Xavier wakes to a female voice calling out to him, "Sir! Sir!" Groggy, he sits up and his door closes. Looking around, he doesn't see who woke him up. At the foot of his bed, however, are clothes laid out for him. Realizing the plan of the day, he throws his clothes on and darts out the door.

A maid in the hall leads him to a door. "This one is the quietest. Go and be with her."

As promised the door makes no noise. He sprints down to the stables. There he meets a teen in flannel and a straw hat. A piece of hay sticking out his mouth would complete the image of a farm boy.

"Oh! You're here. Doc said you'd be coming." He gives Xavier a wink. "Trust me. We've got it all set up. Doc's gunna call me and I'm gunna say that she's not ready yet."

"Great. Where is she?"

"She's in stall five with her mother." Xavier turns to go. "Wait. Before you go, you're probably gunna wanna roll in the dirt."

"Why?"

"So you don't smell like a human. Chocobos don't really like humans near their eggs."

"This is really necessary? You aren't trying to make me look like a fool?"

The chocobo worker holds up fingers in no sign that Xavier has seen before, "Serious."

"Fine. If it's to see my wife ..." He gets down and gets himself dirty. Standing up, he starts to head to the stable.

"One more thing."

"What now?"

The boy offers a handful of plants that look like green onions, "You're gunna wanna give this to the mom as a peace offering."

Xavier takes them, "Anything else?"

"Nope. That was it." He makes his way and finds stable with a Black Chocobo. Near her is a spotted egg. It's almost as tall as his thigh. The chocobo is alert and staring at him. As he reaches for the latch to open the gate its mouth opens, threatening to bite him.

He crosses the imaginary line into the stall hands face up and open, green plants in the palm nearest the bird. Baby steps at a time, he stops just within the reach of the dark colored bird. "It's okay. I'm just here to keep your egg company." While watching him, it lowers its beak to smell his hand. Passing that test, it snatches one of the vegetation and chews it.

This is an acceptable offering. The bird takes the rest out of his hand and works on them in front of herself. Xavier creeps up and sits next to the egg.

Throughout the morning, he keeps his hand on the egg and talks to it. From time to time, he feels it bump under his hand. In the heat of the day, the vibrations in the shell increase. The mother bird takes notice of him again. He stands slowly. "Okay, Mommy, I understand. You want to be alone for her hatching." He lets himself out of the stall, closing the gate behind him.

Nearby a phone rings. Xavier heads toward that. He hears the voice of the stable hand from before, "Hello, Sir. Is the egg hatched? Let me go check, Sir." He walks past Xavier with a finger on his lips. Xavier nods at him. He winks and keeps walking. Moments later, he returns. "Uh, no, Sir. It doesn't even look cracked yet. Yes, Sir. I'll let you know the moment it happens, Sir."

The worker sticks his head around the corner, "She's hatched, but give her a couple of minutes of quality time with her mom before joining them."

In the distance, he hears the excited voice of Cecelia. Xavier waits as long as he can bear. Then he heads over to the place where he found her before. There he watches a shiny golden humanoid bird talk and snuggle against the Black Chocobo. The combination is a little bizarre for Xavier. Her legs are just like the bird legs and her arms are wings. Springing up from about the end of the small of her back is a fan of tail feathers. And the hair on top of her head as well as her cowlick of gold match the rest of her. The rest of her is a human female. In fact, Xavier thinks to himself, She looks like my Cece with bird arms and legs.

He clears his throat.

Her head whips around without her body moving. She rushes up to the gate but is lower than the window, "Xave!" She hops a few times to see over the top. He uses the opportunity to pet her head.

The worker slides up next to him, "Looks like that bundle of energy could use some time out in the field."

She rushes back, "Mom, Mom, can I? Can I?"

She nods her assent. Is that sadness in her eyes? Cece darts out the open door then heads back, "Thanks Mom!" Then she joins Xavier in a wide open area surrounded by a fence. Balancing on her three toed claws and standing as tall as she can, her head barely clears his belt.

After watching her take a couple of laps, she slows and stops at Xavier.  "So, what happened to me? Why am I a part chocobo?"

"Well, you'll remember that you became a nut."

"That's what I was?"

"Yes, apparently a very special nut, too. Doctor Hines told me that the only hope for you to be alive again was to feed you to some chocobos. He said it was a part of some formula that came through the magic portal. He says that you would remember everything."

She nods. "I do. Well, I don't remember anything from kissing you to hearing your voice in my shell."

They collapse into silence. "So, what's next?"

