakko chose to enter first, telling the others to stay where they were till he got back.

He checked the closets, the attic, the rooms, and even the cabinets. All was as it should have been.

"Ok, it's clear." Yakko said, ushering them inside.

"Ya know, it feels kinda weird being back here after all that's happened. Like we've been gone for years or something." Dot said after they got inside.

"I guess that goes to prove that time doesn't fly when you're _**not**_ having fun." Yakko said.

"You can say that again..." Dot said. "But don't." She added, stopping Yakko before he could repeat his sentence. She wasn't in a joking mood at the moment.

"Come on Annie. Let's go unpack." She said as she led Annie towards the stairs. Yakko started to say something as she walked away, but got distracted when the alarm on his watch went off.

"Pain killer time." Yakko said. Then he and Wakko were off to the kitchen.

They got some water and attempted to open their pain medication. Unfortunately, with only two good arms between them, it proved to be a bit more difficult than expected.

"Stupid child safety locks." Yakko muttered as he struggled with the bottle. "Hay Wakko, hold the other end of this while I turn the cap, ok." He said.

"Ok." Wakko said as he abandoned the bottle containing his own medication and went to help Yakko.

"Alright, on the count of three, I'm gonna push in, and turn it. Ready? 1...2...3." Yakko said. Then he pushed in and turned the cap, opening the bottle and spilling it's contents all over the floor. Both he and Wakko reached to pick up the pills at the same time, smacking their heads together in the process. They recoiled from the impact, then started to slip on the pills, sending them crashing to the floor rather painfully.

"OW…" They both whimpered as they lay there on their backs.

"Are you two ok in there?" They heard Dot call as she rushed to come check on them. She was at the door a few seconds later. She sighed when she saw them. "Are you two really in that much of a hurry to go back to the hospital?" She asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Yakko asked.

"Never mind. Just gimme your hands." Dot said, extending her hands. They both complied and she helped them up.

"Now scoot, so I can clean this up. I'll bring out your pills in a minute." She said as she ushered them out of the kitchen. She let out a short sigh once they were gone.

"Those two are gonna kill themselves long before anything else does if I don't keep an eye on them." She muttered to herself before turning her attention to the task at hand. A few minutes later, she emerged from the kitchen carrying Yakko and Wakko's medication on a plastic tray, along with two glasses of water.

"Here ya go. The ones on the left are Yakko's, and the ones on the right are yours Wakko." Dot said as she sat the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch they were sitting at.

"Ok." Wakko said. Then he dropped his pills into the water and swallowed the entire glass. He then let out a loud belch and pet his belly with a satisfied expression. "Thanks." He said.

"Yeah, thanks Dot." Yakko said, sounding slightly thrown off by what he had just witnessed.

"No problem." Dot said. "Just remember to call me next time you need help with something, ok? I've already seen you two get hurt really bad once, and I don't need to see it again." She said.

"Speaking of watching someone get hurt, are you still so sure we can't talk you out of going through with that plan of yours? I mean, the guy you're going after is the first person who's ever truly caught us off guard and really hurt us." Yakko said somberly.

"I'm sorry Yakko, but this is just something I have to do." Dot said. "Catching this guy is probably the only thing that can make me feel safe again at this point. Besides that, I owe him one for what he did to you two. And for what he did to Annie."

"Thanks to him, she barely says a word all day. I can't get her to smile. She wakes up crying in the middle of the night. And she's completely lost her appetite." Dot said.

"I already understand why you wanna catch the guy. I might not even object so much if you'd at least wait till me and Wakko are well enough to watch your back." Yakko said.

"I have to be alone for this to work at all Yakko. Besides, we need to resolve this as soon as possible. Something bad could easily happen to at least one, if not all of us, if we don't do something about this right now." Dot said. Yakko sighed as he mentally agreed with her statement.

"Fine, I won't try to talk you out of it anymore. Just… wear a bullet proof vest or something, ok." Yakko said, sounding slightly defeated.

"Ok." Dot replied with a subdued tone and a respectful nod of her head. A brief but awkward silence followed.

"I should probably go check on Annie right about now." Dot said, excusing herself from the room.

She soon found herself lingering outside the door to the room that she and Annie shared, feeling more than a bit hesitant to enter. A deep unpleasant gloom seemed to radiate from the very walls and pierce straight through her.

