Note: Thanks to all my readers who turned this little fanfic into one of my more popular stories. This is a special one-off chapter describing Porco and Fio's time togther after Fio argued with Piccolo concerning her new relationship. Guys, this one's for you. Enjoy!


The Return of Shane - Interlude


The room he had found in Milan wasn't the best, he admitted. With crumbling clay and a dearth of reliable electricity, the American financial crisis had hit the owner hard, who had a penchant for foreign stocks. Porco knew the man, had helped him retrieve some stolen items on an old bounty hunting job, and could count on the guy not to rat him out. At the very least, the apartment complex was isolated from most Italian law enforcement; a good thing too, with the racket going on outside.

Leaning against the wall, Porco listened in to the "conversation" that was currently rattling the front door with its vigor. The argument had started off in Italian, then switched over to Fio's native English, than back over to Italian. Fio's light dulcet was now wracked with an explosive anger, contrasting with her grandfather's growling, yet detached diction. Then, it was quiet for a few moments, and the next thing Porco heard was the door of Piccolo's truck slamming, the engine croaking to an irritable roar.

After Piccolo left, Porco watched as the doorknob jangled in its socket, like his imminent guest was struggling with the shakes. He stood aside as the door swung open, revealing a tear-streaked Fio, her blue dress floating about her figure, her long red hair hanging over her shoulders like a cloak of fire. Without preamble, she launched herself at the portly man, burying herself in the folds of his rumpled shirt and soaking it with tears.

"Oh Porco, it's terrible!" she cried, her eyes squeezing out her frustration. "Grandpa doesn't understand at all! He thinks you're a layabout, and I'm just a dumb kid. After all I've done for the company..."

Porco was surprised by her embrace, but slowly wrapped his arms around the quivering girl, pulling her close. Rarely did a woman seek out comfort from a gruff pig such as himself; the fact that the exception turned out to be this strong, lively engineer was even more ironic. Somehow, though, with Fio it felt right, like this is how it was supposed to be for them. "It's alright," he told her, plucking a flame-red lock out of her eyes. "C'mon, let's grab a drink."

Fio nodded, and together, they headed back inside, where a small living space with a kitchenette held comfort for their struggles (and a radio for keeping track of police dispatches). While he tended to the alcohol, the young woman sat on a ratty couch in the center of the room, smoothing her skirt under herself and arranging it across the chewed-up cushions. Porco watched her out of the corner of his eye, smirking as she primped her hair in a show of regaining dignity. Who would've thought that the wiry tomboy he once knew would turn out to be such a refined young lady?

This new insight on her character vanished when Porco returned with the drinks, with Fio electing to snatch the bottle out of his hand instead of the glass he proffered her. Porco stood at the ready as Fio took a big swig of the lager, frowning as she sputtered on the fizzy brew. "Easy, Fio," he said, sitting down beside her and patting her on the back. "You can't just down it like that."

"I'm drinking age," she huffed, even as she coughed up a batch of bubbles. "I know my alcohol. Don't patronize me, Porco."

Porco gave a bemused smile. "That's right," he agreed, though he still took the bottle from her. "I keep forgetting you're the head honcho at the family business. Big business-woman now."

"And don't you forget it!" Fio balled her hands up into fists. "I won't let Grandpa forget it, either."

"I'll talk to him," he reassured her, placing the beer on a small end table next to the couch. "He oughta know he can't stop someone like you from getting what you want."

"Let 'im have it, Porco!" The redhead patted him on the arm, as if awarding him a new pair of flight-wings. "I'm counting on you."

"By the way, what're you gonna do about Piccolo S.P.A?" he asked, an errant thought oft considered making its way to the forefront. "You want to stay with me, you can't exactly be caught in this town with a wanted man."

"I can operate outside of the country." Fio put her hand to her chin, her eyes drifting downwards. "They can't do anything if you're not actually in Italy's borders. Piccolo S.P.A's built up a good reputation, y'know? Customers'll follow us outside Milan if they want their plane done right."

