One-Forty-Three A.M. At Night

It was late at night, and almost everyone was asleep, well, except Rhonda who felt like she had her heart ripped out of her chest while feeling like she got divorced.

As for Arnold, he was also awake. Not from guilt, mostly, but also because he was lying in bed completely naked, with Spinelli beside him also naked, who was breathing heavily at the moment. The two were currently tucked in.

"So… Do we ever talk about this or… What?" She asked after finally regaining her breath.

"I've seen you naked once but I never thought your skin would be so smooth…." Arnold had his hand on her smooth thigh.

"And I never thought you'd be so big! I feel my freakin' vagina stretched out!" Spinelli started. "Not to mention how long you last, ugh…" She let out a small loving sigh while Arnold wrapped an arm over her.

"Don't you miss Rhonda?" She asked. Arnold shrugged and said, "I can't say I do, I mean, every time something goes wrong, she always turns to blame me for it and has her outbursts. And quite frankly I'm tired of it, I need to separate myself from her for a while, I just don't feel like she blames me for anything."

"Ah. I see now…"

"One more thing."

"What's that?"

"Let's never mention this to anyone and keep it as our little secret. Ok?" He asked. Spinelli purred. "Oh, this definitely stays between us." She mounted him while they smiled.

As their lips neared one another, Rhonda, on the other hand, still had tears streaming down her face, now fearing her marriage is coming to an end.

All she had in her mind was wanting to make it up to Arnold however she could. She could care less whether Arnold slept with someone else, she needed to make it up to him somehow. While she couldn't bring herself into saying a word, she knew what she had to do.

She took a look at her wedding ring. She took it off and held it, signifying she had to make it up to Arnold. She put her ring back on her finger and remembered when Arnold and her exchanged rings.

After Arnold and Spinelli separated, Arnold smiled as he slowly started to kiss Spinelli's neck and worked down to her shoulder while she giggled.

Their fooling around would last around an hour before they drifted off to sleep together.

The Next Day

It was morning, the sun rays shined through the window curtains while the two were asleep.

Soon, Arnold woke up. He had his arms wrapped around Spinelli's waist while they slept. He smiled and kissed her shoulder lightly, and soon sat up.

He stretched while yawning and soon got up to dress.

"You're such an early bird even after a fun night." Spinelli had awakened and was now facing him. Arnold turned around and smiled at her.

"Just the way we do things 'round here." Arnold shrugged after pulling up his boxers. "Our lifestyle, I guess." Arnold smiled and soon leaned over on the bed again.

He smiled and cupped her face and pulled her close for a brief kiss.

"Just keep this between us." Arnold winked and soon grabbed his shirt with the V symbol. After he walked out of her room, Spinelli laid in bed with a goofy smile.

Soon, Arnold had gone downstairs and walked into the kitchen, and decided to sit down for a minute. Soon, Swoops flew over to him since he was awake early.

Arnold soon saw him. "Am I glad to see you." Swoops landed on the table and squawked once. "I'm more or less, bud." He started petting his head. "I'm just having a rough patch, honestly. I don't know what'll be next." He started to look at his ring.

"Enough about me, I bet you're hungry, boy." Arnold petted his head again and soon went to the fridge. He pulled out a raw fish and threw it to Swoops who caught it with his beak.

Once Swoops began chipping away at his fish, Arnold grabbed a coffee mug, and orange juice from the fridge.

"People who drink orange juice with pulp are weird." Arnold said to himself while pouring it.

Soon, someone crept up to him and poked his shoulder.

"Yeah, Spin-" He turned around to see who it was. "Oh. It's you." He lowered his eyelids and turned around again.

"Arnold, I know you're extremely mad with my attitude from all these years, and I recognize it…" It was Rhonda. "I don't blame you whether you sleep with someone else, I messed up badly on my part. And I'm truly sorry for yesterday…"

He only gave a side-eye. He then sighed and said, "I think we need a little time apart after what happened yesterday. That's all I have. And one more thing. You're sidelined. I don't want you putting innocent lives at risk because of what's happening with us. I'll be checking in with you from time to time to see how we're doing."

For once, Rhonda finally smiled since last night. "Thank you, Arnold. I love you." She wrapped her arms around him while he merely stood there.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go get some sleep. I can see it in your eyes you didn't sleep at all." He told her. He merely nodded and soon headed back upstairs.

Arnold sighed after taking a sip of orange juice. "I wonder how the future for this team will even result." He asked himself.

