FSE

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Fox McCloud knelt in the grass under the trees overlooking the sea. He closed his eyes, and with slow, deep breaths, cleared his mind and centered himself. His ears twitched and swiveled to the sounds of his surroundings. He could sense the birds soaring above on the sea breeze and the small wildlife scurrying about. Aware of his family in his home and garden behind him, Fox considered himself blessed. Then there was his soulmate. She walked up and knelt in the grass next to him. This vixen was his salvation, and he would be forever comforted by her presence in his mind. Thinking back to how it all began, Fox had to admit to himself that he would have never imagined how loving a telepath would have such a deeply profound impact in his life. Because of her, they were One Mind, One Heart, One Soul.

Chapter 1 - For the Love of a Vixen

Slippy and Falco were not sure how much they could take of the present situation aboard the Great Fox. Both the toad and avian were finding it increasingly difficult to be around their team leader, Fox McCloud, who had decided to divert the Team Star Fox's time and resources to finding Krystal. When Fox had removed her from the team, the blue-furred vixen had been so devastated by his rejection that she left in tears. No matter how hard he tried, Fox could not get the image out of his mind of Krystal's tearful departure.

"I'm setting a course for Fichina," announced Fox as he sat in the captain's chair on the Great Fox's bridge.

"What in the hell would she be doing on Fichina?" asked Falco, unable to hide his contempt for such an idea.

"You got a problem with what I'm doing?" asked Fox. "What's it matter if we go to Fichina or any other place? You're still getting paid the same."

Falco folded his arms in disgust. "With you constantly chasing after Krystal, we haven't been able to get any mercenary work for over a month now. How do you expect to pay the bills when we don't have any money coming in?"

Fox got out of his chair and walked over to Falco, getting into his personal space. "What are you saying, Falco? You saying that I don't know how to run my business?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, McCloud," said Falco glaringly to the vulpine. "Here you are dragging us around the entire Lylat System to find somebody who doesn't want to be anywhere near you. Does that make sense to you, McCloud? Does that make any sense at all?"

The vulpine could feel his hands clenching into fists. Falco had a knack for being a bit of a jerk at times, but since Fox told them that they were on a mission to find Krystal, he'd turned into a complete malcontent as far as Fox was concerned. He was the team leader, and Falco should be showing him a modicum of respect, but he wasn't. To make matters worse, the avian was now openly questioning Fox's competence in front of others, which he couldn't allow.

"Falco," said Fox, feeling the blood in his head boil. "I've had just about enough of your beak. The entire time we've been on this mission I've heard nothing but whining, complaining, and questioning from you. In case you forgot, I'm the team leader; that means you need to show me some respect."

"I'd show you some respect if you were actually doing something respectable, but you're not, Fox. What do you hope to accomplish in this mission, to find someone who doesn't want to be found? Face it, Fox, you had your chance with Krystal, and you blew it."

That was more than the vulpine could take. Raising his right hand, he tried to take a swing at Falco, but Slippy moved between the two in an attempt to break up the fight. Being smaller than either Fox or Falco made his task a daunting one, but he knew that he had to break this up for the good of the team.

"Hey, hey," he yelled, pushing between Fox and Falco. "Break it up, guys! We don't need this. We're supposed to be a team."

"And a team needs a leader, which we don't seem to have right now," remarked Falco.

After those words had been uttered, Fox could not hold himself back any longer. Knocking over Slippy, the vulpine's fist connected with Falco's beak with a hard, right hook, sending the bird to the ground. Fox threw himself to the ground, ready to continue his assault of the bird, but ROB-64 came over and pulled the vulpine off and held him up so he couldn't reach Falco, though that didn't stop Fox from struggling to break free.

"Let me go, ROB," ordered Fox, kicking and flailing his arms violently.

"Negative," said ROB flatly. "You and Falco are in violation of team conduct rules. You are both confined to your quarters for the next twenty-four hours."

"Why do I have to stay in my quarters?" asked Falco, rubbing his injured beak. "I wasn't the one who threw the punch."

"You're just as much to blame as Fox is," said Slippy, shaking his finger reprovingly at the avian. "You instigated this by running your mouth off and not showing the team leader the proper respect, and Fox, you as the team leader should know better than to strike a teammate. I'm just glad that Peppy retired from Star Fox so he didn't have to witness such a terrible display by both of you."

The mention of Peppy caused both Fox and Falco to hang their heads in shame. Peppy had been a close friend of Fox's late father, James, and the thought of Peppy witnessing such a spectacle was enough for both Fox and Falco to calm down and return to their senses. ROB, sensing that Fox was no longer struggling, put the vulpine back down on the bridge floor. Fox sighed, knowing that he had been completely out of line, but not wanting to admit that just yet.

"I will escort you both to your quarters," said ROB.

Falco and Fox looked at each other as the droid of Team Star Fox walked them down the hall to their rooms, where they would remain for the next twenty-four hours. ROB watched Fox go into his quarters and locked the door behind him. Confined to solitude for the next twenty-four hours, Fox went over to his bed and looked out the window. Countless stars sparkled brightly in space as Fox listened to the dull thrum of the Great Fox's engines. Turning his gaze from his window to the table next to his bed, he saw the picture of Krystal he kept there.

He recalled the day he had first seen her, trapped in that crystal at Krazoa Palace, entranced by her exotic beauty. After being rescued, Krystal had joined Star Fox. Over the many hours Fox spent with Krystal, training her in the simulators onboard the Great Fox, he had found himself growing ever more conflicted.

As the leader of the Star Fox team, he had to maintain a professional demeanor, and yet he was finding it harder with each passing day to deny his feelings for her. It also didn't help that she was a telepath, and could therefore see through his bashfulness that he was attracted to her. He thought back to the many missed opportunities where he could have told her how deeply he loved her, but had been too afraid to make his feelings known to her, afraid she might not reciprocate those feelings.

Then came the Aparoid Invasion. Thoughts of romance had to be set aside as they desperately fought to save the Lylat System from assimilation. Their only respite had been right after they had liberated Sauria. Fox had been really flustered when Tricky had suggested they have their honeymoon there. Did Krystal see through his blustered protests how much the idea appealed to him? He now feared that he might never find out.

They had barely survived the final confrontation with the Aparoid Queen and the aftermath had left Fox emotionally drained. During the time they had taken off to recuperate from the tribulations of the Aparoid War, they had begun dating. Still, Fox could not help himself from holding back, afraid to fully give himself to this vixen who said she loved him.

