Author Notes: Hey everyone, it's nice to be back posting and whatnot and it's even more amazing that so many still support my stories. A lot has happened, I'm now in my second year in Game Design at FullSail University and this is a story a friend has been helping me mull over in my down time. I have a good number of chapters already pre-written so I'll post a new one every once in a while, this way it'll give me time to do other things. Hope to keep hearing from you all, and hope you enjoy the story. Thanks for the buttloads of support...

The Footsteps in the darkness ~ SkullFox

Chapter 3

Falling into Place

The sound of metal tapping gently against a solid object caused Skye to sit up. She'd been amazed at how comfortable the plush sofa was in the McClouds's living room. Though she didn't recall covering up the previous night, she woke up wrapped in a light red blanket, that nearly appeared pink. She yawned as she sat up and pushed the blanket away from her. Looking across the room into the kitchen, she could see Fox McCloud sitting at the table with a small mug of coffee in front of him while he seemed to look over some papers. Krystal stepped around from behind him, kissing her husband before sitting down with her own cup...

"I think you were right Luv," She sighed, "Marcus seems to be just fine now that you've allowed him to work with Skye. The skills he is learning are building his confidence."

Fox chuckled lowly, "Yeah, but, I think it might have a little something to do with his teacher."

"She is very lovely isn't she?" The vixen replied, "I am not surprised that he is attracted to her. Unfortunately, I do not believe that she feels quite the same."

Fox sighed, "Yeah, I know, but, I don't think she's too interested. Sucks being rejected by someone but, it's a hard lesson but, it's one that Marcus is gonna have to learn."

Krystal sighed heavily, "I wish it wasn't so hard though. The poor dear is very sensitive."

Fox nodded, "Yeah I know...he's just like I was at that age. Too afraid to say anything."

Krystal laughed, "Luv, you were still like that when you met me. It took you four years to ask me out; but, perhaps you're wrong, people have a tendency to grow together. It is just as I told you when we began to date, if it is meant to be it will be," She sighed, "hello Skye, dear. If care to help yourself the coffee is quite fresh."

Fox turned to notice the canine standing in the doorway, "Light on your feet there," He chuckled, "so I guess you heard a lot of that?"

"You could say that," Skye replied as she moved around the kitchen before sitting at the table with a cup of her own, "but, from now on you may want to understand that I'm usually up at around five in the morning."

Krystal sighed, "I am sorry to make you lay there and hear that."

"No..." Skye smiled, "I understand, Marcus is your son, why wouldn't you worry about him? So, if it comes down to him asking me. I'll just tell him the truth. That I'm not looking for that sort of thing right now. There's just too much that I want to do with my life that I haven't had an opportunity to do yet."

Fox nodded, "That...is a very grown up comment. So in response to that, I want to talk to you about that list you're compiling for me," He said, "it's a bit on the short side, but, I've noticed that Art's name is on there. You got any other ideas?"

Skye sighed heavily, "Some, but, making that list is a little harder than I imagined,."

"You haven't signed it yourself?" Fox asked, "most in your position would have."

Skye shook her head, "S'kinda bias isn't it?" She asked, "I mean, that would be like me grading my own test. Of course I'd score myself higher than I actually got, I'd wanna pass."

Fox smiled, "Skye," He sighed, "don't take this the wrong way, Marcus is a good kid, and a great person, but, he mentioned that you've been trying to find your real parents. Is this true?" He smiled, "He thought I might be able to help."

Oddly the canine sighed, "I've been searching for years but, I've never found even the slightest traces. From what I was told, normally there is some sort of record of a parent that gives up their kids for adoption, but, the matron of the Orphanage says that I was just left there. I've been to a hospital a thousand times over but, with all the blood work that they've done on me...they claim that my DNA record matches the Skyes'. I don't have to tell you just how ridiculous a set up that is."

Fox sighed as he looked to Krystal, "Skye..." He shook his head, "...you weren't just dropped off," He said, "this is all supposed to be confidential but, this just isn't right."

