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Chapter 20: More Happy Occasions

The return journey aboard the Ocean Breeze was a pleasant one for Fara Phoenix, Kei Reinard, and Fox and Krystal McCloud. Once they arrived back at Corneria, the two couples went their separate ways back to their respective homes to resume their daily lives. For Fox and Krystal, it was a return to attending their college courses in drawing and music and evenings and weekends making love or in bondage play. They also resumed teaching at the CDF Flight Academy.

While Krystal had no regrets about her upcoming motherhood, she took every opportunity to fly again as much as she could, knowing that she'd be effectively grounded in the near future. Fox also took pleasure in giving his cousin Kei personal Arwing flying lessons two afternoons each week after he was done training the latest crop of CDF pilots.

*****

Given that the McClouds had advanced beyond the other students, Francis Ashley had no qualms about them being absent for three weeks to attend Slippy Toad's wedding. Upon their return, the drawing course had progressed on to watercolors. The mental gestalt that was Fox and Krystal McCloud was a continuous source of amazement for Francis. Ever since the incident he had witnessed where the couple had worked harmoniously together on a single charcoal drawing, he had let them continue to collaborate for most classes.

Even on the few occasions he had insisted they draw separately, both their skills with pencil and paint brush had exceeded that of their fellow students. Halfway through the semester, Francis had transferred the McClouds to his advanced art class where they progressed on to oil paints. At first together, they had rendered various landscapes of Corneria. On a subsequent lesson, Fox painted a wide desert vista of his childhood home of Papatoon while Krystal's brush strokes produced the lush forests of Cerinia.

They had now progressed to portraiture. Francis strode into the classroom carrying a bag and announced. "Class, our live model could not make it. I was going to cancel today's class, but I had a wonderful idea." He grinned to Fox while he went on. "I've never done this before, but in honor of our esteemed student and his wife, I've decided that I'll be your live model for this week's portraiture session."

Fox frowned, unable to find a connection with how their effeminate art teacher could honor him and Krystal be posing for them. "Uh... Professor Ashley, you don't have to do that on our account."

"Oh, don't you fret, Mister McCloud." He hefted the bag he was carrying and grinned to the vulpine. "I've been looking for a reason to wear this outfit again, and you have provided me with the perfect excuse to do so." He then turned to his other students. "Class, take out your drawing and painting supplies and get ready while I change."

Along with their fellow students, Fox and Krystal set up their shared easel, pencils, and paints. Fox eyed their art teacher while he strode into the changing room. "Any idea what kind of outfit he's planning to wear?"

"The only emotions I'm picking up from him are admiration and hope."

They could hear the sound of heavy fabric sliding against fur, of laces being pulled, of metal buckles, and of zippers being drawn. Several minutes later, their art teacher strode out. The startling sight that greeting them evoked whistles and exclamations of admiration from his students. Fox's jaw dropped at what he saw.

Francis was wearing a green leather overbust corset and knee-length skirt combination. The corset portion itself had 5 buckled straps going across the front. The top edge of the corset was hidden by a short white leather jacket that extended down to his midriff. He wore white leather knee boots with short, chunky heels and steel buckles that matched those on his corset. A leather belt rested upon his exceedingly feminine hips from which hung a sword. Brown leather gloves went up to his elbows. A wide-brimmed sea captains hat sat upon his head. His outfit was completed with a red silk ascot, very much like the one Fox was known for from his Star Fox days. All that was missing was the Star Fox logo, and Francis Ashley could have been taken for a female sea captain version of the retired mercenary leader.

When Fox finally found his voice, he was speechless. "That is....wow...."

Their art teacher sashayed over with a feminine sway of his hips. "Does it meet your approval, Mister McCloud?" he asked with a grin.

"It's amazing professor!" Fox exclaimed. "When and where did you wear that previously?"

"In my last year of secondary school, I attended the annual Boardwalk Festival. The theme that year was 'Adventures on the High Seas.' My father had a friend who owned and ran a boutique that sold feminine clothing and also catered to crossdressers. He was helping me come up with ideas of what I could wear for the festival. When I saw a poster of you and your wife on the wall of his store, I suggested a female sea captain variant of your Star Fox uniform. Marcello loved the idea so much he custom-made this outfit for me." Francis then grinned to Fox. "He joked to my father that he would not sew the Star Fox logo on the shoulder because he didn't want to be sued by you for copyright infringement."

Fox laughed, knowing full well that Francis' father was his personal lawyer, Martin Ashley. Then the light of inspiration suddenly lit up his eyes. Grabbing a piece of paper, he quickly sketched out a profiled image of a vulpine head with a crashing wave curled about it and handed it to his teacher. "You should have that stitched in red leather on your shoulders where my Star Fox logo went on the jacket I wore." He then grinned back to his crossdressed teacher. "Call it Sea Fox....or even better, Sea Vixen."

Francis took the drawing and grinned. "It's perfect." He walked over to a white backdrop, affixed the Sea Vixen sketch upon it, and faced his class with a hand on his hip. "So I present myself to you: Francis, captain of the Sea Vixen. I will hold several poses for you to sketch. I'll then go around and assist any of you in ideas or suggestions to help you render this portraiture project."

At their easel, Krystal and Fox set about rendering a preliminary sketch of their crossdressed art teacher. While they were drawing, Fox suddenly saw flash across his mind an image of him in Francis' outfit that threw off his concentration. A stray line went across the sketch of Francis' canine face before Fox lost the grip on his pencil. "Krystal! Don't even think it! There is absolutely no way I'd wear such an outfit. It would look too weird on me."

