I apologize for the lack of chapters since February, but the semester was busy as hell for me and, once I got out, I started working full time so between the two, I've been fairly busy. My health is overall a lot better than it was this past year, but I'm looking at a vacation coming up that'll make it easier for me to catch up and pour into this project all over again. I just wanted to make myself known again with my day or two off that way I can get a project I hold close to me done. I hope you all enjoy, but I'll also apologize at the lack of real action in this one since it's a transition chapter.

As I turned the water off, I turned slightly to just admire the other male, the water that ran down his back and I felt a soft smile curve my lips. He was beautiful, despite the scars and his eye and anything else that may be physical flaws for him. I turned and walked over, wrapping my arms easily around his torso as the water coming from his spout began to catch me as well. I planted a kiss against the line of his jaw and I felt him smile at it before I bumped my nose easily to his cheek. "I need to redo the gauze on my leg," I said, and he gave a slight nod.

"It doesn't do too well getting wet, not awful, but you'd be better off changing it. Do you remember the cabinet that I got it from?" he asked, and I gave a slight nod.

"I was hoping you could redo it for me, my knee is still sorta messed up and you did it so well," I said, stroking a bit at his ego even though, really, it was just a wrap, it was fine for me to do it.

"I'm sure you can get it fine, Fox, and I feel gross after the last few days, still, I think you'd rather I got properly showered," and I gave a soft sigh, before giving another easy kiss, this time catching his lips before I pulled away and started back into the med bay.

The med bay, by all accounts, wasn't too impressive, but I used to watch all these old videos and the doctor's office always looked the same. I saw the few spots of blood that were left behind by the needle on the paper on the bed and I stepped forward and grabbed it, pulling it away before I placed it into the red bin at the wall. Years passed and all that really had seemed to change from then was the medicine. Some procedures still hurt, like that injection, but the pain was different and the risk had been all but eliminated. The only real chance you had at dying was outward intervention, someone killing you by crime or by war.

I pulled the paper back down, concealing the bed in the sterile sheet before I patted it down. It left my fingers feeling powdery and I rubbed them together a moment before brushing them over my sides. It felt strange walking around like this, not wearing anything, I'd have to figure out something about getting clothes after I had the gauze on.

The cabinet with the gauze was easy to access, and I began to redo the wrap on my knee and there was some tape in the same cabinet that I used to seal it. I dug through some of the other cabinets but the closest thing I could find to clothes was some papery hospital gowns and I left them behind. "Are you hiding clothes somewhere for me or am I going streaking back to the room?" I shouted as I turned a bit towards the bathroom.

I could hear the water shut off, "What was that?"

"Is there clothes for me or do I run for it?" I scratched a bit at the spot I'd brushed my hand after pulling the paper out. I needed to get something on, but as far as I could tell, I not only woke up without my clothes, but none of them had been left in this room for me.

"Run for it." There was the answer that I was expecting, not the one that I wanted, but yeah, that wasn't surprising.

I huffed for a second, "Hurry the hell up, I'm racing you once you're dry."

"I have clothes though," he called back. I dug a bit more and found them folded in one of the lower cabinets on top of a plastic bin.

"Yeah, that's no fun. What size are you?" The water was back on, he couldn't hear me. I reached down, I didn't need to take all of his clothes to get back up, he at least had underwear and pants both. The underwear were kinda skimpy, maybe skimpy for me? Because they were skimpy, they were small, but even as I slid them on, they were still baggy on me. I frowned, sliding a thumb into the waistband and trying to snap it but it wasn't even snug enough to do that. I slid back over and grabbed a gown from the cabinet before I tied it behind me and started out of the room. It was disorienting not knowing exactly where I was though.

"Pilot: Fox McCloud," and a nearby screen lit up.

"Acknowledged, what do you need, McCloud?"

"I need to return to. . . " I paused for a second, I needed clothes from my room, I knew how to get back to Wolf's from mine, "My room. How do I get there?"

