{"sf1_id":52975,"sf2_id":"YnLb29Re","title":"Through the Fire and Flames","author":"Rough","words":29107,"posted_at":"2008-06-13T02:23:00.000Z","tags":["Death","Human","M/F","Realistic","Vaginal","Violence (Not In Yiff)","Vixen"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/52975-through-the-fire-and-flames","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/YnLb29Re","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/09/fb/09fb11e8-c00d-4d29-b326-5910b8da1e38","description":"Where would you walk?","content":"_ **Re-Re-Re-REMIIIIIIIX** _!!!!!!!! \\*Obnoxious Airhorn!\\*\n\nHe-hey there, denizens of the wild and weird world of all that is fuzziful! You thought I was dead, didn't you? You thought I was gone forever, huh? Well YOU WERE **_WRONG_**! HA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GUESS WHO'S BACK, BOYS AND GALS?!?\n\n  \n\n...Me. I-It's me. I'm back. Well, sorta-kinda. I found enough time to recombobulate this thingie majigger, anyways.\n\n  \n\nSo, I'm going to go ahead and admit my bad on the whole '_going dark_' thing I've done for the past few years. Not really mad at anybody or \"disenchanted from the fandom\" or anything like that. I've just had a lot going on and very little motivation to write anything. One thing that I **_HAD_** been planning on doing for quite some time was going back and revamping this little tidbit _raght heah_! And now I've finally done it!\n\nI've gotten so much positive feedback and so many wonderfulcomments on this story over the years. So many amazing people telling me how mywork affected them, whether it drove them to tears or warmed their hearts. I'llbe the first to admit that it was a **_HUUUUUUUUGE_** ego trip for me. I didn't go \"mahd wit powah\" or anything, but I did sort of have rose-tintedglasses about it for the first little bitFor all the praise it's received, however, every time I looked back at it as the years went by, I couldn't help but begin to pick it apart, like a... like a... thing that people pick apart? \\\u003c\\_\\\u003c \\\u003e\\_\\\u003e \"0\\_o' I acknowledge that the idea is solid - one of my best, in fact! That's why I wrote it. It just needed polishing. A **_LOOOOOOOT_** of polishing! So that's what I attempted to do here - polish up all those rough (pun **_not_** intended!) edges and flesh out those areas that seemed sort of thin, while still keeping the heart and soul of the story in its original, unmolested state.  \n\nOh! Disclaimer thingy! If you're under the age of eighteen, or even twenty-one in some backwards, archaic societies, DO NOT GET CAUGHT!!!!!! I will not be responsible for what your parents and/or the authorities will do to you if you are too dumb to lock your door or cover your e-tracks. This contains at least one scene of graphic (a.k.a. Totally awesome) sex between two consenting adults, as well as violence, harsh language, and death. If the previous does not apply to and/or offend you, feel free to brave the dangerous waters of the following furry smexy-ness (This writer is also not responsible for sore eyeballs due to skimming paragraphs to find said smexy-ness).\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n* * *\n  \n  \n  \n\nSend a message to the unborn child  \n  \nKeep your eyes open, for a while  \n  \nIn a box, high up on the shelf  \n  \nLeft for you, no one else  \n  \nLies a piece to the puzzle known as life  \n  \nWrapped in guilt, sealed up tight\n\n  \n\nWhatever happened  \n  \nTo the young man's heart?  \n  \nSwallowed by pain  \n  \nAs he slowly fell apart\n\n  \n\nShinedown, \".45\"\n\n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n  \n\nThrough the Fire and Flames\n\n  \n\nHe was running. He had no idea where. All he knew was that for some reason he couldn't see - couldn't breathe. The air was thick with... something, he couldn't tell, but it made everything feel heavier in some inexplicable way. There was a smell. Something he knew all too well, but wished he didn't for some reason just beyond his grasp. It was bright. Very bright. Extremely bright. Painfully bright. It wasn't a natural light though. It was something more primal - more malevolent.\n\n  \n\nHe heard a scream from somewhere ahead and off to the left. He knew that voice; had heard that scream before, but where? He stopped as another scream sounded, closer this time, more desperate. Who was it? Where was it coming from? Why the hell was he even here?\n\n  \n\nHe fell to his knees and threw his hands to his head as a third scream rang out. This one was the loudest of all, and his own voice rose to match it. But while his exclamation was one of fear, confusion, and desperation, this one was equally full of pain. No, more than pain. Suffering. Anguish. This was the scream of a person being put through the worst kind of physical torture. This was the scream of someone who was dying.\n\n  \n\n\"Mother!\" he heard himself cry, but it wasn't his voice, not really anyway. It was higher, lighter. Everything was rushing back to him, like a runaway train. The air, the smell, the light.\n\n  \n\nHeat.\n\n  \n\nSmoke.\n\n  \n\nFire!\n\n  \n\nHe screamed again as the ceiling in front of him collapsed, and all at once he knew, without a doubt, that what his mind told him was right, because the rubble in front of him was on fire, and the heat and smoke went from annoying to unbearable.\n\n  \n\nHe was frantic now. He tried to find a way over or around the flames, but every time he got near them they seemed to grow larger. Jumping and flickering. Eager to swallow him up.\n\n  \n\n\"Help!\" he heard the voice he now recognized as his Mother's shout. He didn't know how he knew it was her, but he did all the same, and he knew he had to get to her before the inferno in front of him did.\n\n  \n\n\"I can't!\" he begged, pleaded to her, \"the flames are too high!\" He had to make her understand, make her see why he couldn't get to her, couldn't help her, couldn't save her.\n\n\"Try!\"\n\n\"I am!\"\n\n\"Not hard enough, boy!\" a different voice said. It was full of sarcasm, venom, practically dripping with malice. A face, then a shadowed body appeared behind the flames, towering over him, sneering down at him. He cowered before it, fearful of what even that figure's voice could do to him. He knew that voice as well, and he hated and feared it with a passion that equaled and maybe even surpassed that of the love he had for his mother.\n\n  \n\nThere was a rush of air, a blinding light, and the heat became a burning, and...\n\n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n\n...and he woke up screaming. He sat up, still yelling at the  \ntop of his lungs, and began to swat and bat at himself, trying to put out the  \nraging fire his sleep-addled brain told him was slowly consuming his body.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe slowly came to his senses, getting a grip on his  \nsurroundings. He wasn't in a burning hallway alight with flickering flame, but  \nin his little, rundown, and all together not-on-fire apartment room, lit only  \nby his digital clock, which read o:00 A. N., but probably meant 6:00 A. M. The  \nsensation on his skin wasn't tongues of flame licking at his body, but the cold  \nsweat that covered him and his sopping wet bed.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe became aware of a noise, a pounding and shouting. All at  \nonce he realized that it was his neighbor, one of them at least.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hey! Keep it down over there! Some people are trying  \nto sleep!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Gee. Thanks for caring, jackass\" he muttered.  \n\"So much for 'citizens caring for citizens in Verona' !\" He looked  \nback at the clock, standing up with a grunt and a sigh and beginning to get  \nready as he realized he would have to be at school in a couple hours anyway.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael North scratched at the back of his arms as he began  \nto put on his shirt, long-sleeve, even though it was Summer, and the weatherman  \nhadn't reported anything other than sweltering temperatures for the next month  \nor so. He walked to the bathroom, flicking on the dim, yellow light and  \nchecking over his reflection in the mirror on. Everything seemed normal. 6'  \n1\" human male. A decent build. Short brown hair, eyes the color of muddy  \nearth and a stubble on his chin that suggested he hadn't shaven in at least a  \nfew days. He frowned at himself. He'd have to take care of that sometime. For  \nnow though, it could wait. It wasn't as if he had anybody to look presentable  \nfor, anyway.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael thought back to the details of his dream - his  \nnightmare, brow furrowing in thought as he took up his toothbrush and gave his  \nmouth the quick scrub required to ensure his teeth didn't start falling out of  \nhis head. It had been different than usual. There had never been a hallway  \nbefore. They hadn't even had a hallway. As he continued to ponder it, he  \nrealized that his Mother's voice had been different somehow, too. In fact, it  \nhadn't even really sounded like her, from what he could remember. His frown  \ndeepened as he ran a comb through his hair enough to make it look as though he  \nhadn't been trying to sleep on a running treadmill.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe sighed, splashing a handful of water from the faucet on  \nhis face to try and force it to relax. He flicked the light switch again as he  \nleft, plunging the room into purple pre-dawn darkness, and picked up his keys  \nand wallet from the nightstand by his bed as he made his way to the door;  \nkicking aside piles of clothing, old pizza boxes, and other assorted junk as he  \nwent. It was best not to dwell on these things, he decided. A dream was a  \ndream, the past was still the past, and what was dead was dead.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nYou don't call what happened to me a sacrifice?\n\n  \n  \n\nOkay, okay! So maybe it did, but at least he doesn't hate  \nyou, doesn't fear you.\n\n  \n  \n\nI would think he has every right to!\n\n  \n  \n\nThat was a mistake!\n\n  \n  \n\nA mistake?\n\n  \n  \n\nYes, a mistake. You know I never would have done that if I  \nwere in my right mind, and anyways, I've already paid for it.\n\n  \n  \n\nYes, and you're still paying. So I suggest we drop this  \nwhole thing and focus on the task at hand.\n\n  \n  \n\nYeah, whatever.\n\n  \n  \n\nUnderstand?\n\n  \n  \n\nYes!\n\n  \n  \n\nGood.\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nVerona was a quiet town, for the most part. Hardly anyone  \noutside of the community even knew it existed. It wasn't even really a town,  \nmore like an extremely large suburb to the even larger city of Mab. Mab was  \nwhere the action was. Mab was where the movers and the shakers and all the corporate  \nbigwigs wheeled and dealed and bet millions on schemes that wouldn't see payoff  \nfor the next twenty years. Mab was where the difference between law-abiding  \nbusiness and criminal enterprise was a few forms and taxes and which branch of  \nthe Feds was breathing down your neck.\n\n  \n  \n\nVerona was mostly residential, with a couple malls, some  \nparks, and a handful of apartment complexes mixed in. Verona was quiet. Verona  \nwas plain. In Verona, no one wheeled or dealed or did any sort of scheming at  \nall. Plans were made on the short count, or they weren't made at all. Verona  \nwas, to put it bluntly, boring.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nVerona suited Michael just fine.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael sat on a bench, lazily picking at a sandwich on his  \nlap. He was pretty sure that more than half of it was going to the birds that  \ncrowded on the brick walkway in front of him to beg for scraps. He never really  \nate lunch, but holding the food made it look as though he wasn't just staring  \nat the people walking by. Not that he was, but there _was_ a no loitering sign, and it wasn't as if the security here had  \nanything better to do than give him hell for quite literally doing absolutely  \nnothing.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe park that Michael was currently seated in was  \nconveniently located right next to C and M Community College - his college. It  \nwasn't much, but it had what he needed, and more importantly, it was much  \ncheaper than going to a State University. Cheaper college meant cheaper loans,  \nand cheap loans were all he could afford if he didn't want to be in debt until he  \nwas a grey old man. Accountants weren't paid minimum wage by any definition,  \nbut they didn't exactly break the bank either. He couldn't complain, though; it  \nwas what he wanted to do. He'd always been good with numbers. Numbers were  \nsafe. Michael liked safe. Let the Type As eat each other to death trying to  \nmake it big and do it loud. Michael didn't need big or loud. Michael was just  \nfine with safe and quiet. And if he had to make due with a smaller TV or  \noff-brand cereal, then he was okay with that too. Maybe his life was rather...  \nSpartan, but he could do Spartan. Spartan suited Michael.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael scratched at the sleeves of his shirt.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt was late April, just getting into the heat of summer, and  \nhot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk. Nobody was doing much. A girl  \nsitting on the edge of the large fountain fanning herself with her hand. A guy  \nfiddling with a small electronic device Michael assumed was a phone. And on the  \nother side of the park, off to themselves, the furs.\n\n  \n  \n\nThere weren't any segregation laws - nothing legally  \nseparating the two groups. At least, not anymore, but there was still a stigma  \n- a hostility that acted as a wall between humans and furs. There were people  \non both sides that perpetuated it. There were those that still wanted both  \nhuman and fur to remain apart. It was less... overt than it had been in the  \npast, but still there. Less an open hate and more a mutual distrust that led to  \na inborn sort of apathy. It didn't stop Michael from scanning the scattered  \ncrowd around him: canine, feline, cervine, bovine, equine. Not really paying  \nattention to individual faces. Just an abstract search for... what? He didn't  \nknow. What was he looking for?\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nJust something to look at, he guessed.\n\n  \n  \n\nHis eyes wandered to a vixen sitting by herself near the  \nedge of the group. She was leaning against a tree with a book in her lap, a  \ncalculator in one hand, and a pencil in the other. Pretty plain, all in all.  \nPretty, true, in that abject, artistic way in which all femininity is  \ninherently pretty. The sweep and curve of her lines against the backdrop. The  \nplay of light and wind in russet fur. Pretty like a portrait. Pretty like a  \nflower. But pretty plain, too. Nothing that really should have drawn his gaze.\n\n  \n  \n\nSo then why was he gazing?\n\n  \n  \n\nAnd not just gazing. What he was doing now qualified as  \noutright staring. The dull glint of a claw as she turned the page of her book  \nand fleshy, mottled pink of the pad which cradled the spine. The tuft of white  \npeeking from the top of her - Stop staring! What was different about this girl  \n- about this vixen? Why should she attract his eye, and not someone a little  \nless... exotic?\n\n  \n  \n\nHis answer came to him in the form of a huddle of three  \nhuman males that broke from the crowd and began to walk towards the pretty,  \nplain vixen that he was staring at; each grinning like the hound that caught  \nthe proverbial fox. But though they smiled, these men were very obviously not  \nher friends.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael sighed and, throwing the rest of his sandwich onto  \nthe ground, stood up. He navigated his way slowly but surely through the various  \nknots of students, making certain to act natural and not draw attention to  \nhimself. There was something odd about those men. Each of them was shaved  \ncompletely bald and had Leonardo Da-Vinci's \"Vitruvian Man\" tattooed upon  \ntheir left shoulder. The bald thing might not have bothered Michael by itself,  \nbut nobody wore that symbol as a simple fashion statement. Not unless they  \nwanted the tar beaten out of them and the offending ink (as well as any surrounding  \nskin) ripped promptly and violently off of their arms. It could only mean one  \nthing.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe People.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe People meant trouble.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael hated trouble.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe People, as they liked to call themselves, were a \"Human  \nHeritage Activist\" group - basically KKK for furs. They were founded soon  \nafter the first furs came off the line, back when the government had first  \nlegalized genetic engineering. People had paid big money to have their own  \npartner built for them; essentially, sex slaves or personal bodyguards. The  \ngovernment quickly put that down, but it resulted in thousands upon thousands  \nof \"abominations\", as The People called them, left roaming the  \nstreets to fend for themselves.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMost of them went back to what they knew best, turning cheap  \ntricks as prostitutes and killing for hire as mercenaries and assassins, but a  \nsmall portion took to society, got jobs, houses, found each other, and started  \nfamilies. A few even became quite wealthy. It was this group that The People  \ntargeted.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt began in the South, as these things often do, but it soon  \nspread so far that the People knew no region, nor even nationality. It wasn't  \neveryone, but there was a substantial portion of the human population that  \neither belonged to or openly supported the People and their cause. Most of the  \nothers just turned their heads.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe People's MO was petty crime, at first - vandalism and  \ntheft. Things that could be dismissed. Things that could be ignored, but then  \nthey started to get out of control. Furs began to disappear, others turned up  \nbeaten senseless in front of hospitals, hardly even recognizable to their own  \nfamilies. The People's signature was to hang a collar on a porch or in a tree in  \nfront of a house they'd \"purified\". To show them where they belonged,  \nand who they should belong to.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen one day - Martin Luther King Day to be exact - the  \nworld finally had to take notice. There was a protest in DC. A march for equal  \nfur rights. It began as a peaceful demonstration, but then the People showed up  \nin a countermarch. Nobody knew who fired the first shot, and nobody cared after  \nthe first shot was fired. The peaceful march became an all out riot. Chaos. A  \nbloodbath. People, human and fur, dying in the streets. A city on fire. The  \nNational Guard called in. The President forced to declare martial law at the Capitol's  \nvery doorstep. A national embarrassment the likes of which hadn't been seen  \nsince MacArthur drove his tanks over the Bonus Army.\n\n  \n  \n\nSoon after, the UN and Interpol began to raid the People's  \nchapter houses worldwide. There were tense standoffs, chaotic shootouts. It  \nnearly became a war. Eventually the ringleader was caught cowering in a hole in  \nsome third-world country, and the rest of the People disbanded, but so-called  \n\"nonviolent\" chapters remained in operation. They paid off corrupt  \ncops and officials to remain standing, performed favor hits on political rivals  \nand problem gangs, and did everything they could to keep their names out of  \nevery fur killing reported. The bottom line, the People were alive and well in  \nthe world, and willing to recruit every loser, weirdo, brainless bruiser, and  \ndistraught youth with hate in his heart and a will to direct it at the closest  \nand most convenient minority.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe thugs moved forward until they were right in front of  \nthe fox-girl. Startled out of her trance-like studies by the sudden change in  \nlight, the girl looked up to see three tall shadows towering above her.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe first one was small and lithe, with a jittery little  \ntwitch and a demeanor that suggested being a few marbles on the South side of  \nsanity. The second was huge, his arms were easily larger than the average man's  \nwaist, and his butchered smile revealed that he was no stranger to a fight. The  \nthird seemed to be the brains of the operation. He was arrogant, fairly  \nintelligent looking, wiry but far from scrawny, and acted as though he was used  \nto getting what he wanted, when he wanted it, and if he was still interested in  \nit by the time it got to him.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe anthro girl's fur bristled, fluffing in an instinctual  \nurge to make herself look big and intimidating before these obvious predators.  \nShe quickly glanced back down, realizing how ridiculous she must have looked,  \nand attempted to smooth out her inflated pelt. The leader stepped forward and  \nbegan to nudge her with his foot.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey fur! What'cha lookin' at, huh?\" His friends  \nchuckled. The vixen muttered something, her eyes flickering back and forth in  \ntheir sockets.\n\n  \n  \n\nMurmuring something too quietly for Michael to hear from his  \nvantage point, the vixen began to gather her things in an attempt to leave, but  \nstopped as the two remaining thugs moved to either side, hemming her in between  \nthemselves and the tree behind her.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Whoa!\" the first skinhead exclaimed in mock  \nsurprise, \"The fox talked! I didn't know foxes could talk! Say something  \nelse.\" The vixen shook her head in the negative and tried to slide between  \na gap in the impromptu crowd, but was caught short when the big one grabbed her  \nby the arm and roughly threw her back against the tree.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Answer when yer spoken to, bitch, 'r are ya just  \nstupid?\" She struggled against his grip, but he held tight and, for good  \nmeasure, began lifting her up off the ground until her feet were barely touching,  \nscrabbling for a grip. \"Understand?\" he asked her. She nodded  \nfearfully, looking around for any means of escape.\"Good. Now, wag your  \ntail n' bark fer me like a good lil bitch.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFear shone in her eyes as her body began to tremble,  \nglancing at the leader in a silent plea. Hadn't they humiliated her enough?  \nSurely they'd more than proven their point. His cool, cruel gaze met her own,  \nwaiting. Swallowing the icy lump that had formed in her throat with a soft  \nwhine, she began a slow, mechanical wag of her tail.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Goooood. That's it,\" the man murmured in a voice  \nthat would almost have been soothing if it hadn't been so cruel. \"Now the  \nother part. Bark for us like a good puppy.\" A smile graced his face, his  \ngaze gaining a hungry edge. \"Do a good job and we might just make you our  \nlittle pet.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nA chill of raw terror ran down her spine as the big thug's  \nhand began to wander, groping at the slim contours of her stomach, inching  \nslowly lower until his fingertips brushed the denim waistline of her jeans.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hey guys! What's going on?\" Even as the words  \nleft Michael's lips he regretted them. The three turned on him, arms raised,  \nready (and even eager, in the case of Mr. Big) for a fight. The fox-girl,  \nafraid to try another escape, slid down until she was sitting on the ground again  \nwith her back to the tree. In Michael's defense, the big one hadn't looked as  \nbig from far away, but up close? He had to be at least two feet taller than  \nhim. It was an intimidating sight.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The fuck do you care?\" the lead skinhead asked  \nwith a snarl as he turned. He stopped for a second, seeming to recognize the  \nboy in front of him. \"Hey! Aren't you that North kid? You are, aren't  \nyou?\" he raised hand in a gesture of greeting, \" Sorry about that. I'm  \nJohn, John Greene. My Dad knew yours.\" he smiled. \"What's the  \nmatter?\" he asked as Michael scowled. \"You want a piece of the  \naction?\" He stepped aside, gesturing toward the vixen in invitation.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No,\" Michael replied, \"What I want is for  \nyou to let her go\". What the hell was he doing? He didn't even really like  \nfurs! In fact, he probably had every right to blame them for the way his life  \nhad turned out. Why was he putting his neck on the line for some stupid fur  \nbitch?\n\n  \n  \n\nA small voice somewhere in the back of his head told him  \nthat it was because she wasn't just some dumb bitch. She was a person, just  \nlike he was a person, just like everyone was a person. His mind re-rationalized  \nit, translating the message into a form his conscious brain could comprehend.  \nThese guys were scum, and scum like them didn't have any right to hassle  \nanybody, not even a fur. Yeah, that would work, that would work nice.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh, really?\" John asked calmly. It was a calm  \nthat held something behind it, something sinister. It was the calm right before  \nyour house was hit by a tornado, like the quiet at the scene of a murder.  \n\"Shame, I respected your Father, I really did, but if that's what you  \nwant...\" He gestured to Big, who promptly cocked back an arm and struck  \nMichael across the jaw, hard. Michael fell to the ground with a thud, tasting  \nblood in his mouth.\n\n  \n  \n\nJohn stepped up to Michael and knelt down in front of his  \nface, smirking down at him with his arms on his knees.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Have fun with your bitch, dog-fucker,\" he  \nsmirked. He stood up and began to walk away, gesturing for his cronies to  \nfollow. The big one spitting a stream of what appeared to be tobacco juice onto  \nMichael's cheek, and the twitchy one stopping just long enough to deliver a  \nswift kick to Michael's gut as he tried to get back up, before he too ran off  \nto join Greene and Big.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael stood back up slowly, wincing as he gingerly felt  \naround his ribs and jaw, wiping off the spit and blood there with the back of  \nhis left hand. He limped over to the vixen and stuck out his hand in offering,  \nbuy she slapped it away, standing herself up and glaring daggers his way.  \nMichael cocked an eyebrow curiously, eyes following her as she rose up to his  \nlevel, or about a foot below his level, to be exact.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I don't need your help!\" she snarled. Teeth  \nbared, eyes glaring and fur bristling.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, I'm sorry,\" Michael retorted, \"I suppose  \nI should have just let that asshole and his little friends beat the crap out of  \nyou, and then do God knows what afterwards, huh?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't think I see through your little  \ncharade?\" She asked. \"I'm not stupid, you know? The big, brave,  \ndashing human comes in the knick of time to save the vixen-in-distress from the  \nterrible, horrible band of ruffians! You and your stupid friends didn't have me  \nfooled for a second!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What!\" Michael sputtered, offended, \"You  \nactually think I'm friends with those little fucks?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah, Prince-charming, I do! The first one even said  \nit himself. Your folks are old fucking pals. And you know what else?\" she motioned  \nhim in closer with her finger. Michael lowered his head until her mouth was  \npractically inside of his ear in an attempt to humor her. She drew in a  \nbreath... and socked him right in the stomach.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Your fake limp needs work. Gave the whole thing away.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael felt something in his chest crack, and for the third  \ntime that day, he fell... and didn't get back up. The last thing he thought  \nbefore he blacked out was that something must have gone wrong with his vision.  \nHe'd seen her eyes. They were purple, the irises at least. He'd never seen  \nanyone with purple eyes before. There was a strange smell in the air too; an  \nodd mixture of cinnamon and citrus fruit. He kind of liked it...\n\n  \n  \n\nThe fox crossed her arms over her chest, frowning and  \ntapping her foot like an impatient mother, waiting for him to quit the act. She  \ngrowled softly under her breath. Michael, for his part, remained still and  \nquiet in the dirt.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're not fooling me, you know...\" she stated  \nafter a while, nudging his prone form with a toe, he still didn't get up. She  \ngave a miffed sigh and knelt down, placing an arm on his shoulder and shaking  \nhim this time. \"Hey, buddy! It's not working. Come on, you don't really  \nthink I'm that gullible, do you?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe flipped him over and gasped as she finally noticed the  \nblood slowly leaking from between his lips. There was already a small pool of  \nit collected on the ground below him. She had no idea where exactly the blood  \nwas coming from, except that it kept trickling slowly out of his mouth. That  \nshouldn't be happening. She hadn't hit him nearly hard enough to cause any  \ninternal damage. That is, of course, unless-\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"...It wasn't an act, was it?\" she breathed to the  \nunconscious boy. Oh shit, she'd killed the poor kid, and all he'd done was try  \nand help her, but why?\n\n  \n  \n\nShe decided that it was best to ask questions later, when  \nthere wasn't a guy hemorrhaging his life's-blood away at her feet. She stood up  \nquickly. \"Hey!\" she shouted, \"Somebody help! This guy's  \nhurt!\" She looked around, pleading with her eyes, begging for somebody,  \nanybody to help her.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So what?\" a buff tiger off to the left answered  \nnonchalantly. \"Why should we care? Let his kind help him.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well?\" she asked to a group of humans across the  \npath. They didn't even give her the courtesy of an answer. Some of them turned  \ntheir heads, others began to walk away. The most brazen just stared straight  \nthrough her like she didn't exist.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe sighed. Draping one of Michael's arms around her  \nshoulders as she half carried, half dragged him off towards the parking lot and  \nher car.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sheesh, buddy!\" she muttered, \"lay off the  \ncheese-burgers, why don'cha!\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nWow! they've only just met, and she's already broke him!\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSarcasm doesn't help anybody.\n\n  \n  \n\nI'm just stating a fact.\n\n  \n  \n\nNo, you're being difficult, and it's bringing back memories.\n\n  \n  \n\nGood memories?\n\n  \n  \n\nIf only...\n\n  \n  \n\nHey! I thought you said that sarcasm didn't help.\n\n  \n  \n\nJust focus on what you're supposed to be doing. Unless, of course,  \nyou'd rather go back?\n\n  \n  \n\nDon't! Don't even joke that! Do you have any idea what it's  \nbeen like? Day after day, year after year without being able to be near you,  \ntalk to you, and now we're together again and all you want to do is fight.\n\n  \n  \n\nWe're not here to talk, we're here to do a job, and, lest  \nyou forget, this job could mean the difference between life and death for more  \nthan just one person. Now go do your little scary ghost-y thing!\n\n  \n  \n\nYeah, Yeah! I hear you.\n\n  \n  \n\nAnd for Heaven's sake, give it some effort this time!\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nSmoke.\n\n  \n  \n\nFire.\n\n  \n  \n\nLaughter.\n\n  \n  \n\n\\*BANG!\\*\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael gasped, mouth gaping, sucking in air like a stranded  \nfish. He sat up, bewildered, and fell straight out of the tiny white bed he had  \nbeen laying on. He scrabbled backwards across the tile floor, backing himself  \ninto a corner. He screamed, loud. Where the hell was he? How had he gotten  \nhere?\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Where the fuck are my clothes?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nSuddenly the room was flooded with white coated men and  \nwomen. They were on him in a second. Grabbing him and quickly depositing him,  \nkicking and screaming, back onto the tiny white cot. Michael couldn't help  \nhimself. He fought them, wild eyed, incoherent, struggling with all his might  \nto escape their grasp. A man was saying something into his ear, but he couldn't  \nhear him.\n\n  \n  \n\nSomeone grabbed his arm, straightening it and sticking in a  \nlong needle. He saw more than felt it sinking into his skin, watching as the  \nblue-tinted fluid was pumped into him. It spread upwards and outwards, like  \nliquid ice through his veins, chilling him, and he was tired... so tired. It felt  \nso good to relax, and his eyes were so heavy. Sleep would be good, his sluggish  \nbrain told him. Yes, sleep sounded like just the right thing...\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael became aware of himself, slowly, achingly. He was  \nsore as hell. Good, that way he knew he was alive. Head, fingers, toes, arms,  \nlegs, all accounted for. He began to test them, twitching, then wiggling, each  \nin turn. Once he had movement down, he tried sight. Colors and shapes swirled  \nin his vision. That was green, that black, and that one was definitely  \nwhite.... or grey.... no, white. Hearing came after that. He heard a strange  \nsnicking noise, like the sound of a latch being unlocked. The door opened, and  \na white-clad man stepped through the doorway and into the room.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh good! You're awake!\" he stated cheerfully.  \n\"I'm not surprised. They pumped you full of enough tranquilizer to down a  \nbull elephant, but then again, you fought like one.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael attempted to sit up, and found himself unable to. He  \nlooked down his body and found the straps crisscrossing him, holding him  \ntightly to the hospital bed. It reminded him of pictures he'd seen of men  \nprepared for the lethal injection.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Why am I tied down?\" he asked. \"Wait, did  \nyou say tranquilizer? You drugged me!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We didn't really have a choice. You were half-crazy  \nwith pain, unresponsive. We tried to calm you down, and yes, a broken nose and  \na few bites and scratches later, we finally had to use the syringe. Sorry about  \nthe restraints and the lock and everything, but we couldn't have you moving  \nagain, for your safety, as well as ours. You nearly undid your stitches, and  \nthose things are a pain to have to do twice.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael stared disbelievingly at the doctor, \"Broken  \nnose? Bites and scratches? You can't be serious!\" The medic pulled up his  \nsleeve, showing him the large bandage wrapped around his forearm. Michael  \nblushed, \"You mean I really... I mean... I honestly... I... sorry.\"  \nhe finished lamely.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't be, I've seen worse. In fact, we've got a guy  \none ward over that's been giving me heck all day! His sheet says 'abdominal  \nhernia', but whatever they've got him on for the pain must be the good stuff,  \nbecause when I asked him if he knew why he was here, he kept insisting that he  \nhad herpes in his eyeballs!\" Michael laughed, he couldn't help himself.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Ouch!\" he exclaimed as he fell a sharp pain in  \nhis chest.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sorry! Shouldn't have done that, and here I was the  \none warning you about busting your stiches.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What happened to me?\" Michael inquired.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That's what I was just about to ask you. Your file  \nsays you're... Michael North?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael looked away, avoiding his gaze. \"If that's what  \nthe file says.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe gave a knowing smile, \"Are you saying you're not Mr.  \nMichael J. North, land-holding resident of the commonwealth of Verona,  \nColorado?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm saying that I agree to whatever it says in your goddamn  \nfile, and that I'd really appreciate it if you didn't go shouting my name from  \nthe rooftops, thank you very much!\" Michael growled through gritted teeth.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Why not?\" he asked wryly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I think you know very well why not. That's not a name  \nmany people want to have. In fact, several of my relatives changed their names  \nbecause of what that name stands for these days.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Now calm down!\" the doctor chuckled, \"This  \nis a hospital, not a courthouse. We don't judge people here. You could have  \nblown up your own meth lab like the guy in the room over, but that doesn't mean  \nI won't still treat your burn wounds.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael suddenly became very uncomfortable. \"You never  \nsaid what happened to me.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, yeah! Sorry about that. Some girl carried you into  \nthe E.R., screaming and yelling for help, blood all down one shoulder, and you,  \ndraped across her back like some macabre scarf. Caused quite a stir, matter of  \nfact.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Girl?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Vixen, about so high, jeans and... oh, yeah! Her eyes  \nwere purple! Know her?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael shook his head no. He thought it best not to mention  \nthat she had been the one that had put him here in the first place. Showed him.  \nThat'd be the last time he'd ever put himself on the line for someone else.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe must have frowned, because the doc flashed that  \nall-knowing smirk of a smile again.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thought so. Anyways, you're lucky to be alive. One of  \nyour ribs broke and punctured your left lung, collapsing it. As strange as this  \nis going to sound, that's what saved you. If your lung had been inflated at the  \ntime you would have suffocated. Basically, drowning in your own blood.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That being said, however, doesn't mean that it was any  \nless expensive to fix you. Bio-glue to re-attach that rib, and one very complex  \nprocedure to re-inflate your lung. Costs quite the pretty penny. Round fifteen  \ngrand, cash price.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What! I can't pay for that!\" He started to thrash  \nabout in a panic, \"I don't have any insurance and I'm up to my ears in  \nschool loans! I live in a Goddamn one-room apartment of Chrissakes!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Relax, relax!\" Now it was the doctor's turn to  \nlaugh. \"Your friend paid for everything.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Seriously?\" Michael head was really in knots now.  \nFirst she kills him, then she pays to bring him back. This was one seriously  \nwhacked-out chick. \"Where is she now?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Gone. Left right after she heard you'd be okay.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Did she leave a name, an address, anything?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You mean did she tell me who she was or where she was  \nfrom? Nope.\" Michael sighed, dejected. The surgeon's smile, however, only  \ngrew wider, \"She did charge your bill to her credit card, though. It would  \nbe highly unethical, as well as a complete violation of HIPAA, but...\" he  \ndrew the word out, \"I suppose I could, maybe, pull a few strings.\"  \nHis eyes rolled upwards, suddenly becoming very interested in counting exactly  \nhow many little black dots were in the tiled ceiling, but Michael could see the  \nghost of a smile on his lips.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You'd really do it! Thanks so much!\" He tried to  \nsit up, but couldn't. Then he remembered the cords that tied him to his bed,  \nand fell back.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! I said maybe. I'll see what  \nI can do. As for you,\" he pointed an accusing finger at him, \"You  \nneed to rest, buddy-boy. First we need to heal that rib. Then we can worry  \nabout getting names and numbers. He winked over his shoulder as he walked out  \nof the room, shutting the door behind him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey, wait! You forgot to untie me! Aww, c'mon! I'll be  \ngood! ...Mister?\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nMichael stepped out of the cab, glancing at the address in  \nhis hand for what had to be the thirtieth time to make sure it was right.  \nMichael had realized why the driver had been so surprised when he'd heard where  \nhe was going from the moment they'd turned into the neighborhood. Every single  \nhouse in the sub-division was gigantic! Not one had less than two stories, and  \nall of them had to contain at least five bedrooms.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe paid the man with the cab fare they'd given him at the  \nhospital and watched as he drove out of sight. As he turned back towards the  \nhouse, he got the feeling of being alone in a very strange place. He gulped,  \ngathering his courage, and began the long walk to the doorstep. He paused as he  \nreached the entrance.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat was he even doing here? Obviously the girl didn't want  \nto speak to him. Why else would she just leave like that? He sighed, there was  \nno way around it now. He would have to knock, if only to ask to call a cab back  \nhome. He would never make the walk to his apartment, not even if hadn't just  \ngotten out of E.R.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe was about to ring the doorbell when a voice crackled to  \nlife out of the intercom system next to the door.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Whatever you're selling, we don't want any,\" a  \nmale voice stated coldly. Michael looked around, deciding it must have spoken  \nto him. He pressed the reply button.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Um, I think there's been some mistake. I'm not selling  \nanything. I'm looking for a...\" he checked the card again, \"Miss  \nSarah Coulding?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And why, may I ask, should I open the door for  \nyou?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I... I'd like to thank her for... something she did  \nfor me.\" There was a long pause.\n\n  \n  \n\nA very long pause.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael gasped as the door opened, and he suddenly found  \nhimself staring down the barrel of a very real, very deadly, military grade  \npump action shotgun. His hands instinctively rose above his head, and he began  \nto back slowly away from the door, and the gun totting human male holding it  \nopen.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I think it would be in your best interests to leave,  \nsir,\" the man said with a smile. It would have come off as polite had it  \nnot been for the twelve gauge casually cradled in his right arm. He looked to  \nbe in his late twenties, and extremely fit at that. The black and white penguin  \nsuit clashing strangely when juxtaposed against the firearm in his hands. He  \nopened the door fully, bringing around his other hand to smoothly load a round  \ninto the breach. The way he handled the weapon suggested that he was no  \nstranger around a gun, and the careless smirk he wore, that he was no stranger  \nto using said gun.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Wayne?\" A familiar female voice asked from somewhere  \ninside, \"who's at the door?\" The fox-girl, Sarah, appeared over the  \nman's, Wayne's, shoulder. She let out an exasperated sigh as she caught the  \nglint of metal in his arms, \"Wayne! How many times do I have to tell you.  \nWe don't... Oh!\" She stared at Michael, finally realizing who he was,  \n\"It's you...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Would you like me to escort him off the premises,  \nma'am?\" Wayne asked with an eager smile. He hefted the gun onto his  \nshoulder, glaring at Michael hungrily.\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah seemed to collect herself, \"Um.... No, I don't  \nthink that will be necessary Wayne. You can, however, begin preparations for  \ndinner.\" Wayne gave her a dubious look. She returned with a stern one of  \nher own, and he backed off, heading off with hands raised in a gesture of  \nsurrender down one of the several corridors that lead off the main entryway.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, and Wayne?\" she called after him. His head  \npopped around the corner, much too fast for someone who should have been quite  \na ways down by that time, Michael thought with a smirk. \"Set out an extra  \nplate, will you? I think we'll be having a guest for supper.\" Wayne rolled  \nhis eyes, but rounded the corner again with a, \"Yes, ma'am!\" and headed  \nfor what Michael assumed would be the kitchen.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Follow me...\" Sarah said flatly. She set off at a  \nbrisk pace, turning this way and that through a literal maze of hallways and  \nrooms. Michael nearly had to run to keep up; something which, coincidentally,  \nwas extremely hard to do with a recently mended rib.\n\n  \n  \n\nEvery time he turned another corner to continue following her  \nshe got a farther and father lead on him. Eventually he found himself  \ncompletely alone and utterly lost. He walked to the end of the hall, looking  \nleft and right for any sign of Sarah.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Who are you?\" she called. Her voice resounded off  \nthe walls, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You mean you don't already know?\" he asked  \nincredulously.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Should I?\" she shot back.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No! Erm, I mean... They didn't tell you when you took me  \ninto the Hospital?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I kind of left in a hurry, remember?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, Yeah... You did, didn't you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And do we have a name, oh mysterious stranger?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael. I....\" he swallowed the lump that had  \nbeen slowly growing inside his throat, \"My name's Michael.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hello, Michael,\" her voice resounded. The effect  \nwas extremely intimidating, despite the fact that he already knew the ghostly  \nvoice's owner could do no more harm to him than a fly could, \"I'm Sarah.  \nNow may I please ask just exactly how it is you found me here?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You used your credit-card to pay my way through  \nsurgery, I just asked for the billing address,\" he turned about, searching  \nfor where her echoes were coming from.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I don't know whether to feel worried that they just  \ngave out my personal information like that, or creeped out by the fact that  \nyou'd ask,\" she laughed, but it was a monotone, emotionless bark of one.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I guess they didn't think I could do much harm in my  \nstate, could I? That and I couldn't do much with your credit information. I  \ndon't look much like a female fox-morph.\" This time she really did laugh.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No, I guess not. That still doesn't explain why you're  \nhere, though.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I... I wanted to thank you, I guess...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"For what? Calling you a liar, or giving you that  \npretty new hole in your lung?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"For paying to fix me afterwards, most people I know would  \nhave just left me at that hospital's doorstep. A few wouldn't even have done  \nthat... The way I see it, we're even.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe stepped out of a door to his left, a sad smile playing  \nacross her face. \"You must not know many good people then.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No... No, I guess I don't. To be honest, I don't  \nreally know that many people at all.\" Her ears twitched, head cocking to  \nthe side in a very canine fashion.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, the introverted type, are we? And what do your  \nparents think about all this?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"My parents... aren't really around anymore.\" He  \nshuffled a little, suddenly becoming very interested in his own feet.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe frowned, \"They abandoned you?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe laughed, \"Oh no! Nothing like that! They died.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh my God!\" She gasped, hands moving to cover her  \ngaping mouth, \"I'm so sorry!\" she squeaked.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's okay, really! It happened a long time ago.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHer muzzle poked through the crack between her hands,  \n\"What happened?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I...I don't really like to talk about it.