Rachel's facial expression was one of plain disbelief. She heaved a sigh and plopped down in one of the arm chairs by Dick's bed and shook her head. She turned her head to look at the nurse who was still, for some reason, sticking around. "Aren't you going to do something about him?" She pointed to Dick. "You can't just have him footling about like this, can you? What treatment plan do you have for him? I mean, this is ridiculous!"

'Ah yes,' the nurse said. 'Well, he has come out of his coma, at least. The hard part will be trying to get him to remember who he is. I would suggest a therapist or a hypnotist. If he's lucky, he could get back to normal pretty quickly. But it could also take ages.' She left the room.
Scarlet sat with one eyebrow raised in disbelief.
'Ages? I wonder if we could speed up the process, maybe by giving him a blow to the head?' At this moment Dick, completely oblivious, had left Karcia's bedside and walked over to Rachel, where he watched her with a huge grin.
Suddenly Scarlet came up behind him and bopped him hard on the head.
'Ow! that smarts!!' he yelped, rubbing his sore head for a while, looking dazed. He looked up at Rachel, who was in front of him. His face suddenly changed from a dazed one to a flirtatious, lecherous grin.
'Well hello there, gorgeous!' he said, and before waiting for an answer from her he scooped her up in his arms, his tongue and eye balls popped out like a cartoon love-sick wolf.
Great!' muttered Scarlet. 'He's no better. All I did was change him from a bawling child into a lovesick teenager/lecherous dude.'

Before she could even react he had scooped her up. "Ow ow OW OW YOU DAMN IDIOT!" Rachel cringed as he bumped into her arm. "That' is a cast. You see this? A cast. It hold my bones in place. Bones, I might add, that were broken because of your darn car plowing right into mine!"

She did admit, though, it was nice to be in close proximity once again. But she wasn't feeling particularly comfortable with the pain coursing through her arm and the tubes being tugged. She reached her other hand over as best as she could without pulling out the canula and tweaked his nose.

'Oh, excuse me, gorgeous,' he said, putting her down carefully. Even though he was acting like such a sleaze, he knew better than to be too rough. He cackled wickedly as she tweaked his nose, then pinched her cheek playfully. He took her hand from his nose and like a proper gentleman, placed a smacker on it.
Just then the nurse came in to check up on Karcia, but it didnt stop Dick from taking Rachel's face in his hands and kissing her passionately. Though he stopped when he saw the nurse, turning his attentions to her.
'HELLOOOO NURSE!'

The kiss had stopped her in her tracks and for a moment she stood in silence, a little red faced. It was only when Dick's attention turned to the Nurse that she finally snapped out of it. "Hey, you asshat!"

She took hold of her drip frame in her good hand and bopped him on the head with it as best as she could. "How dare you! You complete and utter assh..." She strained and hit him again.

'What did you say?' He turned around angry faced, exactly the same way he always did when Muttley muttered angrilly under his breath at him.

'You DARE speak to me, Dick Dastardly like this? And you, what are you doing here, arent patients allowed any privacy to rest and recuperate?' Embarassed, the nurse left as quickly as she could.

'Hallelujah, he's cured! Back to his normal, mean self again,' cheered Scarlet, sarcastically.

"Thank the gods..." Rachel slumped into a nearby seat and adjusted her hospital gown. "I swear that I was this close to rearranging your face, Dick."

She glared up at him and fiddled with her bandages. They were giving her grief and her skin was itching underneath. So many irritations in one go was not doing her mood any favours.

"And HAH privacy," She sneered, "You can't talk of privacy. Especially after that night at the Hannig Hotel! Remember? Or have you convenient;y forgotten that as well?"

'Ssh, not in front of her Scarlet!' he tried to shush her gently, almost imploringly. 'And besides, don't you think I could have changed my view on that in the meantime?'

'What 'not in front of Scarlet?' his sister wondered, raising an eyebrow. It wasnt like the fearless squadron leader to look so uncomfortable, especially not in front of women.

'Thats it!' he said finally. 'Im going out for some fresh air, the canned air in here is giving me a headache and making me feel dizzy!' He walked over to the door, still limping and wobbling quite a bit. He nearly fell over so had to grab onto a rail. Drat! he muttered gloomily to himself. He would have wanted to go further, but in his state he could only get as far as the window in the corridor, not too far from the room. He stood glumly by the huge window, thinking his own dark thoughts

Rachel glanced over at Scarlet after he had hobbled his way out and noticed her puzzled expression.

