Kidnapping is Always an Option - 26. Chapter 26

Daniel paced around in the kitchen, feeling frustrated. His rubbed his hands against the soft, recently shaved sandy blonde hairs on the sides of his head as he let out a groan. "See? This is exactly why I didn't want to get married in the first place. It all starts with the hormonal insanity of pregnancy!"

Jason looked on as the ferret continued to pace. "We just have to keep looking. Something's bound to be appetizing. How about that can of tuna we put in one of the cabinets?" he suggested. "And some of the potted meat and garlic bread..."

The ferret pulled the long strands of hair on the top of his head back into a quick ponytail as he opened the cans and placed everything on a tray.

"This better work, Biter," he grumbled. "He hasn't eaten a damn thing. And he keeps clinging to Fierce like he's some kind of stuffed toy!"

The raccoon shook his head, his hazel eyes set in a frown. "Sneaks, he has his reasons for obliging him. None of us want the blood of the innocent, unborn lives in our hands," he pointed out.

Daniel let out a snort as he lifted the tray and walked past the silver-haired man. "Well, it's a good thing that Terrin doesn't want anything to happen to him either, at least until the exchange's been made," he mused out loud.

The two of them then walked into the room to find Nix brushing a grimacing, but silent, Pedro the Fierce in his animal form.

"Stop squirming." Nix booped the put-upon chihuahua's nose. "Your coat is going to be so soft and shiny, puppy. Your wife won't be able to keep her hands off you."

Daniel set the tray on the table beside them. "Brought something different this time," he announced.

Pedro peered up at the Civek and let out a soft bark as if to urge him to eat.

"See? Even Fierce wants you to eat something," Jason encouraged.

Nix frowned, but looking at the three hopeful faces made him relent. He wasn't hungry. In fact, he was unpleasantly queasy. The stress and the pregnancy were tying his stomach in knots. Carefully fussing over the chihuahua had helped calm him a bit, though. And it allowed him to realize that he needed to eat. For the babies, if not for himself.

The one-eyed cat took the potted meat and garlic bread but turned his nose up at the tuna. Before the pregnancy, he adored nearly any kind of fish. Lately, it just smelled awful to him.

"Thanks," Nix told them as he nibbled the bread. "I'm sorry to be such a pain in the ass. It's just...I feel like I'm going a little mad. Like there's a crazed squirrel hopping around in my head half the time."

"We won't let Terrin do anything to him or your babies," Jason suddenly spoke out.

"Wait, we won't?" Daniel questioned, confused.

"That's right, we won't," Pedro agreed when he shifted back into his human form. "We'll protect you both."

Daniel's forest green eyes peered from the Kaynen to the Raccoon and back again. "When did we decide all this?" he keened. "Not that I would want anything to happen to you or your mate, that is!"

"R-really?" Nix sniffled, the bread forgotten. "You aren't just saying that so I'll settle down and behave?"

The ferret offered Nix up a bittersweet smile. "Hey, we're not monsters like Terrin. We're just thieves," he insisted. "She promised us a good cut if we help her get the bear, is all." He glanced over at the raccoon and sighed. "And the three of us really need the cash."

"But, that doesn't mean that we'll just stand around and let her hurt you or your mate," Jason added. The smile the ferret sent his way made it all worth it then and there.

Pedro leaned over to whisper into one of Nix's ears. "See? Told you they're like little love birds when they don't think anyone's looking."

Pedro had tried everything he could to distract the cat from his steadily increasing stress. The best thing he’d stumbled upon was speculation on the state of the two other thieves’ relationship, or lack thereof. Sometimes, analyzing the glances and body language Jason and Daniel threw at each other was the only way to get the Civek to come out of his nest at all.

A little chittering noise bubbled up from Nix's chest as he nodded his agreement. Maybe it was some kind of syndrome, but the cat genuinely liked these men. Not as lovers, he had enough of those. Under different circumstances, though, they could have been friends. Nix's yellow-green eye narrowed on the ferret and raccoon.

Yes, the Civek decided. He needed a distraction, and he knew just what he could do that would be a good thing all around.

Nix quickly ate the bread and potted meat, much to the thieves' surprise.

