User blog:Thomperfan/Crimes of Fashion (my version)

OK, guys. Here it is. And if you guys don't like this story, I'm pretty sure gonna like the next story I have planned more.

(It starts in the Fortress of Solitude)

One-Eyed Jack: [in Clyde's voice] "Well, Ace, we've narrowed down the suspects to...the Card Shark, Snake Eyes, and the Old Maid." [shows said cards] "But which one made off with the golden die?"

Ace Savvy: [in Lincoln's voice] "It's as clear as the mustache on your face, Jack. Only one of these villains could've done the deed. And that is..."

[It reveals that Me, Lincoln and Clyde are reading the comic in Lincoln's living room, dressed up as Ace Savvy, One-Eyed Jack, and the Seven of Optimism, respectively.]

Lincoln: "My money's on the Card Shark."

Clyde: "Same. The guy never blinks, you just can't trust him.

Me: I don't know guys, I think it could be the Old Maid, you know how old people like to collect gold stuff to make them look cool.

Clyde: OK, let's see." [turns the page to show that it was indeed the Card Shark]

Lincoln: "Boom!"

Me: Oh, so close!

Clyde: "Nailed it! We just solved our fifth case in a row." [the three of us fist bump] "We're on a hot streak."

Me: (noticing something) Wait, guys, shh.

Lincoln: What is it, Nolan?

Me: My, My Leni sense is tingling.

Clyde: What are you picking up?

Me: Um, I’m getting readings that Leni is sad, and she’s coming right this way.

[Right then, the front door opens and a pretty sad Leni walks in]

Me: (concerned) And there it is.

Lincoln: [concerned] "Hey, Leni. How was work?"

Leni: [on her knees hugging the newel] "Terrible."

Me: [Lincoln, Clyde and I rush over] "Aw, babe, what happened? I thought things were going great at the store."

Leni: "They were. Until this afternoon..."

[Flashback to Reininger's that afternoon. Leni is helping Girl Jordan at the checkout counter]

Leni: "Your receipt's in the bag, along with some samples of our new scent: Sugar Cookie Sunshine."

[Girl Jordan beams at this and looks in her bag. Leni notices a woman picking out a skirt and she walks over.]

Leni: "That skirt would look great on you. And it also makes a cute poncho."

Woman: [gasps with delight] "You just changed my life!"

Mrs. Carmichael: [clears her throat] "Uh, Leni?"

Leni: "Hi, Mrs. Carmichael. How's the monthly inventory going?"

Mrs. Carmichael: "Not great. Several scarves have gone missing. Can you come with me?"

Leni: "Are we going on a scavenger hunt?"

[End of flashback]

Leni: [tearing up] "There was no scavenger hunt! She thinks I stole the scarves!"

Lincoln: "What? Why would she think that?"

Leni: "They were all from my department, and they all went missing in the month that I've worked there, so she said she had to let me go. And I said, “Go where?”, and she said, “That means you're fired!”" [wails and heads upstairs]

Lincoln: [to me and Clyde] "Guys, that is so unfair. Leni would never steal anything."

Clyde: "This is worse than the time Crazy 8 was falsely accused of stacking the deck." [Lincoln gets an idea] "If only there was someone who could help clear Leni's name."

Me: (threateningly; pounding my fists) Well, I am going to have a little chat with Mrs. Carmichael. (start to leave to do so.)

Lincoln: (stopping me) Whoa, slow down there, Iron Boy! I have a better idea. (gets on the stairs and crusades) We can clear Leni’s name.

Me: Oh, yeah. That makes more sense.

Clyde: "Lincoln, I know we have these amazingly accurate uniforms, but we're just two 11-year-old boys and one 15-year-old boy."

Lincoln: "Two 11-year-old boys and who just solved their fifth case in a row. We're ready to deal out some justice!" [whips out his deck of cards]

Clyde: "Wow, you just sounded like Ace. If I had hair on my arms, they would be standing up."

Me: And the hair on my arms is already standing up. (in my head) Don’t worry, Leni. I’ll get you your job back if it’s the last thing I do.

[Reininger's. Clyde walks up to a stand of mini-packs.]

Clyde: [admiring one of the packs] "So cute for fall." [looks around and pulls out his walkie-talkie] "Jack to Ace and Seven, no suspects sighted by the mini-backpacks, over."

(Cuts to me by the dress racks)

Me: (on my walkie-talkie) Copy. No suspects by the dresses, either, over.

