AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I think I've kept you waiting long enough for this chapter, haven't I? It's been two months since I've updated this story, and in the meantime I wrote my own version of "Wonderful Life" for the Raccoons in that time period. But now, it's time for me to get off my lazy butt and continue this story-we have a LOOOOONG way to go. Last chapter, we met Bert's bandmates as they made their way to the city of Vancouver, but for this chapter, as I promised, we'll be heading back to the Evergreen Forest to check on things going on back in there. I'll already announce I've changed my ideas behind this particular subplot. I originally intended for it to star Ralph's father Arthur, but then it was brought to my attention (thanks RandyRingtail) that Arthur really isn't a strong enough character to really have his own subplot to himself. So I've decided the main focus of this particular subplot will be the character of Melissa's father, Mike Mulligan, since he comes across as more of a fully realized character. Arthur, I suppose, will be the comic relief of sorts. With that announced...

Another Awe-Inspiring Legal Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Raccoons, they are copyright of Kevin Gillis, a man who the more I learn about him and his recent doings the more I want to punch him in the face...but I digress. I do own the rights to Mike Mulligan, Arthur Raccoon, and his two drunken pals Henry and Peter, as well as some other characters you'll see in this chapter. Also, I feel I should say that this chapter is quite considerably on the emotional side...seeing as this chapter showcases a lonely man and his love for his daughter. Might potentially stir up some emotions in some of you...

CHAPTER THREE: Memories

Meanwhile, back in the Evergreen Forest, one lonely raccoon was resting on the couch of his lonesome abode. Sitting back, gazing out the window at the stars. A saddened look plastered across his face. Mike Mulligan glanced at the television blaring softly in front of him briefly; then he turned his gaze back towards his window. It may have been five o'clock in the morning, but he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and highly doubted he would tonight. He'd been having trouble sleeping for the past couple of months, and as a result, he had started becoming more cranky, irritable, and depressed than he normally was.

That time period was significant because it had been two months since his life at home had changed. Two months ago, his daughter, Melissa, had gotten married to the man she said she had felt was the love of her life, the raccoon who had captured her heart, Ralph. Mike had to give his beloved daughter away at her wedding as she was no longer his responsibility anymore; she was Ralph's. The last time he had seen her had been the day after their wedding when they had gone on their honeymoon to Mt. Vulcan. And Mike knew full well what went on up there. He had recently learned that the place was where approximately half of the Forest's natural residents had gotten their head starts in life. He already had a feeling that one day, perhaps not too far off in the near future, his own grandchildren would be conceived up there. Afterwards, she had gone to live with her husband and his close friend Bert at their home, the Raccoondominium. Since then, even though she'd promised she would visit once in a while, Melissa had yet to show up on his doorstep. She had only called him a couple of times over those few months, asking if he was well. The last time they had spoke over the phone, she'd told him that Bert would be leaving the Raccoondominium to head to Vancouver to try to become a rock star. Mike realized that today was the day she said he would leave. He had a feeling Ralph and Melissa had celebrated Bert leaving...in bed together. The thought made him want to gag. Since he had called her last about two and a half weeks ago, he hadn't heard from her at all. The aging raccoon couldn't help but wonder if she would eventually forget about him altogether. The thought saddened him...and besides, he couldn't help but fear that Ralph would break her heart in the long run...

'Why am I worrying so much?' Mike thought to himself as he rubbed his one eye, sleepily. It seemed so silly to worry himself so much about Melissa. After all, she wasn't a little girl anymore; she was a fully grown woman of nearly twenty-four now. Cheerful, friendly, smart, and with a very strong head planted firmly on her shoulders. She was certainly capable of taking care of herself. Melissa was very eager to see where life would take her. Eager to find a lasting career. Eager to see what life with her new husband would bring her. She told Mike she hoped she would be with Ralph until the day she died. 'I should be happy for her; she's off living her life now, married to the man of her dreams. Why should I be so worried about her?'

It also didn't seem to make much sense why he should doubt Ralph. Compared to her past boyfriends, Ralph seemed completely non-threatening and harmless. It seemed pretty understandable to Mike why Melissa loved him so much. He seemed to be extremely kind, polite, and, unlike her boyfriends from her school days, an actual gentleman. (Not to mention that Melissa had always thought of him as being, in her words, "really cute"; while Mike couldn't really say that about Ralph himself, he certainly was not incredibly hideous, so that was at least a plus.) It had actually come as a surprise to Mike that Melissa had taken an interest in him in the first place; in high school, she'd never really had an interest in Ralph's type, the "nerdy" type, if you will. When she was in high school Mike had always felt his daughter had a rather poor taste in men; she seemed to like the loud, obnoxious, arrogant, rebellious type. Compared to them, Ralph definitely had to be considered an improvement. And unlike her previous boyfriends, Ralph actually really and truly seemed to care for her-it seemed reasonable to believe he really loved her. He had told Mike he did several times, plus he had seen the two be rather affectionate with one another during the time they had been dating. In a way, they seemed to be a match made in heaven. Not to mention Ralph had mentioned on several occasions the fact that he had a dream to one day be the editor of a big newspaper, and he hoped to be able to soon find a job writing professionally for one. All in all, it was quite logical to assume Ralph was a very good-hearted young raccoon with a very bright future awaiting him. In more ways than one, the perfect man for his daughter. Mike should have been thrilled that Melissa had married him.

