Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A quiet night gives the illusion that all is perfectly safe.  A dark room in what appears to be a rich person's home is filled with many precious artifacts in display cases.  Moonlight through the window allows the shimmering gold of one of the objects in particular.

A golden guppy fish with sparkling gems twinkle with each light reflecting on its surface.  Four shadows slip into the room through the heating duct on the floor.  A scraggly orange cat, a short stubby mole, a crooked rat, and a slimy green lizard crawl up and start tip-toeing across the room.

The lizard kneels to some wires under a window and starts cutting before they can trip the alarm.

He proceeds to open the window and turns to face his gang.

"Our exit is ready; now, let's get the prize." The lizard hisses.

They make their way to one of the display cases and admire the shimmer of the gold gemmed fish inside the glass case.

"This is it," the cat says in a whiny voice. "It's the Golden Guppy that the boss wants."

"Did you pinheads find it yet?" A low, loud voice squawked over the earpiece walkie talkie.

The sudden sound of their boss, Fat Cat's voice, causes the four invaders to jump in surprise. 

"Y-yes boss.  We found the fish." The rat confirms, tapping his earpiece.

"Then what are you simpletons waiting for?  Bring it to me." The voice demands.

"Yes, Fat Cat, right away." The lizard slithers.  He pulls a glass cutter out of his pocket and slices a circle into the display case.

Once he is done making a big enough circle, the rat steps up and punches the cut glass out of its slot.

Unnoticed by the four henchmen, just outside the window, sitting in a tree, are a small group of rodents watching them.

The giant mouse, wearing a brown pilot hat, blue sweater, and light beige jacket, glares down at the scene.

"You were right, Chipper, Fat Cat is defiantly after the Gold Guppy of Guyana." A chunky red-mustache mouse points out.

The chipmunk beside him tugs at his fedora up from his eyes.  He focuses on his bright, alert vision, watching intensely at the four henchmen struggling as they grab the gem-shaped fish.

"I just had a feeling, Monty." He says calmly.

"What is our next step?"  The other chipmunk with a red nose and red Hawaiian shirt asks.

"Next, we get ready to attack." Chip straightens his brown sheepskin bomber jacket and begins to list off his plan.

"Dale, you and Monty go around and get ready to jump these guys from behind.  Zipper," he looks up at the greenfly floating beside him.

"Fly ahead and distract them so the rest of us can get in position without being seen."

Zipper solutes Chip as he squeaks a 'yes sir' to him.  He then proceeds to buzz off to his position.

"Gadget, you got your net launcher ready?" Chip asks.

"All set, Chip."  The great blond-hair mouse nods.

She holds up her weapon.  Made out of parts she finds in garbage bins.  A pencil, comb, and suction-cupped dart with a net wrapped around the stick of the dart make up the entire weapon.

"Good.  Wait here for my signal.  Rescue Rangers, away!" The chestnut Chipmunk cheers, leading the others into action.

Gadget stands her ground as she aims for her weapon and prepares to fire when Chip calls the signal.

Zipper flies through the open window and begins to irritate and distract the gang from the Guppy.

"Hey, what is that?"  The short, blinding mole asks.

"It's that pesky pet fly the Rescue Rangers have." The orange cat explains.

Offended by the 'pet' comment, Zipper mutters in his tiny, buzzy voice.  He then starts motioning an action of rolling up his sleeves from his lower arms.  The fly then starts speed flying around the gang's heads.

Once Zipper successfully distracts them, Dale and Monty jump out and push the four of the goons, leaving them with a loss of balance.  Chip takes this opportunity to swing down on his string from the chandelier above.

The chipmunk grabs the Golden Guppy from the rat's hands and lands on top of the display case the Guppy is initially kept.

"Gadget now!" He shouts, swaying his hand down in a swoopy motion.

From the tree outside, Gadget fires the net launcher, and it successfully flies through the window, opening up and ensnaring Fat Cat's gang.

"How are you doing fixing that alarm, Monty?" Chip asks as he puts the Guppy back in its spot.

"I just need another two shakes of a lamb's tail, Chipper." The Aussie mouse responds as he attempts to twist the cut cord together.

"Hey, stop doing that!  You're going to get us all caught."  The orange straggly cat whines.

"Not us, just you."  Dale chuckles.

A small spark extends from the wire and shocks Monterey, causing his mustache to twirl and explode at the ends.

"Oh boy, that smarts."  The massive mouse groans.  A little smoke seeps upward from his mouth.

"Monty!" Dale shouts.

"Are you all right?"

Chip asks as he hops off the display case.

"I'll be fine, Chipper," Monterey says with another groan.  "Everything is all set."

"Ok then, let's go."  The chipmunk leader motions his hand for his friends to leave.

"No, wait…" The lizard pleads, but it's too late.

Once the Rescue Rangers jump on the sill, the alarm is activated.  They then hop off the window sill and disappear in the bushes below.

Gadget also takes this opportunity to hop off the tree and join her teammates.

Within minutes, a man armed with a baseball bat in his hands runs into the room.  He turns on a light switch, and the chandelier illuminates the room.  The man is shocked when the only intruders he finds are a cat, mole, rat, and lizard wrapped up in a net.  The four trapped animals struggle to free themselves, but it is futile.  The net has them all wrapped up tighter than a bean burrito.

He glances over and is relieved that his Golden Guppy is safe, though.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Rangers hop into their VTOL aircraft made based on a toy plane and knick-knacks found in a junkyard.  The RR signature logo is painted on the tips of the wings.  Three AA batteries are connected to the back of the plane to give lift.

Dale, Zipper, and Monterey Jack hop in the back seat while Chip and Gadget take the front seat, with Gadget behind the steering wheel.  The blond mouse tugs at the bottle cap steering wheel, and they take off in the night sky.

“Bonzer case, fellas.”  Monty praises the team.

“I’ll say, did you see those goons’ faces when we triggered that alarm.”  Dale joyfully giggles in memory of that moment.

“Yeah,” Chip joins in with a chuckle.  “Bet they will think twice before breaking into that house again.  That’s if they get out of the pound first.”

The team all laugh.

They are proud of what they accomplished in saving someone’s property from being stolen.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Chip walks out of the hangar bay of their treehouse headquarters.  He lets out a big stretch and yawns.  Looking over to the Ranger Wing, he sees Gadget again tinkering away at it.  He wonders what she could be working on this time.  The way she thinks sometimes is something he always admires about her. 

He smiles as he walks up to her.

“Hi, Gadget,” he chimes in a dreamy tone.

“Oh, hey, Chip.”  She responds, fixated on the gizmo she’s holding. 

“Are you adding a new part to the Ranger Wing?”  Chip asks in a normal tone when he sees she isn’t even looking at him.

“Actually, I’m fixing the steering; I noticed it would stick a bit whenever I turned right.”

She explains.

“Really?”  The chipmunk scratched his head.  He then shrugs before hopping up onto the wing.

“I was kind of hoping to get to talk to you.”

“About what?”  Gadget turns to Chip.  She sits up and dusts her lavender coveralls off before giving the chipmunk her full attention. 

The chipmunk smiles dreamingly into her eyes.  Gadget gives him a perplexed look as it is clear she’s oblivious to how Chip is attempting to flirt with her.   She does, however, smile back.  Chip reaches for her hands and holds them affectionately.  He starts blushing as he speaks.

“There’s just something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a while now…”

Chip is interrupted by his red-nose friend as he runs through the hangar door.

“Hey Chip!” Dale shouts.

The chestnut color chipmunk flinched before turning to glare at his simple-minded friend.

“What is it, Dale?” He sneered.

“Monterey wants me to tell you and Gadget that breakfast is ready.”  Dale chimes, jerking his thumb back inside the hangar.

“Oh good,” Gadget cheers.  “I’m starving.”  She gets up and hops off the plane.

With a defeated sigh, Chip gets up and hops out of the plane.  “Right, breakfast.”

Dale bows politely as Gadget walks by.  “After you,” he chimes.

“Thank you, Dale.”  Gadget nods to him.  She hops on the swirly slide and glides down to the lower levels.

Dale glances over to Chip and gives a victorious smile when the fedora-wearing chipmunk glares at him.

It is no secret that the two chipmunks have a complete streak with each other, especially concerning love matters.  Dale knows what Chip will tell Gadget and is pleased with himself for interrupting it.

Chip notices one of Gadget’s tools by his foot and gives off an evil grin.  Giving the tool a little kick, the device slides over to Dale.

As Dale takes a proud step, he fails to notice the tool coming to a halt right where his foot will land.

The red-nosed chipmunk winds up with both feet in the air and him landing on his back.  Chip laughs at his friend’s misfortune as he runs ahead and hops on the slide.  Now it is Dale’s turn to glare at Chip.

Chapter Text

“What a hot day,” Dale sighs as he stares out the window.

The sun burns very warmly, and it is still early in the morning.

“It’s too bad we are stuck inside.”  The eccentric chipmunk grumbles.

“Yeah,” Gadget, Monty, and Zipper all sigh in unison.   They all stare blankly at the pile of news articles on the table.

Chip’s ears perk when he notices everyone is feeling the same way.  He looks up from the newspaper to peer past Dale and out the window.  Chip can’t help but agree that the weather is too beautiful to be stuck inside, pealing through newspapers and looking for the next big case.

The chipmunk gumshoe stands up and folds the newspaper in half.

“Dale’s right,” he announces.

“I am…?”  Dale spun his head around in surprise.

“Sure,” Chip nods approvingly.  “The day is far too nice to be inside.  We’ve earned a day off.  I say, let’s head for the beach!”

The rest of the team let out an excited cheer.  Without a second thought, the Rangers leave the mess where it lies and rush off to get their beach attire and equipment.  They pack up the Ranger Wing, and the second they pile on themselves, they ride off to the beach.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It takes the Rangers a few minutes to unpack their blankets and picnic basket.  Once they picked the right spot and settled, the Rangers started having fun, from sunbathing to swimming in the ocean.

Chip is wearing blue and yellow swimming shorts but takes off his jacket.  He does leave on his signature hat, though.  Monterey is wearing white shorts with a blue tank top, Gadget is wearing a pink swimming suit, and Dale leaves on his favourite Hawaiian shirt, along with a white cap. 

The Rangers notice they weren’t the only ones to have the idea of enjoying a day on the beach.  A mother squirrel, her daughter, and her infant son are present.  A family of mice, a husband, wife, and two daughters, are spotted down the beach near an abandoned boat shed on the watery shore.

Later, after the Rangers had their lunch, Gadget and Monty had an idea to play volleyball.

Gadget quickly builds a net out of seaweed while Monterey pulls a ball out of the Ranger Wing.

“Hey guys,” Gadget calls out to Chip and Dale.  “Check it out…”

The two chipmunks look up from their beach towels to see Gadget and Monty eagerly waiting for them to join them.

“Great idea. I’m on Gadget’s team.”  Chip shouts as he gets up before Dale to rush up to the female mouse. 

Dale ended up getting sand in the face because of Chip’s excited leap.

“How come you get to be on Gadget’s team?”  Dale asked as he coughed up some sand.

“Because I called it first.”  Chip declares triumphantly.

Gadget can’t help but giggle at the chipmunks’ antics.  Chip takes this opportunity to start flirting with her.  He starts to wriggle his brow at her, and she ends up blushing.

For the next hour and a half, the two teams played a mean game of volleyball, with Zipper playing the referee and scorekeeper.  It is Chip’s turn to serve the ball over the net, but as he is about to hit it, a different ball comes crashing down on his head.

“Ow, what’s the big idea…?”  Chip complains.

Dale and the others had a difficult time stifling their giggles at Chip’s expense.  Chip picks up the foreign ball and turns to see the kids of both families bashfully looking up at him.  The look on the chipmunk’s face expressed displeasure of their intrusion.

“Please, sir, can we have our ball back?”  The squirrel asks sheepishly.

“You know you guys outa be more careful.”  Chip starts warning the kids.  “You could hurt someone with this ball.”

“Sorry,” one of the mice responds, timidly.

“Yeah, we’re sorry,” The squirrel adds.

The other mouse grabs the ball, and the three of them rush back to their parents.

“Golly Chip, they were just playing.”  Gadget told the chestnut chipmunk.

“Well, kids need to learn to respect other people on a beach.”  Chip expressed in defence of his actions.

“Kids also need to have fun, too, you big dummy,” Dale grumbled.

Chip rolls his eyes skyward before picking up the volleyball.

“Whatever, let’s just finish playing this game.”  Chip groans.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As the sun starts making its way down, the Rescue Rangers agree it is time to start packing to get ready to go home.  As they carry their belongings to the Ranger Wing, the team hears a small group of teenage boys hollering and screaming. 

"What's going on over there?" Gadget asks, pointing to the commotion near the boatshed.

The three boys are kicking sand and waving sticks around when they see the mice and squirrels running for their lives and trying to avoid being hit by the youthful humans.

"Crikey, those bullies are trying to hurt our pals over there," Monty exclaims to the troubling scene.

"We gotta help them."

"I couldn't agree more," Chip agrees. "Vacation time is over."

"Hey, look, they made it into the little house on the water." Dale points to the abandoned shelter.

"That's an old boat shed, Dale." Gadget corrects him. "Uh-oh, we got a problem," She continues when she sees a new development.

When two of the boys are unsuccessful in opening the locked door, the third boy pulls out a box of matches.  Catching on to the idea, one of the other boys picks up a dry tree branch and leaves.

They point the end with the leaves towards the boy with the matches.

Before the Rangers can think of a plan to stop this from happening, the one boy sets the dry leaves on fire, and together the two other boys shove the burning branch up against the old wooden shed.  The three boys proceeded to scare the rodents from escaping. 

"Zipper fly ahead and check the situation of the families.  Meanwhile, the rest of us need to plan a strategy in getting those crazy boys away from that shed." Chip orders, slapping his fist into his other paw for emphasis.

"We could dress up as ghosts and scare them away," Dale suggests.

Monty and Gadget slap their hands over their foreheads, while Chip ends up bonking him on the head with his fist.

"Don't be stupid, Dale.  That won't work." The chipmunk leader barks at his friend's fallacy.

"How do you know?"  The simple-minded chipmunk grumbled.

"I just do. Now be serious for once." Chip snaps.

Meanwhile, Zipper flies up to a dirty window, high off the ground, and peers inside.  First, he notices the squirrel family high on the rafters.  They were able to climb up to avoid the boys if they were to enter, but now they are trapped since the fire started.

Flying over another part of the old building, Zipper finds a large enough crack to see inside.

There he sees the mice family huddled in a corner, also trapped because of the flames.  He also notices them staring at something.

Looking over, Zipper sees a red canister near the flames.

Is it possible the canister still might have gas?  When Zipper notices the cartridge expanding, he feels he needs to act fast.

Zipper quickly flies back over to his teammates with this update.

As soon as he reaches the rest of the Rangers, he buzzes and squeaks the news.

"What!?" Chip hollers in surprise.  He thinks quickly of a new strategy. "Ok, we need to act fast…"

At that moment, the canister is heard, exploding.  The Rangers all turn their heads and sees the shed burning faster from the inside. 

The three boys frantically start running away and laughing.

"Let's get out of here!"  One of them shouts.

Chip tries to think as fast as he can as he heads back to the Ranger Wing.  The others follow him; they all know he will come up with something to do.  Chip hopped onto the wing and rummaged in the picnic basket.  He spots the four unused cloth napkins and yanks them out.  He then takes off his hat and tosses it over his brown sheepskin bomber jacket.

Hoping off the wing and facing his friends, he holds the napkins.

"Everyone, grab one!"  He orders. "We are going to tie them around our noses and mouths." 

"What for?" Dale asks innocently.

Chip lets out an exasperated sigh as he ties the napkin around his face. 

"It's so we don't breathe too much smoke, dummy." He insults his friend. "Let's go," Chip motions to the team as they head to the shed, quickly being overtaken by flames.

Chapter Text

“Gadget!”  Chip starts as they reach the boat shed.

Inside the burning building, the families heard squeaking and crying for help.

“You and Dale find a way to get the mice out.  According to what Zipper said, they are somewhere on this lower level here.”  Chip orders.

“Right,” both Gadget and Dale nod in unison.

Chip looks up and around the higher level of the shed.  He sees a tree growing beside it.  The branches graze over the roof as plumbs of smoke escape through the cracks.

Chip notices a few branches extending by a small window near the roof.  Chip then turns his attention to the ground around him.

“Monty, Grab that rock over there.”  He demands, pointing to a small stone half the size of them.  “You and I will climb this tree.  With the rock, we will break that window and rescue the squirrels.”

“Right away, Chipper.”  Monty salutes his leader.  The hefty mouse picks up the rock and follows the chipmunk up the tree.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Dale looks at the shed, desperate to find a way inside, but everything is closed off.  It seems hopeless to get in or out.

"Dale, help me with this old tool kit." Gadget asks as she struggles with a rusty red box sticking up from the sand.

"Right." The chipmunk nods.

The two Rangers pull the box up enough to get the lid open.

"Perfect, this is exactly what I need." The mouse cheers.

She reaches in and struggles to pull up a heavy hammer three times her size.

"Now, I just need to calculate the right angle, multiply it with force needed…"

"Um, Gadget…What are we doing?" Dale wonders.

He is worried that they might not get in to save the mice in time.

"Dale, scooch to the right, please…"

"Huh," still confused, Dale does as he's told.

Gadget swings the hammer and slams the pike end in a crack between boards.

Finally, cluing in, Dale sees what she is doing and rushes over to help her push the hammer until the crack is big enough that it breaks apart from the wood panel.  The two of them take a step back when a brief wall of fire escapes.  The mini backdraft didn't last long, and soon a clearing was available.  Near the end of the side ledge, the mice family huddle together, far back from the flames as they can go.  In the middle of the boat shed, the ocean is crashing violently up against the rocky shore.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Monty tosses the rock through the window, and Chip breaks off one of the small branches of the tree.  The chipmunk uses the tree branch to smash out some of the jagged edges of the broken glass.

Satisfied with the entrance they created, Chip turns to Monty.

“I’ll go in and guide the family out.  Make sure no one gets hurt with all this broken glass.”

“Right, you be careful, too, Chipper.”

“I will,” with that, Chip hops through the broken window and lands on one of the rafters.

Immediately, he is overwhelmed by smoke and heat from the flames.  Chip lets out a few choking coughs before attempting to see through the blurred vision caused by the rising distortion from the heat.  His heart is pounding; it feels like it will punch out of his chest any minute.  The fire is creeping up the walls so fast that it is now eating away parts of the rafters and ceiling.  Time is running shorter than he expected.

Looking over, Chip spots the family near the end of the shed.  He mentally growls, thinking how typical that they would be much further than he hoped.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Dale rushes in and heads straight for the family of mice.  He hops over, burning wood chips and random plastic pieces of debris.  The chipmunk tries to shout to the family, telling them to move toward him, but the fire's roar is much more superior in volume.  The smoke also makes it difficult for him to breathe, as well.

He finally makes it close enough for the mice to hear him.  The father gets up and starts to herd his wife and kids toward Dale. 

"Come on; we gotta get out of here!  Keep heading straight; Gadget will help you outside." He shouts.

The family acknowledges that they understand with a simple nod.  Instantly, the mice start running to the exit.  The loud crackling of wood snapping apart has Dale shoot his head up.

He desperately tries to see if he can spot Chip and Monty, but there is too much smoke and flames to see anything.

Dale worries about his friends and the squirrels that are trapped.

A loud crack, along with a snap, echoes above before a part of the rafters falls.

Parts of the roof crash in the water where a boat once was, and some parts crash near Dale.  Again Dale looks up, and the fire has spread further across the ceiling. 

Hoping that Chip and Monty are safe, Dale realizes he can’t stay where he is any longer.  Immediately, he runs back towards the exit he and Gadget created. Dale rushes in and heads straight for the family of mice. 

He hops over, burning wood chips and random plastic pieces of debris.  The chipmunk tries to shout to the family, telling them to move towards him, but the roar of the fire is much superior in volume.  The smoke also makes it difficult for him to breathe, as well.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Chip makes over some of the brittle rafters to the petrified family of squirrels. 

“Come on, single file, head straight for that broken window over there!”  He shouts at them, pointing to the far end of the burning rafters.

The mother gets up with her baby, but her daughter won’t budge.

“I can’t move,” the young girl cries.

“Are you hurt?”  Chip asks, kneeling beside her.

The young squirrel shakes her head no.  “I’m scared,” she admits.

“I know you are scared.  I’m scared too.”  Chip tells her honestly.  “But your mom and baby brother are counting on you to get up and run out of here.  Can you do that for them?”

The girl closes her eyes, still afraid to move.  She starts to cry.  Chip leans forward to her.

“What’s your name,” he asks.

“Susie,” she squeaks through her tears.

“Susie,” he leans closer.  “I need you to trust me, okay.  I’ll get you out, I promise.  Now, take my hand.”  He instructs her with a soft, caring tone.

With that, the girl finally gets up with Chip’s help.  The two of them race to catch up behind the mother and baby.

The mother and her baby make it to the window, where Monterey helps her outside.  As Chip and Susie get closer, part of the ceiling crumbles and breaks apart the rafter in front of them.  Chip frantically looks around for another way around; however, there isn’t anyway.  The whole place is crumbling fast.

Monterey, in a panic, jumps through the window.  He worries for Chip and the young squirrel.  Chip looks up, and their eyes lock.  Monty doesn’t believe he has seen Chip so frightened before.  He reaches his arms out towards them.

“JUMP!”  He shouts at them.  Expressing a body language that ensures he will catch them.

The little girl starts crying again.  Thinking quickly, Chip kneels to her.  He takes off his napkin and ties it around the girl’s nose and mouth.

“What are you doing, Chipper…?” Monty mutters to himself.

Chip forces the girl to look up at him.

“Listen to me,” he demands.  “Remember, I said I’d get you out of here?”  He waits for her to nod her head in response.  “Well, I intend to keep my promise.  I’m going to pick you up, and when I count to three, you will kick as hard as you can.”

“I can’t,” the girl sobs.

“Yes, you can.  I believe in you, Susie.”  Chip tells her.

He picks her up and positions her feet in his hands.

“Okay, here we go…One, two, three, now kick!” 

Chip pushes against her feet as she kicks.  The force allows Susie to fly over to Monty’s arms. 

“There you go, princess.  Now, be a dear and help your mom and baby brother down the tree, okay.”  The mouse says as she is safely outside.

“Okay,” she responds.

Immediately, Monty turns to face Chip again.  He can tell his chipmunk friend is having trouble breathing now that his napkin is gone.

Chip leans forward in a coughing fit.  The moment he starts to gain control again, Chip lifts his head to Monterey.

“Your turn, Chip!  Jump!”  He shouts to the chipmunk.

Chip nods in response.

Taking a few steps back to get a good running start, he lets out a nervous breath as he takes a step forward; the ceiling cracks and crumbles.

Not even giving Chip a chance to look up, burning shingles and wood beams crash down on him.

He lands hard on the rafter underneath his feet before it too breaks apart—the whole thing, including Chip, falls – crashing into the ocean water below.

Devastated, Monty screams, “Noooo, Chip!”

Chapter Text

The Eastern sky grows brighter as the sun gradually starts its daily routine of greeting a new day.

By the smouldering boat shed, most of which fell into the ocean, Gadget and Monty are accompanied by many small critters in the search for Chip.  It is a little hope they could find him, still alive.  The search occurred as soon as the two families were out of the burning shed.

The fish even swam in to help with the search.  They worked by pushing up some of the floating debris back toward the dock near the left of the shed.  The Rangers would inspect the wood brought to them in hopes they could find clues. 

The mother squirrel walks up to the large mouse with remorse. 

"Mr. Monterey," she squeaks. "I still feel we could do more for you." The mother addresses her family, as well as the mice family behind her.

"Without, I mean…" she trails off, not knowing how to say the right words.

Monty stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, you are doing plenty right now.  I thank you all for sticking around and helping with the search." He assures her.

Everyone turns in surprise when the shed's few standing poles finally crumble with a splashdown in water. 

Gadget suddenly breaks down in tears.  For hours, the little blond mouse tried so hard to stay emotionally stable.  All Gadget wanted more than anything is to find Chip, but after seeing the remaining parts of rubble crash down causes her to lose hope.

"It can't just end like this!" She sobs.

Monterey reaches an arm around her in comfort. "We'll find him, I promise," he says, trying to sound confident.  However, even he is having doubts.

"The question is if we do find him, will he be ok – or…" Gadget trails off, not willing to finish her sentence.

With a heavy sigh, Monty holds Gadget tighter. "Let's just focus on finding him first, alright."

Slowly Gadget nods before pulling away.  After a moment to calm down, the smart mouse wipes away the tears and returns to studying the debris.  One of the broken parts of the shed could hold a clue on Chip's condition and whereabouts.

A fish swims in from out in the ocean.  She is pushing a chunk of a burnt ceiling beam.  A nail is still sticking out from it, as well as something clinging to the sharp end.

Monty frowns the moment he sees the object.

"Sorry, this is all I could find." The fish gargled her words. "I found this out by the sea current.  It wasn't easy, but I was able to catch it before it floated all the way out in the Atlantic." The look on the sea creature's face showed remorse.

The Aussie mouse picked up the piece of wood to inspect the nail.  His frown grew longer, and his lower lip trembled.  On the tip of the nail is a piece of chestnut color fur with bloodstains.  Monterey recognizes the coat to be Chip's.  The poor chipmunk was most likely stabbed with this nail as he fell.  It certainly gives Monty the evidence they need.  It just so happens that the tide was pulling out during the fire.  It could have dragged Chip out with it.

The fish swim a long way to find this charred chunk of wood.  The thought of Chip's body out somewhere in the ocean made him feel sick.

Zipper flies over from the shoreline to inspect what Monty is holding.  He, too, frowns, feeling the intense sadness his old friend is feeling right now.

Monty turns to see that Gadget is thinking the same thing as he.  She looks up at him as fresh tears fall down her cheeks.  The older mouse looks over his other shoulder to the end of the dock and spots Dale sitting, and staring out to the sea.  He turns to Gadget again and hands her the piece of wood.

"I should go tell him."  He says regretfully.

Gadget nods, not even looking up from the nail.  Zipper, being the loyal friend, floats down onto her shoulder and comforts her.

For hours since the rescue, Dale actively searched with everyone else to find his best friend.

Eventually, he became so emotionally overwhelmed that he needed to take a break.  His wild imagination couldn't help in thinking of the worse.  It scared him that if they were to find Chip's body, how would he react?  It dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to take it.

Dale watched intensely with each wave crawling up to the shore with the delusion that one of those waves would carry Chip safely back to him.  Unfortunately, all he could see were seafoam and small wood chips from the burnt-down shed.

Dale, lost in thought, barely hears the large mouse walking up behind him.  The red-nosed chipmunk refuses to look up at him.  He fears what is about to be said to him.  Instinctively, Dale brings his knees closer to him as he starts hugging himself tightly.

The crashing sounds of the water hitting the shoreline get louder as the two Rangers sit at the edge of the dock.  There are no words spoken.  Monty struggles even to say anything.  His mouth would open, and nothing would come out.  Taking a deep breath, Monterey focuses on how he will tell his little buddy.  Eventually, he sniffles just before whipping his nose with his sleeve. 

Monty's sniffle seems enough as Dale's lower lip quivers uncontrollably.  Dale starts breaking down in heavy sobs.  

"I'm so sorry," Monty finally choked out as he reached over to put his hand on the distraught chipmunk's back.

Dale responded with a louder sob.  He lowers his head to his knees and begins to quiver with grief.

Hearing the heartbreaking sobs from Dale has Monty unsuccessfully holding back his tears.

He reaches up with his free hand to wipe his tears away, only to realize more keeps falling.

Monty almost didn't notice Gadget and Zipper showing up to sit down beside him.  He reaches over to put his other arm around the female mouse.

Zipper flew over to Monty's shoulder and patted his damp cheek.

Gently the sun's rays reach the horizon, causing the dark starry sky to fade into intense red, orange, and bright blue colors.  The ocean waves glisten as the light of the rising sun touches the water.  The site is breathtaking, but sadly the Rescue Rangers were not in the mindset to enjoy it.

Chapter Text

No one spoke during the trip home.  Monty sat in the front of the Ranger Wing while Gadget flew.  In the back seat, Dale cradled Chip’s jacket and fedora.  The team had forgotten the entire time on the dock that Chip had left those items on the plane when they were preparing to rescue the families.

Though Dale has calmed down somewhat, he still sheds tears every time he looks down at the jacket and hat.  The more he stares down at the fedora, especially, the sadder he seems to get.

Zipper tries desperately to comfort him, but nothing he can squeak or buzz doesn’t seem to work.

Gadget keeps wiping her eyes from tears that threaten her vision.  Every time she hears Dale sniffle or let out a little sob gets emotional once more.  She worries about her abilities as a pilot at this moment and getting everyone back to headquarters safely.

Monty reassures her by placing his hand on her shoulder.  She looks up at him, knowing he’s trying to be comforting, even though he is hurting as much as everyone else on this plane.

Finally, they make it to the Ranger Headquarters, and Gadget lands the plane on the launch deck with a minor bump.  One by one, the Rangers hop out of the aircraft. 

Monterey Jack lands on the deck and moves in slow motion as he walks to the back of the plane. He begins to pull out the things they took to the beach.  Even though he is in no mood to do anything, Monty feels he has to do something.  In the corner of his eye, he spots Gadget standing beside him.

He briefly looks at her before saying, “Gadget, love, go get some rest.  I got this.”  He assures her.

Gadget refuses his offer.  “I can help,” she says softly.

Even though she doesn’t have the strength to do so, she, like him, wants something to do – to distract from the feelings of mourning.  

The sound of Dale hopping off the plane’s wing got both mice to turn their heads.  The grieving chipmunk ignores them as he heads inside with Chip’s fedora and jacket held tightly in his arms.  The team is not going to be the same with a broken heart.

With a shaky sigh, Monty again looks over to Gadget.  Before he could say anything, she held up her hand to stop him.

“Alright, I’m going.”  Her voice sounds broken.

As she, too, walks away, Zipper flies over to offer his hand with the unpacking.

“Thanks, Zipper…” Monty accepts.

On her way down the hall, Gadget stops to check on Dale. 

She lightly taps on his bedroom door.  When no one responds, the blond mouse quietly opens the door.  

“Dale,” she whispers.  Again, no answer.

In the darkroom, she spots movement on Chip’s bed.  Walking up to the bed, Gadget spots Dale, sound asleep on his right side.  His head rests on the pillow while his hand clinches tightly to the fedora.  The chipmunk’s left arm is wrapped tightly around the brown bomber jacket, with his nose buried in the folded creases.

It is apparent that Dale crashed onto the bed and fell asleep.  Gadget’s heart ached, seeing Dale like this.  She then reached up to grab the blanket off Dale’s bed and gently covered him so he wouldn’t get cold while he slept.

