"Mommy...? Mommy, what's going on...?!"

Porsha had been asking this question - and countless others - ever since Stephanie had gotten her from school, especially since she hadn't even been there for an hour when her mother had abruptly returned and asked to take her home. Stephanie had barely said anything in response as she scooped her little one off the ground and immediately bolted back to their apartment, before fastening all three locks on the door and placing a chair in front of it for good measure. And now, the seven-year-old was sat in the doorway of her mother's bedroom, anxiously watching as Stephanie pulled down her old suitcase and began shoving as many clothes and other valuables into it as she could.

"Mommy, you're bein' scary, I dunno what's -"

"Mommy can't talk right now, Porsha, she's just gotta think!" Stephanie cut her off with a grunt, then let out a long, fatigued exhale. "Alright… alright alright alright, maybe… m-maybe if we head to the airport, I can figure out a flight time, and then we'll -"

"Ooh, are we going on vacation…?" Porsha's mood brightened up a little, though she still looked uncertain. "Wait… when are we comin' back? Cause y'know, Meena's birthday's in a couple weeks, and I was real -"

"No, Porsha, we… ugh…" Stephanie pinched the bridge of her nose, dreading how her daughter would react to the bombshell she was about to drop, before kneeling down to Porsha's level and holding her hand. "We're not comin' back here, sunshine."

"What?!" Porsha's eyes bulged wide as she stumbled back, pulling her hand out of Stephanie's grip. "But… b-but we gotta come back, Mommy, we can't stay on vacation forever!"

"It's not a vacation, Porsha! Alright, it… it just… oh, God…" Stephanie groaned. "Look, something's come up, and we're not gonna be safe here that much longer, baby. Alright, so we gotta get outta here before they -"

"But I don't wanna go!" Porsha interrupted, her eyes misting up a bit as she pulled an expression that only made Stephanie's heart sink even lower. "B-b-but what about Meena, or Johnny, and Rosita, and that… that, uh… th-that nice old koala lady ya always hang out with…?"

"Porsha, we're gonna go get a new home someplace else, and ya can make all kinds of new friends there. But we need to -!"

"But I don't wanna go get a new home! I like this home!"

"Yeah, I know ya like it, Porsha, I do too! Do ya really think I'd be tryin' to make ya leave if we had a choice…?!" Stephanie tried her best to restrain her temper as she gripped Porsha's hands again. "Look, I know this sounds scary, sunshine, and believe me, it really is. But the last thing Mommy needs right now is you not playin' ball with me here, okay…?"

They both jolted up when they heard the handle rattling on the front door, followed by a frantic KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!, which prompted Stephanie to grab Porsha off the floor and throw her into the still-opened closet.

"Mommy, wait… w-what are ya…?!" Porsha's voice was muffled by all the coats and scarves her mother was burying her in, her greenish-gold eyes now being the old thing visible under the pile of clothing as Stephanie stared right into them.

"Stay in here, and don't come out until I say so…" Stephanie said sternly, though her sweat-soaked fur and horrified expression made it clear she was fighting off a serious panic attack. "Y'understand…?! Stay!"

Porsha hesitated, then nodded, before shutting her eyes tight as Stephanie closed the door of the closet, shrouding her in complete darkness.

The knocking at the door continued as Stephanie ran over to the kitchen area and dug through the top drawer, eventually fishing out a rolling pin in case she had to defend herself. She had briefly considered a knife, though with the possibility of this hypothetical attacker disarming her, she figured that a blunt weapon would be easier for herself to avoid or counter than a sharp blade. And with the door not having a peephole, it was impossible for her to be certain what or who was waiting on the other side.

For a good few seconds the wolf was planted back-first beside the door, holding out a brief hope that the visitor would give up their pursuit and leave, but the knocking continued still. So, biting down hard on her bottom lip and tightening her left hand's grip on her weapon, Stephanie used her right hand to move her imprompu barricade and open the door, nearly shrieking with shock as a pair of arms immediately latched onto her.

"Mary...?"

"Oh darling, we were so worried!"

The gorilla was holding back tears as she gently tightened her embrace, and the wolf in her arms wasn't much better. Stephanie was short of breath as she rested her head on Mary's shoulder, letting her arms hang limp as the rolling pin clattered down onto the floor. They stayed here for a good minute or so before Stephanie finally pried herself free, her vision still being blurred by the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"Mary, I..." She whimpered. "I'm just so -"

"Hey, come on... that's it, it's alright..." Mary smiled, brushing some of the wolf's unkempt fur out of her face. "We came as soon as we saw it, darling..."

"Wait wait wait... we...?!" Stephanie shook her head to regather her bearings, then looked down at the two pigs that were stood beside Mary. "Oh... hey, guys..."

