Welcome Home

A twenty-two-year-old Fox sat at home and watched t.v. he had the week off, but he

was already bored. There was hardly anything to do and all his friends where busy.

Just then the phone rang, he got up to answer it, " Hello?"

There was a brief pause, " Umm, Hi, is James McCloud there."

" Yeah, hang on." Fox put the phone down, " Dad?" He went into the kitchen, then up

stairs, " Dad?"

" What Fox?" James asked from the hall.

" There’s someone on the phone for you."

" Who is it?"

" I don’t know." Fox went back down stairs to and picked up the phone, " May I ask

who’s calling?"

Once again the girl on the other line stuttered, " Who’s asken’?"

" Fox," James asked from the stair, " Who is it?"

" I don’t know, it’s some girl."

James went over and took the phone from him, " Hello?" After a moment his eyes lit up,

" Oh Sweetheart." James went up stairs with the phone.

Fox watched him as he disappeared upstairs. James had mysteriously appeared after

the last battle on Venom. Fox never really got the complete story behind what had happened.

James always seem to leave out things, like who had taken care of him when he was too weak

to fly home.

Then something else struck him as odd. Why did James’ eyes light up when he heard the

girl’s voice? Maybe he has a girlfriend Fox didn’t know about. Fox sighed and went back to

watching t.v.

Fifteen minutes later, James came back down stairs. He started for the kitchen after

replacing the phone to the charging stand.

" Who was it?" Fox asked.

James looked at him a little shocked, " It… was a friend."

" A girlfriend?" Fox smiled.

" No, she’s to young for me." James answered, " She’s about your age though and from

what I remember she’s not that bad of a looker."

" Who is she?" Fox asked again.

James sighed, " You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You’ll find out in a few days

anyway. Don’t worry about it."

" Great to be back, ain’t it Fox?" Falco asked. They had been called out to a mission a

few days after James had received the strange phone call.

" Yeah," Fox sighed, " It’s okay." The enemy flies weren’t much of a challenge for the

Star Fox team.

" Fox, are you alright?" Slippy asked.

" I’m fine. Just kind of tried."

" What," Falco laughed, " Where you up with a hot girl last night, Fox?"

" Would you two knock it off!" Peppy yelled.

" Yeah they are getting a bit annoying, aren’t they Pep?"

" Dad!" Fox exclaimed, " What are you doing here? I thought you had a class to teach at

the academy."

" Nope," James answered, " Took the day off. I got a friend to pick up here. She used

this attack as a why to escape. I came to take her home again."

" Who is it?" Falco asked. Once he heard "she" in a sentence he became interested.

" A friend of the family." James answered.

" Five wolfen fighters coming at our six, Fox." Slippy said over the com.

" Prepare to engage." Fox ordered.

" Why is one marked with a Cornerian symbol?" Falco asked.

" Wait!" James yelled, " Don’t any of you dare fire at the ship with the Cornerian symbol!"

" Why?"

" Are you out there James?" Someone asked over the com. It was a girl.

" I’m here Sweetheart." James answered.

" You got the whole team here, what a surprise." She giggled as her ship came into

view.

" Who is that?" Falco asked in confusion.

" I wouldn’t worry about who I am, but about the trouble I’ve dragged behind me. James, I

was followed out. Andross has been keeping a close eye on me since the… incident. I think I

just pissed him off even more than he was to begin with."

" Don’t worry, we’ll get rid of Star Wolf for ya’." Fox reassured her, " But… ugh… who

are you?"

" You guys just…"

" You are not getting away, Sapphire! Andross won’t allow you your freedom!" It was

Wolf and his team.

" Sweetheart, stay close to me." James said. She did as she was told and followed him

closely. James opened a private line to her, " Ya’ alright kid?"

" I’m okay, could be better."

" I’ll take you to my house for the night, we’ll head up to Morgan’s in the morning. Does

Pepper know about ya’?"

" He knows. Thanks a lot Uncle James. I can’t believe I’m almost home."

" We got a little ways to go, Sweetheart. We’ll be home soon." James smiled.

The battle between Star Fox and Star Wolf wasn’t long, but they all seemed to target the

mysterious pilot. She had proven to be a magnificent pilot. Her manner seemed familiar to Fox. It

was odd, because it was a style he hadn’t seen in a very long time. Then the name, Sapphire.

