FSE

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Well we've reached the final chapter. I'm not sure how satisfied I am with the ending. It has actually been re-written three times, and among all of the versions, I think I'm most partial to this one. There will be an epilogue chapter to come after this that will consist primarily of adult material. Belleraphon has been a labor of love, and I thank those of you who have stuck with me until the end. I am truly humbled that anyone would take the time to read my story, and I thank you all for joining me on this journey.

Chapter 9A

Raphon

I'm not sure when I fell asleep. At some point the anesthesia took over, and I later found that everything that had happened during the earlier points of that day felt like an anxious blur. This was probably for the best, as I was informed that I was on-edge about the procedure all morning. I had felt horrible about what had been done to Dr. Peregrine, but I knew in my heart that I had to go through with this, regardless of her feelings about it. She was my mother, even if she wasn't aware that I knew, but I had a dedication to Belle's request that meant much more to me, at the time.

Waking from anesthesia is an odd sensation; one in which I wasn't particularly sure where or who I was for the first few minutes. I felt dazed and confused, peering out at the bustling doctors and scientists as though through a television screen. They rushed about the crowded, stark-white room in an anxious manner, each checking various charts, diagrams and machines in order to ascertain facts I could only speculate, even if I had been in a proper frame of mind.

Soon, the memories of everything that had transpired began to bubble into my consciousness, and I shot my eyes open desperately, craning my neck to look at the head adjacent to my own. I began to realize that I was unable to see, hear or otherwise experience the senses of Belle's face, and our heart began turning somersaults in our chest. There she was! Her eyes open and staring up at the ceiling. I felt my skin tingle with excitement as I stuttered out a weak, "Belle..."

She said nothing. She did nothing. Nothing about her blank stare changed, and I felt that excitement begin to fade. "Belle. It's me, Raph." No reaction. "Belle, please" I pleaded, but the answer came from nearby, instead.

"We aren't sure what's going on." It was Dr. Peregrine. She had been standing over me the entire time, on the opposite side of Belle. I looked at her with the same dreary expression, my mind still addled by the drugs.

Dr. Lu continued, saving me the trouble of asking, "Belle's mind is reading as active, but she's showing no visible reaction to any stimuli. At first we thought maybe you were in control still, however you are clearly not."

"I.. what? What's going on?" I stammered.

Dr. Peregrine offered a simplified version. "The lights are on, but nobody is home. Belle is in there, but she's catatonic. What's odd is that her mind is reading like a healthy, undamaged brain. She's processing thoughts as though nothing is wrong. They held up a small screen to my face, which displayed an active readout of my sister's brain functions in the form of small white pulses. I watched as it flashed and lit up as though there were positively nothing wrong, and then looked to her face once more, reminding myself that she wasn't responsive.

I attempted to sit up, my body feeling gelatinous and unstable, and saw that despite her unresponsive state, Belle's head remained aloft. I don't pretend to be an expert on science, and even less-so regarding medicine, but I knew enough to know that if Dr. Peregrine was stumped, then something must have been astoundingly off. Still, I hoped that this was a step in the right direction: She was back in her own head, and she wasn't brain-dead, so perhaps it was just a matter of time before we could bring her back.

I recalled that I had sent a message to Clover before going under the knife, explaining the situation and letting her know that, in case I didn't wake up, I loved her. It's a selfish thing to tell someone who has been trying to hard to distance themselves from you, but as I checked my phone, I was relieved to see the words "I love you too" amidst the other words of concern and worry. I did my best to send her news, but between not knowing the full details myself and being completely lost to the disorientation, I could have probably done better. I endured another three hours of tests before I was finally released. By then, I was feeling much more active than I had been upon waking. I was escorted back to my room, though I think it was mostly for my safety.

Now laying on our bed, I held out our phone so that Belle could see the messages from Clover too, "See that? She was really worried about us." There was, of course, no response, but I continued anyway. Using my thumb, I began swiping through pictures until I came upon one particular photo of the beautiful cowlie, which showed her peeking over her shoulder in surprise. "Remember this one, Belle? We snuck up behind her at school, and I did my impersonation of an angry teacher. She punched my shoulder, then we all laughed."

