Chapter 11

Mask looked down on the young man in the bed. Upon Blade's prompting, he had gone out and searched the forest. At the base of the mountain, he had found the unconscious form of Zonic the hedgehog, beaten and bruised. The poor fellow had been stripped down to his undergarments, and he was laying flatly at a ninety-degree angle. He didn't really understand how that worked, but he figured it had to do with interdimensional whatevers. Fortunately, Blade had provided him with a device that put the boy at the right angle, no pun intended, and he was able to carry him back to Lower Mobius. Zonic was in bad shape, likely a result of Scourge's cruelty, but he wasn't in immediate danger. An hour or so of tender loving care from his fellow lower mobians, and the zone cop was sleeping soundly on a bed in the infirmary.

Mask drummed his fingers anxiously against his arms as he looked down on the stranger. A multitude of his thoughts were pooling around in the basin where his brain supposedly was, and it was starting to give him a headache. Fortunately, an outlet for those thoughts was finally opening up. Zonic's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned softly as he started to sit up. He seemed to immediately regret that when he stopped short and clutched his side.

"I wouldn't do that." Mask said. "You've definitely got cracked ribs."

Zonic looked his way, immediately putting up his defenses, but he seemed to relax when he saw that Mask wasn't armed. He sized up the old raccoon, taking in his every feature and evaluating his ability for potential harm. Given his current injured form, though, Zonic deduced that a mobini sheep with three legs could probably take him out fairly easily.

"I see, and feel, your point." He grunted as he forced his way to a sitting position, bracing his back against the headboard. "Am I to understand you are the one that saved me?"

"Sort of." Mask replied simply. "Though, in doing so, I've created something of a paradoxical situation. Allow me to ask you a question. How would you respond if I told you one Fiona Fox was here in this underground domain?"

Zonic's brow quirked, and he finally registered the edge in the old timer's voice. He studied him again, just for good measure, and then he put on a serious expression.

"I'll answer your question with a few of my own. Do you know who I am?"

Mask nodded.

"Do you know what Fiona has done?"

Mask nodded.

"I see. But you don't plan on letting me do my duty, are you?"

Mask gave his head a very fervent shake. Zonic narrowed his eyes.

"I'm a tad sorry to hear you say that, friend. I appreciate the patch up, but I have a job to do, and I will see it through."

"I would expect nothing less from you, son." Mask replied while turning to walk out. "In fact, I'd be deeply disappointed in you if you had planned on packing it all up after a bad shake."

"Then why do you plan on stopping me?" Zonic demanded, wincing at the sudden pain in his chest. "She's a criminal! What possible reason could you have to not turn her over to the proper authorities?"

Mask stopped short at the threshold of the door, and he looked back at Zonic over his shoulder.

"Because she's one of us. Down here, son, there isn't a better reason to stand by someone. In fact, it's the most encouraged rule that we pass on to our young'uns. I was a fool to let that kid go once. I'm not so stupid as to do it all over again."

With that, he walked out, leaving behind a very stunned looking Zonic. The zone cop studied his bandages carefully, noting the careful skill and finesse that had been put into recovery. It was something that made him think, so think he did.

………………………………………………………….

Blade sat uncomfortably at the bar of Nicolette's little café. Standing adjacent to him was Nicolette herself and Judah, the lion snarling at him with a very distrusting look. Sitting on the counter between them was an old, dusty notebook as well as the mask containing the mystical timestones. For her part, Blade had to commend Nicolette on not swiping them the first moment she saw them, though the former treasure hunter was all but drooling at the sight of them. He couldn't really blame her.

"So," Nikki finally spoke up, composing herself. "Let me see if I got your story straight. You're from the future, give or take a hundred years or so?"

"Close enough." Blade replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"And it sucks?"

"Beyond words."

"So you're here to make things right, going off of information you found in that old journal that was, apparently, written by me at some point in my personal future."

Blade nodded, and he flipped open the old book to a random page.

"Have a look. That's your handwriting, right?"

