"I can do whatever I want." Jimmy snarled.

Buster gasped as he was thrown from the ledge, falling faster and faster. He frantically grabbed at something, ANYTHING to hang onto. Until-

Buster blinked his eyes open.

Darkness surrounded him. A light rain pattered against the windows as the night sky blanketed the city outside. The light from the hall shone into the room, into Buster's eyes as he lay on the couch.

With effort, he sat up and noticed his blazer had been set aside and a blanket lay rested across him.

He heard the door creak open and Rosita entered with two steaming mugs.

"Coffee?" Buster asked, hopefully.

Rosita smirked. "No, tea." She replied, handing him a cup.

Buster accepted it and took a sip as Rosita settled on the couch beside him. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

Buster laughed, softly. "Tired..." he admitted.

"It's no wonder." She said. "You slept nearly 4 hours. The rest of the group has already left for the day. They made me promise to call and let them know how you're doing. They're all pretty worried. I called them all a few a minutes ago and told them you were still asleep."

The koala smiled at the kind gesture.

The two sat quietly before Buster finally spoke. "You know... I never did thank you properly for saving me."

"Buster-"

"No, no, please. Rosita." Buster took her cloven hoof in his paw and squeezed it. "Thank you, Rosita. I can't EVER repay you for that. You saved my life. I am... more grateful then I can put into words."

Rosita put down her glass and patted his paw with her other hand. "You don't have to use words. You've saved me too. You helped me become the person I've only dreamed of being. You helped me face my fears."

"Yeah, too bad I had to be thrown off a platform for you to face them, heh, heh." Buster's nervous laughter ceased almost immediately when he saw her face. "Oh, geez, Rosita, I-"

Rosita didn't allow him to finish as she grabbed him into a tight hug.

"Losing you scares me far more then some stupid stage fright."

Buster returned the embrace before he felt himself start to shake again. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered.

Confused, Rosits pulled him back and saw the tears streaming from his face. "Buster-"

"I'm sorry, Rosita!" He sobbed. "And I'm sorry to Johnny, Meena, Ash, Gunter, Miss Cra-"

"Buster, what-"

"IT WAS MY FAULT!" He suddenly yelled. "It was my fault, I made you guys go, for my own selfish reasons. I wanted to give Crystal an amazing show. I made Johnny lose confidence in himself when I assigned him to that, that dinklesplat of a dance instructor! I deserved what Jimmy did, I deserve to be thrown-"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE, BUSTER BRANDON MOON!"

Time froze.

Silence settled between them, the only sound in the room was the gentle rain fall and the sound of Rosita's harsh breaths as she gripped Buster's arms.

The mother of 25 dropped her hard stare and avoided Buster's gaze to hide her own tears.

Finally she released her grip on her friend and turned back to face him, a look of disappointment clouded her face.

"I don't ever want to hear you say anything like that again. Do you understand?"

Buster nodded slowly.

The mother of 25 sighed. "Buster, we love you. Very much. When Jimmy... when he tried to-" Rosita could barely utter the words. "We were so afraid we lost you that day. Even now, I think to myself, what if I had missed? What if I didn't jump in time? What if my fear kept me from you? Those thoughts constantly keeps me awake at night. But when we walk in through those doors and see you waiting for us, with that bright smile and enthusiastic voice, ready to begin preparations for a new show..." Rosita stopped. "Then I'm brought back to reality. And the reality is you're alive and with us. I'm sorry I didn't see the signs sooner. I honestly didn't know how to speak to you after that night. I think everyone was in a state of shock. To think, to think we almost lost you. It's still unbelievable to think about even now. But I should've asked. I should've been there for you."

Buster was silent before he smiled at her. "Ya know, I knew I wanted you in my show as soon as I heard your voice. I put you with Gunter to boost your confidence." He said, softly. "And you continue to amaze me every day. Each and every one of this group of ours. I don't say it enough, but I am so proud of you guys."

Rosita glanced up at the change of subject. "And we're proud of you, Buster. You made us into what we are today. We're a family because of YOU. Because of you, Johnny's relationship with his father is stronger then ever. You helped Johnny break the cycle, you helped him become a better person, helped him find his own path. You believed in Ash, you helped mold her into the amazing young woman she's becoming now. You helped Gunter make his dream a reality. And Meena? Well, to her, you did the impossible. You helped her over come her fear of performing in front of others. You made her a star. You made us all stars. You turned nobodies into SOMEBODIES!"

