Not much to say here, I guess. This never happens. If you check my Tumblr, you'll see that I procrastinated this chapter, like, a lot. Well, anyway, I loved how this chapter came out and I'm ready to get a bit more serious with my characters, so be wary and excited!

Anyway, enjoy!

Lela unlocked the door to the Sparx headquarters, inching her way through the darkness of the main room hoping to find the door to Xander's office. The first room she walked through was the waiting room for the garage; the place people would sit in while their vehicles were being fixed in the next room over. Lela scanned the darkness of the room for anything that would lead to the rest of the building. She checked into the garage, finding nothing that would move aside like a door.

With a huff, she headed back into the waiting room, eyes scanning the walls of the room before landing on a single bookshelf that rested against the back wall of the room. The bookshelf was probably filled with regular books and magazines for customers to flip through while waiting, but Lela's instincts reminded her of when she, Butchy and Xander had talked about having the best clubhouse in town.

/Flashback\

Lela was doodling on a piece of paper while Butchy and Xander talked about what their future clubhouse was going to look like. She was drawing whatever the boys said. So far, they had a garage for fixing bikes and cars and a back room that was only for the people in the club to know about.

"Ooh! I know, why don't we put a coat hanger on the wall that you pull and it swings open like a door!" Butchy chirped excitedly. Butchy was ten, Xander was nine and seven-eighths (which he always added to make sure everyone knew he was only a little younger than Biagio) and Lela was trailing behind at six.

Xander's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "What if we use a bookshelf? Gianna Wilson has one in her house, remember? Her mom and dad made it for her secret book room."

"Can we visit Giggles later, Biagio?" Lela asked as she had been sidetracked from her drawing by the mention of her new best friend from school.

"Maybe," Butchy agreed, "if you draw the rest of the hangout for us, sis."

"Okay!" Lela cheered excitedly.

Xander smiled at his cousins before returning to his conversation with Biagio, "If I had a secret place in my hangout, I'd use a secret bookshelf so nobody other than us would ever be able to find it. They'd have to search every shelf for the right book! Who would be that determined to find a secret?"

/Flashback End\

"Me," Lela mumbled as quietly as she could. Lela scanned the shelves of books, pulling on each book to see if it was the opening. It wasn't until the third shelf that she found what she was looking for. An unlabeled, red and gray book was pulled, a soft click sounding as the bookshelf swung inwards. The bookshelf shifted inwardly to reveal a hallway with three doorways branching off of them.

The one to her left was just an open archway leading into a living room style area that had another room off of it. Upon further inspection, the side room was only a small kitchen, so Lela left the room. The door at the end of the hallway only held a bathroom, so Lela scratched that off her list as well and headed for the only door on the left side of the building.

The blue-ish door lead directly to the room Lela was hoping for; Xander's office. Lela slowly shut the door behind her and inched her way into the room, heading directly for Xander's desk. She scanned over the things Xander kept on his desk, making sure to replace things so they would be in the same place she had found them in. Lela decided there was nothing important for her on the top of the desk, so she opened the left drawer of the desk. Inside the drawer was a bunch of file dividers, each filled thickly with files that were labeled with permanent markers.

Lela sighed in mild agitation; she had hoped this would be a quick visit. Lela knelt on the floor, reaching into the open drawer to look at the labels on the files. The first one was labeled simply with one word: Butchy. Lela skimmed lightly through the papers that were stuffed into the file, reading multiple articles that had been clipped from the local newspaper or had been handwritten by Xander himself.

A few photographs were in the file, some showing Butchy and Mick spending time together while some were just of Butchy and a few people from the Rodents. Lela found a picture that someone had taken of Butchy and Mick snuggling on the beach in their swimsuits, Mick's wet hair showing that they had probably just come back from surfing or swimming. Lela slid the photograph into her pocket, deciding Mick and Butchy would probably appreciate having it.

Lela moved through the folders, finding one with her name that contained almost the exact same things that Butchy's file did; photographs and handwritten articles. However, Lela didn't spend much time in her own file, shifting through a few more files. She soon noticed that the files were all related to everyone related to the Rodent crew.

The last file she found in that side of the desk was a file labeled with Mick's name. The file was quite big, multiple photographs were shoved inside, a few with just Mick in them while the majority contained her with other friends of hers. Lela shook her head at what her cousin had been up to. Behind a few clumps of paper in Mick's folder was a chunk of metal that looked vaguely familiar to the raven haired girl. Cautiously, Lela pulled the piece of metal from the drawer and examined it, wondering why on earth it was in Mick's folder.

