Hey guys and guys! I hope I haven't kept you all waiting too long! I started uni this year (late-bloomer) and figured I'd wait til after my exams to update. Made this chapter a lot longer than previous ones, so I hope you enjoy! And please review! They are what encourage me to write more!

Morph-Speech throughout is denoted as: (*) I'm still figuring out how to get the proper brackets.

Disclaimer: The Animorphs are not mine!

Previously...

As the taller cop bent down over us, I picked myself up again at lightning speed and shoved him with all my might. He got knocked off balance and toppled backwards. I heard a satisfying thud as his head hit the corner of our couch and he slid down to the ground.

"Are you insane?" I heard my voice again. I didn't know if I was talking to myself or not.

This seemed to be too much for the other cop.

"ARGH!" Furious now, the chubby copper with the black eye charged at me, but as I swung out of the way, he grabbed my wrist and twisted me around, slamming me up against the wall. I was now pinned.

"NO!" I was stuck. I couldn't move!

"Jake!" I struggled to turn, but the last I'd seen, Jake had still been on the ground and with my arm twisted behind me there was nothing I could do. I was trapped.

They had me.

"JAKE! HELP!!"

Chapter 8

Marco

Jake was down; I was pinned to the wall by a seriously huge, seriously angry police officer.

And I was a scared kid who'd just become parentless and homeless.

The horror I've seen and the amount of pain I've experienced throughout this war so far – that was nothing to this. The horrors of the Yeerk pool felt like a bandaid being ripped off compared to the grief I felt breaking in my chest.

My dad was dead. And he was not coming home.

I was terrified. I seriously thought of morphing gorilla and even pulled the image of the animal into my mind at one point. But even though my mind was frazzled, there was still a little voice in my head saying, 'Not now.' I held my breath and forced the thought of the gorilla out of my head.

I was still struggling and was about to kick at the cops shins when I finally heard Jake.

"Marco, Stop!"

I froze at his forceful yet calming voice and felt the thud as Jake shoved the police officer. "You! Get off him now!"

"Get away kid. He's just assaulted two police officers. He's going downtown."

"What?" We were both shocked; I even more so as I had an elbow shoved into my back as he shuffled around then suddenly put an icy cold tightness around my wrists. As I heard a click, I realised I was being handcuffed.

"You can't do that! He's just lost his dad!" Jake sounded furious.

"It's okay, son. He doesn't mean that sort of downtown." We both turned as Chapman spoke up. "Let him go for now, Blake."

I felt Blake stare daggers at the back of my head as I was uncuffed. In frustration he gave me a last shove into the wall before he finally backed away.

My legs felt like jelly. I turned and leant against the wall, but when that didn't help I slid down to the ground before my legs gave way completely. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. I just so wanted this day to be over already. I wanted to be able to go to bed and wake up to find this all a dream. I want to find my dad at the breakfast table in the morning, as I did every day. But of course my wish won't come true. It was over. Everything that mattered to me was gone. I didn't care what happened to me now. I sighed and closed my eyes. I was defeated.

Jake

I watched as Marco slumped to the ground. He'd been through so much, my heart was torn. But I had to save him. I watched as the cop, Blake, went over and shook the other one back to consciousness. "Come on, Tim. Get up and quit snoozing."

I glanced at Marco again, then tore my eyes away. It hurt to see him like that. He looked so… broken.

I turned to Chapman. "Tell me what you said to him. What's going on?"

Chapman gave me a look of reproach. "Because he's lost his father and he's too far away from any other family, he's required for now, by law, to stay at The Sharing's Youth Rehabilitation Centre until we can contact them." He watched the two police officers as Blake pulled Tim onto his feet. Tim looked shaken but otherwise unhurt. They both glowered at Marco, while Chapman turned back to me. "There's no need to worry about your friend. I'm sure the police department will come to an agreement that will get the boy out of any possible assault charges."

"So he won't get into trouble?"

"We'll do our best." Chapman replied.

Slight relief flowed through me. "Good. Thankyou Mr Chapman. If you don't mind me saying so sir, in regards to Marco's living arrangements, I think it would be best if he stayed with my family – until you can contact his relatives at least. He'll be at least comfortable then, surrounded by friends… I'm the only family he has at the moment. I've known Marco for years… he's like my brother. I know him and he won't be able to handle being around strangers." I spoke quietly, although I doubted that Marco was paying attention.

"I appreciate your offer son, but The Sharing's YRC has the best counsellors available and –"

"But sir, the thing is that he won't talk to them. Because he doesn't know them. Now I can have you ring my mom if you like. She's a psychiatrist by profession and she's known Marco for as long as I have. She can help him. He'll talk to her." Chapman looked stern; unconvinced. "Trust me, please. Call my mom."

I hated to beg and to play the kid. But the truth is that it's a grown-up world. He wasn't going to listen to me. But he might listen to my mom; a true, glorified adult. And I'd do anything for Marco.

