Hey everyone another chapter is up again and sorry for the long wait I had a very rough week after losing my job and getting my schedule organized to be home to pick up my 6-year-old brother from school (but hey I'm actually kind of happy because I won't have to work with the people anymore)! Anyway thanks for the reviews, you guys, you just made my life a lot easier. Just sit back and enjoy the chapter!

Sid was walking down the trail looking all happy as usual. Mornings were always his favorite time and he just loved making first impressions on neighbors as he walked by. The sloth continued to skip down as he started greeting the other animals one by one.

(SID HUMMING)

"Good morning Ms. Beaver" Sid greeted cheerfully

"Shut up stupid!" Ms. Beaver grumpily replied

"Okay then, have a good day" Sid happily replied

Diluted as he still was, he still always showed a smile across his face. He didn't care what others think of him, he just kept rambling on.

(SID HUMMING)

"Hiya kiddies, stay safe okay" Sid greeted the animal children

"You suck sloth!" shouted another braver

"Go jump over a duck!" shouted a bird

"Kiss my ass!" shouted a Glyptodon

Sid chuckled and shouted back. "Oh thanks guys, have a good day!"

Each day was the same day, Sid would always greet all the neighbors with a warm hello but the only reply he gets is a nasty blustering threat. Still Sid was too diluted to even believe so as he continued walking through the neighborhood greeting everyone. As soon as he came across the end of the corridor he noticed two familiar faces just up ahead.

It was Diego and Shira. He spotted the two just walking down the hill showing Shira's eyes were closed shut meaning Diego had something waiting for her back at their home cave.

As the scene changes, Shira began to questioning her mate why she has to keep them shut as Diego lead her through the woods.

"C'mon baby, we're almost there" Diego told Shira

"Really cause' it would be great if I could open my eyes now" Shira replied

"No, No, no peeking. It's a surprise" Diego teased her

"Oh I'll give you that same surprise like the last time we met that's for sure" Shira teasingly warned him

"Not if you can't see me. Now c'mon just a little more" said Diego

Diego continued leading Shira through till finally they were home and he brought his wife to a halt. Diego was really excited to show his mate the surprise as he walked out in front of her.

"Okay kitty, are you ready?" Diego asked her

"Ready when you are, softie-boy" Shira replied happily

"Okay then, open" Diego told her to open her eyes

When she opened them, they popped up really wide letting her jaw drop. What she saw was truly heart-warming. Flowers were hung all around the outside of the cave and even the inside. As the two walked in the cave, she noticed more flowers as they were laid upon their sleeping spots including their newborn cub's spot. Shira smiled tearfully as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

"Oh Diego it's so beautiful" Shira admitted joyously

When she turned to Diego, Diego was shown holding flowers in his mouth while giving her a lovingly smile. The saberess chuckled and took the flowers out of Diego's mouth and set'em down near her spot.

"Oh softie, you've shouldn't have" said Shira as she nuzzled under Diego's neck

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I? We're going to be parents soon so why not let it be a big surprise" said Diego as he purred on top of his mate's head

(PURRING)

Shira chuckled before pressing her nose against his. "When did I last tell you I love you?"

Diego blushed under his fur and answered. "About like 30 seconds ago down the creek"

Shira chuckled and licked his cheek. "Then you're overdue. I love you"

"And I love you back" Diego replied

Diego then lowered his head down to Shira's pregnant stomach and pressed his ear against it. Diego waited for the right moment till suddenly a small kick was felt upon the saber's cheek allowing the saber to chuckle under his own breath.

(CHUCKLING)

Diego raised his head back up and looked into Shira's eyes. "Did you feel it?" Shira asked

Diego nodded in reply. "Yep, quite the little kickers they are"

"That reminded me of you, when we first met" Shira replied

"Yeah, you mean the part where you pin me down and tie me to a pole?" Diego asked remembering the encounter

Shira turned her head away hiding the smirk that was laid upon her face as she tried to hold it in. But it was too much and she just burst out into laughter.