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHer hands went back over her face, \"Oh God, of course  \nyou don't! I-I'm so sorry!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Quit being sorry!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sorry!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Stop it!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Mmph!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"N-nothing!N-n-nevermind!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thank you.\" He let out a blast of air from  \nbetween his lips, leaning his back against the wall.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wait,\" she cocked her head again in that curious  \ndog fashion, \"So that means...what? You live alone?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yeah... I guess. Until recently I was a ward of the  \nState,\" He stared off over her shoulder, eyes glazing over as though his  \nmind was some place far away. \"I moved around a lot, never stayed in one  \nplace for long,\" He chuckled. \"I met some pretty interesting people,  \nthough. This one old lady, she kept, like, twenty cats. I think she might have  \nthought I was one of them...\" He paused for a second, thinking. He shook his  \nhead, \"They sure were tasty, though.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"The cats?!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No, no, no! She made these awesome cookies. Oatmeal, I  \nthink. Then there was this one couple. Don't get me wrong, now... I mean, I'm  \nperfectly fine with a little Religion in the home, but these people were,  \npardon my language, Jesus-freaks. Every time I was in the bathroom for more  \nthan ten minutes they thought I was masturbating and sent me to Church for  \nconfession.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Were you? I mean...\" She blushed, clearing her  \nthroat.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No! Not usually at least. Sometimes I would, just to  \nscrew with them a little,\" Her blush intensified.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But, umm... what I meant to say was-uh... You don't  \nhave anyone to take care of you?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe thought for a moment, \"Nope, can't say that I do...  \nWhy?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe stared at him, and Michael sighed inwardly. He knew that  \nstare, he'd been getting that stare since he was a kid. He'd seen it, heard the  \nwhispers of people he passed in school or around town. He knew what they were  \nsaying.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Such a pity...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And his Mother was such a good person, too.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Wonder who's  \ntaken him in this time...\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe pitied him. Why did everyone pity him?\n\n  \n  \n\n\"When's the last time you had a home-cooked meal?\"  \nshe asked, jerking him from his reverie.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe bit his lip, \"Does microwave pizza count?\" She  \nsmiled coyly. Michael didn't like that smile. There was something behind it,  \nsomething deeper, something scheming.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That does it,\" She said matter-of-factly,  \n\"You're not leaving until you've had a good meal.\"\n\n  \n  \nThere would be no arguing the fact, he could  \ntell that much. Even if he ran, which he seriously contemplated attempting, she  \nwould catch up to him in a heartbeat. He didn't put it past her to tackle an  \ninjured man, he'd learned that first hand. Best to humor her, he decided.  \nAnyway, a free meal was a free meal, and he had never been one to look a gift  \nhorse... fox, in the mouth.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n* * *\n  \n\nAdmit it. It's working.\n\n  \n  \n\nMaybe...\n\n  \n  \n\nOh, come on! Look at them!\n\n  \n  \n\nAll I see is a hungry kid and a fox who can't bring herself  \nto turn away an injured guest.\n\n  \n  \n\nWell, at least it's a step in the right direction. You can't  \ndeny that.\n\n  \n  \n\nOkay, okay, I'll give you that much, but I won't believe any  \nof this until I have proof.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat do you want to see, them doing it on the kitchen  \ncounter?\n\n  \n  \n\nThat'd be proof...\n\n  \n  \n\nYou little pervert!\n\n  \n  \n\nI didn't say I wanted to see it! Just that it'd be proof.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt's still nasty!\n\n  \n  \n\nYou said it!\n\n  \n  \n\nAlright! What about a kiss?\n\n  \n  \n\nOne kiss?\n\n  \n  \n\nOne kiss.\n\n  \n  \n\nOkay, one kiss. On one condition, though. It has to be a  \nreal kiss, not just some innocent peck on the cheek. A full-on, open-mouth  \nkiss.Deal?\n\n  \n  \n\nAlright, it's a deal.\n\n  \n  \n\nAnd if that leads to them doing it...\n\n  \n  \nPerv!  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nMichael had never seen so much silverware in front of one  \nplate. There were three spoons, knives and forks of various lengths and sizes,  \na set of chop-sticks, and several pairs of utensils whose purpose at the dinner  \ntable defied his woefully limited culinary knowledge. He tried to look to Sarah  \nfor cues, which was hard, due to the fact that she had chosen a seat halfway  \ndown the seemingly mile-long table from him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe dining room itself was immense, decked out with more  \nclass than any five-star restaurant. Banquet hall would have been a more  \nfitting word for it. The floor was made of solid white marble, and a huge  \ncrystal chandelier hung high above at the apex of the twenty-foot-high ceiling.  \nA spotless white table cloth covered the long mahogany dining table, and the  \ncenter piece consisted of a tiered tray covered in hundreds of long, pale  \ncandles. Their light was drowned out by the electric bulbs in the ceiling that  \nilluminated the table, and the diners seated at it.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe fact that only Michael, Sarah, Wayne, and five other  \nservants were present made the room seem all the bigger. They were all to one  \nend of the table, talking and chuckling amongst themselves, while Michael sat  \nnear the other. The way they kept whispering as though they did not want him in  \ntheir conversation made Michael feel a little ousted. He couldn't blame them  \nhowever; Michael had just crashed their party, so to speak.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael cleared his throat, \"So, um, what is it exactly  \nthat your parents do for a living?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWayne turned from his plate, staring daggers at Michael,  \n\"That's an extremely prying question, and I wouldn't blame Miss Sarah for  \nrefusing to even acknowledge it was asked!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I can speak fine myself, Wayne.\" she laughed, but  \neven Michael could tell the meaning behind her words. She didn't approve of the  \nway Wayne was treating him. Just the thought made him feel warm inside. Why was  \nthat?Probably just seeing that stiff-necked starched collar get taken down a  \npeg. Yeah, that was it...\n\n  \n  \n\nShe continued, \"They trade stocks, mostly. We may look  \nhuman, but there's still enough of our animal instinct left over to tell when  \nand where to buy and sell. Some would call it an un-fair advantage. I just say  \nit's playing the field using whatever means you have.\" She gave Michael a  \npredatory smile that made it suddenly very hard to swallow.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe finally downed the bite, washing away his cotton-mouth  \nwith a sip of water, \"You said mostly. What else do they do?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"My Dad sells real-estate on the side. This used to be  \nthe only house around here, then my Dad came along, and this neighborhood  \nsprouted up around us like a brickwork forest.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And your Mom?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"She's a psychiatrist, works out of the house. It can  \nget awfully annoying sometimes, living with a person who knows every clinical  \nreason for the mood you're in or a dream that you had. She also has this  \nuncanny ability to ferret out the truth.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What do you mean by that?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"She can tell when you've lied or when you've left something  \nout of the full truth. She says she can read peoples' body language, but I  \nthink she reads their minds!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael gulped, \"Minds?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah laughed, \"Relax, it was just a joke. If you don't  \nmind my asking, how do you support yourself? I mean, money doesn't just fall  \nfrom the sky into your lap, does it?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hell no!\" Michael exclaimed. Sarah gave him an  \nodd look, \"I mean, no, it doesn't. I...\" he blushed. He hoped it  \nwasn't visible from this distance, \"I-I work in a... in a pizza joint.\"  \nWayne coughed into his napkin, but Michael could tell it was to cover up his  \nlaughter. \"I guess we all know what you do. Hey, servant boy?\" he  \nsnarled\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Excuse me?\" Wayne stood up, tipping his chair. \"I  \nmake triple your annual salary in a month!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well at least I enjoy my job!\" Michael spat  \nsarcastically, also standing.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Are you questioning my loyalty to Miss Sarah and the  \nCoulding family?\" They advanced until they were nose-to-nose. Glaring into  \neach other's eyes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm not questioning anything! I just wonder if you'd  \nstill do it without that nice little pay-check at the end of each month.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Why you-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That's enough!\" Sarah shouted, ending their  \nlittle staring match. \"Wayne, I would never question your loyalty to this  \nfamily, bu-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thank you, Miss Sarah,\" Wayne said with a bow.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-but we do not judge other people by their  \nincome.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thank you, Miss Sarah,\" Michael mocked with a  \nflourishing, exaggerated mimic of Wayne's bow.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"After all,\" She continued with a mischievous  \nglint in her eyes, \"Why mock someone's lousy pay when you could comment on  \nhis pasty complexion, weak jaw-line, grubby clothing.....\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"My clothes aren't grubby!\" Michael defended as  \nthe servants at the end of the table began to giggle. He looked down at himself  \nas Sarah cocked an eyebrow, \"Okay, maybe they are grubby, but between  \nbeing in the hospital and coming to find you I didn't have much time for  \nwashing.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Speaking of washing,\" Sarah interjected,  \n\"when's the last time you had a bath?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Uh... A couple days before our little incident  \ntogether.So about... two weeks or so?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Ugh!\" Sarah reeled back as if he had the plague,  \ncovering her nose to protect herself. \"That's it! You're not leaving here  \nuntil you've scrubbed soap on at least one part of your body.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Do my hands count? I washed them before supper.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No, they do not. You need to at least get under the  \nshower and run some water over yourself. I don't care if I have to hold you down  \nand soap you up myself!\" Michael blushed, that odd feeling coming over him  \nagain. He tried to change the subject to cover his embarrassment.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"First a meal and now a bath? Next thing you know I'll  \nbe sleeping here!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah thought for a moment, rubbing her chin with a hand,  \n\"Good idea!\" she concluded.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What!\" Michael and Wayne shouted simultaneously,  \nglancing to each other before turning back to stare open-mouthed at Sarah. They  \nboth began to babble incoherently.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"B-bu-but... m-my stuff! I-I hav-have to-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Miss Sarah! Are you... Do you... You're sure th-\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe waited for the noise to die down, only speaking after  \nthey had been silent for nearly a minute, \"Look, you're dirty. Your  \nclothes are dirty. You look exhausted, and I don't like the idea of you getting  \nin a cab by yourself at this hour. It's dangerous.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wait a second. A week ago you broke my rib, and now  \nyou're worried about me getting in a cab by myself?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That was different. A week ago I thought you were just  \nanother human.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hold on,\" Michael pointed an accusing finger at  \nWayne, \"He's human.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes, but he's different.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm different. Everybody's different.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-And thank you for showing me that,\" she patted  \nhim on the head, and a shiver went down his spine. Damn-it! She couldn't even  \ntouch him without him practically fainting. What was wrong with him?\n\n  \n  \n\n'Nothing,' the voice in his head replied.\n\n  \n  \n\nOkay, he'd admit it. She was pretty hot, but she was an  \nanimal for Chrissakes!\n\n  \n  \n\n'No, she just looks like an animal,'\n\n  \n  \n\nBut she's a fox!\n\n  \n  \n\n'A hot fox,'\n\n  \n  \n\nAlright, a hot fox, but still a fox.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n'So what? Interracial couples have worked out before,'\n\n  \n  \n\nWe're not talking interracial here! This is interspecies, and  \nwho said anything about a couple? She didn't even know him!\n\n  \n  \n\n'-and yet she's inviting you to spend the night at her house...'\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael? Michael! Earth to Michael, are you with  \nus?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Huh? What?\" Michael shook his head, jostling away  \nhis internal dialogue. He looked around and found that the entire room had  \ncleared save him and Sarah. The food was gone from the table, and the sounds of  \ndishes being washed filtered in from the kitchen\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I was saying that you could take one of the guest  \nsuites. They've all got full baths. You can clean yourself up and then get a  \ndecent night's sleep. We'll wash your clothes... A-hem, burn your clothes,  \n\" she said after giving his shirt a sniff, \"and then I we can go  \nshopping for some new ones in the morning.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Erm, I don't really... have any money on me.\"  \nMichael mumbled.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Who said you were buying them?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I can't just let you spend all that money on me!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please,\"she rolled her eyes, 'It'll be  \nchump-change. Rich, remember? Anyway, think of it as a gift for me from myself.  \nAfter all, I'm the one who has to stand next to you, stinky-head!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What do you mean stand next to me? When are you going  \nto be standing next to me?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"A lot, hopefully,\"\n\n  \n  \n\n'Yes!'\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We are friends now, aren't we?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n'Damn! Friends!'\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Er... Oh... Friends.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes... friends,\" she said slowly, pronouncing  \neach word carefully as though she were speaking to a slow person,  \n\"Friends... Good! We. Like. Friends. Yes?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Alright, alright! We're friends. On one condition,  \nthough.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And that would be...?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You have to get declawed. I don't need anymo-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\\*Pow!\\*\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;She punched him right  \nin the nose, laughing as he fell back in what she thought was a fake gesture of  \npain. He clutched at his face, rolling around on the ground as blood began to  \npour from his nostrils.\n\n  \n  \n\"Oh God!\" she muttered, \"Not  \nagain.\"  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nMichael pulled the wad of tissue from his left nostril,  \nsniffing and rubbing at his nose. He stole a glance at Sarah, who was running a  \nwash rag under a faucet in the bathroom of the massive four-room suite he would  \napparently be spending the night in. It had a bedroom, master bath, living  \nroom, and even a small kitchen complete with fully stocked minibar.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe pulled the cloth from under the stream of water, turning  \nthe knobs to the off position and wringing it out over the basin before walking  \nover to where Michael sat on the edge of the huge four-poster bed that would be  \nhis, at least for tonight.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Here,\" she said, rolling the damp rag into a  \nsmall log and pressing it tenderly against the bridge of his nose. Michael  \nyelped, \"Sorry!\" she pulled it away, \"does it still hurt?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No! It's cold!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It has to be. We have to cool that schnozz of yours  \ndown so it doesn't get any bigger than it already was to begin with,\" she  \nbit her lip to try and keep herself from laughing. It didn't work.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, Ha-ha! Very funny!\" he said crossly, \"I  \nthink I'm starting to notice a pattern here.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah, you can't stop getting beaten up by girls!\"  \nshe gasped, head falling between her legs in an effort to dam her fit of  \ngiggles.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"One girl, and it appears she finds this whole thing  \nvery amusing.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Very?\" she snickered\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Very. She eve-\"\n\n  \n  \n\nThe rest of his jab caught in his throat as their eyes  \nlocked.\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n\"Well,\" she drawled after a poignant silence, extending the word for a few  \nextra syllables and blushing beneath her fur, \"I guess I'd better let you get to sleep. We've got a  \nbusy day tomorrow!\" she stepped around the bed and began to make her way  \nout of the room.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Wait!\" Michael called after her. Her head poked  \naround the corner of the door, cocked quizzically, \"What about my  \nclothes?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh!\" she blushed, \"Um... I'll just,\"  \nshe went back behind the door, leaving it cracked open, \"step over here,  \nand you can pass them around the door. I'll have Wayne bring you some of his so  \nwe can go shopping in the morning.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I... Okay. Alright, that's fine. I... I just... Just don't  \nlook?\" Michael asked, puzzling Sarah. It seemed a childish question to put  \nforward. Sure, there was the whole 'girl seeing me naked' thing, but it wasn't  \nas if Sarah hadn't seen it all before. She'd been with a few guys before, and  \nhad even done a few things with a couple of them. None of them had been human,  \nof course, but they were all definitely male. He had asked it with enough  \ngenuine fear in his voice however, that Sarah's tone was dead serious when she  \nreplied.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Promise.\" she assured warmly, smiling.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thanks,\" came his muffled reply, and if Sarah's  \nears weren't fooling her, it sounded as though he was almost on the verge of  \ntears.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSarah thought better than to ask why. She decided she had  \ncaused enough grief to him already. First she'd hit him, then she'd made fun of  \nhis dead parents, and then she'd hit him again. Making him cry would only add  \nto the guilt she felt whenever she was around him.\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah's ears twitched atop her head as she began to hear the  \nsounds of clothing being shed filtering through the door. That was a good sign,  \nshe guessed. At least he wasn't so self-conscious that he couldn't force  \nhimself to do it. She rested her back against the wall, sighing  \nabsent-mindedly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Do you wear contacts?\" Michael asked suddenly  \nfrom his side of the door.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No...\" Sarah replied, taken aback,  \n\"Why?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Your eyes, they're purple.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh... Oh, yeah! It's weird, really,\" she began to  \nplay with her hands, twiddling her thumbs back and forth. \"You see, when  \nthey first began creating furs, there were some unexpected side-effects.\"  \nShe tapped at her eyelids, although she knew he couldn't see it, \"This was  \none of the less harmful ones.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You know that blue eyes are recessive, right?\"  \nshe heard an odd rustling noise that she took for a nod from Michael,  \n\"Well, something in my one of my ancestors genes gave us the possibility  \nto have a pink tint over our blue eyes, making them show up this ice-purple  \ncolor. It has half the chance of occurring that the blue-eye allele has, but  \nit's not uncommon.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere was another long pause.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hey Sarah?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You never intended to let me leave here tonight, did  \nyou?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah chuckled, \"Well, I thought you would have guessed  \nthat when I said, 'why don't you stay here tonight'.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No, I mean before that, in the hallway.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh!\" she giggled, \"Maybe?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hey Sarah?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes Michael?\" Sarah replied. For some reason she felt  \nshe wasn't talking to Michael anymore. At least, not the same Michael she had  \nbeen talking to before. He seemed somehow smaller. It was almost as though she  \nwas speaking to a child.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Thanks...\" With that single word, Michael spoke  \nvolumes. Thanks for the dinner. Thanks for the room. Thanks for defending me.  \nThanks for keeping my ego in check. Thanks for what she had done, what she was  \ndoing, and what she was going to do. Thanks for caring, and thank God for  \nunderstanding.\n\n  \n  \n\nSarah smiled, \"You're welcome\". That was exactly  \nas long as it sounded, but had no less gravity. Thanks for that too. Michael  \npassed his clothes around the door, making sure she only saw the barest tip of  \nhis hand.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Night, Sarah.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sweet dreams, Michael. See you in the morning.\"\n\n  \n  \nMichael could have sworn, in that one single  \ninstant, that it was his Mother, not Sarah, saying those words from behind his  \nbedroom door. The thought somehow comforted and warmed him as he got into bed,  \nfalling asleep without even pulling the covers over himself, and for that one  \nnight, he didn't have a single nightmare.  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\nI can't do it.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat do you mean?\n\n  \n  \n\nI mean I can't do it!\n\n  \n  \n\nWhy not?\n\n  \n  \n\nLook at him! Just look at him!\n\n  \n  \n\nHe's asleep, just like every other time...\n\n  \n  \n\nHe's happy! For once, he's got a chance to be happy... to  \nhave a good, happy life, and I don't want to be the one to steal that from him.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhy do you care all of the sudden?\n\n  \n  \n\nBecause that was the one thing I could never do! I could  \nprovide for him, I could even teach him a lesson once in a while, but I could  \nnever make him happy!