FSE

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Shattered

Chapter X

Alex climbed into the dropship. Penelope had gotten off his shoulders and sat in his lap once he was seated. The others had took seats around him and Fox went back into the cockpit. He noticed that Krystal was awfully close to him. Brushing against him or laying her tail on him. He didn't mind, it was nice. Eventually she rested her furred head on his shoulder. Feeling tired after all the events he began to drift off to dreamland. His head fell softly on top of hers.

Krystal was awake and enjoying it. She smiled and wrapped her arms securely around him. The other women looked to her slightly jealous. "You can't hog him to yourself forever." Miyu grumbled good naturedly.

"Oh I won't." Krystal replied, "he's too good to keep to myself."

"What are you guys talking about?" Penelope asked her, ears flopped in confusion.

"Nothing pen, why don't you take a nap." Lupa replied.

"Okay then." Still a little curious, but more tired then interested, Penelope curled up into a fluffy ball on his lap and was snoring in no time.

"Do you mean it Krys?" Miyu asked surprised.

"Yes I do, he is such a good man. Better then we will find anywhere else I think. So if you like him as much as I do, I would understand." Krystal explained and squeezed the human tighter murring contentedly.

With a grunt of pain he woke back up. "....Ow."

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, I forget you were still hurt!" Krystal exclaimed in sorrow.

"That's okay, you fur is soft." He was still drowsy and so wasn't making much sense. He began petting her head. Her tail started to wag happily and she leaned into it making her murr louder.

The other women looked at her enviously. "So Miyu, Fay," he caught their attention. "I never really got to talk with you, so I thought now would be a good time." He let Krystal continue to hug him. He was beginning to truly appreciate her care and affection. He without fully realizing it, was falling for her

"Nows a time as good as any I suppose." Miyu agreed. "What do you wanna know?"

"Nothing much just normal things."

"Alright then, well I've known Fox since the academy. After that he restarted his fathers mercenary company, and he offered me a spot. I accepted and so here I am." Miyu replied. "Not much else after that."

"Sounds like you had a good life, what about you Fay?"

"Oh me? There nothing special about me, I just tagged along with Miyu."

"Nonsense, everyone is special, that's what my mom told me and I tend to think she was right. So that makes you special." He told the now blushing collie.

She looked up and smiled. "You think so? That I'm special?"

"Of course, all you women are special," he said looking to them. "You, not really knowing me that well, have pledged your help and expressed your concern. Back in my reality, I had no one like that except for my family....and Santiago." He praised with a glowing grin on his face.

"Well we look out for our own, and you are one of us now." Miyu said with a small smile.

He returned it and they spent rest of the voyage in companionable silence. Soon they felt the ship shut down. Fox clambered down from the cockpit. "Rides over guys, let's get out." He opened the door and walked out.

"You heard him." Alex said as he got up slowly holding Penelope, who was still resting.

"Yeah let's go." Krystal agreed and stood up leaning backwards popping her joints in a most unladylike fashion.

Quickly they exited the ship to see Falco talking with Fox. Slippy and Peppy rushed over to Alex. "Hey! You're all right!" Peppy also looked relieved.

"It's good to see you alive and well."

"It's good to be alive and well!" Alex chuckled mirthfully. And then he frowned for a moment "at least for now," he mumbled under his breath. The women frowned sadly as they looked at him, they remembered his condition.

Then he smiled again hiding away his sorrow under a thin facade of happiness. "Anyways that aside, it's good to be back." He then wavered in his legs and almost fell over, luckily Krystal and Miyu grabbed him and held him up. Alex barely managed to keep Penelope from falling out of his grip. "Yet it seems I have not fully recovered, I will need some time to sleep it off."

"Well the most important thing is your okay, we'll talk to you later." Peppy said taking Slippy with him and heading off to rejoin Fox and Falco.

"I am terribly sorry to be a bother, but could you perhaps assist me in the small matter of locating my room?" He asked. He handed over Penelope to her sister as he could not hold her safely any longer.

"Absolutely we can help!" Fay exclaimed helping Miyu and Krystal, Lupa trailing behind. Shortly with their help he got to his room without a problem. Lupa reached over her sister and opened the door. The party went inside, three of the girls helping him to his bed. With a tired sigh he sat down on it. Once he was sitting the girls let go of him.

"Thanks for the help."

"Anytime!" Fay said cheerily.

He laid back on his bed and just stared at the ceiling. While he was laying there the girls decided to take a quick look around his room. It was still pretty much the way it was before he arrived, the key differences being the medal on the wall and a few pictures. Interested they examined them.

The first one was of Alex and a bunch of others. He was in the middle surrounded by a group of similarly armored men and women. It was interesting to see other people of his race. But the most gripping aspect of the photo was his smile. It was wide, welcoming, and warm, brighter then any they had seen on him so far. He looked so happy with his friends. It tore at their hearts to be able to see the change in him.

Quickly they looked at another one. It was off to the side and had a older human female and a small child. They were smiling and looking at the camera.

"That's my mom and sister." Alex mumbled sadly from behind them. "You know, my mom was a wonderful woman. She was just as kind as she was beautiful." He took on a melancholic tone. The women listened to his story.

"I remember whenever I had a problem at school or I hurt myself she would always smile. And say that everything was okay and that I would be okay. She never cried, not once for as long as I remembered. When she called me during the outbreak on New Athens she smiled the entire length of the call. Not once did she even shed a tear as she held my little sister. She just kept on going about how proud she was of me and that she would never be far away. She maintained that smile as the necromorphs smashed down the apartment door and swarmed inside."

For the first time ever they saw tears openly flowing down his face. But he was still smiling. "God I miss them." He muttered hoarsely.

Even they felt like crying, they all moved to hug him. Penelope, still in her sisters arms had awoken. And upon seeing his tearful face hugged him too. "What's wrong big brother?" She wondered.

"Brother?" He said surprised.

"Mommy always said a brother was family who always looked out for you and made you laugh and played with you and protected you and...." She began to go on and on, not noticing that she was making him cry harder. When she finally did she asked worriedly, "did I do something wrong?" In her innocent and care free voice.

"No little one." He chocked out, "I'm alright now." He looked to the women embracing him, wrapped up in a furry blanket of warmth and maybe...love and said "I'm gonna be okay."