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Chapter -7-

"Let Your Hair Down"

One Week Later...

Krystal opened the front door and offered Bill Grey a soft smile. She gestured for him to enter the house and shut the door behind him. "You know, I couldn't help but noticing how both of our houses are laid out the exact same way. Is every house on this base the same?"

"Military housing comes in single-style houses, family houses with more bedrooms, and luxury family houses for high ranking officers with a lot of money."

She moved to the living room and settled in a reclining chair. Krystal drew her legs up beneath herself and relaxed back. "I'm ready to return to active duty."

He nodded in understanding. "I knew you'd say something like that." Bill spotted a bottle of pills on the nearby kitchen table. He picked it up and gave it a shake. The date on the bottle was from a week ago but the plastic orange container appeared full. He glanced back at her. "You know the psychiatrist told you to take this for post traumatic stress disorder. It was an order, not a suggestion."

"I took it the first day and I didn't like the effects," she said with an uncaring shrug. "Perhaps it's how I was raised on Cerinia but... I don't need happy pills just because I saw some guy get smeared on the... Just... I don't need Cornerian drugs, no offense."

"Hey, none taken. Are you having nightmares?"

"Every night," she said nonchalantly. "But it's not what you think."

"Oh?"

Krystal sat back up then slid out of the recliner. "I dream about their families in tears. I dream about their children asking why their father's casket is closed at the viewing."

"Intelligence has determined that only four percent of the crew had families. Of that four percent, all but one person kept their families on the ship. Before you go feeling all guilty about it... the families were wanted for piracy, too. Have you told the doctor you refuse to take the prescription?"

"Arguing with a doctor won't get me back on duty. I feel useless just sitting here at the house."

"Well, the good news is... you're reinstated day after tomorrow. That still gives you two days to relax. Also, I'm off the whole day."

Her eyes brightened and she lit up. "Splendid! That means you have the rest of the night and all day tomorrow to do whatever you want! How about we go and see that movie!"

"Look, speaking of romance movies... I was wondering if, uh, you know..."

She approached Grey, placed her fingers against his lips and shook her head. "I'm not in a rush to get myself into another relationship. You're exactly what I need right now... a friend I can trust. I trusted you when you kissed me that night we were in their brig. That's why I didn't pull away. It felt very nice and I enjoyed it. If it happens again, wonderful. I won't pull away from that, either. But don't try and force it to happen. There's no use rushing into a relationship just to have that status... that label in our life. There's no use fighting whatever happens naturally... but please, Bill... I'd rather focus on my career than my love life right now. I'm not ready for another 'foul ball' or, worse yet, a third strike."

"Oh, well, uh... sure! That's fine; whatever is easiest for you. When's the movie playing? You wanna go tonight?"

Her smile brightened and she nodded. "Look at you... obviously you've showered in the locker room after your shift ended. Your clothes are ironed and your headfur is combed neatly. Let me go and change into something nice and run a brush through my hair." She tilted her head to the left, nodding to a laptop on the sofa. "Check the movie listings. If the next one isn't until late, we should get something to eat first." Without another word, Krystal went upstairs to get herself ready.

Bill picked up the laptop and placed it on the nearby kitchen table then opened it. He stayed on his feet, having been behind a desk for the last three hours. Bill kept his weight on his right leg due to the week-old burn injury on his left shin. He pulled out his credit card, paid for tickets online then memorized the confirmation number. Next, he set up online reservations for a restaurant and, finally, he closed the laptop then waited in silence.

She made her way back down the stairs in an attractive little outfit. The culottes came nearly to her knees in a form-fitting way. "I've never tried skorts before - the word just sounds silly; it's... a portmanteau of skirt and shorts, no doubt; perhaps used idiomatically in this area of the planet... I think they call these... culottes."

"Who cares what they're called?" he mused, raking his gaze over her effeminate figure. "You look fantastic."

She wore what appeared to be a rather small shirt that covered her bust but stopped just beneath the swell. Able to sense that Bill was impressed and attracted to the outfit, Krystal smiled and reached for his paw. She had a small purse and shouldered it then took his wrist.

