Kidnap her. Force her to stay with you. Keep her there until she realizes everything I did was a mistake. Good plan? Great plan.

000

She dreamed about him that second night. It wasn't like she wanted to, it just happened. Though, after waking up and recalling the details she found herself wishing she could forget the whole thing.

She had been sitting in her Arwing, the ship resting in Great Fox's hangar, meditating to herself and enjoying the small area of silence the cockpit gave her. She used to do it every so often when she longed for the solitude of a comforting and familiar space. But then, like in most dreams, things seemed to happen of their own free will. Before she knew it she was opening the canopy and jumping to the cold floor beneath her, an obvious destination in mind as the vixen straightened her stance.

She remembered looking around and seeing the familiar walls of the massive hangar, their gray tint lined with red and blue stripes leading along the middle until reaching the control room. She had started walking towards the stairway that led up to the bridge, taking time to flick her tail around her side and grab it in her paw while she walked, stroking it and making sure it was fluffy and clean. But...why? Who cared?

Of course, being in a dream, she couldn't ask herself that question. Instead she could only follow her subconscious as she made her way up the stairs and out along the bridge. The vixen paused there, though only for a second, before turning to the right and heading for the lounge. Up until that point things had consisted of events that she could have once called a daily routine.

It didn't last, however.

No sooner had she rounded the corner and entered the lounge did she see him. The vulpine who had, in the waking world, caused her so much pain and suffering, and who now forced her to stay with him on his ship for reasons she refused to believe. There he stood, his side turned to her, calmly and casually looking out towards the television with his arms crossed in front of his chest. It was then that some aspect of her truly realized she was dreaming. In reality Fox hadn't looked so...normal. He didn't appear so happy and content with himself. Plus, he'd locked her away from the rest of the ship to keep her from escaping, yet minutes ago she had been sitting in her Arwing in the hangar.

So this was fake...and a small portion of her even acknowledged that. She knew this was a dream, but not enough so to end it. Not enough to stop what happened next.

His ears flicked in her direction when he finally noticed her presence, the vulpine's body quickly following suit as he turned to face her. But where she expected to see that same defeated, sorry, guilty look that he'd been wearing for the last two days, she instead received a smile. Rather than flinch away at the death glare she thought she was giving him, he stepped forward, unfolding his arms and letting them fall to his side. Immediately that small spec of her mind that knew this was a dream told her to sneer at him. Her heart told her to reflect the anger and hatred towards him that she could so easily muster forth in order to remind the vulpine how much she still despised him for what he'd done.

But instead of doing any of that, she found herself stepping forward as well. A smile of fell across her lips as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. She wasn't able to punch and slap and hurt him like part of her wanted to. Not now, not in this place. She couldn't force the words out of her mouth that would have voiced her pain and heartache because of him. Instead, the only thing her maw ended up doing was locking against his own as the vulpine leaned down and pressed their muzzles together.

Her paws clenched the fabric of his white jacket, pulling it tight as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall against the vulpine. She answered the kiss with all that she could, wanting nothing more than to stay like this for the rest of her life. All the while her body was fighting an internal battle unlike any other. Half of her hated it. She despised this and wanted to shove him away. She didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this! She didn't want him to kiss her and she didn't want to kiss him back.

She didn't love him anymore.

But the half of her subconscious that apparently had jurisdiction over the dream was all for it. This was what she wanted! This is what she'd been hoping for all along! Finally things were as they should be! He hadn't screwed up. He hadn't made those mistakes that would ruin both their lives. He'd actually done what was truly best for her, and for that she did love him. She had only wanted to be with him, on his team, by his side, there to protect him no matter what. She did love him, regardless of how much hate and anger still managed to overshadow the feeling.

Ultimately though she didn't know what to make of it. The hurricane of emotions and feelings being tossed around within her was impossible to conquer and, before long, despite the absolutely amazing rush she got from it, she found herself hoping that he'd end the kiss. That the vulpine would just telll her what to do. How to fix everything and make the waking world as perfect as this one.