The pregnant cat flopped back onto his nest of pillows and blankets and sighed dramatically.

"I miss my Falorios...And my foxie, beefcake, bunbun, and mousie." He rolled over to rub his cheek on a pillow. "Especially, my Falorios, though. He's my sugar."

Concerned, Pedro quickly shifted back into his Chihuahua form and softly padded over to Nix's hand, giving it a lick in sympathy.

"So, uh, how'd you end up with so many mates, anyway?" Daniel prompted as he sat down at the edge of the bed. Jason, as always, stood by the door as a lookout.

"They rescued me..." Nix said softly, petting the little dog gently. "From slavery. I was more than half dead when they found me. They took care of me. Loved me." His eye found Daniel. "And I loved them. Life's too short and painful not to accept and treasure that kind of thing when it finds you."

The ferret shot a quick glance towards the raccoon and fought down a blush. "R-Right," he muttered. "It's just quite a bunch of different species, though."

Nix fought down a knowing smile. This was going to be fun.

"We're all different," the cat admitted with a shrug. "It adds this amazing something to it. It's like, I know that even after I've known them for years, there will still be a touch of mystery and wonder there." Nix scratched behind Pedro's ears. "Because they're so different from me and each other, I'll never get bored with them." The smile that pulled his lips upward was small but genuine. "Things are always interesting."

Pedro let out a small, satisfied rumble under his ministrations as his eyes began to blink drowsily.

"Wouldn't they...fight over the kids?" Daniel wondered aloud. "They can't all be willing to raise them..."

"They've all decided to raise them together, with me," Nix said with a happy purr. "The kits have pulled us together instead of tearing us apart." The cat suddenly waved his hands in the air dramatically. "I'm lonely. Come join the cuddle pile, you two."

Jason turned towards them and frowned. "I don't think that's wise..."

Daniel's face glowed pink at the very thought. "W-we can't all fit on the bed, anyhow."

"I’m just..." Nix stopped petting Pedro, wrapping his arms around his middle. "So lonely... I think I'm feeling sick again..."

"W-Wait, uh... shit." Daniel hissed as he shifted into his animal ferret form. "Don't be upset..." he urged. He was the only one out of the trio of thieves that could talk while in his alternate form.

"Cute little weaselkins," Nix purred, making grabby motions at Daniel.

Daniel held his body low to the ground as he slowly crawled closer to Nix, grumbling. "I'm a ferret, not a weasel."

"Weaselkins," the cat scolded, scooping up the ferret.

Nix chittered in delight. It was like holding a creature that was half kitten and half slinky. He nuzzled the top of the ferret's soft head.

"Where's the masked bandit?" Nix asked with a pout, looking at the raccoon guarding the door. "Cuz' he's not on the bed where he's supposed to be," he sang.

Jason glanced at the door mournfully and then let out a sigh as he walked over, shifting into his raccoon form halfway there and climbing up the bed in a quick and agile manner, leaving his clothes behind on the floor.

Nix would have clapped his hands in glee if they hadn't been full of ferret.

"You know who you two remind me of?" the cat purred as he rubbed behind Daniel and Jason's ears. "Foxie and bunbun."

"Foxie and what?" Daniel questioned. "How?"

Jason merely tilted his head to the side.

"Hmmm? Oh, I don't know," Nix said looking thoughtful. "Sometimes foxie and bun would do this one thing together...You probably wouldn't be interested." He tickled under the ferret's chin. "Aren't you pretty? Like someone dipped you in cream and then went wild shaking cinnamon on you."

Daniel let out a fairly embarrassing sound of appreciation, but the Civek's sparing words made him curious. "What did they do?" he wondered aloud.

Nix tried to keep his face as innocent as possible as he set the ferret on his little brown paws then scooped the raccoon into his arms. Jason didn't have time to struggle before he was deposited on top of Daniel. The raccoon's nose was pressed into the back of the smaller animal's neck, and his groin pushed indecently against the curve of Daniel's backside.

"Yeah," Nix said happily. "Just like that."

The ferret let out a ragged gasp, holding still. "Th-they didn't!" he responded in an accusing manner.

