Chapter 3

"Last piece, bandit," the red-clad chipmunk at the other end of the sofa said playfully. "Want it?"

Colin grinned at his friend and shook his head. "Help yourself, Alvin. You're younger than me, after all, and I've asked you not to call me that; it makes me sound like a character from a Burt Reynolds movie."

"A very wise decision." Alvin grinned, lifting out the last piece and setting the box aside. "If you don't want the name, get rid of the mask." He made short work of the pizza, then brushed off his hands and tapped the papers in front of him. "So do you get this a little better now?"

"Somehow, yes, you've managed to get it across a lot better than that substitute teacher we had last week. I'm vaguely frightened by that."

Alvin reached over and tapped the raccoon on the shoulder with one big fist and chuckled. "I get it because I don't sleep in class. You should try it sometime."

The slim raccoon stuck his tongue out at his friend and dropped his pencil onto the table. "Yeah, yeah, so sue me if I'm nocturnal."

"I suppose that's a decent excuse. Try it on my math teacher and you might find him a bit less accepting of that, though." Gathering his binders and notes, Alvin refilled his backpack and got up to set it next to the door of the small house, then returned and spead himslef on the sofa, scratching his chest. "So, want to watch a movie or something? I'm sure you've got something here both of us might find enjoyable."

Colin followed suit and got his gear together, setting it aside, and curled up on the other end of the sofa, his tail wrapped around his ankles. "Sounds like a good idea." He watched as the tall chipmunk stood, following his trim body with its slightly curled, shaggy-furry hair across the room, regarding him as Alvin sorted through his videotape collection, finally pulling out something Japanese that he cued up before returning.

"Subtitled," Alvin announced happily. "I know you're a purist with foreign films."

"Excellent!" The raccoon smiled across at his friend and turned to the screen, settling in to watch what turned out to be a reasonable samurai action flick, something he hadn't seen before. They watched mostly in silence, occasionally commenting on some quirk in the subtitling or laughing at a cliched bit.

Halfway through, Colin cranked his head around, rubbing the back of his neck and stretching until the tendons popped with an audible click.

Alvin looked across at him. "Sitting in the wrong position?" he inquired, his ears flicking.

"No, I've had this problem for a while," the raccoon replied, shifting his head back and forth. "I was in a car accident a few years ago, and every once in a while this flares up. It's been flaring for the last week now."

The chipmunk shifted on the sofa. "Turn around." Colin looked at him oddly, then shrugged and turned his back to Alvin, then moaned as a pair of small hands pressed on his shoulders, the thumbs kneading into his neck. "I'm pretty good at this." Alvin's fingers proved the truth of this statement as they worked firmly into the raccoon's muscles, smoothing away the pain with gentle motions.

"I'll say," Colin almost purred, leaning back into the touch. "Erik usually does this for me when this comes up. That's part of why it's a little worse than usual tonight."

Alvin worked his fingertips up the top of the raccoon's spine, smoothing through the brownish-grey fur above his shirt. "Yeah, he's been gone for what, two hours? When does he get home?"

His tail swishing softly, Colin closed his eyes and relaxed as Alvin's fingers smoothed up his neck. "Not quite that long. He'll probably be away for another hour or so." He rolled his shoulders a little. "It's been quiet around the house, and I've been having a little trouble keeping myself occupied. I'm so used to having someone around to play with."

"I can imagine. I'm used to playing with my brothers most of the time, but it is nice to be by yourself every now and again, when it's needed." He rubbed over Colin's shoulders and upper back slowly.

He leaned back and peacefully hummed, his tail twitching as he leaned into the rubbing a little more. The humming only intensified as he felt a pair of hands kneading his shoulders. "Say, that's kind of nice," he cooed, leaning into the massage. His eyes began to close.

Alvin grinned. "Is it? I was told once I had magic fingers."

"Oh, you do. You do." Colin shivered, his fur bristling in a wave down to the tail. "I'm filing away your skills in massage for later use. You really don't have to do this, you know."

Alvin replied by continuing to rub Colin's back, using firm pressure as he traced the dark trail of fur that traveled down his spine. "Where does it hurt most?"

"Mmm. A little lower."

Alvin's palm traveled in a firm circle around the lower back. Although his touch was firm, he took care not to aggravate any potential bruises or breaks. He then worked back up to the shoulders as he was treated to a round of intense purring. Smiling, he brushed up and down the arms, parting the coarse fur.

Leaning forward, Colin grabbed a drink and straw and began to sip with the bottle between his legs. His back relaxed while his tongue tangled with the fizz; he swished, finally swallowing as the carbonation subsided. A burp escaped through his nose, burning it along with his throat. "Ah, that's the sweet stuff," he said, his eyes narrowed.

"What is?"

"Both."

Alvin emitted a chuckle and kept rubbing as the two fell silent and went back to movie watching, his fingers kneading the raccoon's muscles and spine, Colin slowly relaxing along the way.

After a moment Colin tossed the straw and gulped down the rest of the beverage. He cooed, letting another burp tingle his nostrils before leaning forward to stretch his back; an audible sloshing came from his full belly as the drink settled. "Hey, man, do you think you could put those magic fingers of yours to work on my tail? That might be sore too."

"Might be?"

"Maybe." The raccoon chuckled.

Alvin paused, his hands lifting away from the fur. "Now wait a minute. Are you sure this is you talking and not just the sugar?"

"Alvin, my friend, of course not." He sat upward again, looking over his shoulder enough to catch a pair of wide eyes and a slackened jaw.

"Well . . ." Alvin began as he felt the tail brushing against his side. "That does make sense. And . . ." He laughed. "That tickles."

"Naturally."

With a reluctant nod, Alvin eased his trembling paws to the tail, pulling away at the last second as though it were scalding. He then let them drift back, resting in the middle. He caught his breath as his heart became a battering ram to his ribs. Upon hearing the purrs resume, he cradled it while using the other paw to trace around each ring up to the base, and then back to the tip where he gently squeezed. The fur was as rough as on his back, at times resembling a bundle of miniature pine needles. "Maybe you should try some conditioner," he suggested while stroking the length of the tail. "I hear it makes you silky smooth and shiny."

Colin only chirped in reply, as he was too busy enjoying himself to say that he didn't need any. With his eyes closed, he bobbed his head while he tapped his paws and feet against the tile as though he were moved by music only he could hear. Had his tail been free, it would have swished as well.

Alvin grinned, beginning to relax as he was pleased that he was pleasing Colin. Lifting the tail by the tip, he scratched underneath, wiggling his fingers in a light, playful motion. Within the same instant he was interrupted by another shiver, this one more intense than the last. His eyebrows rose as he saw Colin's feet clench tightly and then relax as he exhaled.

"Okay, that was really good," Colin shuddered. He continued to purr as he turned sideways, his excited tail doing its best helicopter impression for a moment. "So good, in fact, I'm going to get you a treat." He sprang to his feet and ran off towards the kitchen, returning moments later with a miniature bag of potato chips for the both of them.

As the movie ran down, Colin yawned, emitting a squeak that got laughter from both, Alvin from being amused, Colin from being embarrassed.

"Someone's tired," the chipmunk commented, scratching between Colin's small, rounded ears, getting a nod in return.

"Yeah, I should probably be getting to bed, but that just feels way too good," the raccoon responded, straightening a little. "You probably want to get to bed too."

The chipmunk's fingers stroked down over Colin's shoulders once again, his nails brushing through the fur on Colin's neck, silenence falling over them once again, if only for a moment. He surprised his friend, though, when he spoke. "Colin, would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

Leaning forward, Colin turned around to look at the chipmunk, one eyebrow raised. "Sleep, as in . . ."

Alvin's ears twitched as he smiled. "Well, I just thought it'd be nice so we both wouldn't be so lonely. Frankly, I've been missing having someone to sleep with myself. I'm not really asking for . . . well, anything, really. I just thought that since you mentioned you don't like sleeping alone, maybe you would appreciate some company for the night."

The raccoon swished his ringed tail softly and regarded Alvin for a long moment. "You're okay with just sharing a bed, if that's all that I feel like?"

