Our Guiding Light was originally intended to be a stand alone story, but became something different as I typed, especially introducing the character Selena Lunarias. Selena was based on two models: Countess Elizabeth (Erzebet in Hungarian) Bathory of Esced, and actress Isabella Rossellini (daughter of Ingrid Bergman). Bathory, who was well known to be exceptionally beautiful had murdered countless young women, mainly servants and virgins of peasant birth. Theories strongly point to the idea that she bathed in their blood, believing that their blood would keep her "eternally young." These elements were what I used in the creation of Selena Lunarias, except I changed her criminal status to that of black widow, who also happens to be bi-sexual. The latter I changed to fit the modern times. Unlike my other female characters of The Fidget Connections who are merely victims of circumstance, Selena Lunarias is the ultimate bad girl, a zealot of the bat-culture. And as you will notice when you read, Fidget is morbidly terrified of her ... and not just because she caused him his disability to begin with.

Selena had fallen asleep. Her struggle with Fidget must've exhausted her greatly. Good! Fidget thought. And it was furthest away from the carriage, which put the peg-legged bat's mind at ease. Fidget took this opportunity to figure out a way to loosen the ropes that bound his wrists. With all his muscle, he attempted to rip them, but was unsuccessful. It began to frustrate him. He had been bound by ropes before, the last time he remembered being in this state was when he was helping Professor Ratigan overthrow Queen Mousetoria. It was hard, but he was strong enough to break loose. But the way Selena tied the rope on him felt like such a convoluted pattern. It would take more than brute strength to break these bonds. Then Fidget focused his attention on the ropes that bound him at the knees. If he couldn't break the ones on his wrists with brute strength, then he could at least chew off the ropes on his knees with his fangs. Fidget leaned forward, opened his mouth wide, and grabbed at a piece of rope with his sharp teeth. As he chewed solemnly, a sense of mature pride filled his heart. If there was any non-criminal thing that Fidget prided himself on, it was his flexibility. Many used to make fun of him because he was so short and so scrawny. But they greatly underestimated his flexibility. Movement always felt natural to him. He didn't like standstills, they always made him nervous. That was how Captain Lillian Bates gave him the cruel name, Fidget.

The ropes were loose. Good. Fidget was able to stand at least. Now all that was left was to find something sharp enough to cut the ropes off his wrists. Fidget scouted the premises with his yellow eyes, hoping to spot the sharp end of an improperly hammered nail, or the blade of an axe. But this was a Toy Store, how would he be able to find such things in a place like this!? Then he spotted something ... The propellor on one of the toy airplanes. Was that blade sharp enough? There was only one way to find out. Fidget hopped from the baby carriage, landing lightly on his foot and peg. He had to be careful not to wake up Selena. She looked like a heavy sleeper, but a bat's hearing is incredibly acute and he didn't want to risk it. Fidget sauntered in the direction of the propellor. He placed his wrists between the propellor. No, it wasn't sharp enough on its own, so it would mean he had to turn it on. Trying to figure this part out was the most frustrating for Fidget because his wrists began to hurt. He was also getting so hungry that his whole body shook. He hadn't eaten anything all evening. Fidget circled the plane, looking for a wind up switch. He found it, unfortunately it was broken. Fidget fell to his knees in frustration. "Dammit!" he cried out through his teeth, forcing himself to lower his voice so that Selena would not wake up. How was he going to get these damn ropes off!? The propellor seemed like such a good idea, there wasn't anything else he could spot that could possibly cut these ropes. And his body was still nude, how was going to put his clothes back on if he couldn't use his hands!? Fidget arched his back forward until his face rested on his knees. "God, help me ..."

"Um ... hello?"

Fidget's heart stopped for a moment, he quickly lifted his upper half back up. He heard a tiny voice, it came from the direction of the cage on the shelf. Fidget turned his gaze; it was that baroness who was calling. Somehow, she managed to remove the gag from her mouth. Although she spoke in the softest voice possible, Fidget was still able to hear her.

"Are you able to hop up here?"

Fidget glanced in the direction of the shelf. There was a pile of letter blocks formed like stair steps nearby it. He turned his glance back at the baroness and nodded.

"If you can come up here," she whispered. "I can help you loosen your bonds."