Jason took deep breaths. He was in shock, but the shock was already wearing out, and other things started to wake up. He had to get off of Sneaks in a way that wouldn't offend him, and he just couldn't think straight at the moment.

"Oh yeah, they did," Nix said with a naughty grin. "Not only that but while foxie was doing that to bun..." The cat gently pushed the raccoon's lower back, making Jason rub against the lithe body beneath him. "Sweet little bunbun was licking mousie. Mmm, he made the hottest little noises. And after he came, bun and foxie licked him clean while mousie looked like he'd been knocked unconscious by the fuck-train."

The raccoon's muzzle opened, and he began to bite along the ferret's neck, living true to his codename of Biter. Immediately, his dark gray arms wrapped around Daniel's lower half as he began to hump wildly against him.

The ferret beneath him began to make melodious "dooking" noises. "J-Jace!" he squealed in between the noises that resonated from the back of his throat. "What are...Jace!" In the heat of the moment, he didn't even realize that he was calling the raccoon by his real nickname and not his codename at all.

Nix leaned back, wanting to watch but not intrude. The cat hugged Fierce to his chest, rubbing the chihuahua's round little noggin as he kept his eyes on the show.

Pedro was part mortified, and partly relieved to see his two partners in crime actually doing something about their hidden feelings. Granted, it's not what the chihuahua had in mind.

Jason's humping wasn't entirely aimless. His far larger erection rubbed against the ferret's testicles and part of Daniel's own feral member.

Daniel couldn't believe how good it felt. If it had been anyone else that was humping him, he'd have probably killed them. But, it was Jason the Biter. In his dreams, the two of them were human and naked while humping. But, the ferret certainly wasn't going to complain. "Oh, fuck!" He keened.

Nix gently set the little dog aside, his gaze focused on the couple before him. The cat whined softly before licking the palm of his hand and sliding it into his loose pants. He stroked himself quickly, furtively, as tears clouded his vision.

It wasn't much longer until Daniel let out a trilling moan and spewed out his release, Jason following right after. "Biter..." he gasped. "I kinda wanna kiss you and punch you in the face all at once."

The raccoon gently licked the back of the ferret's neck in an apology. He was too ashamed to shift back into a human right then.

Nix covered his mouth with one hand as he came, trying to muffle his soft moan of release. He wiped the mess uncaringly on a blanket, then curled into himself. It felt like he had a knife buried in his chest. Playing matchmaker had lifted the Civek's spirits, but it hadn't lasted. Seeing the ferret and raccoon together so intimately had been desperately arousing while still starkly reminding the cat of the lovers he was separated from. He didn't truly even know if he'd ever see them again. Missing them was a physical pain inside him. Like they'd pulled out one of his organs when they'd stolen him from his mates.

Feeling the shift in mood, Pedro padded over to Nix's face and licked his cheek. Daniel and Jason glanced at each other before padding over to Nix, as well.

"Hey now, we meant what we said." The ferret stated. "We'll make sure nothing happens to you or your mate. I know it's hard to trust the thieves that took ya in the first place, but Fierce has his own pups at home...and both Biter and I have younger siblins' and all. We don't want nothin' to happen to your babies."

"It's not that," Nix told them with a pitful sniffle. "I just..." The Civek fought back the sob building in his chest until it came out as a hiccup. He swept all three of the animals into his arms and pressed his cheek to warm soft fur. "I just miss them so much."

Jason carefully pet the top of Nix's head with his small paw. Pedro and Daniel merely kept still for the time being.

It took several minutes for the Civek to calm down enough to set the worried thieves back on the bed. Nix was about to thank them when an odd vibration rang through the floors and walls, making the cat swallow wrong and begin coughing uncontrollably.

When Captain Terrin's orange and black face appeared on the room's vidscreen, she saw her furry comrades thumping their little paws on their captive's back.

"What the everloving fuck is...No, I don't even care," she snapped as her inky black eyes glared at them through the screen. "We're docked at the restock port. I'm going to get supplies." She leaned forward until her face filled the screen. "Watch him. Don't fuck this up."

Silence reigned in the room. Even Nix's coughs had fled in the face of Terrin the Terrible. Tears were still wet on his face when he turned away from the vidscreen to look at the trio of thieves left to mind him.