Once outside, they linked arms and walked to her rental car at the end of the driveway. She passed the keys to Grey and slid into the passenger seat. The drive to the restaurant was full of welcome, trivial chitchat. She focused her mental clairvoyance on Bill's thoughts, using his jovial personality to heal her aching heart.

Upon arrival, he came around to her side of the car, opened the door for her and held it. She exited the rental then captured his arm at the elbow. They made their way through the foyer and waited. After a matter of minutes, the couple was taken to a table where they sat across from one another. Bill's good-natured conversation was a balm on her recently aching heart and spirit.

Krystal felt his shoe against the side of her foot beneath the table and gave his leg a playful push. Bill responded by running his foot down her leg then, after finding her shoe, he gave it shove. She tittered softly and whispered, "We're here hardly five minutes and you're already playing footsies with me?"

Unlike Fox, Bill wasn't nervous one bit. Instead, he laughed at her joke and leaned back in his chair, keeping his back straight to show good posture. He folded his paws on the table and looked up when the waitress arrived. Krystal glanced at the menu then ordered a drink and an appetizer while Bill constantly poked her ankles and feet with his own, just to get a reaction out of her. However, she remained calm and pleasant while speaking.

However, she managed to catch him off guard by returning the gesture as soon as he opened his mouth to speak his drink order. Bill snorted to suppress his laughter, coughed into a paw and simply said, "I'll just have what she's having." With that, the waitress walked away. He grinned at her and said, "You're ticklish aren't you?"

She lifted a finger and in a warning tone, stated, "No. You'd better not dare!" A hint of a grin crept back into her expression. "Else... I'll poke you in the left shin."

"You wouldn't!"

In a playfully coy tone, she said, "I would. I have to maintain my 'killer icy pilot' reputation, Lieutenant Colonel Grey."

He rolled his eyes, both paws lifted. "OH please. Let's not even do the ranking thing tonight. I love my job and I love being a military pilot but there are times when the formalities need to be left at the door. This restaurant is a rank-free zone."

She laughed in spite of herself. "Fine, fine... no ranks, no silliness."

"Oh, no, no... the silliness can stay. It relaxes me."

Her grin broadened. "Oh yeah? I just heard that here, in this restaurant, you're not my boss. But perhaps there can be silliness between this place and the theater. Maybe."

"Maybe huh?" He simply smiled at her. She was a great person with a fantastic personality. The list just went on and on. Then, as if to vocalize his next unspoken thought, Krystal coughed.

"Easy on the eyes, am I?" She folded her arms then looked him over quickly. She turned her head away and, in a low tone, added, "You're not so bad yourself, pilot."

Bill leaned back, slouching somewhat in the booth seat. "You flirtin' with me? This is a no-flirt zone, pilot." Typically he always sat up straight, had a stern face, stoic eyes and kept his uniform wrinkle free with perfect crease lines. But away from the base, he was quite personable.

The playfulness provided by Bill helped to put her at ease. It helped her to relax and forget about their last mission together. The couple ate, tittered and talked about old adventures for another hour. They paid for their meal and left for the cinema.

By the midpoint of the movie, the couple was holding hands. While sappy, the storyline was cute and the characters were interesting, however Bill found himself wincing a few times leading up to the sentimental climax. She gave his paw a firm squeeze, wide eyed and bushy tailed as if hanging onto the schmaltzy romantic tidbits with every spoken word and gesture.

Grey glanced over at her, watching her titter softly. She was completely absorbed in the Cornerian film and its quality cast of actors. Her ears lowered, her brows lifted and she brought her free paw to her heart and, quite verbally, ushered a gentle, "Aww..." Next, her paw moved to her muzzle then, with the backside of her thumb, she dabbed at her eyes. "He's so sweet to her."

He glanced up at the screen then looked back towards Krystal then back up at the screen again. For some reason, it was actually cute to see her so happy, even if her happiness was directed at the characters. His gaze returned to the cerulean-furred vixen. She released Bill's paw and, to his surprise, she drew her legs up close to herself and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Look, Bill," she whispered, "It was all just a miscommunication - he came back to her, even though he didn't recognize her at first. God I love happy endings." He tried not to cringe at how incredibly feminine she was acting. After the last few years of serving for Corneria, he'd come to know her as a professional pilot with a quick wit and a sharp eye for killscores. This was one bogey he never saw coming... Frilly, maudlin romance.

