Rio 1. Competition

**Ahhh! Ladies and gents, welcome to Shine a Light, the third story to my series! :D I'm super excited for this story; I've got some fantastic ideas that I know you'll love! Some I've come up with myself, and others, such as names for characters, I've gotten help with! Thanks so much to you guys who helped me get ideas cuz I really appreciate it!**

**This chapter has a couple of fabulous songs, one I like more than the other, and I think you'll know which one by the time you get there Lol There's some humor; enjoy the new characters! They're all pretty awesome, and I know if they can make my sisters laugh, they'll make you laugh too ;)**

**Anyway, enough from me! Enjoy and plz don't forget to review! :D**

**Shine a Light**

**Chapter 1: Competition**

She never seemed to stop talking. Nor did she ever cease to stop making his world turn at the brightness of her blue eyes and the smile on her face. There he saw his precious Ellie, his wonderful chatterbox of a five year old, standing in front of him in their hollow. She was talking in a fast-pace motion and she waved her wings around a bit to make sure her listeners were getting her point. But there was one problem as he blinked into reality.

She was really sixteen.

Oh how the days turned into weeks and the weeks into years… And here she was; almost grown up enough to move out.

Nico blinked and focused on his daughter's words. He wouldn't be letting her leave home already, so why think about it?

"-so basically I told him to just shutup because he was being beyond irritating and I wasn't going to listen to another word of his pointless babbling about how I was hanging with the wrong crowd and wouldn't I just look great in his pack of friends, and maybe even _dating_ him! Dad, seriously! The guy actually thinks me and him could go out together! It's insane! He's seriously lost his marbles if he thinks I would stoop that low!"

Nico stifled a laugh as he cast a sidelong glance at Riley in the kitchen; she was also suppressing the urge to laugh.

Ellie frowned, "Why is this funny? This is a very serious matter, dad!"

"I know it is!" Nico held up his wings, "But you told him off, right? What more do I need to do if you already gave him a piece of your mind?"

"Sic my spy father on him." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Riley turned from her bowl and quietly said, "Ellie, you know better than to bring that up."

Ellie sighed. She had an acute memory; she never forgot the hardships of her early childhood—the long days of her captivity alone with Clyde's spies, then with her family, the rescue. But the thing that always gave her nightmares until her early teens was witnessing the spear going through her uncle's flesh…

She pushed the thought away and looked back at her mom, replying, "I know. I just wish everyone did know just so they would watch out."

Nico sighed, "There's more to it than that. Which is why we've kept it so secret. It's bad enough everyone wanted detail on Carlos's injury after it happened. Even now birds like to ask me how he is and how it happened."

Early on, the family and The Commander's squad had come up with a legitimate sounding excuse for Carlos's injury. They actually kept it to a somewhat similar circumstance, by the way of how the injury was given. Circumstances on how it actually occurred by a maniacal assassin were obviously not disclosed. They just told everyone that a simple accident had taken place; he had thankfully healed and the Rio inhabitants believed the story.

Breaking the silence, Nico returned to the original conversation, "Anyway, do you want me to talk to… what's his name?"

"Dodger." Ellie replied, but added with a small dismissive wave, "No it's fine. I doubt he'll keep bugging me for much longer."

Nico hid his doubtfulness; being a guy himself, he knew that boys didn't give up that easily. As if on cue, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud outside their tree; the impact could be felt through the floor and easily heard. It wasn't the thud that was worrisome though; it was the inexplicable sound of boy laughter and the occasional, "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Nico sighed and looked at Riley, "Now what?"

Ellie hopped out the already open door that had been propped to let a cool breeze come in, and looked down to the base of the tree. There her two twelve year old brothers were absolutely dying of laughter beside a tangle of vines.

"What are you doing?"

"Ellie!" Mason sat up instantly, his brown eyes gleaming with excitement. "You GOTTA see this!"

Cody jumped up, pulling the vine with him, "Yeah Ells, come on!"

Nico and Riley joined their daughter on the porch and peered down at them with cocked heads and half curious, half worried expressions. Mason and Cody weren't exactly crazy like the Toucan chicks, who were more assassins in training since day one. Nico described his sons as complete clones of Carlos and himself. Both boys had the stunning amber eyes that their father had, although Cody's had the gold flakes splattered throughout them, so he looked a tad more like Carlos. Their feathers were equally the sunny yellow color, while Ellie and Riley's remained the butter and crème color and bright blue eyes.

Nico watched his boys' movements like a hawk, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. They grabbed their vine, each taking an end, and flew into the air. Taking it a few feet away, each tightly tied his end onto a small wooden post that had been somehow pushed into the ground.

Cody's voice was heard, "Make sure it's tight this time; don't wanna break a wing!"

Both boys' easy going nature made everything they did, no matter how crazy or how dangerous, a tad more frightening. The fact that Cody mentioned breaking a wing in such a dismissive manner like it's as easy as eating a grape shows why everyone was always so nervous.

It wasn't until Mason hopped in between the two poles, held the vine at his back firmly and started backing up as far as he could that Nico understood what they were doing. "Wait! Mason, don't; you're gonna break something!" He flew down and held the vine from behind his son's back to keep him from flying forward.

"Aww, but it's fun dad!"

And there were the puppy dog eyes. Big, brown and wide, staring up at him pleadingly with glistening specks of hope.

Nico sighed sadly, but said, "Sorry guys. I can't let you get hurt."

"But it didn't hurt the first time!" Cody pouted.

Mason lessened his pressure on the vine, Nico taking a firmer step to hold tighter, as he said, "Yeah, we actually came up with the idea when we were throwing berries at bees. I guess they like the sweetness. But they were _our_ berries. And _nobody_ touches the berries!"

Nico had to laugh, looking up at Riley with a shake of his head. She and Ellie were equally amused; clearly the boys weren't seeing the point. Looking back down at them, he smiled, "Using this as a berry launcher is a fine idea," He failed to see the sudden look of mischief cross Mason's face as he talked, "Just don't hit anyone. I don't want the neighbors complaining that you two are hitting them, or their house, with berries."

Mason piped, "Berry launchers are fun, but how about a dad launcher?"

Nico furrowed his brow, "Wha-AH!"

Mason had suddenly ducked, and Nico was thrown forward without expecting it. He managed to use the speed and the air to fly, but the tree looming ahead didn't look too welcoming. Using all his upper body strength, he pulled up and performed a loop; he flew upside down for a few seconds, but with a sharp twist, he zoomed back towards his sons before they knew it.

They had laughed as soon as Nico had gone flying, but now that he was flying at top speeds right back at them, fear etched in their faces. "Ahhh!" They turned and tried to flap away in opposite directions, but Nico got there in time to grab both their tail feathers and pull them back in for a double arm lock.

They both struggled as Nico laughed, "Wanna try that again?"

"No! Absolutely not! We're good!" they cried in exasperation.

"I don't believe you." Nico cooed, still holding them.

Cody smiled, "Dad, you are absolutely unbeatable! I'm betting you figured out Mason's trick before he did it, just so you could come back here and teach him a lesson!"

Yep. Just like Carlos. Nico smiled and let him up, "Now you're talkin. Any last words, Mason?" he asked in a fake sinister tone.

Mason was still trying to desperately pull himself out of Nico's headlock, but wasn't making any progress. At Nico's sinister question, he stopped, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked up at his smirking father and smiled weakly, "Parle?"

Nico and Cody laughed wholeheartedly; Mason sulked and pulled harder, trying again to free himself. Looking up to see his girls had long since gone back inside, Nico said, "Alright you two; wash up for dinner, 'kay?"

With that, he lifted his wing, Mason went sprawling out in all directions in one fluent, backward motion, and Nico flew up to the hollow with a laugh. As he reached the door, Cody called up, "Wait dad!"

He turned back and smiled, "Yes?"

"So can we use the berry launcher?"

Nico hesitated. Looking back to make sure Riley wasn't standing there, he smiled, "At the river; just don't hit any rocks."

"YES!" The boys exclaimed, grabbing their vine and heading for the small river running through the forest from the waterfall.

"Come back for dinner in ten minutes!" Nico called after them.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked inside to find his girls. Riley was back behind the counter, fixing up the rest of their meal and Ellie was sitting at the kitchen table watching. Sighing, he sat down beside her, "Those two never quit."

Riley smiled and pecked him on the cheek, "They'll certainly learn some things the hard way."

**Xxx**

"Dad has got to be the biggest genius on the planet!" Cody gushed, tying the vine down on a new post. Mason just finished tying his as well and stood back, a satisfactory grin on his beak.

"I know! This is gonna be so much fun! I can't wait to tell Zac!" he gave his brother a high five.

A voice interrupted their celebration, "Is the whole community invited to the fun? Or is this just for Nico's pipsqueak sons?"

The grins on the boys' faces were quickly replaced by deep scowls. They turned around and saw a group of teens that were mostly in the same class as Ellie; a few were a year or so younger. The bird who had spoken was another yellow canary with deep green eyes and a cocky smirk on his face, standing in the front of his posse proudly.

Mason smiled cockily, "Yeah the community is invited. But you like to separate yourself from said community cuz you're just too good for it, so I guess you'll be excluded."

The sixteen year old laughed and glanced back at his friends, "You know Mason, I thought we had talked about being rude to us. You know what could happen."

Cody growled, "Back off, Dodger. You know what'll happen if you cross the line."

Dodger put a feather to his chin and mused thoughtfully, "Oh yeah, daddy will chase us down and give us a piece of his mind, right? You know, for as often as you threaten us with that, we've never seen Mr. Good-natured Bottlecap pick a fight-"

"You don't know him like we do." Mason crossed his wings.

Cody jumped in, "Yeah, he could take all of you with a wing tied behind his back."

Dodger rolled his eyes, "Psh sure. I don't think he could handle even one of us, let alone our whole group."

"Would you like to keep picking on my cousins and find out?" A female voice erupted above them and a young Blue-Gray Tanager landed in front of them.

Dodger grinned instantly, "Sarah! Haven't seen you in a long time! How's _daddy_ doing?"

Sarah fumed, "My father is absolutely _fine_. Now do you really wanna play this game?"

Dodger backed up a step at her expression. Everyone messed with Nico's kids without problems, but when it came to their protective cousin Sarah, they knew to back off a bit. She would fight back without hesitation, and not just verbally. "Alright sweetheart, don't get your tail feathers in a bunch."

He turned back to his friends and waved them into the air, "You comin' to The Branch later?"

"I don't know; it depends on my _mood._" Sarah hinted, the anger still laced in her voice.

Dodger chuckled, "Alrighty then." As he flew after his friends, he yelled back with a laugh, "Remember to take a chill pill before you come!"

Mason and Cody lunged forward and grabbed their cousin's wings before she charged after him. As soon as the teens disappeared from around the bend, Sarah immediately relaxed and turned to the boys.

"You guys okay?"

Cody waved a wing, "Oh yeah, no worries."

"I will worry; they've beaten up one too many kids for my taste." Sarah stared back where they had disappeared.

"Sarah, they beat up one kid! And he kinda deserved it because he started pulling Dodger's tail feathers out for no-"

"There was a reason! Dodger pushed his little sister!" Sarah shouted, silencing them. She quickly sighed, "I just don't trust them is all. Come on; I'll take you home."

Even though they were a year older than Sarah, she acted like she was older, but not in a bad way. She was the oldest child in her family and took the role a little excessively, but everyone appreciated it because she stuck up for birds. She was really sweet and kind, but her parents had to keep tabs on how grouchy or touchy she was. She could easily take out anybody with her sparkiness.

As they flew back to their hollow, Cody said, "You don't have to ya know."

"I know; I was on my way to talk to Ellie anyway." Sarah smiled.

"Oh."

They arrived a few minutes later, Riley asking the boys instantly why they were late. Cody sighed, "We got held up by Dodger and his clan of misfits."

"Clan of misfits?" Nico chuckled, raising an eyebrow. Ellie just growled, "See? They're picking on them too!"

"Relax Ells, I took care of 'em." Sarah spoke up.

Nico stiffened, "How?"

"Oh, I just told 'em off. No physical combat."

Nico sighed, "Good."

"What, you seriously think if I got into any fights I'd look this clean afterwards?" Sarah asked incredulously, gesturing to her smooth blue-gray feathers.

Ellie and the boys giggled when Nico muttered a negative response. Sarah turned to her cousin, "Anyway, Ellie; I have a question about something."

The girls began a conversation about school work while Nico asked the boys what went down with Dodger. Cody shrugged, "He was just being a jerk. He ragged on you a little bit too when we said to back off."

Nico shrugged, "They can rag on me all they want, bud. I just don't want them touching you."

The boys nodded with sighs, but their dad added, "Don't worry; I'm already thinking about having a little chat with our friend Dodger." He winked. The boys smirked evilly, internally wondering if blood would be shed.

Nico caught on and reiterated, "A legit talk, boys; I'm not going to attack anyone."

Disappointment melted onto their faces. "Oh. Okay…" Nico had to smile.

Riley interrupted them, "Alright everyone; time for dinner! Sarah, are you staying?"

"No, I can't. Mom was making stuff when I left, so I gotta get going." She smiled and walked to the door. "I'll see you later Ellie!"

Ellie waved, "Bye!"

As the family ate dinner together, Nico asked, "Are you meeting Sarah somewhere Ellie?"

Ellie nodded, "We're going to The Branch, remember? It's Teen Night."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Nico nodded.

Riley smiled at her daughter, "Are you going to perform something?"

Ellie smiled suspiciously, "Maybe."

"Oooo! Really? I wanna go!" Mason piped excitedly.

"Me too!"

Riley shook her head, "Nope. You two are staying here."

"Aww but mom-" they started, but Riley cut them off. "Nope! You two have a mess to clean up, remember?"

The boys thought and suddenly remembered the destruction that used to be known as their bedroom. Early that morning they had concocted a strange sticky goo out of who knew what materials and used sling shots to test it out on their household items in their room. Needless to say, when they realized the mess they had created, they left before Riley noticed. Well, she noticed alright.

"Whatever you two did in there is going to be fixed up before you go to bed." Riley ordered.

Mason pouted, "But that could take _hours_!"

Cody grinned and whispered to his brother, "But that means we can stay up later!"

Mason gasped with wide eyes and grinned at Riley, "Okay! It'll be done by sundown!"

Ellie snorted, catching their attention. She pointed outside to reveal the setting sun. They gasped and flailed around, "Oh dude! We gotta get goin!" They shuffled over each other, desperately trying to get to their room.

Ellie and her parents laughed at their disappearing forms, especially when Cody exclaimed, "Why'd you say by sundown? You coulda checked first!"

The banter could still be heard while Ellie helped her mom clear the table and clean up in the kitchen. Nico asked, "You need a chap to the club?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"What about _at_ the club?"

"Nope! There will be plenty of adults around."

Nico smiled, buffing his bottlecap with his wing, "Alright, if you say so."

"I do!" Ellie smiled, kissed his cheek and walked to the door. "Alrighty, I'm out!"

She opened the door and Nico called, "What time are you supposed to be back?"

"Eleven, I know dad; don't worry!" Ellie smiled sweetly before taking off into the cooling evening air. She inhaled deeply and pumped her wings faster. Soon she was flying high above the trees, a few leaves scattering into the air.

She grinned down at the city below her and flew a little faster. After a ten minute flight, the right alley came into view and she flew straight under the tarp that covered up the wonderful club known as The Branch.

Ellie grinned instantly at the spinning disco ball high above the center of the dance floor, shooting dazzling sparkles of light throughout the club and onto the feathers of performers, dancers and regular attendees alike. She walked in with purpose, saying hello to everyone who noticed her; being Nico and Riley's only daughter, she wasn't hard to forget, plus she was so sweet to everyone.

Across the room, she spotted Dodger and his group of friends, the former flirting with the girl behind the drink counter. The drinks sold in the club weren't alcoholic; that rule given out by Rafael all those years ago was still in play. Instead, Nico and Carlos had secured a Margaritaville machine used for making fruit flavored or alcoholic slushees alike; here at The Branch, only fruit flavors were handed out, which mostly everyone enjoyed more anyway.

Ellie rolled her eyes at Dodger and continued on her way to her normal table to meet her friends. As she got closer, a young cardinal's head popped up above the crowd and cheered, "Hooray! She's here!"

Ellie laughed, "Yup, I'm finally here!"

She sat down beside her cousin, Zacarias, affectionately called Zac. He was the only son of Pedro and Julia, and he referred to himself as the oldest between him and his sister, Kim, even though she hatched at the exact same time. Both were the same age as Ellie's brothers, all four hatching around the same time. Zac looked almost exactly like his father, while Kim looked exactly like her mother.

"It's about time you got here, girl!" Kim grinned. "I haven't been able to get him to hold still!"

"Well why would I?" Zac exploded, causing a few heads to look over at them.

Ellie chided quietly, "Zac relax; I'm just as excited as you are, but we can't start yet."

"Why ever not?"

"Because we have to wait our turn!" Ellie laughed.

"Oh. Right." The cardinal smiled, looking around.

"And you're forgetting someone."

Everyone turned to see Sarah standing there, a smile on her beak. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot you were coming!" Zac laughed.

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Of course you did."

As she took a seat next to Ellie, another bird suddenly joined their table beside Ellie, causing her to scowl.

"You know what I find amusing?" Dodger asked, wrapping a wing around Ellie. "The fact that you only hang out with a bunch of twelve year olds."

Ellie shoved his wing off her shoulder and growled, "That's because everyone my age is a bunch of jerks because they hang out with _you_. I prefer my family over that."

Dodger scoffed, "I'm sure you do." Leaning a little closer to her, he smiled, "I bet you'll change your mind someday-"

Ellie shoved him back just as Sarah jumped up. Dodger spat, "Sit down, child. I'm not afraid of you."

"Maybe you should be." Ellie said, giving him an icy glare.

Again with that cocky smirk. What she wouldn't give to just slap it off his- "You know sweetheart, you should be afraid because we're just going to wipe you off the map with our song."

Ellie raised an eyebrow, but Zac cut him off, "What, you and your pack of goons over there?"

Dodger faked patience, "Yes. Our song is going to win the little competition tonight."

"There is no competition." Kim said confusedly, "It's just for-"

"Fun." Dodger nodded, standing and leaning closer to Ellie. "What's a little fun without some competition?"

As he walked away to prepare for his song with his friends, Zac blew up, "Man, I hate that kid! What a jerk!"

"Zac shh! Do you want him to get aggressive?" Ellie warned, but she didn't sound too convincing. She was seriously getting tired of him as well.

"He was ripping on my dad earlier; yours too actually." Sarah growled, nodding toward Ellie.

Ellie finally shrugged and focused, "Whatever; he's just a jerk. Let's ignore him."

"But what about his song?" Kim asked.

Ellie smiled, "Don't you worry about that one little bit; there's no way his song can beat ours!"

The teens talked for a few more minutes until finally the lights dimmed. A white strobe light cast a long beam down on Dodger, who had taken center stage, the cocky smirk ever present on his beak. Ellie still wanted to slap it off. Many of Dodger's friends were stationed across the stage as well, even a few girls off to the right side; all with proud expressions latched onto their faces.

A few single notes played softly, until Dodger started singing; the music quickly turned into a quick pop beat with some drums…

_Hey, Hey  
Bye, Bye, Bye  
Bye, Bye...  
Bye, Bye...  
Oh, Oh…_

Dodger sang the first verse proudly at center stage, grasping every bird's attention immediately.__

I'm doin' this tonight,  
You're probably gonna start a fight.  
I know this can't be right.  
Hey baby come on,  
I loved you endlessly  
When you weren't there for me.  
So now it's time to leave and make it alone  
I know that I can't take no more  
It ain't no lie  
I wanna see you out that door  
Baby, bye, bye, bye...

As the song continued into some quicker lyrics, the crowd cheered, obviously loving the song. All Ellie could thing about was the pitiful lyrics; _this_ was supposed to blow them out of the water? And the crowd was loving _this?_ Ohh they were gonna be in for a big surprise…

_Bye Bye  
Don't wanna be a fool for you  
Just another player in your game for two  
You may hate me but it ain't no lie,  
Baby, bye, bye, bye...  
Bye Bye  
Don't really wanna make it tough,  
I just wanna tell you that I had enough.  
It might sound crazy,  
But it ain't no lie,  
Baby, bye, bye, bye_

Dodger sang the second verse as if he were really trying to get a message across. Ellie frowned; it wasn't that he was a bad singer because he was actually pretty decent. Maybe it was that stupid smirk that was obviously being directed right towards her as he sang, staring right at her.

_Oh, Oh  
Just hit me with the truth,  
Now, girl you're more than welcome to.  
So give me one good reason,  
Baby come on  
I live for you and me,  
And now I really come to see,  
That life would be much better once you're gone._

I know that I can't take no more  
It ain't no lie,  
I wanna see you out that door  
Baby, bye, bye, bye...  
Bye Bye  
Don't wanna be a fool for you  
Just another player in your game for two  
You may hate me but it ain't no lie,  
Baby Bye, bye, bye...  
Bye Bye  
Don't really wanna make it tough,  
I just wanna tell you that I had enough (ooh ooh)  
It might sound crazy,  
But it ain't no lie,  
Baby, bye, bye, bye

Dodger's friends joined in the little rap, and continued echoing the Bye Bye as the song continued, the crowd still cheering in approval.

_I'm giving up I know for sure  
I don't wanna be the reason for your love no more  
Bye Bye  
I'm checkin' out  
I'm signin' off  
I don't wanna be the loser and I've had enough_

The spotlight again shone brightly on Dodger as he sang his verse loudly and proudly, catching the attention of every bird in the club. Ellie actually sighed, leaning on her wing, wishing the song would be over. Her cousins heard her and giggled a little.

_I don't wanna be your fool  
In this game for two  
So I'm leavin' you behind  
Bye, bye, bye..._

I don't wanna make it tough (Dodger: Wanna make it tough)  
But I had enough  
And it ain't no lie (Dodger: Bye, bye baby...)  
Bye, Bye  
Don't wanna be a fool for you  
Just another player in your game for two (I don't wanna be your fool)  
But it ain't no lie  
Baby bye, bye, bye...

Dodger led his group in a final round of the chorus, the girls singing their own rendition in the background.__

Don't really wanna make it tough (Girls Echo: Don't really wanna make it tough),  
I just wanna tell you that I had enough (Girls Echo: That I had enough)  
Might sound crazy,  
But it ain't no lie,  
Bye, bye, bye

The teens' voices echoed throughout the club and the lights shut off except for one backstage; it shone brightly, making the teens' silhouettes easily visible in the darkness. The crowd screamed and cheered, and when the lights came back on a few moments later, the teens waved with wide grins, obviously loving the attention.

Finally, Dodger led his posse off the stage. Ellie caught the eye of the DJ and gave him a nod; he was good friends with her father, so she had given him specific instructions about her and her cousins' performance beforehand. He nodded with a thumbs-up and hurried backstage. She turned and smiled, "Alright guys, we're up next."

The cousins all exclaimed their excitement, giving each other fist bumps and grins. Dodger suddenly materialized from the crowd, again standing beside Ellie. A little too closely for her taste.

"What, you guys think you can beat that?" he smirked again.

Ellie stood and faced him, standing a few inches away from him, "I don't think. I _know_. So why don't you have a seat, flirt with the drink girl and I'll see you from your shocked expression from center stage."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and stalked away, her cousins on her tail feathers. Dodger chuckled under his breath and located his friends at the drink stand, sitting on barstools.

Sitting down beside his friends, he grinned, "Guys, I think we're on the right track."

"I don't know, Dodge." One of his friends frowned. "I don't think she's really that into you."

Dodger rolled his eyes and waved a wing dismissively, "Yeah, not right now; but she _will_ be. Trust me."

Another teen sitting a few empty seats beside them glanced their way, catching their attention. Dodger frowned and looked him over in a non inconspicuous way. He had never seen him before. Another yellow canary, but he was wearing a brown leather vest and he had deep brown eyes and golden feathers.

Dodger scowled, "What're you lookin' at?"

The teen faced him indifferently, "Apparently you. But it was just a harmless glance. I didn't mean anything by it."

Dodger raised an eyebrow, not sure exactly how to respond. After a few moments, he replied, "You're not from around here are you?"

The teen shook his head. Before Dodger or the teen could talk anymore, a few whistles and cheers came from the crowd near the stage. Dodger and all the teens also looked up to see Ellie standing on center stage; her cousins were getting situated on stage and looked just as relaxed as she did.

When the cheers died down, Ellie smiled and said, "Alright guys, we have a pretty special song for you tonight. We know you're going to love it, so enjoy!"

She took a step back and got situated as the lights dimmed around her cousins and faded around her, but she was still clearly visible. The crowd quieted when they realized the song was going to probably be quieter; they could tell by how Ellie was carrying herself. Dodger leaned forward in his seat, which the new teen noticed, so he wouldn't miss a single note or lyric.

A simple piano started playing, and finally, Ellie's strong, lyrical voice broke the silence…

_Tryin' hard to fight these tears. I'm crazy worried.  
Messin' with my head, this fear. I'm so sorry.  
You know you gotta get it out. I can't take it.  
That's what being friends about._

As her line faded, Ellie looked with a crooked expression toward the DJ. He smirked and just as Ellie pumped up the lyrics, he pumped up the music and a sudden pop explosion took over The Branch. Everyone, but especially Dodger and the new teen, had to control their beaks so they wouldn't drop to the floor in amazement and shock.

_I, I wanna cry. I can't deny, tonight I wonder I've been high.  
And get inside. It isn't right.  
I gotta live in my life._

As she sang the next two lines, a smirk came to Ellie's beak and a sudden spark of mischief lit up in her eyes.

_I know I, I know I, I know I gotta do it.  
I know I, I know I, I know I gotta do it._

Ellie blasted into the chorus, her cousins singing the background. Dodger sat back in his stool, laughing almost at how crazy amazing she sounded. He couldn't deny it; this song was better than anything he could _ever_ come up with.

_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate.  
Push until you can't, and then they'll demand more.  
Determinate.  
D-d-determinate.  
You and me together, we can make it better.  
Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate._

Ellie started the second verse, each of her cousin's taking a line to echo. By now, the entire club was on their feet, screaming and cheering, absolutely loving the new song.

_Hey, you feel this way. It was today. I gotta get myself on stage.  
I shouldn't wait, or be afraid. The chips will fall where they may._

I know I, I know I, I know I gotta do it.  
I know I, I know I, I know I gotta do it.

The teens stood in a line across the front of the stage as Ellie sang the chorus again, this time jumping up and down to pump up the audience. They added some dancing along with the lyrics, adding to the amazement of the music.

_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate.  
Push until you can't, and then they'll demand more.  
Determinate.  
D-d-determinate.  
You and me together, we can make it better.  
Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate (Yeah!)_

Ellie suddenly jumped out of the way and Zac slid into her place, suddenly rapping up a storm. He had to belt the lyrics as loud as he could in order to be heard because the audience screamed even louder at his signature rapping. Dodger's beak gaped open a little; he couldn't rap like that if he tried!__

It's when then a medicine. Use it like a veteran.  
Renegade, lemonade, use it in my medicine.  
Go ahead and try to name my band better than.  
Reason why the whole world's making us a synonym.  
People need a breather, cuz' they're feeling the adrenaline.  
Stop.  
Now hurry up and let us sing.  
Knock.  
Cuz' we coming through your house  
And people keep on flying like a lemon in their mouth  
I'm the real deal and you know how I feel.  
Why they in it for a bill, you just in it for a thrill.  
Get down, now I ain't play around.  
Put your feet up from the ground.  
And just like that sound what. (Ellie: Yeah yeah!)

Ellie sang louder, belting the lyrics louder than she had yet. She stared at Dodger for a few moments as if she were giving him a good rubdown; he just smirked back at her.__

Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate.  
Push until you can't, and then they'll demand more.  
Determinate.  
D-d-determinate.  
You and me together, we can make it better.  
Gotta turn the world into your dance floor.  
Determinate.  
D-determinate.

Come on and, come on and, come on and get it going.  
Come on and, come on and, come on and get it going.

On the dance floor.  
On the dance floor.

D-d-dance floor.

Determinate.

Ellie and the teens froze in various poses next to each other, Ellie standing in the middle with her wings crossed and a daring smirk on her beak. She was again staring right back at Dodger as if she were saying "Come at me, bro."

The crowd went ballistic, screaming and jumping up and down with so much fervor and excitement, it was a full five minutes before the teens could even think about leaving the stage. When they finally did, they sat at their signature table with loud but ecstatic sighs.

Zac was the first to speak, "Dude, we showed him!"

"Yeah we did!" Sarah grinned, giving him a high five.

Ellie laughed, "You guys did great!"

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised." Dodger smiled suspiciously, sitting beside Ellie. _Again._

Ellie laughed a little, "You know Dodger, I'm surprised that you're still willing to even stand in our presences. Clearly _we_ blew _you_ off the map."

"You know, I'm glad you brought that up! The only reason I would even think about being around you guys is just for you, you know." Dodger smiled crookedly at her. "I think it's high time you come hang out with some _real_ birds."

"Umm last I checked I was a real bird." Zac remarked flatly.

Not taking his eyes off Ellie, Dodger replied smartly, "Was talkin' to Ellie."

Ellie started to roll her eyes, but then had a thought. A small smile played on her beak and she leaned ever so slightly closer to Dodger. "Well I guess that's kinda sweet how much attention you're giving me." She said in a soft voice.

Dodger's eyes widened ever so slightly at her sudden seemingly flirty attitude. Luckily for her, he took the bait. He smiled and leaned closer, to which the twelve year olds started cringing. Ellie was internally cringing as well, but she only needed a few more seconds, and…

Dodger suddenly fell forward and his face met the floor beside Ellie's chair. The teens erupted in laughter, even Dodger's friends still sitting in the barstools across the room. Even the new teen had to hide half his face in his cup to keep from busting out laughing.

Ellie sat back down, tears threatening to spill from her eyes from laughing so hard. Dodger stood up angrily, grabbed her wing and wrenched her up to face him. "You wanna do that again?" He asked in a cold tone.

Ellie stopped laughing and looked at him squarely, "If you think for even a second I will _ever_ go out with you, you have no brain. Leave me and my family alone."

She yanked her wing free and sat back down, immediately starting up a conversation with her cousins. They awkwardly glanced back up at him, but tried ignoring him as he stood there, glaring icy daggers at the back of Ellie's head. Finally, he whipped around and stalked back to his seat.

He sat there with a plop, angrily staring at the empty cup in front of him. His friends, sensing his anger, ignored him completely. The new kid on the other hand glanced his way, but said nothing. Unfortunately Dodger had impeccable peripheral vision.

"What?" he exploded.

The teen's eyes widened and he faced Dodger with wide eyes. "Dude, don't get your tail feathers in a bunch! I didn't say anything!"

Dodger's eyes narrowed to slits and one of his friends put a wing on his shoulder, silently telling him to calm down. Before he could do anything, the teen casually stood up, smiled calmly and walked away. Dodger stared after him, considering following him, but decided against it. The kid really hadn't done anything; he himself just wanted something to take his anger out on.

"Wonder who that kid was?" one girl asked.

Dodger shrugged with a roll of his eyes, "Who cares?" His eyes trained back on Ellie across the room. She crossed a line. That would certainly need to be fixed.

**Xxx**

At almost quarter to eleven, Ellie saw her cousins off outside. Rafael had shown up just before their performance, so thankfully he got to see it, and he was still oozing with praises to them. The younger teens had given all their goodbyes to Ellie and were starting to flap into the air to go home, Rafael acting as their chauffeur.

Before Rafael took off, he asked, "You sure you don't want to come with?"

Ellie nodded, "Yeah, I like to take another way home. Less traffic." She giggled.

Rafael smiled, "Alright; say hi to your parents for me!"

"I will! Goodnight guys!" Ellie waved as the Toucan took off with her half asleep cousins. As they started to disappear into the darkness, she turned and started to take off in another direction. But as her wings lifted her off the ground, someone pulled her back down.

She scraped her knee on the sidewalk painfully but ignored it to see who it was. She almost growled out loud, "Seriously?"

Dodger crossed his wings, "Yup."

"What do you want?"

He took a step closer, "I think you know what I want."

Ellie scoffed, "Well if you think this is getting you a date, you're dead wrong."

"Who said I still wanted a date? Maybe I just want my well-deserved respect. And because clearly you don't understand what that means, I think I want to put you in your place so you can understand that." He growled, still stepping closer.

The look on his face. The time on the clock. The emptiness of the alley. Anyone nearby was inside the club. The whole situation was starting to bother her a lot. He was advancing towards her with a sinister expression and she was backing up, farther and farther away from The Branch.

_Be strong. It's gonna be okay._ She told herself, trying to stay calm. _Just look for an opening._ But she knew getting away was futile; Dodger was strong, fast and didn't give in to bluffs easily. She certainly couldn't pull off any flirty tricks anymore.

Suddenly he lunged forward, covered her beak with one wing and pressed her up against the brick wall with the other. Ellie struggled, but his strength overpowered hers easily. Her frantic screams were muffled by his wing and she could see her vision quickly starting to fade from the lack of oxygen.

"I think losing a little bit of air will put you in your place. What do you think?" he sneered in her face.

She was starting to slide to the pavement when she saw another figure land behind Dodger and yank him away roughly. Dodger landed on his back with a painful yelp and Ellie crumpled to her knees, gasping for air. She was quickly pulled onto her feet and pushed toward the exit, "Get outta here! Go home!"

The adrenaline coursing through her veins, she immediately obeyed, only taking in a glimpse of what the teen looked like as Dodger attacked him. A canary wearing a brown leather vest.

**Chapter 1 is finished! What do you think? Just press that little blue button below and let me know, k? :D haha**

**Songs: Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC (Ha! That's a lot of byes Lol) and Determinate by Lemonade Mouth.**

**I'm very proud of how Determinate worked with this! Zac, being Pedro's son, who is a wonderful rapper, did Adam Hicks' rapping part; It's awesome! And Ellie is still just all around fabulous! Haha**

**Dodger… Hehehe Quite a beast, isn't he? ;) There's more to come from him, I promise!**

**And, most importantly, who is this mystery teen that has saved Ellie? Well I'm glad you asked: gotta wait til next chapter ;D Muahahahaha! Lol**

**Thanks so much for reading this next chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! :D**

**~EmK/Emmerzk**


	2. A New Friend

**Here, my friends, is chapter two! I hope you enjoy it! It's got some more fun to it that I know you'll enjoy ;D Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 2: A New Friend**

Ellie literally flung the front door open, ran in and slammed it shut. Panting, she slumped against it, trying to calm her pounding heart. She was thankful for the security of home, the silence of her humble abode. But she knew what was coming-

"Ellie! You're late!" Riley chided from the living room.

Nico looked over at his daughter, about to demand an explanation, but he quickly took in her expression. Ellie was panting from a long, hard flight, shaking like a small tree in a hurricane, and obviously trying, for the life of her, not to cry.

He got up from his chair and quickly walked to her. Kneeling in front of her, he softly asked, "Ellie, what's wrong?"

Feeling a panic attack coming on, she simply crumpled into his wings and buried her face in his chest. Highly concerned, he wrapped his wings around her firmly and asked, "Ellie what happened?"

Riley and the boys watched on from the living room in utter shock. Knowing he wasn't getting an answer quite yet, Nico just rubbed his daughter's back and shushed her quietly. Finally, her soft cries subsided and her breathing slowed to its normal rate.

Nico pulled her up and smiled softly, "That's better. Now can you tell me what happened?"

Ellie slowly exhaled and barely whispered, "D…D-dodger almost… almost strangled me…"

"What?" Nico picked her up off the floor and held her face in his wings. "Ellie-"

"Dad I'm serious!" The heavy tears threatening to cascade down her face proved she wasn't lying. Nico pulled her into a tight hug and didn't let her go for a full five minutes. Finally he pulled back and looked at her neck. Putting a wing on it softly, he asked, "Does that hurt?"

She nodded a little. He sighed and turned to Riley, "See if you can find some ice. If you can't, then cold water." Riley nodded. "Also might wanna get some cloth for that knee."

Nico walked to the doorway but Ellie stopped him, "Where are you going?"

He looked at her with a serious expression that she hadn't seen in a very long time. "I'm going to teach that punk a lesson." Before Riley couldn't object, he added, "I'll get Pedro to come with me."

Riley nodded with a sigh. "Alright. Just… don't bloody the kid. I don't want to have to talk to his parents."

"I'll try not to, but I'll do whatever it takes to get my point across." Nico smiled softly and opened the door. "Boys listen to your mother. Ellie, take it easy. I'll be back soon."

**Xxx**

Nico and Pedro walked into The Branch calmly, nodding at the birds that noticed and said hello to them, but they weren't really paying attention. Their eyes scanned the club fervently for the young canary.

"What's his name again?" Pedro asked.

Nico suddenly spotted him with his group of friends at the drink area. With a growl, he replied, "Dodger."

He walked straight to the counter, Pedro on his heels with an equal scowl on his face. Nico stopped behind the teen and tapped his shoulder. Dodger turned around, Nico taking notice of how dirty and messy his feathers looked, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Nico's scowl deepened, "You Dodger?"

The teen scoffed and winked at his buddy sitting next to him, but spun around in his stool, "Depends on who's asking."

Nico's eyes narrowed, "I think you know who I am and why I'm here."

Dodger pretended to have just noticed Nico's bottlecap. "Ohh! Right! You're Ellie's dad! Wow, almost didn't recognize you there-"

"Don't play games with me." Nico growled.

Dodger stifled a laugh, "Dude, aren't you like, one of the Kings of Samba? Relax; have a drink and have some fun, k?"

He started to turn back around, but Nico cut him off, "You turn away from me kid, and you're going to regret it." He smirked when Dodger immediately turned back, responding to the threat.

Dodger, copping an attitude, shrugged, "What do you want?"

Nico paused in thought. Finally he almost smiled, "You really think you're something don't you?" Dodger started to respond, but Nico cut him off, "You think you can just run this place because you're cool and you got your pack of friends and that makes you so amazing, and then that gives you the right to start messing with people. Girls in particular."

Nico's voice was starting to get harder now and Dodger and his friends could see the sparks of anger in his eyes. He laughed a tad, "Well let me tell you something. Girls are not going to like being picked on or taken advantage of, but much less their families, even more particularly their fathers. And one of those fathers is _me._"

Nico was now standing pretty close to Dodger now, having taken a few menacing steps forward. Dodger gradually inched back and was now leaned up tight against the counter top. Nico abruptly pointed a flight feather in Dodger's face and growled, "If I _ever_, and I mean _EVER_, hear of you touching my daughter again, I promise I will find you and I _WILL_ knock some sense into you. Do I make myself clear."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Dodger was staring right back into Nico's eyes, honestly deathly afraid of him. Nico took that look as a yes and took a step back.

Dodger regained his cocky composure and asked quietly, "So that's a threat?"

"It's a warning. And look, you can tell my boys and whoever you want that I'm a wimp and that I couldn't punch someone if I wanted to. But let me tell you this: I've been in a lot of fights. I know how to carry myself. So don't think that I won't carry out on my promises."

With that, Nico turned and started to walk away, Pedro following after one last glare. Dodger glared daggers at Nico's back and was going to turn back to his posse, but his ego got the better of him. This was just not his night to let this one go.

He bolted off the stool and lunged at Nico, grabbing him from behind. Nico took a nosedive, but caught himself just in time. He stood back up and pushed the teen off his back roughly.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Pedro yelled, but Nico pushed him out of the way as Dodger ran up.

The teen threw a sucker punch right at Nico's face, but he ducked and shoved him backwards. Dodger landed on his back and quickly popped back up, "You're gonna threaten me and then only push me around? Man, you are wimpy."

Nico scoffed, "Kid, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

By now, everyone in The Branch was watching, hoping no real fight would actually erupt. After thirteen years, they knew Nico was a softie at heart, but he could definitely fight if needed. In response, Dodger ran forward and threw some more punches at Nico.

Nico dodged or blocked most of the hits, but one did hit him right in the jaw; he winced and slapped the teen across the face. "Knock it off!" He didn't seriously want to fight him here and now in front of everyone!

Dodger wouldn't quit though; he threw himself at Nico again, but another yellow bird jumped in between them and punched him right in the face. Dodger flew back and landed hard on his side, clutching his face. Looking up, he saw Nico's brother, Carlos standing there.

"Carlos?" he gaped.

Carlos grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him up. "What's the matter with you?"

Dodger said in confusion, "Why'd you hit-"

"You mess with my family, you mess with me. He's not hitting you back because he respects you and himself and everyone else here to not create a scene. Now you on the other hand didn't think of that, did you? That's because you're a stuck-up, immature kid."

Anger flashed in Dodger's face and he squirmed from Carlos's hold, clenching his fists. Carlos beckoned him in a mocking tone. "Go on; swing at me. Let's see how far you get. You're ego is already in shambles anyway."

Dodger seethed but let the tension out of his wings. With one last glare at Nico, he turned and stalked out through the nearest opening in the tarp. Nico wiped his beak of a little spit and awkwardly turned to the crowd, "Sorry everyone; family business. Keep on partying!" He smiled.

The DJ thankfully already had some new music ready, so the party was almost immediately back in full swing. Nico turned back to Carlos, who was still facing the general area Dodger had been. "Carlos?"

Carlos turned with a pained expression on his face. Putting a wing to his chest, he winced and whimpered, "Ow…"

Nico and Pedro bounded forward to make sure he wouldn't wipe out and helped him to an over-turned cup serving as a chair. Carlos sighed painfully as he tried to breathe evenly.

Nico comforted, "Easy there Crippie."

Pedro burst, "Why'd you do that, man? I woulda jumped in."

Carlos shook his head, "No reason for you to worry about those punks messing with your kids because you got involved."

