Cody: Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been so freakin' long since we've updated, but it's been quite a challenge! Been having writer's block on this and High School here, but we're working on a new chapter for that one as you read this, so be ready to it updated soon! My big baby girl Lilly is resting right now, otherwise you know she'd have something to say...Dunno if you saw the little notice last chapter, but she's pregnant! Only a couple weeks in now, but it's definitely taking it's toll on her. Almost no energy at all...I feel bad for her...But, anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter! The part in the beginning with Dakota and Crystal was pretty much the main point of the chapter, but we did some afterwards to make it longer.

"Well, hello, m'lady!" Dakota said, smiling as Crystal came out of their bedroom looking as beautiful as ever. She giggled a little and said "Hey, you! How're you doing tonight?" He chuckled and said "Good, but now that it's time for our date, much better! How about you?" She nodded and said "Same! Been looking forward to this all night!"

"Well, I guess we should get to it, then! Care to take a little walk tonight?" He asked and she smiled, saying "Of course I would!" They went out the front door and walked off down the road in the moonlight, talking and laughing about when they first met. "I remember how nervous you were...Then again, so was I!" She giggled and he chuckled, saying "Yeah, I really was! Part of it was definitely because you were in heat...But, it was mainly because you were just so beautiful to me! I still remember that moment I first saw you when you came out from behind Shadow...Just...Amazing!"

She was blushing quite heavily and smiled, looking down at her paws and saying "I felt the same about you...I instantly wanted to get to know you!" He chuckled and nuzzled her, asking "Didn't we agree that it was something simply meant to be?" She softly purred and nodded, saying "Yeah, it was... I wouldn't change a single day for anything in the world..."

They kept walking a while longer, eventually coming up to a little part of the cliffside that overlooked the city. They went over and sat down, enjoying the peaceful night together in the moonlight. "Such a nice night..." She happily sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled and looked up at the moon, saying "I'm kinda thinking a nice howl would make it even better!" She giggled and said "That it would! It's been a little while since we last howled..."

"Before we do, may I do something first? I've been wanting to all day, just for you..." He said, smiling at her. She lifted her head back up and smiled back, asking "What is it?" He chuckled a little and said "A song. I heard it a few days ago and I've been thinking of a good time to sing it to you. Now seems like as good as any..."

She smiled more and her tail started wagging as she said "You know you don't have to, but I would love that!" He chuckled and kissed her cheek, saying "Well, I hope you like it then! I just finished learning all the words the other day..." She giggled and said "I don't care, it's the fact you want to do it for me is all I care about..." He nodded and took a breath, staring into her eyes as he started singing the soft, slow love song.

"Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way
Love's in the air tonight
You can bet you'll make this ol' boy's day
Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way

Hey pretty girl, can I have this dance
And the next one after that
Gonna make you mine there's a real good chance
Hey pretty girl, can I have this dance

Hey pretty girl, it feels so right
Just like it's meant to be
All wrapped up in my arms so tight
Hey pretty girl, it feels so right

Life's a long and winding ride
Better have the right one by your side
And happiness don't drag its feet
Time moves faster than you think

Hey pretty girl, I wanna take you home
My momma's gonna love you
She'll make me sleep on the couch, I know
But hey pretty girl, I wanna take you home

Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams
And a house on a piece of land
We'll plant some roots and some apple trees
Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams

Life's a long and winding ride
Better have the right one by your side
Happiness don't drag its feet
And time moves faster than you think

Hey pretty girl, you did so good
Our baby's got your eyes
And a fighters heart like I knew she would
Hey pretty girl, you did so good

Hey pretty girl when I see the light
And it's my time to go
I'm gonna thank the Lord for a real good life
A Pretty little girl and a beautiful wife"

He finished it off with a soft howl, just adding to the romance of the song and caught his breath as he looked over at her. She was completely in tears, a huge smile on her face as she tried to keep herself together. He smiled too and said "I love you so much..." That did it for her and she lost it, crying her eyes out as he wrapped his forelegs around her and she cried on his shoulder.

It took her a good little bit to be able to speak again, but even then, she didn't have a clue what to say. "Dakota, th-that was...just...it was amazing! I can't believe...I..." She tried to say, but just couldn't. He chuckled a little and said "I think I know what you wanna say...I'm glad you liked it!" She sniffed and buried her head in his neck, saying "I fucking loved it!" He chuckled more and held her as she cried, feeling quite amazing inside to see her so happy.

When she could finally think straight again, she sat up and wiped her eyes, saying "I love you, Dakota...Everyday, you do something to remind me how much, but that! That was...So much more than I expected!" He smiled and said "I try my best to keep you happy. Makes me feel good knowing it works."