Despite his general lack of interest for the plotline and the way the drama stacked up, he had to admit the characters were believable. The thing that really got to him... and made all of this bearable... was the fact that she was so adorable when she was being girly. He'd never seen her eyes gleam in such a way and it only acted to enhance her appearance. It was unexpected and actually rather nice to see her this way. With her one arm around her legs, her other paw returned to his, interlacing her fingertips with his own.

By the time the credits rolled, Bill leaned over and whispered to her, "Maybe we can do this again, but if we have to see another chick-flick, let's make the next one a romantic comedy."

"Fair enough. What about tomorrow? You're off and I'm off." She gave his paw a gentle squeeze. "This is more fun than I thought it would be. I'm a little disappointed that you didn't hate the movie, though."

"I won't be renting it if that makes you feel any better. Once was more than enough for me. Mush is best saved for girl parties and the bedroom."

"Aren't you part husky?"

"Good memory, I sure am. One quarter to be exact."

She pointed towards the exit, stood up and said, "Well mush. I want to go stargazing."

"Oh?"

The vixen offered a firm nod. "Let's take the Cloud Runner out tonight and stay up late and sleep in tomorrow. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Well... Okay, I guess." He stood up and followed her down the stairs towards the bottom of the theater hall. "I... yeah, sure why not... You're right, it'll be fun." Grey reached down and gave a tug on his pant leg to keep the fabric from brushing against the burn on his left leg. His wince was practically impossible to see physically, but Krystal sensed the pain and she put her paw on his arm.

She could feel that, for some reason, his body relaxed from her touch. The pain receded somewhat. She slid an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He released his pant leg, giving it a stern shake, then put his arm around her mid-torso. She closed her eyes, snuggling up to him as they walked... she could see through his eyes and walked in time with him, a smile upon her muzzle.

---

" It's about freakin' time," said Falco. ROB was seated in front of a computer console, watching the video monitor carefully. Falco stood behind, watching over his shoulder at the progress made by Slippy and Amanda. The Tadpole ship began to descend near the Papetoon surface. Falco moved back and approached Fox who was reclined and asleep in his chair at the center of the bridge.

Lombardi swiftly kicked the metallic ottoman beneath his chair, causing McCloud's feet to drop to the deck. "GET UP! I think those two found something already!"

Fox snorted with a half breath, drawing in through his mouth. He sat up, dazed momentarily then looked around and raised his eyes to Falco. "Really? What's going on?"

From the other side of the bridge, ROB announced, "Metallic enclosure located two meters beneath the ground - Amanda's sensors report three living mammalian persons within the dwelling. They're setting down to investigate."

"You wanna go and do a bombing run or something?" asked Falco, excitement shining in his eyes. "It's only been a week and we've got these clowns cornered! Almost all four of'em, too! Maybe we should just drop a bunker buster in their living room, man!"

Fox, wearing his jacket backwards as a makeshift blanket, pulled the sleeves from his arms and stood up. He tossed it into his chair and stretched - his tail fluffed up and his ears moved back a bit. He dropped his arms to his sides and shook off any grogginess then swiftly approached the piloting droid. "How's it feel to be back on GreatFox, ROB?"

"Ironically, I much prefer to be surrounded by vacuum than water although neither is conducive to our health. They're about to land, now. Should I tell them to recant?"

"Open a channel." Fox waited then Slippy's holographic head sparkled to life to the pilot's left. He turned about and folded his arms. "Slippy, do you guys feel confident about going down there? They out number you."

"Uh, Fox, you remember back when we were chasing down Pigma because he stole the Aparoid memory core? We wound up fighting people in Sargasso? Just you and me against dozens of space pirates... we had nothing but our guns and our barrier shields - remember, man?"

Fox broke into soft laughter, glanced at Falco then looked back at the floating holographic green head. "Fine, man, you do what you gotta do. You've got three people down there and we're looking for four - if these guys match up to the mug shots then do whatever you must to get their cooperation. If you want, just blast'em and bring'em in as war criminals. If these guys aren't the ones we're looking for... well, apologize and explain that they may be in danger in this area."

