In all of his years of living, never once did Danger Mouse think that snapshots, of all things, would be what brought him and his family together. Yet somehow, they had. The proof was sitting right there in his lap. It was a scrapbook, compiling the years of history he and his family had made together. Somehow, against all odds and expectations, snapshots and photographs had managed to play a huge role in the mouse's life after all. And the stories that they told were just as unbelievable and miraculous as the connection between mouse and photograph itself! Who'd have thought? But then again, life did have a habit of creating the best and most unexpected of plot twists…

The very first snapshot in the scrapbook was the fateful and iconic photograph that started it all: the one that looked like Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck kissing. Even though they now knew it was not a kiss, but rather, a "passing the key through the mouth" trick, it was still the snapshot that started it all. After that particular adventure was over, the mouse and hen began to explore the implications of that picture, and it led them down a path neither of them ever could have foreseen, even with the Futuroid camera… It was snapshots that had started the story, it would be snapshots that carried it through to the end…

The dynamic duo began to hang out more often and the arguments that used to be so full of bitterness, envy and resentment became gentle, playful bouts of bickering. They liked to call those types of arguments the "Heads and Tails" arguments because, more often than not, regardless of what it was that sparked the argument to begin, it always devolved into simple, playful, slightly meanspirited jokes about Danger Mouse's empty head and Professor Squawkencluck's rather large tail respectively.

And that was actually the next set of snapshots in the scrapbook. In all their years together, whether to be used as "proof" or simply taken for posterity, there were a handful of photos of Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck each in awkward, embarrassing situations. There was a photo of Danger Mouse furless, after he had arrogantly drunk a tonic Professor Squawkencluck was not finished with (which resulted in all his fur immediately falling out, much to his embarrassment and Professor Squawkencluck's annoyance). Then there was a photo of him running around London half naked after his suit tore because he hit the wrong button inside the Danger Car (long story). Then there were various photos of him standing around various types of broken equipment (machinery, glassware, weaponry, furniture, etc.) which were testaments to every single time he'd messed up Professor Squawkencluck's lab, or anything else in the Danger Agency. Professor Squawkencluck had taken every single photo, wishing to tease, embarrass and reprimand Danger Mouse for all of his stupid mistakes.

"They really ought to call you 'Doltish' Mouse, oughten they?" she had asked him, many, many times before.

But it was not totally one-sided. Instead, Professor Squawkencluck had her own fair share of embarrassing photos too. Danger Mouse never missed a chance to take a picture every time Professor Squawkencluck broke something because her overly-large tailfeathers had knocked into it. And there were also several photos and notes of times when Professor Squawkencluck had nearly botched a secret mission because her behind was too large to allow for her to sneak around easily, or to fit into tight spaces without needing a lot of help getting back out. Perhaps the worst incident of this was when the team had been trying to infiltrate one of Greenback's new secret lairs, but the door was so small that Professor Squawkencluck had gotten stuck in it and the entire rest of the mission was devoted to squeezing her back out. And then one that still never failed to make Danger Mouse howl with laughter was a photo of a very squashed remote. Three guesses on how that happened.

But then the photos turned into something nicer. The next snapshots followed the story of how the mouse and hen fell in love. There were several pictures of them doing mundane stuff together (like eating, watching TV, playing games, going for walks, etc.) but what really made this so important was that it was the first time that they really began to hang out outside of work. And not only that, but although the pictures had started out platonically, they did not end that way. Instead, about halfway through, they segued into more romantic photos, with kisses on cheeks and activities that were far more romantically coded than before. For example, if Professor Squawkencluck and Danger Mouse used to eat out together before, the newer photos showed them at fancy restaurants rather than just at Big Mike's Pie Stand.

Danger Mouse smiled as he looked at that particular photo, the one of him and her on their first date together. It had been his idea, but it had taken him quite a long time to spit the idea out. First, he had to get over the jitters of trying to ask his crush out. Then he needed to actually come up with an idea for the date. Then he needed to figure out a good time to ask. Then he needed to actually go ask. Suffice to say, it took him nearly a month in total to ask Professor Squawkencluck out for the very first time, and then once he finally plucked up the courage to ask, he'd stumbled and tripped over his words so badly that it took him nearly five minutes just to force out a lighthearted greeting.

But fast forward a few more years and all that shyness went away. The next time Danger Mouse needed to ask Professor Squawkencluck an important question, the delivery was perfect and it was Professor Squawkencluck's turn to turn into a squawking mess.

