Intertwine Dreams

by FireHybrid

Imagine being put in a world with creatures of your own creation, and that's basically what's happened to me. Read my other story, New Beginning, to get an idea of Hybrids before you read this. I'm so, so sorry for the delay, but 6 is ready! Enjoy!

6. A Phoenix is Reborn

Hello, everyone. Fire Storm won't be writing this chapter. Instead, he's asked me, Phoenix, to share my view on the events that occur here. Since I haven't as much experience writing stories as he has, I'm not sure how good of a job I did. Fire Storm enjoys it, but...well, judge for yourself.

(So I suppose we can blame this lateness on Phoenix, huh? -ed Rick)

Chp.6-A Phoenix is Reborn

From the dairy of Cassie Canin, Arcanine Hybrid

12/18/01- Christmas is in a week, and it looks like it will be just me and Xavier alone again at home on Christmas morning. Despite all his friends, Pokémon or otherwise, the house seems so empty. Maybe it's just the hole in my heart that makes things seem that way, especially after what happened with me and Fire Storm tonight. Everything's ruined now... I just wanted to help...

It began about a week before Christmas. I was waiting for Fire Storm in Applebee's just after the sun had went down. Normally we'd be out arresting criminals or finding new ones to hunt, but we had just made a big arrest last night. A pharmacist was setting up an overpriced, phony drug store here in Sapphire Town. He'd been arrested before for the same thing in North Dakota, but he jumped bail as soon as the trial started.

Once he thought the heat was off, he set up his new store. Fire Storm and I tracked down some of his patients and got some samples of their pills and medicine. Once a lab proved that all the medicine he gave was sugar pills and cough syrup, we were able to arrest him. The district attorney prescribed him 10 to 25 years while we both received nearly 5 grand after taxes. After that big success, we felt like taking a break and celebrating tonight.

"Fire Storm! Over here!" I gave a wave to Fire Storm as he walked in. He smiled and walked over, taking a seat across the table from me. He wore his black leather jacket and a white t-shirt underneath it with his jeans, and I wore a light-blue t-shirt and jeans.

"Hello, Phoenix. How are you tonight?" he asked when he sat down.

"I'm alright; yourself?"

"A little tired, but otherwise fine..." Fire Storm let out a little yawn. "See what I mean?"

I nodded. Xavier looked half-asleep himself this morning. I'm very loose with him when it comes to going to bed and the like; as long as he keeps his grades up, he could stay up all night if he wanted. Still, sometimes I come home about 2 or 3 in the morning and one of his Pokémon friends will tell me he just went to sleep. I don't want to mother him too much, but sometimes I wonder if I don't mother him enough, either.

The waiter came soon and took our orders. Once we'd received our drinks and appetizers, I studied Fire Storm as I ate slowly. For so long I've had feelings for him; deep, emotional feelings. We've known each other for over a year now, and we've become great partners. He watches my back, I watch his, and together we've caught dozens of criminals. Outside work, he's such a sweet, gentle guy... I just wished my feelings for him were returned. I've never understood how Fire Storm couldn't have noticed how much I care for him. It seemed like there was just something inside him; something that wouldn't let him realize my feelings for him. At first I thought that my love wasn't shared by Fire Storm, but now I know what's really going on. Fire Storm loves me, but not in the way he should...

I didn't bring it up right then. We made small talk and finished our appetizers, and then our main meals arrived. We ate those also before I started with what I wanted to say. I wanted to make sure Fire Storm was nice and settled; what I had to say was sure to surprise him, and I wanted to make sure he stayed to hear everything.

After the waiter cleared our plates and we ordered desserts, I felt now was the time. I gently placed my paw over Fire Storm's as it rested on the table. He looked over at me, confused.

"Phoenix? What is it?"

"Fire Storm... you're a wonderful man, and I want you to know... I love you."

"P-Phoenix..." he stammered. He clearly wasn't expecting this. "I-I..."

"Please, let me finish." I picked up his paw and held it in both of mine. "I know you love me too, but not in the way I expected you to. Please, just tell me... why... why do you think I'm your mother?..."

"WHAT?!" Fire Storm tried to pull his paw away, but I held it tightly and kept him from leaving.

"I was talking with your friend Sandact online a few days ago. Your AIM kicked on, and I was starting to close it when she sent you a message...I'm sorry, but I was too curious. I know so little about you; I was hoping your friend would tell me a little about you. What she said... I couldn't believe it at first, but then I started checking your e-mails... they confirmed everything..."

"You went through my e-mail?!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to know..." I looked down before going on. "Fire Storm, you should know Xavier's my only child, and you're not Xavier. Please, let's go back to my home. I'll show you you're not my son..."

"NO!" Fire Storm managed to yank his paw out of my grip. He stood up hastily, pulling out his wallet and placing a $100 dollar bill on the table. "I can't... I'm sorry..."

I watched as Fire Storm quickly made his way to the exit. I realized what was happening, but my brain couldn't get my feet to move till he was out the door.

"Fire Storm? Fire Storm!" I moved as fast as I could, but he was already pulling out of the lot on a new motorcycle I'd never seen before, not even looking at me as he drove up the ramp out of the plaza. "FIRE STORM!"

I watched him until he was out of sight. Sniffing and fighting back tears, I walked back into the restaurant to grab my purse. I tried hard not to look at anyone as I walked back out to the car, barely able to focus on the road as I drove home. It all happened so fast...I couldn't believe it...

After a few minutes, I just had to pull over. Shutting the car off, I stared off into space, too upset to do anything else. I lost Fire Storm... I lost another man I loved, maybe forever like Blaze...

"DAMN IT!" I punched the steering wheel hard; so hard the airbag went off in my face. I didn't even care; I just buried my head into it and cried, pounding on the dashboard with my fist. It happened again...why did it have to happen again?...

For what seemed like forever I cried there, my sobs and the passing cars the only sounds in the night. The airbag had long deflated when I started the car again. Looking at the clock, I'd seen I'd been there for over half an hour. I wanted to keep crying, but I just couldn't anymore. Instead, I made my way home. I'd asked Joy to keep Xavier busy enough so I could get home before he did. I don't want him to know I'm a Hybrid; he's not ready to understand the truth about his father and I. Hell; sometimes I still don't believe it's true.

Chris and Andrea were asleep together on the couch when I walked in, which was good for me. They know about me, but they're the only ones besides Xavier's Pokémon friends and Amber. They help me by warning me when Xavier's coming if I'm in Hybrid form and stalling him till I can change to human. His Pokémon also tell me how he's doing and if they think I need to do something with him. I try my best, but its hard being a single parent; I need a little help from everyone that's close to Xavier.

No one saw me from the front door to my room. Rick was probably out on a date with Rai, Serena was at her home, and the others were probably in their rooms. Closing the door quietly behind me, I collapsed onto my bed and began to cry again, clutching the sheets as I buried my head into a pillow. I wanted someone to hold me; let me know it would all be alright. I knew the truth, though. There was no one; there never would be...

12/22/01 – Fire Storm hasn't called me, and he's not answering his phone. I've tried waiting at the Center for him in my Hybrid form, but he hasn't shown up. I don't know what to do... I try to pass the time by watching Xavier as he works. He seems to really enjoy what he does over there, and he tries to help everyone that comes in, no matter the circumstances. He's even come over to me a few times and asked if there was anything he could help me with because he thought I looked troubled by something. I always tell him I'm fine, but he always insists on doing something for me. He must have noticed by now how I've been coming in the past 3 days and just sat there, waiting for someone I know won't come. He works so hard to try and please others... I'm just glad that it's now winter break for him, so he can relax and not worry about his job and whatnot.

"The person you are trying to reach is not available at this time. Please leave a message after the tone."

TONE!

"Fire Storm, it's me... Please, call me. I'm sorry for what happened; I just wanted to help. Please; call..."

I replaced the receiver before I totally lost control of myself again. Dammit Cassie!, I thought as I slammed my fist against the wall, what were you thinking?! You're heart may have been in the right place, but your head certainly wasn't. Telling him you know he thinks you're his mother, then asking him to come back to your house... he must've thought I was trying to come on to him or something. I wasn't; I just wanted him to see Xavier and know that he wasn't my son, but still...

"Wha?... What was that?" a voice mumbled sleepily in the other room.

"I dunno...sounded loud." said another, equally sleepily voice.

I peer around through the doorway and saw Xavier's Pokémon Feraligatr and Nidorino on the couch, having just been disturbed from their mid-morning pre-lunch nap. I respect Xavier's choices for his Pokémon, but I wonder... his Feraligatr and Nidorino are incredibly lazy most of the time, his Furret is border-line insane, his Houndor is very cowardly... I truly think he could've done a better job than he has picking his team.

