So sorry for such a late update guys! I just got Pokemon Shield and have been busy with that instead^^" I will try to do better on keeping up with this story. Enjoy everyone, and please read and review, I'm excited to see what you all think of this chapter!

Lilly sobbed as her mother guided her to the bathroom. She was wet, cold, and embarrassed. She shivered as the brown vixen stripped her pink undergarments off and got her in the warm water.

She just sat there and cried as her mother lathered the shampoo in her hair.

"What happened sweetie?" She asked after a while.

Lilly hiccuped. "Ace and I went swimming after our picnic," she choked out. "Someone stole my clothes, and I had to walk back like this. And then that message on my door..." she dissolved into tears again. She felt guilty, she never should've let Ace talk her into it.

"Oh honey," she pulled her daughter into a hug. "It's no one's business what you and Ace do. They were just being petty." She knew it had to be Maybree, but she wasn't going to bring it up. That would only make Lilly more upset. The hedgehog girl was so spiteful, and it made her angry.

Lilly held on to her mother and cried.

After a few minutes passed, Lilly's mother stood up, "I'm going to see if I can get that lipstick out of your clothes, you relax."

The albino nodded with a sniffle. Her mother picked up the pale fabric and carried it over to the sink. The room fell silent save for her scrubbing the clothing.

Lilly lay back in the water, letting the bubbles caress her body gently as her eyes closed. She tried to push all her worries out of her mind. How it didn't matter what everyone else thought of her and Ace, and it definitely wasn't anyone's business what they did in their alone time. She smiled softly as she thought about him. His smile, his kisses. He meant so much to her, and she knew he felt the same way about her. She wasn't going to let go of him that easily.

Maybree hurried into her parents' room. "Mama," she called.

"In the bathroom sweetie," Tempest's voice responded. She was giving Spade his bath.

"Everything ok?" The jackal asked as she looked up. She gasped when she saw the side of the hedgehog's face was covered in blood. She hurriedly stood up to look at her daughter. "What happened?"

Spade watched with worry, pirate ships abandoned. "May!" He gasped. The little jackal stood up in the water to try to get out.

"Sit back down Spade," his mother said firmly. She didn't want him to get hurt.

He obediently plopped back down, blue eyes watching with worry.

Tempest quickly got a washcloth and wet it in the sink. She gently wiped the blood away from the wound. "What happened Maybree?" She asked again as the young woman stood there with tears rolling down her face.

"I'm sorry mama," she hiccuped. "For everything."

"I know baby, but you're not telling me what happened." The female jackal was worried that she might have a concussion since she wasn't making sense.

Maybree told her what happened, and what she'd done to Lilly through her tears. The reality of everything she'd done finally hit like a truck, and she felt like an awful person.

Tempest gently wiped the last of the blood away. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was. "I know you are Maybree."

"I just wanted him to love me so much, that I didn't care who I hurt. But I've realized that I can't make him love me. Because he loves her." Her voice didn't hold the usual spite it carried when talking about Lilly.

Tempest gave her a hug, "honey, I love you, your father loves you, Spade loves you. You don't need to be loved by a man to have worth. But it's going to take time to rebuild those bridges you burned." She rubbed her daughter's arms, "especially with Fortune. I don't think he'll be ready to be friends again for a long time. If ever."

Maybree nodded with a sniffle. "That's what I regret the most."

"May?" Spade asked. "Do you need a hug?"

She laughed lightly through her tears, "I think that would help."

He stood up and she went to get a hug from her little brother. The little jackal wrapped his arms around her neck and nuzzled her shoulder, "love you May," he mumbled.

She gave him a smile, "love you too." She didn't even care that he got her fur all wet, she was just glad he was her little brother. She turned to her mother, "I'm going to go rest in my room for a little while."

"Ok." She gave her daughter a light hug, "I hope you can turn things around sweetie."

The hedgehog smiled and left the room.

Tempest turned back to Spade, "ok time to get washed up."

Her son grinned mischievously as she got his favorite sponge and some soap. When she knelt beside the tub he splashed her in the face.

A smile slid onto her muzzle as his laugh filled the room. "You wanna play like that do you?" She grinned and started tickling his sides.

Spade shrieked with laughter and squirmed to get away. She held him where he couldn't get free and ran her fingers across his stomach.

"Mama!" He protested as he giggled.

"What?" She grinned. "You started it."

After a minute or two, she let him go. His face was flushed but he was smiling. He loved spending time with his mama. He hugged her neck tightly, "love you mama."

Her heart warmed and she hugged him back. "I love you too baby. So much." A small pang rose in her chest. He had no idea how much he meant to her. He would never know how lucky he was. He could've suffered the same fate as his brother before him. But he didn't. And she would give her life for him.

