Chapter 4

I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.

The next morning, the group decided to return to the conference hall for more information about the children. While they came in small waves, they patiently waited for Evershed and the other leaders to arrive. Flaky glanced around with a concerned gaze to see if Flippy had returned from his trip. On his right, Fliqpy had his feet on the table and was leaned back with his beret over his eyes, looking over at the red-head before closing his eyes. "He's fine, brat. Don't get so worked up." Flaky didn't respond, but only shot his head up when he heard a door slam. He looked back towards the entrance to see the veteran running a hand through his hair, followed by Russell and Lumpy heading to their seats. The red-head jumped out of his seat and proceeded to run towards the green-haired male, who nearly fell back because of the arms around him. Flippy pulled the younger male close with a smile. "I'm alright Flakes."

"What the fuck took you so long? Did you go to China to get that information?" Fliqpy asked while lifting his head, having Flippy sigh and pull away from the red-head slightly. "Apparently, it took me longer than I thought to get info on their base. By the time I got here, it was two in the morning, so I decided to crash." He led Flaky back to their seats, glaring at Fliqpy once he sat down. "We'll talk about what you did later." He muttered, having his doppelgänger shrug in response and glance over at the two bluenettes. "Hey pirate bitch! Nice marks!" He shouted with a sneer, but Russell could give less of a damn about his comment since he was so focused on his daughter's whereabouts, holding onto Lumpy's arm for comfort and nuzzling him with a tight grip. Handy, Toothy, and Cuddles entered the hall, guiding a fatigued Petunia towards their seats, Pop kept Cub close to him in case the child ran off, Lammy and Truffles quietly entered with Mr. Pickels behind him, Sniffles and Nutty sat next to the twins and Sniffles placed a laptop on the desk in front of him, and the rest began to fill in slowly.

It took another half hour of waiting before Evershed and the others arrived, sitting in their seats and looking over at the Tree Friends. "We have called you all here a second time because we have new information about the Dick Squad," Fliqpy snorted again and kept his head down to hide his laughter. Evershed coughed to get his attention before continuing. "Although, this information was discovered by two individuals. Sniffles had found the location of this organization, and Flippy took the courtesy of visiting their headquarters himself."

"I didn't even go in," Flippy interrupted. "I just looked around the building and tried not to get caught. Unfortunately, I didn't hear any of the guys outside talk about the kids and where they were." Flaky's shoulders fell in sadness and he lowered his head as Sniffles opened his laptop. "According to what I found, their base is past Happy Tree Mountain, so it's pretty far. Luckily, it's inside the boundaries of the Curse, so if anything happened to us, we could easily come back to life. But the downside is there isn't a nearby hospital for miles, so we're pretty much screwed."

"Why does it matter to you?" Russell snapped at Evershed with a glare. "Like you're gonna do anything about it." Lumpy pulled him closer in case he said anything else that would result in what happened the day before. Luckily for the two of them, Kenn didn't pull out a gun as he expected. The taller male loosened his grip on the former pirate's arm slightly, but wanted to make sure that he didn't say anything out of line.

Evershed was about to speak again until the group heard static on the monitor behind the leaders. Everyone looked up, wondering what was going on only to see a malicious face appear on the screen once the static faded. "Hello~!" He shouted with a grin, surprising the group with wide eyes. "So, I know you're all wondering where the hell the brats are, and I know some of you are flipping your shits like the pirate bitch over there," He pointed to Russell, who shrouded away with a glare. "Now, my only thought is which brat should I test this new drug on?"

"So you did find a way to counter the Curse." Splendid responded with crossed arms.

"Did I say that?" The leader chuckled to himself before speaking again. "Anyway I suggest you try to stop us if you don't want them killed, but who should I start with? Maybe the brats that belong to the mad scientist?" Nutty could feel the tension emitting from the blue-haired male beside him, and began to grow worried about what he might do. "Maybe that new brat who I've never seen in my life, but who cares. Or. . ." He trailed of with a sneer as he gazed directly at Russell. "The pirate kid."

"I fucking dare you!" Russell shot up from his seat, slamming his hands on the table with a growl. The enemy smirked to respond and leaned in with a hand on his hip. "Oh? Did I upset the pirate bitch?"

"Touch her and I'll make sure you're not revived!"

"Russell." Lumpy pulled him back, causing the bluenette to growl at him as his hysteria kicked in for the umpteenth time. Evershed turned towards the leader with a blank look. "So, mind telling us who you are?"

"I don't find it necessary, but I'll tell you anyway. My name is Dave Lovelace, the leader of this group of nitwits. Glad to meet you." In an instant, Fliqpy stood from his seat with wide eyes and threw his hands on the table with a shout. "I fucking killed you! How are you still alive!?"

"Fliq, what are you talking about?" Flippy asked with concern as Flaky was pulled towards him. His counterpart curled up his fists with a glare, not looking away from Dave. "This fucker is one of the Tiger General's lackeys. He was killed along with whoever else was in that fucking tent, as well as the general." The veteran's eyes widened and shot his head towards the screen, a scowl beginning to grow on his face. "I see. He wants revenge for killing his leader. No wonder he's happy about Ruby."

"I don't even need to say it, do I?" Dave sneered from the monitor before crossing his arms and leaning back. "But if you want these kids, better hurry and grab them before I lost my patience." The screen turned into static before fading to black, leaving the group in complete silence. Evershed sighed and folded his hands, gazing over at the parents with a blank stare. "I know what you're all going to say, so I have no objections to stop you."

"Do we really have a choice?" Kenn asked lazily, placing an elbow on the table and leaning onto it. "I mean, they have the decision to save their kids."

