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Hey. I finished another chapter. Yay. Funny, writing one chapter in four different perspectives takes more effort than I thought. Oh well. Was inspired by something I saw in a webcomic that involved simultaneously showing how four different characters' day started. Probably worked better in the comic. Anyhow, rate, comment, make me feel like I have friends. Y'all know how it goes.

Chapter 2: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

Natalya

I opened my eyes, eyelids fluttering open and shut as they adjusted to the new light that glared before them. I made a minute changes to my position, shifting so I leaned more comfortably against the fluffy wall behind me, which radiated so much heat I felt like I never needed to sleep with blankets. His arm hung limply over my bare belly; his snout pressed ever so softly against my scarlet hair, tossed about over the pillow during the night. I pulled his arm tighter over my waist, holding his paw to my fur with mine, and calmly brushed my tail across his legs, patiently waiting for him to wake as well.

Some nights he grips me too tightly. On others, he comparatively doesn't hold me at all. At times his body heat is unbearable, and occasionally he gets in the way of me finding the perfect sleeping orientation. But there is one feeling I hate more than anything, and that is waking up alone.

I never knew my mother; she disappeared shortly after I was born, and only less than a year ago did I find out that I am a product of rape. My father is dead. He aligned himself with a side in line with evil, and for that he was rewarded with a 9mm bullet to the head from my lover. I have no siblings. I have no relatives to speak of. Alexei is all I have left.

I suppose I have my friends. They're all nice to me. Whether that's because they really like me or just because they know I'm an orphan, I don't know. I technically live with Alexei's ex-girlfriend Stephanie (you'd think there'd be tension, but there's really not. We're actually close friends), but most of the time I sleep where Alexei lives. That's the beauty of being privileged orphans. Nobody cares about a lot of the things you do. It's in that sense we differ from the rest of high school couples. Couples that mate right after high school generally fail because they can't actually live with each other. Alexei and I have been practically living together since we started dating. And then there's the superficial. Most couples have to sneak around and be discreet to fool around; we have sex whenever we feel so inclined.

Not that it's every night or anything. We're more mature than that. It's often, but never overkill, and it's always an extension of love, never purely physical. I'm not afraid to say I love him, nor he I. It's just something we understand, and have understood for a long time. Though I did get quite a lot of love after Geoff's party.

I smiled to myself in bed. Alexei is a dream come true. I'm done searching; I don't want anybody else. And so when I heard him rustle for the first time that morning, I smiled even wider. Nothing made me happier than just knowing he was there with me. He bent his head down and buried his snout in my shoulder, uttering a garbled, muffled noise that sounded something vaguely like "Good morning". I giggled out, "Good morning to you, too," and squeezed his paw. He pressed his lips to the back of my neck repeatedly until I turned onto my back and looked directly at him. I ran a paw through his black and white facial fur, told him I loved him, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He then propped himself up on his elbows and held his head over mine, telling me he loved me more than anything and sweetly kissing me several times, then nuzzling my neck.

"Alexei," I whispered, "it's 11 o'clock. We can't stay in bed all day." He lifted his head out of my fur just enough to say, "I beg to differ. We're on vacation, I'm not getting up until someone forcefully drags me out of bed." I sighed and slipped out from beneath him, alighting from the bed before he could figure out what was going on and proceeding to lean against a wall, "Well fine then. No more snuggling until you get up." He stared at me for a while with his mouth slightly open, uttered, "You're evil," and collapsed on the bed, still refusing to rise. I walked over and grabbed his arm, attempting to literally drag him out. 100 pound teenage girl versus 200 pound professional soldier. That went well.

After not being able to move Alexei more than an inch, I gave up all hope and settled for my last ditch weapon, "Alexei... I'll make it worth your while..." "No, get behind me Satan," my husky declared raising a fist to the ceiling in mock intensity, "Even sex will not get me to leave my bed this day! Which is kind of ironic when you think about it. Where exactly were you planning on doing it?" I stared him down, "Anywhere but right where you are." "Look, babe, it would take an international emergency to get me out right now." "Fine then, I'm getting dressed and going downstairs. Get up whenever you feel like it." I had just finished putting on my underwear when I heard more rustling from the bed. A few seconds later, two strong arms slid around my waist and pulled me in. "I thought it would take an international emergency to get you up," I said, holding Alexei's paws. "Me not being with you is an international emergency."

I leaned back against him silently for a while, then asked quietly if he still wanted his reward. "Only if you do," he whispered. I slowly moved one of his paws between my legs, but before he could get any further, someone knocked loudly on the bedroom door. Alexei and I both knew what that meant, and he groaned out a "Whaaaaat?" at the knocker. "Alex, we gotta go," the noticeable Southern drawl of Alexei's boss and adoptive father Bronco Shadowstep came through the door, "It's an emergency." "Ugh, domestic or international?" "International." "FUCK MY LIFE."

