"E.T. forgive Batman."

Chip felt like his brain was slowly stitching itself back together. It wasn't a completely unpleasant feeling but it was a jarring one. Vaguely aware of a movie playing and the feel of gentle panting at his side, he opened his eyes. He was seated on his couch with his puppy Millie beside him. "Ugh," Chip breathed, placing a hand on his forehead to steady himself. Millie nuzzled him, and without looking up, Chip reached out and petted her wet nose. "How did I get home girl," he asked absent-mindedly, not really expecting a response.

"Always questions for the dog, but never for me," said a voice from Chip's kitchen. "You always did have more of a thing for the ladies though. Can't blame you, Millie is a charming one." Caught between shock and recognition, Chip stood up on wobbly legs.

"Damn it Basil," he said as he moved gingerly.

"Good to see you too," Basil of Baker Street called over his shoulder when Chip entered the kitchen. "And you're welcome." Before Chip could respond, Basil thrusted his hands out, offering Chip an aspirin and a cup of water. When Chip looked at the medication apprehensively, Basil chuckled. "Come on now old chap, I'm not Dale. I don't get off on practical jokes, and I don't need to drug you. After witnessing the events of tonight first hand, I know you are perfectly capable of doing that all on your own." Not having the energy to grumble back a reply, Chip sighed and took the pill and water.

"What were you doing at a dock in Los Angeles at 11:00 at night?" he asked after downing both.

"I could be asking you the same thing," Basil replied, leaning up against Chip's kitchen island as he did. "But I'm not that invested in the answer."

"I was saving a kid. That's what I do."

"And I was solving a case. That's what I do."

"In the UK, Basil, not L.A. You haven't been out this way since…" Chip rubbed his forehead and let his voice trail off. Unwilling to allow his mind wander back to something that was dead and gone, he looked around at the state of his kitchen and frowned. The microwave light was off but the timer still had 8 seconds left on it. There was a bowl of popcorn on the kitchen counter with exactly two popped kernels laying beside it. The faucet was off but turned to the side. One of the cabinets was left ajar but only slightly. Basil knew that Chip had OCD because he himself had it and the two had once bonded over it back in the 80's. Despite having the same affliction, the way their minds manifested it couldn't have been more opposite.

Chip wasn't a neat freak, but needed everything to not only have a place, but to stay in it. Basil wasn't a slob, but had so much anxiety over the idea of some material thing being absolutely vital wherever it currently was, he almost never cleaned up. Both had gone through a time where their illness had taken over more of their lives than they'd ever admit to out loud, and both had found ways of coping. Chip's chosen path had been throwing himself into his work unrelentlessly while Basil's had been the act of privately snorting powdered cheese. Shaking that thought off, Chip went around the kitchen clearing up Basil's 'mess.' Basil watched disinterestedly for a few moments before heading back into the living room with the popcorn. Still a bit heady from inhaling so much stinky cheese, Chip gave the counters a quick wipe down before following his guest. He paused when he saw Basil sitting on the couch looking more inviting than any mouse should. Thinking better of himself, Chip decided to remain standing and folded his arms over his chest.

"You want to tell me what you were doing unloading cheese with smugglers?"

"Trying to uncover who's smuggling street grade dairy into London. Everything was going fine until I saw you pass out face first on the dock. I had to tell the guys with me you were a flaming drunk and I was going to chuck you into the Pacific."

Chip blushed and cleared his throat. "You know you're not supposed to be within a hundred yards of cheese. It's a danger to your sobriety."

"And you taking on Rescue Ranger cases sans the other rangers who help you rescue, is a danger to your life."

"I can handle myself."

"Oh I know you can." Basil flashed Chip a cheeky smile as his eyes drifted to Chip's groin and back to his face. "You were out for awhile so I got to see your special dvd collection. It looks like you handle your own quite often." Chip's blush deepeded from embarrassment and the look in Basil's eyes. It was playful and coying, and… more than Chip could handle that evening.

"Just be careful Basil," he said when the neurons in his brain finally started back firing. "California isn't like London. It's the wild, Wild West out here. If you go missing, the police might not ever find your body." The corner of Basil's lip turned up in a half smile that made Chip's heart skip a beat. The great mouse detective stood, walked up to him, and left only a hair's breadth of space between them as he bowed to whisper in the chipmunk detective's ear.

"If I recall properly," he crooned, "you like it wild. And if anyone wants to know where my body is, all they'll have to do is find yours first, and look atop it." Chip felt his whole body warm at Basil's closeness. Before he could form a connected thought, Basil leaned up. "I hope to see you around again, Chipper, but perhaps next time let's make it face down on a bed and not passed out on a dock." With that, Britain's greatest detective walked out of Chip's home, leaving the Rescue Ranger to wonder, not for the first time, if he'd made the biggest mistake of his life 36 years ago.

*******Thank you so much for reading my Fan Fic! Still trying to decide if I should make the next chapter a lemon. Please follow, review and leave a comment about how you like (or dislike) it so far, and if this story should be a lemon, clean, or have both an 'uncut' and an 'edited' version. Thanks again and see you soon!