She nodded and then said "The little things you do...Even if it's just our good morning kiss...They all remind me everyday why I love you so much. There is nobody else in the world that could ever make me feel the same way you do..."

He smiled more and she kissed his cheek, saying "It's time for our howl..." He nodded and they took a breath, throwing their heads back and howling their love song. It echoed throughout the entire neighborhood, porch lights clicking on and doors opening as people came outside to hear it better. They didn't even notice, though...They were lost in their own world.

They made it last a good ten minutes or so, getting close against each other and pressing their foreheads together as they let it taper off. They stared into each other's eyes as tears once again dripped from Crystal's cheeks, both of them smiling as they engaged in one of the most passionate kisses they'd ever shared.

When they finally broke apart, Crystal happily sighed and said "Let's go home, babe...Let's call it a night..." He chuckled a little and said "Good idea. Lead the way, my beautiful angel..." She giggled and licked his cheek, saying "I know you wanna stare at my butt..." He kissed her nose as he said "You know me so well..."

They headed off back home together, Dakota walking alongside her instead. She was a bit surprised he wasn't behind her, but it actually made her feel more special that he didn't feel the need to stare at her backside. The entire walk home, she was being quite loving to him, something he had definitely seen many times before that always ended up with them rolling around in bed.

They soon walked in the door and as he closed it, she kissed his cheek and dreamily said "Let's go to bed, babe...You've got me in a good mood tonight!" He smiled and kissed her back, asking "I thought you said you don't put out on the first date?"

She giggled and wrapped her tail around his neck, pushing her butt up at him and said "Don't tell me you don't want some of this..." He couldn't help but look, making her giggle more and he said "Well, you're right there! Are you sure you want to, though?" She nodded and said "Very sure. The idea of having a few dates was definitely a good one, but...We both know it'd be too hard to try and do. We just love each other too much and we knew that the entire time tonight..."

He smiled and nodded, saying "No argument here..." She smiled too and walked off down to the bedroom, looking back at him watching her butt sway as she said "I'll be waiting for you..." He chuckled and followed her down to the bedroom, going in behind her and closing the door.

In Serenity's room, she was still up and on her computer just playing games for a little bit before going to bed. She was having a good time when her door opened a little and turned to see Cody smiling at her. She smiled back and said "Hey, Dad. I know, I'm gonna go to bed here in a few minutes..." He chuckled and said "Good. Mind if I come in, though?"

"Yeah, course not. What's up?" She asked, turning her computer off and turning her chair around. He closed the door back down and said "Just wanted to talk to you for a little bit...Something on my mind." She nodded and said "Whatever it is, you can tell me. Is everyone okay?"

He smiled again and said "Of course. It's just...Well...You're growing up a lot faster than I expected. You were really only a little girl for about a year...Now you're in high school and it...It..." He trailed off and she looked at him questioningly, asking "Dad, what's wrong?" He looked up at her and said "It scares me. I'm scared that it won't be much longer until you're gone starting your own life..."

She smiled a little and went over beside him, hugging him and saying "I'm not going anywhere, Dad...You and Mom both know that..." He sighed and put his arms around her, saying "Someday you will...You're gonna fall in love someday, get married, have kids and move away somewhere...We'll hardly ever see you anymore..." She lightly giggled and said "Even if that were true, you know you'd still see me. You guys just worry too much..."

He couldn't help but smile a little and said "You know how we barely ever see Lupa?" She nodded and he said "Well, there you go...She was sure she'd never leave home either and now look where they live. Don't get me wrong, I'm still quite happy for them, but I want to be able to see her more."

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right there...But, what makes you think that's what I want?" She asked and he chuckled, kissing her forehead and saying "You say that now...Just wait a few years..." She smiled and rolled her eyes as he said "I just wanted to get that off my chest. I'll let you head to bed now..."

"It's alright, Dad, don't worry. See you and Mom in the morning!" She said and he nodded, getting up and going back to their room. Lilly was laying in bed waiting for him and when he walked in, she asked "Had a little talk?" He nodded and said "Yeah, it's all good. Ready for bed?"

She smiled and said "Been ready, I'm tired...Don't know if you did or not, but I could hear Dakota and Crystal down in their room...Sounds like they had a lot of fun on their little date..." He chuckled and quickly undressed before getting in bed, pulling the blanket up as she got comfortable against his chest so they were spooning. She softly sighed and laid her head down, saying "Night, babe...I love you..." He kissed her cheek and turned off the light, saying "I love you, too..."

The next day after work, Cody and Lilly pulled up in front of the school to see Serenity with the same group of girls as before, sitting together on a bench talking and laughing. She saw them pull up and smiled, waving at them as Cody shut off his Jeep and they got out.

