A/N: Hey, I'm glad people liked the last chapter. I didn't even plan for it to happen. It just came together. !!yAy!!

OKAY! I know some readers were expecting a marriage in this chapter. NOT YET!! There's a good reason, though. Y'know how Krystal is worried that Fox is, once again, going to think his life is too dangerous for her once they're in a dangerous situation? That notion is put to the test real soon. That's right! They're going to come across danger. The way he reacts in her presence will determine if they're going to stay together, because she will NOT put up with someone who treats her as a burden. Let's see what happens, shall we? OH! And… this chapter is DEFINITELY worthy of being called "ABRIDGED" because the AFFnet version REALLY lives up to the... let's just say if I posted it on this site, they would remove my entire account, LMAO. SO! THIS is the dressed-down version.

Chapter -14-
"This is far from over"

One thirty in the morning on the beach of Cape Claw…

Krystal lay with her betrothed in a passionate embrace, undulating like the sea, beneath him. And he, above her like the sky, moved over every inch of her, forever. Their bodies met at the horizon. They writhed as one, lost in the bliss of their unity. And, in time, they fell asleep in one another's arms, snuggly locked together like pieces to a puzzle.

Seven hours passed. The moon sank into the horizon. Central Lylat peaked to the northeast and the secondary morning light of Solar came up in the southeast, creating a dazzling display on the water. The susurration of lapping waves created a rhythmic cadence but with the morning tide change, the sound of the surf went off beat. Fox was the first to wake, feeling a soft breeze against his backside and bare legs.

He pushed his palm into the blanket, which was bunched up around Krystal. Sand got beneath his fingernails as he sat up, trying not to wake her. She murmured softly. When the sunlight graced her face, her eyes opened. She looked up at him and smiled. Solar's glow reflected in her glistening eyes. To Fox, she appeared to radiate with some sort of ethereal aura. She heard a single word pass through his mind. 'Wow…' His thought caused her smile to broaden.

"Last night was…" she trailed off but couldn't think of an adjective. "There are no words to describe it."

Fox sat the rest of the way up, kneeling between her legs. He put his paws on her thighs and rubbed gently. "Last night was perfect." He arched his back until a soft popping sound emanated from his lower lumbar. Fox thrust his paws into the air and stretched with a long, drawn out groan. The sunlight glistened off of his white-furred torso.

Krystal eased up on her left elbow and reached her right paw up, touching his abdomen where he'd been stabbed. The mark was gone. She ran her fingers through his pelt, unable to locate a trace of the scar. "This is amazing. There's nothing, Fox – not a single scratch. How do you feel?"

He boldly stood up, nude, on the beach. McCloud reached for her paw and bought her to her feet. "I feel like a new man. That was… wow." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I know this sounds like some sort of bad pun after getting my memories back but…" He shook his head and shrugged. "I will never forget last night, so long as I live. I'm honored to have met your parents. They were head of the senate, right?"

"Yes, it's something like that. They were senate members, no one person or couple headed the senate." She placed a paw on his face, rubbing away a fleck of sand that clung to the end of a whisker. "You look so much like your father; your mother is so beautiful."

McCloud glanced around. "We should get dressed, huh?" A grin tugged at the corner of his muzzle. He gave her a playful pat on the rump and said, "To the shuttle, then? I'll pick up after ourselves."

"Will you now?" She gave him a grin then headed towards the shuttle while he picked up the clothes and shook the sand out of them then gathered the blankets from the beach. He put his gauntlet on his left wrist and checked the time. When Fox approached, she took the fabric from him and shoved it up into the hatch then she took his right wrist and led him back to the beach. "First thing first…" Krystal turned to face him then quickly gave him a hard push into the water and dove in after him.

Fox, surprised, went in on his backside but put his arms out and came up floating on his back, chuckling. "Nice, real nice. Skinny-dipping, huh? What if the Light Foot Tribe sees us?"

"They'll be jealous," she joked in reply.

"Where are those two?"Falco muttered. "I swear… they've been gone too long. Do we have flight logs to show the last time they were airborne?"

Amanda saw Falco move swiftly across the bridge. She stood up and intercepted him at the sensor control panel. "Stop Falco. They're fine down there, I assure you. They're entitled to their privacy. The Cloud Runner is at Cape Claw – they spent the night on the beach and, when I say you should just leave it be… I mean exactly that."

"What the hell?"

She put her palm on his chest and pushed him back. "Just trust me. ROB is monitoring the area – they are safe. When a woman tells you to let a couple have their privacy it means they really need their privacy. Why won't you listen to me, mister?"

"There's no way Fox is in any condition for that nonsense. He's got, like, several cracked ribs and nearly had his innards sewn back in from that stab on his gut. Trust me, that's the last thing they're doing."

