. . . Samantha and Darcmon . . .

The sun had started to break over the eastern horizon, washing the coast in a warm light as a new day began. While Samantha had just finished washing up, she stepped out into the main room of her rooftop home. A gentle breeze washing in from the open balcony nearby as Darcmon landed, before her body began to glow and she transformed. Shrinking down to a small white creature, long and slender like a ferret with golden rings along its body.

"I monitored the new arrivals over night as you asked," She explained, "No issues... If anything, they seem to be getting along quite well with their new partners."

"But why are they here, Kudamon?" Samantha questioned, "Why now? Every anomaly we've seen up until now was nothing but a rogue digimon that accidentally fumbled its way through cyber space." Walking over, she picked up Kudamon from the floor and draped the long digimon over her shoulders to carry her around.

"I am unsure, but they have digivices, they are bound together now just as we are." The little digimon replied, curling up and closing her eyes to rest. "Perhaps we should make contact with them properly."

"Maybe... But their unions aren't anything like ours was." Sam noted, "And... I think we should save the one who clubbed you for last."

"No argument he- wait," Her ears twitching, eyes bolting wide open again. "Oh no."

Sam quirked an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Somethings coming, I can feel it!" She darted from Samantha's shoulders, climbing the railing at the edge of the balcony that looked out over the city. "There, down there!"

Samantha joined her at the railing, looking out over the nearby coast when she saw it. The water was swirling, a torrent raging in the morning before any boats could get onto the water! A bright light shined beneath the surface, but just as quickly as it lit up the waters went dark once more. Settling back quietly, "What... What was that?"

"A gateway," Kudamon replied, her eyes narrowing sharply. "Unlike any I've ever seen, it opened for but a moment..."

"Dammit!" Sam ran back to her coat nearby, pulling her digivice from within. "The doorways so far have been small, computers screens, TVs, but if a gateway that large opened, if something came through-"

Her answer came in the form of a water spout erupting from the shallows, a massive red shellfish rising from the waves with enormous claws. Releasing a mighty roar as it began to advance upon the beach, any onlookers or early morning swimmers were already running for the hills.

"That's a big one!" Sam exclaimed, bringing up her Digivice, "Ebidramon, champion level, we have to get down there or that thing could seriously hurt someone!"

Kudamon nodded dutifully, "Lets go!"

. . .

. . . Madison and Tsukaimon . . .

Not far from the events unfolding at the beach, Madison was quietly waiting in her room. The small space filled nothing but a single bed, a desk with a lamp on it for doing schoolwork, and a small ukulele resting on the floor beside the trash. She could hear footsteps approaching, and held her breath before the door opened, breathing out a sigh of relief as her brother stepped inside. He was a rather average looking guy, sharing her hair and eye color, and in his hands was a plate of eggs, bacon and toast.

"Fresh from the pan, been awhile since you've asked for a full meal." He said with a smile, setting it on the desk. "If you plan to leave before Dad gets home from the night shift, I'd hurry." He added.

To which Madison nodded, "Yeah I was gonna go for a walk, just tell dad I'll be out for awhile."

"Sounds good," He nodded, "I'll try to smooth things over with him before you get back."

Madison's returned a faint smile of her own, "Yeah... I'll try to talk to him when I get back, just please don't be yelling when I get here, alright Mark?"

He sighed heavily, "Yeah, I'll try not to talk back too much..." Before leaving her to it, stepping out and quietly closing the door.

Madison waited until his footsteps disappeared into the distance to look at her bed. "Okay you can come out."

Before her new friend crawled out from beneath the pillows, "So why can't I meet your... What did you say he was? Brother?" Tsukaimon asked, hopping off the bed and into her lap. "What's that? It smells good!" She added, eyes darting to the plate on her desk.

That dopey, drooling look on her face made Madison's empty smile fill with genuine delight. "That is breakfast, here we can share it." She assured, setting one of the slices of toast and a few strips of bacon onto a napkin for her. "And uh... Lets not go introducing you to the whole family until I actually know what you are, or why you're here."

Tsukaimon fluttered up onto the desk, "I told you, I'm a digimon!"

"Yeah and I'm still not entirely sure what that is," Madison shrugged, placing the egg onto her own toast and taking a big bite. Her eyes drifting to her former phone, the device having morphed into what Tsukaimon called a 'Digivice'. Now a totally different shape and colored white with purple trim. "You said I called you, but I think I'd remember calling some place called the Digital World."

