While Rocky and Freckle turned and stopped the automobile to greet her, Althea and Chloe happened to glimpse two familiar cats in the car.

"Althea? Shouldn't you be resting? Does Ms. M know?" Rocky asked with concern.

"I just thought I might need to get some fresh air. I already left a note for her to let her know I went out." Althea explained. "Oh, meet my good friend Chloe. Chloe meet Rocky and Freckle."

"Hello, there." Chloe waved.

Rocky grins and waves back while Freckle gives a shy nod.

"So, where are you guys going?" Althea asked curiously.

"We're going to academia." Rocky said.

Althea was surprised at this, but at the same time likes to see college.

"Can I come with?" she asked.

Rocky was surprised and couldn't help but look relieved as he gave her a smile.

"Oh, sure! The more the merrier."

Althea turned to Chloe and hugged her.

"I'll see you later." she said.

"I'll see you as well. Be careful out there." Chloe said, hugging back.

"I will."

Then Althea withdrew and got inside the vehicle while Rocky headed off. Chloe waved back to her when she stuck her head out the window. They eventually got it to college, where Althea is staring about in amazement and Rocky is pouting as Freckle looks around.

"Ohhhh... Just when I thought I had fixed everything, Little Lord Fauntleroy reappears. Miss M. won't need me with him around. I'll be as superfluous as I am to the band." Rocky complained, placing his paws on his head and covers his eyes. "What'll I do when I get the bum's rush again, Freckle? Live with the hobos? I know it sounds like fun, but in the end, they just shiv you and take your stuff. Oh, Wick, why couldn't you take my empty threats more seriously? I was lying, not joking. It wasn't a joke! My approach was just too subtle! That's my problem, Freckle. I'm too subtle."

He opens one to see Freckle and Althea looking at him funny. Althea wondered what he mean by threatening Wick have something to do with Mitzi. She'll question that later.

"Why are we here?" Freckle asked.

"Don't get me wrong, this place is amazing, but what Freckle just asked earlier." Althea added.

"In academia? I need to collect my wee little walking shield before we venture into Viktor's lair. Our tiny scholar ought to be around here somewhere." Rocky explained.

"We're visiting Viktor's house? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Althea asked.

"Well, you're like my spear that I can wield against Viktor, I just need a shield in case I need to be protected." Rocky said honestly.

"So you're basically saying you need me and..." Althea started, realizing this.

"Yep! I need Ivy Pepper!" Rocky grinned.

"Oh, so she attends here? Sweet!"

Rocky eventually spotted Ivy with her friends, holding magazines. Ivy appears to be waving at a male cat in a wheelchair with the other male cat behind him, who quickly drives him away after seeing her with fear. This confused her on why it always happen.

"Lo! There she is - my good-luck charm!" Rocky said, pointing at her.

"Hey, Ivy." Althea waved.

Instead of greeting back, Ivy sneered.

"Rocky."

Ivy began sprinting quickly towards Althea and Freckle, who noticed her expression and sensed something was wrong. Rocky, on the other hand, was blind to this.

"Lookit that - she's making a bee-line right for us." he said with a smile. "Ohh, I bet she just can't wait to see you again, Freckle."

"I don't know. She looks pissed." Althea sweatdropped.

"Gonna drive off in the struggle-buggy with your snuggle-bunny? Huh?" Rocky teased, still not noticing Ivy's anger.

"What? No, that's... I... No. What?" Freckle questioned, looking embarrassed.

Then, as Ivy was approaching the point where she held the magazines high, Althea heard her begin to yell.

"You cad!"

"Just listen to that high-pitched, screechy noise she's making - it must be love!" Rocky cooed.

"That's love?" Freckle asked in confusion.

"I don't think so..." Althea voiced.

Rocky then finally noticed Ivy's angry expression and the way she holds the magazines.

"...or dyspepsia... or..."

As Rocky begins to back off, Freckle conceals his face with a hat and Althea offers her condolences to her pal.

