.~*Chapter One*~.

December 2004

Allison sighed softly as she gently lifted the ornament of a soccer player out of its box. "Remember when we gave this to Dexter? He was only eight, but he was so proud of being on the team and scoring that winning goal."

Standing by the tree, Norbert smiled and nodded. "The only time he got to play that season, and he showed them all." He was busy sprucing up the tree, putting the lights and garland upon its lush green branches. Normally, he would be doing this with his son, Dex, while Beary would be helping Allison with the ornaments, but this year just wasn't the same. Both their sons were gone.

The redhead gently placed the ornament on the tree, before reaching into the storage tub and picking out the next one, trying to hold back her tears. It was a beaded rainbow with two clouds. Beary had made it for her in kindergarten. Why, oh, why had she kept it put away in the Christmas ornament box? What had she been thinking?

"Is that Beary's rainbow?" Norbert asked, settling down beside her. "He put so much work into it."

"He really did. Such an artist."

"Mhm. That's for sure. And singer. Some of the picture he's sketched are rather… odd, though. Disturbing, in a way."

Allison scowled a bit, thinking about some of the images. "But some of them are quite beautiful. Amazing landscapes… architecture…"

"Dex has done some rather amazing things to, you know. Band, show choir, video game champion of the city, writer, hard worker, honor roll…"

"Mhm. I really am proud of him. Both of them." She lowered her gaze after putting the ornament on the tree beside Dex's. "I'm going to go bake a pie."

The balding man sighed softly, watching her get up and go to the kitchen. He stood as well, leaving the rest of the ornaments for later. He made his way over to the mantel above the fireplace, eyes running over the photographs atop the mahogany.

Pictures of his boys and family growing up through the years, laughing and smiling. Fishing, bike racing, family road trips, school events… Some of the older pictures held Dex glaring at Beary, but the newer ones over the past three years had both of them smiling broadly and hanging out.

Then there were the pictures from the wedding: Dex dancing with his girlfriend, Roxanne, whom he was now in witness protection with; Norbert and his wife at their table sharing a cup of champagne; and Beary and Jewel dancing away into the night. The wedding photographer had snapped that one, along with their kiss under the moonlight. That picture, however, had been stored away. The memory was too painful.

The last picture they had taken together as a family was before the reception, in the light of the setting sun, the sky alight with flaming colors. All were smiling. Beary stood a little off to the side, as he was just as tall as his adoptive mother, and just about the few inches shorter than Norbert and Dex. At just twelve-years-old, Beary was roughly 5'8½" and about 150lbs, making him rather underweight for a bear. He should've been about 200 pounds by that age and height. He had only grown two and a half inches in the past two years.

When they found him, would he be taller? If so, how much? What changes would be seen upon him?

What about Dex? Would he be taller? Had he stopped growing? Was his hair still spiky? How were things going with him and Roxanne?

Shaking his head, he backed away from the mantel and into the kitchen, watching his wife create another apple pie.

"Ally, when are we going to visit them at the Hall?"

Allison froze midst shaping the pie in the pan. For a moment, she didn't move, but swiftly returned to working on her dessert, her movements now irritated. Why hadn't they gone visit the Hall? When was the last time she had spoken to Henry? To any of them?

Oh, that was right. It was around Thanksgiving the last time she had spoken to them. Back when they were still in Utah and holding onto hope. Too bad that hope was gone now. It had been far too long.

They had gotten into an argument. Loud shouting, blame thrown at each other, and hatred towards the FBI for not finding the cubs yet.

It was partially her fault, she knew. She had lost her temper once again and spoken rashly to the bears, blaming them for what had happened. She never apologized. Why should she? Henry should have taken better care of her son, after all. Yes, she knew he had tried his best, and done everything he could, but the resentment was still there, ebbing away at her mind until it burst forth, breaking their relationship.

Next, she went for the cherries, mixing them in a bowl with sugar, cornstarch, almond extract, and red food coloring. Once satisfied, she dumped them into the pie crust and covered it with another layer of dough. Following that, she folded the ends over each other and slit the top in the middle, also dabbing a bit of cinnamon over it, sliding the creation into the oven. She set the timer and just glared at it.