'So why aren't I?' Mike thought as he yawned. 'There's no reason I should doubt him at all. I'm sure Ralph will show my little angel the same love and care for her as a husband that I showed her as a father her whole life...right?' Mike sighed. 'But I can't help but be nervous about him. She is my little girl, after all. Even if she's all grown up now, in my mind she'll always be my little girl. I really do hope Ralph appreciates what he has...because if he ever comes to neglect her like I think he might...I'm gonna make sure there'll be HELL to pay...'

Mike really and truly felt completely alone in the world right now. He had never felt like that. In the past, he'd always had Melissa for company; she had always listened to him. But now, he felt as if everything in the world that had ever had a place in his somewhat rocky hard heart had left him. The only way he could really cheer himself up at all was to think back on all those years he'd spent raising Melissa...Mike closed his eye as his mind drifted off into his memories...

It all started on November 25, 1960. Mike was pacing nervously throughout the waiting room of the hospital in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. His wife, Allison, had gone into labor, and he had brought her to the hospital where their child would be born. They had only been married a few months since Mike had been forced into marrying her as he had made the mistake of getting her pregnant. He'd wondered why they wouldn't let him be there with Allie while she was giving birth, but he decided not to fight and stayed in the waiting room, hoping for the good news.

Soon enough a nurse came into the waiting room, "Mr. Mulligan?" she asked.

Mike became anxious. "Yes?" he asked.

The nurse smiled. "It's a beautiful baby girl, Mr. Mulligan. Would you like to see her?"

Mike was excited. "Would I? No kiddin'?"

The nurse nodded. "No kidding. Come, follow me."

Mike followed the nurse into the delivery room where his wife was laid up in a hospital bed, holding a crying young raccoon kit wrapped up in a bundle.

"Here she is, honey," Allie said to her husband, sounding a bit woozy and tired out as she handed him the bundle. Mike took a look at his new daughter and smiled at her.

"She's the most precious thing I've ever seen, Allie. She's got your eyes," he smiled at Allie.

"She's our daughter, Mike. Our daughter." Allie could not have been any happier. "What do you think we should call her, honey?" she asked.

Mike wasn't exactly good with coming up with names, so he decided he would let her name their daughter. "I'll leave it up to you, darlin'. What do you think her name should be?"

Allie thought for a moment. "My grandmother, Melissa Ringtail, passed away just about a month ago...I used to love hearing her tell her old stories to me when I was a little girl..." She smiled. "I think I'll call her...Melissa. What do you think?"

Mike smiled. "Melissa Mulligan. Sounds perfect to me." This was certainly the high point of Mike's entire life. He had already made a number of mistakes in his short life, but this certainly made up for them. He had never been happier in his whole life-and neither had Allie.

Sadly for Mike, their happiness would not last very long. Allie soon found out her cancer began while she was pregnant and it was already too late to even begin to hope to treat her. She only had a couple months left. She didn't seem very sick while she was pregnant, but soon her health absolutely nosedived and she spent most of her time confined to her bed. Mike couldn't understand why this was happening to him. He didn't know why his life had to go from an absolute high to a living nightmare in a flash.

Soon, Allie became so weak she couldn't leave her bed at all. She was very close to the end. One day, Mike was sitting at her bedside, as he had done most of the time she had been ill. He'd only left her side to take care of Melissa during that time period. Today, Allie looked the worst she had ever looked. She looked so frail, so fragile. It seemed she didn't have long left.

"Mike..." Allie weakly spoke to her husband.

"Yes, Allie?" Mike said as softly as he could.

"Mike...I don't think I have much longer left...I want to get better...but...there's nothing I can do...there's nothing you can do...I've just gotten worse and worse..."

"Allie, you're not gonna die," Mike defiantly said. "You're gonna beat the odds. Miracles do happen, right?" He could always hope...

"No, Mike...I'm afraid there isn't going to be a miracle..." Allie said, sadly.

Mike sighed. "But you can't leave, darlin'. We're supposed to grow old together, ain't we? We're supposed to see our daughter grow up together, ain't we?"

Allie glanced at Mike. "I suppose I'm needed up in heaven...more than I am here on Earth..." she coughed. "Don't worry, Mike...I'll be waiting for you when you go, too..." She coughed heavily again. "Mike...I want you to promise me something...please..."

"What d'ya have in mind?"

"Mike..." she began, "please...promise me this...promise me you'll look after...Melissa...promise me you'll take good care of her...promise you won't let anything happen to her...I want her to grow up knowing who her father is...promise me, Mike..." she pleaded.

Mike jumped. "Wha-wha-What? How can I take care of her? I don't know anything about raising a kid! How the hell am I ever gonna be able to raise her like I were you?"

Allie frowned. "Mike..."

Mike sighed. "Alright, Allie. I promise I'll take care of 'er. I won't let anything happen to her. She'll grow up to be as fine of a woman as you were. You have my word."

Allie smiled, faintly. "Thank you, Mike..." With that, she closed her eyes as her paw went limp in his. She was gone.

Mike burst into tears. "Oh, Allie..." he sobbed.

After his wife had passed on, Mike had found it quite difficult to raise Melissa all by himself. He had to assume all the duties a mother normally would have. He had to change every diaper himself. Clean up every mess she made when she ate. More than once, he had gotten puked on. He had to comfort her at night when she wouldn't stop crying some nights. Mike wondered if this was really all worth it...

Before he knew it Melissa was walking on her own for the first time. She seemed very curious about things and she loved to play, but she frequently tired poor Mike out. He still wondered if this was really worth it or not raising her all by himself. He even began to debate on whether or not he should give her up to someone who could take care of her better than he could...