Amanda's eyes moved to Falco's hand as he reached for the control panel. She snatched his wrist and their eyes met. "Falco… you're being real stubborn. They're down there having private time. Let it be."

The communication terminal flashed to life in the background. Falco scoffed at her, jerked his hand from hers and went to answer the call. Peppy Hare's bust appeared at the center of the bridge. The image faded just beyond his shoulders. Falco cleared his throat and said, "Hey old man. It almost feels like a real Star Fox team seeing you on the bridge again." He cut his eyes over to Amanda with a smirk then glanced back to Peppy. "What's up?"

"Falco, how've you been? How're your injuries?"

"That stuff doesn't slow me down. You got a job for us?"

Peppy nodded a bit. "Indeed, I have a mission offer if you boys are in any condition to fly." He heard Amanda clear her throat in the background. "And girls, of course. I'm very sorry to say that Dash Bowman's political power is growing to the point where Corneria is now concerned. They're building ships… not the kind used for science and research, either. We wanted someone to take a look and…"

Falco piped back up. "You got it! We'll have a report by the end of the…"

"I'm not done," said Peppy calmly. He waited for Falco to sit down then continued where he left off. "…And so we hired a small team to go in and peak around. They were captured and executed as 'spies'. This isn't in the media yet so keep that quiet, do you understand?" He waited for Falco to reply but didn't let the avian get more than a word or two out. "Now, the reason I'm contacting you guys is because we noticed a battleship is now in orbit over Macbeth. Intelligence thinks Dash is putting a team to work restoring his grandfather's military base. It is the very same one that you boys destroyed with a train (StarFox64, Macbeth Boss). I don't want Dash having access to that much metal and digging out the ordinance that's probably still sitting beneath the rubble on that base. Are you guys sure you're not too banged up? I read the report about the fight with Octoman."

"We're fine," said Falco with confidence in his voice. "Fox isn't back to gymnastics yet but he's still flying like he always does. We're good, Peppy. Trust me. By the way, did Venom release any sort of report that they've definitely killed Octoman?"

"No, the last I heard Octoman's trial found him guilty. He was to receive a death sentence. I don't know if it's been carried out. Listen, go in quietly. If things heat up, tell Krystal to talk to them as an emissary of peace on behalf of Corneria. I'd rather handle things politically with a little diplomacy and tact. There's no need for a war to brew between Venom and Corneria again. Besides, last I heard, Dash Bowman idolizes Star Fox. Maybe you guys can work things out?"

"Yeah, he's a good kid. I flew with him during the Anglar War; we met in the asteroid belt and looked out for one another. We parted ways and everything was real cool. I'll talk to the kid if I have to."

"Let Krystal start. Then do whatever it takes. I want to avoid war, though. I'm too damn old for war." Peppy offered a wan grin. "And I've seen enough of'em. I'm tired of that. It's time for peace again."

"Yeah."

"Where is Fox anyhow?"

Amanda approached Falco and turned to face the General. "He's with Krystal. They're down on Sauria. I promise we'll let them know."

"I'd like to see how he's doing after that ordeal. I'll contact him – no worries." Peppy closed the channel abruptly.

"No, General, wait! They're not decent!" Amanda groaned. "Dammit. You men are all the same – you don't… argh." She glared at Falco. "Somehow this feels like it's your fault."

"Yeah, yeah. Blame me. Y'know, back in the days of old school Star Fox, we used to blame Slippy. Now that you're around, the balance is all messed up."

"Hold on real quick while I shed a tear for you." She smiled and patted his shoulder. "You're just upset because I don't put up with your crap. Oh and by the way, Slippy said he always used to blame you, you always used to blame him, but in the end Peppy yelled at you both evenly." She smiled and left the bridge.

Falco canted his head and mimicked her with his beak. "Meh, meh, meh – Peppy meh, meh, both evenly!" The double doors slid back open and she peered in at the falcon. He lifted his hands, palms up, "I didn't say a damned thing. Just go on about your business, sister."

"Uh huh. That's what I thought, mister tough guy." They both grinned at one another then the doors slid shut and she went off down the hall to find her mate.

With a grand splash, Fox McCloud surfaced from the warm, tropical waters of Cape Claw. He stood up in the stomach-deep water, ran his paws back through the fur of his face then glanced about. Krystal came up from behind, throwing her arms around his waist. She leaned back and pulled Fox from his feet. He flailed, kicking water about.

The two came up on their knees in the sand, so that the water surface was at their shoulders. They grinned at one another. "We might as well just spend the day playing in the water."

She beamed with delight. "Perfect!" Krystal reached for him, beneath the water, anticipating that he would attempt tickling her. She held him by the wrists to keep his paws at a safe distance. Her eyes widened and her smiled faded, feeling the vibration of his gauntlet against her palm, beneath the water. They both stood.