"Allison," Norbert frowned, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her weary shoulders. "Talk to me, love. Why are you shutting them out?"

"You know why," she hissed after a minute, her shoulders tensing.

He dug his thumbs and palms into her shoulders, pressing in on the skin and muscle, trying to relieve her of the tension. Hearing her soft moan told him he was doing a good job.

"Oh, Norbert… Some things just can't be fixed. I… I don't want to talk to them again, because every time I see them or think of them, I'm reminded of my little boy. Both my little boys who were stolen from me."

He stayed silent, listening to her as he moved her away from the oven and to a chair at the table. He stood behind her, massaging her shoulders.

"I think of the Country Bears, and I imagine Beary talking about them constantly. Nonstop. Do you remember that? Every day, he'd tell us something he'd learned either of them or from them. As for Dex, he was always typing away at his computer, or out at his job at the grocery store. We barely saw him. He made the effort to be around us, but… Our little boy has grown up. Now he's out there on his own…"

"No, he's not. He's got Roxanne."

"And what do we know about her?"

"Well, she's John's daughter, and-"

"John?"

"Heh, Beary calls him Roadie, remember?"

"Oh, yes, yes."

"From what I've learned, she's a straight-A student taking AP classes and on honor roll. She and Dex met in class and, as they put it, hit it off. They've actually known each other a while and decided to date after the winter dance last year. She worked at a record shop selling CDs, along with some graphic design. They like the same music, movies, and books. They're basically perfect for each other." He kissed her head reassuringly.

"And where did you get all this information?"

"I talked to John and her mother about it, along with her siblings."

"Ah. I see." She closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I don't want my boys to grow up, Norbert. I'm not ready for that. Can't we just… stop time?"

"Many have wished that, but it cannot happen. You can store a moment of time in your memory and visit it whenever you want, but it will be just that. A memory. And that memory shall always be precious."

"Then it is a precious memory we cling to."

He smiled and helped her up, leading her to the living room and setting her on the couch. He then gathered up all the photo albums and sat beside her. "Come on, my sweet. Let's get lost in our memories. Soon we'll have a new addition to tell tales to." He gently placed a hand on her belly, kissing her lips.

"Mhm…" She leaned against him, picked up the first book, and opened the cover, being swept away down memory lane.

.~*The Country Bears*~.

Jade Falco groaned as she awoke in her bed. Her head hurt like hell. Hangovers sucked. Dying of thirst, she got up, scratched her bum, and walked out of her room to the kitchen. "Tash? Tash, ya here?"

Receiving no reply, she remembered what had happened the previous day. Natasha had left with her family to go back to their lives in Nashville. She hated it, but it was true. Her friend was gone… and now the house felt so empty.

'Might as well go get the paper,' she thought to herself as she wandered out into the living room, not even noticing the three bears fast asleep on her floor. She went on the porch and stretched for a moment before bending over and grabbing the large newspaper. On the front page was a picture of the band entertaining the children at the hospital. She smiled. They actually looked happy in the photograph.

She scanned the article, sighing with relief when her name was not mentioned. The press was going to have a field day trying to figure out who she was. Oh well. They wouldn't find her, right?

The black she-bear walked back inside and went back towards the kitchen, letting out a startled yell as she tripped over some large, furry thing.

Zeb let out a startled shout and sat straight up.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" Jade shrieked, looking at him, panicked. "Oh, it's you, Zeb. Gods, don't scare me like that!"

The fiddler blinked, staring at her curiously before quickly diverting his eyes and looking at the rest of the house, confused. Oh, right. They had spent the night because they couldn't go back to the hospital. They were supposed to have left earlier, before Jade got up. Oops.

Fred and Ted awoke to the shouting. Well, Fred woke up because Jade had landed on him. He looked at her, amused. "Comfy?"

She jumped away. "Holy crap." Briefly, she wondered if she was still drunk. Nah, couldn't be.

Ted scowled at his brother, quietly setting the photo album back under the table. "Sorry, Jade. We were supposed to be gone before you woke up." He stared at her with wide eyes.

