Emotions are on the rise in this chapter. Just remember I only own Natasha, Boris, and any other characters I thought up for this story. Gabby belongs to Funkywatermelon, who I'd like to thank for letting me have her character guest-star here.

Cold.

That is how everything felt to Vitaly the second he heard...that name.

No, not again...this couldn't be happening again. Not after everything—the circus's revival, Natasha's return—had been going so well.

No!

He couldn't stand by and let everything crumble to pieces like last time! He wouldn't let that happen!

Except...what could he do against Boris?

Last time still made Vitaly cringe. He could still feel that monster's fingers on his neck, trying to squeeze the life out of him. There was no telling how much stronger Natasha's brute of a father became over the years.

Even though he knew couldn't let that monster near his wife, much less his family, that he must protect them no matter what, even if doing so would mean offering his life, he also knew that his sacrifice would allow Boris to take over.

Vitaly, seated in the darkness of his and his spouse's shared cab, gripped his head and gritted his teeth in frustration. 'What de 'ell must I do?!'

"V."

The tiger pointedly remained silent at the familiar voice that followed the light that flooded into his room. The one responsible merely rolled his green eyes in annoyance.

"Yo man, we gotta talk." With that sort of tone, the zebra meant business.

Vitaly shook his head, not in the proper frame of mind for one of Marty's pick-me-ups. "Dere is notheeng about which to talk, my friend. I already know what eez to be done."

"No, you do not." Vitaly jumped and twisted around at the sight of his wife, her sinewy arms set cross her chest in clear resolve, Marty looking no less resolute. "We are going to get through to you one way or another, so do not even bother trying to conveence us otherwise."

As her husband shook his head and turned away from them, Natasha softened her eyes in understanding. "It eez not just me you worry my father will take away again. Or family you fear he will take away this time. It eez you."

Vitaly rotated his head far enough that Natasha and Marty could see the puzzlement in his narrowed eye. "What do you mean?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Do you theenk I never bothered asking anyone how circus had been in my absence? Gia and Stefano told me everything. And I mean everything. You lost your drive because of fire ring, yes, but you truly gave up the second I vanished from your life."

"I know what you mean to say, my love...," Vitaly answered in a soft tone as he walked to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders, "and you are right. I was wrong to give up on whole circus, even if it was because I lost you."

His wife put one of her hands on his own and held it with a firm grip. "And you are wrong to do that now."

Her husband heaved a sigh once more and looked away, putting his hands away, even though he straightened his back during his admittance as well. 'Everything she says eez true. I am not coward; I'd rather let Boris or that madwoman Dubois take my life than lose my family because I am not brave enough. But I am no fool either; I cannot beat Boris with brute strength alone...How can I—'

Marty spotted the resolve in his friend's face the same time Natasha did. He stepped to his friend and eyed him with unusual sternness. "Just answer me this, V: why you gotta insist on doing things by yourself?"

"Because I—," Vitaly started off strongly, but when his tone lost its certainty, he paused to wonder. 'Actually, that eez good question.'

Why did the tiger insist on doing things alone? Was it a way of proving himself?

Vitaly never bothered to ask for help before, even prior to the fire incident and forced divorce that ultimately stripped him of his pride. Ever since childhood, he feared others would lose faith in him if they caught even the slightest sign of weakness. Yet by believing that, Vitaly unknowingly assumed the others were without will and character of their own.

Snarling at the others like a savage when they tried to comfort him...

Never listening to Gia's insistence to change how the circus fared...

Throwing knives at Stefano and restraining the sea lion's attempts to be friendly when Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria first came...

'I was no better than Boris.' The tiger tightened his hands into fists in anger and disgust at himself. "Perhaps that is vhy I did not try to find you," he turned to his wife, his eyes wide with understanding and shame, "I could not save you by myself, but believed that depending on anyone else would prove to Boris I was weak after all."

"No," Natasha shook her head in adamancy as she cupped her husband's face in her hands, her eyes firm and wise, "he eez weak one, pining for strength and dominance just because he knows he could never win against all of us."

"And that's another thing," Marty added, "that guy doesn't know the first thing about having others who care about him." The grinning equine pointed a hoof to the towering tiger. "You do."

Vitaly looked between his wife and Marty in disbelief, struck speechless by the words he heard, and the more he stared into their eyes, the more he realized they were telling the truth. He didn't have to prove anything to the circus, not like he had to with the audience. He didn't have to prove anything to Gia and Stefano and Natasha and Marty and Alex and the rest of the gang.

They were his family. They were his answer.

He chuckled at his own pigheadedness. How could he have been so blind?

"You are right," Vitaly kissed his wife then clapped a hand on Marty's back, his actions brightening the atmosphere significantly. "He will not win, not this time."

"Vitaly..."

The trio looked to the still open door towards the source of the voice. It was Gabby, Gia and Alex flanking her on both sides. For the first time since she'd come here, the zebra, save for her still wide eyes, looked almost calm.

"He's here."

Fun fact: this chapter draws a little influence from "Don't Give Up", a duet song done by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. It's my theme for Vitaly because I believe it illustrates his struggle to regain his self-confidence and passion, as well as his general personality. In fact, the title even comes from a line from this theme.

Just an interesting tidbit to show you all a slice of my creative thoughts...

Now then, ladies and gentlemen, get to ready to rumble next chapter!