Now that she knows that Dale is sleeping soundly, she leaves, closes the door behind her, and heads to her room.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The following day, there is a knock on the Ranger's door.  Gadget walks into the room and heads for the entrance.  Her features look tired, with puffiness and circles under her eyes.  It is apparent that she hasn't gotten much sleep and has been crying for most of her waking hours.  She gradually opens the door and sees a familiar redheaded squirrel, her kid sister, and her mother standing outside with flowers and plates of food in their hands.

"Tammy?" Gadget says groggily.

The second she sees Gadget and her sad face, Tammy runs in and places her bowl of casserole on the table before rushing up to the blond mouse.  She throws her arms around Gadget and hugs her tightly.

"We heard, we all heard."  The teen squirrel cries. "I'm so very sorry."

"The community has gotten together, and we all want to show our support." The mother squirrel says.

The mature squirrel walks up to the table and also puts down her plate of potato patties.

"Really," Gadget asks in disbelief.  Looking down, the mouse sees little Bink handing her some flowers.  Gadget accepts them and attempts to smile at the young squirrel.

"Of course, you all have been there for many people.  Now it is our turn; we are here for you." Tammy nods.

Gadget was about to respond but was too choked up with emotion when she noticed more people standing outside the door.

Monty walks out of his room, dragging his feet.  Throughout the night, he had vivid images of the last moments of seeing Chip fall.  Zipper floats behind him, also feeling heavy and tired.  The two of them enter the living room and instantly stop.  Monterey blinks when he sees all their neighbours and friends walking in to leave flowers and plates of food.  He, too, is overwhelmed with the community support paying their respects to their fallen leader.

Eventually, Dale comes out of his room.  Hearing noise from the living room and kitchen, he decides to investigate.  What he sees isn't what he would expect.

Tones of flowers and a fantastic display of food.  Many friends and animals they've helped over the years, just walking in and leaving after saying a few supporting words to Monty, Zipper, and Gadget.

In different circumstances, Dale would have loved all of this attention. He'd jump right in and help himself with the baked goodies.  However, the chipmunk is only capable of participating in a gathering.  Seeing the many uninvited guests offering their condolences shook him emotionally inside. 

He even notices Midge, the little sparrow they helped get back to Capistrano.  The tiny bird still has the most prominent eyes, especially when she is sad.  Gadget leaned over and hugged the little feathered girl as they cried.

Dale attempts to remain unseen, considering he's about to lose emotional control again.

Even though they all mean well, losing Chip is still fresh in his mind.  Talking to anyone will only prove to be a challenge without crying.

Because no one has noticed him, Dale decides it will be smart to slip back into his room.  However, someone stops him before going anywhere.

Pink batwings reach over to touch him on the arm.  Dale turns around and sees Foxglove.  She, too, looks very sad.

"Dale," she speaks softly. "How are you holding up?" 

Dale, unable to speak, shook his head 'no.'

"I want you to know that I'm here for you and the other Rangers.  If there's anything you need of me, just call, okay." The small bat wraps him up in her wings in a warm embrace. "I'll fly over as fast as I can, alright."

"Thank you," Dale squeaks in a barely audible voice.

Not being able to handle it anymore, Dale pushes himself away from Foxglove and rushes out of the room.

Down the hall, he makes it to his bedroom.  After closing the door, he pauses to control some of his sobs.  When he takes a few deep breaths, Dale wanders across the room.  He stands over Chip's bed and stares down at the jacket displayed flat out on its back.  The sleeves folded over the front, and his fedora was placed on top of the pillow.

Looking at it a certain way, it would seem that Chip is lying peacefully on a spongy mattress.

Unable to control himself, Dale once again loses emotional control.  He collapses onto the bed beside the article of clothing.

Dale caresses the fabric in his hand and lets out low sobs.

"Why," he finally asks to mute fedora. "Why did you leave us…? 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It's been a week since the incident happened on the beach.  Dale still barely exits his room, and the others are becoming more concerned.

Gadget would sometimes hear him talking to Chip's jacket and hat.  The situation is both understandable and unhealthy at the same time.

Gadget set out to find something that she could use to give honour to Chip.  Something that could display the signature jacket and hat that he wore.  Coming up to an alley behind a jewel shop, she found a plexiglass case they were throwing away.  It just needed to be cleaned and adjusted for the perfect display case.

She can get it back to the Headquarters, and after a few hours of labour, Gadget successfully creates a stand for it to sit on.  Inside she jerry-rigged a jewelry stand that she also found with the case.

It is the perfect setup for the jacket, and a knob is attached to the top of the hat.

Gadget even found something that she allowed her to design a plaque.  All it needs is a picture of Chip.  That, she can leave up to Dale and Monty.  The tough task is convincing Dale to allow her to display Chip's belongings.

She first confronts Monterey Jack.  Liking the idea, he goes into Dale's room. He taps lightly on the door, and when there's no answer, Monty slowly enters.  Inside, he sees Dale sitting on Chip's bed, cradling the jack again.

His back is leaning against the pillow.

It's hard to tell if the chipmunk knows that the larger mouse has entered the room.

"Hey, pally, are you doing better today?" Monterey finally says, hoping he can get acknowledgment from the grieving chipmunk.

Slowly, Dale lifts his head and meets Monty's gaze.  After a moment of nothing, Dale finally shrugs his shoulders in response.

"Listen," Monterey gradually speaks, sitting beside Dale but still facing him. "Gadget built a bonzer case that we can display Chip's jacket and hat. She's hoping that you'd be okay with it."

For another moment, Dale thinks about handing over the only thing left of his best friend.

Finally, he nods, "Okay," he says in a weak, cracked voice.

"Thanks, Dale," Monty nods. He's grateful that the chipmunk is cooperative with the idea. "Gadget is also hoping that you know of a picture of Chip we can use for the display too."

"I know the perfect picture to use," Dale says, still with a weak voice.

Ten minutes later, Dale and Monty meet up with Gadget in the living room.  The blond mouse has already set up the stand and plexiglass case in the living room by the door.  It is the best place in the entire headquarters.  Gadget thought the spot would have the team feel that Chip is always with them when they'd sit and watch TV or something—also, an excellent spot for when anyone to greet him as they come in or leave.

Monty hands her a picture of a headshot of Chip.  He is posing to the camera with his chest puffed out and holding his jacket's collar. He's grinning with confidence, which is one of his best qualities.  His hat is tilted slightly down, casting a shadow over the top part of his eyes.

Gadget quickly wipes away a stray tear as it escapes her eye.  She then slides the photo into a unique frame attached to a written plaque.  One it says:

Chip

A great friend and leader.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Monty takes the jacket and hangs it onto the rigged-up jewelry stand.  Once on, the more massive mouse steps aside to allow Dale to walk up with the hat.  A part of him hesitated.  He still wanted to hang onto it, just for a while longer.  With a deep breath, he figures that having it with the jacket is the best.

Dale reaches up to place the hat on the knob.  All that was left was the plaque.  Gadget brought it over and put it in a designated slot she designed.  It slid perfectly in place, standing for anyone to see. 

Taking a step back, the four Rangers can see the commemorative tribute of their fallen teammate.

Some of the flowers that their friends left are still on the table.  Monty starts moving some over to the display case and placing them on the floor.

Gadget, Dale, and Zipper also pick up some flowers and do the same.

Again, the four of them step back and stand to appreciate that ‘Chip’ now has a permanent home.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Fat Cat grumbles to himself as he sits alone in his chair.  His tail flips from side to side in irritation.  It has been over a week since his defeat in getting the Golden Guppy.

He wanted that fish, but the Rescue Rangers, as usual, showed up and foiled his plans.  Ever since they interfered with his former master, Klordane, the rodent detectives would continue being a thorn in his behind.

The elevator door opens, and Snout, the rat, runs in.

“Hey boss,” he says excitedly.

“Not now, you ridiculous buffoon.  Can’t you see I’m sulking?”  Fat Cat groans.

“But, boss, you will really like the news I bring you.”  The rat grins.

“What!?”  The significant cat snaps, spinning around in his chair to face the rodent.  “What could you possibly say that I would ever like?”

With a nervous gulp, Snout opens his mouth to speak.

“Just wanted to share that the word on the streets is that one of those pesky Rangers has bit the big one.”

Fat Cat’s face turns from anger to surprise, to a pleasant smirk.

“You’re right, Snout.”  He lets out a small chuckle.  “This news is pleasing to my ears.  Now you are sure the information is accurate?”

“Yes, boss.”  The rat nods yes.  “Apparently, it happened a week ago while rescuing someone from a fire.”

Fat Cat starts leaning forward with his elbows sitting on the desk and his head resting in his paws, looking like a kid listing to the best story in the world.

“Tell me, do you know which one of those annoying Rangers died?”  He asks.

“Um,” Snout thinks back to what he’s heard before looking up at his boss.  “I think it was the leader,” he pauses again, then confirms his information.  “Yep, it was their leader that died.” 

Fat Cat is so thrilled with the news that he cannot contain his laughter.  He spins happily in his chair in a full circle.  Snout chuckles along with his boss as he watches him gleefully turn.

Chapter Text

Two months go by, and Fat Cat has the time of his life.  No Rescue Rangers were there to foil his plans. He and his gang successfully stole many small, expensive trinkets and sold them on the black market.  However, now is an excellent time to pull the biggest heist. 

A Red Golden Pheasant is said to be in the city as a mascot for an auction.  The auction is to raise money to save many endangered and rare animals.

Fat Cat plans to kidnap the bird and ransom it for the auction funds.  He explains this plan to his four henchmen: Mepps, an orange scraggly ally cat. Mole, a half-blind mole, Snout, a rat; and Wart, a lizard.

"…But boss," Snout speaks up. "How are we going to get past the guards that are protecting the bird?"

"Ah, an understandable question, my dimwitted simpleton." Fat Cat purrs. "That is why I hired some muscle to help handle the guards while you pinheads sneak in and grab the bird."

As soon as he finishes, Fat Cat puts on a gas mask, and two male skunks walk in.  One is wearing a blue sweater and a black cap.  The other is wearing a red sweatshirt and a white hat.

"Gentlemen, meet Azu and Mond, the Skunk brothers from Canada." Fat Cat announces.

"Pee-yew, they sure do reek," Mole mutters, trying to wipe away the smell by waving his hand in front of his nose.

"Why thank you," Mond, the one in a blue sweater, sarcastically responds as he takes a bow.

"It's our special blend of cologne." Azu jokes, tugging at his red sweater.

"Joking aside, boys, you all know the plan?" Fat Cat asks.

"Yes," Azu nods.  "Tomorrow night, just as the auction closes, my brother and I distract the human guards..."

"…While your minions here," Mond adds, jerking his thumb to Mole and the others. "…Go in and grab the bird."

While the villains chatter more about the plan, a familiar sparrow spies down at them through the roof's skylight.

Her big bright eyes widened as she overheard the plan.  Midge spreads her tiny wings and starts flight straight to the park – to the only ones that could stop Fat Cat with this plan.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Midge pants as she lands on the platform beside the Ranger Wing.

“Hello,” she calls out.

Gadget pokes her head up from the front seat of the plane to look around.  She picks up a rag and starts rubbing off oil from her hands.

“Midge…?” She says when she spots the little sparrow.

“I need to talk to you and the other Rangers. It’s important.”  The little bird cries out as soon as she catches her breath.

Gadget frowns and looks away.

“Sorry, Midge, we aren’t working on cases right now.”

“Oh,” the sparrow lowers her head.  “I understand.  I miss Mr. Chip too.  It isn’t going to be the same with him gone.”  She looks up again to speak her point.  “I don’t know who else to turn to - You see, there’s this rare bird in town, and he’s in trouble.”

“What rare bird?” Gadget asks, perking her ears up.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Tammy and Foxglove felt bad for the Ranger’s loss and decided to stick around and help the best they could.  Since Chip’s memorial, Monterey Jack and Zipper pretty much keep to themselves but do make an effort to be a bit more social.  Gadget buries herself in her workshop on meaningless tinkering. 

Dale, on the other hand, has become withdrawn from everyone.  Lately, he has been wearing darker colours instead of his usual Hawaiian red and yellow shirt.  It was a big step to talk Dale into letting Gadget and Monty encase Chip’s hat and jacket in a protective plexiglass display case.  

He has improved some by coming out of his room and joining a conversation or two.  It is evident, however, that Dale suffers from depression, so everyone does their best to support him.

Thirty minutes ago, Monty and Zipper were successfully coaxing Dale out of his room, and both Foxglove and Tammy made some soup for the boys.  They knew Gadget usually eats later, so they saved her a bowl for when she gets hungry.

Monty only has a few bites left in his bowl, but Dale has yet to get halfway.  Eventually, Dale does finish, or at least most of his food, but it takes him a while.  For the first few weeks, Dale couldn’t go through a meal without crying, but lately, it has gotten a bit better.

Everyone remains quiet during mealtime, but every so often, someone starts a conversation.

Dale mostly would listen, though he does contribute to a few topics at times – perhaps with a word or two.  On rare occasions, he adds a full sentence.

As Tammy starts clearing some of the plates off the table, Gadget and Midge come rushing into the dining area.

“Guys,” Gadget calls out.  Everyone looks up to the mechanically-inclined mouse.

“Midge discovered that Fat Cat is back to his old tricks.  He’s about to go after a rare Red Gold Pheasant and ransom him for the fundraiser.  The fundraiser is to help protect rare and instinctive animals.  We have to….” Gadget is interrupted when Dale slams his spoon into his bowl.

“No, we don’t….” Dale snaps.  He pushes the chair back and stands up but doesn’t look directly at anyone.  “What makes you think we can do anything for the Pheasant?”

“…Because we are Rescue Rangers….”  Monty shrugs.  “It’s our job, isn’t it?”

“It was,” Dale says. He is on the verge of tears again.  “When Chip was alive.  It isn’t right that we do this without him.  I refuse to replace him just like that.”

With that, Dale leaves the room. 

“Dale, wait…” Foxglove calls out to him, but Monterey stops her.

“Let him leave, Luv.  He’s just not ready yet.”  The Aussie mouse sighs.

“What about the pheasant?  Are we just going to let Fat Cat get away with his plan?”  Tammy steps up; clearly, she is determined to do something.

After a moment to think about it, Monterey takes a deep breath.  “We are Rescue Rangers, regardless of what Dale just said.  We will do our best to help.”

Hearing that, Gadget smiles, as do Zipper, Tammy, Foxglove, and Midge.

“Now, Midge, you want to tell everything you heard of Fat Cat’s plan?”  Monty asks, turning to the tiny bird.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Dale rushes into the next room and spots the encased items that once were worn by Chip.  The red-nosed chipmunk’s lower lip trembles as the same painful emotions punch through his stomach.

“I can’t do it, Chip,” He speaks to the hanging jacket and hat.  “I can’t continue being a Rescue Ranger without you,” Dale sniffs. 

“Without you here to lead us, we will be no match for Fat Cat and his goons.  The Red Gold Pheasant is in trouble, and we won’t be able to save him.”

Tears fall down his face, which happens often these days, and Dale lets them fall without attempting to catch them.

“Knowing you, you would say one of your encouraging speeches and finish with your famous catchphrases.  That usually pumps everyone up.”

Dale lets out a little sob as he sniffles once more.

“I’m not you.  You were always smart and seemed to know what needed to be done.  I’m just a goofball.  Always have been, always will be.”

He paused in thought.  Dale thinks back to when he first met Chip, long ago when they were still very young.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

A tiny Dale is chasing a butterfly from one tree branch to the next.  There were moments when he nearly caught it, but the butterfly was just a tad faster.

“I’m gonna getcha; I’m gonna getcha…” Dale sings playfully.

Not paying attention to where he’s going, Dale leaps up and falls into a rushing river.

“Help!  Help!”  The little guy cries out.

Fortunately, someone heard him.  A small chipmunk with chestnut fur perks his ears up from a nearby tree branch.  He looks over to see Dale in the river and is unable to swim to safety.

“Hang on; I’m coming!”  Young Chip shouts before hopping from one branch to the next.

He comes across a tree with an extended branch reaching over the river part of the way.  Chip visualizes the situation and where Dale might drift before dangling upside down and preparing to grab the drowning chipmunk. 

What Chip was not expecting on how strong the current was.  As soon as he grabbed Dale, the force of the water took them both down the river.

“Is this part of the rescue?” Dale asks.

“Shut up, I’m thinking.”  Chip snaps in response.

Desperately, Chip looks ahead until he spots some tall grass on the river bank.  He only hopes he can reach them and pull himself and his drowning companion out of the river.

As luck would have it, Chip can grab a few strands of grass and Dale simultaneously.  Within minutes.  Both chipmunks are out of the water and coughing for some air.

“Thanks,” Dale finally said as soon as he could catch his breath.

“Don’t mention it.” Chip replied.  “I’m Chip, by the way.”  He adds by extending his hand to the other chipmunk.

“I’m Dale,” the red-nosed chipmunk takes Chip’s hand, and they start to shake.  Dale smiles, exposing his adjacent front teeth.  “It was sure brave of you to jump into the river to rescue me.”

“Well, I didn’t actually jump…” Chip admits, “…But I’m glad you’re ok now.”

Chip gives his whole body a shake to dry out his fur.  Dale immediately follows by doing the same; however, since his coat is thicker, shaking the moisture makes him appear like a fluff ball with a red nose.  As a result, Chip starts laughing at him.

Dale, unsure what could be so funny, is amused anyway and starts laughing with Chip.

“Well, I should get going.”  Chip eventually says as he stands up.  “A hero’s work is never done.”

“A hero?”  Dale questioned.

“Yeah, it’s what I want to be when I grow up.”  The little chestnut chipmunk states, jerking his thumb to himself.  “You know, saving people and solving mysteries.”

“So you want to be famous?  Just like the superheroes in comic books?”  Dale asks, scratching the tuft area on his head.

Chip shoots a glare at the dimwitted chipmunk before puffing out his chest.

“It’s not about being famous,” he tells him.  “It’s about being there for the little guy.  Taking on tough advisories and coming out winning.” 

“But, we are the little guys,” Dale says innocently, addressing the only fact he sees.

Annoyed, Chip turns to the red-nosed chipmunk and bops him on the head with his fist.

“Don’t be stupid,” he snaps.  “It doesn’t matter how big or small you are; it’s what you do that’s important.  Give what you can, and be the best you can be.  That’s what my mom tells me.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Coming back to the present, Dale finally understands what Chip meant. 

“I get it now,” Dale says, the encased jacket and fedora.  He reaches up to touch the glass.  “I think I know what I need to do.  I will make you proud, Chip.  I promise.”

With that, Dale turns to find the others.  He catches up to them in Gadget’s workshop.  He sees the crew on an old laptop that Gadget rigged so that they can connect to the internet.  They are viewing the Fundraiser and discussing a possible game plan.

“Well, according to these floor plans, we can set up a trap for Fat Cat’s hired help here…We can set up another trap for his henchmen and, at the same time, protect the pheasant riiiiiight over here.”  Gadget says, pointing at specific areas on the graphic design of the floor plan on the computer screen.

“You think the seven of us can pull this off, Gadget, Luv?”  Monty asks.

“Don’t you mean the eight of us…?”  Dale corrects the Aussie mouse.

Everyone spun their heads to face the chipmunk.

“Dale…?”  Gadget is just as surprised as everyone else.  

After his outburst a few minutes ago, the gang had not expected to see Dale rejoining them.

“As in the eight of us, meaning, you want to help in this rescue?”  Tammy asked for clarification.

“Well, I’m still not quite over losing Chip. I probably won’t be for a long while yet,” Dale admits.

“…But someone needs our help, and Chip never turned his back on anyone that needed help.  That has always been something I looked up to him for, so if we are going to do this, we do this in Chip’s honour.”

Dale stretches his hand out, palm facing down.

“Too right, mate.” Monterey cheers.  He lies his hand down on top of Dale’s.  “For Chip!”

“For Chip!”  Gadget adds that her hand lands on top of Monty’s.

Tammy, Foxglove, and Midge nod as they call out in sync.  “For Chip!”

Foxglove and Midge stretched their wings over the hand pile; Tammy put her hand on top.

Zipper squeaks ‘for Chip’ and flies over to sit on the hand pile.

Chapter Text

The Rescue Rangers, now eight members instead of five, position themselves at the hotel before the event starts. Foxglove and Midge stood lookout on the roof of the building. Monterey and Tammy prepared themselves for the appearance of the skunk brothers through security. Meanwhile, Dale, Gadget, and Zipper are in the back room with the Red Gold Pheasant.

By this time, Dale and Gadget informed the bird of the danger approaching. As concerning the situation, the Pheasant is ready. 

The stagehand calls out to the Fundraiser hosts that the show will soon begin. Dale and Gadget nod before the mechanical mouse taps her Walkie-talkie earpiece she jerry-rigged for rodent use and starts communicating with the team.

"Okay," She begins. "We got confirmation that the fundraiser is about to begin. Everyone stay on your guard and stay out of sight."

"Will do, Gadget, Luv," Monty replies.

"All clear up here!" Foxglove adds from the roof.

As the fundraiser proceeded without a hitch, the Rescue Rangers stood in close vigilance.

Foxglove and Midge remained outside for any activity from Fat Cat's gang. Dale, Gadget, and Zipper took the high ground to watch from the rafters. Monterey, along with Tammy, viewed from the ground near the guards. While the guards are keeping a close watch on the Pheasant, Monty turns to see Tammy looking like she's on the verge of crying.

"Are you alright, Tammy, dear?" He asks the young adult squirrel.

Ever since she was a teenager, Tammy wanted to be an official Rescue Ranger. Now it is her time to shine in her official first mission.  To her sadness, she wouldn't be able to impress Chip, though.

"I guess I'm just missing Chipper, that's all." She admits somberly. "I was just thinking of when I was younger, and Fat Cat captured Bink and me."

"Aye, we are all missing Chip right about now. I'm glad you are willing to step up and help us out on this case." The massive mouse sighs and then gives her a light smile.

"Thanks, Monty." Tammy smiles back. She glances down at the ground before returning up at the Aussie mouse. "Do you think Chip would be proud of us on this mission?"

"Well," Monty starts as he thinks for a moment. "The mission isn't over yet, but I know Chipper would be happy that we are making an effort."

"I almost feel he is a part of us right now." The squirrel says as she wipes a stray tear nearly escaping her eye.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he is in his own special way." The mouse gives a sad nod as he puts his arm over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, up in the rafters, Gadget notices from the corner of her eye that Dale is very quiet. 

Yes, he's been quiet for the past two months, but he has also been mourning. This quiet is more focused, though, an unusual trait for Dale. His shoulders slumped forward, arms crossed over his knees, and his eyes locked on the Pheasant.

"Are you alright, Dale?" The female mouse finally asks.

"I'm fine, Gadget." He replies in a very neutral tone. 

The chipmunk has not even looked up from watching the bird.

Just the way Dale said that made Gadget worry about him even more.

"Well, it's just…." Gadget is interrupted before even getting a chance to finish.

"I said, I'm fine!" Dale snaps, finally looking over at her. "We have a job to do. Let’s all try to stay focused, okay!"

Gadget is taken aback by Dale's outburst that she doesn't know what to say. Dale turns away from her to return his focus to the bird. She glances over to Zipper as he looks at her. Gadget then lowers her eyes away from the two boys.

"Okay," she says sadly.

Two hours go by, and everyone starts to pack up after a successful evening. The fundraiser has risen over $750, 000.00 from all attendees. It is getting late, and the Rescue Rangers are worried that now would be a good time for the attack by Fat Cat's gang.

As if on cue, Foxglove speaks the Walkie-Talkie earpiece. "The targets are spotted entering the south side of the building. I say again, the targets are spotted."  

"Roger," Dale nods, touching the earpiece as he responds. "The Pheasant is being moved to the other room now."

"Roger," Monty adds, also tapping on the earpiece. "We are making our way to our position."

He removes his hand from the earpiece to turn to Tammy.

"Looks like it’s showtime. Are you ready, Tammy, dear?" Monty nods to Tammy.

"Ready," Tammy nods back. 

The two of them put on gas masks that, once again, Gadget designed out of cut-up rubber gloves, air filters, and rodent-size goggles. Once their gear is on, they head down the hall. They turn the corner, and the duo spots the skunk brothers.

"Hold it right there!" Tammy shouts at them.

"Who are these guys?" Mond asks.

"I don't know, but they are about to get a face full of spay…." Azu chimes as he spins around and starts waving his tale to Tammy and Monty.

A mist of Azu's spray heads straight for the Ranges, but the squirrel and mouse don't budge.

"I'm sure you, too, are a right pair of stinkers, but thanks to these babies, we don't get to smell ya." Monty chuckles, tapping a figure on his mask.

"This could be a problem, brother. Dealing with interference was not part of the plan." Mond explained.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Dale, Zipper, and Gadget rush ahead to the Pheasant's room, and sure enough, Fat Cat's goons are there hiding behind some of the furniture and boxes. The clue is spotting Mepps orange tail.

"The jig is up!" Dale shouts.

"That's right, we know of your plan to kidnap the Pheasant, and we are here to stop you." Gadget adds.

Zipper flies up and tips over one of the boxes, which causes more to tumble with it - this exposes Mepps, Mole, Snout, and Wart, all looking like deer caught in headlights.

"It's those pesky Rangers, but how? I thought one of them died…." Mepps wined.

Dale shoots a glare at the scraggly orange cat.

"It's true we lost not just a teammate but a really great friend. However, we are still Rescue Rangers, and we are still going to ruin the plans of you evildoers." The chipmunk promises as he points to the gang.

"What do we do now?" Mole asks his fellow henchmen.

"We will get these Rangers instead." Wart decides. He stands up and charges Dale and Gadget.

The other three goons follow the lizard up from their exposed hiding spot.

The guards, along with the fundraiser host carrying the Pheasant in a cage, walk down the hall. They pass the corridor where Monty and Tammy are fighting the skunks.

"Phew, something stinks." One of the guards points out. He starts waving his hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, smells like there's a skunk in here." The other guard speculates.

"I think we need to contact the hotelier and let them know." The host tells the guards. He then leans into the Pheasant. "It's just a blessing. This hasn't happened during the fundraising, right buddy?"

Though the Pheasant knows what the smell is, he does feel safe knowing the Rescue Rangers are doing what they promised. He gives the host a nod of confidence that the fundraiser had been successful and shall continue succeeding in protecting other endangered and rare animals.

When they enter the room, chaos ensues.  

A cat, a mole, a rat, and a lizard chase a chipmunk, a mouse, and a fly. Boxes of equipment and furniture fall over as the chase is happening.

"What is happening here?" The host cries out, clinching the birdcage close to him.

Without having to be asked, the two guards step forward to chase out the intruding animals.

"Scat! Go on, get out of here!" One of the guards shouts.

The guard gives a swift kick to both Mepps and Wart and misses them by inches, but it is enough for the cat and lizard to get the hint.

The other guard almost grabs mole and Snout. They do manage to slip away and head for the door.

All four of Fat Cat's goons rush down the hall and are met up by the skunks that have given up on the assignment altogether. The two human guards chase them until they reach the back exit door.

The moment they are outside, the goons are surprised when two female voices cry from above.

"Rescue Rangers, Away!"

Foxglove and Midge drop a net on top of the six bad guys, which leaves the guards shaking their heads, but at least the invaders are now outside and not endangering the Pheasant.

Back in the room, the host puts the cage on a table and complains about the mess the crazy animals left.

"Oh, my equipment. I hope nothing got broken." He winced.

While the man tended to the mess, the Pheasant looked down to see Dale and Gadget along with Zipper.

"Thank you." The colourful bird whispers to them with a respectful smile.

"No problem, I'm just glad you are safe, and now you can proceed with your mission." Gadget tells him.

"Again, you Rangers are amazing. I speak for all endangered and rare animals; I can't thank you enough." The Pheasant bows his head to them out of respect for their help.

"It's what we do," Dale says with a sad smile. Zipper nods in agreement.

With that, the Rangers sneak out of the room. They meet up with the rest of the team on the roof of the building. Below they watch as wild animal control shows up to handle the netted gang. Chaos continues with the original gang escaping the net just before being caged. As a result, this has the humans scattering in all directions as they chase after them. The four animals slip into a sewer drain, gone from sight. The humans are dumbfounded but decide to focus on the skunks instead. The skunk brothers are herded into cages and prepared to be transported back up to Canada.

All but Dale laugh at the scene below before heading back to the Ranger Wing.

"It's a shame that Fat Cat's goons got away, though…." Gadget shrugs.

"That seems to be what they do, Luv…." Monterey chuckles.

With a deep breath, Dale sighs.

"We did it, Chip." He says to himself. "We saved the Pheasant. If you are watching, I hope you are proud of what we did today."

"Hey boy-yo, you comin'?" Monty calls out from the plane.

"I'm coming," Dale calls back before letting out another deep sigh.

He turns and walks gradually up to the rest of his team. Attempting to smile at the newest members, Dale realizes that this could be the beginning of something more significant for the Rescue Rangers.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

“Boss, hey, boss!”  Mepps cries out once they enter the Happy Tom Pet Food Factory.  “We’re back.”

“It’s about time you miscreants showed up.”  Fat Cat sneers.  His smile turns into a frown when he sees the four boys empty-handed. 

“Where is the bird?  Also, where are the skunk brothers?”  The overweight tabby growls.

“It’s not our fault, boss; it was the Rescue Rangers,” Mepps says in a bleating way.

“Impossible!”  The cat boss roars.  He turns and points an accusing finger at Snout.

“You said one of them died!”  He shouts at the rat.

“I did, but apparently, three new members joined, and we were outnumbered.”  The rat trembled.

“It’s not fair,” Fat Cat groaned in frustration.  “Why must those Pesky Rangers foil my plans? Why?”

While Fat Cat throws a tantrum like a toddler not getting his way, the four henchmen shrink back, and all they can do is watch.

Chapter Text

For the past year, Dale has seemed to drown in his work, even starting to take on a more leadership role.  He desperately wants to live up to Chip’s name, so letting go of his goofy persona is necessary. 

On one side, Monterey, Gadget, and Zipper are glad that Dale isn’t moping around as he did the first few months after Chip’s passing.  Seeing him grow this past year shows determination and dedication to being a Rescue Ranger.  However, at the same time, they are still worried about their once energetic, happy-go-lucky friend.

In his excuse, Dale told them that Chip always did say he had to ‘grow up,’ so that is pretty much what he did.  The others seem to believe he is hiding more of his grieving.  The emotion is still a part of Dale since it shows mostly in the dark colours he wears.

One morning, during breakfast, Tammy walks in with a human-sized flyer in her paws.

Dale, Monty, and Gadget look up at her from their cereal bowls.

“Whatcha got there, Tammy,” Monty asks, waving his spoon at the paper.

“Oh, this is a flyer for a music festival.  It’s being held just outside of the city.  I was wondering if we all could have a night off and go see it?”  She asks, doing a little spin on her toes.  “They will have several talented singers playing and fun food to try.”

“I don’t know,” Dale lets out a sigh.  “Don’t we have a case to work on?”

The others frown.  It is tough to see this new Dale behaving like a real ‘stick-in-the-mud.’