"Hm? What's up with you?" She corssed one leg over the other and rested her back against the padding of her seat. "Don't you start acting screwy as well. I swear there's something in the water around here..."

Rachel probably hadnt meant anything bad by this remark, but for some reason it made Scarlet snap.

'Enough already!! Its not my fault you two cant be more discreet, is it? I've had it with this attitude! I totally udnerstand that you were in a car accident which landed you in hospital, but this is getting ridiculous! I know I'm a villain, but have I been that bad, have I? Huh? I dont need this, especially not in my present condition. Though I dont suppose you'd understand, would you?' She relented a little.

'Now if you;ll excuse me, I'd better go and check up on that dumbhead, just in case he needs help. After all' , she said,turning around by the door, 'family is for life.' She left, shaking her head. Forgetting to close the door, she went and stood by her brother.

'Now then, are you going to be glooming the whole day infecting me with your mood, or will you finally pull yourself together? You are Dick Dastardly, the fearless and debonair leader of the vulture squadron!' But Dick wasnt paying attention to her. He was watching a father playing with his child outside.

'You may not believe this, but....I've always wanted a kid,' Dick said finally.

'You what?' said Scarlet, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

'Yeah, go ahead and mock me. After all, its not usual for a villain to want kids is it? But its true, I've always wanted to be a father. It could have nearly happened too, had Dolores not left me. But maybe she was right. After all, who'd want a kid with a villain?' he sighed. Scarlet was left wondering. Just what was she supposed to say to something like this? Tell him to snap out of this nonsense, or reassure him?

Rachel screwed up her face at Scarlet's sudden explosion of emotion. She just rubbed at her brow with her good hand and sunk into her seat. She was already feeling crappy and didn't need any extra stress. She put it down to hormones...

A sigh left Rachel's lips and she contemplated her situation. She started to wonder why she had bothered to turn up in the first place, it was obvious that things were very different and were in chaos. Everything felt odd and hectic. Her eyes focused on the bed side cabinet, but her attention was on the conversation going on outside the room. Her brow furrowed as she listened.

Um,' Scarlet said finally, after some thought. 'Look, bro, don't let one bad experience with Dolores ruin your life. I'm sure there are many women out there who would think differently than she did about you. After all, you are the dashing and debonair villain,' she added with a sympathetic smile, unusual for her.

'You're right sis,' he said, suddenly feeling much better and all smiles. He was even more handsome when he smiled.

'Right, well I'd better go and see if I can contact headquarters and see if there is any sign of anyone, someone might be back from their furlough. And you, instead of standing around here feeling sorry for yourself, go and look after you lady friend in there. She was more injured than you were. Don't you care about her?'

'Of course I care about her, you dumbhead!' snapped the squadron leader, getting agitated. In fact I....love her,' he added quietly, looking down at the floor, 'More than you will ever know.'

'Thought so,' Scarlet gave a knowing grin. They reached the door and Scarlet turned around to leave, giving him a push through the door first. He walked up to Rachels bed and sat down.

'Hey, its only me, sorry to disappoint. And you;re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.' He looked straight at Rachel and suddenly reached out and took her face in his hands, smiling at her gently. He seemed to be drifting off into a reverie of some sort. Could it be he was remembering their times together?

'Ooh, sorry about that, how ungentlemanly of me,' he said, letting go off her face gently. The alst thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable at his actions. 'Hows the arm?' he asked with concern.

Rachel raised a brow. She had no idea if she should be alarmed by his incredibly odd and out of characterbehavior, or annoyed by it.

"What do you think youre playing at!?"

She swiped a hand at his nose.

"What's all this 'nice as pie' crap that you're spinning? Is it some sort of ploy to reel unsuspecting people... No... Women in? I know you're a villain, but this is low even for you. Whatever you're doing, stop. I don't like it one bit. I want the old you back. The grouchy asshole who doesn't fuss and fret so much, the guy who would laugh at a woman if she stubbed her toe, no go simpering after her like some love-sick puppy!"

She grimaced.

"Ugh. It's like someone transplanted someone's really bad fanfiction into your brain when you got amnesia or something!"

He flinched at her sudden outburst,staring for a few minutes in utter shock. Screw this, he thought, a hurt expression on his face.
'So this is how it's going to be, hm? I try to change and turn over a new leaf, not for any women but one woman in particular: You. And you just....throw it all it all back in my face. Sorry I've made you into such a bitch...' and with that, he shoved her hard, pushing her out of her bed and onto the floor.
'NOT!!' He got up and left the room,slamming the door behind him. 'I've gotta get out of here!' He pushed past Scarlet, who watched him leave the building, an eyebrow raised.
'Well...at least he's cured,' she said with a sour smile.