He pulled back, "Are you ok?" His blue eyes searched her gold ones, he could tell she was thinking about something distressing.

"I'm ok." She smiled, "I'm just happy you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked while tilting his head.

Tempest ignored the question, "Come on, let's get you clean. Then we can get ready for bed."

"Ok." He flashed her a smile and sat down for her to wash his fur. He closed his eyes as her fingers massaged the shampoo into his white mane and she hummed a light song. He leaned back into her touch. Her songs always relaxed him.

She finished rinsing the bubbles from his fur and got a clean fluffy towel to wrap him up in. He watched as she let the water out of the tub and dried the puddles on the floor. Then she scooped him up and took him to his bed.

Spade's bed was still in her and Jay's room off to the side in a corner. "Mama?" He asked as she set him down. "Why can't I have my own room? Like May."

"I don't know if you're ready for that yet. We like to make sure you're safe." She smoothed his hair.

He frowned and folded his arms, "You and papa worry about safety too much. Everyone here is my friend."

Tempest sat on the bed and pulled him into her lap. "Baby, there are bad people in the world, and they could hurt you. Papa and I want to make sure we can protect you."

He frowned and looked at his lap. He just didn't understand.

She turned his face towards hers, "please trust us Spade. We only make rules because we love you."

"But everyone here is so nice," he protested. "Uncle is nice, Gaia is nice, Ace, Fortune and Kinnley are nice. So is Lilly," he counted off on his fingers. His blue eyes met hers again, "I don't know any bad people."

She gave him a sad smile and hugged him, "oh Spade, that's the problem. You don't know people are bad until something happens."

He held onto her hands, fiddling with her fingers while thinking. "Do you know any bad people?"

"Sadly, I've met several in my life. Thankfully before I had you." She nuzzled against him, "I don't want anything to hurt you."

His mind was racing as he tried to process this information. Why would she be so afraid of something happening? Why would anyone want to hurt anyone? Everyone was supposed to take care of and love each other. "Mama?" He asked after several minutes of silence, "did something bad happen to someone you loved." He stiffened when he heard her draw in an audible breath.

"Yes," she said finally, "I lost someone I loved very much. And if there weren't bad people, he would still be here."

"Who was he?"

Hurt and pain swirled in her chest at the memory of her first pup. She didn't want to tell him about his brother, but at this point, he needed to know. "You had a brother Spade," she whispered. "But he died a long time ago. If a bad person didn't make us leave our home, he would still be here." Her cheeks grew moist from the silent tears rolling down them.

Spade was wide eyed. "Why? What happened?"

Tempest wiped her face. He didn't need to know all the details, but she owed him an explanation. "We were lost in the desert, and didn't have food or water. He was only a baby, and he starved." She didn't tell him his uncle had finished him off before starvation could. He wouldn't understand. He was still young himself.

"Oh." He was silent, taking in her words. "I wish he didn't have to go," he said suddenly.

Her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed before he noticed. "I do too," she said thickly. Her hand absently rubbed his head.

The two of them just sat there silently, much weighing on their minds.

Britany had her arm intertwined in Kinnley's as they walked back from dinner to her room. She smiled and looked at his face in admiration.

He didn't notice at first, as he was focused on their destination. The jackal looked down at his girl as she gently squeezed his arm. He bent to give her a quick kiss.

A soft giggle left her lips as they parted. He was so perfect.

When they reached her door, she opened it and ushered him inside. He perched himself on the edge of the bed while she hung up her messenger bag on its hook. Then she flopped herself down on the bed, resting her chin on her palms as she lay on her stomach.

His soft lips brushed against her forehead, gold eyes taking her in.

She smiled up at him fondly. "So," she asked as she turned on her back and rested her head on his lap, "any big plans tonight?"

"This is it," he smiled. His fingers absently played with her hair. He loved how long it was and he was constantly drawn to touch it.

A delighted sigh left her lips as she closed her eyes, she loved her long hair too. It was so relaxing for him to have his fingers softly running through her locks.

The both of them sat together in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

Britany sat up and slid off the bed. Then she went over to her dresser and started rummaging through the drawers. "Hey Kinnley?" She asked as she pulled a piece of black lace out of the top drawer and looked at it, "what's your favorite color?" Then she stuck it back in the dresser and kept looking.

"Red," he replied with an arched brow.

She grinned, "ok." She pulled a few things out. "I'm going to shower real quick." She went in the bathroom, "I'll be back in a minute," then she closed the door.