"I'm hungry," the cat said, flopping back onto his nest of blankets and pillows. "Can I have more of that meat in the little can?"

:::

Noel took another gulp of the juice Leon had brought him as his eyes continued to fly from one monitor to the next. He had three monitors displaying three different segments of data in the process of being decoded.

Leon was no less focused on his current activity.

"But the baby dragon was so grumpy, he totally forgot about his promise to the little jaguar prince," Leon whispered as he trotted a crudely cut-out drawing of a purple dragon around on the floor in front of Liam. "And he ate up all the fish in one gulp!" The Murisian dipped the paper dragon's nose in a tiny pile of scrap papers that had been crumpled into small balls. "Omnomnomnomnom!"

Liam let out a gasp as he clutched Mr. Bear closer to him. The cardboard crown on his head tilting slightly. "Then what will the people in the village eat?" He asked.

"That is exactly what the Prince worried about when he found out what had happened!" Leon smiled at the little boy. "You would be a wonderful prince. You'd take such good care of your people." He booped the cub on the nose before continuing his story. "Well, the baby dragon realized what he'd done and that he'd broken his promise. He felt so bad that he ran away and hid at the peak of the tallest mountain and cried until his daddies came and found him."

From behind his back, Leon pulled out two sticks. Each had paper dragon wings taped to them. He zoomed them around before waving them in front of the little cut out dragon.

"'Baby! Baby!' they cried and hugged their little one. 'What's wrong?'" Leon had the sticks gently poke at the paper dragon. "Baby dragon told them everything that had happened, even about getting scared when he sat on that singing frog!"

"He was a big, meanie frog!" the jaguar cub recalled. "But, he had good songs."

"I liked the song about burping the best," Leon confided. "But, do you know what the dragon daddies did then?"

Liam scooted closer, leaning forward as his big yellow-orange eyes took in every second. "What did they do?" he whispered in concern.

"The daddy dragons loved their baby soooooo much! Even though he'd been naughty, they still loved him and they always would," Leon said, leaning in as well. "So, they hugged him and kissed him until he stopped crying. Then they told him, 'You have been a very naughty baby dragon. Prince Jaguar wanted to be your friend. He even saved you from the old lady who smelled like turnips!'"

Leon made a face. He hated turnips.

"The baby cried that he was sorry, but the daddies only shook their heads." The mouse moved the tips of the sticks back and forth. "They told baby dragon, 'We aren't the ones you should apologize to. You must go back to Prince Jaguar and make it up to him. But we'll go with you, don't worry.'"

The Murisian put the paper dragon on top of one of the sticks and held it as he whooshed it through the air.

"Baby Dragon was so nervous about going back that when he got there, he hid under his daddy's wing. But they took him to find Prince Jaguar." The Murisian smiled at Liam. "Can you guess what the prince was doing?"

"Fishing?" Liam wondered aloud.

"Yes! He was fishing!" Leon tickled under the cub's chin. "You're so smart. He was fishing and fishing and fishing! He'd caught as many fish as he could, but it wasn't enough to feed his people. He saw the dragons, but he kept fishing. He didn't even turn around. He was still really mad. He said, 'Why are you here? You broke your promise, and now the village doesn't have enough food.'"

The blond had the paper dragon hesitantly hop forward.

"'I'm so sorry I ate your fish,' the baby dragon said with a sniffle. 'I came to apologize and try to make it up to you.'" The mouse had the cutout dragon nuzzle Liam's knee, making the boy giggle. It was such a sweet sound; it pulled a wide grin from Leon whenever he heard it. "'What will you do?' the prince asked. Baby Dragon thought. Then he thought some more. Then he waved his shining tail in excitement. He went and whispered to his daddies, and they flew off together. Soon, they were back, carrying a huge net full of so many fish they were falling out everywhere. Fish were dropping into trees, onto people's heads, even down the front of a snooty woman's dress! She was so shocked she fainted!"

The jaguar cub clapped his hands in joy. "The village won't be hungry!" he deduced.