She flipped the object around, taking in every small detail of it until she noticed something small etched into a small piece of metal that protruded from the bottom of the mass. Lela brought the object closer so she could read the inscription. The small letters were easier to read when close up, the letters revealing the simple labeling her brother used on any motorcycle he worked on for the rodents "BMB/Rodents."

It was her brother's!

With a glint of excitement in her eyes, Lela placed the metal chunk on the top of the desk and closed the drawer she had rifled through, moving on to the other side of the desk. Lela opened that side, flipping over a few files that had the names of the rest of her friends, noting that a few surfers were mixed in this side.

Lela reached the back of the drawer, having skimmed lightly through most of the folders until she reached the last one. The last file had no label on it, but it was close to overflowing with papers and information. Lela carefully pulled the entire file from its' confines and placed it on the top of the desk so she could examine it in full. The seventeen year old opened the file, the top paper in it being the title page. It was tattered, a little torn, and the ink was smudged a little, almost as though Xander had been in a hurry, but the words were still legible.

"WEAKNESSES OF RODENTS AND SURFERS"

Lela quickly flipped through the pages, noticing that it did, indeed, hold weaknesses of everyone that she knew; both biker and surfer. Lela examined the page with her brother's name on it, reading a few things off of it. "Mick – Girlfriend, Weakness – 10. Lela – Sister, Weakness – 10. Lugnut (Lawrence Duke) – Best friend, Weakness – 8..." The list went on for a few pages.

In frustration, Lela flipped over a few names, skipping to the page with Giggles name on it, checking her childhood best friend's page, only to find that it was very short. Brushing her confusion aside simply, Lela moved down to Mick's page, finding it paper-clipped to a handful of papers. Lela shook her head with a deep inhale of anger.

If her cousin thought he could get away with this, he was sorely wrong.

Lela closed the folder, shrugging her backpack off her shoulders and opening it. If Xander was planning on using these things against him, she would do everything in her power to prevent it. He wanted to play dirty, she was going to turn into the filthiest person she could. Lela picked up the papers, sliding them into her bag and zipping it up.

Lela slammed the drawer shut and shrugged the, now heavy, bag onto her shoulder, double checking that she left everything the way she found it. She picked up the piece of metal she had found in Mick's folder, examining it one last time. As she thought back on the times she, Xander and Butchy had been close, she realized how strong she was becoming and found herself smirking victoriously.

She headed out of Xander's office, keeping an eye out for her cousin or his team of flying monkeys as she wandered her way back out of the building.

{Lela}

I'm not the damsel in distress, I'm not your cousin or the frightened princess. I'm not a little bird who needs some help to fly…

Nope!

I'm the bad guy!

All this time you've worried about Butchy. Not for long, because, you see, it's always been me. So I'm not a sweetheart or a good girl next door... What am I, now? I'm the bad guy!

Oh it's magic, to watch your plans shrivel up and die! Oh it's thrillin', to be a villain! I'll destroy your hopes and then I'll watch you cry...

'Cuz I'm the bad guy!

Well, girl, haha!

{Song End}

Lela kept the metal piece in her hands as she exited the building, using the spare key to lock the building back up before sliding it under the front mat once again and leaving for good.

Mick sighed in exhaustion as she relaxed into the bed she was now able to share with Butchy. Not being able to tell her best friend about her double life and secret fiancé was killing her mentally. Hudson was like her brother from another mother, they shared everything. She had made up her mind that, no matter what, she'd tell him or show him before the wedding. She wanted him to be there.

Antonio chuckled as he entered the room, crossing the distance between the door and the bed Mick was resting on. "I see only one of my patients has returned. How are you feeling, mia nipote?"

"Tired, but I'm good. How are you, Uncle Tony?" Mick asked, sitting up a little so she wouldn't appear rude to the doctor.

"I am alright, however I would like to discuss something with both you and my nephew when he returns," Antonio claimed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It regards the tests we performed on the two of you and his blood test results. I would prefer to only have to explain it once."

"Good idea," Mick claimed simply. "Can you tell me if it's good news or bad news?"

Antonio met Mick's eyes, hoping to keep his gaze neutral as he spoke with the younger girl. "To be completely honest, I'm not sure myself. It might be best for us to wait for him to show up."

Mick's eyebrows scrunched in confusion; for Antonio, a doctor, to not be sure of a medical situation meant something was probably wrong. She tried to keep her inner panic to herself, focusing on something else like she had been told to do when the nurse talked her through how to handle the feeling of an anxiety attack. She knew she wasn't at the full on panic stage yet, but she could tell it would most likely get there pretty quickly if the news was actually something bad and it wasn't just her jumpy nerves getting the best of her.