Then the nightmares started. In the months that followed while they waited for the salvaged Great Fox to be rebuilt, Fox would occasionally have these horrid dreams where she was killed in action. They had kept busy doing escort missions to defend cargo and passenger ships against raiders and pirates until the last mission the four of them did together.

No less than five fighters had decided to converge on Krystal's Cloud Runner. Fox flew in and was able to take them out, one after the other, but seeing her ship disabled and still taking hits from her attackers who were intent on destroying her proved to be more than he could bare. With engines out and life support failing, the Cloud Runner had been towed after the battle aboard the passenger liner they were escorting. In that one terrible moment when he had seen her still form being lifted out of her wrecked fighter, Fox thought he had lost her.

Thankfully, she was only unconscious and quickly recovered, but in the weeks that followed, Fox would have nightmares of that day. Some nights, he would dream of hearing Krystal scream in terror just before her ship exploded in a ball of fire. On other nights, he'd see the canopy of the Cloud Runner blow off, her body flying out in the cold vacuum of space. Then there were the nights were he'd relive that moment in the passenger liner's hanger, except that instead of seeing her unconscious form being lifted out of her wrecked fighter, it was her maimed, dead body.

Witnessing his mother dying in that car bomb when he was 12 years old had been traumatic enough, but after his father had died as a result of Pigma's betrayal, Fox had emotionally shut down deep inside. It was not until his thirst for vengeance had been quenched over Andross' dead body that Fox started to let himself feel again. Even then, he had buried the grief he felt at losing his parents. The years that followed had been miserable, with his only recourse being to bury himself in his mercenary work.

Even Fara Phoenix had not been able to bring him out of his shell. They had been lovers for a while, but she could see that they weren't meant to be together. He had Star Fox to run, and she had Phoenix Corporation, for which she was being groomed by her father to eventually take over. It was not until Krystal came into his life that Fox allowed himself to love someone again, and now being confronted with possibly losing her as well, there seemed to be only one thing he could do.

It had seemed so sensible at the time. He would protect her by removing her from the Star Fox team. Still unable to show his true feelings for her, and wanting to remain calm and collected, he had told her that she had to leave, that he couldn't risk her life anymore. Fox immediately realized he had made a terrible mistake upon seeing her hurt expression. Krystal had not taken the rejection well and had run off in tears.

It was not until the Anglar Blitz that Fox crossed paths with her again. Seeing Krystal, now part of Star Wolf, regarding him with cold bitterness had left Fox feeling like his insides were twisted in knots, and the thought of her and Panther together made him feel sick to the heart. Now the Anglars were defeated and the Great Fox had finally been restored to him, but the ship felt as empty as the terrible emptiness in his heart.

Slowly he picked up the picture. Seeing her cheerful smiling face only made him shed tears, regretting what he'd done. He sat down on his bed, the picture of the blue furred vixen still in his hands. He thought about everything that he had done, everything that had gone wrong between them, and he knew what he had to do.

"I'll find you, Krystal," he said as more tears welled up in his eyes and trickled down each side of his muzzle. "I need to tell you how I really feel. I need to tell you the truth."

*****

By the time that the twenty-four hour confinement had expired, Fox was back to his normal self again, which wasn't saying much. The sad irony was that he still had nightmares about her, but now they were dreams of her scorning him for driving her away, her flying away with Panther in a Wolfen, or some other variant. This past night he had the worst nightmare yet. He had dreamt of their time on Sauria after the Aparoids had been driven off and hearing Tricky imply they would have their honeymoon there. Instead of giving blustering protests, he had decided to finally tell Krystal how much he loved the idea of them getting married, but when he turned to tell her, she was gone. Fox desperately ran around searching for her, but only found friends and rivals each chastising him, asking why he had hurt Krystal like that.

ROB had unlocked the door to his quarters, and he made his way to the bridge of the Great Fox. Slippy, Falco and ROB were already present, which is what Fox had hoped for. He realized that he had to explain to his teammates what was really going on, and what the future had in store for the Star Fox team.

"Slippy, Falco," said the vulpine before clearing his throat. "I need to apologize to both of you for my behavior lately. I'm the team leader, and I should have shown better judgment in the decisions I've made lately. I've let my heart rule my head, and in doing so, I haven't been as upfront with you as I should have."

Fox wondered over to the command chair and sat down in it. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm tired....tired of the unending battles...tired of wandering from one planet or outpost to the next....tired of wondering where the next contract will come from....tired of it all." When he opened his eyes and looked at his two friends, both could see the forlorn expression in his eyes. "But most of all, I'm tired of the loneliness. I can no longer go on without her at my side. I'm sorry guys, but this going to be our last mission as Team Star Fox."

Slippy and Falco looked at one another in surprise. Of all the things Fox could have told them, they were certainly not expecting such news. "I'm sorry if this comes as a surprise to you, but the truth is I want to get out of the mercenary business. I've put most of the money aside that I've made doing this kind of work, so it's not like I need to keep doing this for any financial reason. I just want to live a nice, simple, quiet life with Krystal..." He looked away from his friends, struggling to not drown in the hopelessness that was threatening to consume him. "That is, if she'll have me."

Slippy stepped forward and laid a hand on Fox's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I hope she'll have you, Fox. I really do. I know a bit how you feel too. You see, I was planning on leaving the team after this mission. I'm going to be marrying Amanda soon and she isn't thrilled about me staying on as a mercenary. I think it's time for me to settle down and start a family."

Fox nodded his understanding. Looking over at Falco, he extended his hand in reconciliation and friendship. "Most of all I'm sorry about what I did to you yesterday, Falco. You're a great pilot, a great friend, and I had no excuse for hitting you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Falco reached out to take Fox's hand. The twenty-four hours of confinement had given him plenty of time to cool down and get a level head back on his shoulders. "Of course I can, Fox," he said, shaking his friend's hand. "I need to apologize too. I was out of line, mouthing off at you like that, though I do have one question."

"What's that?" asked Fox.

"What are you going to do with the Great Fox? I can't imagine that you'll want to live in this thing like a permanent residence."

Despite his depression, Fox couldn't help but grin. "I take it you're interested in taking possession of her?"

"I am," admitted Falco. "That is, if you'll let me."

