Bacter Family Saga

He reached out and took her by the hands. She looked a little shocked but he was relieved when she didn’t pull them away. He then began to tell her how much she meant to him and how he really thought he was falling in love with her. He found words he didn’t know he had and when he had finished she just looked at him.

Michelle suddenly found that she couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be possible. She never got what she wanted out of life and the one thing she wanted more than anything else was to become Mrs. Cell Bacter. She blinked a few times and pressed her fingernails into the palm of her hand to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. When she realized she wasn’t she finally said, “Cell, I think that I’m falling in love with you too.”

Cell let out a sigh of relief. He was so nervous that she was going to tell him they should just be friends. Then, at the same time they both moved closer together and leaned in and Cell gently pressed his lips to Michelle’s for their first kiss.

Michelle suddenly felt very warm. She suggested to Cell that they go inside. They cuddled up together on the sofa to talk. Cell loved having Michelle in his arms. They seemed to fit together just right.

After cuddling for a few moments in silence Michelle looked into Cell’s eyes. She had to find out what all this meant: “Cell, what is going to happen between us?”
Cell shifted so he could look at Michelle better, “What do you mean?”
“Well, we’ve kissed now. That changes things in our relationship.”
“It does change things but I have to confess. This has been my plan all along.”
Michelle playfully punched Cell in the shoulder. Cell responded by taking Michelle in his arms and kissing her again. This time their kissing intensified and before they knew it they were making out on the old tattered couch.

Things were suddenly proceeding faster than Cell wanted them to. It took a great deal of self control for Cell to stop kissing Michelle. Michelle looked hurt, “Cell, what’s wrong?”
“Michelle, I do love you but I think we should slow things down a little bit. Afterall, we just decided to take the next step. Let’s not go running up all the steps at once.”
Michelle giggled at Cell’s analogy. He was very sweet and it was very romantic that he wanted to slow things down, “Okay. I think that is a good idea too.” Michelle wanted more but what else could she say. She couldn’t force Cell to sleep with her so she would just wait along with him. Besides, he hadn’t said he wanted to wait until they were married, he had just said he wanted to slow things down some.

Cell was glad that he has slowed things down with Michelle. They spent a lot of time being together. They would often go to the park on campus together or just spend time at the house on Crumplebottom Drive either playing chess (Cell was finally getting good enough to compete with Michelle) or studying.

About half-way through his sophomore year his cousin, Legionella, showed up on his doorstep. Cell was shocked to see her and became even more shocked when he saw how distressed she was.
“Ella, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know what to do, Cell. It’s my dad!”
Cell bristled and grew somber. He didn’t like his Uncle Xavier and his dad wasn’t real fond of his sister’s choice in a husband either, “What is it?”
“I saw…I saw…” But Legionella couldn’t finish, she had broken down crying.
Cell put an arm around her shoulder, “What did you see, Ella?”
Legionella cried for a little bit then pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, “I saw my dad kissing another woman.”
Her words hit him like a bombshell. Cell couldn’t help but let her go, “Another woman?”
Legionella nodded, “And I don’t mean a little kiss either, Cell. I mean like really kissing her. And you know what the worst part was? My mom was home!”
Cell had no idea what to do to comfort his cousin. His dad had always been loyal to his mom. He couldn’t imagine his father hiding such a secret from his mom. He said nothing.
Legionella continued, “What should I do? Should I tell my mom?”
No answer came to him, “I, I don’t know.”
“I mean, it would be a horrible way for her to find out…from her own daughter. But doesn’t she have a right to know?”
“I, I don’t know.”
“But then, I’d be selling out my dad. Not that he doesn’t deserve it but he’s still my dad. So do I keep his secret?”
“I, I don’t know.”
“Oh Cell! You’re no help at all!”
“Sorry, Ella. But I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before.”
“I know. You’ve just always felt like my big brother and I thought you might know what to do.”
“I wish I did.”
“Well, enough about this depressing stuff,” Legionella said, wiping her eyes one last time, “Tell me how things are going for you. How is college? Have you hooked up with Michelle yet?”
Cell didn’t know how his cousin knew about Michelle but he smiled and started to tell her anyway. His story seemed to ease Legionella a little bit and she at least left his house smiling that afternoon.

Cell and Michelle were closing in on the end of their sophomore year. Bacillus had told Cell about the Bacter Family Fraternity, Beta Eta Pi and Cell decided that it was time for him to join the frat. He hadn’t told Michelle of his plans because she was always making comments about the “frat boys” and how she was glad Cell wasn’t one of them. Well, he could be a frat boy without fitting the stereotype, right? Well he was certainly going to try.

So Cell called up Beta Eta Pi and expressed his interest in pledging. Brilliant Spaniel, the current president, said they’d be right over. When Brilliant and Randy London, the other memeber of Beta Eta Pi, arrived and realized that Cell was a Bacter they let him in right away. Afterall, it was Cell’s grandfather, Anthracis, who founded the frat. They certainly couldn’t dismiss a family member. So Cell joined Beta Eta Pi. But he decided to wait to move in until after he had talked to Michelle and the semester was over to move into the house.

Michelle saw Brilliant and Randy leaving the house on Crumplebottom Drive when she was returning home from class. So, it looked like Cell would be breaking the news sooner rather than later.
“Um, Cell, why did I see that punk and that alien leaving the house? Aren’t they frat boys?”
Cell didn’t understand Michelle’s disdain for the Greek system, “They are in a fraternity.”
“What were they doing here?”
“I joined a fraternity.”
“You what?!?”
“I joined a fraternity. It’s called Beta Eta Pi and it was founded by my grandfather. Everyone in my family has been a member. It’s a family tradition.”
“Cell, you aren’t like those guys.”
“That may be but Beta Eta Pi has been in my family for three generations now. And while I may not be your typical frat boy, I am a Bacter.”
Michelle was caught. She couldn’t ask Cell to disregard his family. She may have done that but Cell is close to his parents and siblings, and there certainly was a slew of them. Plus, she did want to be a Bacter someday. “Well, I don’t like it but I guess I have to live with it.”
Cell smiled. That wasn’t as bad as he had expected it to be. But there was more. And it was the moving to the house part that Michelle was likely not to like. “There’s something else.”
“What?”
“I’m going to move into the house at the end of the semester.”
Michelle said nothing.
“I think it will be better for us anyway, Michelle. We’ll be apart a little bit and it will give us both a chance to make sure this is what we really want.”
“But Cell, I know this is what I want.”
“I do too Michelle, but let’s just be sure. Let’s enjoy the rest of the semester. Besides, there is nothing that says you can’t join too.”
Michelle gave Cell a look, “Yeah, right.”
“Well, just remember it is a possibility.”
“Okay.”
“Are we good?”
“We’re great.”

The rest of the semester went by in a blur of of assignments, term papers and finals. Both Michelle and Cell finished on the Dean’s list. They celebrated that but Michelle couldn’t help but feel sad. Cell would be moving into the frat house and she would be alone on Crumplebottom Drive. Cell gave her a big hug before the taxi came to take his things to the house.
“Michelle, I may be moving out, but I am not moving on. I won’t be far and we’ll still see each other all the time. I love you Michelle.”
“I love you too, Cell.”
It was hard to leave but Cell knew he had to. He waved good-bye and climbed into the cab. This would be their biggest test.