"So you get involved so they mess with yours?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"What, you didn't hear? They already do!" Carlos growled. "At least they say the same stuff as they do to Ellie and the boys. That because I had a big injury I'm a big weakling and I can't protect anyone, especially myself; I mean seriously? What kind of garbage is that?"

"They don't know you know. They have no idea what we're capable of." Nico mumbled. Carlos sighed and nodded.

"Stupid kids…" Carlos tried to inhale deeply but immediately stopped, wincing again. "Oh gosh, Lindy is gonna kill me…"

Pedro waved him off, "Nah it was fer a good cause; no worries."

"She hates it when I do anything to make it hurt; I think she's afraid I'll get sick again…" Carlos drifted off.

"Well if you're not careful, you easily could." Nico commented softly.

Carlos sighed and nodded. "Why'd you confront him anyway?"

Before Nico could respond, The Branch's owner suddenly approached, asking in a concerned tone, "Nico, you alright?"

"Oh yeah, I'm good; thanks for checking, Franco." Nico smiled in appreciation.

The Spoon Bill nodded with a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "At least you were able to take care of him. Already had to break up one fight tonight; and yes, he was involved."

Nico frowned, "What happened?"

"I don't know; he and some other kid were having it out in the front alley. Someone told me about it, but by the time I got out there the other kid left. I told Dodger to knock it off or I'd ban him from coming back. Kid causes enough problems as it is…" Franco trailed off, eyeing Dodger's still present friends, who were now taking their turns at flirting with the drink girl.

"Hmmm…" Carlos thought, "Who was the other kid?"

Franco shrugged, "I have no idea. Never got a glimpse of him and Dodger said he didn't know him either. Hadn't ever seen him before."

Carlos turned to Nico, "So you never answered my question; why'd you have to talk to Dodger in the first place?"

Nico rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Ellie came home in a full out panic attack, saying Dodger almost strangled her."

"WHAT!" Carlos and Franco erupted.

Carlos looked like he was about to strangle Nico, "Why didn't you just beat him up for it? I would've!"

"If he hadn't been in here, I certainly would have; but I didn't want everyone seeing me knock the brains out of a teen!" Nico growled in frustration.

Pedro huffed, "Well, he hopefully learned his lesson."

Nico scoffed, "If he _didn't_, he can sure bet that I won't be holding back next time. And I won't care who's standing around."

Carlos smirked, "Now that's my brother talkin'."

Franco and Pedro scoffed their laughs, and soon the Spoon Bill was leaving to talk to a few birds who were calling him. Nico stood, "Well I better get back home; thanks for the help guys."

"No problem, man!" Pedro lightly slapped his friend's back and stood with him. Carlos nodded but didn't stand up. The expression on his face showed he didn't want to move while there was no pain.

Nico winced, "Do you need help getting home?"

"No." Carlos immediately stood up, ignoring the pain that instantly flared up. He walked past them, avoiding eye contact and the skeptical looks of his brother and friend. To them it was obvious he was trying extra hard to not look weak by the public eye.

Together they walked under the tarp and flapped into the night sky, Nico keeping a cautious eye on his brother. Carlos was flying without problems though; he was in pain, but not so much that it was taking an exorbitant amount of energy to hide it.

They flew silently over the city, into the forest, and soon Carlos's hollow came into view, his being the closest to the city. He landed on his porch and gave a short wave to the other two before going inside.

Nico and Pedro flew away at a leisurely pace, the former muttering, "He's going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow."

Pedro nodded, but smiled, "He'll be okay though. If he can cope with it for this long, he can do anything."

Nico smiled, "You're right."

Pedro's hollow was the next one they came to, and soon the two friends split up. Pedro entered his home and rejoined his family as Nico made his way back to his own hollow. Another five minute flight and it came into view.

He fluttered to the door and walked in, closing it firmly behind him. Riley walked up and gave him a gentle hug, to which he smiled and nuzzled his beak into the feathers on her shoulder, and asked, "How did it go?"

He sighed and pulled back, "I gave him a good lecture; Carlos gave him a good punch. It's all good."

"Carlos?" Riley asked in confusion. "I thought you were taking-"

"Pedro came with. Carlos was there, saw the scuffle and helped out. Dodger decided to attack me after I walked away." Nico shrugged, "Nobody got hurt except Dodger; I think we took a couple good swings to his pride. One more hit and it would've shattered into oblivion." He smirked.

Riley rolled her eyes, "Ever so cordial."

"You know it." Nico winked. Changing the subject, he looked around and spotted Ellie sleeping in a chair in the living room, "How's Ellie?"

Riley led the way into the living room, "She's alright; just really shaken up. She started losing her voice not long after you left though, so I had her stop talking." They stopped in front of her and watched her for a few moments. Riley added softly, "She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago."

Nico smiled, "The boys?"

"In bed."

Nico nodded and got down on his knees in front of Ellie. Gently shaking her, he called in a soft voice, "Ellie?"

After a few moments, she slowly cracked her eyes open and smiled a tad. Nico smiled and pulled her toward him, "Come on, baby girl. Let's go to bed."

Ellie crawled into his wings and he carried her to her room. He tucked her in, planted a kiss on her temple and stood up. Before he left the room, Ellie murmured loud enough for him to hear, "I love you daddy."

Nico smiled and looked back at her, "I love you too, sweetheart." He softly closed her door and rejoined Riley in the living room, sitting in a chair with a heavy sigh. Riley looked over at him with a curious smile.

"What're you thinking?" she asked.

Nico sighed tiredly, "That if she hadn't gotten away from him, he might've-"

"Nico don't." Riley softly interrupted.

"We never would've known, Riley." Nico looked at her squarely, his voice wavering a little. Her eyes met his again and she read the worry in his eyes.

He looked away, muttering, "We need to keep a closer eye on the kids. Even Carlos and Pedro's. If that kid had the guts to do that to Ellie, who's the same age as him, what could he do to the twelve year olds?"

Riley sighed and walked up to him; kneeling down beside him, she smiled, "Sweetie, they're a bunch of kids. I'm not saying we should let things go, but those bratty kids will learn soon enough that if they do something wrong, they will suffer the consequences for it. And our kids, Pedro's, and Carlos's kids are all smart; ours and Carlos's have it in their blood to know what to do, and Pedro's are just feisty in a way that birds don't want to mess with them." Pulling his chin down to make him make eye contact, she added, "They'll be fine."

Nico smiled a little and rested his forehead on hers. Closing his eyes, he sighed, "I just… I just want them to be safe." His thoughts went to all the dangerous spies that were still out there; since the month of Carlos's injury and Clyde's death, absolutely no dangers had come to his family. But he knew that with Tanner still out there and who knew who else, and even Lindy had many enemies that had surprisingly never shown up, the entire family's time of peace was limited.

Riley sighed, tilted her head up and gave him a short kiss. "They will be." Standing, she pulled him up and toward their room, "Come on daddy; time for bed."

Nico stifled a laugh, rubbing an eye, "Agreed."

**Xxx**

She could hear laughing outside the tree. Her brothers. She groaned as she rolled over and stretched.Now what were they up to?

Slowly Ellie sat up, gingerly touching her neck and feeling the bruises, causing her to wince. She wondered what time it was; she could tell by the light peeking out from under her door that it had to be late morning.

She stood and walked over to her mirror. "Oh gosh…" she muttered. Her bangs and head of feathers were completely askew, matted and pressed in a variety of obscure directions. She stuck her tongue out at herself and immediately tried to fix it.

After five minutes of no success, she decided to just go take a bath in the small pools nearby. She had already taken one yesterday morning, but only water could fix this destruction. She had a little water in a bowl for drinking next to her bed, so she used that to fix what she could so she didn't look completely disoriented when she left the hollow. Or simply when she left her room; she'd certainly hear it from the three male figures in her house.

As soon as she left her room though, she knew she'd get no teasing from her father. He saw her immediately and gave her hug almost as instantly. She smiled and hugged his chest of feathers tightly.

He asked in her ear, "How do you feel?"

"Better." She replied, her voice a little gravelly. She cleared it, but it didn't help much.

Nico frowned, "Drink lots of water, okay?"

Ellie nodded, "Okay." She walked to the door but Nico quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

She looked back at him with wide eyes, "The pools?"

He relaxed. "Oh… okay. Have fun!" Nico gave her a lopsided smile and walked out the back door to locate his sons, whose infectious giggles could still be heard from some unknown location outside.

Nico paused for a moment to watch Ellie fly around a bend toward the direction of the pools, which weren't too far away. When she disappeared, he told himself to relax and focused on finding his two boys, who had grown stunningly silent. He frowned, "This can't be good."

He froze, looking around him to make sure no booby traps were in his direct area. He didn't see anything, so he walked to the edge of the porch. Looking around the surrounding branches, he saw nothing; looking on the forest floor below, he saw nothing. Where were they?

In his confusion, he almost barely felt his bottlecap being lifted off his head. He smirked but didn't move. Suddenly he whiplashed and grabbed Cody's wing, about to say something cool and smart, but he froze in confusion.

Cody grinned sheepishly, "H-hey dad!"

Nico cocked his head in utter confusion. Cody's feet were tied together tightly with a white string and his brother was sitting up on a high branch above them, gradually lowering Cody down toward Nico. Cody dangled there above Nico, the bottlecap still being held in his wings tightly.

Nico took a step back, the bewildered expression still on his face. Finally, he blinked, stared again for a few seconds, before asking incredulously, "Why? Just why?"

Cody and Mason busted out laughing, both muttering how they really didn't know and how the idea came to them by some obscure circumstance. But it wasn't until another small boy's voice erupted from some unknown location that they stopped laughing.

"FIRE!"

Nico whipped around in time to see a berry the size of his head being launched at him. He dove out of the way with a yelp, yelling up to Cody, "This is all _your_ fault!"

"What? _My_ fault! The berry launcher was all _his_ idea!" Cody screamed, trying to unravel his feet and pointing up to Mason. Nico hopped up, still dodging berries that were flying toward them at a rapid pace, and tried to help him. He resolved to flutter up and try pulling the string off his squirming son's feet.

"It was not! …Okay, maybe it was. But you decided to tell Zac all about it! What more do you expect?"

"I EXPECT YOU TO UNTIE ME THIS INSTANT!"

"FINE!"

"NO NO NO!" Nico erupted, but Mason had already let go. Cody immediately fell, plowing into Nico full force, and down they went. Father and son tumbled and rolled in midair until the ground finally became a little too close for comfort.

Nico shoved Cody toward a few bushes, which he thankfully landed in, and he flapped his wings as hard as he could to slow down. He did, but still hit the ground a little painfully. He didn't move for a few seconds, but gradually sat up with no injuries.

Mason's voice was heard from way overhead, "Crap."

Nico pointed up to his son, "Get down here bud."

Mason obeyed and landed beside Cody, both folding their wings behind their backs, waiting for a lecture on safety. They could almost recite it; they had heard it that much.

Nico sighed, still panting a little. But pointed a feather at them, "Number one: where'd you get the string? You do realize without careful consideration that you could have-"

"Dudes that was awesome!" Zac suddenly buzzed in, Nico giving him a lopsided look, but he didn't take notice. "He was all like what? And you two were like what? And then he was like WHAT? It was totally awesome!"

The young cardinal finally stopped to take a breath, but then noticed the boys' and Nico's expressions. He pursed his beak, "Why do I get the feeling I just interrupted a good ole' heart to heart betwixt father and sons?"

Nico face palmed, "Oh boy…" The boys all laughed a little. Nico sighed, going to push his bottlecap up off his forehead, when he suddenly realized…

"WHERE'S MY BOTTLECAP?"

He turned to his sons with wide, desperate eyes, whose eyes were equally wide. Mason silently but quickly pointed at Cody, who gaped at him. Before he could say anything to his brother, Nico pinched the space between his eyes in desperation and patience, trying to remain calm.

"Alright buddy… where was the last place you had my bottlecap?"

Cody opened his beak and paused, "Umm…" He looked around blankly, "Umm…" He looked up with a sad expression and squeaked, "Up there?"

Nico looked up sadly, down at his son with big eyes and then to his immediate left and right. The side of his beak twitched, agony etched in his voice, "Where did you go, little friend?"

A voice suddenly interrupted from a few feet away, "Hey Nico, did you drop something?"

Nico whipped toward the voice and almost squealed with joy at the sight of Rafael standing there, the beloved bottlecap in his wing. He ran over, snatched it from his friend and put it back on his head with a sigh. "Thanks Raffy!"

He then whirled to his sons, "This! My boys, is why we do NOT touch the bottlecap! K?"

Mason, Cody, and Zac all nodded with wide eyes and Nico smiled satisfactorily, "Great!" Turning back to Rafael, he grinned, "What's up Raf?"

"Other than rescuing bottlecaps, I thought I'd introduce you to a new friend." Rafael smiled and looked to his left.

Nico inwardly groaned; he hadn't even seen the teen standing there. The teen was a yellow canary with deep brown eyes, wearing a brown leather vest; Nico judged him to be maybe a little older than Ellie. He also looked a little banged up…

"Hi, I'm Conner." The teen stepped forward, holding out a wing.

Nico smiled and shook it, "Nico; nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The teen smiled. Nico almost barely caught the glint of curiosity, or maybe hope, in the teen's eyes; but the look quickly vanished and he didn't say anything.

Instead, Nico looked to Rafael, "How'd you two meet?"

Rafael chuckled, looking down at the young teen and surveyed his sheepish expression. "Funny you should ask that…" He looked back up and said, "I had just dropped off Pedro and Carlos's kids from the party last night. I was just getting to my hollow when I saw him fly into our clearing; it's a good thing I noticed because he almost wiped out. I flew down and took him inside where we saw he had a few cuts and bruises from a fight, so we asked him what happened." Rafael then turned to Conner expectantly, telling him to finish the story.

Conner sighed, "I was at a club last night called The Branch. This one guy was hurting a girl outside so I ended up getting in a fight with him; she got away okay though, I think. I barely managed to get away from him myself before the owner came out."

The situation dawned on Nico immediately, and not a second later, Ellie landed beside him, looking fresher and cleaner than a newly bloomed flower. "Hey dad!" Her voice even sounded smoother, even though it still sounded a little gravelly. She paused at his expression, "Dad?"

He turned to her, asking curiously, "Why didn't you tell me somebody stuck up for you?"

Ellie frowned, glancing at Rafael and Conner. She gave the teen a doubletake though, realization dawning on her as well, especially when she noticed his leather vest. Her beaked dropped and she pointed at him, "Oh my… you... you're that guy!"

Conner nodded with a small smile, "Yeah…"

"Wow…" Ellie dumbly replied, looking at her feet. Then she smiled, "Well now I can say thank you for helping me. Now that I know who you are… sorta." She hinted, trying to get his name.

He smiled, breathing a laugh, "Conner."

"I'm Ellie." She smiled back.

Nico interrupted, "Well Conner, I don't know who you are or where you're from, but you and I just became best friends my man!"

Conner blinked in confusion; one second Nico sounded like he was going to murder him, the next he looked as if he was going to give him a hug! "What?"

Nico chuckled, "You saved my daughter; you did me a favor, so anything you want or need help with, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

Conner smiled and nodded, "Thanks!"

"Dude, you look awesome!" Mason's voice interrupted.

Nico stifled a laugh as Conner gave Mason a curious expression. Mason, Cody and Zac circled him, all muttering how much they loved his style and how cool he seemed compared to all the other teen guys that lived around.

"So where you from?" Nico asked over his sons and nephew.

Conner smiled, "Venezuela."

"Really? What brings you to Rio?"

"Well… my mom died recently and I always wanted to go to Brazil. With nothing else to stay there for, I just decided to come here; start over." He shrugged with a smile, "It's been mostly a good experience so far."

"Great! Rio's a great place to start a new life." Nico smiled, winking at Rafael. Conner obviously noticed and smiled, but didn't say anything.

Ellie then asked, "How old are you?"

Conner raised an eyebrow, "Seventeen. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." She smiled, avoiding eye contact. He smiled, nodding and also looking away.

Rafael smiled, looking around, "Where's Riley?"

"I don't know actually." Nico thought, looking at the son closest to him. "Cody, where's your mother?"

Cody smiled, "She went to Aunt Lindy's."

Nico immediately frowned in concern, "Why?"

The boy shrugged, "I dunno. She came by early this morning asking if mom could come over. They left a few minutes later."

Nico chewed on the edge of his beak, the concern still laced in his expression. Rafael asked, taking a guess, "Carlos?"

"Possibly…"

Ellie asked, "Did something happen?"

"He helped me take care of Dodger last night; except he used a little more combat skills than I did, so he was in some pain after…" Nico winced.

Ellie looked over at Conner, who was obviously confused. "My uncle got in an accident when I was little. It was pretty big, so he still has to be careful or he'll be in some pain."

"Ahhh. I gotcha." Conner nodded.

Nico started pacing, "I better go over there and make sure he's okay…"

"Nico, think about it." Rafael smiled, ever the voice of reason. "If it was that serious, don't you think Lindy would've told you first?"

Nico paused, smiled and stood up straighter, "You're absolutely right! But I'm still gonna go by there to see what their doin'."

Rafael nodded, "Alright. I gotta get back home; the kids need lunch soon and Eva may need some help." Most of Rafael's children were technically old enough to get food for themselves, but they had the desired tendency to steal it by causing distractions or riots, or food fights would break out. You'd think teenagers would learn to chill out after a while, but no.

He turned to Conner, "You wanna stay here?"

Conner smiled, "Sure! If that's okay…" he trailed off.

Ellie grinned, "Of course it is! You can come over whenever you want!"

"Yeah, anything you need, remember?" Nico smiled.

Conner nodded, "Thanks; and thanks Rafael. I'm glad I ran into you last night."

"Me too; you know where our hollow is. You need anything, don't hesitate to swing by." Rafael smiled, said goodbye to the others and was soon flying back home.

Nico turned to Ellie and Conner, "Well I'm gonna go see what your mom is doing."

"What about them?" Ellie pointed to her brothers and cousin behind her.

Nico scoffed, "Huh, well they're not comin with me! I've had enough adventures today already."

Ellie frowned, "So I have to babysit?"

"Come on, it's not that bad. Just…give 'em somethin to do that sounds appealing enough and they'll be satisfied for hours!"

"Like?"

Nico shrugged, "I dunno; improvise! Conner can help ya." He winked at the teen, who shrugged indifferently.

"Come on, Ellie; it can't be that bad." Conner said with a cockeyed expression.

Ellie laughed a little then abruptly stopped, "You don't have to live with 'em."

Nico rolled his eyes and walked away, "Alright, you two have fun. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay; bye dad!"

"Bye!" Conner waved and then turned around with her, pausing at the expectant looks on the three boys' faces. Conner looked at Ellie questioningly, "So what's plan A?"

**So, what IS plan A? Hehehe It'll be interesting, that's for sure :) And I'm sure you're wondering if Carlos is really okay? Patience, my pets; patience ;) Lol Plz drop me a nice long review, and I'll get to writing chapter 3 soon! :D**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	3. Shattered

**Hooray for chapter 3! Lots happens in this chapter, so pay attention ;) I seriously just finished typing out the ending off the top of my head, but I like it so much, it didn't need to sit and wait for editing! Haha Anyway, here ya go and don't forget to review! ;D**

**P.S. This was supposed to get up last night, but my internet shut off right when I was going to post it! SO, my apologies guys; enjoy! ;D**

**Chapter 3: Shattered**

Nico landed on the porch of his brother's hollow and knocked on the door. Inside he heard the soft pitter patter of little feet before the door opened to reveal his youngest niece.

"Uncle Nico!" she exclaimed.

"Hey Maggie!" He grinned, scooping her up for a hug. "How are ya?"

"Good!" she smiled.

"Great! Mom and dad home?"

"Yeah, they're inside!" Maggie scrambled down and skipped back inside. Nico followed the six year old, closing the door behind them.

"Hi Nico!" Lindy exclaimed from a few feet away. Riley smiled from beside her, "Hey babe!"

"Hey!" he smiled, giving Lindy a hug and Riley a peck on the cheek after he walked over. "What's going on?"

"Well, a couple of things actually," Lindy looked over at Riley with a smile. "We're remodeling the girls' room, so Riley was helping out with that. But she's also over to help make sure Car-"

"Don't even say it. I'm fine." Carlos interrupted with a slight attitude as he walked out of his and Lindy's bedroom.

Nico turned back to Lindy, "I knew he was going to be hurt after last night."

Carlos groaned, "I'm _fine_!"

"You weren't at three this morning!" Lindy exclaimed with an incredulous expression.

He glowered at his mate, "I. Am. Fine."

Nico chuckled a bit, "Relax, it's not like we're taking you back to the sanctuary."

"Oh contraire, dear brother! She threatened me with it!" Carlos pointed to Lindy, who smiled.

"Hey, I had to say something to make him stop complaining."

Carlos gaped, "I wasn't-"

"Oh yes you were; after I 'threatened' you with the sanctuary card, you instantly started expressing how 'fine' you were." Lindy raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile.

Carlos tried to think of a comeback, but finally slumped, "Fine."

"I win!" Lindy exclaimed with her wings in the air. Nico and Riley chuckled a bit at Carlos's glower.

"Come on," Nico gave him a light punch on the shoulder, "It's not that bad."

Carlos rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah." Sitting down on a barstool, he asked, "So why'd you come over? And don't say you were coming to check on me!"

Nico pushed his brother's wing away, matching his smile, "No, I was told Riles came over here so I came to see why."

"Why didn't you bring the kids?" Riley asked.

"They're actually playing with a new friend." Nico smiled, then proceeding to fill everyone in on Conner and his arrival to Rio, helping Ellie out the night before and how he had met Rafael. "Raffy brought him over and the kids clicked with him, especially Ellie since he saved her life."

Carlos nodded, "Wow. I didn't know someone had stuck up for her."

"I know; that's what I said." Nico shrugged, "I guess in her blind panic she just forgot."

"She was probably more focused on getting home without having an asthma attack." Riley reasoned.

Nico nodded with a sigh, "That's what I was worried about."

Lindy spoke up, "Is she still getting those?"

Riley shook her head, "Not really; it's only at times where she's flying really fast that it flares up."

"Or when she's near smoke," Nico voiced.

"Right," Riley nodded.

"Poor kid…" Carlos sighed. "I thought she had gotten over it?"

Nico and Riley merely shook their heads. A few seconds of silence took over before Nico added, "It just took a long time before it came up again. She didn't really go anywhere or do anything to make it happen."

Nodding, Carlos changed the subject, "So what's Conner like?"

Nico shrugged, "He's a nice kid; he's seventeen, looks more well-built compared to most kids around here. He seems kinda curious, like he likes to ask questions. He wears a vest." He shrugged again, "I like him."

"You like him because he saved Ellie, not because you really know him." Carlos replied.

Nico breathed a laugh, "Yeah, the difference between you and me is that you still have to get a background check for anybody new that we meet."

"Well it might be necessary! Anybody could make up a profile."

Nico shrugged, "It's fine. I don't think he's going to try anything."

**Xxx**

"What's Plan B?" Conner exclaimed frantically.

He and Ellie were flying for their lives through the jungle, trying to evade her brothers and Zac. What was first decided as a game of tag quickly morphed into a tackle war—the little kids against the big kids. The twelve year olds proved rather violent when tackling others.

The fear on Ellie's face and in her voice matched his as she screeched, "Keep flying!"

"We can't keep going forever!"

"Well what do you suggest?" Ellie exclaimed, dodging Cody by merely inches.

"Umm…" Conner thought, "Why don't we-AH!" A yelp escaped him as Mason and Zac took him out from above, sending them in a rolling heap toward the jungle floor.

"Conner!" Ellie called, diving after them. She caught up and grabbed his legs, flapping as hard as she could; she slowed his fall but not by much. As the ground got closer, she frantically commanded, "Boys, get off him now!"

Zac and Mason obeyed immediately, but still laughed. Conner rolled over and tried to get airborne, Ellie still flapping hard. They slowed, but ended up landing in a thick brush with tall grass. They landed on something with a loud *crunch*, but they lay there for a few moments before moving, both panting hard.

Mason, Cody and Zac landed a foot or so away, laughing, "That was awesome!"

Cody was the first to take in their surroundings, especially Conner and Ellie's. "Uh-oh…" he voiced in a monotone key, pointing at his sister and new friend.

Conner and Ellie sat up simultaneously, both confused at all three boys' now shocked and fearful faces while Cody kept pointing. Ellie moved her wing as she tried to stand, but stopped when she noticed she was covered in a thick, slimy substance. Looking over, she discovered Conner was equally drenched.

Suddenly, his eyes widened and he gasped, "Oh gosh…"

Ellie finally looked down at what they had landed in and felt like passing out. They were sitting in a nest full of eggs… or at least what _were_ eggs.

Her breathing suddenly picked up, realizing what kind of accident this was, and how murderous the parents would be. Turning to Conner, she began to ask what to do, but he silenced her and kept the boys from saying anything.

Looking around slowly, he whispered, "Don't. Move."

Ellie glanced around, whispering, "Are the parents here?"

"Probably," he whispered, fear laced in his voice. "But they aren't birds."

She and the boys blinked in confusion; sure the broken eggs were pretty big, but… what kind of eggs were they if not a bird's?

A shiver ran down Ellie's spine, which she quickly shrug off, trying to remain calm. It suddenly occurred again and she froze. Someone was behind her. And he, or she, was watching her every move.

The three boys standing in front of her suddenly froze, shaking with fearful expressions. "Ellie," Mason mouthed. "Don't move a muscle."

Her eyes widened and in fear, her breathing picked up; she tried to remain quiet though. What was behind her?

In his peripheral vision, Conner could tell what it was. He swallowed thickly and slowly grabbed Ellie's wing, "Ellie, I need you to get out of the nest as slow as possible. No sudden movements and no sudden sounds."

"Are you crazy?" Ellie whispered, not daring to move.

Conner breathed a very short laugh, "Maybe a little."

Ellie swallowed hard and ever so slowly stood up, trying to control her wobbly knees and shaking wings, and not touch the shattered eggs. She got one foot down and managed to get out of the nest; she started to turn around, but Conner hoarsely whispered, "No no; stay like that."

Then, just as slowly, Conner stood and started to get out of the nest, not daring to look at the predator sitting a few mere inches behind him. He got out of the nest fully without being harmed and started to think about how to get everyone out of the area when a soft female voice spoke behind them.

"You aren't going sssso ssssssoon are you?"

Ellie, Conner and the boys froze; Conner could feel the shiver going up his spine now. He had to strain to keep from showing it.

The voice spoke again, "I think that after the messsss you made, we should make an exchange. But firsssst thingsssss firsssst, turn around."

Ellie and Conner very slowly turned around, the former straining every muscle in her body to keep from letting out a blood-curdling scream. The head of the Crossed Pit Viper was resting on the edge of the nest not two inches away from where she had just been sitting.

"Don't be sssscared," the snake said in a soft tone, but the glint in her eyes gave away her true fury. "What'sssss your name, sssssweetheart?"

Ellie couldn't find her voice to answer so she merely stood there, staring back into the Viper's almost metallic brown eyes. Conner answered in a calm, unthreatening voice, "What kind of exchange could we possibly give you?"

The snake looked him in the eyes, which scared him half to death; but he did his best not to show it. She smiled, "It issss ssssimple… you dessstroy my nessst, I dessstroy you."

She suddenly rose up, much of her length slithering into view around the nest. The viper hissed loudly at them, baring her fangs out at them; the teens could just about see the venom dripping from them.

"FLY!" Conner finally screamed. The teens gladly accepted, everyone taking off in all directions just as the slithering serpent bore down on them. She just about took off Conner's head, but he managed to fly out of the way just in time.

Ellie looked behind her to see the snake following on the ground at a surprisingly fast pace. She pumped her wings faster and flew higher, assuming the height would separate her from the angered snake. The height made no difference.

Mason's voice suddenly erupted nearby, "Ellie watch out!"

The snake suddenly slithered straight towards her from a nearby branch, leaping into the air and missing Ellie by mere inches. Ellie screamed and dove down towards the ground, trying to evade her.

"Ellie!" Conner suddenly appeared and pulled her the other direction. "This way! Boys come on!"

The birds all met up and flew after Conner, everyone keeping an eye out for the snake. She was slithering on the ground again; able to move through the jungle terrain at a fast pace, she was catching up.

"Fly up!" Conner commanded and led them to the top of the trees. They flew through the canopy to reveal a small cliff above them; it was big enough for them to lose the murderous snake though. The teens flapped harder, leaving the trees below. Ellie made the mistake of looking down in time to see the viper leap out of the tallest branch, lunging upwards in an attempt to catch one of the birds.

The snake barely missed Zac's leg and screamed her fury as she fell back down, landing in a heap in a tree. Just before the teens reached the top of the cliff, they heard her scream, "THIS ISN'T THE END OF IT! I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL KILL YOU!"

The teens didn't stop flying or slow down for another five minutes, all flying fast and panicked as if the snake was still after them. Ellie was flying in front of her brothers and cousin and behind Conner, flapping hard to keep up. Suddenly, her breathing took a turn.

She felt the air becoming thinner and thinner and found inhaling to become more difficult. Desperately trying to get air, she started wheezing on every inhale, catching the attention of her brothers.

"Conner! Slow down!" Each of them exclaimed, both grabbing one of her wings so she wouldn't fall. Conner whipped around, stunned at Ellie's sudden panic attack.

Quickly landing on a branch, Ellie still wheezing, Conner asked in slight confusion, but mostly concern, "Why is she just now having a panic attack?"

Mason looked up at him, on the verge of panicking himself, "It's not panic; she has asthma!"

Conner's eyes widened doubly as this was a surprise and Ellie's face was starting to turn a little purple from the lack of oxygen. Cody held her wing tightly, "Come on, Ellie; breathe, it's okay!"

The more she tried, the more she struggled; the color of her face was seriously starting to alarm them, especially Conner. He whipped to Zac, who was the calmest right now, "Where can we get help!"

He looked around and after a few seconds, gasped in recognition, "Carlos's hollow is nearby! Come on!"

**Xxx**

"So you want to paint your bedroom walls like the humans do?" Nico was asking Maggie.

The six-year-old nodded, "Yeah! I want it _pink_!"

"No. Blue." Sarah corrected with an authoritative tone from a few steps away.

"Pink is better!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it iii-iiissss!" Maggie sang loudly.

"NO IT'S NOT!"

"Girls! Do you want to go to bed early, or would you like to apologize to each other for yelling?" Lindy scolded, crossing her wings. Nico, Riley and Carlos chuckled at the girls' expressions.

The apologies never happened because the door was suddenly thrown open, Zac instantly chattering something about being attacked, Mason and Cody running in toward Riley with fearful expressions and Conner carrying Ellie in on his back, his faced flushed from exhaustion.

Nico bolted from his chair, picking Ellie up and setting her on his lap. She was still wheezing, her face still a purple-ish shade and her eyes were starting to get glassy. "Lindy, I need water; now!" He ordered, picking her up and setting her on the already empty table.

As everyone scrambled to help Ellie, Conner stood up, panting and staying out of the way, but watching closely. Nico and Riley were standing on each side of their daughter, gently trying to calm her and help her breathe.

Lindy ran over with a small bowl of water; Carlos had his daughters and the three boys off to the side, trying to calm them down to get the story. They were sadly too frantic to make any sense. Carlos glanced up at Conner, who was watching Ellie intently, but decided not to ask questions just yet. Nico was trying to get some water down her throat, but put it aside when he realized that wasn't going to work.

"Ellie, come on baby, breathe." He murmured to her softly. His mind was in overactive drive as he tried to think of some way to slow her breathing; this had only happened a few times before, but never this bad.

Ellie's wheezing momentarily stopped and she suddenly went limp. Nico's heart leaped and Riley shrieked, "ELLIE!"

"No no no, Ellie!" Nico exclaimed, frantically checking for vital signs.

Carlos suddenly jumped up, ran over and pushed Nico over. He quickly checked Riley's pulse and suddenly put his beak on hers. Everyone froze in utter shock and confusion, but only Nico and Lindy knew what he was doing.

He suddenly stood and started pushing on her chest in fast, hard pumps; everyone could hear him counting under his breath with every pump. He repeated the process two more times, everyone starting to fear what he was doing was useless when Ellie suddenly gasped out loud, sucking in as much air as possible.

"Ellie!" Riley cried, hugging her daughter as she coughed and inhaled air as fast as she could. Nico was panting out of fear, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum. He slumped over Riley with a stress-relieving sigh, but left room for Ellie to breathe, whose wheezing had gradually subsided and she was just breathing as deeply as she could.

Nico suddenly sat up a little and quietly asked, "Ellie, can you hear me?"

Ellie nodded, some tears glistening in her eyes. Riley wiped them away, quietly shushing her, but Ellie managed to squeak, "Snake."

Nico frowned in confusion and immediately looked up at Conner with a questioning expression. Conner swallowed but nodded, quietly reaffirming, "There was a snake."

Nico wanted to know what happened, but knew he couldn't leave Ellie. As if reading his thoughts, Carlos stepped toward Conner, nodding toward Nico that he'd handle it. Nico smiled but before his brother could get too far away, he grabbed him and pulled him into a crushingly tight hug. After a moment, Nico whispered, "Thank you."

Carlos smiled and pulled back, murmuring, "Guess eavesdropping on those CPR classes paid off after all." He winked with a small smile and gestured for Conner to follow him out the back door. Nico smiled after him a little, then looked around to comfort his boys. They were nowhere to be seen, nor his two nieces, so he figured Lindy took them out of the room.

Looking back down at Ellie, he sighed with a small smile, "Alright, let's drink some water."

**Xxx**

Carlos and Conner sat on the back porch for a few minutes, both taking the time and silence to calm their racing hearts. Finally Conner turned to him and asked, "How did you do that?"

Carlos blinked out of his trance and looked at him. "What?"

Conner paused and asked quietly, "Revive her?"

"Oh." Carlos nodded, looking away. He very well couldn't say that he'd learned it over the years as a spy. Finally he shrugged, "I've seen humans do it."

Conner nodded, "Oh."

Another silence before Carlos finally faced him fully, holding out a wing, "I'm Carlos, by the way; Nico's brother."

Conner smiled and shook his wing, "Conner."

"Sounds like you've had quite an adventure since getting here." Carlos commented, noting the few bruises or small cuts on the teen, not to mention his frazzled look.

Conner snorted, "I'll say." But he grinned when Carlos chuckled.

"Normally Ellie isn't so accident prone. This is pretty rare." Carlos sighed, leaning back on his wings casually.

"Really?"

Carlos nodded, "She doesn't have many asthma attacks, but it takes a lot to bring them on…" He cocked his head at the teen with curious expression that pretty much said to start talking.

Conner silently sighed and nodded, "It's a long story, but since they're your nephews, I'm not going to doubt that you know what I mean when I say it all started with them."

Carlos laughed out loud with a nod, "Why am I not surprised?"

**Xxx**

"So you accidentally broke a snake's nest of eggs and she tried to murder you?" Nico asked slowly, making sure he got the main gist of the story.

It was seven in the evening, everyone relaxing around Carlos and Lindy's table (except for the kids; they were all outside, minus Conner and Ellie and Zac. Zac had been taken home by Nico an hour or so before.). Ellie had slept most of the afternoon, but had just woken up a little bit before and felt much better. She had given Carlos the biggest hug in the world, not letting him go for nearly five minutes, and thanked Conner, again, for coming to her aid on a number of levels that day.

Conner nodded, "That's basically what happened."

Nico sighed and tilted his bottlecap up off his forehead as he thought. "And she threatened to find you guys?"

Ellie and Conner both nodded simultaneously, fear etched on their faces. Nico slightly huffed, "That's a problem."

"It was an accident…" Ellie murmured.

"We know it was Ells, but she couldn't care less. If someone broke into your hollow and shattered your future, I don't think you'd be very forgiving either." Carlos replied gently, setting a wing on hers. Ellie sighed and nodded.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

Nico shrugged, "I don't think there is really all that much we can do except hope she doesn't find us. It would take her a lot of effort and time to get over that cliff to even begin her search, so we might be okay."

"But it takes a lot of time and effort to have a family too, you know." Riley reasoned as she leaned on her wing. "She just might be willing to take the time to track the kids down."

Carlos shifted uncomfortably, wincing a tad, "We'll be fine."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "You alright?"

Carlos gave him an incredulous look, "How many times are you people going to ask me that today?"

Nico and his two girls laughed while Lindy kissed his cheek, "We ask because we care."

Her mate rolled his eyes, but smiled, "Right."

Conner was sorta confused at all this, but his eyes drifted down to a mark on Carlos's chest—a small, but noticeably round scar. He then remembered Ellie mentioning to him that there had been an accident that had left her uncle in a lot of pain…

Carlos mentioned something about water as he stood, asking the others if they wanted some. A few nodded their approval; Carlos turned to him, "You want something?"

Conner blinked, barely catching the question, "Oh… sure; water's cool."

"Yeah, we try to keep it cool, but it's kinda hard. You know how hot it gets down here." Carlos winked as he walked around the table into the kitchen area. His family rolled their eyes at his sarcasm; Conner stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes a tad, but did a double-take. Carlos had an identical scar right on his back, parallel to the one on his chest…

Conner's curiosity suddenly spiked and he wanted to know what happened. He knew he couldn't ask such a personal question to a family he barely knew, but he entertained the thought. _What kind of "accident" leaves someone with an injury like __that__?_

Nico looked over at him suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, "So are you staying at Rafael's again tonight?"

Conner smiled a little, "Umm… I don't think so. He and Eva were awesome, but I think one night with their kids is quite enough."

Everyone chuckled, accepting the cups of water Carlos handed out before he sat down, nodding, "Couldn't agree more."

Ellie sipped her water before asking, "So where are you going to go?"

Conner paused in thought, "Well I figured I'd look for a hollow, but I ended up hanging out with you guys longer than planned… Not like it hasn't been worth it of course." He smiled around the table, but gave an extra second to Ellie. Nico noticed and had to strain to keep from smirking at the two teens, who were now avoiding eye contact.

Riley piped, "Well it's way too late for you look today. How about you stay at our place-"

"No no no, Riley," Lindy interrupted with a smile, setting her wing on Riley's shoulder, "You guys have had too much stress the past couple of days. He can stay with us."

The two women started playfully arguing over where Conner would go; after about a minute of all the guys' and Ellie's watching in amusement, Conner cleared his throat, "Now ladies, you're both pretty so there's no need to fight."

Nico and Carlos laughed, especially at their mates' faces. Conner laughed a tad before continuing, "You guys have helped me out a lot already; neither of you have to go through all that trouble."

Riley frowned with an eyebrow raised, "After all you've done for us, the last thing we're going to allow is you sleeping outside in the cold with the predators out there, one of them being a homicidal snake." Lindy merely nodded, matching her sister-in-law's frown.

Conner looked between them both, trying to keep a poker face, but both women proved pretty tough cookies to crack when their minds were made up. Finally he slumped in defeat, "Alright fine."

"That's the spirit!" Nico grinned.

Carlos also cheered, "So he's staying here?"

Lindy raised her eyebrow, "Why are you all excited?"

Carlos frowned, glanced at his smiling brother and then leaned toward Carlos, "Three women vs. one man; I think it's high time I had some guy time, what do you think?"

Ellie and Conner laughed as Lindy rolled her eyes, "You get plenty of guy time."

Carlos scoffed, "Yeah, out there! Certainly not in _here_!"

Nico rolled his eyes, "Alright it's settled then; Conner you'll stay here, but anytime you need us or wanna come stay at our place, don't hesitate to ask, okay? After a full night with this weirdo here," Nico suddenly grabbed his little brother and gave him a noogie, "I'm sure you'll want to spend more time with us."

"Owww lemme go! Lemme go!" Carlos squirmed lightly, ignoring the pain he was actually in. The others laughed with Nico as he let his brother go, who rubbed the top of his head with a scowl, "Meanie."

"Aww dude, that looked like fun! Can we give Uncle Carlos a noogie?" Mason's voice suddenly interrupted.

Luckily for Carlos, Nico jumped up, "Nope! Time to go home!" Carlos exhaled, fearful expression disappearing almost instantly.

"Awww!" the three kids whined.

"Your father's right, kids; it is getting late and Ellie needs to get to bed." Riley stood, helping Lindy take the cups to the sink.

Ellie rolled her eyes lightly and smiled at Conner, "Not the boys though."

He chuckled, "They didn't have a massive asthma attack, but I suspect it's their bedtime as well." He cocked his head at the two whining boys, who were looking up at Nico with tired, droopy eyes.

Ellie giggled, "Yeah, they're like that after every full day of non-stop activity." She started to push her chair backwards, but Conner quickly jumped up and pulled it backwards for her. Ellie sat there stunned for a second, then smiled at him as she stood, "Thanks."

"No problem." He smiled, walking to the door with her.

Nico smiled at him, "Well, it was great getting to meet you; we'll definitely see you around, okay?"

"Definitely!" Conner nodded vehemently. After spending the entire day with Nico and his family, he had quickly realized how awesome the bottlecap wearing canary was.

"Well, everyone ready?" Nico looked around. Riley had just joined them and she nodded. "Alrighty, let's go."

Nico waved at his brother and sister-in-law and led the way out the door, Ellie and the boys following him closely. Just before she too followed, Riley gave Conner a quick hug, "I'll see you around sweetie, okay?" Conner nodded, and she called over her shoulder, "Bye guys!"

"Bye!" Lindy and Carlos called, each waving. Riley closed the door behind her and quickly flapped after her family.

A slight awkward silence overtook them as Conner looked over at them, then smiled sheepishly. Carlos finally grinned, "Aww man, this is gonna be _awesome_!" He suddenly bounded out of the room and into one of the bedrooms; Conner stifled a laugh when they could hear various items being chucked around the room.

