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Chapter VII: Finally

"And the news on everyone's lips is the apparent pairing of Arsenal front man Weapons Master with former Alliance rising star turned member of Arsenal_, Flare Blue."_

"That's right Tom. For those of you that didn't tune in to last night's Zombie Oprah Show, Weapons Master responded to a query about his sexuality with a rather steamy kiss. A kiss planted directly at his teammate, Flare Blue. Now, in the wake of the most recent Gene Stealer attack, Flare Blue has returned the favour by kissing Weapons Master."

Mary shook her head, a bemused smile on her face. "Is it bad that everyone seems to be focusing on the fact that you two are together?"

Caleb, back in civilian clothing, raised his paw with thumb and forefinger just an inch apart. "Just a little bit. But I guess it takes their minds off the fact that we had another Gene Stealer outbreak. They're fairly frequent now..."

"Three in rather rapid succession," agreed Mary. She lay back in her highly sanitised hospital bed in the Elemental Tower hospital; a facility sworn to preserve the identities of all supers - and Outsiders now - who stepped through its doors. Her body was covered in bandages and she needed a rather nasty piece of stich work on her brow. Thanks to modern medicine though, none of the wounds would leave a scar. "I'm not sure if this smacks of desperation or ability."

"Honestly, to me it sounds like typical Gene Stealer stuff." He nodded towards the screen displaying the events of the attack. "Random outbreak, new developments in their powers and some lesser powered mini-villains. Though by now we'd usually have met the Gene Stealer responsible. This guy has been keeping himself hidden. I think he's scared."

The newscasters were going on about the budding relationship between himself and Lars and even speculating about whether or not they'd expect another 'coming out' article in GUYS. Both he and Lars had been tight lipped about their relationship status in the typical post-battle media frenzy which they both left to see to Mary.

"Did our newest friend say anything?" Mary asked.

"You mean Jet?" Caleb shook his head sadly. "All he said was that he was working with his team and then he just spontaneously transformed. He felt the same hunger that the others have mentioned but that was only after he sent a rather deranged email. I didn't get much time with him though. Elliot is interviewing him and analysing his abilities at the Facility. I'll be heading down there after this."

"Madman might have some competition for badass former villain." The injured Mary peered up at the incredibly flat screen that displayed the newscaster's banter and theories on the latest Gene Stealer strain. Hearing the two go on about possible links between the attacks made her wince and set the feed on mute. "So, it sounds like you've got a new weapon?"

"Crude Claw," Caleb responded with a grin. "Yeah. Not exactly sure how effective an oil-creating pair of clawed gauntlets is but if anything, it'll be good for slowing down people and making them slip up. Plus Lars can set things alight with it."

"Looks like you two will be spending more time training together, huh?" Mary waggled her eyebrows at him.

Caleb felt the undeniable urge to turn away in embarrassment but left over adrenaline from the battle ramped up his testosterone levels and triggered the jock in him, making him go all alpha male on her. "You bet," he grunted with a big grin on his muzzle. "I'm gonna sink my paws into that tight bubble butt, tear off his clothes and ride his ass all night. We might have sex afterwards but the training comes first."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Right. Of course. Just so you know, Lars is pretty versatile. He was a bottom with Ben but when he wasn't_overly gay and dated women, he was a stud as a top. At least that's what _he thinks. Don't be surprised if you have to bottom every now and then."

Caleb's composure was broken. "Erm... Bottom?"

Her lips obtained the same twisted, sadistic smile Rhiannon occasionally wore. "You know. Instead of your cock pushed into his ass, it'll be his cock filling yours with his hot, sticky seed." Seeing his startled expression, Mary pushed out her lower lip and inclined her head to the side. "Aw, don't tell me you never considered the possibility that in a perfectly equal relationship between you two that he might want to feel the warmth of your anal cavities around his cock? Have you even given anyone_head? From what I remember, in your brief dalliance with Lance, it was always _you on top."

Caleb covered his ears. "Shut up! Shut up!"

"Come on, Cale," she continued with the haughtiest of smiles, "aren't you the littlest bit curious of what it'd feel like to have a bigger, dominant alpha male like Lars breeding you?"

He folded his ears back and snarled at her. "You're just doing this because you're in a hospital bed and have no one to torment."

Mary's eyes lit up. The sadism left her lips. "Actually..."

A soft cough from behind him heralded Ashton's arrival. The tiger stepped into the private hospital room, a bouquet of lilacs in in one paw and a box of chocolates in the other. Just for the occasion, he had a top hat and as he entered, he pulled it off his head and made a very elegant bow towards Mary.

"I hope I am not intruding," he said in his thickest, British accent. "But I fretted the day that milady was not interred into a hospital ward without a garland of her favourite flowers and a box of chocolates."

Caleb instantly moved in front of the slimmer tiger, placing a paw against Ashton's chest. "Whoa there buddy." He pointed at the bouquet. "Common lilacs?"

"No sir," answered Ashton proudly. "Himalayan." He leaned to the side so he could beam at Mary. "Her favourite."

Slightly irked, Caleb snatched the chocolates from the feline. "Assorted chocolates."

"Of course."

"With all the caramel filled ones taken out."

Ashton reached into his pocket and held out a zip lock bag with several square pieces of chocolate inside. "Got them right here."

"And replaced them with...?"

"Turkish delights. Again, her favourite."

Snorting loudly, Caleb shoved the chocolates back into Ashton's paws and swiped the bag of caramel chocolates from him. "You realise that there's a reason she doesn't like the caramel ones, right?"

Shrugging absently, Ashton said, "It gets stuck in her teeth and you love them. Except the dark chocolate caramel ones. Those disgust you."

Caleb shot Mary a sour look. "You have got to stop sharing the intricacies of our friendship with your boyfriend." Turning back to Ashton, he said, "And you, doesn't it disturb you in the slightest that she's got you forcibly removing certain types of chocolate for me?"

Again, Ashton's reply was a shrug. "Does it disturb you that I'm boning your best friend and her dad? Does it disturb her that at one point, we planned that I seduce you so that you'd be more open and perceptive to Lars' affection for you?"

"Well..."

Ashton sidestepped past Caleb. "Babe, I kissed Lars earlier today. To prove a point, of course, but it was full on. Tongue and everything. I even copped a feel."

"Is he open to a foursome?" Mary asked.

Sensing a recurring pattern, Caleb gave them both a foul stare. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

He got a dismissive wave from the bedridden Mary. "Oh of course not. I'm completely and utterly genuine. If you're in any way made uncomfortable by the fact that we are purposefully planting images of myself, Ashton, Lars and my middle-aged father having sex into your head, you're more than welcome to leave."

Caleb's tail fluffed out in horror. "Arrrgh! I'm never going to get that image out of my head!"

There was a big grin on Ashton's face. He crossed his arms and inclined his head to the side. "Tell me, what is more disturbing in your opinion, Master Hale? The idea of our bodies coiled in the pleasurable ecstasy of coitus or the fact that on some level, you're turned on by it?"

He growled at them both. "I know why you're both doing this, you know."

"You know," began Mary, "perhaps we could invite Lance and his boyfriend to join in as well. Then again, there is a distinct unbalance when it comes to the testosterone levels. Perhaps his mother would prefer to tap in."

Caleb spun around, throwing his paws angrily into the air. "Alright! Alright! I'm going! You could've just asked me to leave!"

He slammed the door shut behind him but not before he heard both of his friends laughing at his expense. A shudder ran down his spine at the terrible images the two had put into his head. It made even the bag of caramel chocolates he had in one paw unable to quell the queasiness he felt churning in his stomach.

"Well..." he said to himself, opening the bag. "Maybe just one..."

He munched on one of the cube-shaped chocolates, enjoying the smooth sweet texture of the milk chocolate mix in with the saltiness of the chewy caramel. He had taken all but two steps when he realised that he had devoured the entire piece and craved another. With a shrug, he took another and another after that. Soon, the thoughts plaguing his mind were gone and somewhere in his subconscious, he knew this had been part of Ashton and Mary's plot all along. He feared what else they could possibly have concocted.

He approached an intersection of the vast Tower Hospital. The halls were packed with people not only from the recent Gene Stealer attacks but from various other supervillain assaults across the Island. It was rare that the hospital would be so crowded as its facilities were equipped with the most up to date medical technologies in the US. Broken bones could be mended within hours and even lost limbs could be regrown or fitted with artificial limbs within a day and then the patient could be moved to another hospital for rehabilitation. Mary's injuries were fairly minor by most standards anyway and she would be out within an hour or two.

But with the onset of the Gene Stealer attacks, he guessed more than a few people were being thoroughly examined for signs of infection and kept for days on end for monitoring. Worse yet, with increasing attacks from other supervillains the Tower Hospital was running out of room for the first time in recent history.

Caleb wondered if what Ben said was true; that there were 'evil' organisations out there that prevented villains from attacking simultaneously thus preventing such overcrowding and that the Gene Stealers were outside such order.

A small crew of doctors shot past him, pushing an empty gurney that was covered in blood. As they swept by, he caught sight of a familiar black and white figure entering a ward across the intersection. Curious, he weaved through the swarms of people and poked his head into Ward E34.

"Gabe?"

The burly panda perked his ears and turned his head. The ward was empty save for two beds with two young men slumbering within. Cards begging their recipients to get well soon littered the two bedside tables standing side by side. Balloons marking a three years' worth of birthdays hung in the air, looking to be recently inflated. There were a few banners hanging at the foot of the bed, naming one of the young human men to be Miguel and the other as Ignacio.

"Caleb," Gabe answered, wiping tears from his eyes. "What... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with a friend," he answered. Realising how incriminating that was considering how he was in a hospital geared towards the victims of supers or super-related incidents, he quickly added, "She was caught in the recent Gene Stealer attacks at the Reacher building."

Gabe showed surprise. "Oh. I'm sorry. Is she okay? Not infected, is she?"

Caleb waved his paw absently. "No. She's fine." He looked past the Panda at the two comatose patients. "Are those...?"

Gabe gently brushed the back of his paw along one of the patient's arms. "My sons. Yes. Migs and Izzy."

Remembering where he was, Caleb asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why are they were in the Tower Hosipital? They weren't hit by Gene Stealers, were they?"

Gabe chuckled softly and shook his head. "No." He gripped Migs' hand. "About three and a half years ago, there was this big attack on the Californian mainland. You may remember it. Giant rock from space fell in the middle of the ocean. It contained a small, fleshy orb with an eye that would consume and adapt all forms of biological matter around it to make itself grow stronger. Called itself the Integrator."

Caleb remembered that attack. The Integrator had come so suddenly that no one had been prepared. It first began consuming marine life and when it was strong enough, emerged at Long Beach where it began consuming people and bigger forms of matter. It became so big that it could tower over the various skyscrapers of California. It took various superhero teams from across the States to take it down mostly because some supers had been consumed in the initial onslaught. Those poor souls had their powers absorbed into the Integrator.

Only the supervillain known as Viral defeated the Integrator as Viral's body had mutated the ability to be in a bizarre state of equilibrium and adaptation. One part of her body was a constantly evolving super-virus that would kill anything it touched while the other part - her conscious part - was constantly retrofitting herself to be immune to that same virus. When she was absorbed into the Integrator, she died but so did her consciousness. The Integrator could not rewire itself the way Viral had and so it withered away rapidly. Thousands of people had died that day. There was a section of Long Beach which was now permanently quarantined off. Though Viral's virus had been eliminated, one could never be too sure.

"Your sons were in that?" Caleb asked.

Gabe shook his head with a chuckle. "No. Thankfully. But they..." The big panda took a deep breath, his muscular chest rising and falling with the weight of sadness. "The Integrator was just heading towards the two bridges connecting our island with the mainland. Everyone knows that if those bridges are taken out, aid from the mainland would be extremely hampered and by then, the Integrator knew that facing off against the entire United States, her people, her military and her supers was a losing battle. It wanted to attack West California Island and grow stronger."

Brushing the long, black hair of Miguel, Gabe let out a deep sigh. "My boys had heard that the Alliance were mobilising to intercept the Integrator and they wanted to see. I told them it was too dangerous. I had been a very different man back then. Very strict, I guess you'd say. That naturally pushed them away and when I said 'no'..." Gabe laughed, the bitter, tearful laugh of regret. "... they did the opposite. They stole my car and made their way to the bridges..."

Caleb frowned. "Didn't the Alliance destroy the bridges?"

Gabe nodded grimly. "Yes... But my boys didn't know that was the plan. They saw the Integrator coming. They saw the Alliance and they rushed to the bridge on foot along with several other stupid thrill seekers."

"Markers?" Caleb asked. "Those nutcases who think it's a good idea to get as close as possible to super battles because it gets their rocks off?"

There was an entire media publication dedicated to people who would effectively play chicken with super battles; getting as close as possible to the epicentre of the battle and either taking a picture, trying to escape the devastation or doing something as ridiculous as having _sex_while the world around them was being devastated. That was why, most of the time, super battles were cordoned off by police. Caleb was just glad he didn't have to deal with that... just yet.

"I don't think my sons are that extreme," Gabe said. "But at the time, the police couldn't scramble their members fast enough and the Integrator was moving too fast. The Alliance had to move and when they destroyed the bridge..."

Caleb glanced down at the two boys lying comatose before him. "They went down with it..."

Gabe gave him a sad nod. "They were pulled from the wreckage but they had fallen into an irreversible coma. Not even the best medicine in the world could repair the damage dealt to their bodies." He gripped Miguel's hand tightly. "I come here every day, hoping... praying that one day, they'd open their eyes." His tears were starting to fill up with tears again and he turned away from Caleb to hide them.

"What about their mother?" Caleb began in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

Thankfully, he got a laugh from that. "She always wanted kids. I knocked her up when I was in my early twenties but when it turned out that her son wasn't a fur, she got cold feet and left me." Gabe's eyes were clear of tears but instead there was some degree of bitter humour in them. "Can you believe that? Slept with a fur, got off the pill and wanted a kid knowing full well that there's a fifty-fifty percent chance that the kid would come out a fur. So when she got a human instead, she dumps the kid on me and runs."