He heard her giggle in his mind as he set about erasing his mistake. "You know very well that I'm way too masculine to look good in a dress and corset."

"Oh, I agree. Francis can pull the feminine look way better than you ever could."_Krystal thought back, though she could not completely suppress a quiet giggle. _"I'd look better though."

Fox then saw an image in his mind of his wife wearing Francis' Sea Vixen outfit and had to mostly agree. "Except that I don't think the brown and green in that outfit would go well with your blue fur." While they continued to sketch out the details of the corset, Fox focused on an image of his wife wearing the corset, boots, and dress, except that her fur was the same shade of orange-brown as his. But then, he had another thought and the image in his mind shifted so that Krystal's fur was its natural blue, but the outfit colors were made to match. "Or maybe we could make the corset and gloves purple."

"Oh yes. That would work." Krystal thought back upon seeing herself in her husband's mind's eye. The mental vision then suddenly changed back to what she thought at first was an effeminate image of her husband dressed as the captain of the Sea Vixen until she picked up on what he had in mind just as she heard him think to her.

"Cousin Kei would actually look even better. We could make it a wedding gift for him."

Krystal quickly erased Francis' countenance from the sketch. "Yes! It's perfect!" While Fox drew in his distant cousin's features, Krystal began drawing the long curving blade hanging from Francis' hip. "And Kei knows how to fight with a sword too."

Fox eyed the sword. "We should ask Kei to send us an image of the sword Charles gifted him with."

Fifteen minutes later, they were done with their drawing. It took another 20 minutes for the rest of the class to be done with their own renditions. Francis then walked around to inspect each student's rendition of him in his corset dress, jacket, boots, and gloves in various poses. One even drew him as an actual female with a prominent chest. He then walked around to see what the McClouds had drawn. His practiced eye could easily pick out the details that told him that this was an effeminate tod wearing his outfit. He tilted his head, taking in the details. "I would never have imagined you seeing yourself as feminine, Mister McCloud."

"I actually don't, but I could see why you'd think that from our sketch. This is actually a third cousin, once removed who looks very much like me, but is as effeminate as you are, professor." Fox explained. "He's getting married in a few weeks and we decided that this would be a perfect wedding gift for him."

"Oh how delightful! But don't you think his wife-to-be should be in this drawing too?"

Fox pondered the idea for a moment, imagining his former girlfriend at Captain Kei Reinard's side when Krystal suggested. "How about having Fara wear your mother's pink dress?"

"Yes! That would be perfect. He did rescue her in that sword fight too." Within 15 minutes, they had quickly sketched out Fara Phoenix in the aforementioned dress and altered Kei's image to have him wrap his arm about her waist.

When Francis took in the details of the fennec vixen and the name Krystal had let slip, the dots connected in his mind. "Your cousin is the one marrying Fara Phoenix?!"

Fox chuckled and shook his head. "I shouldn't be surprised that that would have become public knowledge by now."

"Yes, it was reported on Lylat News just a few weeks ago."

"Wow! How did we miss that?" Fox asked.

"Probably because you were busy knocking me up." Krystal said while she leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek.

Fox smiled back to his wife, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "And then, we were on the Ocean Breeze for three weeks, with just a few days at Aquas."

Half way through their portraiture project, Fox received a private image on his communicator. He opened the image and whistled. It was a photograph of his cousin, smiling bashfully while wearing Vixy Reinard's pink dress. "Wow! He really looks good in it. I'm wondering if it should have been Fara we painted in the captain's outfit and Kei in Mom's pink dress."

Krystal shook her head while applying another brush stroke to the red logo on their masterpiece. "Except that it is Kei who is Fara's sword-wielding protector. It is also why we are painting him with the Star Fox emblem on his jacket."

"True. Kei deserves to be an honorary Star Fox pilot. He's already soloed in an Arwing too, and is progressing really well in his flight training. At the rate he's going, I'll be able to issue him his pilot's license before he marries Fara. And they definitely both look good in feminine clothing."

It took five weeks over a period of 15, three-hour class sessions, but Fox and Krystal finished the oil painting in time for Kei and Fara's wedding the following week.

*****

The wedding of Fara Phoenix and Kei Reinard was amazing. Fara was the groom with Fox standing at her side as chief usher. Kei was a stunning bride in his beautiful wedding dress, with Krystal walking behind him as his matron of honor. Fox also had the pleasure of meeting Kei's father, Dietrich Reinard, who was essentially Fox's second cousin, twice removed. The most memorable moment though was what happened between the subsequent banquet and the dance that followed.

In the time-honored Cornerian tradition, Kei Phoenix, as the bride, was the one to toss his bouquet of flowers over his shoulders at the group of unwed females. The winner of the prized flowers ended up being Vanessa Chambers. While Fox and Krystal knew that Vanessa and Wolf were a dating couple, they had not realized how serious it had become between them. The look Wolf O'Donnell gave Vanessa as she held the flowers was the first clue to the depth of that relationship.

Then it was Fara's turn. With much whistling and cheering, Kei stood in front of the group of unwed males while Fara knelt down and sensually slid her hands up his leg under his wedding dress and pulled down a very special garter. When Fara stood up and held the garter up high, Slippy had laughed and gave a dire caution about that particular garter that proved to be prophetic. It was the very same garter that Amanda had worn, which ended up being caught by Kei when Slippy had thrown it back over his shoulder; that very same garter that Fara had subsequently slid up his leg at that wedding.

