Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Finals and final papers suck. A lot.

As always, read and enjoy. Remember, if you have any criticisms, let me know. In particular, how is my writing style? I've had people tell me I'm organized, but I want multiple opinions. Do you like? Hate it? If so, please tell me!

God bless, and have a great day.

And still, if anyone want's to help with editing, give me a notice! Your services will be incredibly appreciated.

The Shakedown, Part 2

Corneria City was, on the whole, a massive metropolis. It was exceedingly easy to get lost in, and definitely not lacking when it came to shops and restaurants of all kinds. Looking for a building in particular could take an uneducated tourist over an hour, even with a GPS system. It was no wonder that every tourist brochure ever produced to entice people to visit the city always had one particular rule boldfaced at the top of every "things to do while you are here" page:

1.) Familiarize yourself with the map.

But to an individual who was born and raised on the planet, and had spent many a day in the midst of the concrete jungle, the maze has easy to navigate. Fox chalked that up to all the times he, Falco, and Slippy had simply wondered around town and talked once classes at the flight academy had been let out for the day. Though the country appealed to him, obviously because he had been raised in it partially, urban areas did not scare him in the least.

"What's the name of the clothing store?" asked Krystal, as they carefully navigated through traffic with the car the CIB had provided. It was a simple coup, nothing special. Fox yearned for his baby Monica as soon as he sat in it.

"Rough Housers. Shouldn't be too hard to find, I know right where it is." he answered nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"With a name like that, it must be a magnet for people like Falco."

"Oh, you bet. This place was his jam, as he called it. I don't think he did much shopping anywhere else, to be honest."

"And what about you?" Krystal asked, looking at him with a curious look.

"Honestly? I never gave too much mind to brands. If it looks good and fits good, I buy it.

"Why am I not surprised?" she chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Fox, I had always pegged you as someone who had pretty easy tastes. In other words, I find you exceptionally pragmatic."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Hmm. You know what you like, and are easy to please."

"And what about you?"

Krystal placed a finget to her chin. "Well...I suppose I would be the same. Having been raised in a totally different culture, fashion here never had a chance to become important to me. If I like it, I buy it. Same as you."

"That's nice." Fox replied, smiling at her.

"Yes. It will make living together after the trip to Sauria so much easier, don't you think?"

Silence reigned in the car for a total of a minute. Fox's face became the perfect picture of deadpan, and a wide grin slowly found it's way onto Krystal's mouth.

"I will pull this car over right now." Fox said, monotone.

Krystal laughed, holding a hand up to her mouth. After a moment she calmed herself. "Oh, Fox! You're learning!"

"Seriously, I will be killing Tricky if this continues. Don't think I won't"

"Oh ha ha." Krystal replied, still smiling. "You can't deny it Fox, that was a very memorable moment for the both of us."

Fox sighed, as the memory of that day blossomed in his mind. He and Krystal riding on Tricky's back after the Aperoids had been repelled. The three of them talking. Tricky joking about their honeymoon. Fox letting it slip that that was a thing he wanted to happen. During their separation that memory had carried a heinously painful edge to it. Mocking him for what could have been, that memory had always made him tear up every time he recalled it. Now, it was an incredibly intimate memory for him. One particular night, he had dreamed about that moment with Krystal sleeping next to him, and she had made the memory all the more lovely by having her "dream self" hug him after the slip up, cuddling up to him and nuzzling him while Tricky laughing his tail off.

He had really liked that dream. And he really liked the mental bond they now shared.

"Yeah..." he murmured, looking back at her, "Yeah it was."

They rode on in silence for a minute or two.

"Hey, Krystal?" he asked.

"Yes, Fox?" she responded.

"I love you." He said simply. The kind of simple tone used to state something that just was.

Krystal looked at him, and lovingly replied as she wrapped her tail around his arm. It was one of her tender ways of expressing her affection, something she had done before he had screwed up. And now she was doing it again, and the sensation of her fur on his was enough to make him shiver.