Nikki took the book from him, peaked down, and sure enough she recognized it as her near unintelligible scrawl.

"I'm a tad surprised you can read it. It's my handwriting, and even I can only barely make it out."

"You should see my brother's handwriting." Blade chuckled. "Compared to that, your script is pretty easy for me. From what I can tell, you begin writing shortly after Fiona…well, you know. The thing I stopped her from doing."

Nikki shuddered.

"Yeah, let's not bring that up right now. But wait! If that's what made me write the infernal thing, then shouldn't that book, and by extension you, be disappearing?"

"Were it only that simple." Blade grumbled. "Time travel isn't quite that easy, especially when the time stones are used. You see, technically, the time stones exist in every timeline simultaneously. As a result, anything that is caught within their field following use becomes displaced from time. Even if I have the changed the future in any capacity, that book and me ain't going anywhere. So, I'll always have a guide to go by."

Nikki looked back to the time stones. They did all of that? No wonder treasure hunters were willing to die for such a fortune.

"Now wait just one dingo flipping minute!" Judah snarled while slamming his palms against the counter. "Are we seriously going to ignore the fact that this blighter has been lying to everyone. I'm a patient man, but I can't oblige a liar. Especially one that uses good folks to get what he wants."

"Now wait just one second, fuzzball!" Blade snapped. "I haven't been using anyone for anything. I had no idea Fiona was even going to come down here until the day you two literally fell into my lap. I needed some down time, and this place was the perfect spot to get some rest and three-square meals a day."

"And we're supposed to believe that?" Judah shot back. "You were working for those sorry zone cop jerks."

"As a freelancer!" Blade retorted. "Though I would like to point out that the ZC aren't bad guys. Actually, they're pretty cool folks when you get to know them. Yes, they hired me to find Scourge, Fiona, and the Destructix, but I would also like to point out that I saved Fiona and brought her back. Why would I have done that instead of turn her in to someone else? I'm in trouble too, you know, and I'm probably not going to get the information I was working my tail off for."

"And just what information would that have been?" Judah asked.

"None of your business." Blade replied. "Just know that it's important for making the future not suck anymore. So, yeah, my job just got a lot harder."

"What now, then?" Nikki asked, trying to defuse the situation. "The old man brought Zonic in, and he's been patched up. When he's on his feet again, he'll likely try to arrest Fiona. What will you do then?"

Blade fell silent, and he leaned back on his stool, looking up at the cavern ceiling. He took a deep breath, and he let it out, slowly.

"I…have genuinely no idea. Look, you don't want to hear it, heck I don't want to hear it, but Fiona is in a lot of trouble. She literally broke into and out of a prison that was designed to be inescapable in every sense of the word. That's gotta be a few dozen laws she's broken by itself. Zonic won't have much choice but to arrest her."

Nikki scowled, and this time it was her that slapped the counter.

"I won't let him! Those idiots almost let Fiona kill herself! I mean, seriously, what kind of cop allows that?"

"I have heard that Zespio has weird ideas." Blade mused.

"Regardless," Nikki hissed, "it's clear they can't be counted upon for Fiona's care."

"Here here!" Judah said. "Besides, Fiona took out Scourge. Doesn't that count for something?"

"What're you asking me for?" Blade retorted. "Newsflash, I was a freelancer. I didn't exactly have access to the rule book in regards to Zone laws and whatnot. That's more or less up to them. Who knows? Maybe as a result of her…sudden breach in judgement, they'll give her a lighter sentence or something. I genuinely have no idea."

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this." Nikki said suddenly. "I mean, Fiona is sleeping in the other room, so we should probably…"

But then, the door opened to the bedroom opened. The three of them looked up to see Fiona step out. She looked tired, understandable, but her expression was mostly unreadable. Nikki turned about to face her, and she offered out a hand.

"Hey, Fi, how you feeling girl?"

Fiona gave her a lingering glance, but then she walked around the counter and started to walk off.

"Fiona?" Nicolette called.