“Come on, Dale.”  Gadget starts pleading, placing her hand on Dale’s arm.  “It sounds like it could be fun.  It has been pretty quiet lately, especially when Fat Cat seems to have left town a few months ago.”

“Gadget’s right, pally,” Monty adds.  “Even Chipper knew when it was time to let us have time off.”

“Yeah, what better way to have time off than going to a music festival and listening to awesome songs?”  Tammy exaggerated, holding the flyer up to Dale’s face.

The chipmunk studies the image and reads the text describing the evening. Slowly, he cracks a smile.

“Fine, I guess we can go.”  He says.

“Yes!”  Tammy cheerfully does a victory elbow swing.  “I’ll go tell Foxglove and Midge that we can go.”

Dale turns to the other Rangers, who seem just as thrilled as Tammy about the trip.

“Did you guys plan this?”  He asks them suspiciously. 

“Honestly, bro, we are as new to this idea as you are.”  Monty shrugs. 

Zipper and Gadget both nod in agreement.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Rescue Rangers set up the Ranger Wing for another long trip.  Gadget checked and changed the AA batteries, so they didn’t run out of juice halfway.  Zipper, Monty, and Tammy pack the plane with snacks and towels.  Both Foxglove and Midge carry spare towels and napkins out to the flight while Dale checks down the list of everything.

“Extra towels; check… Napkins; check…”  Dale mutters as he pencils a checkmark beside the items he marked down.

Foxglove puts the spare towels down by Monterey and reaches over with her winged claw to grab the notepad from Dale’s grip.  She proceeds to flick the tiny booklet over the edge of the tree branch.

“…Losing one checklist; check.”  The pink bat jokes.

“Hey, I needed that!”  Dale gripes, reaching hopelessly in the direction the booklet fell.

“Sweetie, listen,” Foxglove gets his attention by placing both wings over his arms.  “We know this past year has been challenging for you.  But understand, you need to relax once and a while.  Let this night be a fun night not just for us but for you too.”

Dale sighs in defeat.  Gently pushing her wings off, he steps back, looking away from the pink bat.  “Okay,” he says.  “I’ll try.”

“Alright, we are all set for takeoff.”  Gadget announces.  She removes herself from the back of the plane and up to the driver’s seat.

“Awesome,” Tammy squeals.  “Music festival, here we come!”

She, Zipper, and Monterey hop in the back seat while Dale hops in the front beside Gadget.

“I can’t wait,” Midge grins over to Foxglove as the two extend their wings to fly by plane.

“Me too.”  The bat nods.

The rodent plane lifts off from the platform and starts soring across the field with the two winged animals following them.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It is midday by the time they arrive at the music festival.  Even for miles, the band on stage is loud.

Once the Rangers land their plane in a secure spot, just outside the sight of any humans, they start walking toward the stage.  People are hanging around the field, dancing and sunbathing on the grass.

“What should we do first?”  Midge asks.

“I want to dance,” Tammy emphasizes, already moving with the music.

“What about something to eat?  The food smells amazing.”  Monty suggests.  He starts tapping his tummy and sniffing the air.

“I wouldn’t mind checking some of the technology they are using for the sounds on the stage.”

Gadget scratches her chin in anticipation.

Zipper squeaks and buzzes as he has the same suggestion as Monterey Jack.

“What about you, Dale?  What do you want to do?”  Foxglove turns to the chipmunk. 

Dale shrugs.

He still doesn’t feel like being at this festival.  What he would instead do is work on more cases.  That’s what Chip would want to do.  Again, his thoughts returned to how his best friend would do things. 

Thinking about that also causes him to start questioning himself. Is he doing an excellent job as the new leader?  Would Chip approve of the work the team has done?

His thoughts are broken up by Foxglove’s wing waving in front of his face.

“Did you hear me?”  Foxglove looks concerned as she successfully gets Dale’s attention.

“Huh, oh, I just want to sit here for a bit.”  Dale, again, shrugs.  “…But if you guys want to go ahead and do what you want to do, we could later meet up by the food court.

“Are you sure?”  Monty asks.

“I’m sure. Go, have fun,” Dale assures as he waves them off.

“I’ll sit here with you,” Foxglove offers.  

Dale manages a small smile to the bat as a thank you for her company.

“Who wants to go dancing with me?”  Tammy asks.

“I’ll go,” Midge responds.

As the squirrel leaves with the sparrow to one end of the field, Monterey and Zipper make their way toward the food court.

Gadget pauses and leans over to Dale.

“Are you sure you will be okay here?”  She wonders.

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” Dale responds, assuring he’s okay.  “Besides, Foxglove is here with me.  We can meet up later.”

“Alright, I won’t take long.”  The blond mouse promises.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As evening approaches, the team starts feeling like it's time for dinner. They all start making their way to the food court. Foxglove flies ahead and meets up with Tammy and Midge, while Dale catches up with Gadget, Zipper, and Monterey.

Dale still hasn't said much of anything, but he is enjoying the music playing. He follows behind his friends as they pass some juggling performers. One of them pulls out sticks and lights them on fire. Dale glances up at their performance and is impressed. However, he doesn't stop walking.

Something catches Dale's eye that does make him stop and do a double-take. A blurred vision emerged through the flames at the opposite end of the encircled stage.  Chip…? 

He doesn't believe his eyes. Turning away to rub his eyes, Dale looks back up, but the image is gone. Did he see whom he thought he saw? 

No, it has to be his imagination. 

Deciding to shake it off, Dale runs to catch up to the others. His friends stopped underneath a tree, waiting for Dale to catch up.

"So, how are you liking this festival so far, Dale?" Gadget asks.

"It's alright," he responds casually; however, his foot's subtle tapping gives off the fact that he's enjoying the festival.

Both Gadget and Monty smirked at each other. Perhaps there's hope for the Ranger's new leader.

All seems right until, out of nowhere, red dusty substance sprinkles on top of Dale.

"Dale, are you alright?" Monty asks.

"What is this stuff?" Gadget wonders. "It could be some kind of spice or toxic, like vermilion." 

She has a sudden realization, what if it is toxic? "We need to get it off you right away!"

Both mice are about to reach and help Dale be free from the substance, but the chipmunk licks it off his fingers anyway.

"It's sugar," Dale says, clearing up the mystery. "Cherry flavoured to be exact."

"Crikey, where did that stuff come from anyway?" Monterey asks. He looks up at the tree above but sees nothing that could have dumped sugar.

"I don't know, but it sure is good." A little of the old Dale starts to spark as he licks more sugar off his paws.

"Come on, Pal, let's go catch up to the others." The Australian mouse chuckles, wrapping his arm around the sugar-covered chipmunk and guiding him toward the food vendors. Gadget giggles as she follows them.

Later they catch up to Foxglove and Tammy, who gather up some scraps at some of the international food vendors.

Dale looks over at the end of the vendor lot, and suddenly his face turns pale. He instantly questions what he is seeing.  It couldn't be...Chip?  While his friends focus on gathering some falafels from the Greek vendor, Dale starts walking toward the end of the court.

"Ok, got it," Tammy calls out to Foxglove after catching another falafel.

"Good job, guys, that looks amazing." Gadget praises the girls.

"Wait, where's Dale?" Monterey addresses this with concern.

The group frantically looks around until Foxglove spots him heading to the end of the vendor court.

"There he is," she cries as she points her pink wing in that direction.

Dale is so fixated on getting closer to the end of the food court, closer to the vision he sees. 

His obsession gets to the point that he barely has a chance to avoid being stepped on by humans walking around. Suddenly, the image of his best friend disappears, and he sees a vacant spot beside a garbage can. The chipmunk stops, dumbfounded.

"Dale, what are you doing, pal," Monty asks as soon as he catches up to the chipmunk. "You're going to get trampled on."

"I thought I saw him," Dale mutters in disbelief.  

"Saw whom?" The broad mouse questions.

"Chip…"

"Awe, Dale…" Monty sighs, feeling disappointed. He thought Dale was getting better, but it looks like he's getting worst.

"I know, I know…." Dale concludes, sensing Monty's disapproving sigh. "It couldn't be him. He's gone. It's just…."

"It's ok, Dale, my boy," Monty comforts him with an arm around his shoulders. "We all miss him too."

Dale continues to stare at the spot where he saw his best friend. He barely notices a woman walking by with a large white bird on her shoulders. The redhead briefly stops by the garbage can before leaving the vendor court.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Later the Rangers found a tree far from the crowd by the stage.  There, they can sit, eat the food they got, and still enjoy the music.

Dale slowly ate his portion as he stared up at the night sky.

“What’s on your mind, sweetie?”  Foxglove asks.

“I’m just thinking about why I’m suddenly getting visions of Chip,” Dale answers, not looking away from the stars.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you might have been trying so hard to be like Chip.  Not to mention you’ve been stressing during some of our cases lately.”  Gadget ponders.

“Gadget is right, Dale,” Monty adds.  “I once met a psychic lemur from Madagascar Island.  He told me that visions from the deceased could mean they’ve come back to deliver a message.”

“Wow, really?”  Tammy perks up.

“That sounds a bit spooky.”  Foxglove gasps.

“I wonder what Mr. Chip could be saying to Dale?”  Midge wonders.

The others all seem to ‘hmm’ in thought with that statement.

Dale absorbs his friends’ words just as a new song plays in the background.  It almost feels the singer’s song is for him.

**

Yeah, I know it hurts
Yeah, I know you're scared
Walkin' down
The road that leads
To who-knows-where

“It’s hard,” Dale admits, with a signal tear trickling down his face.  “Even though he’s been gone for a year, it still hurts.”

“I know how you feel,” Midge says.  She floats down to the same branch as Dale and leans up against him.  “I think I speak for the rest of us that we all feel the weight of losing Mr. Chip.”

Don't'cha hang your head
Don't'cha give up yet
When courage starts
To disappear
I will be right here

Dale lowers his eyes to the ground.  Midge is right.  He’s not the only one still feeling the emptiness of not having Chip around.  With a deep breath, he starts looking over at his friends.  He feels the bond between them.  It is strong.  Everyone has held a special place in their hearts for the former leader.

Now, they look up to him as the leader.  The goofball he once was somehow died the day Chip fell with the building in that fire.

When your world
Breaks down
And the voices tell you,
"Turn around"
When your dreams
Give out
I will carry you
Carry you

Maybe this is the message that Chip is trying to tell him. 

Even though his best friend will never genuinely gone from their hearts, he still must be let go.  The Rescue Rangers must carry on.  With their strengths in working together, they will continue to save lives. 

He glances at Monterey, Zipper, Gadget – the original team behind Chip and himself.  He then looks up at the next branch to Tammy and Foxglove, then over to Midge sitting beside him – the newer members of the team.  How much the Rescue Rangers have grown this past year.  He has been so focused on trying to do things on how Chip would do something that he almost hadn’t noticed.

“Thanks.  All of you.”  Dale smiles at his friends before returning to look up at the sky. 

An idea comes to him.  Dale knows how they could expand the mission of the Rescue Rangers.  An idea he will pass on to them tomorrow.  Right now, they will enjoy the rest of the evening.

**

Some of the lyrics used are from the song “I Will Carry You” by Clay Aiken.

Chapter Text

Five years have passed since Chip died, and the Rescue Rangers are officially adjusting to their new roles.  The day after the festival, Dale announced his plan to expand the Rescue Rangers.

They are now being taken on by students all across the globe.  Many people they've encountered have been inspired to join the team. 

Initially, when it was just the five of them, they were limited to where and whom they could help.

With the Rangers school motto, 'Even the little guy can help,' the team has significantly expanded.

It's gotten to the point that the Rangers had to turn the original workout room into a training room for recruits.  A black Ground Beetle, a small blue Pygmy Wolf snake, a field mouse, and even Bink, Tammy's little sister, have joined as trainees.

When Dale first announced this idea, he said he got inspired when they had a case to aid a group of mice in a military camp. Initially, he dismissed the concept, being he wanted to proceed as Chip would see things.

It changed when Monty mentioned his tale about the deceased sending messages, and perhaps Chip's presence at the festival encouraged this new direction.  

Dale and the other Rangers think Chip might be proud of what they've done in his name.  Tammy and Foxglove take on as teachers mostly, while the veteran Rangers, like Dale, Monty, Gadget, and Zipper, head out in the field.  Midge usually operates as the secretary of their Ranger's case files.

Dale has even started wearing more colourful clothes once more.  He feels confident that he's truly earned the leader's role now, all thanks to the memories he held between him and Chip growing up.

Technology has improved so much in the past few years. Gadget, along with their old friends Sparky and Buzz from the local science lab, has created an online network to stay in contact with members worldwide.  It also informs them of possible people in need of their help.

Their latest mission they went on is saving several animals that got trapped during an earthquake in the Philippines.  The trip was long, and it also gave some of the new trainees hands-on experience during a rescue operation. 

Though victorious, the team came back exhausted.  Dale suggested that Tammy returns with Bink and spend time with their mom and the other trainees to do the same. 

Foxglove, feeling too tired to think, heads straight into her room to sleep. 

Monterey, Zipper, Gadget, and Dale walk into the living area, and all fall back on the U-shape couch in front of the laptop/TV.  The four of them appear to melt into the soft cushions.  They are physically and mentally exhausted.

Midge walks into the room and is happy to see the team back safely.

"Oh, you're home."  She chirps.

"Hi, Midge…" the four of them sigh in a low, tired tone.

"An Email came for you guys while you were away."  The little sparrow announces.  She proceeds to jump right up to the laptop and turns it on.  She types the entry code and quickly finds the email in question.

"Who's it from," Dale asks.

"Someone that goes by the name Cassandra," Midge informs the team as the email pops up.

"Cassandra, the Gypsy Moth?" Monterey perks up.

"What does she want?"  Dale questions skeptically.

"The last time we heard of her was when she came in town to do readings for people at a carnival a few years ago." Gadget recalled.

"Yeah, she says here that she was visiting another carnival that was by a small town last week and suddenly got a vision," Midge explains as she starts reading the email off.

"Now, this is where it kind of gets confusing for me," the sparrow continues. "She says, Rangers, you must go to this small town.  Arrive by a marketplace beside the river. You will meet someone who can guide you to someone lost.  And, she concludes with the instructions on how to get to this town."

"Well, that's pretty vague." Dale groans, rolling his eyes. "How do we know who's lost and for how long?"

Midge shrugs her wings up. "I don't know. She doesn't say."

"That's Cassandra for you." Monterey can help but to chuckle. "Her messages are always encrypted."

Zipper also giggles at Monty's comment.

"The person lost could be hurt. We should investigate regardless." Gadget speaks as a voice of reason.

"Gadget's right," Dale lets out a tired sigh. "We should check it out."

"Do you want me to call the others, Mr. Dale?" Midge asks.

After briefly thinking about the question, Dale smiles and shakes his head no. 

"Naw," he waves his hand to one side. "I think the four of us can handle this case ourselves."

Monty, Zipper, and Gadget nod in agreement before Gadget stands up with a stretch.

"I suppose I should go get the Ranger Plane prepped once more." She yawns before heading back upstairs.

"…And I'll go get our necessary supplies for the trip," Monty adds as he stands up before looking over to his little fly friend.  "Come on, Zipper, you can help."

The greenfly happily flaps his wings and buzzes his way behind the large mouse toward the kitchen.

Dale finally stands and lets a yawn and stretch of his own. "I guess I'll go change and get ready myself.  Midge, mind telling the others that we shouldn't be too long – it will most likely be only a day or two at the most."

Midge nods to the chipmunk. "I will, Mr. Dale…and good luck."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Here we are," Gadget chirps as she lands the Ranger Wing safely on a building roof.

The four rangers step off the plane's wings and onto the building. They peer over the railing and survey the street below. The small town has a few people walking around what looks like a Farmer's Market by the river. Regardless of the fewer people that a large city would have, it is still enough to leave the Rangers wondering where to start looking for someone they have yet to meet before.

"Monty, I can't remember.  Did Cassandra's message hint at how to find this lost person?" Dale asks.

Monterey pulls out the print-up of the email from his jacket and rereads the message.

"Nope, just that someone from this Farmer's Market will be a guide for us." The Aussie mouse replies.

"Well, I guess we should get down there, huh?" Dale asks the team.

Zipper and the others nod their heads, yes, before finding a drainpipe to climb down on.

Each of them decides to split up briefly to capture more ground. The Rangers started talking to local mice and small birds – however, none knew anyone that would sound like they were lost.

After about twenty minutes, the Rangers meet up at the same building where they landed the plane.

"Any luck?" Gadget asks.

"Nope, no one I talked to knows anything about a lost person." Monty shrugs.

"Yup, same here." 

Dale nods.

Zipper squeaks in response, indicating he, too, had no luck finding any clues.

"Perhaps, Cassandra meant a different small town?" Gadget suggests.

"I don't think so, Luv.  Cassandra is usually never wrong in her predictions." Monty defends his insect Gypsy friend.

"But her predictions can be misleading at times. We all know this from experience." Dale points out, crossing his arms. He remembers her original prediction of Chip's 'demise.'

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Monty's shoulders slump forward in defeat.

At that moment, a tiny voice calls out in the distance.

"Mommy…?  Mommy…Where are you?" A tiny chipmunk is wearing a dark blue and white T-shirt. 

He looks no more than three years old and is spotted across the street, frantically looking around at the end of the Market.

"You don't suppose this little fella is our lost person?" Dale asks, pointing over the small chestnut colour chipmunk.

"It wouldn't hurt to go find out." Gadget shrugs.

With that, the Rangers cross the quiet street to the little lad. The tiny chipmunk looks over the watery bay, unaware of the Rangers coming up from behind him.

"Hey there, little fella," Gadget says in a soft nurturing manner.

The sound of someone talking to him causes the little guy to jump up with a squeak. He spins around and looks up at the strangers.

It is at that exact moment that the Rangers do a double-take. This young chipmunk appears to resemble Chip in an almost perfect reflection.  

The Rangers notice the details of his expressive eyes, the chocolate chip shape nose, to even his posture. Another thing that grabs their attention is his fur colour - it's like observing a mini clone.  

Though the only distinction is a small patch of fur extending from the little guy's nose to between his eyes exists a golden-tan colour. Other than that, he is a perfect resemblance to their late leader.

"I-I lost my mommy. I can't find her." The little chipmunk answers in a very timid voice.

"Well, we could help you find her." Dale offers after snapping out of the thought of his best friend.

"Too right, now where did you last see her?" Monty asks as he, too, shakes his head back to reality.

"Um," the little chipmunk thinks for a moment as he looks back at the Market. "Over by the veggies, I think."

"That sounds like a good place to start looking, then." Gadget coos. She reaches her hand out to the little guy.

The chipmunk toddler eyes the mouse's hand suspiciously before cautiously reaching his hand up for her to take it.

When they reach the vegetable aisle, a female chipmunk with golden-tan fur steps out from behind one of the stands with a bag of veggie scraps strapped over her shoulder.

Her outfit is a long smoky, periwinkle long buttoned-up shirt. It is cut off in the middle with a black belt, making it look more like a dress. 

Her nose is beige, and her cheeks are a light dusty peach. Another noticeable appearance is a necklace made of four small rose quartz. Two of the gemstones are a size smaller than the other two. 

The light-coloured chipmunk looks over to her left, and with a breath of relief, she reaches her arms out.

"Tucker," she cries. "There you are!"

The small chipmunk jerks his hand away from Gadget and immediately bolts with high speed to his mother.

"Mommy!" He cries.

"Boy, fast little guy, ain't he?" Monty points out with a chuckle.

"Mission complete…?"  Dale shrugs, feeling unsure.

"It couldn't be that easy, could it?" Gadget confirms the confusion of this mission.

Monterey looks at the email again and shakes his head. "No, Cassandra says that someone will guide us to the lost person…" he looks up and points to the mother.  "Maybe she's the lost one we need to help?"

Before anyone else could add a possible solution, the chipmunk mother walks up with her son in her arms.

"I just came by to thank you for bringing my son to me." She tells them. "I got worried when he wasn't beside me."

The female chipmunk raises a brow at her son and sneers.  

"I told him to not run off," She then looked back to the Rangers with a shrug, "but you know kids, they have a difficult time listening sometimes."  

"It was no trouble," Gadget smiles as she holds out her hand and adds, "I'm Gadget, by the way, and beside me here are Dale, Monty, and Zipper. We are the Rescue Rangers."

"Hello," The boys all say in unison—Dale nods, and Monty and Zipper wave.

With a cautious look, the mother chipmunk eventually takes Gadget's hand and shakes it.  

"I'm Clara, and this is my boy, Tucker." She finally introduces herself and her son correctly.

"Clara," Gadget speaks up. "Maybe you could help us. We got a message that someone is possibly lost in your small town. Have you heard anything that might lead us to find this person?"

Clara thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of anyone lost, but I wonder if Jezebel would know."  She offers, lowering her son down on his own two feet.  "Come on. I don't live far from here."

With that, the Rangers follow Clara and her son back to her place.

Dale finds himself staring down at the little chipmunk. It is so painfully evident in his appearance that it's hard not to keep his eyes off him.

The small boy realizes he's being watched and glances over his shoulder. After spotting Dale, Tucker tries to hide his face in his mother's hip.

Clara glances over her shoulder suspiciously, and it causes Dale to spring up, realizing what he is doing. He grins sheepishly, trying to show he brings no harm to her or her son. However, it still earned him a suspicious brow raised by the golden-tan chipmunk.

A few minutes later, they reach a backyard of a small bluish-grey home. Up ahead, on the patio, the Rangers spot a cinnamon-coloured cat jumping up on the patio railing. The cat watches as the rodents walk across the yard.

"Um, Clara, darlin'…." Monty stutters. "There's a c-c-cat over there. Are you sure we are going the right way?"

Clara smiles, enjoying the Australian mouse's concern about a cat watching them.

"I wouldn't worry. That is Jezebel. She won't hurt you as long as you're with me." She assures Monterey Jake and the Rangers.

"You're sure about that?" The giant mouse begins to cower behind Clara as best he can but is still far, significantly wider than her.

From his angle, the cat looks like she wants to pounce on them at any moment. The cinnamon cat swishes her tail from side to side as the rodents walk up the patio steps.

"Clara, honey, who are our guests?" She asks.

"These are the Rescue Rangers, Jezzie," Clara responds. "They are looking for someone that is lost.  Have you heard of anyone missing around here?"

"Hm," Jezebel ponders for a moment before shrugging. "I don't believe I heard of anyone that is lost or missing. Perhaps Todd knows. He will be back soon with Amber." She offers.

"Okay," Clara nods, sounding slightly excited about the news.

"In the meantime, why don't you Rangers come inside?  I'm sure it's been a long trip, and we will be having super soon. You are more than welcome to join us." Jezebel offers.

"That sounds awfully kind of you." Dale chirps politely, patting his empty tummy.

"Yeah, kind…" Monty mutters. To him, every time a cat offers him to stay for dinner usually means he is the main course.

Gadget jabs him in the ribs and gives him a look to not be rude.

The cat leads them through a door flap, the perfect size for a small animal. Once inside, the Rangers realize they just walked into a human's home, the perfect size for someone single. Straight ahead is a short hallway to the front door. Where they are standing currently is in the kitchen slash dining area. Across the stove is a bathroom, and beyond that is an archway to the living room.

As they start walking in the living area, a big white Umbrella Cockatoo stands on a jungle gym with many things for the bird to play and climb on. It takes up a good portion of the area.

The big bird spots the guest with curiosity.  

Besides, the jungle gym is a cat tree, with one of two cat condo boxes hanging silk cloths covering the entrances.  It's like it is used for a tiny private home.

On the right is a den, which has a small graphic design desk beside it, a different table with a computer, and on the wall, images of different animals and a human family with red and dark hair. In the corner is an enclosed cabinet.

Another human thing the Rangers notice is a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall at one end of the room. Across the room are a couch and coffee table. On the coffee table is rodent size furniture facing the TV. Besides, the den is another room, closed off by a door, which is most likely the bedroom.  

The Rangers can't help but think this is a very comfortable living arrangement between a single human and these animals.

"I'll go get us all something to drink." Clara offers.

"That's a good idea. Thank you, Clara." Jezebel nods to the chipmunk.

The cat kneels to let Tucker climb on her back before turning to the Ranges and addressing the coffee table.

"There are some chairs you can sit on up here." The cat offers.

"Thanks," Gadget politely nods.

The intelligent mouse walks up a ramp to the table's surface, followed by Dale and Monterey. Zipper flies up and lands down on Monty's shoulder as soon as he sits in one of the chairs.

As soon as the Ranges are comfortable in the chairs, the white bird starts climbing down. He makes his way to the coffee table. With a few strides, the bird leans toward Dale and stares down at him.

"What's wrong with your nose? Why is it so red? …And big…and red?" He asks the chipmunk.

"It's just my nose," Dale explains. Consciously he rubs his nose, not realizing how big it might be.

"Boston, Don't be rude," Jezebel warns the Cockatoo.  She gives a warning glance, over her shoulder, to Tucker when he snickers at Boston.  "That goes for you too, little one."  She adds.

Not long, Clara returns with a cart on wheels with a large plastic green jug filled with juice. 

It conveniently has a spout hanging outward from the bottom and cups placed beside that are the perfect size for rodents and more significant for a cat or parrot.

Again, the Rangers are impressed that these animals live in this home as if they owned it.

Hey, everyone, we're back!" A voice echoes from the kitchen.

The sound of the voice seems all too familiar to the Rescue Rangers. All four friends turn their attention to the other room to watch a shadow moving across the aluminum floor tile.

"Oh, Todd and Amber are home." Boston sings.

Who should emerge is a figure that was once thought lost. The Ranger's jaws dropped as the once leader walked around the corner wearing a dark grey and black vest. He is carrying his daughter in his arms.  

The young chipmunk girl also has her father's eyes and nose but a fur colouring similar to her mother's. Like her twin brother, the bridge of her nose and between her eyes has her father's shade. 

"So, how was it?"  Clara asks, walking up to them lovingly.

"Oh, you should have seen it." Chip expresses patiently. "Amber is a natural climber and adventurer."

Clara giggles, kissing Chip on the cheek.

"She does take up after you, doesn't she?"

"I guess, yeah." Her husband shrugs. He leans in to kiss his wife when a voice calls out to him, interrupting the mood.

"Chip…?" Dale asks in a cracked voice. He stands up from his seat, shocked at what he's seeing. From the corner of his eyes, he can tell he's not the only one seeing this.

"Yes…?" Chip replies almost instantly.

This makes everyone living in the home double-take. Until now, Chip only responded to the name Todd.  

Chip suddenly frowns as he realizes he is looking up at strangers. He puts his daughter down to stand on her own two feet as he studies the new visitors.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize we had guests." He says, giving off a bashful grin.

Chapter Text

Gadget walks up to the edge of the table to get a better look at what she sees.

“Chip…?” She repeats Dale’s realization.

Chip raises his brow at her.  

“Yes…” he answers slowly. “That is my na….”

Suddenly Chip’s eyes widen as he, too, realizes. He immediately turns to his wife and clasps her shoulders in excitement.

“Clara, I remember my name!” He tells her, grinning from ear to ear.

“I can see that.” She giggles.

Chip takes deep breaths as he tries to calm down from his excitement. He brings a hand up to his head, trying to think of something else he can remember, but nothing else comes up.  

Clara starts to frown as she worries for him. She leans in with her forehead against his. This act works in calming Chip down.

Jezebel walks up to the Rescue Rangers and leans over the table to speak to them at eye level.

“I’m going out on a limb here and saying you know our Todd?” She inquires.

“His name is Chip!” Dale snaps.

Boston ruffles his feathers and gets in between Jezebel and Dale. He shoves his beak in the chipmunk’s face.

“No, it’s Todd!” The bird shouts back.

“Chip!” Dale argues.

“Todd!”  

“Chip!”

Chip rushes up the ramp onto the coffee table to stop the endless bickering before Boston continues to retaliate. He puts his paw on the bird’s beak to get him to look in his direction.

“Boston,” Chip begins.  “Chip is my name. Todd was always supposed to be a temporary name until I could remember my real one.” He explains.

The white Umbrella Cockatoo pauses to digest the information.

“So, your name is Chip, not Todd…?” The Cockatoo recaps.

“Correct.”

A concerned look crosses over Boston’s beak as he asks, “But you are still family, right?”

Without a second, though, Chip nods, “Yes.”

With relieving sigh, Boston walks pigeon-toed back to the ladder leading up to his perch.

“Phew, glad we got that sorted out,” Boston mumbles to no one in particular.

Chip starts smiling at his feathered brother before he feels the stares of the visitors on him. He turns to notice Dale giving him a look that is both sad and angry. This needs to be clarified for the chestnut-coated chipmunk.

“The whole time…?  You’ve been right here the whole time…?” The red-nosed chipmunk spat with shaky emotion. The volume of his voice rose with each word.

This comment leaves Chip concerned. He takes a step back from the enraged chipmunk. “I-I don’t understand…” he replies, shaking his head.

“What our little pally here is trying to say, Chipper,” Monty steps in, clasping his hands down onto Dale’s shoulders. He does so to calm him down from exploding any further. “Is, um, well… Er, we all thought you had died.” The Aussie mouse struggled to find the correct words.

Monterey is suddenly haunted by a flashback of when he last saw Chip. He still remembers the fire in the boatshed and the ceiling crashing down on him. Monty struggles to maintain a calm face with these disheartening thoughts.

Chip’s eyes widen even further. What he heard is so unbelievable. His jaw drops in shock as he takes two more steps away from the Rangers.

“Daddy’s not died?”  Amber squeaks, running up to her father. 

Tucker hops off Jezebel’s back and joins his twin sister in clasping onto each of Chip’s hands. 

Their faces expressed panic as if the Rangers planned to hurt him.

Clara also rushes up to the ramp and joins her husband’s side.  

“Of course, I didn’t die.” Chip reassures his kids. “I have no idea what these guys are talking about.”

Unable to contain himself, Dale jerks out of Monty’s hold, takes two steps toward Chip, and begins to yell.

“You mean to say you don’t remember anything? You don’t remember being a Rescue Ranger? What about even me? We grew up together, and you don’t even remember that?” Dale’s voice cracks as he trembles from head to toe.

This outburst has Clara standing in a fighting stance. She’s ready to defend the love of her life from the other angry chipmunk.

Chip pauses as he tries to process what Dale just said. He finally shakes his head, ‘no.’

“I want to say yes, but I just don’t know.” He responds with a frown. “I didn’t even remember my name until, like, five minutes ago.”

Dale was about to let out another scream when Jezebel stepped in between the two chipmunks.

“Perhaps we should all sit down and take a deep breath before somebody gets hurt.” She expresses while holding up her paw and stretching out her claws.

The action makes the Rangers obey the cat.  

“Right, of course.” Monty swallows a nervous lump in his throat. He grabs Dale’s collar and pulls him back to some rodent-size chairs.  

Seeing that this situation shakes Chip, she leans toward him with a motherly look. 

“Why don’t you take the twins and sit over on the couch,” Jezebel suggests.  