Mick blinked a few times, glancing out the window at the nearby trees and the sky that was probably not far from setting. "Well, is there any way that we can be sure which it is?"

Antonio watched the teenager with calm eyes, softening his gaze. "I believe so, however it requires the both of you being present as I know that you two will be able to comfort each other through my medical nonsense."

Mick nodded with a small smile. Butchy was probably on his way back by now, so she wouldn't have to wait too long for her questions to be answered. The brunette tilted her head to the side, allowing her braid to slide over her shoulder so she could untie it. "You know, my parents can't wait to meet you."

"Oh, really?" Antonio asked, curiosity peaking as he watched Mick untangle her braid. "I didn't know you mentioned me to them."

"Well, Butchy says you're like the dad he never had and he really looks up to you, so I figured you're a really important person in his life. I thought they'd like to know about you." Mick slid her fingers through her braid, moving up to the crown of her head and untangling the French braid. She glanced over at Antonio with a bright smile. "They're thinking of visiting soon, so you might meet them soon."

"I would like that," Antonio commented, scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper. "From what you've mentioned, they seem like nice people. I look forward to meeting them as well."

"They're great people," Butchy agreed as Althea wheeled him into the room.

Mick smiled at him as he was brought next to the bed. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey," Mick sighed, moving off the bed to help his nurse get him into bed again. "I'll help out."

"Wait," Butchy insisted, glancing up to Althea hopefully. "I want to show you something, Babe."

Mick watched him curiously, yet stepped back regardless, allowing him some room to do what he needed to do. Butchy used his feet to kick up the foot rests before shifting himself further toward the edge of the wheelchair. Althea reached under his arms, giving the tall male a brace as he shifted his weight forward onto his feet, standing before Mick for the first time since the accident.

Mick slowly moved toward him, ready to catch him if need be. Instead, Butchy looked to Althea, giving her a small nod. The older woman smiled and retracted her arms slowly, allowing the twenty-one year old to stand on his own before his fiancee. Butchy smiled proudly to Mick, taking a cautious step toward her and, once he found himself stable, he continued the few paces he needed to meet Mick. Once he reached her, he brought his arms up, wrapping them around her as tightly as possible, his right arm a fair bit stronger than his injured left.

Mick let out a huffed exhale of disbelief as she embraced Butchy. "B-But you- How?!"

"You," Butchy replied confidently. "You empower me."

Mick clenched Butchy's hospital gown, pressing herself into him tightly as he held her. "I love you so much."

"But I love you more, my Queen," Butchy assured, moving a hand into Mick's hair and holding her head to his chest.

Mick smiled and relaxed into him a small bit, still aware that he was just barely able to accomplish this and she needed to be careful about his balance. Mick helped shuffle him back onto the hospital bed, standing in front of him as he confidently smiled up at her from the edge of the bed. With a bright smile down at Butchy, Mick stepped as close to him as the bed would allow and put a hand on the back of his head just as he had done to her a moment ago, turning his head and gently pressing his ear to her chest.

With the low height of the bed, he was able to listen to Mick's heartbeat without her putting any pressure on his wounds or him tearing his stitches by trying to lean over her. Butchy reached up and pressed his palms against the curve of Mick's spine, pushing her closer – as though that were even possible. Mick looked up from Butchy and to Althea as the older woman pressed the tips of her fingers to Mick's left shoulder.

"He truly loves you." Althea glanced down to the fingers Butchy had clenched in Mick's shirt before meeting Makana's eyes once more. "I've never seen a man, apart from my own husband, be so in love and committed to the love of his life. He wouldn't stop talking about you. I wish for you two to have the best."

"Thank you," Mick claimed graciously, watching the older woman as she said goodbye to Antonio and left the room. Mick stared after the woman as though she wasn't entirely sure of what just happened.

Butchy tilted his head up to Mick, watching his future wife with a smile. "I have to tell you something later."

Mick shifted her gaze down to him, watching his brown eyes glow a golden-green under the hospital lights. She nodded slowly, helping him shift backwards so he was resting against the bed as she raised the head of the bed to a sitting level. "Uncle Tony wants to talk to us about some things, first. So, now that you have the both of us, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Antonio watched Mick briefly as the nineteen year old circled the bed and sat on the right side of her fiance's bed. "Well, I'll go over the easy part first," Antonio began. "Biagio, your blood test came back and everything seems to be in order. I don't believe you a blood transfusion, which is both good and confusing."

"Confusing, how?" Butchy asked, his fingers sliding between Mick's as she settled next to him.

