AN: HELP! Trying to think of cute romantic pet names for Johnny and Ryan.

Oh I should be clear, they're staying at extended stay hotels, ones that can be used as homes in a pinch.

Part 13

Jerry had not left Crystal's office in days. He was still determined to avenge Mr. Crystal's murder and his honor. He didn't mean to kill that little koala. He didn't know what he was doing. It was all that stupid koala's fault. He practically asked to be thrown from the catwalk. He hijacked the theater, they were committing a felony. A light entered his eyes. That was it. He didn't need evidence of what happened in the office. He only needed evidence of the crime the New Moon Troupe committed. And maybe a little dirt on that monster gorilla.

———————

A first glance at Johnny's room suggested it might be empty until the lumps in the blankets started to shift and move.

"Johnny, Johnny…" the top lump moaned.

"Ahhh, hmmm, Ryan…" Johnny moaned into his boyfriend's mouth as he touched him in all the right places. "Ryan!" He shouted just before they heard a pounding on the door,

"Oh my gosh! Guys! Please!" Porsha pleaded from outside the door. "I just want to sleep."

Johnny blushed. "Sorry sis!" He kissed Ryan. "Sorry…"

His tiger kissed him back with a chuckle. "You do get pretty loud." He traced Johnny's face with a single digit. "It's okay, I love it but… maybe we should go back to my hotel."

Johnny sighed. "Yeah, for tonight, and maybe… maybe it's time for me to find a place of my own. A place of our own…" He didn't want to use that money but it would be a good way to use it. He and Ryan got up and got dressed.

The tiger smiled. "A place of our own." He agreed, nuzzling his gorilla. He had been scanning the ads in the paper for available rentals in his spare time but he liked this idea better. At least they could look together.

Going out to the living room, Johnny saw his father was still up, watching a program on television. The older gorilla just grinned at his son. He blushed deeper realizing he had heard them too. "Dad, Ryan and I are going back to his hotel."

Marcus nodded. "That might be a good idea." He chuckled. "It's okay, son." He was realizing that it wouldn't be long before his son would be leaving the house for good. He was all grown up now and would want a life of his own. He thought he was ready but maybe it was impossible to be ready for something like this.

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The next morning, Eddie was helping Rosita wash dust and vacuum the living room when the doorbell rang. She peaked out the window and frowned. "Eddie, go upstairs and play with Norman and the kids okay." She waited until he was out of the room before opened the door. "If you're selling something, I'm not buying," she told her uninvited guest.

Mrs. Noodleman pushed her way in. "I came to speak to you about my son." She stated. "Aren't you going to offer any tea?"

Rosita crossed her arms. "Since I didn't invite you here, no, I'm not. I'm going to ask you politely to leave. Eddie is fine and better off without you."

"Eddie has always been a lazy, good for nothing boy. I've been trying to get him to grow up and become more independent," she said. "And it's not your place to undermine my authority as his mother."

"He's 41, you have no authority. If you're here to take him home, you can forget it. He'll leave when he wants and he'll live where he wants. He'll have the friends he wants. He'll heal and he'll find someone special someday. And he will do all of this without any input from you," Rosita said. "Now leave before I get my husband."

"Already here," Norman announced from the first landing of the modular staircase. "I echo my wife, get out of our home."

"Mr. Suarez, I appreciate you wanting to support your wife but let me ask, you have so many children and very little room. Do you really want to have Eddie here taking up space?" She asked. "He needs to come home and let us set him up with a nice girl. Someone who can ground him in reality and take care of him."

"He needs you to back off and let him be! You've been very cruel to him. Alienating him from his best friend," he growled. "He loved Buster and you did everything you could to keep them apart."

Mrs. Noodleman waved her hand dismissively. "Eddie doesn't know what love is. You didn't know Mr. Moon as we did. He was always scamming us for money to fund his dreadful shows and using Eddie to do it. Then he almost killed Eddie and my mother-in-law. He almost killed your wife." She reminded him. "He was a con artist, a charlatan and a fraud."

"Shut up Ma!" Eddie shouted from the top of the stairs, having heard what was going on. They looked up. He was standing amongst all 25 piglets. Their faces mirrored Eddie's, angry and ready to lose control. "Buster was none of those things. I loved him no matter what you say. Get her, kids."

All 25 piglets squealed wildly and raced down the stairs. Mrs. Noodleman screamed and ran for the door, barely making it outside before being subjected to the piggy pile.

Rosita and Norman both laughed. "Well, that got rid of her. Great job, Eddie." Rosita gave him a high five. "I'm so proud of you." She saw Mrs. Noodleman was still outside the door and called out. "I warned you to leave. Now keep going before I call the cops!" She grabbed the handset to prove her point. The ewe left with a huff.

