Chapter 21

The dinner was fantastic, as Fox had predicted. The pasta was cooked to perfection, and Fox's rib eye was fibrous, flavorful, and wonderfully pink in the center, the way he liked it. Between the two of them, they finished the entire bottle of champagne and ordered another four glasses each. The evening was spent with pleasant conversation, learning about each other's good memories and making jokes back and forth.

By the time they left, Krystal could hardly stand up on her own. She stood from the table, forgetting about her shoes, and stumbled into Fox's arms.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried. "It's the shoes. I'm not used to them."

Fox slipped his arm around her waist. "It's alright. You can lean on me."

She smiled and let out a giggle. "If you insist..."

He turned and planted a kiss on her forehead. They climbed into the backseat of the car, and Krystal leaned into Fox's arms and closed her eyes. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. The ride back seemed ages quicker than the ride there.

He opened the door for her and helped her up, and then put his arm back around her waist. With her high heels she was about an inch taller than him, but she had taken them off in the car. They dangled from her fingers.

She opened her hotel room door, and then turned to face him, still held in his arm.

The alcohol in Fox's brain dulled his nervousness. Without hesitation, he took her face in his hand and kissed her passionately. The pressure he applied with his body pushed her backwards, into her room. The door closed automatically behind them.

Her back pressed against the wall and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing back deeply. His hands slid from her waist to her back and he pulled her body against his, simultaneously pushing her harder against the wall. Her leg slid through the slit in her dress and up along the outside of his leg. He grabbed her thigh in his hand and pulled her knee up to his waist, letting slip a soft groan as her body pushed back against his. His lust for her rose with a quickness, and she sensed it. He broke away from her lips and began to kiss down the side of her neck.

In the midst of their passion, a faint memory bubbled up in the back of her mind. Not quite a full memory, but a still image of being pinned against a wall in nearly the exact position she was now. That's never happened before... has it? But, wait... I've been with a man before... The thought troubled her. For her life she could not remember an instance where she had lain with a male, or the man she would have done so with. Yet, somehow she held the undoubted belief that she had. The image in her mind was frozen; she could not see his face nor remember any event immediately before or after that one instant.

The thought troubled her. Could she honestly lay with Fox without knowing if she had done so with someone else? She pressed her hand firmly against his chest, and despite his fervent desires, he immediately stepped back from her. "I, um... I think we should say goodnight."

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked, picking up on the concerning tone in her voice.

"No! I... I quite enjoyed my evening with you." She smiled.

He kissed her forehead and pulled her into a long hug. When he finally let go, he kissed her cheek and then her lips. "Goodnight, Krystal."

"Goodnight, Fox." She shut the door behind him, heart pounding. Her body was already regretting her decision to cut the night short, but that fraction of a memory was nagging at her mind. As much as she wanted him to lay her on the nearest flat surface and have his way with her for hours, something wasn't right.

Her shoes were unceremoniously flung onto the floor in frustration and she went to take off her dress, only to realize she couldn't find the top of the zipper behind her back. She took a long breath and paced across the room.

There was a door adjacent to his room with a scan pad on it. She put her hand on it, and the door opened to reveal a wall. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the back of another door, but there was no handle. It must only open from the other side. She bit her lip, hesitating, and then knocked softly.

Fox had taken off his pants and began unbuttoning his shirt when he heard a soft tapping noise. He froze. It had seemed to come from the other side of the door that led to the next hotel room. He walked over to it and held his ear next to it.

Tap, tap, tap

He pressed his hand to the black pad. It scanned his prints with blue light, and then clicked. A silly half-grin appeared on his face as he saw Krystal through the crack. He opened the door a little more.

"I need help with my dress." She said, blushing.

Fox twirled his finger, motioning her to turn around. He gently took the zipper and pulled it down along her spine. As he let go, the back of the dress fell open down to her tail and the straps on her shoulders slid down her arms. She folded her arms against her chest, holding the front of the dress up.

"Thank you." She said over her shoulder.

Fox stood by the door, watching her as she began to close hers. She grinned slightly as her eyes drifted along his unbuttoned shirt and paused at his boxer-briefs. Somewhat reluctantly, she closed the door.

