Writer's Note: So this is a time skip story line after the events and the two dorks' lives as students at Beacon. The whole Beacon arc and time frame was the RP that my friends and I started which, like many RPs, was never fully fleshed out nor was it completed. In short though, Andy and Skye reunited at the first orientation that was held for the first years, Bash being his idiot self making Skye chase him through the crowd until she ran into Andy. Their reunion was heartfelt but hurtful and their relationship was far from healed. It took them days to finally make up and even then the secrets from the past that they kept from one another chipped away at their newfound fragile bond. The rest of it is history we never got to fully delve into but I hope i touched on enough in these pieces to explain.

"You know," I bellowed, crouching over as a whirlwind of razor sharp feathers rained down on me, "when I said take cover I didn't mean me!"

There was a tap on my chest plate as I heard a chuckle.

"Well robo-cripple, you just make the best shield," C-ydna shouted back, half laughing and half sounding like he was on mirth. "Plus you wouldn't want your pretty little Andy all bruised and purple now would ya? Ha he ha hehe," he laughed again.

"As I told you before," I turned and began shooting, "that body is on loan to you."

He dashed out from behind me, leaping into the fray as I shouted, "You idiot!"

Though the scene I saw through my visor was chaotic, everything was dying down. We had gotten a message about a band of unruly Grimm traveling too close to human populations. Their path put them directly in line with the city so they sent us out to deal with them. When we arrived here it was a mismatched group, some fliers, lots of ground types, not unusual nowadays to see. So we immediately got to work. Basher was dealing with the last Beowulf, Andy or C-ydna was going to help. Spira was up in the sky 50 ft above, having a dogfight with another Nevermore.

It was difficult to shoot at the other Nevermore, with it and Spira constantly spinning and diving at each other. With the help of my armor though I was able to put two shells into its wing, severely crippling it and giving Spira the upper hand. Within moments the other Nevermore fell from the sky, landing in the pile of melting Grimm corpses that were scattered around C-ydna and Basher.

"Who's a good Grimm? Who's a good Grimm?" C-ydna said in a puppy voice, scratching Bash.

"You know he's an idiot and doesn't get that you're insulting him," I said walking up to them as Spira landed beside us. "Alright C-ydna, time for you to go."

"Tcch," he scoffed, "well I don't wanna. I like it out here. I like it he he free! Plus it's so… sooo… FUN getting to make Grimm explode, like confetti!"

I swatted his hand away from Basher much to his disdain. He clenched his fist but made no move to attack me. Even with that I had to grip tight on the fear that threatened to burst forth from within me. Years had changed nothing about what I thought and felt about him.

I took a moment to step out of my armor after scanning the area to make sure everything was dead. Leaving it standing on sentry mode I went over to confront him.

"C-ydna, you know our deal," I said sternly, trying to sound intimidating.

He crossed Andy's arms then sighed, "Fine! You're no fun! After all I did to protect your precious Andy. You should be hovelling at my feet and kissing the ground beneath me. Cripple."

I shuddered at the word but didn't let it phase me. I had become kind of used to C-ydna's insults and taunts, sometimes it was fun to jab back at him.

"You know, me and Andy could always put you back on meds," now that made C-ydna shutter. I knew that it was a weak threat, the medicine never truly stopping him but it did annoy him.

"Bah! Those things just make me feel all… nice! Not me, not C-ydna at all," he cackled. Once he was done he turned back to me, "Okay, get it over with."

He closed her eyes as I stepped up, taking her shoulder with one hand, her ear with the other. As I drew close I closed my eyes. It was very quiet and when my lips touched Andy's I could feel C-ydna flinch, disgusted by the act and especially since I was on the other end. Soon though I could feel the tension cease and the lips began to kiss me back. It was a beautiful thing and I always lost myself a bit.

A solid fist connected with my gut and I staggered back, taking a knee and trying to catch my breath.

"C-ydna?" I gasped, the fear now seeping through the cage I had erected around it.

"No, Andy," she said scowling at me.

It was Andy, I saw it in the way she stood and the feel of her aura. Her eyes were kind, gentle, her hands were soft and cautious. She was warm and caring, not callous and violent like C-ydna.

"Then why?" I stammered, getting to my feet.

"Because you used your body to shield me you idiot!" she yelled, hitting me on the top of the head like a child.

"Wh-what?" I said as I shielded myself from her fist. "Hey, woah! I just told C-ydna to take cover!"