With that. Fio began to lay out her master plan for their underground courtship, coming up with logistics and consideration even Porco hadn't thought of. The complexity of her caper brought to mind how easy it had been with Gina, who seemed willing to wait at the Hotel Adriano forever. But forever was not long enough for the time he kept Gina waiting, and circumstances brought him with Fio instead, who was a vastly more complicated woman to romance, both in terms of age and situation. She had it all figured out, though, and her infectious zeal couldn't help but bring a chuckle out from under his breath.

(Gina would've given an earful on underestimating her,) he thought. (No wonder they became friends.)

"Hey, stop laughing!" Fio reprimanded him, a light blush coming to her cheeks. "I'm trying to be serious here."

Porco grinned, coming out of his reverie and leaning his head on his fist. "Look at you," he said, peering over dark shades. "So strong and tough, when you were just that weird kid trying to fix my seaplane. You're a real woman now, Fio."

Fio's flush deepened, betraying the freckles she had gotten while working out in the sun. "W-well, yeah!" she stammered up, pulling her hair into its traditional ponytail, just for something to distract her nervousness, Porco suspected. "I gotta prove to you I know what I'm doin'. And I've always been a woman, Porco! Just glad you get it now."

"Everybody knew what you were gonna become," he tried to explain, straightening up. "Curtis didn't chase after you like a newborn puppy for nothin'."

Fio raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, don't play with me," she said, fiddling with the green band that would bind her hair. "You dumped me off on Gina like you leaving me at daycare. I thought sticking up for you with the pirates would've shown I was mature. You kind of let me down, Porco."

Porco sighed, and shook his head. "Wasn't that Fio," he said. "Wasn't that at all."

The young woman blinked her surprise. "Then what was?" she said, leaning close to him with protuberant eyes.

Porco leaned back onto the couch, the rickety frame straining from the extra burden. "If you had gone with me after that fight with Curtis, you would've always been on the run," he said, keeping track of Fio's mood out of the corner of his eye. "A carrot-top criminal at seventeen. Not really a line of work with career advancement."

"You could've let me make that decision myself, y'know," she protested with a snort, but Porco cut her off with another shake of his head.

"You weren't ready," he told her bluntly. "I couldn't let you throw it all away, Fio. You're too smart for that. You had to think about where you were going, what you wanted from life. Like the business you built up, twice as big as what it was under Piccolo."

"Well, yeah..." Fio turned pensive, clenching her skirt in her lap. Soon, though, her vibrant spirit made a comeback, as she whipped back towards him like a jungle cat pouncing. "But I wanted you! That hasn't changed, Porco. Even with all this, everything with Piccolo S.P.A."

"I know." Porco rubbing the back of his head, struck nervous by her wide-eyed sincerity. "And you're more mature, and you've proven yourself, so it's alright I think. Except..."

Here, his eyes drifted from Fio's for the moment, his head lowering a fraction of a degree. Then he turned back towards her, regarding the woman before him. Her old hairstyle recalled the youthful girl he had met almost three years ago, with shining eyes full of promise and an oval face that belied her fierce streak. Even now, she was still just twenty-years old, in the prime of her life and ready to shoot up like a rocket.

"What?" Fio prodded him, concern softening her features even further. "What is it?"

"...Just don't know what a nice kid like you is doin' with an ol' pig like me," he confessed, thankful his shades held back his emotions.

Fio placed her hands about his shoulders, looked at him with eyes that betrayed a love blossomed to maturity. "Because you're a strong, warmhearted, good person," she told him, pulling off his shades to reveal vulnerable, black eyes. "That's what I'm looking for in a man, Porco."

With that, she drew close and pressed her lips against his. Porco eyes widened at the intimacy, but slowly wrapped his arms around her thin frame, settling into the kiss. He pulled her up against him, his hand getting lost within her ponytail, her warmth filling a hole inside he had been digging ever since Berlini had been shot down all those years ago. (That's my Fio,) he thought, wondering how he could ever leave this girl, and swore to keep her by his side, forever.