\n\n  \n  \n\nThat's... not true.\n\n  \n  \n\nOh really! Name a time! Name one time that he was happy  \naround me, and then I'll admit that I was wrong and go back to haunting him,  \nback to making him miserable again.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n...\n\n  \n  \n\nSee! I knew it! I... I can't do this anymore... Not now, not  \ntonight. Just... just leave me alone right now... I need to think.\n\n  \n  \n\n...We're not here to make him happy.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat?\n\n  \n  \n\nI said, we're not here to make him happy.\n\n  \n  \n\nI... I can't believe this, not from you. You, of all people,  \nare telling me that our son can't be happy...\n\n  \n  \n\nI'm only telling you the truth. You and I both know why  \nwe're here. We knew the job we were being asked to do before we ever agreed to  \ndo it. Yes, it's terrible. Yes, I feel even more terrible about because it's  \nour own son that we're doing it to, but the good outweighs the bad. Dozens -  \nmaybe even hundreds of lives will be improved because of what we're about to  \nset in motion.\n\n  \n  \n\nSo, what? He's going to be some sacrificial lamb? He has to  \nsuffer for my sins - for what I did wrong? Well that's not right! If that's how  \nit has to be, then I'll just go back. I'll do it gladly, because I know it's  \nthe right thing. No 'greater good' should outweigh the health and happiness of  \nour own son!\n\n  \n  \n\nIt's not like we're strapping him to an alter and carving  \nout his heart! He'll get to choose, just like we both got to choose to set this  \nwhole thing in motion in the first place. If everyone's destiny was set in  \nstone, then good would cease to be good and right would be just another word.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI don't give a damn about any of that! I'm not a fricking  \nphilosopher to say what's good and what's right! All I know is that, for the  \nfirst time in years, our son has a chance to be happy! Even if it's just for a  \nfew days! I don't want to ruin that! Just... just give him tonight. Please?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n\n...Alright, you've got tonight off, but tomorrow, no matter  \nwhat the circumstances, you're going right back to it. We've got a job to do,  \nand, although I can't believe I'm saying this, we can't let sentimentality get  \nin the way.\n\n  \n  \n\nThanks, dear.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt's Caroline...\n\n  \n  \n\n...Thanks... Caroline.\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\nWow! Michael felt rested, relaxed, rejuvenated, and all  \naround content with the world and everything in it. He hadn't felt like that in  \na long time. In fact, he could hardly remember ever feeling like this, except  \nfor when he was drunk. Actually, he felt kind of drunk right now, that special  \nlittle high you get when you're right between sleeping and waking, caught  \nbetween the real and dream world. He was so enraptured by how good he felt,  \nthat he almost didn't see the dark silhouette lurking in his doorway.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis eyes flew wide open. That was it, he was awake, and  \npainfully so. He was on his feet in a second, fight-or-flight kicking in. His mysterious  \nattacker was covering the single exit to the room, so fight seemed to be the  \nonly option at the moment. He ran, screaming a primal, guttural warcry, straight  \ninto his assailant's stomach, throwing them both to the ground. They hit the  \nfloor with a thump. Michael snarled in triumph, prepared to deliver the final  \nblow.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What, in the name of all that's holy, do you think you  \nare doing?\" Wayne asked calmly from his position under Michael. Michael  \nshook his head, blinking several times before he looked, really looked, at the  \nman beneath him. His eyesight was still blurry from sleep, so he couldn't tell  \nif the expression on Wayne's face was one of annoyance, bemusement, or a mix of  \nboth. Probably both, with a little confusion and shock thrown into the mix for  \ngood measure. It was about that time that Michael remembered he was naked.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe leapt from atop Wayne like he'd been struck by lightning,  \nand even if a bolt from Zeus himself had thought to come down on him at that  \nmoment, it probably would have missed. Michael was back in his room in a  \nsecond, slamming the door and pressing his back against it, blushing in  \nembarrassment. The embarrassment quickly turned to anger as he cracked the door  \nback open, sticking his head through to glare at Wayne.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What the hell are you doing staring at me while I  \nsleep?\" he hissed, eyes narrowing, waiting for an explanation from the now  \napparently voyeuristic butler.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I was not staring! For your information, I had just  \nopened the door, and was about to wake you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael cocked and eyebrow, \"Who said I needed  \nwaking?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Miss Sarah. She told me to wake you up at nine so you  \ncould bathe and make yourself presentable for your trip to the mall. Speaking  \nof which, I've already run your bath,\" he gave what he assumed to be an  \ninviting gesture towards the bathroom, \"If you would just step out here, I  \ncan make some final adjustments to the temperature and be out of your  \nway.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael's blush deepened, \"I can turn a knob myself...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Good! Then you'll be able to open that door the rest  \nof the way and come out where I can see you.\" Lord, Michael had walked  \nright in to that one.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"This really isn't necessary...\" he said,  \nsearching for a better argument.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I don't really care what you think is necessary,\"  \nWayne stated condescendingly, \"Miss Sarah has asked me to provide for you  \nthe same services offered to every guest of the Coulding household, and I  \nintend to follow her instruction to the letter.\" He emphasized the last  \nword as he grabbed the door-handle and pushed, knocking Michael off balance and  \ncausing him to fall back, door opening to throw light onto a shocked and very  \nnaked Michael. As he fell he had twisted to catch himself and ended up lying  \nbuck-naked on his belly, staring up over his shoulder at Wayne. Wayne's casual  \nsmirk was wiped from his face as he caught sight of Michael's exposed back and  \narms.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What... What happen-What's wrong with your-\" he  \nstuttered. Michael quickly got back on his feet, rounding on Wayne with a look  \nthat spoke something akin to murder.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Out!\" he shouted, screamed. \"Get out  \nnow!\" He grabbed Wayne by the collar, tossing him out of the suite's  \ndoorway and into the hall. Wayne hit the wall and slid down to the floor,  \nraising his arms as if to protect himself.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I didn't - I mean - I promise! I w-won't...\"  \nWayne stammered. He looked terrible. Flustered, confused, embarrassed, but  \nmostly, he looked as though he felt sorry for Michael, like he pitied him.  \nMichael hated it! It enraged him, made him want to hurt someone, throw  \nsomething! He did, grabbing an expensive-looking vase and hurling it at the  \nwall beside Wayne's head. Flowers scattered across the corridor in a flurry of  \nreds, yellows, and blues, like a multicolored snow-storm. A piece of ceramic  \nshrapnel from the vase struck Wayne in the face, leaving a small cut on his  \ncheek that was already beginning to ooze blood. If he felt it, it didn't show.  \nThe only thing that was showing on his face was a mutely stunned expression as  \nthe maroon fluid began to drip from it, falling softly to the ground below.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what he'd just  \ndone. His glance flickered between the shattered vase, Wayne's cheek, and the  \nblood that was now forming a small puddle on the cream carpet. He swallowed a  \nlump in his throat, blinking away the salty droplets that were beginning to  \nform in the corners of his eyes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I-I'm going to take that bath now. I won't need any  \nhelp.\" He looked into Wayne's eyes, searching silently for forgiveness. If  \nthere was any, Michael didn't see it, just that same blank stare. He continued,  \n\"If you could please get me some clothes... something with long sleeves. I  \nwould really appreciate it.\" He tried to be as courteous as possible.  \nRight now, he would understand it if Wayne were to leave him there to walk  \naround naked for the rest of the day. Hell, he would understand it if Wayne  \ncalled the cops on him. He had just technically assaulted him. But he didn't.  \nHe picked himself up, dusting himself off and dabbing at his cheek with a wrinkled  \nsleeve.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Certainly,\" he said curtly, turning on his heels  \nand marching quickly down the hall and around the corner. Michael continued to  \nstare at the space where he had been not a minute ago before quietly closing  \nthe door. He made his way into the bathroom, stepping over to the jacuzzi bath  \nand testing the temperature with a finger. It was perfect. He cursed, loud. It  \ncould have been anything - too hot, too cold, but no, it was perfect, fucking  \nperfect! He stumbled over to the sink, leaning against it with both hands and  \nglaring at his reflection in the mirror through his bangs.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I hate you,\" he whispered to the face staring  \nback at him; teeth clenching as he drew back a fist. He threw it forward,  \ndriving it through the reflective surface and into the medicine shelves behind.  \nBottles and tubes cascaded to the floor in a waterfall of cosmetic remedies and  \nvanity paraphernalia. His fist connected with something sharp, and he cursed  \nagain, crying out in pain and anger as he saw the disposable razor blades he'd  \njust punched fall to the tile floor as well. He turned on the faucet and ran  \nhis hand under the water for a few seconds before snatching up a displaced roll  \nof gauze from the floor to bandage his hand with.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael threw himself onto the floor next to the tub,  \nsitting against the wall and groaning as he ran a hand through his hair. He  \nlooked up and saw that half of the mirror lay intact upon the floor. He snarled  \ninto it.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I hate you!\" he screamed. He kicked out with his  \nfoot, watching through blurred eyes as thousands of his doppelgangers cried  \nsilently back at him in the shattered remains of the mirror. The sink had begun  \nto run over onto the tile, sweeping away the reflective shards and causing the  \nwalls to flicker and sparkle as they shone off of them. It reminded Michael of  \nflames licking across the wall and ceiling, a raging inferno caused by his  \nanger and hate. Hate for his family, hate for the way his life was going, for  \nhow it had gone, hate for this town, hate for all the stupid, ignorant jerks in  \nthe world, hate for the world itself, but mostly... hate for himself. He curled  \nhimself into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest and rocking himself gently  \nback and forth as he wept bitterly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"I hate you.\"  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\nSarah arrived to find a clean, smartly dressed, and smiling  \nMichael waiting for her at his door. He had taken his bath, dressed in the  \nclothes given to him by Wayne that he didn't deserve, and stuffed the broken  \nvase and mirror into the bottom of a waste basket somewhere, along with all his  \nrepressed feelings of rage and other assorted emotional baggage. He'd also  \nwashed the tear stains form his face (not an easy thing to do without a mirror  \nfor reference, mind you). His red, puffy eyes and cheeks could be explained  \naway as a symptom of overly-hot water, and the bandaged hand on one  \nsharp-cornered dresser. Add a happy face and a pleasant demeanor and boom, you  \nget one snazzy guy who looked nothing like he just half-destroyed a room,  \nassaulted a butler, and spent the next twenty minutes bawling his eyes out  \nnaked in the fetal position.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael had to hand it to Wayne; he knew when to keep silent  \nabout something. He'd managed to act normal around Michael the entire time  \nthey'd been at the mall, even though he'd been forced to sit right next to him  \nin the car on the way there. When they finally arrived however, he'd hung back  \nfrom them, lingering at window displays or staring absent-mindedly at the  \nscenery. Sarah, for her part, remained blissfully oblivious to her servant's  \nsilent plight, giggling like a schoolgirl as she used Michael like a human doll  \nto try on various outfits, all of which were long-sleeve, at Michael's mumbled  \nrequest.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFinally Sarah left them, to \"go use the little girl's  \nroom\" she'd said, and at last, they were alone. They'd taken a seat upon a  \nsunny bench, lit from above by the panoramic skylights in the roof. They  \nremained quiet for what seemed like an eternity, and the tension was so  \ntangible that people walking past began to shy away after a single glance at  \nthe two. Finally, Michael said something. He had to! If he didn't, he'd explode,  \nleaving nothing but a black stain on the bench and a plume of smoke hanging in  \nthe air where he'd been.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm sorry!\" he burst out suddenly, causing the  \nheads of several nearby shoppers to turn. \"I didn't mean to hurt you! It's  \njust I-I mean...I-I-I...you know? I nev-I mean... I woul-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's okay!\" Wayne interjected quickly, placing a  \nhand over his mouth to shush his stammered explanations, \"Really! It... It  \nwas my fault.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh...\" Wait... What! He'd attacked Wayne, cussed  \nhim out, thrown a freaking pot at his head, and Wayne was apologizing him?\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I shouldn't have forced the door open like that,\"  \nhe continued, blushing softly, \"and I shouldn't have said that there was  \nsomething wrong with you... there isn't, you're perfectly normal, just like  \nme.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No,\" Michael whispered under his breath,  \n\"I'm not.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\" Wayne asked, leaning in closer in an  \neffort to hear him better. Michael thrust his right arm at Wayne, causing him  \nto flinch back. He reached up slowly with his other hand, pulling down his  \nright sleeve to show Wayne the blotched, pink scabs that deeply contrasted the  \nolive color of his natural skin. Scars crisscrossed the back of his arm,  \nextending up beyond where the sleeve still covered, and all the way around to  \nhis shoulders and back. They weren't the thin lines of slash or shrapnel  \nwounds, but the spotty, pale lumps of a severe burn victim. By the looks of  \nthem, they had to have been at least third degree burns, and from what Wayne  \nhad seen back at the manor, they covered nearly a fourth of his body.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm scarred,\" Michael said softly, \"I'm  \nugly, a freak born of prejudice and hatred. I've suffered my entire life for  \nthe sins of my ancestors, of your own, of our entire species, and I'll continue  \nto suffer for as long as I live.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What are you talking about?\" asked Wayne,  \nconfused.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You know my last name?\"Michael queried.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes, North, but I don...\" A look of recognition  \ncrossed his face. Michael nodded a mute confirmation, \"No... It  \ncouldn-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-Be the Michael North?\" he finished. \"It is,  \nmy father and mother are Gregory and Caroline North. I'm their son, last surviving  \nmember of the North clan. Their legacy dies with me, along with their ignorance  \nand blind hate.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne looked around, making sure no-one was eavesdropping  \nbefore continuing, \"But what happened to you?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't know?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wayne shook his head no, \"Well... I remember  \nsomething about a Gregory North in the news as a kid, and I remember mentioning  \na son who survived, but they never said anything about how badly he... you,  \nwere hurt, or what happened to him... you, afterwards.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael sighed, \"It's funny,\" he chuckled, \"  \nthe things that you remember. I still recall vividly the dream that I had that  \nnight. It had been right around Christmas, and I'd been asking all year for a  \npuppy. That's what I woke up from when I heard the screen door slam shut...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n\nHe sat up, ears straining, and sure enough, he began to hear  \nthe sounds of muffled voices filtering through the door. That could only mean  \none thing, Dad was drunk again. It always started out calm, she would ask him  \nsomething, and he would answer. Their voices would slowly rise as each question  \nwas asked and each answer given, until it became a fierce shouting match that  \ncould be heard throughout the entire neighborhood, let alone Michael's room.\n\n  \n  \n\nSomething was different this time. Mom's voice didn't sound  \nangry, there was a completely different emotion there, but he didn't quite know  \nwhat. It was still a loud one, though. Michael got out of bed, tip-toeing over  \nto the door to better hear the conversation. Mom was saying something about how  \nDad had to leave, that he couldn't stay here. She wasn't ordering him to do it.  \nIn fact, it sounded more like she was begging, pleading with him to go. Michael  \nsuddenly realized the emotion in her voice. It was fear.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe opened the door, peeking his head out to see what it was  \nthat could cause his Mother to be fearful. She was backed up against the  \ncounter, hands raised in front of her body as though to protect herself from  \nsome unseen force. That force was, of course, his father, who was beyond his  \nfield of vision, which was limited by the doorway. Dad could, and most likely  \nwould, beat Mom when he was drunk, badly. She had gone into work many a day  \nclaiming to have tripped on the sidewalk on the way to her car, or have taken a  \nslip on a wet bathroom floor. It was this thought that caused him to come  \nrunning to his Mother's aid when he saw that she was in trouble.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhat he had failed to see however, was the liquor bottle  \ncradled in his Father's left hand, the snub-nose revolver in his right, and the  \nlit gas range behind his mother. Michael reached his mother just as she  \nrealized he had come running, and was quickly swept up behind her. Something  \nabout the sudden movement or the rush of noise had set his dad off, and he  \nthrew the bottle with all his might, aiming to hit his wife's head, but  \nmissing, and shattering its highly flammable contents all over the lit burner  \nof the range. There was a loud bang, followed by a rush of heat and light, and  \nthen everything went black...\n\n  \n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n  \n\n\"...Then the stove exploded. My Mom had bent down to  \npull me behind her, but her head was just high enough that the metal grill was  \nable to hit her right in the right temple, killing her instantly. I was lower,  \nso I just got the flames across by back and arms, and Dad was knocked clean  \nthrough the door, hitting his head on the ground and blacking out. He woke up a  \nlittle while later, saw the pistol lying beside him in the grass, and put a  \nround through his head. Then the cops came, bundled me up, and took me down to  \nthe station for questioning. I... I was the only witness.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWayne shook his head, \"I just don't understand. What  \nwould make anybody do something like that?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He was a member of the People,\" Michael stated  \nsimply.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But I thought they hated furs, not humans.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"They do. He and a few friends had been drinking in a  \nbar. One of them had the gun. They thought it would be fun to go scare some  \nlocal furs with it, and went to the house of some family of skunks, busting  \ndown the door and scaring the heck out of all of them. Someone got edgy,  \nthough, and they ended up killing them all, husband, wife, and all three  \nkids,\" he sighed. \"The youngest one was five... Dad knew he'd end up  \nspending life in prison for what had happened, figured he had nothing left to  \nlive for...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So he decided to kill you?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael glanced up, looking somewhere off in the sky as he  \nsaid, \"If he had nothing to live for, why should we? We're family,  \nright?\" he finished sarcastically. Wayne opened and closed his mouth a few  \ntimes, looking as if he was about to say something, and then deciding against  \nit.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wayne?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWayne, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly met  \nMichael's gaze, \"Please don't tell any of this to Sarah.\" This was  \nit, the moment that could make or break whatever relationship he and Sarah  \nmight have. One word of this from Wayne to Sarah, and she would drop Michael  \nlike a hot potato. If she ever heard anything about this, she'd be horrified,  \nshe'd be scared to even look at Michael. If he said anything...\n\n  \n  \n\n\"...I won't.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\" Michael exclaimed, \"but I thought you  \nloved her!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I do,\" Wayne said, reaching out a hand to cover  \nMichael's gaping mouth, \"I love Sarah like best friend, like a  \nsister.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But you don't 'love her' love her?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne laughed, \"Oh no! I'm gay!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What!\" Michael jumped from his seat as though  \nscalded.\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne sighed, \"Yes, that's usually what every straight  \nguy I tell that to does...\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael thought back. Had he?... Oh no! \"You saw me  \nnaked!\" he squeaked, eyes practically popping out of their sockets. \"You  \nwere watching me while I slept, and then I was on top of you.... and I was  \nnaked!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne shook his head, eyes rolling to the ceiling in an  \nexpression of exasperation, \" My Lord!\" he grabbed Michael by the  \njaw, who finally ceased his struggling when he his gaze met Wayne's. There was  \nsomething hypnotic about his eyes, it repulsed and attracted him at the same  \ntime. Wayne spoke slowly, making sure the full meaning of each word was received  \nby Michael, \"Just because I'm gay does not mean that I want to screw every  \nsingle living male on this Earth. Are you attracted to each and every girl in  \nthe world?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well...\" Michael thought for a second, a  \nparticularly unsavory female from his school suddenly popped into his head.  \nEww! Hell-\"... no, I guess not.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"See!\" Wayne stated matter-of-factly, tapping  \nMichael on the tip of the nose with a finger.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So you find me unattractive?\" Michael frowned.  \nFor some reason the fact that Wayne didn't think he was good-looking annoyed  \nhim. Not that he felt anything for Wayne, but being told you were ugly to your  \nface still hurt, even if it was another guy saying it.\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne blushed, \"Now I never said that... but you're  \nobviously not interested in me, plus you're off-limits.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael did a double-take. Off limits?... \"What's that  \nsupposed to mean?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Isn't it obvious?\" Wayne giggled, \"She likes  \nyou!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Who?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, good God!\" Wayne muttered under his breath,  \n\"Do I have to spell it out for you? Here's a hint, starts with an 'S', ends  \nwith an 'arah'.