"No, I'm pretty sure these guys are trouble." Slippy's eyes lowered, looking away from his holographic recorder down on the planet. He glanced back, as if looking directly at Fox, and said, "Amanda found a claymore buried in the sand... and I don't mean a sword, Fox. From what I can see, the perimeter is surrounded with them but they've been wrapped in aluminum foil with bits and pieces of aluminum foil sheets speckled throughout the whole area... they're trying to throw off scanners but... my father and I built this model... I can see right through their crappy tricks."

Fox glanced at Falco who appeared visually impressed. Lombardi made a gesture with his feathery hands, as if to remind the vulpine pilot of their bunker buster option. He folded his arms and waited the leader's answer. To his dismay, McCloud shook his head and whispered, "First of all, it would make more sense to just use the ship's guns. A plasma cannon can be just as devastating without spending more money on fuel and wasting a perfectly good bomb. Second of all..."

Slippy cleared his throat expectantly. "What are you two going on about, up there?"

"We're just discussing options of how to proceed to keep you out of danger." McCloud shrugged and added, "Falco wants to level the area without checking their identity. But without them, we won't find the fourth. Turning it into a crater would keep the fourth one from coming back, then we'd have failed to take down all of them." He glared over at the falcon, grinned, and then turned his attention back to Slippy. "Are you guys armed?"

"To the teeth, baby!" Slippy beamed. "How do you want us to interrogate them about this fourth member? Waterboarding is illegal, now; you want us to burry them in the sand and wait for the scorpions to show up?"

McCloud cracked up, shaking his head fitfully. "Good grief, Slippy - the Anglar War is over; no use getting hostile unless it's out of self defense." He grinned, knowing his friend was only joking but, however amusing, he wasn't about to get lambasted for allowing cruel and unusual punishment, either. "Tell them team Star Fox has a telepath and, unless they want us to call her down there to fish everything out of their heads, they'd better talk about the fourth member and be done with it."

"I'm not very good at lying," said Slippy. "But maybe we can look her up and pay her to come out and probe them or something. We can always write it off as a business expense, right?"

Fox face-faulted. "Yeah... sure, I guess you're right about that. I suppose we'll worry about that bridge if we come to it. Just see what you can learn from those guys."

"You got it!" Slippy closed the channel and the hologram vanished.

Fox turned back to Falco, shrugged and said, "Sorry, man. The only way I'm blowing those guys apart is if something happens to our away team. Sit tight, bud." He turned towards ROB and said, "Keep your eyes on that screen. If something comes over the ridge and sees Amanda's ship, they'll try to get away. Keep an eye out on the satellite footage - if something like that happens," he turned back towards Falco and continued. "Then it would be up to you to launch, head down there, track down that fourth member before he can get too far... then ...whatever. Land on his head if you want. At that point, it won't matter. For all I care, all four of those guys could bite the dust. They're Anglar supporters and Lylat doesn't need more of that crap."

"I hope that guy shows up," said Falco with a buoyant grin.

---

Down on the planet's surface, Amanda's ship settled in the dirt and she shut off her main systems. The amphibian unbuckled herself from the seat and turned towards her fiancé. She saw what he was holding and opened her hands to the blaster rifle. "My, look at the size of this thing. I'll be honest, I've never shot at someone outside of a cockpit before."

"Laser tag," he replied, shouldering the strap of his own rifle. "And you're pretty darn good because you're so competitive."

"That's different," she replied, checking the weapon. "We're talking about live targets. I'm sure I'll be fine... I'm just nervous because this is the first time," she murmured. "I shot Aparoids a few years ago. They were tearing their way through the city. Some friends and I broke into an abandoned National Guard post, took weapons, and fought those things right in the street. But they were... they were different, too. Those things took over machines and people and turned both into mechanical zombies. But these guys are people."

"If you want to set it for stun, you can."

Amanda set her weapon to the highest stun setting possible. "That would be best, yes. I want to waste the bad guys, same as you, but that's no reason to blow anyone apart. They'll be just as unhappy in the GreatFox's brig, right?"

"Sure. That's cool, honey. I'll set mine for high-yield stun, too." He adjusted the settings then handed her a shield barrier unit. "Let's do this, then. Let's go teach those guys a lesson."

She stood up, stretched and smiled at him. "We make a good team."