Caleb winced. "Geez..."

"Then, one year later, she comes back, says she's sorry and then sleeps with me again." Gabe slapped his forehead. "I was new to fatherhood and just picking up my chef's licence. I welcomed the help and I thought she had really seen the light! But then, it turns out that she had this screwed up idea that just because Migs came out a human this time, it meant that the next kid would be a fur! That's what she thought fifty-fifty meant!"

"Wolf Christ... I've met some pretty dumb people in my life but that's... That's just..." Caleb shook his head. "I take it she's at _least_visiting, right?"

"Nope," came Gabe dismissive answer. "Last I heard, she's over in Italy with some stallion who keeps pumping her with his seed and she keeps popping out foals. She loves it." He patted the bed slightly. "I say, good for her. I've managed to raise two amazing boys by myself. We've had our rough patches but I can only keep hoping that everything will turn out for the better." Though he was still smiling, his next words came out softer and with the hint of waning hope. "I have to."

Caleb wished there was something he could do for Gabe and his two sons. All he could think of, however, was trying to get more of his team to go to Hero Taco so that Gabe could get more customers and thus more money. Maybe there was an experimental treatment out there that would awaken Miguel and Ignacio. Elliot would know. For the moment, though, he didn't want to just leave Gabe with such a depressing thought. It left a bitter taste in his muzzle to part ways on such a note and not see the guy again for about two weeks.

"Hey, you're still up for Crossover dinner in two weeks, right?" he asked, forcing a bright grin. "I've been telling my mom about your killer tacos and she wants the recipe."

The sad smile on Gabe's muzzle tore at him like a rusty knife. "I'm not so sure about that, Caleb. I think I'll just stay here with my sons."

As Gabe turned to look forlornly at his sons, Caleb said, "I won't accept that."

Gabe turned back to him with surprise. "Sorry?"

"You've spent the last three and a half years working your ass off for your sons," Caleb said, moving further into the room. "You didn't even get the chance to renovate your store and were losing customers and money just trying to keep your sons alive! Hell, you even took in a grouchy art student and a dumb wolf with daddy issues into your store knowing full well you couldn't support them both if things go rough!" Seeing Gabe's growing anger, Caleb quickly lifted his paws as he came to stand beside Miguel's bed. "I'm not saying pull the plug. I'm just saying that you should at least spend one night to yourself. One night." He held up a finger. "Having fun, partying and in good company. At the very least, do it for the free food."

Gabe's features softened and he turned back to look at his sons. "I don't know, Caleb. I spend every major holiday with Migs and Izzy. Crossover, Christmas, New Years, Ascension... I don't want to break that tradition."

Caleb was not willing to give up that easily. "Look, do you think your sons would want you to spend every waking moment worrying about them? Back then, you were pretty much like my dad is now; with a tight leash around my neck and that made them do some crazy stuff!" Caleb let out a soft wince. "To be honest, this is sort of an eye-opener for me too." He shook his head, waving his paws in the process. "Point is, if I was ever in Miguel or Ignacio's position, I wouldn't want my dad mourning over my bed for months or even years. I'd want him to get on with his life. I'd want to him to have fun, live and stop trying to keep holding onto me while I'm dragging him down."

He offered Gabe a gentle smile. "I'll always be there for him. Just as he has always been there for me. He means well as I'm sure you did too. I just didn't appreciate it until now." Nodding slowly, he glanced towards Miguel who lay in front of him like the young man was just sleeping peacefully. "They'll always be here for your, Gabe. Just one night. So that you can smile again. And not that bullshit smile you give me and Lenny on the clock. A genuine one. Not tinged with the thoughts of your sons."

"My sons are my life," Gabe responded.

"Now that's bullshit." Caleb pointed accusingly at the panda with one paw on his hip. "They're a major part of your life, I know, but you've got your store, your health and hell, you've got Lenny and me. I'll be damned if you're going to be spending Crossover wallowing in this hospital. Fuck, I'll bring my whole goddamn family over here if I have to!" He flashed Gabe a grin. "And Hale family gatherings are pretty damn big, you know. My family alone has four kids including me. My Aunt Belinda from Siberia is still in the country and she's got her husband over with her brood. Six pups! Oh and Aunty and Uncle Sunny have their eight pups coming along too."

Gabe's eyes widened. "Your family is enormous."

"Yeah..." He glanced around the small ward theatrically. "Hard to think how we'd fit all in here, huh?" He gave Gabe a big grin. "So why don't you save us all some trouble and come over to my place for Crossover dinner, huh? My dad usually kicks up the barbeque in the backyard, we can play some hoops. You know. Unwind. It's what Miguel and Ignacio would want."

He gave Miguel a light nudge. "Right Migs?"

...

"... Dad...?"

...

Caleb's eyes widened and Gabe's jaw dropped wide open. Miguel, his roughly cut beard masking the slightest movements of his lips, slowly began to open his eyes. The young man blinked several times, wincing softly with his voice sounding incredibly gravelly.

"Ow..." he groaned.

Caleb instantly took a step back, lifting his paws in the air. "I didn't do anything!"

"Caleb..." Gabe whispered, instantly crouching next to Miguel and seizing his son's paws. "Oh god... Migs, can you hear me? Migs?"

Miguel weakly turned his head to the right where Gabe was kneeling. "Dad...?" He coughed softly. "I'm so... thirsty..."

"I'll get some water!" Caleb exclaimed, rushing towards the small bathroom inside the private ward. He seized on of the sterilized glasses there and hit the faucet of the filtered water. His paws were shaking, his mind completely blank save for the images that continuously ran through his mind of Miguel Ramos waking up. He paws suddenly felt wet and when he glanced down, he realised the water was overflowing. Quickly, he shut off the faucet, poured some water out and hurried back to the ward.

Miguel was awake, eyes wide open and Gabe knelt beside him, his eyes filled with tears. Caleb offered the glass of water with his paws still shaking madly to Miguel. Still too weak to take the glass himself, Gabe had to take it and gently lift it to Miguel's lips. Caleb moved to prop Miguel up, making sure the young man who looked older than himself, didn't drown in the sterilised water. Once he had his fill, Miguel gestured that he had enough and let out a sigh of relief.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice still naturally rather gravelly.

Gabe, too choked up to speak, looked at Caleb.

"You're in the Tower Hospital," Caleb answered, still surprised at the recent events. "You've... uh... You've been out for about three and a half years since the Integrator attacked."

Migs frowned and rubbed the side of his head. "I... I have? What happened?"

"From what I gathered... The Alliance destroyed the bridge and took you guys down with it."

Migs suddenly sat up but his weakened muscled took him crashing back against the bed softly. "Izzy!"

Both the Ramos turned towards the other bed where Ignacio still remained asleep.

Gabe immediately spun towards Caleb. "Caleb... you touched Migs and he woke up."

Caleb took a step back and waved his paws. "Whoa! That's not within my power!" He got a strange look from both Gabe and Miguel. "Not that I have any powers to begin with beyond grunting, catching footballs and ramming into other people really hard on the field." He was kicking himself for such a poor excuse. "But if it'll make you feel any better..."

He gingerly moved around Miguel's bed, feeling the eyes of the two conscious men in the room. It was with some trepidation that he reached out and gently gripped the unconscious Ignacio's shoulder. Just like his brother, he had dark brown hair but his had been trimmed short where Miguel had let his grow longer. Gabe must've had them trimmed. Ignacio was also cleanly shaven making him look like the younger of the two though he had a rather thick application of chest hair barely visible beneath his patient scrubs.

"Uh... Hey Ignacio... Your brother is awake. You want to greet him?"

He wasn't sure if he should've been disappointed or relieved when Ignacio didn't respond. As he pulled his paw away, he realised that it would've been amazing if both of Gabe's sons had awoken. It would be one _hell_of a Crossover dinner. It was something he could give back to the man who had given him so much in return. Even if it would bring up questions about his powers, he would've liked to...

"Urgh... Migs... Dad...?"

Caleb took a startled step back, ramming into a big, furry wall. He glanced over his shoulder at Gabe. The panda's eyes were wide in disbelief, his lips forming soundless words.

"Izzy... Ignacio..." Gabe sobbed, his voice barely above a whisper. "My sons... By beautiful sons...!" He turned to Caleb, eyes wide. "Thank you." Thick, muscular arms wrapped around Caleb, pulling him tight against the thick, muscular chest. "Thank you, so much Caleb."

Caleb let out a soft nervous chuckle and prised himself away from Gabe as the panda knelt next to his youngest son. "I don't think I really did anything here..." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll go get the nurse or doctors or whatever. Give you guys some time to yourself."

Gabe didn't reply as he held Ignacio's hands tightly, kneeling next to the young man. Though his eyes were flowing with tears, Gabe's muzzle was peeled wide in the first, truly genuine smile Caleb had ever seen him wear. That smile was infectious and Caleb couldn't help but smile himself. He slowly backed away and opened the door behind him.

He flagged down a nurse and told them her that the two men had awoken in Ward E34. This brought a great amount of shock from her. She immediately called the doctors and there was another flood of medical officials across the hallways.

For a moment, Caleb regarded his paws, wondering if he somehow did have the power to bring people out a coma.

"Nah, that's just stupid."

******

The Facility was abuzz with activity. When Caleb passed through the White Room, he found more than just the usual faces standing in the atrium.

"Um... Hi...?" Caleb began warily, approaching the ring of people roughly divided into two parties.

On one side stood Madman, Bren, Ben and his dad. On the other was Lars' parents, Shockstorm and Siren as well as the mysterious, black-clad avian Nightingale. There was a fourth member of the Alliance troupe, evening out the match and Caleb was glad it wasn't Lance. Though he was worried that it was one of the founders, another big-eyed avian known as Hocus. The owl was garbed in long, blue, flowing robes trimmed with gold and wore a rather large, ridiculous pointed hat like the wizards of old lore. Like those very same wizards, he also carried with him a large staff; one made of gnarled jet-black wood.

"Caleb, thank God you're here!" Ben exclaimed, in his Blood Wolf form. "You can be our tie breaker."

"We are not going to trust another member of your rag-tag team to be the tie breaker," growled Shockstorm, a burly Doberman just like his son but quite significantly bigger, bigger than any bodybuilder Caleb had ever seen. "I say we got someone impartial to this. Perhaps put it to a vote on the media."

"You mean the Alliance controlled media?" snarled Madman. "Fuck that!"

"Would someone please tell me what's going on here!?" Caleb demanded.

Siren stepped forward, slicing the air with her paw. "What's this, David? You don't even keep your own team in the loop? Not even your own son?" She turned to Caleb with a seething stare that could've melted through steel. "We're discussing the fate of Jet Heller. The Alliance feels that he would be better taken care of within the Elemental Tower. For all intents and purposes he is a super and not an Outsider. His infectivity can be controlled."

Caleb glanced towards his father, searching for his side of the story.

"We didn't see any members of the Alliance at the battle," David responded gruffly. "I am not one to treat any living person like a tool to be traded but we subdued Jet by ourselves without any assistance from the Elemental Alliance. It is incredibly presumptuous of you to think that you can just march in here unannounced_and _demand we hand him over. We haven't even finished our analysis of his powers or his means of infection!"

"Alliance scientists would have discerned that by now," answered Siren haughtily.

"David," Nightingale responded in his strange whisper. "We are allies against the Gene Stealers. We feel that it is just a means of maintaining the balance that Jet be placed in our care as a sign of good will. Many in the Alliance fear that Arsenal is becoming a rallying cry for all Outsiders and those who do not wish to follow the rules of the Elemental Tower. Rules you, yourself, helped put into place."

He waved his hands, attempting to calm both sides. "As Siren said, Jet Heller is effectively a super. If you were to allow him into Arsenal_as an active member, he could be the final push for rogue supers and Outsiders to come under _Arsenal. We would have to forces of law and order on West California Island. Such rivalry cannot exist for the safety of the people."

"What's wrong with having two groups protecting the same place?" Caleb asked. "We've got more people and resources. That'll mean we might even be able to stop the Gene Stealers before they make these outbreaks."

Siren scoffed at him loudly. "Still a child."

"What she means," Bren interrupted, "is that we'd effectively be splitting West California Island in two. There's a reason why there is only ever a single super group assigned to certain areas and why there's a stigma between groups assisting others. Supers are still very much mortals, Caleb, and when faced with rivalry, they can and will react with whatever they can to subdue their rivals." Bren shook his head sadly. "It'd be like trying to save the same person who fell off a cliff only for the two supers to tear the poor soul in half. They'd end up saving no one."

"It's happened before." Hocus turned to Caleb, his big, bright, yellow eyes filled with wisdom. His voice was oddly deep. "Beijing once boasted that it was defended by two superhero teams. But in their attempt to gain more funding, more support and inevitably, more supervillains to fight, they made the opposing team their enemy. The very people they sought to protect were split along this very line. Families were torn down the middle and there were gangs on the street supporting one or the other that violated the support structure for the opposing side."

"Eventually one side had to give up," Shockstorm growled. "And this is exactly what you're going to perpetuate if you let Jet Heller join Arsenal." He jabbed a finger at David. "Let me remind you that this idle fancy of yours only exists because we let it exist. At a word, we can decimate Arsenal completely and utterly. We have the numbers, we have the power and we have the resources. You're barely getting by." He flashed Caleb a foul stare coupled with a snarl. "You have to sell yourselves to _pornography_just to make enough money to keep this place up and running."

Caleb stepped forward but his father was suddenly in front of him, blocking his view of the established superhero.

"What we do to make sure we continue to defend this island from the Gene Stealers and other foes is our business. Need I remind you that you called us to fight against Zigzag-Zapper?"

"Because he was_your_ villain," countered Siren. "You should've imprisoned him or sent him into cryogenic stasis like the other villains but no. You went soft on us and let him live out the rest of his days as a cripple. Then look what happened."

