Part III - Holly

The only thing the bear knew to do at that particular moment was to run, but after about five minutes or so, he finally came to the realization that he had no idea where to go. He could only assume that Nom Nom had probably left the hotel by this point and was now on his way to the zoo, or at least he'd already be gone by the time he got there. The issue for Grizz was that he didn't have the foggiest idea where the zoo was located, or how long it'd take him to get there.

C'mon, Grizz, think! Think! Oh…duh, he thought as he immediately reached inside his backpack to fish out his new phone. "Please don't be far….Please don't be far…." he mumbled as he looked up the zoo's location on Googs Map. He grunted in frustration when he saw the little red bubble mark the zoo's location. By car, he knew it wouldn't take too long, but on foot there was just no telling, and time was precious.

Seeing a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye, Grizz looked up from his phone to see a lone cab cruising past him. He reached back inside his backpack and grabbed for his wallet, biting his lip when he saw how low on cash he was. Noticing another cab heading his way, he pushed those qualms aside and quickly started waving his arm to grab the driver's attention. The taxi slowed to a stop as it pulled up along the sidewalk and Grizz quickly threw himself inside.

"Where to?"

"San Diego Zoo."

The driver only nodded as he merged back onto the street. As the bear casually monitored the cab fare meter, he started mulling over exactly what he was going to say to Nom Nom once he saw him. It's not that hard! Just tell him how you feel! Tell him you love him! Simple as that! Of course the more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn't that simple. It wasn't as though Nom Nom's feelings were mutual, and what if he responded with revulsion? The thought that Nom Nom could get angry and reject him was enough to give him pause, and it even made him wonder if what he was doing could be considered manipulative.

Noticing the cab fare meter was ticking dangerously close to his cash limit, he promptly urged the driver to pull over and let him out, just one mile short of reaching his destination.

"Sorry, I'm just really short on cash," he told the somewhat confused cab driver as he slipped a bill out of his wallet. "Keep the change!" he added as he shoved the money into the driver's hand before quickly making his exit from the car. With his phone as his guide, he continued his journey on foot.

You need to do this! he mentally told himself. You need to tell him how you feel. He needs to know!

The bear turned a corner, nearly colliding with a young couple. After muttering a quick apology he took to sprinting again.

But why does he need to know? a doubtful voice inquired. It's not like he feels the same way, so why bother? His emotions are running pretty high right now as it is. This is only going to make things worse. Telling someone you love them is a big deal, dude, and you're doing it for the wrong reasons!

Grizz slowed to a stop, placing a paw against the side of a building as he tried to catch his breath.

No! No, there's never a wrong reason to tell someone you love them!

There is if you're just trying to keep him from going back to that zoo. You're just trying to get inside his head and confuse him!

Grizz covered his eyes with his paw as he felt the sting of tears. No, but….I really do love him.

Then you need to let him go.

As he wiped away the wetness from his eyes, Grizz turned and pressed his back into the wall of the building, exhaling slowly. He lifted his phone and stared at the little red dot that indicated the zoo's location, biting his lip. He was already so close. Should he really turn back when he had already come this far?

Looking up, he noticed a man approaching, his gaze lowered and hands shoved in his pockets. Grizz quickly pushed himself off the wall and placed himself directly in the man's path, placing his paws on his shoulders to stop him from going any further. "Hey, man, I need your help for a second!" he stated urgently. "I'm in a crisis here and I need someone's opinion!"

"W-What?" the man stuttered, looking alarmed.

"Listen….if you were in love with someone and you thought you'd never see them again, would you tell them how you felt?"

"Look, pal, you're asking the wrong guy," the man muttered irritably as he tried to sidestep the bear.

"Please, I'm desperate here!" Grizz begged as he blocked his path again. "Should I tell him or not? Just give me an honest answer!"

Sighing, the man reached into his pants pocket and fished something out. "Here," he said as he held it out and placed it in the bear's paw. "Flip for it."

Grizz just stared at the quarter in his paw. "You…You want me to leave this to a coin toss?"

"Yep," the man replied as he clapped Grizz on the back and sidestepped him, adding, "Good luck, buddy."

Closing his eyes, the bear sighed. "Sure, why not? Heads, I tell him. Tails, I don't," he said as he tossed the coin into the air. He shot his paw out to catch it before it hit the ground and placed it down on the back of his other paw, keeping it covered for a moment as he mentally prepared himself for whatever decision he had decided to leave to chance. He was going to accept it, no matter what the outcome.

