SchmEthan here:
OK then, here's my second attempt at a songfic, although it leans significantly towards the 'fic' side with some lyrics in between. Anything in bold is lyrics from Bowling For Soup's 'When We Die' (not as dark as it sounds lol). My other songfic, Swim, went down rather well, but it's probably a bit different to this one. So any thoughts/comments/praises/criticisms/corrections/tweezers are most welcome!

Well, enjoy!

SchmEthan.

Fox stirred in his bed. He tried to lift himself into a sitting position, but the force of his pounding headache dragged him down again. He groaned as he groggily rolled out of bed and somehow managed to drag himself into the bathroom. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he gave a heavy sigh. What he saw was an animal with bloodshot, baggy eyes and saliva dribbling from its muzzle. This happened to Fox every so often, but it only started a few years ago. Her. He dragged himself into the shower, all the while trying to remember why he'd woken up in such a state.

Well, I know that it's early and it's too hard to think...

After a long, hot shower, the vulpine was decidedly feeling much better. He checked himself in the mirror and, surprisingly, the animal had been tamed and groomed respectably. Yes, there were still some bags under his eyes, but nobody's perfect.

Fox dressed himself and made his way to the kitchen. He was living in a small flat on Corneria since the disbandment of Star Fox cut the vulpine's income substantially; he couldn't afford to keep the Great Fox in working order. He opened one of the cupboards and reached for a coffee mug before spotting exactly what had caused him to wake with a thumping head.

And the broken empty bottle's a reminder in the sink...

He cleared away the remains of the vodka bottle and set about making his coffee. He knew that the only reason he would ever drink vodka is if he was, for want of a better word, wallowing. Wallowing about a certain blue vixen who had left him to join team Star Wolf. Of course, it was his fault entirely; he forced her off the team in fear of her safety. She took it rather badly, unlike Fox's prior assumption, and that's when he realised that he'd made a huge mistake. He sighed just thinking about it. Even after she came back to fight alongside Fox against the Anglars, she left again three months later. He knew he couldn't stop her. But, God, he tried. He fell to his knees and he begged like he had never begged before, but to no avail; she went straight back to Panther, seemingly without a second thought. Seemingly.

And all Fox wanted to do was talk to her again.

But I thought that I should tell you if it's not too late to say...

Not just talk, apologise. Properly. He sometimes wished that he could just ring her up at Sargasso and tell her everything that was on his mind. But he couldn't, for a few reasons. One was that as soon as his ID appeared on any Sargasso line, it was automatically diverted to Wolf. And he was not about to tell Wolf that he wanted to grovel to Krystal. The second was that even if he somehow managed to get through to her, he didn't doubt that either she'd ignore him completely, or Panther would make sure she did. Thirdly, he couldn't. Even after all those years of friendship between them, he still turned bright red when any conversation came to Krystal or feelings thereof. Talking to her about any such feelings wasn't much better. But if there was one thing he was willing to do, it was try.

I could put back all the pieces, they just might not fit the same...

True, nothing could ever be forgotten about the whole incident. Fox's stubborn nature, Krystal's unknown coldness, the vulpine's stupid mistake, the vixen's stupid resolution; everything would linger. But in Fox's mind, that wasn't going to stop him. He had overcome so much in his life; his father's (supposed) death, Andross in Venom and over Sauria, the Aparoids, the Anglars and even Krystal herself. He had lost his family, he had lost his loved ones, and thus Fox realised something. Unless it's inevitable, don't let anything slip away from you.

Nothing's worth losing, especially the chance to make it right...

Fox downed his coffee in record time, feeling renewed, feeling rejuvenated. Yes, memories of Krystal plagued him from time to time, and occasionally he'd lose himself in a pit of despair and vodka, but he was still the same old Fox McCloud. And that same old Fox McCloud had never given up hope on anything before, and he didn't intend to start. He grabbed his wrist comm. and his keys before leaving the flat and careening down the stairs, intent on where he was going.

The Great Fox was being held at a pawn garage of sorts on the edge of Corneria City. It had been a few months ago that he had asked a good friend of his to take the ship in, since nobody else was willing to. Of course, he visited his father's ship from time to time, just to relive old memories and sort out some newer ones. He immediately made his way to the vixen's former bedroom, sitting himself of the edge of the bed. Stuck around the dressing table were plenty of pictures, either of Fox or himself and Krystal. She never bothered to remove them when she left for Star Wolf, which was both good and bad for the vulpine. Good, because these were the old memories that he cherished so much, and bad because the new memories that spawned from the old pictures consumed him as well. But not anymore... thought Fox.