"Sorry, guys..." I apologized, blinking back tears. "I didn't know you were there..."

"It's alright." Nidorino's ears perked up for a moment, then he leapt on top of the couch, leaning on the windowsill as he looked out the open window. "Hey there, beautiful! You better tell that trainer of yours to get ready to catch me, because you're making me go wild!"

"Nidorino..." Feraligatr sighed and shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you; that Nidoqueen hates your guts!"

"As if! Everyone wants a piece of... uh-oh. DUCK!" Nidorino dropped down to the couch just in time to dodge a volley of Poison Needles. I quickly ran over and shut the window just in time to block another set of needles. Both the Nidoqueen and its trainer began to yell some obscene things at Nidorino, but it was hard to hear exactly what they were saying through the window.

"She wants me." Nidorino said proudly.

"What?! She just threw Poison Needles at you! What part of your small brain makes you think she wants..." Feraligatr stopped for a second to look at me. "Cassie? Are you O.K?"

"Yes, I'm fine..." I tried to hide my red face, but it was no good. Feraligatr could see it clearly, and now Nidorino noticed it.

"Cassie? Have you been crying?"

"I..." I sighed and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. "Yes, I have..."

"What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Nidorino asked.

I nodded silently. Nidorino moved over so I could sit on the couch. Feraligatr moved closer as well.

"So what's going on?" Feraligatr asked.

"It's Fire Storm... you guys know how I feel for him, right?"

"Sure we do; we've met him a few times at the Center, remember?"

"That's right. Anyway, Fire Storm... it's not easy to explain. He... he thinks I'm his mother."

"His mother?!" Both of them looked shocked. Although I didn't say it, it felt nice to know I wasn't the only one who was left in the dark on this.

"Oh Mew..." Feraligatr muttered. "You mean, he thinks he's your pup?" I nodded. "Why does he think he's your kid?"

"I don't know; I only learned about it a week ago myself. He's felt this way about me the whole time..."

"Well, I guess that explains a lot," Nidorino said. "like why he's always avoided you during Mating Week. I mean, who would want to avoid such a thing of beauty?"

I smiled weakly. Xavier's Pokémon are good friends, but I've never felt any real love for them. In previous Mating Weeks, I've been, well... friendly... with the male Pokémon, but nothing's ever happened between us, nor will anything probably ever happen. My first husband was the only man I've ever mated with. I was hoping maybe one day I'd have Fire Storm as my second husband and have a child with him, but even if I couldn't have a child with him, I'd still want to love him. The way things looked now, though...

"Did you tell Fire Storm what you found out about him?" Feraligatr asked.

I nodded weakly and explained to them that's exactly what the problem was. As I finished telling them what happened that night, I could feel the tears in my eyes again and tried to blink them back.

"Cassie... I'm sorry..." Feraligatr said solemnly. Nidorino had other things on his mind.

"He's got a motorcycle now? I wonder if he'll let me have a ride..."

"Nidorino!" Feraligatr whacked Nidorino upside the head with his paw. "Pay attention!"

"Ow! Sorry, Mr., 'I'm fully evolved so I know everything!'" Nidorino hopped down to the floor. "If you want to help Cassie, you can do it by yourself!"

"Nidorino..." Feraligatr muttered as Nidorino ran upstairs, then he seemed to get control of himself. "I'll be the bigger Mon, I'll be the bigger Mon..."

"Thank you, Feraligatr." Nidorino is almost as easily distracted as Furret sometimes, and Furret will often want to go look and play with things simply because they're shiny.

"Have you talked to Fire Storm since what happened at the restaurant?"

"No; I was in the middle of calling him for probably the billionth time when I woke you guys up."

"I see. Anything I can do to help?"

"Not really... I don't know where Fire Storm lives, and I don't have a home phone number for him; just his cell phone and e-mail address. I doubt you could do much better; no offense."

"That's it? Why don't you have anything else?"

"It's standard procedure for bounty hunters; the less you know about your partner, the less you can give someone who tries to force information out of you about him. Fire Storm shouldn't know as much about me as he does; if he gets captured, I might be at risk, too. I'm willing to take the risk, though. I love that man; I'd rather be in bondage with him than be free without him..."

"But you can't, Cassie. What about Xavier? Are you just going to forget about him to satisfy your own desires? He loves you too; not in the way you love Fire Storm, but he loves you all the same. He needs his Mom."

"I know..." I guess there really is more than one man in my life, and sometimes my love for Fire Storm clouds my judgment with Xavier. How would he handle having a Hybrid for a father, and finding out his mother's a Hybrid too? He's always been an accepting person, but I've been lying to him for years about the truth about his father; about Blaze... how will he react to that?

(Just a side note I'm adding now: I'm not talking about Blaze the Growlithe Xavier brings home a lot. I actually suggested that name to Xavier the first time he bought the Growlithe home, and he liked it. He had no clue that was his father's name; I just did it as a small way to remember that wonderful man...)

Nidorino suddenly came down the stairs in a hurry. "Xavier's coming!" Feraligatr quickly went back to lying down on the couch, and Nidorino settled himself in the middle of the floor while I grabbed the remote and quickly flipped on the T.V. Xavier didn't say anything when he came downstairs except for a, "Hey Mom" and then going into the kitchen . He'd just come back from an indoor tennis camp that operates during the winter and had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt after getting a shower. After getting a can of soda, he came back in and sat down on the opposite side of Feraligatr.

"So Mom, any special plans for Christmas?" he asked, popping the tab on the can.

"I don't think so; just you, me and the Pokémon."

"What about my friends? Can they stay for the holidays?"

I've always been a little touchy on the subject of Xavier's friends. It was O.K when I'd let Amber stay after we rescued her, and it was still O.K when was it was just her, Chris and Andrea, but then Rick came, now his friend Tyger, DarkElf and Bob... I had to resist shuddering thinking about Bob. He was a very strange person; at the dinner table he would often say something total out of the blue, and no one would have any clue what he was talking about except him. Xavier would often try to fake understanding, but it was clear nine times out of ten he had no clue what was going on, either.

I say he was a strange person, because he's gone now. It was a little over a week after Raichel returned when it happened. Xavier had found a Fire Stone left for him by Serena a while ago, and Bob's sister back on Long Island needed it to evolve one of her Pokémon. Xavier agreed to give it to Bob so he could take it to her. Well, from what Xavier told me, Bob had some sort of special ability that allowed him to step into a shadow dimension of some sort, where he could travel huge distances in a short amount of time. When he tried to take the stone with him, though... well, nobody knows exactly what happened, but when Bob tried to go through to the other dimension, there was a huge explosion. Xavier and the others had gone to the local park to see Bob off, and the explosion sent them flying back into the park's playground equipment. None of them was seriously hurt, but Bob... There was a huge scorched spot in the earth where he'd stood, and nothing else. There was nothing left of him; he was just... obliterated. Everyone was shocked by the situation. No one talks about it much now.

"Well, I guess it's alright if they stay." Kicking them out at Christmas time, the season of giving and goodwill, would be pretty heartless of me. Besides, the extra gifts might help take Xavier's mind off Bob.

Xavier smiled. "Thanks Mom; I'm sure the others will appreciate it." He reached over and gave Feraligatr a gentle stroke. "Sleeping again, huh? You take an awfully large amount of naps..."

"That's what I always tell him!" Nidorino said; of course Xavier didn't understand him. Xavier reclined his section of the couch and lay back in his seat.

"Hey Mom; I don't think I'm gonna go back to this camp when they have it next year. It's nice, but it's just no challenge anymore."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well, I'm the oldest kid there, besides the counselors, by at least 2 years. None of those little kids are very good; half of them are too scared to hit the ball because they think it's gonna hit them. If I'd known there'd only be little kids, I probably wouldn't have signed up in the first place."

"If that's what you think, Xavier, I'm with you. I don't want you to do something you're not going to enjoy."

"Really? You sure you're not upset about me wanting to go?"

"A little, but I'd be a lot more upset if you stayed even though you don't like it if you thought it'd make me happy."

Xavier just sat there for a few seconds, looking confused. Finally he spoke up. "You're a mother, correct?"

"Of course I am... what makes you think I'm not?"

"Well, you're reasonable, sensible and willing to listen to my opinions. Mother's aren't supposed to be like that."

"Oh..." I smiled. "Guess I'm just a bad mother."

"You must be." He smiled and flipped on the T.V and stroked Feraligatr, settling in for a while. I picked up a crossword puzzle I'd been working on and grabbed a pen, trying to focus on the blank boxes I still needed to fill.