When Krystal sensed emotions of resolute desire in Wolf, neither she nor her husband were surprised by what followed. The other contenders for that particular garter had not stood a chance. With a snarl and grunt, Wolf had leapt up and snatched his prize. He had then openly declared his love for this white vixen who had melted his heart. While everyone watched, he took that garter and slipped it up Vanessa's leg while he looked up at her and proposed.

*****

Fox and Krystal had since then received an invitation to the double wedding of Panther Caruso and Miyu Lynx and of Wolf O'Donnell and Vanessa Chambers. By then, Krystal was expected to be in the fifth month of her pregnancy.

His wife's pregnancy and how it would affect him was a topic Fox endeavored to not dwell upon. The thought that he would experience everything she went through by virtue of the telepathic bond they shared sent a shiver of uneasiness through him. Truthfully, as a first-time mother, Krystal was feeling nervous as well. Both though chose to instead concentrate on the joys of parenthood that would follow.

It was a quiet evening. Fox and Krystal were playing the guitar and harp together in the sun room. While Fox's finger strummed the strings of his guitar, Krystal's fingers moved over her harp, plucking at the strings while using the foot pedals to modulate the pitch to match her husband's hand movement along the neck of his instrument.

As was the case with their art class, the union of their minds enabled them to tap into their artistic sides and immerse themselves into the rhythmic tonal harmonies of ever more complex melodies that they practiced together. Their phenomenal progress had drawn the attention of the music department at Corneria City College where they had been taking lessons. The dean avowed that if they continued to progress at the rate they were going, the McClouds would be ready to perform in concert before the end of the year.

Neither Fox nor Krystal were keen on any more public attention though, especially with their first child just months away. They wove their musical notes solely for their own enjoyment, and planned to play only for friends. It was with these thoughts that Fox mentally mused to his soulmate, "We should learn some lullabies to play for our children at bedtime."

With thoughts of the new life growing in her, a sense of melancholy welled up in Krystal. Fox stopped playing and lay his guitar down against its stand. He walked over and wrapped his arms about her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just saddened that our children will never get to know their grandparents."

Fox tightened his arms about his soulmate. "I can at least show them a picture of Mom and Dad, but..."

"But I have no such image I can give them of my mother, father, sister, and brother...."

Fox then had an epiphany. "Then let's paint it....all of it."

Krystal then saw in her soulmate's mind the memory of their dream where they were briefly reunited with their families from beyond the veil. "Yes. Oh Fox. I can think of no tribute to our families more fitting than this. And that large wall in the ball room, next to our bedroom would be the perfect canvas for it."

_ _

With a nearly obsessed focus, Fox and Krystal began to labor every evening on their masterpiece. Within a few days, they had completed the line drawings. It was now the following day. They had just returned from a shopping trip where they had acquired all the necessary paints for their mural, and were taking a respite in their living room. The weather outside had begun to cool with the coming winter, and an early snow fall had brought out a chill in the air.

It had been growing subtly and gradually for some time, but it wasn't until this quiet moment that she became aware of it. Snuggled with her husband under a warm blanket, Krystal's telepathy picked up on this presence near them. Through his bond with his wife, Fox sat still and listened with his mind while she mentally reached out to search for this unknown entity.

No matter which direction Krystal stretched out here telepathy, this faint presence remained indistinct. With a dawning realization, she focused her mind inward to just above her waist. There, deep in her womb, she sensed the first glimmer of the mind of their unborn child forming. With a sense of wonder and joy filling her being, the daughter of Onikisu came to a dawning realizing that she would be able to connect with the mind of her unborn child.

A convolution of emotions ran through Fox. He was once again reminded how profoundly life-changing marriage to a telepath could be. "Kurisutaru....Oh Spirits....Does this mean we'll be able to think to him?"

"I...I don't know, Fokkusu. I had no love interest before I met you. So Mother never did get around to telling me what a pregnancy would be like."

_ _

*****

Life continued in a comfortable routine for the expectant couple. They had become good friends with their neighbor, George and Winifred Banks, and visited the otter family on several occasions at their home. Not surprisingly, their back yard was dominated by a large pond, complete with water slides as befitting of their species. The twins, Jane and Michael, were naturally excited at having Fox and Krystal come and visit them. Winifred also announced the happy news that she was pregnant with pups, and all four parents-to-be expressed hope that their children would become friends.

Within their home, the ballroom had been converted into a work area, with tarp, panting supplies, ladders and platforms where Fox and his wife could continue working on their mural. It took them three months to complete their masterpiece, which also coincided with the graduation of their last squadron of Arwing pilots.

Of the 250 Arwings that had been purchased from Space Dynamics, 204 had so far been assigned to pilots that had graduated after being trained by Fox, Krystal, and the pilots of Husky Squadron. Of the remaining 46, two belonged to Fox and Krystal and two had been destroyed, one from the assassination attempt on Fox where Tony Quentin had been coerced into sabotaging Fox's Arwing and the other in a training mishap.

That left 42 Arwings sitting in hangars at the Cornerian Defense Force base in Corneria City. Fox and Krystal were unconcerned though. They had trained Rachel Summer and the rest of Husky Squadron and molded them into that top flight instructors that they had become, and had every confidence that they'd be able to fill 36 of those remaining Arwings into three additional squadrons.

