Epilogue

As Randi sat in the waiting room of the hospital, she was filled with a sense of dread anxiety. What was the damage? Could it be treated? Could he pilot again? No matter the outcome, one emotion rushed to the surface as she turned over the week's events in her mind: gratitude.

'Above everything else,' she thought, 'I'm just so glad he is alive.'

A nurse's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Ms. Greene?" the woman asked.

Randi paused for a second, then nodded a little. No amount of time would ever make her comfortable in using that "surname".

"He's awake now. You can go in."

"Thank you," Randi replied. She stood and walked quickly to the door, then paused. A part of her didn't want to see him. After all, it was her fault he was in the hospital. In the end, she decided that if she was going to bolt, she might as well have the guts to let him know before she did so. She knocked on the frame of the door and leaned her head in.

At the sound of her knock, Fred turned his head and grinned. "Hey, there."

Randi walked in, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "You, uh... you look good. Well, considering—"

"Considering I got shot and tossed out of a moving vehicle?" He chuckled. "I feel a lot better than I look, though. The doctors were nice enough to write me about five prescriptions. I think I'm just a tad high, right now."

"The surgery, then. That went okay?"

"Yup." Fred pulled the collar of his shirt over and down, showing the stitches. "Not too bad, eh? Just this little scar here, and some general scrapes and bruis—" He interrupted himself with a sudden sneeze. "Ahem. Bruises," Fred twitched and wrinkled his nose a little, as he continued. "Maybe a little bit of a cold, too."

Randi chuckled a little and handed him a tissue. "Your shoulder will heal up then, yes?"

"They're letting me out tomorrow. Said my shoulder will be fine, with a little time. Then again, they could just be trying to get me out of here," he joked with a lopsided smile. Fred rubbed his chin and assumed a thoughtful look, probably determining that his now scruffy goatee needed a trim. "So, are you gonna tell me how you saved my toast, or not?"

"I... Well, I did not really—"

"Oh, come on. None of that modesty crap, okay, Randi? Besides, I'd like to hear a good story."

She smiled a little and retold the events, only occasionally faltering with the sequence. In speaking, she was surprised to recall everything that had occurred; it all seemed like a dream when it happened. Coming to the end of the tale, she paused, took a breath, and then looked back at Fred. "I am sure the battle ROM tells it better, but... uh, that's it."

He blinked a little. "You trashed my Bushwhacker?!"

Randi cowed back a little. "Well, um... yeah. Kind of." She looked away, a little nervous. "...But we did... get your Hellhound back. Ned and Harrison went back for salvage after we dropped you off here. Prewitt was long gone."

Fred's agitation subsided instantly. "Oh, okay. All's well that ends well."

"What? That's it?"

"Sure. Right after you pay the bill for the Bushwhacker, the Hellhound, and all damage to the bloodpit where you had your little melée."

With a heavy sigh, Randi nodded. After the repair, component, and labor bills for the work to Nyx, she had just enough money to eat. "Yes, sir," she replied, looking very unenthusiastic. "Want me to write myself up for report, while I am at it?"

"No, no. I was just kidding. Maybe it wasn't as funny as I thought, though. Like I said, I'm a little loopy from the meds," he replied with a chuckle. "And...thanks for saving me. Are you alright, though? Nothing broken?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"That's good. We might have to stay here for a bit to get everything back together. Honestly, though, I'd like to leave as much as you do."

Randi fell silent and bowed her head a little. "Well," she said after a moment, "I will make it a little easier for you. As soon as I get my bills paid, I will be out of your way."

"Aw, Randi, don't be like that," Fred said softly. "I need a MechWarrior like you in this outfit. Plus, you saved my life. I owe you one."

She shook her head. "No. You don't owe me anything. You saved me once, too," she said. "Besides, I am the one who got you into this mess in the first place. I am just... a trouble magnet."

"Bah, Prewitt's been after my head for awhile, now. He's probably going to be sore about this whole thing, too. Oh, well."

The ex-Clanner stood and paced a little. "No. This was not Prewitt's idea; it was Jen Sanders, the Loki pilot. She was... She was the one who killed Maro."

"Your friend?" Fred sat up a little, but instantly regretted it, mumbling an "ow" as he leaned back. "I'm sorry..."

"It doesn't matter," Randi replied with a little bit of a laugh. It was quite contrary to what she felt. "Jen didn't make it out of the arena." A little bit of silence passed, and she looked around tentatively. "Well, if I am going to stay, I guess you ought to know what this whole fiasco was really about," she said, pulling the door shut.

Fred waved his hand dismissively. "Look, we already went over this..." His voice trailed off and his tan cheeks turned a little pinkish, as Randi turned around with her hand down the front of her shirt. She pulled out a small square-fold of paper and handed it to her CO while she sat down beside him. Fred took it, still blushing.

"I would not have looked there," he remarked, with an embarassed chuckle.

"Well, that was the point..."

The awkwardness soon vanished as Fred unfolded the paper and began to look over it. His eyes widened greatly and his eyebrows steadily made their way up towards his hairline. "This is...This is what they were after?" he replied, stunned. While he probably hadn't had much technician or scientific training, it wasn't difficult to determine just what the schematic design was, or its capabilities.

"Yes," said Randi solemnly. "That is Black Wolf."

Fred folded the plans back up quickly and returned them to Randi. "Sanders couldn't have been after these on her own. One person can't just swipe something like this without any help. Someone else must still be out there."

"I do not doubt it. I do not know who could've been working with her, besides Prewitt," she said, slipping the plans back down her shirt.

"Well, let's just try and get off this rock as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Randi said with a sigh. Kerensky, how she hated Solaris. "I had better go, now. You probably need to rest."

He chuckled a little as the woman stood to leave. "Hey, Randi?"

"Yes?"

"Uh..." Fred shook his head, as if he had changed his mind. "Be careful."

She nodded back. The two exchanged a brief wave, and then Randi walked out. She wondered a little what he was going to say, but then decided it wasn't important. She kept her promise to herself, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

Author's notes: Well, I've finally come to the end of Tooth and Nail. This story has been a ton of fun to write, especially with Hellcat on board for the project. He's been a huge help to me and brought a lot of different angles to the story with his character, Fred Acosta. And although this story is over, there's going to be plenty more to come. A third BlackWolf story is in the works, and ought to show up by fall at the latest.

I hope every one enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. A big thanks to RougeBaron, Siba, Tremble Wolf, and Zmuh 11 for the reviews. I love hearing from you all.