Boxter paced his bedroom floor. He couldn't sit still. He couldn't sleep. Every time he lay down he felt an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. Droosha's side of the bed empty. And it would always be empty.

They'd come home hours ago. The family car had been barely drivable. Covered in snot, clawed up, and with a massive dent in it's side where Droosha had smashed Tara against it. Wackerman had driven them home in one of the police vehicles. He'd offered to stay, but Boxter didn't want his friend's company right now. He'd gone and locked himself in his bedroom, told the kids they could knock if they needed anything; he knew they'd be hurting too. He didn't want to shut them out completely if they needed him. But he needed to be left alone.

Boxter hadn't known what to do with himself. He'd walked into their wardrobe. Ran his hand along the row of Droosha's dresses, lingering over the feel of the material, her scent still on them. Felt the ache grow in his chest until he had to sink down at the base of their bed, hand to his mouth to stifle the sobs that rose unbidden from somewhere deep within him. He didn't know how long he'd sat there.

And then he'd hauled himself to his feet and started pacing. He couldn't give up on her. Not yet. He just needed to be able to touch her, without the overwhelming fear she would tear him to shreds. He'd do anything to touch her again.

So Boxter reached into his pocket and pulled out the faintly glowing syringe he'd picked up, the one Tara had shot at Kelly. He turned it over in his hands, and then placed it on his bedside table. And resumed pacing.

There were the kids. He couldn't abandon them. But neither could he allow them to grow up without their mother. And then there was Droosha. He didn't know where she was, but wherever it was she was alone. What he felt now, she'd be feeling that, a hundred times worse. And she didn't even have the kids. She would be utterly alone, and he couldn't do that to her.

Boxter sunk down onto the edge of the bed and pressed his balled up fists into his eyes. He thought of what Maz had told them. About the cross-species DNA. About the only subject that had managed to stay somewhat human. Or at least, well, a rat.

And then he looked back up at the syringe and his gaze hardened.

"Dad?" Guy pounded on the bedroom door and then pushed it open. The whole bedroom window was gone. Not just the window, but a heap of plaster from around it as well. Half of the wall was gone.

"What the…" said Kelly, jaw hanging open. "Do you think Mom was here?"

"Mom?"

"Well, there's a giant, snake sized hole in the wall, who else could it be?"

Guy stepped into the room and looked out the window. What was left of it anyway. There was a big dent in the back yard, the dirt and grass churned up, and a hole in the back fence. Or rather, the fence had been clean knocked over along a six foot length.

"Guy…" Kelly knelt down and picked up something from the bedroom floor. She came over and showed it to him.

"It's one of Tara's syringes, but it's empty."

Kelly grabbed his arm, and squeezed him so hard that Guy drew back with a yelp.

"Don't you get it?" she said, unfazed by the glare he gave her. "Don't you get what he did?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be dense! He turned himself into a monster too, for her."

Guy stared at her, then down at the syringe. "But… but what about us?"

His sister was grinning, even though she had tears in her eyes. "He's a genius…"

Guy could feel the lump in his throat again, but he couldn't help but laugh. "Dad, a genius, seriously? Well, yeah, I guess he can touch her now, and that's great, really. But if they're both monsters, what… what about us?" He swallowed hard and his shoulders slumped. He'd messed this up so bad.

Kelly grabbed him by the shoulders. "No, but remember what Maz said…"

"I thought you said Maz was talking crap?"

"Not that stuff about true love's kiss. Maz is a romantic, he just romanticised it…"

"Dad's a genius, and Maz is a romantic? What's gotten into you?"

Kelly was practically jumping up and down. Which made Guy feel worse, cause right now he just wanted a hug.

"Forget what Maz said," Kelly continued. "Professor Dyson said the only subject that didn't go full monster was the one that had its mate. So if Dad's there to keep Mom under control, and she can keep Dad under control… that's got to work, right? And Mom won't be scared of hurting him, cause he'll have the same powers as her."

"Maybe…" Guy finally felt a glimmer of hope, deep down inside.

"Dad turned himself into a monster to be with her, just so she wouldn't have to be alone. Guy, if he loves her that much, it has to do something, right?"

Guy felt a grin tug at his lips. Even as he felt completely stupid. "And I thought it was a bad idea letting him help SheZow. I need to find them."

"Yeah, and I'm coming too."

Droosha curled up against the cave wall. She'd wormed her way out of Megadale, out through the sewer system, all the way out to the surrounding countryside. Thankfully, this she had managed before things had really started getting cloudy.

She would be fine out here, out where she couldn't hurt anyone. Sure, she was dangerous. But there were plenty of dangerous animals in the world. Most were harmless if left alone. With any luck, she was far enough away from the city that this would be the case.

Even now her family were fading from her mind. Perhaps that too was for the best, but she still had to get through those few minutes, or hours, that completely turning would take. And her mind was still there enough to realise this was what was happening.

So Droosha pressed herself up into the great big hole in the cliff face she had found, and waited for those thoughts to fade. That seemed to be an inbuilt defence mechanism, making herself as small as possible and cramming herself into a hole. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, fighting back tears, and waited.