Very slowly, Grizz lifted his paw, and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Heads," he whispered, exhaling. "Okay…I tell 'im."

ooooooo

Grizz dashed across the parking lot and made his way towards the main entrance of the zoo, his anxiety growing. He spared a quick glance at the large elephant topiary before settling his gaze on the ticket booths just ahead of him. He broke into a sprint and rushed for the one booth that didn't currently have a line of visitors. "Excuse me!" he called to the woman manning the ticket box. "Excuse me, I…I need…your help," he gasped as he rested one paw against the glass and another to his chest. "I…Just give me a sec."

"Sir, are you all right? Do you need some water?"

"N-No, I'm all right. I just…I ran all the way here. And…before…you ask, no I didn't escape from the zoo! I'm just here as a visitor!" The bear took a few more ravaged breaths before straightening up to give the clearly confused woman his full attention. "Sorry…I'm just….I'm looking for someone who might be here. He's a koala."

The woman's face brightened slightly. "Oh! Well, we have quite a few koalas at the Australian Outback exhibit! We even have a new joey that was born just two months ago!"

Grizz shook his head quickly. "No, no! I'm not just looking for any koala! His name's Nom Nom! Have you ever heard of him?"

"Oh…the internet star, right? Didn't he quit making videos?"

"Yeah, he said he was coming here!" Grizz replied urgently. "Is he already here?!"

"Wait, did you just say Nom Nom?" a new voice interjected from behind, forcing Grizz to whip his head around. "He just came through here about ten minutes ago."

The bear's eyes bulged. "Wait, really?! Did you see what direction he went when he went in?"

The man pursed his lips, shaking his head. "Nah, I wasn't really paying attention. I just saw him go into the zoo. He probably didn't get too far," he replied before continuing on his way, leaving Grizz with the faintest glimmer of hope. Maybe he could still stop him.

"Where's your koala exhibit?" he asked as he whirled back around to face the woman in the ticket box.

"Um…just follow the Koalafornia signs. It's not far."

"Great! Thanks!" Grizz exclaimed happily as he turned and made a dash inside.

"OH, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY….admission," the woman finished with a sigh as she saw the bear had already vanished from sight.

ooooooo

There were various roadsigns along the zoo's branching paths, all of them pointing to the different exhibits that dotted the zoo's landscape. The Koalafornia sign seemed to stand out like a bright, shiny beacon, and the bear quickened his pace along the concrete path, his heart fluttering with excitement, as well as dread. His doubts still lingered in the back of his mind, trying to convince him that he was making a mistake. Maybe he was selfish, but at this point he just didn't care. He couldn't stand the thought of spending the rest of his life wondering what might have been. Even Nom Nom rejecting him could not compare to that kind of agony.

A tall pillar came in to view, and atop that pillar stood a life-like sculpture of a koala. Though the letters were printed sideways along the pillar, Grizz could still read them easily: Australian Outback.

Just off to the left of the pillar stood various, colorful aboriginal-style totem poles, and there, standing right underneath them, was Nom Nom.

Seeing the koala prompted Grizz to stop dead in his tracks and his brain to suddenly short-circuit. At that moment he didn't know what to do. His opportunity couldn't have been more perfect, and yet he continued standing there, his mouth agape and eyes wide with panic. He even took a few steps back, as though preparing to turn and retreat any second. What are you doing? He's right there! You can do this!

Nom Nom currently had his back to him as he gazed up in mild fascination at the colorful totem poles, all while clutching a small shoulder bag, which Grizz assumed probably contained the few possessions he had decided to take with him after leaving his job. Tearing his attention away from the totem poles, he began pacing back and forth. It was almost as if he was waiting for someone.

Just go up to him and talk to him! You still have a chance!

Grizz finally managed to will himself to take that first step forward, and then another, and then another. Finally, he was moving with quick strides, the distance between himself and the unaware Nom Nom closing. He started to open his mouth to call out to him, but he stopped himself when his gaze drifted beyond the koala and settled on a young woman approaching him from the other direction. Her beige shirt and shorts were easy to distinguish as a uniform, indicating she was more than likely a zookeeper.

Grizz slowed to a stop once again as he saw the woman rush over and scoop Nom Nom into her arms, pulling him into her chest and hugging him tightly. Nom Nom had no objection to this, and even returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. He had never seen the koala look so happy.