After a moment or so of simply standing there, she silently opened the door a bit and peaked inside as if to see whether it was safe to enter. She saw Annie sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, casually tossing something back and forth between her hands. It was the rubix cube Natasha had given her during their stay at her apartment.

Annie abruptly paused and held the cube at arms length in her right hand. She eyed it briefly, then started to shift the cube at a surprising rate. Within seconds, it was solved. However, Annie didn't seem particularly pleased with her accomplishment. Instead, she simply looked at the cube with a joyless expression, then sighed and casually tossed it away over her shoulder. She was clearly even more depressed than she had been over the past few days.

Dot wanted so badly to make her feel better, though nothing she had done so far had seemed to work. Despite not knowing what she could possibly do to make the situation any better, she took a deep breath, then entered the room.

"Hay Annie." Dot said as she walked in. "Sorry I took so long getting back. I had to clean up after Yakko and Wakko." She said in an attempt to make small-talk.

"It's ok, I like being alone anyway." Annie replied. Dot sighed lightly, then walked to the bed and sat next to Annie.

"Annie, what's been bugging you lately?" Dot asked. "I know it's more than just the obvious. You where upset that night at the hospital, but not the way you've been for the past few days." She said. Annie merely turned away and remained silent. Dot sighed once again.

"Alright, I won't try to force you if you're not ready to talk about it yet. But I'll be here to listen whenever you are. I am your Mommy after all." Dot said earnestly. The room fell silent for a moment.

"I had a dream about the night I was born." Annie finally said.

"What happened in the dream?" Dot asked.

"He said I was a lab accident." Annie said with a quiet sadness. Dot hadn't a clue how to respond. "I've had some other dreams too. About the day the stork brought me." Annie continued. "I'm not really yours, am I?" She asked, turning to Dot with tears in her eyes. Dot immediately drew her closer, wrapping her in a comforting hug.

"You are as far as I'm concerned." Dot said. "No matter where you came from, you'll always be my Annie. And no one is ever taking you away from me." She said with resolve.

(A.N) Due to certain technical difficulties, I was unable to post this chapter at it's scheduled time. Hopefully, this will not happen again in the near future.

On a separate note, I would like extend a special thanks to acosta perez jose ramiro, who has reviewed every single chapter so far.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

Annie, You're A Doll.

Weeks passed. The filming of Hide and seek continued unhindered by the recent attack on the Warners.

At the end of each day of filming, Dot walked to the same bus stop carrying 'Annie' on her back in one of those baby harness things some parents like to use.

Late one evening, she was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into an alley on her way to the bus stop. Her would be abductor was the shorter of the two masked men from Annie's dream.

Normally, she probably would've bitten him to make him let her go, then pounded him with her mallet. But she had to act helpless if she wanted her plan to work.

The Annie in the baby harness, was in fact a life like mechanical doll from the movie set, designed for use in scenes that might be a bit too dangerous for the real Annie. Thanks to a favor from Slappy, it now had a tracking device planted inside, as well as a few _extra _special features. As for the real Annie, she was safely being driven back to the tower by Natasha.

With that thought in mind, Dot pretended to struggle as she allowed herself to be carried to the van that was waiting at the other end of the alley. The taller masked man was waiting at it's driver's seat. She wanted to clock him right then and there, but that would have to wait till after she met the man he worked for.

Once inside the van, Dot was driven to none other than Acme Labs. She was carried inside, where she finally met the ever mysterious man the white coat.

He was a large headed fellow, roughly five feet tall, with visibly graying hair. He stood with his back to the door as they first entered the lab, and was none too pleased when he turned to face them and saw her face instead of Annie's.

"What is she doing here? I told you to bring me the creature!" He exclaimed.

"Keep yer pants on Lemon Head. We got the little one too." The taller masked man said.

"That's Lemming Head! Doctor Lemming Head you insolent dolt!" Head shouted.

"Whatever." The taller masked man said, completely ignoring his employer's indignation. Dot unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a laugh and snickered.

This was the infamous man in the white coat who haunted Annie's dreams? A funny looking weirdo with a silly name? This would be even easier than she had thought.

"And what, may I ask, is so funny?" Head asked.

"Well, with these guys doing your dirty work, I figured you'd be at least a little scary. But you're really more like one of our special friends." Dot explained, sounding thoroughly amused. The _'good'_ doctor promptly backhanded her.

