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Author's Note: Indeed, this is the Beginning of the End. Only one more chapter remains in Human Enough. Hopefully this Chapter has you all waiting for the thrilling (At least I hope) conclusion to this story. As always a huge thank you for reading. Please Comment, Shout, Rate, and of course tell your friends (It's never too late to dive in) I hope you enjoy :) - AK

I didn't know how I was going to make it through the school day. My nerves were shot thanks to that note. If it had been more than the second day of classes or if I hadn't been at a new school, I would have taken the day off. It took everything I had to even come close to concentrating. Everything about the note surprised me. Why would anyone who knew what was going on want to tell me? Not many people knew how aware I was of what was going on. Even less knew about Michelle's role.

As my professor began to describe the first humans to come to America, I broke out in a cold sweat. If they knew Michelle's role, chances are they knew about our relationship. My spirits dropped. Maybe this was less an informational meeting and more of a blackmail meeting. I sighed to myself at this revelation and struggled to make it out of this class and to lunch.

Riley found me at one of the corner tables. He was carrying a tray of food with him which he placed across from me.

"Not hungry today?" Riley asked with a smile.

"Not in the least." I said.

"You sound terrible. Everything alright?"

I told Riley everything about last night, how I talked to Lisa about what my father had done to her and about the note on my car. At this Riley's eyes shot open.

"Whoa, what!?" he said, almost spilling his drink in the process.

"I know. Whoever it is, I think, wants to get something out of me."

"Why do you think that? It could just be someone who actually wants to help you."

"Because whoever it is knows Michelle has a stake and knows that I'm close to her. I could only imagine what else they know."

I didn't say much the rest of lunch. Riley wisely tried to change the subject after telling me to relax what seemed like a hundred times. After lunch we made our way to my least favorite class of all time. As I entered the room the teacher glared at me, but I pretended not to notice. I had more important things to deal with than her hatred.

I think what made me the angriest at the professor is not so much the fact that she viewed me as a terrible person, but that in many ways she was right about a lot of things. After all, my family owned Michelle and Lisa. I knew for a fact that both have been the subject to terrible beatings, and I probably wasn't being told the whole story anyway. Maybe I didn't want to admit how terrible it all was. Still, whenever she mentioned anything about pet owners forcing themselves on their pets, I cringed. I never forced Michelle to kiss me after all; I just returned it that first day, but hearing the professor talk it only sounded like I was making more excuses.

After what seemed like an eternity, class was let out. I said goodbye to Riley and practically raced to my car. I wanted to get home as soon as possible to talk with Michelle about the note, and maybe to ease a fear I had. I'm pretty sure that a cop would have stopped me if it was quota season for tickets as I went slightly above the speed limit, but I was careful in driving. I got home and went into the kitchen. Lisa was there, but Michelle wasn't.

"Welcome home." Lisa said. "How was school today?"

"Eh. I was kinda distracted, to be honest." I said. "Where's Michelle?"

"In your room, I think. Probably waiting for you."

"Ok. Thanks, Lisa."

I went up the stairs to my room. Sure enough, Michelle was there sitting on my bed. I closed the door when I came up. The moment I did, Michelle greeted me with a hug.

"Welcome home!" She said happily. "I missed you. Well, to be honest, I've always missed you when you go."

Michelle released me from her hug and held my shoulders. Her smile quickly turned into a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked me. "Something upset you in school again?"

"No. Before school, actually."

I told Michelle about the note on my car and what it said, and what I thought it meant.

"So they know about us?" Michelle said.

"It's a safe bet. It's also a safe bet that they haven't told anyone about us. They'd lose any leverage they had on us."

I sat on my bed. Michelle sat next to me, grabbed my hand and put her head on my shoulder. I kissed her on the forehead. She seemed very nervous about the whole thing. I didn't blame her, I was nervous too.

"It'll be ok." I said trying to reassure her.

I could hear her softly crying.

"I'm afraid." she said in between sobs. "I'm so afraid that if we get found out, we'll get separated and I don't want to lose you."

I pulled her into my arms.

"You never have to worry about that." I whispered to her. "As long as you want to be with me, I'll be here. I've told you that I love you and nothing anyone can do to me will change that. You are the most amazing person I have ever met and there's no way I'm going to leave you."

