First Date

Written by Midnight Man, 2006

Chapter 1: The Day Before

Things had changed.

Chip was sitting in the Headquarters' main room, a bit aside. His friends had taken their places on the U-shaped couch, watching TV and waiting for that day's prime time movie. And his best friend and former competitor for a certain inventor mouse was wrapped up in the wings of a certain red bat.

Things had changed since Foxglove had appeared.

Chip remembered what it was like just one month ago. He and Dale both fought for Gadget, and they were really busy fighting each other. It was impossible for either of them to make a move towards her without the other taking either a similar step or countermeasures. When Chip tried to approach her, he could be sure that Dale was in his way, and vice versa. They both tried to win the same girl's heart—and to keep each other from winning, of course. That way it was with Gadget, and that way it was for a while with Clarice before she was hired by some place in Las Vegas in '85. And Gadget seemed to enjoy this little game, though she seemed to be unaware that it was more than a game for one of them.

Now the game was over, now that another, this time chiropteran, player had joined it. While Dale still struggled for Gadget, Foxglove fluttered onto the scene, saved his life, and laid her heart into his hands. Furthermore, it took her only a few days to win his. For the first time in his life, Dale had found a girl whom he didn't have to compete for with Chip. A wonderful, fun-loving one no less. They were the perfect couple. So perfect that Foxglove tried hard to become diurnal, at least as diurnal as late-night-movie-loving Dale was. Gadget didn't mind Dale's advances missing, she even made him a hang glider, so he could be together with his beloved bat up in the air. It was obvious for not only Chip that this was more than an adventure, more than the usual game between them. For maybe the first time in his life, Dale was really and truly and deeply in love.

Chip knew that feeling too well. He himself had felt it for two years now, since the day he and Dale first met Gadget. Back then, it was something new for him. She was more than a trophy, unlike Clarice. But when he realized, around the time when his and Dale's home in the oak tree was transformed into the Rescue Rangers Headquarters, that and how much he was in love, it was already too late, and he was in the middle of the same old game with Dale as his opponent and Gadget as the prize. If he wanted or not, he had to play it, otherwise his best friend would have had it too easy to take the girl of his dreams away, just for winning the game and getting the cute female.

He didn't know for sure what Dale played for. But he knew what he himself played for. Her heart. Her mind. Her mind-bashingly high IQ. Her beauty. Her kindness. Her little quirks. Her everything from her goggles to the workshop floor she walked on. And playing against an opponent who knew him and his methods as well as Dale was tough.

One of his first moves in the game came back to his memory. He took all his courage and asked her out one day. Of course, Dale didn't let him get away that easily and joined them, soon followed by Monty and Zipper to complete the group. This was the first of a number of days and nights out for all the Rangers. Chip never tried to ask Gadget and Gadget only out again, knowing that they wouldn't be alone anyway; besides, these days and nights out led to many a case which the Rangers were only able to solve together. It was a weird coincidence that it was a Rangers' night out at the drive-in when they met Foxglove for the first time.

Staring at his fedora hat he held in his hands, Chip fast-forwarded his memory to the day before. It had been a month since the Rangers were on a night out. So he asked them as usual. But one thing was not as usual.

And that was Dale's reply.

He said he couldn't come with the Rangers. He said he already had a date with Foxy.

Dale's words made Chip realize that nothing was going to be the way it had been for two years. He was confronted with a new situation in which nobody put obstacles into his way to Gadget anymore. Now he was able to go where he couldn't have gone before.

But was he ready, too?

He who worked on cases until far beyond exhaustion, he who kept the probably most successful semi-professional group of rescuing and crime-fighting animals running, he who faced opponents that even humans would rather escape from, he whom even a death prophecy could not keep away from his work, could he do that one first step?

There had been situations when Chip tried to make such an advance, but he had never taken the possible outcome into consideration. He had never wasted a serious thought about what would happen if he really had the chance to be alone with Gadget, without Dale or anyone else disturbing them. What would happen if he finally did what he so desired to do deep in his heart, namely tell her how he felt for her. How she would react.

And most of all, how she felt for him. There was no doubt that she liked him. But did she love him? And what if not?

Or was he just thinking way too much about it?

"Chip!" Gadget's sweet voice worked on him like a wake-up call, and her blue eyes, precisely aimed at him, dragged him back into the here and now. She smiled invitingly as her left hand patted the free place between herself and Dale. "Come and sit with us, the movie will start soon!"

It was impossible to resist that smile. Chip got up, put his hat back on, and slowly walked across the room to his now five friends. Watching that movie would perhaps clear up his mind a bit.

Everyone looked at him with worried expressions on their faces as he sat down without saying a word. He could almost read from said expressions what they thought. Yes, he knew that he had been behaving strangely since the previous evening. He was fully aware that although it was his idea to go out, he was the only one not really having fun. But he was unable to turn these thoughts loose which spun around in his mind.

"Chip, what's up with you?" Now that even Dale was concerned, Chip felt even more like spoiling the overall mood.

"Oh, everything's just fine."

"C'mon, I'm your friend, you can tell me whatever it is."

He doubted he really could. "No, it's alright. But thanks for asking." Then again, whom else could he talk about it with?

Though it was entertaining for the others, the movie had no effect on Chip but reminding him of his current situation. He didn't blame it on the movie, though. He felt like he could watch four Miss Marple movies in a row, and they wouldn't have any different effect. He was hardly even interested in what happened on the screen.

Instead, when the suspense was particularly intense, he secretly gazed to the beauty sitting right of him without her noticing it. She was so close to him, he could feel her warmth, smell that trademark scent of oil. A part of him felt like holding her, kissing her tenderly, telling her that he loved her... But he couldn't. And it wasn't because she was busy watching the movie. Not only. He could also have been alone with her, with the TV turned off. And even then he would have been afraid of doing such a big step.

The movie was over. Dale accompanied his Foxglove to the door and kissed her good night before she took off to the higher branches of the tree. It wasn't much more than a makeshift dwelling-place, but it was a place for her to stay after roaming around for years, a place where nobody would chase her away. She was used to sleeping outside, and she was near her darling, so she was happy with what she had. Chip watched that heart-warming scene for a second, but when Gadget got up to go to her room, he followed her almost automatically. It was like Monty following his beloved cheese, though not entirely as ridiculous and still following the rules of physics.

When he reached the door to his and Dale's room while Gadget had to walk a bit further, he felt he had to say something.

"Gadget?"

"Yes, Chip?"

His mind formed the words, 'I love you,' but his mouth refused to say them.

"Good night."

"Good night, Chip!" She smiled and went on.

Chip entered the room, replaced his bomber jacket with a nightshirt and a matching cap, and threw his hat into a corner and himself onto his bed.

"Good night! Good night! That was all I could say? Good night?"

When he heard Dale come in, he pretended to be asleep. But even when Dale put away his comic book and switched off the light, he was still awake, trying to take at least a little nap. After all, he was still the leader of the Rescue Rangers, and he would hardly be able to lead them if he wasn't well rested.