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While the rest of the Maverick Hotel's guest population either peered out their windows or wisely kept them completely shut, everyone with a radio set immediately started asking questions.

" What happened?"

" Were those gunshots?"

" I think they were, Abigail."

" One of the bellboys said he saw it all happen."

" For fuck's sake," Johanna spoke up, " can someone tell me what's going on?"

" Johanna, this is Lucius. I can see it. I can see it from the outside cameras in here. Oscar's got it up. Some...oh God, some people were picketing across the street..."

" Picketing? Did you see what they were holding?"

"How many were there?" Mr. Lange jutted into the conversation. At some point during their stay, Mr. and Mrs. Lange were given a radio set to communicate with Johanna or anyone else in the Defiant cell. "We just saw it from our room, but we're not opening the blinds."

" A couple signs about the tithingmen and a few mentioned ending the Canadian occupation." Lucius replied after a solemn moment. " They were picketing from down the block and planning to make their way to Rosemont's town hall..."

" And the Archangel just fucking shot them?!" Olivia hissed in anger.

" That's right, Liv." Oscar answered back.

" Nobody's going to call this a riot, are they?" Jordan asked everyone.

" No, they're not." Olivia sighed heavily. " They can't actually. It's state-sanctioned murder. Right in front of several hotels too!"

" Johanna," Oscar continued speaking over them, " it appears the bodies are being placed in a truck now. Do you want me to send you the screenshots?"

" Of course." Johanna sighed with the pain clear in her voice. " Until I say otherwise, I want everyone else to keep off the comms. Stay away from the lobby and the lower floors. For all we know, the Archangel involved in this...atrocity, is still skulking around the building to find stragglers. I repeat, this is a direct order; the lobby and lower floors are off-limits!"

Everyone either said 'yes, ma'am', 'of course', or 'sure thing' to Johanna. One voice I noticed absent had been Lowell. For a moment, I assumed he disagreed with the decision and planned to make a beeline for the doe's room, or he'd been too distracted by something else.

Suddenly, a long round of knocking startled us, with Kevin Lange guarding Mary from the door. We all released our hitched breaths. Dad became the first to step forward, but I was closer. I peeked through the peephole to see a certain wolf fur, panting and leaning against the frame.

"Lowell?" Unlocking the door, he suddenly rushed forward and kicked it closed with a foot, then pulled me into the tightest of hugs. I accepted it back and laughed. "I'm okay, I'm okay, Low."

"Did ya see what happened?" He pulled away to offer a relieved smile. "I heard the gunshots outside but didn't know what was going on 'til the radios went nuts."

"Same here," I glanced over to the closed window blinds. "We were just talking and suddenly heard it happen. I uh, I looked out and saw..."

"Yep, they sure did." Lowell spoke in a dry, frustrated tone. "Now Johanna's having Oscar and Lucius scour the camera networks for any signs of Archies out there."

"Oh God," Mary hugged herself closely to Kevin. "That Archangel, h-he just shot them..."

"It didn't even look like they were doing anything wrong." Kevin muttered to her and the stagnant air. "It was just a couple of protesters holding up signs."

"I know. Half of this entire hotel saw it." Lowell stated the obvious, then saw the way my parents were observing him. Oh no. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Grimwald. Are you two feeling okay?"

Upon seeing the knowing glint in Dad's eye, I gulped in dread.

"We're doing fine, thank you for asking, Lowell." Mom answered for my father, but then suddenly asked, "You checked up on us at a perfect moment, actually. We were just about to ask our son what you are to him."

Lowell paused for a moment, staring back at my parents.

"Well, see..." He chuckled bashfully, eyes darting between me and my folks like a defendant before the curious jury. "We're really good friends. Adam and I--"

"They know, Low." I told the wolf, who perked an ear and curled his tail against my side.

"They do?" He exhaled. Nodding back at him, I joined his gaze back to my mother and father, now more attentively watching us. "Well, shit. This is a little awkward."

"Language, dear." Mom chastised him.

"They found out right before those shots rang out," I mentioned to Lowell.

The wolf's ears lowered.

"Do they know that uh--"

Rather than dealing with another can of worms, I interrupted him to say, "You love me? Yes. They do. They know you and I are together."

The subtle warning to Lowell got received in time, and he zipped his muzzle shut, further shrinking into himself when my father crossed his arms in an unreadable posture.

"Is-Is this really the best time to talk about this?" I tried reminding everybody. "We--"

"There's not much we can do now, and this is important." Dad stated, then clarified, "As long as we're confined here for the moment and the topic is brought up, then Lowell, I want to ask you some questions about your...relationship to my only son here."

My canine boyfriend cleared his throat, still facing the older tabbies across the bedroom.

"...okay?" He asked, rather than confirmed. "Go ahead then. What do ya wanna know?"