Tsukaimon had a mouth full of toast and bacon, not really paying much attention at this point. "Mmhmm, this stuff is good! Is there any more?"

To which Madison couldn't resist, "Here you can have mine." Sliding the remainder of her food over to her partner. Before a low buzzing sound drew her eyes, the Digivice was rumbling on the desk, vibrating as the screen lit up. "What's it doing now?" She muttered, reaching over to grab it. Seeing a small map on the screen, it looked like the local coastline, a large red dot was blinking near the water. "Don't suppose you brought some friends along with you?"

But Tsukaimon shook her head, "Nope."

"Hey Maddie!" Mark's voice suddenly echoed from down the hall, "You've gotta come see this! Quick!"

She pushed herself up from the desk, "Stay here," Before leaving her room and rushing out to the main room of their small house. "What's up?"

"Check it out," He pointed to the TV screen, which was displaying a paused news broadcast. "Watch this."

Hitting play, the reporters voice continued, the sound of a helicopter turbine ringing in the background as their camera circled the beach. "It has been only thirty minutes since this abnormally large crustacean appeared in the shallows down at La Jolla Cove!" Zooming in on the large creature, it was hissing and causing the waters around it to become turbulent like they would be during a raging storm. "Nobody is sure where it came from but wild life officers are on route with high grade tranquilizers to try and capture the creature for study- Wait, hold on who's that?"

"What?" Madison blinked, seeing the strange winged woman landing in the sands at the waters edge. "A person?"

"A women, who appears to have been flying, has appeared before the creature!"

. . .

. . . Kai and Kotemon . . .

"So is this walk part of my training, sensei?" Asked the shambling armor covered digimon walking beside his new partner.

"Its not, but if someone saw you wandering around the house they'd have a conniption." Kai responded, eyes currently glued to his transformed phone as they walked along the pier. Now reshaped into this thing that Kotemon called a Digivice. It was nothing he'd ever seen, white with blue trim on it. "And I am not your sensei, I am only a student myself."

"Then teach me what your master taught you!" He persisted, waving his arms with those big oversized sleeves around.

"Without his permission that would be dishonest and wrong." He answered simply, "But so is hiding your existence from him... So, once I know how to explain this we're going to speak with him."

"Wow," Kotemon blinked, "I get to meet sensei's sensei? I can't wait!"

Kai sighed shaking his head, "You are incorrigible." Before his digivice screen lit up, his grandfather's name appearing on its surface. "So it still functions as a phone?" He questioned, pressing the button on its side before holding it to his face. "Hello?"

"Kai, where are you?" The elder man questioned in a sharp tone.

"He sounds worried, did something happen?" He wondered, "I'm at the pier, going on the morning run for cardio training." The training his grandfather had scheduled, in fact.

"You need to come home, something is happening at the beach not far from where you are."

"What?" As if in response, a sudden wind whipped through the area as a news helicopter roared by overhead, the sounds of sirens echoing in the distance getting closer.

"Some kind of giant animal," It was in that moment Kai noticed Kotemon had stopped moving, he was staring intently in the same direction the news chopper had flown. "Residents have been ordered to steer clear of the area."

Kai had a bad feeling about this, "I'll change my route, go south through the park."

"Kai I just told you to-"

"I'll be avoiding whatever's going on at the beach and won't be missing out on any training," He talked back. "Is this not acceptable?"

"... Very well, but make sure you're back on time for your lessons."

"Of course, I'll see you later." Before hanging up, realizing as he did so that his heart was racing. "Why did I talk back to him?" Before shaking his head, deciding there were more important things to worry about. "Kotemon, do you know anything about what's going on over there?"

"I can sense something, another digimon, two of them!" Kotemon replied eyes narrowing.

"More digimon, are they like you?"

"No, one is... Aggressive, the other I can't get a very good read on it." Kotemon replied, "But, I think they're fighting!"

Kai thought on the matter, staring out as the sound of sirens grew louder with each passing moment. He told his master that he would avoid the area, but this could be a good chance to learn more about these strange creatures. But, going back on his word would go against what he'd been taught...

"I want to see it," Kai decided, "But we aren't fighting."

