Dinosaur Train: Whole Picture by Daneasaur

Dinosaur Train: Whole Picture

Daneasaur, Dinosaur, Dinosaur Train, Emotional, M/F, Romance, Sex, Story Progression, Troodon, Vaginal, pteranodon

#5 of Dinosaur Train: Catastrophe

With Buddy now safe, the family faces trouble as they look towards the future. Will they ever find peace again?

Dinosaur Train: Whole Picture

Chapter 5 of the Dinosaur Train story

The first night that Buddy was saved from the wasteland that used be the home of his family was not an easy one.

While Mrs. C had said to get Buddy some food and water, he was taken to the back room of the station and placed on a bed, one familiar to Gilbert and Shiny. While food was brought it him (of which he eagerly ate down), Mr. C came with a rack holding a bag of what looked like water before wiping down one of Buddy's dirty thighs and inserting a needle into him, making him yelp out. Ms. P, having been delayed by Erma, had heard his scream and rather violently pushed passed the crowd of troodon to find Mr. C applying a bandage wrap around the needle and tube as Buddy sat in the bed, a drip of fluids now going into his system directly as Mr. C sat on a stool next to the bed, a second stool next to him, which he patted, inviting Ms. P over to sit by him and her now found son. Even as Tiny crawled up onto the bed next to him, her dolls in her hands, the mood was still incredibly somber. Shiny and Gilbert were sitting with Don on another bed, Gilbert doing his best to try and console the two of them, but he was only a youngster himself and often just found himself hugging Shiny and trying to talk to Don about new collections he could make. Mr. C placed an arm on Ms. P's back, making her look up at him. The tragedy of her husband being gone was now factual, expressed on her face and in Mr. C's hatless appearance. She clutched the hat in her hands a little tighter as what Erma had said to her played over and over again in her head, until Mr. C broke the tension.

"It'll be all right. Buddy is mostly dehydrated. You use up a lot of water when you eat. I'd say that he'll be back to his old self in a week or two, Misses P." he said, trying to smile as Ms. P's expression dropped, her eyes slowly blinking as she looked down.

"Miss..." she muttered. Mr. C didn't hear her at first.

"What was that?" he asked, modestly.

"It's Miss Pteranodon, now..." she said in a somber tone. Buddy and Tiny looked at her, their eyes drooping at the idea that their Dad was just... gone. No one who left on that day to see Jurassic plants ever thought the modest little goodbye was a goodbye forever to Mister P, and nearly the same to Buddy. Mr. C winced slightly and tried to pull Ms. P closer, but she resisted, an action that made Mr. C stop and look at her as she had her head down, squeezing the hat. "Things are so different now... All this time I simply had the thought, the HOPE, that we would just be together like nothing happened... but this... how do you prepare for something like this?!" she screeched as tears lined her eyes. She suddenly saw one of Mr. C's hands grip one of her own, squeezing it firmly before she looked up into his face, a frown on it.

"We don't." he said, almost flatly. "We pick up the pieces and keep pushing forward." Ms. P looked at him, a bit shocked.

"How... how could you be so cold?" she said, not quite believing what she was hearing as she stood up and took a step back from him. "How could you talk like I could just FORGET my husband has DIED?!" she shrieked. Mr. C frowned into a true scowl as he stood up.

"That's NOT what I said!" he shouted back before he waved a hand at Buddy. "Look at your son. LOOK AT HIM!" he said as her eyes glanced to the dirty, pale, thin rex. "He's starved of food and water because he couldn't fish. He couldn't fish because he was too sad, because life had just stolen his father from him, but because he couldn't move forward, life nearly stole HIM away from you." he said in a half growl before he pointed behind Ms. P. "Look at Gilbert!" he said, making Ms. P turn and look at the now-aware-he-was-apart-of-the-subject youngster. "His leg was fractured and his tail lopped off. I was right there when it happened and I heard his screams! But I didn't let it slow me down, or Shiny, as I picked him up and made certain that he'd recover. I gave my blood, tears, and a great deal of time to ensure he'd recover! I picked up the pieces I had to work with and made a better future for him, as did Shiny." he said as Ms. P turned back around to face Mr. C, only to find him much closer as he grabbed her shoulders with his hands as he looked into her eyes, his expression much softer now. "I would NEVER ask you to forget your husband, but if you don't truly accept that he's no longer here... And that no amount of tears will bring him back..." Ms. P's eyes blurred as tears filled them. "then the sadness can weigh you down to the point that your family right here, right now, will suffer." he said before his arms pulled her frame to himself, giving her a tight hug.

Ms. P shuddered as he did so, her hands squeezing the hat as tight as she could as she sobbed softly into his vest. She didn't know why she lashed at him so readily, but then, it wasn't the first time. She recalled the day the cataclysm happened that she nearly strangled Mr. C when she found her family members were on the other side of the time tunnel.

"I... I'm so sorry..." she said, sucking in shaky breaths. "I don't know why I keep snapping at you..." Mr. C actually chuckled and loosened his grip to look at her.

"You're a Mother, properly protective of your family. If you didn't snap at me, then I'd be worried." he said as he smiled at her and wiped her face with a thumb to clear the tears away from her gorgeous eyes. She grasped his wrist with one hand, holding it by the side of her face.

"No, don't just push this on yourself. Not again." she said, her expression firm. "You don't get to take on this pain all by yourself. I also don't need to be adding to it." she said before she leaned her face into the palm of his hand. "But... I'm thankful for all your help." she said, her eyes fluttering open as she looked up at him. Mr. C smiled back at her but they were interrupted by Mrs. C.

"Well, I hate to interrupt such a cute moment between you two," That statement made Ms. P and Mr. C look at her, then back at each other before they let go of each other, like two teenagers "caught" by a parent. "but I need to talk with Sonny boy here. We're going to need some proper planning on the supplies and equipment we'll need to bring on the other side, as well as a bit more of what to expect if we want to try to rescue others on the other side." she said. Mr. C cleared his throat, coughing into his hand.

"All right, Mother." he said as he took a step and found his wrist grabbed by Ms. P again. He turned and looked at her smiling softly, a slight flush on her face as she slowly lifted up his hat in her free hand, offering it to him.

"Thank you..." she said simply, but her words seemed to carry a lot of weight to them. As he grasped his hat in his other hand, he grabbed her hand as well, giving it a squeeze that made her heart flutter slightly as she looked up at his equally smiling, flushing face.

"Anything for the world's best Mom." he said as he took the hat and neatly secured it on his head, before Mrs. C spoke up again.

"Oh? And what am I? Rotting carrion?" Mr. C spun around to look at his mother, who was sporting a toothy grin as her accusation made Mr. C turn a deep crimson before his mother finally burst out laughing again. "Oh I couldn't resist, Sonny Boy! Now come on, we have work to do." she said as Mr. C nodded, walking with his mother to a table surrounded by troodon, including Trisha and Thurston.

Ms. P, on the other hand, shared a chuckle as she sat down on the stool next to her son, lifting a hand and gently stroking his face, the action making him smile as he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. Tiny smiled as she snuggled up next to Buddy, her Tiny Dolls somehow having made it to the opposite side of Buddy's body while the siblings snuggled into the bed. Ms. P looked over at Gilbert, Shiny, and Don, seeing the two little lovebirds snuggled and dozing at one end of the bed while Don slept at the other end. Ms. P looked up at one of the windows, seeing the sky growing a faded orange as she could feel her own body growing tired. She looked at Buddy, seeing his thin form and Tiny clutched so firmly to him. A soft sigh left her as she thought on what Mr. C had told her; to move forward and put the pieces back together, to work with what you have in life. She looked again and saw that she had kids, she had prodigy of her husband, and she knew that he'd do everything in his power to ensure they were safe. The idea of him offering himself as a meal to Buddy on his death bed was not far off from what Ms. P would expect from him. At times, she did ponder if he loved the kids more than her, mainly due to how she could actually enjoy the romantic dates they had, but only when he wasn't on pins and needles from being so far away from the kids. She hugged herself and rubbed her wings as a simple thought crossed her mind; What would he do? She looked up at Buddy and knew the answer quite simply; He'd take care of his kids. Emotional and physical wellbeing, he'd ensure they were safe. The thought didn't stop tears coming to her eyes as she thought how rough his last month of life had to have been; his wing torn, no longer able to fly, watching Buddy starve and having to let him do all the fishing. Her thoughts turned of the proverbial "tomorrow", what would be done then? She knew she would be ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the kids, but... alone? She thought about how she'd been doing a lot of work over the past month; lack of sleep from nightmares and doing double fishing duty due to being alone.

Or was she? She looked up from the bed and into the crowd of Troodon, who were all talking and making plans. Amidst the crowd, she could see Mr. C. It was only for a moment, but it made her mind wander as she realized that he wasn't just there for her during nights, but often times during the days. He spent so much time with her and her family. She even realized that he gave up the opportunity to go up to the Triassic when the train was functioning again, choosing to stay with her and her family, something she knew must have been difficult, if the memory of him being "homesick" during the hurricane sleepover was anything to go off of. She squeezed herself a little more tightly as sleep tried to claim her drooping head, but despite the fire cauldron in the middle of the station, she found herself feeling cold. She lifted her head up and looked into the crowd of troodon again and spotted Mr. C once more, but she could also see, in that same split second, that he was looking back at her. The crowd shuffled and they lost sight of each other as Ms. P squeezed her wings and felt some of the warmth return. There was no denying it; she missed his touch. She rest her head on the bed with Buddy and slowly drifted to sleep.

Her sleep wasn't that deep and many things she'd just gone through swirled together in her mind. Erma's words about her and Mr. C continued to echo in her head, but they were mixed with Tiny's words, as if the two of them were talking to Ms. P at the same time. Had she and Mr. C really been growing that close? Was she actually growing to love him? She knew that she'd probably have floundered and failed at setting up a proper home for her children when the very world that she was used to wasn't around anymore, not to mention her emotional outbursts were less than pleasant. Mr. C really helped her family, and that was DURING the trauma that Gilbert was going through. Her dreamscape had Erma and Tiny staring expectedly at her, and at once she knew what they were saying.

"Don't pass up something so fortunate." Erma echoed.

"If you really do like him, you should tell him. I don't want you to miss a chance." Tiny said.

Ms. P's sleeping broke and she woke up, her head still on the bed. She sat up to find her kids still sleeping and the night still strong and dark. She looked around the corner and saw and heard the white noise of the troodon still planning and squabbling over details of supplies, but she still managed to catch a glimpse of Mr. C, the sight once again warming her core. She was starting to place the feeling he was giving to her; security. Safety. She felt safe, as if she wasn't drifting through nothingness, so long as he could tether her to the ground. She lay her head back down on the bed and let Erma and Tiny's words echo in her head. She needed to think something so important through carefully. At the same time, though, she still needed to help her children through the loss of their father, a fact that she herself wasn't fully sure she could accept so soon.

Ms. P awoke the next day, her back feeling a bit stiff and her kids still asleep. She looked at Buddy, Tiny still draped over his side and both breathing softly. Buddy wasn't quite so pale anymore and Ms. P noticed that the bag and tube had been removed, a modest little bandage on Buddy's leg. Evidently someone removed it while she was sleeping. She looked around the corner and found the troodon had all moved outside, thought were still all talking.

She found herself getting up and walking outside to be greeted by the morning sun, but also to better hear what was going on as she watched the workers piling into the transport cars of the train, Laura already in the observation car. Evidently they were about ready to go as Thurston and Trisha took their places at the opposite engines, leaving only a few others still sorting where the were going to be, mainly Mr. C giving a few words to his mother. Ms. P was suddenly startled when she felt someone gripping her hand and turned to see Erma, who grasped Ms. P's other hand as well.

"Listen, Miss P, I'm sorry I got all... fussy yesterday." she said, her expression being one of regret. "But honestly, I meant what I said and I just want to say one more thing." she said as she looked at Mr. C and gave a small smile before looking back at Ms. P. "Good luck." she said as she freed Ms. P's hands and stepped into the observation car. Ms. P was just looking on in slight shock, when her ears picked up the conversation between Mr. C and his mother.

"Okay, well, I think that since time is of the essence and everyone is aboard, we should go right now!" Mrs. C said, her son smiling rather brightly as he started for one of the cars.

Mrs. P suddenly realized that he'd be gone for at least several days, leaving only herself with all the kids and the few hands still working at the station. She felt a chill in her back and all at once, Erma's and Tiny's faded words pestered the back of her head. Erma's recent wishing of good luck gave her a drive to step forward, swallowing as she found herself moving until she grabbed Mr. C's arm, stopping him as she accidentally shouted out.

"You can't!" making Mr. C and his mother spin around to look at her, at which point Ms. P felt she probably was looking rather stressed out. "I-I mean... well..." she rubbed the back of her head as she realized that she had no real good reason to make him stay. Buddy got the fluids he needed and just needed to eat, the other kids were healthy if emotionally needing support, and surely the train needed Mr. C.

Mr. C looked at Ms. P, his expression softening as he met her eyes. They both turned and looked at Mrs. C, who was sporting one of the largest toothy grins she'd had yet.