Michelle took her head off of my shoulder and kissed me. When she broke the kiss I threw my arms around her.

"So what's our cover?" I asked her.

"For what?"

"For when we go to the park. I was thinking Riley asked me and you to help him clean out his garage or something."

"You think your dad would let us go to Riley's for free? I mean, I figured he would only let me go to Mr. Harding and Mr. Henderson because they could return the favor."

"I think he will. Dad knows Riley and I are close. It shouldn't be a problem. I'll take the car to the park, considering it happens to be rather cold today."

Michelle smiled.

"You know, I've never been on a car ride before." She said.

"What?! How?"

"In the rare cases I do get out, I walk, even when I go to help out someone for your dad. I'm kinda excited now."

Her enthusiasm for the upcoming trip, even if it was only like 5 minutes away made me smile. Michelle gave me a kiss on the cheek and went back downstairs to help fix dinner. I figured I'd tell my parents then. Until everything was ready, I decided homework was the best option. I didn't have much, so it didn't take me very long. I even had time to catch a quick episode of my favorite cop show on demand.

It seemed like the moment the show was over, dinner was served. By the time I went into the dining room, my parents were already eating and talking about something.

"I wish I could cancel," my dad was saying, "but I really can't get out of it."

"But you promised." My mother said. "You told me two weeks ago that we'd go out for dinner Friday, and now Stephen calls and you can't go."

"Saturday, any place you want. We'll go. I swear. I'm sorry, I really am, but this is something I've got to do."

My mother nodded, although she didn't look happy. I took my customary seat and began eating. As usual, the food was good. Michelle and Lisa were rather talented in the kitchen.

"So Andrew," my father said, "how are you enjoying your new school?"

"It's good." I sad in between mouthfuls. "Classes are kind of challenging, but nothing I can't handle."

"Well, we wouldn't want things to be too easy on you."

"Are you making friends?" my Mother asked.

"Eh, I'm still getting to know people. Maybe once I get more settled in Riley could introduce me to a few people."

"Maybe a few girls, even." My mom said with a smile and a wink.

"I don't think Andrew needs any help there." My Dad said. "He has his father's charm."

My mother rolled her eyes a little, which caused me to laugh.

"Oh, speaking of Riley," I said when I was done laughing, "he wanted to know if he could borrow me and Michelle to help hip tidy up his garage tonight. I said sure. Is that ok?"

"Riley's family doesn't have pets?" My mother asked.

"No, and it's a pretty big job, hence why he asked me AND Michelle if I we could help."

My father didn't say anything for a moment, but soon he nodded.

"Alright." My dad said. "Just try not to stay out too late. Wouldn't want you being tired for school."

I nodded and finished eating without much more discussion. I took my plate into the kitchen where Michelle and Lisa were finishing eating a small meal.

"We're good to go." I said quietly enough so my parents couldn't hear me.

"Alright." Michelle said. "Just let me clean up here and I'll be ready to go."

"Do you need help?"

"No. Mom and I can take care of it."

"Why don't you start, Michelle? I need to talk to Andrew for a moment." Lisa said.

Michelle nodded as she took both her mother's and her dish to the sink. I followed Lisa outside the kitchen's door. I shuddered as the blast of cold air hit me.

"Michelle told me about what's going on." Lisa said when we were both outside. "She knows it's something big, and probably bad. I know you want to figure out what's going on. But I don't know if either of you are ready for what could happen. It could get bad. And I don't want my daughter hurt because of this. I've agreed to let her go with you because she's assured me you love her, which I don't doubt, and you'll protect her. I'm not telling you, I'm not asking you; I'm begging you, please make sure to be careful."

I could see tears welling up in Lisa's eyes. I didn't blame her. If it was my child about to taking on some of the elite members of high society, I'd be concerned about what could happen to them too. I threw my arms around Lisa in a hug.

"I swear on my life, I won't let anyone hurt her." I said. "I don't care who that might be. Mr. Harding, Sam, even my dad. If anyone wants to hurt her, they're going to go through me first."