. . .

. . . Darcmon . . .

Lightning sparked across the sands before colliding with Ebidramon's body, making the beast recoil into the shallows howling in pain. Darcmon charged forward, taking flight and closing the distance as she drew her blade. Slashing at the shell covered digimon, her blade carving marks along his body but failing to breach his hardened carapace. Circling back around as the beast turned to face her.

"Return to the other side!" She commanded.

"Never!" The monster snarled in response, the waters around him swirling to life before a massive wave erupted from below. The torrent racing towards Darcmon, she raised her staff just in time to create a barrier of light around her body. Shielding her from the hydro blast, "Stay out of my way!" Before a gust whipped up around the waters, the circling news choppers creating a wind current through the battlefield. "Pests! All of you humans are pests!"

Diverting his attack, unleashing torrents of water that shot high into the air. Causing the choppers to bank hard just to avoid them, narrowly escaping his wrath. But Ebidramon had left himself wide open, "If you intend to hurt these humans," She had closed the distance in the blink of an eye. The sun at her back, blinding Ebidramon so he could defend himself. "I have to destroy you!" Her blade lashing out, glimmering in the morning sun, shining brighter as she channeled her power through it. "Dancing Sword!"

She'd learned from her first strike, that she could not cut clean through his armor. So instead, she targeted the joints, and anywhere she could strike at his underbelly. Carving deep into his shell at these points, the violent digimon howling in pain and anger as it thrashed about in the waters, collapsing into the shallows as its body began to break down into data.

Darcmon hovered over him, "Why did you come here? How did you open that gateway!?" She demanded.

But the sea monster digimon released a weak, labored laugh. "You want to drown with the humans? Fine, you won't be able to survive the storm that's coming..."

As he vanished, Darcmon narrowed her eyes sharply. "Did you catch all that?" Completely ignoring the circling helicopters and police arriving the beach.

"I did," Sam answered, "Sounds like we're not done with these fishy freaks just yet... Head back home and get some rest, I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Just a walk?" She asked, smirking faintly. "I don't suppose you plan on meeting anyone."

"It's going to be a very enthusiastic walk."

"Drop the sword and come down here!" An officer barked, weapon drawn along with his companions.

Darcmon simply quirked an eyebrow, before taking off into the sky at high speed. Disappearing in the sunlight and soon the clouds to lose them.

While Samantha sighed, having been watching from a rooftop a few streets away as best she could. Her eyes turned to her digivice, homing in on any nearby digital signals that matched the ones from the other night. "Well... This should be interesting, if nothing else."

. . .

. . . Madison and Tsukaimon . . .

What happened on the news was... Scary, but Madison was far more concerned with getting out of her house before her father got home. So she packed her things into a bag and tucked Tsukaimon inside before heading out. Taking her bike and riding to her favorite place, it was only about twenty minutes from her home, maybe a little longer on foot. In an old rundown factory warehouse on the river, long since abandoned in the rough side of town left outdated by the rapidly advancing technology.

"This place has seen better days." Tsukaimon commented, poking her head out of the backpack. "Why are we here?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," Madison answered simply, pulling to a stop around the side of one such abandoned building. She hopped off her bike and wheeled it along to a rather loose looking piece of sheet metal leaning up against one of the walls. "Watch and learn."

Carefully pulling it back, just enough to expose a hole in the wall created by years of neglect. She shimmied her way between the wall and the sheet metal, sliding her way through the entrance and leaving her bike against the metal outside. Emerging inside the abandoned warehouse, hands on her hips as she took in a deep breath. Turning to the far wall that was plastered with colors, a messy mural of paint both liquid and sprayed by the looks of it.

"Here we are!" She said, opening her bag fully so Tsukaimon could get out.

The little digimon did just that, fluttering into the air as her eyes locked onto the mural of colors coating the wall. "Whoa... So colorful, its so pretty!" She beamed, ears fluttering.

Making Madison blush bashfully, "You think so? I just kinda throw paint at it when I'm in a mood." She shrugged, trying to not give herself too much credit. "But I'm glad you like it."

"I think it looks great!" She exclaimed, turning and flying back over to Madison. "You're really good at painting." Before she noted a bunch of papers spread out across a dusty table nearby. "What are these?"

