Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers

A Christmas to Remember: A Novel

Welcome back to the world of Chip 'n Dale and the Rescue Rangers. This tale is a sequel to the previous work "Meeting with Destiny". The story of the Rescue Rangers continues as Chip and Gadget move toward their wedding, and a case that could spell the end of Christmas for the city, if the Rangers don't move fast! Chip and Dale and the Rescue Rangers, and all other associated characters (except for ones I make up) are the property of Walt Disney Pictures, not me, and are respectfully used here for the enjoyment of all.

Prologue: A Season of Joy

November 24, 1989

Far above New York, the stars shone brightly as evening turned to dark night. All across the city, the criminal element was quiet, both in the human world, and the animal world. This night was set aside throughout the country as a time of fellowship with family and friends. All over the city, creatures great and small gathered to give thanks to their Creator for the blessings of the year. For this was Thanksgiving, the second most anticipated holiday of the year.

A certain tree in Central Park was no exception from these facts. High up among the boughs and branches, lights glowed from within the dwelling that permeated the hollow trunk. And inside, the occupants shared the warmth of friendship and family in abundance.

"Oy, Chippah! Gimme a hand with this tablecloth, will ya, mate?"

"Sure thing, Monty. What's cooking for dinner?"
"Dunno, pally. Our Gadget's been workin' in there all day, at some secret project."

Monterey Jack, a large Australian mouse, regarded his chipmunk friend sagely.

"Although, oi guess we'll be callin' 'er your Gadget, now."

Chip Maplewood grinned, thoroughly happy with the thought. As the leader of the Rescue Rangers, he was responsible for seeing that the team answered the call whenever they were needed. Now, however, he had an added responsibility, one that he didn't mind in the slightest. He was engaged to be married to the team's resident inventor, Gadget Hackwrench. A beautiful, blonde mouse, Gadget was the daughter of famous pilot Geegaw Hackwrench, and had an IQ that would have made a quantum engineer have an inferiority complex. Their last mission, the defense of the English abbey of Redwall, had brought feelings to the surface that Chip and Gadget had always realized were there, but up to that time, neither had been brave enough to admit. Things had changed a lot on that trip. Gadget now carried a ring on her finger, and seemed to be lighter of heart than she'd ever been.

"Chip? Sweetheart, can you come help me out for a minute?"

He looked back at Monty, with a dreamy expression on his face.

"I never get tired of hearing her call me that."

"You're a lucky bloke, oi hope you know that. Off with ya now, see what she needs. Oi'll finish up heah."

"Thanks."
Chip pushed open the batwings that led into Ranger HQ's kitchen. Standing over a miniature stove, long, golden hair tied in a ponytail, Gadget stirred a saucepan with one hand, while she searched the lines of a cookbook page with the other.

He quietly padded up from behind, and slipped his arms around her waist.

"Someone ring for the butler?"

The sky blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Nothing so fancy. Could you hand me the jar of basil? It's in the corner cupboard, there."

As Chip retrieved the herb, he looked back over his shoulder.

"You know, Gadge, I never knew you could cook."

"I've got a lot of unexplored talents," she said. "I guess Monty figures that what with our getting married and all, I need to practice."

"Well, your practice smells wonderful. Dale's drooling all over the TV remote."
"Oh Chip, be nice! It's not like he's watching sci-fi movies again, at least it's a football game instead."

"This is true. He has grown up a bit, hasn't he?"

"Asking out Foxglove had something to do with that, I think."

"Probably had a lot to do with it. You need anything else?"
"I think that's it. Golly, isn't it exciting? We're getting married next week, and then Christmas is on its way too…this is the best winter of my life."

"Mine too. If you'd told me last Christmas that I'd have the most beautiful wife in the state of New York by this time, I'd have never have believed it."
"Oh golly, Chip!" Gadget blushed, "I'm sure there are girls in the city that are better looking than I am!"
"I'm like a Missouri mule. Show me."

"Oh go on with you. Go on, shoo, everything'll be ready in a bit. Go watch the game with Dale and the kids."