(LAUGHING)

"No I'm serious" Diego warned. "That was not funny"

"Maybe; but it was to me. That is a surprise I will never forget no matter how hard you try to get me down" Shira snorted

Diego smirked playfully. "Oh really"

That made Diego crouch down in position before pouncing out knocking Shira to the ground on her back. Shira groaned on her back as she looked up at a very happy Diego

(THUDDING)

"Who's pinned now?" Diego teased

Shira smirked back. "Oh well let me think um…"

Shira pressed her paws on Diego's chest and pushed him back forward on the ground. Diego was now pinned on his back as Shira was now the one right on top of him.

(THUDDING)

"You; you're pinned now" Shira teased

Diego frowned as Shira allowed him to get back up. Once he did he shook the dirt off his fur and turned to his wife.

"Well played kitty" Diego admitted

"I know strength when I need it" Shira teased

"And here I thought…" Diego asked referring to her pregnancy before she cut him off

"Hey! Just because I'm productive doesn't mean I'm out of shape" Shira easily accused

"Nope, you're just cranky" Diego teased

Shira was more accused and she slapped Diego in the face with her paw. Diego laughed under his breath before Shira grabbed a hold of Diego's chin and she turned his face to her.

"But you're the crankiest of all" Shira teased

The two shared a moment together as they looked into each other's eyes. Love was starting to reach them as both sabers began to make their move. The two closed their eyes and slowly started reaching out towards each other's lips. The moment was exactly right, but all is changed when Sid came barging in ruining their romantic scene.

"DIEGO! DIEGO MY PAL!" Sid shouted joyously

The clumsy sloth came running up the hill as he tripped on a few stones and slammed his face against a few trees.

(THUD)

"OW…" cried Sid

(SMACK)

"…OW…" cried Sid again

(THUD)

"…OW…" cried Sid again

(SMACK)

"…OW" cried Sid once again

Both Diego and Shira exchanged eye contact as they each raised a brow. After dodging a few more incidents he finally made his way to the top of the hill and he pulled his arms out and wrapped them around Diego's neck.

"Oh Diego, I missed you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much! It's been so long since you and Shira been dating" Sid said joyously

Diego who felt irritated by Sid unrelenting headlock of not letting go taps the sloth on the back to get his attention.

"Sid?" Diego asked irritatingly

"Yeah Diego old pal?" Sid asked cheerfully

"Touching…touching…get off of me…NOW!" Diego angrily demanded

Sid quickly lets go of Diego and backs away feeling nervously intimidated by what his friend meant.

"He, he, sorry" Sid apologized. "But it's so great to see you again! I'm mean the 'both' of you? I mean the rest of you? I mean…"

(CLAMP)

Sid's mouth was clamped by Diego's paw gesturing Sid not to over exaggerate himself. Sid finally calmed down and Diego released his paw as the saber sat back down on his haunches.

"It's great to see you again, Sid. I'll give you that" Diego admitted

"Aww, really" Sid asked cheerfully

Diego nodded. "Really"

"Aww gee thanks Diego I can always count…" Stop was about to hug Diego but stopped when Diego gave him a warning glare

(TIRES SCREECHING SOUND)

"…never mind" Sid managed to say as he lowered his arms back down again

"Hey guys" called another voice who appeared to be Manny alongside with Ellie

"Oh hey Manny, hey Ellie" Sid happily waved to them

"Hey buddy, long time no see" Diego greeted his friend

"It's so good to see you all again. Especially you Shira" Ellie happily replied

"Thanks Ellie, I appreciate it" said Shira feeling grateful

The mammoths looked down and stared at Shira's belly seeing how big it was. Manny scoffed with a slight chuckle.

"Guess I'm not the only to call 'fat', huh?" Manny teased

"Well at least I don't pretend I'm fat!" Shira teased back

"I'M NOT FAT!" Manny snapped angrily

"Let me guess, you're poufy?" Shira asked teasingly

Manny nodded. "That's right"

"Well guess what?" said Shira

"What?" asked Manny

"You're also pouty as well" Shira teased

That remark made everyone outburst into laughter as was left frowning feeling like he was taken hook, line, and sinker.

