Chapter 7:

Despite the fact that she was tired, Emma found herself having trouble sleeping. Dawn had fallen asleep almost immediately, and Emma figured she must've discovered some "how to sleep when the world may end tomorrow" technique that Emma wasn't aware of.

Emma's mind kept going between impending doom and Aiden. The whole mess of getting sucked into a hell dimension and being told the world might be ending would be wigsome enough without the hunky amulet-guardian thrown into the mix. Her thoughts drifted back to Dawn's insistence that Aiden had been hitting on her earlier, and she wondered if there was any truth to that. Normally, she had a pretty good idea of when a man was flirting and when he wasn't, but with Aiden she hadn't been paying the kind of attention she usually would. In the past, she'd never had any problem keeping her cool and being the one in the situation with the level head, but she'd never been around a man quite as gorgeous as Aiden. He looked at her and about all she could do was drool.

What if he had been making a pass at her? She could definitely use something to take her mind off of things, and Dawn had a point about her missing out on a big opportunity if she passed it up. Maybe if she just went down there and talked to him a bit, felt out the situation. If he had been hinting towards sex, then she was sure he'd make that clearer, and if not, she'd just leave. Simple as that.

Quietly, she climbed out of the bed, careful not to make any noise that would wake Dawn. She walked down the hall to Aiden's room, but stopped short when she got there. What would she say? What if he was already asleep and she was just going to bother him? She decided she'd been insane to go there in the first place and turned around, walking back towards her room.

"Emma?"

The sound of Aiden's voice made her stop short. She turned to see him standing in his now-open doorway. "Did I bother you?" she asked, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "I didn't mean to bother you…"

"No, you didn't," Aiden replied. "Though I am wondering why you came here only to stand by my door for a few minutes before leaving."

"I…I should go back to bed," Emma said.

"I know why you came. You were thinking about engaging in sexual intercourse with me, but then you became nervous, so you left."

Emma's eyes grew wide. "What? That's…that's insane is what that is. I don't know where you came up with that." She blushed.

"Your red-stained cheeks tell me all I need to know," Aiden said with a small grin. He walked out into the hall, approaching Emma. "You don't need to be coy. You're attracted to me, as I am to you. We have the time and could both use the release. Spend this evening with me, in my bed."

Emma just gaped, not knowing what to say in response. She wasn't exactly a novice when it came to sex, but she'd never known anyone to be quite so blunt. "I don't…I don't know if it's really such a good idea."

"I don't see why not." Aiden reached down and took her small hand in his much larger one. "It has been a long time since I've had a woman with me, Emma. My life is primarily a solitary one, and it is rare that I can find the pleasure of female companionship. It is not usually my way to ask a woman to allow me to take her so shortly after our meeting, but I've had my fill of cold, lonely nights. Tomorrow we begin our journey into battle. Let's make the most of tonight."

Emma swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Aiden had a point. Besides, wasn't this why she'd come down here in the first place before she'd chickened out? And the man was absolutely beautiful… "Yeah, okay."

Aiden said nothing in response, only lifting her off of her feet and carrying her away.

*** *** ***

Spike woke as Buffy scrambled to get out of bed, running towards the room Aiden had indicated was the bathroom. He hated seeing Buffy like this, hated knowing she was suffering. The pregnancy had been rough enough for her when they'd been home and it seemed that being in this other dimension was only making it worse.

She came out a few minutes later, looking wan and pale. "At least this demon dimension has pretty standard bathrooms," she said, climbing back into bed with Spike. "Running water and everything."

Spike wrapped his arm around her, reaching up to stroke her face. "How bad is it this morning?"

"Not so bad."

Spike looked down, meeting her eyes. "Don't lie to me."

Buffy sighed, knowing that she didn't have much of a chance of hiding the truth from Spike. "Pretty bad. Baby's still not happy about the whole interdimensional travel thing. Not that this pregnancy has exactly been a smooth ride from the start, but this certainly hasn't helped matters."

"We don't have to do this Buffy," Spike said. "There's a whole army of Slayers out there. Aiden could just as easily use some of them."

"None of them have my experience with this sort of stuff," Buffy replied. "Not even Faith, and she's been at it the second longest. Besides, this Chachi guy is after Dawn—I can't ignore that. If she's in danger, I have to be the one to fight. I can't have it any other way."

