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