Then when she was about a year and a half old, Mike caught her trying to say something.

"Da...da..."

"Oh my god, her first word," Mike shouted. "I wonder what it is she's trying to say."

"Da...da..." she said again.

"Yes?" Mike said, looking to her.

"Da...Daddy!" Melissa smiled at him.

That was probably the happiest Mike had ever felt since his wife had died. "What d'ya know. I was her first word!" Mike beamed as he scooped his little girl up into his arms.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" she giggled. This little moment removed all doubt in Mike's mind. It had made all those hard times he had experienced while she was an infant worth it. He knew, right then and there, that there was no way he could give her up for adoption. She had already grown attached to him and he was starting to grow quite fond of her as well. It would be wrong to give Melissa away, and dishonorable to Allie.

Melissa soon grew bigger as Mike looked on. As she grew older, Mike shared a very special bond with his little girl. They shared many special moments together. He smiled in the present day as he remembered those moments. Her going for a piggyback ride on his back. The two of them singing Christmas carols together. He remembered reading storybooks to her as she would always ask him for more when he was through with one. The two of them playing in the local park together. But one memory REALLY pained Mike-when she was about three and a half years old...

"Daddy," Melissa had asked him one day.

"Yes, Melissa?" he smiled.

"Daddy...where's Mommy?" Mike was taken aback at that question.

"Where's Mommy?" Mike repeated. He didn't know how to answer that question.

"Yes, Daddy. All the other kids I know have a mommy and a daddy. I heard all kids have mommies and daddies. Where's my Mommy? Why don't I have one?" she innocently asked. That was the most heart-wrenching question Mike had ever been asked in his life. He hadn't prepared himself how to answer this one, as she had never asked until now. But he tried the best he could...

"You did have a Mommy, Melissa. You did," he said, solemnly.

"Oh, can I see her then? I want to see her," she said, excited.

"I'm afraid you can't see 'er Melissa. Your mommy..." he stopped, trying to think of what to say to a three and a half year old, "...went to heaven to be with God and the angels."

"Oh," Melissa said, looking disappointed. Then she turned around and asked, "Will she come back?"

"No, Melissa, I'm afraid she won't come back. She's needed there more than she was here," he sighed heavily.

"Will I get to see her someday?"

"If you're good, you will," Mike replied.

"Oh, okay..." Melissa said, looking a bit sad. "I wish she was here..."

"I wish she was here, too, Melissa," Mike sighed. "But don't worry. I'll always be here for you. I won't ever leave you."

"Thanks Daddy," Melissa smiled. "I love you, Daddy," she said as she extended her small arms out for a hug.

"I love you too, sweetheart," Mike smiled as he hugged his young daughter.

Mike and Melissa remained pretty happy for a couple more years, but something soon threatened their happiness. America was currently engaged in a war overseas in Vietnam. They were afraid that communism would envelop the entirety of Asia and perhaps the world if they didn't do something about it, so they had stepped in to help out. They had instituted the draft, sending off young men to Vietnam without letting them decide whether or not they actually wanted to fight. Mike knew full well about the draft. He had seen a few of his friends get drafted and die in combat. They had come home in wooden boxes. His own younger brother, Scott, had been drafted into the war as well, against his own will. Mike realized they would probably try to draft him at any moment, too. But he couldn't be drafted. Melissa would be left all alone at home with no one to take care of her. Mike was crushed thinking about what would happen if he were to be killed overseas. Melissa would be left an orphan, and as far as he knew, the rest of his family had all died off save for him and his brother, not to mention, Mike had grown estranged from Allie's family. So they would not take Melissa in either. Mike realized she would be placed in an orphanage. He and Scott had spent some time in an orphanage themselves when they were little as their parents had died when they were young. He'd known the horrors of such a place first hand. He didn't want that to happen to Melissa. Plus, he felt allowing himself to be drafted would be breaking his promise to Allie on her deathbed. He couldn't let anything happen to Melissa, no matter what. Mike may not have been the nicest man around, but he would never allow himself to break a promise he'd made. He was too honor-bound.

So when the army came looking for him to draft him, Mike thought up a quick lie. He claimed that he was a homosexual. He knew that the military didn't draft homosexuals at the time, so it was the first thing he could think of. He even managed to get a friend of his to vouch for him by claiming that he was a former lover. The army bought it and left him alone-for the time being. But not long after, he received horrible news that Scott had been killed in combat. He had been trying to protect an injured comrade and had left himself wide open to being shot by the Viet Cong. Scott had been engaged to be married, at the time, and his fiancee was devastated to learn the horrible news, as was Mike. Scott had posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and disregard for his own life to help save a comrade, and Mike had been given the medal as he was the closest living relative. Scott's death left Mike and Melissa as the last two living Mulligans alive, as far as he knew.

Things got even worse as the army figured out his ruse and discovered Mike was not a homosexual; he had lied to them. To make matters worse, Mike, despite missing one eye, was physically fit enough for combat duty, so the army was preparing to draft him without him having a say-so in the matter. Mike had to think fast to avoid being drafted. He could not let Melissa become an orphan, under any circumstances.

Luckily for him, he overheard from a friend that those who wanted to avoid the draft could run away to Canada where the army could not touch them. However, the moment one of them stepped back into the US, they were liable to be arrested for dodging military service. If he chose this option, Mike would have to leave America, his home country-possibly forever. He would never see the friends he knew again, he'd never see his hometown of Louisville again. However, if he chose to stay, he would be drafted for sure and Melissa stood a great chance of being left completely alone and abandoned. It was a very difficult choice-his country or his daughter. He had only a short time to make it, but when he did, he felt it was the right one...

