A/N: This story is, for me at least, something of a break from the norm. Despite my being an avid Fox and Krystal fan a part of me has always wondered what Fox and Fara would look like together. After reading K.S. Reynard's story "In Loving Memory" which you can find in his collection Regret and Resolution, I decided that I wanted to take the ending a bit further and track the relationship between Fox and Fara after Krystal's tragic death. "In Loving Memory" was a serious tear jerker, and knowing that I've never been adept at those stories my inspired by follow up to that story is meant to have a more uplifting feel, it's more a romance than a hurt/comfort. Either way though I feel I've talked for far too long at this point, so please read on and enjoy the story, and make sure and leave a review as I would really love to know what you guys think of this one.-general whitefur

One year after Krystal...

Moving On

Fox sat with Fara on the couch in his living room. The two of them were cuddled up for the night, watching the slowly dying embers of a fire and sipping red wine. They had been dating for about six months now, and Fox felt safe in saying that he was beginning to fall in love...again. His thoughts drifted to a blue vixen he had known, the vixen he had loved so much, and the vixen that had been taken from him a year ago on a mission. His expression must have turned gloomy as Fara asked, "What's wrong Fox?"

Fox looked at her and nuzzled one of her tall ears before replying, "It's nothing, just a thought."

Fara looked up at him, "Krystal?"

Fox nodded, "I still dream about her sometimes. And I can still remember everything about her, I...I still miss her Fara."

Fara looked at him with understanding and replied, "I'd be surprised if you ever truly stop missing her. But you know she would want you to remember what you have now and not just memories of what you used to have."

Fox smiled a bit and asked, "Is that your subtle way of telling me to pay attention to you?"

Fara chuckled, "No, it's just my way of telling you that you still have friends, and you have me now."

Fox held her a bit closer and answered, "And I'm glad that I do. I think Krystal..." His voice hitched a bit at the sound of him saying her name, but he forged ahead anyhow, "I think Krystal would say we're a cute couple."
"I hope so," Said Fara, "Considering her photo is still next to your bed."

Fox looked at her, "What...Oh."

Fara tried not to giggle at the embarrassed look Fox adopted, he had always been shy about matters of affection, something that Fara had never been. "Speaking of that," the fennec vixen stood up and held out her hand, "Come on, why don't we go to bed?"

Standing up Fox put his wine glass on the coffee table next to hers before taking her hand. They both had things they had to do tomorrow, Fara would be working down at the Space Dynamics Workshop, and Fox would be going to see Peppy about getting a job at the Corneria Flight Academy. As they made their way up the stairs however Fox's thoughts were not on the job interview with Peppy, they were on the gentle swaying of Fara's hips as she moved in front of him. He smiled softly, he had worried he wouldn't feel that same attraction after Krystal, it seemed he had worried for nothing.

After closing the door to the bedroom he undressed alongside Fara, he then lit the scattering of candles around the room. Illuminated only the by the flickering light of the maple scented candles Fox and Fara kissed, gently at first, and then with a great deal more passion, before Fox laid her back on the bed and proceeded to forget about sleeping during the night.

Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep!

The synthetic tone of the alarm clock woke Fox from his dreams, they had been good dreams tonight, none of the angst and sadness that had so defined his sleep after Krystal had died. He wondered if a year after the fact he really was finally moving on. Shutting off the alarm he glanced at the photo of Krystal that still stood on his bedside stand, she was happy and smiling in it, but somehow she seemed even happier now. A subtle trick of the mind to be sure, but something in Fox told him that the photo showed a much more approving look than it had when he had been in perpetual and near suicidal mourning.

His contemplation of the photo ended however when he felt a hand tracing along the fur of his back. Smiling he rolled over and looked at his bedmate, "Good morning Fara."

Fara smiled back and kissed him before saying, "Good morning tiger. What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock. When do you have to go?" Fox asked.

Fara's tail wagged a bit, "I have time for a shower and breakfast. After that though I'm going to have to run, don't want to be late for work."

Fox quirked an eyebrow, "Your father owns the company, I think you could get away with it."

Fara sat up in bed, the covers tumbled off of her to reveal her wearing nothing but her beige fur, Fox blushed a bit and started to avert his eyes, Fara shook her head, "You saw a lot more last night Fox."

"Sorry." Fox replied, returning his eyes to her.

"And to be clear I could get away with being late," She said, "I just don't like to flaunt the fact that I can get away with anything. Mother wouldn't approve."

Fox sat up alongside her, "What about father?"
Fara smiled, "He's utterly incapable of denying me anything, or being angry at me. Still I don't want to be manipulative. Now, can I use your shower?"

"Of course. Should I start breakfast?"

"That sounds wonderful, how about something hot though? Girl needs more than cereal some days." Fara told him.