Chip nods, agreeing to the cat’s suggestion. He guides his kids to jump onto the couch and sit up against one of the throw pillows.  

Once everyone takes a moment to calm down, Jezebel straightens up in a seated position.

“Now, this is obviously a new development that deserves an explanation.” She addresses. The cat turns to Clara before she can follow her family to the couch.

“Clara, Hun, the drinks, please. We still must show our hospitality.” Jezebel orders, waving her paw to the pitcher of juice.

“Right, of course.”  Clara reluctantly does as she is told.

“Why don’t you Rangers start first? What happened to make you believe our Tod-er, I mean, Chip, died.” Jezebel adds, quickly fixing her error in naming Chip.

Boston leads over on his perch so he can hear the story.

“This is starting to get good….” He comments.

Chapter Text

Chip slowly starts to rub the back of his head in thought. Under his fur, he can still feel the scar of something crashing down on him. This one thing that had been determined was what caused his memory loss.  

Monterey Jack had just finished explaining what happened at the boatshed. It took a lot of courage to speak without losing emotional control. 

A few stay tears did fall, as did Gadget and Zipper. Even Dale looks sadder after reliving the memories of that fateful night.

Chip understands the emotion the Rangers are feeling. He still needs to remember something. However, these strangers are now starting to feel…familiar. Hearing Monty's recollection made Chip realize something.

"Guess that explains the nightmares I get every so often." He says, sounding a little shaky.

"What nightmares?" Gadget asks with concern.

Chip looks up and realizes the Rescue Rangers don't know the nightmares he's had.

"Oh, I would be stuck in a room, surrounded by fire, with no escape." He responded with a sad tone.

The twins look up at their father with concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you ok, daddy?" His daughter asks.

Chip smiles warmly at her. "Yes, pumpkinseed, I'm ok."

The little chipmunk smiles at her father before snuggling up against his chest.

The Rangers watch in disbelief. Chip is a father?

For a brief moment, everyone remains quiet until Clara walks up the ramp with a tray with three glasses of juice in her paws.

"That is a really convenient contraption." Gadget comments, pointing at the plastic beverage container.

Clara raises her eyebrow at the blond mouse. She turns to see the pitcher and realizes that is what she's impressed with.

"Um, Thanks," she says. 

Gradually Clara stretches her arm out and hands off one of the cups to Gadget.

"Holly tries to make sure everything we need is easily accessible when she isn't here," Boston explains. He climbs down his perch and readies to be next in line to get a drink.

"Guess that is the life of being a pet these days," Dale grumbles.  

He quickly glances in Chip's direction and notices the shocked expression given him. Chip had been paying attention to his kids and looked up when he overheard what Dale said.

Monterey leans forward to whisper in Dale's ear.

"I think you better cool it, pally. We shouldn't talk like that when we are guests." The older mouse says in a concerned and stern tone.

Dale looks down for a moment and notices a pair of golden-tan feet standing in front of him. He looks up to see a disapproving expression from Clara. 

She forces the cup of juice into his hands and storms away.

A large shadow suddenly looms over him, and Dale, again, looks up to see Jezebel glaring down at him.

"You are best to take the wise advice from your friend here, little one." She growls at him.

"No one lives as a mere pet in this house." She continues. "We don't do tricks or beg for food. Holly is our human caregiver, but I am the true mother under this roof. Chip is considered an adopted brother. While Boston is the child."

"Hey," the Umbrella Cockatoo protested.  

Boston finishes pouring himself a cup of juice and raises the crest feathers on his head. 

"I'm older than you." He insisted.

Jezebel raised a brow at him. "You act like a child. Therefore, you are one." She explains to the bird.

Turning her attention away from the flamboyant bird, Jezebel looks down at Clara, walking over with another cup of juice. The cat smiles as Clara is about to hand it over to Monterey.   

"…And Clara, here, is my daughter." She finishes proudly.

"Come again?" Monty pauses before he can take his first sip.

"I was abandoned as a baby, Holly found me, and Jezebel raised me," Clara explained with an aggressive tension straining her voice. "You want to make something of it?"

This comment leaves Monterey stunned. "No." He says quickly, remembering he is the guest in this house. "It's just…."

"It's just that you'd never expected a cat to consider raising a rodent before, have you?" Jezebel interrupts.

"Well, no." The mouse answered honestly.

"I do admit that is something you don't hear often." Gadget nods.

Jezebel nodded back, understanding their confusion.

"When I was young, my previous caretakers decided to fix it, so I would never bare any kittens." The cat explains, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Shortly after, they decided they didn't want me anymore," she continues. "Holly came to the shelter where they left me, and she took me in.  A year later, she found Clara alone in the woods.  She was so tiny," Jezebel smiles at the memory before concluding. "My maternal instincts kicked in, and I started raising her as if she were my own." She finishes, smiling at her chipmunk daughter.

Clara smiles at her feline mother before taking a small tray with four cups over a platform bridge from the coffee table to the couch. Chip gets up to assist her over the cushion.

Gadget and Monterey watch with a smile as Clara gives each of her family a cup and cuddles up against Chip's arm. Tucker sat between them, and their daughter, Amber, was sitting on her father's lap. 

Dale, on the other hand, can't help but feel a little frustrated. He cannot get past the part that, for five years, he thought his best friend had died. Instead, here he was, staying in this house, falling in love, and raising a family. 

A family! To Dale's recollection, Chip never had time, little alone the patience, to raise kids.

Chip is about to take a sip from his cup when he feels his eyes staring up at him. He looks up at Dale. Again, Chip feels he did something wrong. He must have if this guy keeps glaring at him. With a frown, Chip returns his glare.

"What," he finally barks.

"Just wondering what happened to you, that's all." Dale shrugs as he lowers his gaze to the cup in his hand. "Never expected you to be the family type." He says in a low tone.

Unable to make sense of his comment, Chip sat speechlessly. Jezebel takes it upon herself to inform the Rangers of how the chestnut-coloured chipmunk joined the family.

"Five years ago, when you lost, Tod-er…Chip," she corrected herself once more. "Holly found him on a beach, floating on a piece of wood, miles down the coast where you said the fire happened."

"He almost died, too!"  Boston jumps in. He leans in between Jezebel and the Rescue Rangers. 

The bird fluffs up his feathers, speaking with sheer excitement.

"Thank you, Boston!"  Jezebel hissed. "But, I'm telling this story."

Clearing her throat, Jezebel continues. "Being the unique person Holly is, she rushed To-ah, Chip," correcting herself again, "back here as fast as she could."  

"Our beloved caretaker has many talents. She’s a graphic designer and volunteers at the animal shelter." Jezebel takes a few licks out of the juice bowl that Clara left for her before proceeding with her story. "Holly can also understand an animal's speech. Being able to communicate and understand us is important. However, her most impressive skills are that she is an excellent healer, as well. She was able to fix up Chip's wounds…." She smiles at herself, finally remembering Chip's real name.

Then she continues, "…And that is why he is here with us today. His healing did take time, though…." 

Jezebel's story trails off into a flashback…

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Five Years ago…

A young golden-tan colour chipmunk dashes on all fours. Clara has a white and yellow flower clenched between her teeth. She rushes through the wooded area, between the trees and bush, to reach her destination. Glancing behind her, the female chipmunk spots three male chipmunks in hot pursuit of her.

This is one of the primary reasons she hates leaving the house. These three chipmunks always want to chase her.

"Hey baby, why are you running so fast?" One of them taunts as he leaps over some logs.

"Yeah, we just wanted to talk to you." The other chipmunk chirps.

The third chipmunk runs up a tree, jumps over a few branches, then scoots down the other tree and hops in front of Clara.

"Gotcha, darlin'." He chimed.

Clara skidded to a semi-halt but didn’t stop. She uses quick footwork to skip off to the left and around the chipmunk – missing his grasp by inches.

"Darn, she's fast." The chipmunk pointed out.

"Don't just stand there, Hank. We almost have her this time." The first chipmunk snaps as he and the other chipmunk run past him.

Clara makes it to the backyard of her home, but she isn't safe from her pursuers.

Jezebel is on the patio railing and sees her tiny daughter running like her life is in danger. Raising her brow, the cat has a theory on what is causing her to panic this way. 

Sure enough, the same three chipmunks that usually chase her are at it again. Jezebel narrows her eyes at the three troublemakers and leaps off the railing to intercept them.  

The three male chipmunks skid to a stop as the Abyssinian cat jumps in front of them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jezebel demands, twitching her tail aggressively from side to side.  

Her honey-coloured eyes glaring down at them, causes the boys to take a step back.

"W-we were just playin'." The lead chipmunk shrugs nervously.

"Yeah, playin'." The second one nods.  

Hank, the third chipmunk, is the only coward behind them and nods in agreement.

Jezebel frowns at them. 

"That didn't look like playing to me." She points out.

"It looks more like you three have forgotten that a woman has the right to say no!" Jezebel's ears are pushed back as she glares down at them. She bares her sharp teeth as she speaks with a growl. "Do I need to remind you, along with my five friends, how to respect a woman's wishes?"

Jezebel raises her paw and stretches out her sharp claws. This action successfully intimidates the chipmunks, who quickly scatter back into the woods.

As soon as the male chipmunks disappear, Jezebel turns to the patio. Though Clara is panting to catch her breath, she is safe on the steps. With a sigh, Jezebel saunters back to the terrace.

"Are you all right, daughter?" She asks with a gentle, nurturing tone.

"I am now, thank you, mother." Clara still sounded out of breath but also expressed a timid form.  

As Jezebel walks Clara back into the house, where she will feel safer, it isn't missed that she notices the little chipmunk carrying a flower.

"Who's the flower for, Clara?" As if she needs to ask. The cat has a feeling about who it is for.  

Clara looks down at the flower with a bashful look on her face. "It's for Holly's new patient. Now that he's sort of awake, I was hoping this would cheer him up a bit."

Jezebel smiles, "we'll see." She says. "The little guy wasn't feeling well this morning. Since then, Holly redressed his bandages and gave him some medicine. Don't be surprised if he doesn't respond to the flower, okay Hun."

"I won't," the small orange-tanned chipmunk shrugs.

The two walk through the cat door and head for the den. On the desk beside the computer sits a small plexiglass box. In the box is Chip, resting comfortably.  

Clara hops onto the chair, then onto the table. She tiptoes up to the plexiglass box. The bottom is lined with natural paper bedding, from soft cotton balls to shredded tissues used for pillows around the little fella. This prevents him from rolling around in his sleep. Holly makes special blankets for her small patients and uses one of them to cover Chip to stay warm while sleeping.

White bandages are wrapped around his head, waist, and upper right arm. Whatever happened to him, he appeared as if a heavy object had nearly crushed him. His arm looked like something jabbed into it deep – giving him a nasty cut. He even broke a couple of ribs on his left side, which is a good reason why Holly doesn't want him moving around too much.

Clare watches him for a moment. She feels terrible for what he must have gone through. Sadly, no one will know until he officially wakes up and tells his story. It's been over a week, and the strange little chipmunk started becoming more conscious. However, he has yet to speak.

Looking down at her hands, she realizes she's still holding the flower. Clara reaches forward to lie the flower gently beside the chipmunk. It is at that moment that he opens his eyes. First, Chip focuses on the flower before gradually raising his attention to meet Clara's gaze. 

Slowly Clara pulls her hand back away from the flower.

The two of them watch each other, not moving or speaking. Clara nervously smiles at him. Chip attempts to return the smile but only manages a subtle tug at the corner of his mouth. He gradually closes his eyes again and falls back asleep.

Clara lets out a small shaky breath before backing away. She leaps off the table and runs past Jezebel and into the living room.

Chapter Text

In her mid-thirties, a thin woman walked out of her kitchen and sauntered into the den with a small bowl of mushed, nutritious mixture of nuts, fruits, and vitamins.  The woman smiles when she looks up at the table to see the chipmunk sitting up in his plexiglass bed.

“Alright, little guy.”  She sings, walking right up to him.  “I made something special for you.  Hopefully, you could keep most of it down this time.”

Chip continues to look around the room, unsure of anything.  The expression on his face shows fear and confusion.  He turns to watch the human, whom he knows to be Holly, as she sits down and prepares a small spoonful of soft mush.   Chip notices many freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks and her curly ginger hair loosely pinned back into a ponytail.  Her skin is slightly tan since she is of Scottish and Spanish descent.  Holly’s outfit is simple with a red plaid long-sleeved top and ripped jeans.

Looking down at his fur, he notices that his chestnut coat is still ragged but not as bad as it seemed the morning he was found - soaking wet, broken and bleeding.  All he knew of what happened was how he was found, floating up onto the shore on a piece of wood with singed marks on the edges.

To this day, the human woman has no idea how the little guy ended up on that chunk of wood, but Holly knew he needed medical attention.  Her walk to collect seashells would have to wait.

It’s been a little over two weeks, and as far as Chip knows, Holly is the only one that talks to him.  Sometimes the Cockatoo or the cat comes in for a visit, but the other chipmunk usually doesn’t come near him unless she leaves a white and yellow flower while he sleeps.

Chip’s thought is interrupted when a small scoop of mush moves up toward his nose.

Instinctively, Chip jerked his head back, not sure what he was to do with it.

“Don’t be afraid, little one,” Holly assures him.  “You’ve eaten this before.  Just try not to eat it so fast this time.”

Gradually, Chip leans forward, sniffs at it a bit, then takes a small nibble.  He chews slowly, not taking his eyes off the human female.

Once he swallows his first bite, Chip gently takes another one from the spoon.

“That’s it.  Good boy.”  Holly encourages him.

Behind Holly, a large Umbrella Cockatoo walks into the den and flies up to Holly’s shoulder.

The action makes Chip jolt in surprise.

“Shhh, it’s only Boston.  Continue eating, ok.”  The ginger woman’s voice sounds soothing, and gradually Chip takes another bite.

“Is it playtime now?”  Boston inquires.

“No, Boston.  I’m feeding our little friend right now.”  She tells the bird-child.  Holly scoops another tiny spoonful of mush and glides it toward to chipmunk.

Boston leans forward to inspect the chipmunk.  This action causes Chip to bend back nervously as the Cockatoo’s intimating black beak looms closer.

“Don’t get so close, Boston,” Holly tells the bird.  She rolls her shoulder back a bit to get the bird’s attention.

Boston does as he is told and sits back on her shoulder.

“Does he talk now?”  The Cockatoo asks.

“He has said a few words, but nothing tells us who he is or where he came from.”  The woman explains.

She leans in slightly and smiles at the chipmunk.  “…But I’m sure you will tell us soon when you are all better, won’t you, sweetie.”

Chip swallows his food before opening his mouth as if he wants to say something.  However, his mind is blank.  He remembers nothing, not even his name.  Realizing this fact causes him to lose his appetite.  He shakes his head and refuses the last spoonful of mush.

“Oh, he’s finished eating.”  Boston points out.  “Playtime now?”

“Patience Boston… why don’t you go find Jezebel or Clara?  We will play later, I promise.”  Holly says, trying to remain patient with the loud Cockatoo.

“They left.  Went out for a run.  I want to play now!”  Boston raises his crest feathers on top of his head and extends his wings to show his excitement.

“That is quite enough, Mr.” Holly’s patience has pretty much evaporated as she puts down the little bowl and spoon.

She then brings her hand up to Boston’s belly.  Seeing this, the Cockatoo steps onto her figures before he is raised to a perch beside the table.  Taking the hint, Boston steps down and finds one of his toys attached to the stand.

While Boston is temporarily distracted by the toy, Holly returns her attention to the chipmunk.

Chip is so traumatized by not knowing what is happening, a little alone of his identity, he starts to sniffle back a few tears.  Holly pity’s the chipmunk, so she leans forward and begins to stroke his cheek with her index figure.

“It’ll be ok, little guy.”  She speaks in a soft velvety voice that seems to soothe Chip’s nervousness.  “You’ll get better soon.  Until then, you have a warm, safe place here to stay.”

Chip looks up at her and gives her a sad smile.  He takes a deep breath and slowly descends into a lying position.  Holly realizes he wants to rest, so she tucks him in with the little blanket she made.  Now that he’s calmed down a bit and it doesn’t seem like he is going to be nauseous this time, Holly can leave the room with Boston.

“Alright, Mr. Impatient.  Now let’s get your dinner.” She says to the bird.

“Sweet!” Boston replies excitably.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Another few weeks pass, and Chip appears to be healing a lot more. He is out of bed and making his way around the house – as slow as it may be. Since his ribs are not fully healed yet, he does need help getting up and down from high places.

His memories have not cleared up, and this concerns him. Chip has informed the human caretaker that he doesn’t know who he is, where he came from, or what happened. Being the caring person she is, Holly ensures that he is more than welcome to stay at home for as long as he wants.

Holly sewed a cute little dark grey and black vest for Chip. Instead of being called ‘little guy,’ she now addresses him as a ‘handsome little guy’ with his new outfit.  

It is still frustrating that Chip, being called a little guy always, is starting to wear thin. Even Jezebel is wondering what else to call him.  

Boston would share some of his nuts and seeds with Chip, especially now that the chipmunk can eat more solid foods. Chip finds it charming that the Cockatoo can be quite needy when it comes to getting attention, but it proves also to show that he does care about his smaller friends.

The other chipmunk, Clara, is still a mystery to him. She is barely seen when he’s in the room. Either she’s hiding in one of the condos in the cat tree or outside. This leaves him very confused since she was the one that left white and yellow flowers beside him while he slept.

Jezebel once told him that Clara is shy and timid around people she doesn’t know. Guess that would make sense, especially when Chip doesn’t even know himself these days.

One day, while Chip stares out the window, Holly comes up to him. She sits down on the chair beside him. Chip turns his head to acknowledge that he sees her. The ginger-tanned woman holds a picture of two kids, a young girl with red curly hair and an older boy with dark hair.

“What’s this?”  Chip asked, pointing at the framed picture.

Holly’s smile seems sad as she glances at the kids in the photo.

“This was me when I was eight and my older brother, Todd.” She answers.

“Oh,” was all the little chipmunk could say.  

“This picture was taken about two weeks before he was in an accident.” Holly paused for a moment. The memory of the fateful day brought back sadness. She took a deep breath before continuing. “He was unable to be saved.”

Chip frowned. He was sad to hear about her loss. “I’m sorry.”  He said.

“Thank you,” Holly replies softly. She brings her index figure up to Chip, and he puts his tiny paws on it to comfort her as best he can.

“Anyway,” she says after a few moments, returning to the point of what she wants to ask.  “I was wondering since you can’t remember your name – and calling your ‘little guy’ all the time is defiantly not working anymore – that perhaps we could start calling you Todd. It can be temporary, though, until you can begin remembering your real name. Is that okay?”

Unsure of this, Chip pauses. He looks down at the photo. The children seem very happy, but it is a shame what happened to her older brother. Chip can tell Holly still hurts from what happened to him. Even though he doesn’t know the details, he can unquestionably imagine her pain. 

Chip realizes it would be an honour to carry on the name of Holly’s sibling. Since she’s been so kind to him, it’s the least he can do to make her happy.

“That would be nice. Thank you.” Chip finally smiles at her, liking the idea of being lent a name.

Holly smiles back before the both of them look out through the window. Instantly they notice Clara watching them from the patio stairs. The second she realizes she’s been spotted, mostly by Chip, she turns and bolts high speed across the yard and disappears up one of the trees.   

Chip lets a frustrated sigh. Seeing her run off every time is getting tiresome.   

“Don’t worry, Todd.” Holly reassures him, using his new ‘borrowed’ name for the first time. “She is shy at first but usually warms up after a while.”

“Yeah, that is basically what Jezebel said.” Chip nods slowly. He stares out into the field with the only question that plagues him…Where did he come from?

OoOoOoOoOoOo

One day Holly brought over a girlfriend. It is to be their third date. Therefore, even Holly got all dressed up. She put on a pretty blue dress just above her knees. Before going to the restaurant, Holly thought it would be a good idea to introduce her new love to her animal friends. The woman rings the doorbell, and Holly runs to the door to let her in.

"Hey, everyone, I want to introduce you to Brenda." She cries out.

So far, the only one present for this introduction is Boston, who sits quietly and eyes the other woman suspiciously.

"Wow, that's a nice exotic bird you have." The blond woman smiles.

"That is Boston. He’s a ten-year-old Cockatoo," Holly says proudly.

"Fascinating," her date tries to sound impressed. The woman takes a step to the right and is quickly jerked back.

"Brenda, stop," Holly cries out in a panic.  

"What…?" The preppy blond woman screeched.

"You almost stepped on Todd." The nurturing caregiving woman says. She reaches down to pick Chip up off the floor.

Giving off a very disgusted face, Brenda sneers. "You gave it a name?"

"It is a he," Holly stressed in her voice, obviously offended by the other woman's comment. "…And yes, the poor little guy was so badly hurt that he couldn't remember his identity…so I lent him one."

Holly attempts to comfort Chip by stroking his little head with her index finger. She walks him to the den and places him back into the plexiglass bed.

Chip rubs his left ribcage. The discomfort is there but not severe. He does smile at Holly, though, to show his gratitude for getting him out of harm's way. 

"Fine, whatever," Brenda rolls her eyes. "I think you should put him in a cage or something." She adds in as a matter of fact.

"Why," Holly replies with a stunned expression, turning to look back at Brenda.

"Uh, because, obviously, he's not safe wandering around like that. It will be safer for him if he's in a secured space – like a cage."  The woman rudely pronounced.

At this point, Boston starts to scream as well. He finds the energy this woman gives off to be unbearable.

Brenda hears a noise behind her and is startled when a golden-tan streak zips across the kitchen floor.

"What was that," she screams.

"Oh, it's only Clara.  She does that." Holly shrugs.

"How many rodents to go let into this home, Holly? And can that parrot scream any louder!" Brenda's voice rises, trying to match Boston's screaming.

"Actually, Boston's a Cockatoo, not a parrot." Holly's voice seems to taper down, sounding insecure and stupid in front of the woman she loves.

"You know what, I don't care." Brenda waves her hand up to say she is ending the conversation. "I have an elegant reservation at this amazing seafood restaurant, and I want us to have a pleasant evening, okay?"

With a sigh, Holly forces a smile back onto her face. "Sure, of course."

Brenda turns and takes a step, not realizing she nearly tramples on Jezebel. Jezebel lets out a loud hiss, causing the blond to jump.

"I don't think your cat likes me either." She snobbishly addresses before carrying on to the front door.

"I'm sorry," Holly whispers to Jezebel as she catches up to her date.

Jezebel glares at the two women as they leave the house. Boston still hasn't calmed down, and the noise is starting to get on the cat's nerves.

"The creature is gone, Boston!" Jezebel growls.  

Hearing that seems to comfort the Cockatoo down, and the room is now quiet again.

Chip tries to understand the situation from his bed. He does know for sure, though, that Holly did not deserve to be talked to like that. His instincts want him to do something to help the caretaker, but what could he do? 

Chip could barely move with his injuries.   

He glances over at the irritated cat. Jezebel glances up at him, and it's like they both had the same thought.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day, Chip is again staring out of the window. He stares at basically nothing in particular, just mostly lost in thought.

Clara jumps up on the coffee table behind him. Chip notices her through the reflection on the glass but does not turn. He knows that as soon as she sees him move, she will run away again. Instead, he spies on her through the reflection. Chip watches as she helps herself to the bowl of almonds left on the table.  

Boston, on his perch, looks up from preening himself and calls out to Clara.  

“Hey, girly girl. Can I have one of those?” He asks

Clara looks up with a mouthful of the almond. She swallows before reaching into the bowl. Boston flies over and prepares himself to receive a nut. Clara reaches the nut up to Boston’s beak, and the Cockatoo gently takes it out of her paw.

As Boston happily breaks apart the nut piece by piece, Clara turns, which is when she finally notices Chip. From her perspective, he’s too busy staring outside to pay attention to her or Boston. 

Clara looks down at her half-eaten almond and raises it in the air.

“I suppose you would like one too?” She calls out with disdain in her voice.

Realizing Clara is asking him a question, Chip slowly turns his head to her. After a brief moment, he gives her a wordless answer. 

He shakes his head, ‘no.’ Upon doing that, Chip returns his gaze outside.

“You sure like staring out of that window a lot.” Clara points out.  

“I suppose,” is all Chip says in response.

“Miss your home, don’t you?” She asks, sounding a little sad.

Chip looks down at his legs with a frown before answering. “I miss knowing anything about my life.”

“Right, amnesia.  Jezebel told me you can’t remember anything, even your name.” Clara recalls. “That’s gotta suck.”

“Holly is calling him Todd, now!” Boston informs the golden-tan chipmunk. “Can I have another almond?” He asks since he just finished the first one.

Clara reaches into the bowl and pulls out another whole nut. “Todd, huh?” She says to Chip as she hands the almond off to Boston. “That is quite an honour.”  

“Yeah,” Chip agrees.  He gently lowers his head to his knees and brings them to his chest.

There’s a moment of silence between the two chipmunks as the only sound is Boston chomping on the nut. 

Chip starts staring out of the window again. Though everyone in this home has been very kind and supportive, he still feels alone.

“As much as I appreciate being given a name, I wish I could remember my own.” Chip finally breaks the silence. “I also keep getting this feeling I should be somewhere, but I don’t know ‘where’ is.”

“You’re not a prisoner, you know. You are free to leave anytime you want.” Clara suddenly snaps.  

Taken aback, Chip spins his head to Clara. He is met with a glaring look on her face.

“Know what? You could leave now if you want. I’m sure you’ll be delighted to, wherever you need to be.” It is easily shown that Clara is upset.  

Chip wonders if she wants him to leave. Maybe that is why she doesn’t talk to him, except for this brief conversation. 

He feels hurt by her words, but at the same time, he is in her home and not his.

Before anyone could say anything to her, she tosses her half-eaten almond on the table surface and runs off.

“Whoa, harsh…” Boston comments. He is stunned by little Clara’s mood change as much as Chip is.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Later in the afternoon, Holly is still at her day job, Boston is having a nap on his perch, and Jezebel and Clara are nowhere in sight.  Chip has been able to climb down off the windowsill on his own.  Though his ribs still hurt slightly, he can move around a little easier now.

He makes his way to the cat door and onto the patio.  Chip walks through and is greeted by cold air.  His life may be a mystery, but at least he knows the weather is changing. 

After climbing down the two steps of the patio, Chip makes it to the grassy yard.  He starts hobbling across the yard until he suddenly stops halfway.  It becomes clear that Chip doesn’t know where he’s going.  He stares out at the wooded end of the yard.  How did he end up like this?   The only fact he does know is that he is alone, lost, and forgotten.

A sharp pain brings Chip to seize.  His ribs start throbbing again with extreme agony.  With a groan and shortness of breath, he clinches his side. 

Moments later, a screeching sound and flapping wings come from above.  Chip sees a large shadow on the ground surrounding him.  It becomes clear that he’s in trouble.  As Chip looks up to his fate, Jezebel leaps over his head and kicks a hawk away.

“This is a safe zone, jerk!  Go hunt somewhere else for your meal!”  The cat yells at the stunned hawk.

The hawk angrily screeches at Jezebel, then flies away.

Realizing he could have died just then, he looks up at his saviour.  Jezebel, as soon as the hawk is out of sight, pans down to Chip.

“Todd, I don’t think you are well enough to be this far from the patio.”  She tells him.

“I thought,” Chip paused as another surging pain hit him in the ribs.

Jezebel frowns. It bothers her to see the little chipmunk in pain.

“I don’t know.  I’m sorry.”  He adds, finally catching his breath.  “I guess I just wanted to see if I could remember getting home.  But I just realized I don’t know where I’m going.”

Chip shakes his head and clinches his side even more.  “I don’t think I’ll ever find who I am and where I came from.”  He adds, on the verge of tears, and not just because of his physical pain.

Jezebel takes a deep breath and then says, “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

The cat matches the slow pace of Chip’s limp.  The stress is most likely the cause of the spasm in his ribs.

Chip struggles to get back up the two patio steps. Jezebel helps by biting down on the collar of his vest and carrying him up.  She puts him down and watches him as he continues to suffer while holding onto his side.

“Holly will be home any minute. I want you to see her as soon as she comes in.  She can help you with that pain.”  Jezebel tells him.

Unable to speak at the moment, Chip nods in agreement.

They make their way through the cat door, and Jezebel adds, “In the meantime, go lie down in the living room, alright.”

Again, Chip nods as he continues his way into the living room.

In the corner of Jezebel’s eye, she senses Clara standing against the back wall with a worried and guilty look on her face.  Casually, Clara attempts to walk away, but Jezebel knows something and stops her.

“Freeze, young lady!  I want a word with you.”  She hisses, glancing over her shoulder.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Holly comes home and is told immediately by Jezebel to check on Chip.  His ribs were still in a lot of pain, so the woman gave him some medicine.  Since then, the pain has become a dull, mild throb, and he can relax a bit.  Chip is lying in his bed on the desk as he stares sleepily at the childhood photo of Holly and Todd on the wall.

Clara hops onto the table and watches as he slowly moves his gaze to her.  She can’t seem to hide her guilt.  With a huff, she beings to explain herself.

“Look, I’m sorry for telling you to leave earlier.”  She admits as she turns her head to one side.  “If you hadn’t noticed, I kind of have an issue with getting close to people.” 

Chip blinks at what she is saying.  Does this mean she doesn’t hate him?  However, he does manage to lift himself into a sitting position to show he is listening.

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea or anything.” She raises her hand to show this isn’t an ‘I like you’ speech.  “It’s just that so many sick animals come and go.  Most of them, in the beginning, become good friends of mine.  However, they get better, and then they leave.”

A look of regret comes across her face as she continues.  “Their homes are so far away; therefore, I don’t get to see them again.  Or, they are adopted into another human family and move into the next country or something.  None of them don’t even write to say hi, and tell us how they are doing.”

Clara pauses for a moment to take in a breath.  Chip quietly waits for her to finish.  That, and he doesn’t have a thought of what to say exactly.

“I kept my distance from you because if we did become friends and suddenly remembered who you are and where you live, you would just leave… And like everyone else, you won’t look back….” 

She shies away, looking down at the table surface.  Sadness is written on her face.  “Just like my parents….” She finishes in a low insecure voice.

Chip’s jaw hangs open as he realizes that her actions earlier result from her not wanting to be forgotten—a feeling he can truly relate with.

“I would never forget you.”  He tells her in a sleepy yet, caring voice.

With a bashful smile, Clara looks up at him again.  “Promise,” she asks, hopefully.

Chip smiles back at her and replies, “I do.”

Chapter Text

Two full months moved by since Chip was found on the beach. By now, he's starting to feel more comfortable with everyone in Holly's home. 

Clara is becoming a great friend as the two of them are often goofing around or watching TV.  

Chip's injured ribs still enable him to have limits on how fast or far he can run. Usually, he will sit and watch Clara from the patio and watch her zipping from one end of the yard to the next. He can't remember if she's the fastest chipmunk he's ever met, but he admires her speed.  