Bill Grey and Bulldog Squadron had just returned from another foray into uncharted space. The 49 Cerinian survivors had yet to be found, but the Dauntless, Vigilant, and Nebula under the leadership of Fleet Commander Lupo Ramius had discovered several habitable worlds in two star systems. Krystal was now four and a half months pregnant, and it was beginning to show. The time had come for the McClouds to retire from flying for the foreseeable future.

Following the graduation of their last squadron of trainees, a retirement party was held that would be long remembered. All 24 pilots of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons were in attendance, along with Peppy Hare, the Star Falco team, and even Wolf O'Donnell, Panther Caruso and their respective fiancées. To everyone's surprise and cheers, Chief Minister Uncia Frost and his wife also attended.

Unsurprisingly, the high concentration of celebrities in one location drew a large contingent of media reporters and photographers, including paparazzi. Much to the envy of his respected colleagues in the press, and the resentment of those working for the tabloids, Walter Kent was the only reporter allowed inside the hall where Fox and Krystal's retirement celebration was being held.

*****

Now fully retired, Fox and Krystal were again playing their guitar and harp in the sun room as they would often do in the morning. Fox had purchased music sheets of some of his favorite lullabies his mother used to sing to him when he was a pup and they had together learned to play them on their instruments. "We should set up to play to our children in the nursery, Kurisutaru."

"Except that my harp is rather large to move there, and I like the acoustics here in the sun room." Krystal thought back.

"True. I can always carry my guitar back and forth. Perhaps you could get yourself a smaller harp to carry."

A quick shopping trip to the local music store later, Krystal took to her newer, smaller harp immediately. It was now early afternoon and both were playing their instruments in the living room. From his wife's memories, Fox recalled a Cerinian lullaby and began to pluck the notes from his guitar.

Krystal sent her husband a burst of her love through their bond and accompanied him in the same melody. The mental presence of their unborn child that had slowly grown over the preceding weeks suddenly flared when Krystal began to sing the lullaby in her native Cerinian.

Fox's breath caught in his throat. Quietly, he set his guitar down and let himself be mentally drawn towards his pregnant wife's belly. There, for the first time, Fox became aware of the mind of his unborn child growing inside. Letting himself be drawn deeper, he could sense his little heart beating.

With a sense of wonder, Fox slid off the couch and onto his knees in front of his wife to rest his head on her belly. As Krystal continued to sing while playing her harp, he could hear her lullaby echo inside her body, the soft vibrations tickling their pup adrift in her womb. Something sparked inside the child. Something vague. Fox's chest tightened. He could feel an emotion roused by Krystal's voice. It came from the baby.

"See?" Krystal smiled. "He's happy."

Fox wept silently. He gently stroked his wife's belly. His chest felt like it could burst. "Oh Great Maker..."

She continued to sing. Fox clasped his mouth, fighting back a sob as the happy feeling rose from his child. It was like a light sparking to life within a small globe. Everything else faded into nothingness around Fox.

He was the luckiest tod in the cosmos, he realized not for the first time. Here Fox was, glimpsing into the world that only Cerinians like Krystal could see. Their unique gifts opened possibilities that he had never imagined possible before meeting his vixen. It could well be that he was the first person outside of her kind privileged to experience this miracle.

"Do you sense him, little one?" Krystal thought to her unborn son. "This is your daddy."

"Hey there," Fox cooed while tears freely soaked the fur on his cheeks. He could have sworn he felt a flash in their baby's aura.

Time passed without measure until Fox rose to sit next to Krystal and embraced her. "Thank you for showing me this. I... I don't know how to describe what this means to me."

"I think I have an idea," she thought back, her mind brushing his. Fox kissed her, long and deeply. He did not believe that he had felt this happy even on their wedding day.

With their minds linked, Krystal returned them to their child's. "We love you, little one. Never forget that." The baby squirmed inside her. His spark flickered brightly and colorfully.

"We still need to pick a name," Krystal thought. "Any ideas yet?"

"I've thought about it." Fox nodded. "Since he's a boy, how about we name him Marcus."

"Marcus?" Krystal rolled the name over her tongue. The baby wriggled. Both Fox and Krystal smiled. "I think he likes it," she thought.

Krystal petted her belly. "Do you want to be Marcus?" She giggled as her little one squirmed while sending out a burst of happiness. "I think it's decided then."

"Marcus..." Fox thought again. "It is a good name." He then thought in his wife's native language. "Makasu...It is a good name in Cerinian too."

*****

The double wedding of Panther Caruso to Miyu Lynx and of Wolf O'Donnell to Vanessa Chambers drew much media attention. The lingering notoriety garnered from the former pirates and war criminals who had renounced their old ways and become legitimate was an unending source of fascination for the tabloids and their readers.

Leon Powalski proved instrumental in misdirecting paparazzi away from the double wedding. Though technically illegal, his covert hacking of the tabloid press computer network to plant misleading leads had reporters on their way to Aquas while the wedding ceremony would actually take place at the one location that reporters had learned to avoid: the McCloud Family Estate.

Finding a location where Wolf and Panther could marry their fiancées had been a conundrum that had beset the repentant mercenaries. It was Fox McCloud who had offered his home as a haven where they could celebrate their double wedding away from the prying eyes and ears of obtrusive reporters. If there was a more profound way to express how truly he had put behind him his old rivalry with and animosity towards Wolf O'Donnell and Panther Caruso, Fox did not know of any.