It was one early August morning in 1968, when Mike shook seven year old Melissa out of bed. "Melissa, wake up, honey!" Mike calmly exclaimed, as he was carrying a suitcase in his paw.

Melissa yawned. "Why are you carrying that suitcase, Daddy?"

"Melissa..." Mike began. He didn't know exactly what to tell her. This would be very sudden for her, but he hoped she would understand. "We have to leave Louisville. We can't stay here anymore. If we stay here, there's a chance you might never see me again. I don't want that to happen..."

Melissa was confused. "But where are we going, Daddy? If we can't stay here, where will we go?"

"Melissa, we're movin' to Canada. You know where Canada is, right?"

"Of course I do, Daddy. We looked at it on a map together!" she smiled. But then her smile quickly faded. "But...why do we have to go to Canada? I like where I live. I don't want to leave my friends from school behind. Why is it we can't stay?"

"If we stay here, the army will get me. We have to leave, Melissa," Mike sighed. This was harder than he had thought.

"Can't you work things out with the army?" Melissa asked.

"It's not that simple. Hurry, Melissa, we've got to get movin' if we're gonna catch that plane to Toronto."

Melissa sighed. "Alright, Daddy..." she said, shedding a few tears.

They managed to catch the plane just in time and soon arrived in Toronto before they knew it. Over the next couple years Mike and Melissa moved around from city to city until at last, in 1971 they had finally settled down in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Mike had decided to open up a bar in town even though he had no experience. He figured it would be a decent way to support himself and his daughter. Melissa had a hard time adapting to her new surroundings at first, as she had constantly cried that she wanted to go back home, but after a while she had managed to adapt quite nicely. She actually ended up liking her new surroundings better than her old home. Things seemed fine in Mike's world.

But before he knew it, Melissa was a teenager. This was sure to be a hellish time in his life, Mike quickly realized. Turning thirteen brought her into her adolescence. Coming into her adolescence meant that soon enough, boys would start turning up at Mike's doorstep as she would be going out on dates. He had no clue how to prepare himself for this situation. It wasn't very long at all before one did turn up at his door one day.

"Who's that at the door? I ain't expectin' any visitors today," Mike growled.

Melissa excitedly dashed for the door from upstairs at a rather high rate of speed. "Ooh, my date's here!" she gleefully shouted as she opened the door, as a sneering looking fox stood there before her and Mike.

"Date...?" Mike didn't know how to respond.

"Oh, Dad, this is my new boyfriend, Ward Trower," Melissa smiled. "He asked me out at lunch today. I can't believe I'm about to go out on my first date! Are you ready, Ward?"

Ward nodded. "Yes, yes. I'm as ready as I could ever be." With that, he turned his attention towards Mike. "So, you must be Melissa's father, eh? Pleasure to meet you, man," he said in a very snotty sounding tone of voice.

"Nice to meet you too..." Mike said. He couldn't help but feel worried for Melissa almost immediately. He didn't like Ward's tone. But he figured it would be wrong of him to deprive her of the opportunity to date. "You had best be on your best behavior, pal," Mike snarled venomously at him. "You better have her back before ten o'clock."

"Don't worry, dude. I'll have 'er back way before then," Ward smirked. "You ready, Melissa?"

"Sure thing, Ward," Melissa smiled. "See ya soon, Dad!" she called.

"Bye..." Mike sighed. He hoped that Ward would treat her well tonight.

Soon it was almost midnight and Melissa hadn't come home yet. Mike was worried beyond belief. What the hell were they up to? He kept pacing the floor, worried about his little girl. Mike was getting ready to call the police when there was a knock on the door. Mike answered it.

There was Melissa, standing before him. A few tears were streaming down her face as it looked like she had been crying for quite a while.

Mike was understandably quite pissed off at her. "Alright, explain yourself right now young lady. Where the blue hell have you been all this damn time? I oughta tear you a new one..." He realized she was alone. "Where the hell is that damn Ward anyways?"

"Dad..." Melissa said, sighing heavily, trying to keep her tears in. "Ward...Ward...treated me horribly. He tried to make me pay for his dinner...and...and...and..."

"And then what?"

"And then he saw another girl at the movies and went off with her. Dad..." Melissa couldn't keep her tears in anymore. "Dad, WARD DUMPED ME!" she sobbed heavily, crying into her father's chest. Mike couldn't scold his daughter seeing her so upset, so hurt. He wanted to make her feel better...and he personally wanted to choke the living piss out of Ward for doing such a thing to Melissa.

"Aw, well..." Mike said, thinking of something comforting to say as he wrapped his arms around her. "To tell you the truth I didn't trust Ward one bit. He didn't seem like a nice guy to me. You're better off without him, I figure."

Melissa looked up at her father, her face a dreadful mess. "But Dad, he dumped me!"

"Well, cheer up, Melissa. I'm sure your next date'll go better than this one, right?"

"Oh, Dad, you don't ever have to worry about that," Melissa cried, "because I'm never going on another date in my life again!"

Mike was surprised at that statement. "Really? Never?"

"No, never," Melissa quickly replied, "if it's going to be as painful as this, I don't want to go out ever again. It's not worth it to get dumped like that..." She quickly began sobbing again.

