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Jenna's Story

Chapter 2: Unexpected Friends and Foes

Cast list is at the end of the story. Also, Miyu ref: http://kirbygod.deviantart.com/art/Reference-Sheet-Miyu-Netsuro-86151090

Co-written with Dash.

Jake woke up the next morning at about quarter to seven, a few minutes before his alarm would have gone off. He reached for his alarm clock to switch off the alarm, but when a weight on his body wouldn't let him move, he yawned quietly and looked down at his torso...and remembered what had happened the previous night. His girlfriend and would-be fiancée Jenna, having been missing for weeks, found him at their special place in the forest, not only turned into a ligertaur but halfway through an accelerated pregnancy with her own clone; he brought her home and comforted her; and then she fell asleep with him on his bed. He smiled down at the sleeping ligertaur, stroking her long hair gently before slowly and carefully slipping out of bed and turning off his alarm. Deciding to forego a shower this morning so as not to risk disturbing her, he padded into his kitchen to make his breakfast. Once he was finished, he scribbled down a note saying that he had gone to work and that she could call his cell phone if she needed him. He left the note on the counter and walked back to his room to change.

As he walked back into his room, his eyes fell on Jenna again. She was still asleep, but it didn't look like a peaceful sleep. She was shifting around with a worried expression on her face, seeming scared. "Mm...no...please..." she murmured.

The golden retriever crept up to her and sat on the bed next to her, reaching up and rubbing her shoulder. "Shh, it's okay, I'm here, Jenna," he whispered to the sleeping ligertaur.

At Jake's touch, she twitched sharply, but then she seemed to relax as he spoke, subconsciously realizing the touch had come from him. She stopped shifting, and she quieted down, the fearful look slowly vanishing from her face.

Jake leaned down and gave her a gentle hug, nuzzling her cheek. "I have to go to work now...take care until I get home," he whispered with a light kiss. "Love you."

"Mmm, love you too..." the sleeping Jenna murred softly, a smile crossing her face.

He had to nearly pry himself off Jenna, wanting to stay home and with her all day. After giving her gently rounded taur belly a rub, he dressed himself for work and was soon out the door. He took a deep breath once he stepped outside to calm himself: Jenna was all right, and if something bad happened, she could call him or the police. So why did he feel so anxious leaving her alone?

* * *

Jenna shifted once more, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She half expected to see a cold concrete cell, but instead she saw a warm bed, soft carpeting, and familiar pictures. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, and then shuddered slightly as the memories of the previous day reasserted themselves in her mind. The mad scramble from that horrible place, finding Jake, and then....

She smiled softly, looking down along her still-new body, her gaze alighting upon the soft curve in her lower belly. She stretched, and then rolled up and climbed shakily out of bed. Her legs were still worn out from the previous day, but she could stand on them without falling over.

She looked at the dresser, and then at her body. She was still naked, but realized that, as it was Jake's house, there weren't too many of her clothes here. She shook her head. Oh well, it wasn't as if she'd be going outside anyway.

That line of thought brought her back to why she was hiding here. Those terrible people at the lab...they were probably doing all they could to find her. She shuddered again, but her mind went along without her permission. What...what if they found her? They would take her back, and...and.... She looked down at her unborn again, and then shook her head. No. No, they wouldn't take her back.

She padded out of the room, into the kitchen; some breakfast would keep her mind off of it. As she entered the room, she noticed Jake's note and smiled. Jake...her Jake would keep her safe. Safe from those people back at the lab, the people who were looking for her, chasing after her.... No! She shook her head again. No...breakfast, right. She took a deep breath, and started looking at what was in the kitchen.

Several hours later, she sat down in the bedroom and held her head in her hands. Her whole morning had ran along the same theme: thinking things were all right, then running back onto those scientists, dwelling on what would happen...then reminding herself things were all right, over and over. She had somehow managed to gulp down a few sandwiches for lunch (she had to keep her cub fed, after all), but if she didn't figure out a way to break this spiral, she was going to be a nervous wreck before Jake came home....

* * *

Jake had really fared no better, but he had to maintain an appearance of normalcy, so unlike Jenna, he couldn't vent his stress. Upon punching in and sitting at his desk, he found his mind wandering back to Jenna. Was she all right? Did she have enough to eat? What if she was farther in her pregnancy than she thought, and they only had a few weeks or even days before she gave birth? For that matter, what if something went wrong during the birth?

Unfortunately, working in a tech support position made his uneasy mind pulled very thin: there was always someone to be helped, and every time someone called, he wondered if it would be Jenna (having forgotten in his anxiety that he had given her his cell number). Having worked in this position long enough to handle the day-to-day stresses of the job, Jake was able to take some comfort in the knowledge that Jenna was not only somewhere safe, but familiar to her, and for now, that was the best he could do. Besides, if she wound up hiding with him for quite some time, he would need to buy extra food, so working less wasn't a good option.

Wondering if Jenna would be staying a while, though, made the golden retriever's mind briefly touch upon the ring he still had in his pocket at home. He wanted so badly to present it to her, to show her that his feelings for her hadn't changed, but he knew she was in no state of mind to seriously consider being engaged to him. First he had to keep her safe, then think about romance.

When it was finally time for Jake to go home, his stomach was sore, which only happened when he was really anxious. He walked to the parking garage with his ears against his head and his tail drooped, a sure sign that he was upset. He just wanted to go home and hug his girlfriend.

Unbeknownst to the inwardly-focused retriever, a few shady figures moved from behind a parked car as he passed. An observer would have noticed that they were all rather burly, but there were no observers there. They had planned in that way. They walked quickly toward Jake, intent on catching up to him before he reached his car.

Jake wouldn't have noticed them, but some movement out of the corner of his eye made him look to the side. Seeing the figures move in another car's side mirror, he turned his head to look for them, and upon seeing them, the nervous dog's first reaction was to tense up.

Noticing that he'd seen them, one of the figures called out, "Hey, could I ask you a question?"

Jake gulped lightly and shook his head. "Um, no, I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," he replied as he continued on.

The man walked a little faster. "No, it's really important!" he called back.

Sensing they did not mean well, Jake suppressed a whine. "I...I have to go!" he yipped before he started running to the stairwell.

The man who had been talking to him growled, and then gestured to his companions. "You, with me! You two, that way, cut him off!" he barked, then took off running after the canine.

Jake ran down the stairs like a bat out of Hell. He had to run, go somewhere they could be seen, then make sure he lost them before he tried to return home. He made it to the bottom of the stairwell and had pushed the door to an adjacent alley open when someone roughly grabbed him by his shirt, slamming him into the opposite wall with a loud yelp. "Nice try, pal, but we're smarter than you think," a rough voice said. "Now, you're coming with us. We've got a few...questions."

The rest of the gang had caught up by this time and were circling around their catch. Suddenly, the leader felt a tap on his shoulder, and heard a sweet voice say, "Excuse me, sir?" He looked around, just in time for a strangely silver fist to hit him square in the face, and he dropped like a sack of bricks.

The men all spun around, looking for whatever had just decked the boss. The only other person in the alley, though, sure didn't look like she could deck anything. Whoever she was, she wasn't very tall, and certainly wasn't very muscular. She was slim, in fact, almost wiry. She was wearing a loose hoodie, her face cast in shadow, but she stood there confidently. "I don't think you should be doing that," she said, wagging a black-furred finger in the air, a long feline tail with several white patches of fur flicking behind her.

"Eh?" one of the other thugs asked, cocking his head, and then laughing mockingly. "Hahaha! Oh my God...some little hero wants to fight the bad guys!" he remarked to the gang, who laughed with him.

"I don't think you know what you got into, missy," another thug added, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a switchblade, with which he lunged at Jake's would-be savior.