Caleb pushed past his father. "Look, we don't have the right to decide for Jet. He goes where he wants to go. If he wants to stay with Arsenal, let him. We'll bear the consequences of it. If he wants to go with the Alliance, I'm not going to argue."

"The ramifications if he remains with Arsenal..." Hocus began.

"We'll deal with them," answered Caleb. "As allies. You can't just force people to be true to your cause. If you do that, you're no better than the Gene Stealers who force their forms and shapes onto others and basically throw them out into the deep end amongst a city of supers and Outsiders. Is that what you want to do? Is that what you want the world to see both Arsenal and the Elemental Alliance?" He directed the question both at Shockstorm and his father.

The silence that drew on was filled with mixed emotions. Siren looked furious that she was talked down by an Outsider. Her husband looked composed but barely keeping in his own fury beneath a thin veil. Hocus was pondering, letting out soft 'Hmmmm's' while rubbing his chin. For their part, the members of Arsenal were looking at the Alliance members smugly.

"You are wise beyond your years, Caleb Hale," Nightingale said, the only member of the Alliance to smile.

"I'm just wise against the Gene Stealers," he answered with a shake of his head. "Hey, where is Jet anyway?"

As if on cue, the doors to Elliot's room sprang open and the huge polar bear stepped out, barely clad in some figure-hugging black clothing that looked suspiciously like Caleb's former Weapons Master uniform. It even had the weighted hoddie with inbuilt optical jammers! Elliot strode smugly behind him.

"I'm here," grunted the huge bear. Though his fur was mostly white, he still possessed that patches of brown fur around his body that really made him epitomise the word 'bear' in more ways than one. "And I've decided to go with the Alliance."

"What!?" Ben shouted. "Why!?"

Lifting his enormous paws, Jet said, "Look, I don't want to cause trouble, okay? West Cali is my home. If it's going to get torn down the middle because I decided to join my saviours, then I'd rather suck it up and look ungrateful than burn my home to the ground." He looked sympathetically towards Ben. "I hope you understand."

"Fuck no, I don't understand!" yelled Ben. "If it weren't for us, you and your buddies would be shipped off to who knows where, experimented on and god knows what else! We saved you!"

"And it's my turn to save you," Jet responded. "Shockstorm is right, right? If this alliance between you and them" - he gestured between Ben and the named super - "breaks down. You'll have more than the Gene Stealers on your ass. Arsenal can't afford to have anyone else riding them. Not yet." He nodded towards the Alliance representatives. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

Hocus nodded and waved his hands through the air. A strange symbol appeared on the floor just over the FBI emblem that Bren had yet to remove. The symbol emitted a soft, bluish light. The Alliance members stepped onto it and the moment they did, they vanished in a flurry of lights. Siren gave Caleb one last haughty look before she too vanished. Jet followed the others, giving Caleb one last nod of thanks before stepping onto the symbol. When they were all gone, the symbol and the light it brought faded.

"Damnit," growled Ben, stomping his foot angrily.

"What? I'm not enough of a Gene Stealer for ya?" growled Madman. "Looking to replace me, little man?"

"Get over yourself," snapped the werewolf angrily. "I'm just thinking how the hell we're going to get information on the Original now when Jet is off with the Alliance. They're scientists are slow as fuck. They barely contained Caleb when he went all bull! Hell, two of Minos' best men_broke into the tower_! We're supposed to trust them!?"

Madman grunted loudly. "Point taken..."

A soft cough brought all attention to Elliot.

"You're forgetting," the pants-wearing orca said, wagging a finger at them. "You've got a super genius here." He stepped aside and gestured towards his hall. "If you would all enter my chambers, I'll tell you what I've found."

Caleb was in no way surprised that Elliot had managed to figure out something in the short time they had Jet. It was possibly two or three hours since the attack and in that time Elliot was confident enough in his discovery that he had let Jet go with the Alliance. That was pretty damn good.

Inside Elliot's room filled with collectibles and rather busty images of women, Elliot sat back in his seat and began accessing his supercomputer again.

"Okay, so from what I've managed to discern, the medium of infection is through touch," he said. "At first, I thought it was through bodily fluids that must be devoured as all the other infected reported a severe hunger but then I remembered that Hammerstein wasn't eating anything at the time of infection. So unless his infection was timed, I seriously doubt it."

Elliot tapped away at his keys and it showed a full body analysis of Jet. "I found microscopic organisms all over Jet's body that willingly attached themselves to organic matter." The screen zoomed in on Jet's paws to a microscopic level. What looked like drills with spindly legs crawled all over the surface of Jet's paw pads. "When these tiny viral agents attach to someone's flesh, they drill in through the skin and spread through the bloodstream. Once there, they lie dormant until the Original sends a signal of some sort that activates them. Then, they start getting to work."

On screen, a simulation was shown of the tiny spindly viruses that looked a lot like hermit crabs using their legs to reform DNA strands. Elliot didn't need to explain as the image zoomed out of the DNA level and onto the cellular level, showing the cells mutating, changing and spilling more of the virus throughout the host system.

"Unlike the Gnoll and Minos, this works like a virus," Elliot said. "With the other two, their transmission methods emitted the signal. Continuous exposure to the signal will cause the transformation but once you leave, your body may very well be able to fight it if you're far enough. But this time around, once you're infected and the signal is given..."

"You're fucked," Madman growled. "And it's as simple as someone touching you?"

"Little more complex than that," Elliot said. "I've got a sample of them sitting over there." He pointed to the only part of his room that was pristine and clean - the part with all the test tubes and chemistry equipment. "In the past three hours, it's managed to survive without any outside substance. It's remained dormant though. I can only surmise that if and when it finds a host to attach to, it'll become active again or it'll wait for the Original's signal again to become active."

"So if we touch something this Gene Stealer touched, we could get infected too?" Ben asked.

"Not you," Elliot responded sharply. "Not any of us. We're immune because our powers make us immune. The virus will try to attach to us and multiply but from this simulation taken from my blood..." The screen showed another viral agent attacking another DNA strand. "... it looks like the virus self-destructs when it comes into contact with my cells. I've tried it with samples from all of us." Elliot leaned back in his chair, regarding the viral agents as they disintegrated into nothingness upon contact with his DNA. "It makes me wonder... is it that the Gene Stealers can't infect Outsiders and supers... or are they just choosing not to?"

Elliot shook his head gravely and switched off the main monitor. "Anyway, this guy is more infective than anyone else. I've already sent my findings to the local police force and the FBI are coming up with some way to screen people for these things without scaring the shit out of people. If they knew just how easy it would be to become a bear..."

"More PR bullshit," Madman growled. "Things were so much simpler when we were just the good guys. Not the good guys on TV."

Caleb couldn't help but feel that statement was directed at him. Had he not inadvertently outed himself to his father, things would still be very simple.

"Well, this is our life now," Bren announced, clapping Elliot on the shoulder. "Good work. The Original still has to send a signal to activate the virus, right? If we can jam that signal like we jammed Gnoll's, maybe we keep this thing contained."

"Way ahead of you," Elliot responded, waving a finger at him. "I'm already working on it. Give me by Monday. I should have something for you."

"Perfect." Bren then turned around. "Caleb, looks like you've got a new persistent weapon if I'm not mistaken. This weekend, I want you and Lars working to get that thing to its next level. I want it as powerful as Funny Bone and Branding Iron before Monday."

David suddenly imposed himself in front of his son. "Hang on there. I'm in charge of the team's development."

"Do you have any objections?" challenged Bren. "Caleb's job is still currently closed for renovations and in between training sessions, he's more than welcome to use the Facility as a means of doing his homework."

Friction seemed to have built somewhere in the background between his dad and Bren. Not that there wasn't enough friction between his dad and everyone else. It made him feel terrible that he had added to that tension by rebelling against his father in so many ways. Then, thinking of what had happened to Gabe and his sons, he had to wonder if they would end up the same way.

"It's been a long night," David concluded. "Let's all get some rest."

Escorted by his father back out of the Facility and into the parking lot, Caleb noticed that his dad hadn't brought the family van. David reached for his wristwatch which was a little bigger than usual. No doubt it would allow him to switch into his Feral Steel uniform.

"Hey dad, you don't have to fly back home if you don't want to."

David gave him a wry smile. "Are you kidding? Taxi rates at this time and after a super attack are a nightmare."

"Actually..." Caleb moved towards Ballistic and patted the black and gold motorcycle. "Mom said you used to own one of these bad boys. You wanna drive?"

His father's eyes gleamed even as he said, "No son, that's you're ride. I couldn't possibly..."

Caleb had already fetched the spare helmet out of the back compartment and held it out to his father. "Come on, dad. You know you want to."

A big grin crossed his father's muzzle. "Oh what the hell." He took the spare helmet and leapt onto Ballistic, revving up the engine. David closed his eyes, lost in the moment. Even when Caleb slipped in behind him and wrapped his arms around his dad's waist for security, David didn't move.

"This takes me back," David mused. "I used to have one of these before I learned how to fly."

"What happened to it?" Caleb asked.

"Scrapped down. I didn't have much use for it after I could take to the skies." David drove them slowly out of the parking lot. "Besides, the maintenance, registration and all fuel cell replacements were a sure fire way to trace it back to me. I was a freelance super, remember? I didn't have access to the fancy nanotech that changes the colour of my bike like you do now."

As they broke out into the streets, David pushed the accelerator and they were zooming down the streets back home. They had to use the communicators inbuilt into the helmets to talk to one another.

"Was it hard? I mean, I know it must've been really tough with grandpa and grandma... and losing Ryan but... you know what I mean?"

"It was. When I was about your age, I thought being a super was the best thing ever because my parents hated them so much. I wanted to prove them wrong and I fantasised about the day that I would save them and we'd have this heart-warming reunion one day when they'd finally come to accept me. But... well... You know about a super's Aura, right?"

"You mean that special field around a super that polarises people towards them no matter what? Yeah, why?"

David's big shoulders visibly sagged as they made a turn into an alleyway. Most of the CBD was still closed off due to the Gene Stealer attack. "Well, when I came into my powers, my parents - especially my father - just grew to hate me. He kept it in check. He never hit me or anything. It's he stopped hugging me, stopped shaking my paw and stopped telling me how much he loved me or telling me good luck whenever I had a game or an exam. The little things. I could tell it was affecting him."

Had his father's Aura polarised him just as it had Grandpa Mac? All those feeling of rebellion and the need to be separate from his father were so strong and felt to be so much of his own that he couldn't imagine how it could be otherwise.

"Discovering my own powers, doing little things to save people... running away and being me..." David said at length. "It was hard but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It made me into the man that I am today." He shook his head. "It may seem that I'm being overly protective of you or the rest of the family but that's just because I never want to be what my father was to me. I don't want to be the parent that never sees their kids, never calls or never even sends a goddamn Christmas card. Even if you hate me for it, I'll call you every day no matter where you are to ask how your day was, I'll come running when you need help even if you're on the other side of the known universe and I'll always be there to hold your paw when you're sick even if it means I might get sick and die too."

David bowed his head slightly. "I love you kids. I know I don't say it enough but I do. You and your mother are the most important things in the world to me. I know I'll have to let you go eventually but that doesn't mean I won't be there." He paused for a long time and only spoke again as they left the skyscrapers of West California Island and entered the suburbs. "I'm proud of you, Caleb. I always have been."

A vice had gripped Caleb's chest and he tried not to let that feeling squeeze tears out of his eyes. He rested his head against David's back. He took one, long, deep breath, counted to ten... and then let it out slowly.

"I love you, dad. I'm sorry if I caused you grief with my... antics. I guess I was just eager to go back to being able to do my own thing away from the family. But this is how things are now and you're just trying to make me the best Outsider I can be just like you've been pushing me to be the best football player I can be. I guess... I never got to thank you for that. So... thanks."

David didn't respond but as Caleb sat there with his arms around his father, holding him tightly against the rushing winds of Ballistic shooting down the streets of their home street, both wolves knew nothing needed to be said. The moment seemed to last longer than the five minutes it took for David to drive Ballistic into the garage and shut off the engine.

Caleb peeled away from his father and removed his helmet. David removed his own helmet and let out a soft sight. His father made a swipe at his eyes with the back of his paw, making Caleb smile.

"So," Caleb began, "training tomorrow? Five AM?"

David gave him a surprised smile, eyes still a little watery. "Are you sure? We had a pretty crazy attack tonight..."

Caleb shrugged and hung his helmet on the hook. "So? Just because the Gene Stealers attacked, it doesn't mean I get the day off, right?" He gave his father a light punch on the shoulder. "If I'm ever going to be a hero, I can't slack off."

David shook his head, an amazed smile on his muzzle and pride shining in his eyes. "Caleb... You already are a hero."

******

Caleb had surprised his father the following morning be being up before five AM, showered and ready to hit training. After taking his measurements, Caleb voluntarily stepped into his room and allowed himself to be sealed in. He broke out in thirty seconds and was at the front door even before Lance. They hit training hard that morning and though he couldn't do as many pull ups as Lance or run for as long, he knew he pushed himself to the limit and the pride in his father's eyes confirmed that.

Back at the house, his Lillian Hale was making breakfast with one paw while arranging the menu for the big Hale Family Crossover dinner in two weeks. It would be a big event as it would be the first time Arthur would get to meet the extended family as a fiancé. Abby was excited and had already invited Arthur over to go over who was who in the Hale Family Tree. Lance had naturally invited Cory much to Caleb's distain but it was with some pride that he could at least invite Lars as well - not that he wasn't already coming along. Ben and Mary had already confirmed as attendees and though he had extended the invitation to Elliot and Bren, he doubted either of them would come.

Remembering invitations, he wondered if Gabe and his sons would come.

Or Lenny for that matter.

He made a mental note to follow up with them as his mother would finalise the guest list and the meals by before the end of the following week. She was like a bride in that respect and if one person so much as appeared without being invited or registered, she showed no shame in tossing them out on their ass.