Lindy shook her head and walked into the room, gesturing Conner to follow, "Carlos, what _are_ you doing now?" Conner looked around; the room was mostly empty so he figured this was their guest room.

He emerged from what looked like a closet, a bunch of junk cluttered around his feet. "What's it look like?"

"Making a mess that I know _I'll_ have to clean up?" Lindy raised an eyebrow, her wings now effectively crossed.

"Mess? Mess? This is… this is just a little clutter, that's all!" Carlos voice was almost hard to hear since three quarters of his body was plunged back inside the closet.

"Just a little?" Lindy smirked, cocking her head at Conner.

Carlos suddenly reemerged, pulling something with him. They could partially see a nest emerging from the depths of the closet with every tug, but he suddenly stopped. His face contorted a tad and he shook his head a bit, squinting his eyes and trying to prevent-

"ACHOO!" he blinked and turned toward Lindy and Conner. "Okay," he sniffed. "Maybe it's dirtier than I thought." Conner chuckled instantly.

"Yeah." Lindy smiled and walked over to help him. With a couple more tugs, the spare nest was finally freed. She stood back, "Alright; I'll make sure his nest will be all set up and you know where the broom is."

"What? But!" Carlos whined, but she had already left the room. Conner smiled at him as Carlos slumped with a little frown, "Women."

**Xxx**

Two hours later, Carlos finally finished cleaning up while Lindy did Conner's nest. It was almost eleven by the time they finished their respective jobs—the closet was now almost sparkling clean and organized, and Conner's nest was patted down, full of moss, soft blades of grass and a few small leaves to keep warm.

Lindy got some water and they stood in the kitchen, quietly drinking it down and enjoying the few moments of quiet. The silence was interrupted however with the sound of small talons on the floor and a door cracked open. Maggie suddenly emerged and walked up to Carlos.

"Hey girlie, what're you doing up?" he asked, picking her up.

"I had a bad dream…" she muttered into his feathers.

"Aww, wanna talk about it?" he asked softly, but she merely shook her head. Carlos smiled and looked over at Conner, "Sleep well, okay?" Conner nodded with a smile; looking at Lindy, he said, "I'll be there in a little bit." Lindy nodded and Carlos took his daughter back to bed.

Lindy stifled a yawn and stretched, "Well I'm exhausted; alright if I turn in?"

Conner made a face but smiled, "Is it alright? It's your hollow; of course it is!"

Lindy shrugged, matching his smile, "Well ya know how it is."

Conner nodded and walked to the guest room, "Goodnight Lindy. Oh, and thanks." He quickly added.

She turned toward him from her and Carlos's door and smiled, "Anytime."

Conner went into the guest room and softly closed the door; leaning against it, he looked around. The nest was mostly the only thing in the room except a small side table that he could put a cup of water on. There was a small window on the wall opposite the door. He looked over at the closet, wondering what kind of stuff could be in there, but he wasn't about to let his curiosity take over and start snooping. But definitely not at this hour.

Ignoring his thoughts, he walked over to the nest and jumped in. After getting comfortable, he stared up at the ceiling for a while. So much had happened since he left home in Venezuela. His pulse quickened a tad at the thought.

He quickly inhaled and let it out, calming his heart in a matter of seconds. "Relax…" he muttered before rolling over. He looked out the small window and at the moon shining brightly across the sleeping forest. He sighed in content; this would be the best sleep he'd gotten in weeks. He smiled as he gradually fell asleep, hoping that things would continue to get better while he was in Rio.

**Whoo-eee! Hoped you guys liked this chapter as much as I did! Oh, and sorry if I freaked you out about Ellie practically dying; it had to be done!**

**Obviously the snake (yet to be named; Ideas would be great; best I've got so far is Viper… original, I know; help plz!) will be returning ;) Hehehehe**

**Welp, don't forget to drop a review! Have a fabulous day, night, wherever you are and I'll see you in the next chappie! :D**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	4. Talented

**Hooray for Chapter 4! I'm so excited for this chapter bc it is so dang cute! I'm really excited to read your reviews, guys! ;D Thx for all those reviews in the past few chapters btw! Love ya guys! Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 4: Talented**

"Come on…" Carlos growled, yanking on the small metal beam he had jammed in the lock of his cage. He didn't how he got here and the room was dark, cold and foggy. A continual shiver ran up his spine every few seconds, telling him he was in danger and needed to get out. He had woken up on the floor a few minutes before and the beam had been lying there; he had instinctively started picking the lock without even thinking about what he was doing.

With one final heave, the lock clicked and he shoved the door open. He jumped out of the cage and looked around, unsure which direction to run. Looking to his left, he took off running down the table that seemed vaguely familiar.

A bloodcurdling scream stopped him dead in his tracks. He whipped around just in time to see his mate and two daughters hunched into a corner ten feet away, a tall black crow with thick, curved talons standing tall in front of them. Out of nowhere, Lindy pulled out a spear and attacked the larger bird head on; the fight only lasted a couple seconds. The crow ripped the spear out of her wings and backhanded her with it; she fell instantly and didn't move again.

Sarah and Maggie screamed as the crow bore down upon them and Carlos finally snapped out of his stupor. He ran forward, yelling for the black bird to back off. He made it halfway there when other familiar screams stopped him.

Turning around, multiple friends or family seemingly appeared out of thin air, all being attacked by vicious birds of prey. Carlos stood there in shock, watching each and every family member he knew and loved get taken down by assassins… Nico, Riley, Ellie, Pedro, Rafael, Cody, Mason, Zac—it didn't matter who it was. They were all dying.

Before Carlos could do anything, a canary wearing a leather shoulder strap materialized in front of him out of thin air with a sinister smirk. In his wing was a thin, four inch metal spear…

"Tanner…" he whispered.

Tanner sneered, "Your turn."

Carlos whipped around and tried to run away, but he already knew it was futile. Just as the spear pierced through him, he screamed and fell over the edge of the table, falling into the darkness…

**Xxx**

With a loud gasp, Carlos jerked awake and tried to sit up, but the pain ripping through his chest set him back down. He clutched his chest, panting loudly. If he ever had nightmares, they were never that bad. This was the worst he had ever experienced…

Lindy stirred beside him and quickly realized what was going on. She sat up and shushed him, "Shh, it's okay…" She paused, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "Gosh, you're almost soaked." She leaned over the nest and grabbed a rag lying on the ground. Quickly dabbing his forehead, he gradually managed to slow his breathing, though the shivering and pain did not die down.

"What was it?" she whispered.

Carlos shook off a shiver and tried to sit up, but decided against it; the pain was too great. "It was a nightmare… of the war. But it was mixed with the present; Sarah and Maggie were there. Nico and his whole family were there. Pedro and Rafael…" He paused, swallowing thickly, "Tanner and all the spies… were killing everyone. It ended when Tanner… s-stabbed me."

"Shh," Lindy leaned forward and pulled him into a tight hug. He hugged her so tightly, she felt her ribs might crush, but she didn't say a word about it. "Listen to me, okay? If he were to come back, he would've by now. Everyone is going to be fine."

"How do we know that?" Carlos asked, face still buried in her shoulder.

She slowly pulled him away, causing him to whimper a little bit in pain. "We don't. But it _will_ be fine. Just like Nico promised all those years ago, if Tanner were to ever show his face around here again, he'd take care of him. We all would."

Carlos slowly exhaled and nodded. "It's just…" he whispered, wiping off his forehead. "I just don't want all that to happen again."

Lindy smiled a little and gave him a soft kiss, "It won't." Pulling him down, she added, "Let's get back to sleep; it's too early to stay up."

Carlos sighed and nodded; soon, she was fast asleep beside him, his wing wrapped around her loosely. He didn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep if he wanted to. The pain he was in, physically and mentally, was too great to bear to just fall back asleep.

**Xxx**

Apparently he had at some point fallen back to sleep. What felt like minutes later, Carlos woke up; but on careful inspection of the sun's position outside their window, he could tell that it had to be close to ten in the morning.

_Lindy must've let me sleep in…_ He noted when he also saw he was the only one occupying the nest. Glancing down at his chest, he stayed relaxed for another minute. Finally he sat up, groaning at the aching pain in his chest. He wondered if he had jerked in his sleep to make the pain occur or if it really was completely mental from the nightmare…

As he climbed out of the nest and carefully stretched, he could hear his two daughters' voices from the living room. He opened the door and leaned in the doorway, watching them coloring with Conner as the trio sat on the moss rug in the center of the room. Nobody had noticed Carlos, so he still stood there watching and listening in on their conversation.

Maggie glanced up and, seeing him standing there, grinned instantly, "Daddy!" Sarah and Conner looked up and also smiled. The six-year-old jumped up and ran to Carlos, hugging both his legs tightly.

"Hey baby girl," Carlos chuckled, patting her head. "Sleep good?"

She nodded and then pointed behind her, "We're coloring! Mr. Conner's _really_ good!"

Carlos looked up at the teen, who rolled his eyes a tad with a smile, "Well I'm not exactly a professional."

Carlos walked over and surveyed the pictures. Nodding, he agreed, "They're all pretty good."

Sarah looked up, "Conner's teaching me to sketch!"

Carlos was surprised she even let Conner talk to her, but instead of voicing his thoughts, he looked at Conner again, "Really?"

Conner sheepishly nodded, "Yeah… my mom was a good artist whether it was music, drawing, painting, you name it; so she kinda taught me all her skills."

"That's good; gives you something tangible to remember her by." Carlos smiled softly. Conner looked up, his expression curious for a second, but then he nodded with a smile.

"There you are!" Lindy suddenly walked in from the kitchen, just noticing her mate. She had been busy preparing food for their lunch in a couple of hours.

"Hey babe," Carlos smile, accepting her kiss and wrapping a wing around her waist. Conner and the two girls awkwardly looked back down at their drawings.

"Yucky…" Maggie gagged.

Conner nodded with wide eyes, "I _know_!"

"Hey, someday you may not mind so much!" Carlos reprimanded, but his smirk gave him away.

Lindy giggled, "Anyway, how'd you sleep?"

Carlos's smile faltered and he merely shrugged. "Aww…" she pouted. Suddenly she brightened, "Well hopefully you won't be too sleepy cuz I promised the girls we'd go to the beach!"

Carlos raised an eyebrow, "You did? When?"

"Just now." Lindy grinned and walked back to the kitchen. "We're going after lunch."

"Yay!" Maggie jumped up and down excitedly. "Sarah, aren't you excited?"

"Yippee." Sarah replied flatly, erasing a line on her sketch of a flower in a vase.

Maggie slumped, "Party pooper."

"That's what they say."

"Why are you always _so_ grouchy?"

"Honey, I'm not grouchy; I could certainly show you grouchy if you'd like-"

"Giiiiirls?" Lindy warned from the kitchen, not turning away from the bowl in front of her. Sarah and Maggie continued scowling at each other, but said nothing more and focused on their art.

Carlos looked down at Conner with a blank expression, then shook his head, "Girls." Conner snickered.

Carlos grinned but faced Lindy's general direction and asked in a questioning tone, "Is Nico's family coming?"

"I don't know what they're doing. Why don't you go over and ask?" Lindy suggested.

"I'll go!" Conner volunteered. "I need to stretch my wings anyway."

Carlos shrugged, "Alright. You know how to get there from here?"

"Well… no. But I know their hollow is past the river and over a bend in the trees."

"There ya go. If you can get there, you'll be fine. Everyone knows them, so if you get lost, ask for directions." Carlos relayed.

"Okay cool," Conner nodded. Turning to the girls, he waved, "Bye girls!"

"Bye!" Sarah smiled sweetly.

"Aww, do you hafta go?" Maggie pouted.

Conner stifled a laugh, "I'll see you at the beach! I'm gonna go rally your cousins!"

Maggie raised an eyebrow, "My cousins are crazy." Then she reconsidered for a slight moment, "Minus Ellie."

Carlos snickered, "It's true. But it's okay; we'll see him later."

"Okay. Bye!" Maggie jumped up and gave the seventeen-year-old a hug. He looked down at her in surprise, but smiled and hugged her back.

"See ya soon." Turning to Lindy and Carlos, he said, "Thanks so much for everything."

"No problem. Anytime you need a place to stay or want to come over for the heck of it, don't hesitate, okay?" Lindy smiled.

"Thanks. It means a lot." Conner nodded. Carlos grinned and held up a fist for a fist-bump, which Conner gladly returned.

"See ya in a few hours, bud."

Conner nodded and headed out the door. On a final thought, Carlos yelled after him, "Watch out for snakes!"

"I will!" Conner chuckled then flew away from the family's hollow.

Carlos stood there silently for a few moments after he left. Lindy's wing suddenly waved in his face and he blinked out of his trance and looked at her. "What?"

"You okay?" she asked, a little concern in her voice.

Carlos breathed a small laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. It's just… I dunno; we've known him a day and it's like he's the son we never had."

**Xxx**

After a twenty minute flight, Conner made it to the hollow. He smiled as it came into view, mumbling, "Not bad timing overall…"

He landed on the porch and knocked. He heard the shuffling of feet inside and a couple boys' voices arguing about who was going to get it. He choked back his laugh and the door finally opened, revealing both Mason and Cody.

"Conner!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"Hey guys!"

"Come on in!" Mason waved him in and the three went inside.

"Hi Conner!" Riley walked in from the kitchen and gave him a hug. "How'd it go? Carlos wear you out?" she asked in a teasing voice.

Conner chuckled, "Nah not really. It turned out great, actually. They're really nice."

Riley nodded, "Yeah, they try to keep smiles on their faces, as do we."

"Hence the relation?" Nico asked, walking in from the living room.

Riley rolled her eyes and accepted the peck on her cheek from her mate. The two turned back to Conner, a little taken aback at his dubious expression. Suddenly he nodded, a tad sarcasm laced in his voice, "Yup. You're related."

Nico snorted, "What, were they smoochin up a storm?"

"Ewwwww…" Mason and Cody erupted.

"Hey, someday you may not mind so much!"

"Oh gosh, you and Carlos are SO similar that it ain't even funny!" Conner exclaimed with wide eyes.

Nico looked at Riley and shrugged. "Okay."

"Anyway," Riley interrupted, changing the subject, "What brings you here? Just to hang out?"

"Nope, they're going to the beach a little after lunch and wanted to know if you guys wanted to come."

"Oh sure! We're not doing anything." Riley smiled and Nico nodded. He turned to his sons and said, "Hey boys, why don't you head over and tell Aunt Lindy that we'll meet them there? Maybe you should run by Pedro's and see if they wanna join."

The boys nodded, "Okay!" Five seconds later they were already out the door.

"Wow they're fast." Conner commented.

Nico nodded, "Yup. It's kinda scary at times." The three chuckled a bit.

Conner looked around, "Where's Ellie?"

Nico smiled suddenly and walked to the door, "I'll show you."

**Xxx**

One leg dangling over the edge, Ellie was currently sitting in the bird-size gazebo in the neighboring tree, her guitar in her lap and a few pieces of paper and pencil lying beside her. She continued strumming harmonized chords, softly humming or murmuring the lyrics. Every couple of seconds, she'd stop and change a note or lyric, then continue on.

She suddenly saw someone in her peripheral vision and looked up to see Conner standing a few feet away. She instantly stopped playing and stared back at him, neither unsure what to say.

Finally he broke the silence, "S-sorry… your dad said you'd be up here and I didn't want to interrupt you-"

"Oh no, it's fine!" She smiled, "Don't worry about it. I'm just… messin with notes." She shrugged.

Conner smiled and glanced away, looking at the blossoms in the tree surrounding them. Her family's hollow was the tree beside this one; Nico had told him that Ellie loved to write music, so he and his friend Pedro, whom he hadn't met yet, built her a small gazebo where she could be away from her crazy brothers and have some peace and quiet to write to her heart's content. From the excitement in the father's voice, Conner could tell that he was very proud of not only his work as a carpenter, but of his only daughter.

Ellie broke him out of his thoughts, "Wanna sit?"

He looked over and smiled, "Sure." He walked over and sat down beside the ledge parallel to hers. He got comfortable and continued looking around, honestly unsure what to say.

Ellie felt the same way. She leaned her head on the post and followed his gaze, looking around and fingering a few strings, creating a soft, warm chord.

That got Conner's attention and he looked over, listening and watching. After a few minutes, he finally commented, "You're really good at that."

A smile came to her face and she faced him, "Thanks. My uncle Pedro taught me."

Conner laughed a little, "I really gotta meet this Pedro; I keep hearing how awesome he is."

Ellie nodded, "He is; you'll love him. Gotta warn you though; he's kinda crazy."

Conner raised an eyebrow, "Crazy?"

"Like, hyper crazy. Usually he's able to control it. Oh, you met Zac? He is Pedro's son, and Zac gets his spazzoid personality from his dad, but he's worse. If that makes sense." Ellie giggled.

Conner grinned with a nod, "I gotcha." After a moment's thought, he added, "I used to play guitar."

"Really?" Ellie asked. She didn't know many other birds that could play, so this came as a surprise. "Why'd you stop?"

Conner paused as if choosing his words carefully. "Just got distracted with other stuff so I haven't had much time to play. I used to write music with my mom too; she was a performer, so I'd help her write songs and stuff."

"That's cool! That's what my parents do; mostly my dad and Uncle Pedro though. Music is our life." She grinned.

"Seems we've got more in common than I originally thought." He smiled at her. She nodded and looked away, plucking some chords again.

The conversation tapered off again, leaving them in another awkward silence. Conner thought back to the day before and remembered her asthma attack…

"How are you feeling?" he suddenly asked.

She glanced over at him and avoided eye contact, "I'm fine. No problems."

"Yeah? Cuz you nearly scared me to death." He laughed a little, earning a smile from her. She still wouldn't look at him though.

Eventually her smile dropped off her face and she thought for a moment. She mentally shrugged, thinking, "It wouldn't hurt…" Out loud, she said, "Everyone at school makes fun of me for it. My asthma that is."

Conner turned back to her with a large frown, but she continued strumming her guitar and avoided eye contact. "With the kids our age, it's all about weakness and strength for some reason. My family has had a lot of ups and downs, especially along the lines of health, so we get picked on a lot."

"Well if you can't help it, then who cares what they say, right?" Conner asked.

Ellie shrugged, "If only it were that easy. They seek us out and do their best to make us feel bad about it. After a while, I just got used to it and ignore it. I stick up for myself but don't fight about it. It's when they pick on my cousins or brothers that it really bothers me." She sighed, "I don't know… I'm sure nothing will change along those lines."

"Hey, since I've come here, you and your entire family and Rafael have been the best friends to me, and I'm sure there's more out there. There are jerks everywhere and they'll never go away. And at some point, they will stop. They'll grow up and they'll leave you alone." Conner smiled softly.

Ellie smiled and finally made eye contact, "Hopefully."

"I'm sure they will." He nodded in encouragement.

The two thought for a few moments before Conner randomly asked, "So…" He hesitated, "I'm going to doubt that there is a special someone out there."

Ellie laughed, "You are correct. I haven't gone on any dates, except like a daddy/daughter date type thing. But that doesn't _really_ count." She winked.

The wink threw him off guard, but he laughed with a nod. "Although," she added, "Dodger would certainly like to have me on his wing."

"You mean he _did_." Conner corrected, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah…" Ellie tapered off.

Conner shook his head a little in frustration, looking down at the ground below, "He was really snobby to me inside the club, but when I saw him hurting you outside?" He shook his head with wide eyes, "I swear, I thought I was gonna kill him."

Ellie giggled, "I'm surprised my dad didn't… But how'd you get away anyway?"

"Well he started yelling to a friend of his not far away, so he came and started attacking me. I managed to push him off, dodge Dodger…" He paused then laughed a tad with Ellie, "Haha that's kinda funny… Whoa anyway," He shook his head to focus, "And I flew away. Wiped out in Rafael's clearing."

"And the rest is history." Ellie smiled at him sweetly.

Conner looked over at her with his head slightly cocked, "Yup."

They didn't break eye contact for quite a few seconds before Riley's voice rang out from the porch, "Ellie! Conner! Come eat lunch before we leave!"

"Coming mom!" Ellie called and immediately stood to put her guitar back in its case. "Where are we going?" she asked as she snapped the lid back down.

Conner smiled as he stood, "The beach; we're meeting Carlos's family there."

**Xxx**

Carlos lay on the beach with his wings crossed behind his head, deeply inhaling the soft, sweet ocean breeze as it wafted in from the harbor. He loved going to the beach; it always cleared his mind and helped him relax more with the ocean waves' calming soundtrack, mixed in with the sounds of his mate and daughters playing in the water nearby.

"Comfortable?" a voice interrupted the quiet.

He opened his eyes to see his brother standing over him, a smile on his face. Carlos nodded with a satisfactory smile and closed his eyes again, "Yup!"

"Great." Nico smiled and walked around him. He casually watched his sons, who were already in the water, and prepared to dive in at any moment's notice. The boys had the tendency to hold each other under a little too long…

Riley, Conner and Ellie landed a foot or so behind him and Carlos, Ellie leaning her guitar case against a big rock. Nico raised an eyebrow, "Gonna play us somethin?"

Ellie shrugged, "I dunno; we'll see." She walked toward the water, but stopped where the waves sleeked up the sand.

Nico warned gently, "You take it easy if you're going in."

Ellie turned and smiled, "I know, dad." She walked forward, but turned toward Conner, "Hey, you comin?"

Conner smiled and shrugged, "Ah why not?"

As he walked after her, Nico watched on in amusement. Riley walked up behind to him and stood on a dune that made her a tad taller than him; she wrapped her wings around his neck loosely and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well someone loves me." He smirked at her.

She giggled, "What were you just thinkin?"

"Before you _distracted_ me?" He asked, emphasizing the word with an eyebrow raised. She rolled her eyes and nodded. He turned back toward the two teens and paused, "I think there may be a little chemistry goin on."

Riley snorted, "I thought so."

"You also thought there was chemistry or you thought that's what I thought?" He asked with another smirk.

Riley rolled her eyes, "The last one."

"Oh. So I guess if that's your answer then the other thought did cross your mind then?"

"Well sure it crossed my mind, but it was on yours first!" Riley argued playfully.

"Are you two playing matchmaker over there?" Carlos asked from his spot nearby, not opening his eyes or moving.

"Not me." Riley smirked.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you." Nico whipped around. Riley screeched and ran away, but he chased her down rather quickly. Pulling her down into the sand, he tickled her non-stop until she was screaming for him to stop.

"You're supposed to beg for mercy!" Nico exclaimed, but didn't stop.

"I'M NOT BEGGING FOR ANYTHING NOW STOP IT!" she erupted, grabbing his wings and flipping him over in one swift movement. His bottlecap fell backwards off his head, sending a puff of sand flying. He smirked as she loomed over him, staring into his eyes deeply.

Conner and Ellie watched on from the waves in pure entertainment until that little segment of an "I-love-you-staring-contest" began. Then they swiftly turned around and went back to watching her brothers. Conner glanced over at Ellie and noticed the amused expression on her face.

"What's that look for?" he asked.

She chuckled, "Nuthin; just my parents are almost embarrassing at times."

"Nah, it's not that bad." He started to turn around, but her head whipped to face him. "Don't look! They're probly makin out! What's wrong with you?" she asked incredulously, but the grin on her face betrayed her.

Conner managed to contain his laughter, but she could tell he was internally dying. Before either could say a word, Ellie was randomly picked up and thrown over a shoulder.

"I heard that." Nico cooed as he carried her deeper into the water.

"Oh no, dad don't do it! No! CONNER HELP!" Ellie squirmed, but Conner didn't know what to do besides laugh. The situation couldn't honestly get any better!

Riley joined him just as Nico threw Ellie into the deep end. They saw her resurface a few seconds later, coughing and spitting out salty water.

"Daaad!" she whined.

"Well close your mouth when you know I'm gonna throw you in!" He laughed.

Riley turned to Conner, "Come on, let's go!" Together they fluttered over and landed beside a dry Nico and soaked Ellie, the former smirking and the latter scowling.

_Greeeeat… _Ellie thought bitterly. _Now I look like crap in front of the cute guy. Thanks dad._

Before anyone could say another word however, two loud booming voices exclaimed, "CANNONBALL!"

Two red-crested Cardinals performed cannonballs into the deep end right next to the canaries, sweeping them off their talons in massive torrents of foamy waves.

Everyone gradually resurfaced, each rubbing salt out of their eyes and looking around. The two cardinals reemerged, high fiving each other and laughing.

"Pedro!" Nico whined, but smirked as he accepted a fist-bump from his best friend.

Pedro laughed, "Sorry man, it had to be done!"

"Right." Riley rolled her eyes.

"Yes, aren't my boys just chivalrous?" Julia asked, landing in the water beside her friend. Kim also landed beside her.

"Hey Julia!" Riley hugged her.

"Uncle Pedro! That was awesome!" Mason and Cody paddled over, grinning ear to ear. "Hey Zac!" The high fived their friend.

"Hey guys! Let's go back to the deep end!" Zac crowed, leading the way.

As the boys left, Maggie's voice suddenly rang out from the shore, "Mr. Conner! Mr. Conner!"

The teen in question turned around, "Yes?"

"Come help us build a sand castle! Please?"

Conner laughed, "No need for puppy dog eyes; I'm comin!"

"Yes!" The girl squealed and ran back to her sister and mother. Conner walked to the shore, shook out his feathers and walked down the shoreline toward them.

"Hey Conner, wait up!" Ellie yelled, running after him.

Nico watched with an amused expression as the two teens walked down the sand and soon started building a sand castle with the other girls.

"So dude, that's the kid who helped Ellie?" Pedro asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Nico nodded, "Yup. He's a really nice kid."

"Not to mention talented." Carlos jumped in, having left his patch in the sand. "Apparently he's good with music, art, saving people's lives and probably building sand castles."

Riley chuckled, "We'll have to go see how he did when they're done."

From the construction underway on the beach, Ellie watched on in amazement and wonder. Conner was using a small stick to carve designs into the walls of the sand castle's towers.

Finally she couldn't contain herself, "You are so stinkin talented."

Conner smiled, not looking up from his work, "Thanks."

Ellie stood and helped Sarah locate seashells to put on the castle. A good twenty minutes later, the project was finished and most of the families were sitting around the castle, commenting on the girls' and Conner's work of art.

"Dude, you really ARE talented!" Pedro exclaimed with wide eyes as he inspected each and every crevice.

Conner shrugged, "Nah my mom was better."

Without thinking, Cody said, "You talk about your mom a lot."

Riley and Nico whipped to him and gave him a look that told him to zip it. Cody pursed his beak and looked over at Conner, but the teen didn't seem too affected by his thoughtless comment. Instead he was drawing in the sand, an intense look on his face as he drew swirls surrounding other swirls.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Conner finally murmured, "She was so amazing that she's worth talking about."

Ellie looked at him sadly; it was clear that he was upset at his mom's death. For obvious reasons; nobody wanted to lose their mother. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it… After his mom's death, why would he just up and leave? Why go to a place where you know absolutely no one?

Conner glanced up at her and her eyes quickly shifted back to the shoreline. She turned the other direction and walked to her guitar case; pulling her instrument out, she sat next to Conner in the sand and started strumming some strings.

The light, airy music drifting through the breeze relaxed the awkward tension in the group. Riley, Lindy and Julia started a little small talk while Nico turned to Pedro and Carlos. Nico seemed particularly interested in something; finally, he turned to Ellie and said, "Knee Deep."

Ellie instantly stopped playing and faced him with a curious expression. Her expression suddenly matched his and she started playing in a higher key with some shorter plucks. Conner looked over at her, watching her play with an excited expression. When Nico suddenly started singing, he turned around in amazement; one, Nico's voice was _amazing_, and two, they must have been working on this song for a long time because they seemed really excited about it…

_Gonna put the the world away for a minute  
Pretend I don't live in it  
Sunshine gonna wash my blues away_

Had sweet love but I lost it  
She got too close so I fought her  
Now I'm lost in the world trying to find me a better way

Nico grinned as he sang the chorus, Pedro doing the backup. Conner grinned at the lyrics, loving the fact they were singing a song like this _at_ the beach; it was perfect.

_Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere  
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair  
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair  
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky  
Never been so happy  
Never felt so high  
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise_

Ellie played some more notes that followed the chorus for a few moments. Conner was even more surprised when Carlos took over the next verse, sitting up from his spot in the sand. He shot Conner a wink as he sang, causing everyone to laugh a little.

_Wrote a note said be back in a minute  
Bought a boat and I sailed off in it  
Don't think anybody gonna miss me anyway_

Mind on a permanent vacation  
The ocean is my only medication  
Wishing my condition ain't ever gonna go away

Nico and Pedro joined in the chorus again, all three guys' voices drifting down the shoreline in such harmony that their families couldn't stop listening if they wanted to.

_Cause now im knee deep in the water somewhere  
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair_

Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair  
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky  
Never been so happy  
Never felt so high  
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

Nico sang the reprise louder, closing his eyes and shouting it out to the waves. Ellie and Conner laughed a little, the latter enjoying the song with every note. He honestly couldn't think of the last time he had had this much fun with music.

_This champagne shore washing over me  
It's a sweet sweet life living by the salty sea (Carlos)  
One day you could be as lost as me  
Change you're geography (Carlos)  
Maybe you might be_

Knee deep in the water somewhere  
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair  
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair  
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky  
Never been so happy  
Never felt so high  
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

Come on in the water it's nice  
Find yourself a little slice  
Grab a backpack of lies  
You never know until you try  
When you lose yourself  
You find the key to paradise

With the last few phrases, Nico pulled Riley closer to him and smiled at her. When he finished the last line, he pecked her cheek and listened to Ellie finish out the song. As she played though, he decided to whistle along; Riley and the others grinned. It wasn't originally part of the song, but the whistling really wrapped it up. Finally Ellie plucked the last chord and everyone cheered, clapping and whistling.

"That was awesome! Who wrote that?" Conner asked when everyone had quieted down.

"My dad," Ellie grinned at Nico.

"Wow, and you guys called me talented!" Conner grinned at the bottlecap wearing canary.

Nico smiled, "Thanks. I'm sure you're pretty good at writing music too though. I heard you're pretty talented in everything else."

"He did play guitar!" Ellie volunteered, beaming at him.

"Ooo! Can you play something?" Mason and Cody exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah Mr. Conner!" Maggie jumped in, slapping his shoulders as she jumped up and down.

More cheers and hollers erupted and finally Conner yelled, "Alright alright! Everyone calm down!" He chuckled when everyone did calm down and he looked at Nico, "You said that on purpose didn't you?"

Nico shrugged, "Eh, I'd like to hear what you've got also."

Conner smiled sheepishly and suddenly found the sand more interesting to look at. "Well… I have written one song… but I've never performed it. I don't know if anyone would really like it."

Ellie instantly handed her guitar over. "Try us," She smiled sweetly.

Conner stared at her, then her guitar for a few moments before sighing and taking it. With a sigh and pounding heart, he tuned up the guitar to the write key signature and smiled, "We'll see how this goes…"

**Wondering what song he's going to perform? One that I LOVE! Lol Just bought in of Itunes yesterday and can't stop listening to it; it's just SO sweet! ;D**

**Anyway, I'll stop drivin you nuts w/ my cliffies; Imma start chapter 5 here soon, but more than just music is gonna take place in the next few chapters ;) Hehehehe...**

**Stay tuned friends! R&R & I'll see ya soon!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	5. Background

**Wow, I'm crankin out chappies kinda quickly, huh? Bet you guys are happy for that, huh? ;D The song that Conner is going to sing is "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes; Look it up and listen to it! Lol**

**This chapter is mostly dialogue; not much action. But it's quite interesting if I do say so myself ;) Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 5: Background**

The notes being played from the guitar were soft and gentle. The families waited patiently while Conner played the opening notes. When he finally started singing, everyone's ears perked; he was a lyrical tenor with another obvious talent.

_You know I'd fall apart without you  
I don't know how you do what you do  
'Cause everything that don't make sense about me  
Makes sense when I'm with you  
Like everything that's green, girl I need you  
But it's more than one and one makes two  
Put aside the math and the logic of it  
You gotta know you want it too_

As he began the chorus, he picked up the chords on the guitar and sang a little stronger. He even looked up and smiled at Ellie a bit, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Nico smiled a bit at how good he sounded; glancing over at Pedro, he raised an eyebrow and nodded. Pedro gave a thumbs-up.__

'Cause I wanna wrap you up  
Wanna kiss your lips  
I wanna make you feel wanted  
And I wanna call you mine  
Wanna hold your hand forever  
And never let you forget it  
Yeah I, I wanna make you feel wanted

At the next line, Conner fully looked at Ellie and smiled. After a few more lines, she rolled her eyes and looked away, but was grinning. Nico and Riley had to bite back their laughs at her face. Nico suddenly had an idea and pulled off his bottlecap as Conner neared the chorus again; he also nodded to Pedro, who silently turned over a small plastic sand toy a human had left behind.__

Anyone can tell you you're pretty  
And you get that all the time, I know you do  
But your beauty's deeper than the makeup  
And I wanna show you what I see tonight

When Conner sang the chorus again, a tambourine and drum suddenly joined in. He still sang the lyrics, but turned in shock to see Nico tapping his bottlecap and Pedro using the sand toy as a drum. "Keep singing," Nico mouthed. Conner grinned and sang the chorus and reprise with more volume and excitement than he intended. Nico and Pedro even echoed some of the lyrics here and there, adding to the excitement of the song.__

When I wrap you up  
When I kiss your lips  
I wanna make you feel wanted  
And I wanna call you mine  
Wanna hold your hand forever  
Never let you forget it  
'Cause baby I, I wanna make you feel wanted

As good as you make me feel  
I wanna make you feel better  
Better than your fairy tales  
Better than your best dreams  
You're more than everything I need

At the end of the next line, Nico and Pedro suddenly dropped out and Conner plucked one high note on Ellie's guitar as he sang slower and quieter. The trio picked the instruments back up at the final chorus and signoff.

_You're all I ever wanted  
All I ever wanted_

And I just wanna wrap you up  
Wanna kiss your lips  
I wanna make you feel wanted  
And I wanna call you mine  
Wanna hold your hand forever  
Never let you forget it  
Yeah I, I wanna make you feel wanted  
Yeah, baby I, I wanna make you feel -  
Wanted  
You'll always be wanted

Conner looked down at the guitar as he played the last notes and sang the last phrase softly. With a final strum, the guitar's sound faded across the sand; there were a few moments of silence before everyone started cheering loudly.

"That was amazing!" Pedro exclaimed, fists high in the air.

Nico also grinned, "No kidding! You're a natural!"

"You wrote that?" Ellie asked.

Conner smiled, "Yeah I did. Thanks, I'm glad you all liked it."

"Liked it?" Pedro exclaimed. "We LOVED it! We gotta get you on-stage at The Branch, man!"

Conner laughed out loud, "No! No… I don't think so."

"What?" Ellie asked. "Why not? It's the best thing in the world!"

"I believe it; I really do, but… me and stages don't always uh… don't always mix very well." Conner said nervously.

"Reminds me of my first time on the stage," Carlos smiled then gave his brother an evil look.

"Hey, you did wonderful and so did she!" Nico pointed to Lindy, who grinned.

"It wasn't all that bad." She admitted.

Conner interrupted, "Well I'm glad it worked out for you guys, but I'm not goin on no stage."

Ellie suddenly voiced above all the other arguing voices, "So that's a double negative and improper english, so even though you _meant_ to say you are not going on that stage, you ultimately said I'm going on that stage." Then she smirked at him in accomplishment.

Conner was at a loss for words, and then he frowned. Nico leaned over and smiled, "That's my girl."

Riley interrupted the laughter and the stare-downs, "Well, he doesn't have to perform, but we should at least go to The Branch; what do you think, guys? You take Ellie and Conner? If they want to that is."

Pedro was about to exclaim a profound yes but Nico had other ideas, "Nah I think they can go by themselves."

Ellie gaped at him, "Dad, remember what happened last-"

"Yes and somebody saved your life and that someone is sitting right next to you." Her dad smiled knowingly.

Conner looked over at her, "He raises a good point. Anyone who decides to get in the way is gonna go through me first, so…" he shrugged. "But it's up to you."

Ellie looked between her friend and her dad a few times, recognizing the suspicious smirk on her father's face, wondering what he could possibly be planning. Finally she smiled, "Okay."

And that's where the two teens found themselves that evening, Conner holding up the tarp and walking in behind her. They both grinned as soon as they entered, watching the Rainbow Parakeets flying around in synchronized circles as the music played on-stage.

Ellie suddenly turned to him with a curious expression, "How'd you find this place anyway?"

Conner smiled, "I had gotten here really late and asked a few birds where I could go to just chill out for a few hours; so they told me how to get here. I'm really glad they did; it's awesome. Plus I've met some really awesome birds as a result so…" he winked.

Ellie giggled and looked away sheepishly. By now, even she could tell that Conner was starting to gradually flirt with her a little more. Not that she minded of course; only the weird or immature guys from school flirted with her. It was nice to have a change. Okay, it was _REALLY_ nice…

She snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Conner had asked her something and was looking at her expectantly. She blinked and stared at him for a few seconds before finally admitting, "I'm sorry; what did you say?"

Conner chuckled, "Do you wanna dance?"

"Oh. Yeah!" She grinned and led the way to the dance floor.

The song that was currently playing was a little more upbeat, so the two teens traded fancy moves, laughing and joking all the while. Ellie glanced around a bit during the instrumental break and noticed a lot of teens from her class also at the club. And then she saw him and almost growled her frustration.

"What's wrong?" Conner asked with concern.

"Dodger's here." She muttered.

Conner pursed his beak and spotted the other teen at the drink stand with his friends. "Don't worry about him. If he starts bothering you, I'll take care of him."

"He won't stop though-"

"Ellie," Conner stopped dancing and put his wings on her shoulders, also making her stop. She stared into his eyes and saw the seriousness, but softness there. Smiling a little, he said, "I'm not going to let him hurt you again. I won't let it happen."

She stared into his eyes for a few more seconds before a soft smile finally came to her face. Looking down at the floor between them, she quietly asked, "Why are you so sweet?"

Gingerly, he pulled her chin back up towards his and smiled, "Because you're worth it."

Ellie's heart seriously fluttered a bit. She couldn't stop staring into his eyes, and the look he was giving her was starting to make a blush come to her cheeks.

The mood of the club suddenly changed when a different song was announced, the DJ asking the couples to dance on the floor. Conner smiled and held out his wing, "May I have this dance?"

Ellie tried hard to hide the grin coming to her face, but it was obvious to see. Giggling into her shoulder, she took his wing and he pulled her in closer, wrapping a wing around her waist and they started a slow dance among other couples.

Dodger was almost too engrossed in his conversation to look around at the couples in the club, but one in particular caught his attention. He almost scowled instantly when he realized who they were.

"Dude, who you starin' at?" Dodger's friend, Mitchell, a green parakeet with a yellow head of feathers, asked.

"Ellie is dancing with that stupid new kid from Venezuela." Dodger gritted his beak.

Mitchell followed his gaze and his smile diminished. "Oh…" After a few seconds of thought, he turned back to Dodger, "Look dude… I know you've liked her since kindergarten… but how you've- uhh, _we've_ treated her over the years—not to mention what went over the other day—she's clearly not into you. Why not just… move on? There are other girls out there-"

Dodger turned to his best friend with a scowl, "Not like Ellie."

"You only like her for her looks! You don't even like her for her! Seriously, who honestly cares if she's dancing with the new kid; he saved her from being stran-"

"That was a fit of anger! I didn't mean it!" Dodger argued.

"Well, why don't you tell her that! And Conner that! Heck, go tell Nico that!" Mitchell exclaimed, a dubious expression on his face. Then he sighed, "Seriously dude… I'm not saying she isn't worth it, but from how you want her, she's not worth it."

Dodger slumped as his friend turned away, inwardly frustrated. Mitch was right and he knew it; he would never admit it, but his friend was right. Any slight chance of going on even one date with Ellie was over, so why bother? But it wasn't even about a date anymore; he was still pretty frustrated at how she treated him the other night. After the fact, he did realize he had gone too far, but so did she. She brought it upon herself.

Dodger watched her dance with Conner; both were talking silently, smiling at each others' comments every few sentences. For not knowing her very long, he seemed pretty attached… and vice versa.

Dodger smirked, a lightbulb going off in his head. _Eureka…_

After the slow song was finished, everyone faced the stage and clapped for the bird who sang; he bowed and as he left the stage, the club sprang back into life with another upbeat song.

Ellie turned to Conner, "Well, now what?"

Conner shrugged with a smile, "Anything you want!"

"Umm…" she smiled, but looked around.

"You should get something to drink; Anna's doing good with the fruit smoothies tonight." Dodger suddenly emerged from the crowd and stood beside them. Conner's eyes narrowed to slits and Ellie sighed in disgust.

"Way to bring down the fun…" she muttered.

"I try." Dodger smirked. "But anyway, I wanted to actually apologize for how I acted the other day. It was obviously inappropriate and I'm sorry."

Nothing about his apology sounded genuine; instead it sounded very cocky and self-righteous. A few feathers on the back of Conner's neck bristled, but Ellie quickly said, "No apology accepted. You're just lucky my dad didn't unleash any real fury."

"Psh, your dad barely touched me." Dodger mocked.

Conner suddenly interrupted in a calm, neutral tone, but his eyes were still narrowed and his wings were crossed tightly across his chest, "Ellie, why don't you go get a couple drinks and find a table; I'll be there in a minute."

Ellie looked at him with a little fear, "Conner…"

"I'm not gonna touch him; just go ahead, okay?" Conner looked away from Dodger and smiled at her a tad. She smiled back a tad before walking away slowly, unsure if she should really leave them alone.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Conner faced Dodger fully and growled, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you have no business talking to her."