Fifteen minutes later, Chapman put down the phone.

"Right, into the car now, boys."

I was crouched down next to Marco, checking on him. His eyes were red but glazed and he wasn't paying attention. He was zoned out as though he were on drugs. I stood up at Chapman's words. "What did she say?"

"She's on her way home now. We're going to meet her there."

I breathed. Great, I thought. Nothing to do now but ride in a car with Yeerks. Aloud, I said,"Okay." I turned and grabbed Marco's arm. "Come on Marco, we're leaving now. Could someone please grab his bag and lock up for me?"

With just a little bit of difficulty I got him to his feet and out in to the police squad car. Let me tell you, it felt so weird getting into the back of that car with the bars between the front and back seats. Quite chilling, and suffocating. I couldn't help but hold my breath the whole way there, hoping that Marco wouldn't snap and freak out, realising where we were right now. I mean yes, I know Marco as well as I know myself and I know how he handles dangerous situations. He figures that making jokes will make the world a brighter place and drown out all the sorrow. But this was a whole different ballgame. His dad had been broken for years after his wife died and Marco was forced to handle a lot more responsibility. For him to still be able to show a bright side was huge. His sense of humor was something he got from his mother. But with his mom… gone and now this with his dad… I was afraid that this might be a loss that Marco wouldn't come back from.

After the tense ten minute drive to my house, I got Marco inside and up to my room while my mom spoke with Chapman. Bypassing a few loopholes, it was eventually organised that he'd stay here until they could contact his family. In the meantime, we'd have a Sharing committee member coming every day to check up on him.

"How are you feeling, mate?" I asked as he sat down on my bed.

"Like… I've hit a wall after going 180 miles an hour. And I'm dead." Marco's voice held no emotion.

"Yeah, I can imagine."

"No you can't, Jake. My mom is supposed to be dead. She has been for 2 years. Now my dad's gone."

"Yeah… but you know that I'm here for you. We all are. You can get through this."

Marco shrugged and shook his head. "I just… can't be bothered anymore."

"The cops seemed pretty tough on taking you away."

"Yeah. I punched a cop at school, Jake. They were all taken, I know it. They've all got slugs in their heads. And they wanted me. They should all just… go away. I'm sick of it-all of it. I want my family back, Jake." He sighed in sudden defeat.

"I know, buddy." I patted him on the shoulder. I sat in awkward silence for a moment. "Did you want anything to eat?"

"No."

"Drink?"

"No… I just wanna sit here awhile."

"Right... Did you want me to sit with you?"

"I'm not a child, Jake."

"Right." I stood up. "Well, try and get some sleep Marco. It's been a rough day. You can stay here. I'm just gonna go make a phone call."

"What are you doing?"

I looked away. "I'm just going to ring Rachel and let her know I found you."

"Do they know?" I knew he wouldn't like it, but I didn't think Marco would still be anxious about how the others might treat him, like he did when he found out his mom was still alive. He didn't want their pity. Even now. But it was too late. He couldn't hide this from us.

"…Yes. They're worried about you."

"Right."

Silence came once again. I silently wished that Cassie were here. Then I walked out the door and let him be.

Ring, Ring… Ring, Ring…

"Hello?"

"Hi… it's Jake. Is Rachel home?"

"Sure… RACHEL! JAKE'S ON THE PHONE!... yep… okay – she's coming."

"Great Sara… can you yell any louder?"

"Yeah…Sure I can. Why Jake? Did you want me to call her again?"

"No! I'm sure I don't need to hear that again. I'll be deaf long enough as it is."

"…So what's up Jake? How come you need to talk to Rachel?"

"Because I missed some school today."

"Why?"

"Because, little cuz, my best mate's dad just died and I thought he might need a hand…"

"Oh… that's not good."

"No, it's not… is Rachel going to be long?"

"No, she's here now… bye Jake!"

"Hello?"

"Rachel, hi. It's Jake."

"Yeah, I thought I heard Sara scream your name."

"I was wondering if I could borrow Cassie's homework notes tonight."

"Actually, I've already given them back to her. Would you like me to ring her and ask?"

"If you could, yeah… I'll meet you at the usual spot in half an hour to grab them. Cool?"

"What about your other friends? Did they need to borrow them too?"

"I think so. I'll ask them on my way there."

"Okay, I'll see you then… um, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"How's… I heard the news today, around school… how's Marco doing?"

"He's… not good. But I guess he could be worse."

"…Sure…"

"I'll see you then, Rachel. Half an hour."

"Half an… uh, yeah sure. I'll see you then."

"Bye."