"Why are you even here?"

"Well, we couldn't get back to the Hall… You see, we came with Al and Fred drove his bike, and since Al went with Henry so they could leave for Utah, well… we didn't have a ride back." Now that he thought about it, they could have called for a taxi.

"Why didn't you call a taxi?"

"Uh… well…"

"Why not go back to the hospital?"

"Visiting hours was over, and we had nowhere else to go," Fred put in as he sat up. "Sorry for intrudin'."

"No, it's all right. I just wasn't expecting it."

Zeb got up. "Well, Fred and I will be off. Ted, you comin'?"

"Um… in a bit. I promise."

"Hey, you don't have to go. If you want to stay for breakfast, you can." Jade got to her feet and went back to the kitchen.

"Uh, Jade…? Could you put on some clothes?" Ted asked, meekly. His face was red from embarrassment. He had taken her out of her clothes last night because she'd gotten some vomit on them. He didn't know where she'd kept her pajamas, so he had covered her up in a blanket and left the room, throwing her clothes in the wash along with his own.

She froze and looked down before looking back at the others, noticing that they all had their eyes diverted. Holy shit. She rushed back to her room and slammed the door, locking it. Jade breathed deeply as tears gathered in her eyes. How had she not noticed she was butt naked?! She was furious with herself. Just what had happened last night? Had Ted… No, he wouldn't take advantage of her like that, and she was pretty sure that the others wouldn't do that to her… right?

There was a light rapping at the door. "Jade? Jade, can I come in? The others left…"

She hurriedly wiped her eyes and sighed. "J-Just a minute, Ted." Anger began to boil within her as she searched her closet for some clothes, pulling them on and then storming over to the door. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?! WHY WAS I NAKED?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

He backed away with wide eyes. "Y-You got some vomit and beer on you! I-I-I took your clothes off to wash them! I didn't know where your pajamas were!"

She growled angrily at him before taking a deep breath. His reasoning was sound, but she was still pissed. "And you didn't think of telling me this before I showed off my stuff? I cannot believe you!"

"I didn't get a chance!" He had had a chance, but he'd been so captivated at seeing her beautiful body that his mouth hadn't worked at first.

"Bullshit."

"Jade, please…"

"Ted, just… shut up. Please." She was still fuming and completely embarrassed about what had happened. "Was zur Hölle dachten? Wie konntest du mir das antun? Ich sollte dir die Haut lebendig! Sie denken, nur weil Sie einige heiße Schuss Country-Sänger sind, dass Sie alles, was Sie übergeben auf einer Platte zu haben! Wie weiß ich, du hast mich nicht vergewaltigen! Wie kann ich Sie jemals wieder vertrauen?"

Startled by her German, which he did not understand, he backed away. He whimpered and looked down. "I… I'll just go."

"Don't bother coming back."

Ted flinched and he turned away, feeling his heart shatter. Without a word, he left the house, ears back and tears in his eyes. He never should have trusted his heart, allowing it to open.

He did not hear the soft, embarrassed weeping of Jade. Nor the angry rampage.

.~*The Country Bears*~.

The night before…

Tasha sighed softly as she carried Erin through the snow up to the porch. It felt so weird being here again.

The two-story home, painted a lovely emerald green with lighter green trimmings, had a wrap-around porch with a white railing. Inside were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen with red-stained oak cabinets and a marble counter, a dining room and living room, and two offices. There was a family room was in the basement, which was fully furnished with two couches, an armchair, a flat screen TV, pool table, and a few exercise equipment. It also served as a playroom, and the laundry room was off in one corner.

Memories filled her as she unlocked the door and went in, James filtering in behind her, carrying their son in his arms.

In her mind's eye, she could see a young Jewel running back and forth or wrestling with Beary in the living room. They laughed and romped about, stopping only when a much younger Jordan tumbled in. They then started playing with him, tickling the little cub.

She saw her and James sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace back when they were in their early twenties, with nothing but their lives before them. Their hopes and dreams… and now here, almost fourteen years later, most of them had come true.