"I don't see why not," said Fox. "You're a hell of a pilot, and I'm sure you'll have no problem finding work to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of this ship."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Falco, giving the vulpine a slap on the back. "I'm gonna guess that we'll draw up a contract to make everything nice and legal, right?"

"Of course," said Fox, "for both our sakes."

"Mind if I rename her the Great Falcon?" asked Falco.

"Fine by me," said Fox. There was a long standing tradition that dated all the way back to early maritime days that stated that renaming a ship was bad luck. Fox did not hold to this tradition, and even if he believed that changing the name of the ship was bad luck, he wasn't about to get into another argument with Falco, especially over something that would be out of his hands once he signed over the ship to him anyway. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

Falco sat down at his station on the bridge. "You still planning on going to Fichina?

Fox looked over to him. He could see that Falco wasn't calling his judgment into question, but was simply asking him what his intentions were. "Yes, and if she's not there, I'll go to the next place." responded the vulpine. "I'm willing to search the whole Lylat system to find her."

The bird nodded his head in understanding. "She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"She's everything to me," responded Fox, his voice getting a little choked up. "I don't talk about this much, Falco, but I've been lonely for a long time now. I lost my mom when I was only 12; it was hard for my dad to work as a mercenary and try to raise me all by himself. Then my dad gets killed when I'm 18. I had to leave the Cornerian Flight Academy because I just couldn't deal with the rigors of school anymore. If it weren't for Peppy, I'd have no family to lean on. You two and Peppy were the only thing that kept me going; you guys really became my family. All I could do was stay close to all of you to keep me from having a nervous breakdown. Over time, I learned to accept my lot in life, and I learned how to become a good pilot and I hope a good leader as well."

"You've done a good job at both," said Falco.

Fox chuckled. "I didn't always think so. You know, some of the things that you said when we were on missions."

Falco shrugged. "Ah, that's just me being a smart ass. I had kind of a hard life, being a former gang member and all. I guess that was just my way of dealing with it."

"I understand," said Fox. "Guess I'm just a little thin-skinned at times. Anyway, I learned to live with what life had given me; learned to just accept that my parents were both gone and that I had to carry on. Everything was going fine until I rescued Krystal. I never believed in such a thing as 'love at first sight' until I saw her. And yet, I couldn't for the longest time bring myself to actually tell her that I loved her. Every time I tried to let her know how I felt, I'd get embarrassed and afraid she'd not return my feelings for her. Of course, with her being a telepath, she quickly picked up on how I felt. I was really nervous at first, but she reassured me that she'd never pry into my thoughts without my permission.

Falco nodded. "She told me that as well. I happened to ask her in conversation one day if she could read our very thoughts. She said 'yes', but that she never reads a person's mind without their permission; that doing so would be a violation of their privacy. She said that Cerinians were taught from a young age to never violate the mind of another, and to never abuse their powers."

"Yeah," said Fox. "By the time of the Aparoid war, Krystal and I were just starting to become close, and I was getting comfortable with her telepathy, but I could never fully open up to her. In the end, I let my fear drive her away, and that was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life."

Taking in what his friend just said, Falco chose his next words carefully. "Fox, can I tell you what I really think?"

The vulpine nodded. "Go ahead."

"You spent so many years trying to build yourself up, trying to be a pilot and a leader, but you've also spent a lot of time guarding your feelings, not letting anyone get close to you because you feel like the moment they get close to you is the time that they'll be taken from you. Krystal's a telepath, and you probably were afraid that she would find out how you really felt about her."

Fox nodded his head, "I was also afraid that she'd learn about Fara. What would she have thought if she discovered that Fara and I were close?"

Falco tilted his head and asked, "And do you still have the same feelings for Fara that you now have for Krystal?"

"No," Fox answered. "I consider Fara a good friend, but that's all we are to each other now."

"That's right, Fox, and don't you think Krystal would have been able to see that you and Fara are just friends?"

Fox leaned back in his chair, sighing. "You're right, Falco," admitted the vulpine. "How could I have been so stupid to think that she would believe otherwise?"

"You weren't being stupid, Fox," reassured the bird. "You were just afraid of opening yourself up to her."

"Actually..." Fox's words were cut short as he felt the Great Fox suddenly shake violently. "What was that?" he yelled, jumping to his feet.

"We're under attack!" yelled Slippy.

ROB quickly assessed the situation for them. "I count twenty-two fighters that are assaulting the Great Fox."

The leader in Fox quickly sprang into action. "ROB, you take charge of the Great Fox's laser cannons. Slippy, Falco, let's get to the Arwings and deal with these scum!"

The three ran to their aircraft to defend their mothership and their very lives. Finding Krystal would have to wait.

*****

Running as fast as they could to the hanger, Fox, Falco and Slippy slipped and fell several times from the effects of laser blasts hitting their mothership. Even though the Great Fox was being rocked about violently from the unknown enemy attack, the three pilots somehow managed to make it to their fighters. Fox hopped into the cockpit of his Arwing, quickly sealing the hatch and powering up the spacecraft.

"Everybody, get ready!" he ordered Falco and Slippy.

His wingmates radioed in their readiness to Fox, and with that the Arwings launched from their hanger racks in the Great Fox and out into space. Fox could feel his heart beating like a jackhammer as he was once again thrown into the thick of battle. Viewing his scanner he saw that he was being tailed by an enemy fighter. Increasing his velocity, he did a tight loop, allowing the bogey to get ahead of him so that he was now behind it. The Star Fox team leader let his instincts kick in. Almost without thinking about it, he established a lock on the bogey and fired a quick blast of his twin blue lasers, destroying it.

Only debris was left where the enemy had once been, but there was no time to celebrate such a speedy kill. Fox could feel his Arwing shake violently by an enemy's laser hitting his shields. He couldn't keep taking damage like that and hope to live to see another day. Again, he performed a loop, but the pilot followed his move, doing a tight loop too. Hoping to still be behind the vulpine, the pilot was shocked to learn that his enemy had drastically dropped his speed when pointing his ship up at ninety degrees, only to move the nose of his Arwing down and fire several blasts of double blue lasers from his fighter, making debris out of a second aircraft that day. Fox didn't know how or why, but he always seemed to be able to outmaneuver his opponents without even thinking about it, always trusting his instincts.