No longer is Chip sleeping in the plexiglass bed on the desk. He now rests in the second condo of the cat tree. Jezebel is okay with it since she rarely even uses the condos anyway. It was also the cat that suggested Chip take residence in her cat tree.

One day, while Holly is out working her day job and Jezebel is out of the house on her daily walk, Chip, Clara, and Boston are watching a movie. The three are eating from a bowl of mixed nuts left by Holly. 

Holly's small furniture is a perfect size for the chipmunks as they can sit on the coffee table to watch TV.

On TV is an iconic character dressed all in black, with a long dark cape and black helmet. 

His breath has an intimidating machine-like sound. The dark figure raises his hand, palm facing up towards a young man clinging to a railing. Below the boy is a bottomless-looking pit. All hope seems lost for the blond hero.

"No, I am your father…" the dark villain explains to the lad—his voice deep and commanding.

As the boy cries out in disbelief on-screen, Chip lowers his nut in surprise.

"Whoa," he breathes.  A defiant outcome he was not expecting.

Clara chuckles at his remark. "You haven't seen this movie before?" She asks.

"If I had, I sure don't remember it." He replies, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"I've seen it five times, and this part still gets to me," Boston admits.

"Hey, I'm home!" A woman's voice calls out from past the kitchen.

The chipmunks and Cockatoo turn away from the TV to watch as Holly enters from the short hallway.

Holly walks up to them with a parcel in her hand. Holly looks at Chip with a mischievous smile. Chip raises his brow in confusion. He glances over to Clara, and she is just as baffled as he is.

"I got something for you." The human woman sings. She picks up the remote and pauses the video to show off her purchase without being distracted.

Intrigued, Chip puts down his unfinished almond to walk up to the package. The picture of the box shows a hamster running in a wheel. 

With an unimpressed look on his face, Chip looks up at Holly.

"Don't you give me that look," she waves her figure at him. "Now that your ribs have healed, you need to work on rebuilding your muscles. This is the best and safest way to do so." She finishes by patting the box.

Chip rolls his eyes and lets out an annoyed sigh. Clara unsuccessfully stifles a snicker, which earns her a glare from the male chipmunk.

Holly reaches into her bag and pulls out a DVD. She puts it down on the table before folding up the bag and walks it into the kitchen.

Chip, Clara, and Boston curiously lean over to inspect the DVD. The cover has a picture of a guy doing a form of martial art pose. The title says Tai Chi for Beginners.

"Hey, Holly, what's this?" Chip calls out to the caretaker.

The redhead pokes around through the doorway to glance over at the chipmunks. She sees Chip pointing to her DVD and smiles.

"Oh, I'm thinking of starting Tai Chi," Holly explains. With a raised eyebrow, she adds, "You wouldn't be interested in trying it out with me, would you?"

"If it is more fun than running around in this thing, then I'm in." Chip exclaims, pointing at the hamster wheel, then jerking his other thumb to himself.

"Yeah, me too." Clara chirps.

"Me too, me too!" Boston squawks, even though he doesn't know what he's asking to be a part of.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

For weeks, Holly and the two chipmunks would enjoy their sessions practicing Tai Chi.  The slow movements are transitioning from one pose to the next feel right to Chip.  It is so much better than running nowhere in the hamster wheel, not to mention he feels his muscles are getting a far better workout in Tai Chi.

Boston attempts to follow the steps the video describes but eventually gives up and starts playing with his toys.

Jezebel tends to watch in amusement.  She might need help understanding the purpose of the exercise, but her daughter has found an interest in the activity.

As soon as they had completed the DVD a couple of times, Holly decided to go ahead and purchase the entire set from beginners to master levels online.  The moment the DVD set finally arrived, the three couldn't wait to try out the next lesson.

Weeks turn into months as excursing the martial arts has become a great pass time since the weather outside has gotten much colder.  As snow falls on the trees and grass inside, where it is warmer, Holly and the chipmunks focus on Tai Chi while Boston and Jezebel watch.

Oo OoOoOoOoOo

One night, Holly comes home with a portable karaoke machine. 

"Hey, guys, check this out." She chimes.

The animals watch Holly hook it up to the TV.  Holly begins to demonstrate by playing some songs.  Holly is a decent enough singer, but Boston, with his tone-deaf singing, demanded to be next to everyone's torcher. 

"I think Boston had the microphone long enough," Jezebel finally suggests.  She gives her daughter and gentle nudge forward with her paw and adds, "Let's give Clara a turn now."

Clara turns red in the face, embarrassed to be put in the spotlight.

"I couldn't," she attempts to shy away.

"I know you can sing, Clara. I heard you before when you thought no one was listening." Holly winks at the golden-tan chipmunk. "Come on, why not sing us 'It's a Wonderful World.'"

The woman instantly punches in the song to show up on the TV screen.

"I-I don't wanna," Clara attempts again to back away.

"Party-pooper, guess it is my turn again." Boston barks just before extending his claw for the mic again.

Jezebel reaches over and slides the mic away from Boston before he can grab it.  She shoves it toward Clara and gives her daughter a stern look.

"For all of our ear's sake, Clara, sing!" She demands.

"I want to hear you sing, too." Chip pleads.

Clara rolls her eyes.

"Fine," She groans.  Pointing her finger at Chip, she adds, "But you're singing with me."

Chip's cheeks turn slightly red as now he, too, is being put in the spotlight.

"Um, okay." He bashfully accepts.

The music starts, and unlike Boston, Clara's voice comes out soft and beautifully pitched as she begins with the first chorus.

I've see trees that are green, red roses too
I’ll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world…

Chip becomes mesmerized by the sound of her voice as he gets a little closer to her.  He almost forgets that he is supposed to sing the next line.

I've see skies of blue, clouds of white
The bright blessed day
And dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What are wonderful world…

Clara turns to face Chip, and their eyes lock.  With both of them taking in a deep breath, chime in the third chorus.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I've seen friends shaking hands
Saying How do you do?
They're really saying "I love you"…

At that moment, the two start blushing when they realize how close their noses are to each other.  Instantly they bashfully turn away from each other.  It is also then they realize everyone is gazing down at them with adoration.

Holly stares at the two rodents with her head leaning down on her hands and elbows on the coffee table.  Jezebel is grinning from cheek to cheek, and Boston is leaning forward in anticipation. 

Clara’s face becomes redder as she instantly steps away from Chip.

“I-it’s not what you think,” she insists.

“Yeah, we’re just friends.”  Chip agrees, even though his face is just as red as Clara’s.

“Alright,” Holly nods, unconvinced.

“Sure,” Jezebel purrs in a teasing manner.

“Wait, no kissy-face?”  Boston asks with a puzzled expression.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Springtime approaches as the weather starts to warm up. The snow is melting, leaving room for the leaves and flowers to start growing again.

Chip and Clara prepare a late afternoon snack for themselves when Boston comes flying into the kitchen.  He lands on the counter beside the chipmunks and glances down at them.

“Whatcha guys doin’?”  He asks in a sing-song voice. 

“Making a peanut butter sandwich,” Clara responds as she flops the second piece of bread on top of the peanut butter layered one.

“Would you like a slice?”  Chip asks, holding a human-sized knife.

“Yes, please.”  The bird instantly replies.

Chip brings a knife over to the sandwich. He eyes it correctly and centers on the layered bread.

Before he is about to position himself to start cutting, Clara stops him.

“Todd wait,” she says with his borrowed name.  “We need to cut three pieces now.”

“Oh right,” Chip realizes his error and pauses to think of a solution to cutting three slices instead of two.

Seeing his problem, Clara offers a solution.

“How about we cut from this angle, then here and here.”  She visually guides an invisible line down a corner of the bread and breaking down a different angle and splitting one portion in half.

Seeing a problem with that suggestion, Chip speaks up.  “But that will mean that one piece is bigger than the other two.”

“Oh,” Clara realizes the error of her logic.

“I can have the bigger piece,” Boston offers to solve the problem.

“How come you get the bigger piece?”  Chip huffed at the big bird.  “Clara and I are the ones that made this sandwich.”

“Because… I’m Boston?”  As if the Cockatoo’s name is an excuse.

“You being Boston does not entitle you to get the bigger piece.”  Clara points out, crossing her arms in protest.

“Yeah,” Chip agrees.

“Well, then, give me the knife.  I’ll cut the sandwich.”  Boston suggests. 

He reaches for the sterling silver object, but Chip refuses to give it up.

“Back off, Boston, I’m cutting the sandwich.  You’ll just make a mess of it.”  Chip’s bossy personality peaks as he attempts to remain the official knife holder.

“No, I won’t. Now give it here,” Boston demands as he takes hold of the knife with his beak.

Being just as stubborn, Chip holds on to the cutting tool.  “I said, back off,” he growls.

“Boys, stop this fighting!”  Clara snaps.

She, too, jumps in and tries to grab the knife away from the bickering pair.

Boston flaps his wings as he tries to control the blade, as the two chipmunks work hard to stand their ground against the big white bird.

This confrontation results in Boston slipping on the sandwich, knocking the plate onto the floor and shattering it into hundreds of pieces.  The chipmunks fall back into the peanut butter jar, causing it to skid across the counter before knocking over a canister of olive oil.  This results in the oil tipping over, and the lid pops off, spilling its content all over the kitchen floor.

“Oops,” all three of them say as they acknowledge their mess.

Chip glares up at the bird with an accusing finger.  “Look what you did!  All of this is your fault.”

“Me…?” Boston fluffs his feathers at the accusation insult.

“Guys, stop it!”  Clara barks.  “We need to clean this up.”

Before any of them could get started, Jezebel walked in.  She instantly loses her balance once she steps into the spilled oil on the floor.

The chipmunks and Boston couldn’t help but giggle at the misfortune of Jezebel’s slip.

“What is going on here?”  Jezebel, unimpressed with the messy kitchen, turns her attention to the guilty party.

“Mother, it’s okay,” Clara assures her.  “We were about to start cleaning this up.”

“That’s true,” Chip adds.

He starts making his way down the counter and slips onto his back as soon as he steps into the oil spill.

Boston starts laughing loudly at the chipmunk.  He continues laughing when Chip struggles to get back on his feet, only to flop on his stomach.

“I’ll help you, Todd,” Clara says supportively, but at the same time, having difficulty containing her giggles.

She climbs down, and instead of hoping right in the middle of the oil spill as Chip did, she gradually steps onto the slippery content.  Once she realizes she cannot take a step without slipping, she uses this to her advantage.  With a gentle push against the cupboard, Clara starts gliding towards Chip.

Though it isn’t as graceful as she hoped, Clara does make it to Chip without falling.

“That was pretty clever,” Chip praises her as she helps him up.  They both start struggling to get their footing on the slippery surface.

“Thanks.”  She says before almost losing her balance again.

“Um,” Clara ponders how they will get to the broom closet where the mop is. 

Thinking back on how Clara used the cupboard to her advantage gives Chip an idea.

“Hey, why don’t we push each other across this mess?”  He suggests.

“Okay,” Clara nods, agreeing to the idea.

For a little while, the plan has been working.  Pushing and pulling each other until the chipmunks reach their destination.  The two of them start having fun with it, and they begin to giggle as they continue gliding across the floor.  However, gravity begins to take over, and the two chipmunks lose control again.  They slip and start sliding the rest of the way, slamming against the broom closet door.

For a moment, the two of them are stunned.  Turning to each other before going into a fit of giggles.

Boston, once again, laughs out loud at the two silly rodents.  Jezebel shakes her head in disbelief and lets out an exasperated sigh over the antics of these three.

The front door opens down the short hall across from the kitchen.  Holly walks through and closes the door closed.  She glances at the kitchen and notices the floor glistening in the light.  Gradually the woman walks over, and her mouth drops even further when the full messy scene is in view.

“What is going on here?” 

Right away, the animals can see Holly is not happy.

“We, ah…had an accident.”  Chip explains sheepishly, his back still on the floor: he and Clara glace at each other and snicker, considering how they must look from Holly’s perspective.

Frustrated and upset, Holly is in no mood to find this situation funny.  She brings her hand up to her forehead.  Looking like she’s about to rip out her red curls, she lets out a growl.  In a most uncharacteristic reaction, Holly starts snapping at her home companions.

“You two!”  She points down at Chip and Clara.  “Outside, now!”

Instantly the two chipmunks jump up.  Not wanting to anger Holly further, they bumped, slipped, skidded, and slid their way out through the cat door.

Boston laughs as watching the two chipmunks is like witnessing a furry bumper car race.  He stops laughing, however, when Holly yells at him next.

“And you…!”  The woman turns angrily to the Cockatoo.  “Get to your perch!”

“But…” Boston starts his protest. However, it is overshadowed by Holly’s temper.

“I said, GO!”  She demands, pointing aggressively towards the living room.

The bird shrinks back before quietly doing as he is told.  He expands his wings and flies into the next room.

Holly then spins to glare down at Jezebel.

“Don’t even think of yelling at me for this.  I had anything to do with it.”  Jezebel growls.  She gets up anyway and saunters out through the cat door.

Once left alone, Holly looks over the mess her little friends created.  Oil, still dripping all over the floor, knocked over a peanut butter jar, one of her favourite plates – smashed into a hundred pieces, and a smooshed peanut butter sandwich on the counter.  Holly brings her hand up to her forehead again and starts breaking down in tears.  What a way to end an already terrible day.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Outside, the chipmunks start catching their breath.

"I don't think I have ever seen Holly that angry before." Clara points out as Jezebel walks up and sits down behind them.

"Something has certainly upset our beloved caretaker." Jezebel addresses.

Chip is unable to add anything since he has yet to know Holly as long as Clara and Jezebel do.

"What should we do?" He asks. "Maybe we can go in and clean up the mess we made."  

As he is about to lead the girls back inside, Jezebel stops him.

"It will be wiser to let her be for a while." The cat tells him. "We will go in later to comfort her, but she is distraught and needs to be alone right now."

"But we got to do something. I feel terrible about this." Chip says, feeling guilty about the situation.

"The flowers in the field must be blossoming by now. Why don't we go pick some for her?" Clara suggests.

"That sounds like a good start." Jezebel nods to them. "I'll keep an eye on everything here and let you know if it's safe to enter when you get back."

Both chipmunks return the nod before hopping off the patio steps and running across the yard to enter the wooded area.  

Passing through the trees and bush, the chipmunks make it to a field where tons of white and yellow flowers are starting to bloom. Seeing them reminds Chip of his early days of waking up to see one of these flowers beside him. As the chipmunks start picking a few delicate plants, Clara hears three of the most troubling voices she usually encounters in this field.

"Hey, cutie, it’s been a while since we saw you in this field." The first chipmunk male chirps.

"Yeah, we were beginning to worry you wouldn't ever come back." The second chipmunk chimes.

"What's the matter? Don’t you want to play with us anymore?" Hank, the third chipmunk, snickers.

"Who are these guys?" Chip asks.

"Sean, Phillip, and Hank," Clara responds, not taking her eyes off the intruding chipmunks. "Three annoying guys that always seem to forget that I don't like them."

"Oh," is all Chip says. 

He turns and starts glaring at the other male chipmunks. He isn't a real fan of them, especially when it is clear that Clara doesn't want them near her.

"Who is this?" Sean, the first chipmunk, points to Chip. "A boyfriend."

"Leave him alone, Sean. It's none of your business." Clara's voice cracks as she vocally tries to be brave, but her body language is screaming 'run away.'

"Yeah, Sean, so just back off." Chip puffs out his chest in attempting to appear intimidating.

"Looks like we have a tough guy here," Phillip, the second chipmunk, snickers. He saunters up to Chip in a threatening way, getting right into his face.  

"Is that it…?" He sneers at Chip. "You're a tough guy…?"

Chip doesn't answer him. He only intensifies his glare.

Phillip swings his fist at Chip's face, but to everyone's surprise, Chip defends himself with a smooth martial art style move. Moving swiftly to one side, Chip grabs the other chipmunk's wrist. He then slaps Phillip's knuckles which results in a bending wrist back against his body. Chip slides his leg behind Phillip, knocking him onto his back with ease.

Instinctively, the Tai Chi is a useful practice, especially when he speeds up the moves. He glanced at Clara as the two gave a 'whoa' expression. Chip, once again, turns his focus on defending against the other chipmunks standing.

After a moment of shock, Sean steps in. "I'll deal with this, joker." He chimes.

Sean starts to throw a punch. This time Chip grabs his arm with both of his hands, turns them both around, and trips Sean backward. The movement happens so fast that Sean lies on the grass, perplexed by how he's now staring at the clouds.

Before Chip could react to the third chipmunk, Clara finally stepped in. She slaps away his first punch in a downward motion with one hand. With her other hand, she extends it to grab Hank's second attempt to punch. Clara then continues her leg, kicking him towards the ground.

The three male chipmunks stand up to attack again. They stop when it is noticeable that Chip and Clara are already in a fighting stance – prepared for their next move.  

"You know what, you two enjoy your life together," Sean growls. "We're out of here."

Once the three chipmunks are out of sight, Chip and Clara relax slightly. They grin at each other as they realize something – the two of them, together, absolutely kicktail.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Upon returning, Chip and Clara carry a bundle of white and yellow flowers. Jezebel greets them, which lets them know that it is now safe to enter the house. 

Once inside, it is clear the kitchen is now spotless. The oil, broken plate, and peanut butter sandwich are cleaned up.  

The chipmunks and cat find Holly sitting in the living room. She leans up against the couch’s armrest, and her legs are folded to one side. 

Her face shows immense sadness as she stares at nothing in particular. Boston is quietly sitting on his perch, concerned that if he moves, he will get yelled at again.

With caution, Chip and Clara climb up on the coffee table and place the flowers they collected in plain sight in front of Holly. Realizing the gift is for her, Holly lifts her head from her hand.  

“For me…?” She asks, even though she does know the chipmunks picked the flowers for her.

“We are sorry that we got you upset by messing up the kitchen, Holly,” Clara says.

“Yeah, it was wrong of us to do that to you.” Chip adds.

“I’m sorry too.” Boston chimes in, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.  

The Cockatoo slowly climbs down his perch and across the ladder toward the coffee table. He stands behind the chipmunks, and Jezebel hops up beside all three of them. She doesn’t say anything, but her face shows caring and concern.

Holly slowly unfolds her legs and sits up before leaning forward to her animal friends.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you guys.” She admits.  “I am the one who should be sorry.”

Holly picks up one of the white and yellow flowers and brings it to her nose. She has a sad smile and sniffs at the sweet scent the tiny flower gives.

“What happened today, Holly?” Jezebel finally speaks. She can sense there’s more to her story than her outburst in the kitchen.

Unable to prevent them, tears start breaking free from her eyes. Holly tries her best to catch them as they fall down her cheeks. As soon as she can compose herself, she starts to explain the events.

“Well, I guess the day started ok until I got into an argument with a client. After that, I got into a similar debate with my boss – don’t worry, I didn’t get fired.” She assured them and herself.

“During my lunch break, I met up with my girlfriend, and…” Holly took a deep breath before continuing. “Well, she said it wasn’t working out, and she dumped me.”

More tears fall, and Holly gives up trying to catch them.

All four animals felt her pain. Jezebel then perked her ears up slightly.

“Is that the Brenda person you’ve been dating?” She asks with a low growl at the mention of that woman’s name.

Holly nods, ‘yes.’

“I’ll be honest. I never liked her.” Jezebel huffed. “I’m quite surprised you had put up with her this long.”

“Right, she was insulting, especially to you.” Chip nods, remembering that horrible introduction. “I just wish I was strong enough back then so I could have done something about it.”

“What would you have done?” Clara chuckles.

“I don’t know,” Chip shrugs in an honest reply. “Something,” he adds.

Realizing this isn’t helping the situation now, Jezebel focuses on Holly’s feelings more.

“I guess what we are trying to say here is that we are sorry you got hurt. You deserve better.” The Abyssinian cat says with a soothing voice.

Boston moves towards the couch, climbs up the armrest, and leans his head against Holly’s shoulder.

“Plus, you still have us.” He chimes sweetly.

Holly’s lower lip trembles overwhelmed with affection. She reaches up to pet Boston on his head in a gentle hug. Jezebel steps beside her on the couch, and Holly pets her with her other hand, encouraging Jezebel to purr. Both Chip and Clara jump up onto Holly’s knees to show they are also here to support her in this emotional moment.

“Awe, thanks for the support, you guys.” She smiles, feeling very loved right now.

“Isn’t this what being part of a family is all about? Support?”  Chip asks.

Hearing Chip says the word ‘family’ makes Clara happier than anyone else.

An idea suddenly pops into Holly’s head as her face brightens up.

“Say, why don’t we order pizza and pig out on ice cream while watching old cheesy movies from the ‘80s?”

“That sounds like a plan to me.” Chip chirps.

“Mm, especially the ice cream part.” Clara taps onto her tummy in anticipation.

“Yeah! Ice cream!” Boston bobs his head up and down with excitement.

“You think we could order a pizza with anchovies?” Jezebel asks.

“We can order one with the works,” Holly emphasizes.

Chip and Clara move as Holly stands up to grab her cell phone and begin making the call.

Chapter Text

Another couple of months go by. Since the pizza and ice cream night, Holly has recovered from her breakup and is proceeding with her usual lifestyle.

Almost every afternoon, Chip and Clara sit on the couch with Holly’s android tablet. They are playing a puzzle app game... It has recently become their favourite pass time. Playing against the computer and solving puzzles have been great ways to sharpen their minds.  

Jezebel and Boston sit on the couch with them, watching the chipmunks work together and claim victory when they’ve beaten yet another level.

Chip and Clara cheer and shake hands over their triumphant achievement.  

“Excellent job, you two. That actually looked like a tough one.” Jezebel praises.

“Thanks,” Clara chirps bashfully.

“I probably could have figured it out, too.” Boston lies.

“Oh, I’m so sure.”  Jezebel sarcastically comments as she rolls her eyes.

“Shall we go for the next challenge?” Chip asks.

“Yeah,” Clara answers, nodding her head yes.

Before they can start the next level, however, the front door opens, and Holly’s voice echoes down the hall.

“Hey, everyone, I’m home, and I brought someone over for you all to meet.”

All the animals stay stationary, fearing this would be another ‘Brenda’ situation.

Holly walks into the kitchen, holding hands with a Mexican woman with long braided hair. 

Her top is white with canary yellow ruffles on the sleeves. She is also wearing jean shorts folded up on the bottom.

“Guys, this is Yolanda.  She’s an Event Coordinator.”  Holly introduces the new woman.

The animals, however, remain skeptical.

Yolanda’s eyes brighten as she leans over the Boston.

“Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous Cockatoo! What’s your name?” She asks the bird.

Feeling extremely flattered in being called ‘gorgeous,’ he raises his foot to touch her hand – as if to shake it in a greeting. “I’m Boston,” he says, raising his crest feathers.

She looks over to the chipmunks and starts to coo at them.

“Holly told me of you two. You must be Clara and Todd.” Yolanda points to each chipmunk respectfully. “Aren’t you two the cutest little couple ever?” She assumes.

Chip and Clara blush, trying to lean away from each other and shaking their heads no.

Yolanda shrugs, looking up at Holly, who is trying to hide her giggling.  

“I think I embarrassed them.” The Mexican woman giggles.

Finally, Yolanda faces Jezebel and reaches her hand up to the cat’s nose. Yolanda does this to get permission from Jezebel to pet her.

“…And you must be Jezebel. I must say you are the most elegant cat I’ve met so far.” She woman praised the cat.

Jezebel’s ears perked, and with a few little sniffs, the human had won her approval. She leans her head against Yolanda’s hand to say; you may pet me now.

“I think I’ve been catty-approved.” Yolanda smiles up at Holly at the same time, giving Jezebel a scratch behind the ears.

“I’m glad.” Holly giggled again.  

“May I ask how you two met?” Jezebel asks, leaning her head back from Yolanda’s gentle hand.

Holly smiles before leaning up to her cat and replies. “Yolanda is one of our clients. She and I worked together on the advertisements designs for this festival.”

“Which brings us to ask you all something,” She continues. “We are wondering if you would like to join us in going to the music festival she helped coordinate.”

“That’s right, Holly is obviously my date for the evening, but we would be greatly honoured if you could join us.” The other woman adds.

After a moment of hesitation, Chip finally speaks up. “Sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, I have never been to a music festival before,” Clara adds.

“I suppose if those two are going, I should go so they don’t get into any trouble.” Jezebel sits up.

“A musical festival means we get to dance?” Boston asks as he sways from side to side.

“But of course, Boston,” Holly assures him. “It’s your most favourite thing to do.”

“We. Are. Going. To. Dance.” Boston chants while tapping his foot down on the cousin.

Everyone starts giggling while Jezebel shakes her head in disbelief.

After Holly and Yolanda prepare blankets and snacks, they gather the animals and pile them into Holly’s 2010’s blue Chevrolet Aveo. In a matter of moments, they drive off to the festival.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

They arrive at the festival by late afternoon.  The traffic had been unexpectedly crazy and slowed their journey down quite a bit.

Regardless of the tardiness, the crew does get a decent parking spot, thanks to Yolanda's festival pass.  While the girls grab the blanket and cooler, Chip and Clara hop on top of the car's roof and get a good look at the festival.  Clara suddenly gets nervous and swallows a lump down her throat.

"Sure looks like a lot of strangers out there." She starts to back away slowly and attempts to duck her head between her shoulders with her fists pressed up to her chest.

Chip holds his hand out to her and smiles. "You go this, Clara. I'll be by your side all night, okay."

The other chipmunk gradually returns a smile and reaches her hand to his. "Okay," she says.

Happy that Clara accepts his lead, Chip then points to some humans performing talented juggling tricks.

"We could go check out those performers over there first." He suggests.

A wide smile spreads across Clara's face. "Sure." She agrees.

The two chipmunks eagerly hop off the car to rush to the performers.  Jezebel is the only one worried.  Being the motherly figure, she starts growling at them.

"You two don't go far, you hear me!" The cat roars.

"We won't," Chip and Clara respond in unison.

Holly and Yolanda watch the two chipmunks rush off.  The two cannot help to have a dreamy smile as the rodents seem to get along so well together.

"Are you sure those two aren't a couple?  They are just so cute together." Yolanda coos.

Holly giggles as she reaches into the back seat to coax Boston to climb onto her hand. "Believe it or not, but Clara used to be very skittish.

She would run and hide anytime a stranger came in or near our home." Looking over to the chipmunks as they disappear in the crowd, Holly adds, "I personally believe Todd brings out the best in her.  Maybe all they need is a little time?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

After finding the perfect spot to lie down on the blanket, it is at the end of the field, far enough from the stage, so they are not deaf from the loud music but close enough to enjoy the show.

Yolanda leans over and kisses Holly on the cheek.  “I need to go check with the manager for a brief moment.  It won’t be gone long.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Holly responds, addressing her animal friends and herself.  She then points to a row of tents at the other end of the field.  “I think I’ll go over and check out some of those merchant vendors.  Maybe I’ll find some souvenirs.”

“Sounds good, be back soon,” Yolanda confirmed once more before walking off.

Holly glances down at Jezebel, who has already claimed a spot on the blanket.

“Are you coming?”  The woman asks the cat.

“Oh no,” Jezebel says, shaking her head from side to side.  “I’m staying right here.  Do me a favour, though,” She adds.

“What’s that?”  Holly kneels to hear her feline friend better.

“See if you can find Clara and Todd.  I don’t want them getting lost in this crowded place.”

Holly smiles, knowing Clara isn’t the only one nervous in busy environments.  She knows it’s her maternal instinct to worry about her adopted daughter.  Holly nods to the cat with a salute.  “Will do,” she says.

Looking up at Boston sitting on her shoulder, Holly adds, “Guess it’s just us two then.”

“Alright, let’s go!”  Boston cheers, bobbing his head to the music and spreading his wings joyfully.

Holly finds some beautiful handmade jewelry designed with amethyst, moonstone, and Larimar gemstones.  Other items she sees are a couple of t-shirts and a hat that looks so cute that she couldn’t resist getting it.

Look over at the candy vendor; she suddenly gets excited.

“Fun Dip!”  Holly shouts with glee.  “I remember this candy when I was a kid. 

“Yeah, me too.”  Boston cheers, even though he has no idea what Fun Dip is yet.

Holly raises her eyebrow as if to say, ‘sure, buddy, whatever.’  Regardless, the woman wants to treat herself, so she pulls out her wallet and pays for it. 

“Now, Boston, let’s go find Todd and Clara so we can meet back up with Yolanda and Jezebel.”  She tells the Cockatoo.

“Okklie Dokklie…” the bird bobs his head up and down.

It doesn’t take long for Boston to be more interested in the package of sugar candy in Holly’s hand.

The package seems to call out to him to rip it apart and find possible tasty goodies inside.

“Holly, I want…” he starts demanding, pointing to the package.

“Boston, no.”  Holly laughs.  “It’s sugar.  Sugar isn’t good for you.”

“I like sugar. Give it to me!”  Boston starts getting more aggressive with his need to have the package.

“Hey, I said no!”  Holly shouts, not sure if this is still funny or not.

The bird succeeds by climbing over her other shoulder and snatching the Fun Dip before flying off.

“Oh, come on,” Holly whines.  “I was so looking forward to that candy.”

Feeling quite proud of himself, Boston lands on a tree branch.  He begins right away by ripping apart one of the pockets.  Red sugar powder starts spilling out, and all Boston can do is marvel at how it sparkles as it leaves the package. 

Boston’s crest feathers are pushed up in awe at the spectacle of the delightful dust displayed.  Once the last spec drops, Boston pulls it up to his beak and starts licking it.  The taste is so sweet and packed with flavour.  When all the flavour disappears, Boston frowns.

“That’s it?”  Boston pouts.

He takes the package in his beak and flies back to Holly.  Maybe she will buy more, he thought. 

Below the tree branch, Dale licks the sugar off his fingers while Gadget and Monterey are concerned about the red dusty substance could be.

“It’s sugar,” the chipmunk says.  “Cherry-flavoured, to be exact.”

“Crikey, where did that stuff come from anyway?”  The fat mouse asks, looking up at the empty branch in the tree.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Chip and Clara enjoy the juggling tricks the performers are doing; they both 'Oooh' and 'Aaah' with the rest of the crowd.

With their last performance, one of them pulls out a bundle of sticks with rounded ends.

Chip suddenly feels very nervous when the person sets the ends of the sticks on fire.  He gets to the point of hyperventilating.  Chip doesn't know why, but seeing this act makes him feel paralyzed, and he can't move.  Each time the flames fly by, it makes this 'trapped' feeling worse.

Noticing this, Clara leans up to him.

"Todd, you alright?"

"I'm fine," he says unconvincingly.  Again a fiery stick flies overhead, and Chip flinches.

Clara can connect the fire on the sticks to the nightmares he has.  The one of him being trapped in a fiery room.  She reaches over to grab his hand.

"Don't worry. I’m with you all night." She coos in his ear—references what Chip said earlier.

Hearing that makes Chip relax a bit.  He smiles at her, and she returns with a smile.  Suddenly the flames are not so scary anymore.  However, that doesn't stop Chip from flinching again when the fiery sticks swing back.

