Immediately following Chapter 1. This time, Stork's POV.

xxxxx

She came to me often, on lonely nights. Sometimes in the bridge, but also in those rare nights I found myself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

One thing was for certain, she was always brown. I'd always been fascinated by the colour, even as a young Merb. My entire family's been green for generations, and I remember the first time I'd been in a group of other children. There had been a brown girl there, and I'd been so captivated by her skin tone... I found out later they weren't so uncommon, but my love of the colour stayed.

A lot of times, she was coy and sexy. Bored, and feisty, and restless, and irresistibly attracted to me – a Merb who usually wasn't that impressive, but when a girl was all alone... Well, someone of such power and import as a pilot made you pretty sexy. I know, pathetic that I find my occupation one of my most redeeming features, but with all the work I've put into the ship, I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of how far she – and I – had come.

What's a Merb like you doing on a ship like this? Cat and mouse, tease and torture. I'd play the game and see how long I could keep the conversation going before she pulled me from the helm.

There were other times, after a long day, for instance – particularly a dangerous, or rather stressful 'mission' – that I'd find her lounging in my bed, a book usually in her palms – whatever I was reading at the time. She'd smile up at me, like she was waiting for me. If it was really bad, I'd lie in her arms and exhale all of the troubles I'd dealt with that day. How Junko's cooking filthed up the air filters again. Or how Finn's latest idea of a 'neat trick' had ended up in bodily damage. If it included a grievous injury to my pride, she'd giggle and nuzzle me, distracting me from my offense. We'd roll together, and do what we do. Playful banter and tender touches.

Sometimes... sometimes I was just lonely. She would lie there, her eyes staring into mine, wearing a soft smile on her face. She'd whisper sweet nothings to me, and I'd touch her face. Trying to imagine her features. The eye markings changed. Her shade was never quite the same, and I could never keep her spots and stripes straight. Her wardrobe always changed, though a fancily cut ship suit – based on one I'd seen at a designer's once, many terras and missions ago – was pretty common, if not... simply a tank and undies.

Like... that's all she was there for. To be my companion. My mate. She was beautiful, flawless. A perfection of my imagination. She was growly when I wanted to take out a bit of anger on someone, and we'd tiff, but it'd come back to the physical exertion. I'd imagine what it must feel like to be with her, how wonderful it would be.

It was one of those nights. I sighed as we lay in bed, her head turned away from me. Her neck was exposed, and her earrings were just for decoration. I fancy she put them on for me, out of some misplaced sense of loyalty, but it was a flaw I couldn't fault her for.

And Piper's doing well, it's just... I struggled with the words. She's not... you. Y'know? I smiled sadly. No one's quite like you.

I see the edge of her smile creep along her chin. My fingers trail from that crook behind her chin, and I venture down her neck, slowly. She gives an ever-so-slight shiver, and I smile. I duck back, tracing stripes that dance under my fingertips, watching them trail into the caramel tan of her underbelly. Her arm is draped over a side, and I skip on to it, stepping from dot to dot in a haphazard waltz.

She shifted, away from me. Curious... but it didn't deter me.

I shift closer. I imagine one day I'll find you, you know.

You always say that.

I smile sadly. I always say that. I mean it, though.

Her eye opens just slightly, a sliver of white in the darkness as she gives me an 'orly?' look.

You don't trust me?

She rolls those eyes, the smile getting wider. Trust, imagine, fact. They're rather different things, you know. She puts out a finger and 'boop's me on the nose. If anyone knows that, you do, Stork.

I watch the way her lips move as she says my name. Like as if her mouth could caress it, and make love to it, just by saying it. I feel my breath catch. It's one of my favourite things.

Say my name again, I say excitedly.

Stork...

I smile.

"Stork!"

I woke with a gasp.

Something was coming at my face, and I retaliated with a scream – I launched myself away.

I banged my head against the wall, and bounced back on to the bed – the blankets were all over the place, and it took me a moment to settle, after having lost my balance with half my limbs buried in the dark cover, and a new throbbing growing in the back of my head. The warm fuzzies building up under my skin weren't helping much either, as I peered through the darkness.

It was Piper. She was glaring at me, and a fist hung ready in the air.

...Ready to fly again.

