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Abel knew he had very few friends in the world. He was fine with that. He had learned to be fiercely independent. If anything happened, could take care of himself. That was the one thing he wanted when he escaped his studio. He didn’t want to be dependent on anyone ever again.
He made his way through Toon Town by less savory means, but he was alive. That’s all that mattered to him. Over time he managed to do more legit jobs but he had acquired skills that made him very versatile.
The other thing about Abel was that he didn’t care for humans. The toon angel made it no secret that he doesn’t trust them and neither should any other toon. If a toon was being harassed by a human, Abel would be the first one there, pointing a very large gun at their head. When it came to humans, the angel had very little mercy for them.
So it came as a huge surprise to other toons the day a human walked up to him. They all watched as the woman called out to him. Everyone was expecting the hot headed angel to yell or curse the woman out. They held their breath as Abel just stared at her.
The spectators were floored when the angel gave her a warm smile and they hugged one another. It seemed to be someone from his past, but no one was brave enough to ask him about it.
Those who were noisy enough noticed she would show up when the Acme trucks came to deliver supplies to the growing town. She’d manage what supplies go where and seemed to have no problem talking with other toons. Some even said they had heard about Toon Town from her as she passed through their studios.
There were a few occasions where some of the less reputable toons wanted to have a word with the human. Some wanted to get dirt on the angel, while others wanted to see if they could get some extra supplies off of her trucks. They never got too far. Abel would find out about their plans and stopped it before it could get started either by a talk in a dark alleyway or a punch to the face with his brass knuckles. Then he would walk out and talk to his friend like nothing ever happened. It didn’t take long for other toons to realize that this particular human was off limits.
Normally Abel would be concerned with his reputation. He fought long and hard to maintain it. But Jeanne was someone he was willing to put all of that aside to speak to. He never forgot how she helped him in the past and loved hearing how she worked hard to make her dreams come true.
One day, out of the blue, she showed him a picture of her little baby girl and asked him something that made the toon angel think he was hearing things:
“Hey Abel, I was wondering…” the young woman looked nervous and that concerned the toon angel.
“Hey kid, c'mon. You can ask me anything.”
“Well, I know this is going to sound strange, but would you consider being a godfather to my little Maria?” You would have thought the world stopped around the poor angel. All he could do was stare at the young woman. Was she serious? From the look on her face, she was.
“I-umm, godfather? Me?” the young woman gave him a warm smile and a nod. He couldn’t believe it. He knew it was a great honor for one human to ask that of another. To ask someone to look after their own child if anything happened to them. He never heard of a toon being a godparent to a human child before. The fact that Jeanne trusted him that much warmed his toon heart.
The more he thought about it, the more… he knew he couldn’t do it. Jeanne didn’t know the life he lead. He'd done a lot of terrible things to survive in this town. Things that made him an awful role model. He couldn’t, in good conscience, accept something like this. Plus any child under his protection would be in danger all the time. No, he couldn’t do this. It was probably his old Guardian Angel side rearing its ugly head but he had to do the right thing.
He sighed and shook his head. “Jeanne, I’m honored. Truly I am, but…” he gave her a sad smile. “I-I can't.” he watched as confusion crossed the young woman’s face. It hurt to see that, but he knew he was right.
“But, I don’t understand. Why not?” The toon angel growled softly and scratched the back of his head. He wanted her to understand without telling her about everything that’s happened in his life. If she knew about all the things he’s done since coming to Toon Town, she may never look at him the same way again.
“Jeanne. It’s just- I- I’m not the same toon you remember…” he trailed off when he realized he was starting to rambling. He looked down at the ground. He didn’t want to see the look of hurt or worse, disappointment, in her eyes. Instead, a hand reached out and squeezed his shoulder. He looked up to see brown eyes full of understanding staring back at him.
“It’s okay. I kinda sprung this on you. I’m sorry about that.” Jeanne giggled at the surprised look on the Toon’s face. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. We've all changed over the years.”
Abel just shook his head. He couldn’t believe she just let it go, just like that. “Heh, thanks kid.” She pointed at him and had a playful smirk on her face. “But, I will get you to meet my little Maria someday!”
