Callie's A/N: Oh, hai. It's me this time around. And, well, I need to explain why. I think you guys should know that Shep is taking a little break from the archive, from now until he can sort through a bunch of… life. But don't fret; he will be back, but even I have no idea when. So, in the meantime, Elarix and I will take this over, and overall, you should see a lot more of me around in reviews and story updates and all that jazz. Oh, and keep Shep in your thoughts too. :)

Elarix's A/N: I have a feeling Shep will be back soon. After all, he can never seem to get enough of me ;)

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Chapter VI — Subzero [Period Two]

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*2nd Intermission*

Sick Puppies — "White Balloons"
Rise Against — "Zero Visibility"
Caravan Palace — "Lone Digger"

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Shouldering his way through the broiling crowd of hockey enthusiasts, Fox searched the concession stands for Sheila. It wasn't too difficult to spot her; eventually, he was able to zero in on a husky with what seemed to be a furry rug hanging down her back—at least from a distance it appeared to be. Sheila was standing in line in front of a food counter, eagerly awaiting her turn to get her paws on something edible.

Fox battled the rest of the way through the curved atrium until he was by his teammate's side. Once she noticed him coming, Sheila swiveled her head to face him, in the process whipping her wall of hair behind her and knocking over an owl in the adjacent queue.

"So, how'd your alone time with your parents go?" she beamed at him.

"Awful," Fox couldn't help blurting out.

Sheila's perpetual excitement seemed to vanish in an instant. "Oh... that's too bad. Why's that?"

Fox crossed his arms and slipped into Sheila's line. "Well, for one, my parents argued the entire time about who they wanted me to marry."

"Aw," Sheila sighed, obviously let down. "Which one of your parents didn't approve of us tying the knot?"

Gee, I wonder which one, Fox thought sourly. Then he was hit by the full implications of Sheila's comment. Stammering, the vulpine added, "Wait, us tying the knot? Whoa, whoa, hey now; let's not rush into this! Really, Sheila, you're starting to get on my nerves. Did you forget that this whole boyfriend girlfriend thing is only a cover for when we deal with my parents? And, well, now that they're out of the way, I think we may as well drop it. Going through that embarrassing ordeal with my parents was bad enough; I don't think I could go through it again with anyone else. You know, Sheila, sometimes you aren't really aware of yourself or how others around you feel. You just, well..."

As Fox went on, Sheila's ears slowly drooped, and her eyes began to get glassy as she pouted back at him. With shimmering puppy-dog eyes, she quietly asked, "I just... lack self-control? I'm too pushy? If that's the case, then I understand. I know, I'm sorry. It's the same thing Wolf always says—"

Recognizing the negative change in Sheila's mood, Fox quickly backpedaled. "Er, no, Sheila, I didn't mean that. You're just a bit, you know..." he trailed off, overcome with the sad look in the husky's eyes. Falling victim to the piercing gaze of the copper husky tugging at his heart strings, Fox sighed, "...Look, how about I buy you some nachos?"

Sheila's face lit up again, and her ears perked back up in an instant. "Really, Fox? You'd pay for my food? You don't have to, you know."

Fox held up a paw. "No, I insist. I want to do it."

As Fox whipped out his wallet and began digging through it, Sheila giggled, "Say, it's like we really are girlfriend and boyfriend now! I mean, you're paying for my food and everything, which is the way it works, I guess—"

At this last comment Fox grimaced, then shoved the money back into his wallet and slipped the leather case into his pants. "On second thought, you can pay for it."

"Oh, shoot, I did it again, didn't I?" Sheila giggled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's unconscious, I swear. Every time I think of something, I just, like, have to say it, ya know?"

"Oh, I know," answered Fox, faintly rolling his eyes as Sheila ordered her food. A few moments later, Sheila held a plastic tray of nachos swimming in a mess of thick, liquid cheese. She honestly looked like a five-year-old girl with how excited she was with her tray of food. She exited the line, meeting back up with Fox on the wall next to the concessions, and while he messed with his phone, Sheila studied her food to find an opening to grab a chip without covering her paw in cheese.

"Okay, we need to get back," Fox announced.

"HOT!" yipped the husky, almost dropping her plate as she fanned her paw in the direction of her gaping muzzle.

"Calm down," Fox refrained from chuckling. "Breathe. You gotta let it cool off, girly. They let that stuff sit damn near at a boil before serving it."

Calming down from her outburst, Sheila held out the tray and said, "You want some too? Don't be shy, I'll share. Just don't take all the cheese, or I swear I'll pancake you the next time I get to hug you."

"What a way to go," Fox muttered under his breath. "Well, if you insist," he added with a tired inflection, grabbing a chip of to the side of the plate that wasn't completely smothered in the lava they call cheese. He then gestured for her to follow as the duo set a course for their seats.