"Exactly, clever Liam." The Murisian ruffled the boy's hair. "The dragons had found a new river! It was filled with yummy things. There were fish, mussels...those tiny lobster-things." Leon wriggled his fingers like little legs. "The baby dragon told the jaguar prince all about the river and how to find it."

Leon danced the paper dragon and sticks around happily.

"And they were all friends again!" Leon tossed the handful of crumpled paper balls in the air. "Baby Dragon made some big mistakes, but he said he was sorry and he really meant it. He made it right, and everyone forgave him. After that, the dragons and the village had a big yummy feast every month to celebrate." Leon booped Mr. Bear's nose. "Sometimes, twice a month. Just because." He lifted his hands with a flourish. "The end!"

"Yay!" Liam exclaimed as he rushed over to give the Murisian a hug, bear and all. "Thanks for the story."

"Thank you for listening and helping me with ideas." Leon gave the boy a gentle squeeze. "Having the pegasus help get things off the high shelves in the tower was very inspired." He leaned back with a grin. "You liked it? I don't know much about stories. I hope it was okay."

The child's large eyes all but sparkled. "It was the bestest story I ever heard, Mr. Leon!" he exclaimed.

"Hate to interrupt your bonding time," Noel said as he approached his brother. "But, you're going to want to take a look at this."

"What did you find?" Leon asked, giving a quick scratch behind Liam's ears as he stood.

Noel quickly led Leon to the monitors where columns and columns of bank accounts were displayed, all of them belonging to different politicians in their galaxy. "Looks like the Maivit Mafia have a lot of politicians by their balls."

"Holy crap," Leon groaned. "No wonder the baddies want this back so badly." He glanced at his brother. "This is dangerous stuff to know." A shiver went up the Murisian's spine. "We have to get Nix out of there."

Noel grimaced. "We should send a copy of this to Koby and the authorities." He stated. "Damn, that means that we'll have to listen to him rant about borrowing his ship first."

Liam held his Mr. Bear close as he followed the twins into their work area. When he finally caught up to them, he latched himself to Leon's leg.

"Yeah, Koby will be able to get this where it needs to go without having it point back to all of us." He looked down at the jaguar cub. "We can't just skip the drop and snatch Nix back, or it's going to blow up in our faces." Leon stroked the boy's soft hair. "We'll need a stand-in for Mr. Bear and the memory stick. How much time do we have?"

A string of beeping alerted Noel to the other machine. The twins looked at each other before rushing over to it.

"He's at a port near Tudlar!" Noel deduced in excitement. "That's not too far from our current location. I'd say we have plenty of time!"

"Let's get everybody together," Leon said with a grin. "We're gonna get Nix back. We just need a plan."

:::

The thieves had scoured the ship for little cans of potted meat. A little pile of empty cans sat forlornly next to the bed. Nix was buried under the blankets and pillows, clutching the small Chihuahua to his chest. There was a deep ache growing there. The Civek's tummy was full, but his heart felt dry and empty.

"It hurts," the cat whimpered. "Where's my sugar? I need Falorios." Nix curled in on himself. "Why did they leave me? They don't want me anymore..."

"Hey, it'll be ok. Soon we'll be at the drop-off point, and you'll see them again." Daniel tried to soothe him. "Need me to shift back into my feral form?"

Jason looked on from a distance. Neither of them spoke of what had happened earlier in their animal forms, but he had to find a good way to apologize to the ferret.

"We're not there, now?" Nix asked, peeking his head out from his nest. "I thought scary bitch said we were at the port?"

"Yes, we're at the port, but it's not the drop-off point," Daniel explained. "The drop-off is on a moon."

"The moon? Falorios and everyone is on the moon?" Nix tucked Pedro under his arm and struggled out of the blankets desperately. "I have to get there!"

"Calm down. They're not there yet," Daniel insisted as he rushed over to sit next to him.

"They're there!" Nix turned to the man but didn't seem to see him. His feline pupil was blown wide as his heart pounded and his breath quickened. "He's close! I can feel him!"

The pregnant Civek heaved himself from the bed and ran for the door.

Jason immediately caught the Civek in his arms. "Daniel, help me settle him back down!" he pleaded. The two of them managed to get Nix seated for a moment before he leaped off again. Pedro shifted from his feral form and held down the cat’s legs.