The first to arrive were the ladies. In two ground cars driven by Fara and Katt, they pulled up to the front of the McCloud's manor under a light snowfall. Stepping out of Fara's roadster were Amanda, Vanessa, and Fara's cousin Beatice. There met up with Katt, Miyu, Fay, and Lucy at the front door, which opened even before they could ring the door chime, where they were greeted by a pregnant Krystal McCloud.

"Oh wow! You are starting to show." Fay declared upon seeing the first signs of swelling on the Cerinian vixen's belly.

"Yes. It's been five months now." Krystal affirmed. "According to my obstetrician, Marcus should be born in about two months."

Fara mouth switched into a grin. "Oh? Did Aunt Florence's scans show him to be a boy?"

Krystal lay a hand on her belly and looked down at herself with a smile. "I could sense his mental patterns growing since the second month of my pregnancy, and two weeks ago felt his growing mind and emotions and knew he was male."

Katt purred, "Damn girl. You never cease to amaze us."

"The experience has been amazing for Fox and me too." Krystal affirmed with a glow of happiness on her countenance. She beckoned them all inside, "Come on in..." and then led them up the main staircase to the guest suite above her and her husband's own bedroom. Smiling to Fara and Fay, "As matron and maid of honor, I understand it is tradition for you to help the brides get ready." She then addressed the others. "You are welcome to join Fox and me downstairs since the guys have just arrived."

Just then, they heard the door chime. Katt laughed. "Why do you even need a doorbell with your telepathy letting you know who's at the door?"

Krystal shrugged while leading her friends back downstairs. "It came with the house, since it originally belonged to Fox's parents.

Fox was already there, answering the door and beckoned all their friends to enter. In came Wolf and Panther, both already dressed in their finest. Wolf wore a dark blue tuxedo with red bowtie. Panther wore a dark green tuxedo without tie and sported a red rose on his lapel. Falco, Slippy, Bill, Peppy, and Fara's cousins John and William followed next, all dressed in semi-formal attire. With them was Fara's husband, Kei Phoenix, wearing a very familiar pink ensemble.

"Cousin, Mom's dress really does look good on you."

Kei blushed under his light facial fur and ran his hands along the sheer fabric wrapped about him. "Thanks. It means a lot to me that you think that."

With his arms linked with John was a white effeminate fennec in a pastel dress with images of flowers embroidered into the lower hem of the skirt. Fara's gay cousin smiled to the McClouds and made introductions. "Fox, Krystal, I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Micah White." Even though the retired Star Fox mercenaries were well-known, John went through with the proper introductions. "Micah, these are my cousin Fara's dear friends, Fox and Krystal McCloud."

Micah for his part was star struck. Meeting his boyfriend's uncle, Charles Phoenix only a week before had been unnerving enough as it was. Now he found himself standing in a room full of legends and being introduced to the McClouds. The most he was able to say was a weak, "Uh...Hi..." while he shook Fox McCloud's hand.

For his part, Fox did his best to make the shy fennec feel at ease, shaking his hand while giving him an affable smile. "Welcome Micah. And I have to say that my cousin Kei has some serious competition on who is better looking in a dress."

John's boyfriend looked down bashfully at himself at Fox's compliment. "Thank you."

Krystal drew their guests' attention at that moment. "Everyone, we have refreshments in the back." She and Fox led them around the curving staircase to the back of their mansion. Arrayed under the ball room were three large rectangular tables that were linked together to make three sides of a large square with the fourth side left open to the semi-circular end of the ball room with its tall windows yielding a view to a snow-covered backyard. Within this open end of the ballroom was a flower-covered arch where the double wedding ceremony would take place.

What drew the attention of all their guests though was the mural on their left. "Oh my!" Peppy quietly exclaimed in a hushed voice. "It's from your dream..." Fay said. "Yeah..." Falco agreed. With a sense of pride, Fox led them to the large wall painting depicting his and his wife's family. Krystal explained. "Fox and I painted this tribute to our parents, sister, and brother so that our children would know who their grandparents, aunt, and uncle were. This scene of us sitting together on the beach just outside my home town of Nara was during the last moments of our time with our family before our shared dream ended the morning of our wedding day."

In oil pigments were depicted eight foxes sitting on a beach of a world long gone. Fox pointed to the painting of himself and the three vixens around him. "Behind me are my mother, Vixy Reinard, and my mother-in-law, Onikisu, and that cute little vixen sitting between my legs is my sister-in-law, Shinju."

Krystal then elaborated on the second half of the painting. "And behind me are my two fathers, Shiokaze and James McCloud, with my older brother Sanshain snuggled in front of me with my arms wrapped around him."

Kei approached the painting and reverently ran his fingers along the outline of Vixy's image, seeing a depiction of his third cousin for the first time. When he felt Fox walked up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder, he glanced back briefly before letting his eyes be drawn back to the painting. "This is the first time I see an image of Cousin Vixy. I...I can see something of myself in her."

Fox gave Kei's shoulder a squeeze. "I do have a few holo images of Mom. I'll make some copies for you."

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"What do your parents' and siblings' names mean, Krystal?" Slippy asked.

"Translated into Lylatian, my father's name meant Sea Breeze and my mother's meant Onyx. My brother was Sunshine and my sister, Pearl."

"That is why Shiokaze called Shinju and my Kurisutaru his two precious jewels." Fox said of his father-in-law with a smile of fondness for his wife. His gaze was then drawn to the front door. With a nod to his wife, he said, "I'll let the chief justice in."