He only known one person named Sapphire when he was younger. They where best friends,

but she had died when he was eight. This couldn’t be her.

" Sapphire," Wolf started, " You have no chose but to come back with me. Andross

gave you everything you could have wanted. Why would you want to leave?"

" Oh go to hell." Sapphire shot a charged laser blast at him.

" You’ll pay!!!" Wolf screamed. His ship hit the frosty ground of Fortuna.

" YAHOO!!!" Sapphire yelled over the com. The wolfen did a few summersaults, " I’m

free! Thank you guys so much!"

" You’re welcome Sweetheart." James laughed watching her.

" Hi Uncle Peppy, Hi Foxy!"

" Dad…" Fox started, hearing a nickname he hadn’t heard in a long time, " That can’t be

Sassy. She’s… she’s dead."

" Are we looking at a ghost?" Falco asked.

" Yeah," Slippy joined in, " What’s going on?"

" Dad," Fox finally got over the slight shock he had, " Why don’t you two come back to

Great Fox. We’ll take you to Corneria."

" Would that be alright with you Sapphire?" James asked.

" No, that would be fine." She answered.

" Yeah, I think that would be a good idea, James." Peppy added.

James quickly jumped out of his arwing in Great Fox’s Docking Bay. He ran to the wolfen

just as Sapphire was jumping out. He took the young vixen into his arms.

" Oh Sweetheart," James started, " I went back for you and you where gone. I was so

worried you where killed."

" I know you came back for me, but Andross already had me to safety." She hugged

James tightly. She had missed him. He had always been the father she never had.

" So you’re a fox, I should have guessed." Falco appeared.

" Falcon, that explains the attitude." She went up to him and held out her hand,

" Sapphire Swanson."

Falco took her hand, " Falco Lombardi." He looked over her. Baggy green pants and a

loose sweatshirt hid her figure. But her eyes are what caught his attention. They sparkled like

gems.

" It is you…" A soft voice stammered.

Sapphire looked up and saw Fox. She took a deep breath, " Hi Fox."

Fox walked up to her. <This can’t be her. I’m not seeing her in front of me. This has

to be a dream.> He fingered a nick in her right ear. The same ear that had been cut when she

was younger. Once again her eyes drew attention. <Those eyes… It has to be her. No one

else has eyes that beautiful, not that I’ve seen.>

" Fox." Sapphire said cautiously, " are you alright?"

" I can’t believe…" He gave up trying to look for words. He pulled her into a hug and was

a little surprised when she hugged back.

" Fox, I missed you so much." She said softly.

" Sassy, Mike told us you where dead. I thought I’d never see you again."

Sassy held a finger to his lips, " Shh… don’t talk about Mike. Not know." Her eyes turned

sad, like something had upset her.

Peppy saw the two together again and smiled, " Will, looks like the inseparable two are

back together again." The old hare chuckled.

Fox looked at Sassy, " Would ya’ like a tour of the ship?"

" Sure, I haven’t been here for a long time." She smiled. Fox led her out of the Docking

Bay.

" Hey!" Falco yelled after them, " We need to keep an eye on you guys. I would not like to

find you in a closet!" He ran after them.

" Wait for me!" Slippy called as he went after Falco and the foxes.

Peppy walked up to James, " It’s weird seeing her again. I thought she was dead after

the last attack on Venom when we blew up the base."

" Andross had her off before then. Sassy and her friends where safe on a curser on

the other side of the planet." James answered, " It was odd when she called me. I hadn’t heard

from her in so long."

" Why did she decide to come back?" Peppy asked, " I thought she wasn’t going to leave

because of her friends."

" Andross… found out about her. She was beaten and thrown in a cell, they where

going to brain wash her. Molly and Scott found her and have been taking care of her." James’

eyes turned sad, " When I hugged her, she flinched. She probably still has wounds that haven’t

healed yet. I couldn’t take it when she cried on the phone, I wanted her to come home, so did

Molly. Poor kid doesn’t deserve what gets thrown at her in life."

Peppy looked at him with concern, " Should we have the med-bots take a look at her?"

