(Kiki's POV)
I sighed as I rested on Cassie's couch. The past few days had been too quiet for me, with how the Rodneys just suddenly stopped attacking, and they still had the four captives: Ravi, Piper, Parker, and Mayfair. I felt like neither of the Perrys- or anyone else, for that matter- were doing enough to try and get them back.
But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.
Cassie peeked into the room. I looked over at her. "What?"
The cat shrugged and walked all the way into the room, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "You just looked like something was on your mind."
"Multiple things, actually," I admitted, sighing.
"Wanna talk about any of them?"
I swallowed. Cassie HAD become my friend since I had arrived... "Okay. The thing that's bothering me the most... It's about my universe."
Cassie frowned. "What about it?"
I sat up and sighed. "M-My family." I glanced at the cushion.
"You're getting homesick?"
I nodded slowly. "Chrysalis is only three, and, with several of us agents here, Peter's probably working more and not able to spend as much time with her; and apparently what we're dealing with is a threat to both universes, if the Rodneys helped each other escape; and-"
"I get it," Cassie replied, sympathetically placing a paw on my shoulder. "You're worried about them." She swallowed. "I'm worried about my mate, too."
"We'll find him," I promised. "And the other captives."
Cassie shook her head to clear it and looked back at Kiki. "But we're not talking about me right now; we're talking about you."
I sighed, wishing she hadn't caught me. "I'm really worried about Pete and 'Lis," I continued reluctantly. I would have rather continued the conversation about the captives, as talking about my family was beginning to bring tears to my eyes. "I-I miss them."
Cassie hesitated before reaching out and giving me a hug. "I'm sorry." She paused. "Would... Would it help to see Peter? This universe Peter?"
I swallowed. "I-I don't know," I admitted finally. "M-Maybe, but he won't know me, and that could hurt, t-too..."
"Well, I could take you to him, if you'd like," the she-cat offered.
"Alright..." I just bit my lip.
"I'll give you time to think it over," Cassie reassured, standing up. "Just let me know when you've decided."
With that, she left the room.
(...)
I had decided to accept Cassie's offer. She was trying to help, and... Maybe seeing Peter- whether he knew me or not- would help me. There was only one way to find out…
So I followed her friend down O.W.C.A's halls to that universe's Peter. "So what's he like here?"
"Well..." Cassie paused. "I remember you saying that he really doesn't get along with Perry in your universe, but, here, he's actually one of Perry's friends."
I nodded slowly. "I feel like I remember hearing something about that."
"Oh, also... He does have a mate and daughter in this universe," Cassie warned.
Dread filling me, I swallowed. "Oh... Okay." I inhaled deeply. "Thanks for letting me know."
Cassie nodded, smiling sympathetically as she stopped in front of an office door. "This is his."
I smiled weakly back. "Thanks."
"Do you want me to introduce you?"
"Well..." I hesitated. "I guess that would probably be best," I said finally. "You know him better here than I do."
Cassie nodded. "Alright." With that, she reached out and knocked on the door. "Peter? It's Cassie."
"You can come on in." I inhaled at the sound of the familiar voice.
The she-cat opened the door slowly and stepped in, me slowly following her. Peter was sitting at the desk, looking up at the us. Cassie slowly nudged me forward a little bit more. "Peter, this is my friend, Kiki the fox. She's with the group of people that came from the other universe."
"Oh, cool!" Peter smiled warmly over at me. "It's nice to meet you, Kiki. Do you know me in your universe?"
I managed a nod and a small smile. "Yeah, actually. You're an O.W.C.A. agent in that universe, too."
Cassie coughed. "I, uh... I'll leave you two to talk."
When she had left the office, Peter looked back at me. "Was there, um, a certain reason why you're here, or did Cassie just want to introduce you?"
I hesitated. "I wanted to see you; in my universe, you and I are...close."
"Really?"
"Yeah." I smiled softly. "I... I missed you in my universe, so Cassie brought me here to meet you."
Peter chuckled. "Well, I'm honored. How close were we?"
I bit my lip. "Well... Uh..."
That was when Peter's office door opened again. "Pete?" A female panda stepped into the office.
Peter smiled. "Hey, Patty. What is it?"
"Well, I-" she stopped, noticing me. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?"
I shook my head. "No, it's okay."
Peter slid off his chair and walked over to Patty, pulling her close and giving her a soft kiss on the lips. I shifted my feet and stared down at the ground.
"Peter," Patty giggled as they broke apart, "it's not just the two of us."
"I-I don't mind," I said softly, squeezing my eyes shut.
"You sure?" Peter checked, cocking his head.
I inhaled. "Yeah."
"Okay..." He turned back to Patty. "So what is it?"
I exhaled shakily. This was too much. Seeing Peter but not seeing HER Peter, seeing him hold Patty in his arms... It was too much. "I-It was good to see you, P-Peter. I have to go."
As I left the office, I heard Peter say, "Alright, bye," but that was it. I left too quickly to know if he said anything else.
Who knew that would hurt so much?
(...)
Cassie was waiting for me in the hall. "How was it?"
Now that Peter couldn't see me, I let out the tears I had been holding back. "T-That... That wasn't P-Peter."
The cat frowned. "I guess it didn't go well, then?"
I wiped a tear away. "I-I looked into his eyes, and... H-He didn't recognize me. I-I knew it would h-happen, but I hadn't t-thought it would h-hurt so m-much."
Cassie leaned forward and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, Kiki. I thought it would help."
"D-Don't worry; so did I-I." I swallowed. "Now I want to stop the Rodneys and get home as soon as possible."
The she-cat nodded. "I understand. Let's talk with the Perrys and all them and find out what they've learned."
I nodded. "L-Let's."
VibeQuake owns Patty xD The rest you should know