"I love you too, Fox."

It was the little moments that meant the world to them.

Krystal had to admit, from how the shop looked from the front, It was utterly unsurprising that Falco loved this place.

The sign was designed to be gritty, with the words "Rough Housers" engraved on metal and colored black. The effect was not lost to her: this is where the badasses shopped. And if there was one image that Falco loved to maintain, it was a badass one.

The manikins in the windows only confirmed her judgment further. Leather jackets, studded belts, combat boots, faded jeans...everything here was saying "bad boy" or "bad girl" as loud as they possibly could.

"Doesn't surprise you, doesn't it?" asked Fox

"Not at all"

When they walked through the front door the smell of leather immediately blasted their noses. All around them were assortments of clothing, many of them similar to what they had seen out front. Thankfully, they both had a rough idea of how they wanted to look, so the shopping shouldn't take long.

"Thank goodness there are changing rooms," she noted, looking to the left corner at the front side of the shop.

"Yup. This just became a whole lot less tedious."

Krystal had opted for an outfit that wouldn't be too elaborate. They weren't looking to attract attention, but they did need to blend in. She decided on some jeans, a black t-shirt with a fox skull on the front, black boots and a black leather jacket. She also opted for a choker, for good measure.

After a moment in the changing room, she was dressed. Looking herself over in the mirror, she smiled. She certainly looked enough like a street girl, enough to blend in. She understood that once her fur was died, the effect would be far more pronounced.

"Hey, Krystal! What do you think?"

Krystal walked out of her room and beheld Fox. She smiled.

Fox had gone a similar route. Brown leather jacket, white t-shirt, torn jeans, brown boots, and studded bracer around his left arm. Just like her, he looked enough like a hoodlum that no one would give him a second glance, and not enough like a totally wild child that people were going to stare at him all day.

"Cute." she replied, grinning.

Fox's face fell. "Cute? Come on, I was hoping for 'rough' or something!"

"Fox, I'd think you'd look cute in just about anything. Too straight-laced not too." she chirped in reply, not skipping a beat.

Fox blushed. Then he looked her over, and smiled.

"The t-shirt's a nice touch. And the chocker. You actually look more intimidating than me."

"Really? Well, I'd say this trip's been a success then!"

Fox rolled his eyes.

True to his word, fur-dying parlors were actually not far from Rough Housers. Especially convenient, because it meant saving a trip to the parking garage to get the car. Instead, the only complication now was which parlor to go too. Fox was of course not looking to be choosy, but at the same time he was hoping to find a place that wouldn't charge both kidneys for a full body job. He knew it was somewhat expensive normally, but he was hoping to find something of a deal.

"What about here?" asked Krystal, gesturing to a shop on their right as they walked along the side walk carrying their newly bought clothes.

Fox took a look. A first glance, the place looked...well, girly, for the lack of better word. Predominately the shop was colored pink and white, and through the open glass door he could hear the sounds of bouncy pop music. This place certainly felt "trendy."

He saw this place thankfully had a sign out front, showing the name of the place-"Danza's"-and the costs of services. A full body job would take a total of 70 Lylat Credits. Nothing cheap, as expected, but not as high as he had seen other places charge. And if the appearance of the shop was any indication-it looking not at all rundown-this place must have a steady enough flow of business. Which meant people liked to go here.

"…70 credits. Hmmm…well this place does look respectable enough. Let's give it a look." He shrugged and walked in, with Krystal following behind him.

Once again, Fox was reminded of the adage, "don't judge a book by its color." While the outside had looked "girly", the inside looked sleek. The interior of the shop was primarily colored black, with glossy black tile and walls painted a lighter shade of black. The shop was set up like most fur parlors; stations for those who wanted a simple headfur cut, and rooms in the back for body fur treatments. Some people liked to not only color their fur but also trim it in such a way that the fur had exotic designs. A common example was sport's fans not only dying their fur in team colors for the big game, but also getting the names of star players or team mascots or symbols trimmed onto their fur.

