Hello, hello amigos!

To start off, I'm INCREDIBLY happy that Rio has finally been released on DVD, iTunes, etc! Can't wait to watch it routinely!

Next, I currently have a huge array of stories lined up. While I am doing this fic, I may occasionally take short breaks to work on the other fics. Believe me, however, I plan on updating as frequent as I can! After all, I have Rio on my side, and with the greatest movie ever next to me, how can I NOT be able to be inspired? Haha!

Also, as you may or may not have noticed...Brazilian Macaw Theater 3000 is gone...and when I mean gone, I mean deleted by the site. I'm not happy, and I'm sure you're not...but I have future plans for another one...So look out for that, my friends, ;)

I also need to thank certain people here as well. I need to thank both Master Derek and Charlie B. Barkin on the Rio de Janeiro discussion boards. I thank Derek for requesting me to be a Mod, and Charlie for allowing me to hold the position! I've wanted to serve the Rio community in a huge way since Rio fics started popping up on here, and I can't wait to become a huge part of it in the future!

And finally, I NEED to advise you that this chapter is VERY long. I was going to split this chapter into 2 chapters, but I decided that we might as well get a huge chunk of the story out of the way, so here's an INCREDIBLY LONG chapter that we've labored on for weeks! Through hurricanes, earthquakes, power outtages, modships, and a summer vacation of strange occurences, I present you the fruit of me and Project NICK's labors! CHAPTER 4!

...

Chapter 4

Welcome to Paradise...Nevada

Meanwhile, high above Rio was a small, shadowy figure that seemed to be thundering across the sky as fast as he possibly could. This figure turned out to be a certain crow named Vito, a name normally met with gasps and feelings of respect. Now, however, this name was received with a little more than a scoff.

Only a few years back, Blu and Jewel had encountered this exact crow, only he had more than just himself to help him. Vito was originally the leader of a mafia family of birds in Rio de Janeiro. During this time, Vito had begun to build a reputation as the most respected and yet one of the most feared birds in Rio. While this had been the case for the longest time, his position had begun to break down once he met a young red-crested cardinal named Robyn, who just happened to now be Pedro's mate. Vito was then hired, along with his family, to dispose of Blu and Jewel once the cockatoo Nigel returned to try to capture the two Spix macaws. Soon after failing to achieve this goal, Vito began to lose every connection he had to a respectable stature, until finally he was forced to leave Rio because of how little reputation he had left.

However, his current plan was absolutely devious, and his attitude was simply set one thing...revenge. Revenge on Blu, Jewel and the entire Spix macaw family that remained. Currently, he was carrying a small bag that contained none other than the little Spix chick Carlos, the first act in what Vito called his "Big Scheme".

Vito's expression on his beak remained stone-cold as he flew along quickly, determination dead-set into his eyes.

"Stupid canary...I knew he wouldn't be able to resist helping that scaredy bird. Let's see him act like a big shot when he gets fooled..." Vito smirked to himself as he tugged the small bag with a squirming macaw chick stuck inside along with him.

"Now let's see...I kidnapped their precious little kid, left their friends in the dust...now to lure them into the belly of the beast..." Vito muttered to himself with a sly smile, calculating in his mind every twist and turn he had planned in his...plan.

"This is full-proof...Vito, you're such a genius..." Vito chuckled to himself.

"Says the crow talking to himself..." Carlos piped-in with a muffled tone from the bag in Vito's claws.

"Humph...you little brat..." Vito groaned as he heartlessly kicked his claw into the bag, making solid contact into Carlos.

"Now, go back to being the silent piece of garbage you were when I almost disposed of you..." Vito groaned as he began to flap faster, obviously trying to end this headache.

"It takes a bird who lived in trash to know trash..." Carlos replied. Vito simply scowled deeper and then slammed his foot into the bag once more.

"You take after your father...a huge idiot and putting heart before brains...I like that...It'll get you killed easier."

...

Blu could barely even think about what was going on elsewhere, because currently he was hanging on for dear life as he and his caged mate Jewel plummeted about 5,000 feet towards what seemed like iminant doom after the owl they met had accidentally unopened the plane's cargo latch.

"Blu, you have an bright ideas before we become blue pancakes?" Jewel managed to shout out as the two barrelled out of the sky like led bricks. Blu could barely hear anything besides his pounding heart beat as he finally realized the situation he was in. He was unable to fly, he was plummeting 5,000 feet, and his mate was trapped in a cage falling with him. Blu desperately began to fumbling with the lock holding Jewel in, his claws nervously slipping at every second. After all, how would you be able to concentrate while falling from thousands of feet?

"Blu, just relax!...I'm right here..." Jewel suddenly said, sounding surprisingly calm in such a situation they were in. Blu was just about to point this out before Jewel suddenly leaned forward and kissed Blu, his eyes popping open in the same fashion when she first did it. In fact, it all seemed too similar to Blu and Jewel...

Suddenly, as if on que, Blu popped the lock open, the opening even surprising Blu. Jewel quickly tumbled out of the cage, landing right onto Blu and sending the two somersaulting even closer to the ground.

"Now what do we do?" Blu yelled out as the two continued falling closer towards the ground below.

"How's about I be the hero this time and save us, hmm?" Jewel said with a smile as she quickly flapped her wings and suddenly the two began to slow down in falling speed, until suddenly Blu felt the two land on the...incredibly-hot and rocky surface.

"Well, I think I've had my share of terrifying experiences for the day..." Blu said as he brushed himself off and then winced once he reached his possibly-broken wing.

"Hey, where's the others?" Jewel asked, referring to their friends that they had last seen back in the plane. Jewel's question was immeadiatley answered, as a loud screaming came echoing from above. As if on que, the reporter-bird Arthur then fell out from the clouds into view of Blu and Jewel, and then miraciously landed on a mattres only about 5 feet away from the two.

"Ow...That's the last time I skydive without a parachute..." Arthur muttered as he rubbed his aching head. Arthur's eyes shot open when he heard screaming coming from above him, and suddenly Jez came falling right from above him. Arthur, almost without thinking, dived forward and quickly caught the other Spix macaw in his wings.

"Wow...Nice to catch up with you, hehe..." Arthur said, his tone shakey and his eyes moving rapidly as if he was ready to melt right there.

"Nice catch, Artie..." Jez said with a smile, suddenly melting Arthur emotionally even more.

"Aww, it was nothin' Just a bit of athletic ability and anyone could've done it...but thanks." Arthur stuttered, his voice cracking in nervousness in the prescence of a bird he was affectionate to. Before Jez could reply, another loud yell pierced across the sky, and then the source of it, Wally, then crashed on top of Arthur, the impact popping Jez out of Artie's wings and the reporter-bird feeling sore.