"I'm not sure. I'd ask you if you like being --"

She cuts him off, "Oh yes, I like this so much. I have arms and legs again. And I'm not sure how I know, but I can tell I no longer have cancer."

"-- because I'm not sure we can get you back to human, unless we take you back to the limbless state," he finishes. She shivers a little. "Speaking of the doctor, you'll be seeing more of him now."

"Oh?"

"Well, since you are part animal and he is a veterinarian, he will need to make sure you are in good health." At this she goes quiet and her head lowers. "Cece, what's wrong?"

"Xave," her voice is a whisper.

"Yes?"

Her words come out quiet and halting, "Xave? Do? Do you? still love me?"

He puts an arm around her neck, "How can you even ask that? Of course I still love you."

Still a whisper, "Even though I'm an animal?"

"Cece, I don't see you as an animal. I see you as my wife ... with perks." A tear rolls down her cheek. She reaches with a wing and realizes it won't work. He wipes the tear away. "We'll get through this. It'll be okay. If you like being a chocobo then I like that you are a chocobo."

He scratches her head. It takes a little while, but soon she is leaning in to the touch. "Better?" She nods. "Good. Now take a couple of laps before I drown over here." Cecelia giggles as she charges off leaving him in a dust cloud.

"She's beautiful, ain't she," the stable worker appears next to him.

"Yeah."

"Phone call," he explains, "Gotta see if she's hatched yet. Doesn't look like it to me. You?"

"Nope."

"Oh," he says turning back after taking a few steps away, "You'll wanna feed her some of these. She's a growing young lady." Xavier gets another handful of green onion things as the worker heads back.

After she finishes running around, she returns sweaty, "Whew! That was great. Now let's get a drink." They head over to the water trough where she almost dunks her head in and starts slurping. Finished, she leans against Xavier. Having no towel, he wipes her face with his shirt. "Uggg, you are dirty! Now my face is dirty."

Xavier, surprised by this stammers, "I! The worker. He told me."

She giggles and then gives him a quasi-serious face, "I'll forgive you this time, but only because you brought lunch."

"Hand or ?" He gestures to the ground.

She tilts her head to the side, "I'll take the hand this time." He pulls out the vegetables, and she gobbles them. Watching her while she eats, he notices that her head is to his chest and she's leaning forward not standing straight up.

"You got bigger."

She pauses with food in her mouth to look at him. Then she continues eating and mumbles her agreement, "mmhhmm."

Once she done, Cece turns to him, "Wanna ride me? I feel I can do it."

Xavier's shock at her request slides into a smirk. She blushes and gets the same look back. He waggles his brows. She rolls her eyes, "Wark! Not like that." She gives him the sad puppy eyes. "I'm just a baby, newly hatched."

He chuckles. "Maybe later."

"Yeah, maybe after I've grown up and Doctor Hines has given me a checkup."

Switching back to the topic, concern floods his face, "Are you sure?"

"I tell you what. We'll take it in steps." Cece folds her legs and goes prone on the ground. "Step over me and I'll try to lift you up. If that works, maybe a few steps."

He follows her directions and soon she stands, taking him up to his tip toes. "Lift your feet." He does. "Kweh. I feel you, but you're not that heavy." She takes a few steps that turns into a jog. "Pull your legs back," she requests between breaths. He does and her wings go to the sides.

Scenery seems to blur by. Wind whips at his face. She slows and stops at the water. He clutches at her front as she dips down. His hands find purchase on her breasts. He almost jerks back, but doing so would cause him to fall off.

As she rises up again, she turns her head toward him, "That was okay. Kweh. But running around the same fence is boring. I want to go see outside." She uses a wing to point out the area beyond the fence.

"Sure. Let's go tell the worker."

As she begins to move again, he slides his arms around her waist. "You could have left them there, you know."

"Oh really? And fondling my wife won't distract her at all?"

"Good point."

The reach the stable hand who expresses his admiration, "Oh wow, you are so beautiful. The sun reflecting off your feathers ..." While his eyes roam over her body, not a bit of desire enter them.

Xavier lets him gush for a bit and then dismounts. This causes the worker to stop. "What can I do for you?"

Cecelia takes over, "We're going outside."

"Well, sure. But if you're going, you gunna wanna take this." He heads back and around a corner. Sounds of things shuffling and moving are heard. At last he returns with a saddle. "This should make things smoother." He leans in to whisper to her, but Xavier can hear it, too. "It's your mom's. We'll get one made for you, too."

The two men work with the leather and belts and buckles until it fits just right and Xavier knows how to use it. With a little slap to her butt, he says, "Now off with you two love birds. I'll see you when you get back" They start to walk away when he remembers, "Oh yeah, the whole island is his, so go wherever you want."