Alexei went over to the door and yanked it open, saying, "Seriously? Right as Spring Break is starting? Can't we postpone the end of the world for like, I dunno, two weeks or something?" "Nope, you're going. That's an order. Unless you want to have your position of command removed." "Sonofabitch. How bad is it?" "You're gonna be there for a while." "Where?" "You'll find out with the rest of the team. Pavel and Elise are going, too."

Pavel is cool. I like him a lot. Definitely the non-killer every group of veteran killers needs. I wouldn't mind if Elise, like, I dunno, stepped on a landmine and blew up everywhere though. She's always after Alexei and has absolutely no right to him. He's mine, bitch. So yeah, I trust her about as far as I can throw her. Which isn't very far considering she's so fat and ugly and stupid and... fat. I was cheered up a little though when Bronco left, as his closing words were, "And god dammit, Pavlov, put on some pants! That is not what I needed to see this early in the morning!" Alexei looked down, realized he was still completely naked, got all red and sheepishly covered himself with his paws. I giggled quietly as Alexei shut the door and wordlessly followed the orders and got mostly clothed. And then I stopped because 1. Alexei was leaving for a high danger operation again and 2. He was going to be exposed to Elise for the entire duration of this. Seriously, I can't stress this enough, fuck Elise. (Note: Alexei, honey, if you're reading this, don't literally fuck Elise, or I'll have to cut off your balls. <3 Love you <3!)

Alexei leaned on his dresser, paws on top of his shirt he had yet to put on, closed his eyes, and sighed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and nestled my shoulder in the crook of his neck, asking him what was wrong. "I don't wanna go," he said succinctly, "All I wanted was just a week to spend with you, maybe hang out with the guys a little bit, but mostly just relax. All this fighting's kinda taking its toll on me, and I thought maybe a little detox would do wonders for me. But that's all gone to shit now because I'm about to be shipped off to do some job that nobody else wants to do, and with my luck it's probably in fucking Somalia or something like that." "Alexei, can't you just not go?" "That's not how it works. HURT's got me by the balls at least till I'm 18. Can't live alone, so they'd ship me off to some undisclosed location where Kossenko couldn't get to me, far away from here. And they wouldn't allow you to come with. Besides, most of the time I don't mind my job. It's the best use of my talents and abilities, the pay is great, and I'm surrounded by good furs-" "-except Elise-" "um... right, and I guess all in all its not a bad experience. The one thing I still can't get over though is the prospect of me leaving today and never coming back. I could never rest in peace knowing that I left you here alone."

I squeezed Alexei with all my might, hoping that it'd restore his courage, and mine I guess, "But Alexei, you always come back." "All it takes is one mistake. You could go 999 for 1000, and that one tiny little error could be the difference between seeing your family again and coming back in a box." "Look, Alexei, I've known you since you were two years old. You've never made that mistake. That's what makes you so special; you always pull through. You know I wish you could stay with me, but if this is something you really want to do, then you have to go do it. This could be millions of furs all counting on you to save them. Don't let them down for my sake."

He turned, and we hugged for a long time. He told me he loved me, I reciprocated. We kissed goodbye, he put his shirt on, and walked out the door. I sat on his bed, alone, one solitary tear rolling down my cheek. I knew he'd come back, but what he said still worried me more than usual. I'd still try to live my life as a normal teenage girl while he was gone, but it's hard to adequately talk about males when you know yours is probably on the brink of death as you speak. Now it was just a waiting game until he walked back in through that door. We're good for life, he had to, that's just how it worked.

So God help anybody that tried to take my mate from me.

Pavel

I was in a forest. It was dark. There was no one else. The sounds were everywhere. The trees were distorted. The whole world was distorted. Shapes didn't exist in their correct forms. Everything fell apart right into place. The sound permeated. Screeching. Wailing. A light, flickering on then snuffed out again. It danced around me, taunting me, leading me toward it. I wanted the light. It was like a visual siren song. And the audible sirens continued their distressed clamor, growing in earsplitting intensity as I drew closer to the light.

The world got brighter and brighter, the trees seemed to fade into the disappearing shadows.

And then the world caught fire.

It exploded all around me, the bright light morphing into pillars of raging flame and the screeching increasing in volume every second. I turned and ran as fast as I could, hurdling roots and fallen branches, dashing around trees desperately trying to avoid getting cremated alive. The forest became a furnace, towering infernos shooting up into the opaque sky in my path, no matter which way I ran. I kept going, and the screeching became... separated. Something spoke to me in whispers through the din, but I couldn't comprehend it. I ran and ran until my legs gave out on me until I fell to the ground and watched as the firestorm rolled over me, leaving only a bright light. The words cleared up, and I made out, "Pavel? Pavel?" as I slowly forced my eyelids open.