"Of course, Colin. I don't know how open things are with you and Erik, so I wouldn't want to do anything you wouldn't want to, or anything that might damage that."

Colin shook his head. "Oh, that's not what I was asking, Alvin. I'm just not sure if I'd be willing to do more than sleep."

The chipmunk smiled. "That's what beds are made for, isn't it?"

"Well, that depends on who you talk to." He chuckled at his own joke, and nodded. "Okay. I would appreciate some company tonight. Thanks."

Alvin reached over and ruffled the fur on the coon's head. "Excellent choice." He smiled. "Thank you." He stood and stretched, then turned off the TV. "Well, go ahead and get yourself ready for beddy-bye time, then, bandit. I don't have much of a pre-bed routine myself."

"I'm very much the same way." Colin also stood and followed the chipmunk into the slightly cluttered bedroom, the sheets of his large bed scattered about. "You and Erik are similar housekeepers, anyhow. I always have to make the bed."

"It just gets unmade every night, so I figure why bother?"

Colin stripped off his shirt and stepped into the bathroom. Alvin followed suit, using the bathroom and returning to find the raccoon shedding the rest of his clothing, displaying his muscular form for a moment before tugging the sheets back and slipping into the bed. Feeling just a bit self-conscious, the chipmunk slipped out of his shorts and slid into bed next to Colin, who adjusted the sheets for him and smiled as he reached for the bedside light. "Sleep well, bandit," he murmured as the light flicked off.

"You too, Alvin." Colin sorted himself out in the unfamilar bed, settling onto one side facing away from the other; he felt Alvin shuffling around as well until his back came to rest against Colin's, the bush of his tail draping down over Alvin's body. The warmth and weight of the other form felt just right, and Colin realized he truly had missed sharing a bed with someone else while Erik was gone. It was comfortable, and he smiled as he slipped down into a restful sleep.

Colin woke up in the middle of the night. He turned on his other side to see Alvin sleeping soundly beside him. As quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb his brother, he slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen.

He fixed himself a glass of milk and mixed honey with it. He sat down at the table. He felt his stomach flip when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He hoped that it wasn't his mother. He didn't feel like hearing a lecture about the importance of a good night's sleep.

Erik and Marshmallow entered the dining room.

"What are you doing up?" Colin asked.

"Would you mind me asking why you're up?" Marshmallow asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Colin explained. He took a drink of milk.

"You know what helps me relax?" Erik asked.

Colin and Marshmallow stared at each other, then looked at Erik. "Food?" they both guessed.

Erik nodded. "Right."

"I am a bit hungry," Colin admitted.

"Me, too," Marshmallow agreed.

"Do we still have some leftover spaghetti?" Colin asked.

"We should," Marshmallow stated.

Colin went over to the fridge and looked inside. He pulled out a pot. He took off the lid and took a whiff. "Mm, smells great."

"Well, don't just stand there," Erik said. "Heat some up on a plate and feed me!"

Colin grabbed a paper plate and dumped some spaghetti on it, then put it in the microwave for a minute.

"I'm curious," Erik declared. "What did you eat while on the island?"

"Some gray matter that tasted like trash," Colin explained.

"That should be right up your alley, Colin," Marshmallow stated. "You love digging through trash."

Colin smiled at her.

The microwave beeped and Erik got his plate of spaghetti.

"Marshmallow, you're next," Colin stated.

Finally, Colin fixed his own plate of spaghetti and sat down at the table with his siblings.

"Marshmallow, how did you fare when I was gone?" Colin asked.

"I just moped around the house," Marshmallow replied as she ate another forkful of spaghetti.

"Tell me, Colin," Erik stated. "Do you think I look better fat or thin?"

"When I came off the plane, you looked great," Colin told him. "I didn't even recognize you at first, but I must say you look cuter fat."

Erik grinned. "Melissa thinks so, too."

"Did you guys ever lose hope while I was gone?" Colin inquired.

"Lots of times," Marshmallow told him.

"Mom and I had to take sleeping pills 'cause our worry over you kept us awake," Erik added. "Marshmallow, Melissa, and I got suspended from school because we were emotionally unstable."

"Man, you guys had it rough," Colin said. "Sorry for all the trouble I caused you." He took a drink of milk.

"Well, it wasn't all bad," Erik reassured him. "For example, Melissa got really fat and I got really thin, so it worked out for both of us."

"It was really boring without you here, Colin," Marshmallow declared. "When you left, it was like you took the fun with you. No one felt like celebrating anything."

"Like Erik said, I'm a party animal," Colin said. "I'm the party animal of the family."

"That, you are," Erik agreed. "You were always the fun one."

Marshmallow burped as she finished off her milk. "Well, I'm stuffed."

"That's a first," Colin muttered.

"I'm going back to bed," Marshmallow said. She got up from her seat and went to the sink. She ran water over her plate, washing off the sauce and remains of meat. She rinsed off her glass and put the two dishes in the sink before going down the hall to her bedroom.

Colin and Erik finished their meals shortly afterwards.

Colin started to go down the hall to the bedroom that he shared with Erik. He suddenly stopped noticing that Erik wasn't following him. Walking back in the dining room, he discovered that Erik was still sitting at the table. "Erik, aren't you coming to bed?"

Erik turned his head to look at the raccoon standing behind him. "You go ahead. I'm going to stay up a little longer and snack a little more."

Colin nodded. "All right. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't."

It wasn't until he heard the door to his bedroom close that Erik rose from his seat. Using a chair, he was able to climb onto the counter and open one of the cabinets. This particular cabinet contained items such as snack cakes, Pop-Tarts, granola bars, and boxes of cereal. After pushing aside the boxes of cereal, he stumbled upon his favorite snack: a jar of peanut butter.

With the jar of peanut butter in his paw, he hopped down to the floor and walked over to the dining room table. He set the jar down on the table and took off the red lid.

He read the title on the jar: "Creamy peanut butter." His mother was the only member in the household who liked the other kind of peanut butter: "Crunchy peanut butter." She claimed that it helped her get more protein. As for Erik, Colin, and Marshmallow, they all preferred the creamy kind of peanut butter for several reasons. For one thing, the peanuts that were mixed in with the peanut butter of the crunchy peanut butter got caught in their throats, causing them to choke. Another reason was because making a peanut butter sandwich with the crunchy kind of peanut butter was challenging. This kind of peanut butter wasn't as smooth as the creamy kind of peanut butter, making spreading the peanut butter over the bread a frustrating experience. Plus, when attempting to do so, it only ended up ruining the bread.

Erik sniffed at the brown contents within the jar. It smelled heavenly. He took a little taste off the tip of his finger. It was delicious! He took another nibble, and then scooped up a bigger fingerful. He sucked it off and swallowed the peanut butter without really chewing it first. This stuff was good!

He crammed the peanut butter into his cheeks. The roof of his mouth was coated with the peanut butter. He allowed his tongue to caress it. He attempted to swallow, but couldn't.

The fat skunk paused and tried again. He carefully pulled out one ball of peanut butter and then the other. His cheeks were coated with a fine layer of peanut butter and yet his mouth was dry. He attempted to swallow, but failed. He found that he was unable to move anything. He took a breath and found this too was difficult.

He had to get water! Through watery eyes, he looked across the room to see the sink. It wasn't too far away. He began running towards it, but after only a few feet, he ended up falling over. Gasping hard, he stretched out a paw towards the sink while clawing at his throat. His tongue tried to lick the substance off the roof of his mouth. All this did was cause his tongue to become coated with peanut butter. The peanut butter was still at the back of his throat, refusing to budge.

He needed water.

He needed help.

But what he needed most of all was Colin.

Colin started down the hall, heading towards the bathroom. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a whimper. He started in the direction where the noise had come from. What he saw scared the snot out of him.

Erik was lying on the kitchen floor with his mouth open and an expression of utmost fear on his face. He looked like he was in pain. He desperately clawed at his throat while he violently kicked his legs.

Though he was too scared to move, Colin quickly overcame his fear and walked over to the overweight skunk. Stopping, he looked down at his friend. "Erik, are you okay?"