With that they exit the yard and head for some of the surrounding trees, her wings cradling his legs. Xavier's body rocks forward and back as she cruises through the scenery. Soon they cross a plain and stop in a river. Xavier hops off while his wife bends down to drink.

"Uhhhh, Cece? Why are you standing on top of the water?"

Finishing her drink, she turns to look, "I don't know. I shouldn't be up here." She curls her talons and dips them in. She sighs at the cool refreshing feeling. "Ready to keep going?"

"Yeah. Let's see what else you can do." They trek over a hill to a steep slope. At first, it isn't so bad, but after a while the rocks slip under her claws and tumble down the side, but she stays on it like she has earth magnets for feet. Getting caught up in the moment, she lets go and run down the face. Her momentum takes her out among the waves. Step by step they try going out further and further into the ocean. No matter what, she stays on top of it.

Turning back toward land, reminds him of what's waiting for her when she gets back. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just tensed up. You only do that when your stressed. What is it?"

"I'll tell you on the beach." They settle on the beach side by side, him leaning on her nestled body.

"Soooo," he starts, "how much do you like being a chocobo?"

"It's great. Better than being a torso that you have to take care of. Better than a nut. I'm free to do things again. Why do you ask?"

Dodging her question, he asks another, "Sooo, you like it so much you wouldn't mind people seeing you?"

"Well, I don't mind you, Doctor Hines, Mister Harrison and the staff seeing me."

"What about more than that?"

She goes silent. "Why are you asking this? What's going on?"

"Mister Harrison doesn't know that you've hatched. He wants to show you to anyone who will pay him money to see you."

"Wark?!" On reflex, she covers her breasts with a wing. It takes a few tries before she moves the other wing over her back to cover her butt.

"Yeah, okay. That answers that, too." He thinks a moment. "You think a two piece swimsuit would work?"

"I guess we won't know until we try." She shifts back to the subject of her surprise, "Why would he think he could show me off?"

"Because he thinks you are his property." She looks at him startled. He holds up his hand to stall her. "You used his plant. You used his animals. You became like one of the animals you can only see here."

"Oh. But I'm not his property. I'm your wife."

"So, what should we do?"

"I don't know. But what I do know, if he's as rich as he seems we need to be wary of any deals or contracts he offers."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Running a hand down her back, he says for both their sake's, "We'll get through this together."

"Okay." The watch the sun descend toward the water. Once, it reaches halfway, so the reflection makes it look whole, Cecelia sighs. "Kweh. I suppose we should get back now, huh?"

He nods, rubbing his head against her, "Yeah, it would be nice to see the sunset together for the first time like this, but we probably need light to find our way home."

She leans his direction when he doesn't move. Once she rights herself, he comes back. "Mmmm, you're warm."

She rolls her eyes and chuckles, "Xave, you need to move so I can stand up."

"But you're so soft and huggable." His arms reach for her torso and get pushed away, toppling him on his side in the sand.

With a little wiggling to get some momentum, she stands up wings to the sides for balance. Then they return to her side in a ready position. Xavier picks himself up out of the sand. Standing there he stares at her until she blushes, "Quit stalling. We need to get back."

"You know. You are practically perfect like that."

"That's what you said when we got married, you doofus."

"When we get home, I'll never need a car again." He approaches her and finds she is taller than him now. This time he needs to use the stirrup to lift his body up and over her.

With a smile he can't see, she asks incredulous, "Oh? So, now you are comparing me to a car?"

Hearing the smile in her voice, he continues the teasing, "Well, if the shoe fits ..."

"Oh that's it!" She accelerates to a sprint causing him to fly backwards. Xavier to his credit still has his feet in the stirrups which keeps him from falling off. Flailing at the hard thing at the front of the saddle, he's sure it has a name but it escapes him at the moment, he manages to grasp it and right himself.

Calling back to him, "Good. You're still on. Are you alright?" He hears a mixture of concern and amusement.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for the warning."

She continues the teasing, "Well, you know how us cars are. You push our buttons and we go."

"You mean like this?" He reaches around, grasps her breasts, and squeezes. She swerves and stops at the gate neither of them saw in the shadows of dusk.

He drops his hands. Both of them, wide-eyed, look at the accident they nearly had while panting. He slides off and opens the gate. As she passes him entering, he asks, "So, my dear, shall we 'celebrate' this new body of yours?" She turns to answer him with a saucy, sultry look on her face.

Then someone clears their throat.

All eyes dart to the source. There, outside the pen, stands Mister Harrison with the doctor looking nervous behind him. "What are you doing?" The power in his voice comes and punches Xavier in the gut.