" I think she would have said something if she where in a great deal of pain. I don’t think

we should worry too much about her. I think she’ll be okay." James smiled a little, " Knowing

Molly, she probably made sure Sassy was strong enough to handle the stress she went

through today."

" Do Morgan and Mike know she’s back?" Peppy asked.

" Oceana knows, Mike doesn’t. I don’t think he needs to know what’s going on know.

Sassy really isn’t ready for him yet."

" Well, it’s nice to know that Sassy’s finally back home."

" Damn, this thing is bigger then I remember." Sassy commented. They sat in the den

now, catching up a little, but Sassy avoided a lot of their questions.

" Well, to an eight-year-old, this thing is huge." Fox commented. He looked over the

person he had known so well. She was now twenty-two and she was still short for her age.

She looked almost sixteen. Still a tomboy, with her hair still in a long, chestnut braid. It was

strange seeing the girl he remembered so well.

Falco could hardly take his eyes off her, Fox noticed this and smiled, " You awake Fal?"

" Huh…" He looked around, " Sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

" I wonder where?"

Falco looked at Slippy with a skeptically glare, then back at Sassy, " What would a pretty

thing like you do on Venom? I didn’t think that planet could sustain anything as gorgeous as

you."

Sassy giggled slightly, as if amused by the comment, then grabbed his break

harshly, " Knock it off!" She growled. Everyone looked at her in surprise, she looked around

and let go of the falcon and avoided their questioning eyes. This only made Falco like her a little

more. Very few women blew him off like that.

" So," Fox started after a long silence, " What did you do on Venom, Sassy?"

" I did some spying. Sent some data to Pepper, false attacks, destroyed bio-weapons,

stuff like that. Nothing serious." She sat back on the couch and played with a crystal necklace,

the one she had always worn.

Once again she got surprised looks, " How did you end up on Venom? What I remember,

you left with your dad…"

" I don’t want to a talk about it." She answered simply.

" Why did you leave?" Slippy asked.

She sighed heavily, " I had to leave. I was discovered and my friends and I decided that

it was best if I came home and bugged you guys again." She smiled. It seemed to mask the

feelings her eyes betrayed.

" You don’t bug us Sweetheart." James and Peppy entered the room. James stood

behind her, " We’re approaching Corneria, time for us to go, Sweetheart."

Sassy frowned, " Do we really have to go? I’m having fun."

" We need to get back to Corneria before it’s to late. Grammy is waiting for ya’." James

gave her braided hair a tug.

Sassy sighed and looked up at Fox, " Hey, don’t get upset. You can come back anytime

ya’ want." Fox came over to her, and sat next to her, " Grammy’s got our number and you can

call us anytime. There is always someone here."

" You don’t mind if I came up and bug you awhile?" Sassy asked.

" Why would we mind?" Fox smiled, " Besides your not that bad of a pilot. You could

help us out on a job."

" You’d let me?"

" Of course." Falco smiled too, " We’d love it if you came back."

Sassy smiled again and hugged Fox tightly, " You turned out to be a sweetie just like

your dad."

Fox blushed at that, " You turned out to be damn good pilot."

" I’ll meet you in the Docking Bay." James said as he left the room.

Fox looked at Sassy, " We should probably let you go."

Falco took hold of Sassy’s hand and pulled her into a hug, " I think you’re beautiful."

" That’s nice to know, you’re not that bad of a looker yourself."

A look of mischievousness appeared in his eyes, " I have a rather odd request."

" What?"

" Can I kiss you?"

" What kind a kiss?"

Falco placed a hand on the back of her head and his beak sealed over her lips. Fox and

Slippy looked on in shock. The kiss lasted for a few minutes. When it was over, she looked a

little surprised.

" You’ve been around the block a few times." Sassy commented as she got up.

Slippy got up and hugged her, " God have mercy on your young soul. You poor dear, I

can’t believe you survived through that."

" Slippy knock it off!" Falco laughed. He looked at Sassy with surprised eyes. There was

a wild look about her that caught his attention. He noticed a name embodied on her sweatshirt.

<Wildfire. It fits her.> He thought to himself.

" I should go before James comes and to drag me out." Sassy hugged Slippy who was

still attached to her, " Come here Foxy, give me a hug!" She held her arms out to him. Fox went

to her and accepted her hug, " You want a kiss too?"