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're kidding me...\" She liked him too? Wow! He  \nmust have missed a huge clue somewhere. Why couldn't girls just be  \nstraight-forward for once? If someone liked you, why didn't they just come out  \nand say \"I like you!\", but no, that'd be too easy, wouldn't it?\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Nope,\" Wayne chirped. Holy hell, he'd chirped.  \nGuys did not chirp. At least, not straight guys. Michael was amazed he hadn't  \nseen it earlier. Wayne was, for lack of a better word, flaming. \"She's got  \na huge crush on... Miss Sarah!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael blinked, \"She's got a crush on... Sarah?!\"  \nHe jolted as a furry arm touched his shoulder.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Who's got a crush on Sarah?\" a disembodied, but  \nclearly feminine voice asked from somewhere behind him. Michael followed the  \nred-furred arm up from his own to its owner, gazing up with what he hoped was a  \ncasually innocent smile when he saw Sarah staring quizzically back down at him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Erg... Emily!\" Wayne blurted quickly, thinking on  \nhis feet.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Emily? Emily-from-the-house, Emily? That Emily?\"  \nshe gave Wayne a disbelieving squint.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Er... Yes ma'am, that would be the Emily I was  \nspeaking of...\" Wayne said with a look that suggested being slightly hot  \nunder his starched collar.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You mean she's...\"\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne chewed absent-mindedly on his lip, \"Like a...  \nLike a flamingo, ma'am!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Huh,\" Sarah said with a shrug, \"Never would  \nhave guessed...\" she paused, thinking for a moment before shaking her  \nhead. 'Well... Live and let live, I say! C'mon boys. We still have half a mall  \nto raid!\" she began to march off towards the next store on her seemingly  \ninfinite mental list. Wayne began to move off, but Michael stopped him,  \ngrabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him in close.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Who's Emily?\" he whispered into Wayne's ear.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"She-she's a maid back at the house...\" he  \nstammered\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Is she really...?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No!\" he covered his eyes with a hand, \"She  \nhas a boyfriend and everything! She's gonna' kill me!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well...\" he couldn't do it. He couldn't hold it  \nin any longer. It burst from him like an alien, laughter so severe he had to  \ndouble over to keep it from tearing him apart. \"Good luck with that!\"  \nhe said finally, wiping his eyes and giving Wayne a sympathetic pat on the  \nshoulder before walking off to find his Foxy host who, it just so happened,  \nlooked great walking away. Michael was afraid people may begin mistaking him  \nfor a bobble-head doll. Wayne shook his head sadly, punching himself mentally  \nas he went off to join the two.\n\n  \n  \n\nUnbeknownst to the group, another threesome had been  \nwatching the entire affair from across the hall. John Greene turned from the  \nposter he had been pretending to examine for the past few minutes or so. Big  \nand Twitch shared a glance before looking to him expectantly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What're we gonna' do, boss?\" Big drawled slowly.  \nJohn frowned, eyebrows knitted together as he thought. \"Well?\" Big  \nasked.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nJohn walked a short distance away, a smile beginning to  \nspread across his face as an idea slowly formulated itself in his head, \"I  \nknow exactly what we're going to do!\" he said.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\" Big and Twitch chorused.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We're gonna' have a little fun with North and his  \nlittle bitch, that's what we're gonna' do!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah,\" Big said, \"but... how?\"\n\n  \n  \n\"I'll tell you in the car,\" John said,  \nbrushing past the two as he made his way towards the exit. \"We've got to  \ngo get some stuff. Stuff you can't find in a mall...\"  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\nWell, things seem to be going as planned.\n\n  \n  \n\nAnd we make our way slowly towards the endgame...\n\n  \n  \n\nStop that!\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat?\n\n  \n  \n\nTalking about this whole thing as though it's a game of  \nchess.\n\n  \n  \n\nA game? This is no game. In a game, both parties have equal  \nability to win or lose. His fate was decided from the moment he was placed on  \nthe board. He's the loser, the fall-guy in this little charade, and the  \nwinner...\n\n  \n  \n\nThe winner is the world.\n\n  \n  \n\nYou keep saying that! You keep telling me that all of this has  \nthe power to change the world, to make a difference, but in reality...\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI don't have the answers, I didn't make the rules, I just  \nplay my part, and you should too. We have to trust that what we're doing is for  \nsome kind of good. Why would they lie to us?\n\n  \n  \n\nBecause they like watching us puny mortals cook our own  \ngoose...\n\n  \n  \n\nYou and I both know that isn't true. You're just trying to  \ngive yourself a reason to quit.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat does it matter anyway? You, me, and little Mikey down  \nthere... we're all pawns, the queen's a fox, and the bishop is a goddamn homosexual  \nbutler! Jesus! Whatever happened to the lightening and thunder? Whatever  \nhappened to parting the seas and raising the dead and all that?\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \nPeople don't believe in that stuff anymore. All  \nthe miracles can be explained away, all the magic can be rationalized... or  \nignored. It's us, it's people that have to make the miracles now. It's man that  \nhas to make the magic...  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You bought me a  \nsuit?\" Michael hoisted the offending three-piece, staring at it as though  \nit might bite him if he let it get too close. \"So... what? I'm going to be  \njoining Wayne as co-chief-butler-guy, or something? 'Cause if you want me to  \nget a job I can, but I'm not really one for the whole 'servant' thing...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Aww...\" Sarah whined, bottom lip quivering piteously,  \n\"but I think you'd be great as co-chief-butler-guy, and it looks so good  \non you!\" She walked around behind him, placing the suit between Michael  \nand the mirror to superimpose it over his current attire. Sarah cocked her  \nhead, ears canting back and lips pursing in a appraising manner. Whatever she  \nhad been looking at seemed to check out okay, because she smiled, moving to the  \nbed and folding the suit neatly before placing it on top of the covers.  \n\"Besides, if you don't like it I can always bring out the bit and  \nbridle...\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael put a hand to his chest in mock disgust, \"I'd  \nrather go naked!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That can be arranged...\" Michael gulped, looking  \naway quickly in an attempt to hide his blush. \"Oh-ho!\" Sarah  \nexclaimed, raising a triumphant finger to the sky, \"Struck a nerve, did  \nI?\" She advanced on him, pinning him against the wall and running a hand  \nalong his cheek and down his neck. Michael shivered. \"Admit it,\" she  \nwhispered, \"You like me...\" Michael was taken aback by the sudden  \nassault, and found himself speechless. \"Say it...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n\"Never!\" Michael stated bravely, realizing at once  \nthat the whole thing was a joke. He hoped it was one of those jokes that was  \nkind-of-a-joke, but had a crunchy nugget of seriousness at the center. Michael  \nloved those jokes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Say it or I'll tickle you!\" She didn't even give  \nhim a chance, moving from assault to battery as her hands went to work,  \ntickling and scratching at his torso and the underside of his jaw.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Alright! Alright!!!!\" he gasped, pushing her away  \nfrom him and causing her to plop down onto the bed, \"I like you! I worship  \nthe very ground that you walk on! And sometimes I secretly wish I could shave  \noff all of your tail-fur and make it into a teddy-bear so I can snuggle it  \nwhenever I want, but I couldn't stand seeing you walk around with a hairless  \nlittle rat tail, so I'm forced to settle for the real thing!\" He pounced  \non her, grabbing the offending appendage and hugging it tightly to his chest,  \nsneezing as she used the tip to flick at his nose.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well I'd love to give it to you,\" she snickered,  \ncontinuing to flicker it against his sensitive sinuses, \"but I'm afraid  \nit's attached to my butt!\" Michael suddenly remembered where he was, and  \nhow close he actually was to said butt. He jumped up off of her, dusting  \nhimself off and clearing his throat in embarrassment.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Sorry...\" he said, offering her a hand to help  \nher up as well. She took it, using his weight as leverage to pull herself off  \nof the downy surface.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's a good thing you're so modest, you'll need it  \nwhen you meet my parents tonight.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\" Michael asked, flustering himself even  \nmore.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"This is their home you're staying in,\" she  \nreminded him, \"and they're having a party tonight. That's the real reason  \nI bought the suit.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"A party?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yep, and from what I understand, there's supposed to  \nbe a lot of well-to-do folks coming, too. I figured we needed someone to cart  \naround cocktails and such, and you just happened to be handy, so...\" she  \ncrossed her arms, staring expectantly down her nose at Michael.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Will I have to wear a little hat and call everyone  \nsir?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Only my Father, that and explain to him exactly what  \nit was you were doing in his big, empty house with his baby girl... alone,\"  \nshe rolled her tongue on the last word, giggling into his ear as he blushed yet  \nagain. If it were possible to worry yourself into a coma, Michael would have  \nout slept Rumple-freaking-stitchkin.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"But I-I mean-I didn't-You know I never would  \nhave-\" he stammered.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Ah... but does he know that?\" she asked coyly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, you're evil...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I hope you know how to make a really good grey-goose  \nmartini...\" she leaned against the door-frame, giving him one last glance  \nover her shoulder before rounding the corner with a playful little shake that  \nbegan in her rump and ended somewhere around the end of her tail.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Damn she's hot...\" Michael muttered.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I heard that!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Joking!\" Michael loved those jokes.\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n  \n\n\"So, Mr...\" he extended a hand, crushing Michael's  \nown in it's iron grip and shaking it about like a piece of meat. Michael had  \nalmost fainted when he'd first seen him. Mr. Coulding was a big fox, by  \nanyone's standards. He was by no means chubby, but Michael would never make the  \nmistake of calling the man scrawny.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Er..... Holdin,\" Michael thought quickly. He couldn't  \ntell them his real last name, not yet.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Mr. Holdin!\" Sarah's mother said brightly,  \npatting his arm.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please ma'am, it's Michael...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well, in that case,\" she said teasingly,  \n\"you can call me Jenny!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Honey, I think you're embarrassing the boy,\" Mr.  \nCoulding whispered to his wife.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I can't help it,\" she retorted, \"he's so  \nshy, and so sweet!\" she smiled apologetically.\n\n  \n  \n\nThis was good, no-one was throwing things, and he hadn't  \nbeen called a racist bastard once, as far as he could tell. It was a big party,  \nand there was a great deal of hushed comments wherever he went. He was, after  \nall, the supposed new boy-toy to the heiress of a multi-million dollar stock  \nfortune. Michael had even heard one hushed comment of \"won't last a  \nweek...\", to which he'd replied by \"accidentally\" stomping on  \nthe older human male's toes as he walked by.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm giving myself two,\" he'd whispered into the  \nman's ear as he'd pretended to check if he was alright, walking off before the  \nold man could say anything more than a few angry splutters.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe party was taking place in the manor's rear grounds, a  \nseries of hedgerows, fountains, ponds, waterfalls, and flower-gardens that  \nmeshed together to form a lavishly tiered courtyard that rivaled anything  \nWashington had to offer. The entire area was lit by citrus-scented tiki torches  \nand underwater landscape lights that cycled through a myriad of colors. Which,  \nwhen combined with the warm summer's night, came together to give the whole  \naffair a very tropic feel.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe gala had slowly begun to wind down as guests made their  \nway back to their limos or, in one Middle-Eastern Fennec Oil-Prince's case,  \nhelicopters, some stumbling or weaving slightly based on how much alcohol each  \nhad consumed, and how well he or she could handle their liquor. Michael, to his  \ngreat worry, had suddenly found himself alone with Sarah's parents, who were,  \nto put it lightly, a little bit more than a little bit tipsy.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So...\" Mr. Coulding said again, covering his  \nmouth as he slurred the word slightly, \"Sarah tells me you got her out of  \ntrouble with a couple of thugs!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"More like she got me out of trouble. They beat the  \ncrap out of me!\" Michael laughed, a little bit too loudly, he noted  \nsomewhere in the back of his head. He didn't drink... normally, but something  \nabout the atmosphere had loosened his inhibitions slightly, which were further  \nunhinged by his first few drinks. Big, sweet, and girlie, in the spirit of the  \nnight, but that didn't mean they weren't strong. Michael could have sworn the  \nguy behind the bar had emptied half of its contents into his glass before  \nhanding it to him, smelling strongly of strawberries, pineapple, and top-shelf  \nbooze.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"From what I heard, so did she,\" he said,  \nchuckling at his own joke.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael made an indignant noise, waving a hand and nearly  \nknocking himself off balance, \"Please, she didn't hurt me that bad!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You want to see the doctor's bill I got to prove  \nthat?\" Mr. Coulding asked.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Okay, maybe she did, but those guys softened me up  \nfirst.\" he leaned back in his bar-stool, which really did knock him off  \nbalance, causing him to topple out of his chair and onto the floor. It probably  \nshould have hurt, but a mixture of liquor and adrenaline made it feel more like  \na dull thud as his back connected with the concrete tiles.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Smooth move, sweetie,\" Michael tilted his head back  \nto meet Sarah's upside-down and slightly blurry gaze.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Since when did I become 'sweetie'?\" he asked,  \nextricating himself from the stool and rising unsteadily to his feet.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Right after you graduated from 'pompous  \nasshole',\" she replied, sticking out her tongue.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well,\" Mr. Coulding sighed, wrapping an arm  \naround his wife and giving Michael a farewell pat on the shoulder, \"I  \nguess everybody else can find their own way out. As for us, I think it's time  \nwe hit the hay.\" They turned to leave, \"Oh... and sweetie?\" he  \nsaid, turning back to the two. Michael and Sarah exchanged a glance, staring  \nback at Mr. Coulding for a second.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Me or her?\" Michael finally asked, causing Mrs.  \nCoulding to roll her eyes and snicker.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Her!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes Daddy?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Tell the boy that I'll cut his balls off if he gets  \nyou pregnant,\" Michael's eyes grew to the size of saucer pans, addled  \nbrain taking a few minutes to relay that it would be physically impossible for  \nhim to impregnate Sarah, her being a fox, and that Mr. Coulding's remark must  \nhave been a joke. By that time; however, he had already disappeared into the  \nhouse, muttering something along the lines of, \"Now where the hell is our  \nroom?\" under his breath.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael felt a sudden weight on his shoulder which, upon  \nfurther inspection, turned out to belong to the hiccupping muzzle of his  \nslightly buzzed hostess, who had apparently decided that his arm made a fairly  \ncomfy pillow.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm drunk,\" she stated simply, blinking up at him  \nwith sleep-heavy eyes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I can see that...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So are you,\" she said, yawning loud and lewdly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And?\" he asked, not even bothering to deny his  \nblatantly obvious state of intoxication.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Would you care to escort a lady to her room?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I would if I could find one...\" he replied slyly,  \nearning a smack to the back of his head for his trouble. \"Couldn't Wayne  \ntake you?\" he asked, rubbing the back of his sore skull with a hand.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He'll give me a huge lecture and tuck me into bed like  \nI'm a kid!\" she whined, pulling at his shirt-sleeve piteously.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I take it this isn't the first time this has  \nhappened?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What's fifteen more than twelve?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Er...\" Michael tried to count it out on his  \nfingers, giving up after he remembered that twelve was more than ten,  \n\"Fifty-two?\" he guessed. He was never good at multiplication.\n\n  \n  \n\nThey arrived at Sarah's room after two hours of aimless  \nwandering and set of directions in broken English from a French ferret maid  \nthat, Michael was not afraid to tell, was extremely hot. It took Michael  \nanother twenty minutes or so to figure out how to open the door with his arms  \nbusy keeping a semi-conscious Sarah from becoming very good friends with the  \nhallway carpeting. After finally defeating the devious doorknob by crouching  \ndown and jiggling it open with his teeth, he tossed Sarah unceremoniously onto  \nher bed and turned to leave, wobbling slightly from exhaustion and inebriation.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey, Michael?\" Sarah called feebly from her bed.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah?\" he asked, rubbing a hand across his eyes  \nin a failing attempt to rub out the sleep there.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Can you c'mere for a second?\" Michael stumbled  \nhis way back to her side, leaning in to hear what she had to ask. He panicked  \nas he found himself drawn into a deep and unexpected make-out session. His  \nattempts to pull away slowly faded and died. He melted into the kiss, wrapping  \na hand behind her head and leaning in further to kiss her back, tongues waging  \na tequila-scented war between their joined lips.They finally broke, partly to  \ncatch their breath, and partly to avoid the stereotypical  \npuking-into-each-other's-mouths bit that was so popular in the movies.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That was... amazing!\" Michael gasped.  \n\"What's it for?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"For... for everything,\" she replied. \"For  \nputting up with my crazy parents, my over-protective butler, and me, for  \nstanding up for me with those bullies and all the rich jerks that were spreading  \nrumors about us tonight, and for... for saving my life.\" She started to  \ncry, tears matting down her fur.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey now...\" he said soothingly, \"Your  \nparents rock, Wayne and I turned out okay in the end, and you... you're  \nawesome,\" he kissed her again. \"As for standing up for you, I would  \nhave done it for anybody, but it helps that I've secretly had a crush on you  \nsince the moment I saw you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Really?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Really,\" he whispered, chuckling softly into her  \near.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're just teasing me...\" she said, pushing  \nagainst his chest. He kissed her a third time, deeper and longer, trying his  \nhardest to put every single emotion he was feeling for her at that moment into  \nthe kiss. It was a long kiss, but he didn't care, he was feeling a lot of  \nemotions at that moment.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Does it feel like I'm teasing you?\" he asked.  \n\"I wasn't joking earlier. I really do worship the ground that you walk on,  \nand I'd spend my entire life wearing a silly little hat and serving cocktails  \nto rich jerks if it was the only way I could see you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Does that mean you really want to make my tail into a  \nteddy-bear?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Alright, so I was joking a little, but your tail is  \nreally cute.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So are you,\" she replied, grabbing his nose and  \nwaggling it back and forth playfully.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Only when I'm drunk.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'll have to remember to slip something into your  \ndrink next time you're here. I like you like this.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I like you like this...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Want to like me even more?\" she murred, pulling  \nhim onto the bed and rolling him over so she was straddling his chest. As  \nMichael watched on in amazement, she proceeded to pull her dress over her head  \nand toss it off into a dark corner of the room, leaving her wearing nothing but  \na bra and a tiny pair of silk panties.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe was beautiful! The white of her hands, feet, and  \ntail-tip was shared in the ivory stripe that ran from the underside of her  \nchin, between her breasts, and finally disappeared into her underwear. The rest  \nof her was a vibrant rusty-red, making her ice-purple eyes stand out all the  \nmore. Her bust was generously proportioned, while not seeming overly-large, and  \nthere was no lack in the curves department. Her panties were small, pink, and  \nfrilly, and the matching bra showed an ample amount of cleavage without coming  \noff as slutty or vulgar.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Whoa, whoa, whoa!\" Michael stammered, tearing his  \neyes away from her body long enough to make another half-baked escape attempt  \nwhen her hand found its way beneath his pants and into his boxers, \"That's  \nnot what I meant!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't like me?\" Sarah asked, dismounting  \nMichael's torso as tears sprang to her eyes once again.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No!\" Michael exclaimed, \"I mean-Yes! Yes, of  \ncourse I like you! I love you! You're incredible... and that's why I have to  \nleave... right now, before we make a huge mistake and ruin our whole  \nrelationship.\" He walked over to where Sarah stood, wrapping his arms  \naround her waist lovingly and smiling warmly into her eyes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm clean,\" she said quickly, thinking he was  \nafraid she had something. \"I get checked every year, and...