(LAUGHING)

"That's not funny!" Manny snapped angrily

"Oh no, Manny no, of course it isn't…" Sid laughingly replied

"Oh well thanks Sid, I knew…" Manny attempted before Sid cut him off

"…IT'S HILARIOUS!" Sid snapped

(LAUGHING)

Manny lowered his eyes in boredom and agony. "…I could count on you" he finished

Once the laughing lowered down, Ellie walked up to Sid and Diego and she smiled politely at both of them. Sid and Diego looked up to her smiling back before wrapped her trunk Sid and held him close as she did the same thing with Diego. After she released them both, both sloth and saber glanced at each other confusingly of what just happened before Ellie spoke out to them.

"I think what you both did with Manny was so brave!" Ellie congratulated them

"What do you mean?" Sid asked feeling lost

"We're always brave for the stuff we do with Manny" Diego explained to her

"No it's not just that…it's…it's was just so brave what you guys did to save him" Ellie excitedly told them

"Him?" Sid asked confusingly

"Him? Him, what do you mean 'him'? Who's him?" Diego asked

"Oh don't be childish Diego, you know. That baby you called 'Pinky' remember?" Ellie replied about the boy they rescued long ago

That name suddenly made Sid and Diego's hearts go pounding like they both were going to have a heart-attack or something. They rolled exchanged eye-contact to each other before rolling them over to Manny. Manny smiled nervously before he rolled his eyes to Ellie and then to them, back and forth.

The sloth and the saber then shook their heads to get their minds back to working again. They were too surprised the two couldn't think of a way to make things a lot clearer to Ellie. Bad thoughts started to stream through their heads till it came all the way down to their guts as guilt started to overflow them.

"He, he, oh right that 'him' you're talking about. He, he, he, he, he…" Sid laughed weakly

"Umm, Ellie? Exactly where did you hear of that boy's name exactly?" Diego asked smiling nervously

"Why, Manny told me all about him" Ellie gestured her trunk to Manny in the back of her

"Oh…did he?" said Diego faking a smile as he looked over from Ellie and snarled ferociously at Manny

(GROWLING LOWLY)

What did Manny want him to say? His wife was the one that got it out of him in the first place. It's not his fault he had to keep this from everyone else.

Diego continued to growl at his friend before Shira came alongside of him and shoved him with her hip and the saber turned to her attention.

"Is there something that I should know about this?" Shira asked him with a brow raised

Diego looked away now afraid by this. He was scared that if he told Shira the truth about him saving a human boy a long time ago it would ruin their relationship. Or worse…their marriage! He looked back at Shira as Shira still waited for her husband's answer.

"Well Shira, well…umm…it's kind of a long story…" Diego tried attempting to explain

Ellie could tell by the reaction on Diego's face that he was getting cold paws so she decided to make it easier by explaining it to Shira in whisper. Ellie tapped Diego on the trunk causing him to slow down and let her handle this, and then she gently pushes him away and starts whispering into Shira's ear in secret.

(MURMERING WHISPERINGLY)

Shira listened as Ellie told her the story about the human infant Manny, Sid, and Diego saved. Her eyes widened at some parts as she blurted them out.

"No…" said Shira surprisingly

"…yes" Ellie replied

(MURMERING WHISPERINGLY)

"What!" Shira shouted

"I know right" Ellie replied

(MURMERING WHISPERINGLY)

"He did that!" Shira shouted

"That's what I said" Ellie replied back

(MURMERING WHISEPRINGLY)

"Aww, he did that?" Shira asked soothingly

Ellie nodded. "Uh-huh, I cried at that part"

Manny, Sid, and Diego continued listening to the whispering before Ellie finally finished leaving Shira smiling with a grateful expression. Shira then started to walk over to Diego as Diego started to feel like he was going to get it, and get it real good in a more painful way.

"Shira…I-I-I can explain I…I was going to tell you but I didn't think you would handle…" Diego stuttered in panic before something locked his lips together

His eye popped when they did when he realized that Shira was kissing him with not only her lips, but with her tongue.

(KISSING SOUND)

The two sabers started twisting their mouths together letting each other taste the compassion of their love. While they were at it, Sid felt disgusted and looked away letting out a horrified cringe.

"YYYYYUUUUUKKKKK!" Sid cringed disgustedly

Shira pulled away after and pressed her head against Diego's as the two let out soothing purrs of delight.

