A/N- Drum role and the results of the pole are…Earth. Almost everyone thought he should stay on earth, if only for a little longer. Hhhhhmm. Well, we'll see.

Wraithlord42-That wouldn't be possible. Because earth is far from the Andalite Home world, and it isn't a big priority right now, no Andalite ships will be coming here for quite awhile. At least, they aren't planning on it- and no one's gonna send a special ship just for Zak.

Korean Pearl-I didn't think of that idea about going later. Those are good ideas for jobs- perhaps I will use them in another book. That is, if I decide to continue after this story is over. Good, you aren't supposed to know where he will choose, it's supposed to be suspenseful.

DH- Kicks your soapbox okay, I get the picture! Are you on the debating team or something? Just kidding. Those are good reasons, and Zak will take them into consideration. And yeah, Alanthi may seem like a stuffed shirt, but that's the way most people on her planet are, right? They're arrogant like that, so that's the way I tried to portray her.

Panthergirl-Even if he does decide to go away, I will follow him and tell you everything he did. There are no guarantees, though.

Chessrook44-Thanks for your insight. Basically, whether he should stay with his people in mind or body is the question this story is asking.

Tabatha- Good point, and I can't say much more without spoiling the story, so thanks for reviewing!

Morph- Thanks for your review!

Birdie num num- Looks around, then whispers to BNN, Zak's home/cabin is in California! Don't tell anyone.

I was disappointed in Alanthi. I thought she would give me a straight answer, but it looked like I was wrong. She hadn't wanted to answer my last question, so I assumed that it wouldn't be the one I wanted to hear. From what I had seen of Andalites, they were proud. Especially Tremain, who seemed very intolerant and moody. But not all Andalites could be like that, could they? Mendanosh seemed okay, although he didn't really seem to care what choice I made as long as he was able to leave soon. I had the feeling Alanthi wanted me to go with her, which made me feel good and awkward at the same time.

But what about Bri? I knew she wanted me to stay. How could I abandon her? And yet, if I didn't, I would always play the part of the alien. Even if I could become human, it wouldn't be the same I wouldn't fit in here. As we had seen at the mall, I didn't act like most humans.

Although if I ended up going to the Andalite home world, I would be an alien there too. My body would be the same as theirs, but my mind…my mind was far behind the average Andalite's. I put my head in my hands. No matter where I went, I would be different. So then, why did it matter where I chose?

I morphed human again, and went inside. Maybe talking to Bri would make me feel better.

Once inside, everything was warm. My human family was drinking hot chocolate, along with Bri and her family. Even her adopted mother was there. My own mother jumped up when she saw me come in, and hugged me again. I put my arms around her, and it was like I didn't want to stop. Never, ever let this hug end. No more decisions to make, just warmth and comfort.

Eventually, she let go of me. And when I looked up, I saw tears forming in her eyes. At first I wondered why, then I realized- this was how her son would have looked if he hadn't died. But when I looked into her eyes, I saw she loved me as if I had been that son. She had told me time and time again, growing up, that she wouldn't trade me for the world. And right now, I could tell she really did love me. Then I felt guilty. Had I even been considering trading my family for my world? Shaking my head, I told myself it was more complicated than that, but the guilty feeling didn't leave.

We sat around and drank hot chocolate, me finally being able to taste it in all its chocolaty goodness. And we were all silent, just being together. It was a good feeling. Then I stood up, and motioned for Bri to follow me. We walked down the hall to the guest room that would have been Zachary's room had he lived. It had been my room for a few years, and then it had been turned into a guest room when I had to live outside.

We sat on the bed together, and once more we were silent for a while Then Bri spoke up.

"So. What did you speak to Allie about?"

I looked at her strangely.

"What?" She giggled. "Her name was too long. Anyway, what did you ask her?"

"Well, just don't call her by that. I have the feeling-ing she'd want to start a tail fight. Ite." Afterwards I relayed the conversation between Alanthi and I.

Bri was silent for a few minutes. Then she said, "Are you sure that's the kind of life you want?"

I sighed. "I really don't know, Bri. I really don't." I was too depressed to play with my words. Besides, I sounded dumb when I did that anyway.