Fidget was confused. But wasn't she still tied up? Nevertheless, Fidget stood up, walked in the direction of the blocks, and hopped one after the other until he reached the side of the cage. Baroness Marblestone's hands were tied, but her wrists were tied in the front. And her hands weren't crossed like Fidget's were, so it wasn't a surprise she was able to pull off her gag. She motioned the bat to come forward; Fidget leaned his back against the bars of the cage. With her long fingers, she was able to effortlessly untie the knot. The ropes fell loose on the ground, Fidget's wrists were free again. He sighed in relief as he rubbed them with his webbed hands. He has had more than his fair share of ropes in all his life. All too often as Captain Lillian Bates's sidekick, he was made to do these tests involving ropes. First it was that noose, other times it was during scandalous missions Fidget was sent to do. He turned to the mouse who helped him and, in return, untied the ropes that bonded her wrists.

"Who, may I ask, are you, sir?"

Fidget giggled. Sir!? He never thought he'd live to see the day a stranger would ever address him as sir. The bat had often been addressed less nobler titles, usually kid, boy, or child to name a few. Not to mention the baroness was obviously older than him, so Fidget found it funny someone of her age addressing him as sir.

"Well, my name is Finnius," he replied, "but everyone else calls me Fidget."

Fidget? What kind of name is THAT? the baroness wondered. And as Baroness Marblestone sat in her cage, she wondered what kind of character this Fidget bat was. Although her hearing wasn't nearly as acute as his, she did manage to hear some of what Selena said to him. You're no innocent was what that woman bat said to him. I know you too well. It was enough to make Baroness Marblestone question the credibility of this Fidget character. They must've been lovers in the past, or why else would Selena have brought him here? Maybe Selena was seeking revenge on him for a certain betrayal. But if that was the case, how did this involve the baroness?

"Why were you kidnapped?" asked the baroness.

Fidget lowered his head in shame. "I ... wish I knew ..." In reality, Fidget knew why he was kidnapped, but how could he tell this to a woman with a title? He wanted to complain what a vindictive bitch Selena was, but Fidget had a feeling that the baroness thought of Selena as a battered soul trying to seek vengeance on the man who hurt her.

Baroness Marblestone took a deep breath. She sensed that Fidget was somewhat mannerless, judging by the fact he hadn't fetched his clothes yet after she helped untied him. But the bat had some bad scars on his chest and back, making him look more like a victim than an aggressor. The baroness originally wasn't going to pry about the situation between Fidget and Selena, but her curiosity got the better of her. "I heard her say that you were no innocent," the baroness began. "What did she mean by that?"

Fidget's ears lowered. He was hoping he wouldn't be asked anymore about Selena or discuss anything regarding Selena and focus more on getting out of here. "She t'inks anyone who is not like her is no innocent," Fidget complained, trying hard not to be too loud. "Even udher girls don't like her."

Baroness Marblestone cocked an eyebrow. She looked at the now sleeping Selena, who lay on the floor since there wasn't an appropriate spot to hang upside-down close-by. The woman looked like a bat version of Snow White with her white fur, dark hair, and red lips. "I can't imagine why," the baroness replied. "She's way too attractive to envy anyone."

What did dat have anyt'ing to do with it!? Fidget thought, but did not say for fear of being rude in front of the mouse who untied him. He could tell the baroness didn't get out to often. Selena may have been attractive, but she was not a good person. "Let's just say," Fidget began, thinking the baroness would understand better in more simpler words, "she doesn't like da word no."

"Oh?" the baroness thought, a little skeptical. "In what sense?"

"She tried to make advances on anudher girl," Fidget replied. He wanted to say Captain Lillian Bates's name, but left it out considering many have heard of her notoriety. Fidget looked up at Baroness Marblestone, obviously she found it hard to believe the idea of a woman being an aggressor. The baroness seemed too well-bred to consider the idea. "I know you don't believe me, but I saw it with my own eyes."

Baroness Marblestone pondered over Fidget's unusual description as she took another good look at the sleeping Selena. Although the bat looked too peaceful in her sleep to be considered an aggressor, there must've been some truth to what Fidget said. For a while, it had only been her and the woman bat. And while the baroness was tied and gagged in her cage, she did overhear Selena ask herself if bathing in the baroness's blood would make her younger. That didn't sound like a defenseless woman. The baroness figured her own mind went on a tangent because of the presence of another bat. "Aren't you cold?" the baroness asked, changing the subject.

