7/8/09

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the third installment of Forever Yours. As always, I would like to take this time to ask for you to review this chapter as soon as you have finished reading it; your questions, thoughts, and concerns do matter to me and I do take them into account as I write.

I have a feeling that this chapter will cost me a significant number of readers; after you have read this, I think you'll know why. While your frustration is understandable, I would like to remind every one that this is, by no means, the end of this story; in fact, it is only the beginning. Try to stay cool; things will get better. I guarantee you that this story will be deep, entertaining, and satisfying for all who choose to read it with the patience and respect necessary for full enjoyment.

Now, at the risk of alienating my entire fan base, I present to you the third chapter of Forever Yours.

--Dwarves

P.S. Unfortunately, I do believe the time has come for me to change the rating of this story from "T" to "M." I must say I'm a little disappointed about that: I was hoping to establish a larger readership before I was forced to do that. Oh well, though...just letting you all know for future reference.


III: "Wonderful Tonight"

"I'm guessing McCloud probably wouldn't be too happy if he saw you and me right now, huh?" Wolf remarked in jest. A modest statement; if Fox had walked into the room at that very moment, he would have gone berserk. Even that is an understatement: Fox would have gone insane with rage had he seen what just happened between Wolf and I; he would have been witnessing his worst nightmare.

"Probably not," I giggled, nuzzling my face in his chest. My, how quickly things had changed: a short time ago I would never have consented to engaging in such behavior with Wolf. Indeed, the time seemed to have flown by faster than my Arwing at top speed: had it really only been a few hours since I found myself in the darkest depths of despair, mourning the loss of my beloved Fox? How was it possible that, over the course of a single evening, I had managed to go from being a sworn enemy of Wolf O'Donnell to his…lover?

Most certainly not; Wolf O'Donnell is a twisted, despicable excuse of a man.

You must be joking; this is not the same Wolf O'Donnell I knew while in Star Fox. This man is far different from the conniving, ruthless pirate I once knew. This Wolf is sweet, caring, and considerate; he's the antonym of that vile barbarian.

What of your past with him, then? Does that mean nothing to you now? Are you willing to simply disregard your past encounters with him for one serendipitous instance of compassion? Do you truly wish to reconsider your opinion of him, despite the fact that you have experienced his wicked ways firsthand? How could you do such a thing?

The past is of no significance to me; it means nothing. The past is a roadblock; it is an obstacle barring the path of forward progress. Is it not possible for people to change? Can not people strive to overcome their personal failures and misgivings so that they might better themselves? Is Wolf not a man, and therefore party to the conditions that we are all subjected to? Is it entirely implausible to expect him to change? It is not; I know full well that he can, if he has not already.

Oh, Krystal, how naïve you are: Wolf is an infernal creature whose cruelty knows no limits.

Wolf is no longer that man. I tell you, he has changed; he has defeated his past and has become a new person. I trust in him; I believe in him.

What, then, of Fox? Are you simply going to eliminate all memory of him?

Fox is dead to me; I wish I had never known him.

"You all right there, Krystal?" he asked. I lifted my head up, caught somewhat off guard.

"I beg your pardon?" I replied. He shrugged his shoulders.

"You just seem kind of quiet now, that's all," he clarified. "Is there a problem?"

What do you mean, "There's a problem?" Of course there's a problem: I just slept with you!

"Oh, no," I lied. "I am more than okay at present. I'm just…enjoying your presence, that's all." Returning to the sanctuary I found buried deep inside his chest, I smiled and closed my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, baring his teeth and displaying his famous (or perhaps notorious) fanged grin. Generally, this look was used to convey feelings of sadistic amusement or devious pleasure. Something was different, however: I didn't sense any sort of malice or mischief emanating from him. On the contrary, he seemed rather comfortable and satisfied, as if he were at peace with nature; he didn't seem to be conflicted.

"Good to hear," he muttered. Clearing his throat, he then continued: "I…want to apologize for putting you in such an awkward situation right now."

"What ever do you mean by that?" I inquired. He sighed.

"I can't help but feel like I've got you at a bad time," he elaborated. "You just got out of a pretty serious relationship with a guy you really cared about…I guess I just feel like I'm taking advantage of you, you know? Clearly, you're extremely vulnerable right now, and I can't help but feel like I might have exploited that weakness so I could get close to you. I know you're still hurting about Fox, and I guess I'm worried that I may have made things worse by bringing you back here with me. I mean, you dated Fox for a really long time, and I know you still have feelings for him. I'm sure you didn't expect this to happen, and I'm worried that I might be leaving you more confused and disoriented than you were to begin with, you know? I just hope I didn't…fuck things up by making love to you right now. I'm really sorry if I did." Yet another surprising display of emotion from the man I previously saw as cold and heartless. Once again, I was in utter awe: since when did Wolf have a conscience?

"Oh, Wolf," I whispered, "don't worry. I'm not upset at all. Actually, I feel rather…pleased and satisfied. I'm feeling very happy at the moment. You're absolutely right; I was feeling very insecure earlier about…well, every thing, really, but I think I'm done with that. After all…you're here now."

"What about McCloud?" he queried. I chuckled slightly.

"As far as I'm concerned, Fox is ancient history to me," I assured. "You're far better to me than he ever was."

You…how could you betray Fox like that? He loved you more than any thing; he would've given up his life for you. All he wanted to do was to make you happy; he treated you like a queen, and this is how you repay him? How can you live with yourself?

If he truly loved me, he never would've left me.

"You sure about that?" he persisted. "I mean, it's only been a week. Honestly, it's fine with me if you still care about him. I understand."

"Trust me, Wolf," I bluntly stated, "I am over Fox McCloud."

You're a liar. You love Fox more than any thing and nothing you do or say is ever going to change that.

No…I don't love him. He abandoned me and left me for dead. I don't love Fox McCloud; I hate him now and I'll hate him always.

You'll always love him; you're just too scared to admit it.

I don't love him.

You do love him.

"All right," he casually agreed, "what ever you say." Lifting up my head and staring deep into my eyes, he smiled.

"You look wonderful tonight," he complimented, running his fingers down my side, causing me to arch my back in pleasure. In response, I began to gently stroke his chest.

"You're very kind, Wolf," I thanked. He grinned.

"I try."


And so we lied there, unclothed, entwined in each other's arms, for the rest of the night, enjoying each other's company, discussing what the future might hold for us, delving into each other's personal lives. I must say that the connection and synergy I felt with Wolf that night was unlike any thing I had ever felt before; not even Fox and I had shared such an intimate evening before.

Liar. You relished every second you spent alone with Fox. This is nothing compared to what you and Fox had; this is loveless sport.

Wolf offered to let me stay on the ship with him for a while. "At least until you can get every thing sort out," as he put it. Not having a place to stay and feeling somewhat obligated to him, I accepted his offer. Clearly, this made him happy, as his face beamed with glee.

"I'll introduce you to the gang tomorrow," he promised.


Regardless of what joy or exuberance I may have felt that night, one thought continued to plague my mind, tormenting me at every possible opportunity.

Fox.

Indeed, despite my claims to the contrary, I was still very much in love with Fox McCloud. I have a feeling I always will. After all, Fox was my first (and maybe only) love; I devoted over two years of my life to him. I did everything with him: I worked with him, I played with him, I laughed with him, I cried with him, I spent most of my time with him…it's difficult for me to recall a time when Fox wasn't in my life. I loved him dearly; I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I still do. I knew all too well that Wolf couldn't replace Fox: no one could. That pained me dearly; it seemed that however hard I may have tried to hate Fox, I simply could not stop loving him.

Oh, Fox…I never knew you could be so cold.