"No, no! You don't understand." Lisa said. "I don't want to see you hurt either. You might as well be my child, too. You and Michelle both mean the world to me. I want you both to be careful. I don't want either of you in harm's way for any reason. I'm begged Michelle and now I'm begging you; watch out for each other. I don't think I could take it if one of you got hurt."

It took a moment for me to collect my thoughts. Lisa's outpouring of emotion was a lot for me to take. I just narrowly avoid crying myself.

"We'll be ok." I said, trying to sound reassuring as possible. "We'll keep each other safe."

Lisa took some time to compose herself before she went back into the kitchen. Michelle was busy washing dishes, but from what I could tell, I think she spent more time eavesdropping on Lisa and I than cleaning up. I didn't blame her. I went up to my room while Lisa and Michelle finished the dishes. While I waited I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. I only succeeded in making myself more nervous. By the time Michelle came up the stairs, I was almost shaking.

"Ready to go?" She asked me.

I nodded.

"Yeah, just let me get my coat."

I threw it and let out a breath. Michelle walked up to me and gave me a small peck on the lips.

"We'll be fine."

I hoped she was right. We made our way to the garage and soon we were off. Michelle seemed to have a smile on for the entire time we were moving. She was curious about all the dials and buttons and I told her what they did. I think her eyes almost went out of her head when I washed my windows. Soon, we were at the park.

"So how did you like the ride?" I asked before we got out.

"I liked it a lot." Michelle said. "I think it'd be nice to go on a drive every once and a while."

"Well, we'll have to do this again then."

Michelle and I got out of my car and we walked into the park. It was pretty much deserted. I kept a look out for any one I'd recognize, but I didn't see anyone. After about maybe twenty minutes, I was getting restless. Maybe there was no one coming and this was some cruel joke.

"Glad to see you both." Said a familiar, weak voice.

Michelle and I turned around to see Mr. Cunningham walking towards us.

"I w-w-was hoping you g-got my message, Andy." He said. "And I'm g-glad you figured out a way to get M-Michelle here, too."

"You wrote the note?" I asked. "But why?"

"B-b-because you need to know what's really going on. I f-figured it out. Well the v-vast majority anyway."

"Ok." Michelle said. "What have you got to tell us?"

Mr. Cunningham looked around nervously, although he was afraid of being spied on. After a second, he nodded to himself and stepped closer to us.

"I-I'm not sure if you keep up with p-p-politics, Andy, but do you know who's t-the most p-p-popular p-politician in the polls across the country right now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Politics scare me.

"The President?" I guessed.

Michelle hit me in the shoulder.

"No. Why would he be bringing that up?" She said. "It has to be Mr. Harding."

Mr. Cunningham nodded.

"She's right. H-his ratings are through the roof. People are even talking about a p-presidential run. P-people see him as t-tough on Anthros and anyone who's c-causing a ruckus."

"So, people are stupid." I said. "That's really not surprising."

"True." Mr. Cunningham said. "B-but that's not the big part of it. The truth is Harding is u-using the o-oldest trick in the book: c-create a problem and a-act like you solved it. In this case, the p-problem is J-Joshua Black."

"Wait a second." Michelle said. "Are you saying that Mr. Harding is working with Black?"

"N-not so much with as Black is working for H-Harding, but yes. They are in c-cahoots, so to speak. In order to further his career, S-Stephen needed a crisis to handle, so he created one, by hiring B-Black. Black is n-nothing more than a c-con artist. H-he wrapped himself up in Anthro r-rights, but all he wants is m-money. He gets t-thousands of dollars from ac-activists, but he d-doesn't care about them. H-hence why he spent most of his time on the W-west coast; there's a lot of p-people who will spend l-lots of money."

"So Harding is paying Black to raise hell so he can look good?"

"W-well, yes and no. After all the golden rule for p-politicians is don't use your own money if you can avoid it."

"So someone is funding Black, and it's not Mr. Harding?" Michelle said. "Then who?"

"W-well at least on p-paper, it's me. Even t-though I'd never give a cent to Harding, he's still getting my money."

I was about to ask how that was even possible, but it didn't take me long to figure it out.

"Sam." I said. "He's been using your money to fund Black."

"Y-yes. I had no choice, you see. H-he...well, he said that either I'd let him do it, or h-he'd kill me and get the money anyway. A-after all, he is my beneficiary should I d-die, h-he is my son. And sadly he is v-very per-perceptive."