" Not on the mouth." Fox said hesitantly.

" How about on the cheek?"

Fox still look a little hesitant, " I don’t…" She kissed his cheek sweetly. Fox blushed a little

from the kiss.

" I gotta’ go. Uncle James will get mad."

Fox still held her, " I’m happy your back." He let go of her, " It was nice to see you again."

" It was nice to see you too." She smiled, " It was nice to meet your team. Hope to see

ya’ again."

" Hope to see ya’ too." Falco smiled.

" Sapphire!" James yelled from the Docking Bay.

" Oh shit! I got to go! Bye guys!" Sassy took off down the hall to the Docking Bay, "

Thanks!"

Later that night, the Star Fox team went over the day’s events. Sassy’s name seemed to

come up the most.

" It was strange seeing her again." Fox started, " Something seemed to be wrong

though."

" Fox," Peppy sighed, " She had to leave the people she loved most today, that had to be

hard on her. It’ll take her awhile to get use to things here. Morgan will probably spoil Sassy for

awhile."

" I really like her, she’s no that bad of pilot." Falco commented.

" Are you sure that’s all you liked about her?" Slippy mocked.

" Shut up!"

" Did anyone else notice that she flinched when you touched her?" Fox asked.

Peppy thought about that. <I can’t tell them what happened. No, I can’t it would just

upset them. >

" Yeah," Falco started, " It seemed kind of weird. Maybe she’s just not use to having

such a handsome guy touch her."

Everyone looked at him with a skeptical gaze, " Well thanks for the complemeant Falco."

Fox joked.

" She’s probably afraid of you Falco." Slippy laughed.

" Alright, that’s it!" Falco got up and started for Fox and Slippy. Fox quickly ducked out of

the way so he wasn’t caught in the fight. He went into the safety of the hall, sneaking into his

bedroom. He collapsed on his bed and sighed. A thought suddenly struck him. He turned on the

v/a screen and dialed Morgan’s number.

After a few minutes, the screen flickered on. Revealing the cheerful face of Sassy’s

Grandmother Morgan, " Hello Fox! How are things in the starry skies above?"

" There fine Grammy." Fox smiled, " How are things below?"

" They’re a lot better now that I have my baby back." Morgan smiled, " So, how was

your meeting with her?"

" It was nice and a little strange. She acted like something was wrong. I was wondering

if Sassy is alright."

Morgan frowned a little, " She’s cut and bruised pretty bad. She claims they don’t hurt,

but I can tell they are still giving her problems. I’ve been trying to heal them, but I think I’m making

them worse for her."

Now Fox frowned, " Is Sassy around? I‘d like to talk to her."

" Let me get her." Morgan left for a minute.

Sassy plunked down in the chair Morgan was just in, " Hey, Foxy. What’s up?" She was

very cheery.

" Sassy, why didn’t you say anything about being hurt?" Fox started. She wasn’t

wearing the baggy black sweatshirt. Instead it was a tight black tang top that showed the

wounds on her arms.

" Oh great." She grunted, " Now she’s got you all worried over me too. If I wanted this I

would have stayed on Venom."

" I’m sorry, I called because I thought you where acting funny and I wanted to make sure

you where okay." Fox was a little shocked that she was so quick tempered.

" I know," Sassy sighed, " I’ve had a hard day. Sorry I snapped."

" It’s alright, I understand. Are you feeling all right though? Are you hurt bad?" Fox looked

at her with a little concern.

" I’m okay," She smiled, " A little sore. It was worse a few days ago. It was a small price

to pay considering what could have happened, I got off easy." Something seemed to upset her

for a moment, but that look disappeared, " Thanks for letting me see Great Fox. I haven’t been on

that old thing in along time. It brought back a lot of memories."

" Don’t meantion it." Fox smiled, " It was nice to see you again."

" It was nice to see you too. I like your team. They seem harmless. Except for Falco, he

looks like a heartbreaker."

Fox sighed, " God, is he ever. I was a little worried about him kissing you."

" That was okay. He’s a sloppy kisser." Sassy made a face, " He wont get away with

that next time."

" I wouldn’t know if he’s a sloppy kisser." Fox commented.