Lincoln: [wearing a sun hat] "Copy. No suspects by the-" [Somebody grabs his cape] "Whoa!" [turns around to see it's a boy younger than him]

Kid: "Cool costume! I'm playing superheroes, too. Wanna see my hideout?" [pulls tighter on his cape]

Lincoln: "Aah! [takes his cape back] "Actually, this isn’t a costume, it’s a uniform. And, I’m not 'playing', I’m investigating. [Looks around] Where are your parents?"

Kid: [Points at Ms. Carmichael] "My mom's too busy to play, too."

Clyde: [On the walkie talkie] "Ace! Seven! Suspect spotted by the scarfs. And, you won’t believe who it is."

Lincoln: "Sorry, kid. Gotta follow this lead." [runs off]

[Cut to me, Lincoln and Clyde hiding behind a stand near the scarves, where we find a girl sneaking up to the scarves.]

Lincoln: "Gabby? It can't be her. She lent me her safety goggles in gym."

[Gabby looks around, grab a couple of scarves, and sneak off. The three of us hide to avoid being seen.]

Lincoln: "It's totally her. Come on."

[We follow Gabby and find her in front of a mirror]

Gabby: "Oh, I know I'm gonna get in trouble, but..." [looks around and walks off]

[The three of us nod to each other and we attempt to catch her in the act, but at the same time, her mom is right in front of her.]

Me, Lincoln, Clyde, and Gabby's Mom: "Hold it right there!" [The three of us grow surprised]

Gabby's Mom: "Gabby, you already have a closet full of scarves."

Gabby: "Mom, please, just let me buy it. [pulls out a gift card] "I have a gift card."

Gabby's Mom: "Your aunt gave you that for a sensible pair of shoes. Now put that scarf back."

Gabby: [goes to put the scarf back but sees Me, Lincoln and Clyde] "Clyde? Lincoln? Nolan? What are you doing here?"

Clyde: [nervously] "Oh, you know, just, shopping for some-"

Gabby: "Training bras?"

[We turn to see that we’re in front of the training bras stand, and accidentally knock it over to our surprise. Fiona approaches the scene.]

Fiona: "Ugh. Do you have any idea how hard these things are to put back on hangers?"

Me: "Uh, sorry. We'll clean it up."

Clyde: [he, Lincoln and I pick some of them up] "I'll just gather these, uh, items." [slings a bra to his eye] "Ahh! My crime eye!" [falls over]

[Later, the two boys are back at their hiding spot]

Clyde: "Okay, so we'll be more careful next time." [Lincoln notices something] "No one's a suspect unless they're extremely suspicious."

Lincoln: "Like, say, a senior in the junior's department?" [We see Scoots stopping in front of the scarves] "Scoots. We know she's done some hard time in mall jail."

Me: "Maybe she's just here to buy a gift for her parole officer."

[We look to see Scoots taking one of the scarves and go into the fitting room.]

Lincoln: "Then why is she going into the fitting room?"

Me: [gasps] "You're right! She's probably going in there so she can stash the scarf in the bag! I always knew that woman was bad news!"

Lincoln: "Let's get her!" (Lincoln and I head off.)

Clyde: [stops us] "Wait! We just can't barge into a fitting room."

Lincoln: "Dang it, you're right. We need a way to stop her on the way out." [sees a couple of hangers] "Ooh, I've got it!" [takes the hangers]

Clyde and I: "Spike strip!"

[A line of hangers is layed across the floor, making a potential spike strip.]

Lincoln: "Let's see her try to scoot over these."

Me: Yeah, the only thing people are gonna call her after this is “Stops”. (laughs) Get it? Stops?

[Suddenly, a horn is heard and they see Scoots wearing the scarf as a dress, arriving at a fast speed, holding a stack of money.]

Scoots: "Make way! Mama's late for a toga party!"

Lincoln: "Uh oh! I think we messed up again."

Clyde: "Mrs. Stops, scoot! I mean, Mrs. Scoot, stop!"

Scoots: [tosses the money on the check-out desk] "Here's your twenty bucks, I don't need a receipt."

[The three of us get out of the way and the tires on Scoots' scooters pop after running over the hangers, causing her to spin out of control, and crash onto a perfume display, knocking its contents onto me, Lincoln and Clyde.]

Scoots: [offscreen] "My b! Put it on my tab!"

Fiona: [approaches furious] "Seriously?! You three again?!"

Lincoln: "Sorry!"