Fox lifted his left gauntlet, giving his arm a stern shake first then he touched a button to receive an incoming message. Peppy Hare's holographic visage appeared between the two. "Peppy!"

Peppy, from his end, could see Fox's body from the shoulders up and said, "I can see your collarbone fur… did I catch you at a bad time?"

Fox grinned impishly at Krystal. "I'm going for a swim, old timer. Krystal is here, too."

"Hello there, young lady! I hope you're staying out of trouble."

Krystal approached, coming nearer to Fox so that the gauntlet would be able to see her from the shoulders up. "I'm afraid I'm the one causing it. I'm sorry I was a bit rude the last time we spoke, Peppy – you were right; I should have gone back to Fox all along. How are you?"

"In a serious situation. I hate to cut into your vacation but I wanted to ask if you two were healing well from your injuries. I could use your help if you two think you're capable of working."

Fox shrugged a bit. "Well, to be honest," he put his free paw behind the back of his head and rubbed at the nape of his neck. "Krystal and I are actually, kind of… I mean, don't get me wrong. Our injuries… they're yesterday's news. I'll explain in detail later but…" He simply shrugged again, trying to find a way to turn down the offer to work.

To his surprise, Krystal placed her paws on Fox's shoulders and spoke over him. "Our dearest General, Peppy Hare, we would be delighted to solve all of your troubles for you! Send Slippy all the details and we'll be up shortly to get ready for the job. Don't worry about our injuries. We've just spent some quality time with a Bafomdad and we're both feeling much better! I sense it'll be dangerous. You've called the right team." She glanced at Fox with a knowing smile then back towards the floating rabbit's head. "I wish I could read more from you but not from across Lylat, sir. Star Fox is on the job." She waited for Peppy to offer his reply of gratitude then she reached over and pushed down on Fox's gauntlet to close the channel.

"But… I thought we might just settle down and—"

Krystal silenced him with a kiss then pulled back and winked. "This will be fun. I do want to settle down with you but we're both still young, Fox. Besides, Peppy needs us." She had an ulterior motive, wanting to see how Fox would treat her when they were in danger together. She wanted to know… needed to know if he would treat her as a ward and push her off the team again. It would mean the difference between spending the rest of her life with him and wanting to find someone who would treat her right. She took Fox's paw in hers and batted her lashes. "Please?"

Fox nodded reluctantly. He sighed. Not because he was afraid to put her into danger this time, but because he was having fun with her. "Well, sure I guess. As much as I love blowing things up, I was starting to get used to this whole… downtime thing."

She laughed and gave his paws a tug. "I love you, Fox. C'mon, let's go get dried off and dressed." She began wading through the water, her eyes shining with mirth.

"Well, I love you too… You're awfully excited to get back into action."

"Just about everyone is injured on GreatFox," Krystal called back to him. "Whatever the mission calls for, it'll be up to us to pull it off. We'll have a mission together. I love when we team up!"

Fox chuckled nervously. "Last time we did that, we got in over our heads – I got us captured and nearly killed against Octoman's elite guard."

"You didn't stop and listen to your instincts," she replied, moving up onto the beach, adding, "Or me." Krystal sauntered from the water, tilted her head back and ran her fingers through her recently restored long blue hair. With her head tilted back, her chest was jutted forward and the water ran down over her body, accentuating her figure. She could sense Fox secretly pouting that they would have to go and do work instead of hole up in her fighter on the Murphy bed.

Krystal glanced back over her shoulder at him and afforded her mate a saucy wink. "There's plenty of time to fool around later. Especially if you can reenact what you did last night." She reached for the rails of the hatch and disappeared into the belly of the Cloud Runner.

Fox emerged from the water, shook his head with a chuckle and murmured to himself. "God, what is wrong with me? I actually want to spend time with her instead of climbing into a cockpit and blowing up everything I see… am I getting old or something?" He continued after her and climbed up into the fighter. The aft hatch shut then locked into place. Minutes later, the engines flared to life. It began to lift from the sand. The landing tracks rescinded into the belly then the ship tilted its nose upwards and it took off like a rocket.

A half-mile away, Panther Caruso watched them leave from the entrance to the Ocean Point Temple at the top of the bay. He lowered his telescope and sighed, watching the Cloud Runner disappear into the sky. "He had better treat you right, Space Rose." He reached up to a metal headset and removed it, placing the telepathy-blocking object on his knee. "You've escaped the media's claim of death only to run back into the arms of him. You should have stayed by Panther's side and told that fool where to stuff his Arwing." He ground his teeth together then collapsed the telescope and put it into his pocket with another shake of his head. "…Panther salutes you, Fox McCloud. You hold her heart for now. This is not over until the day she marries you, if not forever." He used his claws to pluck the strings of his guitar, creating a sultry-yet-dramatic chorded arpeggio. "Panther shall always love her."