Mike didn't want his daughter to think dating was a bad thing. He might not have liked her going out a whole lot himself, but she should have the opportunity to do so. He tried his best to think up something. This would be very hard for him to say. "Melissa, Ward didn't dump ya. He never really liked you at all."

"Really...? I thought he did..."

"No, he didn't, Melissa. He just wanted to use you. If he really cared about your feelings at all, he wouldn't have just left you like that. He would have never left. Look, Melissa, dating can be a pretty damned embarrassing experience," he sighed, "I know first hand."

"You? You were embarrassed dating, Dad? I can't really see that," she chuckled.

"Well, I was; plenty o' times, too. I used to be pretty bad at it when I was younger," he laughed, remembering his very young years. "But, seriously, Melissa, Ward might not be right for you, but someday you'll find the right one for you. That guy'll never do to you what Ward did. He will love ya who for who ya really are, not for just how ya look. Well, he probably will love that too, but it won't be the only reason why he's interested in you. Don't deprive yourself of dating, honey. If you do, you'll never allow yourself the chance to find that particular guy."

"But how will I know when I find the right one?" Melissa seemed a little confused.

"You'll just know. It'll be instinctive; you'll know it right away."

Melissa thought for a moment. "Okay, Dad, I'll give this dating thing another chance. I feel a lot better now. Thanks," she said as she hugged her father. "I love you, Dad," she said.

"I love you too, Melissa," Mike smiled.

Melissa's high school days seemed to go by in a flash. Melissa had more boyfriends after Ward. She didn't seem to learn her lesson too well, as every boyfriend she had seemed to be almost the same as Ward. Too often, Melissa ended up being very disappointed. But at least what Mike had said had stuck with her. She didn't give up on dating. She also really seemed to be coming into her own in high school. She made very respectable grades. She joined a drama class and took part in school plays. She found she was a good athlete and joined the girls' softball team and the girls' hockey team. And she also did some photography work for the school's paper, as she loved her camera. The sky seemed to be the limit for her.

Towards the latter half of her high school years, Melissa was now dating Troy Malone. Mike had known Troy from a few years previous; he'd taken Melissa to a winter ski resort as she wanted to go skiing. Unfortunately, Melissa had nearly been caught up in an avalanche, but luckily Troy had saved her and brought her back to the lodge where Mike was waiting. Troy seemed pretty likable to Mike at the time; but now that he was new to Prince Rupert, he seemed to give off a very different impression now. He seemed to cocky, arrogant, and rude. Not to mention, he seemed to neglect her to an extent. He didn't forget their dates, but he definitely wasn't very supportive of her at all. Troy never showed up to any of her plays, nor did he ever show up to any of her softball or hockey games. Mike thought that was rather inconsiderate of him. Mike personally had never missed any of her games or her plays. When Melissa had managed to help get her school's hockey team to the provincial championship game, he had been there at the game. Melissa had unfortunately gotten hurt during the game and broke her paw, putting her out of the game. Without her, her team was absolutely massacred. Melissa felt very disappointed in herself, but Mike reassured her that she had done the best she could do and that she should feel proud of herself. That had helped her out a lot, and it had inspired her to do even better when softball season came around. This time, she'd helped lead her team to victory in the provincial championship. Mike couldn't have been a prouder father at that moment.

Right up until the end of her high school days, Melissa continued to date Troy. Mike absolutely despised him by this point, but Melissa still seemed to see enough in him to keep dating him. He couldn't seem to understand what she liked in him. He watched as Melissa and Troy went to their senior prom together.

Mike also was starting to get tired of city life. He couldn't stand all the hustle and bustle of the people and it really started to wear him down. He also actively hated most of his bar patrons, and he couldn't stand to see their faces every day in his bar. So just as Melissa was about to graduate, Mike decided to put his bar up for sale and move out to the country for peace of mind. He'd have trouble telling Melissa.

"What do you mean, we're moving, Dad?" Melissa asked.

"Well, I'm about damn tired of this dumb city and this stupid city life. I think the country's a nice change o' pace," Mike replied.

"I'm sure it will be, but I'm not sure I want to leave Prince Rupert..." Melissa said, worriedly. "I'll be leaving all my friends behind. Plus I did plan to go to college here..." Mike remembered. Melissa had had several different career paths she could have chosen, but in the end, she'd decided she would study photojournalism. Just like her mother had. It amazed Mike how much Melissa was like Allie, in more ways than one. She even looked like the spitting image of her late mother. No doubt Allie would have been very proud of her.

"Well, don't worry, Melissa. I took a good look around the map and I found a nice little place away from the bright lights of the big city. It's called the Evergreen Forest," Mike told her. "And don't worry about college, that's covered too. They have a small little university there called Evergreen University. You're in luck, they offer courses in photojournalism. Y'could enroll there."

Melissa thought for a moment. "I suppose it'll work out," she said, "and I'm sure I can adapt. But I am going to be leaving a lot behind..."

"You're talkin' about Troy, aren't ya?" Mike hissed.

"Actually, no, Dad. I was a bit hesitant to tell you this, but I've actually been thinking about breaking up with him for a while now," Melissa said. Mike was ridiculously happy to hear her say that. He had been waiting for it for ages. It was all he could do to suppress the urge to scream with joy right now.

"Really? Well, if you think it's the right thing, you should do it. I'm just curious as to why." He wanted to hear her reasons.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I think you're kind of right, Dad. He is a little bit too arrogant. It's not that I don't like him, but he does get on my nerves...a little too often. Plus, as you've said, he never really showed up at my games or my plays. And to add to that, well..." she paused for a moment, "it'll be really hard to even try to maintain a long distance relationship now that I know we're moving. I don't think I could handle it. I think I should talk to him about it, don't you think?"