"You two are just adorable." she said, not able to hold back her chuckling. "Sonny Boy!" she said loudly, making him jump in place and stand at attention, though he soon noticed Ms. P was still holding his arm.

"Y-yes, Mother?"

"I think I can handle setting up the rescue supplies. I think there is someone who needs you here a lot more." she said, crossing her arms with her grin still plastered on her face. Mr. C looked back at Ms. P, then back at his mother. "Of course, the choice IS yours." she said, leaving it up to him.

Ms. P felt her heart sink as she knew that he loved nothing more than being on the train and doing his job. After all, that was why he and Erma never got together. He'd been away from the train for over a month and now even had his mother along. Yet, Ms. P found herself squeezing his arm in her grip.

Mr. C looked at his mother, then back at Ms. P, looking back and forth between them before he closed his eyes and gripped Ms. P's wrist, pulling her hand off of his arm in a firm motion, one that made Ms. P's mind fill with the cold sensation of solitude.

"Thank you, Mother." he said, as Ms. P looked away before she felt her hand being held in both of Mr. C's hands. "But I'm afraid I'll have to miss this trip." His words made Ms. P look back up at him and see his smiling, soft face.

Mrs. C stepped forward and placed her hands over the joined hands of her son and Ms. P, an action that made both of them flush, but Mrs. C just continued to chuckle.

"Isn't that just like my Sonny Boy, being a proper, responsible person." she said to his deeper flushing face.

"Oh Mother..." he said in that amusingly defeated way before Mrs. C looked over at Ms. P.

"We'll be gone about seven days. When we get back, we ARE going to need his help with the rescues. Just be ready to be without him for a day or two after that." she said, gaining a bit more of a serious tone, to which Ms. P nodded.

"Yes of course. I'm sorry for interrupting in the first place." Ms. P said as Mrs. C released their hands, chuckling before she stepped onto the train.

"Oh think nothing of it! You saw an opportunity and didn't let it slip past you. Now you go and take care of that family." said before she cupped her mouth. "ALLLLLL ABOARD!" she yelled as the train whistled before chugging it's way back up the line. The two watched it travel down the tracks, though Ms. P found Mr. C had slipped an arm around her back and pulled her close, but unlike yesterday, she didn't resist and leaned into him. There it was.

The warmth she missed. The warmth she needed.

It wasn't long after the train left that the kids woke up, all of them still being down about the loss of their dad, but Mr. C and Ms. P had a good diversion to their pain.

"Okay kids," Ms. P started. "It's time to go back home and show Buddy around. You ready?" this perked them up, though Buddy was a bit unsure, his head drooping. Tiny quickly perked him up with a hug before she mumbled something about fish to him that made him smile slightly.

"All right, everyone. Lets go!" Mr. C said as the group gathered their trinkets and began the walk to the nest.

While the kids remained around the adults on the walk, Ms. P especially keeping an eye on Buddy, should he not feel well, she also noticed that Mr. C was pale, as if something was bothering him. Every time Ms. P looked at him, he would look back, wanting so badly to say something, but he wouldn't. It began to worry her.

They arrived at the nest ground, Tiny, Shiny, and Don taking their trinkets up to the nest on the ridge for storage. Ms. P picked up Buddy and waded into the water of the lake, gently dipping him into it and rubbing her hands over his dirty body.

He was almost a dull gray from how much soot and dust and dirt he had on him, the water growing a little murky where she was cleaning him, feeling his thin body in her grasp. However, she was soon revealing his orange skin and blue stripes, his face growing a smile on it as Ms. P smiled in return, happy to have her son back in her embrace. She carried him back to the shore and set him down, where Mr. C was sitting by the shore, his hat removed. Ms. P turned to face Mr. C.

"Are you sure he'll be all right?" she asked.

"Yes. I've seen dinosaurs get more starved than him and pull through, but it required a lot of medical help." he said, rubbing Buddy's head. "But all Buddy needs now is regular water to drink and a good supply of food." he said, to which there was a gurgle from Buddy's tummy, making him look up and chuckle a little.

"Yeah, I am pretty hungry." he said, to which his siblings and Gilbert all showed up. Mr. C smiled.

"Well I think now would be breakfast time." he looked at Ms. P. "Don't worry, I'll keep watch over them." he said before Don jumped up.

"I wanna fish too!" he said before Shiny jumped up.

"Me too!" she said as Gilbert sat by Mr. C. Tiny looked indecisive as she looked at Buddy, then her mother before she nodded.

"Yeah, I want to go too! It's been too long since we all fished." she said, which was true as they were mostly told to keep by the nest grounds since Ms. P needed to scout the fish. Ms. P smiled and nodded.

"All right. You all can join me as I fish, but remember, these fish aren't the same ones you're used to, so don't eat them right away, show them to me so you know which ones are good to eat." she said as she flapped her wings, looking at Buddy and Mr. C. Mr. C was wearing that expression again. She needed to know what he had to say, but it would have to wait. For now, there were mouths to feed.

As Ms. P and her biological children flew out over the ocean, it left Mr. C alone with Buddy and Gilbert.

"Uncle Conductor," Gilbert started. "Will we be living here for good?" he asked. Mr. C shrugged and shook his head.

"I'm not sure, Gilbert, though..." he looked down at his nephew and smiled. "The company we share is certainly not offensive." he said, before clicking his tongue and giving Gilbert a thumbs up, making his nephew blush from the implication. It seemed Mr. C did have more than his mother's love for trains. Buddy even chuckled a bit before he sniffled, making Mr. C look at him.

"It won't be the same without Dad..." Mr. C turned somber before stroking the top of Buddy's head.

"No it won't... but you got to spend the last bit of time he had with him. You got to know him and know that he loved you." Buddy looked up at Mr. C, his big green eyes filled with tears. Buddy suddenly got up and ran over to Mr. C, hugging him as tightly as he could. The motion caught Mr. C off guard, but he simply smiled and hugged the youngster, feeling the soft little trembles as he sobbed into his vest. The sensation made Mr. C feel sad, but also protective. He didn't want to let go of Buddy, he wanted to keep him in his arms. Keep him close. Protect him from... well, anything.

"Shhhh... it will be all right." Mr. C said, unsure as to why he said that as he still wasn't completely sure everything would be. Mr. C felt a hug at his side and looked to see Gilbert hugging him, to which he scooped him up as well and hugged them both. "Don't worry... I've got you..." he said as the two youngsters shared a somber moment in his arms.

Upon coming back, Ms. P and her three kids revealed to have gone out of their way and all caught several rather large fish to specifically give to Buddy, who stood and salivated as he dug into them. Ms. P and her kids chuckled at his display before Shiny came up to Gilbert with her own bunch of fish she caught just for him. Tiny glanced up and saw how Shiny snuggled up to him and handed him his food before she watched her mother sit next to Mr. C, smiling and looking at him in much the same way as her sister was looking at the younger troodon. She covered her beak as she giggled, feeling rather happy, before she turned her attention to her brother to ensure he didn't eat too fast. Don was content sitting somewhere between them all as he ate.

Ms. P and Mr. C were a little ways away from the kids, but despite the cheerful face Mr. C had on, he was still seemingly uneasy about something as he ate the fish she brought him. Ms. P leaned into him and spoke softly, so as not to let the kids know what she was saying.

"What's bothering you?" she asked, giving him a worried look, which he returned, swallowing as he looked around before he tugged on the collar of his vest.

"Hey, Ms. P, do you think you could help me re-organize my nest? I'm not all that good at building them yet." he said, rather loudly, making the kids look up for only a moment before they went back to talking among each other as they ate. Ms. P gave him a puzzled look before she saw him wink. Getting the idea, she nodded.

"Oh sure, I'll help." she said back as the two walked over to the nest, sitting in it and pretending to be messing with the floor structure, now sure they were out of direct hearing range. "Okay, now tell me what is bothering you." she said, getting more than a little worried. Mr. C shook his head and sighed as he gave his forehead a scratch.

"Well, it's just that... I spent all this time taking care of you... Gilbert... your family... and was... well... traumatized by what happened... that I forgot something that the other troodon brought up during the meeting." he said, rather defeated.

"What is it they could have said?" she asked, her mind buzzing the same question over and over again.

"Well... troodon town is at the END of the line..." he said, trailing off for a moment as Ms. P tossed a fish in her beak as she waited for him to finish. "Pteranodon Terrace is NOT at the end of the line." Ms. P was quiet a moment before the realization hit her and she sputtered, coughing on the fish in her mouth, spitting it out before she looked at Mr. C with pin prick eyes.

"You mean... My home was the only place destroyed?!" she said in a raised tone, making Mr. C wince.

"Maybe... I'm not sure, but we think that is the case." he said, looking at her and trying to come up with a way of simply explaining branching timelines. He grabbed a stick lining the nest and lay it down. "Everyone thinks the train is going from here," he notched one end of the stick. "To here." he notched the other end. "And all the time zones are inbetween, like this." he notched through the stick in several places. He pointed to a space between notches near one end. "and this is Pteranodon Terrace. However..." he then snapped the stick apart at each of the notches and set them all down diagonal of each other, making a staircase sort of shape. "This is more accurate, because think about it; how can time be passing when we're not in the time? How can we change areas, making cities and towns in the Triassic, but when we go to the Jurassic and cretaceous, we can't find anything there?" he asked. Ms. P had never had to do such abstract thinking, but it was starting to make sense, which scared her as she knew something was coming. Mr. C read her face and nodded. "Yeah, it's because each one of the time zones is a DIFFERENT Earth. Things that happen in that Earth have no impact to other time zones. So when the asteroid hit your time..." he picked up the stick segment representing that time zone and chewed on it, mangling it before setting it back down. "it doesn't touch the other lines, other than closing the doors until we get it back open." he shook his head. "This means the school, the dinosaur big city, even troodon town are probably perfectly safe and will remain that way..." he looked at Ms. P, who had lost her appetite, her large eyes full of tears as Mr. C gently placed a hand on her back. "It was ONLY your home that was destroyed... a cruel... cruel twist of fate..."

All at once, Ms. P felt an intense weight of everything; her nearly lost child, the death of her husband, and loss of her home. She thought it would be something many many more would be dealing with, a little fact that had helped her cope and think that she had it better than some others, but now... It was starting to look like life had almost singled out her family to make them suffer. She shuddered and Mr. C pulled her close as she instantly buried her closed eyes into his vest as she started sobbing and pounding a fist futilely on his chest in frustration.

"It's not fair... it's NOT FAIR!" she said as she sobbed. Mr. C just held onto her, though he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and saw the kids by the nest, having evidently eavesdropped. Most of them didn't know what to say, but Buddy did as he crawled into the nest, hugging against both his mother and Mr. C. She looked down at her son and wrapped him in her wing, pulling him close as Mr. C embraced both of them.

"No... it's not fair..." he said in a somber tone. Before he knew it, all the other youngsters had crawled into the nest, pressing up to their mother and Mr. C, who gladly included them in on the warm hug as Ms. P sobbed softly. Mr. C looked up from the group and noticed that much of the caught food was not eaten. He swallowed. "I hate to break up this moment... but this is what I was worried about." he said as he pointed at the food. Ms. P looked up, using the back of her hand to clear her eyes and see what he meant. "The sadness, the grief... it robs you of your ability to do the things you need to do to live." he said as he looked down at Buddy between them, stroking his head. "But if we sit here and cry the whole time... then who's going to eat all the fish?" he asked, smiling, despite his reddened eyes. Ms. P joined his shared forced smile and nodded.

"Yes, we don't want the fish to go to waste. Please, lets get back to eating." she said. The youngsters looked around a moment and sniffled before they departed the nest, returning to their food and beginning to eat, albeit at a slower pace.

The day continued to progress slowly, the trauma of their father being gone had doused a lot of the fun that the youngsters would normally have in the area. Gilbert was doing his best to cheer Shiny up, and it was helping, albeit only just. Don had dug a hole and sat in it, reluctant to come out of it. Worse yet, Tiny and Buddy had a perpetual cycle of depression going on as any time Tiny would try to cheer him up, the subject would somehow loop back around to their dad and they would go right back to being sad.

Ms. P looked on as the whole display only further shattered her heart. She had felt the pangs of pain the day the time tunnel collapsed, but the following month had... for lack of a better way to describe it, dulled the sensation. The nightmares about Buddy had kept her on her toes and made him her primary goal of saving, but the dream of her husband just shattered her heart. She knew she'd never forget it. Even at that, she was still able to function for her family, albeit sloppily, but she was doing what needed to be done. It wasn't until she saw his lifeless body that she fully fell into the full sorrow, returning to her defensive nature that had her lashing out, sometimes violently. Her thoughts were disturbed as Mr. C, still hatless, sat next to her in the shade.

"I think I have an idea on how to make everyone... a bit more at ease." he said as he looked over at her, though his expression told her that he was very unsure about what he was going to say. He swallowed. "I think we should all sit around and tell each other our favorite memories of your husband. Remember him in a happy light and understand that he wouldn't want us all to be moping around." he said, looking over at Ms. P and half expecting her to be upset at him, though the face that greeted him was one of a soft little smile, her mind already buzzing with memories she shared with him.

"I think that would be a great idea."