Four hours later…

Falco rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Blah, blah, blah – I still don't see how some little pokemon-looking thing with four ears could have healed wounds like that. I'd believe there was some sort of long-lost Krazoa Technology used on you two, especially since you guys decided to get a little spiritual with'em but seriously… the little animal didn't do anything. I've heard of the thing stopping people from going into cardiac arrest or flat lining but …not healing your every little nick and scratch. It's just too farfetched."

Krystal ran her paws back through her hair then turned to Slippy and Amanda. "Okay then… Falco and Slippy are, for lack of a better term, still under the weather. With injuries abound, that leaves Amanda, Fox and myself; we are the only ones here who are uninjured. Fox?"

McCloud stood up and placed a paw on Krystal's back, guiding her from the podium. She sat next to Amanda who abruptly reached for Krystal's left paw to examine the sparkler located on her ring finger. Fox cleared his throat twice before Amanda and Krystal looked up.

"All right… boys and girls, I'll make this simple. Amanda will stay here with Slippy and Falco. Every plan needs a contingency maneuver and the three of you are our backup. If things go south of the equator, Krystal and I will need you three to bail us out."

"How does the equator…?" Slippy paused, glanced at Amanda then over at Falco. He sighed then shook his head and frowned at Fox. "Sorry, I get it… that was your idea of a euphemism."

"Yeah," Fox murmured. "If Krystal and I get in over our heads, Amanda and Slippy will come down via the Landmaster Tank. Falco will provide air support." He shifted his eyes to Lombardi. "Can you fly?"

"Can I FLY? Hell, Fox, if Wolf O'Donnell can do it with one eyeball, if Andrew Oikonny can do it with half of a brain… then yes, I think I can fly my Sky Claw with a few cuts and bruises. Damn, dude, stop trying to wear Krystal's panties and start treating me like we both got a pair, man." He stood up and rolled his eyes. "There's no reason we can't have a briefing in the rec room. Sitting here with chairs and a podium is really stupid."

McCloud chuckled. "This was the briefing room back when Corneria used this ship as a fast-attack carrier. This is where real pilots once assembled to get their briefing. It's right next to the flight deck. What's not to love about this room? It's cool as crap, man. Besides… it's the only room on the ship that has one of these," he said, lifting a remote from the podium. Fox pressed a button and a holographic view of Macbeth filled the area between where he stood and his pilots sat.

Every chair in the room had a small table extend from the right armrest. A small, flat panel video screen illuminated in the surface, showing the squadron name and an areal shot of the base. Falco sat back down and folded his arms. Fox gave him a moment then started speaking again. "Thanks to Slippy, we've been able to scan the remains of the base, scan the Venom Battleship from long range and we've been able to determine that Peppy was accurate – these guys are here to restore that base to full functionality. They're moving really fast. Krystal and I will go down there alone but we're not doing an outright assault. We're going to spy on them first. If Dash is among them, I want to pull him aside and talk to him. There's no reason we can't work things out. He respected us and I'm willing to extend the same courtesy."

"He's a good kid but if he's down there salvaging weapons… screw the little elf; we'll open a can of whoop ass and…"

Slippy groaned. "No one even says that anymore, Falco."

"You want me to demonstrate?" Falco glared at the frog, trying not to make direct eye contact with the glowering female amphibian at Toad's side.

"Anyhow," said Fox with a sigh of mild frustration, "I'm not sure what's going on. Maybe he's there mining metal but we all know that Venom is in no short supply of that. Hare thinks he's there to expand his fledgling empire. Maybe he's doing it to help the Venom economy to recover, or …maybe he's got something more sinister in mind. We can't even be totally sure Dash is behind this yet. We know he's rebuilding on Venom and we know the battleship over Macbeth has the old Venom Imperial logo on the side… let's just wrap this up so Star Fox can start gathering information. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Again, Falco spoke. "If something happens and you can't communicate with us… do you have a backup signal? We need something less subtle than firing your gun into the air."

McCloud nodded. "You're right. Good question. I want you and Slippy to put your heads together and think of something we can use to signal for help without drawing attention to our location, just in case. When you come up with something good, use the Instant Transmission™ pad to beam it down to us. The one on this ship is far better than the one we had on the last GreatFox."

Slippy cleared his throat then said, "Maybe you just need something old fashion like flares. You can set them off and hide and it will be an emergency request for us to do a massive bombing run."