"Star Toad and Star Slippy don't have a very good ring - maybe just, "Team Toad" or something... it kinda' has an alliteration thing going on, you know?" He stepped back to admire her with the rifle then grinned. "Wow. Babes with guns."

"I'm no babe," she countered with a chuckle and a blush.

"Sure you are!" He checked his weapon then moved towards the back of the Tadpole ship. "Amanda, you've got a great figure, you're well kept and you're not a short, fat, geeky looking person like me. So you are, by definition, a babe. ...With a gun." He offered her a cheesy smile then bounced a little bit. "Ready to kick some butt?"

"Sure, let's do it." She nodded for him to go first.

The back of the ship opened and a plank lowered to the dirt. Slippy made a face at the dusty area, barren of anything. "Talk about a lack of humidity, this place sucks." He touched the multiple thermal detonators that were attached to the ammunition belt diagonally across his chest. For some reason their presence was a comforting boon. The couple headed out through the harsh desert and came to either side of one another, facing the metallic lid - entrance to the base. It looked like a manhole cover in the middle of nowhere. "This is it," he said, hyping himself up. "We're going to go down there, put guns in their faces, keep them from going for their weapons... then we're going to tell them stuff that will scare them. Last but not least, we'll threaten to torture them unless they tell us where we can find their fourth member."

Slippy fished out a PDA and showed her a photograph of all four men. "This is what they'll look like, which means we can narrow down who the missing guy is."

"I'm ready." She waited and watched as he used the barrel of his gun to nudge the manhole cover to the side. He went first, much to her relief; she followed him down a ladder and into a holding room full of stolen stuff. The room hosted engine parts, crates of metallic trinkets, and even a table to the side with objects resembling miniature concrete mixing bags. Amanda approached the bags and jammed her finger into the side, breaking the outer layer. She retracted her finger and looked at the strange substance. She sniffed at it then licked the tip of her finger. Her eyes widened. "It's tasteless... all the characteristics of 'Desert Dust'." She saw the confusion in his eyes and added, "It's a street term for high grade contraband. It comes from a desert plant that is typically found on Titania and in some parts of Papetoon and Katina. It does... everything. Hallucinogenic properties, it amps you up and it supposedly makes you feel like you're unstoppable. It's one of the highest priced black-market drugs available."

"You sure?"

"We're on Papetoon, it's got all the same traits... no taste, no color, super-fine powder and a fruity scent. This is it, all right. I had a friend in high school that died because of this... crap. There's at least five or six hundred thousand credits worth of the stuff sitting right here."

Slippy frowned and moved towards a metal door set into a metallic frame that was carefully designed into the granite wall. He waved for Amanda to move to the door, opposite of where he stood then he reached for the touch panel that acted as a doorknob. "This is it," he whispered. "We stun everyone then ask questions later; what do you think of the plan?"

"I wish you could set your grenades for 'stun'."

"...That's... that's a good idea - I'll build one soon. You ready?"

She smiled and nodded her head slowly with some measure of newfound certainty. "I'm ready, sweetheart."

"Me too, buttercup."

"Let's show the bad guys who is boss, cutie-cheeks." She reached forward with her free hand and gave the side of his face a pinch.

A voice came over their headsets. "YO!" They both recognized the tone belonging to Falco Lombardi. "Can we just get ON with it, here!? Cutie-cheeks?! Are you serious, you two? Jeeeeze laweeze, I'm coming down there to do this myself - we don't got all day!"

Slippy groaned in reply, not realizing the team had an open channel to their headsets. "Can it, chicken lips."

Amanda's face brightened, absolutely delighted with Slippy's sudden confidence and quick reply. She silently reached her fist towards him and he lifted his, brushing his knuckles against hers.

He took a deep breath then opened the door and pointed his gun inwards. Amanda came across from him, aiming at a different angle. The room was empty, full of stolen items, including liquor, bars of silver, several dozen bags of money, holo-emitters, holo-vision units, stereo equipment, and computers. Slippy breathlessly mouthed the words, 'Holy shit!' without actually uttering a sound. His eyes grazed over the electronics gear and stopped on the bars of silver, stacked up over a meter high on a wooden pallet. He glanced back at the bags of money, looked over the liquor collection then back towards the money and silver. He opened his mouth to say something else but words failed him. He stood there, gaping at all the treasure and loot.

