Flora's POV

About two months  had passes since I discovered I was pregnant, I had, at Bloom's advice, gone to the doctor. He told me that I was progressing just fine, a relief on my part, considering the type of girl I am, I mean, I wasn't about to sit at home and knit footies or anything, I had a business to run. I was the first up this morning, so I took it upon myself to make breakfast, though just the thought of food made me sick to my stomach. My willingness to withstand the urge to vomit lasted long enough for me to finish cooking, then I bolted up the steps and into the bathroom.

After my stomach settled and I freshened up, I headed back downstairs to find Thorn and Bloom fixing their plates. "Thanks for breakfast, Sis" Thorn said sitting down at the table. "How're you feeling?" Bloom asked as she took a seat across from Thorn. "About the same as usual, I'm goin' to get the paper, be right back." I walked outside on the front porch and picked up the paper, taking a moment to take  in the harbor. The skies were cloudless and the air was still and warm. Today was going to be a good day, at least it looked that way, I was proved wrong when I sat down at the table and read the front page. My hands trembled so badly I had to bring the paper really close and squint, almost painfully, to be able to finish reading the article. "Flo? Hey Flora, you OK?" Thorn asked snapping her fingers to gain my attention. Both canines were giving me worried looks. I took a deep shakey breath. "Uh...uh-uh." Bloom took the paper out of my shaking hands and read tensing after a moment. "Oh" she murmered softly. "Oh, Flower, I'm sorry." Thorn looked puzzled and slightly irritated. "What, what is it?" I gulped, trying to steel my nerves before I spoke. "Karnage is back" I whispered barely audiable.

Don Karnage and his crew had vanished after I had escaped, I had no idea where he'd gone, but now that he was back, no good could come from it. I hated Karnage, but even though I hated to admit it, some part of me feared him. The man kidnapped me, threatened me, violated me, striking fear into me. Traumatizing me in the worst ways possible, to some extent, the air pilot had broken me. Though I'd never admit it to anyone, and scarecly dared to admit it to myself, I would always be afraid of him. Always.

I was able to make deliveries just fine, though I was more than a little nervous, especially now that I had a baby on the way. Thorn and Bloom sympathized trying to keep my stress level, and workload, as light as possible. But they couldn't do anything for my mental state, during the day I could distract myself with work and day-to-day things with Bloom and Thorn, and being pregnant. However at night, I was plauged with horrible, vivid nightmares about Karnage returning, taking me away, and hurting me again. I'd wake up shaking and sweaty, gasping for air, I'd never been able to get back to sleep, I'd just lay there lost in though until I deemed it late enough to get up.

Still though, three more months passed with no sighn of Karnage, I was, by now, well into my pregnancy and showing. I thought I would loathe being pregnant with Karnage's baby, especially when I came close to my due date, but no, seven months in and I couldn't help but feel excited by the prospect of being a mother. I, of course, wouldn't act like my own mother did, I would let my child grow and dream and become their own person. "Flora, are you ready? We don't want to keep them waiting." I struggled with getting my shoe on before answering "coming!" I called as I grabbed my coat and ran out of my bedroom, closing the door behind me.

We walked the short distance to Higher for Hire and Thorn knocked on the door. Ever since we met Baloo and Rebecca, who surprisingly aren't married, we ate dinner together at least once a week. Kit opened the door, smiling, and waved us in. "Baloo, Flora and her sisters are here!" Kit and Molly always referred to us as sisters, we were just that close, but it did make me yearn for my real sisters Lani and Talula. Lani wrote frequently, she explained how Mother refused to let Talula write to me, acording to Lani, it was forbidden to even speak my name in her household. Lani did have happy news however, she'd been married to Julius no less, his father was a friends with ours, his family was also quite wealthy. Apparently she and Julius moved to a small island town known as Lotus Cape, i had never heard of it, but Lani assured me she was happy and saw a long happy marriage ahead of her. I told her about what happened to me, and told her to tell Father and Talula if she could, but not Mother, the last thing I needed was her finding out I spent two years in a gang and another year with an air pirate. She sympathyzed and said she'd try to find a way to pass my message along.

I shoved these thoughts from my mind as Molly raced into the room, Rebecca and Baloo following. "Hello ladies" Bloo greeted removing his cap and bowing dramatically. I laughed as I swooped Molly up into my arms. "Well good evening kind sir" I said using my "sophisticated" voice  I often used with Talula when we were kidding around. "How're you feeling Flora, everything going well?" Rebecca asked "Yes, yes, everything is fine."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Kit asked "I didn't ask, I want it to be a surprise." He nodded understanding. "Have you thought of any names yet?" I shrugged as we sat down in the kitchen so we could talk while Baloo finished cooking. "A few, but I suppose I won't really know until I see the baby, I figure it'll just come to me you know?"  Rebecca nodded "yes, that's how I chose Molly's name, as soon as the doctor put her in my arms, her name just came to me, I couldn't explain it, not even now." Throughout dinner we talked and laughed, and even after we stayed and talked, it was almost ten o'clock before we left, and almost one o' clock before I got to sleep properly.

