Note: Anything in this story associated with Disney doesn't belong to me…but you already know that.

Okay. Before you start Chapter 5, I thought I'd mention something I brought up in the last chapter, the part about the song Boogie Beagle Blues. That was a last minute addition, only because I'd heard the song for the first time just recently. And loved it! It's so cute! Burger Beagle just kills me!

Anyway, if no one's heard this song before, I strongly recommend listening to it. It took me a while to find it, but it was worth it.

Well, that's enough out of me! You have a chapter to read!

Beagle Without a Mask

Chapter 5

Breakfast at Bonnie's…

The late autumn sun shone brightly through the blinds of Bonnie's bedroom window. She groans irritably, turning away from the light. She finally forces herself to squint at the digital clock on her nightstand; 8:24 a.m.

She drags herself out of bed to stretch, reaching her arms up to the ceiling. She's unable to suppress a yawn as she makes her way around her room, going through her usual morning routine before starting the day; she utilizes the pull-up bar suspended in the door frame of her closet, proceeding to only do fifteen, not really wanting to get too sweaty. After the pull-ups she moves to the floor, knocking out repetitions of sit ups and push ups. Once she's had her fill of exercise, she changes into a pair of grey leggings and a black tank top.

Bonnie grabs a towel from her closet before putting on her slippers; a shower was definitely in order, seeing as how she hadn't been able to take one the night before with their surprise visitor showing up out of the blue. She trusted Bigtime with her life, but she still wasn't confident leaving Jennifer alone with anyone in her family yet. And with good reason.

She opens the bedroom door and steps out into the hallway, stifling another yawn-

"Bon Bon!"

Without warning Bonnie is picked up off of the ground and gripped into a tight hug. She gasps for air, surprised by the ambush. It's difficult but she manages to crane her neck just enough to glimpse the assailant who'd grabbed ahold of her, a few distinct features standing out; green cap, black mask, and an overly large belly.

"Burger?!" she wheezes.

"It's so good to see ya, Bon Bon!" Burger Beagle embraces his sister tightly, obviously overjoyed to see her. "It's about time you woke up; we've been waitin' fer hours!"

"Burger," she grumbles. "What're you doing here-"

"We were gonna wake ya up, but yer roommate said that wouldn't be very wise." He scrunches up his face in thought. "Somethin' about you bein' awful cranky if yer up before sunrise." He then shrugs. "Oh well! 'Least yer up now, though!"

Bonnie rolls her eyes, hanging in his grip. If she hadn't been taken by surprise, she would've gladly hugged him back. Out of all her brothers, Burger was probably the only one who acted younger than she did, making her feel more like an older sister than a younger one. It might've had something to do with the way she nags at them during some of her visits home; she probably reminded him of Ma Beagle. The thought always made Bonnie shudder. But as unsettling as it was, there were times where such adoration really wasn't all that bad. It could be worse; they could actually hate her for it.

Despite harassments such as this one, she only grew more fond of the little quirks in her troublesome family.

"Boy 've I sure missed you, sis." Burger swings her back and forth, not showing any signs of letting up. "We haven't seen ya in a f'rever!"

"I, missed you too, Buddy." She makes an attempt at patting him on the back. "Um, Burger-"

"Things just ain't the same without you around." He says sadly, actually squeezing tighter. "Sure wish you'd come visit more often-"

"Burger?"

He pauses, letting up his grip enough to look to her fondly. "Yeah, Bon?" he asks, the usual innocence lining his tone.

"Can't…breath."

He looks on at her blankly before his eyes widen in surprise; he must've noticed her face turning blue. "Woopsie." He gives a sheepish grin, gently setting her down. "Sorry 'bout that."

The moment he releases her she takes in a deep breath of air. She's about to say something to him when Jennifer suddenly appears at her side. Naturally, she smiles brightly at her friend; a cup of hot coffee in her hands. Her auburn hair is done up in a high ponytail, and her clothes are similar to her own, though her pants are blue capris and the tank top a light shade of purple. Bonnie couldn't recall ever seeing her in anything that wasn't as bright and colorful as she was; probably because she didn't own anything that was otherwise.