In his head, Fox concocted a reassurance for both himself and the vixen. Of course, unless she was fairly close to him, she'd never be able to hear it, even with her telepathy. But he could always tell her later.

"Krystal, I don't know if you can hear this (and it'll be a miracle if you do), but here goes. It's been ages since I even tried to talk to you. Believe me, I've wanted to, but you know me; one mention of you and I go bright red." He chuckled, both inwardly and outwardly. "But that's all you need to know; I want to talk. Not just to talk, though. These last few years I've spent without you have been painful. I thought that maybe I'd learn to get over you, but I didn't. Which is a good thing, I suppose, because now I think, no, I know that we can fix it, and I know that we're gonna be fine... Sure, we've both made our fair share of slip-ups (even though my share's a bit bigger than yours), but those are all in the past, and the tattooed mistakes are gonna fade over time... To be perfectly honest, there just wasn't enough time. All those things we did together, all that time we spent together, it just didn't last long enough. I just wanted to hold you in my arms. And... And I still do. I dunno about you, but even now I can't cope without you. If there's anything I've learnt over all these years, it's that as long as we live, time passes by, and we won't get it back when we die..."

Fox halted his train of thought for a minute before continuing.

"I love you, Krystal. I love you to the end of the universe and nothing's gonna change that."

He couldn't help but sigh with the recognition of unrequited love. On top of that, there wasn't a chance in Lylat that she would have heard him.

Well, it's lucky she's not from Lylat...

Krystal woke up with a start in her bedroom aboard the Great Fox. While she was taking a quick flight over Corneria one Tuesday evening, partially to relieve stress, she spotted the grounded Great Fox in the pawn garage. She wasted no time in inquiring as to why it was there before taking a quick look around. After reporting to Wolf- he liked to keep track of all his teammates- Krystal decided she would stay the night, for old time's sake, she told herself.

As she allowed her eyes to adjust to the light, the pictures scattered around her room filled her mind. She had just had that dream again. The dream. About Fox.

Every so often, she would dream that she was telling Fox that she wanted to go back to Star Wolf. She knew that he wouldn't like it, but neither did she, for that matter. In the dream, she held a blaster. Where she would have said the words, she pulled a trigger, releasing them from the gun straight into Fox's chest. "I'm going back to be with Panther and the rest of Star Wolf..." The 'blaster shot' would then strike Fox in the heart and send him flying backwards into nothingness.

Krystal almost shivered as she did her utmost to forget the dream. Not only had it severely freaked her out over the past few years, but it only increased her yearning for Fox, just to know if he was OK. She hadn't heard any bad news about him, which was the good thing. And the bad thing? She hadn't heard any news of any sort from him. It was as if he never tried, although she had no idea that Fox couldn't contact her at Sargasso without going through Wolf first.

The vixen stretched her way out of bed and walked over to the small dressing table with pictures practically framing the mirror. As she sat down in the small stool, she couldn't help but notice a few differences between her current appearance and her former. Her eyes used to sparkle with a lustrous aquatic green hue, almost mirrored by Fox's eyes in each and every photo of the two of them. She diverted her gaze away from the photos and into her own eyes. These eyes, although identical in colour seemed dull and frozen over. They had lost their sparkle the day she had lost Fox. That's how badly it had affected her. Also, she struggled to smile; she had done every single day of her life since that incident a few years ago.

Well, I know it's been years now, and I don't look the same...

She looked back at one of the photos with a clear view of Fox in it. The vulpine was smiling. He was happy. Because of her. She often remembered him telling her all his ambitions in life, most of them revolving around her. He'd promised to take her diving on Aquas, to take her for a camping trip on Fortuna, to take her for a honeymoon on Sauria.

And for the first time in perhaps a year, Krystal genuinely smiled. Her memory of Tricky's verbal attack on Fox's rational thought flooded back to her. She retained her smile while she also remembered a drunken Fox spewing out all his deepest secrets about his feelings for Krystal. Although she thought that it was merely the alcohol talking, he meant every word. And then the smile disappeared.

He was gone. Even though he had brought her back, she left again. And she regretted it like nothing else.

And the hopes and dreams you had for me you thought went down the drain...

Krystal stood up, the beginnings of fresh tears creeping into the back of her eyes as she left her room to get a glass of water. The water didn't really quench her thirst, but it cooled her down a little, which she was thankful for. She was about to leave the Great Fox when she passed Fox's old room. It hadn't even occurred to her to take a look inside his bedroom, but now that the opportunity was staring her in the face, how could she refuse?