Erik shook his head, wheezing. His eyes were shining with frustrated tears as he tried to gesture what was wrong. He hadn't made it to the sink, unfortunately. He couldn't run, nor could he breathe. With his paws folded at his throat, he looked up at Colin, pleading with the raccoon to help with his eyes.

"Are you choking?" Colin asked. He gently grabbed Erik by the ribs and lifted the skunk up. "Okay, take it easy. I'll get it out."

Erik tried to protest, but Colin's paws slammed in between his stomach, right under his ribs. He squirmed, unable to scream. His tail slammed desperately against Colin's side. Colin was trying to help him, but he wasn't getting it!

"Erik, hold still," Colin ordered. "I can get it out!"

Erik kept whacking at Colin with his tail, trying his best to get out of Colin's grasp. This was not helping him breathe at all. His heart felt constricted and there was a blackness starting to creep in on the edge of his vision. It terrified him. He was squeaking faintly. He pushed his feet against the floor, pushing his paws against Colin's chest and trying to shove his paws away. "Erik," he heard Colin groan. "Erik, you're not helping!" Colin sounded angry.

At the pinnacle of terror, the skunk did the only thing he could think of to do, though he'd feel horrible about it later. He bit Colin's paw.

Colin yelled and let go, sending Erik rolling tail over heels to lie panting less than a foot away. Colin glanced angrily at his paw to see if it was bleeding. It wasn't, but there was something gooey on it that had come from Erik's mouth. Something that smelled familiar. He sniffed it.

"Oh, no . . . Erik!" Colin went over to the skunk and lifted him tenderly. Erik didn't have the strength to push him away in protest, but he had started to cry and claw at his throat once again. "Oh, Erik, how much did you eat?" Colin pried his mouth open gently and looked inside. There was enough peanut butter at the back of Erik's mouth to block his air passageway. He tried to reach a finger in and scoop some of it away. He managed to clear a bit. This sent Erik into a gagging fit. Nothing came out, although it was loosened.

Erik coughed and clutched his throat.

"Easy, now," Colin said. "Relax." He rubbed his back. He tried to think. His finger couldn't do it. He needed something with a rough texture that would clear it out. Something flexible and wide . . . He wiped his paw off while he thought. The peanut butter stuck to his fur. He grimaced and licked it off, spitting it back onto the floor. He stared back at Erik for a moment before realizing what he'd done, and what he had to do.

"Oh, no." He sighed and his face grew determined. This was for Erik, and it was his fault he hadn't explained why even humans sometimes had problems with this particular food item. He licked his lips and gently brought Erik's face close to his. "Okay," he said, trying to get the dazed skunk to focus on him. Erik's eyes locked onto his, still holding a measure of hope. "Erik, listen. I'm going to . . ."

Hearing the concerned cries of Colin led Marshmallow to wonder what was going on outside her bedroom. Besides, she wanted to grab a little something to munch on before wandering off back to her bedroom. She paused as she heard a voice up ahead. She stopped to try to identify it.

Colin was saying something rather conspiratorially and sounded panicked. He'd mentioned Erik's name.

Marshmallow blinked, wondering what in heaven's name was going on. Usually, Erik talked a mile a minute, but he was apparently letting Colin talk without interruption.

This was weird.

Marshmallow squinted and tried to listen.

" . . . Going to put this in your mouth," Colin was saying. "It'll feel a little weird, but trust me, it's the only way we're going to be able to do this. You with me, kid?"

There was a pause.

"Okay," Colin continued. "Whatever I push down there, you need to swallow. And for the love of all things holy, please don't bite."

Marshmallow blinked. "What?" She listened for more, but only heard a very soft squeak of discomfort. Then, nothing. Cautiously and slowly, she peeked around the corner, and what she saw made her eyes widen.

Marshmallow watched breathlessly and in mute outrage as Colin's paw went to the back of Erik's neck, holding him in place as the raccoon's muzzle pressed against Erik's. She saw a pink slip of tongue dart into Erik's mouth. Her brother arched his back. His eyes brought forth tears. He looked utterly terrified. His paws clenched the fur on Colin's chest. He shook pitifully, yet Colin didn't let go.

Marshmallow felt herself boiling in rage. How dare he! How dare Colin take advantage of poor sweet Erik, who she knew for a fact didn't want to be kissed like that! She had seen what other people went through, but she had never thought Colin would be the type to use someone else, much less Erik.

Marshmallow stood up and marched over to Colin and Erik. "Colin! I cannot believe you!"

Colin whimpered in alarm against Erik's mouth and his eyes darted to Marshmallow.

"Yes, I was watching," Marshmallow went on. "I heard everything! How dare you take advantage of Erik? How could you? Don't you know how easily he gets attached? And you're just going to use him?"

Colin rolled his eyes. He had yet to pull away from Erik. His tongue worked frantically to dislodge the last bit of the peanut butter. Marshmallow was still ranting away, and it was beginning to get on his last nerve.

"I trusted you," Marshmallow continued. "We all trusted you, and you're . . . Look at you! You haven't even stopped! Have you no shame?!"

Colin shut his eyes, trying his best to pretend that Marshmallow wasn't there. His tongue . . . almost . . . had it . . . There! He pulled the last glob of peanut butter out of Erik's mouth.

The skunk gasped and fell back. He was caught by the arms by Colin, who spat the gob of peanut butter at Marshmallow's feet.

"I ought to break your tail off and stuff it down in your . . . your . . ." Marshmallow stopped, noticing a brown substance on the floor. "What's that?" She pointed to the brown substance that remained by her feet.

"Peanut butter," Colin said, wiping his mouth with a free paw. With the other, he pulled Erik close. The skunk buried his face in Colin's chest, taking deep, ragged breaths. "He had a little too much," he explained as he patted Erik's back.

Marshmallow blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I thought . . ." Marshmallow began sheepishly.

Colin waved a paw. He didn't much care to talk about it. "No need. It's all good. The important thing is that Erik is all right."

A whimper interrupted them.

Colin blinked and looked down.

So did Marshmallow.

Erik was still clutching at the fur on Colin's chest with his face buried in it.

"I don't like peanut butter," he finally said in a small voice.

Marshmallow looked at him and then at Colin who was already beginning to rub Erik's back in an effort to get the skunk to calm down.

"I got him," Colin said.

After a moment, Marshmallow nodded and walked off.

Colin watched her leave and looked down at Erik. "I know. I'm sorry I had to do that."

"It's okay." Erik's tail twitched and curled around his feet, draping over Colin's lap.

Colin rested his back against one of the legs of the kitchen table and began stroking the white fur behind Erik's ears.

"That thing you did earlier . . ." Erik said. ". . . that rib-pokey thing? Th-That was bad. The kissing thing was okay, though."

"Uh, it wasn't exactly kissing," Colin corrected.

"It felt nice, though. What was it?"

"Uh . . I don't really know what it could be called. It was certainly not CPR."

"What's see-pee-arr?" Erik had never taken health class since it was not a requirement for graduation.

"Uh . . . hmm. Maybe it was French CPR. It stands for cardiovascular . . . something."

"I like kissing better."

"For the last time, it wasn't kissing . . ." Colin trailed off with a startled blink as Erik gave him a little kiss-a real one-on the raccoon's nose.

Erik snuggled back under his chin. "Like that," he murmured, starting to get comfortable.

Colin looked down and kissed him very softly on the head. "Yeah. Like that." Hearing snoring, he looked down to see that Erik had fallen asleep. He smiled and watched Erik sleep for the longest time, all the while thinking: He's so . . . calm. How does he do it?

Colin was still awake long after everyone else had gone to sleep. He couldn't sleep. He wasn't tired, not much anyways. He couldn't think of anything that would help him fall asleep. "Okay, let me think. Hmm . . ., something boring. Uh . . . sleeping. Sleeping is boring."

All of the members of his family were peacefully and soundly sleeping. Well, everyone except Erik. The fat skunk was twitching and talking in his sleep yet again. Colin focused his attention on his friend. "What is with him anyways? He's so . . . different compared to the others."

