I don't know how long it's been but all I know it's been to long!

So this chapter starts out fluffy and ends up bloody! I'm sorry in advance but it's necessary for the plot! More fluff is inbound I promise!

I won't say anymore past that, story time!

Snap Back to Crippling Reality

The next morning Vivian exited her bedroom and walked into her living room and there still passed out on her couch was Jackson Hunter with her little kit still on his chest. After seeing the video of Jack in Afuristan she had sat awake for a while considering if it changed anything for her, and honestly it did not. All that video did was prove what she already knew, Jack was indeed raised by The Fox and she already established that she was okay with that.

She then contemplated whether or not she'd talk to Jack about the video and decided against it. The second she started asking questions he'd immediately get defensive and shut down resetting the progress she had made. So instead she would keep it to herself, the video was viral anyways so if he saw it he might just come to her about it.

Vivian couldn't help but smile down at the pair, Jack was everything Nick needed in a father figure and Nick was wrapped around Jack's heart for sure. It was pure, and the look on Jack's face was so peaceful like he was actually content with the world. Leaning down she brushed the fur on the top of her kit's head, it was a school day so Nick had to wake up. Normally that required her dragging him out of bed quite literally, but today he stirred quickly. He blinked sleepily at her and rubbed an eye, "morning already?"

Vivian simply nodded and made a shushing motion while gesturing to Jack's face, he'd yet to stir. Nick quickly caught on and nodded once before Vivian lifted Jack's paw so Nick could escape. Vivian was certain that would wake Jack up but he was still dead to the world, which she'd be concerned about if Jack wasn't currently breathing. Vivian ushered her son into the kitchen area and said in a hushed tone, "let's let him sleep, he's been through a lot. Go and get ready, we'll get breakfast while we are out."

*5:00 PM*

Vivian and Nick entered their apartment Nick chatting about his day at school when Vivian stopped him. The only reason she did so was the fact that she saw a black tip of a foxtail hanging over her couch arm. "There's no way he's still asleep!"

Vivian quickly tiptoed over to her couch and sure enough, there was Jack in the exact same position they'd left him asleep. "He's been asleep for 18 hours!"

It was concerning, the fact that he hadn't so much as stirred or shifted on those 18 hours. Off paw, she could think of at least three medical reasons why he wouldn't be moving or waking up. But on the other paw, she knew he barely slept at all, so maybe, just maybe he was catching up on lost sleep. Either way, she didn't want to jump to any conclusions whatsoever so she decided to make a quick call. Walking away from Jack's sleeping form she made her way towards the kitchen and paused to speak to her son, "Jack's still sleeping apparently my little kit. So head to your room for a bit and play while I come up with a plan to wake him."

Nick looked over to the couch before looking back at her and in a hushed tone said, "you could just do what you normally do to me in the mornings."

Vivian smirked down at her kit and tussled the fur on his head as she replied, "I think he'd appreciate even less than you do. Off you go now, you little troublemaker."

Nick nodded once before scampering off to his room and she walked into her own. Once the door was shut she dialed her boss, maybe he had some insight on whether she should be concerned or not.

The line rang three times before Demetri answered the phone. "Hello Vivian, everything okay?"

Vivian took a seat on her bed and said, "well that kinda depends. I'm not calling about me."

There was a slight pause. "It's about Jack, isn't it? Did you finally learn something?"

Vivian hadn't told Demetri about the events of yesterday, in fact, she wasn't really sure if he even knew Jack was back stateside. He was just as concerned about Jack being MIA phone wise and even with his connections he couldn't get a straight answer, "Well technically yes. He's here, right now in my apartment asleep and he has been for about 18 hours straight without moving an inch."

"He's there?..so that means…wait, you said he's sleeping? He's been sleeping for 18 hours straight..without moving an inch."

Vivian tilted her head a bit. "Yes?"

A sound of shock left Demetri's maw. "Never thought I'd hear the day…Vivian, I'm sure by now with everything you've learned about Jack so far you could potentially surmise why I'm so surprised."