Falco, the ace pilot of the team, was having much better luck in dispatching their attackers. Already the bird had taken out two of fighters and was looking for his third kill of that day. With the enemies numbers reduced from twenty-two to seventeen, Falco became overconfident and let his guard down. Taking several blasts from two enemy fighters, he realized his shields had been reduced to less than half. Taking evasive action, he too tried to shake the fighters as Fox was doing, hoping that he could buy time to get some of them bunched together for rapid multiple kills.

Slippy was fairing the worst. Being the least skilled of the three pilots, he had a difficult time trying to out-maneuver his attackers. Laser blast after laser blast found its mark on his Arwing's aft shields, and the toad was shaken around within his Arwing like a rag doll. The warning siren inside the cockpit of Slippy's fighter blared. His aircraft was in danger of exploding from taking so much damage. Just as the previous two members of Star Fox had done, the toad was forced to try and shake his attackers.

Fox managed to take out one of Falco's pursuers and was maneuvering in to eliminate those on Slippy's six when he saw a new group of signals heading towards them. Damaged though his craft was, the instruments could still read the make and model of the approaching craft. The vulpine's green eyes lit up when his Arwing had finally got a positive read of them.

"Wolfens!" he shouted to Slippy and Falco.

Coming within range, over two dozen individual Wolfens opened fire on the unknown attackers of Team Star Fox. The three watched as the remaining sixteen fighters were systematically destroyed by the Wolfen fighters, Fox and Falco each managing to destroy one more before running out of targets. Fox breathed a sigh of relief as the danger was now over. He was about to order Falco and Slippy back to the hanger of the Great Fox when he heard a gruff, familiar voice.

"Had to save your ass again, huh, pup?"

Fox laughed. "Now who could that be but Wolf O'Donnell?"

"Guilty as charged," said Wolf with a cackle. "You guys alright?"

"I'm doing better than my Arwing right now," said Fox. "We need to get these things back in the docking bay for repair."

"Got it," said Wolf.

"Who were those guys that were attacking us?" asked Falco, also relieved to still be drawing breath in his Arwing.

"Venomian pirates," said Wolf. "The Cornerian Defense Force commissioned Star Wolf to hunt them down and either board their vessels to seize stolen assets, or destroy them. We've travelled half the damn Lylat System looking for them."

"Wolf," said Fox, preparing to re-enter the Great Fox. "Falco, Slippy and I need to get back into the Great Fox's docking bay, and then I need to speak with you."

"Understood," said Wolf. "Feel free to join me down at my headquarters on Fichina. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Understood," said Fox. "Over and out."

The group of Wolfens dispersed, heading back to their base. It was only then that Falco realized just why it was that Fox wanted to head to Fichina.

"Uh, Fox?" asked Falco as his Arwing was entering the Great Fox.

"Yeah?" asked the vulpine, having already set his badly damaged vessel down in the landing bay.

"I...uh...I see now why you wanted to head to Fichina," said the embarrassed bird. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Fox. "Let's just put it behind us."

*****

Once all three Arwings had been secured, and Slippy and ROB had begun to make the necessary repairs, Fox and Falco made the journey down to the surface of the planet Fichina on a Star Wolf transport. Fox was surprised to learn that Star Wolf's headquarters was an old CDF base. Fox couldn't help but find the irony in meeting the leader of Star Wolf at this location, which had once been the site of a fierce dogfight between his team and Wolf's team. Much had changed since that day. Andross was defeated and dead, Wolf and his team had assisted in destroying the Aparoids that threatened the entire Lylat Star System and they had been an enormous help during the Anglar Blitz that followed.

Wolf's status had changed from that of outlaw with a bounty on his head, to one of respectability. Fox and Wolf had since then set aside their old rivalry and made peace with each other, becoming friends. The Cornerian government had even gone so far as to pardon Wolf and his entire team. If that wasn't enough, Star Wolf was even granted an official charter by the Cornerian Defense Force and given letters of marque and reprisal against their enemies.

Fox and Falco had been escorted into the base by an armed contingent of Wolf's crew, who were ordered to treat the two as honored guests. Both the vulpine and avian marveled at how Wolf's fortune had changed for the better. This base, unlike the one he had in the Sargasso area, was clean, state-of-the-art and incredibly well organized. Fox told himself that he thought he'd never live to see the day that Wolf O'Donnell's name would be spoken honorably, but here he was, in the base of his old rival.

"Fox," said Wolf, seeing the Star Fox leader and Falco being marched into his office. "How've you been?"

"Much better, thanks to Star Wolf," said Fox as he cordially shook Wolf's hand. As he looked at the face of his former enemy, Fox could see a noticeable change in the lupine. Before, Wolf always possessed a menacing, confrontational disposition about him; that had been replaced by a warm, friendly smile and handshake.

"How's the Great Fox?" asked Wolf, obviously concerned.

"Minimal damage," said Fox. "Those fighters didn't have the firepower to really hurt a ship that size, only disable it."

"Anything my crew can do to assist?" asked Wolf.

"I'm sure Slippy and ROB could use some help with the Arwings. They took a pretty bad beating during that skirmish. I mean, we're good, but twenty-two against three is pushing it."

"I'll send some of my people up there right away, with your permission of course, that is."

"Certainly," said Fox. "Falco, could you go up there with the repair crew, please?"

"Alright," said Falco nonchalantly, leaving the office with only Fox and Wolf in it.

"You should know," began Wolf, handing Fox a tablet with numerous figures on it, "that because Star Fox helped us in destroying those pirates, your team is going to be receiving part of the reward money we'll be getting."

"That's not necessary," said Fox, trying to find a way to talk about what was really on his mind.

"I insist," said Wolf. "You guys took a bad beating, your ship was attacked. I wouldn't feel right unless you got your fair share."

Fox sighed, giving a nervous chuckle. "Well...if you insist, Wolf."

"I do," said the lupine with a grin, giving the vulpine an elbow to the ribs. "Now, I have a feeling you didn't come down here just to reminisce about old times, did you?"

"No, I didn't," said Fox. "It's...it's kind of a sensitive topic."

"Sensitive topic?" said Wolf. "Oh, then I'm going to take a wild guess and say that topic is Krystal. Isn't it?"

Fox sighed deeply. "It is."

"I had a feeling you'd be showing up looking for her one of these days," said Wolf, sitting down at his desk.

"Did you?" asked Fox.

"Yes," said Wolf. "I could tell by the way she acted whenever your name was brought up that there was something going on between you two. I never pried though; not my place and it's not professional."

"She here?" asked Fox.