"Then you already know what I'm about to say," Flippy responded with a serious tone. "I'm going to get my daughter back."

"As if I'll leave the mission to you alone," Sniffles responded with a lifted eyebrow, sliding the laptop into his arms and standing up. "Which is why I'm going as well."

"Sniffles." Nutty grabbed onto his arm and pulled on it slightly with concern, having the bluenette respond by stroking his cheek. A moment later, Handy stood up as well and slumped over the table. "If anything, I know that you two are fucking crazy, which means I'm not entrusting the safety of my son to the likes of you."

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or you saying that you're coming with us," Sniffles lifted an eyebrow with a smile before turning his gaze over to Lumpy and Russell. "I know neither of you want the three of us to get your daughter, so who's coming with us?"

Lumpy crossed his arms with closed eyes, believing that he should be the one to go, but looked over to see his husband giving him a dead look. He wasn't completely sure about his decision, seeing that Russell was at a breaking point with the hysteria and having the fear that the former pirate might attack someone. Lumpy sighed and pulled away, allowing Russell to stand in affirmation. Evershed smiled in response before rising to his feet. "I leave the rest to you."

An hour later, the group was preparing to depart for their journey. Handy closed the hood of the van with a thumbs up, signaling that there were going to be no casualties on the way. He stepped over to Petunia and held both of her hands close, whispering loving words to her and pecking her on the lips. "I'll be back soon."

"I know." Petunia replied with a smile and another kiss. The two held in their embrace long enough to give the other couples their time to say their farewells. Not far from them, Sniffles had set his laptop in the passenger seat with Nutty watching him with a worried glance. He lowered his head and intertwined his fingers. "I have a bad feeling about this." He said, keeping his eyes towards the ground. His voice grabbed the scientist's attention and he glanced over at the candy lover with a tender gaze. Sniffles cupped one of his cheeks gently and pulled him close with a calm smile. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

"But-"

"Trust me, Nutty," The blue-haired male pulled him into a tight hug and held him close. "Do you trust me?" The greenette nuzzled his shoulder before wrapping arms around the other. He lifted his head and kissed his cheek. "I'm not letting you come home unless you have the kids."

"I'll have them with me." Nutty smiled and pulled away slightly before Sniffles brought their lips together for a kiss, intertwining their fingers tightly as they broke apart for air. "You taste sweet." Nutty whispered against his lips, having the bluenette smirk to respond and lift his chin with a finger. "Only when I'm kissing you." The candy lover giggled and pecked him once again.

Russell and Lumpy sat in the trunk of the van with the door open, the two of them siting in silence. Russell was curled up in a ball in a corner while Lumpy sat on the opposite side, keeping his gaze on the former pirate with concern. Both of them knew that the taller bluenette had allowed him to save their daughter in his place, although the silence between them was beginning to worry him. Lumpy was reminded of the mere hours after Russell was raped, when the two never gave each other so much as a glance. He thought back to how it took him a little over a month to apologize, and it took him three years to tell the former pirate how he truly felt about what had happened. Lumpy feared that it would happen again.

Lumpy was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the surface underneath him tilt and he lifted his head to feel a familiar pair of lips press against his own. Russell seated himself in the other's lap and pulled him close. Lumpy cupped his cheeks gently as they broke apart for air, gazing into each others' eyes with concern. "I knew exactly what you were thinking," Russell spoke up in a soft tone. "You were scared about us not talking again."

"Am I an open book or what?" Lumpy sighed before the former pirate kissed him again, this time averting his eyes towards the ground. "To be honest, I'm more worried about how he called me a pirate so willingly in front of the kids. So, that just got me to think that he told Umi about who I was before moving in with you." He curled up in the taller male's lap with a small sigh, and Lumpy tilted his head back. Even before becoming pregnant, Russell never wanted to reveal that he used to be a pirate in front of children because he knew of the stories their parents would tell. Besides Lumpy, only a few knew of his past while the rest only thought he was interested enough to dress as a pirate. Umi was in the majority who thought he was fascinated with pirates, and Russell planned to keep it that way.

"I don't want her to be afraid of me." Russell held himself close and lowered his head, causing Lumpy to hold him close. "Umi's stronger than you think. I don't think she'll be scared of you if you're trying to protect her."

"You think so?" Lumpy gave him a comforting smile and nodded, having Russell smile with hope. "You're right. I shouldn't be too worried about it." The taller bluenette pulled him into a tight embrace in hopes of never letting him go.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go." Flippy commented on his doppelgänger's behavior with crossed arms and Flaky at his side. The three of them were in the shadow of the car so they could talk privately. Fliqpy placed a hand on his hip with a lowered gaze. "I want to go and see him killed for myself. If I had known, none of this would be happening. If this wasn't about the kids, then I would already be on my way."

"So you're not going because it's my kid?" Fliqpy nodded to respond and lifted his head. "I can take care of Flakes when you're gone."

"My only concern is if I can trust you not to do anything." Flippy gave him an unconvinced glance and a lifted eyebrow. Flaky held a tighter grip on his sleeve and pulled himself closer. "I-I don't think he'll do anything. I-I mean nothing happened last night." The veteran looked back at him before letting out a sigh. "Alright. I trust you Flakes," He pecked the red-head on the cheek before calling out to the others. "Okay! Let's get a move on before sunset!" One by one, the remaining people going on the trip gave their partners a final kiss before entering the car, along with Flippy pecking Flaky on the lips before climbing into the driver's seat and glancing at his other half. "Take care of him."

"Don't even have to ask." With a nod of confirmation, Flippy started the engine and began to back out of the parking lot, turning the vehicle towards the wilderness and slowly drove out of sight. The partners who remained were completely still until going back to their homes, praying to themselves about what was to come.