"Oh, that explains a lot about you and what your business rights are." Dodger snapped.

Conner frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"You have been here a total of three days. How much do you really know about Ellie?" Dodger suddenly stepped closer, lowering his voice but keeping it urgent. Before Conner could reply, he added, "Do you know why she has asthma?"

Conner paused, "No. But she's uncomfortable with it, so coming from someone who mocks her for it-"

"Her family's hollow burned down when she was two and Nico barely survived himself in order to get her out." Dodger shot quickly. Conner's eyebrows went down and Dodger nodded, "Didn't know that did you? Wanna know what happened to Carlos? Why he's so 'wimpy' as I like to call him?"

"That's more important stuff that you shouldn't be getting involved in-"

"They didn't tell you that he was speared by some maniac homicidal, did they?" Dodger asked in a questioning tone. Conner's face lit up in shock.

Dodger smirked, "Now that I've got your attention, you wanna know what the problem is with that family?"

Conner swallowed; information like this _is_ what he has wanted. But is the information _valid_? _That_ was the question… Finally, he sighed, "What do you know?"

Dodger stepped back a tad and thought for a moment. Finally, he said, "My mom went to school with Riley; they've known each other for years. Not necessarily good friends, but they had no problems with each other. My parents were in their early twenties when they started dating, and they were here at the club when Nico made his first appearance.

Nobody had seen him before, knew where he came from, nothing. He came with Riley and Rafael, but neither of them said where he came from. Two weeks later, he and Riley were madly in love and he never left.

A year later, Ellie was born, as was I. Their home burned down, Riley got hurt, and a series of weird things started happening around here. Two Blue Macaws, who live nearby I might add, were targeted by smugglers and a cockatoo named Nigel tried to capture them."

Dodger narrowed his eyes a little at Conner as he continued, his voice lowering again, "But that wasn't the weirdest thing. The same night that everyone met Carlos and Lindy here at The Branch, Ellie was kidnapped. A few days later, this massive war broke out; a huge explosion took out a third of the northern part of Rio that had been abandoned, tons of birds died in a fight.

But the thing that struck my parents as the most interesting, and scary, was Carlos lying practically dead in the Sanctuary for about six months. A lot of birds, my parents and I included, went to visit him and Nico's family but nobody could figure out what had happened.

He almost died in there, but he managed to pull through. He never has gotten over the pain. Search warrants suddenly went out about a yellow canary that was basically an ax-murderer who went by the name of Tanner. The warrant said he tried to murder Carlos and Nico's family. He was never found; Carlos and Lindy ended up settling down here in Rio because he couldn't really do much else."

Dodger shrugged at his ending, "That's all I know."

Conner shook his head, trying to grasp all this information in such little time, "Wait, no way… there's gotta be more!"

"See? That's what _everyone_ says!" Dodger exclaimed. "But you know what? We don't get answers. Birds have been asking that family questions since it all happened thirteen years ago, and they _still_ haven't said anything. Carlos's injury wasn't an _accident._ Ellie having asthma wasn't an _accident. _Those explosions, wars and deaths weren't _accidents._" Dodger pressed, staring into Conner's eyes to make a point. "That family is hiding something. Something_ huge._ So before you start getting all lovey-dovey on the hot chick, you might wanna get some background."

Conner couldn't shake the feeling Dodger was telling the truth, but he shook his head to clear it. "Well this is certainly a lot to chew on… _IF_ your info is valid."

Dodger shrugged with a scoff, "Hey, take it or leave it. But remember this:" He smirked, "I may be a royal pain in the butt and a cocky jerk, but I'm not a liar."

He then saluted, turned around and walked back to his friends, leaving Conner standing there dumbfounded. Could it be true? Everything he had said?

Conner shook his head again, "Unlikely… Now where's Ellie?" he mused as he walked around the club, looking for his friend. Finally he spotted her sitting by herself at a secluded table, staring at the cup in her wings.

He sat down across from her and smiled, "Now why the long face?"

Ellie looked up and fake pouted, "Well I was starting to wonder if you hadn't forgotten all about me…"

Conner made a sad face, "Aww… Never in a million years! You're too cute to just forget!"

Ellie laughed and rolled her eyes, but it quickly faded with the question, "What did Dodger want?"

Conner's smile immediately fell off his face and he looked down at the full cup in his wings. He took a swig, thinking his thoughts through as he savored the strawberry and raspberry explosions in his mouth. Finally he shrugged, "He just wanted to be a pain in the butt…t-that's all…"

Ellie narrowed her eyes, looked down at her cup for a few seconds, then said, "You know how I can tell when birds are lying?"

Conner looked up at her and she continued with a knowing smile, "Number one, shifty eyes, number two, avoiding eye contact, number three, hesitation to reply and number four, stuttering. I could continue, but I'm sure I'd bore you…"

Conner stared at her in amazement. "How could you possibly know all that?"

Ellie shrugged with a smile, "My dad told me."

_So her dad's really discerning when it comes to deceptive birds…_ Conner thought. Instead he nodded with an impressed expression, "That's cool. Your dad seems pretty smart with lots of stuff."

The question set off a slight alarm in Ellie's head, but she made no indication and nodded, "Yeah, especially music."

Conner nodded, "Yeah, he's pretty talented; but what about dangerous situations? Your dad and uncle seem pretty calm and collected when it comes to stuff like that."

"Dangerous meaning what?" Ellie asked, more alarms going off.

Conner shrugged, "Well, when you were having that attack yesterday for example; your dad was pretty chill and Carlos jumped right in when necessary. They both seem pretty stable-"

"What did Dodger say to you?" Ellie suddenly asked, her expression neutral, but tone a little warning.

Conner knew he was busted. He pursed his beak and didn't know where to start, but from the look in her eyes, he knew he wasn't getting out of this one…

Finally, she nodded toward the door and calmly said, "Follow me."

Together they stood and silently left The Branch, neither saying a word as Ellie led the way out of the city, through the forest and finally to the gazebo. They landed and took a few moments to catch their breath while getting comfortable.

Conner looked over at Ellie, unsure what to say. She looked over at him as well and said, "I'm not mad at you or anything. I brought you here so we could talk privately. But I want to know what Dodger said. You're new around here so who knows what lies he could be spreading."

Conner nodded understandingly, thinking for a few moments. Finally he sighed, "He said your dad was really mysterious when he came to Rio. And also that he almost died in a fire saving you, which ultimately gave you asthma. Then he said Carlos and Lindy stayed here after he got hurt. In a nutshell, that's what he said."

Ellie gave him a sidelong glance, "How did he say my uncle got hurt?"

Conner bit his lower beak. "Well…" he hesitated, "He said he got speared by a homicidal maniac… But that didn't sound very-" He paused when he saw Ellie's downcast, disappointed expression which read, "How did they find out?"

He gaped at her, "So it's true?"

Ellie slowly exhaled and looked at him fully. "Let me tell you what happened from _our_ point of view. But this stays between us. Don't even tell my family that I talked to you about this, okay? Not so much that it's because we don't trust you or anything; this is extremely important to Uncle Carlos. He doesn't want anyone to know about it. Alright?"

Conner nodded without hesitation. So she began, "I had been kidnapped; a few days later, my parents and Uncle were captured as well. When a bunch of birds broke in a few days later to save us, a war broke out; my mom got me and started to run out, but this one canary, Tanner, was especially bent on killing my dad and his family.

So as we were getting away, he threw a spear at my mom and me. But my Uncle Carlos saw it coming and jumped in front of the spear."

Conner's eyes widened when he realized the truth. It really _wasn't_ an accident. Ellie continued in a soft tone, "The image of my uncle being speared through never escaped my mind. It gave me nightmares for years after." She turned to him with a now serious tone, "My uncle sacrificed his life to save mine and my mom's. Birds out here don't know what my uncle went through… what he was willing to give up to keep us safe. He's not a wimp; he's the strongest bird I know, second only to my dad. That's why I wanted to make sure you knew the truth; my family and I trust you. The last thing we need is having trust in someone who believes a bunch of lies or half-true stories." She smiled.

Conner breathed a laugh with a short nod, "Yeah…" He had a thought but hesitated.

"What?" Ellie asked, having caught on.

Conner hesitated, "Where… Where did your dad come from?"

Ellie raised an eyebrow, but Conner quickly explained his question, "I mean like… Dodger said his parents were dating when your mom met Nico. No one knew where he came from or who he was, but were especially confused when he stuck around out of the blue. So… where'd he come from?"

Ellie thought for a few moments. She couldn't tell him _that_ much… Instead, she shrugged, "Well… to be honest, he was an amnesiac, so-"

"WHAT?" Conner exclaimed.

Ellie laughed, "We don't know. Never did. He just showed up. Randomly and literally plowed into my mom; they fell in love almost instantly."

Conner's eyes shifted around as he thought hard about all this information. So Carlos was self-sacrificial and Nico had been an amnesiac while they both were incredibly cool, calm and collected when times got tough?

He looked at Ellie and said in an incredulous tone, "Your family is really complicated."

Ellie giggled, "Which is why we get so many questions."

"This is very true." A voice sounded behind them. Both teens whipped around to see Nico standing there with his wings crossed, but an amused smirk evident on his beak.

"Oh hey dad!" Ellie smiled and Conner nodded.

"Hey," Nico smiled. "Sorry to break up the party, but don't you have a curfew?"

Ellie's eyes widened and she looked up at the moon, "Oh no… what time is it?"

"Almost eleven." Nico smiled and she face-palmed.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed.

"It's okay; your mom just told me to go get you, but when I heard voices in the tree next door, I thought I'd eavesdrop a bit." He winked.

Conner's eyes widened, but Nico held out a wing, "Now now, it's okay; I'm not upset. She already said we trust you, so what's there to worry about?"

Conner sighed, "Glad to hear you say that."

Nico chuckled, "Anyway, Ellie time to go in."

"Mkay." Ellie smiled. Conner waited for her to get up and leave, but he suddenly felt her wings around his neck tightly. "Thanks!" she whispered before letting go and flying to her family's hollow.

Conner watched her leave with a dazed smile until he suddenly realized Nico had taken her seat and was smirking at him evilly. Conner slowly faced him and gulped, "W-what?"

"You like her."

Conner did a double-take. "I do no-"

"Don't deny it." Nico smirked wider and raised an eyebrow.

Conner tried to keep his poker face up, but eventually it failed and he slumped. "Fine. I do a little…"

Nico chuckled and leaned back on his wings. "Good."

Conner looked at him incredulously, "Aren't you supposed to say 'where's my shotgun?'"

"Ha! That's pretty good. Most fathers are like that." Nico smiled and looked ahead of him as if thinking. Finally he said, looking back at the teen, "You're the type of guy I want for my girl. You're kind and gentle, you make her smile and want her to be happy, but you're not a sap either. You're tough, and you're gonna stick up for those weaker than you. Any guy with those traits would earn my approval."

Conner slowly nodded, "So what're you saying?"

Nico shrugged, "Honestly I don't know. You wanna take her out?"

Conner thought about it for a few moments, afraid to answer the obvious. He turned to see Nico smirking again. "Oh come on, dude! Obviously I do!" Conner exclaimed, shaking his head with a laugh. "But don't you think it's a little early? I haven't even been here a full week yet!"

"Well that doesn't mean you hafta ask her out right now! Ask her on a date in a month for all I care, but you better do it!" Nico grinned.

Conner breathed a laugh, shaking his head a little, "Alright alright…"

Nico stood suddenly, "But anyway, it's getting late; where are you staying?"

"Well I guess I'll go back to Carlos's. I really gotta get a hollow…" Conner mused as he also stood. "Maybe Ellie could help me."

"Careful. Locating and renovating a hollow is _exactly_ how me and Riley got started." Nico winked.

Conner smirked evilly, "I thought you ran her over?"

"No. That's how we met." Nico grinned. Carlos laughed as he was pushed toward Carlos's direction, "Alright, get outta here. I'll see you tomorrow."

Conner nodded and took off, "Night Nico!"

**Xxx**

The viper sat there in the dark shadows, waiting patiently for her prey to fly by. She knew he was a yellow canary, but there were so many around these days, it would be hard to tell if this one was one of her direct targets. She sat there until the right opportune moment when he flew above her and-

The canary yelped as a snake's tail snagged his leg and dragged him to the forest floor. He squirmed, but the tail quickly wrapped around him and held him on the ground firmly. He was panting when a pair of deep yellow eyes appeared in front of him. The eyes suddenly narrowed.

"You're too old to be one of my victimssss…" the viper mused.

The canary held still as the snake's tail pulled up on his shoulder strap that held his weapon, "And what'ssss thissss?"

The canary swallowed thickly, but very calmly asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a few young yellow canariessss who dessstroyed my nessst." The snake hissed angrily.

The canary smirked, "I know of some canaries that I'm also searching for to pay back some debts. If you let me go, I promise you I'll let you have a couple kids."

The snake pondered his words, then asked, "How do I know you're not lying?"

The canary smiled sinisterly, "You've got the upperhand; what makes you think that I'd come up with something so serious on the spot just to save my life and be able to pull it off in a believable tone?" The snake's eyes looked away and he added, "I don't break my promises. Unlike _one_ of the canaries I'm after."

A silence took over the sinister duo until finally the snake unraveled her long tail. He wriggled from her grasp and stood, shaking his limbs a bit to get his circulation going.

"Sssso where are we going?" the snake asked.

The canary hopped onto a taller root to look into her bright eyes better, "The north eastern side of the forest. But if we're going to be a team, I need your name."

The snake smiled, her fangs protruding a bit, "Vanessssa. You?"

The canary smirked and crossed his wings proudly, "I'm Tanner."

**OH NO! TANNER'S BACK! What's he gonna do! What's his plan!**

**Well, I'm very glad you asked! You're just gonna have to wait & find out in the chapters to come ;) Hehehehe**

**So as this chapter shows a lot of, Conner is starting to gradually learn more about our mysterious families ;) Will he figure it all out? Again, we shall see… Hehehe ;)**

**I'll start workin on the next chappie soon! :) Thx guys!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	6. Dates and Distractions

**Whoo-hoo! Chapter 6! HOW is this possible? Can you guys believe this story is about half over already! Lol Wow I just totally burst your bubbles, didn't I? Hehehe**

**Anyway, this chapter has LOTS of different stuff that I think you'll really enjoy ;) So enough of my rambling! Get to it! :D**

**Chapter 6: Dates and Distractions**

The four birds sat in the darkness of the trees silently as they watched the teen leave the gazebo, and moments later Nico flew to his hollow. The Mottled Owl cocked his head in the opposite direction and led his agents through the darkened trees back to the hideout.

"What do we do Commander?" Manny asked, breaking the silence a few minutes later.

The Commander sighed, glancing at the Peregrine Falcon, "I'm not sure. Right now, we need to just keep hidden and keep an eye on things. It doesn't seem like anything major has happened yet."

Camille, the bright Brazilian Tanager, spoke up, "But Tanner is making a plan; what do we do about him?"

"Yeah, he's going to strike soon." Richie added.

"I know. First off, we need to find him; keep him away from Nico and Carlos's friends and families. They'll be much better off if we catch him long before he attacks." The Commander relayed.

The three agents nodded. Camille suddenly asked, "Where do you think Tanner is hiding?"

The Commander shrugged, "He could be anywhere; but he's here. The problem is what he could be planning."

**Xxx**

One week later, Conner was sitting in the gazebo, nervously looking around. Humming a new tune he'd heard at The Branch the night before, he waited patiently for Ellie to emerge from her family's hollow.

As Nico had suggested, he'd asked Ellie to go on a date with him. She readily agreed, almost squealing with joy because, one, this was her first date, and who isn't excited about their first date?, and two, and more importantly in her mind, she was going out with Conner. _Conner._ Yep. She was pretty dang excited.

Now Conner, on the other hand, was flat out nervous. He had some pretty awesome plans and ideas for their night out, a few of which were Nico and Carlos's ideas, and he knew that it was going to go off without a hitch, but still. This was Ellie. _Ellie_!

"Oh gosh…" Conner whispered to himself, standing and starting to pace around the gazebo a bit. "I need to calm down; it's gonna be fine; you're just stressing yourself out…"

"I'll say," Ellie's voice interrupted his murmurings.

Conner yelped and jumped about a foot backwards, almost falling out of the gazebo. He quickly flailed his wings out of sync, barely managing to regain his balance. Clutching his chest, he stared at the laughing girl standing a few feet away.

"Oh my gosh, that was the most hilarious reaction I've ever gotten out of you!" Ellie giggled.

Conner laughed a little, "I believe it." Suddenly he blinked and almost did a double-take, "Holy crap, what did you do to your feathers?" Her bangs had a little more volume than usual, bouncing every time she turned her head; the feathers on the back of her head had some curl into them, and then a small apple blossom was tucked in behind her left ear.

Ellie glanced up at her bangs, "What, I got my hair did! Is that okay with you?" she teased.

Conner blinked in shock, "Is that okay? Is that _okay_? Heck yeah it's okay! You look gorgeous!"

Ellie blushed and looked away, "Thanks…"

"Hey now, don't get all blushy; the date hasn't even started yet!"

She giggled and tried to wipe the smirk off her face, but utterly failed. Still grinning and trying to stop giggling, she asked, "Where are we going?"

Conner suddenly donned a mysterious look, "Oh don't you worry; you'll know it when you smell it." He grabbed her wing and pulled her off the gazebo, leading the way to the city.

Nico and the boys watched them disappear from the window, all three chuckling and murmuring how excited they were or how awesome the whole thing was. Riley walked out of her and Nico's room and frowned, crossing her wings, "Boys!"

All three whipped around, Nico's bottlecap askew and the twins' feathers mussed quite a bit. Riley raised an eyebrow, "Number one: Stop spying on Ellie and Conner. Number two: boys, go to the pools and wash up; I don't even wanna know what's gotten you all dirty."

The twins smirked and flew out the door, chuckling about whatever nonsense they had gotten themselves into earlier. Nico watched them leave him alone with Riley, gulped and looked back at her. He almost did a doubletake at her expression as she slowly sauntered toward him, wrapped her wings around his neck and cooed, "Number three: Stop being so cute…"

Then she kissed him long and hard, causing him to sigh and almost fall clean over, but he wrapped his wings around her waist and pulled her in closer. A few moments later, he pulled back, "You were looking forward to this, weren't you?"

Riley snorted a little and murmured, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He chuckled when she kissed him again, knowing that she knew full well what he was talking about.

**Xxx**

"Did you come up with this all by yourself?" Ellie asked.

Conner had set up a small picnic on the top of the Christ the Redeemer statue's head; there he had an assortment of the couple's favorite fruits, grains and other small foods, and he'd also managed to snag a couple slushees from The Branch—he and Ellie were starting to become good friends with the drink girl.

Conner nodded slyly, "Yeah, just another one of my many talents."

"Oh you…" Ellie gave him a small push and looked back at the sunset. Just like her mom, she loved sunsets; evening was her favorite time of day—the sun's rays melting the sky into a plethora of oranges, pinks, reds and purples while the normally hot temperature dwindled down to a comfortable atmosphere. It was perfect.

She looked over at Conner and noticed him staring, so she asked with an eyebrow raised, "What?"

Conner tried to think, but he could only shrug. "Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now." He softly replied.

A smile made its way onto her face and she had to turn away to keep from grinning right back at him. She sighed and shook her head a little, making him ask, "What?"

"I just grin stupidly at everything you say!" Ellie laughed.

"What's stupid about that?" Conner asked with a smile, regaining her attention. "Don't be afraid to show me how happy I'm making you feel." He winked.

The grin immediately returned to her face and she giggled in exasperation, "Stop it!"

"No! I can't get enough of your smiles!" Conner exclaimed, leaning forward to see her face better.

Ellie managed to tame the grin into a small smile and faced him, "You try too hard, ya know?"

Conner shrugged, "Not really. You're easy to please; and that makes my job all the more easier."

"And what exactly is your job?"

He smiled, "Make you happy."

"Awww, you're too sweet…"

"And you're gorgeous." He smiled, but started putting stuff back into their disposable picnic basket. "We better hurry though; we're gonna be late for the next part of our date!"

"And what's that?" Ellie asked, helping him clean up.

He smirked, "You'll see."

**Xxx**

"I cannot believe you got us in here without being seen!" Ellie whispered.

Conner smirked, "Don't underestimate me; I can be sneaky too."

Ellie snorted and rolled her eyes, but smiled. Then she bounced up excitedly, "Ooo! It's starting!"

"Yeah, now shush! I don't wanna have to remove you because you're disrupting the movie!" Conner scolded jokingly.

"Oh. Sorry!" Ellie faked innocence, but remained silent.

Conner had managed to take Ellie to the city's movie theatre and get inside without being seen, and he took her to see the latest chick flick that was in. He had already left a blanket there in the rafters because it could get chilly in there, so they were snuggled next to each other, leaning against the wall when the movie started.

The movie was about an hour and a half long and turned out to be a comedy/romance film, so the teens laughed along with the humans below when funny things would happen or were said.

Even under the blanket, Ellie was starting to feel a little cold; ever so slowly, she scooched closer to Conner, hoping he wouldn't notice. He did notice but didn't say a word as he lifted his wing and wrapped it around her shoulders, gently pulling her in closer in one swift movement.

Ellie was a little shocked and stiffened up, but after about thirty seconds she relaxed. Conner smiled when he felt the tension in her shoulders gradually ease; he had actually wanted to wrap his wing around her shoulders from the start, but he wasn't about to start pulling moves. But hey, if she welcomed it, why not?

About three quarters of the way through the movie, Ellie subconsciously rested her head on Conner's shoulder. He didn't move, but glanced down at her, smiling broader than he had before. This date was going much better than he originally planned!

He suddenly heard Ellie inhale deeply and exhale slowly. He looked down at her in concern, hoping that she wasn't having trouble breathing. Her eyes met his, and she raised her head, "What?" she whispered.

"I was going to ask you that; you okay?"

Ellie smiled and nodded, "Couldn't be better; it was a happy sigh."

"Oh." Conner smiled, but suddenly got lost in her eyes, instantly forgetting what he was going to say. Her blue eyes were glinting brightly from the theatre screen and he felt as if he were frozen to the spot.

Ellie was staring back into his eyes, just as captivated. They were so close she could feel and hear his breathing without even trying.

Without thinking, Conner suddenly inched forward. Ellie froze to the spot and she tilted her chin up a little bit as he got closer, wondering if this would be her first kiss. His beak was mere centimeters away from hers when the screen started rolling and the crowd of humans below clapped.

Conner froze, staring into her eyes as if he were glued to the spot. She was also staring back into his eyes, but when the lights turned back on, so did her brain. "I guess we'd better go…" she barely whispered, but he heard her.

Conner nodded and smiled, backing up, "Yeah…" He quickly folded the blanket while Ellie stood and stretched. _What in the world just happened?_ She kept asking herself.

Conner stood up, the blanket slung over his shoulder and he smiled, "You ready?"

She nodded and turned toward the window that was cracked open nearby. Conner followed and soon enough, they were back at the gazebo. Too soon for their taste.

They landed and looked at each other for a few moments before she smiled, "Thank you. For… for everything."

"No. Thank you." Conner replied in almost a whisper.

Ellie smiled and pushed some of her bangs out of her eyes, "We should do this again sometime."

Conner nodded, "Absolutely. Whenever you want."

Ellie looked up into his brown eyes again and suddenly gathered some courage. Stepping closer and standing on her tiptoes, she lightly pecked him on the cheek and whispered, "I'll keep you posted."

With a cute little shrug of her eyebrows, she turned and walked to the other end of the gazebo. As she reached the end, Conner called, "Ellie."

She turned around expectantly, but he rethought his words. He smiled, "Goodnight."

Ellie smiled, "Night Conner."

She turned and flew to her family's hollow and walked inside. She closed the door with her back as she leaned against it. Her family looked up, Nico smiling and asking, "How'd it go?"

Ellie's face didn't register anything for a few moments until she finally clenched her wings in front of her and jumped up and down, squealing and squabbling something unintelligible. Riley had joined her by then and they squealed in their girl chatter at a fast rate about how well the date went.

With wide eyes, the twins looked up at Nico, who was looking at the girls with a blank expression. He looked down at his boys with the same blank expression before shaking his head and looking back at his reading material, "Girls."

**Xxx**

As soon as Ellie disappeared through the front door, Conner rocketed into the air in excitement, but had to restrain himself from shouting it out to the sleeping world that he was without a doubt falling for the most amazing girl in Rio. If he weren't so courteous, he'd scream it out without a second thought. But he was; so he refrained.

The flight back to Lindy and Carlos's was full of nonstop grinning and happy thoughts about Ellie. He couldn't get the image of her dazzling eyes out of his head, her smile, her infectious laugh and her bubbly personality that brightened everyone's mood. He sighed in pure happiness; nothing could bring down his mood right now.

Except the massive bird that suddenly swooped from the shadows above him, tackled him to the ground and practically squished him on impact.

Conner squirmed in his attempt to free himself, but a large white feather suddenly landed in front of his face. He blinked at it then looked up, almost gasping at the deranged cockatoo as it sneered, "Hello pretty bird."

"You…" Conner whispered, but suddenly squirmed harder in a mixture of fear and rage. "What are you- How did you- What do you want?" he exclaimed, trying to ask too many questions at once.

"It's very nice to see you as well. But I'll answer the first question: I'm kidnapping you temporarily." Nigel smiled evilly. "I have a job to do, and taking care of _you_ is a major part of it. But first things first, my _employer_ would like to have a word with you."

Conner's eyes widened. What could that possibly mean?

Nigel motioned to a monkey that suddenly emerged from a nearby bush, "Cover his mouth. Can't have him calling for help now, can we?"

Conner immediately started yelling for help, but his cries were muted when the monkey slapped a damp cloth over his beak. His vision almost instantly started failing and thinking became difficult as he started to slip away. His last thought was of Ellie and how thankful he was that he had managed to get her home before all this happened.

**Xxx**

Pouring rain. It had started in the early hours of the morning and continued all day long, and the poor boys were just bored beyond belief. Ellie watched her brothers in half-amusement, half-sadness at their glum, bored faces.

A knock at the door brought the three kids out of their reverie.

"I wonder who that is?" Ellie mused as she got up.

"She's hoping it's Conner." Mason nudged his brother.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "I do not."

Cody laughed, "Ellie! That doesn't even make any sense! Unless of course you thought he said you like him, THEN your answer would make sense!"

Ellie started to reply, but she stopped when she almost agreed. The boys laughed when she walked to the door at a faster pace. She swiftly opened the door to reveal Carlos, Pedro and Zac standing there, shielding their faces from the rain.

"Hi guys! Come on in!" Ellie stepped aside and they quickly walked in. The twins ran in from the living room with excitement when they saw Zac, who quickly dried off and ran with them to their bedroom to do who knew what.

Nico and Riley walked in from their room, both grinning instantly. "Hi guys!" Riley smiled. "I'd give you a hug, but you're soaked."

"Yeah…" Carlos smiled, wringing out his feathers by the door. Pedro merely shook and flailed around like a wet dog. When he stopped, his feathers poofed out in all directions, making him look rather fluffy.

Riley scowled at him, "Pedro! You got my walls all wet!"

Pedro glanced around and smiled sheepishly, "Oh sorry…"

"It's alright. It'll dry." Riley shrugged with a smile, hugging him.

"And you got me all wet. Again." Carlos frowned, crossing his wings.

Ellie walked back in with a towel in her wings and handed it to him, "Here."

"Thanks." He smiled gratefully and immediately started toweling his face and neck off.

A few minutes later they were all gathered around the table, Riley and Ellie handing out drinks. The guys' small talk was finished when Carlos suddenly looked around, "Where's Conner?"

Nico shrugged, "Haven't seen him."

Carlos's eyebrows went down. "What do you mean you haven't seen him? Didn't he stay here last night?"

Nico and his family froze. Ellie shook her head, "No… he dropped me off and left to go back to your hollow…"

Carlos looked between her and Nico with a dubious and confused expression before shaking his head, "He never showed up so we assumed he had stayed here."

Nico and Carlos stared at each other for a few moments, spy instincts kicking in instantly. What could have happened? Where had he gone? Did someone take him? Was he hurt? Or had he just stayed somewhere overnight, not really wanting to fly all the way to Carlos's but not ask Nico if he could stay?

Riley suddenly interrupted the two guys' facial conversation, "Now boys, no need to think too hard about this; he's probably fine."

"Why wouldn't he come back though?" Carlos rubbed the back of his neck.

Nico sighed, "Maybe he got caught in the rain and stopped somewhere?"

"He would've gone somewhere by now though; it's mid-afternoon." Pedro reasoned, serious expression also on his face.

Ellie wasn't really listening to the conversation. Half of her was highly concerned about Conner and his whereabouts, but the other was highly concerned about where he could have gone with the information that he now had. Her family didn't know that he knew more than they thought he did; that was thanks to Dodger…

"Dodger…" Ellie whispered, catching Nico's attention.

He stared at her for a minute before asking, "You think he has anything to do with this?"

Ellie sighed through her nostrils and looked down at the table, "I don't know… I mean, they did fight once before. But they talked in The Branch last week though and there wasn't any real problem there…"

"What did they talk about?" Carlos asked, trying to dig deeper.

Ellie bit her lower lip. She avoided eye contact, but glanced up at Nico a couple times. His expression was hard because he knew she wasn't saying something, but his eyes were soft, almost pleading her to come clean.

Finally she sighed and looked away, muttering, "Us."

"What about us?" Nico asked softly.

Ellie sighed, but slowly told her family what had gone down at The Branch; she mentioned everything that Conner had mentioned to her, and she also explained what she told Conner later that night. Nico and Carlos both either stiffened or looked away.

When Ellie was finished talking, she didn't look at either her uncle or her dad. Nico was staring down at the center of the table, deep in thought, whereas Carlos was staring at her. Or maybe he was glaring at her; but even in her peripheral vision, she knew she didn't want to look.

Finally Carlos cracked, "So he knows." He stood up in frustration and started pacing the living room, his voice raising just a little bit, "The kid that we really have no information on knows about us?"

"No!" Ellie exclaimed, "I didn't say that he knows about you and dad's identities; I said-"

"You don't have to repeat yourself Ellie. I was listening, and if his background happens to be more important than we think, then him knowing stuff like that is basically telling him to his face that we're undercover spies." Carlos explained, trying to keep his cool. Ellie merely looked down at the floor in shame.

"We're not undercover spies." Nico interrupted, not looking up from his spot on the table. "We're retired."

"Whatever! It doesn't make that big a difference does it?" Carlos growled, still pacing.

"Carlos, you have to relax!" Nico exclaimed, finally looking up at his brother. "You've seemingly trusted the kid just as much as we have! If you had a problem with him being around, why didn't you say something?"

"I did to begin with! And you know what, I like the kid a lot, but he's been staying at my place for a full week and a half and every time we ask him _anything_ about his past, all he says is that his mom was amazing. _Nothing else._" Carlos spieled, crossing his wings.

Nico sighed and looked away. Carlos continued in a calmer tone, "I'm not saying I don't trust him because if he were untrustworthy, he wouldn't have helped Ellie this much already."

"Yeah, but even Lindy was untrustworthy at one point." Nico muttered.

"What?" Carlos asked in a warning tone.

Nico looked back up at him, "I'm not-"

"What are you saying? That Conner is no different than Lindy was?" Carlos growled, anger clear in his voice.

"Alright you two, that's enough!" Riley finally erupted, almost slamming her wings on the table. Both brothers stopped and stared at her with the others; even the twins and Zac peeked out of the bedroom in concern.

Riley sighed and smoothed down her feathers. "Now," she said in a much calmer voice. "We can figure out the implications of what Conner knows or doesn't know later. But right now, we need to find him. If he's actually hurt out there, I'd like to bring him back in one piece. We owe him a few favors."

Everyone casually nodded in agreement. Nico glanced up at Carlos when he growled, "I'll go tell Lindy what's going on." With a short glance at Nico, he walked out and flew home.

As soon as the door clicked and he was sure Carlos couldn't hear him, Nico sighed and put his face in his wings, "I didn't mean it that way."

Riley massaged his shoulders a bit, "I know you didn't. But you know they're touchy about that; not that I blame them."

Ellie suddenly sighed, "It's my fault he got mad in the first place."

Nico raised his head and looked at her, "No Ellie. You did the right thing by making sure Dodger didn't tell Conner a bunch of lies, and you were discreet about it. I'm proud of you for that. As for Carlos, he's still, even after thirteen years, still stuck in spy mode. He'll never stop thinking the way he does, and that's not a bad thing. He evaluates every angle of every situation, and I'm very thankful for it. But it's at times like these that he over evaluates that we have to take a step back and let him breathe."

Ellie nodded slowly. "Okay…"

Pedro stood a few moments later, "I'll go tell Julia what's goin on. Can Zac stay here?"

"Yes! We need him to occupy the boys." Nico chuckled, rubbing his eyes a bit. Ellie and Riley nodded in vehement agreement.

"Alrighty; I'll be back soon to help you start lookin."

Before Pedro walked out the door, Nico called, "Pedro!" When his friend turned around, he said, "Fly by Raffy's to see if he's there; we don't want to start a search party and find out hours later that he was there the whole time."

Pedro nodded, "Yeah, and if he's not I'll let Raffy know what's goin on."

When their friend left, Nico looked over at Ellie, who was staring at the table sadly. "What's wrong sweetie?"

Ellie shrugged, "Do… do you think he's okay?"

"Conner?" Nico asked. After she nodded and made eye contact, he smiled, "I'm sure he's absolutely fine. We're just making a mountain out of an anthill, just wait."

Ellie smiled and nodded. "Okay… can I-"

"No. You can't come to look for him." Nico interrupted, standing up.

"Why not? I'm not having breathing problems-"

"It's not that Ells." Nico bent down in front of her to make eye contact. Lowering his voice, he said, "If there is something sinister going on, I don't want you in the middle of it. Or your mom or brothers. I almost lost you two once, and I'm not going to let it happen again. And those two?" He nodded toward the boys' room where laughter was heard, "Are simply just as irreplaceable. So, with that said, you three are staying here." He kissed her forehead and stood up.

"The very slight downside to being a mom; you gotta stay home with the babies." Riley winked at Ellie, but focused her attention on her mate standing in front of her. He murmured something to her in a flirty tone and raised an eyebrow, so she glanced at Ellie and smirked.

As her mom started to murmur something back, her dad leaning down a bit as well, Ellie muttered, "Yeah, you two have fun with that." Then she stood up and walked to her room as fast as she could.

Nico snorted, "Well that got her out." He leaned his wings on the countertop, effectively trapping Riley where she was.

Rile smiled flirtatiously, "Was that your initial plan?"

"Mhm…" Nico murmured, leaning closer.

"And now I'm starting to wonder what exactly your initial plan is now?" she whispered, their beaks a centimeter apart.

About to kiss her, Nico smiled, "I should think it's very obvious, babe."

A very loud belch suddenly erupted from the boys' room and Riley's eyes widened. Ellie yelled from her room, "Hey knock it off! That's disgusting!" The boys were laughing very hard as Nico slumped, resting his head on his mate's shoulder. "Way to ruin the moment…"

"Well that was the 'initial plan'." Mason's voice sounded from very close by.

Nico sat up straight and cooed to Riley, "To be continued." He then kissed her hard on the beak before whipping around, "And YOU, sir, are going DOWN!"

Mason screamed bloody murder as Nico chased him around the living room and into Ellie's room. Ellie's voice soon mixed in with the noise, yelling for them to, "GET OUT!"

Riley sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering to herself, "Just another day at the Canary home."

**So I know you're all wondering first off where Conner is? Next chapter, my friends; NEXT chapter! ;) Hehehe AND NIGEL'S BACK! Come now, you all didn't seriously forget about him did you? ;)**

**And you're all probably wondering and guessing who his employer is? I'm not gonna lie when I say that it's fairly obvious Lol But what could he want with Conner? Does he want someone w/ close family ties to get inside maybe? I dunno, we'll just have to wait til next chapter to see! Lol I feel so evil right now Hehe**

**Oh! And the squad is back! YES! There is soooo much to come people; it's gonna be one big ending! But that's later ;) One chappie at a time, right?**

**By the way, the boys' big burp interrupting NicoxRiley moment? I about DIED when I came up w/ that part bc it was totally out of the blue and it was hilarious AND it's 1 AM! Lol Hope you guys enjoyed that part as much as I did ;)**

**Okay okay, it's obvious that I'm lacking in sleep on a vast level and I sacrifice my precious sleep that I love to write for you guys! So! In your thanks, type me a nice and wonderfully long review as payment for my updates and lack of sleep Lol ;)**

**Alright, I gotta go. I keep rambling. See you in Chapter 7! EmK out ;)**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	7. The Scandal

**Here's chapter 7 guys! It's really interesting, and you're all gonna enjoy! :D It was quite a pain in the butte to write though, lemme tell ya Lol It is a little bit shorter than my usual chapters as well, so sorry about that. I don't think you'll be complaining though ;)**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: The Scandal**

Nico landed on a branch of the tall tree tiredly, the rain still coming down and hitting his bottlecap with a steady plink. Pedro landed beside him, shaking his feathers a bit to get the water off even though he was still getting rained on. It was nearing eight o'clock in the evening and the two birds hadn't found a single trace of Conner. Turned out he hadn't gone to Rafael's the night before.

Carlos and Rafael were seen in the distance and they soon landed beside them, each sighing in exhaustion. "Find anything?" Carlos asked.

Nico shook his head as he looked around with a sigh, "No…"

Rafael looked up at the sky, "Well, we have another hour or so before we won't be able to see much else."

Pedro nodded and stood back up, "Why don't me and Raf continue lookin that way and you two go that way?"

The canary brothers readily agreed and the friends split up again. As they flew, Nico glanced over at his brother, who was scanning the ground. Nico focused on the trees and didn't say anything, but after another few minutes, he couldn't remain silent any longer.

"Carlos, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it that way, but I didn't think about the multiple implications the statement could have meant. Forgive me?"

Carlos glanced over at him before shrugging, "I took it as an offense because I was upset. I knew you didn't really mean it that way; I was just looking for something to get more upset about. You've got nothing to be sorry about."

"I do though. I'm too laid back and don't think about stuff enough; you might think about stuff a bit too much, but the fact that you think at all is good. I just assume everything's going to be fine." Nico frowned.

Carlos sighed, "Nico, it's fine." He smiled at his brother a little, "Really. I'm just… paranoid I guess."

Nico smiled as well, "There's nothing to worry about where Conner's honesty is concerned. He might be in danger, but I don't think he's out to hurt us. Even Riley said why would he save Ellie if he was going to turn around and hurt her?"

Carlos nodded in agreement. "True. But still I can't help but think that Conner's hiding something."

"Yeah…" Nico mused. "Deep down I always had the same thought, but I didn't want to question it."

"Well we can ask when we find him." Carlos said distractedly, looking in front of them.

Nico looked forward to see the forest thickening around them. "Should we turn back?" Carlos asked.

They slowed, but Nico shook his head, "We don't want to find out later he was in here if we didn't look." Carlos nodded and they pressed forward.

As if it hadn't been raining enough, the skies suddenly opened up and the rain started falling at a faster rate. Thunder and lightning split through the sky, catching the birds off guard, so they landed in a tree to catch their breath.

The sound of the rain loudly hitting Nico's bottlecap caught Carlos's attention and he asked, "How do you put up with that?"

Nico glanced up at his cap and shrugged, "I dunno; you get used to it, I guess."

Carlos nodded and slowly, but deeply inhaled. Nico turned to him in concern, "You alright?"

Carlos smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm good. Not too much pain, I'm just testing my lungs."

Nico replied with some caution, "Alright, but if you can't handle it, tell me so we can get back home." His brother nodded in agreement. Nico looked up at the sky, "Okay, I'm gonna give us about ten minutes before we actually do go home. We can't stay out here in the rain much longer."

The brothers took off again, tiredly flying through the rain and trees, hoping to find the missing teen. The ten minutes flew by quickly and soon they were heading back home. They talked about where he could possibly be when a small flash of yellow caught Nico's eye. He halted to an immediate stop and he looked to the ground where he thought he had seen it.

"What?" Carlos asked, looking down also.

After a few seconds of silence, Nico started to shake his head to say nevermind but he saw it again. A few patches of yellow could be seen in the mud below and it clicked in both canaries' minds at the same time what it was.

"Conner!" Both dove down and slid in the mud a bit when they landed. Nico rolled Conner onto his back to discover he was out cold, burning with a fever from being out in the cold rain for almost a full day, and he had some cuts and bruises on his wings, neck and face.

Carlos shook him as Nico took his pulse, "Come on, kid; wake up!"

Nico sighed, "It's no use; we've gotta get him to my place." He stood up, his talons slipping in the mud a bit, but when he was stable, he helped Carlos pull Conner onto his back. When Conner was situated, Nico took off, Carlos following at a close pace.

**Xxx**

Ellie sat at the kitchen table doodling on a piece of paper as she waited for her dad and uncle to return. Pedro and Rafael had just returned, both stating they had found nothing but Nico and Carlos were still out looking. Both had soon left after saying they needed to get back home to their own families though.

Riley sat down next to her with a cup of water and gingerly smiled, "I'm sure he's fine."

Ellie nodded and managed a smile, "I know… We're all probably worrying over nothing."

Riley agreed, "Probably-"

The door suddenly flew open and three soaked canaries staggered in, one slung over Nico's shoulder. Ellie gasped and jumped up, "Conner!"

Nico quickly moved past her, grunting, "Riley, clear off the table."

Riley obeyed and Nico gently set the unconscious teen onto the table; thankfully by now most of the mud had washed off in the rain. Ellie stood close by as Nico tried to revive him, Carlos ordered Riley to get warm blankets and he himself started pouring some water. Carlos walked over and, with Nico's help, poured some down Conner's throat.