The time seemed to fly by, and when I looked up again over an hour later, Xavier was gone. He must've gone off to work... what to do? I needed something to take my mind off Fire Storm and everything else. A yawn escaped me; maybe a nap would be good. I haven't slept much lately, worrying about Fire Storm and everything else. Yes, a nap sounds good... I reclined my part of the couch, noticing Feraligatr had left as well, and rested my head on one of the nearby pillows. After a little tossing and turning, I drifted off to what was hopefully a restful sleep.

I awoke a few hours later from the uneventful nap. The house was fairly silent now; I could hear some of Xavier's Pokémon scampering around upstairs in his room, and Rick was outside doing something in that old van of his. What to do...Xavier would still be at the Center, and there was not much else to do; maybe a couple of hours tracking down some low-life scum would cheer me up. Sure; I wouldn't have Fire Storm watching my back, but I'll just grab a couple of low risk cases. The work should take my mind off of him for at least a little while...bleh; still feel kinda sleepy. Maybe a nice hot shower would help.

Making my way upstairs, I could hear the squeaks and tumbling of Chris and Andrea's kids playing on my bed, jumping around, darting in and out from under the covers, just having a good time. I smiled at them as I walked through to the bathroom adjacent to my bedroom. After closing the door behind me and locking it tight, I started to shift into my Hybrid form.

Being so experienced with shifting, my fur was already half grown by the time I reached back and removed the band that held my hair back. Shaking my hair loose, it began to turn a snow-white colored as it fell around the sides of my head. My muzzle began to push out from my face; most people feel that, for Hybrids with elongated faces or muzzles, the face is the worst part of the change to both watch and feel, but for me it's one of the easier and more beautiful parts of it. Some muzzle extensions are rough and uneven, jutting out bit by bit, teeth growing unevenly... but mine tends to flow gently, pushing out a little at a time while my teeth grow slowly with it. My nose pushed along with my shifting mouth, turning into a cold, wet black nose that canines are well known for. It's not to say that it doesn't look strange, but after years of practice the flow of my shift has greatly improved from what it once was.

A warm wave washed over me as the rest of my body started to respond. My feet felt itchy as they grew and reshaped themselves to look much like Fire Storm's feet, though slightly smaller and sleeker than his. I've always prided myself on my figure as a human, but as the shift progressed my muscles grew ever so slightly larger and firmer. Under my fur they were barely noticeable, but they only hinted at the true strength I possessed. Thinking about how I could bench press Fire Storm with one paw helped to divert my attention away from my growing chest pressing against my loose shirt. Sometimes the feelings there get a little... intense... and while I was alone, I felt now was not the best time to be indulging myself, especially with Chris's kids in the next room.

While I was fiddling around with the knobs on the shower, my spine suddenly felt much too long as it grow out around my waist, growing through the concealed hole in my skirt as it quickly becoming fur covered. My shift completed just about the time the water was just right. It wasn't long before I had removed my clothes and stepped in.

I murred a little as the warm water ran through my fur, caressing the skin underneath. The heat from the water caused the glass that enclosed the shower to become fogged and steam up the whole shower quickly. I tried to ignore the thoughts I had of Fire Storm and focus instead on a nice, relaxing shower. This, of course, made me think about him all the more. The water splashing against my face became his soft, velvety tongue, the water running down my body became his soft paws... oh God; how I loved that feeling. I murred louder and leaned back, trying to find his large, firm body to lean against... only to be shaken to my senses when my head struck the glass wall. Now only feeling a dull ache in the back of my head, I whimpered a little and lathered up my fur.

The rest of the shower remained uneventful. Stepping out, I wrapped a pink bathrobe around myself after a quick towel dry. Opening the bathroom door, I poked my head out cautiously to find the Eevee children gone, the only sign they'd been in here at all the sheets thrown apart and the cover of the bed on the floor. With a sigh, I went over and began to remake my bed. If I didn't, then Xavier would use it against me later when I tell him to make his own bed.

It didn't take too long to fix up the bed; maybe 2 or 3 minutes. Though I was focused on the bed, I would've heard or smelt anyone who would've come into the room through the open hall door. As you can imagine then, I was very surprised when, putting the finishing touches on the cover, a strong pair of hands grabbed my sides and turned me around shortly before a strong, warm mouth clamped onto my muzzle, kissing me hard. After my initial shock, I shoved the person away and prepared for a fight, but stopped when I saw the owner of that warm mouth.

"Oh my god...F-Fire Storm...what are you doing here?" I asked in a very shocked voice.

He smiled in response. "Nice to see you too, Phoenix."

My head started to swim as I tried to understand what was going on. "I'm sorry, but... I thought you were avoiding me. You think I'm you're mother..."

"I did, Phoenix, but now I know better." Fire Storm placed his hands on my shoulders again, but gentler than before. "I really thought over what happened that night. I realized that the person who my thoughts revolve around constantly, someone so smart and beautiful, could never be my mother. She could only be my lover..."

"Fire Storm..." This was certainly a nice change of pace, but it all seemed so strange. Could this be real?...

As if in response, Fire Storm began to nuzzle his muzzle against mine, murring softly.

"I'm so sorry for any pain I've caused you. Please forgive me..." It felt wonderful, Fire Storm's muzzle to mine, but I still felt awkward. He thought I was his mother...but this felt so good, so full of affection...

Fire Storm moved his muzzle down to my neck, slowly nuzzling it and working his hands around my body. God, that felt good...I let out a little moan of pleasure, throwing my head back a little and exposing more of my neck to him. It'd been so long since I felt this...

"Let me show you my love for you, Phoenix. Let me heal the wounds I've caused..." Now he was licking my neck... a surge of pleasure ran through me, affecting all my senses. I could feel the sincerity of his words, the love in his voice. I'd loved him for so long, and now, after all this time, it was being returned...

"Fire Storm..." I moaned. "I love you..."

He pulled away from me a little to speak again. "I know, Phoenix, I know..." He started to nuzzle my muzzle again, but this time I returned his nuzzles, wanting to lose myself in his arms forever.

I moved my hands slowly behind him, exploring his muscled back through his shirt. His own were on my sides, holding me still as we nuzzled. For someone who never evolved, his knew how to show his love physically.

I began to lick Fire Storm's cheek, murring softly. He responded in kind, licking my cheeks and stroking my sides. I slowly pressed myself to him, feeling two emotions I hadn't been able to express in years boiling to the surface; desire, and even more important, love.

Fire Storm slowly broke away again, but I wasn't sure why at first. Then I realized he was removing his shirt. Smiling at me, he said, "This will just get in the way..."

I was quickly back in Fire Storm's arms while we began licking at each other's muzzles. My hands were between us, running through his thick chest fur and feeling the muscle underneath. His strong hands were behind me, one holding my head still as the other slowly stroked my back, causing my tail to wag wildly underneath my robe.

Suddenly Fire Storm started to force his weight on me. I tried to keep upright, but soon I was falling backwards onto the bed, with him on top of me. Having stopped licking when we fell, Fire Storm rose to a crawl above me, his muzzle hovering inches... centimeters from mine.

"Fire Storm..." I said with a little whimper. "Please, don't stop...ever. Be here with me forever..."

"Whatever you want, my love..." he said before turning his head to the side, locking his muzzle to mine in a deep kiss. This time I willingly accepted it, kissing back as he placed his weight on top of me.

I wrapped my legs around Fire Storm, ankles crossing just above the base of his tail. His hands explored my body, feeling my mostly bare thighs and slowly moving ever higher. My instincts were starting to become undeniable as I ground my hips into him, rocking with his movements.

When his hands brushed the sides of my breasts, I moaned, almost breaking our kiss. When he saw I wasn't stopping him, he began to feel all over them, stroking with a touch so gentle, yet so strong...

He slowly broke our kiss, but as soon as he left his kissed down my muzzle, moving his way down my neck. I relaxed my hold on him with my legs, knowing and wanting what he wanted. His muzzle worked it way down my neck to my chest. My robe didn't cover my breasts totally, and I soon felt his warm tongue and muzzle kissing and licking at what was exposed. I gasped at the huge amounts of pleasure running through me. How I longed to be touched like this again...

When he covered all of the bare parts of my chest, he moved back up to me. I thought he was finished, until I felt his hands working the knot on the strap of my robe.

I'm sorry, Phoenix..." he said as he undid the knot. "But I can't allow such beauty to be kept hidden..."

He slowly parted the folds, removing the clothes I no longer wanted; no longer needed...

"Oh Fire Storm... that feels so good..." Feeling his paws all over my bare body, caressing, stroking, feeling... I was in heaven...

Of course, then I woke up for real.

I looked around, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and whimpering when I realized I was still on the couch. It was a good thing Xavier had gone to work; besides the fact that he might have been watching his mother getting off in her sleep, I'd accidentally shifted into my Hybrid form. The shirt and skirt I was wearing were not meant to fit my Hybrid self, so now they clung tightly around my chest and thighs. Hoping nobody had noticed me moaning and shifting earlier, I hurried upstairs and changed into a larger shirt and pair of jeans that fit much better.