"Yeah, and you used your body to cover mine! You dolt, C-ydna can protect me just fine! You should trust him more," she said as she took off her weapons.

"Uh might I remind you that I'm the one wearing hundreds of pounds of reinforced armor. That very armor that just protected your pretty little ass," I said, shaking a finger at her.

"Oh so you were looking?" she said in an offended voice.

"W-well… I mean… Hey! Not fair!"

"No playing with my tail for the rest of the week."

It was Monday.

"Th-that's not fair!" I shouted trailing behind her as she went over to Basher.

She dropped her things next to him and sighed, her shoulders slouching down. Quick as she was she bolted around and had her arms wrapped around me. I hugged her back as she squeezed me tight.

"I just couldn't stand it if you got hurt. We've made it this far, don't put yourself in needless danger because of me," she said softly into my chest.

"And I couldn't look at myself if I let you get hurt," I hummed back as I stroked her fox ears. "Remember I'm the one with the healing semblance. I've gotten better at it too."

"Yeah but I don't like you exhausting yourself all the time."

"I don't mind."

"I do."

"Say that next time you're sick."

"Meh."

"Andy?"

"Hmmm?"

"I just… well…" my hand went to rub the shaved side of my head where my lark tattoo was.

Andy knowing my habit stopped my fidgety hand and kissed me, "I know."

I smiled, warmth flooding my face despite the cold air. "We should head home."

"Yeah we should," she said.

Basher joined in with a bellowing bark that, combined with Spira's caw, filled the air with a Grimm kind of glee. Andy picked up her gear and I packed up the Coffin, having it fold back into its case. After a quick search of the area for anything we might've missed we went over to the Grimm.

In the years since we had rescued them from the facility and our time at Beacon they had both grown immensely. My hopes that they would stay pet sized were dashed now that Basher was about as big as a grown bear. He was loyal and idiotic as ever but now was huge. One dumb, oversized teddy bear. Spira had grown too but thankfully she wasn't as big as a Nevermore. She had leveled out at about a tenth the size of a true Nevermore but she was still gigantic. Her wingspan alone was near 75 feet and she stood almost 50 feet tall. With her growth she grew ever more majestic. Thankfully she helped keep Bash in line.

Andy packed her gear in one of the saddlebags strapped to Bash's back while I strapped my armor case to the other side. The idiot tried to scratch his armor plates under the straps but couldn't reach cause of his stubby legs. Andy laughed, scratching his back for him before jumping into the saddle.

"You know you should be the one riding Basher. You two get along so well," Andy teased from high on his back.

"Yeah, as well as… I had something catchy but I forgot. He still an idiot!" I said, giving Spira's chin a good scratch. Before Andy could retort I shouted, "And besides, Nevermores and Skyes just go together!"

The moment I leapt onto Spira's back she was up in the air.

I squeezed my legs tight around Spira's neck, making sure I wouldn't fall of. Sitting in the crease of her neck and her wing I had a perfect seat for riding. I could feel her every breath, the strong beat of her wings, and the slight shifts of her armory feathers beneath me. Bending down low I peaked at the ground, spotting Bash galloping quite gracefully for such a fat idiot. Andy was bent low just like me, flat against his back so she didn't fall of but as she looked up I could see that she was smiling. Content that they were okay I sat back and enjoyed the wind that rushed against my face. After a while I laid back, Spira casting a curious glance over her shoulder before returning her gaze forward.

Normally we would take the Beacon ships out to where we needed to go but our circumstances required unique transport since we had the two idiots along with us. Plus it was hard to beat flying like this. Up here I was free.

Another bonus was that my thoughts were never clearer, flying with Spira. Something about the wind whipping my hair about and whistling in my ear was therapeutic. It gave me time to reminisce about all the time that had past. The four years at Beacon had gone by so fast. After running into Andy that first day at the opening ceremony we had our problems but it all worked out. Things were like normal again except we finally had our dream, we had our freedom, and then we also had a new dream to become Huntresses. The studies and test were hard, mainly cause I was always procrastinating and Andy was always trying to make me study. She could never beat me in the fights and combat training though but that presented us with the problem of C-ydna. Andy had gained more control but there were still times when he would pop out. The three of us had managed to come to an agreement though and everything worked itself out. He would be allowed to fight during our battles like he always did and in return he would let Andy remain in control.