Frowning, Wolf shook his head. "No. Sorry Fox. She left months ago."

Fox could feel his heart sink down to his feet. Here he was, hoping that he had finally found his lady love, only to be told that she was gone. Wolf saw the heartbroken look on Fox's face and tried to console him.

"I'm sorry, pup," he said, trying to kid around with him. "I know how much she meant to you, but like I said, I'm not here to interfere with people's personal lives."

"It's okay, Wolf," said Fox, trying to put on a brave face. "I'm not upset with you... It's just that I wish I could have..."

"Fucked her when you had the chance?" asked a voice from outside of Wolf's office.

Fox turned around to see the figure of Panther Caruso standing in the doorway. In a flash, Fox's mood had gone from sorrow to that of barely controlled rage. While Fox's relationship with Wolf had never been one of hatred, that wasn't the case with the dark feline pilot of Star Wolf. At every single encounter with Star Fox, Panther never wasted an opportunity to flirt with Krystal, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that the vixen had feelings for Fox. Grasping his hands into fists, Fox snarled at the large cat.

"What do you want, Panther?" he asked angrily.

"Oh nothing much," said the feline in his usual suave, debonair tone. "I'd just like to get a better look at the vulpine who drove away such a lovely, sweet creature like Krystal." The dark cat grinned from ear to ear, closing his eyes. "Ah, Krystal...What a tasty little treat she was."

"Panther," barked Wolf. "Knock it off."

"Oh, I'm just having fun with little Foxy," said Panther as he walked past Fox and over to Wolf. "What's wrong, McCloud? Did you lie awake at night, thinking about how badly you screwed up with Krystal? Did you wonder if you broke her heart after you wouldn't let her get close to you?" The dark feline grinned even more maniacally. "Did you think about how you might have driven her into my arms? Were you thinking about how I might have taken her to my bed, stripped her to the fur and made hot, steamy love to her? Could you hear her voice calling out my name over and over again, begging for more and more of my maleness until I filled her folds with my seed? Did you...OUCH!"

Fox, who had been mere seconds away from charging the feline and giving him a haymaker to the jaw, felt his anger vanish as he saw Wolf slapping Panther behind the head.

Startled, Panther turned around with an annoyed look at his leader. "What was that for?" he hissed.

"It was for you not shutting up when I told you to," scolded Wolf. "Now, if you're going to stay in this office, you're going to behave yourself or you can leave."

Panther gave a long-suffering sigh and turned to Fox. "Don't worry, McCloud. Nothing ever happened between me and your blue-furred vixen."

"That true?" asked Fox, still on his guard, waiting for Panther to say one wrong word that would cause him to beat the feline's tail off.

"It wasn't for lack of trying either," confessed the cat. "Believe me, I had my sights on her from the day she came here. I put on my charm and machismo to try and win her heart, but it was no use. I could tell that she still had feelings for you, and only you, I might add."

"S-seriously?" said Fox, stuttering.

"Without a doubt," said Panther. "Besides, even if I had managed to win her over it wouldn't have lasted. I somehow feel like it wasn't meant to be for us."

"Hold on, hold on," said the vulpine, trying to figure out the situation. "Then what was all that talk about being with Krystal? You just trying to piss me off?"

"That was part of the reason," admitted Panther. "But in truth I've had tons of lovers in my lifetime...male and female. That's why I said that with Krystal it would have ended up as just a 'hit it and quit' mission. We would never have settled down with each other."

Panther huffed. "Even though I never won Krystal's heart, we did become very good friends. Before she left, she told me she was going back to Sauria; said that was the only place outside of Cerinia where she ever felt like she was at home."

"Sauria," said Fox to himself. "I should have known."

"And you should have known better than to drive away such a prize like her, McCloud," said Panther, still trying to antagonize the vulpine. "I hope you know how badly you screwed up," he said with a smug grin.

Fox, walking out of Wolf's office, turned and looked at the dark cat. "Panther, let me tell you this. I know with all my heart that I screwed up when it came to Krystal. After I leave here today, I'm going to go to Sauria, bare my heart to her and let her know that I love her more than life itself and that I would rather die a thousand deaths than be without her sweet, tender love." Fox then turned back and left to return to the Great Fox.

Wolf and Panther watched as the vulpine walked out the office door. Panther, with a sad kitten expression on his face, looked Wolf in eyes. "Who would have known Fox could be so romantic."

*****

The Star Fox team waited to depart from orbit around Fichina until the mechanics of Star Wolf had finished their repairs of the Arwings and did a full systems analysis of the Great Fox after it had taken numerous laser blasts from the Venomian pirates. Wolf himself had gone aboard to make sure his people had adequately performed their tasks, as he did not want his friend Fox to venture to Sauria in a damaged dreadnaught heavy cruiser or go into combat with battered Arwings. He and Fox had gained too much respect, too much admiration for each other for him to allow that.

"I think that about does it," said the lupine as he was about to depart for the surface of Fichina. "Anything else I can do for you, Fox?"

The vulpine laughed nervously. "Could you tell me how to talk to Krystal about how I feel, because I don't know what to do."

"I'm not exactly one who's very good at dealing with the ladies, Fox," joked Wolf. "But if you want my advice, I'll give it to you."

"I'm all ears," said Fox.

"Just be honest about how you feel," said Wolf. "If I know one thing, it's that closing yourself off, trying to hide you really are won't do you a lick of good. If she's the one for you, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you need to tell her that. Remember that she's a telepath, and trying to lie to a telepath is just about the worst thing you could do."

"Yeah, you're right. Even though I've decided to keep no secrets from her, I'm still nervous about letting her know everything about me," said Fox.

"You're only as sick as your secrets, Fox," said the lupine with a nod. "If she can read your mind, then you're not only revealing everything to her, you're letting her know that you trust her in the deepest, most meaningful way imaginable."

Fox considered Wolf's words carefully. The part about trusting her in the 'the deepest, most meaningful way imaginable' was something that really resonated with him. Fox realized that he'd have to let down his guard for Krystal to know about the things he'd done in his life.

"I guess you're right, Wolf," said Fox, nodding. "I'm sure if I don't do this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"You're damned right you'll regret it," barked Wolf seriously.

Fox nodded with a look of determination. "Anyway, we need to get going to Sauria. Thanks for the repairs, and more than anything, thanks for saving our lives."

Fox extended his hand to Wolf, who firmly shook it. "Anything for an old friend, McCloud. Now, go out there and get your vixen. Got it?"