Krystal placed a hand on top of Skye's, "We knew your parents, your real parents," She smiled, "you have no idea how much you look like your mother..."

Fox laughed, "Yeah, unfortunately you inherited your old man's attitude."

Skye looked to Fox intently, "Wh-why wasn't I told any of this?"

Fox shook his head, "It wasn't intentional kid, believe it or not all of this was for your own good."

"How?!" Skye demanded.

Krystal looked into her cup, "Kala...your mother. She was held in the hospital on Macbeth a few days after your birth. There was a complication, and they had to keep her for observation. Your father had taken you out into the woods for the night," She said, "a ritual that his family had always believed gave a person a fierce spirit."

"Unfortunately," Fox shook his head, "your mom had already been murdered by the time he got back to the hospital...the hit was intended for him. That was when we took you and your dad in for a while."

"What happened?" Skye asked.

"Something called TWS," Fox replied, "Travor Walies Syndrome. It's a virus that eats away lung tissue," He sighed, "it's a fairly nasty way to die. We're still not sure how he contracted it but, the tests said that you were safe. Once we found out that his family was the target of the hit that killed your mother...we had to do something..." He chuckled, "...but, like always your dad was a few steps ahead of me. He'd already set up your adoption with an Orphanage. He made me swear that I'd never say a word of this but, you deserve to know who he was. That's why I'm gonna leave this up to you, I promised that I'd never tell you your real last name because as soon as it gets out they'll know who you are and where to find you. They'll definitely come to kill you; but, I never told him that I wouldn't take you to see him once he was gone. So if you really think that you're ready to deal with it...I'll take you to see your parents. That way you learn the name yourself..."

Skye thought for a minute, "You'll do that?" She asked causing Fox to nod in reply, "but, then I'll be a walking target?"

Fox nodded, "Like I said...if you want. You can live a nice long life as Summer Skye, or you can learn the last name that got your mother killed. Maybe end up laying beside them."

"Of course I want to know," Skye replied, "it's something that I've wanted to know since I was little. Wouldn't you?"

Fox nodded, "Of course I would. I just want you to promise me something."

Skye nodded, "Whatever you want."

"Don't let anything you learn at that cemetery change who you've become," He said, "that's something neither of them would have ever wanted."

"I promise." Skye replied.

"I'm gonna hold you to that..." Fox said, "...but, if that's the case we should go, while it's still early."

Taking nothing with him, aside from a loving kiss from his wife, Fox headed outside to his car, with Skye not far behind. There was nothing really said between the two, there wasn't really anything to be said. The trip was nothing but a long, painful wait for Skye. She'd wanted to know who her real parents were for what felt like forever, and yet, her answer to all those questions and those late nights had been right in front of her all this time. True she'd only just recently met the McClouds but, she'd always suspected that something was up with her adopted parents. She'd brought the subject up several times, which would usually cause Jonathan and Myra to just change the subject, usually rather quickly. As obvious as it had all been, she didn't seem to realize that, maybe there was a reason why everyone seemed to hide it from her. Regardless, she still said nothing as the vehicle headed to the last place she'd ever expected. A cemetery located at the top of Notting Hill.

The Notting Hill Memorial was known especially well among military families; when a soldier died in the line of duty, or a mercenary from the older days was found to have died in a righteous cause, they were buried in the Notting Hill cemetery. There was an amazingly somber air of peace that enveloped the hill of stone markers and wildflowers, it felt as though the young canine could feel that these people all rest in complete peace. However, Fox's steps carried him through endless rows of gravestones that went on as far as her eye could see, as they followed a path that cut through the isles of graves, Skye took notice of their destination. A very solemn tree that rested at the very peak of the hill. It was an old tree, half dead, yet still bearing lovely blue blossoms. It was as they finally stepped to the plots located under the tree that she began to notice something. The stones all lay in a circular pattern here, revolving around the tree...

"These all say McCloud." Skye pointed out.

Fox shook his head as he stepped to a pair of stones that were placed very close to one another, "All but two. This is my family's plot, there are six generations of my family on this hilltop, and one generation or yours."