Then there was the problem with my head. It was late when we finally realized what the doctors at the facility had done to me. The flashbacks weren't enough and so I had moments when my memory would fail me. Those episodes were frightening to say the least, not for me but for Andy because all of a sudden she had to deal with me back at the facility or me when I was still living back home. I never remembered a thing but would always come back to a teary eyed fox holding onto me. It took a while but with some help and discrete advice from some of the teachers we found the problem and I was able to fix it with my semblance. Andy didn't like that… I did it without her permission and it put me into a coma for a couple weeks but it worked.

Afterwards things went smoothly and we soon graduated, Andy and me of course electing to stick together. We began our work as Huntresses, it didn't take long for us to make a name for ourselves. Well more accurately it was the two idiots that made us more notable. Everyone, everyone was trying to off them our first year as students. I swear I got more sparring done by fighting off other students than actually going to class. It took a long ass time before we got enough people to understand that they were my pets and not like normal Grimm. With that they became mascots. Some of the teachers wanted to do some experiments on them but Andy and I put a stop to that real quick. By the time we graduated they were the giants they were now and as we started working as Huntresses they were the signature of our pair. They started to call us Grimm Riders.

"It sure has been a while since the facility," I said, sitting up on top of Spira.

Spira cawed in response, ruffling her feathers as if the mention of the place irritated her.

"I know, I know, me too," I muttered, pulling the necklace I wore out from underneath my shirt.

The old thing look good as new despite all the beating I had dragged it through. Its silver sheen was bright and its edges were perfectly curved. The vines wrapping around each other, etched and carved into the ring, still gave it an elegant feel. I had kept it safe and a secret from Andy throughout the years. There had been plenty of moments when I could've but I simply couldn't muster the confidence to ask, even after all these years. I had pulled out my hair mulling it about and I knew more than anything else I wanted to ask her but I was… afraid.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRGHHH!" I screamed aloud, the howling wind whisking away my voice.

Spira dived suddenly but quickly righted herself… without telling me. My face slammed into her neck, the ring held out in front me.

"Spira you ass!" I plucked feathers from her neck vigorously until she banked sharply to the right, almost throwing me off.

I regained my grip on her neck with my legs and sat up, rubbing my forehead where the ring had left an imprint. It felt like a swollen circle making me curse. Tucking the necklace and ring back under my shirt I gave it a good pat just to make sure it was there.

We neared our destination and Spira began a gentle dive. She flew over a clearing where one of Beacon's airships was parked and waiting. Spira circled around a few times before flapping her wings rapidly to bring her to a hover, landing on the ground with a thud. Bash and Andy came barreling out of the woods a minute later.

"Enjoy your ride?" I said, helping her slide down from Bash.

"As much as you enjoyed yours," she took a hand and smoothed my wild hair.

I gave her ears a good scratch making her hum, "Don't make me bite you."

"Later," she whispered.

We went over to the saddlebags and unpacked them, bringing them to the airship. Our two pilots came out to greet us. They were called Ken and Marcy and had been our pilots ever since we graduated. It was understandable, people were prejudiced against Grimm and getting people to work with us was difficult. Basher actually messed up their ship pretty bad the first time we met but after a couple drinks and some time with the idiots they warmed up to them. When they heard of our troubles with the other airship pilots they gladly volunteered to fly us.

Marcy came over as we put the last of our things into their airship, "So… has Basher got any better?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Andy feeding Bash a large pile of meat. He was eating and trying to scratch his ear with one of his hind legs at the same time, looking like an idiot.

"No, he's still deathly afraid of heights. Don't worry, we spiked the meat. He should be ready to go," I whispered back.

Andy ran over to us with a worried look on her face.

"Andy what's wrong?"

"The drugs in the meat… they aren't working!" she shrilled.

"Shit!"

At that moment Ken decided to pop his head out the cockpit and yell, "Hey is Bash ready to fly?!"

Hearing 'fly' Basher went berserk. Well he tried, apparently the spiked meat did have a little effect on him. He ran around the clearing, smashing into trees and tripping over his own feet like he was drunk. His paws dug up mounds of dirt and he'd kick up more dust whenever he fell or rolled onto his back.

"Aw gods damn it," I cursed, running to get my shotgun.

By the time I got a tranquilizer round in him Spira had Bash pinned to the ground. Exasperated my shotgun hit the ground and I rested my head against the barrel. All the exertions from today's mission felt like they came crashing down on my body, weighing and slowing me down.

Ken, Marcy, and Spira worked to get Basher into a harness while Andy rushed over to me.

"Bird, Skye are you alright?" she said, looking me all over for wounds.