He left the house after giving his mother a light peck on the cheek and giving his dad a big hug.

Mary didn't meet him out in front of the house this time as she knew that the further he got from the house, the more his testosterone levels would rise. And rise they did. With the big game against the Leviathans just a few hours away and his muscles pumped form the morning workout, he was charged and just barely fighting the urge to hit something.

By the time he reached West California High School, he was bouncing with energy. He saw Gerard, the big moose centre tackle of the team with the rest of the defensive team and bounded over to him. Brain poisoned into a primal jock state, he leapt onto Gerard's back without thinking, seizing the moose's antlers and gave a loud shout much to the shock and laughter of the rest of the team.

"Ya!" he roared, pumping a fist into the air. "Who are we!?"

"Raptors!"the rest of the team shouted.

Gerard was a good sport and let Caleb ride on his big, strong back for a little longer.

"We're gonna fuck the Leviathans back to Bridgewood!" Caleb shouted. "They ain't gonna know what hit 'em!"

His teammates cheered, pumping fists through the air. Gerard got tired of Caleb on his back and straightened. Caleb saw the move coming and nimbly fell back, catching himself on his paws and feet without crashing to the ground. The big moose straightened and crossed his arms in front of him.

"If I didn't know any better, Hale, I'd swear you wanted to ride me," grunted the huge centre tackle. "Your boyfriend up for threesomes?"

"You can ask him yourself at the dance," Caleb replied with a grin. He straightened, tail wagging excitedly. "After we bring crush Bridgewood! Am I right!?"

Once more the team cheered.

"Who are we!?" Gerard roared.

"Raptors!"

Caleb joined in the cheer and in his super-macho, jock alpha state, he exchanged glances with Gerard. Some form of telepathic communication passed between the two and they immediately bumped chests, their thick pectorals smashing against one another. This set off a chain reaction with the rest of the team. He turned to another teammate and like a series of handshakes, he began bumping chests with each and every one of his teammates. It was infectious. Every member of the West California Island High Raptors bumped chests with one another, cheering 'Raptors' over and over again.

But there was one chest that Caleb missed.

Lars was missing again. Before he jumped to conclusions, he gave Gerard a pat on the shoulder indicating that he was heading off. It was funny how just that small piece of contact and a flick of his ear could say so much more in the span of a few seconds than words. He was sure Mary or Ashton could make a comment about muscle heads like him and Gerard didn't need more than grunts and growls to communicate anyway.

He just considered himself bilingual in that way.

It was fifteen minutes to the first bell and the start of their first class so he hurried over to the auditorium. As expected, there were posters and promotions everywhere in the immediate vicinity of the auditorium indicating that the musical was just right around the corner. He heard music being played from behind the big double doors. Just a slight push open and he could already hear Lars' powerful voice reaching him.

A smile touched his lips but he didn't dare interrupt his Doberman's rehearsal.

Happy that Lars was still very much sane, he headed back to his locker and threw his bag inside. After plucking his tablet and shutting his locker, he was surprised to find someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around, he expected it to be Mary but instead found Alex.

"Hey man," he greeted with a grin. "'Sup?"

"Just wanted to wish you good luck for the game today," Alex responded with a bright grin. "That and we're heading to the same history class."

"Thanks! We've gonna cream the Leviathans!"

Alex laughed softly and shook his head. "Do you even _know_why the Leviathans are the Raptor's rivals?"

Caleb shrugged his board shoulders. "Something about stealing a championship from them several decades ago and how there's an annual show at halftime for each game between them about it." He shrugged. "I don't know what it is really. I just know we've got to crush them!"

Alex laughed softly. "Actually, about forty years ago, the Raptors actually won the championship game against the Leviathans. East Bridgewood has never been a very sporting school and it was a miracle that they actually managed to make it to the championship. They were the underdog story. The Raptors had always placed at least within the top five teams and while they hadn't won a championship in a while, they still had trophies to put in their cabinets and Bridgewood didn't."

They stopped in front of their history class door. Their fellow classmates greeted Caleb, wishing him a good luck at the game. More than a few still slipped their numbers into his pockets despite knowing full well that the Fall Dance was after the game against the Leviathans _and_he already had a date.

"So?" Caleb prompted.

"Well..." Alex scratched his cheek absently. "There were rumours that the Raptors had actually used performance enhancing drugs that year but nothing could be proven. Pissed, Bridgewood took matters into their own hands and stole the trophy from our school. Now that would normally be a criminal offence but for some reason, the matter was settled without involving the authorities. Now, in every game against Bridgewood, there is an event at halftime called the 'Trophy Run'. It's where a mock trophy is put at the centre of the field and the mascots of either team start off at either end of the field. The mascots then have to race to grab the trophy and make it back to their own end zone to win the game."

"Huh... You'd think I'd have heard of this..." Caleb muttered.

Alex shrugged. "Well... You were focused on the previous game and then you had your freak out. You've been occupied."

The idea of the Trophy Run at least gave him some reason to watch the halftime show. Most of the time, he was just too tired to pay attention. "Who will be Red the Raptor this year?"

Alex grinned at him. "Where do you think I've been all this time?" He hiked a thumb at his chest. "This year, they want someone fast, small and nimble!"

"No shit!" Caleb laughed, slapping Alex's shoulder heartily. "You're gonna be out on the football field! Who knows, you just might like it and end up a receiver like me!"

Alex rolled his eyes and grinned sheepishly. "Trust me, I'm already a receiver."

The innuendo was lost on Caleb. "Huh?"

"You know. Me and Mike. Mike is a big guy. I mean, he lets me be a... uh... sender every once in a while but I mostly get the package instead of send it."

Now it clicked in Caleb's head. "Oh!" He lifted a finger and lowered his voice. "Okay, first I think we're getting our metaphors mixed up. Secondly, mine wasn't a metaphor. Thirdly, TMI!!"

Alex laughed softly as the door opened to their history class. "Hey, I haven't been around much due to training. I've got a lot to catch up on not to mention a lot to unload. Pun definitely intended."

"You're doing that on purpose."

"Sure am."

The thought of Alex being the bottom for Mike sparked another idea in Caleb's mind and just before they filed into the room, he grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled him to the back of the line of students.

"Quick question," he said to the stunned Alex, "if, theoretically, I wanted to... uh... receive for a certain someone... do you have any tips?"

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh God... You're talking to me_about this? I mean, shouldn't you ask your dad or..." He shook his head. "Actually, bad idea. What about Lance? Didn't he used to... you know... for _you?"

He winced upon remembering his issues with Lance and Cory. "Yeah but things are a little weird between me and him ever since he got a new boyfriend. I really haven't talking to him. I should fix that." He focused his attention back at Alex. "But seriously, any ideas?"

Alex shrugged and offered him a wry smile. "Well... All I can say in to relax. It's going to hurt at first, I know, but trust me, it'll feel sweet. Oh and make sure you go beforehand and to wash up."

Again, the words were lost on him. "Huh?"

"You know," Alex urged. "You go..." He held up two fingers. "Make sure you're clean down there."

"Still drawing a blank here."

Alex groaned loudly. "I mean, you should make sure you've gone to the toilet before you get stuffed and that when you go, there's no traces of shit still around there."

Caleb shook his head in disgust and stuck out his tongue as foul imagery crossed his mind. "Oh! Urgh!"

"Yeah. You do not want to shit yourself while it's happening."

"TMI! Again!"

Lars managed to make it to class before the door shut and roll call but his appearance only made Caleb worry about the dance. Well, not so much the dance but the moments straight afterwards. It was with a pit in his stomach that he realised he had been so consumed with work, Arsenal, his emotional breakdown and football that he hadn't put much thought into what this very same night was going to be like. That pit in his stomach grew when he realised Lars was going to take them to Seattle for dinner and who else knew what.

Though panic began rising in him, he reasoned that if he was going to give Lars something this night it had to be good. Sadly, the only thing he could even fathom to give was himself. It was nice, simple and had quite a bit of sentimental value.

He just had to make sure that it was spectacular.

When lunch came around, he was relieved when Lars and Ashton rushed off to the auditorium for more rehearsals. Caleb snatched his usual six burgers with a side of salad and rushed over to his usual table. From the sounds of it, conversation was geared towards the dance, the game or Alex's role as Red the Raptor.

Caleb parked himself right next to Rhiannon, completely ignoring the fact that she had a large jar of angry looking spiders with glowing red eyes between herself and Mary.

"Okay, not to sound self-centred," he announced. "But tonight is the Fall Dance and Lars is taking me to Seattle. I think."

"He is," Mary replied. Her eyes were firmly on the jar that Rhia was leaning on ever so tauntingly. "He couldn't get a limo booked in time so he's just planning on picking you up at your place after the game and flying you there in his arms."

"Thanks for spoiling the surprise," he muttered. "But my point is that he's going through all this extravagant stuff for me and I just realised that I have nothing to give him in return!"

"Except your ass," Rhiannon said. Mary shot her a fierce warning stare but didn't move with the jar of spiders between them. Caleb gave her a puzzled look. "What? I don't have to be a mind reader to know what you're thinking."

"I'm not -" Mary began.

"Yes you are," Rhiannon answered with a sly smirk and a hint of seriousness in her voice. "Think about it. Your powers started off as the ability to sense the emotions of those around you with time but these days you've been able to identify people's thoughts accurately so long as you know them well enough. That's not an empath. That's a mind reader."

What hostility was in Mary's eyes faded and she frowned. "I... hadn't thought of it like that."

Rhiannon waved a paw absently. "Outsiders ironically have had the capacity to develop their powers faster than supers. Maybe it's because they have to adapt more or have been outcasts and have to deal with more emotions but historically, Outsiders' powers grow far more rapidly and quickly than even the oldest and strongest of supers." She nodded towards Mary. "Take your ability to tell people's emotions to mind reading." She then turned to Caleb. "And let's not forget Caleb's ability to bring people out of a coma."

Everyone stared at him and he immediately held up his paw. "Whoa! That's not proven!" He growled at Rhiannon. "I didn't bring them out of a coma. I just touched them and they just so happen to have woken up."

"Of course. Right after Gabe practically _begged_you to touch his comatose sons."

"Yes! Exactly! I -" Seeing Rhiannon's coy stare, he processed her words quickly through his mind... and only then just realised the innuendo. "You're evil."

The playful Hound of Destruction shrugged and walked her fingers around the rim of the jar of spiders. Mary began inching away from her. "I am neither good nor evil. I just destroy. Whether or not that destruction can be interpreted as good or bad depends on those who survive." Her red eyes sparkled with mirth. "Isn't that right, Brightwood?"

Mary didn't respond.

Ben brought the conversation away from the creepy smile Rhiannon was giving Mary. "Disturbing, philosophical ramble aside..." He addressed Caleb. "You brought Gabe's sons back?"

Recalling the event, Caleb was fairly sure he had nothing to do with the waking of the two. "I don't think I had anything to do with it. Okay, so they may have woken up when I touched them but it couldn't have been me. I mean, it doesn't even make sense!" Lowering his voice, he said, "I turn things into weapons. I don't bring people back to life."

"Unless, of course, you just turned those two boys into walking, living bombs," Rhiannon supplied. "Now wouldn't it be fun to watch people walking the street casually only to explode violently? You could literally paint the town red."

Everyone ignored her.

"Can we get back on topic?" Caleb asked, making a slicing gesture with his paw. "I don't think I can get Lars anything on such short notice so -"

"Why do you have to get him anything?" Alex countered. "It's just a dance. It's not like you're going to propose to him or it's your birthday or something. Unless I'm missing some big fur tradition of giving someone a gift at a dance, then I don't see the point."

Ben's eyes gleamed and a big grin crossed his face. "Wait... You're thinking of getting him to pop your cherry, aren't you?" Without having to reply, the horny werewolf already knew the answer. "Ha! I knew it!" He leaned forward and pointed at Caleb. "And I know why you're so worried."

"You... You are?" Caleb responded meekly.

"Yup!" Leaning back with his arms crossed, Ben said, "You're not a bottom, Caleb Hale. You're a top. You're an alpha. Always have been. You want to give Lars this because it's important, has some sort of sentimental bull crap attached to it and because it's on such short notice. But the reason you're coming to us is because you want alternatives. Deep down, you don't _want_to be penetrated. You want to be the one sticking your dick in something!"

"Erm..."

Ben gave him a light shove over the table. "Well I've got this covered. Lars is taking you to Seattle before the dance?" He took out his phone and waved it. "Just say the word and I'll get you on a plane to take you anywhere you want. Hell, you wanna go to the moon? Mars? I can arrange that."

"No!" Caleb snapped, pushing Ben's phone down. "Nothing extravagant. I want to keep it simple."

"A card then? Custom made?"

"Not that simple," he responded sourly. Caleb folded his paws together, only just noticing that he had devoured his lunch but still felt the terrible sensation of fear inside him. "I was just wondering if any of you have any... tips on being a bottom." He flung Alex a dark stare. "But not from you. Never from you. Ever."

Alex rolled his eyes and, realising he was out of the conversation, went back to his meal.

Ben offered a shrug. "Well, I've always been a top and I'm going to insist that if you're going to get your ass penetrated, make sure he's still the bottom."

Before Caleb could rebuke him, he realised Ben had maintained that he was a top not that he never had his anal virginity taken. He was about to ask but decided against it. Clearly, that was something the werewolf was clearly hiding.

"Mary?" Caleb asked.

"Barking up the wrong tree, puppy dog," she answered. "I'm with Ben on this one. Never been a bottom."

Somehow, he felt that was her way of confirming his suspicions about Ben. "Though I'm scared to ask..." he said, turning towards Rhiannon. By now, the Hound of Destruction had one spider out, the big, black, hairy monstrosity crawling along the back of her paw slowly. "Rhia? Any advice?"

