Guardian III by TheMightyKhan

Guardian III

TheMightyKhan, Angel, Big Tits, Blowjob, Blue, Compassion, Dark, Desert, Doggystyle, Ending, Eyes, Feline, Feral, Final, Finale, Green, Guardian, Happy, Human, Latin, Long, Love, M/F, Modern, Oral, Passion, Realistic, Romance, Swallowing, Teen, Teenagers, Texas, Tiger, Tigress, Tit Fuck, White, White Tiger, Yiff, Young, canada, cold, darkness, depressed, job, latina, loss, mexican, tit-fuck, tundra

#3 of Guardian

Guardian III

(To read this chapter, you must agree with the disclaimer and copyright posted in the first chapter.)

(At long, long last: the final chapter of Guardian. I hope you enjoy it, fellas. Not gonna give anything away here, but I hope this chapter will surprise you.)

Cold.

That was one of the first thoughts Alex had, that he realized. It was really, really, really cold.

Of course, he was well bundled-up... a coat, thick pants, gloves, a mask...

Still. It was cold--numbingly cold.

Numb... like the way his mind refused to accept something, or realize something... what was it? What was going on?

Alex blinked, and shook his head vigorously, trying to think straight. He dumbly peered around for a moment, wondering why he was alone...

_"Oh my God..." _ His eyes opened up wide as he realized the fact that his mind had until then refused to recognize.

"Alexandra..."

He turned around rapidly, looking all around him. Snow obfuscated his vision, allowing him to fool himself into thinking, at least for a time, that his mate was within a few yards from him, surely; surely, she hadn't gone too far.

"She can teleport... She's... somewhere around here. Definitely," Alex muttered to himself--probably because his words made more sense aloud than they did in his head.

Pausing, for a moment, he almost allowed himself to think, to consider the possibility that Alexandra truly was gone. As a stunningly frigid gust of wind blew snow into his face, chilling him, Alex shivered... then began to walk.

"No. No way. I messed up, yeah... but she'll forgive me. Me and Alexandra... we've all we got, now," he thought with a pang. "She'll forgive me. She'll definitely forgive me. What else is she going to do...?"

That thought soured the weak, flimsy determination that allowed him to pull the scattered remains of himself together, a little. Alex didn't collapse, though, and brushed the growing unease in the back of his mind aside by moving faster--jogging, then running through the snow, desperate for a sign of his mate.

She had to be there, somewhere. She had to.

Alex was in a very impressive state of physical fitness, in fact. He ran a lot, sometimes with his wife, sometimes with his child, sometimes with both, sometimes alone. He did pushups, sit-ups, and all manner of other callisthenic routines.

This time, though, it was different. This time, his motivation wasn't a simple, somewhat vague desire to remain healthy--this time, he needed to find his mate.

So, he moved fast. His speed was almost that of a quick sprint, but it was prolonged for what seemed like forever--but, in actuality, he only managed to run for half an hour or so.

At one point or another, Alex lost his rifle. He still had a sidearm, but it was empty, and the human had no idea if he'd thought to bring an extra moon-clip or two of rounds. It was, fortunately, inconsequential--because due to his very recent actions, he, really, was the only dangerous predator for miles around.

Hope is something that's often underrated. Recognize its power, though--it kept Alex on his feet for half -an-hour, after a longer, more traumatic ordeal, kept him believing that around the next corner, through the next flurry of snow was his mate.

Humans are truly incredible creatures. Take Alex, for instance--he was generally realistic, or pessimistic, depending on your point of view. "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," was one of his favorite sayings, and one that he spent the majority of his life abiding by.

Just then, though, Alex was hoping for the best... and that's all. How on Earth could he, the fact that he had no forewarning of what had happened notwithstanding, be expected to deal with being more completely alone in the world than he ever had been?

So, you see, you can't really blame Alex. You can, though, and should, have a great deal of sympathy for him.

Imagine, for a moment, the utter dejection and hopelessness he was starting to feel.

Dragging his feet, tears streaming down from his eyes, trailing wet, frigid trails down his cheek, under his mask, Alex eventually dropped to his knees.

He looked up, and noticed that he was, ironically, back where he'd started--where Chris had... ended.

And still--nothing.

The human waited, though, for another few moments, teetering on the very edge of self-control and stability. He just sat there, hands on his thighs, holding back tears and, perhaps, insanity. Deep brown eyes peering through the snow, still fluttering, from time to time, to coincidental gaps or concentrations in the precipitation, he waited... and waited...

And then, finally, Alex gave up.

It was like a switch had been flicked. Suddenly, he started to notice, again, that it was freezing, freezing cold; so much so that if he didn't get inside, soon, or start to get his blood flowing... he might well fall into hypothermia, or worse. Snow was starting to collect on him; in fact, a thick coat of the white flakes--not even close to the pure, soft, smooth fur that Alex never walked away from an opportunity to run his hands through--had settled on his head, his legs, his shoulders.

Chris had died here.

Alexandra had left him here.

His whole universe, his entire purpose... had died here.

So... he'd follow.

The decision was made by a slow, numb part of Alex's mind that still managed to resist the rush of sorrow that was rapidly encroaching on physical response.

A pause.

A twitch...

Then, finally, Alex took his face in his hands.

He made no noise; at least, nothing that could be heard over the soft, delicate ambient sounds of snowfall. His shoulders shook so violently, though, that they sent a few centimeters of collected flakes tumbling to the ground.

Alex's thoughts weren't really coherent, nor predictable. They were centered around, to a smaller degree, Chris--but, overwhelmingly, he was grieving over Alexandra, the one who had given life to Chris... and, perhaps disputably, life to him.

He was the first, last, and only woman--only being he'd ever loved. She was the only being that had ever, ever shown him kindness; it was not an exaggeration to say that Alex had never seen a sincere, genuine smile thrown to him, and it was similarly painfully true to say that as the years of his pre-Alexandra days inexorably dragged on, he himself was less disposed to showing kindness that would never, ever be returned.

The human curled up into fetal position, eventually. He shook less violently, as the cold began to seep through his thick clothing, penetrating to freeze him along with the forest. No matter what, though... Alex retained consciousness. He wanted to sleep and die, or just die. To be forced to live, to focus on what had just happened... it was Hell. It really was.

Soon, he was but a formless lump on the ground. Even as he froze, limbs paralyzed and numb, his mind was still centered, concentrated not on the cold, or the pain that was slowly emanating from his extremities... but on Alexandra.

Shivering once, Alex finally found himself slipping, slipping away...

Buffered from the outside wall by the freezing, mattress-like layer of snow that was still growing around him, he could hear his heart beat. It was, at last, slowing, becoming weak, irregular, dying....

His brain still worked, though; he was still conscious. That, or the image of Alexandra plastered across his mind's eye was put there not by conscious effort; but by a deeper, subconscious, spiritual instinct.

"No way..."

Sure, he'd been living there for years, but he was still in northwest Canada, in the higher altitudes of a forest at the feet of the Rockies. How on Earth could any human survive a night there without heat, or even a semblance of shelter? He didn't even have frostbite.

The Sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was well past dawn--perhaps noon. It wasn't bright, though, through the gray, hazy cloud cover; not nearly enough to melt snow, or provide any warmth for the Earth.

Covered by a full six inches of snow, the forest was silent, white, magical. Heavily laden branches sometimes collapsed, sending brief but furious torrents of the powder down to the padded ground.

One part of the forest had a slight mound in it--nothing major, just a small, relatively insignificant hill that could easily be chalked up to any sort of geographical or botanical irregularity.

Silence...

Then, motion.

Slowly, a large form, clothed from head to toe in subdued camouflage stood. He wasn't moving quickly, at all; there was a definite sluggishness to his motion... but he wasn't injured, that much was certain. Just tired... mental, physically, spiritually.

Sadly dusting snow off his shoulders, Alex sobbed once, dryly, rasping Freezing cold air rushed into his throat and lungs, shocking him, slightly, so that he fully woke up.

Alex's arms were wrapped around himself, slightly, in a pathetic and purposeless attempt at keeping warm. He was shivering, a little, and, under his mask, his face was long.

"Now... what do I do, now...?"

There was no answer of any kind for Alex. He stood there, for as short as a few moments or as long as an hour or more--not really thinking. Not really--he had ostensibly slept through the night, so his body was rested...

But his mind and soul and spirit were tired. He couldn't--couldn't come to a decision, because he couldn't stop asking himself who cared.

The answer to that question, though, was obvious, now that Alexandra and Chris were gone.

No one cared--no one.

Not his stepfather, if he still lived; nor his half-siblings, wherever the Hell they were; nor... his former classmates, professors, teachers, neighbors, acquaintances...

Alex realized that his mouth was dry, and swallowed. His tongue felt like a roll of sandpaper in his mouth, but he didn't reach down to put a handful of snow in his mouth to create water... there was no point.

Not just to simple, mundane actions like that...

But to his life...

Eventually, the human began to move. His thoughts, confused and disorderly at first, slowly began to come together, all converging upon the same point, the same, sordid conclusion.

"I already tried the cold. Now, I'll try cold steel."

In the confusion of the previous night, Alex had somehow forgotten the knife that had, till then, never left his side outside of the house. So, now, he had to make the long walk home--alone--to get it... and finish things.

It was slow going. The human was wearing boots that sunk all the way into the deep, thick snow, which tugged at his feet as he tried to step out. But not once did Alex feel anger--he was just too tired. He'd given up.

Alex looked up, blankly, and noted that the forest was... quite beautiful, in fact. Ubiquitous evergreens, all capped and saturated with snow--and behind him, the Rockies rose suddenly from the ground, standing so tall, proudly, and mightily.

Despite everything, he thought, vaguely, eyes glazed as they stared, dully, forward, as he walked in a trancelike manner, he'd had a good life. Sure, he'd slept on an empty stomach a few nights... sure, his mother was too shortsighted and hedonistic to give him a good shot at, well, anything... and sure, he'd never had a friend in the world, besides Alexandra.

"Whoever said that it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all... never loved, himself. At least... not the way I did. I'd rather... rather have never loved at all. Because then, at least..."

"Nothing..." Alex whispered, softly, face cringing, slowly, with pain, "nothing I could ever have imagined... hurts like this..."

"If I had never fallen in love with her... I wouldn't be feeling the way I do now."

Dragging his feet, now, the human blinked, slowly, realizing that he was nearing his cabin. Set against a pure white landscape, the simple, wooden abode used to feel like a sanctuary, an oasis in a sea of vast, endless plains of snow.

Now, though... Alex couldn't bear to look at it, and so, lowered his eyes. He just wanted things to finish, quickly... Forever...

This time, he didn't pause, didn't take the time to tenderly brush snow off the doormat. It was rough and tough and simple, emblazoned with age-old words that still enshrined the abode with warmth and comfort: "Home, Sweet Home."

Boots shuffling into the stained, wizened wood floor, tracking in dirt and snow--there was no longer any point in keeping it clean--Alex looked over his house... for the last time.

The living room was no longer cozy and welcoming. Rather, the lack of Alexandra and Chris on the sofa, laughing with each other, playing innocently, before looking up and calling him over made it seem cold and barren--desolate.

Trying hard not to let emotion delay his final mission, Alex practically stumbled into his bedroom. He tripped on something--perhaps one of Chris's toys--and fell onto the bed... and then sobbed. Thousands of memories flashed through his mind, each depressing him more than the last.

"Chris's first birthday..." He'd always been a cute tiger-human hybrid... but that day...

Alexandra had dressed the cub up, in a pint-sized suit and tie. It wasn't easy, but due to Chris's diminutive size, the tigress managed to keep his hair--and paws, which were constantly grabbing at the cake, its lone candle, or his father's recently grown beard (the look didn't suit him, so it hadn't lasted long)--under control. The family even posed for a photo--it was somewhere, Alexandra kept it in a binder or something. All three of them were there--the males, in matching suits. Alex had been grinning, he remembered, as he hadn't yet realized that his boy had gotten a firm grip around a goatee he'd grown and was about to give it a sharp yank. Alexandra... how had she been dressed?

"Oh yeah..."

"She was wearing... a dress. It was sort of sparkly... and blue. Just as blue as her eyes..."

"Her eyes..."

Their fifth anniversary.

Chris had been... young, then. Alex couldn't recall his kid's precise age, but the cub was, by then, calm enough to be set in his room with a book, for a few hours, as his parents ate dinner together, partook of the rare pleasure of wine, and then danced, danced together, until passion and quiet adoration took their affections from the living room (which had been cleared of furniture) to the bedroom.

That entire night, Alex recalled, his eyes hadn't left hers for longer than it took for him to blink.

If he'd have known that he'd never, ever be able to lose himself into the bright, deep, ice blue eyes again... he would have took his wife into his arms, held her, and just looked at her--that's all he'd have done, just hold her eyes with his--for as long as he possibly, possibly could.

Eyes red with grit, tears, and purpose, Alex looked up, slowly, then, with his arms, pushed himself up. Bowing, for a moment, nose almost touching his knees, he took in a long, deep, rattling breath... and slipped off the bed.

Forcing himself to stand, shakily, he looked around. The room danced before him, and, for a moment, Alex had to place a hand on his bed, again, to avoid stumbling and falling. He hadn't eaten for... some time, now, and the freezing night outside coupled with his recent physical exertions left him fatigued and uncoordinated.

There. There it was, where it always was. Placed carefully atop a walnut set of drawers that he and Alexandra had built together, without the aid of modern machinery and convenience was his knife. The blade itself, of course, was concealed in the fine, leather-nylon sheath, attached to its matching belt. Feeling blankly for its handle, the man eventually managed to grasp it in one hand, pinning the sheath in the other.

After struggling with the blade's resistance to being draw (a safety measure) for a moment, Alex closed his eyes. With a slow, soft shhhick, his knife came free.

Holding it in his hands, sitting on the edge of the bed, Alex found himself marveling--not just at the piece of craftsmanship in his hands... but the little things. The soft sheen of the floor, the gritty texture of the walls, his roughened hands, the weapon they held...

Alex realized that despite its frequent use, the blade of his knife hadn't ever actually dulled. Over the years, he'd used it to slice through flesh, to shape wood, and for all manner of vigorous utilities. A stab of pain pricked him as he ran a thumb over the blade--internal pain, even though a trickle of blood ran down his finger.

"I remember... when she gave it to me, I told myself that it was a gift that I'd treasure... forever."

"That means... until the end."

"...I might be many things... but... at least I kept that promise."

Alex was in his early to mid twenties--the prime of his life, biologically. And, until just twelve or so hours ago, it had also been the prime of his life in the sense that he was raising his first son, and his relationship with his mate couldn't be better.

Now, though, as he sat there, staring at the blade and the gleam on its point... he felt old. Very, very old. No parent should have to experience the loss of a child--but Alex had. He'd experienced the loss of his only child, and his wife. In the case of Chris... to be fair, Alex could have done more, perhaps, to impress discipline upon the mischievous hybrid. Overall, though, he'd been a decent parent.

But the manner in which he'd parted with Alexandra, for the last time...

He might have loved her for every moment of his life before those last seconds with that beautiful, beautiful tigress, who had allowed him into her heart, despite a multitude of inadequacies on his part. And it was those last seconds that made him, overall, a terrible, miserable mate.

He had never deserved her. Worse, it was his fault for taking advantage of Alexandra's tender, loving nature and fooling himself into thinking he could possibly become someone who deserved her, or ought to even be given a chance at being her husband, and the father of her cub.

Alex clenched the knife in his hands so tightly for a moment that when he finally relaxed his hold, his flesh was imprinted with the fine markings of its handle. Yes... he was going to go through with this.

The last time he'd attempted suicide, he had been hot-blooded--his mind had been buzzing with emotion, and a lack of rationality and logic.

Now, though, he was able to take a step back and think things over. Alex tried hard--he really did--to think of any reasons against the act. He was a pretty smart guy, and yet... he didn't. He couldn't. Because there was no reason against suicide... and every reason for it.

Alex raised the knife to his throat, slowly. He was peering into a mirror that his wife, in her never-ending desire to look her absolute best (for him, he recalled painfully), had put up in their room. Now, there were no soft blue orbs in which to lose himself. Now, all there was for Alex were his own eyes--dull, brown, undeserving, ungrateful, and cruel.

Maybe it was a subconscious quest for redemption through suffering that Alex forced himself to hold eye contact with that miserable, terrible figure in the mirror, even as he began to press, a little, so that the first few rivulets of blood trickled form his neck.

Maybe it was spite, or maybe it was defiance.

Whatever it was... Alex's last thought was that, for the first time in his life, Alexandra was not there to rescue him.

So.

Hell, apparently, was being face down on a hard linoleum floor.

Alex couldn't really hear or see or smell much. In his mouth, though, was the faint taste of copper or iron--he'd bit his tongue, and, placing an appendage on his jaw, he stood, slowly, wincing in mild pain.

Blinking several times, slowly, for he was still confused and dizzy, he rested against a wall... before realizing something.

"No way..."

Now, there was no pain. None at all. Sure, Alex was confused, but he had no reason to believe that he'd died and gone to a place apart from where the good ones went.

Dim figures passed by him, ignoring him--that was just as well. Alex wasn't yet sure that he could string words together.

What now, though? What was he supposed to do? He had no family, and absolutely no idea where he was. What could he do?

Curiosity began to rise, slowly, and Alex felt himself tilt his head to the side, looking around. His senses were working again... in fact, he noted, with some interest, they were working quite well, remarkably well, better than they ever had before. He could hear people talking in every single room in the hallway, more or less, and as he focused his eyes on objects--people, their effects, and equipment--the images rendered in his mind were clearer and more detailed than they ever had been.

"Weird... interesting..." Alex murmured to himself.

He was in a hospital. Doctors in long, flowing lab coats, wearing stethoscopes and flanked by nurses bustled around. Some carried fat folders filled with paperwork, others were all scrubbed up, prepared to operate.

The fact that he wasn't yet being spoken to didn't quite register to Alex. Neither did the fact that he still had essentially no idea where he was--he was in a hospital, sure, but there are how many hospitals in the world?

To be fair, though, as he began to walk around, slowly, careful to keep out of the way, he paid a bit more attention. The doctors were by and large white, but there were a great number of Latin nurses and support staff. And judging from the accents and dialects of the voices echoing all around he, he guessed that he was somewhere in the American south.

Alex turned his head, though, feeling... something. It wasn't a sense of danger, or fear, or anything negative at all. It was a sense of purpose, of need--curiosity (why on Earth was he feeling so curious, all of a sudden?) compounded his interest... and soon, he was walking, slowly, head still tilted in that odd, distinctive manner, moving towards an operating room... in which something amazing was happening.

There was a large, horizontal window that gave him a fine view of the procedure. Alex felt his nose tap the thick glass (that was odd--he was pretty sure his nose wasn't that big, and the rest of his face was still a few fingers from the window), then reached up and set an appendage against it.

There was a woman inside, calling out in pain. Despite the thickness of the glass, and its purpose of buffering sound, Alex heard her cries, and felt sympathy, and compassion.

"It's all right..." he said quietly, "it's all right. It won't last long... and I swear to whatever powers exist, it's worth it. There's nothing else like it in the world."

Alexandra had given birth without the luxuries of modern medicine--Chris had entered the world, in fact, in the same lonely cabin that he'd spent his entire life. Alex closed his eyes, for a moment, clenching his appendage into a fist, biting down on his own teeth until he was sure he could control his sadness. He didn't want to think about the family that he'd lost. Not then. It was too soon.

And yet, memories of that day--six years, and... four, or so, months ago--kept coming into his mind. And so, Alex accepted them, and the pain--and the sweetness--that came with them.

Alexandra hadn't needed medicine, or a midwife, or even Alex's assistance. The human was fairly certain that his wife, sneakily, had influenced him, somehow, making him tired and groggy that day, fogging his memory. Despite her efforts, though, some moments were crystal clear.

They had cuddled up, together, on the sofa. Wrapping their two forms up in a large, thick blanket, Alex had rested an arm around his wife's shoulder, and set a hand on her bulging belly.

They'd made eye contact, smiled, and then shared a soft, long, tender kiss. It was just before noon, but there was a really nasty blizzard going on outside. The sun had been blotted out, and despite the crackles of the fire Alex had just built, the wind was audible even inside.

The living room's lights had died down, slowly, so that soon, only the dancing, pulsating glows of the merrily burning flame lit the room and provided its occupants with warmth. Alex hadn't slept soundly the previous night--nor had he any night for the past few months. He always found himself getting up, checking on Alexandra, the house, Alexandra, the dishes, Alexandra, the firewood, Alexandra, the food... and Alexandra.

Thus, a late morning nap was welcome.

"When do you think you're going to become a mother, Alexandra?" he'd asked softly, nudging her, gently, to rest her head against his shoulder--the tigress was only too happy to comply, and peered up into his deep brown eyes, smiling. She'd let out a sigh through her nose, and the fluffy softness of her white, striped cheek made it so that Alex just had to reach up and run his fingers across it.

"I mean... it's been just about nine months, now... though I have to admit, I don't know what the gestation periods of real tigresses are."

"I am a real tigress, silly," she'd smiled, stretching, just a little, snuggling against her mate. "But... well, I'd say it'll be pretty soon. Maybe a few days... Think, Alex... in just a few days, we're going to be parents. Won't that be something? I call dibs on not getting the little tyke up in the morning," she'd giggled, before yawning, a little.

"A few days..." Alex had smiled in reply, closing his eyes as, inexplicably, a wave of tiredness rolled over him. "A few days..."

"So..." he'd whispered, even as he drifted off, "anytime, now... I could wake up... and be a father."

"Me, Alex Kralik..."

"A father..."

He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but was suspicious that it was for more than a few hours. Eventually, though, Alex did wake up. He was exactly where he'd fallen asleep, and so was Alexandra. Nothing was moved, and as the human opened his eyes, meeting his wife's, her cheeks had turned a soft, proud shade of pink... as Alex felt a powerful sense of foreboding... and, slowly, not daring to hope, lowered his gaze.

That was when he'd seen his son for the first time, and ever since then, the powerful emotions of pride, love, and the desires to protect, assist, and see grow up and prosper had only increased over the years.

But that was the first time Alex had laid eyes on Chris. The little hybrid was bundled up in a soft blanket as white as Alexandra's fur, just as comforting and just as warm. He was sleeping, of course, and shifted under the folds of the sheet, squirming, a little, before laying still, and exhaling in comfort and gratitude.

The small bundle was held, of course, in Alexandra's arms, and the tigress smiled, looking down at her son, ears flat, and leaned in to gently, carefully, plant a kiss on the cub's forehead--the first time, of many, that she'd done so.

Then, she'd looked back to Alex. The human was stony-faced--his feelings were unreadable, but the tigress only gave his arm a tired but happy cheekrub, and whispered, voice easily audible in the private intimacy of the cabin.

"Alex... what do you think? I already checked... he has all his fingers, and toes... no birth defects that I could find... ...I think he's perfect, Alex... ...what do you think...?"

The human was still silent, for a long moment. Eventually, the first pangs of worry entered the tigress's mind, and she canted her head, just a tad, encouraging him to speak. Surely, he'd express approval...?

The sight of the lone, light tear rolling its way down Alex's cheek removed any further questions in the tigress's mind. She smiled, eyes watering, and leaned in, kissing her mate's cheek, wicking away his tear in the effort.

"I think..." he whispered, in a quavering, unsteady voice, before swallowing and continuing in a tone that was scarcely better, "I think that if you say he's perfect, Alexandra... I don't have any words to express what I think of him."

Alex's arms were shaking, like his hands, as he pulled them out of the blanket, slowly. Forcing himself to calm, a little, he managed a nervous grin, and turned from the sight of his perfect, beautiful, strong, boy, and faced his wife.

"A-Alexandra... ...could I please hold him, please? Just for a minute?"

The tigress couldn't have refused if she wanted to. Again, the couple shared a kiss, and that calmed Alex, just a little.

Alexandra shifted, and again, Alex began to shake. Was he really fit to be the father of such a perfect child? Was he really cut out to be the man of this family? Was he?

Alexandra had the cub halfway out of her arms, resting on her knee, and was looking at Alex, curiously. Did he really want to take him? Was this too soon?

"M-maybe... maybe I shouldn't take him. Not alone. Because... he's not just my son, Alexandra," the human had said quietly, glancing up at his mate, "He's ours. Both of ours, equally. So... let's share him."

Slowly, Alex moved himself even closer to the tigress. The cub's weight was equally distributed across both of their laps, and then...

Then, for the first time, Alex took his boy into his arms.

Eventually, after a good quarter of an hour, Alexandra began to slowly shift the child from her arms, totally into Alex's. Neither male seemed to notice--the cub was still asleep, and Alex was totally focused on his son. The tigress smiled, and drew away, stretching, before curling up (in her feral form, or anthro form, Alex wasn't sure) next to her mate. She yawned, and allowed her eyes to flutter shut--she'd had a tiring day.

Alex was, by then, gently, slowly bouncing his son in his lap, rocking him to keep him asleep. The human was even humming, a little, and stroking his fingers along the outside of the warm, protective blanket that formed the cub's practical cocoon.

That was the start of the unbreakably strong bonds between father and son. That was when, for the first time, Chris opened his eyes, feeling fear at the size of the world, but finding safety and comfort in the large, deep brown orbs that peered down back at him.

Alex had, apparently, closed his eyes. A dry sob racked his chest, and he clenched his fist tightly, before finally opening his eyes was he was certain that they wouldn't leak tears. Was this, now, his purpose in life? To suffer?

He managed to ignore that thought, brushing it aside, diverting his attention to what was going on inside the operating room. Almost... almost there. Alex's breath quickened, a little--he didn't know why, he couldn't understand why--after all, this wasn't his child... was it? No, it wasn't, of course not, that was impossible...

Just a few more pushes... and then, it was done. Alex found himself standing up on his tippy toes, peering in through the window, watching, trying hard to get a glimpse of the baby. It was hard, though; there were so many doctors, so many things going on. Alex guessed that there were complications with the pregnancy, and, vaguely, murmured a soft prayer for the mother--his attention was, for some reason, totally on her child.

Standard post-birth procedures took place in the far corner of the room. Alex occasionally caught glimpses of a pair of miniscule fists, or feet waving around, as the doctors finalized all the preliminary post-birth procedures.

The baby was wrapped up in a blanket, set in a crib. Alex had a few seconds to get an eyeful of the child... and it made him smile, albeit a little sadly, despite all he'd been through.

Somehow, Alex knew that she was a girl. Maybe it was the soft, accepting expression on her face, as she'd stopped crying--but somehow, that explanation didn't taste right. Maybe Alex just... knew.

Her skin tone was approximately the same as his. Her eyes were open; cautious, frightened green orbs danced around the room. The thin wisps of hair above her eyes were brown, and her cheeks looked soft and a little chubby.

Alex then realized something. The child wasn't being attended, despite the fact that she'd been born only seconds ago. He cocked his head a little at that, staring down at her for a few more seconds--surely at least one nurse, or something, would be at the baby's side...?

But no. Every doctor and nurse in the room--there were several of them (strange, Alex noted, for a simple single birth)--was focusing on the mother... who seemed to be getting worse.

Another man brushed aside Alex, struggling to pull on gloves and a mask as he barged into the room. Alex saw that they were trying to get an oxygen mask on the woman, and blood was pooling on the operating room's floor... a lot of it. She was hemorrhaging... maybe to death.

This difficulty couldn't have been foreseen, Alex thought, or the staff would have been better prepared. Her heartbeat was being monitored on a screen, and Alex's breath caught in his throat as he watched the rhythmic beat flatline.

"No... no, save her. Don't let her daughter come into this world without a mother, no..."

But it was too late. The staff battled on for the woman's life for another ten minutes, and then, slowly, stopped. They were all wearing masks, but Alex could see their eyes, as they looked at one another. Sad, regretting, guilty, useless.

One threw down an instrument in frustration. Others simple sat, or knelt, looking exhausted and sorry. They'd lost her.

Alex's eyes snapped back to the baby--she'd gone without attention for so long; surely, she was alright...?

Slowly, one nurse got up and checked the child. The glass was thick, but Alex's ears were perked up, and, on the very edge of his hearing, he heard her murmur that, at least, the woman's baby was safe, and healthy.

Alex didn't know what to feel. Hand at the sill of the window, he leaned over, staring at the ground. Why... he'd just clutched his dead boy in his arms, and had just watched his wife disappear in front of his eyes. Why did he need to see more sadness...?

Eventually, Alex looked back up. He was just in time to see preparations being made for the baby to move.

Two nurses carefully carted her out the door. For some reason, Alex's heart was in his throat as the sleeping child approached him, then turned away down the hallway. He didn't notice the way the nurses totally ignored him; all of his attention was on the baby, again. Set in that clean, snow-white crib, she was almost totally hidden from sight in a blanket. But to see her so close... it made Alex happy.

For some reason, he felt the desire to follow. He made to move, then stopped himself--what was he doing? That wasn't his child, and he certainly wouldn't be allowed to follow her into the nursery. He still wasn't even sure where he was!

Glancing back into the operating room for a moment, cocking his head as if to ask the doctors what was going on, he shrugged, and started to walk.

Then, he stopped himself again, and turned, slowly, looking at the window. What had he just seen? What was that strangle, holographic overlay that he'd noticed, for the first time, superimposed over the scene in the operating room?

Feeling a strong sense of foreboding, Alex had to force himself to walk back, fighting the urge to follow the baby. He knew he'd be able to track her--somehow...

This time, instead of looking through the window at the scene on the other side, he looked at it.

And froze at what he saw.

"Heh... I'm seeing things. I'm stupid--that's not me, that's not what I look like. It can't be..."

The window was slightly reflective. But the face that looked back at Alex wasn't one with those telltale Czech features, coupled with permanently tanned skin.

Do I hear you asking, then, dear readers, how the face that looked back at Alex was different from the one he'd known his entire life?

Well, for starters, it had fur.

And not just a little bit of it, no, not at all.

Because, you see, it was the face of a tiger.

White fur, stripes, a pink nose, the works. Hell--it looked a little like a male version of Alexandra, except it had brown eyes, not blue. Alex turned his head to the side, and the face in the mirror did too. Alex raised a hand, stroking his cheek, and the image in the mirror raised a paw, stroking its cheek.

He was still, for a moment... then scoffed.

"This is impressive. Really, it is," Alex said, turning, speaking to passing doctors, and nurses. His grin was wide, and his voice was loud... but none looked at him. None heard him. And, a moment later, a rapidly conversing duo walked up to him... then through him.

He was still for another moment... then laughed.

"Wow. Really, wow. Seriously--I have no idea how you guys are doing this. What is it--holograms? I dunno, you tell me. C'mon. Joke's over, guys. Come on. Tell me what's going on."

There was no answer; Alex was still in denial. He sighed, rolling his eyes, and leaned back against a wall. They'd had their fun, and he wasn't going to make a fool of himself just because they wanted someone eccentric to fuck with. He'd wait them out.

Minutes passed.

Alex was a fairly active guy, and he was in his early twenties--the prime of his life. He wasn't a tired old man, constantly in need of rest.

And yet, when he jumped, a little, standing ramrod straight to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes... he knew he'd gone to sleep, then woken up.

"Heh, guess I really have taken after Alexandra and Chris," he said, grinning despite the pang in his gut. "I fall asleep like a... fe... line..."

What had woke him up was the fact that somewhere in the hospital--the nursery--that precious baby girl was crying. Alex had no idea how he knew that, but didn't care, just now. Things had stopped making sense... really, the minute Chris had died. Since then, his life had spiraled out of control.

Maybe he was insane, somewhere outside in the Canadian northwest.

Well, if that was so, he'd freeze to death, soon enough, or starve, or run into another bear and find a quicker end to his suffering.

Alex rubbed his fingers together, fidgeting. As he did that, though, he noticed something.

"My ring..."

That familiar platinum band--that had never left his finger for more than perhaps half an hour at a time--was gone. Instantly, Alex checked the rest of his fingers for the ring, then his pockets--

Then froze.

Shaking, slightly, he looked at his fingers again.

They weren't fingers anymore. They were digits.

And as Alex flexed them, performing a series of delicate, intricate moves with more difficulty than would have befallen human fingers, he finally began to accept things.

After a moment of exploration, he managed to extend his claws. They were sharp--their tips glinted in the bright white light of the hospital; gunmetal black surfaces so clean and shiny they might have been polished.

Blankly, Alex looked past his fingers, at his feet. He was wearing athletic shoes--simple, clean black sneakers. The floor was reflective, though, and as Alex looked past his feet, too, he found that same, striped face, looking back at him.

Running his hands--no, paws--over himself, he closed his eyes.

"Why..."

"I have no purpose in life, anymore. I tried to kill myself, twice; and twice I failed. What... why am I here? Who cares if I exist or not anymore..."

There was, perhaps, an answer. Perhaps.

"She said... when we first met... that she came into this world, when I did..."

"That she watched me, every minute of every day, since I was born..."

"And that she can only be with me when I really, desperately need her..."

Things were, perhaps, starting to make sense. Alex found that he was looking, purposefully, down the hallway, to where the baby had disappeared.

"No one can see, or hear, or touch me..." he mouthed, as another doctor walked directly through him, "And I feel... a connection... with her."

"Maybe..."

"Maybe I'm her guardian. Maybe she needs me. And... maybe I need her."

Blankly, Alex walked along. He might have been a zombie; such was his trance, such was the unquestioning manner in which he followed that powerful sense of purpose that was leading him into another part of the hospital.

He didn't notice that he passed a room with a sobbing man, flanked by four children. He didn't notice that they all seemed to be asking why one had to die to bring another into the world, in heavily accented English.

What he did notice, though, was that he was walking towards a room, a large, long room, sealed off from the elements as much as possible.

The door was locked, and, for a moment, Alex wondered if he'd have to wait for a nurse to open it to slip in. After a pause, though, he placed his paw against it, concentrated... then cleanly walked through it.

The nursery, for the most part, was quiet. Now and then, the soft cries of a newborn would engender the attention of a nurse--but the one Alex's eyes were locked on, the one that, to him, looked different from all the others was silent.

Approaching, he stood right next to her crib, and looked down at her.

His paw was on the metal rung that prevented her from the remote possibility of rolling off. Covered almost head to toe in that linen blanket, she was quiet... but awake.

"... Hello, little one..." Alex whispered softly.

She didn't look at him; her eyes slowly shut, then opened again, as she turned, curiously taking in her surroundings. She wasn't an hour old--but, already, Alex could see signs of great intelligence in her--her quiet, questioning demeanor; her soft features; and her bright, deep green eyes.

"Aren't you going to look at me?" he murmured.

There was still no reply. Alex's snout scrunched up, a little, as he felt his eyes grow wet.

"Aren't you going to look at me, little one?" he repeated, whispering. "I'm Alex... your guardian."

His paw had moved, hovering next to her face. But still, she didn't look at him. So the tiger reached out with a single, soft digit, and ever so gently, ever so cautiously stroked her cheek.

Alex was, or had been, a father. He had already experienced the sense of fulfillment, of purpose, when a little someone looks into your eyes asking for protection, security, happiness, and love.

Some things, though, are even better the second time around.

The silence in the van was so tense it could have been cut with a knife. And the bumpiness caused by the dirty, unkempt road and the vehicle's broken suspension system didn't help.

Alex grimly counted his blessings, though, as he tried to adjust himself to get into a more comfortable position. Now, he knew where he was.

The van was traveling down a back road outside of Dallas, Texas. Once they'd left the safety and skyscrapers of the city, things had changed so drastically that it made Alex peer out the window, and shake his head.

Gone were the crisp suits and pale faces of upper-class America. Now, they were in the slums. Faces browned with melanin and dirt peered back at the van, calling out tired greetings that the driver did not return.

A rapid burst of Spanglish caught Alex by surprise, and he had to concentrate, for a moment, piecing together his limited knowledge of that dialect to understand what had been said.

It wasn't pretty.

The tiger was crammed in the trunk of an old, beaten-up Honda with an engine so old and worn that it was a wonder the car ran at all. Though his seating arrangements weren't ideal, Alex had merely shrugged, accepting things, and double-checked the baby seat into which the baby had been strapped.

For about two weeks, now, Alex had curled up on the cold hospital floor, never leaving her side for more than a few moments to check on her medical files, her family history and background. She was a healthy baby, though, and Alex found that he was quite fond of her little mannerisms--the constant, quiet curiosity in her eyes, and her tendency to not cry at all.

Her father, though, was less appreciative.

Alex had done a little digging, and his results were not pretty. Miguel Hernandez was his name, and he was a contractor, and, to be fair, not a bad one. But his visa was about to expire, and that meant one of two things--he'd have to go back to Mexico with his children within six months or so, or he'd have to stay in the US illegally. That meant that he'd get no more health insurance, and reputable employers would no longer hire him. He'd see a big drop in income, and with five children and no one else earning money, life would not be good.

His criminal record was clear. But in the lawless, isolated parts of the country, that meant nothing.

The tiger winced as the van ran over a particularly large pothole, and peered over the back seat.

Aside from the child that had taken his heart, Miguel had four other children. The oldest, at five, was a girl with burgundy hair and medium-brown eyes. The other three, ranging in age from two to four, were practically identical boys with straight, black hair and deep brown eyes.

All in all, they weren't that bad. Still, with no mother, and God knew how many temptations in the slums outside of Dallas, who knew how they'd turn out?

Alex sat back down, for a moment, sighing heavily. He had his work cut out for him.

His eyes opened, suddenly, and he stood up too quickly, slamming his head into the van's roof. Though the resulting thunk was painfully audible to him, adding insult to injury, no one else seemed to hear it. Wincing in pain, ears flat, Alex managed to look down to see what had set off that shrill alarm in his head.

The baby's brother, the youngest boy in the family, was seated on the far side of the triple back seat. Reaching out to touch her with a single, extended finger, Alex saw the danger immediately.

The previous pothole had made the van bounce perhaps four inches. This one made it drop six. As the toddler's grubby, cracked fingernail raced towards his younger sister's eye, Alex's jaw dropped in terror, baring a set of marvelously sharp teeth... before he reacted.

The tiger's paw was furred and muscle, and that gave it just enough give to not leave a distinct, red mark on the boy's arm. Alex slapped down, hard, so that the toddler's finger instead mashed into his sister's car seat.

The van was then on relatively level road, and, rubbing his temples, Alex let out a relieved sigh. She was safe.

But the tiger's ears remained flat, muffling her brother's loud, shrieking wails to some degree. Sitting back down, Alex groaned quietly, dusting off his white fur. This vehicle was sorely in need of cleaning.

After his father roared at him to stop, the boy's cries subsided into pathetic whimpers. Alex felt guilty, and reached out to pat the kid's head--of course, he was unsuccessful.

They were approaching a large complex of one-floor apartments, now. Their small, cramped yards were littered with trash and old junk--the place was a mess, and Alex felt sorry for the people that called it home. The van jerked to a halt, for a moment, as a group of young thugs in a low-rider sped past without regard for safety or good sense, before continuing.

Home for the family, it seemed, was a three bedroom flat at the far end of the complex. But Alex exited the van without complaint, phasing through the trunk effortlessly. After taking a second to stop, stretch, trying to get the kinks of out his back and sides, Alex's ear turned, a little, and he instantly walked to where the baby was. Cuffed tail twitching, a little, he tensed as the two-year-old shoved past his baby sister, cradling his finger, as he got out of the car.

That gave Alex a moment to look the family over, or at least, its children, as they crowded after one another as they headed into the apartment. He was pretty sure that he had their names--the youngest boy was Pedro, the middle boy was Francisco, the eldest boy was named Miguel after his father, and the other girl was named Eva.

Alex then looked to the family's father. The Mexican's form was rippling with muscle--his head was perched atop a short, thick neck and although he did have a few extra pounds, those extra pounds were backed up with rigid slabs of muscle.

Miguel wore a thin moustache, forming a darkish overlay across his round, tan face. His expression was grim; but, a moment later, he did safely lift the newest addition to his family out of the car, though, Alex was pained by the way he held her in outstretched arms, away from him. As if she was some sort of terrible chemical, or something.

The tiger followed, closely, ready to catch the baby if she was "accidentally" dropped. No such event passed, though, as they entered the house.

Alex grimaced. If the neighborhood at large was depressing, then this house was Hell.

Quarters were tight and cramped, and since Alex towered nearly a foot over Miguel--the Mexican was short to begin with, and the tiger suspected that he'd gained some height since he'd left his human form--he had to stoop to pass through doorways. The baby was set precariously on the edge of an old, stained coffee table, in front of a surprisingly modern LCD TV set, and Alex took a seat in front of her.

Miguel had gone off to feed the rest of his children dinner. The tiger's nose wrinkled and he shook his head in disapproval, scenting the cloying, greasy odors of TV dinners and junk.

Things quieted down, though, as the family began to eat rapidly in the other room. Sure, they shared innocent conversation about school and work and such, but Alex felt that he no longer had to concentrate on them--he could focus on the baby again.

She was on her back, peering all around in that inquisitive, humble manner of hers. The tiger smiled, and stretched luxuriously, for a moment, resting his back against the couch. Brown eyes shining with interest, he blinked, and leaned forward--was she looking at him?

Yes, in fact, she was; he was certain of it. No longer were her eyes floating around, slowly, taking in the sights around her. Now, they were focused directly on his.

Obsessively, the tiger licked his paws, using them to flatten the fur on his face. But then, he grinned, a little, and waved at her. She blinked, but didn't look away. So... Alex tried to get her to respond some other way.

"Hey, little one... it's me, Alex, your guardian. Remember? You saw me on your birthday--I've been watching over you and taking care of you since then. See?"

Of course, the infant couldn't respond verbally. She didn't blink this time, though; her green eyes stayed open and bright. But then, incredibly, she moved, just a little. Was she nodding to him, or trying to...?

Alex decided that, in fact, she was, and laughed quietly.

"You're a quick learner, little one. Man--I wish I knew your name, but the hospital didn't have it. Your dad's supposed to decide on it real soon, I think, since your mom..."

The tiger sighed. The reason Miguel's distaste for his youngest daughter, why he left her, neglected on the edge of a creaky coffee table was that he blamed her for the death of his wife.

Maybe that's why Alex had to look over her. Maybe he was supposed to not only be her guardian, but a surrogate parent as well--a godfather, so to speak.

Then, though, his ear twitched. Conversation in the dining room had changed, and Alex had to listen closely to try to make sense of the rapid, accented chatter that bounced off the walls, and said it back to himself, after translating it into something that resembled coherence.

"She's... going to be named... what... your mother wanted her next daughter to be named. She's going to be named... Katiana. Katiana Hernandez..."

Alex's eyes opened, and he smiled at the baby's--Katiana's--curious expression. Reaching out, he ever so gently tapped her smallish nose with the tip of a finger.

"See that? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I wish I'd paid more attention in class; I might have been able to tell you what Katiana means... oh well. We'll find out someday, right, little Katiana?"

Alex was more or less talking to himself by then. Katiana's eyes had drifted away from his... she couldn't see him, anymore. It hurt the tiger, and he swallowed, resting his paws on his knees as he looked down.

For the past weeks, he hadn't really let himself think about certain things; he had a job to do. But to truly move on... he had to deal with the events that had brought him to where he was. He had to make sense of the past, or the constant guilt and confusion and sadness caused by it would eventually destroy him.

"Alexandra... you said that you watched over me since I was borne_. I'm sorry--I guess I always looked at that like it was a tough, thankless chore. But I was wrong."_

"I mean... I've been with Katiana for not even a month, now. She's really something--heck, she's so smart and cute she'd give Chris a run for his money... or vice versa."

"It's not that raising a kid like this is tough or thankless. I mean, it's tough, sure, but it's... rewarding. Whenever I wake up and see her breathing, healthy... it's like the dawn to a night lasting thousands of years. It's breathtaking."

"But..."

"It makes me... so... sad_, when I try to talk to her, try to play with her... sometimes, I can't, Alexandra. I don't know if I was the same to you... and I promise, if we ever somehow meet again, that's going to be one of the first things I ask you: How did you take it?... that is, after I get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness."_

Alex sighed again. He was exhausted, and was looking forward to spending the night on a patch of hopefully not too dirty carpet as opposed to the freezing, hard hospital floor.

"To be honest, life like this isn't that bad," the tiger thought nonchalantly, sitting and resting his chin on his thumbs, never taking his gaze off of Katiana for even a moment, "I don't need food, or water, and things are simple. All I have to do, my only concern, is to keep little Katiana here safe. I have to do what I can to raise her, too... but still. My work's cut out for me, but I don't have to search for a goal in life. I should be glad that one was picked out for me, because if it wasn't..."

His voice trailed off as he imagined himself, fifty years older, sitting aside a dumpster, grabbing at something invisible in the air, with a bottle of whiskey in a brown paper bag clenched in his hand.

Alex shook his head; that thought was too disturbing and likely to dwell on.

"Hmm... Alexandra had a feral form, and she could also give me... whatever I needed. Hmm, maybe I can do the same. I'll try later, after I change Katiana and she gets put to bed. I wonder what the room arrangements are? ...Bah, Miguel's not going to keep her in his room, and her brothers are way too rowdy. I hope she gets put with her sister, or not in a bedroom at all."

Sleep, it seemed, would have to wait. But that was alright. Alex now planned to spend the night awake, working out how to use the strange, undefined power that his mate used naturally. Not only would this sate his feline curiosity, it served real application, too--Katiana might need him to be more than "just" a silent watchman, someday.

Maybe he'd even figure out how to get Katiana to sense him more. Or maybe that would come naturally--after all, he was only supposed to appear to her when she really, really needed him, right? Well, don't all babies require attention? Wouldn't Katiana really, really need him to play with her, to talk to her, if she was to become a good, productive person, someday?

Life was simple, sure, but there was still a lot to worry about.

Alex realized that Katiana hadn't been fed--that was the thing about having a kid as quiet and accepting as her. Any other baby would have been whining up a storm, crying for milk, but not her. She just kept looking around, focusing on random, mundane objects; no doubt categorizing and filing them away within the folds of her mind.

The tiger sighed, and stood. He gave the baby a sardonic look, and glanced at the rest of her family. No, they were too busy eating--they weren't paying any attention to her at all. But Alex had no alternative.

"Katiana, you just stay right there, okay, baby? No... rolling, or anything like that, alright? I'm just gonna go warm up some milk for you, okay? I'll be right back, I promise."

Of course, she didn't hear him, and didn't respond. With many a backwards glance, Alex made his way into the kitchen--then paused. Tail twitching with dawning comprehension, he turned back to Katiana.

"Alexandra could give me whatever I needed... So, maybe, Alex can give Katiana whatever she needs?"

The idea sounded good in concept. Too bad Alex had no idea where to start in its execution.

Towering over the now quietly snoozing infant, he rubbed his paws together, fidgeting. He felt stupid, and wondered why he'd never thought to ask Alexandra how she made little conveniences and necessities appear out of thin air. Maybe he assumed she either didn't know, or that the explanation was beyond his comprehension anyway.

Still, Alex had some knowledge, he realized. He had no reason to think that special words or physical maneuvers needed to be completed--what gave Alexandra her power didn't seem to be magic; or, at least, not the kind of magic that one might read about in a Harry Potter novel. The tigress seemed to have called things to her naturally, effortlessly. Now, this could be because she had lots of practice doing so, but, for some reason, Alex didn't think so.

"I think I... have to be natural. Like I just create bottles of warm milk all the time. ...I don't think this is gonna work..."

"That attitude's not helping. I have to believe that I can do it... I have to be calm..."

"That's it... calm... calm, and natural..."

"Calm... natural..."

The tiger slowly sucked in a deep breath, and let it out just as slowly. He was concentrating, hard, but he was also relaxed . Focusing on his objective, his eyes fluttered shut; the constant, gyrating motions of his tail slowing, slowing, and then, finally stopping.

Within a minute or two of feeling things out, figuring out how to transform willpower and intent into physical matter, the tiger grinned, and opened his eyes. In his thick, padded paw was a plastic bottle, complete with a teat.

"Rock 'n' roll. Katiana--aw, that's alright, you don't have to wake up if you don't want to..."

There was no point, though, in backpedalling. On her own accord, the child's eyes had opened--right? She couldn't have sensed Alex, could she?

Perhaps the tiger's understanding of things was skewed. Katiana's eyes were locked on the bottle in his arms, and she shifted, a little, clearly interested.

"This doesn't really make sense," he thought vaguely, placing the bottle on the creaky, moth-eaten couch. Alex bent down and very, very carefully lifted Katiana into his muscular, furred arms.

That brought a smile to his face. He wasn't touching her directly, really, but cuddled the soft cocoon of blankets that she was bundled up in regardless. Peering down at her, Alex's powerful nose checked, without needing his explicit permission to do so, for any signs of infection or disease--there were none.

For most babies, the sight of a tiger's face so close would have caused tears, at the absolute least. Katiana, though, just locked her deep green eyes on Alex's mahogany orbs. She wasn't afraid--interested, maybe, curious, yes; but afraid, no. The tiger's striped, white snout wasn't vaguely reminiscent of anything scary to her, it seemed. Rather, the occasional glimpse of his huge, dagger-like teeth and angled, powerful features were comforting, because, somehow, the infant knew that they, like Alex, existed to protect her.

She even smiled as Alex sat down, causing the tips of his whiskers to brush across her face.

Alex had fed Chris many, many times in his life--he knew exactly what to do. Katiana was quite happy in his lap, it seemed, and Alex had to tear his eyes from hers to guide his paw to the bottle and pick it up. Supporting her head with the crook of his elbow, he slowly gave the child her bottle.

He couldn't help but hum to himself, and Katiana, too, as she began to feed. Her eyes closed, then opened, sometimes, to look at Alex in gratitude, and, of course, curiosity. He wasn't her father and she knew it, or at least, Alex believed that she did--but Katiana accepted the tiger to a degree that she might never, ever accept anyone else.

Alex had shared powerful bonds in his life. The first, of course, was the one that he'd known since birth, but then realized in his college career: Alexandra, of course. The second was Chris...

Katiana was no replacement for the son that he'd loved and lost, of course; no one ever would be. Still... Katiana was not only proof that someone as naturally introverted and shy as Alex could be a source of strength and motivation for another, but proof that life-long bonds and friendships could be made within weeks... and that, even for Alex, there was a way to be good again...

Alex woke up with a start, and an icy jolt of fear.

His lap was empty, and the house was dark.

Quickly, the tiger stood, shoulders tense, claws extended and ready to be used... but then he calmed, albeit not as much as he'd have liked to.

Katiana was around, sure, but she wasn't exactly in the best of hands. Namely, those of her father.

Wincing at every careless motion, at the almost overwhelming scent of alcohol on his breath, and at the fact that the milk Miguel was finally filling a bottle with was curdled and unfit for even a dog, Alex kept close.

They were in the kitchen, and only a single, dim light in the house was on. Alex looked out a small window, above a mess of cracked, broken tiles, and saw the pale, glistening orb that was the Moon. Judging by it, it was late, especially for a baby. Like, two or three am late.

The tiger then turned on his heel, and followed Miguel. The man had Katiana cradled in one arm, holding her bottle in the same hand, and was using the other to bring something to his mouth.

"My God, you idiot, you don't smoke while you're carrying your own kid..."

Alex coughed, twice, and used a paw to cover his nose, grimacing. His enhanced sense of smell was especially sensitive to tobacco, it seemed, but the tiger knew better than to think that tobacco was the only drug in Miguel's cigar.

They were making their way down a short hallway, with just a few doors leading from it. One was cracked open, a little, and a quick peek in told Alex that Pedro, Francisco, and Miguel Jr. were sleeping on a bunk bed and a mattress on the floor, respectively.

Katiana was still sleeping, as her father carried her into another room. Alex followed the man, closely, clutching his tail in his paw, so that the door wouldn't close on it.

Eva was sleeping against one wall, and, against the other, was a crib. There were two closets, a desk, and some of Katiana's big sister's effects--combs, some diaries, gel-pens; all sorts of girlish things that Alex had never really seen before.

Moonlight lit the dark room up, casting a light-blue glow that shaded Alex's white fur... really, the color of Alexandra's eyes. Black stripes glistening, Alex stood just next to Miguel, watching, carefully.

Miguel shakily lowered his daughter into the crib, face unreadable. Alex's maw was half opened, lips half-pulled back into a snarl. His claws were extended, and the tiger knew that if Miguel did anything to harm Katiana... he'd be able to leave the realm he existed in for the physical one.

After that... the human's fate would be certain.

But, thankfully, Miguel set his daughter in the crib, safely. Shoulders lowering, relaxing, Alex gruffly nodded, and crossed his arms. He didn't get a good vibe from the man at all, but the tiger had to wonder if he'd been a bit hasty in his judgment. Maybe Miguel wasn't that bad, after all.

Still, when the Mexican bent down, leaning over the crib's side to whisper into his daughter's ear, Alex couldn't help but twitch, uncomfortably, and listen carefully, as the contractor gently brushed a lock of hair from the sleeping baby's ear, leaning in as if to kiss her.

Miguel's whisper was soft, but the words he spoke were as sharp and caustic as the sting of a scorpion.

"Buenas noches...puta."

_ "Good night... whore."_

The tiger opened his eyes just in time to see Miguel spit on Katiana's cheek, and then, storming off, chuck the bottle of milk against the wall, hard, so that it bounced off, threatening to fall on her head. The clunk and the slam of the door as Miguel left made Eva jump, a little, stirring in her sleep... but Katiana didn't budge an inch.

Paw outstretched, still holding the milk bottle, Alex brushed something from the vertex of his snout and eye. Then, the tiger leaned in, and gently, tenderly wiped Katiana's cheek clean.

A cloud drifted in front of the Moon, apparently, so that the light that had, until then, washed the room in that soft bluish hue vanished, slowly. Alex's brown eyes glimmered, though--he could see perfectly well, and Katiana still hadn't moved.

"It's okay, little one..." he murmured, leaning in to kiss her forehead, gently, smiling sadly, "Your dad might not be here... but I am."

"And I always will be."

"She's a quick learner--it's kind of scary."

"Alright, now... William Taft, Katiana... tell me when I get to him."

One page was turned, then another. Then another, then another, then another... there! Her hand, still small and weak, slammed down on the book, stopping Alex in his tracks.

The tiger was on a sofa, with Katiana on his lap. In his paws, he was flicking through an elementary book on American history. Over the past few weeks, Alex had been reading the little one the first section. At first, Katiana had just looked from him to the book, blankly... but, recently, she showed signs of real comprehension.

For a toddler, that was beyond incredible.

Alex couldn't be prouder. Caring for Katiana... well, she was still a baby, so it wasn't all fun and games. But she was so well-behaved and quiet that Alex couldn't reasonably complain.

In fact, the tiger mused, as he grinned, and said a few words of soft praise to Katiana, life really wasn't bad at all, nowadays. Miguel was content to stick around to give his kids breakfast, then head off to work until late at night. Upon arrival, he'd smoke, drink, watch some TV, play with his sons, and then, sleep. Eva was charged with taking care of her little sister... but it was only rarely, if ever, that the older girl remembered that babies sometimes needed things like food.

Still, though. Alex didn't have to protect Katiana from her brothers or sister, much. Sometimes little accidents jeopardized the baby, but the tiger hadn't yet had to do anything serious. No one in the house seemed to pay Katiana any attention at all--they were all on summer vacation, and couldn't be bothered with the resident baby.

Fanning himself with a newspaper, Alex sighed. If only Miguel had the money to run air conditioning... ehm, if only the apartment had air conditioning...

The tiger was shirtless, clad only in sandals and a pair of cargo shorts. Katiana was in a miniscule set of pants and a shirt, generously donated by a couple a block or two down the road. It was terrible inside, really--the apartment had been poorly designed. It trapped heat... and in southern Texas, this was a trait that left much to be desired.

Fanning himself with a large paw, Alex sighed. Blinking, for a moment, he concentrated, then put on a pair of sunglasses. There--now things were a bit more bearable.

He leaned back, for a moment, bouncing Katiana on his knee--that made her smile, it always did. The tiger wondered, vaguely, where Kat's siblings were... Eva was probably strutting around the neighborhood with her other preteen friends, giggling and waving at men in their late teens and twenties. Pedro, Francisco and Miguel Jr. were off together, somewhere, no doubt trying to figure out how to smoke pilfered cigarettes or joints, or seeing if they had enough money between them to buy a small pistol of some sort.

"Know what?" Alex said, suddenly standing. "We need a break from this place... no one's gonna be back until later, so, we might as well. What do you say, Katiana? Want to go for a walk with, ah, Uncle Alex?"

What a bizarre title for him, Uncle... ...to be fair, though... Alex did have half-siblings. They'd be... in their early or mid-twenties, now. Maybe they had children of their own?...

Thinking of Alexandra and Chris was painful. But Alex hadn't devoted a thought to what his other family might be up to in... years.

"I don't--no. I do care. But I can't do anything about it, now. ...Someday, I'll try to see them again."

"Someday."

"But for now, I have Katiana."

Katiana was cooing, softly, looking up at him. Her eyes were incredibly soft, incredibly caring, and, of course, incredibly curious--how such a small child managed to portray such a wide range of emotions with a simple look was a miracle that would strike Alex every time he noticed it.

"Heh... you know, I used to worry that you wouldn't be able to see me, little Katiana," he murmured quietly, leaning in to nudge his cold, hard nose against the child's. "I'm so glad that you can. I don't know how I'd live if you didn't look at me."

Katiana was like the Sun--when she looked at Alex, the dawn of her appreciation ended the dark night of sadness, guilt, and remorse that would otherwise swallow the tiger up. He needed her as much as she needed him; their relationship was one that was mutually beneficial.

Hugging her, for a moment, wrapping his powerful, furred arms around her smallish form, Alex's brown eyes peered outside. Waves of heat reflected off of everything, but at least they dissipated in the open-air of the great outdoors--somewhat.

