"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm," Chef Gourmand hummed as he sliced his potatoes, "La da dee-doo, doo, dooooo! Hee hee hee hee!"

He continued to chuckle as he walked over to check on his main course: the rare, exotic red-winged black bird, who chirped nervously in his new-found prison and fluttered her flightless, baby wings-desperate for freedom and Mommy's nest! The overweight, greedy chef looked at the bird and cackled, "Hahahaha! Aw, don't worry, li'l birdy. Once I'm through with you, y'won't have a care in the world. You'll be… should I say…'Free as a bird?'"

He began to laugh maniacally, only to be interrupted by a poor, blonde-haired woman struggling and grunting on the floor; for she was tied up with rope around hand and foot, and had a mouth full of duct tape. Chef giggled a little softer as he knelt down to approach her.

"Well, ain't you in a pickle. I tried, Ms. Wilkinson, but you just wouldn't listen to reason! Shame, too," Chef then took out a wad of money and began to run his fingers through it, "I was gonna give you one heck of a tip; this's one expensive bird, ya know."

The woman's eyes went huge with rage, and then she began to struggle even more. Chef walked back over to the bird and smiled madly at it from inside its cage.

"Now how should we serve you, hmm? Fried or barbeque?"

"I'm thinkin' free and in the wild!"

"What the-"

Just then, Chris Kratt kicked down the door as above him, Martin Kratt flew in through the window (using the Kreature Power Suit's red-winged blackbird powers) and landed beside his little brother.

"Last chance, Gourmand. Let that chick go!"

"An' what y'all wild rats gonna do about it?"

"Oh, I dunno," Martin wavered suspiciously toward Gourmand, "Maybe…this!" With that, Martin began tickling Chef Gourmand with his feathers.

"Ooh, ooh! Stop it! Ha-ha! Tha-that tickles! Haha-ha! I'ma-I'ma getchu wild rats! Hoo-hoo-ha!"

"Quick," Martin said, turning to Chris, "Grab Red while I distract him!"

Chris nodded as he tip-toed past Gourmand and grabbed the birdcage, and just as he was about to run out of there, Martin heard a muffled yelp. He looked next to the bottom of the stove to find a young woman all tied up and moaning for help.

"Chris," Martin called, "Chris! Grab the girl! I'll get Red, but you get her out of here!"

Chris, confusedly, looked around the room until he finally spotted the damsel in distress lying on the floor whimpering. Chris was stumped; he's rescued animals, no problem! But…actual people? Chris shrugged as he swept the lady up and out of that kitchen. Martin finally had gotten the chance to grab Red's cage, and as Martin flung back the door leading out of that horrible kitchen, BAM! Chef Gourmand was out like a light.

"Alright, Red," Martin cooed, "Time to get you back home to Mom," as he flew up above the trees and back to Red's home.

Just as Martin took off, Aviva, Jimmy Z. and Kokie were there to greet them.

"How'd it go, C.K.," Aviva asked.

"Well," Chris replied, "I almost got Red, but-"

"Ummm, Chris? You wanna tell us who your friend is…and why she's all tied up?"

"Huh?" Chris had nearly forgotten about her!

"Oh! Right," he said sheepishly. He took an end of the tape, but before he pulled it from her mouth, he said, "Now this might hurt a smidge, ya ready?"

She nodded, and then RRRRRIP!

"Ow!" the woman yelped.

"I-hi toldja," Chris chuckled as he untied her arms and legs.

"Miss, are you alright?" Aviva asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine, I-"

"Hey, wait a minute," Chris interrupted almost angrily," What were you doing in there with Gourmand anyway? Y-you don't…you don't work for him, do ya?"

"No, no!" the woman replied, a little too early, I guess, because she quickly changed her answer to, "Well, actually…I almost did."

The team gasped, and Chris furrowed his brow as he crossed his arms angrily.

"Whaddya mean, 'almost'?" Chris interrogated.

"Please hear me out! My name is Laura: Laura Wilkinson, and I'm a food stylist, and one day-"

"Wait, sorry," Jimmy Z., eyes lighting up, "Did you say food stylist? That's wicked awesome!"

Laura shrugged as she replied, "I style food. I thought it was a pretty well-known profession."

"Yooooouuu don't get out much, do ya?" Jimmy Z. added, only to get an elbow to the rib from Kokie.

"Continue," Chris said impatiently.

"Anyway," Laura continued, "I'm a food stylist, and one day I received a call from Chef Gourmand saying how he was a fan of my work and would like to meet with me to help him garnish his latest dish, but he didn't say what. I thought 'why not' and came down to his kitchen this morning all rarin' to go. But the minute he told me he was cooking-not only an endangered bird, but a beautiful animal such as the…the, um-"

"-Red-winged blackbird," Chris said with the flip of a hat.