Any other reality where my parents didn't know of my sexuality would've resulted in me having a complete breakdown in front of them, begging Dad not to have me sent away to a conversion clinic. I genuinely even feared they would murder me in cold blood but confess to a judge how I'd been a proven homosexual. Infamously, a random couple in Minnesota and another family in rural Missouri did the exact same thing to their teenaged cubs when it became clear treatment wouldn't work, and they all only received community service.

However, knowing that they loved me, didn't consider me a sinner in the wake of almost losing me forever, my tail behind me curled at the thought of only three things. One, how would they feel about their homosexual rebel son dating another homosexual rebel? Two, would they approve? Lastly though, would they become immediately suspicious of Lowell not wanting to talk in detail about his past?

"You're a homosexual like Adam, correct?" Dad asked, to which me, Lowell and Mom stared at him completely dumbfounded by the obviousness. "Since you are, then why do you want to date my son?"

"Well, I do it because I care about him." Lowell answered carefully.

"You care about him?" Dad cocked an eyebrow and an ear.

"Yes, I do." Lowell nodded, smiling brightly. "I care about him. I've been caring about him since we first met."

"And how did you meet exactly?" Mom asked before anybody else did.

"Simple." He shrugged while wearing a chip on his shoulder. "Me and Liv, that female otter you met this morning at the wake--uh," a couple pairs of ears fell at the mentioning of Donald, including Lowell, who stopped speaking midway for a moment, "A-Anyway, me and Liv, we were the ones who got Adam out of that damn clinic."

That seemed to catch my parents' attention. Flickers of a smile grew on Mom, yet Dad remained stoic. "How...What did you do to help after bailing him out?"

"Mostly just be there for him." Lowell recounted and started giving me a nostalgic grin. I returned it in kind. "The clinic bastards put him under when he couldn't follow their 'reprograming', so by the time me and Liv broke in to rescue some seddies, he could barely stay awake, let alone walk. Then, I spent a couple of months with him and Jordan--Dr. McCann, who helped nurse him back until he didn't even need a cane to walk anymore. If anything, you should thank Jordan more than me."

"Nonsense!" Mom shook her head, beaming at him. "Thank you for getting us to our son and thank you for getting him out of that awful, cruel place. We tried calling to set up an appointment, but they continued putting us on hold."

"Visiting didn't do you any good either?" He asked, and Mom nodded sadly. Dad reflected the same sentiment despite trying to give a neutral expression. "No problem. You don't need to thank me. As a Defiant, it's my duty to fight injustice. Snagging Adam was icing on the cake."

It seemed as if Dad and especially my mother didn't appreciate the usage of 'snagging' in that sentence. Frankly, it made me want to facepalm myself for Lowell to see. Either he hid it well, or the unfiltered wolf didn't care how it made him sound.

"Back on topic," my father steered the conversation to its original source, "what is your relationship with Adam, Mr...Is Lowell your first or last name?"

"He's my boyfriend, and I'm his." Lowell avoided the last question without either of them knowing it. "I love him, Mr. Grimwald. He's funny, he's handsome, he's kind, smart, and far too forgiving for his own good." He attempted a laugh, only to fall flat amid more scrutinizing from my dad.

Is he enjoying this? I wondered. Who am I kidding? This is Dad. I bet he's always wanted to do this kind of stupid dating interrogation.

I didn't think too long as Lowell unabashedly stated next, "If you're thinking I'm dating Adam just so we can have sex or I can 'corrupt' him or whatever, you're wrong."

I was too astonished to notice my parents' or even the Langes watching the ordeal. Certainly though, I bet Kevin wished he'd ordered some popcorn for the free entertainment.

"I'm not saying that you're corrupting my son or using him for sex," Dad said, "but I am concerned how crass and vulgar you are."

"When you're resisting for as long as I've been, ya learn pretty fuckin' quick that manners don't do shit in stopping tyrants." Lowell mentioned with a wry smirk. "I can be polite. I can be classy and act like a gentlemen, but I think you'd appreciate it more if I'm honest."

"Honest, eh?" Dad inquired as he began scratching one of his whiskers. When finished, he curiously asked, "What do you think of me and Elizabeth then?"

A side of me dreaded knowing the answer, yet I listened carefully. I hoped Lowell wouldn't botch it by displaying too much of his cocky, foul-mouthed 'honesty'.

"Before or after we found out you didn't make the call on him?"

"Low!" I gasped in abject dismay. "Dad, I don't think he meant--"

"After, for the most part." My father clarified to the momentarily confused wolf. "I'm fairly certain you and my boy thought the worst when those Archangels took him. I wouldn't blame either of you for hating me or your mother, Adam."