The second period had yet to commence when they returned into the main part of the amphitheatre and met back up with the rest of their team. Wolf, Patrik, Adam, and Natalia were all standing there waiting for them, yet a new face had joined the group. A blue-eyed, crimson-furred vixen with long black hair stood in Fox's space. She was leaning as far back as she could from Wolf, who seemed to be encroaching on her personal space while whispering suggestively to her. It was obvious to everyone except Wolf that his attention was unwanted, and as soon as the vixen laid eyes on Fox, she rudely shoved the lupine out of the way and strutted over to him, taking that as a legitimate excuse to get away from the intrusive wolf.

"Foxie!" she exclaimed as she grabbed onto his arm lovingly. "It's been much too long, hasn't it?"

Fox sighed. "Hello, Scarlet. Yes, that's my name now. "Foxie McCloud". Everyone seems to call me that. My mom, Falco, old girlfriends... cousins..." He turned to fix Scarlet with a sour stare. "I might as well have it legally changed. If I still had my team, I'd rename it "Star Foxie". I can see it now; Star Foxie 64, Star Foxie: Adventures, Star Foxie: Assault… Now how does that sound, huh?"

"That second one sound pretty shitty, in my opinion," Patrik blurted out.

"Well if it wasn't so much of a furry Zelda, I think people would actually like it," Fox added. "And don't get me started on the storyline. What even was that whole thing?"

"Hey, it wasn't all bad; there were some good points about it," Scarlet butted in.

"I swear if you say the only reason why it was good was because of her, I'm—"

"Oh, you know you loved it!" Scarlet laughed as she continued to cling to Fox's arm, much to Sheila's chagrin. However, she leaned in closer and whispered in Fox's ear, "Please, Fox, save me from that Wolf O'Donnell fellow. I had no idea he would turn out to be so much of a... well, a wolf."

"I thought you always enjoyed it when people wolf-whistled at you," Fox shot back, not bothering to whisper. "Just bear it like the rest of the female members of his—our team. Plus, with an outfit like that, you're basically asking for it, anyway." Fox was referring to Scarlet's choice of clothing, a tight catsuit that fit the curves of her body so perfectly that it looked like she had merely spray-painted the outfit onto her bare fur. The catsuit was painted red white and black, and bore the Corneria City Major's team insignia. "You're honestly the only one in the System capable of making hockey look sexy."

"Hey, don't victim-blame!" Scarlet exclaimed. "I can wear what I want! I could walk down the street naked if I wanted to and it wouldn't be my fault!"

"Yes, please," Wolf drooled under his breath.

A furry, cinnamon-colored muzzle poked its way between Scarlet and Fox's heads. Glaring at Sheila's uncomfortably close face, Scarlet asked, "Um, who's this, Fox? Someone else you know?"

"Oh, Scarlet: meet Sheila Spitz. She's..."

Both husky and vixen held their breaths as Fox trailed off.

"...One of my many teammates! But I'm sure you're eager to meet the rest of Star Wolf as well, so I'll introduce you to these guys—"

Sensing Sheila's territorial protection of Fox, Scarlet let go of his arm and stepped back a pace. After getting a better look at the canine's face, she asked, "Hey, haven't we met somewhere before?"

"Huh?" Sheila yipped. "You do look rather familiar, now that I think about it..."

"Well, girl, if you're that interested in Fox; go for it," the fiery red vixen suggested tiredly, resting her elbows on the railing lining the back of the row's seats. "I can't seem to gain any ground with him, so I wish you better luck than I had. Oh, and ignore any passes I make at him; they're all in jest. It's so fun playing with him." Scarlet reached out and tickled Fox's chin hair, to which the vulpine jerked his head away.

Almost as bad as my parents, the vulpine thought. I guess making fun of me just runs in my family.

As an usher strolled past their position, Wolf suddenly reached out and grabbed Scarlet's wrist, pulling her into the spot next to him. "Over here, babe," the lupine hissed. "We've got to hide you!"

Wrenching her arm free of the mercenary's grasp, Scarlet humphed, "You're the one who has his ugly mug plastered all over Corneria City... which must explain your ridiculous outfit. What, did you get that costume idea from Poodle's (yes, that's a bad Google pun) incognito mode? Been watching a lot of porn lately? Well I have news for you, freak. You'll only find me on paid subscription sites, which I doubt you'd have the money for."

Slipping into the space on Scarlet's other side, Fox joked, "Ooooh, burn, Wolf!"

Wolf displayed his teeth at the vulpine. "Hey, at least my brother isn't featured on gay porn sites!"

Eyes widening at an idea that flashed into his mind, Fox quickly sneered, "Well, we know what you've been watching,"

Wolf's angry expression quickly morphed into that of utter horror. "Wait, no! Fuck!"

Both Fox and Scarlet erupted in laughter at Wolf's own joke backfiring. Even a few of Wolf's nearby teammates couldn't help but wear smiles, even knowing they would probably get hell for it later.

"Aren't you bothered at all that your cousin is an internet sex symbol?" Wolf shot back, trying to recover.

"Aw, you just wish you had a cousin as hot as me," Scarlet said, grinning evilly.

"Just wait until you see my sister," Fox crossed his arms proudly. "I'm half-hoping we run into her just so I can show how much that gene runs in our family, no matter how distantly or closely related they are."

