Cobwebs Of The Past

A Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers story by Morgan K.
RRC++R(36%)P++TH()A++;I;Dr+;Hu++;In;My++;R++;P+;Su+)ME+
IxCR++Cc+d++m+z+t+f++Ed++g++f++D*M-Zm18GH++L++GePc+!++


	Featuring the voices of:
	Alice Krige   James Earl Jones
	Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny

(Continuity note: To fully enjoy and understand this story, the reader is
reccomended to have knowledge of the RR episode "Good Times, Bat Times" (Duh.),
Matt Plotecher's *excellent* short story "Plots", as well as my previous stories
"Little Fangs", "Double Criss-Crossed", "Ready...Aim...FIRE!!!", and the
continuation of "Little Fangs": "Dale's Decision", written by the incomparable
Justin Reese. Drink deeply, and enjoy, fellow Rangerphiles.)


	* * *


PART ONE


In a small alcove above a gushing river of sludge in the city's sewer system, one
could find a small home that housed a single occupant. A dim amber nightlight
illuminated its interior. Somewhere inside, a castoff human Walkman played
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". The splashing waves of sewage outside added to
the music a calming, almost haunting, effect. The walls of this residence were
decorated with delicately hand-made silk cloths, most of them showing pictures
woven into their centers. The creator of these wispy miniature masterpieces sat
by herself, weaving yet another to add to her collection. At first glance, this
scene might have seemed charming to a casual observer, cozy almost.

Until one took a closer look at the pictures woven into the silks. For each one
showed a horrifying scene of unimaginable cruelty. Image after image showed the
same young bat and chipmunk, sometimes together, sometimes separated, but always
on the very edge of their grisly demises. Each portrait showed clearly the
expression of complete terror and hopelessness on the face of the victim as they
realized that their next heartbeat would be their last. Both chipmunk and bat had
died dozens of times each on those walls. The weaver calmly hummed to herself as
she finished the latest addition to her gallery of vengeance. The scene upon it
showed the bat, bound securely, screaming out her last breath as a guillotine
blade hurtled towards her tender throat. Victoria signed her initials to it with
a tiny strand of her silk and smiled proudly.

The large black widow spider stood up from her plush armchair and looked for a
spot to hang her latest creation. "It's almost time, you know," she said casually
to someone unseen behind her. She seemed to glaze over for a second in fond
remembrance. "Almost a year..."

Victoria's guest squeezed his eyes shut tight and struggled against his bonds
with all the strength in his small body. The thick webbing across his mouth
prevented the little fly from making even the tiniest of squeaks.

The elegant spider moved with the fluidity of a shadow. Her tone held a bit of
calm sadness. "I didn't start out wanting to kill Foxglove. And I didn't even
KNOW Dale. But after they took my Lou away... It was the only fair thing to do,
you know. Foxglove took my love's life from me, so I will take the life of her
lover, and her own." She cast a blameless glance at her captive. "See? It's only
fair."

The fly buzzed his wings, hoping the vibrations would help loosen the webbing. No
luck.

"I was foolish the first time," she continued, the dim yellow-orange light
glinting off the red hourglass on her back. "I can admit that to myself now. I
was too overconfident, too cocky, too sure that all the elements would come
together to help me reach my goal. I guess I shouldn't have trusted fate to
cooperate with me," she said, smirking. "I left them both too many exits and they
took them all. The abduction won't be theatrical this time. I'll pluck them from
their dreams like flower petals. They won't even know of their plight until I
have already guaranteed my success!" She grinned brightly. "And then they will be
MINE." Giddy, frightening eagerness flashed in her shining eyes.

Kicking at the solid cement wall behind him was no help either for the fly.

Victoria twirled herself around the center of the room. "And I have *such* a
wonderful trap set up in place for them! How they will suffer! They _will_ know
my pain and more! Much more!!"

She turned and looked coyly into the eyes of the terror-stricken fly. "Oh, but
I'm sure I must be boring you immensely with all my talk. It's just nice to have
some company down here once in a while."

"But I have an appointment to keep, so I do hope you'll join me for a little
lunch," said the spider to the fly.

She smiled when he didn't speak a word of protest. Couldn't, actually. But no
matter.

He shook with an almost tangible fear as her arachnid form filled his vision. Her
round, pleasant face held no malice, no hate, no ravenous hunger. Only a small
businesslike smile and a purposeful politeness. Victoria did not revel in her
kills; she merely enjoyed them, like watching a favorite television show.
Somehow, all this made her much more horrifying to the ruby eyes of the fly.

Her smile opened to reveal perfectly formed fangs.

She took the gag out of his mouth to hear his screams. She liked them.

Soon they were silent, leaving only the sound of the gently lapping water outside
and the soft piano tones of Beethoven.

Victoria enjoyed her meal.


	* * *


Foxglove the bat tipped back her head, opened her mouth wide, and plunged her
razor-sharp fangs into the soft flesh of the chipmunk ensnared in her wings.

"Ouchie!" said Dale. Then he giggled like a naughty schoolboy. His eyes rolled up
and his grin broadened. His head swam in a sea of bliss.

Foxy lapped daintily at the little cut she'd made on Dale's neck. She spoke
romantic thoughts to him inbetween sips. "Oh Cutie, you're so tasty! Better than
chocolate cake and icecream!"

Dale chuckled at the compliment. "Take all you need, my beautiful batty! Just
think of me as your own personal soda fountain!"

Foxy snorted with laughter and hugged her lover tightly. She kissed him noisily
on the cheek, then went happily back to her drink. Each time Dale gave his gift
of blood to her, it seemed to taste a little sweeter. She thought back to the
night she'd first revealed her vampirism to Dale and how terrified he'd been the
first time she'd fed on him. But afterwards, she could feel him relaxing more
each time. And now that he'd made the decision to join her by becoming a vampire
too, there was no apprehension at all. Drinking from one another was now like a
game, like a kiss, and sometimes like a bit of both. As much fun as cuddling
together or playing in the park.

Foxglove wasn't quite sure how, but she found that the more of each other's
essence they consumed, the stronger they both gradually became. It was still
hardly noticeable, but the continued comingling of the two lovers' blood had had
the effect of enhancing their conditions. She'd begun to notice her senses had
been slowly sharpening ever since she and Dale had begun sharing themselves. And
the bitemarks they left on each other's throats now only took a few minutes to
heal completely.

The beautiful bat didn't understand exactly how drinking the blood of another
vampire helped her own power grow, but she often wondered if their boundless,
joyful love for one another had a hand in it as well. She wondered also if, after
years of sharing their life's fluid together, could they possibly make each other
into full-blooded vampires at some point in the future? And if so, what would
that mean to them? How powerful would they become? If they stayed together long
enough, would they become some kind of super-vampires? Sometimes Foxy wondered if
she was just reading too many of Dale's Comic books.

But all questions were put aside for now. Foxglove was lost completely in Dale's
fluffy, soft, sweet-smelling fur, and the tangy, coppery taste of his deep
crimson blood.

"Now I know what a milkshake feels like!" Dale quipped.

The pink bat snorted again and smiled up into Dale's dark, deep, loving eyes. She
gave the two tiny bites on his neck a soft kiss apiece. Then she leaned on Dale,
gently toppling him so that the two lovebirds were laying side by side on his
bed. She propped herself up on her elbow, and for a while, the two were content
to gaze into each other's expressions and thank the fates for blessing them with
such a wonderful, beautiful, perfect life partner. This was something they found
themselves doing quite often. It was odd, considering how playful and energetic
the couple usually was. But every now and then, their worlds would come to a
complete stop and they would be overcome with the full breathtaking reality of
their love for one another. Their silent moments were not common, but when they
happened, they were deeper than the deepest well.

The petite lady bat glanced out the window of the small, cozy room they shared in
Rescue Ranger headquarters. The white half-moon made the perfect nightlite. The
precarious heaps of scrap metal and broken appliances in the surrounding junkyard
looked to Foxglove as stately mountains in a range from some exotic land. It was
raining pleasantly. Tiny drops plip-plopped onto the roof above in a syncopated
rhythm. The air held the scent of moist grass. In the still night, Foxy could
hear the occasional buzz of an insect flying past, or the flutter of another bat.
She heard the creakings of headquarters settling. She heard the steady thump of
her lover's liquidly relaxed heartbeat. And dozens of crickets supplied a
haunting, dreamy string section.

Foxglove looked down upon seeing a yellow glint in the corner of her eye. The
moon reflected brilliantly from the small gold ring that hung on a shining green
ribbon around her neck. Her ring. Their ring. Dale's engagement ring. She'd
nearly gone into a coma out of sheer overwhelming joy when he'd proposed to her.
Knowing that they were to be married someday soon filled her whole being with an
unearthly warmth. Soon, they would be united; to spend foreverandeverandever
together. She felt light as a feather at the mere thought.

They hadn't set a date yet. It all seemed so sudden, they were both still getting
over the fact that he'd proposed at all. Foxy was ecstatic and Dale was happily
bewildered that he'd finally had the courage to ask her.

The fact that she had turned him into a vampire that same night was also keeping
them from setting down any wedding plans. It was a tad confusing for Dale at
first, getting used to the differences in his body; his enhanced senses, his
slight increase in strength. And it even seemed as if gravity had less of an
effect on him now. Not as if he was floating, but he did feel much more agile
than usual. And when he practiced fencing with Chip, his leaps and dodges
surprised even himself.

Coming to terms with the knowledge that he would have to drink blood at least
once a month, every month, for the rest of his life was not as hard to get over
as he'd thought. Foxglove had assured him many times that as long as they were
together, they'd never go hungry. All that was needed was a small bite and a few
slurps and that was it. They were, after all, only one-fourth-vampires after all.
Foxglove was both relieved and overjoyed that her secret condition had brought
them both so close together, rather than tearing them apart, as she'd often
feared it would before the fateful night when she revealed to him what she really
was. She'd known from the first day they'd met that they would be together the
rest of their lives. Now she knew for certain. They were already bonded together
in a way that went well beyond most other couples. And as she twiddled her ring
through her wingtips, she thought of how they would soon show the world that.

She gazed down through the blue moonlight at the goofy chipmunk beside her who
was so much wiser than he let anyone know, including himself. Dale, who had given
her life such meaning. "Thank you," she whispered to him in her gentle, feathery
voice.

Dale reached up to tickle her chin playfully. She cooed happily at his touch.
"Aw, Foxy, you don't have to thank me *every* time I make a deposit to the
Fairmont National Blood Bank." They both giggled lightly at that. "You know I
love to do it."

She put her wings around his shoulders. "I wasn't thinking about just that,
Darling. I _am_ very grateful that you let me feed from you, of course. But I was
thanking you for *everything*, Sweetie. For loving me, for caring about me, for
protecting me, and mostly for just being the wonderful chipmunk that you are."

Dale was so touched by her words, he felt his eyes moisten. "You're welcome," he
whispered. "And thank you too, Foxglove. For all those reasons and more."

Their bodies became one, as bat and chipmunk came together in a rich, soulful
kiss.


	* * *


The sewers were usually dark, damp and dreary, but tonight they seemed even worse
somehow. The constant 'splishy splash' of water echoing from all sides was
maddeningly repetitive. Drafts raced through the ancient, crumbling cement
tunnels and arches. Black, evil-looking waters lazily flowed in unknown
directions, their lightly lapping waves seemingly beckoning an unwitting traveler
to fall in. And anyone with a sense of smell would immediately wish to be
someplace else.

In short, Victoria was in her element.

Even so, her destination unnerved her. The fallen subway car in her path looked
as big as a sleeping dinosaur to the diminutive spider. There was something, some
vibe, emanating from it that warned of the dangers within. Like an anti-welcome
mat. Victoria boldly strode forward, however. She had business to attend to
tonight.

Crawling up the side of the car to peep in the window, Victoria saw that the
great green beast was indeed within. His back and log-like tail were to her. He
was lying casually on the floor of his home, poring over some unknown volume. A
round lamp on a tall stand provided illumination. The rest of the car was filled,
floor to ceiling, with books, books, books, books. Victoria reinforced her
courage with thoughts of her righteous mission and pressed the buzzer on the
door.

It was like watching a mountain come to life. The mammoth alligator sat up,
marked his place, stretched his shoulders, and turned to face the door. His
annoyance at being interrupted was easily seen. He grunted and waddled to the
door. The car wobbled a bit with each mighty footstep. "WHO GOES THERE??" Sewer
Al's voice was deep and foreboding, the bass so strong that Victoria could feel
it in her stomach.

When Sewer Al opened the creakily-hinged door, Victoria scuttled in. "Good
evening, neighbor," she stated with polite, professional crispness.

Sewer Al pulled his large, violet sweater down and adjusted his
small half-rim reading spectacles as he looked down at his tiny visitor. The
massive well-read reptile was instantly curious about the rolled-up papers
Victoria held on her back with a pair of her hands. He decided against growling
at her for interrupting a good part of his current novel. At least until he knew
the nature of her parcel. "Good evening, Victoria. Come to try selling me more
information that I already know?" he said with a rumbling chuckle.

The arachnid merely smiled. (Victoria was feeling much more confident after
noticing that the book Sewer Al had been in the midst of reading was 'Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban') "Not tonight, my friend. Tonight I have
something you want and you have something I want. I merely wish to better both
our positions by trade."

Sewer Al snorted and grinned out of the side of his mouth. "What could you
possibly have that I need so badly? Your little notes? Have you written your
memoirs, Victoria? If so, I think you're a few pages shy of a book!" The subway
car shook with the green monster's laughter.

Victoria's eyes twinkled. "Oh, these aren't MY work, but nevertheless these _are_
very special pages! I've had them for quite a long while, just waiting for the
time when you'd have some little tidbit of information that was useful to me.

The alligator arched an eyebrow. "Show me," he commanded. He reached down to
gently take the obviously brittle papers from the black widow. At first, he
frowned. It looked like little more than a hastily scribbled term paper. But when
he read the words, he gasped.

	"I've been in this room eight years, Clarice. I know they will never, ever
let me out while I'm alive. What I want is a view. I want a window where I can
see a tree, or even water."

"...Dr. Hannibal Lecter..." breathed Sewer Al.

Victoria grinned. She had him now. "Yes, that is Thomas Harris' handwriting," she
confirmed. "I've checked thoroughly."

Sewer Al was still a bit in shock. "This... This is from an original, handwritten
draft of The Silence Of The Lambs..." he whispered in almost reverent awe. He
felt like he was holding the holy grail. "WHERRRRRE DID YOU *GET* THESE?!?" he
bellowed with bullying eagerness.

"You live in the sewers long enough, you find things floating about here and
there. I'm just glad I live upstream from you," she said simply. They had
actually come from a briefcase that she'd spotted bobbing along in the muck
nearly eight months ago. The blood smeared on the case made her discovery that
much curiouser. She realized what a treasure these were, considering that the
biggest literary buff and information broker in the animal kingdom was a stone's
throw from her doorstep. There was no way he could say no to such a rare literary
treasure.

"I have more of those you know," she tossed off casually. "I think one of them
even has Harris' signature on it. I could run back home and get them if you
like," she said with a sweet, poisonous smile.

Sewer Al knew he was caught like a fish on a hook. He'd let her cut out one of
his kidneys with a tin can lid just to have the page he was holding now. His keen
eye told him to a near certainty that these were genuine (memorizing various
authors' handwriting styles was a favorite hobby of his), and he knew she
certainly wasn't stupid enough to try tempting him with fakes. He sighed. No
matter what she asked, there was no way he could refuse. "What do you want,
Victoria?" he asked in a beaten tone.

"Oh, something very simple. You probably know it already. I just need the exact
location of the Rescue Rangers' headquarters."

This surprised him. But considering the widow's devious nature, it didn't
surprise him too much. "It is a deal," he said solemnly. "You will bring me the
rest of what you have and I will tell you where the Rescue Rangers are. But only
after ALL the pages are mine!"

"But of course. Now just sit tight and I'll be back in a jiffy."

"I'll be waiting," he assured her and watched her skitter off, her tiny feet
clicking on the cold metal of the subway car. He  greedily looked over his prize
again. Then he chuckled to himself. He knew he had gotten a much better deal.
Victoria was much too single-minded to consider selling the information to the
Rangers' other enemies. No, she undoubtedly meant to mount some attack on them
for whatever vengeful reason. And as Sewer Al well knew, trying to kill a Rescue
Ranger was like trying to hold one's right elbow in their right hand: completely
futile. Of all the customers he served choice gossip to, the Rangers were the
ones he was most wary of. Many of his other clients were far more deadly, and
nearly all were much larger, but the damned tenacity and ingenuity of those
rodents made him vow NEVER to get on their bad side.

To go up against them, Victoria may as well have been surrendering herself into
their arms. He was certain the information he was about to give her would never
leave her lips.

As he waited for her to return with more treasure, he wondered if he would ever
see her again after tonight. He kind of hoped so. After a week or so with no word
of her, he could pay a visit to her home and help himself to all the draft pages
he was sure she'd leave behind to use for continued bribery. Yes, he had gotten
an *infinitely* better deal...


	* * *



Gadget Hackwrench strolled into RRHQ after a few long, happy hours spent with
Crisscross, randomly slapping electronics together in the hopes of stumbling upon
something useful. They talked the whole time about nothing and everything in
general while munching on Fritos and listening to Oingo Boingo. Gadget was
delighted to find that Chris never interrupted her when she found herself
rambling on and on about a hundred or so topics at once. Rather, he seemed
fascinated by her rollercoaster-like loops of logic.

Sometimes he would even jump in and they'd have a team ramble. Just the other day
they'd come to the interesting realization that since their eyes were unable to
percieve the vast bulk of the entire spectrum of light, they were actually
colorblind, and therefore unable to make any kind of scientifically certain
judgments on any given object's true color. For if their eyes were indeed able to
perceive ultraviolet light, infrared (well, Chris could see that), gamma rays and
the rest of all the forms of light in the universe in addition to their accepted
spectrum of visible colors, Gadget's coveralls, for example, would most likely be
perceived as much more than just lavender, possibly even colors that organic
beings are completely unaware of. The logical conclusion of all this was that the
grass is not green and the sky is not blue.

On a similar note, their tinkering that evening had produced a thingamabob that
changed colors in relation to the sounds around it. Neither fox nor mouse knew
what to do with it, but it was fun to look at, and they both agreed that if
clothing could be made that reacted in a similar fashion, that would be neat.

Gadget washed her paws in the kitchen sink and walked into the livingroom. All
the lights were out and the main room was illuminated only by the glow of the
large, central TV set. She wondered why, then she spotted two furry heads close
together on the couch. Chip and Tammy were snuggled together watching what looked
like a complex, suspenseful spy thriller. Chip seemed totally entranced by the
film, probably trying to figure out whodunnit, while Tammy looked like she was
much more entranced by Chip.

The young, slender squirlette seemed to be growing on Chip like ivy. She was
hugging him so close, they looked like Siamese twins. Her wide eyes stared at the
screen and her hands moved constantly; the right darting with machinelike
regularity into the huge bowl of popcorn at her side, and her left clutched at
Chip's jacket tightly.

Gadget approached the two and watched the movie for a few moments. It looked like
the type of film where if you hadn't been watching from the beginning, you'd be
hopelessly lost. Gadget didn't give it much thought anyway. She smiled at seeing
her two friends enjoying such a close moment. Their love, like Dale and
Foxglove's, brought a smile to everyone around them.

A thought popped into Gadget's head out of nowhere. She had to physically
restrain herself from laughing out loud. Trying her best to keep a straight face,
she tapped Tammy on the back.

The squirrel girl swiveled around instantly. "OH!! Oh, hi Gadget! You startled
me! Whatcha been up to?" she said as she caught her breath.

"Not much. Say, Tammy, are you angry about something?"

Tammy frowned puzzledly. "No, um, why would you ask that?"

Gadget grinned ear to ear. "Well, I couldn't help noticing that Chip on your
shoulder!"

Chip and Tammy were momentarily stunned into silence.

Gadget quickly ran out of the room giggling as both of her friends booed and
threw popcorn at her for that awful pun.

Gadget darted into her room and slumped back against the closed door. She laughed
so hard she thought she'd burst. Partly because she couldn't remember the last
time she'd come up with a joke like that out of the blue. Crisscross was
definitely having an affect on her sense of humor. She'd never laughed more or
harder since she'd met him. The mousette made a mental note to tell Chris her
joke later. He'd get a kick out of it.


	* * *


Meanwhile, no one noticed when a delicate black hand silently eased open the hall
window and a swift dark intruder entered the Rangers' home...


	* * *


Dale smiled dreamily as he watched Foxglove's lovely sleeping form swinging
gently to and fro as she hung from her perch in the cool, blue night. She was
snoring. He loved the sound of it. No one else could snore as cutely as Foxy
could.

He wished they could be dozing peacefully side by side tonight. For the past few
weeks, ever since they'd become engaged and had moved into the same room, they'd
both been making a valiant effort to adapt to one another's sleeping styles. It
was taking a while, but they were making some progress. Sleeping in a bed felt as
odd to Foxglove as sleeping upside down did to Dale. For one thing, her wings
always ached in the morning. Nevertheless, Foxglove had managed to make it
through the night a few times in a comfy cot beside Dale's bed. And he had almost
gotten used to the blood rushing to his head when he dangled alongside Foxy in a
special inverted sleeping bag that hung from the ceiling (Gadget had made it as a
gift for them). Dale, meanwhile, dreamed of the day when he could snuggle
together with his sweetie-pie and feel her wings draped around him as she dozed.

Dale licked his lips, still able to detect the tangy sweet flavor of bat blood.
After she had enjoyed a drink from him earlier, they'd cuddled a bit and Dale had
then enjoyed a drink from her. He had no regrets anymore about letting Foxglove
turn him into a vampire. Once he'd gotten past all the dumb Dracula cliches that
pop culture had drilled into him, and his own heebie-jeebies about drinking
blood, he found his new life to be rather pleasant. His senses were sharper, he
felt physically stronger and healthier, and sharing blood with Foxglove was
eerily thrilling.

Even better was the knowledge that soon they would be chipmunk and wife. He still
smiled just thinking about her jubilant acceptance of his proposal. And in a few
more months or so, when they were ready, they would be wed.