It only took a second for realization to finally set in. Grizz's expression softened into a look of understanding, remembering what Nom Nom had said about wanting to seek out his former caretaker. He smiled softly, his lip quivering as he finally understood the koala's decision.

"I hope you'll be happy."

After sparing the koala one last longing glance, he dipped his head and finally turned to leave.

ooooooo

The moment he laid eyes on her, his felt his heart skip a beat. He felt the urge to rush over to meet her, but he couldn't will his legs to move nor his voice to utter so much as a syllable. He knew seeing Holly again would have quite an emotional impact, but he hadn't imagined it'd be this intense.

"Nom Nom!" she called out happily as she reached down and picked him up., which the koala gladly welcomed. He felt like a joey again, his feelings of anxiety and uncertainty of his future suddenly dissolving away as he felt the woman's loving arms squeeze his small frame against her chest. He felt her nose press into the fur of his cheek as she kissed him repeatedly. "Look at you…all grown up," she said as she ceased her barrage of kisses to really look at him.

Nom Nom could see that she hadn't changed much since he had last seen her, aside from the fact that her dark brown hair had grown considerably and was now pulled back in a low ponytail. He could smell the familiar scent of lavender lotion on her skin, and he noticed she still had the little red rose tattoo on her neck, just beneath her ear. He didn't remember much of his zoo life, but he certainly remembered every little detail about her. Suddenly it didn't seem like it had been that long ago.

"I honestly didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Her voice suddenly shook the koala from his thoughts and he quickly took in her solemn expression. He winced and immediately averted his gaze in shame. "W-Well, I…I had always meant to see you sooner, but…I mean, my schedule…"

"It's okay, honey," Holly reassured. "I've been kinda busy myself."

Nom Nom turned his head slightly to gaze back up at the totem poles, prompting Holly to glance at them as well.

"They're pretty neat, aren't they? A lot's changed since you were last here. They've really expanded the koala exhibit! Wait till you see it!" Holly raised the koala up slightly, and he immediately took the cue and climbed onto her shoulder. Perching himself on someone's shoulder was nothing new, but sitting on Holly's shoulder gave him a familiar sense of comfort.

"So…how many koalas are living here now?"

"Quite a few. We've acquired a lot more since you left. They've certainly kept me busy, though I can still keep up with them. I could never keep up with you."

Nom Nom smiled impishly. "Yeah, but I was too cute to stay mad at."

Holly rolled her eyes, though her smile never wavered.

"How've you been?" she asked after a short pause. Concern seemed to coat her words as she spoke them, and Nom Nom could only assume she was gradually moving the discussion to his former job, though she was being cautious about it.

"Uh…okay, I guess."

"Just okay?"

The koala heaved a sigh. "Look, I know you're dying to ask me about my job. I'm guessing you heard I quit."

Holly turned her head to look at him, her eyes meeting only the back of his head. "I did," she replied gently. "But we don't have to talk about it."

Nom Nom turned towards her again, debating with himself on whether or not he really wanted to discuss it. Fortunately, his thoughts drifted away from the topic when he set his eyes on the large, red-roofed building just up ahead of them, which stood out against every other form of architecture surrounding them. "What's that?"

"We call that the Queenslander House. It's where we care for the koalas and store all the different varieties of eucalyptus."

As they approached the attached deck that circled around the the large structure, Nom Nom shifted his gaze over to the left of the building, where he spotted multiple koalas lounging in the trees inside the enclosure. One he noticed was snoozing, while the others were leisurely plucking eucalyptus leaves from the various containers anchored to the trunks. It looked like the simplest life one could possibly live.

"Bring back memories?" Holly asked him.

"A little."

"It's still hard to believe it's been years. It doesn't feel like that long, honestly. It hasn't been the same not having you as my little shadow all day."

Nom Nom smiled weakly, feeling a painful lump forming in his throat.

"You know…I was glad when I heard you had quit that job," the woman began with a hint of hesitation in her voice. She wasn't sure how welcoming he would be to the discussion, but she felt like she had to say something on the matter. "You were never meant for that kind of life. I could see how much it was hurting you. A low energy animal like yourself should have never been introduced to that kind of lifestyle."

Nom Nom immediately looked offended. "Low energy?" he scoffed, crossing his arms. "I am not low energy! I've got plenty of energy!"