James came to a halt beside her, closing the door and smiling. "Hm. A bit musty. I should have left a window open to air it out last time I was here. Sorry, honey."

The severely scarred she-bear gave him a small smile. "It's all right, Jim."

He blinked. "Jim? Since when do you call me Jim?"

"Well, I thought… I have a new face, you should get something new, too."

"Honey, you still have your same face."

"It's horribly mangled and scarred, Jim. I'm not… me anymore. " She looked down at her daughter's sleeping face. "Erin will never see me as beautiful but a monster."

James frowned and set his son down on the couch, and then took Erin, placing her beside the sleeping cub. He then returned to her side and gently touched the scarred half of her face, frowning when she flinched away.

"Natasha… Ta-Ta, honey, a face does not make up a person. It's what's inside that counts."

"By saying that, you think I'm ugly."

"Gah! No, I don't! Stop putting yourself down, honey!" He pulled her into a hug. "You are beautiful, and nothing will ever change that. That scar? It adds class." He kissed her nose. "You are the most amazing person I know, and I will always love you." The black bear smiled softly and wiped away a tear from her eye. "And if you want… after we put the cubs to bed, I can show you."

Natasha could not help but smile and give him a playful lick. "This will be Erin's first night in her nursery… Jewel's old room." They had converted the front upstairs room, the one that had a bay window, from Jewel's familiar pink room into a nursery for their newborn. After all, Jewel had moved in with her parents and was going to be going to high school in Pendleton at the newly refurbished three level school; it had elementary, junior, and high school all in one building since the county was so small.

Just thinking of the cub she had raised, whom she still saw as a daughter, was enough to send her into a fit of tears.

"Easy… easy," her husband murmured, holding her close. "I'm sure Beary's taking good care of her. I doubt that video that was given to us was even true."

She snuffled into his shoulder fur. "You don't think he's dead, then?"

"I doubt anyone could actually kill him. He's one tough nut." He kissed her forehead and grinned. "Even if he did somehow die, he'd become a Tueri and be watching over Jewel."

"Her own little guardian angel…" She gave him a sad smile. Sighing, she glanced over at their cubs. Jordan was currently curled up around his baby sister. "I'll take them up to bed. You go get the luggage?"

He nodded. "As you wish, milady."

.~*~.

A short time later, after singing Erin back to sleep with a lullaby, Natasha "Tasha" Stone was curled in her bed, head resting on her husband's chest. She was grateful to be sleeping in her own bedding, with her turquoise quilts and pillows with just a dash of black fur. To make it complete, her husband was dressed in his usual pajamas: just a pair of gym shorts.

James lay on his back, propped up by a few pillows, gently rubbing his wife's shoulder and listening to the crackling of the fire in their fireplace. "So nice to be home in our own bed. No Jade accidentally walking in. Peaceful," he murmured, turning his head and kissing her hair.

"I know. It's been so long. Too long. I… This is my fault."

"No. You were depressed and hurt. Afraid. You had every right. You needed help while recovering. And you had the little ones."

She sighed softly, snuggling against his thick fur. "I suppose… But tomorrow, that all changes. I return to work."

"So soon?"

"It's been a few months since the fire, James. If I don't go back now, they'll fire me."

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Bunch of asses."

Tasha gave a light laugh. "That's management for ya, eh? We also have to get Jordan all set for school, and find a babysitter for Erin…"

"Hm. Well, we'll find something. We could ask Allison and Norbert."

"Now there's an idea. I haven't seen them in a while. Tomorrow, before I go to work, will go see them."

"Mhm."

She turned to look at him, running a claw down his chest. "Now, wasn't there something you were going to show me?"

James shuddered and grinned. "Hell yeah."

.~*~.

"No."

James and Tasha blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, 'no'? Allison, we need your help!" Natasha cried.

"My sons needed your help, and you let some nutcase destroy this family!" she replied bitterly. It was one of her bad days. She had a headache and didn't want to be bothered, and yet she was here, standing on the porch in her robe.

"Now, Natasha had nothing to do with that! She was hurt, too!"

"Of course she was. It's obviously all over her face."