The toon angel chuckled and held out his gloved hand. The young woman didn’t hesitate in shaking it. “Alright, you got yourself a deal.”
-A Few Months Later-
Abel felt his luck must have been changing. He met a new toon: Anie Cupcake. At first he thought she was rather strange. Every time he tried to talk to her, she would get so flustered, she could barely speak. Sometimes he would see her one moment and she would disappear the next. One time he went looking for her and got ‘attacked’ by her cupcakes. Really, he wasn’t angered by that, just a little confused and a little amused. That was a very interesting day.
Finally, he cornered her, and asked her if something was wrong. That’s when he found out she liked him. He stood there and watched her have a mini breakdown as she tried to explain herself, but that’s what he got out of it. He took her by the hands to get her attention. The toon angel wiped away a few stray tears and gave her a warm smile.
He waited for her to calm down before explaining how flattered he was that that she felt that way about him but that she shouldn’t waste her affections on an old, broken, angel like himself.
Much to his surprise, she wouldn’t take his advice. She already made up her mind that she liked him and she won’t let anyone change that, not even him. She had guts! He liked that. Anie promised that if he ever needed anything, she would be there for him. Abel chuckled. He didn’t think he needed her help, but he appreciated the sentiment. It kinda felt nice to have someone looking out for him.
Over time Anie seemed to calm down around him enough for them to have a pleasant conversation. She still got a little flustered from time to time when certain subjects came up, but he thought it was funny and kinda cute.
Sometimes she would ask him about his past. To this day he finds it too painful to talk about. So he either politely declined or tried to change the subject. Anie seemed to sense that it was a tough subject for him. She wouldn’t push and simply left the door open in case he ever wanted to talk. He appreciated that.
-OoOoOoOoO-
It was a beautiful spring day. Abel decided to take a walk near the edge of town. You see, as Toon Town began to grow, the town next to it put up an open air market and shops run by humans and toons along the border. It was an interesting spot where humans and toons did business with one another. Abel tended to stay to himself but even he could smile at the sight of little children playing with some of the younger toons. He had his jacket slung over his shoulders to cover his wings. They tended to attract attention of the children.
Of course there were a good amount of police presence on both sides to keep the peace. He had no problem with that. More often then not, the toons needed protection from the humans.
The toon angel's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sight. Anie Cupcake! She stood at one of the stalls, sifting though some apples, and picking out the good ones. He didn’t know she wandered this far from her shop. She had on a pretty yellow sundress, frilly apron, and her signature yellow scarf that held her long hair back. She was so distracted by what she was doing, she didn’t notice Abel walking up to her.
“Hey Anie! Lovely day, isn’t it?” He didn’t know what to expect. Anie screaming and dropping the fruit out of her basket wasn’t one of them. The angel winced and rushed over to help pick up her spilled fruit.
“A-Abel!? I-uh wha-what are you do-doing here?” he couldn’t help but chuckle. Anie was so flustered, her cheeks were red and her eyes were as big as saucers. Her hands were shaking so much, she kept dropping her fruit.
“Hehe I’m sorry Anie. I was just passin' through when I saw ya and I jus' wanted to say “Hi”.” He gave her a warm smile and hoped he didn’t spook her too much.
“O-Oh I-haha, umm I’m sorry. You j-just surprised me.” She gave him a shaky smile and raised her hand. “Hi.” They both started to laugh as they finished picking up a few stray apples.
Abel asked why Anie was out here, alone. She stuttered a bit but managed to tell him that she comes to the market to get things she can’t find in Toon Town. She really doesn’t mind coming here alone. Abel didn’t like the sound of that, especially with so many humans around.
“Say Anie? Wouldya mind if I tagged along with ya today?”
Anie wasn’t sure if she heard him right. At least she hoped he didn’t ask what she thought he asked. “What?”
The toon angel scratched the back of his head and looked a little sheepish. “Well, it’s such a nice day and all. Plus, I don’t like the thought of you out here all alone.” He sighed and chuckled to himself. “I’d like to accompany ya, if ya don’t mind.”