"Mornin' Sunshine!" she chirps, holding up the steaming mug. "Coffee?"

"Erm..." Bonnie glances over at a still grinning Burger Beagle before numbly accepting it. "Thanks." She turns to her brother again, but before she can get a word in Jennifer beats her to it.

"I made breakfast if yer hungry, Burger." She nods toward the kitchen. "Hope ya like waffles."

"Oh boy!" He claps his hands together in excitement. "Waffles!" He heads down the hall at a sprint, calling "Save some fer me, fellas!"

Jennifer giggles at the large goon's enthusiasm while Bonnie continues to gape at her in confusion. She gives her a modest shrug.

"They showed up about an hour ago," she explains. "I was up to answer the phone when Frank called." She pauses to wait for some sort of retort, only receiving the same silent stare. "When he described what they looked like, well...ya know." She grins somewhat apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I had to give Frank the okay. I was worried someone would call the cops!" She cringes. "Are ya mad?"

Bonnie finally closes her mouth. She passes the mug back off to Jennifer before marching passed her. Once she reaches the open area of the living room, she stops in her tracks at seeing who's taken up the majority of seating at her kitchen table. She slaps a hand to her forehead, groaning. "Oh no."

Three more of the Beagle Boys—Burger, Bouncer and Babyface—have taken up residence in her apartment, gorging themselves on a homemade breakfast. Two of them, Bouncer and Babyface, currently fight over the syrup, while Burger helps himself to the large stack in middle of the table, although he already has more than enough on his plate. Bonnie can only look to each of them with wide eyes, at a loss.

"What…how…why are you," she sputters, overwhelmed with so many emotions to even know how to react. "When…"

Bouncer and Babyface stop arguing at the sound of her voice, waving over at her innocently.

"Mornin', Bon," says the shorter of the two, winning the battle for the syrup bottle. "Sleep well?"

"Hey, kid," Bouncer offers in his usual baritone esque voice, grinning up at her. "Long time no see."

Bonnie blinks at them before turning to Jennifer. "You," she began with restraint, her voice coming out in a hiss. "Made them, waffles?!"

Jennifer shakes her head, grinning. "Oh, not just any waffles-"

"Blueberry waffles," finishes Burger, his voice coming out muffled. He swallows what's in his mouth, a dazed look in his eyes. "They're the best."

"Sure are," adds Bouncer, taking another bite. "Nobody's ever made breakfast fer us b'fore."

Babyface nods in agreement, pouring syrup on his second helping. "Usually we just get a bunch uh sirens if we show up in a nice digs like this. Never a home cooked meal!" He looks up at Jennifer adoringly. "Good thing the grub in the slammuh ain't near as good as Jenny's; we'd never try to bust out again!"

"Wow, thanks guys!" Jennifer blushes. "But it's not a big deal, really. I like to cook." She begins to count off. "Cinnamon French toast, strawberry crepes, banana nut pancakes. Oh! I even have this great recipe for muffins with raspberries and cream-hey!"

Bonnie pushes her roommate towards the living room, waiting until they're at least out of earshot of the boys before letting up on her. Jenny looks on at her blankly, receiving a serious glare.

"I knew it." Jennifer cringes again. "You are mad. Aren't you?"

"You made waffles," Bonnie states, arms crossed. "For convicted felons. On the run from the law."

"Umm…yeah." Jennifer fidgets with her hands. "I guess I kinda, sorta did. But come on, Bonnie. How could I not?" She clasps her hands together, concern written all over her features. "They came all this way to see you, and it was so cold outside!" She smiles warmly over at them, oddly enough receiving one in return from Bouncer. She looks back at the frustrated Bonnie, a little embarrassed. "I felt bad for them. They seemed, I don't know, down about something; like they'd just come from a funeral. It was breakin' my heart. I couldn't help it. You know me." She shuffles her feet. "So I did what my mom used to do when I was upset or depressed; make waffles." She grins sheepishly. "The blueberries were an extra touch of my own, though."