"RRRRRRRR!!!" Ivy growled.

"No! Whatever I did, it wasn't me!" Rocky shrieked.

The magazine sheets flew everywhere as she began slapping Rocky across the face. Althea and Freckle looked away, nervously observing, the students with them as the drama unfolds.

"YES! What happened last night was all your fault!" Ivy shouted.

"Only mostly!" Rocky defended.

"You almost ruined everything! And you ruined my date! And you almost got Althea killed and making Viktor worry for her if she hadn't saved his life!!" she ranted.

"Yes, Viktor! Ow! I was just on my way to see him. I need you to come with me so he doesn't trounce me. You're my guardian angel along with Althea!" Rocky said, pleading for her to stop.

Ivy eventually stopped smacking him and looked down at him.

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry. I visited him this morning before I had to be here for practice. He's pretty listless. Plus, he was told to stay put in his house under Mitzi's order after that stunt they pulled on Althea. ...But I left the radio tuned to something cheerful for him, and I got him some reading material." she explained, holding the magazines up.

Althea walks over and helps pick up the magazines while looking at them.

"I don't think he's that type to read these." she commented.

"Oh, don't be modest. He will read them." Ivy waved off. "How's your wound treated?"

"I'm doing fine. I can still move." Althea said.

"I know you can defend yourself, but take it easy. You had me worried."

"Don't worry. I promise. Now, let's go see Viktor."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of music could be heard from the apartment to reveal a radio making that noise.

~Rushin down the musher's trail~ BARK! BARK! BARK!

~Through frigid climes of snow and hail~ JINGLE JINGLE

~Comes the taste of zero, celsius scale: BRRRRRRR!

Snopek's frosty-pale ginger-ale!~

The handle of the broomstick points toward the radio as it kept singing and starts pushing it.

Yessir - Eskimo-flavored just the way the boys here at the Billy McGillicutty big banjo orchestra varsity hour like it

Isn't that right, boys?

You betcha!

STRUM-A-LUMMA-A-TIDDLE-LIDDLE-LUM-TRUM

The radio is pushed toward the edge of the desk until it stops pushing.

Say, where'd you find a banjo that big that big anyw—

The radio gave one last push before tumbling to the ground and releasing the plug from the charger. The broomstick's owner identified Viktor clutching it while lounging on a couch—more like he was strapped to one. When he refused to take a break and insisted on returning to work, Ivy must have tied him up in some way. Fortunately, she had left a blanket over him to provide some comfort.

He listens to a tranquil, serene time in his home while sitting there in silence and reflecting. But that doesn't last long because there are knocks, stomps, and creaks coming from outside of his room. Ivy, Althea, Rocky, and Freckle were all there as the door slammed open, giving Viktor a terrified expression. Rocky and Ivy struck up a conversation at the same moment as Althea discovered Viktor bound and headed over to him.

"HEY, VIKTOR!" Ivy and Rocky said in unison.

"I'm back from practice and did I tell you the semester's almost over but I worked it out so I can stay in St. Louis allll summer? And I brought some things from my dorm for you too—" Ivy ranted.

"Miss M. says you can help me find more palatable hooch because poisoning our patrons with the cheap stuff is bad for business so I was hoping after you punch me through a wall you could—" Rocky ranted.

Viktor completely shut them up by slamming the door on them with the handle of the broomstick.

"No." Viktor stated.

With a chuckle, Althea turned to face Viktor and started to remove him from those binds around the couch.

"How did you get yourself tied up?" she questioned.

"Ivy. That's why." Viktor said in annoyance. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah. I'm good." she assured him.

Ivy slammed the door open again with a frown on her face.

"Yes." she said, approaching Viktor and slapping the magazines against his chest. "You will read these magazines and you will like them. And so help me, you'll learn to enjoy the banjo hour. There's not gonna be any moping or escaping, Viktor. There just isn't."

Ivy then pulled Freckle over by the arm and introduced him.

"Also, meet Freckle! ...Or Calvin or something. I decided we're dating." she added happily.

