Title: Late Night Sherbet
Author: Cassie Brite
Editor: Robert Teague
Rating: PG
Setting: First night of fall after the cartoons ended, in
Rainbowland.
Spoilers: LaLa wakes up in the middle of the night to find
Krys upset about something...
Archive: Rainbowbrite.net; Robert's collection; others ask
first, please!
Feedback: Yes! This is my first story, so any and all is
appreciated much! Please send directly to me at:
phred1414@aol.com . Thanks! ::smiles::

Author's Note: Thank you to the *wonderful* people on
the Rainbow Brite list who were able to answer my
questions about Krys and what happened after the movie
"Star Stealer." Without you guys, this story would have
been full of plot errors and made no sense! ::blows kisses
in all directions::

Author's Note 2: Many thanks to Robert on the RbB list
who proofed this (many times) for me. I am forever
indebted to you, Robert! ::huggles::
Disclaimer: All the characters that appear in the story are
NOT mine. They are property of Hallmark and other
companies (Who need to realize what a *gold mine*
Rainbow Brite is and re-release the episodes for public
sale!) such as DIC, Inc. I am receiving no money from
this story, and I'm just taking the characters out to play
for a bit; they'll be returned shortly, I promise!

Dedication: To Dave, who inspired me to write.

*these are thoughts*


*~^*~^*~^*~^*

     LaLa Orange woke up shivering in her bedroom
chamber. *Something's wrong,* she thought to herself.
*It's never cold in here, I wonder what could be wrong?*
LaLa sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the side.
She put on her orange house slippers and orange house
robe and padded her way over to the open balcony.
The stars were shining brightly outside; Moonglo was
working her wonders tonight just like always. There was
a slight breeze, but it wasn't enough to account for the frigid
temperature in her room. As she turned around and re-
entered her room, LaLa waved her hand over the vent
inside the balcony veranda. *That's really cold! The air
conditioning must be on! Where's that thermostat?*
     LaLa started across the room towards the closet, but
before she got there, she thought, *Wait! Why don't I get
Red to fix it for me? I'm sure he wouldn't mind...in fact, *I*
wouldn't mind if he came over and fixed it for me!* She
smiled at the thought. *He's such a darling beau!* At that
moment, her tummy decided to talk to her.
"Grrr-oooowwwwwlll!!!!"  *Maybe if I go down to the
kitchen and get some Orange Sherbet, I'll feel better. Then
I can come back and figure out how to wake up Red
without waking up the rest of Rainbow Land...he's so hard
to wake up sometimes!* she mused.
     After a quick glance at her mirror to make sure she
was presentable, LaLa went down the orange spiral
staircase to the bottom floor of her keep and through the
orange door into the main chamber. All was dark in the
big room; there was no activity evident on the Color
Console, the big computer that controlled the colors of
the universe. LaLa started to sneak across the room
towards the door that led to the kitchen but stopped in mid-
step. *Wait... I ate that sherbet three days ago with Violet...
I'll have to go to Orange Meadows and raid my emergency
stash! Is it worth it?* Another growl from her tummy was all
it took to persuade her to walk all the way out to her area
of Rainbow Land. LaLa nimbly changed directions and
tiptoed to the left, towards the front door. As she went by, she
paused for a brief second by Red Butler's door. *I could
wake him up...but I know that he worked so hard today on
that meadow of red posies on Earth. I'll let him get some rest
before I wake him up on my way back from the ice cream
shop...* She continued her walk to the front door.
     When LaLa opened the door, she was rather surprised
to see Krys standing outside as well, in the same condition
she was in, in his white robe and slippers. He was looking
up at the night sky that was brilliant with starlight. LaLa was
startled to see him outside; *I thought I was the only one up!*
It was a different view of Krys than normal; he didn't have
his helmet on. *He looks so much like Red from the back,
it's freaky!* She walked up beside him, slowly so she
wouldn't startle him too much, and looked up at his face.
There was a solitary tear rolling down his cheek.
      Krys turned toward LaLa. He brought his hand up to
his cheek and wiped the tear away. "Hi, LaLa. You caught
me up. Having trouble sleeping?"
     "Evidently not as much trouble as you are, Krys. Do you
want to talk about it?" LaLa asked, coming around to face him.
     *Talk about it?!? With HER?????* Krys thought to himself.
He said aloud, "Uhmm... I'm not sure that you really want to
hear about what's on my mind, LaLa."
     *What could be troubling him so much?* "Well, everyone
tells me I'm an excellent listener, Krys. I'm sure we can
figure out a solution to anything together." LaLa declared.
     "Well, since you put it that way... I guess we can talk
about it. Do you have a better place in mind than the front
porch of the Color Castle where we'll wake everyone up?"
Krys suggested, wiping his eyes with the corner of his white
robe.
     "Well, I was on my way to the ice cream shop in Orange
Meadows. There's some sherbet in the back of the freezer
that I keep for late-night emergencies. Do you like Orange
Sherbet?" LaLa asked.
     "What's 'orange sherbet?'" Krys asked her quizzically.
     LaLa stood back with an amazed look on her face.
"You've never had sherbet before? You are missing the
most wonderful dessert, Krys!" LaLa exclaimed. "C'mon!"
She took his arm and directed him toward her region of
Rainbowland.