" I sure hope you wouldn’t know." Sassy laughed, " Then I’d have to start worrying

about you. Seriously, I like your team. They were… interesting. They seemed like they would be

fun to be around."

" You get use to them." Fox thought about his team. They where more friends then

co-workers, " They’re my best friends. We’ve been through a lot together."

" So I’ve heard." The sad looked returned to her eyes, " Friends are very important. My

friends on Venom where all I really had. They where everything to me."

" I’m here for ya’ Sassy. You can call me anytime. I’m usually here." Fox had an idea,

" Hey, maybe I can come up to Grammy’s tomorrow. Give us a chance to catch up a little."

Sassy smiled again, " I’d like that. I’ll have to see if Grammy has anything planned." She

thought for a moment, " Is Bill still around?"

" Yeah, he’s on Katina. I’ll give him a call and see if he’d want to come up too."

" Okay. That’ll be cool. I get to see my old friends again." She laughed.

" I’d better go. So I’ll see ya’ tomorrow?"

" Yeah, I’ll see ya’ tomorrow." Sassy smiled one last time and the a/v screen went blank.

Fox sighed and feel back on his bed. He was happy to have his best friend back. She really

hadn’t changed.

Sassy awoke in a big canopy bed in her old room. She was comfortable and warm. She

didn’t want to leave the bed, but she knew that she would have to get up for breakfast. Until

then, she was going to stay in bed.

She saw her locket setting on a near by table. She reached for it, holding it in her hands.

It was a beautiful locket made of silver with gold accents. In the center of the locket was a

sapphire heart. The locket was about a big as her palm. The locket was one of the reasons she

would have stayed on Venom.

" Good morning, Small Lady." A male voice said.

Sassy sat up and looked around the room. A transparent figure stood by the window.

She got up and went over to it.

" Don’t play ‘little miss timid’, you know who I am." It was a snow tiger, a little over a head

taller then she was.

" Bret." She said softly, " I couldn’t tell if it was you."

" Who else calls you Small Lady?" He smiled as he looked out the window, " I’ll kill em’.

You’re my girl."

" Bret," Sassy sighed, " You’ve been dead for seven years."

He glanced at her, " I know, I think it’s time you moved on."

" What!"

" Sassy, you haven’t had a boyfriend in seven years. You can date other guys." Bret

turned to her.

" It’s hard." Sassy answered softly, " You… you’re one in a million."

" I know it is. It’s time you moved on. The only time I’ll stop you is if I don’t like the guy." He

smiled at her and took the locket from her hands.

" You are such a spaz."

Bret laughed at that. He carefully pulled the key necklace from under her shirt. It had the

same symbol as the locket. He put the key into the small hole on the side of the locket. It opened

and began to play ‘ My Only Love.’ It was their favorite song. Bret had made the locket for her

16 birthday. She kept it with her every since.

" You really do like the thing, don’t you?" Bret asked.

" I love it. You know that." Bret placed it in her hands.

" Hey," He tipped her head up so she was looking at him, " I will always be with you. No

matter what happens. I’m glad you’re home again." He kissed her forehead. Then disappeared.

" Bret… no…" She reached out for him again, but it was too late. He had vanished as

quickly as he had came. A tear trickled down Sassy’s cheek, " Oh Bret…" She stood looking out

the window for a moment, but her thoughts where disturbed by a soft knock on the door.

" Come in." Sassy sighed.

The door opened and Morgan entered the room carrying a tray, " I thought I’d bring

breakfast up to you." She set it on a near by table.

" Oh Grammy, you didn’t have too. I was coming…"

" Nonsense Ladybug," Morgan saw she had been crying, " What’s wrong dear?" She

asked as she went over to her.

" Oh… nothing," Sassy started, " It’s just that I can’t remember the last time I had seen

blue sky and green plants. The sun kind of got to me."

Morgan looked into the eyes of her granddaughter. <She must be thinking about her

friends again. Poor dear.> Morgan hugged her tightly, " It’s alright sweetie. I understand."

Sassy semi-smiled and looked out the window again.

" That’s pretty dear." Morgan motion to the locket Sassy clutched, " A friend give that to

you?"

Sassy glanced at the locket, " Umm… yes, it was a birthday present." She closed it,

causing the sweet melody to stop.