"How so?" I asked.

"W-well for starters, he realized that because h-he's funding everything he could ask for anything from H-Harding and he'd get it. Second, he's smart enough t-to use every advantage h-he may have over Harding. I-including M-Marie's feelings towards him."

"You mean Sam knows he has a thing for him?" Michelle asked.

"Yes. Of c-course it's one sided. S-Sam is not p-particularly fond of humans. B-but he's using M-Marie as an insurance policy should S-Stephen b-b-betray him. A threat to run a-away with his daughter is e-enough to scare H-Harding."

I nodded. After all everything that Mr. Cunningham was saying made sense. But there was one thing I still didn't get.

"So why has Mr. Harding been harassing my Dad?"

"B-because Sam is m-making him. As I said before, Sam knows H-Harding will get him anything he wants. A-And what he w-wants is y-you."

Mr. Cunningham pointed at Michelle.

"And s-since you're t-technically p-property, Harding has b-been t-trying to bribe y-your "master" into s-selling you."

"But he won't right?" Michelle said. "I mean, no offence Mr. Cunningham, but there is no way I want to be with Sam."

"I d-don't mind, t-trust me. After all, he's n-not exactly the most pleasant of c-company. And b-besides, your already d-dating someone."

Michelle's eyes opened wide. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"W-what are you talking about?" Michelle said, trying to sound convincing.

Mr. Cunningham sighed.

"Why d-do you think I asked b-both of you to come?" He said. "I know about the t-two of you. The b-bad news is so d-does Sam."

I smacked myself in the head. Our fight in the park; I pretty much told Sam everything. I felt like an idiot and let my head hang. I had thought I was defending Michelle. In reality, all I did was blow our cover.

"Who else knows?" I asked defeated.

"Harding does. I overheard Sam t-telling him. I'm so s-sorry, Andy. T-to be honest, I suspected s-something was up b-between you two when I s-saw you in the p-parking lot that day."

"Have they told my dad?"

"Not yet, b-but I think they will. There's a m-meeting scheduled for Friday with your father. I'm p-pretty sure they're going to tell him about the two of you in an effort to g-g-get him to sell M-Michelle to Sam. H-Harding is b-betting your father will be so horrified by this, he'll sell you just to make sure the t-two of you aren't together."

Based on my father's treatment of Michelle in the past, Harding's bet was a safe one. Michelle shot me a look of concern. I pulled her close to me. I didn't much care that Mr. Cunningham saw me.

"Why are you telling us this?" Michelle asked. "I mean, if what you say is true, then isn't your life in danger if Sam finds out?"

"It may be." Mr. Cunningham said. "B-but I f-feel I have to this. I-I think it's the only w-way to s-save Sam. To maybe g-give him a shot at making something useful out of his life. I'm f-far from the b-best parent, but I do want him to be h-happy and a g-good p-person. Also, I don't w-want your family or your p-potential family t-torn apart by a p-p-power grab, Andy. B-believe it or n-not, your f-father is a good, k-kind hearted man, and I know he loves you d-deeply. I'm p-praying that's all he needs to say no. Because make no m-mistake, H-Harding will do w-whatever he needs to do to make sure he g-gets what he wants. And if h-he d-doesn't get it, he will l-look for r-revenge. It won't be an easy go of t-things, b-but I believe he will think it's w-worth it for your happiness. I've t-told you everything I know. The rest is up to both of you and Robert. G-good luck, you might need it."

Mr. Cunningham offered his hand, which I took warmly. He offered the same to Michelle. Instead of a handshake, he received a hug.

"Thank you for this." She said. "I owe you."

I nodded in agreement with Michelle. Mr. Cunningham shook his head.

"C-consider it an g-gift. I j-just wish I c-could give my s-son something similar, but p-perhaps by telling you all of this, I already have."

With that Mr. Cunningham took his leave. Michelle grabbed my hand and we walked back to the car. I didn't know what was going to happen Friday night; I didn't know what I would say to my dad or what I could do to prevent Harding, Black, and Sam from winning. All I knew is that something was going to give, and that life was never going to be the same again.