Dale never thought he'd look forward to giving up his carefree bachelor
lifestyle, but one look into those gorgeous batmaid eyes put all his fears to
rest. Foxglove was not going to change him, nag him, harass him or enslave him.
They would become a unit. More than the sum of their parts. Perfect harmony like
a chocolate-peanut butter cup. Dale could not have asked for a more perfect mate
than his beloved Foxy-cakes. Every moment they were together was the happiest of
his life.

The happy chipmunk closed his eyes and pulled his 'Kablammo Man' blankets tight
around him. He rolled over and nestled into the pillow, thinking 'How could life
get any better?'.

He felt breath on his nose.

He opened his eyes to see another pair staring back at him. The eyes of the black
widow spider that had tried to murder him almost exactly one year ago.

"Hello, prey," Victoria said quietly.

And then Dale was overcome by the scent of chloroform.

Victoria smiled at her work. "So easy..." she mused, then went to work on her
next target.

	* * *

PART TWO


Passing through the hall on his way to get a midnight snack, Zipper noticed that
the door to Dale and foxglove's room was hanging open. He stopped, hovering in
midair, and regarded it with a puzzled look. Something seemed... Off.

Suddenly filled with an unnamable worry, the small turquoise-hued fly put his
ear to the crack in the door. He didn't hear anything. "Dale? Foxglove?" he
buzzed questioningly. No answer.

Unsure about what he would see, and hoping we wasn't about to be very rude,
Zipper slowly eased the door open enough to peek inside.

Empty.

'Well, they're probably out at a late night movie or something,' he told
himself.

But even after he'd gotten his snack and was back in bed, he couldn't shake that
little feeling that something was very, very wrong...


	* * *


Foxglove stirred in her sleep. She yawned prettily and turned over. Her bed felt
wrong. Much too hard. She blinked and came to her senses.

She gasped.

Gone was Dale's cozy room. Gone was Rescue Ranger headquarters. She found
herself in a place of grey. Cool, smooth glass surrounded her on five sides. Fine
metal screening made the ceiling of her prison. An Overly-bright artificial light
above disoriented her and made her shield her eyes with her wings. The only other
thing with her in her prison was empty space. Outside the glass was a vast cement
expanse. Surrounding her were towering piles of moldering wet boxes and crates.
She could see a few machines here and there, and two huge metal doors. A
warehouse, apparently. There was so much extra room around her, it made Foxglove
feel tiny and extremely vulnerable

The little pink bat's heart began to beat wildly in her chest. Where was she?
What was going on? Was this a dream? No, it was much too real, no matter how
surreal it felt. She felt like she was shrinking. So much emptiness around her.
The light above was menacing, hiding enemies she knew were crouching out of sight
in the shadows.

She felt around her throat, suddenly noticing her engagement ring was gone. Had
someone stolen it? No, now she could remember taking it off before going to bed
and setting it inside the little wooden box Dale had bought for her her last
birthday. She knew where her ring was now, but where was *she*? And where was
Dale?!?

Foxy turned around completely and her eyes grew wide. "DALE!!" Her lover was
lying on his stomach a few feet away from her. Was he hurt? Was he dead?

Dale's eyes snapped open when he heard his shouted name. He bolted upright, his
head swiveling around, making as much sense of his situation as Foxglove had. He
turned and saw his love behind him, worry filling her beautiful face. "Foxypie!"
He jumped up and ran to her, knowing that if he could just touch her that
everything would be okay.

"Dale, wait! We're in-"

*BONK*

"...aquariums," finished Foxglove.

Dale sat up and held his aching noggin. Little pink bats fluttered around his
head. He looked up, even more confused than before, and saw the shining oval
print that his nose had left on the glass that separated him from Foxy. He saw
too late that they were in separate aquariums, pushed together so they could get
close to one another, but not actually touch.

He grinned sheepishly. "Aquarium. Right."

"You okay, darling?" Foxglove asked worriedly.

Dale rubbed his nose to make sure it was undamaged. He managed a smile for her.
"I'm fine. I only hit my head!"

She hid a chuckle behind her wings.

Dale got to his feet. He leaned on the glass. "So, where are we anyway?" he
asked.

"I don't know! I thought you would! I was asleep at headquarters and then I woke
up here in this nasty place!" Foxglove said, her voice wavering with fright.

"Gosh, you think we've been captured by some criminal mastermind again?"

She sighed. "Looks like it."

"Darn. I was hopin' to sleep in tomorrow."

For a few moments, the bat and chipmunk just looked at each other, waiting for
one of them to say something. The utter quiet in the sprawling warehouse was
genuinely eerie.

Foxy finally broke the silence. "So, um... What do we do now?"

"Dunno," Dale replied.

Another long silence.

Dale scrunched up his face in deep thought. 'What would Chip do?' he thought.
'He'd get himself outta this in a jiffy. He'd find some clever way to climb up
the walls or break the glass or somethin'.' Dale looked around. The only thing
besides him in his glass cell was air. 'Okay, so I don't have much to start with.
And I'm not the clever one, that's Chip. Gadget's the brain, Monty's the strong
one, Zipper's the little guy and I'm the comic relief. And Foxy's the cute one.
Hmmmmm. This is gonna be tough...'

Dale and Foxglove both pondered their situation for several minutes.

"Hey! I got it!" Dale suddenly exclaimed.

"What, Cutie? What, what?" Foxy asked excitedly.

"Well, you're a bat, right? And you can fly, right?"

"Last time I checked. *giggle*"

"Then how 'bout flyin' up to the top and seeing if you can lift up that screen?"

Foxy jumped for joy. "Oh cutie! You're so smart! I knew you'd think of
something!" She flexed her powerful flight muscles and gracefully flitted up to
the ceiling of her aquarium. All she'd have to do was lift up the screen and
they'd be free! Hooray!

But when she inspected the screen more carefully, her face fell. "Uh oh."

Dale grimaced. "*Uh oh*?!? I don't wanna hear 'uh oh'!!"

Foxglove landed softly beside him (or as close to that as she could get). Her
face was not happy. "Sorry, Darling. It's not good."

Dale gazed reassuringly into her eyes. "Aw, it's not _your_ fault, my little
bat-flavored lovemuffin. What's the scoop?"

Foxy smiled at what he'd called her, but then sighed defeatedly. "Well, the
screen's attached to a plastic ring that goes all around the aquarium. It's glued
on tight. There's no way I could budge it, even if I hung upside down and pushed
from that direction. We're trapped."

Dale growled low in his throat. "Double darn." He sighed and slumped down the
side of the glass to sit on the floor. He rested his cheeks in his paws, his
elbows on his knees. "Well, nothin' much we can do now except wait until
something happens, I guess."

"Guess so," Foxy said resignedly. She sat down on the slick glass floor, facing
	Dale, getting as close to him as the glass would allow. She brightened
suddenly. "Wanna play twenty questions?"

Dale shrugged. "Why not?"

Foxy clapped her wings in glee. "Good! I've got something in mind already!"

"Is it bigger than Godzilla?" Dale asked.

Foxy snickered. "No."

Dale grinned. "Is it *stinkier* than Godzilla?"

Foxglove burst out laughing. "Ha ha haa! Never!!"

"Did it ever stomp all over Tokyo for any reason?"

She fell over on her back, shaking with laughter. "No! Dale, it is NOT
Godzilla!"

Dale scratched his head. "Well, there goes that theory."


	* * *


From a short, but hidden distance away, someone observed the bat and chipmunk's
playful laughter. "They seem like such a happy couple," she sighed. Then she
grinned. "Oh well, it will only make their pain greater later on..."

	* * *

More than a few minutes had passed.

Dale stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So... Lemme get this straight; It's smaller
than a breadbox _and_ Godzilla, it has fur, it lives in a tree, it's not an alien
or a mutant or a killer robot, it wears clothes, it's not stinky, and it's cute.
Did I miss anything?"

"It's not a watermelon," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah..."

Foxy smirked. "Four questions left, cutie!"

Dale was completely stumped. He had absolutely no idea what this mysterious
thing Foxy had in mind could be. He decided to go with his gut instincts.

"Is it Don Ho?"

"No!"

"Is it... Darth Vader?"

"He's not furry and he doesn't live in a tree!"

"Right... Is it a plate of erkburgles?"

"No!"

"Is it a baloney sandwich?! *PLEASE* let it be a baloney sandwich!!"

Foxglove laughed so hard she thought she'd pop. "No no no! Beeep! Sorry, you've
run out of questions and I win the game! Yay!"

Dale crossed his arms and grumbled. "Could you at least tell me what it was?"

Foxglove smiled at him sweetly. "It was YOU, Cutie! You're cute and furry and
you live in a tree!"

"B-b-but it's only part of a tree! In a junkyard! That has to count for
something!"

Foxy shook her head. "Nope. Still a tree. I win, Mister 'Munk!"

Dale snarled a little. "Well, okay. But it's my turn now."

"Do you have something in mind?"

Dale grinned triumphantly. "Oh yeah..." 'She'll _never_ guess this one! Never,
ever ever in a billion million years!' he thought with absolute confidence.

Foxy put a wingtip to her lips in thought. "Is it Godzilla?" she guessed.

Dale growled in rage. "Aw, DANGIT!!!" He jumped up and started pulling his hair
and stamping around.

Foxglove tossed back her head and chortled heartily. "I got it on the first
try?!?"

If looks could kill... Dale narrowed his eyes and growled "_yes_."

Foxy hopped up and did a little victory dance. "Yipee! Yay! I won again!"

The red-nosed chipmunk sat back down and grumbled, his expression as sour as a
gooseberry.

She noticed, and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Aw, cutie, don't be so grumpy.
Wanna play again?"

"Nuh-uh," Dale said with all the terrible grouchiness of a four-year-old.

"Oh come on! I'll do an easy one this time. Okay, I've got it!"

Dale rolled his eyes. He cringed and guessed. "It's not me again, is it?" he
tentatively ventured.

Foxy's eyes lit up. "Hey! You got it! Yay for Dale! Yay for my Cutie!!"

A broad smile leaped to dale's face. "Really? I did? It was me? Cool!!!"

"Uh huh! And do you know _why_ it was you?" she asked with a little grin.

"Um, nope."


She smiled softly and tenderly. "'Cause you're the only thing on my mind, Dale.
Now and forever," she told him sincerely.

Dale leaned forward, his expression showing how touched he was by her words.
"Aw, Foxy! That's so sweet of you to say! Y'know, if this glass wasn't here, I'd
give you a great big kiss right now."

The pink bat's heart did cartwheels. "Oh Dale!"

"This is just sooo romantic," a cold, sharp voice suddenly spoke out from the
darkness. "I wish I had my camera."

Chills ran down Dale and Foxglove's spines. The romantic moment had been
completely smashed by pure dread. They knew that voice.

"VICTORIA!" they exclaimed in unison.

The arachnid in question stepped smoothly into the light. "You remembered me. Oh
good."


	* * *


PART THREE


Dale pressed his face to the glass and growled. "You'd better let us out right
now, you mean ol' spider, or I'll... Or I'll... I'll do something! And it'll be
really nasty, too!" Okay, so that didn't sound quite as menacing as he'd planned.

Victoria laughed lightly. "Oh Dale! What exactly will you do? Get my nice clean
aquarium all dirty with noseprints?" She skittered towards them and put her four
hands on the glass in front of his face. "There is nothing you _can_ do. You are
trapped. You are in my control." She turned and sneered nastily at Foxglove.
"That goes for you too, dearie."

Foxglove narrowed her eyes to slits. She summoned forth all her rage into the
most hateful thing she could think of to say. "You're a bad person!! If I wasn't
behind this glass, I'd hit you! On the nose!!"

Dale gasped in shock. "Foxy!"

The words didn't even scratch Victoria's hide. "Ah, but you *are* behind the
glass, Foxglove. And there you shall stay. You see, I have learned a very
important lesson from hearing tales of you Rangers' fantastic escapes from the
clutches of your enemies. It seems that their downfall often results from their
own over-elaborate plans for your dismissal. Conveyer belts, deathtraps, killer
machines; it's all much too complex. It leaves you too many options for escape. I
have learned from the failures of my peers and from my own."

She paused for a moment to let them contemplate this. "You'll see no candles, no
coffins, no fake magic spells, no little notes this time. Only plain, flat glass
surrounding you. At midnight tonight, it will be one year ago precisely that I
tried to enact my revenge on you for the first time. I failed. But I know why. I
was much too sure of myself, then. I left too many things to chance. Not so now.

"Simplicity will be the key to your deaths."

Foxglove had begun to cry. "But why do you want to kill us in the first place?
We never did anything to you!"

Had glass not separated them, Victoria would have slapped Foxglove across the
face. "LIES!" she hissed. "You know full well that you stole my Lou from me! You
and your friends killed my Lou! You killed him!"

Dale was angered at the accusation. "Aw, we did not! We're Rescue Rangers! We
just don't _do_ stuff like that!!"

If looks could kill... Victoria eyed the chipmunk as if she could strangle his
lying throat with only her gaze. She sprung at him like a cobra. "He _IS_ dead!
He has never returned to me. The *only* reason that could be is if you killed
him!" Her voice resonated with the utter certainty of the truly mad.

Victoria stepped back to snarl at them both. "That is why you both shall die
here tonight! You took my love from me, Foxglove. Now I _will_ take your love
from you. And you will _watch_. And then you will die as well!!"

"...gonna bore us to death talking?" Dale mumbled sarcastically under his
breath.

"I heard that, you cursed brat!!" Victoria snapped viciously.

Dale gulped.

The black widow then smiled. A dark, mirthless, evil smile that even Widget
would have shied from. "You want to know how I will kill you?" she asked quietly.

"Not really, no," Foxglove replied truthfully.

"Oh, but it's no fun if you don't know how much you will suffer! And suffer you
will, my dear bat," she intoned, gazing with dripping menace straight into
Foxglove's terrified eyes. "You will watch Dale die right in front of you,
helpless to save him, and then you will join him in death as well." Her utter
certainty filled her words with even more awful power.

Victoria walked over to a bulky industrial control box that hung on a cable from
the ceiling. She turned a big grey dial and pushed a big red button, then a green
one. A loud rattling, whirring sound came from above, sounding like it was coming
closer.

"Cast your eyes skyward, my victims," Victoria commanded. "Tonight, it will be
death from above for you both!"

Foxglove and Dale squinted against the bright lightbulb overhead, trying to see
what was now positioning itself directly above them.

"The aquariums you are in both hold sixteen gallons. The water tank above you
contains around forty gallons. Simple arithmetic says that's more than enough to
drown you both."

Dale spoke up. "But I thought I was gonna die first so Foxy could watch me." He
immediately cringed. He hadn't meant it to come out like that.

Victoria rolled her eyes at him. "Simpleton! You will die first! Notice that the
metal screens your aquariums have for ceilings have been glued securely a few
inches below the edge. This is so you won't be able to tread water up to the top
and breathe through the screen. Notice also that on your side, a hole has been
drilled neatly just above the metal screen."

The widow gestured to the water tank above. "When I press this little button on
my control box here, a thin stream of water will pour directly into Dale's
aquarium. It will fill. He will drown. You will watch him die, Foxglove, and you
will be able to do absolutely nothing to save him. When he is dead, the water
will begin to pour into your side. It will fill. And you will drown as well."

Dale and Foxglove were stunned into silence. They could only stare at the small,
satisfied, businesslike smile on Victoria's face. Her plan was so cold, so
calculated, so horrifyingly cruel. And the spider's calm control was the most
frightening thing of all. There wasn't a trace of remorse in her eyes. She had
gone beyond all rational thought. Both bat and chipmunk knew that it was
impossible to reason with her. The couple tore their gazes from their executioner
at the same time and looked to each other. The message in their eyes was clear;
'things do not bode well...'

"How did you put all this together?" Foxglove found herself asking, wondering
how a tiny spider could move around forty gallons of water.

Victoria smiled breezily. "It was actually rather easy. People talk about how
lazy cats are, but you'd be surprised at how much work one can do when you are
highly poisonous and have the skin of their neck between your teeth."

Dale and Foxy both immediately felt sorry for whatever poor cat had been forced
to aid Victoria's plans.

Victoria slithered over to Dale and put a hand on the glass. Her face turned
sad. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Dale. But it does have to happen.
While it's true you have caused me no harm, your fatal mistake was falling in
love with a murderous little floozy like Foxglove."

Her words showed her true madness. Dale wondered if she was actually nuts enough
to feel sorry for him when she was the one who was about to kill him! Her insult
of Foxglove made his blood boil. He pointed accusingly at Victoria, his face
twisted into an ugly scowl. "Oh yeah?! You wanna see murderous, go look in a
mirror! I love Foxglove 'cuz she's the sweetest, nicest and bestest person I've
ever known! She's a billion times a better person in her heart than you could
EVER be!!!"

Foxy swooned happily. He was defending her honor!

Victoria sneered coldly at Dale. "Her personality is irrelevant. She took away
my love. That is ALL that matters," she replied icily. The metallic chill in her
voice made Dale shrink back. The spider seemed so devoid of compassion or
emotion, Dale wondered if she could possibly be a robot.

Foxglove couldn't say a thing. This was all too surreal. She was having trouble
convincing herself this was all really happening. She felt as if she might faint
at any moment. She only hoped that if she did, she'd wake up safe on her perch at
home.

Victoria skittered back to the control box and pushed a nondescript button. It
'beep'ed shrilly. She turned to her captives. "Goodbye," she said bitterly. The
black widow turned away and vanished into the shadows again.

A grinding noise came from overhead, and then a small stream of water issued
from the immense water tank and splashed through the screen that capped Dale's
aquarium.

Their deaths had begun.


	* * *


The water now came up to Dale's waist.

The aquarium filled slowly. Maddeningly slow. Victoria wanted them to suffer for
hours. Neither Dale or Foxglove knew where she was now. They assumed she was
watching them from somewhere in the warehouse. Their eyes were firmly on one
another. They didn't speak, for fear that any words would bring uncontrollable
tears. Together they sat, face to face, while the water pooled deeper and deeper
around Dale.

For a while, they had been frantic. When the thin stream first hit the glass
floor on Dale's side, Foxglove had screamed so hard, she thought her throat would
burst. A scream of terror, of anguish, of defeat. Dale ran from the water and
began punching at the glass with all his strength. He was in much better physical
shape than he seemed, thanks to his fencing training and his regular Ranger
duties. But still, all he accomplished was two aching paws and a few streaks of
blood on the glass. Foxglove had tried her best, too. She flew up and into the
glass at top speed  over and over, hitting it with her side hard enough to make
the aquarium shake, but not break. Dale finally cried out for her to stop for
fear she'd hurt herself. Undeterred, she flapped up to the screen and attacked it
viciously. Her only thought was that she had to save Dale. She bit at the metal
with all the strength in her jaws, but she just couldn't get a good enough grip
on it to do any damage. Dale tried running and slamming into the glass with his
side. No help. Foxglove examined every millimeter of the plastic ring for signs
of weakness. No help. Dale tried his best karate kicks; concentrating all the
force in his body in one spot on the glass again and again and again. No help.
Foxglove even tried shrieking at the top of her lungs, hoping she't hit a high
enough pitch that the vibrations would shatter the glass. No help.

No help. Nothing worked. Nothing.

All that was left to do was wait for a miracle.

Sure, they'd been in deathtraps before. Plenty of 'em. But they'd never felt so
helpless in any other before. Victoria had thought of absolutely *everything*.
Her plan was indeed so infuriatingly simple that escape seemed impossible. They
both wondered how she had gotten them into the aquariums in the first place.
Never before had the situation seemed so hopeless.

Yet Foxglove did have an idea. But it was so repulsive to her, she didn't know
if she could even bring herself to try. After she'd left Winnifred's service,
she'd vowed to herself never to use the power again. Could she break that vow
she'd made to herself?

Finally, she could stand her inner doubts no longer. She needed Dale's council
and strength. Softly, she spoke "Dale, Cutie..."

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"I have another secret I think you should know about..." She felt herself
falling back in her memory to the night she'd revealed to him that she was a
vampire. Her shame and her fear that he'd reject her because of it. Then she felt
his love for her. She remembered how he'd accepted her and even helped her accept
herself. She needed to feel his love again now.

Dale grinned lightly. "Uh oh. You're not gonna tell me you're a zombie too, are
you? A werewolf? A space alien?"

Foxy couldn't help but laugh. Her dark thoughts disappeared as if blown away by
a warm, gentle wind. It was uncanny how easily he could find the humor in any
situation. How therapeutic it was for her to be able to laugh during her hardest
times. Their laughter lightened her mood like a magic wand. "No, Dale. I'm
definitely none of the above."

Dale expressed mock relief. "Whew! I'm glad I don't have to worry about you
eating my brains or zapping me into dust! Drinking my blood is creepy enough!" He
smiled at seeing her laugh. She was so beautiful when she laughed. His expression
became more tender then. "I'm just kiddin', Foxy. You know I love it when it's
your feeding time. It just feels so..." He searched for the right word.
"...intimate, I guess."

"It does, doesn't it," she agreed.

Dale nodded. Then he leaned closer. "What is it you wanted to tell me? I'm
listening." But before she could speak, he quickly interrupted "And before you
ask, yes, I'll love you just the same no matter what you say. That'll be true
forever."

Her heart skipped a beat at his caring words. She took a bracing breath and
spoke bravely. "Um, this is really bad, Dale. Really, really bad. I won't lie.
I'm so sorry I never told you before, but I honestly thought it would never come
up again!"

He waved it off. "Aw, I don't mind. We've all got secrets. Heck, I stole a candy
bar from Chip's desk once when I was a kid in school. I know it was bad, but it
ain't the end of the world."

Foxglove's face drooped. "Oh, but Dale, you don't understand. This is worse than
anything else! I'm still ashamed of it. I got it from working with Winnifred and
I wish I never had!"

"But what is it? Come on, it's okay." He pleaded with her with his eyes. "Tell
me," he asked gently.

She sighed. She bit her lip to keep from crying and let it out. "Dale, I know
how to do magic!!" She cringed, waiting for his response.

Dale stared blankly. "...And?"

Foxy's jaw dropped in shock at him. "*AND*?!? Dale!! Magic is a bad thing! How
can you be so calm!?"

Dale was really puzzled by this. "Foxy, I don't know why you think that. Magic
isn't bad," he stated.
            "But it is!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face now. "Freddie
proves it! I vowed I'd never use magic again after I left that mean old witch!"