Fidget blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Baroness Marblestone gave an embarrassed smile. "Well ..." her voice trailed off as she pointed a finger at Fidget's stomach.

Fidget's jaw dropped as he looked at himself. He completely forgot that he was still nude! The bat covered his face with his webbed hands, trying to stifle a childlike giggle. "F-forgive me," Fidget uttered through a fitful of giggles. "I s-shall return."

"What have you found out?" Deniece asked Basil.

"One mouse from the party has seen her," Basil replied. "The baroness's maid-servant claimed she had seen a gray-cloaked figure looming around the household a lot. Also, I ran into another mouse after questioning the last one. This mouse works under the old Toy Store and told me, in a frenzy, that he has been seeing an albino bat lurking there. The poor man thought he had been going mad from being overworked."

"So this Selena is hiding at the Toy Store," Deniece assumed.

Basil nodded. "The very same Toy Store Dawson and I went to when trying to apprehend Fidget for kidnapping Olivia Flaversham. But why would Selena choose a Toy Store for a lair?"

"Most likely because no one would think to look for her there," Deniece replied. "Zealots like her are very particular with their hiding places."

"How are the Collins?" Basil asked, changing the subject.

"They're still upset," Deniece answered, "but I assured them we're not giving up the search. I just hope and pray that Fidget's still alright."

"Then come back with me to the flat," Basil ordered. "We must bring Dr. Dawson and Toby with us."

"So how did you end up here?" Fidget asked as he slowly lifted the latch of the cage door. He was now fully clothed again, still trying hard not to wake Selena up. The latch made a bit of a noise and Selena stirred, causing Fidget to freeze for a moment. Luckily, Selena did not fully awake.

"I don't know," Baroness Marblestone replied. "The last thing I remember was drinking my usual glass of wine before going to bed. I noticed the wine tasted ... rather odd. But then I fainted. When I woke up, I was ... here."

"Has Selena threatened you?" Fidget asked.

"She often glared at me," the baroness answered. "But most of the time, I was here by myself. I'm famished. I haven't eaten anything for days."

Fidget sighed as he opened the door, allowing Baroness Marblestone to step out. "I'd offer you food if I had any. I'm sorry to say dat I don't."

"Well, let's not worry about that now," Baroness Marblestone requested. "I just want to go home."

Fidget's yellow eyes darted in the direction of a very familiar exit. It was that round glass window with the hole in the center. The same one he remembered using when he stole gears and uniforms for Professor Ratigan. "Dat window will lead you da way out," Fidget whispered to the baroness.

"What?"

Fidget sighed. He just remembered that only he knew how it worked. "Just put your finger into da hole, dhen just pull it toward you. It's like a door."

"How did you know how it works?" Baroness Marblestone asked inquisitively.

The peg-legged bat gave her an embarrassed smile. "By accident." That was partially true. When Fidget came to the Toy Store on a mission for Professor Ratigan, he meant to simply peak through the windows to see if anything on the list was in that store. But he didn't know how to get in and he was tired from the long walk he took to get there that he sat at the sill. Out of boredom, the webbed fingers of left right hand idly played with that hole in the center and pulled it forward. He had startled himself in the process. Since the baroness seemed like the inquisitive type, Fidget anticipated being asked more questions. He just hoped that none of them centered around the idea of why he came to the Toy Store in the first place.

"Your character confuses me, Mr. Fidget," Baroness Marblestone finally told Fidget. "Are you ... a soldier?"

Fidget chuckled, finding it hilarious that the baroness was giving him these fancy titles. "No, I'm not. I'm just an ordinary man, tryin' to live."

Just an ordinary man, the baroness thought, repeating Fidget's words back in her head. This ordinary man seemed far from ordinary to her. She sensed a sort of ... childlike quality to this man, which made him all the more intriguing. Baroness Marblestone figured that this man may have been an escaped slave, searching for freedom.

"How did you get those scars on your chest and back?" Baroness Marblestone inquired.

"From a tutor who didn't like me," Fidget replied after heaving a sigh. "I try not to t'ink about it too much. Bad memories."

The baroness sighed apologetically. "Forgive my curiosity. I just can't stand to see anyone suffer."

Fidget smiled at her. He found Baroness Marblestone's curiosity refreshing, compared to Selena who would only inquire information for the sake of benefitting herself. "Don't feel bad. You didn't know ..."