"I understand that. And I want to protect Dawn, too, but you may not be the best one to do it right now, luv."

"I'm still the Slayer," Buffy said, raising her chin defiantly. "Baby or no baby, I can still fight and I can still protect my sister."

"I just don't want any of you getting hurt," Spike told her. "What if something happened and we lost the baby?"

Buffy shook her head. "It won't happen. I'll be careful, I promise."

"Buffy, how careful can you be? We're going up against an army of demons. I don't think that's something they normally recommend for pregnant women."

"This is my job, Spike. It's what I do. And I can protect my unborn child just fine. I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do while I'm pregnant."

"I'm not…" Spike paused, taking a calming breath. "I'm not doing that, luv. I'm just worried, is all. You're weak and you're going into a dangerous situation. I don't want to lose you or our lil' bit."

"You won't. But I can't walk away from this. It's too important."

Spike conceded, knowing Buffy well enough to know when she wasn't going to back down from something. "Just be extra careful, all right, pet? It's not just you you're looking out for now."

"I know. And trust me, the last thing I want is to lose this baby. I haven't even had the chance to look into her eyes yet and I already love her."

Spike nudged her lightly. "So you're admitting I'm right and it's a girl then."

"No," Buffy replied. "That was a…generic her. I was just being PC and not automatically saying 'him.'"

"Right. You know as well as I do that there's a little Buffy in there."

"I don't know why you're so fixated on having a girl anyway. Aren't men supposed to want strapping young lads that they can mold in their image?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe. But I want a daddy's girl that I can spoil rotten," Spike answered with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're impossible." She settled back into Spike's arms, deciding that if Aiden hadn't come to wake them yet, then she was getting more sleep.

"That's nothing new," Spike countered, holding on to Buffy tightly.

"No, it sure isn't." Buffy's eyes drifted shut. "Although I am setting one rule right now for the spoilage. No ponies. I don't care how hard she begs, our flat is not big enough."

Spike chuckled. "All right, pet. No ponies."

*** *** ***

Emma opened her eyes with the uncertainty one feels when waking up in a strange bed. She turned, amending that. Waking up in a strange bed with a strange man…

The events of the night before came rushing back and she blushed. Apparently the men of whatever dimension Aiden hailed from were much more knowledgeable when it came to pleasing a woman than the ones she'd known back in Texas. She'd had no idea sex could be like that.

Aiden was still asleep, and Emma took the opportunity to look him over. She'd been too caught up in everything he was doing the night before to really get a good look, though she hadn't missed the fact that his muscles were indeed "lickable." The man was chiseled perfection, every inch of him. She glanced down at the tent forming in the sheet and moistened her lips with her tongue. And she did mean every inch. She hadn't even known they came that big…

Deciding to come down to Aiden's room and then to take him up on his offer to spend the night with him had probably not been the most rational decision Emma had ever made, but it certainly wasn't one she regretted. It had been one of the most amazing experiences of her young life and it had done much in the way of calming her anxiety.

When she felt Aiden reach out and stroke her hair, Emma looked up sharply, meeting his eyes. She'd never known anyone with eyes that intense, and they made her feel a way she didn't think she had before. "Good morning, my sweet," Aiden said, smiling softly at her.

"Good morning," Emma replied, blushing a little.

"Even after all the ways I touched you last night, still you blush," Aiden teased, stroking her reddened cheek.

"I'm usually not much of a blusher," Emma said, though the red stain on her face darkened. "I think it's all your fault."

"That's blame I'll gladly accept," Aiden replied. He tilted her face up, kissing her until Emma felt lightheaded.

"Wow. You're one hell of a kisser," Emma admitted, smiling slightly.

"I've had many years to learn," Aiden said. "And I'd love to show you many of the other things I know, but there isn't time. Hopefully, the storm has passed by now and it will be safe for us to start our journey. As much as I would enjoy keeping you right here to make love to you over and over again, I'm afraid there are more pressing matters to attend to."

Emma looked up at him through hooded lashes. "Can I take a rain check then?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Aiden replied, his lips descending on hers again.

*** *** ***

"And where were you exactly?" Dawn asked when Emma came back into the room.