What time was it?...four-thirty. Hmm; Xavier will still take some time to get home. He had a long shift today due to all the trainers who would be rushing in to get late vaccinations or treating Pokémon who'd gotten sick in the cold weather, so I'd be free to walk around in Hybrid form for at least a few hours. There were no chores to get done; one of benefits of having so many people in one house is that I'd rarely have to do any work myself.

I thought back to the dream I just had... God, I so wanted that to be real. Me and Fire Storm together, as lovers and mates... an idea suddenly sprung into my mind. Chris had mentioned before he'd learned a bit about dream interpretation and psychology while he was working for his medical degree; perhaps he could help me find something in my dream that may help me figure out how to cure Fire Storm of his thoughts of me being his mother, or at least give me an idea of why he would think that at all in the first place. After a little hesitation realizing I had nothing to lose, I went back downstairs to find Chris.

I found him in his room with Andrea; he was attempting to teach their kids how to stalk by having one try to sneak up on the other while their back was turned while she watched. After having spent some time with her, I've gotten the feeling that Andrea doesn't fully approve of Chris teaching Spike Fur and Brave Stalker how to hunt and kill, but they seem to have an agreement about it, and I don't feel right to be telling anybody how to raise their kids.

"Chris?" I poked my head through the door a little, watching the pair of children becoming bored with hunting and having more fun jumping all around while Chris tried unsuccessful to keep them focused. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Cassie? Sure; I'll be out there in a minute..."

"Alright; I'll be in the living room." I could hear Chris trying in vain to get his kids to calm down, then came out, letting Andrea try to settle them.

"So..." Chris hopped up on the far end of the couch and sat to face me. "What's on your mind, Cassie?"

"A lot... I hope you're comfortable; this could take a while..."

So I began to tell the whole story; about me finding out about Fire Storm's thoughts of me, about my attempt to discuss it with him, and my dream of him I just had. He listened patiently through it all, though I thought he seemed a touch too interested in the part of my dream where Fire Storm and I began to become intimate, so I quickly ended my description around there.

"Can you help me at all Chris? There's so many things going on; I have no idea where to begin."

"I'll do what I can...this certainly is a big mess that needs to get sorted out. I wish you'd come to me earlier."

I whimpered a little and looked away from Chris's gaze. "I know... but I wanted to help Fire Storm myself; to show him how much I care for him. Everything's just gone horribly wrong since I found Serena's sweater in the car..."

"In the van, you mean?"

"No; the car Fire Storm and I use to go out on our jobs. I found it in the back seat about two weeks ago after I came to the Center early. I don't know how it could've gotten there unless Serena had been with Fire Storm; that's when I started prying into his life a little more. I... I think Serena's been dating him."

"Dating him? But isn't she dating your son?"

I nodded, feeling the anger boiling up that I first felt when I thought about that rising up again. It wasn't enough for that cheating harlot to be involved with my only child; she has to try and take the only other man in my life? I still haven't confronted her about it, but just thinking of her, lying against Xavier one moment and in Fire Storm's arms the next, makes my blood boil.

"Do... is it possible that maybe because Fire Storm's dating Serena when she's supposed to be with Xavier... do you think that's why Fire Storm thinks I'm his mother?"

"It's possible, but it's probably just a symptom of the main problem. You really need to talk to him in person about this to get at the root of the problem. Going through his e-mails and chatting with his buddies must've really scared him."

"I know, I know; I've been kicking myself for it ever since..." A little whimper escaped my throat. "I thought Fire Storm would be such a good father figure for Xavier; now he thinks he is Xavier."

Chris didn't say anything for a moment, then suddenly shifted to a different subject. "Cassie... this may not be my place to butt in, but... if Xavier's a human, the idea of having a Hybrid father alone will probably be a big shock to him; finding out that you're a Hybrid too is just going to make that worse. Do you really think it'll be good for him to go through something like that?"

At first I didn't say anything; I still didn't have an answer to that dilemma myself. I'd always like to think that Xavier would truly understand and accept the idea of having Hybrid parents. There would be some rough spots to work out, I'm sure, but in the end I was sure things would be for the better. Of course, Xavier probably would be extremely upset for being lied to about his birth father, and the secret his mother's been hiding, as well as the other guy she wishes she could be dating...

"I'm sure it'd be hard at first... but Xavier's a very good kid, and the interaction he and Fire Storm have had seems to me like they get along well together. Xavier might be sort of open to the idea of Fire Storm as his Dad."

"I see... but have you seen them together yourself? How could you be really sure of what Fire Storm's just told you?"

"But he hasn't told me; I've seen them together at the Center before, talking about sports and politics and other things; they seem to get along very well." Chris didn't say anything; he just sort of stared at me for the longest time. "Is there something wrong with that?..."

"You've seen them together before? You're positive?"

"Of course; I may be a canine, but my sight is still good...why?"

"Nothing..." Chris glanced at the clock quickly. "Um; I gotta go... talk to Andrea. I... gotta make sure we got gifts for everyone. Can we talk later?"

"Sure, I guess..." With that, Chris took off like a shot back to the bedroom. What was the sudden hurry? Did I say something wrong?

I wanted to know what Chris was up to, but he'd hear me if I tried to sneak closer to hear better, and I was probably just over-reacting. Being a bounty hunter would make you a bit suspicious and edgy, too.

With a sigh, I got up, remembering there was still a few things I had to pick up myself for Christmas. No time like the present, I thought as I gathered my keys and coat. I returned to my human form in the van; it's a little less creepy than shifting to Hybrid form, but it's still weird. Feeling my body shrinking a little, knowing that my bones were shrinking and altering shape slightly, my chest shrinking down back to a less male-attracting size, my muzzle melting back into my face, my fur receding into my skin like a video of grass growing in reverse... if I had been born a Hybrid, it probably wouldn't be disturbing at all, but to me it's just a little creepy.

Almost as quickly as it started, it was over. My clothes felt a bit looser on me now, but they weren't about to fall off. With a sigh, I put the van in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

The trip up to the mall was uneventful, other than watching one fool doing about 90 in a 55 and almost losing control when he hit black ice; I don't know how he kept the car on the road. People these days...

The mall was packed, as I should have expected. Serves me right waiting till the last minute before doing this and wasting all my time sitting by the phone waiting for Fire Storm to call... I shook those memories for my head and began to wade through the crowds.

Let me make one thing clear now; I've noticed Xavier tends to be a very impatient person, and I have no doubt he inherited that from me. If I'm not actively doing something, I get frustrated and annoyed very easily. Before Xavier's friends and Fire Storm, I would've had my Christmas shopping done the week after Thanksgiving so it could be done and over with, maybe running out once or twice for something that's not available until later. Now, with the mall packed to the point of bursting and lines that seemed longer than some rivers, my limits were being tested. I've often told Xavier not to bring his Game Boy or books to events or places where there will be long, dull periods of time, while at the same time kicking myself for not doing something similar for fear of not looking like a responsible parent.

It was about the third line I'd been in that night, picking up some games for Xavier that I had thankfully reserved, when I heard the cell phone ring. I quickly glanced at my phone Xavier knows to call me at, saw it wasn't ringing and went back to waiting. The phone continued to ring and ring, and it was starting to grind at my nerves. Couldn't they just answer the phone?! About the seventh ring, I felt I was going to snap when the person behind me tapped me on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" It was a human woman, a nice looking blond hair woman about my age. "Could you please answer you phone? It's very loud to listen to."

"My phone? It's not mine..." I started to say, then listened carefully. It did seem like it was coming from my purse, but that's where my, "business" phone is, and the only person who has that number is Fire Storm; why would he?...

My hand dove into my purse like a shot, even though the phone was silent now. It didn't matter what he was calling me about; he was calling me! By the time I finally found the phone, a message blinked on the screen, confirming I'd missed the call.

"No... I-I can't have missed him..." A gasp escaped me, and a tear started to form in the corner of my eye. I missed him; maybe my only chance to hear his voice again; this couldn't have happened... I would've lost it right there in the middle of Electronics Bureau if I hadn't noticed that there was a voice-mail message left. It took a few minutes for my trembling thumb to get to the voice mailbox and play the message, and I almost dropped the phone trying to listen to what Fire Storm said.

"Hi Phoenix... I'm sorry about everything; I've been a real bonehead. I know you're not my mother now, and I really need to talk to you. Perhaps we could do it over dinner tomorrow? I've reserved a place at the Barn Sider for us for tomorrow night at six. Please come... I really miss you..."

