The mice natives kept chanting until a pair of huge doors on the other side of the lake opened as if to let something through. Something did cause Cole could barely make out some kind of large thing moving under the murky water towards the island he, Charlie and Anne-Marie were on.
"Charlie, what's that in the water?", Anne-Marie asked as she noticed too.
"I'm thinking that is not good.", Cole said starting to get a little scared.
That was when a huge alligator came out of the water and made his way up to the top. Cole could barely make out what he had on, but he could see that he had a coffee can on his head like a crown, a string of Mardie Gras feathers and beads around his neck, a few fancy rings on his hands, and a bone like a piercing on his nose. Charlie looked more alarmed.
"Guys, we're gonna die.", Charlie whimpered.
Cole's nerve tensed as the gator kept coming towards them crushing bones along the way. Cole then noticed Charlie's life watch in the way and he remembered the dark tag on his neck.
"If Charlie fails to redeem himself, you die the day after."
Cole then had a thought flare up in his mind. If Charlie's life watch got crushed, Charlie would have to move on and he'd be right behind him. Charlie's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"Please, my watch!"
Cole observed completely petrified, but saw the gator's hand miss the watch barely, but the gator brought Charlie's cage up to his face as if to get a better look.
"Oh, you look like a tasty New Orleans canine gumbo.", the gator said as if he was eyeing a tasty morsel.
"Sir, I think there's been some kind of mistake.", Cole said trying to sound brave.
The gator looked his way and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll deal with you in a minute.", he said, "Right now, I have a meal to eat."
Anne-Marie looked more alarmed as the gator placed Charlie's cage in his mouth and started clamping down. Just as it was closed, Cole heard Charlie give off some kind of howl that sounded like singing and before he knew it, Cole gave off a vocalization of his own. The gator paused as if he was awestruck and opened his mouth so he could fish Charlie out and looked to the natives.
"How could you expect me to eat a pair of voices as sumptuous as these?", he asked as he opened Charlie's cage easily and let the shepherd on the ground safely before he started singing, "When I hear a dulcet tone like that, it gives me a big thrill."
The gator than opened Cole's cage just as easily and then gave a thump that rattled the island rather hard sending Anne-Marie's cage down a side, but luckily, it broke as it paused at the bottom, not that the gator minded as he was into his singing.
"I can't eat a singer. I never could, I never will.", he sang before a giant pearl prop landed on the island and the gator chuckled to himself.
Cole then noticed the island shift into a giant decorative clam shell and the floor had suddenly turned into a soft velvet pink as the gator's voice came to his ears.
"Oh, what do you call that voice little fellas?", he asked as if he was in the presence of celebrities while putting a swim cap on his head in place of his coffee can crown, "That a baritone or a tenor?"
"It's, uh…", Charlie started to say as if thinking of what to say.
"We have no idea what it is?", Cole guessed.
"Oh, never mind.", the gator said gleefully, "It's just you two and me."
/
That was when the gator started singing while leading Cole and Charlie into some kind of dance.
"Let's make music together. Let's make sweet harmony. Oh, let's make music together, baby. You take the do, I'll take the re, you better hang on to me."
Cole saw the place light up like some kind of fancy theater an exact opposite of its previous setting. But he didn't have much time to take it in cause the gator suddenly flung both shepherds onto his back and jumped off like he was on a diving board. Cole saw in an instant that they were up really high and almost screamed as they plummeted into the water. The gator hardly noticed a thing as he swam under water while Charlie and Cole held on while the gator kept singing.
"We are birds of a feather. Looking for the right key. Oh, let's make music together, baby. Cause only music makes a man free."
The gator suddenly gripped a trapeze that lifted high into the air as Cole and Charlie held on and yet the gator kept singing as he suddenly started positioning on the trapeze like a master.
"Gonna make a beautiful song. Sing along, gonna let that natural beat move your feet. When the music's deep down in you, there's that you can do but believe. Oh, believe."
Cole had to admit that the gator had good vocals, but when he looked down, he saw they were even higher than before and he lost his nerve for a moment again before the gator suddenly let go and they were plummeting to the water once again. With a loud splash, they landed again, but the gator kept singing.
"There ain't nothing like singing and our voices just blend.", he sang as he suddenly moved Charlie and Cole to his belly as he floated up to the surface and started swimming backstrokes, "Oh, let's make music together, baby."
Cole suddenly felt like singing and he joined in just as Charlie did.