"Well, shall we be on our way then?" the baroness requested, realizing the two had spent more time engaging in conversation than they have trying to escape.

"Agreed," Fidget replied.

The two began descending the blocks as quietly as possible, so careful to not wake up the sleeping Selena. All was so quiet and still, it seemed like their escape would be exceedingly easy ... until their sense of safety came to an abrupt halt by the sound of a dog's howl.

"Arroooooooohh!"

Both Baroness Marblestone and Fidget winced and the loud sound of the howl, but it made Fidget cringe since he was too familiar with that howl. It was Basil of Baker Street's basset hound. And he was standing right outside the window ... just as Fidget remembered all too clearly. He quickly turned his gaze to the baroness. "You go ahead of me," Fidget told her.

"But ... what about you?"

"Don't worry about me! I'll catch up."

Fidget allowed the baroness to get head start and waited until she was off the last block before he followed. But he felt something grab his wings and force them behind his back before he could proceed further.

"You think you can escape me, boy?"

"I can't believe that peg-legged bat has been alive this whole time."

Dr. Dawson was so grateful not to have to hold onto Toby's tail, for once. He sat behind Basil while Deniece flew to follow them. Deniece was the first to land on the window sill. She witnessed a female mouse in a torn dress emerge from the glass window.

"Basil!" Deniece called. "It's the baroness!"

"Poor lady looks like she's been roughed up," Dr. Dawson observed.

Baroness Marblestone panted for breath before lifting her eyes to meet Basil's. "You're the famous Basil of Baker Street, am I right?"

"I am," Basil replied.

"And ... these other three?"

"This man is my assistant, Dr. David Q. Dawson," Basil gestured to Dr. Dawson. "This lady is Deniece la Chauve-souris ... and that is my faithful basset hound, Toby."

"We're at your service, mademoiselle," Deniece replied with a smile, while Toby wagged his tail gleefully.

"I'm glad to have met you all," Baroness Marblestone sighed in relief, "but there's a boy inside who needs your help right now."

Soon after the baroness mentioned the news, Deniece peeked through the window. She could see Fidget struggling to free himself from Selena's grasp.

"Basil, we must hurry!" Deniece urged. "Fidget's life is at stake."

Dr. Dawson was baffled beyond belief as to what Deniece saw in a character like Fidget. The last thing the good doctor could remember was the peg-legged bat snatching Olivia Flaversham when he wasn't looking and then wreaking havoc when the doctor and Basil attempted to pursue him. Nevertheless, now was not the time to ask pointless questions. Baroness Marblestone was in need of medical assistance; luckily, Dr. Dawson had brought his medical bag with him. "I will help the baroness," he told Basil and Deniece. "You two go."

Without a second to spare, Basil opened the glass door for Deniece to enter, then followed suit. And the two were just in time. Selena had descended to the bottom, with Fidget in her grasp, when Deniece cried out, "Selena, stop!"

The albino bat froze in her steps when her eyes spotted the lovely Deniece rushing in her direction. Selena's pink-red eyes narrowed to slits. So that other woman had arrived to take her little Fidget away, eh? How inconvenient!

"You again!?" Selena retorted.

"We know what you've done, Selena Lunarias!" Deniece called out. "Or should I call you Isabella Santino."

Selena's red pupils shrunk, a sign that she was livid. "So you've come to challenge me for this boy's affection, haven't you?"

Deniece gave Selena a devilish grin and spoke in a mocking tone. "I'm not challenging anything, because there is nothing to challenge. There is no competition to be had for someone who is aging."

Obviously, Deniece's last remark hit a nerve with Selena, causing her to bare her teeth viciously and carelessly drop Fidget. "How dare you!?"

"Niecy, watch out!" Fidget warned. "She's fast!"

No soon after Fidget warned Deniece than Selena darted in Deniece's direction at the speed of the wind. Deniece was quick enough to evade Selena's attack, causing her to crash into an oversized bag of marbles. Deniece laughed at the clumsiness displayed by this once graceful lady bat who made her Fidget's life miserable. Once Selena regained equilibrium, she turned her gaze at Deniece and let out a maniacal laugh. "You have a lot of spirit, whoever you are! I can see why Fidget is attracted to you! And you're a rare beauty! What could possibly be better!?"