Fox soon returned with a badger who was finding himself frequently officiating weddings of well-renowned heroes of Lylat. Malinae Brock approached the grooms with a neutral expression. For a tense moment, Wolf and Panther stood uneasily under the scrutiny of the presiding judge of Lylat's High Court.

"Misters O'Donnell and Caruso, there was a time I had expected to preside over your trials and pass sentence for your crimes, and I must confess that I had reservations over drafting your letters of pardon after the Anglar Blitz." Malinae intoned in a dour voice. Before either repentant ex war criminal could utter a protest, the justice's expression softened into a warm smile. "So imagine my pleasure at being proven wrong on all counts and finding myself presiding over both of your weddings instead."

Seeing both Wolf and Panther become nonplussed elicited a giggle from Krystal, which turned into a joyous smile as her eyes were then drawn to the archway through which the main staircase could be seen. "The brides are ready."

In through the archway appeared Miyu and Vanessa, both in shimmering wedding dresses. Accompanied by Katt as maid of honor, Miyu walked towards a smitten Panther Caruso. Her dress was a deep red that matched the rose on Panther's lapel. Along the neckline and in rows around the lower portion of her dress were embroidered white roses. She held in her hand a single white rose. With Fara as her matron of honor, Vanessa was accompanied down the aisle to an equally entranced Wolf O'Donnel. The vixen's dress was a pure white with white embroidered winter flowers that blended seamlessly with her white fur. In her hands, she carried a splash of green, red, and brown in a bouquet of evergreen sprigs, berries, and acorns.

Fox McCloud though was distracted from the sight of the brides and the wedding ceremony. It was not because of the emotions of joy running high in the room that he sensed through his wife's empathy, or the random happy thoughts that he heard through her telepathy. After so many months being telepathically bonded to his Kurisutaru, Fox had grown fully accustomed to experiencing the world through her sixth sense.

Instead, Fox found his attention being drawn to the oddest tumbling motion from inside his belly, followed by a distinctive light thumping. It was a sensation he had never experience before in his life, one he could not fathom as to its source. "Krystal, I'm feeling something odd inside me, some sort of movement and thumping in my gut. Do you feel it?"

Glancing knowingly to her husband, she thought to him,"Yes, my dearest, I do feel it, but it is not from within you. It is Marcus who is moving and kicking me from within."

The revelation hit Fox like a meteor impact and left him stunned and completely oblivious to the wedding ceremony. Even knowing that he would experience his wife's pregnancy, he had been caught completely unprepared by the sensation of feeling his unborn son making himself be physically felt from within her womb. Mirroring Krystal, he reached down and cradled his lower abdomen while feeling the echo of little feet kicking from within his soulmate.

A convolution of emotions ran through Fox, from wonder and happiness to a growing nervousness at being reminded of what lay ahead of him. He began to hyperventilate. In two months, he was going to feel what no other male in all of Lylat had ever felt. Through his telepathic bond with his wife, Fox McCloud was going to experience giving birth to their first child.

From behind them, Bill and Fay noticed that Fox seemed anxious and in distress. Bill leaned forward and whispered, "Are you alright, Fox?"

Krystal glanced back, smiled to Bill and Fay, and thought to both of them. "Fox is going to be fine. He just felt our son kicking from inside me for the first time."

The revelation elicited a wordless "Wow" from Fay while Bill felt the blood drain from his muzzle and face, being reminded of the consequence Fox was facing for marrying a telepath. Krystal though did what she did best by using her powers to ease her husband's nervousness and remind him again of the joy he felt at being one heart, one mind, and one soul with her.

Fox closed his eyes and sighed blissfully at feeling his soulmate's love flow through him to wash away his anxiousness. "That's it Fox. Be at peace. Think about the wonders I'll be able to share with you as our son grows within me. You'll feel him move inside me, feel his emotions of happiness and share your love for him. We may even hear his first thoughts and think to him and feel what he feels."

For the remainder of the wedding celebration, Fox felt like he was floating among the clouds. He automatically applauded when both Wolf and Panther kissed their brides after they had exchanged their respective vows. He barely noticed when John caught Vanessa's garter, eliciting dire predictions from Slippy, Kei, and Wolf given that garter's track record, or John's growing nervousness when Micah caught Miyu's rose and then winked to his boyfriend.

In the end, it was only the scent of his chicken dinner that snapped Fox out of his daze in time to raise a toast to Wolf and Vanessa O'Donnell and to Panther and Miyu Caruso. The celebration went on late into the night until the third hour after midnight. With the festivities winding down, Fox offered the O'Donnell couple the guest suite above his and Krystal's master suite. Panther and his wife Miyu took the opposing suite. Bill shared one of the two remaining upstairs bedrooms with Fay, and Falco shared the other with Katt. Being amphibians, Slippy and Amanda were quite happy to take up one of the basement bedrooms, just opposite from the swimming pool. Peppy was already dozing off and opted to take up the opposite basement bedroom with his daughter Lucy, which conveniently had two double beds. Fara, her husband, and her cousins chose to return to Phoenix Manor with a promise to return for Krystal's baby shower the next afternoon.

*****

Given the large number of overnight guests, including two newlywed couples, the night went by surprisingly quietly inside the McCloud Family Estate. It was almost midday the next day before Fox and Krystal woke to a house still in slumber. Enlisting the help of ROB-48, Fox and his wife prepared a large brunch buffet in the formal dining room.