*~^*~^*~^*~^*

     LaLa opened up the Ice Cream Shop's back door
and felt around on the wall by the door with her hand.
"Where is that light switch? I know it's here somewhere...
Ah-ha!" She flicked the switch and the tiny overhead light
came on, emitting a soft glow around the room."I'd
forgotten! It's lower on the wall than normal; the Sprites
use it more than I do, so they put it low so they could
reach it."
     There was a refrigerator and the counter that opened
to the main room of the restaurant on one side of the room.
The other side of the room had a window counter that
opened outside to serve from and a set of cabinets on the
middle part of the wall. In the center of the room was a
small table with two chairs.
    "Now, let's see about that sherbet I promised you
earlier," LaLa said.
    "Sounds like a good plan to me," Krys answered.
    LaLa walked over to the refrigerator in the corner
and opened the top door. "Here it is!" She held up the
orange container of sherbet. "If you look in that cabinet
over there," she pointed," you should be able to find a
couple bowls. I'll look for spoons over here in the
drawers under the counter."
    Krys turned around in the direction LaLa was
pointing and opened the first cabinet on the left. There
were all sizes and colors of bowls inside to choose from.
"Here they are, LaLa." He took two of the smaller orange
bowls down and set them on the tiny table in the center
of the back room.
    LaLa walked over to the table and set the sherbet
and three spoons down. She opened the top and began
to dish out the orange dessert with
one of the spoons. *I wonder what he's going to say? What
could be troubling him so deeply that he would be crying
and unable to sleep?* LaLa thought to herself.
    Krys watched her dish out the sherbet. *How am I
going to tell her about my parents? I've never told anyone
about what happened...well, except Orin...* "He held the
chair for her, and as she sat, he scooted it in at just the
right moment." Then he sat down across from her. He
didn't know what to do next.
    The silence was eerie for a few seconds, but LaLa
thankfully broke it. "Well?" she exclaimed. "Dig in, Krys!
That's one reason we came down here, wasn't it? I hope
that you like orange flavor! This is the best sherbet Earth
has to offer!"
    Krys smiled. *Of course, stupid! Eat first, then worry
about telling her about what happened* "I knew orange
was a color, but I didn't know it was a flavor, too!"
    LaLa laughed. "It's a fruit flavor. Remind me to give
you some oranges when they're ripe."
    Krys timidly spooned some of the dessert in his mouth
and sat there for a moment, savoring the weird texture and
taste. "I've never had anything like this, LaLa...what did
you say it was called? 'Sherbet?'"
    LaLa quickly swallowed her first spoonful. "Yes. It's
like ice cream, but it's healthier. Humans on Earth eat it all
the time for dessert." Suddenly she winced. *Good one,
LaLa! You gave your brain a freeze since you swallowed
too fast!*
    Krys looked at her with worry on his face. "What's
wrong, LaLa? Do you need me to wake Canary?" *What's
going on?*
    "Oh, no, Krys! I'm fine...just a little startled, that's all,"
she explained. "Don't swallow the sherbet too fast. The
cold temperature gives your brain a freeze. It's not too
comfortable, is all. I'll be fine."
    "Oh, I know how that feels! I'll have to introduce you
to Spectran Slush; it's sort of like this 'sherbet,' but it's got
a little more...texture," Krys offered with a grin. *She'll be
REALLY surprised when I give her some of that stuff...
Orin can't even eat two spoonfuls of it, it's so spicy!*
    They sat there, eating their respective bowls of
sherbet for a little while longer. Soon, they were down to
the last bites in their bowls.
    *Well, am I going to have to bring it up, or is he
going to?* LaLa mused.
    At the same moment, Krys was thinking, *How am
I going to tell her about this? I hope she speaks up first...
but it look like I'm going to have to start.*
    They both ended up talking at the same time.