Emma glanced over at Dawn. She tried to look casual, though a smile soon crept to her lips. "Aiden's room."

"Oh my god, you were not!" Dawn gave Emma a teasing smile. "You total slut."

Emma giggled. "It was incredible, Dawn. I mean…wow. I thought I'd had sex before, but it was nothing like that. I'm starting to think that human guys just don't know how to do it."

"That is a very real possibility," Dawn said with a chuckle. "Not that I've had any complaints in my all of one physical relationship. Well, except for the whole part where he left me, but I'm so not in the mood to get into that." She cleared her throat. "So, what's up with the apocalypse? Was it called on account of too busy shagging?"

"Sadly, no," Emma replied. "Aiden's getting ready and then he's going to call us all back to the main chamber."

"Damn. I'm really not looking forward to this."

"Me either. I know I'm supposed to be all strong and a Slayer for the whole thing, but I have no clue how to be that," Emma admitted.

"It's not really that hard once you're actually in the battle," Dawn said. "Adrenaline and the will to survive kick in. Keeps you fighting. And I don't even have the instincts you have as a Slayer."

"Maybe it would be easier to have confidence if half my Slayer training didn't consist of constant reminders that Slayers die young. They make being called as a Slayer sound like getting diagnosed with terminal cancer," Emma said, frowning.

"It doesn't have to be that way," Dawn replied. "Not anymore anyway. For one thing, it's no longer one girl against every demon out there. Those odds weren't exactly fair. And Buffy's proven that a Slayer can live longer than a year or two at most."

"Hasn't she died twice?"

"Well, yeah, but she got better."

"Still, I'm not sure how comforting that really is."

A knock on the door stopped Dawn from responding, and Emma went over to answer it, not really wanting to talk about her possible imminent death any longer, and found Spike on the other side. "Aiden said he wants us all back in the main chamber." He looked at Emma askew for a moment before calling out to Dawn. "Bit, go across the hall and make sure your sister is getting on all right. She's had a bit of a rough morning."

Dawn hopped down off the bed and walked into the other bedroom, giving Spike a nod as she did. As soon as they were alone, Spike nudged Emma fully inside the room, shutting the door behind them. "Are you completely insane?" he asked.

Emma blinked. "What?"

"Sleeping with Aiden. We can't even one hundred percent trust him right now, despite his claim to be Drogyn's cousin. Could all be part of a trap."

"Or it could not be," Emma replied, crossing her arms in front of her. "We've got to trust him some, Spike, since we are pretty much at his mercy here."

"Doesn't mean you have to go shagging him," Spike said. "What if he'd been trying to separate us and he was just going after you first?"

"Well, seeing as I'm standing here right now and he certainly didn't do anything to hurt me, I'd have to say that wasn't the case. Besides, how to do you know anyway?"

"I can smell him all over you," Spike replied. "Thought I might have caught a little of you on him this morning, but I didn't get close enough to be sure."

"You can smell him on me? That's a little creepy, Spike."

"You don't know the half of it," Spike muttered. Then louder, "Look, Emma, just be careful, all right? We don't really know what this guy is all about. He could be what he says he is, he could not. It's not safe for you right now to get emotionally involved."

"I'm not! Geez, Spike, it was just sex. It doesn't mean that I'm fantasizing about riding off into the sunset with him. And while I do appreciate your concern, I already have five brothers—I really don't need another one."

Spike stiffened a little. "I'm just trying to look out for you. This life you've found yourself in is a dangerous one, especially if you don't know the ropes. You can't let your guard down at all until you know for certain who you can trust and who you can't."

"I know that. And I didn't let my guard down. Not really. And you've got to trust him a bit, too, to have agreed to stay here," Emma replied.

"Don't have much of a choice," Spike said. "But I also didn't sneak off by myself and shag him."

"Well, no, 'cause Buffy would so kick your ass," Emma said, unable to resist a small smile. "But really, I'm okay. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was just nervous about this whole impending apocalypse thing, it being my first and all, and Aiden was offering comfort. That's all."

"Just be careful, Em. I want all you girls to get out of here in one piece."

"I will be careful. And believe me, whether I slept with him or not won't make a damn bit of difference if Aiden becomes a threat."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way, at least while things are the way they are. We're not exactly on home turf here."