She turns Bonnie slightly, just enough to see back at them. "I mean, seriously." She smiles at her innocently. "How could I say no to those faces?"

"It's easier than ya think," she grumbles before letting out an aggravated sigh, pinching at the bridge of her nose. "Jennifer? I need you to understand how serious this is." When she brings her head up, the sight of the young woman giving one of her brothers a rather flirtatious little smile nearly causes her to scream. She clears her throat to get her attention, resulting in her turning an even deeper shade of red. "What you consider to be a seemingly harmless gesture, like making waffles, is actually a really big deal to them." She spreads her arms outward. "You've opened the floodgates, Jen! They are now officially a part of your life and there's no getting rid of them. Believe me, I've tried!"

"Oh, stop it. They're just yer brothers!" Jennifer waves a dismissive hand at her, smirking at the euphoric facial expressions that keep coming from the table of goons as they continue to enjoy breakfast. "Besides, they seem harmless enough. What's the big deal?"

"They're not like regular brothers, Jennifer!" Bonnie grits her teeth in frustration, trying to keep her voice down. "They're the foundation of the most infamous crime syndicate that Duckburg has ever seen; they're always breaking out of prison, running from the cops, and are constantly trying to steal Scrooge McDuck's entire life savings because their mother wants them to! Regular brother's don't do that kinda stuff! Once you welcome that concept with open arms, it's game over! And that's not even the worst of it!"

Jennifer blinks at her innocently before Bonnie continues, now pointing to her friend. "You, Jen. Because of you, they now know I have a roommate who is hospitable, likes company, and is a dynamite cook. But the real icing on the cake is the fact that you apparently have this unnatural infatuation with some of them. It's either from them being criminals, or because some of them used to be singing sensations. I don't know, and frankly, I really don't care!"

"It is not an infatuation," Jennifer scoffs, crossing her own arms. "I've just been wanting to know who was responsible for molding you into the friend I know and love!" She shrugs. "That's not a crime-" She stops, now trying desperately to keep from laughing at something, though she's unable to hide a smile as she bites at her lip.

Bonnie spins around just in time to see two of her brothers leaning over the backs of their chairs, no doubt in an attempt to listen in on their conversation. While Burger had continued eating, Bouncer and Babyface had been looking to Jennifer with what may have been nostalgia, though at sighting their sister's death-glare they immediately turn back around, trying to act nonchalant; Babyface makes a grab for his glass of milk and pretends to drink it, while Bouncer interlinks his fingers and gazes up at the ceiling, whistling innocently. She narrows her eyes.

"Jen, would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes?" Bonnie asks, though it's not a request. She still glares on at those seated at the table. "I need to have a talk with my brothers."

"Wait, where's Jenny goin'?" Burger pops his head up from his plate with worry, having only one waffle left. "Breakfast ain't over already, is it? I just barely started!"

"Jenny needs some fresh air," Bonnie says quickly before Jennifer can respond. She then goes over to the window over looking the metal landing for the fire escape. She opens it, holding back the beige curtain. "It's a bit stuffy in here. Don'tcha think?"

Jennifer's eyes dart back and forth from the kitchen to Bonnie, finally getting the message. "Oh... um, yeah. Ya know, now that ya mention it, it does feel a little warm in here! I think I'll just, head outside for a bit." She swings her foot over the window pain, stepping out onto the fire escape. She pokes her head back in to add "I'll just be up on the roof if anyone needs me."

"Aw don't make 'er go out there all alone." Bouncer leans on the back of his chair again, expressing a look similar to the one he'd been caught with a moment ago. "There's a lotta dangerous stuff out there, Bon. Maybe someone should go with her. Ya know; just in case." When he winks at her, she giggles.