Dale wished he could put his arms around her shoulders to comfort her. He put
his paw to the glass instead. He had to say something to help Foxy. Sometimes it
was exasperating dealing with her low self esteem. Sometimes it seemed like she
was finally okay, and then she'd find something new to hate herself over. He
wished there was something he could do to put her heart to rest forever.

But at the same time, he felt such empathy for her. At one time, he'd thought
even less of himself. He was so convinced of his clumsiness and stupidity, he was
afraid to do anything at all, for fear of messing up yet again and hurting his
friends. He'd thought of quitting the rangers for their own good several times,
but Chip had helped him see the truth. Back then, Chip had been his strong,
friendly voice helping him to see his own worth. Dale felt both fulfilled and
honored to be Foxglove's strong, friendly voice now.

He thought a bit, and came up with a simile so clever it surprised him. "Foxy,
listen; magic isn't always bad. I can prove it! Remember Cassandra, the gypsy
moth? Her fortune telling was magic, and it helped us! Doncha see? The magic
isn't what's bad. It depends on who's using it! Freddie was a bad person. That's
why she used her magic to try and hurt us. But if YOU were to use magic, well,
you're such a wonderful, special, caring GOOD person, I'm sure whatever magic you
did would be just great!"

The words were like magic themselves. Foxy raised her head to him. Her tears had
become ones of happiness. "Oh Dale... I never knew you were so good with words."

Dale smiled proudly, glad to have helped her. "That's what comes from years of
readin' comic books!" They both giggled. "So, Foxypie, do you feel a little bit
better about magic now?"

"Oh, _yes_ Dale! You're so smart!" she exalted. "Why didn't I understand that
before?" she asked rhetorically.

Dale answered anyway. "Well, it's probably 'cuz you felt so bad about working
for Freddie that when you left her, you started thinking that anything associated
with her was bad. Heck, I'm surprised you don't hate your red hair!"

Dale's perceptiveness surprised them both. He wondered again if he really was
smarter than he'd ever thought, and that Foxglove was helping to bring that out
in him.

Foxy just smiled at him, her expression saying how right he'd been.

"Besides," Dale told her then, "I kinda already expected. I mean, it makes sense
that if you spent that much time around a witch, you'd'a picked up a thing or two
here and there."

"I guess so," Foxy replied.

"So," Dale asked then, "what magic powers do you have? Can you fly?" Dale bonked
himself. "Oh wait. You're a bat. Of course you can fly. Duuuuhh."

Foxglove laughed out loud. "Oh, you're so silly! Actually, I only really know
one magic spell."

"Uh, can you blow up stuff just by lookin' at it? 'Cuz we could really use that
right about now!" Dale said, looking nervously around at the steadily rising
water.

Foxglove allowed herself a little evil chuckle at the sudden thought of
exploding Victoria's head like Gallagher smashing a watermelon. She shrugged.
"I'm afraid it's not that cool a power, Dale. All I know how to do is influence
other people's dreams."

Dale repressed his first instinct, which was to say 'What kinda lame magic power
is THAT?' Wisely, however, he chose instead to say "That's, um, kinda neat.
Where'd you learn something like that?"

"Well, one of the things Freddie had me do a lot was to clean up after her when
she'd done one of her spells. One day, I was putting away her magic books, which
was hard because they were so big and heavy. Anyway, one of them was laying open
and I noticed a spell it said was for beginners. It looked easy and harmless
enough. And I so wanted Winnifred to approve of me. So I thought I'd try it out.

"The book said if you wanted to peek into someone's dreams, all you needed was
to know the person pretty well, they had to be asleep already, and you had to
really believe you could do it. I read the spell over a few times and waited for
everyone else to go to sleep. Then I tried it out."

Dale had become aware that the water had risen up to his chest while they'd been
talking. The water's motion was so gradual, he hadn't noticed until now. His
shirt was soaked. 'Oh well, I knew I was gonna get wet anyway...' he thought.
"So, did it work?" he asked Foxy.

"Yes! It turned out I really had a knack for it. I looked in on Lou's dreams
that night. He was having a nightmare about a giant Victoria eating him, or
something. I don't blame him!" Dale smirked. "The book said I'd be able to make
him dream whatever I wanted as long as I concentrated hard enough on the images
and envisioned them going from my head into Lou's. I did a little test. I thought
about Bud finding a big diamond and hiding it under his hat. I focused on that
thought really, really  hard. In the morning, Lou woke up before Bud and just as
I'd predicted, he couldn't resist looking under Bud's hat to see if a diamond
really was there!"

Dale laughed, picturing the dimwitted spider getting bonked by the snake when he
woke up. "Bet he was disappointed! That was pretty clever, Foxy!"

Her mouth turned up in a small, proud smile. "Thanks, Cute stuff!"

Dale looked a bit puzzled then. "Okay, so you can do this really neat dream
thing. Why'd you bring it up now?"

Foxglove's eyes twinkled. "Because I think I can use it to help us escape!"

The chipmunk's entire body snapped to attention. "Really? Oboyoboy!! How? How?
Are ya gonna make Vicky dream that the Orkin man'll come after her if she doesn't
let us go?"

"No, silly! We don't even know if Victoria's asleep or not!" Foxglove told him.
"Nope, I'm going to try to get inside Chip's dreams. I'm pretty sure he'd be
asleep by now. If I can, I'll tell him all about where we are and what trouble
we're in. Maybe he can find us and get us out!"

"Wowie zowie! Foxy, you're a genius! I just wanna hug and kiss you all over!"

Her heart did flips. "Me too, darling! But I have to warn you, I have to go into
a deep trance to do this. You can't do anything that might wake me or I won't get
through to Chip. And I won't be aware of anything else around me. Promise me
you'll just tread water until I come out of it, Dale. I may be a while, but
please, don't try to wake me unless it's an emergency! I know the water will be
rising, and I'll do my best to be as quick as I can." She gazed deeply into his
eyes. "Don't you dare die on me without me getting to say goodbye, you hear?" She
had to wipe away a little tear at that.

Dale gave her his bravest smile. "I promise."

It was the hardest thing in the world to leave Dale's side right then. He was in
mortal peril, and she was about to completely ignore him. It hurt worse than any
physical pain, but Foxglove did her best to be brave. She was doing this to save
them. She KNEW she could make this work. It had to. She gave him one last look,
then fluttered over to the center of her aquarium. She closed her eyes and did
her best to relax. Soon, she was deep into meditation.

The light around her seemed to dim. Her heart and breathing slowed. It was like
putting herself into hibernation. Soon, her mind was all that existed. Foxglove
felt her body and her reality slip away. Her conscious and unconscious minds came
together. She had reached a point of true calm.

Remembering her mission, Foxglove probed the realm of the subconscious mind; the
world behind our eyes. She visualized Chip asleep in Rescue Ranger HQ. In her
mind's eye, she could see him just like looking through a telescope. The image
became clearer and clearer until she found her spirit floating above him. She
could see his every detail and movement. She could smell the nutty, woody scent
of his fur, hear his breathing and his relaxed heartbeat. She was there, in his
room, hovering before his face.

Foxglove leaned over Chip's still form and reached out with her ethereal wings.
She saw them dip into his head. His forehead made ripples like the surface of a
pond. She felt herself touching his mind.

And then she was inside his dreams.


	* * *


Chip squirmed wildly in his bed. A horrible nightmare was rampaging through his
head. Dale and Foxglove were surrounded by water. His friends were drowning.
Where was he? And then Victoria was laughing. Laughing at their plight from
somewhere he didn't recognize. He had to help them. He had to...

Chip jerked violently in his sleep and fell out of bed. His heart was beating a
mile a minute. His breathing was ragged. His eyes were wide and staring.

'It was just a dream,' he tried to tell himself. But he knew that was a lie as
soon as it entered his mind. No, this was no ordinary dream. Or was it even a
dream at all? He had felt an urgency much too strong to dismiss. He'd never had a
premonitory dream before, but he knew enough about them to know that this was
one. And the Rangers' most bizarre cases had shown him ample proof of much
stranger paranormal phenomenon before. He knew he had to act. Now.

Like a flash, he was out of bed, out of his pajamas and into his trusty bomber
jacket and fedora.

He had to help them.


	* * *



PART FOUR


"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" Chip's frantic voice pulsed with urgency as it rang
through the Ranger's home like churchbells. The others were all immediately
rattled awake. They shuffled sleepily to their doors to see Chip barrelling
through the halls, shouting at the top of his lungs. Gadget, Monterey, Zipper and
Tammy (who was sleeping over for the night) followed Chip into the kitchen. They
all noticed that Dale and Foxglove were not among them.

The kitchen was a mess, Monty having fixed a particularly strenuous course for
dinner that night, and was planning to clean up the mountains of pots and dishes
in the morning. The scent of warm cheese hung in the air. Chip flicked on the
light, changing the dim blue room into a flourescent eye-gouger. All of them
blinked hard and winced.

Monterey Jack yawned loudly, nearly swatting Zipper as he stretched. "What's all
this about then?"

Gadget wiped the sleep from her eyes on the sleeeve of her lavener-striped cotton
pajamas. She noticed Chip's expression. "Golly! Chip, you're white as a sheet!
What's wrong?!"

Tammy, seeing her beau's distress, immediately scampered to his side, her oversize
pink nightgown flapping behind her.

"And where are Foxglove and Dale?" buzzed Zipper after he's taken off his eye
mask.

"That's why I woke everyone up!" Chip huffed, trying to calm himself after his fit
or panic. "Victoria kidnapped them!"

The other rangers gasped in unison.

"Oh no!" wailed Tammy.

"How? When?!" exclaimed Zipper.

"That's terrible!" fretted Gadget.

"Not 'er! She'll skin 'em alive!" worried Monty.

"That's why we have to act fast!" Chip said in a 'take-charge' kind of way.

"Did she leave another note, like last time?" Zipper asked, showing his
oft-unnoticed detective mindset.

Chip knew it wasn't going to sound good, and he cringed deeply as he said it. "No.
It came to me in a dream."

Monty immediately became miffed. "A DREAM?!" he bellowed. "You dragged us all
outta our comfy, soft beds because you had a _nightmare_? Blimey, Chip, that's
something Dale would do!"

Neither Gadget or Zipper seemed very satisfied with his answer either. Tammy,
sticking by her 'munk as always, at least seemed to consider the possibility.

Chip knew it would be an uphill battle getting them to believe him. "I know this
sounds crazy, guys, but *please* hear me out! Okay, so this DOES sound like
something Dale would do, I agree, Monty. But how many times has he told us about
something cuh-razy happening, and we didn't believe him, and it turned out he was
right all along?"

"He's got a point," Gadget remarked.
 	Chip actually put his hands together and begged them. "This was much more than a
dream! It was a real life, honest to gosh, _vision_!"

Monty crossed his arms. "Ya didn't happen to see the Virgin Mary too, didja?"

Chip growled as fiercely as a chipmunk can. "Now cut that out!" The sharpness of
his tone surprised them all.

"You're serious about this, aren't you, Chip?" said Zipper.

Chip nodded. "Of course I am. I _know_ Dale and Foxglove are in real danger and
they'll be in even more danger if we just stand around wondering if I'm nuts or
not!"

Tammy took his paw in hers, patting it soothingly. "What did you see in your
dream, Sweetie? Oops, I mean, _vision_," she corrected herself.

Chip smiled a bit at seeing that at least one of them believed him. He thought
back, trying to see what he'd seen as clearly as possible. "I was in the middle
of another dream when I got this strong feeling that someone else was in the
room. I heard Foxglove calling out to me. She looked really scared. Then there
were two very sharp images; Dale surrounded by water and Victoria smiling that
evil smile of hers." He shuddered just remembering.

"Gosh, that's awful!" said Gadget, who was wringing her tail from worry.

"But the worst part was the last thing I saw," Chip continued. "I was standing in
a big warehouse in front of two aquariums, placed side by side. They were
overflowing with water. Dale and Foxglove were each in one. They were both
trapped inside, bobbing at the top... *gulp* ...Drowned!"

Another unanimous gasp.

"Now, you're absoulutely certain this wasn't just a bad dream?" asked Zipper
cautiously.

"I'm positive. It was too real and much too urgent. I really felt that someone was
trying to tell me something. I don't know how, but we've got to find them somehow
before it's too late!"

Monterey thought a bit. "D'you remember anything about what the warehouse looked
like, Chippah?"

Chip closed his eyes and concentrated on the image. Luckily, it was still fresh in
his mind. "It's dark. And cool, but not cold. There are lots of boxes around, but
no people. The boxes are stacked pyramid-like around the room. The ceiling is
very high, with lots of steel beams with hooks and cranes hanging from them."

"That could be any of a hundred warehouses around the city!" said Zipper. "Can't
you give us any more detail?"

The chipmunk squeezed his eyes shut tight and plunged into the deepest depths of
his memory. The image became startlingly clearer. As if someone was helping him
to remember it. "There... There's a card table in one corner with a little
refridgerator next to it. And a coke, no, a pepsi machine. And the boxes have
square, white labels on them with bright red borders around a company logo that I
can't quite make out... Near the ceiling, there's a lot of little rectangular
windows."

Monterey Jack felt a lightbulb blinking above his head. "Chipper, pally, can you
smell the ocean?!" he asked excitedly.

Chip thought back again. He sniffed a few times. "You know, I think I can! How did
you..."

"'Cause I know just the place you're thinkin' of!" Monty exclaimed triumphantly."

"Hooray!" shouted Tammy.

"That's the old H. T. Grimme packing corp. down at the docks! They don't do much
business anymore, but they always manage to put out some bonzer provolone in the
traps!"

"Monterey, for once I'm glad you're such a cheese hound!" Chip said, getting a
chuckle in response.

"Hey, we're all good at somethin'!"

Gadget cupped her chin in her paw in a thoughtful manner. "And it makes sense that
Victoria would hold them in a place near the water, which would make it
accessible from the sewer where we last encountered her. Or rather, where _you_
last encountered her, Chip."

"How long would it take us to get there?" Chip asked Monterey.

"Oh, 'bout twenty minutes, I'd guess," the Aussie replied.

"Right. Than you guys had better get going!" ordered Chip.

"HUH?!?"

"You mean you're not coming with us, Chip?" asked Tammy. "Why?"

"I have other business to attend to. Something I've been waiting almost a year to
do. Since we last met Victoria."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Zipper.

Chip grimaced. "Ahh, I'd rather not tell you. Yet. Not that I'm keeping secrets,
but I don't want to give Victoria any advance warning of what I'm planning. The
surprise is key to my plan. It has to be a complete shock for it to really work."

"But why keep *us* in the dark, mate?"

"Well, one of you might let something slip. Accidentally, of course!," Chip
quickly inserted, making sure his team knew he was confident in them. "And I'm
still not sure Victoria herself didn't send me that message. If this is some kind
of a trap for us, I want at least one of us on the outside."

"Allright then, that makes sense," Gadget said. "Good luck then, Chip."

"Hope you succeed at... whatever you're doing!" Tammy said helpfully.

Chip smiled in a dashing, Indianna-Jones-like way. "And good luck to you too.
Let's hope I really did just have a bad dream. But if I didn't, I know we can
save them."

"RESCUE RANGERS, AWAY!"


	* * *


Foxglove Fairmont exhaled deeply and slowly opened her eyes. She sat crosslegged
and motionless on the glass floor, wings spread out at her sides. She wished she
could hold this feeling of peace longer, but the peril she and Dale were in
smashed that notion.

She looked over her shoulder to Dale's aquarium. He was nowhere to be seen. All
that met her eyes was a wall of water. She choked back a scream and ran to the
glass that separated them. Where was he? Where was he?! Had Victoria taken him
out to punish her for not watching him the whole time? Would she return with his
dead body in her arms?! Foxglove looked around frantically. Even her echolocation
was no use; the sound of the splashing water made too much background noise for
her to 'see' anything. Finally, in desperation, she cried out "DALE!!!"

"Still here, Foxy!" his voice called back, sending waves of relief to her heart.
He had just been on the other side of the aquarium, trying to spot where Vicky
was hiding. As soon as he'd heard her cry, he started swiiming back to her. She
was immeasurably happy to see his face.

The water had risen alarmingly while Foxy had been in her trance. She thought
she'd only been under a few minutes, but the water level showed her perception of
time had been way off from reality. The water was already past the tips of her
ears! The sound of the water constantly pouring in echoed through her empty
aquarium and howled annoyingly in her sensitive ears. Dale bobbed at the water
line, trying to smile reassuringly, but instead looking clearly like he was
getting very tired of kicking his legs to stay afloat.

Foxglove flew up to the ceiling and hung from the mesh by her footclaws. It was a
shaky perch, since the holes in the mesh were so tiny, she could barely get a
grip. However, this new position put her at just about eye level with Dale,
albeit upside down, which at least was better than them both straining their
necks to look up, or down, to each other.

The little pink bat looked into Dale's eyes and saw how courageous he was trying
to be. Trying to be for her. For her. She started to cry. "Oh Dale, my darling,
darling Dale! I'm so sorry I was in my trance for so long. I should have been
here with you!"

Dale waved her concern away and smiled one of his miraculous, soothing smiles.
"Aw, you don't have to feel sorry, Bat-babe. Your spell thingy might just be what
gets us out of here. I was willing to give you as much time as you needed. I'm
not mad at all," he reassured her, making her smile, if just a little. He liked
being so good at cheering her up. It cheered him up as well.

"By the way, did you get through?" he asked expectantly.

"I think I did. I know I did. I'm pretty sure I did," Foxy stammered with
uncertainty.

Dale scratched his head. "Is this a multiple choice question?"

She couldn't help a light chuckle in spite of herself. "No, sweetie, I'm just not
sure. It felt like I was inside Chip's mind, and I'm really pretty sure that if I
did, he saw what I wanted him to. But who knows if he'll understand and come to
rescue us even if it DID work?" Her ears drooped. "I just don't know."

"I'm sure you did your best," Dale said, wishing he could give her a hug. "I guess
we really won't know until the other Rangers show up." Dale gulped. "Or until we
drown," he realized.


	* * *


Gadget, Monterey Jack, Tammy and Zipper dressed hurriedly and hustled down the
spiral stairs to the hatch that led to the hollowed-out car that served as
Crisscross' room and the Rangers' entertainment center. Gadget shifted her
goggles into place behind her ears as she scampered over the piles of video game
cartridges and caseless cassettes that littered the fox's floor.

The mechanical canine lay on his side, humming softly as he recharged his
batteries for the night. Gadget woke him with a kiss on his nose, which he
enjoyed immensely. Unlike an organic being. Chris could come directly out of
'sleep' to full wakefulness without need of yawning, stretching or coffee. This
was useful since he needed all his attention in that moment to figure out what
the four Rangers were all trying to tell him at the same time. Eventually, he got
down the basics of Chip's dream and Dale and Foxglove being in trouble. Since
Chris was speedier and stealthier (albeit much bumpier) than all their other
vehicles but the Rangerwing, he was their obvious choice of transportation to the
docks, which they told him also.

The foxbot bit his lip. "Um, guys, I don't know if I'm up to a rescue right now. I
just started my recharge an hour ago and I'm still a few quarts low on juice. I'd
hate to run out of power halfway through the mission," he said apologetically.

Monterey gave him a 'buck up, chum' pat on the arm. "Aw, that's allright. We don't
blame ya any. We'll just haveta take the Rangerplane; Chip's got the wing."

Crisscross nodded glumly. But then a bright look of optimism popped onto his face.
"Hey! Wait! I could just do an emergency power-up!" he realized. "I haven't
needed to do one of those in years, but I'm sure I can still pull one off."

Gadget bounced in happiness. "That's great! How do you do it? Need any help from
me?"

Chris suddenly looked *very* embarrassed. "Um, er, well... I have to, uh, hook up
a connector line to a direct power source and then, well, er... I have to..."

"Just spit it out, mate!!!" said Monty.

The fox grimaced so hard it looked like he was swallowing nails. He knew the day
would come someday when he'd have to reveal his darkest secret to the Rangers,
and he'd been dreading it like death itself. He took a moment to compose himself,
then calmly said "I have to hook it up to my... Anal port."

The other Rangers simultaneously clamped their paws to their mouths to keep from
laughing uproariously.

"Hey!!" admonished Chris. "I have no need for solid waste disposal so it makes
perfect engineering sense to use that, uh, orifice as a connection port!" he said
defensively. His anger then quickly switched to resigned defeat. "Besides, I've
already heard ALL the jokes."

Zipper arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "I'm not assuming things, right? You
actually have to stick an electric cable up your-"

"*YES*," Chris moaned. He slumped to the floor and covered his face with his paws;
the perfect image of melodramatic misery.

Tammy tried to hold back an enormous grin. "We're sorry, Chris. But you have to
admit, it is kinda funny."

Chris looked up to her and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. If it was some
*other* sentient canine-shaped android with an electronic booty, I'd probably be
rolling in the aisles too." They both couldn't resist a giggle at that. "Just let
me get this over with without TOO much snickering, please? It's all I ask," Chris
pleaded.

Monterey turned the others around. "Let's give the lad some privacy while he
couples up his caboose."

"Thanks Monty," Chris said unsarcastically. 'At least it's finally out in the
open,' he thought to himself. 'And at least they didn't tease me endlessly. But
oh, when Dale finds out, I'm doomed!'

Gadget couldn't resist her curiosity. She noticed Chris' reflection in the side of
his DVD player and watched intently. She HAD to see how he did this.

Crisscross rummaged through a box of his old components until he found the
necessary hookup cable. He attached one end to his connection to the power lines
outside, and the other end to his... You know. He closed his eyes, braced
himself, and initiated the surge.


For three point six seconds, the entire city went black.


"WOW!!!" shouted Crisscross. He was almost pulsating with energy. "I forgot how
much of a *rush* that is!! I feel like running up Mount Everest backwards while
juggling six motorcycles!!"

Then he quickly disengaged himself from the power feed, lest he give the others an
accidental visual.

Gadget had seen anyway. She blushed and tried as hard as she could to keep from
falling on the floor in complete hysterics. "Ohmigosh! He really DOES have a
connection port back there!" If Crisscross thought he was getting away from this
without getting relentlessly teased, Gadget knew he was sadly mistaken. But since
they were boyfriend and girlfriend after all, she'd at least wait until they were
alone to start in with the ribbing.