I sat in the navigator's chair, staring lazily out of the window at the few fluffy white clouds littered across the blue sky. I was feeling sick and tired, so I decided to let Thorn pilot the plane today. Bloom was sitting on some pillows between us reading a book. We were heading home after a two day delivery trip to Graceland, I had to admit that was a beautiful place with lush green fields, diverse forrests, and magnificent purple mountians. I made a mental note go back there, on vacation or something. I had just slipped off into sleep when the plane lurched. I woke with a start. "Thorn?" I asked just as bullets started pelting the plane. No! No, no, no, not him, not now. Bloom and I got to our feet while Thorn tried to take The Skyrunner into evasive manouvers. I heard three loud thumps, and then door was thrust open, and their he stood, Don Karnage, in the flesh, after eight months. It almost didn't seem real, his dark eyes found mine almost instantly. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my Flora, it's been a while since the last time I was seeing you, yes-no?" I swallowed the knot in my stomach, stepped foward, putting myself between Bloom and Karnage. "I don't expect it's any of your business, and just what do you think you're doing to my plane?" I inquired heatedly. I saw the anger flicker in his eyes as he studied me a moment, eyes widening a bit once he saw my swollen stomach. I followed his gaze "it's your's" I said after clearing my throat awkwardly and looking away from him. He came closer to me, that's when Thorn got up and stepped between us protectively. "You keep away from her!" she growled. "Bloom" I whispered as Thorn and Karnage started to argue back and forth. "Contact Cape Suzette Air Force, hurry!" I hissed watching as she quietly slinked away to do so. "Karnage, what is it, exactly, that you want?" I asked stepping out from behind Thorn. "It is you I am wanting, Flora, I am searching for you for many months."

"Well, I'm not coming with you, so you might as well leave." Thorn silenced watching us cautiously, ready to leap into action if need be. "You, you are coming with me if I have to be forcing you!"

"Oh, like you forced me to join your crew, and be your girlfriend, and here's the big kicker, have your child? No, I'm never going anywhere with you ever again, I want you out of my life!"

"Oh, it looks like the Air Force is on their way."

Everyone turned to Bloom who had spoken so casually. "Air Force?" Karnage echoed, before grinning in my direction. "Well Flora, since I'm feeling merciful, I am letting you go, for today. But I am to be coming back for you." With that Don Karnage was gone, we watched his planes fly away, back toward the Iron Vulture no doubt. "Thorn, get us out of here" Bloom ordered as I sagged against the wall and eased myself down to the floor, burying my head in my knees, allowing silent tears to flow down my cheeks.

Things only seemed to get worse as we landed the plane and found a sleek black limo parked in front of the house. "Want us to handle this Flo?" Thorn asked. "No, I can talk" I said I really didn't want to, I wanted to go up to my room and cry. I really wasn't used to feeling this way. As we neared the house, Mr. CEO himself, Shere Khan, stepped out of the car. My stomach knotted painfully. I put on a brave front as I approached with Thorn and Bloom in tow, wearing similiar expressions. "Mr. Khan is there something we can do for you?" I asked politely as we stopped before him. "Ah, yes, Miss Skyrunner, I was hoping we could conduct a little business today." I was a bit taken aback, I'm sure it showed. "Oh?" was all I could manage to say, it wasn't often I was rendered speechless, but I supose if anyone could do it, it'd be Shere Khan. "Yes, you see, I've noticed you're running quite a successful business here, and I was hoping to take it off of your hands. All you have to do is name your price. "Oh...uh, that's very kind of you Mr. Khan, but I'm not interested in selling."

"Surely a woman in your...condition didn't plan to be working long?" he pressed further baffling me, but this time, some anger slipped through as well. "my condition? Mr. Khan, I'm pregnant, not ill, I plan to keep running my business after the baby arrives. I'm sorry, the answer is no. Now, I've had a stressful day, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I stepped around him and made my way to the door, pausing briefly. "And I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

Over the next two weeks I had more to deal with then I cared to talk about. Khan was ringing my phone off the hook, I had to worry about Karnage finding me, keeping my business in arder and customers satisfied, and I was due any day now. I had to admit the thought of being a mother was mind boggling for me, I mean I figured I'd be the last in my family to have children, but here I am, ninteen and getting ready to bring a child into the world. I was scared, not of th baby, but about how good of a parent I would be. I wouldn't-couldn't-br anything like my mother. That witch would be lucky if she ever saw her first grandchild. If I could raise my child half as well as my father raised me, then I'd be proud.