Holly chuckled as she tapped his nose with her finger, making him blush. "I don't mean that as an insult, goofy. Believe me, I know you're not low energy. You had more energy than any other koala I've ever cared for. What I mean is that koalas are naturally low energy animals. They spend a small amount of time eating, and then they spend the rest of the day sleeping. They certainly don't spend all their time making internet videos and appearing at conventions and signing autographs. As a matter of fact, how much sleep did you get on average? That was always a big concern of mine."

Nom Nom bit his lip nervously. "Well…I'd say on a good night maybe….seven hours?"

A look of horror came to the woman's face, which he had feared.

"Oh my God, Nom Nom."

"No, it's fine! I never needed more than that, honest!"

"That's not even half of what you should be getting! God, no wonder you looked so lifeless half the time!"

The koala hung his head slightly, looking away. He remembered how rejuvenating it felt to sleep for so long the first night he had stayed in the hotel, and he knew he couldn't argue with her point. He remembered feeling tired all the time, and it was only through the aid of expressos and lattes that he managed to summon the energy to do the things he needed to do. Finding the strength and stamina to keep going had only gotten more difficult with each passing year as his schedule became more and more demanding.

"I knew the whole thing had taken a turn for the worst when you had that meltdown on camera."

Nom Nom winced again, gulping. "You…saw that?"

Holly nodded, her expression becoming slightly more critical. "A co-worker showed it to me. I just couldn't believe it. You weren't you anymore!"

Nom Nom flinched as though her words had physically hurt him. The disappointment in her tone made him feel sick to his stomach. If there was one person whose opinion of him he cared about, it was hers. She had been the most important person in his life, the only person he had ever loved, and to see her looking at him with shame and resentment sent his whole world crashing down around him.

"And….sharks? Pet sharks? What in the world?! What were you thinking?!"

"I don't have them anymore! And well, I….I just thought…they'd make me look cool!"

"So being cute wasn't enough, you had to look cool, too? Honestly, if you want a pet, maybe stick with something that's a little more suited for you, like a hamster or something."

The koala suddenly looked as though he was having a war flashback. "Uh…maybe not a hamster." He descended from Holly's shoulder and shifted to the teal-colored railing of the deck, dangling his legs over the side. He felt Holly's arm brush against him slightly as she rested her elbows on the rail and leaned forward.

"I should have never taken that video," the woman said after a brief silence. "Had I known what was going to happen….I never would have done it."

Nom Nom wasn't sure which was worse: Holly being angry with him, or being angry at herself for what he had become. He managed to blink back tears as he finally forced himself to ask the question that had been plaguing him since he had arrived: "Are you ashamed of me?"

Holly looked his way, noticing he wasn't looking at her. The question had been spoken softly, but she could still hear the self-loathing in his tone. She reached out a hand and gently trailed her finger over the curve of his ear. "I'm not happy with the way you've behaved, no, but I'm not ashamed of you."

"But you're still disappointed."

"Am I not supposed to be?"

Holly saw Nom Nom completely turn away from her, and she sighed.

"Honey….disappointment is an inevitability, because perfection is an impossibility. We go through life making mistakes, sometimes big mistakes, and we end up disappointing the people we love. We don't mean to, but we do. That doesn't mean we ever stop loving someone because they screwed up. But I am proud of you for having the courage to stand up for yourself and leave that job. I just wish you had never been put into that situation in the first place."

Nom Nom turned to her again. "So…why'd you let them take me?" The subtle anger in his tone was hard to miss and Holly resisted the urge to sigh again.

"It was out of my hands, Nom Nom. You didn't belong to me. It wasn't a quick decision, that much I can say. Heck, we had to get clearance from Australia before we could agree to give up custody of you. They must have gone back and forth with each other for two weeks over the whole idea, and if we hadn't been offered twenty percent of the profits, we probably would have ultimately refused. I mean…the zoo needed the money."

"Of course," Nom Nom murmured disdainfully, looking towards the ground.

"And plus…we debated whether or not it was really ethical to keep an animal like you locked up in a zoo."

Nom Nom suddenly looked up again, appearing confused. "Like me?"

"Well, yes. Animals that can learn language and communicate with people aren't unheard of, but they're a rarity. I remember when you first started picking up certain words and phrases. I even started reading children's books to you to help you learn. We had just thought that maybe keeping you locked up in this zoo wasn't in your best interest, but obviously becoming a big internet celebrity wasn't in your best interest, either. As far as I'm concerned, you were much better off staying here."

The koala's expression suddenly brightened upon hearing that. "Well…everything can go back to the way it was now!"