Fox could say he had done that before. He had cut loose every so often at the flight academy football games.

"Hello there! What can I-oh my goodness!" said the woman who had come up to help them, a young looking canine with grey fur.

Fox sighed. Well, it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Ma'm, I'm glad you are enthusiastic, it's just that the both of us...don't want make a scene with us being here." said Fox sheepishly. He could see Krystal nod.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that...the two of you are back! And you're together!" the canine explained, looking embarrassed for a moment before flashing Fox a genuine look of happiness.

"Oh…yeah, we are." Fox replied, rubbing the back of his head and looking shy. In truth, he hadn't accounted for fans noticing that the two of them were an item again. Fox had been away from Corneria for so long that he had forgotten to take such things into account. And even though his relationship with Krystal now was less shy than before, he still couldn't help but look bashful whenever others commented about them.

"I'm so happy that's the case. You know, people here wondered what had happened to the both of you. My circle of friends...we really look up to you, Mrs. Krystal," said the young woman, looking shy herself.

She could see Krystal blush shyly out of the corner of his eye, but she nodded her head and replied, smiling a warm and earnest smile and her eyes reflecting nothing but the gentlest of looks. "I just do what I do, dear. And if I can inspire other's, than that's a bonus." Her tone was smooth and warm.

Goodness he loved that about her. How she could be that kind. Wait, what was he thinking.? He didn't just love one thing about her. He loved virtually everything about her.

Utterly, hopelessly in love.

"Mrs…Mrs. Krystal..." said the woman, stunned. Then she walked over to the blue vixen, and suddenly embraced her. Krystal looked stunned for a moment, until she returned the embrace, rubbing the young woman's back. They stayed like that for a moment, until they both pulled back and Krystal looked at her with something just like familial love.

"What's your name, dear?" Krystal asked.

"Laura. And my friends are gonna be so jealous." the canine replied, sporting a wry grin.

The three of them chuckled. Laura reluctantly separated herself from Krystal and stared at the two of them.

"I know my manager is going to kill me for this, but whatever you need, it's on the house."

"We can't accept that," replied Fox, shaking his head.

"Please, it's the least I can do for two of my heroes." Insisted Laura.

He looked at Krystal, who nodded.

"Alright," he said, grinning guiltily. "We would both like a full body treatment."

Red. That was the color he had chosen. He had even chosen to dye the white strip on his forehead as well, and it was clear that had pained him somewhat. As for herself, Krystal decided to be a little experimental and choose black. She found she liked it, though she wouldn't go as far to say she would be permanently dying her fur anytime soon. Blue would always be her color, just as chestnut blonde would always be his in her mind.

Now they found themselves cruising back to the McCloud home. They would put away their clothes for tomorrow's operation, and rest up. Thankfully there was food still at the house, and Fox was thinking of making a simple dinner for the two of them.

"Well, that went well." she noted.

"It did. Didn't even have to spend too much money, as guilty as that makes me feel." he replied.

"Don't feel that way, Fox. You know it would have broken Laura's heart if we had refused."

"You're right. It's just that...I do what I do because I want to help people, not because I want take advantage of people's generosity..."

She chuckled and shook her head slowly. Wasn't that just like him? If there was ever a person who could demonstrate that there was such a thing as too much selflessness, Fox was absolutely the man for the job.

She curled her tail around his arm, and she could feel him shiver in delight.

"Fox," she said seriously, "People want to let you know how much they appreciate what you do. Humility is an admirable trait, to be sure. But letting people show you how happy they are...I think that's just as an important part of being a hero as actually fighting."

Fox looked at her, stunned. Then he looked ahead and shook his head, smiling. She felt a wave of affection flow from him, and she shivered slightly in turn.

"Why do you always know what to say?" he murmured.

Her tail tightened affectionately

"Because I know you."