Now fully charged and ready for action, the foxbot engaged the Vertical Axis
Entrance sequence that Gadget had built into him a few weeks after he was sliced
in half by a chainsaw in his first adventure with the Rangers. Tammy had never
seen this function of Chris' before, and she watched, wide-eyed, as his fur split
down his middle, halfway between his shoulders and his hips, and pneumatic
pistons separated his front and back halves, holding them an inch or so apart. A
small stepladder flipped down in the gap in his middle. Then the  Rangers climbed
up inside Chris' stomach cavity. It was quicker for Chris to just swallow them,
but this method of entry was much less unsettling for all of them.

Tammy gawked silently. Even though she knew well what Chris really was, and he'd
even let her fiddle with his control panel once before, it was still amazing to
her to see proof that her furry, funny friend really was all plastic, metal and
rubber inside. He always seemed so alive on the outside.

Gadget manned Chris' controls and Monty helped her key in their destination on a
digital map of the city on Chris' main computer screen.

"Hold on guys, we're coming!" Crisscross shouted out to Dale and foxglove,
wherever they were. The fox locked himself on target, then tore out of the
junkyard like a speeding bullet, belting out the "Speed Racer" themesong at the
top of his lungs the whole way there.


	* * *


PART FIVE


Chip glanced over the side of the Rangerwing, almost giving himself vertigo as he
stared down at the city of tiny lights below him. He may have been a brilliant
detective, but among the Rangers, he wasn't the best pilot. He only had a vague
idea of where he was going anyway, and he hoped he hadn't gotten himself
_completely_ lost. The pictures from his dream still burned in his brain like the
afterimage you get from staring into a lightbulb. He could see his friends so
clearly, almost feel their fear. He would not let himself let them down.

He suddenly realized he was humming a tune, even patting the side of the plane in
time. He thought about it, and when he realized what it was, the appropriateness
of the lyrics to his situation startled him. He sang along with the sound of Tom
Petty's voice in his head:


	"Now I'm runnin' down a dream,
	Never would come to me.
	Workin' on a mystery,
	Goin' wherever it leads.
	Runnin' down a dream..."


Eventually, Chip reached his first, and hopefully last, destination. He settled
the Rangerwing down on the roof of a party store, mentally thanking Gadget for
providing the plane with vertical-take-off-and-landing engines. He'd always had a
devil of a time landing the Rangerplane, what with those dang suction cups.

Chip took a length of rope from his jacket and scaled down the back wall of the
store to the street. He found himself in a dark, dank, grimy alley. The kind of
alley that gave all the other alleys a bad name. He knew this was a place where a
good percentage of the animal world's minor lowlifes, thugs, goons and stooges
congregated to look for work from brainier crooks, or just have a good time
getting themselves completely hammered. Every brick in every wall reeked of shady
characters and dirty deals. This was where Chip hoped his target would be. He'd
observed his objective many times in this alley, and it didn't surprise him in
the least. Chip had tracked his quarry for months in anticipation of this day. He
hoped he could find him in time.

Without warning, an intense wave of emotion blasted into Chip. He leaned against a
wall and gritted his teeth as he felt himself suddenly on the verge of tears. His
memories took him back to the night the Rangers had first encountered the
villainous Victoria, and more specifically, to the heart-wrenching recollection
of his childhood that was also stirred up that long, hard night. How he had
finally, after years of denial and self-loathing, been able to come to terms with
the death of his boyhood crush, Marie Sunslope.

It was such a dumb prank in retrospect. He couldn't believe he'd been stupid
enough to think of it in the first place. Couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as
to not realize how dangerous it was. He could still hear her scream as she fell
to her much-too-early death. Still feel the dull, bloody thump in his chest as he
realized the golden-haired chipmunk was dead.

Everyone else accepted it as just a terrible, terrible accident. But not Chip. He
had carried the blame for her passing all his life. It had weighed on his heart
for decades. Even though all the others, even Marie's parents, had forgiven him,
Chip was never able to forgive himself.

But a literal brush with death on one of their most epic cases had changed his
entire world. He still wasn't sure of the how; it all seemed so surreal in
hindsight, like an all-too-real dream. It couldn't have really happened, could
it? Yet *somehow* he'd found himself holding a folded note that said, in what was
unmistakably Marie's handwriting; "I forgive you". He could hardly believe it,
even though he wanted to so badly...

Chip looked up at the sky, at the half-full moon that hung directly above him. A
few tears that didn't know which emotion they belonged to rolled down his cheeks.
He took off his fedora and held it to his heart. "I don't know where you are
tonight, Marie, " he softly whispered to the heavens, "but I hope you're happy.
And maybe, after a long time, maybe we could meet up again. Somewhere beyond this
life. Catch up on old times again." He paused for a moment, a shadow falling over
him as a cloud floated over the moon. "I've said it so many times, but I'm so
sorry. I'd go back to that day and save you in a heartbeat. I would have even
traded my life for yours, Marie. I am still so sorry..."

Chip reminded himself that the real world needed him now. He had a job to do. He
adjusted his jacket, replaced his hat and took one last, quick look back up at
the moon. "Goodnight, Marie."

Every crack in every building had been exploited by somebody. There were more bars
and discreet meeting places up and down the alley than Chip could count. He
didn't see a single soul as he strode defiantly down the middle of the alley. At
least not directly. But he could feel them. All around him, watching him with
their yellow eyes from a hundred darkened hiding places. Chip knew where he
wanted to go, but he couldn't seem to find it. Every place looked the same here.

A chill breeze suddenly washed through the moonlit alley, wrapping itself around
Chip for a split second like a blanket made of ice. The wind formed a single word
in his ear. A faded feminine voice that said "...chip..."

He spun around in the direction of the sound, eyes wide in surprise, heart
fluttering like a caged bird. There, he saw a fleeting image. It didn't register
in his mind until it was already gone. But Chip had seen, or had thought he'd
seen, a slender female chipmunk in a yellow dress the color of dandelions,
surrounded by a cloud of snow-blue mist. She was pointing across the alley behind
him. And she was smiling.

It was her. Not as he'd known her, but all grown up now. But it was her.

Chip stood like a statue, frozen still as the cool concrete beneath his feet, lit
in cobalt blue by the moon above. Had it been real? The fur on his back was
standing on end and a shiver went up his spine. Had he been thinking about her
hard enough to manifest a hallucination? Or had she indeed appeared to him from
the afterlife to ease his worries once more?

"Well," he said to himself, "I've already had *one* vision tonight..."

Chip looked around and realized that the direction the specter had been pointing
to was exactly where he'd been headed; a seedy rodent/insect tavern that catered
mostly to the very bottom rungs of the underworld hierarchy. Light poured through
the open door out into the alley, reflecting off the little pools of rainwater
everywhere. Chip crept silently closer and peered around the doorway. There was
his quarry, seated in plain view, right at the bar.

Chip turned around, looking back into the darkness that now didn't seem so bleak.
Forces he didn't understand were at work this night. He was grateful they were on
his side. He smiled to himself and felt his eyes moisten. "Thanks, Marie," he
said softly.

The sound of a glass smashing on the floor of the bar behind him brought Chip's
mind back to the task at hand again. Dale and foxglove's lives were in danger. He
took a deep breath and steeled himself, getting his 'tough guy' face on. He
swaggered through the doorway like a wild west sheriff searching a saloon for a
wanted outlaw.

Conversations stopped, drinks spilled and bloodshot eyes widened in terror at the
sight of a Rescue Ranger, the LEADER no less, entering the nefarious
establishment. A few patrons clutched at their hearts. But Chip had eyes for one
man only. The others, scum as they were, just weren't important enough to bother
with at the moment. His gaze told them this. A stone cold stare that said "stay
out of my way if you want to live to see the sunrise. I have business here and
I'm not in the mood to be interrupted.'.

The determined Ranger took something from his pocket, did something with it under
his jacket, and strode up to the bar. The bartender looked up from the glass he'd
dropped, took one look at him and paled. Chip tapped his prey on the shoulder,
and before they had time to react, he shoved a chloroform-soaked sponge into
their face. He didn't have time to waste on anything less direct.

As the struggles weakened under his grip, Chip snarled "Sorry to disturb your
evening, but my friends are in mortal danger and you're going to help me save
their lives, aren't you?"

They didn't respond.

And not a soul moved to stop him when Chip dragged him off his stool,  across the
floor and out into the night.


	* * *


The water was now a little more than an inch away from the metal screen. Dale had,
at most, five minutes to live.

His eyes and Foxglove's were locked inseparably onto one another's. Both pairs
were red from tears. Neither could bring themselves to say a word.

Dale had never been so scared in his life. Never before had he felt this close to
dying. Sure, he'd had plenty of close shaves before; he was a Rescue Ranger after
all. But he'd never really believed he would ever die, until tonight. Only his
lover's beautiful, caring face was keeping him from breaking down in terrified
panic.

Foxglove pressed her wingtips to the glass, wishing with all her might that they
would somehow bleed through the glass to reach him. If only to touch him one last
time. That was the worst part of Victoria's horribly cruel plan. That they
couldn't touch. She knew being a hero was dangerous work, and sometimes when the
others had been out solving mysteries and stopping bad guys, she had hung on her
perch at home, unable to sleep, worrying if this night when they returned, would
Dale still be with them? Would some unseen villain take her Cutie's life? Or
would she be with him when he died? She could see him clearly in her imagination;
sacrificing himself to save the day, and she would cradle him in her wings as he
took his last breath. Sometimes she wondered how she herself would die, and
envisioned the same scenario of dying in her lover's embrace. She knew she
wouldn't fear her passing as long as Dale was there to guide her into the beyond.

But none of that was to be. She would hang here and watch him expire in complete
helplessness. The closest she would come to him being with her would be the water
that had drowned him as it spilled into her enclosure and drowned her as well.
She would not resist it. She would lie down in the farthest corner, never looking
up at his body as it floated lifelessly above her, and let the water take her
away.

For the first time in her life, Foxglove felt a sudden anger at herself for not
learning as much magic as she could from Winnifred when she'd had the chance.
Maybe one of _those_ spells could have helped her now.

Dale saw her expression, and saw the hopelessness on her lovely features. Watched
her as she gave up. He couldn't let that happen. He took a deep breath and
gathered his strength. "...Foxglove?" Dale began haltingly, knowing these could
very well be his last words.

"Yes darling?" she replied softly.

"I've got something I need to tell you, and I need you to listen real close,
sweetiepie."

She nodded earnestly. "Oh, of course, Cutie! What is it?" She gazed into his eyes,
as if looking for a nourishment she was starving for.

He found himself smiling, realizing what a privilege it was just to be able to
look upon someone who was so beautiful to him, both inside and out. He spoke;

"Foxy, listen. Now, I know I don't usually do this, but I gotta get serious for a
moment. We *can't* let her win. Victoria wants to turn you into the bitter, mean
old poop that she is. We can't let that happen! You've always been my sunshine,
my laughter, my chocolate cupcake! Don't let her turn you into her. And Foxy, I
need you to promise me something. Two things, really."

"Anything, my darling!" she told him, with all the sincerity she possessed.

"If I do die... And you do too, sweetheart... Promise me you won't spend your last
moments getting mad at Victoria. She's not worth it. She won't even care anyway.
You're too good a person to waste any of yourself on dumb, useless stuff like
hate. Spend that time thinking of all the good times we've had. All the time we
spent together, havin' fun and being in love.

"And don't be afraid, Foxy. Just think that when you go, I'll be right there
waiting for you on the other side. Right there. And the first thing I'll do is
give you a great big hug. And then we can see what's in store for us next,
together. Side by side. You and me, my sweet batty, and everything is gonna be
okay."

She blinked away tears, but at the same time she was smiling with all her heart at
such a wonderful thought.

"And Foxy..."

"Yes, Dale?"

"I'll probably be going away soon. And when I do, I want the last thing I ever see
in this world to be your smile. That beautiful, beautiful smile of yours that I
love so much and makes my heart feel like nothing bad could ever happen in the
whole world. Can you do that for me, Foxy?

Foxglove saw through his dark, caring eyes to his soul and felt his love for her
inside her heart. She pressed herself to the glass and kissed it with a burning
passion, almost believing it was really him. She remembered every wonderful,
happy, funny, sweet memory that they had ever shared together. It was easy to
smile then. "Oh yes, Sweetheart! I promise! Of course I'll smile for you!" And to
prove it, she did. A smile that radiated peace, serenity and joy. And as she
smiled, she thought to herself that maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed,
even if they really were as bad as they seemed.

The sight of that smile, that magical, miraculous smile, filled Dale's heart with
courage. Things would turn out okay. As long as that smile existed in the world,
even in the midst of their darkest hour, Dale knew nothing bad could ever happen
to them. He was certain of it. And even if this was to be the end of his life, he
had no doubts that it was definitely not the end of their love.

They smiled at each other for a while. In those moments, they truly felt that no
matter what was to happen to them next, their love for one another could make it
all okay.

Foxy found a little bit of a tune in her mind, and she sang it for Dale in her
sweet, gentle voice. It came, oddly enough, from the Beach Boys:

	"Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up,
 In the morning when the day is new,
 After having spent the day together,
	Hold each other close the whole night through...

 You know it seems the more we talk about it,
 It only makes it worse to live without it.
 But let's talk about it.
 'Cause wouldn't it be nice..."


Dale chuckled at the poignancy of the simple lyrics. He felt his heart lighten
from the sound of Foxy's soft, golden singing voice. He responded in turn with a
little light Aerosmith:

	"I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep,
 'Cause I'd miss you baby,
 And I don't wanna miss a thing.

 And even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream would never do.
 I'd still miss you, Foxy,
 And I don't wanna miss a thing.

 I don't wanna miss one smile
 I don't wanna miss one kiss.
 I just wanna be with you right here with you, just like this.

 I just wanna hold you close,
 Feel your heart so close to mine,
 And just stay here in this moment, for all the rest of time..."

In the original song, some of the lyrics were almost screamed out, but as he
already had to stretch to keep his mouth above the water, Dale sung it softly,
like a lullabye, and let the song softly fade out at the end. Dale felt the water
slowly creep up over his head, and found it easier to just let himself go under
so he could still look into the face of his beloved bat.

Continuing their musical farewell, Foxglove took one last look at Dale, and held
it, never taking her eyes off his for a heartbeat as she sang her goodbye to him.
Her quiet voice was filled with both love and longing:

	"Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds,
 Dreaming aloud.
 Things just won't do without you, matter of fact,
 Woah-oh-ohhh-oh,
 I'm on your back..."

Dale smiled softly, recognizing the song. It was by Foo Fighters, and it had
played at the very end of the X-Files movie, one of his all-time favorites. He
remembered sitting under the projector window in the darkened theater, holding
Foxy in his arms as she trembled in fright. And then how they'd both felt as the
last song played over the credits. Such a soft, sweet little song. The vocals
almost a whisper, the words a declaration of unending unity. He and Foxglove had
smiled upon hearing the lyrics and had enjoyed a long, slow kiss.

	"I'm on your back...
 Woah-oh-ohhh-oh,
 I'm on your back."

Dale remembered all the times when Foxy had literally been on his back, holding
him tightly in her gentle footclaws as she flew with him through the park on warm
summer evenings, both of them revelling in the feel of the wind splashing against
their bodies...

	"If you walk out on me now...
 Walking after you.
 If you walk out on me now...
 Walking after you..."

Dale felt his heart in his throat. The words Foxy sang had originally been a call
to a lover who had lost their love and was literally walking out, the singer
telling them that he loved them enough that he would follow even if they did
leave. But now, those same words had a new meaning. He _was_ leaving her, in a
way. Not by choice, of course. But he was going away nonetheless. He could feel
it. And Foxglove was letting him know that her love was strong enough that she
would follow him wherever he would be taken. She was telling him that their love
would not be broken, not even by death.

	"Another heart is cracked,
 In two...
 I'm on your back..."

Dale realized he hadn't been able to breathe for quite a long time now...
	
	"I can not be without you, matter of fact,
	Oh-woah-ohhh-oh,
 I'm on your back...
 Woah-oh-ohhh-oh, I'm on your back..."

A _very_ long time...

	"If you walk out on me,
 Walking after you.
 If you walk out on me...
 I'm walking after you...
 If you walk out on me...
 Walking after...
 You..."

Foxglove's song quietly ended.

And so did Dale.

Her smile was the last thing he saw.

Foxglove put her face in her wings and began to softly weep...


	* * *


...But then suddenly a whole lot of things happened all at once...


	* * *


PART SIX


The clock on the warehouse wall struck twelve midnight exactly, just as something
outside the warehouse took an incredible running leap, ricocheted like a
superball off several boxes and a pickup truck, and soared nearly straight up the
side of the wall, slamming haphazardly into the wire-mesh-covered ceiling-level
window with enough raw force to tear through the mesh and completely obliterate
the glass behind it. It looked like a burst of flame flying into the dim, grey
room, but on second glance, it turned out to be brilliant orange fur.


Gadget and the others were all quite grateful that Crisscross' maker had been
thoughtful enough to include seatbelts in his design.


The window Crisscross had slammed his way through was nearly even with the beam
that supported the crane mechanism, which was at the moment holding the fourteen-
gallon-water-tank directly above the attached aquariums that Dale and Foxglove
were trapped within. When the window shattered, glass pieces flew everywhere,
including a large icicle-shaped chunk that sliced through the air like a bullet
and embedded itself dead center in the rusting control box atop the crane
mechanism. It ripped through the box's flimsy cover with no trouble and chewed up
the inner circuitry, crossing several wires in such a way as to cause a good-
sized electrical explosion.  The explosion sent a jarring vibration along both
ends of the black-painted beam. Rust showered down like rain.

It was an old crane, and since it had always worked just well enough, it hadn't
been given any decent maintenance for nearly five years. The explosion proved its
undoing. The bolts holding on the chain that carried the crane, now turned almost
to dust by years of rusting, snapped under the strain, and the chain broke free
and lashed out like a bullwhip. With the chain snapped, the crane's hold on the
more-than-half-full-and-still-incredibly-heavy forty-gallon-water-tank slipped,
causing it to violently tip over like a miniature Titanic. Twenty four gallons of
cold, grimy water cascaded straight down.


Victoria looked up and gasped in shock. This was not part of her plans _at_all_.


The force of twenty four gallons of water falling sixteen feet straight down from
ceiling to floor was incredible. It landed directly on the two aquariums.


Foxglove looked up, rattled, at the window as it exploded. Then a split-second
later, another explosion above made her jerk her gaze straight up to see an
unimaginably huge force heading straight towards her faster than she could ever
hope to react to.


The force of the water hitting the ground was enough to shake the very walls of
the warehouse. The sound alone was too loud to be heard, it was *felt*, like a
bullet through your stomach. When the water poured into Dale's already-full
aquarium, it had nowhere to go but straight out. All four walls shattered
simultaneously and the water went on and out as if the glass had never even been
there. A chipmunk was carried along with it, and was swept almost six feet away
by the force of the wave, before crashing awkwardly into the side of a crate.


Landing squarely on his head with a loud 'BONK', Dale's body shuddered, his mouth
opened and "OW!" came out. He blinked and vaguely realized that he wasn't dead
anymore. As torrents of water flowed into him, he shakily pushed himself up into
a sitting position with one arm, then rubbed his head with the other, before
realizing it was sprained. "OW!" came out again. Confused to his absolute limit,
his head spinning like a top, Dale mumbled "Stop the ride, Mommy, I wanna get
off," and passed out.


Since Foxglove's aquarium had been empty, she was not so lucky as Dale. The water
slammed its fist into the mesh she was hanging from. She fell to the floor and
roughly hit bottom just as Dale's aquarium exploded. Glass and liquid bashed into
her from her left, throwing her across the aquarium. She was directly in the
center, like a bullseye, when the bulk of the water above shoved its way into the
aquarium, filling the glass rectangle in a fraction of a second and exploding out
its walls as well.


The water leaped up in an enormous splash, crashed back down to Earth, and rushed
across the floor of the warehouse, tossing aside empty boxes, ruining
merchandise, overturning card tables and even shorting out the Pepsi machine.
Finally, the water found its exit via the cracks under the loading dock door that
no one had yet bothered to fill in.


As Crisscross barreled through the window, he suddenly realized just how high up
he was. There was nothing but air and concrete below him. He might live through a
fall of this height, but he knew the Rangers wouldn't. Not even the seatbelts and
his internal rubber padding could cushion an impact that hard. He'd have to take
the full impact with his legs, which he knew would completely destroy them.

Just as he was wondering if he'd ever get through a case with the Rescue Rangers
_without_ being utterly mangled, an explosion to his northwest grabbed his
attention. A second later, a humongous amount of water fell and hit the floor. It
sent up a giant wave, which the foxbot fell directly into. It tossed him aside
like a cat toy and he flew backwards across the room, smash-landing on his back
through the top of a wooden crate.

He landed on something soft. It was enough to absorb his fall and leave him with
only a few minor fur cuts that Gadget would be able to take care of with a sewing
needle. He checked his internal screen, even X-raying his middle, and was
relieved to find his passengers were only shaken, not smashed. He breathed a sigh
of relief. He looked down to see what it was he'd landed on.

A shipment of carnival prizes; five dozen stuffed cartoon foxes.

Chris tossed back his head in a laugh, then thanked fate, luck, destiny, God,
Allah, Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Jehovah, the Great Spirit and even Cthulu for good
measure.


Meanwhile, Dale had managed to get to his feet. He did his best to avoid putting
any pressure on his bad arm, which was definitely sprained at the elbow, but
thankfully not broken.

He nearly slipped on the wet concrete. Water still trickled past him. He looked
down at it, then up to its source. It was a pretty incredible sight. Smoke poured
like soup from the crane on the beam above where their aquariums had been. The
forty-gallon-water-tank hung empty by two corners. It swung lazily to and fro,
looking as if it was about to snap at any second. Just below, the aquariums had
been reduced to their bent, sagging metal frames and a few hanging shards of
glass. Broken, glistening glass pieces encircled the wreckage in a radius of
several feet. Dale whistled in surprise. This was _some_ destruction!

But then his eye fell on a tiny, pinkish lump laying limply on the concrete floor
just outside the aquarium frames. Blood pooled out around it. Dale felt as if his
heart had stopped.

"Foxy!!!"

He ran to her as fast as he could, not caring about the cuts on his feet as he
stomped through minefields of broken glass. He tripped twice, but was on his feet
in an instant, not even feeling the shock of pain from hitting his sprained left
arm.