"You okay Arthur?" Blu asked as he scampered over to the mattress and helped Arthur out from under Wally.

"A little sore...but at least I got somewhere with your sis, eh?" Arthur said with a innocent smile on his face, to which Blu stared blankly at Arthur as if voicelessly scolding him.

"...Oh, sorry."

"Hey, where's Pedro and Robyn?" Blu asked, ignoring the exchange in the last few seconds. Immeadiatley after this, Pedro quickly popped his head out from above Blu.

"Right here, blue bird!" Pedro exclaimed energetically.

"Yeah, thanks to that owl. If Blu hadn't opened my cage, we'd both be blueberry pancakes on the highway..." Jewel groaned, still not happy about the owl they met just a few minutes before.

"Amen to that, sister," agreed Arthur. "Now, uh, where the heck are we?"

Wally looked around the desert-like landscape, and said, "Hmmm... I think we're in Arizona."

However, Arthur shook his head. "No way, that's impossible..."

"Oh, really?" Wally crossed his wings, and faced his friend. "And, uh, who are you... Dora the Explorer?"

"Cute," said Arthur. "Look, I know exactly where we are, and it ain't Phoenix... we're in Egypt."

Wally laughed, and said, "Egypt! Oh, gosh... dude, do you SEE a giant cat statue or a bunch of towering pyramids anywhere?"

"I didn't finish," growled Arthur. "We're in the 'middle' of Egypt... I bet if we go closer, we can see at least one of the pyramids."

"Oh, sure..." said Wally. "So, we should believe a dead reporter's bird that we are in Egypt?"

Arthur frowned, and said, "Don't push it... besides, you should talk, seagull."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know, man," said Arthur. "All you birds do is go 'mine, mine, mine, mine', and look for crabs or fishes to eat!"

Wally frowned, and said, "Hey, that's not MY family, okay? We just look alike!"

Arthur laughed, and cried, "Dude, they are! There's not another type of seagull!"

"Oh, yeah?" cried Wally. "Well... uh... you used to wet the bed!"

When the seagull said that, Jewel and Jez began to chuckle, and Arthur yelled, "It's on now, white meat!"

"Bring it on, old man, bring it on!" yelled Wally, and at once, the two birds tackled each other, and began to wrestle on the ground.

Robyn, looking concerned, asked, "Shouldn't you do something, honey?"

"What for?" laughed Pedro. "These guys do stuff like this all the time... besides, I need a good laugh."

Jewel turned to Blu, who was smiling as he watched the bird fight, but after noticing her staring at him, he said, "What?"

"You know what I mean," said Jewel. "Go in there, and stop them!"

"ME?" said Blu, with his eyes becoming wide. "Jewel, have you forgotten that I got my wing broken 'again' by Nigel?"

"Yeah, so?" said Jewel. "It doesn't mean you're handicapped... look, this isn't the time to fight, Blu, so, please, stop them."

Blu tried to argue, but when Jewel held up a feather, he said, "Oh, all right... hey, guys, come on, knock it off!"

The two birds ignored him, so the young Macaw went a little closer, saying, "No, seriously, guys, come on, we need to stick together, stop this."

"One... second... amigo!" growled Arthur, who was gaining the advantage, but then, Wally got him in a head-lock. "Darn it!"

Blu looked back at Jewel, who urged him to continue, so he went closer to the two friends, and said, "Guys, if you don't stop in 3 seconds, I'm going to... whoa!"

All of a sudden, Wally got a sudden burst of strength, and tossed Arthur at Blu, with both of them flying a few miles across the desert-like ground.

"Blu!" Jewel quickly flew over to her mate, followed by the others, and when she reached him, she asked, "Honey, are you okay?"

As she helped him up, the young Macaw could see a bunch of planets twirling around his head, and in a dizzying voice, he sang, "Neptune, Mars, Saturn, Pluto..."

Then, Blu fell back down the ground, while Wally went over to Arthur, and cried, "You got knocked the heck out! Ha, ha, ha... whoa!"

While the two were arguing with each other again, Jewel nudged Blu's body, and said, "Blu? You okay?"

"Uh..." In a slow move, the young Macaw began to get up, and after shaking his head, he replied, "Yeah, er, I'm fine... "

"Are you sure?" asked Jewel. "Look, Blu, maybe you should lie down, and rest."

"Rest?" said Blu. "I may have a broken wing, but I'm not handicapped, for Pete's sake!"

"No need to ruffle your feathers over it..." Jewel grumbled as Blu got up.

"Quite frankly, there is a need to! I got you all into another one of my messes and even worse, I've gotten my wing broken in the process and made friends with an owl who almost killed us all!" Blu exclaimed angrily as paced around constantly in circles.

"You couldn't have possibly predicted all of that! You should stop brooding and actually care about what's going on now!" Jewel responded back, her tone rising to a yell.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Blu fired back. While the two arguements occured and Pedro, Robyn and Jez simply watched, two pigeons suddenly stopped in mid-air as they noticed the fighting nearby.

"Yo check it out, man! Public fight!" The first pigeon said with an accent that mirrored Bobby's as he quickly flew near Blu and Jewel.

"Livin' in the West sure has it's perks!" The other pigeon remarked, his accent sounding more Southern as he followed his buddy.

Before Blu and Jewel continued their arguing, they noticed the two pigeons had arrived and were already into it, chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as the two Spix macaws were yelling at each other.

"Would you please leave? This is a matter that we'd like to discuss privately." Blu asked surprisingly politely compared to his tone to Jewel just before.

"It ain't private when we can hear you screamin' your 'matter' from across the road, blue bird." The Southern-sounding pigeon remarked as the two pigeons chuckled.

"Who exactly are you two anyway and why do you have the nerve to start chanting us to fight?" Jewel chimed in.

"Why, we're Boulder and Dash, best two pigeons you'll find in Clark County!" The Brooklyn-sounding pigeon responded energetically.

"Clark County?" Arthur asked from behind Blu and Jewel as him and Wally stopped tackling each other at the arrival of the new birds.

"Look, can you tell us where exactly we are? We kind of need to get back to Rio...where we belong." Jewel butted-in, wanting to get down to the point as quickly as she could.

"We're in Mexico, right? I can tell by all them palm trees!" Pedro exclaimed loudly as he flew front and center. The two pigeons shook their heads and laughed hysterically in response.

"Rio? Boy, you birds are a LONG ways from there...You guys are in a nice state called Nevada!" Boulder, the Southern pigeon said with a smile.

"Nevada?" Jez asked quizzingly, to which Boulder and Dash glanced at each other in amazed looks at the thought of someone not knowing what Nevada was.