The tiger didn't trust his ability to teleport across great distances, much less with Katiana--not yet. Once or twice, Alex had looked up suddenly from some menial chore and "jumped" incredible distances to carry Katiana away from the apex of a rough game of tag or indoor soccer--that wasn't evidence to the point that he could sneak out for a day trip to somewhere nice and cool... like Siberia.

Running a paw through his hair, Alex sighed. He still had a lot of learning to do before he could be as powerful of a guardian as Alexandra had been.

Shrugging, though, the tiger slipped on a front baby carrier, and carefully set Katiana in it. He vaguely wondered what people would see when they looked at him--perhaps Katiana in her carrier, somehow floating along? Or would they see nothing at all?

"Guess I'll find out, in a minute..."

"..."

"No harm in being prepared..."

By the time Alex had that thought, an automatic had already slipped into a holster on his thigh. Figuring that he could create milk or water as necessary while on the move, the tiger didn't bother to bring either beverage. Instead, he'd travel light.

The tiger left, slyly, careful to lock the door behind him. All the Hernandez children (except Katiana, of course) had house keys, and they tended to leave their home locked anyway--not that it mattered, that much. Miguel commanded a good deal of respect in the neighborhood, so he wasn't likely to be robbed.

"He's probably more than a just contractor," Alex reflected as he stood outside of the door, pausing, to look around.

A moment later, the tiger placed a pair of sunglasses on Katiana's nose; realizing that the baby's vision was just as endangered by the Sun as his. Petting her head until he realized that the affection implied with such a motion would be missed, he started to walk.

The slums sprawled on for only a few hundred yards in any direction. Within minutes, Alex was out--it was like a switch had been flicked, as he left the residential part of the town. One moment, he was walking through the cramped, dirty houses known intimately by lower class Americans, but the next, it felt like he was a hundred miles from the nearest person.

"Man... I think me and Mom lived near Houston, for a while... but I never thought any place in the lower 48 was so... wild..."

Grasses that rose up to his waist flanked the rocky, dusty dirt road that led to and from the neighborhood. There was a forest, perhaps five miles away, separated from Alex only by a brief, leg-stretching run.

"That's right," the tiger said, as he began to stretch, a little--he couldn't get in a full range of motion, due to the fact that he was carrying Katiana, "I do have to keep fit to be a good guardian to you, right, kiddo?"

"Well, actually, I don't know that... Alexandra's always been way fit, and she doesn't seem to need to exercise..."

"Whatever. I'm bored and sick of being stuck in that shithole; I bet Kat is too. We both need a vacation, even if it's only for one day."

Taking in a few deep, long breaths before letting them out, slowly, Alex's mind drifted, a little. Maybe he and Katiana could have a picnic later, or perhaps he could finally try and figure out how to turn into his feral form--assuming he had one, anyway.

It was nice to have a bit of freedom, for once, and Alex intended to take full advantage of it. It had been far, far too long since he'd had the chance to just get out and run, and his natural tendencies towards keeping fit were compounded by his newfound feline instincts.

Stepping off into a jog that was surely a good deal faster than the sprint of most men, Alex instantly felt calmed, happy, even. The wind ruffled his fur, cooling him down instantly, despite the heat. Katiana was well protected from the Sun's powerful rays, so Alex wasn't too worried about damaging her relatively fair skin... as for himself, the tiger wondered if he might get a tan for his pure white fur.

He was a lot more fit than he'd realized--a lot more. The tiger had estimated with a good degree of accuracy that he'd been five or so miles from the nearby forest, when he'd started his jog at the outskirts of town. But within twenty minutes, or maybe even fifteen, he found that he was just breaching the treeline.

Panting, a little, he stopped for a moment. Katiana seemed quite happy, she was looking around in that distinctive curiosity of hers--ever since she'd been brought home from the hospital, she hadn't gone outside of the house. The sights, smells, and sounds of the forests were all entirely new to her, and, despite her extremely young age, she seemed to realize this.

Smiling down at his little friend, as he'd affectionately come to think of her, Alex adjusted the many blankets and garments covering her, and offered her his little finger.

"Quite a grip," he said to himself, entering the forest.

It really was wild--it had trees, and everything. That is to say--the hardy evergreens and maples of the forest reached up to the sky at least fifty feet on average. On the forest floor, it was quite cool and dark; Alex felt a jab of predator instinct as he spied a jackrabbit perhaps fifty yards away.

The tiger closed his eyes for a moment, walking on, so that a simple gray shirt appeared under his arm. Nuts--he'd tried to create it on him.

It was just as well, though. Katiana seemed to want to take a brief nap, which was fine by Alex. How he knew of her sleepiness without looking or hearing her was simple: he was her guardian, her feelings were his.

Sighing, once, taking a second to relish the soft rasps his feet made as they scraped over the pine-needle littered ground, Alex glanced around, for a moment, before taking a seat at the base of a tall, wide-trunked tree. He took a second to grab his tail in his paw, ensuring it was out of the way, before pulling on his hoody and leaning back. Katiana was placed across his lap, head carefully supported by the crook of his elbow... heh. She still hadn't let go of his finger, though she was blinking sleepily, looking directly at him.

"Ssh... ssh..." the tiger said, very softly... Katiana's eyes closed, and she stirred, a little, assuming an apparently more comfortable position in her blankets. Leaning back to yawn a gigantic feline yawn, Alex cracked his neck, stretching out a few kinks in his back.

"Let me know when you're ready to get up, Katiana, okay? I'll be right here," he murmured, slowly closing his distinctive, maple eyes. Resting back against the tree without moving again, a smile spread across Alex's face as he felt Katiana gently fall into sleep in his arms.

"I always will be."

They weren't asleep long--maybe an hour or so. It was plenty of time, however, for a refreshing cat-nap--Alex awoke relaxed and ready to continue this little day trip, again... or, rather, he would be, if Katiana wasn't crying.

The tiger's eyes opened instantly, ears flicking around--she never cried, so something must really have upset her.

With a paw on his GLOCK, Alex looked, in concern, to the baby. Tears streaming down her face, she looked back--though, slowly, her crying ceased.

"What's wrong, Katiana?" he asked softly, wiping her tears away with the fur of his paw, "Just a bad dream, maybe?"

The baby was obviously still upset. She whined softly, slowly calming down due to Alex's attention... but certainly still wasn't her normal, quiet self again.

Eyes narrowing, the tiger stood in a single, fluid motion. Still carrying Katiana in one arm, he drew his pistol, holding it at his side. Suddenly, the forest no longer looked like an oasis of shade and tranquility--it now looked like a battlefield.

Turning quickly, gun raised, Alex's lips pulled back in a sneer--a patch of pine needles had been disturbed, and he'd definitely heard something. He and Katiana... were not alone.

"Thanks for the warning, Katiana... I promise I'll be smarter next time. But for now..."

The tiger wasn't growling, not really; but he was close to it. Rays of sunlight occasionally managed to penetrate to the forest floor, here and there, creating brief bright patches--this obfuscated Alex's vision, a little, but he felt fairly sure that whatever was in the area had gone, at least for the moment.

Escape, now, seemed like the best option. So, gun still in his paw, Alex backed away--slowly, though, and quietly. Shoes moving noiselessly across the padded ground, he took advantage of his multi-directional hearing, paying attention to all of his surroundings, all of them...

The feline managed to back out of the forest without incident. In fact, he was a full ten yards out of it before he blinked and stopped moving, realizing that he was out of danger.

Grinning shakily, he planted a gentle kiss on Katiana's forehead, cuddling her for a moment. Still, his GLOCK was in his paw, and his tail was twitching rapidly, even as he smiled at her curious, somewhat clueless expression.

"It's okay, Kat. We're oka..."

Breaking off mid-word, Alex realized that his nose was twitching insistently, craving his attention.

And so, slowly, the tiger turned.

"Well, now," he said, the smile on his face from sharing that tender moment with Katiana slowly fading, as he tested his grip on his automatic. "I don't think I've ever seen such a big coyote."

The canine in front of him was thirty pounds, easy. Now, that doesn't sound like much, and, to be fair, the animal was a good deal smaller than Alex. Still, though--it had teeth, claws, and a steely expression in its eye, too.

This wasn't a fight the tiger wanted to get involved in--not at all. He didn't even understand why the coyote wasn't afraid of being so close to a human; surely, here in Texas, it would have learned to fear--ah. Yeah. Alex wasn't a human--at least, not anymore.

Still, though, he was a big cat, a predator, and far larger in size than the coyote. Surely the animal realized that?

Maybe it was stupid, or maybe it was just overly bold. Whatever it was, though... slowly, it started to advance towards Alex.

Heartbeat slowly increasing, the tiger backed away, back into the forest. But the coyote kept coming.

Eyes darting around as rapidly as his tail lashed around behind him, Alex found himself starting to hyperventilate, a little, increasing the amount of oxygen available to his brain and muscles. The situation was deteriorating, but still, Alex didn't overreact, maybe things could still be salvaged...

Eventually, though, his back hit a tree, he could retreat no further. But the coyote was still inexorably advancing, ears perked up sharp and erect, eyes wide, centered on Katiana. Closing his eyes for a moment, Alex paused... then set her down.

Behind him.

Stepping forward, he made his body a shield between the predator and the otherwise helpless Katiana. Finally, the animal seemed to notice him, and growled, loudly. Alex replied with a snarl, albeit a silent one... and dropped his pistol.

"Gunshots aren't good things for kids to hear. Don't want to damage her ears," he murmured vaguely.

Slowly crouching, Alex kept his lips pulled back, baring his teeth. Motion disguised somewhat by the strange lighting, he did something, then, totally on instinct--without thinking about it, or realizing it, beyond that it would keep Katiana safe.

"Look away, little Katiana. Fights aren't good things for kids to see," growled the fully-grown, feral white tiger.

For a moment, just a moment, Alex was surprised with himself--and so was his enemy. As he flexed his claws, as well as all the taught, lean muscles in his body, the coyote seemed, for a moment, to shy away in search of a less dangerous meal.

"You're not looking, are you, Katiana?" Alex asked--or, he thought he did; he had no idea if his feral speech came out as English to her, or just a series of incoherent growls--as his enemy seemed to come to a decision and commit to taking her, even if it had to come directly through him to do that.

"No?... good."

It was silent--the tiger watched, muscles tense, as his enemy circled, a little, trying to get an angle, waiting, waiting for the coyote to make his move. Apart from the slight, hardly audible shifting of dirt and fallen pine needs, Alex heard nothing, saw nothing, smelled nothing, except for Katiana... and the animal that posed a threat to her.

The coyote was fast. But Alex was faster, by a thousand times.

Time seemed to slow as it darted forward, paws and blunt claws gripping at the ground, making for Alex. The tiger had a moment to merely stand, calmly, weighing his options, taking into account everything, thinking up the most efficient counter possible--before reacting.

The canine's head shot forward as the distance between it and Alex closed, intent on taking a bite out of the tiger's collarbone or shoulder.

Too slow.

Alex's paws--many times as large and powerful as the coyotes--came up, spreading out to throw aside the canine's pathetic forelegs, their lean, sinewy bones almost falling apart against his mighty limbs. It had exposed its neck... and that was a mistake that would be fatal.

The bite was swift, powerful, and brutally precise. Alex leaned forward, a little, targeting what he instinctively knew to be the coyote's jugular and throat--his jaws opened, wide, but not as wide as they could have--before he snapped them cleanly shut, gave his muzzle a vicious toss... and released.

For safety, the tiger kept his paws pinned down atop the coyote's forelegs. Blood dripped from his maw, slowly, collecting on the ground, splattering against his furred wrists, as he looked down, confirming his kill.

There was hardly a point, though--Alex had neatly snapped the coyote's neck. The shock alone had killed the animal, and the severance of its main artery meant that if the tiger had somehow failed in that attack, it would have bled out within seconds anyway.

Alex wasn't even panting. And his enemy hadn't even had time to let out a yelp of shock, or pain.

"You didn't look, did you, Katiana?"

After taking a moment to clean his maw, obsessively, so as to not frighten his ward, so to speak, the tiger padded over. Peering over into her little bundle of blankets, he had to smile--she was, already, half asleep.

"It's not scary anymore, right?"

The question had been rhetorical, mostly, to calm Alex's nerves. But, impossibly, despite the fact that he was still in his feral form... Katiana nodded, if slightly. Alex blinked, and asked himself if he'd just seen what he'd thought he'd seen... then smiled again.

"Good. I'm glad I could make you safe, Katiana. I'm glad," he said, picking her bundle up in his teeth, carrying her in a manner that allowed her to rock, naturally, as he moved through the forest again, "that I can be a good guardian."

"Pedro, give me back my fucking truck, you pendejo. Give it--or I'll tell Papi, and he'll whip your sorry ass."

"Francisco, why are you such a jackass--fine, take your fucking truck, I don't give a shit, it's a piece of shit anyway."

"Don't talk shit about my stuff, faggot, or I won't wait for Papi to come for you to get an ass-whipping."

"God," Alex groaned to himself. "Can't you keep it down? Your sister's trying to get some sleep in here--thank you."

Of course, Miguel's two youngest sons hadn't heard, much less heeded Alex's words. Rather, they'd taken their little confrontation outside, after being told by a neighbor to "Shut the fuck up, or I'll forget who your Papi is."

Summer was ending, now, and, in the last weeks before school started, Katiana's siblings were cramming in all the goofing off they'd been meaning to do. Even at two--almost three--Pedro's vocabulary... or, at least, certain portions of it... rivaled that of most adults, and he made use of his practical arsenal whenever given the opportunity.

Miguel thought it was funny.

At only two years older, Francisco find it exasperating, and, at seven, Miguel Jr. was indifferent. As for Eva... beh, who knew. She didn't seem to care about her brothers one way or the other, only bothering to maintain amiability with her father. Sometimes, she played with her sister... but still, it was obvious that Katiana was, and would probably continue to be, a pariah in her own family.

Like Alex had been.

It was dusk, now, and Miguel had taken off some work to come home early and spend some time with his kids--or, at least, four of his kids. Miguel Jr. and Eva had been charged with getting things together for dinner, and, Alex had to admit, the smells coming from the kitchen weren't bad at all.

"Maybe I'll have to pinch some of it, I'm sure they won't notice--right, Katiana?"

She wasn't crawling yet, of course, but she was easily capable of sitting upright, for minutes at a stretch, and even turning herself over while lying down. At this rate, Alex estimated, she'd be crawling by the time she hit the four month mark, and walking by the time she hit six or seven.

At the moment, she was in her crib, toying with a hanging structure that Alex, in fact, had made, though the rest of the family assumed that someone had donated it, or something. She seemed to be starting to tell letters, symbols, and numbers apart already--that was impressive, even more so than her ability to recognize the names of people she'd never met.

Alex saw perfectly at night, even when it was pitch black--it was a useful skill. Even though Miguel commanded a good deal of respect in the neighborhood, now and then, a vicious wrestling match or knife fight would break out nearby. None had threatened Katiana, of course, but Alex took no chances--every time something remotely violent happened, he'd get a weapon into his paws and wait it out, never far from Katiana's side.

Clad in athletic shorts and a tee, he yawned, leaning back in a seat Eva had pushed up to the side of the crib. Taking care of Katiana was a more or less full-time job, so he could take catnaps when she did, usually. Even though he could make food and such for her in the blink of an eye, there was always something to do--reinforce the crib, which was always falling apart, find a new set of clothes, et cetera, et cetera, ad infinitum.

Not that he was complaining, of course. Being Katiana's guardian was tiring, but rewarding--and, Alex hoped, as she grew up and got to be more independent, he'd have to take less of an active role in her life, and would be free to sit back, proverbially, and watch over her as, it seemed, Alexandra had done to him, 99% of the time.

"I wonder if, when she's older, self-aware, and everything... will she still see and hear me? Will she still be able to play with me and smile at me...? I don't think I sensed Alexandra much, until that day when I got attacked by dogs..."

"...I hope she'll be able to talk to me, or that she'll at least express her feelings or whatever in a way that I can understand. I hope."

"Guess I'll find out soon enough."

An explosion of noise was heard from the front door--Miguel had returned home. Eva and his eldest son were off, instantly, to greet their father--Pedro and Francisco followed him in, their little spat forgotten, for the moment.

Alex ignored it all--it had nothing to do with him or Katiana, and, with luck, the most Miguel would do to his youngest child was leave her the fuck alone. The tiger reached down, offering his protectee a finger--she took it in her surprisingly tight grip, and toyed with it for a few moments, gumming it slightly.

That was when Miguel entered.

Alex turned, and, instantly, his expression hardened. Obviously, he could do nothing, even as Miguel stepped directly through him. The tiger smelled alcohol on his breath; tequila from a bottle that his eldest son had sampled before offering his father.

"Hello, shrimp. How've you been--it's been a while since I saw you."

Indeed, it had been at least a week, in Alex's recollection, since Katiana's father had spent more than a few seconds around her. In Miguel's defense, though, the tiger struggled to recall a recent incident in which Miguel had done something really horrible--mostly, he just ignored his daughter. Live and let live, as it were.

Yet, Alex's continued existence made it almost certain that he wasn't going to turn over a new leaf.

"That's right," the tiger thought to himself as Miguel gently lifted Katiana up out of her crib, feeling the fur on the back of his neck stand, "Mom was sometimes nice to me; so were her boyfriends. Sometimes. Overall, they were still terrible, though..."

Carrying in daughter with an unreadable expression on his face, Miguel started to murmur, softly, whispering into her ear. Alex's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he stepped forward, a little, head canted, sensitive ears perked up to hear what he was saying.

Then, he almost jumped back in disgust.

"I have to say," the tiger said quietly, even as Miguel smiled, showing off what a good relationship he had with his youngest child to the rest of his kids, "I don't even understand Spanish, that well... but language like that...!"

Alex suddenly moved as Katiana slipped through her father's fingers, after he tossed her up into the air. It was an "accident" in the sense that that's what his kids would have called it, but the tiger was absolutely certain that he'd seen an unmistakable, malicious glint in Miguel's eye.

Fortunately, though, he caught her, if barely. Landing on his chest, the tiger was winded, for a second, and sat up, painfully, relieved to see that Katiana was alright--she wasn't even crying.

"Oops..." Miguel said a moment later.

Then, lifting his daughter directly out of Alex's grip, making the tiger's lips peel back in an angry, threatening snarl, he unceremoniously dumped her back into her crib. Then stormed out, as Francisco, Pedro, Eva, and Miguel Jr. looked on.

Scarcely glancing back at their sister, the rest of the Hernandezes left, intent on enjoying what time their father could give them. Alex recalled that his worker's visa was certainly expired by this point, and wondered, vaguely, if he'd changed jobs, or if his employer was just taking a calculated risk--either way, Katiana wasn't going to be affected by any increase in the family's income. Not at all.

"I can't believe you're going out! It's gotta be ninety five out there--c'mon, don't--bah."

Eva wasn't changing her mind.

Recently, the only other girl in the family had taken to parading her sister around the neighborhood in a stroller donated by relatives of the Hernandezes that lived several blocks away. Alex had, at first, thought of it as a good thing; after all, Eva was Katiana's big sister. Then, though, the tiger had come to realize that Eva thought of the six month old as something of a surrogate daughter.

After all, she was nearing her teenage years, and birthing a child seemed to be something of a rite of passage for women in this community, and Eva wanted to be an adult as soon as possible; Alex could see that without difficulty in the clothes she wore... or, rather, lack thereof. A miniskirt, a bare midriff tank top... it made the tiger wince every time her saw her dressed like that, which was often. Hopefully, Katiana would never, ever, ever, ever, ever reveal herself so much. Especially not before turning thirteen.

Grimacing at the ordeal ahead of him, Alex strapped a .45 automatic, a USP, to his side, and twirled a butterfly knife around in his paws before snapping and locking it shut, then clipping it into a pocket. The tiger pulled off his shirt, then, swapping it for an undershirt.

Then, he paused, and grinned.

"I guess I've started to assimilate already." Indeed, the tiger was dressed almost stereotypically--sneakers, socks that didn't reach his ankles, and loose, dyed denim shorts that hung down to his calves. All he was missing was a blatantly fake, "blingalicious" belt buckle and gang tattoos... Alex pulled a face at that. He had no intentions of assimilating that much.

His Spanish was, however, steadily improving. He realized that it was more and more occasional when he came across a word he didn't recognize, and, despite hardly having tried it in his life, he was starting to acquire a taste for Mexican cuisine.

Eva somewhat sloppily placed her little sister in a stroller, and paused, for a moment, fixing a cell phone, knife, and can of pepper spray to her belt; all the Hernandez children went armed, nowadays. Alex took the opportunity to actually buckle Katiana into the surprisingly decent piece of equipment, and then they were off.

Pulling a pair of sunglasses he pulled out of the air with surprisingly little effort, Alex trailed either alongside Eva, or behind her, or walked backwards, in front of Katiana. There were some things he'd never get used to, and the agitated lashing of his tail suggested that 95° weather was one of them.

The tiger surmised, both from the prolonged glances Eva received from neighbors huddled around fans and open refrigerators and her overconfident stride that Eva took undeserved pride in being viewed as the one that cared for Katiana.

"Whatever. As long as Katiana's okay... it's alright; right, cutey?" Alex smiled, watching as Katiana reached up and grabbed his finger, less than comfortable with her new surroundings.

For a moment, it seemed like this day would turn out as any other. Eva would find her friends, and, together, strut, parading Katiana around town. Alex would be bored out of his mind by their silly, pointless talk, and then--

Suddenly, he turned on his heel, finger never leaving Katiana's grip. A car had pulled up aside Eva--a low-rider with powerful speakers cranked all the way up, so that dull, less than clear thuds echoed through the neighborhood.

Much to Alex's horror, confusion, and disgust, Eva did little more than smile, pleased with herself, as the teenage boys--fourteen through sixteen, only a year or three older than her--wolf-whistled after her, making overt advances that were nothing if not sexual in nature.

"Pedophilia?" Alex murmured to himself, humorlessly. His paw dropped to his pistol, but then, he stopped himself. "I can only get involved on Katiana's behalf," he said. "So, no matter how disgusting this is..."

Eva was all too easily coaxed to the side of the car, and didn't seem far from getting in. She'd abandoned her little sister entirely, again proving just how badly Alex was needed.

"Whatever," the tiger growled, as Katiana squeezed his finger tightly, able to tell that something was wrong. "She wants to make bad decisions, that's on her... as long as they don't affect this cub--kid."

Eva was in the car now. She paused, though, and looked at her sister's stroller. Said something to the boys inside.

The slap that landed across her face made Alex flinch.

Despite the squeal of its tires as the car sped away, suddenly, Alex could still hear Eva's protests and screams coming from inside.

Alex's childhood had been, in many ways, hard. But this... was beyond anything he could possibly imagine. Yet, it was reality for Katiana; this was the sort of garbage she was already growing up around.

This was the kind of thing he'd have to protect her from.

For a moment, the tiger was struck by his task. He was alone in his battle against the world, really, and the stakes couldn't be higher--under his watch, would Katiana find happiness, someday?... or would her fate mirror that of the poor girl that had just been taken away in front of him?

Suddenly, he blinked, and looked down, instantly met by Katiana's large, curious, green eyes.

Despite everything, Alex had to give her a somewhat shaky smile.

"Don't worry, Katiana," he whispered. "I'll never, ever, ever let anything bad happen to you. Ever."

She was walking now.

It had happened in front of the entire family, though Alex couldn't help but suspect that he'd witnessed the first, last, and only time his Katiana's family would watch her do anything important for her. He hoped he'd be proven wrong, someday, but certainly wasn't holding his breath to wait on that remote possibility.

Alex watched Katiana progress and grow daily, at an almost startling rate. She wasn't speaking yet, but, from time to time, made sounds that were somewhat similar to the various names of her siblings... or Alex's.

Eva sometimes walked her sister, but, more and more often, she was spending large amounts of time out of the house, either with her girlfriends, or her "boyfriend"--a lanky fifteen-year-old with a scar on his arm and an affinity for brutality. Once, Alex had seen him teach one of his fighting dogs a lesson. The tiger was a predator by nature, but even he felt shocked by the amount of violence that had been dealt out so readily.

Still.

For the time being, it seemed, Katiana was safe from the goings on of the world around her. But Alex couldn't help but feel that everything he was watching was a threat, of sorts, or a warning--he needed to be prepared to protect her at any time, for any reason, from anything or anyone.

So the tiger had started to make use of free time that was gradually opening up, as Katiana became more independent--she no longer needed to be played with every minute of every waking hour; when bored, she found a toy or book of her own and sat down to occupy herself--he ran more, much more, practiced the skills that he, as her guardian, had been granted, and spent every other spare minute, it seemed, pumping iron.

The results were obvious and came easily; within just weeks, Alex was in the best shape of his life by far. He had to eat a lot in order to maintain his physique, but very often, these days, he found himself pausing and grinning confidently when he caught glimpses of his reflection, here and there.

Alex could teleport, now, with good accuracy, though not over great distances, yet, as Alexandra had been able to. He was also able to create more and more complex objects without too much difficulty, and, nowadays, he was spending more and more time in his feral form.

There was a very simple reason behind this newfound affinity--when feral, Alex found that it was easier to act on instinct alone. He didn't have to think, didn't have to wonder, didn't have a mind that constantly needed stimulation. Simply, he didn't have to think about Alexandra, and what had become of her--this was a question that visited him more and more by day, due to his position: Katiana was starting to want some time away from her guardian, it seemed, yet, the monotony of her environment didn't interest or excite Alex as it once had.

As a feral, the emotion of dread was also rather dulled. Alex didn't particularly fear that much for Katiana's life anymore, and he did what he could to make her future positive, safe, prosperous. What he was starting to notice, though... was that Katiana no longer seemed to be able to notice him as easily, or as readily, as she once had.

This was the fate of a guardian, Alex realized. As a feral, sometimes he searched his mind, pouring through his earliest memories, and, here and there, he noted, were signs that he was not as alone in the world as he'd often felt. Apart from those occasional exceptions, however, his mind was devoid of any real, solid evidence to Alexandra's existence--until they'd formally met, of course.

It always made him smile, though, when she looked up at him and set a miniscule hand on his nose or cheek. Even when she cheekily tugged at his whiskers or fur, the tiger grinned... no matter how much he knew that these happy days were numbered...

"I'm so proud of you, little Katiana," he smiled. "Your first day of school..."

Alex was on who he'd come to think of as his daughter's bed. She was nervous; he could taste it--almost literally. His connection to her had never dulled, not even the slightest--if anything, over time, it had grown; in contrast with the way that she had, for all intents and purposes, forgotten him.

She was going to school alone--her older siblings, and, indeed, almost every other school-aged child in the neighborhood didn't bother with getting an education. Her father seemed to think it particularly useless for a girl "as dumb as Katiana", so it had been Alex who had filled out and submitted the proper paperwork to get her into kindergarten.

The girl was dressed in a chaste pair of jeans--a tough find, in a place like this... unless, of course, you had a guardian as good and dedicated as Alex. She wore a simple polo shirt, and had done her auburn hair into a ponytail with a simple black band. It was seven o'clock in the morning; the bus didn't come for an hour... but it was Katiana's de facto responsibility to make breakfast for the family. Officially, Eva was supposed to help, but when she did spend the night at home, which was rare, these days, her father always seemed to say that she needed her rest, and as it was Katiana that had killed her mother, it was her responsibility to take over the maternal duties of the house.

Even Alex wasn't entirely sure about how Katiana felt about the manner in which she'd entered the world. And he wasn't sure that he wanted to know how she felt, exactly.

No one else was awake at that hour, and Katiana herself was too nervous to notice that the food she was cooking never burned, or that, inexplicably, the table had set itself, or that she managed to carry everything from the kitchen to the table in one trip.

Now, with everything ready, it was time to go and wake her father.

Despite everything, Alex had come to grudgingly respect Miguel Hernandez Sr. Although he'd never, ever forgive the man for treating his daughter the way he did, he did provide a better living for his family than many in this neighborhood did. He didn't let his illegal status stop him, and now not only worked as a contractor, but, Alex surmised, controlled a rather reputable group of construction workers.

It didn't stop the tiger's fur from bristling, though, as Katiana entered her father's room.

He was sleeping peacefully on his bed, bothering neither with covers nor a shirt. When he'd arrived in Texas, Alex had been, I fear, something of a shrimp--now, though, the feline could peer down at the man's chest without jealousy; he was every bit as muscular as the built Mexican.

Katiana quietly made her way to the window, and, slowly, adjusted the blinds so that a few rays of bright, orange sunlight spilled into the room, onto her father's sleeping form. Alex watched as her pupils dilated, far more slowly than his did, then stood next to her, astride the bed, as she started to speak...

"Papi... Papi... it's morning, Papi... time to get up..."

He was a light sleeper, and, a few seconds later, opened his eyes. Then closed them, and turned away from his daughter.

"¿Cocinaste desayuno?" he asked. "Did you cook breakfast?"

"Si. Buenos dias, Papi..."

He made no reply to that. Katiana took that as a signal to leave, and, a moment later, was at the door, checking her backpack for the hundredth time.

Alex smiled, and set a paw--one that she couldn't feel--on the girl's head. Of course everything was there--a folder, a notebook, two pencils, and an agenda book. Most everything was a hand-me-down from Miguel Jr., who had spent a few years in school, but the backpack, in fact, had been jointly purchased by Pedro and Francisco.

They were, all three of them, good brothers, Alex reflected. That is, good brothers for being part of a gang, at such young ages, despite the example their father set. The lure of easy money, protection, and other benefits was too strong, it seemed, for them to resist. Their father hadn't yet figured things out, but when he did, Alex didn't want to be around--and he wouldn't let Katiana be around, either.

For now, though, the situation was bearable. Alex hoped that it would hold out for at least some time, until Katiana was well adjusted to school life. Because if things got really bad, and the tiger believed that they would, then he and Katiana were on their own--she had no relatives. Alex had checked on that, several times, but had ended up deciding to assume that perhaps Miguel was the black sheep of his family--the tiger hadn't heard him refer to siblings or parents or other relatives, ever.

Alex sighed to himself, and set his paw on the girl's head, walking alongside her. Now wasn't the time to worry about things--this was a big day. And, the tiger realized, he'd never have to worry about what might happen to Katiana at school, because he'd never be far from her. He was, after all, her guardian.

By the time they were home, Alex was hissing in rage. It was all he could do to hold himself back from lashing out at something--just let someone cross him or Katiana, he thought. He'd adore the chance to let loose, and really see what damage he was capable of inflicting.

As a person that had grown up all over the country, Alex had very occasionally seen what he'd come to believe were the dying throes of racism. It was never anything he could call really horrible--it was mostly the dumb stuff; casually thrown around anti-Semitism and stereotypical comments about other minorities.

What he'd seen today, though, made him wonder if, at least in some cases, things had really changed from how they were in the eighteenth century.

Katiana hadn't shed a tear, though, or even shown that she'd taken note to anything that had been said about her or done to her. Most sickeningly of all, it wasn't just other kids or their parents that had been guilty--the teacher had treated Katiana, shall we say, less than politely, throughout the day.

"Next person that says something bad about her gets a broken arm," Alex swore to himself, still growling, as he walked, at Katiana's side, back towards the neighborhood--the bus driver had refused to within a mile of the slum, and, to be honest, Alex could understand why.

This gave him a few minutes to calm down until he felt comfortable with looking down at Katiana, resisting from doing so before for fear of somehow transferring some of his outrage to her.

She was expressionless, though Alex knew that she was aware of what had been done to her. A brief flash of intuition gave her insight into her mind--yes, she was thinking about one of the many faces that had been cruel to her that day.

Sighing to himself, Alex placed a paw on her head. She couldn't feel it, not in the physical sense of the word, but the tiger knew, somehow, that he'd lifted her spirits--just a little. He'd served his purpose.

Alex had never particularly enjoyed school, but he could tell that Katiana would have a far, far harder time in the public education than he ever had. An unfriendly chill ran down his spine as he realized--he'd come to this conclusion after only one day in kindergarten.

Two years later, Alex found his hypothesis only backed up, time and again, by reality.

"Second grade..." Alex murmured, "only ten years to go."

He helped Katiana take her books out of her locker, picking up a pencil she'd dropped and putting it back into its case. For just a second, he was certain she'd seen him--her eyes, as green and curious as ever, met his. For just a second.

After that, she predictably turned away. Alex simply stood and made sure that she'd forgotten nothing, before shutting the locker's door for her.

The school was quite large, responsible for the education of over two thousand students. There was so much activity in the hallways that Alex didn't see how it was possible that not even one person noticed a locker door closing itself, but he'd learned long ago to not bother wondering about things like that--it was simply how the universe worked.

He followed Katiana into her classroom, paws in his pockets. She'd dressed up that day, in an unbearably cute pair of jeans and blouse--so, rather superfluously, Alex had done something about his own appearance. He'd gelled his hair, spiking it up in the front, and his own attire was expensive and flattered his built, defined form. Cargo pants and a tucked-in white shirt made him look ten years younger, like he was a twenty year old again.

"I haven't really aged since I met Katiana," the tiger reflected. "I guess it's got something to do with me being her guardian. I'll have to ask Alexandra about it--she never seemed to get any older, but I know I did."

It had been years since she'd left him, but he missed her every day. Having thought of her so suddenly, Alex had to stop where he was and shut his eyes--he still loved her so much, and longed to have her back, if just for a few minutes, so that he could apologize to her.

Homeroom had started, Alex realized, and Katiana had already found a seat at a table full of surprisingly decent-looking little girls. She was too shy to immediately talk, though her English was perfect, but Alex smiled regardless as he hovered next to her.

"Go on," he urged, "say something, Katiana. Introduce yourself."

She looked at each of the table's occupants--a short blonde, a freckled redhead, and a blue-eyed girl with hair precisely her shade of auburn. At the same time, Alex took note of their names, written on their desks' tags. The blonde's name was Lara Connor, the redhead's was Sara Croft, and the blue-eyed brunette was Samantha Eisen. The tiger had seen Lara before, he realized, but the other two were completely new to him and Katiana.

A few minutes remained before school started, and most of the other students in the classroom had already introduced themselves to those around them. Katiana's table, however, remained silent.

Alex sighed. The school year was going to be Hell if no one would even say hello on the first day.

Finally, the blonde spoke up, in a very soft, high-pitched voice. "Hi," she said, "I'm, um, Lara... who are you guys? I never seen you before... 'cept for you," she looked at Katiana.

"I'm Katiana... I think I saw you last year..."

"Really? That's great," the blonde said with an accepting smile, making Katiana, and therefore Alex, instantly smile back. "Who are you two?"

Sara and Samantha answered at the same time; Katiana smiled at that. So did Alex, though he realized that he'd have a hard time telling Sara, Lara, and Samantha apart.

They seemed to like Katiana, though, and for that, Alex would make his best attempt. For once, things seemed to be going Katiana's way--the teacher smiled at her as she passed out the class's first assignment, making a slight, pinkish tinge appeared on his little girl's cheeks.

"Alright, class," the teacher said, "I'm Ms. Baker. I'll tell you more about me later, but for now, I want to find out about... you." She smiled. "Please fill out the papers I've passed out; write as neatly as you can. I'll be around to pick them up in a few minutes, okay? Remember to raise your hands if you have any questions."

Canting his head, Alex peered over Katiana's shoulder. He reached forward, using his white furred finger to help him keep track of what he was reading.

"What do you want to be when you grow up; what did you do over the summer; what kind of things do you like to do for fun... hmm. Looks like this lady actually knows what she's doing." Alex didn't quite approve of this Ms. Baker, though. No matter how good she was, she couldn't possibly be good enough for his little Katiana.

Still, though, as the day went on, the tiger couldn't help but feel a growing feeling of respect towards the teacher. She was fun, sure, but tolerated no nonsense--the few times she couldn't keep her class fully occupied and things came remotely close to getting out of hand, she reacted, albeit a little harshly. Alex approved.

And Katiana was responding well to the environment. When the day finally ended and she waved goodbye to her new... not friends, not quite yet--Alex could feel her enthusiasm. Unlike the previous year and even more unlike the year before, he had occasionally needed to pressure Katiana to go to school. Perhaps second grade would be the turning point in her education career--in her life, even.

It was far too early to call that, but the signs were good. Alex boarded the bus along with Katiana, pausing only to glance around, ensuring that she'd forgotten nothing. School was going well, so far, but the tiger knew that Katiana's life at home would never be enviable.

They were walking home, side by side. Katiana was still smiling, and Alex was in his feral form, dutifully glancing around--he felt concerned, for some reason, as if something wasn't right. As far as he could tell, though, everything was normal. It was still hot and sunny and the neighborhood was still depressing to look at--but everything was normal.

The cuffed tip of Alex's tail twitched, slightly, as they approached Katiana's home. His mind ceased to wander over the homework assignments his little girl had received--something was wrong.

Though the tiger was completely certain of this, he had no idea what, precisely, was wrong. Just that it related to Katiana.

He stood up in his anthro form, brow furrowed. Without wasting a second to lament his inability to tell Katiana to hang back, Alex jogged forward, toward her home. His nose told him a moment before he entered that Miguel was home--and he was never home so early on weekdays.

The tiger entered through the shut front door, phasing through it as if he didn't exist at all--which he didn't. At least, not in the secular, physical sense. He looked left, then right--then froze.

Miguel Hernandez Sr. was a relatively responsible, sober father. Years before, Alex had enjoyed the occasional indulgence, and so he had no right to condemn the Mexican for periodically doing the same. But six empty Corona bottles and the rapidly dwindling amount of hard liquor left in a tall bottle suggested that Miguel was doing a lot more than simply indulging.

The tiger hissed a swearword he would never have let Katiana hear, and left the building before Miguel could bring the bottle to his lips again.

Alex tried to stop her. He really did--he shouted, and tried to block her physically, but even though he was her guardian, it seemed that he couldn't protect her from everything.

The cruelty of watching and being unable to do anything as Katiana made her way towards imminent pain was difficult for Alex to put into words. He tried to hold Katiana back, tried to pick her up and carry her away, but she simply walked directly through him. Soon, the tiger gave up--mostly.

He couldn't physically help Katiana, so he tried something else. At times, he recalled, Alexandra was able to warn him of impending danger. Katiana was just a few steps from the door--but Alex had to try something.

The tiger concentrated hard, attempting to relay everything he knew was in store for her if she walked through the door. Pain, hate, rage, hurt--and more. For a moment, he thought he'd succeeded; Katiana's smile faltered, and she paused, midstep.

Then, she opened the door.

"No..."

Alex followed a second after he heard Miguel shout a string of words so venomous that they made his fur stand on end. His feline legs gave him strength, and speed--but he still wasn't fast enough to protect Katiana from the first blow. It landed on her cheek, deforming flesh until it hit bone--then, with an audible crack, it forced the girl's entire body back.

Several moments later, Alex registered that Miguel was so "upset" because he'd lost his job. Economic difficulties were starting to take their toll on the illegal immigrants of the nation; there simply wasn't enough work to make hiring a poor Mexican for well under living wages a viable business model.

The tiger had seen a few families leave to return to Mexico over the summer, and his sympathies were with them. They'd left a desperately poor and corrupt nation to do what they could to better their lot in the US, but America had failed to give them prosperity or any other reason to stay.

Alex wondered what kept Miguel north of the border. He noticed that in the community, family bonds were unbreakable; everyone had abuelitos and abuelitas and tí __os and tí_ as_ and primos over to visit all the time, with the exception of the Hernandezes. Perhaps, like Alex, Miguel was the black sheep of his family.

None of this excused what he did to his daughter that afternoon. Or what he would have done if Alex wasn't there.

"Gotta hand it to your dad," the tiger murmured perhaps half an hour after entering the house, as he peeled his shirt off, wincing in the effort. "He's got one Helluva right hook."

Under his pale, striped fur, Alex was rather bruised. His flesh still hurt to touch, and even the liberal application of ice didn't help much. He hissed, softly, then sighed, running his fingers through his thick, protective facial fur and then over his head, cleaving a furrow through his hair.

"Poor Katiana."

She was on her bed, face down, and hadn't moved since her father had released her--not out of mercy, but out of reverence for the fact that he was about to pass out. Alex sat next to her, and set a marvelously soft, comforting paw on the back of her head.

He ran his fingers through her wavy, auburn locks, for a moment, and sadly chuckled.

"What a first day of school, eh?" He waited for a smile or laugh or sign that he knew wasn't coming, and sighed.

Things were no less painful in his feral form, but Alex was somewhat certain that his connection to Katiana was... not deeper, but somehow different, when he was more animalistic.

Katiana didn't have a comforter. No one in the area had nor needed one, thanks to the climate. But Katiana's blankets were frayed and had holes. Moments after Alex noticed this, they were as if brand new.

The tiger neatly folded his paws under his chest, sitting next to the small human on her bed. He looked down at her, for a moment, then leaned over and gave her cheek a feline kiss--he touched his cold, wet nose against her, then used his tongue to brush aside a few errant strands of hair.

Alex expected no response. He was so sure of what was going to happen--or what wasn't going to happen--that he shut his eyes, keeping his head perked up, intending to take a brief nap.

He almost jumped out of his fur when he felt her touch him.

Katiana was resting her head against his powerful foreleg, arms wrapped around his chest. Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing and feeling--he looked around, almost to make sure that the rest of the universe's laws still applied, before staring at his little girl.

She was certainly there; she was certainly nestling her face in his soft, comforting fur. Alex stared at her for a long, long time--she wasn't his blood, technically, but their relationship, it seemed, was not one sided. Katiana loved him, though she couldn't display it much. Half-consciously, the young girl smiled up at her feline protector.

Alex smiled back, and soon began to cover her in kisses. He wasn't her father, but he was her guardian--and he would protect her from everything he could--even a lack of love from her own father.

At some point, the tiger had fallen asleep in Katiana's arms, an invisible stuffed animal for her to cling to when she needed comfort. When he woke up, she was quietly napping, and, judging from the distant, slowly falling tangerine in the sky that was the Sun, it was early evening.

Alex yawned, and carefully left Katiana's side. As he hopped off of her bed, he adopted his anthro form, and made his way out of her room.

Orange and red sunlight permeated into the small flat, making Alex's pale fur change its appearance, so that he almost looked like a normally colored tiger. His pupils contracted in the light, then grew again as he stepped into Miguel's room.

None of the other Hernandez children were around. Alex guessed that Eva was staying with a boyfriend, somewhere, and that Katiana's three brothers had entered, sensed that it was wise to give their father a wide berth, then cleared out. Maybe they were practicing with Chinese-made switchblade knives, or maybe they were exploring the wilderness near their home--just then, Alex didn't particularly care.

Miguel was in a drunken sleep, nude from the waist up, messily wrapped up in the sheets of his bed. His tanned, thick chest rhythmically rose and fell, and Alex smelled the heavy scent of alcohol still on his breath. The man would have an intense hangover when he got up.

But, in Alex's opinion, that wasn't enough punishment for what he'd done to Katiana.

Of course, the tiger had healed her in a matter of moments. The angry mass of bruised flesh on the entire side of her face had melted away under his care, becoming as sleek and neatly bronzed as it was before.

But she'd still been hurt, physically, in addition to the incalculable damage Miguel did constantly by failing to be a father to his youngest child. Alex wouldn't tolerate that.

He stared down at the man before him. Extended his claws. And raked them over Miguel's belly.

Nothing happened, but that didn't change Alex's intentions. He'd just have to use another mean to the same end.

The tiger looked around the room; he was rather unfamiliar with it due to how rarely he entered it. There wasn't much--a nightstand drawer with a revolver and Bible in it, a closet with clothes and tools, and nothing else.

Over time, Alex knew that he could influence real world physics--albeit slightly. Unfortunately, since there was no poorly balanced weight over Miguel's head, this didn't help.

He continued to stare at the man--this was the man that hated his daughter, that wished harm on her, that refused to care for her. He was the one that had struck her.

Alex was snarling by then, both visibly and audibly. His claws were extended, and it astounded him that the simple amount of rage he felt towards Miguel hadn't somehow translated to a form of energy that the man could perceive, and wake up. Surely the human could sense such malice, somehow.

After a moment, though, it seemed that simply hating Miguel wasn't enough. And Alex wasn't going to leave without ruining his sleep--and more.

Perhaps focus was the answer; after all, that's what had nearly protected Katiana earlier that day. To be sure, he wasn't Miguel's guardian. But it didn't hurt to try.

Alex kept staring, attempting to inject scenes of unspeakable violence into Miguel's dreams. It wasn't easy--first, he had to penetrate the thick cloud of stupor produced by the alcohol. Then, he had to actually enter Miguel's mind.

It was hard to say how long it took Alex to make the man break out in a cold sweat. He wasn't very good at what he was trying to do; but, with effort, the tiger was fairly certain he'd made a vague threat to the human. He'd connected Katiana's beating with a flashed image of open pair of fanged, powerful jaws... and blood.

Almost panting from the effort of what he'd done, Alex opened his eyes. Looking down at Miguel, he felt no remorse--only satisfaction. The man had curled up into a fetal position, and, he sensed, it would be at least some time before he did something to his daughter again.

Alex had done his job for the moment, and quietly slipped out of Miguel's room. By the time he'd crossed the distance between the doorway and Katiana's room, it was dark.

Where Katiana had inherited her intelligence was a question that had befuddled Alex since he'd met her. Maybe it was a genius ancestor, perhaps from generations before her time--or maybe it was a divine gift. Alex didn't know.

Whatever it was gave the foresight and motivation to sit at a desk too big for her, recovered from the scrap heap by Alex, and write the alphabet over and over and over again. Her handwriting was very good, for a second grader, but Katiana couldn't be told to stop while she was ahead.

Alex was sitting on the desk, next to Katiana's papers. He almost felt like a housecat, and reflected that he'd killed mice on Katiana's behalf several times. Though, he'd never eaten one, owing to the fact that to him, their feet seemed like they'd be far too cold going down.

Thinking of food, Alex realized that there would be no dinner if he didn't get it ready. It was getting quite late, and Katiana's brothers still hadn't returned home, and he knew better than to imagine that Eva might drop by to cook. Miguel, of course, was unreliable.

"Make the line on that 'Z' a little straighter, Katiana... there you go. Good job." The tiger patted her on the head. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

He couldn't have been told that his words were useless; no one but him heard them. Alex was certain that Katiana was affected by what he said to her--after all, he could pick several instances out of his memory in which he'd randomly felt better, for no discernable reason at all. Alexandra was to thank, he was sure, and perhaps he could make Katiana's days pass more easily if he treated her like her father should have.

The tiger made his way into the kitchen, the white, striped fur on his forearms and shins bare. Again he'd elected to wear a pair of denim shorts, sneakers, and a somewhat loose tee. The apparel was comfortable, and, he had to admit, the laid-back fashion that many in the neighborhood seemed to favor was starting to grow on him.

Alex hadn't had much Mexican food in his life. Even after he'd been whisked off to Texas to take care of Katiana, there simply weren't many opportunities to snag leftovers from the meals that Katiana cooked--her father and brothers had healthy appetites.

And, of course, when he was with Alexandra, his diet was best described as "white."

However, after helping Katiana in the kitchen for years, now, the tiger was certain that he'd picked up at least the rudimentaries of Mexican cooking. He didn't bother wondering who the Hernandezes would attribute the meal to--Katiana would think that Miguel did it and Miguel and the boys would think that Katiana did it. Miguel, though, was probably out for the rest of the day and the coming night--Alex wouldn't miss the man's presence at the dinner table at all.

Stretching his padded, furred digits, for a moment, the tiger started to get ingredients out of the small, dingy refrigerator in the back of the kitchen. After chopping up some onions, jalapeños, and tomatoes for salsa, Alex used a hand press to prepare corn tortillas.

Shredded pork and ground beef were easily warmed up in seasoned, boiling water; as they cooked, Alex sliced bell peppers, lettuce, and grated cheese. Then, though, the tiger realized that he hadn't planned things properly. He'd have a hard time finishing all the dishes to the proper level of doneness while cooking the tortillas--a dismayed expression made its way across the tiger's face, and he found himself wishing that he had an extra pair of arms to help him. Or Alexandra.

Visibly saddened by that thought, Alex didn't notice his little girl drift into the room. When she brushed past him, he felt it, and jumped a clear two feet into the air--when he landed, his fur looked like it had been charged with electricity; it was standing on end and his tail lashed about, rapidly, even as he told himself, over and over, that it was just Katiana.

Apparently, she'd lost herself in her work so completely that she didn't realize that half-cooked dinner had appeared on the stove in and of itself, apparently. As Alex assisted her, ears flattened to her superiority at the task, he thought he saw her pause in confusion once--but that was all. Katiana was nothing if not cool and controlled.

The tiger paid close attention to what she was doing and in what order she did it as he gave Katiana a boost up to the counter so she could take out the plates--the next time he got a chance to, he made up his mind that he was going to prepare dinner for Katiana, by himself.

Dinner was ready precisely on time, and, picking up a book she'd been assigned to read--by the next month--Katiana sat at the table, lightly kicking her feet. She knew better than to start eating by herself--if she did, her brothers might give her trouble when they got home.

If she was hungry, she hid it so well that even Alex didn't know it. He smiled at Katiana, reading a few lines from her book over her shoulder, for a minute, before deciding that she was best left relatively alone. After all, he was nothing if not a silent companion to the little girl.

Soon, the tiger was in his feral form, resting next to her chair. His eyes were shut but head was perked up; he looked noble and powerful and protective and gentle and, for want of a better word, huggable, all at once. Due to the lighting, his coloration could best be described as cookies 'n' cream.

If only Alexandra would come back to him. They'd have so much fun, two felines prancing around, chasing one another, playing together, friends for years. If only she would come back.

As he sat there, half-conscious, Alex reflected that he had searched for hope in various forms ever since he'd found Katiana. Introspection yielded only darkness, and religion wasn't much better. Miguel and his boys, and little Katiana too, were nominally Roman Catholic, but although Alex had tried to find solace in Christ, he couldn't believe that anyone would die for his sins. Only he would have to suffer for them, he believed.

He tried not to be too sad, though. After all, he had to take care of Katiana. And she brought him enough happiness to allow him to ignore his sadness, his sins, as long as was necessary to give her a good life. After that... he'd deal with things.

Alex probably dozed off at some point. It felt like more than a few seconds had passed since he'd had his last conscious thought... and a prickle of concern danced its way up his spine.

Slowly, his eyes, almost the same shade of Katiana's skin, flickered open. His brow furrowed, and, a moment later, he was on his two, anthro feet--with a .44 his paw.

There was only just enough light left in the sky for Katiana to keep reading, and she looked occupied--Alex didn't bother to try to communicate with her. After all, this could all just be a false alarm.

The tiger made his way towards the front door. Peered through the eyehole. Then, he jumped aside.

That motion might have saved his life; or, perhaps, as a guardian, bullets would have no effect on him. Alex had no intention of finding out for sure.

A thumb-sized hole was blown out of the door by the shot that had been fired, its report echoing around inside. Katiana looked up, for a second, and Alex saw her curious green eyes widen before she started to scream.

"Calm down! Calm down!" the tiger yelled, hiding next to a window. "It could just be an accident. Calm down, Katiana..."

Miguel hadn't yet woken, it seemed, and the rest of the neighborhood was silent. After he felt relatively sure that he could control his heart rate, Alex carefully peered outside--what had just happened?

"Shi-it," he said. "Oh, shit... c'mon, Miguel, get up..."

Miguel Jr. and Francisco were reasonably good fighters. Alex had seen them roughhousing with their father, as well as practicing with one another and on cheap plywood boards probably from the nearby dump--they could hit hard, and dodge just as well.

But two young boys versus a gang of teenagers? The Hernandez brothers had no chance. They couldn't remotely protect their younger brother, Pedro, from repeatedly being stomped on by one of the biggest Mexicans Alex had ever seen--a member of the six foot tall, bald, tattooed, three hundred plus pound club.

Katiana was safe, the tiger realized; she'd retreated into her father's room--probably to wake him. Alex watched, though, with a growing sense of dread. If the contractor--or, now, ex-contractor--didn't get up soon, he'd have only two sons, not three.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." the tiger murmured. He suddenly hissed, loudly, outraged at his own inability to do anything--he could only protect Katiana. Pedro's safety was out of his paws.

Out of sheer anger, Alex raised his revolver and pulled the trigger. He was so surprised when the gun fired that its hammer nearly hit him in the head; his arm hadn't absorbed the recoil well.

The tiger stared forward at the gangbangers--they were taking cover, baggy clothes trailing in the air behind them as they ducked behind cars and houses. Miguel, Francisco, and even little Pedro were left alone, for the moment, as things started to get ugly.

Soon, the Hernandez boys were trapped in the middle of a vicious firefight, kissing the street as Alex exchanged fire with the gang members. The tiger was a good shot, but, he realized, some of the gangsters had automatic weapons--cheap MAC-10s or 11s. He repeatedly had to take cover as swarms of 9mm and .45ACP bullets chewed through the front of the flat, peppering its interior with bullet holes.

Alex could only pray that Katiana was safe, as he continued to fire--he got lucky, managing to catch one gangster in the chest as the long-haired teen tried to move forward, but there were still ten or so of the thugs to fight, and he was only one man with one gun.

Soon, though, the tiger realized that there was a lot more outgoing fire than could possibly be fired by one revolver--he turned, taking cover, as a series of rapidly-fired 9mm shots sliced through the window just next to him, and saw that Miguel was up.

Alex wasn't sure precisely where, when, or how the man had purchased a cuerno de chivo--a ram's horn. But the tiger was more than grateful for the legendary firepower of the AK47 as he started to fight again--together, he and Miguel were starting to turn the tide of the battle.

When the gangsters realized that they were fighting against a man with an assault rifle, they rapidly turned tail to retreat. Alex watched them run for a good second before focusing on his own priority--Miguel was rushing outside, still armed, toward his sons.

"Katiana? Katiana!" the tiger called, shakily reloading his revolver, just in case. He moved through the house, rapidly, glancing into each room--but he couldn't find his little girl. Where was she hiding?

Finally, Alex found her in her room. He'd almost missed her, she was taking cover under her bed, and it was only thanks to her brilliantly green eyes that the tiger had found her at all. She was crying the slightest amount, more scared than anything else, but Alex ignored that. Immediately, he slid in next to her, and only after checking every inch of her small, precious form for injury and finding nothing did he hold her tightly.

"It's okay, Katiana," the tiger said quietly. "You're okay... you're okay, baby..." His words comforted himself more than anyone else.

They spent the rest of the night together, alone in the house except for Francisco and Miguel Jr., who did nothing but pace, as far as Alex knew, until several hours after midnight. The older boy had armed himself with his father's rifle, but the gangsters didn't come back.

Not immediately, anyway. But they might, someday, with the sufficient numbers and guns to execute the entire Hernandez family. Alex wasn't sure what the boys had done to offend the local gang, and how Miguel had lost so much standing in the community--but the tiger was sure that the next morning, when the man and his injured young son returned home, he agreed with Miguel's decision.

They were leaving.

One of the advantages of having relatively few worldly possessions, Alex noted, was that it was easy to rapidly drop everything and leave. When Miguel returned from Dallas, he came back with a few duffel bags--after ordering his children to fill them up with their possessions, the man didn't waste a second in ushering the family to a nearby bus stop.

The walk took perhaps ten minutes; Alex spent most of them helping Katiana carry three bags at once. He glared at Miguel, seeing that he was only carrying two and his older boys only had one each--Pedro was carrying nothing.

Their wait wasn't long, and Alex was glad because of it. Though it was still before six in the morning when they got onto the bus, the hot, Texan sun was already beating down on them. The tiger helped Katiana haul the heaviest of her duffel bags into a cargo bay, then sat down next to her.

He looked around, tiredly; the Hernandezes were the only ones on the bus. The vehicle wasn't air-conditioned, but a few fans were running--who knew, the trip might actually be bearable. The seats were a bit hard, but Alex didn't mind. He simply let Katiana rest her head on his thigh, and tried to collect himself.

He wondered where they were going. Doubtlessly, it was very far away--staying anywhere near Dallas meant that they might someday be tracked down. Miguel had to leave the area entirely, maybe even the whole state. Alex rather hoped that the man would think of changing his families' names--that might give them a bit more leeway.

The white tiger found himself absently stroking Katiana's wavy, auburn hair. Looking down, he saw that she was asleep--apparently, they'd been travelling longer than Alex had realized, because Pedro and Francisco were also dozing off.

Outside, varied terrain passed them by. Plains, sometimes with trees, more often with just grass, intermingled with farms to the area west of Dallas--it was somewhat picturesque, and Alex found himself wishing he had a camera, at times. Ever since he'd found Katiana, he'd barely left her neighborhood or school or the path connecting them. He was hungry for a change of scene--and it looked like he might get what he was hoping for.

"Where do you think we're going, Katiana?" Alex said to the girl sleeping at his side. He gently caressed her small hand in his soft, white paw. "Arizona? New Mexico? Or maybe as far as California? I've never been to Cali before..."

Katiana didn't answer, of course. Alex realized that she rarely spoke, let alone to him. Her shyness wasn't a handicap--it was just that she often didn't have anyone to talk to. Her father never wanted to hear her voice, and her brothers simply weren't around much. And her sister...

The tiger looked up, realizing something. He didn't recall Eva ever joining her family again--in fact, the last time he'd seen Katiana's sister was over four months before.

Eva, it seemed, had been abandoned. Either that, or she'd thrown in her lot with her boyfriend, or her gang, or someone else--and abandoned her family first. Alex wasn't sure he'd ever find out, but Miguel wasn't talking, and his sons weren't asking.

Though the tiger felt little sympathy for Eva--if she had indeed put her family at a lower priority than whoever she was going around with these days--the ease with which Miguel left his oldest daughter behind disturbed him. Alex stared at the Mexican for a long, long time, trying to figure him out--but he couldn't. He never would be able to understand a man that hated any of his children so much.