He gulps and steels his courage. "I was spending some time with my wife."

"And who told you that you could do that?"

The doctor shakes his head. The truth being blocked, he switches to a half truth. "One of the servants."

"Which one?"

"I've been here, like a week? I don't know who is who. But she is female."

Doctor Hines gives him a grateful smile. Melvin continues his tirade, "I will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, You, " he points to Xavier, "are restricted to the house until further notice. And You, " pointing to Cecelia, "get to your stall. Doctor Hines will be there in a minute for your checkup. Right Doctor?"

"Yes, Sir."

As Cece walks back to the stable, she looks back to see Xavier shuffling toward the house, head hanging low. Upon reaching her destination, she perks up a little to see her mother. "Hi, Mom." That chocobo and a yellow one speak in bird talk. Cece listens to every word.

Pointing with her wing to the yellow chocobo, "You're my dad?" She hops a little as she heads closer to him. A green and a blue chocobos join in the conversation. Eyes wide, she turns to them, "Grandma? Grandpa?"

Two more yellow ones in the far stall chime in as the doctor walks in. Tears are dripping from her eyes from happiness. "Yes, Cece, these are all your family. And as I promised to your husband, I'll do everything in my power to help you guys out. It was me who sent your husband out to be with you all day."

He turns away and starts fiddling with his equipment. "Now, Cecelia, as you heard our benefactor, I need to give you a checkup to make sure you are healthy. I do this for all newborns and periodically thereafter to ensure you are all in top condition."

"But first there is something you must do for me."

Surprise shows on her face, "What is it?"

"You must call me Doctor Fred or just Fred. Doctor Hines is just too formal. I insist that all my patients call me that."

"Really?" A chorus of bird calls answers her. "Okay, Doctor Fred it is."

After that, he gets out all his instruments and places cold metal on various places on her skin. He takes a couple tries to find her heart and lungs. For the final step, he checks her reproductive system with a rubber glove covered hand.

Disposing of his gloves, he turns to her, "Well, Cecelia, I am pleased to pronounce that you are a healthy chocobo and a human in good shape, too."

She tilts her head at him, "You said chocobo first. How much of me is bird?"

"Obviously your limbs. Your heart and lungs are different to accommodate running more and your center of gravity ..." He trails off here.

"What is it?"

"... You will also make fine chocobo babies should you mate with another chocobo."

"But I want to mate with my husband."

"You can try, but I doubt anything will happen." He watches her head droop. "Sounds like it's time for some good news then."

"What is it," she asks but her heart's not in it.

"Well, you know the worker who was here earlier today?" Cecelia nods. "Well, he got fired." All the chocobos moan. "Yes, I agree. He was a good one."

"How is that good news?"

"Well, as he was packing up, he told all the maids and servants about a certain Gold Chocobo. The whole staff is buzzing to come and see you on their breaks." The doctor is right. It does bring a small smile to her face.

In her mind, she sees the staff snacking nearby. Xavier wanders toward her. That reminds her of their discussion earlier. "Doctor Fred? Is there a way to get me a bathing suit to wear?"

"Sure. I'll get the tailor right on it. Do you mind if he visits tonight? He could probably have it ready by tomorrow morning." Cece nods assent. "Oh, and that reminds me. We need to get you fitted for a saddle. I'll contact the leather smith. He should be here soon."

Doctor Fred looks around and decides he remembered everything. "Anything else," he asks leading her to her pile of hay. Once she is settled, he heads off to work on everything.

Xavier wanders the "house", bored and missing his wife. The only way he knows anything going on is from Mister Harrison at meals and the glowing reports from the maids and servers when the master isn't around.

According to them, the golden one piece swimsuit with painted feathers on it had been vetoed by Melvin. After that, the two piece with real feathers was rejected as well. Today, he decreed, she would be "naked." Xavier burns to be with her and comfort her. He does catch a whiff of something from the maids.

They have to get ready for some big shot who is coming in two days.

Very late that night, the doctor visits him again. "Okay. Here's the plan. We're going to use his greed against him."

"How are we going to that?"

"Simple. You and your wife are going to escape and go into hiding. He'll need you back so bad, so he can make money, that he'll do anything. Ready?"

"Now?"

"Yes. He'll tighten security tomorrow night. So tonight's our best opportunity. Grab some clothes. The staff and I have also prepared a few things to help you pass the time." Xavier snatches whatever's at hand and follows the doctor out the bedroom door. There he is met by a male servant. Xavier thinks he's seen him serving at the table.