The sound of falling rocks, clattering down the hillside, came from outside. Droosha's eyes popped open and she automatically drew in a snort of air, testing it. It carried a smell that brought her head rearing upright, and her nostrils flared again. The part of her mind that was still there realised her animal side had sensed something important, but she was still not quite animal enough to instinctively know what it was. Following it seemed the thing to do, so she reared up and cautiously slithered outside.

The moon was out, lighting up the night sky and the outcrop of rock outside of her chosen home. And on that outcrop waited the most beautiful creature Droosha had ever seen. It's scales glittered a deep blue in the moonlight. The long spines that extended from its thick serpentine body were tipped in red. A crocodile head framed in an array of longer spines jerked alert as the creature saw her.

Droosha's nostrils flared again, and her head seemed to clear, her mind suddenly sharp and once again in control. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. She drew in a breath. "Boxter?"

Boxter grinned at her. At least, she figured it was a grin, he was all teeth as it was. He opened his mouth and let out a growl, then snorted in frustration at the sound. His lips contorted like he had something stuck in his teeth.

Droosha swallowed. "Enunciate, babe," she said. She didn't know what else to say.

Boxter grumbled again, opened his jaws, then: "Hey… oh… okay, now I've got it. Hey, sweetheart." Then he really did grin at her, and slid up a little closer.

Droosha looked him up and down. "Boxter, what did you do to yourself?"

He was a little bit taller than her, and he looked down his snout at her. "I figured it out," he said, moving his head to the side in a swaying motion. "Now I can…" He moved his tail, bringing it around and gently brushing it alongside hers. Their spines rattled in the night air, clacking over each other, but none fired. "Touch you." His snake body sagged a little with relief.

"But… but Boxter. You're a monster. What happened? Did Tara…"

"Forget about Tara; she did nothing. I found one of the syringes."

Droosha's heart was thudding in her chest. "You did this to yourself?"

"Hey, it's okay," Boxter grinned at her again. He moved a little around her, slithering along, swaying his head back and forth almost like he was trying to make his great big body dance. "I don't care if I'm a monster, as long as I'm with you."

Droosha twisted around to face him. He slithered back a bit, still bopping his head from side to side. She felt there were a million questions she should ask him, but his movements were far too distracting. All she could come up with was: "What are you even doing?"

"Not sure. Maybe I'm doing some sort of weird crocodile mating dance. I have no idea, I couldn't talk just a moment ago, and I'm still not sure where my junk is. Honestly, that's the only thing that has me a little nervous right now. Maybe I'm just really happy to see you. Come on, you know I'm a dork when I'm trying to be romantic."

Droosha swallowed hard. She couldn't think of anything to say.

That didn't seem to bother Boxter one bit. "Look at the stars; look how they shine for you…" he started to grate out. His growly, booming voice took on the slightest hint of a grossly mutilated tune. Like he'd ever been able to hit those notes anyway. "And all the things that you do; and… you were kinda yellow…"

"Thats not how it goes," Droosha choked. She drew in a breath. "What about the kids?"

Boxter's swaying stopped. "I couldn't let them grow up without their Mom."

"But, babe, now you're a monster too…"

"Yeah, but I'm not going full monster, am I? I don't feel like smashing things, or filling people full of spines. Not when I'm looking at you. And I bet you don't either."

"I…" Droosha drew in a breath. He was right. Only moments ago, she'd been convinced she was about to lose her mind completely. Now there was none of the haze, none of the latent rage lurking at the corners of her mind. "Maybe. But sweetheart, what if I hurt them like I hurt you? What if you do?"

Boxter nudged his nose up against her, reached out his clawed hands and grasped hers. "You won't. And yeah, okay, I know I took a risk. But we can work this out together. That's all we need to do. We'll keep each other sane until Guy's supercomputer finds a cure. I know it's not ideal, but neither's you disappearing for good."

"I would've been okay. I wouldn't have even remembered you," Droosha said, her voice wavering. "And you know how to take care of the kids, don't pretend like you can't cook, or…"

"Yeah, cooking's fine, if the kids really like eggs. But as soon as the washing machine broke and you weren't there to fix it I'd be crying in a corner…"

"Boxter… don't…"

Boxter's gaze softened. "Droosha, you are the toughest person I know. I know you could've survived out here. But I couldn't wake up every day without you, and know you were out here somewhere and had forgotten me. Besides I promised I'd stick by you for better or worse. And… hey… so we got worse… but I can't just leave you out here like this. I love you too much. Even if it means I have to look like this."

Droosha felt tears squeeze from her eyes. "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen, you great big dork. You got all the pretty colours and everything… that's just typical."

Boxter smiled at her faintly. "You look fine to me." He bumped his nose against her. "Hey, I love you."

Droosha choked over tears and pressed her head against Boxter's chest. Her tail wrapped up around his.

He squeezed her back with his too small arms, and lay his head over hers. "Hey, it's okay."