They drove almost nonstop until evening, pausing only twice to switch buses at some small towns in the middle of nowhere. Alex spent most of the time asleep, as did Katiana and the boys--his excuse was that he was feline, and therefore needed to nap as much as possible. Not that he was missing out on much. Just looking outside at what passed them by got old within two hours.

When the tiger felt the bus slow down, he blinked, and sat up. A little less than an hour remained before dusk, so the sky was predominantly orange, painted so by the sinking Sun's dying rays. Alex looked at the digital clock situated at the front of the bus--it was 5:15 in the evening. It had been half a day since Katiana had last eaten.

She was still making herself at home at his side--presently, the little girl was resting her head against his ribs, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Alex wasn't sure what it looked like to Miguel, who, he noted, was very awake--but he didn't care. It annoyed him, though, that he couldn't give her something to eat, regardless of how hard he tried.

Alex nudged Katiana once, then twice--then she stirred, and slowly sat up. The tiger gave her head a kiss as she quietly yawned, then turned to look, with her, outside. It seemed that they were in a desert of some sort--maybe they were as far as Arizona already, but buses tended not to move very fast. Alex guessed that they were somewhere in New Mexico.

The Hernandezes were still alone, except, of course, for Alex. The tiger wondered why no one used the public transportation system; he always had when he'd lived in society. Maybe it was too inconvenient, or too dangerous, or everyone felt that they were too good for it. Maybe other illegal families preferred the train or some other busing company--Alex had no idea. What was important, though, that they'd arrived at their destination, at least for the night, without difficulty.

They left the bus somewhat dazed from the hours of travel and lack of food and water. Katiana could never have managed to carry down the luggage she was responsible for on her own--fortunately, Alex was there to help her. A moment later, the family was on the ground, in front of a lonely building at the side of the road. The bus drove away without hesitation; the driver didn't glance at his only passengers for more than a second before he was making his way back to the highway.

Alex looked around, noting that he'd managed to appropriate two of Katiana's bags, carrying them both himself. This town was a small, rural one, and the tiger wasn't sure what work Miguel hoped to find--perhaps this wasn't their final destination. That seemed likely.

"Come on," Miguel said, not even attempting to give his boys, let alone Katiana, an encouraging smile. "We're gonna get a room and something to eat, and leave in the morning."

"Okay, Papi," Francisco tiredly replied. "Let's go, Pedro... we'll get you something nice to eat soon, okay? C'mon, little bro."

The three brothers convinced one another to follow their father--Katiana was, rather unintentionally, ignored. They often simply forgot that they had a sister alive. Alex glared daggers at them, for a moment, before sighing, and picking Katiana's remaining bag up--along with the young girl herself.

"Come on, Katiana," the tiger said softly, gritting his teeth with the exertion of carrying so much stuff. "Give me ten minutes, then I'll make sure you get plenty of food, okay? Anything you want... mac 'n' cheese, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, ribs... enchiladas, burritos... pecan pie..."

Alex fell into thoughtful silence after that. It wasn't that he was sad--he was still disoriented and waking up, after all. Rather numbly, the tiger wondered how his own cub might have liked to go to the desert someday.

Soon, the white feline had managed to stumble his way into a $20 per night motel, just outside of town. The place was as cheap as it seemed--the sheets had been washed, probably due to the threats of some local regulatory board. That was about the closest thing to an amenity it offered, though. The wallpaper was chipped or scraped away entirely, in some places, and the room smelled of tobacco despite being advertised as "non-smoking."

Still, it was relatively dark and quiet inside. The town was too small to be very attractive to gangsters--its residents simply wouldn't stand for it. Perhaps a few drug dealers might pass through, from time to time, but they'd know better than to make trouble. During his life as a human, Alex had learned well how unwise it was to cross a tightly-knit community--like the one that probably lived in the same town they'd be for the night.

"Use your sleeping bag, puta," Miguel said without even looking at Katiana. "Your brothers have the bed. Stay here," he spoke to all of his children, now, "I'll be back in ten minutes."

With that, the man left. Alex had bared his teeth, he realized--after forcing himself to calm down, he helped Katiana unpack her own duffel bag, then spread out her own small sleeping bag on the floor.

They were near the highway, so the constant rumble of passing cars somewhat annoyed Alex as he left the room to get his bearings. He trusted Katiana's brothers to not make life too difficult for her; after all, they were as exhausted as she was. A lone streetlight with a shaky connection--every so often, it would dim and almost die--poured bright white light outside of the motel. And beyond a thirty yard wide forest of tall evergreens and the occasional fern was a sound barrier--then, the highway.

After circling around to the back of the motel, Alex saw where Miguel had gone. The town's main street had, hopefully, several take-out places that were both cheap and acceptable in terms of quality--but Katiana wasn't going to have greasy Chinese or Mexican that night. Not if Alex could help it.

The tiger made his way back into the motel. He paused--the town was located on the top of a relative hill, so that from his position, Alex could see for several miles in any direction. And, apart from the occasional ranch and trailer, there was nothing.

The Southwest was a lonesome place to be, Alex thought, as he scoured miles and miles of expanse. Only dry, scattered bushes and groups of rock punctuated the vast plains of nothingness; this was nothing like the crammed inner cities or packed suburbs that Alex had known in his life. Certainly, they were foreign to Katiana and her brothers.

"I wish I could take you for a walk again, Katiana," the tiger said quietly. He imagined himself with her in his arms, or holding his paw, humming and licking an ice cream cone, just exploring what the world had to offer them, even if it was seemingly nothing more than barren desert and cacti. Surely, somewhere out there, there was something to see.

"If Alexandra was around, the first thing I'd do--after all the other first things I have to do," Alex thought with a sad smile as he turned to make his way back to the motel room, "is ask her to travel with me. I'm not a human anymore; I haven't aged a day since I met Katiana. If that's still true if--_when _I see Alexandra again... well, look out, world."

Somehow, he managed to make himself smile before phasing through the door, back with his little girl again. Katiana was following her father's advice--she'd peacefully curled up on her sleeping bag; her sleek auburn hair neatly running down the tanned curve of her neck. Alex sat down next to her, motionless--he was concentrating. What he had in mind might well have been beyond his reach in normal times, but now, Katiana really needed to be shown that she was loved, even if it was by a trans-physical tiger that she had no memory of.

Alex's focus wasn't on a specific will, this time--gun here, pencil there, shut door, et cetera. It was on a broad-based need--Katiana's hunger, and not just for food. When she was a baby, Alex had provided everything for her, but now, when she was more aware of the world around her, things were different--difficult.

But she still needed him.

It was neither quick nor easy. But, after fifteen or twenty minutes of careful, deep meditation, Alex's warm brown eyes slowly flickered open. He looked around the room, once--Miguel was still gone, and the boys were sleeping, just like Katiana. He hoped that they wouldn't wake up--a situation might result, then, that was not physically explainable.

Alex smiled, for a moment, at what he'd achieved, then set a paw on Katiana's cheek, or made to. For a moment, he couldn't help but look down at her; she was almost too beautiful to touch. When the tiger finally made contact with the young girl, his paw grazed her butter-soft, tanned skin so lightly that she wouldn't have been able to feel it if he was "real".

"Katiana..." he said, quietly, "wake up... c'mon. I got you something to eat... Try it, okay? I don't think you've ever had Italian food before, right?... well... I grew up on it." He slowly withdrew his paw, as Katiana began to stir.

A moment later, she was stretching, and yawning, silently, not having opened her eyes yet. Alex merely sat, quietly; everything was already just in front of her--all she had to do was to notice it. The tiger simply waited, watching, quietly, until Katiana looked down, and gasped.

"Don't worry," Alex cooed, softly, to calm her down--she'd done no wrong; there was no need for her to look back and forth, rapidly, wondering what was wrong. "No, Katiana," the tiger continued, quietly. "It's all yours... just yours. I got it for you, see?"

His white and black fur made him stand out against the bare, grungy surroundings of the room and its floor. Though Katiana couldn't see Alex, she could feel the results of his softly spoken words--slowly, the little girl calmed down, and sat forward, just a little.

She'd probably concluded that this was a dream, of some sort--an incredibly detailed dream that didn't end when she pinched herself, or tried to. Alex was a capable guardian, and a fast one, too. All Katiana could do, really, was to stare down at the plate of spaghetti, marinara sauce, and roasted chicken before her and wonder what on Earth it was--she'd never seen anything remotely like it before, not once in her life.

Alex moved to help Katiana, to teach her how to neatly, quietly enjoy the robust flavors of Italian cuisine--then, though, he stopped, and decided to let her figure things out for herself. It wasn't that he was under the wrongheaded assumption that, someday, he wouldn't be there to hold her hand and walk her through things if she needed it. He just wanted to see how creative and smart she really was.

Not ten seconds later, and Katiana was eating far more cleanly and properly than Alex ever had in his entire childhood. The tiger laughed, briefly, and then, in a single, smooth motion, leaned forward and transformed into his feral self. Shortly, he wrapped his body around Katiana's seated form, acting as a living, furred armchair of sorts. He could feel her eating, from the slight motions that danced up and down her back. Lazily, Alex shut his eyes.

It wouldn't be long before Miguel was back. The tiger somewhat suspected that the man had elected not to buy anything, or anything of substance, at least, for his daughter to eat, but now, it didn't matter. After a few minutes, Katiana was finished eating, but she was too tired to do anything but pile her dishes up and then lean back, inadvertently snuggling up not only into her sleeping bag, but into Alex, as well.

At first, Alex was tempted to stay awake to hear what Miguel wanted to say to his sons--then, he decided that if the man wasn't going to wake Katiana up, he wouldn't get up, either. There was nothing that needed to be said between Alex and Katiana's father.

The previous day had been long and exhausting, and that's why Alex and Katiana were both entitled to as much sleep as they could possibly want, and then some. In his sleep, the tiger had curled up around Katiana tightly, almost squeezing the small girl. She didn't mind, of course, grateful for the inexplicable warmth of her sleeping bag--for an unfamiliar bed, it was a good one.

In the end, it was Alex that woke up first. He did so absolutely exhausted, only barely managing to stagger to his feet, stretching for several long moments before yawning, and daring to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds. The windows were open, he noticed, and judging by the position of the Sun, it was midmorning--it wouldn't be long before the Hernandezes had to clear out of the motel room, and Alex was quite surprised that Miguel hadn't told his daughter to get ready several hours ago.

"Maybe he lost track of time.... I guess I should try to wake... him..." Alex's thought ground to a halt, even in his mind, as he turned, halfway, looking over his shoulder--

To see that the motel room was empty. Miguel, Pedro, Francisco, and Miguel Jr. were all gone, along with all of their bags. Only Katiana's small duffel bag was left behind, in a corner, probably kicked aside as if it was some useless, worthless piece of garbage.

Alex was still, for a full minute, slowly sniffing at the air, turning his head--but everything he saw and smelled suggested that the only one in the motel was Katiana, and that's how it had been for several hours. Her family had left her in the very early morning, he guessed, and by then, were probably several hundred miles away--nigh untraceable.

The tiger shivered, visibly. It wasn't an expression of confusion, or fear--rather, to say that Alex was angry, just then, would be a statement that he'd likely violently disagree with.

He wanted to scream, to roar, and then he wanted to vanish in midair, like Alexandra had, to wherever Miguel was, and then destroy him so completely that no one would mention his name for a thousand years--but he forced himself to calm, to bite back the angry, hot liquid rising in his throat. Katiana needed him to be logical, then, not vengeful.

But what could he do? Miguel was gone. There was no way to get to him; Alex didn't have the slightest idea what the man's end destination was. So, the tiger supposed, the best thing he could do for Katiana... was to go back into the motel, make breakfast, and wait for her to wake up to a world that was a thousand times more dangerous and unfriendly than the one she'd fallen asleep to.

In a daze, Alex staggered back inside. Life for Katiana had, until less than a day ago, had been quite stable. What had changed everything so quickly, maddeningly, would never really be known to her or him, for that matter. The only thing Alex knew was that Katiana was still there and she still needed him. That kept him focused.

Before the tiger fully realized it, he'd made breakfast. He didn't really know what it was--it was probably something bland but healthy, something that would keep life going and that was all.

Alex's thoughts were, all at once, incomprehensibly fast and deviously, pathetically slow. Of the thousands of impulses that occurred to him every minute, such a lonesome few were remotely plausible or practical that he might have been asleep. Even after Katiana woke up, and slowly, quietly walked around the room, calling, "Papi, Papi," Alex had only determined that, somehow, they needed to get back to Dallas.

And when they got there, they needed to lay low.

Whoever Katiana's brothers had found enemies in, for whatever reason, could very easily pose an insurmountable threat to her. Alex didn't like the idea of being anywhere near such dangerous people, but there was no choice. The only documentation Katiana had was her birth certificate--everything else was tied into her school, because, officially, her neighborhood didn't exist. Indeed, aggressive bureaucracy, a problem when Alex was a child, had not been solved in the slightest with the passage of time.

Alex imagined that he could find somewhere for Katiana to live--somewhere near school, because education was her best hope in life. There was probably some abandoned property that she could squat... no, he doubted it. She'd have to get a job, at the age of nine, and find a way to provide for herself--food, rent, clothes, and any number of other living expenses. Life wasn't going to be easy for his little girl.

But Alex would make it as easy as possible. He doubted that he could wash dishes or clean floors for her, but he knew that he would do everything he could do. After all, it was his job.

After eating, and fully grasping the gravity of her situation, Katiana was just as numb as Alex--but she thought more coherently than he had. Just two minutes after sitting, uselessly, unsure of what to do next, she'd stood, slung the strap of her duffel bag over one shoulder, and started to walk.

Now, at about midday, judging by the Sun, they were in the middle of the desert. Katiana had lost track of the constant weight pressing down on her, enabling Alex to appropriate her bag, hefting it far more easily than she could. He towered over her, standing between her and the Sun--hopefully, his shadow was as real to her as it was to him.

The tiger was wearing his new standard of clothing, denim shorts and a rather baggy shirt. Though he would have considered such a choice of clothing unprofessional at another point in his life, he now saw its functionality--it was perfect for endless travel across the empty, desert landscape of the southwest.

The sight behind him, he knew, was exactly the same as the sight before him. Alex knew this, though he hadn't turned around to make sure of it once. Sand, hills, dry, cracked ground, cacti, bushes... no, there was nothing remotely pleasant about this landscape. If he ever found Alexandra again, New Mexico would be the one place they might not visit.

The heat made it worst of all. Though Alex had draped a bandanna over his head, so he felt somewhat like a Saudi sheikh, less the robes (and suicide vest), it was still offensively hot. The tiger was panting, sweat freely flowing out of every pore in his body--he wasn't at all built for weather like this... well, that wasn't quite true. As he recalled, "real tigers" lived in a multitude of environments, and deserts were, in some cases, among them. Still, Alex wasn't built for it.

"God," he panted, blinking, half-blinded by the bright light despite the sunglasses he wore. "It's going to take days to get back to Dallas... I don't know how Katiana's gonna be able to take it. Poor thing," he sighed. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about food or water."

He smiled down at her, and, a moment later, set a small, sleek pair of sunglasses on her nose. Anything he could do to make her life easier was something he would do.

The tiger adjusted the strap of the duffel bag over his shoulder, and kept walking. There was nothing about the area, and, save for the distant sounds of rushing cars, it was completely silent, as well. It was difficult to keep morale high in such depressing surroundings, but Katiana's only chance at, well, anything, required Alex to be positive. Every step he took was one step closer to Dallas.

"You know, Katiana, you're amazing," the tiger said. "You let your dad and brothers go like that," he snapped his fingers. "Same thing with Eva. It's kind of creepy, 'cause I know that you loved them. But you just let them go, because doing anything else might literally get you killed. I don't know how I got a guardian when kids like you exist, Katiana."

He reached down to ruffle her hair in a friendly sort of manner, then felt around until he was holding her hand in his paw. Smiling at the feeling of holdings hands with her while she was awake for the first time in several years, Alex found it a bit easier to keep walking, though it still seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere fast.

"You're a quite girl, Katiana," the tiger said, after a few minutes. "I used to be like that, too. I always thought it was because I had nothing to say... then, when I was older, I realized that that wasn't it. It's more that... I didn't have anyone to talk to."

She didn't reply, but that was only to be expected. After all, she couldn't hear him.

"You know, Katiana," Alex said, quietly, "if you ever have something to say... I'll listen. I'm always here, after all."

"I know."

Within a second, Alex looked like someone had plugged him into a high-voltage generator and turned it on. He managed not to jump, though his heart skipped one, or two, or a few beats--he stared down at Katiana, ears perked. Had she really just spoken to him?

"Katiana, did you just... nah, heh, must be hearing things... I'm getting old and lonely... Hoped that that would happen after my thirtieth birthday... oh, well..." Alex sighed, and gave Katiana's hand a slight squeeze. If only she would talk to him--he'd listen to everything she had to say, and more.

"I can't see you. But I know you're there... right?"

Alex didn't react as badly this time. Before Katiana was done speaking, he managed to look down at her, watching her lips move--yes, she was talking, and to him. The tiger stared again, for another moment, only barely managing to keep moving, before he felt Katiana squeeze his paw.

Then, he smiled.

"Yeah, Katiana... I'm here. I always have been," he said, "since... a few minutes before you were born."

She nodded, quietly, and watched as a nastily sharp rock was kicked out of her path--courtesy of her guardian. That made her smile, for just a moment, and feel around, briefly, until she had a vague idea of where Alex was.

Then, she rested her head against his hip, though she didn't stop walking. Alex didn't recall being particularly tall, not when he was a human. Ever since he'd come to Dallas, he'd towered over most people he came across--most, of course, were poor Mexicans like Katiana, which led Alex to believe that he was still of relatively average height. He'd never quite thought to measure his height, but, just then, he realized that Katiana was somewhat tall for a seven year old girl--and most seven year old girls came up to the navel, at least, of a normal sized man.

"So... what are you?" Katiana asked, softly. "I can't feel you very well... you have fur, right?"

"Lots of it," Alex replied. "I'm a tiger. A white tiger," he added. "I'm not scary, though, I promise. I wouldn't hurt a fly--except when you're in danger. That's the only time," he said.

"Thank you," Katiana smiled.

"De nada," the tiger replied. "After all, I'm your guardian."

She didn't say anything more, for a few minutes. Continuing to walk, Katiana simply rubbed Alex's side--stifling the desire to chuckle, or squirm, the tiger allowed her to get used to what he felt like. After all, she'd never really touched him before.

"God, it's hot out here," Alex panted, as Katiana's silence continued. "I don't know how you can take this, Katiana--whoops." She'd almost tripped over a heavy rock. The fall that would have resulted might have cut her up pretty nastily, but Alex caught her, easily manipulating her weight in his paws.

"It's not so bad," she said, softly, smiling--apparently, she liked the feeling of being gently pulled through the air by a soft-furred guardian. "It was bad when it was quiet. But now that I know you're here, it's not so bad. ...Please stay with me, okay, Mister Tiger? I don't want to be out here, all alone."

"Don't worry about it, Katiana," he reassured her, patting her head so that she could feel, however briefly, the weight of his paw against her. "I'll never leave you. I never have, not for maybe... maybe five minutes. And I'm not gonna leave you now for a second."

She nodded, quietly, but Alex knew that that was just her nature. Like him, it seemed, she would grow up somewhat lonely--well, not somewhat. Both of them, he thought, had never had a friend in the world. The first person he'd found that really, truly accepted him... was Alexandra.

And that made Alex think...

They stopped walking well before sundown, mostly out of exhaustion. Alex didn't actually remember when, exactly, they finally gave in and collapsed, but after a few minutes of panting, licking his lips, he looked down to see that Katiana had decided to use his chest as pillow. He smiled, at the feeling, and brushed a few strands of straight auburn hair out of the young girl's face, and simply lay still, for a moment.

Then, gently, so as to not wake her, he stood. By the time the tiger was on his feet, Katiana's sleeping bag was out and unfolded. He set her down on it, watching her, for a moment, to make sure that she was alright--then, Alex stretched, briefly, working the kinks out of his back and arms.

Katiana hadn't had much water that day--no problem. She probably wasn't very hungry, because although she didn't show it, Alex knew that the way her father had simply abandoned her had hit her hard. She would recover, though--he would see to it.

He could have put together a fire in a heartbeat--literally--but for some reason, the white tiger found that he'd prefer to do things by hand, at least to a degree. Alex had never been a boy scout, but he did have some sense about him--that, and his mate had taught him this and that about camping. Their honeymoon had been long and had often not involved hotels, tents, RVs, much less set residences.

Though he created his own wood, paper, and matches, Alex took them time to assemble them by hand. The mundane, somewhat satisfying task gave him time to think, to relax, even--and taste some satisfaction when he was finished, a hot, crackling fire as the fruit of his work.

The tiger sat, for a moment, back hunched, staring into the shapes the flame made. His face was grim--he knew that although not much could be said about Miguel's parenting skills toward his youngest child, at least the man had provided food, shelter, water, clothing. Now, Katiana would have none of that--now, she had to get it for herself.

Well, not entirely by herself. Alex would be to help her, of course, as long as she needed him. But life would not be easy for his little Katiana. Life hadn't been easy for him, and Katiana's position made him feel grateful about his childhood. He wondered what they would do--maybe Katiana could get a "job" at a restaurant or Mom-and-Pop shop somewhere in exchange for some money, a room, and food... that could work. Police hopefully had better things to do than ruin Katiana's life by punishing her employers for violating minimum wage laws, particularly since miniature wars were going on not just at the border but above it, in their own backyards.

Alex rubbed at his chin with a paw. He thought, briefly, of the millions or billions of other children in the world that grew up to poverty, or conflict, or tragedy, or all of the above--surely at least some of them had guardians too? It had to be that guardians could not sense one another; that would decrease the single-minded obsession they had with those they'd been assigned to protect.

He sighed. His only company for the next years, it seemed, would be Katiana. That was okay, mostly, but Alex still got lonely from time to time--he wanted Alexandra, desperately, but to talk to someone, just for a moment, would make his life much more bearable.

Not that he had any right to complain about his situation. He'd put himself in it, for one thing, and Katiana needed him, for another. He thought of her as a daughter, he realized, or perhaps an older brother. Alexandra treated him as if she was his older sister, from time to time--perhaps this was a holdover from the days that he constantly, desperately needed her... but didn't know it.

There was meat of some sort roasting above the fire, Alex realized--he wasn't sure when he'd put it there, but a second later, his powerful nose told him that lamb was for dinner. There was no sauce, no spice, no marinade, nothing fancy, nothing at all--not even utensils. The tiger didn't care--he would cut it into a edible slivers or chunks with his claws, and then Katiana would have her meal.

His mood couldn't have been called good, then, not exactly. He was satisfied, yes, but neither complacent nor truly happy. It didn't take much to sour Alex's mood as well as the unreadable, blank expression on his face.

Sensing danger, the tiger looked up--apparently, nothing was wrong. Katiana was still asleep, quietly, softly, safely; there wasn't anything about her that didn't belong. Alex sniffed at the air, briefly, but he didn't detect any scents that the desert at large didn't offer. There was the metallic tinge of rock; the raw, unpleasant bite of sand; the fleshy odor he'd come to associate with the mixed animal life of the environment...

Alex stood--he knew what was the problem, or at least he thought he did. Slinking forward toward Katiana, he seamlessly made the transition to his four-legged self--like that, he'd be closer to the ground and therefore a lot more quick at eliminating the probable threat to his little girl.

When the tiger got closer still to the small female, he knew that he'd guessed correctly. His nose didn't guide him to his target--his intuition, and his will to protect Katiana did. He lowered himself, becoming motionless for a second as he calculated the vector that his paw would make in just a second--

In the briefest instant, Alex had moved, swiping just next to Katiana, just above the ground. The soft clatter of a scorpion's armored body coming apart told him that he'd done his job, if the somewhat bloody explosion directed away from the little girl didn't. She couldn't have known what danger she was in just then--but, in her sleep, Katiana smiled.

And that made Alex smile.

She didn't wake up after that, not exactly. Regardless, Alex lifted her into her arms and fed her, slowly--she opened her eyes and looked up at him without saying a word. She reached up, as well, resting her miniscule hand against his cheek, as if testing whether or not she could really feel him, if he really existed. Alex had shut his eyes, briefly, pressing her appendage between the side of his face and his shoulder--but when he looked down at Katiana again, she was asleep.

She wouldn't remember meeting him when she got up; that, or she'd write it off as a strange hallucination. He knew this. And he also somehow knew that it would be quite some time before she ever said a word to him again, or looked into his warm brown eyes with those brilliantly green orbs that he'd come to love the first time he'd seen them.

This was the pain of a guardian.

"My ancestors already wandered through one desert, and that was for forty years. This really shouldn't be necessary."

No amount of whining, though, was going to make things any easier for him or Katiana. The tiger really had no idea where they were, not geographically--he simply knew, somehow, that they were going in the right direction. He also knew that if he wasn't there for Katiana, if he couldn't provide her with water and food on demand... she'd have been dead long ago. No one would ever find her body because no one would know where to look for it and no one would care to, either.

He carried her much of the time, walking forward in a slow, shuffling, almost as if he was a zombie. They stopped to sleep after dusk, and were up and walking again before dawn. In this manner, several days passed before they were back in Dallas.

Incredibly, Katiana was not attacked when she got home. No one was waiting for her at school; the gangbangers seemed to have assumed that when the Hernandezes left, they had left completely and would not be coming back. This was, in Alex's opinion, quite true. Katiana was no longer a part of her family--she only had herself, and him.

That would have to be enough for her.

To her classmates and teacher, Katiana simply said that she'd been sick, and that was explanation enough. What had really happened to her was a well-kept secret, and no child without a guardian as talented and dedicated as Alex could have possibly maintained it for very long. The tiger did everything he could think of--one day, when Katiana was in school, he'd conducted an exhaustive search and corrected all official records he could find of Katiana's address, re-routing it to a fairly active Mexican restaurant not far from school. Every day, he left Katiana for a few minutes to intercept any mail directed to her or her father.

He signed off on her report cards; he did everything for her that she could not as a child. On cold nights, he was her blanket; his thick, insulating coat protected her from being chilled.

But no matter how hard Alex tried, he couldn't work for Katiana. As he'd hoped, she was able to get a "job"--in fact, as a dishwasher in the same restaurant where she lawfully resided. The two that owned the establishment were themselves Mexican, so everyone seemed to assume that Katiana was a granddaughter or niece.

They were good people, and Alex was grateful to them--without them, Katiana would have withered away in the State child welfare system. They gave his little girl money, a small room in their house and food. In many ways, in fact, they were better than her own family, but Alex couldn't help but wish he could more than stand in a corner and watch, sadly, as Katiana spent her childhood washing dishes and deep-frying tortillas to make nachos.

Things weren't that bad, though. Unlike Alex, Katiana had friends--Lara, Sara, Sam and she had really hit it off, for reasons beyond the tiger's comprehension. Even Sam, the least studious of them all, was an excellent influence on his little girl--she maintained a B-average, and, the last Alex had heard, she'd won some major gymnastics competition in Houston for her age bracket.

Second grade passed. That summer was one of the hottest Dallas had ever seen, but Katiana was safe, secure, and stable. She rarely needed protecting--once from a bad driver, another time from a major accident in the kitchen involving boiling oil, but that was all. Alex had largely taken a major step back from her life.

And that made him sad.

He was still loyal to Katiana and only Katiana, though. He adored her too deeply to readily be expressed in words, and it showed, every day, with every action he made. Sometimes he helped her with homework, sometimes he simply wrapped his arms around her and held her when she'd had a long day--but, as was suggested by the precedent Alexandra had set, she was not aware of him. She never spoke to him.

But she needed him.

One day Alex woke up and looked at the calendar--he had to rub his eyes and then check again, and even then he didn't believe what he saw. Years had passed--Katiana was now finishing fifth grade. She was growing up right before his eyes.

When he realized how much of an introvert he'd become, Alex made a few important changes in his own lifestyle. To be sure, he hadn't grown any older since Katiana had been born, not by a day. But with the lack of work, he'd lost a great deal of the lean muscle that had defined his form just years ago.

Of course, he didn't abandon Katiana--he couldn't, even if he tried to. But he could take a few minutes a day to remind himself who he was, and why he was so dedicated to Katiana. If he had to sacrifice a few minutes of complete attention to her to become a more stable, conscientious being, it was a worthwhile tradeoff.

Alex started to exercise again. He also shaved more often, instead of only when it occurred to him--generally every other month or so. Gradually, the tiger began to regain himself--and he now knew how to enjoy his "life". Previously, he'd just been a Katiana-serving robot, and that couldn't have lasted for long. A determined, loving mind was what differentiated him from a computer.

Slowly, the tiger began to reclaim himself. The process was not easy, but finding himself smiling on occasion as opposed to never was a welcome change. Yet, Alex knew that he could only maintain the façade of happiness for so long; the smiles he sometimes wore were never as sincere as they had been when he'd been with the love of his life.

He'd lost her over a decade ago, by then. But things had not gotten easier with time, and he couldn't think of his lost wife without physical pain.

Taking care of Katiana was no longer a full-time job; Alex spent much of his time reading and learning about many things. Literature, physics, science--he could have easily achieved a degree in at least five distinct topics. Alex vaguely recalled that he'd once wanted to be a programmer, but that was one of the few things he didn't study. It simply failed to interest him.

What did interest her was his little girl's life. She'd well and truly forgotten about her brothers and father; they were gone and they weren't coming back and she didn't seem to miss them. Alex suspected that deep, deep down, there was an emptiness inside her that even he couldn't fill--but Katiana smiled more than he did when he was a kid.

She had friends. She occasionally visited with Lara and Samantha; Sara had long since moved away. Alex protected her, of course--from dangerous, lecherous customers; sometimes from the racial insults and names that chased her on the way home despite that at least ten percent of the area around where they lived was Mexican. The most he'd had to do, recently, was to clothesline an angry biker who had made his way toward her, insisting that she'd calculated his change improperly.

That had been satisfying--largely because of the fact that Alex put the built man on his ass without breaking a sweat.

Alex now understood why he had sometimes caught his dear mate simply looking at him, needingly, before suddenly smiling with such brilliance that his heart stopped when he looked back. He looked at Katiana a lot--not like a lover, of course. But there was almost nothing he wanted more than to see her look back at him.

Alex's lonely, monotonous life continued for several years. Middle school came and went with no memorable activity--the same was true for the first two years of high school. Friends came and left Katiana's life; she worked and studied and when the situation called for it, Alex intervened to protect the little girl that he would never stop loving.

She was getting older, though. And Alex couldn't help but look forward to the day when someone would take his place in her life.

Katiana was phenomenally smart. Sometimes, the tiger failed to realize this because he'd been around her for literally her entire life, but he couldn't deny it for even the briefest second. Public education in the city was alright, but not great--Katiana, however, had been lucky to find her way into a surprisingly competitive and comprehensive school.

Despite this, she maintained a 4.0 GPA despite holding down a job and being entirely economically self-reliant. All Alex generally did for her on a daily basis anymore was wake her up with a soft, loving kiss to the forehead and send her to sleep with the same--and, of course, various menial tasks. He didn't have to help her study anymore, and he wasn't even sure that he'd be able to keep up if he tried. Katiana didn't study like he did, focusing on one topic until his knowledge of the issues was complete--she went for broad-based knowledge, and as a result, there existed no country on the planet whose top five most populated cities couldn't be rattled off at will by Alex's little green-eyed girl.

He was proud of her, he truly was. But the challenges fast approaching Katiana... he didn't think that she could deal with them alone. When he was in her position, he'd had his mother and step-father--sure, they'd been terrible in almost every way imaginable, but at least they were there.

Without a friend in the world, though, without financial support or anything else except for him... would Katiana be able to go to college? She could get in, of course. But if she couldn't stay in long enough to get at least a Bachelor's degree in a reasonable field... it would be unreasonable to hope for much more than a bland life of stagnation, a constant battle between paychecks to make ends meet.

One day, in the late winter of Katiana's junior year, Alex was doing what he'd been doing for the past few weeks. Hunched over at a table, the tiger was poring over perhaps two dozen brochures from the various colleges in the area--and some big name schools out of state. Despite his trepidation of her future, Alex knew that Katiana had a good shot at getting a scholarship that would take a significant chunk out of the bills she'd have to pay. Maybe she could even get a full ride, if she really tried... but Alex wasn't going to hope for that. He wouldn't set such a high bar for Katiana, not even in his mind.

She still worked at the same place that had somewhat taken her in, all those years ago. Things at the restaurant were relatively quiet that day, and Alex appreciated that--nothing disturbed him while he continued his work in a corner of the establishment, pen and notepad close at hand.

Several moments later, a small group of high school students entered. Alex looked up at that, instinctively running a threat analysis--but he recognized that Lara and Sam were among the kids. They were just coming to visit their friend at work--Alex nodded, and even smiled a little, before getting back to his work.

He ignored him, or he thought he did. Alex's keen ears, however, missed very little--his mind tuned out the miscellaneous chatter about movies, music, and all other manner of things that he neither had an interest in nor concerned him in any way.

A moment later, however, he looked up, halfway into calculating the costs of attending a university in the panhandle. The tiger's brow furrowed as he watched Katiana--he'd never seen her act in quite that manner. She was blushing, but Alex had no idea why.

And then he saw the boy she was talking to.

Katiana had never dated--she simply didn't have the time to. Of course, she came into contact with those of the male gender all the time; she wasn't deprived in any way--but guys seemed to realize that she was never interested in anything more than casual friendship and left her alone, a fact for which Alex was most grateful.

This one, though... Alex didn't like him. He was tall and fair skinned, though his hair was deep black--he carried himself, Alex had to admit, with a degree of modesty, like he didn't want to constantly be the center of attention.

But Alex still didn't like him. In fact, such was the tiger's prejudice against this--this--certainly this basketball player, this idiot without the brains to even try to go to college--

Well. It seemed that he spoke well, at least... confidently and without excessive "uhm"s or "ah"s. That didn't necessarily mean anything, though--he could easily be an eloquent fool.

The tiger's lip twitched, and he considered getting up in preparation for the unwanted advance that was certain to happen soon enough. Something in him prevented him from moving, however--and for a moment, Alex simply watched with a mild degree of interest as the interaction continued.

Before he realized it, he was completing the cost-benefit analysis for the last of the Texan colleges in his pile. Katiana had joined her friends at another table in the restaurant... and, Alex noted, she was rather pointedly seated across from the new guy--whoever he was.

Perhaps if Alex ignored this nonsense situation, it would simply go away. With that in mind, the tiger continued his work sullenly, trying very hard to ignore what his little girl and her friends were doing. Kids were kids; they were entitled to their silliness from time to time.

No matter how hard he tried, though, Alex couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't be seeing the last of the tall boy anytime soon. And no matter how hard he tried to ignore their chatter, he couldn't help but take note of the boy's name: David Lyons.

Alex sometimes mused that if given the opportunity, he'd probably be a very good bodyguard. He'd had half a lifetime of practice at staying out of the way yet maintaining an imposing and intimidating presence--he was Katiana's silent guardian in school and the rest of life, always close and ready to step in if she needed him.

That morning started off the same as any other. Alex was in a fairly good mood, since the precious night he'd made a few inquiries and was surprised to learn that Katiana could easily secure a hefty scholarship to any school in the State with a GPA several tenths of a point below her current perfect score. With a 4.0... who knew what she could achieve?

It was enough to make Alex dress up a little that day. Although, that could also be because Katiana had for some reason elected to wear her best pair of jeans and a top that Alex had only grudgingly allowed her to purchase--he didn't exactly approve, but he had to keep with the times and the things girls were wearing these days more than often made him wince and avert his eyes.

The school was crowded that day and bustling with activity. There was some sort of social event or something coming up soon--Alex hadn't kept track of these things when he was in high school; of course he had little to no idea of what Katiana's classmates were up to. Mostly, the tiger walked around coolly, dodging students that would pass directly through him if they met and glancing at his reflection on lockers and windows--in business casual attire with sunglasses and a neat briefcase, he actually looked... pretty good, in his opinion. If only Alexandra could see him now...

Damn it. He'd been in such a good mood until he'd had that thought.

It was only after he blindly made his way down one corridor that he realized why things were extra-chaotic that day--it was a new semester. Katiana's course load meant that her schedule had drastically changed from what it had been the previous semester, and even then, she was headed into the chemistry hall. Alex didn't see her... but he was her guardian. He didn't need to see her to know exactly where she was.

The fact that she'd elected to take such a difficult course meant that the class was likely to be free of slackers and hoodlums--and that was good. Alex would be able to continue his work in peace, and someday soon, he'd have a list of colleges for Katiana to apply to. And then, of course, he had to work on helping her get scholarships, yay...

The tiger entered the room with his ears flattened to the back of his head, wincing and giving a sardonic expression to the speaker directly above him. Why did late bells have to be so loud, and located in such unfortunate positions?...

He looked across the classroom, briefly; habit dictated that he see Katiana with his own eyes before he sat down to do anything. He found her quickly because, much to his chagrin, the one she was sitting next to was difficult to miss.

"David Lyons, eh..." Alex grumbled to himself, positively glaring at the raven-haired boy. He gripped his briefcase tightly--any second now, the boy would made some sort of sexual advance, and Alex would be ready for it. How Katiana didn't see that this thug was only interested in her good looks Alex didn't know, but soon enough, even she wouldn't be able to ignore it.

He kept thinking in that manner for perhaps twenty minutes.

Nothing happened, however. Grudgingly, Alex took a seat at an empty desk strategically placed--in a second, he could get up and cross the distance between himself and the boy at Katiana's side. For the moment, however, his time was best spent going over her opportunities for college.

The chemistry lecture dragged on and on and on, and Alex was fairly impressed with the few members of the class that hadn't been put to sleep by the white-haired teacher's droning, gritty voice. Katiana, of course, was wide awake--but so was the boy at her side.

Damn it--why did he have to be so hard to hate?

For a few seconds, Alex tried, out of sheer curiosity, to pay attention to what was being discussed. Approximately five seconds later, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and decided that he'd had enough.

Chemistry, in fact, seemed to be one of Katiana's strong points. Alex didn't know how or why, but the manner in which molecules organized themselves into predictable structures and substances of all sorts seemed to absolutely fascinate her. The tiger's own college years were so far back and in such a different life that he couldn't recall his own academic interests--but he did remember that he had not been a fan of chemistry at any point in his life.

Who knew--maybe his little green-eyed girl would develop some new polymer or synthetic fabric. She certainly had the brain to do whatever she wanted, and more.

At that thought, Alex set a hand against his chin and redoubled his review of the colleges Katiana might attend. A strong chemistry program would be good for her... and there were a few promising locations still within the state. Of course, Alex would have to look up notable alumni; maybe at night someday he'd even poke around campus for himself.

Options for college research were limited, but then again, Katiana would be taking the SAT soon. She was presently signed up for the March Test; after that, Alex expected her to go for another in September. Over the summer, Katiana would likely work overtime to stock up on cash for the difficult years ahead--the same was true for the summer after her senior year.

Things wouldn't be easy for Katiana, but Alex would be there for her the whole way, watching, encouraging, loving--invisible and untouchable the whole time.

The tiger shut his eyes, briefly--then smiled. Fate had dealt him a cruel hand in some ways, but he wasn't unhappy. No one that was around Katiana as much as he was could be.

School ended, and Alex found himself unsure of precisely the mood he was in. On the one hand, he'd made a number of fairly detailed notes about a dozen more colleges, sneaking the use of a computer while Katiana was eating lunch--but on the other, it seemed that this Lyons punk intended to follow her around no matter what class she was in.

Well, that was a slight exaggeration. There were two periods that Katiana had without him, plus lunch. And there were only so many honors-level courses--if he had signed up for the same level of difficulty as Katiana had, chance had nothing to do with the fact that they shared most classes.

The last period for the day was one of the two that Katiana had without her tall, pale stalker, so she left the building unmolested with Alex in tow. It was quite sunny that day, but Katiana, like her tigerish protector, was wearing a sleek pair of gunmetal sunglasses. Despite having quite a low income, Katiana's expenses were even lower--and Alex often ensured that items generally reserved for people with deep pockets were marked down, for no apparent reason, and found their way into her hands.

Traffic was intense that day. Katiana was walking perpendicular to the direction of the Sun and so when she looked to see if cars were coming, she saw only bright, oppressive light. Perhaps she'd have taken the chance and tried to cross the road--but Alex held out an arm and firmly held her in place. A second later, a loaded pickup barreled past.

Katiana looked to the side--she'd apparently felt Alex restrain her. For a moment, the tiger hopefully looked back at the young girl... but she simply looked past him. No, she couldn't see him.

Alex didn't react in any significant way. He simply turned to face forward, again, stroking the fur on his chin for a moment. He actually felt jealous of the Lyons boy in a way--at least Katiana could see him.

Someone called her name, then--and in response to that, both Katiana and Alex turned. When the tiger recognized who was approaching, his face fell.

"Speak of the Devil... I should have let Katiana try to cross," Alex grumbled to himself.

Indeed--the tall ravenhead was now half-running to catch up with Katiana and her guardian. Alex tried to usher Katiana on as the traffic ceased without success... and by the time the boy was close enough to stop and speak, there were cars coming again from both sides.

Dismayed, the tiger winced and turned away, again doing his absolute best to ignore the exchange. He took out his notebook and went over the details he'd listed again, but he couldn't block out the conversation going on just a few feet from him.

"Hey," David began, offering a somewhat shy, lopsided smile in greeting. He tried to think of something interesting to say--but after a few awkward seconds, the only comment that came to mind was quite pathetic, really. "Uhm, nice weather we're having..."

"It's kind of chilly... but I like it like that. It, uhm, that is, it's great for business." Alex couldn't help but give Katiana a confused look at that--as far as he could tell, that statement simply wasn't true.

"So, I guess you're heading home now?" the boy replied, adjusting the strap of his backpack a little awkwardly. Damn it all--why couldn't he think of more interesting things to say?

"Nah, work," Katiana shook her head. She glanced away from him, briefly--again the traffic had stopped, and, desperately, Alex tried to pull her away. Of course, she didn't move an inch.

Almost predictably, though, David grinned and took a step forward. Then, the two humans were side by side with a fuming Alex several yards behind, glaring at the both of them.

"So, David, where are you from? Sorry if that's too personal... it's just, well, you don't usually hear accents like yours around here."

That was a fair observation, and, as Alex reflected on things, he noted that David didn't speak with the drawl that the tiger was now familiar with. No, his English was plain--if Alex had to guess, he'd have put the boy's origin in some culturally neutral big city.

"All over," David replied. "NYC, LA, San Diego, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico... my dad's an engineer for the Air Force," he explained. "I think he likes it around here, though... he might ask his bosses to let him settle down. I'd--I'd definitely like that."

"Stuttering," Alex sneered, as Katiana blushed and looked away. "No one important stutters. That's gonna hold you back, kid--no one important stutters," Alex repeated to himself, even as some quiet voice inside him reminded him that, in fact, the Vice President himself had had such a problem earlier in life!

"So, uhm, your dad's an engineer?" Katiana repeated, after a brief but furious bout of blushing. "What kind?... like, aerospace, mechanical..."

"Systems and aerospace," David replied. "I was thinking of doing the same thing, but my dad said that materials engineering is where it's gonna be at in a few years. So I figured I'd major in that... but, well, I dunno. Chem's never been one of my strong points."

"Mhmm..." Katiana said, and, for once, Alex was actually listening to David without prejudice alongside her. "Materials, huh. I'll have to look into that." Alex smiled after that--see, he had rubbed off on his little green-eyed girl. Why else would they speak in perfect unison like that?

"It's actually pretty cool," David continued. "Sometimes, Dad brings home stuff he's working on and lets me take a look. It's intense--you know those UAV drones that get used over in Afghanistan?"

Katiana nodded. She wasn't a particular politics buff, but of course she read the news from time to time, just to know what was going on in the world. "Yeah, they're the ones without pilots, right? The remotely-controlled planes?"

David nodded several times--rather nerdy, in Alex's opinion, but then, they were talking about the cutting edge of military technology. "Yeah, those. Anyway, my dad's doing some work with the next generation of UAVs. He's not supposed to say too much, but I do know that they're not going to be remotely-controlled at all most of the time: they're supposed to check things out and watch over things by themselves. It's really amazing."

"Wow..."

Now, even Alex had to admit that David wasn't as pathetic and lecherous as he'd first seemed. The tiger decided, quite consciously, to lighten up just a little, and give the boy a chance to--

He twitched. And then, he decided that he wouldn't acknowledge to himself what was going on but simply observe and do whatever Katiana needed him to.

Generally, the walk home was brisk and therefore quick. That day, however, they moved slowly--it was only extremely occasionally when Katiana headed to the restaurant with anyone else and she had never gone to a friend's house directly after school. Alex remained pointedly at her side, only looking over his notes with half a mind--he was still practically waiting for David to say or, horribly, do something wrong.

Ten minutes later when they finally got to the restaurant, Alex was still waiting.

Many girls, to be sure, would be just a little spooked by David's apparent persistence. He'd only met Katiana very recently, and now he was spending so much time with her? And that too, outside of school? Alex wasn't quite sure what moral codes were like these days, but then again, he had nothing to compare societal norms of the day to what they had been like when he was younger. He'd never had even the slightest contact with the opposite gender until Alexandra, after all.

Katiana seemed to like David just fine, although Alex was still extremely wary of him. No one had ever gotten so friendly so quickly with Katiana before, not even the three of her closest buddies--except Alex, of course. He'd loved her the moment he set eyes on her.

Maybe, though, having another friend--just a friend, Alex reminded himself--wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, if this Lyons boy shared so many classes with her he couldn't be that stupid... maybe it would even be a good thing. As long as they stayed just-friends--Katiana couldn't afford to spend time building any relationship besides that.

Alex entered the restaurant after the two humans and immediately ignored the situation: he had a lot of work to do, after all. The tiger sat down in his usual spot, a rarely-frequented corner of the restaurant and pulled out his notebooks and brochures yet again, resting his fingers against his forehead as he began to jot down figures and brief phrases here and there.

Soon enough, a soft voice in his mind said, David would go away. After all, Katiana was working--If he was polite, he'd leave her alone until he realized that she wasn't working for just an hour or something. And if he distracted her, he'd be thrown out. The possibility of the latter coming to pass brought a palatable smile to the tiger's face--then, he continued to concentrate.

A lifetime of being unable to talk or interact with anyone at all--except for Katiana in the slightest ways, on the rarest of occasions--had made Alex a somewhat quite, brooding person. He often failed to notice the world around him, simply because it didn't really matter.

Imagine his surprise, then, when he looked up an hour later to see that David was still there in the restaurant--and at his table, of all places! Alex very nearly gaped: not only had David not left of his own will or the owners', but he was actually making a sizeable dent in the homework that had already been stacked on himself and Katiana on the first day of the semester.

Alex rested his chin on a white, striped paw for a moment and leaned forward, examining David very closely. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but there had to be some physical signal of how and why he was so different from, well, more or less every other high school student Alex had come across. This boy didn't seem to play around--Alex saw that his notes were detailed and neatly written, and he seemed to have bypassed the long period of confusion and study required for most students before they could even tackle a given problem.

Most impressive.

Why he was hanging around, though, had Alex beat. Katiana only got off work in time for dinner, and not even the most forward of guys would ask a girl to dinner after having known them for all of one day--right? Maybe they'd made some other plans of some sort and Alex had missed them--that seemed most likely, but what on Earth could they possibly have in mind?

Alex normally knew exactly what his little girl was going to do before even she did, and this sudden loss of control did not sit well with him at all. Maybe it was his fault--maybe he should have left the work that had to be done for later, when Katiana was asleep.

Now, though, there wasn't much Alex could do except for pay a bit more attention to what both David and Katiana were doing, and continue working. So, after giving David a long--not a glare, but a look--the tiger slowly took his pen back up and continued to scrawl notes onto yet another page about what he'd selected as a top candidate for Katiana's education.

Hopefully, she'd do well on her SATs. If she got a combined score of 2000 or so, she'd be in good standing... But 2200 would really make her stick out from the pack. Of course, Alex didn't expect performance like that, not even from someone as smart as Katiana. As he recalled, he'd only achieved a 2100.

There were other things to worry about, too--like driving. Of course, Katiana had never gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle, and although she had something of a sum of money saved up, Alex was very hesitant to let her spend any of it on lessons. Then again, finding and being able to drive a cheap car or scooter would seriously cut down on her expenses while she was in college--she wouldn't have to buy from overpriced establishments that catered to kids that were too rich to shop around.

Sometimes Alex wondered how Katiana's head didn't _im_plode from the amount of pressure that it regularly underwent. Moodily, he turned to David and shook his head.

"Us blue-eyed boys have it good, don't we," he mentioned, twirling a pen between his fingers. "My family was never rich... but to grow up like Katiana..." Alex shook his head again and gave David a lopsided smile. "Son of an aerospace engineer... I guess you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth." The expression on the tiger's face, then, was unreadable--but there was no way it was jealousy or anything like it. That wasn't in Alex's character.

The next hour passed a bit better. David was actually pretty good companion--he was quiet and didn't seem to nice when Alex helped himself to a nacho or two plus the necessary amount of salsa and cheese to put them at a level above simple snack-fare. Katiana would have a tough time living off of ramen and whatever else college students subsided off of these days--decent food was actually probably the only real luxury in her life, although she did have to go through the trouble of preparing it with minimal assistance from her guardian.

Finally, Katiana got off work. Without the time to straighten herself out properly, she simply spent a few brief seconds doing her hair into a neat ponytail and looking over herself, relieved that the usual grease stains and food residue had taken it easy on her that day. Then, she approached David's table with two chicken wraps and water, sitting down across from the tall boy and next to Alex.

And now the tiger saw what they'd intended to do together.

David had gotten through most of their homework; in less than fifteen minutes he caught Katiana up to where he was. After that, to be sure, there was quite a load of work to get through--not that doing it all in one day was remotely necessary. Most of the bigger assignments--a math packet, an English synthesis paper, and a group of practical physics problems--were due in a week or more. It seemed, however, that Katiana and David intended to get everything out of their way that day itself.

It was actually pretty inspiring to be around them. As a result, Alex really knuckled down and by the time the two kids were finishing their work, he'd gotten through everything he had planned for the next few days as well. It was exhausting, but now, at a little after 5:30 in the evening, all three of them had the rest of the day to themselves.

The tiger looked to his side at Katiana, smiling, and briefly rubbed his cheek against her shoulder. She didn't feel it, not really, but she did smile the slightest bit before she checked that she'd put her name and the date on all of her papers.

As it turned out, both she and David wrapped things up at the same second. They looked up, meeting eyes, blushed, then looked away--Alex winced at that. They were friends, just friends; there was no embarrassment in looking at one another for more than a heartbeat... to Alex's knowledge, anyway. He'd been a pretty cold loner when he was capable of having friends.

Maybe this was normal.

Either way, the tiger nipped at his thumb's claw in the few awkward seconds that followed. Finally, the silence was broken when David spoke in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

"So, uhm, yeah, great work today." He looked up, a bit more confidently, and gave Katiana a grin. "I didn't think we'd actually get through everything... but this is great. Now, maybe I can actually play a video game on a weekday."

The girl laughed very quietly at that, a sound like a dozen small bells chiming. For a few more seconds, they looked at one another in silence--and then, things got awkward again and they looked away.

With no reason to stay any long, David slowly packed his backpack, sliding his notebooks and textbooks into the pouch in a neat, organized fashion. Alex looked at Katiana--after a second, she began to put her stuff away as well and when they were both finished, they stood up. Alex did as well a moment later.

There was nothing special about the way David and Katiana said goodbye to one another. Somehow, though--and maybe it was because Katiana stayed where she was for a long moment, watching as the tall boy left--Alex knew that he had not seen the last of David Lyons by a long shot.

"Girl..." the tiger said in a carefully measured tone, before turning to Katiana, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Katiana went to sleep early that night; her schoolwork had of course been finished long before and the extra work she forced on herself was going fairly well. After kissing his little green-eyed girl's forehead and looking down at her for a long moment, Alex glanced at the time--it was well before midnight, which meant that he'd have all the time he needed to do what he had in mind.

This was assuming, of course, he teleported himself properly and didn't end up in Uzbekistan or something.

But Alex had been practicing, and, at will, could easily move several hundred yards with pinpoint accuracy at will. This time, he had to move more than a few miles, it was true, but he had a wide margin of error. As long as he ended up in the general vicinity of his destination, he'd be able to make short jumps until he was exactly where he wanted to be.

Of course, Texas was a big state. It was entirely possible that the tiger might end up in the middle of a desert somewhere--and for that reason, he made sure that he was prepared. A GPS was the one non-stationery item Alex took with him as he quietly slipped out of Katiana's home.

It was actually pretty pointless to leave the house--teleporting had no effect on the place Alex left. Furthermore, Alex wasn't likely to teleport into a wall like Nightcrawler feared--he'd tried, before, to tolerate into splinters or dust, just to test his abilities and limits but somehow he always avoided any sort of injury. At the very worst, Alex would be lost until his GPS calibrated itself.

One of the nicer things about living in such a red state, so to speak, was the fact that even in big cities, night tended to quiet people down and dim the lights. OF course, there were exceptions in the suburbs and ghettos, but in the area where Alex was, everyone was asleep. Only dim streetlights lit the way for the occasional traveler--but there wasn't even anyone on the street when Alex got there. He was alone in the sleeping city.

The tiger looked around somewhat anxiously--he felt nervous, but that was only because this was a deviation to a very stable norm that he'd not left for... years, really. After stretching once, warming his taught muscles up for several hours of walking, Alex really had no more reason to delay.

"I hope this works..." He shut his eyes and concentrated, for a moment--and then he was gone.

An instant later--literally--and the white tiger found himself in a thoroughly unfamiliar setting. Suppressing natural shock and confusion, Alex looked around for a long moment, orienting himself. He was not in a desert, nor an endless plain, nor a rockland, nor a forest--no, he was in a suburb, and a fairly wealthy one at that. Palm trees and carefully maintained shrubbery surrounded terraces constructed out of red rock that would be more at home in Sedona, Arizona than anywhere in Texas--

"Oh, son of a--there's no way I'm in Sedona," Alex griped. He grimaced, but there was every indication that somehow he had, in fact, launched himself to a place a thousand miles from his desired destination. Somehow, he was in Arizona, of all places, the land of Minutemen and Mexican drug gangs--

Then, the tiger's ear twitched. He turned around, slowly, and laughed out loud.

The college was less than a hundred yards off. He'd ended up just outside of campus--and after a heartbeat of hesitation, the tiger moved forward, entering a realm of higher education for the first time in years.

The campus was, as advertised, quite nice. It was spacious, especially in comparison to the cramped urban "landscape" that Alex's own former school had existed in, and although that probably wasn't a huge selling point for Katiana (she'd grown up in a city), Alex was fairly sure that she'd come to appreciate the open space in time.

Unfortunately, since it was the dead of night, Alex couldn't sit in on a class to see what the teaching styles were like--but the school had gotten fairly high marks for its professors on not just student review cites, but a few college rating agencies as well. What the tiger had intended to do, however, was to check out the things that he imagined would matter to Katiana most in her day-to-day life. Classes were a difficult bore and there was no avoiding that, but what Alex had experienced in his college days suggested that what really mattered were the qualities of the dorms and libraries (and cafeterias).

With that in mind, he looked around, briefly--and indeed, there was a small group of students on the opposite side of campus, heading back to what seemed to be the housing bloc after a late night bagel and lox. Alex hurried to catch up with them and followed them for a few moments, noting that their selected topic of conversation was quite clean for college students--then again, his perspective wasn't exactly objective. The kids at his school hadn't exactly come from the upper strata of society, and all that that implied.

As they entered the housing area, the dozen or so students began to split up. Alex spent a few seconds deciding before following one girl into what looked like one of the lower-end dormitories. Owing to the fact that he was quite taller than her and gifted with a large stride, he didn't have to struggle at all to keep up, despite the fact that his head was on a swivel the whole time--he didn't want to have to take a second trip to the same college, and for that reason, he'd have to see as much as he possibly could in the little time he had there.

Soon, though, the tiger had to follow his lead in through a locked door, operable only by those who had a keycard. He felt somewhat odd (actually, he felt like a lecher and pedophile) creeping around a girls' dormitory late at night, uninvited and invisible. The hallway, however, seemed quite nice--it was tiled and clean, though that was probably due to the fact that the building was populated by Y-chromosomally disadvantaged people rather than the alternative.

There wasn't much to see in the halls, unsurprisingly. There were a few strategically-placed bulletin boards here and there that told Alex that claims of an active student body weren't just hype. Then again, Katiana probably wasn't going to have enough time to really get involved in extracurriculars, what with work to suck away whatever time outside of class and sleep she did have...

There weren't any open doors at this hour, nor any empty rooms that Alex could tour either. He didn't want to move along without actually seeing the inside of a dorm, but the alternative was downright creepy...

The tiger sighed and shut his eyes. He vanished, and reappeared in a nearby room--and as quickly as possible, he look around once and then left. Back in the hallway and feeling a great deal guiltier, Alex winced and wrote down the approximate dimensions of the place and the number of bunks there as well. There wasn't much space for each student, but that was only to be expected.

Now that he'd seen all he wanted to in the dorms, the tiger exited the way he'd entered and wandered toward what appeared to be the administrative building. Although he wasn't going to be able to glean much about efficiency and how problems and issues were dealt with in the dead of night, it would be useful to take a look at what facilities existed in the heart of the college.

The lobby was actually pretty nice. Since this was one of the more prestigious colleges in the state, some largesse could be afforded. The finely-polished wood adornments to what seemed to be the reception desk were probably out of the budgets of most other schools around, and Alex noted that.

