Mission 24 - Family

Obsidian sat next to his sister, Jade, on top of their favorite cliff, eating their favorite snacks. They were snuggling close to each other lovingly, sharing their snacks. Their conversation, however, was quite unintelligible, yet soothing. They gazed into the setting sun, the beautiful clouds, and the shimmering sea. Everything was so perfect, too perfect.

"I love you Jade." Obsidian moved to kiss the black cat, "I love you so much."

"Me too Rocky, but. . ." Jade pulled away, "I have to go."

"Where . . . where are you going?" Obsidian asked, holding onto her hand.

"Where I am going, you cannot come." Jade replied with a smile. A silent tear rolled down her face. The black cat flicked the tear off her face, and turned to leave, "Bye-bye Rocky."

"Bye-bye Rocky. . ." Obsidian repeated after the cat, "Hold on! You can't go! I-I am coming with you!"

Jade turned and smiled at her brother, her partner, and her lover. "You still have things to do, Rocky. You can't come with me unless you finish them. We will meet again, one day." Jade turned, and walked down the path that led up to the slope.

Obsidian rushed forward to catch her, trying to hold her back. His grip merely passed through her, as if she was a hologram. She turned around and smiled at him once again, and disappeared without a trace.

"Jade! No! Come back!" Obsidian shouted, "JADE!!!"

Obsidian sprang up from his lying position, panting harshly. It was all a dream, a sweet dream, but also a nightmare. Everything seemed so real. The young wolf gripped his head, trying to recall what happened to him.

"Obsidian, you are finally awake!" A boy burst into the room, it was Damon. The young hybrid flung his arms around Obsidian, shedding tears of joy. "I thought you would never wake up. . ."

"Huh . . . You are. . ." Obsidian looked quizzically into the hybrid's green eyes. His memories slowly came back to him. "Damon. . ."

Damon nodded, waiting for the wolf to speak some more.

"Where am I?" Obsidian looked around. The surroundings were familiar, but it took lots of effort to recall anything. "Am I in heaven?"

"No! Of course you are not in heaven!" Damon replied, almost shouting back, "This is the Cornerian hospital!"

"Cornerian hospital. . ." Obsidian's eyes darted around the room, "What happened . . . Why am I here?"

"You fell off the very top of the Krazoa Palace." Damon replied, a little concerned about Obsidian's condition, "Quicksilver and Tricky picked you up before you drowned . . . We all thought you died."

"Krazoa Palace. . ." Obsidian said dreamily, "Oh no. . .Jade! Where is Jade?"

"Jade is. . ." Damon had difficulty with his answer, "Jade is. . ."

"Where is she?" Obsidian violently grabbed the hybrid's shoulders, shaking Damon with all his might. "TELL ME!"

"She is . . . Jade is dead." Damon whimpered out, tears welling up in his eyes.

"NO! You are lying! You are a liar!" Obsidian threw Damon onto the ground, and darted out the door. He stood in an empty hallway, with rows of hospital rooms on either side. The young wolf ran to the closest door barefooted, in his patients clothes. He opened it. Inside was an old man, staring blankly at him. He slammed the door shut and ran to the next room, bursting inside. In this one he found a child sleeping in the bed, hugging his teddy bear. He didn't even bother to close the door, running to the next room. He began to cry, "Jade! Where are you? Please don't leave me all alone!"

Obsidian burst into the next room, and inside he found a black cat, reading a book. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he didn't care. The young wolf rushed inside, and gripped the bewildered cat lady by the shoulders, "Jade!"

"Jade?" the black cat replied, "Who is Jade? Are you lost Sir?"

". . . Sorry," Obsidian apologized, holding his head, wiping his tears. This was not his Jade. Jade must be somewhere in this cursed building. The wolf stumbled backwards, and scrambled out the door, seeking for his lover.

After waking up every single patient in the entire wing, Obsidian gave up. He curled up next to a wall and let out a blood-chilling howl: A howl of murderous grief and pain. In a distance he heard a baby crying, but he didn't care. He let out another howl, this one even louder than the first.

Damon rushed out the door, and found Obsidian curled up next to a wall, howling with anguish. The hybrid bent down and embraced the wolf, trying to calm him. He knew perfectly well that Obsidian's strength could easily kill him, whether by intention or by chance. The hybrid whispered, "It is okay Obsidian . . . Everything is okay."

"Tell me you are lying." Obsidian fell into Damon's embrace, "Tell me she is still alive. . ."

"I am sorry. . ." Damon held Obsidian in his arms, rocking the wolf softly. Several nurses and doctors gathered around him, wondering if they should intervene. Damon merely waved them off. They nodded, and slowly walked off. It was almost pitiful to see the great warrior in his current state. The hybrid helped Obsidian onto his feet, "Let's go to your room, it's really late."