"Just excuse her. She's from Canada. A little rusty on American geography..." Arthur said with a light laugh as he jumped in to help Jez's cause. Jez glanced at Arthur with a smile, and Arthur quickly smiled back nervously, realizing he was either making a fool of himself or making a good impression...either worked, he figured.

"Yes, Nevada! 36th state of the US that's filled with money, aliens and lots and lots of desert!" Dash replied at a lightning-fast pace.

"Nevada? Oh great, we're far from Rio, alright..." Blu said with a sigh.

"Relax baby bird! You can always fly back! After all, we all have wings." Boulder replied with an easy-going smile.

"You don't understand...he kinda got banged up after we were kidnapped..." Jewel explained, perking Blu's seemingly-broken wing up for the pigeons to see. Both Boulder and Dash reacted with winces at the damaged wing and then donned thoughtful expressions.

"Maybe we can get Franko to help 'em?" Boulder suggested.

"Franko? Who's Franko?" Blu asked immeadiatley.

"He's the biggest bird in all of this here state! He could give ya a tour around and get you guys a way home!" Dash exclaimed excitedly. Jewel, however, quickly interjected at this statement.

"Tour? No no no, pigeon boy. We need to get back NOW. I have kids to take care of..."

"Relax girl! You're in the U.S. now! You've got to live a little!" Dash exclaimed as he quickly attempted to pull Jewel by her wing, but he quickly tripped over from the mass of Jewel compared to his.

"Just take us to this Franko guy..." Jewel said with a groan.

"Alright then! C'mon everyone, next stop is Franko!" Boulder exclaimed as him and Dash flew off, with everyone following behind except Arthur and Blu.

"So, need a lift?" Arthur asked with a smile.

"No Arthur, I can walk..." Blu said rather grumpily as he trudged along.

"Nonsense! Going up!" Arthur exclaimed loudly as he grabbed hold of Blu and then flew up, carrying the now-struggling Blu.

"Hey, you want to be a blueberry pancake? If you keep strugglin', you're ganna become one by yourself..."

...

"How much longer?" Pedro whined as he flapped alongside Robyn, who were flying along with the rest of the group as they followed Boulder and Dash towards this 'Franko' person.

"Just calm down, honey. These guys know where they're going...at least I hope..." Robyn grumbled as they listened to the faint banter the two pigeons were exchanging ahead of them. Currently, Boulder and Dash were conversing with Arthur, Blu and Jewel ahead of them.

"So, you guys are from Rio, huh?" Boulder asked Blu attentively.

"Yes...We were enjoying our honeymoon in Niagra Falls before this cockatoo we met three years ago kidnapped us..." Jewel groaned.

"That sounds heavy. Ya know, it must be awesome living in Rio! Is it as musical and colorful as they make it look on TV?" Dash asked excitedly.

"Not even close! Everything's so bright and colorful, and there's more birds than you can count!" Blu exclaimed, still remembering how beautiful Rio was when he first arrived, his whole body quivering at the thought of having to mate with another one of his kind. He never would even be able to predict that he'd be with the bird he loved and friends that loved him three years from then.

"You know something, you sound alot like that guy who played Mark Zuckerburg in that Facebook movie." Boulder stated as he pondered to remember the voice of the actor who played Mark Zuckerburg in The Social Network.

"The Social Network? You mean Michael Cera?" Dash asked, now confused in what his friend meant.

"That wasn't Michael Cera. He looks and sounds like Michael Cera, but he isn't."

"So...he's exactly like Michael Cera, but isn't him?"

"Isn't his name Jesse Eisenburg?" Arthur offered, equally as confused over the matter.

"No, it was Michael Cera." Dash butted-in, now sounding defensive.

"No, it wasn't him."

"Yes it was!"

"Then who does Blu sound like?"

"Not Michael Cera! He sounds like that guy who played Mark Zuckerburg in The Social Network!"

"Yes! Michael Cera!"

Finally, Blu had clearly had enough of the banter over what he sounded like.

"Look, it doesn't matter who I sound like! Can we just get to where we're going so we can see our kids again?" Blu asked with a somewhat-annoyed tone.

"Chillax, buddy! We're already here!" Dash exclaimed as him and Boulder quickly descended down to a stop directly in front of a bus stop with a pay phone next to it.

"So...where's Franko?" Jewel asked, now starting to suspect these pigeons were idiots and led them nowhere.

"He's here. Lemme just call 'em...Yo Franko, you here?" Dash shouted out, to which everyone but Jewel jumped at the projection of the pigeon's voice.

"-look, it doesn't matter. I'm not helping you with this. Your problems aren't mine!" A voice shouted that sounded metallic and nearby. Everyone quickly realized it sounded like it came from the pay phone in front of them.

"TALKIN' PAY PHONE!" Pedro shrieked loudly as he bolted behind Robyn for protection, who rolled her eyes in embarassment of her mate acting moronically. Wally, believing this accusation to be true, walked slowly towards the pay phone with a dignified look on his face and a sensible tone as if he really though the pay phone was talking.

"Oh wise Franko, may you tell us birds, the receivers of your call, how to get back to Rio de Janeiro?" Wally asked with an absolutely serious tone, to which Jewel smacked herself in the face in embarassment at the seagull's stupidity.

"Franko isn't a pay phone, crazies! Franko!" Boulder shouted loudly.

"What? Sorry Deep Throat, gotta call ya later...Boulder, that you?" The same voice yelled, the source of the voice finally sticking his head out from the inside of the pay phone. The voice belonged to a small, blue and white bird. In fact, from what Blu could, the bird was a blue jay. The blue jay quickly fluttered down and then landed in front of Boulder and Dash with a smile.

"Boulder! Dash! Where have you two been, fools?" The blue jay said with a voice that sounded strangely like Chris Rock as he hugged Boulder and Dash enthuesiastically.

"New buddies, meet Franko! Best bird you'll find in this state!" Dash exclaimed as he motioned to the blue jay, who jokingly took a bow and then walked up to Blu and stuck out his wing to shake.

"Nice to meet new guys! So, you here for the money or the tan? 'Cause I can see you already have yo selves some babes!" Franko said with a sly smile as he spiraled up to Blu's head and then shot a wink to Blu, who smiled nervously, not sure how to respond. Arthur suddenly smiled widely and then positioned himself closer to Jez, realizing Franko was referring to him most likely.

"Actually uh...Franko, we're here to get help from you on how to get back to where we came from." Blu stuttered. Franko suddenly donned a confused expression and then fluttered back a bit to inspect Blu and the rest of the birds.

"You guys are tourists? Huh...you sure don't look like 'em." Franko said with a puzzled tone.