    "Wha-" LaLa started.
    "Wel-" Krys said.
    They both laughed. After it subsided, Krys looked
down at his empty bowl and said quietly, "It looks like we
both had the same idea, LaLa. I think I'd better tell you
what was making me so upset back there."
    "Okay, Kry--"
    "Shh! Just be quiet, LaLa. I haven't told anyone
about this in a LONG time. I'd appreciate it if you just
listened for a bit, okay?" Krys looked up from his empty
bowl. *Here goes nothing...*
    Krys closed his eyes and was silent for a few
seconds, then he began to speak.
    "I was only five. My parents were taking me to
Spectra in our starcruiser to show me the grand sight
that shone through it. We were nearing the end of our
journey, and we were sitting in the lounge part of the
tiny ship. They were telling me all the wonderful things
I would see when we got there. Of course, I was only
interested in the pretty lights that I could see emanating
from the planet out the nearest porthole!" Krys smiled
at the memory. "Spectra was such a beautiful light...it
still is. But I'll always remember how it looked that first
time." He suddenly stopped smiling and continued
with his story.
    "All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing sound.
 My Dad ran out of the room to the cockpit to see what
had happened. He had left the ship flying on autopilot,
I know that now. He wanted to spend time with me and
my Mom. But, as soon as he opened the door to the
cockpit area, there was this terrible 'Whooshing' sound.
We could hear it down the hall, even. My Dad was
yanked through the door before I could blink an eye.
The next thing I knew, my Mom was pushing me into
the one-man escape pod and shutting the door. She
pressed the launch button and in a flash, I was shooting
away from the ship." He paused, hoping that LaLa
would understand, and took a deep breath.  "The last
thing I remember of my parents was our ship, spinning
out of control, smoke that I now know was oxygen,
pouring out of it like mad. Then, all I could see were the
stars, just like tonight's... I fell asleep crying a short time
later. All I could think about was my Mom's face. She
was so beautiful..."
    LaLa was about to say something, but she
remembered that Krys had asked her to just listen.
*Oh, no! What a terrible thing to happen!*
    Krys looked down for a minute and let out a sigh.
"Three days after I was put in the pod, I crashed on
Spectra, near Orin's house. There was a Spectran
there to greet me by yelling for all he was worth because
I had scratched the surface." *Good ol' Vandt... he teases
me about that, even now.* "When he realized that my
ship was an escape pod, he got Orin. I stayed with Orin
until he was captured by the Glitterbots four years ago,
right before I met Rainbow. Orin raised me, and together,
we were able to piece together what had happened to
my parents' ship."
    LaLa couldn't stand it any longer. When Krys
paused, she pushed her way in with, "What happened
to them, Krys?"
    Krys welcomed the interjection. "Well, it turned out
that a rogue meteor had impacted at just the right spot on
the front glass panel. It punched a - a hole in the glass,
and creat - ed a vacuum in the cockpi-" He suddenly
stopped, his eyes were welling up with tears, even
though he tried to stop them. He suddenly stood up
and turned away from her.
    LaLa stood up and walked over to him. She put her
hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Krys. It's okay to cry."
She walked in front of him. "Look at me, Krys." When he
didn't move, she brought up her other hand and turned
his tearful face toward her. "You have kept this bottled
inside for so long that it's eating you from the inside out.
C'mere." She pulled him close to her and just held him
for a few minutes. When his tears subsided, she pulled
away. "Krys, now you can start to heal."
    He nodded slowly in reply. "Thanks for listening,
LaLa."
    "I'll be here for you always, Krys. We're friends."
With that, they closed the ice cream shop together and
started their trek back towards the Color Castle.