Buster shifted his gaze to the window. "And you gave a lonely koala a family." Buster then rubbed his arm as he closed his eyes. "When Jimmy... snatched me up, my first thought was what was going to happen to you all? Aftet he had rid himself of me, what would he do to you? I tried to fight him, tried to get free. Tried to get to you all. But obviously nothing worked. We kept getting higher and higher until he stopped the lift. He tried once, to drop me from from his tower. That morning before the show? By a miracle he got distracted and threw me into a closet, planning to finish me off later. I was trapped in a room..." Buster felt a lump form in his throat as he remembered the fear building uo as he screamed and cried for help, within the darkness. "Suki saved me, she let me go."

Rosita stared at him, they'd nearly lost their friend twice.

"Well... we got to the top of that lift, he walked to the edge. And... just dropped me."

Rosita winced. She couldn't imagine the stress and agony that went through her friend's mind as he thrown away, as if he were nothing more then an unwanted obstacle. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Buster frowned. "My only concern was getting you guys out and away." He explained. He then shuddered. "You know that feeling you get when you're asleep? The feel of falling? It felt a little like that... and like they say in the movies my life did flash before my eyes. I saw my dad, and I saw you guys. From our conversations to our fun times. I saw it all. I wanted my last thought to be my family. And it nearly was." Buster then turned to his friend. "Until an angel saved me."

Despite the fresh tears, Rosita let out a soft laugh. "That was incredibly cheesy."

"And entirely true." Buster responded. "You know, as soon as you sat me down, I saw you flying.

And Rosita, I was proud of you. I AM proud of you." The koala beamed.

Rosita smiled as the two embraced once more before the mother sat back and reached over the couch to receive her bag. From it, she pulled out a container filled with food. "Supper." She said putting it in his lap.

"Rosita-"

"Buster Moon, I know your habits and I know you. Eat."

Buster sighed as he opened the container and took up the fork that was within. As he ate, the two discussed further progress on the up coming show.

~

"...still haven't found...what I'm looking for..." Ash unstrapped her guitar and put it to the side before rubbing her eyes. The rest of the cast had gone home, but she decided to stay and make sure Buster was okay. Rosita was with him now, no doubt making sure he was resting.

She stretched and yawned before she heard someone clear their throat.

She turned and saw Clay Calloway standing with two cups in his paws. He too had stayed, admitting he didn't like the idea of leaving her alone, despite Ash telling him the New Moon Theater was like a second home.

"I helped myself to Miss Crawley's tea pot." He said, gruffly as he handed one cup to Ash and sat down with his own. "Rosita helped me."

Ash took a sip and tasted something sweet. Confused, she looked up and Clay chuckled.

"Honey." He said.

Ash smiled as she continued to drink.

Clay then set back and sighed. "Your friend... he certainly is a stubborn one, isn't he?"

Ash paused. "Yeah." She said, quietly.

"You remind me a lot of him."

That got her attention. Confused, she looked up and Clay shrugged. "I've only know you a few weeks, kid, but it doesn't take a genius to see. I see the way he looks at you and you to him. I would have sworn you were his kid-"

"Yeah, a porcupine with a koala for a dad. Explain THAT biology." Ash said, rolling her eyes.

Clay sneered. "Hey, now, ever heard of adoption? Me and my wife considered adoption once, when we weren't able to have one of our own. But once my songs started taking off, we decided not too."

Ash's eyes widened at that but Clay shrugged it off. "Story for another time. Anyway, I saw how you stuck by his side when you two were-" He cleared his throat, awkwardly. "Electricuted. I saw your worry for him. I also saw the hesitation he had when you convinced him to leave."

Ash turned to stare down at her cup. It wasn't exactly news to anyone that she saw Buster as a father figure. After all, if it weren't for him, she'd never had realized what a douchè Lance was.

Heck, during the early stages of her music career, some fans asked if Buster was her dad. Ash really didn't have an honest answer.

He might as well have been. He supported her and her decisions, helped her find a better, smaller apartment, even helped her move in.

Now that she though about it, her new apartment was actually closer to the theater. He probably did it on purpose. As Ash started writing her own songs and gradually started making a CD, Buster helped her. Even convinced Nana Noodleman to pitch in. Her new CD was set to release the following week, after Zootopia's show. As Ash began playing in different clubs, they made plans to have lunch together so to not lose contact and eventually it became a weekly ordeal.