As the knife came at her, her right hand made a sudden sweep, knocking the knife to the side, and her foot snapped up, catching him in the jaw, dropping the crook flat on his back. She dropped into a fighting stance. "Anyone else want to try?" she asked sweetly, her grinning teeth flashing in the low light.

The other thugs suddenly stopped laughing, and their mood turned deathly serious. "All right, girly, you messed with the wrong guys," one man said, he and his friend advancing on her. After all, they were both at least a head taller than she was, and each about twice as wide.

The strange woman sighed and nonchalantly walked up to him. As he started to swing, she punched him hard in the gut, again with her right hand. She reached up, grabbed him by the collar and, to his friend's utter amazement, lifted him off of the ground! Turning to face his friend, she grinned again. "Catch," she said, and pitched the unconscious thug at his friend. The unfortunate bruiser fell hard, his head cracking nastily on the ground.

The feline surveyed the wreckage, and then crouched down by the canine the goons had been assaulting. "Hey there, you all right?" she asked.

Jake took a few deep breaths, gulping and trying to recover his senses. "Y-Yeah...I'm okay. Just kinda...shaken up," he said, his hand over his heart as he calmed down. "Thanks a lot, whoever you are." He leaned down to try to look under the hoodie at his savior.

His savior paused. "Jake?" she asked incredulously, and pulled back the hood. Under the hood, the feline looked much different than Jake would have expected. Most of her face was covered with the same black fur as her left hand and tail, but on her right cheek and jawline was a patch of white fur, and the left side of her face was...metal? Her eye on that side glowed a soft blue, and she smiled at him. Her brown hair was short, not even shoulder length, but a ponytail came out of the back, hanging past her shoulders. "Long time no see!"

Jake blinkblinked, then his eyes widened. "Miyu? Whoa, what're the odds!" he chirped, his anxieties relieved for the moment upon recognizing the feline. "It's been years! How've you been?" he asked happily, his tail wagging as he stood up.

"Oh, I've been pretty good," she replied, sizing him up. "A rough spot here or there, but nothing I haven't been able to handle." She shrugged and offered him another smile. "So, any idea why these guys are trying to rough you up?"

"Well, yeah, they were trying to find...my girlfriend..." he answered, drooping a little again. "Um...have you been reading the papers lately? Namely reports of a certain lioness going missing? She's my...well, my girlfriend of a couple years now."

She blinked and nodded. "Your girlfriend?" she repeated quietly, putting her hand over her mouth. "Oh no...that must be so horrible...."

"Like you would not believe..." he half-muttered with a sigh. "They...they think I know where she is...."

She looked at the pile of thugs beside them. "What...then why would they be attacking you?" she asked. "They're certainly not the police, but...if she's already missing...." She broke off, a little confused.

He sighed again and looked up at the sky in exasperation before he answered, "They're the ones who kidnapped her, and she escaped. Guess they found out I'm her boyfriend."

Miyu gawked in surprise. "What? Wow...." She looked back at the mountain of muscle. "Glad I stopped by to help."

"Not half as glad as I am." He considered his next sentence for a few seconds before he asked, "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but would you...please come home with me? In case more of those bad guys come?"

She nodded, pulling the hood back over her head. "Sure thing, it's no problem for me," she told him. "Oh, one second!" She rummaged around the various pockets of the group she'd disposed of, and found a cell phone. She dialed three quick numbers, and then spoke into it. "Hi, yes. I was attacked by these four big guys...my friends and I managed to knock them out, so you may want to come pick them up. I'm at the back alley behind a parking garage, between Main and 31st. All right, thanks!" She smiled and dropped the phone onto the pile of bodies. "There, that oughta take care of the brute squad," she chirped.

"Eh heh...right," Jake said as he turned to go back inside the parking garage, then stopped. "Um, you think we should walk? So they don't follow my car? Mm, I mean, they already know I know Jenna, but maybe I should just be safe...but I really need to get home..." he babbled, seemingly to himself. This day really was wearing his nerves down.

Miyu put her hand on his shoulder. "We should be fine taking your car," she said with a reassuring smile. "After all, what'd seem odd about you driving home, right?"

"Oh...okay..." he said quietly, smiling back. "Sorry. It's just been a looong day. Where's your car...or did you want to take mine?"

"Well...." She thought, and then realized something. "...Do you think you're okay to drive?" she asked. "You do look a little shaky."

Jake thought for a second, and then shook his head. "No...would you drive? I just want to go home..." he replied.

She nodded. "All right then, I can take you," she said with a smile. "We oughta take your car, though. Where is it?"

Jake motioned with his head for her to follow him back into the garage. "C'mon." Soon they were in his car, which was pretty modest given his salary, but at least he kept the inside clean. "Just, um, so south down the highway, I'll direct you from there."

Miyu nodded, pulling back the hood again for better visibility. She started up the car, pulling it out of the garage and heading toward the highway.

He calmed down a little now that he had some time to recover his thoughts, taking a drink from a leftover can of soda that was in the car. "...Um...so, where've you been? And what's with the..." he pointed to his own eye and arm, "things?"

"Oh, I've been working in development for a big chemical company," she told him. "A little while back, there was an accident at one of their facilities. I got a first-hand view."

Jake's eyes widened. "Oh...I'm sorry," he said. "Well...I'm glad you're okay. And it certainly seems to be helpful," he added with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, I got through it better than one might expect...I guess having the company so apologetic that they'd pay for the new experimental prosthetics helped," she said, flexing her right arm, a faint whine of gears being audible, and then tapping her right leg, which sounded like metal tapping metal, indicating it was bionic too. "But yeah, they do sure come in handy," she added, grinning at him again.

"So, those are real? I've read about them...I didn't think they were near ready for use. What can they do?" he asked. "Can you see infrared, or lift a car or something?" He didn't know much about cybernetic replacements, since they were still not generally available to the public anyway. Apparently exceptions could be made, as Miyu showed.

"Yeah, these things do have a few extras built in," she said. "This eye of mine can do a couple different things, and my robotic limbs, mainly my right two, are pretty powerful, as you've seen. It's probably not the best time right now," she added, gesturing to the car, "but I can demonstrate a few things once we get to your place, if you want."

Jake nodded. "That'd be...pretty nice," he replied, remembering that now he was more than likely going to have her meet Jenna. "Um...say...howww...good are you at keeping secrets...?"

She looked up at him, then back to the road. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your girl," she said, flashing him a smile. "After all, I've seen the kind of people that'd like to know. Didn't care for them much."

He smiled back. "So you figured out she's hiding with me, huh? Guess it'd be kinda obvious by now," he reasoned, feeling a rush of relief that maybe there was someone he could trust...though how she would react to Jenna's transformation was still weighing on him.

"Yeah, it's not too hard to figure it out now," she said with a wink. "Turn here, right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, turn in here. Not much further now." As they drove through his neighborhood, Jake explained to Miyu his history with Jenna: a couple of years ago, some friends set them up, and over that time it grew into romance, and recently into love. He made a point to not let her know that he wanted to ask her to marry him, though; he had to keep that as secret as he could until this blew over and Jenna could return to her life.

"Wow...and then the whole kidnapping thing, right? Rotten timing on that...well, assuming there's a good time to get kidnapped," she remarked, looking at this houses. "Which one, again?"

"The house at the end of the street. And yeah, it's been...really hard, but for now she's safe," he replied, perking up a little at the sight of his house and the thought of being able to see Jenna again after this long day.

She smiled, turning the car into the driveway Jake had pointed out. "Well, I'm certainly glad for that," she said as the car pulled to a stop.

Jake took a deep breath. "Okay...you should probably stay here until I come and get you. She's probably as antsy as I am," he said, stepping out of the car and walking up to unlock his front door.

She nodded, stepping out of the car. "Sure thing," she said, leaning against one of the doors. "Take your time."