Riley ran back in, throwing a few blankets on the floor beside the table and quickly covering Conner up. She put a wing on his forehead and sighed, "He's got a fever."

"How hot?" Nico asked.

Carlos also asked, "Hot enough for the Sanctuary?"

Riley shook her head, "No, I think we can take care of it. If it's worse by tomorrow then we'll take him."

"Where'd you find him?" Ellie suddenly asked, taking a timid step closer.

Nico stood up straight and sighed, "A couple miles east of here. He was just lying in the mud."

"How in the world-" Riley started, but Nico cut her off.

"I don't know Riles. We'll ask when he wakes up."

Riley sighed and nodded, "Alright. But in the meantime, I won't have you two getting sick." She handed her mate and brother-in-law towels, which they readily accepted. In the meantime, Ellie pulled up a chair and sat next to Conner. She watched his chest slowly rise and fall for a long time, but each second praying that he'd be okay.

**Xxx**

Carlos landed on his porch a little bit later, sighing in exhaustion and hoping to go to bed soon. Hopefully Lindy wouldn't mind if he went to bed early; she never really did though, that's how sweet and caring she was. It was his two girls that would be saddened; but they'd probably understand as well. He made a mental note to make sure to spend extra time with them tomorrow.

He opened the door and walked inside, casually calling, "Lindy, I'm back!"

Only a slight shuffling sound answered him as he walked into the living room. What he saw there stopped him dead in his tracks.

Lindy, Sarah and Maggie were all tied to the kitchen chairs, gags in their beaks, and a stinging welt was easily visible on Lindy's left cheek, even in the dim hollow. Lindy tried to yell something as she struggled against her bonds desperately.

Carlos snapped out of his daze, but he was suddenly grabbed from behind and held in an arm lock. He started to struggle but froze in complete and total fear when a small dagger was held tightly to his throat.

"Miss me?" Tanner sneered in Carlos's ear.

Carlos was shaking uncontrollably, every nightmare of his injury replaying in his mind over and over. He blinked and swallowed hard, hoping he'd wake up from this one any second now. But he didn't; this was indeed a nightmare, but it was real.

Carlos finally found his voice, but it was real shaky when he asked, "W-what do you want?"

"What do I want?" Tanner asked calmly. "I want the same thing that I wanted thirteen years ago. And because of you two, especially _her_," he glared at Lindy, who glared right back, "My plans weren't fulfilled."

Carlos gulped and slowly put his wings up, "Alright, just… just calm down, okay? I've got nothing. Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you, just don't hurt my girls."

Tanner pondered his pleading words, not failing to notice how shaky Carlos was. Breathing a short laugh, he said, "You know, that one kid was right; you _are_ kinda wimpy nowadays." He suddenly removed the dagger and shoved Carlos forward.

Carlos almost fell flat on his face, but caught himself just in time. He scrambled up and faced his enemy, who hadn't moved, but was still wielding his weapon. Carlos didn't take his eyes off Tanner as he slowly walked around the table to Lindy.

"Don't you even think about touching those bonds yet or I will have to start hurting people." Tanner warned.

"I'm not." Carlos stated in a very soft tone. Lindy looked up at him with a questioning expression, but Carlos didn't look away from Tanner. He knew that doing anything, even a slight movement, would set Tanner off and make him even more violent. Keeping the assassin as calm as possible was key right now.

Carlos swallowed, "What do you want from us?"

Tanner smirked, "My plans never changed, they just became more and more improvised over the years, hence my delay." Sheathing his weapon on his left hip, he added, "But before I go, I just wanted to give you a little tip about your new friend Conner."

Carlos tensed when Tanner approached him, but he didn't move a muscle. Tanner stopped a few inches in front of him, staring deeply into his enemy's eyes. "Conner can't be trusted. So don't."

Carlos blinked, "Why would you warn us about something like that? It's not like you want to help us or anything."

Tanner shrugged, "It'll make things easier later on. Just know that he isn't just some kid from Venezuela who just up and moved here when mommy died. There's more to him than that. Just like there's more to you, Nico and Lindy."

Carlos thought, "So you're telling me that he's untrustworthy? Just like Lindy was untrustworthy at one point. Well even she switched sides."

Tanner stepped an inch closer and seethed, "Things never happen the same way twice, Carlos. And that's a fact."

Carlos swallowed and curtly nodded, "I agree."

Tanner smirked, "That's cuz I'm right." Darkness suddenly clouded his eyes as he added, "But let me tell you this," He lunged forward, shoving him back and roughly pounding Carlos's backbone into the wall half a foot behind him, making him cry out at the pain clawing through his chest. Lindy and the two girls tried to scream or cry out when Tanner pulled out his dagger again and said in a fake patient voice, "If you think that you and your family are going to get out of this again, you're sorely mistaken."

Tanner placed the tip of the blade on Carlos's scar to make a point, effectively making the canary's heart rate sky rocket. Tanner smirked and backed away, "I'll see you folks later." He sheathed his weapon and quickly walked to the door, leaving the family dumbstruck and terrified in their hollow.

Carlos was almost in a blind panic as soon as he disappeared, full out panting like a wild dog. Lindy finally managed to loosen her gag and spit it out to comfort him as he slid to the floor with his face in his wings, "Carlos! Carlos, listen to me honey, it's okay. You're fine; we're fine. It's gonna be okay."

Carlos took multiple deep breaths and eventually his heart rate did slow. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked behind Lindy to loosen her bonds. When she was out of her chair, together they freed their girls from their chairs, hugging them both tightly and telling them everything was okay.

Lindy, holding Maggie tightly, murmured, "Why Carlos? Why didn't he just kill us?"

Carlos swallowed thickly, trying to keep his voice strong, "To make a point."

"A point?"

"Just to teach us that he can come in here at any time and do whatever he wants; he's unstoppable. Nothing can prevent him from doing whatever he wants."

"Daddy?" Maggie suddenly asked.

"Yes sweetheart?" Carlos looked down at her.

"Who was that guy?"

Carlos paused and sighed quietly. Finally he looked back down at her and replied, "He's a guy that Uncle Nico and I once knew. Uncle Nico made a promise to help him, but he accidentally broke that promise, so that guy, Tanner, became a really bad guy. He's always wanted to get back at me and Uncle Nico for that."

He paused, then looking at both his daughters, added softly, "Girls, listen to me; I don't care where you are or who you're with, but if you _ever_ see him anywhere again, I want you to turn around and fly away as fast as you possibly can and hide. If he sees fit to hurt or kill you, he won't hesitate to do it. Do you understand?"

Sarah nodded, fear in her eyes, but Maggie only sat there with wide, tearful eyes. Conner almost pouted and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, I don't want to scare you. I just want you to be safe." Tears sprang to his eyes and he could do only so much to keep them from spilling over.

"Aww dad!" Sarah frowned and hugged him. Lindy then joined the feather pile, hugging her family from a standing position. She kissed the top of Carlos's head and rubbed his back soothingly, trying to calm him down. Only in his nightmares would Tanner return like this.

A loud knock at the door suddenly interrupted them. Carlos jumped up from the pile and waved them away; Lindy immediately led her girls deeper into the living room. Carlos slowly advanced to the door, exhaled and pulled it open to reveal…

"Camille?"

"Hey Carlos…" she smiled, but the look in her eyes said she needed to come in and talk.

He stepped aside and let her walk in, glancing around to look for the others. As she walked past however, she murmured, "Don't look for them. We tried to keep this casual."

Carlos closed the door, followed her to the living room and stared at her with his wings crossed. Camille turned to Lindy, "Are you alright?"

Lindy nodded curtly, her wings crossed as well. "You guys just sat there while he was here?"

Camille shook her head, "No. We knew Tanner was headed somewhere, but we didn't know exactly where and we couldn't follow him that easily. Carlos was just walking in when we got here."

"If you're trying to catch him, then why didn't you just do it?" Carlos asked incredulously. "Seriously, he was right here!"

"Carlos, there is so much about this case that you don't know that we had to back off on purpose. But this time, we're going to catch him; that much we're certain of." Camille replied calmly.

"And where's he going now?" Carlos raised his eyebrows. "Is he going to-"

"No, he's not going to Nico's or any of the others' homes. He wanted to come straight to you. But the Commander has already set up posts at everyone's hollows, so we don't have to worry about Tanner invading. We'll catch him before that happens again."

"So what exactly _is_ your plan?"

Camille sighed, "We're still working on a definitive plan. But you need to go to Nico's and stay there; everybody stay together. I'll escort you there right now."

**Xxx**

Conner stirred around ten the next morning, shivering a tad as he cracked his eyes open. All he could see was the wooden ceiling almost a foot above his head. He swallowed, trying to remember his last memory; what he did remember made him shiver again and he gulped, emitting a small sigh afterwards.

The sound of talons on the floor nearby made him stiffen, but Ellie suddenly moved into view and he immediately relaxed. She put a wing on his forehead and almost squealed, "Mom! Dad! His fever broke!"

More talons on the wood were heard before Nico and Riley appeared on either side of him. "Hey kiddo," Nico murmured, feeling his forehead. "How ya feeling?"

Conner swallowed thickly and shrugged in a raspy voice, "Not too shabby."

Nico and Ellie smiled as Riley asked, "Do you want anything? Food or water?"

"Water would be nice." Conner whispered with a thankful smile.

Riley smiled and went to the kitchen. Nico slowly asked, "Do you remember what happened?"

Conner froze. He did know what happened. And the only thing nice about what happened was that it gave more intel on Nico. He now knew that Nico wouldn't let something like this slip. But at least he knew that Nico was an ally. Carlos too actually.

Conner rolled his eyes a bit as he closed his eyes. Sighing he nodded, but murmured, "Carlos needs to be here when I explain."

Nico glanced toward the living room, "He's already here; they came over last night and stayed."

Conner's eyes snapped open in fear. "Why?" he whispered.

Nico stared into his eyes. It was beyond clear now that Conner knew a great deal more than he ever let on. He looked away and said, "We'll talk about that later, okay? Just know that Carlos is kinda jumpy right now. He's not the same Carlos that you've been around in the past week."

Riley returned, helping Conner drink the water and gave Nico a questioning glance. Nico shook his head a tad, noting to tell her later.

Around twenty minutes later, Conner was fast asleep and Nico was telling Riley what he had said. "When he wakes up again, we'll bring Carlos and Lindy in and we'll talk."

"But why does he need Carlos to be here?" Riley asked in confusion.

Nico shrugged, "I don't know. But if he trusts Carlos enough that he needs him to be here, and that's what it takes to get information, then we'll do it."

**Xxx**

Later that evening, everyone was sitting around the living room in a wide circle, even the twins and Carlos's girls. Nico purposely wanted everyone to be there so if there was something serious at stake, they'd all know about it. Even though he knew it would cause intimidation.

Conner was sitting across from Nico in the circle, staring down at his wings. He didn't look as fearful anymore, although you could still see it in his eyes a little bit.

Finally Nico looked over at Carlos, who nodded to him. Carlos seemed to be doing much better than yesterday and this morning. The attack had definitely thrown a wrench in his mental stability; he was fine though. For now.

Nico looked over to Conner and quietly broke the silence, "Conner?"

The teen slowly looked up at him and he continued, "I want you to know that everyone here is on your side. I don't know what you're hiding, but I can tell it isn't something that we'd shun you for." Conner breathed a slight scoff at that, but Nico continued, "Just be honest with us, and we'll be honest with you. Seriously."

Conner sat up straight and stared back at Nico, then at Carlos for a few minutes. Both looked equally pensive, but curious to know what he was hiding. Conner swallowed and looked back down at the floor, "Where do you want me to start?"

Nico looked over at his brother, and after a few moments, replied, "The beginning. It would probably be easier to explain the full story, wouldn't it?"

Conner bit his lip but nodded. After nearly a minute, he finally sighed and began, "My story begins eighteen years ago. I'm only seventeen, mind you. My mom was a performer at the local club in our hometown in Venezuela—she sang, danced, and mostly made friends. Anyone new that came in, she met. But she met this one guy who she'd never seen before, but they kinda had a thing for each other the entire day; ultimately they had an oops baby."

Conner raised his wing with a roll of his eyes. "I was never part of the plan, but hey, don't always get what you want. Anyway, my dad ended up taking off the day after they met and never came back. My mom was obviously heartbroken, but even she admitted that she was stupid for trusting him in the first place. She found out about me a couple weeks later, had me later on, yada yada. Nothin really interesting happened until I was sixteen.

Growing up, my mom always told me that if my dad ever showed up, hide. I never knew why; she never told me anything about him except not to be around him. I never understood until I was sixteen when one night, he showed up."

When Conner paused, Nico stole a glance at Carlos. He didn't like where this was going. Conner continued, "My mom was on the other side of the table from me when he walked in. He stood there for a few seconds, none of us moving, but when he made the first move… I swear, it's honestly hard to remember what happened. But…"

Conner suddenly stood and randomly took off his vest, "I never wanted anyone to know what he did to me on the very first day I met him, so I've worn this ever since." Conner turned around to reveal a long horizontal, jagged and darkened scar on his back. A few of the girls gasped while Nico and Carlos merely gaped. Even Lindy was highly concerned at this point. Conner turned back around, "That was the only thing he ever gave to me and I hated him for it, but what I'll never forgive him for was murdering my mom. Right in front of me. And he wasn't exactly merciful about it."

"After his dirty work was done, he left without a word. As she was lying there dying, and me bleeding just as profusely, she told me who he really was and that he was planning on killing some birds in Rio de Janeiro by the names Nico and Carlos; both were brothers, canaries, and Carlos could be identified by some 'signature scars' on his chest and back."

Carlos's eyes narrowed when Conner relayed that. Conner continued before he could say anything, "She told me that I had to go to Rio and help that family before he killed them. That was the last thing she said to me before she died besides I love you. I promised her I'd try… so after I healed enough, I came. When I got here, I didn't think that helping some random girl at The Branch would turn out to be the oldest daughter of one of the canaries I was looking for. Finding you guys turned out to be easier than I thought."

Before Conner could say another word, Carlos interrupted, "So what happened yesterday?"

Conner frowned, "I was kidnapped by a white cockatoo named Nigel. He's…what?"

Nico, Carlos, Lindy and Riley had all frozen to their seats when Conner mentioned the name. "What?" Riley asked.

Lindy turned to Carlos, "Why would he be back here?"

"Who else was involved?" Nico eagerly asked.

Conner sighed, "Well… my dad."

Nico frowned, thinking about everything Conner had said about his past. Everything that had happened to him… His eyes suddenly snapped open in recognition. Conner's scar on his back…Carlos's scars… even he had some scars from the blade…

Conner swallowed, voicing Nico's thoughts, "My dad's name is Tanner."

**Okay, first off I want to say to Niah09, WELL DONE for practically figuring it out! Lol When I read that in your review, I went NOOOOOOOOO PLZ Lord, don't let anyone read that! Nobody brought it up, so hooray! It was originally my idea though ;) Lol Oh, also, IloveNico1000x, apologies for a teensy-weensy little lie; people didn't ask me questions in PM's, they, meaning Niah09, asked in reviews, but if I said that to you, it would give it away cuz you would look would it not? Lol So, sorry, it had to be done! Hehehe**

**But what do you guys think of Conner's story! And that he is Tanner's son? Lovely privilege, right? *Scoffs* And yes, Carlos might be on the verge of a possible mental breakdown if Tanner attacks him again; don't rush me ;)**

**Alrighty, lemme know in a wonderfully long review how this chapter is! Let me know what you liked/disliked and I'll try my best to get going on the next chapter! :)**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	8. The Siege

**Now this is the length I like! ;) Sorry, had to point that out Lol**

**Anyway, this chapter is quite interesting and I just know that you'll love it! Be prepared though! From here on out, things are gonna get hectic ;) Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: The Siege**

Silence filled the hollow as everyone stared at Conner, completely dumbstruck. Conner didn't know what else to say; his father was this family's arch nemesis, the maniac homicidal bent on torturing and killing them all. Nothing else could be said.

Heavy breathing suddenly caught everyone's attention, and Nico's head snapped to Carlos. The canary was breathing slowly and deeply, his face getting paler by the second, and his wings were shaking. "You've gotta be kidding me…" he whispered, standing up and starting to walk away, on the verge of a panic.

"Carlos." Nico jumped up, grabbing his wing. "Carlos! Listen to me!" He pushed him onto the wall and made him look back at him as he said, "Listen to me. We're fine. Alright? This doesn't affect anything; he's here to help us. I need you. Okay? I _need_ you to stay with me. Nothing is going to happen to you again. I promise." He stared into Carlos's terrified eyes, trying to keep his little brother's mental state together. "Stay with me." He whispered.

Carlos swallowed thickly and nodded, "I'm here." Breathing heavily, but gradually slowing his heart rate, he whispered, "I'm here."

Nico relaxed and squeezed his wing, "Alright. Why don't you relax then; Lindy, water please."

Lindy stood and hugged Carlos tightly for nearly a minute before going to get him some water. Nico sighed heavily and walked around the circle of chairs, thinking hard about what to do. He ran a wing across his face and down his neck as he weighed the options, trying to think of what they could do. If it was the last thing he did, he _had_ to keep Carlos, and obviously both families, away from Tanner at all costs. But when said families are all the assassin wanted, how do you exactly go about doing that?

"Nico?" Riley whispered right beside him. Nico jerked, but only glanced at her; he released the back of the chair that he hadn't realized he had been squeezing tightly. He heavily sighed, shaking his head a little bit to Riley; she closed her eyes and exhaled a little bit. The look in his eyes said exactly what he couldn't say out loud for Carlos and the kids' sakes: he had no idea what to do.

Conner sat there miserably, glancing around the room every few seconds. All the kids were merely staring off into space, thinking about the possible ramifications of the latest news. None of what they could ever come up with could compare to what Tanner could really do, of course; that much he knew. He looked to the other side of the room where Nico had left Carlos, his wings now covering his beak as he sat slumped over in his chair, Lindy trying to coax more water into him. Nico wasn't kidding when he said his brother would be a totally different bird.

Nico turned back toward Conner suddenly, the distraught expression on his face clawing at the teen's heart. Nico hesitated, but asked, "How… how did you know about us? I mean, how did your mom find out about us?"

Conner thought for a few moments, trying to remember, "Umm… I don't exactly know how, but after she became pregnant with me and Tanner left, but before I was born, she somehow became enlisted in a local squad. But her job was to stay in one location and just live normal and raise me once I hatched, which she did. But apparently she got info on a regular basis on Tanner's whereabouts, or just local busts. She knew all about the war here when Ellie was little… she knew about how you stayed here three years before.

I almost bled to death in our hollow after Tanner left, but a couple birds I'd never met before came in a day later or so and took me to the nearest Bird Aviary Center. They buried my mom for me and everything. But they are the ones who gave me more intel on you guys, how to find you and stuff."

"Why wouldn't they escort you here?" Carlos asked softly from his chair.

Conner shook his head with a small shrug, "I have no idea. If they were spies, you'd think they'd do that."

Lindy suddenly piped, "I remember that day in Venezuela. The day Tanner met your mom." Everyone turned to her as she stood, speaking a little louder, "We had just finished a bunch of jobs and Clyde decided to give us one day off; a full twenty-four hour period, and he didn't care what we did. We weren't staying in that city any longer and didn't plan on returning, so it didn't matter who we met. Most of us went to that club your mom performed at, and I wasn't too far away when they met."

Lindy shook her head a little, "We all thought to ourselves that he shouldn't be such a flirt with a girl that one, he just met, and two, he'd never trip over himself to take care of, IF the situation would call for it. Well, next day when Tanner doesn't show up on time, we all knew what was going on. Needless to say, Clyde was pretty upset.

"Come to find out a few months later that you had hatched. Tanner…" Lindy paused, not wanting to hurt Conner's feelings.

Conner shrugged, "Shrugged it off? It never was a big deal, Lindy. I was never a big deal in his eyes. He took off. And it isn't his taking off that got me so upset. It was his returning and tearing my life apart." For the first time, everyone saw and heard the anger within him. Conner looked away with a shake of his head, "I came here not only because I promised my mom I'd help you, but also because I didn't want him ruining your lives also. He needs to be stopped."

Ellie looked at him sadly, speaking for the first time in a while. "But you got here, didn't you?"

Conner's eyes met hers, although they were skeptical. She pressed, "We could always use another set of wings to help us with this."

Conner shrugged, "There's nothing I can do."

"Not true." Nico shook his head. When Conner looked up at him, he said, "Never say there's nothing you can't do. There's plenty to be done, and anybody and everybody can pitch in at some point. Stuff like this…" Nico paused, thinking. "It's like a performance at The Branch. Birds go in there to hear music all the time, and they associate that music with my face and Pedro's, right? Well it's not just me and Pedro; there are the people backstage, behind the scenes doing the inner workings. There are the instrumentalists, directors, machine operators, light crew, and more, believe it or not."

Everyone chuckled a tad at the long list Nico was spieling at a fast rate. He grinned, "Seriously though, spy work is the same exact thing. It sounds easy, but it's so technical that it requires all hands on deck, _especially_ for those directly involved. And that would be every single bird in this room. All of us need to be on the same page on this; we are _all_ targets here. So we need to stick together for now and wait for instructions from the team. Any questions?"

Carlos raised his wing, "Did you ever think about being a persuasive speaker?"

Everyone laughed and Nico lightly slapped his brother's shoulder, "Good to have you back."

"Ah, I'm hangin in there." Carlos smiled.

Riley stepped in, "So what do we do? Lie low?"

Nico sighed and looked away, "Half of me wants to go outside and find the Commander; he can't be far-"

"Absolutely not." Carlos interrupted. "You're not going anywhere."

"I don't plan to, that's why I said half of me." Nico smiled a little. "But we can't just sit here either. Who knows what could happen…"

"Like?" Mason piped, naturally intrigued.

Nico breathed a very short laugh, "For one, they could smoke us out, leading to a complex trap outside, and also trigger your sister's asthma, making it even more difficult to stay together."

Mason's smile fell off his face, "Oh."

"This is serious, boys." Nico softly said, bending down to look at his sons fully. "This isn't a game. When Tanner is around, it takes a split second for something to happen, and in that split second," Nico snapped his feathers to make a point, "Anything _will_ happen. Not could; _will._ He's that unhesitant, uncaring, and flat out dangerous. And I won't lose any of you guys because you don't fully understand what could happen and you end up taking him for granted. Alright?"

Both boys and Ellie nodded, although the latter didn't need convincing. She was merely staring at the wall opposite her, Carlos's spearing playing over and over in her mind like an old horror film. She closed her eyes and looked down, trying to stem the images.

"Ellie?"

She looked up to see Riley bending down in front of her in concern; a quick glance at Nico showed he was also looking at her in concern. "I'm fine." She smiled weakly, but avoided eye contact.

Nico's eyebrows went down as he murmured, "What is it? Tell me."

Ellie shook her head, not wanting to talk about it, especially with the object of the nightmares sitting less than three feet away. "It's nothing." She whispered, glancing at Carlos.

Nico's eyes shifted in Carlos's direction, who thankfully wasn't paying any attention to them, and scooched closer, softly asking, "Nightmares?"

Ellie closed her eyes with a sigh and looked away, but nodded a bit. Nico reached up and kissed her temple, "Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

After a while, Conner had to turn away from the two families. Loneliness welled up inside him at an almost painful amount and he felt like if he sat here watching any longer, he'd cry. And with Ellie sitting there, or anybody really, he didn't want to do that.

He slowly stood up, walking into the nearest room with a window to get some air. Nico watched him leave the room with a deeply saddened expression on his face. After five minutes or so, Nico walked into the room and watched the teen for a few moments, leaning out the open window and letting the cool breeze outside blow through his feathers.

"I know how it feels, you know."

Conner slowly turned and saw Nico standing there, sad expression on his face. The older canary walked forward and leaned on the window sill also, looking down at the ground below. Conner watched him, waiting for him to continue.

Nico finally looked over at him as he said, "My family was captured by humans and another bird assassin. To cut to the chase, me and Carlos's parents were murdered, and we, along with many other birds, were tortured with needles and injections."

Nico paused, then stifled a laugh as he tried to pull the tears back, "All these years and it still makes me cry." He looked back at Conner sheepishly, both stifling small laughs. After a few quiet moments, Nico sighed and looked back at him, "I know what you're going through. So does Carlos. The difference is Carlos has gone through a lot more traumatizing circumstances, so if the right buttons are pushed, he's at his limit. That's why I had to stop him from walking away a while ago, because if I let him go into his shell, his mental state will crumble. We can't have that; we need him. He's a lot stronger than he remembers. But when traumatic stuff happens like that, you lose sight of what you once were. Things aren't the same."

Conner nodded, now understanding why Nico had been so tough on his brother earlier. Nico added, "While my amnesia definitely made me stronger back then, Carlos's injury has definitely been a thorn in his side, no pun intended. I obviously have to protect my family more than anything, but I absolutely cannot let Tanner get a hold of Carlos again. If he were to even survive another major injury like that, he'd be a goner mentally. I couldn't deal with that because we're so close; having him gone would tear me apart, but more importantly Lindy and the girls."

"So Lindy was a spy then?" Conner asked.

Nico winced and half nodded, "She worked with your dad."

Conner looked at him in horror, "And she's-"

"Done." Nico smiled. "In the big war here when Ellie was almost two, Lindy was forced to go undercover into our squad, was trained under Carlos, and her mission was basically to capture me and Carlos. We all ended up getting captured in the end. But she and Carlos fell in love during the whole ordeal, and she couldn't really betray us. She had wanted out for a long time; wanted freedom. Well after the war, and during Carlos's healing, the Commander, our leader, let her off the hook. She's had a clean slate ever since."

Conner exhaled softly, "Wow… you guys have quite the history."

Nico snorted, "And people wonder why my boys are so insane."

Conner laughed, "True."

"Hey! That's not very nice!"

"Yeah, where's a berry launcher when we need one?"

Nico rolled his eyes, "And they're obviously the sons of one of the sneakiest spies in the world because they can eavesdrop on said spy's conversation without being noticed!"

All three boys chuckled at Nico's comment, who in turn ruffled his sons feathers. "What're we gonna do with you two when we're underground?"

Cody gaped, "Underground? We're going underground?"

"No no, Cody," Mason smiled sweetly. "It's an expression; we're going in hiding."

Thinking of the possibility of going to the squad's hideout, Nico made a face, "Mmm, no; I meant we're going underground."

His sons both gaped at him like he had just proposed the most ludicrous idea in the world. Riley suddenly piped from behind them, "Hey, if they kept Rafael's kids in there for a few days and nobody died, it's gonna be okay."

Nico held up his wings, "I'm skeptical; but okay."

Lindy suddenly popped in with a tense expression, "Someone's at the door."

Nico walked out and waved everybody farther in. Carlos stood closer than everyone else as Nico opened the door tensely, but sighed in recognition, "Hi Heather!" He turned and waved Riley over, who quickly joined him.

"Hi! How are you?" Riley smiled to her high school friend. They weren't especially close, but grew up together over the years and knew each other very well.

Heather smiled sheepishly, "I'm alright." Both Nico and Riley saw that she actually looked rather frazzled. "Have either of you seen Dodger?"

Nico had to bite his tongue to not say anything mean about the female's son. He doubted that she and the teen's dad knew what he had done to Ellie.

Riley answered with a shake of her head, "No, why?"

Heather sighed heavily, "We haven't seen him in almost a day. He hasn't come home."

Nico frowned and walked inside for a moment. "Has anyone seen Dodger?"

Ellie and Conner shook their heads with confused expressions, as did everyone else. Nico frowned, whispering to himself, "This isn't good…"

Walking back to the door, he shook his head with regret, "The kids haven't seen him either. Sorry."

"It's alright. I just…" Heather stopped when her mate suddenly landed beside her.

"Philip!" Nico smiled, sticking out a wing.

The other canary shook it, "Hi Nico. You haven't seen him either?"

Nico shook his head, "No we haven't. We'll definitely keep our eyes open though."

"Thanks." Philip smiled, but it quickly disappeared. "Just want to warn you to keep your kids inside though. Lots of weird stuff is going on."

Riley and Nico frowned, and he asked, "Like what?"

"Well for one, there are monkeys everywhere. Usually they keep to their little section of the forest, but they're all over the place." Philip glanced around.

"Are they aggressive?" Nico asked.

Philip winced, "I don't… I wouldn't say they're being aggressive. But they are looking for something. We weren't around, but when we got home a few hours ago, our neighbors came by to say that a couple monkeys practically barged right in, didn't touch a thing, but only looked around for a few seconds and then took off. Nobody was hurt or anything; they had just come and gone. I've heard a few similar stories."

"So they're looking for somebody specific…" Nico murmured. To Philip he said, "Well that's… weird."

Philip nodded, "I know. But just keep your kids inside. We're not exactly the type of birds built for fighting with monkeys, so…" he smiled.

Nico chuckled, "I know what you mean."

Philip turned to his mate wistfully, "Well we better keep looking."

"Right." She sighed, accepting Riley's hug goodbye.

"We'll keep our eyes open for him; let us know if you find him." Nico smiled, patting Philip's shoulder.

"Good luck!" Riley added.

"Thanks, we'll need it." Philip replied before taking off after his mate to continue their search.

Nico and Riley turned and went back inside their hollow. Nico closed the door, a dark expression taking over his face instantly. Riley faced him with a concerned expression when he merely looked at the floor pensively, "What is it?"

Nico shook his head, "There's too much going on right now… And Dodger going missing isn't just a coincidence." He suddenly walked to the other end of the room and opened a narrow closet door, immediately rummaging around for something.

Carlos walked over, "What're you looking for?"

"Something that you won't want to see…" Nico muttered as he found what he was looking for and stood back up.

Carlos jumped a few inches back when he saw what Nico had in his wings: two four inch long spears. Riley exclaimed from near the door, "What do you think you're doing with those?"

Nico ignored her and turned to Lindy, "Here. You might need it."

Lindy looked him in the eyes with uncertainty but finally accepted it and its sheath. Carlos swallowed thickly as she put it on, asking his brother, "W-why do you have those?"

Nico shrugged, "Paranoia?" Tying his on his own waist, he sighed, "We need to have some sort of protection. I'm getting the feeling things are about to get hectic."

Lindy frowned, glancing down at the spear at her side, "How hectic?"

"If you ever see me pull out weapons like this, then it's gonna get hectic." He sighed.

Lindy nodded and Carlos walked around both of them, muttering, "Fine. But keep those things away from me."

"We plan to, honey; don't worry." Lindy replied softly.

Riley stepped forward, "Now hold on, why are you two preparing for a battle that hasn't even started yet? Are we going to the hideout?"

"Riley, I don't know what I'm doing, okay?" Nico replied, slight exasperation in his voice. "All I know is that Tanner is out there already preparing a battle, and we were oblivious until last night. And he's got Nigel and monkeys on his team; and who knows who else, really, probably more assassins. We've gotta come up with a plan and do it. Going to the hideout may not be safe, so my best bet right now is to just hunker down until we get instructions from someone."

"And what about the others?" Riley asked. "Pedro, Rafael and their families; even Blu and his family are in danger because of Nigel."

"I know. But we can only focus on ourselves right now, as selfish as that sounds. We are the direct targets and if Camille told Carlos that they're keeping an eye on everyone else, then we don't need to worry about it right now."

Riley sighed, sitting down tiredly. "Alright." She murmured.

Nico frowned and walked around the table, stood behind her and gently massaged her shoulders. "It's gonna be alright," He whispered to her, "I promise."

Riley relaxed and looked up at him with a small smile, "I know." Nico smiled and kissed her forehead lightly, continuing to massage her shoulders. Standing up straight, he glanced around the room, taking in the two families' moods and positions.

Ellie and Conner were have a light conversation a few feet away, Lindy had taken off her weapon so she could talk to Carlos, which she was now doing, the twins and two girls were sitting in a circle on the floor in the living room, talking about goofy pre-teen stuff. For now everything seemed calm enough for him to try and come up with a plan.

What none of them ever expected was the sudden sound of an explosion below them, rocking the entire tree to its core and sending vibrations through their talons and into their bones. Sounds of splintering wood and the cracking of the trunk brought them all back to reality when suddenly, their world started to lean.

Nico suddenly grabbed Riley and threw her toward the door, "GET OUT! EVERYBODY OUT!"

The tree started falling at a fast rate and the only thing everyone could do was scream bloody murder as they plummeted to the ground. The tree crashed in a heap, smashing bushes and plants below, even knocking into a few neighboring trees in its graceful plummet.

The sound of snapping wood finally stopped and the forest was silent once more. The fallen tree and home of the canaries lay on the forest floor, awaiting its future life to decompose there forever. The question was, would there be a future for anyone on the inside?

**Xxx**

"That did it! Well done boss!" The monkey snickered.

"Oh shut your trap and get over there! See if there are any survivors, and if there are, make sure they don't get away!" Tanner growled. "I doubt anyone will get out of their without injuries at any rate." Flapping into the air, he added, "Hurry it up! Get back to the rendezvous point at the allotted time, or it'll be your monkey butts to pay!"

The monkeys watched the canary fly away and disappear into the distance, a few grunting their dissent. Mauro, their leader, snapped them into shape, "You heard the bird! Shut your traps and get moving!"

The monkeys all screeched as they scrambled to obey, running over to the fallen tree as fast as their paws could carry them.

**Xxx**

Ellie slowly regained consciousness a few minutes after the tree fell, groaning as she tried to move. She was on top of something soft, but it wasn't exactly a comfortable position with her left wing yanked at a painful angle behind her back.

She gradually freed her wing and sat up, realizing she was lying on top of Conner. If this were any other type of situation, she'd probably blush. Instead she started waving his face and shaking him, whispering, "Conner! Conner!"

A soft groan escaped him a few moments later and his eyes fluttered open. Smiling a tad, he slowly sat up and groaned as he craned his neck, "Wow…"

His eyes widened when he looked around them, which Ellie hadn't done yet. She followed suit and her heart leaped; her entire family was still knocked out, lying in a torrent of feathers around them.

"Oh my gosh…" Ellie gasped, her breathing picking up a tad.

Conner held her face in his wings to gain her attention, "Hey hey, listen to me okay?" When she nodded, he continued calmly, "Everything's gonna be just fine. Alright? Let's just wake 'em up; just pretend their asleep. Think you can do that?"

Ellie swallowed and nodded. "Alright," He smiled, "Try to wake up Mason." He nodded to her brother, who was closest. Ellie nodded and immediately crawled over to him.

Conner turned around and searched with his eyes for Nico. He found him lying face down a few feet away, a small pool of blood forming next to his head. "Oh no…" he murmured as he carefully hopped over and turned Nico over.

He had a cut over his right eyebrow, but it wasn't too deep; just like any normal head wound, it bled a lot, but it would be fine. Conner started shaking him, "Nico? Nico can you hear me?"

A few more groans escaped from surrounding birds just as Nico's eyes fluttered open a few moments later. He looked around in shock for a few seconds, taking in the fact that they were lying on one of his walls. The floor was to their left, the door to their right… What scared him more though was his unconscious family.

Shakily, he tried to sit up, but immediately got dizzy. Conner stopped him, "Easy, papa bird; they're okay."

Nico winced, touching his eyebrow and looking at the blood on his wing. "Is this bad?"

Conner shook his head, "I've seen worse."

Nico nodded and crawled over to Riley as she started pushing herself up, "Alright." Slowly sitting her up, he smiled, "Easy, sweetheart. You alright?"

Riley looked around in shock, but nodded. A sharp, inhaled cry of pain a few feet to their right caught their attention; it was Carlos, lying on his back. He had tried to sit up, but the pain was definitely more than he could bear.

Conner and Nico crawled over, the former murmuring, "Hey, it's alright. Just take slow, deep breaths."

Carlos clenched his beak, trying his best to follow the orders, but soon tears were welling up in his eyes. "Oh my gosh…" he whispered, holding his wings over his beak. His talons dug into the floor tightly as if that would stem the pain.

Nico looked around; by now, mostly everyone was awake and nursing minor wounds. "Everyone okay?" Everyone nodded, Lindy crawling over to Carlos, murmuring stuff in his ear as she hugged him.

Suddenly, sounds of pattering feet were heard on the trunk above them. Nico instinctively unsheathed his spear, slightly wondering how he didn't get cut on it in the fall. He stood up and positioned himself under the window where he could hear voices that sounded sinister.

The window flap suddenly opened and a monkey's head popped in, screaming his head off to scare any and all birds; which he effectively did, except one. Nico swung his spear, effectively cutting the monkey across the nose.

The monkey screamed again, yanking his head back out. As soon as he disappeared, more monkey screams were heard, but angry this time. Nico waved everyone further inside, "Get back!"

All the birds moved out of the way, Conner and Lindy getting Carlos to his feet to help him also move. After leaving Carlos with the kids and Riley, Lindy retrieved her fallen spear and helped Nico protect the fallen hollow. Deep down they knew it was futile, but they had to do something.

Every monkey hand, foot, tail or face that emerged from any crack or opening in the wood, they slashed. The birds did their overall best to attack the monkeys as bloodlessly as possible for their kids' sakes, but on a few accounts, it couldn't be helped.

The monkeys above started slamming their fists on the thin wood angrily, managing to deepen the cracks. A large hole was suddenly created between Nico and Lindy, and one monkey tried to jump in. Lindy lunged forward and stuck her spear into its side, making it scream in anger. It whipped around, knocking Lindy off her feet and crash into some debris nearby.

"Lindy!" Carlos cried, running over to help her up.

The monkey was about to turn on Nico and attack him also, but two loud voices, one distinctly feminine, suddenly shouted from outside the tree, making him pause. The monkey hissed at Nico, but clambered out of the hole. Nico stayed in a defenseless position, not liking the sudden quiet outside the tree. Lindy and Carlos also remained tense from their spots near Nico; all the kids cowered behind Riley and the two older teens, fearing the worst.

All the birds froze in absolute fear when a snake's head and part of her body suddenly slithered into the hole. She sat there for a moment, her yellow eyes piercingly bright in the dim hollow. Finally her eyes fell on Nico and she hissed, "I highly sugessst you put that down and come outssside. All of you."

Nico swallowed, holding his spear in front of him in case she attacked. "And if we refuse?"

A slight growl was heard from within the snake's throat, and she snapped, "I'm a very venomousss ssssnake. I will not hesssitate to kill one or two of your little chickssss right now for what they did to my nessst. Now drop the weapon, or facccce my wrath."

Nico stared into her eyes for a few moments, but finally accepted that they weren't getting out of this. Not with the snake, or with the angry marmosets outside. And who knew who else…

Ever so slowly, Nico pointed his spear to the ceiling and held his wings out to the sides. Gently tossing the spear into the rubble to his right, he didn't move an inch, but muttered to Lindy to follow suit. She wanted to argue, but also realizing the gravity of the situation, slowly complied.

When both birds' weapons were far out of reach, Vanessa smiled almost patiently. "That'sss better. Now, all of you come out of the hollow and keep quiet. We don't want thissss getting any messssier than normal."

She slithered back out the hole and out of sight, leaving the birds there for a moment in silence. Nico turned around, whispering hoarsely, "That's the snake I presume?"

The kids all nodded and he sighed. "Alright, everyone listen closely. Whatever they tell you to do, just do it. We'll be fine, but for now we just need to obey orders."

"And then what?" Carlos whispered.

Nico looked away, unsure what to respond. Pounding on the wood above and a few yells were heard so he shouted, "We're coming!"

He walked over to Riley and held her tight for a moment. "I'm sorry… We should've left while we could-"

"No." Riley shook her head and looked him in the eyes, her wings still around his neck. "This isn't your fault. You didn't know what to do." She reached up and pecked him on the beak, relaxing him ever so slightly. "We'll be fine."

Nico nodded and kissed her softly before pulling back and walking over to the hole, muttering, "Come on guys."

"Nico," Conner stepped forward, holding out his beloved bottlecap.

Nico smiled and gratefully accepted it, placing it on his head gingerly as to not hit the cut on his eyebrow. "Thanks, kiddo." The smile disappeared as he jumped, gripped the sides of the hole and hauled himself out.

Looking around, he almost gasped; there had to be at least fifty angry looking marmosets, the Viper, and Nigel standing around. They were definitely not getting away easily, even with the benefits of flying.

One monkey grabbed his wing to yank him away, but he jerked his wing back roughly with a growl, "I'm helping my family out, so back off." The monkey gritted his teeth, but stepped back grudgingly.

One by one, Nico helped his family out; first came Riley, then Ellie, the twins, Sarah and Maggie, and Lindy emerged. Carlos stood on Conner's shoulders, thankfully the teen was strong enough to handle it, and managed to get out without a lot of pain, and finally Conner was the last to appear.

Vanessa slithered closer, "Lissten closssely. We're taking you to an unidentified location to our bossss. I'm sure you know who he issss. But no wordssss are to be sssspoken until we get there or there will be a penalty. Do I make mysssself clear?"

Nico and Carlos glared at her, but nodded; the family all followed suit, especially the younger kids, looking up at the big monkeys in fear.

Vanessa looked around at the monkeys, "Letssss go; we don't have much time before we're supposssed to meet him."

She immediately slithered away into the bushes nearby, and the monkeys surrounded all the birds, roughly shoving them into following. Nico led the way and Conner took the rear, the family making a long line of birds to make sure nobody got lost or hurt. The youngest kids were kept in the center, mostly away from the precocious marmosets.

Nico looked around, wishing that some bird would fly by, see their peril and help, or at least go get help. But then it dawned on him that no one had flown by in a long time. Heck, no one came by the hollow to see if they were alright! Anytime any tree fell, everyone within a few hundred yards could hear it, and they'd come by…

Tanner must've done something to distract everyone else. What, he'd maybe never know. All he knew now was that he and his family were being led to the one thing they had been dreading for years: Tanner.