I looked straight forward to see the familiar, very concerned face of my girlfriend Stacey, a wolf like me, staring back at me, "PAVEL? Oh, God, are you okay? You've been shaking and sweating in your sleep since I woke up." I willed myself to sit up in bed, asking drowsily what time it was. "It's about 10:30," Stacey told me, "Are you sick? Maybe you shouldn't go to work today." "I'm fine," I stated flatly, still allowing her to put a paw on my forehead. Not that she could really do much for me medically as an English major, but she still liked to feel like she was helpful. "Well you're not running a fever," she said. No kidding. She continued, "I guess if you feel alright, you're okay... I worry about you sometimes."

I pulled her in and kissed her cheek, telling her that she shouldn't worry too much about my safety. I'm just the tech guy after all. I'd never really been in a life or death situation with HURT then, and I wasn't planning on it. Sure, Alex and Travis were teaching me how to be a soldier in their free time, but it was still a little sketchy because neither of them were soldiers and I'd probably never need those skills anyway. But they said I was good at it, so there's that I guess.

"Sometimes I wonder, Pavel," Stacey told me, tracing the divisions of my defined abs with her finger, "If you're the computer nerd, what your coworkers look like." Two important things to mention: Stacey thinks I work for a private security firm, and yes, I'm very physically fit. The lie is for obvious reasons; I can't go around telling everyone that I work for a secret organization, as much as Alex likes to tell his girlfriend (the one that doesn't work for HURT of course) about our jobs. As far as the body thing, I used to be a hockey player with some potential, even played for the Slovakian junior national team. Eventually though, I discovered the internet, and the rest is history. I still run every day and work out with the rest of the team though, so I stay in shape. Not as much as the others though. All of them are at least 10-12 centimeters taller than me, and probably twice my weight.

"They're like professional football players," I responded to Stacey, pretty much telling the truth. "Well, I'd rather have you than a professional football player," the wolfess told me, laying her head on my shoulder, "Are all of them as nice as Alex?" Yes, I know what I said about not telling people anything about work, but that doesn't mean I can't introduce them to my friends. Alex and Travis, besides being my comrades, are also my best friends, and since Travis can turn even the most pleasant situations intolerably awkward, Stacey got to meet Alex and Natalya. So did Toni, I guess, to some extent.

I put my arm around her and stroked her long, dark-brown-almost-black hair, telling her, "Yeah, for the most part. They're a good group." She snickered, "What about that really bitchy chick with the crush on Alex that we met at the concert? Do you work with her too?" I laughed pretty hard at this comment. What an apt description of the company secretary. Despite Alex's constant insistence that we don't fully understand her, I still perceive her as a mostly irritating and irksome fur to work with, though she does do good and honest work, and I respect her for that. "Elise? Yeah, she's the company secretary, and sometimes my assistant with tech and communications. She's a real character." "I'm sorry you have to deal with her," Stacey apologized. Yeah, in case you weren't aware, Elise isn't exactly popular. I haven't been here that long, so I don't know, but from what I've heard, her vagina used to be though. Though I can also understand why operatives didn't like to go for more than one-night stands with her. She's a psycho.

"In any event," Stacey began, "You're gonna be fine?" "Yeah," I replied with a sly smile, "You know me. I'm quite resilient." The wolfess rolled her eyes and kissed me before saying, "Yeah, uh-huh, you're superdog, and we're just mere mortals in your presence. I'm gonna go shower off. Go bug Toni or something." We both got out of bed, and Stacey put on a robe and grabbed some clothes and a towel, and we went to walk out of the room. But before I got out she said, "Um... Pavel?" I gave her an inquisitive look, and she momentarily looked below my waist. I followed her gaze and realized that I was still completely naked. "Maybe I wanted to surprise Toni," I suggested, trying to cover up my thoughtless mistake. "Then that would worry me," Stacey frowned, "I don't want you getting frisky with my best friend without my supervision."

"Fine," I sighed in (mostly) mock disappointment, walking over and putting on a pair of boxers before exiting the room with Stacey, rudimentarily fixing my scraggly black hair and smoothing out a patch of my brownish-gray fur with a paw. While Stacey went to her apartment's bathroom, I walked out into the living room and found the two most beautiful things I could've seen that morning: hockey on TV (it was just highlights on ESPN, but still) and the female on the couch watching it.

She didn't have any makeup on. Her plain white t-shirt and black athletic shorts weren't provocative at all. Her black and tan German Shepherd fur was rough and matted in places from recently waking up, and her chestnut brown hair disorderly fell over her shoulders. She smiled at the TV when it showed an impressive goal or hit, and she smiled broadly when she realized I was standing there and patted the seat next to her.