*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*
       
    "LaLa? Krys asked hesitantly.
    "What is it, Krys?" LaLa replied. They were on their
way back to the Color Castle, taking the long way and
admiring Moonglo's work that night.
    "What made you get up so late tonight? Were you
having trouble sleeping, too?"
    "Well, not in the sense that you were, Krys. I woke
up because my room was cold. I didn't know what was
wrong. I thought that there might be a thermostat
somewhere in my room, but before I got a chance to look
for one, my tummy started growling! I decided to go and
look for my sherbet down in the kitchen. But, I'd forgotten
that I had eaten my stash in there three days ago. I
decided to go and raid my secret stash in Orange
Meadows, but when I opened the front door, you were
there."
    "Oh," Krys said, thinking for a moment. They walked
for a few more feet, and then he spoke up again. "Do you
 know where to look for the thermostat?"
    "Actually, I have no idea where to begin. I think I'll
have to freeze until morning. I'll ask Red where the
control is tomorrow."
    "Now, there's no need for you to freeze, LaLa! I'll
bet that your thermostat is in your closet. We can take a
look when you get back to the Color Castle. Maybe I can
fix it for you...since you helped me out so much, it would
be only fair for me to return a favor."
    LaLa smiled and said, "Okay, Krys. We'll work to
solve my problem just like we solved yours...together."
 
*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

    They walked through the door of the Color Castle
silently, and Krys opened her orange door on the main
level, following her up her orange stairs to her room.
    "Let's look in the closet first, LaLa. I think that control
will be in there," Krys said with a confident smile.
    They walked over to the wardrobe door, and
opened it, turning on the light with a pull of the string
hanging from the ceiling. LaLa pushed the hanging
clothes aside, and in a few minutes, after Krys had found
the thermostat, she understood how to fix the temperature
problems in her room herself. It was a basic concept, really,
and she was a little surprised that Red Butler hadn't shown
her how to do it before.
    Krys pulled the light string and closed the closet door
after LaLa had put her closet back in order. He then went
over to the vent by the balcony and waved his hand across
it. "Ahhh... Here comes some warm air for you, LaLa. It
should be warm in this room in a few minutes... " Krys'
voice trailed off, leaving silence in the room. Becoming
uncomfortable, Krys hastily walked over to the spiral
staircase leading down and said, "Well, thanks for the
sherbet...and for helping me out, uhh..." He looked down.
"You know what I mean, don't you?"
    LaLa smiled. "Yes, Krys. I know. I'm glad you
enjoyed your sherbet, I'll have to try that, what was it?
'Spectran Slush'?"
    He looked up at her and smiled at the thought of
LaLa eating the spicy dessert. "Yes... I'll bring some
with me next time I visit, just for you, okay?"
    "Oka-Aaaahhhh!" LaLa yawned by mistake. "I'm
sorry, Krys! I guess I'm ready for bed now."
    "Yeah, I think I need to sleep, too. I'm heading
back to Spectra tomorrow." Krys started his descent
down the stairs.
    "Uhmm... thank you for helping me with the
thermostat... I'll see you in the morning. Good night,
Krys." LaLa turned and walked off the top step of the
spiral staircase, eager to get back to sleep, when she
heard Krys say~
    "LaLa?"
    She turned around to look down the stairs at him.
"Yes, Krys?"
    "Do you remember when we first met?"
    "Of course, how could I forget? It was right after
you and Rainbow saved Spectra, right?"
    "You were the first Color Kid I met that day. Do you
know why?"
    *I always wondered...* "Why, Krys?"
    He smiled and said softly up the stairs, "You look
just like my Mom...she was an angel."

                    *~^* The End *~^*