The fox paused, and she looked back and held up a thumb's up.

"It's ok. I'm just…getting some fresh air, is all. I'll be back, I promise, and I mean that."

With that, she started to walk off again, making her way towards the pathway leading up to the cottage. Judah started to follow, but Nicolette stopped him and shook her head. It was clear that Fiona needed some time to herself, and they needed to respect her privacy. If anyone needed a moment to themselves to collect their thoughts, it was her.

Once again, Fiona didn't stop walking until she had cleared the walkway, the stairwell, and the cottage itself. She didn't stop walked until she reached the nearest tree, which she wrapped her arms around, pressed her face against the trunk, and she screamed. She screamed, and she screamed, and she screamed until her throat gave out. When she found trouble breathing, she spun about, braced her back to the tree, and she slunk down so that she could rest. She took dozens of calming breaths, but all they seemed to do was make her heart beat faster. Just what had she almost done? Sure, life sucked, but had she really been willing to drop it on a dime like that?

Then again, she was reminded of Zespio. As a zone cop, it was likely he had seen quite a bit over the course of his career. Chances were he evaluated what potential options she had, and it was likely none of them would be good choices for her. She would lose her freedom one way or the other, and it was likely the resulting riot and breakout in the prison had made her even more enemies than she had on the outside. With everything against her, she'd probably be better off dead. It's not like she had anything to live for anymore.

Except, that wasn't completely accurate.

Blade had come for her. They were all but complete strangers to one another, but he had come to save her at a great amount of risk to himself. Then there were those that were there to welcome her back. Judah, the meathead lion that had saved her life. Mask, the grouchy old man that had opened his house to her. Nicolette, her old treasure hunting buddy. Heck, even Aqune and Boris, both of whom she barely knew, had showed up just to check on her. It was mind boggling, really. When this week had started, she had nothing: no friends, no family, no money, nothing. But now, she had the one thing she never believed she would ever actually have.

Fiona had friends. Just thinking it made her tremble, and it left her in a bit of a predicament. No way the Zone Cops weren't going to come after her after turning the motorpool into a crater, and it was very likely the Destructix escaped too in the wake of the confusion generated from the explosion. Now Fiona had something to lose, and the very thought mortified her. What was she going to do now?

"Fiona?"

The fox girl looked up, and to her surprise she saw Gabby standing in front of her. The tiny gazelle had to lean forward a bit so that they could look eye to eye, and she wore a look of concern.

"Are you…ok?"

Fiona took a minute to compose herself so that her voice wouldn't crack, and then she offered Gabby a friendly smile.

"Sure I am, squirt. Just needed some alone time, is all. What's up?"

Gabby leaned back, and she drew little circles in the dirt with her foot. It was something children only tended to do when they had something to ask, but they weren't quite sure how to say it.

"Do you remember that promise you made me back at the party? Before the dance competition?"

Fiona blinked, but then it came running back to her. It was almost amazing to think that Founder's Day was little over two days ago. She recalled promising Gabby one favor in return for helping her to move about on her leg better.

"Yeah, I remember, kiddo. What about it?"

Gabby teeted and tottered on the balls of her feet.

"Well, would it be ok if I cashed in on it? I know you're probably busy, but…"

Fiona detected a hint of urgency in the kid's voice, and it didn't escape her notice that she was looking back to the cottage, and, by extension, Lower Mobius. So was it that she wasn't supposed to leave the underground? It did seem like Nicolette preferred it that she stay down there where she could see her. On the one hand, Fiona wasn't really feeling like company, especially not with all she had on her mind. But, then again, the kid did help her out, and she had promised. Granted, she had also intended on bolting which would have technically been breaking that promise. Ultimately, the decision was Fiona's.

"Eh, what the heck. Sure, kid, lay it on me. What do you need?"

Gabby grinned, and then she pointed upwards.

"I need to go up there!"

Fiona turned about, and she followed Gabby's finger. It led up to the mountain, and, if Fiona squinted, she could faintly make out the entrance to an old cave. She hunched her brow, and she turned back to Gabby.