"It's true," Scarlet said with a smirk. "Just look at this stud here," she added, scratching behind Fox's ear.

Wolf hacked and turned towards the ice, ignoring the two vulpines.

The players took the ice for the second period, still with a one to zilch score in favor of the home squad. All the while, Wolf and Fox stood on opposite sides of Scarlet, attempting to shield her from unwanted eyes and security. Because of this, they were awkwardly squished together in a "Scarlet sandwich" of sorts, with the vixen's smaller frame firmly pressed against both Fox and Wolf's ribs.

"Is this really necessary?" whined Scarlet, grinding her elbows against the two males surrounding her.

"The ushers here take their jobs way too seriously," Patrik blurted out. "They'd take you back to your seat if they saw seven people in six spots."

Scarlet groaned, attempting to let her head fall back, but instead ran it right into Wolf's chest. "I can't breathe in here."

"You sure breathe just fine in those sexy catsuits you wear," remarked Wolf, attempting to slide his arm over her. A quick, painful jab, a high pitched yelp, and a potentially cracked rib later, Wolf abandoned that idea.

"So, what did you drag me all the way out here for?" inquired Scarlet, craning her head in just a way to look at the vulpine behind her.

"Well, we kinda need Vince," Fox scratched the back of his neck with his free arm. "You're his middleman, so we can't get a hold of him without you."

"That's all I am is just a middleman? ...er, middle-woman?" hissed Scarlet, winding up her elbow to drive into Fox as she did to the lupine moments prior.

Fox instinctively threw his paw down over his chest, explaining, "No, wait, hold on. There's a reason for this."

Scarlet huffed indignantly, blowing a strand of black hair out of her face. "I'm listening."

Fox looked over at Wolf, who just gave his nod of approval. With a sigh, ears tilted back, and tail lifeless, the auburn furred vulpine whispered, "We're prepping for a mercenary job, and we need our names cleared from the Cornerian databases so that we can get a bit of leeway from the feds."

Scarlet's eyes went wide as if she just saw a ghost. "Fox, are you joking? You?"

"It's strange, I know," admitted Fox with a vaguely shameful tone. "But, listen, it's a great opportunity for me, and that—"

Wolf suddenly let out a growl, cutting Fox off from letting that payout margin slip through his teeth. Recovering beautifully, the lupine corrected, "What McCloud is trying to say is we have a great opportunity to get our names out there as a respectable PMC, but what we're doing requires a lot of interplanetary travel. The feds have our names and locations pinpointed, so the gay dude you're bodyguarding needs to wipe our names."

Once more, Scarlet let out a rather adorable huff, turning to face him. "And why should I tell him?"

"Scar, please," Fox gently spoke up, his free arm gently touching her shoulder. "Can you please do this for us?"

"Not until you tell me why you're working with these guys," demanded Scarlet, another elbow being delivered to Wolf's chest.

"Our contract doesn't let us say," deadpanned Wolf through gritted teeth.

Scarlet scoffed. "Then you can kiss my furry ass goodbye. Sorry Fox, but I don't work beyond the law anymore. I'll see you guys around."

The vixen shoved her way through, Fox almost falling on his tail with how much force she put on him. He turned to Wolf and hissed, "You better tell her! That's our only hope of not getting arrested before we even start walking away! Our job will be over before it even begins!"

Wolf angrily shook his balled paw at him, growling, "Damn you Fox."

"Just tell her!"

"Fine," snapped Wolf, then whistled at the fiery red vixen to get her attention. When she spun around with a displeased expression on her face, Wolf blurted out, "Okay, I'll talk. Our contractor promised a big chunk of change to head our way if we did this and did it right."

Scarlet needed no second invitation. A miniscule smirk appeared on the end of her muzzle as she cocked her hips and rested an open paw on her waistline. "How much are we talking about here?" she asked with a smooth, smug tone.

"A hell of a lot more than what you make in a year, princess," retorted Wolf, his patience at an all-time low.

Fox's eyes went wide. "Uh, Wolf, I wouldn't call—"

"Princess?" Scarlet yipped, her tail beginning to flick around wildly. "Did you just call me a princess?"

"Uh oh," Fox muttered under his breath, backing up into Patrik, who just brushed off the little vulpine and paid more attention to the game at hand rather than the tense scene unfolding. "Wolf, you better apologize…"

"Absolutely not," snarled the vixen, leaving a wake of anger as she advanced towards the lupine. "I swear if I have to—"

"You'll what?" Wolf taunted, a smirk creasing his muzzle. "What're ya gonna do, huh?"

Wolf made the mistake of harshly poking her as he spoke, which tripped the final wire in the vixen's head. In seconds, she grabbed a hold of Wolf's index digit, savagely bending it against its intended motion until she heard bone crack. Wolf's cry of pain was muffled by Scarlet clamping her other paw down on his muzzle, which helped her next attack go off without a hitch. A harsh knee just barely grazed the delicate area between his legs, eliciting quite an uncharacteristic and pitiful whimper through his forcefully shut maw. She then set her free paw on the bridge of his bearded muzzle and stuck two of her clawed digits into his nose, yanking upward to keep him on an unorthodox leash.