Despite the darkness and lack of activity, there seemed to be a sort of openness about the building. Maybe it was designed like that, or perhaps it was just due to residual Texan hospitality--Alex couldn't be sure, but if he liked what he saw then he'd be back someday... with Katiana. Then, they'd really find out what the school was like.

Alex spent the next five hours looking through the school's classrooms and labs--he was actually pretty impressed. The student to teacher ratio was quite low, but the classrooms seemed fairly large and not at all cramped--that was a big plus in Alex's book. Everything was quite clean and organized; the professors' offices included. That was quite impressive, especially since Alex could remember how much trouble his own teachers had had keeping track of papers, tests, quizzes, et cetera.

By the time the tiger's tour was coming to a close, he'd decided that this was the college Katiana was going to go to, unless some other school gave her a truly phenomenal scholarship deal. Since his little green-eyed girl wasn't a master instrument player or athlete, there was little chance of getting a full-ride at some out-of-state university--but that was okay. If she really focused at a prestigious institution like this, she could attend an Ivy League for graduate studies.

Alex's decision was more or less made. All that remained was for Katiana to come by sometime and give her own okay to the place--and that was a problem that Alex hadn't yet grappled with.

Well. Spring break was coming up soon enough; Alex would nudge Katiana into taking a day off of work to see the campus with him. Of course, if she didn't like it... well, it was her best option. She'd either go there or she'd have managed to secure free entry into a really prestigious university somewhere else.

Guardedly, Alex let himself believe that things were going to work out. After so many years of hard work, he'd helped Katiana into a relatively stable life--now the challenge wasn't simply to get by but to succeed in every sense of the word. Her tenuous grasp of the next few years could end nearly at any moment... but for now, Alex was calm. He would take future problems as they came.

Alex had returned at approximately 3:30 in the morning--but he didn't have the luxury of sleeping in the next morning. And so, the tiger was reduced to a zombie-like state as he stumbled after Katiana to and in school. He could barely keep his eyes open and if it wasn't for the fact that he was "transparent", he would bumped into at least a hundred students that morning alone.

Clad in a pair of athletic shorts and an undershirt--his pajamas--Alex had a few notebooks in a backpack, though he didn't know why he'd brought them. His odds of getting anything done that day were virtually nil; there wasn't much that could wake him up outside of a terrorist attack.

He stumbled into Katiana's first class with that thought bringing a tired smile thanks to that thought--though the tiger noticed a weight in his pocket appeared the second his mind wavered from considering such a thing humorous to remotely possible.

And then he remember that there was, in fact, something that might wake him up--and that it was going to happen was more of a probability than a possibility.

"Hey, good morning, Katiana." That voice made the tiger's head snap up so quickly that Alex bit his tongue. After wincing and setting a paw to his mouth, the tiger looked around until he saw who he was searching for.

Yep, it was David Lyons again. Alex groaned when he saw Katiana smile and return the greeting before immediately going to her seat, immediately at his side. Kneading his temples and glaring daggers at the raven-head, the tiger made his way to the side of the classroom and only took out his work when class had started. Even then, he found himself constantly looking up to make sure that David wasn't crossing any lines.

It vaguely occurred to Alex that he was being about as tolerant of cross-gender relations as the average Wahhabi, but then it occurred to him that he didn't care. Katiana was young and pure and didn't know what she was getting into by hanging around a guy like David. Who knew what might lie under that friendly, reasonable, somewhat shy exterior?

Alex tried to calm down. If he didn't, he'd end up with a nasty twitch in his left eye for the rest of his life.

The first class of the day, however, passed without incident. Alex even forgot, for a time, that anyone of note was next to his little girl--and what he was doing just then wasn't exactly absorbing. The tiger's mind wandered as he worked--four periods passed without his notice. Mostly, he made plans for the possibility that Katiana wasn't able to get into a good college with a good scholarship.

Well, then, she'd go to a community college and perhaps get a bachelor's in something useful. Or maybe she could go to a vocational school and learn a trade--that would be good. Alex had to make sure that she'd at least be able to provide for herself enough to live in comfort and peace, because he wouldn't be around to protect her forever.

When, though, would Alex's job end?... what would have to happen to Katiana to ensure that she'd no longer need him? Alex's situation was bearable--and enjoyable, often--but he knew that he didn't belong in Texas, always looking after Katiana regardless of how precious she was to him. He had a family of his own... or at least, he had at one point.

But Alexandra was still out there somewhere. And he had to get back to her--he knew that and he knew that he'd never, ever, ever be able to forget about her, no matter how much time he spent away from her or how many little green-eyed girls out there needed him.

Spring break for most high school kids meant, in a word, partying. Alex was proud to see that Katiana wasn't remotely tempted by the temptations that Dallas had to offer, nor the more occasional but just as powerful callings to jump on a plane to Cancun and forget about tomorrow--she was too disciplined and forward-thinking for that.

Annoyingly, Katiana and David's friendship hadn't yet reached its inevitable screeching halt. In his mind, Alex conveniently ignored the fact that Katiana was still great friends with the three girls she'd met all those long years ago in second grade, and that she'd never actually been involved in any kind of drama during middle school--to him, the day when she and the ravenhead would part ways for good was quickly approaching.

But it couldn't come fast enough.

Although the physical nausea that Alex had come to associate with David's general presence had somewhat subsided over time, it was still extremely annoying to have to look at that pale, angled face for so many hours in the day.

David and Katiana had come into a habit of studying at the local library. For Katiana, this was a great arrangement because she didn't have so much as a desk in her room, much less a computer with an internet connection--but there, she had the largest database in the history of the universe at her fingertips. And David... wasn't... exactly useless. Although Katiana was nothing short of brilliant, there were times--rare occasions--when she needed a hint from the boy and not the other way around.

They spoke some--not much, but some. Rather than inane chatter about pop culture or other things that Alex wouldn't have been able to keep up with, they tended to talk about pretty heavy stuff; not politics, but plans for the future. David, it seemed, was more or less dead set on following in his father's footsteps and Alex couldn't blame him. With background like his and opportunities like those before him, the question wasn't how to prosper--but how to prosper quickly and securely.

Katiana, on the other hand, still seemed less than certain as to what she wanted to do with her life. Chemistry would probably end up being her major--but she had expressed interest in physics. After that, she had no idea what graduate studies she'd do--if any. Maybe it would be best to just enter the workforce after getting a bachelor's; that way she could bring her debt under control, get some credit history, and then decide how to improve her career while actually working.

Kids these days were fortunate, Alex noted. He hadn't had the option of getting a degree, much less a graduate degree, online--but Katiana did.

It was during the second day of spring break that Alex nearly had a heart attack.

Somewhat ironically, he was sipping a triple-thick milkshake at the time--a rare indulgence for him--while Katiana and her pathetic little friend got a few minutes of fresh air. They both ate prepared lunches outside as neither Katiana's wallet nor her waistline could afford fast food (David had picked up on this and imitated her like a loyal dog) and spent the first few minutes of the meal in unfortunately companionable silence.

Glumly, Alex had left them alone intending to go and purchase something deep-fried and coated in chocolate. He'd actually stood in line for a few seconds before he realized that he didn't have to--a moment later, the tiger had helped himself to a nearby desert joint's best, leaving behind a ten dollar bill in thanks.

With his icy treat in hand, the tiger's mood had actually lifted somewhat, and that was rare for him when David was around. He'd even grinned to himself as he took a seat at the two students' table and actually had his lips around the shake's straw when David asked a slightly unexpected question.

"So, uhm, Katiana, when are you planning to, you know, settle down and stuff?... you know, get married, and--and have kids."

At this moment, I might have described to you the speed and severity with which Katiana's cheeks turned bright red. However, it's undeniable that Alex's own reaction was far, far more interesting. The tiger had inhaled suddenly and then tried to shout words that won't be mentioned here, but the shake in his mouth got in the way.

As a result, Alex nearly gagged on the delicious treat and coughed, hard, thumping his chest with a fisted paw. This accomplished neither more nor less than forcing the freezing liquid into his nasal cavity, where it slowly thawed, chilling Alex's brain and forcing him to use several napkins to avoid having cold desert flowing out of his nose.

Glaring intensely at David, the tiger cleaned himself up and began to hiss and swear loudly. Vaguely, he registered that Katiana had answered the question, in a shy, small tone--she probably wouldn't look into any of that until she was out of college. That way, if things didn't work out, she'd be well-suited to making a good life for herself without a husband or family.

It was a wise answer, but even if Alex could look at David without prejudice, he would see disappointment. It was then that the tiger accepted that the tall ravenhead wouldn't be leaving Katiana alone for a very, very, very long time.

Alex ended up forgiving David a lot more quickly than he'd intended, although the tiger would never for a moment forget the boy's long-term intentions. Katiana had mentioned that she planned on checking out the college that Alex had already scouted out for her--conveniently, David was looking for a good time to do the same. He invited Katiana along, saying that he planned to go with his father sometime later that week.

At first, Alex was quite suspicious about the sheer coincidence of what was going on, but then David mentioned that his father wanted to meet an old colleague that was now teaching at that school. Furthermore, although it was clear that David liked Katiana, he knew his priorities. He wasn't going to follow her to a school that he wouldn't like to go to independently of Katiana's attendance.

That was why, in the middle of the week, Alex, Katiana, David, and the boy's father were in a surprisingly comfortable SUV doing about ninety on the highway. Of course, David's father, a gray-haired, scholarly-looking man that had greeted Katiana with a smile and handshake was driving--Alex had the passenger seat and the kids were in the back. It was actually the first time in quite some years that Alex had been in a vehicle with someone approximately his age... and the tiger found himself playing a conversation out between the two of them in his mind.

He was lonely and he recognized it. But there really wasn't anything he could do about it, and Katiana was his first and only concern anyway. So Alex simply adjusted his shades and sat back for a brief catnap, trying not to pay too much attention to David and Katiana. They were going over the material they had on the college, mostly reviewing its rankings from several different sources and checking out a map of campus they'd found online. After deciding where they would go and in what order, the two kids largely fell silent--and Alex assumed it was because there was nothing left to talk about and they'd preferred simply looking out the window instead of staring, awkwardly, at one another.

Alex could not have imagined that, for the first time, Katiana and David were holding hands.

David's father was friendly but not particularly talkative; he left Alex with Katiana and David almost immediately after parking. He was heading to an air-conditioned administrative building--whereas Alex and the kids had to be outside for the hottest part of the day to walk around.

The college didn't actually have formal tours. It was expected that students on campus for spring break took the time--if they had it--to lead any potential students around campus or at least point them in the right direction. The system seemed to work; although Katiana and David were well-prepared enough to not require guidance, Alex could see several other groups of high schoolers following undergrads around here and there.

Rather unsurprisingly, David seemed to greatly like the campus's sheer size. Although the time it would take to get to class was probably greater because of the spacing in between buildings, it was worth it--there were plenty of trees and clear space for playing impromptu games of football, Frisbee, or whatever else kids did outside these days.

Katiana, however, just seemed out of place, and Alex knew why. She had never left the city since she'd moved into it--so much relative wilderness was a real shock for her, and she seemed more like a tourist than anything else as she walked around, staring at the cover above her and the broad trunks all around her. The college was old, and that meant that the trees had time to grow to quite impressive sizes. It was almost dizzying for her to walk around--the sheer lack of population density was difficult to get used to.

Slowly, however, Alex could feel her grow accustomed to things. It would take time for Katiana to be able to think of such an area as home, but until then, she would be able to manage. For now, though, she had to see if the setup of the college was to her liking.

She and David stayed in close proximity to one another; closer, Alex noted with chagrin, than they usually did. The tour did not take as long as his had, mostly because it was limited to areas that they were supposed to be in--and there were no creepy visits into occupied bedrooms after hours. It was clear, by the end, that David viewed the school very highly--and that was significant, because he, unlike Katiana, had visited several other schools since December.

Katiana's reaction, however, was harder to gauge--even for Alex, who had known her for the duration of her life. More than anything else, she seemed conflicted. The cost of attendance in that school was very reasonable indeed, and it was highly rated to boot... but it was too different. She'd only ever attended public school, so making a jump like this would be really tough for her.

Alex couldn't do very much to comfort her--but he had a responsibility to try. So, smiling, the tiger took a few brief steps to Katiana and wrapped his arms around her for a moment. He could feel it, though she was likely unable to notice anything more than a marginal increase in the temperature of the air around her. Hopefully she felt better because of it, but Alex couldn't be sure one way or the other.

Some minutes later, Katiana seemed a bit more cheerful. It could very easily be because they were going to the cafeteria after several hours of activity--but Alex preferred to think that he'd had at least a slight effect on her overall mood. It was pretty difficult to deny, however, that the apparent quality of the food served was a source of interest at the very least.

Several more hours were spent wandering around campus. There were no classes during spring break, of course, but there was plenty to see already. David's father hadn't returned from whatever he was doing with his former colleague, so when the kids had seen all they wanted to, they went to the school's library and sat down side by side to watch the first few scenes of a movie he'd downloaded some time ago.

It was a somewhat odd but relaxing way to end the eventful day. Alex knew, however, that Katiana had only half a mind on the film at best--she was too busy looking around and wondering if this was where the next, vital stage of her life would take place.

It was only during the trip home did Alex acknowledge to himself that Katiana had been on her first unofficial date.

The cover was perfect and things were just a little too convenient to be entirely coincidental--and, to be sure, there was just a little bit more shyness than normal in the boy's voice when he'd invited Katiana to accompany him to the school. Everything made sense, now that Alex thought about it.

But it was still hard, in a strange sort of way, to look at her now. She was asleep with her head rested against David's shoulder, somewhat protected from the boniness of the joint by several wavy locks of her sleek, auburn hair. He was wide awake, though, and constantly staring down at her as if captivated... by something.

Alex knew exactly what was going on--at least, now he did, and that's why he had placed a mirror on the dashboard in order to keep a constant watch over what was going on in the back. In his paws were a piece of grainy hardwood and a knife with a blade the side of his forearm and at his feet was about a cubic foot of shaved wood.

"One wrong look, one word out of place, one wrong move," Alex murmured in a deep, threatening growl, "and you're done, kid. I should have done something about this before now... but I guess this is only going to end one way."

The tiger observed that they were another two hundred miles from home, but the vehicle was running low on gas. They were on a relatively uninhabited road, so the moment David's father saw a billboard for a gas station he took the exit and maneuvered the car through a quite thick forest and maze of roads. If it wasn't for the vehicle's onboard GPS, Alex felt certain that they'd get lost--as it was, it took a few wrong turns before they finally broke free of the confusion and approached their destination.

There wasn't a car on the road for miles, literally--there was no slope to speak of and that late in the evening everyone had their high-beams on anyway. Even Alex's eyes were having a tough time making out shapes more than twenty or so yards away, and he was a tiger. David and his father must have been practically blind.

The gas station was well lit, but that didn't make things any less creepy. Looking at the bright, white lights fixed to the pumping area for more than a second made the rest of the world pitch black--it was best to simply continue to look at the darkest places, just in case. Just in case.

Katiana woke up when the car jerked to a halt and sat up, looking around blearily until she realized where she was. In the process, she had shifted away from David somewhat--and that meant that she didn't wake up embarrassed and blushing. Alex simply looked back with a cold stare, although his knife was folded--Katiana didn't seem to be in any danger from David at that particular moment in time.

"Where... are we?" Her sentence was punctuated by a brief, quiet yawn, and David very nearly reached forward to help her brush her hair out of her face before remembering his place.

"Stopping for gas," he replied in a soft and somewhat intimate murmur before clearing his throat and speaking in a somewhat more professional tone. "You look worn out... want to get anything to eat? It looks like the store's closed, but I'm sure there's a vending machine out here, or something..."

Katiana shook her head, however, smiling to show that she appreciated his concern. Still lethargic from the long nap, she sat back and shut her eyes again. Some moments later, bright lights had appeared on the road; another vehicle was approaching from a distance--and for some reason, Alex felt a prick of worry.

The tiger exited the car, then, and walked away from the gas station to just next to the road itself. Gravel shifted seamlessly into somewhat poorly-maintained asphalt; the roads there hadn't been redone in dozens of years at least. Crickets were the only thing Alex could hear in addition to quiet ambience of flowing gas and the brief clack of door closing--David's father was using the restroom at the back of the rudimentary building.

The approaching vehicle was probably occupied by locals--maybe a worker returning home after a late shift, or perhaps a hunter or two going on a late-night boar shoot. The latter possibility seemed more likely, but there was also the significant chance that there were drunk kids looking for trouble coming by. Alex had seen enough of life to know that rural areas were far from immune from the violence and depravity that supposedly defined inner cities.

Being undetectable by humans--except in times of utmost need--Alex's posture and baleful glare did nothing to prevent the vehicle from pulling into the gas station not far from where David and Katiana were. It was a relatively new SUV, although that didn't necessarily imply a certain economic status and even that didn't imply a certain ethical mindset--the occupants could be thugs as easily as they could be pastors.

Alex took a few slow steps away from the new vehicle, putting himself in between it and Katiana. A moment later, the driver exited his vehicle to fill the tank up and Alex relaxed somewhat: he was an older man and dressed in a sharp wool-blend suit. After sparing a curious glance at where David and Katiana were, he fiddled with the gas pump until it clicked into place and began to fill his vehicle.

For some reason, the tiger couldn't completely lower his guard, although there was no indication that anything unfortunate was going to happen. The old man was simply standing there, leaning against his vehicle and toying with a Zippo lighter--there was nothing remotely threatening about him, save for the fact that he far exceeded Alex and even David in terms of height.

A tense but uneventful moment later, the old man began to walk--not toward the only other vehicle at the station, though. He made his way past Katiana and David, brushing within an inch of Alex in order to access a vending machine situated against the station's empty convenience building.

David's car had been filled--so, responsibly, the boy stepped out to disengage the pump and pay. In that moment, when the door was open, the old man happened to look over--and then, for the first time, Alex saw true, unfettered lust.

The old man began to walk toward the vehicle with his eyes wide and fixed on Katiana. In his hand was a steaming cup of coffee, but he seemed to barely register its existence now that a more carnal thirst might be quenched. David noticed the approach and, with his brow furrowed, looked at the old man--and then stood directly between him and the car after hastily shutting the door.

"Can... I help you, sir?" Alex's loud, threatening hiss went unnoticed--and, unfortunately, so did David's brief sentence. The old man just continued forward until David repeated the inquiry in a significantly louder and more firm tone--that seemed to get through to him.

Looking past the ravenhead and through Alex, the old man raised his free hand, shaking, and pointed at where Katiana was sitting. "Her... how much do you want for her? I'll take her right now, son--I have cash. Just help me load her into my car and I'll be on my way."

David took a few seconds to drink all that in--so, the old man seemed to regard him as slow and moved forward, apparently intending to step past the boy and toward the vehicle. But both Alex and the boy stopped him with stern appendages to the chest.

"Sir, I don't--she's my friend. I'm not--I don't know what you're talking about. What--"

The old man laughed quietly for a moment and took a step back. His hand dropped to his pocket and Alex prepared to fight--but he merely withdrew a wad of cash and began to count off hundred dollar bills.

"No reason to play stupid around me, boy. I know what kids like you do for extra money--head down to Mexico, trick pretty young ladies into coming home with ya--and the minute you're past the border, drug 'em and sell them for whatever you can get. Ain't nothin' wrong with it--now, how much do you want for her?... $5,000, there--that oughta do it."

David actually had the money in his hand when the old man took a step forward again--and this time, he was shoved back with enough force to nearly knock him to the ground. Alex was fairly certain that he had exerted some of the force--and that he was now starting to become a physical presence suggested that things were about to get pretty dangerous.

A moment later, dozens of bills were falling through the air, landing messily all around the old man. David had a dark scowl across his face as the old man regained his balance and approached, again, although this time his intention was simply to get in the boy's face rather than move around him to Katiana. Rather than immediately pushing back or hitting, however, the old man simply sneered and took a long sip of his coffee, leering over David for a long moment.

"The Hell do you think you are, boy? You don't know who I am, do you?... not from around here, are you? Well, all you have to know is that I can have ten armed men here in a minute if I want to--all I gotta do is call. Now, how's about stepping aside and lettin' me get what's mine, before things get really ugly."

The threat was almost certainly a bluff--but there was a chance it was true. Perhaps David could calm things down until his father got back from the restroom, preferably with the cops on the line--but negotiations fell apart prematurely.

It was David, not Alex, who reached forward and slapped the old man's hand so that the steaming coffee he was holding was thrown from the cup and into his face. The liquid was hot--so much so that it only remained liquid long enough to seep onto the man's rapidly shut eyelids and onto his neck. After that, it rapidly began to convert to vapor, heating up the skin and flesh it was touching almost immediately.

Burns of the first and second degree began to spring up over the affected areas as the man began to fall. He opened his mouth to scream--but now, Alex was moving.

The tiger compressed his paw into as tight a fist as possible and then jammed it into the man's solar plexus. He would have done more, but a heartbeat after the blow connected it seemed that Katiana was out of danger--Alex returned to the realm which was only his before the full force of the blow could hit.

The old man was down. At first, Alex guessed that he was unconscious but his hands slowly drifted toward the vast injured parts of his body--but it was too late. The punch had landed and the coffee and the flesh that it had touched had reached equilibrium.

Alex was breathing hard, a little--he hadn't had to use force to protect Katiana in some time, but he hadn't forgot that he'd killed for her before. A little scrap like this... it didn't faze him.

Presumably, David was in worse condition. Alex turned toward the boy with grudging respect and the beginnings of genuine understanding--but a sudden noise from near the car made the tiger's head snap to the side.

A shotgun had been charged; a twelve gauge shell pumped into its chamber. It was David's father, however--he seemed to have followed the Texan stereotype of keeping a weapon in his vehicle. After simply looking at the situation for a moment, he held his weapon by the grip and walked forward, briskly--and then kicked the old man in the arm so that he turned over and lay on his back.

Alex didn't hear what the older Lyons man said next. He had approached the car and slipped inside to sit with Katiana.

She was still asleep--and David and his father were considerate. As the boy struggled to calm down, Alex looked at him and considered thoughts that even ten minutes ago would have seemed impossible.

After that, the two male humans re-entered the car. Katiana woke up about an hour later, when they were approaching Dallas.

She would never know what had happened at the gas station that night.

Spring break ended, fortunately without too much more excitement. Katiana took a day off of studying and getting the several big projects she had due later than semester out of the way and went shopping--by herself--but that was it.

School restarted and for a few weeks, everything was quite stable. As Alex recalled, there wasn't traditionally much drama associated with the end of junior year... with one exception: SATs. Katiana had registered to take the April test and planned on taking another in June. Subject tests would come during Senior year--they were to be worried about later, hopefully after entry into college had been secured.

Although Katiana hadn't yet made her decision, Alex was fairly certain that her first choice would be the school that he had selected for her what felt like so long ago. David had already mentioned that he was going to take the early decision route--Katiana had nodded thoughtfully at that. It was a great option for her, particularly since early decision students often had an easier time getting big scholarships.

David couldn't sympathize with that desire.

Alex thought at first that he would surely have burned out if he studied anywhere near as long or hard as Katiana and her friends did. They studied for at least two hours each day, in the library or after school or at Katiana's restaurant--but they had nothing on Alex. He hadn't had friends or any obligations apart from schoolwork and making spending money--he recalled, with effort, that he didn't do much else but study.

On the night before her first SAT, Katiana went to sleep several hours early. It wasn't of much use, though, because she tossed around under the covers until well after her usual sleeping time anyway. It was about eleven by the time she finally drifted off into a light sleep. Alex sensed that she was dreaming much of the time--mostly about getting a combined score of 1200 or falling asleep halfway through and doing even worse.

He hadn't stressed out nearly as much as Katiana was. That was probably because college--like everything--hadn't really interested him. He had just sort of decided to get a degree to have more money in order to... he didn't know what. But at the time, it had seemed like a good idea.

Alex was only certain Katiana had fallen into a deep enough a few minutes after midnight. By then, his eyes were bloodshot from staring at her while seated for so long--but he moved quietly and smoothly without a hint of hesitation or lethargy. As always, he planted a kiss on her forehead before finally sitting down and shutting his own eyes.

Katiana's life had been building up to what would happen the next day for so long. If all went well, then the rest of her life would come without much more trouble. If not... Well. Alex had just ruined his own sleep.

They both woke up early and didn't bother to try to go back to sleep. Katiana looked a mess and tried to eat something to see if that would help, but she would have been chewing on dry cereal if Alex hadn't realized that she'd left the milk carton's cap on while pouring. She stared forward, transfixed on whatever point in space was directly before her nose, and ate slowly in a fairly zombie-like fashion.

Alex was pretty sure that streams of equations and literary passages were running through her mind the whole time. Hopefully, nothing was getting mixed up in her mind--that was a very real danger when so much stuff was floating around up there.

Cupping a mug of coffee in his paws, Alex sighed and sat down next to Katiana. She had realized that she was done eating and set her spoon down, though she continued to glumly stare forward for a long moment. She was shaking a little--Alex observed that while taking a long sip of the steaming beverage in his paws and then set the mug down to hold Katiana's hands for a moment.

He was a lot bigger than her, he realized--and apart from that, she hadn't seen him in many years. She was Latina, he was a white guy--tiger. They were different in a thousand ways, but he was her guardian--and it had been him for a reason. Maybe he couldn't relate with the specific way in which she was abandoned by her family, but he knew very well what it felt like to be alone.

After a few moments, he dreamed that she smiled--he dreamed that she smiled at him. That fantasy passed quickly, though, as Katiana stood up, literally pulling her hands through Alex's. The test wasn't for over an hour--but, it seemed, she wanted to leave immediately.

It occurred to Alex that despite how long they'd been in Dallas, neither he nor Katiana had ever really seen much of the city. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing of note beyond the five or so blocks around Katiana's home, job, library, and school. There was never the reason or the time to go anywhere else, since those four areas had everything Katiana needed in her life.

In a way, that was a little sad. Katiana seemed a lot happier than Alex remembered being, though a lot of that was--he struggled to admit to himself--due to David.

For once, though, Alex's little green-eyed girl was walking alone. It was quite early in the morning and on a Saturday, so, mostly, the city was asleep. There weren't any major roads in the area, so few cars lazily passed them by as they moved toward... Alex didn't know where.

It was a while before the tiger gave up trying to figure their destination out. He strongly suspected that they didn't have one and took a step back, figuratively, simply staying at Katiana's side and following her wherever she went.

Usually, Alex had at least a vague idea of what was going on through Katiana's mind. He had, after all, known her since before she could remember and she never had the opportunity to figure out how to hide her emotions from him. Now, however, he had no idea what Katiana was thinking. Her expression was neutral and she looked either directly ahead or slightly below--perhaps that betrayed apprehension.

The tiger let a brief sigh out through his nose and shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they had rounded a corner and found their way to a park that Alex had previously had no concept of--in his world, it simply didn't exist.

It was quite large, especially since it was in a middle-class part of a densely-populated city. It comprised at least a full city block, however, and was oriented in such a way that there was space open to the sky and shaded areas as well. There were benches, of course, but the few people in the park were on their feet either running or walking dogs. Apart from those few exceptions, however, the park was intensely still--Alex found himself drifting toward it and only noticed a few seconds later that Katiana was doing the same

They spend about twenty minutes wandering around. Katiana put on her sunglasses--it had grown quite bright--before realizing that there was nowhere in the park where she hadn't yet been.

So, after looking around, as if to ensure that no one was watching her, she sat down at a nearby bench. Her lips were dry, she realized, but she didn't have any water so she just dealt with it. She sat still for a few seconds--then realized that she'd crossed her legs the wrong way. So she uncrossed them and then re-crossed them--but that didn't feel right either so she just sat with her legs apart.

The weather for that day was expected to be a bit hot, but somewhat dry and windy. Katiana had therefore elected to wear a pair of jeans and a fitted long-sleeved shirt--although, in retrospect, it might have been better to go with shorter sleeves. She could always go home and change, though; there was still plenty of time before the test--wasn't there? Instantly, Katiana's blood went cold as she looked at her watch--but she still had time. Plenty of time--too much time.

She shut her eyes and leaned back, but there was no comfort in that. She rested her arm on the side of the bench and tried to lean on that, but it didn't work. So, she was reduced to resting her elbows on her knees and hunching forward, blearily looking at the ground.

Katiana was nervous and she knew it. She tried to control it and then realized that she wouldn't be able to so she simply looked around instead. There had to be something to get her mind off things but there wasn't and now she was getting more nervous and she had to stand up to do something to stop thinking about how nervous she was.

She was about to do something--she didn't know what--when something changed in her. It was so sudden and directed that she actually gasped, for a moment, and inexplicably looked to the apparently empty space next to her. Impossibly, it felt like something--someone--was touching her. It wasn't that she was afraid, not at all... whatever was going on made her side feel warm.

"Hello...?" Katiana said after a long, unsure moment. Some of the wind that had been promised for the day kicked up, tossing her hair in front of her face. She lifted a hand to stroke it out of the way--but although the gust continued for several seconds, her hair somehow straightened itself.

She looked very carefully at that same point in the empty space next to her for a few moments. She couldn't see anything... but when she finally turned away, she found that she was no longer scared. Nervous, of course, but not scared--she knew that she'd do well.

Katiana was quiet by nature. She didn't talk much, not even to her closest friends--not even to David. And she never spoke to herself. But, just then, as she stretched and leaned back in her seat, she mentioned, softly, that it felt like there was an angel with her.

All of the students in the room where Katiana took her test were strangers. Alex vaguely recognized three or four that had the same lunch period as she did, but that was it--the rest were from other schools. Some of them mingled during the break times, but Katiana only sat or sipped at some water she'd brought or stood up and walked around to give her legs a stretch.

Alex was there the whole time, and he felt somewhat guilty for it. He didn't help Katiana, or even nudge her in the right direction, but there was something sacrosanct about standard testing. He felt like he didn't belong there, when only overstressed students and half-asleep proctors were supposed to be around.

He sat in the back of the classroom and watched with his arms folded. Katiana looked a lot more relaxed than he was, but that was no achievement. The entire three and three quarters hours block was pure Hell for the tiger--he couldn't help but worry about possibilities likely and improbable ruining Katiana's odds of getting into a good college. Maybe she'd skipped a question but filled in the oval for it as the next question's answer--that had happened to Alex once when he was younger, and he'd ended up with a thirty on that test. If that happened to Katiana...

He had dozed off by the time the test was over. When the students finally began to get up to leave, Alex woke with a start and looked around for Katiana before he realized that she had rapidly left the room. He nearly panicked, then, and ended up falling over a desk in his race to leave--what had happened? Was she crying? Had she done so badly that she knew it?

Alex had long legs, but what brought him to Katiana in short order was the fact that he could move directly through the crowded hall of students without difficulty. Even so, he only caught up with her when she was outside in bright sunlight.

Dozens if not hundreds of long-faced students were being driven away by their parents. Fewer had licenses and took themselves home--and almost none lived close enough to walk home. Katiana was starting down the normal route she took to get back to her place when Alex managed to get in front of her--to see that she was smiling widely and grinning.

"I'll be damned," Alex said quietly as he stood up and began to breathe easier. "You really are a genius, Katiana. Laughing at the SAT?... I hope you're not counting your eggs, kiddo." He tried to give her a stern look, but her optimism was infectious. Soon, the tiger was smiling as well as he fell into place at her side. "Get a 2300. Then, we'll really start to laugh."

The tiger fell silent, then, in anticipation of a brief but relaxing walk back home. Katiana had had a long day already, and she had earned the next few hours that she'd taken off. Maybe she'd hit the library and read some fiction or browse the internet--or maybe she'd just get in a few extra hours of sleep.

Usually, when Katiana and David met, it was the latter running to greet the former. Now, though, the unmistakable silhouette of the ravenhead was visible in front of Katiana--not behind. He was walking, slowly, with a somewhat lethargic cadence to his motion. That wasn't like him at all, and it confused Alex so much that he stood and stared for a second until he realized that Katiana was calling his name and jogging to catch up.

The situation was so strange it almost felt surreal, but Alex followed along as best he could. In moments, David had stopped and turned--upon recognizing Katiana he had raised a hand in greeting and given a slight, sad smile. It looked very much like he wanted to keep walking but held himself back only with great self-control.

He had not done well. Or at least, that was his perception of things.

Katiana caught up to David a few seconds before Alex did. She wasn't panting, but she was still smiling until she saw that the tall boy was, at least, anxious about what had just happened.

"Hey," she greeted him. She was going to say something else but caught herself and let David reply on his own terms, when he was ready.

"Hi..." the boy replied softly. He broke eye contact and looked away, placing his hand over the lower half of his face. "How... how'd it, you know... go...?"

Katiana thought for a moment before speaking. She didn't want to make David feel worse... but she had to tell him that she was certain she'd done well. Even Alex sympathized with the difficulty of her position--for just a second.

"I think," she began slowly, "I did... okay. I mean... you don't know how well it went until the scores get mailed, right? I'm not gonna sweat it too much. I did my best... and now it's over." She shrugged nonchalantly and gave the ravenhead a comforting smile which he reluctantly returned.

"Yeah, I guess..." David looked aside again and then slowly smiled. He reached out and gently touched Katiana's forearm, just above the wrist, and jerked his head.

The two students began to walk side by side again. They weren't quite holding hands, but the distance between them had noticeably decreased from what it had been just months before. Alex walked behind the two of them in a not quite tolerant manner--he wasn't sure what he thought David, but he still didn't like the boy. In all fairness, however, the tiger no longer thought that David was likely to snap and really cross the line, but he would not easily come to approve of him.

Katiana certainly seemed to like him. What had recently been a one-sided crush was now something else; Alex admitted that to himself but did not accept that things would go any further. Soon enough, the two of them would grow away from one another, and that would be the end of that.

Alex couldn't wait for it to happen. But he wasn't heartless. For some time, David could be with Katiana; he too was a person with feelings that did require some validation and comfort. As long as they didn't--no, they were holding hands again. Alex had seen that happen a hundred times before--no, certainly not that many--he'd seen it happen a dozen times before, but that brief tingle he experienced when they initiated contact made him shiver.

It was some time before they spoke again. They were walking slowly, though, so they hadn't traveled very far. It was almost like they wanted to spend as much time in the relative privacy of the moment as possible.

"You know... I bet I did pretty well." David paused for a moment before explaining. "It was just the last part of the test... I didn't get one or two problems on that last part at all. Everything else, though... I mean, now that I'm thinking about it--I actually feel pretty... pretty confident about how I did. You know? I think I did pretty--pretty damn good--sorry about the language."

Katiana simply smiled and waved the minor transgression off, whereas Alex used far harsher terms to condemn the boy's foul mouth. "I'm sure we both did, after all that studying. ...Hey, can we talk about something else? I don't want to think about the SATs again for at least a few days."

David nodded in approval of that sentiment. Within moments, the two kids had selected some other, far less heavy topic of conversation. Soon, they were conversing rapidly and enthusiastically and that was something that Alex had never, ever seen happen between Katiana and any other person on the planet. They were not walking faster, however, and their hands had not separated. And so, from twenty yards back and with a grim face, Alex considered, for the first time, that it might be quite some time before Katiana and David parted ways.

Summer meant that Katiana could take a break from school and focus on her job.

It wasn't right, at least in Alex's opinion, but the business that she'd invested most of her life thus far into was doing quite well. It had even started to do deliveries, and although Alex was at first fairly concerned about safety, he quickly came to accept the new direction Katiana's career was taking. She got her driver's license without a problem and didn't seem at all nervous, even at the beginning, by the idea or the execution of driving all over Dallas for several hours or more out of the day.

Her pay had been upped, and that was welcome. It was clear that she was not a member of the restaurant owners' family... but she was a good friend. Alex had no complaints about the way they treated her, but, well, he did sort of wish that they'd nudge her into taking some time off--just for a week. She was, after all, going to enter her last year of high school very soon.

Katiana worked for ten to twelve hours of the day. That left her four or so to relax and be with her friends, and she didn't seem to be at all bored by the frighteningly routine pattern of going to the library, or doing a few miles on a treadmill at school, or just wandering around the city when she had the energy and desire to do so.

David would be gone until July. He was off in rural Canada with his father and a few uncles for some reason--Alex couldn't remember why. Katiana seemed not to realize his absence, though, because she didn't spend a single moment that Alex saw in the forlorn solitude that he so often found himself in. Maybe she missed him--but she obviously didn't miss him that much. She didn't miss him like Alex missed Alexandra.

Alex was relaxing in Katiana's room when the SAT results arrived. He'd taken an interest, recently, in architecture, mostly since he was bored and required dry material that required a great deal of careful thought to understand--for that reason, the tiger didn't notice when Katiana walked up the stairs with her hands shaking, staring at the lettering gingerly held in her grasp.

Most girls would have started to scream at the results Katiana saw. She, however, did not. For that reason, it was a full ten minutes before Alex realized what the slip of paper she was looking at was--he actually reacted with more emotion than she apparently did.

The tiger jumped up and dashed to where Katiana was sitting, looking over her shoulder intently--but he couldn't see the score, her finger was blocking the number. Of course, no amount of pleading or nudging or pushing would get Katiana to show him how well she'd done--so it was another agonizing moment before Alex saw what she'd achieved.

Her finger moved slowly. Only one digit was bared at a time; Alex read each at least five times before the next was shown to him.

3. 7. 0.

"Twenty three... seventy..." Alex said that out loud, but he didn't realize it. He didn't believe what he was reading either, for a full second--then he nodded and set a paw over the lower half of his face. When he brought it away, he was smiling, widely, directly at the green-eyed girl at his side.

He said nothing, but nothing needed to be said. The paw Alex proudly set on Katiana's shoulder was enough to reinforce how well she'd done. She had worked so very hard--and now, at long last, the fruits of her labor were starting to ripen. Now, Katiana could look at the future not only with hope but a sense of certainty, too. With a 2370... no, it was too early to think of anything else. For now, Katiana could rest on her laurels, and stay where she was, comfortable on her bed with a powerful tiger protector at her side. She had crossed a major hurdle, and for now, she could relax.

The applications had been sent some time ago, and now, again, there wasn't so much to do but wait. Katiana had gone the early decision route for her first choice, of course, but there was no harm in sending the normal decision applications out to her second and third choice schools as well. Now, Alex could tell that she was really starting to get bored--without school and the stress that that implied to keep her busy, Katiana was starting to lose track of the days.

Alex tried to help with that, but he really couldn't. His affection was lost on her--and, quickly, he found himself examining Katiana with nothing but a detached sense of curiosity. Had he been in the same state that she was--for a much, much longer period of time?

It wasn't long before Alex admitted to himself that yes--he did want David back. As much as he didn't like it... Katiana's happiness seemed to be tied into his presence. The ramifications of this admission were not something he wanted to deal with, so he simply ignored them, for the moment. When the boy came back, he would see how Katiana reacted. And he would make further judgment calls from there.

David had said that he would be gone until July, but he had not been sure when exactly he was going to return. Alex had assumed that it would be sometime toward the beginning of the month--but now it was the thirteenth, and he was nowhere to be seen. The boy hadn't been allowed to bring his cell phone along for the trip (not that there was likely to be coverage in the uninhabited Yukon anyway) so it wasn't like he and Katiana were talking to one another remotely either.

Now that Alex thought of it, it seemed likely that David was on some kind of rite of passage trip. Of course, Alex had never been on anything like that with his own father figures--but he had wanted to do something special for Chris when the cub came of age. Then, though, Chris had died...

...Alex often wanted to be able to talk to Katiana. Now, though, he wanted to talk to David.

The twenty fifth of July started out very normally. Katiana woke up a moment before her alarm clock went off at Alex's nudging--she got ready for the day and made the short walk to work to do some preliminary preparation in the kitchen for the long day ahead. After about two hours of that, the orders began to come in, but Katiana wasn't doing deliveries that day. She was assigned cashier duty, and things in the restaurant itself were actually pretty slow. No one was in line, ordering or paying, when the door opened.

He had grown since the last time they'd seen one another.

Alex had been in one corner of the establishment, trying to get through a complicated article on objectivist epistemology when he felt a jolt that was not his rock through his form. He looked up--just in time to see Katiana and David meet.

They didn't run into one another's arms--not exactly. There were many people around, after all, so Alex had the feeling that if they'd been in a less public place, their reactions might have been a little less censored. As it was, though, there was no questioning that David had missed Katiana--and she had reciprocally missed him.

Their embrace was brief. When it ended, they continued to hold hands for several minutes as they spoke. Alex never saw their eye contact falter--and after a moment, he felt as if he was prying and looked away. He hadn't heard what they were saying, but for the first time, he accepted that it might not be something designed to eventually harm Katiana. For the first time, he accepted that David was good for Katiana.

He had shown up just in time for Katiana to go on break for an hour. Although she usually changed out of her uniform when she planned to go around with her friends, this time, Katiana simply walked out as she was with her hand in David's. Alex followed, although at a distance--and paid minimal attention to what the two teenagers were saying. He was Katiana's guardian, not her handler.

He followed them for perhaps a minute--that was all. They reached the end of the block, then, and when the light turned to let them across, Alex stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't that anything was forcing him to stop... and yet, he wanted very much to keep walking. He had to stay with Katiana--he had to be there to protect her. After all, he knew what could happen to kids that were given too much space.

There they were, though, David and Katiana, now fifty, now sixty, now seventy yards away from him and always getting farther. Alex saw the boy turn to Katiana and then laugh for some reason--and that made him cover the lower half of his face with his paw.

Alex shut his eyes. After a moment, he turned away and walked back to the restaurant. It occurred to him that his entire life, he'd been with _some_one--either Katiana or... Chris, or Alexandra. But now, he was more alone than he ever had been.

Katiana was holding hands with someone--and she'd never, ever done anything like that with anyone else. And yet, as she left the general vicinity of her workplace, she felt an odd sense of loss. It wasn't a strange, temporary chill--and it wasn't environmental. Something nagged at her, for a moment, that she was missing something--but slowly, that strange sensation died down. Once again, she was able to focus on where she was--and she would rather be nowhere else just then. David was back, and she was so, so happy because of it.

"Man, it's nice to be back," the boy sighed. He was still grinning from simply being around Katiana, but he had calmed down enough to notice the world around him. Dallas hadn't changed much since he'd left, but he knew he'd missed out on a lot while he was gone. He'd missed out on a lot with Katiana.

"I guess it must be. You were gone for, like, two months..."Katiana pointed out.

David nodded at that. "Yeah, it was a really long time, wasn't it? Two months... wow..."

Their conversation up until that point had been even more emotional and even less interesting for an outsider to hear. This is why I, as a wise and compassionate author, have decided to spare you, o wise and compassionate reader, of it. Now, however, as the excitement wore off, the need for somewhat intelligent conversation arose. Neither Katiana nor David stepped up, for a moment--they were both simply enjoying one another's silent companionship.

They continued their walk like that for about ten minutes, or perhaps a little more. By then, they were a ways away from Katiana's restaurant--they'd never been where they currently were before, since they never met anywhere but in school, in the library, or at Katiana's workplace. They were still holding hands, and there wasn't the slightest indication that that was going to change.

"You know, Katiana, I... really did miss you."

David said that without looking at the green-eyed girl at his side. She looked up at him and a moment later he looked down at her. They were still walking, but much more slowly than they had been until that moment. The city was still in action, of course, but a bomb could have gone off then without their notice. Katiana was blushing, somewhat, but she didn't know why. She swallowed past an obstruction in her throat and tried to grin.

"I missed you too, David... I, uhm, really mean that. I..." Her voice adopted a somewhat remorseful tone, then. "I... lost track of the days. Seriously... and I think... well, I think it's because you weren't around. Just... nothing to do..."

David was surprised to hear that. Katiana had friends--surely she'd seen some of them, at least, over the past two months. That meant that--did that mean that her happiness was largely predicated on his presence? David asked himself that, albeit with more monosyllabic terms, and although he didn't let himself fully comprehend the probable answer, he felt his heart begin to race.

He cleared his throat, however, and gave Katiana's hand a slight squeeze. They started to walk, again, but this time he spoke while facing her.

"When I was in Canada, I had a lot of time to think. We had no TV, no Internet, nothin'... just a satellite phone to call my grandparents every few days, so that they knew we were all still alive. It was just us and nature..." He was getting off topic. After pausing for a second, David continued, this time, careful to say what he intended to.

"Anyway, like I was saying--I did a lot of thinking. About... life, and me... what I'm going to do in the next few years, and beyond... and... you." He started to speak again before Katiana could say anything, or do anything more than blush. "It really was... odd... to spend so much time away from you. I had fun and all, and I learned a lot... but I just didn't feel right. So, what I'm trying to say, Katiana, is that... I like you. ...And not just as a friend."

He grinned, quite nervously--and stopped talking. They were still holding hands, but he loosened his grip--he wasn't clinging to Katiana. If she wanted to let go, she could.

She didn't answer for quite some time. David wondered, for a few wild moments, if she hadn't heard him--but then, she laughed, quietly, and held his hand a little tighter.

"David..." She breathed in, deeply, and slowly exhaled. "I've liked you for a long time. We started holding hands a while ago... ...I think we've been more than friends... for a while."

There was no dialogue for a moment. The two kids simply walked, until David spoke in a very confused, stuttering sort of tone.

"So--so, wait--so, you mean, we're--can we, uhm, make it sort of official? I want to be clear on--on where I stand."

Katiana looked up at him then, with a more pronounced blush on her cheeks. What did he mean by that?... She considered, for a brief second, and then blushed very hotly--before realizing that she wanted to be official as well. No, that wasn't quite accurate--she wanted to go through the process by which she and David would become official.

It was not long. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, but it felt... warm in a way that neither of them could explain. When their faces drew apart, they both smiled at one another in a nervous sort of way. Each wondered how he or she had done--neither was particularly confident, because neither of them had kissed before.

David and Katiana walked back to the restaurant via a very long, roundabout route. They didn't talk much, mostly because each of them wanted to fix everything about that moment and location into their minds, permanently. They both wanted to remember the shining moment when they both became people that were no longer alone.

Alex again took a step back from Katiana.

He did a lot for her still. Paperwork problems never touched her, because he made sure that everything on the books was completely in order. Beyond that, he did sometimes have to defuse situations involving big men and alcohol late on Friday and Saturday nights--but whenever David was around, Alex felt almost useless.

He imagined that fathers felt like this when their children approached legal adulthood. Alex was not Katiana's father--but in many ways, he was as good as. He found himself looking at her, often, wondering where the years had gone and when she'd changed from a girl whose forehead barely reached his hip into a beautiful and intelligent young woman about 5'10" in height.

He didn't know what he'd do when Katiana went to college. When Alex was in college, it was just him and his books--he imagined that he spent most lonely evenings with Alexandra's arms wrapped around him, though he didn't know it at the time, of course. But Katiana would be out and about, and almost certainly not just with her friends. David had gotten a "very high" SAT score--he'd mentioned that in passing, with the bashful sort of smile that told Alex that there were few sane schools in the country that would pass him by. Katiana's own score was far, far higher than the average for acceptance into her first choice... As far as he was concerned, she was in--the only question that remained was how much scholarship money she'd get.

Of some interest to Alex was how he now viewed David. The boy was no longer a threat, no questions asked--he was... something else. Alex wasn't sure how he viewed him, but it was no longer with an unfriendly eye.

Of course, some things still roused the tiger's naturally suspicious and perhaps overprotective nature. For example, when David asked Katiana if she'd like to spend the weekend with him in Galveston, Alex almost fell out of his chair.

"We've got a nice place there," the boy explained. "We rent it out by the week during the summer and by the month for the rest of the year. No one's there now, though... so, it would be pretty wasteful if we didn't use it."

It was after school, and they were making their way from the final class of the day to David's car. It wasn't a particularly amazing vehicle, since the boy had had to buy it with his own money, but it worked well and it was safe and clean--so, somewhat grudgingly, Alex had allowed Katiana to be driven home by the boy, daily, while he walked back to the restaurant alone.

This time, however, he had to hang around. Alex wasn't used to the back seat--but there was no other option. The tiger spent the entire brief journey glaring holes into the back of David's head--but he did hear the boy out.

The house was seated directly on the beach, it seemed, and there were four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was well-stocked with food and supplies, and there were plenty of points of interest nearby. David figured they could leave Friday in the late afternoon, when they'd finished most of their homework, and arrive in time to head out for a few hours on their boat, just cruising around on the Gulf. Saturday was forecasted to have beautiful weather, so they'd probably spend most of the day in the water--and for the evening, they could complete their homework and maybe go to a restaurant.

David left Sunday open. He said that Katiana could decide what to do, then, when they got there.

His timing was almost eerie. They reached the restaurant not twenty seconds after he was finished speaking--Katiana didn't have time to think things through, but David had not manipulated her. He simply smiled, nervously, and told her that she could call him whenever she decided. Katiana could only nod and wave in farewell, still blushing heavily as she made her way to her room to change for work.

Alex knew that she was seriously thinking of going. Her employers had no problem with letting her take weekends off, if she asked, but Katiana simply had nothing to do if she did--usually. This time, however, she could certainly afford to sacrifice a few dollars toward her education fund for two days of relaxation. She'd certainly never been on a vacation before... maybe this could be a good thing.

After doing her hair into a neat ponytail and putting on her visor, Katiana went down a flight of stairs and through two connecting hallways to get to the restaurant. There was plenty to keep her busy already, since she had assumed something of a near-managerial position, but that didn't mean that she had no time to think. Of course, she was quick and efficient and precise--but she was also distracted. Alex could tell, though he doubted anyone else could.

For his part, Alex wasn't sure he approved. David had... never done anything remotely inappropriate. He was about as far from being "forward" as possible--but he was still a boy and Katiana was still a girl. Something like this... it wasn't appropriate when Alex was growing up--actually, it had been then, and times changed cyclically. These days, it was probably normal for kids to spend weekends alone and away within a month or so of knowing one another.

Maybe he was just being stubborn. Kids moved far faster than Katiana and David had before Alex's time... if they wanted a weekend together, Alex didn't really feel that he had a place to stop them.

Katiana managed to focus on what she was doing within an hour or so. David was probably in the back of her mind the entire time--but that was nothing new.

Work passed without event. In an almost zombie-like manner, Katiana drifted back to her room--she showered and changed without really thinking about it, though she did somewhat regain herself when it was time to hit the books again.

Did she want to go on a weekend trip with David? The answer was yes, of course, but there were other things that had to be taken into consideration. Keeping up with class work... well, there wasn't that much to keep up with, to be honest. The teachers seemed to realize that kids were pretty burned out from the SATs--for a month, they'd been going pretty easy on their students. Katiana was actually getting pretty bored with herself; after she did her homework, she had hours and hours of nothing at all to do.

She had never been on anything like a vacation in her life, though. Even Alex's parents, as incompetent as they were, had taken their children here and there from time to time. It really didn't seem fair that Katiana should graduate from high school without any measure of honest, clean fun in her life.

And yet...

Alex still didn't like the idea. But he couldn't think of any reason why he ought to prevent it from happening. Katiana's life was her own... and besides, he'd be with her the whole time. Of course she would have her privacy--but Alex would never be more than five seconds away from her at any time if she went.

The decision was now hers.

"Hello?... hi, David, it's Katiana." She was smiling, as she always did when speaking to the boy, regardless of whether or not it was in person. "Yeah, it's about the, um, trip down to Galveston..."

She was on her bed as she spoke, reclining on her back with one hand in her hair and the other holding her phone to her ear. Alex could see her blushing and starting to stammer--but David must have said something funny, then, because Katiana rapidly calmed down and smiled. She gave her hair a stroke and then nodded before speaking.

"Yeah... I'm, uhm, I mean... let's do it," she said, before she could embarrass herself into silence. "I don't have any plans for the weekend, and I got the time off... I can go. ...David? You there?"

Alex smiled, dryly, at the chatter from the other end of the call. It was all too easy to imagine David nearly fainting and then yapping, rapidly, to try to force himself to retain consciousness. Even Katiana had to repress summary laughter--though when she spoke again it was in a relatively even, upbeat tone.

They didn't talk for very long, but that wasn't unusual. In general, when Katiana and David interact, it was in person--Alex supposed that it simply felt odd to talk over the phone when unnecessary. The call ended but when it did, Alex suddenly felt a chilling sense of foreboding and looked at Katiana for a long moment. He had known her for years--and he had loved her for every one of them. He trusted her, though the purpose of his existence was to protect her--but then--just then--he felt that he really had no idea if he was looking at his little green-eyed girl or a grown-up, adult woman.

Plans changed--projected homework for the weekend was absolutely minimal, so there was no reason to go home after school--that would just be a waste of time.

For that reason, Katiana had left for school early that morning with an extra backpack that Alex had given her some years ago, and dropped it off into David's car. She'd spent at least an hour packing, and checking and double- and triple-checking to make sure that she'd forgotten nothing. Even if she had, though, Alex would make sure that she was okay. He always did, after all.

The two kids walked to class together, and, as always, Alex followed them at a distance. He felt quite old--and, in fact, he sort of was. He'd lost track of his own years long ago, since his own age simply didn't matter. His fur and hair were as thick and vibrantly-colored as always, after all--perhaps time didn't matter for guardians. Alex's memories of Katiana had likewise not faded with the years, and he remembered her being as beautiful on the day that she left him as she was on the day that he'd met her.

The day passed in a blur for Alex, but for David and Katiana, it must have dragged on, and on, and on, and on. For once in her life, Katiana actually had to exert conscious effort to focus--her mind tended to stray, inexorably, toward thoughts of Sun and sea and fun with David. They were, after all, official--but things between them hadn't changed at all since then. To most outward appearances, they were just very close friends--even their friends had to be told, in some cases, that David and Katiana were a couple.

David's thoughts were difficult for Alex to guess at. But he must have been nervous. It was hard to imagine the boy being close to anyone but Katiana, and he was still shy, even around her--he couldn't possibly have gotten very far, relationship-wise, with any other girl in his life.

Alex was still trying to figure things out when the last bell of the day rang. With the exception of Katiana and David, and some others, the classroom emptied almost immediately, leaving the tiger with his paw on his chin, looking back and forth between the two of them. He could still stop this now, if he wanted to--but then he looked into David's eyes.

Interestingly enough, Alex noted, in some light conditions, the shade of the ravenhead's eyes almost exactly matched Katiana's. In general, their shade was hazel, but when there was plenty of light, they could become quite green. Perhaps that was why it was in that particular lighting--the artificial, whitish tinge of the classroom in addition to the bright orange haze from the Sun--that Alex finally saw true, unadulterated affection in David's eyes.

It had always been there, the tiger breathlessly realized. But until that moment, when Katiana and David looked at one another, after putting their books away and donning their backpacks, he had somehow missed it. He wasn't sure how it had happened or when it had happened--but Katiana and David truly, deeply liked one another.

Perhaps that was too weak of a word. But only time would tell for certain what future Katiana and David had with one another.

Alex allowed himself to doze off perhaps an hour into the drive. There was little traffic and David was a very responsible driver; no sudden turns or breaking jarred the tiger even once. There was no reason for him to be on guard 24/7, at least not at this stage--they were still on the road, after all. If something was going to happen, it wasn't going to happen there, in full public view.

There wasn't much traffic, however, so the tiger didn't have as much time to relax as he'd have liked. He felt it when the vehicle decelerated and took an off ramp--and, slowly, he sat up, looking to the task ahead with a great deal of trepidation. He had to be in close proximity to Katiana at all times, and he could never really sleep--if he did, then his options for "blocking" anything that happened would be fewer, and he might have to be rash. Whereas, if he had even a few seconds to plan things out, he could avoid causing unnecessary injuries.

Soon, they were off the highway, making their way down a two-lane road of some sort. David hadn't been literally truthful--the house his family owned wasn't actually in Galveston, it was in a nearby, relatively upscale suburb. The houses weren't entirely that big, to be sure, but they were all set on large plots of land, and the entire area was pristine--there was no litter, no pollution, and, Alex noted, virtually no kids, either. Many of the residents seemed to be retired--Alex approved of that. At least he'd be able to relax somewhat during the day, when Katiana and David were out and about in the public eye without noise or drama.

The house David's family owned was easy to recognize, simply because it was the last one on the road. Set directly at the seaside, just as the boy had promised, it was pretty large, and surprisingly modern. Alex wasn't up to date on architecture by any standards, but the oblique contours and excessive glass seemed to be very "in" if the infrequent articles he read online were any sort of objective standard.

As they got closer, Katiana said something to the effect that she'd never seen a house that big before in her life--and it was certainly true. David had no answer for that--he just grinned and said that it was great to be there again.

That exchange was brief, but it made Alex think. Katiana and David... they got along great, sure, but they were from two different worlds. How could any serious relationship between them work?... Alex considered that, for a moment, before quietly laughing at himself. He and Katiana were from different world, literally--and they'd ended up together. They would have stayed together, too, if it wasn't for his own mistakes...

Great. He'd just started the first vacation he'd had in years, and he'd gone and depressed himself for hours.

Sullenly, Alex got out of the car and helped Katiana and David carry what few possessions they'd brought inside. Even the house's interior failed to interest him, despite the fact that it was a seamless meld of modern fixtures and more homely, traditional features--Alex simply set what he had brought down and made his way through a set of glass doors.

The view he found there made him feel somewhat better, at least.

It had been a long, long time since Alex had seen the sea. In fact, he couldn't immediately remember the last time he'd seen any significant body of water--it must have been years ago, when he was very young and still a human.

The light of the early evening cast an orange glow over the calm, unpredictable ripples that danced all across the water's surface. As David's house rose far above sea level, Alex could see for several miles in any direction with ease--although, to be sure, the view was almost entirely homogenous.

He didn't smile, not quite, but he did feel somewhat uplifted. If he'd had a camera, he probably would have taken a picture--then, of course, the tiger remembered that he could get whatever Katiana needed him to get.

