Disclaimer: I still don't own HTF. But if someone asks, I'm closer than ever.

AN: I hope everybody's enjoying my story. I told you Flippy wouldn't make things easier. This chapter is quite sad, still I did warn you.

Chapter 5: Pretty Purple Flowers

Giggles had often heard that the people on the outskirts of Happy Tree Town were all weirdos so pulling up at a completely pristine, seemingly entirely normal, house was a bit of a surprise. She'd known Petunia for years, but she'd never really stopped to look at the houses around her friend's, then again she'd never been investigating a murder before.

She turned to Cro, who was smiling slightly, watching the door infront of them as they waited for the house's owner to answer the bell. It was the strangest thing, she thought, Cuddles had been so desperate to be included in the investigation, but this time he couldn't be found. He was a strange guy, but then again in this town who wasn't? She just supposed that an endless lifetime of death and reincarnation did that to you. Just once, she would like to know she was safe, or at the very least that she would die or age this time, just...

She was snapped out of this depressing thought spiral as the door infront of her creaked open, and a blue skunk stood on the doorstep; a towel wrapped round her head and a duster in her hand. She squeaked slightly when she saw the two detectives on her doorstep, by this time almost everyone in Happy Tree Town had heard about the investigation and it was common knowledge that anyone who talked to Cro-Marmot and Giggles could easily be implicated in a horrible crime (Maybe that was why Giggles friends had been avoiding her recently).

"Miss Petunia," Giggles slipped into her best detective voice easily, "We wanted to ask you some questions. Would you mind if we come in?"

Petunia flinched slightly at the suggestion, taking in the muddy feet and dirty hands of her friends, "I, um, haven't quite got around to cleaning yet."

Giggles looked at Cro, Petunia had always had trouble understanding Cro so Giggles repeated him, "It doesn't matter. We just need to come in."

Petunia frowned, "Well, okay." She stood aside and let them into the house, "I'm sorry about the mess."

Giggles walked in, casting her gaze around the pristine house and silently wondered what Petunia was talking about. She frowned slightly, watching as the skunk dashed around cleaning apparently already spotless surfaces. She'd always thought of Petunia as the most normal of her friends, it was sort of sobering to realise what that meant. The skunk finally managed to get the room to her impossible standards and stopped moving, panting slightly, before smiling at Giggles.

"There that's better. Now what did you want to ask?"

Giggles sat down, looking around for Cro, he didn't seem to have entered the house though. She supposed that was natural, the house was warm and homely and Cro hated heat; she was surprised he'd even left his igloo at all. It looked like she was going to need to do this herself. "We were wondering what you knew about the museum?"

Petunia blinked, "The museum I don't know anything about the museum, nope, never been, no, never, never ever ever ever." She was speaking far too fast to be genuine, even if Giggles hadn't talked to Flippy's friend.

"I know that's not true Petunia," Giggles realised her facade was slipping and corrected herself, how did Cro manage this all the time? "I've already talked to Flippy, he confirmed you were there."

Petunia froze, the false smile dropping from her face, she looked backwards and forwards. Her eyes settled on Giggles, seeking a refuge, some form of sympathy and it was all Giggles could do to stop herself granting it. She had to be professional, no witness could be favoured over the others, that way they stood a hope of catching the killer, that's what Cro had said. But as she watched the people infront of her she found it harder and harder, the blue skunk infront of her was panicking. Grabbing a paper bag from one of the tables Petunia proceeded to hyperventilate. Giggles rushed to her aid, finally managing to calm her she switched back into her detective mode, "No one's accusing you of anything Petunia, we just want to know how much you know."

Petunia sighed, placing her duster on the side, along with the bag, she sat down slowly. "Okay, well," She fidgeted slightly, then a smile spread across her face, "I think I forgot to clean my basement I'll just..." She stood and went to leave but Giggles blocked her, "Okay, okay. I took Flippy to the museum because I thought it would help him. They always say the only way to beat your demon is to confront it, and I thought maybe..." She tailed off, a look of horror on her face, "I'm so sorry, I just... I just ran... I'm so sorry I don't think I can help you anymore."

Giggles was silent, she watched her friend sit shakily on her chair and sighed, Cro would never have let her do this, "Okay Petunia, lets just forget about the investigation. Lets just relax."