He reached her, fell to his knees, and skidded down to her side. He took her wing
in his paw, trying to find a pulse. All he could say was her name, over and over.
He turned her onto her back. Her face held nothing. "Foxy!!" He leaned in closer.
She wasn't breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. "No no no no no no." He
delicately propped open her eyelid with his fingers. She saw nothing. This could
NOT be happening.

Then Dale heard a small creak and a small snap. He jerked his head up.

The forty-gallon-water-tank had broken off and had begun to fall.


In moments like this, the body produces enough excess adrenaline and other
chemicals that one is able to perform feats of strength and athleticism they
never would have been capable of in a normal state. Dale took hold of Foxglove's
wing, pulled her up, and ran away from the aquariums like a rocket, faster than
he had ever gone before in his life, dragging her behind him and moving so fast
that she never even touched the ground.


The tank crashed. The 'clang' resonated through the warehouse, as if the metal
itself was screaming at its death. The reverberation thundered across the
concrete floor, sending up hundreds of tiny waves and knocking Dale off his feet.
He skidded to a painful stop on his belly and felt his wind getting knocked out
as Foxglove smashed into him from behind. The tank shuddered and tipped over onto
its side, sending another ear-piercing metallic screech screaming through the
air.

It took a few seconds for the ground to stop shaking and his ears to stop ringing.
Dale took several long, slow breaths, trying to get his body back to some
semblance of normal functioning. His heart would not stop thumping though. It
took him a few moments to just get his mind wrapped back around all that had
happened in the last few seconds. Something had happened that broke the crane,
the aquariums blew up, all the water burst out, he'd hurt his arm and hit a box,
and then he saw Foxglove.

"Foxglove!"

Dale turned himself over, gently rolling Foxglove onto her back at the same time.
He knelt over her. She still did not move. "Foxy." He gently slapped her cheeks.
"Foxy..." He scooped up some water and splashed it onto her face. "Foxy!" He held
her wing to his heart, feeling tears begin to stream from his eyes. "FOXY! Oh
please, Foxy, wake up! Wake up! Oh please, please, please! Foxy! Foxy!! Oh
Foxy..."

He sniffed and wiped his tears off on his arm. "You can't be dead... You can't
be." He scooped her up in his good arm and gently hugged her. She was cold. His
tears fell on her face and rolled silently down her cheeks. "You can't be gone,
sweetiepie... I- I should have gone with you."

The quiet and the stillness of the warehouse closed in around Dale as he held his
lover tight. The only sound around him was his own weeping.

Until a voice broke the silence.

"If you really want to die, Dale, I can certainly have that arranged."

Dale's entire body stiffened. His eyes popped open. His teeth gritted. He lifted
his head slowly and *she* was there. He felt a rage inside him unlike any he had
ever felt before. "Victoria..."

He jumped up and lunged with all his strength and anger at the black widow.
Foxglove fell to the side and lay still.


And the clock on the warehouse wall switched to twelve oh one...



	* * *



PART SEVEN


What woke Foxglove was not a sound, but rather the complete absence of one. Being
a bat, there was literally never a quiet moment in Foxglove's life. With her
amazing ears, she could hear the smallest insect's footsteps, the flutter of a
single leaf, Gadget's singing to herself in her workshop when Foxy hadn't even
landed at RRHQ yet. Even on the stillest night, she could still make out the
sound of the air outside, the sound of Dale's blood flowing through his body, the
sound of his blanket rustling, of her perch creaking, of Monty snoring across the
hall, of the cupboard door squeaking as Chip got himself a midnight snack.

But now there wasn't a single sound around her. Not one. Not even the sounds of
her own body, which she had grown so used to she didn't usually notice anyway.
She couldn't even hear her own breathing.

For the first time in her life, Foxglove was experiencing complete silence.

At first she was afraid she'd gone deaf; her very worst nightmare. But there was
something strange about this silence. It seemed right even as it felt wrong.
Something *was* wrong here, she knew that. Something was very different. Yet it
didn't feel like something that would cause her harm.

It was then that she noticed she couldn't feel the ground below her, even though
she was quite aware that she was laying on her side. It wasn't like flying, or
floating, or hovering; it felt to her like the ground was simply Not There.

Despite her confusion and growing fear, Foxglove took her wings away from her
face and opened her eyes.

White.

That was all there was as far as she could see, in any direction. Pure, soft,
white light. She looked up: whiteness. She looked down: the same. Which was even
stranger because she had to have been laying ON something, yet she couldn't sense
it in any way.

She stared, gaping dumbly, into the nothingness for a while, trying to make sense
of what had happened to her. Eventually she built up the courage to get to her
feet. She looked around in all directions. Absolutely nothing. No sights, sounds,
smells or even anything tangible. There didn't even seem to be any air, which was
good in a way because she had also come to the unsettling realization that she
wasn't breathing.

The last thing she remembered was of something very bad happening to her
involving a lot of water and broken glass. She looked down at herself, glad that
she could at least see that, and was puzzled by the fact that she didn't have a
scratch on her. In fact, she felt perfectly healthy in every way. Even though she
still wasn't breathing. And, to her horror, she found that her heart was no
longer beating, also.

There was only one conclusion to make. "I must be dead..."

The words hung in the air, echoing off into the infinite distance.

"Don't worry, it's only for a little while," a voice said.

Foxglove whirled around. There, standing a foot or so away from her, were two
bats. A male and female, they looked like a mated couple. The male was tall for a
bat, with one ear that bent downwards and eyes so blue Foxglove could see them
clearly from as far away as she was. The female was much shorter, and quite
pleasingly plump as well. Her wings were folded in front of her and her light
orange hair hung down the sides of her face to her shoulders. They both had fur
that was similar in color to Foxglove's own, and they were both smiling in a
warm, knowing manner.

Foxglove felt sure she had never met either of them before, and yet they both
seemed so familiar to her. It felt extremely important somehow that she deduce
who these two bats were. And then it suddenly came to her. Given that her earlier
theory about being dead was true, there was only one possibility of their
identities.

Tears of pure joy came to Foxglove's eyes. "Mom? Dad?"

Their smiles widened, and they opened their wings to her.

She leapt into the air and flew into their embrace, hugging them both with all
her heart. She was lovingly hugged back. Tears poured down her face. She nestled
into the warm fur on their chests and felt the pure love that emanated from them
both. She couldn't speak, though she wanted to say so much.

She looked up into the two caring faces, and saw her joy reflected back at her.
They were both crying as well. "My darling daughter..." her father said softly.
He gave her a kiss on top of her head and nuzzled her affectionately. Her mother
did the same. Foxglove melted into their affection, nuzzling and kissing them
both as well. There was no doubt in her mind. She was finally reunited with the
parents she'd never known. It wasn't possible that the unconditional love she was
feeling from them both could have come from anyone else.

Foxglove looked up again and tried to speak. She couldn't, and instead just
hugged them some more. She could count on her wingtips the number of times she
had felt this fully, truly happy, and all of them so far had been with Dale.

After a long, intense period of wordless hugging, the three bats separated and
looked into one another's eyes, exchanging glances of bliss.

Foxglove finally spoke. "You... You really are... my Mom and Dad, aren't you?"
That was silly, of course they were!

Both bats nodded proudly. "Yes, Foxglove," said her mother. "And you are our own
beautiful daughter."

"Oh Mom! Dad! I've waited my whole life for this! I never thought I'd ever see
you and now..." Foxy squeaked in pure joy. She felt like she could float away,
her heart was so light. She felt like a little girl again. Her greatest wish had
finally come true.

Her father took her wing in his. "We've been waiting just as long, sweetheart.
Ever since the night we died and we lost you, we've been looking down from
Heaven, watching you grow up, seeing you becoming such a fine young woman. And
your work with the Rescue Rangers!"

"We are both so proud of you!" finished Mom.

Foxglove grinned ear to ear. "Thanks, mom. Thanks, Dad. I've always wondered if
you could see me from up here and if you were proud of me."

"Heck, proud isn't even the word," Dad said. "I can't _think_ of a word that says
just how wonderful you are to us. You have the kindest heart and most giving
nature of anyone I've ever known. And to top it all off, you're a very pretty
girl, too!"

Foxy blushed. "Aw, stop it Daddy!"

Mom smiled. "You always were sensitive to compliments, dear. I remember I used to
hold you while you were nursing and tell you what a cute little baby you were.
You'd blush every time!"

Foxy laughed. "Really? Gosh, I hardly remember my childhood at all." Then, out
from her happiness, a harsh thought suddenly struck her. She lowered her head and
bit her lip. "Um, you two aren't disappointed in me for all the things I did when
I was with Winnifred, are you?" she asked quietly.

Her mother pulled her into a gentle hug. "Honey, there are things in everyone's
life that they regret. No one can ever be perfect. No one can do the right thing
*all* the time. Let's just say that we understood why, and that we worried and
cried right along with you during those hard times."

Dad joined the hug too. "And you certainly did a good job of getting yourself out
of that mess! You showed some real courage standing up to a human like that. And
a human witch no less!" He gave her a hearty pat on the back. "Besides, if you'd
never met ol' Freddie, you'd have probably never met the Rangers, either. And I'm
sure you wouldn't want that! One thing you learn up here, Foxglove, is that the
old saying's true. Everything really DOES happen for a reason."

"Does that mean I was destined to meet Dale?" Foxy asked

Dad shrugged. "Probly. Who knows? We're only mortals after all. Save the big
questions like that for when you meet the Big Guy."

"When will that be?"

"Actually, not for quite a while," Mom replied.

This was puzzling. "Why? Is there a really long line?" asked Foxy innocently.

Dad chuckled and patted her arm. "No, sweetie. You're just not ready to die yet."

Foxglove's eyebrows went way up. "What?! But then why am I here now?"

Both of her parents paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain things.
Mom finally answered. "You see, dear, this is what some people call a near-death
experience."

"About as near as you can get, actually," said Dad.

Mom continued. "You were hurt pretty badly a few moments ago. In a medical sense,
you are dead right now, at least your body is. But you still have some very, very
important things to do back on Earth. Lives to save. And there's a certain red-
nosed chipmunk you know who would be very sad if you left him now."

She felt her heart in her throat. The night's events came snapping back into her
memory. "Dale! Oh, I hope he's allright!"

Her father looked somber. "Sweetheart, that may end up depending on you."

"What does that mean?" she asked him, a hint of desperation in her tone. She
couldn't bear the thought of her body laying helpless back on Earth while Dale
was in trouble.

Mom gave Foxglove a big, comforting hug and a kiss on the cheek. She looked her
daughter in the eye, making sure she knew that her next words would be very
important. "Foxglove, when you go back, you're going to have to make a choice. A
very, very, very difficult one. We're not allowed to tell you what it's about,
but it will be a hard decision, a very important decision, and you'll have to
make it very quickly after you return. There may be grave consequences to either
choice, but you're my daughter and I believe you will know in your heart the
right one to make."

This was almost too much to take in. Foxglove suddenly felt as if she carried the
weight of the world in her wings. "Are you sure you can't tell me anything about
it?" she softly pleaded.

Her mother shook her head sadly.

"Sorry, sweetiepie," her father told her, "but not knowing right now is kinda
important just by itself. You'll understand later." He ruffled her headfur. "But
don't worry. You'll do the right thing and I'm sure everything will turn out
okay. Just remember that your friends love you just as much as we do. No matter
what happens, nothing can change that."

It made her feel good to know her parents had such confidence in her. Doubly
good, considering what her father had told her about the other Rangers. She
thought about them all, and knew in her heart it was true. It was one of the
Rescue Rangers' biggest strengths; they were more than a team, they were a
family. And she knew she loved all of them just as much as she was loved by them.

She thought back over what Dad had said and giggled. "Dad, Dale calls me
sweetiepie!"

"Well, you certainly are sweet. No debating that!" he said, giving them all a
smile.

"By the way," said Foxy, "what _do_ you guys think of Dale? I'm sure you've seen
how, um, cuddly we are together." She couldn't help a little blush.

"He's a very lucky chipmunk, that's for sure," said Mom. "And you're lucky too,
Foxglove. I've seen how good he is to you. How much he adores you, how he accepts
you just as you are and treats you as his equal. You've got quite a catch in him,
dear. Not many men out there anymore like him," she told Foxy. Then she tossed a
grin at her mate. "Well, at least this big teddybat is, anyway!"

He snickered and shared a quick, loving kiss with her. "I could certainly say the
same about you, my sweet." To Foxglove he said "Dale may be a goofball, as he
calls himself, but he's a goofball with a heart the size of Disneyworld. You keep
him close, dear. You and him are going to be very happy together for a very long
time."

"So then, when are you two getting married?" said Mom in a very motherly sort of
way.

Foxy laughed out loud. "Soon, Mom, soon!" She gave her mother a squeeze. "And if
you two can find a way there, you're definitely invited to the wedding!"

"Oh, we'll find a way," said her father. "I know I wouldn't miss it for the
world!"

Foxglove smiled, then thought of a question she had never had an answer to, and
her happiness fell a little. "Mom, Dad, can I ask you... How did you die?"

Both elder bats took a deep, sad breath, and turned to each other for strength.

"Sorry if I made you sad by asking..." Foxy told them quietly.

Her mother waved her concern away. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I know you've
wondered all your life, and you should know, too. It's just..." She sighed. "It's
just that when you die like we did, it's not something that ever really leaves
you."

Foxglove nodded, then gave her mother an extra hug to show her she was there to
comfort her if needed.

The older batfemme smiled, so proud of her daughter and her boundless heart. She
patted Foxy on the head and gave her a kiss. "It happened when you were very
young, but you know that already. You weren't more than a year old then. We lived
with many other bats in an old cathedral on the edge of the city. We had been
giving you flying lessons for a month or so, and you were quite good at it. I
remember you loved doing loop-the-loops." She smiled bittersweetly, remembering
those happy times so long past.

Foxy giggled a little, imagining herself as a baby bat, just learning of the joys
of flight.

Her mother continued her tale. "It was a very warm evening in late June, and we
had decided to take you to the park for the first time. There was lots of room to
fly there, and plenty of places to perch and hide. I knew you'd love it.

"We had been there for a few hours and were about to head for home. You'd tired
yourself out, and we had to carry you in our footclaws." She closed her eyes and
tried to hold back a sob.

Sensing his mate was having some trouble recounting those terrible events,
Foxglove's father took over. "We were just leaving, when an owl swooped down on
us. Neither of us heard her coming. She caught us, and we let you drop. We knew
it was the only way to save you, and we hoped you'd be able to fly away to
safety. We also hoped that we'd be enough of a meal that the owl wouldn't bother
going after you. She didn't, but we watched as we were carried away, and we saw
you fall. You didn't flap your wings at all. I watched you fall into a patch of
wildflowers and I remember that being the most frightening moment of my life."

He paused for a moment, trying not to cry, keeping in mind that Foxglove was just
fine, that he was holding her in his wings at that very moment.

"We couldn't think of anything but you as we were taken away." He put his wings
over her shoulders. "Foxglove, dying can be a wonderful experience for some; a
release from pain, or an end to a long happy life. For us, it wasn't." He paused
for a second to brush away a single tear. "All I can say is that at least the owl
was quick about it. She wasn't cruel, she only wanted to feed her young, which
was a comfort to us in a way. At least our deaths meant something. At least we
were able to help others to live..."

"When we reached Heaven, all we cared about was finding out if you were okay,"
Mom said. She chuckled quietly. "I remember the both of us badgering everyone we
saw, asking over and over again how you were. When we finally saw that you had
escaped unharmed, we were so relieved. And while we wanted more than anything
else to go back and to be with you, eventually we were able to accept our fate,
and to be content with watching you from afar. We never forgot about you for an
instant, dear. Not once."

Foxglove felt her tears returning to her eyes. It hurt so much that her parents
had cared so much about her, and she had never had the chance to know them. In
her life, being loved was something she'd encountered only recently. She could
only imagine the memories of what it could have been like growing up with these
two wonderful, kindhearted bats who loved her so very much. She hugged them both,
letting them both know how she felt without having to speak a word.

After a long, quiet hug, Foxglove looked to both of them and said "I've never
blamed you, Mom and dad. I never knew, but I always felt like something like that
was what must have happened. I wish I could go back in time so I could have spent
my life with you. But I want you to know that just knowing you're here, and how
much you love me, it makes everything feel okay now."

Many more hugs, kisses, nuzzles and other signs of affection were exchanged among
all three bats, until their wings ached from so many hugs, and they all had fur
in their mouths from so many kisses.

Finally, Foxglove asked "If I'm going back soon, do you know how long it'll be
before we can all be together again?"

"You mean, do we know how long it'll be before you die for real?" Dad asked.

Foxy nodded.

He ruffled her headfur in a fatherly way. "Sorry squirt, but that I don't know.
From Heaven, you can see what's going on all around the world, and on special
occasions you can even change fate a little, but the only one who can really see
the future is the big You-Know-Who."

"But don't worry, darling," Mom added. "I'm sure it'll be a long, long time. The
world *needs* good hearts like yours, Foxglove. Fate won't be quick to snatch
away folks like you and the Rescue Rangers. You folks with courage and kindness
and the willingness to give it all to make things right, who can do so much for
everyone else down there."

Foxy smiled bashfully at the loving words and looked up to her father when he put
his wing around her. "And don't be in a hurry to get back to us, sweetiepie," he
said. "We'll be allright up here. It is _Heaven_ after all! And keep in mind that
whenever you need us, we'll be there for you. We'll always be ready to listen
when you need us. And while we might not be able to reply by a telephone call, or
an email or something, we'll be sure to let you know we've heard you nonetheless.
You'll be able to feel us, right here." And he touched her heart gently with his
wingtip.

Mom looked up over Foxglove's shoulder. "Looks like it's about time for you to
go, dear," she said.

The little pink batfemme looked around to see a circle of golden light hovering
in the midst of the whiteness. It seemed to be coming closer. Its beauty was
mesmerizing. "Will that take me back to my body?"

"Yes, sweetheart," her mother told her. "Remember, you'll soon have an important
choice to make. It's one that will affect your whole life from now on. But we'll
be watching, and we'll do what we can to make sure things turn out allright."

Foxglove nodded solemnly. "Okay, Mom. I'll just listen to my heart and try my
best to do what's right."

Her father smiled knowingly. "Very wise, Foxglove. Very, very wise. Make all your
decisions that way and you'll do well, whatever the choice may be."

Foxglove heard the pride in his voice and blushed a little. Again, she wished she
could have been with them when she was young, wished she could stay with them
now. But the golden light was coming closer, and she knew she still had important
work to do. And she knew as well that they would always be with her, watching
over her and loving her.

Foxglove looked into the approaching circle of light. It was incredibly
beautiful. It seemed to call to her. She felt herself longing to run to it and
jump right in.

But she had one more question she wanted to ask. She turned back to her parents,
who had begun to slowly float away from her. "Mom, Dad, can I ask, what was my
real name? What did you call me when I was born?"

They both smiled. "Would you really be better off knowing?" her mother said. "It
would only cause confusion. You wouldn't know what to call yourself anymore."
Foxglove reflected on the wisdom of this. She was right. "Besides," Mom added,
"Foxglove is such a pretty name anyway."

"Better than the one we came up with!" Dad said. Mom elbowed him and Foxy
laughed. "If you really want to know though, I can tell you that your middle name
was Melissa."

Foxglove smiled brightly. "Melissa... I like that! Wow, I finally have a middle
name! Melissa. Foxglove Melissa Fairmont!" She said her new full name over to
herself a few more times, liking it more each time she heard it. "Golly, I really
like that! Thanks for the neat name, Mom and Dad!"

"You're welcome!" they said in unison. They had now drifted so far away that
Foxglove couldn't see Daddy's blue eyes anymore.

The golden light was coming ever closer. Foxglove wanted so much to dive into it,
to feel that beautiful golden color all around her. But she also wanted her
reunion with her parents to last as long as she could make it.

Suddenly, one more question came to her mind. One she had worried over for years.
One she had to know the answer to. But was there time? She called out to them.
They seemed so far away now. "Dad! Mom! I have one more question! Do vampires get
to go to Heaven?"

She had pondered that question for more nights than she could count. Ever since
she'd become aware of her condition, she had believed she was evil because of it.
Only Dale, with his understanding and his love, had helped her see that being a
vampire didn't make her a bad bat. That she really was a good person inside, and
that all the stories and movies about vampires had been wrong.

But she still wondered if it was ALL untrue. Was vampirism just a medical
condition, like Dale thought? Or did it really carry a dark curse like she'd
always feared? Was she damned? Was she? She had to know.

So when she heard her parents' laughter, she felt sweet relief flow through her.
"Of course they do, sweetheart!" her mother called back to her.

"After all, where did you think you got it from in the first place?" added Dad as
they both jokingly bared their fangs at her.

Foxy felt like laughing, sighing and crying all at once. Her heart finally felt
free. She had no more reason to worry herself over what she was, and she vowed to
herself in that moment that she would never worry about it again.

The circle of light was almost upon her. Her parents had just enough time left to
call out their goodbyes to her. She responded in turn, waving and smiling and
saying goodbye and "I love you!" Her heart was saddened at seeing them go so
soon, but she also felt an incredible joy from being with them, if only for such
a short time. So many questions and worries had been put aside in these few
moments. And while she was well aware of what she would have to do when she
returned to her body, she did not fear it. She almost looked forward to this
formidable, life-changing decision she would be making soon. Bring it on! She
knew she had her parents' love, and the love of her friends too, to give her
strength. Whatever the choice was, she would face it with her head held high and
with a heartful of confidence.

Foxglove took one long last look at her mother and father and tried to think that
she wasn't really leaving them. That actually, she had finally found them, and
now she knew they would be with her always. Foxglove turned and faced her future
with a smile on her face and a calm in her heart. She closed her eyes...

And when the golden light enveloped her body, she felt a joy and serenity such as
she'd never known before.


	* * *


PART EIGHT


Tiny drops of water collected on the still body of a young female bat on the cold
wet floor of a dockside warehouse. The body was completely inert, giving off no
signs of life whatsoever.

Until suddenly, it twitched.

With no apparent cause, a heart began to beat. Lungs began to fill with air.
Neurons awakened in her brain and consciousness was suddenly bestowed upon
Foxglove Fairmont once more.