Now, if only he could get her to come outside--there was nothing he wanted more, just then, than to get a picture of her smiling at him, standing there at the edge of the balcony with the ocean behind her.

Alex turned around--and before he could do anything to bring Katiana to where he wanted her to be, David was leading her outside. For a moment, the tiger stood where he was... then, he nodded, and walked back inside.

Katiana and David were talking about something, Alex wasn't sure what. At the moment, however, it didn't matter--his opportunity wouldn't last indefinitely.

Digital cameras, of course, were the only kind of cameras that had been used since Alex was a kid. He wasn't even sure how powerful they were these days--but there was still something very nostalgic and precious about the old, instant-printing analogue versions.

That was what he used, then, to take a photo of Katiana and David. They were both facing one another and the sea, all at once--the angle was tough to work, but Alex managed it. He took the photo and as it was printed out, he smiled, briefly--Katiana seemed happy, and her life had been a hundred thousand times harder than his. Maybe someday, he could be happy too.

It didn't take Katiana and David very long to get situated. As the boy had said, the house was already well stocked with supplies and food--all they had to do, really, was to unpack and arrange their possessions in their two separate rooms. Alex couldn't help much--and he wasn't sure how his feelings toward the trip in general changed as time went on. He had, of course, gone through Katiana's possessions as she'd packed them (that was his job, after all--he was her guardian, not her father; the usual rules of privacy and such didn't apply to him)--and he had made doubly sure that the clothing she'd brought was modest and covering. He had, in the past, allowed Katiana to buy... certain types of intimate apparel that were of a decidedly racy nature--but those had stayed at home. Chances of anything inappropriate happening were minimal, which was to say that they were quite high--Alex couldn't change the nature of teenagers no matter how much he wanted to.

Maybe he was just being old fashioned, but no matter how Alex looked at the issue, he felt for certain that he was right in what he was attempting to do--what he was attempting to save. He was doing what was right for both Katiana and David--his own preferences and prejudices aside.

And yet, there was still doubt clouding his mind. There was something in the air, then--he could smell it--and he had to admit that it wasn't just lust. Katiana and David had feelings for one another that were a lot deeper than Alex could explain, although he... believed he understood them very well. After all, he had once loved as well--perhaps he didn't understand things at all, then. Katiana and David did not love one another. Maybe one of them, or both of them believed that their relationship involved love, but Alex knew better--and now he knew that the only way for things to sort themselves out was for him to take a step back and let Katiana and David grow apart.

That was a somewhat unsatisfying solution, but Alex knew of no alternatives. It was not with hope, then, that he looked up and didn't move an inch when Katiana and David left the house--it was with desperation.

They didn't have to go far to get to the docks. David's backyard connected almost directly with the communal structure; all they had to do was make their way down a stone walk path through a forest to be at the water's edge. Although it was late in the day, it was still quite sunny out, and a great deal of light reflected off the water's surface--for that reason, Katiana left her sunglasses on. She made her way onto the wooden boardwalk and looked at several of the docked boats--most were speedboats, but there was a much larger one as well; was that...?

David seemed to be undoing the mooring line for one of the smaller boats--Katiana hadn't seen it before; it had been hidden by the yacht. She walked forward a bit, and was seriously impressed--it wasn't that she knew anything about boats or boating, but David's looked a lot more modern and a lot more powerful than anything else at the dock. Indeed, seeing her expression, David grinned, before holding out a hand and helping her inside.

A moment later, he carefully taxied the boat out of the docks. The motor was only idling until they were several yards away from the nearest entity--then, David manipulating the steering and began to accelerate. In seconds, they were going fast--Katiana was, at first, a little scared--but soon she was laughing and enjoying the feel of the wind against her face as David expertly piloted the boat in figure eights, hairpin turns, and other, less identifiable patterns.

For a full ten minutes, they continued on like that--but eventually, David slowed down. Until then, he'd restricted himself to several hundred square yards near his house--now, he took Katiana north, sticking close to the coast at all times. The view of the marriage of civilization and wilderness to one side and the setting Sun to the other was spectacular--for quite some time, both David and Katiana had nothing to say.

They were about ten miles away from the docks when David killed the motor--and dropped the anchor. He stood up, then, and walked without difficulty to sit down across from Katiana. She was sure that if she stood up, she'd shortly lose her balance--she'd never been on a boat before in her life, after all.

The silence they encountered, then, was surprising--and for Katiana, it was awkward. If she looked up and across the boat, she would either look into the Sun or directly at David--so instead, she looked to the side and toyed with her hair. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, and drew her legs in somewhat closer to her body--she could feel David's eyes on her; no, she didn't want to blush then, of all times...

"I'm glad you came, Katiana."

She blinked and looked up at David--she could feel her own nervousness fade away, although she didn't know why. David was smiling--and after a moment, she was as well. "I'm glad I came, too. This is..." She didn't have the words for it. The view was certainly something, but then, she had eyes only for David.

They spent a minute, then, simply looking at one another. Then, slowly, Katiana stood up and took a few careful steps forward--and sat down directly at David's side.

They were facing away from the setting Sun, but that was alright. The orange colors cast on the nearby coastline were nearly as impressive, and the warmth and closeness they felt when in one anothers' arms was too precious to break for anything.

If they had kissed that day, Alex didn't know about it. He suspected that they had--but he had respected Katiana's privacy. He did nothing to find out, although there probably wasn't much he could have done to press either her or David for information anyway.

He didn't do much with the time he had to himself. He whittled, and napped, and went for a brief jog outside--but that was all. Without Katiana, Alex's life felt hopelessly, completely, crushingly empty--but he didn't let himself think that. If he did, he'd surely go mad.

He was relieved for more than one reason when Katiana and David returned.

Alex got up from what he was doing--whatever it had been it was so insignificant that he promptly forgot about it--and glanced at the clock. It was barely nine o'clock... there was plenty of time left in the day. How would Katiana spend it?

For a moment, Alex had no idea what they had planned at all. They went to their separate rooms--Alex waited outside Katiana's and listened, carefully. His ears twitched several times as the sounds of shifting cloth suggested that clothes were being changed--dammit, if only he'd paid a bit more attention when they had been coming inside. They had spoken, he was sure of it--if only he knew what was going to happen next.

David left his room first, and for a long moment, Alex looked him up and down. His apparel... was modest. There was nothing remotely objectionable about sweatpants and a somewhat old, frayed tee shirt--kids dressed like that for school all the time, and they had since Alex was a kid. To be sure, David did spare a glance at Katiana's door--and that was enough for the fur on the back of Alex's neck to stand on end.

Before the tiger could really snarl, however, David had left the hall. Glaring daggers at the back of the boy's head, Alex followed him into the living room--and watched as he knelt down by the TV to fiddle with something or the other; Alex didn't care to find out what was really going on. As far as he was concerned, things were getting dangerously close to a place that Alex didn't want them to go...

...

He really was being paranoid and nosey, wasn't he?

David had never, ever done something even slightly inappropriate much less malicious toward Katiana. Anything that happened that night... would be something that Katiana wanted, Alex finally admitted to himself. He had his principles, of course--but... maybe he had not been applying them properly. Maybe he hadn't. What was he attempting to prevent? Katiana was her own person, after all--she was no longer a child. Alex had to let her make her own decisions, regardless of what he thought was best. She knew herself better than he could, because, really, he didn't even exist.

Alex took a few steps back, then--figuratively, and literally. He stayed within earshot; if something undeniably dangerous happened, he'd be there in a second. But otherwise, Alex promised himself then and there, he would not intervene no matter what. And he would also do his best to not pay attention to what was going on inside--because Katiana had her privacy, even from him.

A moment before the tiger left the house, Katiana emerged from her room. He didn't see what she was wearing, but the conversation that ensued followed him until he was up on the roof, looking up at the stars. They were going to watch a movie, it seemed--a three-hour war epic--and then go to sleep.

Alex stayed outside for the remainder of the night. He tried to ignore the goings-on below him, but he couldn't.

Nothing happened, however. Katiana and David might have kissed, but beyond that, nothing whatsoever happened at all. He had raised a wise and moral girl.

Trust was not something Alex had given out easily--ever. Before Alexandra, there had not been a single person on the face of the planet that he could honestly say that he trusted. Technically, it was true that he had come to trust Alexandra within moments of meeting her--but it had felt that he had known her for all of his life. She had known him for all of his, after all.

He wasn't sure when he had started to trust Katiana--but, likely, it was some time that previous night.

When he had come to trust David was another matter altogether--but it was probably some time that previous night as well.

Perhaps, though, trust was not such a bad thing. Giving it, albeit in unequal measures, to both David and Katiana meant that Alex was free to explore around Galveston while they alternated swimming, tanning, and simply chatting to one another--and, to be fair, he had a pretty interesting day. He'd never really been on a vacation before--he'd never had the opportunity to just walk around in an unfamiliar town and see the sights, freely entering shops and businesses of all sorts simply to pass up the overpriced souvenir junk that drove the economies of so many tourist areas.

Alex even went into a sports bar, although he didn't drink. At an hour like that, only several relatively insignificant games were being played--only real sports buffs were there; not a single person there was under thirty-five except for the bartenders. Although Alex, of course, was invisible to the men all around him, he felt like a normal, social person for about four hours--come to think of it, that was probably the first time in his life that he'd spent time with people his own age just for fun.

Eventually, though, he had to go back to Katiana--and he did so just before nightfall, still smiling and grinning and musing that if he'd placed bets on the games of the day, he'd have easily made a few hundred dollars. Regardless of all the fun he'd had, the closer he got to where he knew Katiana was, the more serious he got. She was, after all, his first, last, and only responsibility... and she was still a more or less full time job. A few hours off now and then was okay, but that was all.

They were still swimming, it seemed. Alex wasn't sure when Katiana had become so good at swimming; she'd never really had the chance to do very much of it. Now and again she'd do a few laps at school, but that ought not to have given her the sheer endurance required to spend hours and hours in the water.

Maybe she was just very talented in this regard.

Alex wondered when they planned on heading inside--although the Sun hadn't quite set yet, it was starting to get very dark, he thought, as he watched the two teenagers from a distance, sitting on a beach chair they'd set up. Alex could see just fine, but Katiana and David would very shortly have a tough time simply keeping track of where the water ended and the coast began.

Then, just a few seconds before the last rays of the Sun were pulled from the sky, a series of powerful lights set in the trees came on. Alex winced, for a few seconds, before his eyes adjusted to the sudden onslaught--then he just shrugged and sat back, flicking open a newspaper while his ears stayed erect, listening idly at what was going on some hundred yards to the east.

What were their plans for that day again?... David had suggested swimming for most of the day, and then... perhaps going to a restaurant.

Well. If that was going to happen, Alex would come along--he'd keep his distance, but he would come along.

He crossed his legs in front of him, then, and scanned the headlines until he found an interesting article. He'd just started to read it when his ear twitched--he looked up just in time to see David leading Katiana out of the water.

Alex sighed, then, and stood. He averted his eyes as Katiana dried off, as he really wasn't used to seeing her in such a state of undress. Was it really true that girls wore so little to go swimming these days?... yes, in fact, Alex knew that it was. He'd nudged Katiana into selecting probably the most covering suit he could find apart from a burqini.

At least David wasn't looking at her--at least, not too much. Then again, Alex couldn't really blame him. Katiana, after all, was a strikingly beautiful young woman--and also, his girlfriend.

Alex followed the two kids back inside, still giving them a lot of space. Surprisingly, he no longer felt pathetic or useless--he felt... happy, in an odd sort of way. Katiana was becoming her own person... she was growing up more and more by the day.

If Alex had been her father and as attached to her as he was, he would have had a hard time coping with things. But Alex had never, ever been able to get too close to Katiana--so, he was used to the idea of being apart, separate from her.

He wondered what kind of a father he would have turned out as if Chris had lived...

Alex shut his eyes and grimaced for a long, long moment. Thinking about Alexandra was hard enough--but thinking about his son... he didn't let himself do that much at all. He was depressed for days afterward whenever he did so without preparation.

With half a mind, Alex straightened out his clothes. Did his hair. Then, he followed Katiana and David into town, his mind on the life he might have had the entire time.

Katiana and David ate together often. They ate out together often--after all, Katiana worked at a restaurant. But they had never quite been to an establishment like this one before. For one thing, it was neither marginally reasonable cafeteria food nor pretty good Mexican.

It was what might be called a high-end Thai place. Alex surmised that their destination might be something of caliber when he'd seen how Katiana and David had dressed--and when he took a glance at the menu, the prices confirmed his suspicions.

Katiana and David were able to sneak bills into the right hands, so for that reason, they got a great table--it was in a quiet, private part of the restaurant that was opened up to the cool night air on the second floor. In contrast, Alex had to sneak into a booth on the ground floor. At least the restaurant was having a slow day--Alex would have felt pretty awkward if he was unable to sit down and just nibble on something and instead had to leer over the kids as they enjoyed their meal.

It might have been years since he'd last been a proper being--but Alex was still not completely used to the idea that he didn't exist in the normal sense of the word.

They seemed to be having a very lively conversation, at least at the onset of that evening. Owing to the angle from which he was viewing the couple, Alex only saw the back of Katiana's head, but it was easy to imagine the twinkle in her eye and the picture perfect dimples in her cheeks as she smiled and infrequently laughed at whatever was being discussed.

As time continued, though, tings calmed down noticeably. They seemed to be speaking much more softly, because they were both leaning in close to one another, speaking over plates that had been emptied and taken away long before.

Even Alex had to smile at that. He'd seen scenes like that many times before in his life, but never before had they involved people whose happiness he cared about. Soon, Alex knew, they would have to leave the restaurant and go home--but until then, they deserved full and complete privacy, even from him.

He slipped away, then, as silently and stealthily as a spirit. Katiana and David met him at home, two hours later--but he was already asleep by then.

The next morning, Katiana and David slept in. They managed to wake up within ten or so minutes of one another, however; Alex was up just before either of them. A half hour later, and breakfast was being finished.

This time, Alex felt no need to leave the two of them alone. After all, they were discussing a fairly serious topic--college and afterward. Acceptance letters were due within a few weeks... and they'd both applied to enough schools that they could both enjoy their senior year. There was no concern that Katiana would completely lose focus--Alex doubted she'd even fail to retain her 4.0, but for her to have just a little bit of security in her future would be nice.

David, it seemed, intended to not only get an undergraduate degree but a Master's as well, in a combined five-year program the school offered. Katiana seemed interested in that, but wasn't willing to commit to anything like that at present. She wanted to have as many options before her as possible, because her future was nothing if not dynamic.

That's why she had Alex.

Still, as the day went on, the tiger felt increasingly useless. Katiana still needed him... he knew that, because he existed. But what was he supposed to do? For the past few weeks, he had done little more than watch her from varying distances.

Indeed, Alex observed, he had rarely justified his own existence. When Alexandra and Chris were there, he had a purpose, and until Katiana was ten or so, he had also had a purpose. Before those two periods of time, however, he'd been pointless--he imagined that it was Alexandra who kept him from completely falling apart, but since then...

Maybe it was a good thing that he wasn't a physical entity. As he was, Alex was literally incapable of degenerating into alcoholism and death.

He couldn't even force himself out of this crushing, deepening angst by telling himself that his emotions would affect Katiana, because they didn't. Depression of varying levels had come and gone over the years with no observable effect on Katiana's own life--his emotions were tied into hers, but not the other way around.

Maybe soon, Katiana would find months of increasing happiness--that was wishful thinking on Alex's part. Because, after all, if she didn't, he didn't know how he would keep the shattered remnants of his mind together.

Katiana and David went out for the rest of the day, Alex didn't know where. He hardly moved a muscle for the next several hours, then--he just sat at the dining table and thought.

Spring passed. Katiana was accepted into her first choice school with a full-ride scholarship, plus a hefty stipend. Alex managed to drag himself out of the deepest trench he'd ever known for a full two days to recognize that Katiana's adult life would start without worry--but when he fell back into the darkness, he fell into an even deeper hole than the one he'd just pulled himself out from.

Summer passed. Katiana and David went on a road trip to Salt Lake City over the course of ten days. Alex barely noticed that time had passed.

Winter passed. David went to Canada again, but only for two weeks. When he got back, he took Katiana to an upscale restaurant outside of town--Alex only realized that any of this had happened some days later, when he managed to tune into a conversation over lunch between the two of them.

Katiana's last semester of high school was, of course, marked with some of the good-natured nonsense that seniors were famous for. It wasn't that she or David did anything, though some of their friends did--but Alex managed to pay marginally more attention to the passing days than he generally had in the past year. He was proud to see that Katiana continued to study hard and be responsible, although the only way she could lose her scholarship was for her GPA to drop by half a point or for something truly indefensible to happen. She was setting herself up for a good life, in Alex's opinion, unless something had changed in the past years that made hard, dedicated work valueless.

Those days, Alex mostly stayed out of Katiana's way. He was never far, but he was never needed, either. She took care of herself, and no one bothered her, ever--not that Alex wanted for her to be threatened, just so he could have something to do with his existence... or did he? Regardless, the tiger had no reason to pay attention to anything at all, not until around May--when the only topic on any senior's mind was the upcoming promenade.

Alex hadn't attended his own prom, of course. He had had absolutely no interest in going, and there was no one he could have asked to go with him--no self-respecting high school girl would be seen going to such an important event with a loner like him. Then, he recalled that in the days directly before the prom, he'd felt a few spikes of interest--a few times, he'd gotten halfway to renting a tux, even, before blinking, freezing, shaking his head, and going back to his homework.

That had probably been Alexandra, trying to give him some memories of his high school years. She had failed, of course, but Alex was the one who was now suffering for it. There was no nothing he could look back on with any sense of happiness or hope--the only decent times in his life were those involving Alexandra and Chris, and those were forever lost.

Alex followed Katiana as she shopped for a dress. He averted his eyes when she tried it on--and when it was time for her to make memories that he'd never have, he silently, quietly, completely left those moments to her and who she'd share them with.

She was nervous, although she'd told herself, over and over and over again that there was nothing to be nervous about. She'd known David for over a year, after all, and they had been dating since the previous summer--that was much, much longer than the average high school relationship lasted, and still they excited and interested one another. Seeing David always made Katiana smile, and there was no drama or dishonesty in their relationship. As time had continued, they'd only come to be more open with one another--they no longer had any secrets from one another. David was actually the first person Katiana had spoken to at length about her childhood, and how she'd come to be in Dallas.

In turn, he'd told her about all of his own securities--that he'd never measure up to his father and a few other, relatively trivial concerns. Katiana couldn't sympathize with him in the sense that she could relate to his emotions, but she did understand him. They always understood one another, after all.

Katiana was picked up by a limousine, of course. She'd tried to convince David to save a few bucks and stick with his car, but he wouldn't have any of it--although in the end, he had conceded a little and agreed to splitting costs with friends of theirs, picking up another couple on the way to school.

For the first few moments, however, she and David were alone, and she couldn't help but blush. He looked so handsome, then--he was tall and fair skinned and had strong, chiseled facial features, and could make a track suit look good. In a tuxedo, he looked absolutely stunning.

In contrast, Katiana was sure that she looked rather plain. She continued to believe this until she realized that what David was staring at wasn't something behind her or next to her--but it was her.

They didn't speak too much, then, until their friends joined them in the limo. But for the entire ride to school, their fingers remained intertwined.

Pictures were taken, of course, when Katiana and David exited the limo and walked the brief carpet into the hall that had been rented for the prom. It was a relatively large establishment, and the school was lucky that the owner was an alumni who was willing to rent it out for cheap--this left funds free for a small team of professional photographers, but Katiana and David were careful to give their best poses to David's parents, who had camped out for hours beforehand to get the best view of their son and his girlfriend.

Katiana observed, however, that David seemed somewhat nervous. She couldn't tell why, and she wasn't even sure if she was reading him correctly--and they'd been around one another long enough that she almost never had to wonder what David felt or thought. She swore she saw him make eye contact with his father and nod the teensiest bit--but the moment was over so quickly that she couldn't be sure the next second, when he was grinning widely and ushering her inside.

She brushed the moment aside, and for the next hours, she danced and laughed and had the best time of her life. She shook hands with and hugged too many people to count--and she might have shed a stray tear or two as well. What felt like the most significant part of her life thus far was coming to a close. She'd never see many of the friends and acquaintances she'd known for the past four or more years again--life was going to change a lot for her and the rest of the people in the hall, and it was going to change very, very quickly.

She wasn't afraid, though. She'd worked very hard for a very long time, and, so, she didn't need to be. Beyond that, however, she was stable not only financially, but on the emotional level as well. David had been there for her for over a year, and there was every indication that he would be there for... a good deal longer, anyway.

She and David had been dancing for a long time. Neither of them particularly cared for the few hip hop beats that their school allowed to be played--that meant that there was enough time to rest and chat and mingle with people whose faces they would only see online for the next few years, at least.

The prom went on for hours. Everything was perfect, in Katiana's opinion--but something was just a little strange. It didn't happen often, but now and then David looked quite nervous--and it wasn't when he stood up and asked her to dance, usually. Usually, it happened unpredictably, without impetus or a real pattern. Then, Katiana realized that whenever David seemed most nervous, he often reached down a put a hand on or in his pocket.

She cast him questioning glances that were ubiquitously brushed off by smiles or sudden invitations to get drinks or dance again or new subjects for conversation. For a time, this worked--but eventually, Katiana grew more and more suspicious that something was up, though she didn't know what.

The night was starting to end. A not insignificant proportion of students had already left, although all of Katiana's and David's friends planned to hang around for another hour, at least, before attending various after-parties.

Everyone was too tired to dance much more by then, however. The tables were filled with talking, laughing students--Katiana seemed to be the center of attention, then, and she wasn't sure how that had happened. It mostly seemed to be guys that were talking to her--mostly they were David's closest friends, and they seemed to be glancing from her to David and back, increasingly leaning forward as if something interesting was happening.

Katiana almost felt like she was being interrogated, or purposefully distracted from something. Was someone about to pull a prank on her? She moved a little closer to David and paid attention to her peripheral vision--something was definitely going on, she just didn't know what.

And then she realized that David wasn't there. At least, he wasn't in his seat--he was on a knee at her side.

Suddenly, everyone stopped talking--and not just everyone at the table, everyone in the entire building. The DJ caught on, quickly, and then turned the music down--and then off, entirely.

All eyes were on David and Katiana.

At some point, she had gotten to her feet--and at some point, David started to speak.

He didn't stutter. He didn't even seem nervous, either, now that he was actually doing it--he spoke clearly yet without the mechanical precision that would have been there if he'd practiced doing this. In every sense, he was speaking from the heart.

"Katiana," he said, in an almost worshipping manner, "I knew you were the one when I saw you. When we're together..." He searched for words, for a moment, but quickly gave up. "I want to be with you. Always," he said. He held the ring in his hand forward, a little, and looked deep into her eyes. "So... will you marry me?"

One minute, Alex was in Katiana's room, reading about Objectivist epistemology--the next, he looked up in shock and vanished from the building.

He got there just in time to hear David's final words: "Will you marry me?"

Alex hadn't seen the setup, of course, so the moment, for him, was so unbelievable it was almost surreal. Katiana felt the same way, Alex observed, as she looked around, half-expecting that this was some kind incredibly realistic dream. When she didn't wake up, though, she looked back down at David--and froze.

Alex just kept staring. He wasn't aware of anything, then, but Katiana, and, by extension, David. This was entirely unexpected; Alex was still having a hard time believing his eyes--he couldn't react in any way, he had no idea what to do or what to think--all he could do was to turn to Katiana and watch, closely, as her lips started to move.

"Hell yes."

Alex jumped out of his skin, then, but it wasn't because of Katiana's answer. He hadn't quite registered that he was in a hall full of entirely silent high school kids, all hanging onto Katiana's answer almost as much as he was--and, so, when they cheered, Alex was unprepared for the sudden assault of sound.

Moments later, when Katiana and David were hugging, Alex still wasn't sure what he'd seen. He continued to stare, for a full two minutes, and wonder and think and consider what had just happened--in the end, he had to take a seat.

He was crying, he realized, but he didn't try to stop it. It seemed that David's parents had managed to get into the hall--they were sitting next to him and reacting similarly, though the fact that their cameras had tripods meant that the pictures had come out perfectly. Alex wanted to shake their hands, or at least say hello to them--but he couldn't, of course. All he could do was watch as Katiana and David continued to dance, remaining in each others' arms until the song was done.

They kissed, then. And for the first time in his life, Alex watched it happen without disapproval or worse.

The marriage date was set for the last day of the summer. Honeymoon plans were still up in the air--but it seemed likely that David would take Katiana to his parents' native Canada. Alex wasn't sure how she'd fare in weather like what she would encounter in Canada, in the winter--but he wouldn't complain. David would take care of Katiana; he accepted that now without difficulty. There wasn't much left to do, it seemed, besides preparing for the wedding--and David's parents seemed to have mostly taken on that burden.

Katiana hadn't quit work, although she'd been invited to stay with David at his house, although, Alex noted with pride, not in his room. She wanted to remain self-reliant--and she did need to continue to save up money for college. Although, Alex was pretty sure that in college, Katiana's parents-in-law would insist that she took vacations over breaks rather than continuing to work...

Regardless--it seemed that Katiana's life was perfect. School was over and although she worked ten hours a day, six days a week, plus a few more on Sundays, she had plenty of time to be with David. He had taken up a job, it seemed; Alex wasn't sure why. His parents would pay for his expenses in college, after all--maybe she made him feel guilty by working so hard when he did... whatever kids did in their free time. Alex couldn't remember what he had done outside of school when he had been that age.

There wasn't much for him to do, but he no longer felt depressed--rather, he felt almost anxious. Katiana would be married, soon--she would no longer need him, so, then, he could go off and finally get some closure on his life as a normal human... and his life with Alexandra. This was assuming, of course, that he didn't simply cease to exist... but there was no sense in preparing for that possibility. If it happened, it happened, and there was nothing he could do about it.

And so he consolidated things. Every picture he'd taken of her over the years, every record, every log of every document he'd forged or edited to make sure that she didn't get into any legal or procedural trouble--everything was in two large binders kept up in Katiana's closet. Hopefully, when the time came, he'd be able to give them to her.

Katiana was understandably nervous around the middle of August. She started packing weeks sooner than she had to--she had very few possessions, and no furniture that she could bring with her. Already she'd posted ads for her desk, lamp, dresser and bed online, and already she'd gotten someone willing to pick them up from her on her last day in Dallas.

Until then, there wasn't much to do but to work, and to wait. Katiana's employers--her adoptive "family"--was sad to see her go. They'd never really considered her a daughter, exactly, but they had celebrated her birthdays, for example, and she was included in some other matters strictly reserved for family. Alex regarded them highly, still, after so many years--and so when the old man and woman took her aside, one day, and thanked her for her service and hugged her, he knew that their actions were sincere.

Nothing of note had happened over the summer. Once or twice Katiana and David had gone here and there, around town, mostly to look at stuff for their room--and this, of course, reminded Katiana not only that she was going to college, she was going to start her life as a married woman.

For his part, Alex had spent most of his waking hours pacing, walking around back and forth, trying to think about what he ought to do once he was free. He was unable to go anywhere, or do anything, really, that wasn't in Katiana's best interests--not now, anyway, but once she was in David's protection, rather than his, he could travel freely and do as he wanted.

There were no temptations for him. All he wanted was to make sense of his life, or existence, or whatever it was--that was the only thing he wanted.

But he couldn't think. He'd been attached to Katiana for eighteen years--leaving her was a big deal, for him, and his mind constantly raced between her life and his after they were apart. He couldn't plan what to do for himself, couldn't think of what to do for her--and so he just resigned himself to walking around, constantly, and trying to keep his mind off of things.

Maybe he was slightly insane. But he'd been alone for almost twenty years, and in the worst, most cruel way. There were people all around him but they couldn't see him and he couldn't see them. The tortuous effect this had on his mind is difficult to imagine, much less understand--but he had suffered because of it. He had suffered a lot.

Things would change, soon, and Alex could only hope that they would be for the better--for him. Katiana's life would take off, he was sure, but his own fate was less certain. He'd have to make his own life, it seemed--and he'd start out with nothing, or less even than that.

Strangely, as the days to Katiana's marriage and move to college counted down, Alex found himself increasingly calm and rational. He had a simple purpose, and there was a specific end date to his obligations. Soon, the day that he'd both looked forward to and dreaded for the longest time would come--after that... no, he wouldn't think about that for now. He'd take things as they came, once Katiana was David's and not his.

How he knew that his job as Katiana's guardian would be over when she was married, he wasn't sure. He just knew it, though, with the same ferocious certainty that he knew he loved Katiana--and so he didn't question it and he didn't consider any alternative possibilities.

He just did what he could. Mostly, he hung around David's parents and acted as a fixer, ensuring that invitations were addressed and stamped properly, and checking up on the various other preparations that had to be made--there weren't that many. Katiana had no relatives, and David's family was not large. The mansion that his parents owned at the periphery of the city was more than large enough for the ceremony and three dozen or so guests.

David's relatives started arriving up to two days before the wedding. They were all decent people, and all from North America except for one cousin that had moved to New Zealand. Of course, the rest of the guests didn't have to travel very far to attend the ceremony--they all lived in town.

Finally was Katiana convinced to "move in" with David. She was given a room bigger than she knew what to do with--she was nervous, Alex could tell, but in a happy, almost ecstatic way. She felt incredibly fortunate to be where she was, to be who she was, and Alex understood that feeling well. It had been all he'd lived for a full five and some years of his life.

Finally--it was here. Everything was happening that day--Katiana was getting married, and going to college. After that, she'd be safe, forever, and any struggles she faced in her life she'd face with David, not Alex. After she was married and gone... Alex would be free.

His time was coming close, but until it came, he would do his job. That's why when the catering company for the event had called and said that there were some logistical problems, Alex was the one to bamf away immediately.

He found a scene of chaos. Two separate birthdays were being catered for in addition to the wedding--food was getting mixed around and burnt and delayed and worse. The regular manager was gone, it seemed, and the one that had taken over things for the day was doing his best--but it was clear that he wasn't ready for the position.

Alex's capacity to help, at first, seemed limited. He couldn't pick up a clipboard and bark out orders--but he could yank aside carelessly discarded bits of plastic wrap before people carrying heavy trays of food could slip over them and plunge things into further disorder.

A few more quick saves like that, and things finally started to work out. Minutes passed by in a blur for Alex--when he wasn't engaging in direct, emergency action, he was thinking about what to do when he was free--a time that was getting increasingly, imminently closer.

Would he still be a tiger? Would he go back to being a human? If he became a human again, how would he do... anything? He had no ID, no money, and he'd officially died two decades before. And if he became a human--he'd be old, in his forties at least.

Despite everything, Alex shuddered at that. He hadn't aged a day when he was with Alexandra and he hadn't aged a day when he was with Katiana. The last thing he wanted was to go from the vibrant, dynamic mindset of a twenty-something to the dull placidity of a middle-aged man.

He watched his paws do work. He adjusted the dial gauges of gas stoves and ovens, and he shut off electric mixers and blenders and toasters. He applied extra dabs of butter and, deftly, hid a large container of raisins well, well out of sight before it could be used for anything. He hated raisins, after all.

Thinking about his own future just made his paws shaky and his mind more so. So, Alex thought about Katiana's future. How many kids would she have? What would her career path be? And how often would--how often could he come to see her? After all, she was like a daughter to him... no, she was his daughter. The bond Alex had forged with Katiana was deeper than blood, even though he couldn't show it.

Even though he couldn't show it... it was still there, and it was more real than he was. It might even have been that Alex's love for Katiana was the will that created his existence--it might have been that Alex's existence was centered around Katiana's, entirely, and that might mean that his fate was inevitably demise, when she no longer needed him.

He decided, however, that he simply didn't mind. If he ended, it would be because Katiana's life would forever be safe, secure, and decent--and so his purpose would have been accomplished.

Alex grinned, then, sadly. When Chris had died... if he hadn't done what he had to Alexandra, they would have moved on, eventually. Eventually. His existence was not tied to his child's, exactly... but if his existence was tied to Katiana's, then he was better than her father. He was her guardian.

That thought had just left his mind, trailing a residual sense of purpose and certainty with it when a door nearby opened. Alex looked up, then, and froze.

Him. Him. It had been fifteen years, but Alex would have recognized that face anywhere. He had aged, sure, and there were now a few extra pounds lining his chin and chest and arms--but there was no mistaking him at all.

"Miguel Hernandez."

He looked up, then, as if he'd heard Alex's greeting--but of course he hadn't, and, so, he turned back to lashing a series of prepared dishes together so that they could be loaded up. When that was finished, he quickly stacked the heavy containers in a large minivan outside the establishment, and then made his way back inside to help out with the actual fabrication of the food. Throughout this entire period of ten or so seconds, Alex was there, staring at him.

The tiger felt calm, of all things. And yet, a thousand memories raced through his mind every moment--he remembered every insult, every failure as a parent, every swearword that Miguel had hurled at his--Alex's--daughter.

A barked order, then, told Miguel that those going to the wedding would be a hand short. He was to accompany them. In response to that, he simply nodded, disinterestedly--apparently, he hadn't heard of where they were going, or, rather, to whose wedding they were going.

Alex looked away, for a moment--then he scoffed, and grinned. He'd barely spared a thought on Katiana's father or brothers over the years--they had been, as far as he was concerned, dead. But it seemed that at least Miguel was alive--and after all these years, he had returned, one last time, to ruin his daughter's wedding.

Briefly, Alex considered what might happen if daughter and father were allowed to meet. Katiana would feel a thousand emotions, all at once--and then she'd probably try to forgive her father.

He'd almost certainly try to hurt her. And even if he didn't, his ignorance and hatred would cut her deep.

The tiger considered his options. He weighed them in his mind, just as he weighed the iron skillet in his hand, roasting a few cloves of garlic--and then he realized what he ought to do.

Alex waited until the garlic was perfectly browned. He slid it off the hot metal surface and onto a cutting board--by that time, Miguel was approaching him fast.

Alex took the pan in both hands. And then he swung it like a bat.

The bottom of the heavy metal dish was screaming hot. When it touched Miguel's face it cooked his flesh, instantly, even as the sheer power of the blow was transferred. Miguel was unconscious before he hit the floor--before Alex had finished swinging through.

By the time the blow had connected and released, bits of burnt tissue were sticking to the bottom of the pan. Miguel was unconscious and his cheekbone was broken--at the very, very least.

Alex stood over the fallen man. The pan was still heavy in his hand, shaking, almost itching to be used again--but Alex knew that Katiana was safe. His job, there, was done.

The tiger dropped the pan and began to walk away. He was vaguely aware that 911 was being called--he wondered what the police would think about what had happened, though it didn't matter to him. Katiana was safe. All that was left for him to do was to walk back and to watch her get married.

Alex couldn't recall ever attending a formal wedding of any sort. His mother had officially gotten married a few times, he recalled--once or twice in his presence, but that didn't count. Getting a few papers signed in front of authorities in suits was worlds apart from what was going on now.

David's backyard was large and open, and so there was plenty of room for the friends and family that had been invited to mingle. Everyone seemed to get along, Alex noticed, although two vastly different generations were well-represented among the gathering--there were the kids and there were the adults, and then there were a few older ones, including David's grandparents.

Everyone was well-dressed, and everyone was smiling. For his part, Alex had worn his best suit--a pinstriped Armani that clung to his chest and broad shoulders perfectly--and he, too, was smiling. He would have loved to meet everyone present, but of course, he only existed on the peripheries of the universe. He couldn't talk to them and they couldn't talk to him, but for once, Alex was able to avoid dwelling on that. What was happening that day was much, much too important and much, much too happy for him to be saddened in any way.

The ceremony was not traditional. The cleric that had been invited to perform it had known David since he had been a small boy, and headed a local non-denominational church. Although his moral teachings seemed to be quite conservative--David and Katiana had both kept their hands to their respective selves for a reason--he seemed than willing to accept that tradition itself was dynamic, and that the traditions of the future were created in the present.

Alex walked with Katiana down the aisle. She would have been alone if it wasn't for him, and she seemed to appreciate that. Why else would her arm be curled around what seemed to everyone else like empty space? He had almost a minute--a whole, shining minute--in which the world consisted of nothing and no one besides himself and Katiana, and she looked beautiful. The white of her dress contrasted with the fair copper of her skin, and so Alex could barely keep his eyes off her--and then he realized that he didn't have to try. She wasn't blushing because of him--after all, he didn't even exist...

He had to leave her, then, with David and the cleric. He would have liked if there was a seat left for him, but, of course, there wasn't--he had to stand off to the side, out of view and invisible to the world, but that had been his life for the past eighteen years and he was used to it.

Alex would never be exactly sure how long the wedding took. The entire time, he was looking directly at the couple before him. At first, it stunned him to see how happy Katiana was, but in time he grew accustomed to that and simply thought back on the many long years he'd shared with her.

He'd seen her at her lowest and highest points. He'd taken care of her on the few occasions that she'd gotten sick, and when she felt lonely and cold he was always there. He'd loved her, every minute of every day, and he'd always, always kept her safe. It was true that there were times--many times, expanses of months or more, even--that he hadn't been all he could for her. But he was her guardian--and no one could ever take that away from him.

Where Alex's life intersected with Katiana's thus far, he had been selflessness embodied. There weren't exactly days off, or even minutes off--he was always there for her at an instant's notice. In fact, he wasn't even sure how what he'd do without her, he'd have so much time to himself. Of course he knew what his goals were--but over the years, it occurred to him, he'd not spent even a minute considering how to achieve them.

But now wasn't the time to think of that--to think of him. He could wait. Katiana needed him there and then, just for a little longer. Soon, he would have all the time he wanted to think and do as he wanted. Soon, Katiana would have no further need of him.

It was with that thought that Alex began to focus on the ceremony going on before him again. In contrast with their actions over the minutes or hours that had passed, now it seemed that everyone was wide awake and sitting up in their seats--and then Alex realized why. This was it, this was the end of the wedding--

With trepidation that bordered on fear, Alex watched David's lips move--then Katiana's. He heard what they were saying but he did not register it. Was this it? Was this really going on? Was his Katiana, his little green-eyed girl really getting married?

In slow motion, people began to stand up and applaud. Alex looked to the side and saw David's parents and grandparents doing the same, almost tearfully, and then he realized that yes--this really was happening. This really had happened.

Alex too stood up. He, too, began to clap--and then it hit him. Katiana was married...

For a full minute, there was nothing but happiness. He, too, felt an unfamiliar moistness in his eyes as he watched Katiana and David hold one another with an affection that had been foreign to him for a lifetime, that he had missed for half a lifetime--and he knew that his job was finished.

His happiness continued for some moments longer. But then Alex couldn't stop himself from wondering--why did he still feel tied to Katiana by bonds more powerful than the promises she'd just exchanged with her beloved?

The hours that passed next passed in a blur for Alex. It wasn't that he was depressed, again, or in some way unconscious--he was so confused that he was experiencing a prolonged out of body experience. Katiana was married--so why couldn't he leave? Why couldn't he do anything, in fact, that wasn't for Katiana? He could barely get himself a cup of punch, just to have something to do with his hands--he certainly couldn't take out a computer and start the long, grim task of figuring out what had happened to the people he'd left behind when he was her age, so many years ago.

So, by default, Alex just walked around. He stood in on a few conversations, dumbly sipping at his drink and trying to find humor or amusement in whatever was being said, though he couldn't keep up with it--in the back of his mind, at all times, was Katiana's precise position and status. If he was no longer her guardian, he ought not to be able to know those things...

Alex wasn't sure how he got through the party after the wedding. He wandered around until he hit the boundaries of the box centered around Katiana that he was allowed in--and then he turned around and started to wander in some other direction.

Things wound down quite slowly. When they did, Alex found himself cleaning up as most of the wedding's attendees moved indoors--he didn't know why. All alone again, the tiger folded up chairs, simply because he didn't know what else to do until he sensed that Katiana and David were getting ready to go to college.

They must have loaded whatever they were bringing with them into a van when he'd been holding things down at the catering place. Now, it seemed that all that there was left to do was to get into the vehicle and drive... and it seemed that Alex's place was right there with them...

Maybe he'd be with Katiana for the rest of her life. That wouldn't be so bad, the tiger thought to himself as he put his jacket back on and briskly strode past the many friends and family that had gathered around to see the young couple off--but it would be hard to accept for at least some time. And after that, he'd be almost irrelevant to Katiana--his existence, shortly, would become gray and pointless. He couldn't live off of Katiana's happiness forever. Sooner or later, he'd have to go out and make happiness of his own.

The drive to college was quiet, given all that had just happened and all that was about to happen. Before leaving, David and Katiana had both changed into clothing more suitable for travel--after all, there was enough excitement and pressure about them for going to college without showing up as a married couple. They were seated side by side in the back row of David's parents' van--his parents were in front of them, and Alex, with no space left inside, had to be by himself on the vehicle's roof.

It was hard, at first, to hold onto the sleek metal surface beneath him, but soon the tiger got used to it. They were on the highway soon, and the lack of rapid acceleration meant that he shortly didn't even have to have a paw down--he could just sit and look ahead and enjoy the feeling of the wind against his fur.

Alex refused to let himself worry about anything--yet. He'd take the rest of the day, moment by moment, and when tomorrow came he would accept it, no matter what it was. He would find some way to go on, no matter if he was attached to Katiana forever or free or dead.

He would--wait. Wait a second.

Alex didn't feel alarm, then--or anything else. In fact, he wasn't sure what he felt, if it was anything at all.

A few seconds later, he decided that what was odd was that it wasn't something that he felt--but something that he didn't feel that was making him so off-balance. It was as if he'd forgotten to breathe, or something; what could it possibly be?

And then he realized--it was Katiana.

She was alright, of course; Alex confirmed that after a moment of careful concentration. But when his mind had drifted towards her, something had changed, suddenly...

And then Alex realized--he wasn't aware of Katiana, not unless he consciously tried to be.

Something was changing. It was slow and it was gradual, but something was definitely, certainly changing. Alex's connection to Katiana hadn't been cut--it was being cut.

Immediately, the tiger forgot that he'd told himself that he'd live that day moment by moment. The thought of being his own man--really for the first time in his life--was as breathtaking as it was terrifying, because with it came the risk of death.

There was a lot of activity on campus that day--a lot more than there had been when Alex had been there before. Freshmen were moving in, from all over the state and all over the country--and all over the world. A few international faces could be seen here and there, but by and large the incoming class was American, born and raised. The upperclassmen had moved in some days before, as they didn't require the assistance of any staff or faculty--not like the school's newest students.

Katiana and David had planned well, though. They knew what to do and where to go, and so the many headaches that some other kids and their parents seemed to be going through were missing. Once they were on campus, they quickly went to the administrative building to check in and get their keys--then it was back to the van to get to their dorm. There was no fuss about it, but Alex observed that he was completely unaware of Katiana, after she left his sight--it was almost like she was just another person.

It didn't take very long for the two youngsters to get moved in. They hadn't needed to bring in much--just their clothes and a few basic supplies and that was all. Their books had already been ordered and would be delivered to their doorstep within a day or two. Within an hour, Katiana, David, and his parents were all sitting down in the small common room attached to the bedroom, while Alex checked everything again, just one last time.

By then, it was getting dark outside. There was a surprisingly sweet smell in the air outside, and Alex wondered if humans, with their somewhat pathetic senses of smell, would notice it--he would never know, of course. But he liked to think that they did, in some small way, because everyone he'd seen on campus had been happy, enthusiastic, full of energy and life and promise.

Maybe it would rub off on him, but he doubted it. He still didn't know what his fate was, after all--he still didn't know what he had to do. The ties connecting him to Katiana were ending, slowly, but they were still there--and what happened when they were finally cut entirely, Alex did not know.

And so he pulled up a cardboard box and sat down in the corner, facing the two couples in the center of the room. His arms folded--but he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of happiness. Katiana was holding hands with David, and talking rapidly, animatedly--about what, Alex didn't know. He'd entered the conversation too late to figure out what it was about.

Again, it struck him just how beautiful Katiana was. It was hard to believe that she'd gone from a child that Alex could pick up with one hand to a married woman, almost six feet in height--but she was still definitely Katiana. She was still quiet by nature, but friendly and deeply moral--she never swore, never smoked or drank, and still, Alex knew, she'd never done anything with David that she was unwilling to do in front of his parents.

And she still had green eyes, of course. They hadn't changed in the slightest over the years--they were still fair and bright and full of light.

And then the weight of years hit him. Alex had really been there for Katiana through everything, hadn't he? And yet, every minute he'd been hopeful for her, even when she'd been abandoned by her family. He'd somehow always known that she would be great, just as he knew then--he wasn't sure what Katiana was going to do or when, or even if the world at large would recognize it, but he knew that she would excel in whatever she chose to do with her life.

In a way, Alex had raised Katiana--and she made him proud in a way that was hard to put into words. Her accomplishments were not his, but the enormity of the task he'd just successfully complete was almost overwhelming.

Alex's paw made its way to his chin. His leg folded, and soon, he sat there, just like that, motionless for over half an hour. He thought of all the memorable times in Katiana's life, good and bad. Even through the most severe bouts of his depression, Alex had been there for Katiana, and if he tried, he was, sure, he could recall every single second he'd spent with her--that was how deeply she'd touched him in their lifetime together.

When Alex looked up, he was alone in the room--but he didn't panic. Katiana's voice was coming from the hallway; she was leaving the building, it seemed, to see David's parents off. His connection to her--it was almost dead if he hadn't noticed her leaving. But for now, Alex was still Katiana's guardian--and he wanted to be with her still before he was thrown out into the world without anyone or any_thing_. And so he walked through the door, rapidly, and managed to catch up to the four just as the older Lyons were about to get into the van.

It seemed that Katiana and David were both starting to get nervous then, but Alex couldn't for the life of him work out why. They were both shaking, the smallest amount, but that didn't evade Alex's perception. He saw it--and David's parents did too, though they said nothing about it. They knew what was going on--or rather, what was going to go on--and they knew why both Katiana and David were... nervous didn't quite cover it.

After David hugged his mother and shook hands with his father, Katiana fared them well in her own way--for the first time, she was able to address them as her parents-in-law. It was awkward, and a little forced--but she'd get used to it and she'd get used to it sooner rather than later.

The older Lyons drove away, then, and for a long moment, their younger counterparts watched them leave. The campus's terrain was such that they could see the van get to at least four hundred yards away before it finally made a turn and then vanished from sight--after that, Katiana and David looked at one another.

They both blushed then and promptly looked away. For a moment, both of them simply stood there, leaving Alex wondering why he always felt so damned far out of the loop. There must have been a convention, recently, that everyone but he had been invited to--only that could explain what was... what was...

"Ahh..."

Now, Alex got what was going on--and the moment he did, for the first time in many, many years, he flushed, visibly. It was true that his fur was quite thick, but it was still pale--the sudden concentration of blood in his face was easy to see, or at least it would have been easy to see if anyone was capable of seeing him. But at that moment, the absolute last thing on Alex's mind was his own sorry existence.

"Well, I'll be damned," the tiger said, although he didn't realize it. "I never gave Katiana 'the talk', but it looks like I never needed to."

David willed himself to action--or tried to. As clean as he tried to keep himself, he couldn't help that Katiana was easily the most beautiful person he'd ever seen--and it wasn't just because she was his best friend, his confidant, his tutor and his wife. She was objectively the best he could ever have, and he knew that he would treasure her forever.

And that's why it was so difficult for him to take the next step.

He forced himself to look up, over the period of a few seconds, and was shocked to see that Katiana was still trying to break through her own embarrassment. How could she be worried? She was a thousand times more attractive than he was--

That line of thought ended without David's notice. He stepped forward, then, and took his girlfriend--no, his fiancé--no, his wife, he reminded himself, with a confident smile--by the hand.

"Katiana," he said, "let's... go for a walk."

She was looking at him by then, tanned cheeks touched ever so slightly with a shade of red--and she nodded as her fingers intertwined with his. In a moment, they were side by side and moving slowly away from their building. They had no set destination, but wherever they were going they were going together, and that was all that mattered.

Although it was past sunset, it was surprisingly easy to see. There was moonlight and starlight alike, and the air was clear enough that the light from the sky wasn't diffused by airborne particulates--rather, the almost ethereal caress on the grounds and buildings was bright and white and almost breathtakingly beautiful.

Even then, it seemed that many freshmen still had plenty of work to do to get their things together. The incoming class that year was quite large--Katiana and David would be two in a crowd of over two thousand strangers. They didn't worry that much, though--it was true that at least the first few days of college would be awkward and embarrassing, but after that, Katiana and David would find themselves among friends. They were probably the only married freshmen in college--in fact, they were probably the only married undergraduates, but everyone was strange or different in some way. They would find people that liked them for who they were--this was certain.

They walked everywhere, all over campus--all over the adjacent town as well. They'd never actually been there before, except for in transit, and it was certainly a worthwhile trip. They each made mental notes of where all points of interest were: convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, taverns, delis, et cetera... it seemed like a fairly typical college town, all in all, and David was sure that he and Katiana would have fun exploring it in its entirety later.

But it felt that sooner rather than later, they had to head back to the dorm. It was getting late, and it was starting to get fairly dark out--and that ought not to have mattered. After all, now they were in college, and they didn't have to answer to anyone but themselves. If they wanted to stay out until three am, no one would stop them.

And yet, Katiana felt a force within her own mind insisting that she go back. She tried to defeat it, at first, noting that there were plenty of street lights and that the town was quite safe, even extremely late at night--but it overwhelmed her, and, in time, she and her boyfriend--no, her fiancé--no, her husband, she reminded herself, with a shy but happy smile--were heading back to their shared dormitory... and their shared bed.

She almost managed to continue the walk for several minutes more when she thought of that. But that force, that same, unnamable force overwhelmed her conscious will again. Whatever it was that was telling her what to do felt determined, but in a strange way. It was as if something deeply attached Katiana was about to vanish, very, very soon indeed--but she couldn't figure out what it was. She had all of her possessions, and she had her David, too. She reaffirmed his presence by giving his hand a slight squeeze, and smiled, a few seconds later, when he reciprocated.

She'd do her best, in just a few minutes, although she really wasn't sure how. Katiana had never had a computer of her own, much less uncensored internet access, so she'd never had the opportunity to see the professionals in action, and mainstream movies weren't nearly explicit enough to give her any useful pointers. All Katiana could do was what came naturally... and hope that David enjoyed her.

There was insecurity in her, but not much--no, there was a lot of insecurity, and it was more than her will that was preventing her from realizing it. It was almost like there was a duality within her--there was her own consciousness alongside an entirely different being, albeit one that had her best interests at heart, at least for some time more.

Katiana didn't have an infinite time to ponder, though. The walk back to campus was not long--sooner rather than later, she and David were within sight of their dormitory. A fresh wave of nervousness hit her--she swallowed, though, and willed herself to keep walking. But it struck her that that time, and from then on out, that caring, loving presence next to her was completely, totally gone.

When he had been a human, Alex recalled that he'd never really feared death. He was protected from thinking about death in general by Alexandra, he believed, otherwise he'd have probably committed suicide in high school. And then, of course, he had been with Alexandra--he'd simply been too busy with life and love to think about his own mortality very much.

Now, though, Alex was afraid. He was more than afraid--he was terrified. The only way he could continue to believe that he still existed in some form was by tapping himself, repeatedly, or pinching himself when his flesh felt yielding or transient. Was he really approaching the end of his existence? No, no, no, he didn't want to vanish, didn't want to wink out like that--he had so much left to do. True, he had died to the world a quarter century ago--but he was still alive. He was still very much alive, and he didn't want to die.

But there was nothing he could do. Nothing--he could feel himself starting to come apart at the seams, in a fashion. And yet he wanted to say goodbye to Katiana. He needed to say goodbye to Katiana. She was the only thing that had kept him going for so long. All he wanted was to say goodbye to Katiana, and if he vanished after that, without any other closure in his life, he'd be fine.

How he knew that he had to get her and David back to their dorm soon, he didn't know. But he knew that he did. It seemed to him that when they finally became a couple in the last, most intimate way, he would finally be free of her and therefore free of the ties that bound him to the world. And yet, he was fading away with the simple passage of time--if he was to say goodbye to Katiana, it would have to be soon. Sooner than soon. It would have to be now.

Alex was shaking in fear, not just of death. He feared the finality of death, and the fact that if he went then, nothing and no one in the world would ever know that he'd existed, in a way, for over twenty years after his "death". He tried to get behind Katiana and physically push her, but that obviously didn't work. He tried to grab her hand and pull her, but that was even worse.

And then, with his heart in his mouth, Alex saw that they were back at the dormitory building. A silent wave of relief washed over him, but he felt thinner and weaker and smaller than ever--and he did not want to vanish then, so close to faring Katiana well for the last time. He raced up the stairs--raced back down again, and pleaded with Katiana and her husband to move faster, just a little faster, so that he could say goodbye to the only one he'd been able to love for eighteen years.

And then he saw the way they were looking at one another. Their eyes were locked, even as they climbed the stairs, and Alex could hear--could practically feel their hearts beating, pounding with fear and anticipation and another, less sophisticated emotion. He knew, then, that there was nothing he could do to hurry them up--each of their respective universes consisted of exactly two people. Everything and everyone else was a distraction.

Alex wanted to feel happy for Katiana. He truly did. But he could only feel fear, raw and cold and stifling, even as he dejectedly made his way up the stairs again. His paw was on his chin, and his eyes were wet. He wanted to say goodbye to Katiana. To tell her that he always had, and always would love her... but, it seemed, that this was not to be.

He entered the young couple's room before they did. Without looking, he felt around on the couch and collected the large binders he'd put together over the years. Everything was in them--documents, papers, records, logs, and every picture he had taken of Katiana over the years. Those two binders contained more than memories, they contained Katiana's past... and the only, marginal evidence that pointed to Alex's existence.

He held them in his hands for a moment. Then placed them down on the ground before him. If he truly did vanish, it seemed that anything that was attached to him--clothing, effects, et cetera--ought to vanish as well. He didn't touch the binders again, to give them the greatest possible odds of surviving.

He started to pace. These were the longest seconds of his life--he was sweating hard, cold bullets down the side of his face, and almost hyperventilating. He didn't want to die, but he didn't care about that as much anymore--what he cared about was knowing that Katiana would remember him, and perhaps love him back, at least for a few seconds, before he ceased to exist entirely.

They were still climbing the stairs. He could hear them, he could hear their footsteps--too slow. Far too slow. He was going, going, gone...

And then, suddenly, Alex was there. He existed more completely than he ever had in the past lifetime--he didn't know how he knew that, but he somehow did. He was radiating warmth and energy and life and he felt strong and determined enough to move mountains. It was almost like he was alive again--but he lifted an appendage and looked down at it. No, he was still white-furred and covered in stripes from head to toe.

And yet he felt so alive. He had the energy that he did when he was young, and with Alexandra. He could move and he could run and his heart was capable of inputting and outputting emotions that he'd experienced for only five shining years in his life. He was no longer just a sort of entity that existed to protect Katiana--he was, for then and ever on, his own ma.

A noise alerted him to look up. Time itself seemed to move more slowly, the tiger noted, as if his reflexes themselves had been significantly amplified. He could watch as the door swung open and a foot stepped into the room--

And then there was fear. Not fear, exactly, nor shock, but something similar to both reactions. David and Katiana had entered their room and were staring at something in front of Alex--no, behind Alex--no, exactly where Alex was. In confusion, the tiger looked around, briefly--but there was nothing there but him. They were looking... at him...

He faced them both, moving very slowly indeed. For one thing, he was afraid that rapid activity might shatter the moment--for another, he didn't want to terrify them. Already, both teenagers were shaking and holding hands tightly. He could see them vibrating and staring at him and he didn't dare believe it, for a long moment--but then when he saw that their eyes were locked on his, an almost overwhelming wave of emotion washed over him.

Trembling, Alex raised his paws, holding them up so that it was clear that he was no threat. Though nervous, he was smiling, broadly, and grinning, and, after a few moments, Katiana seemed to realize it. And then David did as well. They calmed down, the slightest bit, and dared to take their eyes off of Alex's. They seemed to look at him from head to toe, as if to ensure that he was real and not a very sophisticated optical illusion or hoax. Were they convinced? Perhaps not yet. But that was before Alex spoke.

"Can... can you guys hear me?"

Alex said that in a voice that was impossibly small, soft, and gentle for a being of his appearance. Or... perhaps not. Apart from his species, and size, he didn't look particularly scary. Not that scary at all. True, he was built and tall and armed with claws and teeth the size of pocket knife blades, but his demeanor was gentle in every way.

"Y... yes..." It was Katiana that said that. David still seemed rooted to the spot--he literally could not believe his eyes. Katiana somehow could, though she didn't know why. Nothing about what she was seeing--and now hearing--made any sense.

Alex stepped forward, once, and David moved as well. He placed his own body between Alex and Katiana without apparently realizing it, because he was still speechless--his wife, on the other hand, was experiencing an impossibly strong sense of déjà vu--but that was ridiculous. How could she have possibly seen someone--some_thing_--like Alex before in her life?

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you... I just want to see Katiana. Just for a minute... one last time. Please...?"

There was an ultimate sincerity to Alex's voice that transcended prejudice with regards to appearance and even species, and was impossible to fake. The tiger's efforts were not wasted on David--although his heart was hammering at his chest, he managed to nod, once, and slacken his grip on Katiana's hand the smallest amount.

She stepped forward, slowly, as if she was certain she was in a dream--a good dream--that would end at any moment. Her hand did leave David's, eventually, as she got to within five feet of Alex. Her eyes, bright green and curious, were locked on his--and then, all at once, something clicked. She gasped.

"I remember you," she said. "When I had to walk back to Dallas... I should have died, but I didn't. Was that you...?"

