So, like I said last time, Numbuh 1 needs some time to recover physically, emotionally and mentally. So let's see how his friends help him out.

When Nigel woke up, the first thing he noticed was the bright light that seemed to shine directly into his eyes.

"Everything is too bright," He internally groaned as he tried to force his eyes into focus, or at least block out the light. Everything still hurt too. A lot. He hoped he never saw Numbuh Blob ever again and if he did, it would be too soon. Once he did manage to gain enough focus in his eyes, he noticed that the lights in the room were actually pretty dim and that the reason it had seemed so bright was because one was pretty much right above him. Slowly, the rest of his senses began to activate enough to put together where he was. He was in some sort of medical center from what he could see and there was…something wet on top of his head. Looking down at his arms, Nigel couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the scars that now lined them. He was sure there was more covering the rest of his body, but he didn't really feel like looking. Instead, he opted to take another look around the room.

And found a much more welcoming sight than a light shining directly in his eyes.

All of his friends, as well as a few old foes, were scattered around the room, all trying to get sleep. From the bags under a few of their eyes, Nigel realized they were waiting for him to wake up. Abby was the first person he spotted, having fallen asleep slumped against the wall. Kuki and Wally slept nearby, snuggled against each other. Chad, Cree and Maurice were all huddled together as well, having taken up a bench on the other side of the room, while the currently free members of Sector Z were sleeping on another bench much closer to where Numbuh 1 had been resting. Fanny and Patton had swiped a bed for themselves and, much to Numbuh 1's surprise, were also snuggling together. Hoagie was asleep near the bench, clearly having been trying to keep himself awake via tinkering with a piece of alien tech. Lizze, in her real form, wound up sleeping near a cabinet. Finally, Rachel was sleeping in a chair next to his bedside. Numbuh 1 couldn't help but find the sight endearing, considering he had done something similar for her following Father's broccolipocalypse.

"They didn't want to leave you," Numbuh 666 explained as he entered the room. "I told them you were fine and that your body just needed some time to recover, but they insisted on staying with you,"

"How long has it been?" Nigel asked, his throat still somewhat dry. Seemingly able to understand exactly what was wrong, Numbuh 666 pulled out a water bottle and set it down on the small bed stand next to the younger boy, who eagerly grabbed it.

"A few days, believe it or not." Numbuh 666 revealed. "Numbuh Blob had a hold on you for a decent bit of time, so it took a little longer for your body to recover. Not to mention, that freak had a habit of not sleeping, so I'm sure that didn't help." Nigel couldn't help but shudder at that. Numbuh Blob truly was a parasite. His mere control over Nigel's body was painful and the fact he barely slept or ate made it worse.

"So…what exactly did he do to me?" Nigel had to know, even if he knew he wouldn't be pleased by the answer.

"Well…I hope you like scars," Numbuh 666 said. "Because your body is covered in them now."

"I figured as much," Nigel said bitterly. Sure, scars were cool but that did not mean he wanted them all over his body.

"On the plus side, however, he did leave you a surprise I think you'll find a bit more…enjoyable," Before Nigel could question what he meant, Numbuh 666 produced a hand mirror and held it out for Nigel, allowing him to realize what the damp thing on his head was.

His hair had grown back.

Nigel ran his hand through it a few times, trying to make sure this wasn't some trick. But no! The hair he thought he had lost forever had returned. Sure it was a lot longer and messer than he would have liked, but that was an easy fix. "I…I never thought I would get this back!"

"I was wondering why you were bald," Numbuh 666 admitted in an amused tone. "Considering that your species isn't supposed to start balding until you are much older."

"Something…happened to me," Nigel admitted as he hugged himself. He was already dealing with enough. Having to bring that was only going to make him feel worse. Thankfully, the doctor seemed to understand.

"I'll go grab you some food," Numbuh 666 said, seemingly trying to change the topic. "Do you want anything specific?"

"Just make sure it's tasty," Nigel responded. With a chuckle, Numbuh 666 took his leave. When the door shut, the other operatives in the room slowly began to stir.

"Numbuh 1! You're okay!" Numbuh 4 cheered once he saw his friend sitting up. This woke up everyone else, who all rushed over to his side.

"Define okay," Nigel weakly joked as he rubbed one of his arms and looked down. He didn't deserve all the smiles he was getting. "...I'm so sorry. For everything."