They both stood on the other side of their respective doors for several seconds before finally moving to get ready for bed. Krystal was still feeling quite tipsy. She carefully got out of her dress, leaning on the counter for balance, and placed it neatly on one of the stools. Then she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Fox finished undressing, tossing his suit in a pile on the floor. He ran his fingers through the fur on his head, and then opened the mini-fridge. There were six beer cans inside. He picked up one and opened it, and then went outside on the balcony. The night air was crisp but calming. He wrinkled his nose at the taste of the beer, but welcomed the drunken feeling that lingered. His mind was playing the last several minutes over and over again on loop, trying to figure out what exactly he'd done to make her shut down so suddenly.

Krystal put on a white t-shirt with a Keep Corneria Green! logo from her shopping trip with Katt and paced around a few times. The alcohol was beginning to wear off. She opened the balcony door and inhaled deeply, and a cool breeze drifted in. She stepped out into the cool night air and stared at the millions of city lights.

Smog was not a problem in most areas of the city. Special air filters were in place to keep the air crisp and fresh at all times, and there were many designated areas where vegetation thrived with the sole purpose of producing clean oxygen. Even with the bright lights from below, hundreds of stars were still visible to the naked eye.

Fox had heard her balcony door open, and looked over. He watched her step out into the slight breeze. He blushed a bit, as she was only in her panties and a t-shirt; but then he was only in boxers.

She looked up at the stars, searching for peace, but frowned slightly. It had never occurred to her that travelling across the galaxy would change the way the stars looked. She hadn't even realized before now that it made a difference where they were in the sky. It began to settle in just how far away she was from home. She had climbed on a space ship with a group of strangers, and just been whisked away across the universe.

Fox watched her face fall. She must be thinking about something serious, he thought. He had the sudden urge to run to her side and hold her in his arms, and to try to fix whatever was making her beautiful smile go away. Here she was, a girl he'd barely met a few weeks ago, spirited away across the galaxy to join him in saving the world. He admired her bravery.

Krystal nearly panicked at the sudden realization of how far away she was from anything familiar, but the comforting presence nearby calmed her. She knew she could trust him, even if she hardly knew him. He barely knew her, but the first thing he'd done was risk his life in a perilous journey to save her. He wouldn't let any harm come to her. Even in the face of a masked villain trying to kill her, having him by her side gave her the courage to be unafraid.

Her thoughts returned to the strange memory - if she could even call it that. The details were fuzzy, but the room seemed familiar. Is that... my brother's cabin? She thought. Long ago on her home planet, her brother had build a cabin in the forest, away from the village and prying eyes. Its purpose was for him to work on new inventions uninterrupted and for the two of them to have a safe place to hide when their father was particularly angry. With the frequency that he was gone, it would make sense that she would use his cabin to bring a man home. But who? Tony? The thought was incredulous. She had loved him, once, but the thought of having slept with him didn't feel right at all. This only confused her further. Every thought into the situation seemed to contradict itself.

"Lovely evening, huh?"

She gasped in surprise, turning to the vulpine on the balcony adjacent to hers.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's alright." She smiled. "I'm glad it was you, and not that terrible hooded man." Involuntarily, she shuddered.

Fox hesitated a moment. He eyed the gap between the balconies, set his beer on the floor, backed up a few steps, and then ran forward. He used the chair and table as stepping stones, then pushed off of the railing with his foot and jumped. The gap was too wide for him to make it clear over the other railing, and he caught it with his hands and stomach with a grunt.

Krystal screamed. "Fox, what are you doing?! You're going to get yourself killed!" Using his arms to support himself, Fox swung over one leg, and then the next. "That's so dangerous! You know there is a door, right?"

"I just saw you here, and you looked so... you just made me want to do this." He pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest.

She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her nose in his shoulder. "Fox... Don't do things like that. You could have slipped."

"Nah." He kissed the top of her head. "I know what I'm doing. Don't worry."

"You're not going to jump back across, right?"

"I'll use the door, if it makes you feel better." He said.

She smiled. "It does."

"Good." He squeezed her gently. "Speaking of that cloaked bastard, have you seen him again recently?"

"Not since Katina. It makes me worry. His silence is..." she paused to find the right word, "...unsettling."

"He could be planning something. I want you to be extra careful. Tell me if anything strange happens."

"I will, Fox."

"I'll talk to the General about hiring some bodyguards."

"No, that's alright. I don't want them to have to babysit me all day."

"I want to make sure you're safe. They'll just stand guard outside your hotel door, in case Cloaky tries to make a move during the night."

"No, it's not necessary. Really. I have you, don't I?" She stepped out of his embrace.

"But I... I couldn't save you in the fire."

"I have this." Krystal held out her hand and created a small shield. "And the brother, too. Cloaky's brother seems to want to protect me."