"Thank you," Laura added, turning to the rest of the team, "I knew it was endangered, but the exact name and everything…you lost me there."

"So, when you found out the bird was endangered…" Aviva said, to ease Laura back on track.

"I told him 'no way'! Not only is it illegal; it's morally wrong and just plain sick! I told him I was gonna call the police, but then he knocked me over the head with a frying pan. When I came to, I was all tied up, and the poor little bird—what did you call her, Red? She was trapped inside a cage! Your brother is very brave for-"

"LOOK OUT!"

CRASH! Martin fell right out of the sky and into Laura with an 'OOMF!' Laura rubbed her head as Martin moaned.

"Still gotta work out the bugs on that wing feature," Martin said dusting himself off, turning to Laura, "The take-off is fine, but I can never get the la-haaaaa"

All of a sudden Martin stopped. Or did the world stop? Martin didn't know-Martin didn't care! Nothing seemed real when he was looking into the eyes of that woman: that stranger who he had never met before a day in his life! To Martin, though, it wasn't the fact that he was looking at her…but the fact that she was looking back.

Martin's face contorted into a little cock-eyed smile, and he giggled to himself incoherently, as he gave a meek little, "H-hi."

Aviva and the rest of the gang chuckled as Chris sang, with a sly smile, "Earth to Martin…"

"Hmmm…wha-what? Oh, um," Martin snapped out of it, and cleared his throat, blushing as he said, "I'm really sorry about that!"

"That's alright; not the first time I've got bonked on the head today," Laura replied with a laugh. Martin laughed as well. 'Thank goodness she has a sense of humor!

And...a cute one, too', he thought. Still, Martin couldn't help at feel embarrassed, so just to be sure...

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss…um…"

"Laura," she giggled, holding her hand out, "Laura Wilkinson. Food stylist."

"I'm Martin," he said, taking her hand. He didn't want to let go! Martin hardly realized that he was holding her hand much too long for a hand shake. Only until Laura politely cleared her throat did Martin gasp, and then yank his hand away with embarrassment.

"Soooo," Martin tried to proceed with a conversation coolly (in which Chris was embarrassed to watch his dorky brother attempt coolness), "Food stylist, huh? Your um…your husband must have a beautiful meal to come home to every-"

"Oh, I'm single," Laura intruded almost happily. She couldn't help it: there was something about Martin that just made her smile!

"R-really?"

Martin smacked his hand over his lips with an 'Oop!' He realized only after he said it that that sounded much too happy a response to the status regarding a young lady's relationship. She didn't seem to mind, though. In fact she giggled, and placed her hand on Martin's.

"Yes, I'm single," she said smiling, "But…I hope that changes…real soon."

Martin's cheeks were bright red, and he felt flushed with fever from his head to his toes. He looked at Chris (who-for some time now, he had forgotten was still standing there) along with Aviva and the rest of the gang; and each were giving thumbs' ups and winking. Martin looked back at Laura as she spoke.

"Y'know…I've never seen eyes quite like yours. There just so…blue!"

"Aw, gosh," Martin blushed as he looked towards the ground, and replied, "Well, ya know, these eyes have seen a lot. A lot of stories these baby blues have to tell…Maybe…maybe, you know…one night—when you're free, of course… you and I could…possibly over candle-light, maybe—y'know, we could have food, too, if we…um…er-"

Martin rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he rambled, and Laura giggled in amusement.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm not every good at this," Martin laughed nervously.

"Martin Kratt, are you asking me out on a dinner date?" Laura inquisited.

"That depends!"

"On what?"

"Wouldja say 'yes'?"

"It's possible."

"I can work with that! One thing…"

"What's that?"

"Is that a possible 'yes'?"

Laura laughed, and then kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Does that answer your question?"

Laura then got up; leaving a love-drunk Martin fainted across the jungle floor, as she thanked the Kratt-Krew for all their services.

"You sure you'll get back home okay," Chris asked.

"I'll be just fine, don'tchu worry about it," Laura then reached into her purse and handed him her business card, "In case you need your food styled. And…for your brother; whenever he wants to give me call."

"Which may very well be as soon as he wakes up," Chris chuckled, and pretty soon commencing all of them into laughter. All except Martin, of course, who was sprawled out unconsciously on the ground, his mind still doing mad flips and turns about that beautiful creature. The creature he and Chris had never seen before! The rarest and the most beautiful creature Martin had ever perceived…and that creature was 'The Laura'.