Krystal sat at her computer, staring blankly at the screen as her fingers twirled through her violet hair. She was supposed to be working on some project or another—but she couldn't keep her mind on her work. No matter what she did, he kept running through her head. She loved him, of that she was completely certain. The question then, was, did he love her, as well? She had never been able to work up the courage to ask him—until today.

'Fox is going to get off duty in about ten minutes,' Krystal thought. 'I can make it to his quarters by then.' Pushing up from her chair, Krystal walked out of her quarters and made her way through the corridors of the Great Fox. As she came closer to Fox's quarters, she could almost feel her confidence waning and the jittery nerves causing her to fidget. What would she say? How would he react? Fox had never shown much emotion towards anyone—only the general compassion of close friends and teammates—always keeping his mind on his duty. But two times Krystal had seen chinks in his armor: Right after they had met on Sauria, and again, on the return to the planet after the fight with the Aparoids there.

Krystal was so lost in her thoughts she almost walked right by the door that was the entrance to Fox's quarters. Stopping with a jerk, Krystal turned to face the door. 'Well, this is it,' she thought. 'No turning back now.' Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Krystal brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, and then pushed her palm against a panel to the side of the door. A small chime sounded within the room, followed shortly thereafter by a familiar tenor voice calling, "Come in."

The door hissed open and Fox smoothly spun around in his chair to face the door. With a tablet in his hand, he hadn't noticed the identity of his guest. "So, what's going—" his voice trailed off as he looked up and realized that it was Krystal. "—on?" Almost instantly, there was a transition in his voice, and his mouth curved slightly in a half-smile. "Hi, Krystal. Ya know, it's funny," Fox remarked, "I was just thinkin' about you." Realizing that his comment had caught Krystal off-guard, he ducked his head abashedly, trying furiously to prevent his cheeks from betraying him. "Uh—come in, sit down," he managed to stammer out. 'What if she catches on?' he thought. He was sure that his emotions were tattooed across his face whenever she came near. It was equal parts frustrating and exhilarating—but did she feel the same way?

As Fox spun back around to work on his screen, Krystal walked over to him and peered over his shoulder. "What're you working on?" she asked.

A groan slipped from Fox's muzzle as he rolled his eyes. "Slippy wants me to run sims on the new engine designs—see how they'll impact the Arwing's performance."

Krystal giggled softly. "You sound like you're having fun!"

Fox loved hearing Krystal laugh—and her laugh distracted him from the witty reply he was cooking up for her comment. But suddenly he had no time for any type of reply as the Great Fox suddenly rocked sideways, throwing him and Krystal off-balance. As Krystal began to fall, Fox's instincts kicked in and he smoothly caught Krystal in his lap. "Whoa! I gotcha!" he exclaimed.

Krystal looked up at him and smiled a little. "Thanks, Fox," she murmured.

"Uh—sure. No problem," Fox replied as he righted Krystal. Suddenly frowning, he flipped open his communicator and keyed in the bridge channel. "ROB, what's going on up there?"

"Rob's actually in the engine room, sir," came a reply from a Lylatian lieutenant. "The Great Fox is entering an asteroid field. Fortunately, there will be minimal damage from impact."

Fox nodded and saluted the lieutenant, then closed the channel. "That's good that she'll be in one piece," he murmured. "I'd hate to see her damaged after all she's gotten us through…"

The Great Fox had been rebuilt after the Aparoid invasion. A fairly large chunk of Cornerian coin had gone towards its reconstruction. However, as the Star Fox team had once again proven to be unparalleled defenders of the Lylat system, the Cornerian people were happy to oblige. Fox patted a bulkhead affectionately, then looked over at Krystal, who was sitting on his bed. "Was there something you wanted to say to me?" he asked.

Krystal laughed softly. "Now who's the telepath?"

Fox smiled and shrugged slightly. "I could just sense you watching me…I don't need to have ESP to know there's something on your mind…"

Krystal ducked her head, a shade of pink coming to color her cheeks. "Well—yes," she murmured after a moment. "There is something I've been meaning to tell you—for quite some time, actually…"

Fox sat down next to her on the bed. "What is it, Krys? You okay?"