"I'm going to do just that," said Fox. "Nothing's going to stop me either."

*****

Fox might have been able to put on a brave face for Wolf, but he couldn't fool himself. No matter what anyone told him or what he told himself, he was still afraid to confront Krystal after she had left Star Fox in tears. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that image out of his head, and he couldn't make the grief he felt go away either. Though the trip from Fichina to Sauria was not a particularly long one, Fox asked Slippy, Falco and even ROB if they could run the Great Fox's operations without him until they reached their destination. He needed time to himself to prepare for his inevitable meeting with Krystal. The vulpine mercenary had fought countless battles, been in dogfights and skirmishes and had been near death on more than one occasion, but for some reason this was the scariest thing he'd ever faced in his life.

"Fox," a mechanical voice that could be none other than ROB's came through the intercom into his quarters. "We are nearing our destination of Sauria."

"Thanks," said Fox, feeling his heart rate abruptly spike.

"Fox," said ROB. "My sensors indicate that your heart rate has increased. Do you require medical attention?"

"No," said Fox, rolling his eyes. "Maybe just psychiatric help."

"I will send out a message to the nearest psychiatric center to assist you," said ROB.

"It was just a joke, ROB," said Fox, growing annoyed with the droid's persistence. "I'll be fine."

"Affirmative," said ROB, letting Fox be by himself once more.

"At least I hope I'll be fine," muttered the orange-brown vulpine to himself.

In the ship's hangar, he met Falco and Slippy, who had come to see him off. Falco asked, "Say Fox, do you want either of us to accompany you to the planet's surface?"

The vulpine shook his head, "No, this is something I have to do alone."

The avian and toad wondered if that was a wise decision, but knew that questioning Fox right now was probably not the wisest course of action, and so decided to keep silent.

"We already contacted King Tricky," said Slippy.

"How's my old pal?" asked Fox, actually managing a smile at the mention of the dinosaur

"He's gotten even bigger since the Aparoids invaded Sauria two years ago," said Slippy.

"Wow," said Fox. "Hard to believe he used to be smaller than me. Funny how things change, I guess."

"Somethings never change," observed Falco.

Turning his head, he gave the bird a bewildered look, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Falco just smiled, and somehow, Fox understood exactly what the he meant. No matter what happened in his life, Fox would always, and unconditionally, love Krystal with all his heart.

*****

Being back on Sauria did give Fox a measure of comfort. Though this was the site of one of his most challenging missions, the planet of Sauria offered a relaxing environment to its inhabitants and peaceful stay in a tropical paradise for vacationers who wished to enjoy a quiet respite. Fox looked at the mighty structures of Walled City, home to the King EarthWalker, his old friend, the former prince, and now king, Tricky.

Walking into the great stone fortress, Fox opened his arms as he saw the charging form of the king of the EarthWalkers approaching him. Tricky slowed his speed down to a brisk walk, but was nonetheless excited to see the vulpine who was most responsible for not only helping to overthrow the evil General Scales and Andross, but also for putting the planet back together after it had been torn into several pieces.

"Fox," said the King EarthWalker, bumping his giant head up against the mercenary. "It's good to see ya again."

"You too, pal," said Fox, quickly ducking one of his overenthusiastic friend's horns to rub his head. "Or should I say, King Tricky?"

"Ha ha," laughed the EarthWalker. "The Hero of Sauria doesn't have to call me King, or His Majesty; just Tricky."

Tricky wasn't being hyperbolic in the least when he called Fox the 'Hero of Sauria.' Not only had Fox and his team saved the planet after it had been pulled apart, he and the other members of Star Fox had saved the planet's population from almost certain annihilation when the Aparoids invaded. So honored was the name of Fox McCloud on the planet of Sauria, that statues and paintings of the vulpine had been commissioned by Tricky and many other prominent members of Saurian society. Fox was quite flattered when he learned that many male dinosaurs born on the planet were given the name "McCloud" as their first name.

"I take it you know why I'm here" Fox stated to the King EarthWalker.

"I've gota pretty good idea," said Tricky. "Something tells me that I'd lose money if I bet on anything but Krystal."

"Safe bet," said Fox, once again growing anxious about seeing Krystal. "She's still here, isn't she?"

"At Cape Claw," said Tricky. "She has a small cottage there; lives by herself."

"Do you see her much?" asked Fox.

"From time to time," responded Tricky. "I'm not telepathic like her, but something tells me that most of the time she just wants to be left alone, like something or someone really hurt her."

Fox looked at his feet in shame. "I'm afraid I'm the cause of that, old pal. I couldn't let her know how I really felt about her, and so I drove her away."

"Couldn't...or wouldn't?" asked Tricky.

"Wouldn't," said Fox, being honest with himself. "But I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't see her again. I've got to be honest; let her know how I really feel. I don't feel complete without her, Tricky."

"Do you want me to take you to her?" asked the EarthWalker.

"No," said Fox. "This is something I have to do by myself. This needs to be just Krystal and me, bringing up painful memories and trying to reconcile with each other."

"I understand," said Tricky. "I'll give you the coordinates so you can find her. I just hope everything works out for you two."

"Thanks, pal," said Fox, trying to look cheerful.

"And Fox?"

"Yes?"

"If you two do get married, I'd be personally insulted if you don't have your honeymoon here. Okay?"

"Yeah," grinned Fox. "I got it."

*****

Cape Claw was without a doubt the loveliest area on all of Sauria. Though the climate on most of the planet was very warm, Cape Claw's climate was downright tropical, with lush rain forests, rivers, waterfalls, the Krazoa Ruins and the ocean coastline. Such was the heat that Fox had to pull off his flight jacket, tossing it on the ground rather than carrying the garment around with him. Like his first time on Sauria, he found himself rolling up his shirt sleeves, attempting to allow the fur on his arms to be better ventilated.

The vulpine tried to make himself as scarce as possible, but being a planetary savior, as the dinosaurs viewed him, meant that getting to Krystal's residence was not the quick journey he'd hoped it to be. Every dinosaur family that he came across begged him to enter their home so that he might rest and enjoy their hospitality. Fox was grateful that the residents of Sauria thought so highly of him, but after so many delays, he attempted a new strategy in dealing with the dinosaurs. Not wanting to offend them, he told them that he was on an important mission and time was of the essence. None of the Saurians questioned their hero's words and bid him a safe, victorious journey. Fox certainly hoped that victory could be achieved on this mission. He didn't want to imagine what failure would be like.