"Wait, what? You just met him!" Althea exclaimed in shock. "And since when?"

"Since last night." Ivy stated without hesitation.

As always bashful, Freckle sought to pull away from Ivy.

"I think I left my hat in the car. I should go... be with my hat. In the car." he said, trying to come up with an excuse to leave.

"You mean in the struggle-buggy!" Rocky teased, winking.

Viktor gives Freckle a cold, hard look while daggering at him. He is already not fond of this little cat. Ivy firmly gripped Freckle, who shrank at being intimidated and tried to back away as she scowled at Viktor. When Althea saw it, she felt a familiar wave of protectiveness that was unmistakably her own father's reaction if he found out that she was hanging around with boys.

At that moment, an elderly cat woman enters inside with a wench. Rocky welcomed her after noticing her.

"Oh my. We have an intruder... an armed one. Who might you be?" he said.

"Ahoj (Hello)." she greeted in Czech.

"An enforcer?" Rocky asked, not understanding her.

"Tecie mi umyvadlo (My sink is running)." she said.

Althea recognizes that language and speaks Czech, surprising them.

"Oh, potřebujete pomoc s opravou dřezu, madam? (Oh, you need help in fixing the sink, ma'am?)" she said.

The elder cat lady smiled.

"Ano drahý. Z potrubí vytéká voda. Nahoře je celé patro pokryto vodou. (Yes, dear. Water comes out of the pipes. Upstairs, the entire floor is covered in water.)"

"She needs her sink to be fixed." Althea translated to them.

"How do you speak like that?" Rocky asked in amazement.

"I study a variety of languages in case I decide to take a global trip. You never know when you might require it." Althea explained, looking proud of herself.

"Wow!" Ivy gasped in awe.

With knowledge of what the older cat lady is saying, Viktor gets up from his seat.

"Okay." he said.

Althea looks at Ivy for explanation as the elder cat lady approached Viktor.

"That's just the neighbor from upstairs. This is Mrs. Bapka." Ivy explained.

Althea nodded in acknowledgment.

"My sink! My sink!" Mrs. Bapka repeated.

"Ya, okay. I vill look at it--"

Althea let out a painful grunt, cutting Viktor off. Suddenly, they turned to see her clutching her sore shoulder. Viktor came to her help right away, tugging her sleeve down to reveal some bloodstains behind the bandage covering her shoulder.

"Vhat were you doing all day?" he asked with concern.

Althea looked aside, embarrassed and feeling guilty.

"I... may have... sort of... got into a fight?"

"What?! How could you be so careless? You need to rest!" Ivy exclaimed in shock.

"Vhat fight?" Viktor asked, guiding her to a chair for her to sit on.

"Just fought off some... robbers..."

With a scared gaze, Althea looked away from Viktor's menacing glare.

"You stupid, reckless girl..!" Viktor growled.

"I'm afraid he has to take care of Althea since she's a little hurt. I don't think he can help you right now." Ivy frowned.

With worry, Mrs. Bapka approaches Althea and gives her a pat on the arm.

"Ohhhhhh. Jsi zraněný? Chudá dívka. (Are you hurt? Poor girl.) Ohhhhhh." she frowned. "Přinesu ti něco k jídlu. (I'll get you something to eat.)"

"Děkuji vám madam. (Thank you, ma'am.)" Althea replied.

Mrs. Bapka walks out of the room as Rocky looks over at Freckle.

"Hey, Handyman McMurray, you wanna run upstairs and help the young lady out?" he asked with suggestions.

With a quick nod, Freckle wanted to be gone already. Ivy smiled and took his arm.

"I'll go too!" she chimed in.

With a frown, Ivy turned to face Althea and covered her with a blanket.

"As for you, missy, I don't know what fight you got into but you shouldn't be moving that much with that wound on your shoulder. Just stay here with Viktor and relax. I'll be back later."

After that, Ivy and Freckle departed, leaving Rocky, Viktor, and Althea alone themselves in the room.