The aromas of cooked food soon roused their guests, and in no time the dining room was filled with happy, well-rested friends and two newlywed couples. The bounty on the table was plentiful, comprising of various cooked meats and eggs, and a fresh harvest of fruits from their greenhouse in the back yard which elicited positive comments on the McCloud's horticultural skills.

Panther and Miyu Caruso sat together at one end of the dining table, feeding each other morsels of breakfast meats, toasts, and fruits. A few chairs down, Vanessa was fawning over her husband while they ate. Wolf O'Donnell returned the affection by keeping his arm wrapped tightly around his wife in a sideways hug.

While Panther had not changed much in his outward demeanor, Wolf seemed a completely different person. Gone was his usual dour expression. In its place was a happy lupine who actually smiled and was overtly affectionate towards his snow vixen. Fox and Krystal sat opposite the O'Donnell couple, making no effort to hide their grins. Wolf rolled his eyes upon seeing that he and his wife had an audience. "Does it really surprise you to see me so happy?"

"On the contrary," Krystal replied, "it actually pleases us immensely that you have found the same happiness that Fox and I found in each other."

Vanessa ran a finger under Wolf's chin, drawing his attention with a sultry expression full of want. "Methinks our voyeuristic audience wants a performance." she said in a husky voice before surprising her husband with a hungry, muzzle-locking kiss.

For the first time ever, Fox and Krystal witnessed Wolf actually blush hotly under the short fur of his muzzle. The lupine was torn between an uncommon bashfulness and an inflamed desire for his wife. His embarrassment was brief though and he return her kiss with the same ardor.

The McClouds rested their elbows on the table with their chins in their hands and did nothing to interrupt the passionate display of affection. When Wolf and Vanessa finally separated their muzzles, they turned to see their hosts watching them with knowing smiles. Fox then said, "Don't stop on our account." Krystal added, "Yes. Please do go on."

"Hey! That's my line!" Miyu exclaimed, eliciting gales of laughter from everyone else around the table. Wolf laughed as well before he turned back to his wife and spoke from the heart. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Fox sat up straight and began ticking off on his fingers, "Let's see. You went from pirate and war criminal to respectable mercenary pilot and hero, fought alongside Star Fox against the Aparoids, joined in the fight against the Anglars, earned a pardon from the Cornerian Senate. Oh, and let's not forget sweeping an attractive vixen off her feet who then fell in love with you."

"Yeah Mate, I'd say you and Panther did plenty to deserve your pretty ladies." Bill quipped.

"Hear, hear!" declared the rest of the gathering.

Wolf's throat tightened, feeling himself become deeply moved while he fought back the tears that were threatening to make themselves known. The room quieted upon witnessing the never-before-seen sight of Wolf O'Donnell completely dropping his guard to reveal his vulnerable side. He wrapped his arms about his snow vixen in a fierce hug and rested his head on her shoulder. In a voice choked up with barely suppressed emotion, Wolf spoke from his heart. "You saw beyond my dark past to who I really was, and gave me your love. I'll forever love you for that precious gift, Vanessa."

Fox picked up his glass of orange juice. "I propose a toast to the newly wedded husbands and their wives." When everyone stood up and picked up their glasses, Fox made his declaration. "To new beginnings free from angst and strife, to new beginnings filled with love and happiness."

"To new beginnings!"

Panther also found himself moved to tears, which where tenderly licked away by his wife, Miyu. He nodded to Wolf and spoke for the both of them. "Thank you. Your affirmations mean a lot to both Wolf and me."

Conversations around the breakfast table resumed in amiable camaraderie while everyone ate their fill. Fara and Kei Phoenix soon arrived and joined them at the table. Fara could not resist greeting her employee with her new married name. "Good morning Missus O'Donnell." She then winked to Fox. "Hope Vanessa did not keep you up last night with her howling."

The vixen groaned and threw a grape at her employer. It had only been weeks ago, right after Wolf had proposed to her during the reception after Kei and Fara Phoenix's wedding. The festivities had died down and many guests were retiring for the night. Vanessa was tasked with flying the Phoenix and Reinard families back to their homes in their shuttle while Wolf would lead Panther and Miyu in their Wolfens as an escort. They had embraced before parting ways for the night, and Wolf had inflamed her passion by groping her rear, causing the vixen to throw back her head and howl like a she-wolf. To her embarrassment, Fara, Kei, and all their wedding guests had overheard her. "You're never going to let me live that down."

"Nope!" Fara replied with a cheeky grin.

Kei commented, "You did have a nice voice when you howled."

"You see?" said Wolf. "I told you they would say you have a lovely howl, worthy of any she-wolf."

They continued partaking in the breakfast banquet. When all had eaten their fill, the two newlywed couples bade everyone goodbye and departed on their respective honeymoons.

They all were gathered in the living room with Krystal and her husband at the center. Along one wall was a large stack of wrapped gifts. The pregnant vixen focused her eyes on Fara. "I understand that you are the one who organized this party, though I'm not sure why."

"It's a Cornerian tradition called a Baby Shower."

"What an odd name. It sounds like you are expecting it to rain babies."

After the light laughter died down, Fara explained. "It's more that we'll be showering you with gifts for your first baby."

"Oh, I get it."

Gifts began to be passed to Krystal for her to open. Katt got for Marcus some footed sleepers in the colors and patterns of the Star Fox uniform; Falco's gift was a toy Arwing. Peppy's gift was a large box which was revealed to be a crib, ready to assemble. Lucy's gift was next, revealing a high chair. Being creatures most at home in water, Slippy and Amanda's gift was not surprisingly several pairs of swim diapers and other swimming outfits, including water wings.