"Yep, okay, see ya soon, bye now!" Bonnie had practically pushed her head through the window so she could close it. She gives her a stern look through the glass before shutting the blinds. She turns to face the three house guests, arms folded as she taps her foot on the hardwood floor.

"Ya know," Bouncer states, omitting a belch as he pats his now full stomach. "That roommate uh yours is a sweet kid." He smiles over at her. "Cute, too. I miss 'er already."

"Yeah; a great cook, and pretty?" Babyface swallows the last of his breakfast, leaning back in his chair lazily. He picks up his glass of milk to swig down what's left of it. "You sure lucked out with that one. Where'd ya meet someone so nice, Bon Bon-"

"In college." Bonnie grits her teeth, still tapping her foot. "And don't call me that."

"But when you were little, you used tuh like dat name," says Burger sadly, still eating. He swallows. "You always wanted us to call ya Bon Bon, since when you was this big!" He holds out an arm to indicate a height of about three feet.

"I'm not a kid anymore," she responds harshly. She goes over to the table, placing her hands on her hips and looking to each of them expectantly. When they don't catch the hint, she finally says "Well?"

The three exchange glances. They shrug, Bouncer asking, "well what?"

"Why is my roommate making you breakfast?!" she projects, making them cringe.

"Jeez, Bon!" Babyface wriggles a finger around in his ear. "Lower the volume, will ya? We ain't deaf ya know!"

"Just answer the question," she states, arms still crossed. "What're you doing here?"

"Hey hey, calm down, kid!" Bouncer offers, bringing his arms up in defense. "We're sorry fer droppin' in on ya like this. But we got a good reason to. Honest."

Bonnie is about to ask what it could be, only to suddenly remember the surprise visitor she'd had a conversation with the night before. "Of course." She rolls her eyes, holding her arms out before letting them fall at her sides. "And to think, I thought you'd actually decided to stop by fer a friendly visit." She sighs at seeing their sullen stares. "Where is he, anyway?"

Bouncer shrugs. "Don't know; he was gone before we even got off the elevator." He jabs a thumb at the window that Jennifer had been forced out of. "Yer friend said she 'n' him were havin' coffee when the doorman called; said he left out the window without sayin' a word, and headed down the fire escape."

Burger nods. "And when she said you were still asleep, we were gonna go out 'n' look for 'im." He grins. "But when she offered to make breakfast…we, uh, couldn't really say no."

"Ya mean you couldn't say no." Bouncer knocks his brother's hat over his face, receiving a glare. "Some of us don't need to eat ev'ry second of the day."

Bonnie's unable to hide a smirk while Babyface rolls his eyes, resuming the discussion of their missing sibling. "You know how he gets when he's in a bad mood; goin' off somewhere, bein' by himself. But this is the first time he's come all the way to town! This was the only place we'd figure he'd go on his own." He lowers his gaze. "I doubt he really wants to see any of us right now, anyway." He shakes his head. "Which means he prob'ly ain't ready to come home yet."

"But he's just gotta come home!" Burger looks to them fretfully after fixing his hat. "It'll break Ma's heart if he don't!"

"But we ain't gonna force 'im to do somethin' he don't wanna do; 'specially after what happened last night." Bouncer points to both of them sternly. "And when we do find 'im don't go runnin' yer mouths about it." He crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Bankjob's prob'ly the last thing he wants to think about right now."

"Yer not wrong on that," Bonnie says quietly. She takes a seat in the chair in between him and Babyface, finally picking up the mug of coffee that Jennifer had already made up for her. Two sugars, no cream. Just the way she likes it. Babyface was right; she really did luck out with this one! "I got him to talk last night, but I doubt it did any good." She looks to the broad-shouldered Beagle to her left. "What exactly happened? Must've gotten pretty ugly for his knuckles to get busted up so badly."