Kinnley waited for a while. His ear twitched when he heard the water shut off and her pulling back the curtain. A soft smile rested on his face as he just listened to her hum while she got dressed.

After a few minutes she came out wearing a short black nightie that rested mid thigh. She sat on the bed beside him, hair still wet. A grin flashed on her face.

"That's not red," he stated. Confusion laced his voice. He was expecting her to have red on since she'd asked what his favorite color was.

Her slender fingers rested under his chin and tilted his face towards hers, "that's for later," she purred. "If you play your cards right."

Kinnley's face flushed, and he turned away.

She laughed. He was so mild and reserved, and she wished sometimes he would get in touch with his dangerous side. "Oh," she said while sliding off the mattress and going over to get her bag off the hook. "I got us something from the kitchen." She opened the brown colored bag and pulled out a bottle of wine. She placed it in his hands, then she pulled out a couple of glasses.

"Ummm..." he was a little apprehensive about this.

She wasn't paying attention to that, and she handed him one glass. "I can't believe they found some out there," she said while taking the bottle and twisting the top off. Before he could say anything she'd filled his glass with the red liquid. It was then that she noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know about this Britany," he mumbled.

"Why not? You're an adult, it's not like it's illegal."

"I know, I just..." he trailed off, "I've never drank alcohol before."

She set her hand on his arm, "first time for everything right?" Her tone was good natured, hopefully that would ease his emotions. "Hey," Her voice softened, "it's ok. I hope you don't feel like I'm pressuring you. Because that's not my intention at all."

He gave her a small smile, "I know." She watched him stare at the glass, thoughts racing. Finally, he took a small sip.

"What do you think?" Britany asked with a grin.

"It's good," he said lightly. Then he took another sip.

She took a few swallows and licked her lips. Then she gave him a quick peck on the chin.

He lowered his glass and smiled. Most of his glass was gone now.

"Want some more?" she gestured the bottle in his direction. He nodded and she refilled it.

"I overheard someone say that the toxin in the water was discovered to be a bomb residue," Kinnley said.

She looked up from her glass with a frown, "Eggman's making bombs?"

"Apparently." He took another sip, "I think we should go check it out tomorrow. See what we can find out."

"Sounds good to me."

They sat together for a while, just drinking. Kinnley started to feel a little light and warmth swirled in his belly.

Britany looked up at his face. His eyes were different, his pupils were slightly dilated and he seemed a little disoriented. She tilted her head, "you ok?"

"...yeah..." he responded finally.

"Did you drink too much?" She smirked.

He frowned, "no." Then he took the bottle and took a sip out of it.

She giggled behind her hand. He definitely had. Gently, she took the now empty bottle from his hand, "course you didn't."

A gasp escaped her throat when he roughly pushed her back on the bed. A smile graced her lips when she saw the intensity in his eyes. Her arms snaked around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair, "want to kiss me?" She asked with a grin.

He responded by pressing his lips to hers. She smiled against his mouth as his hand gripped the underside of her thigh. His hold was somewhat aggressive, and she liked it.

His mouth moved down her jawline to her neck, and she shivered when she felt his teeth bite down on her collar bone. The way he was holding her, he was absolutely wasted. He'd never be so rough if he was aware of himself. But she liked it.

His other hand went behind her head, pulling her closer to him. She wrapped her free leg around his waist as his mouth returned to hers. Britany enjoyed every second of this.

When he let go of her leg and slid his hand under her silk nightgown she let him. She let him pull it off.

Drunken gold eyes took her in. "There's the red," he mumbled, slightly slurred.

She was wearing red lace underwear under her pajamas. A large tattoo starting from her hip trailed up her stomach and stopped at her rib cage. Vines with flowers.

Kinnley pressed his mouth on the ink lines swirling over her skin, teeth nipping at her stomach.

"Kinnley," she said as he started to pull on her last bit of clothing. "Kinnley," she pressed her hands against his chest. She knew he didn't want this. Not if he was aware of himself. But she did. She wanted him so much, but she couldn't let him do something he would regret later.

He stuck his nose under her chin, nudging her while whining shamelessly.

She tilted her head back, laugh vibrating through her chest. Why did he have to be such a lover when he was drunk? She'd have to work on that sober. "Kinnley," she said again, "I need you to stop."

"Don't you love me?" He whimpered. He looked so vulnerable.

Britany rubbed his shoulders, "baby I love you more than life itself."

He wiped at his face.

"Please don't make this harder babe." Her fingers ran down his arms, "I do love you. I just don't want you to regret anything."

He rested his chin on her shoulder and she rubbed his back as he started to fall asleep.

She laughed lightly as he slept laying on her chest. Kinnley never failed to surprise her.