"We know," Abby assured him as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "But you also didn't get the full scope of what you were doing, did ya?"

"...No, I didn't," Nigel admitted, still refusing to look at his friends. He was pretty sure that hurt more than any of his injuries. Numbuh Aleph Zero took his devotion to protecting other kids and was able to twist him into a hateful weapon. Someone who could have committed as many atrocities as his evil relatives like Father or Grandfather. And all because he refused to believe that anyone who barred the Kids Next Door name could be evil. "But that doesn't change how many people I helped hurt, all because I was too naive to realize that they could be evil."

"If it means anything, I fell for the same trap," Lizzie spoke up. "When they recruited me, I was so excited! So happy that I could do something to stop adults on not only my planet, but across the whole universe as well. So much so that I was trying to justify all the horrible things they wanted to do as just being in the name of that…"

"When did you realize? That you were in the wrong?" Nigel asked.

"It was when I was sent down to a nearby planet close to my homeworld," Lizzie began. "Numbuh Aleph Zero wanted me to help set up an outpost of some kind and…I ran into my old sector. I was so happy to see them and they were happy to see me. But before we could even greet each other, some of the others started attacking them, telling me that no one was supposed to know about what Numbuh Aleph Zero was doing. My sector kinda…freaked when they heard that. I guess not long after I left, they were warned about him. I ended up knocking out the operatives that came with me and got the full story. I was scared that I could have helped him hurt my old friends. So I started working against him."

"...So, when we were in a relationship, how much of it was real?" Nigel asked, bitterness clear in his voice. Now, it was Lizzie's turn to look down.

"...Almost none," Lizzie revealed. "I was sent to scope you out and when I was thinking of a way to get close to you, I kind of panicked and just blurted out the first thing I could think of-asking you out. I was going to write it off as a joke, but you seemed so happy. And well…at that point I was in too deep. So I didn't know what to do, but then, Numbuh 74.239 told me to use you as a test in your devotion to the KND. But along the way, I won't deny that your care for your friends, your strong leadership and your devotion to doing the right thing was something that any girl would be lucky to have."

"I'll say," Rachel mumbled under her breath. Nigel made a note to question her about that, as well as something she said during the fight, but that was something that would come later.

"And every day I wanted so badly to just tell you the truth," Lizzie continued. "To tell you why I was doing what I did and how you needed to be careful, but with Numbuh 74.239 breathing down my neck, I was stuck. I'm so sorry, Nigel, for not just how much I hurt you, but for dragging you into this mess in the first place." For a few minutes, Nigel was silent. Trying to process everything. Finally, he looked up again.

"You did hurt me. Badly," Nigel began. "Not just by toying with my feelings, but for treating everything like a mission…but I guess you did try to make me see the light." He held out a hand. "Friends?"

Lizzie seemed to smile as well as she extended a vine to grasp Numbuh 1's hand. "I'd be open to that."

"So…do I get a sorry too?" Chad had to ask. He promptly got a deadpan stare.

"Considering that you started it by trying to throw the moonbase into the sun, no, you don't," Nigel grumbled. "Besides, you could have tried to tell me what was going on! For all I knew, you just started hating me for no reason!"

"Yeah, well…you were the one who made everything worse!" Chad protested weakly. "Besides, the Galactic Kids Next Door was supposed to be secret and sorry I got a little angry that someone who I didn't even know was in the running for the job got it!"

"And yet you still got to help…even if I didn't need it!" Nigel snapped back. Finally, he sighed. "I'm sorry about getting you arrested. Not about everything else."

"...Fair enough," Chad grumbled. Maurice then elbowed him, causing Chad to sigh. "...I'm sorry that I got mad at you over nothing."

"See, was that so hard?" Cree joked, causing everyone other than the two boys to laugh. The three teens, as well as Lizzie, then opted to take their leave, leaving only Sector V, Sector Z and the three moonbase operatives.

"So…what exactly did you do when you worked for those creeps?" Hoagie had to ask. "Just because said he didn't know about you before Flarias got into a fight with you."

"Mainly janitor duty," Numbuh 1 sheepishly admitted. This got quite a few shocked gasps as well as some laughter. "They said something about our species not being really known for having a lot of stuff that could make us useful.