Making Madison blush deeply as she bolted over, "NOTHING TO SEE HERE!" She assured, quickly gathering up the pages and turning them over so they couldn't be read, "J-Just a little... Side project, don't worry about it!" Looking for some way to divert attention. "Anyways, I wanna know more about you, I know you said I called you here or whatever but... What were you doing before that? What's the digital world like?"

Tsukaimon seemed to shrink back a bit, "Oh its... I don't know, the place I come from in the Digital World is dark and gloomy, I love how bright and colorful the human world is." She said with a smile, landing on an old dusty table nearly, "And I'm glad you're my partner."

Madison still wasn't quite sure what being partners with a digimon meant, but still- "Yeah, me too." She was happy to have made a friend.

A loud metal creak made her jump however, followed by a dull thud and someone's voice ringing out. "Ow! Dammit!"

Her eyes darting to her nearby hidden entrance, where a young man with bleach blonde in raggedy jeans and a black tanktop was rubbing his head. Based on the sound, it appeared that the sheet metal had smacked him on the noggin as he snuck through. And alongside him stood a gangly green goblinoid creature holding a hefty looking club.

Madison was immediately fearful of who they might be, and why they were here. "Who are you?" She asked, "Did you follow us here?"

"Madison," Tsukaimon landed on her shoulder, cowering behind her a bit. "That's another digimon!"

"Take it easy," The blonde boy replied holding up his hands. In it, Madison would see that he had a digivice as well! "My names Cody, this thing started pinging me a few minutes ago while I was passing through and I followed the signal to here." He explained, "Maybe not the smartest idea, the last time I followed a signal from this thing I got stuck with this guy here." He scoffed, pointing to his own digimon.

"Heheh that's right!" He beamed, holding up his club proudly. "Shamanmon! Proud partner of Code Rose!"

"Gngh!" The young thug stiffened, "Its Cody Rhodes dammit do you even listen when I talk!?"

"So, you're like us?" Madison questioned, holding up her own Digivice. "Did... He say you called him here too?"

Cody blinked, before nodding his head. "Sure did, so uh... I take it yours doesn't know much more than mine right?"

To which Madison sighed lightly, petting her digimon as it landed in her arms, "Not really no, I'm Madison by the way, and this adorable little purple creampuff is Tsukaimon." Figuring introduction were in order since she'd already gotten their names.

"Adorable little... Creampuff?" Cody repeated slowly, as he stared at Tsukaimon. Before quickly looking away and clearing his throat, "Yeah well, anyways did you see that crazy lobster monster on the news? Shamanmon is pretty sure it was a Digimon, but it wasn't anything like yours or mine."

Madison nodded, "Yeah, it was really scary, did you see that lady who destroyed it?"

"That was no lady," Shamanmon chimed in, "Scary digimon, tried to destroy me when I arrived!"

"It's true," Cody added, "If I hadn't shown up she would have wiped him out the same way she did that overgrown shellfish."

"What? Why!?" Madison questioned, looking between the digimon. "Are there just... Bad digimon out there too?"

Tsukaimon nodded, ears drooping. "Yeah, some digimon just want to hurt others."

The way the little digimon cowered, almost trembling against her. It stirred something in Maddie, "Well don't you worry." She gave her partner a reassuring pat. "I won't let anyone hurt you or you send you back to the Digital World, I promise."

Cody crossed his arms, looking to Shamanmon. "Well she certainly sounds convincing, guess I'll do what I can to keep you safe too." He shrugged. "Let me know if that angel lady gives you trouble and I'll club her again!"

Both Madison and Tsukaimon blinked, "Y-You attacked a Digimon?"

"Well, she started it." He shrugged, before a buzzing sounded from his digivice. He looked at the screen before his eyes widened, "Oh crap... I gotta take this."

"Something wrong?" Madison questioned as he made his way towards the exit.

"Just my brother calling... Dammit, is it cool if Shamanmon hangs here for a little bit?"

Madison nodded, "Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks."

. . .

. . . Kai Sarata . . .

By the time Kai reached the cove, the monster had been defeated and the area was swarming with reporters and police. People were being told to vacate the area and he couldn't blame them, not every day a giant crab monster emerges from the ocean. But who had defeated it? Another Digimon? Kotemon seemed to think so, but Kai hadn't seen any sign of it as he arrived, had it really been ended so quickly?