There, right on the coastline of Cape Claw, he saw her. Though far off in the distance, he had no trouble recognizing her figure. After all, she was the only blue-furred fox in existence that he knew of. The sight of his love caused him to stop dead in his tracks. She still looked the same, still beautiful beyond description and still the only one that he truly loved. Looking her up and down from head to tail, he noticed that, just like the first time they had met, she was wearing her Cerinian garb: bra, loincloth, bracers, leggings, epaulets, and tail bands. Just when the vulpine thought that the meeting couldn't possibly be any more nerve-wracking, she had to wear that skimpy, provocative outfit. Fox felt the front of his pants bulge, aroused at having seen her in such clothes. Groaning quietly to himself, he turned around, hoping that she had not yet caught sight of him and put his bushy tail in front of himself, hoping to hide the erection he was certainly sporting by now.

"Fox?" he heard a voice say from right behind him.

Completely losing his composure, the vulpine yelped and flinched from being caught off guard. He turned around seeing that his actions had startled Krystal. Covered in sweat, his voice dry from extreme nervousness, he tried to explain what was going on, but only managed weak, dry utterances.

"Here," said Krystal, giving Fox a canteen that she was carrying. "Drink this."

Fox followed her instructions. Unscrewing the container, he poured the entire contents down his throat, quenching his parched, dried gullet. He wiped the remaining water from his lips, handing the canteen back to Krystal.

"Thanks," he said. "I needed that."

Krystal was now the one to be looking him up and down. She could see that Fox was a nervous wreck. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"We need to talk," said the vulpine. "I want you to know how I feel."

"You made that abundantly clear when you kicked me off the team," said the vixen, turning her back to him, her voice dripping with bitterness.

"Krystal," said Fox. "Please, hear me out."

She turned around, tears streaming down her face. "You think you're the only one in the galaxy to lose those that are close to you? I'm sorry you lost your mother and father at such a young age, but did you ever stop for one second to think about how I feel? I lost my entire world, Fox. All of Cerinia...gone. My parents, my brother and sister, aunts and uncles, cousins, all my friends...just gone forever, never to come back. I don't recall you ever once asking me if I needed comforted after losing everything I'd ever known in this universe." She again turned her back to him.

"Krystal, I..." Fox searched for an explanation, some rationalization for why he had acted so selfishly, but try as he might, he couldn't come up with one. "You're right."

"What?" She said, looking back at him.

"You're absolutely right, Krystal," he said calmly. "I was being selfish, thinking only about how I felt when it came to dealing with personal loss. I lost the two people that meant the most to me in my life; both of them taken by a force of malice. I tried to bury my true feelings for all these years. Oh yeah, I've tried to be the tough, responsible leader of Team Star Fox. Stiff upper lip, never let it get to me, but I was just fooling myself and everyone around me. The truth is, Krystal, I was miserable after my father died, but you know when I found a ray of light in my life?"

"When?" asked the vixen.

"When I first met you," he said, his face clearly showing the pain he was feeling. "You were the first person in my life, since my parents died, that ever made me feel truly alive. I didn't push you away because I didn't care, I pushed you away because it was less painful than the thought of you losing your life. You're that important to me, Krystal."

"I sense that you're telling me the truth, Fox. But didn't it occur to you that I worried about you too whenever we went out on a mission?" she asked, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

Fox hung his head in shame. "You're right. That was selfish of me....Oh Krystal, I never wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Krystal sniffed. "I know you didn't mean to, but what's to keep you from hurting me again?

Fox felt his eyes burn with his own tears, his heart aching at the thought that his love might not forgive him. "Please Krystal. I can't live without you. I love you so much, it hurts!"

With tears streaming down her eyes, Krystal turned away and walked over to a fallen log, sitting on it. "I don't know if I can do this again, Fox.....Please....Go away."

It was then that Fox knew it was now or never. There would be no one there to back him up, no plan of escape, and no high tech weapon to protect him. He would be completely exposed, totally naked, vulnerable. Yet with facing the possibility of losing his love, this was the easiest decision he'd ever make in his life. Fox quietly sat down on the log next to Krystal, and with a delicate touch, took hold of the vixen's hands and placed them on the temples of his head. Never once breaking eye contact, his anguished eyes met her questioning expression.

"Please Krystal. I bare my heart and my mind to you," said Fox.

"Are you serious?" asked Krystal, completely aghast at such a request.

"Down to my deepest, most secret thought," said Fox with some nervousness, but not the slightest bit of hesitation showing in his voice. Though capable of reading the thoughts of others, Krystal had never done so since the day she lost her family and her world, would never do so without their express consent. She was content to just empathically pick up on their feelings, but not their actual thoughts. This was uncharted ground for her, but she could not refuse such a request for one who'd ventured so far to see her. With her hands still against the temples of Fox's head, she closed her eyes and leaned forward, urging Fox to be completely quiet once their foreheads had touched. Fox closed his eyes and followed her instructions to the letter, barely making a noise as he breathed. Minutes went by, but nothing happened until...

Fox felt as if he was being lifted off the ground, but he kept silent. Sounds of all the surroundings, the coastline, the ocean, the tropics of Cape Claw melted away. In the engulfing silence, he felt Krystal's presence probing his thoughts and offered no resistance. Krystal, the last known survivor of Cerinia probed the mind of Fox McCloud. She saw all the thoughts that he had kept hidden from everyone for so long. All the hurt, the anger, the sorrow, all the secrets that he had kept to himself. They were all there for her to see clear as day.

Surrendering himself completely to her, he found himself reliving memory after memory as Krystal delved deep into his mind, deep as she could possibly go. Fox found himself reliving his childhood, growing up a happy pup. Especially vivid in his memories was his 10th birthday party at his home, with a young Slippy, Miyu Lynx, Bill Grey, and Fey Spaniel, and presiding over the party was Fox's mother, Vixy.

Krystal probed further into Fox's memories and could feel the ache in his heart as he recalled what happened next.

It was two years later. Vixy was getting into the car. She was going to drive out to Corneria City Space Port to meet her husband James. Fox had just gotten on his bicycle and waved to his mother just before she closed the door to the car. The instant the motor started, the entire vehicle was engulfed in a fireball. Fox felt himself blasted back by the shockwave, which also shattered half the windows in the front of the house. When he got back to his feet and looked back at the car, all that remained was a smoldering mass of metal with the center portion missing, having been completely vaporized.