Tasha's eyes widened and she immediately backed down, ears flattening. What had she done to upset her friend so badly that she would be so cruel?

"Ally, that's enough!" Norbert barked, wandering over to the door and fixing his tie. "You know better than that. Natasha and James have always been our friends."

"They're partially responsible for what happened, Norbert!" the redhead snapped.

"Calm down. Think of the baby," he murmured. "Go and rest, Ally."

James let out a surprised chuckle. "You guys are expecting?"

The balding man smiled. "Mhm. She's a month along."

"Congrats!" the officer beamed, glancing over at his wife, who mumbled her own congratulations.

"And we're not letting this one be watched over by any bears." Allison gave them one last glare before storming off.

Norbert frowned and sighed. "She's just upset and has a headache today. Hormones and nightmares have been getting to her." His brown eyes focused on Tasha's face. He did find the scars unappealing, but she still held her beauty. Briefly, he wondered why skin grafts hadn't worked for bears yet. Maybe it was the fur?

"We tried the skin grafting. For the most part, it worked out," James explained, knowing what the human was thinking about. "However, it just wouldn't work for her face. We don't know why."

"I didn't mean-"

"It's quite all right, Norbert," Tasha murmured. "It's just something I'll have to get used to."

"You shouldn't have to. You still are beautiful, Natasha. The scars simply add to that. Make you a warrior, eh?" He chuckled lightly. "Now, I see that you need a babysitter. I think it would do Ally some good. Why don't you bring the little ones on in? I promise, they'll be in safe hands."

Natasha still looked worried, but nodded. They didn't have any other choice. She had to be back at work today. "Thank you ever so much, Norbert."

"You are most certainly welcome." He was as good as his word. Taking care of Jordan and Erin for the day really did help Allison return to her former, loving self. It did take a few hours for her to get used to the fact that there were cubs in her house again, but in the end, by the time James returned to pick them up at eight that evening, Allison and the little ones were baking cookies. Well, Jordan was helping her bake while Erin was getting flower all over her black fur.

Allison did ask to be able to watch them again in the future, and was granted her request.

.~*The Country Bears*~.

January 2005

It was already January 15th, and Tennessee was finally home. He would have been home sooner, but due to his injuries, he needed speech therapy and another surgery. Rather than driving back and forth, which took an hour each way, he and Trixie had opted to rent a small apartment in the city with a month-to-month contract. Thankfully, the price hadn't been too much, and they had been able to focus on his therapy.

Christmas had been quiet and lonely, and Henry and Al hadn't returned yet. But they returned for New Years with the news that Kenya would make a full recovery, that the bullet hadn't severed her spine, missing it by just an inch. There was still quite a bit of damage, but at least she could walk. She would be in rehab for about a month for her other injury to her chest and would hopefully resume deskwork within a month after rehab. Fieldwork would have to wait. The FBI wanted her back ASAP.

Kaspian was grateful that his little sister was all right, but he had been put on suspension for what he'd done with Cady. He was back at work now, though. He had managed to convince the FBI not to charge the base just yet, not until they had more information. He was taking the threat of the bombs in the base seriously. He had also learned that Dex and Roxi had disappeared.

Al had surprised them all when he'd brought home a beautiful she-panda named Faye Tality—Zeb had had a field day with that name. Even more exciting was the fact that Big Al was engaged to said panda. The two of them had explained how they'd met, fallen apart, and re-met years later. Everyone was enchanted by the story and sad to see Faye go on the fifth.

Ted hadn't gone to see Jade in over a month. He was embarrassed and hurt about what had happened, and was taking it out on everyone. Fred and Zeb had gone back to talk to Jade and apologize, but she still hadn't wanted to talk to Ted. Not yet, at least.

Tasha had returned to work at last and just in time before she would have been fired. Erin was settling into her new home quite nicely, and Jordan had returned to school. Thankfully, first grade wasn't too hard, so he quickly caught up. James was back full time at work, and made sure not to work on the days Tasha would be off; he didn't want her to be home alone just yet.