"Hi, sweetie..." Rosita took a hold of Stephanie's hand, leading the wolf back inside as Norman and Mary followed them. "You feeling okay...?"

"Well, I just... I... I dunno..." Stephanie crossed her arms, gripping her own shoulders as she hunched forwards. "So, you uh... y-you guys all saw the show, huh...?"

"Uh-huh..." Rosita nodded, stifling a small chuckle. "Y'know, Steph, when you said Porsha's Dad was some head honcho from Redshore, I didn't think you meant the head honcho from Redshore! I mean, yeah, I guess anybody who works there is pretty high profile, but... come on, Jimmy Crystal...?!"

"Yeah, well... ya can't exactly blame me for not telling..." Stephanie sighed, then headed back into her room and resumed her packing. "The second somebody tattles where we are, he'll send a whole frickin' army after us!"

"Hang on..." Mary cupped her chin, thinking to herself for a moment before her eyes went wide. "That bloke who you had the scuffle with a couple years back... th-that wasn't one of his, was it...?"

Stephanie hesitated, then nodded with a sigh. "Uh, yeah... Kendall. He, um... he was one of the ones who had me taken from the mansion. I guess me and Porsha gettin' away got 'im fired or something, but... b-but I dunno, Jimmy's got a lotta folks in his pocket."

She grunted forcefully as she shoved the last few items into her suitcase, finally zipping it shut before she stood back up and straightened her clothes. "So, uh... N-Norman, you wouldn't mind drivin' us down to the airport, would ya...?"

"Well no, I guess not, it's just... wait, airport...?" Norman said, glancing over to an equally surprised and confused Rosita and Mary. "Stephanie, you... you can't just leave..."

"Course I can, I did it before!" Stephanie forced a laugh, though her eyes and voice both betrayed a feeling of fear as she rubbed her arm. "I mean... ugh... look, I don't got a choice. Alright, Jimmy's out there, sayin' all that crap about me, and -"

"And running away's just going to make you look guilty!" Mary cut her off. "You'll never clear your name doing that, Steph!"

"For God's sake, Mary, I don't care about clearin' my name!" Stephanie was holding back tears again, despite her aggression. "All that matters to me is keepin' Porsha safe, and gettin' away from that frickin' psychopath!"

"Well, she's gonna be a lot safer here than she'd be going on the run. And so are you..." Rosita said, taking the wolf's hand again. "Look, I know you're scared, Stephanie, and I completely understand, believe me, but... but Norman and Mary are right. If you run away now, you'll just keep running forever."

"Yeah, well, what do you care, huh...?" Stephanie scoffed, taking on a more bitter tone as she yanked her hand out of Rosita. "Y'know, why... w-why are ya all here like you're on my side or something...?"

"We are on your side!" Mary said, almost laughing despite her concern. "Why wouldn't we be...?"

"Nobody else is, that's why!" Stephanie groaned. "Come on, ya just found out all this other stuff I've been coverin' up, what's stoppin' ya from thinkin' I ain't hidin' nothin' else?!"

"It doesn't matter if you are, Steph!" Mary said. "You're our friend, and we want to help you!"

"Well, what's in it for ya...?!"

"What's in it for me is that I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you!"

Mary's outburst instantly sucked all the air out of the room, making Stephanie, Norman and Rosita all freeze up. After a good ten seconds or so of complete silence, the gorilla's expression finally softened again as she slumped down on the couch and put a hand to her face.

"If you hadn't been there to pull from that canal, Steph, I... I'd have just... oh, God..." She sniffled a bit, before wiping her face and sitting back up again. "Johnny could have lost his mother that day. And if I can make sure Porsha doesn't lose hers, I will."

"Yeah..." Rosita nodded, gently holding onto the gorilla's hand, before they looked over to the wolf again. "I know you think you're the only one who sees Crystal for what he is, Stephanie, but you're not. And you've been fighting him alone long enough."

Stephanie stood there, her body trembling with a mixture of fear, frustration, and gratitude while she wiped her still tearful face. "Guys, I just... I just dunno what to say..."

"Can ya say I'm allowed to come out now, Mommy...?" Porsha's still muffled voice suddenly called from the closet. "It's real dark in here!"

"Oh God, Porsha!" Stephanie quickly knelt down and opened the door, letting out a hoarse laugh as she pulled her little one out from under all the clothes she'd buried her in. "Sorry, sunshine..."

Porsha squinted a little until her eyes re-adjusted to the light, looking at the two pigs and the gorilla that were all smiling at her, before facing her mother again. "Do we still have to leave, Mommy...?"