"You gonna call me that again?" Scarlet growled, on the verge of puncturing the skin inside of the lupine's nose with her sharp claws. Desperately, Wolf pulled down on the vixen's arm, but the more he pulled, the more her claws threatened to break right through his nose and tear it right off.

"Okay, okay, okay, I give," Wolf whimpered nasally, hissing in pain. "Fuck's sake, you're gonna rip my nose off!"

"That's enough Scar," intervened Fox, gently tapping her shoulder. Reluctantly, Scarlet released the wolf, allowing him to paw at his now throbbing nose.

"Euch," hacked Scarlet, grabbing Wolf's coat to wipe the mixture of blood and snot stuck on her fingers off. "Nasty."

"You had your fun," Wolf commented nasally with a paw pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now, are you getting Vince on our side or no?"

"On one condition," Scarlet said, resting her paws on her hips in a confident manner.

"I'm not giving you a slice," the lupine quickly snapped, swapping between nursing his broken finger and stopping the blood flow from his nose.

"Then I'm out," huffed Scarlet.

"Wolf, just give her a little chunk to satisfy her," pleaded Fox, stepping over to stand by Scarlet's side. He stumbled a bit when Scarlet's tail whacked his knee much like Wolf did to him last period, but he still continued, "Even a tenth of a percent of that payout would suffice. And you haven't stopped handing out I. to everyone who asks yet."

Wolf growled back, wrapping his nose in a handkerchief he pulled out of one of his pockets. "That's all she gets."

"As long as I get paid, I'll do it," remarked the vixen. "So long as it's worth my while. It'll have to be a pretty big chunk to get me to operate above the law... again."

"Believe me, there's more than enough," Fox assured. "Will you do it for us, then?"

"Fine," she groaned softly. "But if that one gets on my nerves at all—even just one time,—I'm walking out. And you're still paying me."

"A risk I can live with," Wolf muttered, outstretching his unbroken paw, to which Scarlet accepted in a firm handshake that would have crushed a normal man's hand. "Now, can we get out of here?"

"Uh, no," scoffed Scarlet, jerking her paw free. "I had to take a chunk out of my paycheck to get my club seat, so I'm gonna enjoy this game."

"Yeah, and I'm not leaving either," piped in Sheila, poking at Wolf's face with her bright red foam finger. "I wanna see the game!"

"The longer we stay, the more chance there is we'll get caught," stated Wolf.

"So?" Scarlet scoffed. "You're a mercenary, are you not? If things start going belly up, then you can fight your way out of it. That's what I would do."

Wolf sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if something happens to me or my team, you're gonna be in trouble."

"You gonna treat her like property too?" sneered Fox.

With wide eyes, Wolf desperately shook his head, even so with Scarlet staring disapprovingly at him.

"Good," Fox smirked. "She doesn't like it when people put a leash on her. On a job, that is."

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

Scarlet's glare became concentrated on Fox within a split second of his comment. "That a sex joke?" questioned the vixen, her eyes staring right through Fox's soul. "Not cool, bud. Not cool."

"Don't tell me you wouldn't like it," teased Fox.

"I could say you'd like it too, but it doesn't make it true," remarked Scarlet, suddenly letting a devilish grin appear on her face. "Unless—"

"No; nope; not a chance," exclaimed Fox, throwing up his paws as he turned back to watch the game.

Scarlet giggled, trotting up behind him and pressing her paws on his shoulders. "Aw, you don't remember that little romp we had a long time ago? We were our firsts, anyway."

"There are things I wish I'd just forget," Fox muttered into his paws.

"Really, runt?" Wolf about spat. "You want to forget your first time, with her of all people? Damn, if she was my first, I'd…" he trailed off, seeing the daggers the vixen was staring back at him. Recovering skillfully, Wolf finished, "...Cherish that moment and bring it up at dinner parties to make the conversation awkward…? I don't know; what do people need that information for? Blackmail?"

Both Fox and Scarlet simultaneously shook their heads in negativity. Defeated, Wolf retreated back into his spot, seemingly ignoring the rest of their conversation while keeping an ear ready to pop in again.

"Fox, you know I'm still open," reminded Scarlet, her voice striking a rather vulnerable tone.

"And you know that I respect you, but I have no intention to make anything serious between us," countered Fox.

"I know," the vixen's ears folded back. "Well, just know, in some parallel universe, you and I are the biggest couple in the galaxy."

Fox scoffed. "Yeah, and in some parallel universe, Wolf is my brother. Nice try Scar, but that's a bunch of theoretical garbage."

Scarlet suddenly became very offended at his statement. "Yeah, well, there's another one where you're dead the entire time, so don't go there."

"There's another one where you blow up too," Fox retorted. "So don't try me."

Wolf awkwardly raised his paw and added, "Technically, she blows up twice."

"Not helping!" Scarlet snapped, causing the lupine to go submissive again as his ears folded back.

"He's got a point," Fox smirked. "Sure there's no metal in there?" added the vulpine, poking Scarlet's arms.