As he pondered at the thought, Erik began to talk out loud in his sleep, Colin hopped to the floor, wanting to see what Erik was dreaming about, but the toys that were scattered across the floor underneath his feet proved it would be difficult to sneak up on him quietly. Still, Colin knew that Erik was definitely dreaming about something. The proof of this was due to Erik's excessive twitching and kicking. "What are you up to?" Colin whispered in Erik's ear faintly.

Colin sat down on the side of the bed, next to his dreaming friend "What are you dreaming of? Soda, nacho flavored chips, cookies, or . . .?" He paused as he heard his name being uttered: "Colin . . ." This sole word that slipped from Erik's mouth left the raccoon stunned.

"Uh, Erik? What about me?" Colin was really curious now. Dreaming was one thing but when it was about him . . . Well, he couldn't help but want to know what Erik was dreaming of.

Erik turned over and mumbled something. What Colin didn't realize was that Erik was fully awake and was still trying to pretend he was asleep. The skunk thought of what he would say in his sleep, and immediately mumbled the word "Cookies."

Colin sighed "Well, whatever. I guess it's nothing, I better be getting to sleep myself." He patted Erik's head, smiling down at the plump skunk. "Goodnight, Erik." He stood back up and walked to his bed and climbed back in it, gently resting his head in the center of his pillow. He didn't think much more of Erik's dream. It wasn't like he was screaming in his sleep or anything. Besides, Erik was so random, especially in his emotions, while awake that Colin wouldn't have been surprised if he was the same way while asleep as well.

Erik, on the other hand, was still awake and wanted to go back to sleep, but couldn't. He turned on his side and looked over at the bed that Colin slept in "Goodnight, Colin. I hope it really will be a good night. Colin, I did dream about you. I had a very nice dream, but . . ." He stopped talking and felt his heart sink at the thought. He remembered what had been happening almost every night, and to be perfectly honest, he was tired of it. He wanted it to end. It had to eventually. No more pain, no more disturbing images, no more anything. He only wished he had his nice dream about Colin as many times as he had the nightmares. He curled up comfortably and closed his eyes, hoping he would instantly fall asleep. It seemed impossible for him to sleep well at all anymore.

"No, this can't be happening!" Erik yelled as he watched something dark surround Colin like a whirlwind. It was his nightmare. Everything the darkness touched had turned into a twilight reality of what was once their home. The trees were becoming dead and hard as stone as the grass was replaced with a cold rough terrain. The sun was gone and replaced with a gray and stormy sky so that not even the stars and moon were visible. Their home had become a wasteland, even worse; there was no sign of everyone else anywhere. It was just Colin, Erik, and the dark. Colin suddenly collapsed to the ground in front of him.

"Colin! Colin, hang on, I'm here. Just hang on . . ." Erik felt as if he could stand up and resist the gusts of wind coming out of nowhere but only ended up falling on Colin in attempting to do so. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Erik asked as he slowly got back to his feet.

Colin twitched slightly and began to get up slowly as well. "Erik . . ., I . . . I'm sorry, but . . . you did this . . ." the raccoon mumbled under his breath as he stared at the ground.

Erik felt something sharp hit him in the chest but couldn't see what it was; it was an invisible pain coming from within him. He began to breathe heavily, trying to gasp for air as Colin began to hold his paw tight.

"Erik, what's wrong? Is your chest hurting? Please, tell me. Why? Why is your chest hurting?" To Erik, Colin looked bizarre. His face kept distorting in weird ways as he talked to Erik.

"I can't tell you, Colin," Erik whispered

"Why?" Colin replied in a soft tone "Are you afraid? Are you afraid of me?"

"No, I'm not afraid of you, but I . . . I . . ." Erik was stopped by Colin, who held Erik's paw tight, rather painfully.

Colin looked deeply at him and whispered, "Erik, do . . . do you love me?" in his ear, which caused Erik to shiver. He smiled. "I think I know what's wrong now." He pointed at Erik's chest. "Your chest is hurting, Erik. Do you know why?"

Erik looked down at his chest and was terrified at what he saw happening. His chest was bleeding slowly and his black fur was becoming stained. What happened next freaked him out even more; Colin lunged at Erik and sunk his canine teeth deep into his shoulder. After a few seconds, he pulled away and began licking the wounds

"Do you still love me?" Colin said as a lightning bolt scorched the sky. When the lightning stopped, Erik noticed Colin was gone and the trees and sky were normal. He also took note of the fact that he was awake.

Erik began to cry almost immediately as he awoke, but he couldn't help it. After all, this nightmare was worse than some of the last ones that he'd had.

He wanted it to end, but it wouldn't. Any attempt he made to wish away his own fears brought them back twice as worse. He looked over at the bed Colin was still sleeping in and decided he wanted to at least be nearer to the raccoon. He got out of bed and got as comfortable as he could right next to the raccoon, lightly wrapping his arm around the raccoon's slim waist and did what he could to fall asleep. There was only one thought in Erik's head, which he spoke out loud as he lightly stroked Colin's face. "I don't know if I'll stop feeling this way about you, but one thing that I do know is that I don't want to. I don't know if these nightmares will keep getting worse, but they have to stop. Whether it's a good or bad night, Colin, I always think of you. Good night." He yawned as he fell back into a sleepy slumber. Little did he know, he wasn't the only one having nightmares.

A shifting body and a trace of light were enough to bring Colin to some resemblance of being awake; he muttered something quietly and moved under the sheets, moaning as he cuddled into the warm fur of the other body pressed against his back. An answering rumble came from the other side of the bed and a warm arm rested against his shoulders; the incongruity of the deep growl rather than his friend's usual lighter sounds reminded Colin of where he was, and he opened his eyes to look around in the soft morning light coming through the cracks of the window blinds.

Carefully sliding out of the bed, Colin stretched and made his way into the bathroom, then returned and curled back up under the sheets. The chipmunk on the other side smiled sleepily at him and made the same trip. He watched Alvin move across the hall, surveying the somewhat muscular build; he didn't often find boys with big muscles worth looking at, but Alvin wasn't a hardcore bodybuilder, and his trim form was just fine, the raccoon reflected as the chipmunk returned to the bed. Colin rolled partway onto his back and smiled. "Morning."

"Morning, bandit," Alvin replied as he slid again under the covers and settled in on his side, a comfortable weight. A paw scratched lightly behind Colin's ear and he purred. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually." Shifting, Colin shuffled back against Alvin's hand, and Alvin's arm slipped around his chest, his warm, firm body settling against the raccoon's back. "Mm. comfy."

"Glad to hear that. Nice to have this extra body heat in the mornings, isn't it?"

Colin yawned a little and snuggled against the chipmunk a little more. "Mmm. If you're used to it. Erik's cat doesn't really replace it."

"Mm." Alvin's fingers lightly scratched at the center of Colin's chest; the raccoon moaned softly and relaxed against the smaller child, eyes drifting closed, then opening again as he felt something pressing against the back of his leg. He shifted a little, and Alvin did the same, moving away a little. "Sorry," he murmured, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Colin reached down and scratched the chipmunk's leg softly. "Don't be sorry, Alvin." He edged back into contact, relaxing into the chipmunk's touch, feeling that warm and slightly hardening pressure against his leg. "You feel nice."

Chuckling, Alvin rubbed the raccoon's chest, snuggling. "Guess sharing a bed with such a cute little raccoon as you does something for me. Glad it doesn't bother you."

"Nah, it's kinda flattering." Colin moved his leg and felt the chipmunk flinch slightly and the pressure grow more, then he rolled onto his back and looked up at Alvin, lying on his side. "Really flattering, actually." He smiled and reached up to scratch the fur that covered Alvin's chin.

Regarding the raccoon, Alvin lifted an eyebrow, still stroking the milky white colored fur on Colin's chest and pressing his muzzle against Colin's paw. "Is that so?"

Colin leaned over and softly licked the chipmunk's nose, his paw drifting down to rub down Alvin's side. "Yeah."

"What are you guys doing?"

Both looked up to see Erik sitting up in his bed.

"Nothing, nothing," Colin said quickly. "We were just waking up. Come on, Alvin, let's go see what's for breakfast."

While Alvin and Marshmallow went to play in the snow, Erik and Colin decided to have a nice breakfast together.

"How'd you sleep?" Colin asked.