Petunia smiled, "Really?"

Giggles nodded, smiling, "We can't have you being too stressed to talk for the next week." She bent down and picked up the duster, "Where did you say needed cleaning?"

... ...

For the next few hours Giggles just helped Petunia clean, chatting occasionally but mostly just helping her friend. She finally reached the dining room and turned back to her friend.

"You really do have a lovely house."

"Thanks," Petunia picked a soda out of the fridge and sipped it slowly, "Handy built it for me, back when he still had that big construction business."

Giggles was surprised, she'd never heard of any big businesses in Happy Tree Town, most were too scared to come anywhere near the place, "Handy had a business?"

Petunia laughed, it was good to hear a friendly sound when everyone was so scared of a murderer strong enough to kill Flippy, "Of course, everyone worked for him, Lumpy, Mime, Cuddles, even Cro worked as a architect." She smiled again, "Oh of course, that must have been before you got here. Handy's been around a while."

Giggles nodded, people didn't age in Happy Tree Town and she'd heard that some of the people there might be almost as old as Cro. She thought back, "What about Nutty?"

"Oh Nutty, he never set foot in the place, too crazy." Petunia thought, "That, and Russell worked there."

Giggles sat up at the name, "But aren't they friends?"

Petunia raised an eyebrow and took another sip of soda, "Friends? I always got the impression Russell hated candy addicts, his father's first mate was one. He used to get so mad at Nutty for it, sometimes you couldn't get the smell of seaweed off the walls for weeks."

Giggles frowned slightly, she wanted to pursue that branch of questioning, then she remembered who she was talking to, Petunia was her friend and right now a friend who wasn't obsessed with finding a vicious criminal was something they both needed.

She smiled, "So, what happened to Handy's business?"

Petunia shook her head, "Flippy heard a hammer strike, he went nuts as usual, wrecked the main building. I've never seen Handy so mad, he had that look on his face for three months." She smiled as she remembered it. Giggles smiled too, Handy tried so hard to intimidate people, but the thought of him holding that face for three months was hilarious. She stood and crossed to the kitchen.

"I'll get us some more sodas." She had only just reached the fridge when she heard the whizzing noise and the yelp.

Rushing back into the room the first thing she saw was blood, it covered every surface, glooping down the walls and making a mockery of the long hours the skunk had spent cleaning it. Her friend was laying on the floor her eyes half closed, gasping for breath. On Petunia's face was frozen a look of horror that far outmatched any Giggles had seen before. Tears ran down the blue skunk's face, not just because of the four large knives lodged in her back and arm, but also because of the hideous mess that filled her view. Petunia's breath came in sharp, rasping bursts and Giggles almost fainted with shock. She'd let her guard down and once again it had cost one of her friends dearly. She ran across to Petunia, trying to calm her friend, trying to lift the larger girl, tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled with her friend. She had to get her to the hospital, there was still time... there was still time... there was...

But as she looked down at her friend she knew there wasn't. Petunia's breaths grew more and more shallow. Giggles felt a scream well up in her, flowers of red appeared on her hands as they touched her friends wounds, she put all her strength into lifting, failing again. The terror and sadness inside her built up like a hurricane. Petunia couldn't die, she hadn't been anything to do with the murder, she was just... Petunia coughed, blood rising from her throat, she looked up at Giggles with tear-filled, desperate eyes and Giggles mind was forced back to the look Nutty had given her... Petunia coughed again, shakily raising her hand and trying to grip Giggles arm, but her fingers fell short, her grip loosened, her arm fell limp. Petunia's tears slowly fell down her face and dripped from her chin, no more came, no more gasping breaths, no more desperate movements, just that look. Tears fell from Giggles' eyes, she couldn't hold them back anymore and they fell from her chin as she leaned over her friend's body. Cradling her lifeless friend in her arms she rocked slowly, tears and screams shaking her frame.

A hand touched her shoulder and she looked up to see Cuddles standing over her, he was silent staring kindly down at her. The roles were reversed, now he was the brave one, lending a comforting hand even when he was at the point of collapse. Now she was the one who had to let it out, had to stop keeping it all in; needed a shoulder to lean on, a friend to hold her close as she cried.

Moral: A healthy home is a happy home.