Upon stepping inside, Jake called out, "Jenna? I'm home, kitty," eager to hear Jenna's voice.

Jenna's head jerked up as she heard his voice, popping out of the half-stupor she'd fallen into. "Jake?" she called, scrambling up and hurrying toward his voice.

When they met, Jake immediately wrapped his arms around Jenna's upper torso and hugged her against him. "Hey, kitty," he said quietly, "how are you doing?"

Jenna hugged her boyfriend tight. "I can't tell you how much I missed you..." she said softly.

"I know, kitty, I missed you too," he said, stroking her hair as he always tended to do when they hugged, "but I'm here now, it's okay."

She nodded into his shoulder. "I was going crazy without you here," she said. "I don't know if I can stand many more days like this...."

Jake planted a kiss on the top of her head and nodded. "We need to get you out of here, somewhere safe...they might be onto me. I got ambushed on my way home from work."

Jenna's eyes widened. "Oh no! Did they hurt you? Are you all right?" she asked frantically.

"Shh, yes, I'm fine, and they don't know you're here...I think." He looked back over his shoulder. "I was rescued by someone I used to know, and she drove me home. She...knows you're here, and I'd like you to meet her. I promise, I'd trust her with my life again."

Jenna looked a little worried, but nodded. "All right...if you're sure," she said, letting him go so he could move again. "If she's the one who saved you, I guess we can trust her, right?" She smiled softly.

"Well...she doesn't know about, y'know," he nodded at her taur body, "so if you want to meet her, we're going to have a story to tell..." he trailed off.

She looked at her taur half. "Yeah, I guess we do," she agreed. "Well, bring her in anyway. It'll be nice to have someone on our side."

The golden nodded and turned back to the door. "I'll be right back. And...um...." He blushed slightly. "I think you should borrow one of my shirts...wouldn't really do to meet her completely naked," he half-muttered.

Jenna blinked. "Oh!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously, remembering that she wasn't wearing anything. "Y-Yeah, I probably should," she said, hurrying toward Jake's dresser.

Jake left Jenna to make herself somewhat presentable and walked back outside to Miyu. "Okay, she's getting ready. Now...remember, she's still really shaken up, so...I guess, be as nice as you can, please."

Miyu nodded, pulling the hood back over her head, casting her metallic countenance back into shadow. "So as not to startle your girl before we get to know each other," she explained, her teeth flashing in a grin.

"Eh heh...yeah," Jake replied, scratching the back of his head with an uncertain smile, "I think you'll be in for a bit of a surprise yourself." Leading her to the door, he stuck his head in and called, "Jenna? Are you ready?"

Miyu followed Jake to the door, raising her eyebrow at the mention of a surprise, then looked at the door as she heard a female voice call, "Yes, you can bring her in now."

"Okay," he called back, opening the door and letting Miyu in. "Welcome to my humble home," he said, maintaining his smile.

The feline followed him in, smiling as she looked around the place. "Not bad," she said with a wink. "Nice and homey."

Jake smiled and led her to his bedroom, where he thought Jenna would be. He knocked on the door. "We're coming in now...you decent?"

"Yeah, I am," Jenna replied. She opened the door with a smile, sporting a bit-too-large blue shirt she'd borrowed from Jake, and waved the other two in.

Miyu stepped into the room...and did an immediate double take. "Whoa..." she remarked, looking over the taur. Jenna blushed a little self-consciously, but Miyu smiled. "It's nice to meet you," she said, holding out a hand.

Jenna took the strangely silver hand, and then blinked as she only felt cold metal. "That's an...um, interesting glove," she said.

"Oh, it's no glove," Miyu said, reaching up and pulling back her hood. Jenna's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Miyu's part-metal face.

"We...all have a lot of explaining to do," Jake began, taking Jenna's hand and leading her to the bed, then pulling up a chair for Miyu. "I think a good talk is in order?"

Jenna took his hand, climbing up to lay comfortably on the bed.

Miyu nodded, taking a seat in the offered chair. "Yep, I think so."

Jake sat next to Jenna and looked between the two women. "Well...I guess whoever wants to begin can go ahead."

Miyu waved to Jenna. "So, I guess all this has to do with your kidnapping?" she asked.

The ligertaur nodded softly. "Yeah...I used to just be a normal lion, but...I don't know who exactly they were, but they kidnapped me for some sort of...experiment," she said. "They used me and a feral tiger, but...well, something must have gone wrong, and I woke up like this. They got me pregnant, so they could experiment on my cubs, but I managed to escape. Jake's been hiding me here since."

Jake nodded as well, putting an arm around Jenna's shoulders. "She went missing about five weeks ago. We just met again last night," he added. "The cops didn't find any trace of her, and we're still too scared of her being kidnapped again to tell...well, anyone...but it looks like we might not have a choice."

Miyu nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad I was there to help you with those thugs," she said.

"Me too..." Jenna agreed. "I can hardly bear to think what would've happened if they'd...." She trailed off, and then hugged Jake tightly.

The golden hugged her, patting her back lightly. He looked to Miyu with an expression that said, "See what I mean?"

Jenna held him tight for a minute, then regained her composure and let him go, looking back at Miyu. "So, um...what's your story?" she asked with a smile, curious about her new friend's condition.

Miyu smiled. "Well, nothing so exciting," she said. "I used to work for the experimentation branch of the UTR chemical company. There was a bad accident one day, and...well, I certainly got a front-row seat to it."

Jenna's eyes widened. "Oh no, that's horrible!" she said.

The cyborg nodded. "Fortunately, I didn't feel much of it, probably a combination of shock and unconsciousness. I got caught in the explosion getting everyone else out, not to mention some crucial data. Fortunately for me, the executives noticed that, and offered to pay for some newly-developed prosthetic replacements." Miyu raised her right hand, flexing her fingers. "So far, they've been working pretty well, I have to say," she added with a wink.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, she took care of those grunts lickety split," he remarked, eager to mirror Miyu's optimism. "We knew each other in college, shared a few classes, but as you can guess, we're from pretty different fields so we didn't really have time to get to know each other very well."

Miyu chuckled. "But it sure looks like a good thing that we met!" she said.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah...Miyu, I can't thank you enough for saving Jake."

Miyu waved an "aw shucks" gesture. "I'm just a helpful sort, I guess," she said with a smile.

"More than 'a helpful sort,' Miyu. Thanks to you, I got home okay," Jake complimented. He gave Jenna's hand a squeeze before he looked between the women again. "Now, how about some food? We've all had a really long day."

Jenna nodded. "Yeah. I managed to wolf down some food earlier, but...well, this body needs a lot more to keep it going, I guess."

"And I'm guessing the cub doesn't help either," Miyu pointed out with a grin.

Jenna blushed slightly, but smiled back. "Yeah, she needs her food too," she agreed.

"There ya go. Nothing like a little comfort food after a hard day," Jake chirped as he stood up, leading them to the kitchen. "So, whatcha all in the mood for?"

Miyu smiled and waved off the offer. "Oh, whatever you make, I'll be fine with," she said.

Jenna thought for a second. "I think there was still some fish left in the fridge," she said. "It looked good, but I didn't have the presence of mind to cook anything."

"No problem. Just take a seat and I'll cook it right up," Jake said, gesturing to his kitchen table, and then pausing. "Um...on second thought, maybe we can just eat on the living room floor," he added with a shy chuckle.

"Oh, I can sit at the table," Jenna said with a small laugh. "I can't fit in a chair, but...." She laughed again. "This new body still feels a little strange. Even when I'm sitting down, I can reach things as well as when I'm standing up."

Jake chuckled lightly. "That new body of yours is certainly full of surprises...I wish I could take you somewhere you could walk around and stretch out," he said as he started up the stove.

Jenna nodded wistfully. "Unfortunately, I think we'd draw a bit of a crowd," she said.