Mike smiled. Those were words he'd wanted to hear for a long time. "Yes, I think so, I'm sure he'll understand-if he has any common sense..." Mike mumbled.

"Well, I'll see if I can talk to him about it," Melissa smiled.

Sure enough, literally the day before she graduated, Melissa broke up with Troy. And just a couple of weeks later, the two of them had moved to their current home, the Evergreen Forest. Melissa quickly enrolled at Evergreen U, where she was doing fairly well in her studies. Then she had met another guy in her second year there. That guy, of course, was her current new husband, Ralph. Melissa seemed to like him right away and soon he was a frequent topic of discussion between her and Mike. Mike wondered more about this Ralph character.

"What is this Ralph like?" Mike asked her one day, after she had told him he would be coming by to visit for the first time soon and they would go fishing together with a friend of Ralph's.

"Well..." Melissa said, smiling. "He's smart, cute, kind, and a really nice guy. Oh, did I mention he's cute?" she grinned.

"Twice," Mike groaned. He wasn't looking forward to meeting Ralph at all. He had a feeling Ralph would turn out just the same as every single one of her high school boyfriends had been. Cocky. Arrogant. A big jerk. So it was quite a surprise to see Ralph was not anything like he had imagined him to be. Ralph seemed to be everything Melissa had said he was. He actually seemed quite timid, as he got rather fearful every time Mike yelled. Not to mention, he knew quite a bit about Vietnam. He even told Mike something he didn't know: since the Vietnam War had ended, America had promised amnesty to any draft dodgers such as Mike if they decided to return to America. It was no longer illegal for him to re-enter his home country. But he would never go back, as he felt his new home was here in Canada. Melissa definitely wasn't kidding about Ralph being smart, that was for sure. It had also turned out that Ralph was the son of one of his bar patrons-but he was nothing like his father.

Time passed and Melissa and Ralph were becoming closer and closer friends. It seemed pretty obvious that Ralph had a crush on his daughter, but he seemed too afraid to tell her about it. As for Melissa? One little conversation between Mike and her pretty much told it all.

"Dad?" Melissa asked him one day.

"Yes, Melissa?" Mike grunted.

"Do you remember when you told me I'd know when I found the right guy for me?" she questioned him.

Mike was confused. "Er, I think so." Hell, he even told something to that effect to Ralph when he'd met him.

Melissa looked to a photo of her and Ralph together taken when she and him had went fishing. "Well..." she grinned, "I know."

Despite it being very clear Melissa was in love with him, Ralph didn't seem to get it. When he'd come to visit, Mike would observe Melissa trying to flirt with him several times, hoping maybe he would get the hint and flirt back. Usually all that did was just make the poor kid really confused. If Ralph had any actual common sense, he would realize his daughter loved him and take her out...

Soon enough, Melissa excitedly told her father that she had heard from a friend there was a Valentine's Day Ball being held at local socialite Lady Baden-Baden's mansion. She figured this was a perfect opportunity for her and Ralph to finally get together. "But," she told him, "I don't think he'll ask me to go..."

"Hmm..." Mike thought. "Shot in the dark, why don't you try asking him yourself? I don't think it always has to be the guy doing the askin', ya know."

Melissa liked the idea. "You know what, Dad? That's exactly what I'm going to do," she smirked.

Unfortunately, this had ended with Melissa coming home in tears as she dashed upstairs and bawled into her pillow. Mike was outraged. It seemed like Ralph really was nothing but a jerk after all. It went to show you couldn't put trust in anybody. Mike had half the mind to come over to his home and tear his intestines out, bit by bit. So it came as a surprise that Ralph and Melissa had ultimately made up (after Ralph had made a rather foolish choice that still got a chuckle out of Mike occasionally whenever his mind pondered it) and gone to that dance together.

From there, everything seemed like a blur. They had gotten together officially right afterwards. They had dated up until a few months ago. Just this February, Ralph had asked Melissa if she would marry him and she had been only too happy to say yes to him. This was where the start of Mike's current depression was. Mike had made Ralph promise him he would take care of Melissa and treat her well just like Allie had made him promise on her deathbed. It was a way of showing the passing of responsibility for her. And Ralph had indeed promised him that. Then they had gotten married. Mike didn't like to think about it too much as it was a rather sad day for him. Then they'd left...

Mike found himself in the present day again. Those old memories did make him smile a lot. It had been totally worth it raising Melissa from infancy to adulthood. But now, things just didn't feel the same with her gone. His life felt empty.

Mike sighed as he stretched his arms out and drifted off into a restless sleep.

Next evening, at Mike's Beer Emporium, Mike was busy filling up the usual alcoholic crew's beer mugs.

"Here ya go..." he growled, very agitatedly. Mike's head was a million miles away right now. He had gotten a grand total of an hour and a half of sleep the whole night. It really showed, too-there were bags under his eye and he felt a lot more irritable than he normally was.

The drunks were busy chatting among themselves. Arthur Raccoon was busy having a conversation with his friend Henry Rogers. Or more specifically, they were arguing about something or other...

"Hey, hey, Art. Guess what happened last night?" Henry laughed, nudging Arthur in the ribs.

"What is it ol' buddy?" Arthur asked.

"My son left this Forest with his bandmates to go to Vancouver. They're gettin' themselves a record contract. Y'know what that means?" the beaver asked.