Scarlet weakly kicked at his legs. "Are those even real?"

"Of course they're real; why wouldn't they be?"

Scarlet bit her lower lip, grinning the entire time. "Can I—"

"Don't you even ask."

"You two would make a great couple," Natalia remarked on the other side of Wolf.

"That's what I'm sayin'!" exclaimed Scarlet.

"Fox's gettin' upset!" yipped the vulpine, swatting away Scarlet's arms and turning back to watch the game, not even realizing that the period had ended without anyone scoring. In the meantime, however, at center ice was a group of reporters standing on a rug, while a few staff members put a large board in front of the net closest to them.

Wolf nudged the vulpine and pointed at the ice. "You know what's funny about these contests? They always pick three people, but they're objectively the same person. You've got the kid that wants to play when he gets older go first. Then they got the really attractive vixen that holds the stick like a golf club. Then the last guy is always a well-known celebrity."

Fox cocked his eyebrow. "Really? Every time?"

"Every time," affirmed Wolf. "They kid always gets it on the first shot, maybe the second. The vixen misses all three shots horribly, and the celebrity is always a toss-up. See, look; the bird in the black jersey right there. That's Swan Cruise, isn't it?"

Fox smiled as he recognized the face on the ice. "What movie is he in again?"

"You need glasses, boss," Adam chuckled. "That's actually Swan Bean."

Natalia frowned, slightly confused. "I thought Swan Bean was dead?"

The blue jay rolled his eyes. "Just because he happens to die in every movie he's in doesn't mean he's dead IRL."

Getting fed up with their petty argument, Patrik firmly planted his paws on both the avian and coyote's shoulders, stating, "You're both wrong. That's SWAN CEEEEENAAAAA!"

He then roughly grabbed Adam's wing, effortlessly hoisting the avian onto his shoulders, then abruptly flipped him over so that his spine slammed against the ground. The malamute smiled at the rest of the team, but saw the mix of disapproval and hesitance they wore, so he crouched down and lifted the avian back up to his feet, acting as a support for him as he groaned in apparent discomfort.

Wolf grunted, continuously nursing his finger. "Well, I'm gonna go get a cup of ice to ice down my broken finger," he announced with a sour inflection, giving an acidic glare to the scarlet vixen. "Guys wanna grab some grub if we're staying this long?"

"I could go for some ice myself," moaned Adam, stretching out his back and shoulders.

"I'll go too," Natalia added.

"I'm going back to my seat," Scarlet huffed. "The food up there is much better."

"I'm gonna stay," Sheila answered. "I'm not hungry."

"Fair enough," Wolf grunted again. "I'll be back, runt."

Wolf slid an arm over the coyote's shoulders, while she wrapped an arm around his waist, prompting the duo to slip away from their seats and into the nearby tunnel. The rest of those who agreed to leave followed, leaving two canines and a vulpine in the standing room section, reduced to watching the main rink lights dim down almost completely to reduce the blinding light reflecting off of the ice surface. All the while, another song began playing over the speakers, starting with a melodic intro comprised of an acoustic and bass guitar harmonizing in an admittedly beautiful way.

Fox couldn't help but look around, staring down at the rest of the rink before him, and occasionally looking up at the club and nosebleed seats towards the top of the amphitheater as well. A sea of red, black, and white greeted his eyes, with a few stragglers sporting the green and blue of the away team. Nothing out of the ordinary—thank god.

He just managed to see Sheila out of the corner of his eye, humming along to the song playing. When the drums kicked in, her head began faintly bobbing along, though not getting carried away or boisterous with it. She stood there, leaning against the silver guardrail while continuously munching away at her tray of nachos. She acted… calm.

Fox couldn't help but smirk. Guess the talk he gave her about toning it down a notch—or five—worked. For once she wasn't screaming her head off, or intruding on his personal space, or literally dragging him along by his ear to wherever she wanted to go. She finally showed her first little expression of restraint and self-control. Even so, she looked content with it, just faintly humming to the song while her tail swished and swayed in wide, quick arcs.

Obviously Sheila wasn't paying attention to the vulpine down the way, otherwise she would have noticed that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her in quite a while. She was too occupied in jamming out to the song that had slipped into a much more powerful and loud riff, but yet she refrained from going berserk as she did last intermission. Quietly, she sang along; her angelic singing voice coming across Fox's vulpine ears. The vulpine in question seemingly fell into a trance with her hypnotic bobbing locks and her entrancing voice and smile. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Like what you see?" Patrik's smooth, yet toneless voice spooked the vulpine out of his fur.

Recovering by placing a paw over his chest to regain his breath, Fox hissed through clenched teeth, "Holy hell; what was that for?"

"I saw what you were eying," the malamute continued smugly, crossing his arms on the metallic ledge. "Something happen while you two were away?"

"What? No! No no no no no, nothing happened!" stuttered Fox, quickly trying to defend himself.

"Yeah, you lie worse than reporters on Dingo News," he deadpanned. "What happened?"