Swoops screeched.

"Guess you're right, bud, only time will tell." Arnold replied as he looked at his ring.

"Come on, Arnold, are you ever gonna get back in bed or what?" Spinelli had come down with a robe on.

"In a minute, I jus- I just need some fresh air. I guess I feel intoxicated by all this." Arnold sighed. Spinelli approached him.

"Arnold…" She had a sad look. Arnold immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and twirling around twice.

"Arnold!" She chuckled. They then kissed.

"Thanks for being with me through this." Arnold soon hugged her. "Anything for you, Arnold." She smiled.

"Say, Spinelli, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Arnold smirked. "I'm hungry for more…" She bit her lip.

Three Weeks Later

Time had passed by since Arnold and Rhonda had separated from each other. While Rhonda never slept with anyone else, she had practically allowed Arnold to sleep with someone else, and since it was someone they knew, she considered it okay. Arnold checked in with her every day throughout the three weeks. Of course, Arnold would be his daughter and wouldn't bring those problems to her.

Throughout the three weeks, however, he may look normal, and act like his normal self, but his combat style had become more aggressive and ruthless, more aggressive than Spinelli's. His visual kept popping up more often, leaving him with unanswered questions.

During those three weeks as well, Arnold had grown close to Spinelli, not romantically for the most part, but also as true close friends. They did most of their things together. They often cleaned the vehicles together, hung out together, trained together, and worked out together. Their friendship had grown stronger despite Arnold's marriage problem.

Present Day…

It was nighttime, around two-thirty A.M. Arnold had just came inside Spinelli as they were making out for the next few minutes.

"You are something special, Spinelli." Arnold briefly separated from her to tell her.

"I'm something special and I'm all yours." She giggled and kept kissing him.

After ten minutes, Spinelli dismounted Arnold and laid beside him while he tucked them in.

"You're amazing, Spin." Arnold kissed Spinelli's forehead. "And I love you even if you can't say it back." She snickered and rested against him.

Arnold rubbed her shoulder lightly while her hair ran down to around her shoulders, he smiled as he saw her closing her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep. Seeing her like that reminded him of the romantic nights he usually spent with Rhonda.

"Sleep well, angel." Arnold whispered softly, making her smile. Something he always whispered to Rhonda. He then kissed her neck and shoulder as a little comforting method for her. Spinelli could only lightly giggle.

The Next Morning

It was morning, the sun shined inside their room. After a minute, Spinelli had woken up and found Arnold's arm over her, cuddling her. She merely smiled and turned around.

"Oh, Arnold… Wake the hell up and give me a morning kiss." She smirked while rubbing his nose. Soon, he woke up.

"AH!" She flinched.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Arnold immediately sat up.

Spinelli turned his head to face him and she stared at his eye color. "Arnold! Y- Your eye color! It- It's…"

Arnold immediately got up and looked in one of her mirrors. He couldn't even believe it. His eye color went from the usual charming bright green to a dark red.

He just stuttered on his words as he came back to bed.

"Hey. Hey. Come here." Spinelli slowly pulled him into a hug. "You'll be fine. I promise you, everything's alright. You'll be alright for me and your wife. You'll be alright for everyone.

Arnold only nodded as he embraced her tightly.

Later That Day

"Blood tests aren't revealing anything…" Kliff started. "And unless we're missing something, we just don't know what-"

Impulse then interrupted. "I apologize for the interruption, but I've been looking at his scans of his DNA, and it reveals something that's hidden in the drawn blood."

"What's that?" Spinelli asked while holding Arnold's hand.

Impulse displayed his deep DNA scans. Tiny orange-reddish particles were in his bloodstream.

Rhonda came down to the lair. "Will someone tell me why I was woken up by a bald eagle to tell me that something is wrong with my husband?!" She sounded upset.

She soon stood by Arnold. "Warren, tell me you have an answer for this."

"Well, I personally don't, but I think Shadow does." He turned to him. "This is very important. Were you hit or shot with anything suspicious this past month?" He asked.

Arnold thought back for a moment. He then remembered the only time he got shot, the night Haidra's identity was unveiled.

"Uh, maybe by a tranquilizer gun that didn't knock me out?" He answered. "Wait, that weapon Mrs. Lloyd had? I thought it had hit the strong part of your suit!" Spinelli mentioned. She referred to his vest with metal armor under it.

