Chapter 1

As promised, they were given a new suite at the Crystal Tower Hotel. In the new suite, the troupe surrounded the recovering koala. They could tell that despite his demeanor at the theater, he was not in a good place after his near-death experience. Rosita sat beside him, rubbing his back as he sobbed. Her piglets sat on the opposite cushion all squished together. Johnny was behind the couch with Gunter and Meena. Ash sat in the chair, playing her guitar to soothe him. Clay and Nooshy stood back, just looking at the koala with sympathy.

"Wow, Mr. Moon, were you scared?" Caspar asked.

Buster looked up at the piglets, his lip wobbling and he nodded. "Very scared… I'm sure it was scary for all of you too…" Here were 25 piglets looking at him with concern and he was crying like a baby koala. "But… your mom saved me. I'm alright… really…" He wiped his eyes.

"No, you're not," Rosita corrected him gently. "It's okay to be upset, it's okay to cry." She reassured him.

Clay nodded. "For what it's worth, I thought what you did back there was very brave. To let the guy go after what he did."

Buster took several deep breaths. "It didn't feel right to let him be arrested. He deserves it but…" He sighed and buried his head again, trembling like a leaf and the tears falling without his permission.

Norman came over with a cup of steaming tea. "Drink this, Mr. Moon. It'll help."

Buster accepted the cup and sipped the hot liquid while Rosita pet his head as if he were one of her kids. He didn't complain. He felt like he was all of six again, crying after a nightmare.

"You were very brave. You taught my children a very valuable lesson tonight. You taught them how to be merciful and forgiving," she told him. "No matter what happens, you did the right thing."

Buster looked at the piglets again then to Rosita. "Thank you… I just didn't want to take Porsha's father from her. But what if he comes after us again? What if I just signed our death certificates?"

Johnny smiled at his own father, Big Daddy Marcus, who knew something about prison. It was only Mr. Moon's help that had gotten him community service instead of several years of incarceration. To his credit, family was very important to the little koala.

Marcus chuckled. "Oh, don't worry now Mr. Moon. That mange-ridden wolf won't hurt you again. He won't even get near you. I'll make sure of it. Personally." He cracked his knuckles.

Surrounded by his troupe, his friends… no, his family, Buster felt his heart rate slow down and his breathing return to normal. "Thank you guys. I love you all." He admitted as he let their love soothe him, his eyes closed and he fell asleep, still safe in Rosita's arms.

She smiled down at him, petting his soft head. "Norman, can you put the kids to bed please? He needs me."

Norman nodded and guided his progeny away. His wife was such a loving mother. This koala had given his wife the chance to realize her dreams. Before Buster Moon's ill-fated singing contest, their lives had been routine and though they loved each other very much and she loved their kids and taking care of their home, she wasn't as happy as she could be. And he was so exhausted everyday at work, he wasn't as present as he could have been. The theater enthusiast had reignited the fire inside her, brought a real smile to her face, one that lit up her eyes. Since then, he'd taken fewer hours at work so he could be at home to help her and spend time with her. He'd seen many marriages like theirs end because the husband and wife just didn't get much time together. Buster had likely saved their marriage and he would be forever grateful.

Caspar was the last to go. "Will he be okay, Mommy?" He asked, peering down at him.

"Yes, honey. He'll be fine. I'll take good care of him. Now go to bed for Mommy," she kissed his forehead and sent him with Norman.

They all laughed lightly when Caspar kissed Buster on his forehead in the same way and hurried off. They knew they should go to bed too but without Mr. Moon, they would be leading unfulfilled lives. Johnny would still be in his dad's gang. They both might be in prison. Ash would still be with that jerk, Lance. Meena would still be terrified of singing in public. None of them would be living the lives they wanted. And they had almost lost him that night. Watching him sleep helped them reassure themselves that he was alright. Their dreams were still intact.

—————

After washing off the makeup and sweat from her performance, Porsha joined her father for a bracing cup of hot chocolate. "Daddy… I'm sorry…" she said out of nowhere, making him look up from the fireplace.

"Sorry? For what?" He snapped. "Just betraying me and helping that lowlife little loser humiliate me and drag my name through the mud?"

Porsha sat down. "No, Daddy. Mr. Moon didn't make you look bad. I did. I wasn't ready for the lead role, I've never acted before and I wasn't very good. He really was just making the best decision for the show." She explained. "I understand that now. If I hadn't overreacted… you would not have tried to kill him. I'm sorry."

James groaned. "Porsha, you don't need to apologize for what I chose to do. You're a teenager. You're supposed to overreact. I'm supposed to protect you and keep you from getting hurt and make sure you get everything you want." He did love his daughter. Moon was right about that. "You really liked being part of his show after he changed your role?"

She nodded. "Oh Daddy, it was amazing! The lights and the crowd, the cheering. Dancing and singing for them. I loved it! I want to do it again!"

He knew that had he been thinking clearly, he would have enjoyed seeing her out there. Letting go of her inhibitions and having fun. She had a great voice that he loved hearing. She was his baby. "You looked so much like your mother tonight. She would have been so proud if she could have seen you." He gave her a rare smile and they both sat back, directing their gaze to the mantle where a black frame with a black ribbon sat, framing a lovely gray wolf.

