A/N: My apologies; a month competely slipped by without my knowing it. How the time flies! School's started back once more, and I'm working part time so updates might be sporadic, not that they haven't been anything but that for a while now. And I know - more stuff about the rest of the Storm Hawks and nothing on our two little love birds. We'll get back to them sooner rather than later. Promise. Just let this tide you over for now, alright my dears?

~Leather-Bound Sterilization~

Stork didn't really understand humans sometimes. He really didn't. Merb mating practices weren't nearly as complicated as ones the humans followed. Almost. There were usually a lot of blood tests, genetic screening and swapping of medical histories. Merbs were also completely monogamous. It was safer that way. To the merb point of view, reproduction was a necessary evil; the risk of diseases, bacterial infection and possible physical injury equalled the benefits. To Stork, it made sense.

The human way... that made no sense. None at all. Humans let their crazy hormones make stupid decisions with stupid consequences. Not only did humans open themselves up to the risk of contracting diseases, but their eventual fracture of the relationship was usually was messy – even for people who weren't involved. There was then inevitable division of friendship and test of loyalty, terrible awkwardness, and just painful social interactions sometimes. Who needs that? Stork certainly didn't, and he wasn't happy that'd he got the situation thrown into his lap. At least Piper had taken a "hiatus" so at least he wouldn't have been stuck playing the middle man twixt the two of them. Junko certainly couldn't have done it.

The wallop seemed more upset than Finn, of all things. The sharpshooter had gotten back on the proverbial horse and always seemed to have one or two girls on his arm. Always different girls too, it seemed. Stork was going to have to sterilize everything that Finn touched, just to be safe from the nest of bacteria the sharpshooter was bound to be hosting.

The ancient looking book that Finn had just shoved into his hands was included in his sterilizations list – which made him wonder, can you actually sterilize a leather-bound book?

~ Messenger ~

"What do you mean you won't?" Finn whined, "Come on, Stork!"

The merb shook his head. "You're going to have to deal with her at some point, Finn; might as well be now." Stork tried to push the book back into Finn's hands, but the blond resisted.

"She's not going to want to see me, Stork, you know that! She'll see you though," Finn countered.

Stork sighed before he growled out in defeat, "What's so important about this book?"

The sharpshooter blanched and then turned pink within seconds. "Some guy gave it to me, so I don't know. He just said he found it and thought that Master Piper might like it. It's something about crystals or something, I don't know," Finn spit out, words flying out faster than he could think them. He knew he was a terrible liar, and so did Stork.

"Yeah, mhm, and why didn't this guy give it to her himself? And why give it to you to deliver? Why not me, or Junko? Or somebody else, like Agate's attendants?"

"I don't know, okay? Let's just forget it, alright?" Finn tried to swipe the book back, but it was held out of reach. "I'll give it to her," Stork promised.

Finn visibly looked relieved. "Thanks, Stork. Just make sure Piper gets it directly, and don't give it to Agate. She's nice and all, but she's a little too nice, you know? It's creepy."

The merb just nodded, waiting until Finn had left before he flipped the book open. As he expected, the title page was torn out, jagged edges the only indicator that it had been there.

~ Visitation Rights ~

Finn was right about one thing; Piper wouldn't have seen him had he paid a call. Though Piper was too busy to socialize, Finn was the only person she was really avoiding. And though she wasn't supposed to have time to visit with her old friends, she couldn't help but let the attendants invite Stork into her suite. When she had become Agate's student, she had moved closer into a suite closer to Agate's, and was no longer semi-freezing in a tent like so many others.

Piper couldn't help but pull Stork into a hug that he awkwardly accepted.

"Stork! I'm sorry I haven't dropped by, I've been busy, you understand right? How's the Condor? Is she almost rebuilt?"

Stork delicately peeled Piper's arms off, feeling comfortable again once his personal space was not being breeched. "It's fine," he said, wincing a little, wondering if Piper's hug would leave bruises. "But how are you?" Concern traced his tone. Piper looked well enough – she looked snug and warm in the fur coat she was bundled into, but there were lines in her face that weren't there before.

Piper shrugged, "I'm not sleeping well, but who is these days? Speaking of which, how, um, is everybody?"

It was Stork's turn to shrug. "Well enough, seeing as the temperature are degrees above freezing here. And that no one down here bathes on a regular basis."

Piper giggled at Stork's usual and familiar dark demeanour. "So why are you visiting? Not to just complain about the living conditions I hope?"

The merb didn't bother to contain his sigh. "I've got a delivery, so I hope you appreciate this, because you know how I hate running other people's errands."

Piper nodded, her eyes bright with curiosity. "What did you bring?"

Stork hefted out the compact, but old looking tome from a voluminous pocket in his fur coat. A smile tugged at his lips when Piper gasped appreciatively; she'd always been a lover of books, the older the better.

"It's beautiful, Stork, who's it from?"

"A distant admirer, I think."