\" Michael  \nsilenced her, hushing her and standing silently with her for a few minutes ,  \nrocking her gently back and forth to help calm her down.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That isn't what I meant either,\" he said after  \nshe had stopped crying. \"It's not that I don't want you, or that I think  \nyou're diseased or something, but I can't trust myself to know what's best  \nright now. I know when I'm drunk, and right now I'm somewhere between hammered  \nand plastered, so I can't honestly say what I'm feeling for you right now, but  \nI know that I want to feel it for the rest of my life, and if we do this now,  \nI'll never be able to forgive myself, 'cause I'd be taking advantage of  \nyou...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n\"But I want you to take advantage of me!\" she  \nwhimpered.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm... going to go try and find my room now,\" he  \ntold her sternly, giving her one last kiss and body slamming himself in his  \nhead for walking out on what was essentially a free ticket to hot, wild sex  \nwith the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wait,\" she said, \"Could you just... just  \nstay with me tonight? Just lie here with me?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I don't know...\" he sighed. He still didn't know  \nif he could trust himself.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You'll never find your room in your state, I don't  \neven remember where it is right now. We don't have to do anything, I just want  \na little company. C'mon,\" she cajoled, massaging his shoulders in a  \nsoothing manner.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please?\" she asked, giving him a dose of her  \nperfectly pitiful puppy-dog eyes to hammer the last nail home.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Okay, but just so long as it's limited to cuddling  \nonly, and you have to be in the back,\" he added on a last thought.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Why?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I... Let's just say I don't want things to get awkward  \nif I get a little excited in my sleep.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh!\" she said, blushing as she realized what he  \nwas talking about. Michael removed his jacket and dress pants, stripping down  \nto his long-sleeve undershirt and boxers and pulling aside the covers to allow  \nhimself and Sarah to get comfortable underneath. The last thing he remembered  \nbefore he fell asleep was hearing Sarah whisper the words, \"I think it  \njust got awkward anyway...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n'Damn you underpants,' he thought, 'You and your inability  \nto adequately hide an erection...'\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\nWell, that's it.\n\n  \n  \n\nThat's it.\n\n  \n  \n\nYou win.\n\n  \n  \n\nI win.\n\n  \n  \n\nWhat were you supposed to get if you won again?\n\n  \n  \n\nI don't remember. Did we ever actually decide?\n\n  \n  \n\nNow I guess... I guess it's time to get down to business.\n\n  \n  \n\nI guess so.\n\n  \n  \n\nThis would be a lot easier to do if you'd stop repeating  \neverything I say.\n\n  \n  \n\nSorry.\n\n  \n  \n\nAlright, let's do it.\n\n  \n  \n\nLet's do it.\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n\nSarah's ears were sore. She realized why as she began to  \nwake up fully. Michael was sitting bolt upright, eyes wide open and staring  \nblankly into space. He was screaming, stopping only long enough to refill his  \nlungs before unleashing another blood-curdling wail.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael!\" she shouted, sitting up and placing a  \nhand onto his shoulder, shaking him in an attempt to break himout of his  \nterrifying trance. \"What's wrong? What's the matter? Are you hurt?\"  \nHe hit her, knocking her off of the bed as he continued to scream, trashing  \nabout, banging his skull against the headboard over and over as his body was  \nwracked with almost epileptic spasms.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSarah crawled into a corner, sitting horrified with her  \nhands over her ears, rocking herself silently until he became quiet. She stood  \nback up, stepping timidly to where he sat on the sheets, still staring off into  \nthe air, shuddering like a wounded animal.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael?\" she asked softly, reaching out a  \nshaking hand to touch him again. He turned, head jerking about with unnerving  \nspeed.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Mom?\" he said, staring at Sarah as though he  \ndidn't quite know who she was.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No.... No, it's me. It's Sarah......\" She pulled  \nhim in close to her, wrapping her arms about him. He was freezing cold, and he  \nstill couldn't keep himself from shaking like a leaf as he sobbed into her  \nshoulder.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You have to believe me Mom, I never meant to let him  \nhurt you! I couldn't move! I was scared. I was so scared........\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's...... Its okay. Everything's alright Michael.  \nEverything's going to be okay.\" Sarah didn't know what to say. Michael  \nthought she was his Mother. What had happened to her to make him this upset?  \nAll Sarah could do was hold him, shushing him softly until the whole thing  \nrolled over. Michael fell against her, trapping her underneath him and weeping  \ninto her neck.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm so sorry Mom. Please! Please just tell me you  \nforgive me.....\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's okay Michael......\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please........\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I......\" she paused, breath catching in her  \nthroat. This was terrible! Sarah was going to pretend to be Michael's dead  \nMother to try and comfort him. It was wrong! It was disrespectful! It was......  \n\"I forgive you Michael...... I forgive you.\" She patted the back of  \nhis head gently, holding him to her chest until he went silent again. She  \nlooked warily down at him, as though she were afraid he would start again if  \nshe made a wrong move.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe couldn't believe it! He'd fallen asleep, nuzzling into  \nher chest-fur and snoring loudly. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe did both.\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\nMichael woke to find himself alone in Sarah's bed. There was  \nstill a warm spot in the sheets where she must have been laying earlier. It  \nsmelled like her, a mixture of cinnamon and citrus fruit that Michael couldn't  \nget enough of. He lay there for a while, letting the light and the cool  \nSummer's breeze from the open balcony doors bathe over him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWait a second. Michael didn't remember a balcony, nor did he  \nremember the doors being open when they'd fallen asleep last night. In fact, he  \ndidn't remember much about last night at all. He looked up, finding Sarah  \nleaning over the railing and gazing out at the sunrise.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Morning!\" he said brightly, walking over to wrap  \na quilt around her shoulders. \"You looked cold,\" he explained as she  \ngave him an odd look. They stood there for a few minutes, Michael's expression  \nbecoming more and more troubled as he saw how anxious she looked. \"Are you  \nokay?\" he asked after a while.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah....\" she replied distantly. She shook  \nherself, clearing whatever thoughts that had been occupying her attention out  \nof her head. \"I'm fine,\" she said, giving him a reassuring smile,  \n\"How are you?\" She frowned again, pulling the quilt tighter about her  \nwhile her ears flattened back against her skull.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Actually, I feel great!\" he said, which made her  \nfrown deepen for some reason. \"Did I....... Did something happen last  \nnight?\" he asked finally, afraid the blank spots in his memory held some  \ndark secret.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No... Nothing,\" she said quickly, which only made  \nMichael's suspicions of foul play even greater.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're sure? 'Cause if I did anything that I shouldn't  \nha-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You behaved very gentleman-like,\" she said,  \ncutting him off. She wouldn't be able to stand it if he thought he'd done  \nsomething wrong. She had to change the subject. \"That reminds me... Last  \nnight you said you didn't know how you felt about me...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah, I remember saying something along those  \nlines.......\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So?.....\" she asked, bumping shoulders with him  \nplayfully.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So what?\" He bumped her back.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So.... How do you feel about me?\" This time she  \ngave him a shove, pushing him back into her room so he fell to his rump on the  \nfloor.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'd tell you if you'd stop beating me up!\" he  \nstuck out his tongue at her.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh please! I'm beginning to think you like  \nit....\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Only when it's you doing the punching,\" he  \nretorted.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're avoiding the question.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What question?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You know very well what damn question!\" she said  \nin mock exasperation.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe was smiling from ear to ear, but his eyes told her how  \nserious he was when he said, \"I love you. To the ends of the Earth, I love  \nyou. Even if I had to walk through hell and back, I love you!\" He grabbed  \nher around the waist, swinging her, laughing and screaming, in a circle around  \nhimself.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You still feel drunk?\" she giggled as he set her  \nback on her feet.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I always feel kinda' drunk when I'm around you,\"  \nhe teased.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You know what I mean. Does it still feel like you've  \ngot alcohol in your system?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe thought for a second, \"Nope, I feel pretty  \nsober.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So do I. So I can honestly say that I am extremely  \nhorny right now.\" She pushed him back onto the ground, going to her knees  \nover him and pulling him into a passionate kiss.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Same here,\" he gasped when they separated,  \n\"but.......\" he swallowed the jittery lump that had formed in his  \nthroat, \"You're sure you're ready? It doesn't feel forced or rushed  \nor......\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe silenced him with a finger to his lips, \"It feels  \nperfect, and it'd feel even better if you'd stop second-guessing yourself and  \njust do what feels right!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nThat was it. There was nothing else Michael could say, no  \nargument that he could possibly give that could ever stop the beautiful train  \nwreck that was about to occur. Off came the bra, her wonderful breasts spilling  \nout for all the world, er.... all the world that happened to be in Sarah's room  \nat that time, to see. Her panties quickly followed, experiencing a brief  \noccupation change into a sling-shot as they joined the rest of her clothes.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWas there a word better than perfect? Sarah was...... impeccable?  \nNo, that sounded too uptight. Glowing? No, that made her sound pregnant or  \nsomething. Stunning! Sarah was stunning! Her breasts were firm and round, with  \nsmallish pink nipples that stood to attention in the crisp morning air. Michael  \nfelt his eyes wander South. She was great there, too, the soft pink of her  \nfolds creating a beautiful contrast to the clean, bright white of her inner  \nthighs.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe wasn't kidding when she had said she was horny, she was  \nalready hot and practically dripping, creating a small wet stain on the leg of  \nMichael's boxer-shorts. She began to tug at the hem of Michael's shirt,  \nstopping upon his request.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please.... just not now, maybe tomorrow, but.... just  \nnot today. You'd hate me.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Now c'mon...\" she said, giggling into his ear as  \nshe gave him a loving peck on the cheek, \"How could anything in there be  \nthat bad? You know there's nothing about you that could ever make me hate you.  \nYou're kind, and caring, and funny. You're the perfect man!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n'You have no idea how wrong you are....' Michael thought.  \n\"Please.... not today. Later, but not today.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Alright!\" she conceded, \"but this?\" she  \npurred, clutching at the fabric covering his clearly aroused crotch, \"This  \nhas got to come off if we want to get anywhere.\" And so she said it, and  \nso it was. The briefs flew through the air, falling to join the small mountain  \nthat had formed in one corner of the room. She rested his member in one of her  \nhands, examining it for a few moments.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Not the most remarkable you've seen, huh?\"  \nMichael said as she continued to stare.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's perfect,\" she assured, \"In my  \nexperience, all the huge guys have egos to match, not to mention their  \nself-image, which is somewhat akin to that of an overweight peanut.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Wow... Now I'm glad I didn't buy those  \npills......\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You actually considered buying pills?\" she  \nsnickered.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"They were on sale at the mall....\" he mumbled  \nlamely.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just.....  \nfine!\" she gasped, sinking herself onto him with the last word.\n\n  \n  \n\nShe was wonderful!Michael closed his eyes, taking a sharp  \nbreath as she slid him home within her. Her tunnel felt like someone had liquefied  \nthe world's hottest satin and poured it around him, but no.... that seemed  \nrude. It depersonalized what she was doing for him right now, the gift she was  \ngiving him. It felt like her, that's all.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThat's all Michael needed.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe gasped again as she began to thrust herself down on top  \nof him, changing her speed every now and again to give them both the maximum  \namount of pleasure. Michael knew what she was doing, she was going to make sure  \nthey both finished at the same time, but Michael wasn't going to have any of  \nit. She could probably orgasm five times before he was done, and he would make  \nsure she lived what they were doing to its fullest.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, pulling her off of  \nhim only to replace her position on top, thrusting into her hard and fast. As  \nhe experimented with Sarah's different depths and regions, he found a specific  \nspot that made her moan and writhe underneath him. He smiled, 'gotcha!' He  \npicked up the pace, hitting that same spot over and over. She spasmed around  \nhim, 'That's one...' She clutched at his shoulders, digging through the fabric  \nand skin hard enough to draw tiny pinpricks of blood.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh God!\" she stuttered, \"I-I'm so  \nsorry!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's fine....\" Michael grunted into her ear, gasping  \nas she shuddered again, crying out in pleasure, 'That's two...' Sarah began to  \nhunch herself back against him, meeting each of his thrusts with her own.  \nMichael, to his dismay, realized all too suddenly that he wasn't going to last  \nfor five, or even four. He hissed through his teeth, scrotum drawing tight  \nagainst his body as he came forcefully inside of her, which caused her tunnel  \nto clench itself around him one last time, milking him for every drop he had to  \ngive, genetics providing nature's perfect condom.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe fell against her, sighing as they both came down from  \ntheir shared afterglow. He felt something warm and fuzzy worm itself around his  \nleg, laughed as he found Sarah's tail wrapped around his leg like a furry  \nboa-constrictor.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"That was.....\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Amazing?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I was going to say incredible, but that's fine  \ntoo.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Do you always have to one-up me?\" she asked,  \nshaking her head in defeat.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Two...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?'\n\n  \n  \n\n\"One-up implies that I got one up on you,\" he said  \nmatter-of-factly, \"I got two.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Okay Mr. Mathlete... What's twelve more than  \nfifteen?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Twenty-seven. Why?\" he queried, confused as to  \nwhy she'd asked such a simple question.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You really don't remember much about last night, do  \nyou?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Do vague blurs and your terrifyingly hulking Father  \ntelling me he wanted to cut off my junk count?\"\n\n  \n  \n\"Geez,\" she muttered,\u0026nbsp; \"You really were  \nplastered.\"  \n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Boom.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nJohn smiled, watching on with an eerily child-like  \nfascination as the flames slowly consumed the old, decrepit shed that was  \nacting as their guinnea-pig, paint-chips and ashes floating away on the cool  \nSummer's breeze.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThey'd come out into these God-forsaken woods test-run their  \npayback for Michael and his fox-bitch. Molotov cocktails were surprisingly  \ncheap and easy to make. All you needed was a bottle, preferably glass, of cheap  \nliquor, an old rag, and a lighter. The effect was impressive, a burning ball of  \nmolten booze and red-hot glass shrapnel that extended eight feet in every direction.  \nDeadly, but, if all went as planned, they wouldn't need to be.\n\n  \n  \n\nThey didn't want to kill anybody, how would they scare the  \ndamn kid away from the fox if they were both dead? No, if everything went off  \nwithout a hitch, they'd create a lot of damage and chaos, without having to  \nspend all those years in jail for murder. That's how he'd finally convinced the  \nother two to go along with it. He'd neglected to tell them that what they were  \ndoing was technically felony arson, which would mean around fifteen to twenty  \nyears if they were caught. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Okay, put it out,' he told Twitch and Big as the  \nsurrounding foliage began to catch fire as well. \"We don't want anyone to  \nnotice this fire.\" The two set to work, using a pair of fire-extinquishers  \nto methodically douse the inferno.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThis would be easy.\n\n  \n  \n\nThis would be fun.\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're sure you don't want to come in?\" Sarah  \nasked, paddling her way over to the edge of the pool. Michael nodded his  \nconfirmation.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm fine,\" he assured her, taking another long  \ndraught from his glass and wiping a hand across his forehead to try and dam the  \nriver of sweat already forming there.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael was not fine.\n\n  \n  \n\nThis had been going on for over an hour. Sarah floating  \nlazy, rambling circles in the crystal clear water, stopping every now and then  \nto check on Michael and his increasing state of discomfort. It had to have been  \nover a hundred degrees, and the balmy wind that had been blowing this morning  \nhad slowly died as the day went on, cranking the heat-index up to nearly  \none-hundred and ten. Needless to say, Michael was slow-baking in his spiffy new  \nturtleneck.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Your loss,\" she shrugged, back-stroking her way  \nout to the middle of the man-made swimming hole.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You know I'd love too, but I didn't bring any  \ntrunks!\" he called out to her.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Then jump in with what you have on!\" she called  \nback, spitting a stream of water at him through her teeth.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"My shirt'll shrink!\" he whined, reminding Sarah  \nvaguely of a dorky kid she knew in grade-school.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So...?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So... You bought it for me, and I don't want to be  \nungrateful.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Then just take the damn thing off!\" she shouted,  \nsmacking the water in annoyance.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You know I can't do that.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No. You won't do that, there's a difference. What's  \ngot you so worked up you won't even take off your shirt around me? If it's  \nbecause you think you're fat, I think you'd have sweat off all the extra weight  \nby now.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's... It's not that.\" he said, avoiding her  \ngaze.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Then what? Do you have, like, a third arm or  \nsomething? Ooh! No wait, I know!\" she exclaimed raising a finger to the  \nsky in triumph. \"You're a robot, an alien-robot, and you won't take off  \nthat shirt 'cause it'll expose all your circuits and gears to the UV radiation  \nfrom the sun, frying you like an alien-robot sausage!\" she gave her best dramatic  \nfake-death, gasping and clutching at her throat, sinking below the surface so  \nthat only one twitching hand was left above the water.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Ha-ha! very funny...\" Michael said sarcastically  \nwhen she had re-surfaced.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Okay, Mr. smarty-robot. What then?\" She climbed  \nout of the pool, shaking the excess water from herself before placing her hands  \non her hips, waiting expectantly. \"You don't have to hide yourself from me, you  \nknow?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I don't want to talk about it.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh, c'mon!\" she whined, pouncing on him and  \ntugging persistently at the turtle-neck, \"You won't fry that fast, will  \nyou? All I want is one little peek!\" She continued to tug and pull at the  \nhem, despite Michael's increasingly desperate pleas for her to quit. After  \nbeing repeatedly yanked in two directions by the tug-o'-war between Sarah and  \nMichael, the fabric had had enough, giving way with a loud ripping noise.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh God, no,\" Michael muttered, slamming himself  \nback in the lounge chair to prevent her from seeing anything. The shirt was  \ntorn clean in two, hanging in tattered strips from his torso.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I don't see anything...\" Sarah said, confused and  \nannoyed.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"See, I told you it was nothing!\" Michael said,  \ngiving her a push to remove her from his lap.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You're hiding something!\" she accused.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No I'm not!\" He shouted, pulling the shirt about  \nhim to prevent her from glimpsing anything he didn't want her to see.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt was too late.\n\n  \n  \n\nTime seemed to slow down as Michael watched on in horror.  \nSarah grabbed him by one arm, tugging hard so that he flipped out of the chair,  \ncatching himself instinctually. The sweater snagged on the arm of the lounger,  \nripping the rest of the way off of him and exposing his raw back and shoulders  \nto her. She gasped.