"Have any of your special friends ever done that?" He asked. Dot glared back angrily, but said nothing in response. "I didn't think so." Head said. Then he turned and started towards another part of the lab.

"Bring the young one over here. Tie up the other one and lock it in the smallest cage you can find. And don't forget to gag the little beast." Head instructed. Dot once again pretended to struggle as the Annie doll was taken from the harness on her back.

"Give her back you creeps! I'll report you to the A.S.P.C.T for this!" Dot shouted as the doll was carried off by the taller masked man. She quickly dropped the act in favor of listening in once the doll was handed off to Lemming.

"What is this?" Head asked.

"Well gee doc, I don't know. Maybe it's a spoon." The taller masked man said sarcasticly.

"It's a blasted doll you idiot!!!" Head shouted as he threw it down. "Didn't you find it strange that the child never squirmed or complained?" He asked. Then he turned his attention to Dot. "You! What have you done with the real creature you accursed little beast?!!" He demanded as he stormed across the room towards her.

"_**Annie,**_ is somewhere safe." Dot said, defiantly looking him square in the eye. "But I'm sure my new pet would be more than happy to keep you company." She added as she pressed a button on her watch. Then a strange sound suddenly appeared, drawing the attention of Dot's three captors to it's source, the Annie doll laying face down on the floor just a few yards away.

The eyes of the Annie doll slowly opened, glowing a deep red color. Long metallic spider legs began sprouting from it's sides, stretching to an impressive length of over eight feet. A fiendish assortment ofweapons sprang from just about every other available spot on the doll's torso. The monstrous looking creature slowly raised it's head, giving a sinister razor toothed grin as it did. The Annie-Kill-Bot-9000, was officially online.

Releasing Dot in the process, the two masked men drew their guns, only to have them easily knocked from their hands by the horrific doll. It then proceeded to stalk towards them, growling like a rabid dog about to pounce. Their screams were soon heard from miles away. Slappy had truly outdone herself this time around.

In time, the police arrived thanks to a call made by Yakko and Wakko when the doll's signal went off it's usual course.

Dr. Lemming Head, Steven Mills, the tallest and most imposing of the two masked men. And his associate, Rudolph Steinberg, were all arrested on charges of kidnapping, and gladly went along without a fight. They later confessed to a number of other crimes in hopes of getting more prison time out of Dot's reach. None of the officers dared to ask what she had done in the time it took them to arrive.

As Dot's former captors were being taken away by police, Yakko Wakko and Annie arrived on the scene, along with Natasha who had driven them there. After a tearful reunion and a few questions from police, the Warners returned to the water tower for their first peaceful night's rest in weeks.

(A.N) Well, that's it for the main part of the story. There will be at least one or two closeing chapters, but that could take some time. Therefore, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my reviwers.

Loonytunecrazy, Goddess of Animaniacs, acosta perez jose ramiro, LiL' Pug, Kelsica2, WakkoRyan, banjkazfan, DancesWithCorpses, and Kalana Fox.

On a separate note, the A.S.P.C.T is an acronym for The Association To Prevent Cruelty To Toons. Just like A.S.P.C.A, is an acronym for The Association To Prevent Cruelty To Animals. But that was probably obvious.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

Dreams And Screams.

Yakko and Wakko sat on the couch watching T.V. Annie played happily on the floor with an assortment of dolls, action figures, and other miscellaneous toys. Dot had just stepped into the room from the kitchen, when suddenly, the tower door flew open with a thunderous sound. And in walked Steven Mills with his gun drawn.

He fired three shots. The first two hitting Yakko and Wakko, the third taking Dot off her feet. All three Warners lay motionless as he slowly turned his attention to Annie. He pulled the trigger, then suddenly, she woke to find herself back in bed, nestled comfortingly under Dot's arm. She was safe. The whole thing had been nothing more than a bad dream. One of many unfortunatly.

They had seemingly stopped altogether in the three days that had passed since the arrest of Dr. Lemming and his asociats. But clearly, they were back once again. And this one had been the worst of all.

She took at least some comfort in waking to find her Mommy there to remind her it was all just a _dream_, but that didn't stop her heart from racing. She felt sick and off balance as well. And for some strange reason, hungry. She wanted to get up and find something to eat, but quickly found that it hurt to move even a little bit. She gave up and attempted to go back to sleep in hopes of feeling better in the morning, but the pain seemed to return on it's own. Soon, every inch of her was begining to hurt. She shifted about uncomfortably as the pain grew more intence, waking Dot in the process.