Stacey's best friend and roommate Antonia (Toni to her friends) is amazing. She's kind of a tomboy, but she's (at least in my opinion) still really attractive, and although I appeared to gel with Stacey pretty well right after we first met, it seemed like Toni and I were thinking on the same wavelength more often. Oh, and she was stacked too. She seems almost ashamed of it, and tries to hide it all the time, but she's very well-endowed up top. Travis even refers to them as "bazookas", and it was hilarious at Alex's concert a few weeks back when she showed up and made even Elise in all her sluttiness feel self-conscious.

I sat down next to her and she said, "Morning, Pavel. What happened this morning? It sounded like Stacey had a heart attack this morning." "Heart attack? What?" "She was calling your name in a sort of panicked tone." I raised my eyebrows and showed a shrewd smile, and Toni rolled her eyes, "No. Those were not the sounds of someone having sex with Pavel Svrbada. You're good, but you're not that good. Those were the sounds of someone waking up and finding Pavel Svrbada comatose or dead." "I just had a really weird dream is all, and Stacey freaked out. Not my fault," I said quickly. She turned her whole body toward me and asked, "What kind of dream?" "I already said. A weird one. I don't wanna talk about it." "Oh come on! I'm a psych major! I could use the practice." "No way. I wouldn't want to get my head shrunk by someone like you." "What's that supposed to mean?" "You're far too blunt and unforgiving." "WOW. Thanks, I'm glad you see me in that light. Is that all?"

"No," I sighed, "I don't want to talk about my dreams with someone I have feelings for." "What does that have to do with anything? Was I in it?" "No. I was alone." "And what were you doing alone?" "I was... Hey, stop that. I see what you're doing." "Dammit." She reached over and took one of my paws, stroking the back of it with her thumb, "You know, Stacey's not the only one who worries about you. You and I know both this 'private security contractor' shtick is bullshit, and I don't know what you do, and I don't wanna know, but I do know it's more dangerous than you let on." "Look, no matter who I work for, I'm still the tech guy. I don't get into that much trouble," I attempted to calm her. Toni was not impressed, "I wouldn't be shocked if that could change in a heartbeat."

It hadn't up till that point, so I still felt pretty safe, "Seriously, don't waste any prayers on me. It's the other guys you should be worried about." Toni squeezed my paw, "But you're the only one I actually care about coming home or not. I know that sounds twisted, but think about it. I met Alex briefly, but other than that I don't even know the furs you work with's names," the German shepherdess cracked a smile, "Besides, if you didn't come back I would miss your accent way too much." I brushed her hair back and stroked the fur of her cheek, "I really don't think you have to worry about me not coming back. I'm gonna be okay." "Promise?" "Yes" "Pinky promise?" "...What?" "Oh my God, do you not know what a pinky promise is?" "...No?"

Toni laughed out loud, "Okay, stick your pinky finger straight out... Just like that. Right, now wrap it around mine... Good, and make your promise." "I promise I won't die on the job." "...Good..." We looked at each other for a second, and I moved my paw to the back of Toni's head, pulling her in until her snout was up against mine, and pressed my lips to hers. As soon as the first kiss ended, more proceeded to follow directly after, and I slid my paw down to her waist, then slipped it under her shirt and grabbed some of her rather large soft bits. She twitched for a second, then placed her paw on top of mine and opened her mouth wider, allowing my tongue to roll in. I started to become more forceful, and Toni eventually rolled onto her back, and I wound up on top of her. The kissing sped up considerably, and she gasped when I moved from her lips to her neck. And I remained there until the thing I least wanted to hear went off in the background.

I heard the chorus of Korn's "Coming Undone" come from the kitchen, and Toni and I both sighed. "In the name of all that is good and holy, you need a better ringtone," Toni told me. "What's wrong with Korn?" "Everything. Now go pick that up. It's probably your boss pissed at you for being late to work because you're too busy feeling me up." I groaned and went to my phone, knowing that she was probably right. Sure enough, the caller ID said "Shadowstep" and I reluctantly picked up and said hello. "Svrbada, you need to get down to HQ right now. International emergency," the cat said over the phone. "You know, sir, I was kind of in the middle of something," I responded, something that would have been considered more than a little brazen if my boss didn't love our team so much. "Jesus, son, you can go without puttin' it in your girlfriend for a week." "I wasn't." "Fine. You can go without puttin' it in your girlfriend's friend behind her back for a week." "It's scary that you knew that." "Y'know, kid, I've been around the block, seen a few things. I know how this shit goes down. In any event, get your ass down to base." "Yes, sir."