Clyde: "We’ll clean this up."

Me: Right away.

[We start cleaning up and Clyde takes one of the dresses off a mannequin, which leads to accidentally knocking over more mannequins. The three of us wince at this; Cut to outside shot of Reininger's]

Fiona: "Get out!"

[Later, we’re at the food court. Lincoln is eating a soft pretzel, Clyde is sipping a soda, and I’m eating a chocolate bar.]

Lincoln: "Okay, so were 0 for 2, but I'm sure Ace and Jack have made a few false accusations in their careers."

Clyde: "Totally. Remember that lawsuit they had to settle with The Bluffer?"

Me: "We just have to be more careful not to jump to conclusions."

Clyde: [As Lincoln was talking, Clyde darts his eyes at someone] "Right. And if we see someone walking quickly away from the store, clutching a bag with blue fabric sticking out of it."

Lincoln: "Exactly." [realizes] "Wait, what?"

[They see Fiona running to the exit with the said blue bag with fabric sticking out of it. Lincoln gasps.]

Me, Lincoln & Clyde: "Fiona!"

Lincoln: "It makes perfect sense. That's why she threw us out of the store, she didn't want us on her trail."

Me: (furious) That little sneak!

Clyde: [gets out of his seat] "Come on, Ace and Seven! Let's go deal with this joker!"

Lincoln: [stops him] "Wait! We need one more player at the table."

[We go back to Reininger's to find Ms. Carmichael, but then her son shows up underneath the dresses and startles us]

Kid: "You're back! [points to Clyde and I] And you brought your sidekicks!"

Clyde: [slightly offended] Uh, excuse me, we're partners.

Me: (to Lincoln) Aww, who’s this little guy?

Lincoln: Oh, I think this is Mrs. Carmichael's son.

Kid: "Can we all play superheroes now?"

Lincoln: "Sorry, we can't, we're about to crack the case".

Kid: [disappointed] "Aww..." [He sadly walks back to the dresses and hides in them] [Me, Lincoln and Clyde are looking again until Lincoln notices something]

Lincoln: "There she is!" [Ms. Carmichael is at the exit putting up a "Help Wanted" sign at the door and the three of us run up to her] "Ms. Carmichael, we can prove that Leni didn't steal those scarves."

Ms. Carmichael: [confused] "Uh, who are you?"

Lincoln: "Clearly, we're detectives."

Me: Not just detectives. Superhero detectives.

Clyde: [shows Ms. Carmichael the Ace Savvy comics] "Here are five cases we've previously cracked."

Lincoln: [begging] "Please come with us, there's not much time!"

[Ms. Carmichael looks slightly suspicious, she then switches the open sign to closed and follows the three of us to find Fiona, who was in the parking lot getting ready to leave, and as soon as she enters her car, she sees Lincoln, Clyde and I in the front mirror]

Lincoln: "Stop right there Fiona!"

[Fiona gets out of her car, annoyed]

Clyde: "Open the trunk."

Fiona: "What? Why? I'm not doing that".

Ms. Carmichael: "I think you better." [Fiona was surprised to see her boss]

Fiona: [defeated] "Okay, you caught me."

[She opens the trunk and zips open her duffel bag and there was something blue inside]

Lincoln: "Mrs. Carmichael, I think you'll find this bag contains at least one blue--" [But when Fiona pulls something out of her duffel bag, it turned out it was a blue dress, much to Lincoln, Clyde, and Ms. Carmichael's surprise]

Me, Lincoln & Clyde: [shocked and confused] Dress? Huh?

Fiona: "Yep. I brought this at Stader's after my shift. Sorry Mrs. C. I know we're not supposed to shop at our competitors but it was such a good deal.

Ms. Carmichael: "Well, I can't say that I approve, bu-- [She looks at the tag on the dress, and sees that Fiona was right] Wow, they are giving this away. [She gives the dress back to Fiona] Do they have it in a 12?"

[Fiona closes the door of her car]

Lincoln: [clears throat] "Uh, Fiona? We're sorry for accusing you."

Clyde: "These things sometimes happen in our detective work. You're bound to play a few bad hands until you win the jackpot."

Fiona: "Whatever, I'm leaving now." [Drives away from the parking lot]

[Ms. Carmichael is not amused at us]

Lincoln: "Well ma'am, we've made a mistake." [determined] but don't worry, we're not giving up until we find the real shoplifter."

Me: And then you’ll know that Leni didn’t steal those scarves, and then she can get her job back and be happy again.