**Uh-oh, where could they be going? Marmosets, a Viper, Nigel, AND Tanner? Who else could possibly be plotting to kill them? Why hasn't anyone come to help them out at all? And where is Dodger? Well I'm very glad you're asking me all these questions! Hopefully they will be answered in the next chapter ;) Hehehe**

**Well, thanks so much for reading and for all the awesome reviews so far! Don't forget to leave another one though ;) Haha**

**Oh! This is for Niah09! I think you asked me a few reviews ago if I liked Hunger Games? I LOVE HUNGER GAMES! Lol I introduced it to ILoveNico1000x, so I love it a lot! ;) hehe Oh, and don't worry; your babbling in the reviews doesn't bother me at all! Hurry up and get a FF account so we can talk, girlie! ;) Lol**

**Okay, enough babbling. I'll get working on the next chapter as soon as possible ;) It's gonna be great! Until then, happy reading! :D**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	9. Weaknesses

**Whoa buddy, this chapter is #1, huge, and #2, was a big pain in the butte to write! BUT it's crazy good and you peeps are gonna love it ;) Hold onto your tail feathers though; fear is about to be struck into your hearts Muahaha**

**Chapter 9: Weaknesses**

Rafael zoomed back inside The Branch with a couple of macaws, all three carrying small buckets filled to the brims with water. Once inside, they fluttered over the fire, dumping the water over it in the attempt to put it out. A few more birds swooped in, dousing the flames as well and soon, only smoke was spreading throughout the beloved club.

Rafael sighed in exhaustion as Miguel turned to him, "What was _that_?"

Rafael shook his head, thinking about what was going on before the flames took over…

Rafael, Miguel and a small group of birds were having a decent conversation when it happened. Everything was going as usual: a performer on-stage, instrumentalists on the side, light crew above, and then the crowd, dancing, cheering or singing along. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the explosion.

It wasn't very big; only big enough to frighten anyone around and to start a flame backstage. Everyone was asking each other what had happened when someone screamed "Fire!" from backstage. While most everyone ran or flew out immediately, Rafael, Miguel and about ten others scrambled to save their beloved club. Thankfully they had been able to do it.

Pedro suddenly landed beside Rafael, breaking him out of his thoughts for a moment, his feathers askew in distress, "Dude! We almost lost The Branch!"

"I know, amigo; but we didn't." Rafael patted his friend on the back, trying to comfort him, but was half distracted by his thoughts.

"What if we had though? What could we ever tell Nico and Riley!?" Pedro exclaimed.

Miguel smiled a little, "It's alright, Pedro. We were able to save it, so we don't have to worry about that. But the question now is what started it?"

"Miguel!"

The group turned to see a Crane walking toward them through the crowd with a squirming yellow canary in his talons. When close enough, he tossed the canary in front of them with a deep scowl.

"Dodger?" Rafael questioned with a frown. In the back of his mind, he remembered the teen's parents stopping at his family's hollow earlier that day, asking if they'd seen him…

The Crane interrupted, "I believe he has some explaining to do."

Miguel put a wing on his shoulder with a soft smile, "Thanks Roberto; we'll take it from here."

Roberto took a few steps back into the crowd, giving the small group some privacy. Dodger had long since stood, but his wings were crossed as he scowled at the ground by his feet. Miguel, Pedro and Rafael stood there for a few minutes, waiting for some sort of explanation.

After a few minutes of silence, Rafael finally spoke gently, "Alright Dodger, what's going on? Your parents have been looking everywhere for you for one, but then a supposed accident takes place here and you're accused of causing it? Just come clean; it'll make things easier."

Dodger's expression relaxed, but he didn't uncross his wings. After another minute, he finally shrugged, muttering, "I was just given a job."

Miguel and Rafael looked at each other in confusion, the former asking, "What kind of job? Blow up my club?"

"No." Dodger sighed with a roll of his eyes. "It wasn't even meant to get big; I intended for the size of the explosion to be the size that it was. The fire wasn't exactly intended…"

"Why did you intend for any of that to happen in the first place?" Rafael asked in confusion. "Did you want to hurt anyone?"

"No, I was set up dude!" Dodger growled. "Seriously, this wacko guy told me to take this small package to The Branch, put it backstage and at five o'clock, light the fuse! He was such a freak, I couldn't refuse him!"

"What are you talking about? What did he look like?" Miguel asked skeptically.

Dodger's confidence dwindled and a bit of fear replaced it. His eyes shifted a bit as he replied in a quieter tone, "He was a yellow canary, but…" He paused, looking down at his feet.

Rafael bent down to make eye contact, "Hey; you can trust us, okay?"

Dodger swallowed, "I met him last night. More like he met me. It was late and I was headed home after coming here, and he tackled me out of midair, held some kind of weapon to my throat and told me to take the package here. If I didn't, he'd come after me and my parents… He was so legit serious about it that I couldn't refuse; I mean, he could've killed me right there."

Miguel started sputtering about how illogical the story was, but Rafael held up a wing to stop him. The Toucan stood up straight and looked down at Pedro, equally fearful expression on his face.

Miguel frowned, "You don't seriously believe him, do you?"

Rafael looked up at his friend, "If there was anything that I knew was true, would you disagree with me?"

Miguel paused, knowing he was right. Rafael was so logical with anything and everything; he was ninety-nine percent right ninety-nine percent of the time. "So… who's the canary?"

Rafael sighed, looking back down at Pedro, "Someone we all need to stay away from."

Pedro's eyes suddenly widened and he whispered, "Nico…"

Dodger's eyes narrowed when Pedro suddenly whipped around and flapped into the air, leaving the club as fast as his little wings could take him. Rafael turned to him, quickly ordering, "You need to go home; right now. And stay there. I'm very serious about this, okay?"

Dodger nodded in honest agreement; if Rafael knew who the mysterious canary was, and _he _didn't want to see him, then he didn't want to run into him again either.

"I gotta go. Bye!" Rafael then turned and flew after Pedro, catching up to him in only a few flaps because he used some updrafts. They said nothing to each other as they flew straight into the forest and to Nico's. Rafael thought he could hear Pedro whispering to himself in fear, "Please don't let him find them… Please don't let him find them…"

The two birds rounded the bend over the river, expecting to see Nico and his family's hollow standing there, but they stopped in midair in shock and confusion. It wasn't there.

Rafael's eyes went straight to the ground, as that would be the next logical location for a missing tree of that size. What he saw made his heart almost stop. "Oh no…"

He swooped down to the fallen tree, Pedro quickly catching on. They landed on the ground, calling out the canaries' names as they looked inside. Upon closer inspection, they found the hollow deserted. They backed out and sat down, Pedro's mind racing and Rafael trying to think this one out. What happened? Where was everyone?

Pedro finally looked up at him, "Carlos's?"

Rafael nodded, "Yeah."

The two friends flew back into the air and made the normal five minute flight to Carlos's hollow in half that time. Calling for the family and looking around inside proved that they, too, were missing.

"Well crap." Pedro sighed, plopping down in the doorway, his legs dangling over the edge.

Rafael sighed as well, sitting down beside him. They sat there for a few minutes, trying to think where everyone could have gone? If Tanner got them, where had he taken them? Obviously he'd have some pretty good allies; no way he could capture and relocate that many birds by himself.

The two birds nearly jumped out of their feathers when a loud booming voice suddenly broke the silence, "Rafael! Pedro!"

Both jerked to their feet and looked up to see The Commander, Manny, Richie and Camille coming in for a landing. Before either could say a word, as they were thoroughly surprised that the team had returned, The Commander interrupted, "Nico and Carlos's families have been kidnapped. Marmosets, a Viper and Nigel, the deranged cockatoo that tried to smuggle the Blue macaws out all those years ago, are working for Tanner. They're taking them to an unknown location as we speak, but they got a good hour lead on us and we have no idea where they went. The episode down at The Branch was a diversion, and a successful one at that. Nobody out here was around when the canaries' tree went down due to another explosion at the base of the trunk. Tanner hired that teen canary to do his dirty work. Now, that should bring you up to speed. Rafael, I need a favor."

Rafael and Pedro stood there motionless, trying to grab all this information all at once. Rafael was naturally the first to come to grips with the situation; he nodded, "Sure, what can I do?"

"I need birds. Normally we do things like this in the dark where the inhabitants know nothing about it, but with that teen involved and a lot of monkeys bothering birds in their search for Nico's hollow, we can't hide it anymore. Tanner needs to be stopped and if in order to do that we need to step out of the shadows into the public eye, then we'll have to take that chance." The Commander replied in a serious tone.

Rafael nodded again, "Alright. I know just the place we can gather troops."

Richie grinned, "Troops! I like it!"

**Xxx**

Ellie felt like her feet were literally dragging as they kept walking through the forest. How her Uncle Blu did it for all those years, she'd never know. She kept forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths to keep her heart rate normal. She wasn't feeling on the edge of an asthma attack necessarily, but she wanted to keep as calm as possible so not to aggravate any potential attacks from occurring.

She looked around her once again, a few marmosets on either side of her, Mason and Cody walking in front of her, Carlos behind her. She could see her parents up ahead, her dad taking the lead behind the snake. Conner was regrettably at the back of the line, bringing up the rear. She wished he were up here with her. A dark shadow zooming overhead made her head snap up; she relaxed, sort of, when she remembered it was only Nigel.

She didn't see the root in the middle of the path as she was looking upward. As her talon dug into the root, Ellie took a nosedive into the dirt, squealing in the process. The troop stopped moving, Nico whipping around to see what happened, Conner's head snapping forward as well. Carlos bent forward to help her up, but a monkey shoved him back.

"Back off." He growled. To Ellie, he sneered, "Get up."

Ellie looked up at the monkey, trying to breathe slowly but her heart was starting to pound faster. Gingerly, she got back to her feet, but the monkey's tail suddenly knocked them out from under her, making her sprawl back to the ground.

"Don't touch her!" Carlos yelled, jumping in front of her.

The monkey growled and raised a fist to backhand him, but Vanessa's tail suddenly grasped it tightly. "Not here. We musssst continue on. You can do what you want later." She let his fist go and slithered back to the front of the line. The monkey hissed at Carlos and continued walking.

Nico had to walk backwards in order to watch Carlos help Ellie off the ground. He silently exhaled, catching Riley's attention; she too looked back. Their boys looked fine, but Ellie looked, not only scared, but a little weak. Her face was a tad bit paler than normal and it seemed like she was forcing herself to breathe shallower.

Nico clenched his beak and faced forward again. Shaking his head a tad, he mentally kicked himself as hard as he could. He could have taken his family somewhere, _anywhere_, to keep them out of harm's way. But no. Stay home and let the danger come to them. Great plan. The touch has officially been lost.

Riley put a wing on his shoulder, making him look back. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her beak, but he couldn't smile back at her. He faced forward again, knowing he couldn't just let this one go. He had screwed up big time, and now his family was going to pay for it. Unless he could help it. He _had_ to help it. They deserved so much better than this.

Nigel suddenly landed on a low branch above them, announcing, "We're here."

Nico peeked around the viper's slithery body and frowned, not seeing anything at first. But then, the ground sloped downward at a steep decline, and there he saw the mouth of a huge underground cave. Even in the early evening light that was gradually dimming down, he could see the light inside. He swallowed. Tanner was in there. He could feel it.

"Let'ssss go." Vanessa ordered, slithering down the slope with ease. Not being able to fly, the birds had to take more time so they wouldn't slip and break something. Thankfully everyone got inside without any injuries; except for Nigel, who stayed outside to watch for intruders.

The cave was actually, and surprisingly, much brighter on the inside; there were many candles around that were lit. The smoke wasn't thick and travelled out of the cave; although it was a little dim, everyone could see pretty easily. The cave was very long, tall and spacious, a few cardboard boxes on the left side and some cages on the far right being the only items of interest.

The thing that most everyone saw first was the yellow canary sitting on a rock, sharpening his spear. Nico tensed and stood rigid when Tanner looked up and almost smiled.

"Well, why didn't you guys tell me you were here? I would've started a fire. It's getting kinda chilly out." Tanner stood, sheathing his spear behind his right shoulder and walking forward. He stopped in front of Nico, staring into his eyes as the other canary merely glared at him.

"What? No snappy comeback?" Tanner asked with a slight scoff. When Nico still didn't respond, Tanner smiled but walked around him toward his family.

Nico turned around, but a monkey grabbed his wing to keep him from moving. Tanner walked toward Riley, the cocky smile still on his face. "Riley. You haven't changed much."

Riley swallowed thickly, trying to hide her fear, murmuring, "Neither have you."

Tanner smiled and turned to Ellie, who immediately looked away. Tanner observed her shallow breathing, her pale face; raising an eyebrow, he reached forward and cupped her face with his wing, making her look at him. She stiffened and her heart rate accelerated a little bit as he looked at her, Nico jerking a bit from his position. The monkey wouldn't let him go though.

"Hard to believe that such a pretty thing used to be that little cry baby." Tanner muttered, tilting Ellie's chin back and forth.

Ellie finally jerked her face out of his hold and he smirked, turning back to a highly restrained Nico, "Feisty."

Then he turned to Mason and Cody, both crossing their wings at him audaciously. He raised an eyebrow, "So you're the twins."

"Yeah, and I bet you can't guess which one of us is us either." Mason shot with a cocky smirk.

Tanner snorted and pointed to each, "Mason; Cody."

Mason rolled his eyes, "Nope," as Cody sighed in exasperation, "Aww how'd you guess?!" Both boys looked at each other incredulously. "Seriously?" Mason asked.

Cody guffawed, "What? What'd I do?"

Mason snorted, "What did you do… What did you do? We're supposed to be hiding our identities from the psycho standing before us now! We've been practicing this moment for years and it finally comes, and you just blow it!"

"Psh! Maybe you're just a little too obsessed with trying to fool the guy who knows us more than _we_ do!" Cody snapped, then his eyes widened, as did Mason's. Both looked up at Tanner with wide eyes.

Tanner had an eyebrow raised, his wings crossed as he leaned most of his weight on one leg and a curious expression on his face as he looked between the two boys. Finally he faced Nico with a smile, "You know, the only reason these two are still alive is because I find their stupidity _mildly_ amusing."

"Hey!" The boys exclaimed, staring up at him.

Nico exhaled heavily the steam that would normally be coming out his ears, "Boys, step down." His sons looked at him, realizing that they really needed to zip it.

Tanner laughed a little, shaking his head, "Come on, Nico. Relax! Whoever said I was going to kill you the second you walked in? I spared Carlos and Lindy's lives earlier didn't I? And their girls, for that matter."

Carlos finally piped, "Things never happen the same way twice, Tanner. You said so yourself."

Tanner paused, then chuckled with a shake of his head, "I did say that didn't I?" Looking up, he finally acknowledged Conner. With a smirk, he nodded, "Hi there _son_."

"You're not my dad." Conner growled.

"Actually I am. I just never cared enough to stick around and raise you." Tanner muttered, turning away.

"So why come back at all?" Conner asked, not holding back the thought that had been nagging him for the past year. "Why come back just to kill me and my mom, the only one I ever had?"

Tanner spun on his heel, facing Conner again with an impatient expression. "To cover my tracks. After I left, I found out your mom had enlisted in a local squad and she was keeping tabs on me. I knew all too well that would backfire one day, so what choice did I have?" He shrugged, "A sacrifice worth making, I'd think."

Conner shook his head with a slight smirk that almost matched Tanner's, "Only in your dreams."

Tanner stayed silent for a few moments as if pondering something before smirking back at his son. "So you're saying… that I'm wrong?" Conner frowned, but Tanner continued slowly, "You think that I can be taken advantage of?" He glanced at Nico, "I think I'll just have to… demonstrate just the opposite."

Tanner suddenly cocked his head at the monkey still holding Nico's wing, and it quickly jerked him away from the others. Nico naturally struggled, trying to pull away but the monkey obviously overpowered him. His family watched on, a few moving forward, but more monkeys formed a line before them so they couldn't advance.

Tanner had walked away with another monkey, stopping at a semi-large cardboard box lying on its side. He and the monkey dug around inside as the monkey dragging Nico took him to the middle of the room. Nico's squirming lessened when Tanner spoke to the group, walking out of the box toward him, "What you all need to realize is that not only will I not be taken advantage of while I have you, which is for the rest of your lives I might add," He stopped and grabbed Nico's neck, pulling him up to make stern eye contact before adding, "But I also know your weaknesses, making your last hours just a bit more fun."

The sadistic grin on his face made Nico's blood ran cold and he looked behind his enemy at the monkey advancing from the box. His eyes widened and he started shaking, "No."

Tanner let go and walked away, the grin not leaving his face as Nico's squirming turned to desperate struggling, his talons scraping across the rock painfully.

The others looked to the monkey advancing on him, and Riley gasped. The monkey was advancing on her mate with a long four-inch needle in his hands, the vial filled with some sort of drug.

"No!" Carlos ran forward, but a monkey grabbed him before he could get away. Lindy had also run forward, but also couldn't evade the primate. Ellie held the girls tightly, the trio on the verge of tears at the sight of Nico practically screaming to be let go before the needle could puncture his skin even once. Conner held the twins tightly, looking around wildly, wishing there was something he could do.

Riley struggled against the monkey holding her down. Elbowing him in the stomach as hard as she could, he doubled over and her wing slipped from his grasp. She ran forward, trying to attack Tanner while his back was turned.

"Stop it! Let him go!" She screamed at him, tears streaming down her face in desperation. Tanner easily overpowered her, holding her wrists tightly.

"I don't think so!" He snapped, his eyes full of deranged anger. "You and your family won't be getting off the hook this time and it's going to end here! And this time, I won't be the one on bottom!"

He threw her back to the waiting monkey and turned back to watch Nico get tortured by his greatest fear; he almost smiled in pleasure at the fact that now two fully grown marmosets had to hold the canary down.

**Xxx**

Rafael and The Commander looked around the overcrowded club, the Mottled Owl nodding at the gathering of birds. Rafael and Pedro had spread the word at The Branch that a very important meeting needed to take place, and everyone had quickly spread throughout the forest to gather their friends and family. Now Rafael and Pedro's families, as well as the Blue Macaw family, were stationed near the front of the stage, wondering as much as everyone else what the meeting was called for.

"This is good, Rafael." The Commander glanced at him with a small smile, still surveying the crowd. "Your knowledge of everyone has officially been used in the spy business."

"That's politics for ya." Rafael smiled with a shrug.

The Commander chuckled lightly, "True." After a few moments of silence, Rafael heard him mutter under his breath, "This'll be good."

The Mottled Owl then took a few limped steps forward, taking the front of the stage so everyone could see him. The room almost instantly quieted down, everyone eager to hear what he had to say.

"Ladies and Gents, thank you for coming and for your patience at this abrupt meeting. I'd like to introduce myself as only Pedro, Rafael and Blu's families know me. My name is Octavius; birds only call me The Commander though. I'm the leader of a squad of spies that travels around to protect locals from dangerous birds, smugglers and the like. Standing behind me are a few of my top agents."

The crowd naturally glanced behind him to see Manny, Richie and Camille standing beside Rafael and Pedro. The Commander continued, "Now this meeting was called because we need your help. There is a yellow canary that we have been trying to catch for countless years who goes by the name of Tanner. I know you're all thinking that a bird of my size should be able to catch a little yellow canary, but he's far more ruthless and harder to capture than that. He's very dangerous and we need your help to do it."

A male parakeet suddenly called out, "Why do you need our help? What can we do?"

"We need you to protect your home and families. Tanner has already captured two families with the help of marmosets, a Viper and a Cockatoo named Nigel; I'm sure a few of you remember him." A few groans in the crowd or exclamations of surprise were heard, confirming his suspicions.

"Who are the two families?" The parakeet asked.

The Commander internally sighed, knowing this would trigger the questions they were wanting to avoid. "Nico and Carlos."

Surprise cascaded through the crowd as everyone pictured their favorite canary families in captivity. "Why?" Many called out, the single word growing louder as feathers started bristling.

"Calm down; calm down!" The Commander called, Rafael also taking a step forward. Seeing Rafael heavily involved did calm the crowd down, although they were still upset. The Commander sighed, looking over at Rafael, who shrugged.

"They want the truth, Commander." Rafael murmured.

The Commander nodded, looking back over at the pensive crowd. "To make a long story short, Nico and Carlos… worked for us." The crowd gasped in surprise and he quickly continued before anyone could tell him that was bogus, "Tanner used to know them when they were chicks, and through a series of events, Tanner grew to hate them. Now all he wants is to get rid of them, and their families, once and for all. That's another reason we need your help; we don't know where he took them."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Someone called out. A few in the crowd nodded in agreement, highly skeptical.

"Think about it." The Commander looked at them. "None of you who were around at the time knew where Nico came from. None of you know where Carlos and Lindy came from. I know a great deal of you want to know what happened to Carlos when he got severely hurt. All of that was a result of working with us, and after a time, they wanted to be done with the spy work. They wanted normal lives, like all of you. And I let them have it. I let them retire, even though that is against the 'code' if you will."

The crowd was silent as it pondered all of this. More and more questions kept resurfacing in their brains, but they couldn't ask now. The Commander added silently, "I know it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense, but Tanner will stop at nothing til Nico and Carlos's families are gone. And they won't go in a peaceful way either. And seeing as you all seem like a mighty curious group and want more answers,"

He paused as the crowd chuckled a tad, releasing a little tension. He continued, "You might just have to help us find them."

Silence followed for nearly a minute as everyone thought. A flycatcher stepped forward, "If we are to help, what are we to do with _our_ families?"

The Commander nodded, "We already have plans laid out. Females and chicks are to stay in your homes; we already have more than enough involved where they're concerned. We aren't going to require anyone to help though. This is all volunteer work, just as ours is. If you'd like to help, I'm going to ask that you come backstage and wait with my number two, Manny, the Peregrine Falcon. Soon after, I'll give out further instructions and we can get started."

The crowd nodded, talking almost instantly to make decisions with their own families. The Commander watched patiently, taking note of how many seemed to be volunteering. When birds started heading backstage, he was pleased to see how many seemed eager to help in the cause.

Once backstage, The Commander and Manny went through the plan with the volunteers and the squad, who was perched on boxes above. Everyone nodded in agreement at the plan, understanding what they were to do. The squad would be split up into three parts, four to five agents leading the crowd, which was cut in fourths, throughout the forest to cover more air and ground. The fourth group would be led by the Commander and Rafael, and they would be searching the city. It would prove to be painstaking work, but hopefully the missing families would be found in no time.

"All right everyone, let's meet back here at nine tonight to discuss any finds. We'll have to continue the search in the morning if we find nothing." The Commander finished instructing. "Now you can all spend a few minutes with your families before we split up. But hurry; we don't want to waste too much time."

As the crowd retreated to the front of the club, The Commander, Manny and Rafael took a step outside for some air. As soon as they did however, they looked up at the sky. Dark clouds and the smell of rain filled the air, only adding to the tension.

"How long til that starts?" Manny asked.

The Commander sighed heavily, "A few hours. Hopefully it won't get too bad."

Rafael nodded, "So how do you think Nico and the families are holding up?"

The Commander avoided eye contact, but replied, "One reason I want to get this search going is because I know for a fact that they aren't doing well. Tanner's not about to let us win again that easily."

**Xxx**

Nico's eyes snapped open when he realized in his subconscious state that he was lying on the floor of a cold metal cage. The dim light in the cave seemed brighter than it actually was, sending sharp pains through his eyes and into his skull. His body felt weak, all the punctures in his back and sides making their presences known with just a single twitch.

A small groan escaped him as the horror resurfaced. He didn't even know when it had ended or how long he had been out.

Quick movement nearby made him stiffen, but when Riley appeared, he exhaled heavily, squeezing his eyes tightly against the pain. She leaned forward, holding his head in her wings and trying to console him. "Shh, it's okay. You're gonna be okay…"

"Nico? You okay?" Carlos's worried voice was heard from a few feet away. Nico turned his head slowly to see his brother in a separate cage with his own family, clinging to the bars in a standing position to see Nico better.

Nico groaned painfully, sliding his legs up so his talons were flat on the floor, but even that small movement made the pain flare up. Gritting his beak, he whispered hoarsely, "No. I'm not."

Riley leaned down and hugged him gently to not aggravate him. The torture even took away his smooth, rich voice from all the screaming.

Nico softly rubbed her back as he swallowed, then whispered, "What happened?"

Riley softly exhaled, "At some point, you passed out. All the adrenaline and the injections just pushed you over the edge, I think. After that, Tanner ordered the monkeys to throw us in here, where we've been since. Carlos and his family are over there in that other cage and the rest are in here."

"What time is it?" Nico asked.

"I think it's early morning."

Nico rolled his eyes and sighed. "I was out for that long?"

Riley nodded. Glancing behind her, she leaned down and murmured, "You need to talk to Conner when you're up to it. He feels awful about what happened-"

"Tanner was planning on doing that anyway; why else would he have all the vials?" Nico shrugged nonchalantly.

"True, but that's not on Conner's mind. Tanner was talking to him when he ordered you to get hurt. You need to tell him that it isn't his fault." Riley pressed.

Nico sat there for a few moments, thinking as hard as his shot brain would allow. A light bulb must have turned on because his eyes narrowed. "That's his weakness…" Looking back at Riley, he elaborated, "Conner's weakness is guilt. Tanner keeps doing stuff while Conner is there, involving him on purpose before making commands, so Conner feels guilty about what happens. He blames himself…"

Riley nodded in understanding, "You need to tell him that."

Nico sighed and nodded in agreement, but didn't want to move. Reaching up with his left wing, he grabbed the cage wall firmly and paused, exhaling heavily. Carlos and Lindy turned and watched from their cage in worry and curiosity.

Nico held Riley's wing with his right wing, and he pulled himself into a sitting position, not hesitating to cry out a little bit from the pain. He slowly exhaled a few times before pulling himself into a standing position, by now gaining the attention of his three kids, two nieces and Conner.

As soon as he was in a standing position, the room took a few turns to throw him off-balance. "Whoa…" He moaned, gripping the bars of the cage with both wings to maintain stability. Riley placed her wings on his shoulders in encouragement, but when he started seeing spots, he bent down, placing his head between his knees to stay conscious.

"Maybe you shouldn't have moved yet…" Carlos said with concern.

Lindy agreed, "Yeah, Nico; why don't you lie back down? If Tanner comes back, you're gonna need the energy."

Nico exhaled and slowly stood up straight again with a shake of his head, "No. I'm fine." He turned toward his sons who were standing there awkwardly, looking up at him with concern and fear. Never before had they ever seen anyone go through so much, let alone their dad and hero.

"Come here." Nico whispered, holding out his wings. The twins both ran forward, hugging him tightly; Nico suppressed any groans or yelps for their sakes. He wanted them to know tangibly that he was okay, even when they probably knew logically that he wasn't. After holding them tightly for a few minutes, he pulled them up to make eye contact, "We're gonna be okay. We're gonna get out of here, alright?"

The boys nodded, fear still in their eyes. Nico suddenly had a thought and smirked, bending down a tad, "You know what you can do? I got a big job for you. I want you two to plot an attack, okay? Think of the craziest, most bizarre weapon you can possibly come up with, and if we're lucky, we'll use it."

Cody smiled in hopefulness, "Really?"

"Can we use berry launchers?" Mason asked with excitement.

Nico and Riley chuckled as he tousled his sons' feathers, "You can use whatever you want to kick some assassin butte, k?"

"Yes!" The twins grinned, running back to their corner to begin plotting.

Riley stood beside her mate, still watching them, "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Nico shrugged, "The odds of them getting out of here are thin, but it'll keep 'em occupied and burn off some of that energy while they're at it." His eyes drifted to the corner across from where he'd woken up to see Conner huddled in the corner, his forehead on his knees and wings surrounding most of his head. Ellie was sitting beside him, having long given up encouraging words hours ago; now she merely sat there watching Nico from afar.

He smiled and walked along the cage wall for stability. Ellie got to her feet and hugged him tightly as he got closer, burying her face in his chest. Nico wrapped his wings around her as far as he could, wishing he had been able to keep her away from Tanner again.

Ellie sniffed and he held her a bit tighter, murmuring, "Hey, it's okay…"

She shook her head, "We thought… I thought-"

"Hey hey," Nico stopped her as she started to cry, pulling her head up to wipe the tears away. Holding her face in his wings, he looked her in the eye and said as strongly as he could, "I'm right here."

Ellie started to look away, but Nico repeated, "I am right here, Ellie. I'm not going anywhere." He softly wiped the tears away from her eyes and hugged her again, "I love you too much to leave you. I'm going to protect you if it's the last thing I do."

"I just… I don't want you to get hurt anymore." Ellie whispered hoarsely. "Listening to you scream like that was the hardest thing I've ever had to listen to…"

Nico swallowed, rubbing her back, "I know… I know…" Nico held her to his chest for a few minutes longer until she was all cried out, effectively gaining the hiccups. He smiled when she pulled back to wipe her puffy, red eyes. "Smile baby girl."

A smile jumped onto her face at her little nickname and he grinned, "There she is." Kissing her forehead, he sighed, "Alright, why don't you go get some sleep with your mama?"

Ellie nodded, "Okay." After one last hug, she mosied off to the corner where Riley was sitting.

Nico turned to the opposite corner where Conner was still huddled. Nico slowly walked forward and stood there, almost falling for the ruse that the teen was asleep. He knew that he wasn't though; the occasional twitch of a flight feather or choppier inhale told otherwise.

Nico stood next to him and slowly but surely slid down into a sitting position. The action took its toll on his injuries, but he couldn't have this talk with the teen standing up. Conner wouldn't even look at him, even though he knew Nico was standing there.

"Conner." Nico murmured after a few minutes of silence.

Conner stirred after another ten seconds or so, lifting his head out of his winged shelter, but he looked the opposite direction. Nico already knew his eyes were almost as red and puffy as Ellie's; he didn't need to look to know it.

Nico looked over at him and firmly said, "Listen to me okay? What happened last night wasn't your fault."

"He was talking to me when he made the order." Conner murmured, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

"But that doesn't mean it was your fault." Nico insisted. "He had that stuff here on purpose to throw me off, and boy, did he throw me off. That's my big weakness; I cannot stand…" He paused to take a deep breath, his voice wavering a little bit. He continued at a different angle, "Everyone has their weakness. Even you. Wanna know what yours is?"

Conner sighed, "What?"

"Guilt."

"Guilt?" Conner echoed in confusion.

"Tanner orders stuff right in front of you while you're directly involved to throw you off, and when something bad happens, you blame yourself. That's exactly what Tanner wants." Nico said. He then added after a bit of thought, "Do you blame yourself for our capture?"

Conner paused, wanting to say no, but he couldn't lie. He gave a curt nod. Nico continued, "Okay. So Nigel kidnaps you, they beat you up a little bit or whatever happened, then leave you in the mud incapacitated. You don't show up to Carlos's. We start searching for you, find you and keep you at our place. Carlos goes home and gets threatened by Tanner, so after he ends up leaving, Carlos takes Lindy and the girls to our place to stay there. Tanner implanted in Carlos's mind that we couldn't trust you, but since you were stuck at our place, they had to stay there also in order to ask questions. Not long after we get answers, we get captured. And overall, you thought that because you were the center of attention of why we were all at my place, it made our capture easier. Am I right?"

Conner glanced around, following Nico's logic with a few nods. "Yeah…" he murmured.

"Tanner planned that. All of it. Every single little thing that happened was a part of his plan." Nico looked at him fully. "You're just a tool that he used to get us, Conner. Nothing more. The blame isn't on you for all of this. He just needed someone to get us all together, and what better bird to use than the one who is willing to step into the line of fire when he is technically supposed to be dead?"

Conner nodded in agreement, understanding what Nico was getting at. Nico smiled, "Don't blame yourself, Conner. None of this is your fault. I promise."

Conner finally looked at him and smiled a bit, "Alright. But what are we going to do? If he was willing to do that to you last night, obviously he could do anything to any of us."

Nico's smile disappeared, "I know… We just… have to trigger his weakness if we want out."

"What's Tanner's weakness?"

Nico smirked, "Chaos."

"Chaos? Wouldn't chaos like… make him more dangerous?" Conner asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nico sighed, "That's the hard part. But with multiple things going on at once, he's always thrown off."

"Is throwing him off going to be enough?"

Nico looked at Conner, "Do you ever stop asking questions?"

Conner stifled a laugh with a shrug, "I suppose. I've always asked lots of questions."

"Curious. Not a bad thing." Nico smiled as he painstakingly stood up. Exhaling, he looked back down and shook a feather at Conner teasingly, "Just remember what killed the cat."

Conner snorted, "Right."

Nico walked to the middle of the wall to get a better view of the other cage. Maggie and Sarah were sitting in the center talking silently whereas Lindy and Carlos were sitting in the corner nearest Nico's cage, Lindy sleeping soundly on her mate's shoulder. Carlos was half watching his girls, half staring off into space as he played with the feathers on Lindy's head.

"Psst. Carlos!" Nico whispered to get his brother's attention.

Carlos blinked and looked over with a questioning look. Nico cocked his head toward his cage, "Come here for a sec."

Carlos nodded and slowly made his way out of the corner; Lindy woke up for a second, but after brief explanation, she smiled and went back to sleep with a nod. Carlos kissed the top of her head and walked over, whispering, "What?"

"We need to get out of here."

"No way! Seriously?!" Carlos rolled his eyes.

Nico frowned, "Don't grouch at me."

"Well don't overstate the obvious either, Mr. Tortured."

"Listen." Nico threw out his wings through the holes in the cage wall. "Only way we're getting out of these cages is obviously if we are let out. But once that happens, we need to wreak havoc."

The edge of Carlos's beak was pulled down in skepticism as he listened, "And how are we going to do that exactly?"

Nico sighed, "I don't know yet. I just wanted to let you know."

As the two brothers thought, Carlos's eyes drifted to the twins in the opposite cage. Raising his eyebrow a fraction of a centimeter, he looked over at his girls and an idea was born.

"Eureka?" Nico, who had been watching, asked with a small smile.

Carlos nodded carefully, "Yeah… but it ain't gonna be easy and the kids are going to be heavily involved."

Nico sighed, "They're already heavily involved. There's not much more we can do about that. So what's the plan?"

Carlos silently launched into his idea, getting a few moments of inspiration on the way and making the plan better. Nico nodded silently, glancing over at Conner, who had joined them. When Carlos was finished, he looked at them expectantly.

Conner smiled, but looked at Nico to see his reaction. He looked skeptical as he leaned forward on the cage wall, looking at his brother with a scrutinizing expression. After a few seconds, Nico looked over at Conner with a smile, "This is why he was part of the bust organizers group in the squad. Because he's _amazing_."

Carlos waved a wing with a roll of his eyes, "Ah stop it-"

"No seriously." Nico smiled, but glanced around the cave cautiously. "This is what we need."

"When are we going to execute it?" Conner asked.

Nico inhaled deeply as he thought. "Well we can't do anything in here, so whenever we're all let out."

"If we're all let out at the same time…" Carlos muttered.

The smell of rain becoming more prominent, Nico interrupted, "When it rains, hopefully. That'll be better I think."

"Wouldn't that make it harder to escape?" Conner asked.

Nico shrugged with a small smile, "Makes us harder to keep under control too."

**Wondering what the plan is? Oh buddy, it's gonna be good ;) Especially if the twins are involved! Everyone remember the craziness those two got into in the beginning? Psha! Be prepared amigos ;)**

**And the Commander recruiting the inhabitants of Rio, eh? What a plan! Is it going to **_**work**_** though? **_**That**_** is the question ;)**

**More to come in the next chapter and we're just gaining speed in this whirlwind of chaos! I'll try to get working on the next chapter soon, but as for this one, don't forget to review! :D Thanks for the awesome reviews so far! Bye for now!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	10. A Change

***Sigh* Okay ya'll, I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter. I kinda lost inspiration, and it took forever to get some, and a lil excitement, to write this. So hopefully I took enough time to get something interesting into it. I'm sure you won't be complaining once you read it Lol You guys probably won't see a difference, but I do! (Double capitalize the I if you will… lol)**

**Anywho, I hope you catch the double meaning w/ the title. Most of you will probably get one meaning, but there's a second. Cookie goes to the people who gets it ;) hehe**

**Alright, more babbling from me after the chapter. There will be an important note there, so be sure to read it ;) Onward!**

**Chapter 10: A Change**

The rainwater flowed down the decline and into the cave as a slow trickle, but the current was easily noticeable. The captured families merely sat in silence, waiting for Tanner to show up. It was nearly late evening and nothing eventful had happened since Nico's torture almost a day before. Carlos had wondered out loud a few hours before what Tanner could be waiting for, but no one had an answer. Who knew what Tanner's real plan was.

Nico looked around the cages, keeping a steady eye on everyone. Riley was sitting beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he gingerly played with the feathers on her head, Ellie and Conner were sitting on the opposite wall with the twins snoozing between them, each occupying a teen's shoulder. Both had firmly stated while getting comfortable that there needed to be a barrier or two between the two "love birds".

Lindy was calmly pacing in the other cage, merely walking around to burn off some energy. Sitting down for long periods of time drove her nuts. Carlos was sitting down with his wings comfortably around his two daughters to keep them warm, the trio lightly sleeping. Carlos hadn't slept much lately because of the pain and situation but Lindy had finally managed to convince him, and he fell asleep not long after.

Riley softly exhaled and snuggled into his chest a little more, earning a peck on the forehead from Nico. He was about to murmur something to her when other voices were heard.

They were coming from outside the cave, making it harder to hear what was going on, but the occupants were soon stumbling out of the rain and inside. Nico, Lindy and Riley consciously stood or turned around to see what was going on.

Two monkeys were carrying another canary in, or more like dragging him. All three were soaked to the bone, making it harder for the monkeys to hold the struggling, upset teenager. With one last yank backwards, the monkeys threw the bird forward and he landed on the rock with a thud.

"Dodger?" Ellie asked, her voice echoing a little bit. She shrunk down when she realized how loud she had been, but she and Conner quickly joined her parents at the cage wall. The twins each rubbed their eyes or yawned, trying to pull themselves out of sleep to pay attention.

Dodger whipped toward the cages, his beak falling open at seeing the captured families. Before he could say a word to them, a spear suddenly stamped down on the rock on top of one of his flight feathers, trapping him in a way. The action didn't hurt, but scared him to death as he stared up at Tanner's scowling form.

No one moved for at least thirty seconds, the two canaries locked in a seemingly endless staring contest. Finally Tanner broke the silence tensely, "Your distraction wasn't big enough."

Dodger swallowed, then stuttered, "I d-did what you t-"

"Well you didn't do it good enough!" Tanner shouted, slicing his spear across the rock and barely missing Dodger's wing. The teen yelped and scrambled backwards, but a monkey blocked his path.

Tanner paced around a little bit, exhaling heavily in frustration. He faced Dodger again, snapping, "Where did you put the bomb?"

Dodger gulped, "B-backstage." Nico quickly realized they were talking about The Branch. Hopefully no one got hurt…

"Where backstage?" Tanner narrowed his eyes.

Dodger sighed in frustration, "I don't know, near the storage area! The explosion set off a small fire! I did what you told me and you got more than you expected, so what more do you want from me?"

Everyone froze at his words; they all knew that nobody talked to Tanner that way. If someone did, he certainly wouldn't get away with it.

Tanner breathed a short scoff, "I got more than expected? If I got more than I expected, that club would have burned to the ground, half of the birds inside would have gone down with it and every single bird in the area wouldn't now know that I have these families captured!"

Dodger frowned a little bit in confusion; he obviously didn't know why Tanner wanted them in the first place. Tanner sighed, "Ugh… stupid kids."

He walked away, but Dodger growled, "Hey, I'm not stupid, okay? I did do what you told me to do. I just didn't realize that you were that desperate to murder birds."

"Dodger." Nico finally interrupted. Dodger looked over at him and Nico shook his head, telling him to stop. Normally Dodger would normally roll his eyes, but the desperate look in his, and his families', eyes showed that he probably should back down.

Tanner stopped at his words, pondered them, then turned around with a smile. "You know why I picked you? Because you're audacious, fearless, speak your mind and are by no means timid. I like that. If only my actual son carried those traits then maybe we could be on better terms." Tanner sent a short glare at Conner, who glared back.

Inwardly Dodger started getting more nervous, his deep green eyes shifting a bit, "So… what more do you need with me?"

Tanner chuckled shortly, "I don't. You're here because you know about all this. Once I hire you, you don't exactly get to be free when your job is done."

"So what, I'm nothing more than them? I didn't volunteer for this-" Dodger started.

"Don't get snappy with me." Tanner growled tersely. "I choose whoever I feel like choosing and you're the one I chose, so you're not going anywhere."

Dodger smirked, "I'll get snappy if I so feel. You even said you liked audacity."

Tanner suddenly stepped closer and sneered through a clenched beak, "To an extent."

The fire in his eyes told Dodger to back off, which he did. With a short swallow and curt nod, he murmured, "Point taken."

"You better hope so. Because if you get on my bad side, you're going to get a good taste of what these guys have gone through. And trust me, it ain't pretty. Isn't that right, Carlos?" Tanner smirked, looking over at the now awake Carlos.

Carlos glared for a few moments, but then looked away, choosing to ignore him. Tanner looked to the other cage, "Nico?"

Dodger noticed Nico's glare along with the minor, but fresh blood stains on his torso. They weren't big by any means, but enough to make the teen wonder what Tanner had done to him. It suddenly dawned on him that Nico and his family really had been hiding stuff, but it was much bigger than he, or anyone, had anticipated.