Skye stepped to the two graves but, where the falling rain had spattered the headstones with mud had made the names completely illegible, "Someone's been bringing fresh flowers here..." She said as she knelt down wiping off the name of one stone, which caused her to fall back onto her backside with her hands over her mouth.

"Wolf died...pretty shortly after you were born," Fox sighed as he knelt down and shook off the flowers that lay on the old wolf's grave, "Krystal and I visit as often as we can. Not many people knew O'Donnell the way I did after the Aparoid Invasion. Fighting for the right cause for once in his life...it changed him."

Skye looked up to the old fox, "But...I'm not a wolf..."

Fox shook his head, "Neither was Kala. They were both born on Macbeth, but, when Wolf finally went back there looking for his family. He found her..." He chuckled, "...his ship's engines malfunctioned. He was trapped in the cockpit, emergency latch got jammed in the crash. Once your mom noticed that someone was trapped inside, the fact that the ship could have exploded at any moment didn't bother her. She'd been out chopping firewood, hacked through the glass with her axe and dragged his ass out of there before he managed to be burned alive," He chuckled, "Wolf said that when he woke up three days later, saw your mom smiling at him. He knew he'd be stuck with her for the rest of his life. By the time I saw him again, Kala was pregnant, and he'd started working as an Enforcer of all things," He sighed laying the flowers back down, "nobody fought harder for a second chance than your dad did. He earned every fleeting year of happiness he had with your mom...and when you were born, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who was more proud of someone who's only abilities at the moment were to cry and poop."

Skye seemed completely stricken, she clearly couldn't say or do anything, she simply sat there in the mud studying the two stones in front of her...

"Listen..." Fox said laying a hand on her shoulder, "...don't let anything you've heard about Wolf determine your opinion of him. He was just a victim of the Mercenary Code. Never abandon your job, or your team. He may have sided with Andross once or twice, but, when Lylat really needed him...he was right there with us, ready to die for every living person in this star system. People can say what they want to about O'Donnell, but, they'd best say it nice and far away from me."

Fox sighed as he realized she still wouldn't move, "Look, we have to get going...I've got a meeting to get to and..."

Skye shook her head, "No...I wanna stay, just for a little while."

Fox nodded, "I don't blame you," He replied, "when you're ready to head back to the house, I'll be waiting at the car. I'll give the three of you some time alone."

Fox simply waited, it would take some time for Skye to come to terms with what she'd learned. He imagined that it would have to be hard on her to come to grips with learning such a thing all of a sudden. One of the most spoken of criminals in all the Trinity Accord turns out to be your father, it would have that effect on just about anyone. When she finally did return to the vehicle waiting for her, it was clear that she'd been crying. The fur beneath her eyes was matted and wet, and her eyes were red and bloodshot. Though she would have expected otherwise, Fox didn't say a word as they headed back toward the McCloud residence. However, it was as Fox pulled the vehicle into the drive that Fox sighed...

"Mister McCloud..." Skye suddenly spoke up, "...when you get back. Do you think you could tell me about my parents? I want to know more about my father, stuff that isn't written by people that hated him."

Fox nodded, "If that's what you want. I'd be more than happy to. I don't think anything would make Wolf happier than to have you hear about the real him."

That day there was a noticeable change in Skye's pattern of behavior, instead of pushing Marcus into his training, she seemed to drag about as she, most often, simply sat by. After hearing the truth, she wasn't fully certain what it was she thought. Wolf' O'Donnell, in his time, was one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy...yet, Fox had spoken so highly of him. He brought flowers, he taught her the truth. The only question that still nagged at her aching mind was...why? Why did this all have to happen to her? Why did she have to know? It felt like years passed as she simply sat there in the McClouds's living room. Several times Marcus attempted to get her attention, but, every time there seemed to be nothing there but an empty shell as her body seemed to be separate from her mind. Krystal even attempted to talk to her, but, until Fox managed to step through the front door, there was nothing for her to react to...

