A Date with the Detective

Mokuba had another errand on his agenda. He decided he should go to Baker Street and pay a visit to Detective Basil. The detective was probably already aware about the battle at Notre Dame, but he would probably want to hear certain details from the children that weren't covered. Mokuba explained the matter to Leon and Rebecca and they all agreed to go to Baker Street. They were technically Basil's irregulars and any information they had to provide was always welcome.

Palmon and Guilmon were told to stay behind. Labramon was the only one who was asked to come along. Given that the children would be turned into mice once they would go to the world of Victorian London, they would need assistance getting around as well as getting back to the clubhouse.

Mokuba and his friends passed through the door to London and found themselves standing in front of Basil's house. Labramon decided to wait by the shrubs. Leon knocked on the door thrice and the door was opened by Basil's housekeeper Mrs. Judson. "Hello, Mrs. Judson," Leon said politely. "It's us again."

Mrs. Judson recognized the trio. She had seen them come here often to provide Basil with any information regarding the Dark Masters or their own adventures. "Ah, yes, I remember you children. Do come in," she said sweetly. She stepped aside, granting the children access. "Please make yourselves comfortable. Mr. Basil will be along in a moment. In the meantime, I'll bring you some refreshments."

"Thank you, Mrs. Judson," Rebecca said politely. "We do appreciate it."

So the housekeeper dismissed herself and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with a tray filled with tea and her specialty cheese crumpets. Once more, the children thanked Mrs. Judson and happily helped themselves.

It wasn't long until Basil himself stepped out of his room and entered the living room wearing his robe over his outfit. He saw the children and said, "I knew you three would be coming here."

"Basil," Mokuba said. "Did we come here at a bad time?"

"Quite the opposite," the detective replied. "You arrived at a very opportune time. He placed a newspaper on the table in front of the children. The headline read: From Festivals to Fires to Battles – Legendary Heroes Face Off Against Dark Master. Just one look at this newspaper was enough to justify the children's suspicions that this single newspaper covered everything that happened in Paris; the Feast of Fools, Paris burning, the battle at Notre Dame, everything.

"This is why you're here, isn't it?" Basil assumed.

"Yes," Mokuba replied.

The detective looked at the children sternly. "Do either of you have any idea of the dangers you deliberately put yourselves in?" Without waiting for any of them to say anything, he continues ranting, saying, "You endanger yourselves all for loyalty when you know it means risking being at the mercy of the most depraved mind in all of Paris! A Dark Master, no less!"

The children were silent. Though they had a lot they wanted to say, they decided it would be best to wait until Basil was finished. Basil took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Listen," he was saying, keeping his voice firm. "Your sense of loyalty to those you care about – especially the hunchback is admirable, but when facing a villain like Frollo, it doesn't make you any braver. In fact, it can cause you to be insensible."

Rebecca wanted to protest, but she realized that Basil had a point. It was just like the time she allowed herself to be a smart aleck during the afternoon when she and her friends had been invited to join the minister for lunch. The same thing happened again when she and Mokuba and Leon got hurt when they stood up to Frollo in the bell tower. "You're right, Basil," the blonde admitted. "That night when we were up in the bell tower, we tried standing up for Quasimodo, and then–,"

"You got hurt, didn't you?" Basil interrupted.

The blonde refrained from making eye contact with the detective. The memory of when Frollo hit her caused tears to start welling up in her eyes. Leon and Mokuba looked away as well.

Basil narrowed his eyes. "I'm taking your demeanor as a 'yes' and you did get hurt."

Rebecca sniffled. "I admit I wasn't thinking or caring about the consequences of my behavior. All I cared about was standing up for my friend when he needed me."

"I felt the same way," said Mokuba.

Leon agreed. "That's why we said it was worth taking any pain that would be inflicted."

Basil could plainly see that the children truly cared about the hunchback. And the fact that they all stayed with him and supported him during all of those hardships proves it. He sighed and forced a thin grin.