Allison and Norbert hadn't come back to the Hall, even though everyone thought that the humans no longer blamed them for what had happened. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Allison was going a bit mad knowing that she might never see either of her children again. The reasoning behind this was the incompetency of the FBI force. She simply could not believe that they had let Beary and Jewel slip through their fingers. On top of that, Roxanne and Dex were missing! So she was furious, and vowed never to come back, claiming that the Bears had destroyed her family.

Back to Tennessee and Trixie: They had come home just hours before and had put themselves in their cabin. Tennessee was taking speech rehab and would hopefully make a full recovery. For now, his speech was a bit raspy. Thanks to the therapy, however, he could at least make words.

Trixie sighed as she looked out the window. Her memory had slowly come back to her, and she remembered what she had done to her husband. She was miserable and didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure if Tennessee remembered what had happened or not, either. She knew she had to talk to him about it, but wasn't sure how.

"T-T'ix? Ya o-otay?" Tennessee wandered in, his voice shaking and screwed up. He was frustrated, but at least he could talk, even if he couldn't pronounce words correctly.

The golden she-bear looked back at him. "I'm… fine, Tenny."

He frowned. "No, ya nawt. Ta'k ta me, babe."

She looked down for a moment before gesturing for the bed. She sat down and patted the spot next to her. When Tennessee joined her, she turned to him. "Tenny… that injury to your throat…" She took a deep breath. "It wasn't by a dog… I… I did it… I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but it was me that bit your throat." She trembled, tears running down her cheeks. "I… I almost killed you!"

The memory rushed back and the brown bear frowned. He could remember her teeth in his neck, her anger, fear, sadness… It brought tears to his eyes. "T'ixie, it otay! I don't b'ame ya!" He ran a paw down her cheek.

"But I blame me! I almost ended your career! Your life! I attacked you!" Why was he saying it was okay? It wasn't! She'd almost murdered him!

"I fo'give ya!"

What? No! He couldn't forgive her! Not after what she'd done! She backed away, trembling. She couldn't understand.

He looked at her, confused. "T'ix?"

Trixie shook her head and whimpered. "I don't understand. How…? Why? Why would you forgive me?"

He moved closer to her, placing a paw on her cheek. "Becuz I 'ove ya."

"E-Even… Even after what I… What I did?"

"Of cou'se, 'ove. I wi' a'ways 'ove ya." He pulled her close and kissed her nose, staring into her eyes. His brown ones sparkled with mischief. "Nozzin gonna c'ange dat. I p'omise."

She smiled brightly and kissed him back, only harder and deeper. She needed him… so much. "I love you more, Tenny…" she murmured, lips pressed against his.

He deepened the kiss even further, his other paw raising up and holding her head close to him, his fingers tangled up in the hair. He pulled her back towards the bed…

.~*The Country Bears*~.

Jade sat in her computer chair finishing typing up the ad for the few convenience store windows she was given permission to put the paper ad in the window. She had her radio playing and turned it off when a Country Bears song started playing. "Bah. Don't need to listen to that crap. Not after what that… that… Oh, who am I kidding…?"

She felt broken since that fateful night that Tasha left; things had just taken a turn for the worst. She had had a fight with Ted, had been embarrassed… Had been seen, accidentally, naked in front of the band.

Jade felt alone and a little betrayed still, which was why the sudden idea of a roommate had come to her. She just hoped she wouldn't get a call from some slob or some creeper. Not that she couldn't handle it; she just wasn't in the mood to deal with them.

The black she-bear hit the print button, rolled her chair over to the printer, and grabbed the papers that it flung out at her. She then stood, left the room and got ready, leaving the house once done. She decided on walking. It was a decent January day and the sun on her sleek black fur kept her pretty warm.

She put several of the ads up in windows after asking the shopkeepers for permission. She also grabbed something to munch on, as well as stopped a few time to give a few homeless men and women a few dollars that she always had in her pocket.

A few hours later, Jade placed the last ad on a message board and turned to walk out of the store. She then paused and frowned. "Oh, what the hell. Might as well get the groceries." She spun around and got a cart, marching up and down the aisles, taking what she needed.