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What... What-\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael jumped to his feet, rounding on Sarah, eyes blazing  \nin the midday sun. He grabbed her by the throat, clutching so tight that she  \nbegan to choke a little, gagging slightly as the walls of her wind-pipe  \ntouched. He brought her in close to his face, glaring deeply into her eyes. She  \ngasped again. There was something there, something that hadn't been there before,  \nhad never been there before; a fiery glint in his eyes she'd never seen, never  \ndreamed she could see in Michael. It was animal. It was primal. It was almost  \nmurderous. He picked her up, lifting her bodily off the ground with that single  \nhand before tossing her backwards. She hit the water with a splash, sinking  \nbelow and sitting there for a while, absorbing the shock of what had just taken  \nplace.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I didn't-I didn't know,\" she spluttered when she  \nhad come back up, mortified and more than a little frightened. \"I'm so sorry,  \nMichael! If you had just told me why, I never would have done something like  \nthat!\" tears began to streak their way down her already soaked face. \"I... I  \ndidn't know!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah? **_Yeah_**? Well now you do! Huh?\" He  \nkicked aside a table, causing the glass top to fall to the concrete, shattering  \nin a shower of glass shards. He turned the backs of his arms to her, scratching  \nthem deeply with his fingernails until they bled, thick streams of the viscous  \nliquid pouring down them, glistening in the sunlight as it dripped to the  \nground below. \"Now you know everything, right?\" He thought for a  \nsecond, sneering as an idea formed itself like a black, poisonous cloud in his  \nhead, \"No wait! You don't know anything, do you? You don't know a damned  \nthing!\" He laughed - a terrible, horrible, manic laugh. \"Well then, I'll  \ntell you! I'll tell you everything! Everything you ever wanted to know about  \nme! Since you seem to be so damn curious!\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"My father was a hate criminal and a thug! He was a loser  \nand a drunk who couldn't even hold a minimum-wage job, and he spent every penny  \nhe did earn on more booze to drown himself in! When he wasn't hanging out with  \nhis skinhead buddies at the local dive bar and commiserating about anything  \nwith a tail, his favorite pastime was beating my mother and I black and blue,  \nand blaming it on us!\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? You  \nnever had to stand up to a raging drunk, four times your size, to keep him from  \nbreaking a bottle over your mother's head and giving her **_another_** concussion! You  \nnever had to learn when to go limp, so he didn't hit you so hard you couldn't  \nmake it to school the next day! You never had to hear your mother **_lie_**  \nto you afterwards! Tell you it was alright when she knew it wasn't! Tell you it  \nwould be different when she knew it **_never_** would! Tell you that it was  \nover when she knew damn well that tomorrow you would both wake up in the same  \ndamn **_hell_**  \nthat you had to call a childhood and relive it all over again! Day! After!  \nFucking! Day! You spent your whole life in this sheltered little upper class  \nvilla; with your loving parents, and your big pink bedroom, and your pandering  \nservants, and your butler, and your... your **_fucking_** pool!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe told her everything. His Dad, his Mom, him, the burner,  \nthe gun, everything. He cried, he screamed, he sounded crazy, and he knew it,  \nand he didn't care. He felt crazy. He was crazy. He'd been crazy ever since that one moment; that one, single, damn night! So he  \ntold her, laughing, screaming, crying, and then he was done. It was gone, as if  \nit had never happened, but then he looked up, and he saw Sarah crying too, and  \nhe realized that it wasn't gone. It had moved, but it wasn't gone. It was in  \nher now. Now she had his pain, his confusion, his anger. She hadn't asked for,  \nshe didn't deserve it, but he'd given it to her, tossed it off to try and alleviate  \nsome of his own frustration, used her as an emotional punching bag to help rid  \nhimself of some of his own hurt. He'd acted selfishly, inconsiderately, he'd  \nacted... just like his Father!\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael screamed, pounding, punching himself in the head  \nuntil he saw red. He grabbed the remains of his shirt, wrapping them around his  \narms to try and stem the flow of blood. He turned, running up the walkway and  \ninto the house, not stopping until he was through the front doors and out onto  \nthe street. He started to walk. He didn't know where to, he didn't really care.  \nAll he wanted to do was get as far away from this place as possible, get as far  \naway from her face as he could. He had to hide himself, hide from himself, lose  \nhimself for a while, if he didn't he'd kill himself. Even now he had to strain  \nto stop himself from throwing his body in the path of each and every car that  \npassed him on the street.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; He never recalled exactly how he got to his  \napartment, but suddenly he found himself on his floor, outside of the door that  \nled to the dive that was his home. His hand went to the doorknob. He turned it,  \nlooking numbly around the empty room. All of his stuff was gone. He wasn't  \nsurprised. They'd probably assumed he was dead, thrown away what they couldn't  \npawn off for quick cash. His mattress was still there, and he threw himself  \nonto it, falling into a deep, restless sleep almost immediately.  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n\n\"Get up, boy. It's showtime.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nSirens. Lights filtering through the dirty glass of the  \nwindows. Red and white. The color of winter. The color of flame. The color of  \nblood on the snow. He knew those sirens. He knew those lights.\n\n  \n  \n\n_An ancient memory. Cold  \nand heat in the night. Those same lights, reflected not through glass, but off  \nthe black ice that covered the sidewalk. He was on his stomach. In bed. He was  \nawake now. Had he been sleeping? He was moving. The bed was moving. It wasn't  \nhis bed. It wasn't as comfortable as his bed. Not that his bed had been very  \ncomfortable to begin with. Men in uniforms were pushing his uncomfy not-bed.  \nOne slipped on the ice, cursing. Another hushed him._\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_They passed a form,  \ncrumpled and sprawling in the lawn. Red on white. Deadly steel still smoked in  \nthe snow. Still hot. Ice cold. A third man began covering the form in a sheet.  \nMichael wished he had a sheet. He was freezing. No. No, he was on fire! His  \nback! His arms! Burning!_ He _was  \nburning! He_ hurt_! Those same sirens  \npierced the silence of the night. Someone was screaming._ He _was screaming!_\n\n  \n  \n\n_Mother! Where was  \nmother? Mother wasn't there. Mother was in the house. The house. The house was  \nburning._ His _house was burning! His_ mother _was burning! Eyes raised. Crying for  \nmother. Screaming for mother. Mother, help! Help mother! Hands raised.  \nStretching for mother. Stretching for the house. The house was groaning. The  \nhouse was in pain. The house was dying. The house was falling! The house  \nscreamed. He screamed. He was falling. He and the house hit the ground. He was  \ngroaning. He was in pain. He was in_ so much _pain. He was dying. Eyes raised. The house was gone. Mother was gone.  \nHe was gone. It was all gone._\n\n  \n  \n\n_Sirens._\n\n  \n  \n\n_Lights._\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_Red and white._\n\n  \n  \n\n_Eyes closed._\n\n  \n  \n\nBack to himself. Back to his room. Still sirens. Still  \nlights. Now reflected through the windows. Not ice. Not cold. Back to his bed.  \nHe was on his back. He was hot. His back was cold. His arms were cold. Sweat on  \nthe bed. Soaking. He stumbled to his feet, glancing through the shades at the  \nstreet below. Sweat on the window. Trickling. Reflecting light. Light like  \nfire. Red and white. There was a truck. Red and white, like the lights on its  \nroof. Men hung off, like performers in some twisted circus act, wearing thick  \nyellow jackets and strange red helmets. Men in uniforms. Firemen. Fire truck.\n\n  \n  \n\nFire!\n\n  \n  \n\nHe looked further down the road, watching as smoke billowed  \nits way into the purple sky, silhouetted against the sunset horizon. That  \ncouldn't be what he thought it was, where he thought it was coming from, but  \nsomewhere deep in his heart, he knew it was. It had to be.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"...Sarah.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe ran. Out of the room. Out of the building. Sprinting down  \nthe middle of the road. Hopping fences like hurdles in a race. Anything to help  \nhim get there quicker. His lungs breathed fire. His veins pumped battery acid.  \nEvery inch of his body screamed to slow down. Every neuron in his mind screamed  \nto go faster. Somewhere halfway through his marathon it crossed his mind that  \nthat he was still completely naked from the waist up. He didn't really care.  \nThere was only one thing to care about. He rounded a corner, skidding to a halt  \nas he finally caught sight of what he had been praying existed only in his  \nnightmares.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere was Sarah's home, curtains and smoke flowing out of  \nbroken windows like the oozing wounds of some great beast. Sarah's home  \ngroaned. Sarah's home was dying. Fire trucks and ambulances parked haphazardly  \non the lawn and street. Sirens. Lights. Red and white. He walked amidst them,  \nwatching on, as if in a dream. Employees of the house and emergency workers  \nbrushed past him. Some cried into hands or handkerchiefs. Some shouted orders.  \nAll were frustrated and confused. Someone slipped on wet grass, cursing.  \nSomeone else hushed him.\n\n  \n  \n\nTwo men carrying a boy in a bed passed him by. The boy was  \nburnt. His back. His arms. The boy cried, reaching for Sarah's house. The boy  \nwas screaming. Michael turned, taking a second look. He knew that boy. The  \nproblem was, what was he doing here? The pieces slowly came together in his  \nhead, and Michael snarled.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You!\" He grabbed Jonathan Greene, lifting his  \ntorso off of the gurney to glare into his eyes. \"What the hell did you  \ndo?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nOne of the EMTs hooked him around the waist, pulling him  \naway and holding him back. \"We've got to get this kid to the hospital!  \nHe's got third degree burns all over his back and arms.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"He'll survive long enough to answer my question, damn it!  \nNow get the hell off of me!\" He gave the medic a hard elbow to the ribs,  \nreturning to Jon's side and shaking him about like a ragdoll. \"What  \nfucking happened?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I-I don't know-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Don't give me that! What did you fucking do?\" he  \nslapped him across the face.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"W-we threw a Molotov through the window. It was just  \none. That house is fricking huge! It shouldn't have gone up that fast! We never  \nmeant to hurt anyone. We were just trying to scare you away! You gotta believe  \nme!\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael's eyes widened in horror, \"Who's hurt?\" he  \nasked, knowing who it was before the answer had even begun to form on John's  \nlips.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I-I...\" he looked away. He looked to the house.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"God damn it, John! Who did you hurt?\" he shook  \nhim again.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"The girl!\" he blurted, \"She was in her room  \nwhen the fire started. They tried to get to her. **_I_** tried to get to her,  \nbut... but the flames were too hot! They'd already taken up the entire hallway  \nleading to her room. There was no way through! But I tried! You have to believe  \nme! I **_tried_**!\" Tears began to run down his face, Michael realized  \nsomewhere in the back of his head that they must be tears of remorse, but he  \ndidn't care. The boy was crying. The boy reached for the house. The boy had  \nfailed. He was no longer the boy. He was running for the front door before the  \nboy even began to fall.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe was almost there when somebody tackled him. They  \nstruggled on the ground. Michael wrestled for freedom. His assailant to keep  \nhim from it. He flipped himself over, prepared to do whatever it took to get  \nout from under whoever was holding him back, when he saw who it was.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What the hell are you doing?\" Wayne asked  \nfiercely, bringing an open palm across Michael's cheek in an effort to snap him  \nout of whatever kind of insanity had come over him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's Sarah\" Michael pleaded, pushing at Wayne's  \nchest to get him off, \"She's still in there!\" Wayne didn't move.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't think I know that?\" he screamed,  \n\"You don't think I realize that she didn't make it out?\" he shook  \nMichael till his teeth rattled in his skull. \"God knows I know she didn't  \nget out! We all know she didn't get out, but none of us are trying to kill  \nourselves over it!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please?\" he begged. \"Please! She's all I've  \ngot! If I don't at least try...?\" Tears began to stream down his face. Tears  \nof sorrow.Tears of rage.Tears of helplessness.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"God fucking damn it, Michael! She's dead! She's  \nfucking dead...and it's your fault!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't you dare put this on me! It was that Greene kid  \nand his fucking racist buddies! You know that!\" Michael punched him across  \nthe jaw.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't think I saw your little fight today?\"  \nhe punched Michael back. Michael tasted blood. \"Sarah was in her room because  \nyou!\" He hit him again, \"couldn't get over your fucking ghosts long  \nenough to realize that she fucking loved you!\" He hit him a third time,  \nand the corners of Michael's vision began to grey out, \"That she was  \nfucking crazy about you!\" Another blow, Michael blacked out for a second,  \nbut he was still able to hear every sorrowful, every rage filled, every  \nhelpless word Wayne said. \"She sat in her room for hours afterwards,  \nbawling her eyes out... because she loved you.\" Michael felt droplet of  \nliquid falling onto his face, and as his vision returned, he saw that Wayne was  \ncrying. So was he.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hit me again,\" he slurred, wincing in pain as  \nsomething within him shifted. He must have broken something. He could worry  \nabout it later.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\" Wayne asked.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hit me again. Because if I don't go in there? If I  \ndon't do everything I can to save her? Then I've got nothing left to live for.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"...You told me your Dad said the same thing. Why  \ndidn't you listen to him then? Then Sarah wouldn't be in that damn  \nbuilding.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Then let me do it,\" Michael whispered, \"Let  \nme go in there! If it works? You get Sarah back, and you never have to see me  \nagain. I'll leave! I'll go off into some dark corner and die. If it doesn't  \nwork...? You still don't ever have to see me again.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nWayne's eyes buzzed with thought, glaring down at Michael.  \nFinally, he let him up... and punched him again, knocking him flat on his back.  \n\"Come back with Sarah, or don't come back at all.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael stood, spitting a pinkish mixture of saliva and  \nblood into the dirt, \"That's the plan.\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\nMichael's journey through the Coulding Manor was a much less  \npleasant one than he'd had last time. Last time there hadn't been flaming  \ndebris falling from the ceiling, or weak floors that gave way as you tried to  \ncross them. It seemed as though every room in the house had caught on fire.  \nThey probably had; Michael had noticed that the manor was older, and had gas  \nheaters that were all most likely connected to a central tank. That Molotov had  \nprobably hit the starter flame that remained on throughout the year, and the  \nfire had spread through the entire mansion through the gas lines. Michael could  \nonly hope that Sarah's room hadn't burned up worse than any of the others he'd  \nseen. The problem with that hope was that each room he passed seemed to be  \nburning worse than the last.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe turned the corner onto the hall that lead Sarah's room,  \nand was brought up short by a wall of smoke and fire so thick it might has well  \nhave been a solid mass. The entire hallway had been engulfed by the blaze,  \ndisappearing behind a curtain of flickering flame. Fear struck him like a blow  \nto the chest, drawing out what little breath he could snatch through the thick  \nsmog of smoke and ash that filled the air in a sharp gasp. He couldn't move. He  \ncouldn't breathe. All that he could think of was his dream.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe burning hallway.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe voice.\n\n  \n  \n\nA scream ripped its way through the inferno; a sound of  \npure, unadulterated horror. He knew that voice. He'd heard that very scream  \nnight after night. It had haunted his nightmares for longer than he could  \nremember. His mind reeled - his world unraveled at the seams to crash about  \nhim, like so many broken shards of mirror; each reflecting a different facet of  \nhis own horrified visage. And as he screamed in terror, each one screamed back  \nat him, and each one was screaming the exact same thing. It hadn't been his  \nMother in the dream...\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt had been Sarah.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh God, no.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nAnother cry tore through the hallway, more desperate, more  \nfearful.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Please God, no!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh-ho God... Yes!\" a voice sneered from behind  \nhim. Michael turned, staring into the mirror that hung on the wall, but the  \nface that gazed back at him was not his own.\n\n  \n  \n\nIt was his Father's.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You,\" he whispered, clutching at his thundering heart as he  \ngazed upon the very face of his every nightmare. The monster that he had been  \nforced to call 'father' as a boy, now sneering at him from the silvered panel  \nthat hung, ghostly on a wall that should not have been able to hold its weight.  \n\"No. You're dead. Y-you died! You shot yourself in the head with a .45! You're...  \nyou're **_dead_**! This isn't possible!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\" 'Possible' goes out the window when your nightmares come to  \nlife,\" the hellish face in the mirror smirked, spurts of flame flicking out  \nbetween his teeth with each word; his eyes alight with the reflected blaze as  \nsmoke rose lazily from his smoldering clothes. \"Don't question what you see.  \nYou'll only be wasting both our times. Come to grips with what you're looking  \nat, or you and your vixen bitch are both going to die in this hellhole!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Fine!\" Michael spat in hate. \"Fine, you're there. I'm  \nnot crazy and you're really there. Or I am crazy and it doesn't matter anyway. What  \ndo you want from me? You took my childhood, my home, my mother. What more could  \nyou possibly do to me?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Anything,\" he laughed, \"Everything!\"  \nHis voice softened, \"but I don't have to.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What are you talking about?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"The fox,\" he replied. \"She's not dead yet,  \nbut she will be soon. That is, unless you can do something for me in return.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Why do I feel like I'm making a deal with the  \nDevil?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Actually, it's the exact opposite.\" he said.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'm here to make a bargain alright, but the guy  \ncalling the shots isn't of the cloven hooves and pitchfork variety. There's  \nmore going on here than you know. I can't go in to all the details right now.  \nThere isn't enough time.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What's the deal, then?\" Michael shouted, fighting  \nto be heard as the wind from the roaring inferno blew his hair in every  \ndirection. He was running short on time already. He didn't know how he knew,  \nbut he did. The flames got higher and hotter with every passing second, and as  \nthey did they spread. In little under an hour, the building would collapse in  \nupon itself as the fire ate through the supports that kept it standing, burying  \nanything left inside it in a combination tomb-and-funeral-pyre. That hardly  \nmattered, though, because the flames would most likely burn through all the  \nbreathable air in the vast mansion in around half that time. Even now, Michael  \ncould feel his head swim with the effort it took to draw a single breath of air  \ninto lungs that were already beginning to sear from the heat.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The deal's you,\" his father stated simply,  \n\"Your life for hers.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Is that all?\" Michael asked, forcing a laugh that he  \nregretted immediately; coughing and hacking as he sucked hot soot.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes.\" The face in the mirror replied, charred lips pressing  \ninto a grim white line.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You're... You're serious, aren't you?\" he asked.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes.\" it repeated.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So... So, then I'd actually...?\" he let the question hang, too  \nafraid to finish.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Die?\" the bodiless reflection of his father finished for  \nhim.\"Yes. You would die, and she would live. You don't have to do it. No one is  \nforcing you. If you choose not to, though, she dies in your place.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What the hell kind of choice is that?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's the most cut-and-dry decision you will ever make. Save  \nyour girl or save yourself. That's all there is to it. It's your choice.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nA dilemma, then. He wished it wasn't. To a better man it  \nwouldn't have been a difficult choice at all to make. Michael wished he was a  \nbetter man. If he were, he would have done the right thing without any  \nreservation. But the truth was, Michael did have reservations. Many  \nreservations. He loved Sarah. He knew that much. But he was afraid to die. He  \nknew that as well. Would it hurt to die? Would he die quick and simply, or  \nwould he have time enough to regret his decision before the end? It was all  \nvery poetic and chivalrous to speak of dying for the one you love, but could he  \nreally do it? More importantly, could he live with himself if he didn't?\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThat was the answer then. The thought of death was  \nfrightening, true enough. The thought of life without the one he loved, though?  \nThe thought of living with his choice for the rest of his days - of living  \nbecause he had chosen to live, while she had never been allowed the same  \nchoice- of living at **_her_** cost? That was not just  \nfrightening; it was horrifying. It was unthinkable. He couldn't even imagine  \nit.\n\n  \n  \n\nSo he didn't.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What do I have to do?\" he asked when he'd made up his  \nmind. A wooden beam in a room off to his right cracked loudly; splinters  \nexploding outwards as it split in two, dragging half of the room's ceiling with  \nit. A loud groan filled the air as the house shifted and shook. He was almost  \nout of time.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Walk. All you have to do is turn around and walk down  \nthat hallway.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe looked back, \"That hallway is on fire!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Did I say it would be easy?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Easy!\" he shouted, \"Easy? This is  \nimpossible! How can I play the hero and sacrifice myself for her if I burn up  \nbefore I even get to her?