Falco and Dana sat on the loveseat in the rec. room, with Fox, Krystal and Jakob on the other couch. Krystal looked over the hospital sheet in shock.
" You're pregnant?!" Jakob cried, staring at his ex-commander and best friend in disbelief.
The lithe blue falcon nodded, her violet eyes brimming with tears. " There isn't going to be a wedding, though. Just a Justice Of the Peace, and Falco's parents, Alice, and you guys will be there. Providing you want to come."
"Dana, of course we want to come. So will Slippy and Amanda, and Katt and Sergey," Krystal said.
"And Fara and Bill. So that's…" Falco turned to his fiancée.
"… Twelve," she replied to him.
"Are you sure you want to do this so soon?" Fox asked them. "It's pretty early for that, even with a kid on the way."
Falco shook his head. " It's better to get married now than to wait until she's close to her due date."
"When are you due, anyway?" Krystal asked.
" In the summer," Dana responded quietly.
"That's almost four months away!" the vixen cried.
" Sakiyan women are pregnant for only 5 months; six, if you are overdue," Jakob explained. "That's why Dana has been having morning sickness at only two weeks."
The Sakiyan avian nodded. " Yeah. That's why I'm going in for another checkup tomorrow, then Falco and I are going to be looking for a house."
"Already?! You can stay here. We will have two rooms open, so you can put the kid in one of those," Fox offered.
" I was going to ask," Falco spoke. "Although I still think we should at least be working towards saving cash for a house. You know, in case there's more than one, and they are boy and girl."
" And if we want to have another in the future," the Sakiyan added, weaving her fingers through her fiancé's.
" Let's not be talking about another yet," he smiled at her, then turned to his teammates. " If everything goes according to plan, we'll be getting married next week."
"Wow," Krystal whispered. "What about a honeymoon?"
"That's going to wait until the baby is about a year old, so we don't have to bring him along," Dana replied.
The incoming call alarm went off, stopping the conversation the moment. Fox sighed and hit the 'accept' button. As usual, Peppy's face lit up the room, looking concerned. "Yes, Peppy?" the vulpine asked boredly.
Peppy Hare eyed him, before addressing the team. "Starfox, we have a situation. A strange fighter craft crash landed in Sauria earlier today, and is nowhere to be seen. There have been reports by hikers and the dinosaurs themselves, but nobody has seen anything much."
"So? Get the police to handle it," Falco said coldly.
"I wish, but Dana and Jakob may want to do this mission," he looked over at the Sakiyan pilots. " The fighter was reported to be an Arwing, much like yours, and it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and fast. The team should go down and check it out, in case it is a Sakiyan."
" Jakob and I will prepare right away, sir," Dana stood up, but was pulled back down by her fiancé. "Falco…"
"Remember what I said? About no more missions?" he whispered. Peppy sighed.
"Falco," he interrupted, "I already know she is pregnant, remember? That is why I'm asking that she and Jakob go look around the ship only. The rest of you will search the area."
Dana's mouth dropped. Falco looked pleased with that idea. "What?! But, General Hare…" the Sakiyan started, but Peppy held up a hand.
" I wouldn't have asked you to go down if it wasn't technology you may know of. Jakob will stay with you in case the pilot is still there, and can possibly harm you. And of course, he will know what's what," Jakob nodded.
"C'mon, Dana. This is your last chance to go on a mission," the hybrid added. Dana gave Falco an ice-cold glare before turning to Jakob.
"Fine," she sniffed.
Peppy smiled. "Perfect. I'll send you all a map of the area, and directions to the fighter. Good luck."
Everyone got up, and when Falco went to wrap his arm around Dana, she shrugged it off. The avian sighed sharply. " Dana, don't be mad. I had to tell him…"
"That's not what I'm mad about," his fiancée growled through a clenched beak. "This is the safest, easiest mission in the world, and I'm stuck searching one damn fighter while Jakob will be blathering on stuff I won't understand. And it's because you are getting overprotective," she snapped, and sped up. Falco, being fairly tall and a good runner, was able to keep up with her easily.
" I have to be overprotective. If I don't watch out for you, you're going to get hurt. You always get hurt when I don't watch out for you," he replied.
Dana turned and glared. "I do not- whoa!" she tripped on a stray tool, and Falco quickly caught her before she hit the ground, and possibly hurt herself and the baby. Her fiancé smirked. Dana got up and shook him off. "That was a coincidence," she sniffed.
"Good girl. Just keep telling yourself that," Falco said, and jumped into the Sky Claw. Dana rolled her eyes and went for her Vortex. This was going to be a long, boring mission for her.
Fox immediately noticed that Dana was lagging behind the group. Uh oh, he thought, and opened a comm link. If Dana was lagging when she'd usually be almost beside him, ready to go, then there was something wrong.
"Hey, Dana, is there something wrong?" He asked her on the private comm link. He had a feeling that it was about Falco's choice.
Of course it was. " Oh no, Fox. Just staying back here so Falco can make sure the baby and I are safe from any bogeys that pop up. You know, because he has to be so damn overprotective of me all the time, and I'd get myself killed if he wasn't around," she said sarcastically.
"Dana, I know this all seems stupid to you, but Falco…" Fox ran his fingers through his white headfur. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Because Falco will kill me if he found out I told you about her."
Dana's interest peaked. "Who?"
Fox sighed. " A when Krystal joined the team, I was on Sauria. Falco had left because he was dating this girl named Brooke. She kind of looked like you, but an eagle. Anyway, Falco was crazy about Brooke, but she wasn't crazy about his career. So, when I was fighting Andross for the second time, Falco got word and wanted to come help. Brooke got mad about it and gave Falco an ultimatum; either he stayed with her, gave up being a mercenary and let someone else help me, or he could go, but she never wanted to see his face again. You can guess what he chose."
" Wow," was all Dana could say.
" Falco loves you Dana, he really does. That's why he is overprotective of you. He doesn't want you to be forced into the same situation he was, but he still wants you to be safe."
Dana sat there, wrapping her mind around this. " So, would he honestly kill you if he found out you told on him?" the Sakiyan cracked a smile.
Fox chuckled. "Only if you tell him. So don't."
"Okay."
As if on cue, Falco opened the comm link to the whole group. "We're in Saurian atmosphere. What's our game plan?"
Fox turned to the mission ahead. "We'll break into individual groups. Dana will check the sight, Jakob will be ten feet into the trees. I'll be tracing along the shoreline of the forest and Krystal and Falco will have the in-between. If you hear or see anything, Dana, tell Jakob, Falco, Krystal or myself. Everyone got it?"
"Got it," the team echoed.
"Great. Let's move out into our positions."
The pilot woke up to find himself hanging upside-down in his smashed Vortex. Correction; his late father's smashed Vortex. He moved around, which was hard because of the airbags. When he was sure that the only severe injury he had was a gash in his forehead from a shard of glass, the mysterious pilot unbuckled his seatbelt, and fell unceremoniously out of the smashed up fighter. He looked around, and saw his first aid kit and wallet laying 10 feet from where he sat.
Thank you, he thought to whoever might have been listening, and scooped up the items, when he looked up into the sky and gasped. Five Arwings, two like his own, were landing on the planet. The soldiers had found them.
I have to hide.
The mysterious figure quickly bandaged his forehead and ran, pumping his tired muscles. He didn't get far before he saw his sanctuary: a small clump of branches in the shape of a nest with a roof. And an unoccupied one, at that. He slipped inside, and took out a flashlight, then his wallet.
The man opened it up, and stared at his aviation license, then his drivers license, and gun license. He stared at them before he took a picture out of the wallet. Four falcons stared up at him. The man was black-feathered, with red surrounding his violet eyes, and a woman with blue feathers and silver around her own light blue eyes. In front of them stood a greyish-blue falcon, the silver around his eyes blending with his irises, and he was smiling. In the boy's arms was a small bundle, with a little beak and a face sticking out. The baby girl had blue feathers with crimson feathers around her eyes, and some feathery- furry hair sticking out. Her eyes reflected her own father's irises, a deep violet.
The pilot kissed the paper, which was hard with his beak. He heard distant footsteps and talking, and huddled closer to the back of the nest-like shelter. He took out his gun, and looked at the family's smiling faces longingly before putting the picture back.
Wherever you are, dead or alive, I'll find you soon enough… baby sister.
"I have to be nicer to Falco. After all, he's only looking out for me. And our baby," Dana rubbed her knuckles in thought.
Jakob looked over the twisted, smoking mess of Sakiyan technology. " True. And he probably feels bad about supposedly ruining your future."
"What?"
The hybrid shrugged. " Falco had said something to me earlier about being a failure and he was afraid he'd turn into his dad and you'd be sorry you ever went for him."
" Oh my gosh, he is not a failure, and I'd never be sorry I love him. What would make him think that?"
" Beats me. Anyway, either the pilot had a parachute and got out or he got out after he crashed, because either way, there is no pilot."
Dana sighed, and leaned against the metal. "So, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, I am going to go search further out into the woods. You will be doing as Peppy, Fox and Falco said and stay here to keep watch," Jakob replied, and moved out into the forest.
The Sakiyan avian sat down boredly, and began tracing the slight baby bump in her tummy. She started to hum to herself, or to the baby inside of her, as she traced the bump over and over. Then the humming turned into words.
" You would not believe your eyes,
If ten million fireflies,
Lit up the world as I fell asleep.
'Cause they fill the open air,
And leave teardrops everywhere,
You'd think me rude, but I'd just stand and
Stare."
She sang the words softly, and Dana could have sworn she felt a slight nudge from her bump. She couldn't help but wonder if the baby was reacting to the song, or to her voice. She tried another, and she felt the nudge again. The Sakiyan knew her fiancé would want to know about this, but they were on a mission, so he was off-limits right now.
Dana continued to sing her favorite song when she heard a thought pattern she had never heard before, coming from the direction opposite from her team members. Dana thought about checking it out, when she remembered that she was supposed to call Falco if she heard or saw something.
But it would be useless, because by the time he got there, it could be gone. Dana smiled to herself, and got up, walking towards the area, her hand still on her tummy.
What Falco doesn't know can't possibly kill him.
Falco was, of course, the first to come running at the sound of the gunshots, but Jakob was searching the area.
"Where the hell is Dana?!" the avian shouted. Fox and Krystal came puffing in from behind him.
Before Jakob could answer, another shot rang out, not too far from where they were standing. The group ran, and saw purple. Dana's mental shield.
"Crap," Falco hissed to himself, and took off, guns in hand. A Sakiyan soldier, a blue-grey falcon, shot at Dana, who shielded herself.
Fox appeared beside Falco, and took out his pistol, setting it to tranquilize. "Hey you!" the vulpine shouted, and shot the pilot's shoulder as he turned. The pilot cried out, and started to stumble before he fell, unconscious, to the ground.
Dana relaxed and her shield disappeared. She ran to Falco. "Falco, thank god…"
The avian grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her angrily. "What were you thinking?! He could have killed you! For god's sake, what did we tell you?"
Dana felt mad at Falco; it wasn't fair she was being treated like the baby. She found the pilot. But then she remembered what Fox and Jakob told her and looked down at her hand, which was still on the bump. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was just afraid he'd be gone before you got here if I called, so I went after him myself. He isn't bad, though. I just spooked him. He thought I was one of Ursula's soldiers, freaked out, and started shooting."
Falco's hardened face became softer, and he hugged Dana close to him. " As long as you're safe."
Fox smiled, and opened a comm link to ROB. " Hey, ROB, you'll have to find a spot to land. We have a smashed fighter Jakob may want to look over and an unconscious pilot who shouldn't be spun around in a cockpit."
"Yes, commander," ROB answered, and Fox saw the dreadnought come into view. Falco helped Fox carry the pilot while ROB got into position to beam up the twisted up fighter.
Krystal noticed Dana staring off into space, and nudged the avian. "What's the matter?"
Dana shook her head and looked over at Krystal. "Nothing. Just thinking."
Krystal waited for any motion that Dana would continue. She sighed and crossed her arms. "I appreciate that Falco is looking out for me and is worried about my safety, but I feel like he's taking it too far. I'm almost worried about telling him that the baby nudged me earlier. I don't want him to get more protective than he already is."
Krystal patted her back as Jakob searched for anything the pilot might need around the crash site, not listening to them. " Then you should tell him that. Just say you appreciate that he is taking this seriously, but to lighten up a little."
"I tried to, but I remembered what Fox told me about that Brooke girl Falco used to date and how he told Jake he felt like he was a failure and was afraid I'd hate him. I just couldn't do it."
" Guilt?"
Dana nodded. " Especially after what happened between us two weeks ago. Falco was a mess when I went back to the Great Fox to apologize. He looked like he hadn't eaten much nor had a shower, and he was so relieved to see me. It hurt to see him so worried like that, and I never want to see it again," she whispered.
Krystal shook her head. " I remember Fox was a lot like that when I left before. If I hadn't been mad, I might have started crying, he looked so broken and sad. But you shouldn't let that stuff get in your way if you honestly feel like you're being mothered by Falco."
Dana sniffled, and looked at Krystal, feeling more confident. " You're right."
"Of course," Krystal smiled. " Now let's get back to the Great Fox."
The next time the pilot woke up, he found himself in a hospital bed, wearing another man's clothes. They smelled wrong, and they were a bit long for him, but other than that, they were a perfect fit. He got off the infirmary bed and noticed an AI in the corner, powered off. Ha, their sentry decided to take a nap. I'm out of here, he thought to himself, and looked for a weapon. The scissors he found weren't much, but they'd be sharp enough to actually hurt someone. At least until he found a proper weapon.
He picked up the scissors, and inched toward the door, keeping his weight balanced, so as to not make any sound. He got to the door, and tried to open it. Locked. These soldiers were smarter than the ones he escaped from on Sakiya. But not smart enough. He noticed his wallet on the table, with everything still in it. Even the picture had went untouched. He took out his drivers license and jammed it into the door. The old wooden door opened with ease.
The mysterious Sakiyan pilot checked the hall, and stuck to the walls once he was sure it was clear. Now, which way to the hangar?
He started towards his right, going for the door. He opened it, and realized he was in the bridge. He was about to leave when he heard tapping, and turned to see a childish-looking Fennec, looking over blueprints to a fighter. His fighter.
" Man, this guy must have hit a wall or two," the vulpine-canine said to himself. " It'd take a miracle to fix."
The pilot snorted, then ducked as the Fennec spun in his chair. " Hello?" he called. The pilot just barely noticed the young man's silver eyes. That one would be the hardest to get away from.
But that wasn't his worst problem. The door opened behind him. " Jake, can you- oh god!" the pilot sprung into action, grabbing the blue vixen by her neck and holding the scissors to the base of her throat. "Any closer, and she goes," the avian whispered to the Fennec in an almost-Cerinian accent. The man's eyes bulged out. Suddenly, the blue fox kicked the Sakiyan holding her in his shin.
More surprised than hurt, he let go and she moved away, and took out a gold staff, holding it in an attack stance. The falcon prepared to attack when two pairs of hands pulled him and pinned him to the ground. They were the same duo that tranquilized him. Neither were Sakiyan, from the green and blue eyes. The azure-feathered falcon held the pilot's hands behind his back while the red fox pulled out handcuffs.
"Fast little bugger, aren't you?" the vulpine said dryly, snapping the cuffs into place. " Well, since you're awake, I guess you're free to answer a few questions?"
The grey-blue falcon kicked at the fox, but the other falcon, being taller than the rest, pinned him against the wall with ease.
"Bite me," the pilot snapped.
"I'll take that as a yes," the vulpine replied. " Falco, take this guy down to the briefing room. Let's see what we can get out of him."
" Got it, Fox," Falco replied, and pushed the Sakiyan down the hallway.
"So, care to give us your name?" Fox asked the mysterious pilot.
" It's none of your business," he snapped. The vulpine pinched the bridge of his muzzle and closed his eyes. They had been at this for twenty minutes, and they knew nothing.
" Care to take over, Falco?" Fox asked the avian. Falco smirked and took the seat across from the other falcon.
"Who are you people anyway? You're obviously not all Sakiyans. Especially you two," he glared at Fox and Falco.
Falco waggled his finger. "Uh-uh. We don't answer unless you answer. And considering we took you out in no time twice in a row, I'd be singing, if I were you," he chuckled darkly.
" Fine. I'm a rebel. Well, my family was, at least, until they were all killed when I was eight. I was captured by Ursula and she tried to get me to tell her where the other rebels were hiding. She even attempted to get me to defect to her side. When I refused, she had her guards beat me and throw me into a cell with my mom and dad's dead bodies. When she was killed, I escaped and fled Sakiya. But the soldiers that are still loyal to her are after me. I heard my baby sister was alive in this system, so I came here to look for her, but something went wrong with my Vortex, and I crashed."
Falco leaned back, kicked up his feet, and put his hands on his stomach, smiling. "See? Don't you feel better?"
" Not until I have some names from you two."
"Falco Lombardi, pal. Lead pilot of the Starfox team. This one over here is Fox McCloud, the commander."
"Nice to meet ya."
"So, do you have any pictures of your little sister?" Falco asked him, taking his feet off the table and leaning forward.
" Only this one. She was only a year old at the time. She's probably closer to 26 by now," the pilot struggled to get his wallet out, but finally got it out on the table and opened it, looking for the picture. Falco and Fox waited patiently while he looked through his wallet.
"Aha," the Sakiyan said, and took out a small photo. " The one holding the baby is me. The baby is my sister, and the other two were my mom and dad."
Falco took the picture and looked over it, his eyes finally stopping at the baby's face. They sat there, glued to the small child's face, when an expression of realization spread. He slammed his fist and the picture onto the table, and was into the now frightened pilot's face.
" Where did you get this? Is this some kind of sick joke to you?!" he snapped, and pushed the Sakiyan into a corner. Fox panicked, and grabbed Falco before he did any damage to the pilot.
"Falco, are you nuts? Drop it!" Fox commanded, and Falco spun to face him.
" It's impossible, Fox! See for yourself!" Fox picked up the photo, and immediately his eyes popped.
"It can't be her…"
"It is! I know that face from anywhere!"
"Should we tell her?"
"It wouldn't be a good idea. She needs rest…"
"Stop being daddy for a second, and go get her."
Falco huffed, and turned to the pilot, watching the strange pair in confusion. " Give me a minute; I think you'll want to meet someone." And with that, he left quickly.
When Falco entered his and Dana's bedroom, she was, as he guessed, asleep. The avian watched her chest rise and fall, her hair down and flowing about her face and covering the pillow. Falco could also see the slight baby bump from under the thin covers. He gently laid one hand on Dana's tummy and rubbed it, and was shocked to get a nudge on his hand.
The baby was growing pretty fast, and there were just barely over four months to go. He admitted there was a lot to be afraid of. The baby could be born too soon, that it could be born too late, it could suffocate, Dana and the baby could get sick, Dana could need a C-section… Or they could lose it. That was the one that scared him the most. Especially since Dana was so determined to have this baby. It would kill her if she lost it.
Dana moaned, and jerked her head to the side, her soft long hair moving along with her. Falco almost forgot that while he looked at the mother of his child, her only surviving family member could be sitting a few doors away.
"Dana," he whispered to her. Dana moaned again, and shifted. Falco continued to call her name, and gave a small gasp when the baby nudged him again. Dana woke up when she heard the gasp.
"What?!" she cried out in a panicked tone.
"Sorry, it nudged me," Falco apologized.
"He nudged you," Dana corrected him. "It's going to be a boy. I know it."
" Don't get your hopes up," replied Falco as he rubbed her belly. Dana sighed contentedly and snuggled into him.
"So what did you want?"
"Fox and I want you to come talk to this pilot."
The Sakiyan sat up a little and looked at him. "Why? Not co-operating?"
"No," Falco took a deep breath. "We think he may be your older brother."
Dana nearly flew down the hallway, her hair pinned up in a messy bun, hair still collecting around her face. She wore a black sweater over a grey camisole and skinny jeans.
"Slow down! Don't shake him!" Falco cried, meaning, of course, the baby. Dana knew he was right, but if this pilot really was Hunter, she was sure it would be a risk worth taking.
Dana opened the door, and Falco came in behind her. Fox and the grey-blue falcon looked up at her, the Sakiyan man's silver eyes piercing her.
"Hunter?"
"Madonna!" Hunter Nightshade jumped up and squeezed his sister, causing her to gasp a little from lack of breath. And the crying.
"It's really you! I thought you died," Dana sobbed into her brother's army uniform.
" I thought you died," Hunter whispered back.
"No. Alice took me in and we destroyed her. We destroyed her for good, Hunter."
" You and these guys?"
"Yes. And Alice's nephew, and Tosha, and Ursula's daughter Heather."
Hunter hugged her tightly. "Next to finding you, that's the best news I've heard in my entire life."
Fox coughed accidently, reminding Dana her commander and her fiancé were standing there. " I'm guessing you already met Fox and Falco."
"Yep. And the other three."
"Oh?"
" Yeah, the blue girl and the other fox and the robot."
"That blue girl is Krystal McCloud, my wife," Fox interjected. " The other two are Jakob Dylans and ROB."
"Dylans? I've heard that name…" Hunter snapped his fingers. " Jana Dylans. She is part of Heather Bennard's new military."
" Yeah. It's her twin brother."
" Hmm. Can I just ask you something?"
Falco and Dana looked at each other before nodding. " Fox here told Falco to 'stop playing daddy'. And Falco was saying something about not shaking someone. Madonna, it almost sounds like…are you…?"
Dana scanned his mind and sucked in a breath. "Yes, I'm pregnant. We're getting married next week."
"Wow."
"Uh, Mr. Nightshade? Just so you know, we found some of your belongings and your fighter. Your stuff is in the room just down the hall from Falco and Dana's," Krystal popped her head in, having overheard the whole thing through Fox's head. Hunter was taken aback that she knew his name.
"Krystal's a telepath, too," Dana told him.
"Amazing. Thank you, Mrs. McCloud, and well, sorry about earlier today."
"I understand," she smiled kindly. " Maybe we should cut this short and start fresh tomorrow. Everyone's had a lot of excitement for the day."
"Of course. Falco, Dana, show Hunter to his room, if you don't mind," Fox got up and left the room with Krystal, flashing Hunter a smile as he walked out.
Dana took Falco's hand and gave him a quick kiss. " Why don't you go to bed, love? I'll show my brother to his new room." Falco looked like he was going to argue, but then he realized that Dana wanted to talk with her lost brother and nodded. She gave him another kiss and he left
Hunter walked down the hallway of the strange dreadnought owned by his long lost baby sister's strange friends and her strange fiancé whose baby she was pregnant with. Dana, of course, didn't seem to be discomforted by any of this. In fact, she was excited that her brother, her baby's uncle, was here. She smiled as they walked toward his room in silence.
"So," Hunter finally said. Dana turned to look at him.
"So…"
"This room I'm going to be in is yours?"
"Was mine. I sleep in the same bed as my fiancé."
Hunter found this slightly discomforting. " I see."
Dana stopped in front of the room, and tapped in the code. The door swooshed open, and Hunter walked into the nice room. It was a white and gold color scheme, with a large bed and a dresser and a bathroom. On the bed lay some clothes and other things he would need, including some things from his Vortex.
"I'm sorry it's kind of bare," Dana said sadly. " I just moved out."
" It's actually quite nice. Where did you get the clothes?" he asked, picking them up. They had the same peculiar smell the ones he woke up in had.
"They're some of Falco's. Stuff he doesn't wear much anymore. I hope you don't mind wearing them until we can get some for you. They look a bit long for you," Dana fussed with the black shirt Hunter picked up, and checked the lengths.
"Madonna, it's fine," Hunter called her by the name his parents and Josh and Alice used to call her.
" Really, you can just call me 'Dana'. It's easier to say," she huffed, and set down the shirt.
"It's a force of habit. Sorry."
Dana hugged him tightly "I just can't believe I found you. All these years I thought you were dead."
"Yeah, it's great to know I wasn't alone," he said, and hugged her back, but was gentle, remembering that she was pregnant.
Dana let go and backed toward the door. "I'll let you get some sleep now, I guess."
"Wait. I want to ask you something."
Dana stepped back in. "Yes?"
"Mad- Dana, are you happy? Like, I kind of guessed you and Falco didn't mean to…"
"You're afraid he may run off because he doesn't want to be a father?"
Hunter nodded. He almost forgot his sister was telepathic like their dad, too.
" Falco really cares, Hunter. If anything, I'll be the one running. He went from a bachelor to an overprotective dad in one night. I'm not kidding. The only reason I found you was because I didn't listen to Falco and walked away from the fighter. He was pretty mad."
"People can change, Dana."
"Look, Hunter," Dana sat down on the bed. " I honestly shouldn't tell you, but Falco would understand for sure. It's just, he's had a hard life; his dad abused him and called him and his siblings names and tried to kill Falco once. Then he joined a gang when he was in high school and his family didn't want anything to do with him. That's why he's so protective; he doesn't want to be the terrible dad and family he had. I'm surprised he even invited his mom and step-dad to the wedding."
Hunter looked down at his feet, then smiled at his sister. " You're the telepath. If you believe Falco is honestly going to be a great dad, I believe you."
"Thank you." She hugged him, and stood up. "I'd better get going before Falco comes looking for me."
" Okay. Goodnight, Madonna."
"Goodnight, Hunter."
Dana found Falco fast asleep on the bed, the sheets covering only half his body. She sighed, got into her pajamas, got in the bed, and pulled the sheets up. Falco wrapped his arms around her and kissed her beak gently.
"Gotcha," he chuckled, and shifted so that he could kiss her belly. "Both of you."
Dana giggled, and ran her fingers through her fiancé's feathers on his head. " Yes, you do."
"So, is it too early to talk about names?"
"Considering we have only four months to pick out a name for him, no. Why, what did you have in mind?" she asked.
"Well, for a girl, maybe Christina, Destiney, Amber, or Haley."
Dana thought them over. "I like Destiney and Christina. Maybe Franchesca?"
"Too long," Falco replied, nuzzling her stomach gently, but jumped a little when he felt another nudge. "She keeps poking me."
"Or he," Dana interjected. " Any ideas for boy names?"
" A few," he rested the side of his face on her bump, this time he simply kissed her stomach in response to the nudge. " Maybe Adrien?"
"That's my dad's name. So, let's put it in the 'maybe' pile. Christian?"
"Meh. It's my middle name."
"I know," Dana stroked her fiancé's face. "That's why I like it."
"Suck-up."
"Whatever. It's nice."
" Blaise?"
Dana grimaced. " Sounds like a girl's name."
" Kevin?"
"Too popular."
Falco sighed. "I'm too tired to carry on."
Dana continued to stroke his face. "Here's something to wake you up; by next week, since I have a faster pregnancy, we can find out if it's a girl or boy."
Falco popped up. "That's great!"
Dana smiled. " But I'm telling you, it's going to be a boy."
"If you say so."
"I know so. And, it sounds strange, but I have felt the baby nudge me in two different places, but the only way it could have done that is if he shifted. But I would've felt that."
Falco got up so he was almost laying on Dana, their eyes locked. "What are you trying to say?" he whispered, his warm breath caused Dana to shiver, her thin arms shaking.
"I think I might be having twins."
Falco laid there, his expression unreadable. "Twins?"
Dana moved away. " I knew I shouldn't have said anything. But if it does happen to be the case, I wanted you to know, so you wouldn't be surprised."
Falco didn't say anything. He was still in shock. "You think it may be twins. Oh. My. God…" he realized he said the wrong thing when he noticed Dana's eyes starting to fill with tears. " Dana, let me explain…"
" I'm sorry I ever said anything. Just forget about it and let's go to sleep," Dana whispered hoarsely, and turned away from him. Falco flipped her onto her back and nearly laid on top of her again.
" I love you. Remember that, Dana. I'm not mad or anything. Just… shocked. I could honestly care less if they are twins and what gender they are. Know why?"
"Because you love me?"
"And I know they're ours. Yours and mine. That's pretty big," he kissed Dana gently.
Dana melted into it, but jumped back in shock. " That was quite a nudge."
Falco shifted to put his head on his fiancée's stomach again. " Really? Right here?"
"Give me sec," Dana took off her shirt, leaving a bra on underneath. Falco leaned his head against her warm, soft belly.
He could feel something, or somethings, hit his head in two different places, at the same time. It didn't hurt, but it was hard enough to make both falcons jump.
"That was awfully hard. And there was no way it hit in those spots without shifting," he told her.
" And even if it is twins, that's a bit too hard for three weeks. I hope they aren't growing faster," Dana whispered. It was one of the few things that worried her; the baby, or babies, would be born too soon and get sick, and possibly die.
"Maybe we should see if we can move that scan for tomorrow. Just to see if that's the case. Because if it is…"
"… We'll have to move up the wedding a little."
Hunter got out of bed, his mind clear, no thoughts in his head. His silver eyes had changed a dull, lifeless slate colour, and were glazed over. He walked quickly and silently down the hall unconsciously.
Once Hunter was in the bridge, he started to connect the comm link system to that of the mothership back in Sakiya's atmosphere.
A pitbull with red irises picked up. "Hello, Commander Christoff Keenan, who is- ah, Hunter. I wondered if you had taken back control of your mind again. You had me worried."
" I have located Madonna Kylinn Nightshade," Hunter announced, emotionless.
"And?"
"She's a pitiful excuse for a rebel. She is engaged to be married to a Cornerian mercenary known as 'Falco Lombardi', whose child she carries. He is a lead pilot and second-in-command. They plan to be married next week."
"Lombardi? And what is the name of the mercenary group?"
"Starfox."
Commander Keenan whispered it to one of the researchers, a young ferret girl with bulging eyes and an overbite. She scurried off, and came back a few seconds later, carrying a clipboard. Keenan looked over it and smirked.
"Ah, yes, here he is; Mister Falco Christian Lombardi. Apparently he had a hand in the death of Mrs. Bennard."
Hunter growled. Keenan chuckled. Hunter was still under his control, and that was where he stayed.
"In fact, records say he finished her off."
Hunter hissed in response. "Do I terminate him now?" he asked stoically.
The commander shook his head. "No, if you want the best revenge, you must strike when it will ruin his life for good. Say, his wedding day?"
Hunter nodded, staring blankly at the screen. "Excellent. Now, off you go. I'll call you again tomorrow night, and tell you the plan."
"Yes… Master."
Falco walked out to the bridge that morning, ready to take Dana to her appointment, and noticed Fox, Jakob, Fara, Hunter, Slippy, Katt and Sergey laughing and talking amongst themselves in the hangar. He wasn't told Slippy and the others were here.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" everyone went quiet. Sergey smirked.
" I knew it," he told the avian, " I knew the moment I saw you staring at Dana that this was going to happen, you sly boy, you."
"Huh?"
" The girls are having a bridal/ baby shower for Dana since she can't have a stagette, and the guys are throwing a stag for you," Katt explained.
"Oh, great. You know, now too?" Falco rolled his eyes. "Well, we think the kids are coming sooner than expected, so she's going back to the doctor's to find out how much longer she has and to find out what she's having."
" So, you're thinking twins? What else do you think it will be?"
Falco looked at the felines suspiciously. "What? Why?"
"Because it would help to know what mom and dad think so it'll help our chances," Slippy blurted.
" Chances?! What are you blabbing about?" Falco snapped.
Hunter stepped forward. " They're all placing bets on what the gender the baby's going to be and how many there are going to be."
"You're gambling what sex my baby's going to be?!"
" Hey, wanna join?" Katt asked.
"No, actually I don't. I hope you weren't behind this Foxie, 'cause Krystal will kick your tail if you are."
Fox put his hands up defensively. "No way! It was Katt and Sergey's idea!"
Sergey stuck his tongue out at Fox. "Fink."
"Sergey, no calling people names," Dana strolled in. Everyone, except Falco and Hunter, stared at her. She looked a bit bigger than the day before. "What?"
" Wow, you're getting close," Sergey replied. " What did you take?"
Dana shrugged. "Nothing. So, you guys are gambling about the baby's gender and how many?"
Everyone looked down in shame, when Dana pulled out 10 dollars and handed it to Fox. "I say twins, both boys."
Fox handed it to Sergey. "He and Katt are running this, not me. I'll agree with you, though."
"I'll bet fifteen on a girl," Katt announced, taking out her wallet. Dana and Falco walked off while the rest made bets, Slippy and Jakob trying to get Hunter to join.
" Fine," Dana heard her brother moan. "Ten on two boys."
Falco opened the cockpit for her, and helped her in, being cautious of Dana's more bloated belly. "Why did you do that?"
Dana rolled her eyes. "Live just a little, flyboy. Anyway, your bachelor days are numbered."
Falco looked back at her from the pilot's seat. " I don't honestly care. Dana, I've been a bachelor for thirty-one years. It's time to settle down and raise a family for me. In fact, I'd marry you tonight if it wasn't too soon."
Dana reached out and took Falco's free hand as he took off. " I'd like that. By the way, did you ask your mom if she planned to come?"
"I did, but she didn't answer. I don't think she even wants to come. She hates me and she thinks you're a… whore."
"And I'll call her a cranky old bitch if that's how she feels bout her daughter-in-law and her grandsons," Dana sniffed.
"Please don't, Dana. You don't know my mom, and you really don't want to," Falco looked back at her again, his eyes reflecting the stars as they headed toward Corneria. Dana could see the hurt in Falco's face and nodded silently.
"I'll be nice… For now."
Falco and Dana sat in the doctor's office, waiting for results. Dana could feel the anger in her fiancé's thoughts. She wasn't sure what, but something had Falco in a terrible mood.
"Falco, did you try your mother again?"
Falco glared at his hands, and Dana knew that was the wrong question. " Yes."
She couldn't help but push it. "And?"
"She said there's no way she's coming to see her no-good son marry a topless cocktail waitress or a whore from off the streets. I knew I shouldn't have even tried. She always hated me ever since I joined the Hot Rodders and Starfox."
"That can't be true."
Falco sighed heavily and gave Dana a weak smile. " That's why I love you, Dana. You're too nice to believe that I'm hated by my family. You are just… amazing."
Dana took her fiancé's hand and rested it over her heart. " You are a good man, Falco. You've just had it drilled into your head that you're not."
"Mr. and Ms. Lombardi?" The doctor, the same raccoon that told Dana she was pregnant, popped her head into the room. " I have the pictures."
She handed the pictures to Falco, who looked them over. Then he laughed weakly. "That's funny," he stated, "It looks like there's actually two."
Dana and the doctor looked at each other in worry before turning to the falcon. He continued to laugh, then for the first time, Falco Lombardi fainted.
When Falco came to, he was laying on the couch in the Great Fox's rec. room. Dana sat beside him, blending in with the other worried faces of Fox, Krystal, Slippy, Amanda, Katt, Sergey, Jakob, Hunter and Fara.
"What happened? Did I fall asleep?" he asked groggily, sitting up.
"Depends," Katt replied snidely. "Was it before or after you fainted in the hospital and your fiancée had to drag your tail back?"
Falco plopped back into the cushions of the couch and groaned. "I thought it was a dream."
Dana rolled her eyes.
"So, what is it that made Falco faint?" Jakob asked Dana She looked at her fiancé, then at the rest.
"The results."
"Which were?"
"Twins," Falco managed to gasp out. Everyone leaned in.
"Twin boys," Dana said proudly, putting a hand on her belly, then jumped. " They nudged."
Suddenly, everyone was fussing, the girls squealing and asking to feel the babies' kicking, the guys all patting a shocked Falco's back. He didn't know they were both boys.
"Maybe that stag party will do him good now," Slippy whispered to Fox and Dana.
The Sakiyan nodded. "Get him out of here right now. I should've waited longer."
" That means we can have the bridal shower!" Krystal clapped her hands together as Falco was dragged away by the guys. He smiled at Dana, who blew him a kiss as the door closed.
Dana laid back on the couch as the Krystal and the rest scrambled to find their present. "Please girls, I'm too tired…"
Katt dropped a huge box in Dana's lap, causing the falcon to let out a yelp. " We all chipped in for this."
The Sakiyan avian bit her lower beak, and opened it. There were two stuffed bears; a purple one with 'mommy' on the front and a blue one with 'daddy'.
"They're so sweet," Dana whispered in disbelief. " But how did you know I was going to have…"
"Twins? You bet on twin boys, and who would know what a mom is having than the mom herself? So while you and Falco went for your appointment, Krystal, Fara and I sneaked out and found them," Amanda explained, pleased at Dana's excitement.
"I love them. Thank you."
"We would have gotten something more useful…" Fara started.
"No, Falco and I already have it pick out and paid for. We just need to set up."
"Great."
Krystal hugged Dana tightly. "I'm so happy for you. I wish I was pregnant."
Dana snickered. "Then tell Fox, not me."
The vixen smirked. "Now that you say that, I did ask him about it…"
Katt sat down beside Krystal. "And?" she prodded.
Krystal blushed. "We may try for a baby soon."
Everyone squealed, except for Dana, who winced at the noise.
I wonder how Falco is doing.
Falco sat with the rest of the guys in a club, sipping at a glass of water. Sergey came over and nudged the bird.
"Stop being a sourpuss," the leopard stated. He took the water out of Falco's hand and replaced it with a glass of beer. "Lighten up a little."
Jakob walked up, half-smashed, and flicked Sergey's ear. "Ya dipstick," The Fennec said, his words slurring. " Don't ya know that my bud Falco here don't drink?" He annunciated the 'k', spitting on Sergey's cheek.
"Really? The way he sucked in those beers at Fox and Krystin's wedding, I'd have never guessed."
"Her name's Krystal, ya numbskull."
"Hey, you drunks, leave the guy alone," the bartender yelled at Jakob and Sergey. They glared at the lab before walking off, still arguing. " You okay, buddy?"
Falco looked up at the canine. "Oh yeah. They're part of my stag party. They argue like that all the time."
"Stag? You getting married?"
"Yeah. I got my girlfriend pregnant the night before I wanted to propose, and things got hairy. But we're planning on getting married this weekend."
Hunter, unfortunately, was right behind Falco when he said that. " You and Dana are getting married in two days? You guys said next week!"
Falco turned to his fiancée's brother. " Yeah, but apparently her due date was moved up a week or two. So we're getting married early."
" You two related? You look similar," The lab piped in, studying Falco and Hunter.
" I'm his fiancée's brother," Hunter said. The lab nodded and walked away to serve Fox and Slippy, who had been happily chatting away.
Falco laid his head down on the table. " I don't feel so good," he murmured.
"Are you drunk?"
"No."
" Eat something you shouldn't have eaten?"
"No. I'm just really tired and my head hurts."
Hunter helped Falco up. "Then do you want to round up the others and go back?"
The Cornerian avian nodded.
"I'm really tired and my head hurts," Dana complained. "Can I go to bed?"
"Fine," Katt sighed, a glass of wine in her hands. Dana left the giggling party with the box in her arms.
"Need help, beautiful?" Dana turned to see Falco standing behind her as she opened the door to their room, the box threatening to fall.
"Please?" she stepped out of the way for her fiancé to open the door.
" Did you tell the girls about the change in wedding plans?"
"Yep. Did you tell the guys?'
Falco nodded, and looked down at the box. " Bridal shower gift?"
"More like baby shower. But Katt put something along the lines of a gift for us at the bottom."
"Can I see?" Dana nodded and opened the box, handing Falco the teddy bears. He smiled and set them down. Then Dana pulled out the gift Katt pointed out to her while everyone was pouring themselves wine. Black lingerie. Falco started laughing.
"I don't see what is so entertaining about Katt nosing into our sex life," Dana grumbled, throwing the bits of fabric at Falco. He caught them, still chuckling.
" Katt thinks of everything. I'm laughing because she knows you can't wear this stuff while you're pregnant, so why would she buy it?"
"Beats me. Anyway, I'm tired," Dana yawned, and stripped down, searching for her pajamas. Falco smiled at her and did the same.
Once they were both in the bed, Dana cuddled into Falco's warm, safe chest. "Goodnight," she whispered.
"Goodnight," Falco whispered, and let out a gasp when the babies nudged his own stomach. " What is with them nudging all the time?"
Dana looked up at him. "I think they know from our voices that we're mom and dad, so that's just them saying 'hi'."
"You think so?"
" That's my guess. They only nudge when one of us talks or touches that spot, so they must know that it's who we are."
Falco chuckled and hugged Dana closer. "I'm already labeled as daddy."
"And mommy."
"Of course."
Once again, a brainwashed Hunter stood in the bridge of the Great Fox that night, waiting for his orders. Commander Christoff Keenan appeared on the screen, a smile spread across the pitbull's muzzle. "Mister Nightshade. Any updates?"
"The target has changed the date of the wedding. It is now on Saturday, Cornerian time. That is the day after tomorrow."
"Perfect. Find a sniper rifle, and keep out of sight. Do not shoot him until I give the word."
"You'll be there, then?" the controlled avian asked stoically.
"Yes. I want to see the downfall of these men who killed our dictator."
"Right."
"Goodnight, Mr. Nightshade. Be prepared for the wedding."
Dana sat in the kitchenette early that morning, drumming her fingers nervously on the counter as she waited for her toast to pop. Katt, who stayed the night in the rec. room with Sergey, came in, and watched the avian drum.
" What's with you?"
Dana looked at her. " Falco. I can tell he really wanted his mom to come to this wedding, but she's been so horrible to him and has been calling me a whore to his face."
"Oh yes, Mrs. Deluna. You know she and her husband are the only ones who honestly hate him? His stepsister, Alicia, like, idolizes him, but his mom banned her from even talking to him. Shana doesn't really like him; she's afraid that as her kids' uncle he'd be a bad influence. Teegan and Alicia love Falco."
"Oh?"
Katt nodded. " I remember when I met Falco's mom; she was a witch. She treated him like dirt while she treated the other three with dignity."
Dana clenched the side of the counter as her toast popped. " That's disgusting," she growled.
" I really felt bad for Falco; I think his mom treated him like crap because he looked more like his dad than anyone, so she believed he was going to turn into his dad."
"Bull."
"Nope."
Dana ignored her toast and stomped into the bridge, Katt following her with a cup of coffee. "What are you doing?" the feline asked.
" I'm going to knock some sense into that cranky old bitch, whether Falco like it or not."
Katt's eyes widened. " That's a bad idea…"
"I don't care. She's the one who drilled it into Falco's head that he's a terrible person. I'm sick of Falco putting himself down because of her," Dana snapped, and started to dial the number. Katt jumped at her and sat down on the dialer.
"You don't know what you're trying to get yourself into; not only will you get a lashing from Falco's mom, but Falco would be pissed if he found out what you were doing."
Dana sighed, and stepped away. "You're right; I shouldn't call."
Katt nodded.
"I should talk to her face-to-face."
"No!"
"Too bad."
Dana stormed out of the bridge.
It didn't take long for Katt to tell Falco about Dana's stupid plan, and it took an even shorter amount of time for him to get dressed and run to his Sky Claw. How could Dana be so stupid, playing with fire the way she was? His mother was going to tear Dana apart.
Just like she tore him apart.
Bastard. Dirt. Slime-ball. Filth. Bottom feeder. Wretched monster. Those were just a few of the names she had called Falco even before he joined the gang. But there was one that really stung. One single word, one name, that still made him tear up whenever he thought about it.
Demon.
She used to call him by that wretched nickname. Falco loathed that nickname. It was the nickname that tied him to his father. That horrid monster he used to call 'daddy'. He still remembered that day he vowed to never become another 'Demon' Lombardi.
Falco, Teegan and Shana cowered in the corner of the boys' bedroom. Their father and mother had a fight again, and their dad was drinking himself stupid. And that could only mean…
"Falco Christian Lombardi!" their father crowed from the other side of the door. " Open this damn door before I bust it down!" Falco cuddled into his older siblings, terrified. Dad had never once bothered Falco before; this was the first time he had ever been so horrible as to chase them into the bedroom. Sure, he was a temperamental drunk, he did call them names, but he wouldn't have ever dared to lay a finger on any of his children, his future. Until today.
"Damn it, boy! Open this door! If you're ma finds out you three locked this door and I get in trouble, the lot of you will be sorry, you hear me? Falco, open. This. DOOR!" his father roared. Falco started to cry as his sister rocked him.
The door came off its hinges, and Ramon 'Demon' Lombardi came stomping in, a fire in his eyes. "Teach you to disobey me," he screeched, and grabbed Falco by the scruff of the neck.
"Let me go!" Falco cried, tears stinging his eyes. His father open the widow sill, and hung Falco out by his ankles. The small avian cried harder, his head spinning from looking at the ground down below. "Please, please…" the boy whispered through the tears.
"What? Speak up, boy!"
"Please, don't drop me. I'm scared of heights," Falco sobbed. The old man's face softened, and his eyes widened when he realized what he was doing. He quickly grabbed Falco and brought the frightened boy back in.
"I'm sorry," his father whispered, tears pouring out of his eyes. " I'm scared, too. But that's no reason to take it out on you three." Shana and Teegan were still cowering in the corner as their father cried and hugged the sobbing Falco. That was when Ramon saw the neighbor glaring at him on the front lawn.
"Aw shit…" he whispered. The neighbor, an old poodle, raised her finger at him accusingly.
"I knew it," she cried in a raspy voice. "I knew it the second I saw you that you were going to be trouble. I'm calling the cops, then Diana."
Ramon gasped and dropped Falco. "No!" He turned to the kids. "Don't even think about moving." And he ran out the door and at the neighbor as she waddled towards her house.
That was when things really got messed up. Ramon jumped and tackled the woman at an alarming speed. All three of the Lombardi children started crying at the old woman's scream. And then the ambulance, the cops, and Diana Lombardi got there.
" Ramon! I can't believe you!" Diana screamed at her scared husband. He recoiled from her.
"It's a mistake, I swear!"
" You bastard, you slime-ball, you… DEMON!" she shrieked, and punched Ramon. He looked up at her, terrified as the cops dragged him away, leaving the children still cowering in the upstairs bedroom.
Dana came got out of the taxi at a nice-looking house, and took a deep breath. Time to face the queen bitch that had tore her Falco apart.
She walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell. A golden eagle, with a matching feather design around her eyes, opened the door.
"Hello… Falco?!" her eyes popped out of her head.
"Who is it, Alicia?" another woman called from inside the house.
"Actually, I'm Dana Nightshade…" The Sakiyan held out her left hand, but Alicia took one look at the engagement ring before spinning on her heel.
" I think its Falco's so called whore!" Alicia turned and took a shocked Dana's hand, a smile on her beak. " Alicia Deluna, Falco's half-sister. You don't look like anything like mom said you probably looked like. In fact, you're very pretty."
"Oh, well…thank you," Dana murmured. Just then, a grey- feathered falcon with dark blue feathers around her electric blue eyes pushed Alicia out of the way.
" So, my brat sent his whore after me?"
"No," Dana said coldly. "I came on my own."
"Oh, so you have a backbone?" Diana replied snidely. " Good. Falco needs all the backbone he can get."
" I find the fact that you talk about your son so rudely to be disgusting and pointless."
Diana sneered. " I can say what I like about that nightmare."
" Not anymore. Since Falco won't tell you to take a flying leap, I will. And I am not one to be trifled with," Dana turned her glare to full power. The older woman continued to sneer, but she stepped back a little.
A black car came screeching down the road and stopped abruptly in front of the house. And of course, out came the object of the conversation himself, his eyes burning as he stomped toward the house.
" Falco!" Alicia and Dana cried, the former more excited to see him than the latter.
" Dana, what were you thinking?" Falco yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"I was asking her the same thing," his mother growled. Falco unleashed his full, ice-cold glare on her. This time Diana stopped sneering and stepped back even more.
"Screw off, mom," Falco hissed. Dana hugged her almost-husband tightly.
" I'm so sorry. I thought I was helping," the avian whispered. Falco hugged her back, but not as hard. Alicia smirked at her mom before stepping out of the house to hug her half-brother.
"I missed you, Falco. It sucked being stuck in this house with her and dad. Especially since you weren't here," Alicia whispered to Falco.
Diana growled. "You two," she pointed at Falco and Dana. "I never want to see either of you ever again. And as for you," she grabbed Alicia by the arm, " You are grounded."
"No," Alicia whipped her arm away from her mother. " I am leaving. I'm sick of you telling me what to do. I'm going to live with my friend Christi, and I'm going to Falco's wedding. And you aren't going to stop me." She ran up to her room. Diana turned and glared at Falco.
" I always knew you would cause me nothing but grief. You and your father. You're both nightmares…"
Dana responded to it by punching Diana hard. " Just, shut up! Leave him alone," Dana screamed. " You never wanted to admit that you had beaten Falco's dad. That's why you had Falco, isn't it? You forced Ramon."
Diana, holding her face, grabbed Dana by the back of her neck. "You little bitch! Take it back!"
"NO!"
Falco grabbed Dana away and got into his mother's face, making her cower under his ungodly height. "Don't you ever, ever, EVER touch Dana again. My dad only did what he did because you did beat him during your fight. I should know… I saw you."
Diana was shaking. " You're lying. You always lie. Your father was a drunken idiotic gang-banger and we both know it."
" Because of you. I wish you were arrested, not dad." Falco stepped away from her as Alicia came out with two suitcases.
"Can you give me a ride to Christi's, Falco?"
Falco's face went from dangerous to kind. " Of course. Dana, you go back to the car with Alicia. I'll put her bags in the trunk." Dana nodded and Alicia handed over her suitcases before walking to the car with the pregnant Sakiyan. Falco turned to his terrified mother.
" I miss dad. There, I said it." And with that, he walked away.
Alicia waved goodbye to her brother as he drove off. Dana waved back before resting her head on her fiancé's shoulder. Falco wrapped his free hand around her waist, stroking her slightly bigger belly.
" You really stood up for yourself. I'm proud of you, Falco," Dana told him, taking his hand and entwining her fingers through his.
" Yeah, twenty-five years of being treated like shit really builds your backbone, I guess."
" Well, you'll never have to see her again, I promise."
Falco parked the car in the parking lot of the Cornerian military base. He walked by Bill Grey and tossed him the keys. "I owe ya one, Bill," he called to the canine.
Bill smiled and nodded.
"I have to admit, though," Dana started, catching Falco's attention. " I was afraid you were going to hit her."
"I'm not you, Dana. I don't suddenly punch old ladies in the face. No matter how much the old lady deserves it," Falco stopped her in the hangar and made sure nobody was around before giving her a passionate kiss. "I appreciated the thought, however…"
Dana kissed him back, just as hard. " I couldn't stand seeing you beat yourself over that woman anymore, Falco. I thought you needed to see someone serve her a punch in the face."
"So, I guess by now you've realized I lied to you about Justin and them being nice?" (See Dark Past)
" Yeah." The Sakiyan eyed him. Falco blushed, and Dana gave him another kiss. " I'm sick of talking about them, though. Maybe we should talk about something more…positive?"
"Like, the fact we're getting married tomorrow?" Falco chuckled. Dana smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
" That sounds nice."
Falco chuckled and kissed her. "Zoness still sounds nice?"
Dana nodded, and suddenly gasped. "The babies just hiccuped. I felt one of them," she said excitedly.
"Really? Where?" Dana took Falco's hand and pressed it against the center of the bump. Falco jumped when he felt a movement. It did feel like a hiccup.
"Wow."
Dana nodded, and took his hand again, and they walked to their fighters.
Katt was crying in the rec. room while Sergey hugged her. "I tried to stop Dana, I honestly did," she sobbed. Sergey shushed the sobbing feline.
"Nobody can stop Dana but herself. And Alice. Trust me, I should know," he replied.
Dana and Falco walked in, and Dana's stomach dropped when she saw Katt sobbing on the couch.
"So, how was the visit?" Sergey whispered to his friend and ex-commander as she sat down.
Dana exhaled and ran her fingers through her bangs. "Horrible. All I did was piss her off until Falco got there and took a few strips off her back. Now his half-sister is coming to see us get married," she sighed. Falco came and sat down beside his fiancée.
"Dana has also promised to never go looking for trouble again. That includes my mother. Right Dana?" Falco nudged her.
The Sakiyan avian made a face. "Yes, dear."
Katt looked up and smiled weakly. "I see she's home in one piece."
"Barely," Falco responded, ignoring the glare he got.
"Well, now that I've been all chewed out, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Katt. I need to go take a nap; I'm tired." She got up and left the room, Falco following her.
Krystal sat in her and her husband's room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She and Fox had been asleep while Dana went to Corneria and was dragged back by Falco. The Cerinian vixen stretched and checked the clock. 9:30. The shower was running, so she had to wait for Fox to finish.
Krystal walked around the room, picking up clothes that were dirty and throwing them in the hamper. She and Fox had been so drunk last night, everything was a blur. Krystal started to take out fresh clothes for herself when she felt sick, like something was coming up. She held it in, when Fox walked out of the bathroom.
"Good morning Krys, I- whoa!" Fox was caught off-guard as his wife flew by him, running for the toilet, and threw up.
Dana woke up to someone banging on the door. "I'm taking a nap," she complained, but she got up when she heard Krystal's terrified thoughts. She opened the door, and Krystal ran in.
"Dana, I need your help," the vixen breathed as she shut the door.
"Okay, I'll bite; why?"
" Need to know; how long did it take for your symptoms to start?"
Dana looked at her strangely. "Symptoms? You mean, the pregnancy symptoms?"
"Yes!"
"Well, I didn't start throwing up until almost two days after I… you know. The mood swings started right away. Wait, you don't think you're…"
"Pregnant? Possibly."
"Well, when was the last time you and Fox…"
Krystal's eyes widened. "Two days ago. But I've had no mood swings!"
" Sometimes you do, sometimes it's just morning sickness."
Krystal nodded. "Anything else?"
" You'll be hungrier than usual, you'll sleep longer and you'll feel kicking," Dana counted. "That's all I can think of. Well, also if you're anything like me, you'll be due in four or five months. And you'll return to your original size after labor."
"Really? How?"
Dana shrugged. "Beats me. It's a Cerinian and Sakiyan thing, I guess."
The vixen gave Dana a big hug. " I'm so excited! I can't believe I'm really pregnant!"
"Does Fox know?"
" He should. I had to run past him this morning before I threw up on the floor."
The avian recoiled. "Too much information, thanks. Now that you know, I can I please get some sleep? My wedding is like, tomorrow."
Krystal laughed. "Yes, yes. Thanks, Dana."
"You're welcome."
By the end of the day, the dreadnought was very alive; Dana and Falco were getting married tomorrow, and Fox and Krystal admitted to the rest that Krystal was in heat. Now the girls, plus Lucy and Alicia, were fussing about Dana's hair and clothes (she refused to wear makeup), and planning Krystal's baby shower.
" We should curl Dana's hair. It looks so good curled."
" Do you think it's a boy or a girl, Krys?"
" So I'm going to be an aunt? Falco, you sly boy…"
" Have you thought of any names for him yet, Krystal?"
"Dana, what do you plan on wearing?"
"Girls!" Dana cried. " You're killing us both here. One at a time!"
"Let's start with Dana then," Amanda replied. "Do you have an outfit picked out for tomorrow?"
Dana blushed. "Yes. It still fits, too." She walked over to her closet and took out a knee-length white halter-top dress. " Is this okay?"
"It's so nice," Lucy sighed, taking it from the avian. The skirt was fluffy from the veils, and the top was covered in sequins. "It looks like a ballerina's dress. Do you have shoes for it?"
Dana picked out a pair of short silver wedges. "I have jewelry, too."
" So, it's just a Justice of The Peace?"
"And like a five-minute ceremony. Just the vows and the 'I do' and whatnot," she replied. " We're have a huge table set up and ready at a restaurant for afterwards."
"How many are there going to be?" Lucy asked.
"Fourteen including Falco and myself."
"I thought you hated frilly weddings," Krystal teased.
"I do. We just wanted this to be special, but not too expensive. Overall, the wedding costs are at $7,000."
" Seriously?!"
Dana nodded. " We had to book a private area on the beach, get a Justice of the Peace, the rings, the minister is a friend of Falco's, rides to the wedding, the restaurant and back home. That was all about $5,500. The restaurant gave us a good price; to seat fourteen and have three courses is about $1,500."
"Wow," the others murmured.
"We just want this to be a day we'll never forget."
All the men were sitting around drinking in the rec. room, except Fox and Falco, whom had promised Krystal and Dana that they wouldn't get drunk.
"Sucks to be you two," Sergey replied, and gulped down his third beer in one hour.
" I hate drinking," Falco protested.
Fox shrugged. " I don't feel like getting drunk anyway."
"Pansies," Sergey spat, and turned to look at Hunter, who was still on his first beer. " Hey buddy, you've been nursing that thing for an hour."
Hunter looked up at him, and held out the beer. "You want it?"
"Damn straight!" Jakob popped out of nowhere and took the drink before Sergey did, making a 'yoink' sound before running off, cackling like an idiot while Sergey chased him.
"Idiots…" Falco sighed.
Fox nudged him. " Ready for tomorrow?"
"You bet. Dana and I have gone all out for this. She calls it, 'making this a day we'll never forget'."
Hunter smiled, unaware of how true he was going to make that statement.
Everyone was fussing over Falco and Dana the next morning. Dana was dragged to Fox and Krystal's room while the guys attempted to get Falco out of bed.
"What time is it?" Falco groaned from under the covers.
Bill checked his watch. "9:00."
" Good. That means I have five hours to get ready. Goodnight."
Half grabbed the covers while the other half grabbed Falco. "Up and at 'em," Sergey cried, as he, Fox and Hunter dragged Falco to the washroom.
"Take a shower, dude. Really," Fox teased, and they tossed him in before locking the door.
After fifteen minutes, a wet and annoyed Falco came out, mumbling about how he could dress and shower himself without any help. He grabbed his clothes and hid in the bathroom again to get dressed. He came out afterwards in a pair of black pants and shoes, a white shirt with a collar and a red shirt underneath. The guys attacked him with cologne, hairspray, and a comb. After half an hour of struggling, Falco was finally ready.
" Let's go and land the ship, then go down to the beach," Jakob cried, and everyone rushed Falco out before he even thought about heading for Dana.
Dana sat in front of Krystal's vanity as everyone curled her hair, straightened her bangs, put her jewelry on for her, did her nails and various things. The Sakiyan wished that she could at least talk to her almost- husband, but the girls refused to let her leave.
"He can't see you before the wedding," Krystal gasped. So she sat there in her dress as everyone chipped in to do all these silly things Dana could easily do herself. At least the dress was fitting nicely; it wasn't tight around the bump, but it wasn't loose either. Against her will, Dana agreed to let Katt at least put glitter on her eyelids.
"It's just to enhance the look. All it really does is make it look like you're wearing eyeshadow," the feline explained. Somehow, though, Katt went crazy and added eyeliner and mascara, which did nothing but make Dana's natural black lining and black lashes sparkly. If she hadn't stopped Katt, she would have been a glitter slut. She also rejected having Alicia put hairstreaks in. Even if they were purple.
"I'll tell you what," she told a sad Alicia, " Once the babies are born, I'll think about streaks. For now, I don't really want them for my wedding."
That made the younger avian's day. "Alright!"
" Can we add some sparkles in your…" Katt was cut off by Dana's glare, " Nevermind."
"There, done her pedicure and manicure," Amanda announced. "Is her hair dry enough to curl already?"
Krystal nodded. "I used my blowdryer. It's a really good one."
" I'm still tired," Dana complained.
"You should've went to bed earlier, then," Fara replied, checking the hair straightener.
"I went to bed at 8:00. That's almost three hours earlier than usual."
" Well, next time go at 7:30. You can do that tonight, since there's no honeymoon," Katt piped in.
Dana sighed. "I bet Falco's still asleep. He doesn't need to worry about all this."
"Actually, the guys attacked him a little while after we dragged you out," Lucy giggled. "He's probably almost done if he isn't already."
"Seriously?! I've been up longer than him and he's probably done now?" Dana cried, and slumped into her seat.
"If you don't sit up this will take even longer," Krystal said, snapping the curler. Dana sat back up and let them finish her hair.
"We've been at this for two hours already! I have to pee," the Sakiyan whined. Krystal sighed and let the avian go to the bathroom. She came back and sat down boredly.
After another half hour, Dana was finally done, and slipped into her shoes. "There. We're done, right?"
"Yep. Just a tiara…"
"No!" Dana snapped. " I'm done. No tiaras, no more sparkles. I already feel overdressed. Unless you girls remember, this is a quick wedding; 5-minute vows and signing of the Justice of the Peace, dinner, and we're done. Okay?" The girls nodded.
Dana looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. " I look like I'm going to the freakin' prom. Falco's going to have a heart attack when he sees this."
"You look beautiful,"Katt interjected.
"I'm a sparkle slut."
"A what?!" Krystal cried.
"A sparkle slut. I'm so covered in them, I look like I slept with sparkles," Dana whined. The girls laughed at her.
"Well, you said you wanted this to be a day you'd never forget. Now we'll all remember you as Dana, the sparkle slut," Krystal laughed.
Dana moaned as she was pushed out towards the hangar.
Falco and the guys set up chairs and some minor decorations the minister brought; fake flowers, ribbons, and a small table with the Justice of the Peace, ready to go.
The minister, a sandy-furred lynx named Evan, strolled over to Falco and shook his hand.
"Falco Lombardi, long time, no see! I was excited to hear from ya again! Where's the bride?"
Falco shrugged as Sergey walked over to them, a cellphone in hand. He shut it off and turned to Falco.
"Dana and the rest are on her way. The girls had a hard time trying to make her let them do her hair and makeup and stuff. Then she complained about the sparkles and wanted to wash it off."
"Makeup? Sparkles? This is a five-minute wedding, not a royal coronation!" Falco cried.
"Yeah, well tell that to Katt once they get here, in about 5 minutes."
"Falco, do you have the rings?" Evan piped in. The avian nodded and dug two white gold rings from his pocket, and showed them to the minister. "Wonderful. Say, wasn't there another man around? Blue-grey feathers, silver eyes, kinda quiet?"
"Yeah, Hunter. He said he had to go to the washroom ten minutes ago. Haven't seen him since," Slippy replied as he walked by with a chair.
"He'd better get his butt in gear, 'cause here comes the bride," Sergey pointed out the hover-limo coming towards them.
" I'm sure he'll be back soon. We'd better finish up," Falco said, and they continued to set up.