It didn't take long to call all the youngsters together as they sat in a circle; Mr. C with Ms. P on his right, Gilbert on his left. Shiny was hugging Gilbert, Don was between Shiny and Tiny, while Tiny was also next to Buddy, as Buddy occasionally had his head rubbed by his mother.

"I believe I shall start," Mr. C announced. "One of my favorite memories about your Dad would have to be... When we had the roundhouse all decorated up with spooky decorations. I remember how brave he was for all of you and all the fun you kids had with the spooky guests we had." he said with a chuckle, of which the youngsters joined in.

"I remember one!" Gilbert exclaimed. "Mister Pteranodon and Mister Lambeosaurus were trying to get home for Winter Solstice and accidentally missed the stop and ended up dropped off at the undersea station." he said, the other kids and Ms. P remembering the elaborate story Mr. P had given them. "I was practicing for my Submarine license and offered to take them for a trip, buuut..." he rubbed the back of his head. "I kinda... accidentally took them to the north pole." he said, making everyone laugh.

"I remember..." Shiny spoke up. "I remember how every time a time tunnel would scare me, he would give me a little hug to make me feel better.." she said, before she giggled. "And I remember him taking us into a cave with lots and lots of shiny stones... He helped me feel safe and let me actually see how pretty they were."

"Ooh, ooh!" Don spoke up, flapping in place. "I remember when Dad took me fishing at the big pond when we were going to catch a biiiiiiig fish for mom!" he said. "We grabbed one fish together, but it was really small. Then we grabbed another. Dad said mine was HUGE! I remember he was really happy about that." he said as everyone smiled at his retelling.

"I remember that day too." Tiny said. "We went and were looking for lots of gifts for Mom." She said, hugging Buddy. "I remember that Buddy and I were looking for flowers, but we couldn't pick them since they would die before we could give them to Mom, but then we found big red ones growing out of a little log!" Buddy nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, so we took that one home!" Buddy said as he smiled. "Dad was pretty proud of us for doing that." he said before eyes were on him for his memory. "My favorite memory of Dad..." he was quiet for a bit before Tiny gently hugged his side and Ms. P gently hugged him from the other before she spoke.

"Shhh... take your time, Buddy." she said as she pulled back and stroked his head.

"Well..." he thought for a while before he spoke up. "I remember playing Stick Catch with him. I could throw the stick as hard as I could and he'd catch it no matter what or where I threw it." he said. "I also remember when I got worried I'd miss out on the theropod convention; he couldn't stand to see me so worried and set aside all of his own worries and tried to get everyone to hurry up and find it no matter what, but he didn't know we were right next to it." he said, laughing a bit as everyone joined in for a chuckle. "He really loved me..." Buddy added on, drooping his head before Tiny clenched his side a bit tighter and his mother stroked his head before she spoke.

"I remember..." she started. "How he reacted the day he first saw all of you. He was so upset his fishing trip made him miss seeing you hatch, but that didn't stop him from being the happiest father ever. Oh, I remember him picking each of you up, tickling you and making you giggle." she said, placing a hand over her chest. "Oh he loved all of you so very much..." she said as her eyes welled up, but she swallowed the sadness down. "I also remember the second date after we left you kids with the babysitter." she continued as she slowly hugged herself, starting to get quiet until she felt Mr. C place a hand on her back. She gave him a glance, seeing him smile and encouraging her to continue. "It was a night time train ride... romantic dinner... just quiet time alone with eachother... We rode the caboose and lay there looking up at the stars..." Shiny let out a dreamy sigh and squeezed Gilbert tight enough to make him choke a moment before she bashfully loosened her grip, though he replied with a silent smile and hugged her closer. "Then as we looked at the stars, he said he had a special gift for me. I never would have guessed that he learned to play guitar, much less such good songs, all without me knowing he was even taking lessons." she said, and Buddy smiled at her.

"Dad was really good..." he mused as they all shared a soft smile, though Ms. P did fight back more tears, coaxing Mr. C to pull her tighter to his side before he spoke.

"I think this is good for now. We all have happy memories of him and that is how we should try to remember him. So next time you start to feel sad, just try to think "what would Dad do?" or "what would Dad say?" if he saw you sitting there, being sad and not eating or not playing?" The youngsters thought for a moment before they looked at each other, giving little smiles before Tiny hopped up.

"Come on, Dad wouldn't want us wasting all this warm sun!" she said as she started running for the water. "Last one in is a rotten dinosaur egg!" she shouted, prompting Don, Buddy, Shiny, and Gilbert to spring up and start running after her (thought Shiny stuck next to Gilbert).

Ms. P's heart warmed as she watched her kids splash into the water, finally playing again.

"Thank you so much." she said softly. Mr. C leaned against her, his head resting against her own.

"Anytime... I'm always happy to help." he said as he smiled as he watched the youngsters play.

The day progressed much more smoothly after that, Buddy acclimating to playing fairly well, even if he was often more tired than he normally would be, prompting Tiny and his mother to make him rest. Eventually, nightfall came and everyone was ready for a good night's sleep. When it came to where Buddy needed to sleep, Tiny insisted, quite adamantly, that he sleep up on the ridge in the nest with her, Gilbert, and Shiny. Despite the fact that Ms. P wanted to keep her son close, she recalled that Tiny shared an equal amount of love (somewhat moreso) for her adopted brother. Ms. P therefore carried Buddy up onto the ridge, tucking him into the nest before she flew back down to the ground nest where Mr. C was, having removed his vest as his nightly pillow.

He smiled as she stepped up to the nest, but paused as soon as she touched the side of it. Mr. C was confused at first before he realized what was bothering her.

"Ms. P, I've said it before; if you are worried about sharing a nest with me, I'd rather sleep on the ground, as long as I have your company." he said. Ms. P looked up at him and flushed a bit as she nodded.

"Yes, of course... Sorry..." she said as she pulled herself into the nest, something she'd done every night, but this time, her heart was racing. She took longer to lay down than usual, though once she did, Mr. C pulled her close, just as he had every night. However, once her back pressed to his warm chest, she let out a gasp. Mr. C loosened his grip and looked at her.

"Are you all right? Did I hurt you?" he asked. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"You're not... going to touch me... are you?" she said, her breathing a bit uneasy. Mr. C winced at her words and slightly pulled back from her.

"No M'am. I told you, I'd never do that again." he said, swallowing down the guilt he had as he flushed. Ms. P nodded and scooted back up against him.

"All right... Sorry." she said softly as he finally re-gripped her.

The truth was, her mind was buzzing. His pep talk had helped the kids, but it was another slab of pressure she was getting, on top of Erma and Tiny's words from the previous day. Her husband was gone and she grieved badly at the loss of his life, though in terms of functional life, she'd been without him for a month. Even if her emotional state was fractured, she was still physically capable of doing what needed to be done. The part that she couldn't ignore was how much Mr. C contributed to making that way of life work. While she had to do all the fishing instead of trading off with another adult, her kids were learning and growing up, becoming able to fish almost as well. The morning fishing excursion was proof of how they were growing and learning so well. This lead her mind to think on how valuable Mr. C had been in helping her remember that. He'd been the one who kept watch of her kids while she was fishing, he'd been teaching them what he'd have been teaching them in the school, but most of all, he was there for every single emotional turmoil she had. It made the words that Tiny and Erma had left her with get louder, only now, there was a question to add to all of it.

"What would my husband say?" she whispered in a faint tone. Mr. C stirred, a light snort coming from his nose before he re-gripped her in his sleep. She gasped as one of his hands brashly gripped right between her legs, but a glance over her shoulder, and the lack of any more movement, showed he was still sound asleep. Ms. P felt trapped. She knew that if she pulled his hand away, it may wake him up and Mr. C would probably guilt himself and become reluctant to touch her at all. The other thing that bothered her... was that she didn't WANT him to let go. She lay there, feeling increasingly guilty at the fact that she enjoyed his warm palm gripping her loins. She enjoyed that it was warm, she enjoyed the return of a touch there, but most of all, she enjoyed WHO was touching her. She slightly shivered as she leaned back against his warm chest, feeling his heartbeat, one hand of his gripping her belly as the other cupped between her thighs. This embrace felt good everywhere. Her mind made the question ring in her head. Guilt was trying to force it's way back in, before she focused on a simple yet often overlooked voice.

Logic.

"What would my husband say?" was the question her mind asked again, though she found out that she whispered again when Mr. C shifted, his hand sliding off of her loins, his forearm resting between her legs as his head now rest firmly on her neck. Every exhale blowing warm air against her and warming her core, though most of all, she'd forgotten the feeling of someone putting all their faith and trust into her to sleep against her, laying their head upon her. The question. She needed to answer the question. She thought about her husband, how he reacted to everything, his tastes, and most of all, his love for his family. He traveled the world for her, he doted on her, even would drop most subjects if she asked it, not that they had too many arguments.

So she thought and asked her imaginary husband; "what would you say?"

She felt a quivering in her gut as the answer came out rather quickly. Was it right? Was that what he would say? She needed to think on it. A cute little muttering came from Mr. C as he nuzzled his face into her neck, making her shiver before she relaxed into a comfortable, pleasing sleep.

The week progressed rather smoothly; Buddy was eating and drinking regularly again and had filled out a little bit more, not nearly looking so thin, though still thinner than his usual self. Mr. C was supportive as always and took to watching over Buddy and Gilbert while the three siblings joined their mother for fishing.

Every night, Ms. P thought on the answer to her question. While sadness still lingered, and would continue to linger, it was not interrupting day to day life, allowing her more and more clarity as she thought.

Finally, on the seventh day, as dawn was cresting, there was the sound of the train whistle.

Mr. C and Ms. P stirred and awoke, Mr. C sporting a smile before he unfolded his vest and frowned at it. He'd been forced to wear the same vest for over a month, his others being back in troodon town, and this one had a few small cuts on it from protecting Gilbert from the debris. Those cuts had grown into large rips and holes, his vest looking rather unprofessional. With a sigh, he still slipped it on before he went to grab his hat, only to find that Ms. P had taken it and was holding onto it as she looked down.

"Mister Conductor... I-" she was interrupted as her kids came down from the ridge, the siblings Tiny and Don working in tandem to carry Buddy back down with them while Shiny carried Gilbert herself.

"The train is back!" Tiny exclaimed while the other kids devolved into a mess of talking. Ms. P smiled at them.

"It sure is. Lets all walk the Conductor to the station and say good bye." she said on parental reflex, but her heart sunk right after she said that, not liking the taste of those words as she looked back at him, the somber expression reflecting back on his face as she handed him his hat. He took it slowly, making sure to grasp her hand and give it a squeeze before he took it and placed it on his head.

"All right everyone, lets go to the station." Mr. C said, the kids cheering, all except Tiny who was watching her mother fidget, before they all began the walk/fly to the station.

Upon arriving, the family could see that the train was extra long with many more passenger cars, though it still kept the engines on either end. Laura waved at everyone while Mrs. C stepped off the train and up to her son.

"Well, Sonny Boy, we're here. Are you all set to save some other families?" she asked. Mr. C swallowed, looking back at the Pteranodon family and Gilbert. He hesitated, which gave his mother time to speak up again. "What about you, Gilbert? You up for helping us save some folks?" Gilbert looked at her, the idea of being part of such a big responsibility making his pride swell as he smiled, but the grip on his left side made him look back at Shiny, who wore an expression of worry. He felt his heart melting before he spoke.

"Could I bring Shiny with?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. This is strictly a troodon... and giganotosaurus rescue team." Mrs. C said, stating it as if it was law. Gilbert looked back at Shiny, then looked at Mrs. C.

"Then... sorry... I guess I'll have to miss this train." he said before Shiny abruptly gave him a brief smooch on the cheek, making him flush and Mrs. C laugh before she looked back at her son.

"Well, that's that. Now, Sonny Boy, are you ready?" she asked. Mr. C looked at Ms. P, then back at his mother, breathing a little harder before he spoke.

"Yes, Mother." he said. "I'll be joining you." he said, though his tone was fairly defeated. Ms. P's heart hammered in her chest as everything slowed down and he started to step away, seeing him turn away and slowly start walking towards the train car. Tiny saw it unfold, seeing her mother's face straining harder and harder, and in that split second, shouted just one word.

"Mom!" she said, making Ms. P look at her. Upon seeing her daughter's eyes, she knew what she was saying, especially as she hugged Buddy close. Ms. P turned back to Mr. C and grabbed his arm, making Mrs. C's eyes widen, though she remained quiet. Mr. C spun around to look at Ms. P and hung his head.

"I have to go... I know these places so well and I've been from one end of the line to the beginning more times than I could count..." he said, though Ms. P smiled and nodded as she held his hand.

"I know... and I want you to go... but... promise me you'll come back?" she asked. Mr. C looked at her, a little puzzled before he met her eyes. Those large, deep blue pools that he could swim in all day. He watched as her hands moved and grasped either side of his face, pulling it closer to her own as she flushed ever deeper. Her hands on his face felt so soft, so gentle. He was about to smile before she touched the tip of her beak to his lips, giving him the smallest of kisses before she pulled back. He blinked once before he smiled, feeling his insides, which were previously on pins and needles, suddenly melt into a comfortable warmth. As he felt that warmth, he wondered why he never kissed her before.