"There's an elevator down the hall to your left. Take that elevator back to your floor. If you need further assistance, I'll be able to aid you there."

"Thank you."

"Acknowledged," and the screen shut off. Only about 40 steps down the rounded hall brought me to an elevator and I slid into the back of the elevator. The door closed as I thumbed over the button to get back to my floor. I felt the slight jerk from the elevator starting.

The elevator slowed to a stop, and I thumbed over the shut off button before the door had a chance to open. The ding went off but the door stayed shut and I slowly slid down the back wall of the elevator.

"My dad is dead."

Those few words had been a strong realization I had. I believed it, I knew it, I could remember Wolf there, but Peppy told me his comms went offline, the internal systems had been breached which means he had to die.

"He lost his life on Venom and I took the mantle. They retrieved his ship to try and make sure that I'd have something to remember him by. They tried to lock him in a case, though."

I let out a soft exhale but I couldn't really bring myself to leave the elevator. Wolf is crazy too, right? He has those moments where it seems like he could take my life, but he loves me too, for whatever that's worth. I hallucinated this guy as my dad at least twice now, two times that I saw the father I lost in the body of a man I've made love with now. I shivered for a second, I hated myself for a second, but the guilt and anger was misplaced.

"Somewhere out there, she must be a basketcase too," and I turned the elevator back on before stepping out. It was easy to find my room, but I didn't have the key. "Please open my door, Wolf has my key," and I heard the latch unlock before I opened the door. The AI was pretty damn good, and then I was alone. I didn't have my personal comm, or really, any of my things, none of them were in there and Wolf expected me to go back to his room. I didn't expect to really have any clothes waiting there, but my bags were there and I was able to pull on a black t-shirt and a pair of flight pants.

There was a comm station, a rooted one on the desk in the corner of the living room. I stepped over and I knew the number by heart. The screen lit up as I sat down and I pressed it in, the little camera to the side scanning over my face and then, even though it took a few seconds, there was an answer.

"Fox?" she asked, immediately as she saw my face, and then her video was engaged too.

"Hey, Fara," I could see the image that I was showing her, and I looked a mess. I was clean, but my eye was visibly foggy from the lens, I could see the marks resting against my flesh, "How are you?"

"How are you, Fox? All the things you could say and you start the conversation with how are you?" I could feel the memory of Gary's death at the back of my mind, slipping back in and tearing at me.

"I'm sorry."

"Better."

I paused, she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked so soft, even through the hard demeanor, her fur caught by a breeze and she was beautiful through it all. "I'm sorry isn't enough, but I'm sorry,"

"You're with Star Wolf right now, Fox?"

"Yeah."

"Talking to you is a crime and I don't really want to do this right now. I saw the news, I had General Pepper personally visit me to give his condolences." I flinched, because that seemed to be what I'm best at, faltering in the face of adversity.

"Please don't hang up," I said, and my voice was soft, "I need to talk to you, I need to clear the air."

"I'm not even upset about my dad's death. Something about being in the military has changed me, I've been here so long that death doesn't hit me like it should."

"I'm not talking about your dad, but that makes me feel a little bit better."

"Then the interview?"

"Yeah."

"I am pregnant, Fox," she said, and that was really all the confirmation I could expect. She was intelligent, she knew what I was saying without actually having me say it. I didn't have to elaborate, I didn't have to push to get the answers I wanted, she just knew, she knew me.

"Ours?"

"Ours."

I paused, I didn't know what to say all over again. My hand came to rest over the tip of my muzzle, holding back the shuddering breath that came. I felt like I was going to cry, but I knew I could hold it back for long enough to make it through the call.

"His death didn't break me, not like. . ." she cut herself off, but I could see the look of sympathy that washed over her, "You know. . . But, I have to ask, Fox: Why?"

"He was leading one of the factions trying to reform Zoness and the other faction took a hit out on him."