"Why don't we go meet up with the others – they could be worried about us by now," Clara suggests, more for Chip's benefit.

Chip nods in agreement.

He watches Clara jump into the shadows of the bushes behind them before glancing at the performers once more.

Again the nervous feeling rises at the sight of the flames.  Chip quickly turns to catch up to Clara. 

They end up in a food court of rows of international foods of all kinds.

"Mm, it sure smells good here." Chip comments, sniffing the tasty aroma.

"It sure does, yet another reason we need to find everyone.  They probably have some food waiting for us." Clara points out.

Running through the crowd, the two chipmunks stop at the end of the food court.  They stand on either side of a garbage can with a dome lid and attempt to spot anyone who looks familiar.  Finally, Clara points off to the right.

"I see Holly and Boston! They're over there!" She yells out to Chip.

"Let's get on top of this garbage can so she can see us!" He shouts back to her.

Letting Clara climb first, Chip waits on the ground.  Once she makes it, he, too, starts climbing up from behind the can.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Once Boston spots the redhead woman, he glides down.

Holly’s attention turns up when she sees a bright white object flying right at her.  She lifts her arm out for the bird to land on it.

“There you are,” she scolds him.  The second he is perched, Holly reaches up and snatches the package from his beak.

She lets out another whine at the desecration of one of the pockets.  “…And you ate all the cherry flavour!  The cherry was my favourite.”

She looks down at the package with a huff once more.  “Well, at least you didn’t touch the lime or grape.”

“There’s more…?”  Boston leans over to grab the package again.

“Nope,” Holly swings the candy far from the Cockatoo’s reach.  She then quickly brings the package behind her back, and before Boston realizes where it went, she shoves it into her back pocket. 

“There, out of sight, out of mind.”  The woman snubs her nose up at the bird, proud of winning the Fun Dip battle.

Boston let out a huff in the defeat of his own.  Sometimes Holly can be such a meanie.  He lets out a growl at Holly’s victorious grin.

Holly eventually looks over and spots the two chipmunks hopping up onto a lid of a garbage can.  The two rodents are waving at her to get her attention.

“Oh, there’s Todd and Clara.  Come a long, Mister.”

The moment Holly and Boston stop at the trash can, the chipmunks hop onto her hand.  The human woman then walks down the path back to the stage.

Behind them, Dale stops and stands in the middle of the walkway, looking dumbfounded.  The chipmunk is staring blankly at a particular spot by the trash can.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the next few hours, the two women and animals enjoyed the music from their spot at the edge of the field.

Yolanda returned to the blanket carrying some food from the vendors, and they all enjoyed some of the tasty dishes from different countries.

Later, everyone except Jezebel dances to a good number of the songs.  Eventually, it is just Chip and Clara dancing.

A new song starts playing, and the chipmunks start dancing to a different tune.  At first, they don't realize how romantic the words are. They feel the moment of the music.  Like the other songs playing before this one, Chip and Clara giggle with their twists and turns.  Without realizing each motion, the two of them end up getting closer.  Chip twirls Clara, and she winds up brushing up against his chest.  She looks up at the same time his eyes lock onto hers.

**

When the stars
Go blind
And the darkness starts to
Flood your eyes
When you're fallin'
Behind…

At first, they try to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of their stomachs.  Their movements do, nevertheless, slow down, trying to pretend all is still normal between them.

I will carry you

Slowly their faces draw closer; both are incredibly nervous about how the other would react if this is the wrong move.  Their cheeks blush profusely, and the heat of their body increases.  They both are thinking the same thing.   The words of the songs speak directly to them all of a sudden.

When the stars
Go blind
And the darkness starts to
Flood your eyes
When you've fallen
Behind
I will carry you

Their little rodent hearts are beating a mile a minute.  The music slows down at a specific part of the song as the singer emphasizes the next chorus.

You should know now
That you're not alone
Take my heart and we will find
You will find
Your way ho-ome

Instincts take command as to their lips, finally touch. Chip and Clara feel like they are melting in each other’s arms.

“Oooh, kissy-face.” Boston teases when he spots the chipmunks’ locking lips.

The two women turn to the Cockatoo before following the sight Boston is looking at. They grin at the romance blooming between the chipmunks. 

“Told ya, they just needed time.” Holly beams with pride.

Chip and Clara gradually pulled apart, and the smile on their faces could not be washed away. 

They pressed their foreheads against each other. Without a word spoken, Chip and Clara admitted to themselves. They are in love.

“It’s about time…” Jezebel comments. She lays her head down to rest, knowing that her daughter has finally found true love.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, far back in the wooded area, far away from the concert stage, the Rescue Rangers are sitting in a tree.  They look elsewhere and up at the stars – lost in their thoughts. 

Dale smiles to himself. He is confident that by letting his best friend rest in peace, he can take what he has learned from him to expand the Rescue Rangers into something bigger.

Chapter Text

After the festival, Chip and Clara develop a romantic relationship.  Chip, now letting go of what he can’t remember, allows himself to focus on the new family that adopted him.  His adventurous instincts surface and encourage Clara to join him in exploring other places.

Intrigued, Clara found that being on adventures is much more fun.  The two chipmunks became a natural team, even using their Tai Chi skills whenever they encountered any trouble.  Most importantly, Clara and Chip see parts of the world neither of them ever expected to see.

From travelling across the United States to Canada, even across the sea at one point, a trip was by accident, of course.  Chip and Clara wound up a little lost somewhere in the outback of Australia.  Nonetheless, the chipmunks still ended up making it a memorable experience.  It is a relief for them to be back home, however.

Holly and the others know that chipmunks need their freedom and accept that the two tend to disappear for weeks.  However, they do return home feeling tired and hungry.  The two chipmunks would entertain everyone at dinner time with stories of their adventures, a pass time they all look forward to when the chipmunks return home.

Jezebel, Boston, and Holly are so happy for Clara and Chip.  For a long while, they noticed the chemistry between the two chipmunks before the festival.  It was amusing that they even tried to deny the connection, but now they are quite open about how they feel about each other.

This all goes on for another twelve and a half months.  One day, Chip barges in through the cat door in a panic.

“Holly!  Holly!”  He shouts.

Luckily, Holly is home and comes running into the kitchen from the living room.

“Todd, what is it?”  She asks.

Jezebel and Boston follow Holly out of the living room to see what the commotion is about.

“It’s Clara, hurry!”  Chip says.  He quickly jumps back out through the cat door.

Holly and the others follow the chipmunk outside, across the yard, and into the wooded area.  They didn’t get too far before they saw Chip standing by Clara.  She is lying down on a patch of moss and clutching her stomach.

They can hear her groaning in pain.

Jezebel runs ahead and instantly tries to inspect her rodent daughter.

“Clara, honey,” Jezebel cried out in a panic.  “What happened?”

“I’m not feeling so good,” is all Clara responds with.

“It’ll be right now,” Holly says reassuringly.  “Let’s get you inside, and I can have a look at you.”

The human picks a sick chipmunk and carries her back home.

After examining Clara for ten minutes, she sits back in her chair and gives a low ‘hm.’

“Hm…?  What does ‘hm’ mean?  Do you know what is wrong with Clara?”  Chip asks frantically.

“I believe I do,” Holly responds.  She turns to face Chip and gives him a knowing smirk.

“What is it?  Is Clara going to be alright?”  The chipmunk asks.

Desperately, he needs answers, and right now.  Holly isn’t providing them.  She’s just grinning at him.

“Clara is going to be fine, in fact, they both will be just fine.” 

“Both…?”  Now Chip is really confused.

“I sincerely think a congratulation is in order,” Holly starts teasingly.  She playfully starts poking Chip in the chest.

“You’re going to be a papa.”

“You mean I’m… That she’s…” Chip stammers to come up with words to describe the situation.

“Yup, pregnant,” Holly confirms, grinning from ear to ear.

Chip staggers his way up to his wife.  They both stare at each other in disbelief.  A flood of mixed emotions is written across their faces, from shock, and fear, to excitement.  Chip carefully places his hand on Clara’s belly and smiles.

“We’re going to be parents.”  He whispers to her.

“It looks that way.”  She responds in a stunned tone.

“Did I hear correctly that I’m going to be a grandmother?”  Jezebel says as she walks into the den, utterly thrilled with the news.

“I’m going to be a grandma too?”  Boston asks.

Jezebel sighed heavily before giving the Cockatoo an annoyed look.

“No, Boston,” she snaps.  “You will be more like an uncle.”

“Huzzah!”  The bird cheers, spreading his wings dramatically.  “I’m going to be an uncle!”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Just over a month has passed, and Clara’s size and weight have significantly increased.  Since the gestation period is different for chipmunks, Clara’s pregnancy is far shorter than a human’s.  Therefore, Holly’s home will soon have a new addition.  To provide more comfort for her and the baby, Clara still wears her periwinkle shirt, minus the belt.  

Being pregnant also slowed Clara down too.  She isn’t able to run at her usual speed.  To be safe, Clara goes no further than the patio.  Chip, on the other hand, heads out to the field on the other side of the wooded area to pick a flower for her on a daily bases. 

Seeing Chip’s positive energy in this new adventure makes up for the fact that they had to halt exploring the world.  Clare is more disappointed than Chip that they couldn’t go to Paris or Greece before she got pregnant.  However, Chip assures her that when the kid is old enough, they can go as just the two of them, having Jezebel babysit their child or as a family.  Hearing that does make Clara feel better.  

The closer to the due date of her pregnancy, the more impatient Clara becomes.  More for a reason, she is eager to greet the baby into the world finally.  As the days pass, it is harder for her to even stand without receiving lower back pain.

Regardless, she stands by the patio stairs, waiting for Chip to return.  Usually, he comes back from the field, but he mentioned that he wanted to get something from the flea market in town instead.

As she waits, she feels more and more uncomfortable.  It got to the point when Clara suddenly started feeling a sharp pain in her belly.

A new feeling since pregnancy.

The pain would start gradually and last only for a moment, but soon it lasts a little longer each time it happens.

Clara would call on Holly or Jezebel, but neither is home.  She’d call on Boston, but what good could he do in this situation?  He’d most likely pluck himself bald in frustration of being stressed out with that responsibility.  When she felt another stabbing pain, Chip was seen running out of the wooded area and across the yard.

“Clara, look what I got for you.”  He chirps.

Chip holds up four small rose quartz gemstones threaded through a short string.  Two were more significant than the others, the perfect size as a necklace for a chipmunk.  Clara looks up at the jewelry but is in too much pain to truly admire it.

“It’s pretty,” she did manage to say.

“Can you believe it? The guy selling these things is friends with Holly.  When he saw me, he said I can have these free of charge.  He even threw them onto this string for a necklace.”  Chip went on to explain.  “Though it might have made more sense if he gave me just three gemstones instead of four, cause, you know….”

“Todd,” Clara finally cried out in desperation.

“Yes,” he replies, turning to face her.

“I think it’s time!”  She stressed through another surge of pain.

“Time for what?”  Chip asks, not catching on to what Clara is saying.

He starts to pay attention to her body language, and suddenly it’s all too clear.  His eyes begin to widen as Chip nearly drops the necklace.

“It’s Time!”  He cries out, shoving the necklace into the inside pocket of his vest.  Chip then reaches for Clara.

The two chipmunks struggle back inside.  Clara starts to scream now that the pain is becoming unbearable.  Jezebel has just walked around the corner of the backyard when she hears Clara cry out in agony.  Quickly, she runs up the patio steps, picks up Clara in between her teeth, and carries her back inside, with Chip close behind.

Thankfully Holly comes home fifteen minutes later.  She could hear Boston screaming inside the house as she parked.  The closer to the door she gets, the better she can listen to what he’s crying about.

“It’s time; it’s time, it’s time…!”

“What is going on in there…?”  Holly mutters to himself.  She opens the front door and walks inside.

The second Boston sees Holly enter the kitchen from his living room perch, he screams at her with his wings extended and his head swinging from side to side.

“Holly, do something! It’s time!”

 As soon as Boston said that, Holly heard Clara’s agonizing moan.  This causes her to drop her bags and rush into the den.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

A few hours later, all is quiet in the small house.  In the den, Holly sits by the desk admiring the two new parents and their twins.

Jezebel, filled with pride, is lying down on the surface beside the chipmunks.  Even Boston has joined everyone in the den by sitting up on his second perch. 

“They’re so tiny,” the Cockatoo comments, looking down at the infants.  “Like little food pellets.”

The new parents each held a baby in their arms.  Chip held their son, and Clara held their daughter.  Both chipmunks looked very tired, especially Clara.

“Twins,” Holly sighs.

She reaches over and gently pets the infants.  “I should have guessed, considering how big you were getting, Clara.”

“What are we going to call them?”  Jezebel asks.

Both Clara and Chip look at each other and smile.

“We did talk about names a week ago,” Chip explains.  “We came up with two names.” 

“…And they are?”  Jezebel leaned in anticipation.

“Amber and Tucker,” Clara responds, pointing with her nose at each respective baby.

After thinking for a moment, Chip reaches into his vest’s inner pocket.  He pulls out the necklace with four rose quartz.  With a smile, he shows it again to Clara.

“I guess four gemstones were accurate, after all.” 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

“…And that is how Chip became a part of our family, along with our new little additions,” Jezebel concludes the flashback story.

Chip blushes before he and Clara lean their heads against each other affectionately.

Both Chip and Clara look lovingly into each other’s eyes.  Clara touches her rose quartz necklace, and both she and Chip glance down at it briefly before returning to each other’s gaze.

Dale lowers his eyes. Deep down, he knows that he can’t blame his best friend for living this new life, especially since he can’t seem to remember his old one.  However, it took Dale a long time to deal with the loss.  Chip was dead, at least everyone thought.  The boatshed was a complete wreck after the fire - nothing could have survived it. But somehow, Chip has. 

Dale imagines that if he’d known this fact five years ago, heck, even if it were three years ago, he’d be so excited to see Chip alive and well.  It wouldn’t have mattered if his memories were gone. Dale would have instantly wrapped him up in hugs. 

However, now that Dale’s older and matured, he can’t help feeling betrayed.  This new development is way too much to tolerate.  He even starts hating himself in wishing Chip had just stayed dead. 

Chapter Text

“Hey, my lovelies!”  Holly sings from the front door.  “What a long and interesting day I’ve had.”  She continues as she walks into view.

She puts down a couple of tubes with her design art and pauses to see new faces in the living room.

“Oh, not as interesting as yours, I’m sure.”  The human woman gives a small smirk.  Placing a hand on her hip, she continues.  “Who are our guests?”

“These are Chip’s friends.”  Boston proudly chirps.

Holly frowns, “Who’s Chip?”

Chip stands up, puts his daughter beside Clara, and sheepishly lifts his hand to give Holly a subtle wave.

The red-headed woman raises her eyebrow at the chestnut chipmunk.

“Oooh, someone’s memories are finally returning.”  She teases, kneeling by the couch.  “Though, I’m sad that Todd won’t be able to stick after all.”  Holly finishes with an exaggerated pout.

“I’m sorry…?” Chip shrugs with a crooked smile.

With a chuckle, Holly reaches over to tickle Chip’s chin.

“It’s okay.  Chip suits you better.”  The human woman chimes.

The Rescue Rangers stifle their giggles while Dale rolls his eyes. The old Chip would be insulted by the chin tickle, the red-nose chipmunk thought.

Holly then turns her attention to the Rescue Rangers.  “Speaking of names, who are all of you now?”

“The name is Monterey Jack, ma’am.”  Monty offers his introduction before extending his hand over to his teammates.  “This is my little pally, Zipper.  And this here is Gadget and Dale – We are the Rescue Rangers.”

“Rescue Rangers?”  Holly inquired.  “Sounds amazing.  Is that like policing?”  She adds with curiosity.

“That’s right; we protect and serve.  Just like the human police do….” Gadget says proudly.  “You know, except we normally work on smaller cases that usually the police can’t handle, or I should say they don’t have time to deal with…, or maybe I should say….”

Recognizing her nervous tic, Monty leans forward and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Gadget, Hun,” His soft but commanding voice.  “…She gets the idea.”

Holly couldn’t help but giggle at the mice.  She can tell they have a strong bond with each other.  Looking over at Chip, Holly wonders how he might fit in with this group.

“Were you a Rescue Ranger too,” the human asks him.

Chip glances up at Holly, filled with uncertainty.  Even with the explanation of what happened to him, Chip still doesn’t remember anything from five years ago.

“I guess,” he says with a shrug.  “So far, I only remember my name.  It was quite random when they just happened to call it out to me earlier.”

Chip can feel the Rescue Rangers watching him and so he looks up at them.  He wonders how much they know about the chipmunk he is.  There are many questions he still wants answers to, and he’s hoping these guys can help.

When they said, they came here searching for someone lost, how ironic it was him all along.    

“They do know who I am, that’s for certain, so maybe they can help me remember more?” Chip finally admits.

Holly smiles, realizing he could be right.  Whether it meant he might end up leaving their happy home or not, Chip is finally starting to make connections to his past.  With a deep breath, Holly gently strokes his cheek. 

“I hope so,” she sighs.

Holly stands up with a stretch.  “Well, guess you are all hungry.  I should go make dinner.”  She announces.

Holly starts heading out of the living room and into the kitchen.  Boston lifts himself with his wings and flies over to her shoulder.  One of his favourite things is to watch her cook.  Jezebel saunters her way out of the living room, too, but turns to the washroom.

Again, Chip looks back at the Rescue Rangers.  He pans from seeing Monty and Zipper to Gadget and finally stops at Dale.  The two chipmunks ended up just staring at each other.  For Dale, it felt like he was staring at a stranger that happened to look like his best friend.  As for Chip, he just felt like the chipmunk kind of looked familiar, but other than that, he is a stranger as well.

Clara stands up with a stretch while the twins start to wrestle with each other playfully.

“Well, Chip, Hon…” she sings, slapping her backhand playfully against his chest.

Snapping his attention to his wife, Chip blinks at her.

“We should go get our kids washed up for dinner.”  Clara addresses as she grabs Amber’s hand and lifts her off her brother.  She then proceeds to climb down off the couch.

“Right, let’s go, champ.”  Chip nods as he grabs his son’s hand and follows his wife and daughter.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

At the dining table, Holly has a section of her table set up for the rodents to sit and enjoy their meal.  Jezebel even has her spot at the table, and Boston, sitting on the back chair, gnaws on a walnut.

“Bonza soup, Holly.  Is that a hint of cheeeeze I taste?”  Monterey Jack asks with a little exaggeration on his favourite and most addictive treat.

Holly couldn’t help but giggle at the Aussie mouse.

“Actually, yes, you’d be surprised at how far a little parmesan can go.”

“Parmesan, huh?  I’ll have to remember that.”  Monty ponders.

“You know, I’ve been thinking.”  Holly hums. 

“What’s on your mind, Holly?”  Jezebel asks.

“Well, perhaps it might be an idea if you guys,” Holly begins, addressing the Rescue Rangers, “were to bring Chip back home with you.  More memories may come back to him when he’s in more familiar terrain.”  She offers.

“That is a great idea,” Gadget instantly cheers.  “Why didn’t I think of that?

Clara’s face went into instant protest.  Chip and her exchange look.  He knows what she is thinking, which gives him a twinge of guilt.  His own echoing words tweak his ears promising never to forget Clara, ever.

“If Clara and the kids can come, I’ll go.”  Chip states.

“Well, I don’t see there should be a problem with that.”  Monty smiles.

“No, of course not,” Dale mutters with a subtle sarcastic tone under his breath.

Monty caught on to the sarcasm in his little buddy’s voice and glanced at him disapprovingly.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

After dinner, Dale found it a good idea to step outside for some fresh air and to think.  He stands, leaning against the railing on the top step of the patio, staring out into the yard.

Chip is alive; he kept thinking in disbelief. 

Earlier memories crept up—nightmarish memories of that fateful night.  Dale recalls Monterey stumbled down the tree, looking numb with grief.  He struggled to find the words of what he had witnessed.  Chip’s gone, the mouse finally said.  Dale remembers the instant shock he felt.  He remembers crashing down onto his knees, the anguish of not being able to see his best friend again.  The guilt he felt, not being able to do anything to save him.

Dale’s lower lip trembles. He always hates remembering that night.   

His thoughts are suddenly interrupted when squeals and giggles from the twins echo inside the house.   Glancing over his shoulder, he sees the tiny duo burst through the cat door, sprinting across the patio and bouncing past Dale and into the yard.  Half a second later, Chip comes charging after the twins.

“Get back here; it’s time to get ready for bed!”  He shouts at them.

Dale watches with half amusement as Chip has difficulty keeping up with his children.  He tilted his head to one side when he noticed Chip had stopped running.  The twins run circles around the field while Chip studies them, almost stocking them as a cat does to his prey. 

This action reminds Dale of what Chip would do before they started the Rescue Ranger business.  When things got dangerous, Chip would stop and study their surroundings and plot a way to escape said danger.  Impressively, Chip always had been swift to think of a plan.

When the twins got closer, it gave Chip a chance to spring into action.  He launches to grab them one at a time and hold them down.

“Now,” Chip starts once he has the twins pinned.  “Are you going to behave and get ready for bed, or will we have a little chat?”

Dale let a half-smirk creep across his face.  Chip is stern with the twins, and yet, he’s also treating the situation like a game.  The Chip he remembers would remain serious, except for when they were younger, of course.

The twins begin to groan in protest, leaving Chip to use his bargaining tool.

“If you do as you are told, I’ll let you play one game on the tablet before bedtime.”  He tells them.

“Can it be any game, daddy?”  Tucker asks.

“As in, any game meaning one of the puzzle games, then yeah.”  He assures them.

The twins mull over the idea for a moment.  They glance at each other as if they are telepathically debating their options.  Finally, with a sigh, the twins look back at their dad.

“Okay,” Amber answers, while her brother nods in agreement.

Chip may have forgotten himself, but he still sounds like him – well, for the most part, Dale thought.

“Alright then, let’s get back inside,” Chip ordered, herding his children to the patio.

The twins pounce up the steps, and as Chip hops up with them, he almost stops mid-step upon seeing Dale watching them.  Unsure of what to say, Chip, shrugs at him.

“Kids,” he chuckles as he continues walking past the other chipmunk.

This is defiantly a new development to get used to, Dale tells himself with a heavy sigh.  He waits for a few more seconds before following them back inside.

Once he enters through the cat door, he hears Clara yelling.

“Where did you two go?  And Tucker, you got grass stains on your shirt again!  Why?” 

“Not my fault, daddy tackled me.”  The little toddler shrugged.

Clara turns to her husband and glares at him hard.

“They were running around like maniacs outside; I had to do something,” Chip says in defiance.

“Just go get their nightclothes,” Clara orders.

“Fine,” Chip huffed, not wanting to argue with his wife – especially when they have guests.

Chip walks out of the bathroom and into the living room as he heads towards the cat tree.

“And you’re cleaning out that grass stain tonight!”  Clara shouts as Chip walks away.

“Yeah, alright!”  Chip hollers back.  He climbs up the ramp to one of the condos, pulls back the hanging fabric then disappears inside.

Dale had to admit that witnessing Chip being told by his wife was entertaining.  He walks past the bathroom as Clara continues to talk to her kids.

“Come on, in the bath.  Then it’s off to bed.”  She instructs.

“Daddy says we can play one game before bed,”  Amber tells her mom.

“Oh, did he now?  Well, let’s see how clean you two can get to convince me you’ve earned a game time.”  Clare stands firm as the kids undress and hop into the shallow bowl of soapy water. 

“Don’t forget, you guys need to go to bed early tonight.  We are going on a trip tomorrow.”  She concludes to the twins.

Dale isn’t sure why, but he frowns at the thought of her and the twins joining them.  He should be looking forward to reuniting Chip with the Rescue Rangers.  This turn of events is undoubtedly more than what he can handle now.  Dale continues to walk towards the living room with his hands shoved into his pockets.

“There you are.  Where did you go and disappear to?”  Monty asks the moment he spots Dale.

“I was outside,” Dale explains.  “Got to see the whole show of Chip chasing after his kids.”  He smiles slightly at that.

“Yeah, this is usually a nightly thing,”  Holly admits before sipping her tea.

“Come and join us, Dale.”  Jezebel offered.  

“We got tea!”  Boston sings.

“And it’s right, good stuff, too,” Monty adds, taking a sip out of his cup.

“Yeah,” Gadget and Zipper echo.

“Sure,” Dale shrugs.  Tea does sound nice, he thought.

As he heads up the ramp to the coffee table, Dale watches as Chip comes out of the cat condo with two small articles of clothing in his paw.  The chipmunks stare at each other while Chip walks by. 

Jezebel narrows her eyes at the tension between the two chipmunks.  Being an intuitive cat, she can sense the issue. She leans forward when Chip is out of earshot to whisper to Dale.

“You know, this isn’t easy for him, either,”  Jezebel tells him.

“Perhaps,” Dale lowers his eyes in shame.

Gadget walks up to Dale with a cup of warm tea.  Slowly he accepts it and joins her with Monty and their hosts.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

First thing in the morning, Gadget left with Zipper to grab the Ranger Wing and bring it back to Holly’s home.  Once she lands the plane, Dale and Monty start packing it with a few of Chip and his family’s bags.

After, the Rescue Rangers watch as Chip and his family say bye to Holly, Jezebel, and Boston.  Monterey still feels uneasy as the twins reach up to hug Jezebel’s face.  Any rodent that gets that close to a cat’s mouth is always nerve-racking to him.

“Oh, I’m going to miss you two,” the cat purrs.  “Now, mind your parents, hear me?”

“We will, Nana.” the young chipmunks chirp in unison.

Jezebel then turns to Clara and rubs her cheek up against her.  Clara responds by stretching her arms across her nose and cheek.

“You stay safe, okay, daughter,” Jezebel tells her in a soft nurturing tone.

“I will. This isn’t the first time To-ah-Chip,” the chipmunk corrects herself quickly, “travelled before.”  She concludes with a wink.

Holly reaches over to pet Chip on the head with her index finger.  “I’m going to miss calling you, Todd.”  She sighs but with a proud smile at her former patient.

Chip grabs her finger and holds it in the most cherished way.  “Thank you for everything.  From saving me, lending me an identity, to accepting me into this family.”  He praises her.

“You’re coming back, though, right?”  Boston leans in, extremely worried that this is a forever goodbye.

Chip smiles at the silly Cockatoo.  “I’m sure we will be back.”  He assures him.  “I just need to find out about my past first.”

“So when you remember more stuff, you will come back home,” Boston confirms with a satisfied nod.

How much Chip has grown to enjoy Boston’s selfish behaviour, “I can’t honestly say for sure.  Guess we’ll just take it a day at a time, okay?”  He says

After one more final farewell wave to Holly, Jezebel, and Boston, Chip and his family pile into the plane with the Rescue Rangers.

Monterey sits in the backseat with Chip and his family, Clara, between her husband and Monty.  The twins sit on their parent's lap, Tucker on his mom’s and Amber on her dad’s, while Zipper lands on Monty’s shoulder.  Dale is sitting in the front seat with Gadget behind the wheel.

“Everyone buckled in?” Gadget asks, glancing in the back seat. Satisfied that everyone is seated comfortably, she lowers her goggles over her eyes, and, with a grin, Gadget says, “Alright, here we go!”

The plane lifts off the grown. Holly waves as Boston and Jezeble watch as the tiny plane disappear over the trees.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The twins can’t contain their excitement throughout the entire trip.  So much for them to see.

“Weeeee, we’re flying!”  Tucker cheers.  He quickly jumps up and holds his arms like a tiny bird gliding in the air.

“Yeah!”  Amber, too jumps up, mimicking her brother.

“Hey, get down.”  Chip demands. He grabs the two younglings and yanks them into a sitting position onto his and Clara’s laps.  “We are high off the ground, and I don’t want you two falling out, okay.”

“I take it; it’s their first time flying?”  The Aussie mouse asks.  He can’t help being amused by hearing Chip’s familiar tone of caution.    

Clara looks up at Monty and gives off a bashful smile.  “Actually, it is their first time travelling anywhere.”

As the Ranger Wing soars between tall buildings and over busy streets, they start coming to a park.  A few minutes later, Chip leans forward as an all too familiar tree comes into view. 

Monty notices Chip and smiles.

“Look familiar there, pally?”  He asks, hopefully.

“It does…” Chip responds, not taking his eyes off the tree.  A crooked smile forms in the corner of his mouth as the tree he once called home gets closer.

Both Gadget and Dale couldn’t help to sneak a peek over their shoulders to glance at their former leader.  The memorized expression on his face made even Dale smile.

The plane comes down for a landing on a thick branch that the Rangers turned into a launchpad.  Chip slides his daughter off his lap and gets up from his seat.  He hops off the wing, and instantly he takes in the smells.  Memories slowly start drifting in, but most of them are still very clouded.

Holly is right; within minutes, Chip is slowly regaining parts of his missing life.

“Daddy, catch me!”  Amber screams.

“Huh,” Chip jerks his head up at the plane’s wing. 

With barely a second to react, his golden-tan daughter leaps right into his arms.

“Me too, Daddy, catch me!”  Tucker cries as he too, leaps off the wing.

Chip quickly adjusts his daughter in one arm to grab his son’s in the other.

“Guys, settle down, try and behave while we’re here, okay.”  He tells them, putting them down.

“A little excited, aren’t they?”  Gadget giggles.  She watches as the twins run right into the hangar.

“They are actually like this many times.  It tends to keep us both on our toes.”  Clara shrugs with a small blush.

“Hey, look, a slide!”  Tucker screams with glee.  His sister, close behind him, can be heard squealing with excitement.

“Guys, I said cool it!”  Chip hollers to the twins, but it’s too late. They jump onto the swirly slide down to the lower levels of the treehouse headquarters.

“Weee,” the twins both whooped as they disappeared from view.

“…And there they go.”  Chip slumps his shoulder forward as he slaps his forehead in defeat.

“Where does that slide go anyway?”  Clara asks.

“Oh, it goes through my workshop and into our living area, slash TV room.”  Gadget explains.

“I guess we should catch up to them then.”  Chip sighs.

“Why are they going to wreck the place?”  Dale wonders.

Chip glances over, raising his eyebrow at the other chipmunk.  “No, but I don’t feel right with them running around in a home that isn’t theirs.”

The adults catch up to the twins, as the younglings are in awe of all the fun and creative furniture and technology everywhere.

“This place is amazing; you really lived here, didn’t you, daddy?”  Amber cheers, grabbing hold of Chip’s hand.

Before Chip answers, he surveys the room.  Some areas have a familiar sense, like the table with one teacup and a pin cushion for chairs.  His attention quickly shifted to the TV, but it was somehow different. 

The old TV monitor is now a laptop.  What used to be headphones dangling from the ceiling are replaced by Bluetooth earpieces standing up on either side of the monitor.  Wood toy blocks hold up the earpieces with holes drilled in them.  However, the U-shaped couch seems to have not changed.

“Something’s different.  Is that a new TV?”  Chip asks, pointing to the TV area.