"That's the second time someone's told me that..." Blu muttered to himself, referring to the very first conversation he ever had with Pedro and Nico back when he was stuck in a cage when he arrived in Rio de Janeiro.

"We're actually from Rio, and according to these two wingdings you can help us get back." Jewel evaluated as Franko inspected the rest of the group.

"Oh, I gotcha! Yeah, I'll get you there in a snap! Easy bus ride away!" Franko exclaimed as he spun up to the bus stop sign and posed atop it.

"Bus ride? You do realize where exactly Rio is, right?" Jewel asked in disbelief, not understanding how Franko could possibly think it was a 'easy bus ride away'.

"'Course I do! You think I ain't been around?" Franko laughed as he perched himself atop Blu's head, who glanced above him at the blue jay.

"So, where are we going to get a bus?" Blu asked, and as if on cue a tour bus immeadiatley pulled up in front of the group.

"Wow. Good timing." Blu said with a smile and an impressed tone.

"Only the best for a new friend of mine!" Franko said with a grin, when he suddenly donned a puzzled expression.

"Ya know somethin', you sound alot like that guy from The Social Network..."

"Michael Cera?" Dash offered, immeadiatley receiving a dark expression from Boulder.

"JESSE EISENBURG!" Boulder yelled in response. Dash frowned back and then joined in once again.

"MICHAEL CERA!"

Blu and Jewel both groaned in a show of annoyance and then glanced at Franko, who now had a disapproving look on his face.

"Do they do this alot?" Blu asked, to which Franko snickered.

"Ya know, I like you! You're funny! I like funny guys!" Franko said with a wide grin as he wrapped his wing around Blu's head chummily as if they'd known each other for years, which frankly creeped both Blu and Jewel out.

"Alright, next stop is Paradise! Let's go Rioites!" Franko exclaimed as he fluttered atop the huge tour bus, who's engine began to sputter into ignition. Everyone quickly took off from the ground and landed on top of the bus...except Arthur and Blu. Arthur glanced at Blu with a grin, conveying the suggestion of carrying him, to which Blu groaned in response.

"Fine...carry me..." Blu mumbled with a closed beak.

"What was that?" Arthur asked with a smug smile.

"CARRY ME!"

...

As Bobby watched the others head off in search of Carlos, he turned around to see a baby toucan.

"Heh, I guess that i could deal with only one of you," said the bird, with a faint smile, but then, a group of them appeared, and his eyes went big.

"Holy cow!"

Meanwhile, Flora and Nico were with Sergio and Ruby at the fishing grounds while Rafael was at the market, looking for his old friend.

"Yo, doggy, where are you?" He flew over to the dirt part of a nearby park, and saw a bulldog's head popping out of a hole.

"Hey, Ralfy!" cried Luiz. "This place is a bone mine!"

The toucan chuckled, and said, "Well, I don't need a bone, bud, I need a clue." Luiz frowned.

"Hey, do I look like a blue dog that leaves footprints everywhere?"

Rafael chuckled, and said, "Easy, man... Have u seen a black crow lately?"

Luiz thought about it, and replied, "Hmmmm... I didn't see a crow, but i saw a black, chubby bird holding a bag. Probably seeds in there."

Rafael frowned, and asked, "Did it have a scar on the wing?"

"Yeah-huh," replied Luiz. "And he looked like a big, ol' dark version of Pedro... that wasn't him, was it?"

With a soft chuckle, Rafael looked at his clueless friend, and said, "No, that was Vito, that loco crow who birdnapped Carlos again a few years ago, and he's done it again."

At once, Luiz's dog-eyes grew huge as he cried, "Whoaaaa! That was him? I thought crows were skinny, and hung around corn fields!"

"Well, not this crow," sighed Rafael. "Thanks for the help, buddy..."

"No prob," said Luiz, not noticing that his drool was filling up the hole he was in. "Oh, and if you see Robyn, tell her I'm sorry for messin' up her bird ice statue."

"Oh, I'm sure that she forgot that," said Rafael. "But I'll tell her the news... adios!"

As the toucan flew away, Luiz waved at him, saying, "Bye, Ralfy! Okay, then, back to... whoa!"

His sentence was interrupted when he slipped on his drool, and after landing, he groaned. "Ohhh, I hate this drool problem."

Meanwhile, at the water section of Rio, which led to the ocean, Flora and Nico, along with Ruby and Sergio, landed on a boulder near the water and sewer pipes, with a group of pidgeons nearby.

Looking around, Flora saw that the sky had become gray and cloudy, and as the lightning flashed, she held onto Nico's wing, and said, "Why did we have to come here?"

"Aw, honey," chuckled Nico, patting her soft head. "Scared of a little lightning?"

All of a sudden, thunder and lightning flashed together, and Nico jumped in fear, making Flora laugh.

"What?" Nico asked, as if he was completely normal and had done nothing at all.

The female canary said, "Nothing... let's just find some clues so we can get out of here."

"Hmmm..." Looking around, Nico saw a pair of crabs nearby, and said, "Yo, girl, maybe they can help us!"

So, the group flew over to the crabs, and when they landed on the ground, one of them asked, "What do you want?"

Nico and Flora stepped back a little, surprised at the crab's attitude-ish voice tone, and the samba-lovin' canary said, "Er, we need to know if you saw a black crow around here, carrying a bag with something struggling inside."

"Oh, I saw that crow!" said the other crab, who was more of a nicer crab than the other. "And he almost got into a fight with those seagulls over there because they thought food was inside."

Flora smiled, and said, "Thanks... now, did you happen to find out where he was going exactly?"

The nice blue crab was about to speak, but then, the angry and red crab growled, "Yeah, we've seen the direction he headed, but I am not saying anything to you flying objects, and there's no way you're gonna make me!"

When the crab said that, a frown appeared on Flora's face... and a few seconds later, she was hovering around the group of seagulls. At once, Flora whistled, and the crabs became filled with fear as the seagulls looked up, seeing the crab, and all of them began to cry, "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

The canary grinned at the crab, and said, "Better start talking, Mr. Krabs, because I don't think these seagulls want to keep you un-steamed any longer..."

"All right, I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll talk!" cried the crab. "He headed in the northern direction, I think, and the bag had a logo that said 'Property of Caeser's Hotel' or something like that!"

Back on the rock, as the others watched Flora get the crab away from the birds, Ruby asked, "Uncle Nico, why is Auntie Flora acting like that?"

"I'm not sure," chuckled Nico. "But I think it's because she's really worried about your brother..."

Sergio looked at the seagulls chasing Flora and the crab, and said, "Huh, this reminds me of something..."

A few minutes later, as they were flying in the air, joined by Rafael, the toucan asked, "Okay, Luiz told me that he saw him carrying a bag, which I bet that he put Carlos in. You guys?"

