got that right, cous!” Louie agreed whole-heartedly. As far as his business was concerned, Louie agreed with Baloo one hundred percent.

 

“Hey, Louie!” Baloo said cheerfully. “You still got that record I left here before?”

 

Louie rolled his eyes. “Not the banana song again, cous,” he muttered. “We listened to that tune a thousand times the last time you were here.”

 

“Hey, it’s a classic,” Baloo insisted. “And it’s 'I got them flat-broke, sticky-shoed, no-banana boogie woogie blues'! Not Banana.”

 

“Whatever,” Louie waved his hand in defeat, and signalled a waiter that was near the jukebox.

 

“You like classics, babe?” he asked the foxy lady.

 

“Err, yes,” Karnage answered, a little bewildered, as Baloo had never come across to her as the lover of classical music type.

 

“Me, too,” Baloo said, still holding her arm. “Especially when it carries a beat!”

 

‘Oh no,’ Karnage thought in dismay, guessing what was coming.

 

One of the monkey-waiters slipped a coin into the jukebox, and a few moments later, something that was definitely NOT classical music came booming out of the music system.

 

The second the music sounded, Baloo began tapping his toes in tune to the beat, clicking his fingers, and singing some senseless words … Not that anything that Baloo sang ever made any sense.

 

“Wa ba dada doo, wa ba dada dee,” Baloo sang, and before Karnage could even mutter a ‘huh?’... Baloo grabbed her hand, and started her off in a Tango style dance.

 

“WHOAAAA???” Karnage yelped, as Baloo twirled her around. 

 

By Lee Salpietro and Nicholas Killpack

Coloured by Equigoyle

 

“Ooba dooba loopa dooba dee, ooba doopa doobie doobie doo!” Baloo continued, his hand on Karnage’s hip, holding her close to him.

 

Karnage put on a brave face, still smiling through clenched teeth, whilst inside she was doing her best not to scream and run. She had gone through many run-ins and battles with Baloo, as well as some rather strange ones this week so far, but this… This was without a doubt the absolute worst. Even worse than when she had been stuck as a baby, with him as her babysitter.

 

Baloo smiled, as he danced with the lovely ‘Donna Katherine’, whirling her around the room. She seemed a little nervous, but he just put that off to her being in a new place with new people.

 

“Wuppe duppe da bada bada,” Louie’s voice sang out. Despite having listened to this song over a thousand times, when Baloo was there the previous night, Louie was never one to back out of a song. “Wa bada da doo. Wa bada bada. Mmmbaby, wab bada dop-a!” Louie signalled to his band, and pretty soon the whole place was filled with the occupying music of his own personal musicians.

 

 “Whoa,” Karnage gulped again, as Baloo continued dancing with her, getting her to do a twirl.

 

“Wa bada da doo. Wa bada bada. Mmmbaby, wab bada dop-a!” Baloo sang out the other verse again. He had once more gotten into the swing of the song, as Karnage had seen him do often during the week, as he pranced about with Karnage trapped in his arms.

 

“Yeahhhh man!” Baloo picked Karnage up from under her arms, swung her around, and then dropped her down, sliding her between his legs, and then yanked her back up again.

 

To say that Karnage was getting a little dizzy would be an understatement at that point. Karnage felt sick, and it wasn’t just the constant twirling of the dancing that was making her ill either.

 

Baloo now had Karnage in a firm embrace, as he danced with her, cheek to cheek.

 

Karnage had a feeling that she knew what was going to happen now, as she had pulled the same stunt herself (when she had been a him) a few times in her youth. And almost directly on cue, Baloo twirled Karnage one final time, before positioning his hands on her back and leaning her backwards… As the song came to the climax, Baloo positioned himself directly over the ‘Lady Katherine’, still holding her back, with his eyes closed, and moved his head down slowly forward, his lips slightly puckered.

 

Karnage gave an eek, and swung her arm around, grabbing the nearest thing her hand could fine, which turned out to be a coconut filled with some tropical juice.

