A/N:Chapter 21 and I got over 100 reviews! Well, thats what I WOULD be saying (originally I had 108 reviews at this point and for me that was one hell of an accomplishment). Oh well, the important thing is that you're all entertained. I feel that this is one of the most touching chapters, and I'm glad to finally be caught up. Now its at chapter 21. Thanks everyone who stuck with me on this fic. Didn't think I'd get quite this many reviews. But anyway, this chapter is by far the most important in the fic so far! Well, mostly important. My thanks go out to Maverick for helping me construct such a wonderful chapter! Also, there's a small scene with a M/M kiss but that shouldn't be a problem (you'll see when you get there).

Chapter 21-Emerald Eyes

"Happy Birthday to me." Krystal sighed. She didn't feel as happy as you'd think she'd be. She sat in her living room, isolated from the other furs. She had many furies come by to tell her Happy Birthday, but she still wasn't happy. She wasn't happy, because out of all the furs that came to wish her a happy birthday, none of them were Fox McCloud. In fact, Fox usually stopped by every day. "I hope he isn't too upset with me." she lowered her ears. "Who am I kidding? Of course he's mad." She said to herself.

She had a seat in one of the chairs. The window was closed and the curtains covered the windows. She didn't feel like going out today. She had the sudden feeling that Fox wasn't going to be here. This was a special moment for her, and every year she shared it with Fox. It wasn't just her birthday, but the anniversary of when they met each other. They used this particular date because they met just before the big day. Hopefully, Fox would show up for their ten-year anniversary. It would be a shame if he didn't.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to Shane. Shane was different than most furs. He was kind and sweet and gentle. His fur was warm and soft, and yet.he wasn't really a fur. He was just a human in disguise. Only a shadow of a fur. She tried not to think about it. Shane was still.Shane right?

She felt a little rotten towards Fox though. He really had been telling the truth about Shane, and she didn't believe him. But Shane still had a large place in Krystal's heart. A very large place. But what of McCloud? He too, had a large place in her heart. Once again, her feelings for both furs had overwhelmed her. She began to grow tired of the love triangle that had grown.

She'd often times compared the two. Shane was more attractive to her eyes, but Fox was stronger. Shane was much more comfortable to be around, but Fox was safer to be around. Shane had a more mysterious aura. Fox was usually open to her about himself. Shane lived alone with no real responsibility. Fox lived in the middle of Corneria and had to protect every fur. Shane, she'd only known for a few days. Fox, half her life.

She started to think. Whenever she was in any kind of danger, Fox was there to rescue her. Whenever she needed a shoulder to lean on, Fox was there. Whenever things weren't looking good for her, Fox had been there for her. With this in mind she couldn't just throw Fox out of her life.

She slumped down in her chair and began to remember more of the good times she had with Fox. She remembered their first meeting. She smiled at the thought and began to rest a little bit. Her thoughts once again took her back.

***6 Years Ago

It was her birthday again, but Corneria was awfully quiet this day. Krystal had now turned fourteen. Her fourteenth birthday was going to be perfect. The only problem was that there wasn't really anyone there. She was still with her parents back then, but even they had disappeared that day.

She sat on the couch reading a book. It was a simple day, and the house was filled with silence. Nothing but silence. When she got deeper into her book she didn't even notice that it was getting close to evening time. She was disturbed by a knock on the door. "Just when it was getting good." she placed her bookmark in the book and closed it. The book was about a prince in disguise. Too bad she had to put it down now.

When she answered the door, Fox was at her door. He hadn't forgotten to visit, but this time there was a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He was decked out in the same vest and green pants. He scratched behind his ear feeling a bit nervous. "So umm." he began. "What are you up today?"

Krystal smirked. "Oh, nothing. Just the usual. Reading my books and enjoying my flowers."

"Well I was wondering." He said a little nervous. There was no need to be nervous in front of Krystal, yet for some reason he was this day. "Do you have anything planned for today? You seem just a little lonely this evening."

"I'm fine Fox." She looked at him and noticed that he was just a little nervous.

"Well, you certainly don't want to stay here do you? There has to be something that you want to do today?" He chuckled. "So come with me."

Before she could respond she was being pulled by Fox out of her home. There were no furs on the streets and that made Krystal a little bit suspicious. She was wearing a nice pair of blue shorts and a black blouse. She hadn't any time to even think, but at least she was able to close the door behind her. Back then; you could leave your home with the door open if you wanted to.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked Fox, who didn't respond.