"Your sweet tongue has no effect on me," Deniece said defiantly. "I'm all too familiar with folks like you. You give bats a bad name, and you feel no shame in doing so! But as of tonight, no one will become part of your little utopia, Selena! The lineage of the Santino family ends tonight!"

"Oh, don't act so big, my sun-haired rival!" Selena cackled. "While you and your mouse friend were wandering the streets, I seduced your precious little Fidget."

"What!?" Deniece reacted, her cat-green eyes shrunk angrily. At the same time, Fidget's body went cold with fear.

Selena gave Deniece a wicked smile. Looks like she now had the upper hand. "I pleased every aspect of his body ... and he liked it."

Upon hearing this, Fidget was livid and the trembling of his body showed it. Either that woman was trying to make him look bad in front of Deniece, or she was trying to deceive Deniece into believe he deliberately broke their pledge. If it was the first reason, it would make Deniece or any woman resent Fidget so that she could continue to have her way. If it was for the second reason, then Selena wanted to throw Deniece off balance so that Deniece would become an easy target ... and an easy kill for Selena. Either way, the end result would be the same and Fidget did not like it one bit.

"And I've known Fidget a lot longer than you have," Selena continued. "He's been with a countless number of women, even before me. Your precious Fidget isn't capable of being faithful to anybody. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets tired of you and finds someone else."

"Dhen why can't you leave me alone?" Fidget finally interrupted. Selena quickly turned her head in the direction where Fidget knelt. "If I'm so unfaithful as you claim, why do you bother pursuing me?"

Selena chuckled like a little girl, as if Fidget were simply being funny. "Why, my dear Fidget," she uttered in a melodious tone. "Why be so modest?" Obviously, Selena did not answer Fidget's question ... just as she did the first time Fidget asked her such a question. And he felt a tremendous rage well up in the pit of his stomach. Selena slowly approached him, as she once did the night she met him on the street. She knelt next to him and attempted to stroke the back of his ear. "You know you cannot hide your-"

Suddenly, Selena felt a pair of claws scratch her cheek and she gave an ear-shattering scream of pain. Fidget had let his anger explode by scratching Selena on her left cheek. The scratch was deep enough that Selena felt blood dripping from her face. Both Basil and Deniece were struck dumbfounded as they witnessed Selena draw back from Fidget in fear and Fidget huffing angrily as the black pupils of his yellow eyes shrunk viciously. Selena moaned like a wounded animal, complaining how her beautiful face had been ruined. Then Fidget began to speak to her through gritted teeth. "I told you once, I will tell you again ... DO NOT TOUCH ME!"

As the now shivering Selena slowly lowered the webbed hand that covered her scarred cheek, Fidget darted in her direction and relentlessly slapped her on both cheeks and pulled on her dark gray ears. Fidget began cursing at Selena for taking away his right leg and his ability to fly and that she deserved the same fate. Deniece went into a panic as she rushed to grab Fidget away from Selena. It was obvious the peg-legged bat went berserk that night. The anger he had unleashed was all pent up anger he had held inside for a long time. A long time he had secretly mourned not being able to fly and not being able to get his revenge on the bat who caused his disability to begin with. Selena always had a knack for bringing out the worst in any bat. Before Fidget could do any more damage to an already battered and bruised Selena, Deniece grabbed him by the wrists. Fidget was still blinded by anger, begging to be allowed to finish what he had started and making it very difficult for Deniece to maintain her hold on him. Hot tears began to trickle down her face as she witnessed her dearest friend suffer. "No, Fidget," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Let it go. She's not worth it."

Fidget suddenly broke out of his angered stupor as he realized that his beloved Deniece was crying. His anger had died down and Fidget allowed his body to slump forward on Deniece's lap, like a marionette. She rested her right webbed hand upon Fidget's back and felt that his breathing had returned to normal. It was as if his anger never happened. Seeing her very dear friend exhaust himself to fainting made Deniece weep in anger and cradle the unconscious Fidget in her wings. If she hadn't witnessed Fidget's blatant disgust toward Selena, she would've still believed situations like those only happened to women. Deniece remembered the deep-seeded anger she felt ever since she was raped. No man would take her to wed because they believed she was filthy; the only men who were attracted to her were the ones she hated. And based on their conversation back at her house, Deniece learned that Fidget was, in many ways, like her. Although both were cultured on different sides of the law, they were very little differences between them. Suddenly, Fidget regained consciousness and awoke to Deniece's tear-stained face buried in his chest. He wrapped his wings around her neck. "Niecy, I'm alright," he whispered. "I'm not as weak as I look."