Miyu nodded. "Hence why I wear this," she said, indicating the hoodie. "Though I suppose it wouldn't really work for you...."

"Mm...there's gotta be a park or...someplace way out of the way you could go," Jake added, already trying to think of where he could take his girlfriend to ease at least one of her problems.

Jenna smiled and hugged him again. "Honey, you're so sweet," she said, "but I think we may just have to wait until this whole thing blows over. It's just too risky while they're still looking for me."

"Wurf," Jake replied with a smile and a blush.

Before long, the air was filled with the sound and scent of sizzling fish. Jake looked to the women and smirked. "Keep that arm handy, Miyu, no telling what the cub could make Jenna do," he said, sticking his tongue out.

Miyu and Jenna both laughed, and Miyu shook her head. "I dunno, I may come after you and that fish too," she warned with a wink.

"Heh, no fair...two super women against mild-mannered me?" he teased.

The girls laughed again. Jenna could just feel the tension from the day melting away from her...it felt so good to be able to relax again.

"That reminds me, I've been wondering," Jake continued once their laughter died down, "what all can that arm of yours do, Miyu?"

Miyu pulled back the sleeve on her right arm, bringing the metal into view. "Oh, I've managed to get a couple handy things built into it," she said. "The biggest thing is that, since it's mechanics and not muscles, it's got a lot of power to put behind it, as Jake's seen."

"Haha, yep, and good thing too," he remarked as he turned the fish over. "It should be ready soon, so go grab yourself something to drink and take a seat," he said to Jenna.

"Figuratively speaking, of course," Jenna said with a wink. She motioned Miyu to a seat, then bustled over to a nearby cupboard, gathering up plates and cups for everyone before bringing them back over to the table and setting them in front of the three places, one in front of a spot without a chair.

Jake soon walked over with the fish still in the pan and used his spatula to serve his girlfriend and guest. "Voila. Bon apetit, mademoiselles."

Jenna smiled at Jake, and then started wolfing down the fish. Miyu ate a little more sedately, and smiled as she regarded Jenna. "Poor girl, she must be starving," she thought.

Jake arched an eyebrow at Jenna as he sat down. It hadn't occurred to him how much fuel her new body required...could he keep up with her appetite without looking suspicious?

Jenna finished off her plate soon, and smiled at Jake. "Thanks honey, it was delicious," she said.

Miyu chuckled. "And I guess mine still is delicious," she added, poking at what was left on her plate, and Jenna's smile turned into a slightly sheepish one.

"Man, you can put it away, hon...we should figure out foods you like that we can buy in bulk," Jake added. "You want my fish too?"

Jenna shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed about how much she'd eaten. "No, go ahead," she said.

"If you say so," he said as he kept eating, wondering how big her stomach was, to say nothing of her dietary needs now that she was pregnant.

Jenna smiled. True, she was still hungry, but Jake had already given her the biggest portion, and she knew he needed to keep up his strength as well.

Miyu smiled, and then pushed her plate over to the liger.

Jenna blinked, shaking her head. "Oh no, I couldn't-"

"Go ahead, take it," she said, good-natured but obviously brooking no argument. "I've had plenty to eat today, and I know how hungry you must be. You guys both need the food. Keeps morale up and all."

Jenna let out a resigned sigh, and then began eating the dish, giving Jake an apologetic smile.

Jake smiled back. "It's okay, Jenna. You don't have to feel bad about being hungry," he said calmly. Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, he slipped one of his shoes off and reached up with his leg under the table, seeking out one of her forelegs with his socked foot.

Jenna blinked as she felt something on her foreleg, her first instinct being to bat it away, but then she noticed Jake out of the corner of her eye and it clicked. She smiled softly and lifted up her other forepaw, gently rubbing his foot with it.

After a few seconds of playing footsies with Jenna, Jake put his foot back in his shoe and continued, "So, now that everyone's calm and settled, maybe we should kill a little time and watch a movie or something?"

"Well, I guess I'm okay with that," Miyu said, looking a tad surprised at the invitation.

Jenna nodded, and then frowned a little. "Just...nothing scary, okay?"

"Of course, hon. We'll just watch something funny!" Jake chirped as he stood up, and then froze as the doorbell rang. He looked to Jenna with his ears pinned back. "Um...I'll get it," he said a bit shakily.

Jenna's ears pinned back against her head, looking frightened.

Miyu gave a glance at Jake and nodded. "Jenna, why don't you wait in the bedroom," she suggested, moving to follow Jake.

Jake smiled over his shoulder at Jenna. "Don't worry. We'll be okay, hon," he said as he walked to the door and took a cautious peek outside, letting out a sigh of relief at seeing his neighbor. He opened the door and nodded. "Need something, Callie?" he asked the slightly hunched, graying tabby.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Oh yes, I was just hoping I could borrow some...flour?" she replied, noticing Miyu behind Jake and cocking her head. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm just a friend," she said, smiling brightly and waving...with her furred hand, Jake noticed with relief. That could've caused more questions that he felt like answering at the moment.

The tabby smiled back, and then looked back to Jake. "So, if you wouldn't mind, I'll just get it," she said, starting to walk in.

Hoping she wouldn't notice his odd reaction, the golden retriever blurbed, "Um, that's okay, I'll get it for you...how much do you need?"

Callie blinked. "Um, just a cup, thanks...."

Jake nodded and hurried back to the kitchen, leaving a slightly confused Callie with Miyu.

Miyu looked at the person across the door, feeling very glad she'd thought to pull up her hood before she came in. She stuck her right hand in her pocket, hoping that, like most people, she'd think it was only a shiny glove. "So, um...have you known Jake long?" she asked awkwardly, mentally telling Jake to hurry up.

"Only since he moved here, but he's a very nice young man," the cat began, smiling. "The poor thing has been so upset since his girlfriend was kidnapped; I started visiting him more often. And you know, between the two of us...." She motioned for Miyu to come near.

Miyu leaned a little closer, though still making sure the left side of her face stayed in shadow.

Callie whispered, "I think he was getting close to popping the question," she said with a light giggle.

Miyu grinned, and dropped her voice. "He sure is a sweet guy. Again, just between you and me, but I've been following this whole thing myself, and I've got it from a good source that they may be close to finding her." She stood back up again, flashing her grin at Jake's neighbor.

Callie's eyebrows rose. "Really? Well tell him as soon as you hear anything!" she said excitedly.

"Tell me what?" Jake asked as he returned with some flour in a plastic bag.

Miyu gave him a sideways smile. "Oh, just that we think someone may be close to finding Jenna," she said with a wink.

Jake paused for a moment, and then remembered. "Oh! Yeah, she told me! I can't wait to see her again!" he chirped, handing over the flour with a wide smile.

Callie accepted the flour and nodded at Jake and Miyu. "Well, I best be off. Let me know as soon as you hear anything, dear," she said to Jake before turning and walking off.

Miyu smiled at Jake. "She sure is a nice woman," she commented.

The golden retriever nodded. "Yeah, she's the sweet old lady you always hope lives next to you, y'know?" he said, leading Miyu back inside. "Jenna? It's okay now, honey," he called.

Jenna peeked around a corner, the worried expression on her face dying down as she saw that both of them were all right. "I'm glad it was just her," she said, her relief palpable.

Jake smiled at the taur and walked up to her, giving her a quick hug. "Mm...y'know, maybe I should keep the curtains drawn during the day so people wouldn't see you," he mused.

Jenna nodded, hugging him back. "Good idea," she said, holding her boyfriend tight.

Miyu cocked her head as she thought of something. "Or maybe..." she mused, "maybe Jenna could come stay with me." At Jenna's surprised look, she elaborated, "Well, they don't really know who I am or that I'm involved, right? So even if anyone does come snooping about here, all they'd find is an empty house."

"I'm not sure..." Jenna said hesitantly.

