AN:Hello and welcome to my 20th story entry on Whoo-hoo! Now the first few paragraphs are pretty much identical to my story bit Seeking Solace, so if you know all of it by heart scroll down a bit to where Minnie first speaks as that is where I take a different turn than in the one shot drabble. This is my first multi chapter fic in a while but I've been on a roll lately so I've been writing as much as I can and this story, as well as its completely alternate take (which already has its own sequels in mind) is begging to be written. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Alfonzo T. Gato. Everyone else mentioned is owned by Disney.

Mickey was actually surprised to find Minnie come knocking on his doorstep. He was surprised because he hadn't seen her in a while since she was always so busy with her Bowtique. He had tried calling her for dates every other day at first, but then it became obvious that she was just too busy since she never returned his calls. Well, that is to say she did return one of his calls, but again it was basically her saying she was simply too busy trying to get the bow business off the ground and attempt to get into high society. So, Mickey gave up, he didn't even visit her at the shop in person because he didn't want to be a bother since she was SO busy.

In a small sense, they mutually put each other on the back burner, as Mickey decided to become preoccupied with plenty of adventures to go around, he did return home every so often, but eventually his adventuring came to an abrupt stop after coming home only to find that the tabloids were going bonkers over Minnie. More specifically over the supposed separation of the two mice since there were pictures of Minnie with a handsome cat billionaire in just about every gossip paper posted in Mouston. According to Police Chief O'Hara, it was so shocking to the tabloids that it almost hit local news, but thankfully the police put a stop to it since it really wasn't anyone's business.

Even Mickey knew better than to jump to conclusions. He had recalled on his last conversation with Minnie, and remembered that she was trying to get the bow business into high society. Well there it was standing next to her in all the pictures the paparazzi managed to get without getting caught. Minnie was a business woman now, so naturally she'd be looking for business allies and associates, and apparently she found one in Alfonzo T. Gato, which was the name of said handsome cat billionaire.

Mickey didn't mind. Truly he didn't, as she's done this sort of thing before the last time the two of them had mutually lost interest in each other back in the fifties. At the time they were both dating someone else, Mickey was dating a girl named Ingrid and Minnie was dating some international movie star. Both mice were actually dumped in those relationships. For Mickey, Ingrid was suddenly getting married to some other guy and for Minnie, her movie star boyfriend had to go shoot a movie overseas and probably would never come by Mouston again, but at least he said he'd enjoyed his time with her while it lasted and he politely said goodbye. Mickey and Minnie then accidentally met up at a malt shop (remember this was the fifties) and got back together again of course.

However, this situation was far different from that one in the distant past, and not just because Mickey wasn't "being seen with anyone," but... just because it was business as usual, and the tabloids were having a field day coming up with their own conclusions. Keep in mind that Mickey was being forced to keep tabs on the tabloids because every time he went down to the station to see if there was a case he could work on, there would be officers who actually read the gossip papers for amusement on their breaks and would fill him in. Anyway, the pictures of the two were only there because they were extremely casual business meetings. Alfonzo was crossing the line of professionalism, since these meetings really did look like they were going on dates, hence why there was so much buzz about it. That, and whoever was writing the articles had clearly followed Alfonzo's every move probably since the day he was born, as at least half of them went on in some kind of excitement about how Alfonzo had finally found "The One" and that the "Public" was anxiously waiting for the proposal.

Normally this would upset Mickey enough to have a huge fit of jealousy, a fit that would lead him to finding out where the feline lived and punch his lights out, not caring that he'd get sued for all he was worth. However, he wasn't upset, and he was uncharacteristically not even feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy. Of course it was probably because he was the only one who noticed that in every single picture that was discreetly taken of Minnie and Alfonzo, Minnie's smile wasn't genuine. It was a cheerleader smile through and through, but only Mickey noticed it. He knew what a real smile from her looked like, he should anyway, since he's known her for far longer than Alfonzo has, and time was all Mickey needed to be one step ahead of the cat.