"Heh," I chuckled, "I'm fine ya dumb fox, just tired."

"Go inside and rest, we can handle everything else."

"Okay," I said, dragging myself to my feet. I gave her ears a rough scratch before going inside the airship and passing out.

"Skye, Skye wake up, we're almost there."

I felt drowsy from my nap, the light shake from Andy the only thing keeping me awake.

"Skye stop sleeping you lazy bum! Come on, wake up."

I waited until her head was close and then pulled her head to my chest so I could bite her ear.

"Ouch!" she said, pushing away from me.

"Hahahaa," I laughed, "sorry! It's a reaction."

"Gah!" she scowled, scratching her ear as it flicked about.

I sat up from the uncomfortable seat in the airship. These things really weren't made for comfort. The seats and backers were rigid and barely had any padding. They were meant to cram as many people in as possible and get them from place to place. It was another reason why I preferred riding Spira.

"Where are we?" I yawned, scratching the buzzed side of my head.

"About 15 minutes from Beacon," Andy said, sitting next to me.

"And the two idiots?"

Andy directed my gaze outside through the window. About a hundred feet to our right was Spira flying formation with our airship. In the air she looked like a single white flying wing, rigid and unstoppable. If it wasn't for the black parts of her head and body I wouldn't be able to see her amongst the clouds. Suspended a ways below us by some complex rigging was Basher's fat ass. Because of his mass and… fear of heights we had to always find a way to knock him out. Today's drugged meat was another more passive attempt than the usual ways. He slept soundly though, hanging below us with his limbs dangling below him.

"As much as I like using Bash for target practice we really need to find a better way," I muttered.

"Yeah," Andy hummed as she leaned against my shoulder, "but everything we try usually doesn't work. His Grimm physiology is just so resilient."

I hummed my agreement and rested my head on Andy's, blowing air on her fox ears just to tease her. We landed at Beacon, a team having to unstrap Bash before the airship could put down. By that time he was stirring from his slumber but our landing crew was like our pilots, they knew us and were used to it. Andy and I disembarked, leaving the slowly waking Basher in the care of Spira. Again they got the attention of everyone nearby, looks of awe, a few of appreciation, and a good many of disdain. We both had to head into the academy and give our reports before we could call it a day. By the time we were done the sun was only a few finger widths above the horizon and the sky was already a mural of oranges, pinks, and yellows.

"Ready to go home?" I asked Andy, grabbing my gear.

"Yeah but let's walk, it's nice out."

"Sure thing," I smiled.

Spira followed us in the air as we exited Beacon and walked through Vale. Basher followed us, stalking on the street and causing a few traffic jams. A lot of kids ran up to him to pet or scratch his hide which he loved, barking or licking them gleefully. We made our way past stores and shops, stopping by the market to grab some groceries. It was another beautiful spring evening in Vale.

I let myself chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Andy.

"It's just… unreal, don't you think? I mean look at us, Huntresses! Grimm Rider!" I exclaimed flamboyantly.

"Hehehe, yes that name was a little much but it was you who broke them out from the facility," she nudged my side with her elbow. I flicked her ear in return.

"But that's what I mean. We… we… we made it," and suddenly silent tears fell from my eyes.

"Skye are you okay?!" she said frantically, taking hold of my shoulders. "Is it a flashback?! You're not back at the-."

I pulled her tail to get her to stop her worrying, making her jump five feet in the air.

"I said no tail!" she scowled, yanking my ear.

"Owowowowow! I'msorryI'msorry! You were just going into nurse mode. I'm fine. I just never thought we would be here," the pressure of the ring underneath my shirt felt like a million tons.

"Well we are," she said softly, looping her arm around my neck.

"No fox, I mean… I never believed that we would make it."

Andy's arms went rigid around me. Even after all the years it was a touchy subject. We had barely talked about it. I think… this might've been the first time either of us had said it aloud. I don't know why I even mentioned it. I guess I was feeling nostalgic.

"Yes… I thought the same thing too my bird," her arms tightened around my neck. "All the tests… the experiments… it was like…"

"We'd die before they let us out," I finished her sentence. "Gah we were stupid back then. Hopeless and stupid."

Andy nuzzled into me, "No we were only practical, being kids that were forced into becoming adults. We accepted a possibility."

I sighed, glancing sideways to see Bash push a car that got stuck in the middle of the road. He butted his head surprisingly gentle against its bumper and pushed it to the side. Whenever the cars behind him began to honk their horns he turned and let loose a growl that drowned them out before continuing on his way.