Jake looked over at Miyu with a similarly surprised look, cocking his head. "Huh? Jenna go and live with you?" He looked at his girlfriend, then back at Miyu. "It sounds like a good idea, but...why'd you do that? I mean, surely you don't think I'd let her go without doing something for you...."

Miyu shook her head. "No trouble at all," she said. "I just want to do something to help you two out. You certainly could use it." She took a glance around Jake's home. "I've got a nice enough place, with plenty of room for a big ligertaur like you to stretch out," she added with a wink at Jenna.

"...Um...just a minute," Jake replied, leading Jenna back into the kitchen. "Well...she does have a point. You would be safer there...but would you feel safe?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, if they don't know about her, it's probably a good idea," she said, though still a bit unsure. "And I don't want to put you in danger, by being where they know I might be...."

Jake crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in thought. "Mmm...well...it's worth a try, anyway." He brought Jenna back to Miyu and said to the cat, "Okay, let's do it. Just need a how."

Jenna nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I don't fit into cars very well any more," she said with a slightly embarrassed blush.

Miyu grinned. "Don't worry about that. I've got a friend with a van that I can borrow," she told them.

"...Really? Um...okay. Maybe I should take you to go get it; the sooner Jenna's somewhere they won't look, the better." He looked at his girlfriend for approval.

The ligertaur nodded softly. "I'll stay here, of course," she said. "Hurry back!"

Jake gave Jenna a hug, patting her back. "Don't worry, hon. We'll be right back," he said quietly.

Jenna hugged him back tightly and nodded. "Yeah. See you in a few," she said with a smile.

---

Jake sat in the back of the van with Jenna, rubbing her taur shoulder blades and looking out the window. "Are we almost there, Miyu?" he asked, trying not to sound ungrateful but he was a little worried that Jenna would be easily nauseated.

Jenna smiled at Jake, grateful for the comfort.

Miyu nodded. "Yeah, it's not much further now," she said from the front seat. "You two doing okay?"

"I'm fine. How're you, hon?" he asked the ligertaur.

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Jenna said. "Compared to where I was a few days ago, this is the lap of luxury."

Miyu smiled. "Well, it's about to get even better," she said, slowing the car. "We're here!"

"Thank goodness," Jake thought, glad to be anywhere safe. He looked out the van's window and saw that the house before them was modest size, surprisingly big for one person. It was two stories of grey stone, and it looked like it probably had a basement too. The occasional window currently had the blinds drawn, a good sign. Jake noticed discreet cameras panning over the yard; she had a security system, even better!

Miyu grinned back at them. "My pay's a bit more than I need to live on, so I wound up with some pretty big savings," she said off hand. "Figured I might as well spend it on something nice."

Jake blinked. This was almost too perfect. "Something nice, indeed..." he trailed off, looking around. "Jenna could hole in there for months if she had to!" he exclaimed, obviously not thinking about what he was saying in his relief.

"Well, I certainly hope I don't have to..." Jenna replied, though she too was obviously relieved at her new home-away-from-home.

Miyu nodded, acknowledging both comments. "The whole place's pretty roomy, even for a 'taur' like you," she said to Jenna.

"Totally roomy. No one's gonna get you here, Jenna," Jake continued. "I guess it's safe to hope you have a spare bed?" he asked Miyu with a smile.

Miyu nodded again. "And a spare bedroom to go with it," she said with a wink.

"Man you're something else, Miyu..." Jake trailed off. "How could I be so lucky? Just running into an old acquaintance who happens to have just what we need?"

"I dunno. Maybe someone up there just likes us," the cyborg replied, pulling the van into the garage. It was connected to the house, so there was no worry about someone seeing Jenna as she went inside.

The golden retriever sighed with relief at this additional small grace. "So far, so good...guess we should start getting settled, right, Jenna?" he asked the ligertaur.

Jenna nodded. "Could you get the door?" she asked, a little bashful. "It's...a little hard for me to turn around in here."

"Oh, haha, yeah, sorry," Jake babbled with a blush, scooting to the side door and opening it.

Jenna gave him a grateful smile as she climbed out. "Thanks," she said, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Miyu smiled at the two of them, standing by the door into the house. It had the normal handle and key, but it had a strange device mounted on the wall next to it. It had a small keypad on one side, but the other had a round panel with a beam of light coming out of it.

Jake cocked his head at the sight of the devices as he climbed out behind Jenna. "What's that? A hand scanner?" he asked.

"Not quite, but close. It is part of my security system, when I have it activated. It makes sure that I'm the only one who can get in," she said, tapping the metal around her left eye.

Jenna blinked. "Oh...you take your security seriously," she said, sounding a little impressed as well as flabbergasted.

Miyu nodded with a chuckle. "Well, you never know," she said with a wink of her good eye. "I guess it's a good thing that I had the money to cover a bout or two of paranoia, huh? Once we get you settled in, I'll activate that part of the system. You won't have to worry about anyone trying to sneak in."

Jake didn't know what to say anymore, though he was a bit curious as to why Miyu was so secure. Guess she had a lot more money than she let on...and this system was certainly going to be put to good use, so it was just as well. "Well, um...let's head on in, then," he said with a smile.

Miyu nodded and opened the door, inviting the two in with an exaggerated flourish. Jenna smiled and proceeded inside.

The inside of Miyu's home matched the modern look of the outside. The door from the garage led into a well-furnished kitchen, complete with just about everything needed to make a good meal. A table stood by with the requisite four chairs, though fortunately enough, there was enough room for Jenna to fit in as well. "Welcome to my humble abode," Miyu announced with a wink.

"Humble, indeed," Jake said with an impressed whistle as he looked around. "Wow...this is, like, a way better place for Jenna than my place. Comfort and safety...d'you even have a pool?"

The feline cyborg shook her head. "Pool, no. Hot tub, yes," she told him.

Jenna's fur practically stood on end at the thought. "Oooh, that would be so nice...."

Jake's eyebrows rose. "A hot tub? Too much...I'll have to bring my swim trunks sometime." He already liked the sound of this: Miyu had everything Jenna needed, and she wouldn't be cooped up in a basement all day.

Jenna nodded with a bright smile. "A nice soak will be sooo relaxing," she said. "It's been so tense lately...."

"Maybe you can even go for a dip tonight," Jake remarked, then paused. "Uh...wait...pregnant women aren't supposed to go into hot tubs..." he trailed off, quickly adding with a nervous chuckle, "but you aren't just any pregnant woman!"

"Oh, we'll work something out," Jenna said. "Maybe you can just pour it over me!" The taur giggled at the thought.

Jake laughed back. "Haha, well, we'll have to check it out another time. Care to continue the tour, Miyu?"

Miyu nodded. "Well, the living room and entryway are over that way," she said, motioning off in one direction. "Not much to do, though there is a TV." She walked over to a nearby door and opened it, revealing a staircase going down. "Down here is the basement. It's fairly cozy, and naturally, no one would see you down there."

"Sounds just wonderful," Jake said, and then folded his ears back a little as his stomach growled. "Um...sorry, but could I be a bother and stay for dinner? I'll cook!"

"Well with an offer like that, how can I refuse," Miyu laughed. "I can show off the rest of the house after dinner. Long story short, there's an upstairs you could stay in too, Jenna."

"Sounds great. Now, what's everyone in the mood for? I'm at your service, ladies!" Jake said cheerfully.

"Oh, just about anything would be fine with me," Jenna said.

Miyu nodded. "I've got a good variety of fixings around...how about some pancakes?" she asked with a grin. "Seems more of a 'company' food."

"Pancakes. They're good anytime. Or I could even make some great French toast for you, Jenna!" he offered with a smile, already heading to Miyu's kitchen.