Foxy felt a rush of energy ripple throughout her body. She could feel a powerful,
yet gentle, tingle emanating through her from her footclaws to the tips of her
ears. It was like she was being refilled with life. It even felt for a moment
like she'd become a water balloon. 'My soul must be returning to my body,' she
thought to herself.

But no, wait, that wasn't it. She really WAS filled with water!

Foxglove coughed hard, feeling a stream of water leave her lungs. Her back arched
painfully and a gout of water arced up out of her mouth, splashing back down on
her chest as if she'd been reborn as a park fountain.

She was unused to sensations of touch, sound, smell. The real world felt strange
to her. She slowly turned herself over so that she was on all fours. She opened
her mouth and relaxed her throat, letting the filthy-tasting water drain from her
lungs and stomach and hearing it splatter onto the concrete below. Ah, precious
sound. She was glad to have it back.

When Foxy was sure that her lungs were now filled only with air, she stilled her
body, doing nothing but breathing deeply and gently, listening to the sound of it
and feeling the air inside of her. She let her thoughts collect, remembering all
that had happened to her so far this long night. She had no doubts about her
heavenly encounter. Chip or Gadget, she thought, would surely have thought it had
been just a dream, or a hallucination. But Foxglove _knew_ it was real. She had
been searching all her life for that simple, beautiful, irreplicable feeling of
being loved by her parents. And she had finally felt it. She knew there was no
way a love like that could be copied.

But now she was alive again. And she had work to do. Foxglove braced herself to
see what her surroundings were, and when in time she was now. She opened her
eyes.

The warehouse was an absolute shambles. The scent of smoke lingered like a grease
stain in the air. The floor was dark with dampness and sparkled from the hundreds
of tiny glass shards everywhere. Foxglove looked up to the ceiling, wondering
what that explosion she'd heard a second before her death had been. She noticed
the smashed window, then gulped, seeing the utter mess the crane had been reduced
to. It looked like it had been hit with a grenade. Most of it had been charred
black by the blast and the smoke. Loops of chain hung limply underneath the beam
like blunt stalactites. The crane's claws looked like their load had been ripped
violently from their grasp by some invisible monster.

So where was the big water tank? Foxglove turned to see behind her, and let out a
strangled shriek. The enormous tank, now dented and sagging like a melted candle,
had completely obliterated the aquariums below it. The remnants of the aquariums'
metal frames looked like spider legs poking out from underneath the tank. Foxy
shuddered. How in the world had she survived _this_?

Suddenly, she flashed upon a very vague memory showing her being tossed through
the glass by a giant wave before the tank had fallen. And she also somehow
remembered Dale saving her too. She smiled. she knew he must have. Even if she
couldn't remember it, she didn't have to. Her Cutie was her guardian. She knew
she was safe as long as he was near.

But where *was* Dale? Foxglove scanned the warehouse, giving the room a thorough
echolocating. She finally picked up a soft rodent whisper. She recognized Tammy's
voice, but not her words. That meant the Rangers were here! Her spell must have
really worked! Everything was okay now! Foxy made a little happy sound and jumped
up to join them.

They were on the other side of the water tank wreckage, closer to the other half
of the warehouse where most of the goods were stored and some of the floor was
still dry. Foxy peered around a corner of the tank and saw them all huddled
together in a circle. She didn't see her Cutie yet, probably just because
Crisscross had his bulk pointed towards her, but she knew he was there. She could
feel it!

"Guys! Over here! It's me, Foxglove!" Running was too slow for the happy little
bat. She slipped into the air like a kite and landed like a feather before them.

Her reception was not as she'd planned. To her puzzlement, the Rangers just
stared at her. A stare as if she was the strangest thing they had ever seen in
their lives.

Foxy's smile fell. "Guys, it's me... Aren't you happy to see me?" she asked
softly. None of them answered.

It was Gadget who first stepped forward. She slowly looked over the little pink
bat as if she literally could not believe her eyes. Gadget reached out a
trembling paw and lightly cupped Foxglove's cheek, as if she expected her hand to
pass right through her.

The two girls looked into one another's eyes. Foxglove watched a tear roll down
Gadget's face. The little bat was really worried now. What had happened while she
was gone? "Gadget... It's me, Foxy. What's wrong?"

Gadget suddenly burst into a smile and gave Foxglove an incredible hug. "Oh Foxy!
It's you! It's really you!!" Foxy was surprised, but also glad to see her mouse
friend finally smiling. One by one, the other Rangers gathered around them, all
of them looking as Gadget did; a mixture of disbelief and joy on their faces.

Gadget let go to give the others a turn at hugging the confused but happy
batfemme. Everyone hugged her as if they hadn't seen her in years. Crisscross
even gave her a few nuzzles with his snout and a big friendly lick.

Foxglove noticed however, that both Chip and Dale were conspicuous in their
absence. Where were they? And just as importantly, where was Victoria?

Tammy hugged Foxy like they were sisters. "Oh Foxglove! We thought we'd lost you
b-" She had been about to say something more, then abruptly stopped, which
Foxglove noted with a bit of worry. "We thought we'd lost you," Tammy repeated.

"We thought you'd died," Zipper said quietly.

"Well, yeah, I guess I did," Foxy replied.

"Really, luv?" asked Monterey, intrigued. "Did you have one a' them auto-body
experiences?"

Foxy giggled. "No, I didn't turn into a car, Monty!"

This got a little laugh out of the others too. Foxy was glad; they'd all looked
so somber before. But it still seemed as if there was something dark weighing
down on their happiness.

"I think Monterey meant 'out-of-body experience'," Crisscross clarified.

Foxglove nodded. "I know. And I did! I went up to Heaven, or someplace near it at
least, and I got to finally see my parents! It was wonderful! They hugged me, and
told me all sorts of things I'd been wondering about all my life. They told me
I'd have to make an important decision when I came back, but I don't know what it
is yet. I guess I must have been dead down here for as long as I was up there. I
can see why you might think I was a ghost or something."

She saw the others fidget uncomfortably. "What, did something else happen?"

Monterey Jack took off his aviator's helmet and wrung it between his hands. "Um,
luv, it wasn't just that we thought you were dead because you were out for a
while. You were..." He couldn't say the words. He couldn't place words to the
awful thing he'd seen.

"What happened?" Foxy pleaded.

Crisscross padded forward a step and gave her a soft nuzzle. "Foxy, when we found
you... You were beyond hope." Foxglove gasped. "We don't know just what happened,
but it looked like all of the bones in your wings were shattered. I mean
_shattered_. Most of your other bones too. I looked up a site on bat biology on
my internal internet, and when I compared it to the state you were in... I knew
there wasn't a single thing we could do."

Gadget came over to give Chris a pat, then she put her hand on Foxglove's
shoulder. With her other hand, she felt along the bat's wing. She shook her head
and let out a 'golly!' of amazed disbelief. "When I saw you flying towards us...
I don't really believe in miracles, but I don't know what else to call this!"

Foxy looked herself over. Could she really have been hurt that badly? She knew
her vampirism helped her heal more quickly than a normal bat would, and since she
and Dale had begun sharing their blood, her recuperative abilities had grown even
stronger. But what they were saying had happened was still impossible! She had
watched little cuts and bruises go away before, but there was no way she could
repair broken bones on her own! She remembered Dale's last birthday, when the
tree had been hit by lightning and she'd dislocated her shoulder. It had healed
pretty fast, but not in a matter of minutes!

Was it a miracle? It had to be. There was no other explanation. She looked down
at her wings. She realized that not only were all her bones intact, but she also
didn't have a single cut, scrape, bruise or bump on her. She seemed to be in
perfect health. She looked up, seeing past the warehouse's ceiling to the sky
above. "Thanks, Mom and Dad," she whispered up to Heaven. She felt a warmth in
her heart, and knew for certain that it was them that had mended her broken body.

"Never seen anything like it," Monty said, scratching his head. "And that's
sayin' something, considerin' all the things I *have* seen! You're one lucky
sheila, Foxy!"

Tammy quietly hugged her again. "I'm glad you're okay."

Foxglove beamed at all the attention she was getting as all the Rangers crowded
around her again, giving her hugs and words of love. Ever since she had become a
Rescue Ranger, she had worried if she really was a part of the team or just
someone who had fluttered in. A sixth wheel, in a way. But in this moment, she
knew without a doubt that they accepted her fully as one of them. She knew down
to her soul that she really did have a family in her friends.

But the one who loved her most, she still didn't see. She looked to all the
Rangers at once and asked "Where's Dale?"

A dark hush fell over them, as if a switch had been flipped to turn off their
happiness. Foxglove did not need their words to know something bad had happened.
Something very bad. "Where is he," she repeated.

"Maybe it's best if you don't see him yet. You've been through a lot already,
luv," Monty said.

She knew he was only trying to protect her from something she knew would hurt
like an icicle through her heart. But she loved Dale more than life itself. She
had to know and she had to know now. "Where is he?!"

"Are you sure you-" Zipper started.

"I'm sure! Now tell me where he is!" She was beginning to panic from worry. What
was wrong? What had happened to her darling? He couldn't be dead... Could he? No!
No, she wouldn't let him be dead!

The Rangers exchanged worried glances. Then they slowly parted like double doors,
allowing Foxglove to see what they had been huddled around earlier.

Foxglove rushed to his side. "DALE!!!" He was lying on his back, eyes wide open,
unmoving, yet still twitching slightly all over. It was like he'd gone into some
kind of catatonic shock. She listened for his heartbeat and breathing. Both were
erratic and weak. She didn't know what the cause was, but she did know Dale was
dying.

Foxglove swiveled around to the other Rangers. "What happened to him?!?" she
shouted, tears already beginning to flow from her eyes.

Gadget came over and knelt by her side. "When we got here, you were already, um,
gone. We saw Victoria and Dale. They were fighting, and Dale was... I've never
seen him fight like that. It's like he was trying to kill her."

Foxy paused. 'Would he really?' she thought. 'If he thought I was dead, would my
Cute Stuff really try to kill Victoria out of vengeance?' Could hate have clouded
Dale's heart enough to make him want to kill? Looking down at Dale, she didn't
know herself if she would be able to stop herself from doing something really bad
to that mean spider if he died. She didn't need Gadget to tell her this was
Victoria's handiwork.

"Dale was winning," Gadget said, "but then, before we could stop her..."

"She bit him, didn't she?" Foxglove asked, knowing the answer already. She now
noticed the deep wound near his throat was encircled with several clear
teethmarks.

Gadget nodded. "She didn't just bite, she kept biting. She wanted to put as much
of her venom into Dale as she could. Black widow venom has been known to kill
humans. I don't know how in the world Dale's held out this long with so much of
it in him," the mousette said softly and sadly. It was clear from her tone that
she had given up hope.

But Foxglove certainly hadn't. She knew Dale's vampiric blood was working to its
limits to fight the poison in his body. But she could tell it was losing.
Foxglove knew there was only one thing to do to save his life. She would have to
give Dale some of her own blood so it could join in the battle to rid his body of
Victoria's toxin. Foxy was not certain, but she had a strong feeling that their
mixed life essence would be able to keep Dale from going to the same place she
had been.

But then Foxglove looked up and saw all the Rangers gathered around her. If she
was to save Dale, they would all see. And they would all know what she was then.
What she and Dale were. She had wanted to tell all the Rangers sooner or later
about her vampirism, but she'd always been scared of how they might react. Dale
had helped to assure her that she was loved by all of them; that they might be
uncomfortable at first, yes, but he knew they wouldn't shun her as a monster. She
now knew as well, but it didn't help any. She was a worrier at heart and she
didn't know if anything could soothe the sight of her feeding her own blood to
her lover. How would they react? She couldn't imagine the response being
positive. She only hoped that she'd be able to regain their love someday.

And then she suddenly realized; this was it. This was the choice she'd been told
about by her parents. She had to choose between saving Dale's life, or keeping
her secret hidden from the Rangers.

But when she really thought about it with her heart as well as her mind, she knew
it was really no choice at all. Darn the consequences, she HAD to save Dale! Even
if they ran her out of town with pitchforks and torches, it would be worth it to
have Dale alive and by her side. Her choice was made before she was even aware of
it.

Now she understood. By letting her think the decision would be difficult and
terrible, her mother and father had used her worrying nature to her advantage. By
thinking the choice would be much, much worse, it was almost a relief when she
finally saw what it truly was. Without their dire warning, she might have wasted
precious time worrying on and on about what the Rangers would do when they found
out she was a vampire. Her parents had used her nature to help her see what was
truly important. Mentally, she thanked them again. And again she felt their
warmth. It felt so good to know they were so close.

The time for worrying was finally and utterly over. Foxglove resolved then and
there to work as hard as she could to keep her worries from overwhelming her
common sense ever again. She knew she was strong and knew she was loved. It was
time for Foxglove to become the bat she had always hoped she'd be able to become.

All these thoughts flew through Foxglove's head in a matter of seconds, instead
of the matter of minutes they might have been without her parents' warning. The
Rangers were about to step in; Foxglove had been sitting so absolutely still,
they worried that she had gone into shock too. But suddenly she sat up and looked
directly at them. She scanned their faces and felt in her soul that, as much as
she loved all of them, she was loved back just as much.

Gathering her courage, she addressed them. "I'm going to save Dale's life now.
But I have to do it in a way that you won't understand. You might be disgusted,
or even horrified, but please trust me. If you want him to live as much as I do,
please don't try to stop me. I know what I'm doing." She spoke her words with a
braveness and certainty in her voice that the others had never heard from her
before. "Please guys, you're my very best friends. Promise me."

Unsure what Foxglove meant, but swayed by her assertiveness, the Rangers all
nodded their agreeance. They promised without needing words. The five Rangers
stood where they were, holding each other for strength, and watched Foxglove and
Dale, trying to feel hope that none of them would have to die this night.

Foxglove took in a deep breath, trying to calm her whole body. She knew she would
have to be brave for this. She knew their eyes would be on her as she did what
had to be done. But she reassured herself that there were no others in the world
she would trust her secret with more. Foxglove leaned over Dale's body. She held
him down with her wings, trying to stop him from twitching so much. He seemed to
settle down a bit. She gently closed his eyes with a wingtip. He looked like he
was asleep. A small smile crossed her face. He was always so cute when he was
asleep.

The batfemme looked over Victoria's bite. This was not going to be easy. Knowing
the extent of Victoria's cruelty, Foxy had no doubts about what Gadget had said
about the spider trying to fill Dale with as much venom as she could. She gave
her lover a soft kiss on his cute red nose. "It's going to be okay, sweetie.
Foxy's here for you.

Bracing herself on the concrete, Foxy leaned in closer and bit deeply into Dale's
wound. She heard more than a few sharp gasps from the Rangers, but she couldn't
let that bother her now. She had to start his blood flowing smoothly again. She
began to drink from him, licking at the slick, exposed flesh to draw out his
precious red fluid. She wished this was happening under better circumstances. She
loved being able to drink from Dale. She loved the strong feelings of love and
trust he gave her when they shared blood. She adored his taste as well. Aside
from just her vampiric thirst, she found Dale's flavor to be wonderfully
delicious. Knowing it was *Dale's*, and knowing he was giving it to her freely
because he loved her, made it taste even better. Sometimes she'd even daydream of
shrinking herself so tiny that she could slip into Dale's body and swim in his
yummy blood, feeling it flowing all around her and loving every second.

His taste was different now. Being a vampire had heightened her senses, including
taste, and she could definitely sense the venom present in his blood just from
the slight change in flavor. It wasn't much at all in terms of volume, but it was
devastating in its toxicity. "Oh my poor Dale. I know you're fighting as hard as
you can. Don't you worry. I'm here to help." She had read in a book about
vampires (supposedly written by one; it was the most accurate book she had ever
read about her condition), that being a vampire allowed her to ingest poisons in
blood, and they would be passed out of her system without causing harm. Trusting
the book, she sucked deeply on Dale's wound, gulping his rich sanguine, knowing
the less venom he had inside him, the better his chances to fight it off. Foxy
wished there was some way to filter out the venom, knowing it could harm Dale if
she took too much blood from him.

On the other hand, his blood, tainted as it was, charged her up with energy. She
had already fed once tonight, and this extra helping was a wonderful treat. She
could feel her body gaining strength from the blood. The energy flowed into her
so strongly she could actually feel it in her veins, tingling through her body in
the most electrifying way. She felt more than healthy now. She felt fantastic,
recharged, almost like a superhero! Wonderbat! 'Boy, Vicky better watch out now!
I'll kick her butt!' she thought with a naughty grin.

But now came phase two of saving Dale. This might deplete her strength some, but
it couldn't be helped. She tried not to dwell upon what the others would think as
she took her wing in her mouth, found a nice fat artery, and bit into it.

She groaned at the sudden pain, but it quickly eased. She used her other wing to
gently open Dale's mouth. She held her blood in with her tongue until she had her
bite aimed directly over her Cutie's jaws. Then she let her blood flow into him.
It poured out in a little spurting stream, splashing on his tongue and sprinkling
his white muzzlefur with tiny red dots. Foxy pressed his throat to make him
swallow and gave him a second mouthful, and then a third. She watched him
carefully for signs of improvement. She could already feel the toll the
bloodletting was taking on herself, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought
it would be. She'd never given Dale this much blood before, but she only felt a
little bit weaker. The surge of Dale's blood had definitely helped keep her
strength up for this.

Dale's twitching had slowly eased, and had now stopped entirely. Foxy listened as
his heartbeat and breathing stabilized. She felt a wonderful warmth of hope. Dale
was getting better right before her eyes! She was saving his life!

Foxy put her mouth over her wingwound, cutting off the bloodflow, then covered it
with her thumbclaw to let it close up. She had noticed before that her body now
followed her mind's orders much better since she and Dale had started sharing
blood. She felt her bloodflow to the wound stop almost immediately, and she
watched the scab starting to form right away.

Foxglove scooped Dale up in her wings, leaning his head back onto her soft chest
ruff. She lovingly ran her wingtips through his fur. She whispered softly in his
ear, words of encouragement and her boundless love. "Come on, sweetiekins, you
can do it. You're a strong vampire, just like me. Believe in your blood. Let it
fix you up all better. I'm inside you, my love. Can you feel my blood in your
heart? I'm helping you fight off all that yucky stuff. We'll do it together, my
red-nosed romeo. You're going to get better. you're going to be just fine."

Foxglove had no idea how long this would take. But she could see how strenuous
the process was on Dale's body. She could almost see the battle going on inside
him. She pictured little red blood cells shaped like her and Dale, fighting
against nasty drops of venom with Victoria's face. She imagined the Dale and Foxy
cells popping the Vicky venom like balloons and then hugging each other in
celebration. Her imagination had definitely benefitted from being around Dale!

It seemed like Dale should have woken up by now. But since she'd never done
anything like this before, she really had no idea how it would work. Dale might
be out for another day, or even a week. Yet Foxy nonetheless clung to the belief
that any moment now his eyes would pop open and he'd be as good as new. She
started to worry if it was working at all, but quickly scolded herself. "No more
worrying, Foxglove! Dale's gonna be allright!" She then leaned over and kissed
him, sending love vibrations through him with all her heart.

And then suddenly, incredibly, he was kissing back!

She felt his lips move in sync with hers, felt him reach around to hug her, felt
him giving love vibrations back to her with all of HIS heart!

A tear ran down Foxy's face. It had worked! It had worked! Dale was okay! She had
saved him! Dale was alive!!!

And then they were looking into each others' beautiful eyes, seeing all the way
to each other's souls to all the love held there. "Oh Dale, Darling! Are you
okay?" asked Foxy, almost not believing that she was really in his strong, furry
arms.

Dale grinned. "If I pretend I'm not, will you give me another kiss like that?"

"Oh Dale!"

Simultaneously, they pounced on one another, kissing, hugging, cuddling and
laughing so much they thought they'd never stop. It was if they were alone in the
whole universe; only the two of them and their love surrounding them like warm
sunlight on a sandy beach. Pink and red cartoon hearts popped like popcorn all
around them and rainbow fireworks exploded joyfully, filling the air with
gorgeous color. There was nothing in the world but love and happiness,
togetherness, joy, trust, understanding and laughter. Foxy was alive. Dale was
alive. And they were both alive together. They felt like they'd lived a lifetime
in that one moment; that one wonderful kiss.


"Hmph!"


And suddenly the moment was gone, shattered by one tiny sound.

The sound had been an annoyed grunt, an expression of anger at Dale and
Foxglove's continued existence. Foxy's ears both swiveled around. Foxy didn't
know how she'd heard such a tiny sound amidst all the other noises in the
warehouse and outside, but she knew perfectly well to whom it belonged.
Instantly, her entire attention was focused on one tiny, shadowed spot all the
way across the warehouse. She focused on that point with all her echolocation
skill and 'saw' with her ears exactly who she most wanted to have a little chat
with at that moment.

Foxglove turned back to Dale and gave him a quick peck on the nose. "Sweetie,
there aren't words to express how glad I am that you're okay, but right now I
have something very important to do," she told him, her tone letting him know
just how reluctant she was to leave his side.

"Whuzzat, Foxycakes?" Dale asked as he reached up to lovingly rustle her rusty-
orange headfur.

Foxy giggled. "I'm going to go whale the tar out of Victoria!" she said with a
gleefulness that surprised even her. She was not normally a violent bat. Heck,
she was usually downright timid. But right now she knew that the time had come to
teach Vicky a little lesson about what happens when you try to hurt cute red-
nosed chipmunks. And knowing that her beloved goofball was okay, Foxy's heart
couldn't have felt any happier. She knew she could go after Victoria now with no
danger at all of hate clouding her heart.

"Right on, Foxy!" Dale responded enthusiastically. "I'll be right at your side
and we'll clobber her good!"

Foxglove put a wingtip to his lips. "No no no, Sweetie. Victoria put a lot of
poison in you, and until Dr. Foxglove is sure you're in tip-top condition, you're
to stay right here and rest. The other Rescue Rangers are right here and they'll
take care of you."

Dale playfully nibbled her wingtip. "Aw, okay. I really wanted to hang a good
beatin' on her, but I'm sure you'll do just as good a job. You go let her know
that no one tries to snuff my Beautybat without gettin' whomped!"

She chuckled and kissed his forehead. She stood up, a part of her never wanting
to end their hug, and gave his headfur a tussle. "Don't worry, Cutie. When I get
done with her, she'll look like an inkstain!"