"Did you really do that for him?" Shira asked about Pinky

"Well…he was just a baby and…and I thought everyone deserves a second chance" Diego replied

"He, he, well it looks like I found the right guy to marry after all" Shira chuckled

"So does that mean you're not mad?" Diego asked looked back up at her

Shira shook her head. "Why would I? You're my mate. After all we are having kids so why not give you a second chance?"

Shira nuzzled her head against Diego's shoulder purring delightful as Diego did the same nuzzling her back. Sid watched this moment as he smiled proudly at them. He was so happy he looked at Manny and Ellie and so have they were showing love to each other. But then suddenly something came on his mind. Both his friends were married and are starting to struggle with the signs of parenthood which made him realize why he hadn't had a girlfriend yet. Or even kids to look after.

Sid lowered his face down and saw his reflection in a small puddle wondering if there were any other sloths out there that would want to love him. But after that reunion with his family who apparently deserted him again a few months back convinced him that no other animal would ever love him and that he'll never get a girl in his life.

Sid then lowered his arms and looked down sadly. "Gee, I wish I had a mate"

Sid continued to look down at his reflection in the puddle when suddenly an orange figure appeared in the puddle from above a small ledge got Sid to notice it and he quickly turned around. He looked right up above him who it was only to find out that it was gone. The sloth starched his head with his claw wondering who that orange figure really was.

"Did I just-? Nah" said Sid throwing his hand away

Sid turned away to be with his friends after Ellie offered Diego and Shira to join along with them on their morning stroll. They agreed to join as the trio started tagging along the trail. Meanwhile, Manny, Diego along with Sid stayed in the back as their wives were in the front leading the way as the three started to chatter in conversation.

"Alright look guys, I know you probably think I'm a total idiot" Manny said nervously

"Yeah we can see that" Diego growled

Manny frowned as he continued to talk. "But hey, don't put this out on me! She got me to tell!"

"She gave you the 'I already know' thing did she?" Diego asked

Manny nodded with defeat. "Yes, she did"

Diego slapped his paw over his head grunting frustratingly.

(SIGHS FRUSTRATINGLY)

"Hey it wasn't my fault! I didn't mean to tell her!" Manny explained

"Yeah well it got her to tell my wife as well, thanks to you" Diego accused

"Aw, c'mon guys, I mean sure it was supposed to be a secret but we can't just hide it forever" Sid attempted to cam both his friends down

"For once I agree with Sid here. We can't just hide things and pretend like it never even happened like we weren't ever supposed to tell anyone at all!" said Manny agreeing with Sid

"I know, I know!" Diego angrily snapped back

"Then how do you know!" Manny asked demandingly

"It's just…just…I don't want to relive my past over again" Diego answered while sighing

"What do mean over again? You put that memory aside a very long time ago" Manny replied

"Yeah but it's not just that it's…it's…" Diego stuttered but was too afraid to tell his friends

"What?" Manny asked

Flashbacks started flowing through Diego's head again as he remembered the events that took place after he met Manny and Sid where he and his old pack attacked the human village to claim Pinky for revenge of the death of his pack-mates. He also remembered chasing after Pinky's mother, Nadia, along with her son clutched in her arms trying to snag him away from her; then remembering cornering her at the ledge of a waterfall giving her the most dangerous choice of her life. Either jump or die. She chose to jump leaving Diego closing his eyes trying to shake away the horrible memories inside his head.

"Hello, I'm waiting for an answer! What is it?" Manny asked demandingly

Diego rolled his eyes away and replied. "Nothing, let's just keep moving"

Diego continued to walk pacing away from Manny and Sid leaving the two hopelessly confused by their friend's situation.

"What's up with him?" Sid asked shoving Manny on the side of his shoulder

"Beats me. C'mon let's go" Manny replied

The trio continued strolling down the trail as the day slowly moved forward as the sun shined from above leaving the day bright and beautiful. But unaware to them from the other side of the trail laid black smoke coming out of what appeared to be the teen's cove.

Another chapter is finished! Now you all know. Ellie tells her husband and friend's story to Shira about Pinky while Diego feels his guilt is starting to come back to him leaving him not to tell his friends the truth. Also, Sid saw an orange figure that was spying on him and he had no idea who it was. Will Diego overcome his guilt? Will Sid ever discover who the orange figure is? Stay tuned because more will be coming your way!