Peter Fagan, the third member of the beer pals, answered that question. "Why, that means you're gonna be livin' on easy street from now on, doesn't it?" the rabbit asked.

"Oh hell yeah!" Henry gleefully exclaimed. "I'm gonna be able to retire comfortably, no problem! My son, the rock star," he chuckled. "Sure is doin' better than yer boy, Ralph, isn't he, Art?"

Arthur laughed. "Huh, as if! Ralph is gonna be a big newspaper writer someday. He's gonna run his own paper and have himself a big ol' office. Plus that new wife of his is gonna be right there puttin' photos in the newspaper. You watch and see!" the drunken raccoon huffed.

"You sure about that?" the beaver responded. "What does he do now, Art?" he chuckled.

Mike growled. He could hardly stand these drunken morons' antics. They always seemed to be arguing about the stupidest, most trivial things. It seemed idiotic for them to being arguing over who the best out of their kids was. He felt they should all be proud of their kids for who they were, instead of being immature and trying to compare them to each other.

"Well, he works at that Lassater's Cafe wiping off tables. And his wife has a job at the post office," Arthur meekly replied.

"HAH! Not very glamorous, now, are we? So right now at least, my son's doing better than your son! Haha!" Henry laughed rather heartily.

"Hey, I wanted to name the boy after you. Did I tell you that story?" Arthur implied.

"Yes, a thousand times. Go on, tell me again, I love this story," Henry chuckled.

"Well," Arthur began, "I was gonna name the kid Henry, but somebody said, 'Art, there's no way you're naming him after a drunk!' She wanted to name after her father who'd passed away not too long before. I said no way in hell. Eventually we just decided to compromise. I decided we were gonna name him Henry Ralph Raccoon, but wouldn't you know, she wrote 'Ralph Henry Raccoon' on the birth certificate. Damn Millie..." Arthur muttered under his breath.

"Heh, I never get tired of hearin' that story," Henry laughed. "But my son's still better than yours is!"

"He is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Guys, guys," Peter said, crossing his arms. "No need to fight here. We all know who has the best son of 'em all. It's obviously me. The kid's got a job working for Mr. Knox. Now that's movin' up in the world," he chuckled.

Arthur and Henry couldn't really think of a way to argue with that. "Can't argue there," Art admitted.

"You know, I heard Mr. Knox's name actually was Mister?" Henry asked.

"Get outta here," Arthur scoffed.

"Nope, it's true," Peter replied. "His name's actually Mister Knox. Derek told me that his mother named him that to make him more distinguished."

"Huh." Arthur turned back to Henry. "So I guess it's just a matter if my son or your son is the better one," he grinned.

"Obviously Clancy," Henry smiled.

"Nah, it's Ralph," Arthur retorted.

"You're crazy!" Henry scoffed.

"Well, my other son is a professional chef. What d'you have to say to that, Henry?" Arthur grinned big.

"Ouch," Peter shook his head. "Henry, I think he really got you there."

"So what?"

"So," Arthur said, "that means obviously he's better than Clancy."

"He is not."

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is-"

Mike couldn't take anymore of their idiotic bickering with each other. He picked up the beer mug he was wiping off and smashed it on the counter. "Alright, I've had enough of this bullshit!" he shouted as loud as he could. "If you three don't shut the hell up right now, I'm gonna take out my sledgehammer and bust each and every one of your teeth out and use 'em to make a necklace! So you three had better shut up!"

Needless to say, the drunks' eyes nearly bulged out of their heads as they were instantly silenced. They usually knew Mike's threats to people were completely empty, but he seemed so agitated right now that they couldn't tell whether or not he would actually do it. They knew for sure he had a sledgehammer...

After a few moments Mike caught a hold of himself. "I'm sorry, you guys," he sighed. "That was quite unprofessional of me to yell at ya. Sorry," he said, looking at the ground, more than just a little embarrassed he'd snapped at them.

Henry was the first one to speak. "Geez, Mike, what the hell was that all about? I mean, you've always been kinda a grouch, but sheesh! The past two months every time you've spoken to us you've been pretty cranky. I'm surprised you didn't blow up at us sooner."

Peter did some thinking, rare for him. "Does this have something to do with your daughter, Mike?" the rabbit earnestly asked.

Mike sighed. "...Yes."

"What's the matter?"

Mike sighed even heavier than before. "...I miss her. I can't help but feel like I've been completely abandoned by everything I've ever loved. My parents died when I was young, my wife died, my brother died, and now my little angel's left me to go live with her new husband. It's just not been the same at home. I can't help but feel all alone. I worry about her every damned night; I can barely get a good night's sleep. I can't help but wonder if Ralph'll actually treat her right or not. I wish I knew how she was."

Henry laughed after a minute. "Sheesh, Mike, is that what's got you all in a bind? Hell, when my son moved out, I threw a party! Your kid moving out means a house all to yourself!" the beaver guffawed.

Peter slapped his drunken buddy right upside his fairly large noggin. "You're not helpin' him, Henry," he sneered.

"Sorry."

"Look, Mike," Peter said, sympathetically, "I know we pick on ya sometimes, but now I feel kinda bad about it. I just dunno how we can help you out here," he shrugged.

"I wish I knew where to go to for help..." Mike lowly responded.

"Are you turning to us for help?" Henry answered, sounding a bit surprised.

"I guess I am..."

"Huh, that's funny," Arthur said, laughing his tail off, "because if TV tells me anything, we're supposed to be asking you for help. Now it's the other way around!"