Very few knew about Anie’s past. She worked hard to keep it that way. She had been abused by her own creators very badly before escaping her studio. Then she got blamed for an accident that killed some children and other humans attacked her before she could make her way to the safety of Toon Town. All of this had left her with a terrible fear of humans. No one knows about this fear, not even Abel.
Anie's anxiety around humans left her feeling very embarrassed and ashamed about her reactions. She doesn’t want any of her friends to see her like that. It’s one of the reasons she shops alone.
So now, she has a problem. If she tells Abel “No”, he’ll get suspicious and start asking her a bunch of questions she’s not ready to answer. If she says “Yes”, maybe she could hold it together long enough that he won’t notice anything. She could do a little more shopping, then they can head home, and Abel would be none the wiser. Anie's thoughts began to race with the “What ifs” and how things could go wrong. She didn’t hear Abel calling her name until he touched her shoulder.
“Anie? Hey, are you alright?” Oh no. This was the last thing she wanted. She took a few deep breathes and nodded. She cleared her throat and told him she didn’t mind his company while she finished up her shopping.
He gave her a skeptical look but said nothing. He just chalked it up to her getting so easily flustered.
Anie stuck close to his side as they stopped here and there to pick up ingredients for the shop. So far, they were making quiet small talk and she seemed to be alright. Anie felt proud of herself. She was keeping her anxiety under control and Abel didn’t seem to notice her struggling a bit. Just a few more things and they could head home. This wasn’t as bad as she thought it might be-
“Abel?” both toons looked up to see a woman standing a few feet from them. She was wearing a green sundress with little white flowers on them. She had dark brown eyes and a warm smile on her face. Anie felt herself loosing the battle with her anxiety because the woman was human and heading in their direction!
“Jeanne? Hey, whatcha doin’ here?” Abel tilted his head to the side when he noticed a little girl clinging to the back of Jeanne's dress. She was so tiny with large brown eyes and hair done in pigtails. It looked like she was wearing a polka dot dress, but it was hard to tell because she was hiding behind Jeanne's legs.
“It’s such a nice day. I wanted to get a little shopping done-“, Jeanne placed her hand on the back of the child's head, “and I wanted Maria to see some toons with her own eyes.”
Abel knelt down and had a surprised smile on his face. “Don’t tell me. Is this little Maria? Look how big she's getting.” The toon angel held out a gloved hand to the little girl. “It’s nice to finally meet ya, Maria.”
The little girl looked up at her mother and Jeanne gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay baby. That’s Abel, the angel I told you about. He’s a very good friend of mommy's.”
The little girl's eyes grew a little wider and a small smile spread across her face. She walked up to Abel cautiously. She stared at his gloved hand for a moment before she placed her hand in his own. Her hand was so tiny that the Toon’s hand practically engulfed it when they shook. “Hi.” She giggled.
Abel looked up at his friend with a curious gaze. “You chose this place?”
“Well, toons and people get together here all the time. And to be honest, I couldn’t take her into Toon Town. Because, well, ya know…” Jeanne looked a little guilty, but Abel was happy she wasn’t oblivious to the dangers of the town.
“Yeah, I understand.”
-Meanwhile-
Anie stood a few feet away from the group and was amazed at the way Abel was acting. She always thought he didn’t trust humans, but here he was, talking to one. Not only that, but he was being very gentle with a child too. It was like seeing a different side to him.
She would have said something if the human didn’t make her so nervous. Anie wanted to hide before she was noticed, but there was no way she could explain that to her friend. So she just stood there and prayed she wouldn’t be seen. Unfortunately, the dark skinned woman’s eyes locked onto her with a mixture of surprise and guilt.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there!” Jeanne took a step forward when she noticed the shorter toon taking a step back. She looked so frightened that it caused the young woman to stop in her tracks.
“Ah sh-err shoot! I’m sorry.” Abel let Maria's hand go and turned towards Anie. “Anie, this is my good friend, Jeanne.” Abel waved his gloved hand in the young woman’s direction. Jeanne kept her distance as she introduced herself and her daughter. Anie stuttered a bit but she managed to finally say hello.