"Professor Squawkencluck, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" he had asked, and then it took Professor Squawkencluck nearly 10 minutes just to stop crying. But with a question like that, she hadn't needed to respond with words. Instead, her sharp, beaky kisses had answered the question just fine, and even though Danger Mouse's lips were a bit sore after it was all over, they remained in a permanent smile all the way up until their wedding. That was the next set of pictures, after all the snapshots of Professor Squawkencluck crying and showing off her new ring.

The pair chose to get married in the Danger Agency itself. Perhaps to some, getting married at work would be horrid, but because that place just meant so much to the bride and groom in question, they considered it a delight to be wed at the place where they had met and shared so many good memories. Penfold, Colonel K, the other Danger Agents and both the bride and groom's family were in attendance. The agency had never been so full before. There were pages and pages of snapshots from that event.

There was Danger Mouse in his suit, and his best man and ring-bearer, Penfold, in a matching one. There was Colonel K in his own old wedding tux. It hadn't fit him very well, but no one said a word about it. Then of course, there was Professor Squawkencluck in her gown. And there was an array of snapshots of the agency itself, having gone all-out with the décor. Even Professor Squawkencluck's lab had been filled with rose petals and streamers! Not a single room in the entire agency was left undecorated, even the bathrooms! (Big Mike provided the wedding cake).

"Do you, Danger Mouse, take Professor Squawkencluck to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the Narrator asked, officiating the wedding.

"I do," Danger Mouse replied, one eye shining. Even his eyepatch had been gussied up, decorated to match his suit and tie.

"And do you, Professor Squawkencluck-" but the Narrator didn't even get to finish.

"I DO!" she cried, then she kissed Danger Mouse without another word, and he kissed back just as hard as the entire room filled with applause.

"You crazy kids!" the Narrator sighed, but everyone could hear it in his voice that he was equally happy that his closest coworkers had found such joy. Sure, he liked to complain about the hen and mouse all the time, but even he would not deny them their happiness on their own wedding day.

Then the next set of snapshots were of their honeymoon (in Gibraltar, Iberian Peninsula). Most of the photos detailed a story of a mouse and hen sightseeing and relaxing, laughing and playing, spending all their time together and outdoors, but this was a mildly misleading narrative. The newlyweds spent a great many wonderful nights together as well, but of course, pictures like that were not going to be in a scrapbook like this. Instead, all of their happy nights together were going to be left in memory, rather than photograph.

And a few years after this, the scrapbook started shifting focus over to two new family members: Layla and Wimbert. Although the two had been adopted as children rather than infants, Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck more than made up for lost time. There were snapshots of them on the day they were adopted. There were snapshots of them learning their way around the Agency. There were snapshots of them with all of their Danger relatives (including their parents and Uncle Penfold and Grandpa K).

There were snapshots of Layla learning how to fight with Danger Mouse. Although she was only a cub, her claws were already very sharp and she had a great physicality. She was an excellent fighter, a fast learner and an amazing climber.

"Way to go, Lala!" Danger Mouse praised as she darted around the rafters of the training room, claws wrapped tightly around the wooden beams.

"Thanks Daddy!" she meowed back down at him, whiskers twitching with pride as she continued to zoom around.

"Gaba-ga-goo!" baby Wimbert clapped his little paws, adoration in his wide eyes. He was sitting in the stands that ran around the training room.

There were snapshots of Layla following Professor Squawkencluck dutifully around the lab and acting as her faithful assistant.

"I need you to bring me a little glass vial, ok?" Professor Squawkencluck encouraged her daughter.

"A little glass vial?" Layla echoed, turning around to face the rows and rows of little glass vials that Professor Squawkencluck owned.

"A little glass vial!" Professor Squawkencluck nodded, gently nudging Layla in the right direction.

"Here you go, Mum!" she said a few seconds later, as she returned to her mom with a little glass vial in her paws.

"Thank you, darlin'!" Professor Squawkencluck patted her soft, furry white head with an affectionate wing.

"How adorable!" Danger Mouse sighed, lowering his camera to look tenderly at his eldest child.

"She's far better than you," Professor Squawkencluck agreed with a teasing wink.

"Professor Squawkencluck, shush!" Danger Mouse pouted.

"Isn't that usually what you say to Penfold?" she teased, then she gave him another wink before heading deeper into the back of her lab, Layla still trailing loyally after her, a big smile on her face. Danger Mouse watched them go with a fond sigh and a gentle roll of his one yellow eye.

And then there were snapshots of Layla working with her little brother, teaching him how to walk and talk.

"HIS FIRST STEP!" Layla shrieked as Wimbert toddled to his feet, slowly but steadily. It took a bit, but he finally raised one little paw up, moved it forward, then set it back down again. "HIS FIRST STEP!" while Layla clapped her paws furiously, claws clicking together and tail lashing in pure excitement, Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck also cheered on their youngest.

