Disclaimer: I don't own HTF, with luck I never will. (I don't feel like having to write so many deaths).

AN: Thank you for the reviews, in this chapter I will be bringing Flippy back (but as I said, it can't be that easy).

Chapter 4: Seargent Stripes

Giggles shook her head sadly and kicked her heels. Why did everything end up this way? In front of her Cuddles lay in the hospital bed mumbling quietly in his sleep. She stood slowly, he'd freaked out on seeing Russell's corpse, he'd had to be sedated eventually. That was it, how it always ended, in a hospital. She sighed and turned away, the doctor's said he'd be fine as soon as he woke up, but she never really trusted a hospital that employed Lumpy. She reached the door and pushed it open, almost bumping into Cro outside the door, she looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" She listened again, "Who wants to talk to us?... Already."

She set off down the well known corridors, in Happy Tree Town the hospital was virtually a home away from home, and even if it hadn't been she did work as a nurse. She rounded the corridors, approaching the room Flippy always used when he was recovering. She opened the door slowly and was surprised to see Cro -Marmot had beaten her there, only hospital employees and patients were meant to be in the Dead Ward, and as far as she remembered Cro had only been there once. A circle of red tape covered the floor and in the exact centre, next to a full length mirror and a small table, was a padded chair with chains attached to its legs, wrapping around the cushions and the arms of the figure in the chair. Flippy sat stiffly upright, his eyes closed humming a tune under his breath. Giggles started towards him but, hearing her footsteps, his eyes snapped open.

"I wouldn't cross that line if I were you ma'am." His voice was clipped and barked, "That's his range" He gestured to the mirror.

Giggles stopped herself and backed away slightly, this wasn't the Flippy she was used to, everything about the way he sat, moved and spoke screamed soldier. He raised himself slightly forwards towards her, the chains that covered him clinking against each other. She cleared her throat and slipped as well as she could into detective mode, "Um... Mr Flippy we wanted to ask you some questions."

Flippy smiled widely, "Naturally. The general here has already given me the speech," He gestured to Cro, "I am afraid though that I won't be able to help you much ma'am. He was in command at that point," Another glance towards the mirror.

Giggles shuffled slightly, she couldn't think what could be wrong with Flippy, he'd never been like this before, "Do you at least know what happened at the museum."

"Museum?" Flippy raised an eyebrow turning to Cro and whispering for a second to the stern marmot. Finally he turned back to Giggles, "I don't have time for games ma'am, there's a war on."

Giggles thought for a minute, Cro would usually have explained stuff like this, but he seemed to be concentrating on the same mirror Flippy was staring at. She sighed, "The war's over..." She thought again, "seargent, you don't need to fight any more."

Flippy relaxed slightly, before sitting straight again, "How do I know you aren't from the enemy."

Giggles sighed, she'd never had to deal with Flippy just after he had revived before, she couldn't deal with this. Then she looked up at Cro, "You're right," She turned to Flippy, "If we were still in the war and I was the enemy wouldn't I be in uniform?" Flippy nodded, "And would I be asking you about a regular crime."

"You could be trying to get a confession."

Giggles smiled, "Believe me Flippy, you're the last person I expect a confession from."

"Do you expect one from him?" He pointed to the mirror, "The general said you were investigating a murder, I don't know why you're asking me though. I told your bosses, I'm just reconnaissance, I'm never going to be an assassin."

"I'm sure your not Flippy. Thank you for your time" She cast a glance at Cro, "What do you mean? Okay if your sure, Flippy do you mind if we, erm, talk to him?"

Flippy sighed, standing so that the chains forced his arms behind him and crossing to the mirror, "Okay you miserable wretch," He barked at the mirror, "Get out here, someone wants to talk to you."

Giggles shuddered slightly as she watched Flippy, she knew what was coming next. He stared at the mirror shaking slightly, then he pitched forwards gripping the sides of the mirror and tearing two off the legs of his chair to regain the use of his arms, he whirled round, green eyes slowly forming.