Abel chuckled and put his hand on Anie's shoulder. “Anie is very shy.”
Jeanne just smiled. She knew the shorter toon was more than just shy. She had spent years going from studio to studio for her company. Jeanne knew a fearful toon when she saw one. If she had to guess, Anie had been treated so badly, she’s really scared of people. From the way Abel is acting, he doesn’t know. The woman sighed internally. Seeing toons like this always made her sad.
“Say!” both Jeanne and Anie looked at the toon angel. “Since we're all out and about today, how about we do this together?” Abel was facing Jeanne so he didn’t notice Anie nearly panicking behind him. Jeanne winced internally. She didn’t want to cause his friend anymore distress.
“Oh n-no Abel. I don’t want ta intrude-“ he cut her off with a wave of his gloved hand.
“Nah, you won’t be intrudin’! I’m sure Anie won’t mind.” He turned back just in time for Anie to plaster a weary smile on her face. She hemmed and hawed for a few seconds but she agreed. That just made Jeanne shake her head.
“Well, if it’s alright with Ms. Anie… I don’t mind either.” And so the little group was off. Jeanne made sure she walked on the other side of Abel to give Anie a respectable amount of space. She tried to keep the conversations light and made sure she didn’t stare at the nervous toon for too long.
Anie had a strong urge to run when Abel suggested that they should shop together. She wanted to say no but he looked so happy. She didn’t want to ruin that and have him hate her, so she agreed. Anie was surprised. Jeanne seemed to go out of her way to give her space. Not once did she try to touch her. She was very soft spoken and didn’t stare. It was almost as if she knew how scared she was. Anie wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
For his part, Abel was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation. It seemed that Maria liked to play hide-and-seek with his coat. She would duck under his jacket and hide behind his back as they walked down the street. Of course he would pretend not to notice. He could feel tiny hands pressed against his leg and hear high pitched giggles whenever he asked where Maria had gone off to. He used the tips of his wings to tickle her sides before scooping her up and proclaiming he found her. This earned him more giggles and a hug around his neck. It’s been so long since he’s been around a human this young. He’d almost forgotten how much fun it was.
Anie watched Abel play with the little girl with a soft smile on her face. She didn’t know he was good with children. He looked so happy too. She looked over to see Jeanne. She had such fondness in her eyes. It made her wonder how long had they been friends.
Within a few moments they came to a part of the shopping area that was lined with trees and benches. There were more clothing-type store fronts here as well as more people. Abel took this opportunity to sit on a bench that was shaded by a large tree.
“I dunno about you all, but I need a break.” He waved his hand to the rest of the street. “You gals go on ahead. I’ll be here when you’re done.” Before either Anie or Jeanne could argue, Maria ran over and sat down next to the toon angel. The smile he gave the little girl as he reached down and ruffled her hair made both women fall silent.
Jeanne sighed as she watched Anie wring her hands together. There were a lot of humans in this area and she was getting more and more nervous. She needed to take her someplace where she can calm down without drawing too much attention to herself.
Jeanne walked closer to the bench and placed her hand on top of her daughter’s head. “You wanna stay here with Abel?” the little girl's head bobbed vigorously. That made said angel chuckle. Jeanne just smiled. “Alright. You be a good girl and don’t give him any trouble.”
“Ah, we’ll be fine. Right Maria?” the little girl giggled and nodded again. “See?”
Jeanne huffed but couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. “Alright, alright.” Jeanne turned to Anie. The poor toon was breathing heavily and sweating.
“Ms. Anie?” Anie jumped slightly. She didn’t usually come to this part of the shopping district because it was crowded. She looked over to see Jeanne a few feet away from her. She was pointing to one of the shops across the street. “Lets head to that shop okay?”
Anie hesitated but the woman had a pleading look in her eyes. Anie wasn’t sure why, but she followed behind the Jeanne.
Abel watched as the two women stepped into the shop before turning to the little girl. “Hey kid, would you like to hear a story?” he almost laughed at how big Maria's eyes got. She crawled over to him and curled up against his side. He wrapped an arm around her and got comfortable.