Vivian sagged as some of her worst suspicions were confirmed. "He's got sleeping problems because of his condition."

"Sleeping problems is putting it very mildly. The boy meditates and self-medicates more than he sleeps because of what happens when he does sleep. The horrors burned into his mind rearing their ugly heads every time he closes his eyes for more than five minutes. I've known that kid for a long time now Vivian, he puts on a tough front but there's so much stuff in his system to keep him awake I wouldn't be surprised if his body moves for 48 hours when he finally dies. To hear that he's slept for that long, and peacefully, is a miracle. Take my advice here, let the boy sleep. Make you and your kit a nice meal, but make a setting for three as the smell might just wake him up. But otherwise don't wake him, let him sleep. If he doesn't so much as twitch after 24 hours then try and wake him, but until then let him sleep, Vivian. We can talk in person more tomorrow, I'm about to head out with my daughter."

Vivian nodded her head a couple of times, not that Demetri could see it. "Okay, I'll do that. Thank you for the advice and I'll see you tomorrow at work, goodbye."

With that, she hung up her phone and stood walking back out into her living room to look down at Jack once more. With a shake of her head and a soft smile she said in a hushed tone, "you're the real troublemaker aren't you Jackson Hunter?"

*Jack*

Through the haze of cherry blossoms and violets, the wafting aroma of food permeated his sleep-addled mind. Through that came hunger, and that hunger began to rouse Jack from his slumber. The second sense that returned after his smell was his hearing, and he took in the sound of hushed conversation between a mother and her son, a mother, and son he adored. Based on what he was hearing, Nick was wondering if he should dive onto him to wake him. The thought made him smile as the next sense he got back was sight, his eyes slowly opened and he blinked blearily as he let out a big yawn.

It was exactly three seconds later he was fully awake and shooting up in shock. "I slept!?"

There was a giggle and a laugh that had his head whipping to the kitchen taking in the sight of an amused Nick and Vivian. Vivian after her giggle replied, "yep, for twenty hours straight at that."

Jack ran a paw through the fur of his head as he breathily said, "twenty hours." And sank back down on the couch. "I slept? I actually slept for more than five minutes…without a single nightmare. I slept peacefully…I slept…I always said I could sleep peacefully if I was with someone I loved…and I just slept peacefully here in….wow, everyone was right. For a genius, I really am stupid."

Jackson T. Hunter finally came to the conclusion that had been eluding him ever since he first laid eyes on her. It was love at first sight, he was in love with Vivian Wilde. "I love her…"

Jack was so in shock by the revelation he didn't notice the subject of his revelation walk over to him with a look of concern. "Jack, you okay?"

Jack's eyes shot up to her. "There's no way I'm going to tell her this. Never. She'll never feel the same, I don't deserve her, and she could definitely do way better than me. I'm going to bury this along with everything else. She doesn't need my burden or my trouble."

With his mind quickly made up Jack deflected to the issue that initially had him shocked. "Yeah, it's just…sleep and I aren't really good friends so the fact that I slept this long peacefully is shocking. Luckily it's the good kind...I haven't slept longer than two hours since the orphanage. I have been plagued with nightmares ever since my parents were murdered. It's..it's gonna take me a minute to wrap my head around this."

Jack's eyes took on a faraway look after that and Vivian quickly enveloped him in a hug, Nick scurrying over and joining. Once enveloped in the hug by the thing he wanted the most, family, Jack tried and failed to keep his emotions in check and soon some sniffles escaped along with some tears. That immediately caused the mother and son duo to simply hug him even tighter as the emotionally stunted and broken tod could do nothing else but work through his fractured mental state.

It took about five minutes and one last large sniffle but Jack got himself back together. He wrapped his arms around the duo and gave them one hard squeeze as he murmured "thank you."

Vivian and Nick released him Nick replied, "your welcome Mr. Jack!"

Jack ruffled the fur on the top of Nick's head as he stood and Vivian smiled at him warmly before gesturing to her dining room table, "anytime Jack, now come and join us for dinner before it gets cold."