'The kids' were the squirrels from next door, Tammy and Bink. After meeting on one of the Rangers' previous cases, they and their mother had become fast friends with the crime fighters. Tammy was now a resident at HQ, an official Rescue Ranger herself. Bink was a bouncing, happy five-year-old now, content to sit on Monterey's knee and listen to stories about his travels that the other Rangers had heard hundreds of times. It had been decided among the friends that Bink, and her mother Mrs. Hazelnut, would spend Thanksgiving with the Rangers this year.

Another guest had arrived earlier as well. The team's old friend Sparky was retiring from life as a lab rat, and had taken up their offer of being a Rescue Ranger. This expanded the team to seven, and gave them a big advantage that they had not had before, when dealing with the type of villains and cases that frequently came to their doorstep. Gadget was particularly looking forward to having Sparky's help in rebuilding the Rangerwing, which had been partially destroyed on their last mission. The wreckage sat in the hangar at the moment, awaiting the head technician's loving touch.

As Gadget became re-absorbed in her work, Chip shook his head, smiling. He knew that she would much rather be in her workshop or in the hanger, working on her inventions. But she'd wanted to do this for he and the others.

As he walked into the living room, he could hear shouts of encouragement, approval, and then dismay emanating from the couch.

"Oh come on, you could have caught that ball easy!" Tammy yelled at the television.

"Come on, run with it. Go, go!" Dale shouted, and then both he and Tammy started screaming delightedly as their team rushed to score. Bink didn't know how football worked, but she screamed along with them anyway.

Chip took a seat at the far end of the couch, watching the action impassively. While he loved football, he wasn't going to admit it in this environment.

"Hey Chipper!" Tammy said, "who're you rooting for, Packers or Redskins?"

"I'll reserve judgement."

"Huh, figures. How's dinner coming?"
"Gadget said it'd be ready in a few. Hey, where's Sparky?"
A loud, fizzling sound filled the air from Gadget's workshop, and the smell of electrical smoke drifted into the room.

"Some things never change," Chip chuckled. The lab rat stumbled through the doorway, his hair standing out in several directions.
"Oh, hiya guys. Who's winning?"
"Redskins for the moment," Tammy said. "Good thing, too, I don't want to lose my bet with Monty."

At Chip's stern gaze, she shrugged.

"Although, maybe I shouldn't try and collect that."

A short time later, all of the Rescue Rangers and friends gathered around a large table that Monty had set up in the main room. As everybody sat down, Gadget came into the room, carrying a platter of baked, glazed ham. The smell made everyone's mouth water, and Chip had to admit, it looked impressive.

"So, Gadget luv, oi take it this means you're goin' to settle down to bein' a housewife instead of a full time mechanic?" Monty asked.

She laughed.

"Not on your life! This is one day. Tomorrow it's business as usual."

She took off her apron, revealing her standard lavender coveralls underneath. Seating herself beside Chip, she passed her plate around to Mrs. Hazelnut, who was serving.

"What'd you put into this glaze, Gadget? Its great!" Dale said, biting into a ham slice. She gave everyone a sly look.

"Monty should be able to tell you."
"CHUUEEEEEEZZZZE," Monterey exclaimed, his mustache pointing straight outward. Gadget burst out laughing.

"I melted some Brie into the recipe. I thought it might spice things up a bit."

Such talk continued for the next hour, as the friends enjoyed their meal and the holiday in each other's company.

Elsewhere in the city, not all of the criminal element was quiet. A sinister shape cast it's shadow over an alley wall. Looking out into Rockefeller Center, Fat Cat and his minions waited eagerly, as a truck there ground to a halt.

"There it is, boys. The largest Christmas tree in the country, to be set up right here in Rockefeller. That is, it was going to be set up here. And this is just the beginning. Are the others in position?"
"Yah, Fat Cat," Wart said in his slippery, reptilian voice. "Crews are ready to empty the tills at Duncan's Toy Chest and McClaren's Toy Store."

"Excellent. This should definitely prove a Christmas to remember…as the Christmas that wasn't!"