"After a procedure like that, one that needed a transfusion, we usually need to give the patients another transfusion because of platelets or plasma that the body may require. However, you need nothing." Antonio read through the file he had brought with him before setting it on the bed for a moment and moving another set of papers further up on the clipboard. "I doubt it's anything to worry about. We have had cases where not needing a plasma transfusion has occurred, but I assumed you would need it due to having a transfusion during surgery. I do believe that is what will lead into the next part of our conversation."

"Which is…?" Mick asked slowly.

Antonio glanced between the couple before focusing back on his papers. "Well, do you remember the EKG we did on the both of you before Makana left to visit her family and Biagio left for physical therapy?"

Mick and Butchy shared a look before nodding to Antonio. "Yes. Why, was something irregular?" Butchy asked, tightening his grasp on Mick's hand.

Antonio lifted his gaze, switching his gaze between both of the brown eyed young adults. "Not irregular, just uncommon. Here," Antonio paused, unclipping a set of papers and handing the to the couple. "We hooked you both up at the same time and the test began at the same time. If you follow this here, you'll see what I see."

Mick lifted her paper so it was just above Butchy's, looking between the markings on the pages and shaking her head. "I don't see anything. It's just a heartbeat monitor."

Butchy glanced to Mick before gently taking the paper from her hands and placing it on top of his and holding it so the two of them could see it. Mick leaned over Butchy's right shoulder at the papers as Butchy held them to the light a bit. Butchy spoke up softly, telling Mick what he saw, "The lines aren't far off. My heartbeat isn't far behind yours, Mickie."

"To be completely honest with the both of you," Antonio piped in, "your heartbeats are the same. The only difference, is the slightest millisecond in the timing."

"So, our hearts are the same?" Mick asked, still unsure if she understood completely.

"Yes, but that's not all, I'm afraid." Antonio stood from his spot and collected the papers once more, placing them on the end of the bed before circling around to Butchy's left side. Mick's eyes followed him with worried scrutiny, watching the doctor reach for Butchy's left arm.

"What are you worried about?" Mick asked quickly, following Antonio's hands as he unbuttoned the left sleeve of Butchy's hospital gown.

Butchy tightened his hold on Mick's hand, gaining her attention. "Relax, Makana. I'm not hurt, you're alright, we're fine."

"More than fine, actually," Antonio interrupted. The couple glanced up at him as he observed the area he had performed surgery on not all that long ago. "With the surgery and the strain I thought you had put your stitches through to make sure Mick didn't go through her anxiety attack alone, I was sure you would've torn something. However, before you left for physical therapy, I checked your wounds, only to find that they were mostly healed."

"What does that mean?" Butchy asked, attempting to see what his uncle was looking at.

Mick leaned over Butchy to see the wounded area without bandages for the first time. There were multiple areas sewn shut, however they looked almost ready to be cut and taken out. Mick had only ever needed stitches once in her lifetime, when she had tried to clean glass out of a mirror she had accidentally broken and had jabbed the back of her left hand into a jagged piece of glass. She had only needed three stitches, but she knew that they only looked the way Butchy's did if they were ready to come out.

"You're healing quicker than anyone I've ever seen," Antonio explained. "I believe it may be because of the heartbeats synchronizing; I can't be sure yet, but I'm willing to bet my money on it."

Mick slowly peeled her eyes from Butchy's sewn shoulder and met the injured brunette's gaze. The glimmer of green they both noticed in each other's eyes seemed more prominent as they seemed to silently agree with what Antonio had just explained. Butchy released Mick's hand and instead held her hip tightly as Mick slowly moved her head down to his chest.

That was a lot of information to absorb in one afternoon.

Hey, guys! Decided to pop this last thing in to explain a little. I've researched pretty much everything medical in this chapter. Heartbeats can synchronize and there are multiple cases of it; I actually know a few couples that have that and it's very romantic in my mind. Transfusions of plasma are sometimes needed after surgeries to replace proteins in your blood that help it clot and is also used if there was major bleeding, which, in Butchy's case, there was. Platelet transfusions is used if your body needs more platelets, so it's kind of self-explanatory.

As for the healing process being quickened, there is no medical history of it occurring the way I'm making it work, but there are medical mysteries we haven't discovered reason to yet, so you never know! My own sister is a medical mystery; she's allergic to her own blood, so if she gets a cut or something, she has to rinse it off quickly or she breaks out in hives. If that's possible, anything is, really.

Lela's song: I'm the Bad Guy from Wander Over Yonder (don't judge me, it was a good song for the moment XD)

Anyway, thank you for reading!