Jack smiled back at her and replied, "thank you for the offer, but I couldn't possibly impose upon you further. I'm already couch surfing on your sofa as it is apparently. I should head back to my own apartment, really."

In all honesty, Jack would love nothing more to join Vivian and her kit for dinner. But he had to create some separation from Vivian now that he knew what these feelings were about her. The longer he interacted with her, the more and more he was afraid his mask would slip and his emotions would show. Unfortunately for him, no wasn't an option and Vivian quickly informed him of that fact. "Oh it wasn't a request Scruffy, I made food for you and you are going to eat it Mr."

That caused Jack to swallow nervously. He didn't think Vivian caught it, and he'd only ever read about it, but the way she said it sounded like it was a courtship meal. It was traditional in red fox culture for the vixen to lead in a relationship, but in older red fox tradition it all started with a courtship meal. Meaning after a few dates if the vixen wanted to pursue the relationship further she would make a courtship meal, propositioning the tod to see if they would like to pursue it as well. Now while Jack was certain that this wasn't the case, the circumstances and close wordings hit him right in instincts he didn't even know he had.

Luckily there was one major reason why Jack knew this wasn't a courtship meal, and it was currently tugging on his right paw. "Come on Mr. Jack! She made salmon!"

Looking down at the exuberant kit Jack couldn't help but smile as he allowed Nick to lead him to the dining room table. The food looked amazing as he took his seat next to Vivian, but as he gazed around the table watching as Vivian tickled the sides of her son and hearing his boisterous laughed while she laughed too…he couldn't give a damn about the food.

Eating dinner with Vivian and little Nick would forever be one of his most cherished memories in his databanks. There was just a purity to it, the joy and innocence of Nick, the kindness and beauty of Vivian, all of it. Now dinner was done and he was currently sitting on the floor in front of their coffee table getting his butt handed to him at board games by a kit.

"Oof you hit Boardwalk with two hotels, that'll be 1600."

Jack cringed as he looked at the devilish smile on Nick's face and began to count out the bills. "Sheesh, little one you're a little tycoon! I only got…1200, I'm broke!"

Jack then looked over to Vivian, "think you can help me out, banker?

Vivian laughed and shook her head. "Sorry Scruffy, banks closed and I'm broke!"

Jack dramatically threw his paws in the air as he slumped backward. "Defeated once again!"

Nick laughed as he pumped his fist in victory. "You never stood a chance!"

Jack didn't leave Vivian's apartment till about 11 that night. Nick had to go to bed and Vivian had work in the morning, so Jack took that as a good time to excuse himself. Sure he would like nothing more than to sleep on her couch again so her scent could lull him to sleep, or better yet curl himself around her on her bed, but he had to be practical. It would NEVER happen, and he couldn't keep surfing on her couch when he had a perfectly good apartment just down the hall.

Jack trudged down the hall and reached his door instantly frowning once he did so. "This lock is overkill...I don't need it anymore."

Jack then went through the lengthy process of unlocking his door and once it was open he left it that way making his way to his storage closet. Inside was a toolbox that he snatched and took it back to the door. He then spent the next hour and a half dismantling his locks until just the print reader and a custom lock remained. This particular lock required a special key and was difficult to pick, but not impossible.

Satisfied Jack went and took a shower before exiting his bathroom in his loose silk pants sans a shirt. Looking at the time he saw it was around 2 am and looked to his bed and immediately said, "nope."

Jack knew deep down that sleep wasn't going to happen. He wasn't around someone he loved and their scent wasn't present in his apartment meaning his demons would read their ugly heads. The fact was annoying, but what could he do about it? March over to Vivian and say, "Hey I can't sleep unless you're around, or your scent! Mind marking my pillow in my apartment or better yet sleeping with me?"