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Meena felt more rested than she had the whole week and she couldn't figure out why. Nor could she figure out why she wasn't at home in her bed. Until she saw Alphonso sound asleep beside her and the night before came screaming back to her.

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The two met up with her family and Tyler as the crowd emptied out of the theater. Her mother and grandfather were giving them strange looks while her grandmother hugged her.

"How are you holding up sweetheart?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

Meena nodded. "I will be, I think. Alphonso knows just how to help." She smiled at her betrothed.

Mrs. Patel smiled. "We saw. Thank you, Alphonso, for being there for my baby girl."

He didn't know why they were making a big deal. When Meena fled the stage in tears, it just felt natural to go after her. Did they think he would let her cry alone? "She needed me. I went. I love her." It seemed like the natural course of events.

Grandpa Patel nodded. "Yes, that much is obvious. That's why… we think… Meena should go back with you tonight."

His eyes went wide. "What? But we're still unmarried. It wouldn't be right." He argued. "I mean, I would love to have her come back to the hotel with us but…"

Grandpa motioned to Alphonso and pulled him aside, Tyler joining them, while Meena turned to her mother. "Mom?"

Mrs. Patel wiped her eyes as she hugged her only daughter. "Honey, I can see how much you love him, how much he loves you. And while your grandparents and I will always love you and be here for you, it's not us that you need right now. You'll always have a home with us. But your place is with him."

———————

Meena didn't know what her grandfather and Tyler said to Alphonso but he did eventually turn to her with loving eyes. And now, she was waking up beside him.

"Mmmm, Goddess… Your Majesty," he murmured her pet names in his sleep. She blushed and used her trunk to caress his handsome face. His emerald eyes opened and he smiled. "Mmm I love you…." He said in his sleepy haze. He wrapped his trunk around hers. "How'd you sleep?"

She sighed. "Much better. Mom was right. This is where I belong." She let him pull her close, kissing her while using his trunk to pull the blankets up over their heads to give them some semblance of privacy.

He nodded. "Your grandpa was right too. Being together with you, like this, it just feels right. I'm sorry I hesitated." He told her. "I was just afraid that… I might not be able to resist temptation. You're just so beautiful."

She knew what he meant and giggled. "Tyler over there helps." They laughed quietly.

"That was his contribution to our talk," Alphonso admitted. "He promised to keep us honest." Their giggles filled the blankets.

"Yeah, and now he needs to keep you on time. We gotta get to work," the orangutan announced he was awake and could hear them despite their efforts.

Alphonso pulled down the blanket and looked at the clock. "Oh! It's after nine!" He sat up. He didn't even need to ask Meena. She was already getting up with him. Normally, he'd go to church on Sunday morning but he had yet to find out about the churches in the area. He promised himself that he'd rectify that over the next week.

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Needing a few more groceries for the house, Ash and Clay went to the local grocery chain, Roc's. It was already busy and every so often a customer would stop them to praise Calloway though he tried to convince them that Ash deserved it more. She just laughed and continued down the aisles.

When they got to the checkout, there was only one open. And the irony was not lost on her when she saw Lance was the one at the register. He didn't wear the same uniform the other staff did. He wore a white dress shirt with a tie and khaki slacks.

"Lance, what are you doing here?" She asked as she and Clay unloaded the cart.

The male porcupine shrugged. "Working. All my cashiers called out." He explained. "How are you doing?"

She thought about her answer. "I'm doing alright. Where are your kids?"

He gestured to the customer service counter where they were playing with a few toys. "I know it's frowned on but my sitter bailed again." He explained.

She understood. Rosita and Norman had a terrible time getting sitters until Gunter. "That sucks, they must be so bored."

"Yeah but they're troopers. They know if they're good, I'll take them for ice cream after," he looked over at them. He finished bagging her groceries. "Did you hear about that new ice cream truck in town? Over at the farmer's market?"

She and Clay exchanged glances. "We know the guys who run it. They came back with us from Redshore City. The guy on stage with Meena last night is the owner."

"Okay yeah, I remember that. That was sweet of him. Is she okay after that?" He asked, to her surprise. Before he wouldn't have asked about her friends. Before he was her only friend.

"Buster was a special koala to all of us. Meena is feeling it a little harder because of personal reasons. But she'll be okay. I'll tell her you asked. Alphonso is good to her, good for her," Ash looked at Clay who was getting out his wallet to pay for the groceries. Quickly, she got her own out. He had bought the last load. "I got this, Clay," she assured him.

"I want to pay," he told her. "Meet me out at the bike." He looked at Lance and she understood. When she was gone, he glared at the young manager. "Alright, porcupine, I need to ask you one question. What are your intentions with her?"