Holly arched a brow as she turned to look at him. "What'd you mean?"

"Well, I mean I didn't just come here for a visit! I wanna live here again!"

Joy had been what Nom Nom had expected, but it was not what he was seeing in the woman's eyes. "Live here?" she asked.

"Yeah! You know the story: guy quits his job, moves back in with Mom," Nom Nom replied with a laugh. Holly still did not express even the slightest iota of enthusiasm, which made his heart sink. "Why aren't you getting excited?"

"Nom Nom…you're not serious, are you?"

The koala furrowed his brows. "Why wouldn't I be serious? This is my home! I was born here, remember?"

"Well, yes, but you've spent very little of your life here. It's a big change from what you're used to."

"You just said my old lifestyle wasn't healthy and that I was better off staying here! So now you're saying living here isn't healthy, either?! What even?!"

"Nom Nom, calm down. Look…you're not like other koalas…"

No…Not this again. That's exactly what he said.

"I just don't think you'd be happy here. The zoo life doesn't offer much for a unique animal like you. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to…adapt." She sighed. "I really don't think it'd be a good idea. Not now. Not after all these years."

Nom Nom turned away again, clenching his jaw in anger. "Why don't you just say what you really think?" he hissed bitterly.

Holly recoiled slightly at his tone. "And what is it that I really think?" she inquired sternly, crossing her arms as she gave him a hardened look.

The koala spun around, gritting his teeth. "That you don't want me anymore!" he shouted as he pointed an accusing claw at her. "Admit it! You've probably got a new favorite now, don't you?! Don't you?!"

The woman was taken aback, looking hurt for a split second, but her expression switched to anger rather quickly. "Nom Nom, stop it! You know that's not true! I can't believe you would even think something like that!" She could see him shaking now, and she knew he was on the verge of potentially having a breakdown. "Baby, please calm down. I want us to talk about this calmly. You're getting too worked up." She reached a hand out to him but he resisted the touch.

"NO! YOU'RE A LIAR!"

Nom Nom turned and jumped down from the railing, fleeing from the woman the second his paws hit the concrete.

"Nom Nom, come back here!"

She followed after him, choosing to walk instead of run, as she could see he hadn't fled too far. He had retreated to an overlook that jutted out from the rest of the concrete deck. There, a large umbrella loomed overhead, and underneath it was a replica of a tree, with sculptures of koalas clutching the branches. It was a hot spot for photo opts, and often children could be seen climbing all over it, but it was currently unoccupied, save for Nom Nom, who Holly saw was nestled between the branches of the fake tree, his back turned to her. Had the situation been less serious, it would have been a rather amusing sight, seeing a live koala sitting in the tree amongst all the lifeless koala statues.

"Nom Nom."

No answer.

Holly summoned every ounce of patience she had, fully aware of the fact that the koala was stubborn and easy to set off. "Please look at me," she begged, but still he did not turn around. Holly then maneuvered her way around the tree to where she could see him face to face. She could see his anger still lingered, but she noticed his eyes were now moist.

He shifted quickly as soon as he saw her, attempting to turn away from her like a stubborn child, but she quickly shot her hands out and grabbed his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Stop it," she said. "We need to talk about this."

"You're a liar," he repeated, though his tone had weakened considerably.

"What is it I lied about?"

"You said you weren't ashamed of me! But you are, aren't you? That's why you don't want me anymore! You're ashamed and you don't want to admit it!"

Holly felt like crying now. "That's not true, and you know it's not true! You were my whole world! You still are!"

He stared at her for a moment before asking, "Then why don't you want me?"

The question was like a punch to Holly's gut. His tone was much quieter now, devoid of anger and expressing only despair.

"I do want you, but I'm afraid you'll get in here and realize this life isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm afraid you'll eventually get bored, and then become depressed as a result. I don't want to see that happen! I couldn't bear it! I want you to be happy!" She moved her thumb to wipe the moisture from the corner of his eye. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Nom Nom withdrew himself from Holly's grip, sniffling. "That's exactly what he said," he said with a look of disdain.

"What who said?"

The koala sighed. "Just this guy I know. He thought it was a dumb idea."

"A friend of yours?"

Nom Nom scrunched his face in mild irritation. "I suppose," he said as he hopped down to the ground to retrieve his bag that he had dropped. After rummaging through it, he managed to locate his cellphone and quickly began looking through his gallery of photos. "Here," he mumbled irritably as he handed it up to Holly.