Xavier looks to the doctor, surprised. "You are staying?"

"I need to be here. Plausible deniability and all that." The doctor's eyes bounce around as he remembers various things. "Oh. Cecelia told me of her walking on top of the water power. Her tracks are going to be pretty easy to follow, so try to stick to rivers and other bodies of water. Stay away from mud. Get someplace hard to get to. And once you get your spot, find a tree nearby and make a mark in the trunk, so we know where to drop future deliveries if need be." He looks around again. "I think that's it."

With that, they head for the "quiet" door. One last parting comment as they go, "See you soon."

Once they are a significant distance from the house, the servant speaks up, "Sir, it is an honor to serve you. Your wife is lovely. You are very lucky to have her." Xavier nods feeling a little weird having a fan club. "And don't worry. You can count on us to take care of you both."

Arriving at the stables, the fan heads back while walking along the fence. The new stable hand winks at Xavier as he enters and turns his back. Xavier walks past the other sleeping chocobos to a stall with a large white bag and saddle by it. He stuffs the bag with his clothes. With a quiet voice and gentle shaking he tries to wake his wife up.

"Whass goin' onnn," she slurs while waking up.

"We're getting out of here. Doctor Hines has a plan, but we must go now." She wakes at that and stands up. Due to his previous training and practice the saddle goes on faster than last time. He climbs on and lifts the fairly heavy bag and places it between him and Cece. "How's that?"

"How's what?"

"I just put a heavy bag on your back."

"Oh. Is that what that is? I hardly feel it."

"Let's go then."

They head out to the exit and find it open. They head out. Using the directions given by the doctor, they use a river to get out to the ocean. Following the coast, after a couple of hours they spot another river. Off that river they spot a cave high on mountain side. Cece starts to exit the river when Xavier spots the muddy bank. They head further up the river where it passes next to the mountain. Cece climbs the mountain and heads for the cave.

Safe inside he dismounts and they get settled and watch the sun rise through the cave entrance. After that beautiful event, growling stomachs encourage them to look through the bag. On the top of the bag , just under his clothes, is food and the green onion things, 'Greens' Cece informs him. They eat some and save some for later. Below that is some gold cloth.

"Wark! My clothes! I thought they were destroyed after he had them taken off me." She picks the one piece. He manages to get it over her claws and wings and onto her body. She relaxes. He looks at her and he can image her as a full Gold Chocobo. "I like this one better because the feathers on the other one tickle my skin," she confesses.

Finally in the bottom, there is a pile of hay and a sleeping bag. Xavier turn to Cece, "I guess we might be here for a while."

"Yeah," she agrees.

"Wanna make whoopee while we wait?" He waggles his eye brows at her until her head drops. "What is it?"

"I'm a chocobo down there. The doctor said we could try, but only another chocobo  ..." She finishes in sobs.

He scratches her head while comforting her, "It's okay. It's okay. We'll be fine. We'll be fine." They snuggle into each other, and exhaustion and body heat lull them to sleep. They wake up to the dark blue sky lightening.

Xavier stirs seeing the new day, "Man, we must have been tired to sleep a whole day away."

"Hmmm," she mumbles.

"Ready for some breakfast?"

Still not quite awake, "mmmhhhmmmm." He waves a 'green' in front of her face and she snatches it out of his hand without opening her eyes. He places a couple more on the ground in front of her. He nibbles on some of the cold leftover food.

The rest of the day is almost uneventful. At one point while they are talking and passing the time, a coil of rope slaps down on the small ledge just outside their entrance. Xavier and Cecelia look to each other in surprise. Outside intermittent whirling whizzing sounds get closer until a man in repelling gear drops near his rope.

The man reaches for the microphone on his shoulder, "Okay, I'm down. I'm beginning my search to see if anyone is hiding in here."

"Roger that," answers the voice on the other end.

Xavier and Cecelia start to panic that this man in front of them will report them. He walks up to them. "Oh great, we found you. The doctor will be happy to hear that. The boss is hoping that we get you back to the house today." Turning to Cece, he continues, "I'm so happy to meet you. You are as beautiful as they say."

Once he finishes his monologue, he proceeds past them, much to their confusion. Reaching the back, he turns around and returns to the entrance. He wraps the rope around himself and reaches for the microphone, "No luck. They aren't hiding in here."

He gives them a wink as the voice on the other end replies, "Well, that's another we can cross off our list. Prepare to be lifted up."

"Roger." Then to the couple he whispers, "Good hiding spot." He gives them a thumbs up before being pulled back up. A little later they hear faint voices. Xavier peeks over the edge and sees small heads wandering around among the trees at the bottom of the mountain looking for something or someone.