I'm not sure what I was expecting by carrying on a conversation with her in this unresponsive state: Maybe I was hoping that somewhere in there, she could hear my words and they would bring her comfort in whatever state she was in. I might have honestly just wanted someone to talk to. What I didn't expect was the faint, popping sound I heard. At first, I thought I might have imagined it, and turned my head to check, on reflex. What I saw was the gentle movement of her jaws, as she smacked her lips weakly, like someone without the energy to do so.

My heart jumped, and I quickly reached for the button at the side of our bed which was designed to alert staff in case of an emergency, slamming my paw down upon it with enough strength to break it.

"Belle! Are you in there? Are you trying to speak?" I called out to her. Her lips began to move again, and for the briefest of moments, half-lidded eyes rotated to look in my direction. I could feel her breath on my cheek and I knew that our lungs were working overtime from my anxiousness. "Belle! Is that you? Please tell me that's you!" I pleaded over and over for some sign that she was in there. I kept talking to her; begging her; reassuring her, and soon I heard a weak, croak-like sound forming in her throat.

At this time the door to our room was thrown open, and Doctors Lu and Peregrine, and several other members of staff came rushing into the room, drowning out my pleads in their own cacophonous inquiries. Belle continued to struggle to speak, as they all crowded around her, calling to her and asking pointless questions. She cast her gaze to me again, out of the corner of her eye, her mouth trembling against the need to speak.

[Can you make them shut up.]

the voice was in my head, but it was unmistakably hers. I wasn't sure how to respond, but I hazarded just thinking the answer, and simply spoke her name as if in question of identity.

[Yeah. I'm here. It feels like everything is responding slow... Kind of feels like sleep paralysis.]

The caddywhumpus about the room was making it hard to concentrate on her messages, and I finally shouted, "Would you all shut up?! She's talking to me!" Everything came to a halt instantly, and they looked at me with assorted expressions of offense and curiosity.

[Well that was aggressive.] She mused in a tone I had come to know as her own brand of sarcasm.

[Sorry. How long have you been conscious?] I glanced around at the eager faces, holding up a finger and purposely giving the 'I'm on the phone' expression to keep them at bay.

[A few minutes. I was dreaming before that.]

I asked the question that worried me the most, getting it out there. [Do you think this is permanent? I mean... I guess it's a huge improvement over before.]

I saw her head shake out of the corner of my eye, and the entire conglomeration of scientists jumped in reaction. I held them back with an intense glare and another wave of my single finger. [I don't think so. It feels like everything is speeding up, slowly. I'm going to try speaking, again.]

The sound I heard to my right sounded stuttered and weak, but it was clearly "Fuck."

Dr. Peregrine's face turned red, and a few staff members chuckled amongst themselves while others looked at us with scientific interest. [I think you just gave mom a heart attack.] I laughed

[Mom?]

[I'll explain later. A lot has happened since you disappeared.]

She went silent in my head for about a minute, but at last she lunged forward with a gasp of air, as if waking from a nightmare. The entire staff jumped back, with the exception of Dr. Peregrine, who fell to her knees aside the bed, her eyes glossy as she blinked the tears into being. Belle looked about the room, our lungs working overtime as she took in panicked breaths and attempted to steady us. I didn't feel as though control had been arrested from me, so much as I was sharing it with her: It was an odd sensation.

After a moment of weak panting, she seemed to find the appropriate words. Wetting her lips and inhaling heavily, she finally addressed the room. "Worst. Vacation. Ever."

Chapter 9B

Clover

I had taken the next day off from school. Between bludgeoning a man into unconsciousness and finding out that Raphon was about to undergo surgery to try and retrieve Belle, I needed some time to process everything that had happened. I decided not to mention the events the previous evening to Raph, and instead occupied my time with catching up on the podcasts I had previously abandoned when I had thought the twins had abandoned me. I had kept up with Raphon over Candygram until minutes before the surgery, and I could tell that he was growing more and more agitated as the event approached. I was worried too: What if he didn't wake up? What if he died? I had already lost Belle.