Fox smiled, he knew she was referencing the first time they had had breakfast together, he had had nothing but cereal to offer, but then he hadn't been eating much of anything at that point. "I'll make you some pancakes, how's that?"
Fara kissed him on the nose before slipping out of bed and stretching, knowing full well Fox would be very distracted by the view. Tail wagging she said, "That would be lovely, now go on, I'll be down in just a few minutes."

Fox nodded and, slipping out of bed grabbed his bathrobe and then headed down stairs. Fara waited for the door to close behind him before she went over to his side of the bed and picked up the photo of Krystal. Truth be told she had only met Krystal on a few brief occasions, but she did remember how sweet and beautiful a vixen she had been. Perhaps not as spotlessly innocent as she appeared to be, that much Katt, who had been good friends with the blue vixen, had revealed, but still utterly undeserving of the cruel fate life had doled out for her. Smiling at the image Fara ran a finger across it and said softly, "I'll do my best for him, you know that right?"

The photograph regarded the fennec in silence, but Fara had a subtle intuition that Krystal, looking down from whatever afterlife her people went to, was happy that someone wanted to take care of Fox now that she couldn't. Setting the photo down Fara walked into the adjacent bathroom and opened the glass shower door. Turning the knobs well into the hot temperature she waited a moment and stepped in, today would be a good day, she would make sure of it.

Breakfast finished Fox had dressed and was now walking out onto the driveway with Fara. Fara had dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that she kept in Fox's closet, and Fox himself was wearing a button down and pair of well ironed pants. Giving her a kiss he said, "Drive safe, and have a wonderful day tinkering with daddy's designs."

Fara smiled at him and answered, "I will, and you get that job. It's just what you need, something other than me to get you out of the house."

Fox nodded, "We still have a date set for this weekend?"
"Yep, and I'll make sure to call you when I get off of work."

"You don't still worry about me do you?" Fox asked.

Fara kissed him again before patting his rump affectionately, "I always worry about you, now go on or we'll both be late."
Fox watched as Fara got into her car before stepping into his. Keying the ignition he waited as the electric engine initialized and then followed Fara's car out of the driveway. It wouldn't take too long to get to the Corneria Flight Academy, it was situated about five miles outside of Corneria City proper, he had heard the cadets there joked that that was in case someone accidentally crashed a battlecruiser on a test flight. Fox knew though that its location was simply meant to provide a bit of usable airspace, a lot of ships tended to pass through Corneria City, Fox could remember a hundred instances of being told to wait in a holding pattern from hell.

The traffic on the way proved surprisingly light for a Thursday, Fox didn't question his good fortune. About thirty minutes later he pulled into a parking space at the Academy. Turning off the engine Fox took a few deep breaths before stepping out in the crisp mid-morning air of Corneria. The Academy itself was a rather impressive structure, with three wings that branched from a central control tower. Done in a typical modern style the buildings were almost all glass and metal polished to a near blinding sheen, with abstract sculptures dotting the flower beds and fern groves that were the Academy's concession to the never ending demand for gardens on Corneria.

Fox locked his car and then headed up the steps into the main building, he passed by several cadets along the way, they all stopped to stare a bit at the sight of Fox McCloud gracing this corner of the universe with his presence. Fox knew that if he hadn't been taught humility above all else by his father he would likely have an ego the size of Panther Caroso's by now. The thought of the big cat brought a frown to his muzzle, he had never liked Panther, but he knew Panther had always been interested in Krystal. Fox wondered what the other man's reaction had been to the news that she had died. Probably a grunt and a decision to proceed with harassing whoever his next conquest was going to be. Fox put the thought out of his mind, he was here for a job, not to contemplate the inner thoughts of a jungle cat he had never known or cared to know.

Peppy's office at the Academy was on the third floor, Fox breathed a sigh of relief that the elevator he took was empty. He didn't feel like explaining his presence to any wide eyed cadets, or signing any autographs. Stepping into the atrium Fox approached the secretary's desk and smiled politely at the young female jackal sitting there. "Hi, Fox McCloud here to see Commandant Peppy Hare."

The jackal smiled back at him and replied, "Of course, it'll just be a moment while I let him know you're here. If you wouldn't mind having a seat?"
Fox thanked her and went to sit on one of the plush chairs in the waiting room. A moment later the door to the inner office opened and Peppy Hare waved him inside with a smile. Peppy held the door for him and then followed him in. Sitting behind his desk in the office, a beautifully carved wooden antique that Fox remembered sitting in general Pepper's office at one point, his old friend said, "So, how are things going Fox?"
Fox took a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of Peppy's desk and said, "Well enough I suppose. The house is still paid for, though sooner or later I'm going to run out of retirement money."
Peppy smiled a bit, "We all do at some point. How about you and Fara? I hear you two have become pretty friendly over the last few months."
Fox blushed a bit and nodded, "Yeah, we're dating actually."
Peppy's ears perked up and his eyes brightened, "Is that so? Fox that's great."