I almost melted right there; hearing Fire Storm's voice; so sincere and apologetic, wanting to speak to me... the only thing that could've been any better is if I'd actually gotten the phone on time and spoken to him directly, but this was enough. He sounded a little strange over the phone, but it was definitely him. Maybe... maybe now I can make things right again between us and get a fresh start. Then we can be happy together...

"Ma'am? Ma'am! I can take you over here!" The poor clerk who looked barely any older than Xavier called to me, the somewhat shrill voice penetrating the haze of my daydream. I glanced over at the clerk, then back at the long, angry line behind me and decided that I could find a better spot to daydream later.

The rest of my trip to the mall was uneventful, though I did walk into a rack of clothes in Orange Republic while I was thinking about Fire Storm again. After that, I kept my mind off him long enough to get myself through the rest of the mall and home without anymore incidents. There was nobody in the house when I came back, which was a real shock; there's always somebody home nowadays. Some extra help would've been nice with all the bags, but it was easy enough to haul all the bags upstairs.

Finally having gotten everything upstairs, I surveyed the task before me and sighed. Buying them all was one thing; most of the stores wouldn't gift wrap, so the task fell on me to do that. This could take some time...

Crreeeeaaaakkk...

"Hello?... Xavier?..."

Serena... Hearing the sound of the front door opening and her voice, my first reaction was to order her out of my house and never to come back; the second was to do the same as I physically threw her out of the house. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths as she continued to call out for Xavier, trying to keep what little cool I had left after my trip to the mall. I had to at least give her a chance to explain herself; to explain everything. Maybe I was just jumping to conclusions before when I accused her of cheating on Xavier with Fire Storm... besides; if I was right, I could always throw her out afterward

Closing the door to my room quietly behind me, I walked down the stairs slowly. Serena was sitting on the couch, her tails swishing slightly behind her as she pawed through a magazine on the table. She turned toward me as I landed on the bottom step, smiling a little.

"Hello Ms. Canin; is Xavier home? We're supposed to go out for dinner; I thought he was supposed to be done with work by now..."

"Hello Serena; no, he's not home yet." I glanced quickly at the clock by the T.V; Xavier should've been home by now, but Joy probably kept him for a few minutes more than he was scheduled. "He'll probably be back any minute."

"O.K. You don't mind if I wait here for him, do you?"

"Not at all... I've been meaning to talk to you, Serena."

"You have?" She seemed confused. "Um, do you want to talk about Xavier?"

"Well... yes and no..." No point in dancing around the subject. "How do you know Fire Storm?"

"Fire Storm?" I detected a slight wavering in her voice, and I thought she looked concerned for a moment, but it vanished before I could be certain. "H-How do you know about him?"

"I asked you first..."

"We went to school together for a little while... I talk with him online a lot; sometimes we hang out together. I don't know what that has to do with me and Xavier..."

"It has to do a lot with him when you're cheating with him on my son!"

"What?!" Serena sounded genuinely shocked, but I wasn't going to believe her that easily. "I-I love Xavier; I would never cheat on him..."

"I found your sweater in Fire Storm's car, Serena."

"Sweater?... I-I think I forgot one in there when we went out to see a movie together a few weeks ago..."

"I could smell perfume on it; L'Essence de Rouge, I believe. That scent is very expensive; not something a woman would wear out on a night with someone who's just a, 'friend'."

"Well... I-I... how do you know about Fire Storm, Ms. Canin?" Serena was clearly on the defensive here, trying to divert my attention away from the real issue. Still, I blushed and looked away from her, realizing I hadn't thought to explain how I could possibly know about Fire Storm myself without giving away my big secrets.

"T-That's none of your business..." I quickly tried to reassert control of this conversation. "You've been cheating on my son with an adult man, and in turn you're making Fire Storm sick!"

"Sick? He was fine when I saw him last. I don't know what you're talking about, Ms. Canin."

"He's mentally sick... he thinks he's Xavier! He thinks I'm his mother! He needs help, but you're just making things worse! By dating you when you're only supposed to be dating my son, he's beginning to think he is my son! What other explanation could you possibly think of?!"

"I...I-I..." She didn't have an answer; she knew she was wrong. I got up and started towards the stairs, turning back to her at the bottom step.

"I won't tell Xavier you've been lying to him, only because it will shatter his heart. I want you to stay away from Fire Storm as well; you've done enough damage to everyone already..."

With that, I turned my back and headed up the stairs, leaving Serena numb with shock on the couch. My anger had reached the boiling point, and as a result I'd bought it all out on her. It was hard for me to feel sorry for her after what she'd done to Fire Storm; what she'd done to my relationship with him... she deserved what she got. I told myself this as I closed the door to my room, sniffs and sobs rising up from downstairs. I kept telling myself that as I locked the door, trying to block out the sound. I kept telling myself that even as my own sobs joined hers and my eyes began to swell up with tears, feeling petty even as I told myself I'd done the right thing. I kept telling myself that, and yet I couldn't believe a word of it.

From the diary of Cassie Canin, Arcanine Hybrid

12/24/01- Tonight's the big night; Fire Storm should be meeting me at the Barn Sider, then we can start over... maybe everything can start over; Xavier could have a father, I could have a husband, Serena would be more loyal to Xavier... she'd recovered by the time Xavier had come home, but she didn't say anything to him, and they left on their date as planned... I really hope she does love him. Sigh Such a nice way to spend the holidays; every little thing that could go wrong is. Hopefully, after tonight things will get much, much better; they certainly can't get much worse.

It was sort of a dull Christmas Eve day; Xavier and I never do anything really special anyway, but... in anticipation of what was going to happen tonight, the day just seemed to kind of crawl by. I spent most of the day trying to decide how I was going to tell Xavier why we weren't going to be able to spend Christmas Eve dinner together like we always do. He solved that problem for me, which was both a shock and a relief.

"Mom?" Xavier came to me as I was doing some work on the computer. I keep up with my old job as a day trader; a cover to keep Xavier from getting involved in my real work. Right now I only have a few small stocks I worry about, but there's still work to be done, even when the market's closed.

"What is it, dear?"

"Listen... do you mind if Serena and I go out for dinner tonight? I've got a really nice place in Oldburgh I wanna take her to..."

"What?" Xavier's made every important family event he can; now he was trying to get out of one? If it had been anyone besides Serena, I wouldn't have hesitated.

"I know it's Christmas Eve and all, but... I wanna do something special for her. It's the perfect night to do it too... I'll stay if you want, but I really wanna do this with her."

"I..." A part of me wanted to tell him; explain everything to him, why he should dump Serena immediately before she can break his heart and give him pain he doesn't need... but it would also mean I wouldn't have to make up my own excuse to go see Fire Storm tonight, and if I said no he'd start asking tough questions. "I don't mind dear; you should go and enjoy your time with Serena."

Xavier smiled, hugging me gently. "Thanks Mom; you're the best. I promise I'll be bugging you first thing Christmas morning like I always do to open presents."

I hugged him back, trying to quiet the voice in my head telling me to let him know, stop hiding secrets from him and be open with him at last...instead, I faked a smile. "I'm certain you will dear. I'll be looking forward to it."

"O.K., Mom." He let go, looking at the time. "I better go double check and make sure I've got everything ready for tonight; see you later." With that, he went into his room, and I could hear him sifting through the clothes in his closet, trying to find the appropriate outfit to wear for his big night.

It was then I decided for certain; after tonight, all the secrets are done with. It was well past time for me to tell Xavier everything... but I still had tonight to focus on. Hopefully I can get the little voice in my head to shut up long enough to let me think about how I was going to handle my dinner with Fire Storm.

All the minor details about the dinner were taken care of; what time to leave the house, what time to arrive at the restaurant, what to wear... what the hell was I going to say, though? We couldn't exactly have a meal in silence; not after what we'd been through already. I should start off by apologizing, definitely... I tried a million different options after that, each one seemingly worse than the one before it, and when the kitchen clock read 5p.m., I still hadn't thought of any answers. With Xavier gone and me in Hybrid form and dressed to go, I got into the van and began to drive to the Barn Sider.

The ride there only gave me more time to dwell on all the possible outcomes of tonight and all the ways it could go wrong. Being a bounty hunter has forced me to always try and make a plan, a backup plan, and an emergency escape if the first two don't work, but I couldn't even get an idea of what I was going to do or say when I got there. At least I knew the dress I picked out would be right; I wore a long, one piece black dress made of a fine silk; it was a little tight around my legs, but it went down almost to my knees, showed a minimal amount of my chest, and the shoulder straps were firmly in place, so Fire Storm shouldn't worry about me wanting to get too friendly with him. I still wanted to hit myself in the head for ever even thinking that flirting and trying to seduce him was the way to go; he's a male, but he's no fool for his tool, especially since he's unevolved. The fact that he thought I was his mother just made it seem phenomenally stupid in hindsight.