I hung up and turned around to see Toni behind me, arms crossed, "How long?" I scratched behind one of my pointed ears, "About a week." She looked at the floor, and I walked over to her and hugged her, "Hey, I already promised I wouldn't die." "Yeah, I know. That doesn't really make me feel any better right now." Suddenly her face lightened up a little, "Hey! I just remembered I had something for you for your next big assignment." She ran to her room, then quickly ran back out, paws behind her back and tail wagging furiously, "Is that clingy cunt of a dingo still your assistant?" Yup. I wasn't kidding. EVERYONE hates Elise. "Yeah," I chuckled, "Why?" She beamed and put her paws in front of her, producing a stark white glove, "For if she ever gets too rambunctious." It took me a second or two to get it, then I doubled over with laughter. "Yep," Toni continued, "Feel free to pimp slap the hell out of that bitch, and tell her she can deal with me if she has a problem."

I neglected to inform Toni that if she and Elise did get into a fight, Elise would win without a problem, but rather ran up to her and swept her up in a crushing hug, taking the glove from her in the process. She looked up at me less excitedly, "Remember your promise?" "Yes." "Good... I love you." "I love you too," I said before kissing her and holding the embrace for what seemed like an eternity before breaking off, at which point she suggested, "Hey, you should probably put some clothes on before you leave. And you should also probably say goodbye to Stacey, because she's kind of your girlfriend."

"Yeah, I guess I probably should, shouldn't I?"

Travis

The first thing I saw was the plain white ceiling.

That was good news. Probably.

Still in a bit of a daze from just waking up, I panned my eyes to my right to see dark blue painted walls. And that did it. I had no idea where in the fuck I was. My eyes went lower until they looked over the floor, and much to my dismay, I observed multiple empty glass bottles and one empty plastic bag. I looked back up. Yeah, I didn't wanna know.

Even scarier was the prospect of looking to my left. I may be only 19 years old, but hey, after being stuck in the CIA and HURT for a good amount of time, I've got more experience than my years would tell you. And that means, yes, I've gone home with girls on the wrong side of a few too many on several occasions, and let me tell you, the outcome generally ain't pretty. And I mean that fairly literally. Lately, that hasn't been as much of a problem, seeing as most of the ladies I shack up with now come from this kinda, top-secret VIP club I frequently attend. Alex and Pavel would give you a whole frickin' mouthful on that place, but in response all I have to say is that Pavel met both his girlfriend and the one other chick he sleeps with (y'know. Whats-her-face. The one with the big tits) at that "hellhole" as they not-so-lovingly refer to it as. So yeah, it works for me. I get pretty attractive females whenever I want. Generally, given the kinda high-level place I go to (CIA connections are BOSS) they're mainly MILF-y types, but I'm okay with that, and as a big plus, they all dig my Brooklyn accent.

So understandably it was a little out of the ordinary for me to be worrying about who I was waking up next to on any given morning, but the previous night I had gone with a girl I had never seen before, which was odd for me. Never. Again.

I reluctantly sat up and glanced to my left, finding a brown female (so far so good) otter with medium length dirty blonde hair and honestly not many other distinguishing physical qualities. Her fur and hair were a complete mess, and she was lying in an awkward sprawled position on top of the covers. She looked to be about early-thirties, but I couldn't really tell, especially with my mind-numbing headache that was steadily forming. I tried to search my mental memory banks to remember her name, but nothing was coming up. Giving up on the girl, I started to take a damage assessment of myself.

Looking over my brown vulpine fur, I found that, at least physically, I was intact, and besides my pounding headache, I couldn't really find any internal issues either, so compared to a couple of occasions, I was actually doing pretty well. I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake up the girl, and decided that the best course of action was to get out of there as quickly as possible. I snuck around the room, noiselessly retrieving articles of my clothing and putting them on as I went. As I went to pick up my shirt, I accidentally knocked over an empty glass bottle, causing it to break slightly. I didn't really care about breaking the bottle; the place looked like Bourbon Street after a hurricane (or Bourbon Street at any other time, really). What worried me was the movement of the girl in bed. I remained perfectly still as she shifted, desperately hoping she wouldn't wake up, and luckily for me, she didn't. I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the shirt over my head.

Her bedroom door was open, and I slipped out into the apartment living room area, finding it to be not nearly as trashed as her bedroom. Apparently we had done all our partying in there. At least plastered Me was still moderately considerate. I was all ready to check out when I felt like I was forgetting something. I stuck my hands in my pockets and surveyed their contents. Keys? Check. Wallet? Check. ID, money, credit card? More checks than a bag of Chex Mix. Phone? ...Phone? Shit. No phone. This was bad. I couldn't leave without my phone. So, against my will and better judgment, I went back into the bedroom. I tiptoed around the room, scouring the floor for the communication device.