Krystal's blush deepened. Fox hadn't called her Krys since—well—that quick kiss he had given her right after they met. Things had finally calmed down—Andross was gone, Scales was gone, and it was just the two of them on the bridge. "Now that we're alone," he had said, "I think it's time that I give you your due." And then he had kissed her.

"What was that for?" she had asked.

"For essentially saving my life," was his reply. "I'd've been dead without your staff, and your help in destroying Andross. Thanks, Krys."

She had written it off at the time as just extreme relief that all the good guys had gotten out in one piece. She didn't believe in the stories—love at first sight was a fantasy—but now she wasn't so sure of that anymore.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine, Fox. It's just…I wanted to say that—"

Fox curiously wondered what had Krystal so flustered. He liked her—to be sure. Well, it was stronger than like—but he didn't know if he should use "the big L word" just yet. He wasn't even sure if she liked him at all. Besides, what could Krystal possibly see in him, anyway? A cocky merc pilot who was always flying around the galaxy risking his neck wouldn't exactly make for a sterling boyfriend.

At that moment, both Fox and Krystal were jolted from their thoughts as Fox's communicator beeped. Fox grit his teeth to hold back a frustrated sound. "Perfect timing," he muttered. He activated it to find the implacable face of ROB on-screen. "Yes, ROB?" Fox asked.

"General Pepper has contacted us with an urgent message," was the monotone reply. "You are needed on the bridge right away."

"All right, I'll be right there," said Fox as he closed the comlink. Fox sighed, and looked over at Krystal as if to apologize for the interruption. "What was it you wanted to say?" he asked.

Krystal waved off Fox's question. "I-It's nothing. I'll tell you later."

Fox watched her leave, mystified. 'She had made it sound like whatever she was going to tell me was pretty important. It's not like Krys to want to tell me something, and then completely blow it off…I wonder what's got her so jittery?'

Krystal anxiously paced down the hall, chastising herself as she walked. 'Dammit, Krystal! Why did you have to be such a coward? Why couldn't you just tell him?' Before she had even asked the question of herself she knew the answer, distasteful though it was. 'Because, if he doesn't feel the same way, we'd both be in a rather embarrassing fix.'

Fox and Krystal arrived on the bridge, and were greeted by the holographic visage of General Pepper, and a sly smirk from Falco. Fox ignored Falco, instead turning to face the general. "Sir! Fox McCloud reporting, sir. What is it? Is Corneria under attack?"

"Whatever the threat, we'll take it down!" exclaimed Slippy, driving his fist into his palm.

"No, Corneria is not under attack, thankfully," replied Pepper. "However, there is a threat I need you to address, from an enemy you have faced before. Sources say that General Scales is plotting an assault on the Lylat system!"

Fox gasped, and the entire room went dead. "B-but that's impossible!" Fox stammered. "I killed him! I saw him die!"

"Hmm…apparently, he wasn't quite as dead as you thought," replied Pepper dryly. "No matter, given the penchant you have for enemies that seem to resurrect themselves on command, this should be no different. The fact remains that Scales is alive, and he is building a base on Rellonai."

Peppy stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Hmm…Rellonai? That's a small forested world not far from here. That's much too close to Corneria. We have to stop him, or he could destroy everything!"

General Pepper nodded. "Your orders are to investigate the base, attack if possible, and call for backup if necessary. Understood?"

Fox snapped a salute. "We'll be on it right away, sir!"

"Very good, Pepper out."

When the hologram of General Pepper faded from view, Fox turned to face the rest of the bridge's populace. Not only did the Great Fox get a facelift after the Aparoid war, but some of Corneria's best and brightest volunteered to serve on the unofficial flagship of the fleet. "You heard the general," Fox said. "This is a high-priority mission, so there can be no margin for error. Is everybody ready?"

"Yes sir!" was the simultaneous response.

"All right then, let's hit it!"

The Great Fox powered up its massive engines and soared into hyperspace, bound for Rellonai.