"Pretty good," Erik replied. "How 'bout you?"

"Great." He cleared his throat. "I made you breakfast." He walked over to the table with the plate of pancakes and set them on the table.

"Thanks."

Colin pulled out the chair and smiled at the skunk. "Well, sit down."

Erik sighed. He couldn't fight his appetite. He sat down in the chair.

Colin sat down in the seat to Erik's left. He scooted the plate over to himself and picked up the top pancake and dangled it in Erik's face. Syrup dripped from its edges and splattered onto the table. "Open wide."

Erik opened his mouth as wide as he could. Colin shoved the pancake into his mouth, swelling his cheeks to immense size.

"Eat up, Erik," Colin said as he patted the skunk's head. He turned to leave the room, but before he could go anywhere Erik grabbed his paw, quickly pulling him back

"You will come back, won't you?" Erik asked Colin in a soft voice.

With a nod, Colin replied, "Yeah, I'll be back later to check on your progress."

"Yeah, all right, but, Colin, I'd like to talk to you later on about something kind of weird," Erik said, standing up and placing a shaking paw on top of Colin's.

Noticing the gesture, the raccoon looked down at his paw for a moment or two before glancing back up at the fat skunk in front of him. "Really? Er, what kind of weird stuff?" Colin was curious. Erik wasn't likely the one to talk about anything on his own, only with Colin.

Erik shrugged. "You know, stuff like, uh, stars and dreams." Erik tried not to make it sound like it was his erotic dreams that were bugging him, but he suspected that Colin knew something was amiss.

Colin had to pause for a moment before responding to the skunk's question. Dreams, he thought. Dreams of what? He was no stranger to nightmares and had them quite often, but most of them were unrelated to any actual events in his life, except for the last few which revolved around Erik or someone else who haunted him. It was someone who had stayed in his memory for the longest time, someone who would rarely be forgotten. "Okay," Colin agreed. He kissed Erik on the cheek, then left the room.

Erik devoured his pancakes and washed them down with a gallon of milk. He was still hungry, so he ate several bowls of cereal before Colin arrived back in the kitchen, for which he was grateful for. Erik saw this as his perfect chance to actually get to know Colin a little better away from the company of the others. Besides, he wanted to tell Colin more about himself as well. Sure, they recognized each other as friends, something which Erik wanted to change.

"Hey, Colin, I thought maybe we could, uh, talk now," Erik asked, hoping that the raccoon hadn't forgotten.

Colin quickly remembered his promise to the skunk. "Oh, yeah, sorry, Erik, I almost forgot." He pulled out a chair from its original position and sat down. He smiled when he noticed that Erik had completely consumed all of the pancakes that had been on his plate. "So, Erik how's it been going for you? You know, living here without me?" he asked. He wondered if they should attempt to find a more private place so they could talk.

"It was fun," Erik replied. "I mean, we did nothing really but mourn you being away, but it was still fun." He was trying to be himself, but was quickly becoming monotonous. "But we didn't have you here . . . so it was boring. Hey, how about we go to the park?" Before Colin could respond, he zipped through the doorway and past the driveway, stopping in the middle of the front lawn. Since Colin was not able to dash around at incredible speeds, he had to catch up the hard way.

"Don't just leave me back there, Erik, dang," Colin said, breathing heavily, thus causing the skunk to laugh at him. "Give me a chance to catch my breath a little."

Once they were settled underneath a tree at Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Colin started the conversation: "So, what exactly are we talking about here, Erik? Stuff like cookies, candy, or . . . stuff like-"

"You," Erik said softly, interrupting the raccoon in the process. He leaned to the right until his head was resting on Colin's shoulder. He began fondling the fur on Colin's chest with his finger. Lifting his gaze, he looked up at the raccoon. "Something about you."

Colin wondered why Erik wanted to talk about him, but could see in Erik's eyes that it must have been important. "Okay, like what?" he asked, getting himself comfortable next to the skunk.

Erik sighed. "Nightmares. I had some nightmares about you, weird ones."

Colin felt himself gulp. Nightmares about me? "Uh, how weird are we talking here?" he asked, slowly hoping that the reply he got wouldn't be similar to the dreams he himself had been having.

Erik looked up at the blue sky. "It was dark, very dark. Nothing was bright and happy, not even the sun. You were there; a shadow monster thing attacked you." He held his breath as Colin held his paw in an attempt to comfort him.

"What else happened?" Colin was already freaked out by what he was hearing so far. For one, the background of their nightmares were very similar, almost the same.

"You hurt me. You bit me and when I looked down your paw was stabbing me." Erik felt torn inside. Just imagining it brought back his fear and pain.

Colin was stunned. I hurt him? Why would he dream of me hurting him? "Erik, it's okay. Look, I don't know if this can help but . . ." He pulled him back into a warm hug and gently rubbed his back.

Erik lessened his grip on Colin, but still remained close to him. He saw that Colin was in a daze, looking into space. "Colin, what's bothering you?" His outburst nearly caused Colin to jump.

Colin shook his head from side to side and mumbled, "It's nothing. Really, nothing." He didn't really know why it still bothered him. After all, it was only a nightmare, but it was so real that that the feeling stayed with him.

"Colin, I know when someone's scared about stuff, 'cause I'm scared a lot, too," Erik said, trying not to make it sound like Colin wasn't afraid the best he possibly could.

Colin ignored what Erik said and continued to think about his nightmare. It was only a nightmare . . . he wouldn't ever come back, I know he can't. He was suddenly snapped out of his deep thought and turned his attention back to Erik. "I guess I could tell you. Okay, remember the Founders I told you all about? Well, Mark caused them a lot of problems. For some reason, they hated him. It wasn't that bad, though. Eventually, Grafton left him alone and we were able to hang out and be friends again. Well, at least for a while." He paused just long enough for Erik to throw in a question.

"Hmm . . . oh, yeah, about that. Er, right, whatever happened with your friend?" He wanted to know the full story for himself now that they were talking about it.

"Oh, him? Our friendship ended pretty roughly with him killing himself." He was surprised how easy it was for him to tell Erik something like that. It wasn't like when he was talking to everybody else, probably because he didn't feel like he had to worry about the outcome of what he said.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Erik was curious to know every detail and reclined against the trunk of the tree, preparing to take mental notes.

"Erik, I really don't feel like talking about it anymore. Well, at least not like this. You see, I had this nightmare. It was about him." Colin had been keeping it to himself for quite some time. His nightmare, it haunted him nearly every night. He wanted it to end but felt it wouldn't unless he told someone. He hated the fact that he had to go to others for help every now and then for his problems because he usually fixed things on his own. "Well, you see, I was in the house and it started shaking. Everything was pretty much like it was in your dream, dead looking. Then I remember being attacked by Grafton in the first nightmare. But then the second . . . I don't know. It kind of looked like him but I couldn't tell. I know it was only a dream, it felt so real, though. When he attacked me, he was laughing. He wanted to kill me." He expected this to make Erik shiver some, to say the least. Instead, the skunk just listened quietly, still relaxed and calm.

"It's only a nightmare, Colin, not real. You shouldn't let it get to you. It's not real, just like dreams," Erik said, beginning to lightly rub Colin's side.

Colin didn't know what Erik was up to, but he assumed Erik was just comforting him. In reality, Erik was doing something he couldn't openly do around everybody else. It was part of the dream he had, the dream about Colin. "Erik, what are you doing?" he asked, gently putting his own paw on Erik's.

Erik continued stroking Colin's side almost in a trancelike state. "I'm just making you feel better, like what you did for me." He ceased what he was doing, leaned against the trunk, and began to watch the sky.

What Erik did wasn't bothering Colin. He even enjoyed it, but he didn't understand why Erik suddenly felt the need to help him. "I enjoy the help, but what gave you the idea I needed it?" he asked Erik.

Erik got up and pointed at Colin's face. "Your eyes gave you away, like they always do." He enjoyed seeing a look of denial in Colin's face now.

Colin didn't want to deny it. How could he? He couldn't hide it from Erik and figured it wouldn't be any easier if it were somebody else. He knew he'd have to give up on trying to deny it and just tell Erik everything. "So, we came over here so I could maybe help you but now you're helping me?" he said, hoping Erik would understand.