"Yeah," said Falco a second time, with a tone of agreement. "It'll be your way of telling us to throw everything we've got at the mound of rubble they used to call a base. Or we can just unload on wherever you fire the flares. What're we going to do about this battleship, though? We've got a few missiles we can shoot at the thing but this ship was stripped down of all its defenses. We're a skeleton crew up against a full fledged battle cruiser that's armed to the teeth."

Fox placed his paws on the podium. "That thing is a big metal chunk of drama waiting to cause trouble." He thumbed the control panel, causing the holographic image to change to that of a wireframe version of the battleship. He pressed another button then announced, "Exploded view." The illustrated ship spread apart over the holoemitters. "It has weaknesses, though. We're Star Fox. We're not a bunch of Cornerian pilots, here." He cut his glance to Krystal and murmured, "No offense."

"None taken," she returned.

Fox stepped out from behind the podium and pointed to a section of the hull on the side of the battleship. "Right here, guys. This part of the hull has the weakest armor on both sides. Then you just hammer it here," he panned his paw to the left, pointing just beneath the bridge, "Then you can attack it from the aft or you can focus your attacks here," McCloud continued, moving his paw to the very front. "This thing is designed to take an asteroid at flank speed, straight on without being destroyed. But energy weapons would punch right through the hull plating because it's designed for blunt impact, not energy concentration." He turned towards the avian and said, "Falco. You would lead the attack against this thing while Amanda drops ordinance on the planet. You and Slippy could demolish this thing without any help if you had to. This battleship is old school. It looks like it's right out of the old Area Six battlefield. Piece of cake, right?"

Lombardi shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Cool. We'll shoot the shiny sides, beneath the bridge then their shield generators go bye-bye. That exposes a weakness at the front and back. No big deal. We'll drop a few big bombs. Let's go do some flying."

Krystal turned to her friends and said, "No one is going anywhere yet. Fox and I will assess the situation first by keeping our heads low. Macbeth, like Venom, is at the opposite side of Lylat from Sauria. We have a long trip until we're in the region. I suggest we start by contacting Dash Bowman. We should simply talk to him."

Fox shrugged. "You know what? Why not? Let's do it right now."

"Fair enough," she replied.

Fox walked to the wall and contacted the bridge. "ROB, can you send a subspace message through to Venom? Contact Dash Bowman and pipe the communication through to the briefing room."

A moment later Dash Bowman's image filled the screen. "Star Fox? If you're calling to check up on your gift, Octoman, he's not going to be put to death until after his appeal case. I'm doing things by the book to be fair. But because so many Venomians hate him, he doesn't have a shot in hell at winning his second case."

Krystal approached the large view screen on the bulkhead behind the podium. She stood in front of Fox, Falco, Slippy and Amanda. "Ranger Bowman, what's going on? Why is there a battleship over Macbeth?"

Dash's expression changed. "It's none of your business."

Krystal lifted her paws. "Wait… I'm not trying to get in your business. Corneria doesn't want any more wars with Venom. There's enough tension from years upon years ago. Why do you want the base on Macbeth?"

"Well…" Bowman folded his arms. "At least I now know that Corneria isn't snooping around out there or they'd already know and already have told you what's going on. Please just stay out of my affairs. I can handle it." He closed the channel.

"That just proves it," said Falco. "We need to pile drive this confused kid into a heap of thumbtacks and…"

"Wait," Krystal said. "The last thing he said was, "I can handle it," and furthermore I sense that he's frustrated. I don't think that battleship belongs to him. He's in no place to have one yet. He's only been the Ranger of Venom for two and a half years, now. That's not enough time to build a ship that large. At least not in the state of affairs Venom is currently…"

Amanda spoke up next. "Fox said it was 'old school' so who is to say that they didn't simply refit one from junk parts? They could have a refitted battleship done in less than two years, easily."

"He was defensive," Krystal explained. "I'm certainly not close enough to sense his intentions or read his mind but I can read his emotions with advanced perception. He sees this ship as his enemy and he feels insulted that we would offer to take care of that ship on behalf of Corneria. It was a bruise to his pride. That ship is not his."

"Then whose ship are we about to dust?" Lombardi stood up again. "If it doesn't belong to Dash, I'm even more excited about blowing it up. Let's kick this thing right in the ass and send it packing."

Fox returned to the conversation. "We should find out more about it first. What if this is bigger than we realized? If its presence is something Dash feels he needs to 'handle' then that just proves one thing: Whoever is running this battleship… they mean business. While Dash feels he needs to be the one to handle it, he obviously can't. Else it would have been destroyed by now. Then again, it's possible that he's trying to handle the situation diplomatically. But diplomats typically accept help, so I'm thinking he just doesn't have the firepower."

"Well, let's hit a jump gate and show the monkeys who is boss!"