The next morning another sack appears in their entrance. They open it to find more food. When they are thirsty, they sneak down to the river below.  Just as they run out of food, the next morning another bag arrives. Over the next several days, the pattern is repeated. Two more search parties are sent for them, but neither check their cave.

Because of the sameness of each day, they lose track of time. About a week and a half or more of this, as best as they can tell, the sack arrives with a note inside. "He is ready. Return at your convenience." and it's signed "Doctor Fred."

Cece gets excited. "Wark! Doctor Fred?"

"You mean, Doctor Hines."

She rolls her eyes, "Well, yeah, kweh. But for us chocobos he goes by Doctor Fred. I doubt this was forged. We should head back now. I miss my family."

"We could head back now, but if we did, we should walk."

"Walk? Wark. But I've been stuck in this cave forever. I need to stretch my legs. I need to run."

"How about this? This morning, we run. After lunch, we walk back. How does that sound?"

"Wark!" She springs to her feet, "Let's go."

He fastens her borrowed saddle on her. After packing all the bags and extra food into one bag, they are off. Xavier thinks that she must be super eager to get out of the cave, because she seems to be going faster. The blurry scenery is even more blurrier.

"So, what's this that you were saying about your family? I didn't think you had any family left."

Along with the wind whipping at his face, her words rush to his ears, "All the chocobos are my family now. The ones in the stable are all related to each other." Her wings are extended to the sides giving her body a little lift, increasing her speed..

Before long, the sun is high and they are ready for food and water. After their break they slow down. With the sun just above the horizon, they arrive. A servant spots them and darts away.

A loud voice stops them in their tracks, "Do you know how much you've cost me?" Melvin Harrison, looking the worse for wear, calls out to them. His hair, not in perfect order, looks like a hand had been run through it to push it back down. Dark almost black bags under his eyes show how little he slept. His usual neat and trim suit is covered in wrinkles as if the only time he closed his eyes was in these clothes. Needless to say, this disheveled man is not happy.

Cece fires back, "Don't know. Don't care."

"You will come here and stay here and never leave again," he demands.

"No."

Seeing the fire in his wife's eyes, Xavier steps forward, "Listen. We thank you very much for curing my wife of cancer, even if it was by a series of accidents and misunderstandings. But we are just visitors here and we want to go home."

"This is-- This is your-- You can't go home. You are a man and a bird."

"You're right. We probably can't go home. But we shouldn't have to stay here. We were told that if we didn't like the deal you offered we could go home, no strings attached."

Cece joins in, "We submitted to your research and paid back what we owed you in kind. We even brought that plant back to life. So we have no deal, and we'd like to go home."

Flustered, tired, and his back against the wall, he falters, "I need you."

The doctor enters, coming down the path to join them, "No, you don't. Some of your research seems to have panned out. We think we found a way to regrow some body parts. You have just made back most of the money you 'lost'."

"But. But that's--"

"No buts. Admit it. You 'want' her."

He stutters trying to get these foreign words out, "I. I want. I want --"

The doctor cuts him off, "You want what? You want the Gold Chocobo? You want the novelty person animal combo?" The doctor looks to Cece, "No offense." She nods to let him continue. "Or do you want Cecelia, the woman?"

"I want ... the first two. I want something nobody else has."

"I want all three because she is my wife and I love her. And I don't want you showing her off like some prize horse. So, unless you can make us a really good deal, I think we are done here."

Melvin straightens up. He is on familiar territory. "I don't think we are."

"You'd like to offer a deal?"

"I don't need to. You don't have a home to go to. You have to stay here with me."

Cece chuckles, which sounds like, "Kweh, kweh, kweh." Then she continues, "We don't have to stay here. We'll just leave."

"You can't use my plane. I will lock it up. And that's the only way off this island."

"That's no problem." Turning to the doctor, Xavier asks, "Which way to the nearest land?"

"That way."

"Okay. Thanks." Xavier climbs back up on the saddle. "Ready Dear?"

"Let's go." They start heading in the direction the veterinarian pointed.

Smug that he is calling their bluff, he follows. He signals a servant who disappears and returns with an all terrain vehicle. Before long they reach a beach that he knows well. He waits for them to turn around.

They don't.

Chocobo and rider step out onto the water and take a few steps away from the beach. Dumbstruck at what he is seeing, Melvin almost misses his opportunity to speak. Realizing that they could continue on the water as they are, they could reach any shore they wished.

"Wait! Stop." Xavier looks over his shoulder at the one who called out. "Come back."

"Why?"