"My advice?" She was idly moving her paw so that it was consistently blocking her vision of Mary but at the same time so that it was impossible for Mary to look at her without seeing the arachnid. "You are young. One cannot miraculously discover one's turn ons and turn offs without experimentation. Maybe you'll like being a bottom. Maybe you won't. Maybe you'll be versatile. Maybe after all the times you've transformed and the orgasmic bliss that it brings, you'll find it hard to truly get aroused without being in some other shape with an enormous monster of a penis and balls hanging between your legs."

Caleb's eyes widened at that last statement and his muzzle hung open slightly.

"But life is about experimentation," continued the Hound. "If mortals had not experimented, they would never have discovered fire nor would furs have ever found a way to escape their dimension. Relationships are not about stoically standing by what you like and hoping that somewhere out there there's another perfectly shaped jigsaw puzzle that will fit yours. No doubt there is someone like that out there but when you've got a lunatic like _me_out there that could snuff out your life just like..."

SQUISH!

Mary jumped, her knees hitting the underside of the table and jostling all their trays. The visceral goo of the spider dripped from between Rhiannon's fingers. One of its legs stuck out between her thumb and fingers, twitching slightly.

"... that," Rhiannon finished, her eyes fixed on her closed paw. "Then you don't really have the luxury of finding the one. I'm not saying be content either." Her paw still gooey, she grabbed the jar of spiders and flipped it over, pressing the lid with air holes pressed into it against the table top. "But when you know you've got a limited amount of time on this planet, it's not about finding the one. It's just about being happy."

She leaned down so that she was at eye level with the jar with the colony of spiders suddenly without an open air source. "That's the thing I always found so stupid about wedding vows. People will change. Not just as they are searching but even after they have found their soul mate. Given enough time, those perfectly fitting puzzle pieces will mould, they'll change and they will no longer fit if they are adhering to the same set of rules."

With so many spiders in the jar, oxygen was starting to become scarce. The spiders were slowing down. Caleb wasn't so sure what he found more disturbing; that Rhiannon was using the slow, agonising death of the trapped arachnids to make a point or that she was smiling gently at them and clearly enjoying the moment.

"What makes you happy will change," she continued. "You might not always be a top. You might not always be a bottom. You might not always be gay, straight or even a male. You will change, though. It is your responsibility to change with it or risk forever being stuck in the same cage for the rest of your life and suffocating."

Caleb gulped loudly and even the normally fearless Ben had to hug Mary for comfort.

"I... Uh..." Caleb began, rising from his seat. "I think I'm going to go..."

"Go where?" Rhiannon asked, the question was laden with the knowing arrogance of someone who knew their lesson had been taken to heart.

"Probably to puke and pray for the souls of those spiders you're so heartlessly tormenting," he answered.

"Why don't you save them?" she countered, staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Because Mary will likely squish me like you squished that first spider if I do. She _hates_spiders. After every time we fight one of Spider Queen's Thralls, she usually goes to her dojo to beat up some people pretending they were spiders. She'll scream when she sees one but the next moment, she'll pull out a flamethrower and roast the poor son-of-a-bitch." He shook his head helplessly. "I can't win in that situation."

There was a mocking innocence on Rhiannon's face as she turned towards their resident empath-slash-mind reader. "Oh really? I had not known. And here I thought I was just being colourfully clairvoyant and using the spiders as a visual metaphor." She wrapped her paws around the jar. "Did you want me to save them?"

Caleb could just feel the Rhiannon's jabs at Mary sinking deep into the latter's heart. Certainly Mary had 'won' several rounds before but this was just cruel and sadistic. He didn't want to stick around for the results and turned, quickly heading out of the cafeteria.

As he passed several other students along the hallways and got dozens of encouraging comments on the game that evening, he realised he couldn't charge into the field as he was. Especially not with Lars there. He needed to clear his head.

"But how...?" he murmured to himself softly.

His answer came as he glanced over at his phone.

******

Caleb had only ever been to the lower levels of the Elemental Tower - the parts open to the public - and the hospital bay for supers around the top. He had never been to the super offices near the middle or the specialised rooms of each of the established supers littering the length of the massive tower. Dressed as Weapons Master, he strode into the Tower and was met with more than one challenging stare from the many superheroes and superheroes to be there.

He was surprised when a big green dragon met him past the security checkpoints past the public sector. Since he wasn't part of the Alliance, he wasn't privy to using the entrances reserved only for members of the Alliance. Civilians rushed over to him, asking for autographs and he did his duty as a protector of West California Island and humoured them a little before following the dragon.

"My name's Bosch Bertrend," the dragon said, shaking his paw. "Wind Wyvern to everyone else."

"Nice to meet you, Wyvern," Caleb said.

"Just Bosch is fine," answered the wingless reptile with a broad grin. "Trust me, it's an honour to meet you. To think that you're Lance's brother..." He blew out his cheeks and let it out slowly.

"You're... not anti-Outsider?" Caleb ventured, allowing Bosch to escort him through the Tower.

"Nah. Hell, most of us love Arsenal. Only the supers stuck in their ways are against you. Funny thing is, they're the ones with all the authority and power around here. The younger generation though love what you're doing."

Flattering as it was, Caleb didn't want to be the trigger to a war between supers. "Ah... and exactly what are we doing?" he ventured.

Bosch grinned at him as they stepped into an elevator. "Saving people. You're not in it for the commercials or the revenue. You're there to do your job."

Suddenly feeling terribly guilty about the _GUYS_issue coming up, Caleb felt his cheeks starting to burn. "Ah... you know that's not exactly true... I mean, I've got an issue with a magazine coming up and there was that Oprah thing..."

"Yeah but you're not out there every night_being seen or making appearances just to be seen." Bosch gave him a light nudge. "If you knew the schedules of each of these full-time supers, you wouldn't find a difference between them and Hollywood stars. Seriously, they've got interviews all morning, movie premieres, parties and whatever the hell they do whenever they're not saving some _cat_or something. The city _pays them to be seen. You guys, you only step out when you're needed."

Bosch lowered his voice. "In fact, there are rumours that some of the supers even make their own disasters or troubles just to get paid."

"That's just a rumour," Caleb laughed. "No one would intentionally put anyone else in danger just to get paid."

"I dunno." Bosch shuffled his weight from one leg to the other. The large, glass elevator took them up away from the crowds. It worried Caleb that none of the other supers going upstairs entered their elevator and opted to take others. "Superheroes have been around a long time. There's a balance to that. Outsiders are a new wave of changes. A good one," he quickly added. "But there are those that fear Outsiders will take away their work. Maybe something about being like supers but closer to being normal people makes them more relatable and more approachable."

Caleb watched Bosch's thoughtful expression carefully. "And what about you? Aren't you afraid that we'll take away your work?"

The dragon shook his head. "Being a super isn't a job. It's who we are." He grinned at Caleb and gave him a light nudge. "That's why I admire you, man. Beneath this..." He made a gesture indicating Caleb as a whole. "... there's another guy beneath it, living a normal life. The big guys treat being a super like a way to make money. You? You use it to help people."

A soft laugh escaped the blushing Outsider. "I'll be honest, there have been times that I wish I wasn't so special. It's a lot of responsibility. You hold people's lives in your paws. On top of that, you've got everyday life ahead of you." He leaned back against the railings of the elevator. "I guess I can understand how some people would prefer to go one way or the other, pretending that they aren't super at all..." He recalled Ashton's father who chose to live normally despite being a super. "Or going full super." Then he thought about Lars' parents who lived every second as Shockstorm and Siren. "Then there are those that try to balance the two. I know can't be a full time Outsider protecting the people. I want more than just fighting bad guys."

"I hear ya," Bosch admitted, thoughtfully crossing his arms. "I always thought that being a superhero would be the only thing for me. Then I got held back, called 'immature' by my supervisors and I got to thinking..."

"You're not planning on becoming a supervillain, are you?" Caleb asked, eyeing Bosch carefully.

The dragon laughed softly. "Nah. I'm a good guy." He hiked a thumb at his chest. "I was actually thinking of taking a leaf out of your dad's book. Maybe I could mentor some Outsider group somewhere. Teach them what it means to be a hero."

"Maybe you could tell me some day," Caleb laughed. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

A soft ding told them that they had arrived.

"I think I'll need to take lessons from you," Bosch answered. He gave Caleb a gentle sweep of his hands as the glass doors opened. "Just follow the path down to the end. You'll find Lance's office there."

Caleb was already out of the elevator when he turned and asked, "Lance has an office?" But the elevator had shut and had begun its descent before Bosch could answer.

Turning back towards the named hallway, he was left breathless at the luxury of it all. The hallway alone was at least about half a block long and decorated with dozens of pictures set artfully to draw the eye towards the glass cases containing medals and even more pictures. A lush, red carpet stretched from the elevator to the big, silvery doors on the other side and between each of them were cases marked especially for supervillain memorabilia. As he passed one such case, he noted the holographic projector at its base that would no doubt inform him what the strange five pointed throwing star that was the size of his head meant. Somehow, he doubted that all of this belonged to Lance and some jealous part of him was a little sated knowing it was simply his dad's that Lance had inherited.

He also realised how much David Hale had to give up to be a mentor of Arsenal. He didn't even have an office at the Facility.

With that dark cloud looming over him, Caleb moved down what was effectively a mini-museum and knocked on the big, silver doors.

"Just a minute!" came Lance's shout. He sounded stressed. No doubt living up to the big shoes of Feral Steel threw more pressure on the young superhero now that he had inherited such a daunting office.

Caleb waited exactly sixty seconds before knocking again.

"Hang on!"

He checked his watch. Time was not on his side and he couldn't exactly use Ballistic's Time-Space Fold Engine to roll up to West California High. In the hour he had for lunch, he had already spent thirty minutes of it and it would be another twenty minute drive back to the school. Ten minutes probably wasn't enough to impart life-altering knowledge on how to be an effective bottom.

Caleb seized the doorknob and pushed it open. Despite its size, it wasn't at all that heavy and swung open easily.

The room beyond was just as stunning as the hallway leading up to it. Bigger than their house and backyard combined, the enormous circular chamber was vaguely cylindrical shaped with large windows embedded into the east and western sides to allow for an unparalleled view of the city. There was a whole lounge set sitting at the centre of the office made for entertaining. Bookshelves lined the walls with dozens of thick tomes that Caleb seriously doubted every saw any use. To break the steely grey monotony, there were a few plants flanking these bookshelves. At the far end of the room was a single, large, polished lacquer desk. Lance stood behind it, his claws digging into the frame and a strange expression on his face. It looked like he was halfway through frowning and grinning.

"Sorry I barged in," Caleb said, waving a paw in apology. "It's just that I've got a question for you and... I... uh... I really don't have much time..."

"I... Ah! I gathered," Lance replied. His brow was matted with sweat and Caleb guessed the pressure of being Feral Steel's replacement was setting in. "S - So, what did you want to a - a -ah - ask?"

That reaction gave Caleb pause but he didn't give it a second thought. While he may have ditched class several times before due to Outsider business, he didn't want to push his luck. "Well, I know things have been a little awkward between us what with you dating Cory all of the sudden but firstly, I wanted you to know that I'm fine with that. I'm still a little pissed that you bounced back so quickly and I'm guessing that you started seeing him while we were together..."

"Erk..." Lance whimpered.

"But I'm getting over that," Caleb continued, managing a smile. "To be honest, while on that trip to Canada with Ben and the others, Ashton sort of seduced me and he dragged Lars and I into a threesome." He quickly held up his paws. "Nothing serious though! Just a muzzle and paws. It hurts that from that I decided I wanted you and you ended dumping me but like I said, getting over that."

Though he said the words, it felt like he was trying to convince himself more than Lance. "Anyway, today is the game against the Leviathans and the Fall Dance. Lars is taking me to Seattle for dinner and I realised the only thing I can give him in return is... erm... ah..." His cheeks began to burn and he turned away. "... my cherry."

Lance jumped in his seat, banging his knee against the table. He grimaced and hand to pull his paws away from where their claws were scraping against the lacquered surface of the desk to hold his injured kneecaps. "You... You want him to top you...?"

"If it's going to be anyone, it's Lars," Caleb answered. "We've been best buds for about a year and I guess there's always been something there. We've just been too thick skulled to realise it." The heat from his cheeks were starting to prickle at the back of his neck so he had to rub his nape absently. "So I was just wondering if you had any... um... tips for... you know..." He somehow managed to meet Lance's eyes. "... lift your tail?"

Lance banged his knee against the table again but then a strange expression crossed his features. His eyes went half-lidded and he bit his lower lip in what could only be described as a look of utter ecstasy. His whole, enormous, muscular body shuddered, shaking the desk. Just as Caleb was lifting his eyebrows, Lance let out a content sigh.

"Lance...?"

When two, large, brown ears poked up from beneath the desk, Caleb's blush took on an entirely new meaning.

Cory rose from where he had been kneeling, wiping his muzzle of the last traces of cum that dribbled all over his chin.

"See? Toldja ya cud hold it, mate."

Caleb's jaw dropped. "Holy shit! You're Australian!"

The athletic roo gave him a big, toothy smile. "Funneh. Yer brother an' dad said th' same thin' when they first met meh." He crossed his arms, thick, corded arms bulging. "Yer famileh got sumthin' fer foreigners with accents?"

"Most likely," Caleb replied, his brow furrowing. His eyes went to Lance who had dropped down onto the desk with a look of utter contentment on his face, eyes half-closed and tongue dropping out between his lips. "I'm guessing he's not going to be responsive for the next few minutes."

"Yeah," Cory answered with a shrug. "Big lug can nevah stan' straight afta onna mah blowjobs."

Tempted as he was to ask for one of those blowjobs, Caleb remained focused. "Putting aside the fact that my brother was getting his cock sucked while I am need of some real advice... I don't suppose you have any tips about... ah..." With Cory effectively being a stranger to him, he felt somewhat awkward about asking such an intimate question. "You know what? Never mind. I'll figure it out."

"Nah, ah heard ya," Cory said with a wave of his paw. He moved around Lance's desk and pulled one of the top drawers. "Yer ah virgin so yer prolly gonna scream yer cute little 'ead off. So mah advice..." He pulled out a big black, rubber cock, holding it nonchalantly. "... practice."