“Oh, yeah, we redecorated a couple of years ago.  Some areas might not feel the same.”  Monterey sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

Gadget smiles with a nod. 

The blond mouse adds.  “That’s right, not only some of the rooms have changed, we also have three new members.  I’m sure you will recognize them when you see them, and of course, some you probably won’t.”  The blond mouse raises her figure to her chin in thought for a moment.  “For example, we changed the workout room into a training room for our newer local recruits.”  

“Uh, newer local recruits?”  Chip asks, scratching his head.

“Well, it has been five years, pally,”  Monty explains.  “It was Dale’s plan here to design a training program.  We have extended the Rescue Rangers and have established connections with each Ranger Headquarters all around the world now.”

“Wow,” Chip breathed, glancing down at the floor.  With his interest peaked, he looked up again.  “Well then, show me this training room.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Twenty minutes later, Tammy enters through the main entrance with a bowl of fresh strawberries.  She looks excited about the fruit presentation, and she knows the other Rangers will love them too.  She had picked them up from a community garden near the park. 

Considering it has been a day and a half since the Rangers were away, Tammy figures they should be back by now.  She assumes the person they went to find is safe back at his or her home. At least, that is what Tammy hopes. 

“Hey, is anyone home?”  She calls out into the empty room.

“We are up here in the kitchen, Tammy.”  Gadget calls out from down the hall and up the stairs.

Perfect, Tammy thought. They could all enjoy the strawberries she had brought.

“I take it the mission was a success. I mean, how hard could finding a lost person in a small town be, anyway,” the red-headed squirrel jokes as she heads up the stairs.

“I’d say so,” Gadget grins from ear to ear, meeting her at the doorway into the kitchen.  “Look who it is we found.”

She gestures to the table where the rest of the team and a family of chipmunks are sitting, eating cookies.  One chipmunk, in particular, causes Tammy to lose her grip on the bowl of strawberries.  The red fruit bounces in all directions while the ceramic bowl shatters at her feet.

“Hi,” Chip waves sheepishly at the squirrel.

Chapter Text

“Am I seeing things?”  Tammy questions.  She starts rubbing her eyes and then reopening them to see the same chipmunk sitting at the table.

“You’re not seeing things, Tammy. This really is Chip.”  Gadget confirms, quickly reaching for the broom.

“Too right. The lad here actually did survive that fire after all.”  Monterey chimed.  He begins to pat Chip’s back, almost causing the chipmunk to spill some of his water from his cup. 

“Of course, the bump he got on his head did cause him to forget pretty much everything.  So, we are trying to jog his memories a bit by bringing him back here.”  The Aussie mouse explains.

“I don’t believe it,” Tammy starts in a dreamy state.  “You’re really here!”

“Uh, yeah, I am.”  Chip shrugs.

“Daddy,” Tucker squeaks from his lap.  “Can I have another cookie?”

Chip puts his cup down, reaches to the plate of cookies, and hands his son one. 

“Here you go, champ.”  He says to the young chipmunk.

Seeing the little chipmunk chomp happily on the cookie made Tammy realize something she almost missed.  Again, she shakes her head in disbelief.

“And you have a family now?”  The squirrel says with a subtle tone of disappointment.

Chip raises his brow at her before addressing his wife and offspring.  “Uh, yeah, this is Clara, and these are our kids; Amber and Tucker.”

Clara waves at the squirrel shyly while the twins perk up and give a full wave.

“Hello,” The twins chirp in unison.

Tammy instantly starts to gush at the young chipmunks and their cuteness.  “Oooh, I can’t believe how adorable you two are!” 

She tweaks Tucker’s nose and giggles as he starts to blush.  “…And you both look so much like your father, too.”

Chip couldn’t help to blush at that comment, either.  So many people have commented on how the twins look like him.

“We were just showing Chip our new Training room when the twins got hungry.”  Gadget explains after sweeping up the bowl fragments.  She then puts the strawberries into a new bowl with Zipper’s help.

Tammy again looks up at Chip and frowns slightly.  Chip nervously glanced back. 

“You don’t remember me, do you?”  She finally asks.

“To be honest, you do look a bit familiar, but I’m still having a hard time remembering.”  Chip explains as he subconsciously rubs the back of his head again. 

One right after the other, the twins start to yawn.

“Oh-ho, looks like two little chipmunks are ready for a nap?”  Tammy teased.

“No, we’re not tired.” Amber protested while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Ah, I disagree, young lady,” Clara argues.  She rubs her daughter’s head affectionately.  “It’s been a long trip for you two.  A nap is a good idea.”

A realization hits Chip as he sheepishly looks over to his former teammates.  “Um, there wouldn’t be a bed we could borrow for our kids, would there?”  He asks.

“Sure,” Dale stands up.  “You can use my bed.”  He offers in a subtle gruff tone.

With that, Dale leads the family downstairs.  They come to a door, and Dale opens it to a room with two beds.

Walking in, Chip feels he should know this space, but it’s different somehow. He can’t quite place a finger on it.  For a chipmunk sleeping in this room alone, why would he need two beds?    

“This is my bed,” Dale says, pointing to the semi-made one.  “The other one we can fix for you guys later.”  He adds, telling Chip and Clara.

After covering the sleepy twins with a blanket, Chip looks again at the other bed.  The sponge mattress is rolled up to one side, while the frame has boxes and scrap paper piled on top.

A realization hit him.  This room did have two beds, bunk beds, to be precise.  Chip continues to look around the room.  Yes, it is different, but it used to be his room.  He didn’t stay in it alone, however.  He had a roommate.  Chip returns to the second bed before looking over at Dale.  The other chipmunk temporarily looks surprised, then guilty as he looks away before returning to a more natural stance.

“This used to be our room.  We since took apart the bunk beds, and I’ve been using the second bed as temporary storage for boxes and papers of some of our cases.”  Dale explains. 

Chip turns to look away. He can’t help to feel he’s missed so much since the accident.  With a half-smile, he returns his gaze to Dale. 

“I understand,” he tells him with a shrug.

After Chip and Clara walk past, Dale frowns at the second bed.  Slowly he closes the door so that the twins can sleep in private.   

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As the next hour and a half went by, the Rangers successfully showed Chip and Clara the rest of the headquarters without the interruption of the twins.  They are finally finishing the tour by entering the last room.

“…And this is Gadget’s workshop; this is where she comes up with her fabulous inventions,”  Monty announces.

“Awe, golly, they’re nothing, really.”  The blonde mouse blushes.

“Mr. Dale, are you back yet?”  Midge’s voice echoes from the hangar upstairs.

“I should check what Midge wants and update her on the situation here.”  Dale shrugs.  “…But, please, by all means, continue looking around.”  He adds before exiting.

Monterey leans over to Chip.  “Go on, pally, have a good look at some of these old inventions.  Do they ring any bells?”

Gradually, Chip walks ahead.  He starts having a good look at some of the machines built.  They are put together out of human trash and spare parts.  Most classic vehicles and weapons are broken or stripped apart so much that any remainder of their original form is lost.  He does stop at one craft, made with an old bleach bottle and broken wings attached to a framework.  A once red balloon, now deflated and folded over the seats in the cockpit. 

Though completely dismantled, Chip still has a sense of familiarity with it.

“We used to ride in this, didn’t we?”  He finally asks.

“It was our first Ranger Plane.”  Gadget clarified.  “I built it during our first mission as a team.”

“We were after something that was stolen…a ruby, I think?”  Chip questioned his recollection of said mission.

“Yeah, that’s right, pal.”  Monty nods approvingly.

“Wow, Looking at all these marvels, I can see you really did go on a lot of adventures.  I’m starting to feel I’m meeting you for the first time again.”  Clara chuckles with a hint of nervousness.

Sensing her insecurity, Chip walks up to Clara, takes her hands into his, and his smile alone comforts her. 

“To be honest, I feel like I’m meeting myself for the first time again too.”  He chuckles, easing her even more.  “Are you still enjoying the tour, though?”  Chip asks her.

“I am,” Clara smiles back at him.

Seeing the loving couple suddenly has Gadget realizing something.  Turning away, she realizes the way Chip looks at Clara.  The look is the same one Chip gave her that day before the fateful night.  He smiled at her, just like he was smiling at Clara.  Back then, she was too focused on her inventions that she couldn’t imagine herself falling in love with anyone.  How could she have been so naive?

A tiny voice starts crying out from down the hall, which brings Gadget back to the present.

“Mommy… Daddy, where are you?”

“Uh-oh, sounds like the twins are up from their nap.”  Clara deduces.

“Time seems to fly by much faster when they’re asleep.”  Chip jokes.

“I’ll go get them.  You can stay here and see if you remember more of these incredible machines.”  His wife suggests.

Clara gives Chip a peck on the cheek before heading out towards the hallway.

“Wait, I’ll come with you.”  Tammy offers and races to catch up to the chipmunk.

“Well, since the little tykes are now up, I’ll start preparing a dinner feast for tonight,” Monterey suggests.

“You really don’t need to go to so much trouble.”  Chip attempts to ensure the mouse’s actions are redundant.

“No trouble, Chip, this is a celebration.  Come along, Zipper; I could use your help.”  Monterey jerks his chin off to the right while addressing the little greenfly.

Zipper nods, always eager to be of help.  The little winged bug follows his large mouse friend out of the workshop, leaving Chip alone with Gadget.

The chipmunk notices the blond mouse from the corner of his eye.  He gradually glances over to her as she turns her head slightly with blushing cheeks.

“Guess that means we are alone, huh?”  Chip shrugs in a half-joke and half-observation.

Gadget blushes even more.  “Yeah, I guess so.”  She nods in agreement.  Again, she starts to remember; Chip often said those words.  Usually, just before he would attempt to tell her something, perhaps on how he felt about her?

Sensing his presence nearing, she almost is afraid to look up at him.  Chip reaches for one of her small inventions on the table beside her.  Gadget suddenly feels embarrassed. It is a project that needs to be completed and perhaps will never get completed since the Rescue Rangers are always busy.

“Some of the stuff in this room looks familiar.”  Chip starts.  He points with his nose over to the side of the room.  One object Chip points to once a red thermos modelled in a way that would hold passengers.  It has a broken aerosol spray can that is still barely attached.

“That, for example, looks familiar.”

Gadget smiles, “I’m impressed.  That used to be the Ranger boat.”  She frowns. The boat was nearly lost at sea.  “It was one of many failed inventions.  We were lucky to find that much of it.”

“Oh,” Chip tries to remember why it failed, but nothing seems to recall in his memory.  He continues to gaze around the room until something else catches his eye.  “What about that one?”

He points to a yellow bottle, similar to the shape of the Ranger Plane, only hit has broken blue wings.

“That was the Ranger rocket…it never even got off the ground.”  Gadget shrugs.

Chip scratched his head. Probably that is why it wasn’t even registering in his mind.  Something else catches his eye, and he points to a former skateboard with one missing wheel.  A pink hairdryer that is cracked and falling to pieces; alongside it, a small battery block. 

“Say, that sort of looks familiar.”  He says, pointing at it.

“The Ranger mobile?” Gadget again looks away, embarrassed by these broken vehicles.  “Another failed invention.  It literally fell apart during its first test run.”

Realizing that Gadget is feeling heartbroken with her failed attempts, Chip walks up to her.  He places the unfinished project back onto the table and reaches over to take hold of her hands.

Without realizing it, Gadget’s face grows even hotter.

“Listen, I may still have foggy memories, but I am starting to remember more just by looking at your creative engineering.”  Chip starts, “You may have invented much stuff that failed, but through that failure, you learned from it and created things that not only worked but helped us out in our missions, not to mention many lives too.”

Hearing those words does make Gadget feel like Chip has never left.  She looks up into his eyes.  Those beautiful dark eyes. They hold intense focus and compassion.  How could she not have seen him the way he saw her all those years ago?  The feeling in her started to overwhelm her.  She gradually leans in, not thinking of what she is doing.

Chip’s affectionate smile slowly drifts into a frown.  He realizes that Gadget is getting much closer to his face.  Quickly, Chip jerks his hands away as he backs away a few steps.  With cheeks blushing, Chip swallows a lump in his throat.

Gadget is utterly shocked at what she almost had done.  She quickly covers her mouth, entirely embarrassed by her actions. 

“I am so sorry,” she apologizes shamefully before turning away from the chipmunk.  “I can’t believe what I almost did there.”

Taking notice of Gadget’s slumped posture made him realize that she is trying to hold back from crying.  Another memory of his past starts to surface, involving this blond mouse.  Chip shakes his head. He begins to remember that he once had special feelings for Gadget. Feelings that, at that time, were not returned. Looking sympathetically back at her, the chipmunk tries to think of something to help her feel better.

“I-it’s okay,” Chip takes a deep breath before continuing.  “I remember now that I used to try and get your attention a lot.  The outcome was a bit more embarrassing than what just happened.”

Gadget removes her hand from her mouth.  “So, it is true you had feelings for me once?”  She questions, not even turning to face Chip.

Chip nods his head yes, before answering with words.  “I did,” he carefully admits.  “…But I’m with Clara now.  I don’t have those same feelings for you anymore.  I’m sorry.”

Though Chip knows it isn’t anyone’s fault, he can’t help but feel guilty about this situation.

“No need to apologize.”  Gadget sniffled before looking over her shoulder.  “I’m the one that got lost in the moment.  I just realized, after all this time, that you tried to tell me how you felt, but I was so oblivious about the whole thing, and now it’s too late.  That is something I have to live with.”

“I just hope this doesn’t ruin our friendship,” Chip asks worriedly.

“I’ll be fine, Chip, and no, I don’t want this to ruin our friendship either.”  Gadget wipes away a stray tear before extending her arms for a hug.  She is relieved that Chip responds by wrapping his arms around her in a supporting manner.

They pulled apart just as the sound of little feet ran towards the room.  Chip turns to see his children moving at high speed, right for him.

“Daddy!”  They cry out in unison.

Chip kneels to pick them up and gives them a huge hug.

“Hey, you two, did you have a good nap?”  He asks the twins.

“Yeah, it was okay.”  Tucker sighs, rubbing some remaining sleep from his eye.

“You guys want to see some super cool stuff?”  Chip asks them.

“Sure!”  Amber cheers and her brother nods with excitement.

“You see all these amazing machines…?”  He starts.

The twins look around in awe.  “Whoa,” they both gasp in astonishment.

“They were all invented by Gadget here.  She’s a real genius…” Chip concludes with a proud smile.  He turns around so that the kids can look at her too.

Gadget blushes at Chip’s praises. She knows he is saying that to make her feel better, but she is still unsure if she deserves the title of ‘genius.’ 

Looking over by the entrance, Gadget sees Tammy walking back in with Clara.  Knowing how happy Clara is watching her husband talking to their kids made Gadget feel a bit jealous.  On the other hand, though, she is indeed fortunate to have a chipmunk like Chip in her life.

Chapter Text

Later that night, after the twins are lying down for the night.  Chip and Clara lie down on the other bed.  Dale did eventually clear it off and place the sponge mattress back for them.  Space is a little snug, but Chip is used to sleeping close to his wife.  However, he still can’t sleep.  Too many memories keep clearing up, not to mention he is always thinking about the moment between him and Gadget.

Though he is correct that his feelings for Gadget are no more, he is still troubled by it.  Why now?  Why, after all the time pursuing her that she would pick now to return his old affection?

It is good that they settled the situation before it got out of hand.

Gadget is not the only one running through his thoughts; Dale and his personality towards him are still very aggressive.  The other chipmunk barely talks to him, and he can’t tell half the time if he’s angry or sad whenever Chip catches him looking his way or at Clara and the twins.

Chip soon gives up; his brain is very active with too many thoughts that sleep is nearly impossible.  He slips out of bed, careful not to disturb Clara.  Chip can’t help to watch his wife sleep peacefully for a moment.  The rose quartz necklace, the symbol of their love and family bond, is visible around her neck.

With a warm smile, Chip pulls the covers over her so she may sleep comfortably.  He then checks on the twins to see that they, too, are sound asleep.  Not wishing to disturb his family’s rest, Chip exited as quietly as he could.  After closing the door, Chip makes his way down the hall.

Chip hears a noise cluttering around in the kitchen.  Unsure what it could be, Chip decides to investigate.  A towering dark figure is rummaging through the cupboards.  Relief came to him when the shadowy figure turned out to be Monterey Jack.   

“Monty,” Chip calls out.

The sudden sound of someone’s voice startles Monterey.  He turns to see it is just Chip and lets out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, Chipper.  I thought you already went to bed.”

“I did, but I couldn’t sleep,” Chip shrugs.  “There’s just so much going on in my head right now.”

“I hear ya,” Monty nods in a sense of understanding.  “A lot has happened to you in the last twenty-four hours.”

“The last five years.”  Chip corrects.  “…But yeah, the last twenty-four hours have defiantly turned everything upside down again.”

Monterey takes in a breath before speaking again.  “Why don’t I make my world-famous warm milk with a sprinkle of cinnamon?  Best for calming the most un-easiest of minds. That’ll help ya get a good night’s sleep.”  He suggests.

Chip couldn’t resist the smile forming on his lips.  Memories come back of how Monty is about to go into a story.  “Sure, sounds good.”  He says, sitting down on a stool by the counter.

Monterey prepares the ingredients at the same time as he tells a story.

“I learned this recipe from the time I was in Turkey.  A Woolly Dormouse, living in the Sumela Monastery, She was very generous and saw that I had problems getting to sleep.  So, she whipped up this satisfying cup of warm milk with cinnamon.  I tell ya, I’ve never slept so soundly that night….”  Monty pauses to see Chip quietly staring down at the table.

“I’m sorry, pally. I didn’t mean to bore you with my stories.”  The mouse pouted.

Chip looks up, realizing he is barely paying attention.  “No, it’s okay.  I was just distracted by my thoughts again.”

The chestnut chipmunk smiles.  “I realize how much I’ve missed hearing your stories.”  He looks up at Monty and smiles wider.  “Please continue.”

A guilty weight develops in the pit of Monty’s stomach.  How he wished he could have saved Chip from the fire.  Again visions of that night haunt him.  The look on Chip’s face, how scared he looked.  Monty reached for him, but his arms were not long enough.  The roof caved, and Chip fell with it. 

With a shake of his head, Monty brings his mind back to the present.  He attempts to smile again at Chip, but even Chip can tell he’s worried about something.

“What is it?”  Chip asks in concern. 

“I was…” the large mouse paused for a moment.  “I just wish I could have, you know, saved you from that fire.”

Chip frowned.  He understood Monty’s guilt.  The chipmunk looks away for a moment before looking back at his old friend.

“It’s not your fault.”  Chip confides.  “I still don’t remember what happened that night, but based on what you said, there wasn’t anything you could have done.” 

“We had a job.”  He adds, after thinking for a moment.  “That job was to save those families.  We succeeded, right?  Everyone got out?”  Chip asks in a very calm manner. 

Once again, Monty frowns.  “All but you, pally.”

This time Chip is the one that feels guilty.  He notices the steam from the pot on the stove and points to it.

“The milk is boiling,” is all he says in response.

“Oh,” Monty moves quickly to remove the pot from the burner.  He starts to scoop out the white liquid with a rodent size ladle.

“You know, thinking about it, I survived on sheer luck.”  Chip finally lets out a sigh.

Monterey looks over his shoulder for a moment. 

Chip glances up at him before continuing.  “I mean, from what you said, I speculate that I got lucky that I landed on some floating debris and got out before the entire place crashed down.  The luckiest part is that I ended up on the beach that Holly was on. She found me, took me home, and healed me.”

“That was surely a bonzer thing she did, Chipper.”  Monty agrees with tears in his eyes.  He sprinkles some cinnamon into the cups.  He proceeds to hand him one to Chip.  “Here you go.  Careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks,” Chip stares down at the spice floating above the warm milk.  He gently places his paws on either side of the cup.  Feeling the warmth from the liquid and the smell of the contents does indeed help him feel calm.  

A thought starts plaguing him again as he stares blankly at his cup.

“Does he hate me now?”  Chip asked out suddenly.

Stunned, Monty puts his cup on the table to glance up at Chip.  “Who?”

Chip blows on the hot milk before responding.  “Dale.”

Monterey feels taken aback by what Chip said.  Where is this coming from? What could make him think that?  Monty imagines how it might be from Dale’s point of view before responding.

“I-I don’t believe he hates you, Chipper,” Monty stammers.  “Most likely, a little out of sorts over the fact, you have survived and lived an entirely different life for the past five years….”

“Maybe it would have been better if you never found me.”  Chip sighs, staring down at his cinnamon milk.

“What?  Why would you say that?”  Monty asks in sheer shock.

“Well, it’s obvious that Dale prefers the old me, the part of me I can’t seem to have a clear memory of.”  The chipmunk sadly replies.

Monterey places a reassuring hand on his shoulder before speaking.  “Don’t you be worrying about Dale, Chipper, my boy.  He’ll come around.”  He lifts his head off Chip’s shoulder and continues.  “Now, how about you start drinking your milk before it gets too cold.” 

The mouse picks up his cup and starts drinking. 

Chip gradually does the same.  With a smile, he moves the cup down from his face.

“Mm, this is good.”  Chip praises.

“Told cha,” Monty winks.

Unseen by Monterey and Chip, Dale lets out a guilty sigh before wandering off into the shadows of the hallway.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Forty-five minutes have passed since he shared a cup of cinnamon milk with Monty.  After, the mouse felt tired enough to head to bed. 

Chip, on the other hand, still couldn’t sleep, so he wondered about the headquarters.  He did check on his wife and kids; they were still asleep.  First, he wandered once again through Gadget’s workshop.  Still overwhelmed by all the inventions the blond mouse created.  Instead of going back down the stairs, Chip decides to take the slide down.  He winds back down to the main room with the TV/computer in the corner. 

He pans across the room from the newly designed TV area towards the door.  That is when he stops to stare at something standing by the door.  How could he not notice this before? 

He finds himself walking up to the plexiglass case.  Chip seems drawn to the articles of clothing hanging inside.  Something about them is all too familiar.  Coming up to it, he can see his reflection coming into view, perfectly aligned, as if he is wearing the hat and jacket.

The image of himself through the reflection allows him to see the chipmunk he once was.  Looking down, he notices a plaque.  The photo shows him wearing the clothes displayed.  How confident he looked in the picture.  He leans forward to read the text beside the image.

Chip

A great friend and leader.

Gone, but not forgotten.

A lump formed in his throat, a lump he is having problems swallowing.  The Rescue Rangers did think he died.  It wasn’t that they had forgotten him; it was him that forgot about them.

Indeed, this was his life before the accident.  He loved being a Rescue Ranger; how is it that made him change that?  Chip wondered if it had something to do with the last rescue that took him away.

Looking down at the picture again, he had the overwhelming sensation of being this chipmunk in the photo once more.   Chip reaches up to touch the plexiglass.  He gently strokes over it as if trying to find a way to phase through to touch the fabric.

“You can try it on if you like.”  Dale’s voice suddenly speaks up behind him.

The instance he hears Dale’s voice, Chip jolted in surprise.  He turns to see his former best friend walking in from the shadows.  That is when Chip can see a sad look on the other chipmunk’s face.  He’s been so hostel and distant towards him since he met him at Holly’s, but now he looks sorrowful.

“They are still technically yours, after all.”  Dale continues once he is beside Chip.

With a deep breath, Chip thinks for a moment before responding.  “Okay,” he says.

Dale reaches over behind the display case and unlocks the latch.  The door swings open and allows him access to the jacket and hat.  The last time he held them was five years ago. 

Dale remembers the morning after they thought Chip had perished in the fire.  Reliving those painful memories again breaks his heart.  He almost even forgot that Chip was standing right beside him.  Taking a deep breath, Dale turns to the former leader and hands him the jacket first.

Chip takes off his black and grey vest and throws it over the back of one of the chairs.  He takes the jacket from Dale before swinging it over his back and sliding his arms through the sleeves.  His first thought is how comfortable the material feels on his fur and how he missed wearing this jacket.  It brings back memories of how confident and mature he felt wearing it.

Dale hands over the fedora. Chip blinks at it a few times before reaching for it.  The moment he places it on top of his head, Chip feels more like his old self returning.  He straightens up to tug at the collar of the jacket.  A smile grows on his face but quickly disappears when he hears a sniffle from Dale.

Looking up at his old friend, Chip realizes he’s crying.  Dale isn’t able to hold in a sob. The emotion of seeing the fully dressed Chip makes it official. His best friend is back. 

Noticing that Chip is watching him, he can’t contain himself.  It’s like someone opened the floodgates, and the emotion keeps pouring out.

“I missed you so much.”  Dale finally choked out in between a hiccup. 

Like a contagious cold, Chip starts feeling overwhelmed with emotion.  He takes a few steps forward and swings his arms around Dale in a tight embrace. 

“I didn’t know until now how much I’ve missed you too.”  He finally responds with tears sliding down his furry cheeks.

It felt like a lifetime as the two chipmunks held each other.  Neither of them wanted to let go; this was the reunion they needed. 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Dawn’s first light creeps in through the window of the room.  Clara stretches her arm out but senses something is missing.  She opens her eyes and realizes that Chip is not sleeping beside her.  Sitting up, Clara looks around the room.  In the other bed, the twins are still sleeping.  Wondering where her husband went, Clara gets up to investigate Chip’s whereabouts.

Clara hears two chipmunks laughing as she walks up the steps.  One of the two chipmunks heard sounds a lot like Chip. 

Walking into the living area, Clara sees her husband at the table with Dale.  It is evident to her that something is amusing them.  One thing that catches her attention is the fact that Chip is wearing a fashionable jacket and fedora.  She almost didn’t recognize him in this new outfit.  Seeing him so happy makes her smile too.

“Oh, I remember there was a time we lived at this farm, didn’t we?”  Chip asks Dale, not realizing that they now have an audience.

“Yeah, we did.  The farmer grew apples.  We used to live in one of the trees.”  Dale reminds him.

“Right,” Chip’s eyes lit up with excitement as more of that time returned to him.  “Those were delicious apples.  We used to eat them by the dozens.”

“We sure did. I’m surprised we didn’t get fat over all those apples,” Dale laughed as he patted his stomach.

Chip joined him in another chorus of giggles.  The chestnut chipmunk slows his giggling into a chuckle as another memory of that time comes up.

“Wait, didn’t we get caught one time?”  He asks, tapping his figure on his chin.

“We did,” Dale confirms.  “The farmer was so mad at us.”  He giggles at the remembrance of the farmer’s face.

“That’s when you quickly said something to him,” Chip frowns as he scratches his head.  “I can’t remember what it was, though.”

Dale himself pauses as he, too, struggles to remember that moment.  He perks up when the memory comes back.  “Oh, I said, ‘Apple core.’”

Chip sits up as he, too, suddenly remembers the rest.  “That’s right, and then he replied, what was it?  Oh, ‘nevermore.’”

“Who’s your friend?”  Dale says the next phrase with a snicker.

“Me,” Chip concluded with another giggle.  “After that, didn’t you toss your half-eaten apple at him?”

“Yeah,” Dale laughed as he explained what happened next.  “I ended up hitting right in between the eyes.

Both chipmunks start to laugh again over their youthful antics.   That’s when Chip notices Clara standing over by the hallway entrance.

“Clara, you’re up.”  Chip announces.  He stands up to walk towards his golden-tan wife.  “Did you sleep, alright?”  He asks her.

“I did,” she nods.  “I just got a little concerned when I woke up, and you weren’t there.”

Chip gives her a guilty look before explaining.  “I’m sorry I couldn’t sleep.  I had too many thoughts going on in my head.  After walking around for a bit, I ended up here.  That’s when I started talking with Dale, and apparently, we’ve been talking all night.”  He adds, looking out of the window and seeing sunlight.

“I see,” Clara responds.  She finds herself distracted more by his clothes instead by what he’s saying.  Clara reaches up and tugs on the collar of the jacket, and strokes the material with her thumbs.

Chip smiles softly at Clara.  “Like it?”  He asks.  “It’s my old jacket and fedora; I used to wear them all the time.”

Clara smiles back at him, unable to dismiss the attractiveness of her husband in his old clothes.  She leans up against him in a flirtatious manner. 

“They make you look dashing.” She purrs.

“You think so?”  Chip couldn’t help but blush at his wife’s comment.

Dale, witnessing the whole thing, shakes his head in amusement.  A part of him is a little jealous, however.  He once thought nothing could separate Chip and himself.  Yes, they fought a lot, especially when it came to winning the affection of the opposite sex.  However, they also had a great time, especially when they were younger. 

Even when they got older and started the Rescue Rangers, Chip grew up to take on a more responsible role, while Dale remained childish.  They were still a team, though, comparing their friendship to more brotherly love.

Look at him now. Here’s his best friend with an attractive and affectionate wife.  Somehow, Dale feels this is what Chip secretly wanted all his life. 

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Chip.”  Midget chirped as she hopped into the room.  As far as she knew, the chipmunks never really had last names, but she still wanted to be formal with them.  She smiles at Chip, who is dawning his original outfit.  Midge then turns to Dale and adds, “Good morning to you too, Mr. Dale.”

“Morning, Midge,” Dale gives a sleepy greeting to the tiny bird.

“I wanted to let you all know that Tammy has started to make breakfast, so I hope you are hungry this morning.”  The sparrow concludes before hopping out of the room.

“What a sweet little bird,” Clara comments. 

“She is,” Chip agrees.  He stretches his arms out and yawns before continuing.  “I suppose we should wake the twins up and prepare them for breakfast.” 

“Good idea,” Clara agrees.

Dale lets out a big yawn of his own as he stands to stretch out his arms.

“While you guys do that, I’ll go have a nap.”  He says groggily.  As Dale walks past, he pats Chip on the shoulder.  “Good to have you back, buddy.”

Chapter Text

A passenger train slows up to a platform and comes to a stop.  As human passengers step off with their travelling bags, an obese gray tabby sleeks off, unnoticed by the humans.  Fat Cat chuckles in amusement as he roams his way to the streets.  He walks towards a van with a Happy Tom Cat Food logo.  The Feline hops into the back of a van before the driver loads in one last box of supplies. With that, the man then closes the back hatch.  Finally, Fat Cat is heading home.

Twenty-five minutes later, the van stops in front of a factory.  The driver walks to the back and opens the hatch doors, and he is surprised to see a cat hop out.  Another chuckle escapes the cat’s lips as he walks towards his secret entrance.

“Simple human minds are so easily startled.”  Fat Cat amuses himself.

The corrupt feline makes his way into the factory, sneaking by the other human workers.  He recalls his old access through the air ducts, making his way to the upper levels of the factory. 

In Fat Cat’s office, his four minions lounged around in boredom.  The sudden sound of the elevator moving up cause them to jump.

“Someone’s coming,” Wart hisses.

“Who is it?  Who is it?”  Mepps panics.

The four misfits run around the room in a panic until the doors open, and Fat Cat walks out.

“What do you muttonheads think you’re doing?”  The Fat Cat growls.

“Oh look, it’s the boss.  He’s back.”  Mole squinted up at the large tabby.