Jack shook his head at the thought. Wasn't going to happen, so sleep was out the window and meditation was in. Decision made Jack let out a sigh and walked onto his bed taking his place in the middle down on both knees, paws on thighs, eyes closed, straight posture, alert ears, and a 1911 with a tactical light and a suppressor set in front of him. Now in position he took three deep breaths and slipped into the realm of thoughtless semiconsciousness.

It was an hour and a half later he was pulled out of that realm by the incredibly distinct sound of his apartment door unlocking. "…motherfucker."

Jack remained in the position he was as he listened to the very careful and muffled steps of multiple intruders entering his apartment, eight at least. "How am I this fucking unlucky!?"

Jack began tensing his muscles in preparation as he heard two of them began creeping up the stairs. "No scent, using blockers. Based on footfalls, my size. Footfalls are heavier, males. No light but sure and quick movements, predators. Definitely professionals, and sounds of blades being drawn. Sound of draw time reserved, but longer than two seconds, swords. Based upon all information…likely yakuza. Yippee."

Once the two intruders reached his bedroom Jack more felt rather than heard them flow into the room taking opposite corners. Jack wanted to lull them into a false sense of confidence so as they entered he dipped his head and began to faint snoring lightly. Sure enough, they bought his ploy and moved in closer to him from opposite sides, and once they were within a foot of him he acted. His eyes flew open and he grabbed the 1911 flicking the light on and in an instant temporarily blinded the right intruder causing them to falter in their advance to attack. That brief moment was all he needed to squeeze the trigger sending a 45 caliber bullet right between the mammal's eyes.

Once that was done he immediately stood up halfway in a brace as the intruder on his left rushed in to strike at him with their sword. The intruder however wasn't anticipating his lighting fast movement so Jack was able to grab the intruder's gloved paws preventing a swing downwards as he placed his 1911 under their chin and fired off a round killing them. His whole attack was over in about five seconds.

With the two intruders down Jack took a second to identify them. "Wolves dressed like ninjas and wielding katanas..definitely yakuza ninja assassins. How the hell did they find out my identity!?"

Doing a brief frisk of both corpses told him they had no firearms on them which he expected. This of course did not guarantee the others didn't so Jack quickly moved to his dresser and donned a plate carrier with a built-in holster, turned the light off, holstered the pistol, and then grabbed his two ninjato swords. He then strode out of his bedroom confidently and looked downstairs. Sure enough, there were six more yakuza ninjas down below waiting for him weapons drawn. All of them were male wolves and there wasn't a gun in sight. One wielded a katana and a wakizashi making him the leader, two wielded kyoketsu shoge, and the other five wielded either a katana or a ninjato like him.

Seeing this, Jack took off the plate carrier and placed it on his poker table before unsheathing his swords and slowly descending his stairs. As he descended he spoke in Japanese, "forgive me for killing the two upstairs with a gun, I didn't know who I was facing."

The leader sneered at him and replied, "this wouldn't be the first time you dishonored yourself by killing one of us with a firearm Shinigami."

Jack smirked at hearing the yakuza's name for him, Death god. "I see I received yet another name. You honor me with the title. Before I live up to the name, a question. How did you find me?"

As Jack descended the stairs the yakuza assassins noticed a change in the air. With each step down the aura of imminent danger grew stronger and stronger emanating from their quarrel. There was also a shift in the tods demeanor from fox tod to a weapon as the true Shinigami was let out of its cage. Finally, the tod reached the ground floor and took on the eyes of Shinigami, cold and calculating. Several of the assassins exchanged glances with one another as they concluded, that this wasn't the same Shinigami their brothers faced all those years ago…this one was much worse.

The leader also acknowledged the fact as he looked upon the many scars the Shinigami sported but he could show no fear, they would handle this, it'd just be harder than they thought. "You were a ghost for a very long time, our boss, the son of the one you beheaded, had even given up. But then, you revealed yourself, with your real identity in that video. You chose an honorable path in the end Shinigami…but we didn't forget about you."

The leader's response filled in some holes on who sent them and how they found him, but not all. "What video?"

"You were in Afuristan, used your shoge to kill a lot of mammals while covered in blood. Once our boss spoke to a high-ranking elk in the CIA and they confirmed it, he sent us here."