Stephanie hesitated for a moment, looking over to their friends just as Porsha had done a moment prior, before taking a deep breath. "No... we're not runnin' away anymore, Porsha... I'm not runnin' away."

"Welcome back to the Friday edition of Hot News!" Linda crossed her legs and lounged back in her chair, waiting until her rabid audience had stopped cheering. "We're back again with the hottest story on everybody's minds: The Crystal Family Drama!"

This prompted another excited "ooh" from the crowd in attendance, which only grew louder as the wedding photograph of Jimmy and his ex-wife flashed up on the screen, before it was split right down the middle in an elaborate PowerPoint graphic.

"Jimmy Crystal and Stephanie Frangipane are gonna be meeting at the Redshore City Courthouse later today, to discuss the custody of their adorable little daughter Porsha. And I'll be right there in the fray to give you a big, juicy Hot News exclusive!"

The courtyard was teeming with reporters from all the networks in the city, microphones poised with their cameras ready to capture any hint of a story. Due to them seemingly being focused on the black limo pulling up from Crystal Entertainment, Stephanie and her entourage took the opportunity to stealthily maneuver their way through the crowd as they entered the lobby.

The towering size of the room was intimidating enough as it was, though the fine marble and gold aesthetic was especially off-putting with the memories it brought back of the Crystal Mansion. Though having her trusty lawyer by her side did help to put her more at ease, and the three towering gorillas that stood right behind them gave them both an added sense of comfort and security.

"Thanks again for doin' this, Marcus..." She turned back to the lead gorilla. "I know it was kinda short notice and all, but... but I really appreciate it."

"Nah, think nothin' of it, Miss..." Marcus answered back, as his two companions - Stan and Barry - nodded in agreement. "My Mary was sayin' ya needed protection, and that's all we needed to 'ear."

Stephanie nodded with a smile, though it faltered a little as she looked behind the gorillas to see the opposing entourage entering the door they'd just come through. Neither her ex-husband or his lawyer seemed to be present, which would have been reassuring if it weren't for the familiar cat and saluki that were walking at the front.

Jerry still had his eyes fixated on his tablet and chattered on aimlessly as he walked, though Suki just managed to glance over and make eye contact with the wolf as she passed by her. This brevity made it hard for Stephanie to read her expression, especially since the saluki was actively trying to keep a straight face, but both could sense a look of both sadness and uncertainty in the other's eyes, and there was clearly a mutual desire to run over into each other's arms that they both had to resist.

Stephanie was snapped out of this thought when she felt a hand touching her own, and looked down to see Norman giving her a reassuring smile.

"So, uh... h-how d'ya feel about the case...?" She asked after another brief silence.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about that, Steph..." Norman tapped the side of his nose, giving a brief glance back at the opposing entourage that had just entered the courtroom. "I got an ace up my sleeve. Got it right before we came here..."

"Really?! What is it...?" Stephanie knelt down with anxious anticipation, though Norman's almost mischevious expression made it clear now wasn't the time to disclose it. "Right... well, uh... well anyways, you guys just go in and sit down... I'm gonna go freshen up..."

"Yep, you got it, Steph... boys..." Norman gestured to Marcus, Stan and Barry, leading them into the courtroom while Stephanie made her way down the left corridor.

The lady's bathroom was completely empty, and to Stephanie's surprise, it seemed most of the lights on the ceiling hadn't been switched on. Luckily, the lights hanging over the long sink on the left-side wall were still working - as was the small security camera positioned in the top corner - so she quickly made he way over to it. She latched both hands onto the basin and switched on the faucet, and threw a few splashes of cold water onto her face, which turned out to be exactly what she needed to wake herself up.

"Okay... okay okay okay..." She looked up and stared at her reflection, taking a few more quick breaths to try and calm her nerves. "Yeah... you can do this..."

Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

The sudden burst of music made Stephanie jolt up for a moment, though the subtle buzzing in her back pocket made her realize it was one of her ringtones. As she reached into it and pulled out a phone, the familiar photograph on the Caller ID screen was a welcome sight to make her feel better.

"Hey, Rosita..." She let out a sigh of relief as she answered. "How ya doing...?"

"Oh yeah, we're all fine this side, Stephanie..." Rosita said. "What about you? You and the boys get there okay...?"

"Uh, yeah... yeah, it's okay for now..." Stephanie let out a rather playful chuckle. "Y'know, Norman's lookin' great in his lawyer getup... yeah... real handsome..."

"Oh, I'll bet..." Rosita giggled, though Stephanie could tell her friend was going red in the face. "But before you get any ideas, just remember he's already taken, Steph!"