Morgan led Sassy to her bed and had her lay down again, " I didn’t think you would be

up. I was hoping you’d have breakfast in bed this morning. Like when you where little and you’d

come back from spending the night at a friends house…"

" You’d make me breakfast in bed the next morning." Sassy finished. She remembered

that well.

Morgan hugged Sassy once more, " Oh, sweetie, I missed you so much."

" I missed you too, Grammy." Sassy sighed.

" Will, I’ll let you eat your breakfast. I’ll see you in a little while, love."

" I love you Grammy." Sassy said in a child’s voice.

" I love you too, sweetie." Morgan left the room. She leaned up against the door and

started to cry. She had missed Sassy so much. She never realized how much Sassy had

meant to her until after she had ‘died’. <Why did Mike take you from me, Sapphire? You

where all I had left.> After a few minutes she began to calm down. She continued down the

hall to the downstairs.

" So you’re telling me that Sassy’s still alive?" Bill asked still in shock over what he had

just heard.

" For the last time yes, Bill. Ya’ think you’d get it the first time." Fox pulled into the

driveway of Lunar Pools. This was Morgan’s spa and where she was keeping Sassy.

" I wont believe it tell I see it." They both got out of the truck. They walked inside the

huge lobby of the inn. The room had been painted to look like you where under a willow tree. In

the center of the room, there was a tree. It was plaster, but it still gave off the desired affect

making you feel like you where really under a willow.

" Why hello, boys." Morgan said from the front desk.

" Hi, Grammy." Fox answered.

Morgan looked at Bill and smiled, " Haven’t seen you in a long time, Billy boy. I got some

cookies made if you’d like some."

" That’s alright Grammy." Bill smiled too. Morgan knew how to make anyone feel

welcome. That’s why her spa was so successful.

" Hey, is Sassy up yet?" Fox asked.

" Yeah, she’s around." Morgan sighed, " I think you two might be able to cheer her up a

little. She’s having trouble adjusting. I think she still misses her friends."

" That might take her awhile to get over." Fox spotted a black panther in the doorway of

the kitchen. She was wearing a pink skirt with a casual white blouse, " Hi, Mystie."

" Hey, what’s up Foxy?" She smiled warmly.

Bill perked up seeing her, " Nothing much." He went over to her, " Just heard a rumor

that Sassy was here."

" Oh, she’s here." Mystie laughed, " Come on, I’ll take ya’ too her. Becky is holding her

hostage." She smiled again and went through the kitchen. Bill and Fox followed her. She led

them through the dinning room and out onto the veranda. The warm sun was a nice change

from the climate on Great Fox.

" Oh, hey guys." Becky waved at them from a spot near the small lake.

Sassy saw them and smiled, " Bill!!!" She screeched, running over and hugging him,

" How’s my baby Bill?" She cooed to him.

" Oh my gosh, it is you!" Bill hugged her tight, " How are you?"

" I’m fine." She smiled at Fox, " Hello again."

" Ya’ feeling better this morning?" He asked as the walked back to the spot where Becky

sat.

" I’m as good as one could expect." She sighed as she sat down on the grass. She

wore a black tank top with blue jean shorts that came down past her knees. Fox could see the

many wounds that she had.

Becky jumped into Bill’s lap and smiled, her blonde hair and long loop ears getting in his

face, " I’ve missed you so much Billy."

Bill grunted and pushed her away, " Don’t Becky."

" Oh Bill don’t you like me anymore?"

" You know Becky," Mystie started, " Your becoming an annoyance."

" And a ditsy blonde." Sassy added.

The rabbit’s eyes felled with anger, " I am not a ditsy blonde!"

" I think Beck needs to cool off." Mystie glanced at Sassy, " What do you think?"

" I think she does." Both Mystie and Sassy picked up Becky and threw her into the lake.

Becky came up sputtering for air, " I’m telling Grammy!!!" She screamed.

All four laughed as they watched Becky climb out of the water, completely soaked.

When they finally calmed down enough to breath, they began talking about old times. Morgan

soon appeared with a tray.

" Thought you kids could use some lemonade and brownies." She smiled and set the

tray on a small table.

" Thanks Grammy." Sassy answered.