The main problem with it all is that the tabloids wouldn't stay off of the subject and this went on for about two months until we come to where we are today. In which Mickey was still stunned stupid when he opened his door to find Minnie there on his doorstep. She was in a simple yet formal looking summery yellow dress, but more importantly she had tears in her eyes. Then she suddenly flung herself into his arms as she cried his name and sobbed into his shoulder. It took a great deal of Mickey's willpower to not act on instinct and ask if Alfonzo had done something to upset her. He knew he couldn't jump to conclusions like that, not right now, as it was too delicate of a situation. He had to act natural, like he didn't know anything about her business affairs. He'd only touch the subject if she did, as he embraced her with one arm and casually flipped through the calendar on the wall to his right with the other, shutting the door with his foot while he was at it.

"Let's see...Our anniversary of our very first date was back in May and I made sure ya got yer chocolates an' flowers, whether or not you accepted them is yer business, it ain't an important holiday, and it ain't yer birthday nor mine. Yet yer wearin' an awful formal lookin' dress that makes me feel like I should be in a tuxedo right now, even though I know we haven't made any plans, 'cause we haven't talked in a long time." The girl in his arms sobbed louder into his shoulder as she hugged him tighter, clearly sorry for putting him on hold for so long. However, he could tell her sobs held a deeper meaning behind them otherwise, why else would she be here?

"I know...and I'm sorry...for not...keeping in touch...and I'm sorry this is so sudden...but I...I have a really big favor to ask…" She said finally, sounding desperate through her sniffles and sobs. Unfortunately she wailed into his chest even louder upon just thinking about what she needed to ask him.

"Shh, shh, shh," he tried calming her. "Ya can ask anything of me ya want, Min, ya know that. I won't mind whatever it is." He then started to rock her from side to side in his arms. Then a loud, unladylike sniffle emitted from her before she spoke.

"Oh, I just know you'll mind plenty, since it has something to do with…him!" More sobs wracked from her, as she sounded like she was confessing a great sin of hers, which in a broad sense, wasn't too far from the truth.

"Him, huh? This wouldn't happen ta have anything ta do with that cat fella with the jingle bell around his neck would it?" He asked jokingly, trying to play it off coolly so she wouldn't be as upset anymore, and to show that he wasn't really jealous and held no hard feelings (after all, there was no point in hiding that he knew since she has this favor to ask).

Well, she didn't catch that last part in his tone as she was more focused on the fact that he knew about the Alfonzo in the first place. She sobbed even louder, clearly ashamed to even admit it. She had never felt so much guilt before, and it was hard enough to bear behind Mickey's back, but since he just revealed that he knew about it anyway she felt even worse if that was possible.

"Now, now, I only know 'bout him 'cause the guys down at the station who actually read the tabloids update me on 'em whether I wanna hear it or not. And quite frankly I'd rather not, but I do know yer doin' yer best ta play 'im fer a fool, 'cause in every picture the paparazzi got of ya, they only got pictures of ya smilin' a cheerleader smile. An' I'm the only one who's noticed since I know what a real smile from ya looks like." He explained, then he pulled back to make her look into his eyes and see that he was smiling gently, as he brushed away a few tears with his fingertips. "I'm not mad at ya, Minnie. Not by a long shot. They were just business meetings, an' he's been crossing the line of professionalism, right?" She was shocked that he wasn't upset with her over all this, she hadn't treated him this terribly since she fake dated Mortimer Rodawn (spelled Rodent but pronounced Rodawn), but she nodded eagerly all the same because Mickey was 100 percent correct. "See? Nothin' much ta worry about."

"There's still that…favor I need to ask you…" She replied hesitantly, looking away from him then. The favor was the only thing they had to worry about.

"I'm gonna guess it involves me needing to be in a tux right now so…" He trailed off as he gently pulled away entirely and took her hands, and led her to the couch. "You relax here, an' I'll go get ready 'k?" He slowly let go of her hands, and went into the kitchen to quickly get her a glass of water and a box of tissues, for good measure, and set them on the coffee table in front of her before quickly dashing upstairs to go and change into a tuxedo.

Ten minutes later, Mickey came back down in a simple tux, featuring black pants and an overcoat, dress shoes and a white shirt of course. He almost put spats on but decided against it for the sake of not wanting to be too formal and too old fashioned, and it was also why he nixed the tails on the overcoat. He also nixed the tie for the same reason but had it in his overcoat pocket just in case Minnie told him he'd look better with one. "Feeling better, Min?" He asked gently, taking her hands into his as he stiffly sat down on the couch next to her, he was trying not to wrinkle the suit too much. She hesitated on giving any kind of answer because she had forgotten how handsome he looked in a tux, and to be frank - he cleaned up quite nicely. Finally she regained her senses and nodded solemnly.