"Woah woah woah!" I shouted, putting my hands up in defense. "Hold on, I'm sorry!" I said quickly. I wasn't sure what's going on, but going from her to Piper... I caught my breath, but the fuzzies were still buzzing around my skull. I could guess what might have happened, and I knew it was likely something I ought to apologise for.

"What the hell, Stork?" she screeched at me. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at my face. I caught it quickly, but it didn't satisfy her. She reached for it again – I imagined so she could beat me with it, so I kept my grip.

"Hold on, hold on!" I shouted again, feeling a bit stupid as we wrestled over a pillow. "I'm sorry! Let me explain!"

"I'll explain!" she said, jabbing a finger in my face. "You've got serious issues, pal. You know you talk in your sleep? I don't know what your deal is, what your nightmares are or what, but don't be clawing me, alright? I've already got injuries, I don't need Merb scratches on my arms, too!"

Instinctively, my eyes moved down to her arms – there were the faintest lines there, not deep, but someone was putting on a bit of pressure.

I dropped the pillow, and also my jaw. When I was with... My hands. They'd been on her arm. And she got me a little excited, and I...

I increased my grip. Comes from years of piloting, I guess. I hold on to something.

I swallowed the horrid lump in my throat. I do have quite a strong grip. Well... compared to humans, anyways.

I bowed my head. "I'm... I'm sorry, Piper." I let out a deep breath. "I..." I decide to crawl out of bed. "I should go."

I don't know where I was going to go. The ship was destroyed. Everything was... just destroyed. It would take weeks to repair everything, and there's a lot of it I just couldn't do alone. Maybe with Junko, but...

But I only had Piper. And she was... lying in my bed. Injured.

Lying in my bed, the fuzzies whispered. Lying in my bed, and beautifully brown...

I growled, snarling, clenching my fists at the thought, once again. I couldn't deny my lady love sometimes had blue hair. Or honey eyes. Sometimes, sometimes after a really good day, after a successful mission, and she'd just complimented me on a particularly crafty bit of flying (I did fly better with an audience), and I felt pretty good – especially if there were fresh sand cakes involved – I would pretend she was Piper. Only, Piper as a Merb. A long, slender, sexy brown Merb. Best of both worlds. It was really nice.

But... she's not. She's not a Merb. She's... human.

"Stork?"

I scarcely looked back, but I hid behind my bangs. She seemed a bit disturbed by my private temper tantrum that, after all, wasn't so private.

And I smelt fear.

"I'm sorry about that," she said quickly. "Please... don't be mad at me."

I turned fully to face her. Me, mad at her? If anyone, I was mad at myself.

"What do you mean, mad at you?" I tossed my head. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"For... yelling," she said. She bowed her head. It piqued my interest. "I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me."

This was an intriguing turn of events. I craned my head to the side. "You're apologising to me... after I've... scratched you?" I tried to keep it simple, but I gestured back and forth between us, in case she'd forgotten the just-passed awkward moment.

"It's not that bad." Her smile was sheepish. "You just... surprised me is all."

I gave her a look. The look that said I didn't believe her horrible lie.

"Well... Scared, is more like," she confessed. And then a smirk tweaked at her lips. "But... I suppose Merbs are different, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. It was that 'interesting' conversation all over again.

In fact, I crossed my arms. "Not that different," I answered. I tapped a finger on my arm. Something to distract myself from the fuzzies.

I think... I think she blushed. That made me stop. Stop with the tapping, that is – the fuzzies made a flurry under my skin.

I cocked my head to the side. "Pipe..." I said, sternly. "What is it?"

She didn't meet my eye, but I saw a shadow of a smile on her face. "You were... touching on me again."

I scowled, tossing my head aside, but... when I looked back, her face was definitely smiling.

I frowned. "I'm... sorry for whatever I did," I said. It felt awkward and forced, but I was going to say it.

She turned to look at me, then. That smile still growing. "Don't apologise," she said.

An eyebrow arched high, and she held up a finger. "Get back here and keep on."

If it was an experiment... Alright, those fuzzies were definitely getting the better of me. I looked her up and down. She wasn't quite as long, wasn't quite as slender, but she was brown – definitely brown.

I could feel my left eye twitch, but my feet moved of their own accord.

"I should warn you..." I whispered, but her hands grabbed my ship suit, and pulled me back into bed.

xxxxx

He was going to warn you...