" You guys aren’t any trouble." She ruffled Fox and Bill’s fur, " Even though you do

tormeant poor Becky. I’ll be inside if you need anything."

The four sat and chatted while they ate. Sassy smiled and looked up at the sky, " You

never really appreciate the sun until you’ve been stuck on a hell plant for fourteen years." She

sighed, " Damn atmosphere on Venom was so cloudy and polluted that it made my asthma

worse."

" I forgot you had asthma." Fox said taking another sip of his lemonade.

Sassy held up her rescue inhaler, " I’m one of the few lucky people in this system to

have to rely on one of these damn things."

" You make it sound so fun Sassy." Mystie commented sarcastically.

" It’s a sin, if it’s anything." Sassy mumbled.

" You hardly changed after fourteen years Sass, I’m surprised." Bill took another

brownie. It wasn’t often that he got sweets at the base on Katina. He enjoyed it when he did

though.

The day passed quickly and soon Fox and Bill had to leave. Sassy didn’t want them to

leave but knew they had to get back home before too late.

" Good bye, Bill." Sassy sighed as they hugged.

" It was nice to see ya’ again." Bill said to her.

" Nice to see ya’ too."

Sassy hugged Fox next, " Thanks for coming to see me."

" Anytime, Sassy," Fox smiled, " It was nice hanging out with ya’ again."

" Yeah," Sassy giggled, " It was kind of fun. I call ya’ later."

" Alright." Fox looked up at Morgan, " Good bye. See ya’ later."

" Bye guys." Sassy watched as they pulled out of the driveway and left. She closed the

door, leaning up against it.

" What’s the matter, Ladybug?" Morgan asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

" Oh nothing." Sassy sighed, " I wish Dad hadn’t done what he did."

" I’m sure he had his reasons." Morgan had to fight back what she wanted to say about

him.

" Mike never cared." She grunted and shook her head, " I don’t know why it bugs me so

much."

" It bothers you because Mike is your father. Even though he hurt you so much, deep

down you still love him. You have every right too." Sassy looked up at Morgan and smiled.

Morgan took her into her arms, " Oh sweetie, I don’t think you’ll ever know how much I really

missed you."

" Probably as much as I missed you." Sassy laughed softly, " I’m gonna’ go take a walk.

You wanna’ come?"

" No that’s okay. I’ll see you in a little while." Morgan smiled and went up stairs.

Sassy walked through the kitchen and went out on to the veranda. The sun was

starting to set. She looked out across the lake. She was able to see the waterfall from where

she stood. She walked around the lake to the waterfall. Just behind it was a cave, big enough

for her to walk through. On the other side was another small lake with a waterfall.

" I’ve come back." She said to the water. She looked around. Sassy was alone. She took

off her shorts and her tank top revealing a cerulean blue two-piece swimsuit. She dived into the

water, swimming out a few yards.

The water was unusually warm. That was because of Morgan. She had used magic to

make all the water the perfect temperature. The water was crystal clear and had a soft blue tint

to it. It had a strange glow to it that illuminated everything in and around the water. It was

another Wicca trick.

Sassy giggled to herself as she swam. She took out her braid, letting her long hair float

around her. She went to the waterfall and swam under it. It wasn’t as big as it appeared to be

from a distance. Behind it was another cave. This cave was different from the first one.

Crystals where imbedded in the walls. Torches illuminated the cave, causing the crystals to

reflect their light in rainbow colors.

As she continued through the cave, she came upon a third waterfall. This one was

much smaller then the others and located inside the cave. The rocks around it made a small

pool, big enough for a person to swim in and deep enough so that in some areas you could

barely touch. Sassy climbed over the rocks and into the small pool.

" I’m back!" She called. This had been her favorite spot as a child. She loved the way the

colored light from the crystals lit the area. This was her Crystal Cave. She finally felt at home.

Two weeks past. The Star Fox team heard from Sassy almost every day. She got along

well with them, and they accepted her as one of them. Now Fox was left with a decision. As

he took off for Corneria, he thought he had his mind made up.

" Why has Sassy been leaving each night?" Becky asked. She sat on a couch looking at

a magazine. Something out side caught her attention.

" I don’t know." Morgan answered from behind the front desk, " I really don’t mind it as

long as she’s being careful."

" Grammy, are we expecting anyone?"