"A little, but I still know you're not going to like the favor I have to ask you."

"Has that ever stopped ya before?" He asked her incredulously. This hesitance on a favor coming from the woman who has quite literally made him shop until he dropped whenever she goes on a shopping spree with Daisy, and he and Donald are stuck carrying all the bought items for their respective girlfriends. "Ya've made me do plenty o' things I didn't like or wanna do, but I still did it, just for you dear. Even if I don't like it, I'll still do it fer ya." He said softly, wiping away any new tears that threatened to fall.

She smiled at him for being such a big sweetheart. She realized then, just how much she missed him, so she kissed him. It caught him by surprise of course since he honestly wasn't expecting a kiss from her so soon, but he relaxed into it. After several seconds she pulled away, but not without nipping his bottom lip, which naturally made Mickey squeak in surprise.

"Thanks Mickey, you're the best." She said softly, resting her forehead against his.

"Aw, any time, Min." He replied modestly. Then he couldn't help but chuckle and tease her a little about that sudden kiss. "Missed me that much, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him before she spoke, feeling much better now and even her tears had stopped. "Of course I've missed you. I regret putting us on hold more than anything. Alfonzo hasn't really put much effort into the business side of our meetings, I was hoping he'd invest some amount of money by now but so far, nothing." She sighed exasperatedly. "Tonight's meeting is going to be the last straw if he still doesn't invest, but at the same time I'm worried about something else he might do…"

"Yer worried that he'll propose ta ya." Mickey quipped in understanding. Minnie pulled back a little and looked at him in shock so he continued with a brief explanation. "The gossip papers wouldn't shut up about that as a possibility. At least twenty of 'em thought you were'the one' since he's apparently never acted like this before. What is his occupation anyway? I've been curious since he's only been listed as a billionaire."

"He's actually a perfumist." She answered simply with a small giggle, curious as to how he'd react. Mickey had to stifle his snickers by turning his head away from her.

"An' ya were tryin' to use 'im ta help supply fragrances fer a line of scented bows weren't ya?" He finally asked her when he managed to calm down. With her tongue in cheek, she nodded. "Is he really stationed in France too?"

"Mickey~" She lightly growled. "It's not funny."

"O' course it is. He hit one of yer weak points, Min. I know ya love Paris, France. An' if he speaks French too, then ya could easily tell 'im off in that language and no one else would know if ya were swearing or not. Though they'd probably take a few good guesses if ya yelled at 'im." Mickey chuckled, picturing it now. Then he remembered what she was here for. "Now about that favor…"

She hesitated because it was suddenly brought up again, but now that she knew Mickey still had his usual sense of humor after all this time and didn't seem to hold anything against her, this favor she had to ask didn't seem all that bad anymore. "Well…I was hoping you could be my bodyguard for tonight. Alfonzo is having this meeting at his mansion, but I was so nervous about it that I asked if I could bring a friend, and thankfully he agreed."

"An' he thought ya were implyin' Daisy since it is just a business meeting gone casual as usual…" Mickey added.

"Exactly…So do you mind?" She asked hopefully. Using the full extent of her charms by looking at him and fluttering her eyelashes cutely. Mickey chuckled because she didn't need to since he had already agreed by getting dressed in a tuxedo.

"O'course I don't mind, Min. Now, do ya mean bodyguard as in a simple escort ta make sure he keeps his paws offa ya, or bodyguard as in an escort with a hidden gun?" He asked cheekily.

"A gun would be too sloppy Mickey, better to take your pocket knife, just in case. Though I highly doubt anything too bad would happen. So far so good Alfonzo hasn't really made any threatening sounding jokes or remarks that would make me worry really." She replied quite easily with a chuckle, she then noticed how mortified Mickey looked and couldn't help but giggle.

"I was only joking about the gun, Minnie! What, have ya been studying the art of murder or somethin'?" He said quickly, though the panic was crystal clear in his voice.