"Considering some of the planets we've seen from looking at videos, I could understand that," David admitted as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I don't really think we could deal with a planet made out of lava."

"Not with that attitude!" Wally declared proudly, leading to several eye rolls.

"Is it possible they wanted to try and build up resentment in you? So you'd be more likely to do what they wanted?" Patton offered.

"That is possible," Nigel admitted with a nod. "But I'm still not sure. And I don't really want to ask at this point…actually, have there been any reports of activity from them?"

"Not that we know," Fanny grumbled. "Octavia told me they were laying low for a bit."

"That would make sense," Nigel said. "They did lose three high ranking operatives, as well as several other minor ones."

"Hopefully they stay that way," Wally grumbled. No one else seemed to object to the idea of not having to fight the Galactic Kids Next Door again.

"But if they keep hiding, then how do we beat them?" Kuki piped up.

"We'll just have to hunt them down to make them pay for tricking Numbuh 1!" Hoagie said almost instantly. This got cheers and caused Nigel to tear up, quickly wiping his tears away.

"Thanks guys, but I can't pretend that I'm innocent in this whole mess," He said solemnly. "They may have tricked me, but I still chose to blindly help them and never once question anything."

"I think we've all been tricked at least once," Rachel pointed out. "Some of us more than once." Almost instantly, Fanny and Wally got a series of dirty looks, causing them to glare back.

"Thanks Rachel," Nigel said with a smile. "Er…could the rest of you step out for a bit? I need to talk to Rachel in private."

"No problem!" Kuki declared almost instantly. Everyone else gave the two leaders smiles as they headed out.

"Oh! Before I go!" Hoagie realized as he pulled out Nigel's old sunglasses. He then placed them on Nigel's lap before rushing off to join his friends. Nigel took them in his hands and stared at them. Did he really deserve to wear them again? He then took a breath. Yes, he did. Because even if people considered him a villain, he was going to claw his way back up to being a hero, no matter how long it took him.

"I almost forgot what you looked like with those on," Rachel said with a grin. "They look way better than that creepy visor anyways."

"I missed having some type of eyewear, so I just got them because they were the closest I could find," Nigel admitted. The two shared a laugh for a few moments before Nigel cleared his throat. "I assume you know why I wanted to talk to you?"

It took all of three seconds for Rachel to turn bright red. "...What I said when we were trying to weaken Numbuh Blob, right?"

"Yeah, that," Nigel said, now equally sheepish.

"Well, no sense in hiding it now," Rachel then sighed. At this point, it was now or never. "I love you, Nigel Uno. And I'm tired of trying to hide it. You are the single most devoted and caring operative I have ever met. You would always do your best to ensure every operation is a complete success and that every operative gets home safe and sound. You didn't give up on me once when I was at my lowest and no matter how bad things got, you stuck by me. And…even if you don't feel the same way, it feels good to say this." She then looked away, not wanting to see Nigel's reaction.

"...I think I feel the same,"

"Huh?" Now Rachel had to look. Nigel's smile had turned warm and soft. He moved to gently cup Rachel's face with his hand, something she eagerly let him do.

"I said that I think I feel the same," Nigel admitted, his cheeks turning red as well. "I didn't realize it at the time, since I was dating Lizzie, but the more I thought about you these past two years, the more I realized that the way I felt about you wasn't just a friendship. It was a feeling so much deeper than that. You were just about everything that I wanted in a girl. Part of the reason I was so hurt when you turned down my offer to join me wasn't just because I thought you were a traitor, but because I didn't want to fight the woman I was in love with. And, quite frankly, it would be an honor to take you out on a date when this is over."

"So…does that mean we're a couple?" Rachel realized, not entirely sure how she hadn't fainted from happiness yet.

"I believe so?" Nigel offered, still not exactly sure himself. It was only then that both of them realized how close their faces were. But neither dared to pull away. Instead, they only found themselves moving closer. Soon, their lips were touching and both found themselves in utter bliss. It was as if nothing else mattered. Both got to enjoy something they had been waiting years for and nothing would ruin it.

Although the cheers from their friends who were watching from outside was definitely pushing it.

Look, Nigel and Rachel are my OTP. You really think I wouldn't do something with them? Anyways, next time, we finally get ready to end this battle once and for all! See you then!