"You can refuse a hit, Fox, why did you do it?"

"I didn't learn who it was until we were already on Zoness, and. . ."

"It was your first mission, right?"

I nodded, she dragged her fingers over her muzzle. She looked frustrated, but not mad, because even though I wasn't there, I wouldn't want her to be mad. I didn't really have to say anything there, nothing further to explain why because she knew I just wanted to prove myself.

I could tell she was starting to wear out from the conversation, and if she was really okay, I could see through the facade she was putting out and into the wear and tear that was hidden beneath. Her eyes showed the little hints of sadness, but she probably wasn't lying when she said her dad dying didn't break her, but rather, the fact that it didn't was tearing her apart. "I love you, Fara."

"I know," and it stung, but I didn't expect it back and my heart was leaving her for Wolf anyways, so that pain would start to heal. "When it's time, I'll contact you. You can be here, you can help name him, you should know him. Even though. . ." she paused again, "Too many kids grew up without either of their parents, and it's hard enough to only have one. That war left behind a lot of angry orphans, and he or she will have two living parents, there's no reason that we should deprive them of either of their parents.

I wanted her to want me to be there, not to feel like they deserved for me to be there. "We can't fight then," I said, softly.

"We won't."

I gave a small nod, and it seemed like this was an okay end to the conversation, "Goodbye, Fara," and she echoed her own goodbye. The pale light of the comm dissipated and I rubbed my hands over my eyes for a moment. It was frustrating, because I knew that she loved me and that in the end, if I really wanted her to, she would forgive me with little to no question. I didn't want that, though, I wanted her to be happy without sacrificing some part of her conscience which she would have to, now.

Nearly an hour had passed, as well, in the awkward moments of silence and I'm sure Wolf was wondering were I was. I slipped out of my chair and started out the door. I knew the way to his room and it didn't take long before I was at his door, and even without knocking or a key, just me walking up to it made the latch undo and I pushed the door open. "Wolf?"

"I'm in the bedroom, Fox," he said, " Is something wrong?"

I shrugged, because part of me was wondering if there was something wrong or if I was just curious, "I talked to Fara."

I heard some shifting in the other room as I started to walk in, he was standing, "How did that go?" he asked, his voice soft as he walked to me. Even though the room was private, when he wrapped his arms around me. One parted from my back and I peered at him for a moment, but he was just closing the door behind me before he scooped me up into his arms and laid me down onto the bed. He laid down next to me, and he was dressed again, a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

He let his arm rest under my head his other over my chest and then, once we were a little more comfortable, I was ready to start to talk again, "It went okay. She isn't angry at me like I thought she'd be, so I might actually be able to maintain some sort of friendship with her. She is pregnant though, the child's mine."

He didn't seem angry, maybe a little concerned if anything. "That's good, though, complicated, gonna be a bit of a hellish experience considering your current lot of life. You are gonna stay though, right?"

I gave a small nod and the concern faded a bit. He wanted me to stay, which was definitely ideal but I was just looking for a little bit of normal in my life right now. It wouldn't help me any to just leave right now and throw my life into question and confusion all over again. "Have you seen any new articles on me since I've been out.

"Lots."

"What sort of things do they say?"

"You're public enemy number one right now. Your bounty is actually kinda ridiculous but you're safe here," he said, and his voice was soft, "They're not going to get a hold of you."

I rubbed my fingers over my snout for a moment. I was frustrated, sure, I didn't want to have to avoid Corneria for the rest of my life, but Wolf had found his way there despite his bounty, there was a way to get there without going straight to jail for your crimes, and I was sure I could do that too in time, that he could help me do that. I'd have to be careful, I could find a way I'm sure. "When are we going to get our next mission?"