"We just ran into my parents, that's all," Fox answered, but the look in the huge malamute's steel gray eyes told him to elaborate right then and there. "I had to introduce Sheila to them, and because I wanted to keep our cover, I told them I was dating her. That got them started on their famous discussions of who they want me to date and who they want me to tie the knot with—"

"So what's this got anything to do with you staring at her?" inquired Patrik, having enough courtesy to keep his voice low enough so that she couldn't hear. "It was all just a fake thing anyway."

"Yeah, but, I kinda snapped at her on the way back when she kept going on and on about it," admitted Fox, pinning his ears against his skull. "She just looked really sad about it, so I gave in and apologized. Then she started acting really protective and territorial with me around Scarlet. Does she do that to any of you guys?"

"She did with Wolf for a while," Patrik stated. "Up until Wolf took his metaphorical property mindset too far. From what she told me, if she disobeyed him once or did something he didn't like, he'd get physical. Abusive, even. I don't think he's tried to rape her, but don't put it against him to try."

Fox's jaw unhinged. "And you let him get away with it?"

"He signs my checks," answered the malamute. "I couldn't care less about this team. He wants to do that, then that's on him. If it doesn't pertain to me or my checks, I don't care. If you wanna say something to him, then go for it. Don't let me get in the way."

Fox shook his head. "You don't have any sense of compassion, you know that?"

Even Patrik had to nod at that. "Yeah, I'm one rude-ass son of a bitch. You realize that all you people are to me are coworkers, right?"

Laughing, Fox gave him a nudge and said, "Hey, lighten up, will ya? Surely you've got a bit there, no?"

"As if," Patrik scoffed. "Not as bad as what I can see with you and Sheila."

"Really?" Fox asked rhetorically. "Do you really see something between us? I just met her. This isn't some "love at first sight" garbage."

"I sure don't think so," the malamute mumbled. "I may be cold as ice, but at least I'm not ignorant about what I see. You, my friend, have a little thing for her."

Expression flipping completely, Fox hissed back, "No, I don't! Just… get off my back, will ya?"

Looking back towards the ice, Patrik sighed, "Suit yourself. Just don't come cryin' to me when you need relationship advice."

"I sure wouldn't go to you for that, believe me," Fox shot back under his breath, taking a step away from the large canine, inadvertently shortening the distance between himself and the husky. To his dismay, Sheila turned her head and smiled at him, yet she didn't explode into words as she normally would. In fact, at the sight of him, she blushed a bit, getting Fox's ears to warm up involuntarily.

Kicking at the pole holding the metal ledge up, Sheila blurted out, "Sorry about earlier, Fox. I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your parents like that."

"Embarrass?" Fox echoed humorously, trying, and ultimately failing to withhold a laugh. "She, you don't know embarrassment until you're in training at the academy and those two come in to visit. They told my entire training squadron every little thing about me. I wanted to quit because I couldn't go a day without them harassing me about it."

Sheila giggled, swiping another now lukewarm crisp from her tray. "But it was funny, right?"

Chortling in a sarcastic manner, Fox answered, "Uh, no. Not really. Not even close."

"Oh," Sheila's smile faded, her ears falling flat again. "Sorry, I'm prying again, aren't I? I just keep doing that to you, and, well, I just, I can't help it. I just don't know when to keep my mouth shut—"

"Come on Sheila," Fox breathed softly. "Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? Sure, you've got a little bit of a hyperactive and bubbly personality, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. You could be like Wolf, after all."

"Kinda wish I wasn't like this," Sheila muttered with a bitter tone, acting genuinely sad and frustrated for the first time that Fox had seen out of her. "All I do is make people upset more than anything."

"Sheila," Fox sighed, gently resting a paw on his shoulder. She glanced over at him, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Forcing a smile, Fox continued, "I was just flustered when I snapped at you earlier, if that's what you're still upset about. I didn't mean what I said in a bad way."

Her sky blue eyes began to wobble. "Really?"

Fox instantly froze up at the sight of her eyes. God, the puppy-dog-eyes. They shot straight through his soul, directly into his heart, where the absolutely adorable expression turned him into a pile of slush from within. It hit him so quickly and so abruptly that he thought he was about to see those cheesy nachos again.

"Yeah, you're okay," Fox blurted out, clutching at his stomach. "Uh, I'm gonna use the restroom before the next period starts. I'll be right back."

Sheila didn't even have a chance to talk back before Fox bolted from his spot in search for the nearest latrine to dump the contents of his stomach into.

Not caring if he struck someone in the face, Fox flung the door to the men's restroom open and rushed in. With a paw clamped over his mouth, he raced to the nearest unoccupied stall and crouched in front of the white porcelain toilet. But, instead of giving in to the impulse of disgorging the frothing contents of his stomach, he thought against the urge to make a mess. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing, glad to smell anything besides the cheap nachos he had ingested earlier. Though the awful stench that clung to the restroom wasn't much better by any means.

With some effort, Fox managed to calm his churning stomach and successfully avoided throwing up. Once he was certain the nausea had subsided, the vulpine let out a sigh and carefully rose to his feet. He exited the foul-smelling stall and stepped over to the sink counter lining the opposite wall. Relieved that he had escaped with the contents of his stomach still in place, Fox held his hands beneath an automatic faucet, splashing the cool water over his sweaty forehead and muzzle. The water continued to calm his nerves even further.