And for a second she thought her hopes had been answered. The vulpine gently eased away from her, arms still around her hips as he gazed down from above with such a look of love and care that she could only ease closer against him. She buried her muzzle in his neck and relished the feeling of his fur against her snout, inhaling deeply and breathing in his scent, loving how it smelled and wishing that it would stay on her for the rest of her life. Even the spec of herself that knew this was a dream, the part of her that still hated Fox for hurting her like he had, seemed to fall silent now. It was almost as she was willing to forgive him for what he'd done.

As long as the rest of her life was like this.

Reality, however, didn't plan on allowing that. She'd only remained snuggled up against him a few seconds longer before looking back up at the vulpine, longing to see that look in his eyes that she used to know, but instead getting nothing. His arms were no longer around her and his body now faced away. His head was bowed as he resumed the same stance he'd had on that fateful day he'd forced her to leave. No words were spoken, but she knew what this part of the dream represented. Once again that anger and pain filled her heart and mind.

She reached out for him, out of frustration and love, desperate to keep this from happening again. But no sooner had her paw touched his shoulder did the vulpine vanish, disappearing before the vixen in a black wave of despair and leaving her to stand alone. Left there again, unsure of what to do, she called out his name once...then twice...but knew it was all for nothing. He wasn't coming back.

She fell to her knees, tears running down her face as she quietly cried to herself. Every fiber of her being hated that she had to relive this horrible experience once again. Only seconds ago she had been so happy and carefree, so protected and loved. But now she felt nothing of the sort. Now she was cold and abandoned. All because of him.

Again.

Her eyes slowly opened, looking past a mist of tears at the black ground beneath her and resting on a rose that had appeared before her. For the next few seconds she could only look it over, aware of what it represented but feeling no better because of it. Then, just as she started to reach out for it, another object appeared. The vixen couldn't help but sharply inhale at the sight of it, her mind briefly getting lost in the slew of memories that came as an addendum, before looking back at the rose beside it. She knew what was happening. The question was far too obvious.

Panther's rose or Fox's reflector?

She bowed her head at the ultimate realization behind the two. She'd never be happy with Panther. But after what Fox had done, even if she did still love him, would it ever work? Did it matter which one she picked? If this was just a dream then who was she proving a point to other than herself? Or...was that the purpose?

The longer she sat there on her knees, staring down at the two objects with tear-filled eyes, the harder it was to see past the darkness around her. It was as if her subconscious was trying to tell her something that she was already well aware of. She was running out of time. But even though she knew that to be the case she still couldn't bring herself to choose one over the other.

That was, until a soft, strong, and beautiful voice spoke gently into her ear..

"I'm sorry Krystal."

Her eyes flashed open. The blackness had nearly consumed everything around her by now, including both of the objects she'd been torn between. There was no hesitation now though. The vixen lunged forward, grabbing the reflector and clutching it against her chest with both paws as the wave of blackness washed over her, all the while the vulpine's voice softly murmuring in her ear.

"For everything."

000

He figured he'd made a little progress after day one, if only because sometime late that afternoon he'd heard the vixen's door open. Seconds later she'd padded down the hall and entered the lounge, refusing to look at him and instead carrying her plate and glass into the kitchen before placing them in the sink. Then, still refusing to acknowledge him, she'd returned to her room and. Not a word was spoken...not that he'd expected anything different.

She's willing to eat. That's good, right?

Only one other time that night did he see her. Earlier that day he'd searched through his closet for some decent clothes she could wear. Unfortunately they were all his. She'd taken everything with her when he'd kicked her off the team, including his will to live. Regardless, he'd entered her room and simply placed them on the foot of her bed.. Knocking was pointless now, regardless of what she might be doing inside. If anything it was for the best, just in case she was trying something that involved escaping.

He still hated thinking about it like that. She wasn't his prisoner, he refused to call her that. She was more like an...endangered species. A species so rare, so beautiful and timid, that he couldn't afford to let it out of his sight less she be harmed or killed. Of course, considering she came from the now non-existent Cerinia, that was somewhat the case. Not that it relieved any of the guilt he felt.

Day one had come and gone. She hadn't said much to him, and what she did say was with a cold and hateful tone which made him cringe and bow his head. He knew he deserved it. Part of him still hoped that, in time, it would wear off and that she'd come around, but how long that would take he had no clue. At this pace he figured it would be a few hundred thousand years, and he didn't have that much time.