"Actually, we have several. We can go look them over, see if you want to take on one of them. Whatever we don't take is gonna be relegated to the other teams here, but I figured I'd hold onto the ones that weren't super time sensitive to try and get a hold of something to get you out of here." He smiled, he did think of me for that, but he also hadn't left my side I appreciated him, but he definitely had grown closer to me just sitting there or laying there and making sure I survived. That was the theme, though, Wolf had gotten the chance to grow closer and closer to me without me really ever having the chance. I either saw my dad or, like in this case, I was just trying to survive.

"Thank you, by the way," I said, both for him holding the missions and just for him caring about me. His arm curled under me and tipped my head towards his, giving me a soft kiss. It was soft, it was easy, there was no lust or intent behind it, just the intimacy it brought and I let my hand rest against his chest before I eventually gave a gentle push and broke it. I smiled, he smiled, and I slipped from his embrace before standing and stretching, "We should go look at those missions, then," I said.

He gave an easy nod, "We'll go to the command bridge. We can actually watch a movie this time, too, because we're not gonna be able to immediately dispatch. You'll also get the opportunity to recover a little bit before we head out."

It sounded like bullshit, but I gave a slight shrug, "Let's do it, then," I said, and he grinned a little bit wider. We started out of the room together, hand in hand, and it felt nice and easy. I didn't really feel the need to push him away and tell him to slow down. I wanted to enjoy this advancement, to fall in love again. It moved so slow when I was with Fara, it took months and months for us to even break the barrier and start to grow close, to date, but it felt right to let something just go and be whatever it was going to be without planning it based off what others would think was right.

We reached the elevator and then were back up in that room, where we'd fought, and it didn't even seem to be a bad memory, but there we were and he let out, "Flight Commander: Wolf O'Donnell." The projections reappeared, just as they did the first time, before Wolf added, "Mission reports."

The window in front of us displayed a list of missions by their titles, request makers, and location. No mission that involved travel to Corneria or Fichina was present, likely avoiding the military bases that were present there. Until I had become a little more grounded in Star Wolf, I'd be pretty hard pursued. Until I was marked as a member of a mercenary band, I'd probably be arrested immediately. There were 5 or 6 missions there:

Hit: Gabriel Trist

Escort: Venomian Munitions

Capture: Zonessian Trade Ship

Capture: Sector Z Flagship

Rescue: Cornerian Squadron

Repair: Aquas Environmental Systems

I paused at the Rescue mission. A novice military squad had been captured in Venomian space, there were no details of the squad, but I knew quite a bit of students that had just graduated from the Academy that would fit that bill, including Jinx's squadron. Besides, I felt the need to do something that wasn't quite so shitty after that last mission. Assassination is a burden, I wouldn't forget killing him. It wasn't as personal when you were behind the glass in the cockpit. When you shot someone down, they were shooting back, you were killing people in the name of war, but we killed someone that didn't shoot back for a potentially corrupt man.

"Do any of them interest you, Fox?" he peered over at me but I feel like he already knew which one I'd be most drawn to before showing me the list.

"The rescue mission."

"I thought so." He nodded easily, to himself more than anything.

"It could be Jinx, even if it isn't, I feel like I need to repent after that last mission, at least a little bit." It was something he probably didn't want to hear out of someone, but even though it wasn't something he'd want to hear it was something that I was feeling that was pulling a bit at my heart.

"It's a rescue mission, it's the only one on the list that doesn't really have a time delay which I was hoping we'd have," he said, smiling a bit to himself, but he was still a little bit frustrated that we wouldn't have real time together before we left. "We just got it in earlier and it's time sensitive, since captures can result in executions if not answered quickly enough. You really need time to recover, but we shouldn't stay if we're taking this mission."

I gave a small nod at that, "It's not really the flight mission I was looking for, either, it's a little bit of both most likely. Depends on how and where they're being held. We can definitely help here though."