"I told you," He yelled at the mirror, "I told you not to wake me up! I save your ass, you deal with the consequences." He swore and lifted the mirror above his head, crushing it; before rounding on Giggles, "I hate waking up before we've recovered, why the hell did you do that." He focused, "Wait a minute I know you," His face cracked into a disturbing smile, "You're that girl that he hangs around with, well, it's not like he knows you now, my friend always has a little trouble remembering things before his little porcupine friend comes round. She always jogs his memory." The green bear burst into cruel laughter, striding across the circle, demolishing the chair with his bare hands, "Not that I would know, he never tells me much about his life, not that I don't find things out." He laughed bitterly again, then stopping suddenly, he whirled round to face the chipmunk, eyes glowing with fury, "What are you still doing here?"

"Um... as I was telling you're, um friend," The green bear spat onto the floor and swore, "We'd like to ask you some questions Mr..."

The green bear growled, "Names not important, and don't you dare lump me in with that coward. Now what do you want, and spare me the pleasantries," He sat heavily onto the table and put his feet on the wreck of the chair, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, "It's not like any of you care for a bastard like me."

Giggles shivered slightly under his glare, "We just want to know what happened at the museum."

"Nothing happened, I got dragged along by Flippy and that skunk he knows, nice girl, bit too innocent for my liking." He laughed again, "And you can shut up too Poindexter," He rounded on Cro-Marmot, "We've got enough old geeks telling us what to do. My 'friend' agrees he's just too sissy to say it." He laughed again, throwing his cigarette to the ground setting the broken chair on fire, "Nothing happened okay. We got dragged to the museum, I took over I killed a load of people and went home."

Giggles listened to Cro's reply with awe and the small green bear whirled around to face him, "I did not DIE!"

He charged, a bowie knife spinning from his sleeve and into his hand, he raged towards Cro and Giggles, a whirling tornado of death, he approached the line on the floor setting one foot over it.

Then the chains clicked, sliding over each other and dragging the green eyed soldier with them. He was hoisted off his feet, burned by the chair and swearing, to hang from the ceiling by his feet. "I didn't die, I never die." He roared and screamed, shaking and bending his chains worryingly, "If you come back here, I'll tear your heads off. Don't think he'll stop me, he can't. I'll..."

But they had gone, Giggles had fled the room as soon as he had charged, Cro had disappeared shortly after that, though Flippy hadn't seen him move, he'd just gone. No one was in the room as he squirmed, no one saw his knife flash, handle held in his mouth. No one was there when the lights went out, and when the doctor came in to turn them back on... Well, he was found three hours later with his throat cut and his lab coat missing.

The hospital really should have been more careful.

... ...

Cuddles eyes opened an hour later, slightly tired but otherwise feeling much better. He rolled over in bed and almost screamed to see Cro-Marmot smiling down at him.

"What are you doing here?" He listened, trying to make sense of the caveman, "What's that got to do with me? Okay, okay, just tell me?" A look of horror spread over his face, "You won't tell her, promise you won't tell her." The smile remained on the frozen man's features, "Please, I'm begging you... Oh come on. Okay I'll do it."

He stood up, and glowering slightly at Cro-Marmot, left the room, leaving the caveman alone.

... ...

Giggles sat in the igloo reading, Cro had one of the largest selections of books in Happy Tree Town and it was still proving pointless, no one had written a book on how to capture a murderer of a candy-addict, a psycho and a pirate, well, not unless you could read Eteocypriot. She threw the book down and looked down, in the corner Cuddles was slumped, unusually quiet and thoughtful, she moved over to sit next to him.

"What's wrong?" Cuddles looked up for a second, before adjusting his hat, mumbling something under his breath and turning away. She touched his arm, "Can't you tell me?"

He shook his head and lowered his hat over his eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Giggles opened her mouth to speak again but Cuddles stood up and crossed the room lifting a book from the pile and looking at its cover, before throwing it to the floor. He stormed out of the room before Giggles could see his face.

Or the tears frozen onto it.

He crossed the green grass, muttering to himself sourly, before kicking his skateboard from the curb, riding off into the town as quickly as he could.

He had something to do.

Moral: Two wrongs don't make a right.