Here we go, everybody. It's out a lot sooner than usual, mostly because I stayed home out of sickness from the evil that is high school today. But oh well, I actually had time to edit this completely so I can post it for all you wonderful people out there!

And, in case you were wondering (yeah, right), I'm much better now. Just a sore throat was all. :P

Disclaimer: Yeah, uh-huh, use those psychic powers of yours and guess what should go here. I don't care if you're not psychic either, you probably know anyway, so I'm not going to put it here, considering I don't really like putting here what is supposed to be put here.

Chapter Eight: The Attack of the Delightful Dorks

Numbuh Three sat in her bedroom, staring back at all the beady black eyes of her beloved stuffed animals. She couldn't bring herself to get rid of any of them. Each one could bring her heart warmth and joy with just a simple, tiny hug.

But lately something different was going on with her heart, and this time, it had nothing to do with stuffed animals. It had to do with a certain blonde, Australian boy living in the same tree house as her. Whenever she seemed to be standing close to him or he'd say something different, her heart would thump wildly, or turn upside down. It was strange to her – she knew there was something wrong if she felt her heart turn upside down. Oh, how she wished Numbuh Five was here and maybe she could explain everything!

She hugged the blue Rainbow Monkey beside her, the same one Numbuh Four had given her for her birthday last year since he didn't know what else to get her. Although she had maybe a million of the blue one, she knew exactly which one Numbuh Four gave her because of the cotton peeking out of its right ear. She smiled to herself, remembering that day all too clearly.

Flashback

"Er, 'appy birthday, Numbuh Three," the blonde boy said awkwardly, handing her the blue monkey. "Ah didn't know w'ot ter get ya really, but ah thought ya might loike it."

Numbuh Three examined her new stuffed animal. "He's so cuuuuuute!" she squealed, and unexpectedly reached her arms out to squeeze Numbuh Four around the neck. "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! I LOVE HIM! I'm going to call him...Wally-kun!"

"Uh, N-N-Numbuh Three," she had no clue why he was stuttering so much with her name. He should know by now what to call her by now, and besides, it wasn't like she was choking him with the hug or something! "Ah'm sorry about w'ot 'appened ter 'is ear..."

"Hmm?" She let go of him and then noticed the small tear in the monkey's right ear. "What happened to him?"

"Er, well, ah didn't realize it when ah bought 'im...but 'e kind of came loike that," Numbuh Four explained, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed.

Numbuh Three blinked her eyes at him, then looked back at her gift. "Awe, it's okay! This way I'll know it's from you!" And again, she wrapped her arms around him, this time lifting him off the ground.

End Flashback

"Wally-kun?" she asked the monkey she was hugging. "Do you know what's wrong with me?" It only smiled, seeing as that was all it could really do, but Numbuh Three frowned. If she didn't know what was going on soon, she'd have to resort to going to the doctor...and going to the doctor was always a Kids Next Door operative's worst nightmare.

"Wally-kun, do you think I'm sick?"

Without waiting for a response, she set the monkey down, her face becoming less and less happier. "Do you think I should ask Numbuh Four about the feeling?" The stuffed animal kept its permanent grin, but Numbuh Three was not satisfied. "C'mon, Wally-kun! Tell me what to do!"

For the fourth time, it did not reply, about sending Numbuh Three off the edge in frustration. "Oh, you're no help..." she said softly, tossing it to the side. "I'm going to go see what Numbuh Four's doing, okay, Wally-kun?"

Skipping, she made her way out into the hallway. I wonder if I got this sickness from Numbuh Four, she mused as she hummed to the main room. He's been acting weird, too...Oh, great! It's a contagious sickness! I hope Numbuh One, Numbuh Two, and Numbuh Five don't get it!

"Whatcha watchin'?" She greeted from behind him, nearly frightening the poor guy five feet into the air.

Numbuh Four turned his head a little and flinched. He had hoped she might've stayed in her room for another thirty minutes or so...being separated for only an hour barely did any good for him. All he had done was think about her – he didn't even have a clue as to what was happening on the T.V. and he'd supposedly been watching it for an hour!

"Oh, um, ah dunno, channel surfin'."

"Can we watch Rainbow Monkeys?" Numbuh Three asked politely, and even though she couldn't see it, she could tell he was glaring at her from under his long bangs. "Okay, okay...you pick a movie then, Mr. Rainbow Monkey Hater."

Numbuh Four wasn't about to go watching some movie alone with Numbuh Three. He'd never done that before—and the thoughts of what could happen circling his mind were scaring the crud out of him. "Um...ah dunno..."

Numbuh Three opened her mouth to speak, but instead of her soft, sweet, voice, there was a sudden crash. She twisted herself around, as well as Numbuh Four, and came face to face with a navy blue helicopter looking machine. From behind the helicopter there was a giant hole in the wall, seemingly where it had came from in the first place. "Huh? What's going on?" She blinked at it, thinking the helicopter would suddenly grow a mouth and answer her question.

"Ah dunno..." Numbuh Four now stood close at her right; feeling almost like it was his job to make sure nothing bad would happen to her. "Uh, guys? Is that you?"

The front of the helicopter opened up, but it was not who the two expected to see. Five pale, blue-eyed faces appeared before them, all smirking knowingly. "Hello, Wallace," they said in unison.