After drying his face and paws with a wad of paper towels, Fox paused in front of the mirror and inspected the vulpine staring back at him. Nothing seemed to be the least bit wrong with him on the outside. He never remembered feeling like this before, either.

What's wrong with you, Fox? He asked himself. Why are you feeling this way? Sheila's just another girl, and you're not even in a relationship with her! But... did Fara ever make you feel this way just by glancing at you with her gorgeous eyes? Those sweet, innocent, sparkling, naïve—

No! he internally shouted, cutting that line of thought off, resisting the urge to slap himself. There's nothing special between you and Sheila. Whatever effect she seems to have on you, you're just imagining it. Now get your shit together and get back out there!

With his private pep-talk completed, Fox suddenly became aware of his surroundings again. He looked around in embarrassment, hoping that no one had witnessed his uncharacteristic breakdown. Yet to his relief, the restroom was nearly empty except for him; everyone had returned to the arena for the start of the second period.

The restroom wasn't entirely empty, however. A toilet in a stall a few doors down flushed, and a lupine with dark fur emerged, buckling his pants. The black-coated timber wolf stopped at the sink adjacent to Fox's, and began washing his hands.

Fox pretended not to notice the stranger, instead focusing on fixing his hair in the mirror. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the lupine looking at him with a curious expression. Eventually, the timber wolf came right out and asked, "You're Fox McCloud, aren't you?"

At first, Fox panicked after the stranger recognized him. But then he realized he himself wasn't a wanted criminal yet, so he decided to maintain his cool.

"Er, yes, that's me," Fox admitted.

"Wow, you use to be the pipe dream of every mercenary—and even some of the law enforcement officers like myself."

Fox gave the lupine a curious look. He certainly wasn't dressed as an officer; he had on a brown leather flight jacket, and a pair of dark jeans—no badge to be found at all.

Noticing Fox's confusion, the timber wolf explained, "Oh, I'm an undercover officer." He extended his paw to Fox, who shook it. "Name's Garrick Kanison."

"Hey, it's always nice meeting a fan," Fox said. Suddenly, the memory of Natalia's fan-girl act and subsequent use of a replica blaster to stun him popped into his head. "But I don't do autographs," he blurted out, taking a cautious step back from the lupine.

Kanison waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, no worries there. I understand. But I do have something else in mind. You know, I'm not supposed to tell any civilians this... but since you're the Fox McCloud, I'll make an exception." He fumbled in his coat's inside pocket for a moment, then removed a laminated photo and showed it to Fox. "Have you seen this man?"

Instantly recognizing the fugitive in the photo, Fox couldn't help gulping.

"I figured you might, since he and you are longtime rivals. You see, we got a report that someone had sighted Wolf O'Donnell in this arena, so the force got sent out to look for him. I was wondering if you'd give us a hand with finding him."

Fox froze, suddenly realizing the horrible position he had stumbled into. He now found himself in some cruel ironic joke, having to track down his own team leader with the CDF on his side.

"Ha ha, I'm sorry," Fox chuckled nervously, internally improvising a ruse just like what he did with his parents. "But I retired years ago and gave up my mercenary license. I can't accept jobs anymore."

"Well in that case, I'll have to temporarily deputize you!" Kanison exclaimed, reaching into his coat again.

"Look, officer—" Fox interjected.

"Ah, but I insist!"

"But think about it; why would Wolf O'Donnell even be at a hockey game?" the vulpine questioned. "It's an awfully petty thing to risk capture for."

Kanison shrugged. "Damn, you're right. He sure must be a dedicated fan!"

Fox continued trying to dissuade the officer. "If he's here, then I sure haven't seen him; I'd recognize his face anywhere."

"I won't take 'no' for an answer," Kanison said, shaking his head stubbornly. "You can't ignore the call of justice, Mr. McCloud. You don't just stop being a hero."

The vulpine was starting to get fed up with the persistent officer. "Okay, Garry, was it?"

"Garrick."

"Oh, sorry. Garrick," Fox corrected himself. "Just trust me on this. Take the word of someone who's fought against Wolf for years, and beaten him each time. Wolf wouldn't be caught dead around a place like this, so you might as well give up now. In fact, I advise you to call off all of your fellow officers. You're wasting your time here."

But Kanison was getting suspicious. "Hey now, you seem bound and determined to keep me from looking for O'Donnell. Why are you so opposed to this operation, anyway? Is there something between you and Wolf?"

Oh what Wolf would do to this poor officer if he heard him say that, Fox thought, withholding a smirk.

In the meantime, Kanison narrowed his eyes at Fox. "I'm sorry, Mr. McCloud, but I'll have to ask you to come with me."

