gpshaw- I am sooo sorry! I wrote the next chappie before I got your review! But I'll write a little starter story (or a prologue) and I'll see if you like that idea, ok? I'd love to co-write a story with you!

okay, heres another chappie!!!

We were picked up by Ithiell in his fighter (turns out I was right; Jake used Ithiell to help the auxiliary Animorphs on the ground- and he was nearly destroyed in the process) and took us to the Pool ship. After all, we weren't anywhere near done yet.

We docked, then walked through the halls with Ithiell and Rtaia, towards what we hoped was the bridge. When we got there we were met with an amazing sight; the Yeerk slug that had once been Visser One crawling out of the Andalite's ear, as Ax and Marco, still all gorilla, watched him. Marco was eating a cookie, believe it or not, and I had to resist the urge to laugh at the sight of it all.

Tobias was there too, in human morph, and when he saw Rachel enter it was like one of those old romance movies; they ran to each other, arms open, and hugged and kissed and laughed in relief and then hugged and kissed some more.

"Ax, pick him up" A now human Marco said, holding a lockable briefcase open, seemingly trying not to barf at the sight of the two 'lovers'. But I knew he was glad; I guess we all were. I watched as Ax picked the slug up by two fingers, then drop him into the briefcase which Marco shut and locked. It was only then that the two even looked up at the three of us. Marco's eyes flashed something I couldn't read, but then it retuned to the usual mocking smile. Tobias saw this, still with his arms around Rachel, and rolled his eyes.

"He keeps saying how he's gonna have about a million jokes about you being a fly and a bear at the same time"

"Lame jokes I'm guessing" Rachel added, but smiled and winked at me. I think it was her way of 'saying thanks for saving my life'. I smirked and turned back to Marco, who was coming to greet me. Then I saw Rtaia rush over to Ax, and... well... she hugged him. Just wrapped her funny arms around his neck and hugged him. It was very unlike Rtaia. It was a second before Ax responded, putting his arms carefully around her and hugging her back.

"I think I'm not the only one in love with another species" Ithiell laughed, then went over to the remaining humans on the bridge, beginning to access the systems and see what kind of shape the ship was in. Marco, on the other hand...

"Well, I was gonna start with 'when bears fly', but that's just so clichéd, don't you think? But..." He took my hand and pulled me further into the room "I guess I'll go with the girl who is a fly and a bear. Very disgusting mix, by the way. Fly-bear. Not much better from my poo-bear, poodle mixed with bear, but... well, I guess you could say you'd scare a lot more people with that shape. Wings on a..."

"I told you, lame jokes" Rachel laughed. I noticed she'd let go of Tobias, but they were still close.

(I... I must access the communications array and carry out Jake's orders) Ax said as Rtaia let go of him, looking embarrassed the Chanaiben way; her head down a little and her tail tucked up against her.

"May I be of assistance?"

"Better not Rtaia" Ithiell interrupted "It might be good if the two of us aren't seen by these Andalites yet. Just in case they get the impression we're..." But she was nodding already, and they moved out of sight of the viewscreen, going off to the side to fiddle with the instruments. Ax did his thing, and minutes later there was an Andalite face on the screen. A very unhappy Andalite face, by the way.

He accused us of being Yeerks (no surprise there) and Ax told him who we were (with a little direction from Marco), and they still didn't believe us. Cassie came back as the two talked, and she went over and hugged her friend out of sight, then smiled and mouthed 'thankyou' while looking like she was about to bawl.

Then Jake came back, and then Alloran... the Andalite that had been infested by Visser One... decided to wake up. He took over talking for a bit, after getting Jake's permission, and then after Marco made a fool out of another Andalite much higher up on the food chain than the one we'd been talking to, Jake took over. I admired Marco's quick thinking. He saw we were going down, and he saved us.

Short version of what Jake said; It's over, we won your stupid war, and if you try and come blow us up your civilians will never stand for it and they'll rip you to shreds. So play nice and go along with what we say.

Then we flew the ship into space, blew up some bug fighters (we made sure Ithiells fighter wasn't touched) and some mean old farts of Andalites decided to take a trip around the Pool ship, ending up on the bridge. Not that I had anything against them, of course.

Jake explained to them what we promised the Taxxons and the remaining Yeerks and got a flat out denial. Then Marco got mad at them, and Jake looked like he was ready to just give in.

"We won your lousy war for you, you pompous old-" Marco erupted, but Jake talked over him. I put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. I couldn't say I didn't feel exactly the same way. Cassie pleaded, but they still refused. And Jake looked about ready to give in, but I guess Marco gave him some words of encouragement, and he kept up the leader face. Ax then challenged one of the Andalites, and it was suddenly all in their hands. Poor Ax looked like he was about to faint as the other Andalites walked out of the room, all angry looking, since Jake wouldn't get off the bridge for them.