I woke around three-thirty AM, at first thinking I had wet the bed, soon discovering that wasn't the case. Muttering a few curses, I manged to get out of bed and grab my overnight bag, shouting for Bloom and Thorn to get up as I did. Thorn busted open my door, Bloom not a step behind, needless to say, it didn't take them long to figure out what was going on. They helped me down the stairs and into the car, we arrived at Cape Suzette General Hospital ten minutes later. At exactly 2:45 PM on September 31, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

After she was cleaned and changed into a pink onsie, the nurse put her in my arms. I couldn't describe the...the sheer bliss, the perfection of the moment looking into my baby girl's eyes. And such beautiful eyes she had, they were a light shade of blue-green, big and sparkly surrounded by dark lashes. Her fur was Karanage's rusty red-brown and my ivory white, her hair, what little she had at the moment, was a lovely shade of auburn. I tenatively brushed her cheek with my finger, and my heart fluttered when her little hand graped onto it tightly. "Angelita" I whispered softly and she looked up at me, seeming to register her name. I smiled softly and brought her close to nuzzle her cheek. There was a soft knock at the door, before it opened slowly, Bloom poked her hand. "Bloom" I greeted somewhat tired, "please come in." She opened the door wider and she and Thorn entered, followed closely by Baloo and his family. "How're you feeling?" Bloom asked as she took the chair close to my bed. "Happy" I told her "very, very happy. Isn't she beautiful?" I asked moving her blanket for them to see. "Yeah" Thorn said "she looks alot like you."

"She does" Rebecca agreed "have you decided a name gor her yet?" I nodded "Angelita Jolee Skyrunner." Kit leaned over and looked at her more closely. "It suits her" he told me. "Can she be my friend?" Molly asked me sweetly and I had to laugh "of course she can Molly, I'm sure she's going to adore you." Soon enough the nurse came in and shooed everyone away so that Angelita and I could rest.

The next day Angelita and I were released from the hospital, Bloom came and picked us up, while Thorn stayed behind to make last minute arrangements to the nursery. Bloom and Thorn had decided to share a room, so that Angelita could have one of her own, I promised we'd get a bigger house as soon as possible. Thorn greeted us halfway up the steps and, carefully, gave me a hug. "Come o, come look at the nursery, Baloo, Kit, and I worked on it all night!" We stopped before the door, directly across from mine, previously Bloom's room. It now had 'Angelita' spelled diagnally down the door in rainbow lettering with butterflies around it. Bloom covered my eyes, Thorn opened the door, and Bloom carefully led me inside. "And...now!" Bloom uncovered my eyes and I gasped. How they acomplished this in a single night I will never know. The room was painted in a beautiful baby pink, except for the wall which was a mural of the lush fields of Graceland, with colorful flowers blooming, distant pine trees, signaling the start of the forrest, and the magnificent snow capped purple mountians. The furniture in the room (crib, dresser, vanity, and toy box) was white, and there were little white butterflies painted throughout the room. "Oh! Oh, my gosh, it's so beautiful!" I gasped happily. "Bloom laughed "I wondered what you guys were up to last night, it looks amazing!"

"Ok" I said "we have to invite Baloo and Rebecca over so I can thank those boys properly."

"Oh, Molly and Rebecca too, Molly brought Angelita one of her pld teddy bears" Bloom said pointing to the stuffed animal in the baby's crib. "And Rebecca knitted her this" she said pulling out a little red jacket out of the closet. "Then call them over, I'll cook."

"I don't think that's a good idea, I mean you just got home from the hospital." Thorn said as I placed the sleeping Angelita in her crib and tucked her in. "I had a baby, I'm fine, and Angelita won't wake up for a few more hours, come on, if you guys help, then I can stop working alot sooner." They realized that they probably wouldn't be able to talk me out of this so they agreed and we went downstairs to get started.

I left Thorn and Bloom in charge of work while I was on maternity leave and the seemed to be doing very well, I stayed home and took care of Angelita and the house, and of course Shere Khan everytime he called or visited. I hurriedly shoo him away everytime he came, if I have to be honnest here, I didn't trust men. Outside of Baloo, or customers, I didn't asociate with them. I guess I figure their all as bad as Karnage, but maybe I'd learn to trust a man in time. Maybe.