Either way, his curiosity was sated for now and he needed to get back to his training before grandfather found out he had lied. He worked his way out through the crowd, attempting to get back to the alley where he'd told Kotemon to wait for him quietly so they didn't draw attention.

"Excuse me young man!" Unfortunately, Kai's day wasn't going to get any better. "Are you local?"

When he turned to face those that were accosting him, he realized he was staring down the barrel of a mic and a news camera. "Uh... Yes, I am." While internally he cursed, "Dammit if this is live I'm in trouble, I never should have come here!"

"What do you think of the appearance of this strange monster and the woman who defeated it?" The reporter asked.

"A woman defeated it? Can Digimon take human shapes?" He wondered, "Well, it is certainly strange, but I am sure local law enforcement will handle it, now if you'll excuse me." He bowed his head before walking away, silently praying that his family were not watching that particular news station.

No such luck existed for the prodigal son.

. . .

. . . Thomas Mercer . . .

The last thing Thomas expected when he woke up from a long night of chatting with his partner, was reports of a monster at the beach, or this strange woman showing up at his hotel room door.

"So this yours eh? Kind of small."

"Well you know size isn't everything, he's certainly enthusiastic, I think."

"You think?"

"It's hard to read tone when you're speaking in binary." Thomas shrugged, watching his little MetalKoromon slide around the bed beeping in response. The chair bound teen chuckled lightly, before looking up at his visitor. "So you've got one too then? A digimon?"

Samantha nodded her head, "Yeah, had mine for awhile actually, thought I was the only one who had one until the other night though."

Thomas nodded, looking to his steel colored digivice with its copper trim. With a sleek metallic look, he liked it. "Was I the only one?"

"No, three others appeared it seems." Sam said simply, "So that makes five of us."

"Hmm, should I assume that woman who slew the giant lobster was yours?" Thomas questioned, considering he didn't see Sam with her own digimon at the moment.

"Yeah, her name is Darcmon," She explained, "As for Ebidramon, the lobster, he was what we call Breachers, digimon that find their way through Cyber Space and into our world through electronics or the internet."

"So this has happened before?" Thomas questioned curiously.

"Yes, but its usually random, the digimon hardly ever even know what they've done until they run into humans." She shrugged, "So we send them back, but with you and the others it was different... The digimon said they were called here, and that Ebidramon clearly came here on a mission for... Someone, or something." She shook her head, "And he didn't breach like they normally do, he came through some kind of gateway, nothing like I've ever seen before."

"These two events can't be coincidence." Thomas scoffed, crossing his arms. "Did this digimon say anything about why he was here?"

"Nothing specific, only that a storm was coming." Sam shrugged, "Sounds like some kind of invasion if you ask me, Ebidramon could have been the vanguard."

"Hmm, yes that would make sense," Thomas nodded, rubbing his chin. "Perhaps somebody, or something knew this was going to happen... And we're the response."

"The response?" She repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

"Like a body producing extra white blood cells when it starts to get sick." Thomas nodded, eyes turning back to his digivice. "Its a stretch, I know, but if there really is an invasion coming we might be the ones who are supposed to stop it." Before MetalKoromon started to beep louder, his eyes flashing as he began sliding around in circles on the bed.

"Uh, is he broken?" Sam questioned.

"You're the digimon expert, you tell me." Thomas replied, before his digivice started to glow making him gasp. MetalKoromon froze on the bed, body starting to glow brighter. Thomas could barely see, but what little he could see on his screen as it shined bright suddenly made his heart race. A feeling he couldn't quite describe, he couldn't quite explain it but was like he could feel the same excitement MetalKoromon was feeling!

Digivolution

Thomas could hear it, a tiny voice in the back of his head growing louder!

"MetalKoromon Digivolve to!"

In a final, brilliant flash the lights shined before starting to fade away. A loud thud on the floor sounded as something much heavier landed.

"Kokuwamon!"

Both Thomas and Samantha stared in awe at the new digimon standing before them, with sleek steel and black colors coating his entirely metal body. It looked like some kind of big mechanical beetle! Its head pinchers and hands looking like taser ends, while it had a smaller set of arms beneath them with prongs like a power cable!

"Whoa..." Was about all Thomas could manage.