To Fox and Krystal's surprise, gifts had been left behind by the O'Donnells and Carusos before they had departed on their honeymoons. From Wolf and Vanessa, a baby monitor was given. Panther and Miyu had picked out a wide collection of baby clothes.

Kei's gift was the most practical, being several large cases of high-quality diapers while Fara gave Krystal and Fox a pram for whenever they wanted to take their infant pup on an outing. Bill and Fay had pooled together to give for Marcus a wide collection of baby toys.

Krystal set the last unwrapped toy aside and sniffled. "I...You've all been so wonderful. I just hope I can be a good mother."

Peppy, who was sitting on one side of Krystal, rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you will be a fine mother, my dear."

Fox sensed the impending emotional outburst from his wife just moments before it welled up to make her shout to Peppy. "How can you be so sure?!? I could end up doing..."

"Because I'll be there to help you every step of the way my dearest Kurisutaru", Fox interrupted, turning his wife's head to press his forehead against hers and let her sense the deep love he had for her well up in him.

Krystal sighed and basked in the calming love exuded by her husband. Having reigned in her emotions, she apologized to the lapine who had become a father figure to her. "Sorry Peppy. I guess I was being hormonal."

After the light laughter at Krystal's self-deprecating humor had died down, Peppy gave the vixen's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright dear. My dearest Vivian was the same way when she was pregnant with Lucy."

Just then, both Fox and Krystal gasped, reaching down to their lower abdomen. Krystal smiled down at herself ruefully. "I think I may have upset Marcus with my emotional outburst. That was a rather hard kick he gave me."

Fox gave a long, slow exhale, still coming to terms with the new sensations he was experiencing through his bond with his pregnant wife. "Yeah...." With his unborn son and wife's emotions in mind, he had a thought that he shared with the others. "How about we treat all of you to an impromptu concert. Marcus likes it when we sing to him."

Falco teased. "Don't torture your kid like that."

Krystal laughed, took one of the discarded present wrappings, bunched it up, and threw it at Falco's beak. "I'll have you know that Fox has a really nice voice and Marcus loves hearing him."

Fox stood up and took his wife's hand, helping her to her feet. "Let's go to the sun room. The acoustics there are really nice.

When they had all settled down on the sofas within the well-lit, circular room at one of the forward corners on the mansion's first floor, Fox noticed the many surprised looks from their guests when he took up his guitar and Krystal sat down behind her harp. "What? You can't expect us not to have taken up some hobbies in our retirement." he smirked.

Slippy laughed. "Seems you two have been keeping yourselves busy alright with quite a few hobbies."

Lucy piped in. "There's gardening for starters. That greenhouse in your back yard looks quite impressive. I hope you and Krystal will give us a tour some time."

Fara added her own comment. "Then there's drawing and painting, if that gift portrait you gave Kei and me for our wedding and that incredible mural in the ball room are any indication."

"So you've been taking music lessons too?" Katt asked.

Fox nodded while giving his guitar a few strums to make sure it was still in tune. "Yes, we started those at the same time as our art classes. We were taking pottery lessons too, but dropped those to focus on drawing and music."

Krystal smiled to her husband. "Shall we sing our son to sleep?"

In response, Fox began to play and sing the Cerinian lullaby that he knew, with his wife joining him in a duet that had their audience entranced. Not a word was spoken by their guests while the room reverberated with the notes from the two stringed instruments and their voices. None had before then seen this side of Fox. The tod was displaying an artistic side they had never known he had. He sang with a soft tenor that complimented Krystal's alto voice. His eyes were closed, and tears were seem running down each side of his muzzle.

When they started on the third verse, Fox stopped playing. He set his guitar aside, slid down from his chair to kneel at his vixen's feet, and rested his head on her pregnant belly while she continued to play her harp. There, he sang directly to his unborn son. The tableau depicted before them had many in their audience also moved to tears.

When the song ended, Fox kissed his wife's belly. "I love you, Son." He then stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and sat back down next to Krystal, taking up his guitar again. He smiled fondly to his gathered friends. "Now that Marcus is happy and sleeping again, how about we play for the rest of you?"

In a choked voice, Peppy spoke up. "Fox, let no one ever say that you and Krystal are bad parents."

Lucy could barely keep her emotions in check, having never seen such a tender expression of love from her foster brother. "And that you can sense his emotions is so wonderful."

Fox nodded, and acknowledged, "It's something neither Krystal nor I had ever expected either, but I guess we shouldn't be surprised since it's looking like Marcus is going to be a telepath. He can sense our emotions too. It's probably why he kicked Krystal on the inside when she was upset earlier."

Falco's beak hung open at the revelation. "Well damn."

"And I have no doubt that Krystal will be able to teach him how to use his powers as he grows up." Fox stated. "If she can teach a non-telepath like me how to handle a telepathic bond, teaching Marcus will be no problem for her."

"I sure hope I can..." Krystal began, but was interrupted by a brief, but firm muzzle-locking kiss by her husband that silenced any protest and left her dazed.

Fox teasingly chided her. "Ah-ah. No arguments. Husband knows best."

This last comment caused laughter to echo in the circular room, especially when Krystal pouted playfully. They then began to play from their repertoire, performing for their friends in a private concert none would ever forget.