Krystal felt the horror and anguish of that day and the days that followed on through the funeral. She continued going through his memories that went on after that tragic day.

Andross had been exiled. Though suspected of Vixy's murder, no concrete proof came forward. Now he was openly attacking the Lylat system. Fox had just turned sixteen and had joined the Cornerian Military Academy, determined to join his father James in the fight against Andross. Fox was becoming an ace pilot and was at the top of his class. He had just turned eighteen when that fateful day came when Peppy showed up and told Fox the tragic news that is father had been killed by Andross after being betrayed by Pigma. The young tod emotionally shut down after that day. All that was left was a cold determination to defeat Andross and avenge the death of his parents. As the new team leader of Star Fox, he led his team into battle against Andross' forces.

Krystal continued probing deeper into Fox's memories and could see that deep down, under the hard exterior that he projected to his friends and fellow crewmates, was a deeply wounded soul left bereft of his parents. She could easily sense that Fox was offering no resistance, even as she made him relive his time with Fara Phoenix.

Fara had joined the fight against Andross and fought at Fox's side. In the intervening months, the two had become close. When Andross had finally been defeated and Fox had personally killed that ape and avenged his parents, the entire crew of Star Fox had taken half a year off while the Great Fox was repaired and overhauled. During that time, Fox and Fara became lovers. Fox was still reserved though, finding himself unable to open up to his girlfriend.

Krystal could plainly see that Fox was afraid of loving Fara, afraid that if he did love her, something would happen to take her away from him, just like his parents were taken away.

When his ship was made spaceworthy again, Fox decided to continue Star Fox, but Fara couldn't come with him. She was being groomed by her father to eventually take over the family business and be head of the Phoenix corporate empire. She and Fox mutually decided to break up on amicable terms.

Krystal sensed that he still had affection for Fara, but that it was now only platonic. Coupled with his feelings for Fara was a deeply buried guilt over ending his relationship with his former girlfriend, that he had somehow let her down. She continued exploring his memories.

Fox relived his mission to save Sauria where he continued Krystal's quest to restore the Krazoa spirits. Then came the moment where he traveled to Krazoa Palace and saw Krystal for the first time, unconscious and trapped in that large crystal.

Krystal was awed to find out that Fox was smitten from the moment he saw her. Through Fox's memories leading up to the day he finally rescued her, she realized that they had truly had a love-at-first-sight moment. She continued probing, drawing out Fox's more recent memories of their time together.

Fox found himself reliving his times with Krystal, his joy at her agreement to join Star Fox, training her in the simulators, guiding her to become a skilled Arwing pilot. Leading her on her first mission with Falco and Slippy. Throughout this time, he found himself growing to love her even more, but was afraid that she might not reciprocate his love. Fox once again relived the Aparoid War, where he again suppressed his feelings to focus on defeating this enemy. After the war he relived how he and Krystal had become close, and could feel himself starting to open up to her when he found out she had feelings for him as well. Then came the nightmares. Fox mentally quailed at having to see his nightmares again, but made no effort to stop them from flashing across his mind.

Krystal was shocked at seeing herself die in so many horrible ways, coming to realize how deeply Fox had feared for her life. She could see how her brush with death at that last escort mission she was on with Star Fox made his nightmares even worse. Krystal now understood why he had become more distant after that last mission, seeing him become afraid of again losing someone he loved. What came next now made sense to her.

Fox relived that heart-wrenching day where he told Krystal that he was removing her from Star Fox, and the horrible realization that he had made a terrible mistake when he saw her run off in tears. He mentally cringed at having to relive the nightmares that followed and how he felt sick to the heart at seeing a cold and bitter Krystal during the Anglar Blitz and how the nightmares have since then become worse.

Krystal was deeply saddened at seeing how those dreams had changed to her abandoning him. She cringed when she saw herself in his memories, cold and mocking towards the tormented vulpine now willingly submitting himself to reliving all these memories under her telepathic probing. She saw that he was giving up Star Fox, that he no longer wanted to go on fighting. She felt the aching emptiness in Fox's heart, and was deeply moved at how strongly he loved her. She saw his most cherished dream of living a quiet life with her, raising their children, and spending the rest of his life with her, and felt his despair at the thought that that dream might never be realized.

Fox had now bared his very soul to her, and Krystal knew then and there that he'd never leave her and never push her away again. She gently pulled her head away, diminishing the telepathic contact, and opened her eyes which were still wet and looked into Fox's hopeful eyes.

She pulled him into an embrace. "I forgive you." The blue-furred vixen nuzzled underneath his chin, new tears filling her eyes. "And I love you too, Fox McCloud, and yes, I'll marry you."

In that moment, Fox broke down and started to sob, his heart filled with repressed grief and relief that he had not lost the vixen of his heart, that she had forgiven him. "Oh Krystal! I love you more than anything in the universe."

Seeing her beloved vulpine so emotionally wrecked broke her heart. All she wanted to do now was comfort and reassure him. "I know Fox. I now know why you didn't want me to fly anymore."

Through his sobbing, Fox stuttered, "I...I...I..."

She shushed him, "Yes, I know why you were afraid to tell me how you felt, Fox. I know everything now, and it really means a lot to me that you'd willingly open yourself up to me so completely like that."

Fox latched onto his love as if afraid she'd disappear, and continued crying as she held him.

Still picking up his surface thoughts, Krystal reassured him. "I promise you. I'll never leave you again, just as I know you'll never push me away again. So you need not have any more of those horrible nightmares."

For the next several minutes, the two foxes remained there, crying in each other's arms. After their tears had dried out, they continued holding each other. Krystal then quietly murmured, "We'll have the wedding ceremony and our honeymoon here on Sauria. We wouldn't want to upset Tricky now, would we?"

They stood up, both wiping their eyes and smiled, their hearts buoyed by their renewed love for each other. Delighted to be now engaged, the vixen took her fiancé's arm and pulled him towards her home. "We'll have to get you fitted for a Cerinian wedding garment."

"What's that?" asked Fox.

"Just a loincloth," said the vixen. "That's the only thing you'll be wearing in front of our guests."

For some strange reason, wearing a garment that barely covered his nakedness didn't seem like that big of a deal. All that mattered was that he had the love of his life with him once again.