Jenna giggled, following her boyfriend. It'd been a looong time since she'd felt this relaxed, and it was almost surprising, letting some of the tension seep out of her bunched-up muscles. Maybe she could persuade him to give her a massage later....

The golden retriever was soon cooking away on a combination of French toast and pancakes, humming as he worked. "Almost done! Would either of you like any beverages?" he asked the women.

"Oh, just water for me, thanks," Jenna said with a smile, scooting one of the chairs away from the table and sitting down in its place.

Miyu nodded. "Same for me," she said. "If you'd like, though, I think I've got a pitcher of grape juice in there too."

"I'll tap that," he replied, prodding at the cooking food with a spatula and humming as he worked. "Maybe I should come over more often, make you an omelette or something, Jenna."

Jenna smiled brightly at him. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said.

"Aaand...ready!" He flipped the pancakes and French toast onto plates he had set near the stove, bringing them to the women and serving them, then popping back to fetch their waters.

"Ooh, it looks delicious," Jenna said appreciatively, waiting for Jake to sit down with them.

Miyu nodded. "Sure does!" she agreed. "You sure seem to have a knack for this, Jake."

"Oh, it's nothing much," Jake said with a smile, his tail wagging as he went to fetch his own food, "I just like to eat tastier food than canned stuff every day." Once Jake sat down, he started cutting his French toast, looking at the women as he tried to think of more to say to keep the mood up. "So, um, what all do you do here in your spare time?" he asked Miyu.

Miyu looked up from happily munching her pancakes and swallowed before replying. "Oh, a little of this and that," she said. "Practicing my martial arts, tinkering with my biocybernetics...oh, and I've got a nice library stashed away upstairs, in case you get bored, Jenna."

"Thanks, I'm sure it'll come in handy," Jenna said.

Jake chuckled. "A library too? Man, your company hiring?" he asked as he took a bite of his food.

Miyu laughed. "I wouldn't know. Check with HR," she quipped around a mouthful of dinner.

Once they were finished, Jake leaned back and patted his stomach. "Ahh...nothing like some good comfort food..." he trailed off with a smile.

Jenna nodded. "It was delicious! Thank you for making it," she said brightly.

Jake smiled at her. "Must be a lot more filling than I thought...wonder if you really do need a lot more food with that new body," he pondered.

Jenna looked at her lower half. "Well, I probably do," she said, "especially with a cub on the way!" She couldn't help but smile warmly at this.

Jake's smile softened as well, looking to have a hint of longing in it for a moment. "Well...maybe we should clean up and help you get settled in, hm?" he asked, standing up to collect dishes.

Jenna nodded, quickly standing up to help him. Miyu also stood. "I think I'll go get your room ready," she said, smiling at Jenna. "It's the second room on the right upstairs." At Jenna's nod, she hurried off to prepare the room.

As Jake washed the dishes in the sink, he asked Jenna, "So, what do you think so far? Seems like a nice place, and you'll have a roommate."

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, Miyu seems really nice," she said. "And...and I think I'll be safer here."

Jake smiled at her. "Yeah. Here you'll actually be able to stretch your legs, read, watch TV...I think this is definitely for the best." Immediately after saying that, he mentally chastised himself for using such language: he was trying to make sure Jenna was somewhere she wanted to be, not somewhere she had to be, even if both were the case with Miyu's home.

Jenna softly hugged him. "I just hope this is all over soon..." she said.

The dog nodded, hugging her back a little more affectionately than he meant to, even petting her hair once. "Once it's all over, it'll just be us...well, us three," he said, looking down at her flank.

Jenna could help but smile warmly, reaching down to pat her slightly-swollen side. "Yeah, us three..." she said, softly kissing Jake on the cheek.

Jake blushed, leaning in to kiss her cheek back. "Mm...you should go check on Miyu. I can finish here," he said, his voice sounding a little strained.

Jenna nodded. "All right," she said, hugging him again before moving off after Miyu.

Once Jenna was out of sight, Jake took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hunching over the sink. A moment later, he left and went into the closest bathroom he could find, sitting on the toilet seat and covering his eyes with his hands as he cried as quietly as he could. The events of the day coupled with the sheer unfairness of the situation were catching up to him. He had waited weeks for any sign that Jenna was even alive, and now he had to be without her again?

Jenna padded softly up the stairs, managing them without too much difficulty. Coming down would be another matter, though. Hearing the taur's footfalls, Miyu called out, "In here, Jenna!" Hearing her voice, Jenna quickly headed into the room Miyu had called from.

Jake wadded up some toilet paper and held it to his muzzle to further muffle his crying, not wanting Jenna to see him so upset. "Jenna...it's not fair...more than anything I want you to be safe, but I want you with me, too..." he sobbed.

Miyu smiled at seeing Jenna entered. "Just the cat I was hoping to see," she said as she draped a comforter over the bed. "I've got the bed all made up, but it occurred to me that you might have trouble climbing up that high if your...ahem, 'condition' goes further." Miyu reddened a little, and continued, "If so, I can make you up something a little closer to the ground too."

Jenna smiled at the courtesy. "Thank you for the consideration," she said. "I'm...still getting used to this body, and you may well be right on that."

Jake blew his nose and dug his hand into his pocket to take out his wallet and look at a picture of him and Jenna hugging and smiling for the camera. Things were so much simpler...he once heard that he couldn't be sure of how strong his and Jenna's relationship was until it was tested, but he never wanted to actually put it to the test. He'd rather have faith. But it looked as if a test had found them anyway.

Miyu nodded, and then cast an appraising look over the taur's upper body. "You look about my size," she mused. "If you'd like, I could probably loan you a couple of my shirts."

Jenna looked down at herself, realizing that she was still wearing one of Jake's shirts. She looked back at the cyborg and blushed slightly. "Oh, that would be great," she said. "Thank you again."

Jake took a deep breath as he put the picture back in his wallet, trying to think positive again. Sooner or later it would be over and he could marry Jenna and raise the cub with her. He put his wallet away and closed his eyes. He had thought about what he wanted to do when Jenna had disappeared: the creeps who kidnapped her would be found and once they were put away, he would propose. But things turned out much more complicated. He didn't dislike her new body; he actually found it amazing, but it would just be too much for her to handle, thinking about marrying him.

Miyu grinned warmly. "It's no problem," she said, moving toward the door. "I'll let you get comfy in here for a bit while I get those shirts for you."

Jenna nodded as Miyu left. She looked around the room once more, and then hesitantly put a forepaw on the bed, lifting her front end up. She wobbled a little, but managed to move her other forepaw onto the bed as well. She experimentally lifted up a hind leg, but had a little trouble moving it around the bulge in her lower midsection. Eventually she managed it, and pulled herself up onto the bed, sighing comfortably as she lay down.

The golden retriever took another deep breath, feeling a little better after being able to cry some of his sadness out. Everything was as good as it could be: Jenna was safe, and that was what mattered. He could at least rest easy knowing that. Until she didn't have to worry about ever being taken back to wherever she had escaped from, he could dream, and no time like the present. He moved off the toilet seat and onto one knee, taking Jenna's imaginary hand.

Jenna looked out the window as she relaxed and thought.... This felt like such an unfair strain on Jake, but what could they do? She sighed again and shook her head. They didn't have any choice but to try and ride these problems out. Maybe the people looking for her would just give up.... Small chance, but it was still a hope.

"Jenna, I always thought you don't know for sure who you love until your love has been tested. That was before I met you. The more time I spent with you, the more I just...knew that you were who I wanted to be with." He paused to give the imaginary Jenna time to respond.

Jenna turned her head as Miyu walked back in, carrying a stack of clean shirts. "I wasn't sure which colors you liked, so I brought the whole spectrum," Miyu said with a wink, setting them down next to the taur. "I'll let you change in peace," she said with a nod to Jake's shirt, heading for the door.

