It was another day at X Middle School. Fillmore rushed to school on his skateboard and made it just in time. He walked into the Safety Patrol Headquarters and put on his sash.

"Fillmore! Where's Third?" Vallejo walked up to him.

Fillmore gave him a confused look.

"She told me yesterday that she had to get to school early to finish that Biology project, hasn't she arrived yet?" He asked.

"See for yourself." Vallejo pointed to the sash hooks.

Ingrid's sash was still hanging there.

"Huh, weird, maybe she got here later than she intended and went straight to Biology?" Fillmore suggested.

"Maybe. Well I hope she gets here soon we can't have half a good team at school today." Vallejo took a sip of cocoa, looking worried.

"What's the worry?" Fillmore asked.

"I dunno...it's just that things have been quiet lately and I've got this bad feeling that something big's about to happen." Vallejo glanced around warily.

"Relax, today will most likely be as boring as usual." Fillmore smirked, about to leave. "I'll go head for Ingrid's Biology class and look for her there, be right back."

"Right." Vallejo nodded.

Fillmore casually walked through the halls, even after the bell rang. One advantage of being on the Safety Patrol is that officers are allowed to roam the halls even during class times. It wasn't long until Fillmore reached Ingrid's class. Since class already started he knocked on the door instead of barging in. The teacher opened the door.

"Ah, Fillmore, do you have a message explaining Third's tardiness?" The teacher asked.

Fillmore now started to feel worried.

"You mean she hasn't arrived?" He asked.

"No...isn't she at home or at Headquarters?"

"I don't know about home, but she isn't at Headquarters. Excuse me."

Fillmore rushed for the nearest school telephone. Luckily all the adults were inside classrooms or other kinds of rooms so he didn't get scolded for running. He picked up the phone and dialed Ingrid's home number. There was no answer, Ingrid's sister and dad were probably at school and work respectively. Of course no one answering meant that Ingrid wasn't at home either. Now Fillmore really got worried.

He headed back to Headquarters, were Vallejo approached him again. Vallejo froze upon seeing Fillmore's worried expression.

"Ingrid isn't in class or at home." Fillmore explained.

"Oh great." Vallejo facepalmed; he then chugged down a few gulps of cocoa.

"Maybe your bad feeling is correct after all." Fillmore looked at Ingrid's sash worriedly.

Time passed, still no sign of Ingrid. Fillmore just fiddled with a pencil at his desk. He did plan to search the campus and nearby town during lunch though. Luckily he got a new platinum pass recently, this time a permanent one, so he wouldn't have to worry about being arrested for 'playing hookey'.

Everyone else at headquarters noticed how worried Fillmore was and they didn't blame him. After all Ingrid was much more than his partner, she was his best friend. Vallejo walked up to Fillmore again, this time in a more friendly manner.

"Hey Fillmore." Vallejo forced a comforting smile; he too was very worried. "Here, I got you a cup of cocoa."

Fillmore accepted the cup, but didn't drink the cocoa. Instead he stared at a picture of Ingrid on his computer. Vallejo sighed.

"I know you're worried about Ingrid but moping around here isn't going to help." He said.

"I know, I'm planning to search the school and town during lunch." Fillmore didn't look up. "And I'm not just worried, I think...I think I miss her too."

"I'm not surprised, you two have always been close."

Vallejo then left, he knew that he couldn't say anything more to help.

To Fillmore's surprised, he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off, not wanting anyone to notice. He was also surprised by how much he missed Ingrid. Yes they were best friends as well as partners, but he didn't expect to miss her so much that his chest would hurt. He put a hand over his chest as if he hoped that it would lessen the pain and found out something: the pain was where his heart is. He then realized that it wasn't his chest that was hurting, it was his heart that was hurting. He couldn't figure it out, he never heard of a friendship that had been so strong that being away from the friend for a short time would cause a heart to ache. He took another look at Ingrid's photo and realized how beautiful she is. Her raven hair, her marble skin, her... He froze. Seeing her as beautiful, an aching heart...oh god!

"Aw dog!" He cried in his head. "I've fallen in love with her!"