"Jade is not dead right?" Obsidian said with a strange smile, "She is still alive, waiting for me right? You are just joking about her being dead right?"

Damon sighed. Jade's death was obviously too much of a blow to Obsidian. The hybrid feared that Obsidian's mental health may be threatened if he continued to hammer him with the fact that Jade was dead. "Let's put that aside for now . . . Go and get some rest."

"Rest. . . I don't need to rest!" Obsidian began to sob again, and buried his face in his palms. "How long was I sleeping for?"

"You've been in a coma for more than a month now. . ." Damon patted the wolf on the back, leading him back into his room. The hybrid tried to smile, "I've been watching over you every day."

"Tell me everything . . ." Obsidian slowly climbed onto his bed. But he jumped in alarm when he felt something wiggling under his sheets. He ripped the blankets off, revealing the small furry creature they hid under them. It was Damon's BafomDad. "What the heck is this?"

"It's a BafomDad. Fox said it has the power to raise the dead." Damon picked up the little creature and stroked its fur, "I picked it up on my climb up the Krazoa Palace. It's cute right?"

Obsidian studied the BafomDad, staring at its large eyes. "The power to raise the dead. . . Can it raise Jade from the dead?"

"I am sorry Obsidian. . ." Damon bowed his head, "Jade was cremated on Dinosaur Planet before we left. Her ashes were returned to Dr. Zenotabi immediately when we arrived on Corneria."

"Why did I have to survive?" Obsidian asked, lowering himself back into his bed, "Why is Jade dead and I am alive?"

"Because. . ." Damon paused, putting his pet on Obsidian's bed, "I don't know."

Obsidian walked into Dr. Zenotabi's laboratory, there was no one inside. All the lights were turned off, except for a soft light that came from the doctor's office. The young wolf secretly left Damon and the hospital, after leaving a small note on his bed. Even though he knew Damon would miss him, he had to be punished. Jade died because Obsidian was careless. Jade died because Obsidian didn't hold her back. The one thing that may might him feel better was the taste of Zenotabi's whip, or the rat's sour words. The wolf knocked on the doctor's door. And went inside when he heard a soft, "Come in."

"Father, I failed you. Jade's death is entirely my fault." Obsidian said, facing Zenotabi. The rat's office was dark and gloomy. Zenotabi was holding a picture of Jade in his arms, gazing at it thoughtfully. The middle age rat began to shudder and tear. During this month while Obsidian was unconscious, Zenotabi had successfully removed all the cerebral impulse interceptors from every infected person. He even removed the three most notorious probes in Damon's brain, with the help of Leon's data. The rat was now one of the most well known doctors in the entire Lylat system. Yet, all the fame and accomplishments did not bring Jade back. Zenotabi gained everything he ever wanted, only to lose his most beloved daughter. "Father, please punish me."

"Son, why don't you state a reasonable punishment for yourself?" Zenotabi's eyes never left Jade's picture. The middle aged rat let out a sigh, "I am tired of giving you punishments."

"Two hundred whips, Father." Obsidian took off his shirt and flung it into a corner of the room. He knelt down before Zenotabi's desk. His scares were once again revealed, scars that he acquired from saving a friend from a fiery doom. "More, if that's not enough by your standards, Father."

Zenotabi opened his drawers and found the coiled whip. He stared at the weapon, unsure if he should punish his son. He raised his hand to strike Obsidian's bare back, but his hand trembled, and the whip fell to the ground. Dr. Zenotabi ran to his son's side and embraced the wolf, crying softly.

"Father. . . Why aren't you punishing me?" The wolf was shocked by his father's reactions. He watched his father embracing him, something that never happened in his entire life. It almost felt foreign for such a stern man to hug him in such an emotional manner. "Are you feeling well?"

"Obsidian. . ." Zenotabi sobbed, rocking the large wolf lovingly, "Tell me why Jade died . . . Tell me everything about your sister . . . I don't know her well enough."

"Jade died from fighting Leon's soldiers." Obsidian replied, "She fought bravely, killing two thousand enemies, even in her own death."

"And why should I punish you?" Zenotabi held his tears, gazing into Obsidian's crystalline eyes, "You sister did what she believed was right. I would have been wrong for you to stop her. You allowed her to do what she wanted, because you knew she made the correct choice."
"But she is dead!" It was now Obsidian's turn to cry, "I-I'll never see her again."

"It hurts, I know." Zenotabi whispered softly into the wolf's ears, "But we both know she did the right thing, even though she is gone."

"Father, can you please punish me?" Obsidian begged on his knees, "Maybe it'll take some of the pain away."

"Son, maybe you are not clear on why I punished you before." Zenotabi smiled, rocking the wolf gently, "I created you to be a perfect being, completely flawless in every way. For a while, the two of you really proved that you were perfect, and I could not have asked for better children in the entire world."