Not just because he'd definitely be dead, but because the ship was running on fumes right now. In addition to that, their food supplies were pitifully low. Even what they did have was close to it's expiration date, if not past it already. Still, he'd cooked breakfast for her yet again the next morning, walking to her room and inviting her to join him as before.

Her response was nothing short of expected.

"Leave."

He'd bitten his lip and bowed his head, accepting her answer without protest and turning back towards the lounge. Once again he'd eaten alone and once again he'd made her a plate and taken it to her. And that's where things were now.

The present.

I've got to get Great Fox to port. The ship's running on reserves right now and those probably wont last us any longer than tomorrow night. Not to mention we're out of food.

Keeping her with him was what he had to do, but at this point it was looking more like letting her go would be best for her. At least then she wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death, or starving. Of course, that wasn't going to happen. He'd lucked his way this far, he wasn't about to stop now.

Why didn't I plan this out better? I should have done all of this before kidnapping her!

He had to do something, and soon. If he could somehow get the ship to port on Corneria, refuel it, restock it, and get a few more 'necessary' things, then he could once again focus all his attention back towards Krystal. But until then he'd have more than one problem to deal with.

He was just about ready to confront the vixen and tell her his problem. The reasoning behind that being that perhaps she'd understand his situation and, by some unfathomable miracle, agree to stay on the ship while he left it in port for a few hours. But that would never happen. It didn't matter how well things between them got. No matter what happened the situation was still the same. He'd kidnapped her. He knew she'd waste no time in trying to escape the first chance she got. And once again, he couldn't blame her.

But he'd have to tell her. Taking Great Fox down to Corneria wasn't an option now. It was a necessity. The fact was, if he didn't do it one of two things would happen. They'd either have to call for help, in which case the vixen would most likely have him thrown in prison for doing what he'd done. Or they'd die. Be it from a lack of food, oxygen, or simply freezing to death in time.

The only choice he had that looked like it might work was to take the dreadnought to port and...well...

Force her to stay by my side the whole time we're down there.

He didn't know how she'd react to it, but common sense told him it wouldn't go well. Before all of this, taking the ship to port and spending the day with Krystal would have appeared more like a blessing than anything else. She would have smiled and laughed, stayed by his side and honored him simply with her presence. But this time was different. She'd probably waste no time in breaking free from him and getting lost among the dense Cornerian City population, only to run off and call Star Wolf for help, who would then proceed with beating the hell out of him.

Which he figured he deserved.

He deserved a lot of things.

Most of them bad.

From down the hall he heard her door open, the vulpine instantly looking up over the back of the couch and locking sight with the vixen as she stepped towards the lounge. The look she instantly shot him was par for the course lately, her gaze narrowed and filled with anger, but seemingly lacking. It was almost as if there was something else on her mind. Still though, it was enough to force his own line of sight away, as usual. Instead he found himself looking down and over her beautiful figure, that alone making him inwardly smile a little.

Though, the more he looked, the more that he noticed how ragged she appeared. Her purple and blue uniform was wrinkled and wherever her fur stuck out it appeared to be ruffled and unkempt, much like her hair. His gaze fell even lower, looking over the rest of her uniform and instantly feeling guilty as he realized she'd been forced to wear the flight suit for the past few days. He'd given her clothes to wear the night before but she'd yet to change bathe or change into them, apparently. It was as if she preferred to wear the one article of clothing she had that carried the scent of someplace other than here.

Finally he tore his gaze away from her and looked back ahead at the television, watching the vixen step into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. Just like the day before she placed the silverware and plates in the sink before pausing briefly, staring down at the floor and letting out a soft sigh, and turning back towards the lounge.

Should I tell her now?

You don't much time left. You've got to do it soon.

He knew his thoughts to be the truth but his body still refused to act on the words. It was because he had no idea what to expect. What Krystal truly thought of him, he didn't know. The way she treated him and looked at him, he knew it was with pain and anger, but at the same time he knew there still had to be a part of her that longed for what they used to have.

The question was, which one would come forth when she found out what he had to do? He realized, as he allowed her to cast another sad, yet cold, glance at him as she headed back to her room, that he was too afraid of knowing the answer.