Lance shook his head. "I don't understand the question. I'm just doing my job. We broke up five years ago. I know I blew it, you don't have to remind me, and no, I'm not trying to get her back. I already know I don't deserve her." He looked down at the conveyor belt.

"Just remember that and we won't have any problems then," Calloway growled. This porcupine had already earned a bad reputation with him and he would never trust him with her. Ash deserved someone who would treat her as much love as he treated his Ruby. He finalized the payment on the card reader and took his receipt.

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Putting Johnny's name on the room with Ryan was easy enough. They still had to try and maintain some volume control with other tenants in the building but it wasn't as bad as the apartment above the garage. The walls were much thicker.

Staying up so late, just luxuriating and basking in each other's presence, they ended up sleeping until noon when Ryan kissed Johnny awake.

Now, they were sitting together, so close that it looked almost like Johnny was in Ryan's lap, at the cafe down in the hotel lobby, feeding each other donut holes to the amusement of most of the guests. Some seemed a little disgusted but said nothing. No one wanted to risk offending a silverback or a tiger.

Just as they were almost ready to start planning their day when threads of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" echoed through the air and they looked out the window at the clunky, navy blue, 15-passenger van rolling up.

"Hey it's Kickenklober!" Ryan said. "I thought he wasn't coming for another week." Dutifully, he got up and went out to meet their teacher with Johnny right behind him.

The proboscis monkey leaped out of the van and literally danced over to the curb. "Good, I was hoping I would run into you."

"We weren't expecting you until next week, what happened?" Johnny asked. He really wasn't expecting the snobbish teacher to seriously come to Calatonia.

Klaus shrugged. "Turns out the rest of Crystal Entertainment was not as forgiving of my actions that night as you were. I turned in my notice and the next day I was released. I tried to tell them we had already discussed it and they said I was very unprofessional. Bahhh, good riddance to them." He went to the back of the van and took out his bags and gear.

"Well, Johnny and I were just about to go look at apartments," Ryan said.

Klaus looked at them, noticing just how closely they were standing. "Hmm… please don't tell me you were going to live together as lovers?"

Johnny nodded. "Why not?" He asked. "We're in love. Why shouldn't we live together."

Klaus groaned. "Oh, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, dancing partners should never date." He shuddered. "It never ends well." He looked away, his eyes becoming somewhat distant.

Ryan and Johnny shared a glance. "What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"I never told you about my first partner, did I, Ryan?" Klaus seemed to ponder whether he should tell the story. "Oh alright, help me up to my room and I'll tell you both. His name was Félix and he was the most beautiful cheetah I'd ever met. I was just a young monkey at the time, still learning the craft. We were paired together by our teacher and you would have thought it was love at first sight. We were as close as two lads could be." He sighed as they entered his rented room. "Until he met this ballerina and decided he liked women after all. After that we never could dance together. We tried but we just fought and… he left and he married her. Last I heard, they had seven children. A regular little Von Trapp family." He groaned. "Bahhh!"

Johnny shook his head. "Well that won't happen to us. Right?" He asked Ryan. He couldn't imagine losing Ryan to a ballerina.

Ryan shook his head and pulled him close. "Impossible. I'm sorry that happened, Mr. Kickenklober but I'm not you. Johnny isn't this Félix. I love him."

Kickenklober sighed. "I only hope that you're right, Ryan. I really do." He put his stuff down on the bed. "But I suppose you must find out for yourselves. Go on. Do what you want. I have been driving all night, I am exhausted. Go, go, go." He ushered them out the door, eager to get to bed. Talking about his past had been difficult. He really did hope the two lads had better luck than he had. What he had not said was that he had never fallen in love again. He doubted he ever would.

———————

Johnny and Ryan visited several apartments, even an available condo in Rosita's community. Finding something that felt like it could be home was proving a challenge. Johnny had gotten very quiet since Kickenklober's story and Ryan noticed he wasn't holding his hand as firmly.

They found themselves across the street from the theater before Ryan knew he had to say something. "You're thinking about what Kickenklober said, aren't you?"

Johnny sighed. "Yeah, I can't help it. I mean… What if we… I mean… couples break up every day. Even marriage doesn't always last. I'd hate it if we couldn't dance together but… the thought of not being with you is terrifying. What if…" His train of thought was silenced by Ryan pushing him up against a building, kissing him deeply.