Jack wanted to be filled with rage at the fact that Elkerton sold him out but emotions wouldn't help until these assassins were dead. Besides, he knew a manipulation when he saw one, Elkerton wanted him to kill this yakuza boss, so for his own sake he would…and he'd send an incredibly clear message doing so. "I didn't know that recording survived, let alone be posted. No matter….you should've let Shinigami stay asleep. I'll kill you all now, then your entire clan, then your boss. Once that's done I'll paint a very clear message that I am to be left alone. If you believe in any of the Gods, you might want to pray now."

Jack gave them exactly three seconds to do so before rushing forward. The closest assassin had almost no time to react to Jack's lightning-fast movement and deflected his first attack, but not his second. Jack twirled with the deflection ending up behind the assassin his right blade cutting deep down the entire length of their spine. He then spun and deflected the next leader's katana to the left and wakkizashi right, his left blade down and his right upwards. Next he the leader back causing them to trip backward over his coffee table as he deflected assassin's three and four's before ducking assassin fives shoge. Assassin five then lost their legs from Jack's right blade followed immediately by Jack making a leaping twirl sideways to avoid assassin sixes shoge as it arced to wrap around him.

Once he landed on his feet Jack dodged an attack from assassin three before raising his right blade and catching assassin six's shoge. The chain of the shoge wrapped around his right blade and brought the chain forward, stepped on it, and brought a segment up with his left blade. The tension caused by the movements then snapped the chain, the whole movement only taking a second. Jack then dodged and deflected a few blows from assassins three and four before a window opened up from a deflection of assassin three. That window resulted in assassin three losing their head to Jack's right blade followed by assassin four getting gutted by his left blade.

This only left the leader and assassin six who pulled a wakizashi to contend with. Six rushed him first with a flurry of fast attacks that Jack had to deflect and block with both blades as the leader circled behind him. Suddenly, Jack felt a knife slide into the left side of his stomach when six pulled a kunai and jabbed. Knowing that the leader was behind him Jack began pushing six back, this caused the leader's wakizashi to miss but the katana connected slicing down his spine, but not deep enough to damage it. To avoid being attacked from the rear again Jack spun six around while changing his right blade to a reverse grip and slit six's throat letting them fall to the side, a spurt of blood hitting Jack's face.

Now it was just him and the leader and they immediately went at it trading blows. It quickly became apparent that the leader and Jack were at the same skill level when it came to combat with swords. After about thirty seconds of going back and forth both parties were sporting injuries, but nothing overly serious. The leader was now missing half their left ear, had a deep gash on their right arm and left leg, and was sans their left pinkie toe. Jack on top of the cut along his spine had a very small nick on the upper left side of his left ear, a cut along his left collar bone ending above his left nipple, and a gash horizontally along his abdomen which if it went an inch deeper would have gutted him.

It was safe to say they were at a stalemate and Jack had about enough of it. If they were equal in swordplay Jack would have to mix it up and he did just that. Jack deflected both the leader's blades upward, kicked them back, and threw his left ninjato at the leader. The leader deflected it easily but they weren't expecting Jack to pull the kunai out of his own stomach. As a result, the leader was unprepared for Jack to rush in and use the kunai, with an underpawed grip Jack slit the leader's left wrist causing them to drop their wakizashi. Next Jack stabbed the kunai in the space between their left collarbone as he drove his Ninjato through their liver. This was followed by a headbutt and a pivoted takedown using the leader's right arm. That right arm was then promptly broken, well more shattered in multiple places by a very pissed-off Jack.

The leader promptly screamed from the break and Jack released their arm and pulled the kunai out of the leader. He then kneeled down in front of the leader and spun the blade a few times as he spoke again in Japanese. "You're going to die, but not yet…I think you have some things to tell me."

8 minutes later the leader was finally dead and covered in a lot of extra wounds, the kunai buried in their right eye. Jack was in his bathroom washing his paws of blood and once that was done he grabbed his cellphone and dialed a number. After three rings a gruff voice with a thick Russian accent answered, "Tundratown Limo Services."