And then my luck ran out. Right before I checked the last corner of the room, a blaring noise of what could loosely be considered "music" detonated out of it. Assuming it was mystery girl's phone, I dove over to it and tried to shut the sound off so the sudden emergence of Katy Perry didn't wake the girl. When I grabbed the phone, I found it humorous that she had the same type as I did, down to the color. When I flipped it around and saw "Shadowstep" on the Caller ID, I found it much less humorous, and much more distressing. I hit the "answer" button and promptly said in a hushed tone, "Hey Shadowstep. Just picked up the phone after it went off at full volume in the bedroom of some girl I don't know. The ringtone was a shitty pop song for some reason, and I'm so hung over I feel like I got hit by semi-truck on the highway. How are you going to make my life worse today?" My feline boss responded in his characteristic Southern drawl, "Alright, you seem like you're in a tough spot so I'll skip the spiel for now. Case in point, be at HQ ASAP, big job for y'all. I'll uh... have some coffee or somethin' for when you get there. Funny, when I told Alex and Pavel to move their asses this morning, I was cockblocking them. Seems like you're the only one of the Golden Trio that's not exactly lookin' for another round this fine mornin'." "Sir, you have no idea," I said, twitching as I heard a great increase of shuffling come from the bed, "Aw shit, I gotta go, I'll be there as soon as I can."

I hung up the phone and turned around to find the female staring back at me, "Are you leaving me, Travis?" "Uh, yeah," I said, surreptitiously moving closer to the door, "Just got a call from work. They're wondering why I'm late." "You said you didn't work Sundays." "A special project came up. Just forgot about it I guess." "I guess special projects would tend to come up in astronaut school." Astronaut school? Damn, what had I been smoking? Guess it worked though. She looked downward and said, "I wish you didn't have to go." I was almost at the doorway, "Well, you know how it goes. Duty calls." "You can go back to school any time you want. If you stay here, I'll do whatever you want." I had turned around to leave, but upon hearing this, I looked back over my shoulder and she reinforced, "Anything."

As tempting as it was to sacrifice my job (and probably my life) to have some fun with a bimbo that wasn't THAT attractive, I decided to pass up on the offer. "Eh, maybe some other time," I said before hastily walking toward the apartment door. The otter's voice hit me one last time, "Promise you'll call?" "Yeah, sure, whatever," I called back before exiting the place.

As I walked out of the apartment building and toward my car I reminded myself that I really had to be a little more selective in choosing my partners.

Elise

I woke up that morning in my own apartment, in my own bed, completely alone. Story of my life.

I don't want to waste your time making it sound like I have a stable sort of anything. Practically everyone hates me and I know it. Oh, I know what you're thinking. Alex doesn't hate me, right? Yep, it's true he hugs me and kisses me and tells me I'm wonderful all the time, but think about it: where does he spend his nights? In his bed, with that fox-bitch. Does he ever let me stay over, or stay at my place? Oh, no, he couldn't do that to Natalya. Does he ever sleep with me? Nope. Does he ever sleep with her? All the fucking time. Just so we're clear: some whore who doesn't work with Alex every day and doesn't understand him at all gets to mate him, and I'm left by myself clutching a pillow and pretending it's a husky. The universe sucks.

So I get up and do my morning routine just like any other day, shower, put on some makeup, look over myself. Dingo, taller than average, tan fur, long straight blonde hair, big brown eyes, attractive face, pretty well endowed. I'm hot. Straight up. It's a reason why people think I'm a whore, even though I'm not. I'm in love with one guy, and we've been "together" (I already kinda explained what I mean by that) for three months now, and at least by that morning, there hadn't been any sex to speak of. Okay, maybe that was more his doing than mine, but still. I'm not a slut.

So my morning continues. Brush my teeth, get dressed. Same attire as usual. Short skirt, low cut shirt, high heels. Yeah, I realize that doesn't help my image much either. But I dress that way to show I don't care. Also because I think Alex likes it. He wasn't supposed to be in the office that day, but it's always good to play it safe. Last thing I put on is a little heart necklace my grandmother gave me. I've worn it everywhere ever since I got it, except for a couple times when I've given it to Alex on missions for good luck.

People think I'm a bitch for fawning over Alex all the time and not really paying as much attention to everyone else, and frankly, I can see where they're coming from. I'm incorrigible. I want Alex really, really badly, and I know that he wants me too. And I'm almost positive that once he sees that I'm way better for him than the fox-bitch, we'll be together all the time and I can focus more on being nice to other people. It's just not a priority right now.

So I prepared to leave my apartment, grabbing my purse as my phone went off, to the tune of "Blonde, Bad, and Beautiful." Alex likes to sing that to me, and I thought it fit, so I went with it. And no I'm not obsessed. Really, I'm not. Okay... Maybe a little, but he's really awesome. You have to understand that. I picked up the phone, and said hello to the fur on the other end, my best friend from college, Alina (HA! Bet you thought it was Shadowstep! Fun fact: Shadowstep isn't my boss, Mansfield is, and this was around 8:30 because I have to be at work every day anyway.) calling to ask if I was free to do something that night. "Well," I responded as I walked out of my apartment, "I don't have anything planned today, but you know those times when you feel like something big is about to come up?" "Yeah, I get what you're saying," Alina said unenthusiastically, "Are you sure this 'something' doesn't have anything to do with your boyfriend?"