Selena, who had lost her balance for a moment rose to her feet and regained equilibrium once again. She watched Fidget and Deniece wrap their wings around each other in a warm, affectionate embrace ... and growled at the sight. "You may've won ... this time!" she called out. "But ... I will return ..." With a twist of her now battered body, Selena flew to the opening on the ceiling ... and disappeared into the night.

Basil approached the two remaining bats, who still sat on the floor, refusing to let each other go. The mouse detective tapped Deniece on the shoulder and informed her that it was time to go. Both bats obliged.

The two bats, Basil, Dawson, and Baroness Marblestone were at the Collins household. Fidget stood with his webbed hands crossed and folded in front of him with his head lowered. Since it was Basil who discovered Selena's hiding place to be in the old Toy Store, it meant that Fidget would be indebted to Basil. The peg-legged bat was actually embarrassed by this. He and Basil were still enemies to each other. After all, if it wasn't for his damn dog howling and waking up Selena, he and the baroness would've made a clean getaway without his help. Not to mention that Fidget had to endure the long ride home of riding upon that dog. Toby had growled at Fidget the moment he and Deniece emerged from that glass window. Obviously, the basset hound remembered who Fidget was, much to the bat's displeasure. Upon Basil's orders, Toby allowed Fidget to ride upon his back, along with Dawson and the baroness, but Fidget could feel the dog's fur ruffle in rigid fierceness. Then again, there was the other side of the coin. If it wasn't for Basil's persistence in solving the Baroness Marblestone case, his request of criminal records on Selena from Constable Smith, and volunteering to escort Fidget home even though it was against the mouse detective's will, Fidget would've never found the strength to stand up to Selena and make her fear him so she would never touch him again. And that had been the strategy of fighting Selena all along. Unlike resorting to her usual method of killing as she often did with her past lovers, Selena had let Fidget live. And that was her mistake. Selena Lunarias had now been exposed, all of London, both mouse and bat alike will know of her treacherous deeds and will avoid any dealings with her at all cost. But there was a little more than just this reason for Fidget to be indebted to Basil of Baker Street. Upon returning to the Collins household, Basil had shared a secret with Fidget that he had harbored for a long time. It was his encounter with Captain Lillian Bates. All that time, Fidget thought the captain had hated the site of him because he was a boy. In reality, Captain Lillian Bates was wanted to protect him. The female captain had learned from Basil's good nature that corruption never solved anything. And her real name wasn't Lillian Bates ... It was Anne Bonny. Like Fidget was given his cruel name as a pirate, Bonny's name was also changed. And it was for the same reason Selena had her name changed ... anonymity. Basil had once offered his services to protect both her and Fidget, but Bonny stubbornly refused, thinking she could fight the forces of terror on her own. And they all knew what the end result was.

Fidget felt a pair of webbed hands behind his back, giving him a gentle push forward. "Well, are you waiting for?" Deniece whispered. "Give Basil your thanks." The gray-furred bat took a deep breath and slowly approached the mouse detective, who stood by the door. Fidget knew what gratitude meant and whether or not he wanted to admit it, he truly felt grateful in knowing that Basil chose to care, even when he and Fidget didn't like each other. But bats did not believe in empty thank yous. They preferred expressing their gratitude with a gift, and Fidget did not have anything to give. Fidget finally found the courage to speak in his own faltering way, though he still averted Basil's eyes. "If ... Captain Bates ... were still alive ... she would've ... rewarded you greatly. I wish ... I could give ... some kind of ... reward ..."

Basil really didn't need any reward. He usually found the concept rewards too fallible, since most folks usually give something only because they expect to be rewarded. Basil believed that contributing to society was its own reward. Fidget was beginning to understand this concept, as was demonstrated in his rejection of Selena to be with Deniece. There were no more questions where his loyalties lie. And Deniece once told Basil that bats express gratitude differently from mice. For bats, giving a gift was a sign of devotion. It was a part of their code, Deniece was the one who told him that. If Basil were to simply tell Fidget that no gift is necessary, the bat would only feel that he was being denied to give his gratitude. So Basil had an idea for a request that would both keep the mouse's own sense of morality in-tact and acknowledge Fidget's sense of devotion. "The only thing I ask of you, Fidget, is this. You must share the bat's code with me."