The ride to the Barn Sider took a little over a half hour, but after trying to find parking in the crowded lot, I got inside with only a few minutes to spare. A blond woman in her late twenties was at the reservation table when I approached.

"Excuse me; I have a reservation. Canin? Phoenix Canin?" I asked hopefully, praying Fire Storm thought to include my name when he made the reservation.

"Canin... Canin... yes; here it is." She smiled at me as she grabbed a menu. "Follow me please, ma'am."

She led me over to a table by a window; my heart sunk a little when I didn't see Fire Storm in either of the two chairs, but I was still early. I took a seat and sipped the water, looking over the top of the menu every ten seconds toward the door for him to come in. Each passing second was like water torture; each little bit nothing by itself, but over time it begins to drive you nuts.

Thirty seconds... a minute... two minutes... two and a half minutes... three minutes... it seemed like time was moving so slow, at one point I thought I saw the minute hand go backwards. Fire Storm hadn't even come in yet and I wasn't sure I could last; what hope would I have of making it through the actual dinner?

I sighed heavily; where was he? If he didn't come soon, I thought as my eyes wandered toward the window, I'm gonna... that's when it all happened. The small red line of light on the window, pointing at my head, the glass of the window shattering as a large, strong person tackled me from my chair, landing on top of me as we both landed on the ground, glass spreading out in a small shower around us, people screaming and diving to the floor...

Sniper!

My vision was a little blurry from the hard landing on the ground, but I felt strong, firm hands around me... so comforting and gentle, yet firm. It could only be Fire Storm, and he just saved my life... I kissed his muzzle softly, wanting to tell him everything right then and there, wanting to never let go, wanting to kiss his dark blue muzzle and love him forev...dark blue muzzle?

"RICK?!"

Rick looked very embarrassed as my vision focused again, though not nearly as much as I felt. He quickly moved off me, sliding down beside me while keeping low.

"Phoenix, we need to get out of here. They're handling things outside, but we don't know how many there are..."

"We?" I shook my head; no time for questions now. I dug a hand into my purse and activated the pressure lock on the bottom, opening the false bottom as I pulled out my Kolt Arbok, reaching in with my other hand and pulling out the appropriate Magnum rounds already in their speed loader and slipped them into the cylinder before snapping the cylinder closed. I prefer less lethal weapons for the job, but when it comes to self defense good old fashioned bullets do a better job than anything else.

All the windows we're being shot out as the sniper... no; snipers, plural... we're trying to flush us out. At least the other people had enough sense to stay down and not try to be a hero. Rick was brandishing a nine-millimeter of some sort as he cautiously peeked up through the broken window.

"We need to get out of here; now!" Rick fired a few shots blindly out the window, trying to use the laser sights to trace them back to the snipers. "What're they doing out there?!"

"What's who doing, Rick?!" I yelled back, quickly leaping up and shooting as close to the snipers as I could before ducking back down.

"Um... you know, I've been doing a lot of reading lately. This one book I'm reading now, about how those tests they've used to test for Hybrid DNA have been lately proven to be rather inaccurate... lots of Hybrids are out there that people assume are humans because of those bad tests..."

"What?!" We're in the middle of a shoot-out, and he's talking about reading material? I sighed to myself, hoping he at least kept it together enough to remember who the bad guys were.

"Yeah; scientists had to eyeball the results on their own, but they knew what the results we're expected to be ahead of time, and there was a lot of discussion about how that could've screwed up the final results..."

"If you say so, Rick." There was a loud sound from outside; it reminded me of the boom when a shotgun goes off. One of the lasers suddenly went off a moment later; it sounded like we had some help after all.

"I figured you want to know about this Phoenix, hint hint! It relates a lot to something... er, someone, that is... someone important in your life! I can't stand keeping it from you now!"

"Someone important to me?..." Aggh! I couldn't think about this now! A large flash of light and a boom sounded from outside, followed quickly by a loud yelp of pain. The other light that was searching for us went off. "Looks like we're clear; let's get out of here!"

Rick nodded and followed me as we both stayed low, moving passed stunned patrons on our way out. Everybody was more than happy to let us go as we reached the front door. Rick started to rush foolishly outside, but before I could yell at him I saw a large, gray van Fire Storm and I use when we go undercover or need to carry a large load of supplies with us. He dove in through a side door, and after a moment's look around, he waved me in.

"Come on Phoenix; coast is clear!" With a nod, I ran quickly into the van and found, much to my surprise, Andrea behind the wheel.

"Andrea?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'd like to explain Cassie, but now's not a good time..."

"Alright Andrea; we need to meet him down the road. Let's go!" Chris?!

"What in God's green Earth is going on here?! Somebody please explain to me right now what all of you are doing here!" I exclaimed, trying to put together this puzzle that kept having pieces added to it as time went on.

"Now's not really a good time, Phoenix!" Rick reached past me and slammed the door shut. "O.K Andrea; let's get out of here!."

Andrea pressed the gas to the floor and the van quickly sped off, Rick strapping himself into a seat and me following suit. It seemed like everything was safe, but I kept my Arbok cocked and ready, just in case.

We only went a few hundred feet before stopping at the bottom of the road. I started to ask what was going on, but Rick shook his head.

"I'm sorry but I'm not gonna be the one to tell you, Cassie. In fact, he and Darkelf should be back at any second..."

"Who Rick? Will somebody please give me a straight answer?!" I turned my back to the door for a moment, only to hear someone pulling on the handle outside the second I did. I turned back quickly as the door opened, Arbok pointed and ready, pointing it directly into the chest of...

XAVIER?!

"Whoa!" He jumped back a little when he saw the gun. "Watch where you're pointing that thing, Mom!"

I lowered it after a moment, more out of shock then anything else. He climbed into the back seat, and DarkElf, as I had come to know him, hustled in quickly behind him.

"Hello Ms. Canin," he said with a nod, buckling in. "Perhaps we could talk under more pleasant circumstances later, but right now, we should probably get out of here."

A nod was all I could return in response. Xavier had a shotgun in his hands, but when he pulled out the remaining shells it was clear that they were beanbag rounds. At least he wasn't killing anyone without my knowledge... I hoped.

No one much of anything the whole ride. I kept glancing back at Xavier for answers, but he kept shaking his head while looking around at the others; that look said, "Let's wait till we get somewhere a little more private", and I really had no other option but to wait.

"So, what took you so long with you guy?" Xavier asked Darkelf. "I had to get close with the shotgun; you should've been able to get your guy from farther out."

"My guy was farther away, and your shotgun drew his attention just before I attacked. I had to struggle with him for a bit before I could shock him. You dropped a flare for the cops to find them later, right?" Xavier nodded. "Good then..."

And that was the end of the only conversation for the whole trip home.

When we finally reached the house, everyone scrambled out of the van. Rick muttered something about having to go see Raichel, Chris and Andrea retreated to their rooms, and Darkelf went to go fill in the girls who'd stayed behind in Amber's room. In an instant, me and Xavier we're left sitting in the van alone.

"So... how was dinner?" Xavier asked with a weak laugh. I smiled weakly in return.

"It was O.K before the lead starting flying..." I looked down, sighed heavily and looked back up. "We both have a lot of explaining to do..."

"We do... maybe you should start."

"I should start... right..." With a large sigh, I began. "Well, as you can obviously tell, I'm not a human..."

"Obviously... you know, maybe I should start. I already know pretty much everything you're gonna tell me, so let's just save us some time... um, there's no rope anywhere in this car, is there?"

"Rope? Um, no, I don't think so..."

"And that dress you're wearing... there's no sharp pins to hold it on or anything, right?"

"No; why such strange questions?"

"You'll understand in a minute, Mom..." With that, Xavier closed his eyes, not doing anything. I watched him curiously; what could he possibly be up to?

I watched for a few moments; the way he sat so still, like he was concentrating... what could he be thinking about? Actually, it kind of reminded me of how I think I look when I'm preparing...to... shift...

"No..." It couldn't be... That's not fur growing on his arm there; it's just a trick of the light... and he's not getting larger... his face isn't pushing out into a muzzle... you're just imagining it. "No, no, no..."

I had to look away then, trying to deny the fact that the son, the child I loved wasn't turning into the man I loved, even as my eyes were confirming it. So many things I'd questioned before made sense now; why Xavier always looked so tired after Fire Storm and I had been out long nights, why he's never had to ask me to borrow money even when Joy was giving him only a few hours a week, how his Pokémon always told me how he was but wouldn't let me see him myself... but then there were still so many other questions I had...

"Mom?..." I slowly turned back to look at the face of my lo... my son, blinking back tears. "Are you alright?..."

"Alright?..." A weak smile was all I could manage. "I think alright is about the only thing I'm not right now."