Caleb just stared at the dildo with his jaw hanging open. Toys were not alien to him. After being traumatised by mistakenly opening his parents' secret photo albums, he knew what a dildo was. Now that he thought about it, he should've suspected his father was a super considering how he had never once seen David walk around with a limp given all the things Lillian did to him. What horrified him was that Cory was casually offering him the use of one such device and one he was fairly sure had seen much use.

"Erm... So that's been in Lance, huh?" he asked.

"Naw mate," Cory said with a grin. "It's been in meh. Lotsa times. Yer big bro is tah big ta fit in mah ass. So he stuffs meh with this instead." He waved the dildo absently. "Course ah return the favah with anothah hole but yeh get the point."

"Vividly," Caleb responded dryly. "And if it's all the same with you, I don't feel comfortable using someone else's... toys."

"Come on, mate. We're famileh here." He tossed the dildo across the room and Caleb's instincts as a receiver kicked in before he could stop himself.

Caleb caught the instrument and held it out as far from himself as possible, holding the tip of the human-shaped penis between his thumb and forefinger.

"Dun worreh, mate, we clean it afta." Cory ruffled through the top drawer. "But yeh prolly want sumthin' little more yer boyfriend's speed, eh?" A bright, pink canine-shaped dildo complete with knot was suddenly thrown across the room and landed in Caleb's other paw. "I figah that'd be 'bout his size. If ya want, ah got thaut in large, extra large and -"

"I think this'll do," Caleb interrupted, quickly stuffing the two rubber instruments into the pockets of his uniform. "Thanks, Cory. I appreciate it." Lance was still very much lost in the afterglow of what looked like an incredible orgasm. The big wolf's eyes were closed and it sounded like he was just about to slip into slumber. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Cory jumped onto the desk, draping one leg over the other. With one paw, he absently scratched the back of Lance's head. In response, Lance absently rolled his head towards Cory, begging for more. Caleb could see his brother's tail wagging behind him.

"Sure thin' mate," answered the roo.

Given all the questions he had, Caleb found himself hard pressed to pick just one. Should he ask about how they met? When they met? What did he have that Caleb didn't? Was he happy with Lance?

He decided on, "Why the hell were you giving my brother a blowjob now of all times? I called him earlier. He should've known I was coming."

Cory snickered. "Oh. Thaut. Yeah, well see he get 'is rocks off big taime if he's caught ina desperate situation. He loves the thrill of it. I dunno. Said it had sumthin' ta do with doin' sumthin' forbidden and such." The roo grinned, an admittedly cute smile. "We've been doin' it in the Tower toilets between class, out in the lawn behind the bushes and once, even on Siren's desk."

Not that he had anything to complain about Lance and Cory making sweet, sweet, creamy love on Siren's desk after the chilly encounter he had but he worried that such sexcapades could get the two in trouble. It wasn't his place to say however. He_was_ in a semi-incestuous relationship with Lance for a while and Lance even admitted early on that it was that taboo aspect to their relationship that was the biggest turn on for him.

That was likely why they never really worked out.

Caleb wanted things nice and simple. For Lance, it seemed the more complex and dangerous the scenario, the better. With a passing smile, Caleb mused that Lance was a lot like their father.

"Nice and simple..." he murmured softly. A realisation dawned on him and he managed to turn that smile towards Cory. "Thanks Cory. You really helped me there."

"No problem mate!" Cory lifted a paw and gave him an idle wave. "I'll see ya at Crossover, yeah?"

"Count on it."

******

It was four in the afternoon and David Hale was already back under his own roof helping his wife pack some snacks for Caleb's big game against the Leviathans. Arthur was in the kitchen with them while Abby was putting on her usual pharmacy's worth of makeup and perfume.

"Mr. Hale," the timid little otter began.

"Yes Arthur?" he answered, arranging a sandwich just how Leon liked it; bread, mayonnaise, ham, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, more ham, cheese, another layer of ham then bread again.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Arthur was sitting at the kitchen counter placing several drink bottles into the cooler. The moment he slipped one of the bottles in the cooler, the temperature gauge on the side of the device rose a little. However, in just three seconds, it dropped back down thanks to the miniature compact freezer unit inside. "... What would you say if you were about to get married but you were offered an amazing job halfway across the world."

The knife in David's paw dropped out of his paw. It would have clattered to the ground if Lillian hadn't been there to quickly swipe it up. She pushed her husband gently aside and took over where the stunned Hale patriarch had left off in stunned silence.

"Just what are we talking about here, Arthur?" David replied, keeping his voice barely above a growl.

"Well..." The small otter began fidgeting and shrunk in his seat, unable to meet David's gaze. "I'm graduating from law school next year. Abby has hear heart set on a May wedding, in autumn so that all -"

"The colours of the leaves have changed, she can walk down the aisle to a shower of natural gold and the wind can blow through her dress to make sure that it doesn't look bland and white giving an impression of constant motion," David finished, rolling his eyes. He had heard the same mantra over and over again since Abby had decided on a wedding day. "I know." He took the knife from his wife just so that he could point it at Arthur. "I'm _still_against an outdoor wedding." Then he gave it back to Lillian. "But what's this about leaving my daughter right after the wedding?"

"I'm not going to leave her!" Arthur responded, lifting his paws defensively. "I was just thinking that... Well..." His voice kept getting softer and softer to the point that David had to perk his ears and lean forward to hear him. "... I got offered a job a Colossus Law International. It's extremely well-paying. Six figures which isn't bad for a graduate. The only problem is..." He took a deep breath. "It's in Australia," he squeaked.

"Australia...?" David choked, memories of his time there welling back up. Suddenly speechless, he was glad to have the level-headed Lillian there to take over.

"What's your plan, Arthur?" she asked gently.

"I was going to ask Abby if she'd come move with me." The bespectacled otter smiled calmly, clearly more at ease talking to Lillian. "I'd take care of her. Provide for her and promise to love her with everything I have. It's just that... she will be halfway across the world from you guys and I know how close you all are..."

"Well dear," replied Lillian, "ultimately, it's Abby's decision. Whether or not she wants to go is entirely up to her. But as parents, we all knew that our children would one day leave the house."

"When I'm on my death bed," grumbled David. "Or when the stench of my rotting carcass drives them away."

Ignoring him, Lillian wrapped Leon's sandwich neatly and placed it into a bag. "To be honest, if anyone was going to leave the nest first, we thought it'd be Caleb."

"But he's the youngest," Arthur said, puzzled.

"Maybe so but he is so much like David when he was younger." She nudged a sour David who was staring absently through the window, pretending not to listen to the conversation. "He put on a brave face, pleasant and always loving but in reality, he was out there doing things that while we didn't directly tell him not to do, was still fairly dangerous. Isn't that right, honey?"

David grumbled his confirmation.

"What about Lance and Leon though?" Arthur asked. "They've always struck me as the rebellious type."

"They're troublemakers," Lillian corrected. "And only Leon is. Yes, he likes to make trouble but a mother knows when her sons' hearts are always rooted at home. If there's anything about those boys that I know, it's that they will always come home." She sighed softly as she finished another sandwich and packed it away. "As for Abby, well I knew that she'd leave eventually but not quite so soon. I honestly thought I'd have to dangle something shiny in front of her to get her to leave." She smiled pleasantly at Arthur. "I'm glad I wasn't far from the truth. That ring you gave her certainly was a looker."

Arthur blushed and muttered some soft thanks. "So... You're okay with me asking Abby to move with me? To Australia?"

"If that's what she wants, nothing we can do will stop her," answered Lillian. "Nor would we want to. Right?" Her directed her last question at David who only replied with a grumbling. Wielding the butter knife, Lillian jabbed David's side lightly. "Right, dear?"

"Yeah, yeah," David growled, waving her away. "Kids got to spread their wings. Leave the nest. Grow on their own. Blah-blah. But damnit, I'm going to spend the next year showering my baby girl with attention!"

"Let's not forget your four-armed superhero of a son, the adoptive son who is your mirror in almost every way and the normal son who you want to protect with all your might."

"Them too," David sighed. "I wonder if they'd let me clone myself..."

Before any of them could say anything further, the garage door hummed open. The only other person who had any vehicle amongst them was Caleb so they watched the door into the garage for the Outsider. David honestly expected Lars to be accompanying his son but he was glad when Caleb stepped into the house alone. The couple reminded him so much of himself and Ryan, best friends for a while and then boyfriends later, one a super and the other an Outsider. He vowed to ensure that this relationship didn't end the same way his did.

"Ready for the big game, son?" he asked, brightening immediately.

"You bet!" Caleb answered, grinning broadly. From the sweat matted to his fur, the thick chords across his arms and neck and the plumpness of his pectorals, Davison had run them ragged but not enough to drain them of stamina for the game in an hour or so. "I'm just going to get cleaned up. I'll see you guys down here in a bit."

"Take all the time you need, honey," Lillian responded. "But we'll head out in about thirty minutes. Call your brother down." She turned to David. "Is Lance meeting us there?"

"Yes," answered David. "He -"

Lillian's expression suddenly darkened. "Caleb Hale! Claws!"

He heard a loud 'Damnit' from the hallway and had to admire his wife's ability to hear those miniscule sounds. He also had to admire Caleb's ability to forget that one fact over and over again despite being reminded practically every day. With a shake of his head, David turned back to his wife.

"Lance is wrapping up some things at the Tower. He should be there before kick off."

"Good," Lillian responded. "I didn't want Caleb and Lance to be so distant as they already are. Those two used to be so close." She spun the knife idly in her paw. "Not in a brotherly fashion but at least they said more to one another than the few grunts between bite of food after your brutal training sessions."

"They did break up," Arthur supplied with a shrug. "It's been only a few weeks since then and I doubt either of them have really had a chance to talk about it. I mean, if I broke up with Abby -"

Of all the times David wished he had laser vision, that moment would have been the time. Still, his piercing stare froze Arthur where he sat.

"N-n-not that I mean to, sir!" stuttered the otter. "A-a-all I'm saying is that in the hypothetical scenario that something bad happened between us and we hadn't had much time to talk about it, I'd be fairly tight lipped too."

David narrowed his eyes, easing Arthur's agony for just a little while. "You make a good point. Maybe I should force a confrontation between them..."

"Enough with the manipulation!" Lillian said while rolling her eyes. "Just come right out and say that you want Lance to stop being a follower and be a doer, tell Leon that he doesn't have to be a super to make a difference and Caleb that he -"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Paternal instincts kicked in and David was zooming up the stairs faster than his wife or son-in-law could process the scream had come from Caleb. He barged straight through the door, slamming his shoulder against the wooden frame. The impact from his super-powered body check sent the door flying off its hinges and crashing into the opposite wall in splinters.

"Caleb!" he cried.

His son was curled up underneath his sheets, shivering. Panic instantly set in and his quickly scanned the room, looking for the Gene Stealer that had managed to sneak into his home and infect Caleb. His tail was straight, ears folded back and lips peeled back to reveal his fangs. Blades of steel materialised around him as he quickly closed the distance between himself and his son.

"Where is he?" David snarled. "Come out you coward!" He spared a second to glance at Caleb who was shaking, no doubt fighting the transformation with all his might. Curled in the foetal position, Caleb looked so helpless but at the same time so brave and strong. "Just hang on, son. Just hang on."

"Uh... Mr. Hale..."

He spun towards the door where Arthur stood flanked by Abby, Lillian and a wide-eyed Leon. As he turned, every blade of steel in the room spun to face him, silencing the otter.

"Get out of here," he snarled. "Get out!"

"Dad..." Leon began tentatively. "I don't think -"

"Do as I say!"

"Daddy," Abby said. "Caleb isn't -"

With one paw firmly on Caleb's shoulder, he shouted, "Do it!"

"David!" Lillian shouted. "Look. Down!"

He glanced down... and right next to his bare foot... was a big, pink, rubber dildo... It took him a whole minute to process what had happened. "Oh..." He instinctively pulled his foot away from the device... and then slowly lowered it again while giving Caleb a look caught between laughter and concern. "Um... You should still all leave."

"He's right kids," Lillian said, guiding Leon and Arthur away. "David, the door if you would please."

He loved how she knew his powers just as well as he did. With a nod, he materialised a solid, metal door where Caleb's once stood, clamping it tightly against the doorframe. Once he was sure they had some degree of privacy, he turned back to his quaking son unsure whether or not he should be rolling on the floor laughing or being fatherly and comforting him. He was also unsure what to say. In his experience what Caleb had just tried to do was a pleasurable thing. Then again...

"So... did you use lube?"

A soft whimper emerged from his son. "Wh - What...?"

David bent down and picked up the big anatomically correct canine dildo. He didn't have to guess to know whose cock that was meant to be. "Lubricant, Caleb. It's to make sure that... it goes in easier."

Caleb just shook his head.

"Didn't you ever use lube when you were with Lance?"

Again, another shake of the head.

David was about to ask how the hell Caleb managed to penetrate Lance without tearing something but then remembered just how frequently his son masturbated no matter how subtle he tried to be. No doubt Caleb had been conditioned to the point that his cock was practically a burst water main of precum whenever he was aroused. Trying to push the sexual aspects of that thought aside, he said, "Preparing yourself for Lars, I guess?"

Again, Caleb nodded.

"Caleb, word of advice when offering yourself up to someone like that." David took a deep breath. Never in his wildest dream did he ever thing he'd be having such a talk with either of his sons. Even when he learned that Caleb and Lance were gay and fornicating wildly behind his back, he didn't think he'd have to tell his son how to lift his tail. Come to think of it, he wondered how Lance had become so adept in the practice without such a talk.