Nico replied, "A crab told us that he saw Vito going north, and that the bag had a logo that said it was the property of a hotel called Caeser's,"

"Really?" said Rafael. "Huh... sounds like... okay, we need to go see Bobby."

"Huh?" Nico and Flora gave each other confused looks, and Flora asked, "Why?"

"Because if Vito is going where I think he is," said Rafael. "I want to know if Arthur's been there, or wanted to go there... come on!"

...

Back in Nevada, the birds from Rio were still coasting along on a seemingly-deserted highway road. While Blu and Jewel were chatting away quietly on one end of the bus, and Pedro and Robyn sat perched on the side of the bus' roof, Franko slowly fluttered near Arthur and Jez, who were standing in the front end of the roof and perched next to Arthur, who quickly noticed the blue jay next to him.

"Yo buddy! How you holdin' out?" Franko asked, to which Arthur replied with a half-hearted smile and then a sigh.

"Well...I'm kind of at a loss of how to get that beautiful bird right there..." Arthur sighed as he nodded his head in the direction of Jez, who was happily taking in the nice breeze that the wind blowing into them provided. Franko responded with a perplexed expression, and then slightly chuckled.

"Eh, don't worry about it. We all have charm. I'm sure if you have the right stuff and you two connect, you'll both be fine!" Franko said with a dismissing tone that made him sound so sure of it.

"Yeah...well the problem is I don't exactly have luck with ladies...besides a girl a few years ago, I'm a flop with chicks..." Arthur said with sarrow filling his voice, still stuck to the memories of Petricious a few years ago. However, Franko took Arthur's word choice a completely different way.

"Woah buddy, that's sick! What kinda bird are ya? Those guys aren't even-" Franko started, taking Arthur's use of 'chicks' as a certain other group of birds.

"No, no. I mean girls, Franko." Arthur corrected, realizing he was horribly mis-interpreted. Franko realized his mistake, and then laughed.

"Sorry...Good thing ya told me, 'cause I woulda sent ya to the nuthouse if ya hadn't..." Franko said with a laugh.

"So, you think you can help me get Jez? Some romantic help would go a long way..." Arthur said desperately, his eyes almost transferring his pleads into Franko.

"'Course I can! You think I became the best bird in this state for picklin' daises? Lady birds swoon over the sound of my voice, bud!" Franko said with a sly grin.

"Really? You take that weird Love Potion Number 9 stuff to do that?" Arthur asked with a confused tone. Franko perked his eyebrow, confused at what Arthur was referring to, which Arthur immeadiatley realized.

"Eh, dumb movie I saw that was based off a song...So, how do I score Jez right there?" Arthur said as he stared dreamily at Jez, who still happily gazed off into the landscape surrounding the highway road they were riding down.

"Well...how'd you get girls in the past?" Franko asked immeadiatley.

"Well...I've only ever been in love two times before this. With this sweet o'le parakeet from Paraguay named Petricious-"

"Common Paraguayan name..." Franko added with a laugh.

"Petricious left a few years ago...we were in love, kind of like my buddies Blu and Jewel are over there..." Arthur began as he eyed Blu and Jewel, who looked as if they were having another one of their 'romantic moments'.

"She was a Hollywood star, fortunetly or unfortunetly...her agent just came one day and snatched her out of my life. Like a berry off a vine..." Arthur said with surprisingly depressed tone as the reporter-bird felt a stream of wet liquid streaming down his face.

"Wow...that sounds real heavy." Franko remarked, his mind completely baffled at this revealation.

"Weight has nothing to do with it...besides my heart..." Arthur said with a sad sigh. All this thinking of Petricious was hurting his heart, and it made it hard to focus on trying to get a girl. Apparently, all this crying was starting to attract attention, as Jez suddenly turned her head and noticed Arthur crying. Jez craned her head closer to Arthur with a sympathetic look and inspected him, suddenly catching Arthur's attention as well, who laughed nervously in response.

"Are you alright, Artie?" Jez asked lightly, not wanting to spark anything to happen with the quirky Spix macaw. The sound of Jez's voice just bloomed into Arthur's ears, her sweet tone pouring like the sweetest honey and making him feel warm inside. Arthur was lost in these feelings until Jez finally nudged him, knocking him back into reality.

"Oh, sorry...Just remembering a few things I'd rather not think about...Past loves and such, hehe..." Arthur chuckled, trying not to embarass himself or sound too self-thinking.

"Well...you can talk to me. After all, we're both Spix macaws here." Jez said with a laugh and a smile that could've melted Arthur's heart if it was possible. Arthur, holding back any feelings he wanted to shout out, decided to spill the beans.

"I had this girl...Her name was Petricious...She was a big bird actress in Hollywood. We loved each other and...one day her agent just picked her up from Rio and took her away, and I haven't seen her since...and now I don't know what to do with my heart anymore..." Arthur sighed, his eyes swelling up once again thanks to the wonderful memories he had with Petricious that still ripped his heart in two.

"Well...you know what they say, for every person there's that certain someone. I guess it's just a sign you didn't find that someone yet...Hey, maybe you'll find someone on this trip, huh?" Jez said with her same smile staring into Arthur, who formed a smile back through the immense tears in his eyes.

"Maybe you're right...I suppose true love is bound to find you at some point..." Arthur said with a slight smile, trying to rid his bad thoughts.

"At least you aren't like me...The person I was attracted to didn't even know I existed..." Jez groaned. Arthur was no interested in finding out what this someone was, and quickly dove in to find out.

"Didn't know you existed? I don't know how that's possible with eyes like yours." Arthur said, suddenly sparking a light laugh out of Jez.

"Well, there was this cute Spix macaw back in Rio that I used to talk to. I think his name was Marco...He was always chasing after this other bird named Anita. I tried so hard to get his attention, but it seemed like he never really payed attention to me...he just wanted Anita." Jez sighed. Arthur's eyes bugged open when the name 'Marco' was mentioned. For some odd reason, that name sounded incredibly familiar. It was almost as if he knew someone by that name...

"Marco, eh? Well, like you said...I suppose we'll all find that someone at some point..." Arthur muttered, inching himself closer to Jez, trying to get a better sense of romance onto the situation. Jez immeadiatley noticed Arthur inching himself toward her, but the female Spix didn't bother to break his spirits and say she wasn't interested. After all, he'd accept being friends...at least, she hoped.

As Arthur slowly inched his way closer, he noticed Franko leaning on a nearby radio antenna of the bus with a smile donned on. The blue jay winked lightly, his sly look almost making Arthur chuckle. Before he could utter anything, however, a loud shouting suddenly caught everyone's attention. Both Arthur and Jez spun around and immeadiatley spotted Blu and Jewel, who strangely enough were screaming at each other like a failing couple.