Taking the phone from Nom Nom, Holly held it up to eye level and immediately smiled when she saw the picture on the screen. "They're precious!" she commented. "They look like sweethearts."

Nom Nom shrugged. "They're all right, I guess."

Holly rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling. "And you obviously care about them."

"No, I don't," the koala mumbled, looking away as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, yes you do! Why would you have this photo if you didn't?"

"I meant to delete that stupid photo, okay?! I just forgot!"

"Mmmhm," Holly hummed, not believing a word. "You look pretty happy here," she pointed out as she turned the phone around to show him.

The koala's face was getting redder by the second. "I was…I was just acting! It's not real! None of that was real! They're just a bunch of dumb bears! I don't care about them!" Nom Nom knew he was trying to convince himself more than he was Holly, and he was failing pretty badly at both.

"Which one is it that you talked to about coming to live here?" Holly asked him as she pulled the phone back to look at the screen again.

"The brown one…Grizz. He's pretty persistent." Nom Nom rubbed his arm as he gazed at the ground. "He wouldn't stop calling me. I finally had to turn my phone off."

Holly glanced up again. "Why wouldn't you answer his calls?"

For a split second, the koala appeared guilty. "I just…I….I had a lot on my mind, okay? I was stressed, I was frustrated….and I just didn't want to talk to anyone. I was trying to sort everything out. I had just quit my job! I spent the first few days panicking because I thought I'd made the worst mistake of my life! I needed time to clear my head."

"I understand that, but I think you should have at least sent him a text. He was obviously worried about you and you not answering his calls didn't help."

"Whatever."

Holly turned her attention back to the phone screen and began casually cycling through the other photos in the gallery. She suddenly made a face as she came across one photo in particular. "Uh…care to explain?" she asked as she turned the screen back around for the koala to see. His eyes promptly widened when they settled on the photo he had taken of himself while he was lounging on his bed, his favorite purple robe partially opened near his chest, all while making a kissy face and winking at the camera. He had forgotten that little photo shoot.

"Oh, that's just…that's…gimme that!" Nom Nom snatched the phone back from a somewhat amused Holly and quickly scrambled to delete the photo. "T-That's nothing…that's just…that's nothing." The koala looked avoided eye contact, his cheeks reddening once again.

"You really are a diva, aren't you?" the woman chuckled.

"I am not a diva!"

Give it to me, I'm worth it! Baby I'm worth it! Uh-huh I'm worth it! Gimme gimme, I'm worth it!

Eyes widening again, Nom Nom whipped his head back towards his ringing phone. "Really?" he hissed through gritted teeth.

Give it to me I'm worth it! Baby I'm worth it!

"For crying out loud, SHUT UP!" he shouted as he scrambled to silence the phone. He clenched his teeth as he heard Holly snickering. "Stop laughing! I meant to change that stupid ring tone."

Stifling her laughter, Holly reached out to affectionately rub the top of Nom Nom's head. "Maybe I should let you stay here with me. You'd certainly provide a lot of entertainment."

The koala's aggravation seemed to dissolve, and his expression quickly changed to a look of disappointment, which Holly immediately picked up on. "Yeah….entertainment," Nom Nom muttered as he stared at the ground. "Seems like that's all I've ever been good for."

Holly's smile fell into a frown very quickly. "Nom Nom, that's not-"

"No, it's okay," the koala sighed.

Holly furrowed her brows, cocking her head slightly. "Well….why would you want to live in a zoo of all places if you don't want to be a source of entertainment for people?"

"Good question," Nom Nom muttered in response as he turned and shuffled away from the woman. She watched as he approached the edge of the deck, where a large plate of glass extended from the railing to the concrete deck, providing a clear view of the koalas living within the enclosure. Placing a paw to the glass, Nom Nom leaned in slightly, his gaze focusing on a mother and her joey, which clung to her neck tightly as she ate her fill of eucalyptus leaves. He felt his chest tighten and his emotions become heavy. "What happened to my mom?" he finally asked after a long silence. He waited for Holly's response, never taking his eyes off the mother koala and her offspring. He swallowed with some difficulty as his former caretaker remained silent. "She's dead, isn't she?"

"Yes," came Holly's hesitant reply.

Nom Nom nodded slowly. "I don't remember her."