Alex was already nodding. He beamed at her--so she did remember him. She did realize that he existed, and knowing that gave Alex more comfort than he could easily express.

"It was," the tiger murmured. "That was me... so were a lot of other things. You've had a rough life, Katiana. I know that, because I've been around every second. Every second... I've always been here, just for you. Always."

"Thank you," Katiana replied reflexively. She blinked, then, and smiled, and began to cautiously, slowly move forward. "Thank you," she said again, although this time in a far more thoughtful, sincere manner. She was now within a foot of Alex--close enough to feel the warmth and affection off his body, and very nearly close enough to touch him.

And then she did touch him. At first, she simply put her hand on his forearm--both of them gave a start when they realized that Alex was real for sure. Katiana was nervous at first, of course, but when the white tiger did not vanish or do anything unexpected, she calmed, quickly, and rubbed his fur. He was soft... and now she knew how he was both a dangerous, deadly protector and a loving, caring guardian.

A final step was all it took to bring Katiana closer to Alex than she'd been in years. She took it, and then wrapped her arms around the tiger's body, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you... Mister Tiger," she said. "I don't know where I would be without you."

It was several long seconds until Alex realized that he had been spoken to. He tried to reply--failed--and simply lifted his own arms, shakily, slowly, and wrapped them around Katiana's upper back.

How long it had been since he'd been able to show his affection. How much longer still it had been since he'd been able to receive anything like it. And yet there he was, wrapped in a warm embrace with Katiana. He'd said that he'd always been there for her, and there was no denying the truth in that statement. And yet...

"Thank you, Katiana," Alex murmured. "I don't know where I would be without you."

He held her for a moment yet, before slowly, almost reluctantly spreading his arms. Katiana stepped away from him, then, but in a way, the warmth she'd given him didn't fade. Would never fade. After all, he'd never forget her in his life... or, whatever Alex's existence was called.

After a moment, Alex looked away from Katiana. Instead, he focused his gaze on David, and while his expression was kind, his voice was firm.

"Take care of her, son, alright? I am not Katiana's guardian anymore."

He didn't say what was implied by that statement. Who was responsible for Katiana's safety and happiness now... well, that ought to have been obvious. After a second, David seemed to get it--he nodded, a few times, and reflexively wrapped his arm around Katiana when she returned to him. It was very much like Alex was passing the beacon on to him. It was very much like that indeed.

For a few moments, Alex simply looked at the two teenagers. They were young, compared to him, but they knew one another, in contrast with the one-sided knowledge that had existed between himself and his mate when they'd bound themselves to one another. He tried to think, to give them powerful parting words--because again he felt himself fading, but not from life. Just from their perceptions.

Alex was, at first, unsuccessful. So he considered what he'd have liked to been told before going off the wild Canada with his mate... His face lost some happiness, then, but he knew what to say.

"You two... love each other, alright? Every minute of every day. Don't... ever let anything get in between you. Don't ever get bored of each other... and don't ever, ever fight."

He paused, and tried to think of something else to say. He was unsuccessful, so he simply smiled. He was vanishing, then, right before their eyes--he couldn't stop it, but he didn't try to.

But Katiana looked worried. Not worried, but sad, in a strange sort of way. She had known Alex her whole life, and yet she'd only just met him and now he was leaving her. How would her life be without him? She had to stop him from going, and yet he was disintegrating right in front of her. All six feet, six inches of him were vanishing, slowly, as individual atoms began to fly off of Alex and shimmer into bright, gold and white dust.

"Mister Tiger," she addressed him the only way she knew, even as Alex's legs, arms, and chest began to diminish into empty space, "I... will we ever meet again?"

For a moment, it seemed that Alex hadn't heard her. That she was too late. But then, he nodded.

"I'll come to see you when I can," he promised. "And... check your mail, from time to time. You might get more than bills and junk." He smiled, broadly, and then shut his eyes.

Only his head, pale and striped and increasingly transparent remained in the air now, and that too was rapidly vanishing. The sparkling collection of molecules flying through the air began to move faster, circling around him in a small tornado. There was energy there, and a lot of it--Katiana and David both felt it drawing them in, not physically, but in another way. There was so much emotion there--so much raw love.

In a way, Alex could have been said to die, then. The very nature of existence changed, and he vanished from Katiana's and David's sight. The cloud of matter and energy that had contained him flew apart in all directions soundlessly--but the two teenagers couldn't help but jump back as it penetrated them, jolting them both with the sincere emotion in Alex's farewell.

And then there was silence. Katiana looked around a little--and then she felt around, inside of her. She found herself, yes, but an eternally warm spot in her heart was gone. Reflexively, she wrapped her arms around David and held him tightly--and to her surprise, and happiness, she found that punched-out hole rapidly begin to refill.

But then something caught her eye; something on the floor just next to where Alex had once stood. She released her husband, reluctantly, and moved to pick it up.

"Binders... binders of what?" Katiana said.

And then she found out. She opened the first binder and found documents of all sorts. Her birth certificate was there, and so were her Social Security Card and several other forms of identification. And then there were all the significant papers about her from elementary, middle, and high school--and then there were her tax forms from when she'd started her formal employment, and then there was an extra copy of her marriage license.

After that were photos. Photos, all of her, from literally her first day alive. There she was taking her first step; there she was learning to do math; there she was going to her first day of school and there she was meeting her best friends in the world.

David had finally broken out of his stupor and stood behind Katiana, looking over her shoulder as she looked in the second binder. There were more photos--of her getting her driver's license, of her reaction to her SAT score, of her at the prom...

Some of these could be explained. Some of the photos were taken by Katiana's friends and some of them might have been taken by other people. But most of them had to have been taken when she was completely alone... or, at least, when she'd thought that she was completely alone.

These photos were not just a testament to her existence--they were a testament to Alex's. For a moment, she felt that they were all she had left of him, and so she held them close--and then she realized that she had herself as well.

Katiana was not Alex's daughter. She wasn't his daughter, exactly. But he had raised her, and loved her every minute of her life. He had protected her as well--he must have, at least a few times, particularly when she was very young, because no one else had. No one else would.

Katiana shut her eyes and smiled. She was tearing up, and for her, that was rare.

"I'll miss you, Mister Tiger," she said quietly. "Goodbye..."

There was no response, not exactly. But she felt a sort of nudge--a soft, slight tap that told her that he would miss her too. And then there was another nudge--but that was David.

He still seemed shocked, and in more than a little disbelief, but he looked down at the binders in his wife's arms and simply shut his eyes. Then, he too spoke.

"If you're still here... sir... then... thank you. Thanks, a lot. I owe you a lot for keeping Katiana safe... and I... promise I'll take care of her. Just like you did." He looked around, a little awkwardly--but if Alex was there, he couldn't respond. And yet, the tiger's quiet acceptance was enough for David.

A few moments passed, as the warmth that Alex had once provided slowly faded, diminished, and dwindled until there was nothing left. Katiana felt... she didn't know how to describe it. She was sad that Alex was gone and yet she was happy that he could go on--that she could go on as well, with David...

The two teenagers looked at one another again. They shared no words, but no words needed to be shared. They simply took a few steps toward one another each--and did not break contact until the morning.

Alex was free. He was totally free--he no longer had had any obligations whatsoever, except for those he chose for himself. And he didn't have to choose to do anything--he could simply live moment to moment, wandering the world and amusing himself in the most hedonistic ways, and why not? He was a man unto himself, he could teleport and create things out of thin air--why not just lose himself to alcohol or drugs or worse for all eternity?

Alex was freer than he, or any man in history had ever been, and so for a moment, he was almost overwhelmed. How he wandered out of the dormitory and made his way onto a road he didn't know, but once he did, he had nothing left in him. He just sat down and allowed his mind to wander as it would.

Possibilities endlessly sprawled before him. He could go anywhere, do anything--but he still couldn't be with anyone. Still couldn't experience anyone in any way. He looked at his paws before him--he was still a white tiger--but people passed him by without noticing him. And a few moments later, a car passed him by as well--or, rather, directly through him.

He still didn't exist...

For a long time--hours--Alex simply sat down, with his arms around his knees, grinding his teeth. He envisioned himself a thousand ways--he could see the highest peaks and the lowest depths. He could go to some forgotten part of the world and simply be--or he could become as much of an animal as his feral form pressed him to be.

Or he could find out what had happened to the several men he'd known as fathers. And the many more he knew as siblings.

And then he could find out if Alexandra really had left him forever...

Alex opened his eyes. He did not know it, but they had changed like he had. No longer were they that warm, familiar shade of brown--they were as bright and piercing and blue as Alexandra's. He looked at his fingers--his ring was still gone--but that was fine. In time, he prayed, he would earn it back.

He started to run, then. Fast. Not fast enough. He converted to his feral form and went faster still, lancing across the ground at a speed no human nor normal tiger could ever hope to match. He was simply a white blur on the land, moving with ever increasing speed toward his fate.

Alex did not stop running for days. Literally, days. Many landscapes and many people passed him by, but nothing stopped him. He was not of the world, in some ways, but in other ways, he was. He could not pass through natural structures the way he ran through cars, or doors, or buildings, and animals seemed to notice his presence. But he could keep running like that, without any stop for rest or food or water at all, for as long as he desired.

He was heading to the northeast--far, far to the northeast. His first stop was in upstate New York... after that, he'd probably go to the Big City and who knew how many other locations. The loose collection of individuals that he'd once considered his family must have spread far and wide across the US and Canada, though he doubted any had gone to other nations. Other nations didn't like to let people like them in so easily.

It was hard to say if Alex had any coherent thoughts while he ran. Mostly, he alternated between considering the magnitude of his own freedom, his curiosity at what had happened to the family he'd once called his, and the aching, terrible pain that had kicked up in full force once he realized that although his task was finished, Alexandra had not returned to him.

Was he doomed to remain alone forever? He didn't know for sure, but what if the answer was yes...?

He tried not to think about that too much. He just kept running.

The terrain became familiar before Alex realized it. There were familiar roads and forests and buildings, here and there, although the course of the years and human activity had changed things. The town that Alex had spent a year or so of his life had shrunk; many of its former residents had moved and many others had died. It was a quiet town in a quiet county in a quiet part of the state, and once Alex was on the main road he didn't have to think to know where to go.

It was early in the morning when he arrived there. It was not cold for him, as he was covered in fur from head to toe, but the few people outside were wearing long sleeves or sweatshirts. This despite the fact that they were in the end of summer--but Alex barely took note of the weather, much less the season. He was too busy walking around and trying to convince himself that he wasn't in a dream.

Alex forgot names all the time as a human, but he realized then that he never forgot a face. And several of the younger faces he saw that day were too familiar--then he realized why. The ones that were once his schoolmates and peers had grown from children into teenagers into adults... and then had children of their own. Just like had... or, just like he once had.

Looking at two parents playing with the child made Alex think of Katiana. And then of his own Chris. Being a father... it had been hard work. And at times it had been troublesome. But there was nothing in the world that he would have traded for it. Any price was willing to pay, for Alex, to be a father again...

Eventually, the tiger managed to pull himself away from scenes increasingly weighting him down with sadness and guilt. If only he had shown a little restraint, all those years ago--if only he hadn't said those terrible words to Alexandra.

He was again running, but not as fast, and not for nearly as long as he had before. His destination was just outside of town.

He hoped that no one had moved it or disturbed it, but after so many years had passed, all bets were off. Nature itself may well have destroyed what he was looking for, since no one had maintained it--not his brothers, nor his sisters, nor the several men in her life.

The forest itself had changed after those twenty some years since Alex had last been there. Trees that had been saplings when he was a kid now towered forty or fifty feet in the air--but he knew where to go. Somehow, he knew where to go, as if he was drawn to his destination by his very soul.

And then he found it.

It was still there. Neither the hands of vandals nor wilderness had harmed it, not even after over twenty years. It was still there.

To that day, Alex wasn't sure why the place was marked with a Cross. His mother had never been the religious type--as a kid, he'd never been dragged along to church. And yet there it was still, still attached to the tree: the small, metal Cross that marked the scene of his mother's death.

She had been a good woman, Alex recalled. Sure, she'd had her vices and sure, she'd never really given anything to him or his siblings--but she had never really hurt anyone or done anything that could be called objectively wrong. Any harm she'd done she'd done to herself... in fact, in a way, it was his fault for not giving anything to her.

The tiger, now in his bipedal form, reached out and placed his hand on the Cross. Cleaned it off, a little bit. And then he simply stood there, in silent remembrance of the woman whose job it should have been to raise him instead of Katiana's. There were good memories he had of her, here and there--and he focused on those.

He wondered where people went when they died. He wondered where Alexandra had gone when she'd left him.

And then he started to run again.

This time, Alex did not have to run as long or as far. One of the men in his mother's life had had a good job, back in the day--and he'd been dedicated to it, because it was his best chance at making a decent life for his family and his children. Of course, any dreams of stability and lasting happiness he'd had had quickly withered away, but Alex somehow felt that he would not leave his job, or his home, quite so easily.

That's why he was in the Big Apple.

Over time, New York City had changed as well. The skyscrapers were still there, but they had changed hands. Some of them had fallen on hard times and some were as prosperous and thriving as ever. Two of them were almost conspicuously missing, and, for a time, Alex found himself wondering what had happened to the massive twins.

But his destination was not Manhattan. He made his way through the city, this time as an anthro, rather than a feral, so that he felt somewhat normal when he took the sub. Alex even dressed as most of the men in the terminal did--in a suit and tie--though that was again pointless. No one could see him, so no one cared that he dressed to impress.

Alex hadn't forgotten how to use the subway system. The means of payment had changed, sure, but the system was the same. He didn't even have to think to get on the right cars to take him to his destination.

It was windy when he left the terminal. Windy, rainy, and dark. Where the Sun had gone, Alex didn't know, because it was still early in the evening, but it looked like it was midnight outside.

Maybe he'd spent longer navigating the city than he'd thought. But it didn't matter. He simply pulled on a long, gray trench coat, flipped up the collar, and walked along the lonesome, foreboding road with his paws in his pockets.

The neighborhood had changed, as well. Some houses had fallen into disrepair; most of them remained fairly well-maintained and clean. Some of them had gotten additions in the form of more rooms or more levels, but Alex could still recognize some of them. He could still recognize some of the people inside as well.

"Heh... twenty five years later, and they're still yelling every night," the tiger muttered to himself. He was then passing by one small shack with a rusting car in its driveway. He'd come to know the couple that lived there as "The Yellers" simply because that was the only thing they did, it seemed to him. Every night, starting at six o'clock on the hour and going on until eight, nine, ten, or one in the night, they would yell at each other loudly enough for neighbors and passersby alike to hear it.

He walked for another block and then stopped in his tracks. Turned to his side. There it was--there was no mistaking it. It was still there and it still looked clean, even welcoming, though Alex had never found anything of real value there. Still, it was his home, or it had been, at least for some time. And in it was one of his stepfathers and potentially the keys he'd need to find the rest of his family.

Alex walked right up to the door. He registered trepidation physically--he was shaking, just a little--but he didn't feel it in his mind. He was just too emotionally tired from thinking about things and trying not to think about other things. He just didn't have the capacity to worry about what his stepfather might think of him at this point.

He rang the doorbell. Or, rather, tried to, because nothing happened.

And then Alex remembered that he did not exist.

He walked through the door, directly through the door, and looked around. The lights were off but that didn't matter to Alex--he could see everything just fine.

There were shoes in front of the door. Several pairs, of the same size, though for different purposes. The rug they rested on was clean, very clean, as was the floor, as were the walls, as was the entire house inside and out.

Times changed, but sometimes people didn't. Alex's stepfather was as obsessive as ever.

The tiger looked up, then, as he realized that a TV was on in the next room. Flickering, bright images cast a diffuse, white-blue light in the room and down the hallway--this was enough to make Alex blink and then squint until his eyes adjusted to the new lighting seconds later.

He started to walk forward. At first, he was sure to move very quietly--but then he realized that it didn't matter. He wouldn't be heard. And yet the tiger couldn't help but slow down as he rounded the corner and entered the room--

There he was, on the couch, sitting by himself save for a sandwich and a can of beer. The years had been kind on him, although not as kind as they had been on Alex--the tiger still looked like he wasn't a day over twenty-five. Still, although the blond-haired man was roughly sixty, he still looked fit and tall and very much alive, despite how alone he was.

Alex had recalled that this man had always said that he was no good with women. How he and Alex's mother had gotten together, Alex didn't even know--but it looked very much like she had been the first, last, and only woman in this man's life.

For a minute, Alex tried to feel sympathy for the old man, sitting there all alone. He tried hard--and then he failed. This man had probably been the most cruel and callous of all the men that Alex had ever tried to look upon as father figures--he had been quick with his hands and Alex could remember not even a single instance when he had ever said a nice word to his children or his wife.

Alex's mother had never been the same after this man. And that's what made the tiger frown and clench his fists.

The old man just kept eating and drinking.

Perhaps if the tiger struck him with real emotion, with real anger and rage and hate, he'd feel it. Perhaps. But the tiger decided that it just wasn't worth it. Why should he hit the old man? The old man had hurt many people, but in the end, he'd hurt himself most of all. And so Alex walked right through him--literally--and made his way to the drawer where he knew important papers were kept.

Even after so many years, the man had not changed the setup of his house. Alex mentally thanked him for that--now, his job was easier. All he had to do was to sift through that pile of documents until he found what he was looking for.

There it was. Alex threw aside the rest of the papers and focused on the slim, bound leather book in his paws. It was a little dusty and worn but it was still there, and still usable, and when Alex opened it up it was alphabetically organized.

He'd had many siblings over the years. Too many for him to simply remember the various addresses and phone numbers listed. Alex began to jot down details on a piece of paper he formed--a minute later, he folded it up, pocketed it, and left that dark house without any further ado.

Some of them had settled down in New York City itself. A few others had gone to Jersey. Two were in Connecticut.

Another had gone to Vermont. But he'd died, five years ago... of alcohol poisoning.

That night itself, Alex got on the move. After all, why wait? He didn't have to sleep, didn't have to do anything at all for his body--all that he had to do was what he wanted to do. And he wanted to see the brothers and sisters that he'd known and forgotten over the past forty or so years.

And so he got back on the subway. His first stop was in Queens; he had two people there to see. One of them he'd only been with for a year of his life; the other he'd known for a full five. Both were several years younger than him, and both had actually been quite terrible to Alex--but that didn't matter now. He was going to see them, but they were not going to see him.

He did not need a map to get to the appropriate subway stop, but once he was above ground again, he was immediately disoriented. Now that area, that area had changed drastically. Entire housing blocs had apparently been leveled and replaced with more houses or more buildings or schools or parks.

At least the street names remained. That was how Alex knew he was going the right way.

The first one he would see, then, was a blond girl--no, now she was a woman, Alex reminded himself, in her late thirties. Back in the day, she'd had, well, less than a great deal of self-respect... but times changed, and people did, too. Alex was practically going to see a stranger.

Her house was small, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Real estate in New York had always been expensive, and the neighborhood was actually pretty decent--maybe she'd done well for herself. Alex didn't know.

He listened carefully as he approached, before slipping in through the front door. It wasn't that he worried being detected, but it would just feel disrespectful to be loud so late at night in a neighborhood, in a house, where there were--at least potentially--children.

Alex heard nothing, however, as he entered the small, warm building. Nothing--just breathing, quiet and from several locations. He looked around and saw that the house was, well, a little messy, but it looked fundamentally like a decent place. And as long as he didn't trip over a toy truck or something, Alex would continue to find himself in a surprisingly happy mood.

He followed his nose upstairs--that's where the scent of human flesh was the strongest. Silently, he crept up the stairs and peered around, carefully, before making his way to one door in particular. He didn't know why he chose that one; it was the farthest one from the mouth of the stairs and as people changed, over time, so did the way they smelled.

But there she was. There she was, laying down in a king-sized bed under a set of curtain-thin sheets up to her neck. She was still a bright, golden blonde, and her face hadn't changed in the slightest--she still looked young, happy, alive, and Nordic, despite the fact that she, like Alex, was largely of Slavic heritage.

She was also holding another person--a man.

With his eyes, Alex traced the arm she'd wrapped around him. It was hard to see her hand without moving her--but there it was. And there, on her forth finger, was a small, diamond ring.

He smiled. And then he looked up, to the small platform behind the headrest--there were framed photos there, at least twenty of them, dating back about ten years. There were of her, and the same man--the same man she was now curled up against.

Alex looked down at her again. He placed his paw on her hand, and, in her sleep, she shifted, just a little, smiling widely. Was it a coincidence? Alex liked to think that it wasn't.

"Good job," the tiger murmured. "You've done so well... don't you let go of what you have, alright?..."

She moved again. Tilted her head, just a little, up and then down again, twice over. Maybe that was a coincidence too, but Alex didn't think that it was.

He stroked her hand, once, and then left the room as quietly as he'd entered. Shortly thereafter, he left the house as well, but not before he went into the respective rooms of his sister's two children and planted kisses on each of their heads.

There was no need to take the subway to get to the next house. Alex could, but it would probably be only moments slower to walk, and besides, he could use the exercise--no, really, he couldn't. His build had remained more or less the same no matter how he ate or how much or how little exercise he did.

Well. Anyway, it felt good to walk around the city. He didn't know why--it just did. Besides, Alex had once read that in cities, the safest place to be was on one's own two feet. Cars and public transport were too big and too obvious to be really safe, and buildings--especially larger ones--offered little real protection to determined attackers.

People could move in any direction at any time when they were on their own two feet. They could fight or they could run without a second's notice, if needed. That mattered, against one or two attackers--but against a gang of six or seven thugs, neither fighting nor running was an effective means by which to survive.

Alex heard it before he saw it. Something was going on, over at the other side of the block--something involving a lot of people and a lot of movement and just a little bit of shouting. But he recognized that lone, masculine voice, crying out in pain--and even if he hadn't, he would have come running.

There he was, on the ground, being kicked and punched and stomped by a group of men in ski masks and hoodies, some with blunt weapons and some with alcohol. It was hard to say what he'd done, if anything, to engender such violence. But somehow Alex felt that his brother was innocent.

The tiger didn't give a thought to the probability that his approaching counter would have no physical effect whatsoever. He simply lowered his shoulder, ran a little faster, and then kept running right through four of the thugs.

Not through them, not exactly. Not literally. Alex's body did not pass through them without any sort of physical effect. Rather, he metaphorically ran through them--tackling half of the group to the ground with one fell swoop and scattering the rest in confused disarray. They would have recovered, then, if Alex had given them time, but he did not. His assaults were simple and effective and launched rapid-fire--he punched and shoved and headbutted, several times, when he was given the opportunity.

Truly, Alex was a tiger. In five seconds, four of the thugs were running--limping away, while the other three lay in the street, unconscious or worse.

Alex barely needed to catch his breath. He simply checked that there were no threats--before racing to his downed brother.

The human was in bad shape. He was hurt and bleeding, a little--Alex lifted him up in his arms and performed a series of basic checks. Most people, just then, would have been panicking, but not Alex. He remained calm and so he realized, quickly, that his brother was a tough son of a gun--he didn't even a broken rib. He'd be fine by the next morning.

But he was still hurt and only half-conscious. He was coughing, a little, and moving lethargically, slowly--and he needed Alex. That's why, in a way, Alex was still there for him.

The tiger knew exactly what to do and where to go. He lifted his brother up, onto his shoulders, and then ran. The human didn't weigh much, and besides, when he needed to, Alex could draw upon infinite reserves of strength and energy. That's why it took him two minutes at best to make a journey that would have taken Olympic-level runners ten at least.

And then they were in his brother's house. Alex floated through the door--somehow with the human still in his hands--and then placed the man, gently, on his couch. Still he was moaning in severe pain--so Alex took out a single syrette of morphine and jabbed it into the human's arm.

There was calm for a moment. Calm, and silence. For the first time, Alex glanced around his brother's place--it was as he'd expected it to be from living a childhood with the man, years and years ago. It was clean and neat and organized with tech of all sorts... but no one else. No one else at all. He was alone, save perhaps for his sister--there was no one to greet him when he came home in the evening and no one to say goodbye to him when he left in the morning.

Oh, sure, he was rich. His possessions alone were worth hundreds of thousands, and there were probably millions in the bank--but he had almost none of another kind of wealth.

He'd passed out, almost certainly for the night. Alex doubted he could wake his brother up if he tried, but he didn't particularly want to. It was enough to simply look at the man that had grown from the smarmy, devious boy that had bullied Alex for half of his life to see how he had changed.

He was still thin. Thin and dark-haired with a shrewd, sharp face. Although he was still a young guy, there were deep lines etched into his face by stress.

He was a workaholic. And Alex knew why--he didn't know what else to do with his days.

Alex sat with his brother for a long time. He just sat there and stared at the sleeping man's face. He wanted to say so much, to ask so much, but his brother only slept. And, in time, Alex became aware that he had again left the physical realm. Again, he was nothing more than a ghost, or a silent, distant guardian.

He shut his eyes. He reached forward and undid his brother's tie with a paw and then stood up.

"Good luck," the tiger said. "I wish I could fix you, but I can't. You have to find purpose by yourself..."

He paused. Searched for more words, and failed.

"Good luck," Alex repeated. And then, silently, slowly, he left.

The night passed. Alex saw several more of his brothers and sisters from two lifetimes ago. Some of them were doing well, and others... would do well, given time. Given time, and just a little bit of support from someone, somewhere, they would do well.

The day began. Alex went to Connecticut in time to watch two of his sisters--vicious enemies in childhood--go for coffee together, and talk about their lives and their husbands and their children. Then he left again and headed back through the city, stopping in Staten Island to see an old couple that he'd had fond memories of--only to realize that they'd passed years ago.

He was in New Jersey by nightfall. His siblings that were in that state were concentrated more or less in the heavily urbanized regions directly adjacent to New York City, so it didn't take him long to see them all. An hour here, an hour there, and then, just like that, Alex had caught up with all of the people that he'd grown up with that he could.

His journey ended about three blocks from the train station. The last of his siblings that he'd seen was doing quite well in life indeed. He worked as an electrician, Alex gathered, and had a wife and not two or three but five children, all of whom seemed happy, content, loved--everything that Alex wasn't.

He wasn't jealous, of course. But seeing so many happy children did fill Alex with a sense of longing, of deep, burning desire--if he'd had love like that, where would he be now?...

And then he was nostalgic and sad. One of the little boys was sweet, funny, and a little bit mischievous... just as Chris had been, not so very long ago.

In a trance, Alex walked through the streets. He didn't really pay attention to where his feet took him. All around him was life and hope and energy and activity, and yet there he was, sad and cold and alone and longing for a time past and lost. Chris was gone, Katiana no longer needed him, and he'd done everything he'd wanted to. Now that there was no purpose, why, really, did he need to continue to cling to existence?

And then the tiger realized--no, he wasn't finished. Not quite. One task remained for him...

"Alexandra."

Once he remembered that he hadn't yet pursued her, he was galvanized into purpose and action. How could he have forgotten about her, when for almost twenty years it had been her, her, and only her on his mind? She was his mate, and her fate was still unknown... He had to find out what had happened to her. He had to find out, or at least try to, because even if she had gone from him forever or even if she never wanted to see his face again, Alex had to find out what had happened to her.

Even if she cursed him and sent him into new depths of the Hell he'd condemned himself to twenty years before, he had to know what had happened to her. He had to know, and that was why he was again a four-legged beast, running across the ground with a speed only attainable by a man motivated by love.

Thousands of miles separated northern New Jersey and the uninhabited northwestern fringes of Canada. Thousands of miles, any number of different climate zones, and enough inclement weather to delay a normal man's journey by hours, days, weeks, or months, depending on his mode of transportation.

Alex didn't stop for a second. He just kept running, through rain and snow and wind and hail and ice. He ignored the storms and the mountains, the forests, tundras, and endless plains. He just kept moving no matter what.

It occurred to him several times throughout the course of that epic journey that he didn't have any compelling reason to believe that his connection to Alexandra would be stronger where he'd seen her last. It also occurred to him that if she didn't want to see him, that was the one place in the world she was most likely to avoid.

Then again, if Alexandra didn't want to see him, he would never, ever, ever be able to find her, no matter how hard he tried.

He ran faster.

Alex was not insane, however. Although he was single-minded in his purpose, he was not obsessed, exactly. He did think as he ran, mostly about the good times that he and his mate had shared... and about how he'd taken all of that and in a single, terrible second, destroyed it all.

He thought about his son, as well. And he knew that even if he found Alexandra, Chris wasn't coming back. Chris was never coming back.

Alex's first journey to the northwestern parts of the American continents had taken weeks. Back then, he'd still been a man, with physical needs. Alexandra had hunted for him for the most part, and on cold nights, she had converted to her feral form and wrapped herself around him. Now, Alex did not need physical warmth, but he was in desperate need of another kind of heat, and that's what kept him running, tirelessly, restlessly. He would never stop, not until he found Alexandra or she made it clear to him, somehow, that his fate was one of eternal suffering.

Gradually, the terrain became familiar. Gradually, it got colder and the air got thinner and even the ever-expanding boundaries of civilization ended entirely. Gradually, Alex began to recognize things--rough features that he'd seen before from a distance or in transit.

At some point, Alex stopped. And then, gradually, he realized that he was looking right at the only true home he'd ever known.

Time and climate had not been kind to the lonesome cabin. Its walls no longer stood and its contents had long since been eaten or blown or frozen into nothingness. And yet even Alex looked over the collapsed heap of wood and debris, he felt an almost overpowering sense of nostalgia--that had been his home. His home--he and his mate had built it with their own paws, and they had lived there, with their cub, for the five happiest years of the tiger's life.

As a feral tiger, Alex stood there, quiet and still. His tail twitched behind him, the slightest amount, and although he wore no expression in particular on his face it was somehow clear that he was very sad. He was still breathing hard from his cross-country run, but that, like his thought processes, were slowing down. He no longer had many coherent thoughts--his mind was just choked up with emotion.

It was night, he noted, even as he stood up as a six and a half foot tall anthro tiger. He didn't know what time it was, or even what day it was, but none of that matter. Time had no meaning for him--only Alexandra did.

Slowly, Alex walked forward. His feet danced across the ground, silently, until he was close enough to his home to kneel down and place a white paw where he had lay, happy and warm and content, with a mate of his own.

There was no warmth left in the ground, of course. Just dust and smashed-up bits of wood and memories powerful enough to send a dry sob racking through Alex's chest. Was he like his home--broken, defeated, a shell of its former self, never to rise again? He didn't want to believe that was true, but he was forced to accept at least the possibility that he would spend the rest of time there, just there, sitting in the remains of a once proud structure, crying for a time distant and gone.

That was Alex's plan B. But he still didn't know--he still hadn't found out what had happened to Alexandra. And so, with a thrill of foreboding, he looked up--

She wasn't there. She wasn't there at all. Not even when Alex looked around in all directions did he find her. He searched and he looked and he searched harder, but she was not within eyesight of him. Maybe she wasn't there at all...

Fatal depression threatened to take the tiger over, but for the moment, he resisted it. He resisted it--he forced himself to get back to his feet. He hadn't yet exhausted all of his options, but he soon would. And once he did he could finally relax and let the darkness smother him.

He looked around again. And then he started to walk, not run, into the forest where Chris had been killed. He was shaking, though he was not cold--he was scared at least, terrified at most. What if Alexandra wasn't there, either--or worse, what if she gave him the verbal and/or physical thrashing that he so thoroughly deserved? But Alex managed to keep walking, despite his fear. He simply dragged one foot forward, set it down, and then repeated the process with the other foot.

He realized, then, that he was experiencing a taste of the broken heartedness Alexandra had felt when he'd said those few final, terrible words to her. He had told her that he didn't want to see her--and now the fear he had that she might not want to see him was almost mind-numbing.

"These past eighteen years have been hard," the tiger murmured. "Almost no... nothing from anyone. But... I guess I... deserved everything I got, and much, much more. Alexandra... I'm so, so sorry."

It was dark, Alex realized. Dark, windy, and cold, although it was still some time before snow would begin to fall. There were no multicolored leaves floating through the air or collected on the ground, though--the only kinds of trees there were so far in the north were evergreen, yet even they looked parched, dry, thin, thirsty, lacking. Like they ground, ever bare and used to being frozen for most of the year, they were lifeless and still and lonesome. Alex remembered thinking of them as noble, or at least proud and tall--but now, they were like him: shriveled up shells of what they once had been.

How Alex walked the next miles he didn't know. Every shadow, every sound in the darkness, every flicker of motion made him cringe with fright. Everything looked like Alexandra and yet nothing looked like Alexandra. Every terrible thing in the world made the tiger prepare to be assaulted, physically or verbally or both, and every fright he got made him long for her with a yearning and nostalgia he was only too accustomed to.

The forest had changed over the years. But somehow, Alex remembered exactly where he was and knew exactly where he needed to go. It was just there, past another group of trees, where he had shoved the only one that had loved him in his life away. Right there--ten more steps, five more steps, two, one--

And then Alex stopped. He stopped, waited, listened. Looked around. He was still alone. All that there was was what he could see around him: the trees, the dirt, a few other plants, and the wind, cold and thin and biting and tearing, ruffling his fur with an icy malice that made him shiver.

Alexandra wasn't there. Of course she wasn't there--why would she be there after what he'd said to her? And yet the final embers of hope that remained in Alex after so, so long had not yet died out. Not yet--not quite yet.

It struck Alex that he had changed over the years, as well. He was taller, yes, and stronger too--and in his opinion, he was more attractive. Of course he'd been an okay-looking guy when he had been a human, but covered with white fur and black stripes from head to toe, he felt that he looked a lot more, well, masculine.

And yet he was humbled. By how much he'd needed Alexandra his entire life, by how much he missed her. But now he knew that he had done wrong, and he had done everything he possibly could have done to fix it--he'd been a good guardian to Katiana. He'd... dedicated eighteen years of his life to her without reservation, and he neither regretted it nor expected any sort of reciprocation or reward from her. All he wanted was for Alexandra to realize that he had changed... and that's all. She didn't have to forgive him, she didn't have to do anything--she just had to let him see her, for a moment, and apologize. And then he would be able to face the rest of eternity alone. Somehow, he would face forever alone.

But she was not there.

"Alexandra..."

That was his voice, Alex knew, though it wasn't the powerful yet kind tone he was used to hearing when he opened his mouth. His speech, then, was incredibly soft and incredibly fragile and incredibly sad, as if a single gust of wind through the trees might shatter it into a million pieces at any time. He called for her again--but Alexandra did not come.

Now, the final reserves of hope within Alex began to die. The position he was in, then, was even worse than the position he'd been in when he'd "killed" himself, all those years ago, because he knew that there would be no end to his suffering. He would simply slip further and further and further downward, without stop or limit or end, ever. The only thing that could save him was Alexandra. And she still wasn't there.

"Alexandra, please come," the tiger said desperately. He rasped, swallowed, and spoke again in a tone so pathetic that no living man could ever have employed it.

"Alexandra, I'm so, so, so sorry," he whispered. "Please come. Just for a little bit. Just a little bit. Just let me see you, Alexandra. That's all. Please just let me see you... then I'll leave you alone, forever. Please."

He waited as long as he possibly could. He held onto the last rung of hope within him as long as he possibly could, but then, perhaps hours later, it finally slipped from his grasp.

And so he sank to his knees.

He wanted to vomit, to scream, to cry, to tear himself apart with his claws. He wanted to feel something--anything--but he simply couldn't. All he could do was sit there, watching, emotionlessly, as the world existed before him, without him, as what being remained with him was slowly but surely drained away.

Alex accepted it: Alexandra wasn't coming. Not then, not ever, not for a decade or a year or a minute or a second. He would be alone forever, without purpose, without feelings, without hope, without love.

Without love....

And then there was something. Something--something was touching his shoulder, and nothing could touch Alex. Nothing and no one could ever touch Alex or otherwise contact him or recognize his existence, because he didn't exist. He was beyond dead--and that he felt something meant that he was going insane. And so he laughed, once, or tried to, and simply stayed as he was, waiting for true Hell to completely grip him.

And then the something on his shoulder increased, in intensity. It nudged him, just a little bit, and shook him--and that confused Alex. That confused him and so he forced his eyes to refocus and adjust and attempt to figure out just what on Earth was in front of him, standing, looking down at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

She did not look familiar. Not even in the slightest, most distant way. Her hair was dark, inky black yet straight and thick and long enough to reach down to the middle of her back. Her skin was pale and her features were Germanic, probably, but Alex couldn't be sure. She was exotic, yet everything about her was real, from the smooth angle of her nose to the apparent silkiness of her hair to the creamy white of her skin, and the crystalline blue of her eyes--

Her eyes. Her eyes were blue, deep blue; a shade of blue that Alex had never seen before on a person or in nature or anywhere else in the universe. They were shining, even in the darkness, with a bright intensity that cast light and heat even on him.

"Alex...andra?"

Her hand left his shoulder. She turned away from him; he tried to follow the beams of light cast by her eyes for a moment but he could not. She simply stood there before, white and shining in the darkness, an untouchable, unreachable angel that was still saddened by his presence. She was so beautiful and still and distant that Alex didn't dare breath, for fear of shattering the only illusion of happiness he'd ever have again.

"Yes, Alex?"

Her words made him rock back on the balls of his feet. He was staring, now, at the woman before him--was this really his former mate? Was this his former Alexandra? She was beautiful and her voice was the same and her eyes were just that shade of blue, but Alexandra was a tigress. She had always been a tigress around Alex, but the woman before him now was a human.

And, yet, who else could the woman be but his Alexandra? Alex didn't know what to do, or what to think... so, he too looked aside, and shook his head.

"I'm sorry... if you're Alexandra. If you're Alexandra, then I... I'm..."

She was crying, he realized; softly, quietly, without looking at him. Little droplets of water were rolling off her cheeks and landing on the ground, next to her feet--and Alex knew why. She was saddened, still, by what he'd said to her all those years ago.

And so was he.

Somehow, the tiger willed himself into motion. He tilted his body forward, slowly, before he all but fell forward and wrapped his arms around Alexandra's legs. The tiger's broad right shoulder pressed against the female's shins as he held her in his tight, furred grasp--and then, his chest began to shake.

"Alexandra, I am so, so sorry for what I said to you. I'm--I didn't think, and I didn't mean it a second after I said it. I've missed you so much," he sobbed. "I always loved you, but I never really appreciated you until you were gone. I'm sorry."

He said that last sentence again, and then again several more times, although it would do him no good. No matter how tightly he held her or how much he nuzzled against her shins, she was going to leave him soon. Soon, he'd be alone again, and this time forever, and he knew that he'd had more than his share of good luck by seeing Alexandra that final time--but he would still never be able to feel grateful, much less happy, or any other positive emotion ever again. Without Alexandra, he would be--and that was all.

Alex had never really cried before. Of course he had, when he was a young child, but he'd spent the rest of his youth simply numb, and when he'd been an adult he simply didn't experience the kind of sadness that engendered that sort of response. It was truly an experience for him to listen to himself sniffling, struggling to breathe normally. His ears were flat and he knew it, but it took him some time to notice that he wasn't just hugging himself. He was still holding Alexandra's legs.

That meant that she hadn't left yet. That she was still there. Alex didn't believe that--couldn't believe it until he looked up and saw her for himself, looking down at him with only sadness on her face. That meant that she was just waiting for the proper words to come to mind... she was going to leave him with words as proportionally bad as those that he'd left her with.

And so the tiger looked away. Turned his head to the side, and released his former mate's legs. He remained on his knees before her, because he knew that he deserved whatever she did or said to him. He rubbed his eyes with a paw and swallowed, dryly, in an attempt to brace himself for what would happen next.

"Alex..." she said softly, a few moments later, "time... has passed, hasn't it? A long time... since we were together..."

"Yeah," the tiger replied. He tried to keep his voice level and failed, somewhat. "About... eighteen years."

She gasped, then, and he didn't know why. He didn't know why, but he didn't think why, either. He just sat and waited for the inevitable. Alexandra would curse him, soon, and then leave him--there was no doubt about that. None at all.

"How have... were you okay?" Alexandra asked weakly, another moment later, and in response, Alex simply shrugged.

"I'm still here, I guess," he added quietly. "And... you're still here... too..."

Now, the tiger look up at his mate again. He was curious, but he didn't dare think the impossible. She was just--he didn't know. He really didn't know. But it couldn't be that... no, that couldn't be.

She was beautiful, he realized, as a human as well as a tigress. Although Alex was used to looking at a furred, whiskered Alexandra, she looked positively, absolutely stunning with skin instead. She looked smooth, and clean, and as soft and loving as she always had--just different, that was all. Just a little different.

"You're beautiful," the tiger said softly.

He was still on his knees in front of her, partially because he didn't realize it. He hadn't seen his mate in almost twenty years, and she enraptured him every time he looked at her. Now, with the frigid wind lightly nudging her hair to the side, and the cold darkness acting as a backdrop to her fair, pale features, she looked like a Goddess. Or an angel. A guardian angel.

And she was blushing, the smallest amount. Blushing, and it wasn't because of the chill of the wind. "Thank you," she said softly. And then she moved her hand forward--and Alex saw something, then, that just didn't make sense.

"Alexandra, you...?" He began a sentence but could not finish it.

He looked back at his mate, and then flinched, the smallest amount, when she surprised him by placing her hand on his cheek.

She began to run her fingers through the white, striped fur on the side of his face. He began to purr, quietly, and tilt his face to maximize the time she touched him and the pressure she used to do so. Alex did all of these things without realizing them--after all, it didn't make sense, but he knew better than to leave it, or Alexandra, ever again.

"How did you become a tiger?"she asked, some moments later. Now, she was rubbing him under the chin, using her dainty fingers to feel through the thick, protective fur on his neck. It felt good, very good; Alex had never felt anything like it before--but, he recalled, Alexandra used to react very positively indeed when he had done things like that to her.

"I don't know," Alex admitted. He smiled the smallest amount, before slowly drawing his head away from Alexandra's hand. He looked away from her again, and spoke in the sad, sorry tone he'd employed the entire conversation.

"I don't get it, Alexandra. Why are you being so nice to me, when you're going to leave me again? Why--"

She stopped him, then, but not by placing a finger on his lips. She had never been that kind of a woman--but she had always been fast, and as graceful and flowing liquid. And so even though he was a tiger, Alex did not manage to see his mate drop to her own knees, turn his head so that he was facing her, and then touch her lips against his.

Her kiss lasted only for a second, but it sent a now unfamiliar sort of heat through Alex, from his lips to the cuffed tip of his tail. Ironically, he remained frozen where he was sitting--his eyes were wide and as blue as Alexandra's, and staring right at her as she smiled, a little, showing him that yes, in fact, beneath her fur, her cheeks did dimple.

"When we started to wear our rings... for me, it meant that I loved you, and that I would love you, forever, no matter what. Even if... there were hard times. Even if you stopped loving me. But... you didn't stop loving me, did you, Alex?"

The tiger did not realize it, but there was a decidedly desperate feel to his mate's voice. Her hands were on his paws, and in them, and after a few moments he noticed that and gripped those sleek, petite appendages, shaking his head from side to side.

"Never," he said softly. "I never stopped loving you, or thinking about you. I thought about you every day. Every single day. But Alexandra... you didn't tell me why you're still here. Why haven't you left me again? ...You must be cold... without... your fur."

That final statement surprised both Alex and Alexandra. The former almost cracked a smile, and the latter certainly did, before bringing her hands to the sides of Alex's neck and massaging him gently, comfortingly, as she had when she had been his mate, as she had when she had been his guardian. She looked him in the eyes and kissed him again before speaking, softly, so that only he could hear it. After all, her words, like her, were only for him.

"I'm not going to leave you again, Alex," she said. "I never even wanted to in the first place. I know that you didn't mean it." She paused, sucked in a deep breath, and then spoke with her nose pressed right up against his. "So, what I'm saying is that I forgive you, Alex." She tilted his head down several degrees and then kissed him on the forehead before looking him in the eyes again. "I love you, Alex," she said softly. "I always have, and I always will."

Alex wanted to believe her. He truly did, but he couldn't quite believe that he was loved again, after eighteen years of darkness. The way she massaged his neck, though, as only she could--it helped, a little bit.

And then he saw something glint on her finger--and that made him freeze.

A moment later, Alex brought his own hand, his own paw up in front of his face, turned it to the side--and there, right in front of him, right around his own finger, was the single, simple platinum band that she had given him so many years before.

Alex looked at Alexandra again--his Alexandra, his mate, his wife, his guardian. He wanted to say something, but words failed him utterly, and so did actions. All he could do was sit there in disbelief as she took his hands in hers and wrapped them around her own back before simply moving forward and holding him.

It took time. It took a lot of time, perhaps, but eventually, Alexandra wasn't just holding Alex. Now, he was holding her, too.

Neither of them spoke for quite some time. Neither of them had anything to say. In time, Alex needed Alexandra to be his guardian again, and so she was, gently rubbing his back and kissing his striped cheek and telling him that it was alright, that she was there and that she'd never leave him again. And in time, Alexandra needed Alex to be her guardian, and so he was, convincing her as well as himself that even though Chris was gone, they'd go on together.

The night dragged on, and it was easily the darkest one Alex had ever seen in his life. There was no light from the Sun, the Moon, or stars, and they were too far away from civilization for artificial lights to reach them. There was no snow, either, and their surroundings were diffuse and opaque--so what little ambient light reached their general area was vanished by the environment before it could reach them.

Hours later, Alex was still holding his wife. He hadn't looked at her for some time, but that was alright. Feeling her against him, her soft, feminine flesh and her warmth--that was more than enough. And that she was holding him in return... Just being in that embrace was like Heaven for the tiger. Time had no meaning for him when he was like that, wrapped around her utterly, with his cheek resting against her head and his chest vibrating deeply with a low, constant purr. He didn't mind that the night seemed to be endless--as long as he had Alexandra, it would be alright.

And then there was heat.

It started at his forehead, and, in moments, worked its way downward until the tiger's entire face was bathed in a warm sort of radiance. What was it?

And then Alex opened his eyes.

He tilted his head up a little bit, and smiled, and Alexandra felt that. She tried to lean back to look at Alex for an explanation, but he was so close to her that he knew what she was thinking, and so he simply kissed her sleek, black hair and murmured directly into her ear.

"When I'm with you, Alexandra, it's never long until the night ends."

He then stood up and spun her around--he couldn't do that when he was a human and she was the white-furred feline--and then together, arm in arm, man and woman stood and faced the rising Sun.

It was truly a magnificent sight, although they'd seen it before, many times. Slowly, the giant, yellow star rose from beyond the horizon, radiating heat and light and various other wavelengths of electromagnetic energy that pierced space and sky alike. In moments, the night was driven away--all that remained of the cold the darkness were shadows and bad memories.

Alex and Alexandra stood there as long as they possibly could, but after some time, even they had to look away from the Sun. Dawn was over--now, it was a new day, and even though both of them had suffered--greatly--the night was the past, and that was all it was. There was no more darkness for them, as long as they continued to hold on to one another.

Alex had shut his eyes. Alexandra, however, had not--she wanted to look at her mate in his new form, all big and tall and furred and striped. He had always been attractive, since when he was just a teenager, but there was a sort of rustic beauty about him when he looked so, well, wild.

And then she noticed something. She noticed something, and it made her jump, and that made Alex jump as well and look down at his mate--his lovely, white-furred, striped, tigress mate.

"Wow, Alexandra, how did you...?"

"I don't know," the tigress said quietly. She was still looking at her paws, over and over again, as if she couldn't believe them--as if she wanted them to be pale, fleshy hands instead. But they were paws for certain, and still equipped with retractable, razor-sharp claws which she then ran through the fur on her cheek to straighten it out.

And then she sighed. Rested against Alex's chest again, and planted a somewhat longing kiss on the side of his neck.

"I liked being a human, Alex. It's... I just felt so much closer to you. Well... this is all right, I guess... isn't it, Alex? Do I... look okay?"

Before her mate could respond, Alexandra took a few steps away. Alex tried to hold her hand--no, her paw--as long as he could, and their appendages were about to break contact when the tigress stopped, and still holding his paw, turned around, several times, so that he could see her from all angles. Her hair trailed behind the angular vector of her motion, forming a shimmering, black veil that Alex's vision could only partially penetrate, yet that made his heart flutter without any further impetus.

And then he was on his knees, he noted several seconds later, and his paw was on the head, or the tail, or the side of a feral white tigress, so large and powerful and dangerous to anything on the planet but him that he couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and then using his body weight to press her to the ground.

He hadn't been big or strong enough to do that before, Alex noted. But now he was--and he was strong enough to take her in a play-fight as well, whereas previously she'd only occasionally let him win out of good sportsmanship. He tested his power out, then, by briefly wrestling with his mate, and, quickly, emerging as the victor, with his anthropomorphic wife in his arms.

She looked absolutely precious, just then, looking up at him with her clear blue eyes. Her cheeks were slightly reddened with exertion, and she was smiling, widely, and grinning up at him as she stroked his strong arms from his elbows up his triceps to his shoulders. All at once, she was as cute and innocent as a teenager and as mature and compassionate as a woman many years his senior, and that one-of-a-kind perfection was what drove Alex to lean forward, slowly, and plant a kiss on her lips.

He felt her lean upward to try to prolong the passionate act, and so he reached forward with a paw and gently caressed her face again. That got her to focus on his fur, not on the tiny amount of flesh on his body that wasn't covered in stripes, and gave him the chance to smile down at her and then kiss her on the forehead.

"You're an angel no matter what you look like, Alexandra," the tiger said. He kissed her again, and then, just like that, she was a human again, a blue-eyed Goddess staring up at him with the love and passion and understanding that only she could give him.

"You're my angel," Alex murmured. He lowered himself again until his body rested on hers, giving him the opportunity to plant another kiss on her head.

"You're my guardian angel."

The cabin was rebuilt.

It was in the same place, precisely, although the locations of the rooms relative to one another had changed somewhat. It was still a simple abode, though, built from wood and insulation and sweat and work, although its interior might honestly be called luxurious. Alex was older, now, and more mature too--running and hiking and hunting were still fun, but now he also enjoyed the simpler things in life. A roaring fire, a soft rug, and his wife at his side were all that he needed to be happy, but now he had time. Time to think, to explore, to learn and do.

Recently, he and Alexandra had gotten into painting. She was good, he wasn't, but that had started to change, recently, and there were few sights he found more inspirational than that of his wife. He had entire galleries of her, sleeping, running, or doing a dozen different things, and every one of them was special to him in some way. Even if the earlier ones were, simply, pathetic.

She liked to paint him as well. Alex always said that he wasn't as beautiful as she was, but she maintained that he was more regal, bigger, and a lot more powerful.

Whenever his ego threatened to swell, though, Alex simple concentrated for a moment, and then stood eye to eye with his wife as a human--a human that she could overpower with one paw tied behind her back. And whenever he did that, she became a human as well, and then simple marveled at the feeling of skin on skin.

They missed Chris. They missed Chris a lot. Alex missed Katiana, too, but she was busy with her life with David and college. He didn't want to smother her--but maybe he'd take his wife and go and see her over the winter. It would be nice if the four of them could share a Christmas together, even if Katiana and David didn't know it.

For the moment, however, Alex was content with his life precisely as it was. He had everything he wanted and needed, and now that he wasn't just a human anymore, he found that he was far more fond of the weather. And besides, now it wasn't just Alexandra that could give him things--now he could give things to her, too. And so he did, and so she gave him things in return.

Like her warmth.

She really was warm. Even when she was a human, he could feel her whenever she was within ten feet of him, which was usually the case. And then, just then, she was within ten inches of him--so close that even though he was a human, and so she was she, he could smell the sweet scent of her hair, drifting and cascading there, just inches from his face.

They were in bed, on an especially cold, dark night. Although the insulation in the cabin was very carefully installed indeed, Alex could hear the wind outside, could feel it clawing away some of the heat collected inside--and that made him set a hand on his wife's hip. He could never get over how warm she was--or how lucky he was to be with her.

She shifted where she lay. And in a moment, her back was against his chest and his hand was on her sleek, taught belly. His face was in his hair, but only for a moment--then, he rested it against her shoulder and planted a kiss on her pale cheek.

She smiled. He felt it--and then he felt her hand, dainty and soft and gentle and loving, on top of his.

"Are you awake?"

One of them said it. Neither of them was sure who it was.

"Yeah, I am..."

One of them said that. Or maybe it was both. And that made them both smile.

Alex felt Alexandra's fingers intertwine with his, and for a moment, they simply held hands. Alex tried to concentrate on how phenomenally soft and feminine his mate was--but he could only do so for so long before sighing, smiling, and kissing her cheek again.

"You are something, Alexandra," Alex murmured. "I feel like I'm in Heaven when I'm with you. You're too beautiful..."

He had both arms around her, now, so that he could hold her tightly, just for a moment. They then shared a kiss--it was a bit difficult to do from such an angle, but he was built for her and she was built for him, so they managed.

And then they simply lay together. Alex enjoyed his mate's warmth, and Alexandra enjoyed the feeling of his sinewy arms around her, holding her, protecting her. He felt her heart beat and she felt his, and, quickly, the two distinct rhythms synchronized with one another. It was as if their two bodies had become one.

She blushed a little bit, then. And she sort of pressed herself back against him--and then she waited for him to take over. It had been a month for her, and almost two decades for him...

But he didn't do anything. And he hadn't fallen asleep--she could hear him breathing not quickly, but not slowly either. He was in a happy state, a relaxed state, enjoying the feeling of his woman in his arms, and she didn't want to bother him. She really didn't want to bother him, but she knew that there were ways to make Alex even happier than he already was. To make them feel even closer than they already were.

Alex felt his hands move. Alexandra had taken them into hers, gently, and was sliding them up the smooth curve of her belly until they rested, gently, on her chest. She left them there, and then simply placed her hands back on top of his and rubbed him, softly, slowly, enticingly.

He shut his eyes. Smiled, and slid his hands just a bit down so that he wasn't cupping them over her breasts, but instead under them. They were heavy, yes, but definitely not saggy. They weren't perky either--not quite--instead, they were just at that level of perfection, as if Alexandra was biologically 25 or 28 or somewhere in between.

"I'm thinking all kinds of dirty things right now, Alexandra," Alex admitted. He moved each of his hands in opposing circles, just once, then left them where they were. "Hey... when you're a tigress, you're bigger and taller, but when you're a human, your, uhm, breasts, are roughly the same size, right?"

"Yes..." Alexandra said. She was blushing, just a little, even though her mate's hands weren't moving anymore. Even though he wasn't moving anymore--even though he wasn't doing a thing, he was making her body heat up the way only he could. And so she almost missed what he asked next.

"So... what, you know, cup size are you?"

That made the dark-haired woman smile, despite her embarrassment, and lean down to plant a kiss on Alex's thumb. "E... that's okay, right? I mean, I don't think I'm going to have back problems..."

"Perfect," Alex whispered. He ran his hands upward, briefly, again placing them on the front and upper part of his mate's chest. The slight motion, and the feeling of his fingers stroking over her made her breath catch in her throat as she pressed herself forward, just a little, when he stopped.

But it was only to tease. Or, perhaps, it was that Alex needed a moment to remember how to please his woman's body. After all, it had been years since he'd last lain a hand (or paw) on her--and then he started again, and Alexandra knew that her mate hadn't forgotten a thing. He was gentle and caring, loving and caressing, though there were the undertones of deep, masculine need in his motions. He rubbed her more than he actually fondled her, and he certainly didn't grope her--there were times for somewhat more raunchy sex, but for now, Alex and Alexandra both needed gentle, deeply intimate love. Alex and Alexandra each needed the other.

And he knew how to make her even hotter than she already was. One of his hands remained on her breast as the other rubbed down her chest, down the taught flesh of her belly and then down farther still, until it was between her legs. Alexandra had been blushing until then, but now she was starting to become cherry red--she was almost overheating. Her clothes felt too tight and too there--she was squirming in response to her male's affections and pressing back against him, breathing with increasing frequency. She tried to turn to kiss him, but he was already kissing her on the back and the side of her neck, marveling at the straight, sleek texture of her hair in the process.

Each of her hands were on his. She didn't encourage him to do anything, though--he knew her; he knew every inch of her as a tigress and now he was coming to understand every inch of her as a human. All she wanted to do was to feel his hands, and his fingers, moving in perfect conjunction with one another to drive her pleasure to new heights.

"Al-Alex," she moaned, a moment later--not loudly, though, but in a quiet, aroused sort of mewl, "I... want you, so much. I know it hasn't--ahn--been as long for me as it has for you, but... oh, Alex..." She had planned on saying more, but Alex was kissing at the crux of her neck and her jaw, though--that was probably one of her more significant weak points, so to speak, and so when he stopped to simply gently, affectionately feel his wife's chest--and the sweet, soft treasure laying hidden between her legs--she was left almost panting with arousal.

And it wasn't as if she had had no effect on him. She could feel the stiffness in his shorts pressing against her backside, and the excitement of having him so close and so excited made her shiver in his arms.

"Alexandra," he murmured, "I want you, too. But it's been so long... I don't know if I'm... up to scratch. Could you maybe... take the lead...?" He kissed the back of her head, apologetically--but he didn't need to apologize to her. He never needed to apologize to her. She was his guardian and his wife, and she could and would do anything he wanted. All he ever had to do was ask.

And so she brought both of his hands to her lips. She kissed each of them, a few times, and then simple nuzzled them with her pretty little face, and her button nose. His hands were so strong, she noted--so sinewy and powerful and yet so gentle with her. It was tempting to tease Alex by sucking on his fingers--but now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time for Alexandra to be his guardian.

She turned around in his arms so that his hands were now clasped behind her back. She planted a kiss on his lips, briefly, and then smiled, looking deep into his eyes. Now, her hands were on his chest, and now it was her turn to speak.

"Of course, Alex," she murmured, almost purring to him. She kissed him again in an affectionate, appreciative manner, and then began to nuzzle her way down his torso. "Just sit back... and let me do all the work."