"I don't want to hear another peep from you until we get home, Mr. Sensitive!" Jewel shouted out at Blu as she suddenly grabbed his injured wing and pulled on it to the point where Blu's eyes were practially popping out of his sockets.

"Hey! Don't you do that to my brother!" Jez said as she quickly got up with a defensive yell, specifically directed at Jewel. Arthur quickly thought of something to do, and then grabbed Jez before she could storm towards Jewel.

"Look, I'll handle it...I know Blu too...Just sit here and I'll handle it..." Arthur said lightly with a knowing smile, to which Jez backed off in defeat.

"Who are you? Dr. Jenkins, aviary therapist?" Jez asked with a smile, to which Arthur started to laugh in response, but then he realized it was meant to make fun of him as his eyes popped open in surprise.

"Hey, now be careful with that. My father was a respected bird who helped every bird that had a problem..." Arthur said in defense, to which Jez giggled at his arguing.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Just go ahead and talk to my brother..." Jez said as she nudged Arthur off in Blu's direction, to which Arthur formed a goo-filled smile. Arthur knew he was at least making an impression, and that's all he could ask after all the years of a lonely nest back in the forest of Rio.

Jez watched with a smile as the quirky Spix macaw walked off towards her brother. Jez then noticed the flapping of Franko come close as the blue jay landed next to her with a confused look on his face.

"He's somethin', ain't he?" Franko asked flatly with a still-confused look plastered on his blue and white face.

"He's just trying to have fun in his life...I don't blame him when there's only four of us left..."

...

Rafael and Nico both glanced at each other in a feeling of uncertainty as they slowly made their way towards Rafael's nest, where they were both sure Bobby was located, taking care of the mon-...kids.

"You sure he's here? I don't hear him or yo kids..." Nico muttered, searching as him and Rafael swooped through the trees and bushes. Before Rafael could respond, the two finally parted a bush apart and spotted Bobby...a stretched-apart Bobby who was being pulled by Rafael's screaming kids at his legs and wings.

"Yep, I'm sure he's here..." Rafael said with a sarcastic tone combined with a smile. Nico chuckled at this statement and then flew over to Bobby, who was desperatley trying to prey the toucans off of him.

"Hey Bob-O! So, havin' fun?" Nico said with a laugh.

"Ha ha...Now help me man! These kids are turning me into a rubber bird!" Bobby yelped as Nico quickly pulled Bobby until the grip of the kids broke off and sent Bobby crashing into Nico.

"Ow..." Nico muttered from under Bobby.

"Hey Bobby! Enjoying my kids?" Rafael joked as he was quickly surrounded by his kids. Bobby rubbed his head and groaned in response.

"Well, they're a handful. I'll give ya that...full of energy too." Bobby said with a smile as he watched the small toucans crawl all over their proud dad.

"That's not even the worst part...but that's not the point. Bobby, have you ever heard of a place called Caesar's?" Rafael asked.

"...Vito's going to Italy?" Bobby suggested, to which Nico snickered audibly.

"No, I mean a hotel. A hotel called Caesar's?" Rafael corrected, to which Bobby immeadiatley lightened his expression.

"Oh...of course I have! Caesar's Palace! In Las Vegas! Arthur was talkin' about going there a few years ago. I even remember the first time he told me and Wally, and then Wally asked if the real Caesar lived there...then we saw some movie with the hotel in it and we decided against it..." Bobby said happily. Rafael and Nico both rejoiced with corresponding smiles, and then prepared to take off once again.

"Thanks Bobby! We know where we can find Carlos and that loco crow now..." Rafael said with a smile as he quickly took off with Nico, to which Bobby smiled to himself knowing he'd contributed, when he suddenly realized he was still taking care of the kids.

"Fiona! Sophia! Don't be messing around with those sharp sticks! That's a good way to get a splinter!"

...

On the bus ride to Las Vegas, while Franko was talking to Arthur and Jez, Blu and Jewel were on one side, while Robyn and Pedro were on another side.

The young Macaw by the name of Blu looked at his injured wing, and he began to remember when it was first injured, back when Nigel had kidnapped them for a group of Mexican smugglers back in the Amazon.

With a deep sigh, he looked at Jewel, and said, "I hate not being able to fly..."

"Don't we all?" said Jewel, wrapping a wing around her mate. "Oh, Blu... it hurts me so much to see you like this."

"I know, Jewel, I know," replied Blu. "Is this how my life is going to be now? Kidnapped by the "sca and wind up going to some far-off place? If I wanted to travel, I wouldn't have done it like this."

The beautiful bird smiled, and said, "Hey, you know what, Blu? Maybe, when we have some alone time... we could, er, resume our honeymoon."

"Resume it?" said Blu. "Huh... that sounds pretty good to me."

"That's the plan," smiled Jewel, who scooted closer to Blu, and began to give him a comforting kiss... but then, the passionate female accidentally grabbed Blu's injured wing, making him yelp in pain.

As Jewel went back a few feet, Blu groaned, and said, "Jewel, do you mind if you not kiss me like that until my wing heals?"

"What?" said Jewel. "Blu, I barely even pinched your wing... just relax."

She went closer to her mate, but Blu pushed her away. "No, no, no, no... you 'grabbed' my wing during your whole makeout session."

"Makeout session?" growled Jewel. "Is that what you think it was? I was just trying to relax you!"

"Relax?" Blu looked at her like she was crazy. "Jewel, ever since I saved your life, almost 50% of your kisses have been makeout sessions... with 30% being us...woohoo, and the other 20% has been whatever."

Jewel frowned, and said, "You can't make life based on percents, Blu... and I can't believe that you think almost half a decade has been full of just love and woohoo..." Blu raised an eyebrow, and said, "What happened almost half-a-decade ago?"

Jewel frowned at her mate, and Blu said, "Oh, yeah, we mated... well, jeez, Jewel, don't be so sensitive, I just don't want you putting me in more pain."

"Sensitive?" Jewel's eyes began to fill up with anger. "You're one to talk, Tyler Blu Gunderson..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jewel crossed her wings, and said, "Don't play dumb with me, cage boy... at least I don't freak out because a spider is on my back!"

"I thought you said it was just a leaf!" cried Blu in surprise.

"Well, I lied, okay?" cried Jewel. "There was a spider on your back."

Blu's mouth dropped, but then, he shook his head, and said, "Nope... no, no, no, no... look, Jewel, I am not going to get angry at you while I'm in this condition. So, please, just fly away for a while, and let my wing heal... until then, your hormones can wait."

"Oh, really?" said Jewel. "Well, here, let me help you with that..."