"You need to relax," he said. "Stay calm and _never_be afraid to ask your partner to stop. You'll be ready when you're ready. Don't be in a rush to raise your tail to someone just because that's what happens in the movies or stories. You only get to give your virginity once." He lifted a finger. "I'm not saying that the person who you give it to will be your soul mate. Even marriages are not final these days so someone being your first isn't a death sentence. But they will _always_be your first. That will never change. You need to think through this. You'll be ready when you're ready. Don't rush into it just because it's the night of the Fall Dance, you're about to win a game and both of you have just come out of some pretty dark places that you're desperate to find comfort in each other's arms."

Caleb rolled over and looked up at his father.

David gave his son a soft smile, gripping Caleb's shoulder tightly. "I've been there, remember? My breakdown came right after I was kicked out of home because I was a super." Now that he thought about it, it made him laugh. "Just about three months after I discovered my powers, really. I seriously considered turning to villainy. But then a good friend of mine convinced me to see the world, got me a job on a cruise liner and then I met Ryan. After that trip and after Ryan asked me to stay with him in Australia, I so desperately wanted him in me."

"And...?" Caleb asked softly.

"I held off," David admitted. "Maybe because I was a bit of a coward and I was afraid of getting hurt but I wanted to be sure. But when I was, that night with him..." David closed his eyes, lost momentarily in the memory of that magical night. "... it was magical." He patted Caleb's shoulder again as he opened his eyes. "So promise me, don't be pressured because of hormones, the situation or whatever else is on your mind. This is something you can never have back and they will always be your first. You have to be prepared for the consequences of what happens if things go south."

He could see his son's protests rising and he had prepared a list of his own counter arguments.

If Caleb said Lars was the one, he could always just say that he had just turned eighteen. Who knew what the next hundred or so years could hold.

It was his virginity to give. Yes but it would be no one's to return.

But Lars was going to take them to Seattle and have dinner and went to great expense for them.

True but money came and went. Time only moves in one direction and he could never take back those moments.

Strangely... Caleb lowered his gaze and gave him a faint nod.

David wasn't sure if he should be disappointed or proud. He clapped his son's shoulder one more time. "I love you son."

"Love you too, dad."

******

The game was going poorly.

Like many of the more challenging teams out there, they knew of the Halestorm. However, instead of sending a big, tough mountain of a man against Caleb, they sent a slim, athletically built wolverine. He was smaller than Caleb in every way - just about six foot nine and probably weighed in around two hundred and twenty pounds compared to Caleb's mounting three hundred fifteen. However, it wasn't about keeping Caleb from getting the ball.

No, the Leviathan's strategy was to make sure Caleb Hale just didn't get to the end zone.

Football had always felt like a lesser, more organised battlefield and with the war against the Gene Stealers, Caleb was loathed to admit he had grown rather complacent in football. His confidence was shot in the first play when Lars threw him the ball and he didn't make it more than five yards before the wolverine was there, slamming into his waist and sending him crashing. The ball slipped out of his grip in his shock and an opposing player seized it.

His permanent shadow, Ballard by the name on his back, was dogmatic in his assignment.

Things grew worse as time went on as Ralph had yet to make a recovery. Caleb couldn't help the defence as all his focus was on the offence. When the first point when to the Leviathans, his confidence began to waver.

But if there was anything he learned from having man slaughtered those bears, it was not to let himself slip into complete and total hopelessness. Just as Gabe had instructed him, he took a deep breath, counted to ten and let it out slowly. Focus returned to him.

On the next play Lars once again threw to him and he bolted right after the ball. He knew the wolverine was right behind him, just waiting for that second when Caleb seized the ball. Caleb didn't disappoint and snatched the ball from the air, being exactly where he needed to be. The wolverine saw his opportunity and bolted.

It was much to Ballard's surprise when Caleb turned around and tossed the ball high into the air, straight up. Like anyone else, the wolverine glanced straight upwards, eyes constantly on the ball. A mistake he would regret. With the wolverine's shoulders already primed for a tackle, Caleb vaulted onto those broad pads, climbing on top of the defensive player and seizing the ball right before it came back down. The force of his jump sent Ballard crashing to the ground, more stunned than injured.

The instant he hit the ground again, Caleb spun and shot down unopposed to the end zone.

Just by the foul look he got from Ballard, he knew he wouldn't get to make that play again.

As strong as their defensive side was, the Leviathan's were incredibly aggressive. They didn't have the size or bulk of guys like Gerard but their sheer tenacity and unwillingness to give up slowly pushed the defence back. When they were close enough, their kicker - a tall rabbit - would go for a field goal and he always got one in.

Caleb jammed his helmet on as possession was handed over to his side and he marched out onto the field to face Ballard once more. He expected some sort of ribbing for his previous antics but instead, what he got was...

"For a big guy, you're pretty nimble."

"Thanks," Caleb responded after a second. "Strength and speed make a good receiver."

"Smarts too, I'm guessing."

Already with another plan in mind, Caleb said, "You bet."

He heard the call and bolted. Like before, Ballard tailed him, conserving his energy for that moment when Caleb would be forced to slow down just a bit to catch the ball. Ballard was keeping a good three steps behind him and he guessed that was the formula. Three steps. Deciding to test his theory, he deliberately accelerated, overshooting where the ball would land. The crowd held their breath, wondering if the Halestorm had become too focused on losing his tail than catching the ball.

He was exactly three steps ahead of where the ball would land.

Caleb turned in place, arms out ready to catch the ball. Ballard no doubt suspected there was trickery afoot and tore his gaze from Caleb just to check where the ball would land. As he did so, Caleb saw the slight jerk in the wolverine's shoulders as he realised the ball was coming straight at him! Fans all over the West California High Stadium were on the edges of their feet as Caleb Hale would miss his first ever catch.

If only they knew.

Ballard had his back turned to Caleb. Getting possession of the ball was more appealing than taking down the star receiver, after all. But what he didn't know was that the very same star receiver had dabbled in the defence. Caleb let out a loud roar and surged forward, slamming his body straight into Ballard and sending them both to the ground. He only allowed himself a second to touch the grass beneath him before he immediately pushed off the wolverine, forcing the guy to eat dirt. He rolled backwards in a tight ball and -

Whump!

Caught the ball.

He didn't wait for the cheers of the crowd as he scrambled onto his feet and bolted down to the end zone. The cheer of the crowd was deafening in his ears. He hiked the ball in joy, throwing his paws up into the air and letting out his victory howl.

That victory, however, was short lived.

Despite the magnificence of his scoring, the Leviathans had a strategy.

Again, the Leviathans whittled down the Raptor's defences slowly and when they were close enough, they scored yet another field goal. By the end of the first quarter, the scores were at a sizable 3-18 lead in favour of the Raptors. Then, when the second quarter hit... things became _much_worse.

Ballard was royally pissed that he had been played for a fool three times already and wasn't going to give in to Caleb's trickery. But his focus was just on Caleb and that was exactly what the wolf wanted. Advance was slow as he stopped playing tricks for the first three downs of the second quarter, not even making it past ten yards. But, on the fourth down, he purposefully positioned himself close to the offensive line.

When Lars called hike, Caleb shot past Ballard. Again the wolverine made to intercept but -

WHAM!

Was immediately pinned down by one of the offensive linemen who had broken away from line. Lars was left vulnerable for just a second but he managed to toss the ball to the opponent's twenty yard line where he was taken down by another defender. With their tries once again set up, it was cake to get across and score yet another touchdown.

3-24.

But when it was the defence's side, the Leviathan's strategy soon became apparent.

Just like Caleb's play, the Leviathans closed the gap by ten yards before their tries expired. When they got to the point where they'd normally score a field goal, something terrible happened. The rabbit didn't step out for his kick. Instead, they went for a fourth try. And when bodies crashed against bodies, the Raptor's defensive line broke.

Caleb was amongst those of this teammates shouting for Gerard and the others to get up but by then, it was too late.

The score - and their lead - suddenly began turning against them.

9 - 24.

Just by the look of defeat on Gerard and his side's face, he knew that they were exhausted. Of the two sides of the team, the defence had seen more field time. They were exhausted. The offence for the Leviathans had to be just as exhausted but just like Ballard, they had only one goal in mind - close the gap.

"You'll get them next time," David said, encouraging the defence. "Come on, you can do it! Raptors!"

Suddenly, the downfall of having quick points from the offence became apparent. Yes, Caleb and his team were scoring all the big points but that meant that the defence was out there for longer and the Leviathans were exploiting that. They were weakening their defence bit by bit! Ballard had his job but the focus of Bridgewood was to break the line!

"Dad," he said softly as the rest of the offense marched onto the field.

"I know, son, I know," David responded grimly. "It's smart. Downright genius. You our offense is built for one thing: scoring points. We haven't trained to run down the clock." He patted Caleb's shoulder. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep scoring those points. As long as we keep the lead, no matter what they do, they can't catch up."

The problem with that was that Caleb was running out of tricks to play. During the next play, Lars tossed to the other receiver. Surprised by the move, Ballard lost a precious two seconds as Caleb shot towards the ball. He slipped between his fellow receiver and his tail. At that point, Caleb purposefully slammed himself into the other defensive tackle, leaving Ballard with the one receiver he did not know and already had a large lead on him.

They scored another touchdown but the Leviathans broke down their defence in just three downs.

Suddenly, Caleb was back out there and the second half of the Leviathan's plan came to fruition. With the defence exhausted, it was time for the offence to fall in line. Caleb had barely recovered from his earlier tackle when he was already out there, facing off against Ballard.

In that play, Ballard pinned him down and the ball slipped out of his paws.

Suddenly, the scores were slowly creeping up towards one another.

Halftime came with much needed relief.

The big Trophy Run came started off the show. Red the Raptor strode out egging on the crowd with his incredibly athletics and gymnastic skills. Alex was made for the role. On the other side, Leroy Leviathan strode out, flexing enormous fake muscles. In truth, he looked like the legendary Loch Ness monster only anthropomorphised. The two mascots stood at either end zone, ready to charge towards the trophy.

When the referee blew his whistle, Caleb cheered as loudly as he could, even exhausted as he was, as Red shot down the field. But Leroy was faster and seized the trophy just a second before Red could. Instead of engaging in a death grapple for the large, golden cup Red really showed his athleticism by vaulting over Leroy, somersaulting in the air and landing directly opposite Leroy. He was suddenly blocking Leroy's path to his own end zone.

It wasn't over.

"Come on, Red!" Caleb roared. "Come on!"

Leroy tried bolting to the left and then to the right but Red was always right there, blocking his path. In desperation, Leroy tried jabbing the trophy forward like a spear.

That was his undoing.

Red seized the trophy instead and threw his entire weight on it. The crowd broke into a riotous cheer as one end of the trophy hit the ground and the other jabbed at Leroy's chin, stunning the Leviathan. Red _bolted_up the length of the trophy and pressed his foot against Leroy's head. He launched himself into the air, arms wide like he was really flying. Red spun in the air. Cameras flashed from all over the stadium as the Raptor flew while the Leviathan staggered. Red landed at the foot of the trophy, his momentum causing the trophy to jump straight upwards and deal the final, humiliatingly crushing blow to Leroy. The base end of the trophy slammed into Leroy's chin one more time, sending the Leviathan crashing backwards.

Red casually caught the spinning trophy, hoisted it on his shoulder and swaggered all the way to the end zone.

Raptor fans went wild.

Caleb was the first to hit the locker rooms and greet a sweating but grinning Alex.

"Holy shit!" he shouted. "That was amazing!"

"I took a leaf out of your book," Alex responded with a grin.

"You did?"

"Yeah. Football isn't just about playing on a horizontal plane, right? There's up and there's down."

Suddenly reinvigorated, the Raptors played even harder, fighting through exhaustion and mounting odds to bring about the best game they had ever played.

The score was Raptors 42 and Leviathans 53.

******

Caleb didn't have time to wallow in misery at their loss. Beaten, battered and bruised, he got undressed, took a quick shower and then hurried into the family van with the rest of the Hales. The thirty minutes it took to drive from West California High back home was the most agonising in his life. He couldn't help but feel that he could've done something if he had helped the defence. Maybe if he hadn't been so focused on the offence and ended up slipping up as he grew more and more exhausted, they would've won.

Someone in the car reassured him that they were still in the semi-finals. They'd likely face the Leviathans in the playoffs assuming they win their next game. It was dull comfort and his entire body felt too numb from being constantly tackled in the second half of the game to really feel any warmth from the fact.

He learned a lesson, though. The game wasn't just about scoring points. It was about making sure the other side of the team also had a moment to take a breath, regain their strength. Two sides of the same coin.

When they reached the house, he instinctively went up the stairs, got called back down because he once again forgot his slippers, and went straight to the shower. It didn't occur to him that he had already taken a shower at school until he had finished. Refusing to let himself drop into depression, he took a deep breath.

Held it for ten seconds.

Then let it out.

"Still in the semis," he told himself. "Next time, we're going to wipe the floor with them." He regarded his reflection in the mirror, eyes narrowed in intensity. "No more speed plays. We're fighting the clock just as we're fighting the other team."

"Caleb!" a shout came from downstairs. It was his mother. "Lars is here!"

A fresh set of panic set in.

"Crap!" He swiped a comb from the bathroom sink and hurriedly combed his hair. "I'll be down in a minute!" After he finished, he realised his hair had been slicked back like he was a thirty-something business man. Shaking it free of the garish arrangement, he tried splitting it down the middle and was reminded of his nerd years. Grunting loudly, he just ran a pat through his hair, giving it some order but at the same time ensuring that it was that perfect style of roguish disarray that made sure he looked his age.

Satisfied, he rushed out of the bathroom, a towel barely around his waist. He slammed his door shut as he took out his suit. Caleb grunted with discomfort as he shoved his pumped legs into the slacks and hoped to high heaven that the seat of his pants wouldn't tear. Thankfully, his tense, steel-like glutes fit into the slacks even after he tucked the white, collared shirt in them. He debated whether or not he should throw on a tie or not but then realised he didn't know how to tie one and left it. Some socks and his formal shoes later, he picked up his jacket and moved towards the door. With the jacket over his shoulder casually, he strode down the steps.