"Wha...? ...Annie?" Dot said sleepily. "What's the matter Annie?" She asked with growing concern, despite being only half awake. Annie's only response was a terrible whine, followed by a dreadful cry that left Dot fully alert.

Annie's cries continued as her body began painfully stretching it's self, pausing only briefly every few inches she grew. Dot looked on horrified as the process continued. Annie was in terrible pain and she didn't have a clue what to do about it. She panicked and called for Yakko.

"_Yakko!!!!!!_" Dot cried at the top of her lungs. The sound of both Yakko and Wakko falling out of bed was immediatly heard from the other room, followed closely by the sound of them rushing to her door.

"What happened? What's the matter?" Yakko asked as they entered the room, nearly toppling each other in the process. He quickly spotted the answer to both questions.

"Annie?" Yakko said as he looked on in disbelief. Her transformation had come to a stop just before he and Wakko had entered the room, but it was evident even still. Her head would've been just below Dot's chin had they been standing next to each other. She was bairly conscious and looking terrible at the moment. Her unfocused gaze briefly settled on Yakko at the sound of his voice. She started to say something.

"_Hungry..._" She barely managed to choke out. Her withered tone pierced him like a javelin, causing his reflexes to fail him.

Seeing that his siblings weren't moving, Wakko rushed down to kitchen, quickly returning with a tub of ice cream and a spoon.

"Here ya go Annie." Wakko said as he began feeding her. After slowly taking a few spoons of ice cream and regaining a bit of her strength, Annie took the entire tub and began messily devouring it without a spoon.

"I'll go get more." Wakko said as he got up to make another run to the kitchen. His temporarily immobilized brother briefly stopped him at the door.

"Could you get the phone while you're at it? I think we're gonna need a little help on this one." Yakko said.

"On it." Wakko replied, giving an affirmative nod. Then he was off. Less than half an hour later, they were meating with Natasha at the studio's ever so convenient genetics lab.

"So what do you make of it?" Yakko asked as she examined Annie.

"I can't make anything of it. I've never seen anything like this." Natasha replied. "A Toon's growth cycle can be triggered by their desire to grow up, or pretty much any prolonged negative emotional state. But at worst, they would start to age at the rate your average human would. There's simply nothing to account for this kind of growth." She said.

"I believe that I may be able to shed some light on this particular topic. I am, after all, partially responsible for the child's existence." A familiar voice said. All eyes turned to it's source as none other than the Brain stepped from the shadows, with Pinky not far behind.

"You?" Yakko asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

"Strange as it may seem, yes." Brain replied. "The events that led to her birth occurred during one of my many attempts at global conquest." He continued.

"Oh! Oh! Are we going to do a flash back now Brain?" Pinky asked excitedly.

"Indeed Pinky." Brain replied as the scene grew blurry.

"Oh, goody goody!" Pinky chirped. "NARF!" He randomly exclaimed as the scene was slowly replaced by the image of himself and Brain back at Acme labs.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Behold Pinky, the nucleus of my latest plan for global domination." Brain said as he unveiled the machine in question.

"Gee Brain, it looks an awful lot like that clone thingy you made that one time. Only much much bigger." Pinky said.

"That's because it is, as you put it, that clone thingy, only much much bigger." Brain replied.

"But Brain, remember what happened the last time you tried to clone yourself? You were all, _'don't do that.' _And all, 'NARF, and point!' And then he went away." Pinky said nonsensically.

"While it's true that my previous attempt at world domination through use of cloning ended in slight misfortune, this one shall not. For rather than attempting to clone myself, I will be cloning world leaders and other important figures. And rather than creating clones based solely on the genetic material supplied, this new machine is designed to construct only clones that bear three specific traits. Intellect, prime physical condition, and unyielding loyalty to me. The first of those two traits will be achieved through use of advanced genetic engineering, while the last will be thanks to microscopic implants installed in the brain of each and every clone. All I need do now is to complete the machine by connecting the injector component which will dispense the micro implants." Brain said. Then he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone fiddling with the lock on the lab's back door.

