Chapter 18

Panther writhed in pain on the ground, holding his severely injured chest. After getting over his surprise, Fox looked down on his wounded enemy with a bit of sadness. He despised so much about Panther – from his actions with Star Wolf to his desires for Krystal. Many times Fox had wished the insufferable feline would just die; even now, part of Fox wished to leave Panther for dead. But Fox could not; his compassionate side took over, and he knew he couldn't allow someone defenseless to simply lay there and die – even if he hated him.

Fortunately, a medical center was very close to the Army Center, and Fox was able to drag Panther there fairly quickly. Fox simply explained Panther accidentally shot himself, which was sufficient enough for the concerned workers at the center. They recognized Fox and Panther, and were a little confused to see Fox helping the Star Wolf mercenary, but they didn't question it.

The doctors quickly got Panther to a room where they looked at him and did what they could. Fox waited outside the room anxiously. He had never expected to be in a situation like this. He had such mixed emotions about all of it. Panther had just tried to kill him… but Fox couldn't have just let him bleed out and die. His instincts had told him it was wrong. His father and Peppy had always told him to trust his instincts… and so he had.

After waiting for several minutes and trying to collect himself, Fox used his communicator to contact Krystal. Having been caught up in this mess, Fox had lost his appetite, and he probably wouldn't be able to make it to the restaurant anytime soon anyway. After a few seconds, Krystal picked up her communicator to respond.

"Hey! Are you ready to join us, love?" Krystal asked, initially cheerful to hear Fox call.

Fox swallowed hard, then replied, "I'm afraid not. Something happened, and I'm not going to be able to make it."

"What's wrong, Fox? Are you okay?!" Krystal asked, her tone now fretful.

"I'm fine, but someone's hurt; I'm in a medical center right now, and I don't know how long I'll be here," Fox told her.

"Who got hurt?" Krystal asked, still very worried.

"…Panther," Fox grimly answered.

"Panther?!" Krystal exclaimed. "What happened?!"

"It was an accident; he tried to shoot me, but the fire ricocheted back at him," Fox explained. "I couldn't just leave him there… it wouldn't have been right."

There was an uncomfortable period of silence. Krystal was furious that Panther tried to kill Fox, and she felt far more anger about it than Fox did. Eventually she spoke again, unable to hide the anger.

"He tried to kill you… and you… saved him?!" Krystal asked incredulously.

"Krystal, I couldn't just let him slowly bleed out and die in the street," Fox replied. "I don't like him, but it was the right thing to do. I had to."

Krystal sighed, then said, "You're right… he didn't hurt you, at all?"

"He didn't hurt me at all," Fox said. "I'm sorry I can't make it to dinner. I hope you guys have a good time; I have to stay here for however long it will take."

"Okay… I suppose I didn't sense anything because you were fortunately unharmed," Krystal said, referring to her telepathy. She then asked, "Do you want any food brought back?"

"No, thank you," Fox replied. "I'm not very hungry. I will see you guys tomorrow though, alright? I've got to go now – bye."

Fox had to hang up his communicator as he saw the doctors come out of the room. Fox saw all of their heads were down – a bad sign. One of the doctors, a light blue cat, approached Fox to give him the news.

"There's nothing more we can do for him. He doesn't have long; I'm very sorry," the blue cat said, regret in his voice.

Fox opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't for a moment. The emotions continued to overwhelm him. He didn't know what or how he should think. He at least knew he felt sad – sad that it had to come to this.

"Can I talk to him?" Fox asked the blue cat.

"Yes. It will be your last chance," the blue cat replied.

The blue cat gave Fox a sympathetic pat on the back, to which Fox simply nodded. Fox went inside the room where Panther was, finding him lying still on a hospital bed. Panther was calm, and didn't appear any differently from if he was taking a rest without a fatal injury. He looked at Fox; mixed emotions were also going through Panther's mind.

"They don't know if I'll make it," Panther told Fox.

"They told me," Fox quietly replied.

"Why, Fox… why did you try to save me?" Panther asked, truly perplexed.

"Because… it was the right thing to do," Fox answered resolutely. "I know we've been enemies, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't do what's right. I couldn't just leave you."

Panther continued to stare at Fox, and he eventually said "Thank you," with total sincerity.

"I'm sorry it was too late," Fox replied, as earnestly as Panther had thanked him.

"You don't have to apologize," Panther said. "I tried to kill you…"

A moment of silence passed. They kept looking at each other, filled with such uncomfortable and intense emotions. Eventually, Panther spoke again, knowing he should be open in these final moments.