Xavier whimpered a little. "I-I'm so sorry, Mom... I never meant to do it like this..."

"No; please don't apologize. I... I wanted to be loved again so badly by another male after your father left... I heard you tell me so many times you weren't looking for a relationship with me, but I always thought that if we just gave it a little more time, something might happen between us..." It was my turn to whimper when I shook my head. "But I don't understand... I had a blood test done for you years ago; they said you were human..."

"Yeah, about that... the matches for Hybrid DNA had to be done by plain sight way back then; they weren't nearly as exact as they are now. I found a letter in your room from the lab where you had the test done; there was a warning about the results not being a hundred accurate. Guess you must've been so relieved with what you saw you missed that."

I nodded a little. "I-I guess...but why? Why didn't you ever tell me?" There was no response for what seemed like forever. "Xavier?"

"Mom... listen; I gotta get all my cards out on the table here. I... I'm not really your son."

"What?" He just got through telling me he was my son, and now he's denying it. My head was starting to ache. "I don't understand this at all..."

That's when Xavier explained everything to me; about the Game Boy adaptor, the transfer to this world, his struggles to fit in and understand this world, how he made up Hybrids... It sounded absolutely insane, but what reason did he have to lie? It would explain his bad memory recently of past events and family history... but one question was unanswered.

"Xavier...If you're not my son, then where is?..."

Xavier shook his head before I could finish. "I've thought about this myself; I really don't know. Maybe he took my place in my world, maybe he's in a totally different one...he could be anywhere."

"Anywhere?..." Just when I thought I'd found my child again, he was even farther away than I could've imagined. I wanted to puke, cry, punch something, and a million other things all at once. Being unsure of what to do first was the only thing that kept me still.

There was a long, awkward silence for a while. This person had gone from lover to child to stranger in about two minute. Xavier finally broke the silence.

"Listen... I know this is awkward for you Phoenix, but... I really don't know what I'm doing here. I'm confused, lost, without my family or lots of my old friends. I need somebody to help me, guide me... I need a Mom..."

Xavier continued as I looked at him with a mix of shock and confusion. "Look, it's not like we've despised every moment we've spent together or anything; we've had a really good relationship. Does that really have to end now?"

"I guess not, but..." This was so fast; I just wanted to hit the pause button on time and think about what was going on. Having my son back was exactly what I wanted right now. True; I could use a few million things right now, but being with my son again ranked toward the top.

"Well..." I reached out and stroked Xavier's head lightly. "I could use a son... I think I can get used to this."

Xavier smiled broadly. "Thank you Phoe...er, Mom..." Xavier reached over and gave me a huge, loving hug; one I quickly returned. It wasn't quite the relationship I had hoped for, but far be it from me to turn it down.

We held each other for a few moments, just enjoying each others embrace. As I started to wonder if we'd ever let go, Xavier started to pant. It was nothing at first, but soon he was really breathing hard. He let go and I pulled back a little, worried.

"Xavier? Do you feel sick?..."

"I-I dunno..." He started to fan himself a little, and his fur started getting slick from his heavy sweating. "Feels like I'm burning up... and this isn't just typical fire stuff; feels like my blood's boiling..."

With a whimper, I put a paw on his arm. "You must be getting sick; we should get you inside..."

Xavier shook his head frantically. "Not gonna make it...feel weird... feel tense, nervous; not sick, though..." He curled up into his seat, looking somewhat ill despite his claims.

"Come on, Xavier; this isn't any place for you to be sick..." He still insisted he didn't feel sick, just strange. Something was most definitely wrong, though. From what he was describing, it sounded like he was... but he couldn't be... could he?...

"M-mom?...W-why are you smiling like that?..."

"Xavier..." I reached out and stroked his head, whispering soothingly. "It's O.K; just let it go..."

"L-Let what g-go?"

"Your evolution."

"W-WHAT!!"

Xavier fur began to glisten before I could respond. The glistening quickly picked up until it turned into a bright glow, at which point I had to shield my eyes.

I couldn't tell exactly what was happening, but from the sound of something being torn I figured he was getting larger. The changes took place relatively slowly, for the glow didn't stop till almost a minute later. When it did I slowly lower my arm, then looked in awe at my son.

"Whoa..." was Xavier's response when he saw what happened. That about summed up my thoughts. He'd grown taller, somewhere just under 7 feet. His muzzle had extended a bit more, and his once short white hair now hung around his shoulders. It was hard to see exact details through his now tight clothes, but he'd also become a bit more muscular. Also hard to miss were the large tufts of white fur coming from his elbows and angles, flowing backwards almost magically even in the still air of the van. As his light green eyes looked over his changed body, I could see an occasional wince and twitch as he tried to adjust to his constrictive clothes.

"Xavier?... A-Are you O.K?..." I asked, concerned about what his reaction would be. Occasionally, the rush immediately after an evolution causes a Hybrid or Pokémon to act irrationally, and years of bounty hunting have taught me to not keep my guard down against anyone, no matter how calm they appear.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine...except for this..." Xavier took off his shirt, his elongated, pointed ears slowly flopping back into place when the shirt cleared his head. Blushing a little, I had a full view now of my son's very fit body. His fur helped to outline the large, firm looking bulges on his arms and his well rounded shoulders. The white fur of his muzzle continued down the front of his neck and covered most of his chest, leaving the edges and just around his half-hidden nipples an orangish color. About halfway down his biceps and forearms were jagged black strips of fur that covered about 80% of his arm, stopping toward the back. Another strip could be seen across the back of his neck, and two more were on his torso area, one that went around just below and to the side of his chest and around his back to the other side, and one even in the middle of his stomach, this one going almost all the way around, with about a index finger's length of orange fur right in the middle of his stomach separating them. There were some definite bumps and curves under his chest and stomach fur, making it harder to forget about my previous attraction to him.

"Xavier...you look very se... er, handsome..." I managed to get out, catching myself from a really embarrassing situation.

"Thank you..." He looked a little embarrassed. "Um... can we continue this inside after I get a shirt on?..."

I nodded quickly. "Yes; of course..." We both got out quickly and heading inside; Xavier ran upstairs to his room while I waited for him downstairs in the living room.

I sighed heavily as I waited for Xavier; for someone who may not really be my son, he reminded me of Blaze a lot...I might as well tell him about his, "father" too; this Christmas season the gifts we seemed to be giving were answers to deep secrets...

Xavier came back down quickly in one of his larger sweatshirts; even that looked a little small now, as he kept having to pull it down to cover a bit of his stomach that was showing.

"Looks like I'm gonna need a wardrobe update, huh?" he said with a shy little smile. I chuckled a little and nodded in agreement, then sighed. Here we go...

"Xavier; there's something I have to tell you... it's about your father. Well, not your father, but my sons father... even though you are going to be my son now, it's not..."

"I get it, Mom; don't get flustered... continue"

"Right... anyway, your father was, is... well, to be blunt, a science project."

"A what?"

"A science project... he was an experimental weapon created by a group of scientists trying to make a super-solider; a being without emotions like fear and doubt that could be considered handicaps on the battlefield..."

"They use that plotline in a lot of comic books and cartoons too; always seems kinda cheesy to me..."

I nodded. "Yes, but it would be valuable if it could be done. They failed with Blaze; that was your father's name...during one of his training sessions, he took a hard hit from a Rhydon. The scientists in charge of him had a metal collar on him that could deliver severe electrical shocks; severe enough to kill a human. They'd done tons of work with his genetics to make him a physically superior Arcanine Hybrid, so the collar didn't kill him, but it did almost paralyze him... anyway, the Rhydon hit him hard right in the neck, and that nearly killed him... but it also damaged the collar enough that Blaze could rip it off. He finished the session, then broke the collar and broke out of the facility."

"Wow... what happened after that?"

"Well, your father had no memories. He knew how do things like drive a car and talk and things like that, but personal memories of family or friends... he didn't have any. We don't know if he just simply lost them, or if he never really had them..."

"So, basically your saying that grandma and grandpa, for all you know, are test tubes?"

"I guess you could put it like that... your father knew what was happening to him was bad, and he wanted to do good, but he also knew that he couldn't make a living just being a vigilante, so he did the next best thing; bounty hunting."

"I guess that would explain how you got into bounty hunting then... but how did the two of you meet?"

"When we were both on the job, actually. I was working at a small investment firm when Blaze first came in; he was attempting to find someone who'd be suspected of insider trading. I was the one in charge of managing his portfolio, so Blaze came to me. We worked together for a long time, and we became rather close during that time... I felt we had something, and when Blaze asked me out to dinner after he'd caught the guy, I knew he felt something for me too. Oh sure, he said it was just his way to say thanks for all my help, but we both knew otherwise."

"Wow...sounds like you and Dad we're really close..."