"Yeah that sounds about right," Erik replied, smiling. "It's only fair, Colin. I mean, you helped me a lot, like a lot, just like in my dream." He had been wanting to share his dream with Colin ever since they began talking, but he didn't have a good enough opportunity to do so. Colin, in the meantime, was still unsure of what was really going on at this point.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Colin said with a slight sense of humor as he rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"Nope, but I guess I shouldn't be hiding anything either," Erik said

"Well, I don't think you should be, but . . ." Colin said two seconds before Erik was about to say, "But I am . . ." Erik knew continuing to hide it would only delay what would eventually happen.

"Colin, I'm having dreams about you, weird but nice dreams." Erik looked at Colin intensely and felt a tingling sensation flow through his chest.

Colin was the exact opposite. He was still confused about most of everything else but he knew this was something he needed to hear. "So you had a good dream about me, too? Well, what was it like?" he asked, relieved the topic of nightmares was changing to something more positive.

Erik had a glimpse of his dream flash through his head. He enjoyed the momentary memory, but now he was unsure of how to describe it. "I don't know. We were, you know, just close to each other. We were having fun. It was nice because, well, it just made me think of how you're always there for me." He was starting to surprise Colin, which wasn't anything different from Colin's point of view. He was Erik. He was full of surprises and right now Colin was amazed at how serious Erik was being at the moment. Erik wasn't being randomly spontaneous, which was rarely seen by whoever else was around him.

"Glad I could help. Is that all that's been bothering you?" Colin hoped it would be, but then again so did Erik, but there were still some things that Erik felt should be lifted off his shoulders.

"I wish it was, but there are a few things I want to ask you about." Erik was preparing himself for what he would say next. Colin was basically doing the same, but nothing could've prepared him for what was coming.

"Colin, have you ever really liked somebody a lot? Like a lot like crazy?" Erik said.

Colin should've seen something unexpected coming from this but was once again confused by the random things Erik talked about.

"Well, what do you mean by a lot? Like being sexually attracted to someone? Or just liking someone for who they are?" Colin didn't think much of what Erik was possibly trying to get at. All he could do was focus on the question. Erik, however, was trying to be serious, and knew how difficult it would be to get his point across.

"A lot. You know, like the kind that people get married for and have babies?" Erik wasn't trying to freak Colin out, but it sure came off that way.

"Oh, you mean a lot as in love then, right?" Colin said, keeping calm about the strange situation.

"Yeah. So, have you?" Erik said curiously and innocently.

Colin felt compelled to say something. He didn't want to lie about something that wasn't much of a big deal and didn't want to start. "To be honest, Erik, I'm not sure. I mean, I've seen a lot of other raccoons and all and they liked me, but I wouldn't say I loved them. I liked some people, but I never really loved anyone except for Brenda and Melissa. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to know." Erik's intention was hard for Colin to see by this point but took his word for it anyways. He got up from his comfortable spot next to Colin, slowly taking a few steps back away from him. "I never really loved anyone either. I don't usually think about stuff like that, but it's not like I'm going to find someone who loves me like that, right?" He inhaled a big breath of air, realizing that he suddenly was unable to say anything at all.

Being that Erik suddenly turned away from him, Colin couldn't see the expression on Erik's face but didn't need to guess twice about which expression it was once he saw Erik trembling slowly in his lower body. "Erik . . ." He was out of ideas. By now he needed to say something else but couldn't find the right words he wanted.

Erik was still trembling slightly, but wasn't crying this time. "It's not like there's anything I can do, right? I mean, I'm not cool like you or smart like you and Melissa. I can't take care of everyone like Mom. I won't find someone as easily as you and I'm not as brave and strong as you are, Colin." He shook his head quickly, trying to rid possible tears from surfacing in his eyes.

This gave Colin an idea that would hopefully fix a potential problem before it got started. "Yeah, but nobody is like you. You're Erik. You know, you're different." He tried saying it in the most positive way as possible but Erik's view on it was totally opposite.

"I know," Erik said. "That's what's so bad."

"You know, I like you because you're different; it would be boring if you were like everyone else," Colin said.

"Hmmn," Erik pondered. "Okay. If you like me this way, then I do too!" Erik jumped up and wrapped his arms around Colin. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Colin replied. "Now, can we forget about all this?"

"Okay," Erik agreed. "But now we gotta fix your problem!" He pointed at Colin.

"I don't have a problem, Erik, let's just go." Colin started to leave.

Erik thought for a second and knew for sure what it was about. "Aha!" he exclaimed, thus causing Colin to stop walking in the process. "This is about your friend! I get it! He did something bad and you don't want him to do it again, right?"

Colin looked up and sighed. "Yeah, he did. He left my friends and me for dead. When I needed his help, he died."

Erik felt his heart sink and gradually fill with regret. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even brought you here. It's all my fault, like usual. I'll leave. I guess I really am stupid." Erik was full of anguish now.

"Wait, don't just go. It's not your fault, really. I shouldn't have mentioned him, don't blame yourself." Colin pulled Erik back to him.

"Okay, I won't," Erik said.

"Good, let's just forget about all the bad stuff right now. What do you say we go back home and take a nap?"

"Actually, I'm really tired, can't we just sleep here?" Erik yawned and started to stretch.

"All right, that's fine by me. But where?" Colin began looking around for the best place.

Erik, however, already had the best place in mind "How about right here? Close to each other? I mean, we'd be warm and the grass is real soft." He patted the grass.

"Anything is fine as long as it's comfortable, I guess. Just let me get settled." Colin curled himself into a suitable position as Erik did the same.

Both of them were snuggled closely to one another and ready to crash for the afternoon.

"Guess this is goodnight, huh, buddy?" Colin said, flicking one of Erik's ears.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Erik said, closing his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that he would sleep well. After all, he knew that soon he'd be asleep. With Colin there, his fears were gone and now he could feel himself slipping into his blissful dream again.

The following night Erik and Colin decided to sleep in the same bed, Colin offering up his own bed to Alvin. The red-clad chipmunk accepted the bed gratefully and didn't argue as to whether or not it was right of him to do so. He was so tired that he didn't feel like it. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep, and Erik and Colin followed suit soon thereafter.

Leaves swept underneath Erik's feet as he ran on all fours through the woods. The wind stung his eyes, making it hard to see, but the wind felt refreshing as it blew against his face, cooling him off from the heat that surrounded him.

Upon reaching a clearing, he skidded to a halt and looked around. He couldn't see much of anything except a white fog that made him feel woozy. "Hmmn . . . clouds . . ."

Suddenly, Erik felt his fur being tossed gently by a breeze of air. It was smooth and light rather that rough and violent like the wind of a tornado. The air seemed to be stirring the fog away from him. Little by little, the fog dissipated into nothingness until Erik could see where he was.

He was in Wally Chestnutt Park in the same clearing where he and Colin had had their picnic six years ago. "Why am I here?" Erik wondered aloud. "Uh, is anybody here? Someone? Anyone? Hello? Yoo-hoo! Is somebody there? It's me, Erik!" His voice seemed to echo into the distance but nobody answered in return. Nobody was there. He was about to ask again until the wind picked up once more. It was stronger this time, but it still lightly ran through his fur with a smooth touch. The feel of it reminded him of someone, someone he longed for at that moment.

"Mmmnhh . . . Colin." Erik moaned "So soft and warm." He was overcome by this feeling of desire inside of him. It was like his whole body became comforted from it. Anytime he thought of Colin, he felt better.

"I'm right here, Erik," came a voice from behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt two arms being wrapped around his waist and felt the soft white fur on Colin's chest touch his back. "Colin . . ." was all he could say.

Colin rested his head on Erik's shoulder and began to hug him. It seemed to make the calm and blissful atmosphere around them even more tranquil. Softly, he began to sing in Erik's ear.

"I'll hold you tight until your pain is gone

Here with me is where you belong"

Colin then stopped abruptly and started lightly flicking Erik's tail.

"Hey, why did you stop the song?" Erik asked, gently pulling his tail back from Colin's grip.