"Hurry Pinky, we must conceal ourselves at once." Brain said. Then he quickly threw a tarp over his machine and they both scurried out of sight. The lab's back door came open only seconds later, and in walked Dr. Lemming and his two masked cohorts who carried a strange looking metal case around the size of a large ice chest. They sat it down rather roughly on a wooden table that stood next to Brain's machine, paying little attention to it's creaks and groans under the pressure.

"Be careful with that you cretins!" Head said. "It's contents are highly fragile."

"Exactly what is this stuff you had us steal for you anyway Hedge?" Steven asked.

"That's Head, Dr. Head." Head corrected in a seething tone. "And if you must know, it is a vast collection of Toon genetic material. Samples which I intend to use in my efforts to create genetically modified humans with the abilities of Toons." Head explained. "Now if you'd be so kind as to disappear, I'd like to get started on that." He added.

"I think you're forgetting a little something doc. The other half of our fee hasn't yet been payed." Steven said.

"Yes, your money, of course. I'll go get it right away." Head said, his tone lacking urgency. Just as he had turned to go fetch the money, the sound of the table creaking was heard once again. Followed by the sound of wood splintering as the table gave way under the weight of the case. The case came crashing down on top of Brain's machine, spilling it's contents and knocking the machine online.

Out of all the shattered vials, the contents of only two made their way to the cloning chamber before it sealed and began the cloning process. The machine was shooting sparks and billowing smoke rampantly, but somehow managed to survive long enough for Annie to be born.

------------------------------------------------------

"Like all clones made by my machine, your Annie is engineered to reach maturity in a relatively short span of time. Had she been a human, it would've likely taken only a month or so. But being a Toon, her growth cycle didn't begin before she had experienced weeks worth of negative emotions." The Brain of the present said as the flashback ended.

"So Annie could end up being even older than me if we can't keep her happy?" Dot asked, growing even more concerned than before.

"Under other circumstances, yes. But fortunately, I have developed a treatment that should stabilize her growth rate as thanks for ridding my lab of that so called _**'Dr.' **_Lemming." Brain said as Pinky fetched the bottle of pills they had brought. "Make sure she takes one of these every day for the next thirty days. That should permanently stabilize her growth." He said. Yakko took the bottle.

"Shame we didn't have these a few days ago. Maybe Annie wouldn't have lost a chunk of her childhood." Yakko said.

"I believe I may have a solution in regards to that as well. A device I constructed known as the molecular regressor." Brain said.

"The what?" Yakko asked.

"The molecular regressor. A device I initially developed for use in a plan to take over the world by turning it's population into infants, then reeducating them using a series of conditioning programs. It's only flaw was it's inability to regress a subject's memories or extend their lifespan." Brain explained.

"In other words, it's the perfect thing for Annie." Yakko said.

"Correct." Brain replied. After a bit more conversation, it was off to Acme labs.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

Annie Baby.

Annie looked on silently as her uncle Yakko spoke with the Brain.

"And we're sure this is safe, right?" Yakko asked.

"Safe, and quite painless, I assure you." Brain said as he continued setting up the molecular regressor. Annie was a bit skeptical.

"Do we have to do this Mommy?" Annie asked, looking to Dot.

"Well, no. Not if you really don't want to." Dot said. "But how come you didn't say anything before?" She asked. Annie responded by looking at the regressor ray. Dot followed her gaze and instantly understood.

"Oh, I get it." Dot said. "You hadn't seen the big scary looking ray yet." She said. Annie shook her head yes in response.

"Well, it's a little sad to see you grow up so fast. But I'm not gonna force you if you're scared." Dot said.

"Maybe if I didn't have to look at it." Annie said. Dot briefly pictured her standing in front of the ray wearing a blindfold. She resembled a prisoner standing before a firing squad far too much for Dot's liking and she quickly shook the image out of her head.

"What if it didn't look so scary, would that help?" Dot asked. Annie thought about it, then shook her head yes. Dot immediately stood up and approached the ray.

"Step aside gents. This is gonna take a hundred percent of my powers of cuteness, and you don't wanna get caught in the crossfire." Dot said as she made her way to the ray. Both Yakko and the Brain promptly cleared the way as she went to work on the ray. Within moments, the molecular regressor was the most colorful and nonthreatening object in the lab. The Brain quickly rushed in to inspect it for any possible damage once she was done.