I almost tripped down the stairs of my building in surprise when she brought up Alex, "No! I mean, he's not even supposed to be at work today." "Well where's he going to be then?" "I don't know..." "That's sketchy, Elise. Find out and get your ass off work early. You've been neglecting us for like, a month now, and all we've seen is a picture or two on Facebook. I wanna meet this guy." "I'm telling you, you'll meet him soon. He's a busy male." "Yeah yeah yeah. 'It's coming soon, really this time.' I've seen that movie before. That's what they've been telling me about a Messiah coming since I was two. Probs not gonna happen. And ya know what? When stuff like that DOES happen, you get Duke Nukem Forever, and then there's much wailing and gnashing of teeth." "Alina, what the hell is Duke Nukem?" Alina sighed, "Nevermind, just... nevermind."

I got into my car, a spunky orange Lotus convertible (bet you can't guess the model. I know, I'm so witty.) bought with my inordinate H.U.R.T. paycheck, started it up and set off towards HQ, continuing, "And how do you know the Messiah hasn't already shown up? What if he's Leonardo Di Caprio or something?" "Yeah, or maybe Hulk Hogan! Seriously, Elise? Come on now, there's no way. He'd have to be, y'know, a Jew. Although I do wonder what he'd look like. I'm imagining Rambo with Mel Brooks' face and voice. I'm not sure if I like that or not." "I don't know who either of those are, so I can't really help you there." "Why are we friends again?" "Because we get along really well? Sorry, I haven't had that much time recently to look at stuff like that." "THESE THINGS ARE NOT NEW."

"Jeez, sorry," I said, struggling to stay concentrated with my driving while talking on the phone. Alina prodded, "Heh, it is funny to me though that you said old Leo there as your example and not Alex." "Oh come on, I don't worship him." "Yeah you do." "You were just going on about how you haven't met him about three minutes ago! How would you know?" "Ahem... 'Oh, my new ringtone?'" Alina imitated me in her best (which wasn't saying much) Australian accent, "'You like it? Alex likes it, so I like it too. I used to be completely nonreligious, but Alex calls himself Agnostic, so I'm gonna do that too. Yeah, I switched the shampoo brand I've been using for two years because I tried a different one and Alex liked that one better.' You're obsessed! And your best friends still don't know if he actually exists." "I'm not obsessed! I just want to make him happy! Is that so wrong? And you've seen the pictures, you know he exists." "It's wrong when you take it too far. If he can't take you being you, dump his ass. You're the only one in our group who could be considered legitimately hot. You have options. And that could've been anyone in the pictures. Here's a novel idea: have Alina Kirschner meet Alex Pavlov, and then I'll totally believe you."

I pulled into the H.U.R.T. underground garage/motor pool, parked, turned off the car and walked to the elevator to take me to the floor where my office was, continuing the conversation, "He's not changing me. And I already explained, he's busy." "Too busy to make time for you? Not exactly a sign of a gentleman." "Oh for fuck's sake, Alina, fine. I'll make him go with me to meet you as soon as I see him, ok?" "Sounds like a plan." "Alright, I have to work now. Talk to you later." "See ya."

I hung up as I walked into the office, sat down and started my secretarial work. All in all, it was around two and a half hours of uneventfulness with one little happy break when I went to the shooting range to practice my marksmanship. I hit every target, just like every other time I had gone down there. But does anyone let Elise go anywhere with a rifle? Of course not, that'd be silly. If I'm fighting, who's making the goddamn fucking sandwiches for the males who do the real work?

Anyway, that was only a short break. Back in the office, the Rottweiler director of H.U.R.T., David Mansfield, exited his office that connected to mine and handed me a packet of papers, telling me that it needed to go the research lab. I sprung out of my chair and grabbed the papers, thankful for some sort of excitement. I dashed out of the office and took the elevator down to the underground floor that contained the research lab. The hallway on the floor is rather boring. A couple offices, an electrical closet, nothing interesting. But at the end of the hall lies the R&D facility, which has to be my second favorite part of HQ, right after the enormous shooting range. It's like the Q Branch from the old Bond films, except cooler.