After Fox arrived, the day panned out just as he promised it would. She learned of things her father had done in his life; some horrible, others not so bad. She heard about his time with Fox's father as a Viper. By night time she had heard everything about the life of Wolf O'Donnell; how he helped with the Aparoid Invasion and the Anglar Blitz, that he died a hero instead of the criminal that he was known as.. It all boiled down to the moment that Fox lay something on the table they all sat at, and unrolled the velvet cloth around it. From the cloth a black combat knife with a wooden handle and tanto-style blade rolled out in front of Skye. It's wooden handle was embossed with a symbol of a Viper coiled around a dagger. The symbol had a ribbon that stretched above and below it; the top ribbon housing the name Wolf, the bottom marked with O'Donnell...

"First rule a Viper learns," Fox chuckled, "blades never run out of bullets. I've got one a lot like it, but, mine was made about ten years later. My dad was older than him, he was older than me. I think about twenty years separated us, but, I think in those last few years I couldn't have had a closer friend. I guess you could say I'm returning the favor, see he taught me everything about my own old man that I never knew."

"Dad used this?" She asked running he fingers over the black tinted steel.

Fox nodded, "Yeah, that knife gave me a few scars actually. Mine did it's toll of damage to Wolf too. It was a fight he and I got into when Krystal and I split up for a few years. We didn't get along so well back then, " He laughed, "we were shit face drunk...he threw a punch at me...I took a swipe at him with my knife. He came back, that bar looked like hell when the Enforcers finally pulled us apart. I'd been stabbed twice, and lost a piece of my right ear..." He said pointing out the missing tip of his ear, "...Wolf lost a pinky on his right hand, got his nose sliced open pretty bad. Stabbed a few times himself..." He laughed even harder, "...I think we finally reconciled our differences when I was put in the same cell with him. Stitched up and barely able to fucking move. Nothing to do in that cell but talk to each other. That was when we started to see...to see what we were doing to each other. One pointless fight after another, just because someone paid us to hate each other. That was always the downside to being a merc...you could kill your best friend, before you ever got the chance to meet him."

Skye chuckled as she looked over the knife, "Mister McCloud..." She sighed, "...I think I've decided something."

"What's that?" Fox replied.

Skye smiled, "I want to sign my own name to that list I'm working on...but, only if you'll take my real name."

"I don't think it would be right any other way," Fox replied as he stood up, "well, we've wasted a lot of daylight. Who's hungry?" He asked.

Though it took another two days, Skye's demeanor seemed to slowly return to normal, something about her constant carrying of her father's knife in a small holster buckled to her thigh seemed to give her the little piece of herself she had always been missing. She took to the name O'Donnell as if she had been with it for always, it was only clear that such was her birthright. She was clearly her father's daughter. Her difficulty on Marcus did not improve, rather it seemed to intensify. Yet, at the end of each day, she still seemed to be the very same person that had come to them beaten and battered. Fox reminded her repeatedly of how proud her father would have been, to see how little she let things change her outlook, or the way she was. He had feared that knowing she was an O'Donnell would change her some way or other, but, he was happy that she decided to remain who she was. Unfortunately in those two days she returned to her other obsession...the list.

Her mind wouldn't allow her to forget the fact that someone had clear ability with a computer; ability so good that they could actually baffle the military and the Enforcers. She wanted the Circled Cross on her list, even if she didn't know who he or she was. Nobody was perfect however, even the Circled Cross, something had to be left behind, there had to be some kind of sign, a footprint that he hadn't covered up. However, something else plagued her mind. It was several days after learning of her heritage, when she spotted something that angered her to her core. She had continually wondered what had happened to her T-board after she was attacked by Robert Caruso, until a Thursday afternoon when she was heading into town, only to watch the feline shoot by on her T-board. Though she hadn't spent enough time for the board to have any direct, sentimental value, it was hers, and the fact that he had tainted it by even touching it made her blood boil. After watching him quickly whip into a small diner, just down the street the canine pulled her father's knife from it's sheath only to stare at the blade for a moment...