Honestly it was easier to mentally prepare for the worst than to imagine that the entire procedure might be a success and ultimately be let down. To distract myself, I had gone to the farm apartments to visit with Taffy, who seemed quite excited to have me. Her place had been cleaned in a hurry, as was apparent by the trash can overflowing with assorted garbage, the sink full of dishes, and the nearly-overpowering scent of air freshener. She didn't entertain guests a lot, it seemed.

As soon as I entered, she could probably tell I was out-of-sorts, and I proceeded to explain everything that was happening two states over. She was quick to offer me a drink, and I happily accepted a glass of water and plopped on the couch. Taffy was a beautiful woman in that handsome, rugged, farm girl way. She was built like a female bodybuilder from years of field work, with the kind of feminine hips one might expect from any arboreal species. She was also impressively top-heavy, and I must admit I had made note of this little tidbit on more than one occasion. She sat on the couch with me (but kept about one entire person's distance between us) and flipped off the television, wracking her brain for something to say. I felt like she was trying too hard to be a good hostess, and that I would have been fine with watching TV and simply enjoying her company.

"So... I listened to that podcast you told me about. I like it! I'm about six episodes in, now. I like to listen while I'm working." I provided the obligatory 'Oh?' and 'I'm glad you like it,' but bringing up Chronos, only reminded me of the one who had first introduced me to it. I missed her. I missed Raph, too. Still, I wasn't being fair to Taffy: She was trying very hard to be distracting for me, and I was being a dud.

"So... do you get rowdies like last night a lot?" I managed to inquire, suddenly remembering the man I had assaulted with an old board.

Taffy laughed, "No, most of the folks around these parts're pretty friendly. Wilson has been a problem for a long time. Drunk. Abusive. Reminds me of my pa."

I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen Taffy's parents around, which was odd, as she had lived on the farm when we were children. I wasn't sure how to inquire, but I found myself blatantly spurting out, "Was he an asshole? I can realate."

"He still is. They were both arrested a while ago. I was put into the system until I was eighteen, and then came back here because it was the only home I knew. Honestly your dad has been more of a dad to me than my old man." I smiled. My father really was in stark contrast with Tom. Still, I couldn't deny that there seemed to be a lot of tragedy in people I was close to.

I checked my phone for about the hundredth time and, seeing that no new messages had arrived, finally placed it on the cluttered coffee table next to a pile of mail and an old glass that looked to contain the caked remains of beer froth. By now, Taffy admitted defeat to my distracted brain and simply turned on the television, offering me a smile as if to assure me that she understood. The residents had to pay for their own cable, and seeing as they didn't have to pay rent, they all seemed to have no trouble with their own ammennities.

As she channel-flipped, I could see her gauging my reaction to each presented show or movie. Eventually we settled on an old episode of the sitcom 'Turbulence.' This was a welcome distraction and we both found ourselves laughing at the the comedic antics of actors from two decades earlier playing the parts of airline staff. We were into the second consecutive episode when the fatigue of an entire morning worrying began to get to me, and I found myself nodding off. I'm not sure what possessed me to make such a move without having discussed it with Taffy beforehand, but without warning I re-positioned myself on the couch, lying on my side against the big roo and resting my head upon her cushiony bosom.

For some reason, this motion didn't seem like a risk at all, despite barely knowing Taffy, and I was rewarded for my efforts by a pair of strong arms encircling me, resting on my hip and interlocking fingers so as not to fall. Was there something there? Was Taffy into me, after all these years? I didn't really know and, honestly I was too mentally drained to even consider that my advance might be misconceived as romantic.

Wait... what was wrong with being romantic? I was single, wasn't I? Belle and Raph were an impossibility at this point. Two states over, and distance wasn't even the worst thing keeping us apart. I curled tighter into the warm body beneath me and sighed. I longed for this closeness... and yet everything about it just felt wrong. I felt like I was cheating, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong at all. I deserved to be happy, damn it... but this wasn't going to be the thing that did it.

I don't know if Taffy could tell what I was thinking, but I felt her muzzle peck my forehead in a gentle kiss, and heard her sweet voice reassure me. "I'm here when you need me, Clover. I know I'm not your girl, and that's okay."