Mom sat beside him staring off into space, likely remembering that fateful day. Her sobs were loud enough to overwhelm the Archangel's prayers when they escorted me out to their car, and I remembered at some point how Dad needed to hold her back on the front porch. My forced separation from them broke her heart back then. Yet despite being back in my change life, I could tell she still needed recovering, emotionally. Honestly? Dad likely needed it too.

"After?" Lowell thought it over quickly. "I can see where Adam gets his smarts, and where Adam gets that fire in his belly. You two clearly love him as your son."

"If you're trying to flatter us, you're going to need to do better than that." Dad told him, then sighed. Flashes of discomfort could be seen in the dim glow of a nearby lamp. "Tell me then, have you two...ugh, h-have you and my son, well...y'know..."

"We have." I said it before my boyfriend could have the chance to finish my father's sentence with the word 'sex', or God forbid 'fucked'. Stepping next to Lowell, I snaked my arm around his waist and grasped our left paws together. "We have, Dad. We've...done it."

Uncomfortable silence plagued the hotel suite. Kevin and my father likely frowned at the mental images coming to mind, while Mary tried distracting herself with a room-accompanying TV guide for the week. Mom meanwhile covered her eyes. I did the exact same thing when I finally realized what Dad's next grueling question would be.

That certainly made me and Lowell stammer for a moment. Mostly in disbelief.

"Lowell, I want you to be honest with me here." He next asked, "When was the last time you had yourself tested?"

"Dad!" I groaned alongside Lowell, whose pained, horrified expression matched mine.

"What?" My father stared at us both, unaware of just how much I was starting to silently compare our conversation to torture. "As a doctor and a parent, I have a right to be concerned if your uh, sexual partner...has anything that could be transmissible."

"Of course, I don't have any!" Lowell held back a snarl in his voice. "You think us fuckin' homos are all disease-ridden or something?"

"I never insinuated it." Dad replied defensively. "And can you please watch your language? It's rude."

"Well pardon me," Lowell scoffed and held up a paw, "but I think asking somebody outta nowhere if he knowingly infected your son with AIDS or some shit--that's the rude thing to do."

Dad thought it over, then nodded. "Fair point there. I'm sorry then for being blunt."

"Don't worry about it." Lowell grinned. "I appreciate furs who're blunt."

The questions went further on and on, becoming more menial. After several minutes of Dad and even Mom curiously asking about his years amongst the Defiant, one question surprised us along the way.

"Do you treat him well?"

I blinked once, then twice. So did my mother, who appeared relieved like I did. For a moment, we all thought he would ask if I liked it, then insinuate which of us was the 'girl'. Thank the Lord, he did not think to ask that for another few months.

"Yes, I do." Lowell nodded firmly. "We've had our disagreements, our debates, but ya better believe me Mr. Grimwald when I say I love Adam."

"I love him too." My ears tickled his chin as I leaned against his side. "Mom, Dad, I know you care about me, gay or not gay. But Lowell really does care about me. He's a really great guy, a great comrade, and a great boyfriend. So..."

"Do I approve?" Dad cocked an eyebrow at us. I dreaded his words, but based on how calm and relax Mom seemed, having abandoned the TV guide, I didn't feel surprised once my father told us, "I'm not gonna lie here, Lowell. You're still crass, you're still vulgar, and you definitely have much to be desired for a parent, but then again...you are better than--"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A blaring noise suddenly erupted from the radio set in the corner of the room. All of us glared at it for the quickened blood pressure.

"What's going on?" Kevin examined it. "Did it break or something?"

"Didn't seem like it needed batteries, dear." Mary talked. "What do you think?"

"Nah, that's a beeper!" Lowell said, "It means it's important!"

" Attention all members of the Defiant Chicago cell, this is Johanna speaking." The radio set buzzed to life, interrupting our discussion. "I have received word from the other cell leaders. The D.C. cell has gone dark. Pack one bag for each fur, this is a Code Churchill."

Everybody except for Lowell remained silent, and a little confused. Lowell, however, huffed back in a breath and stared wide-eyed at the radio set, the color in his face draining beneath the thick pelt of fur.

" When I give the signal, make your way to the first-floor kitchen. I repeat, I'm declaring Code Churchill! Grab few fucking belongings! This is not a goddamn drill!"

Then, the designation slammed into me. It caused my knees to wobble and the same amount of blood to rush from my cheeks and face. 'Code Churchill' meant only one thing.

"You heard her! We need to fuckin' go." Lowell finally spoke up, "Kevin, Mary, you need to help Adam's parent's pack everything! Go as fast as you can!"

"Woah, woah, what's going on?" Dad held a hand up, still confused on the situation. "I don't get it, what does 'Churchill' mean? Are we under lockdown?"

"It means the Maverick's--no Maverick--not safe anymore!" Lowell explained hastily, "The Archies are coming! They're on their way here!"