"What would you do?" She asked, "what would an O'Donnell do?" She thought for a moment before nodding and sheathing the knife, "I think I have a good idea."

It was clear enough to her that Caruso had not noticed her as he passed her by, considering the fact that he wasn't watching the door of the diner. It was a fairly simple little place, a long stretch of counter lay in front of a long row of stools were people would sit and eat their food. Unfortunately, as the black feline sipped at a cup of what was most likely coffee, something slammed into the back of his head, causing his face to impact the counter crushing the cup beneath his face. As he cried out in pain, the canine yanked back on his hair bending him over the stool so that he could see the one that had attacked him. This time as Robert reached for his baton and swung it up toward Skye's face however, he found the weapon quickly stripped from his hand, before she rapped it across his abs...

"I bet it felt pretty good beating on a female with this didn't it you piece of shit?" She asked making certain everyone in the room could hear her, "I could pick you apart right now, and you know it...but, I'm not gonna. Instead I'm gonna let Marcus beat the black off of your sorry hide," She smiled, "that way everyone can see the sorry little bastard you really are. So let me just give you a little pointer...Marcus doesn't beat you, I won't do a thing but, WHEN he does, I'm gonna use this," She said waving the baton in his face, "to do to you exactly what you did to me..." As he struggled a small thumb drive fell from his pocket with the name Lamont etched across the front of it, "...so you're a thief and a piece of shit," She said picking up the drive and shoving it into her own pocket, "well...I'm gonna be taking my board back now, and the next time I see you, if you so much as make eye contact with me...I promise you that I will break every bone in your body. Enjoy your meal."

With a quick motion the canine swung the feline's face back up and into the counter, where she left him to lay. She hadn't done any damage that would be there when the feline would be sparring with Marcus, after all she wanted to watch Marcus beat him without any help. It was as she stepped out the door that two familiar young males nearly ran into her. Recognizing them as the two that acted as Caruso's twin shadows she quickly snapped her T-board to it's full position before leaping onto it and speeding off. As she headed off back toward the McClouds's house, she wondered why it was the prick had actually taken something as useless as a thumb drive from Lamont. Skye actually sighed contently as she finally leaped from her board, before folding it up and placing it next to the door inside the living room. Taking note that nobody seemed to be around, the canine made her way to the door that led down to the basement; it was an enclosed staircase that led to a small door just near the kitchen. Oddly she never saw anyone actually go in, accept for Lamont who often came up stairs for nothing more than a bit of food. As she stepped down into the dark area she found nothing but a dark room, spare for a single corner where a bed was surrounded by computer screens and a single bed, where a familiar looking spotted fox lay. A strange, green screen, shaped like a visor stretched over his eyes, and he didn't seem to be moving...

"Lamont?" She called, "that is your name isn't it?" She paused as she received no reply, "Hello..."

"What are you doing in here?" The still vulpine demanded.

Skye pulled out the thumb drive, "I ran into Robert Caruso, he dropped something that I think may belong to you."

The screen over his eyes suddenly retracted into a small disk he wore on the right side of his head before he set the object down, once he saw the drive he rushed over taking it from her and jamming it into one of his many computers, "This is it..." He said, "...you said Robbie had it?" He asked, "When he jumped me I thought I lost it...I spent days looking for it."

The canine started about the room, "Wow. You could probably hack any system in Lylat with this set up."

"Listen..." The cheetah, fox said, "...I should have said this a long time ago but, thanks for stopping that dick, and I'm sorry for what he did to you, I'd have stopped him but, I'm not allowed to fight."

Skye suddenly noticed what seemed like a rounded scar on each of his shoulders, "Neural Links?"