"Well, you wouldn't have. You were only eight months old when she died, which was still pretty young for a joey to lose its mother, though not so young that you couldn't get by. By then, you had already weened yourself off her milk and were starting to eat eucalyptus leaves, so that was one thing we didn't have to worry about, but there was still the psychological impact it would have. I really had to step up my responsibility as caretaker and try to fill that void." Holly pushed herself off the tree and made her way over to where Nom Nom was standing, lowering herself to the ground beside him. "I knew I could never replace her, but I wanted to be as close to a mother figure as I could," she continued, prompting Nom Nom to finally look up at her. "You became pretty attached to me in the wake of her absence. Everywhere I went, you were always hopping along after me, right on my heels." Holly paused for a moment and smiled. "You were a mess."

"I was an angel!" the koala retorted.

"You were a terror!" Holly laughed. "And the most jealous little thing I had ever seen! Oh, you couldn't stand it if I even paid one second of attention to any of the other animals. No, you had to be the center of attention all the time. If I stopped fawning over you for even a minute, you'd follow my every step and climb all over me. You'd latch onto my leg or climb onto my shoulder and chew on my hair. You even tried getting physical with the other koalas if I showed them any affection. I remember one day when I was playing with one of the older joeys, and you came out of nowhere and tried to run him off."

Holly noticed a smirk tugging at the corner of Nom Nom's mouth. "Don't look so smug," she said. "He took a pretty nasty bite out of your ear."

"He did?"

Holly nodded. "In fact…" She leaned down to gently part the fur on his ear. "Yep…you still have a little scar right here where he bit you."

"I…I can't believe I don't remember," the koala replied as he reached up to fondle his ear.

"You were something else, but I loved you more than anything."

Nom Nom was unable to suppress a warm smile as he gazed back out over the enclosure, though it faded rather quickly. He sighed, looking back up at his caretaker pleadingly. "Can't I just stay here with you?" he begged.

Holly's expression softened and she sighed, patting her lap. "Come here."

Nom Nom did not hesitate as he shuffled his way over to her, climbing into her lap and curling up against her, resting his face against her stomach. He closed his eyes as he felt her arms circle around him, feeling safe and secure. It was a feeling he had missed greatly.

"Listen…I know what you're feeling right now," Holly began gently as she stroked the top of his head. "You're afraid of the future, so now you're trying to live in the past, but you're completely overlooking the present…what you have now." Holly reached down to scoop up Nom Nom's cellphone, which he had placed on the ground. "Them," she said as she showed him the photo he just could never bring himself to delete.

"They don't want me," Nom Nom mumbled as he turned his gaze away from the photo, laying his cheek against Holly's stomach. "They hate me…I know it."

"Grizz doesn't seem to hate you."

"Yeah, well…he's too forgiving…and dumb."

"He cares about you, and it's my guess that you care about him, too, even if you don't want to admit it." Holly smirked as she heard the koala grumble. "You are worth so much more than just a form of entertainment, and it's clear he sees you for more than that as well. He doesn't care about all that. He doesn't care if you're famous or not. Why else would he go this far for you?"

Holly heard him heave an aggravated sigh. "This life isn't for you," she continued as she gestured to the enclosure behind her. "You already have something so much better than this." She slipped a finger under Nom Nom's chin and forced him to look up at her, though he was trying to look elsewhere, all while fighting back tears. "Look at me," she demanded gently, and he reluctantly looked her in the eye. "You're my baby….and you'll always be my baby. That'll never change, no matter where you go. No one could ever replace you."

Nom Nom sighed again, pressing his face into Holly's stomach. "I'm tired of feeling like I don't know where I'm going."

"You won't always feel that way," Holly replied as she scratched behind his ear. "You've made a huge change in your life, which is always overwhelming at first, but you should always move forward, not backward. It seems hard now, but you're going to be just fine."

The koala bit his lip as he mulled over her words. "I just…I don't know what else to do! This is all I've ever done. I don't know how to do anything else! And...I just…I missed you." Nom Nom pulled away from Holly's arms, straightening up in her lap in order to look her in the eye. "I feel helpless, okay?! I fully admit it! I don't know what to do with my life, and now I'm running home to Mama like a frightened little child! There…I said it." Nom Nom hung his head slightly, his shoulders slumping as his eyes welled with more tears.

Holly chuckled softly as she reached up to take his face in her hands again.

"It's not funny," the koala grumbled, fighting the tears the best he could.

