From the Ashes

By

Damain "Anubis" Hunter

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue me, pwease? :-(

Chapter One

The Pain of Loss and Deception

To the rest of the world, today seemed like any other day. To Fara Phoenix however, today was the worst day ever. She had just gotten the news that her thought-to-be lover was having an affair. He didn't say it in words, he didn't accually say it at all. She had walked in on them. She went to visit Fox and found him and another vixen on the couch together. There was no mistaking it, no one entertains company by laying naked with them on the sofa.

She had been crying for nearly three hours now, and there didn't seem to be a stopping point anytime soon. She knew that she would have to soon though. Her stomach and her heart were fighting for command, and her stomach was winning. She knew that she had to go to the store. What she didn't know was that the simple trip to the store would change her life.

Chapter Two

Love in Asile Three

She had cleaned up and gone to the store, against her heart's will. She was quietly looking up and down the asiles, looking for the items on her list of things to buy. She was now looking up at a box of dishwasher soap on the top shelf. "In most stores, the shelves are set for the hight of people, but in this one they are set of the height of the houses the people live in" she grumbled, trying to reach the box. Someone reached up from behind her and plucked the box off the shelf. She turned around and was looking into a pair of deep blue eyes. The creature backed up some, and she finally saw all of her helpful stranger. He was a black furred wolf dressed in a matching shirt and jeans. He smiled and handed her the box "Good thing I'm taller than my house, huh?" he asked, smiling politely. She blushed some, realizing that he had heard her comment. "Thank you" she said as she took the box. "What's your name?" he asked. "It's Fara, Fara Phoenix" she said, putting the box in her shopping cart. "I'm Stephen. Stephen Anderson." He said, offering her his hand. She shook his hand, then she started to leave. "Where are you going?" he asked. She turned back to him. "I need to finish shopping, don't you?" she asked, arching a brow at this strange wolf. He shrugged "I'm a man, I can live on pizza and soda for the rest of my life" she replied, smirking. She laughed some. "Mind if I walk with you for a while?" he asked. She smiled "I'd like that accually, thank you" He walked with her while they both shopped. They talked a lot, mostly about the weird things for sale there, but sometimes about each other. When they reached the check-out however, Fara was both happy and depressed at the same time. She was happy that she had met Stephen, but depressed because right in front of her in the check-out line was the man that broke her heart.

Chapter Three

Eight Fights or Less

"Fara? Is that you?" Fox asked as he noticed that Fara was standing there. She didn't reply, she didn't even look at him. "Fara, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She glared at him "How do you not mean to sleep with someone Fox?" she growled. Stephen watched the scene play out from behind Fara. "I didn't sleep with her." Fox said. "Like hell you didn't." Fara hissed "I was you both on the sofa, and last time I checked Fox, the proper way to entertain company isn't to sleep with them!" she said, almost yelling. People around them began to stare, watching the despute escilate into a fight. Stephen, however, wasn't going to let his new friend get arrested for beating the crap out of some jerk that broke her heart. He called for a clerk to watch their carts for them, and then he gently placed his hands on Fara's shoulders. "Fara, let him go for now. You can settle this later, I'll even stand ther with you, but here and now isn't the place" He wispered into her ear. She growled and turned away from Fox, facing Stephen.

She walked with him out of the store and out to the parking lot. She let out a tattered sigh. He smiled sympathetically and gently rubbed her back. "Hey foxy, you ok?" he asked, looking a bit worred. She laughed a little and looked over at him. "Foxy?" she asked, smirking a bit. He smiled. "Well, vixeny doesn't sound that good." She laughed again, a genuine laugh this time. He smiled happily, and handed her a pice of paper. "This is for later" he said. She opened it and written on it was his name and a phone number. "Just in case you need to talk, ok?" He said. Somehow she knew that he was a genuine gentleman. Someone you can trust with anything. A true friend, in any good sence of the word. She smiled at him, then her smile faded into a look of confusion. "What happened to my groceries?"

Chapter Four

Love is Never Lost

Fara made it home with her groceries. As she walked in the door, she saw she had some phone messages. She pressed play on the machine as she began putting away the items she had purchased. "Fara, it's me, please pick up." a fimillar yet hurtful voice said. "Go fuck yourself Fox" Fara growled at the machine. "Look, I am sorry about what I did and I'm willing to forget this ever happened if you'll please take me back. Please? Call me back, ok?" Fox's voice ceased as the message was over. "Yeah Fox, I'll call you back, when hell freezes over." She growled.

