Chapter 9-2

"I love you Foxglove," Dale told the winged bat who had stolen his heart, his eyes meeting hers since she had come back from the explosion.

"Oh Dale…that is all I have ever wanted to hear!" Foxglove gushed as she pulled him into an embrace and flew up a foot before descending. Giving him a sweet kiss she let out a laugh as she danced about.

"Well…glad something good came out of this mess," Monterey noted as he sat on the couch watching the two. Since the Explosion happened a little while ago, a few days at best, the two were like glue, no pulling them apart lest you get stuck yourself. However Monterey knew it was time to move on and what he hadn't told his pals was he and Zipper had started a small Private business of their own, though no need to tell them now, they were already hurting as it was.

"What ever happened to Ray and his team?" Dale inquired as he managed to catch a breath as Foxglove let him up for air.

"Oh, well, Ray felt really bad for what happened, what with the situation, and his words to him changed him. So in the end he decided to turn over a new leaf, so he changed the name from Danger Squad to Rescue Squad, an extended branch of the Rescue Rangers. They will work with us on the big cases while working those cases that we can't do. No more Danger for them, as Jonsie is still recovering from the near fatal explosion we both were in."

"How did you survive that again?" Monterey asked sitting forward. Zipper, now out of a body cast added his own cents to it.

"Well, just as the explosion occurred Jonsie released me from the claw and zipping forth I managed to pull him from his seat just as the explosion happened. Any slower and we both would've been caught in the full blast."

"I'm just glad you're alive," Dale smiled as he gave her a hug.

"Thank you Dale, by the way, where is Gadget?" Foxglove inquired, though her friends seemed almost reluctant to say.

Monterey heaved a sigh and pushing out his gut he sighed. "Gadget has holed herself up in the workshop, though when she is not there she is at the sight where he was lost."

"I should probably go check on her…I'll be back soon." She gave Dale a long kiss before flying out the door. A part of her felt guilty that she and Dale could be happy while Gadget had lost the one who meant the world to her. On the flight back to the headquarters Gadget had remained silent, her eyes always looking back until the explosion had been quelled by the pumping water from the firefighter's hoses.

The flight gave her a lot of time to think, about her past and how she had came to be here. Coasting over the canopy of trees she found Gadget standing way below, her mind working frantically and her mouth was moving, she figured from usual fast talk most couldn't follow. Flapping her wings she landed a few feet behind her, so as to not startle her. Of course Gadget knew she was there, her back hardly tensing and there seemed to be a calmness radiating off her that made her tilt her head in curiosity and concern.

"Hi Foxglove," Gadget's voice was smooth and as she turned her eyes were round and excited. "I am glad you came, I got some great news."

"Gadget…you shouldn't be here, it is not healthy." Foxglove feared the worst for her friend; which was she had lost it.

"What is and what isn't healthy remains to be determined, what has been determined is the survival of the chipmunk who stole my heart. And until I can tell him this, I will not rest-."

"Gadget, he is gone, you need to move on. Thinking that he could've possible survived the radius of that explosion; it will only make things worse. Your friends are worried about you, they say you hole yourself up in your workshop or come here for hours. It is time-."

"No, it is not time to let him go!" Gadget yelled as she turned around, her blue eyes bright and determined. She had been turned away after listening to Foxglove, but now she had it. Everyone was so concerned about her healthy and mentality, but the evidence she found did not lie. She was a gal of science, of invention, what lay before her was clues.

"Gadget you're losing it, you need help. If any of your friends were here you would say a few words and they would believe you, but, I'm not going to let this slide. I can see the hurt in their eyes; read from their body language that they aren't entirely there. You being here just makes them hopeful that the inevitable did not occur."

Gadget walked away from Foxglove and kneeling down she stayed there for a bit. She didn't care what Foxglove did or said, she knew what she had found and the evidence was painting her a different picture of what went down.

Foxglove grinded her teeth and making her way over decided to wrap her wings around her. "I am taking you back Gadget, do not struggle, I do not wish to use force."

Gadget stood up suddenly and the wings released her as soon as they got hold of her. However Gadget did not raise her voice or retaliate in any shape or form, rather she took on a voice of an educator berating their student for not noticing the obvious. "Foxglove, what did you see that day when you pulled me from the machine?"

"What does that have to do with anything?' Foxglove asked, though the look she got from Gadget made her heave a sigh. "Well, I heard Chip tell Dale he was in charge and not to screw up, then after dropping you off with your friends and making sure the Danger Squad was ready to leave I noted how Chip just stood there. Then-."

Gadget wore a smirk and held up a finger, her face animated as she spoke with her usual hyperness. "Yes, and then someone or something pushed or pulled Chip from the explosion. It was only a few seconds; just enough to get Chip out of the explosion range and what was left behind…was this."

Foxglove raised a brow and then saw Gadget step aside to reveal a burnt jacket on the ground. "So, this just proves after his body was burnt-."

"Don't you think I would've found some evidence by now? I have been over this scene countless times, and have yet to come up with anything. However…to work on the theory of someone else being here I pulled up this."

Foxglove followed her up the machine to where Chip had been standing, and then she saw a broken claw from a vehicle. "Wait, this can't be the same one you placed on the Danger Squad-."

"Nope, it isn't, which means someone else was here and got a hold of Chip. Chip is alive Foxglove…and he is out there somewhere, in need of our help. How would you feel about becoming part of the team?"

Authors note: Well I hope you enjoyed. This ending in no part plays into the previous ending I wrote; as it entails an alternate storyline that will branch into a sequel in the works. Still original endings sometimes fall flat or just aren't accepted by many. Should you come to accept the first ending no need to bother with this ending, however those interested in a sequel and having Chip still alive, yes I said that, then tune in for the sequel which is called-

CHIP'S GAMBLE

Thanks for reading.