I looked up with a bit of shame on my face, "I mean... I don't know what I am."

She laughed, though it came out soft and not the least bit derisive, "Well, I think you're a beautiful young woman who's going through a lot of shit. Whatever you are, you still love those two back at your old town... and as much as I'd like to take full advantage of your current, confused state, I can tell that it wouldn't end well for either of us."

I rested my head back upon her soft flesh and sighed, "I'm sorry... I'm not trying to use you..."

She laughed harder this time,"Use me? Sweetheart, I'm enjoyed this company as much as you are. I just don't want to do anything that would jeopardize it happening again."

I couldn't argue with that logic and I smiled, "You're really hot, if it helps. If I weren't such a mess right now, I'd be lucky to have you." She huffed playfully, as though I were spouting lies, "So... what makes you so sure I'm still in love with Belle and Raph?"

"Was it a secret? You came here worried, you've checked your phone a hundred times, you've talked about them six times since the show started."

I flinched, "Oh... I'm sorry."

"What for?" She looked at me quizzically. "You love who you love. I invited you over here to hang out. The fact that we're cuddling on the couch is more than I had expected to happen, and I assure you that it's a welcome surprise."

On the coffee table, my phone buzzed, and I felt my entire body tense as I hesitated to reach for it. Taffy snorted a laugh at my attempt to restrain my anxiousness, and released me, "Check it, ya goof. I wanna know how it went too!"

I lunged for my phone and quickly opened Candygram, biting down upon my lip as I read the message from Raph.

Footba11king2323: I'm awake. Belle is... we aren't sure yet. We think it's better but there's still a lot of tests to run or something, idk. I'm still drugged and tired. I'll try to explain later. I'm sorry. Thank you.

The relief that Raph was alive was quickly washed away by the lack of information. I couldn't fault Raphon for being exhausted after being under anesthesia for several hours, but a tiny part of me was still disappointed. Returning my phone to its previous location on the coffee table, I sighed and fell back onto Taffy, who returned her arms around me.

"Bad news?"She gazed down at me, and despite not actually seeing her face, I could feel the concern.

"No news. Raph is alive, but they aren't sure what's going on with Belle." It occurred to me how quickly Taffy had grown used to the idea of a person with two heads, and I wondered if she was able to do so with such ease because she was being empathetic toward me. By now, I had grown weary from all of the waiting and concern, and I felt my eyelids weigh down as though I hadn't slept in months.

I'm not sure when I passed out; I only remember waking up in Taffy's bed, curled tightly against the warm body of my kangaroo companion. She had left me clothed, but upon closer inspection, she had removed her own bra and pants for comfort, and had drifted off into a nap, herself. Naps are the worst: You always wake up feeling more exhausted and disoriented than you were when you fell asleep. Blinking against the afternoon sun that beamed through the bedroom blinds, I sat up groggily and searched for my phone, which I found lying on the bedside table. I reached for it and fumbled, dropping it onto the floor below. Groaning in annoyance, I leaned further forward, kneeling so that while I was reaching over the bed, my back end was held high in the air.

"Wow, that's not what I expected to see when I woke up." Came a playful voice behind me, and I couldn't help but chuckle in response. My fingertips hooked about the device and lifted it into my palm.

"Sorry about that. I know most folks aren't fans of an ass in their face first thing in the morning." I offered playfully, giving my hips a wiggle that was meant to be more joking that tantalizing. The effect might have been more enticing than I intended, because the next thing I felt was the pressure of fingers digging into my jeans-clad right cheek. My breath caught in my throat, and I found myself freezing in place from surprise alone, my joints locking up. "Ah... I... uhm... Taffy please I..." I kept stammering the beginning of sentences, but the second half of each thought was abandoned as quickly as the first half left my mouth.

Her grip loosened, and I felt the odd sensation of her muzzle playfully pressed into my posterior, a tiny pinch coming from her roo teeth biting gently. It felt weird. Really weird. This isn't to say I didn't like it, but perhaps I was merely aching to be touched, regardless of how or by whom. I shook slightly, my elbows feeling weaker against the weight of my upper body as her thumbs worked over the rotund shape of my ass.