"Knuckles?" Bouncer raises a brow at this, shaking his head. "Nah, Bankjob didn't do that." He shrugs. "It was just one uh those shout'n matches they get into ev'ry so often…prob'ly had somethin' to do with, ya know…Ma." He pauses to clear his throat, taking in a breath before explaining. "Okay; so, Ma wanted to have a serious talk with Bigtime…alone 'n', well…not with Bankjob. See where I'm goin' with this?" He watches her nod in response before continuing. "Anyway him 'n' Bank were sayin' the usual stuff; 'Bankjob yer a momma's boy who can't bust outta the joint without Ma's help'. 'Bigtime yer a no good runt 'n' I should be in charge, not you.'" He pauses before adding "Maybe that ain't exactly what was said, but it's pretty much what they wanted to say."

"And we don't know nuthin' about him bustin' up his hands," Babyface adds with a similar look on his face. "Just that Bank had nuthin' to do with it. None of us did." He points. "Now whatever marks or bruises ya might see on his throat? That was Bankjob's handiwork."

Bonnie merely shakes her head, taking a drink of her coffee as she lets some of this sink in, now very curious as to what Bigtime had really done to injure himself in such a way. "I don't know what to do about those two." She exhales though her nose, rubbing at her forehead. "Sounds like he actually tried to strangle the life out of him this time…it's a miracle he didn't."

"Ya got that right!" Burger nods at this, then speaking to the Beagle on his right. "Hey, it's a good thing ya socked 'im in the jaw when ya did, Bouncer, otherwise he-"

Bouncer slams a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide as he shakes his head frantically. But his attempts to silence him are for nothing, as Bonnie is already coughing from nearly choking on her coffee.

"Say what?!" she manages, having to pound on her chest a few times and take in a deep breath before looking to Bouncer in alarm. "You actually took a swing at Bankjob Beagle and he didn't murder you for it?!"

He doesn't say anything, only letting up his grip on Burger; giving her a silent nod.

"Why?!"

"Well I had to do somethin." He shifts about uncomfortably at her accusing stare. "It ain't like I wanted to! But if I hadn't uh done it who knows how bad things coulda' got!"

"He's right, Bonnie," Babyface defends, looking over at her with sincerity. "It was pretty bad this time. Like...scary bad."

Bonnie eyes her three older brothers, seeing the concern on their faces at the idea of their family coming apart at the seams. It was more than understandable; family was the only thing they all had in this world that they could depend on, and if that was ever taken away, they'd have nowhere to turn if things ever went south. She wasn't quite sure, but there was something different in the way they looked at her; as if waiting for her to guide them somehow. If she had to compare it to a similar situation, it would be all the times they'd turned to their mother for some sort of help. She's again reminded of what she and Ma Beagle had discussed about them needing what she'd called "a woman's touch". With her being out of commission, there was no one for them to turn to during a family crisis, as she was the glue that held them all together. Normally, someone like Bigtime would be their next choice, but clearly he was no longer an option. To them, Bonnie was probably the only person they felt they could turn to, making her one of the most important people in their corrupt and isolated lives. It was a little eerie, but on some level flattering.

"Look, kid," Bouncer finally says quietly. "I'm gonna level with ya." He nods over at Burger. "He was right about things not bein' the same without ya." He looks to her humbly, something he doesn't do very often. "It's gotten pretty rough without someone bein' in charge." He shrugs. "Bigtime is doin' what he can, but he's takin' this harder than anyone. And...you know we'd never ask ya for this unless we had to. But it ain't lookin' too good." He trails off, sharing a bleak glance with the others before finally continuing. "We need ya back home, Bon. More than ever."

"But only fer a little while," Babyface blurts at seeing the uncertainty on her face. "We need help calmin' Bankjob down, and to get Bigtime to act like himself again! That's it, we swear!"