The children paid no attention, however. They kept their gazes away from the detective. "We know you wanted us to be careful and you were really concerned about our safety," Mokuba was saying, "and we really did try to be cautious. But if we had listened to you and never gone back to Paris, we would have never forgiven ourselves."

"And I would have never forgiven myself either," Basil interrupted, causing the children to look at him mildly surprised. "You're right that I did say that I didn't want you to go back for the festival, but if you had listened to me, you would have never been able to find out all that you did and come to me. But don't misunderstand. While I am grateful for the information you were able to provide, you children still took some serious risks to get it."

"We sure did," Mokuba admitted. He admitted that joining Frollo for lunch that afternoon was a dangerous gamble, but it was one he and his friends couldn't back out of. The risks also got higher when it came down to the final battle at Notre Dame and the minister was ready to kill the heroes and their friends.

Leon tried to smile. "But the important thing is that we all came out in one piece, right?"

Basil reluctantly agreed. "Yes, we can count our blessings for that."

Rebecca took a deep breath. "Basil, can I say something?"

"Of course, Miss Hawkins," he permitted, curious to what she wanted to say.

"Well, it's about the time we first met," she began. "I got upset with you because I assumed you didn't understand what it meant to care about someone because I thought you didn't have any friends." She paused, then continued, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for what I said and for the way I acted. It was rude and disrespectful."

Basil smiled gladly. "No, Miss Hawkins. I was the one who was wrong." Once more, the children looked at him in mild surprise. "I know I said loyalty and friendship can cause you to be foolish in the face of danger, but you children have proven to me many times that you truly care about the hunchback. And now that I'm opening up to having friends, I'm learning to care just as you do."

In truth, Basil actually understood more about loyalty and friendship than either of the children assumed. But he did admit that he still had a lot to learn about what it truly meant to care about a friend. That was why he didn't take offense to what Rebecca said when they first met. She wasn't wrong in pointing out that the detective didn't have anyone to consider a close friend. But now the detective was starting to warm up to the idea of accepting even the Heroes of Millennia as friends as well as allies. Of course, the detective was still going to be careful not to let caring for a friend be a distraction.

In addition, Basil had also been in situations where people around him would try to prove him wrong – and few have even been successful. But this was one of those times when he would be glad of it. He explained the matter to the children, saying, "Many people have had the audacity to tell me I'm wrong in some situations and even tried to prove it. I'm glad that this time, it was you." He smiles and asks, "Do you promise to do it again in the future?"

"Sure," Rebecca answered. "I mean, you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," the detective answered. No one likes being proven wrong. However, when a friend does it for another friend, it somehow suddenly becomes a good feeling.

The children were just as glad about it as Basil was. However, the moment wasn't to last as Mokuba started thinking. He decided to get back to the matter at hand. "Basil, in the matter of Frollo being defeated, I mean, while it's something to be glad about, a lot of us are worried; including my brother and his friends."

"It is too soon to celebrate with just one victory," Leon admitted. "The worst isn't even over."

Basil listened and said, "The remaining three Dark Masters will certainly prove to be more powerful and dangerous. I assume that's what's got you all worried?"

"That's one reason," the raven-haired lad was saying. "But my brother and his friends said there's a chance there could be a war between heroes and villains."

Basil turned away. In truth, he had the same fears and concerns.

"Basil," Leon was asking, "do you really think there could be a war?"

The detective didn't want to say anything that would frighten the children, but he knew he had to be honest. "If I know the Dark Masters like I think I do, then the possibility of a war is one we have to consider." He looks at his guests and adds, "However, we can't be certain of that yet. For now, all we can do is take it one day at a time and keep learning what we can about the Dark Masters and what they're plotting."

Mokuba and his friends agreed. They also promised to keep coming to Basil in case they would have any new information for the detective. The raven-haired lad got up. "Well, thanks again for your time, Detective. We should be going now."

"And thank you for coming," Basil returned. "And, Mokuba, please give my regards to your brother and his friends."

"Will do," the raven-haired lad replied, and he and his friends walked out the door. They mounted on Labramon and the canine Digimon began carrying them back to the Secret Garden.