"Hmm... All the necessary components appear to still be in place. We can proceed at any time. Provided that your young protege is ready to undergo the procedure." Brain said. All eyes quickly turned to Annie. She stood up and stepped within the ray's sights, then gave a nod, indicating she was ready. Everyone stepped aside as the modified ray was activated and began to build it's charge.

It fired, surrounding Annie in a strange blue energy. As promised, it didn't hurt at all as Annie's body began to shrink back to it's original size.

(A.N) This really should've been part of the previous chapter. I'm rather disappointed I didn't see it sooner. But, well, it wasn't written when I posted chapter fifteen. Whatever the case, this means I'll be writing another chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

The Show Must Go On.

Buster waved, faking a smile as Dot and Annie left the studio. He sighed wistfully once they were out of sight, then turned and reentered the studio.

Months had passed since the attempted kidnapping of Annie. But for Buster, it felt as if she would soon be ripped away once again. The final day of filming was rapidly approaching, and that meant only one thing. Seeing Annie without drawing unwanted attention would soon become much more complex. Would he be able to see her at all he wondered. Of course he would. He would find a way he told himself. That was enough to keep his spirits up for the time being.

The dreaded day soon came and went. As did the premier party that followed not long afterwards.

The movie was a hit that led to talks of even more films featuring the Warners. A new series featuring all four Warners was soon in the works as well. Directed by none other than Buster Bunny.

The End.

(A.N) Well, that's it for Little Angelina Warner. Extremely short chapter, I know. Wasn't much left to tell really. Just didn't want to leave Buster out in the cold so to speak.

On a separate note, if anyone has any comments on any given chapter, feel free to submit a review for it. After all, there's no rule saying you can't review a chapter just because it's not the latest chapter. Oh, and one more thing. The hidden rhymes found in this story are as follows. Some of these I'm not completely sure about myself.

1 your option to put the baby up for adoption.

2 He sighed in defeat, then returned to his seat.

3 Yakko said as he stroked the back of her head.

4 "How'd you get her to do all that anyway?" Buster asked at the end of the day.

5 "Goodnight." Dot said before shutting off the lamp next to the bed.

6 "Annie!" Dot cried, rushing to Annie and kneeling at her side.

7 "I didn't think so." Head said.

8 "Be careful with that you cretins. It's contents are highly fragile." Head said

9 "Yes, your money, of course. I'll go get it right away." Head said, his tone laking urgency.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter eighteen:

Alternate Ending.

Over the next few months, life gradually returned to normal for the Warners. Yakko continued playing teacher to Annie. Wakko continued being Wakko. Dot continued being cute. Annie continued learning at an amazing rate. And, in general, the mood around the tower was once again lighthearted and cheerful. Unfortunately, things were a bit different on Buster's end of things.

The final day of filming for Hide and Seek was rapidly approaching, and that meant only one thing. Seeing Annie without drawing unwanted attention would soon become much more complex.

What frustrated him most was that he had never really been able to play the kind of roll he wanted in Annie's life. Spending time with her on the movie set was fun and everything, but his personal time with her had always been limited at best. Now that the movie production was drawing to a close, he wondered if he'd be able to see her at all. The whole situation had him whishing he'd been born a Warner instead of a rabbit. But even still, he waved and put on a fake smile as he watched Dot and Annie leave the studio. They looked so happy these days, he didn't want to ruin it. He sighed wistfully once they were out of sight, then turned and reentered the studio. He needed to call Babs right away.

Both Dot and Annie could tell there was something wrong with Buster lately. Not only had they both managed to catch his melancholy expressions more than once, they could feel it. Dot was pretty sure she knew what it was, and had decided to do something about it.

"Annie, how'd you like to go visit your daddy and auntie Babs at their place sometime?" Dot asked as they walked to the bus stop near the studio. Annie gladly went along with the idea, and a regular visiting arrangement was soon worked out.

The dreaded day soon arrived, but didn't seem so terribly dreadful anymore. The premier party followed not long afterwards.

The entire cast of both Tinny Toons and Animaniacs was present at the premier. The movie was a hit that led to talks of even more films featuring the Warners. A new series featuring all four Warners was soon in the works as well. Directed by none other than Buster Bunny.

The End

(A.N) The original ending was a bit more fast paced than I intended it to be, so I wrote this one. I didn't want to get rid of the original, so I made this one into a separate chapter.


End file.

Animaniacs, Drama, Humor