He'd done this for her. Of all the crazy, stupid, wonderful things he could've done. "You're an idiot," she sobbed into his chest, her whole body shaking. "You're such a big, beautiful idiot. I love you."

Boxter didn't reply, she could just feel him drawing tighter about her. Then something strange happened. Droosha felt her whole body shudder. She drew in a gasp. Oh goddess, what was happening now? "Boxter, what's…"

"I don't know," he grunted, clinging to her a little tighter.

It didn't hurt as much as when she'd changed the first time. That was what was happening, she was changing again; she could feel her body stretching and twisting, her spines drawing into her. And Boxter was changing too. They clung to each other, eyes squeezed shut tight, until that weird, prickly, painful feeling passed.

Droosha opened her eyes. They stood on the rocky outcropping, on their own two feet. Human feet. She took a half step back and looked down at her hands. Human hands. "What…"

Boxter rubbed at the back of his neck and winced. "Ow. Man, I did not expect that to happen twice in one night." He grumbled again and rolled his shoulders, then smiled crookedly. "Think my junk's back where it's supposed to be though."

Droosha gave him a half-hearted punch in the shoulder. "You knew that was going to happen!"

Boxter grew serious again, and looked down at himself. "I didn't, I swear. I just thought we'd keep each other sane, and have to live in the she-lair until Sheila found a cure. Guess Maz was right." He reached up and brushed a thumb under her damaged eye, and winced. "Guess monster crocodiles don't have healing powers."

"Sweetheart, its okay. After everything you've done it's really okay." Droosha's gaze wandered down to his shirt, and she reached out a hand for him. "Are you still…"

Boxter sighed. "Yeah." He unbuttoned his shirt, just enough for her to see the cuts and bruises beneath.

Droosha drew in a sharp breath and felt tears prick her eyes. She knew she'd hurt him, enough to put him in hospital, but seeing what she'd done made her chest ache. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I…" She reached inside his shirt and ran a hand gently over his side. He didn't flinch or pull back. She swallowed hard and pushed down tears. Then she put a hand to his cheek. "Boxter, I will never do this to you again. I promise."

"I know, sweetheart." Boxter leaned in and kissed her, drawing her close. Droosha slipped a hand down his side, moving past the damage so she could draw him to her tight without hurting him.

The growl of an engine cut through the night air. The SHE-C-10 was approaching from the direction of Megadale.

"Heh…" Boxter pulled back from her, smiling faintly. "That'd be right, wouldn't it?"

Droosha smiled back at him, and tugged his shirt closed, doing up his buttons. "Guess you'd better do this up."

The SHE-C-10 moved in on their location, and they both stepped back to allow it to land on the outcrop of rock.

"Mom!" Guy just about tumbled out of the SHE-C-10, ignoring Sheila's voice coming from the cockpit. She was telling him he was supposed to shut off the engines or something else silly. She could do it herself, she was sorta part of the plane, right?

They'd followed the trail of destruction Dad had left through Megadale. So much for not causing collateral damage. A part of Guy's mind mentally noted this as future ammunition, but right now he was too amped up to care.

As he and Kelly flew in they'd seen Mom and Dad standing on a barren outcrop of rock well outside Megadale. They'd expected Dad was going to be a monster, but he wasn't. And neither was Mom.

Things had turned out even better than they'd hoped. Guy pelted across and threw his arms around his mother. "Mom, you're okay."

"Sweetie… super-strength squeezing…" Droosha gasped.

Guy let off a little bit. "Sorry… but you're no longer a monster. What happened?"

Droosha ruffled a hand through his hair. "Your father happened." She smiled at Dad and blushed. "He used one of those syringes on himself… which was pretty dumb… he risked getting himself stuck as a monster as well. But he didn't; we changed back. I don't know how he knew it would work, but he saved me. "

"Yeah…" Boxter was blushing as well. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Your mother's exaggerating. I think I kind of just fluked it."

Guy let go of Droosha. Kelly made her way out of the SHE-C-10, wanting a hug from Mom too, so Guy let her though and turned to Boxter.

"Dad… I…" Guy chewed his lip and kicked at the dirt. He'd been so sure that he'd stuffed this up, that they'd lose Mom forever. But Dad had just fixed everything. And he'd been so horrible to him, acting like he was nothing but a nuisance to SheZow. "I know I've kind of been acting like you're a pain with all the SheZow stuff… but… SheZow's superpowers couldn't fix this. I couldn't fix this. I really needed you, and I… thanks…" He couldn't think of anything else to say, and he could feel himself flushing, so he just threw his arms around his father's middle and buried his face against him.

Boxter squeezed him back hard.

A/n: Yeah, okay, so hopefully I didn't scare anyone. I was actually going for a happy ending… just took a bit to get there. How am I at doing romance? Cause it's not something I usually play with. But Boxter and Droosha are just so damn cute. Boxter's (trying to) sing Yellow by Coldplay. Which seemed suitably dorky, as well as being from around about the approximately right era.

Still got a few bits to tie up for this, so stay tuned for the last chapter. And please review! :)