Porsha smiled. "I like to think she saw me." Together, they sat admiring the photo of the wolf they deeply missed. "She's always with us, Daddy."

It had been a long time since he'd stopped to think of his late wife. Porsha was still very little when she passed. He'd loved her so much and Porsha had been her pride and joy. When she died, so did the softness in his heart.

He soon became aware of Porsha becoming very heavy against him, her head on his shoulder like when she was small. He looked to see her arm hanging down with her empty cup, her eyes closed in sleep. He put their empty cups on the coffee table and covered them both with the blanket on the back of the sofa. He turned his eyes back to his wife.

James still hated that koala but he'd never seen his daughter so happy and excited about something. He could learn to tolerate him for that. Suki had ensured he would lose everything if he tried to kill Moon again. If he was honest with himself, he was grateful. In the immediate moment after releasing him from the top of that catwalk, he'd felt a flash of regret but it had been too late. Only Mommy Pig had saved him from becoming a murderer. He didn't like the person he had been that night. This business was so cutthroat that it had made him willing to kill in order to protect his image. That frightened him. What if he had hurt Porsha in his madness?

"Rosamond…." He addressed the photo softly. He knew she would never have approved of his actions tonight. There was much about the last many years that she would have been angry at him over. "I'm sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me. Help me control my temper. Don't let me hurt anyone else." Especially not Porsha. If he ever hurt her, he'd lock himself up or throw himself off the roof. He would not be known as an abusive father. He laid his head back on the cushions and let himself fall asleep, letting himself dream of his beloved wife.

—————

One by one, the rest of the cast fell asleep in random places around the living room. Except for Rosita. Rosita couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Buster falling and she would open them again. She would look down at him, relieved it was only a bad dream.

"That's normal," a gruff voice said as a cup of tea appeared under her nose. She looked up at the elderly lion. "You're having nightmares about what happened?" He asked, though they knew the answer.

She took the tea and nodded. "Yeah… I just… if I'd been slower… or what if I had missed? Or what if I hadn't been able to jump? I was terrified up there but I was more afraid of Mr. Moon being hurt or worse." Her lip shook and her eyes shimmered in the dim light coming through the windows.

Clay nodded. "Again, that's normal. Saving a life can be traumatic for that reason."

"It's just… he gave me my big chance. All of us… I feel responsible for him," she said.

"And that's also normal," the musician acknowledged. "I must admit, he does grow on you."

Rosita nodded and smiled up at her husband as he joined them. "The kids are finally asleep. They couldn't stop talking about their Mommy, the superhero." He laughed as he sat beside her and put his arm around her. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She kissed him. "Of course, honey. I'm just fine… Thank you for taking care of them. So, they think I'm a superhero." She giggled, glancing at Clay. He was gesturing to her husband. She understood but she didn't want Norman to worry about her and she shook her head. She would be fine. She just needed time.

"Ughhh…" Buster moaned in his sleep, getting their attention. "No… I'm… I'm not a loser… no…" He began tossing. "No, no, no… please… don't… Ahhh!" His eyes snapped open and he sat up.

Rosita felt her lip shake again. He was so fragile and it broke her heart to see him like this. "It's okay, Mr. Moon. We're here. I'm right here, Buster. You're alright. It was just a bad dream." She pulled him close, petting his head. She could feel his heart going over a hundred beats per minute and he was hyperventilating. "You're safe."

Like a leaf in the wind, Buster trembled but Rosita's voice brought him out of the night terror. He looked up at her and saw Norman and Clay. He buried his head in embarrassment at his childish display. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

Norman shook his head. "Don't apologize, Mr. Moon. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You're allowed to need a mother when you've experienced… what you have… and this is Rosita's specialty." He said, kissing her cheek with pride.

Buster shook. "Why can't I stop thinking about it? I'm alright. We did it. I'm fine! You saved my life! So why can't I stop thinking about it?" He wept.

"You're not the only one," Clay said, looking again at Rosita. "I'll admit… I was scared too. Don't know why. I still only barely like you, but I was."

Rosita nodded. "I… I can't stop thinking about it either, Mr. Moon. We all love you. We'll get through it together." She promised. "Until then, you can use my shoulder whenever you need it."

Buster felt their words deeply. He didn't have many friends before them. Only Eddie and Miss Crawly. Then he held his singing contest. Now he had the greatest friends any koala could have. And for the first time, he really felt he would be okay. It was an uphill road but he would heal. They all would. He would make them and his dad proud.

AN: I imagine all four principal characters would all be suffering some amount of PTSD. Crystal could even be suffering from a delayed PTSD from losing his wife and having to become a single parent and not really getting much chance to grieve. Thinking his wife might have died in an accident of some kind. We already have a widower whose wife died of natural causes (Clay). And yeah, I don't see Crystal being divorced or in general abusive. Wolves mate for life. And we see he spoils Porsha on a regular basis. Please review.