They were headed south along the paved roads. When they came out of the village, Krystal was dumbfounded. Fox led her over a hill covered in flowers and down the other side. Krystal was still asking where they were going. The most she got from Fox was "You'll see."

They came to the edge of yet another forest. This one was south of Corneria and was often referred to as the Southern Forest. Fox looked back at Krystal and smirked. "Close your eyes." He said.

Krystal looked a little puzzled at first and then closed her eyes with a smile. To make sure that she couldn't see anything Fox waved his paw in front of Krystal several times. She didn't move or anything. Either she was faking it, or she really did have her eyes fully closed. Fox took Krystal's paw and led her into the forest. The Southern Forest wasn't quite as big as the Northern Forest though.

When they came to the other side of the forest, there was a lake. Surrounded by trees and that made this the best place for the moment. The lake was called the Emerald Lake and it was indeed, Emerald. Fox smiled. "Alright," he said to Krystal with probably the most energetic voice he'd ever used before, "open your eyes."

When Krystal opened her eyes, a crowd in front of her erupted with a loud and booming "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Krystal's eyes went wide with excitement and joy. There was a huge banner tied from one tree to another that read "Happy Birthday Krystal" and there were lots of wires tired from one tree to another with Japanese lanterns hanging down. The lanterns had several different colors. Green, red, purple, orange, blue, and pink, mostly.

Krystal was surprised. Hanging from one of the tree was a piñata. The only gripe Krystal had with the piñata was that it looked like a human head. Obviously, Fox must've planned the party for her.

To Krystal's right there was a grill set up at the side of the lake, where Bill was cooking up burgers and hot dogs, and some steaks too. He was wearing a chef's hat and an apron that read "KISS THE COOK".

To the left of the young vixen was Falco holding a baseball bat, and beside him was a bottle. Krystal could only guess what he was thinking. Falco had a grin on his face and laughed a little bit.

Peppy was doing a bit of balloon twisting for the kits that wanted something. Most of the boys wanted swords. The girls all wanted a dog or something that resembled a doll. Peppy was happy that he was making the kits happy.

Slippy was mainly in charge of the music. He could play almost anything that came to mind if he really wanted to. Of course he had to do his best at conducting the music to his knowledge. Maybe a little Jazz or some slow music to lighten the mood would be best. Everyone was looking to Fox to "make a move" on Krystal, and Slippy and Falco were going to make sure SOMETHING happened!

Besides the hanging Japanese lanterns, there were several ribbons hanging about. Mostly blue and red. There were tables set up for eating purposes. There was also a table set up with a punch bowl on top. Everything seemed perfect. Krystal had only wished that Katt were there.

Krystal looked at Fox and smiled. "I have you to thank for this don't I?"

Fox blushed a little and nodded. He had mainly done the decorations. He had the aid of Falco and Bill to help him plan the party. "Only for you." He said. The only problem was that.he didn't have a gift.

Krystal walked forward to her party with a smile crossing her face. It was a joyous occasion. It was her joyous occasion.

The kits ran around chasing each other, the boys playing with their balloon swords, which was quite entertaining to watch. They had lots of sword fights and often times ran behind Krystal for protection. "The princess will save me!" A young bear-cub shouted running behind Krystal.

Krystal giggled and lifted the cub up on her shoulders. He swung his sword around a bit laughing playfully at the small pup that was chasing him. "Now that the princess is here to protect me, I'm invincible!" The cub shouted. Just as he did he heard a POP! When he looked to his paw his balloon sword had popped. He began to whimper as Krystal set him down. "Don't cry, I'm sure Peppy can make you another one." She smiled and led him to Peppy.

Peppy, who was finally taking a break after all his balloon twisting, saw Krystal approaching. "She's a sucker for kits I tell ya." He said to himself and stood up, knowing full well that he needed to make another sword for the young cub.

He made him another sword and with glee, the bear took it. He smiled and ran off to go play with the pup.

"Alright! I've got hot dogs, burgers, and steaks on the grill. Who wants something to eat?" Bill called out.

Krystal didn't feel very hungry, but all the kits had certainly rushed off to get some food. Some Kits were a little scared to even touch a "hot dog" or a "hamburger." They thought that the hot dogs were made from real dogs. As a result, most of the furs were vegetarians until they grew to their teen years. Luckily, Bill knew this and was steaming up some veggies and there was a bowl of fruit next to the punch. Peas, green beans, corn, asparagus, and there were potatoes too.