"I know about the missing person's cases, Mickey." She said finally in quite a serious sounding tone, and that's despite the humor from a heartbeat ago. It was enough to stop Mickey from panicking about her motives and made him panic about something else. "Chief O' Hara came in to say hello the other day, and he also couldn't help but warn me about the entire department's suspicions about Alfonzo." She looked at him wondering if he'd confirm anything. She knew he would, it was thirty people gone missing after last being seen working with Alfonzo at some point. And unfortunately most of them were women.

"As far as I ever knew those cases were just rumors, an' the Chief was more concerned than I was about all this, only 'cause I know ya can handle yerself. He even wanted me ta ask ya how close yer relationship with Alfonzo was when the tabloids wouldn't get offa you fer a subject. O'course I didn't do it since it ain't any of my business nor anyone else's." Mickey explained solemnly. Minnie gave him a quick peck on the cheek at how sweet he was regarding her affairs. It sent pleasurable shivers down his spine, since it had been so long since they last saw each other, his body had to readjust to her loving actions.

"Thank you for being so considerate." She quipped heartily.

"Anytime, toots." He replied humbly. "Were ya serious about the pocket knife?"

"Yes, actually I was. If you used a gun, the police would track the bullets to your gun easily, and the motive would be painfully obvious. But as I said the pocket knife is just in case something happens, but I still doubt anything will happen." She said plainly with a smirk.

"Yer sure ya haven't been studying the art of murder? Ya never did answer me the first time I asked." Mickey said skeptically. It had only been five months and ten days since he saw her last, and apparently it was enough time apart to make her a little more cynical in her own right.

"No, I haven't. Not officially anyway. I've just been reading a few novels lately and the main characters in them all had relatives who were murdered in one way or another, and the books happened to describe how the killers were caught." She explained with a bat of her eyelashes. Mickey shuddered in a sudden chill of fear at the innocence she easily displayed, but he knew better. She could play the role of an innocent lamb very easily as it was just in her natural nature, however, should anyone cross her the wrong way and she could be as ferocious as a hungry shark.

"Remind me not ta piss ya off…Pardon my language." Mickey remarked uneasily.

"Of course, on both accounts." She quipped, and kissed his cheek in an attempt to calm his nerves.

"Wait a minute…Minnie, what time were ya supposed ta go see 'im?" Mickey asked upon remembering the actual arrangement.

"Oh, about a half hour ago." Minnie replied nonchalantly with a small giggle. She didn't even seem to care that she was late, and Minnie was known for her organization and punctuality. "But I already told him I might be a bit late because I had a few errands to run. He seemed to buy it."

"O'course he bought it, ya can get anyone ta believe anything if ya tried…but still, a half hour? Minnie, I don't care how lenient ya think he is, if he is what the police department thinks he is, then he is gonna be one ticked off kitty. It's bad enough that he'll be peeved when he sees me anyway, but put this little cherry on top an' there's yer cocktail of ticked off jealousy." Minnie giggled at his understandable rant as she hugged him.

"If you stop worrying about it, I'll let you be as snarky as you want with him, Mickey." She fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously at him. At his quirked brow, she added a little explanation. "I actually want you to make a bad first impression on him. That way I can get rid of him faster."

"Hmm tempting… but I've got no guarantees on that, toots. I'd have ta know him better before I make any snarky remarks ta his face. Besides, me being with ya alone should be enough ta get rid of him and his no-show investments. Ya might as well call me yer trump card in that case." He smirked at the end of his statement, and kissed the backs of her hands cheekily.

"Well, thank you anyway." Minnie quipped in gratitude, still blushing at the affection he gave the backs of her hands.

"Anytime, Min. Uh, shouldn't we get going?" He asked uneasily with a glance at the clock. It was getting late.

"Right, the sooner we get this over with the better." Minnie sighed exasperatedly. Mickey stood up first and then helped her get to her feet, and then he thought of something.

"Alright, my car or your car?"

"Oh! I didn't even think of that…Um…probably best to take my car, he knows what it looks like. You can drive if you'd like." She suggested sweetly, and promptly dug into her purse and got her keys and held them out for him.

"Gladly." He quipped, holding his own hand out under hers and she dropped the keys into his hand. "So, which luxurious mansion is his?" He asked as they walked to his front door.