"Calmate," Pedro begged him from the floor. "Think of the bebes!"

"No!" Nix gasped. "No! Stop! I have to..." He struggled harder, nearly pulling free before he was pinned again. "Rios!" Nix screamed.

:::

The men were silent, even Phen, as they snuck quickly but carefully through the ship. Leon and Noel led the way since they had memorized the layout and held the devices needed to electronically pick the locks. The air seemed heavy around them, filled with equal measures of worry and hope.

"Just down this hallway, the last door on the left," Leon whispered, before shouting reached them, followed by a heartbreaking scream of despair.

"They're hurting him!" Caspin gasped, lurching forward to sprint past the twins.

The rest were right behind him. Rios reached the door first, rage and fear speeding his racing steps.

"Shit," the twins hissed, hurrying after them.

In moments, they were in their planned positions. Noel opened the door. Leon tossed in the fog canister as soon as it was wide enough.

"Please, stop," they heard Nix cry from inside. "I can't..."

The fogger went off with a pop, filling the room with smoke. Adrian and Loxias ducked through first, ready to tackle anyone blocking their way. Mycha rolled in low, a small stunner in his grip. Rios followed, with Phenner and Caspin fanning out behind him.

"Nix!" the moth shouted, his gaze raking through the fog.

He could make out a bed across the room. A familiar dark-skinned figure lay there, pinned down by three men.

"F-Falorios!" the Civek wailed.

"What do you think you're doing to my mate?" the moth roared.

Loxias and Adrian tackled the two men holding Nix's arms and Mycha stunned all three of them until they were limp and passed out. Rios lifted Nix into his arms and nuzzled his neck. "Are you ok?" He whispered.

"I was coming," Nix whimpered, clinging to the Alano. "I knew you were close. I was coming..."

Phen kicked one of the men on the floor. "And that's what you get for stealing our Serai and being mean to him!"

Nix looked up, shocked at the bunny's behavior. "No, don't hurt them!"

The men stopped what they were doing. Mycha spoke up.

"Can we at least tie them up?" he asked.

At Nix's reluctant nod, some of the men laid the thieves down on the bed and tied their arms and legs together.

"I was so scared they'd do something before we got here," the moth hissed.

Rios continued to hold onto the Civek, forcing the others to have to kiss and touch Nix around him. Since Adrian was so tall, it was easy for him to reach out his hand over the others so that he could rub and scratch the feline's ears.

"They were actually really nice to me," the cat murmured as he rubbed his cheek against Falorios's shoulder with a sigh. "I guess they don't normally do kidnappy stuff."

"They didn't look very nice when we came in here," Caspin growled.

"Oh!" Phenner gasped. "He's got that syndrome! Stalkerhomes!" He clenched his fists. "I'm going to kick them again."

"No, no," Nix said, grabbing the rabbit's hand and twining their fingers together. "I was kind of having a hissy fit. They were worried I'd hurt myself or the babies. They were going to make sure nothing happened to us. I believed them."

"Oh," Phen said again, shoulders slumping.

"Love you, bunbun," Nix purred, kissing the rabbit's fingers before looking to everyone else. "What do we do now? Scary bitch could come back any second."

"You mean there's another one?" Mycha gasped. "Everyone, quick! We have to figure out a way to catch her. If she manages to escape, she'll surely let the Maivit men know!"

"What should we do?" The twins questioned.

"Was she nice to you, Nixie?" Phenner asked, rubbing his thumb over the black cat's knuckles.

"She just wanted me alive and well enough for the drop," the Civek said with a shrug. "I don't think she cared too much beyond that."

Phen's pink petal eyes turned hard.

"I'm gonna kick her," he grumbled. "I'm gonna kick her so hard, then Mycha can stun her, and Ade and Loxie can sit on her."

Mycha opened his mouth as if to retort, but he then frowned. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea." He then took Phen's face in his hands and planted a kiss on his lips. "You're so brilliant." He then walked over to the Civek and stood on the tips of his toes to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry, we'll get her."