I nodded slowly. "We were in love. We'd been together for over a year before Blaze told me about what he was and what had happened to him. I was shocked, obviously... but I loved him too much to let something like that effect our relationship."

"Right..." Here comes the obvious, yet hardest question to answer, I thought to myself. "So, where is he now?..."

"He's...I-I don't know..." I saw the look Xavier was giving me and sighed. "He didn't abandon us, if that's what you're thinking..."

"Right..."

"I mean it... your father made a lot of enemies, all of who wanted him and anybody close to him dead. One night, before we added the second floor onto the house, we got attacked...it was a drive-by shooting; nobody got hurt, but... I was pregnant with you at the time, and from where the bullets hit... if you'd been born and in where we were going to put your crib, you would've been killed..."

"...Oh..."

"You understand then; he had to leave, to protect me and you...We used to keep in contact as often as we could, but every time we did gave the people hunting him another chance to find him. The last time I heard anything from him was a phone call almost seven years ago, saying he was alright..." I sniffed and blinked back some tears. "I've wanted to tell you for so long..."

"It's O.K Mom..." He reached over and hugged me gently. "He did what he thought was best, for both you and me..."

I nodded solemnly before I couldn't hold back the tears any longer and started to cry, unable to hold back the emotions that'd be building up for years any longer. The waiting for Blaze, hiding the truth from Xavier, almost falling in love with my son, the shock of him knowing all along...Xavier held me gently in his arms while I cried into his shoulder, stroking me softly and encouraging me to let it all out.

After I'd shed the last of my tears and regained control of myself, Xavier let me go. I quickly wiped away a few tears that still clung to my muzzle while Xavier spoke.

"Listen... we've had a rough night. We called the police just before the attack, so they should be handling the guys who tried to attack you tonight, whoever they were. Rick's gonna stay on alert tonight just to make sure we're safe, so we should just get some rest. It is Christmas Eve, after all."

"Yes... yes, you're right." We both got up and slowly made our way upstairs to our rooms. When we reached the top together, we hugged again.

"Goodnight, Xavier..."

"Goodnight, Mom..."

After a few more moments, we both slowly let get of one another and went to our rooms. It's been one hell of a day, I thought to myself as I climbed under the covers slowly. I lose a lover, but regain my son, only to lose him again and gain another...This was all so much. Maybe if I sleep on it, it'll all make more sense in the morning. It was all I could do; I barely even managed to turn off the lamp near my bed before succumbing to sleep.

From the diary of Cassie Canin, Arcanine Hybrid

12/25/01 - It's barely 7 in the morning, but already I can hear the sounds of people tearing away at presents. No present can compare to the one I received last night from Xavier; himself, honest and open. With a new year coming, maybe I could get a fresh start; being a good mother, finding a good man to love, and just being happy. Sure, it won't be easy, but after the struggles I've been through in the past few days, it sounds like a piece of cake for comparison. Anyway, better get down there and see how much of a disaster's been created...

I walked down the stairs slowly in my bathrobe, bits of wrapping paper waiting for me at the bottom step. The living room was a disaster as I'd expected; wrapping paper all over, opened gifts besides the ones who'd received them, Brave Stalker and Spike Fur playing some form of tag, using the mess and people for cover... despite knowing the work that lay ahead, I couldn't help but smile. This was Christmas; I was surrounded by good people, including my son... it just didn't seem right to be in a bad mood. Xavier smiled and patted the space next to him, a pile of gifts which could only be mine next to him.

"Have a seat Mom. Might wanna get busy on those presents; everyone else's pretty much done."

I nodded and took a seat next to Xavier. Serena was seated on his other side, her head laying gently against his shoulder. I started to apologize for the things I'd said about her earlier, what I'd thought of her, but she just smiled and shook her head, as if to say, "It's alright, Ms. Canin. I forgive you."

I nodded and took the first present, starting to unwrap it. I originally thought it'd be the first surprise of the day; turns out it was going to be the 4th. The first was a knock on the door just as soon as I began to undo the ribbon. Everyone looked rather confused.

"Xavier... are you expecting anyone, honey?" Serena asked as she slowly got up.

"No..." He looked around briefly, but it seemed that no one was expecting a visitor. Serena walked to the door and opened it slowly.

"Can I help... oh my!!" Serena quickly backed away as the second surprise, another Ninetales Hybrid, collapsed onto the tile entryway. A few other people, myself included, quickly rushed over.

The Hybrid was a male, golden like a more traditional Ninetales. He was built thin like Serena, wearing an army jacket, a pair of jeans and a white shirt. His hair was somewhat wavy, while his eyes were partially hidden by a pair of glasses. He was taller than Serena by a few inches, maybe 6 foot or so. He wasn't moving as he lay on the cold tile, a light layer of snow atop of him. Xavier knelt down gently to feel for a pulse.

"I don't think he's dead..."

"Of course I'm not."

"What the?!" Xavier stumbled back as the Ninetales quickly jumped to his feet. He brushed off the snow as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"So, how have you guys been? You saved some presents for your good friend Bob, right?"

"Bob... BOB?!" Everyone looked stunned, minus Bob, as Xavier spoke. "But you... Houndoom... blew up...how?!..."

"I changed." Bob responded with a shrug. He walked out of the people surrounding him and to the tree, pausing only for a second to take something wrapped in paper out of his pocket and place it on the coffee table. "So, where are my presents?"

"Presents?! We thought you were dead!"

"And this would prevent me getting presents how?..." Well, he certainly acted like Bob...

"O.K..." I tried to interject some sanity into this. "Maybe you should stop and explain to us what happened, Bob. I'm sure we'd all like to know..."

"OH SWEET EUFFRETIA!"

And that makes surprise number three. Chris was rapidly blowing on his smoking hands; it looked like he'd tried to touch whatever it was Bob took out of his pocket and had burned himself badly. Reacting on instinct, I grabbed Chris and carried him rapidly into the neighboring kitchen, turning on the cold water full blast and shoving the doctor's smoking paws under it. Xavier was right behind me, quickly pulling out a pair of oven mitts from a drawer, then disappearing into the living room quickly and coming back with the object of Chris's pain, tossing it into the sink on the opposite side of Chris.

"Bob! What the hell did you bring into this house?!" I yelled from the kitchen. Xavier grabbed a fork and started to tear at the paper cautiously. Bob appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Hi, Doc. I dunno; I just noticed it in my pocket a little while ago."

"You just noticed it?! It had to have come from somewhere! I do not want something this dangerous in my house. I want you to this..."

"Everstone?!"

"Everstone and..." I quickly turned to Xavier, placing Chris up on the countertop. "What?"

"It's an Everstone..." He pulled out the mostly unwrapped rock and wiped away some of the soggy bits of paper. There was no way the crystal clear rock with the small circle design in the middle could be mistaken for anything else. Xavier handled it in his bare paws without any sort of reaction.

"I dunno, Chris; think maybe you just over-reacted..." Xavier gave the Everstone to Chris again.

"Maybe you're... ahhh!" Chris tossed the rock back into the sink when his paws started to smoke again, running his paws back under the water. "That really, REALLY hurts!"

I could only watch in disbelief as Serena and others handled the stone without a problem while Bob went back to search for presents. I'd been up for less than ten minutes, and yet I've already seen a person who's supposed to be dead standing in my living room and a Flareon Hybrid who can't handle an Everstone...Xavier looked over and gave me a little smile.

"Well, looks like we've got a gift here that can't be wrapped up; the gift of a very strange life. This gift keeps on giving too..." It was true; most people have a very boring and uneventful life compared to ours. I guess I should be happy to always have some sort of oddity or excitement to keep me on my toes a lot.

I began to think about asking Bob where he'd been again, ask Chris if he knew what was going on, maybe get to my presents...Xavier's quick, tight embrace quickly changed that. He nuzzled my muzzle very gently, a loving, caring nuzzle. Not the kind of love I would've wanted from him before yesterday, but one that was very welcome now.

"Merry Christmas, Mom..." I murred softly and let my nuzzles join his.

"Merry Christmas, Xavier..."

Hello everyone; it's Phoenix again. Xavier's just crawled off to bed, and has asked me to extend his apologies for the severe lateness of the finishing of the chapter. He's very, very, very, very, very, very sorry for the extreme lateness. He has sworn it'll never happen again, and Serena's promised to make sure he doesn't. I'm not sure you want to know how she's going to do that; I know I don't. He's also apologized for not having anybody new added, but during the holiday period, he just simply couldn't stick another person in the house. People will soon be departing, however, and room will be freed up for new guests. Anyway, his next project will be to finish up the next chapter of New Beginning, then it's on to chapter seven of ID. Thank you to all of those who've stuck with him through all of this; he will be back to a regular writing schedule soon.