Fidget's large ears wiggled. To ask a bat to share his code? To do such a thing meant the other person had to be good at keeping secrets. Although Basil was definitely good at that, what could he possibly need knowledge of that code for? Father Richards often told Fidget that knowledge should always be shared in order for a society to flourish and grow. But knowledge was also volatile and if it ever fell in the wrong hands, it could be used for destruction. But sometimes things that Father Richards said sounded so convoluted. How can one share knowledge and yet keep it secret at the same time? It didn't make any sense! But Basil wasn't finished just yet.

"I know you and Deniece are very close. And she has shared some of this code with me. But I think you know more than you usually tell. And you have to trust me."

Fidget pressed folded hands against his mouth in deep thought. "Does it have to be ... whenever you ... solve cases?"

Basil shook his head. "It can be whenever we pass each other in the street. And I won't tell anyone outside our circle. You have my word."

As Fidget pondered over Basil's words, he felt that little candle in his heart once again. The bat placed both webbed hands upon his chest. He may have not liked Basil, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him. Not after what he did for Captain Lillian Bates. It was as if Fidget's circle of allies were growing. True allies, who would never abandon him or throw him in the River Thames. It all felt so new to Fidget ... and he wanted to hold onto it. "Dhen ... You have ... my word too. I will ... share dat code."

Baroness Marblestone was the next to speak. And she wanted to speak to all four of her brave young rescuers. "I owe you all my thanks for freeing me from that woman. Your heroic deeds shall be shared and rewarded. But you will all have to come to my mansion to fetch the rewards."

"So, we're on a mission once again," Dr. Dawson implied.

"It does seem that way," Deniece added with a chuckle. "But if you don't mind, I think my friend Fidget and I prefer to be ... fashionably late. You can ride on Toby, we'll catch up in our own way."

"Oh?" the baroness replied, somewhat confused.

"Fidget and I have unusually busy schedules," Deniece informed her. "We hardly have enough quality time together. I hope the baroness doesn't think ill of us for doing this."

"Not at all," the baroness smiled as she witnessed Deniece secretly take Fidget's webbed hand and held it in hers. "I understand. You two remind me of how my husband and I once were when we were young."

Basil, Dawson, and Baroness Marblestone walked out the door and climbed upon Toby's back. The basset hound gave a woof in delight before escorting the three mice down the street. As for Fidget and Deniece, they waited until they were half a mile away before following suit. But they did not leave without bidding the Collins farewell.

"It seems like another chain has been released from our lives," Deniece decided to start the conversation. "How does that make you feel?"

Fidget breathed deeply before responding. "I feel like ... our guidin' light ... is tellin' us ... to live."

"Our guiding light certainly proved to be a good omen," Deniece replied. "But that's as long as we continue to serve good."

Fidget cupped a webbed hand to his mouth, a sign that he was in deep thought. "Maybe I can offer dhem my services at Henry & Poole. It's da least I could do."

"I think you should just stick to Basil's request about sharing our code," Deniece reminded him. "Basil already has a maid named Mrs. Judson to provide him extra services."

Fidget giggled shyly. "Well, I'll try."

Deniece and Fidget stopped only once to look and smile at each other before proceeding hand in hand into the night. They both learned that life was a series of both fortune and misfortune, indiscriminate of species and gender. Fidget was now confident that he had remained faithful to his pledge, despite Selena's advances on him. And he no longer had to worry about Selena anymore, even if she did come back. As for Deniece, she too had begun to live again. Traces of her rape incident were now becoming faded memories. Maybe it was because seeing Fidget suffer in the same way made her realize that women weren't the only ones who could be victims? Perhaps ... But Deniece remembered how she and Fidget made passionate love while being bathed in the light of the full moon. Fidget adored her, in body, mind, and soul. The fact that she had been a rape victim didn't faze him one bit. That was the encouragement Deniece needed to help her overcome the shadows of her past. And both bats had their guiding light to thank for it all as its song enveloped them with pure bliss.

"Let me hold you close to me,

We could feel so heavenly.

Let me love you.

Now is the time for love!

Now is the time for loving!

Now is the time for love!"

Author's Note: Lyrics in italics are from "Now is the Time for Love," sung by Deniece Wiliiams