Nix kept himself plastered against Rios but reached out to stroke the sweet Murisian's cheek. A gentle purr rumbled in his chest.

When Terrin returned some time later, the lights were out inside the ship.

"Damn idiots broke the modulator again," she snarled under her breath. "I'm lucky they didn't blow up the ship."

She stomped inside, the airlock sliding closed behind her with a clang. As he passed by the first doorway, something leaped out of the darkness, hitting her in the solar plexus. Terrin doubled over with a grunt before she heard scampering feet. She spun in the darkness, claws raking the air in front of her. Her attacker was either crouching or unexpectedly short, however, and she missed entirely.

The little bastard was fast, too, ducking under to nail her with a stunner. Her claws grazed his shoulder. Then, he'd darted out of reach again.

She hissed angrily as she fell, limbs twitching.

Loxias and Adrian hefted her up by the arms and dragged her over to where they held the other three. They tied her up, as well, even more securely than the other three.

"I'm ok," Mycha whispered as Phen and Nix checked out his shoulder.

"Now that we've found Nix and have the kidnappers captured..." Noel began. "Leon and I figure that it's only a matter of time that the Maivit Mafia will figure out that the swap never happened."

"Yeah, we need to find out more about where they planned to turn the bear over," Leon added.

"You should ask puppy, or the slinky-kitten, or Mr. Mask," Nix said from his seat on Falorios's lap. "They really are nice. I bet they'll help."

"I don't think we have much of a choice at this point," Rios sighed as he continuously rubbed Nix's back and belly gently.

Mycha frowned. "If we have to question those three, then I don't think it wise to keep that woman here so that she might overhear."

"Adrian and I will watch over her in another room," Loxias suggested.

"I'll just be a few rooms down, kitten," Adrian affirmed softly as he knelt to give Nix a kiss. The two of them then left the room with Terrin in tow.

Nix whined softly, his gaze on the tall human until he disappeared. Rios was able to distract him with a gentle kiss, and the Civek was able to settle again.

Caspin and Mycha removed the gags on the trio of thieves. They were waking up, blinking blearily at the light in the room. Phenner stood protectively next to Nix, looking ready to kick anyone that breathed threateningly.

Daniel was the first to complain. "The hell happened...?" he griped weakly.

"Are you alright, Sneaky?" Jason asked, worry etched in his voice.

"A little groggy," Pedro responded.

"He was asking me," the ferret whined.

"Hi, guys," Nix said with a wave and a grin. "My mates came for me, isn't that great?"

"That's wonderful, young one!" Pedro exclaimed, despite being tied up.

"Yeah, but did they have to get so rough?" Daniel keened through a developing headache.

"Wait, Terrin's still out there! You should escape while you still can!" Jason urged.

"Nah," Nix said, his eye twinkling. "We've got her all tied up tight in another room."

The three thieves let out a collective sigh of relief.

Mycha approached the three. "We need your help," he began as he explained the situation. "The Maivit Mafia will be after us due to the object we have in our possession. With the help of my brothers, we can set up a sting operation in which we can all get out of this alive."

The thieves simply gaped at the Murisian as if it all sounded like lunacy to them.

"But, we can't do any of it if we don't know where you intended to swap the bear," Noel added.

"Please," Nix asked, crawling hesitantly from his mate's lap to approach them. "You said you didn't like what they were doing, what was happening. What the mafia will ask you to do is only going to get worse. This time it was kidnapping a pregnant Civek." He wrapped his arms around himself with a shiver. "And I have to admit that I'm glad it was you and not someone who might have hurt me. I know I was lucky. But what will they want from you next?"

He sat down next to Pedro, bumping their shoulders together.

"I know you have a family, puppy. The Mafia want a stuffed bear because they were using it to carry something else," Nix explained. "But the bear belonged to a little boy. They were sending him to one of their fetish whorehouses where they'd sell him and take back what was in the toy." The cat let out a small distressed whine. "I know all that because they hired Falorios to transport the poor kit." He gestured to Rios, ears drooping sadly.

"It's true," Rios affirmed. "We have a chance to take them down once and for all. Will you help us?"

The thieves looked at one another. Daniel worried his bottom lip. "The dark side of a moon. The drop-off was on the dark side of a moon."