"Way to go, Wimmy!" Danger Mouse cried, raising his fist triumphantly in the air. "I knew you could do it!"

"Oh! Bravo! Good show, my boy! Good show!" Penfold agreed, clapping just as furiously.

"My wonderful little boy!" Professor Squawkencluck cried, clasping her wings together adoringly. "You're such a fast learner!"

"Isn't he?" Layla agreed as she scuttled over to Wimbert's side. She'd been training him nonstop in the art of walking and now at last, it seemed that her lessons had finally paid off. Wimbert, meanwhile, gave them all a lopsided grin and cooed at them proudly.

And although taking pictures of a child's first word wasn't quite as easy as taking a picture of a child's first step, Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck caught everyone's reaction. Wimbert's first word was his sister's name.

"La… La… Ley… Layla!" he had said, and while Layla burst into happy tears, Professor Squawkencluck looked over the moon and Danger Mouse once again gave his young son a hearty bout of cheering while Penfold got the camera.

And all across the board, for the rest of the scrapbook, there were similar snapshots of the daily lives of the Danger family. There were still plenty of photos of Professor Squawkencluck and Danger Mouse, madly in love (although again, only the daytime portion of their romance could be shown). There were still plenty of photos of them teasing one another over empty heads and overly-large tails. There were still snapshots of them going on adventures and working in the lab together. And there were more snapshots of the kids, growing up and learning.

There were snapshots of them studying and playing. There were snapshots of the four together with Uncle Penfold and Grandpa K, creating some of the sweetest, cutest family photos that anyone in the Agency had ever seen before. There were snapshots of the kids making jam with Uncle Penfold, and listening to Grandpa K's stories of his glorious past as a secret agent. And even moments that were scary or sad managed to become beautiful memories in the end.

At one point in time, Greenback had kidnapped Layla and Wimbert, planning on using them as a ransom against their parents. It didn't work too well. Although Greenback had been right that Professor Squawkencluck and Danger Mouse loved their kids more than anything, he was so wrong in thinking that they would just roll over and submit to his demands. Sure, knowing that their kids were in his slimy hands was terrifying, but neither of them were the type to sit idly by and hide. Instead, they once again got to show the world just what a power couple they were and they did not hesitate to used their combined brain and brawn to launch a daring and epic rescue mission that would go down in the books as one of the most epic battles in the history of the entire Danger Agency!

And Greenback, himself, would remember it as one of his soundest defeats. He made sure to steer clear of the Danger kids after that. Sure, they could be wonderful bargaining chips, but Professor Squawkencluck and Danger Mouse were far too protective and brave to allow their fears to control them. Instead, even when their kids were in danger, they managed to keep level heads, and they channeled their parental protectiveness into something productive, and that was exactly what saved their children that day. There were photos of the happy reunion inside the scrapbook, right alongside the newspaper clipping detailing Greenback's sound defeat and subsequent arrest.

But for all the snapshots of the daily lives of the Danger family, there was still a lot of blank space inside that scrapbook, and it was all blank space that Danger Mouse was so looking forward to filling. In all of his years of living, never once did Danger Mouse think that snapshots, of all things, would be what brought him and his family together. Yet they had. From that first fateful snapshot of the Futuroid camera to the ones from last night's silly game night, snapshots had really been the thing that had brought his family together and chronicled his life story. It was a very unexpected connection, but that was life for you. It was sometimes so unpredictable not even a Futuroid camera could foresee it properly.

And if anything, the unexpected nature of the connection between Danger Mouse and cameras and pictures was even more fitting, because if anyone had told him years ago that he would he a husband to the hen whom he used to consider insufferable, and then a father to two adopted kids, he would've laughed, and yet that's exactly where life had taken him. It took him the most unexpected of directions through the connection to the most unexpected of objects: a camera. But he did not need a Futuroid camera to help him guess what a great life he still had left.

And now, with so much scrapbook still left to fill, Danger Mouse couldn't help but get excited to imagine where life's unexpected twists and turns would take him next. And whether or not he had a Futuroid camera to help him guess, he did not care. All that mattered was that this would be a story he and his family would forge together, and his trusty cameras (Futuroid or other) would be there to help him tell the story. It was snapshots that had started his story, it would be snapshots that carried him through to the end. His cameras would capture his life in a wonderful, beautiful constellation of snapshots until the scrapbook was finally full and the story finally over.

AN: Here you go, Calvin Fuiji, more Squawkenmouse plus kids!