Numbuh Four never liked it when they called him this—it was like a pet name or something. "'Ello ter you, too, Delightful Dorks."

"Now, now, Wallace, let's not start a quarrel...not without your leader, of course," they still spoke simultaneously, which was something Numbuh Four or Three never could understand, nor did they like. It was just plain creepy.

"Numbuh One's not here, though," Numbuh Three said to them, which caught the Delightful Children off guard.

"Not here? Then where is he?!" Their bored tones no longer sounded bored, but angry.

"On a mission, sillies!" Numbuh Three giggled. "With Numbuh Two and Numbuh Five!"

At first the Delightful Children only remained still and shocked, but the all-knowing smirks soon returned to their faces. "Oh, really? Well, Wallace, isn't this cute? You and your little girlfriend all alone?" They all threw their heads back and laughed.

Numbuh Four balled a fist and growled. "She's not my girlfriend."

"But you'd like to have it that way, wouldn't you, Wallace?" Their sky-blue eyes gleamed maliciously. "Kuki-dear as your girlfriend? Well, too bad it's never going to happen because even without your Numbuh One, we'll be more than happy to kick your posteriors!"

Numbuh Three saw the giant claw above Numbuh Four's head first and gasped, pushing him over to the side just as it closed.

"Aw, how sweet, she's defending you!" The five children shared an evil laugh again, making the two Kids Next Door operatives even more furious, if that was even impossible.

"WHY YA LITTLE FREAKS!" Numbuh Four launched himself from the ground, aiming straight for the Delightful Children. They simply smirked their infamous smirks.

An extended claw from the helicopter reached out to grab the hood of Numbuh Four's sweatshirt. It stopped his attack, but not his glare. "You think you can beat us all by yourself, little Wallace? Teeny, tiny little you?" They asked him as he hung in mid-air, fists balled.

Numbuh Four clenched his teeth together. They should've known better than to damage his ego—now they were in for it. "Don't you ever call meh LITTLE!" He shouted angrily. The back of his hood partly ripped off as he got free, and the Australian tackled the blonde boy of the Delightful Children, making the others gasp, including Numbuh Three.

"No, no! Let me go!" The boy said, only this time his brothers and sisters did not join in on the voice. "Please!"

Numbuh Four had him by the collar and wasn't about to let go for a stupid "please". "Then ya better tell me that you'll leave Numbuh Three alone!"

"If you think we're going to do that—"

"SAY IT!" He gave the kid a violent shake to prove he was not joking around.

The blonde boy looked back uneasily at his siblings, who were all biting their lips in a frightened manner. "Okay, fine, we'll leave you and your girlfriend alone."

Numbuh Four gave him another jerk and pushed him back into the other Delightful Children. They instantly closed the front of the helicopter and started to hover.

"An' she's not mah girlfriend!"

The helicopter flew off into the sky, leaving Numbuh Four and Numbuh Three totally speechless. Neither really knew what to say, so they both stood there in a couple minutes of silence.

"Oh, Numbuh Four," breathed Numbuh Three, still stunned. "You're my HERO!"

It was not long after, and personally to him "not long enough", that Numbuh Four found Numbuh Three's arms embracing his body. Like usual, he hadn't received a warning or anything. He was going to have to learn what exactly pushed the 'hug Numbuh Four' button, and also not to do it. He hated blushing – he really did.

"Movie time!" Numbuh Three exclaimed happily as she leapt off of him as quickly as she hugged him, linking her arm with Numbuh Four and dancing around in a small circle. "Movie time! Movie time! Movie time!"

Numbuh Four smiled – for once he actually felt okay to let out the smile as Numbuh Three hopped around with his arm. There was no one here to make fun of him or point and ask him why his face was so red or why there was a goofy smile plastered onto his face. After all, it was just he and Numbuh Three.

"Whatcha wanna watch, Numbuh Four?" She said, dragging him down to sit next to her in the couch, their arms still connected. "I wanna watch something romantic!" Her eyelashes batted at him flirtatiously.

Numbuh Four's face flushed pink in embarrassment and looked away from her adorable expression. "Uh...ah dunno, Numbuh Three..."

She wants ter watch somethin' romantic with you? Wouldn't that be loike a date, Wally? His conscience teased, in which the pink on his face deepened into red.

"Okay, well, let's watch what you wanna watch, 'kay?"

As soon as ya let go of mah arm, he thought to himself. He felt a little uneasy as he unlatched himself from her, as well as Numbuh Three (but of course, he didn't know that) as he got up to go look at their movie choices. "Ah wanna watch a scary movie...Ah know the pe'fect one!" A frown appeared on his face. "But there's one problem..."

Numbuh Three cocked her head to one side. She personally didn't like the idea of a scary movie, but Numbuh Four would be with her, and for some reason, she felt secure with him around.

"What's the problem?"

Numbuh Four turned around to the TV screen so he wouldn't have to face her.

"It's at mah parents' 'ouse..."

Ooh, cliffy! Okay, maybe not, but whatever, it's as close as it gets in a fluffy story such as this one. (Wink, wink) It's going to get a lot fluffier here shortly... Muahahahahahaha!! Okay, never mind. Don't laugh evilly with me, see if I care!

Next Chapter info: Numbuh Three and Four set out on a "voyage" to Numbuh Four's house to retrieve the movie. What Numbuh Three doesn't know is how embarrassing Numbuh Four's parents can be...