"The third moon of Nainer," Jason added.

"Por favor, don't let Nix out of your sights again. Keep him out of the fight, for the bebes!" Pedro pleaded.

The Civek chittered softly, hugging Pedro to his chest. He licked the thief's cheek, wishing he was in his doggy form, so Nix could give him a bath. The cat smiled when he realized that he was back with his Seraglio, he could give Mycha baths again. Those were much more fun than bathing Pedro. He could always give Mycha a happy ending.

"Do you guys want to get out of this business?" Phenner asked, deciding that maybe Nix didn't have a syndrome. They seemed like decent people in over their heads. "I mean, the bad guys probably aren't going to be very happy with you after this." The rabbit cocked his head, looking thoughtful. "The others are really smart. Between all of them, I'm sure they could figure something out where you wouldn't have to do kidnappy things anymore."

Daniel looked at Jason. "We weren't kidnappers, just thieves." He insisted. "But, getting out sounds nice, yeah."

"Puppy?" Nix asked hopefully. "How about you?"

Pedro shrugged. "I have a lot of mouths to feed. If anything else paid as decently, I would stop. But, en general, I have no choice."

"I've been thinking about expanding my company for a while now," Caspin said. "I have more interest than I can keep up with. If you can prove yourselves trustworthy, I could outfit another ship. You could work for me. Your family could even be with you." The Vulpan shrugged. "It's pretty much information gathering. It would keep you out of the Mafia's sight. If that doesn't sound appealing, Loxias and his son have a large company on my planet that could surely find a place for you."

Three sets of eyes widened.

"Are you freaking serious right now?" Daniel whimpered.

"That would be..." Jason mused out loud.

"Magnífico!" Pedro finished.

Caspin just shrugged awkwardly, suddenly feeling a little shy.

"Yay!" Phen cried, throwing an arm over his captain's shoulders. "You know, I bet Caspin could buy a planet if he wanted. He's loaded! So, a ship is easy for him."

"Phenner!" Cas hissed.

"What?" the bunny asked. "What did I say? You bought Mycha. He's worth as much as at least one or two planets..."

Mycha blushed bright pink at the comment. Phen still looked confused as Caspin quickly tried to explain why telling people, especially thieves, that he was richer than most worlds wasn't a good idea. Nix just chuckled as he quickly untied the now ex-thieves.

"So, what's the plan?" the cat asked. "Have the guys pretend I'm still their poor little captive and the fuzz jumps on the baddies when we go to the swap port?"

"Actually, we'd have already traded you for the kid's bear." Daniel pointed out. "So, we'd have to go turn the bear in at the drop off on the moon."

"Can we trust you to take the decoy bear to the mafia?" Caspin asked seriously. "It could be dangerous, but we'll do everything we can to make sure the authorities keep you safe." The fox nibbled his lip. "And I'll do everything I promised about your joining my company, even if you don't want to do this. I won't force you." He shook his head, his tail flicking the air behind him. "It wouldn't be right. So, we'll figure something else out if we have to."

"We'll do it," Jason agreed. "It's our only chance to get out of the Maivit Mafia's grip, as well."

"Great!" Leon spoke up. "Then, let's dump that crazy woman at the Enforcers' Station and get this sting operation started!"

"Yay!" Phenner cheered again before plopping himself into the raccoon's lap. "I like your face," he said, tracing the mask that sat like a tattoo around his eyes. "Do you have markings anywhere else? It's really pretty," the rabbit continued, pushing up the man's sleeves to peer at his arms.

"H-hey, hey!" Daniel griped as he clambered over everyone else to gently shove the rabbit's hands away. "He's mine and I ain't sharing!"

The words surprised both the ferret and the raccoon. A slight blush formed on Jason's face. "We really should get going. And it's better if we use our own ship to not arouse suspicion," he said as he stood up and carefully set Phen onto his feet. "Just follow us to the moon."

"Let me get you the stand-in teddy," Caspin agreed with a nod.

Phenner let himself be shooed away from the raccoon, seemingly unfazed.

"It has a codename Liam and I thought up," the rabbit told them proudly. "You can call it...Mrs. Bear."