"I know." Emma reached out and gave Spike's arm a small squeeze. "And I do appreciate it that you're looking out for me. But I'm okay here. Not taking any crazy chances."

Spike's expression made it clear that he still wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't press the issue anymore. "All right. Come on, lets go get the Summers women and then head back to the chamber."

Emma nodded, glad that the lecture appeared to be over. "Okay. Let's go."

*** *** ***
 

Chapter 8:

Buffy had slipped into full Slayer mode by the time they were all assembled, knowing the only way to get herself, her family, and Emma out of this was to keep her focus on their task. She'd dealt with enough apocalypses in her twenty-three years to know what she was facing and what slipping up could lead to.

She stood in front Aiden, her arms crossed over her chest in a no-nonsense stance. "I want to know the game plan. Where exactly are we going, how long is it going to take to get there, and how are we traveling?"

Aiden turned his deep blue gaze on Buffy. "It should take approximately three days to reach Chalchicomehuel's fortress. Since any sort of mystical travel would cause unnecessary risks, we will have to travel on foot. The first day of this journey will be on the surface; however, we will then come to a series of tunnels in which we can travel more safely. I should warn you now that the land beyond this temple is savage. Beasts of all sorts roam free, waiting to tear out your throats. It will be dangerous."

Buffy shrugged. "Sounds like another Tuesday night back in ol' Sunnydale. Got any weapons?"

"Of course. I would not propose that any of us make such a journey unarmed. Come, I will take you into the armory and you can select what will be needed."

The group followed Aiden into a room off the side of the main chamber, and Buffy's eyes lit up as she saw the far wall was covered in swords. "Shiny," she said, eliciting a small grin from Spike.

Emma held back, glancing around but not moving. Aiden came to stand beside her. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Emma blushed before she admitted, "I don't know what to do with any of these things. I have no weapons training."

Aiden leaned in, whispering hotly in her ear, "You seemed to have no problem handling a certain 'weapon' last night."

"Aiden!" Emma gasped in shock, though her exclamation was quickly followed by a girlish giggle that almost made her wince as soon as she realized it had come from her.

"Don't worry, little Slayer, I will show you how to wield a sword. You will be ready when the time comes."

Across the room, Buffy elbowed Spike, then nodded her head towards Emma and Aiden, her eyebrow raising. Spike answered her unvoiced question with a nod, and Buffy mouthed, "Already?"

Spike nodded again, and Buffy shrugged, taking a sword off the wall and then swinging it a couple of times to test the weight. She smiled, deciding that Aiden did have good taste in weapons at least.

When everyone was armed, Aiden cleared his throat. "Are we prepared to depart then?"

"No time like the present," Buffy replied. She turned to her sister, concern for the younger woman clear on her face. "Dawnie? Are you holding up okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said, leaning on the hilt of the sword she'd chosen. "It's not like I haven't done this whole end of the world thing like a bazillion times before."

"I know, I just…" Buffy stopped, realizing she was coming close to revealing the truth about the Key—something she was nowhere near prepared to do yet. "Yeah, okay. Let's head out."

"This way," Aiden said, motioning towards a passageway. "It leads back to the surface." He walked into the darkened corridor, the other four close behind.

*** *** ***

Even without the storms Aiden had spoken of raging, this world they'd found themselves in was not a pleasant place. The red sky crackled above them, occasionally breaking the silence with a near-deafening burst of thunder. Spike kept his senses sharp, ready to fight at a moment's notice if need be. He'd made a vow to himself to see all three of these women through this safely, and he wasn't going to let anything make him break that. He knew he'd failed both Buffy and Dawn enough in the past…

He felt Buffy slip her warm hand in to his and looked down, seeing her green eyes filled with concern as she gazed up at him. "You're looking all pensive," she said. "Something wrong?"

Spike shook his head. "No more than the obvious, kitten."

"We'll be all right, Spike," Buffy said, squeezing his hand. "We'll all get through this just fine."

No sooner had she spoken than did Dawn let out an ear-piercing scream. Buffy and Spike whipped around to see her being pulled into the sand by something unseen just beneath their feet. "Dawn!" Buffy yelled, moving immediately towards her sister.