A pair of icy blue eyes surrounded by black rings peered over the shelves of cereal. Black ears flat, silver and black hair tied back, the she-panda spied quietly. Was it really her former friend? She hadn't seen Jade in almost ten years, not since she "left" for China, where she had spent the next five years before returning to the States. But, she doubted it. Probably just another look alike. But that scent...

"Hm. Frosted Cheerios or be playful and get Fruity Pebbles. Oh, the dilemmas that are me," Jade laughed lightly, grabbing both of them. She deposited them into the cart and looked up, jumping slightly when she noticed the eyes studying her from over the shelf.

The she-panda quickly dodged down out of sight when she noticed the she-bear looking around. She then hastily grabbed what she had come into the store to get—some pepper spray and pain killers, strong ones—and put it in her basket. She then proceeded to hobble down the aisle with her crutches, letting the loose clumps of silver-black hair fall in front of her face to hide herself. She was in a lot of pain now.

Jade, frowning, shook her head and continued on her way.

And as it just so happened, that they met at the end of the aisle.

Jade paused and looked at the she-panda for a moment. "Excuse me." Why did this she-panda look so familiar? "Wait a minute. Mysty? Méngméng Chūntiān?"

Méngméng stared at her, starting to panic slightly. If this wasn't Jade, what if it was one of Lì Měng's so-called friends?! She'd turn her over! Eyes full of fear, she attempted to back up and it didn't go over so well as she tripped and fell, knocking over a stand of postcards. At least she managed to avoid falling on her bad leg and hip. "Ō. Gāisǐ de."

Yup. It was her. Jade shook her head. "Still the same..." She helped Méngméng back to her feet, crutches and all. "How the hell did you end up out here? Last time I saw you, you were in Los Angeles. And what the hell happened to you? You just vanished." She studied the she-panda curiously. "You should be in a wheelchair with those injuries," she laminated, gesturing to the large cast on her left leg and the metal brace on her right.

"I... uh... Um.." She was a bit nervous. "Car was how I got here. As for my injuries…" She became guarded and distant. "Shìgù. Bìxū líkāi. I'm fine, Jade. Don't need a stupid wheelchair. Got crutches."

Jade looked at Méngméng, wanting to argue with her, but thought better of it. She could see her friend was in pain and wanted to help, yet didn't. "Well, then… How come you didn't come find me and let me know you were here? I missed you, Méngméng. Or do you still go by Mysty? You left me and Tasha without a word. Just up and disappeared on us."

"I go by Mysty right now, please. I wasn't... aware you were here," she lied. Not meeting her eyes, she began walking, limping heavily. Damn leg. "And I had my reasons."

"Yeah. Okay, Mysty. Just ignore me like I'm not even here..."

Méngméng looked back at her. "Sorry… I just want to get back to my car and sleep. Then search for an apartment and job."

The black she-bear's emerald eyes narrowed. What the hell had happened to her friend that now she has to sleep in a car? "Why the hell are you sleeping in your car?" Jade pulled the paper off the message board and handed it to her. "Consider this a better option."

"Wǒ méiyǒu shuì zài wǒ de jū," she lied again. Spotting Jade's glare, she repeated herself, this time in English. "I have not been sleeping in my car." She took the object and studied it. "But, uh... Jade..."

"Hm?" Jade went about loading the checkout with hers and Méngméng's purchases.

"I can't stay at your house. I can't afford it."

"The hell you talking about?" Jade chuckled. "There ain't no rent."

"But on here it says there is..." She frowned. "I don't want any charity, Jade." She sighed. Living there rent-free would mean she could focus on healing and relaxing after what had gone down between her and Lì Měng.

"No charity. That is what I gave that homeless man on the corner." She proceeded to pay, knowing that Méngméng hadn't yet realized what was going on. She was worried about her. Méngméng was a doctor. Why was she sleeping in a car? Why was she hurt? Why had she left L.A.? "This… This is a favor for an old friend."

Méngméng couldn't help herself as she wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly, and then flinched at the pressure on her ribs.

Jade laughed and shook her head. "Take it easy. Just focus on getting better, you. Now come on. Let's get this out to the car, all right?"

"Thank you, Jade. Tài xièxiè nǐle!"