"Until we messed up our mission in the prison that night," Obsidian muttered, "That was the first time you have ever punished me."

"I thought you will never make mistakes, but I was wrong." Zenotabi stroke his son's forehead softly, "I realized that I created two very strong, intelligent, beautiful and brilliant children. But just like everyone else, you are not perfect."

"Ouch." Obsidian giggled, "No perfect huh?"

"No, no one is perfect." Zenotabi smiled back, "No matter how hard you try, no matter how your genes are arranged, there is always plenty of room for mistakes. There isn't a single perfect person in the entire universe."

"So you only punished me. . ." Obsidian muttered, "Just as an attempt to make me perfect?"

"In some ways . . . yes." Zenotabi reached for Jade's picture on the desk. "The two of you are very dangerous, believe it or not. I punished you because I needed to keep you in check."

"But you know I won't rebel!" Obsidian protested, "You are my Father, Pepper is my Boss, and I only follow your commands. Everything was that way ever since I was created. Why should any of that change?"

"Maybe you say you won't rebel, but I am not so sure sometimes." Zenotabi replied, "You are a perfect kilter, capable of killing hundreds and thousands of people."

"I can, but I won't" Obsidian turned away from Zenotabi. He knew his father was right. He was perfectly capable to become a monster, just like Leon. No, even worse than Leon. "I only kill the ones Admiral Pepper or you tell me to kill."

"What if your father and your boss both turned evil?" Zenotabi questioned, "Will you still follow our commands?"

"If you both turned evil . . . I will just follow my own commands." Obsidian replied with a smile, "And I am sure my own commands are just as good as yours or Pepper's."

"Don't get too cocky now." Zenotabi kissed the wolf on the forehead, "I am really proud of you. Tell me, what do you desire the most?"

"I desire a family . . . I desire love . . . I desire Jade." Obsidian began to cry again, "I really miss her."

"I miss her too." Zenotabi replied, "Don't worry son, I will try my best to give you whatever you desire."

"Even Jade?" asked the wolf.

Zenotabi stared thoughtfully at his son, and an eerie sillence befell the room.

Damon lay casually on his bed, giggling as he watched his BafomDad play. It was rolling around a large red ball dotted with stars. Fox said Damon could use it, it used to belong to Tricky, but the young prince had given it to Fox as a remembrance token. Fox thought it would be safer for Tricky to remain with his parents. Leon would be after the team, and it would endanger the young prince. So his safest bet was to return home, because it was doubtful Leon would return to attempt another invasion. Thus the young dinosaur reluctantly left the team to return home. Only with the promise that they would visit when it was all over.

The BafomDad belly flopped onto the ball, and wiggled around as it tried to stay on top. It fell over comically, and the BafomDad covered its face with its ears in embarrassment. Damon reached down and picked up the little rabbit-like creature, hugging it to make it feel better. It snuggled into his arms and lap settling down peacefully.

Damon chuckled, "Well, I suppose you need a name if I'm going to keep you."

The Bafomdad perked up its ears, looking at him quizzically.

Damon stared at the BafomDad, trying to think of a name, "Hops?" Damon weakly suggested. The BafomDad covered its face up with it's ears again, displaying it's displeasure.

"How about Fluffy, do you like that?" Damon tried, ruffling its fur a little. Again the BafomDad hid its face. "No huh..."

Damon stared at the BafomDad, absently stroking it as he thought. A grin emerged on his face. "I know, how about I call you Buddy?" The BafomDad tilted it's head coyly, as if it were thinking too. Then it started hopping up and down, doing little spins in the air. Damon nodded, "Okay, then I'll call you Buddy."

There was a gentle knock on Damon's door after he had finished naming his pet. Damon rolled over and stared at the door. "Come in." he said happily.

The door slid open and Sirus walked in. He had a manila folder under his arm, Damon wondered what was inside. Sirus sat down on the edge of the bed, near Damon's feet. Sirus smiled, "Good morning Damon, it's good to see you home for once. We were beginning to think you were going to live at the hospital."

Damon nodded as he giggled, "I just wanted to be there for Obsidian was all. I was worried."

Sirus ruffled the fur between Damon's ears, brushing the spines on his head lightly as well. "I know; you really like him don't you?"

Damon smiled, "He's like a brother..."

"Like a brother..." Sirus repeated.

Damon nodded, "Yeah."

Buddy crawled into Sirus' lap, "Hey little guy, have you been keeping our Damon company?"

"I've decided to name him Buddy; he seems to like the name." Damon said, stroking the BafomDad's fur.

"It's good that you had someone to keep you company." Sirus paused for a moment, setting down the folder, "Someone you can count on."

Damon was beginning to become bewildered about Sirus' strange behavior. "Sirus, is something the matter?"

Sirus shook his head, "Damon, I want to ask you something...something very important."