Of course Bill had help in getting some of these, and Fox was more than happy to help pick the fruits and mushrooms that were there. But when it came to cooking, no one made good.ANYTHING the way Bill did. His burgers were grilled to perfection, his steaks were always cooked the way the furs liked them, and hot dogs weren't much of a hassle at all.

What the young pups admired most were Bill's sausage links and steaks. Young pups would usually eat anything. They didn't care if their steak was rare or well done, if it were food, they'd eat it. But when it came to Bill's sausage links, no pup could resist that.

There was even a bit of bread, and some honey for the bears. They also had plenty of Apple Butter and normal Butter. Jelly and Peanut Butter were there in large proportions, being that they always went first.

Bill also set up potatoes and yams. He seasoned the potatoes with garlic, but he usually left his spices out for the guests to decide what they wanted.

Krystal was enjoying herself. She picked out a small piece of bread and covered it with Apple Butter and took a bite. Everything seemed perfect. The food was wonderful. They even had some beer for the older furs. The legal age for drinking was sixteen for the furs, and with those odds, how could they resist? Beer, Whiskey, and Vodka were three main choices. Some preferred a White Russian or a Margarita. Falco, on the other hand, loved to drink Bloody Marys. At that time that was his favorite, though he didn't drink much. He was in charge of the games.

Fox, even though he'd planned the party, would usually shy away. He was a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten a gift for Krystal. He looked at the pile of presents. There didn't look to be quite THAT many. Though he felt that out of all the furs, HE could've gotten her a present at least. He didn't have anything to give the young vixen. He slowly made his way to a tree that looked to be out of sight. He stood next to the tree and rested his back to it. He decided he wanted to watch the festivities.

When most of the kits had their share of food they quickly made their way to Falco and the piñata. Falco was holding the bat and a bandana. Now that Peppy was free from balloon twisting, he could lower and elevate the piñata. Of course Krystal had stepped in and said, "Be nice to the kits and let them land a hit every once and a while." It was her nature to serve the kits sometimes.

The first up was a young lion. Falco tried to hand him the bat but he refused. "All I need are my sharp claws for this thing!" He was at least eleven years old. He was cocky too. Falco lowered the bat and put the blindfold over the lion. Then he spun him around three times.

Peppy lowered the piñata down and the young cub took a swing. He missed totally and growled a little bit. So instead he jumped to try and hit the piñata. In response Peppy had only raised it even further out of the kits range. That was two swings, and the young lion was getting a bit restless. He jumped up again and this time he barely hit the piñata. Nothing came out however. But you could see a scratch on the cheek.

"Who wants to take a whack, and actually whack at this human head huh?" Falco grinned. "Extra candy to the kit who sends it flying." Falco said. He was certainly having fun.

A panther came up next to try. She actually took the bat, unlike the lion. Falco blind folded the young panther and spun her around three times. Falco then stepped back.

With more than twice the force of the lion, she swung the bat hard! When it connected, one of the eyeballs went flying out and landed in the lake. Most of the kits laughed while others gasped in disgust. Krystal, watching from one of the tables only giggled. She remembered when she was a bit younger.

The panther made another hard wing and sent the other eyeball flying off. This one however, landed in the punch and not to many of the furs were very happy about that.

The panther made one final swing before it was over. Falco removed her blindfold and smiled. "Good try." He said and looked at a squirrel that was next to her. This squirrel was eager to take a swing. She was ready as could be. "Well.." Falco said. Then without another thought, he blindfolded her.

The squirrel swung harder than the panther did. But on her first try she missed. She took a second swing and missed again, as Peppy lowered the piñata once more. As Peppy was raising it again, the squirrel and already taken a third swing. This one was so fast and hard that broke the whole piñata in two. The candy spilled out and many furs, Falco included, were diving for the candy. Most of it was milk chocolate and caramel. Some of them were peppermints and some, though very few, were hard candies.

Krystal smiled at the herd of kits reaching in for candy and stuffing their paws full. "Next time they should get a bag," she giggled out loud. When the kits were done fishing out candy they gave the Birthday Vixen countless offers of candy. Each and every offer she declined.

Peppy went out and handed each Kit a bag for their candy. He cautioned them to hold on to their bag and the kits did so.

Having a good time and loving it, Falco got out a bottle. "No more kiddy games for you." He smirked at Krystal and went off to gather all the teenage furs in a circle. Slippy, Bill and Falco of course were going to play. They went over and fetched Krystal of course. Two other females, a cat named Kit and a panther named Nall came to join. That made five.

Where was Fox? Throughout the whole event, the one in which he arranged, he didn't seem to participate in any of it.