Colin eyed him playfully "I told you that's the only part I remember." He tried to grab Erik's tail again.

Erik began to pull it away in different directions to see how long Colin would keep up the game. "Too slow," Erik said, teasing him "Now I'm too fast! Come on, almost got it!" Colin jumped at him only to miss. "I thought you'd do better! Here, try one last time." Erik offered his tail empty-handed.

Colin, however, didn't plan on missing this time "And got ya!" He tackled Erik to the ground. The skunk squirmed some, but Colin held him tight.

"Hey, go easy," Erik said in fatigue. "It's just my tail!"

Colin looked at him eye to eye "I didn't aim for your tail that time." He put a paw on the side of Erik's face and patted it "I was going for your mouth." And with that, he began to kiss Erik passionately.

Erik could feel himself well up inside from the strange feeling in his chest. He didn't understand it completely, but didn't care. All he wanted right now was love, nothing else. "Oh. Why didn't you say so?" He lightly pressed his mouth to Colin's and then pulled away a few seconds later.

Colin stayed still. "Here, Erik." He pulled Erik closer "Like this." He had his mouth locked to Erik's again, except this time he was going to make it last.

Erik could feel a warmth fill his entire mouth and then vent down his entire body. He pulled Colin closer until they were both on the ground. Erik needed to breathe, but didn't care. Both of them were consumed by each other and neither seemed to show the slightest sign of stopping. This was Erik's dream, his paradise. What he wanted more than anything in the world was happening to him. "Colin, more!" he begged Colin by grabbing the raccoon from behind one of his ears and pulling him onto his chest. Colin did so gratefully and began to gently lick Erik's chest before kissing him again.

Colin went downward, kissing the fat skunk's chest and then his belly. He suddenly stopped when he reached a white material below Erik's waist. He raised his head to realize that Erik was still wearing the diapers that he'd put on the fat skunk earlier. He lifted his head to meet Erik's gaze and grinned at him. He gently lifted one of the tapes of the first diaper that Erik wore. "What say we get rid of these, huh?" After a nod from Erik, Colin proceeded to take off the skunk's diapers, one by one, until finally Erik was completely naked. Pleased with this, Colin climbed on top of him and continued to kiss his love.

The mist seemed to slowly fade in and out now. It would surround them and then dissipate again. This seemed to go on forever but eventually it stopped and the grass and trees remained visible. When it did, Erik simply fell over Colin and took a second to breathe. "Colin . . ." he said softly, stroking the raccoon's face. Erik looked at Colin eye to eye and kissed him. He was suddenly on his back as Colin tackled him, hovering over him, smiling. Once again, he squirmed, but Colin pinned him down, all the while grinning from ear to ear, the raccoon's baby blue eyes seeming to cast a spell on him that allowed him to calm down.

Colin chuckled and kissed Erik roughly, loving that he was in control. As Erik gasped and moaned, he pulled up from the kiss. "Something you want?" he asked slyly.

Erik slowly nodded his head, reaching up to caress the raccoon's face as he said, "Yes. I want to feel you inside me . . . right now!" With that, he pulled the raccoon down for yet another firm but passionate kiss.

"You have to tell me how you want it . . ." Colin whispered softly, getting into position to enter Erik, but not doing so just yet. "Do you want it hard? Or soft? Quick? Or slow?" The skunk underneath him only whimpered in response. "Well . . . I guess I'll have to improvise, won't I?" He smirked and entered Erik, going at a slow and hard pace. He moaned and clung to Erik's neck. He went in and out of Erik slowly, waiting for Erik to voice how he wanted Colin to give it to him.

No such words were escaping Erik's mouth. Only moans and whimpers. Any words were gibberish to him. Just letters of the alphabet put together in ways he never heard before.

Colin smirked at the affect he had on Erik. He slowed his pace down by a fraction, wanting to hear Erik whimper and complain in protest.

"Uh! Oh!" Erik moaned.

Colin sped up a bit, not getting the reaction he had expected. But he was encouraged to get Erik to talk. "How do you want it?" he whispered in Erik's ear.

Erik bit his lower lip and blushed. "I want . . . I want it . . . h-hard . . ." he breathed out.

Smirking, Colin gave Erik a rough and passionate kiss as he did start thrusting at a harder pace. He knew he was bound to make Erik start bleeding with how rough he was going, but Erik's moans didn't seem brought on by pain.

Erik hissed in slight pain as he felt himself being bruised slightly. He closed his eyes tightly, not wanting Colin to stop.

Colin felt Erik tense under him and looked down at him. "Am I hurting you?"

Erik shook his head once and let out a breathy whimper as Colin continued his rough thrusts.

"I could slow down," Colin said softly, not liking that Erik was in pain.

"N-no . . . I'm f-fine . . ." Erik breathed out, opening his eyes and looking up at him. There was doubt and a bit of reluctance in his eyes. "Don't worry . . . I'll be fine . . ." He reached up and pulled Colin into a rough kiss.

Still hesitant, but feeling slightly reassured, Colin continued giving it to Erik with a rough force.

Gasping, Erik let out a soft moan.

Colin resumed the cause for the reaction. Biting his lower lip, he resumed thrusting into Erik roughly. "Are you sure this isn't hurting you?" he asked. The skunk below him nodded as he slammed against his bruised entrance. There was a dull pain there, but Erik felt more pleasure from his actions than pain anyway, and he had no intention of stopping this pleasure because he couldn't handle it. He very much could.

"Would . . . would you stop worrying? It's f-fine . . ." Erik managed to get out, pulling Colin into a kiss. He smirked into the kiss and forced his tongue into Colin's mouth. Despite having forced his way inside his mouth, Colin gave him access willingly. Battling a battle either one could win Colin managed to become rougher with his thrusts. Erik gasped and whimpered, clinging to Colin tightly in reflex. Feeling the reaction, Colin ended the battle inside his mouth and lifted his head. "I-I'm fine . . . quit w-worrying . . ." he reassured, knowing why Colin broke the kiss.

"I could slow down, there's no problem with it . . ." Colin insisted, not easing up on his thrusts, afraid to throw off the mood of their activity. His breath caught and he closed his eyes. He shook his head slowly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Sighing in annoyance, Erik silenced him with another rough kiss.

Going at a pace Colin knew he hated, Erik whimpered and gasped.

Colin kissed Erik roughly, then down his neck. "Complain all you want, I know you like it . . ." he whispered with a smirk.

"Who's complaining?" Erik asked with a breath, holding onto anything he could reach as Colin humped against him.

Colin grabbed Erik's paws and laced them with his own. With each small or big thrust, he could feel Erik clutch his paws in reflex and moan softly. "You will be, soon enough . . ." he whispered and gave him a firm kiss, increasing his speed by a fraction. He moaned into the kiss and clutched his paws. He pulled up from the kiss and smirked at Erik.

"Is that a promise?" Erik asked, slightly out of breath.

Colin pulled out most of the way and gave Erik a sly smile. He didn't react quickly enough to the look and he soon rammed into Erik with almost as much force as he had been with him.

Erik cried out softly.

Colin shivered himself at how good it had felt. He leaned down and kissed Erik softly. "It's a promise, and you know I always keep my promises . . ." he whispered in Erik's ear seductively. He bit his bottom lip to keep from whimpering as he found a good rhythm and stuck to it. "Mmm . . ." he moaned as he forced himself deeper inside Erik.

Erik moaned, greatly enjoying the thickness that was penetrating him; Colin slid his hips closer yet and propped himself up on an elbow to allow more leverage until his hips met the skunk's rear, his entire length buried in his lover. They lay there for a few moments, Colin moaning softly as his body gently squeezed Erik's shaft until the raccoon slowly drew back, then rocked his hips forward again, sliding through the tight ring of Erik's anus, his paw gripping the skunk's thick penis and caressing it in time with his motions.