Dale cheered her on. "Yeah! Go get 'er Foxy! Knock that hourglass right off her
butt!"

She giggled again, blew him a kiss, and took off.



	* * *


PART NINE


Victoria was absolutely furious. She had plotted her deathtrap perfectly! She had
left nothing to chance! She knew she hadn't left behind a single clue when she'd
abducted her victims, certainly nothing that would let the Rangers deduce her
location. How had they found her? How dare they meddle in her affairs?! She knew
her cause was just, and yet somehow, impossibly, both her targets had survived!
It couldn't be! She had SEEN Foxglove's battered body. Had FELT the venom ooze
from her fangs into Dale's throat. She was a little miffed about having to kill
them in the wrong order, but she had at least known for certain that her crusade
was at an end; they were both dead. Yet now they were waving their aliveness
right in her face! Kissing and hugging in open, flaunting defiance of both her,
and logic as well! It made the black widow angry enough that she wished for hair
just so she could tear it out in frustration.

She looked again and saw Dale sitting there alone, looking up at something.

It took Victoria a few seconds to realize that Foxglove was diving straight at
her like a cruise missile.

Evil as she was, Victoria was not stupid. The look of pure grinning vengeance on
Foxglove's face told her it was time to run and hide. The spideress skittered
away as fast as her eight legs could carry her.

She was on a high shelf lined with dozens of boxes filled with office papers.
There was just enough room behind them for someone of her size to slip behind.
She ran several feet away and ducked into the deep shadow cast behind one of the
boxes.

Foxglove saw Victoria vanish from sight, but was undeterred. She smiled to
herself. She was truly looking forward to squashing Victoria like the bug she
was. Dale was right. Vicky wasn't worth hating. Hate clouded the mind and muddied
one's judgement. Foxy felt filled with happiness now. She was going to beat the
snot out of Victoria and have fun doing it! She was going to prove once and for
all, to herself as well as Victoria, that Foxglove Fairmont wasn't going to be a
helpless, frightened victim any longer!

Just because the spider was hidden from sight did not mean she was hidden from
sound as well. Foxglove hovered along the length of the shelf, peeking through
the spaces between each of the large brown cardboard boxes, all the time using
her ears like two big fuzzy radar dishes. She posed an artful demonstration of
why bats are the greatest insect predators in the world. Soon, she'd picked up on
the sound of Victoria's breathing. Foxy silently fluttered in close, squeezed in
between the boxes and made a sudden grab at her foe with her wing.

Victoria shrieked like a scared larvae and scrambled away in the other direction.

Foxglove chuckled. Now that she had a lock on Victoria's sound, there was nowhere
the black widow could hide. Foxy swished ahead and made another grab for her prey
just as she was about to leap off the shelf. Victoria escaped the bat's clutches
by a hair and instantly reversed direction. Foxglove had no trouble following
her. The batfemme played cat-and-mouse with Vicky for a minute or so, herding her
this way and that, intentionally letting her slip away until she was ready to
catch her. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Vicky!" she sang merrily.

"Don't call me Vicky!!" the spider instantly roared back.

Foxglove tossed back her head and laughed. "Vicky Vicky Vicky Vicky Vicky
Vicky!!!" she taunted, getting an angry snarl in response.

Hearing her enemy's voice helped Foxy pinpoint her just as if she had X-ray
vision straight through the box. 'Thanks, Vickykins,' she thought to herself.
Foxglove hovered silently, waiting to see if Victoria would make the next move
and trying to think of a way to flush her out. What was Victoria's weakness? Her
arrogance, her inability to accept blame, her vanity, her pride... That was it!

"Hey Vick-TORRR-ia!" Foxglove called out, intentionally over-enunciating her
name. "Quit hiding in the shadows! Why don't you come out and face me!"

No response, as Foxglove had expected.

"Are you afraid of me now, Victoria?" shouted Foxglove, a harder tone to her
voice now. "Are you scared? Are you a COWARD?!"

That was more than the black widow could take. No one, especially not that little
hussy Foxglove, called her a coward. _No_One_. She cautiously peeked out from
behind the box to get a sense of her surroundings. She looked up and saw that
there was a wooden beam directly above where foxglove was hovering. Victoria
hatched a nicely devious idea.

She skittered to the other side of the box, just loud enough to ensure Foxglove
would hear. Then Victoria turned and went back the other way, moving as silently
as she could. She looked out for a split second and could see that Foxglove was
looking just where she wanted her to.

"Come on, show yourself! Fight like a woman, you nasty ol' spider!" Foxy yelled
out at the space behind the box.

Victoria grinned as she noiselessly made her way past several boxes, then started
up the wall. She could still hear Foxglove throwing empty insults at where she'd
been. She had that dumb bat fooled perfectly. She wanted to laugh out loud, but
controlled herself, not wanting to give away her location.

The black widow scuttled along the beam until she was directly above her victim.
She began to let out a long strand of spider silk. She anchored it to the beam
and carefully measured it in her mind, making absolutely certain she wouldn't
fall short. She leered over the side of the beam. Foxglove was completely
helpless below her. The bat was still shouting at the box! It was too perfect.

Victoria grinned with utter malice. She had Foxglove right where she wanted her.
She flexed her claws, bared her deadly fangs, and leapt off the beam, diving
headfirst straight at her enemy...

...Completely unaware that Foxglove had heard her every movement, knew exactly
where she was and what her plans were, and actually had Victoria right where SHE
wanted!

Foxglove heard the wind whistle as Victoria plummeted towards her. The plucky bat
steeled her muscles and waited until the spider was mere inches from her...

Now!

Foxglove suddenly tossed herself backwards, performing a beautiful midair
somersault, kicking out with her right leg and coming up at just the right
instant to kick Victoria square in the nose.

There was a muffled splat and Victoria went flailing through the air backwards.
Foxglove regained her balance and watched as the spider came to the end of her
thread and started to swing back. Foxglove grinned and flew towards the oncoming
arachnid at top speed, meeting her halfway and headbutting her hard in the
stomach.

Foxglove put a spin on it and sent Vicky spinning as well. The spider twirled
around and around like a top at the end of her silk, completely out of control
and nauseatingly dizzy. Foxglove fluttered back and watched, laughing at her foe
whirling around to and fro like a pendulum. She had no idea a fight could be this
much fun! She finally understood why Monterey liked a good brawl so much.

Victoria's equilibrium was at zero. She couldn't tell down from up and she
couldn't stop her head from reeling. The enraged widow muttered an angry curse at
Foxglove as she tried to get ahold of her silk and stop her momentum. She finally
did, but needed a few moments more to convince her brain that she'd really
stopped moving. Okay, the ground was down there and the ceiling was up there. Now
where was that damned bat?!

"Yoo hoo!"

Victoria turned, snarling, seeing Foxglove hovering nonchalantly behind her. Foxy
grinned at the black widow and blew her a raspberry with the entire length of her
enormous chiropterid tongue.

Her calm composure lost completely, Victoria snarled like a mountain lion and
swung at the hated bat, intending to rip her throat out with her bare hands.

Rule number one when fighting a bat: land-based creatures should never engage a
bat in aerial combat. It's just a very bad idea.

Foxglove effortlessly sidestepped Victoria's attack and konked the passing spider
on the head with her wing. Not a very effective attack, but it got her point
across. Victoria came at Foxy again, with similar results, gaining her a slap
across the face. Foxglove laughed gaily. This was too easy! She was letting
Victoria's hatred act against her. The spider was concentrating so hard on how
much she hated Foxglove, her mind couldn't concentrate enough on her fighting.
For Foxglove, it was like hitting a pinata without a blindfold.

But enough games for now. It was time to let Victoria know how much Foxy was
displeased with her and Dale's treatment at the many hands of her adversary. She
remembered going to the movies with Dale and seeing The Matrix, and noticing how
similar the slow-time fighting was to how she looked in flight. Foxy pictured
herself decked out like Trinity: black trenchcoat flapping behind her like a
cape, shiny black boots, black spandex jumpsuit and a pair of wicked silver
shades. The batfemme grinned toothily and nosedived Victoria, almost able to hear
the ultra-cool techno soundtrack playing over the fight.

Foxglove made a nice midair 180 degree spin, catching Victoria across the face
with a flying kick. She dipped underneath the spider and clutched several of her
spindly legs in her footclaws, then diving and turning in the air, she twisted
the spider's limbs until Vicky shouted in pain. The bat zipped back up again to
smack the spider across the back of her head, making her teeth clack shut and
bite her own tongue.

Foxglove was in the zone. She had never fought like this before and she hoped she
would never have to again. Her fierceness almost frightened her. She thought
about showing some mercy, but then her mind flashed back on the image of her
lovermunk lying on the concrete floor, staring at nothing, twitching and dying.
Foxy growled. Victoria needed to be shown no mercy. She needed to learn that her
mad, murderous schemes would be tolerated not a moment longer, and that she and
Dale were real people, and real consequences came from trying to hurt them.

Distracted by her thoughts for a split second, Victoria was able to reach out and
give Foxy's wing a hard yank, making the batfemme falter and nearly fall out of
the sky. Luckily, they were quite a ways up, and Foxy had ample time to regain
the air under her wings. She shot back up, grabbed one of Victoria's legs, and
roughly flipped her, sending her tumbling end over end. Foxy swung back around
and landed a well-placed roundhouse kick right on Vicky's red hourglass. Again,
she let the spider's momentum carry her back into her range, then clamped her
nemesis' head in her footclaws, giving it a crushing squeeze. Victoria shrieked
in pain and Foxglove swatted her again to shut her up.

Finally, Foxglove felt she'd done all she could to Victoria, physically. Now came
the finale. Now it was time to get at Victoria through her *mind*.

Foxglove swooped up and hung upside down on Victoria's silk strand so they were
face to face, so close they could feel each other's breath. "Hi, Vicky," Foxy
snarled.

Sickeningly dizzy and in terrible pain, Victoria could barely respond. "You...
You... I'll get you, foxglove! Next year!"

Foxglove grinned evilly. "Oh, there won't BE a next year, Victoria! Not for you
at least! Do you know *why* Dale and I survived your little traps?"

"Because you're the most persistently annoying brats I've ever met!" the spider
spat back.

"Oh, it's not just that! Why do you think your venom didn't kill Dale, hmm? What
do you think i was doing when I was leaning over him?" Foxy let Victoria think
about it for a second before saying "I was sharing my blood with him, Victoria.
Do you know why?"

Foxglove leaned in closer, her eyes showing pure fire. She whispered, almost
hissing "Because we are vampires!!"

Victoria drew back in horror. "No! You can't be!" she shrieked. Foxglove had
gotten lucky. In addition to the spider's brain not working quite right from
getting tossed and spun around so much, Victoria's only irrational fear, one
she'd had since childhood, was of vampires.

Foxglove opened her mouth, giving Victoria a good look at her razor-sharp fangs.
"Oh but we are! And you should know you can't kill a vampire without a stake
through the heart. If you'd tried that, you might have won, But your little
battrap wouldn't have harmed Dale or I in the slightest! We could have floated in
those aquariums for days until we found a way out!" she said, her voice bragging,
enjoying this chance to act out the part of the monstrous vampire from dozens of
cheesy horror flicks.

And it was working, too! She could clearly see the fear in Victoria's eyes.
Foxglove turned herself around so that she hung behind Victoria. "Do you know
what happens when one is bitten by a vampire? A bloodthirsty member of the
undead?" she crooned in a mockery of victoria's own silky, chilling tone.

The spider was too afraid to reply, but she feared she already knew the answer.
She trembled all over as Foxglove traced a wingtip lightly up and down her neck.

Foxy had to keep herself from giggling. She was really hamming it up and Victoria
believed every word! "You become one of us, Victoria! And I can even choose what
_kind_ of vampire to turn you into! I could make you into a living, decaying
corpse. Shunned by daylight! Unable to ever sate your hunger for the blood of the
living! All with one little bite..."

She could feel Victoria shivering in sheer terror. Time for the denouement!

Foxy opened her mouth wide, letting the widow feel the heat of her breath,
letting a single drop of drool fall on Victoria's neck. She oh so delicately
touched the very tips of her fangs to the spider's throat, and felt Victoria
stiffen like a board in response. "Just one little bite..." she whispered softly,
almost tenderly.

"A BITE JUST LIKE THIS!" And with that, Foxglove plunged her teeth into her
nemesis' flesh, easily breaking through her exoskeleton to taste the soft meat
inside.

Victoria screamed and screamed and screamed.

Seeing that her foe was completely paralyzed by fear, Foxglove swiftly took the
opportunity to yank as hard as she could on the thread holding the two of them
up. Of course, it was too tough to snap, but it did come loose from the beam,
exactly as Foxy had planned. She grabbed Victoria's shoulders with her footclaws
as the two of them plummeted straight down to the concrete floor. Victoria was
completely mindless from fear. Foxglove winced at her loud, piercing screams.

At the last second, Foxglove clutched her prey tighter, spread her wings, and
stopped their descent. She dropped Victoria to the floor and immediately picked
up the fine silk strand. Foxy ran in circles around the still-screaming spider,
tying her up like a christmas present. Foxglove was thorough in her work, making
sure not a single one of Victoria's arms or legs was the slightest bit loose.
Foxy came to the end of the strand and looped it back under itself, then tying a
strong triple knot in it and mentally giving a great big thanks to Gadget for
teaching her how to use her wingtips like fingers to do delicate work. Like knot-
tying for instance.

Foxy admired her work. Victoria was beaten, humiliated, scared witless and
trussed up like a fishing lure! And she knew Vicky had brought it all on herself.
Foxy chuckled, noticing that even the black widow's own silk had been used to
fully foil her!

Foxglove took a moment to step back and fully realize her accomplishment. She had
survived Victoria's heartless deathtrap, reunited with her lost family, saved her
darlingmunk's life, and had completely triumphed over her adversary. She smiled
proudly. For the first time, she really, truly felt like a Rescue Ranger.

Victoria came to her senses and looked around. She noticed she was on the ground
first, then realized she was tied up. She struggled angrily, but uselessly,
against her bonds. She looked up to see Foxglove laughing. She was *laughing*! At
her!! Victoria clenched her teeth and felt her rage coursing through her like a
white-hot flame. She looked straight at Foxglove and called her a very bad word.

Foxy wasn't fazed a bit. She 'tsk tsk'ed. "Now, that wasn't very nice, Victoria!"

The spider responded with several more very bad words.

Foxglove acted shocked. "Oh Vicky! I'm *scandalized*! Don't you know if you keep
using language like that, Santa Claus won't bring you anything for Christmas?"
Foxglove tossed back her head and laughed happily. Victoria couldn't hurt her
anymore, ever!

Victoria glared daggers at the bat. She opened her mouth to say something truly
vicious. "Listen you-"

Foxglove cut her off suddenly by snapping the spider's mouth closed with her
thumbclaw. She leaned over to look straight in her enemy's eye. "No, Victoria,
it's time for *YOU* to listen. You are evil, understand? You are wrong about me
killing Lou and you always have been. You've been just awful to me and Dale and
you've never had any reason for it!" Foxy said forcefully, her heart thumping
proudly at finally changing from feeling powerless, to feeling powerful. "I only
hope you learn one very simple lesson from this."

"And what might that be?" Vicky asked sarcastically when Foxy took her wing away.

Foxglove grinned devilishly. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Victoria's head
and shouted right in her face "DON'T YOU NEVER MESS WITH MY MAN!!!"

She then calmly shoved a wad of webbing in Vicky's mouth, which shut her up
nicely.

Ignoring the rude spider's protests, Foxglove tipped Vicky onto her side and
began rolling her out of the room. She giggled freely, knowing it was bad to
derive such enjoyment from humiliating her helpless foe, but unable to help
herself. Besides, Victoria's whole problem was in taking herself too seriously.
She needed to be taken down a notch or so for her own good.

The triumphant chiropterid pushed her prisoner around like a beachball until she
noticed the sound of the other Rangers talking. They were just around the next
pyramid of crates.

Uh oh. She'd forgotten about that.

She'd performed her blood ritual with Dale and had fluttered off without even
looking back to see how they'd taken it. She didn't know at all what to expect.
She wondered what they might have done to Dale! But no, she had to stop thinking
like that. She scolded herself again. She wasn't going to think that way and
worry all the time anymore. She knew the Rangers loved her and they'd listen to
her and accept her. Foxglove took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, held her
head up high, and lightly kicked Victoria around the corner, following her as
bravely as the little bat could.

She tried to prepare herself for anything, but what she was least prepared for
was what she got. Cheering. The other Rangers, with Dale out in front, cried out
upon seeing Foxglove, congratulating her for vanquishing her foe. When they saw
how Victoria was tied up and rolling along like a cheese wheel, all of them burst
out laughing. Foxy felt her smile spread as big as it could get. She reveled in
the praise and felt ten feet tall.

Victoria, meanwhile, was so completely outraged, she could only gnash her teeth
and seethe silently. She would not give this ridiculous situation the dignity of
acknowledging it.

Foxy gave the spider-ball a light soccer kick, sending her rolling over to the
Rangers and flopping over onto her head. They all had a good chuckle at that
(excluding Vicky, of course). Foxglove walked proudly up to them, politely tipped
Victoria rightside-up, and received a great big hug from Dale. "Good job,
Sweetiepie!" he told her.

"Thanks, Dale! It was easy, it really was! I just kept my spirits up and wouldn't
let Vicky get me angry at her!"

"Gosh, I wish I coulda helped you," Dale said, "but I sprained my elbow and..."
Dale stopped, looking suddenly confused. He grabbed his left arm and felt all up
and down it. "Well, I *had* sprained my elbow! Gee, you did a REALLY good job
fixin' me up, batty-o-mine!"

Foxy looked Dale's arm over too. If he hadn't said anything, she would never have
known there had been a thing wrong with it at all. It appeared she wasn't the
only one to experience a miraculous healing tonight. "Wow, that's neat, Cutie! I
don't even remember helping you with that. Maybe your own vampire's blood helped
fix it."

At that, Dale suddenly got that naughty-puppy-dog look that meant he was about to
apologize for something he'd done wrong. "Um, Foxy, I..."

"What is it, Brighteyes?" she asked, unworried.

Dale smiled at the pet name, but then looked sheepish again. "I kinda hadta tell
the guys our secret."

Foxglove couldn't hold back a gasp. "Oh no!"

Dale gave her a reassuring look. "Well, they pretty much figured it out on their
own after seeing you do that neat blood thing with me. By the way Foxy, that was
really smart! Thanks for saving me!" he gave her a quick, crushing hug and a
swift passionate smooch. "I just filled in the details for 'em."

So they knew. All of them. They finally knew her darkest secret. Would they still
accept her as part of the team? Would they be scared of her and Dale? Would she
lose their trust? Foxy brushed the worries away from her mind and looked up into
the Ranger's faces, and realized she didn't see any of that there. It looked like
their attitudes toward her hadn't changed at all. 'Could they have accepted me so
soon?' she wondered, the idea so incredible she didn't even dare hope to believe
it was true.

Monterey reached deep into his coat pocket, fiddled around a bit, and suddenly
tossed something at Foxglove. "Here, Foxy-luv, catch!"

Confused, Foxy caught it out of the air with her wings and looked down to see
what it was. It was a small golden cross with a little loop on the top. Probably
taken from a human necklace. She looked up, obviously perplexed.

Monty grinned. "Well, it don't seem to affect her any, I guess she's okay!" He
let out a deep belly laugh and the others joined in.

Foxy stood speechless. Her mouth hung open. They were laughing! No, not just
that, they were joking! They actually accepted her vampirism enough to be able to
joke about it! They weren't terrified, they weren't angry, they weren't
distrustful... They were laughing!!!

Dale gave her a peck on the cheek. "I know, they are taking it rather well,
aren't they?"

Foxy turned to him, her mouth still gaping, her eyes now filling with tears of
absolute joy. She threw herself at Dale, hugging him ferociously. She didn't
think she could have felt greater happiness tonight, but she was wrong. Her
deepest secret was finally out in the open, and no one minded a bit. "Dale! It's
so wonderful! Everything's okay now!"

Tammy came up to them, smiling. "We were a bit freaked out at first, when you did
that blood-swapping thing with Dale, but after you left, he told us all about
what you two are really like. Heck, I think it's cool! I'm best friends with real
live vampires!"

Foxy chuckled. "Really?" She looked to all of the rangers at once. "So, you're
really not scared of me and Dale at all?" she asked in happy amazement.

Zipper flitted over and landed on Tammy's shoulder. "Well, we were, a little, at
first," he admitted. "But when Dale started telling us about your condition, it
didn't take much convincing for us to see that all those vampire myths were just
silly superstition."

"And we've already seen proof that ghosts exist," Gadget added, remembering their
encounter with Monterey Jack's ancestor, Sir Colby. "And they can be as nice as
anyone! So why not vampires too?"

Monty came over and gave Dale a hearty pat on the back. "Besides, Dale here is
about as *un*threatenin' a vampire as you can get! Kinda hard to be scared of a
bloodsuckin' fiend in a Hawaiian shirt and a red nose!" he joked. Dale blushed a
bit and the others chuckled.

Foxy looked to all her friends. "Thanks, guys. Thank you all so much! I'm so
happy you all accept me! I've been so worried for so long and now I know for sure
you won't cast us out."

Monterey put a big Aussie paw around her shoulders. "Foxy-luv, we'd never do that
to ya, no matter what ya was," he said kindly. "You're a Rescue Ranger! You're
like family! We stick together and we help each other out, no matter what. And if
you ever need any help, any assurance or comfort or whatever, we'll all be here
for you and Dale too. Just bein' a vampire don't change the fact that you're one
'a the nicest, most kindhearted li'l bats in the whole world!"

Foxy felt such happiness and such relief in that moment. She never had to worry
again. Never had to feel ashamed of her condition again. Never had to hide her
vampirism from them ever again. Never was a beautiful word. She had her friends
and teammates to lean on whenever she needed. She couldn't help crying. She
squeaked in happiness and gave Monty a big two-wing hug.

Soon, all the Rangers had gathered around, joining in a great big gooshy group
hug. Foxy cried and laughed and hugged and couldn't imagine having more wonderful
friends than these. And she suddenly realized that the feeling she'd searched
for, the feeling of being loved by her Mom and Dad, she was feeling it again
right now. In a different form, yes, but it was the same feeling. She was with
her family. And they loved her.