Despite the knowledge that the Great Fox was completely empty, both through the use of telepathy and the fact that it was eight in the morning, she scanned the hallway before quickly sneaking into his room.

And then it hit her.

The emptiness.

And the room feels so empty where my pictures used to be...

She guessed that Fox had taken all the photos after he moved out of the Great Fox, but she never realised how empty his room looked without her in it. She was so used to all the blue and occasionally orange photos taking her breath away and sending her into sweet certainty about that vulpine she loved, knowing that he had so many pictures, so many memories, of her.

The vixen had absolutely no idea what Fox had done with the photos, but she hoped to goodness that he'd kept them, although she considered the odds quite unlikely. As she sat herself down on the bed, she thought back; it wasn't his fault that she left him again, but it most definitely wasn't hers for being forced off the team.

And I can't say that I blame you, but you can't blame me...

Krystal knew what it was like to lose, to suffer from a loss so great that one shivers just thinking about it. She had suffered two such losses in her life: her entire home planet; her friends, her family, her people, and Fox. The former, she had almost fully recovered from, but the latter? She hated herself for letting Fox slip away from her, because that vulpine was all she had left; she had nothing else to lose, not even her sanity. And she didn't want to lose anymore.

She was determined to get Fox McCloud back by any means necessary.

Cause nothing's worth losing, especially the chance to make it right...

Conveniently, those means came waltzing right through the doors of the Great Fox. Krystal held her breath as she analyzed the new thought patterns. Except they weren't new; she could recognise them a planet away. Only one person could have such determination, yet such shyness. Such certainty, yet such hesitation. Such love, yet such a past. She kept quiet as Fox walked into her room.

What are you doing in there, Fox? she asked herself, showing no symptoms of anger or hatred.

As if in reply, she heard Fox's thoughts clearly in her head. The vixen shut her sea-green eyes and forced all her concentration upon the vulpine's thoughts.

"Krystal, I don't know if you can hear this (and it'll be a miracle if you do), but here goes. It's been ages since I even tried to talk to you. Believe me, I've wanted to, but you know me; one mention of you and I go bright red." At this point, Krystal felt a wave of happiness break over her as if she was laughing. "But that's all you need to know; I want to talk. Not just to talk, though. These last few years I've spent without you have been painful. I thought that maybe I'd learn to get over you, but I didn't. Which is a good thing, I suppose, because now I think, no, I know that we can fix it, and I know that we're gonna be fine... Sure, we've both made our fair share of slip-ups (even though my share's a bit bigger than yours), but those are all in the past, and the tattooed mistakes are gonna fade over time... To be perfectly honest, there just wasn't enough time. All those things we did together didn't last long enough. I just wanted to hold you in my arms. And... And I still do. I dunno about you, but even now I can't cope without you. If there anything I've learnt over all these years, it's this: as long as we live, time passes by, and we won't get it back when we die..."

Krystal was stunned. Fox could never have said anything like that to her. He would blush, he would stutter, he would change the subject; how could this be him?

And then she realised.

He's wanted to say all that stuff to me the whole time... but he couldn't... Krystal slapped her paw to her forehead. Oh, Fox! I loved you so much, and I... At this point, Krystal took a deep breath. I think I still do.

But what about you?

"I love you, Krystal. I want you, I need you, I love you to the end of the universe and nothing's gonna change that."

Krystal froze completely. That was not just coincidence, was it? Oh, who cares! Fox, you still love me!

This revelation only caused more tears to spring from Krystal's lustrous eyes, but these were the tears of joy. Pure joy at finding her whole at last. She leapt up from the bed, almost unable to control herself. He loved her, and that was all that mattered.

The vulpine turned to the window, now giving him a view of the garage rather than the accustomed outlook at the stars. He reminded himself to relay all of that to Krystal next time he saw her. But when would that be? And would he be able to?

"Oh, Krystal!" he groaned aloud. "I never should have asked you to leave in the first place. I need you here. With me. So come over, Krys, come over... cause I gotta know if I am doing this all on my own... I know I love you, so come over, come over...! How can I show you if you're not here...?"

"Well, I am here, actually," came a voice from the door. Fox looked up, his jaw dropping like a stone as he saw that one thing that meant the Lylat to him.

"K...Krystal?" he stammered, desperately trying to figure out if this was really happening, or if he was still back at home sleeping.

"Yes, Fox, it's me," she assured him, her caring smile reunited with her soul once more. "And don't you think for a second that you're on your own with this."