Soon enough, the sounds of the world returned, though the first thing both of them heard was Mrs. C.

"My Sonny Boy..." she said, smiling, albeit softly. Mr. C looked at her and flushed before he swallowed, tugging on his collar before he rushed passed his mother and got onto the train. Ms. P bashfully rubbed her arm, but found her hands swept up by Mrs. C. "That's what I want to see." she said, making Ms. P blink in confusion, which Mrs. C cleared up. "Moving forward with your life."

"I..." Ms. P was at a loss for words before Mrs. C continued.

"My husband hasn't been around for a very long time, so I know what it feels like to be without them." she said, her expression softening. "It's important to remember them, to mourn them, but it's more important to ensure tomorrow is a better day." she said. "Remember... Your husband lives on through your kids. Always remember that." she said, smiling as she released Ms. P's hands before turning and stepping onto the train, shutting the door. "I'll make sure he comes back." she said, giving Ms. P a wink before shouting. "ALL ABOARD!" she called out as the engines huffed and the train started moving.

Ms. P was in a small bit of shock from what Mrs. C had said to her, but she could see Mr. C at one of the windows, looking back out at her. Ms. P ran along the deck of the station, reaching the end of it as she waved at him, seeing him wave back in return, smiling before the train continued down the tracks and vanished into the time tunnel.

Ms. P stood there, looking at the empty time tunnel. She almost hated to admit it, but she felt a little lost now that he wasn't going to be around. Her attention was brought back when she felt someone touching her side and looked down to see Tiny standing there, looking up at her with a smile. Ms. P looked back at the other youngsters, seeing them all still fairly far back, just talking among each other before she looked down at Tiny again.

"Good job, Mom." Tiny said, making Ms. P blink a few times.

"Tiny?" she said, not really knowing how to respond to her daughter's statement.

"You let The Conductor know how you really feel about him." she said. Ms. P gave her a blank stare for a few moments as it all processed in her head and she found herself blushing.

"I... How I... Really feel about him..." she echoed, thinking on those words coming from her child's beak again as she looked up at the tunnel, then back down at her.

"Yes, you said you want to see him again. That you want him to come back." she said, the smile still as big as ever on her face. "But most of all, you gave him a ki-" Ms. P gently grasped her daughter's beak in her hand and silenced her as Ms. P's face reddened severely.

"Tiny... I'm... going to need to know where you keep coming up with all these words of wisdom." she said, trying to bring some levity to the situation as she let go of her daughter's face.

"Well, from Dad!" she said, flapping her wings in excitement. Ms. P's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she felt a chill run up her back.

"Tiny... what are you talking about?" Ms. P asked, no longer sure what Tiny was talking about in the slightest.

"Well... I would go fishing with Dad and I talked to him a lot about a lot of things." she said before she finally blushed and twiddled her fingers. "Like how to talk to a boy I really like." she said, looking up at her mother. "And I learned what Shiny felt when she was scared that Gilbert was... gone... and what she should have done much sooner." Ms. P's breathing returned to a more normal pacing, letting out a sigh.

"I see. I'm glad you remember so much from your father." she said as she knelt down and hugged her daughter, who hugged her in return before she whispered.

"I also asked "What would Dad say?" if he wasn't around and Mister Conductor was helping us a lot." Ms. P's eyes sprung open as Tiny leaned in and whispered the answer into her mother's ear. Her body locked up and she held her breath at what she was hearing, but not because of it being outlandish.

But because it was the same answer she had been coming up with the last seven days.

She gently pulled her daughter away from her ear and looked at her happy little face, joy that she hadn't seen since this mess started finally gracing her face. Ms. P nuzzled her daughter and stood up with her in her wings, looking at the tunnel and smiling.

Ms. P had something important to tell Mr. C, if he indeed returned.

Mr. C waved to Ms. P, watching her run along the deck of the station before the train slipped into the time tunnel. He stepped back from the window as the train continued through the passageway of lights, offering a surreal backdrop as he got lost in his thoughts.

He still felt that warm, pleasing tingle through his body, a warm softness he hadn't quite felt before. This wasn't the sort of warmth he got when he was flirting with Erma and she flirted back, this was so much more intense. He realized that he must have been smiling when his mother finally stepped up and began talking.

"I can see she's left quite the impression on you." she said, making Mr. C jump and look at her smiling face. "I can't remember a time where you ever seemed reluctant to get on a train."

"Oh Mother..." he said, rubbing his neck and flushing, but instead of her usual laughter, she grasped his hand, cupping it in both of her own, making him look at her.

"I mean it." she said, her expression honest and kind. "She isn't flirting with you or being as forward like Erma was, but she honestly cares about you and wants you in her life. Not just as some pretty boy, but because she needs you. She needs your help and your heart in her life." she said, sharing a rare moment with her adult son. He blinked a few times and swallowed as he suddenly didn't know where he should be looking before settling on his mother's face.

"Mother? Are... is... is this even all right?" he asked. "She just lost her husband... nearly lost her son. What if I'm just some shoehorned in replacement?" he said, pessimism worming it's way into his head.

"Sonny Boy, you know full well that's not the case." his mother said firmly. "She was about to get into a fist and claw fight with Erma OVER YOU. Over who'd get to be with you. Erma should have easily swept you off your feet when she showed back up after what you'd been through, but you were DEPRESSED to see her, knowing you'd have to tell her you didn't feel the same way about her that you once did." Mr. C flushed, now knowing what that fight he stopped was all about.

"They were gonna... over me? But..." he suddenly found his words failing him.

"Sonny Boy... you've been there for her the whole time. You helped her kids, you helped her. You chose to go with her into the ruined cretaceous to save her son, you chose to stay with her instead of taking the train back with us to prepare for the rescue mission." she said before she took a finger and tugged at one of the holes on his vest near the collar. "This hole isn't from a rip or a tear." she said, making Mr. C look down at the rather circular hole in the fabric. "It's been eaten away by a salty liquid, and unless you've been swimming in the ocean with your vest on, I'd say it's from all the crying she's probably done, and you comforting her." she said. Mr. C was flabbergasted at how accurate his mother's statements were.

"Yeah... I can't help it... when she is sad, I just have to... make her feel safe..." he said as he flushed, but looked at his mother.

"I'll bet you do... That wasn't a kiss from someone who think's you're some replacement, and I'll bet you know it." she said, smirking a bit as he bashfully smiled before he nodded.

"Yeah... I guess you're right..." he said before his mother finally laughed.

"Oh I know I'm right. But Sonny Boy, she's going to want an answer when you come back. I can bet you she'll be at that station when we come back, so make sure you got that answer for her by then." she said as she stepped away from him.

Mr. C placed a hand over his chest. She cared for him very deeply. It was simple to think about and made him smile as he knew he shared the feelings, he was just too afraid to show them... or had he already? Yes, his mother already told him that he did, but he felt downcast as he knew he wasn't being completely honest with his emotions... Something Ms. P has berated him over at least twice so far. He chuckled at that thought and knew he'd need just the right way to tell her how he felt.

The lights around the train faded and the train slightly vibrated on the tracks. He looked out a window to see the gray world before him and sighed.

That would have to wait. For now, he had people to help save.

Ms. P had gone back home before taking most of her kids fishing. Gilbert and Buddy were left up in the nest by the ridge while the fishing took place, something that would most likely be changed when Buddy regained more of his health and when Gilbert was more assured of his balance. The day passed a little slower for Ms. P who didn't have another adult to spend time with, but at the same time, it helped her mentally prepare for Mr. C's return.

Eventually, night fell, and just as before, all the kids were placed up on the ridge. After she saw Shiny snuggled with Gilbert and Tiny snuggled tightly up to Buddy, and Don in his hole again, she smiled before she flew down to the ground nest, but suddenly stopped as she stood next to it.

Empty. She didn't know why she expected anyone to be there, but the fact that the nest was empty made it seem more forbidden than her original worries of sharing it with Mr. C. Or perhaps forbidden wasn't the correct feeling.

Cold, lonely. Those words seemed to fit better. She placed her hands on the side of it and crawled into it before she sat down. She looked up at the starry night sky, sighing gently as her thoughts kept asking if she was making the right decision, but if anything, her loneliness at this moment was helping sway her decision. She slowly hugged herself before she lay down in the nest and closed her eyes. It felt so cold without him holding her like he had every night. She chuckled as she realized that he basically was spoiling her with how cuddly he was. She sighed again, but as she drew her breath in through her nose, she smelled something. It was faint, but a second breath, she smelled it; she could smell him from where he slept over the month. Her slight feeling of unease calmed as she gently kept breathing, his faint scent letting her think on what she was going to do, what she was going to say to him when he finally came back.

Two days had passed and Ms. P was on pins and needles as the sun crested over the ridge. She was fairly certain she knew what she would do and say, but also knew she should attend to the needs of the family first.

Family... Gilbert had been with them now probably longer than Mr. C and it was clear Shiny would never leave his side. She smiled to herself as she thought on it before she flew up to the ridge, but aside from Don being in his hole, still asleep, Shiny and Gilbert squeaked and jumped apart, as did Buddy and Tiny. Ms. P blinked a few times. She'd flown up here the past few days just like this and they never gave her such a reaction, though she did note that her anxiousness about Mr. C returning DID have her up here a bit earlier than normal.

"H-hi Mom." Shiny said, clearing her throat. "Morning already?" she said, clearly the voice of someone who hadn't been asleep for a while.

"Yeah, good morning Ms. P." Gilbert said, though his face was plenty flushed as well. Ms. P turned her attention to Tiny and Buddy, but unlike the bashful expressions of Shiny and Gilbert, they were almost depressed.

"All right." Ms. P said as she stood in the nest and crossed her wings. "Now I know one of you will tell me what you were up to." she said, though she had a rather good idea of what they were up to. She looked at Gilbert, who was too ashamed to meet her eyes. Shiny kept looking back at Gilbert before she would look at the floor of the nest. Ms. P turned her eyes to look at Tiny and Buddy. Buddy was drawing random shapes in the bottom of the nest with a claw while Tiny fidgeted. "Kids." she said, drawing the word out and leaving a wordless ultimatum. Tiny and Buddy looked at each other before Tiny stood up and walked bashfully closer to her mother, her fingers rubbing together as she kept her head down and spoke softly.

"We... we were... touching..." she said, her face becoming more brightly colored than her mother thought possible.

"Touching." Ms. P echoed, her eyes half lidding as she looked harder at her daughter. "Hmm, that's funny... I see Shiny and Gilbert "touching" all the time and they don't seem to be shy about it." she said, knowing she could get her kids to spill-the-fish should she embarrass them. "And I've been watching you snuggle up to Buddy ever since he was saved. You didn't seem bashful about that." Tiny seemingly got more tiny as she shrunk away and backed up. However, Buddy stood up and walked up next to her, giving her a tight hug.

"It's okay, I'll tell her." he said as he gave Tiny a small kiss on her beak. Ms. P hadn't seen Buddy ever do that, much less seen the type of smile that graced Tiny's face. "Mom..." he began, looking up at her with his bright green eyes, a strong, burning passion in them. "Tiny and I... we love each other." Ms. P frowned slightly.

"Of course you do. You're brother and sister." she said, having a rather stoic expression.

"No... Well... not really..." Buddy rubbed his arms. "Yes... we're your kids, but... I'm adopted. I know this. I know I'm a T rex, not a Pteranodon." he looked back at Tiny and smiled before looking back to his mother. "When I was alone with Dad... I asked him... about finding... well, a mate." he said, a blush now crossing his face. Ms. P finally swallowed at the mentioning of her passed husband. "He said that they would be your best friend, someone you could spend every day with and never be bored. Someone who knew everything there was to know about you and who you could share all your secrets with..." He looked up, tears staining his eyes. "I made a promise to Tiny a long time ago, that I'd always look out for her, even when I'm a full grown T rex. I... wasn't able to while I was with Dad... But since you and Mister Conductor saved me..." Tiny interrupted him as she hugged him, sniffling. He turned and gave her a hug in return as he too sniffled, his breath hitching. Ms. P smiled, tears lining her eyes as she knelt down and hugged both of her kids.

"Shhh... it's all right... It's perfectly okay for you to love each other more than brother and sister." she said as she pulled back and looked down at them as they looked up at her.

"R-really?!" Tiny said, though her mother chuckled.

"Yes, but I want you both to remember something, even if Buddy is adopted." the two watched her. "You're still apart of this family..." she hugged them tightly. "and I'm still your Mom..." The two youngsters hugged against their mother as she smiled before she let go and stood up, clearing her throat and wiping her eyes. "Now, you still haven't told me what you were doing." she said. Buddy and Tiny looked up at her as they flushed and fidgeted before Buddy spoke.

"W-well... Tiny and I were... really close and... we wanted to do more than snuggle... Shiny and Gilbert saw us and told us some more things we could do..." he said. Ms. P turned and looked at Shiny and Gilbert, who looked like they wanted to thrown themselves off the ridge.

"Uh huh... and?" Ms. P said, smirking a bit to herself.