Before Buffy could get to Dawn, Emma reacted, slicing the creature she saw wrapping its hand around Dawn's ankle. The beast screamed from beneath the sand, its severed limb falling at Dawn's feet as the teen stumbled backwards, now free. Buffy ran to her sister's side, helping her to regain her balance.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked her. "Anything broken?"

"No, nothing's broken. I'm good," Dawn replied, breathing heavily. "What the hell was that?"

"A krenack," Aiden said. "It is strange to encounter one here, though. They usually travel further inland."

"Well apparently one decided to find itself a change of scenery," Buffy said. "Emma, is it…"

Before Buffy could finish her question, the krenack shot a second hand through the ground, grabbing Emma and pulling her down beneath the sand through a sinkhole the beast had created. Buffy and Spike shared a look before starting towards the spot when an inhuman cry of pain sounded and Emma appeared again, coughing up sand.

Aiden knelt beside her, offering her his hand to help her pull herself up. Emma sat beside the sinkhole she'd just been in, gasping. After a moment, she looked down, seeing that she was covered in sand and demon slime. "Oh, ew," she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "That was just…ick." She spit sand out of her mouth as she wiped at her eyes.

Suddenly, Aiden was hauling her up, his hands moving over her as he checked frantically for injuries. "It didn't bite you, did it? Krenack venom is quite poisonous."

"No, it didn't have a chance. I stabbed it the moment it pulled me down," Emma pushed Aiden back from her a little, steadying herself on her feet. She glanced at her sword. "Guess I'm better with this thing than I thought I'd be."

"That's Slayer instincts," Buffy said. "Practice will make you better, but the basics come with the whole Slayer package."

"Handy," Emma said. She turned to look at Dawn. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said. "Thanks."

Emma shrugged. "I heard you scream, and I was standing there, so…it seemed like the right thing to do." She shook her hair, sand raining down from it as she did.

Aiden reached into his pack and pulled out a cloth. "Here. This should help some. At least allow you to get the slime away from your eyes."

"Thanks," Emma replied, taking the cloth from him and wiping off as much of the goo and sand as she could. "I probably look horrible."

"Even krenack entrails cannot hide your beauty, little Slayer."

Emma smiled slightly. "Strangely enough, I think that may be one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me."

Buffy cleared her throat. "So, can we move along now? If there's anymore of those krenack things in the area, it's probably best we don't stick around to find out."

"I agree," Aiden said. He took his cloth from Emma, surprising her when it became clean again with just a shake. "Enchanted fabric," he replied to the unasked question he saw on her face as he folded it back up and returned it to his pack.

"Handy," Emma replied.

"Quite." Aiden gestured to a rocky formation that lay ahead of them. "Those are the caves that are the entrance to the tunnels. If we can make it there, then we may rest before setting out again without the danger of the storms."

Buffy nodded. "Then let's get to those tunnels."

The group began to walk again.

*** *** ***

It took them several hours to reach the tunnels Aiden had spoken of, the incident with the krenack leading them to move warily, watching their every step. However, while a few small creatures had crossed their path, it had been nothing as dangerous as the krenack had been.

"Are you tired, pet?" Spike asked softly, noting the worn look on his fiancée's face.

"A little, but it's not bad. I can make it to the tunnels," Buffy said.

"You sure? I could carry you the rest of the way," Spike told her.

Buffy shook her head. "I'm good, really."

"You'd let me know if you weren't, wouldn't you, Buffy?" Spike asked, frowning. "I don't want you putting yourself or the baby at risk by being stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn," Buffy insisted. "I'm tired, yeah, but not overly so, and I haven't felt any nausea since that little pit stop I had to make a couple of hours ago."

Spike stroked her back, her words doing little to remove his concerns. He'd been worried enough about Buffy on this trip before she'd suddenly turned very pale and run behind a rock, emptying her stomach. He could understand her sense of obligation as the Slayer, but this was the last thing a pregnant woman needed to be putting herself through. "Let me know the moment you get too tired," Spike said.

"I will," Buffy replied. "I know my limits, Spike."

Spike's eyebrow rose at that, but he said nothing. Even if Buffy did know her limits, she'd never exactly been one to stop when she reached them. He just hoped that having the baby's well-being to think of would be enough for her to take care of herself for once. He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they continued to travel.