"Hey babe, what happens in Redshore stays in Redshore!" Stephanie rebutted as they both let out a laugh, though after a moment she managed to calm herself down a bit, and couldn't help worrying that she'd gone too far. "But... ya know I wouldn't do that... right, Rosita...?"

"Hmm... yeah, I know..." Rosita said, hesitating for a moment before she let out a small sigh. "Anyway, um... how are you feeling, Stephanie?"

"Um... y-yeah, I'm good..." Stephanie replied, biting her bottom lip as she drummed her fingers on the sink table. "How's Porsha doing?"

"Oh yeah, she's great..." Rosita said. "I put on one of those Harry Plopper movies for her and Meena to watch..."

"Ah, good... yeah, she really likes that..." Stephanie sniffled a bit. "Hmm... so she's happy enough, then...?"

"She is..." Rosita said. She knew that Stephanie wasn't being completely honest about her thoughts, but rather than prod further, the pig decided to end their conversation on a more encouraging note. "He's not gonna win, Stephanie... Norman's never gonna let happen, and neither are you."

Stephanie felt a small wave of relief washing over herself from these words, but she couldn't help letting her eyes mist up a little. "Thanks, Rosita. You, Mary... all you guys doin' this for us, it... it really means a lot..."

"Oh yeah, of course... that's what you do for family, Stephanie..." Rosita chuckled, taking on a tone that almost sounded motherly, despite not having children of her own yet. "Alright... good luck, sweetheart..."

"Uh-huh... alright, bye..." Stephanie kept a smile forced onto her face - even though Rosita couldn't see her face - until she finally hung up, and let out a long sigh. "Oh boy..."

Upon turning back to face the sink and switch off the faucet, Stephanie suddenly noticed that the room was much quieter than it was before Rosita called. She wasn't entirely sure why, until it finally clicked - or rather, stopped clicking - when she looked up and saw the red light on the security camera had disappeared.

"Huh...? Ugh!"

Stephanie grunted when a hand suddenly reached out from the shadows and grabbed onto her left forearm, forcing it behind her back while another hand latched onto her right shoulder. She tried to pull away as the figure pulled her closer, only to let out a high-pitched gasp when her assailant's face finally emerged from the darkness and leaned in towards hers.

"Hello, Stephanie..." He growled in her ear, his familiar voice sending a chill through Stephanie as her breath stilled in her throat. "Nice to see ya again..."

"Ji... J-Jimmy...?" Stephanie struggled to pry herself free, but he still held on tight. Knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere being scared, she mustered up all the courage and confidence she could, despite the terrifying presence she was literally enveloped in. "So... ya just waitin' here to see girls doin' their business, huh...?"

"Hmm... Just wanted make sure you were wolf enough to show up." Jimmy scoffed, almost sounding amused, though he tightened his grip on her wrist. "I'm real glad ya did, though... cause ya always did look good in chains, Stephanie..."

By looking in the mirror, Stephanie noticed Jimmy's nose start to twitch with what seemed to be intrigue, while his eyes glanced down at the collar of her shirt. It was then when the older wolf realized that the smell that had grabbed his attention was her perfume - a nice mix of vanilla and strawberry, with a minor hint of cinnamon - and he suddenly stuck his nose right into the fur on Stephanie's neck to take a long, satisfied inhale of it.

"Jimmy..." Stephanie could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. She shut her eyes tight while small tears started to run down her face, and her voice gradually turned to a quiet, scared whimper. "Jimmy, stop it... please..."

"I gave ya a little break, Stephanie, but you were never gonna get away for real..." Jimmy let out a hollow chuckle as he kept his hand on her wrist, gently caressing her neck with the other. "You made a big mistake stealin' from me, baby... and I can't wait to see ya choke on it! Ugh!"

Jimmy staggered back, holding a hand to his stomach where Stephanie's elbow had just jabbed him, and he looked up with a scowl at the other wolf. They were both breathing heavily, and Stephanie was standing straight with a vicious, hateful glare in her eyes, even with the line of tear-stained mascara that was running down her left cheek. It was clearly she was wrestling with herself whether or not to say anything, but she ultimately decided against, grabbing her phone from the sink and heading towards the door.

"I hope ya said goodbye to the kid before ya left, Stephanie..." Jimmy snarled, making Stephanie stop in the doorway for a moment. "Cause ya ain't gonna get the chance to do it after I get her back!"

Stephanie remained there for another moment or two, digging her claws right into the door that she was holding, before she finally straightened up and left the room. Jimmy remained fixated on his ex-wife - or rather, her lower backside - while she headed out and closed the door behind her, and he couldn't resist pulling a smug, victorious smile as he turned over to the mirror to straighten his suit and tie.

"Hmm... lookin' good, Jimmy..." He said to himself. "Lookin' real good..."