"Yeah but we fought. My Gods we fought. We made it too and escaped, well some sooner than others," I teased, nipping her ear.

"Hey! Don't make me get C-ydna out here!" she said making me tense up out of habit. "Haha, I've told you again and again I had to stay. They helped me control C-ydna and better understand him," she said warmly.

"Tcccch! I like pina coladas and getting drenched in the rain of blood," C-ydna said suddenly.

Andy froze and clasped her hands over her mouth as if she let out a Grimm sized burp. C-ydna suddenly appearing made me leap back into a lamp post. It took us a few moment but we both cracked into laughter, albeit a very frightened one.

The sun had set by the time we reached our home although its light crept over the horizon to flood the sky with a rainbow of color. We stopped outside on the sidewalk to admire our first real home. Once we graduated we stayed in the academy housing for a while. It was hard to do any sort of house hunting for us. There was no agreeing on a place between us. I was used to motels and alleys so I was completely fine with a small apartment. Andy on the other hand threw out every brochure I brought back, or fed them to Basher. She kept looking at houses and kept saying they didn't feel right or homey. She drove me insane. Then there was the problem of the Grimm too, neither of our ideas were feasible due to their size. For that we needed an excessive amount of space. At the end of the day we were both searching for something that wasn't there, something that we had already made, our home at the facility. So that began our project, building our own house beam by beam and brick by brick. It went surprisingly fast, with the help of our friends and the two idiots. In no time at all it was finished.

Our home was simple, one story, a plain color with an angled roof and a front porch. It was a brick and concrete foundation and had dark wood paneled outsides. We walked up the stairs onto the stained porch and stepped through the front door. Inside was spacious but small, we didn't need much space. Everything was practically the same as the facility, our living room and couches, the kitchen off to the side, and our room in the back. We had made some adjustments, making the living room larger, adding more appliances and space to the kitchen, getting a tub for the bathroom, and adding a guest room. Even then it was in essence a larger replica of our apartment back in Atlas. We even had our picture wall, now crowded with photos.

"It's your turn to cook," I said to Andy as I took her gear and mind and stowed it away.

"Awwww… I'm tired though. Could definitely use a nap."

"A cat nap?" I chuckled, dodging her attempt to tackle me.

"Fox. Fooooooooooooox. F-O-X! You really need to go back to school," she teased.

"Haha okay fooooooox! Why don't we just order food?"

"No way! You eat too much fast food. You're going to get fat. Too fat for Spira to carry you!" she grabbed my sides as if to show me.

"Hey! That tickles. It's up to you fox," I said, scratching her ears.

"Fine, but you have to feed the Grimm," she said, strolling off to the kitchen.

"Gotcha."

I went to the back of the house but stopped in front of all our photos. There were many from the facility that Andy had saved and brought with her to Vale. There were even more of us during our school years and a good few of us working afterwards. We had put so many on the wall that the photos began to cover up the edges of each other, crammed into what space we had on the wall. I was looking for two in particular though, placed neatly in the center of the rest of them. The photo of Andy that I had carried on me for years was ragged, creased, and crinkled but still her beautiful smile shone through it all. Beside it was the very first photo of us, standing in the night of the town in Atlas, weaved into an embrace of arms and lips. Those two were the very first photos that had been put on the wall. No matter how much time past they were the photos that I cherished and loved the most.

Having them on the wall was also a turning point for me. Seeing up there meant that I didn't have them on me, I didn't have to carry them anymore. I didn't have to worry about being alone during the day or if a flashback suddenly overwhelmed me. I didn't need those pictures anymore because I wasn't alone, I had the real life Andy right here with me.

I went through the hallway, past the bathroom and our bedroom out the backdoor onto the porch. I took in a deep breath as I gazed upon the other reason we built our own home. We had built our house on the outskirts of town. We barely had any neighbors and were far away from the city, stores, basically anything. It's not like we wanted to be alone but it was what we were used to. The main reason is that the Grimm needed room and our backyard had more than enough of that. Idiots one and two had a boundless amount of space since we were on the edge of town on the dividing line between nature and civilization.

"Hey there guys," I said lovingly. Despite all their faults they were still close to my heart.