“I’m gonna tell ya about the time your mom and I first met. She was scared of me.” The child stared up at him with an incredulous look on her young face. It was quite amusing. He held up his hand. “Pfft honest! You see, it all started-“.
-Meanwhile at the shop-
Jeanne held the door open as Anie followed her into the store. It was empty save for the shop owner behind the counter. He looked up at the sound of the bell over the door ringing. He asked them if they needed help, but Jeanne said they were fine. Jeanne looked down to see the toon shaking like a leaf.
“Anie. Over here.” Jeanne pointed to some plush benches against the wall. The toon rushed over and sat down with her back pressed against the wall. She felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. Anie could feel tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She never wanted anyone to see her like this, let alone one of Abel's friends. She must look so foolish right now.
“Anie! It’s okay. C'mon, breathe.” The toon looked up to see the young woman standing a few feet away from her. She was talking to her softly and calmly. She didn’t try to come any closer or touch her and Anie appreciated that. “Deep breathes. There ya go. It’s just you and me in here.”
Anie blinked a few times before looking around. They were in a hat shop. Other than the owner, they were the only ones in here. It was very quiet too. Jeanne walked a few feet away to look at some of the hat, leaving Anie alone to pull herself together.
Jeanne. Everything she did today… she must have known. Anie had no doubt in her mind now, but she really needed to know. She cleared her throat and got the young woman’s attention.
“Umm, J-Jeanne?” Anie hated the stutter in her voice. Even though it was soft, the woman still heard her.
“Yes?” the young woman watched as the toon wrung her hands together. She waited patiently as the toon got her thoughts together.
“H-How did y-you know?” Jeanne tilted her head in questioning. Anie took a few deep breaths before continuing. “How d-did you know… about me?” the toon gestured to herself before staring down at her hands.
Jeanne sighed and gave the toon a sad smile. “You… wouldn’t be the first toon I’ve met that was scared of people.”
Anie's head shot up and Jeanne was staring at her with understanding. “Oh. I-I'm so sorry! I must seem so silly to you-“ The toon was cut off by Jeanne hushing her. The woman told her she wasn’t silly. She just got overwhelmed and that she would be alright.
This was the first time Anie met anyone that kinda understood what she was going through. And she was a human at that! She didn’t yell at her, or laugh, and called her names. Jeanne saw her struggling and helped her. She must have known she didn’t want to breakdown in front of Abel. That felt nice.
Anie sat back and closed her eyes. She could hear Jeanne moving around the store and asking the owner about certain hat sizes and materials. She could feel her heart beat slowing down and she didn’t feel like she was choking like before. She was starting to feel better. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes to find Jeanne standing in front of a mirror while trying on a large hat with pink roses pinned to one side.
“Umm, Jeanne, can I ask you something?” Jeanne smiled and sat down on one of the benches across from Anie. “Sure!”
Anie played with the hem of her apron as she tried to find the right words. “How… long have you known Abel?” she was happy she didn’t stutter this time.
“Oh, I’ve known him since I was a little girl!” Anie's eyes seemed to light up. “Really?” Jeanne took the hat off of her head and sat it in her lap. “Mmm hmm. I used to live near the studio where he was created.”
Anie blinked and her mouth morphed into an ‘O’ shape. Maybe she could find out more about his past from Jeanne. She was actually feeling excited.
“Do you, umm, know what happened to him there?” Anie began to get a little nervous when Jeanne's soft smile morphed into a frown. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. She hoped she didn’t make the young woman angry with her-
“No. I was very young back then. I don’t know what happened behind closed doors.” Jeanne sounded angry but not with her. She was staring out the plate glass window in the direction of Abel and Maria. “If Abel hasn’t told you what happened, then maybe it’s still too painful to talk about. I’m sure you can understand that.” Jeanne gave Anie a knowing glance. The toon had the good grace to look sheepish. She knew exactly what the young woman was talking about.
“Just give him some time.” The warm smile returned to Jeanne's face. “I’m sure he'll tell you what you want to know and you’ll return the favor.” Anie chuckled and nodded. Someday she'll get up the courage to tell Abel about her own past as well.