Clyde: "It would really help if we could have access to your private employee files and customer mailing list."

Ms. Carmichael: [sighs; facepalm] "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do for Leni, but I don't need three kids in costumes disrupting my store. Now please, just stay out." [walks away]

Lincoln: [He, Clyde and I try to run after her, but stop] "Give us another chance! Ace and Jack can't rest until they done found some justice! [He pulls out the cards, but some fell out of his costume, and Fiona runs over the cards, crushing them]

[At the Loud House, Me, Lincoln and Clyde are feeling miserable in the living room]

Lincoln: "I feel terrible, you guys. We failed Leni, and now she'll never get her job back."

Me: (groans in sadness) Please do not remind me of our failure. (Sighs) What kind of a boyfriend am I, if I can’t even clear my girlfriend’s name?!

Clyde: "I just don't know how we got it so wrong. Is it possible that reading comic books doesn't make you a good detective?"

Lincoln: "I guess that's possible. [Clyde frowns in sadness] Maybe we really are just three kids in costumes. [He takes off his cape]

Clyde: "You're right." [He takes off his fake mustache, but covers his mouth after feeling the pain] "Ow. That wasn't a good idea."

[Leni comes downstairs whimpering in sadness]

Leni: [voice breaking] "Oh hey you guys. Don't mind me, I'm just looking for stuff to fold. I really miss it. (to me) Noey, do you have anything I can fold?

Me: (sighs) Please, Leni, don’t call me Noey. I don’t deserve it.

Leni: Why not?

Me: I’ve failed you as a friend, and a future boyfriend.

Leni: What do you mean?

Me: (Sighs) Me, Lincoln and Clyde tried our hardest, but we didn't find the real thief, and you may never get your job back. I tried to help you, (Starts to tear-up) b-but I just couldn't. I blew it. I've failed. Y-You deserve better than me. I-I just want you to be happy.

(I start silently crying. Leni looks worried for me and wraps me in a very tight hug.)

Leni: Oh, you poor dear. (kisses my head) It’s okay. You didn’t fail me.

Me: R-Really? But I didn't get your job back.

Leni: True, but... I really liked how you, Lincoln, and Clyde went all out to try and solve the mystery of whoever stole the scarves, even if you weren't able to find the thief. It was really sweet of you three to do this for me. It doesn't matter how many jobs I get fired from, it doesn't matter how many scarves get stolen, it doesn't even matter if I don't get my job back. What matters is that you guys loved me enough to try and help me get my job back by trying to those missing scarves with Lincoln and Clyde. That alone shows me that you love me so much, as much as I love you. Even though I'll really miss my job at Reininger's, I'm glad to have you guys by my side. Especially you, Noah. You are the sweetest, funniest, most handsome boyfriend I could’ve ever asked for and nothing will ever change that.

Me: (teary-eyed) What did I do to deserve a girlfriend like you? I love you.

Leni: I love you more. (We share a passionate kiss.) But I still wish I had something to fold.

Me: Oh, don’t worry, Leni. Here, you can fold my cape. (presents it to her.)

Leni: "Well, it doesn't have to be a cape, you could wear it as a scarf too." [She wears my cape like a scarf]

Lincoln: [surprised] Wait, did you just say scarves?"

Leni: [in disbelief] "You're right, what was I thinking? Wrong season Leni." [She then changes the cape into a beach cover up] "How about a beach cover up?"

Lincoln: "No, no, "scarf!" [gets down from the couch] "Clyde, Nolan, that's it! If a cape can be a scarf--"

Clyde and I: [finish the sentence] "Then a scarf can be a cape!"

Lincoln: "I think who the culprit is."

Clyde: "So do I."

Me: Me too! [the three of us fist bump] "Leni, can I have that back? We have a crime to solve and a job to get back."

[Leni gives me back my cape, and then I puts it back on]

Leni: "At the beach?"

Me: No, Leni. You’ll see. (kisses her cheek)

[Clyde went back to get the fake mustache he pulled out and leaves. Later, Lincoln, Clyde and I return to Reininger's and went inside]

Lincoln: "Okay, let's split up. Clyde, you look in the accessories section. Nolan, you check the clothes, and I'll cover the shoes."

Ms. Carmichael: "Ahem." [We stop in surprise] "I thought I told you to stay out of my store."

Clyde: "Don't worry ma'am, we'll be gone in a minute. We just need to talk to your son."