"That's a bit of an odd thing to ask for, kiddo. Plus, if I'm honest, I don't think I'm really up for mountain climbing."

"But you won't have to climb." Gabby insisted. "I know an old trail that'll take us right where I want to go. It won't take that long, I promise."

Fiona looked down at Gabby. That pleading look the gazelle was giving her was rather desperate, and it was clear that this was something she had been wanting to do for a while. But what could be up there that would warrant such immediate action? Clearly something important to the little girl. Again, it wasn't like she had anything better to do, and perhaps a nature walk would help her to clear her head and put everything into better perspective. So, she pushed herself off, dusted off her pants, and she nodded to Gabby.

"Ok, kid, you talked me into it. Let's go."

"Yippee!" Gabby cheered.

She rushed back to the porch of the cottage where she had left a tiny backpack, and before long the two of them were marching up the path up the hill. With a smile on her face and a skip in her step, it was hard for Fiona to keep up with the happy Gabby. Being in the forest seemed to rejuvenate the gazelle, not that she was ever want for energy, and it was a bit of a work out just to keep up with her. Whatever was up on this mountain was making her feel her oats, which concerned Fiona a little.

"Hey, kiddo, since we've got a minute to talk, do you think, maybe, you could fill me in on just whatever the heck we're doing?"

"We're going up to see my brother." Gabby said as she jumped over a log.

"Brother?" Fiona asked, tripping over the said log. "Wait a minute? Since when did you have a brother?"

"I told you about him before." Gabby said as she pushed a branch out of the way, only for it to smack Fiona in the face. "We used to live out here together when I was really little. Sherman used to take care of me all the time until Mr. Mask found us. He led us to Lower Mobius, and we bunked down with Miss Nikki ever since. Or, at least, I did. You see, my brother had this problem with crowds, and he really liked to keep to himself. Sometimes, he would get in fights with people, and eventually he would come up here to the cave where we used to live to cool off. It kinda became our routine: hang out with miss Nikki, fight fight fight, go up to the cave to cool off, rinse and repeat."

Gabby started to slow this point.

"But then, he started to stay at the cave more and more, but he left me down in village with Miss Nikki. He would send me letters everyday telling me he was alright, but he'd never tell me why he wouldn't come back. So, one day, I snuck my way up the mountain to check up on him. At first, there was nothing. The cave was empty, and I didn't see my brother anywhere. So I went deeper and deeper into the cave looking for him."

She fell silent again.

"I still hear it in my sleep sometimes. That deep, heavy breathing that was coming from the back of the cave. Sometimes, when I'm in a dark room like the cave with the lantern put out, I can hear it in my mind. It's why Miss Nikki always leaves a light on for me when I go to sleep. There was this…this shape curled up in the corner. I could see its form rising and falling with every breath. Then, there was a crackle of lighting followed by the most deafening thunder I had ever heard. The lump suddenly got up, its red eyes burning as it stared down on me. I don't really remember what happened after that besides that I ran away, and the thing caught me by one of my horns. It broke, and I fell. I woke up every couple of moments, and I remember one time seeing my brother screaming at Miss Nikki about something. When I finally got better, my brother was back up in the mountain again. I begged Miss Nikki to take me up to him, but she'd never do. She'd just say that my brother needed to be alone. So all I could do was wait for his next letter, but it never came."

She stopped short, and so did Fiona.

"I think…I think he's mad at me. I think that monster had been living on the mountain for some time, and he wanted to keep me away so that I would be safe. I must have allowed the thing to get away before Sherman could kill it, and now he's mad at me."

She turned around so that she could look at Fiona.

"That's why I asked you to take me up. This time, if there's a monster, I know I'll have someone tough to watch my back. Once we find my brother, I'll give him these flowers I picked. I've also got some treats in my backpack that I know he'll like. If that doesn't make him forgive me, then nothing will."