"W-well... we all knew about mating and that... you do it with someone special that you really love, but... we weren't too sure we should do it. Then Shiny and Gilbert showed us about... umm... touching each other... to make each other feel good." he said, probably most of the blood in his body rushing to his face. Shiny and Gilbert had their faces buried in their hands while Tiny was doing the same. Ms. P finally responded, but it was far from what they were expecting.

She laughed.

"Oh my, that's simply too precious!" she said as she sat down and all the youngsters looked on, utterly confused. Ms. P calmed down from her laughter before she began speaking. "You kids are a lot older than you look, and you've been through so much. It's perfectly fine for you to be in love..." she looked at Shiny and Gilbert. "And... touching... as long as you don't hurt each other, it should be all right." she said before she raised a finger. "But mating..." she was going to give them a proper talk like her parents had done for her when she was young, but stopped and realized that both relationships were mixed species. She knew the troubles of simply raising an offspring of a different species, but one as a mate? "Mating... could be trouble and... it wouldn't be very smart to try it yet." she said pointing at Buddy. "Like we all know, Buddy will become a huge T rex and Tiny... he could hurt you very badly if you both weren't very careful." Buddy, in reflex, hugged Tiny, who gripped him in return.

"I'll never hurt her..." he said as Tiny smiled.

"You'll always look out for me?" Tiny asked as Buddy smiled and nodded.

"And I'll get to ride on his head!" chimed in Don, who'd apparently woken up. Everyone glanced at him and laughed.

"All right kids, lets get ready to get some breakfast. Who wants to fish today?"

Don, Shiny, and Tiny all jumped up and flapped, ready to fly to get some breakfast.

The fishing was rather plentiful for breakfast. Ms. P had made some satchels for them to carry fish back for Gilbert and Buddy, along with the extras for lunch. As Ms. P was weaving another satchel on the shoreline, while Tiny and Shiny were out over the water, Don walked up to her.

"Mom?" he spoke up. She looked down at him.

"Yes, Don?" she asked simply.

"Can I... ask a question?" Ms. P was a bit perplexed. Don seemed to be fidgeting in place and normally spoke his mind instead of asking permission.

"Yes of course you can." she said as she set the satchel down and sat next to him. "What's wrong?" he continued to nervously tap his claws together before he asked.

"Is it really okay to be with a mate that isn't a Pteranodon?" Ms. P blinked a few times at his question.

"Well... if the Pteranodon and the other one love each other very much, I don't see why they can't be mates." she replied. Don sniffled and rubbed his beak.

"So... it really is okay?" he asked again.

"Well yes. They won't be able to have any eggs, so they will have to adopt their kids, but they can still be a happy family." she explained as Don seemed to keep getting sadder.

"Okay..." he said, before he continued. "I want to go home and make another hole." Ms. P blinked again as that generally meant he was feeling especially terrible. She looked at the satchel before looking at Don again before she nodded.

"All right but... what's wrong?" she asked. Don sniffled and muttered something. Seeing him sniffle was too much as she scooped him up and hugged him close. "What was that?" she asked before he leaned into her ear and muttered the word again.

"Lily..." he said. That seemed to be the dam blocking the flow as he suddenly started crying, squeezing tightly to his mother. Ms. P was shocked as he suddenly broke down. Lily? Did she know a Lily? Her eyes widened as she finally settled and recalled who the name belonged to.

Lily Lambeosaurus, the youngest of their Lambeosaurus neighbors. Former neighbors, at least.

Ms. P's heart sunk as she recalled that the little female was rather enamored with Don, sharing his interests and enjoying the time she shared with him. But the worst part was that they lived right next to their own family at Pteranodon Terrace, the ruined place she had just been to. She didn't see anything of the Lambeosaurus family. She didn't hear much of anything about it either, Buddy only made a vague mention of it as he went over the events he'd been through. Now Don was crying about Lily...

"Don? I didn't think you liked Lily that much." she said pulling him back with a somber expression on her face as she stroked his cheek.

"I... I didn't think we were... supposed to..." he sniffled. "I thought we could only like... other Pteranodons... I didn't know I could..." he sniffled again before his mother hugged him close as he started crying again.

She had been there. She had been to the time period. She'd seen the destruction and seen how it claimed her husband and nearly claimed Buddy. She wanted to comfort Don, but how? He was suffering from the sorrow of losing someone who was fond of him but he didn't acknowledge her affection because he didn't know any better. Worse yet, she knew that the chances of any of the Lambeosaurus family surviving was slim at best.

"I'm so sorry, Don..." she said softly as she slowly stroked his back. She wasn't going to lie to him, but she didn't need to burden him with a truth that he probably already was accepting. She used one hand to finish the satchel before she let out a squawk to call her daughters back. Both of them saw her holding Don as he continued to cry and shudder against his mother.

"What happened to Don?" Shiny asked, perplexed. Her mother looked at her, then back do Don, wearing a sad expression.

"It's... private. Don just needs to feel sad right now... he'll tell you later if he feels like it." she said as she gave him another close hug, his sobbing having dialed back into sniffling. "Are you all right to fly home?" she asked and he nodded, hopping from her arms, despite his downcast expression, getting by the grips of one of the satchels, ready to haul it home. His sisters joined him in carrying one while Ms. P carried the other back to the nest.

The group ate and Don calmed down significantly after he cried, but something was bothering Ms. P. She felt like something wasn't right. Looking up at the sky, she noted the placement of the sun for some time around noon, and finally realized it. Almost at the same time, Tiny spoke up.

"Hey, didn't The Conductor say he'd be back by now?" she said simply. Ms. P nodded.

"Yeah he did... I hope everything is all right..." she said, trailing off. The youngsters noticed that her expression dropped and she seemed very distant, until Tiny touched her hand, startling her and making her look down at her daughter.

"It's all right... He'll be back, I know it." she said, smiling. Just one of those innocent childlike smiles that warms the heart from how honest it is. Ms. P smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah, he'll be all right." she said as she continued eating.

Two more days passed, turning the alleged two day trip into a four day trip with each day getting harder and harder for Ms. P to wait through. She sat awake in the ground nest, looking as the sun slowly raised over the treeline. The anticipation of something that may or may not happen was starting to claw at her mind.

Then she heard it. She thought she was just imagining it, but then she heard it again.

The train whistle.

"KIDS!" she screeched, causing five heads to look over the ridge. "The train is back! Lets hurry and see!" she said as she flew up to the ridge and grabbed Buddy, who'd done a good job filling himself back out over such a short period of time. Don and Shiny carried Gilbert while Tiny flew close to her mother.

It didn't take them long to reach the station, but the train wasn't the same one that carried the rescue crews, this looked to be the standard dinosaur train they were familiar with, complete with a single, nicely crafted engine, a single passenger car, the observation car, with Laura in it, and a caboose. The door to the passenger car opened up and Mrs. Conductor stepped out of it.

"Well hello there, Pteranodon family! Hello there, Gilbert." she said, smiling to the kids who all chimed together.

"Hello Mrs. Conductor!" Mrs. C turned her attention to Ms. P, who was looking up and down the train, looking for a familiar face. She needed to see the vest with the gold pocket watch. She needed to see that hat. She needed to see his face. She was startled as Mrs. C grasped one of her hands to get her attention.

"I'm sorry it took so long. We had to dig out the other tunnel that lead to later periods in time and found that they are indeed all safe. The digging took the better part of a whole day while we searched for as many survivors as possible before taking them to troodon town where we have better medical facilities than a simple train station." Ms. P looked at Mrs. C.

"Survivors? You mean you found more who survived that... wasteland?" Mrs. C nodded.

"Sure did. They are mostly in troodon town, like I said, but... one of them insisted they come along here when they found out about your family." she said, smiling as she opened the door to the observation car.

Everyone just stood there a moment as they saw the small figure before she suddenly shouted.

"DON!" she screeched as she ran across the deck of the station.

"LILY!" he said shortly before she bowled him over, the two hugging tightly as they lay on the deck of the station, kissing each other repeatedly as tears dripped from their eyes. Ms. P's other kids and Gilbert watched the display, more emotions being shown by their brother that they didn't even know he had as he held the little Lambeosaurus tightly. He finally pulled back from her to talk. "How did you make it?"

"Holes! Your holes, Don!" she said as she squeezed him. "I hid in one when the hot rocks started falling from the sky, but you also had a bunch of leaves and things in many of the other holes that my dad didn't eat." she said.

"And... your family?" he asked. She looked a little downcast.

"They hid in some trees and went deeper into the surrounding forest. They avoided the big boom and the fire, but they had a hard time getting food since Dad kept eating all of it anytime he found it. Mom didn't like that... they argued a lot, then the rescue team found them..." she said. "They didn't know I survived until the rescue team found me, they kept looking for me but... I didn't know, I just kept hiding in the holes you made. I did it, with your help." she said, smiling as she hugged Don again and the two finally climbed to their feet.

"Daww, young love..." Mrs. C said, wiping a faux tear from her eye. "Okay kids, lemme tell you all what happened." she said as she guided the six youngsters towards the station. Ms. P nearly went with them when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me, M'am, but I do believe you dropped something." she froze a moment before she turned slowly and finally saw him. Wearing a fresh hat, a fresh vest, and a softly blushing smile as he leaned out of one of the windows in the passenger car, The Conductor was holding out a single white flower. She flushed and smiled, feeling a warmth relight in her chest.

"For me?" she asked.

"Only for the world's best Mom." he said as she gently took the flower from him. He stepped back inside the window and stepped out of the car. She watched him walk up to her, the corners of her beak straining with how hard she was smiling before he opened his arms up to her and the two of them embraced.

Feeling his warm body grasping her brought a comfort and security back to her heart that she had missed since he'd been gone, and it felt so right to feel him back. Her hands clutched to his back as tightly as they could, not wanting to let go as she felt his claws slightly digging into her skin, a pricking sensation that she didn't mind in the least as he hugged her almost possessively.

They lost track of how long they were grasping each other before they slowly pulled apart, smiling as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Mister Conductor..." she started, before he placed a single finger on her beak and swallowed.

"Call me Sonny..." Ms. P craned her head to the side.

"Isn't that your mother's nickname for you and... what Thurston calls you to pester you?" she asked.

"On the job, we tend to refer to each other by titles, but... Sonny is what my mother calls me because she loves me. Thurston TRIES to say it to pester me." he said, rolling his eyes and chuckling. "But... I'd like you to call me Sonny."

"All right, "Sonny"." she said, chuckling before she took a deep breath and calmed down. "I've been thinking about this for a while now and..." She looked into his soft brown eyes as she felt those words Erma and Tiny had told her ringing loudly in her mind as she swallowed, holding his hands in her own. "and I'd like to know if... I could join you as your mate." she said, her heart pounding in her chest as hard as she'd ever felt in her life. His expression softened and he smiled briefly before the smile left him and he shook his head.

"No... No, Ms. P... I couldn't see you joining my family." all at once, her world shattered. Had everything been wrong? Had she seen his emotions the wrong way? Was he just feeling obligated to take care of her family and didn't REALLY care about them? About her? Her beak was stuck open, slack as her eyes welled up. "Joining my family would be torture. Days apart at a time, constantly on the train, no days off, no days to experience love... romance... to take care of a family." Ms. P didn't know what hurt more, his denial of her request, or the fact that he was right. "After all, that's why Erma and I never got together." Ms. P felt a deep chill in her core. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears out. She felt embarrassed, stupid for thinking what she had thought. She suddenly felt one of his hands under her beak, lifting her head up, and opened her eyes. There he was. That handsome, smart, caring, loving dinosaur who'd taken care of her all this time. Something that hurt even more was how she knew that he didn't hate her. She watched as his expression of worry grew into a smile as he gently rubbed her tears away with a thumb. "I could never be with you if I kept my job as Conductor... That's why..." He reached up and grabbed his hat, removing it before tossing it carelessly across the deck. She watched it briefly hit the deck, rolling away, before she looked into his face, then her heart fluttered as she watched him kneel down in front of her, still holding her hand. "Miss Pteranodon... I'd like to ask if I could join YOUR family... As your mate." he said, his face flushed and his eyes locked intently onto her own as he looked up at her. "I wouldn't want to spend a day away from your family, away from you... And despite it being my love in life..." he smiled with tears in his eyes. "I think I love someone more than I love trains." There was a tense moment of silence as they stared at each other. Ms. P shuddered in place, her throat frozen for a moment before the answer she wanted to say, the answer she HAD to say, finally sprung free

"Yes... yes of course!" she said as she stepped closer before hugging him tightly as he embraced her in return, the two of them shuddering as they wept, not out of sadness, but sheer happiness at finally accepting their feelings for each other.

It felt so natural, so freeing to accept all of this, to finally be holding each other but not be hiding behind their emotions, that they didn't hear the cheering at first. They slowly broke the hug as they wiped their eyes, seeing all six of the youngsters cheering from the doorway of the station while Mrs. C had tears pouring from her eyes, of which she was dabbing up with a small cloth.