He freaked out on the inside. How could he fall in love with his best friend? This could ruin both their friendship and partnership! And he didn't want to think about how Vallejo would react if he should find out...

Suddenly, the intercom crackled. Everyone looked up, expecting either a new crime report by Folsom or a report on the discovery of Ingrid.

"Students and faculty of X Middle School!" A deep, wheezing voice said through the intercom. "You are all being corrupted! School is nothing more than a plot to deny our freedom and individuality! I am here to save you by blowing up X Middle School! The bomb will go off at three P.M., meaning you all have plenty of time to grab your stuff and escape into town! But don't bother to try to look for me or the bomb, because if you do then this one student I kidnapped early this morning will die. I am referring to Safety Patroller Ingrid Third!"

Fillmore paled and accidentally flicked the pencil he was still fiddling with high into the air. It landed on O'Farrell's head, but he was too busy paying attention to the intercom to notice.

"It is your choice Safety Patrol, either save the school or save Third."

The intercom then turned off. All of the Safety Patrol was quiet.

"W-what should we do?" O'Farrell said nervously.

"I'm not sure..." Vallejo hesitated. "However, the school can be replaced but Third can't, so I vote looking for her. The thing is, I don't know if Folsom will agree or not."

"I don't care whether she does or not I'm going to find Ingrid." Fillmore frowned, instantly standing up.

Vallejo smiled at him approvingly. Normally he would be on Folsom's side just because he doesn't want to lose his position or anything, but this time he sided with Fillmore.

The intercom buzzed this time.

"Vallejo and Fillmore, meet me in my office now!" Folsom's voice ordered over the intercom.

Without a word, Vallejo and Fillmore left for Folsom's office.

When they got there they saw Folsom pacing worriedly. They had visited her in her office so many times before that they just automatically sat on the couch opposite the door.

"What a calamity...losing the school I've worked hard at for years or losing a student..." Folsom muttered.

There was an awkward pause.

"So...uh...what're our orders?" Vallejo rubbed the back of his head.

Folsom took a deep breath.

"Okay, as much as I'd hate to see the school blown up there is the fact that it can be rebuilt...though it would take millions of dollars to do so..."

Fillmore looked annoyed up to the point of seeming ticked off.

"But aside from that...if we let Ms. Third get killed the school board will fire me for letting a student be harmed." Folsom finished. "So your orders are to find Third. Raycliff and I will work on getting everyone else to remove all the important items from the building before we all make our final escape."

"I would've worked at finding Ingrid anyway!" Fillmore glared.

Folsom and Raycliff stared at him. Vallejo facepalmed quietly.

"Yes, well..." Obviously Folsom wasn't used to students bluntly disregarding her orders like that. "Get on the case!"

Vallejo rushed out of the office, but Fillmore just quietly walked out. Folsom and Raycliff stared after him, then Folsom went to her desk and rested her head in her hands.

"I need an aspirin." She groaned

Vallejo, who was waiting for Fillmore in the hall, frowned at him.

"You have to be careful talking to Folsom like that!" He scolded. "You could've gotten detention or worse!"

Fillmore's expression softened a little. He realized that he was letting his feelings for Ingrid control his actions. Time to fight that.

"Sorry Vallejo, I don't know what came over me." He lied.

Vallejo's expression softened this time.

"You love her don't you?" He guessed knowingly.

Fillmore's blood ran cold.

"Wha-! How-did...uh no, no I don't." Fillmore stammered, lying again.

Vallejo just smiled.

"You don't need to lie to me Fillmore it's okay." He said.

Fillmore stared at him.

"What?" Fillmore didn't expect Vallejo to accept his feelings for Ingrid.

"You aren't the first guy to fall for his partner." Vallejo chuckled, before looking sad. "Besides, I know how it feels to risk losing a partner. Heck I know it twice...but that's not the point. The point is, unlike me at least you have a chance to save your partner. And you might even have a chance with her too. I've never seen a partnership as close as yours and Ingrid's before. It's even closer than...anyway, let's just concentrate on saving Ingrid before three okay?"

Vallejo comfortingly clapped a hand on Fillmore's shoulder at that and walked off. Fillmore stood there, confused, until he realized:

"Malika."