For some reason, she grabbed Blu's injured wing with her left foot, making his eyes pop like a bowling ball, and when she let go, she said, "I don't want to hear another peep from you until we get home, Mr. Sensitive!"

As Jewel flew away, Blu laid down on the floor, and as Arthur flew over, he asked, "Hey buddy, are you all right?"

With a groan, Blu said, "Yeah, Arthur... just dealing with women problems."

"Oh..." Arthur nodded his head. "Well, I didn't want to say this in front of her, Blu, but you've been kinda off your game lately."

Blu looked at his friend, and said, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, blue amigo," chuckled Arthur. "Your love life with Jewel has been like a hurricane... exciting at first, then ends in disaster... instead of woohoo, it's been hoowoo...to be clear, you flipped on status of relationship. Get what I'm saying, now?"

Blu covered his eyes with his wing, and said, "You know, Arthur, if I wasn't injured right now, I would throw you off this bus."

"I know, huh?" laughed Arthur. "That's why you're my best boy, Blu... no matter how much I annoy you, you take it like a man!"

"Yeah, well," said Blu. "Do you think that you could let me rest, please?"

"Rest?" The Macaw laughed again. "Blu, we're in Nevada! United States!...A place filled with money, cash, gold, casinoes, hotels, food, girls, drinks... and money! Plus, apparently, if you do shots at the top of a hotel around here, you end up in some crazy situations...some very undesirable... "

Blu looked at his friend, and said, "You said money twice... and both cash and gold count as money!"

"I know, huh?" said Arthur. "Money, money, money... oh, and I think I'm getting somewhere with your sister."

"Don't say that," said Blu with a groan. Arthur looked at him with a confused look.

"What do you want me to say? I haven't woohoo'd with her yet, and I don't even know if she likes me in the good way."

"Well, how am I supposed to know?" said Blu.

"You guys are related!" cried Arthur. "Shouldn't there be, like, a telepathic conversation or something?"

Blu groaned, and he thought, "Why me? Out of all the Macaws left in Rio, it had to be me..."

"...Because you're blue?" Arthur suggested, to which Blu frowned in response.

...

While Blu and Arthur were arguing, Pedro and Robyn were on the other side of the bus, with the hippity-hoppin' cardinal whistling a cute tune.

"Ooh, that sounds nice," smiled Robyn. "What song is that?"

"I don't know," shrugged Pedro. "All I know is that Nico sings it alot when we're travellin' somewhere... aw, I should have whistled it when me and Jewel were on that Mexican thief's ship."

Robyn asked, "Whatever happened to them?"

Pedro shrugged, and said, "Beats me, babe... last I heard, the mean one was serving time in the slammer while the nice one only got locked up for a few days, and now, he's doing community service until Carnivale begins."

"Well, that sounds okay..." said Robyn. "Speaking of Rio de Janeiro... do you know any songs in Portuguese?"

The cardinal asked, "How could I know any songs in that language?"

"Nico does," replied Robyn. "Flora told me that he sang her the English and Portuguese version of a song called Forever Darling."

"Really?" A smile appeared on the bird's face. "Huh... that's the only thing I didn't know about him."

Robyn smirked, and said, "Well.. isn't there any romantic thing you could do for me?"

Pedro then noticed that his wife was getting a little closer than usual, and he began to feel awkward. "Er... isn't being your husband enough, babe?"

Then, Robyn began to get angry. "No, that's enough! What, you think love is something to toss away?"

"Yeah!" cried Pedro. "I mean, no... I don't know! What do you want?"

"JUST SHUT UP!" cried Robyn, and she flew away to join Jewel, while Pedro turned to look at Blu, who had just finished teaching Arthur a lesson.

"Man, both of you guys are having off days..." Arthur remarked with a pondering look on his face.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Blu. "That's the second time you two fought... only now, thank goodness, she didn't hurt my wing."

"I dunno, man," shrugged Pedro. "Ever since the wedding, she's been eating a lot of the food that I get us for lunch, breakfast, and dinner... her body's getting a little, er, fluffy... and she's been acting like a cuckoo bird... like, one second, she's the babe I fell for in the Amazon, but then, she turns into that guy who talks a lot, and sounds like that skinny kid from that Super something movie."

"Michael Cera?" asked Franko, who suddenly came over to join the conversation. "Or are you talking 'bout Jesse Eisenberg?"

Pedro shook his head. "No, that's the guy who sounds like Blu..."

Blu rolled his eyes, and said, "I already told you, Franklin, I don't sound like any of those guys."

"Yeah!" said Pedro. "If anyone, he sounds like that guy who played Venom in that third Spidey movie..."

"Topher Grace?" said Franko. "Nah, bird... if Blu sounds like him, then you sound like that tech-voice-guy who sings with that group, and if you sound like will i am, then..."

"...you sound like Chris Rock!" Arthur finished with a smile towards Franko.

"And you sound like that dude from 'Chicago'!" Franko exclaimed back to the reporter-bird.

Blu slapped his forehead, and grumbled, "Franko, just get me to where we're going already! I just want to get back to Rio, find my kids, and have a NORMAL day of my life!"

"Détendez-vous, my blue buddy! After all, we're already close by." Franko answered with a smile as he pointed with a flourish to a small sign up ahead. In fact, Blu already noticed the strange appearance of palm trees appearing alongside the road.

"Did we suddenly head to South Beach?" Arthur asked with a confused expression, to which Franko chuckled and then laid back on a large radio antenna on the roof of the bus they were on.

"Man, you guys don't catch on, do ya?" Franko asked with a smile.

"What's there to catch, blue bird?" Pedro asked with an annoyed tone.

"Easy. Where else would ya go if you're in Nevada?" Franko answered, to which Arthur immeadiatley gave an answer to.

"Reno?"

Franko scowled at this suggestion, and then chuckled a bit.

"One day you'll understand why I can never go back to Reno...it involves cake, seltzer and some other stuff...but enough about me." Franko said with a smile.

"Alright...Just tell us where we're going, because quite frankly I'm starting to think you don't know where we're going!" Blu said with a somewhat-annoyed tone.

"Just relax! We're in paradise now, buddies! Specifically, Las Vegas!" Franko exclaimed, motioning his wings towards a quickly passing-by sign, which happened to be a huge white and yellow sign that read the iconinic 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada' on it.

"Aww yeah! I've wanted to go to Vegas all my life!" Pedro exclaimed with a grin. However, Jewel walked over with an annoyed expression her face and then stopped beside Blu, who glanced at his love hawk with a slightly-nervous face, seeing as she'd been yelling at him only a few minutes earlier.

"What's going on, now?" Jewel asked with a sigh.