Crisscross was so big he could only get his muzzle and one paw into the hug, but
it worked out okay anyway. He gave both Dale and Foxglove a slurp with his latex-
polymer tongue. "So, Foxy, I'm curious about something," he said.

"What's that, Chris?"

"If human vampires can turn into bats, can you turn into a human?" the foxbot
asked with a goofy grin.

Foxy and Dale both burst out laughing. "Yuck! Why would I want to!" said Foxy.
"Humans are too tall, their ears are too little, they can't fly and they smell
funny!" That brought out a good guffaw from everyone.

"Hear hear!" Chris said. "I much prefer being an android, and a fox as well!"

Chris' quip set off a barrage of silly questions from the Rangers to their
vampiric comrades.

"So, if you're a vampire bat," Tammy asked Foxglove, "then why don't you have one
of those neat noseleaf thingies? Didja get a nosejob?"

Zipper snickered. "And where do you two keep your coffins?"

Gadget grinned. "If you don't have any, I'm sure I could make you some! A matched
pair! His 'n hers!"

"And how in the world did you get your hands on some Transylvanian soil anyway?"
Chris asked.

"And why aren't you decked out in tuxes and capes?" Zipper added.

Monty scowled theatrically. "Ya know, I don't think they really ARE vampires!
Neither of 'em sounds a bloomin' bit like that Bela Lugosi feller!"

Dale and Foxy were leaning on each other, barely able to stand from laughing so
hard. Dale gave his sweetiebat a squeeze. "Gee Foxy, this is fun! We should
reveal ourselves as a different weird creature every week now!"

Foxy giggled like mad. "Okay, Cute stuff. Know where there's any werewolves
around here that can bite us?"

Gadget sniggered behind her paws. "Gosh, I wonder what'll happen when Chip finds
out?"

And, as if on cue, the door swung open and there stood Chip, along with someone
else who was completely covered up in a donut wrapper.

"Speak of the devil!" Monty remarked.


	* * *


PART TEN


For a moment, Chip was overcome with a wave of unreality. He actually stumbled
back a few steps. His dream had become real before his very eyes.  This _was_ the
place. Exactly!! It was stunning to see such vivid proof that his vision had
really been just that. Every detail was precisely as he'd seen it. From the Pepsi
machine to the red-bordered crate labels.

Well, not exactly the same. In his dream he'd seen Dale and Foxglove trapped in
overflowing aquariums. He could see there was a lot of water everywhere, and a
big smashed water tank, but no aquariums. (Had Chip been aware that the aquariums
were currently *under* the big smashed water tank, he might have gone into a
panic, fearing the worst had befallen his teammates.)

Chip looked the place over from a detective's standpoint, trying to piece
together what he'd missed. The warehouse was an absolute mess of course,
indicating that _something_ must have taken place here, but all the other Rangers
were together, laughing happily, Dale and Foxy obviously weren't in any mortal
peril, and when he saw Victoria in her helpless condition, Chip knew for sure
that the situation was well under control. He breathed a sigh of relief and waved
to the guys. "Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late, but I had a little business to attend
to. Hope I didn't miss out on too much of the action!"

Chip walked over to the others, leading his mystery companion along with a tug on
the donut wrapper that covered them. While the others were all glad to see him,
they were also equally curious as to who or what in the world could be under that
wrapper. Who had Chip rushed off to find? And why were they covered up from head
to foot?

Tammy rushed up to snuggle against her main 'munk. "Hiya Chipper, Sweetie, Honey,
Lovemuffin!" she greeted enthusiastically.

Chip blushed just a bit and ran his fingers through her pretty red hair. He gave
her a gentle kiss. "Good to see you too, Tammy." He was much less overt with his
affection than her, but you could see in his eyes how much he cared for and
adored the little squirrlette.

"So, I'm sure everyone's wondering, whatcha got in the bag?" asked Tammy bluntly.

ShowingTtammy a knowing grin, Chip gestured to Dale and Foxglove. "I assume
Victoria tried to kill you two again tonight?"

Foxy and Dale hugged each other and they both nodded. "It was awful!" Foxglove
said. "She tried to drown us, and wanted me to watch Dale die before she killed
me too!"

Chip nodded grimly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm so sorry, guys. I really wish I
could have helped out. I'm glad to see though that you've already got her under
control," he said, jerking his thumb at the bound widow.

"That's okay, Chip," Gadget said. "We were kinda late too, but we managed to
thwart Victoria anyway. Achally, Foxy's the real hero here. She'd the one who
went after Vicky and tied her up."

Chip had just enough time to give Foxglove a glance of impressed congratulations,
before Victoria suddenly bellowed at the top o her lungs "DON'T CALL ME VICKY!!!"

Chip arched an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked down at her callously, as
one would look at something icky stuck to the sidewalk. "Oh really? How are you
planning to keep us from calling you 'Vicky' as much as we want, Vicky? For
someone who has no respect at all for the right of my friends to live and be
happy, you sure have a lot of gall expecting us to give a tenth of a darn what we
call you!!" Victoria glared hatefully back at Chip. The others were all a bit
surprised by the sheer contempt in Chip's voice.

"Why should I respect any of you?" Victoria responded icily. "You miserable,
heartless creatures killed my true love! How come no one cares about that? Am I
doomed to suffer the loss of my dear Lou forever, never having any restitution or
revenge?!?"

Chip grinned at her smugly. "Vicky, there's someone I think you should meet."

Before she could protest, Chip pulled the wrapper off of the person he'd taken so
many preparations and so much time to bring to this moment. The Rangers gasped.
Victoria's words stuck in her throat and her eyes went blank.

Standing right in front of her, all four hands on his hips, was Lou.

"I trust you two have met before?" Chip tossed off smartly.

Victoria could not, would not, refused to believe her eyes. It couldn't be! It
was *impossible*!!! She struggled to speak. "... He's... That's... It's a trick!"

"No tricks, Victoria," Lou said, cocking his little black derby and tapping one
of his four yellow shoes in anger. "Chip told me all about you on the way over. I
was kinda miffed when he hadda chlora'form me, but when he woke me up and told me
about all the mean stuff you've been doin' to Foxglove and her boyfriend, I got
so mad! I always knew you were a rotten apple, Vicky. I shoulda never gotten in
with you, nosiree. But you was always actin' so bossy, tellin' me what to do alla
time. I admit, I did useta love you some. But now you make me wish I'd never met
you at all!"

Victoria's mind was spinning worse than when Foxglove had kicked her in the head.
This could not be happening. Lou could not still be alive because Foxglove had
killed him and Foxglove deserved to die because of that. There was no possible
way in Victoria's mind that she could be wrong. This _could_not_ be happening!
This was not Lou standing in front of her! "You are not my Lou!! Lou is dead! SHE
killed him!" she screeched, glaring *icicles* at Foxglove.

Foxy took a step back. The sheer malice in that glare made her gulp.

Lou grabbed Victoria's chin in one fingerless-gloved hand, forcing her to look in
his eyes. "Don't tell me I'm not who I am! You know I'm Lou!" And to prove it, he
leaned over and whispered some things into her ear. Some _extremely_ personal
things that it was impossible for anyone else but him to know.

Victoria somehow blushed and paled at the same time. "No... But how... I know
you're dead, Lou! You had to be dead, because when those stinking mammals got rid
of that Winnifred woman, you never came home to me. You couldn't have left me!"

Lou sneered in her face. "Well, I did. And you'd better get used to the idea 'cuz
I ain't ever comin' back! You're a domineerin', loudmouthed, fussy, self-absorbed
old meanie. I don't love you anymore and I don't know why I ever did! I musta
been stoopid, or the biggest jellyfish inna world, to ever think you loved me."

The tarantula pointed a finger right in her face. "Vicky, you may hate me but it
ain't no lie-"

"Baby, Bye Bye Bye!" Tammy suddenly sang out.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at her.

Realizing her little slip, Tammy instantly clapped her hands over her mouth. She
was blushing as red as her hair. "Sorry, but I've had that darn song stuck in my
head for a month now!"

Victoria didn't even register Tammy's musical outburst. She just stared at Lou.
Eyes wide, mouth open dumbly, unable to say a word. No no no. This could not be.
Her whole world was coming apart at the seams. She could not let herself accept
what Lou and her own eyes were telling her. For the past two years, all she had
lived on was revenge. Foxglove had taken her lover away and it was only right
that she take Foxglove's lover away too, and her as well. It was only fair.
Victoria *knew* this was real and true. They had killed Lou: they deserved to
die.

But if Lou was still alive... That must have meant he had never died. Foxglove
had never killed him. And that meant... No, it wasn't possible that Foxglove
truly didn't deserve all she'd done to her! Victoria's entire world was based
firmly on the fact that she was always right. About everything, but especially
about this.

And now, seeing Lou *right* in *front* of her, her carefully crafted revenge was
falling to ashes. Her whole world was shattering. She couldn't let that happen.
She had to keep the pieces together. Foxglove deserved to die for killing Lou.
But Lou was still alive. But Foxglove deserved to die for killing him, but Lou
was still alive, but Foxglove deserved to die, but Lou was alive but Foxglove
deserved to die but lou was alive but foxglove...

It was a paradox that Victoria could not resolve. She could not accept that she
was wrong. Her brain simply could not handle it. Her mind centered fully on those
two looping thoughts, and ceased all other functions except for the most basic
life-sustaining ones. Within a few seconds, Victoria had driven herself
completely, catatonically, utterly insane.

Lou noticed Victoria had stopped moving. "Uh, Vicky?" He waved his hands in front
of her eyes. "You okay? Heloooo! Say somethin'!!" He turned to Chip, "I think the
shock was too much for her!"

Chip examined the sphinx-like spider as well, and realized Lou was right. He
slapped Victoria's cheeks a couple times, snapped his fingers and even poked at
her open, staring eyeballs. But Victoria didn't budge.

The other rangers clustered 'round and gave the task at hand a try as well.
Victoria was still breathing, her heart still beat, and she blinked every thirty
seconds or so. Other than that though, none of them could raise the slightest
sign of consciousness from her. Not even when Foxglove squealed "Wake up, VICKY!"
in her most annoying tone as loud as she could.

The black widow had left the building. Given the choice between being wrong and
going mad, Victoria had gone mad.

"Ding dong, the witch is dead," Crisscross said dryly.

Lou shook his head sadly. "Guess so. Can't say I'll miss her much tho'," he said,
thinking about what their love could have been like if only she wasn't a
homicidal maniac.

Lou turned to look over at the Rangers, feeling a wince of remorse at remembering
all he'd done to them that fateful night in the laundromat. Seeing Zipper again
gave the tarantula an extra pang of guilt. He rubbed the back of his head
ashamedly. "Um, geez, I guess I should apologize to alla ya. I mean, I'm sorry
about bein' a jerk that day when you guys came to save Foxy and show Freddie a
thing or two. I shoulda never hooked up with her anyway. Bud was one'a them bad
infloon'ces on me. Vicky too. So, sorry about that. Especially to you, Mr. Fly,"
he said, addressing Zipper. "I shouldna tried to eat you like that, nosiree."

It was hard not to feel sorry for Lou, and all the Rangers, including Zipper,
made it clear to him that he was forgiven and that they had no hard feelings.

Foxglove came up to Lou and gave him an awkward little smile. It was a strange
feeling, reuniting with someone she'd once been partners in crime with. "So, um,
Lou... What have you been doing since you left Freddie?"

"Tapdancing, mostly. And ya know, Foxglove, I wondered the same thing about you
more'n a coupla times. I always hoped you'd fall in with some good guys like the
Rescue rangers. You were always the nice one."

Foxy smiled at hearing that. "We should catch up on old times, Lou," she said,
giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Speaking of catching up," Dale said excitedly, "Chip, you'll never believe what
me 'n Foxy just told everyone else!"

Tammy burst out laughing. "Or what Crisscross had to put up his butt!!!"

The foxbot groaned.

Everyone laughed, except for Chip, who wondered what in the world they were
talking about.



	* * *


EPILOGUE


Bernie Withers, the young white-furred pyromaniac squirrel, fidgeted nervously on
the bench in the lunchroom of the Cleckley Hill Asylum. He cast a glance over his
shoulder at the cute little black-furred squirrelgirl who always sat at table
five and who ate her carrot sticks in the absolute cutest way. His voice trembled
"I- I don't know if I can do this."

His companion, a boisterous, free-spirited piebald rat named Ratdale D.
MacMurphy, put an arm around his shoulders. The fabric of their grey-blue mental
home uniforms rubbed together with an unpleasant scratchy sound. "What's the big
deal?" Ratdale said breezily. "You like the girl, you think she's cute-" He snuck
a quick glance at the squirrel in question. "-which she is, so the logical thing
to do is just go over there and talk to her!"

Bernie fidgeted some more. He'd hardly touched his chipped gunk on toast. "But I
don't know what to say and I don't wanna look bad in front of her," he said
pessimistically, hanging his head.

Ratdale lifted his chin up. "Listen kid, do you remember what you were like
before I got here? What *most* of you nuts were like? Always sulking around,
never having fun, it was boring as heck! I felt it was my duty to shove some life
up this place's wazoo. And I _thought_ I'd had some success with you, Bernie-my-
boy. You hardly talked at all when we first met! You were like a squirrel sized
hunk 'a marble! I coulda ran a hose through ya and made you into a park fountain,
fer cryin' out loud!"

Bernie had to admit that was true. Ratdale's buoyant presence had worked some
miracles here, despite the staff's continued annoyance at the rat's indominable
rebelliousness. Ratdale had given bernie's confidence in himself a big boost.

MacMurphy clapped Bernie on the shoulder a little too hard. "Where's your spunk,
man? Where's your moxie? I swear, you've been moonin' over that gal long enough,
if you don't get up and talk to her, I'm gonna haveta slug you in the guts for
your own good!"

Strengthened by Ratdale's confidence, and his threat of bodily injury, Bernie was
just about to leave when the rat pulled him close again. MacMurphy pointed right
in his face and whispered conspiratorially, as if imparting a great lost wisdom.
"And keep this in mind, chief, you're both in the nut house. It's not like she
has any reason at all to look down on you."

Bernie digested this. It was quite true. Ratdale slapped him a few times on the
back. "Now go get 'em, sport!"

Bernie felt a confident smile come over his face. He stood up, gripped his tray,
and determinedly walked across the room to her.

The little black squirrel looked up. "Hi!"

Bernie very nearly passed out.

Ratdale clapped a paw over his eyes. "Kid's doomed."

The squirrelgirl patted the seat next to her. "Have a seat," she said brightly.
"Your name's... Bernie, right? I think we've been in group therapy a few times,
even though I've never heard you say a thing," she said with a light giggle.

She knew his name, she remembered something about him and she was *giggling*!
This was promising! Bernie smiled, trying to look confident and failing, but in a
cute way. "Uh, yeah. My name's Bernie. Withers. Bernie Withers, I mean. What's
your name?"

She smiled at him. "Rachel. Rakowski. Rachel Rakowski, I mean," she said, mocking
him, but in a cute way.

Bernie blushed and grinned and nearly put his elbow in his mashed potatoes. "Nice
name, Rachel." He tried to think of something else to say. "So, um, why are you
in here?" Ouch, dumb question!

She smiled coyly. "You tell me first."

Bernie had to bite his lip and take a deep breath. He so hoped this wouldn't turn
her off. "Um... I'm a... Pyromaniac," he admitted quietly.

"Oh good, we're both maniacs then!" she responded cheerfully.

"Come again?"

"You're a pyromaniac and I'm a kleptomaniac," she explained. "That means I steal
stuff, if you didn't know. I honestly don't mean to, but it's unconscious! I do
it without thinking! My therapist has been trying to help me realize it when I do
snatch stuff, but it's not going very well, I'm afraid. I have eight of her pens
in my room already!" She suddenly looked down into her shirt pocket. She pulled
out a mahogany-colored ball-point. "Oh shoot! Another one!"

Bernie chuckled. He liked her even more now! He really enjoyed her open and
easygoing manner. "Well, at least it's not as dangerous as being obsessed with
fire," he said with a sigh. He wanted her to know he could be open and honest
too.

She smiled at him, as if she knew something about him he didn't. "Oh, I don't
think you're dangerous at all, Bernie Withers. I think you're shy. And that's
good because I like shy guys; they're cute!"

He couldn't believe it! "Really?"

"Sure do," she said softly. She reached under the table and gently rested her
hand atop his. They both smiled. "By the way, here's your spoon back."

She handed him a dull metal spoon and it took him a few seconds to realize it had
come from his own tray. He hadn't even noticed her take it, and she probably
hadn't either, he realized.

Just then, the lunchroom doors swung open and two burly orderlies burst in,
pulling a gurney between them. On the gurney, a black widow spider lay, her eyes
wide and staring, but obviously seeing nothing. She was strapped down, but that
seemed rather unnecessary. Her entire body was unmoving, except for her lips,
which seemed to be saying the same soundless words over and over and over.
Something about her, some dark vibration, sent a chill through everyone in the
lunchroom. The orderlies wheeled her through the other set of doors in the back,
probably taking her to get checked in and diagnosed, or to be medicated. Or
something worse. The asylum's residents all wondered who the new patient was, and
what could possibly have put her in a state like that.

Ratdale D. MacMurphy stood up and said loudly "Did you see that?! I swear, some
of the people in here are *crazy* or somethin'!!"


The End


For now...

**********************************************************************


		CREDITS

(As credits roll, The Ramones' "Pet Sematary" plays loudly)


First and foremost, this story is dedicated wholeheartedly to the lovely and
talented Miss Deborah Walley. A wonderful, shining woman who gave her beautiful,
beautiful, beautiful voice to a little pink bat who we all love so much (as well
as a very naughty blond mousette!). Deborah's passing saddened me greatly, and
I'm nearly in tears again as I write this now. I wish I could have known her as
well as some of you other Rangerphiles had. And I wish she could have seen all
the get well pictures we made. But I like to believe that she _can_ see them.
That maybe she can even read this story from wherever she is now, and see how
much I and so many others love Foxglove, and love her for bringing Foxy to us. I
have always believed in heaven. I know that a kind, smiling woman like Miss
Walley, who embodied all the best parts of Foxy, is in a better place than this.
And maybe there she knows how much we miss her.

Goodbye, Miss Walley. And thank you so very much.




Okay, now onto the disclaimers and legal kaka: Chip, Dale, Gadget, Monty, Zipper,
Foxy, Tammy, Lou, Winnifred, Bud and even Sewer Al are all copyright the great,
all-powerful, fire-spewing, Eisner-faced demon known as Di$ney. Victoria and
Marie Sunslope are both copyright the exquisitely eloquent fanfic genius Matthew
Plotecher. Foxy's Mom and Dad are copyright whoever had the idea for them first.
Probably Manchild. Crisscross, bernie, Ratdale and Rachel are all copyright ME,
but you can use 'em if you wanna. I'm certainly not making any _MONEY_ off them.
Snarl, curse, growl.

                   *VOICE TALENT*

	Foxglove Fairmont---------------Deborah Walley
	Dale Oakmont----------------------Corey Burton
	Victoria---------------------------Alice Krige (the Borg Queen)
	Chip Maplewood-----------------Tress MacNeille
	Gadget Hackwrench--------------Tress MacNeille
	Monterey Jack Colby---------------Jim Cummings
	Zipper Musca-----------------Quentin Tarantino
	Tammy Chestnut--------------------Noelle North
	Crisscross Flaversham--------Matthew Broderick
	Sewer Al----------------------James Earl Jones
	Foxglove's Mom----------------Gillian Anderson
	Foxglove's Dad------------------David Duchovny
	Lou--------------------------------Pete Schrum
	Bernie Withers-------------------Charlie Adler
	Rachel Rakowski------------Christine Cavanaugh
	Ratdale D. Macmurphy------------Jack Nicholson
	Marie Sunslope------------------Susan Sarandon


MUSIC: "Runnin' Down A Dream" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Wouldn't It Be
Nice" by The Beach Boys, "Don't Wanna Close My Eyes" by Aerosmith, "Walking After
You" by Foo Fighters, "Bye Bye Bye" bye *Nsync, "Pet Sematary" by The Ramones,
"Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz, and "Moonlight Sonata" by good ol' Ludwig Van.
Soundtrack written and performed by Mark Snow.


Howlin', Flamin' heaps o' author thanks go out to Mister Matt Plotecher for
letting me use his characters and screw up his continuity as I saw fit (and for
later help in editing this thang), and also to lesser-known-but-still-great
fanfic genius Justin Reese, who helped me a lot with my ideas for this, as well
as came up with the idea for Cobwebs' sequel, which will be out for perusal as
soon as he gets off his lazy tuchus and finishes writing it. You heard me! Write
faster, slave! BWAH-HA-HAAAA!!!


Watch for my newest fanfic, coming out soon, wherein Gadget comes across a letter
that she has carried around all her life and just happens to have never read,
which reveals that her true mother is actually...

CARTMAN'S MOM!!!

No, I'm kidding. I swear to God I am. That would be disgusting.


Crisscross would like to say that he wishes Gadget was a vampire too, so he could
relish the feeling of her lying in his fur, dressed in a little Vampirella
outfit, biting into his throat with cute little mousey fangs and draining the
very living motor oil from him.

CRISSCROSS: Hey, a fox can dream, can't he?


Christine Cavanaugh, voice of Chucky, Babe & Oblina (and here, Rachel Rakowski)
once cameoed on an episode of The X-Files, where she played a woman who'd given
birth to a dog-tailed baby and was impregnated by a man posing as Luke Skywalker.
Now see how everything comes full circle?


This is Mixmaster Morgan Kornelius, wishing you all peace, love, and
souuuuuuuuul! If you liked this thing, or have many questions, I'd love to hear
from ya at alex_reynard@hotmail.com. If you *didn't* like the story, please stick
your head in a barrel of shhhhhaving cream. ;D


**********************************************************************


Early the next morning, Solly Rumplemeyer; the owner of a small, fairly slow
moving waterside shipping warehouse, trudged up the docks in his Dickies to start
the place up for another fun-filled day of him and the other employees; Al, Dick
and Tom, sitting around playing poker while the inventory rotted.

He noticed a tiny note taped to the front door. "Sorry about the mess" it said
simply.

Solly opened the door, and bellowed like a brahma bull being run over by a
steamroller...