"Just wait, Falco." Slippy frowned. "If we take a jump gate, they'll see us coming. Having the big green distortion field upon arrival is a really glitzy thing that people can see from really far away. If we use a sensor-jamming cloak we can cruise in quietly, sneak up from behind them, and head to the planet without alerting the ship. Like Fox and Krystal said… we need intelligence first."

Fox nodded. "Sorry pal, Slippy is right. We need to take the scenic route so we can sneak up on'em. That should give us about twenty hours to relax and get ourselves ready. If Dash isn't the one behind this, but he's amassing and readying his military… then he considers the skipper of that battleship to be a threat. Something isn't adding up here and I want to get to the bottom of it. For all we know it could be an Anglar or something on that ship."

Krystal frowned. "No, whatever it is… it's not an Anglar. Dash is taking this situation extremely personal. I almost wonder if it could be Andross. Who else would have the ability to make Dash feel as though this is a personal situation?"

Falco scoffed. "He's dead – we fought his ghost on Titania."

Amanda smirked. "That doesn't prove he's dead."

The avian rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Living people don't leave ghosts."

"You can't fight the dead," said Krystal. "Whatever we fought on Titania was a bioweapon calling itself, 'The Ghost of Andross'. But it wasn't a real ghost or we would have had to fight him with the help of a priest and a necromancer. Let's just go and gather some good intelligence."

Fox cleared his throat to get their attention then he turned off the holographic projector and the main view screen. "Okay, everyone. It's settled. We take the scenic route; we sneak up on them and discretely go down to the surface. We look around then return to base to decide if we should take offensive measures against the battleship."

Two hours later…

Krystal stepped into a room but it was empty. The walls were barren, with faint outlines where appliances used to be. The carpeting had been ripped up and rolled into the far corner. She stepped back out of the abandoned officer's quarters then moved to the next room. Like the last one, it was empty and stripped to the bone. The third room she came to was well furnished and her staff was charging on a wall plate over a sofa. She smiled.

With sure steps, the little blue vixen made her way into the room and crossed the living area. She pressed her paw against the access panel and Fox's bedroom door slid open. He looked up at her from the bed. "I'm sure you got a fantastic deal on this ship but it's rather large for your needs, don't you think?"

McCloud grinned up at her. "Corneria stripped it to the bone. We basically paid for the engines, frame and bridge controls. They even took the armored plating. The turrets are just empty bubbles without guns. They're neat for stargazing, though."

"Just because we're back together doesn't mean Star Fox is over. Why not invest money into this ship?"

He shrugged. "Is that a good idea? We have money but if we put it all into the ship… we'll be broke again. We're a little older and wiser now. We're investing into ourselves. Falco wants to marry Katherine; Slippy and Amanda want a family. I wouldn't mind doing that sort of thing with you. But until we finish this job, I can't really afford a wedding. I'm not like Falco – I actually wouldn't mind having something nice."

"I don't think money is an issue." She settled down on the mattress besides him. A smile tugged at her muzzle and she reached for his book, drawing it from his paws. Krystal reached for a bookmark on his nightstand, placed it into the pages and closed it. "I've not seen a paperback novel in ages. Everyone uses digital pads now for reading."

"It belonged to my grandfather," said Fox. "He kept his books in really good condition. I lost about a dozen of them when Peppy crashed the GreatFox dreadnought into the Aparoid homeworld. I still have quite a few of them, though."

"You do?"

He nodded in reply. "When you left after victory over the Anglars, I went home to my father's house. There were several dozen books there." He pointed to the one she had in her paw. "That is one of them."

She nodded and placed the book onto the nightstand then kicked off her shoes and settled besides him on her hip. She propped her head up on her paw then smiled at him. "We still have about eighteen hours before we're in range of Macbeth. So… you were thinking about marrying me?" Her smile brightened in expectation.

"I wish I could afford to do it up the way I want. Sort'a like I wish I could invest in some upgrades for the ship and still keep some personal money in savings."

She kept her heads propped on her left paw and brought her right one over to his chest. Krystal trailed her fingertip down over his shirt and told him, "Money is just an object. I know you worry about it because you have to see the business side of this little family but… what is a family anyway? The definition of one, I mean."

"A group of people that contribute towards a greater good; they look out for one another and grow together."

"Mmm, I see," she murmured, continuing to trail her finger along his shirt. Her paw reached the hem of his pants then started back up. "And what of children? How do they contribute to a family in your eyes?"

"They're the next generation of the family. They keep it going once they're old enough to take the torch. The adults contribute to them by raising them. But it's deeper and more emotional. The family we have here – Star Fox I mean – we're all looking out for one another and chipping in to make things work. We're more than just a team."

"And me?"

Fox tilted his head, somewhat confused by the question.

"Hon, I'm not looking for a complicated answer. Just relax."