Bri then said, "I…I want you to know something. I can't stop myself from wanting you to stay here. And I couldn't stop myself from missing you if you left. But I want you to know that I won't be mad at you if you do leave. I'll try to be a supportive friend, as best I could. You need to do what you think is right, and nobody can make that decision for you. Not even me." During this speech, she took my hand. A mixture of emotions hit me them, and I impulsively hugged her.

"Thanks, Bri. That means a lot to me."

Then we pulled away, suddenly shy. Bri, being the person she is, changed the topic and asked if I would help her set up her sleeping bag. She was planning on spending the night here, in my scoop. Trying to shake off the feelings that didn't want to leave, I nodded dumbly and helped her. We didn't say much more that night.

Next morning, Bri woke me up early. Blinking, I realized- I was going to have to make my decision today. Tomorrow, the Andalites would leave. Would I be with them, or at home?

Bri, whose intuition is amazing, said, "Don't think about that. I woke you up early for a reason. Come on."

How did you know what I was thinking? I asked, wondering how she could read my mind.

Bri laughed. "You said that aloud. Now come on! I got to show you something."

Wondering what she could possibly have to show me in the middle of the woods, I got to my four feet and trotted after her. When we got to a clearing fairly far from both the house and Andalite ship, Bri began to pull off her shirt. Startled, I turned away, until I heard her laugh.

"Zak, chill out! I'm wearing a leotard. Its what a person wears to morph."

I turned around. Bri was wearing something like a swimsuit. Oh! I said, embarrassed. Why do you need that?

"Sam explained to me that unless you are really good at morphing, your clothes get shredded when you morph. Except for skin-tight clothes. You might want to get some tight clothes for morphing too. I know you usually pull off all your clothes, but it might not always be convenient to do that."

I was a little confused until I remembered I had given her the morphing power too. What are you going to do?

She grinned. "I'm going to morph." She started immediately.

Blue fur spread up over her entire body, and I realized she was morphing an Andalite. I watched, amazed, as she completed the morph. Bri was now a perfect copy of Alanthi.

What…How…

I acquired Alanthi while she acquired me. Remember, we both got calm and peaceful when she acquired me. No one noticed a thing.

After a minute of shocked silence, I said, Okay. I wasn't sure what else to say.

She rolled her eyes. Come on Zak. I have only an hour and fifty minutes left! I want to explore the woods.

And with that, we went.

It was so strange. We were running side by side, and she was an Andalite. I kept forgetting that she was in morph, and kept thinking I was running with Alanthi instead. Weird. Bri enjoyed being an Andalite, actually. She said she felt more graceful, and although eating through her hooves was quite a new experience for her, she didn't have the reaction Alanthi and I had had to human food. I guess its because Andalites don't have a good sense of taste.

Then she proposed racing. I wondered how this would turn out, and took her challenge.

Ready, set, go!

Bri took off sprinting. We leaped over fallen logs, going as fast as our legs could take us, then Bri began to gain distance ahead of me.

Hey!

Ha-ha! This is soooo cool!

When we reached a field, Bri galloped to a stop. Okay, pay up.

What?

You lost! Admit it. You lost to a first time morpher!

Yeah, I panted, Well, it won't happen again.

Is that a challenge? She grinned.

Looking at her, she seemed just itching to run again. I ached all over.

I take that back, I admitted. I'm beat.

Bri continued to exult herself while we walked around the meadow. It was actually a very pretty place, come to think of it. Flowers grew everywhere, and a little stream ran through the meadow. I wondered why we hadn't come here before.

After awhile, Bri said, You know, there's a barbeque tonight. The church is holding it as a fundraiser. There's gonna be hotdogs and hamburgers, and music. Are you…do you want to come?

I had never been to a barbeque before. Sure, it sounds like fun. After thinking a little more, I said, We should probably get back now. They'll be wondering where we are, and you're running out of morph time.

Yeah, she said reluctantly, and we started home.

A/N- Okay, a slightly short, transitory chapter. Had to set the barbeque thing up, and Bri's Andalite morph.

One more thing. Can anyone tell me how Andalites pass on their names? Like I think Ax got his father's middle name or something. I'm trying to figure out what Zak's full Andalite name would be, according to his first name and his parents' last names. Help would be appreciated. Thanks!