Krystal decided that she'd play just for the fun of it. She noticed that Fox wasn't around, so she went to search for him. She found him with his back to a tree away from the lake. "Falco wants to play spin the bottle, aren't you coming?" She asked.

Fox looked up with his back rested to the tree in his stance. He slowly shook his head. "That's okay, you go have fun." He said.

Krystal, however, wasn't letting Fox get away that easily. "Oh come on Fox. It'll be fun." She smiled and took him by the paw and led him to the small circle of friends. They sat in a circle boy/girl fashion. They played on the smooth surface of the grass, not the rough surface. This grass was flat and made it easy to spin the bottle.

Falco loved to play games and he grinned with glee at this one. Even though there were a few teens that decided not to participate, some kits made their way to the circle out of curiosity and sat down anyway. Falco didn't mind, as long as he wouldn't have to kiss one anyway.

The different array of furs sat in a large circle. There were about fourteen total and the boys outnumbered the girls by two. Falco didn't see this as a problem at all. He took the first spin and watch with hopes that it would land on Krystal or Nall. His two favorites. Instead the bottle landed on Slippy and Falco was about to gag.

Fox wasn't really paying any attention at all. He felt he had to think of a last minute gift for Krystal, but nothing at all came to mind. This was ridiculous to him. He stood up but before he could walk away Krystal pulled him back down. "You won't get away that easy." She winked.

Falco reluctantly made his way to Slippy and kissed his cheek. The kits all laughed when the avian kissed the toad, and then Bill shouted out "It HAS to be the lips!" Which made everybody laugh. Falco squeezed his eyes tight and leaned in slowly with his lips puckered. He gave Slippy a quick peck and then dashed back to where he was sitting.

It was now Slippy's turn to spin the bottle. It was getting dark now as the sun lowered into its sleep behind the mountains. This made the mood for the game seem all the more better.

Slippy took a spin and almost as if he planned it, the bottle landed on Nall, and to Falco that sucked. 'Damn toad gets all the girls.' He thought. There was a still silence as Slippy made his way to Nall. He gave the panther a quick kiss and was back to where he was, leaving the bottle in front of Nall to spin.

The panther took a spin of the bottle and to everyone's surprise landed on Falco. Falco was going to enjoy this. He had a small "Don't mind if I do" look on his face. He smirked as Nall made her way to Falco. The thing about Nall however, was that she was VERY affectionate, and it wasn't just a kiss, but a deep kiss. She caressed his cheek while doing so and even slid her tongue into his mouth. Then, unlike the rest who returned to where they were sitting, she sat down right next to Falco. This wasn't a bad idea to Falco at all. He was happy that he finally got a taste of Nall.

When the kits finally realized just what the point of the game was, some of the boys left. The girls stayed to watch the game, being that much like humans, girls would begin to grow interested in the opposite sex before boys would.

Falco was up to spin again, and when he did it was quite clear that this wasn't his day for Spin the Bottle. Then again, once it landed on Bill, it wasn't his day either. Falco smirked at Bill and laughed. "Now what was that about lips only?"

Bill chuckled and waved for Falco to come over to him. Falco blinked a couple times as he made his way over to Bill. When he kneeled down to kiss Bill, he was taken by surprise when the hound pulled him INTO the kiss. When Bill was done he laughed. "It's a party Falco, we're supposed to have fun!"

As much as Falco didn't like that kiss he managed a small laugh and agreed. After all, the avian loved to party.

The music was dying down a bit as Bill took a spin. The bottle went around and around until it finally landed on Kit. Bill smiled and made his way over to the cat and kneeled down and kissed her gently. Then, like Nall, he sat down next to her.

So far the kits seemed to like the game. The boys however, were a little shy of it. They didn't want to have to kiss other boys. But to the boys getting a kiss by anyone who wasn't your mother just wasn't "right". They also didn't like the fact that there was a small chance that you might have to kiss another boy.

Kit took the bottle and gave it a spin. Now it landed on one of the kits. It was the young lion that had taken a swing at the piñata with his claws. He gulped, knowing that he was going to get a kiss next. When Kit sat down next to him, she gave him a kiss on the lips, but not a deep one. A tiny one that lasted no more than three seconds. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?" the cat asked the kit.