Amanda tapped a few keys on her computerized wrist pad then lifted her left forearm so that the built-in camera was pointed towards the things in the room. She panned her arm from left to right and whispered, "Falco - are you seeing this?"

"Holy moley!" he crowed over their headsets. "Are you serious?! WE hit the JACKPOT with these guys! We're gunna be RICH!" He paused, leaving Slippy and Amanda to imagine he was looking back at Fox; Falco then continued speaking. "You know what? Finders fee - I know this crap belongs to someone... and it has to go back... but... Maybe if we just... you know... pocket a bar or two of that silver, and pocket a bag or two of that loot... and, uh... maybe a few bottles of that 'liquid gold'... you know... gratuity fee for great service, right?"

Slippy shrugged, Amanda shrugged and neither spoke. They wondered further into the room and headed towards another door, coming hip-to-wall with the bulkhead and readying their weapons again. She gave him a nod and he returned it then opened the door by pushing on the touchpad. The door slid open on its tracks. Both amphibians hurried in with their guns drawn only to find three men sleeping in their cots.

With a flick of the wrist, the lights were turned on but none of the three men stirred. Slippy glanced at each person then back to Amanda and shook his head. These were pirates, not the men working for Octoman. Finally, Toad shrugged at his fiancée lifted his rifle and shot the two men along the left wall.

The third one, however, perked up at the sound of blaster fire. He rolled out of his cot, onto the floor and pulled a pistol from his belt, just as Slippy turned to shoot at the empty bed. Return fire lanced up, striking the wall behind Slippy's head. He dodged to the left and opened fire again, leaving a score of marks along the floor.

Amanda, with her heart in her throat, lifted her weapon and abruptly brought it down on the man's head as hard as she could. "GRAH!" she turned the rifle around, watching the dazed man rocked back and forth with his palms on his head. Blood trickled down the side of his face from a gash just above his left brow. Amanda put the barrel against his torso and fired. The stunned pirate slumped, becoming very still. She bit her lip, lowered to one knee and checked his pulse. Her head lifted with a look of relief. "He's alive."

"I brought these just in case," said Slippy. He reached into his gear pouch and withdrew several sets of laser-cuffs. "We'll just put their hands behind their backs, get them secured and take them up to GreatFox in your cargo hold. These guys have stolen a lot of stuff... we should turn them over to authorities."

"Maybe we can pick up some sort of small reward check with this - a two-for-one special or something."

"Hey, I'm not arguing!" he squeaked boisterously. Slippy passed her a pair of cuffs then approached the other two and apprehended them. "Falco, you still there?"

Lombardi's voice made his disappointment obvious. "Yeah, yeah... I'm still freakin' here. ...At least they have a ton of loot. I doubt Mr. Goodie two-freakin'-shoes will let us keep ALL of the spoils we find but... whatever. Just get those morons up here and we'll turn them over to the cops. ...Man, and here I thought we got the mission done in record time. This sucks."

---

Another week later...

*The scent of Krystal's estrus was strong * this afternoon. She shifted her weight in the movie seat to get comfortable but she found herself restless. The movie was cute at times but, for some reason, it wasn't holding her attention right now. She also sensed that Bill picked up on her scent. The pheromones were making him as restless as she. The couple was holding hands again but her palms were sweaty.

"You okay?" he whispered, regardless of the fact that they were the only people in the back row of seats. In fact, they had a good portion of the theater to themselves with the next couple sitting six rows up. "You want to go? I don't mind - it's just... a few dollars, no big deal."

"No, it's fine," she murmured. "I'm just... I get like this every so often and it's complicated. And it's certainly new to me, I assure you. I'm sorry I'm distracting you from..."

He placed a paw on the side of her face with a soft smile. "Shh, it's no big deal. If anything, this movie is distracting me from you. Look... I've been thinking about that kiss from two weeks ago and... I really liked that you didn't pull away but if I made you feel awkward in any way..."