"The old Baits house, and yes the same one Prince Penguin lived in when he was wreaking havoc here in Mouseton." She replied with a slight roll of her eyes at the mention of Prince Penguin, as she went through the front door which he had opened for her. Mickey locked it behind him, and caught up to her, and walked beside her down the porch steps. Prince Penguin was another admirer of hers, hence her eye roll.

"Is that another, more subtle reason yer nervous about goin'?" Mickey asked cautiously. As he opened her car's passenger door for her. She kissed his cheek before she got in. His question was understandable, as Prince Penguin actually had the hots for Minnie and not just because she was a fellow antique collector.

"Hardly, I don't even remember what it looks like on the inside. Not to mention it'll look different anyway since it's not completely covered in ice." She giggled, and Mickey chuckled with her before shutting the door and walking over to the driver's side.

"Good ta hear, so let's hope all this blows over, huh?" Mickey said as he adjusted the mirrors, the seat position, and the steering wheel height to fit him better. Minnie was a couple inches shorter than he was, so it was all necessary. He liked her car, he liked it better than his own even if he didn't get to drive it often. His own car was finicky to the point that some days it was a hunk of junk and even he got frustrated with it, especially if it was the main reason he'd be late for something. It was definitely for the best that they didn't take his car because the old Baits house is up on a hill, and now that Mickey thought about it, his car probably wouldn't have been able to make that climb as it had been acting up on him again recently. He glanced at her to see her buckled in and secured his own seat belt, and then backed Minnie's car out of the driveway and headed down the road.

"I certainly hope so. I've had enough of him talking my ear off about all the different investments he's ever made and yet not a single one ever went my way." Minnie said harsher than she had meant, it sounded so harsh that she practically scoffed. Thankfully, Mickey was extremely understanding.

"Sounds like ya got a lot ta get off yer chest. Go ahead and rant, Min. I'm all ears, besides we've got some time ta kill before we get there." It was then that Minnie remembered just who she was talking to. Despite him giving her permission to complain about Alfonzo all she wanted, she couldn't bring herself to do it, as a small pang of guilt from before came back. Instead, she nestled against his side and wrapped both of her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe some other time," she sighed tiredly. "But enough about me and my problems, how've you been all this time?"

"I'm still here, so I'd say I'm doin' alright." He chuckled at his own joke, knowing she'd get at the very least suspicious if not upset. A quick glance at her told him she was indeed worried. "Of course I've been on a few adventures since the last time I saw ya, and a few of 'em nearly got me killed. I've even got a scar that goes right through me, just barely missing all of my vital organs. Aw, don't pout Minnie, I'm okay, I promise!"

"You know I don't like it whenever you risk your neck over something silly." She huffed, looking away from him and at the road ahead.

Mickey was about to lightly argue back that at the time he didn't know whether or not she even cared if he lived or died…but that was too harsh even if he said it lightheartedly, it would have been a horrible thing to say. So instead he agreed with her as his reason for getting that particular scar was a really dumb one. "I know, it was my own dumb fault anyway, I wasn't looking where I was jumping and pretty much sk-! Well, I'll spare ya the details fer now since we're gonna have dinner soon, wouldn't want ya ta think about it in the middle of eating whatever he serves us." He stopped himself from saying that he practically skewered himself, as it wouldn't have been a pretty mental image.

"I actually forgot about the dinner. I was so focused on how I was going to break ties with him that it slipped my mind." Minnie chuckled halfheartedly.

"I just hope it ain't caviar with little tiny chips ta scoop it up in. Yucka!" Mickey said as he gagged at the thought and then chuckled. Minnie giggled right along with him after muttering an 'Ew' at the thought of caviar.

"Mickey…Thanks for everything." She said quietly after a while.

"Anytime, Minnie." He replied.

"I love you." She whispered cutely.

"I love ya too, Min. Don't ever ferget that now." Mickey whispered back, softly kissing the top of her head and then returned his eyes to the road.

"Never." Minnie replied simply with a beaming smile that he couldn't see, but he didn't need to. He could hear it in her voice.

It was a start at rebuilding their relationship and so far so good, they still mixed well together like peanut butter and jelly. However, they still have a little ways to go to iron out all the kinks from their months apart from each other, as well as some new challenges to face. Will they be able to overcome it all? Stay tuned and be patient to find out.