"Oh, th-thank you," Jenna stammered, still a little unused to Miyu's hospitality, after the last few weeks.

"At first I wondered if what had happened to you was the test of our love after all, and my feelings for you have only grown stronger. Heh...I was kinda hoping we'd wait a little to have kids, but I guess fate had other plans." He dug into his pocket for the ring box.

Jenna watched as Miyu left, and then sighed. She pulled the shirt over her head and looked at it. She sniffed it, a light lingering scent of Jake still about it. She looked at it sadly, then folded it up and set it aside. She picked a light lavender shirt out of the pile, and slipped it on. She marveled at the comfortable fit...it'd been so long since she'd worn a shirt that actually fit her.

Miyu, wondering what was keeping Jake, had headed back downstairs after leaving Jenna to change. As she passed the bathroom, she heard his voice, and moved closer to the door.

"I've been waiting so long to ask you this...first the night you went missing, then when you came back, but now I'll show you the light at the end of the tunnel." He presented Jenna the imaginary ring. "Jenna, will you marry me?"

Miyu smiled warmly, hearing Jenna's boyfriend. "He really does love her," she murmured under her breath.

Jake stayed in this position for a few more seconds, then sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing. "Why is it only a dream..." he asked himself as he stood up to go to the sink and splash some cold water on his face.

Miyu waited a second, hearing the sink, then knocked on the door, her metal hand making a sharp rap. "Jake, are you in there?"

"Wah!" the dog yelped, hopping up in surprise. "Uh, yeah...I'll be right out," he breathed, panting.

Miyu chuckled at him. "All right," she said. "You were just taking so long, I started to wonder if you'd gotten lost!"

"Yeah, um, sure, heheh," Jake babbled nervously. Shoot, had she heard him? He was so embarrassed....

"I'll wait for you upstairs," she told him, and he could hear her footsteps walking away.

Once Jake had fully come back to reality, he walked upstairs, putting on a happier face than the one he had been wearing. He knocked on Jenna's door. "Can I come in?"

Jenna looked up as she heard the knock, and smiled at the voice. "Yes, please come in," she said, shifting her body on the bed.

Jake opened the door and smiled at his girlfriend. "Hey, kitty...you look nice and comfy," he complimented, glad Jenna seemed to like Miyu's home.

Jenna nodded with a bright smile, her tail flicking happily. "There's plenty of room for two," she said, patting the spot next to her invitingly.

Jake chuckled. "There's already three," he joked, referring to Jenna's new body and the cub.

Jenna laughed softly, putting her hand over her mouth. "Well, there's enough room for you too then," she said with a wink, curling her lower body around the open spot on the bed.

Jake crawled on the bed and rested his head on her taur body's shoulder blade. "Mm...I'm really starting to like the thought of having all this to fawn over," he purred.

Jenna giggled and hugged him with one of her forelegs. "I don't think I mind the idea of having you to fawn over me," she replied.

Jake rubbed her foreleg with one hand, nuzzling his cheek against her body. "I don't know how, but I'm coming over to snuggle with ya now and then."

Jenna nodded, holding him tight to her lower chest. "I'd like that," she said, smiling warmly.

The golden retriever nuzzled into her chestfur, sniffing. He even liked her new scent. "Mmmm...this is nice...."

"Yeah," Jenna agreed softly, luxuriating in the close moment with the man she loved.

After a few seconds, Jake asked, "Hey, Jenna? Is it okay if I sleep with you again tonight?" He was still in a very emotionally fragile state, and didn't want to sleep alone tonight.

Jenna nodded, holding him tight. "I...don't think I want to sleep alone tonight either..." she told him, resting the tip of her tail onto his stomach.

Jake's smile softened as he nodded. "All right, then. When Miyu comes back, we'll ask her." He rubbed her leg and continued, "By the way, Jenna...you know that staying here means I can't see you every day...I'm gonna miss you, kitty."

Jenna nodded, hugging him tighter. "I'm going to miss you too..." she said softly. "But it's for the best, right? Until this thing cools down...."

He sighed quietly. "Then we'll have each other all to ourselves."

She nodded softly. "Not just each other," she said, a smile coming back to her face. She shifted one of her paws, putting it over one of his hands and gently moving it over onto her rounded belly.

He rubbed the swell gently, murring at how warm it felt. He moved his head from her taur chest and rested an ear on her belly, his tail thumping against the mattress.

Jenna purred softly in happiness, resting her paw on his shoulder. From inside her belly, Jake could feel a soft thump against his head. "Oh!" Jenna exclaimed quietly with a warm smile.

Jake's smile widened and his tail thumped harder. He moved his head to kiss the spot where he felt the cub move. "Lucky fuzzball...you got a great lady for a mom," he murmured into her belly.

Jenna giggled lightly. "And a very good man as your father," she added.

Jake sighed, feeling his heart jump a little. To think the cub would call him "father" if they weathered this...it made him even more hopeful Jenna would say yes when he popped the question.

* * *

A few days later, Jake was still trying to adjust to the fact that he couldn't see his girlfriend whenever he wanted to anymore. He was no longer despairing whether or not she was okay, as he had been when she was kidnapped, but with each day he felt a growing feeling of longing to go over to see her. He called Miyu when he could, trying not to bother her and Jenna too much so Jenna could have time to adjust as well, but there was no mistaking a sense of loneliness in his heart; it was like a physical weight.

The golden retriever hung up his headset for the day and went to the break room to punch out, nodding at his coworkers. "See y'all tomorrow, eh?" he asked. That his shoulders had been a little more slumped the last few days had not gone unnoticed by them.

The various furs nodded at him, though one stepped closer. "Are you doing okay?" he asked. "You've been looking pretty ragged lately."

Jake turned halfway to face his coworker and offered a half smile. "I dunno. Lotta personal trouble lately...with Jenna, y'know," he said quietly.

The man nodded sympathetically. "I hope they find her soon," he offered.

Jake looked away. "So do I, like you wouldn't believe," he said just above his breath as he turned to leave.

His drive home was spent just quietly listening to the radio. His coworker made him realize he was slowly becoming more disconnected from daily life, and at this rate it would start to worry him that he would shut down entirely without Jenna. All he knew was that once it was all over, he was going to make up for lost time with his girlfriend.

Once he pulled into his driveway, he walked for his door with his shoulders still slumped. Maybe a little comfort food followed by a check-up on Jenna would cheer him up, he reasoned as he walked in.

Without any warning, the world went dark as a sack was pulled over his head and a drawstring was pulled tight around his neck, almost tight enough to start cutting off his air. Before he could even react, he was spun around and his hands were jerked behind his back and tied together. He was shoved stumbling into another room, where whoever was doing this to him pushed him into a chair, tying him into this one too. Jake thrashed against his attackers to no avail: he was soon secured in the chair. His heart was pounding and he let out a muffled cry of, "Let me go!"

"Not until we get a few answers," a male voice growled at him. "We know you've got her. Where is she?"

"Who are you?!" Jake demanded before he was struck on the side of the head by something hard, causing him to bark as his thoughts were jumbled.

"You don't ask the questions," a female voice said.

"I'll ask you again," the original voice told him. "If you don't give us an answer we like...well, you're not going to like it." The man paused, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Now...where is she?"

Jake took a few deep breaths, but said nothing, too jarred from being smacked on the head, from fear, and from just not wanting to tell them anything.

Someone grabbed his ear through the bag, yanking his head back. "I asked you a question, mutt," he growled.

Jake only answered with a yelp followed by more heavy breathing. He knew what was coming, and it scared him enough to make him cry. A heavy fist punched into his gut, doubling him up in pain.

"We can keep this up all day, Jake," the female voice said, more calmly than the others. "When you tell us where, though, we leave you alone. This all ends whenever you want it to."