Rachel flailed and caught herself at the last moment with her unbandaged arm and snickered to herself darkly.

"About frickin' time. I'd had it up to here with that simpering shit."

She tried to haul herself back onto the bed, which wasn't even hers since she was in Dick's room, but had seemed to have claimed anyway and adjusted her tubes.

"Bastard made my cannula itch."

She couldn't help but smile, satisfied that she'd broken that disgusting front he was putting up. She hated fake people. She had known far too many in her life and to see him act in such a way made her cringe. He was not like that and that is what she had fallen for in him. His no-nonsense attitude, his crankyness, the way he'd yell at everyone if he was in a foul mood.

Rachel turned her head to Scarlet.

"See! I leave for a second and all hell breaks loose!"

Scarlet raised a brow. 'Whatever that's supposed to mean. Anyway. I do wonder what's keeping the rest of the squadron. I'm going to have to go back to the hangar as I can't seem to get through. '

Scarlet seemed phased by her brother and his lady friend's behaviour, but only for a minute before she snapped herself out of it. After all, she was known for being the 'Ice Queen', caring about nobody but herself. And now recently....that cowardly yet sweet flyboy Zilly. She smirked to herself as she left the room when she thought about it. She hated to admit it, but she was missing him.

Rachel just sort of sat there not knowing what the heck to do. She wasn't in her room and she was still hooked up to her drip with casts on her limbs. She shrugged and figured she'd just wait for the nurse to come fetch her or something. She didn't intend on hobbling back to her room on her own.

The fearless squadron leader walked off in a huff, with no idea on where he was going. He felt rejected, but it all hell would freeze over before he let anyone know this. He couldnt very well go back to the race track, where he could bump into and be mocked at by one of his rivals. He didnt really want to go back to the hangar and face those those dumbheads, who might be back from their Furlough. They'd most likely raise some questions, and he wasnt in the mood to answer. He wasnt looking forward to another of Klunk's culinary curiosities either. Then he had it: the Dastardly mansion. He hadnt been their in a while and he missed it. He couldnt use his car which had been towed away for repairs so he took the next bus. He sat down, his gloomy dark thoughts accompanying him on his journey. He'd tried his best to change. He was sick of people associating him with a villanous cheat and wanted to break away from it. And then her- she was just the same as all of them. Nobody had asked her to come back. Any feelings he had had for her had evapourated since her outburst at the hospital. What was the point in trying to change and be the good guy? He of all people knew a leopard never changed its spots, but he had tried. And if that woman couldnt accept that- screw her. She was no better than Dolores. But at least Dolores hadnt been aware of his feelings.

He entered the mansion and threw his coat on the floor carelessly, much rather like a high school kid. He entered the living room and plonked himself on the nearest couch to catch his breath for a few minutes. He looked around him particularly at the luxurious dresser which had been in the family for years. His eyes happened to fall on an old picture, and he picked it up. It was him and Rachel together, her all smile, presumably after yet another race she'd beaten him at. He paused as he studied it for a moment.

'Oh, drat.' He ripped the picture to shreds, with a dark brooding face. The slither of an angel that was left in him had died.

Meanwhile, Scarlet had been about to leave the hospital but was spotted by two medics.

'Excuse me maam, but I don't think you should be out.' He and his colleague made their way over to her and took hold of her.

'What?' she cried out startled. 'Let me go, you dumbheads, I'm not..' Her protests fell on deaf ears as she was wheeled up to the same room as Rachel and parked next to her.

'Dammit I'm pregnant, not sick,' she grumbled, feeling like a total dumbhead weakling. She sat simmering in her pool of anger.

Rachel just grinned in a matter-of-fact manner as she was wheeled in, raised a hand in recognition and chuckled.

"See what I mean? Everything around here is nuts. Even the hospital workers are thick as a plank. I wouldn't put it past them to have me signed in a Gary Smith or something."

She looked down at her arm and grimaced. Whatever had happened that day had not been welcome at all and she almost regretted visiting in the first place. But she had to. She wanted to confront the man who went quiet on her. The man who had spouted off on how much he cared for her years previously and yet never returned a single phone call, or sent a single letter after being transferred into... Where was it they were again? Out in the damn sticks, that's bloody well where! No... She intended to get the full story and at least give him a proper piece of her mind before she left again. She glanced up at Scarlet again.