She broke into a soft giggle, placing her paw over her muzzle. Krystal could see the confusion on his face in the lighting of the movie. The scene changed to an evening setting and they were cast into the darkness. Now, unable to see his eyes, she felt a little more relaxed for some reason, as though the dim lighting hid her better. Feeling a little braver, now, Krystal eased the cup holder armrest from between them then placed her paws on his knee and leaned forward until her lips met his.

Bill slipped his right arm around her shoulders and drew her to himself, quite pleased with this turn of events. He returned her kiss then took control, bringing his left arm over, using his paw to cup her face. He felt her tongue brush his lips and, so, he parted his muzzle in acceptance. His heart began to pound in his chest.

Her fingers eased up, curling behind one of his ears. Her paw then moved to his shoulder then down over his chest, exploring him with her touch. Their tongues dueled within one another's mouths, intensifying the kiss to one of heated passion. Everything else was forgotten for now. The vixen threw common sense out the metaphorical window, cupped his jaw with her other palm and whimpered into the lip lock.

His paw moved from her face to her collarbone. Slowly, he lowered his paw but remained respectful, not going beyond her pounding heart. It felt like his... racing with excitement. Quite suddenly, Krystal took his paw and guided it to the swell of her breast, guiding his fingers to touch with a firm grace. She then released his paw and took him by the face again, not daring to break the kiss.

Grey firmly moved his palm over her chest then down over her tummy, along the outfit shirt she wore. She squirmed beneath his sensual tactile grace and broke the kiss to whisper into his ear. The greyhound moved close, listening.

"God, what must you think of me?"

Bill lifted his head and breathed into her ear. "I think I'm glad the icy killer pilot has a heart, after all. I was beginning to worry."

"I don't want you to think I'm an easy..."

He hushed her with a touch upon her lips. "After over two years of a military career, plus an additional couple of months now that you're back... we've never once even considered doing what we're doing now. It wasn't rushed, and I don't think you're easy... if anything, you're very hard to get. I consider myself lucky to even have the chance to be such good friends with you... and I appreciate that you've warmed up to me and trust me enough to let me touch and hold you."

She kissed him again. His words made her feel desired and wanted, like with Panther... but there was something different this time. She felt as though he respected her and that was special to her. The couple continued their delightful kiss, remaining quiet so as not to bother the other patrons further up front.

Krystal trailed her fingertips to the hem of his trousers and boldly unfastened them. Daring yet silent, she moved the zipper down to the bottom of its track and unbuttoned the front of his boxers. Her sapphire-furred paw came to capture his sheath and the warm, moist tip that she managed to coax from him. In mere seconds, her fingers seduced his entire cock into her warm, waiting palm.

Not one to be left out, Bill's own paw moved down the front of her pants, slipped into the waistline and beneath her panties. His touch was firm and commanding; his velvet-padded digits moved over the smooth slit and downwards. She eased her thighs apart to allow him access... His index finger found moisture and his fingertip glided into her. She shuddered, feeling part of him inside of her.

Meanwhile, her paw began to stroke firmly, working over his length from tip to hilt and back, simulating sex to the best of her ability. She could feel Bill begin to buck his hips upwards, receiving each pass of her paw. He was certainly built - better than Panther, although their girth size was rather close... Krystal willfully forced the comparison out of her head. She perked, unintentionally allowing a rather vocal gasp to slip out... She whined quietly in stark realization that a second finger had penetrated her... Her ears lowered and she bore down firmly to squeeze those invading fingertips.

Her wrist was beginning to tire but the pleasure spike gave her an adrenaline rush. With a fresh second wind, she reestablished the rhythm of her touch and began to pump her palm over the Cornerian's surprisingly healthy appendage with grace and passion.

Krystal wiggled her hips, helping him by working herself against his fingers. Bill leaned forward and kissed her again then tailed off by suckling on her lower lip. He murmured against her neckline, "God that feels nice. I'm going to try something..." His thumb extended from his paw, brushing against her slit. A third finger was gently inserted then, once wet, escaped from her flesh. His third finger ventured back to the tight pucker of her tailstar and, with a gentle push, glided into her backside.

At first, she wanted to squirm away because it was such an invading sensation... but as quickly as he suggested it, the action came to pass... and to her surprise, she enjoyed his touch. Only an inch or so within, the third finger curled inward, as if pushing against the other two digits in the next chamber over. She clinched his fingers by clenching her body with all of the inner muscles she could muster. Performing the kegel, gripping his fingers, was incredible and he could easily imagine himself buried within her walls... it caused his cock to throb.