"I can stop any time, pup. I won't be upset." She offered with as much sincerity as she could muster while focused on teasing me.

"I...I..." I stammered. Something warm and flat pressed into my leg, and I realized that she was licking firmly up my crevice, her thumbs squeezing tightly to my inner thigh. Higher and higher the sensation rose, until I felt her nose bury against my snatch. I was so pent-up that I moaned unceremoniously in surprise, jolting slightly from the touch. The result was that my hand slipped, sending me falling, face-first, onto the floor below.

At this point, humiliation overtook arousal, and I laid on my back, legs sprawled against the wall behind me. For her part, Taffy rushed to my aid with a look of concern, "Clover! Are you okay!?" She peered over the bed, at me, and our eyes locking as she took in the awkward sight of me laying L-shaped between the wall and floor, with my udder laying flat against my stomach and my legs waving in the air as I tried to get up.

She started laughing at my turtle-like antics. At first I felt like I wanted to die of embarrassment, but as she climbed down to assist me, I felt the bubble of amusement begin to boil to the surface of my mind, and joined her in a jovial laugh. We both flopped back onto the bed, giggling with the mood completely ruined, and I checked my phone, at last.

I had eight missed calls from Raphon.

I sighed and presented Taffy an apologetic look. "Sorry I... am kinda awkward. I've gotta head out anyway..."

She smiled affectionately and kissed my nose, which caused me to sneeze slightly. This only made her grin wider. "Go check on your partners."

"I mean... I don't think they're my..."

"Honey, they're your partners. Doesn't matter what state they're in, you love them."

I considered this thought as I got up, my nethers still tingling as I thought about how close I had been to becoming intimate with the beautiful tree-roo. I paused at the door and looked back. "Sorry I'm complicated.

She shrugged her muscular shoulders, nonchalantly. "I'd be more surprised if you weren't, pup. Don't be a stranger."

Outside, the air was crisp and cool; the last hurrah of a fleeting Winter as the days grew warmer. I was worried about what awaited me on my return call, and stared at my phone screen with unease. I hovered my keratinous thumb over the 'call' button for about ten minutes: nearly the entire walk back to the house. Standing on the front porch, the fact occurred to me that, no matter the news, I would have to know eventually, and there was nothing I could do but swallow it like a bad pill and get it over with. I tapped the green icon and held the phone to my ear, ready for Raph's voice. I was ready to hear the sadness in his tone. I was ready to support him like a good friend. I was not, however, ready for what actually happened.

The voice that came over Raph's phone was sweet and feminine and despite having not heard it in over a month, I recognized it in an instant and felt my insides kick with sheer jubilation.

"Still alive. Did you miss me, sweetheart?"

My eyes welled up and my voice croaked, but I responded emphatically, "Yes! Oh my god, yes!"

Chapter 9C

Belle

The next few weeks were a bit of a roller coaster ride with enough hills and valleys to mentally drain anyone. There was the excitement of hearing Clover's voice again and the echoing joy of continued interaction with her. There was the joy of my sweet brother and the news that, all this time, we had a mother. We never let on to Dr. Peregrine that we knew, out of concern that we might complicate her position, but somehow I think she was aware of our acquisition of this knowledge.

On the other end of the spectrum, we had become a veritable lab rat for several weeks. The lab did about every test they had ever done on us before, all over again. I suppose I can understand why, but I mostly felt bad for Raphon, knowing how many tests he had endured in my absence. In regards to the absence: the entire month I had been a prisoner in my own brain, which had felt exponentially longer for myself, now felt like a distant dream. I suppose I can consider that a godsend, given the nightmarish longevity of my detainment.

After a few days, I had been forced to see a psychologist, which I honestly had no problems with. I guess it's easier to ignore poor mental health when it isn't directly affecting your very existence. I was better, these days, and found value in myself. I had even begun to trade off with Raphon in control of our body, which he graciously allowed and even seemed to enjoy. There are always lingering doubts about my worth: I don't think those will ever go away, but I've learned to suppress them with positive reassurance and distraction.