"As soon as you escaped from Venom… Bowman told my team to find you and finish you off," Panther explained to Fox. "Wolf sent me alone, and told me he and Leon would go in later tonight if they didn't hear back from me by 10…"

It was far past 8 now. Getting close to 9. Fox breathed heavily, uneasy about this information.

"So they'll be looking for me soon…" Fox said.

Fox and Panther continued staring at each other, the moment quite intense now. Panther's eyes narrowed, and he slowly shook his head. Panther smiled a little at Fox. He took his communicator and called Wolf, with no hesitation in his action.

"This better be good," Wolf growled on the other end of the line.

"I killed him," Panther said to Wolf, all the while smiling at Fox in front of him.

"You… you really did it?" Wolf asked, sounding surprised.

"It's done. No need for you and Leon to come here," Panther said.

"Alright then. We'll back off," Wolf said. "You sound like you're in bad shape… what happened? Did he shoot you or something?"

"Don't worry about it; I'll be back when I can," Panther told Wolf. "Panther out."

Panther switched off the communicator before Wolf could ask anything else.

Fox was surprised at first, but soon he found himself smiling back. After all the animosity he and Panther had for each other, they had come to such an unexpected moment. They suddenly had a kind of respect for each other. Panther had called Wolf and Leon off, in exchange for what Fox had done. It was a welcome moment that each of them appreciated, and they allowed themselves to forget their past hostility.

"Thank you, Panther," Fox said, truly grateful.

"Fox… one more thing…" Panther said, focused on one more thing.

"Yes?" Fox asked.

"Krystal… take care of Krystal," Panther said, a couple tears welling in his eyes. "She's… she's a good woman, and… you're a good man, Fox…"

Fox nodded, and he gave Panther a serious look of appreciation. He knew Panther was sincere. And Fox was glad to hear these words – even from a past enemy. It didn't matter now.

"I will," Fox said.

Panther nodded back, and he gave Fox another smile. Panther closed his eyes, and let tears silently roll down his cheeks. Fox watched over Panther in these final moments, as Panther was sorrowfully reflecting on his life – what could have been…

Panther had many regrets, but he knew there was nothing he could do now. His choices and actions were permanent. He wondered to himself if there was any kind of salvation in remorse. He thought of Krystal, knowing she was too pure-hearted and good for someone like himself – a rogue. A rogue with a history full of bad decisions. He imagined Krystal being happy… a woman who deserved true happiness and prosperity. He pictured it in his head – the person he had truly cared about the most in his heart, happy… It was enough. With that final thought in his head, Panther calmly let go of life and drifted away.

It was a difficult walk back to his house, but Fox was still grateful for the final moments he shared with Panther in the hospital. Fox never would have expected such a moment to have occurred, but so it had. Fox felt bad he couldn't have enjoyed time with Panther as an ally. It would have been much better than having to deal with Panther as an adversary. It was all over now though, and Fox had to accept it.

When he got near his house, Fox saw Krystal waiting at the doorstep for him. Fox ran the rest of the way, and shared a loving embrace with Krystal when he reached her. He was a little surprised, but happy all the same to see her here. It was a great comfort to him in this time especially.

"I thought you'd be with the others still," Fox said, then kissing Krystal's forehead. "But I'm glad you're here…"

"I needed to see you again…" Krystal said, rubbing her head against Fox's chest. "I came here after dinner. I figured I could call you if you weren't back here soon enough…"

"How long have you been waiting? And how is everyone?" Fox asked.

"I've only been here for a few minutes; I was at the restaurant for a while. The others are all fine… I didn't tell them yet what you told me; I stepped away to talk to you earlier," Krystal explained. "So… how's Panther?"

A few seconds passed before Fox answered. "He's dead."

Krystal's eyes went big upon hearing the news, a little surprised. She didn't know what to expect, but hearing he had died was quite impactful. Panther had been a threat for a long time, and left behind some unforgettable memories – almost all bad.

"I see…" Krystal said. She didn't know what else to say.

"There's something you should know," Fox told Krystal. "Let's go inside."

The two foxes entered the house together. They sat on Fox's small couch near his maroon-colored armchair, which was also a dark shade of red. They cuddled close together, gaining comfort from one another.

"What did you want to tell me, Fox?" Krystal asked.

"After I took Panther to the hospital… he repaid me," Fox explained. "Wolf and Leon were going to come in next after me, later tonight. Panther called them off, right before he died."

Krystal remained silent, taking this information in. It seemed uncharacteristic of the Panther she had known – a selfish, sadistic assassin. But obviously Fox would have no reason to lie about this.