"Please Bon Bon?" Burger pleads. "Other than Ma yer the only one those guys will listen to; they just tell us to shut up and say we're stupid!" He clasps his hands together. "Puh-leeease? We can't do this on our own!"

Bonnie still watches them carefully, thrown off by their contrite expressions. The thought of having to step back into the dark underbelly known as the Beagle clan always made her skin crawl; she really hated her genealogy, and they all knew it. Which made their request genuinely serious. She downs the last bit of her coffee before letting out a sigh. She's unable to hold back an annoyed glance at Bouncer, prompting him to grin.

"Fine," she grumbles. "I'll do it. But only because I love you guys!" She points to the burly goon as he still looks over at her fondly. "And don't even think about getting me involved in any of yer ludicrous crime sprees." She counts off on her hand. "No bank heists, car jacking's, prison breaks, money laundering, or Scrooge McDuck schemes! Is that clear?"

"Clear as crystal." Bouncer nods, his grin widening. "Thanks kid. Yer the best."

"Yeah yeah yeah." She waves a dismissive hand, getting up from the table to take her empty mug over to the sink. "Just don't say I never did anything fer you misfits." She comes back over to them. "I'm gonna go up and get Jennifer before I jump in the shower, then we can start looking for Bigtime." She heads to the window, only to spin back around. "Which reminds me; Jennifer is off limits. Capeesh? No, I mean it," she adds when they now look to her with what was probably disappointment. "I don't have a whole lot of friends that I can count on and I don't need you guys scaring her off by flirting with her every five seconds!" She points at them again, this time narrowing her eyes dangerously. "She's a very nice girl and I don't need you guys corrupting her with all yer Beagle Boy debauchery!"

Babyface blinks, cocking her head to the side. "What's a, Debbie cherry?"

"Not Debbie cherry!" Bonnie slams a hand to her forehead. "Debauchery! It means-"

RING RING...RING RING...

The phone on the wall suddenly rings, grabbing everyone's attention. Bonnie gives them all a questioning glance before going over to it and plucking up the handset.

"Hello?"

"Um, yes, Miss Baronski?"

"Sorry, it's Bonnie," she answers the rushed question of the concierge from the lobby. "Jen's a little, uh...busy right now. What's up, Frank?"

"Well, um," Frank began, the tone in his voice almost grim. "You told me to let you know if someone came back for either of you. I thought Miss Baronski would like to know that a certain gentleman caller is on his way up."

Bonnie's eyes widen at this. She nearly drops the handset.

"Ya know," Frank adds. "The one in uniform?"

"Frank? Please tell me this is a joke." Bonnie tries to stay calm, looking to her brother's as they listen to the one-sided call with growing concern. "Tell me yer just trying to be funny right now. Because yer failing!"

"Believe me, I wish I was," Frank responds. "Usually I can turn unwanted visitors away, but in his case?" Bonnie hears him let out a nervous sigh. "I'm sorry Miss Beagle; I didn't have a choice! He threatened me with my job this time, and this is all I really have!"

"It's okay, Frank." She glares at the wall. "Jennifer's ex can be very persuasive when he wants to be." She goes to hang up the phone, adding "Thanks for the heads up. I'll let 'er know." She then turns back to her family, seeing them look on at her uneasily; obviously they'd caught enough of the conversation to know that something bad was about to happen. "Boys? We've got a problem, and it's coming up the elevator...wearing a badge." When they lurch up out of their chairs, she adds "It's okay. I have an idea." She looks to the shortest of the three. "Babyface?"

He raises an eyebrow in response.

Bonnie smirks. "How're you with video games?"

Uh oh! What kind of plan could possibly involve video games? And where the heck is Bigtime! Will the others find him, or will they be thrown back into jail without him?

Plus, what's with this Damien guy? Is it someone our boys have to worry about?

Can Babyface play video games?

Answers to these questions and more coming up soon!

Don't forget to send me any views or opinions you all might have; remember, I love feedback!

Stay tuned…