Fiona had stopped listening somewhere halfway. A monster? This kid wasn't honestly thinking she could fight off something bigger than a bunny rabbit, did she? She had decided that the time had come to back out of this little agreement when Gabby suddenly go excited.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! I know this place! I know this place! It's just a little further!"

She look off like a bullet, leaving Fiona in the dust.

"Gabby, hey!" Fiona called as she took off after her. "L-let's talk about this! I'm not really all that tough! I have a monster allergy! Oh, can't we just go back!"

The path switched to an incline and running up it proved to be a chore. By the time it evened out again, Fiona was gasping and wheezing and wishing desperately she had eaten something before all of this got started. She gave herself a minute to catch her breath, and she looked around until she spotted the cave that Gabby must have been talking about, only barely making out the tiny girl as she vanished inside. Fiona gulped, but she eventually followed after her. Though she was walking on tiptoes.

She peaked around the entrance of the cave, and she was welcomed by the sight of something straight out of a horror film. As far as the eye could was a plethora mobini bones picked clean and polished white by time. A sickening feeling wormed its way into Fiona's gut, and she recalled the story of the monster again.

"Gabby?" she whispered, not wanting to step foot into the cave. "Gabby? Where are you?"

There came no reply, and Fiona had no choice but to enter. For her own protection, she grabbed a particularly large skull from the floor, she slowly made her way into the chamber, and she occasionally whispered the girl's name. The further in she went, the more the cave opened and revealed that there was much more to see. On one side was a ratty looking mattress caked in dust and cobwebs, and there was even a family of possums living inside of it. There was also what at one time must have been a wardrobe, though it was clearly in disrepair and also had not seen use in some time. On the other side of the room was a desk piled high with letters, one or two being unopened. She approached it, and she skimmed through them, and she found one that had been sealed, but the handwriting on the envelope didn't match Gabby's. So was this from…

Just then, there came a sound from further in the cave. It almost made Fiona jump out of her skin, and she quickly brandished her skull. A tall shadow emerged from the back of cave, and footsteps cracked the silence. Fiona awaited the horrible thing to come into view, and she was ready to smash the skull on the creature's head before running like her tail was on fire. The shadow got bigger and bigger in the dimming sunlight as the creature drew ever closer and closer. Fiona raised the skull over her own head ready to crash it down, but she stopped just in time. Despite the large shadow, the creature was actually Gabby, the dim light playing tricks on Fiona's eyes.

"Gabby!" she said hotly. "For crying out loud, kid. You had me scared to death."

"I didn't hear you." Gabby replied innocently. She spied the skull in Fiona's hand. "Hey! You found Oscar!"

Fiona blinked, and she looked at the skull.

"Uh…who?

Gabby trotted over, and she took the skull away from her, looking upon it lovingly.

"Oscar. He was my best friend when me and my brother were living here. He wasn't much for conversation, but he would always listen to everything I had to say. I had been wanting to find him for ages."

Fiona blanched when the tiny girl kissed the skull, and she looked away so Gabby couldn't see her wretch. After she forced down her gag reflex, she looked back to Gabby.

"So, um, where is your brother?"

Gabby's face fell, and she looked about.

"I don't know. All of his hunting spears and other tools are still here."

Fiona made a face.

"Hunting? What does a gazelle have to hunt for?"

Gabby blinked, and then she laughed.

"Oh, that's right. I never told you, did I? He isn't my brother by blood. Sherman is a wolverine. He kinda adopted me as his sister when he found me in the woods, and we lived in these woods ever since."

Fiona's brows jumped. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, and suddenly some things were starting to make sense.

"So, these bones…"

"My brother was always a messy eater. You get used to the smell, and all of the skulls made for plenty of friends to play with until I went to live in Lower Mobius."

She frowned.

"But that doesn't explain where he could be. He wouldn't go hunting without his tools, and everything is so filthy. Almost as if…"

It was then Fiona remembered the letter she had found. She fetched it from her pocket, and she held it up. When Gabby's eyes landed on it, a fresh smile printed itself across her face.