"Right, him." Fox's voice took on a strange tone.

"Fox?"

"What is it?"

"The way you said that. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Fox sighed. "Back on Katina, I told you he got me out of the building, right?"

"Yes."

"I asked him why he was doing this, and he said..." He shook his head and sighed again. "Never mind. I'll just tell you some other time."

"You can tell me." She placed her hand on his arm.

"He said..." The vulpine hesitated a moment longer. "He said the reason he saved my life is because he's in love with you."

Krystal took a step back in shock. "In love with me? I don't even know who he is. I've only ever seen him a handful of times."

"Yeah, which makes me wonder. Did he know you from somewhere else?"

"I don't know how he could have. The only person I ever knew was in love with me died over a year ago."

Fox shrugged. "He said he loves you and he wants you to be happy, and that he's supposed to protect you. He said that because I'm also protecting you, it was in his interest to keep me alive as well. But who knows. Maybe he's lying."

"Why would somebody lie about something like that?"

"I don't know. Maybe I said it to make myself feel better." He offered a half grin. "I don't know how I feel about some time stopping hooded guy being in love with my girlfriend."

She smiled. "As far as we know, he's on our side. He has saved my life several times, and now yours. I just wish he could tell us how to stop his brother."

"If you see him again, ask him. We need some answers. This keeps getting more serious. A death threat is one thing. I've had hundreds of thousands of those myself, but this guy has actually put together really complicated plans to try to kill you. That's part of why I suggested bodyguards."

"Do you really think bodyguards would help? If he really wants me dead, I don't think two men standing outside my door are going to stop him."

"But they could slow him down and give you time to escape."

"Slow him down? These are lives you're talking about. I'm not just going to throw someone else's life away to protect my own."

He sighed. "When you put it that way, I can't argue."

"What other way is there to put it? That's exactly what it is. I can't do something like that. I could never do something like that."

Fox leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I just want you to be safe. I don't want anything to happen to you. For a few seconds at the power plant, I thought you had died." Sudden emotions welled up in his chest at the mere thought of it. "I never want to feel like that again."

"I'll be alright, Fox. I've got mystical powers and a person who can stop time on my side. Not to mention, the most feared mercenary in the galaxy as my boyfriend."

Fox frowned. "Who is this mercenary? Why wasn't I informed?" He slammed his fist against the balcony rail in mock-anger. "Damn him!"

Krystal giggled and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll be alright, Fox."

He wrapped his arms tenderly around her and held her for a short moment. "We should probably actually go to bed now. It's getting late." He walked with her to the door that led to his room and opened it. He'd left his side open a crack, just in case she needed something from him. "Goodnight, Krystal." He kissed her.

"Goodnight, Fox." She closed the door.

"So, you know."

She gasped, turning around to face the cloaked figure. Relief flooded her veins at the sight of blue eyes. "Is it true, what he said?"

He nodded. "Every word of it."

She stared at him for a few seconds. "Who are you?"

"I told you, I can't tell you."

"Please, tell me."

"You won't remember me anyways."

She frowned, thinking of the botched memory that had surfaced. Suddenly her curiosity spiked. Did he have something to do with it? She wondered. "If you love me, if you really love me, then tell me who you are."

He hesitated, seeming torn. "I can't... if you know who I am, you'll know who he is. And then he'll know I told you. He'll kill you."

"He's already trying to kill me."

"Don't give him a reason to try harder. They're planning something."

"They? Him and the white girl?"

"Yes. The previous plans were last minute thrown together messes that he tried to execute. The two of them really don't work that well together. This time he's going to come after you himself."

"Then let him. I don't care. If you love me, then tell me your name."

He turned around and walked towards the kitchen, searching for an answer for her. There was a label on the top hinge of the fridge. "Con."

"Con?" She followed his gaze to the Continental label. "You just got that off a label."

"Did I? I thought you asked for a name."

"I asked for your name."

"Con is my name, now. You can call me Con. And if you do figure out who I am, what my real name is... you'd do best to keep it to yourself."

"Was that a threat?"

"He is relentless. He's been gathering power from that blue stone I gave you for months." He grimaced, placing his hand over his stomach and leaning over a bit in pain. "When he comes... don't say I didn't warn you." He vanished, leaving Krystal alone in her room.

Author's Notes: I had someone ask me recently why Krystal and Fox haven't actually done the deed. I wasn't sure how to answer that question, but now I am. The plots are finally working together and making some sense to me. I can only hope they're making sense to you as well...