"Ok, ok… Unless we know EXACTLY what's in his bloodstream, we won't have an answer for it." Warren started to think for a second. "No wounds to your chest or neck areas?"

"I- I haven't checked, to be brutally honest. And you can even ask Spinelli, no scar, no nothing." Arnold replied while she nodded.

"Did you even feel the tranquilizer needle or not?"

"Not really." Arnold shrugged.

"Ok, ok… A very thin needle must've penetrated then. Now, all I have to find out is the chemicals in that needle…" He faced the monitor.

"Impulse, get Phoebe down here." Arnold requested.

"Right away, Sir." Impulse replied.

Arnold held both Spinelli's and Rhonda's hands as he rested his head against Rhonda's shoulder.

"I'm here, sweetie…" Rhonda rubbed his hand.

Soon, Phoebe came down to the lair. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Uh, I'm gonna need your help here, Phoebe." Warren showed her the bloodstream.

"Who's blood is it?" She asked. "Mine…" Arnold replied.

She yelped. "Oh, dear… Alright, well, I didn't study about chemicals for nothing. I'll just have to see how I can break it down, see how it was manufactured, see the results and then see how I'll be able to make a cure for this. A reversal, essentially." She started to work on the chemical breakdown.

"So, am I free to go or what?" Arnold asked.

"Oh, yeah. You should be fine throughout the day." Phoebe replied.

Arnold only shrugged and kissed both Spinelli's and Rhonda's foreheads.

"You sure you'll be fine?" Rhonda asked.

"I can take care of myself, don't worry about me, worry about you." Arnold kissed her forehead again. "Alright…" Rhonda replied. "Just be careful." She kissed him on the cheek.

Rhonda was about to walk away but Arnold soon yanked her arm and pulled her into a kiss.

"I love you." Arnold smiled at her. Rhonda smiled as well. "I'll love you eternally." She caressed his cheek, kissing his cheek and soon left.

Spinelli then faced him. "Are you really going to be alright?" She asked.

Arnold cupped her face. "Spin, I promise you I will. I was fine for three weeks, and I promise you I'll be alright." Arnold then kissed her forehead and nose.

Spinelli smiled. "I don't care whether your eyes are redder than my shirts or if your eyes are greener than summer grass, I love you for you and nothing changed my mind and heart about you." Spinelli kissed both Arnold's cheeks.

"How poetic of you." Arnold chuckled softly and smiled at her.

"Well, we have some time to kill before we do our usual city patrols… What do you say we have a little fun?" Spinelli smirked.

"I got a daughter to see, and then we'll see about it." Arnold smirked back.

"I'll let you have a whiff of these very panties I'm wearing." She smirked in his face.

"You don't say?" Arnold smirked as they walked away together. They nuzzled together.

Two Hours Later

Before Arnold went to see Scarlet, he went to check on Rhonda.

He knocked on her door. "Hey. How are you holding up?" He walked over to her. She was sitting on her bed.

"Can't say I'm content with the fact you're sleeping with Spinelli but I guess you have to do what you have to do." She shrugged. Arnold sat next to her.

He rubbed her hand. "Hey. I still love you!" Arnold chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I may be spending more time with her but that doesn't mean my love for you goes away, I'm with you forever even through this rough patch." He gave a comforting smile.

"Please don't ever leave me." She rested her head on his shoulder. Arnold caressed her cheek. "I'm with you forever, sweetheart. I love you." Arnold smiled.

Arnold then kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later, sweetie." Arnold smiled at her and then got up to leave.

An Hour Later

After 45 minutes of fooling around, Arnold and Spinelli were out patrolling the afternoon city with the sun setting. Swoops would join the two.

"You alright, Arnold? You've been real quiet after our fooling around." Spinelli asked.

"I'm fine, I… I'm feeling my head a little odd, should be nothing." He replied.

"You're usually never this quiet. Are you sure-"

"I said I'm fine!" He shouted. Even Swoops flinched. "What the hell is the matter with you?" She asked.

Arnold held his head. "I- I don't f- feel s- s- s- so good…" He then coughed up blood.

"Shadow, what's with you?!"

"I'm sorry, but Arnold Shortman is no more! Prepare to meet Gold-Blooded Shadow!" His voice briefly changed. He started to grow out fangs while Swoops and Spinelli backed away.

"What the…?!"

He slashed out his blade. "Come get some!" He taunted. Spinelli wasn't one to turn down a fight, so she immediately grabbed her Sai.