As the officer reached for his arm, time seemed to slow down for Fox. As he watched the lupine's arm move towards him in slow-motion, a myriad of thoughts raced through his head. In essence, this was the turning point for Fox. Even as a mercenary, he had always been on the right side of the law. He had sided with Corneria against Andross during the Lylat War, and for every other mission he flew, he had never once gone above the law. Nor had he ever fudged the numbers on his taxes. But this moment was the first he had ever considered an alternative to the "righteous mercenary" persona he had always adhered to. He was caught between the law and staying true to his new team. But what was he fighting for now? Was he seriously fighting for money? Of all the ridiculous things? It certainly wasn't because he believed in Senator Muzzin's policies, he was damn sure of that. Hell, if it was true that he was doing it for the money, there was probably a large reward for Wolf's capture. Maybe not as high as the pay he would receive from doing Muzzin's dirty work, but definitely a much safer and easier method.

It was settled, then.

Before Garrick could grab his arm, Fox took a hold of the officer's hand. "All right. I have seen Wolf here. In fact I know where he is."

The timber wolf's expression didn't change. "Then why did you deny it at first? I can still arrest you for withholding information."

"I didn't want to tell you at first, because he's a very dangerous man," Fox explained, "And I didn't want to see you get hurt trying to be heroic. But, if we work together, I think we can take him. Tell your fellow officers he and his team are in the back of section 117, in the nosebleed seats."

"Now that's more like it," Officer Kanison remarked. Whipping out a radio transmitter, he began notifying the rest of his force of the outlaw mercenary's whereabouts. "We should have a lock-down in place within the next ten minutes," he notified Fox.

The vulpine released a deep breath, glad to be done with the troublesome situation. As they both started for the restroom's exit, the timber wolf asked, "Can you give me the descriptions of the rest of his teammates? We have an idea, but I'd like you to corroborate."

"Sure," Fox said. "He should be accompanied by a large male malamute, a male bluejay, and a female coyote. Leon Powalski is waiting outside with their SUV."

"What about a canine?" Garrick asked. "Female husky, excessively long hair. Have you seen her?"

Fox suddenly fell silent, not making any effort to answer as they passed by a row of urinals.

"Mr. McCloud, was she with them?" the lupine repeated.

Just before they reached the exit, Fox gave his answer. In accordance with the beat dropping in the next song, and even before Kanison could react, he swung his right fist at the officer, dealing him a swift uppercut to the jaw. The timber wolf tumbled backwards, slamming against the adjacent wall, evidently dazed. Before he could recover from the first attack, Fox grabbed his head and swung it sideways along the tiled wall, smashing it muzzle-first into a black paper-towel dispenser. He had thrown so much force behind the assault that the dispenser came free of the wall, crashing to the floor and spreading a long roll of cheap brown paper towels across the floor.

Fox made to follow through with his second attack, but he slipped on the trail of paper towels and momentarily lost his balance. The police officer recovered just in time to take advantage of his misstep, ducking beneath his second swing and ramming his elbow into Fox's gut. The vulpine bent over and clutched his stomach, stumbling backwards a few steps. Continuing the assault, Garrick planted his foot on Fox's backside, kicking him directly into a nearby urinal. The protruding base of the porcelain fixture struck Fox right in the groin, and he slumped over the urinal whilst wheezing in a high-pitched voice.

Officer Kanison grabbed Fox's shirt collar, jerking him backwards and away from the row of urinals. Fox ignored the screaming pain in his abdomen and twisted free of the wolf, slowly retreating further back into the restrooms. Garrick made a dive for him, but Fox sidestepped, placing himself between the officer and the sink counter. Pushing off of the fixtures, Fox tackled Garrick into a nearby stall, swinging the door open as they barged through it. They fell to the floor inside the stall, but Fox managed to grab a hold of Garrick's head while he reached for the vulpine's throat. With a feral snarl, Fox smashed the officer's muzzle against the edge of the toilet seat—once; twice; three times, until his adversary fell unconscious. Still brimming with adrenaline, Fox forced the timber wolf's head into the filthy bowl of water, flushing the toilet for good measure. Whimsically, he pretended he was giving Wolf a swirly instead of the darker-furred lupine.

Once the water had refilled inside the toilet, intermixing with the lupine's blood, Fox let go of the officer and slumped down beside him. What had he just done? Had he really just thrown away years of upright, lawful mercenary history, and his own status as the hero of the Lylat? And for what—some canine girl he had a spontaneous crush on?

As new bubbles began rising in the toilet bowl, Fox suddenly panicked. Realizing his mistake, he lifted the wolf's head out of the water and let him fall to the tiled floor, thankful he was still breathing. Then, on an impulse, he rifled through the lupine's coat pockets.

He came up with the officer's ID, badge, and enforcement blaster. Checking the ID card, he confirmed Garrick's identity as an undercover agent before pocketing all three of the stolen objects.

Oh no, the arena's about to go into lock-down! Fox thought to himself. I have to get word to Wolf and Scarlet, fast!

Rising to his feet, he slid out of the stall and raced out of the exit, leaving the restroom behind.

[҉]

Callie's A/N: Don't worry, Shep, I got him back for ya. Take the first letter of every new paragraph starting at "Even Patrik had to nod at that." Yeah, I play that way too Elarix. :)