"Apparently we're in Las Vegas." Blu answered with a puzzled expression.

"C'mon Blu! You need to get excited! This is Las Vegas! Sin City! Bright-Light City!" Franko yelled with excitement in his voice.

"I'm excited!" Pedro exclaimed loudly, to which Robyn, who had just flown over, frowned at her now-rialed up mate.

"Then let's sing! I got that feeling now!" Franko yelled, to which he then flung himself toward the radio antenna of the bus and then with one wing propelled himself into a swing back around and then landed on top of Pedro and began to sing...surprisingly well.

Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire!

There's a whole lot of money that's ready to burn, so get those stakes up higher!

"Why is it that everyone sings now?" Jewel asked with an annoyed tone.

"I don't know, but this is actually kind of catchy." Blu stated with a smile as Franko spun to the edge of the front of the bus and then backflipped off the front of the bus. Before anyone could even wonder where he went, the blue jay rose back up, courtesy of a random group of cardinals and such that appeared from below him.

There's a thousand pretty birdies just a-waitin out there, and they're all livin' devil-may-care.

I'm just a devil with a lot of love to spare.

Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!

"So, do ya catch my drift now buddy?" Franko said as he flew back towards Blu and perched on top of his head.

"Yeah, but we really can't have a tour when we need to get back-" Blu was about to finish before Franko began making fun of the Spix macaw by making his claw imitated Blu's talking.

"C'mon man! You only got 24 hours a day to enjoy this place! Just relax and have an awesome time, that's my motto around here!" Franko said with a wide grin as he flung himself back to the front of the bus as if it was a main stage and then spun dramatically, somehow timing correctly as every light on the Strip on the hotels nearby blasted on, creating enough dramatic effect to make even Pedro admire it.

And How I Wish That There Were More Than twenty-four hours in the day!

But even if there were forty more, I wouldn't sleep a minute away.

Franko quickly stopped himself from his dancing, to which 2 small cardinals landed on both his sides of him, and then grabbed him by his wings and spun him around like a vortex.

Oh, there's blackjack and poker and a roulette wheel. A fortune won and lost on every deal. All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel.

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!

"So, you catchin' my drift a bit? You guys have gotta live yo lives a bit here. This is the most fun place on Earth!" Franko exclaimed as he walked towards the birds still in a daze because of the spinning.

"Yes...but can we please get back to Rio?" Blu said with a forced smile, trying to act nice over his impatience. Franko scowled at this repetition of Blu and Jewel's past statements and then snapped his claw, to which a group of birds crowded around the blue jay, all with energetic expressions and voices.

"Alright everyone! My new buds in town are trying to get back to Rio, so let's get this party bus going towards Rio!" Franko exclaimed, to which everyone cheered and immeadiatley swooped down to where the driver's cab of the bus would be located.

"...What are they going to do to the driver?" Jewel asked suspiciously, knowing this likely would lead to something bad. Franko whipped his wing nonchalantly in a 'No Problem' fashion just before the bus suddenly drove a few inches off course as if ready to run off the road, but then regained it's original course. Franko smiled sheepishly at Jewel, who now had an angry expression on her face.

"C'mon! How about some more singin'?" Franko exclaimed as he then swooped back to the antenna and then perched himself on top with a huge group of his supposed friends then lifted him into the air above it, almost looking like a circus act of sorts. It almost looked choreographed, Blu thought to himself.

Viva las vegas with your neon flashin'!

And your one-armed bandits crashin'

All those hopes down the drain.

Viva las vegas turnin' day into nighttime, turnin' the night into daytime,

and if you see it once, you'll never come home again!

Right after Franko jumped back down from his groupies, Pedro immeadiatley flocked over to the blue jay with an absolutely hyped expression on.

"Yo man, where'd you learn to sing like that?" Pedro asked, to which Franko, instead of answering him immeadiatley, whipped him around like the two were dancing, flipped the cardinal above him and then caught Pedro with a flourish.

"You learn to dance too?" Pedro asked, ignoring the strange soreness now occuring inside of him.

"I learn everything from everywhere in this city! You can't live in this place without knowing how dance your feathers off!" Franko exclaimed as he swung Pedro around until he finally let go, and the rapping cardinal slammed into Wally, who chuckled after getting knocked to the floor.

"Remind me to destroy everything related to a musical when we get back to Rio..." Jewel groaned to Robyn.

"Want to add that to the list of things to do along with paying Rafael back?" Robyn asked with a smile.

"Make it so." Jewel answered with a straight expression as Franko continued to sing.

I'm gonna keep on the run, I'm gonna have me some fun, If it costs me my very last dime.

If I wind up broke, Then I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time.

I'm gonna give it everything i've got,

Lady luck please let the dice stay hot!

Let me shoot a seven with every shot...

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!

Viva, viva...

"Can we PLEASE just get to Rio already?" Blu finally shouted, to which Franko stopped his finale and then scowled.

"Alright, alright...Here we go, ladies and gentlemen...Rio!" Franko exclaimed, backing out of the way to reveal a huge, lit-up sign that read in a spectacular-looking fashion 'RIO'. Blu simply stared in disbelief at the mix-up, while Jewel could only hold the same expression she had right as Blu sang "Say You, Say Me".

"Well...this sure is a mix-up..." Arthur said softly with a nervous expression, noticing the expression on Jewel's face starting to mold into a infuriated look.

"I'm going to kill him..." Jewel stated flatly and ominously.

"No you ain't!" Pedro assured, to which Jewel took a step toward a now-confused Franko.

"Yes I am..." Jewel responded, her voice now starting to steam into fury.

"Jewel..." Blu started, but he couldn't even speak another word, as Jewel quickly charged forward and tackled the singing blue jay, who yelped in terror as the female Spix macaw attacked him.

"Ahh! Jewel, don't kill the guy helping us!" Blu yelped as he ran toward Jewel to get her off Franko, who was still screaming loudly.

"Don't let 'er get my face! That's the best part of me!"

Meanwhile, Jez, Arthur, Pedro, Wally and Robyn watched on the sidelines, all with tired and confused expressions.

"Guh...this has to happen only to us, doesn't it?" Robyn asked.

"Looks like it...Let's stop Jewel before she tears Franko apart..." Arthur suggested as he slowly walked forward to help Blu with his crazed mate.

"Boys will be boys, huh?" Jez asked, to which Robyn snickered in response.

"You don't know the half of it, sister..."

...

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed the story so far! You may likely see chapters get uploaded MORE often than the summer, in fact. Project NICK becomes extremely open during this time...at least from what he tells me, and with how I use my computer time wisely on those awful Junior year school nights, you'll likely see these chapters come in at a MUCH faster pace.

So, until next chapter,

READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW