Mickey stirred as he woke from yet another deep slumber; the return trip to Pomona had been mainly a tired haze. He spent a good deal of it sleeping, as he figured he would. But he couldn't complain too much, considering most of his dreams were about Minnie and the tender moments they'd shared over the past few days. Occasionally, though, he dreamed about his attack in the alley. His memory of it was still foggy, but a few more details had come back to him… one of them being what that heavyset guard had said to him.

Should a' thought twice before yuh tried t' compete with yer betters.

Those words hung in the back of his mind, but his fear was more for Minnie then himself. If someone knew she had been leaving the castle, what if they told her father? He knew well that when it came to treason… or more appropriately imagined treason… the King would suspect anyone. It wasn't much of a stretch to imagine he might turn on his own daughter.

Those thoughts still swirling in his mind, Mickey pushed his eyes open. Feeling someone else's eyes on him, he turned his head to see a small, familiar face staring back at him. As soon as he met his eyes, the bunny's anxious look turned into a huge smile.

"Mama!" he called. "Unca Mickey's awake!"

Mickey could tell the bunny was struggling to restrain himself from bouncing on the bed as he went on in an eager but concerned tone.

"Ya feel okay, Unca Mickey? Did one a' the bad guys get ya?"

Before the mouse could answer, all the other bunny kids raced inside, closely followed by Oswald and Ortensia. The other bunnies began echoing their brother's enquiries, a few climbing up on the bed as well while the others bounced around like caffeinated jumping beans.

"All right, children," Ortensia said with a smile. "Let's all calm down… your uncle needs to take it easy."

"Aw, Mama," whined one bunny, but all of them immediately obeyed. Ortensia walked over to the bed, still smiling but with over-bright eyes.

"Thank goodness," she said softly. "We were all worried sick."

Mickey gave her a lopsided smile.

"Ah, ya can't get rid a' me that easy."

His eyes moved to Oswald, who still hadn't spoken. The rabbit had remained standing back, a frown on his face as he looked at the floor. Mickey felt a twinge of concern, a frown creasing his own face.

"Os? You okay?"

His brother let out a short, bitter-sounding laugh, still looking at the floor.

"Am I okay? Am I…"

He finally looked up, and Mickey could see the anger on his face. It didn't surprise him; he'd expected as much if the rabbit found out about what he was doing.

"In what way would I possibly be okay about this?"

Ortensia pressed her lips together.

"I think we need to give Daddy and Uncle Mickey some space."

The bunnies all drooped.

"But Mama," one on the bed protested. "We wanna stay."

Mickey reached out to pat the bunny's head, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Hey, don't ya worry… I'm not goin' anywhere."

Despite their obvious reluctance, the bunnies allowed Ortensia to shepherd them to the door.

"Please don't yell at Unca Mickey, Daddy," one said, her eyes wide and anxious. Oswald took a deep breath, then managed a small smile.

"Don't worry, sweetie… I'm not gonna yell."

Looking a little reassured at that, the bunnies all followed Ortensia out. When the door closed, Mickey let out quiet sigh.

"Look, Os, I know you're upset, but…"

"Of course I'm upset!" As he'd said, Oswald wasn't yelling, but there was no doubt he'd like to. "Did you seriously think I wouldn't be?"

He marched forward, narrowing his eyes.

"I mean, besides the fact that you lied to my face, you believed a complete stranger 'cause he told you th' Princess was in trouble? I mean, d' you realize how close ya came? Did ya even consider th' risk?"

"'Course I did," Mickey said, keeping his voice level. "But if ya thought Ortensia was in trouble, wouldn't you do th' same thing?"

Oswald glared at him, clenching his jaw. When he didn't answer right away, Mickey knew the answer was yes… the rabbit just didn't want to admit it. Finally, he let out a huff.

"What I'd do isn't th' point here. Th' point is, you're gettin' too close t' her."

Mickey narrowed his own eyes at that, his temper finally riled.

"Are ya serious? She's been riskin' everything t' help us for weeks now, she won't turn us in, she saved my life, and ya still don't trust her?"

Oswald's hands tightened into fists, clearly struggling to keep his own temper.

"That's not it! You've been puttin' yer neck on the line every day already, and knowin' ya can get this careless over her… I mean, ya almost died! Don't you get that?!"

There was something in Oswald's voice, something raw and desperate, that made Mickey hesitate to reply. Much to his surprise, the rabbit turned away toward a window, gripping the ledge and taking a few deep breaths. But when he spoke again, his voice was quiet, and Mickey could hear the tremor he couldn't quite suppress.

"Don't… do that to me. I can't… I couldn't… take that."

Mickey could only stare for a few moments, unable to speak. Then his throat tightened; Oswald wasn't the type of person to wear his heart on his sleeve unless he was feeling particularly happy or vulnerable. Memories of the days directly after their parents' deaths suddenly filled the mouse's mind. It was probably the lowest he had ever seen his brother; of course, Mickey had an idea of how he felt, but he hadn't had Oswald's difficult past.

"Os…" he said softly. "I… I'm sorry I scared ya, I just…"

"Just wanted t' help," Oswald finished. "Like ya always do."

He turned to face Mickey again, smiling now but in a strained way.

"I know ya can't stop being who ya are, and I don't want ya to. It's just… just like sometimes ya seem to think it wouldn't matter if ya weren't here."

Mickey wanted to say something to counter that, but the words didn't seem to come. That wasn't entirely true… Mickey knew his family cared enough to be very sad if he was gone, and there was always a risk of that considering what they were doing. But he had told himself they would understand, and they'd get over it. He supposed he always knew he was just saying that, but to hear it confirmed somehow made him feel even worse. With a quiet sigh he lowered his eyes, gazing at his hands.

"I'm sorry, Os," he murmured. "I should a' told you everything. I guess I just… was afraid ya wouldn't understand."

He glanced up to see the rabbit looking back at him with a soft, empathetic expression.

"I do understand. And ya were right… if I thought Ortensia was in trouble, I'd risk everything t' help her." He looked at Mickey for a few more moments, his gaze so intense it almost felt like he was looking right into the mouse.

"Ya love her."

It wasn't a question, and Mickey knew he didn't have to answer. He looked down again, clasping his hands together, and heard Oswald sigh.

"Mick, I get it… I do. But look at ya. We're already puttin' ourselves in danger, and this just made it worse."

Despite himself, Mickey felt a stirring of indignation.

"That's not her fault," he said angrily, but before he could continue Oswald held up a hand.

"Yeah, I know." He moved a little closer, resting that hand on Mickey's arm. "I just want ya to remember… you've got other people countin' on ya. Ya can't help them, or us, or her, if yer not here to do it. Will ya promise t' remember that? For us?"

Mickey felt his throat tighten again and swallowed hard before answering.

"I will," he said, then managed a small smile. "I promise."

At those words, he saw some of the fear go out of his brother's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, the rabbit wrapped Mickey in as gentle a hug as he could. That quiver was back in his voice when he spoke.

"You ever do this again, n' I'll whoop ya."

Mickey couldn't hold back a soft chuckle as he returned the hug.

"Got it."