"I did it!" Kokuwamon's voice rang out as he threw his hands in the air. "I finally digivolved!" He exclaimed, "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to talk to you right forever!" Grinning as best a big robot bug could, he approached Thomas and extended a hand, "Nice to finally meet you right, Partner!"

"This is amazing," Sam muttered as she watched the exchange. "Not just being called here by them, but able to Digivolve as well?" She thought, before coming to a decision. "Alright, I'm going to find the others, I'll send you my number through my Digivice so we can stay in contact."

"Right, yeah sure..." Thomas still enamored by the sight of his new partner. "So you're Kokuwamon now?"

"That's right! I went from my in-training form to Rookie!"

"And... You aren't going to be getting bigger any time soon are you?"

"Uh... I don't know," The big metal beetle shrugging. "Maybe?"

"Well that's reassuring..."

. . .

. . . Kai and Kotemon . . .

"You not only lied to me but skipped your morning run!"

"I know, I apologize for my actions-"

"Apologies are not good enough, it is clear you've forgotten the meaning of honor in this household."

What followed was a list of revised rules and harsher punishments, his allotted time with television halved, his training regiment increased in intensity and his studies doubled down. Any hopes of having free time or a chance to unwind this summer were wiped away in a single conversation. Kai would look to his mother for support, but she would not dare speak out against the head of the family. Reasoning that he knew what was best for her sons future, even if it wasn't what was best for him.

Kai sat in silence inside his room, meditating quietly as the afternoon sun reached in through the open window nearby. Quietly seething beneath the surface, at both his grandfather and himself. While a rather nosey armored digimon poked his horned head over the edge of the window frame.

"Psst! Sensei, can you hear me?" He asked, keeping his voice low. "I'm here to break you out!"

"Go away," Kai replied sharply, "I am not in the mood."

Kotemon blinked, "Then lets go find you a better mood!" Trying his best to be helpful.

"I can't leave, I'll just get in more trouble." He scoffed, shaking his head. "My grandfather is already furious with me-"

"Well if he's already mad, why do you care?" Kotemon questioned, tilting his head. "I admit... I don't know much about humans, but it seems like this... Grandfather doesn't like you very much, so why do you care what he thinks of you?"

Kai hesitated for a moment, realizing what this must look like from the outside. "I just- it isn't that simple." He shook his head, feeling a vague since of deja vu, thinking back to friendships he'd lost growing up because of this strict life he'd been forced to live. "He is the head of our family, and some day I'll be in his position... He just wants what's best for our family."

Kotemon slumped down against the window, hanging halfway in with his long oversized sleeves. "What about what's best for you?" He asked.

Kai quirked an eyebrow, "They are one in the same."

"Really?" Kotemon asked, sounding confused. "But sensei, whenever you talk about your training or this... Grandfather guy, you sound... I don't know," He shrugged, "You sound sad, or angry..."

What was this tiny creature trying to say? That Kai resented the path chosen for him? Well, he might be right, but that wouldn't change what he was going to do. What he was supposed to do.

Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps approached, "Go!" He yelped, and Kotemon fell back out through the window with a loud thud in the grass. Just as the door opened and in its frame stood the head of their family. "Grandfather," Kai quickly regaining his composure, bowing to him. "I was just meditating on what we spoke about." Lying once again.

He seemed suspicious, eyes glancing around the room briefly before stopping on the window. "Mmm... Indeed, I came to tell you that Lady Tanaka will be visiting us the morning after next."

Causing Kai to stiffen visibly, "L-Lady Tanaka? All the way from Japan?"

"Indeed," He nodded slowly, "It seems she desired to vacation overseas for her summer out of school, I offered her the spare room here so you might get better acquainted." He explained.

Kai swallowed nervously, "Of course... Is... Is this part of my training?"

The old man began to stroke his long white beard, lips spreading to a somewhat devilish smirk. "That is up to you, I simply thought it might help you refocus on your future... And what your responsibilities are."

Of course there was an ulterior motive, "I understand."

"And do be on your best behavior." Before he turned and exited the room.

Kotemon had learned enough by now to stay quiet until the footsteps had faded entirely, before he poked his head back over the edge of the window. "Sensei? Who is Lady Tanaka?"

Kai laid sprawled out onto the floor, staring at the ceiling. "My future wife."