Fox immediately stood up, an ecstatic smile beginning to form on his muzzle. Krystal's words sliced through the tangle of thoughts in his head as he opened his arms to allow them to hold what they had missed for all those years. The vixen, without hesitating for a second, complied with Fox's request, almost launching herself into his grasp. She hurled herself at the vulpine so fast that the pair both ended up on the bed, still firmly in each other's arms. Laughing and giggling, Fox was the first to speak.

"Oh, I've missed you, Krystal," he sighed, holding her closer while taking in that mind-numbing scent of the one he loved. "You haven't bowled me over in a long time!"

"And your jokes haven't got much better!" Krystal observed playfully. As Fox sat upright, pulling Krystal up with him, he kissed her on the lips, just once. The vixen was stunned; Fox had never been able to pull that off before without glowing like a Christmas tree. Fox noticed her disbelieving expression and chuckled a little.

"I know; I can't believe it either," he admitted. "It's just been so long since I've even seen you outside a cockpit. And even then I was avoiding you."

Krystal chose that moment to look him directly in the eye. To him, those eyes of so many colours and emotions seemed to house her very soul, which leaped right into his mind. The vixen, still looking into his eyes, spoke softly. "I think I'm speaking for us both if I say that we should try and forget everything we've done as much as we can and just get on with it!"

"Can't argue with that!" Fox pulled Krystal closer to him. "Because I love you, Krys, and I know that we're gonna be fine... and the tattooed mistakes are gonna fade over time... as long as we live, time passes by... and we won't get it back when we die... which is why I want to spend all the time I've got left with you. You're everything and more, Krystal. And if I try to send you away again, for the love of God punch me in the face before I can say it."

Krystal couldn't help herself and burst into a fit of giggles. Fox managed a few chuckles as well before they both sighed. They sighed the kind of sigh that can only mean one thing: they'd been hit by the happy bug.

"Fox, I..." Krystal began, "I know I don't say it enough, not nearly enough, but I love you; always have, always will. And if there's one thing I want you to do, it's to hold on to me and never let go."

Fox fixed his gaze on that vixen who meant so much to him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that, Krystal leaned forward and stole Fox McCloud's muzzle for a heart-pounding kiss. That very same heart beat its way straight into his mouth, subsequently pouring it, along with its associated love and cherishment, into Krystal who, thanks to her telepathy, felt every emotion of both hers and Fox's amplified through a feedback loop of infinite intensification. Fox, despite his lack of an extra sense, could have sworn that he heard Krystal inside his head, repeating his name.

Vulpine have many needs, and one of them happens to be air. When the pair finally broke apart, all that remained of their kiss, aside from the permanent memories, were smiles on their faces and content in their eyes. Fox's strayed down to his wrist comm. as he checked the time.

"Heh. It's only half eight. We've got the whole day ahead of us! Any preferences?" Fox felt the slightest pang of uneasiness inside him. "That is, assuming you are coming back?" It was a stupid question.

"Of course I am, you idiot!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "How about we just go for a little trip in the Cloud Runner?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Fox scratched behind his ear as he realised something. "Wait a second... isn't there only one seat in the Cloud Runner?"

"Uh huh," she replied, without faltering for a moment.

"Right..." He wasn't sure how they were going to go about their little trip.

Krystal rolled her eyes at the vulpine's genuine confusion. She pulled him up and dragged him out of the room. "Come on, Fox!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." He yawned, triggering one from Krystal too. "Funny how yawns are contagious like that."

"Well, I dunno about you, but I was wrecked this morning."

"Yeah, same. But now," he started, rubbing her paw with his fingers. "Now you've gone and fixed me right up."

"And I feel better already," Krystal beamed in reply. "Now let's get going before anyone wakes up and sees us!"

"Alright then, let's go!"

And so, Fox and Krystal, reunited once more, set off on their little morning flight.

And I know that it's early...

Well, there it is! I highly recommend listening to When We Die; it really is an epic song! I think I got a bit dodgy towards the end, after the second 'chorus', because I was writing this when I was in my 'awesome' mood, but then I had to stop. So I had to wait for another awesome mood to finish it, but the mood wasn't quite as awesome.

So yah, as I said, please review with ANY and ALL comments or other stuff you have about the story. Remember, every time you review, a fairy is born! YAAAAAAAAAY!

Yes, I'm mentally stable loads...

Thanks for reading!!

SchmEthan.

(P.S This little sentence here will make the story 4000 words exactly! WOO!)