Jake wheezed and coughed feebly, trying to recover his breath. He was not a person accustomed to pain: the worst injury he'd had was a broken tail when he was little, and he was always a pretty careful person.

"Hm. He ain't talkin'," someone huffed. "Think we should start goin' rough on him?"

There was silence for a moment. Jake closed his eyes, a pair of tears rolling down his temples as his head was still being held back by the ear. These people had kidnapped his girlfriend, turned her into a taur, impregnated her against her will...they would have stolen her whole life. And now it was his turn to suffer their cruelty.

"Yup, this canary ain't singing," a different voice said. "Guess we need to give him a little more incentive."

Jake was suddenly struck on the muzzle, tasting blood. It was followed by another blow to his already hurting gut, causing him to lurch forward, and then a blow to the back of the head.

A hand caught him by the back of the shirt, pulling him back up. "Hey, don't beat him too bad," the female voice said. "We need him conscious, remember?"

Jake coughed and whined, his stomach feeling as if it were about to cave in.

"Oh yeah...well then, how about this?" one of the voices asked before his shoes were removed and his foot was stomped on, causing him to yowl in pain.

"Remember," the female voice purred in his ear, "all you have to do is tell us where she is and all this will go away...."

Another tear leaked from Jake's eye. He was so scared of what he knew was coming, but he wouldn't turn Jenna over to these thugs.

"Well, there's plenty we can do to loosen his tongue without knocking him out," one voice growled menacingly. "We could even make it look like an accident...."

* * *

Jake didn't know how much time passed before the male who had presumably been roughing him up let out a sigh. "How the hell hasn't he cracked yet? They said in the briefing that he was a total softie."

Jake was certainly worse for wear. His stomach and chest felt as if they were on fire, he could barely think straight from blows to the head, and they hadn't ignored his limbs either. He was hanging forward in the chair, not having said a word to them. He had come close to lying to them, anything to make them stop, but he felt he had to make it clear that he was never going to help them. A little more of this, though, and he would pass out.

"All right, let's try this," the female voice said roughly. Jake felt something press against his temple, and clearly heard the clicking of a gun being cocked. "Tell us where she is, or we really get rough."

Jake felt his heart skip a beat and his blood run cold. After all they had beaten him up, he thought he was dulled to further abuse...but now they were going to kill him. He sniffed and closed his eyes, letting out a last, defeated whine. "I'm sorry, Jenna...stay safe for me," he thought.

After a few seconds of silence, he heard footsteps calmly approaching him. Then a male voice he hadn't heard before said quietly in his ear, "You're really not going to talk, are you?" Jake shook his head. "All right. We're leaving."

"What?!" one of the men exclaimed. "After all that, we're just giving up?"

A moment of silence. "I said, we're leaving...now." Jake looked up towards the voice tiredly, even though he couldn't see anything.

"Hmph. Fine," another man growled. Jake could hear the sound of several sets of footsteps walking out of the room.

After a moment's pause, Jake heard the new voice again. "Be careful," he said. "They'll still be watching you, especially when you go out. If you go see Jenna too often, they may figure out it's her you're going to." Jake heard one final set of footsteps leave, and he slumped back in his chair.

Jake gave a quiet "Uh?" before the weight of his injuries started to catch up with him. He slumped forward...and out of the chair, falling on his face with a surprised "Umph!" Apparently his bonds had been loosened without him noticing...though with how out of it he was, that wouldn't have been difficult. He slowly reached up to the drawstring keeping the bag over his head and loosened it enough to remove the bag, finally letting him see again, though his vision was blurred. He was apparently in his living room. He started a slow crawl to the kitchen, where the phone was, his body protesting every move as he fought to remain conscious long enough to call for help. How long had he been here?

Once he reached the counter where the phone was, a new problem presented itself: he couldn't reach it, and he couldn't straighten up. He sighed, collapsing onto his stomach and closing his eyes. Maybe if he just slept it off....

His cell phone in his pocket suddenly rung...he'd forgotten he still had it. He reached into his pocket slowly and pulled it out, flipping it open.

"Hey Jake, this is Miyu!" came a cheery voice from the phone. "You hadn't called today; I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Jake brought the phone to his face and muttered, "Miyu...I need help...I'm hurt...."

"J-Jake?" Miyu stammered in surprise. "What's wrong, what happened?"

"Come over here...hurry..." he breathed, feeling the world starting to go dark. "Don't...tell Jenna..." he finished before passing out.

"Jake? You still there?" the phone said, then just a click.

Several minutes later, four sets of tires came to a screeching halt outside, and Miyu burst into the house. "Jake? Oh my God!" she exclaimed, running in.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in a more remote section of the city's outskirts, the skunk who was responsible for turning Jenna into a taur sat at her desk in a rather unadorned office. She was reading data on a computer screen, the light flickering off her glasses as she rested her chin on one hand. While she put her colleague in charge of recovering Jenna, the skunk was trying to figure out what had happened that caused the taur fusion in the first place. All her research said that Jenna shouldn't have even had a body anymore after what had gone wrong, much less experience such an improvement, and unless she could find more information (ideally by dissecting Jenna's clone), she was stuck for the moment. A knock at her door made her ear twitch, she looking away from the screen. "Come in!" she barked.

The rabbit from her lab group walked into the room. "We're back," he told her.

She relaxed a little at seeing him, but still didn't smile. "And where is she?"

The rabbit shook his head. "He wouldn't talk, even when Jensen put a gun to his head," he informed her.

The skunk slammed a fist down on the desk, baring her teeth. "What?! What do you mean, 'he wouldn't talk'?! He should've broken like an eggshell!" she snapped.

The rabbit jumped at her outburst, then shook his head. "He didn't say anything the whole time," he told her. "We didn't get a single word out of him...."

She growled, continuing, "And where is he now...?"

"We left him there," he said nervously in response.

One could almost see steam shoot out her ears with the vibes she was giving off. "What?! Why?! You could have brought him here where we can torture him at our leisure, but you leave him behind now that he knows what we'll do to get the girl back?!"

"I'm sure the police would notice another kidnapping," the rabbit said hesitantly, hoping this reasoning would calm her down, "especially one this closely related to an unsolved one, and I doubt he'd talk even then." He took a deep breath. "Maybe...this way he might lead us to her," he suggested.

She arched an eyebrow, her fingers drumming on the desk. "He had better. I need that girl and her clone, and I need them now. I've never had such a breakthrough until her...."

The rabbit nodded again. He hoped Jake would take his advice...he didn't want this woman finding the poor taur they'd created.

She took off her glasses to rub her temple, and then put them back on to look back up at the rabbit. "I can't accept failure. Not now, not after working on this for years, and not after this taur transformation." Her tone, while still stern, was calmer now, as if making something clear to a colleague rather than barking orders at an underling.

He nodded slightly, sensing she was starting to cool down. "I know. I've been working with you since the beginning. I'm not letting all that work slip through our fingers," he replied.

She stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned back in her chair and turned back to her computer. "Tell me...why is it that that dog didn't tell you anything?" she asked in a tone that sounded as if she was only half-expecting an answer.

The rabbit needed to think about this. He knew why, but he knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear. Still, he might as well tell her. "It's possible he loves her that much..." he trailed off.

She snorted, one corner of her mouth pulling up in a smirk. "What nonsense. That only happens in movies. You just didn't try hard enough."

He looked away. "Yeah...."

"You always were a softie." The skunk waved a hand at him dismissively, drawing his attention back to her. "Make the arrangements to have him watched." He nodded and left her alone in her office, closing the door behind him. When he was gone she narrowed her eyes. "Once I get that girl back in my clutches, Jake, I will show you Hell," she murmured to herself.

Cast

Jenna: Dash.

Jake: Me.

Miyu: Dash.

Callie: Both of us.

Jake's pursuers and tormentors: Both of us.

Skunk: Me.

Rabbit: Dash.