Groaning softly, Colin shuffled his legs again, Erik's behind suddenly tightening around Colin's shaft as he thrust deep inside; the skunk groaned in pleasure and Colin picked up his pace, both with his own thrusts and on Erik's cock, slick with his own precum. The tip of Erik's tail flicked down under Colin's tail and brushed his own anus as the skunk's paw reached back and grabbed the fur on the raccoon's hip, urging him deeper still. Colin shuffled around slightly to raise himself over the skunk's body, giving him more leverage as he felt the pressure building. He drove himself deep, his hips slamming against his lover, his cock stroking hard into Erik's tightness, feeling his shaft being caressed by his lover's body as Erik moaned and cried out softly in pleasure, himself rolling to give Colin an even better angle, his cock twitching in Colin's paw.

Finally, with a long, drawn out growl, Colin lunged forward, his chest driving Erik's body down as he exploded, his hot cum spurting into the skunk's rear, filling him with the warm sticky fluid. The skunk yowled and jerked against the cock buried in him, and Erik felt his cock pulse in his paw, his own orgasm spurting out across the raccoon's paw and onto the grass. Holding one another tightly together, the two mammals rocked through their climaxes, slowly relaxing as the sensations dimmed, then trailed off entirely, leaving them panting for breath and hugging one another close.

Sprawled across his lover's front, Colin managed to get his breath back slowly, lifting his paw to his muzzle to lick the salty cum away, then letting it fall to scratch Erik's furry chest as he shifted back to his side, regretfully letting his shrinking erection slide out of the skunk's anus. He sighed softly and snuggled his shoulders back into Erik's chest, his paw stroking the skunk's forearm lightly as his tail curled around Erik's knees, purring wordlessly. Erik kissed his ear and giggled lightly.

"What's so funny, skunk?" Colin asked softly, taking Erik's paw and kissing it.

Erik licked the back of his love's nose in response. "I just can't believe we did that in the middle of the park, in broad daylight. I never thought I'd ever do that . . . ."

The raccoon giggled. "I guess I'm just a corrupting influence, huh?"

Erik felt his fur tingle as the white shroud began to appear and disappear again. It swirled into a dense fog around him, leaving Colin out of his sight. The strange white mist was all Erik could see now. The second it was gone Erik looked around until he saw Colin lying next to him, perfectly still. He didn't want the fog to interrupt again, so he took his chance and kissed Colin once again.

Colin didn't seem to mind, but the reason wasn't clear until Erik looked down at him and Colin looked up.

The moment was more awkward than ever.

Colin was wide-eyed from the mouth service Erik was giving him.

It was now perfectly clear to Erik what was wrong. He wasn't dreaming anymore, he was awake.

Not only was he awake, but so was Colin, and they were mouth to mouth.

He immediately pulled away, giving Colin a second to breathe. He took two steps back and assumed a guilty expression.

Colin's expression, however, remained the same. Surprised was all he could be. He couldn't say anything at all, leaving his mouth open as wide as his eyes.

Erik felt even worse now, and could feel himself break inside.

"I . . . Colin . . . I . . . I'm sorry. I don't know . . . I was just . . . I didn't . . ." He began moving away towards the bedroom door, even more now trying his best not to look at Colin, who was still speechless. The diapers he still wore rustled as he went. "Colin, I'm sorry!" He took down the hall and ran outside. He wanted-no, needed-to run away. It was the only thing he could do to escape the situation he found himself in.

He didn't want to run away, but knew it was all he could do. Facing Colin would be impossible now. There was nothing he could say or do to fix or even lighten the situation. The only thought that raced through Erik's mind was to run. He ran as fast as he could through the streets of Vancouver that seemed to be nothing but only a blur from his point of view. He came to a stop at one of the tallest trees in Pacific Spirit Regional Park and looked it over. The stems were rather sharp and the bark was thick like stone. "Perfect! I'll stay here. Here's some leaves and . . . There!" He piled a few leaves against the base of the tree and arranged the leaves so it would be comfortable, as well as warm enough for the rest of the night. Looking up at the night sky, he whispered, "Colin, I'm so sorry. Colin, what have I done?"

Yawning, Alvin sat up in bed and looked around. "What's going on, Colin?"

"N-Nothing," Colin stammered. "Just go back to sleep." Now, back to sleep, he thought as he fluffed his pillow. I don't even need to be worrying about this at the moment. A dream like that is best forgotten, I don't need that keeping me down when I have something more important to worry about. This will all be fixed soon enough and then I can live normally for a change. Still, I have a funny feeling about all of it. Ahh, what am I saying! I need to sleep, that's all. Just think of . . . sheep! Or something else that is just as boring. Okay, let's try grass; it's green and smooth and it tastes like wet plastic. It's soft just like him.

Resting his head on his pillow with his eyes cast upward towards the ceiling and his paws folded on his stomach, Colin recalled the memory of Erik kissing him. Unfortunately, this did nothing but send a tingle throughout his entire body. Not only that, but it also woke him up completely. Great, as if I couldn't sleep already I definitely can't now. Why is this keeping me up? It was only a dream, and then it was only a kiss, a kiss with Erik, that is. A kiss with Erik. Oh, man, this is going to be a long night and an even longer morning.

Colin awoke the following morning to see that Erik had returned. The skunk was lying next to him, his back turned towards the raccoon, his tail curled around his waist to serve as a blanket as if the covers and comforter weren't keeping him warm enough. Poor guy. I wish there was something I could do to make him feel better. Colin continued to stare at Erik, who breathed quiet whispers of breath as he slept. An idea popped into his head. Just as he was about to ponder on it some more a yawn escaped his lips. Glancing at the clock, he realized why he was still tired. The raccoon took note of the fact that it was only six o' clock in the morning. Realizing this, he sighed and carefully, gently, lied back down so as not to disturb Erik.

Later on during the day the family got in the car and drove off to Burnaby to do their Christmas shopping while Marshmallow and Alvin stayed behind, the latter complaining and the others explaining that he and she were staying behind because they had a tendency to attempt to see what they were getting for Christmas when no one was looking, a fact they found out from not only Dave, but Simon as well, much to Alvin's dismay. So, while Erik, Colin, and Renee went off to shop for not only each other but also Alvin and Marshmallow, the albino skunk and the red-clad chipmunk were stuck in the house with nothing to do but watch television.

Turning to look at the white skunk, Alvin asked, "So, Marshmallow, what do you want to-"

"Change me," Marshmallow demanded, "then feed me."

He blinked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to feed you, then change you? You're just going to end up messing in your diaper anyway."

She poked the front of her diaper, smiling as the warmth of the liquid caressed her furry hindquarters. "That would, but this one's already full. I'm afraid if I attempt to fill it up even more it'll leak."

He sighed. "All right." He picked her up as she reached out to him and carried her down the hall towards the nursery.

"Erik," Colin said, "what do you want for Christmas?"

For a brief moment, Erik thought about saying to Colin, "I would like you . . . and I would like you to be the handsome raccoon of my dreams," but that would never come out of his mouth. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders while Colin handed him a slip of paper.

"We'll each take half the list so we'll save time," the raccoon stated. "You get Alvin and Marshmallow's things. Marshmallow's things can all be found in Babies 'R Us. I don't know what Alvin wants. Anyway, I'll shop for everyone else, 'kay?" He smiled a toothy grin, showing his sharp, dazzlingly white teeth.

The skunk nodded.

"Let's all meet in the food court for lunch around noon," Renee suggested. "Everybody off!"

Erik was left alone while Renee and Colin dashed off. He looked down at the list he held in his paw. Shopping for Alvin and Marshmallow wouldn't be difficult in the slightest. Basically, Alvin wanted some CDs and a couple of video games. Running low on diapers and other supplies, Marshmallow simply wanted a pack of diapers, a new pacifier since the cat had clawed hers up, and a couple of new baby bottles. He had no clue as to what to get Colin. The hot tub was the only thing that he had gotten the raccoon and surely that would be more than enough, and he'd spent a lot of his money in order to get it, with Alvin chipping in, claiming that Dave would take care of it, although the skunk did not want to see Dave's face when he saw how much the surrogate father had to pay him. He just hoped that the hot tub would arrive at the house any day now. Hiding it from Colin would be one hell of a workout, being that a hot tub wasn't hard to miss. He walked down the corridor that was lined with multiple shops and restaurants, all while trying his best to think of something to get for Colin, with a pack of Twinkies being one of the first things to come to mind.