Tanner suddenly walked away, waving a dismissive wing at Dodger, "Might as well make yourself comfortable somewhere because you're not leaving."

"Wait!" Dodger stopped him. "What about my parents?"

Tanner turned around, indifference in his voice, "What about 'em?"

"They're not… they're not involved are they?" Dodger asked nervously.

Tanner smirked, "As long as you do as you're told, everything will be just fine."

The way Tanner said it made the teen even more nervous. Nothing about what he said sounded like they'd be fine. As Tanner walked away, the monkeys in tow, Dodger looked around, noticing the cardboard boxes. Before turning to them, he made eye contact with Nico and gave him a short wink.

_He thinks he's going to help us…_ Nico thought. He looked over his shoulder at Carlos, giving him a curt shrug.

Dodger made his way over to the first cardboard box, peering inside to examine the contents. Multiple vials of stolen medicines were lined up on the left along with a few needles and syringes. On the right side were some matches and a couple rags.

Not finding anything too interesting, although he was really wondering why the medical supplies were there, he walked over to the next box. What was inside this one really spiked his interest and caution.

It was mostly filled with boxes of dynamite, a small case of gunpowder was off to the side, and a few spare spears and daggers lay in a small cardboard box on the right. Dodger gulped; this guy really was a maniac.

"Like it?"

Dodger whipped around expecting to see Tanner, but the leader of the monkeys was there instead. He relaxed a little bit with an exhale, but hoped he wasn't just as aggressive. "Well…" Dodger frowned, testing the monkey's conscience. "What's there to like with a bunch of weapons made to kill the innocent?"

Mauro shrugged, leaning against the rock wall and blowing on his fingernails, "Not that I disagree with you, but I wouldn't let Tanner hear that if I were you. He takes great pride in his dynamite and weapon collection."

"Why?" Dodger asked. "I don't understand what the whole deal is-"

"Neither do we really. We were just ordered into service by Nigel. He was hired by Tanner around the same time as the snake. We have a little leverage with Nigel, blackmail if you will, so he doesn't test us too much. But we still work under him in a way."

Dodger was trying to sort things out. "So… why are you telling me this?"

Mauro again shrugged, "Well I don't know about you, but I'd like my freedom back. So would my clan. And I know that those canaries out there certainly don't want to die…"

"So he's really going to kill them?" Dodger murmured, glancing at the captured families. "All of them?"

Mauro followed his gaze, "He plans on it."

Dodger started thinking quicker, whispering, "We need to stop him."

Mauro suddenly covered his beak, making him flail around a little bit. "Shh! I agree, but I'd like to keep my guts on the inside, so shut your beak!"

"Alright alright!" Dodger slapped the marmoset's hand away. With a sigh, he murmured, "What should I do?"

Mauro sighed, glancing around, "Whatever you do, do it quickly and quietly. Don't try to bust them out; that would take too much time. I'll keep an eye out for Tanner. Just hurry up. But don't expect us to do much else after this until real help comes."

The marmoset scurried away toward the entrance and Dodger flapped to the cages, glancing around as he did so. He landed in front of Nico, who was still standing there stiffly.

"Alright, that monkey and I are going to try to help you guys." Dodger whispered to him cautiously.

Nico shook his head, "Dodger listen. This isn't your fight. You need to get out of here, find your parents and hide."

"Nico, I'm already involved! Tanner even said I'm not getting out of this!" Dodger crossed his wings. "Now I'm helping you. What do you want me to do?"

Nico sighed, looking over at Carlos and Lindy standing nearby. Carlos made eye contact for a few moments, then gestured Dodger to move closer. "Are there daggers in the boxes?" When the teen nodded, he said, "Alright, go get one and bring it here if you can."

Dodger managed to flap there and back without being caught, holding it toward Carlos as he returned. Carlos leaned back with his wings up, "I don't want it. Give it to Conner."

Conner walked closer along with the other kids, but Nico shooed them away, "No no, you kids stay over there. We don't need to seem obvious by making a big huddle." The kids nodded in understanding, and he focused on Carlos's words again.

"Conner, you're the only one that can hide this; no one else has anything to hide it in. We need it to pick the locks if we get the chance."

Conner frowned, "So you want me to keep this dagger in my vest? How am I supposed to do that without- umm…"

"Spearing yourself?" Carlos raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, "I don't know; improvise. Just don't let on to Tanner that you have it. It'll come in handy no matter what; add an extra twist to the plan."

Dodger held out the weapon to Conner, who slowly took it and tried to secure it in his vest. A small pocket on the inside caught his eye, so he shoved the handled end inside and carefully held the pointed tip at his side. "That should hopefully work."

"Yeah, just be careful." Nico warned cautiously.

"Now what?" Dodger asked.

"Do what Tanner told you: sit down and get comfortable. If he catches you helping us, he will kill you so you need to just lie low alright?" Nico replied.

Dodger nodded, stepping away. "Alright."

"Wait Dodger," Ellie said, holding onto the bars before he could leave. "Why are you helping us anyway?"

Dodger stared at her in confusion for a long moment before quietly replying, "I may have been a jerk to you guys over the years… but that doesn't mean I'd actually want you to get hurt or die."

"Then why did you hurt Ellie all those weeks ago?" Nico almost growled.

"That was a fit of anger, stupid, immature and absolutely retarded, and when we get out of this and you want to punch me in the face like I deserve, then fine." Dodger remarked tartly. "I don't deserve anything nice from you guys, but the least I can do is try to keep you alive."

"That's our job, okay?" Carlos broke in softly. "You just focus on keeping your feathers on your body and we'll do what we can to get out and help you."

"How's that? You're in a cage." Dodger said pessimistically.

Nico smirked, "Never underestimate a spy. Multiply that by three and you have a team of spies, plus family; we've practically got a whole squad." He shrugged with a smile, "We'll be alright."

Dodger sighed, "Alright. When are you going to get ready to leave?"

Nico looked at Carlos for a few moments, then replied, "Early in the morning when everyone's asleep. Tanner doesn't sleep til late so early morning is our best bet. Now get outta here before someone comes back in."

Dodger nodded in agreement, "Alright, take it easy."

The family spread throughout the cages like they had been while Dodger got comfortable on a nearby ledge. He looked toward the entrance to where the rain was still falling, wishing he could fly out and be free; tell his parents he was okay since he hadn't seen them in over a day. They had to be worried sick… For as much as he drove them bananas… he was really starting to miss them. Slowly he was starting to realize what it was like to be a prisoner held against his will, just like Nico and his family; the only difference was he got the luxury of being outside a cage.

**Xxx**

It was five in the morning and after a good night's rest, Nico and Carlos woke everyone up to say their goodbyes. Yes, Carlos's plan was finally to be brought out and all were nervous beyond belief. But birds couldn't remain in cages forever, especially when they were being starved to death.

The plan was for Nico to pick the lock as silently as possible, and if he was able to get it open, he and the twins would fly out for help. The problem was all the enemies; maybe they could sneak past one or two marmosets guarding the outside, but there were a ton more than just one or two.

Most would wonder why not have everyone in the cage break out? Riley asked the same question to receive Carlos's glum response: "We can't risk the time and noise of opening two cages. If only a few get out without being seen, then they'll have more time to get help. But if a whole cageful of birds is missing, Tanner will most certainly torture the other cageful. So the smaller amount of birds needs to escape for the greater advantage of the group."

Nico gave silent parting pep talk words to Lindy and Carlos through the cage walls, attempting to give and receive hugs from them and the girls. He tried his best not to make it sound like it was a forever goodbye; he'd come back.

Turning to his family, he started with Conner, telling him to keep watch over his family. The teen readily agreed, "I'll still have the dagger so no problems there."

"Great." Nico smiled. Then he turned to Ellie and gave her a long, big hug. "Be strong sweetheart. We're gonna get out of this. I promise."

Ellie nodded, hugging him tighter, "I know." She released him and smiled up at him weakly, "I love you dad."

Nico smiled and kissed her forehead, "I love you too." The twins then stepped forward to give their goodbyes to their sister and Conner.

Next he turned to Riley, who had tears glistening in her eyes. Stepping up and wiping them away, he murmured, "Aw now what's this?"

Riley pulled him into a tight hug, stifling her potential cries to not ruin their chances. They stood there in a tight embrace for a few minutes until she finally pulled back, "Bring my boys back safe."

Looking in her eyes and pushing her bangs out of the way, he murmured, "You know I will." He then kissed her long and hard, pulling her closer as if this were the last kiss he'd ever give her. Deep down he knew it was a big possibility.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers for a moment longer, and whispered, "I love you", then walked straight to the cage door. He climbed up silently with the dagger and with practiced ease, had the lock picked and opened in a few short minutes.

He hopped down and cracked the cage door open; thankfully it didn't squeak or anything. He glanced around, not seeing anyone awake. Many of the marmosets were sprawled around throughout the cave in various directions and angles. Tanner was nowhere to be seen, Nigel and the snake were outside, and Dodger was curled up on a ledge not far away. It was still raining outside as well, just adding to the tension.

Nico slowly exhaled and turned around to face his sons. "You ready?" he whispered.

Both boys nodded, bravery and excitement radiating off their faces, but the fear could also be seen in their eyes. "Just remember, no matter what happens, do what I tell you. We'll be fine." Nico added suddenly. The twins again nodded, stepping up to the door.

Conner walked up and grabbed the lock through the bars, getting ready to reattach it. "Alright get outta here."

After one last glance at their family, Nico shooed his boys toward the cave door. All three canaries had to flap hard to get airborne since they had so little energy from lack of nutrition and activity, but they knew what they had to do. It was now or never.

They flapped through the shadows, managing to get to the cave opening in no time. Nico waved them out and gestured for them to fly faster, which they did.

Flapping into the open with the fresh air and raindrops landing on their feathers never felt sweeter. They almost forgot the danger with all the peacefulness, but were quickly reminded when a certain cockatoo suddenly erupted, "ESCAPEES!"

Nico's heart leaped, "Faster!"

He led the way through the trees and bushes, his boys on his tail feathers. They could hear the monkeys screaming in panic at the cave, but Nigel's close screeching was a more prevalent danger. Nico and the twins ducked and dove through vines and branches, trying to evade their previous captors.

The boys' were starting to pant in exhaustion and fear already. Nico glanced back, dodging Nigel's claws, "Come on boys, let's go! We only got one shot at this!" He cried desperately.

They both nodded in determination, forcing their wings to pump harder. "What if we have to split up?" Cody suddenly asked.

Nico started, "I won't resort to that unless we hav-"

"AH! DAD!" Mason suddenly screamed, being drug to the ground by Vanessa, the deadly Viper. He hit the ground with a thud, the snake wrapping her thick, muscular tail around the little bird's body in seconds.

"MASON!" Nico turned and dove at the snake's head, avoiding her fangs but scratching and pecking her anywhere else. Nigel screeched overhead, poised to attack him.

"Dad!" Cody shouted from above.

Nico looked up at him desperately. Suddenly realizing it was hopeless, he screamed, "GO CODY! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Cody hesitated only until Nigel full out attacked Nico, practically grinding him into the mud below. Nico still managed to scream for him to leave and not stop, so the twelve year old canary whipped around and flapped away as hard as he could.

Nico watched as his son disappeared into the distance, not being followed by anyone else. Nigel and Vanessa were the only two that had been able to follow them off the bat. Cody got out.

It finally dawned on him. Cody got out. He was alone in the rain and probably freaking out, but if he ran into _anyone_, they'd surely know to go to Rafael, and he'd go to The Commander! But they would have to hurry-

Nico snapped out of his thoughts at a jerk from his other son. "Mason. Mason!" Nico squirmed uncontrollably under Nigel's talons, trying to get to his son before the snake could completely asphyxiate the small bird.

Tanner suddenly landed beside him, a horrid scowl on his face. Looking up at Nigel, he almost whispered, "Where's the other kid?"

Nigel merely raised an eyebrow, but Tanner said louder, "Where _is_ the _other _**kid**?"

"He got away. Nigel didn't go after him." Vanessa spoke up.

Nigel scraped Nico up into a standing position as he growled, "Oh shut up you stupid reptile! I was preoccupied with _him_-"

"So you both let him get away?" Tanner asked, pinching the space between his eyes.

Both snake and cockatoo fell silent. Tanner was almost trembling with rage now, but after a few moments of silence, he was suddenly fine. Calmly, but with a wicked gleam in his eye, he waved back toward the cave, "No matter. There will be nothing left by the time they find us. Well," he chuckled before flying away, "Nothing worth keeping."

Nico gulped as he and Mason were picked up by Nigel, the latter barely conscious but not too hurt, and flown back to the cave. _Please let Cody find them soon…_

**Xxx**

A blur. Everything that crossed Cody's path was merely a blur as he flew for his life. For all he knew, his twin brother, his best friend, had just been strangled in front of his eyes, and now that Cockatoo was probably murdering his father. And when they got back to the cave, Tanner was going to order the rest of his family to be murdered!

He didn't even see the large bird when he turned a corner. Not until he full out plowed into it and fell to the ground in a heap of panting, golden yellow feathers.

The bird he ran into immediately dove down, a concerned expression on his face. "Cody?" he asked, hope etched in his voice.

Cody looked up at the Mottled Owl in surprise as he lay there in the mud, still panting. "How… how do you know my name?"

The Owl smiled heartily, "I'm The Commander. Your father and uncle worked for me." Cody's eyes widened in shock and surprise. And happiness.

"CODY!"

Cody barely saw the Toco Toucan before he was picked up and almost squished in a tight man hug. "Oh my goodness, you're alive! Where is everyone!?" Rafael asked.

Cody smiled at both birds, glad to finally meet The Commander and see Rafael again, but at the Toucan's question, a panic attack nearly overtook him to the extent of tears brimming his eyes.

"Hey hey, it's alright." Rafael pulled the little bird into his wings for comfort.

"Come," The Commander said, his eyes shining with anxiety as he stared at the black clouds in the distance. "We need to hurry and get answers with the group and find them before that storm rolls in. We're running out of time."

**Xxx**

Nico yanked and pulled away from the monkeys' hold as best he could, but they only tightened their grips. He tried biting and clawing to somehow get away, but they wouldn't give in. _Come on, I thought you wanted to help us?! _Mason was equally struggling and wasn't faring any better.

As they were drug to the center of the cave, the family from the cages, and Dodger from the ledge, all perked up. "Nico!" Riley exclaimed. "Where's Cody?!"

"He got away! And they didn't bother looking for him." Nico smirked at Nigel who was perched in the entrance.

"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you." Tanner suddenly appeared beside him, glaring into his eyes.

Nico tried pulling his wings out from behind his back as he grunted, "Why, because I can still best you after all these years?"

Tanner smiled a tad, "We'll see who can best the other after today." A quick nod to a monkey behind Nico and he stepped away.

A sudden explosion of pain blossomed in the back of Nico's head, and in the distance he thought he could hear a metallic twang reverberate off the cave walls. And his mate and family yelling frantically. He yelped and slid to his knees, unable to grab his head or anything but sit there and feel the pain.

He was roughly pulled back up and Tanner socked him in the stomach a few times before he was allowed back to the floor, gasping for air and trying to bite back the tears of pain. He grunted a bit when he noticed the blood dribbling down his chin, so he quickly gathered it and spit it out to the side.

"Stop it!" Mason suddenly yelled from his spot nearby. The monkey holding him stared down at him in shock and fear, wishing the little bird hadn't said anything.

Tanner scoffed and faced the young teen, "Okay, your turn then."

As Tanner advanced, Nico stared up at his back, still panting. "Alright," he mustered. "No more mister nice guy." He suddenly jumped up, elbowed one monkey holding him in the stomach, making it double over, and giving the other a swift upper cut to the jaw. Conner and Dodger were equally surprised and shocked at how fast and strong Nico actually was.

Nico lunged forward and grabbed Tanner from behind, sending them to the rocks in a scuffle of yellow feathers. Nico tried pulling the spear out of Tanner's sheath just as he did, but Tanner had a better angle. Tanner managed to pull it out of the sheath, trying to shove it backwards at Nico's face, but he dodged it and yanked in a different direction.

Tanner used Nico's momentum to flip him over, momentarily pinning him down and sending the spear down at him. Nico caught the spear just a few inches above his neck, both their wings shaking from the opposing strengths.

Nico could feel the spear moving closer centimeter by centimeter, but he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't die like this.

Tanner exhaled through his clenched beak, "Just give it up, Nico. You can't win every time."

Nico panted a bit before murmuring, "You're right. I can't."

Nico quickly turned his neck and upper body hard to the right and let go of the spear, Tanner driving it hard into the rock. Many family members were heard screaming from their cages since they thought Nico was gone, but the ensuing fight proved them wrong. Nico had reached under Tanner's wing and flipped him over, trying to pin him down.

Tanner shoved his feet under Nico's chest and successfully kicked him off. He jumped up and grabbed his spear, as Nico got to his feet, and ran toward him.

"NICO!" Conner erupted, throwing the dagger to Nico as hard as he could.

Nico saw it coming and managed to catch it just in time and meet Tanner's spear in the air above their heads.

Tanner exhaled heavily, seething, "So this is how you want it?"

Nico swallowed and shook his head, "No. This is always how _you_ wanted it. I didn't do this to you; YOU did!"

Nico shoved Tanner backwards with sudden strength that caught him off guard. Tanner stumbled back a few feet, trying to catch what Nico was saying. Nico sighed, panting, "I made a promise to you as a five year old that I'd get you out of a _cage._ I had no idea that such a simple, naïve, broken promise could turn you into the maniac you are today. What exactly do you want revenge for, Tanner? Something that simple? What could I have _ever_ done to make you want to kill me and my family so badly?! Give me one logical reason!"

Tanner's eyes had narrowed to slits. After a long stare down, Tanner finally relaxed his weapon a tad, replying in a huff, "You were always the competition. You and Carlos. You were _always_ the targets. None of us knew why; heck, Lindy never knew why, let alone me, why we had to kill you so badly."

"See, you have no reason!" Nico exclaimed. "You could just never accept the fact that I ended up in a better place than you did! The difference was I had hope and you had anger! From the first three seconds we had met you, we recognized how angry you were! Enrique used that to his advantage, but you know what, he did the same thing to Lindy and look where she is now!"

Nico looked over to Lindy, who was gripping the cage bars tightly beside Carlos. Everyone in the cage was listening intently. Nico faced Tanner again, who had also looked to Lindy, "Enrique didn't make you who you are. _You_ did. I didn't leave you in that cage to suffer and be trained to be an ax-murder. You _allowed_ that to happen. If you ever wanted to be different, you'd be like Lindy. So what more do you want? Killing me? My family? You could kill every single bird in this rainforest by letting them all slowly, painfully and mercilessly die and you'd still be angry! You'd still want revenge on someone for something!"

Tanner still glared up at him as a small silence ensued. Nico finally added in a quieter tone, "I want this to be over. Can we please just let this go before anyone else gets hurt? What's it going to prove by killing anyone? What's it going to change? Maybe the change needed… is changing."

The only thing to be heard in the following silence was the rain water running through the cave. Tanner's face and body had relaxed immensely as he pondered Nico's words. Finally he breathed a short laugh, bringing his spear up to inspect it. "You want me to change?"

Looking back up at Nico, he scowled, "There is nothing to change."

Nico swallowed and prepared for an attack. Tanner continued, "And one thing that is definitely not going to change is what I do about traitors."

Tanner tensed to throw his spear and Nico prepared to jump out of the way, but when Tanner suddenly whipped around and threw the spear away, he was momentarily confused. Until a teen's scream of pain replaced his confusion with horror.

"DODGER!" Carlos erupted, lunging in the teen's direction.

Dodger was hunched over, covering up his injury with his wings. The spear was seen sticking out through his wings, and everyone thought they were replaying Carlos's injury.

Tanner stalked forward before Nico could react with his own weapon, pulled Dodger up by the spear and made him stand; he then turned Dodger around in a circle so he could see Nico, obliterating the other canary's momentary thought of killing Tanner then and there with his own dagger. Dodger cried out loudly in pain, clutching the spear in his wings. Unlike Carlos, who had been hit dead center in the back, the spear was only running partially through Dodger's left side. It wasn't nearly as bad as Carlos's past experience, but it was just as excruciating. The poor kid hadn't been able to jump out of the way in time.

"I don't deal kindly with traitors. You should've learned your lesson." Tanner growled.

Dodger mustered up a mouthful of spit and flew it into his face. "That's it." Tanner wiped his face, roughly drug the spear out of Dodger, and poised to kill him. Dodger slumped to the ground in fear, clutching his bleeding side and whimpering in the fear of the second injury he was about to receive.

Just as the spear came down on him, a dagger lodged itself into Tanner's left shoulder. He stopped in the sudden pain, groaning as he pulled the dagger out. By now, Dodger had gotten up and stumbled to Nico, who was trying to hold him up.

Tanner chuckled a bit as his blood ran through his feathers, "Very clever, Nico; looks like we'll have to post-pone our little fight for the moment. Mauro!"

The marmoset quickly ran forward, and Tanner continued through a gritted beak, "Chain those three up to the wall. I don't want any of them with the others."

Nico, Mason and the bloodied Dodger were all drug to one stretch of wall where some chains were attached as Tanner mosied off to bandage his shoulder and see if he could fly. As Nico was chained roughly to the wall, he smirked at Tanner's bloody injury; at least he was able to injure him so escaping wouldn't be as easy.

"Dad!" Mason whispered suddenly, his eyes wide as he looked at Dodger.

Nico leaned over, a difficult action with his wings tied over his head, to his left to see over Mason to check on Dodger. The teen was staring down at his bloodied torso in shock, hoping this was all a dream and he'd wake up soon. His face was paling and his wings, also tied above him, were shaking.

"Dodger. Dodger, look at me." Nico said firmly.

Dodger shakily raised his head. Nico smiled a tad, "Look at Carlos." Dodger shakily looked over to where everyone was still watching; Carlos included. Nico continued, "Carlos made it out of this and his injury was much worse, I promise you. You're gonna be okay."

Just above a whisper, Dodger asked, "Why is there so much blood?"

Nico frowned wistfully, "Hey, don't worry about that okay? Just focus on-"

"On what?" Dodger asked, his beak clenched and tears brimming his eyes. "Getting out? Seeing my parents ever again? We just lost that chance, Nico. We're done."

Nico shook his head vehemently, "No. Cody still got out."

"You're just hoping they'll find us in time." Dodger muttered.

"You can't be pessimistic at a time like this." Nico firmly replied. "There's always hope and you've got to hold on to that hope."

Dodger shifted a bit, groaning at the blood gushing out of his wound, and quickly asked, "Why are you always so positive in a dim environment?"

After a few moments, Nico shrugged, "Do you want me to be blunt? Honest? I'm not going to lie to you, but I'm not going to give in to a situation like this. Not when I have so much to lose. And you are one of those things."

Dodger looked over at him in confusion and shock. "Your parents aren't here to protect you, so I'm stepping up to take their place. It's bad enough you got hurt. But I'm not letting it happen again. If I was just a wimp I would've given up a long time go. Years ago. But I'm not. I will never give in to birds like him and situations like this because I'm stronger than that. I told you a long time ago that I can handle myself," A smile tugged at Nico's beak. "And I'll do whatever it takes to protect those I care about, and also those that take a little getting used to."

Dodger chuckled a tad with a roll of his eyes, but stopped when a little coughing stopped him. Nico quickly continued, "But we need to stay calm, positive, and try to hang on until the squad gets here. Don't cough a lot. You're losing enough blood as it is. And try to breathe slowly and deeply."

Dodger nodded weakly and tried looking around to distract himself. Nico looked over at the cage where Carlos was staring at him, trying to telepathically communicate. Nico snorted with a smile and cocked his head toward his family, telling him to console Riley and the kids for him. Carlos made a face, rolled his eyes and finally left his post to talk to Riley.

Low rumbling was suddenly heard outside the cave. "_Thunder,"_ Nico thought. The water running into the cave seemed to pick up a bit, the current sweeping past them faster and growing longer in width. The dirt around the rocks began turning to mud, and the cardboard boxes started soaking up water.

Mason looked up at Nico's pensive face, "What's wrong dad?"

Nico wiped the look off his face, since Dodger looked over at him also, and smiled, "Nothing. I was just lookin' around."

The boys skeptically looked away, both wondering what Nico had really been thinking about. Little did they know that in less than an hour, they would know.

**How was that? PLEASE let me know if you feel like this chapter was boring at all bc I seriously got SO BORED writing some of it! It kinda tapered off at the end but it's been a stinkin, what, 20 days since I updated?! GAH! I'm a horrible writer… Or updater. Gah, whatevs. Lol My brains not functioning properly bc of my cold, so that's not helpin' me…**

**Oh! Cookie goes to the people who noticed the double meaning w/ the title: Dodger changed sides and Nico's spiel to Tanner about changing. I'm sure it wasn't that hard to guess bc I'm tired & whatnot and randomly thought it was clever, but if you got it, congrats! I got a whole box of cookies here for ya if you got it. ;) Lol Yeah I'm tired.**

**Anyway, the important note is this: *Ahem* I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY! WHOO! Truthfully I'm rather excited, but you know what this means? It means we go to Starbucks every few weeks to go on FF to possibly maybe update. Every few weeks being noted. So, w/ that said, I shall miss you guys, but this is the last chapter that will be updated in a while. UNLESS I get some insane writing abilities back and an extreme fervor for writing & I speed type a chapter up in two days w/o knowing it's going to happen previous to writing. It could happen; wouldn't be the first. *shrug* Lol**

**So I shall miss you, I hope you UPDATE SOON bc, again, this is my last FF week so I'd love to get some reading in b4 I'm off, *prays hopefully*, and I shall try my very bestest to have another update for you before September is over Lol I hope it'll be much sooner than that, but school is more important and we've gotta do better this year. I slacked waaaay too much-**

**Holy cow people, why am I still talking? Okay okay, I gotta go Lol PLEASE REVIEW! Didn't write that somewhere up there so there it is haha Thanks for all the fabulous reviews; love 'em & please keep 'em comin! :D Adios til sometime soon (hopefully!)!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	11. A Surge of Guilt

**Ahh guys this chapter is amazing! Be ready for some fast, action packed and highly stress-inducing reading! But first things first: when you get to the song, you MUST listen to the version by Chloe Agnew; the song is The Prayer. I'm sure you've all heard it :)**

**Anywho, be prepared! This chapter is nutso! R&R! :D**

**Chapter 11: A Surge of Guilt**

The Commander, Rafael, Pedro and Julia and a few other spies stood in a circle beside Cody as he explained everything, all the while stuffing his beak with a cracker. The poor kid hadn't eaten anything in days, so The Commander had ordered someone to get food for Cody so he could think clearer.

"They have two cages; my family and Conner are in one, and Uncle Carlos's family is in the other. On the other side of the room is a big cardboard box with, I think, weapons inside and stuff." Cody paused to swallow and think for a moment, then continued, "The bad guys are Tanner, Nigel and a big snake named Vanessa. She's mad because Conner and Ellie accidentally broke her eggs a few weeks ago…"

When he paused again, The Commander hummed in thought. "What about the marmosets?"

"Oh, they're on our side. They want to help us, but they don't want to do it until help comes. They're afraid of Nigel and Tanner. Well, they're afraid of the Vanessa too I guess… Anyway, that's what the leader monkey told Dodger." Cody mused, shaking his wings together to wipe off the cracker crumbs.

The Commander was about to speak when a female canary landed in front of Cody suddenly, "Did you just say something about Dodger?"

The group paused, realizing it was Heather. Philip was right on her tail feathers, although he looked apologetic.

"Sweet, come back over here; they're having a conv-"

"No." Heather whirled on her mate, clearly distressed. "We haven't seen or heard anything about our son in days. I hear someone bring him up, I'm going to find out what they know." She turned back to Cody and asked in a slightly calmer voice, "Do you know where he is?"

Cody glanced nervously up at The Commander for direction, who nodded discreetly. The young teen sighed, "He's in the cave with my family."

"Is he alright?" Philip asked, stepping forward also.

Cody bit the side of his beak, "Well… he was last I saw him…"

"What do you mean?" Heather asked quickly in horror.

"I don't know, okay!" Cody burst out, burying his face in his wings. "I don't even know if my family is even alive right now, so how would I know if Dodger is?!"

"Alright alright, amigo, calm down." Rafael set a wing on Cody's back to calm him.

The Commander sighed thoughtfully, "Why would Dodger be there anyway?"

Rafael stood up straighter, frowning, "I know why." He then proceeded to tell the group that Dodger had been hired by Tanner to plant the bomb in The Branch as a distraction from the canary families' kidnappings.

"This is ridiculous!" Heather exclaimed. "What is this Tanner's deal? Hiring little kids to do his dirty work?"

"Madame, you forget that Tanner has been doing dirty work since he himself was a child. He's not exactly in his right mind." The Commander commented wistfully.

"Well, when I see him I'm gonna give him a good wallop he'll never forget." Heather growled, crossing her wings and scowling at a tree nearby.

Philip wrapped a wing around her waist, "I hate to break it to you, babe, but I don't think you'd be able to hurt him very efficiently."

Heather started to object, but Pedro, who had been silent til now, interrupted, "No, seriously girl, you haven't seen this guy in action like we have. As The Commander said, he's not exactly in his right mind."

Cody suddenly sat up with an expectant look at the spies, "So now what?"

The Commander looked across the clearing to where he could see the storm starting to blow inland. The wind was starting to pick up and the rain began to patter against the ground at a faster rate. Frowning at the distant waves, he said, "We're going to bust them out of that cave." As an afterthought, he asked, "You said the cave goes underground?"

Cody nodded, "Yeah… but why does that matter?"

The Commander slowly replied, "Caves and floods don't mix very well, especially for those trapped inside."

**Xxx**

Maggie shifted in her spot again, trying to stay out of the water that was gradually filling the cage. Carlos had told his three girls to move to the front of the cage, closest the door and away from the water, but even now it was a few centimeters deep. Their cage being the deepest into the cave, they were so far the wettest.

She huffed a little at the water and looked around; everyone had solemn expressions, even Nico. A look at Dodger's pale form reminded her of his injury and she quickly looked away from the bloodied teen.

Not wanting to listen to silence anymore, Maggie turned around toward her cousin, "Hey Ellie?"

Ellie, leaning against the same spot as her small cousin, turned around and asked, "Yeah?"

"Can you sing something?"

Ellie frowned a little, "I don't know… I don't want Tanner-"

"He's outside taking care of his shoulder, remember?" Maggie smiled. She made her big brown eyes wider and pouted a little, "Please?"

Ellie stifled a laugh, "Alright stop that before the cuteness becomes painful."

"Yay!" Maggie quietly cheered before turning around and waiting patiently for Ellie to sing.

Ellie also turned back around, glancing over at Conner, who was sitting beside her. He had listened to the small exchange, but didn't say anything; little did she know he too was waiting patiently. Ellie thought for a minute or two, trying to think of a song that would lift their spirits but not be too concert-y. Finally the perfect song popped into her head and she smiled, momentarily wishing she had her guitar with her. She hummed the first few notes to warm her voice up before quietly beginning.

_I pray you'll be our eyes  
And watch us where we go_

Her family and friends instantly heard her, looking over at her from their various positions. Nico and Riley smiled a tad, the former leaning his head on the rock wall behind him as he listened. The song particularly calmed Dodger, distracting him from his bleeding torso.

_And help us to be wise  
In times when we don't know_

Ellie sang the chorus smoothly, letting the natural acoustics of the cave carry her voice.

_Let this be our prayer  
As we go our way  
Lead us to a place  
Guide us with your grace  
To a place where we'll be safe_

In the second verse, Ellie put a little more passion into her voice, daring to raise the volume a few notches.

_I pray we'll find your light  
And hold it in our hearts  
When stars go out each night  
Remind us where you are_

She sang the chorus again fervently with her eyes closed, actually praying for her family's deliverance and safety. A few family members hummed some harmonics along with her, but she didn't take notice.

_Let this be our prayer  
When shadows fill our day  
Lead us to a place  
Guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe_

Riley hummed at a higher pitch, harmonizing with her daughter with a smile. Ellie shared the gesture, but that smile turned to a grin when Nico joined in with Lindy and Carlos, taking the final verse to a round. The volume in the cave expanded profoundly, sending shivers down some of their spines at the amazing, rich sound.

_We ask that life be kind (Ellie: We ask that life be kind)  
And watch us from above (And watch us from above)  
We hope each soul will find (We hope each soul will find)  
Another soul to love (Another soul to love)_

The family dropped out for Ellie to sing the chorus a final time, all smiling happily for the first time in days, almost forgetting their troubles and pains.

_Let this be our prayer  
Just like every child  
Needs to find a place  
Guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe_

Ellie packed the last few lines with extra passion, closing her eyes and raising her voice. On the last phrase, she softened her voice drastically and Riley joined in, harmonizing with her.

_Need to find a place  
Guide us with your grace  
Give us faith so we'll be safe_

The acoustics carried out the final notes until they could no longer be heard. The sound still resonated in every bird's ears however; the song Ellie chose couldn't have been better.

"Good job, Ellie," Nico commented softly.

Ellie smiled at him, "Thanks dad."

Carlos went to say something to her as well but stopped, his head snapping toward the entrance of the cave. He thought he heard yelling and monkeys chattering…

Nigel suddenly started barking orders and screeching loudly as the caws of many birds filled the rainy air outside the cave. "Nico!" Carlos jumped up in excitement, "They're finally here!"

Nico's heart leaped and he immediately started tugging on the chains holding his wings, trying to stand. Both families started chatting excitedly, all running to their cage doors to look for their rescuers. The first one to fly into the cave though was not someone they wanted to see.

Tanner flew in at an awkward angle, his flight pattern hindered from his shoulder injury. With a scream of frustration, he backhanded Nico across the face.

Nico blinked furiously as he growled, "Just give it up, Tanner. It's over."

Tanner scoffed, "Oh no. It's not." He drew his spear in one fluid motion and Nico pressed against the rock in sudden fear.

Tanner was about to bring down the blade when a voice outside suddenly screamed, "HERE COMES THE WATER!"

Tanner whipped around as everyone looked to see what the bird meant. Massive waves were rolling at top speeds toward the cave and in a matter of minutes all of them would be under water.

As the first massive wave surged down the hill and into the cave, Tanner was knocked away from Nico, and all the girls in the cages screamed frantically, pressing to the back. The force of the wave nearly knocked the cages clean over, but they managed to stay upright, unlike their inhabitants. All the birds writhed and struggled under the water until individual heads all popped up, all gasping frantically for air.

Carlos jumped up, "Climb the walls! Get off the floor!" He and Lindy helped their girls off the floor and clambered after them, Riley and the others doing the same in the other cage. For now they were alright, but Conner and Carlos frantically started picking their locks. A loud cry of pain a few feet away snapped them out of their missions.

The cry had come from Dodger. That first wave had pounded Nico, Mason and Dodger painfully, pressing them against the rock and pulling them under. All three popped back up, gasping for air and struggling against their chains since their lives depended on it. The salty water from the ocean poured into Dodger's deep wound, causing the teen to scream in pain and writhe against his bonds harder.

Another wave poured in, hitting the trio with just as much force, and cutting off more of their air supplies. By now, Nico was three quarters of the way under, making it even more difficult to breathe; Mason and Dodger being smaller than him certainly didn't help in their cases.

A few birds suddenly flew in and landed in the water with mighty splashes, hopping over to the cages.

"Commander!" Carlos exclaimed with a shaky voice. He quickly cleared it to sound stronger.

The Commander took over picking the lock as Camille took the other cage. "Hello Carlos; seems you've had a busy day."

Carlos scoffed, "Huh, a busy week I'd say."

An angry screech was heard from the entrance when Nigel was suddenly tackled inside by Manny and Richie, all three landing in the water in a heap. None stopped fighting though as more waves started rushing in, spraying the birds violently.

Nico threw his head above the water again, coughing and trying to stay above. A quick look at his son and friend beside him showed they didn't have much room for air left. "COMMANDER!" He screamed, his beak filling with water.

The Commander finally snapped Carlos's lock open and ushered everyone onto his wing. He quickly turned to Nico, "Hold on!"

The Commander started flapping out of the water and flew Carlos and his family outside, but Nico still called after him in desperation, "I can't hold on!"

Camille struggled against the other lock, grunting in frustration when it didn't budge. She felt as if it would almost open when Riley suddenly yelled, "Watch out!"

She turned a second too late as Tanner tackled her away from the cage. The two small birds landed under water, struggling against each other and fighting for air. Tanner made it above first and, when Camille came up, punched her in the side of the face. She cried out in pain, gripping her forehead, but turned back to him all the more.

Tanner took advantage of her slow movements, grabbing her shoulders, kicking her knees in and forcing her underwater. Camille held her breath and struggled against his wings, trying to get free; Tanner continued holding her down, even lowering them into the water more when her struggling became more desperate.

Camille was starting to lose consciousness when Tanner suddenly felt a searing pain blooming in the back of his head. He tipped forward with a yelp, grabbing his head and the current drug him away. Conner lunged into the water and dragged a sputtering, gagging Camille up.

Once she caught her breath, she gasped, "Thank you."

"Don't mention-NICO!" Conner exclaimed, leaving Camille and lunging toward the three still-trapped birds, two of which had their faces peeking out of the water for air.

Camille quickly followed him, starting to pick Nico's lock. "No!" Nico tried to push her away, "Get those two out of here; I have more time than they do."

Camille nodded and immediately moved to Dodger, wondering why she hadn't thought of that initially. Her slow movements, shaking wings and lethargic thoughts made her think she was getting a concussion from Tanner's hit.

Tanner! A quick look behind her showed he was still struggling out of the current in the back corner. They still had a little time.

Riley and Ellie suddenly appeared, both trying to free Nico as Conner and Camille took the boys. "What're you doing here?" Nico asked incredulously.

Riley jammed a claw into the keyhole, "Getting you out-"

"No, Riley, you and Ellie need to get out of here, now!" Nico argued.

The Commander finally landed beside them again, immediately apologizing, "I'm sorry for my delay! That viper is ferocious!"

"Commander, make them leave! Please!" Nico pleaded with desperate eyes and tone.

Conner finally managed to snap Mason's lock open and the teen gratefully jumped up for air and freedom. Dodger wasn't far behind, but Camille held him up gingerly as he cried out in pain.

The Commander turned quickly and yelled, "Lester!"

A large Bald Eagle posted outside swooped in, landing among them in a splash. The Commander continued, "Get them all out of here; Camille as well. She's hurt."

Camille immediately escorted Dodger, with Conner's help, onto Lester's back, and Ellie and Mason quickly followed. Riley stammered though, "No, I-I can't-"

"Riley, babe, listen to me. You have to go." Nico firmly pleaded, more water hitting him in the face. "The Commander will get me out, but you _have_ to go. Please…"

Riley stared into his eyes sadly before he added, his voice cracking a tad, "I don't want you to get hurt anymore. Even if I don't make it out, they need you."

All sounds around them faded as he spoke, Riley sadly adding, "They need us both."

Nico murmured, "They'll have us both. But the longer we wait the less likely that is. Please Riles…"

Riley swallowed thickly before throwing her wings around his neck and kissing him with more passion than she ever had before. She pulled away leaving a few centimeters between them, softly murmuring, "I love you."

"I love _you_. Now go." Nico pecked her beak on last time before she quickly stood and clambered up Lester's back.

"Go, get them out of here." The Commander growled, waving them off. Danger was getting a little too close for comfort, stressing him out a bit. He knew the bigger dangers of waiting this much during a hurricane.

"Hold still." The owl stiffly remarked when Nico kept fidgeting, now only having a few centimeters of breathing room.

Nico tried his best to stop moving, but when water starting pouring into his beak and he couldn't stop it, he started squirming more. The lock suddenly opened and he sank into the water like a rock. He reemerged with a mighty inhale and grin, "Alright, let's get outta here."

Canary and Owl started making their way toward the front, a difficult task when moving against the current, but they made progress. One small detail escaped their minds however…

Nico didn't know what hit him; he just knew that when he fell forward into the water, his vision was clouded with red. He fought to get back above water as the current drug him backwards; when he managed to grab a foothold and reemerged, he splurged and coughed water out violently. Blood was running down his face and neck at an alarming rate and he still didn't know what had hit him.

Looking up confusedly at The Commander dodging rocks, he suddenly realized that the roof of the cave was starting to crumble from all of nature's activity. Rocks of various sizes were starting to fall, landing in the water all around them.

"Nico! Let's go, we don't have any more time!" The Commander crowed, reaching out toward the canary.

Nico reached out to him, but before their wings could meet, a yellow wing wrapped around Nico's neck and pulled him roughly backwards. "No!" Nico heard The Commander yell.

Tanner pulled a flailing Nico back toward the cages, bringing his spear to his neck. Nico saw it coming and grabbed it desperately, using all his fading strength to push it away.

"You won't win this one, Nico. I won't let it happen." Tanner seethed. In his peripheral vision, Nico could see the blood also running down Tanner's face. He'd also gotten hit by a rock.

"Tanner," The Commander cautiously approached. "Please, what will this do? What will it change?"

"IT WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!" Tanner exploded. "I WILL NOT CHANGE WHAT I DO!" He tightened his grip around Nico's neck, making him struggle more.

The Commander heard a loud rumble above them and instinctively looked up. His eyes widened, "Tanner! Move!"

Tanner looked up a moment too late; just as the rocks started falling down, a few hit one of the cages. Tanner instinctively let Nico go, both lunging out of the way of the rockslide and falling cages. Nico dove head first into the water, hoping he'd resurface again.

Long talons suddenly grabbed him from underwater and hefted him up; The Commander placed him on his back gingerly as the canary coughed, grateful to be saved once again. Nico looked up in search of Tanner to find him standing in a corner of one of the cages, a solemn expression on his face.