She went to her room and picked up the phone. She looked at the pice of paper in her hand, then dialed the number. "Hello?" a voice on the other line answered. "Hi, is Stephen there?" Fara asked. "This is him." Stephen said. "Is this Fara?" he asked. She smiled "Yeah, I was wondering if you'd like to get some coffie, I could really use some company right now." she said. "Sure, where should we meet?" he asked. "How's that new place on Third?" She asked. "Never been there, let's go try it out." He said happily. "Allright, I'll meet you there at six." She replied. "It's a date then, see you there" he said, and hung up. "A date?" she said aloud, not realizing that he had hung up. She looked at the phone, then placed it back on the reciever. "A date" she repeated. She smiled happily, she liked the thought of dating Stephen. Mabie she should try dateing him, what harm could it do?

Chapter Five

Coffie and Feelings

Fara was sitting at a table in the coffie house, waiting for Stephen to show up. She sipped her coffie and thought about all that had happened in the past few days. Looking back on it, she had been going though some bad times in her life. She didn't think that Fox would be the kind of man that would cheat on her, but sometimes you never can tell.

She had met Fox through her father. Her father had a conference with StarFox in relation to their new ship design. General Pepper had commissioned his company to make the star cruser, and the pay was very good, so he did it. That day, he had asked Fara to go with him to the conference, she didn't know why he asked her though. She had seen her father in conferences without her in the room, and he was a bit of a nervious person. He was calmer when she helped him, but some of the members of the "team" didn't think that was why she was there. She remembered specifically a blue avain that tried to get her phone number. She had politely told him to fuck off. Fox was the one that kept things in line there, he told the avain to shut his mouth or he'd be walking home. After that, he apologized to Fara and the rest was history. They got to know each other better after the meeting, they dated for a while, and she was considering marrying him.

Then, two years after the Venom conflict, Fox had recieved another mission from General Pepper. He told Fara to wait on Corneria for him, he didn't want her getting hurt on some mission. After much deliberation, she had finally agreed to stay. He was gone for three months. She talked to him as much as she possibly could, which was mostly five times a month. When he got back, there was a new person on board the ship. A blue vixen named Krystal. Though Fara trusted Fox, she still worried about him being so close to another woman. That worrying was short-lived as Krystal started dateing a german sheperd named Michael.

After Krystal started dating someone, Fara relaxed a bit and started talking to the other vixen more, and they became good friends. She recalled a conversation they had a few weeks before.

"I know Fox won't hurt me, but you can't blame me for being worried, can you?" Fara asked, as she retrived some glasses from the cabnet. Krystal shook her head "not at all Fara, anyone who's loved ones go into combat has every right in the universe to worry." She said, helping Fara pour tea for the both of them. "That's not really what I ment. I do worry about Fox when he goes into combat, but mostly I worry about him finding someone new." Fara said, taking her glass and sitting at the table. Krystal sat across from her "I don't think that Fox would just leave you for someone else, Fara" Krystal said. "You really think so?" Fara asked, setting her glass on the table. Krystal smiled and nodded "Fox is a nice guy, he's not the kind of person that would just leave you." Fara smiled, and they started talking about things other than the worry of being in relationships.

"Fara? You ok?" a voice next to her said. She jumped a bit as her memories were shaken from her. Stephen was sitting across from her at the table. "You ok foxy? Something bothering you?" he asked. "No, I'm fine, just thinking, that's all." she replied. He nodded "good thoughts I hope" he said, smiling some. "Not really, no" she said, looking down. "I'm sorry to hear that" he said after a slight pause. "Do you mind if I ask what's bothering you?" he asked, biting his lip nerviously. She saw this and smiled at how adorable he looked. "I'm ok cutie, don't worry about it. I was just thinking about something a friend of mine once said." he said, gently laying her hand on his. He looked a bit confused. He was blushing a bit from her hand on his. "What did your friend say?" he asked. "She said that one day I will find someone that truely loves me like I love them." Fara replied. He smiled "Rising from the ashes like the Phoenix you are, huh?" he said, smiling playfully at her. She laughed lightly "yeah, that's about the jist of it." He smiled "any hints as to who this mystery person is?" he asked. She smiled and thought for a second. "only one." she said, looking back to him. He arched his brow "what is it then?" he asked. She smiled and gripped his hand in hers "I'm looking at him right now." Stephen blushed more "your just being nice" he said, looking away as to hide his blush. "No, I mean it. I'd love to go out with you if you'd let me" Fara said. He was still blushing when her fingers gently lifted his chin so she could look into his eyes. "I mean it" she said. He looked into her eyes as she did into his. "I really like you Stephen, and I would be very happy to be closer to you." Fara said. He smiled, still blushing a bit. "I'd be very happy too." he replied. "So does this mean that you and I will be going out again soon?" Fara asked, winking playfully at him. He smiled happily "absolutely."