But before they left, one of them noticed Ithiell standing in a corner.

(Who... what are you?)

"Oh me?" he laughed "Why, I'm a Chanaiben of course. See if you can find that word in your history books anywhere"

The Andailte looked confused, then seemed to shrug it off and trotted away to join the others. I guess he wasn't willing to argue with Ithiell. After all, I saw the look behind Ithiell's eyes. He was ready to fight with them, that's how angry he was. The Chanaiben government had been brought into a war they shouldn't have been fighting, and with that, a lot of his old friends had died in the cross-fire. All because the Andalites were too stubborn to see their way out of the war.

They sent back a junior officer, who we exchanged polite words with, and suddenly... it really was all over. A second war I'd fought... and that second war had now opened a whole universe to the human race.

But for some reason, a part of me didn't feel the victory there. I felt... regret.

---------------------------------------x---------------------------------

One year forward...

Well, things kind of blew by pretty quickly after that. We watched as the Animorphs gave the press a hell of a good story, and they gobbled it up like hungry Taxxons (excuse the expression). The team... our team... watched from the cloaked fighter. After all, we didn't want to take the glory. They're the ones who had been fighting for over three years. We were just one of the side forces.

Robert and Amanda had been on the ground with the auxiliary Animorphs that day, and Amanda had been next in line for Visser One's dracon fire. Ithiell and Rtaia, possessing amazing combat and flight skills, had been able to block some of the Pool ships attacks, until a handful of Bug fighters was sent out after them, and they had to go into one-on-four combat with the fighters, giving them a clear shot of the forces below. But we'd all survived, thankfully.

But... the auxiliary Animorphs...eight had been fried before Ithiell could get back and save them...

We watched as Tobias, now a hawk again, sat on Rachel's shoulder, and each of them kind of took turns answering questions and telling the story. Jake was sort of a little more silent than the rest of them. I knew the weight of the decisions he'd made was now all on his shoulders. He'd lost a brother, and nearly lost his cousin. He'd doomed thousands of helpless Yeerks...

But as they were coming to a close, Rachel stepped forward, no longer with the mocking swagger of someone who had just won a battle. She stepped forward and told them about us, and told them how I'd saved her and how they should be thanking us as well.

Then it all came down on us; our story. We were now (briefly) in the spotlight, and over time we told people bits and pieces of what had happened to us. Even Ithiell and Rtaia, who had reluctantly told the human race about their race, and all about the difference between 'morphing' and 'shape-shifting'. Of course the press had the dumbest questions, but Robert took care of that. He just glared at them and told them exactly what we were all thinking.

A week after that, with the Animorphs story slowly sweeping the planet, and ours following just behind them, we had a memorial service for Tom and the auxiliary Animorphs. It was a sad day, but it was a good day for remembering. It was cloudy, but not raining, and the weather was coolish.

After that, things just seemed to blow by even faster. The Animorphs were a big thing, and Rachel, Tobias and Marco seemed to be on every talk show in history. Cassie and Jake however... didn't enjoy the limelight as much. Amanda, Robert and I got paid to go on some shows too. But we were just the side act- the Animorphs were the main show. They were the celebrities. Marco seemed to enjoy it a lot more than the others too. Jake was still being the 'leader' and took his brothers death harder than anything. Cassie was his only real support. But eventually they both began to move on, with a lot of encouragement from Rachel and Marco (Jake tried to shut Cassie out- Rachel wouldn't let him) and had even begun to talk about marriage.

We (they?) kept our bargain with the Yeerks and Taxxons, so now there were a lot more snakes and that on earth. Hork-Bajir were given a nice place in a national forest to live, and Cassie and Amanda worked together to help them. I mean, when Amanda wasn't fulfilling her dream; becoming a singer. She was pretty good too. Robert... well, he went into the army after that. You know, talking strategy and tactics. Me? I went here and there, and helped Cassie and Amanda at times. Other times I thought I was heading for a place as an Olympic ice-skater, but that dream slowly fizzled out. I was finally appointed by the president of the United States to be a diplomat between humans and Chanaibens. After all, I got on pretty well with the ones I knew. I was a hero on that planet, and they had a lot of respect for the three humans who had kept their planet free. And with Amanda and Robert busy, I guess I was only one for the job.