The sound of her door opening and closing echoed across the quiet ship, the only other noise coming faintly from the tv which, at this point, he knew he needed to turn off to conserve what power he could. Then, as if to reinforce the thought, he raised his gaze to the ceiling as the lights above him flickered once. Just once. But still more than they should have, and he knew why.

I'm out of time. I've got to take Great Fox into port within the next few hours. If I don't get some fuel in the tanks soon we won't have enough power for re-entry. But should I tell her?

Or should I just do it?

As if fate was ready to answer his question he once again heard the vixen's bedroom door open and close. He was then mentally preparing himself to just spill his situation to the female fox and let the chips fall where they may. He didn't bother looking over the couch at her this time, figuring she was returning to the kitchen for something else. She certainly wasn't going to join him for quality time, of that he was sure.

But where her footsteps should have grown louder as she approached him, he instead found himself perking his ears back in the direction of the hallway as they came to a stop. He waited a few seconds more before finally leaning back and looking around the side of the couch. Almost the exact second later he heard the sound of another door opening, this one much closer. He just did manage to catch a glimpse of her, only barely seeing the clothes he had given her the night before clutched in one paw, as she stepped into the bathroom.

He watched as her tail disappeared before the door closed, the vulpine's heart instantly beginning to race as he saw his opportunity come forth. But he had to be sure. He stood up and made his way to the hall, stopping at the corner and placing a paw on the wall as he perked his ears and listened for one sound in-particular.

He waited a few minutes, faintly hearing the sound of the zipper that ran up the back of her flight suit coming undone and allowing the vulpine's mind to picture the scene of absolute beauty on the other side of the wall. Then came the bustle of clothing as it hit the floor, now all but completely convinced that she was doing exactly what he thought she was.

Finally the sound of running water reached his ears. The conditional imagery that was picturing her angelic form standing within the falling water filled his mind for a few seconds before he manged to snap himself back into reality.

She's taking a shower. If I'm going to take the ship into port I might as well do it now. It'll be better this way. I can tell her when she gets out.

Stubbornly telling himself that this was the best choice, he turned away from the hall and headed for the bridge. All the while he couldn't help but hope and pray that Corneria's capital city was on the same side of the planet as he was. He didn't know for sure how much power the ship had left, though he was sure it wasn't much. But all he needed was enough to land in the bay outside of the city, afterward he could get a ship to tow him to port if needed. Once there he could get all the fuel the dreadnought could hold.

That's the "easy" part. What about gathering food and supplies? I can't possibly leave her here alone. Krystal is far too smart, she'll find a way out...and if she does I'll likely never see her again.

You've got to take her with you.

But she'll just try to escape then too.

Not if you won't let her. Think!

After the thought had left him the vulpine's mind flashed back into his bedroom, picturing the dark green military chest that sat in the floor of his closet. In it resided a lot things. Blasters, grenades, aid kits, medicine, ammunition, all for emergency purposes. But there was something else in there. Something rather outdated and more used for fun rather than actual work..

Holocuffs.

Then she really would kill me.

But she couldn't run away, and no one would be able to see them.

It would look pretty obvious!

It's Cornerian City, the most crowded place in the universe, you can hide it.

And if she starts asking someone for help?

You can come up with a solution. Say something to her that will keep her quiet. Use your head!

The sick feeling in his stomach only seemed to grow as his thoughts battled out the idea in his mind. The holocuffs weren't a terrible idea, but they would just reinforce the guilt he felt for doing this. To handcuff the vixen's wrist to his own, it just made her look more and more like his prisoner, and he hated that. But what choice did he have? And what could he possibly say to her that would be influential enough to keep her from crying out for help among all the citizens and animals they'd be around?

There's no way this will work. She hates me too much. I've hurt her too bad. She'll try to escape the first chance she gets. And I can't blame her.

Maybe. Or maybe she'll go with it. You have to try.

His mind couldn't help but return to a better time. A time when they'd go to port together on a monthly basis. When he'd take her to meet his friends at the academy, and show her the city that he'd called home for the majority of his life. She'd stayed by his side then.

Whose to say she wouldn't do the same now?

000