Commander Keenan watched from behind a large hill, glaring at Falco Lombardi through his binoculars. He snarled and turned to a brainwashed Hunter Nightshade, and threw a sniper rifle into his hands. " I want you to wait until they start to exchange rings, then shoot his head. I'm counting on you, my little assassin," Keenan cackled.
"Yes, master," Hunter said stoically, and readied the sniper on the mount at the top of the hill.
" They will pay for the death of Ursula Bennard, men," the pitbull said, turning to his small group. "Once Hunter kills this Lombardi character, go in and kill everyone who attempts to attack. Try to save Miss Nightshade for last; I intend to have her brother kill her." The men saluted and stood at the ready at the bottom of the hill. Keenan smiled evilly.
" It's time to give our wedding present."
Dana stood beside her future husband, her heart pounding and the smile on her face evident. She looked around for her brother, and her smile dulled a little when she didn't see him sitting in the chair in the front row. She had specifically asked that nobody except for Alicia and Hunter to sit in the two seats right behind them. She looked at Krystal, who shrugged.
Dana felt Falco gently nudge her, and she brought her attention back to the minister. You look gorgeous, Falco thought to her. Dana smiled and squeezed his hand in response, but she wasn't feeling as happy as she should have been.
Where is Hunter?
Hunter watched Falco and Dana throught the scope, his crosshairs on the back of Falco's neck. One shot was all he needed to make the revenge for Ursula Bennard complete. His mind only filled with the thoughts of vengance Keenan put in there, Hunter waited for the time to strike.
Dana felt nervous as they started their vows. She and Falco turned to face each other. Falco's eyes bore into her own, and she could feel all the sappy words one would only hear in a mushy romance bubble up inside of her. Dana had never felt so happy and safe and warm with anyone.
She barely heard Falco's vow, nor did she really hear her own, but she knew exactly when he said the most beautiful words he had ever said to her since 'I love you'.
"I do."
Hunter put his finger on the trigger as Falco and Dana turned to face each other so they could say their vows, ready to blow Lombardi's head off the second he tried to put the ring on Madonna's finger. He could barely hear what they were saying, but he watched their faces as his sister and Falco stared into each other's eyes. Madonna looked so happy; happier than she was when she found Hunter.
He heard the two words that meant Lombardi's death:
"I do."
He started to pull the trigger, when he felt his emotions come rushing through him. Love for his sister, respect for Falco and his ability to keep Madonna safe, and hatred for Ursula. All thoughts of avenging that wretched woman disappeared fast.
But not fast enough. He pulled the trigger before he realized what he was doing.
"NO!" Hunter screamed.
Dana was the first to react to the scream.
On instinct, she dove at Falco, knocking him over as a bullet whizzed by where his head was only a second ago. Falco, covered in dirt and sand, looked down at Dana in shock. Everyone ran over to help the couple up, when Falco saw Hunter, terrified, holding a sniper rifle.
"That bastard tried to kill us!" Falco screeched. Hunter became a blur, and was in front of them in a second. He threw the rifle at an angry, surprised Falco.
"I didn't try to kill you, I swear," he panted. " Keenan did."
Falco aimed the rifle at the terrified Sakiyan's head. "Don't go blaming this on your imaginary friend…"
"Falco, stop!" Dana grabbed the rifle from her now-husband's hands and pointed at the hill. "Look!"
Seven men, all wearing Sakiyan Army uniforms, were coming down the hill, their guns at the ready.
" It's Commander Keenan. He's one of Ursula's loyals. After you killed her, Keenan planned to use me as a brainwashed assassin, but I escaped before he could finish the brainwashing process. So he could only partially control me. Realizing what I was doing must have made him lose connection with me," Hunter explained.
"That's nuts," Falco spat, "but at the moment, I have no other suggestions."
Keenan walked towards them, and Dana grabbed her brother and her husband's arms defensively. "I see you learned to overpower my mind-control, Nightshade. Unfortunately, That will have no use against me, just like the sniper rifle. I only gave you one bullet. You're all defenseless." He laughed coldly.
Jakob and Hunter looked at each other and smirked. They both disappeared and suddenly Keenan's men were running and falling over, as if being hit by an invisible force. Or forces so fast, they didn't have time to react. A few of the men who didn't run suddenly flew back, being hit by Dana and Sergey's shields. Everything else turned to chaos. Fox and the others helped team up on soldiers, attacking them, stealing their weapons, and killing them.
Unfortunately, they forgot one person who needed someone to protect her while she concentrated…
"STOP!" the group froze, all the dead soldiers on the ground, an turned slowly to face an angry Commander Keenan, holding his pistol to a struggling Dana's neck. Her entire body shook, she was covered in dirt and sand, her dress was ripped and ruined, and her hair was a mess. " Any wrong move, and she dies. Her and her baggage."
Falco glared at the pitbull, his electric blue eyes burning with anger. Keenan smiled coldly at the avian, knowing he wouldn't move a muscle if he honestly cared for his wife and child. But after a minute of glaring, a crunch noise came from the pitbull. His red eyes widened, and he dropped Dana, who fell, and kicked the gun out of his hand. Keenan hissed and held his throbbing head, and turned to glare at Hunter. "You…" he snarled, but then realized he had dropped his hostage, and his gun.
Keenan spun around and scrambled for his gun, but Dana was quicker and grabbed it. But she didn't get away in time. Keenan kicked Hunter in the gut, causing the avian to fall over in pain, and grabbed Dana by the ankle, dragging her back towards him.
"Not this time, little girl," he snarled. Dana twisted around and aimed the pistol.
"I think not, you creep," she snapped, and shot him square in the forehead. Keenan's eyes widened, and then they dulled as he fell towards her. Falco and Fox scrambled to catch the body before it landed on Dana. She got up and immediately ran to kiss Falco.
Falco kissed her back and hugged her tightly, when it struck him. "Your brother!" Falco dropped the body, and Fox, not wanting to hold the disgusting corpse by himself, dropped it. Dana, still a mess, ran to her brother's side.
"Hunter! Are you okay?"
Hunter laid on the ground, holding his ribcage. He looked up at his sister. "I think he may have broken something, but it beats being dead right now," he groaned.
"Let me see," Slippy said, and Dana moved out of his way. Slippy tested Hunter, and shook his head. "You're lucky; it's just going to bruise. He could've broke it, though. I'd say take it easy."
Hunter nodded and Dana went to help him up, but Falco stopped her and motioned for Jakob. They picked the injured Sakiyan up and dragged him to the hover-limo. Sergey looked around and tsked.
"What a mess. This wedding really crashed."
"Yeah. Maybe we should save the reservation," Dana replied.
"No," Hunter piped in, trying to stand up and push his brother-in-law and Jakob away.
" Nobody's hurt. I'm not going to let anything else ruin… my baby sister's… wedding day."
Dana looked down at her tattered dress. "I don't know."
" Is anyone else hurt?" Falco yelled. Everyone shook their head. "Are they still alive, Dana?" he asked. She checked her bump, and smiled when she got two nudges from opposite sides in response.
"Yep."
"Well then let's go get changed, slap some Band-Aids on your brother and finish this wedding."
After the restaurant, everyone was either tired (mostly Krystal and Dana were the only ones in that category) or drunk (Fox and Falco were allowed to drink again) and went straight to bed. The police were called and were told everything (except for Hunter almost killing Falco) and the entire beach was closed off. Dana made Hunter promise that he would stay in Lylat, and he planned to find a job.
"I like your team, but you guys seem to be running low on room," he teased.
"Actually, Fox can hire you," Jakob said, and smiled at Fox. "Because I'm quitting."
"What? Jakob!" Dana cried.
"Relax, Dana. I'm moving in with Fara. And, Fox agreed to transfer me to Bill's team. So, now he needs someone who hasn't told his sister he's a mechanic genius…"
Hunter laughed, and agreed to join the team.
Three and a half months later…
" She was supposedly now due two weeks ago. I don't know what's going on," Falco sat in the bridge, talking to Katt. " Maybe they got mixed up. Who knows? …Yeah, we're still hanging around Corneria. Dana and Krystal went baby clothes shopping… Fox and Hunter and I are just sitting here, twiddling our thumbs… So… what? Really? …No way! You're kidding… Sergey did? Do the others know yet?" Fox and Hunter both perked up. "Should I tell them?"
"What?" Fox finally asked. Falco held up a finger. "Okay, I'll put you on the screen, hang on…" the avian hit the transfer button, and Katt's excited face appeared.
"Sergey and I are getting married!" she squealed, unable to hold it in.
"That's great!" Fox smiled. "Did you tell Dana and Krystal?"
"Not yet. He proposed last night! Should I call the girls?"
"Hell, yeah!" Falco piped in. "You need Dana's cell?"
"No, I have it. See you guys! Bye!" The screen went dark.
" The doctor told me I'm having a boy," Krystal told Dana, "but I'm worried he might be wrong. Maybe I should buy a yellow outfit. What do you think?"
" I think you should just go with blue," Dana sighed. " Girls wear blue, too."
"Yes, but what if she has blue fur?"
"Then pick white or yellow. Please," Dana snapped. Krystal stared.
"What's with you? You're awfully snippy today."
Dana sighed and looked down at her very bloated belly. "I'm sorry, Krys. I've been feeling like this all morning. It's just I'm two weeks past when I was supposed to be due and… I'm afraid of getting a C-section."
" Well, don't worry about it yet. You said four to five months, right? Maybe you are going to be five months instead," Krystal replied.
"I hope so. Ugh, I'm so tired. I need to sit down," she walked out of the store and went to go sit down on a bench. Dana's cellphone started ringing. "Hello?"
"Dana? Its Katt!" the feline sounded excited. Dana straightened up a little as Krystal paid for the clothes and came to sit beside Dana.
"Who is it?" The vixen asked.
"Katt, give me a minute, I'm putting you on speaker," she pressed a button and held the cellphone between her and Krystal.
"Katt?"
"Krys! How are you?"
"Good. Dana's being a little cranky, though," The Sakiyan avian made a face at Krystal.
"Yeah, Falco told me about you being two weeks past your current due date, Dana. That sucks."
"You're telling me. Anyway, what did you want to say?" Dana asked.
"Oh, nothing, just that Sergey proposed to me last night!"
Dana and Krystal straightened up. "Really?! That's awesome! Katt, congratulations!" the falcon cried.
" That's wonderful!" Krystal agreed. "When's the wedding?"
"Not sure yet, but I'll keep you both posted! Have fun girls! Bye," Katt hung up. Krystal smiled and got off the bench.
"Ready to move on, Dana?" Krystal asked.
Dana grimaced. "I'm actually feel a little sick. Can we leave?"
"Sure."
The girls made their way out to the car, and Dana seemed to get worse. "Maybe you should just hand me those and get in the car," Krystal offered. Dana nodded weakly and handed her the bags before getting into the jeep.
Krystal opened the trunk and put the bags in the back. She opened the driver's door and got in. "So, you wan to get lunch or just go home, Dana? Dana?" She turned and looked at Dana, who looked pained.
She clung to the seat and took short, quick breaths. "Dana! What's wrong?"
"Call Falco. My contractions are starting," Dana whispered. " I'm going to go into labor."
Krystal nearly got three speeding tickets on the way to the Cornerian Hospital. She helped Dana in and quickly explained what was going on to the nurse. The woman nodded and called down a doctor, who immediately took Dana to a room in the maternity ward.
"Can I get someone to watch her? I need to make some urgent calls," Krystal asked the doctor.
The ferret nodded. " I'll get a nurse."
Krystal thanked the doctor and started to dial the Great Fox's number.
Hunter picked up. "Hello?"
" Hunter! It's Krystal. We need you, Falco and Fox at the Cornerian Hospital, now!"
"What?!"
"Dana's having the babies! Tell Falco and Fox and get down here! Fast!"
Hunter turned to Fox and Falco. "Dana's at the hospital right now."
Falco took a second to register what Hunter just said. "You mean she's…"
"Yes! Let's go!"
The trio rushed into the hospital, and met up with Katt, Sergey, Jakob and Krystal. "She's about to start! Follow me!" Krystal grabbed Fox's hand and they hurried to the maternity ward, stopping at room 81. "In here," she looked pointedly at Falco and motioned to the door. He nodded and went in.
Dana sat up in the bed, sweating and taking quick breaths. "Falco! You're here!" Dana cried.
"Of course, I'm here for you, babe," Falco panted and sat in the chair beside her. Krystal came in, along with Katt.
"Need help?" Katt asked.
Falco nodded and the girls pulled up a seat beside her. Dana bit her lower beak and grabbed Falco's hand. " Where's the damn doctor?!" she shrieked.
"Dana, relax and breathe," Falco encouraged her.
"That's not the freaking problem! The problem is they're coming and he said he'd be back in five minutes fifteen minutes ago!"
"I'm here," the ferret came running in, wearing a mask and rubber gloves. "You three the ones that are going to stay?" he asked.
"I'm leaving if you're starting now," Katt said.
Dana screamed, causing all four to wince. "We are," the doctor replied. Katt nearly ran out.
After four hours, Falco and Krystal had to switch with a reluctant Katt and Hunter. Dana looked horrible. Her hair was messy and some was sticking to her face from the sweat, and she let out a painful scream every once and awhile as if to make sure they weren't falling asleep. Tears were starting to flow from her eyes and she panted, tired from four straight hours of pushing.
By the end of eight hours, Krystal, Falco, Katt and Hunter's ears and hands hurt.
"I'm going back in," Falco said defiantly, and stood up.
"I'm coming, too," Krystal started, but Falco shook his head.
" You need sleep. I don't. I can go in alone."
" No way! I'll come too," Sergey jumped up. "Anyway, I need to know what I'm getting myself into with Katt."
Falco cracked a slight smile, whether because it was hard to smile with a beak or because he was secretly exhausted, it was hard to tell. They went in, and Falco could tell his wife was a hundred times more exhausted than he was. Her hair and face was glistening with sweat, she had bags under her eyes, and she wasn't even screaming anymore. But as soon as Falco took her hand, she held it so tightly Falco winced again.
"The first one is out!" the doctor cried joyously, and handed a nurse a small, screaming blue ball, covered with blood. Falco stared, almost forgetting about the pain in his hand from his wife crushing his fingers. He watched as the nurse walked over to him.
"Would you like to see him before we go clean him up, or would you like to wait until your wife is done?" she asked.
"I want to see him," Falco said. The nurse looked over at Dana, and she slipped her hand into Dana's, giving Falco both his hands. She handed the bundle to him, and he looked down at the crying baby.
Even soaked in blood and whatnot, the child was a splitting image of Falco. Not Dana. Falco. The design of the red feathers, the plumage colour, everything was Falco Lombardi. The baby's eyes fluttered, just enough for Falco to catch a pair of violet irises. The baby squalled a little, but stopped immediately when Falco shushed him.
"Mr. Lombardi? I'm sorry, but may I go get him cleaned up and weighed?" she asked him. Falco nodded, and slipped his hand back into Dana's and let the nurse pick up the baby.
" What'd he look like?" Sergey asked.
" I barely saw them, but I swear to god he had Dana's eyes," Falco replied.
"He what?" Dana asked weakly, listening in. Falco moved the sweaty hair from her face.
"He had your eyes. I'm sure of it. But god he looked a lot like me."
" I wanted to see him."
"Sorry, I handed him off so they could clean him and weigh him."
"Mrs. Lombardi, the other one is almost out. Just a little more, dear," the doctor interrupted.
Dana squeezed her eyes shut, held tightly to both men's hands, and screamed as she gave a final push.
"Mrs. Lombardi, you're done."
"Great," Dana smiled weakly, and passed out.
"Dana?" She groaned in response to her husband's voice. Dana opened her eyes to look at Falco, then Krystal, Fox, Sergey, Katt Hunter and Jakob.
" Is it really over?" she asked. Falco chuckled and kissed her sweaty forehead.
"Yep. You're all done. The nurses are cleaning them up and bringing them out soon," he told her. Dana smiled and leaned back.
" How do you feel?" Krystal asked.
"Like crap. I'm tired, sweaty, and sore as hell, but a hundred times lighter," she laughed, and sat up a little. Dana was almost shocked at how much easier it was for her to move since her big bump was gone. She had almost forgotten how thin she really was, too.
" Mrs. Lombardi? Oh, good, you are awake," the nurse walked in with two blue blankets. " We have everything recorded. Have you thought of names yet?"
"Can we have a couple of minutes to think about that?" Dana asked.
The nurse, a coyote, smiled kindly. "Of course. I'm guessing you want to hold them?"
Dana smiled and nodded, and held out her arms. The nurse handed her both of them, and left. The others followed her, leaving the couple alone. Falco leaned over her and smiled when he saw the one he held earlier. "That one has your eyes," he whispered, pointing to him.
" Hmm. I think they're both beautiful. Falco, I really want one to be a Christian," Dana begged.
Falco shut his eyes, and re-opened them. "Fine. You can name one Christian..."
Dana smiled and kissed him. "Thank you."
"…But I want to name one Adrien."
Dana thought it over. "Adrien and Christian? Like, darkness and light?"
"Is that what Adrien and Christian mean?"
Dana nodded. "I like it. Adrien and Christian Lombardi."
" How about… Adrien Shane and Christian Blaise?" Falco asked.
"Shane?"
" Kind of like…" Falco took a deep breath. "Shawna?"
"My mom's name?"
"Why not? Adrien was your dad's name, Christian is my middle name. So, Shane as in Shawna…"
" … And Blaise as in?"
Falco blushed. "Blazer."
Dana laughed. "Okay, but don't tell him that."
"Hey," Krystal popped her head in. " You guys got names picked out?"
"I think so."
Falco nudged her. "Which ones which?"
"Which one do you want to name Adrien?"
Falco looked at them both. The one he didn't see before had slightly lighter blue plumage than his brother's, but had darker crimson feathers. Just Like Dana. He looked over at the little one that had the violet eyes, and picked him up as the rest came in behind Krystal. "This one," he said. Dana nodded, still slightly sweaty, and cuddled the other.
"Names?" the nurse asked.
Dana pointed to the one in her arms. " Christian Blaise Lombardi," she told the coyote. She nodded and wrote it down. "The other one?"
Falco looked up. "Adrien Shane Lombardi."
"Those are nice names," the nurse replied, and put her clipboard away.
Dana had to stay the night, so the Great Fox II was docked for awhile. Falco installed two car seats in the back seats of his sports car before going to pick up his wife and kids. Fox and Krystal would have to do the same thing soon, since Krystal was due in about a month. They were setting up Krystal's old room for when the baby got older, and Falco and Dana managed to get everything moved out of Dana's old room and set up what they needed. For now, however, the boys would be sleeping in their cribs in Falco and Dana's room.
Falco parked close to the hospital, and shut off his car. He took a couple of breaths before heading in. The lady at the front desk must have remembered him, because she smiled and gave him his wife's room without his asking. Falco nodded his thanks and walked down the hall. He knocked on the door and Dana came to open it.
The avian was taken aback by his wife's appearance; she looked exactly the way she did before she got pregnant. " I'm ready to go. Just have to get the boys," she said, and walked over to the cribs. Falco picked up Christian, who complained, opened his big electric blue eyes, and closed them again when he realized it was his father. Dana picked up Adrien, who looked up at her, and she gasped, seeing her violet irises perfectly reflected in his eyes.
" Oh my." Adrien let out a hiccuping giggle in response before laying his head back on his mother's shoulder.
"Told you Adrien had violet eyes," Falco replied.
Dana smiled and rubbed the little falcon's back. They were bombarded with people in the waiting room, most just walking over, telling them how cute they were, and going about their business. The lady at the desk gave them an even bigger smile when she saw Adrien and Christian and signed Dana out. They walked to the car and strapped the twins into the car seats.
"I missed you," Falco kissed Dana's hand when they got into the car. Dana leaned over and kissed his beak.
"I missed you, too."
After a day of passing the babies around and changing and feeding them, Falco left to take a shower, and walked out to find Dana watching over the boys, singing.
" I like to make myself believe,
That planet Earth turns,
Slowly,
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay
Awake when I'm asleep,
Because my dreams are bursting
At the seams."
" You have the most beautiful singing voice," Falco whispered, coming up behind Dana and wrapping his arms around her waist. She giggled and spun around to give him a passionate kiss on the beak.
" You've told me that before."
"Did I?"
" Mmm-hmm. When Jake and I first joined Starfox." (See Competition)
"Well, I'm saying it again. Anyway, ready to go to bed?" he asked.
Dana gave him a sneaky smile. " You bet."
Falco eyed her, and smiled. " Shouldn't we wait?"
Dana undid the buttons of her blouse. "I didn't wait for it before, I'm not going to wait for it now."
The avian smirked and got under the covers, only wearing a pair of sweatpants. " You didn't learn your lesson?"
"Nope."
"Tsk, tsk, Dana. What am I going to do with you?" Falco asked as Dana slipped under the covers in her bra and jeans.
"I have a couple of ideas," Dana wrapped her arms around Falco's waist as his right arm around her smaller waist, and finally flipped her onto her back gently and quietly, and leaned down to kiss her. That is the end of that story.