Ithiell joined me in being a go-between diplomat. He and Rtaia were also beginning to start trades with the Andalites, and kept everything as clean and straightforward as possible. Rtaia and Ax...? Well, they were already engaged in the Chanaiben culture, even though some Andalites looked down on them. Others however, saw it as an opportunity to make a peaceful alliance with the Chanaibens. The Chanaibens themselves didn't really care; just as long as they knew they weren't being tricked by Ax, they were cool with it. Even Rtaia's brother Lowri. It took him a while, but.... he got used to it.

Marco and me? Well, we sort of drifted a part for a while, and we both didn't have time to talk as we were both focused on our own careers.

I bought a large house, which I shared with Amanda, Robert and Ithiell. At least, when we were all there together. It was big enough so we didn't get in each others hair when we were angry, but not 'mansion' kind of big. And it was cosy. My parents and siblings got a house out of the money I owned too. They hadn't been touched by the media after the first month of the story coming out. Which I liked, because it meant I didn't have to worry about them, at least not much.

Before I knew it, a whole year had passed. I was seventeen, and had been in more battles than a full grown man could ever possibly have been in. Seven years... man can time fly.

I'd heard about the trial of Visser One, and how they didn't want us to 'complicate' the testimony of the Animorphs and the other witnesses. Bah! What did they know?

I watched parts the trial on T.V as I worked on a speech for the Chanaiben diplomats that were scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks. I had to show these guys (who were up higher than anyone I'd ever met before) that we were a race that could be trusted to do trades with. It was hard work, but I knew it would eventually pay off.

I watched as Jake froze up at the beginning, but managed to get through it. I saw parts of the others trials too. In the end, twenty-two of twenty five convictions on the slug called Visser One passed. I was glad. I'd heard of the outcome just as I'd finished negotiations with the Chanaibens, and it had all gone successfully. Ithiell had been with me, so it made things go over a little smoother. But it worked, and I was glad as I drove home with Ithiell beside me. I'd gotten a free Porsche from all this, and although I would've preferred a Jaguar or a Ferrari, it was still a pretty cool car. I dropped Ithiell off at Amanda's studio (yeah, she owned half a studio now too) and went home alone.

I showered and changed, grateful to get out of the tight business suit and into some track pants and an average top. I grabbed an ice-cold can of coke out of the fridge, and shut the door...

"Hey Jade"

"Yah!" I yelped, practically tossing the drink at Marco. He caught it and casually opened it, taking a quick swig, smirking at my shock.

"Well it's nice to see you too"

"How did you..." then I noticed his clothes. His morphing outfit "Okay, what kind of bug did you use to get in here, and exactly how long have you been spying on me?"

"Always with the double questions. Jeez Louise!" He remarked, going and sitting at the kitchen table. I sat across from him, staring hard into his eyes.

"All right, all right. I did roach, and I've been here ever since you drove through your front gate" I was still staring at him when he added "Bugs don't do well in water. I've been in the kitchen waiting for you"

"Well... I'll trust you. For now" I snatched my can of drink back out of his hands, still staring at him. I wanted to know why he was here after all this time, and he knew it.

"Look... you know I don't do well with the... with that four letter word. After the war... I didn't know how to approach you"

"A simple knock on the door would've been nice"

He sighed, all the mock humour gone from his face. He just looked like an awkward teenage boy trying to figure out how to talk to a girl.

"Look," I began, reaching across the table for his hand, and he leaned forward and let me take it. "I know we've drifted apart since... since then. But... well, if you want, it doesn't have to stay that way"

"No, it doesn't" he replied, beginning to smile. Then he leaned further over the table and kissed me. Softly, gently, and as I...

Splash! The drink tipped all over him, and he jumped back.

"Ooooh maaaaannn!!" he whined, trying to brush it off as it continued to spill out over the table.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I yelped as I jumped up and grabbed something to wipe up the spill off the table, then picked the coke up and threw it into the sink. I'd gotten some of it on me too, but it was mostly on Marco. And he was jumping up and down like a drowned rabbit.

"Here" I offered, trying to squeegee the coke stains off his shirt, then trying to wipe it off him some more "Maybe I can find some extra clothes in Robert or Ithiell's room. They might be a bigger fit, but at least it's better than nothing"

I gave him the towel and started to run upstairs, but he grabbed my arm, pulling me in for a very long kiss. When he pulled back his chest was heaving, and I saw him shaking a little.

"I'll... I'll come up with you" he said softly. But I understood that face, more than anyone. And I have to admit, I was kind of feeling the same way too.

"All right" I croaked, nodding and shaking a little myself "Come on, roach-boy"

I took his hand and led him upstairs. Together, we left the rest of the world to sort itself out without us for a few hours.

Sorry! I didn't know how else to end this chappie. Hope you liked it though. I might write another chappie, I dunno yet. You decide, ok? Cyas!