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You don't have to do it. Nobody's forcing you to. You  \ncan just turn back and leave. I wouldn't blame you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMichael swallowed, amazed that he still had the spit left in  \nhim to do so. \"No. With her or not at all! That's what I said! That's how it's  \ngonna be!\" He took a deep breath.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Deal.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHis Father smiled, not a sneer, not a snarl, but a pure,  \ngenuine smile, \"'Atta boy! I may not have done much, but I didn't raise  \nyou to be a coward.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You didn't raise me at all,\" Michael said coldly,  \n\"I picked it up myself.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe sighed, \"You're right, but... and I know it sounds  \ncrazy. This whole thing is crazy.\" His smile broadened, \"Just know  \nthat I'm proud of you boy. I don't know if you care. Hell, I wouldn't give a  \ndamn if I was you, but it's the truth. I've been so proud of you... all your  \nlife! Since the first moment I held you in my arms in that hospital, with your  \nMother watching on. You were a fighter then, and you're a fighter now.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"She's proud too,\" he continued, laughing again,  \nbut it was different this time, warmer, \"and she wishes so bad that she  \ncould be with you right now-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-I know she does,\" Michael interrupted, \"You  \nstole her from me.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I know,\" he said, eyes downcast. \"I did wrong  \nby you, son. I did a lot of things wrong. My whole life it seems was just one  \nbig series of wrong turns and mistake. I know that doesn't make anything I did  \nto you and your mother... or anybody else, right, but we can argue about that  \nlater. Right now we've got a job to do. We all do. Now go get'em, Mikey! We'll  \nbe waiting for you on the other side.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHis image faded from the mirror, and Michael couldn't help  \nbut feel alone.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe heard a third scream, louder still.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, before  \nreleasing it with a soft sigh. He turned.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe stepped forward.\n\n  \n  \n\n'This is my fire,' he thought, 'This is my forging,' The  \nflames leapt, broiled, bounded, eager to receive him, to embrace him as an old  \nfriend, as an ensnared enemy.\n\n  \n  \n\n'This is where I'll walk,' They licked at his shoes, curling  \nlaces, singing leather, melting soles.\n\n  \n  \n\n'This is where I'll tread,' they whipped at his legs,  \ncharring denim black.\n\n  \n  \n\n'This is where I'll thrive,' they found his skin, wrapping  \nmolten fingers around his ankle, flesh chapping, cracking, blistering.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n'Through the fire and flames.Through the valley of the  \nshadow of death.Through hell or high water (Please God, high water). That's how  \nfar I'll go. That's how long I'll fight. Set the marker high. Set the target as  \nfar as you like. Give me an impossible goal. I'll prove you all wrong. I've got  \na reason to live, at least for a little while longer.'\n\n  \n  \n\nThe fire raged, swirling around him in a blazing cyclone of  \nsearing air and flickering flame. Michael balked, crying out in pain and  \nfrustration, falling to his knees, covering his eyes and gritting his teeth to  \nprotect them from the blaze. He couldn't go on. It was too hot. It was too  \nhard.\n\n  \n  \n\n'Are you gonna give up now?' his father's voice asked  \nfiercely from within his head, 'After all that hype, all that jazz? You're just  \ngonna give it all up because things got a little too hot? I thought you were  \nstronger than that! I thought you were a fighter! You're just gonna quit when  \nthe job's only half done?'\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No!\" Michael screamed\n\n  \n  \n\n'Then get up. You're almost there. She's right around the  \nnext corner. All you have to do is get up!' a blast of air lifted him to his  \nfeet, tousling his hair and causing him to stumble forward a few steps. His  \neyes flew open, smoldering with a fire of their own, and a wall somewhere  \nwithin him shattered, flooding him with a new strength.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n'One more step.'\n\n  \n  \n\nOne more step became his mantra. One more step became his  \nlife. He had to keep telling himself that'd soon he'd be out, soon he'd be  \ndone, soon he'd be free.\n\n  \n  \n\nFree from pain.\n\n  \n  \n\nFree from anger.\n\n  \n  \n\nFree from hate.\n\n  \n  \n\nOne way or another, it would all be over soon, but for now?  \nFor now he had to stop being such a selfish little bitch and think of someone  \nelse for once in his life! He could feel pain later. He could be angry later. He  \ncould hate himself and everything that revolved around him for the rest of  \neternity. Right now he was running on borrowed time. Right now he had a girl to  \nsave. He wasn't living for himself anymore.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe was living for one more step.\n\n  \n  \n\nHe was living for one more chance.\n\n  \n  \n\nSo he walked. He had walked nearly five extra feet before he  \nrealized that he was out. The only thing that had snapped him out of it was  \nSarah's voice screaming his name. He looked to his left, watching her wave and  \nshout at him through the window of flame that covered her entire doorway. He  \ncouldn't tell what she was saying. He couldn't really tell much of anything  \nright now. He just turned.... and walked straight through. He'd already crossed  \nan entire hall filled with the stuff, what was one more step? He passed  \nthrough, and the flames stopped, dispersing as if blown apart by a strong wind.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Michael!' Sarah shouted, pulling him to her and  \nholding him tight.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael shushed her softly, \"It's okay Sarah.  \nEverything's going to be alright. You're safe now. You're safe.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh God, Michael! I was so scared!\" She buried her  \nhead in his shoulder, her own heaving as her body was wracked in a sobbing fit,  \n\"I was asleep, and then everybody was yelling and-and running. I tried to  \nget out, b-but the flames had b-blocked the d-d-door!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's alright Sarah. It's all over.\" He pulled her  \naway from him, looking her deep in the eyes, \"Now I need you to listen  \ncarefully to what I'm about to say to you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What are you talking about?\" she asked,ice-purple  \neyes widening in panic and horror, \"What's wrong?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Nothing!\" He reassured her, \"I-I just... I  \nneed you to go first.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What do you mean? Wh-Why can't we go out together?  \nYou're coming with me, aren't you?\" The fear in her voice grew.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Of course!\" he lied, hoping she couldn't see  \nthrough it, \"I'll be right behind you, but I want you to go ahead of me...  \nTo make sure you're alright.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"N-No...\" she stuttered, \"We're leaving here  \ntogether, side-by-side, or I won't go!\" She clung to him like a stubborn  \nchild, squeezing him tight to get her point across.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Alright, alright!\" he smiled,squeezing her back,  \n\"Side-by-side....\"\n\n  \n  \n\nThey weren't going to leave side-by-side. Michael would make  \nsure of it....\n\n  \n  \n\nSomething crackled above the door, like dry firewood.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We don't have much time,\" Michael told her  \nsternly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No. No, we've got plenty of time!\" she said  \ndesperately, knowing deep inside that she was wrong. It didn't stop her from  \nsaying it. She had to. She needed to, \"We've got all the time in the  \nworld! We're going leave here, a-and we're going to have a house... and a  \nfamily! I know we can't have kids, not real ones anyway, b-but we'll adopt!  \nI've always thought little bunnies were so cute! And they breed like, well,  \nrabbits. So there's plenty of them in the orphanages, just waiting for a good  \nhome like ours!\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We-We'll move out to the ocean! California! Or  \nFlorida! I've always loved the ocean, and I think you will, too. Buy a little  \nbeach house, and you can get a job fishing out on the sea. I'll sit by the big  \nbay windows every night that you're gone. Just staring out at the waves, and  \nknitting o-or reading while the baby sleeps, and then I'll see your ship coming  \ninto the harbor. a-and we'll both be waiting for you when you come home... all  \nsalty and grizzled. We'll have a big party to celebrate!\" She laughed,  \ntears streaming down her face as she did so.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We'll watch our baby grow, an-and go off to school,  \nand then college! The best, cause he'll be s-so smart! He'll go to Harvard, or  \nPrinceton, or Annapolis. He'll be a lawyer, o-or a doctor, or a b-big, brave  \nAdmiral in the Navy. We'll b-both be s-s-so proud of him! We'll watch him find  \nsomebody, and start his own family, and give us the most beautiful  \ngrandchildren. And we'll grow old together!\n\n  \n  \n\n\"And then one night, when we've both lived long, happy  \nlives?\" She kissed him, hard, fiercely, desperately. \"We'll pass on  \ntogether, warm and safe... an-and happy! In our wonderful bed - in our  \nwonderful **_home_** , surrounded by pictures of our wonderful family! Not here.  \nNot now. Not like this!\" She looked him in the eyes, smiling at him and  \nwiping away the tears that had gathered there.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sarah...\" he said sadly, hugging Sarah tight and  \nkissing her for, what they both realized, would be the last time, \"I hope  \nyou're right. I hope to God you're right. I hope you live a great life.The best  \nlife. With someone who loves you. Someone who adores you as much as I do. More  \nthan I do, but not me...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Why not you, Michael? Why can't we do that?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe wanted so badly to cry. To fall to his knees at her feet  \nbawl his eyes out like a baby, but he couldn't. He had to stay strong. For Sarah's  \nsake, \"I am so sorry. If I could change it, I would. All of it, but...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael!\" she said fearfully, \"Michael, no!  \nOh God, no! I won't let you do this! Whatever it is, I won't **_let_**  \nyou!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I know,\" he whispered to her tenderly, holding her close to  \nhim, pressing himself against her to try and make up for a lifetime of intimacy  \nand comfort that he knew now he would never be there to give. \"You don't have  \nto, because I do it freely. I do it without asking. _I do it for you_.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nThe door crackled again, louder this time. Without a second  \nthought, he lifted her up and heaved her through the doorway just as it  \ncollapsed. There was a tiny crack left exposed. He could see Sarah's face through  \nit.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Sarah?\" He called through, \"Sarah, you've  \ngot to go! The way's clear now. Just go where there aren't flames.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael!\" She called back, \"Michael... I-I  \nlove you!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Sarah, I...\". Crap. He'd known. He'd known for a while  \nnow, and he'd known that he loved her the same way, but he couldn't say it. He  \ncouldn't let her love a dead man. Wouldn't let her.\"You have to go now!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I'll send somebody back for you! I won't just leave  \nyou here!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Get out of here now, damn it!\" He screamed. He  \nhadn't meant to sound angry or frightened, but he guessed some of it had  \nslipped out, because she was gone in a flash.\n\n  \n  \n\nThe room became quiet, all but the cracking of the fire as  \nit slowly spread across the floor. It was odd, but Michael felt a strange sense  \nof calm as he watched the flames creeping slowly towards where he stood. He  \nfelt as though he'd just received some great prize, like he'd just won a gold  \nmedal in the Olympics. He smiled. He felt... fulfilled.\n\n  \n  \n\nMaybe it was his imagination, or maybe his body was hallucinating  \nfrom the lack of oxygen to his brain, but he could have sworn, in that moment,  \nthat his parents appeared in that doorway, as though they'd walked straight out  \nof the fire. They were smiling, and holding hands. They looked younger than  \nhe'd imagined they would, like they hadn't aged a day since that night back at  \nhis old house. They were transparent, see-through, part smoke and part spirit,  \nbut still substantial enough to walk across the floor without falling through.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Mom?\" He asked them, 'Dad?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"We're so proud of you,\" She said, voice echoing  \nacross the silence.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's been so long... I've got so much to say.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well then, looks like you're in luck!\" His Father  \nchuckled, sounding a lot like Michael, \"You two have got all the time in  \nthe world to catch up.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"What about you?\" He asked, \"You aren't  \ncoming with us?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Maybe someday,\" He said, reaching out a hand and  \npatting him on the shoulder, \"But I've got to go somewhere to go first.  \nI've still got time to serve...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But.... But you're not bad!... Not really. Maybe-maybe  \nme and Mom can say something....\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe laughed again, \"I appreciate the sentiment son, but  \nI made my mistake. I knew what I was doing, and I did it anyway. A man's got to  \ntake up for what he's done in life. It's something I should have taught you  \nmyself.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"So what happens now?\" He said softly.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Now?\" A sad look crossed his Father's face,  \n\"You're not dead yet, son. We can worry about what's next when we get over  \nthat hurdle. Together.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe took a hold of one of Michael's shoulders, and suddenly  \nit began to get very hard to breathe. His lungs searching for air that wasn't  \nthere to give, consumed as the fire continued to crawl like a hellish crab  \nacross the room.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Mom?Dad?\" His vision began to fade, going red,  \nthen grey, and then black, but still he remained conscious to everything going  \non around him. \"I'm scared. What if it hurts?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nHe felt two sets of arms wrap him up in a tight embrace,  \n\"We'll be right here,\" his Mother's voice whispered into his ear.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"The smoke'll get to you before the flames ever do, if  \nthat's any comfort to you,\" came his Father's voice. It wasn't, but at  \nleast he was trying.\n\n  \n  \n\nHis hearing started to fade as well, their voices sounding  \nas though they were coming through a filter.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's almost over Michael. Just a little bit more....\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"But it hurts!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's just like getting a shot back when you were a  \nkid? Remember that? You'd cry and cry, and then we'd go get some ice-cream...  \nand you'd be all smiles again, like nothing ever happened.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Is there ice-cream where we're going?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It's heaven. There's whole oceans full... If that's  \nwhat you want.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No. No. What I want? What I want... is to know that  \nSarah'll be happy, that she'll have everything she wanted, all the things we  \ntalked about, but mostly... That she'll find somebody else. Somebody who'll  \ntreat as good as she deserves, and give her everything she ever wanted.  \nEverything she needs...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We can't say. That's her choice... but I'm sure she  \nwill. You asked her to, after all.... and she'd never go against what you said.  \nShe's crazy about you.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nOne last thought crossed his mind, and he laughed, \"She  \nwas wrong. She said I saved her life, but she saved mine, and more. She saved  \nmy soul.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nA white pinprick appeared in the center of his eyesight,  \nwidening slowly, as though Michael were coming to the end of a long tunnel. He  \nsmelled something, not burning. It smelled good, like cinnamon and citrus  \nfruit. Michael couldn't get enough of it.\n\n  \n  \n\nSo he didn't.\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\nEpilogue\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n\"Why am I still not used to this?\" Michael asked,  \nwincing in pain as his head connected with a tree-branch that hurt a surprising  \namount, considering he was dead. He grabbed ahold of the limb, clinging to it  \nto keep himself from floating off like a ghostly balloon.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"It takes some time,\" his Mother chuckled, taking  \na seat on the branch before pulling him up to join her, \"You'll get used  \nto it eventually.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I wish I were used to it now...\" he muttered in  \nannoyance.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Patience is a very good virtue to have when you've got  \nthe rest of eternity ahead of you to practice it,\" She said sagely.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Speaking of eternity... How long has it been since...  \nyou know?\" he coughed\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Honey, Hours and days were invented to monitor the  \npassing of that little imaginary loop that mortals call time. It doesn't really  \napply here, but... around three or four years?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Years?\" Michael asked in disbelief. 'It hasn't  \neven felt like three or four days!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Like I said, time doesn't really apply here... At  \nleast not their sense of it.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nThey stared out over the park. It was a beautiful place, and  \nany other would have been completely filled with people on a bright, sunny day  \nlike this, but right now the only occupants were a man, a fox, a bunny, and row  \nupon row of polished white stones.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Who's the dude?\" Michael questioned.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"You won't believe this,\" she warned him.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No...\" he said, looking closer. He wasn't angry,  \njust amused and slightly amazed at what he saw before him, \"That can't be-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-John Greene,\" She confirmed with a nod.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What happened to him?\" He asked as he noticed  \nthat John was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, not unlike the kind Michael used to  \nown.\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He got burned in the fire,\" She explained,  \n\"Scarred up his back and arms. Ironic, huh?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yeah, but how'd he end up with Sarah?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"She went to visit him in the hospital, upon her  \nMother's request. She said it's what you'd have wanted.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael shook his head in bemusement, \"Sarah wasn't  \nkidding when she told me that woman could read minds... So what happened?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He saw her eyes,\" She said with a smile,  \n\"They had him so drugged up on painkillers that he didn't even notice when  \nhe told her that they were the most beautiful he'd ever seen.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael chuckled, \"What did she do?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Hit him,\" He winced, knowing how badly Sarah's  \npunches could hurt when she wanted them to, \"Knocked him out cold. Then  \nshe walked up to the front desk and paid for his treatments... in full.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"How many times has she done this before?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Just once. With you, actually, but when you find  \nsomething that works...\" She shrugged.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis gaze shifted to the little rabbit-boy between them,  \n\"What about the kid?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Theirs.Adopted.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Well durr!\" He said, \"I meant... How old is  \nhe? What's his name? Stuff like that, you know?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He's seven.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael floated closer, \"Rough age? He doesn't look too  \nhappy.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"No. He just doesn't understand why his Mom and Dad  \nhave to drag him out to this old, creepy cemetery on the same day each year so  \nthey can put flowers on an old grave and just stand around there for  \nhours.\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael frowned, \"Well that's considerate of  \nhim...\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"He's seven, remember? Not a big sense of reverence...  \nor attention span at that age.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Oh please!\" He rolled his eyes, \"When I was  \nhis age-\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"-You couldn't even stand being around your Grandma  \nwhen she was alive,\" She reminded him.\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael looked away, sulking, \"What's his name?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Really?\" he looked back, \"They named him  \nafter me?\"\n\n  \n  \n\nShe nodded, \"Michael Blaze Greene.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Michael Blaze Greene?\" He asked, \"Oh c'mon!  \nThat's sick!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"I like it,\" She snickered, \"At least it has  \nsome meaning behind it. Names like that are hard to come by these days, even in  \nbiological children. Right Jeremy?\" She snickered again.\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Hey!\" He exclaimed, \"You chose my middle  \nname, not me!\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Whatever,\" She laughed, \"Now c'mon. We've  \ngot to go.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Aww!Really?\"\n\n  \n  \n\n\"Yes! Now let's go!\" She hopped off the tree.  \nFlew, actually, fading as she got higher, \"Sheesh! You die once, and  \nsuddenly you're five years old again...\"\n\n  \n  \n\nMichael smiled, taking one last look back at the three  \nbefore moving off to join her. He'd have liked to stay around, but the world of  \nthe living was just like it sounded, for the living. Besides he had an ocean of  \nice-cream to get back to. Cinnamon and citrus fruit, his favorite.\n\n  \n  \n\nHey, a guy could indulge himself every once in a while,  \nright?\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;End\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n\n* * *\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\nWhew... Holy Hell! Two whole months! It's finally over! Do  \nnot be surprised if you see a strange man dancing through your streets. It's  \nprobably just me celebrating having finally finished this... this  \nwhatever-it-is. And yes, I know. I was weak and said the words \"He  \ncame\" once, but I was tired, and it was 4AM when I wrote that part.\n\n  \n  \n\nOh yeah! All characters in this story are copyright to me.\n\n  \n  \n\nAll votes are welcome, and so is constructive criticism, but  \nplease... For the love of God! Do not comment if all you have to give is a  \nrunning commentary on exactly what it is you were doing while reading this!\n\n  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEdit: August 31, 2008 - Tweaked some minor spelling and  \ngrammar errors, reformatted the last half of the story, which was all in  \nitalics for some odd reason.\n\n  \n  \nEdit: 2015 - Tweaked all of the **_MANY_**  \nspelling and grammar errors (and ellipses), and fleshed out some of the thinner  \nareas of the plot.  \n  \n\n"}