He gave a nod of his own, and he wrapped his arms around me for a moment. I wanted time with him, I wanted to relax, but something was dragging at the back of my mind. Even if it wasn't her, it was someone that needed my help, that had come to us for help. "It's high profile, too, the Cornerian army wouldn't contract Star Wolf unless they didn't have the resources to handle I themselves. It's gonna be tough, and this is one of those missions that we could actually end up in serious danger. There are other teams here that are better equipped, but that's not accounting for you. You have some skills that we didn't previously have on our team."

I smiled, he was complimenting me even though I was a rookie by all accounts. He gave a slight shake of his head before he added, "A good bit of it is due to the training you received from the military, but you definitely have learned some things on your own that are unique to you even beyond the academy. Honestly, I think some of the things you saw while you were teaching may be a part of it, too, you learned from the students you taught."

"Like Jinx. She was incredible and she showed me a hell of a lot, even if that wasn't her intention. She was a gifted, innovative pilot. I was too, when I first started, I think seeing her helped me break some of the monotony that the strict training regiment brought. It helped me be inventive all over again." He gave a nod and he pressed against the display. It brought up a full report, and I was right, it was Jinx's team that had been captured.

I wasn't all that surprised. Her team was gifted, but considering who they'd been captured by, they were put onto a mission that was too intense for them, or maybe a mission that they weren't quite aware was as big as it turned out to be. She should've been able to manage, but it wasn't out of the question for a new squad to go too far into a mission they weren't properly prepared for.

"When do we leave?"

"Whenever you're ready."

I sighed for a moment and turned away from the window. My eyes closed, I felt the touch of Wolf's hands on my hips, "It's her," I said. He let out a sigh of his own, but we'd have to go if for no other reason than we had to get her out. "I'm not leaving her behind."

"You don't have to. We'll go right away."

"Thank you."

We started our way out of the room, "Flight Commander: End," and everything went dark. I grabbed at Wolf's hand again as we hit the elevator and we were going down. He tapped his wrist, "Inform Leon that we're leaving on our mission right away and to head to the docking bays. . . Fox, I'm going to get the materials that we need for our mission. I'll see you there," and I got off the elevator and stood there in the relative silence that being there brought.

I started my way towards the docking bays and I saw my Arwing there, and I realized I don't even know how it managed to make its way back. I was out for the count, so they most likely had to take a trip back to get it, something, the Wolfens and Arwings aren't really equipped for autopilot due to the fact that they're designed with a lot of cutbacks to optimize battle systems.

When I turned, Leon was there, "How'd my ship get back?"

"We left my Wolfen behind until I could get back there. Wolf needed the optimization for his vision to be able to get back, so I flew it back," he smirked easily, "It's kinda a clunky piece of crap, but I can see why you like it." That was more words than I'd ever heard from Leon, but I smiled a moment.

"And I guess I owe a thank you to you too."

"Thanks are for the dead. We're gonna stay alive a little while longer."

–

Well then, I got a message inquiring about the story and I'd been in the process of rereading it and refamiliarizing myself with it. I'd gotten 3 chapters finished but they were gonna end up incredibly disjointed from what I'd continue with, since I wasn't interested in continuing that line of plot to the extent that I'd taken it. Instead, I'm going to jump a bit and work a bit more with Jinx in the coming chapters, because she's going to be a recurring character (if you didn't figure that out). I'm focusing on the Star Wolf tidbits for now but I don't want to lose Fox's identity while he's in Star Wolf and that means holding onto characters that had impact prior to his joining Star Wolf, including Fara and Jinx and to whatever extent, his former team.

I am a little bit rusty from the long semester but I'm still able to put work out and make some progress on this story. I'll also be going on vacation starting this coming Saturday (a week from now) and during that time I won't have work or anything else. I'll be spending a few hours every day working on this and I'm hoping to get up towards Chapter 15, which was my original intended length, but considering the ambitions I have for the series as well, expect it to be something much longer and much more intricate because I'm hoping to tackle some of the content from the other games (namely the Aparoid Invasion due to the large tie-ins with Star Wolf). I am back though, so I hope you're all ready for more content. Thank you~