" Not tell tonight, why?"

" Well," The rabbit started, " There is a very cute fox coming to the door."

Morgan got up and looked out the window, " My stars." She opened the door and

greeted Fox with open arms, " Fox, honey what are you doing here?"

" I came to take Sassy somewhere. Is she up yet?" Fox asked.

" Yes, would you like me to get her?"

"No, I’ll get her. Is she in her room?"

" No, she’s out by the second waterfall I think." Morgan answered.

" Thanks." Fox disappeared through the kitchen.

" Man," Becky started, " He is cute in his uniform."

" Rebecca," Morgan warned, " Don’t even started with him. You give Bill enough trouble

as it is. I don’t want you putting Fox through the same thing."

Fox looked around the second waterfall, but could not find Sassy. He then remembered

the cave. He carefully went behind the waterfall and into to the cave. He could hear the sound

of a flute not far off. He reached the third waterfall and found Sassy sitting on one of the rocks

that surrounded the small pool.

She seemed to be playing her flute for someone, but who?

" Sassy?"

She stopped and quickly spun around, looking at him in surprise, " Fox, what are you

doing out here?"

" I came to…" Just then a strange looking cat like creature floated past her, " What the

heck is that?"

Sassy looked at the creature and smiled, " Oh that’s Mew. He’s a friend of mine." The

Mew went to Sassy and let her hold him in her arms, " I found him here a few days ago. He

was sick and hurt. I couldn’t leave him here to die. So I brought him home."

The mew looked at Fox with wonder then made a strange sound. It had a bandage on

it’s right leg and another on it’s tail.

" I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the hangers." Fox said after

getting over the shock of the strange creature.

" Alright," Sassy smiled, " Can I bring Mew?"

" If you want. That thing doesn’t bite, does it?" Fox asked with some concern.

" No, if you’re nice to him, he’ll be nice to you." She let Mew go and let it go to Fox. It

didn’t walk like most creatures, it floated in the air.

Fox timidly reached out to it and let it rub against his hand. It seemed friendly. He gently

scratched behind it’s ears. It seemed to like that, because it made soft purring sounds.

" Come on are you ready to go?" Fox asked.

" Fox, you said nothing about me wearing a blind fold." Sassy tried to stay calm, but she

was getting annoyed.

" Don’t worry we’re almost there." He led her in front of a covered object, " Alright, now

we can take this off." He took off the blindfold and was a little startled when Mew emerged

from behind her.

Sassy opened her eyes, " You brought me here to see a sheet." She crossed her arms

over her chest.

" No," Fox answered, " Take the sheet off."

Sassy sighed and gave the sheet a big tug. It fell to the floor, revealing a new

arwing, " You brought me here to see an arwing. I could have seem that on t.v."

Fox sighed and shook his head, " You’re rather hard headed aren’t you?"

" Yes, I am." She smiled, showing her teeth.

" Read the name on the arwing before that damn pet of yours decides to get hostile."

Fox eyed Mew.

Sassy climbed up on the wing of the ship and read the name, " Oh Fox… I …"

" Do you like it?" He asked.

Sassy ran her hand over her name painted on the arwing, " What does this mean?" She

asked still a little shocked.

" Would you like to be a Star Fox, Sassy?"

She turned to look at him. She did a cartwheel off the wing of the ship and walked up to

him, " Fox… I can’t believe your asking me to be on your team… It’s just…"

" Well," a voice said from the shadows, " Are you going to answer him or what?"

They looked and saw Falco, Peppy, and Slippy standing not far away.

Sassy smiled at Fox and threw her arms around his neck, " Oh thank you so much Fox.

I’d be happy to join Star Fox."

" Sassy… you’re hurting…me…" Fox grunted. Sassy let go of him.

Falco saw Mew floating near Sassy, " That thing is not coming on the ship."

Sassy looked at Falco with icy eye, " Yes he is. He’s my friend."

" It’s a Mew!" Slippy screeched, " They are hard to find. It so cute!" Slippy took the Mew

into his arms and cuddled it. Mew seemed to enjoy the attention.

" Oh great," Peppy sighed, " Now it’ll have to come on the ship."

Fox laughed at the seen, " Come on guys. Let’s show her how to fly this thing."