Basher was trying to clean his front paw but was left partially numb from the drug, his tongue hanging out his maw uselessly. Spira was high up in a perch, staring out at the horizon. Going over to a large mechanism I pulled a lever, dumping raw red meat into two gigantic trays. They were both too heavy for me to carry alone but my pets thankfully came over and took their meals away from the dispenser. Feeding the two of them was certainly a task that had become almost impossible since they had grown so large. It was only until that Basher saved the owner of a meat distributor that our problem was solved. He graciously supplied us with enough food to feed Spira and Basher… after making Basher the icon of his business.

"Thanks for all the help today," I said, stroking Spira's neck. "Oh and sorry for having to shoot you again Bash. You know if we ever go broke we're cooking you to survive right?"

That made him jump with terror and crawl under Spira's wing. Somethings never change. As Spira coaxed him out, more by annoyance than by worry, I sat on the back porch watching the last bits of light fade from the sky. The two Grimm ate voraciously, cleaning and grooming themselves after they were done. Their gleaming blue eyes were jeweled pinpricks in the darkness that I could lose myself in. My hand presses against the collar of my shirt, feeling the ring's circular imprint.

"What am I going to do guys?" I asked my Grimm, not knowing if they were listening or not. "I should've asked her years ago. I should've asked her when we I saw her again at the opening ceremony. I've been holding onto this thing for years knowing what I want to do but I can't because… because…" I dropped my head, the tears falling from my eyes, "because I'm a damn coward."

Spira noticed immediately, pecking one of Basher's armored plates. Bash gave his maw one last wipe with his paw before trudging over and laying next to my legs.

"If you lick me with your rancid smelling mouth I will shoot you again," I growled as I saw him sticking out his tongue. Whining he instead nudged his snout on my leg gently for a grizzly sized Grimm. "Idiot," I mumbled softly.

My Nevermore waited until Bash was in place before coming over too, sitting on her haunches. Her huge head maneuvered itself over my legs, resting on my lap with her bowling ball sized eye staring straight at me.

"What?" I said, laying my forehead against her brow. "It's true you know. I bought this damn ring with what little money I had on me. I accepted in my heart that I would never see Andy again and still I bought it to what, remind me that I had fucked up everything, that I ran away from the only person I loved?" I took out my flask from my jacket pocket and took a swig of liquor. "I bought it so that if I ever saw her again… if by some miracle we met once more… that I'd make things right… but after all these years I haven't mustered the courage to ask her…"

I kept drinking from my flask until it was half gone. The effects were immediate but dull, not enough to send me into a drunken stupor but enough to dull my senses. My tears didn't stop so I cried silently, not bothering to dry my cheeks. Spira's breathing slowed but then from deep within her came her song. It was quiet at first but gained strength, a sort of melancholy joy to its tune. If I wasn't so lost in my own miserable crucible of thoughts I could've discerned some meaning to her melody but I didn't.

"Dinner's ready," Andy said, coming out the backdoor.

I slipped the ring back under my shirt quickly.

"Spira's singing again. It's beautiful when she sings," Andy said coming up behind me.

She bowed her head elegantly to Andy then stalked off and with a powerful beat of her wings took off into the night. Bash leapt up with his front paws on the porch, nuzzling Andy with his brow.

"Hi Basher," she giggled, pushing him away before he knocked her over. He gave me one last worried glance before running off into the night, leaving me alone with Andy.

"Hey Skye, did you hear? I said dinner is ready," she paused when she saw the flask in my hand. "Skye, how many times do I have to tell you," she stepped down off the porch, "no more drinki-."

Andy froze seeing my red eyes and wet face.

"Skye what's wrong?" she asked, taking me by the shoulders. When I didn't look up she softly caressed my face and rose my head so that she could look me in the eye. "Skye talk to me. I'm right here."

I smiled and must've looked ridiculous, a happy face with sad eyes.

"It's nothing my fox, just thinking about the past."

"Are you sure it's not a flashback?" slightly reassured she sat next to me and took me in her arms. I leaned into her shoulder appreciatively.

"I'm sure. They're just memories."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not now, maybe later," I said, the ring's weight ever present resting against my collar.

"Okay, but no more drinking."

"Only if you give me your tail."

"I said no tail!"

"Then I'm going to be very drunk tonight, hehe."

"Then I might have to drink all your alcohol before you can."

"You wouldn't make it. Remember what happened last time?"

"Nothing you can prove."

"I have the photos and the videos."

"I-I-I, b-b-but, you… you said you deleted them!"

"Maybe, maybe not," I chuckled.

"Hmpf. Well come on, dinner's getting cold," Andy said, picking me up from the porch.

"Okay my love," I whispered, walking in Andy's arms back into the house.