After several moments, Ryan pulled away. "Kickenklober's story is not our story. I have tried dating girls. I had girlfriends all through high school. I was the most popular guy in school. I took Chelsea Tibault, head cheerleader, to my senior prom. I was not attracted to any of them. It never felt right, there were never any of the sparks that you hear about in fairy tales." He held Johnny. "I love you Johnny and I will love you for as long as you'll let me. And if… somehow… you someday meet a girl who you love more than me, then I hope you'll be happy and I'll always be your dance partner regardless. Until then, just let me love you." He kissed him again, pressing up against him and running his hand up Johnny's shirt.

Johnny moaned and wrapped his arms around the bengal tiger, returning his kiss with equal passion. Until they absolutely had to breathe again. "I could never love any girl like I love you now. I need you like I need air or water." He said, letting his fears be soothed by Ryan's promise.

They stepped back from the building and Ryan helped Johnny straighten his leather jacket and shirt. "Hey, look at this!" Ryan gestured.

Upon examining the building, they realized it was empty and for sale. It looked like it might have been a martial arts studio at some point if the mats and equipment were anything to go by.

"You know, this would be perfect for a dance studio," Johnny said, knowing where Ryan's head was going. He craned his head. "And it looks like there might be some apartments up there. I see a For Rent sign with the same number as the For Sale sign." He looked across the street. The proximity to the theater was ideal. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. "Yeah, my name is Johnny Green and I'm at your property at 550 Echo Drive…"

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The Farmer's Market was busy that beautiful, sunny Sunday. Meena, Alphonso and Tyler had plenty of customers to serve. Meena took care of the register while her fiancé handed out the ice cream cones.

She was surprised to see Lance coming to the truck. She hadn't properly met him then but she remembered Ash breaking down during rehearsal, mourning their relationship. She didn't like anyone making her friends cry. Even if it was a long time ago.

"Hello," she said coldly, though she smiled at the children. She liked kids and was secretly hoping that she and Alphonso might have their own someday. "Would you kids like some ice cream?"

Raquelle nodded. "Yeah yeah, strawberry! Strawberry!"

"Raquelle, is that how we ask for something?" Lance gently corrected her.

The little girl grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Daddy. Can I have strawberry, please?"

Meena nodded while Tyler began scooping a fresh scoop of strawberry ice cream into a cone for the child. "And what would you like, little man?" She asked the mini-Lance.

Alphonso watched from the side as she talked to the kids. He smiled admiringly. He couldn't wait to marry her and start a family with her. Of course, he couldn't help notice her sweet demeanor go cold when talking to their father.

"So… you know Ash right?" Lance asked Meena. "Is she really doing okay?"

"If she said she is then she is. I don't know why you'd think I'd tell you otherwise. Do I look like a gossip," she bit out. "You made her cry."

Lance sighed. "I know. I get it. Everyone in your little group hates me. I deserve it. I just can't help worrying about her. I screwed up big time." He threw his hand up in exasperation. "Come on kids, let's eat our ice cream on our way home." He really couldn't complain about his lot. Who cared if he had no chance with Ash now. He had his kids and they were all he needed. He did not need their judgement.

Alphonso walked back over to the truck. "Are you okay, my goddess? You seemed upset there. Did he say something?"

Meena shook her head. "No. That was just Lance. Ash's ex." She had told him the story and he nodded in understanding. "I guess I still haven't forgiven him for making her cry. She's one of my best friends."

He squeezed her hand. "I get it. If anyone hurt Tyler like that, I might feel the same." He looked at his best friend. "Hey why don't we shut down for the day. We sold a lot. Tomorrow, I'll show you how the ice cream gets made." 'And maybe start to make plans…' he added silently.

She smiled. "That sounds like fun." Together, they closed up the truck for the night before heading back to the hotel.

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Jerry sifted through page after page of search results on his computer. He had footage of the theater hijacking.

He soon became aware of someone reading over his shoulder. "I just can't let it go, Suki. They killed Mr. Crystal! I don't care what you or anyone else says he did! That dumb koala got what he deserved!"

"Jerry, I beg of you, think before you act. Mr Crystal killed himself. There is simply no evidence to suggest otherwise," she pleaded. "Don't do anything stupid."

He glared at her. "I'll do what I have to to get justice!"

"Except you're confusing justice with vengeance," Suki said. "He killed Mr. Moon and he got justice for that crime. That's all there is to it. Look, I loved him too. I wanted to save him. I tried. I tried to talk him out of it. I tried to get Mr. Moon to leave. But what's done is done. You have to drop this or you're just going to hurt Porsha."

Jerry looked at the photographs of Porsha and her father littering the desk. "She deserves to be hurt." He whispered.

Suki sighed. "Jerry, please… just think about what you're doing before you do it. Or you'll just face the same fate he did." She turned and stomped out leaving Jerry to his research. "Oh James…"

AN: Will Jerry take her advice or is there going to be trouble in paradise soon? Please review.