Upon entering the lab, I immediately tracked down the head of the H.U.R.T. research and technology division, Zechariah Bourne. Bourne is a slender, bespectacled, grey haired, tan furred puma, much the kind of fur you would think likely to be at home in a laboratory. Behind the lab coat, however, lies a history of basically unrestrained badassery. He was a commando and survival expert in the Canadian Forces before eventually joining the CSIS upon its formation in the 1980's as the head of its innovative gadget engineering division. A little known fact is he also worked in the field at times, testing his own inventions alongside regular field agents. Though he doesn't work in the field at all anymore (the guy's in his fifties, cut him some slack), he still avidly exercises and hikes. Maybe he'll get back out there some day. Probably the same time I do. Harrumph.

The lab itself is pure white, with an almost medically sterile air to it. All the engineers work in pristine white lab coats, and surprisingly jovial spirits. Bourne runs a tight ship, but he's always in good humor and knows how to keep a lovely balance between hard work and joking around. "Excuse me Mr. Bourne," I said, getting the puma's attention. "Ah, Miss McAlester. What can I do for ya this fine day?" "I have a special delivery from Director Mansfield," I explained, handing him the packet. "Ugh," he sighed, looking over the material, "CIA wants us to fix up some of their broken crap. They're sending it in next week. Typical." "Sorry, sir. Hate to give you more work." "It's all good," Bourne said, tossing the papers on a table, "So how have you been lately? It's been a while." "Oh, I've been alright. A little stressed with double duty is all." "Yeah, I know how that can be. You're a tough girl, you'll pull through. Just wait till you're mated, then it gets really exciting. Speaking of, that Pavlov kid treating you right?" I smiled and blushed slightly, "He's wonderful."

"Excellent, he seems like an okay guy," Bourne said, briefly looking at something behind me, then shifting his voice to a lower tone, "and we're gonna need him more than you can imagine. I don't envy the poor pup; in a few months he's gonna have the weight of the world on his shoulders. I'm glad he has someone like you to help him along the way. Remember: the best way to keep Pavlov strong is to stay strong yourself"-I nodded- "especially with that big assignment coming up." I gave the engineer a quizzical look, "What assignment?" "Oh, Mansfield hasn't told you yet? Well then, I'll let you find out with the others. Got a few new toys for you guys, too." "Cool! Think I can have a little sneak preview?" "I don't think so. I don't want to spoil anything for you." "Oh fine. I see how it is," I said, sticking my tongue out teasingly. "Well, you should probably get back to Mansfield so he can direct you to the briefing," Bourne suggested. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. See you in a few minutes!"

I left the research lab fairly happy. Bourne is one of the few people (others include Mansfield, my school friends, and of course, Alex) that truly believe in me and see me more than just a waste of space, and I like that feeling of belonging. I walked down the hallway back toward the elevator, and I curiously noted that the door to the electrical closet was ever so slightly ajar. I was almost certain it had been securely closed before, but kept walking, attributing the connection to my imagination. However, almost as soon as I had passed it, I heard a faint noise behind me, and before I could turn around, a paw clamped over my mouth, and, combined with another arm around my waist, pulled me into the closet.

Keeping one paw over my snout, the assailant closed the door and pushed me against the wall, making a "shhh" noise and placing a finger over where my lips would be if his paw wasn't covering them. I nervously shook my head in affirmation before the shadowy figure pulled his paw off my mouth, and replaced it with his lips. He pulled back a few inches, and I smacked him upside the head. "OW. What was that for?! I try to do something special and all you do is hit me," Alex said in mock-frustration. "Never. Do. That. Again. You scared the shit out of me," I chided him. "Sorry," he apologized, making himself sound like an innocent puppy, "Will you ever forgive me?" "Ugh," I rolled my eyes, "C'mere you big idiot," and flung my arms around his neck, pulling him in and kissing him a few times.

I stopped momentarily and asked if there was any particular reason why he was there. "Well, it seems there is an international emergency of some sort," Alex expounded, "Dunno what exactly, but it's a big one. We're gonna be gone for at least a week, maybe more. And when I say we, that means you too. That's right, you're going with us to... wherever it is we're going to do... whatever it is we're doing. Yeah, I really have no clue what's going on. I basically just woke up." I giggled and quickly kissed him again before saying, "So what I'm hearing is we get to be out of the country for a week. Exciting. How much downtime are we going to have?" "Eh... Don't get too excited. We don't know where we're going yet. Could be a shithole in Somalia, could be the middle of the fucking desert in Iran, could be anywhere in Best Korea. Then again, we might be going to Monte Carlo or Bora Bora or something. Who knows. As for downtime, again I have no idea, but rest assured, I'll make it worth your trip," my husky said, softly holding me and nuzzling my nose with his.

I stroked the fur on the back of his neck and asked simply, "Anything else?" "Nope," he just as succinctly replied, "Guess we should head over to the briefing room then?" "Hm... Not so fast," I semi-whispered, maneuvering my snout so our lips were brushing against each other, "I'm not finished with you here yet."