"Lift our voices together, partner. Let's make music forever, baby. And we'll always be friends."
The gator suddenly swam under water again and came up again.
"We'll be friends.", he said calmly.
"Let's make music together.", Charlie sang as if trying to keep an act up.
"Let's make sweet harmony.", Cole added.
The gator looked content as he started swimming backstrokes again oblivious to what was going on.
"Oh, let's make music together, baby.", he sang more to himself this time, "Let's make sweet harmony."
As they passed the island again, Cole heard coughing and saw Anne-Marie looking a bit weak and Charlie did too. As the gator swam by, Cole held out his hand and Anne-Marie took it as Cole and Charlie got her on the gator's belly beside them not that the gator minded as he was too into his song to notice anything.
"You okay, Anne-Marie?", Cole asked sounding concerned.
Anne-Marie coughed a couple more times before Charlie got her into a lying position so she could rest and he looked a bit worried too.
"Charlie, Cole, I don't feel good.", she said.
Cole looked more worried as he looked ahead to see a dark tunnel beyond a doorway with "To New Orleans" on a plaque at the top of its arch.
/
By the time the gator came to a set of stairs leading up to the streets above, Charlie helped Anne-Marie off while Cole took a moment to talk to the gator.
"Thanks for the lift.", he said.
"Oh, it's quite alright.", the gator answered smiling, "Come back and visit King Gator anytime."
Cole felt a bit shaken, but didn't show it as he smiled and nodded.
"Sure, I'll consider it."
King Gator then gave Cole a pet on the head.
"You could go places with that voice of yours little fellow.", he said, "Take care."
He started backstroking again and Cole waited til he was gone before he turned to see Anne-Marie and Charlie no longer around. He had just got to the stairs when he heard Anne-Marie cough again which made him worried again. He got to the top and luckily, the old church where Flo and her puppies lived was nearby. Cole noticed it was getting late in the afternoon since the sun was setting and hurried to the church just as he heard voices.
"She's burning up with fever, Charlie.", he heard Flo, "She could have pneumonia."
Cole reflected on Timmy having the illness Flo mentioned and his heart skipped a beat. He doubled his speed inside just as Charlie's voice came to his ears.
"You think she needs a vet?"
Cole came upstairs and went to a room where he found Anne-Marie in a bed with Flo and Charlie nearby when Flo spoke again.
"Charlie, she's a little girl. She needs a doctor."
Cole felt his heartstrings pull again as he came over grabbing the attention of the other two.
"Anyone know a doctor?", he asked.
"I don't know any doctors.", Charlie answered, "But I'll find one."
Cole then heard Itchy call out for Charlie and Charlie headed out, but Cole quickly applied a cool wet cloth to Anne-Marie's forehead as she woke wearily to see him.
"You feeling okay?", Cole asked her.
Anne-Marie shook her head, but she was thankful that Cole was beside her. Cole's ears than picked up some conversation between Charlie and Itchy.
"Oh, you're breaking my heart.", he heard Itchy say, "Maybe you want, I should go upstairs and kiss her good-night?"
Cole could sense some sarcasm in Itchy's voice, but he also felt anguish like something bad had happened. He left Anne-Marie's side for a moment to get closer to the door as Charlie and Itchy kept talking.
"Itch, Itch what happened to you?", Charlie asked.
"What happened to me?", Itchy countered, "You want to know what happened to me?"
"Yes.", Charlie said.
Cole couldn't take the pressure and headed down the stairs in time to see Itchy climb up the stairs looking pretty banged up and Charlie looking worried.
"I'll tell you what happened to me.", Itchy said as he got to the landing above the stairs, "Carface happened to me, with about 50 of his thugs."
Cole felt sorry for Itchy as he came down and tried helping the little guy up.
/
"Oh, that dirty rat.", Charlie muttered before looking to Itchy sympathetically, "I'm sorry Itch. I really am sorry."
Itchy went over to a window and gestured which got Charlie and Cole to come over.
"Well, look what else happened while you were sidetracked."
Cole and Charlie looked out and it was a good distance to see a large fire in the area Cole guessed was the junkyard.
"See that?", Itchy asked, "That's our place."
Cole heard a loud bang go off as the fire got bigger for a moment before settling again. Still, he listened as Itchy started talking again.
"You were going to fix Carface. Well, he fixed us!", he said before turning to Charlie, "Ya see, boss? It's gone too far."
"I told Charlie that this was not the way to go.", Cole said firmly.
Charlie didn't seem to listen as Itchy kept going.