And wasn't that the truth?

Once they arrived home, they had the quiet and affectionate dinner Fox had wanted. And of course, they slept together again, only cuddling. Fox barely had nightmares anymore, but the two of them simply enjoyed each other's company too much to part at night.

And so they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, and she prayed that they would both have a safe day tomorrow.

Weapons. That was the only question they had needed to solve in the morning. Thankfully it was also a relatively easy question; nothing but their blasters and shields. As much as Fox was hoping their wasn't going to be a gunfight, he would rather the both of them be armed and dangerous and have a descent amount of protection. Those shields-"bucklers" as Slippy had called them-had saved his ass in many a firefight.

Once that was finished, he and Krystal gathered in the living room, where Fox hadf hooked up a portable holo-communicator. He dialed Peppy's number, and waited.

Only after two rings did he answer, and Peppy took a moment to stare at the two of them with a confused look.

"How did you get this number?" He asked, annoyed.

"Peppy, don't tell me the fur dye is that concealing." he replied, smirking.

After a moment, Peppy's look transformed into one of recognition. "Ah! Fox, Krystal. Good to see you appear ready for today."

"If this dye can fool you, then I'm guessing our disguises are perfect, eh?"

"Don't push your luck, Fox," said Peppy, grinning, "These old eyes of mine aren't much compared to younger criminals. You might end up getting found out."

"Give yourself some more credit, Peppy. You are one of the sharpest people I know, and still are," said Krystal.

"You flatter me. And I would assume that the clothes you are both wearing add to the disguise as well. Very good. Do you need me to repeat any of the information you've heard before, or are you both just checking in to let me know you are ready?"

Actually there was one question on his mind. He didn't know if Peppy had an answer, but...

"Peppy, is Regna assumed to be showing up to the club alone? As in, is she bringing any bodyguards?"

Peppy hummed to himself. "From what we know, no. The tip we have doesn't bring us any info besides that she might be at this location. However...oh goodness, I must be really getting old." The old hare palmed his face.

"What?" he asked.

"There are records of at least one other person tagging along on Regna's bombing missions. A close friend, if you will." Peppy looked down, and Fox assumed he was typing in some information.

An image appeared next to Peppy's, another mugs hot. This one displayed a male feline, with white fur and hard eyes. Beneath the feline's image was a name.

Donovan Ricard.

"Mr. Ricard is this person. He's got quite the rap sheet. He labels himself as a mercenary, but he's really more of a straight up hit man and bodyguard. If you pay him enough, he'll stick around with you. What's more, he's been said to be good at what he does."

"He's Regna's muscle." Krystal said, crossing her arms and looking at the image intently.

"More than likely, yes. She must have paid him plenty, because he has been sighted accompanying her on missions multiple times."

"Why didn't you give us this info before?" he asked.

Peppy sighed. "Not only had I forgotten, which is incredibly frustrating and I'm quite sorry for that, but we had assumed that once Regna had been captured Donovan would separate himself from her for fear of being caught himself. If nothing else, it's not certain that you will encounter him tonight."

"We'd do well to be on guard though. Better safe than sorry." Krystal replied.

Fox nodded.

Night had come, and so had the ride into town. Krystal watched the lights of Corneria City lazily drift past the car door window, streaks of light to her unfocused eyes. People of all species walked about, laughing and talking and yelling and stumbling. It was a stew of life, of all facets of it. That was something she had always found fascinating about Corneria City.

"Have you ever been to the rougher part of town, Fox?" she asked.

"Back during my flight academy days, yes. Sometimes Falco and me would go clubbing. Slippy didn't have the courage too. We never went to the more...suspect places, though. Behavior like that would have gotten you kicked out. I wasn't about to lose my chance at being a pilot, and as much of a wild child Falco was, to him flying was also more important." he replied.

Krystal "hmmed" in reply.

"What about you?"

She twitched an ear in his direction. "Cerinia didn't have night life like this."