Fox smiled back, "Worried I was still an unstable basket case?"
"I never called you that did I?" Peppy asked looking a bit taken aback.

"No," Fox answered, "Falco did though, you know how he is."

Peppy chuckled, "The lousiest psychiatrist in the galaxy."

Fox nodded, "Pretty much. So, what exactly is this job you're offering me?"
Peppy leaned forward, "Well it isn't quite as glorious as saving the galaxy."

"I'd prefer that it wasn't." Fox replied. "I haven't felt that desire in awhile."

Peppy looked at him for a moment as he realized what Fox meant before going on, "We have a lot of excellent cadets, several of them very exceptional, and I would love to have someone around who could take those exceptional students and give them the benefit of learning from someone as experienced as yourself."

Fox thought about it for a moment, "So I'd be teaching the prima donnas and the geniuses?"

Peppy nodded, "Yes, and the job is yours if you want it."

Fox smiled, "Well then, you have yourself a new instructor. When do I start?"

"Next Monday if that's all right for you." Peppy answered as he stood up.

"That works just fine." Fox extended a hand as he got up, "Thanks Peppy, I uh...I needed this."
Peppy shook his hand and then held it for a moment, "Anything I can do Fox, anything."

For a brief moment Fox felt overcome by emotion as he looked at the old hare. He was the one link he had left to his father, and in many ways had helped take James McCloud's place in his son's life. Fox smiled then, things were going to get better, in fact they already were.

One year three months after Krystal...

"I love you."

Fara looked beside her at Fox, his chest was still heaving, as was hers, and she glanced over at the wine bottle and pair of glasses next to the bed. Fox had never said that to her before, and not wanting to rush him she had never said it either, she hoped that Fox wasn't just drunk. "Fox?"

Fox wrapped an arm around her, his scent flooded into her nostrils, that musky, strong, male scent as he said again, "I love you Fara Phoenix."

Fara looked up at him and asked, "Really?"

Fox nuzzled her cheek ruff, "Yes really. And no I'm not drunk."

Fara couldn't help herself, she had to ask. "What about Krystal?"
Fox stopped and pulled away from her, she worried she had upset him, then he reached over and took the photo of the blue vixen from his bedside stand. Looking at he said, "I always thought she would be the only one, the only person in the universe I could say that to. And I think if she were still here that would be true." Then he looked at her, his eyes were glistening a bit, "But she isn't, she's dead, and I need to move on. I still love her, she's still in my heart but..."

Fara put a finger to his lips, she had heard all she needed to hear. Smiling she said, "It's all right, I love you to Fox. And excuse me for sounding sappy and cliché but I have for a very long time."

Fox looked at her curiously, "Then why did you never seem to have a problem with..."

"Krystal?" Fara took the photo from him and looked at it, "Because I knew you loved her, and I knew she loved you, that much was obvious. It wasn't my place to get between you two. But I think that wherever it is she's watching us from, I think she's happy that I'm here to help take care of you."

Fox wrapped his arms around Fara, she was right. He knew that Krystal would never have wanted him to live the rest of his life in mourning for her, always weeping and screaming and wishing his life had ended with hers that day. Krystal had always wanted him to be happy, and she wouldn't have cared if now he had found happiness in the arms of a beige fennec vixen with extraordinarily large ears. "I think so too." Fox took the photo from Fara's hands and returned it to its former place.

Fara snuggled into him and said, "We should go away sometime, someplace with just the two of us, romantic, sexy."

Fox laughed, "Even for a vixen I think you can be pretty insatiable."

Fara wiggled her ears against his muzzle, "Is that a complaint?"

Fox grinned and nipped at one of her ears, "Not at all. Where is it you were thinking about going?"
Fara shrugged, "For starters if I'm choosing..."

"Which you are." Fox interrupted.

Fara smiled at him, "Ok then, The Sands resort on Titania."

Fox's eyes widened, "Titania? At this time of year? It'll be over a hundred every day."

Fara's eyes rolled back and she moaned, "Oohhh I know, it'll be glorious."

Fox frowned, "Sometimes I forget you're a fennec, do they have a pool?"

"Try eight." Fara replied.

"All right then, The Sands it is. When do we leave?"

Fara thought for a moment, "When can you get time off of work?"

"Hmmm." Fox considered for a moment and then replied, "Maybe a week. Falco can cover for my classes for awhile, I worked that out with him and Peppy when I first started. That sound good?"

Fara kissed the underside of his muzzle and replied, "That'll be lovely, and don't worry about money, I'm sure daddy will be happy to help us pay for it."

Fox laughed and held her close, "I suppose I can't say no to that. Think we should get some sleep?"

Fara turned around and straddled him before saying, "I'm feeling some insomnia coming on tonight, kiss me."
Fox smiled as he kissed her, feeling her tongue dart out from between her lips and run over his, feeling her hands caressing him, he was in love again and deep down he knew that Krystal was happy for him, she always would be.