*** *** ***

Once they reached the shelter of the caves, Aiden found a spot for them to settle in for a little while, the amount of travel they'd done that day sufficient for the time being. He was aware that the older Slayer was with child, and it worried him to think of her making this dangerous journey in her state, though he knew nothing could be done about it now. Besides, from the numerous conversations he'd overhead between her and her mate throughout the day it was quite clear that she wasn't going to stop anyway. The woman had quite a stubborn streak, that much was plain.

Aiden knelt on the ground, opening his pack and removing several small items. The first one, he tossed a few feet in front of him before speaking words in a language none of his companions recognized. Instantly, it burst into flames, illuminating the cavern they were in as well as filling it with a comforting warmth. "The fire will burn there, contained, until I put it out," Aiden told them, looking up at the four gaping humans. "It is safe, and it will allow us to stay warm."

"Handy, that," Spike said, still eyeing the fire warily.

Aiden then set three other small items on the ground, stepping back before he waved his hand over them and spoke again in the strange language. This time, they did not catch fire, but instead grew in size to produce three sleeping pallets, two of them slightly larger than the third.

"Well, that beats an air mattress," Buffy said. "You could make a fortune selling these things in our world."

Aiden smirked. "Tempting, but I believe I'll pass on that. I've already got all I could ever need." He reached into his pack again, this time producing five strips of what appeared to be dried meat. "It doesn't look like much, I know, but the nutrients in it make it the equivalent of an entire meal. It should fill you."

Aiden watched as Spike took a strip and began to inspect it carefully. "Spike, if I wished to kill you, I would've done it some time ago, and not waited until now to poison your food."

Spike looked up at Aiden. "I can't help but be cautious, mate. I've got my family here to watch out for."

"I know," Aiden said. "And I can respect your need to protect them. I would expect nothing less." Aiden bit into one of the strips, chewed, and swallowed. "But as you can see, I am not falling to the ground in death now."

"Somewhat comforting," Spike admitted. He sniffed the strip, using his superior senses to catch the scent of any possible poisons. He didn't smell any, and he figured it probably was safe as Aiden had said, but he still wanted to be as careful as he could for the sake of the women there with him. He tasted it, waiting a moment before nodding.

The group ate in silence, finding that the strips, while small, did fill them up as Aiden had claimed. Apparently wherever it was he came from was big on making things travel-sized…

Aiden cleared his throat. "There is an underground spring not far form here where you could wash off the remaining krenack grime if you would like, Emma," he said. "It has been known to cause skin irritation after prolonged exposure, and it could make sleeping quite difficult."

Emma nodded. She had been starting to feel a little itchy… "Okay. Where is the spring?"

"Come with me. I'll show you."

Spike held up his hand. "Whoa. I don't think I like the idea of the two of you just wandering off alone down here."

"It isn't far," Aiden said. "And it would be wise for you to stay here, keep the campsite safe. Besides, your mate is clearly tired. She needs to rest."

"I'll be fine, Spike," Emma said. "I just really want this slime off of me."

Spike glanced between Emma and Aiden. His gut had been telling him all along to trust the man, but there was too much at stake for him to be anything but on his guard. "Hurt her, and I kill you."

"Of course," Aiden said with a nod. He took Emma's hand. "Rest. We'll be back soon."

As Emma and Aiden walked away, Buffy sat down on one of the larger pallets and patted it with her hand. "Sit down, Spike. Aiden's not going to hurt her, and you know it. Not with that look in his eyes…"

Spike sighed, sitting beside Buffy. "We've got a world to save, you know. It's not the time to be sneaking off for a shag."

Dawn snorted, making the blond couple glance up at her. "Please. If I wasn't here, you two would be all over each other right now."

Spike wagged his finger at her. "That's not the point, bit."

"Whatever," Dawn said with a smirk. She laid down on the smaller of the three pallets, staring up. "Hey, how about the next time we take a family vacation it's to somewhere that doesn't involve sleeping in a cave that's quite possibly full of demons?"

Buffy chuckled, leaning back against Spike. "Sure. And while you're working on that, you're gonna have to find a new family, 'cause I think this is the best we're gonna get."

*** *** ***