"This has surely never happened before in recorded history," Henry laughed as well, "a bartender asking his barflies for advice!"

Peter shushed the both of them. "Will you two stop? I think you're just making it worse for him. Now, Mike," Peter said, doing some more exceedingly rare thinking, "I know it's hard for you now that Melissa's moved out. You two spent twenty-three years together. But, it is for the best, Mike. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to live under your roof forever. I know sure as hell my son didn't! I think kids need to leave the nest at some point, go out and see how they make it in the world on their own. She's getting the opportunity to do that. Besides, she's not alone, she has Ralph for support. If anything, I think you should be happy for her." Despite his lack of intelligence, Peter could be surprisingly wise...once in a great while.

"I know..." Mike sighed. "But it's just so hard getting used to not having her around. What if she forgets me?"

"Mike, she's not gonna forget ya," Henry scoffed. "If anything she had a better relationship with you then any of our kids did with us. She'd never forget ya!"

"Mike, your kids aren't going to forget you unless you beat the shit out of them every day or something. You didn't do that. To be honest you are probably a better father to her than any of us were to our kids. You had to raise her by herself. I don't think any of us could have done that with our kids," Peter added.

"No way in hell I coulda done that!" Arthur agreed. "None of our kids forgot us. Hell, I only see George maybe only once every few years, and he always calls me unforgettable."

"Fair enough," Mike sighed, "but I'm still not too terribly sure about Ralph. I like the kid, but I'm not sure I can fully trust him. Suppose he breaks her heart in the long run. I can't bear the thought of her becoming a lonely old raccoon like me!"

"That isn't gonna happen, Mike," Peter calmly answered. "From what I've seen of the two of them, they love each other...well, a lot. I'd think of a better word to describe it, but I don't really know a word that can really describe how they feel about each other. They love each other. Besides, Ralph is a very good kid."

"I'll vouch for that!" Arthur interrupted.

"Quiet, Art," Peter silenced him. "Now as I was saying before Art so rudely interrupted me, Ralph is a good kid. I know; I babysat him a few times when he was little. I remember once I picked him from the ol' elementary school while I was drunk as could be. I drove the kid home drunk, but I asked him not to tell everyone, to keep it a secret. He never told anyone about it, sure enough!"

"What does that have to do anything?" Mike wondered.

"Well, you made Ralph promise he wouldn't do anything to hurt Melissa, didn't ya?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So if he can keep a secret, I'm certain he'll keep the promise. She will be just fine."

Mike didn't really see how that kind of promise even remotely began to compare to the type of promise Ralph had made to him, but he figured he would accept it anyways as he probably couldn't have gotten a better example out of these three.

"She probably couldn't have picked a better raccoon to get married to," Henry added to what Peter had said.

"Of course she's gonna be alright, brother!" Art laughed.

"I am not your brother," Mike replied, a frown now occupying his face. "We're only in-laws. Ever since our kids got married, you've been calling me your damn brother, Art."

"Sorry," Art sheepishly responded. "But hey, your daughter's in good hands! She married my boy, after all! They're gonna do damned fine together."

"Gee, thanks, but I still can't help but feel empty somehow," Mike sighed.

"Well, think of something that can fill the emptiness," Peter answered. "Hey! I know. Mike, Art, Henry and I like to go bowling every Friday and Saturday night if we can. We were actually thinking about joining the local bowling league because we're all pretty good, but we're one man short-we need four guys. How would you like to be the fourth guy?"

"You'll be bowling with the best," Arthur grinned.

"I'll say!" Henry agreed. "Art here bowls about a 200 on average every time. He came up just a few pins shy of getting 300 one time!"

Mike thought to himself. It was a bit of enticing offer, plus it would certainly take his mind off of Melissa. But Mike was awful at bowling. He could barely get more than 20 pins in a game. He felt he might make a complete fool out of himself. "It's a nice offer, but I'm not good at bowlin'." Mike sighed.

"It doesn't matter if you're good," Peter said. "It matters that you enjoy yourself, I think. You'll have fun."

"What d'ya say, brother?" Arthur eagerly asked.

Mike thought to himself again. Would hanging out with these three idiots outside of the bar actually be worth it?

Then again, he supposed it was better than nothing...

END CHAPTER THREE

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, there's your chapter three. Maybe a bit ridiculously on the emotional side, but I thought this was a pretty good chapter. I figured since in "Story Of Ralph" we saw Ralph's childhood, but we never got to see Melissa's childhood (since it was told from Ralph's perspective, although I gave a few hints every now and then to how her potential childhood had been), maybe someone would want to see what her childhood had been like. So since I decided Mike was going to be taking Arthur's role of having a subplot in this fic, I thought this was a perfect place to show it, through Mike's memories. You really see how much Mike loves his daughter in this chapter. I found it rather touching in a way. I really don't have a whole lot else to explain for this chapter, other than, well, I hoped you enjoyed it. Even this was a bit more of a rehashing chapter. We're starting to get somewhere, I think.

And you finally got to meet the other two drunks besides Ralph's father in person. Peter is the only one of them who has any trace of common sense, even if he is still far from a regular scholar (thinking a promise to not tell about drunken driving is on the same level as a marriage promise, for one!). Henry isn't much smarter than Arthur is, as you see, he's just about as dumb. They'll show up periodically from time to time. Expect to see them again around Chapter 7.

Next chapter we'll go back to Vancouver to see how Bert and his bandmates are adjusting to their new life in the city, so keep your eyes peeled for that. And Don Ringtail has something sinister in store for Bert...