 

“Mmm… OOF!” Baloo yelped, as something hard, hairy and wet, came smacking into his face.

 

Karnage jumped out of Baloo’s hands. “Thank you for the dance,” she said quickly. “Now if you please, allow me to make like a tree and leave, and never say anything of this or me ever again, thank you.” With that, she turned and made her way over to the exit, only stopping briefly when a few of Kahn’s pilots tried to sweet-talk her, resulting in her giving each of them a slap round the face, and then she continued on her way out.

 

Louie laughed, as Baloo removed the coconut from his face, which had become stuck on his snout, and wiped off the juice.

 

“Well, on the bright side, at least she didn’t hit you with a Mango surprise,” Louie said, referring to the time when he had tried charming Rebecca with a dance, when she had come to Louie’s with those fancy rich customers who turned out to be con artists. Only for it to blow up in his face… or rather, slammed into his face.

 

Baloo on the other hand was grinning like mad. “Man oh man,” he said enticed. “That gal is the bomb!”

 

Louie smirked. “Gotta love them set of legs.”

 

“The rest of her ain’t so bad neither,” Baloo grinned. “I think I’ll just go check to see if she’d like a ride back home.” He started running off.

 

“Hey, hold on now, cous!” Louie said, grabbing his friend’s shirt. “How come you get the girl, and I get nothing except the eye-view of you running out the door?”

 

Baloo smirked. “Cos last time I checked, this place is still yours, and it ain’t closing time yet.”

 

At Louie’s crestfallen look, Baloo laughed and playfully punched his friend’s arm. “See ya later, Louie!” he called out, as he ran out through the main doors. “I’ll let you know how I do!” he boasted.

 

Louie grumbled. “One of these days, I gotta think about getting a co-manager.”

 

* * * * *

                       

Don Karnage, aka Donna Katherine, made it to the end of the pier… after tripping several times on her high-heels, swearing violently.

 

“Curses!” Karnage swore, as she rubbed her sore feet, glaring at the high-heel shoes. “How the devil do women survive in these blasted things?!”

 

If the shoes weren’t bad enough, she also had to put up with the less than concealing dress, particularly every time when a strong wind blew and she felt it blow right up her shirt. ‘Women must have the toughest of hides,’ she thought. ‘I would get the flu after one night of wearing this.’

 

Not to mention the increased size of her chest, which was making it difficult to move about. She dreaded thinking about how she was going to be able to work the controls on her plane, with these things in the way?

 

That was when she suddenly realised something… She had no means of transportation.

 

Karnage snarled viciously, realising that the Genie had once again transported her without either her plane, or any means back to The Iron Vulture. It had never mattered before, on any of the other times, as she had always returned when the wish wore off, but now she needed a means to get back, otherwise she was stuck here until the wish’s end tomorrow.

 

“What is it that I have to do to catch a break in this dreaded week?” she asked the divine above. “Please, oh merciful one, grant me a break. Just a little one.”

 

“Hey!” Baloo’s voice called out, and Karnage turned to see him racing up to her.

 

“I wanted to know if you would like a lift back home?” Baloo asked her, smoothing back his hair, and smiling suavely, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

 

Karnage gave a quick look to the heavens above. ‘That’s it,’ she promised. ‘You get no more bedtime prayers or Sunday hymns from me.’

 

“Sorry about before,” Baloo quickly apologised. “Me and Louie, we were just having a bit of a laugh, you know?”

 

Karnage sneered at him. “Seems you do that regularly... from what I’ve heard,” she added hurriedly.

 

Baloo didn’t notice, and just grinned at her. “Yeah, well, what’s life…“ he did a quick tap-dance on the pier, showing off his foot-work, “… without fun and laughter?” He laughed.

 

Karnage rolled her eyes and gave him a half-smile, but at the same time she put up her hand to him, keeping him at a safe distance. “Much as I enjoy your… frivolous and fun-seeking attitude

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