Damon looked into Sirus' eyes, noting the seriousness in his voice, "What is it?"

"You've been alone for so very long, you've been hurt so much," Sirus shook his head, "No, let me start over...Damon, you love me don't you?"

Damon shook his head furiously, "Of course I do Sirus..." Damon hugged Sirus and muttered in his ear, "I love you Wolf..."

Sirus started to tear, when Damon let go he opened the folder, reveling a small stack of papers. "Damon...you deserve a family..." Damon bent over and looked at the papers, and gasped, completely awestruck. Tears began to form in Damon's eyes too. Sirus continued, "Damon, all you need to do is sign here and here," he pointed to two different papers.

Damon choked on his tears, "You...you...want to be my dad?" He couldn't believe it. He hadn't taken his eyes off the papers Sirus had revealed, as if they would disappear. They were adoption papers, saying Sirus would be Damon's rightful father. His greatest fantasy was coming true; all his secret whisperings to Wolf as a child were becoming reality. Wolf, who had played Damon's surrogate father all the hybrid's young life, was actually going to be his real father. Even though he was now Sirus, it was still the same; to Damon it was still Wolf O'Donnell staring him in the face.

Sirus bent down and hugged Damon, "I know I don't deserve a son as beautiful and sweet as you are...but will you at least consider letting me become your father?"

Damon gripped Wolf tightly, "I would never accept anyone else..."

Sirus slipped a pen into Damon's hand and released him, "There, sign it, and we'll finally be a real family. Obsidian as well, since legally he's my brother, we'll be one family."

Damon quickly signed what he needed to, and fell back into Sirus' embrace, "Daddy..." he softly whispered.

"My son..." he replied, kissing Damon on the head.

The BafomDad tugged on Damon's sleeve, and Damon giggled, pulling it into their embrace. "My family..." he whispered happily.

Fox woke up with a loud yawn; he looked over at his clock. It was still fairly early; it was only 8:36 in the morning. He stretched his arms and looked over at Krystal, who was lying next to him asleep. He stretched his arms and crawled carefully out of bed. When he was out he stretched out his body fully. He looked down at himself and immediately blushed, he was completely nude. He quickly found some boxers; amidst the pile of clothes that had been haphazardly strewn about the room in the mate's frenzy. In fact it was two weeks worth of clothes left unkempt, shed and thrown away in the heat of passion. Fox smiled, remembering the weeks before, the peaceful weeks he'd finally gotten to spend with his wife after the rest of the month had gone so rotten. With the frenzy after their battle with Leon, Fox and the team had been flooded with paperwork or interviews and appearances that left the team tired, especially Fox. It gave him hardly any time to be alone with his wife. They would normally spend a few minutes talking before going to bed, leaving Fox feeling needful. He wanted time to spend with his wife, to show her he cared.

Finally their work came to a minimum, and Fox was ready for a nice night with his wife. To spend time with her, like he had when they were on their honeymoon before this whole incident occurred. They spent an entire weeks together having fun, just the two of them. They went to a movie, ate lunch at Fox's favorite restaurant, and even spent some time at an amusement park. Both Fox and Krystal seemed to notice all the families about, gazing and chatting about all the small children they saw, running about and having fun.

Each night they came home, and immediately fled to their room to avoid any distractions. Fox felt a month's worth of built up tension released in each of those intimate nights.

Fox smiled as he thought about it, blushing again as he realized the effects it was having on his body. He quickly adjusted himself, avoiding an embarrassing tent in his underwear. He heard another yawn, and saw Krystal rouse from her slumber. He smiled, "Good morning my love."

Krystal smiled sweetly, "Good morning to you, my sweet Foxy." She got up out of bed and slipped a nightgown over her head. "I'll be right back..." she said, winking coyly. She walked into the bathroom that was connected to their room.

Fox watched as the door closed, and patiently waited for his wife. He sat down on the edge of their king-sized bed. Suddenly there was a yelp that came from the bathroom, he immediately bolted over. He said excitedly, "Krys...is something wrong?" Krystal didn't reply, but the door opened. He looked in and saw Krystal, her hands hidden behind her back.

"I have a surprise for you," she looked down at Fox's legs, "Mr. Lucky." She finished with a wink.

Fox looked down, realizing the boxers he was wearing were his favorite boxers; the white pair with pink hearts. The pair he had worn the first day he had free, just to feel secure that luck would continue to flow his way. "What are you talking about Krystal?"

Krystal pulled out a little rod from behind her back. She handed to Fox and smiled. Fox looked down at it, one side had a little circle in it, and the inside of the circle was a blue cross. Fox's eyes widened, realizing what he was holding, "You mean..."

Krystal nodded, "Yes Fox...I'm pregnant."

Authors' Notes: Strings 2 is temporarily removed for editing and plot revision. Stay tuned for updates. They are coming . . .