Looking at Marco asleep on my bed, a haunted feeling came over me. I felt lost and I realized that although the future had been bleak and uncertain before, it was even scarily more so now. Marco has family that he's never met; complete strangers as his new guardians. He'll probably be moving away, too far away to even participate in any future Animorphs activities. This would be a huge loss to our group, as we would now be down to five members. Considering that we only had six members to begin with, this would probably make a significant difference to the outcome of Earth. Thinking back to our few missions before we hooked up with Ax, I tried to convince myself that we would be okay. That we would survive. We'd make it through.

Unfortunately, I had trouble believing.

I sighed, closed the door to let him sleep and went downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen, but heard me as I came in. She looked worn and haggard from the situation already. I could only imagine how bad I looked. She walked over and gave me a hug.

"Is he asleep?" she asked.

I nodded. "For now."

"Good. That poor boy needs all the rest he can get." She sighed and pulled away. "He's going to have it rough for awhile."

"Thanks mom, for helping today. I know he'll find it hard with the situation at the moment, but I just knew that he wouldn't want to stay at the Sharing Centre."

"I know. Don't worry; we're all just happy to help." She patted me on the shoulder. "You did good today, Jake. He'll thank you for it one day."

I shrugged. "I don't know, mom. It seems like he'll be moving away soon. When they get into contact with his relatives anyway. His whole life is changing. Y'know before, all he used to want was his mom back… but now… it all just seems so cruel."

"He'll get better. He'll learn to deal and live again. Don't you worry. Even if he moves, he'll still have you as a friend."

I nodded. But will we still have Earth? Or will we lose? Having a friend won't make a difference when you're all controllers.

Mom leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Now, go wash up. Tom and your father will be home soon. They'll be wanting dinner."

I shook my head at her. "No, I can't. I'll eat when I get back. I just rang Rachel for any homework notes I might've missed today and she told me to go pick them up from her house." The lies came easy to my lips these days.

Mom looked at me as I crossed to the door. "Would you like me to drive you? It's a fair walk."

I paused, my hand on the handle. "Nah, thanks. The walk will do me good." Or flight. I pointed upstairs. "Can you keep an eye on him?"

She smiled softly at me. "Sure. It's already done."

I started to leave, but then turned around. "And mom? Thanks."

"No problem, kiddo."

"So what the hell happened, Jake?" Rachel stormed. She looked angry and upset. "Is it true? Is Marco's dad really gone?"

"From the looks of it, I'm afraid so. I knew you guys would be worried, which is why I called the meeting. It looks like this is going to bring about some big changes to the Animorphs."

Rachel's reply was to slam her fist into a wood pillar.

Tobias spoke up from his perch. (I was flying the land right next to it when it went up. It was shocking to watch; like a fireball. It burnt the whole area to a crisp in nothing flat! Let me tell you, it was hot. Singed my feathers and everything.)

"How's Marco?" Cassie spoke softly from her seat in a bale of hay. Suddenly all eyes were on me.

I sighed, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. "He's… not so good. When I left the school, I first went to his house, but I ended up finding him at the site. Tobias is right; there's not much left."

Rachel grumbled. "I still don't see why we couldn't have helped you look. I mean, we're his friends, right?" This was surprising to see. Hard-as-nails, all-for-it gung-ho Rachel was upset. And considering how she and Marco usually bickered like there was no tomorrow, it really was quite alarming. If Marco were here - under normal circumstances, of course - his jaw would've been glued to the floor in disbelief, along with a stupid comment. But then, we couldn't be in this fight for Earth without knowing each other inside and out, completely and totally. We have to be able to know our reactions to dangerous and different situations.

I looked at Rachel. "Yes, we're his friends. More than that; we're his family." But remember, we don't hang out as a group in school. According to everyone else, I'm his friend. But that's not what's important now."

I told them about the situation with the cops and Chapman at Marco's house. How Marco had assaulted them – three times. And about how they had tried to take him away to the Sharing YRC and how he might eventually leave to live with distant relatives. "For now, he's staying with me. But it was a close one. He was almost arrested. But then it got weird. The cops got just a little too violent themselves. It was unusual. I really wish that it was all a coincidence, but considering… I think there's something more to it. Marco certainly seemed to hold a lot of interest to them. But as far as they know, Marco's just a schoolboy. They wouldn't go out of their way so firmly just for one kid… something's up. We need to find out what they know."

Tobias spoke up. (We should check with Eric, see what he knows.)

"I agree. If anyone knows anything, it would be him," Rachel said.

"Right. Tobias, did you want to check it out with him tomorrow?"

(Sure.)

"I'll go too." Rachel said. "I wanna know what's going on. Do you really think it has something to do with Yeerks?"

I smiled grimly, "That's what we're gonna find out."

Not too much of a cliffie for you. If any books said anything about Jake's mom's profession, then I didn't know about it and it was convenient for her to be able to 'save' Marco.

And I almost know now on where I'm going with this… almost. So if anyone has any ideas, I'm open for suggestions tho! Please!! Until next time, Cheers, Fletty!