"Oh."

They drove on some time longer, until the arrived at the part of the city the clubs were located in. It was nicknamed the "Strobe District," named after the lights many of the clubs used. And true to its name, clubs were everywhere. Not only official ones with some kind charter for the property, but ones that could have sprung up that very night; this part of Corneria had plenty of abandoned buildings large enough to hold a crowd of gyrating bodies. It wasn't legal, but people didn't care. Those kinds of clubs were actually sought out by some people; they were the places you could get hard drugs to party with.

Fox had told her this so she knew what to expect. She might have been mad and thought that Fox was thinking she was "too fragile" for this part of town, if it weren't for the fact that she could read minds and see that Fox was sincere in his worry and wanting to make sure she was ready for the mission.

She could sense it in him. A deep-seated worry that she might leave again. Fox trusted her with everything he had, and so made sure as to never make the mistake of underestimating her or letting himself push her away again. He had largely been successful of course; he had clearly changed. Still, he worried that he could screw up again.

And it made her worry about him too.

"Fox?"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to worry, alright?"

Silence.

"...I know. It's just missions like these-"

"I'm not talking about the mission. I'm talking about how you worry about pushing me away again. I can still feel it in you, and you need to stop worrying. Everything you are doing is fine." she assured him, speaking softly and lovingly.

More silence.

"...yeah. It's just that, Krystal, you are really important to me. I messed up really badly, so I-"

"Darling."

She immediately grinned. The wave of surprise and pleasure that radiated off him as soon as she called him that was amazing.

"It's alright. Please." She wrapped her tail around his arm.

"Okay." he said, taking a deep breath. "Okay." He gave her tail a little pet. She looked at him and smiled, and he winked.

"...Falco would be gagging so hard right now." he muttered

She outright laughed at that. Yes, oh yes he would have been, if he was still the same featherbrain she knew and loved.

"So," he began, "Do you think Regna's going show up alone? I hope she does. Having this Donovan guy around would make things very complicated.

"Honestly? I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news here, but I think he will. A mercenary doesn't take repeated jobs from the same client over and over again without there being something...personal between the two of them. Either that, or Regna must have paid him good money. And even then, if I was a mercenary and my most lucrative client came back from jail, I would seek her out."

"Good point. Still, I'm holding out hope he doesn't. It's gonna make getting to her much harder. And I really don't want a firefight to break out. Too many innocent people."

"And in the instance it does, do you think we are well prepared?" she asked, worried.

Fox sighed. "Besides bringing our shields, which can only absorb so much fire, we could only bring small arms, which means our blaster pistols. Peppy urged it, in fact. In this part of town, everyone's going to be packing some kind of heat."

"And most likely small arms, because they need to conceal whatever weapon they have. Don't want to look inconspicuous."

"That's the thing. If Donovan show's up, he's gonna have something big. He's a bodyguard. It's his job to show up with a piece, big or small. He's not supposed to care what people think. And I figure he's going be bringing the heat here. With guarding Regna, the stakes are going to be high, so he's going bring the heat."

Krystal sighed. "Now I feel bad about thinking he'll show up. What was it you said, Fox? About how these missions don't seem to go according to plan?"

Fox shook his head. "For once, I'm actually starting to regret saying that. Sure, better safe then sorry, but... I'm really hoping that luck is on our side."

"We can do it, though."

Fox looked at her, and she nodded at him, her eyes deadest and determined. She smiled reassuringly, and tightened the grip her tail had on his arm.

Fox smirked, and winked at her.

"No one said this line of work is easy, but I've got the best partner in the system with me now."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Falco wouldn't be too happy to hear that."

"No. No he wouldn't."

For a few moments, a comfortable silence reigned, the both of them smiling in contentment.

"Krystal?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"It's good to have you back."

Her smile grew wider.

"I know."

And they rode in into the night, getting closer to Club Gallant.

"I'm happy to be back too."