Gadget and the Chipmunks

Gadget closed the door, sighed and ran her hand through her long golden hair. She smiled to herself, shook her head and took a deep breath. She hoped she had the courage to go through with this.

Turning she faced the brave and good-hearted chipmunks who were alone in the room with her. She had sent Monty out for a left handed adjustable spanner that could open to exactly the size of Zipper's outstretched arms. So it would likely be some time before they returned, unless they ran into a fast-talking sales-mouse.

Chip looked at her expectantly, his eyes as large and cub like, shining with hope and expectation.

Dale swallowed hard, his face nervous and sweating. He looked as though at any moment he might drop to his knees and propose marriage.

Hard to say which of them would be the more disappointed by rejection.

Gadget closed her eyes a moment, thought of her dearly beloved mother, and then carefully put those memories away in a box where they couldn't mix with the ones of what she was about to do.

"Dale," she began, "I mentioned that I was feeling… hot."

Dale's jaw dropped. With his mouth still open, he nodded so hard she expected his tongue to flap.

"You brought me a fan."

Dale nodded so hard Gadget feared that if her ears were any larger she would be able to hear his brain rattle.

"Chip, you brought me a flask of liquid nitrogen."

Chip's mouth twitched into a half smile. The half Dale couldn't see because it was in profile. Chip eyeballed Dale to see if he had noticed the point.

"You took away the fan to make room for the flask." Gadget reminded him. "Not," She allowed, "that the liquid nitrogen wasn't fun to play with, and it saved the day when Nimnul developed his heat ray."

She resumed her speech. "I said I was hungry.

"Chip, you invited me out on the balcony to enjoy a romantic candle-lit fondue." Gadget said.

Chip's smile crept across to the other side of his face where Dale could see it.

Dale looked personally affronted.

With some regret, since she liked both of them, Gadget went on. "Dale, you ordered me a fifteen inch triple cheese pizza and had it delivered by a HUMAN delivery boy right to our tree house hide out."

Dale began nodding again, happily.

Gadget sighed. "Which interrupted the dinner I was having with Chip. Admittedly, I only complained I was hungry because I was on a diet, but that's beside the point."

Chip looked meaningfully at Dale, who looked contrite.

Gadget was momentarily lost in thought. "In fact, I guess you could say that us being interrupted at that point was a good thing, since I don't normally like cheese once it's stuck to someone else's fur."

She winced as a belated good intention surfaced. "By the way, did Monty bite VERY hard, Chip?"

Dale gaped then glowered at Chip. Chip flushed and almost disappeared into his bomber jacket and fedora.

"Finally, I mention, strictly as an afterthought, that my coffee could use a little more milk, if only we hadn't run out."

The chipmunks looked longingly at her.

She looked down sadly. "Dale, you brought me a thimble of milk straight form the cow. Admittedly you spilled it, but some of it got into the coffee, although I had drunk most of it by then."

She looked at Chip and smiled very gently. "Chip… you brought me the cow."

Chip and Dale both looked at her with deep love and (um, let's call it ambition), in between shooting nasty looks at each other.

Gadget sighed deeply. There was nothing else for it. No matter who got hurt she would have to go through with this and she just hoped she could live with it afterwards.

"Which brings me to the reason why I arranged to speak to both of you alone today. Chip, Dale…

"Why is it neither of you can get the simplest darn thing right??"