He nodded in reply then rolled onto his side, facing her directly. Fox propped his head up on his right paw. "You're definitely family. You helped us become better men and thanks to you we all matured. You kept us sharp by using your telepathy and you've also kept us safe by watching out for us with your abilities. I'm sorry I ever pushed you away because by doing so I inadvertently put everyone in greater danger. What's that old saying? United we stand; divided we fall? Something like that, right?"

"I have a contribution to make," she told him. Her fingertip moved from the top of his chest to his lips to keep him quiet. "While I was a bounty hunter outside of Lylat, I worked really hard. I only accepted payment in precious metals because those are accepted everywhere. They don't rust or corrode. They can be used to great effect just about anywhere in the galaxy. Packed in the hull of the Cloud Runner, I have so much gold, silver and platinum that I've upgraded by engines three times to compensate for the weight. Star Fox needs money. I have no need for several tons of riches. I already have everything I want and need. Perhaps it's time to upgrade GreatFox. Perhaps it is time to plan out a posh wedding. Perhaps it's time you finally stop worrying about the business and start worrying about things you've financially neglected like the safety of your family."

Fox brought his left paw to her muzzle. "Our family."

Krystal smiled softly. "Our family," she repeated. "I know we're both sorry things happened the way they did. But that stuff is in the past. Let's worry about our future. Besides, half the planning is already done."

"Oh yeah?"

She winked playfully. "I believe you said to make the napkins blue and hire a DJ for the reception." (Mentioned in Chapter 11) She grew quiet and leaned towards him, meeting the orange-furred Cornerian halfway. Their lips came together. A flutter filled her chest.

Fox whispered in muffled tones against her lips. "I love you. I've missed you."

"I love you, too," she murmured in reply, crushing her lips to his. She reached for him and he moved in understanding. Fox rolled towards her, placing one paw on the mattress adjacent to her head. He took control of the kiss and it took her breath away.

Krystal lifted her paws to her fiancé and began to unbutton his shirt. In turn, he wasted no time in returning the favor. Her heart raced. A few years ago, when they first took their relationship to a sexual level, she felt as though the mating was bland and vanilla. In the past, Fox was an emotional lover but not a very passionate one. She didn't experience passion until she allowed herself to mate with Panther Caruso… but now things were different with Fox.

His touch was electric. He was firm and his actions made her feel more than simply 'wanted'. She now felt desired. The relish and gusto he displayed in divesting her clothing made her shiver with excitement. She loved him before… but now… now she adored him. Krystal broke the kiss and teasingly said, "How badly do you want your future wife, Fox?"

Forty minutes later...

Fox slumped. They moved flush to the mattress in silence. She panted through clenched teeth but was otherwise unresponsive. McCloud struggled to control his breathing. His heart pounded and his limbs felt weak. He whispered against her ear, "I love you."

No response – the unconscious vixen lay on her belly with his chest against her back. Fox lifted his head and peered over her shoulder. He saw her eyes shut and her face was relaxed. "Did… you faint?" he asked but she remained silent.

He reached a paw up and around her and gently wiped the sweat from her face. Fox shuddered and started to pull away from her. Somehow, it jolted Krystal awake with a gasp. She reached a paw back to his hip and dug her nails into his fur. She gasped air in through her teeth then hissed, "Don't move!"

Alarmed, the vulpine pilot froze upon her, his chest to her back, resting his head on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She nodded weakly. "Wow."

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

She was hypersensitive to the touch. "Just… relax for a minute." Her mind was clearing up, finally. She quirked her brows, sensing the reason for his concern. "Did… did I faint?"

"I think so."

"Wow," she said, halfway chuckling with disbelief. She blinked twice, sensing more on his mind then her face reddened brightly with a rush of blood to her cheeks. "Did… Did I really… Did I say those things?" She swallowed and her chuckle turned somewhat nervous. "That's…" She wanted to say 'awkward' but it wasn't because she trusted this side of herself to the man she wanted to marry. "That's, uhm... is it hot in here or is it just me? I don't even really recall saying those things. I blanked out for a moment there. I can't even move." A smile began to spread across her face. Despite the sweat and the matted fur, she also felt a deep relaxation and the afterglow of love. "I don't even want to move."

"Are you thirsty?" he whispered.

"I'm parched," she replied. "But I don't want to move yet. I think I could probably sleep the rest of the night."

He smiled softly and said, "I love you."

Her soft smile broadened significantly. "I love you, Fox. I am so in love with you, I can't even explain how in love I am." After a moment, her tone changed. "You better not hurt me again, I'm just…" She began to feel afraid that he would leave her again during the course of the next mission.