The bond was only strengthened when they went to Red Shore City. When Buster had first visited her to pitch his new idea, she couldn't contain her excitement in seeing him again and rushed to hug him, as they hadn't had much contact during the last few months, Buster being busy with his theater and Ash with her shows.

She wasn't keen on this idea on lying to Crystal about knowing Clay Calloway. But when Buster put his mind to something, there was no force on earth that could stop him. So she stuck by him, the entire time. Helped him with scripts, progress, anything he needed.

She was with Clay when Buster was thrown to his demise. She really didn't find out about anything that had happened till after the show when they were backstage, watching Jimmy was taken away in hand cuffs.

Gunter was first to tell her, although he had been so pissed that he kept slipping back into his native tongue. Rosita was the one to finally explain after calming Gunter down. All while she was being told, Buster was off in the distance, catching his breath. At first, she thought it was because of the adrenalin rushes and the fact that they had put on one of the biggest shows in Red Shore City history.

When the tale was done, she approached him and he gave her a tired smile. "Hey, kid. Saw you out there. You were absolutely amazing! I'm so pr-" But before he could finish Ash grabbed him by the neck and nuzzled her nose into his disheveled fur. She found herself crying a second later. Mumbling an apology as the tears seeped into his fur, but refusing to let go.

Buster smiled as he hugged her back, tightly, careful of her quills. "I'm okay." He had whispered, gently. He pulled her back to wipe away a tear from hercheek. "I'm okay." As if to reassure herself, Ash pulled him close again.

"Ash?"

The porcupine was shaken from her thoughts as Clay nudged her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Clay gave her a small smile before they were interrupted by a small ahem.

By the doorway, stood Buster. He gave them both a small smile. "Shouldn't you both be headed home?" He asked. "We have a big show to do in a few days. I want you all to be at your best." His grin grew. "Of course, that's impossible, since you already are the best."

Clay scoffed before turning to Ash. "Remember how I said you were more annoying then him? I take it back."

The three shared a laugh before they were joined by Rosita.

"I'm heading home, is everyone okay?"

"We'll be just fine, Mama-bear. Go take care of those kids of yours." Clay said, with a wink. Then he remembered something. "Hold on." He quickly jumpd up and left the room only to return a moment later with a thermos. "Extra hot, extra honey. Never had kids of my own, but I can say you're certainly a trooper with yours."

With this, he handed the thermos to Rosita who smiled, gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Calloway."

"Clay, please."

She smiled again before turning to Buster. "Make sure you eat the rest of that food. I'll bring breakfast for you tomorrow. And please, get some sleep. Otherwise I'll convince Clay here to slip you a sedative in YOUR tea."

Buster laughed nervously. "Don't worry, Rosita. I'll be fine."

Rosita gave them each one last hug before rushing out the door.

"Now that is a fine lady. You can't find many as hardworking as that one." Clay commented.

Buster smiled. "That's our Rosita." He then stretched his aching muscles and turned to his remaining cast. "I'm heading off to bed, be sure you lock up before you leave. Ash, you still got that spare key?"

Ash held out her key ring and shook it. "So are you REALLY heading to bed or are you going up to your office to finish some last minute paperwork before passing out in your desk?"

Buster held up his hands. "You got me-"

"Moon." Ash warned.

"Okay, okay, but it's just a little paperwork. I promise. As I said, the show's in two days."

Ash shook her head before embracing him. "Just go to bed." She said.

She then pulled away and gently nudged him put the door. Buster sighed. "Alright, alright. You gonna be okay, though?"

"Yes 'dad'." Ash rolled her eyes, affectionately.

Buster nodded before exiting the room.

"You going to sneak up and make sure he's going to bed?" Clay asked a moment later.

Ash smirked. Sounds like something she would do. "Nah. I know him. He'll go. Unless he wants to deal with both my and Rosita's wrath combined."

Clay shivered. "Horrifying thought." He said. The old lion then stood and began to gather his things. "Well, kid, I'm off to the hotel. You gonna be okay?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. See you tomorrow?"

Clay held out his fist, which she bumped with hers. "Bright and early." He replied.

Short chapter, but next stop, Zootopia!