Lars stood at the base of the steps with his parents. Caleb's heart leapt to his throat and clogged his airways at the sight of the handsome Doberman, his hair slicked back in a very formal fashion and his huge, muscular frame barely contained by a bright, white suit, a red tie and his naturally dark colouration the only thing breaking the light that was the canine.

"You clean up pretty well," Caleb commented nonchalantly.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Lars chuckled.

When Caleb reached the ground floor, he saw the camera in his mother's paws and the way his father was beaming brightly. Rolling his eyes, he turned back towards Lars and said, "What? No roses? No chocolates? What kind of date are you?"

"Didn't think you'd be the kind to want the princess treatment, bud," Lars countered. "But if you want..." He lifted a paw and with a bit of flare, flames erupted from his fingertips. The fire moulded itself into the perfect semblance of a long stem rife with leaves and the delicate, velvety petals of a rose.

"Holy shit!" Caleb exclaimed, jaw dropped in surprise. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Neither could I!" Lars replied with big grin. "But since yesterday, I've been feeling myself grow stronger! My control over fire is just... " His grin softened as he offered Caleb the flower. "... Well, you make me strong, Cale. Go on. Touch it. It won't hurt you."

Tentatively, Caleb reached for the flower. A gentle warmth radiated from the crimson flower. There as a mesmerising beauty to the constantly moving and flickering surface of the plant. It was like someone had trapped raw fire beneath a layer of glass shaped like a flower. When he fingers touched the petal, he was surprised that it felt just a little warm. No burning.

"I can even control the heat it radiates. Cool, huh?"

"Cool is right," Caleb laughed, taking the flower and turning it over. "Shit dude, this is awesome."

"Language, Caleb," Lillian said half-jokingly. "Now come on you two. Time for a photo."

It felt so natural to just stand side by side Lars, drape one arm over the Doberman's shoulder and lean close with a big grin on his face like he was just taking another photo with a teammate. But as he held the fiery flower in his paws in between them, he knew this was more than just two best friends taking a photograph with one another. His mother lifted the square camera up to her eyes and told them both to smile.

Caleb couldn't stop smiling.

The moment Lillian pressed the button, rays of light erupted from the lens of the camera and danced all over them both, taking in every contour, ever strand of fur and every wrinkle in their clothing for the highest definition photograph modern technology could provide. The camera then floated off her paw and zoomed around them both in a tight circle, taking pictures from all angled to ensure that should viewers want, they could see the happy couple in perfect 3D.

"Okay!" Lillian exclaimed, snatching the camera from the air. "Now have fun, you two. Be back before midnight."

"Mom! It's already eight!" Caleb whined.

"Fine! Two at the latest, young man."

David coughed softly and moved towards the two. "And in case both of you decide to... celebrate, do keep it down."

"Dad!"

Lars snickered and was pulled out the door.

******

Dinner had been sublime.

Though Lars didn't have enough funds to spring for the _true_Space Needle Experience, it was still nice to see the Seattle skyline at night and eat fine food. He griped playfully about hoping they could jump through the portal to the second restaurant that hovered in geosynchronous orbit about the Space Needle but last he heard, that cost an arm and a leg. Had Lars spend that much money on them both, he probably would've taken him there and then above the world.

Conversation remained on the terms of guy stuff and the many things they held in common. It occurred to Caleb that since he had revealed himself to be an Outsider and Lars was a super, neither of them had really any time to talk to one another one-on-one like that. He found he enjoyed it and wished they could do it more often.

As it stood, it was a pleasant dinner and an amazing first date.

At nine-thirty, they headed back to West California High into the Main Hall of the school where the Fall Dance was already in full swing. All thoughts of their loss against the Leviathans were pushed aside. Everyone was there to have fun.

Balloons coloured white and sky blue were everywhere making bridges across the ceiling. A soft mist hung on the ground for added ambiance while lights flashed everywhere. Someone had sprung for a glass dance floor that was suspended above the main dance floor. Balloons littered this glass floor and it looked like people were dancing on the balloons themselves. Added to that, large bubble machines were in full swing, pumping out bubbles everywhere. People could even step through one of the large person-sized rings and emerge in a bubble if they wanted.

Lars excused himself as they stepped through the main doors. Caleb caught sight of the rest of the team and made a beeline for them.

Amongst them, he saw Ralph.

"Hey slacker!" he laughed, nudging the lion. It surprised him that Ralph had grown out his mane but he made no mention of it. "We could've used you out there!"

Ralph grinned at him broadly and patted his injured side. "I didn't heal up as fast as I thought I would. But hey, I'll be there to smash the Leviathans into the ground in the finals!"

The rest of the team let out a loud 'Yeah! Raptors!'

"So where's this date of yours?" Ralph asked.

Feeling a little defensive, Caleb countered with, "Where's yours?"

A soft blush touched Ralph's cheeks and the rest of the team exchanged knowing glances. "Well..." Huge, thick arms suddenly surged out from the crowd of muscular football players and seized Ralph's waist. The smaller lion laughed softly as he was pulled towards Gerard's bigger, taller frame.

Caleb's jaw dropped. "Whu... Buh...?"

"He owed me a date," Ralph replied with a cheeky smile and a shrug. "It was shitty. I was in the hospital and he brought me Asian takeaway and we watched old football games all night."

"You loved it," Gerard laughed.

Ralph rolled his eyes and hiked a thumb at Gerard. "If you're wondering why I didn't recover as fast as I did, blame him."

Caleb just broke into a big grin. "I don't think I really can." He gave Ralph a light punch. "I'm happy for ya." Then he shook Gerard's hand. "Go easy on him. We still need our defensive captain!"

"No promises there!"

He joined in the laughter. As it died down, a soft tap fell on his shoulder. The awed expressions on the other team told him Mary was behind him.

Caleb turned...

... and his jaw dropped.

"May I have this dance?" Rhiannon asked, holding out her paw. Since she normally dressed like an overzealous Goth, Caleb was completely stunned at the figure-hugging strapless dress she wore. Light, golden silk hugged her athletic figure to accentuate her curves especially those of her bosom. Just to make sure her hips popped out all the more, there was a white belt that was wrapped around her waist that he wasn't sure served a purpose. The rims of the dress flared out at the edges, almost making her look like a mermaid.

"Um... Of course."

"Go Halestorm!" Gerard cried.

"Way to score the hot Goth chick!" Ralph chimed in.

He got similar calls from the rest of the team but before he could clarify that Rhia wasn't his date, the Hound of Destruction took his paws and pulled him to the dance floor. Her hair was tied up into a neat little bun behind her ears with just two strands allowed to hang by her temples.

"You look..." Caleb began.

"Stunning? Ravishing? Breathtaking?"

"Out of character," he finished with a smile. "Please tell me this isn't your way of luring us into a false sense of security before you unleash all hell upon us."

Rhiannon laughed softly as they swung to the beat of the gentle music. "One of the best things about playing as the eyes and ears of Shin-Lazar and your team's guardian angel is that I get vacation days. As the Hound, it's always work."

"Arcturus must be in hell then."

"Oh he loves it. You know him. He's all business."

Remembering his brief interactions with the Hound of Death, Caleb had to admit that was true. "So no ulterior motive to destroy the world, torment children or spike the punch with some sort of hallucinogenic substance that will allow you to unleash your illusionary powers and then later just blame it on the drugs?"

Rhia pulled away from him for a second. "Have you been talking to Ashton?"

"I was just making a wild guess because I think I've gotten a gauge of your personality." Then he stared at her in suspicion. "Wait... Have you spiked the punch?"

Rhiannon gave him a coy smile and batted her eyes at him.

He groaned and sent out a thought that he knew the only person who could stop Rhiannon could hear. "So... you have about ten seconds before Mary comes here and tears you away from my paws. Anything you want to say?"

"I do," she answered. "Enjoy your life, Caleb Hale. You only get one."

"Ahem."

Rhiannon rolled her eyes. "Hello Madam Killjoy." She spun, paws on her hips. Mary stood there, dressed in a velvety red evening dress with one strap wrapped around her right shoulder. Like Rhiannon, it wrapped around her form to accentuate her curves but unlike her, she had sleeves that cut off about halfway down her upper arm and trailed off into long, billowing curtains of red behind her. There was a cup of punch in her right and while the other was on her hip.

"Spiked the punch, did you?" Mary asked. "You realise that someone's probably already beaten you to it. The cocktail of drugs you've mixed in could potentially be fatal."

"And?" Rhiannon countered.

"Well, if someone of Arsenal were to drink it, your mission to protect and guide us would be a failure."

"Heaven forbid that you should overdose on drugs," the Hound of Destruction countered. "Honestly, I'm surprise your parents didn't pump you full of medication after learning what a little, manipulative psycho you were."

Mary's eyebrows rose for the briefest of moments in a sign of acknowledgement. "Caleb saved me. Speaking of which." She thrust the cup of punch at Caleb. "Caleb. Drink."

Caleb blinked in surprise. "Wait a second. You want me to drink the potentially lethal punch? Why?"

"Because of Little Miss Drug Dealer did spike the punch, you'd be dead and she'd fail her mission. If she didn't then she's clearly a liar."

"So you're putting my life on the line just so that you can prove her wrong?"

"Quit complaining and drink."

Caleb took a step away, waving his paws. "Nuh-uh. I'm going to go over there" - he hiked his thumb in the other direction - "before you two both go nuclear. Laters."

He turned and was glad that the music suddenly picked up so he couldn't hear the two women arguing. Winding his way through the crowd, he managed to make his way to the base of the stage where the band was playing. It was a student band and they were pretty good. Suspended on the hovering platform, they rose above the rest of the crowd and could be clearly seen.

"Pretty good, huh?" Ben asked, leaning against Caleb's shoulder. "All werewolves."

He gave Ben a surprised look. "Really?"

"Yep. Well. After tonight they will be." He flashed Caleb a mischievous grin. "I plan on ambushing them after they're nice and drunk, fucking them silly, biting them and then dragging them off to my _fabulous_mansion for a fun-filled weekend of fucking, brain washing and whatever else I can think of."

Frowning at Ben and at the cup of punch he had, Caleb said, "I can't tell if you're just being playful or you're serious. Or if that's the punch talking."

"I think he's just being silly," came Ashton's British baroque. The tiger, dressed in a suave black tuxedo complete with coattails and a cane, tapped Ben lightly and the werewolf shrugged. Like Ben, he had a cup of punch too. "Have you seen Mary? She just up and bolted away in mid conversation."

"She's currently debating with Rhia whether or not the latter spiked the punch to lethal doses." Caleb grinned at the tiger. "And considering how you aren't spouting prophetic words, I'm assuming she didn't."

Ashton regarded his empty cup with a frown. "One would think there would be a far better test of poison content than one man's ability to say things other people think is insane." He shrugged and glanced around. "Where's Lars? I thought you were coming with him?"

That was a very good point. "He said he had to meet someone the moment we stepped through the door. I haven't -"

The song drew to a close. The familiar noise of someone tapping the microphone brought his attention to the stage. His jaw dropped as his boyfriend, a guitar strapped around his shoulders.

"Hi everyone," Lars said, waving sheepishly at the crowd. "I'm Lars. Erm... Quarterback of the football team, if you didn't know." He coughed softly as all eyes turned towards him. "Anyway, this song is for a special guy that's always been there for me, made me stronger and always pushed me to become a better person." He took a deep breath and his eyes locked directly with Caleb's. "Caleb, this one's for you."

Almost every light in the house dropped, leaving only two spotlights active. One was pointed at Lars and the other aimed directly at Caleb. A soft, gentle trill from a piano began the song followed by Lars' gentle strumming of his guitar. Suddenly, Caleb was unable to breathe and the world just seemed to freeze around him. In that moment, it was just him and Lars...

"When I am down..." Lars began, his voice carrying throughout the hall, clear, beautiful and perfectly in tune. "... and oh my soul so weary."

Caleb's heart began beating to the slow rhythm of the song.

"When troubles come and my heart burden be."

His throat had gone dry and though his eyes wanted so desperately to blink, he couldn't tear his gaze from Lars for a second.

"Then I am still and wait here in the silence. Until you come and sit a while with me."

Suddenly, all the other instruments and their players joined in. Violins played somewhere to his right. The lights to his right sprang up, showing the violinists emerging from the crowd. Soft trumpets joined in to his left and they too became illuminated.

"You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains," Lars sang, the rest of the stage becoming encased in the light."You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas! I am strong, when I am on your shoul-ders! You raise me up..." Lars lowered his guitar, smiling brightly down at Caleb. "... To more than I can be."

The stage began to lower itself. With every inch it fell, Lars continued to sing. "You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains! You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas!"

Behind Caleb, a second choir joined in, echoing Lars'.

"I am strong, when I am on your shoul-ders!"

Lars stepped off the stage, his eyes shining.

"You raise me up..."

He pulled off his guitar and handed it to Ashton who was waiting diligently beside him. The last few steps between him and Caleb disappeared in a few seconds, the two spotlights shining on them joining as one.

"... to more than I can be."

Caleb... Caleb had no idea what to say...

But he knew what to do.

He flung his arms around Lars' neck... and pressed his lips against the Doberman's. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the band continued the song. But all of that disappeared into the background. In that moment, it was just all about himself and Lars. Eyes closed, he just let himself get lost in the moment, sharing the same breath as his boyfriend.

Far in the back of the crowd that was splitting into couples, Rhiannon tore off one of Mary's long strips of cloth hanging from her sleeves. They both watched the two boys before they disappeared in the crowd.

"Finally," they both said in unison.

The girls exchanged glances, surprised at the moment of synchronisation between them. For the briefest of moments, they shared a smile... Then Mary swung the other cloth hanging from her arms around Rhiannon's neck and pulled her down to the ground, choking the life out of her.

One arm around his boyfriend's neck, Ralph shook his head. "Finally," he said. The rest of the team echoed his sentiments.

Ashton raised his cup of punch, toasting the couple. Beside him, Ben stood with a content smile on his face.

"Finally."