Fly True, Cupid's Arrow: Pt. 2
Meanwhile at "Tammy's Bearings", Tammy was working on the latest update on one of Jack's weapons, unaware that Jack was already under the love spell. Just then, she heard a knock on the door and when she rushed to answer the door, she found the familiar shrew, who had a worried expression on his face.
"John, are you okay?" Tammy asked.
"Tammy, have you seen Jack?" John asked.
"Nope, not yet," Tammy replied. "Why do you ask?"
"You won't believe what happened," John explained, "but the last time I saw him, he was at my bar. He was about to sip some fondue when we saw some beautiful lady floating in there. She had pink eyes and those tiny hearts were dancing around her head. She just...kept staring at him with love in her eyes! And then, when Jack tried to back away from her, this arrow struck him from behind and that was when he ended up floating above the ground! He's fallen in love with...Vivian McCarthy!"
"Vivian...McCarthy?!" Tammy gasped in shock. "How could Jack fall in love with her?!"
Just then, they suddenly heard another door creaking.
"Tell me that it's Jack," Tammy deadpanned.
"You gotta' follow me to believe me," John replied.
As if on cue, they followed the noise and that was when they found the front door open. Although unseen by either of them at the time, the mischievous Cupid!Mickey was leading a now love-hypnotized Jack upstairs by the necktie, snickering playfully as he went. After a few seconds, he then let go of Jack, allowing the lovestruck detective to float gracefully on his own.
"What the--" Tammy gasped. "Jack?"
"Do you believe me now?" John asked.
As Jack floated into his office, he gracefully landed on his own two feet before finding a Valentine card on his desk. His pink eyes happily popped out for a second as he picked it up prior to reading it to himself out loud, blissfully unaware that John and Tammy were watching him the whole time.
"To my handsome Dreamboat," Jack read with a smile on his muzzle, which caused the hearts above his head to bubble rapidly, "I love you so much! Will you be my Valentine? Forever Yours, Vivian McCarthy."
Tammy slapped herself on the cheek as she tried to comprehend what she just saw, while John was knocked for six and stared in slack-jawed horror.
"See that? I told you so," John finally said.
"Stay right here, John," Tammy said. "I'll see this for myself."
As if on cue, she snuck towards Jack, who was hugging and nuzzling the card like a little girl who was clutching her doll. As of now, his eyes were closed and he wasn't paying attention to his honorary daughter at all.
"Jack, are you okay?" Tammy asked in concern. "What's happened to you?"
However, his only reply was a loving sigh escaping his lips. Just then, Tammy heard a laugh erupting from nowhere and when she looked around, she found the familiar shrew/mouse hybrid, who was cackling out loud.
"Millie, why are you laughing?" Tammy snapped.
"Look at that! Uncle Jack falling for a pretty lady?!" Millie cackled. "Oh, that's rich!"
"Hey, is anything alright?" asked the other feminine voice.
The girls turned around and saw the familiar-looking older mouse woman, who was coming upstairs to see what it was all about.
"Wanda, did you see that?" Tammy asked before explaining. "John was right. Look at my almost-papa! There are so many tiny hearts popping above his head. His eyes are pink and he's floating off the ground. He's too focused on this Valentine card...it's like you, me, John and even Millie don't exist anymore. Don't you see how he's hugging it? He's been brainwashed into falling in love with Vivian McCarthy! And if the same thing has happened to her too, then I wouldn't be surprised."
"What?!" Wanda gasped in shock. "That's crazy! How did this happen?"
"Read the card and see for yourself!"
As if on cue, Wanda snatched the card from Jack's hands before carefully studying it; that was when it dawned on the journalist that John was telling the truth: Jack Pepper had been brainwashed into falling in love with Vivian McCarthy. Disgusted, Wanda crumpled up the card before tossing it into the waste-paper-basket.
"We gotta' do something to bring Jack and Vivian back to normal," Wanda said.
"Yeah," Tammy said, "and Galina ain't gonna' like this when she sees her object of affection flirting with Vivian."
"We'll find a way to stop this, don't worry," Wanda reassured.
"Yeah," Tammy stated, "but I'll need to find Steve first. I'm sure he'll know what to do."
During their conversation, Jack leapt into the waste-paper-basket and was digging in it for his card.
"Hey, girls," John called out as he ran upstairs towards Wanda and Tammy.
"What?" Both of the women asked in tandem.
"Look over there!" John shouted as he pointed his index finger towards Jack.
The two women turned around and saw Jack digging in the waste-paper-basket and gasped. Even John was horrified by the way the detective was currently acting. They also saw Jack's legs wiggling around outside the paper-basket. Just then, Tammy had an idea.
"You guys better come with me," she said. "I have a plan!"
As Tammy left with Wanda and John in tow, Jack had just fished out his card from the paper-basket. His pink eyes widened lovingly as he gazed at it. Looking over Vivian's lipstick mark and her elegant handwriting again, Jack smiled prior to twitterpating.
"My beautiful Rosebud," Jack sighed dreamily, "till whence we meet again..."
As if on cue, he gently folded the card prior to opening the drawer of his desk and placing it inside.