Defeated, he mutters out, "I'll. I'll do what you want."

"Anything?"

"Pretty much. I won't give up all my stuff."

"Let's give him a listen."

Melvin swallows, "You. You will live here."

"Kweh. If we live here," Cece corrects.

"If you live here, then I won't show you to many people."

"That's pretty vague. Anything else? What do we get out of this?"

"Well. Well, you get to be taken care of and eat for free."

"We already get that."

Yeah, it sounds like the same deal." Agreed, they turn to go.

"Wait. What do you want?"

"You really want to know?" The host nods. "If we decide to live here..." He lets those words hang in the air for a moment. "If we decide to call this place home, we would like to pick who we see and when. We'll want to know who's coming, and if we are going to like them or not. We get to decide how close they get. We get the choice to back out at the last moment."

Melvin raises a finger in protest, "But, you'll --"

Frustrated, Xavier glares at him and continues, "We won't use it often, but sometimes we make plans and feel like crap the day of. Have them spend the night or reschedule. Yes, we'll receive the best food and best care." Melvin nods. "And she," he points to his wife, "wants to wear clothes. So, we'll have any clothes that we want."

A sudden thought comes to his head, "You will not breed her." Cece's eyes go wide. She hadn't even thought of that. "Unless she agrees to it, which I doubt she will." He switches back to his original train of thought, "We will be able to go wherever we want for as long as we want." He tries to think of something more. Unsure he got everything, Xavier caps it off with, "You'll treat us like a human beings who have minds and opinions and feelings. Do we have a deal?"

They watch as Melvin thinks about it. He turns to Doctor Hines who nods and says, "It's a pretty good arrangement coming from some really nice people."

"Deal, but I want it in writing."

"We can live with that."

"Wark! But no lawyer-ese. We want it in plain English."

The doctor speaks up, "I'll make sure of it."

And with everything settled, everyone lives a pleasant, peaceful life. Sure Melvin acts up from time to time, but Xavier and Doctor Fred keep him in check.

Epilogue

One day, not long after, the doctor leans over the railing of the fence and calls to his friends, "Hey guys, he's got another one for you."

Xavier and his chocobo wife amble over, "Oh? Who is it this time?"

"Some oil baron in the Middle East." The doctor opens the folder showing them the bio of the man. Xavier turns the pages for them both.

"Kweh. He doesn't look too much like a creep."

"Schedule him for some time next week?"

"Sure."

"I'll get right on it."

With everything decided, the parties start go their own way. Xavier says, "Doctor Hines, may I have a moment?"

"Call me Doctor Fred. You're in here almost as much as she is. You might as well be one of my patients."

"About that," Xavier pauses to make sure Cece is far enough away, "I like being with my wife, but since we got here I haven't 'been' with my wife, if you get my meaning."

"Yes, I understand. I informed her about her chocobo biology --"

"Right, right, right. We already talked about it."

"So, what do you want?"

"I want to be like her."

The doctor's eyes go wide. He can't believe his ears, "What?"

"If the only way, to satisfy that need she has, is with another chocobo, then I want to be that one for her."

"Are you sure?" He nods. "I ask because it might not work out how you want. In our times of breeding, we have found that the ratio of male to female is 50/50. You might end up as female." He pauses to give Xavier time to process. "Not only that, but probability is not in your favor. Some of the," uncomfortable, he clears his throat, "previous tests, that are no longer with us, were male."

"So, chances are that I will be female."

The doctor nods. "We could breed some more to try and lean things in your favor."

"And then they will be," Xavier makes air quotes, "No Longer With Us?" Doctor Fred nods again. "No. I won't do that to another life." His eyes dart down as he considers his next words. "Even if the odds are stacked against me, I need to do this for my wife. Even if all I end up doing is giving her companionship."

"Sooo, nothing to lose? Much to gain?"

"Something like that."

"So, telling you that this is a one way trip and irreversible won't dissuade you?" Xavier nods. "That leaves just one question, are we going to tell her or surprise her?"

Xavier gets a smile on his face at the thought of Cece looking down on an egg in wonder and himself popping out. "While it would be fun to surprise her, she's not big on surprises of this magnitude."

And so, after a short discussion, Xavier is in the greenhouse, naked, on the toilet seat. The doctor is nearby. Cece, not having seen the process the first time, insisted on being there too. Due to the fact that she is too wide to fit through the door, she stands just outside.

It takes a while, but soon the bulb nearest his head starts drooping down. Once it gets into range, it dives into his hair. "Doctor Fred, was that it?"

"It appears so." Cece nods. The doctor tugs on the vine but it doesn't give, not that he would want it to release.