Chapter Six

Shared Happiness

Later that night, Fara was sitting on her bed talking to Krystal on the phone. "So, what kinda guy is he?" Krystal asked eagerly. "He's really nice, he listens like he's my best friend, but he can also act like the most wonderful boyfriend ever. I'm not sure how he does it, but he knows just how to make me happy" Fara said, she was practically hystarical. She belived that she had finally found the right man for her. "Is he cute too?" Krystal asked. "Let's just say that he should be a model." Fara said jokingly. Krystal laughed some "seriously though, he sounds woderful Fara. I'm so happy for you. You know that there is a better part to this, right?" Krystal asked, with a hint of something mischivious in her voice. "Oh? What's that?" Fara asked. "You have just proven that Fox isn't the only man that can make you happy, and that's going to make him regret what he did to you." Krystal said. "Your right. He alwase seemed to belive that, despite what he did, I would come crawling back to him like an obidiant puppy." Fara growled. "Well you showed him. Your not his "Pet Vixen", and you never will be." Krystal stated, and though Fara couldn't see her, she was smiling happily. Fara was smiling too "hey, let me go, ok? I need to get some sleep, it's eight now." "Are you that tired Fara?" Krystal asked. "Yeah, had a long day. Talk to you later." Fara said, and she was really tired. "Ok, talk to you later Fara." Krystal said, and hung up the phone. Fara hung up her phone too, and layed back on her bed. She was very tired. Hopefully, tomorrow would show more promise in her relationship with Stephen.

Chapter Seven

Breakfast Where?

The next morning, about eight, Fara was awakened by her phone ringing. She didn't mind it too much because she was haivng a bad dream. She reached over to the bedside table and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she groggily answered. "Hey Fara" a familliar male voice chirped happily. She sat up some in bed "Hey Stephen, how are you?" She asked, waking up some. "I'm hungery, want to go to breakfast with me?" He asked. She looked at the phone as if she was talking to the wrong person, then said "Go to breakfast? Can't it wait?" "Not really, Burger King stops serving at ten" He replied. "Burger King?" she asked sceptically. "Yeah, they have awesome food in the mornings." He replied. She sighed and shook her head. He was crazy, but she was crazy about him, so who was crazier? "Sure, I'll go, just give me a bit to get dressed and all" She said, smiling. "Allright, I'll pick you up, ok?" He asked. "I'll be waiting" she replied.

Later that morning, they were both sitting in a boot at Burger king eating breakfast (which I know, from experience, is awesome). Fara looked across the table at her strange companion as he looked up though the skylight at the morning sky. "What are you doing?" she asked. He looked back at her. "Nothing really, just looking at the second most beautiful thing in the world." he said, smiling. She arched a brow curiously. "What's the first?" she asked. "Moments like this. Stupid little insagnificant moments where two people who care about each other, be they friends, lovers, or co-workers, sit in a resturaunt in the middle of nowhere talking about life." He said. She made a mock face of horror "so I'm not the most beautiful thing to you?" she asked, pretending to be hurt. "You can't be the most beautiful thing, your a person. Before you ask, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met though." He said, gestureing his point by pointing his crossonwich at her. She leaned forward and bit off some of his sandwich, then smiled happily at him. "Hey" he said, then bit some off of her sandwich. They laughed at thier strange outbursts. "So beauty is moments like that?" She asked. He nodded, then swallowed his mouthfull of food. "Life is composed of moments, some are good, some are terrible, but all of them are different." he said. She stared at him for a moment. When she first met him, she thought he was just another wolf that wanted a vixen in his bed, but he had proven her wrong at every turn. He was different, profound, intelligent, something she had never seen before. "You can't be real." she said, looking over him carefully. He smiled "you know, that's accually the nicest and strangest thing I have ever heard." She smiled "Well, you are welcome." The morning she spent with Stephen drifted into afternoon, and still, they had everything in the world to talk about. He was different that the other males she had met in her past. He was smart, funny, caring, he was...her best friend, and something more.

Chapter 8

The Perfect Date or Something Like It

That night, Stephen and Fara went to the movies. He had bought her ticket (though she objected). They were sitting in the back of the dark theatre, watching the movie. Fara gently rested her head on Stephen's shoulder, holding his hand gently. She sighed and looked up at him. He smiled looking back "What's wrong foxy?" he wispered. She smiled "Absolutely nothing. This is perfect, I love being here with you." she kissed his lips gently, then went back to watching the movie. "I'm happy with him, and I don't want to leave him...I think I'm in love" She thought. And that was how it started, Fara had suddenly met the man she loved. Life could not get better

-To Be continued...