"You wanted revenge on Carface, and I said, "No, please, let's get out of town.", but I stayed because…because you're my friend.", Itchy said as if he was mourning, "Then you wanted to kidnap the girl, and Cole was even against it for a moment, and I said, "This is crazy!", but I helped you."
"In my defense, I just wanted to find her a home and to safety.", Cole stated, "Not locked up against her will."
Itchy gave Cole a friendly gesture, but only for a moment as he continued.
"And then we got to dress the girl and tell her stories. And she wants we should feed the poor and the whole while I'm thinking, "This is stupid! She's gonna get us killed!", but I stayed because I'm your friend."
He paused a moment to look at Charlie with a pleading look.
"But tonight…tonight, Charlie he tried to kill me!", he moaned as he went to the window, "He tried to kill me, Charlie, and you were off gallivanting with this…with this girl! I say we should lose the girl, get out of town, Charlie, you and me, then call it even."
Cole felt sorry for Itchy and put a hand on Itchy's shoulder showing he had support. Itchy touched Cole's and Cole could feel the sadness and pain in both his body and his voice.
"Oh Itch, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.", Cole said softly, "But Anne-Marie already has found a home. We can take her back there and she'll be just fine."
"No Cole, now the casino's gone.", Charlie objected, "We have to start all over. We need the girl more than ever."
Cole and Itchy both turned to Charlie though Cole looked more firm.
"No, boss, you're crazy.", Itchy responded, "It's not business anymore, it's personal."
"I'll say.", Cole agreed.
"Aw, come on, Itch.", Charlie said clearly trying to deny it, "Sure, it's just business. I mean-"
"No, it's not business.", Cole shot back, "You care about Anne-Marie. Don't you see it?"
Charlie finally lost it.
"Look, I don't care about the girl!", he countered, "I tell her things now and then. I pretend to be her best friend, but it's baloney!"
Cole saw Anne-Marie coming down the stairs and Cole looked shocked.
"Guys.", he said hoping to get attention.
/
Unfortunately, Cole's word fell on deaf ears as Charlie and Itchy were focused on each other.
"I thought I was your best friend.", Itchy said.
"You are my best friend.", Charlie answered, "With her, it's just business. It's always been business. I'm using the girl! And when we're done with her, we'll dump her in an orphanage! Is that okay with you?!"
"Sure boss.", Itchy said humbly, "Whatever you say."
Cole looked firm.
"She's not going to any orphanage!", he snapped, "She's already got a home and I plan to take her there!"
Cole then noticed Anne-Marie apparently reached the end of the stairs looking heartbroken and shocked at the same time.
"You're not my friend.", she sobbed as she clearly ment Charlie, "You're a bad dog!"
She ran and Cole ran after her.
"Squeaker!", Charlie called after them, "Anne-Marie! Where are you going?"
Cole and Anne-Marie clearly weren't listening as thunder rang out and it started to rain a little. Anne-Marie cried a bit before Cole looked her way sympathetically and she placed a hand on Cole's back.
"You want to go back to Harold and Kate?", Cole asked.
Unlike Charlie, Cole had been a true friend to Anne-Marie and she knew it cause she smiled weakly and nodded. Unfortunately, Cole felt something hit him on the head and he fell to the ground dazed. He couldn't tell who it was, but he heard Anne-Marie scream and though his daze, he saw she didn't have her plush toy with her, but couldn't make out who was taking her as rain pelted him.
"Carface!", he heard Charlie gasp.
He recovered enough to see that Charlie dash past him.
"Anne-Marie!", he called out.
Cole staggered to his feet before he heard Flo.
"Take this to 402 Maple Street."
He turned to see Flo talking to Itchy and the Dachshund seemed to be listening.
"402 Maple.", he repeated.
"She has friends there.", Flo added, "They'll know what to do and hurry."
Cole hurried over just as Itchy got Anne-Marie's plush toy in his mouth.
"I'll lead him there.", Cole told Flo, "I'm a good runner."
Itchy shook his head.
"No Cole, you should go help Charlie.", he said, "I'll be okay."
Cole looked Itchy's way a bit worried.
"You sure?", he asked.
Itchy nodded.
"Yeah, and Cole, I'm sorry about all this."
"It's okay Itchy.", Cole told him, "We all make mistakes. Best of luck."
He then dashed off in the direction Charlie went while Itchy went the other.
(A/N: I'd like to thank LORfan2187 for the review used here though it was just part of it.)