"My Sonny Boy... and Misses Pteranodon..." she said as she stepped up to them. "It's so beautiful!" she said as she smiled amidst her tears. Sonny and Mrs. P looked back at each other as Sonny stood up and they grasped each other's hands, smiling before looking back at her. "I know it was a little early, but I actually got a special living area for your family back in troodon town. If you want, we can head there right away." she offered before she glanced back at the kids. "And, uh, I could watch the kids for the night." she said, giving a wink. Mrs. P and Sonny flushed a bit at her implication but Mrs. P spoke up.

"That sounds wonderful but... I'd like to spend one more night here in the Jurassic... with Sonny here... before we move again." she said. Sonny looked down at her, confused before she winked at him. Putting his trust in her, he nodded.

"I'm with her." he said as he pulled her close, his arm around her back as she leaned into him, hugging his side with a small squawk. He looked down at her and smiled. "Then again, I always was, wasn't I?" he said, to which Mrs. P giggled softly and nodded.

"All right." Mrs. C said, still smiling at them before she looked up. "So did you get that?" Everyone's eyes looked up at where Mrs. C was looking, seeing Laura still in the observation car, sniffling slightly before she nodded.

"Yes, I got it... oh it was beautiful..." she said as she presented an actual speed painted portrait of Sonny kneeling before Mrs. Pteranodon. "I'll be sure to have it fully finished before we come to get you tomorrow." she said, smiling at the newly paired couple. Mrs. C grinned before she turned to the kids.

"So kids, anything you need before I take you on the train to show you your new home in troodon town?" the youngsters chimed up as they still had a few things back at the nest ground, but the Pteranodon youngsters, despite flapping their wings for a moment, took a look at their land bound partner and stopped. Mrs. P chuckled as she saw them all react the same way.

"It's all right, we can all walk." she said, looking up at Sonny. "I think we'd all enjoy our present company a bit more than the short flight."

The whole group, along with Mrs. C, all walked casually back to the ridge and nests. Mrs. P kept her head against her new husband as she watched her kids. Shiny and Gilbert had always been cute together and the two of them seemed to mirror Mrs. P and Sonny in a bit of an ironic twist. Buddy and Tiny were snuggling up more than ever, Buddy having taken his declaration of protection over her quite seriously and acting out on it more than he ever did prior to the catastrophe. The surprise that she still couldn't believe was Don and Lily, who she didn't even really know had any affection for each other until a few days ago. She was so happy that Lily survived, most likely gaining a whole new level of affection for Don since he basically saved her life after she got separated from her family, and Don was free to accept her affection after he talked to his mother just a few days prior.

When they reached the ridge and nests, the kids flew up to the ridge, grabbing the few artifacts that Buddy had saved, along with the extra Tiny Doll that Mrs. P had crafted. Part of Mrs. P grew warm when she saw Buddy insisting he carry two of them while Tiny carried the other, insisting on being the one watching over their charges.

"Well, I believe that's everything for everyone." Mrs. C stated. "There will be a train tomorrow afternoon to pick you two up and take you to troodon town." she said, smiling and having to dab her eyes again as she looked at the couple again, stepping up to her son. "Ohhhh... my little Sonny Boy is all grow uuuuup..." she said as he flushed slightly before they hugged.

"Oh Mother... I guess it had to happen some day." he said as they pulled apart and she grasped his hands.

"You take good care of that beautiful lady." she said before she turned to Mrs. P. "Please take care of my little boy... Goodness, it's like letting your kid free in the world..." she said, though Mrs. P smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll take very good care of him." she said as she stepped up to his side and placed a hand on his chest. "I've done a good job so far, haven't I?" He flushed as he grinned, chuckled and nodded in reply.

"All right... I'll leave you two to your night. Be safe!" she said, waving at the couple as the kids did the same before they chanted at once.

"See you tomorrow!"

"Bye kids! Be good for Mrs. Conductor!" Mrs. P said.

"We will, Mom!" said her kids as they devolved into talking as they walked with Mrs. C back to the station.

Mrs. P and Mr. C merely sat with each other, looking over the lake until they heard the train whistle blow and the train chugging down the tracks.

"Well, it's just us now..." Sonny said as he looked down at his bride. "Misses P." he said. She chuckled a little before she gave him a sideways glance.

"Surely you can do better than "Misses P." to call me by. It makes it sound like we're not even a couple, Sonny Boy." she said with a smirk. He chuckled in return.

"Whatever you say, Hon." he said with a smile, to which she let out a soft squawk and leaned against him.

"That's more like it..." she said softly.

The two of them just continued to watch the lake and hold each other as the day lazily passed by, just enjoying the sensation as they held each other. The fact that they knew they belonged with each other. Eventually Mrs. P stirred as one of her hands rubbed along Sonny's chest before popping open one of the buttons on his vest.

"Since you're not working... why don't you take this off?" she suggested, smiling at him with those gorgeous eyes. He looked down at his vest and smiled before he reluctantly let go of his bride and undid the rest of the buttons before slipping it off. He folded it neatly before he stepped up to the ground nest, setting it inside of it before he turned back to see his bride having moved to the shade of a tree, leaning her back against it as she smiled at him and beckoned him over with a single finger. It was a simple gesture, but she had a way of half lidding her eyes that made it SO much more tempting. He walked up to her and sat down before she began pushing on his side. "Lay down." she instructed. He shrugged and did as she asked, rolling onto his back, his head ending up in her lap. "There we go..." she said softly as her hands slowly stroked along his face, one hand covering his eyes and making him chuckle as she ran her hand along his neck. "Are you really going to be okay with giving up your life as Conductor?" she asked.

"For you? For your family? It's a small thing... Just a job, really." he said as he closed his eyes, relaxing as she slowly felt and stroked along his neck muscles. "I may have a love of trains and spent a lot of time working to be where I am... Even having the fortune of a mother who was conductor before me and owner of the company... But... this last month changed everything." he said as he opened his eyes to look up at her beautiful face. "And I found that I enjoyed being apart of your life... being with someone who loved me like you do... and who I loved, was worth more than any job could ever offer." she smiled softly as she stroked his face with a hand before her other hand reached the base of his neck.

"I remember the day it happened... you were beat up, cuts and torn clothing... barely salvaged Gilbert and watched a co worker die right in front of you." she said as her expression turned grim as she slowly rubbed soft circles on the base of his neck. "You took the time to tell us... to break it to us gently... and all I could do... was try to strangle you." she said, closing her eyes. "As if you were somehow accountable for everything that happened... Had Tiny not interrupted me I..." she felt his hand touch her cheek and opened her eyes to see him roll over and look into her face.

"But Tiny DID stop you, and even now, I don't blame you." he said, cupping her cheek in his hand as she leaned into it. "You were just being a protective mother... And ALL protective mothers get like that." he said, chuckling lightly. "You should have seen the expression on my mother's face any time Thurston or the other students smarted off at me. Woo, makes my feathers stand on end just thinking about it." he said, at which point both finally chuckled. She slid her hand up to his head, gently brushing the soft feathers atop it.

"I hardly saw you without your hat before this all happened, and I was too ashamed to say it but... you're rather handsome with this... feathery crest." she said before her hand gently cupped the back of his head. He smiled and flushed, a look of modest pride across his face as his hand cupping her cheek slowly slipped behind her own head and the two began to pull each other closer. Both gently flushed, her beak parting as his lips parted, gently tilting their heads as lips and beak gently interlocked, his lips pressing to the corners of her beak. Her narrow tongue gently reached out for his own, only to meet a warm, thick, fleshy tongue that pressed back, gently wrapping around her own. The sensation made her shudder softly as the hand on the back of his head squeezed tightly, both of their free hands reaching to hug each other closer as they slowly intertwined their tongues with one another. Eventually both felt short of breath and gently parted, sliding back as they looked at each other with soft blushes, but smiles on their faces. "Wow... I had no idea troodon tongues were... so... different." she said, smiling and giggling a bit.

"Warm blooded and a different diet." he said, shrugging before he chuckled and lay back down, resting his head in her lap. "I had no idea Pteranodon beaks were so soft." She responded by leaning down and giving him a shorter kiss on the lips with the end of her beak as she gently rubbed his face, coaxing him to relax and close his eyes. She took the opportunity to gently play with his feathers, making them chuckle at first, but she really was enjoying playing with something Pteranodons didn't have.

They slowly wasted the day away, remaining together as night came. Sonny and Mrs. P had taken a nap in the shade of the tree, but night had fully set in, making the area quite dim. Mrs. P was first to wake up. She smiled as she looked into the sky; tonight would be perfect. She looked down into her lap and smiled, tilting his face up as she gently dotted kisses along his lips, making him pucker his lips and kiss her in return as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Mmm... now that's a lovely wakeup..." he said as he smiled at her. She chuckled and smiled back at his large, nocturnal eyes.

"And you'll get many more like that." she said, kissing him one more time. "But I could use a bit of help. It's dark now and I need some extra branches and twigs... Could you help gather some from the foliage?" he blinked and sat up, stretching.

"Sure thing, what do you need them for?" he asked as he stood up.

"Oh you'll see." she said as she stood up and tapped his nose with a finger. He chuckled and walked off into the brush.

It didn't take him too long to grab arms full of branches and twigs, but what she was planning wasn't very clear. Still, Sonny liked that. He soon came out of the brush, carrying his large mass of foliage.

"I hope this is enough for what..." he looked around the grounds, up on the ridge, around the lake, and saw nothing. "Hon?" he asked, looking around. She was here not too long ago and it's too dark for her to have gone anywhere. He kept looking around, growing more and more fearful. "Hon? Come on now..." All to quickly, his mind began racing. Had something happened to her? Had one of the wild dinosaurs raided the ground while he was gone? He was now turning in circles, paranoid and clutching his lumber before a loud sound from the lake made him give out a less-than-brave squeal of panic, dropping all of his branches and falling to the ground as he looked at the lake. His fear evaporated as he took in what he had been frightened by, and instead of looking on in terror, looked on in awe.

Mrs. P had stood up in the shallows of the lake, the water only up to her hips as she kept her back to Sonny. She slowly stretched out her wings before looking over her shoulder, her blue eyes and water covered skin shimmering in the light of the full moon. Sonny sat there on the ground, his jaws agape as he looked at her. She then flicked the edges of her wings, sprinkling little droplets of water into the air that reflected the moon and looked like little droplets of light falling from the stars. It took a moment for Sonny to even close his mouth, much less get back to his feet.

"You... are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." he said softly as he found himself walking up to her, stepping into the cool water until he was right behind her. She smiled over her shoulder, but flushed all the same as his hands reached out and gently grasped her own, slowly making her hug herself as he leaned over her back, wrapping her in his arms.

"Coming from someone who's seen so much of the world... To say I'm flattered is a bit of an understatement." she said, laughing softly. The laugh turned into a low groan as she felt his lips press to the side of her neck. She let him gently kiss her there before she slipped free of his grasp and took his hand, walking them to shore. "The branches were just a distraction... I wanted to look my best for you tonight..." she said as she gently sat down, still dripping dry. Sonny sat next to her, a flush on his face.

"You mean you'd..." he let his sentence hang and she nodded.

"Yes..." she replied, taking his hand into her own. "It's... the closest any two can get... In the light of the full moon... To BE mates." she said, but Sonny was growing nervous.

"Hon... umm... I don't know how to say this..." he said. Mrs. P's heart sunk as he looked away.

"Is... is something wrong?" she asked. He nodded and swallowed, but didn't speak. What was bothering him? Was it something she did? "Am I going too fast?" she asked, again, he shook his head. "Is this... about your promise to never touch me? But that was..." again he shook his head. A rather dreadful thought crossed her mind. "It's not because... it... umm... no longer works?" she asked, rather bashful herself. At that, Sonny gave her a wide eyed expression and shook his head.

"Oh heavens no! Nothing like that!" he said as he swallowed. "It's just that... I've... never done this before..." he said. Mrs. P looked at him a bit blankly.

"The Conductor of the train and most popular dinosaur I know, short of King Cryolphosaurus... has never been with anyone?" she said, the statement sounding far fetched, but the blush on his face and a smiling nod confirmed it.

"Yep... Too busy... private time doesn't really exist, much less WITH someone." he said as he looked around. "This has honestly been the longest I've been without someone disrupting the mood." he said.

"But... that night when you were touching me... How could you have made me feel THAT good if you've never done it before?" she asked, unbelieving of his statement.

"Umm... I, uh... know a lot about many species... and, uh, part of knowing about them is... anatomy... mating..." he said, letting out another nervous chuckle. Mrs. P just looked at him.

"So... you did all that... just because you knew a lot?" she asked, getting a nod in response. Sonny didn't expect her to grab his cheeks and place a kiss on his lips. He blinked and looked at her as she smiled with those lovely half lidded eyes. "Well then... I can't wait to find out what else you know." she said as she squeezed his hand. "But, if you're nervous about this... You could just... follow my lead?" she suggested, at which he smiled.

"I like the sound of that..." he said softly. She slowly stood up, stretching her wings out again before she walked up to him and placed another kiss on his lips, then one on his jaw line before gently trailing little nibbling kisses down the side of his neck. He suddenly twitched and jerked under her touch and she looked up at him.

"Did that hurt?" she asked, though she only got a chuckle from him and a smile.