Fox wrapped his arms around her and changed the direction of the conversation. "Promise me you'll stand by my side forever. Krystal, my battlefield is your battlefield. We're a team until death due we part. I promise."

"Say it again."

Fox grinned. "I promise."

She murred to him. "Now that's hot. Say it again."

"I promise," he murmured, then softly chanted the words, "I promise, I promise, I promise," in a teasing way as if to remind her of how she'd repeated the word, 'please' earlier. His words caused her to blush even brighter than before.

"Fox!" She swatted at his hip unable to move much more than that. "Hush, you!"

"Even I lost count, hon."

"Fooox," she drew out his name shyly, burying her face into the pillow again. After a moment, she peered back at him from out of the corner of her eye. In a soft voice, half-muffled by the pillow, she coyly remarked, "Be nice to me. Tell me you love me and tell me how much you missed me when I left Lylat."

He brushed his lips against her ear again. "I love you, I adore you and living without you was like breathing through a straw for several years. Even though I got used to it after a while, having you back was the most amazing deep breath of fresh air I ever experienced. I love you."

Krystal was impressed and deeply taken by his sincerity. A feminine giggle slipped free, "Oh my, Fox, I don't know what to say." She tilted her head a bit more, looking back at him. "If you stay just like this… you'll make a lovely husband."

A brilliant smile illuminated his sweat-matted face. "How about that drink, now?" He leaned down and buried his moist nose into her neck. She squealed, ticklish from her body being overly sensitive at the moment. The vixen squirmed.

Her head returned to the pillow, lying on her left cheek. "I think I could really use that drink now."

McCloud chuckled in a good-natured way then, gently, eased up to his feet with a stretch. He saw her lying there, glowing. Seeing her this way inflated his masculine ego tremendously. "I'll be right back. By all means, I'd prefer if you just stayed in my room tonight. I want to wake up besides you."

She rolled onto her side and grinned at him. "Fox, for once you're saying all the right words."

Meanwhile…

"I'm the one true heir to Venom," retorted Andrew Oikonny. He narrowed his eyes at Dash Bowman's visual then tilted his head. "You may be his grandson but he raised me. You should simply acknowledge this and we can have a truce. We would make a fantastic team. Blood only means so much – he chose to groom me to take his place. You were never part of the equation, Dash."

"You've taken things too far, Andy. You're family but you have done little more than wreck Venom's economy. I'm cleaning up after your mess. If anything, you should work for me. You were always a follower and never a leader. I refuse to tolerate your actions on Macbeth. If you stay there any longer, there will be no peace between us. Andrew, we must work together if Venom is to succeed. It's not necessarily all about Venom's superiority over Corneria. At least not yet. If we continue on at this rate, I'll be bankrupt and you will wind up in a Cornerian prison for inciting another war. Don't be a fool."

Oikonny narrowed his eyes. "Whatever you say – you'll be begging to serve beneath me when I'm Emperor again." His gaze met and locked with that of the shorter ape on the screen. Finally, Andrew reached for the communication terminal controls and cut the signal. "Bah! He's an idiot! His actions just go to prove he's not very smart to match wits with me!" He brought a fist down on the dashboard. "My meddlesome cousin is starting to really irk me." Oikonny turned back to the rest of the bridge. "Commence restoration of the base on the planet. Macbeth will be mine. Then, once we've solidified our position, Venom will be MINE for the taking!"

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to post chapter 14. LOL, I've been doing so much crap in the last few days that I got caught up. I'm trying to squeeze a few more chapters out of this story! The fun isn't over just yet! Panther still has regrets, one of the bad guys will have regrets and Krystal still has a wedding AND she has a gestation period to endure! This is going to be fun! xD

I don't know if ALL of you guys have read the other 6 stories in this series but… in Reflections of Krystal and Reflections of The Future, Fox was REALLY shy the way we see him in Adventures and Assault. Shy around Krystal, that is. I made mention of that in this chapter, by having Krystal compare how Fox USED to treat her with how he acts NOW. Fox seems like the kind of guy who REALLY bottles his emotions… game after game, he remains stoic and quiet when his enemies throw emotional things (like the death of his father, gloating about dating his ex-girlfriend, etc) in his face… I'm thinking… now that Krystal got the lid off of that metaphorical jar, he's probably quite explosive and impassioned. I'd hate to see Fox get MAD (ie: Someone threatens to hurt Krystal or disrespect / desecrate her)… he would probably throw down HARD, fueled by decades of repressed emotion, rage and whatever else, LOL. Hmm… Might have to dabble in that later. It's a thought. Dunno. Marcus flies off the handle against that tow truck driver in New Generation just minutes before the big bomb decimates Corneria's Capital City.

SO! Is anyone GLAD I'm not going to wrap up this story within the next update or two? Let me know!

P-sout for now!