Then the oddest thing begins to happen. Xavier starts to shrink. The plant raises its captive up off the ground. Once Xavier reaches about half his original size, Cece calls out, "Ooooohhhhh, you look so cute."

Xavier gets a strange feeling. His body is no longer under his control. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I don't think this happened to me." His shoulders rotate and his arms go behind his back and lock together. His legs follow suit, bending at the knee the point where his leg is pressed against his leg. As his back begins to arch, he continues to shrink.

Surprising, the audience and the lack of control excites him. That, despite being full length, gets pressed against his body, too. And then the numbness begins. Because he is not fighting it spreads quick. Soon he is a nut that looks like a faceless, anatomically correct, excited male.

They wait a few moments to make sure everything is finished watching the strange nut that used to be Xavier swing a little. At last the doctor plucks while trying to wrap his hand around the waist of the Wutai Nut.

He turns to Cece, "Ready?"

"Wait. Let me kiss him." Doctor Fred lifts him up to her lips. Cece does her best to reenact how she had finished.

Then they head to the stables. "Mom? Dad," she greets them, "Feeling frisky?" They answer her in bird talk and she laughs. "Okay, let's get you moved in together."

Before long, they are ready and fed the nut that was Xavier. As expected, the next morning there is an egg. It the meantime, Cece settles in next to her mom, wedging the egg containing Xavier between them. Like she did, whatever is in there bumps the side into Cece when they hear her voice.  Around noon the shell cracks.

Out of respect, she exits the stall and enters her own. But that doesn't keep her from looking over the wall into her mom's. A cute bundle of gold feathers breaks out and snuggles its mom.

Something is different, though. This one reaches for its mom with human arms and hugs her around her neck. She's a little jealous that Xavier has arms, wings, and chocobo legs. Cece wants to get his attention and get some snuggles, too, but she remembers her first moments and decides to let Xavier bond for a while.

After what seems like forever, the new Gold Chocobo begins to look around. Their eyes lock. "Wark! Cece! How'd I turn out?"

With a drunk smile she says, "You're adorable." Now that she is acknowledged, she heads over and joins them. They sandwich the newborn. Cece likes that her younger sibling is leaning on her. She even gets a hug of her own. It feels so right. After her snuggles, she turns, "You want to go out in the yard?"

Like a replay from before, the new bird hops up and begs, "Mom. Mom. May I? May I?" The mother chocobo nods and the two scamper off to the corral together.

"So, Xavier, how do you like your new body," she asks.

"You were right. It's fantastic. I feel like I could run for days."

The doctor leans over the fence, "Sounds good. I look forward to giving my newest patient their first checkup."

"But can you tell if Xavier is male or female, because I can't."

"I'll know for sure this evening, but for now, let's assume male. His pectoral muscles don't seem to be as rounded as yours were. Then again, I didn't see you until you were fully grown, so he might still be female. I'll know tonight."

They spend the rest of the day together with Xavier growing hour by hour. By sunset, he is taller than her which is no surprise to either of them, since he was the taller of the two before cancer.

"You ready to go, Xavier," Doctor Fred asks.

"Sure."

"I'm coming, too."

The veterinarian looks to Xavier. "She's my wife. She's seen it all before and if your suspicions are correct, she'll see it all anyway."

He nods and begins his checks. Cece watches him do all the things that he did before, but he finds the heart and lungs faster this time. And then he stops and looks at Xavier from many angles.

"What is it, Doctor Fred?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have much experience with human chocobo anatomy. Let me try this." He reaches to a table and pulls some wires with metal tips. Xander looks a little nervous. "It's a small charge. You'll barely feel it." He swings his arms between Xander's legs, trying to find the spot he wants to try.

Then he presses them up on his underside. Xander feels a muscle twitch that he hasn't felt before. Near the spot, a large chuck of flesh slides out of his feathers.

Surprised, Xander lets out a Wark!

"Oh my," Cece says eyes wide with her face turning red.

The doctor agrees, "I think we can all confirm that he is all male." Turning toward Xander he gives some advice, "You might want to practice using that muscle, so that it'll be where you want it when you need it. You'll be more aerodynamic as you run if that thing is put away."

Not long after, the yard is filled with golden feathered children. The oldest is human girl with wings for arms and a beak. After her is a very intelligent female chocobo who is able to speak in both English and chocobo. Then another chocobo girl with feathered torso and hair. The youngest is the only male, so far, with wings, talons, and with feathers like his mother.

Melvin is delighted about this until he hears about the bill for the new stables and saddles.

And Cece can't be happier because she gets all the love and hugs that she wants.