Jack let his normal voice as Mr. NightOwl out and greeted the person on the other line. "Privet Koslov. It's been a while."

There was a surprised grunt. "Mr. NightOwl?"

"Da, eto ya. Mne nuzhny vashi uslugi po uborke. Krome togo, doktor na meste?" (Yes, it's me. I need your cleaning services. Also, is the doctor in?)

Kosovo's voice took on a confused tone as he answered. "Ya dumal, ty na pensii?" (I thought you were retired?)

"Ya vremenno vernulsya. Yakuza nashel menya. Teper' mne nuzhna polnaya brigada uborshchikov i vrach po adresu, kotoryy ya tebe napisal. Ekipazh dolzhen spravit'sya s gruppoy iz vos'mi chelovek, do svidaniya." (I am temporarily back in. Yakuza found me. Now I need a full cleaning crew and the doctor to the address I texted you. The crew needs to handle a party of eight, goodbye.)

With that Jack hung up and tossed his phone onto his bed. He knew he didn't need to say more than that, they would come and come quickly. Next, he strode back into the bathroom and pulled out a large first aid kit to tend to his wounds as best he could. He cleaned and stitched the wound on his stomach and abdomen, placed a bandage on his shoulder/chest wound, and wrapped basically his entire torso to stem the bleeding of his back wound. As he wrapped his torso he took a second to look at himself in the mirror and it took exactly three seconds for calm to turn into fury as he took in his face coated in blood. "FUCK!" Jack then shattered the mirror with a fist before he gripped his sink tightly and scrunched his eyes shut.

"I can't fucking believe this! The absolute second I feel the smallest modicum of anything close to actual happiness and the universe just has to kick me back into my fucking hole! Now I need to become the mammal I swore I'd never be again and do things I said I'd never do just so mammals will leave me the fuck alone!...This..this is why I'll always be alone. This is why I'll never be allowed to be happy again, to have a normal life, have a family…I was a fool to even think there was the smallest minute chance I could have a normal life."

At the end of that depressing thought Jack sank down to the ground while still clutching the sink and broke down hard, his shoulders shaking as he cried. Ten minutes later he mammaled up and began burying emotions and slipping on his trusty mask. He dried his tears, went downstairs, opened his freezer and pulled out a bottle of pure Russian vodka. Next he grabbed a glass and poured, drank, and kept on pouring. Once a quarter of the bottle was gone Jack stopped and then pulled out a dozen additional glasses, poured measures for each, then poured the last bit into his glass before chucking the bottle and sitting on a barstool.

He nursed that drink for fifteen minutes before there was a heavy knock on the door. Figuring it was them but still not sure Jack leveled his 1911 at the door and said "it's open!"

His door swung open and the first mammal to walk through was Koslov and from his paws he heard a very familiar voice speak. The voice of Gerald Corleone, aka Mr. Big. "Meh, you have a lot of explaining to do Mr. NightOwl….or should I say Jackson Hunter."

With that statement Jackson immediately downed the rest of his glass of vodka and muttered a single word. "Fuck."

As I said, started fluffy ended bloody! Poor Jack can't catch a break! Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong! His identity has been discovered by one of his enemies, courtesy of his CIA "handler" Elkerton, assassins broke into his apartment the exact SAME night he tried to be less paranoid, and Mr. Big knows who he really is! On top of that he's drinking hard again and slipping back into his robotic state again!

What's Jack going to do!? But more importantly, what's Vivian going to do when she sees Jack's regressed state!? Between you and me…I don't think she's gonna let him!

Next time on A Father Figure! A fierce ass chewing by Big, A trip to Japan and a meeting with Elkerton, and some plans from Vivian!

As always review/comment/kudo/fav/follow if you like the story!

I am working on multiple things at once so it's a mystery to which story will get a update next so I hope you love em all! But until then this is TheConcernedF0X signing off! See you soon!