It was late at night and I was in the living room, watching the rain patter against the window, keeping an eye out for the occasional flash of lightening. I silently prayed that Thorn and Bloom had made it to South Island alright. They wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon, if the weather was good. Upstairs, Angelita was sleeping peacefully, she was such a good baby. There was a knock at the door, which was odd given the time, it wouldn't be Rebecca, she and Molly had long since gone home, and Baloo and Kit were most likely asleep. I got up and walked to the door as the knocking became more insistant. "Coming, coming!" I said as I finally got to the door, and opened it. My heart froze, my blood iced over, and I couldn't find my voice to speak. Don Karnage was standing in my doorway, smiling broadly at me. He easily pushed me aside and walked  into the house, I numbly closed the door and turned to look at him again. This couldn't be happening!

"Ka-Karnage, what?...How...?" I couldn't even form proper sentences. "Oh, it was no easy task"  he said as he turned to look at me. "You are very good at the seeking and hiding yes-no?"

"Aparently not quite good enough" I mumbled mostly to myself. "But, what are you doing here?"

"Is it not being obvious, I'm here to take you back. I told you I would, did I not?"

"Uh...uh, yeah you did" what was wrong with me? I'd never acted like this infront of...well anyone, not even him unless his sword was at my throat. "I am seeing you've had the baby yes-no?" I felt shaky and nervous, I couldn't take his dark eyes looking at me the way they were. "Ye-yeah, about a month ago, she's doing very well."

"A girl, and what is being her name?"

"Angelita, her name is Angelita."

I was actually easing between him and the stairs, he was not getting to her without a fight. "Karnage. Leave. Now." I said trying to absorb as much confidence as I could. My maternal instinct started to kick in, thank goodness, as I narrowed my eyes at the wolf. "Not without you and my daughter." He said with a dangerous edge in his voice that could not be overlooked. "I told you, I'm never going anywhere with you ever again, and neither is my daughter. Get out of my house." An angered growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he stalked toward me, and without thinking, I reached up and backhanded him. He actually stumbled back a bit, he turned to look at me rage in his eyes. My eyes were a like saucers, I'd never actually struck the air pirate before, though I had severely wanted to for a long time. And I didn't have much reaction time before he lunged at me, fist aimed at my head. I managed to dodge, grabbing his shoulder and slamming him into the wall behind me. The pictures above his head shook wih the force he'd hit the wall, it's a wonder he didn't crack it. I stumbled backwards, eyes flickering around the room in quick glances, trying to find a suitable weapon. There were few things I could throw at him, the lamps, and the radio, the only other things were Bloom's books and Thorn's magazines laid out on the table. These things would hardly deter him, especially with my aim, I couldn't throw to save my life. I'd have to make a mad dash for the kitchen, we had knives, they weren't swords, but they were better than nothing. My eyes found Karnage again, he was staggering to his feet, it was now or never.

I raced for the kitchen, Karnage swore behind me, in English and Spanish. I grabbed the butcher's knife, it was the biggest one we had, and it was still puny compared to his sword. I held fast to the ebony handle, praying silently, as Karnage walked into the kitchen. I had seen him mad before, but never this mad, the killer look in his eyes spiked my fear, but I had to do this, I had to protect my daughter. I rushed him, knife ready, and managed to stab him in the side, before he grabbed me by my hair and flung me into the counter's corner. I gasped at the rush of pain in my middle back, and fell to my knees, eyes stinging with tears. His strong hands were quickly around my neck, as he forced me down, choking the air out of me. I heard something like a banging, but couldn't focus enough to tell what it was. I was gasping, taking in quick shallow breaths, my heart was pounding fast in my heart, drowning out any other possible noise, and black spots started dotting across my vision field.

Suddenly the pressure around my neck was gone, and I started taking deep greedy breaths, my throat hurt, and I couldn't move for what felt like eternity, before I slowly, carefully started easing myself up, but I barely made it to hands and knees before I felt the urge to vomit. "Ugh..." I mumbled sickly. I had to be seeing things, you know, from lack of oxygen, because I could swear there was a hand inf ront of my face. I gingerly reached out and grabbed it, and it pulled me carefully to my feet. I cautiously looked up into the face of my apparent savior. "Baloo" I breathed "What are you doing here?"
"I saw the Iron Vulture fly by, I had a hunc, and decided to stop by."

"Oh, well I'm very glad you did...thank you...Is he?"

"He got away."

I took a deep breath and then I heard Angelita start to cry. "I need my baby" I said softly and walked past him and up the stairs. I entered the nursery, not even bothering to turn on the light, the night light in the wall was enough. I carefully picked up my weeping baby and helt her close, gently shushing her. But tears started to leak down my own cheeks as well, I hated to think of it, the fact that if Shere Khan hadn't showed up, then I'd be...and Angelita...he would have taken her away. No matter what I could never let that happen, I wouldn't.