They walked up to them all and Serenity said "This is my Mom and Dad!" All three girls smiled and Taron said "It's nice to meet you both! Serenity's said quite a bit! Good, of course." Lilly giggled and said "Well, that's good! It's nice to meet you all, too! Happy to know she made some nice friends so quickly!"

They all giggled and then Serenity said "My teacher's in her classroom waiting for us. See you all tomorrow, okay?" The girls nodded and Melissa said "Yeah, of course! Come on, my Dad's just about here." They walked off while Lilly, Serenity and Cody walked into the school halls, heading off to the classroom.

Serenity knocked as she opened the door, saying "Mrs. Tavan? My parents are here." She looked up to see them and smiled, saying "Oh, come in! It's so nice to see you two again!" Lilly and Cody smiled and he hugged her, saying "Great to see you again, too! I though you retired by now." She giggled a little and said "No, not quite yet. This is my last year."

She looked down at Lilly and said "I still remember the first day you came in with Cody...Then again after you got pregnant! Can't believe it's been so long." Lilly smiled and said "It feels like just the other day...How's our little girl been doing the first couple days?"

"Oh, just perfect! No problems." She said, smiling at Serenity, who blushed a little. They spent the better part of a couple hours just talking and catching up, not really even realizing how fast time was going by until they looked at the clock.

"Oh, is it that late already? I need to be getting home. It was so good to see you both again!" Mrs. Tavan said, smiling at them. Lilly giggled a little and said "You too! We should get home ourselves. I for one am getting hungry..." Cody chuckled and said "Alright, let's get home then. Take care and we'll see you soon, okay?" She nodded and said "I hope so!" With that, they all headed out to Cody's Jeep and got in, driving off home.

Up at home, they were all anxiously waiting for Cody, Lilly and Serenity to get home, mainly because they were all pretty hungry. Alexis and Crystal were down in the bedroom talking while Dakota was sleeping and Chase and Snow were out on a walk. Alexis was curious about Lilly's dreams and the hybrid spirit talking to about becoming a hybrid herself.

"I think it would be pretty cool if that could happen! I know she's said a few times how much she would love to be able to be more like a human. Do you think she'll go through with it?" Alexis asked. Crystal smiled and said "I don't know, honey. I think that if the opportunity presents itself, she'll more than likely take it, though." Alexis nodded and said "I think so, too. I think she would be a lot happier, too!"

Not much later, they heard the garage door open and close after a couple moments, so they knew Cody, Lilly and Serenity were home now. They went out to the living room just as they were coming in the door to the garage, Crystal saying "Hey, guys!" Lilly smiled and said "Hey! Feels good to finally be home..." Alexis giggled and said "I'll bet! Been a long day?"

"Ah, not too bad, but yeah. What've you all been up to?" Cody asked, tossing his keys onto the counter before sitting down on the couch. "Not a lot, like normal. Chase and Snow are out walking the neighborhood. They've been gone for a good little while now, actually….Kinda wondering where they are." Crystal said, suddenly a little worried. "I'm sure they're just fine." Lilly said as she hopped up onto the couch and laid across Cody's lap, making him smile as he started rubbing her back.

A mile or so away walking the neighborhood, Chase and Snow were talking and laughing as they enjoyed some time together. They decided to just go out for a little while by themselves and talk about anything on their mind, which she was happy about to be about to get some things off her mind. During her first heat, she had gotten frustrated with her mother for avoiding her questions about why she was feeling so different and had to turn to her Grandma.

"I just want to know why Mom wouldn't talk to me, Dad….As soon as I'd ask, she'd change the subject. I mean, I know now thanks to Grandma what was going on….I just wish it would've been Mom that told me." She said, feeling frustrated again. He smiled a bit and said "Honey, you can't be mad at her. Yes, she should've talked to you, but you have to understand, she was going through the same thing. She was upset herself for a good reason…."

"Why's that?" She asked and he chuckled a bit, saying "Well, I guess it won't hurt to say….We weren't having sex, so her feelings inside were getting to be too much. We made the choice not to early on so she wouldn't get pregnant again. Believe me, we got close….Too close sometimes. She can hit pretty hard, believe me!" He showed her a small scar on his shoulder that Alexis gave him her last heat, making Snow smile a bit.

"Well, if you put it that way….Thanks for telling me, Dad. Think we should head back home?" She asked and he nodded, saying "Good idea. I bet everyone's home by now and I'm hungry!" She giggled a bit as they turned around and started back home, leaning over and nuzzling him as she said "I love you, Dad….I know I don't say that enough…." He kissed her cheek and said "I love you too, honey…."