“How was your retreat?”  Wart asks in wonder.

“The retreat was astounding.”  Fat Cat responds as he heads for his closet.  He opens the door and pulls out his purple tux.  “After the retreat, I went to Paris to visit my cousin for a while.”

“You were gone for such a long time; we thought you weren’t ever going to come back,” Mepps whined.

“Awe, I’m happy to hear I was missed while I was gone.”  The tabby sarcastically purred.  He buttoned up his vest and threw on his jacket before turning to his crew with authority.  “I must say I’m touched.”

“Does your return mean we are back in business?”  Snout asks, hopefully.

“Indeed, it does.”  Fat Cat smiles wickedly.  “As I spoke with my cousin one night, we both discovered a popular painting everyone is talking about.”

“A painting, boss?”  Mole questions.

Fat Cat walks up to the stout rodent and pats him on the head.  “That’s correct, my simple-minded fool.  There’s a painting called ‘The fish.’  A famous artist by the name of Soan Miko has an exhibit at the art museum this week, and the word on the street is that it is trendy amongst the rich snobs in this city.”  The grey tabby announces.

Fat Cat turns on the big screen monitor to show off the image of the painting—created with primary colours, random shapes, and uneven strokes.

“Gosh, Fat Cat, this painting looks like a child did it.”  Mole comments.

“That’s because simpletons like yourself cannot truly admire pure art.  Those rich cats in the swanky part of town will pay with their right claw for this painting.  Tonight, my simple morons, we are going to steal it.”  Fat Cat growls with delight.  “After we sell it to the highest bidder, I will rise again as the top mobster cat in this city!”

Fat Cat and his henchmen chuckle in amusement over how simple this plan is.

Without realizing it, Fat Cat has an intruder listening in on their conversation.  Up from the shadows along the ceiling rafters, Foxglove glares down at the nasty bunch.  She slips out of the Tom Cat Food Factory through the skylight without being seen or heard.  Her mission is to get back to the Ranger’s Headquarters as fast as possible.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It turns out; Chip decided to have a nap too.  After helping Clara get the twins up and ready for breakfast, Chip had to lie down.  Close to lunchtime, both Chip and Dale finally wake up after a five-hour sleep. 

Dale, temporarily sharing Monterey’s room, walks out just as Chip leaves his old room.  The two smile at each other as they head for the upper level of the tree.

“Had to take a nap, too, did you?”  Dale asks in a half yawn.

“Yep, I got so tired all of a sudden that I couldn’t think straight.  Clara demanded that I just go and lie down.  As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.”  Chip explains as he puts on his signature fedora.

“She looks out for you, doesn’t she?”  Dale comments.

“Oh, yeah.  She’s the best.”  Chip nods in agreement. 

By now, Clara is becoming more comfortable being around the other Rangers.  While her husband slept, she learned more about Gadget, Monty, and Zipper.  They told her about how they all originally formed the Rescue Rangers. 

Tammy admitted to Clara that she once had a crush on Chip, and Midge talked about how she got help from Chip and the Rescue Rangers when she lost her flock on the way to Capistrano. 

They are all sitting on the couch while the twins play on the slide.  It quickly became an obsession for the two younglings.  It could be the swirly motion they experience as they slide down.

Nonetheless, as the adults enjoy tea and talk simultaneously, the kids entertain themselves. 

The moment Amber and Tucker reach the bottom of the slide, they head back up the stairs to the hangar to slide back down.  The twins pass Chip and Dale on their way toward the stairs. 

“Hi, daddy, Hi, Uncle Dale!” The twins chorus as they rush by.

“Where are they off to in such a hurry?”  Dale asks before pausing for a second.  “Wait-da-minute, did they just call me uncle?”

“Sure, why not?”  Chip shrugs.

“I told them to refer to everyone as their aunty and uncles.  You know, since the Rescue Rangers were practically your family before you became a part of mine,”  Clara explains, walking up to her husband. 

“That’s perfect.”  Chip coos to her.  “So, where are our little ones headed?”  He asks, rephrasing Dale’s question earlier.

“The little tykes really enjoy the slide.  We are finding it very entertaining watching them having so much fun with it.”  Monty chuckles.  “Not to mention giving us a chance to take a break.”

“They are just so cute.”  Tammy swoons.  “We’ve been playing all morning with them.”

“Maybe I should design an obstacle course for them.  You know, to give them more of a challenging game to play.”  Gadget suggests.

The twins' giggles echo up the slide, indicating they are about to ride down it.

A mischievous grin curls up on Chip’s lips.  He turns to his best friend, and asks, “Speaking of games, Dale, want to play ‘catch the toddlers’ with me?”

Dale, catching on to Chip’s plan. He remembers the other night he witnessed Chip chasing his kids in the yard.  With a mischievous grin, Dale nods, “Okay.”

It’s been too long since either chipmunk got to be their youthful trouble-making selves.  Dale follows Chip’s lead as they trot to either side of the slide and crouch down so the twins wouldn’t notice them.

Amber is the first to make it down, but before she can land on her feet, Chip lunges out and grabs her.  Tucker doesn’t even get a chance to react when he sees his sister being captured by their dad when he, too, is caught by Dale.  Both kids start squealing with excitement as they try squirming out of their captor's grip.

Clara and the others enjoy watching the two chipmunks wrestle with the twins.

Eventually, Tucker does escape Dale’s grip and rushes right up to Clara.  “Mommy!”  He cries out, jumping into her arms.

“You need to hold on tighter to them, Dale.”  Chip chuckles.  “They do get their speed from their mom.” 

Thinking she has a shot at escape, Amber tries jerking herself to freedom.  However, Chip anticipated her move and tightened his grip.

“See what I mean.”  He makes his point across.  Bringing his nose down against Amber’s ear, Chip adds, “Nice try, Pumpkinseed.”

“Awe,” Amber pouts.  She reluctantly slumps back against her father’s chest.

Dale and the others giggle at the antics between father and daughter. 

Chip stands up and finally releases his daughter.  She bounces up to her mom while Dale also gets up off the floor.   

The door flies open, and Foxglove barges through.  She is relieved that everyone is present and accounted for, including the former leader, Chip, and three new chipmunks she hadn’t seen before.

“Oh good, you’re all here.” She cries out. 

As Foxglove rushes up to Dale, she passes Chip. Hi Chip,” she says, not even thinking of why he is present in the first place.

“Daddy, a bat.”  Amber points out with excitement in her tone.

“Dale, I…” this is when Foxglove pauses briefly as her brain catches up to what’s happening.

Dale smiles and waits.  The others on the couch stifle their giggles.

Foxglove does a double-take to Chip, then back to Dale, then to Chip and his family, before returning to Dale.  Dale chuckles at her confusion.

“You’re not seeing things, Foxy.  Chip is alive.”  The red-nosed chipmunk clarifies.  “…And this is his family, Clara, and their twins, Amber and Tucker.”

“Um, Hello,” Foxglove politely waves at Chip and his family.  They wave back before Foxglove starts shaking her head back to the point of her arrival.  “Dale, I’m sure there’s a long explanation to all of this, but you aren’t going to believe it.  Fat Cat is back, and he’s got plans to steal a famous painting tonight.”

“Golly, it’s been so long since we heard from Fat Cat.”  Gadget taps her finger up against her chin.  “We thought he disappeared for good from the last time we beat him.”

“Fat Cat…?” Chip starts to scratch his head as he tries to remember one of their more popular arch-nemesis.  “Wait, isn’t he a large grey tabby that wears a tux?”

“That’d be the scalawag,” Monty confirms.

Foxglove holds up her wing just as she is about to ask a question.  However, Dale prevented her from asking.  He takes her wing into his paws, drawing her attention back to him.

“That falls in with the long explanation we will discuss later, Foxglove.  Tell us what you heard of Fat Cat’s plan first.”  He suggests. 

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you two want to do this?”  Clara asks in a worried tone.  “I mean, I could stay behind, and….”

“Nonsense,” Tammy waved off.  “You and Chip go ahead with the others.  Midge and I will stay and look after the twins.”

“You’re absolutely sure?”  Chip leans in to get clarification.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Chip.”  Midge nods.  “It will be good for you to get back into doing Rescue Ranger work again.”

“But daddy, we want to come too.”  Tucker pleads.

“Yeah, we want to be Rescue Rangers like you.”  Amber whines.

Chip smiles down at his children.  It warms his heart for them to call him a Rescue Ranger, not only that, but to follow in his footsteps and become one themselves.  In his head, Chip can picture his kids joining him, Clara, and the other Rangers in future cases, but for now…

“Maybe when you’re older, okay.”  He tells them.  “Now behave ourselves, and listen to Aunt Tammy and Aunt Midge while we’re gone.”

“Fine…” the twins grumble in unison.

Chip and Clara hop onto the Ranger Wing and sit in the back seat.  Dale, this time, joins them.  Monterey, Zipper, and Gadget jump in the front seats, Gadget being behind the wheel.  Foxglove prepares to fly beside the Ranger Wing.  They all take off with Tammy, Midge, and the twins waving them off.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The curator and two assistances bring the painting into an exhibit room of the museum.  The assistant readied the hangers while the curator supervised.

“Okay, now let’s get out the level to make sure it’s straight.”  The curator instructs.

The two men look around and realize the level is missing.

“Ah sir, we seem to have missed placed it.”  One of the men bashfully admits.

The curator lets out an exasperated sigh.  “Come on; we need to find it.”

As the crew leaves the scene, Fat Cat, along with Mepps and Mole, is hiding behind one of the display cases.  Fat Cat gently kicks the level further back behind him.

“Now’s our chance, you dunderheads.”  Fat Cat can’t seem to help to throw in an insult at his minions.  “Let’s get that painting.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, the Rangers spot Fat Cat and the gang on the upper levels of the museum.  

Dale turns to Chip and asks, “Are you sure you and Clara want to stay back?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”  Chip confirms.  “I’m a little out of practice; I don’t want to slow any of you down.”

Clara quickly glances at Chip and notices he is clasping one hand over the other.  She can see he’s trying very hard to contain an anxiety attack.    

Giving the Rangers a sheepish grin, Clara adds, “Actually, he’s doing this more for my benefit since I’ve never done anything like this before.”  She lied.

“Well, okay,” Dale says, shifting his eyes from Clara to Chip.  Something about their excuses didn’t make sense to him.

“Come on; we need to get down there before Fat Cat and his gang get away.”  Foxglove pleads.

“Foxglove is right, mates.”  Monty agrees.  “Rescue Rangers, away!” 

The two of them are the first to start heading for the stairs.

“We’ll be right back.”  Gadget assures Chip and Clara before following Monty and Foxglove down the stairs.

Dale slowly backs away, looking at Chip.  He worries about his friend, considering he was initially excited to return to the team again.  Chip tries to smile at him convincingly but only shows the insecurity in his eyes.  Not willing to pursue the subject any further, Dale decides the job is more important now.  He turns and quickly catches up to the rest of the team.

As soon as the others are out of earshot, Chip sheepishly turns to his wife.

“Thanks.”  He tells her.

Clara shoots him a side glance.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”  She asks him.  “…Or do I need to tug your ears real hard until you speak?”

Clara reaches over with a threatening paw up toward her husband’s head.  She aims for one of the ears that are sticking up from the side of his fedora.

Chip’s eyes widened. He remembered the only time she yanked his ears.  It was when she went into labour with the twins.  Holly had to coax her into letting go.  Instantly shaking his head, Chip responds.

“No, That’s okay, darling.”  He quickly assures her, gently pushing her paw away from his head. 

Chip lets out a long sigh as he collects his thoughts.

“I was actually looking forward to participating in this case,” he smiles at a memory that cleared up in his mind.  “I once lived, breathed, and slept being a Rescue Ranger.”

Chip frowns and slumps his shoulders forward as reality creeps in.  “But the closer we got to the museum, the more panicked I suddenly felt.  What if I screwed up?  What if they expect me to be the Chip that they remembered?  I mean, regardless of my memories slowly coming back, I realize I’m just not the same guy I was five years ago.”  He admits with a shameful frown.

Clara’s face softens.  She steps over to Chip and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“You are just feeling a little pressure, you want to make a good impression, and I get that.  You just need to build up your confidence again.”  Clara tells him.

“It’s odd that I never had these anxieties when we travelled and ended up helping people in trouble.”  Chip shrugs.

Clara thinks for a moment before dragging her hand down his arm and taking hold of his hand.

“Remember when we first met?  I was afraid of everything and did my best to avoid talking to people I didn’t know, even you.  Eventually, we did start speaking, but it still took me a while to show any trust.”  She tells him.

Chip smiles at her.  He nods to ensure he is listening to her story.  How Chip admires how much Clara has grown since the day he saw her for the first time.

“After I did start trusting you, that trust grew into friendship, and from there, well,” she blushes slightly before adding, “Love.” 

Clara lifts his hand to her cheek and leans into his palm.

“Perhaps the reason you didn’t have any anxiety during our travels is that we were working together as a team,”  The golden-tan chipmunk concludes.

“We do make a great team.” Chip agrees.  He reaches over and takes hold of Clara’s free hand.

Their loving moment is interrupted when they hear the Rangers cry out in surprise.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

At the bottom of the staircase, the rangers sneak by some statues.  From behind one of the marble stone figures, Snout and Wart peek out.

“Looks like Fat Cat was right. We did have a Rescue Ranger spying on us back at the factory.”  Wart whispers.

“Yeah, time to release the trap.”  Snout murmurs.  He reaches up on the side of the statue and pulls the rope.

A contraption above the statue springs into action as it catapults over to the staircase.

A large net falls on top of the Rescue Rangers.  Foxglove and Zipper even try to fly out of the way, but they are not quick enough. 

Snout and Wart come out from behind the statue, looking rather smug.  Each holds a strong string in their paws, ready to wrap the Rangers.

“Hey, Boss, we got ‘em!”  Snout shouts.

“Yes, your plan worked perfectly.”  Wart adds.

Before Dale and the others can manage an escape, the goons start tying them up with the net still on top.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Chip and Clara rush to the edge of the railing and look down at the scene. 

“It’s a trap,” Chip deduced.  “Fat Cat knew we’d show up.”

Clara notices a certain twinkle in her husband’s eyes.  She’s witnessed the same posture he gives when they are about to take action.  Clara smirks as she puts a hand on her hip.

“Well, are we going to do something about this, or do you still plan on sitting this one out?”  Clara sarcastically asks him.

Chip returns with a crooked smile.

“No, you’re right.”  He straightens up before looking around at his options.  “Ah,” Chip spots a long piece of thick string.  The construction crews must have it left behind from their last showroom remodelling.

Grabbing the string, Chip runs back to his wife.  After creating a noose, he lassos it to a statue near the staircase.  Making sure the line is sturdy, Chip then reaches for Clara to come closer to him.  She eagerly leans up against his body, with her arms over his shoulder.  Chip pauses, temporarily lost in her eyes.  Clara returns a bashful grin.

“I love you.”  He sings in a sappy tone.

“I love you too.”  Clara purrs in response. “Now, let’s do this.”

Without another word between them, the chipmunks leap off the platform and swing down.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

“Ah, if it isn’t for the putrid rangers.”  Fat Cat Chuckles.  “It’s certainly been a while, hasn’t it?” 

“Not long enough,” Dale grumbles.

“So true,” Fat Cat agrees.  “However, for the first time, I’m not going to waste time talking about ending you sickening rodents. I’ll just go ahead and do it.”

Fat Cat picks up the level he hid from the curator and lifts it over his head.  He prepares himself to swing it down over the Ranger’s heads.

“Hold it right there!”  Chip calls out from behind.

Everyone turns, and like an image from an Indiana Jones movie, Chip stands with string rolled up in his tight little grip, and Clara stands firmly beside him.  It takes a moment for Fat Cat to recognize Chip, and when he does, he is in absolute shock.

“No, it can’t be.  You were dead!  I was told you were dead!”  The tabby cat gasps.

“Let’s just say my demise is grossly exaggerated.”  Chip responds with a shrug.  He then addresses Clara to them.  “By the way, this is my wife, Clara.”

“Hello,” she waves sweetly to the criminals.

“I’m not impressed,” Fat Cat growls.  He looks around at his henchmen and starts baring his teeth at them.  “Don’t just stand there, you idiots!  Get them!”

Clara and Chip glance at each other briefly with a knowing smirk before crisscrossing each other in different directions.  As Clara distracts the henchmen with her skills and speed, Chip heads towards the captured Rangers.

“I’ll deal with you myself, you diminutive nut muncher.” Fat Cat growls as he steps in front of Chip in an attempt to grab him.

“Chip, look out!”  Dale hollers.

To everyone’s surprise, Chip temporarily drops the rope to defend himself.  Using Cha Chi moves, he can block each swing of Fat Cat’s clawed paws.  Chip, using Fat Cat’s weight and height against him, shifts his feet over to the left, which causes Fat Cat to lose his balance. 

As the Cat tries to regain his posture, Chip reaches down to pick up his string, then swings around Fat Cat’s back and kicks the feline behind.  

The action leaves Fat Cat falling forward onto his face.

“How…?”  The purple-clad Cat hisses.

Chip hops his way to his friends as they all look at him with confusion and astonishment.

“Say Chipper, where did you learn those cool wicket moves,” Dale asks.

“I’ll explain later.”  Chip assures his friend.  “…But first, let’s get you guys out of this trap.”

As Chip gnaws at the rope with his teeth, Gadget, Foxglove, Zipper, Monterey, and Dale are distracted by Clara’s moves.  The golden-tan chipmunk zigs and zags her way around the mob boss’s minions.  She even uses some Cha Chi moves on them when they try throwing a few punches at her.

“Crikey, she’s fast.”  Monty gasps.  Zipper nods and squeaks in agreement.

“I told you the twins get their speed from their mother.”  Chip proudly states.  He successfully frees his friends from the net before adding, “What do you say we finish this case, Rescue Ranger style?”

“Yeah!”  The other cheer.

“So, what’s the plan, Chipper?”  Monty asks eagerly.

“Huh,” Chip pauses, realizing he may be overstepping his boundaries. 

He’s not the leader anymore. Dale is.  Looking over at his best friend, Chip waits to see if he has a plan instead.  With an encouraging smile and a nod from Dale, Chip realizes that his former teammates are waiting for him actually to call the shots. 

He quickly notices that his wife needs some backup before bringing his attention back to the Rangers.

“I’ll go help Clara; you guys secure the painting.”  Chip orders.

“Aye, aye.”  The team solute in unison before running off to their post. 

“Gosh, it feels like old times, doesn’t it, fellas?”  Gadget gushes.

“Too right, Gadget, Luv,” Monty adds.

“Defiantly feels like the old Chip is back.”  Dale chimes.

“Dale, lookout.”  Foxglove screech, seeing Fat Cat in front of them with his claws bared.

“I’m not going to let you stop me this time.”  The feline boss growls with teeth bared.

Thinking quickly, Dale spots a tarp draped over a table.  “Foxglove, Zipper, the tarp!”  Dale orders pointing past Fat Cat.

Responding to their leader’s command, the two flying members of the team rush over the Cat’s head and pick up the tarp.  They throw it over Fat Cat’s body, instantly making the feline struggle to find an escape.

Monterey grabs a board beside the tarp and slams it down on Fat Cat’s head, stunning the feline.

Meanwhile, Chip uses the string to lasso Mepps wrist before the orange Cat can swing down at Clara.  Chip yanks back, causing the scraggly Cat to crash into Wart.  The two goons land on Mole as they fall over each other.

Snout glances behind him to see his fallen teammates before returning to the golden-tan chipmunk.  He notices that she is getting short of breath and smirks.

“Getting tired, sweetheart,” he says creepily.  “Why don’t you lie down?”  Shout emphasizes as he lunges at her with his fists one more time. 

The rat is intercepted by Chip before he can land the punch.   The chestnut chipmunk blocks not just one blow but three.  After Chip finds an opening to throw a few punches of his own, bringing the rat down on his back.

“Nobody lays a hand on my wife, especially scum like you.”  Chip growls.

Clara’s ears tweak when human voices echo from down the hall.  She points past her husband and says, “Sounds like the curator is coming back.  Perhaps we should go?”

“I think you’re right.”  Chip nods in agreement.  “Hey guys,” he shouts at the other Rangers.  “We should go now.”

“Okay, just a second, Chip.”  Gadget says.  She drags the level out in plain view for the curator to find.  Gadget then sprints to catch up to the rest as they head out of the room.

The henchmen get on their feet and rush over to their leader.

“Hey, boss, we need to go.”  Mepps whines.

“Yeah, the humans are coming back.”  Snout adds.

They uncover Fat Cat, and instantly he starts to panic.

“No!”  He cries.  “I can’t fail, not again.” 

Fat Cat desperately reaches for the painting, but his minions hold him back.

“I did not spend over two years in a retreat for villainous felines for nothing.  It was supposed to be different this time!”  He crows pathetically.  “Let go; I must get that painting!” He pleads with his band of misfits.

“We can’t, boss, we need to go, or the humans will catch us.”  Mepps pushes his chunky leader.

It takes all four mobsters to lift Fat Cat and carry him out of the room.

“Oh, hey, Mr. Donaldson.”  One of the assistants cried out as he re-entered the room.  “I found the level.”

“You mean to tell me it’s been here the whole time.”  The curator groans.  “I think I need a vacation after this exhibit show.”

Chapter Text

Chip stands in front of the plexiglass case, where he discovers his hat and jacket.  Something in his mind has him debating his next decision.  Yes, joining the Rescue Rangers again and beating Fat Cat was like reliving old times.  However, he is no longer living in the old times. 

His anxiety during the mission is proof that there are still some things he needs to sort out in his life before deciding to come back to his old job.  Gradually, Chip slips the hat off his head.  As he is about to reach it back onto the stand, he is startled by a voice behind him.

“Chip?”  Gadget calls out.  “What are you doing?”

Chip turns to see not just Gadget but Dale, Monty, and Zipper as well.  They each have confused expressions across their faces.

“Oh, I figure I will leave my hat and jacket here.”  Chip explains.

“Leave your hat and jacket?”  Dale parrots.  “You’re not staying?”

“I do want to stay, but,” Chip takes a deep breath, looking down at the hat still in his paws.  “Just not right now.  There’s a lot for me to take in, and as I realized last night, I’m not quite ready to be back in the game.”

“What do you mean?”  Dale pouts.  “You and Clara were amazing against Fat Cat and his gang.”

“Maybe,” Chip shrugs.  “But what you guys don’t know is that I also had an anxiety attack when we got there.”  He starts to admit.  “That moment when I froze could have affected the mission.”

“But Chip,” Dale begs.  “You are better than that.  I know you can improve with each mission.”

“Thanks, Dale,” the other chipmunk reaches over with his paw and places it on Dale’s shoulder.  “But it isn’t just that.  I recently regained a lot of my memories, not all of them, but a lot.  I also need the time to absorb this information and process it.”

Chip pauses to see his family walking into the room.  With a smile, he continues.  “Besides, I also have two very important reasons why I can’t come back right now.”  He says, nodding his nose in their direction.

Dale and the others turn to see Clara and the twins.  Understandably, Chip meant that his children are more important than returning as a Rescue Ranger.  The team gives a sad smile before turning back to him.

“I think I understand,” Dale replies.

Chip also returns a sad smile and hugs Dale.

“You’ve done a great job, Dale. I’m proud of you.”  He praises.  “What you and the others have done with the Rescue Rangers exceeds what I could have ever imagined.”

“You really think so,” Hearing Chip’s praises brings such emotional warmth to Dale’s heart.  Unable to prevent them, tears start to roll down his cheeks as he squeezes tighter in the hug.

Chip pulls back to show that he, too, has tears threatening to escape his eyes.  “You bet I am.”

With a sniffle, Chip continues.  “You know this shouldn’t have to be a goodbye.  I’m hoping we all get to visit each other often, and perhaps we could join you guys in some of your missions.  Maybe even get to meet some of your new recruits.”

“Absolutely,” Gadget cheers.

“Too right, bucko,” Monty adds, with Zipper giving a little cheer.

Chip continues to smile at his friends as he nods approvingly.  “That is great,” he says with a sigh.  Turning once again to face the display case, Chip adds.  “In the meantime, both my hat and jacket will be safer here.”

He puts the hat on the stand first before taking off the jacket and hanging it up.  Chip notices the plaque and is slightly embarrassed as he pulls it out.  He turns to show it to his friends with a blushing grin.

“I don’t think this needs to stay in there, do you?” Chip asks, holding up his memorial plaque of him.

Dale chuckles as he reaches for the plaque.  “I’ll take care of that.”

Chip grabs his vest from the back of one of the chairs.  As he puts it back on, he pauses with another deep breath.  “I suppose we should be heading back home then.”

“I’ll go get the Ranger Wing prepped.”  Gadget states sadly before heading out of the room.

“…And I’ll get some snacks ready for the trip,” Monty adds before he and Zipper leaves towards the kitchen.

“Would you like me to help?”  Clara offers.

 “That’s a bonzer idea, Luv; I’ll welcome the company.”  Monty politely accepts.

Chip, Dale, and the twins are now the only ones in the room.  The twins rush up to give Dale a big hug around the waist.

“We’ll miss you, Uncle Dale.”  The two of them chorus, holding the red-nose chipmunk as tight as they can.

Nearly falling over, Dale replies.  “Awe, I’m going to miss you too.  But like your daddy said, we will defiantly visit often.”

Chip chuckles in amusement until an idea comes to him. 

“Say, why don’t the four of us go down the slide a few times before heading for home?”  He suggests.

“Yeah!”  The twins cheer.

“Come on, Uncle Dale!”  Amber squeaks as she grabs Dale’s hand and escorts him to the stairs.

Chip picks up Tucker and follows them.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Two Months later…

Tucker is sitting on the couch watching a cartoon on TV.  In the background, there is the sound of a dog barking and chipmunks chattering.  However, the little chipmunk is doing his best to ignore it.  Beside him, the computer tablet screen suddenly turns on.  A text shows up saying, ‘In Coming Call.’

Amber hops onto the couch and notices the tablet blinking.  She turns to glare at her brother.

“You idiot,” she growls at him.  “Someone is trying to call us.  Why aren’t you answering it?”

“Because I didn’t notice it until you pointed it out,” Tucker growls back.  “…And I’m not the idiot you are!”

Choosing to ignore her brother, Amber rolls her eyes and reaches for the tablet and presses the ‘answer’ button.

The screen immediately changes to show Dale sitting on the U-shape couch with Gadget, Monty, and Zipper in the background.

“Hi, Uncle Dale,” Amber cheerfully waves.

“Hi-yeah, kiddo, is your daddy there?”  Dale responds with a wave.

Tucker smartly mutes the TV and instantly sucks in a breath.

“DAD!”  He screeches.

The sudden scream from Tucker causes Amber to shutter and glare at her brother.

Dale and the others can hear off-screen a dog’s barking getting louder.  Chip suddenly hops on the couch.  He holds up his index finger to the tablet screen.

“Give me one second,” he quickly says before hopping onto the coffee table. 

The barking continues to increase in volume, and the sound of happy yips and slobbering licks as a dog enters the room.

“Ach, down boy… Good boy, Pablo,” Chip praises the puppy. “Now, go find Boston.”

In the background, from the other room, the Cockatoo overhears Chip and cries out, “NO! Don’t find Boston!”

The twins giggle at what they see, leaving Dale and the others only to imagine what is happening. 

“As you can see, it is real chaos here.”  Chip laughs as he returns, a bit drenched in slobber.

“You guys got a puppy now?”  Gadget asks.

“Not exactly,” Chip shrugs.  “Yolanda, Holly’s girlfriend, is out of town this week and asked if she would look after Pablo.”

More barking is heard again, as well as squawking from Boston.

“Pablo found Boston.”  Amber giggles as her brother chuckles.

“So where is Holly, since she’s supposed to watch the puppy?”  Monty asks.

“Oh, she’s at work.”  Chip responds with a shrug.  “She’ll be home in roughly three hours or so.”

Something off-screen catches Chip’s attention, and he smiles.

“Oh good, Jezebel’s back.  She always seems to have a way of handling the puppy.”  He says.

“Pablo, Boston!”  Jezebel hisses.  “That is quite enough out of both of you!”

Gradually, both dog and Cockatoo quiet down. 

“Naptime, Pablo, lie down.”  The cat instructs the puppy.

With a little whimper from the canine, the room is defiantly calmer.

Jezebel’s tail is seen from behind the coffee table as she adds, “Keep it down, everyone. I’m going to have a nap too.”

“Okay,” the twins acknowledge the cat’s instructions.

Clara finally walks up the plank to the couch with a half-eaten green grape in her hand.  Almost unnoticed is the fact that she is not wearing her black belt. 

“Hey, honey, we are just talking with the gang on MyChat.”  Chip tells her as she sits down beside him.

“Hi Clara, how are you?”  Gadget calls out with a wave.

“Oh, I’m doing alright.”  Clara smiles and waves back with her free hand.  She glances at Chip and asks, “Did you tell them yet?”

As she waits for his response, Clara takes another bit of her grape. 

Chip blushes slightly and shakes his head no.  “Not yet.”

“Tell us what?”  Dale asks eagerly.

The twins hop up toward the screen before Chip can explain.  “We are going to have a baby brother or sister!”  They both shout with excitement.

At first, Dale and the others are surprised to hear the news.  Their surprise turns to happiness for the family on the screen.

“Well, Chipper…” Monty coos in a subtle innuendo tone.

Chip turns an even darker shade of red all across his face.  He tries to play it cool with a wide grin, in any case.

“When did you find out that you are pregnant?”  Gadget asks.

“I guess we found out about….” Clara pauses to think before concluding.  “Week ago…?”

“We would have told you sooner, but Yolanda called and, well, chaos, as you noticed earlier.”  Chip chuckled. “Plus, you were still on that mission in South Africa.”

“You can’t imagine how happy we are for you two.  Congratulations.”  Gadget cheers.

“We were thinking of having the weekend off to visit you guys.  Would that be okay?”  Dale asks.

“That will work out great.”  Chip responds.  “Yolanda will be back, and Pablo will be gone by then.  Everything should be quiet again and perfect for visiting.”

“Great, I can’t wait,” Dale says.  His eyes suddenly show a tad of sadness.  He doesn’t want to stop talking to Chip, but they need to get back to work soon.

Chip notices, and it has him feeling the same way.  He swallows an emotional lump in his throat.

“Hey, Dale,” he finally says.

“Yeah,” the other chipmunk responds.

“Stay safe,” Chip says, pausing for a moment before smirking.  “…And try not to be so serious.”  He finishes in a joking manner. 

Dale chuckles at the ironic comment.  Tears threaten to show from his eyes as he replies.  “I will.”

“Guess we’ll see you in about four days,” Chip says.

“Until then,” Monty adds with a wave ‘goodbye.’

“Bye,” Gadget chirps as she waves at the screen.

Reluctantly, Chip reaches for the red button on the screen and presses it.  The image of Dale, Gadget, Monty, and Zipper disappears, and a text shows in their place:

‘Call Ended.”