“Now, I can tell you about the time Abel tried to teach a group of kids how to sing!”
“Wait, really?” Anie couldn’t see the toon angel doing something like that.
Jeanne laughed then winced playfully. “It didn’t go so well.”
-OoOoOoOoO-
By the time Jeanne was done with her story, Anie was trying to hide her laughter behind her hands. Jeanne was just happy to see the little toon so relaxed.
“Yeah well, not all of us are blessed with the voice of an angel.” Jeanne rolled her eyes at the memory. Abel actually wanted to start his own children’s choir. Unfortunately, none of them could sing to save their lives.
“Hahaha oh gosh. I didn’t know he could sing!”
The woman smiled and waved her hand towards the window. “Yeah. You should ask him to sing for you sometime.” Jeanne giggled as Anie sputtered and her face turned beet red. She swore she saw little hearts floating over her head. ‘Looks like someone likes my angel friend.’
“Oh speaking of Abel, how long have we been in here?”
“Too long miss!” both women turned to see an irate store owner staring at them. They couldn’t help but laugh and apologize. They both got up, smoothed down their dresses with their hands, and headed for the door.
The crowds weren’t so bad by this time. Anie was still giggling over the story Jeanne told her when the young woman reached the bench before her. Jeanne waved her hand to get the toon's attention. Anie was a little confused until she saw what Jeanne was staring at.
Abel had his eyes closed. He had his upper arm laying on the back of the bench with his head resting in his hand. He had his other arm curled around Maria who was sleeping against his side. They could only see part of her body because Abel’s wing was draped over the rest.
Anie giggled behind her hands and Jeanne just shook her head. “I guess we took a lot longer than we thought.”
Anie lightly tapped the angel on the shoulder. Abel blinked and let out a loud yawn. He sat up a little to see Jeanne and Anie smiling at him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking over at Maria. The little girl was nice and snug under his wing.
Anie giggled, “Sorry we took so long.”
Abel just smiled. “S’alright. Weather so nice, Maria and I just took a little nap.” He moved his wing away from her and the little girl grumbled in protest. Jeanne wrapped her arm around the child and lifted her up. Soon the young lady had a bag balanced on one shoulder and a sleepy little girl on the other.
“You ladies are done for the day?” Abel got up from the bench and stretched to get a few kinks out of his back. Anie smiled and took the angel's hand.
“Yeah, we got everything we needed.” She gave Anie a playful wink. “This was pretty nice. We should do this again sometime.”
Anie thought about it. Other than a few bumps in the road here and there, things didn’t turn out as bad as she thought it would be. She actually learned a little something about Abel too. She looked up at Jeanne and smiled. “I-I'd like that.” The woman smiled softly.
“Well, I better get sleepyhead home. You both get home safely!” Jeanne turned and began to walk away. Maria blinked at the two toons before waving her tiny hand at them from over her mother's shoulder.
“You too, Jeanne. Bye Maria.” Abel was glad to see his friend again and was happy to introduce her to one of his new friends. The day turned out better then he thought.
“Bye!” Anie waved before looking up at Abel. He looked happy. He wasn’t smirking like he was trying to impress someone or scowling because he was trying to look tough. He had a genuine smile on his face. She thought that looked really cute.
“So Ms. Anie?” he held his arm out to her, “Are you ready to head home?”
“Yes Mr. Abel,” she gentle took his arm and leaned against him, “I believe I am.”
He chuckled and lead her towards Toon Town. Fifteen minutes in and Anie asked:
“Did you really try to start your own children’s choir?” she giggled as Abel sputtered and looked at her wide eyed.
“What the – how?! Did Jeanne tell you that!?” Anie just smile and nodded. Abel groaned and ran his hand down his face. He looked over to see amusement dancing in her eyes. Abel sighed but a smile tugged at his lips.
“Yeah, I did. Lets just say, it didn’t end very well.” Both toons ended up laughing all the way back to town.
Sometimes a few chance encounters have a way of changing a person's life, for better or worse. For one toon angel, things are looking a little brighter.