"No, it tickles!" he said, trying to hide a giggle. She smiled and continued nibble kissing her way down his neck, one of his legs twitching as he giggled and tried not to laugh or pull away from her beak, until she reached his chest, where she placed a soft kiss. As she did so, he had slowly laid down on his back, smiling up at her. She continued to keep taking glances up at his face to see if he had any objections, but she kept meeting his smile. She gently placed her hands along his chest, feeling his warm skin and the pulsing of his heart under it. Sonny let out a soft coo as her hands stroked their soft palms up one of his arms, reaching his hand and gently placing a kiss in his palm, at which point he reached the same hand forward and cupped her cheek. She let out a soft little sound as she looked back at his face, the same smile on it as before. He sat up as he pulled her face in for another slow, firm kiss. Again, her body shuddered when she felt his warm, thick tongue playing with her own. He pulled back, smiling before he placed a hand on her chest. "Now you lay back..." he instructed. She took a step back and smiled as she slowly lay down on her back, her arms open and her eyes giving a teasing flutter. Sonny's heart fluttered in return at the display of the beautiful lady laying on the ground in the moonlight. "Goodness..." he said, swallowing as he crawled over to her. He too started with a soft, warm kiss on the end of her beak before he kissed the corner of her mouth, then moved down to the crook of her neck. She let out a low moan as she felt his warm, soft lips gently suckle at her skin before she felt his teeth gently pressing against her. She tensed up and sucked in a sharp breath, holding it in partial shock, feeling completely at his mercy, before he gently ran his tongue along the non-existent "wound" he made, at which point she let out the breath she was holding in a long, low groan. Sonny pulled back and looked at her face. "You doing okay, Hon?" he asked softly, obviously unsure.

"Where... did you learn THAT from?" she asked as she blinked at him, her face wearing quite the blush.

"Well... some dinosaurs give a "dominating bite" on the neck to hang onto their partners and... some females really enjoy the feeling. I just kinda thought I'd see if you liked it." he said, still unsure of his abilities in an intimate sense. Mrs. P thought for a bit before she spoke.

"I liked it... but... don't... put those teeth anywhere else." she said, flushing a bit more as she smiled at him. He chuckled.

"As you wish, Hon." he said as he gave her neck another soft kiss as he lay down next to her, gently rubbing her still drying chest with one hand before sliding it lower to her round belly, feeling the subtle softness of it before his hand slowly slid it's way down a bit lower. She sucked in another soft breath as she felt him slowly slide his palm between her legs, pressing it to her moist folds. She made a soft groan as she splayed her legs out, but felt him no longer moving, prompting her to open her eyes and look at her new husband. He was flushed brightly and looked down at his hand between her parted legs, then back at her face. "Is this... really what you want?" he asked. Despite everything, she could tell he was still feeling shame over the time he had touched her prior.

"Sweetheart..." she said softly, bringing a hand to caress his cheek and make him look at her face before she kissed him briefly. "You're my husband, and I'm your wife. If I didn't want this, I wouldn't be here with you right now. But..." she gently ran her hand through his feathers again. "The fact that you are considerate enough to ask me is very sweet." she said, giving him another kiss. "Please, keep going." she said as she lay back down before giving his hand a playful clench between her thighs.

"Oooh, certainly." he said as he grew a new smile, pressing his lips to her neck again as he slowly circled his palm along the whole of her loins, taking time to gently feel her folds and curves as her muscles gave little twitches and clenches. He slipped his hand lower, his fingers running along her little tail, making him chuckle slightly. "I must say, I recall when you offered to "relieve my stress" in return... It was pretty hard to say no..." he said before he flushed. "Even harder after I watched you bend down to pick up my hat... because you've got a very cute butt." he said in such a way that Mrs. P had to giggle and playfully push a hand against his face.

"Oooh, you naughty dinosaur! Looking at the butt of a mother who's just trying to help you." she said in a jesting tone. She suddenly shuttered and sucked in a breath as she felt Sonny slide his hand back up and brashly spreading her moist lips, trailing a single finger across them.

"Mmmf, the butt of a mother who wanted to do some work on MY "train"." he said, chuckling. Mrs. P came down from her sharp intake with a groan that was both equal parts pleasure and misery at his pun.

"Oh no, I'm never going to hear the end of train puns with you, am I?" she said, feigning misery as she lay there with the back of her hand across her head. Sonny laughed.

"Oh maaaaaybe. Probably something about "driving into YOUR tunnel"." he said, giving her a toothy grin before she shoved her hand in his face and pushed him back playfully, making both of them laugh as he let go of her. She slowly stood up, her back to him again as he remained on his side.

"We'll have plenty of time for jokes, but..." she walked away from him, her normally awkward steps carrying a sort of sway to them that made Sonny eye her rump as she walked over to the ground nest. "For tonight, we'll leave the jokes aside, she said before she turned around. "Please, join me in the nest we've shared for this past month one more time?" she pleaded, her eyes, large and soulful, reflecting the intense moonlight. Sonny climbed to his feet, stepping over to her before he embraced her.

"Of course, Hon..." he said softly as he felt her rub her face against his chest, not in sorrow, but affection. He gently stroked her back before he pulled back from the hug and grasped her hand in his, stepping into the nest as she followed. Sonny slowly lay down, his vest still where he normally kept it in the nest, able to use it like a pillow again as he pulled his wife close, the Pteranodon laying down with him, but facing him. He knew his face would ache from how much he was smiling tonight, but he didn't care as he stroked her cheek and leaned in with her for another deep kiss, feeling her shudder once more, one of her legs lifting and her foot grasping at his leg as she pulled back, her eyes half lidded in a heated expression. He placed another kiss at her neck and gently pressed on her, coaxing her to lay on her back as he rolled on top of her before he slid down her body, kissing across her chest and dabbing gentle licks along her mostly dry skin before he placed a kiss firmly on her belly. "Before we... actually mate... I want to do something with you..." he said, though she could tell it was a request. She shifted slightly, letting her legs splay apart again as he lay on his chest between her legs.

"Go ahead... Do whatever you want..." she said in a heated tone, breathing deeply as she lay her head back and began to feel his fingers gently stroking her loins. He gently spread her moist lips with two fingers, getting his first actual look at her moist, glistening insides, before he gently took another finger and gently pressed the fleshy pad of it along her soft lips, slowly rubbing it in circles and gently nudging the firm nub at the top of her lips, making her moan out loudly as her whole body tensed for a moment. Her eyes suddenly sprung wide and she sat almost bolt upright as she felt a wet, squishy, HOT object run up her lips, making her spine and insides alight with pleasure enough that her insides sputtered our several droplets of fluids. "W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" she half shrieked. Sonny was looking up at her from between her legs, his eyes wide before he spoke.

"Umm... my tongue?" he said, a bit sheepishly. Mrs. P blinked several times.

"Do it again." she said, her eyes glued to him. She watched as his hands gripped her rump, his thumbs spreading her open as he leaned his face in and stuck out that fleshy tongue of his. He drew it in a single, slow draw up between her spread lips, brushing along her opening and pressing along her sensitive nub. She only watched half of it before the sensation made her collapse onto her back, her hands digging claw marks into the bottom of the nest from the intense sensation. "OH MY WORRRRRD...." she uttered in a guttural, un-ladylike manner as she breathed hard.

"Hon? Are you all right?" he asked as he looked up from her loins again. She looked back down her body, smiling.

"More... please..." she said between breaths. He swallowed as he licked his lips.

"All right..." He said, a bit unsure at first before he dragged his tongue up between her lips again, coaxing a loud squawk from his wife and a slow, steady flow of liquids. She was loud, very loud, and part off him worried that she was in some sort of pain. That worry was abolished when her feet grasped either side of his head, her toe claws digging into his skin and pulling his face close as she writhed before him. Smiling a moment, he opened his mouth and pressed his tongue gently into her insides, tasting more of her and feeling her inner muscles quivering around his tongue. If he thought his wife was loud before, then the squawk that came from her beak as she felt that thick, HOT muscle slither into her insides was downright ear shattering. Mrs. P only managed a glance down at him from watery eyes, seeing a blurry image of him gently thrusting his tongue in and out of her, before she collapsed on her back, her breathing coming in harsh, raspy, short breaths as she trembled. Sonny could feel his tongue getting squeezed harder as her feet grasped him tighter. He saw her stomach ripple and tense up before suddenly, her spine arched, lifting her hips and back off the nest, her body being held up by her head and feet grasping her husband as her body quaked hard, a few moments of her locking up before she collapsed back down, her insides squeezing at him in a rhythmic manner and oozing copious fluids onto his tongue. He slowly slipped it free of her and felt her feet let go of his head, at which point he crawled up her limp body. Looking into her face, he saw her eyes watering, a look of exhaustion across her features, yet also utter bliss. "Are you still okay?" he asked softly, but his reply was her hands shooting up, grabbing his face and pulling him into another deep kiss as their tongues intertwined for a moment before she pulled back and collapsed.

"That... was AMAZING..." she said as she smiled, looking up at her lover. He lay down next to her and gently stroked her chest.

"Didn't... umm... your last husband do that for you?" he asked, bashfully. She shook her head.

"Fingers... yes... but mouth... beak... was tricky and... troodon tongue... very different." she said as she continued to catch her breath. Sonny's hand continued to slowly rub her chest, feeling her heart throbbing and her deep breathing slowly return to a more even pace. "Ooh... I don't know how we'll ever hide THAT from the kids..." she said. Sonny shrugged and chuckled.

"Well I could tie your beak shut with a vine." he said, to which his wife gave him a smirk.

"The fact that you came up with that answer so fast leaves me just a bit worried. Mind telling me where you learned THAT one?" she asked, eyeing him with the same smirk.

"Well..." he rubbed the back of his head. "Troodon have been making lots of inventions all the time and... umm... some of those ideas... involve making mating more... interesting?" he said. Mrs. P looked at him as he nervously chuckled.

"And, tying your partner up is one such idea?" she asked, stroking his chest with a finger.

"Some males and females like it... I'm... not interested in it myself." he said.

"What sort of other "ideas" have you troodon "invented"?" she asked as she looked at his face. He blushed darker.

"Hon... is... is now the best time?" he asked, as she suddenly pushed him onto his back, letting out a playful growling sound, straddling his belly. He swallowed as he watched and felt her moist loins pressing onto him.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she slowly stroked a finger along his chest and nibbled at the base of his neck to coax forth another tremble and twitch from him. "Worried your wife might be interested in some of it?" she continued as she giggled, though she soon felt something HOT touching the base of her tail. She looked over her shoulder and blinked a time or two as she eyed the large, red, moist appendage that was springing up from her husband's loins, and it finally dawned on her that she'd never actually seen it before. "Umm... wow..." she said, looking back at his still flushing face. She smiled at him and stroked his cheek.

"Sorry, I'm... just... so excited..." he said, trembling under her. She almost looked sad before she gave a soft kiss to his lips.

"Shh... You know full well it's all right... Mind if I take a look?" she asked, a little tremble running through her body as he nodded. She dismounted his stomach and kneeled by his side. His shaft was proud and curved, hooking under his stomach as it emerged from a near invisible slit just by the backs of his legs. She slowly stroked her palms along his side before sliding her hands closer to it, feeling his body heat increase the closer she got to it. She gently grasped her hand around the base of it, coaxing a rather adorable sound out of Sonny and making the length throb. It was hard with a soft texture on the outside and slightly slick. Even her nose could pick up a powerful scent coming from him that made her stomach flutter. She gently stroked her hand up the length feeling the pulsing texture until she came to the slightly bulbous tip. It squished rather easily at her touch, but her action made the whole length throb harder and Sonny make another cute squeak as it suddenly squirted a jet of clear, musky fluid onto his stomach. "Oh!" she said in surprise as she let go of him. "Was that too much?" she asked as she looked up at his face, seeing him shake his head.

"No, not at all... it felt great..." he said as she smiled and crawled up to his side as he hugged her.

"Sorry, guess you were a bit more excited than I thought." she said, making Sonny give her a puzzled look.

"What do you mean, Hon?"

"Well... that was "it", wasn't it?" she asked before Sonny shook his head.

"Afraid not, Hon." he said. Mrs. P's eyes shrunk as she looked at his belly, seeing the small splatter before she looked at his face.

"You mean..."

"That was just a... warmup." he said. His wife looked down at it again before looking back up at him.

"So..." she was interrupted as he kissed her beak and rolled her over onto her back with him atop of her. He rested on his "knees" as she lifted and splay her legs, grasping his thighs with her feet. He pulled back from the kiss, looking into her lovely eyes as she looked up into his, seeing his handsome face backed by the full moon.

This was it. They were going to make love.

"Please, if it hurts at all, just tell me and I'll stop." he said, taking a moment to stroke her cheek. She replied with a soft smile before she took his hand in her own, interlocking her fingers with his as she squeezed his hand.