"Hey! That's my brother's handwriting! He must have been about to send it before he disappeared. Read it, Fiona. Maybe it's got some clue as to what happened to him."

Fiona was of a like mind. The envelope wasn't sealed, so it was as simple and opening the flap and taking out the paper. Despite the age of the paper, it had managed to stay mostly intact, and the writing was still legible, albeit with poor handwriting. She had to squint with the dimming sunlight, but she was still able to read the letter.

Dear Nicolette,

I would like to start by saying that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you after what happened. It wasn't your fault. I should have been more forthcoming with you about my condition. When Gabby got hurt, I felt as though what little sense I still had just fell out of my head. But you didn't deserve any of that. You've been good to me, far better than I deserve, and you've taken good care of Gabby. What I'm getting to in a round about way is that I have to leave. It's not safe anymore. For me, for Gabby, for nobody. This needs to stop. I need to stop. If I can't get this thing figured out, then I need to go somewhere that nobody will get hurt as a result. I can't say for sure where I'm going, but even if I did know I could never actually tell you. I couldn't bear it if Gabby tried to follow me. Heaven knows that I've done enough to her. I realize, Nic, that I'm just dumping more and more of my problems onto you, but I just don't know who else to turn to. I'm begging you, Nic, please take care of the kid. Gabby's young, and I know she can be a handful, but she's my whole world. If anything were to happen to her, I'd rather not think of how I would react. Again, I'm sorry, and I hope you have a good life.

Sincerely,

Sherman Fangsworth.

After that, there was nothing else. Fiona turned the paper over and over in her hands to see if there was anything else, but there was nothing left for the letter to tell them about Gabby's brother. Then again, it appeared that the letter had said plenty. Gabby's face was a picture of utter turmoil as she stared up at Fiona. The start of tears were beginning to bubble up from her eyes, and she began to back away from Fiona.

"Gabby?" Fiona started, reaching out for her.

Gabby suddenly slapped her hand away, and she ran back towards the farthest part of the cave.

"What the…Gabby, hey, wait a second!"

Fiona took off after her, thankful to find that the cave did indeed have a back wall and didn't branch into tunnels. There she found Gabby curled up in a ball and clutching Oscar the skull tightly. Fiona went slow in her approach, getting close to Gabby but staying at a safe distance.

"Gabby?" she whispered softly. "Hey, kid, you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" Gabby croaked, tightening up. "You fulfilled your end of the deal. I just want to be left alone."

Fiona frowned.

"I'm not so sure that's the best idea. I mean, with how you must be feeling…"

"You have no idea how I'm feeling!" Fiona snapped. "Sherman was the only family I ever had. My real family just left me on the mountain and never came back. Sherman was the only one that cared about me, and now he's abandoned me too! I don't have anything or anyone! So just leave me alone!"

But Fiona didn't move. She just stayed where she was standing, looking down on the weeping child. Eventually, she walked over, and she sat down next to her. She braced her back against the cold stone of the cave wall, and she glanced up at the cave ceiling, counting the stalactites.

"I was maybe three years younger than you when I lost my mom." she said. "We weren't very rich. My dad was a deadbeat that abandoned us, and mom spent all of her money just to care for me. My grandparents were dead, mom was an only child, and we had very few to no friends. But, somehow, we always found a way to make it work. Just the two of us against the world."

She peaked out of the corner of her eye, and she noticed that Gabby had uncurled, if only a little.

"I remember it clearly, that horrible day. Mom and I were having a picnic out in the hills just outside of town. She gave me my first bow that day. I had always wanted one, and mom had worked many late hours just to afford it. I was the happiest little girl in the world, which only made it the more tragic when the swatbots attacked. I didn't even have time to realize what was going on when I was ripped away from my mother before I was whisked to what would become Robotropolis. Dr. Robotnik poked and prodded me more than I'm comfortable to admit for some sort of experiment, and when he was done he tossed me into this tiny box with no doors, no windows, and absolutely no hope."