"I'm not laughing at you, baby," the woman reassured. "It's okay to be scared. Look, you can always come to me if you need to talk. I'm not casting you out of my life forever, okay?" Brushing away Nom Nom's tears, Holly hoisted him up and turned him around, pulling him close to her chest as she reached for his phone again. "You'll always have me," she added as she held the phone up, preparing to snap a photo, which prompted Nom Nom to force a weak smile. "But like I said, you have something much better now," she said as she took the shot. She then managed to find her way to Nom Nom's contacts and quickly programmed her number into his phone. "If you need to talk…don't hesitate to call me." She smiled, handing the phone back to Nom Nom, who opened the photo gallery to look at his newest photo. After a brief silence, he looked her way again, appearing curious.

"Do you…still have that video? The first one you posted on the internet?"

Holly's smile widened a bit as she reached down to her waist to pluck her phone from the holster attached to her belt. After pulling up the video, she held the phone out to where Nom Nom could see it clearly. "I could never get rid of it," she said.

Nom Nom held his breath for a moment as the video emerged on the screen. It was somewhat wobbly at first, and the only thing he could see was a shaky view of the ground, but within just a few seconds, an image of a small koala joey came into view.

"What are you doing?" a female voice asked playfully as the camera moved closer to the sitting animal. The small joey turned its head to look back at her before suddenly taking off on all fours, hopping across the ground. Nom Nom could hear Holly giggle as she followed him, mumbling, "You little jumping bean." The camera drew closer to the koala joey as he leapt onto a tree and shimmied his way up, stopping about halfway before turning his head to look directly into the camera. "Are you my good boy?" Holly cooed. "Are you?" A hand suddenly came into view to tickle the young Nom Nom under the chin. "Are you my good boy?"

The koala joey stretched his head outward, his nose lightly bumping the phone screen. Pulling back slightly, the joey let out a tiny squeak, which earned more giggles from his caretaker.

"Was that a 'yes'?" she asked. As she edged closer, the tiny marsupial reached outward and latched onto her chest before climbing up towards her shoulder. Holly pointed the camera towards herself and the koala joey now perched beside her head. "Say hi!" she said cheerfully as she drew the phone closer to herself and her charge. The young Nom Nom turned his attention towards Holly's head before immediately digging at her scalp and nibbling on strands of her hair. "You silly goose!" she laughed as she attempted to pull her head away. "What is your fascination with my hair?"

Ruffling the youngster's fur, Holly smiled widely as she turned to look back into the camera. "This is Nom Nom. He's our youngest joey here at the San Diego Zoo, and…" Holly sighed as she felt the joey nibbling on her hair again, "…right now he thinks my hair is eucalyptus." She paused to roll her eyes. "He's every bit as mischievous as he looks. Aren't you?" she added teasingly as she turned to look at the tiny animal perched on her shoulder. As he drew his face closer to hers, Holly seized the opportunity and planted a quick kiss on his nose. "You want people to come see you, right? You'd like that, wouldn't you?" The woman smiled as she turned to look back into the camera. "How can you say no to that face?"

"They couldn't," Nom Nom heard Holly murmur softly into his ear as she leaned down to rest her cheek against his. "From that day forward the whole world fell in love with you."

As the video finally came to an end, Nom Nom exhaled and settled back into Holly's arms. He closed his eyes as he felt her hand rest atop his head.

"But now it's time for you to stop living for others…and start living for yourself." She turned her head to kiss his cheek. "I love you. Now go start a new life."

Author's Note: Well…it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm afraid I don't have an excuse. I found myself constantly losing my inspiration to keep writing this story. I know I said this would be the final part but once again, plans have changed. This chapter was just getting so ridiculously long and I just felt like I was squeezing too much into one chapter, much like the last, so I decided to end it here. Part 4 WILL be the last part, I promise, and I'm hoping it won't be nearly as long as this one.

Now then…a little background about this chapter. Holly's character and her relationship with Nom Nom was actually a plot idea I came up with months ago, back when I was still writing Gone Astray. At the time I was really in love with the idea but couldn't really figure out how I wanted to develop it into an actual story. Ultimately, I just stuck a pin in the idea and decided to wait until I had a good opportunity to write it. I hadn't originally planned on using the idea in this story. This story was originally supposed to end at the first chapter, but I realized that this was a good opportunity to work Holly's character into this story. And I just really loved this idea for NN's backstory and have kind of accepted it as head canon…at least until the Nom Nom family episode comes out and shoots it full of holes lol.

Again, my apologies for the long wait! I hope it was worth it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!