"Thank you." was all she said. He smiled as he swallowed and used his free hand to coax her to lift her hips, the tip of his shaft brushing and pressing against her moist lips. She let out a soft coo as he shuddered and spurt out another shot of pre fluid, this time onto her loins, making her groan. He continued to hold her hips as he gently brushed the tip of his warm length against her, gently prodding her soft folds before he neatly pressed between them, slipping the tip of his shaft into her soft, moist insides, coaxing both to groan in pleasure. Sonny shuddered from feeling the sensation of his wife's intimate embrace as she quivered at the sensation of being spread open by his warm, firm length. She squeezed his hand harder as her eyes fluttered and she looked up at him again, coaxing him to smile as he lay over her, his free arm sliding around her back to hug her close as he gently kissed and suckled at her neck. He soon could feel the natural drive in his body to move and gladly obeyed it, starting with slow, shallow movements as he eased only a little ways deeper before pulling back, then sliding a bit deeper. His ears were filled with the sound of her deep, pleasured breaths, her hand holding tightly to his and her feet clenching tightly to his legs as he worked deeper and deeper, finally starting to make full, firm strokes that pleasured them both greatly. Mrs. P's eyes shifted between being open and fluttering closed as she felt that HOT length sliding firmly through her insides, while also having such a warm, comfortable body pressing atop of her, those soft lips and tongue working on her neck. She could feel every pulse of his heart through that rod, though when he slipped a bit deeper, she felt a dull thud, which made her yelp out in a shrill squawk. Instantly, Sonny stopped his movements and looked into her face.

"What happened?!" he asked, his expression heated, his stiff shaft still throbbing in her clenching embrace.

"Ahh... I think... you're going a bit too deep..." she said as she took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. "You're doing wonderfully, but try not to go so deep." she said, stroking his face with her free hand. He smiled and nodded gently as he leaned in, hugging her close again as he started moving once more. She could still feel him moving deeply inside of her, but she couldn't feel that dull sensation anymore. She approved of his slight change of pace by groaning in pleasure as she lay her head back. Sonny was awash in a sea of hormones and new experiences, not knowing exactly what to feel, but feeling an abundance of physical and emotional pleasure. He kept his pace and depth as he rocked his hips, feeling her insides graciously accept him. He couldn't keep himself from licking up the side of her neck as his free hand slid to the back of her head, pulling her close as he whispered into her ear.

"I love you so much..." he hissed out softly. She suddenly took a sharp intake of air before she quivered and quaked under him. He didn't slow his pace as he felt her hand grasping tighter and her toes claws digging into his thighs. He felt her stomach clench and ripple under his own before feeling her whole body clamp down, her insides almost locking him into place before they began to clench and squeeze in firm pulses as she tossed her head back, and yelled out in pleasure. She couldn't see anything for a moment, just little yellow spots in the sky before his blurry, moon backed handsome face came into view, smiling at her. She opened her beak and he leaned in, locking his mouth with her own as she let out little coos into his mouth as her tongue intertwined with his. He suddenly started moving his hips again, coaxing her to groan into his mouth as she felt him grasp her head and hand tighter. She could feel him tensing up, his breath picking up speed, then he slipped deep into her, nearly causing that dull sensation. Then she felt his shaft swell and tremble inside of her before it jumped in hard, firm, eager pulses. Then she felt the underside of it swell in time with one of the pulses before she felt a flooding, warm sensation inside of her. She made a muffled sound into his mouth as it was followed by another, then another in firm, filling, spraying pulses, filling her with a warm, squishy sensation. Her insides shuddered and clamped down on him as she felt a blissful relapse into orgasm, squeezing his hand and thighs as tightly as she could as he grunted and moaned loudly into her mouth.

They slowly parted from the kiss, both parties winded from that intense, intimate encounter. He squeezed her hand a little tighter before relaxing and kissing her neck.

"Ohh, you were amazing..." he said in a gentle tone. She groaned at his kiss and the still pulsing warmth inside of her.

"That... I... wow..." was about all she said before she giggled, looking up at his face. "You're... a lot... "messier" than a Pteranodon..." she said before she reached a hand down to rub her belly, feeling the still pooling warmth. "And it's so warm..." she said, letting out another pleased moan. He smiled at her, stroking her cheek before they gently freed their hands and hugged each other in full as he lay over her. They simply lay there, listening to each other breathe before she spoke. "I love you too.", which made Sonny lift his head up, smiling and leaning down as they kissed once more before gently parting from the kiss and laying together, enjoying their first night together as husband and wife.

True to form, Sonny was the first to wake up as the sun's rays crested the ridge, used to getting up for his conducting duties. He found himself still laying over his wife, her face still in a peaceful sleep, breathing softly. Their loins had since parted after they fell asleep; his and her overflow had spilled free, making a rather sticky mess along their legs and the nest. He wanted to just lay there and enjoy the quiet morning with her, but if he knew anything about the trains, it'd be that they would be on time without fail.

He leaned in and kissed along her neck, causing her to stir before he kissed along her beak, eventually resulting in her opening her beak and locking with his mouth as they gently intertwined tongues again before slowly parting. Her gorgeous blue eyes fluttered open and she looked into his face, now backed by a blue sky.

"Good morning, Beautiful." he said softly, causing her to smile and stroke his cheek.

"Good morning, Handsome." she replied as she pulled him down into a hug, a little trilling squawk coming from her throat as her feet reached up and squeezed his thighs, only for her feet to slip off and Sonny to yelp, making her let go and look at him. "What happened?!" she asked, worried. Sonny gently sat up off of her and sat down, looking at his thighs, which were smeared with blood. He looked at Mrs. P's feet, finding them just as smeared with blood. Mrs. P saw the blood too and grew increasingly flustered before Sonny spoke.

"Ah... I think this happened last night... You WERE squeezing me pretty tightly..." he said, smiling bashfully. His wife, however, wasn't smiling as she crawled over to him, looking at his thighs.

"Oh, how could I be so careless..." she said as she looked over one, then the other before she felt his warm hand under her chin, lifting her face up to meet his own.

"Hon, I've suffered worse pain standing up for you and ensuring your family is safe. This pain..." he looked as his legs then back at her. "it's nothing."

"It's not "nothing", I cut you deep." she said as she sat back and lifted up a foot, finding little flecks of his skin under her toe claws. The simple sight of her blood covered feet made her eyes water. "I probably left scars on you... Even the debris from the asteroid didn't do that!" she said, flustered being an understatement. He replied by frowning and rather forcefully tugging her into a hug.

"Now you stop that right now..." he said, holding her and gently stroking the back of her head. "I gain no pride from the cuts and emotional torment we went through to get to this day... But I would gladly wear a hundred scars, gained from bringing you to the peak of pleasure." he said softly. She trembled gently in his arms, her eyes watery but not spilling tears as she looked up at him. "I'll be fine. Nothing a little water can't clean off." he said before he chuckled. "Which is why I woke you up in the first place. We better clean off and look presentable by the time the train arrives." he said as he continued to stroke her head and back. She took a slow breath and nodded, finally putting a slow smile onto her face.

She let out a little squawk as he suddenly scooped her up in his arms and stepped out of the nest, carrying her bridal-style into the water. He got about hip deep in the water before he sat down, the cool water coming up to his chest. Mrs. P shuddered as the cool water was a drastic change from his warm body and moved to get out of his grip, but he held onto her, prompting her to look into his face, wearing a puzzled expression. He smiled as he gently stroked one of her submerged legs, sliding down to her foot. She closed it, looking away from him in slight shame before his incessant fingers coaxed her to open it, feeling him gently scrubbing and cleaning the blood off before he moved to her other leg and foot, taking his time to slide between her toes, showing delicate care and affection for something that had carved into his skin. He gave her beak a brief kiss before he let her stand out of his arms, letting her start cleaning herself before he did the same, though he took some special time to clean the wounds she cut into his legs. They stung pretty badly and left very clear three toed marks in each thigh, but despite that, he smiled at them, a source of comfort in his heart knowing he pleased her to the point she forgot what she was doing. He continued, cleaning the sticky and somewhat crusted on fluids from his loins, before he looked up, seeing Mrs. P with her back to him. He smiled as she looked just as beautiful as ever in the bright sunlight. He couldn't resist standing up and hugging her from behind, coaxing her to look up at him. He placed a soft kiss to her neck, at which she gently cooed and leaned her head to the side as his hands slowly slid down her chest, feeling her soft belly as he reached under the water. She stepped her legs apart as he slid his hands between them, feeling her soft loins. There were only small traces of their shared mess on her, as she had been cleaning herself, and soon it was no longer cleaning as he gently groped her and started parting her folds. She didn't resist as she reached a hand up, holding onto his head as he licked and kissed at her neck. They probably would have continued, until they heard a sound that they never imagined they would be disappointed in hearing.

The train whistle.

Sonny slowly stopped, sliding his hands up and patting her belly before his wife let out a sigh that clearly had some disappointment in it.

"Well, better get going." she said, though both of them already knew they had to. Sonny turned and walked towards the shore before he felt a pinch on his rump and jumped, spinning around to find his wife there, smirking and giggling at him, which coaxed him to smile in return before returning to shore.

Sonny had retrieved his vest, choosing to still wear it as the walked side by side to the train, which was blowing it's whistle almost impatiently. When they got to the station, they were fairly surprised to find the Rocket Train waiting for them. As they stepped upon the deck, the passenger car opened up as Thurston stepped out. Sonny was never happy to see his rival and Mrs. P had grown a degree of ire for him over the years that she'd known him, though the full turning point was when he had smarted off to the point that Sonny had personally pummeled his face in. They walked up to him, though instead of his normally smug expression, he was more humbled and far from smiling. It was at that point that they noticed that his right eye was swollen with a very clear, puffy bruise.

"Greetings. It's my pleasure to welcome you onto the Rocket train to Troodon Town." he said, removing his hat, the whole greeting and motion seeming to have been rehearsed. Sonny smirked.

"So, let me guess. You got a head full of steam when you heard I was no longer working for Dinosaur Train Industries and smarted off to the wrong dinosaur." he said as Thurston rolled his eyes.

"Yes yes..." he said, rather humiliated. Sonny still smirked.

"Well, go on, tell us." Sonny prodded. Thurston looked at Sonny, then Mrs. P, who was looking at him with dangerous eyes.

"I don't..." he was cut off by Mrs. P.

"I think you'd better. You wouldn't want TWO unhappy customers riding on your train." she said. Thurston looked between the two and hung his head.

"Yes... yes I went and said something when Sonny Boy's mother came back to troodon town, letting everyone know that he now was a happy family with you." he said, pointing to Mrs. P. "I... made a comment that... was not a smart move and... your mother hit me." he said, putting his hand on his shiner.

"Wait, my MOM hit you?" Sonny asked, even Mrs. P was a bit shocked. "What in the Mesozoic could you have said to get her to do that? Even when you cheated in the race, the worst she did was make you scrub the deck at the Triassic station." Thurston looked at Sonny, then Mrs. P again.

"I'm not telling you... You'll BOTH hit me." he said, actual worry in his voice. "But she didn't stop there, she also made me be the one to pick you up AND recite my greeting to you all night long." he said, yawning. Sonny and Mrs. P looked at each other and chuckled.

"All right, we accept this... generous offer." Mrs. P said as she and her husband walked past Thurston onto the train, who wordlessly went back to work and began the train ride back to Troodon town.

A few time tunnels later, which hardly seemed like any time at all to the cuddling couple, and soon the Rocket Train pulled in at the Troodon Town station. Almost as soon as they stepped out of the train car, dinosaurs seemed to spring up from everywhere, shouting;

"CONGRATULATIONS!" before devolving into cheering. Troodon, sauropods, theropods, all manner of dinosaurs, friends and acquaintances of both families cheered, seeing the now paired couple. Mrs. P and Sonny were surprised, to say the least, as Mrs. C stepped from the greeting crowd, dabbing her eyes with a cloth as she leaned in and hugged them both before stepping back.

"It's so nice seeing you two together. I can still hardly believe it." she said, still dabbing her eyes as her son and his wife leaned against each other, smiling at her. There was another commotion as the three little Pteranodons and T rex ran out of the crowd towards them. Both Sonny and Mrs. P knelt down as they ran in and hugged them, yammering their own congratulations to them. Hugs and smiles were about, until Tiny hugged Sonny. He picked her up in his hands and hugged her before he pulled her back, then he heard something that nearly shattered his heart.

"Welcome home, Dad!" He looked at her, eyes looking into that innocent, smiling face of her own as he held her in his arms. He looked down at Buddy, who only smiled, wagging his tail, then at Shiny and Don, also smiling back. He looked over to his wife, who clearly heard it as well, her wide eyes tearing up as she smiled. At that point, he felt warm tears cascading down his cheeks before he hugged the little Pteranodon to his chest before kneeling down again, scooping up Buddy into a hug, then Shiny and Don, giving his children each a firm embrace.

"Thank you... thank you so much..." he said to them all as he stood up, Buddy in one arm and Tiny in the other. Mrs. C's tear rag was utterly soaked as Gilbert, hugging her leg, wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"Now hold that position!" Mrs. C suddenly said, making Sonny and Mrs. P look up for a moment, seeing Laura among the crowd, sketching feverishly, no doubt making a family portrait of the moment. Sonny looked over at his wife, seeing her smile widen as they knew this would be the first new day of their new lives.

Together.

Happy End.

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