By then, her head was level with her mate's abdomen. She found his core quite attractive--it was tight and muscle-bound and defined, even when it was covered in white fur and stripes--and so now, when there was nothing between her and his hard abdomen but a centimeter of skin and cloth, she could practically see his muscles ripple with energy. Alexandra showed her appreciation for his beauty by kissing him on the shirt, several times, before moving down farther still--and then her face was level with his crotch.

She couldn't help but blush as she nudged Alex until he was on his back, rather than his side, allowing her to lie on her belly between his legs. Alexandra was not a submissive woman by nature, and then, just then, before the passions and lusts of the moment took over, she was just a little reluctant to put herself utterly at the mercy of anyone else.

But then she looked up at Alex again. He wasn't a dominant man by nature, and then, just then, before the passions and lusts of the moment took over, there was nothing but affection in his eyes. He placed a hand on her head, yes, but it was so that he could run his fingers through her sleek, dark hair--not so that he could push her to do what he wanted. And that made Alexandra smile, slightly, even as she began to plant a series of kisses on the sizeable bulge in his shorts.

She wasn't teasing, though. Instead of looking up into Alex's eyes, naughtily, she kept her eyes shut and gently continued the very timid foreplay. With one hand, she stroked Alex's hip and with the other, she held her mate's hand and stroked over his fingers with her thumb when it occurred to her. She realized for the umpteenth time that she really loved Alex in every single way, but it struck her regardless and made her sigh with satisfaction, before looking up into his eyes and humming soft sounds of pleasure and arousal to him.

She was going to say something, then, while rubbing at his own arousal with her petite, feminine hand. But her words caught in her throat as her eyes widened and her hand travelled farther, and farther, and farther down--she looked down at her mate's crotch, for a moment, before looking back up at him for an explanation, an unspoken question on her lips.

Embarrassed, Alex grinned wryly and looked away from his wife. "I guess... some parts of me don't really shrink, either..."

Alexandra couldn't help but smile like that, and that helped her get beyond her own embarrassment. She licked around the inside of her mouth with her tongue, and then did the same to her lips in preparation for what was coming next, even as her fingers danced across Alex's waistline.

A moment later, his shorts were down beyond his knees--and then, they were gone entirely, tossed off to some corner of the room. His boxers were next, or rather, they should have been, if Alexandra didn't simply sigh and rest her head down against the explicit bulge in her mate's underwear and then, simply, cuddle against him, holding both of his hands now.

She could feel his heart beat, she noticed. And she could hear it, too, thanks to the sheer volume of blood flowing to Alex's erect member. And although it might have been perceived as demeaning for her to simply rest her face against her husband's most private area in such a manner, neither she nor he looked at it that way. The lust was still there, of course, but what Alexandra was enjoying was the intimacy, and the ability to be so close to her mate without worrying about him looking at her differently. She knew that she would never become a sexual object to him, except for if she wanted it--and she knew that he would always love and respect her, as she did to him.

And that's why he deserved everything she could do for him. And so, so much more.

With that in mind, Alexandra pressed her face up against him with just a little force, rubbing her cheek and the bridge of her nose alongside the thick stiffness still hidden from her. She nuzzled against him until her face was at his mid-upper thigh, at which point she planted a series of kisses at the tip of his member, looking into his eyes in the process. He probably didn't feel them that much, but Alexandra's obvious affection and praise for her male's endowment drove his anticipation upward.

He stroked her hair, once, and then simply rested both hands on top of her head, willing them to go more or less limp. But he couldn't resist the temptation to gently caress her head and her pretty face in his hands when she nuzzled against him in quite a catlike manner indeed, before looking up into his eyes and then slowly, gently, curiously tugging his boxers down.

Alexandra closed her eyes for a moment as Alex's member sprang free from the elastic and cloth restraining it. It might have bonked her in the forehead, but Alex was rock hard, so that any vibrations racing up and down the significant length of his cock vanished in seconds. There it stood in front of her, tall and proud and strong, in contrast to its still nervous, still somewhat insecure master.

She could barely see him from where she was, with her chin at his loins. He was thick, intimidatingly so, and despite the curiosity and arousal growing in her own loins, Alexandra couldn't help but feel a stab of very real fear. Was something that big really going to go inside of her...?

Alex reached down, then, and wrapped his hand around the end of his shaft. He then moved his member aside so that he could look into his mate's eyes.

Perhaps he intended to say something then, but if he did, he forgot it. Her eyes were mesmerizing to him always, and just then they were transfixing. And now, his eyes were mesmerizing to her--until they'd gotten back together, Alexandra had never seen that particular, crystalline shade of blue, except for in mirrors.

Man and woman continued to look at one another for a few more moments. And by then, Alexandra knew that she would take Alex inside--she knew that she wanted to take Alex inside.

Her hand placed itself on the underside of Alex's member. And then her other hand placed itself on the side, closer to the engorged, maroon-colored head--and then, Alex took his own hand away and simply stared at his wife, breathing lightly and rapidly with lust.

Alexandra willed herself to move, and so she began to, very hesitantly indeed. He was so much bigger--she could move each of her hands out of sync in long, massaging strokes and still not even come close to touching the full length of Alex's cock. One on top of the other, both of her hands reached up two-thirds of the way to Alex's head--and that wasn't all.

Alex had always been extremely virile. They'd been together for the first time when he was still a teenager, but years later when he had been a man--a young man, but a man nonetheless--he'd still been capable of becoming excited by his wife in moments, and mating her for upwards of an hour if they wanted it, climaxing two or even three times consecutively. But that sort of performance didn't compare to what he had to be capable of now.

Alexandra could feel the veins crisscrossing her mate's length throb in time with his heart beat, and she hadn't been able to do that before. Just to satisfy her own curiosity, she tried to angle his member down, just a little, but rapidly tensile force drove it back into place after it moved about a half a degree. Maybe it was just because he'd gone for so long without release that he was like this--but Alexandra doubted it. Somehow, sometime, her timid little Alex had become... quite a stud, actually.

By this time, she had stroked him with both hands for about a minute. And it felt good, very good--Alex had never received a handjob from a human female until then, and just those slow, somewhat awkward ministrations were making him moan occasionally in pleasure. Now and then, he'd spasm and his hips would buck upward--and a drop of thick, opaque precum would roll down from the head of his member.

"Alexandra," Alex murmured, some seconds after his mate had started to be a little more forward with her hands, "you're so--unh--good... but I can't take it for much longer. I can't..."

Immediately, the female slowed down. She looked up at her male, almost enamored by the way he moaned and ground against her hands, needingly, before simply panting and seeming to regain himself a long moment later. She was still stroking him, gently--but she realized, then, that both of her hands were sticky with precum. That made her blush, before she brought her head forward to plant a single, soft kiss on the underside of Alex's head, making him gasp with pleasure.

"Don't worry, Alex," Alexandra almost purred, a moment later. "I'll go easy on you. Just relax... and let me figure out... how to work your big cock."

Dirty talking was never something she'd been good at. Little teasing phrases were fine, of course, but explicitly dirty talking--that was a little too much for Alexandra, usually. Alex liked it, though--he liked it a lot--and so, for him, she'd try.

She needed to lick her lips again to prepare for what was next, as a fair amount of time had passed between when she'd taken Alex's member out of his boxers and then, when she was actually going to welcome him into her mouth. And now that it was time to do that, she found that she was nervous again. Could she really make him feel good?... she didn't know. But she had to try. She had to try for him.

Alexandra looked stunning always, but in the soft, ambient blue lighting that allowed their human eyes to see one another, she truly looked like a Goddess. Alex could barely believe that he was holding hands with her, much less that she was doing what she was--and so, for a moment, he simply stared and drank in the scene, while his body reacted as it would without feedback from him.

And she was doing her best to please him. It was hard, but she was doing what she could. He was a little too thick, she believed, to get into her mouth. The midsection of Alex's member was far thicker than Alexandra's wrist, and the rest of it wasn't much better. She couldn't help but realize, though, how absolutely good he felt in her hands--his precum acted as lubricant, and her hands made a soft, rhythmic schlick, _schlick, schlick_ing sound as they squeezed up and down the length of his member. Although Alex had nearly been driven to climax by his wife's hands alone, now he seemed to have regained control of himself and was able to do no more than moan and precum more.

It was actually somewhat of a wonder for her--Alex was definitely a good-looking guy, in her opinion, although it was rare when she was really struck by how attractive he was. But the sheer amount of masculine fluid traveling down the length of his member was quite a turn-on for Alexandra, though it made her blush to think that. She was lucky, though, she really was, to have such a studly male.

And that's why she was able to break past her own embarrassment--and awe--to do what she did next.

Her head dipped forward, then, and her soft, sweet pink tongue began to run not over his member, but his balls. She'd never done that before, ever, although she'd been tempted to try a few times. It wasn't that Alex was at all dirty, it was just quite a submissive thing to do indeed, for most women. But Alexandra managed to lick over her mate's balls without demeaning herself at all. Maybe it was because she looked him in the eyes when she did that, or maybe it was because his moans and the look on his face screamed, "This feels like Heaven; thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

Whatever it was between them, it encouraged Alexandra to go further. She shut her eyes as she tilted her face forward, somewhat, so that the tip of her nose came in contact with the girthy underside of her mate's member--and then, for the first time in his life, Alex enjoyed the feeling of his wife, his own guardian, sucking gently on his balls.

It was a somewhat odd sensation. Seconds before, when her tongue had bathed his balls, he had enjoyed the soft, giving pressure and the warmth--but now, there was just warmth and wetness and less pressure. It was exquisite, though, in a manner that Alex couldn't easily explain, and he couldn't watch his wife doing it for long otherwise he'd be unable to last more than a few seconds.

So his head hit the pillow, and he simply thankfully stroked the back of the female's hair as she continued to suck his balls. He couldn't believe that she was doing this for him--he'd never even dreamed of being the recipient of such treatment before, ever. But it was definitely her, his Alexandra, with her mouth on his sack and her cute little button nose pressed against his cock, making his balls swim by carefully and gently manipulating her lips and tongue.

A moment later, she came off his balls--but she held one back in her lips, very gently, and then released it as well with a wet, soft pop. She didn't immediately stop, though--instead, she licked up his balls several times, in an almost hungry, feline manner before she finally took his member into both hands and held it aside to blush and look her husband in the eyes.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this before, Alex... but you taste... really, really good," she murmured. She flushed a little and looked down in embarrassment--but then she felt Alex's hand nudge her head so that she faced him again.

"Thank you, Alexandra," he said breathlessly. Pale blue light from some unknown source made his skin almost precisely the same shade of his eyes for a moment, during which he sat up, reached down with both arms and managed to hug his wife. "You really are a Goddess."

He leaned back again, leaving his mate smiling and blushing and almost purring despite the fact that she was still a human. She shut her eyes and licked Alex, then, from the base of the member all the way to the head, leaving it with a long, suckling kiss--and then, she felt confidence spike within her. Yes, she could do this; yes, she would do this. Alex might be almost frighteningly large, but he was still her Alex, the only love of her life, and she would give him the best oral loving any male had ever had.

To begin with, she stroked him with her hands--both of them--simply because it would take time for her jaw tendons to stretch enough for her to take his cock in beyond the first half of her head. But that wasn't all she did. Resting on her elbows, she planted a series of soft, wet kisses all over the head of Alex's member, making it tingle and dance with pleasure and enjoyment.

It was actually kind of amazing for Alexandra to watch herself please such a large cock. Of course, she'd never thought of being with anyone else, ever, and so it was completely new and completely different for her to handle a different tool than the one she was used to, so to speak--but apart from the slight curiosity, and the lingering touches of fear, Alexandra was aroused, more than a little, just by kissing Alex's cock and giving him a handjob.

He might have sensed that if he was paying more attention. But after going for so, so long without love--of any kind--Alex was unable to do anything but moan and lay back and beg his wife for more with his eyes alone. And after a moment of discretely opening her mouth as wide as she could and stretching, Alexandra felt that she was as ready for him to enter her mouth as she would ever be.

Being stroked rapidly by two lubricated female hands gave Alex enough pleasure that he had to lay back, again, and simply pant and close his eyes to avoid hitting a climax prematurely. This meant that he was taken by surprise when for the first time in almost twenty years, he felt two full, soft feminine lips wrap around the head of his cock, and that along made him gasp and inadvertently shoot a hot spurt of precum directly into the back of his wife's mouth.

For a moment, he simply felt her massage the head of his cock with her lips, bobbing up and down on him within a range of only two or so inches. She didn't use her tongue as there simply wasn't enough space in her mouth for her to do so, but she did continue to stroke him with one hand. At the same time, her other hand gently rubbed and massaged Alex's balls, as if warming them up for a truly impressive finish.

Alex's cockhead was quite large, but quickly Alexandra found she could adapt to it. She wasn't gagging or having any real discomfort pleasing him at all, and that gave her confidence--she still had it. Even though she was a human, several inches shorter than she had been, and even though Alex was several inches larger than he had been, she could still give him what no other woman ever could.

It was a few seconds, however, before Alexandra began to use her tongue. She was, at first, extremely ginger, as if simply prodding the massive tool in her mouth with the soft pink muscle might cause Alex to precum again, and she didn't want to waste any of his seed. True, she'd swallowed what he'd already given him, but she really wanted Alex to enjoy things to their fullest without losing control.

And that's why she paused, for a moment, drawing her head off his cock to look down at him and see if he could hold back. For a moment, she really didn't think he could, even though she was using her hands to squeeze his cock a bit tightly, and slowly, to drive down his level of pleasure--but then, Alex stopped moaning and simply sat up, breathing rapidly, unspoken words on his lips.

He'd wrapped his legs around her, she realized, and that made her blush. She could only imagine how she looked, then, using the tip of her tongue to gently lick at the side of his head while looking into his eyes--all at once, she felt naughty, nervous, and deeply, vitally aroused, though she didn't want Alex to know that quite yet. So she simply planted a single, audible kiss on the head of his cock and began to suck on him again.

This time, she went deeper. His entire cockhead was enveloped by the warm wetness of her mouth, and although Alexandra could have used her tongue more, she decided not to. There was plenty of saliva in her maw already--breaking the seal her lips created around Alex's shaft would have allowed at least a teaspoon of it to spill out--and besides, she didn't want to be too raunchy, at least for the moment. There was something truly exotic about the way she sucked on him, then, with her eyes shut and her face concentrated and her head bobbing up and down, slowly, gently, welcoming Alex deeper and deeper and deeper into her mouth.

For a moment, she held herself down somewhere around the midsection of his cock. Alexandra then opened one eye--just one--to attempt to see how far down she'd gotten, but she had no depth perception from her perspective. So she used her hands instead to gauge how much of Alex's cock remained to be welcomed into her mouth, and she was pleased to find out that she only had a little bit more than two hand lengths left to go. She tried to get a little farther, then, but she was running out of air and so she winced the teeniest bit, reflexively twitching before she drew her head back, letting Alex's cock slide out of her mouth along with a long, viscous strand of saliva and precum.

She was breathing a bit quickly herself, by then, and she didn't try to hide it. She could only imagine what she looked like with such a large member in her mouth, but it must have been incredible, because Alex only managed to look up for a few seconds when she gave him a brief break. Until then, it had been far too much for him to take all at once; as it was, he was still needingly moaning and grinding his hips upward, enjoying the feeling of Alexandra's sweet little hands on his cock.

"Did you like that, Alex?" she murmured quietly. She rested her face against the side of his member and kissed him gently. At the same time she stroked him just a little bit, and she was blushing, because she felt just a little... dirty.

"Do you like it when I suck your big, fat cock?" she continued. "I don't even know what to do with a cock as big as yours. It's too much for me to handle... so, teach me, Alex. Teach me how to suck your big cock..."

She shut her eyes, then, and planted two or three light, loving kisses against the side of his member. To show her mate exactly what she'd meant, she bowed her head forward and used both hands to gather her hair into a sort of ponytail. She was pleased to feel Alex's cock droop not even the slightest amount--he was still extremely hard and extremely virile, just for her.

A moment later, she felt Alex's hand take hold of her sleek, raven hair, precisely as she'd intended. But before simply returning her mouth to his cock, he paused and then stroked her hair, once, from her head all the way to the middle of her back.

"I love you, Alexandra," he said dreamily, even as he pumped his cock with his free hand, directly in front of her face. "I really do. You're so good to me..."

Alexandra had blushed almost furiously when he'd said those three magical words to her, those three words that always made her heart do backflips from the time they'd first been together, making her ordinarily pale white skin flush cherry red, but she didn't lose a sense of where she was and what she was doing. She was enveloped between her mate's legs, and she was giving him the best blowjob he'd had in a very, very long time.

Her skin tone contrasted with her hair color, which in turn contrasted to the fair olive shade of Alex's hand. Alexandra was truly beautiful, and Alex felt quite like he was dreaming as he held her by the hair and pulled her, gently, so that she was in place, directly above his rigid, thick cock. He used his other hand to control, or aim his member, although it really wasn't needed--he just liked the feeling of stroking himself, gingerly, in preparation for what his wife would do to him next.

She had her eyes shut again and his lips opened halfway, and there was nothing that Alex wanted more than to plunge his cock deep inside her mouth, and perhaps her throat as well. But he couldn't resist teasing her, just a little bit, so he used the hand wrapped around the base of his member to gently rub the underside of his cockhead all over Alexandra's soft, wet lips.

Her response to that made him moan involuntarily and precum again, glazing her lips with another tablespoon of his masculine cream. Sultrily, she let out a low sigh of pleasure and kissed against so that he could hear it as well as feel it. And somehow Alex knew that his loving mate wasn't hamming things up at all--somehow, he knew that he really, vitally turned her own.

That's why he stroked her hair again--gently, thankfully--before he finally began to do what she wanted him to do. Alex held his mate by her marvelously straight, inky tresses of hair and then moved her face and her entire head up, and down over a range of just a few inches, so that her mostly limp mouth, lips, and tongue glided over the upper third of his cock.

He wasn't facefucking Alexandra. What he was doing was far too gently and affectionate to be compared to the vulgar act--he didn't even go so far that his cockhead touched the back of her mouth, the entrance to her throat. He was slow and extremely deliberate, even before Alexandra absolutely made Alex's first blowjob in a life time--just by opening her eyes.

It was extremely intimate of her to do that. She looked deep into his eyes, almost thankfully, as if he was pleasing her by making love to her sweet, hot, wet mouth--and even if she wasn't pleasured physically, she was indirectly--because his pleasure pleased her. That's why she was able to let him mate her face--because she loved him so much.

She could feel him precumming into her mouth, heavily--and it didn't worry her anymore. It amazed her that her mate was able to produce so much seed, and of such good quality, and she now knew that he wouldn't finish before he really wanted to--and she guessed that when he did, even the amount of cum he'd given her so far would not decrease the flood he'd give her then. Despite all this, she felt that he was getting uncomfortable with what he was doing, because he was going slower and slower, and more and more shallowly--and she didn't want that, she realized. She didn't want that at all.

And so when he really began to slow down and take his hand off her hair, she simply allowed him to do as he wanted--and took the lead again. Now, she was the one pressing her mouth up and down around him. She kept her mouth more or less slack, not just to allow Alex to concentrate on the intimacy of what he was doing rather than the sheer physical pleasure, but so that things would be that much softer, wetter... and messier.

It was easy for Alexandra to take the upper third of Alex's cock by then. That proportion by itself forced the head of his cock to rub against the back of her mouth, but she didn't gag or flinch or draw back. Instead, as she continued to slowly, rhythmically bob her head up and down on him, she consistently applied more and more pressure against his thick cockhead with the entrance to her throat.

In that manner, Alexandra got herself used to the idea of having such a large object in her throat. His cock was as thick as her wrist easily, and for the moment that was the limiting dimension. Alex was quite long as well, and so Alexandra was sadly uncertain whether or not she'd be able to take him fully, but she didn't worry about just then. Just then, she focused on rubbing his hips with her hands and shutting her eyes and humming and getting at least the head of his cock into her throat.

It was a bit hard for Alexandra to work with such a rigid member, however. Her throat could not get in-line with Alex's cock unless she was suspended in the air over him, somehow. With a bit of trying, however, Alexandra pressed herself down one final time--just a little harder than normal--and felt the head of her mate's cock slip into her throat.

She strained just a bit to hold him there, but she quickly found that despite his considerable size, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable. In fact, in seconds, it began to feel quite good--and so Alexandra swallowed against Alex, gently massaging his rigid cockhead with the inside of her throat. After that, she did have to release him from her mouth, but she felt quite pleased with herself. Even though her husband was something of a monster now, she could still make him feel good.

A mixture of saliva and precum was collected in her mouth, and for a moment, Alexandra wasn't sure what to do with it. Alex might find it sexy--if on the far end of acceptable dirtiness for them both--if she swallowed it. But she had a better idea.

Her head was still directly above his member, so Alexandra simply opened her mouth slowly and leaned forward, so that the several tablespoons of mixed fluid in her mouth spilled out, covering her hand as well as Alex's member. As she did this, she stroked him slowly to fully coat his cock in the impromptu, organic lubricant.

Several strands of her hair had fallen in front of her face, so Alexandra gave her hair a slight toss and then smiled up at her mate. She was blushing, she knew it, but it didn't matter--she didn't mind if she showed him precisely how much she loved him, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Her skin was so pale, just then, that she felt almost like a ghost though she knew she was not. Maybe it was because she had been a white tigress--maybe that's why she was so fair, but that didn't make sense, entirely. Alex was a white tiger as well, but as a human he was somewhat tan.

Maybe he'd like her more if she was tanned. But Alexandra knew that she couldn't change her skin tone--she couldn't really change anything significant about her appearance. And, unexpectedly, this revelation made her sad.

She looked up at her mate and lovingly kissed the side of his member, stroking him with both hands slowly, gently, so that he could feel the heat and softness of her flesh rather than the blatantly sexual pleasure it gave him. Sticking out her tongue, Alexandra soon bathed his balls so that they were once again wet and capable of moving around freely in his sack, a fact which she exploited by again tugging one away from him with her velvety lips, and then letting it slide out of her mouth with an audible pop.

"Alex... I am sexy, right? I mean..." Alexandra blushed, then, and planted another soft kiss close to the base of Alex's member. She saw him blink several times and then look at her with his eyes a bit more focused, as if she'd driven them into rolling upward in intense pleasure. Did she really make him feel so good?

"I'm... just a normal girl. I know I have pretty eyes, but that's because they're the same as yours. Am I... do I look okay?"

Alexandra propped herself up a little bit and used one hand to flick her hair entirely onto her back, so that none of it impeded Alex's view of her chest. In the positions they were, the male was able to see his wife's cleavage, but not much else. She realized this and so she leaned back, releasing his cock almost reluctantly, and sat on her knees.

She faced him, then, and toyed with the fringes of her tank top with her fingers for a moment. And then, slowly, she peeled the tight garment upward, slowly, so that Alex could watch as band over band of her sweet, pale flesh were bared to him.

Unconsciously, he reached down and stroked at his own member. Any man on the planet would have zero trouble masturbating to the sight right there in front of Alex's eyes, exclusively for him. Alexandra's belly was flat, as if she was a fitness instructor or something, though Alex knew that she just looked like that by nature. She didn't have an extremely defined abdomen, but her core was tight and sleek and slim and very pale indeed. And then she brought her tank top up and off--leaving herself nude from the waist up, except for a white lace bra.

But, in time, that too changed. Alexandra reached behind her back, blushing, and had to look away from Alex as she pulled the straps of her bra to the sides of her shoulders and then let it fall.

For a moment, she seemed to be tempted to cover herself with her hands, but she resisted the temptation. She simply sat there, biting her lip and blushing and rubbing her forearm with her hand, gently, to comfort herself. Alex had always said that she was beautiful, but she sometimes didn't feel that she was in comparison to him. But a moment passed, and she still heard the soft, sliding sounds of her mate stroking himself off simply to the sight of her, naked from the waist up and sitting right in front of him.

He didn't say anything when she looked at him again. He simply swallowed, dryly, and gave his wife an almost pleading look--more than anything else, he wanted her. He wanted her hands, her mouth, her breasts, and more, but if she didn't want to do anything more but let him masturbate to her, that was fine as well. She gave him more pleasure than any other woman ever had, just by being there.

Therefore, Alex couldn't bite back a moan when Alexandra touched him again. And she did more than simply touch him--she went down on him immediately, eagerly, with her eyes shut and her hands, lips, mouth, and tongue working in perfect collusion. Now, she wasn't gentle or slow, though the intimacy of her affections remained high. She simply bobbed her head up and down on her mate more rapidly and more deeply as well, forcing the head of his cock into her throat.

She felt his hands slide into her inky hair, and that made her smile inwardly. She felt no pressure on her head, though--Alex was far too gentle to force her to deepthroat him, although she knew that that was precisely what he wanted. Could she do it, though? Could she really get the entirety of Alex's huge masculinity into her mouth?

By this time, Alex had shut his eyes to focus on the sensation of receiving such a vigorous, loving blowjob. His toes had curled in pleasure and although the temptation to thrust up into his mate's maw was extreme, he forced himself to simply lay there and enjoy the affection Alexandra gave him. And what affection it was, warm and wet and sloppy and vigorous--and then it was over. Alexandra's lips no longer stroked his cock... but there was still lots of wetness, and even more warmth.

Alex opened his eyes and slowly looked down, not daring to believe what that meant. But his eyes didn't lie.

There was his wife, his guardian, his Alexandra, with her lips planted on the base of his groin. She'd taken every thick inch of his cock into her mouth and her throat, and she wasn't gagging or couching or choking--she was just staying there, gently, looking up at him with her baby blue eyes. She was breathing through her nose somehow--Alex felt soft air currents strike his lower belly--and with her hands, she was affectionately rubbing him, hugging him, loving him, even as she continued to hold him in her throat.

Her eyes didn't water and there were no significant signs of pain or discomfort. Sometimes, she'd wince just a little and seem to struggle to hold herself down on Alex's big cock, as if he was hurting her, but that was all. She loved Alex, and she loved pleasing him, and so she did beyond the physical limits of her body. She managed to smile at her mate with her eyes alone, blushing a little in the process--and then she swallowed against the head of his cock, as if she wanted him all the way into her belly.

And that's what made Alex hit his first climax in over eighteen years.

Alexandra did not taste his seed that time. She'd had a fair amount of his precum in her mouth and on her tongue, and it tasted sweet and cuprous, and she knew that that meant that it was strong--like Alex, even his precum seemed to be very potent indeed. And so apart from the pleasure it would give him--and, well, her as well--Alexandra would have liked to taste the full glory of his issue, and experience just how much there was as well. Just then, she only had a rough idea--but that in itself made her eyes widen.

She felt his cock pulse in her mouth repeatedly. Alex was moaning and for the first time, he was pressing against the back of her head, just a little, mashing her sweet little nose against his neatly-trimmed pubic hair. She didn't resist him, partially because she was too busy trying to count how many separate strands of cum Alex was shooting right down her throat, and how much fluid actually seemed to be entering her belly.

She lost track halfway through at most, but it didn't matter. Alexandra simply blushed and continued to swallow awkwardly against the massive object in her throat. This served to coax more cum out of her mate, and that meant that the protein shake Alexandra then enjoyed had to have been at least four or five fluid ounces in volume--more than half a cup. To think that her Alex, her husband was producing so much strong semen, just for her...

Alexandra drew back, slowly, removing his cock from her mouth inch by lascivious inch. She looked into Alex's eyes as she did so, managing to nuzzle her hair into his hands in the process, and held still when only the tip of his member, the very end of its engorged, bulbous head remained in contact with her lips--and then she let it fall. But not far--only into her hands. She held his member gently by the base and midsection and glanced down at it for a brief moment, gently kneading its oversensitive surface with her hands before looking up at her mate again.

He was still erect--somewhat--but even then, he was moaning and breathing rapidly, his mind apparently reeling in a kind of pleasure that he'd not known for almost two decades. He tried to talk, but he couldn't do much more than stammeringly thank his wife and say how amazing she was--but that was alright. Alex said everything he did with love, and so Alexandra appreciated it.

She felt something against her leg, then, and so she looked down and realized that she was sopping wet--but after simply rubbing herself once and letting a low, quiet moan pass her lips, Alexandra began to kiss up and down the underside of Alex's cock. She tried to make eye contact with him in the process, but he was simply too thick to allow that to happen.

At first, Alex would jolt now and then, just a little bit, when Alexandra's lips left his member. She shortly realized that the tantalizing sensation of having his flesh contact her wet, full lips and then striking the air was too much for his oversensitive cock to take, so she simply got her lips on his cock and kept them there. She didn't use her tongue, either, as she slowly, gently slid up and down the girthy underside of his cock.

She then repeated this lascivious, intimate process with the sides of his member. Alex then realized what his mate was doing--she was cleaning him up. She was cleaning cum off his cock with her mouth, looking into his eyes as she did so, and just the thought of that made his toes curl, and his hips rise up involuntarily.

"Oh, Alexandra," he moaned. "You're spoiling me... you don't need to do this..."

His hands were still in her hair, so Alex gently took hold of those silky black locks and tried to tug his mate away from his still throbbing appendage--but he failed when she simply gave her hair a slight toss, letting his fingers stroke through them yet again.

"I'm not spoiling you, Alex," she said, smiling up at him. Then--blushing just a little bit--she moved his member to the side, and began to plant wet, loud, loving kisses all over his lower abdomen and groin. At first, she'd been looking up at her mate, but she seemed to enjoy what she was doing--so she shut her eyes and continued a bit more vigorously, using her tongue as well as her lips to caress his sweet, hard flesh.

Her hand stroked his member slowly, squeezing just a little bit to try to coax blood back into her. Her other hand sought Alex's and eventually found it, so that he had the added intimacy of holding hands with his wife as she kneaded his cock while kissing all over him. Alex didn't know what to do except to rest the back of his head on the pillow and look up, breathing deeply to try to control his reactions to the feeling dancing up and down his loins. He stroked Alexandra's hair to try to thank her, but she was filling his mind with pleasure so much that he had actually lost a fair amount of conscious control of his limbs.

He felt her lips on his member again, but this time her affections were concentrated exclusively on his head. She kissed it all around--the top, the top, the underside--and gently ran her tongue across the union of his shaft and cockhead. Sometimes, just to tease Alex, Alexandra would kiss nothing at all--she'd simply make a sort of smacking sound with her lips to drive his anticipation up for when she actually kissed him.

And her affections were having an effect on Alex. He hadn't gone limp after climaxing--he'd gotten close, but he hadn't quite gone limp. Now, though, he was starting to become truly erect, almost as rock hard as he had been before. And yet, there was just a little give to his cock...

Alex heard a slight _glomp_ing sound and again felt his cock enveloped by warmth and moisture. This had forced his eyes to open wide and his legs to come together, just a bit--

A moment later, Alex was transfixed by the sight of his wife deepthroating him entirely, with her head locked between his legs. Her eyes were locked on his, of course, and she wasn't blushing more than a little bit--she wanted to do what she was doing, and it didn't embarrass her. She wanted to let Alex know that she wanted his cock, and she wasn't nervous anymore, because she knew that he loved her and found her beyond attractive.

Although Alexandra would have liked to be able to stick her tongue out and lick her mate's balls while deepthroating him--just a little bit--he was far too thick for that, and besides, his sack hung too low for her tongue to reach anyway. He really was... more than big, actually. Now, Alex was, well, almost monstrous. And that deserved some acknowledgement.

She doubted that Alex would appreciate verbal worship, though, or even much physical worship. It would be interesting to see how he'd react if she said something along the lines of, "Your big cock hurts, Alex"--but that was for another time. This time, Alexandra needed to be as gentle and loving as possible.

But that didn't mean she couldn't be just a little naughty.

Still looking into Alex's eyes, she moved her head up and down, just a little--but when she came down, she pressed her lips against his groin a little roughly. At the same time, her hands caught hold of his hips and further helped Alexandra to press herself down on her husband's thick length, and she really, truly hoped that he got the message from that.

And, in time, he did. Gently at first, Alex's hand guided his wife's motions. He didn't press her down or pull her back--she just pulled back when she felt the pressure in her hair decrease, and pressed forward when she felt it increase. She did precisely what he wanted her to do, yet couldn't quite force her to do himself. In this manner, she coaxed another hot spurt of precum from her mate's cock, and took that as a signal that it was ready for round two.

But he didn't want her to stop deepthroating him. Not yet, anyway. When Alexandra's head drew back, Alex's hand didn't leave it--and so when she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but desire, she blushed, smiling inwardly--and then watched as Alex's legs began to lock behind her head.

Alexandra might have felt claustrophobic if her head was trapped on all sides by anything but her mate. But, just then, she didn't. She trusted Alex not to hurt her, and although he was certainly capable of causing her some discomfort, she didn't mind. In fact, the idea kind of excited her--but he didn't have to know that. He didn't have to know what exactly she wanted. He was to do exactly what he wanted, and she'd enjoy that. She showed off her utter submission to his sexual desires, just then, by shutting her eyes and nuzzling against his legs, gently, and then nodding up at Alex with her eyes open again, giving her consent for whatever he wanted to do with her next.

Despite all this, Alexandra wasn't quite prepared to take his cock even deeper than it already was. Maybe she wasn't strong enough on her own, or maybe mental locks prevented her from getting Alex even deeper--regardless, when Alex began to his hands as well as his legs to press Alexandra's head more roughly against his groin, she felt his cock reach virgin depths of her throat. Nothing had even been that deep before...

She took it as long as she could, but even though she was a physically perfect woman, Alexandra had her limits. After just a few not-so-gentle thrusts--enough to easily choke a normal woman--she gagged, a little, and shut her eyes tight. And the moment she did that it was over.

Alex unwrapped his legs from around his mate's head, and when she didn't draw back immediately, he reached down with a strong hand and nudged her by the forehead until his wet cock flopped out onto his belly. Their eyes met, then--and Alex didn't have to ask if Alexandra was alright. Because even though she was a bit messy from the lips down, she was blushing--and smiling. She'd actually... sort of liked it, when Alex wasn't as gentle as he normally was.

"Did you like that, Alex?" Alexandra said. She was a human, but she was purring somehow, deep in her throat, while she took his cock into her hand again. "It felt like you liked it, a lot..."

"Yeah..." Alex managed to stammer, between gasping, almost ragged breaths. "Alexandra, that was amazing. I don't know how you did that... but thank you, Alexandra. Thank you so much..."

She just smiled at him and planted a kiss on the side of his cockhead. He was still very, very hard, she realized... and that was good. After all, her breasts were very, very soft...

"It's okay, sweety," the female said just a second too late for Alex to think that she was done pleasing him that night. She smiled up at him and then planted an appreciative kiss on his lower belly. "I actually... well, I liked it, too..."

"R-really?"

Alex found that just a little hard to believe, but Alexandra didn't answer, nor give him time to follow up. Already, blushing, she was maneuvering herself, squirming between his legs--in the process, she pressed her chest against Alex's legs, which made added virility course through him from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

"Alexandra..." Alex murmured, trying not to moan again, "what are you doing? You already made me cum... buckets..."

He looked down at the pale Goddess between his legs and couldn't help but reach out and stroke a single, shiny lock of her hair out of her eyes and behind an ear. He drew his hand away after that--but not before Alexandra planted a thankful kiss on a few of his fingers.

"I know, baby," she finally said, in a tone that was both sultry and understanding all at once. "But you can go again, I know you can. So... don't worry about it, okay? Just enjoy, Alex... alright?" She said that last sentence a bit seriously--because she wasn't just Alex's wife, his mate, his lover, and his best friend in all the world. She was his guardian as well.

"It's been a long, long time for you since you've done anything like this. And... it's kind of my fault. So just... just please, let me do this for you, Alex. Just let me do this--for me. Please?"

What Alex did not see was a strikingly beautiful woman begging for his cock. He saw his wife asking if he would please let her help him, because she worried about him--and perhaps righteously so. Although Alex didn't blame her for what had happened, not even in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind, he understood her feelings almost as well as she did. And so he nodded.

"Alright, Alexandra..." he murmured. He set a hand on her head and stroked her hair, thankfully, before resting on his elbows to watch what she did next.

At first, she simply smiled up at him. And then she opened her mouth, moving toward his cock again--but she stopped short and only licked at the very tip of his head as lightly as she could. She paused--

And then she was moving again. His cock was already quite wet with her saliva, so she didn't have to lubricate it again before sitting up, just a little, and wrapping her soft, pale breasts around his length. The feeling of those feminine pillows pressing against his cock made Alex tingle in pleasure and precum just a bit--not explosively, as he had before, but in a sort of slow drizzle that lubricated his cock and her chest more.

Alex was circumcised, and extremely hard to boot, so every drop of liquid helped. At first, Alexandra toyed with the idea of spitting onto his cock or her own breasts, but that was a little too much for her--if Alex got dry, she'd simply bob up and down on him a few times to fix things. For now, there was plenty of fluid keeping things smooth and enjoyable--and not just for Alex.

Alexandra was lucky that her breasts were as large as they were. Even healthy C-cups would have been unable to enclose the blue-eyed male's cock--Ds would have gotten closer, but only quite large breasts could have wrapped around him entirely with enough warm, sweet flesh left over to move. The feeling of having his cock embraced by his wife's breasts made Alex moan in pleasure already, before his mate even began to stroke him with her breasts.

He'd gotten titfucks from Alexandra before, back when he was human. Back then, he had been average sized, or perhaps a little bigger, and so his lovely tigress mate had had to tilt her head down in order to kiss at the head of his cock when it appeared in her cleavage. Now, Alexandra could kiss at the head of his cock when she was farthest from his groin, and when she pressed her breasts all the way down to his loins she could take him into her mouth, almost all the way to her throat.

Alexandra tried doing that a few times, but it was a little too busy for her to do it smoothly. And Alex had already experienced her mouth, and all the pleasure it could give him--so she simply concentrated on using her breasts to stroke her huge, studly husband up and down, over and over. She liked the feeling of his hard, coursing veins against her smooth flesh, and she knew that he liked what she was doing because he couldn't take his eyes off her for a second.

And so she started to get into the titfuck.

Most females didn't really find that kind of sexual activity exciting, but Alexandra did. She didn't know why, but she certainly did. Maybe it was because it meant that she controlled things, mostly, or maybe it was because she just loved pleasing Alex--but she truly loved feeling his wrist-thick member sliding between her breasts. It made her gasp in pleasure a few times, and look up at Alex with her mouth open so that she could breathe more rapidly, her eyes always locked on his. She moved herself a bit faster for a moment--

This time, Alex did precum explosively. His member ejaculated a full shot of his seed when Alexandra was farthest from him--so he didn't leave the pale, soft valley between her breasts. But Alexandra felt that warm, wet, sticky feeling and shivered, knowing that she'd done well--and then she decided to be just a little dirty.

Trying not to think too hard about what she was doing, Alexandra leaned up on her knees and slowly let Alex's cock out of her breasts. In a seated position, she used both of her hands to move her breasts to the side so that Alex could see directly where he'd came. The viscous white spunk was still visible, streaked in large, thick droplets in Alexandra's cleavage, but then she really went beyond what she was normally capable of by gently bouncing her breasts against one another several times.

Alex watched his mate's breasts jiggle as they struck one another, but then his attention was drawn back to his own seed, still trapped in Alexandra's chest. It was sticking to itself, occasionally holding gooey, thick lines that would snap off and smear all over Alexandra's breasts.

The sight was utterly transfixing, but it only lasted for so long before Alexandra lost her nerve. She gave her hair a toss and then lay down at Alex's side, on her back, looking up at him so that they were upside down with respect to one another.

She was blushing, but she still managed to play with herself, just a little, rubbing her breasts in circles with her hands and, sometimes, stroking the pink nubs of her nipples. When that happened, she'd inadvertently gasp and then sort of grind upward, in the air, as if enticing Alex to come and take her--and that's exactly what she was doing.

"Come on, Alex," she whispered. "Take my tits... I'll hold them together as tight as I can, as long as you take them. And when you're ready... just cum for me, baby," she murmured. "Anywhere you want. On my face, on my boobs... or I could swallow you again, if that's what you want. It's your choice, Alex... tonight, everything is up to you."

She blushed, trying to smile, and reached down between her legs to rub herself again. That made her gasp unexpectedly loudly and shiver, just a little--and that surprised her. She sort of wriggled herself downward against her fingers, wondering if titfucking Alex had really aroused her so much that just that little touch had made her hit a sort of climax...

She didn't get the answer to that question then, though. Because Alex swung his leg over her so that he straddled her chest, using one strong hand to place his even stronger cock between her pearly white E-cup breasts. She looked down at him for a moment before smiling and wrapping her arms around herself in a sort of self-hug, pressing her breasts against his cock as tightly as she'd promised to.

And so Alex didn't thrust hard or fast--he didn't need to, and simply adding a little "oomph" to the ends of his motions made Alexandra's breasts jiggle to bleed off the energy of his affections. His balls dragged across Alexandra's abdomen as he mated her sweet, big breasts with increasing focus--at first, he'd stroked Alexandra's hair to thank her but now his hands were static, resting on either side of her head so that he could give her breasts the full attention of his thick, hard member.

He never really thrust his cock into her cleavage with its full length--he probably couldn't even do that in such a position, because his hips had only so large of a range of motion, and his member really was quite large. But it felt a lot better, Alex realized, to first have Alexandra rub the upper end of his cock with her breasts, followed by the midsection, followed by the base. And then he'd switch them up on her, making her gasp and moan in pleasure herself as she jiggled her breasts against him with her arms, rhythmically loosening and tightening her grip on them, just to tease.

He tried to hold eye contact with Alexandra while titfucking her, but it was difficult. Alex could only do so for a few seconds before arching his back, and then tilting his head backward and moaning, thrusting shallowly and rapidly for a minute when his pleasure spiked and almost peaked. When that happened, he always rubbed the upper third or so of his cock between his mate's breasts, so she quickly realized that that was the most sensitive part of his impressively large member.

When Alex looked away from her, Alexandra was able to look over him. She loved watching her mate exercise, or walk, or run, simply because he had--she blushed when she admitted this, even to herself--an incredibly powerful, toned, attractive body. Watching his muscles ripple under his sweat-stained skin humbled her, almost; made her feel incredibly lucky to be the recipient of his affections.

And just then, Alexandra had the best view of her mate that she possibly could. While she embraced his cock with her tits, she could watch him from his loins to his core to his chest to his face; she could see every vein crisscrossing his body, throbbing with blood and energy and lust. He moved like a machine, like a gigantic, organic piston, as he made love to her breasts with increasing frequency and intensity.

Alexandra was moaning softly, mostly to herself. She knew that Alex loved to hear her moan, and she loved to drive his pleasure to new heights--but just then, she was moaning without thinking about it. Feeling his member between her breasts, feeling his loins gently--or not so gently--smack against her chest... he really did love her. He really did find her as sexy as he said he did.

And now he was slowing down. Perhaps he was tired for the moment, or perhaps he wanted to prolong his pleasure, but either way, Alexandra knew what would make her Alex feel truly loved--and she knew that if he said that she was spoiling him this time, she would be unable to lie.

He was looking down at her, and so she looked back up at him. And then, slowly, as if magic rather than intent was guiding her actions, Alexandra gently held her nipples with her fingers and used them to gently strike Alex's cock with her breasts. This didn't pleasure her much--in fact, if almost hurt--but Alex loved it, clearly, because his eyes left her face and returned to her breasts, now even more splattered with his thick, fertile precum.

"Alex, you're so good to me," Alexandra said affectionately. She leaned forward and gave the head of her mate's cock a long, light, loving kiss before resting her head on the bed again and taking his member into one hand. Her other hand reached down to gently cup his balls, rolling them around in her soft grasp as if to warm them up for another big finish.

"I know you don't want to be spoiled... but let me, okay? Just... please, let me spoil you, baby. You need it, Alex... please..."

Nothing of what Alexandra had said was fake or even exaggerated in any way. She did inject just a little bit of lust into her body language as she looked up at her mate with her big blue eyes, but she else could she do when her breasts were glazed with his cum and his cock was still resting on her chest? True, she did grind her breasts upward against him, allowing his balls to rest on the toned nexus of her ribcage and her belly, but that was just to show him that she, too, was deeply aroused by what they were doing.

She sensed that her mate wasn't convinced, though--and so, blushing, she shut her eyes and sucked at the head of his member for a moment. Just that part of his cock was almost too much for a normal woman to take--but Alexandra wasn't a normal woman. She was Alex's woman.

Gently, she took his member into her hands and stroked him very slowly, very gently. Her breasts remained in contact with him somewhat, as despite their size, Alexandra always had a little perk in her, so to speak, and so Alex enjoyed almost the full range of pleasure his wife could give him at once--she was showing him her love with her mouth, her breasts, and her hands all at once, and this was a feat that few other couples could successfully accomplish.

She looked up at him again and drew her mouth back--not all the way; her lips remained enclosed around the tip of the head of his cock. And so maybe he couldn't be sure if she whispered it, or simply just mouthed it to him: "Please, Alex... let me show you how much I love you."

He didn't say yes or nod, that he recalled anyway. But Alexandra sensed his consent somehow, and so she smiled and, in a quite feline manner indeed, rubbed her cheek against the head of his cock before giving it a grateful kiss.

Alexandra then placed his cock between her breasts again, using her hands to control the large, soft globules. And then, rather than titfucking her mate, she pressed her breasts against the base of his cock and then dragged the soft flesh upward until it was at the midsection or upper part of his shaft. At that point, she let her breasts break contact with his cock so that she could repeat the process.

In this manner, it felt like Alexandra was trying to squeeze something from Alex's cock--and then he realized that she was begging him for his cum with her breasts. Although Alexandra was blushing too much to have said so outright, he saw her intentions, somehow, and it made him almost gasp with pleasure both physical and psychological.

The pale, busty femme continued this exotic maneuver for a few moments, before she pressed both of her breasts against the upper part of Alex's cock. She didn't cup her chest in her hands--she opened her hands and took advantage of the large amount of lubricant Alex had produced to slide her breasts back and forth against one another, and her mate's cock. The sensation was roughly similar to being titfucked, for Alexandra, but quite different as well.

But Alex liked it. He definitely liked it, because even then, he was moaning and stroking Alexandra's hair with his hands.

It would have been nice if he placed his tanned, strong hands over hers and made wild, animal love to her like the tiger she knew he could be--but that wasn't Alex. Alex, by nature, had relatively vanilla tastes when it came to sex--at least, that's what he though. Alexandra knew that he liked it when she was a little dirty... he'd just never ask her to be dirty himself, or mate her like a bitch--unless she asked him to.

The best way she could spoil Alex was by letting him sit back, relax, and enjoy the treatment she laid upon him. She wasn't going to cum from him that night--she realized that and accepted it without a moment of sorrow or frustration. This night was only for Alex's pleasure--he probably didn't even have it in him to really make love to her, and wouldn't for a while. Alexandra would have to rehabilitate her mate, at least for some time. She'd have to stroke his ego, maybe for weeks, before he was confident enough to give it to her.

And that was fine. That was perfectly fine. Alexandra wore her ring because she loved Alex, and was willing to give everything for his sake. He didn't even have to ask--he didn't even have to know. It was her place as his wife, and his guardian, to give everything to him. That's what she kept in mind, as she continued to affectionately, vigorously rub her tits all over his cock--and if he gave her his seed in return, well. That was a good deal for her...

Alexandra realized, after a few seconds of kneading Alex's member with her chest, that she was getting somewhat mechanical. It was time to be more alive--more human. It wasn't that Alex was any less excited--he was as hard and erect as ever--but she wanted to show him that she really loved pleasing him, not that she was simply very good at pleasing him.

She stopped rubbing his member with her breasts, then, and instead simply moaned, audibly, before going down on him again. She shut her eyes and used one hand to cup his heavy balls, careful to massage them only extremely gentle to avoid hurting her mate. With her other hand, she alternated between stroking the rigid, thick midsection of his member and groping at her own breasts, just to avoid making Alex feel guilty for not pleasing her in return--because he was pleasing her. It wasn't as good as sex, but Alexandra was more than content to give him oral loving and titfucks until the end of time.

For too many males around the world, blowjobs were either a subpar replacement for, or a weak prelude to sex. But Alexandra didn't simply suck her mate off--she gave him real oral loving, using her lips, tongue, throat, and the steamy interior of her mouth to warmly caress his thick, long cock. Sometimes she bobbed up and down on him rapidly; more often she was slow so that she could enjoy his member while he enjoyed her mouth.

After stroking him a few times with her mouth, Alexandra opened her eyes and looked up at Alex. He was looking down at her, and stroking her hair, thankfully--but he was far from taking the lead himself unless she asked him to. He was still very far from taking the lead himself, unless she told him to. But that was alright--for that night, at the very least, Alexandra's only priority was her mate's pleasure.

The intimacy of eye contact didn't end, even as Alexandra gently, slowly let his cock slide out of her mouth. A fair amount of saliva followed it, but she got most of it onto her breasts--only some messily landed on her chin, but she didn't notice it. Alex wasn't precumming anymore, and that meant that he was ready for--she hoped--a big finish. Alexandra reached to her chest again, and within seconds had her male's cock in the warm embrace of her breasts. She rubbed him with her chest, just a little, and kissed the head of his cock--before beginning to go more vigorously, and more quickly as well.

There wasn't any more playing around now. Alexandra had used her breasts to squeeze Alex's cock in just that way, telling him nonverbally that she wanted his cum, and she'd already taken plenty of breaks to use her mouth and hands on his impressively large cock. She'd dirty-talked him as best she could, and she'd already swallowed him that night--now, she would swallow him again, if he wanted it, or take it on her face or breasts and leave it there for as long as he wanted her to leave it there.

Alexandra moved herself more rapidly--and she could feel Alex moving against her in turn. For her, that was probably the most exciting thing--when she moved, and he moved as well, until their two bodies formed a single form in constant, rhythmic motion. She watched his strong body flex with power, intent, and desire, and so she squeezed her breasts together with both hands, tightly, only for him. All of her was only for him.

Alex was breathing rapidly with excitement, and so was Alexandra. She had her own physical needs, but those could be tended to some other time. For that night, and however many more Alex needed, his pleasure was her pleasure, and she showed this by moaning, panting, and almost shivering with lust as his loins repeatedly collided with her bust. Her E-cups continued to jiggle and jolt in response to her affections, and his, when she felt his member start to throb feverishly--

And so she ceased large-scale motion and simply moaned, opening her mouth and holding out her tongue. Alex was moaning too, but she didn't notice it because she was too busy moaning and stroking him with her breasts shallowly, rapidly, to try to get him to cum.

In the end, thought, Alex took his member into his own hand and started to stroke. He looked down at his wife--and, somehow, she saw what he wanted to do. She closed her mouth, and her eyes, and then simply held her breasts in her hands, grinding her body upward exotically, rhythmically, as she prepared for him to put his seed all over her tits.

Spurt after spurt of Alex's cum shot from his cock to her breasts. It was hot, almost the temperature as his body--or hers--but it was still thick and creamy and sweet-smelling. And it was still coming, although he'd already discharged at least a third of a cup in that climax alone. Alexandra opened an eye and almost gaped at the amount of cum glazing her breasts--when her mate kept cumming, this time, all over her face.

She shut both eyes again, and that was wise. Moaning loudly, Alex continued to stroke himself and continued to cum, angling his cock upward so that Alexandra got the first facial treatment she'd gotten in a while, and Alex gave the first facial treatment he'd given in almost two decades. She felt his cum splash onto her cheeks, her lips, and her sweet little nose, and she liked it. She tried not to flinch reflexively when the thick strands struck her, and she mostly succeeded, holding her face still so that her mate could put his cum exactly where he wanted it.

Alexandra could only imagine what she looked like, covered from bust to forehead in Alex's seed. It made her blush--the cum on her cheeks hid this--and that was before she heard her husband panting, moaning, voice almost slurred with satisfied lust and desire only for her. She tried to open her eyes but cum seeped onto them--so she blinked, a few times, and then held her eyes open so that his thick seed wouldn't dry and hold them shut like glue.

She blushed up at him, but she didn't look away or start to clean herself. After all, this was how Alex wanted to see her--this was how he found her the most beautiful, and though it was strange, and just a little... well, humbling, Alexandra didn't mind. She'd do things a thousand times more extreme, if her Alex wanted her to. And she could tell that a few unspoken desires were flitting around in his mind; now if only she could grasp one...

The pale woman blushed, continuing to hold breasts just a little too large to naturally belong to such a lean, small body in her hands. She continued to wriggle herself upward, moaning just a little, particularly when Alex's spent, swaying balls came in contact with her belly. Then she lay still and ceased to support her breasts with her hands. And what she did next made Alex stare, dumbfounded, for a full two minutes.

Alexandra was already pale, and she knew she could never be anything else. But Alex said he liked her skin tone--so maybe he'd like it if she was even more pale... and a little more reflective, as well.

With that in mind, she locked eyes with her mate and began to rub her hands in circles over her breasts, cleavage, neck... and then her face as well. She used his cum as if it was lotion, even though it was so strong that she could smell it as a human--she simply kept rubbing and kept kneading until her skin was thoroughly coated with sleek, creamy, drying cum. She blushed, nervously biting a fingernail with her teeth of a moment as she hid her nipples from her male by wrapping an arm over her bust.

Her head tilted to the side and what she didn't realize was that she looked even more submissive, even more subservient than even like that: she was covered in her mate's cum and resting between his legs, resting her cheek on the bed in embarrassment. She was even nibbling at her fingernail, as if she was nervous that Alex might not find that sight enough to give him the confidence to take her properly someday soon.

A moment passed. Alexandra wondered what she'd done wrong--had she been too dirty? Not dirty enough? She'd let him strike her with his cock, or she'd never do anything kinkier than light dirty talk, depending on what he wanted--but she didn't know how she could do better. And so she looked up at Alex, just as he fell onto the bed, exhausted, and weakly stroked her hair.

"I can't even say how amazing you were," he managed to murmur. He gasped and tried to catch his breath, and failed, and then lifted his head up to smile down at his loving, pale, cum-covered mate. "Thank you, Alexandra," he said. "Thank you so, so, so much."

He tried to lean down to kiss her, but she was too fast for him. Before he could move, she was at his side, hugging him around the chest, gently wrapping her legs around one of his. Her breasts nudged against his shoulder and the side of his arm, but that wasn't intentional--that was just how big they were.

She kissed him on the cheek for a long, long moment. He felt her eyelashes flutter against his temple, and that distracted him--he didn't notice the dampness between his wife's legs. She wouldn't let him notice, because he was tired, and that night was only for him. All she would do was hope that someday soon, he'd be the tiger she knew he could.

She drew her lips back and then simply snuggled against his side. She was still a human, nude from the waist up, and clothed from the waist down only in a pair of boyshorts underwear, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind either that their blankets had been thrown away, because she wasn't cold. Alex kept her warm with his body heat, and with his virility, and the power she knew rested within him, he made her burn up with lust.

Alexandra stayed at his side for some time--she didn't know how long--but, eventually, Alex fell asleep. She felt his breathing slow and his fingers, intertwined with hers, slacken--and then, slowly, she slipped away from him. She left their bed, and their room entirely.

A moment later, she'd returned from the bathroom with a large, thick towel in her hand. She was blushing, but she had no choice.

And so she crept back into their bed. She rested right on top of Alex with her head on his strong, lean chest, and she put the towel into her mouth and bit down hard. And then she reached down, between her legs. She slipped her underwear aside and then she began to rub her fingers in circles, slowly, before a lone, pale digit entered her body.

Alexandra then began to masturbate, for the first time in her entire existence. She was bad at it, and she knew it, but that didn't matter. The feeling of being so close to Alex and being able to touch him and rub her face against him and moan and scream as loudly as she wanted was enough to bring her to orgasm within minutes.

When she was finished, she cleaned up. It didn't take long, but she tried not to think too hard about what she had just done before she slipped back into bed with her mate and held him even closer than she had before. The fire within her had not been extinguished... just dampened, for the moment. She'd never feel satisfied until her Alex, her one and only, gave her everything she wanted.

She sighed, distantly, and kissed the union of Alex's jaw and sleek, masculine neck. Then, she pulled the sheets up over them and shut her eyes.

"I want you so bad, Alex," she murmured. She rubbed him with the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, for a moment, before smiling with the certainty and acceptance that only pure, true emotion could bring. "But I'm willing to wait for you," she murmured, before beginning to breathe deeply, slowly, just as he was. "As long as it takes. Even forever."

She kissed his arm and ran a hand up and down his torso, his chest, until it came to rest exactly where his heart was. And then, finally, with her desires still unsatisfied, she fell asleep.

Some time had passed since Alex and Alexandra had set hands on one another for the first time in far, far too long for both of them. Things between them were normal, mostly--but at nights, sometimes he would look at her and she would look at him and then he'd turn away, leaving her wondering if she really was pretty or if he just said that to make her happy. Sometimes, she truly felt brokenhearted that her husband didn't want to touch her, to kiss her, and so much more

The forest was silent. As the temperature had plummeted the night before, animal life would be shut down for at least a few days. That's why the entire area was almost eerily still--there wasn't a bird, or a rodent, or any other animal moving for miles in any direction. Everything was cold and still and silent, and covered in five inches of snow--the first fall of the year. The entire area was as tranquil and peaceful and serene and empty as it had ever been--and yet there was one being there that still moved.

He was as white as his surroundings--at least, almost. And he was almost as peaceful as well. The only parts of him that moved were his chest, pulsing slowly in time with his breathing, and his eyes--deep blue and crystalline--and his nose--pink and soft and wet and prone to twitching now and then. Sometimes he moved his head as well, but that was only when he saw or heard or swore he saw or heard other motion.