Ms. Carmichael: [looks surprised] "My son?"

[Her son runs up to Clyde and tackles him]

Kid: "You're back! You're mustache looks crooked."

Me: (to the kid) "Hey there, little buddy! Any chance you still want to play superheroes?"

Kid: "Yeah! [jumps on Clyde's gut] I'll show you my hideout!"

Ms. Carmichael: "Hideout? What hideout?"

[Ms. Carmichael's son grabs Clyde's hand and leads the way as Lincoln, Clyde and I follow him] Me: "I think we should all go see it. Especially you Mrs. Carmichael."

Ms. Carmichael: "Ugh, fine. [threateningly] But if you boys waste my time again, I will have you banned from the mall until you're 18."

(The three of us gasp)

Clyde: [worried] "No more fro-yo?"

Lincoln: [Worried] "No more comic book store?"

Me: (worried) No more of that train I love to ride?

Clyde: [Whispers] "You better be right, Lincoln. The stakes are high."

[Ms. Carmichael's son leads us outside the store's supply closet and pushes a shopping cart out from in front of it]

Kid: "So, here’s my hideout." [The rest of us starts to walk towards but the kid stops them] "Wait, just let me put in the password." [Pokes the dresses as if they were buttons] "Beep Boop Beep Boop."

[He then moves the dresses aside and opens the door. Lincoln, Clyde, and Ms. Carmichael follow him inside the closet, and then the lights turn on to reveal that the missing scarves are on the mannequins and they look like capes] Ms. Carmichael: [gasps] "The scarves!"

Kid: "Mom, they're superhero capes."

[Ms. Carmichael finally realizes her mistake]

Ms. Carmichael: [sighs] "Wow, I had it all wrong. Thank you boys".

Lincoln: [He, Clyde and I fist-bump] "No problem, ma'am. I guess you can say that justice was in the cards." [The three of us smile in triumph]

Me: (to Mrs. Carmichael) So, now that you know Leni didn’t steal those scarves, she can get her job back, right?

Mrs. Carmichael: Of course she can.

Me: (Cheering) YES! WOO-HOO! I’m a great boyfriend again! I’ve redeemed myself! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! WOOOO!

[Afterwards, Leni is at her job and was happy to be back. She then sees a woman near the jackets looking at a black top]

Leni: "Cute top! And did you know that you can also wear it as a pencil skirt?"

[Ms. Carmichael appears]

Ms. Carmichael: "Oh, Leni, I can't apologize enough for accusing you of stealing those scarves. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Leni: [thinking] "Hmm... Are there any sweaters I can fold?" [Ms. Carmichael smiles, then Lincoln, Clyde and I arrive] "Hey you guys! Thank you so much for getting my job back. I've been telling everyone at the mall what totes amazing detectives you are!"

Lincoln: "We know! We just got a new case at the pet store."

Clyde: "A chameleon's gone missing. [feels unsure] They think, he's just really hard to see, so it's possible he's just in his cage."

Leni: "Well, if there is anyone who can solve the case, it's Blake Saucy, One-Arm Joe and the Kevin of Oranges."

(The three of us frown.)

Lincoln: [gives Leni a thumbs up] "Eh, close enough. [towards Clyde as he pulls down his cape] Ready to deal out some justice?" [Clyde shakes his head in agreement and they rush off]

Me: OK Leni, gotta go! Love you! (I kiss her cheek and head off after Lincoln and Clyde. But then we knock down a sunglass stand and we all fall down and grunt in pain)

Fiona: [runs up to Me, Lincoln and Clyde, annoyed] "Seriously?"

EPILOGUE

(Leni is just about to start taking her lunch break. She’s sitting at the food cafeteria, when suddenly I come up.)

Me: Did someone order a Nolan Rock with extra cuteness?

Leni: Um, no, I don’t think I ordered anything. (holds up her lunch bag) I brought my own lunch.

Me: (facepalms) Never mind. I came to have lunch with you.

Leni: Aww, that’s so sweet.

(I sit with Leni and take out my lunch)

Me: So, how’s work been going now that you’re back?

Leni: Totes great! I have so missed the feeling of folding clothes, hanging clothes, and recommending clothes to people. It just feels so great to be back here!

Me: I'm glad you feel that way, sweetie.

Leni: And, I owe it all to you, Lincoln and Clyde. Thanks again for helping me.

Me: Anything for you, baby. Anything for you.

(Me and Leni happily give each other a hug, as the episode irises out.)

THE END