Lamont nodded as he felt the scars, "Yeah, oddly enough dad has the same scars. Just different circumstances. Dad was in an accident when he was flying for the military and had his arms ripped off. Mine were eaten away by some sort of bacteria called "Fibrosydrosis" most people just call it Bone Rot. Like Gangrene but works from the bone marrow outward. I got lucky and they managed to just take my arms..." He sighed as he put on a gray tank top, "...before mom died, I was forced to use a Link system like this one," He said pointing to the computers around him, "to do most everything. We didn't have much money, till mom developed Meningitis. Once she died, dad started working pretty hard, he's still trying to pay off the surgery. Mister McCloud offered to pay the bill, but..." He shook his head, "...dad can be pretty stubborn."

Skye chuckled as she noticed something, it was a strange little thing that nearly went unnoticed to her. His scar resembled a familiar shape...

"So how long have you been hiding this from The McClouds?" She shook her head, "Circled Cross...it's an interesting name. Come up with it yourself?"

Lamont narrowed his eyes at the canine, "What are you talking about?"

"You got the symbol from the scar on your arms," She pointed out, "didn't you? Secret's safe with me so don't worry about it. Maybe you can do something for me though. Do you think you can find me any relative information about the O'Donnell family?"

Lamont sighed, "Blackmail?"

Skye shook her head, "No, I just need to know everything about that family name. Consider it a favor for my taking that beating for you."

Lamont nodded, "In that case I think I might be able to look something up. I'll bring the information up to you later tonight or early tomorrow morning."

Skye smiled, "Well if it's in the morning, it'll have to wait. I've been slaking off on Marcus's training."

"Actually," Lamont replied as he sat there, "he's been training every morning. I heard his mom saying that he needs to take it easy, but, he won't slow down. Fox seems to think he's trying to prove something."

Skye sighed, "Yeah I think he just might."

Skye made her way up stairs, she was certain that's where he was after all the training they'd been through together recently. As she'd figured she found the young fox laying face down, in his bed. She wasn't surprised that he'd been working so hard, after all the things that she'd said about being strong. His trying so hard was clearly the effect of what she had heard from his parents in the kitchen...

"Hey," His muffled voice spoke into the pillow under his face, "I'd look at you but, I can't move my neck."

Skye chuckled, "I told you that'd hurt in the morning," She sighed, "Marcus, is there something that you might wanna tell me, or even ask me? Cuz something tells me that you're keeping something from me."

Marcus sighed into the pillow, "Mom and dad?"

Skye smiled, "They didn't know I was awake."

"What'd you hear?" He asked, a bit glad now that his face was hidden.

"Some things that I'd rather hear from you..." She replied.

Marcus actually managed to roll his head a bit until he was able to look at her, "Look...you don't have to explain it. I know it's stupid," He sighed rolling completely over to look at the far wall, "but, I can't help it. I've seen it all in your mind more times than I care to admit; you could never see me the way I want you to...just the same as I can never see myself they way you want me to."

"Then why are you pushing yourself like this?" Skye asked.

Marcus sighed again, "Because I thought..." He paused, "...thought that if I could look at myself and see my self the way you want me to. Then maybe...maybe you'd see me, the way I'd like you to see me."

Skye patted the fox's shoulder, "Marcus, you're thirteen...in another three or four years when you're a military flyboy. You'll forget all about me, and by that time you'll be beating ladies off you with a stick."

Marcus sighed, "You're wrong..." He replied, "...I don't think I'll ever forget about you."

The canine chuckled softly, "Alright, then let's say I make a deal with you right now..."

Marcus suddenly rolled over, "What kind of deal?"

"I can promise you that I won't date anyone in the next five years..." She said, "...if you still remember who I am when we run into each other. We can date, work together, hell we can do whatever the hell you want. Deal?" She asked holding her hand out to him.

Marcus sighed with a smile as he shook her hand, "Deal."

That night as Skye sat down on her bed, she reached for her list before jotting down the name Lamont Tasser. With his secret out to her, there was little he could do in the way of rejecting the idea. She'd also watched Marcus's mind be set at ease with her small deal, of course the idea had meant absolutely nothing, it was really just a way of telling him that it wasn't the end of the world. After all, once Marcus held up his end of the deal and helped her pass her flight course, she'd be able to graduate the academy mid-term...her dream of graduating from the academy was right around the corner...