She looked again, and now she had Gabby's complete and total attention. The gazelle looked confused, which Fiona could understand since she had likely heard the story of the founder hundreds of times by now.

"But…" Gabby squeaked. "The founder broke into that place probably thousands of times. Isn't that how you escaped?"

Fiona shook her head.

"Nope. Not since the picnic did I ever see my mother again. I can only assume she died when she went looking for me. It would be years later when I finally escaped."

She looked down on Gabby, and she motioned for her to draw closer, which she did. Fiona sat perfectly still until she was certain that she was comfortable. Gabby leaned her head against Fiona's shoulder, and she looked up at her with large eyes.

"I did a lot of bad things, after that." Fiona said. "Things, I'm starting to realize, I would have been better off not doing. I hurt people all because I thought I deserved some sort of satisfaction for my pain. In the end, I pushed away everyone that wanted to help me. People that, frankly, didn't deserve what I put them through. If it weren't for Judah's kindness all that time ago, I'd probably not even be here right now, and nobody would care that I was gone. What I'm getting at, kid, is that you don't have to go through the same thing as I did. Your brother is gone. It sucks, but it is the truth. Give it enough rope, and life will do anything and everything in its power to steal everything that isn't bolted down. But, here's the kicker. If you hang on to the good stuff, and you try not to let the real world hold you back, then you might just find that living isn't so bad, after all. I'm sure Nic's had to lie to you a few dozen times whenever you asked about your brother, but she only did so because she cares about you. She wanted you to be happy. I don't know if that necessarily justifies it, but it's more than I had back when I was your age. Then there's the old man running the town. He's as grouchy as Crocbot with a toothache, but he's a nice guy after a while. Then there's Blade. I mean, that guy broke the laws of time and space just to stop me from making a very stupid mistake. If that isn't commitment, then I don't know what is. You've got a lot of good folks looking out for you. The way I see it, you've got one heck of a family to depend upon."

Gabby remained silent for a moment, taking in what Fiona had said. As for Fiona herself, she found herself a bit surprised. She had only wanted to calm Gabby down to try and bring her back home, but she hadn't expected to say so much about herself. In fact, that was the first time she had ever actually talked about the picnic. Most times, that memory had been especially reserved for her nightmares, but actually sharing it with someone seemed to take the sting out a little. In fact, it made her cherish it even more, what with finding out what became of her mother after that day.

The two girls stayed there until the sun finally set over the horizon, and the moon slowly rose up into the sky, filling the cave with silvery light. By now, Nicolette was probably having kittens, and Fiona was the one holding the litter box. She patted Gabby on the top of the head, and she stirred. She seemed to be fighting sleep by this point.

"It's getting late, kiddo. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be in bed by now. Come on. Let's go."

As Fiona rose, Gabby reached up.

"Carry me, please?"

Fiona sighed, but she decided to relent. The poor girl had had a long day. She turned about and offered her back, and Gabby climbed on piggy-back. Fortunately, she wasn't too heavy, and Fiona could easily carry her. She cleared the mouth of the cave, minding the bones, and she looked up to the star filled sky. Fiona wasn't quite sure how, but it was the most beautiful sight she had seen in a long time. It didn't take her long to realize why. Everything she had said about Gabby was the same with her. Fiona had a family now, and one that was willing to stand by her regardless of the consequences. She wasn't entirely certain if she deserved it, but she had it none the less. She looked at Gabby out of the corner of her eye, and she smiled.

"Don't you worry, kid." she whispered. "I'll be keeping an eye on things from now on. I won't anything take you guys away from me. Not even the zone patrol. At least Scourge won't be a problem anymore."

With that, she started down the hill back towards Mask's cottage. However, if she had of been paying attention, she would have seen a tall shadow standing over her, watching her go. He wouldn't strike just yet. He would let her get down with her little family and have some fun. When she least expected it, they would all strike: him, his boys, and the seven, pretty little gems he had collected.