"I know Panther wasn't a very good guy in the time we knew him," Fox continued. "But he couldn't have been all bad to do that favor for me. Remember, he did also help us at the end of the Aparoid War with Wolf and Leon – even if it was for more selfish reasons primarily. He still did the right thing then… He also told me to take care of you… I think he really did care about you. Maybe he never really showed it right, but he seemed completely sincere to me. I just wanted you to know this."

Krystal nodded slowly, absorbing this. She had known Panther a little better than Fox, having briefly been with Star Wolf, but not by a lot more. He never seemed to fully reveal his feelings to anyone.

"I'm glad you told me," Krystal said. "When I was with Star Wolf, he would try to impress me, but I assumed he had only wanted me for shallow reasons. Perhaps underneath that, he did want more… I never really knew him well enough I suppose. Maybe he just didn't want to look weak in front of his team. I don't know."

"Could have been," Fox agreed. "Anyway, I thought you should know. I believe there was more to him than we ever really knew…"

Fox sighed, the fresh memory of Panther's death stuck on his mind. It would stay with him forever. Krystal leaned her head on Fox's body and hugged him tightly. In turn, he put his arm around her, keeping her close to him. They wanted to focus on some happier things, even though they both understood and valued the significance of the situation with Panther.

"I've been worrying about you so much lately with everything that's gone on…" Krystal murmured. She looked up at Fox from his lap, then smiled a little. "I'm never going to let you sleep without me again!"

He smiled back, and the two shared a small kiss. He happily answered back, "Fine by me!"

"Have you thought about our future together more? About children and such?" Krystal asked. She didn't want to pry too much, but she had been thinking about this herself for a while now.

Fox had been thinking about it a little since they last talked about it his cabin on the Great Fox. He felt bad he hadn't had a good answer at that time, but he was so unsure. He still wasn't completely certain, but he had warmed to the idea of having a child with Krystal. He felt it would be a satisfying, rewarding new adventure – a kind of adventure without all the violence and danger tied to his old life. Just perhaps not for a little while…

"Well… I think having a child would be wonderful for us, Krystal," Fox said. "I'd like it if we spent a couple years as just the two of us, though… if you don't mind."

Krystal smiled, and rubbed against Fox again. She was satisfied with that. She had wanted Fox to want a child as well, and she could sense his sincerity. They each felt it would bring them even closer together.

"Yes… we can spend some time just to ourselves first," Krystal agreed. "I'm glad you decided you wanted to be a father, Fox. I know it will only strengthen our bond…"

"I think so too, Krystal," Fox said.

"So… you still want to wait until we're married for… you know?" Krystal asked, grinning playfully.

Fox chuckled, and replied, "I think it'd be more special that way, don't you?"

Krystal sighed a little. "I guess," she grudgingly agreed. "But you better not hold back when that day comes!"

"Don't worry about that; I won't!" Fox said.

The two laughed together and rolled on the couch for a minute. They loved each other so much, and it was cathartic for each of them to share their affections. It was something they had missed so much when they had been apart – when Fox was captured, and before that when their relationship had been in a bad place. Now was different though. Now, Fox and Krystal were filled with certainty that they would always be together – and nothing could get in the way of that.

"I know I agreed more strongly the last time we were here, but I just love you so much," Krystal told Fox, regarding her previous comments. "I can't wait to be married… it's what I want the most!"

"Me too, Krystal," Fox said, snuggling against Krystal. "It will be very soon now. As soon as take care of business on Zoness and Venom… it'll fly by!"

"I sure hope so – and no big complications," Krystal added. "We've got to get up a little early, unfortunately. Want to do anything else, or go to sleep?"

"Sleep," Fox immediately replied, eliciting a chuckle from Krystal. He continued, "It's been a very eventful day. Meeting Jason, going to the Army Center, and then what happened with Panther…"

The room became somber again at the mention of Panther. Fox and Krystal both took it quite seriously, especially considering what Panther had done in his final moments. They soberly accepted Panther's fate, and each of them fully let go of his past misdeeds. He was dead now, and he seemed to have had some kind of compassion inside of him. What would the point be of holding grudges now? They could only do their best to be at peace with all of it now.

"Well… I agree. It has been a long, hard day," Krystal eventually said. "Today, I got you back though, and that is what's most important to me… so let's rest now for the big day tomorrow!"

With that, the two walked up to Fox's bedroom, side by side. Once they got into bed together, they fell asleep quickly, and were locked in a loving embrace through the hours of the night. Fox had one particular thought on his mind right before falling asleep that night.

I'll never lose you again, Krystal. We will always be together…