Moisture condensed almost the second it was expelled from his warm, active body, becoming large clouds of translucent vapor in front of his face. Sometimes, he had to squint to see past it--but he knew that who he was seeking was unlikely to be in front of him. More likely, she'd come at him from the sides, or behind...

And yet, he couldn't keep turning where he was, otherwise he'd confuse himself and she'd go for him when he was facing away. He couldn't look around too much either, or she'd catch onto him and wait until he got bored and started to move--and then she'd go for him. Maybe it was just best if he stayed where he was and used his ears, white and black and soft and finicky, to keep track of what was going on around him.

And so he stayed still, and refused to grow impatient. Why should he grow impatient, after all? His surroundings were beautiful, after all, and every time he turned his head he could be occupied for another hour with ease. Now, he knew why he'd chosen northwestern Canada--despite all the damn blizzards. Few places in the world compared in terms of solitude and beauty, and besides, Alexandra was there, somewhere, within a mile or so, looking for him...

The problem with Alex's general strategy was that he was viewing the engagement with his wife as a two-dimensional affair. She wasn't, and that's why he had lost the battle before he even noticed that a shadow on the ground, centered on him, was rapidly expanding in size, in time with the sound of a large, soft, rapidly dropping body--

And that was when she hit him. He didn't even see it coming.

How she'd dropped on him from such a height, Alex didn't know, but there was nothing he could have done from that point on to win. The moment his wife's body touched his, instinct forced him to jump in shock--and that made him slip and fall and end up on his side with her on top of him. And although Alex was physically larger and stronger, Alexandra was more experienced and more agile and that's why she didn't need more than a few seconds to wrestle her mate to the ground.

Then she nipped at him, just hard enough that he'd feel it under his fur--but it was all consensual. Even though their roughhousing was intense, they kept their claws sheathed and were careful not to apply any dangerous pins--and when Alexandra made it clear that she had one, she nuzzled against her mate before loping off, looking back over her shoulder at her mate as he tried to pick himself up from the snow.

The moment he saw her like that, bouncing across the landscape with a challenging smirk on her face, he knew that he couldn't accept defeat. He grinned, purring deeply, and scrambled to his feet--and then the chase was on.

Alexandra was more agile than her mate, but he was fast. The muscles in his legs launched him across the landscape with frightening alacrity, and so the tigress ended up zigzagging and dodging and diving whenever he got too close--which was often. She did this for a full minute, until their "fight" took them onto a plane. There, she had no chance of evading her mate--so she turned, growling playfully, and prepared to go paw-to-paw with him.

He wasn't as fluid as she was, yet--and perhaps he'd never be. After all, she was a female, and smaller and lighter by more than a few pounds--whereas he was a large tiger, twelve feet long (including his tail) and six hundred pounds of solid muscle. But he was a lot stronger and at least as fast, and so while she was able to bat him gently on the face and the chest and shoulders many more times than he was, even Alex's lightest tap rocked Alexandra back on her paws.

That was how they played. When Alex was human, his mate often "fought" him as a feral, and why not? When she was striped and furred and quadrupedal, she couldn't speak, and so he concentrated more on her body language and her eyes. He'd never ceased to love her eyes, no matter how much he looked into them--he always found them deep, mesmerizing, and vitally, truly loving.

It was unclear who won, then. But when Alex and Alexandra stopped moving, they were both still panting, resting on the ground on their sides. It felt that Alexandra had pounced Alex, suddenly, taking him to the ground again--but he must have recovered and batted his mate until she simply gave up and began to nuzzle against his attacking paws.

Now, her back was pressed against his chest and he was grooming the back of her head. Sometimes he licked her fur, sometimes he nibbled on it with his teeth, and sometimes he simply nuzzled against her. Sometimes she purred, and sometimes she licked his paws, and sometimes she tried to squirm her way out of his embrace--but mostly, she just lay there in his forelegs and rested her head on his feline bicep. She was his guardian, there was no doubt about it--but sometimes, she needed to feel protected as well, and nothing on the face of the planet could make her feel safer than her big, strong, tigerish mate.

In time, she simply lay there, breathing slowly and softly. She loved his strength, his warmth, and the feeling of his body wrapped around hers, and in time, she felt him simply lay there as well, right behind her, with his snout and his whiskers on the side of her head. She was tempted to sleep, but she decided not to--because she wanted to feel him like that, closer to her than he ever had been since that night when she'd gone down on him and given him as much pleasure as she possibly could.

Eventually, Alexandra was not a feral tigress, but an anthro tigress, smaller and lighter and capable of cuddling against her mate more than she was as a feral. She was now able to hug his forelegs with her arms and kiss him, softly, sometimes licking at his fur to get the occasional snowflake off. She felt him nuzzle against her long, raven hair, and that made her blush and purr and hug him more tightly.

She fell asleep, then--she didn't know for how long. But when she woke up, Alex was an anthro tiger, tall and strong and with arms capable of wrapping around her waist and with a furred chin capable of resting on her collarbone. Was he asleep? She wasn't sure, so she tilted her head to the side and kissed the tip of his snout, stroking his arms with her paws in the process.

He smiled. So, he was awake, but just very, very still. He was listening to her breathing, she believed--and that made her smile and slide her fingers between his.

"Hey," she murmured. "We should probably go inside... it's getting dark out here." She stretched the slightest bit in his grasp, and felt her body press against his--until she again curled up in his warm, furry embrace.

"Not that it matters for us," Alex pointed out. He kissed his mate's cheek and then sighed, quietly, feeling his own cheek glide against her fur. "We can stay out all night if we want. Even as humans--we'll keep each other warm."

He had a point. Now, Alex could give Alexandra anything she needed as well, not just the other way around. It was true that the elements would not hurt them as long as they had each other--but Alexandra needed order in her life, and so did Alex. Taking meals at given times, sleeping through the night... she simply had to do these very human things in order to feel truly alive.

Somehow, she conveyed this feeling without words. And Alex agreed. And so he sat up, stroking his paw across his mate's upper arm so that she did the same.

They stood up in perfect synchronization, and then faced one another. He dusted her off and she dusted him off, and then they just faced one another, paw in paw.

How similar each looked to the other was stunning. They were dressed identically--she was wearing dark blue jeans and so was he, although the fit was different. He was wearing a silver hoody and so was she, and this time, the fit was the same. Her hair was black and so was his, although his was spiked and hers was long and silky and long enough to reach to the middle of her back. His eyes and hers were blue and bright and the exact same ethereal shade, and the white and black of their fur and stripes seemed to meld with one another as they held paws.

"You're beautiful."

Alex blinked--he wondered why his voice sounded strange. And then he saw that Alexandra had blinked as well after shutting her mouth--and he realized that he wasn't the only one that had spoke, and that made him smile.

"Thank you."

He knew, that time, why his voice sounded strange. And so without pausing for a second, Alex spoke again.

"Thanks, Alexandra. I'm... so happy that I look like you. I feel so close..."

He broke off as he saw the redness on her cheeks. He realized that although he was holding her paws, he was still a few feet from her. So he stepped forward, then, and touched his lips to her forehead for a long, loving moment. He meant to give her some space after that, but he didn't--he just held her, caressing her smaller, precious form in his arms, as she had done to him for most of his life.

They were still holding paws by the time they got home. Alex didn't recall sharing any more words with his mate, although they did look at one another now and then on the walk back. He looked at her with love, and she looked back at him with love--and something more. Something more...

He wasn't sure he was ready to set a hand on his wife again. He could kiss her, potentially, and hold her, and wrap his arm over her shoulder and sit with her and watch TV, movies, or listen to music, or simply look into the fire and whatever images his mind made out of the flames.

But he couldn't love her like that. He just couldn't--he didn't know why, but unless she surprised him and the passions of the moment took over, he couldn't bring himself to really show her his love. He didn't think that he'd do well after so many years--he was surprised that he hadn't needed Viagra that night. But if he took the lead, or tried to, surely he'd fail...

They stepped into the living room and took their hoodies off. Alex's ears were flat and he looked away from his wife--and he knew there was no point in that. He couldn't hide anything from her, but he tried to, anyway, saying that he was going to wash the dishes. And he felt her reach out toward him, he really did--he somehow knew that her paw had made its way toward his arm, and that she intended to stop him and hold him and ask him what was wrong, but he didn't let her. He just stepped away more quickly and slipped into the kitchen, leaving her paw grasping empty air.

"Alex..."

Now, her ears were flat as well. She looked down. Rubbed the tip of her pink, wet nose with a finger. And then, sadly, she too turned and walked away, saying that she was going to shower.

And that made Alex's head rise. He turned and looked back at his wife over his shoulder as she padded away into the interior of their house, where their bedroom and bathroom was. He didn't stop her, didn't call out to her, but he did see her pull her shirt up and off, leaving her in nothing but white and black fur from the waist up.

He watched that frame, that slim body and those hips, that hair, and those sleek, sweet, striped, cuffed tail as long as he could--but then it vanished as Alexandra entered their shared room. And yet Alex stared for a moment yet, replaying that moment when Alexandra had turned to the side before disappearing behind the door over and over in his mind.

He looked at the sink. Turned off the water faucet and set down the sponge he'd picked up. There were no dishes to be washed. There was just him, Alexandra, and whatever he'd do next...

He always said she was beautiful, but did he really believe it?

Alexandra was nude, in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors they'd installed in the bathroom. She looked over herself slowly, examining every inch of white and black fur on her body--and she wasn't sure what to think.

She was lean, with a small, toned waist, wide hips, and E cup breasts that were somewhat perky still. Her breasts... were they big enough for Alex? Or, alternatively, were they too big? She placed her paws on herself and squeezed, gently, before shivering and looking away from herself.

She couldn't change the size of her breasts. So... she'd have to accept them as they were, and hope that Alex would too.

Her legs... maybe they were the problem. Alexandra turned to face her side, and stood up on the balls of her feet for a moment--her legs, she believed, were fine. They were toned and somewhat muscular and yet her rump was pleasingly large and thick--but perhaps that was the problem? Maybe Alex didn't like thick girls. Maybe she'd like her more--maybe even enough to do more than just kiss her--if she was less curved down below?

But she couldn't change that, either. But maybe it was her hair that was the problem.

Was it her hair? She had a lot of hair, after all--it was mid-back length and thick and sleek and silky and black, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe Alex would love her the way she wanted him to if she was a blonde? Or perhaps a brunette--or a redhead? Maybe that was it. And maybe she could dye her hair--and if she could, if he wanted to, she'd do it for the rest of their existence. For Alex, she'd change anything about herself and maybe, just maybe she could change her hair. She'd curl it, cut it, dye it, or, if he wanted, she'd let him pull on it as hard as he wanted to while making love to her, as long as he made love to her. Anything to get Alex to want her was something she'd do without hesitation.

Maybe it wasn't her hair, though. Was it her eyes? Maybe it was her eyes--but she couldn't change her eyes. But if he found her eyes unattractive, she'd never let him see them--she'd shut her eyes or look away from him or whatever it took for him to find her attractive enough.

Maybe it was her face. She wasn't very pretty, after all--in fact, Alexandra thought, as she looked at herself from the side, and then the front, and then the other side, she wasn't really even pleasant to look on. Her snout, her cheekbones, her jaw--something about her was wrong, or ugly, or something. She concentrated for a moment--and then she examined her human face, but that wasn't much better. Or better at all--it was just different.

And so Alexandra became a tigress again. She stroked her face with a paw, looking deep into the eyes of the figure in the mirror, and tried to tell herself that she was pretty, that she was as beautiful as he told her she was, and that it was only a matter of time until Alex found the desire to do with her what she wanted him to do with her.

But she couldn't. She just couldn't--and if she could, she wouldn't believe it. It had to be that Alex physically hated her for leaving him for so long, but he was too loving and kind and caring to put her out of his life. That might explain it--that might explain why he was able to let her pleasure him, but he could barely hold her to his side when they sat next to one another.

And there wasn't much she could do about that. She could apologize for leaving him, or try to explain that she hadn't meant to leave him, or she could simply be silent and wait and see if he came to forgive her on his own. Maybe that was best--maybe if she just waited, and gave Alex pleasure whenever she sensed he wanted it, maybe that would work.

That meant that Alexandra's pleasures would go unsatisfied. Maybe for months more, or years.

Maybe forever.

But that was alright with her. It was acceptable, at least, because she loved Alex, even if he couldn't bring himself to love her. And she couldn't blame him for that--because she wasn't that pretty, or even that great of a guardian, especially compared to him. She tried to cook for him the way he wanted, but she probably didn't get it right--he just said that her food was delicious to be polite, because he had a heart of gold.

Maybe it wasn't that she wasn't pretty enough. Maybe it was that she was her. Maybe his love for her had changed--maybe he only loved her as a friend, and an occasional source of pleasure, rather than a wife and a mate. Maybe that was it.

And that was alright. Because Alexandra was beyond lucky to have Alex as her friend. She told herself that, and she believed it--but that didn't stop tears from running down her face, even as she entered the shower.

She turned on the water and felt the warm, wet spray soak her hair, first, and then start to do the same for her fur. She stood still and ignored the vague, feline instinct to shake herself off to stay dry and concentrated on the feeling of small rivulets of the clear, shimmering liquid running over her fur. Her tail stilled as she relaxed, allowing the water to enter the deepest layers of her fur, those that directly touched her flesh.

The shower stall was large, although both Alexandra and Alex were quite thin. It had been her that had designed it and willed it into existence, along with the gentle orange lighting that made the black stone and glass and steel of the bathroom look perfect--almost ethereal. A candle burned near the sink, producing the subdued scent of jasmine and honeysuckles, and Alexandra knew why she'd put that in the bathroom. It was to make the place comforting, even romantic--so that maybe she could massage him when he was in the hot tub, or he could massage her, before their affections took them to the bed.

It didn't look like that was going to happen, though. Ever.

Alexandra sighed, softly, in vague frustration. Not at Alex, of course--she could never be angry at him. Her fur, however, she could become irritated with.

It was too thick, and too fluffy, and it was being water-resistant right then. And although Alexandra could simply become a human and bathe herself then, she sensed that she wouldn't feel properly clean unless she bathed herself as an anthro tigress. She therefore began to run her paws all over her body, using her fingers to expose underlying layers of fur to water.

She started with her arms, but then she moved to her face. Then her hair--and then her belly, flat and lean and toned. And then she began to run her paws over her breasts, groping herself in the process and flitting her fingers against the soft pink flesh of her nipples.

And then she became aware of something in the stall with her. A presence--right behind her.

"It's alright, Alexandra. It's just me..."

The moment she heard his voice, she calmed down. Her claws withdrew into their sheaths and her shoulders lowered, although her tail continued to lash around, colliding softly with her mate's shins until she consciously told it to stop. She turned around, halfway, covering her breasts with her paws until she saw the white and black fur of her mate's chest--she smiled, then, and faced forward again, feeling quite small. He was a lot taller than her now, and so, so much stronger... Just seeing that broad, built chest of his made her blush and bite back a flutter of arousal in her belly that she knew was doomed to self-satisfaction, if anything.

"Alex..." the tigress murmured, just loudly enough that he could hear her voice over the spray of water, "what are you doing here? I--"

"Alexandra."

"Yes, Alex?" She said those words with her ears flattened. His voice had been a harsh whisper when he'd said that, and she didn't know why. She'd smiled at him and tried to be polite--he must have thought that she was telling him to leave, even though she wasn't. In fact, she wanted him there, right there, as close to her as possible--

"Alexandra, please don't talk," he said, this time in a softer, friendlier tone. He swallowed, then, and she felt the warmth of his body get just a little closer to hers.

"It'll be easier for me... if you don't talk anymore..."

When Alex said that, she froze where she stood. She nodded--as an afterthought--and then she looked back at him with her heart in her mouth. Was he...?

And then his arms closed around her. She gasped, but she didn't speak, although she'd have liked to at least say his name as he held her like that, just like that, tightly yet gently, with his heart beating so hard that she felt it in her chest.

Both of his arms were around her waist, and each of his paws were on her hips. His chest pressed against her back, but a moment later, it did so with much more pressure, when he moved one arm up her belly until it rested directly under the wet, soft white globes that were her breasts.

He held her. He just held her, for a moment, breathing rapidly and shallowly, causing little drops of water to spray from his snout and the tip of his nose, until he rested his chin against Alexandra's collarbone.

"I'm sorry, Alexandra. I haven't... been good to you. Sssh, sssh, sssh," he murmured, just as the tigress opened her mouth to tell him that it wasn't his fault--it was hers.

"It's just... it's just that it's been so long since... you know. And I'm not sure I can give a Goddess like you what you deserve." He paused, and then kissed the side of the base of her neck with as much passion as he could muster, shutting his eyes tightly in the process.

And then he just rubbed her, on the hip and the side of her ribcage. He was breathing hard--she could feel it--even when he rested his chin on the top of her head and maneuvered her until she was inches from the glass shower wall.

"But," he said, "I'll... try..."

By then, she too was breathing quickly, though Alex hadn't done anything explicitly sexual with her yet. She tried to look up at him, or back at him, but she couldn't--so she just placed her paws on top of his and petted him, gently, nonverbally telling him that it was okay, that she'd enjoy anything--everything--he did to her next.

"Alexandra," Alex murmured, "put your arms up... on the wall. Bend over... it'll give me better access."

She nodded, breathlessly, and did as she was told. At first, she couldn't find an agreeable position, but then she rested her paws one on top of the other and used her elbows and forearms to support herself. Her hair had been messed up but her paws were busy so she tried to toss it with a slight motion of her neck--that didn't work, and she didn't want to take a paw off the wall, so, for a moment, it seemed that she would just have to tolerate it.

And then Alex began to nuzzle against her hair. His face, feline and furred and more affectionate and attractive than anything else Alexandra had ever experienced in her life, pressed into the wet sea of black hair repeatedly. She could feel him purring more than hear it, as his voice was deeper and his chest was larger than hers--but it seemed that he liked her hair. It really seemed that he did like her hair, because he was nuzzling into it, kissing it, licking it, and enjoying even the smell of it--the smell of her. And that made her head arch back so that she could sigh, softly, and silently beg that he was going to do more.

And he did. He didn't know where he got the confidence to, but he did. His paw moved up, and placed itself on her bare, soaked breast--and then he began to fondle. And then his other paw moved up as well, and then Alexandra was really moaning. His paws were so big, so strong, and yet so gentle on her--and so needing. She needed him, but he needed her, and he showed it in the passion and vigor he used to rub her, squeeze her, knead her. He was so good--she found her entire body pressing against his, as one of her arms left the wall so that she could hook a paw around the back of his head to try to pull him in closer.

Alexandra's breasts were too big for most men to control with both hands, let alone one, but Alex did. Even as he continued to kiss and lick and nuzzle the side of her face, her head, her hair, her cheek, and her soft, finicky ear, he took one paw off her breasts and groped her with the other, somehow encouraging her to shiver in his grasp, suddenly. She blushed, but didn't say a word, even as her core grew tight with arousal and activity, as her back and her rump alike ground against Alex to show him how much she wanted him.

He continued to grope her with one hand, but his other paw was busy as well. First it traveled up her chest, to her face. A finger prodded at the corner of her mouth and so Alexandra allowed it in with a quiet moan, gently sucking on the furred digit to tease him, to arouse him, to get him to please her more. And he did, albeit in an unusual way--he stroked her hair, and then her face, and then, slowly, his paw moved up and around and planted itself on the back of Alexandra's head.

She realized--he was pinning her. He was holding her in a half-nelson while groping her and pressing his face against the back of her head. She blushed, bright, cherry red, and instinctively wiggled--and immediately his hold loosened.

"I'm sorry, Alexandra, I just--I wasn't going to hurt you," Alex murmured. He kissed her ear and then her neck, before nuzzling the side of her face again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--Alexandra?..."

He had told her not to speak, and so she didn't. But she could turn back and make eye contact with her mate, and press herself against him just so. She didn't need words to talk to her Alex. She didn't need words to let him know that if he wanted to hold her as tightly as he could... then it was alright...

And so his arm moved up again. His paw rested on the side of her head, and his muscles felt so, so big and hard and powerful against her. She almost felt fear--and yet, she knew that Alex would never, ever hurt her. She trusted him, and she loved him, and so he could do as he wanted.

So he did. He held her like that, tightly but not painfully, and obsessed over his mate's beautiful, big breasts. Alexandra was busty enough that even Alex's big, striped mitten was having a hard time even touching both of her breasts at once, much less pleasing both of them. But he did his best, even as she ground against him and moaned and purred the whole time through.

He was gentle, for the most part. But sometimes, he wasn't just a loving man, attempting to give his wife a taste of the pleasure he was getting just from being able to touch her. Sometimes, he was a tiger.

It was that raw energy and desire that made Alexandra continue to blush, even as Alex's arm withdrew from the tight lock it had held her in. She felt both of his paws on her breasts again and she couldn't resist simply having him fondle her.

The couple almost fell forward, then, as Alexandra removed her paws from the wall. She rested her shoulders and the side of her face against the sleek, wet surface and placed her much smaller, more feminine appendages on top of Alex's and panted soft sounds of desire to him, encouraging him to do more, do further, do rougher.

After a moment, Alex complied. He no longer simply rubbed his wife's breasts or weighed them in his hands, he groped her. He squeezed her breasts with his powerful paws and mashed them against her chest, his paws, and one another. At one point he grasped both of her nipples in his fingers and lightly bounced her breasts against one another, moaning into her ear when he felt that soft flesh jiggle against him.

He'd stepped closer to her. And that meant that she felt his loins against her striped, curved rump... as well as something very big and very hard against her sweet, shaved slit. For a moment, she swore she sensed him reaching down so that he could guide himself into her--but then he just kissed her ear and continued to grope.

"Alexandra, you're so beautiful," he murmured. "Every inch of you... I love it..." He licked her cheek, then, before kissing her all over the side of her face, her neck, her collarbone, her back. The whole while his paws didn't leave her breasts; every second he felt and groped and fondled her differently.

"You're such a Goddess. I can't believe I get to do this," the tiger said. By then, he was kissing at the other side of Alexandra's face. He tried to get to her neck, but her hair got in the way until he nuzzled, licked, and kissed that sweet raven sea to the side. She could feel his muscles clench against her, so strong and tough and powerful that she swooned in his arms.

He kept her on her feet, though, because even though she was his guardian, he was her husband, her mate, her lover, her best friend--and many he was her guardian, too. He pressed his face against her tightly for a moment, even as one of his paws left her breasts again. She prepared for her mate to pin her again, but he surprised her by rubbing the corner of her maw with his finger, asking for entry.

And so, smiling, Alexandra let his finger into her wet, hot mouth. She sucked on that furred digit even as she placed one arm on the wall again, petting and holding the back of Alex's head with her other paw. The tigress was careful not to use her teeth at all, but soon she wouldn't be able to help but grazing him. After all, now he had two fingers in her mouth, then three, then four, and then he was reaching back toward her throat just to feel her gag--

Which she did, after a moment. She gagged, and panted as his fingers left her mouth, before squirming and grinding into the air when the paw still on her breasts felt her, just so, just right, just like only Alex could. She moaned, quietly, and tried to nuzzle at her mate's paw, but it was gone, travelling down her breasts and then down her belly and then down in between the treasure hidden by her thick, striped, beautiful legs.

Now, Alexandra really did have to place both of her arms against the wall. And not just her arms--her face as well. Alex was driving her crazy, making her pant, so that circles of hot, collected moisture on the black stone rapidly appeared and vanished, appeared and vanished. For some reason, she occasionally kissed and licked the wall, as if to show Alex how much she wanted to do the same to him. Whether or not he realized this, she didn't know, because she couldn't even consciously think as her mate held her in his arms and rubbed her breasts with his paw, her face and hair with his snout, and her tight, shaved, sweet slit with his fingers.

Alex had been not been frightened of Alexandra the first time he'd seen her, even though she was a tigress and he had just been a human. Likewise, Alexandra was not frightened of Alex, even though he was much bigger and much stronger than he was. She took comfort in his tight, muscular embrace, and his slightest touch to the many nubs of pleasure on her body drove her wild with lust. And so when he rubbed her most private place with his fingers, gently but quickly in a simple, repetitive motion, there was nothing the tigress could do but moan and press herself against him and nonverbally beg him for more.

And he did give her more. He continued to rub her, up and down and side to side and sometimes in circles. And then, slowly, his index fingered entered his wife's sweet, hot folds for the first time in almost twenty years.

She couldn't take anymore. With a few loud, feminine cries, Alexandra's head arched back and she pressed herself against Alex more tightly than ever, even as her legs quivered, losing the energy to hold her upright. But he held her upright, and even though her neck was exposed to a six-foot-six white tiger, she felt no fear. She felt him kiss and lick at her neck, but as long as that finger remained in her, she continued to moan, purr, and grind her hips forward to prolong her climax.

But in time, the tigress's pleasures had peaked. They died down slowly, calmly, and with a rush of warmth as she again became aware of Alex's body against hers, of his paw on her breasts. She sighed, quietly, opening her mouth in the process--and then she smelled Alex's fingers before she tasted them. Because, tentatively, he'd brought them up to her snout... coated with her own sweet juices.

Alexandra flushed, almost horribly. She recoiled a little. Licking her own juices off of her mate's fingers... that was... ...well, if it was for Alex... if he'd enjoy it... and it wasn't that she wasn't clean, or that she refused to do similar things to him, or that he refused to do similar things to her, but still...

After a moment, the tigress shut her eyes. She trembled the slightest bit--and then she grazed her tongue across the tip of Alex's fingers before drawing back, and curious despite her embarrassment, gauged the way she tasted.

And she tasted good.

She began to suck on Alex's fingers, then, not just to clean them, but because she knew that he loved to be teased. Now she knew that he loved her mouth as well, and so she did what she could with it, even while her paws returned to Alex's, pressing them against her breasts encouragingly, even as the tangy, lubricating juices on his fingers were replaced with her saliva.

"My God, Alexandra," she heard him murmur. "You really are a Goddess."

He moved so fast, then, that she didn't register it. All she knew was that one second she was sucking Alex's fingers and the next she was sucking his tongue as he wrapped his forearms around her chest, her belly, and held her close. He kissed her with such energy and passion that she could not keep up, though she tried her best. He seemed to want to be all around her, all inside of her all at once, because he was holding her so tightly that she almost couldn't breathe with his arms and his legs and his lips and she loved every second of it. She loved it, because she loved him, and she wanted him now more than ever.

Somehow, though, her passions were calmed. Their kissing became more gentle, more romantic, and although the wild lust that had ruled them for seconds until then was gone, he intimacy was not. He continued to hold her as he rested his chin on her head, and so, in response, she bowed her own head slightly, shut her eyes and simply purred, deeply, stroking his forearms with her paws. Although her hair was long and wet, it didn't get it the way--it simply flowed down to the side of Alexandra's back opposite Alex's face.

Her tail was wrapped around his shin, she realized. His own tail was probably dancing about behind the both of them, irritated by the spray of water that they had not turned off and would not turn off, even as it continued to run down their bodies. Small pools of water were formed in the slight gap between Alexandra's back and Alex's chest, as well as between Alexandra's breasts, still tightly held in place by her mate's forearms.

They were destroyed, however, when Alex took the slightest step away... and then got down on his knees.

Alexandra knew what that meant, and the very thought of receiving oral sex from such a big, strong, loving white tiger as her mate made her blush in anticipation. But something occurred to her, then, that she knew would make what came next that much more exciting...

Alex's paws had travelled to her hips, but before he could dip his head forward, Alexandra walked away. She walked away slowly, sashaying her hips in an explicit, arousing tease before she again raised her arms. This time, she didn't place them on a shower wall but the clear glass section directly next to the door, and once there, she turned to face Alex over her shoulder.

With a blush on her cheeks, she adjusted her hair with a flick of her head and then lowered herself, a little bit, so that his head was level with her thighs. And then she wriggled herself, just a little, so that her thick but tight and toned rump shook and jiggled right in front of the tiger's crystal blue eyes.

In response to the display, Alex could only kneel and stare with awe. His paws had fallen down to his own thighs, and water soaked over his striped, furred form as he watched the display his lascivious wife put on before her tail trailed up his chest, tapped against his nose and then twitched just so, as if beckoning him to come to her.

And so he did. He walked on his knees to the white tigress, staring at her striped rump--or the treasure hidden beyond it--at least at first. But then, as he got closer, he looked up into her eyes, staring at her with a mixture of love, gratitude, awe, and raging, animal lust on his face. She looked at him and blushed, feeling her heart beat a bit faster--and then she realized that it wasn't just her heart beating faster. It was his, too...

He really was quite close to her then, but he was only getting closer. His paws placed themselves on the sides of her legs, and, for a moment, simply stroked up and down, slowly, gliding over the exotic union of white and black fur. He took his eyes off her, just to look at her legs and sigh in pleasure. Truly, Alexandra was perfect in every way.

And then he looked back at her as his paws traveled to her hips themselves, and planted themselves firmly in place. She tried to hold eye contact with him, but in seconds, the sheer curviness of her rump prevented her from doing so--so she faced forward again and shut her eyes, preparing herself--

But the first time Alex's lips touched her, she still moaned and bit her lower lip. She felt her tail lash about once in excitement, before wrapping around her mate's neck and holding him close. The cuffed tip danced across his lean, muscular upper back as if it was petting him to keep doing what he was doing.

And so he did. He kissed his wife's slit more eagerly, and he would have done so even if she hadn't encouraged him to. Although the pleasure he was giving her was doubtlessly intense, the pleasure he was getting from kissing her sweet pussy was comparable. The tiger didn't reach down to stroke himself once--it didn't even occur to him to do so, because he was so focused on eating his beautiful mate out.

His paws gripped her hips tightly as he alternatively kissed and licked her. She could hear him purring, and she could feel it in her most intimate areas, and so when he began to softly, neatly press his snout against her slit and lick repeatedly she couldn't help but grip him with her inner thighs quite tightly for a moment.

That might have been uncomfortable for him, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all. If Alexandra had been laying down and he'd been eating her out in a sort of oral missionary position, he would have let her lock her legs behind his head, as she'd let him do to her--and he'd have enjoyed every second of it. Not only was the blue-eyed white tigress beyond the normal bounds of beauty--she tasted so, so good.

And that's what made him pause, after a few moments of slowly, luxuriously giving his wife the best oral loving that he could, Alex slowly down. And then he stopped, and simply hugged her around the hips. His face was planted right up against the striped, thick mounds of her rump, but he didn't mind. In fact, to show that he was particularly appreciative of his wife's thick yet tight ass, he planted a kiss directly on her rump. He made sure it was loud so that she could feel it as well as hear it.

He nuzzled her, then, pressing the blunt smoothness of his snout and head against the tigress's ass. He didn't enter the cleft of her butt at all--she was as averse to anal activity as he was--but he did make it clear how much he adored her rump. He even pressed his snout against her ass so hard that for a moment he couldn't breathe--but he looked up at his wife, saw her make eye contact with him, and then snuggled against that sweet, hot ass of hers once more.

"God, Alexandra... you're too beautiful to be real," the tiger said. His eyes were shut and he was simply hugging her, so that her striped butt pressed against his chest. "I can't... I'm so lucky I get to look at you... much less touch you. You're amazing, Alexandra," he murmured. "From head to toe. Your fur is so white, and your stripes..." he paused and opened his mouth to trace his tongue along each of the several stripes zigzagging across her ass.

"I can't get over them," he murmured hotly, stroking her hips with his fingers. "I'm so lucky I love you. I'm so lucky that... you love me, too."

He looked up again to make eye contact with his mate--and she nodded, smiling slightly yet so sincerely that it didn't even occur to Alex to question her. He'd asked her not to speak to make things easier for him, and she'd taken his words to heart, it seemed--and he was glad that she did, even then. If she said too much, or did anything more than moan... he'd probably lose his nerve. In fact, even then, after making her moan and mewl and squirm against him with oral loving, the tiger felt dark uncertainty raise in his mind...

He broke past it, somehow, and began to orally make love to his wife's slit with renewed vigor. Now, not only was he pulling her against him, she was pressing back against him, moaning and purring and grasping the wall with her claws as well as her individual digits. Her teeth gritted as she panted, and she wanted nothing more than to tell Alex how good he was--but he'd asked her not to say anything, so she didn't.

But she did reach back and place a paw on her mate's head. She did that, and she petted him, for a moment, before nudging even harder and from another direction. And he liked that, it seemed, because he purred deeply and continued to kiss her, and flit his tongue across her clitoris, driving her pleasure to increasingly high extremes.

He could have used his fingers to help things along, but he didn't. He wanted to know, with utmost certainty, that he could bring his mate to orgasm through oral alone. And that meant that he had to kick things up a notch.

After just a second of hesitating, fearing that she'd be put off and ask him to stop, Alex reached forward and up with his tongue. And, just like that, he was making love to her with his tongue.

How he did that wasn't something that could easily be explained, but he did it. He wasn't just teasing her lips, he was actually making love to her, his own mate, his own wife, his own Alexandra. Sometimes, when he sensed that her pleasure was increasing too quickly to be properly enjoyed, he'd pause and kiss her clit, or ass, or simply slow things down and tell her how much he loved her and how beautiful she was before tongue-mating her again.

She wasn't sure how she managed to take that without saying at least his name. But she did it. She just moaned and pressed back against him and tried to pet him, but he was giving her so much pleasure that she'd lost some of the control of her limbs. She could only hope that the signals she was giving him were effective--and by the feel of it, they were.

Alexandra broke Alex's trust, then, in the slightest way--but she couldn't help it, or hear it, and neither could he. The tigress felt her pleasure spike--her eyes opened white, so that her crystal blue pupils shone right through the glass of the shower enclosure.

"Oh my God..."

Her climax hit, and Alex obliged her down to the most primal, intimate level by licking up every one of the several drops of fluid that ran down her inner thighs. She felt it, somehow, although her mind was stuck in that instant when Alex had made her cum more powerfully and passionately than she ever had before. She froze in her place, and yet she almost collapsed, and yet as Alex gently tongued and kissed and nuzzled the sweet entrance to her body, she found herself wriggling back against him to thank him for what he'd done. He was amazing...

And he wasn't done, either. He was still there, behind her, with his arms wrapped around her as he kissed his way up her wet, white, striped body, from her rump to her back to her collarbone to her neck to her hair. Although he was holding her as tightly as ever before, and breathing rapidly, shallowly, in hot, aroused breaths, he didn't take things further.

She felt confidence waver in him, and she knew that it was her fault. It had to be her fault--she hadn't made it clear to Alex that he was an amazing husband, a great friend, a loving mate, and the most incredible lover she could possibly imagine. She didn't want to talk, though, because he'd told her not to--but there had to be something she could do...

And then it came to her. She smiled--and she turned, slightly, so that she could look Alex in the eyes. She could see the nervousness on his face, homogeneously mixed with unsatisfied lust. She could see his tail lashing around behind him with uncertainty--but she could also see the calm and confidence in his mind, waiting to be released.

She took a paw off the glass in front of her. Placed it against Alex's face, and stroked him, once, before touching her lips to his. And then she nuzzled him under the chin, gently, before kissing him again.

Her paw returned to the glass. She looked at him for a moment longer--and just before she turned away, her smile faltered and she closed her eyes. She'd done everything she could to return Alex his confidence... from then on out, it was all up to him.

A moment passed. It would have been silent if it wasn't for the metallic showerhead that continued to spray water down on the white, furred, striped couple. And if it wasn't for his breathing, and hers--and if it wasn't for their hearts beating, individual and yet inseparable. It was warm and wet and thanks to the mist, it was a little hard to see in the shower--but it wasn't hard to feel the passion flowing from both Alex and Alexandra.

She sensed movement. His paw was reaching down to do something--and then she felt a large, thick, hard something press against her slit, asking, tenderly, for entry. He wanted to come inside of her, and so, breathlessly, Alexandra answered the only way she could.

She pressed back against him.

Her face tightened and her eyes closed in pain, but she didn't say a word. She could feel Alex's member, coursing and pulsating and throbbing inside of her--he was big. He was really quite big, and just then, it wasn't his length that brought a tear to Alexandra's eye--it was his girth. He was at least as thick as her wrist at the tip of his member, and the fat, wide section several inches closer to his base...

But she would take him, she told herself. She would take every inch of him and not only would she tolerate it, she would enjoy it. She was already starting to enjoy it--and all Alex needed to do to get her to enjoy more of his cock was to keep going.

He must have been leaning back and looking down to watch his own member slide into his mate's slit, and that thought made her blush with embarrassment. She couldn't be that sexy... ...could she? But then again, Alex had gotten on his knees and given her oral, and that was a big deal for a male--particularly a big, tall, strong male like Alex. He had worshiped her ass, and kissed it even... so Alexandra had to accept that yes, actually, he did find her very, very, very attractive.

He really loved her. He really, truly did, in every possible way. And that's why Alexandra gritted her teeth, spread her legs a little bit--and then, quite firmly, pushed herself back. And back. And back. And back.

And then, just when the pain was starting to get intense and she was about to cry that she couldn't take any more, that she was going to be split apart--she felt something. She felt--Alex. She felt her rump press up against him, and she felt herself begin to breathe again, softly and with a decreasing rapidity as she began to catch her breath. She felt his arms clamped shut around her, and his member throb deep, deep inside her.

His arms were crossed over her in a different manner, now. His right arm was wrapped around her belly, but his left arm cross up over her body, and her breasts, and ended with his paw clasped tightly over her shoulder. He seemed, all at once, intoxicated and terrified, either that he'd hurt his Alexandra or that he didn't and wouldn't be able to please her.

Her answer to that was simple.

She placed her paws on top of his, and then she turned her head to the side. She kissed his fingers and then rested the sleek, fluffy side of her cheek on them before sighing, quietly, and smiling in appreciative, feminine, feline pleasure. She couldn't quite turn far enough to look into Alex's eyes, and so she nipped her lower lip, once, before deciding to speak--just once.

"I'm alright, Alex," the tigress murmured. "You're really big, but I'm okay. I can take it, Alex... just... do it, okay, Alex? I promise I'll be okay. And... you feel really, really good inside me. I don't want you to leave..."

She stopped speaking then, and nuzzled his fingers again to apologize for doing the one thing he'd asked her not to do. She could only hope that the tiger wasn't embarrassed--that she'd encouraged him. But for a moment it seemed that he was going to go, because he just held her, gently, and more, and more, and more loosely...

And then he took her forearms into his paws. He lifted them, slowly, so that his massive shoulders and triceps and biceps dwarfed his wife's arms, and led her to rest her paws on the glass shower wall again. She silently gasped at that and did as she was bidden, supporting herself with her paws and forearms and elbows. Alexandra was very much aware that she was now bent over, utterly at her mate's mercy, but she didn't mind. She trusted him, and loved him, and now, more than any time before in her life, she wanted him.

When Alex started to move, he did so so slowly and shallowly that at first she barely registered it. All she knew was that her mind was exploding in ever-increasing waves of pleasure--she was moaning, arching her head back and now and then reflexively tossing her hair, but her arms didn't leave the shower wall.

Because now, Alex was picking up power. Power, and speed.

He didn't say anything. He could have, and he could have slowed things down to softly, intimately whisper sweet nothings into his mate's ear was he made love to her, but he didn't. If anything, he almost growled into her air, grunting and moaning with the exertion of what he was doing. His loins collided with the tigress's sweet, thick rump, repeatedly, and the dull, thudding sounds that resulted echoed around the shower, further increasing the wild passions of the moment.

He was mating her more deeply than ever before--more deeply than he ever could have before. His cock--it wasn't just thick and covered with small, tough nubs seemingly designed to reach all of the tigress's most sensitive spots. It was long, and rock-hard, and so every time Alex thrust really hard Alexandra's G-spot itself was stimulated directly.

She was being groped, she realized, and far more roughly than she would normally like. Although Alex's right forearms remained tightly wrapped around her slim, pale underbelly, his left paw madly felt at her breasts, squeezing and fondling and kneading and now and then batting her chest, not hard, but with enough strength that she knew that he liked the feeling of her breasts bouncing against his paw. The treatment was intense--but she found that she liked it. She liked it so much that her arms lost strength and now she was prostrated against the wall, pressing against it with not only her arms, but her face and her breasts in addition.

Now, Alex simply held his mate around the waist with both arms. He didn't have the control to slow down and lean back and give himself eye candy by watching her rump jiggle whenever his hips came crashing forward--he could barely register a conscious thought by that point. Alexandra was tight, but the few juices she produced were enough to keep things slick and moist and lubricated for the both of them.

And she was hot. He could feel it on every inch of her body. She was almost overheating--her breasts, her face, her waist, and the deep, wet inner walls that his member was repeatedly pressing against were burning up.

By then, Alexandra's entire upper body was pressed against the shower wall with quite a bit of pressure. Every time Alex pounded her air was forced from her lungs, causing her to involuntary moan or gasp or, rarely, mewl. He was so strong and powerful and she could feel all of his attention only on her--his face was pressed against her back, drowning in the raven sea of her hair, and his arms were squeezing her waist so tightly that she found it hard to breathe.

It was a surprise that Alex hadn't instinctively extended his claws to hold her in place--but he hadn't, because he didn't want to hurt her. He just wanted to show her the love he'd been holding back for so, so long.

And nonphysical passion was the only thing Alex was holding back from her. Even as she was forced roughly against the shower wall, Alexandra could feel him precumming into her heavily. There was so much seed--if she concentrated, she could feel some of it escaping their union, trickling heavily down her legs until it was washed away. He was cumming so much, just for her--he was giving her so much high quality seed that she couldn't take it anymore--

Alexandra climaxed, but that did not stop her mate from continuing to drill her. And so, with another aroused cry, the tigress climaxed again immediately--and then again, and again, and again. Her entire body convulsed with pleasure and she would have fallen down if it wasn't for her big, strong tiger husband and his arms around her waist. If he noticed that he had just made her cum several times consecutively, he didn't show it--he just kept mating her.

Somehow, Alexandra broke through her pleasure; even when she wasn't actively cumming she could barely think, thanks to the sheer lust expressed to her. Alex was so powerfully, so quickly thrusting into her--he was almost like an animal, or a piston, plunging into her again and again and again while holding her in place with such force that she was sure she'd break. She was yelling in pleasure more than moaning, although the impacts of Alex's affections were enough to cut the tigress's constant vocalization into short, manageable chunks.

Her ears were flat in submission to her mate, and that was before he reached up and around her arm again. This time, his half-nelson was neither complete nor traditional--the tiger simply grabbed himself a pawful of his wife's hair. He didn't yank on her or even pull very hard, because she was too beautiful, too precious, and she arched her head back anyway and gave herself to him completely, pressing her entire upper body against the shower's glass wall.

Water continued to run down the two mating bodies, even as Alex continued to thrust against her. He was no longer silent--he was kissing her back, and her neck, and her cheek, nibbling at her fur and her ear and nuzzling at her hair. Mostly, he told her how much he loved her and how beautiful she was, but sometimes, he'd thank her for letting him mate her like that--and sometimes, he'd promise to cum hard, just for her, the only woman he'd ever loved.

He never stopped mating her at that frenzied pace, with that raw, animal power. Alexandra didn't know how she took it--how she took him, without being seriously hurt, but she did. She stretched to adapt to him, and she loved it, she really, really did. His member was like him--big, strong, beautiful in every way, and made for her. She knew that reaching down to rub her clit, if she even had the presence of mind to do so, wouldn't have helped anything, because he was overwhelming her mind with pleasure. He was making her do exactly what he'd said not to--he was making her say his name, over and over and over again, and he was making her beg for his cum, in her, now.

She realized how much he was pleasing her. And she realized that she was just taking it--and that wouldn't do. She was a good wife, a good mate, and for Alex she wanted to be the best lover she possibly could be. What she had planned might hurt her--in fact, it might not even be physically possible, considering how big Alex was--but she was going to do her level best.

Alexandra gave her hair a slight toss--he'd released it at some point--and then she gritted her teeth. Her claws etched fine, straight lines into the glass shower wall as she forced her legs in toward one another, making herself extremely, impossibly tight, just for her mate.

He thrust a few final times. His hips smashed forward and with the last reserves of his energy, Alex showed Alexandra his true power. She was almost crushed against the wall, and then she was almost crushed in his tight, powerful embrace--and then she felt him cumming deep, deep inside her.

The tigress felt his seed, so hot and thick and alive swimming around inside her. She couldn't tell the precise amount, of course, but it was more than he'd given her the last time they'd done anything together. It was a lot more, and Alexandra adored every individual drop. It was his gift to her, she felt--he was giving her everything he had, every unsatisfied passion that had built up in him over the years. He loved her, truly, deeply, and in every way, and by cumming into her so powerfully, he was showing her that in a way that could not be expressed with words or other actions.

She felt him throb in her. She felt his chest pulse against her back as he breathed deeply, and she felt his breath against her ear and the side of her face, hot and wet and loving. She tried to speak, but she just mewled, very quietly, and placed her paws on Alex's. She sought to intertwine her fingers with his, but she couldn't--not until his grip on her loosened, the tiniest amount... so that he could hold her paws.

The feeling of his strong, furred appendages in hers almost made Alexandra swoon. His member inside her was softening the slightest amount, but it was still thick enough that she felt stretched--not painfully--just completely, entirely filled with his passion. She turned to try to kiss him, but he was already nuzzling against her face, her hair, and her striped neck.

She smiled--but then she blinked, and tried to look back at him when she felt him shaking, softly.

"Alex?" the tigress asked. She held his paws a little tighter, then continued, "Are... you crying? What's wrong?"

Even as she asked, she felt her own happiness falter. Was it her? It had to be her. He was sad that he'd given her his seed, because she wasn't pretty enough, or loving enough, or--

"Nothing," Alex replied. He took a deep breath, and purred, before gently--and somewhat cheekily--nipping at his beautiful mate's ear. "It's just... I'm so happy I could do it. For you, Alexandra," he added. He nuzzled her again, and then squeezed her so tightly that for a moment, she couldn't breathe.

"I was afraid to set a paw on you until right now," Alex said. "It's been so long... and it's been so long since I did anything with you, I wasn't even sure I could keep it up. But I did, Alexandra. Look--I'm still hard for you." He laughed a little awkwardly, feeling his ears heat up, before he kissed the back of his wife's head for a long, long moment.

"I think... I think I'm going to be a better husband now, Alexandra. A better mate... and definitely a better lover. I think... if you don't want another cub, we should look into protection..."

He was still breathing hard, and most of the many bulging muscles lining his frame were sore. He continued to hold the female in his arms, feeling her smaller form enveloped by his. With a sense of awe, he was struck that Alexandra hadn't just let him make love to her--she'd wanted it, and she'd enjoyed it. She liked it--and she liked it when he came so deep in her that it hurt to pull out.

Despite all these things, though, Alex heard what his mate said next. She stroked his powerful paws a few times, and then turned around halfway so that he could watch her lips move.

"No protection, Alex. Ever," the tigress murmured. She closed her pale blue eyes slowly, and then opened them again. She blushed, but that didn't stop her from speaking again.

"I want to make more cubs with you," she said. "At least one more. At least... let me have a cub with you again. I want you to make me a mother, I want..." She swallowed. "I want you to get me pregnant, Alex. Just one more time... at least one more time..."

She blushed, feeling horribly embarrassed. Even though she and her husband were completely alone, she still felt a little, well, vulnerable to expose herself to him entirely. He was making her go so far by saying such things, and she almost shivered in his embrace--until he hugged her again, suddenly, making her gasp in surprise.

"Alexandra," he said, "you're so amazing. I'm so lucky--I can't--I'm going to mate you every night, Alexandra. Every night--and a lot more, too." He was kissing her now, and rubbing her up and down. His paws squeezed her breasts, her thighs, her belly, her hair--and then they made their way back to her belly and just stayed there, kneading and massaging her as if preparing her to bear another cub.

"I'm going to mate you again right now, Alexandra," he murmured. His breath was hot in her ear and it made her turn cherry red and hold his paws and try to keep up with his affections. She was moaning, though, and pressing herself back against him, her body bending and moving and grinding in response to his affections.

"I'm going to cum in you again," the tiger continued. He again held her tightly in his arms again and kissed her--and then, slowly he stopped. His ears flattened and his head hung, and he drew away from her the slightest amount.

"At least... if you'll let me..."

She paused for a moment, thinking. And then she nudged Alex away, gently--but before he could feel real loss, she'd turned around and placed her paws on his face, nestling her fingers in his thick, protective ruff. He looked up, stunned--and they made eye contact for a long, long moment, before she kissed him directly on the lips. The kiss was not deep or particularly long, but it was passionate--and by the time it was over, Alexandra had started to wrap her legs around Alex's waist.

"Alex," the tigress said, "there's nothing I want more than your cum right now. And... your cubs. So, come on," she murmured, smiling and blushing and purring as she got both legs around him, tugging him forward so that her back was against the wall. This pressed his face forward so that she could surprise him with another kiss, before resting her chin on his collarbone.

"Come on, Alex," she enticed. "Fuck me senseless..."

She felt her tail sway anxiously below her--and then she felt Alex's paws plant themselves on her rump, kneading her for a moment before smacking her enough to make her yip softly and jump the slightest amount. She smiled, just for a second--before closing her eyes and holding Alex as tightly as she could as he began to make her body buck in pleasure again.

"Oh, Alex--I love you," she said.

"Oh, Alexandra--I love you," he said.

They mated again, that day. And again, and again, and again. Their passions took them to the bedroom, the couch, and outdoors. They mated as humans, as anthros, and as ferals as well, and when they were finished, they curled up with one another--they didn't know where. They were sweating and exhausted and incapable of talking or thinking or doing anything other than wildly, ravenously feeling one another, but they were utterly, totally, completely happy...

Months had passed.

As Alex had promised, he made love to Alexandra every night--and a lot more too. Sometimes they were wild and their sex was intense--but often, it was more of a physical expression of passion than anything else. His hands, and lips, knew every inch of her body, and her hands and her lips knew every inch of his. Few acts remained off-limits to them, but that was alright. For them, nothing ever got boring or repetitive, because they were made for one another.

Although they still lived in that lonely north Canadian cabin, they had taken a vacation now, just to escape the coldest part of the winter. They'd gone all the way down to Texas to see Katiana and David over their Christmas break, and had just caught up with the younger couple in time to jump into the van that was taking them back home. Then, they'd spent a full week with David, Katiana, and David's parents at their resort home in Galveston.

Sometimes, Alex was sure Katiana noticed him. Once or twice, he'd tried to introduce her and David to his mate--and he actually thought that he

After that, it had been back to the cabin. Alex had mentioned that it would be nice to see the rest of North America, perhaps over the course of a few years. Perhaps they didn't even need a set home--after all, they were tigers; they lived in the wilderness by their nature. But now and then the excitement that had led to Chris's birth spiked up--only to fall some days later without any apparent cause.

Whenever that happened, Alex said that it wasn't Alexandra's fault. And he wasn't lying or hiding his opinion--but she couldn't help but feel sad. Could it be that she was simply too old? Would it only ever be her and Alex? That was alright--no, that was more than alright--but Alexandra terribly, desperately wanted to introduce at least one child to the world. She wanted to be a mother again, and that she seemed not to be able to hurt her badly.

But her days were filled with happiness regardless. She and Alex did many things together--in fact, they did everything together. Each of them didn't really need any alone time, or space at all, and they didn't know why. It struck them that that was yet another aspect of them that was odd, but they didn't care. After all, it seemed that nothing could ruin the constant or increasing love they felt for one another.

It was a few days before Spring officially began, but so far north, there was still several feet of snow on the ground. It was almost a constant battle for Alex and Alexandra to keep the area around their house clear, but he fought it without regret. He was, in fact, proud to sweat and sometimes bleed to protect what he had. He loved to at least having the feeling of earning Alexandra, every minute of every day, and he loved coming home after hours of difficulty to feel her soft hands on his shoulders, and her softer lips on his.

Sometimes, he felt the desire for a son again. Or perhaps a daughter--what would it be like to have a daughter? It would be nice to have a sweet little girl to carry on his shoulders. It would be nice to watch her grow, to rest his paw on her head and to see if she'd get his hair or Alexandra's. Or, perhaps he could have both--twins, a boy and a girl, so that neither of them would ever be without a playmate their own age.

He was sitting with Alexandra, just then, more asleep than awake, watching some program on TV. She was more awake than he was, and now and then he'd feel her licking his head, or his cheek, or simply stroking his furred, striped, muscular arm. His eyes were glazed over, he believed, but he didn't mind.

It was truly an interesting program to watch with his eyes half-shut--where Alexandra saw some animal walking around, Alex saw a figure, a small figure in a cloak with something in its arms, running across a barren, frozen climate, using its senses and the dying light of the setting Sun to guide its way. It was breathing hard and it was cold but it was excited for some reason...

Alex blinked, then, and sat up a little bit. He felt himself awaken--his ears perked up and picked up sounds so soft and distant that he would have missed them, normally-but they were there. They were certainly there--something was coming toward the cabin and moving fast. Its feet were making extremely slight sounds as they collided with the snow, as if they were padded, somehow, or the weight resting on top of them was light.

And then Alex realized something else--whatever was coming to the cabin... had two feet.

Alexandra saw her mate's apprehension, and so she was on her feet the second he was. And then, without sharing a word, the two white tigers moved, quickly yet silently to take positions near the door, blood coursing through their veins. Neither of them were scared, exactly, but both of them were on edge, certainly. Both of them knew that something was going on.

Alex actually had a rifle in his hand when he heard it--and blinked. Tapping--no, knocking. Something was knocking at his door. Whatever had been running toward them was knocking on the door--and that made Alex's head tilt. What on Earth kind of animal knew to knock on doors?

He began set his rifle down, slowly--and then there was a different sound. It was a sound that Alex didn't understand, immediately, because his door was so thickly insulated--but then he recognized it. And it made his eyes widen and the weapon fall from his paw.

Talking. Something outside was talking, in a very small and soft and high-pitched voice that made Alex think of a time he'd thought he'd lost forever. And that was before he listened to the words that voice said: "C'mon, guys, let me in! Please?"

Alexandra had stepped forward by then, and now, man and woman were side by side. They looked at one another, impossible questions trembling on their lips--and then, with Alexandra's arms around his, Alex reached forward to open the door.

Cold struck them both. Cold, and wind, and the final snowflakes the passing storm was sending down to the world. So, for a moment, both of the white tigers had to step back in surprise and blink--before they both stared at the being that had appeared in the doorway.

It was short. It was short, and wearing a gray cloak, and there was some sort of bundle in its arms. It was shivering the slightest bit, but under the hood covering its head, it was smiling widely.

It brought whatever it was holding up to its face--and it kissed the bundle and then nuzzled it, before looking up at Alex and Alexandra.

"Hey, guys," it said happily, in a voice that made Alex and Alexandra's hearts stop for a full second. "Thanks for letting me in. It was getting pretty cold out there... and she's really, really small. Hey--want to hold her? She's so cute--hey, Dad, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you recognize me? Oh, the hood..."

The figure stepped inside. It reached up with a small, white and black striped paw, and moved the hood of its cloak back until it slid off its head entirely, revealing a young, beaming face that Alex did recognize--that Alex had remembered and missed every day of his life. He was the same, and yet, now he didn't look like a hybrid--he looked like a tiger, a tiger cub that was anthropomorphic.

And then he was a human. And then, a moment later, he was a feral white tiger, carrying the bundle he had by holding two tufts with his teeth. His eyes were blue, just like Alex's, just like Alexandra's--and then he moved forward, just as his parents dropped to their knees.

He moved to his mother, first, so that she could hold him as tightly as she wanted and cry into his ruff and say how big he'd grown, and how beautiful he was. And then, into Alex's arms, Chris placed the bundle he'd been carrying. He was gentle, as if whatever was in there was very fragile and very precious--and then, when Alex took that warm bundle into his arms, his son turned over in his mother's embrace and began to hug her back. He'd missed her, after all--and she'd missed him too.

Alex barely registered this, though. In his arms--what was he holding? He wanted to know, but his paws were so slow, and so clumsy and dangerous...

He managed to move one paw to a great concentration of warmth, and where the number of blankets wrapped around whatever was in the bundle was lowest. He moved one fold of the enclosure back--

And then, for the first time, Alex looked into her eyes. Her eyes--they were like his, and Alexandra's, and Chris's--blue and light and precious and loving and alive. He looked at her and she looked at him before purring, quietly, and then moving very slightly as if attempting to snuggle against him.

She was his daughter. And next to him was his son, and his wife. He was in his house, and when he closed the door, they were all safe and warm and together. And that's why when Alex wrapped his arms around his blue-eyed, feline family, he knew that everything around him--even him--was perfect.

(After two years and some months of work, I'm finally finished. I've edited this piece many times, and gone through it in sections, and in the near future I'll read through the whole thing so that I can experience some of the enjoyment I hope I'm giving you.

I hope I haven't disappointed anyone by waiting for so long to update this, but my true fans, I feel, know me well enough to accept that it sometimes takes me time to do things. I hope reading this piece has taken you through almost the full range of human emotions, and I know that it seemed like Katiana's life dragged on--but I think it was necessary to give you guys a real feel of how long and difficult Alex's time alone was, and how much he suffered and gave without Alexandra.

Please check out my other work if you like this--and if you're an artist, let me know if you'd be interested in doing a pic or two for this piece. If I can't find anyone willing to do free art, I'll get a comm... probably of Alexandra, looking at the audience over her shoulder with her big blue eyes, naked and wet, with her arms on the shower wall.

I truly enjoyed doing this piece, and it will be great to hear how I do happy endings. It's actually had to imagine that I've finished it--this is kind of a milestone for me. In the future, I have many things planned, both for free and for pay, but I'll never forget about Alex, Alexandra, their young daughter, Chris, Katiana, David, and the love they've all found.

I guess there's not much more to say here, besides: please comment, rate, fave, and watch as necessary. I really hope you liked this one, guys... well, that's it for now, but look forward to the future. There's an Alexandra there for all of us, and I think all we have to do is to find her.)

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