I was a little disappointed that we had missed our chance to visit Clover on her eighteenth birthday, but she assured us that it was fine and that the entire farm had gotten together and held a big barbecue. Raph and I were a little jealous, to say the least; mostly because we had spent that day undergoing rigorous tests. We had both decided that the birthday present we had picked up for Clover was probably too unorthodox, so we were out, a few days later, looking for a better gift.

It was the first day I had left the lab since my waking, and I had even been given full control of the body... possibly thanks to Raphon's complete and total disdain of the mall and its denizens. It was funny: I was shopping from store to store, looking for gifts for our friend, and Raphon was the one quietly listening to music on my shoulder. Unlike me he kept the ear closest to me open so that he could communicate and interact if need be.

I had accumulated a rather sizeable bag of treats for Clover, including scented soaps, bath bombs, and candles from a specialty place, a Chronus t-shirt from the hobbyist store, and reasonably priced necklace with a reddish stone in the centerpiece. We had returned the old present and the refund money was spent entirely on Clover's birthday gifts, save for the frozen beverage that Raphon had purchased. I scolded him, as always, but took an obligatory sip when it was offered. Things were back to normal.

Well, almost.

"Do you think Clover will still want to have a relationship with us?" Raph spoke up as we left Dress Chateau. He had been kind enough to let me browse some of the cute outfits: not that I had the money to purchase any, but I think he was more open to the idea of letting us wear one. Not without joking that we'd look hilarious with our very muscular frame.

I wasn't sure how to answer that question. "Maybe. I guess if she loves us, she will." That prospect felt a bit depressing, seeing as she still hadn't brought up our standing after several weeks. She had been very affectionate and had no trouble teasing us in a sexual nature from time to time, but beyond that we hadn't really established our relationship status. We couldn't expect her to simply pick up where we'd all left off: too much had happened, and we were afraid that she might still feel embittered about Raphon's silence or simply confused or concerned about my health in the future. "Maybe..." I began, pausing, "we should just ask her? I mean... best way to deal with a bandage is to rip it off and get it over with, right?"

Raph didn't respond at first, possibly considering this option. Our phones simultaneously alerted us as a new message appeared in the Candygram chat. Clover must have just woke up: She liked to sleep in on weekends.

Farmdog20: I had the best dream last night.

I didn't miss a beat.

Leftsnark: I had the same dream. You were naked, right?

Farmdog20: Yes, but not in the dream.

We both snickered like idiots.

Farmdog20: I dreamed that you two were here and that we all went to see a movie.

Leftsnark: That's a pretty simple dream. I was expecting something with superpowers.

Farmdog20: You two were super charming.

Leftsnark: Oh, yeah that was definitely not real, then. Raph has as much charm as a lamprey.

Raph stuck out his tongue at me in a juvenile fashion, and I grinned back.

Farmdog20: The dream got me thinking, though.

Farmdog20: like...

Farmdog20: Are we still...

Farmdog20: You know....

She was spamming the room in a nervous way, and I shot Raph a look of pity.

Leftsnark: Coincidentally, we were just asking the same question. I guess we were waiting for you to tell us. We were worried that you might've lost interest.

Farmdog20: I've been waiting for ya'll after everything you've been through!

Leftsnark: Then yeah, we really want to get this train rolling again. We can't imagine being with anyone else.

Farmdog20: Even though I'm hours away and still stuck in school for another year before I can move?

Footba11king2323: We'll make it work. We love you.

Farmdog20: I love you, too. Both of you.

I put away my phone and resumed my walk through the mall, heading out to the vehicle we had borrowed from the lab in order to come. "Well, I guess that settles that. Kind of fortuitous that she brought it up."

Raph shrugged, "I don't think so. We've all been avoiding the subject for so long, I think we all just got tired of dancing around it at the same time. He continued to send Clover messages while I enjoyed the sensation of the ground beneath our hooves. The cool breeze on a body that I was, at last in complete control of. Things were going to be different, now. For the first time in eighteen years, I felt like a new person: A person with self-respect and a zest for life.

"Hey, you think I can drive the bod for a while?"

I smiled, "Just a few more minutes."