There was no secret whisperings of love or pillow talk. There was a satisfying bluntness he offered her. Bill told her he was going to try something then he did it. Straightforward and forthcoming, she melted into his scent and his musk. He began kissing along her neckline again, but this time he moved upwards. His cheek met her cheek. Instead of asking if it felt good, he gauged her reactions and murmured, "I want to feel you cum on my fingers." The whisper of words sent her through the roof and she gritted her teeth, grinding herself down against his touch. Her paw raced over his erection, causing the canine's tail to thump softly against the plastic base beneath the seat. It went unheard over the ambient audio of the movie.

He whispered again and his confident-yet-caring tone made her wild with desire. Krystal reached release but it came in waves, overlapping sensations of pleasure that were mixed between multiple releases, both clitoral and otherwise. Her paw continued to race over the pilot's pulsing cock. She could feel that he was growing close and sensed that he was right on the verge. So close...

She glanced around then decided to be ambitious. The vixen doubled over and closed her lips over the expanse of his cock. She slid her paw down, keeping it at the base, just above his knot, but pursed her lips together around the tip, sliding it down the first three or four inches. Her moist lips were divine and her tongue curled around the length. Her paw stayed in time with her muzzle, burying her nose into the pocket between her thumb and forefinger.

Bill's free paw gripped at the armrest on the other side of him. His fingers stopped wiggling against her and his entire body tensed up. It happened quickly - the first spurt of his release gushed across her tongue and she lifted her head swiftly but, not wanting to spit out his offering, she swallowed instead. The rest of his frothy seed dribbled down over her paw. She continued to jerk off his throbbing member throughout the remainder of his rather long release. It coated her fingertips, drizzling over her knuckles and down around the base of his cock.

She snuggled into his half-embrace having a comforting arm around her shoulder. His other paw was brought to his lips and he licked two of his fingers then rubbed his paw against his pant leg so as to dry the saliva and cream coating. She reached for paper towels that were brought along with the buttery popcorn and used them to clean her paw then she rested comfortably against his chest to finish the movie.

Once the credits began to play, she reached down and carefully tucked away his manhood, she fastened his boxers and pants then kissed the corner of his muzzle. "Thank you... I really needed that. I don't know what's come over me. I have this fantastic need to mate and..."

The Lieutenant Colonel grinned playfully. "So ya' used me, huh? No, it's okay - I'm kidding."

"Look, Bill, about this whole... dating - relationship thing..."

He wrapped his other arm around her, keeping her on his chest while the credits continued up the screen. "Krystal, you said no recently... you had good reasons and I totally accept that. I reckon if...or maybe even when... you're ready to date, you'll discuss it with me and we'll go from there. Right now, we're friends... and what just happened was a benefit. I won't rush you into anything because... I respect that you're just not ready yet. And I understand."

His words surprised her. She lifted her head from his torso, looked him in the eyes, through the dim illumination then asked, "Really?"

"Really."

She offered a brilliant smile then nuzzled back down into his chest. She'd never had a relationship before with no set demands or otherwise expectations set in place. Fox expected her to stay alive and out of danger until, one day, he wound up pushing her away... Panther expected her to want some sort of commitment union... but Bill just wanted things to progress in a natural pace, whatever that pace may be. It was... it was nice.

The only problem she foresaw was... this whole freaking situation felt wrong and Bill wasn't her soul mate. Why did things have to be so damn complicated? She licked her lips then murmured, "I hope you don't expect..."

Bill, seeing that people were leaving the theater now, laughed aloud in a good-natured way. "I have no expectations. I enjoyed it and, if it ever happens again, I'll enjoy that, too. I know you're going through some pretty thick and emotional thoughts because that's what relationships do to ya'. You and I are friends and a real friend has no demands nor do I anticipate things. I have absolutely no preconceived notions or ... whatever else you may think. Look, you want to go flyin' after this?"

A grin tugged at the corner of her muzzle. "You know what? I'd like that."

He gave her head a gentle pat, behind the ears, and said, "Then let's go."