The lion pretended to gag, trying to hide the fact that he actually LIKED it. It was actually one of the greatest feelings he ever felt. Now it was his turn to take a spin. He was hoping it wouldn't land on any of the other boys, but that was a chance he was willing to take. To his surprise the bottle landed on Krystal. This made the young lion happier than he'd ever been. He smiled and ran over to Krystal and hopped in her lap. Krystal giggled as the lion leaned up to kiss her. It was another quick kiss and the lion liked that one two. He stayed in Krystal's lapped. Then he looked to Fox who was adjacent to Krystal. "She's mine!" He growled at McCloud. The whole gang laughed.

With a giggle, Krystal gave the bottle a spin, holding the lion in her lap. When the bottle stopped spinning, it was pointed right back at her. It was bound to happen to someone. The lion looked up at Krystal and puckered his lips. Everyone laughed, and Krystal gave the lion another kiss. After all, he was in her lap. "Let me spin again." Krystal said and gave the bottle another spin. When it stopped it was pointed to the fur right next to Krystal on her left side. That was Fox. When she turned to face, Fox was no longer sitting there. He had run off again.

"Excuse me for a moment." Krystal set the young cub to the ground and stood up to go look for Fox. She knew exactly where to find him. She wasn't too far off either. Fox was once again, standing with his back to a tree. The same tree as before too.

"What's wrong Fox?" Krystal asked. "You planned the party right? You should at least participate in it."

Fox slowly plopped down in front of the tree with his back still to it. "I just." he immediately trailed off. He couldn't use the excuse 'I didn't get you a present' because that's all it was, an excuse.

The game of spin the bottle eventually ended and the furs went back to eating and chatting and dancing. Of course because Fox was still a little nervous in the presence of Krystal he decided not to even dance. "You can't hide out forever Fox. Come on let's have some fun." Krystal smiled.

Fox still sat by the tree. "No, I'm fine really.whoa!" He didn't get to finish before Krystal grabbed him by the paw again and pulled him into the center of the party. "Dance with me."

Fox turned and tried to walk away but Krystal kept persistent and once more pulled him back. "We're here to have fun Fox." She kept her smile. "Now lets dance."

As soon as Krystal said that, the music toned down from the Jazz, to nice slow dancing music. Several furs started to dance with someone else. Krystal took one of Fox's paws in her hand and the other paw she wrapped around her waist. "You don't have to do much, just take tiny steps with me." She said and motioned for Fox to take a step to the side. "We don't have to do anything fancy." She winked.

Fox didn't really "know" how to dance and felt a little discomfort. He looked at Krystal and was almost immediately lost in her eyes. They'd never looked that beautiful before. They slowly swayed from side to side and McCloud finally began to relax a little bit.

Krystal seeing as how he'd calmed down a bit decided to rest her head along his shoulder as they went together in step, Krystal nuzzled Fox's shoulder a little bit. He still wasn't showing that much affection. Krystal found it odd that a sixteen year old was somewhat afraid of the opposite sex.

When the music died down, Falco announced that it was time to open up the presents. The furs gathered around in a circle. All the furs except McCloud. When Krystal made her way to the pile of presents, McCloud backed away. He hoped that there was no one who would see him.

Krystal knelt down beside some small boxes and such. She picked p a rather small box. This one was from Falco. When she opened it, there was a velvet box under the wrapping paper. She opened the box to see the most beautiful bracelet she'd ever seen before. It was gold and covered with blue sparkling gems. She was amazed by this, and couldn't help but put it on now. It looked extremely good on her, and no one could disagree.

She picked up a second box that was also small. This one from Slippy. When Krystal unwrapped this gift, there was another box. It wasn't velvet, but when she opened it there was a small medallion inside with an engraving of a fox. She smiled and slowly slipped the medallion on. It was a crystal blue medallion and a very pretty one at that.

The next gift that she received was yet another small box. This one from her parents. She opened this one to reveal a gold necklace with an emerald green diamond in the center. Her eyes widened with joy. It was beautiful and quite possibly one of her favorite gifts. She kept that enclosed in the casing; she didn't want to ruin its perfect design. She'd save that necklace for a special occasion. It was just to perfect to let the color die out.

The next gift was a gift from Peppy. When she unwrapped this one, it was a music box with a gold Hare on top with white diamond eyes that glistened. There was a crank at the side of the box and she turned it. When the music started to play, the hare on top started to spin around and around. The eyes started to glow white, just like the diamond. "Slippy helped me put it together." Peppy said, knowing full well that Krystal would love it. She was ever the more amazed.

Next she picked out Bill's gift. Bill blushed a little. "I didn't know what to get you really." He said and watched her unwrap the paper. It was a drawing. Colored yes, and it was of the first day they'd met. Krystal's eyes grew teary as she remembered that day. The picture looked like it was drawn years ago, and it was. She stared at the picture with shimmering eyes. It was in a wooden frame and Krystal knew she'd keep it for all time.