"You know they have you in the wrong area, right? This is recovery and maternity is that-a-way."

Scarlet gave her a glare. Not only was this hospital totally rediculous, making her stay when she was perfectly find and capable of looking after herself but now this damsel would be mocking her.

'Yeah well...trust these idiots to do a proper job at this dumb head hospital.' She snapped out of her grumpy state and turned her attention to Rachel. 'Boy, are you something. The guy pours out his heart to you, something he's never done until now, obviously crazy from your return and you just throw it back in his dumb face. You're almost as villainous as us.' She gave her a nasty smile. Druisilla was known for being cold and nasty, even more so than perhaps Dick. Though he'd never admit it.

'By the way, what drew you to him in the first place? I've only heard bits and pieces from him. You're the only one he's ever told me about. Though I never really listened much, only to humour him. I thought it couldn't be true he'd found someone. Now I see you are not a figment of his imagination. '

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"Poured his heart out? ALl I heard was fakery. Much like everything he's been doing since I got here. I mean... I get it, people can change and blah-dy-blah-dy-blah. But, deep down I know who he is and who he is not. And that simpering, sobbing mess is NOT him. The person I saw out in his car driving fiercely like a maniac, scared to tarnish his reputation... Now THAT is him."

She adjusted her gown and let out a sigh.

"Drew me to him? I'd watched the Wacky Races long before I joined in. I'd always admired his tenacity. He was always driven to succeed and didn't shy away from trying over and over, despite how often he failed. And then, when I finally joined myself as a contestant, I tried to offer advice. You know... From one racer to another. And when he actually bothered to take my advice and won we sort of hit it off. We hung around each other a lot with Muttley having his accident. I went with him to see him and so on. We just bonded. Not in a conventional way, you know? Not like how one would expect like in the movies where it was all mushy and gross. We just clicked, he admitted his feelings, I admitted mine and all was good. We built it up gradually."

'Hm, well...' Scarlet retorted as Rachel came to a close. 'Still a villain in my opinion, though nobody bears the 'Ice Queen' I guess. Though I give you 10 out of 10 for throwing everything back in his face.' She now looked at Rachel with something which was...dare she say it...Admiration.
Suddenly she was interrupted by somebody bursting in through the door. It was a man in a yellow trench coat and brown pilot's helmet with goggles. The trench coat looked a few sizes too big for him.
'What the-'
'S-s-scarlet, you're here! ' quivered the man in fear. He calmed down after a while and now his still horrified face had something of a relieved smile.
'Zilly, you're back?!'
'I j-j-j-just got back to the hangars, but nobody was t-t-there, and then I heard about the crash and...'
'ZILLY!STOP THAT SHAKING NOW!!' Scarlet yelled. Zilly responded by hiding in her chest.
'Now what are you- NOT IN PUBLIC DUNDERHEAD! '
Zilly jumped back and had now hidden in his trench coat. All that could be seen was a quivering trench coat without a body.
'S-s-sorry, Scarlet,' he whimpered.
Scarlet ignored him.
'Wait...did you say nobody's there? Not even that numbskull I call family? Drat.'

The sudden interruption caused Rachel to flinch backwards so fast that she yanked her canula. She hissed in pain before focussing on the intruder with a curious gaze. The antics of the man gave her great amusement, particularly when he hid his face in Scarlet's chest.

"Oh... Zolly, was it? Zilly? Zolly? My memory is being terrible right now."

Scarlet gave the quivering Zilly an unimpressed look.

'Drat, you're so embarrassing, ' she scowled. 'But yeah. Zilly, meet Rachel. Rachel, meet my...uh...the man whos child im carrying!' She said with a red face, wanting to hide her shyness. She stopped short at Rachel's confusion at his name.

'Wait....what was that? Zolly?!' She burst into a fit of cackles and slapped Rachel on the thigh. 'Hahaha, you're to much!'

Zilly's uniform was still quaking but at least his eyes and nose had popped out over the top.

'N-n-n-nice to m-m-m-eet you, maa'm.....

Scarlet snapped out of her giggles and looked serious as she contemplated.

'That idiot cant be at the race track because of the damage to his car.' She was deep in thought. After a while she turned to face them.

'Theres only one other place he'll be, and thats....the Dastardly mansion. Zilly. You will help get us out of here. He can run, but he cant hide.'

Zilly started at her, a look of pure horror on his face.