***

Fox was watching from a little ways. He hadn't gone back to "his" tree because he thought Krystal would only drag him over again. Instead, he relocated himself to another position on the lakes edge only surrounded by trees. But enough to see what was going on. He watched the gifts that she received. A gold emerald necklace, a gold bracelet, a picture that he couldn't make out, but the fact that she got teary meant that it had to be special.

He watched the other gifts that she got. She received a pair of gold earrings, a grooming kit for her fur, and lastly a card that the rest of the bunch had gotten together and made. 'I didn't even get her a card.' Fox thought. 'But how am I going to compare with the jewelry?' He still had nothing for the young vixen. He felt a little bad about it. He slumped into the grass along the base of the trees trying to think.

He closed his eyes and tried to think. When he opened them, there she was, hovering right over him. "Why have you been avoiding me Fox?" Krystal asked, and was wearing the bracelet. The other gifts she must've left back in the clearing. There was something odd about the way she asked him the question.

Fox didn't respond right away. In his mind, thoughts were racing. "I.Well, I wanted to get something special for you." He said. "But I don't know what." Krystal looked confused. Fox sighed. "To be truthful, I wish I could've done more for you Krystal. I didn't even get you a gift. I'm sorry."

"But you did give me a gift Fox." She smiled and looked out across the lake. The moon was at a full high now. The moon was a gorgeous golden yellow and shined over the lake, giving the lake a warm glow.

"I have?"

"You've given me this party." She smiled.

"But that's all I gave you. I mean a real gift Krystal. Something you'll never forget." He sat up and lowered his ears. "I want to make this a special day for you Krystal."

Krystal was confused but she sat down next Fox nonetheless. "What's there that you haven't given me?"

Fox thought and turned to face Krystal. Again, he got lost in her eyes. The moon made her beauty look much more astounding, and she stood out more. Her eyes glowed with the most dazzling sparkle he'd ever seen. He felt taken by her beauty. Fox had now fallen for Krystal. "I want to give you something more." He began as he stared into her eyes and felt overwhelmed. He let a soft warm feeling settle into his body.

Krystal wasn't quite sure what Fox meant. "You don't need to give me any more than your friendship." She said.

"But I do." Fox said and his voice became lower and more soothing. He wasn't sure what he was doing anymore. Without another thought he scooted closer to Krystal and wrapped his tail around her. Krystal was taken by surprise. It was the first time she'd ever felt this warm before.

They stared into each other's eyes and let the moonlight deepen the beauty of the mood. Fox had never realized just how beautiful Krystal was this night. He put an arm up to her cheek and caressed it slowly and gently. She was so beautiful.

Krystal breathed softly. No one had ever made her feel this way before. She sighed with content at Fox's touch. His touch made her relax even more.

Fox didn't know what to do but he slowly leaned in closing his eyes and within an instant his lips were pressed against hers in a gentle and warm kiss. His paws wrapping around her waist.

She didn't want that moment to end. This was the first time she'd seen Fox so affectionate before. She let herself be taken into Fox. She was falling for him too.

When the kiss was broken, they stared into each other's eyes. "Happy Birthday Krystal." Fox said softly and hugged her close.

Krystal came to rest of Fox's shoulder and sighed with content. She never wanted this moment to end. It was like a dream come true.

A touch...a kiss... A whisper of love.

***Present Day

With her eyes closed Krystal was remembering that day. She even had a finger to her lip and could feel that kiss again. That was their first real kiss. What did it mean to her? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Krystal went to go and answer the door, and saw Fox standing there. It was past noon, but she'd never been happier to see him. "I'm sorry Fox I..."

He put a finger over her lips and stepped inside. He was calm now, regardless of what he saw. He only embraced her and he closed his eyes. He felt a tear well up in his eye, but he couldn't help it now. They held each other for a long time, and Krystal sensed that something was wrong. "Fox?"

He didn't say anything. Instead he looked into her eyes, the same way he did six years ago. He caressed her cheek, in knowing that this would probably be the last time he'd ever get to enjoy a moment like this. He leaned in for what he thought would be one last kiss.

A touch... a kiss... a whisper of love.

________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Pretty long compared to my other stuff, but by far I feel this is the best chapter yet! My extended thanks go out to Maverick. Without you this chapter wouldn't have been possible. I Thank You again. Please everyone R+R! Thanks again for sticking with me.