The Commander sighed in exhaustion and sadness; rocks were piled up all around the cage, the door facing the floor and underwater. He didn't have the strength or time to get the canary out…

One look at Nico's shocked expression was all he needed. "Nico, we have to go."

Nico looked at him in shock and surprise, then shook his head, "Commander, we can't just leave him." The canary clambered down and swam to Tanner, who looked at him in shock.

"What are you doing?" Tanner growled.

Nico exhaled, shock still gracing his features and wings shaking as he pulled on the cage. "What… What's it look like?"

Tanner stared at him dubiously, "Being an idiot."

Nico stared back at him, a sad expression etched into his eyes. "I promised to save someone from a cage once. I broke that promise… I always promised that if I ever had that opportunity again, I'd keep it."

Tanner's expression softened drastically until he almost looked neutral. For the first time in his life, Nico actually saw Tanner without a scowl on his face. Now, it was pure shock.

But that moment ended quickly and the scowl returned with a snap, "Stop trying to be a hero, Nico. Don't waste your life trying to save someone who isn't worth saving."

Nico stared at the other canary with a pounding heart, unsure what to say. Tanner added in a soft undertone, "Consider that debt paid."

Nico blinked, "What?"

"Come on, if you really could save my life, do you honestly think I'd stop trying to kill you?" Tanner raised an eyebrow.

Nico frowned, "Well I'd hope so."

"Well you hoped wrong." Tanner looked away. "Just… go." Nico swallowed, not wanting to move. Tanner looked back up at him, growling, "Go! Get out of here!"

Nico turned and clambered up The Commander's back, holding onto his feathers tightly. The Commander solemnly stared at Tanner for a few moments before the canary nodded, muttering, "Nice doing business with you."

The Commander nodded, "Likewise."

The Mottled Owl then turned, carrying a distressed Nico on his back, and leaving his squad's most wanted assassin in the cage. Although he would never say it, The Commander actually fought back tears as he made his way through the waters to the opening.

By now, the water level was almost up to The Commander's chest, making it difficult to wade through. When he finally made it to the bottom of the opening, a few cheers were heard.

"Here they come!" Pedro's ecstatic voice was heard. Nico cracked a smile but slumped in exhaustion.

Manny's frantic voice suddenly cut through the happy atmosphere, "Tidal wave!"

Of course, to a bird, a real tidal wave would be an unspeakable size. To a bird, a "tidal wave" was more like one of those waves surfers like to ride. Twenty feet or taller; in this case, it was a good twenty-five feet and massive for a bird only a few feet tall; to a bird who was only a few inches, the size was unspeakable.

Nico and The Commander's heads snapped up in complete fear and desperation. The Commander flapped upward as fast and hard as he could, but age, exhaustion and the cave's awkward entrance made it difficult. The massive wave plowed through the forest beyond them, all inhabitants helping in the search, spies and rescued families high in the trees safely. The monkeys and prisoners (Nigel and Vanessa) had also been placed in the safety above, all watching in horror.

A vine suddenly hung in front of The Commander. "Commander, grab on!" Manny screeched as the wave surged closer.

Just as The Commander grabbed hold with both talons, the wave plowed into him full force, knocking him and Nico under and out of sight.

"No!" Many birds shouted. Manny, Richie, Lester and a few other birds holding the vine held onto it tightly, but no tight grip on the other end could be felt. Seconds ticked by in the hopes that the two birds would reemerge…

The vine suddenly snapped straight in tension, almost pulling the birds off the branch. "PULL!" Manny exclaimed.

Birds of every size and strength flew forward, desperately pulling the vine up. The others, especially Nico's family and friends, watched on in complete fear that the vine would snap.

A black wing suddenly emerged from the water below and a cheer of relief rose up from the crowd of birds and monkeys. The Commander soon emerged fully and was pulled up onto the branch far above the torrents of water now overflowing the cave.

"Where's Nico!?" Riley exclaimed, rushing forward.

The Commander sighed in heavy exhaustion and sarcasm, panting, "Do you really think I'd stay in that water for that much time and not bring him back?"

Nico suddenly emerged when The Commander lifted a talon, also panting, "Absolutely not! Who leaves… an adorable canary like me in a flood? Nobody cuz… I'm too cute for that- that nonsense!"

Riley squealed and lunged at him, laughing and crying at the same time while Carlos and many of the spies laughed at Nico's direct quote of Carlos's rescue from the fire all those years ago.

All family members and friends made their rounds to Nico and The Commander, all taking their turns to hug and thank each of them. Nico hugged each of his family members tightly, thankful that nobody had been lost. Pedro nearly strangled him in his death-grip hug, muttering over and over that he'd never let those crazy canaries out of his sight again. Rafael merely hugged all of them, smiling wide and happily.

The Commander broke the celebration in a serious, but tired tone, "Alright everyone, thank you very much for your help, especially you, marmosets. You may leave whenever you feel necessary."

Mauro nodded with a salute and waved his little minions out almost immediately. Their happy screeches could still be heard from miles away.

As they left, The Commander added, "As for you families here, and a few of my agents, it's time to head to the Sanctuary."

"I concur." Nico murmured, holding his throbbing, wounded head. Suddenly he looked up and around wildly, "Where's Dodger?!"

"Relax dude," Pedro grinned. "His parents and a few spies took him to the Sanctuary a while ago. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Nico sighed in relief. "Good."

"The question is, where's Tanner?" Pedro asked skeptically.

Nico frowned sadly, looking back down at where the cave had been, now fully immersed in water and invisible. Just above a whisper, he replied, "He's gone."

**Xxx**

Tanner's last moments were spent standing in a corner of the cage, watching as his two biggest enemies turned and left him. Again. His instincts screamed to cry for help; to ask for deliverance from the impending doom. But deep down, he knew that they could do nothing; he really was done for. But even more so, he deserved this.

As the Owl and Canary fought against the incoming waves, Tanner stood there in a daze, watching, but not really watching. In his mind's eye, he played his life over. Murder after murder… As often as he would have denied it when asked, he always remembered the faces of all of his victims, their cries of pain and pleading. No matter how much he tried to rid his mind of their cries at night, nothing could remove the stain of a bloodied murder's wings.

And, as he saw the final surge of water plunge toward him in a massive torrent of power, he had a final emotion: Guilt.

**And there you have it folks! The death of Tanner… makes me kinda sad in all honesty; I really liked his character, as I'm sure you've noticed Lol**

**More explanations on what happened outside the cave during the flooding will be released in the next chapter. Just in case you're wondering ;)**

**Btw, who caught Nico's quote from Embrace the Rhythm? I already kinda mentioned it, but if you caught it, you get a cookie ;) Hehe**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but since I'm at school, who knows when that ASAP will really happen Lol I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, thanks so much for all the continued reviews, and please feel free to write me more! :D Haha Until then, adios!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**


	12. Filling the Blanks

**Holy moly people, my deepest apologies for the rather lengthy wait for this chapter! Had midterms this week, so the past five weeks prior I was in preparation! In other words frying my brains, so I wouldn't have been able to write if I wanted.**

**But here it is! Ya'll are gonna enjoy it! :D I'm excited!**

**Oh! But before I forget! This is very important: *Ahem* 1 reviewer asked if I was going to make a love triangle for Ellie, Conner and Dodger, like in Twilight. Let me just answer that with a hearty NO! Lol ;) Sorry if that's what you were hoping for, but heavens no! #1, I hate Twilight. Sorry guys, but I cannot stand it! I'll stop there b4 people try to throw bricks at me. #2, I hate love triangles! Even in Hunger Games, which I LOVED, it got really old after a while Lol And #3, I can write, but I don't think I could pull off a love triangle very well… Never really tried.**

**So anyway, I had to address that ;) No worries to who asked; I'm not upset! I'm just vocal in my response ;) Hehe Anywho, here's chapter 12! Enjoy and don't forget to review! :D**

**Chapter 12: Filling the Blanks**

"Man, oh man, food never tasted so good!" Mason sighed in utter ecstasy after eating his last few berries, lying down on the counter with his wings resting on his full belly.

His twin nodded in agreement beside him, "Agreed. Except I got food sooner than you did."

"Well ain't you just special," Mason rolled his eyes sarcastically. Cody stuck his tongue out in response.

Ellie and Conner chuckled, the latter intervening, "Now now, no need to fight. I think we've had enough of that for a while."

Riley smiled, "I couldn't agree more."

Looking around the counter, she smiled at her friends and family. Her entire family was there except Nico, who was last seen about an hour ago when he was taken by Tulio to get stitches; Carlos and his three girls were there as were Pedro and his family, The Commander and Manny, and Rafael. All were smiling in relaxation, and those who had been freed from their rocky prison were no exception. Rafael and Pedro's family had gone and gathered a bunch of fruit, seeds and nuts for the previously captured families so, once all their checkups were done, they had a nice big, healthy meal.

Carlos swallowed his mouthful of mango and looked up at The Commander, "How's Camille?"

The Commander shrugged a shoulder, "She's got quite a headache, but she'll be alright. Richie is making sure she doesn't fall asleep; Tulio said she got a concussion."

Lindy nodded, "Hopefully that won't last long."

Conner then asked, "Do you think Nico has one too?"

"I don't know…" The Commander mused. "That rock hit him pretty good…"

"It's only minor," a voice spoke behind him.

The Commander stepped out of the way to reveal Nico standing there smugly, holding his bottlecap in his wing since the bandage wrapped around his head prevented him from wearing it.

"Hey!" Carlos patted his brother's back when he slowly sat between him and Riley. "How'd it go?"

Nico sighed tiredly, "Not too bad. Got three stitches and have a minor concussion, so if I randomly start slumping to one side, grab me."

Everyone chuckled at that statement, imagining Nico falling off to one side. Manny spoke up, "Probably shouldn't laugh too much; it could happen."

Riley nodded and kissed Nico's cheek, crooning, "Wouldn't want that now, would we?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and murmured so she could only hear, "And what's that look for?"

"Ohhh nothing," Riley smiled sweetly, snuggling onto his shoulder. "I just missed you."

The twins promptly gagged or snorted nearby, so their father shot them a little glare. "Someday boys. Someday."

Cody's face visibly paled whereas Mason crossed his wings in defiance. "I object, your honor!"

Nico rolled his eyes as everyone laughed, deciding to let the topic drop. They were still pretty young yet. Looking over to his other chick on the other hand, Ellie was sitting beside Conner, a little closer than he would've expected, or maybe wanted, but his eyes lit up at an object lying at his daughter's feet.

"Hey, your guitar!"

Ellie's face lit up, "Yeah! A few of Raffy's kids, Kim and Zac went to our place and picked up a few important things before the water washed in and destroyed everything. Most of it is at the Cardinals'."

"We brought Ellie her guitar as soon as we heard you were here." Julia offered with a smile.

"And I thank you very muchly!" Ellie grinned.

Nico's smile suddenly disappeared and he groaned. Everyone looked to him in concern, Pedro asking, "What's wrong? You aight?"

"Yeah," Nico sighed again. "We just gotta find a new hollow…"

"No worries dude! We gotcha back!" Pedro grinned widely.

"Yeah, we already found you one! Bigger than the last one too!" Rafael added in pride.

Nico blinked then looked to Riley, "Man, we could get used to this."

A few chuckled when she shook her head, "Nu-uh, it's nice and all, but we're not going through all that again just for special treatment."

Nico scoffed, "Agreed."

Fluttering nearby caught their attention and they turned to see Philip coming in for a landing. "Hello," he smiled to the group.

"Hey Phil!" Nico reached up to shake his wing. "How's Dodger?"

Philip inhaled deeply and sighed. "Well…" A slight shrug, "He'll pull through. He's in a lot of pain…"

"Been there before…" Carlos murmured, catching Philip's attention. Realizing he had been heard, but voicing some previous thoughts, Carlos smiled up at him, "I've gone through the same stuff so if you guys need help, or especially him, I'm here."

Philip smiled softly, "Thank you."

"Heather still with him?" Riley asked. She received a nod as he sat down on the other side of her in the circle.

"Ya know…" Carlos spoke up. "We still don't know what happened outside the cave before the water hit."

The Commander nodded, "I was waiting for everyone to be here in one piece before I explained…"

**Xxx**

_The Commander led everyone at a rapid pace through the trees to the cave; dozens of birds of various sizes followed his lead. Soon enough, the deep mouth of the cave came into view even through the heavy rain._

_The Commander didn't have much time to give orders before Nigel began screeching to Tanner, who was a little ways away with a few monkeys, that the squad, and many others, had come. Nigel leaped into the air, flapping his powerful wings toward the Mottled Owl, but Richie and Manny attacked him head-on. Using their momentum, they managed to get him onto the ground, while The Commander swooped inside the cave with Camille._

_Nigel used his strong wings to attempt to shove the spies off; he was partly successful but suddenly a loud "FIRE" was heard from a few feet above them. Suddenly, his vision was clouded with blue. Then red. Then purple, and red and blue again._

"_What!?" *splat* "What is this trickery?!" The Cockatoo screeched as more berries splatted on his face. Manny and Richie, also getting hit with the berries but had kept working to take Nigel down, were equally confused._

"_Hah! Take that ya overgrown buzzard! Big Z is in da house!" a young voice screamed over the rain and squawking birds in triumph. Another few shots from his berry launcher and the Cockatoo tripped over a rock behind him, sending him and the two spies sprawling into the mouth of the cave._

"_ZACARIAS CARDINAL WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' HERE!?"_

_Zac jumped in absolute fear when his frustrated father and Uncle Rafael landed beside him. The young teen immediately stuttered, "Uh I uh… well, I-I… Ummm… I want to help!" He finally spit out._

"_Did you even tell your mother where you were going!?"_

"_No! She wouldn't have let me come!" Zac exclaimed._

"_Gee, I wonder why?" Pedro slapped his forehead before muttering, "Like father like son…"_

"_What?"_

"_Nothin', you're just… too much like me in the sense that ya never follow instructions." Pedro smiled sheepishly._

"_Cute reunion and all guys, but don't you think we should help The Commander?" Rafael asked, pointing to the Owl bringing Carlos's family out._

"_Oh yeah!" Pedro exclaimed, hopping forward. Rafael took off, but Pedro quickly turned to his son, "You stay with me. Right on ma tail, you hear?" Zac nodded vehemently. As father and son quickly took off after Rafael, Pedro added, "Nice shootin' by the way."_

_Zac grinned, "Thanks!"_

_They soon landed on the branch beside Rafael who was already making sure Carlos and his family was alright. They looked starved and exhausted, but didn't appear to have any injuries._

_Carlos waved off all questions directed toward him, his focus on the flooding cave below. He watched it like a hawk, waiting for the rest of his family to be rescued._

_That was when he realized The Commander wasn't back in the cave yet, but was on the ground, clawing and dodging the fangs of Vanessa, the Viper._

"_Oh no…" Carlos murmured, peering over the edge. "He can't get back in!"_

_Pedro and Zac suddenly grinned at each other and pounded fists, "Leave that to us." Zac quickly retrieved his berry launcher and father and son were soon shooting berries of various shapes and sizes at the Viper. She quickly became angry and glared up at the birds. Suddenly she abandoned the fight with the owl and quickly slithered to the tree's trunk. The Commander shouted a few orders before darting back into the cave._

_As Vanessa started slithering up, a few spies tackled her—larger, stronger birds grabbing her thick torso and feisty tail with their long talons and a few monkeys managing to clamp her mouth down. A blue and green tanager suddenly zipped forward with a small roll of duct tape, tying her mouth shut with a few tight circles around her head. A few other monkeys ran forward and managed to drag the massive snake in a bag, tie it closed and drag it up into a tree to keep her safe from the coming floods._

_The Cardinals, Rafael and Canary family cheered; Nigel and Vanessa were finally restrained and couldn't fight anymore! The only enemy left was Tanner! And he was sure to be captured._

_A bald eagle suddenly swooped out of the cave during their small celebration, carrying Conner, Nico's family, but not Nico, Camille, and a severely injured Dodger. All cheering died down when the Eagle landed, everyone gasping in shock at Dodger's pale, weak and bloodied form. Conner and Riley gingerly took him off Lester's back and laid him on the branch._

"_No, not again…" Rafael sighed, leaning over the teen. The young canary's eyes were filling with tears from the searing pain of saltwater in his wound. Gasping, he looked down at his torso, but squeezed his eyes shut against the image staining his view._

"_Shh, it's alright." Riley held his head, softly murmuring to him._

"_DODGER!" a female voice erupted from a yard away._

"_Mom…" Dodger's eyes snapped open. He struggled to sit up, but Riley and Conner held him back. Not like he'd be able to sit up against the pain anyway…_

_Heather and Philip landed beside him in a flurry of feathers, the highly distressed mother chattering in fear at her only chick's disappearance and wound. Dodger finally cracked, grabbing his mom and pulling her into a death-grip hug, nearly crying his eyes out._

"_Shh honey, it's okay; we're here." Heather murmured, rocking back and forth a bit and trying not to cry._

_Philip hugged his family, but looked at Carlos standing in front of them, asking in fear, "What happened?"_

_Carlos inhaled deeply before swallowing thickly and replying, "Tanner… stabbed him."_

_Philip's eyes flicked to Carlos's chest. "You… it happened to you too, didn't it?"_

_Carlos stared into the other canary's eyes, a million emotions showing through one look. The only response he could give was merely a nod. Philip rested his chin on Heather's head, trying to remain calm for his family._

_Seeing his fear, Carlos managed to add, "I survived." Philip and Heather looked back up at him with unreadable expressions. He continued, "My injury was worse and I made it. I promise you; he'll be okay." Carlos finished in a whisper, making it clear to the parents how emotional this was to him._

_A look of determination overtook Heather's eyes suddenly. Still holding her son, she said, "We've got to get him to the doctor."_

_Philip nodded and he looked up to the Bald Eagle, Lester. He immediately nodded, "Whenever you're ready."_

_Heather and Philip, with Carlos's help, escorted Dodger onto the Eagle's back, and soon they were soaring off in the rain to the Sanctuary._

_Lindy walked up to Carlos and wrapped her wings around his waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Do you really think he'll be okay?"_

_Carlos swallowed but nodded, "If I could make it, so can he. And I'm going to see to it that it happens."_

**Xxx**

"…and then I brought you out. The rest is history." The Commander finished.

"Dude! You used berry launchers?!" Mason exploded, looking at Zac. His twin was equally excited.

Zac blew on his wingtips and rubbed them against his shoulder, "Yeah well, apparently I got some pretty good aim."

"You certainly helped in the cause," The Commander smiled. "Albeit against your authorities' wishes. Hmph, sounds a little familiar…" The Owl then looked pointedly at the Canary brothers, who avoided eye contact with cute little smiles.

"I dunno what you're talkin' about." Carlos snorted.

Nico nodded mischievously, "Psha man."

Many rolled their eyes at the canary brothers' goofing off. A thought came to Conner and he paused, unsure if he should ask. Finally he voiced his thoughts, "Nico?"

"Hm?" Nico turned to him.

"Why…" Conner paused. "Why did you try to… to save Tanner?"

Nico only stared back at him with an unreadable expression, so he fumbled for a better explanation, "Like, all he ever did was kill. All he ever tried to do to you was kill you and your family. So… why'd you even think about giving him a second chance?"

Nico broke eye contact, leaning back on his wings in thought. He thought his answer through carefully, partly from his already throbbing head. _Why did I?_ Conner was right; why in the world would he step into line of fire for someone who didn't deserve it? When all he did was torture and kill the innocent for a living, why would he stoop so low to save that person?

It was nearly a minute before he replied in a quiet tone, glancing up at The Commander and Manny, "There are multiple reasons. Carlos and Lindy would probably say Sacrificial Loyalty because that's a big part of our job. More on that story later…" Nico smiled at Conner's slightly confused glance towards the smiling couple.

Nico exhaled, trying to form his thoughts into words. "There was this one bird in the squad a while back, Jude. He was another falcon, like Manny. He got killed in action." Carlos, Manny and The Commander all nodded solemnly at the memory. Nico continued, "As two young teens in the spy business, he jumped at the opportunity to train us, Carlos and me that is. But one thing he always talked about was Shining a Light. Carlos and I never really understood what he meant by that, so one day we asked him.

"He said we, as spies, have a mission, and it's more than saving lives, protecting the weak. It's a mission to make a difference. To show the bullies and evil people out there that, despite the trouble they cause, we can not only stop it but we can and will bend over backwards for someone who needs help, whether that person deserves it or not."

Nico paused, making eye contact with Conner again. "Tanner was… one of the most difficult characters I have ever come across in my life and I don't think he ever had a really good day. Day in and day out, all he knew was anger and bitterness, and that flame inside him was only fed by who he was around and what he did. But despite that, I couldn't just… just look at him in that cage and walk away. Not without trying to… get him out."

Nico trailed off, biting the edge of his beak and not making eye contact with anyone. Riley reached down and held his wing for comfort and he smiled at her a little bit.

The Commander spoke up, "The best way to Shine a Light, make a difference, is to do your absolute best to save someone who doesn't deserve it. And when you're unsuccessful…" The Commander paused, looking away from the group, then quietly added, "It's one of the most painful things you can experience."

The circle was quiet for a few moments before Philip broke the silence, "But you still made a difference."

The Commander smiled down at him, "Yes. That's the good part."

A quiet female voice suddenly said from outside the circle, "Excuse me?"

Everyone looked up or turned to see the speaker, a small Pied Water-Tyrant, standing there shyly. Ellie and Conner's beaks fell open in surprise at seeing their friend, the girl who worked at the drink stand in The Branch!

"Sadie!" Ellie jumped up to hug her friend.

Sadie accepted the hug, "Hey Ellie, great to see you're okay. And everyone else of course."

Conner also gave her a small hug and she looked around sheepishly, "I just came by to see how everyone was. I heard Dodger got really hurt…"

"Yeah, he's in the other room." Philip spoke up. "I don't know if he's awake from surgery yet, but you can come see if you'd like."

Sadie smiled a little, "Okay."

Sadie took off after Philip into the adjacent room, flying toward a small canary-sized bed where Heather was sitting beside her son, lightly sleeping. They landed beside them softly and Philip gently shook his mate, "Hey honey, why don't you come lie down in the other room?"

Heather sleepily shook her head, "No, I can't leave-"

"Sadie will stay with him; I'll sit with him when she's ready to leave." Philip interrupted. Sadie nodded with a smile behind him.

Heather sighed, "Alright. Let me know if anything happens." She smiled to Sadie before taking off. Philip smiled at the teen before following his mate.

Sadie turned to Dodger, sitting down beside him. His torso was wrapped in gauze and pure white cloth, the bumps of stitches on his left side clearly visible. His face was still a little pale and his breathing was slightly labored, but other than that he was sleeping peacefully.

Truthfully she didn't know why she came. He flirted with her constantly because he thought she was cute or whatever, in a similar way to his flirting with Ellie, and it annoyed her to no bitter end. But when her parents mentioned that Heather and Philip had asked about his whereabouts, then her dad helped in the search of the missing families and she found out that Dodger had been caught and severely injured, something snapped inside her. Through the entire night she couldn't stop thinking if he was alright… Finally she decided she had to go see for herself. She couldn't wait to just run into him; she had to go see him.

Why she had such sudden feelings and emotions for someone she normally despised was beyond her knowledge.

For the next hour or so, she sat there watching him sleep, stared off into space in endless, random thoughts, preened her feathers a little bit, and stared off into space some more. She started wondering if he'd even wake up while she was there when it happened.

She was lightly humming to herself, looking at the tips of her flight feathers when, over the edge of her wing, she could see his dark green eyes staring up at her in curiosity.

She let her wing drop when her eyes met his, and they just stared at each other. Dodger barely remembered anything since this was the first time he had woken up; the last bird he expected to see was Sadie…

Sadie finally broke the silence, "Hey… How are you feeling?"

Dodger blinked, unsure what to say. _Should I not be feeling okay?_ He stretched his wings a bit and started to sit up when Sadie suddenly jumped to his side, "No, don't move!" She stopped him too late however because the instant pain ripping through his left side caused him to almost cry out in agony.

He clutched his side and fell back down, gritting his beak. Sadie sighed in worry, "I'm sorry, I should've told you sooner-"

"Not your fault." Dodger said through his gritted beak. Finally relaxing with the subsiding, but still present pain, he sighed, "I just forgot about it is all."

Sadie nodded shyly, unsure what to say. Dodger's eyes met her brown ones again and the curious expression on his face suddenly made her nervous. "So why are you here?"

Sadie swallowed and shrugged, "I dunno… I guess I was just… worried about you?"

It came out more as a question than a statement. Dodger forced himself not to respond with a flirty comeback and asked curiously, "Why?"

"I…" Sadie faltered, looking away. "Honestly I don't know…" After a few seconds silence, she glanced back down at him, "I guess I wanted to see how everyone else was doing too… but… umm…"

Dodger couldn't help his knowing smirk, "You came to see me specifically, did you?"

Sadie rolled her eyes and smiled back, "I guess…"

"Well that's awful sweet…" Dodger said in a gentle voice that she'd never heard from him before. Looking back down at him to realize he was staring at her with an expression she couldn't read, she smiled a little and looked away. Dodger smirked at her timidity, but didn't press the matter.

Looking away from her face, he asked, "Where are my parents?"

"They're in the next room with Nico's family and friends. Want me to get them?"

"Only if you want," Dodger shrugged.

Sadie stood, "Alright, I told them I'd get them if you woke up anyway. Don't move and stay right there."

Dodger smiled up at her, crooning softly, "As you wish."

Sadie turned away, but looked back at him with a curious expression, remembering that phrase from somewhere. With a small smile, she took off to the next room, making a mental note to ask around where that phrase was from.

**Xxx**

Conner sat at the open window of the Sanctuary office, his legs dangling off the edge. It was nearing seven in the evening, the tangerine colored sun sinking toward the horizon at a steady pace, its golden rays turning the yellow canary's feathers a deep shade of marigold.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the breeze coming off the ocean as he thought about everything that had happened. Now both his parents were gone, not that the one really cared all that much, but now he had no living relatives. His mom had never introduced her son to any of her family; she always said there had been family complications, so they never kept in touch.

Staying in Rio was his best option. Not like he'd be able to leave so easily. Not after all the great relationships that had been built and the great, and some not so great, adventures he'd gone on with Nico and Carlos's families and friends.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear someone walking up to him from behind. It wasn't until she climbed up onto the window sill and sat beside him that he noticed.

"Hey, how you doing?" Lindy asked with a little concern. "You've been up here for quite a while."

Conner smiled with a slight shrug, "I'm alright. Just thinkin."

"About?"

"Well everything. But mostly what to do next…" he trailed off.

Lindy nodded in understanding, remembering the time when she had to consider her future. "I know how that feels…"

"So…" Conner hesitated, catching her attention. "You were an assassin?"

Lindy winced but nodded, "Yeah…" She suddenly breathed a short laugh, "Carlos saved me from that though. If it weren't for him, I don't know how things would've turned out for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I had been looking for a way out for years, but I never got the opportunity because it was too risky. Once we came here to hunt down Nico, I went undercover as a rookie spy, was hired into The Commander's squad and was setup to be trained by Carlos. From the first ten minutes I met him, I knew there was something different; something I wanted. Took me a while to realize that it was his freedom." Lindy said with a nostalgic look in her eyes as she looked across the forest and city in the distance.

Conner nodded, a little confused. Lindy looked over at him when he didn't respond and sighed, "Alright, fine."

So for the next half hour or so, Lindy told Conner her story from beginning to end. It took so long partly because she had to go into detail about Enrique, the Red-Tailed Hawk and all of that story, but also because Carlos joined in story-telling half-way through, sometimes getting off topic and distracting her with rabbit trails, much to her annoyance and Conner's laughter.

When they finally finished telling their story, Conner sighed heavily, "Wow."

"Yep. Welcome to our world." Carlos smiled.

Laughter was suddenly heard from somewhere behind them, making them turn. Cody, Mason and Zac were chasing Kim, Maggie and Sarah around the office, all laughing or screaming hysterically. Things got more interesting when the twins became a tad more destructive, picking up random articles in their talons and flying around like crazy, trying to distract or catch the girls. So after this happened, Nico and Riley had to intervene, so needless to say it was quite a hectic sight.

Lindy and Carlos grinned at their daughters, one half yelling, half laughing at Cody to "back off" with his wielded pencil, and the other squealing as she flew behind her Uncle Pedro in order to hide from Zac. Conner's smile however eventually dropped off his face and he turned back around to face the outside world.

Carlos turned back also, studying Conner's suddenly sad expression. "What's wrong?"

Conner looked down at his wings to avoid eye contact and shrugged, "Nothing."

"Now now, none of that," Lindy smiled, leaning forward. "Talk to us."

Conner glanced into her eyes a few times but kept silent. That feeling of loneliness he had experienced back in Nico's hollow a few days before suddenly returned in an overwhelming wave and talking about it would certainly be disastrous.

Lindy's smile fell, as did Carlos's, when his sad expression only deepened. Lindy discreetly looked up at Carlos, searching for some sort of guidance for what to say to the teen. Before Carlos could respond, Conner whispered, "I just miss her…" The teen suddenly put his face in his wings to hide the tears welling up.

"Come here," Lindy said, pulling Conner into her wings without hesitation.

Conner welcomed the hug, wrapping his wings around her waist and burying his face in her shoulder, trying to staunch the tears. Carlos carefully scooted over and also wrapped him in a hug from behind. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Carlos spoke.

"There's nothing we can do to change the past, kiddo, but we'll be here for you anytime, anyplace. I promise." Conner sniffed in response with a short nod.

A minute later, he sat up, Carlos pulling back so he could have room. Conner wiped his eyes and smiled sheepishly, "I feel like wuss."

Lindy and Carlos laughed a little. "No, sometimes you gotta do it. Trust me." Carlos smiled.

Conner nodded, then asked hesitantly, "Umm… Is it okay if… if I stay with you guys?"

Lindy looked at him with an unreadable expression before her eyes watered a little bit. "Is it okay?" she whispered, then pulled him into another hug, this one unexpected. "Of course it's okay."

Conner smiled and hugged her again, this time tighter. "Thank you…" he whispered.

Carlos smiled brightly, feeling like he just adopted a son. Well, in a way he just did. Or Lindy did anyway. When his mate and Conner pulled apart, Carlos exclaimed, "No! Thank you! Now I won't be the only man in the house!"

Lindy rolled her eyes whereas Conner laughed and accepted a fist bump from Carlos. Lindy stayed on topic, "Don't feel like you need to call us mom and dad though. If you want to, that's fine; however you feel most comfortable."

Conner breathed a grin, "Okay."

"Mr. Conner! Mr. Conner!"

Maggie suddenly swooped in and jumped in his lap. "Save me, Mr. Conner!"

"From what!?" Conner gasped, whipping around with wide eyes.

"From them!" The little girl squealed, cuddling up to him tighter.

The twins and Zac all landed on the window sill with big scowls. "Come on," Mason demanded. "Hand the lady over."

Carlos did a double take at the name, but Conner wasn't fazed. "Never!"

"Do it or I'm gonna-"

"What? Watcha gonna do?" Conner mocked.

"I'm gonna… Uhh…I'm gonnaaaaa…" Mason and the other two looked around frantically, trying to find something to threaten him with. Finally Mason grabbed a cotton ball, "I'm gonna seriously wound you!"

Conner blinked, and then snorted, "With a cotton ball?!"

Mason smirked, "Yep, after I put chloroform on it!"

Conner and Carlos gasped loudly with beaks open and eyes gaping. "You wouldn't!" "That's dangerous!"

"Haha! I win! Now hand her over!"

"Niope! You want her, you better come get her!" Conner smirked.

"You leave me no choice." Mason shrugged, hopping off the windowsill and rummaging through the medicine bottles sitting in a small box.

"Don't you even _think_ about it!"

"DAD!" Mason squeaked.

"HIDE THE BALL! HIDE THE BALL!" Cody exclaimed as Nico swooped towards them. When he landed, he shouted, "I SAW NOTHING!"

"Cody, Cody, Cody," Nico shook his head. "Haven't I ever told you that you're too innocent for your own good?"

"Huh?" Cody asked. Then he yelped when Nico grabbed his wing and then quickly pulled Mason up onto the windowsill.

"Stop squirming and calm down for a second!" Nico exclaimed. "Sheesh! I'm getting too old for this."

"Dad, you're like twenty-five years old! There will never be a day that you're old!" Cody smiled up from the arm-lock with big brown eyes.

Nico grinned and let his son up, "Now you're talkin."

Mason scowled at his twin, "Suck up." Cody merely stuck his tongue out.

Conner and the others chuckled at the exchange as Riley joined, trying to intervene for Mason's sake. Conner turned around, looking for Ellie; he realized he hadn't seen her in a long time.

"Where's Ellie?"

Riley turned to him, "She said she was going to the gazebo."

Conner smiled and stood, "Alright, mind if I go find her?"

Nico shook his head with a wink, "Nope. Don't mind a bit." Still holding his struggling son, he suddenly scowled, "Dude, chill out! I'm not strangling you!"

"I can barely…" Mason sighed heavily, "Breathe!"

"That's cuz you're yanking too hard." Nico smirked. When Mason yanked backwards again as hard as he could, Nico released him, watching in amusement as his son sprawled out and landed on the counter in a heap.

Conner chuckled but flew out the window, not waiting to hear more. Sure it was entertaining, but he had more important things to tend to.

**Xxx**

Ellie sat in her usual spot in her gazebo, plucking the strings on her guitar calmly as she looked around the forest. Conner stood a few feet behind her, smiling as he watched her. He wasn't sure how to make his presence known without scaring her half to death, but suddenly, he had an idea.

Slowly and quietly so his footsteps weren't heard, Conner sat almost behind her so his back was leaned up against the same pole as her. Being so close and inhaling deeply, but very silently, he could smell the tropical scent of her feathers. He leaned his head on the pole calmly, just listening to her play, waiting for the opportune moment.

Ellie suddenly stopped playing and shifted, moving her weight onto the gazebo more, but still didn't notice her friend right behind her. She stretched her right wing, tired from holding her guitar for a while now, but almost freaked out when a wing suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"Ahh!" Ellie quickly put down her guitar and pushed her "attacker" down. Pinning him to the floor, she stared down at him before realizing who he was. "Conner!"

He was laughing long before she realized it all. Ellie frowned as she climbed off him, "It's not funny! You scared me half to death!"

Conner sat up, trying to catch his breath, "I thought it was cute."

Ellie scoffed, getting comfortable again, "Of course you did."

Conner slid forward and sat beside her, dangling his legs off the edge of the gazebo, but angling himself so he could look at her. Ellie started playing some notes again and continued to do so for a few more seconds before she realized he was staring.

She looked away for a split second, a smile finding its way onto her beak before she shyly asked, "What?"

Conner didn't think once, let alone twice. He simply leaned forward and gently planted his beak on hers. He felt how her breath hitched in her throat and how she stiffened, not playing her guitar anymore, but he didn't pull away. After a couple seconds, Ellie melted into the soft first kiss, even closing her eyes and daring to put her wing on his shoulder.

Butterflies exploded in her stomach, the feeling of free fall taking over her completely, but before she could completely memorize the feeling, he pulled away. But just barely; he opened his eyes and stared into her bright blue ones with a smile. His breath tickled her face when he spoke confidently, "I love you."

A smile made its way onto her beak before she could stop it, and then it turned into one of those stupid grins you can't make go away. She breathed a short giggle, looked away to gather her bearings again and looked back at him, just to almost start laughing again.

Conner chuckled, "What?"

Ellie brushed her bangs out of her eyes, trying to control her giggles, "I don't know, I just don't know what to say…"

Conner smirked, "Then don't talk." He kissed her again, just as softly; Ellie sighed, this time kissing him back. Conner reached up and brushed his flight feathers on her right cheek just as she pulled away. They stared into each others' eyes for a few moments just enjoying the moment.

Ellie suddenly whispered, "I love you too."

Now a smile reached Conner's face and just then realized what it truly felt like to feel bulletproof. He then looked behind him at the empty gazebo and suddenly had a thought. He stood and looked down at her with a smile, "Can I have this dance?"

Ellie had to laugh a little, but she set down her guitar and took his outstretched wing. He helped her up and spun her toward the middle of the gazebo. Smiling, he held her wing and placed the other on her hip while she placed a wing on his shoulder, and began a slow dance.

Conner smiled, "You're a great partner."

"Thanks, my dad taught me."

"He did a great a job."

"Yeah, he did."

Ellie's smile gradually faded and she rested her forehead on his chest in complete relaxation. Notes to a song suddenly came to mind, but she couldn't quite place them. She wracked her brain for the lyrics and soon she was remembering them.

"That sounds familiar." Conner commented thoughtfully. Ellie looked up; she hadn't realized she had been softly singing the words out loud.

"Yeah, I heard it somewhere…" Ellie trailed off, looking away.

Conner tilted her chin back up and smiled gently, "Don't stop."

Ellie smiled and thought about the lyrics, making sure she remembered them all. Conner waited patiently as they kept dancing; soon her strong lyrical voice began. At each of the different lyrics, he couldn't help but do what they said, smiling all the while.

_Take my wing, take a breath  
Pull me close and take one step  
Keep your eyes locked on mine  
And let the music be your guide._

He surprised her when he joined in, singing the backup and harmonizing with her. It wasn't until they reached the chorus that realized this was the first time they were singing together, and their voices blended perfectly.__

Won't you promise me (Ellie: now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)  
We'll keep dancing (Ellie: to keep dancing)

_(Together) wherever we go next_

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding  
someone like you  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (Conner: can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance

Conner took the second verse, spinning her out and singing his heart out as if they were wedding vows; almost as if he was promising her this moment that he'd never let her get hurt. He'd never let her go.__

Take my wing, I'll take the lead  
And every turn we'll be safe with me  
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall  
You know I'll catch you through it all

And you can't keep us apart (Ellie: even a thousand miles can't keep us apart)  
'Cause my heart is (Ellie: cause my heart is) wherever you are

Ellie had danced a little around him through the second verse, and now for the second run through the chorus, Conner grasped her wing and spun her into him to continue the dance.__

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding  
someone like you  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (Conner: can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance

The speed of their dance picked up with the emotion of the music and Conner spun her out again for the reprise. Ellie stopped at the edge of the gazebo, pulling her wings tight to her chest and raising her voice to its maximum volume. Conner grinned, harmonizing on certain lyrics and couldn't stop staring at her.__

Oh no mountains too high and no, oceans too wide  
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop  
Let it rain, let it pour  
What we have is worth fighting for  
You know I believe, that we were meant to be

Ellie held out the note higher as Conner sang the chorus again, also raising his voice to match her volume. Anyone within fifty yards could've heard them! Ellie skipped over to him and they picked up the dance again, this time Conner picked her up and spun her around.__

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding  
someone like you (Ellie: Ohh like you)  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (Ellie, higher note: Way we do)  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (Conner: Can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance

Can I have this dance  
Can I have this dance

If fudge had a note, that's what the ending would have sounded like—smooth and rich. Conner dipped her for the last couple phrases and slowly brought her back up when it ended, both still smiling bigger than ever before.

Ellie suddenly wrapped her wings around his neck tightly for a hug. Conner breathed a laugh and hugged her back, holding her close to his chest and never wanting to let go. "I love you," he heard her murmur.

Conner nuzzled his beak into her shoulder, happier than ever before, "I love you too Ellie."

**Huzzah! I LOVE THIS ENDING (To the chapter!)! I shall address my lil parenthesis note here: THIS IS NOT THE END! Idk how many more chapters this will be… Probably not more than 2, but even that isn't positive.**

**Do you guys think this last section of the chapter is too corny? Too mushy? Lol Lemme know if you think it is; proofreading makes me think it kinda is but I'm too lazy to change anything ;)**

**My first series is almost over! Ahhh I might cry! Nah I won't cry Lol I'll just miss writing it ;) But all good things must come to an end :) Whoa, what am I doing?! The story ain't over yet! Sheesh, gettin ahead of myself! Lol**

**Alrighty, enough babbling from me! Lol I hope you guys enjoyed this, so plz don't forget to review! Will try to get the next chappie up soon :) (May be the last so stay tuned!) Bye for now!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK**

**P.S.! This is very important!**

**ILoveNico1000x and I have been co-writing a story called Diamond in the Rough and, if you like this series of mine w/ all its epicness, and ILoveNico1000x's stories w/ all her fabulous humor, w/ some added drama, please go read it! We're dwindling in reviews and we KNOW everyone will love it! We have got some great twists and turns for our plot, along w/ our hilarious characters and a slightly different twist on Nico and Pedro, and etc etc.! PLEASE go check it out! :D You'd make our days! Thanks guys!**


	13. Shine a Light

**HOLY COW I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON! But this is it! The end! I hope you enjoy it! :D More of a spiel at the end here ;) Enjoy and don't forget to leave me one last review! :D**

**Chapter 13: Shine a Light**

Conner stood on the branch above the sunken cave, only the top of which above the water, staring down at the still water. It had been nearly a week since everything had blown over; Nico's concussion was nearly gone, Carlos's normally carefree and goofy persona had returned, and Dodger was making a speedy recovery in the Sanctuary with the help of Sadie keeping him company.

Nico had also given Conner permission to date Ellie! Needless to say, life was getting better than it had been for a long time for the teen.

However, every time he thought about Tanner, he felt a twinge of sadness. While the killer had still been alive, all Conner felt was anger. But now that he was gone…

Conner sat down with a sigh, trying to sort his thoughts. Maybe it was how he died. Could he really be this distressed over the death of someone who he really didn't care about? Tanner did almost kill Nico's family multiple times. Tanner didn't deserve another thought from anyone, let alone the son he never loved.

Another angle of thought revealed itself suddenly: giving Tanner the thought is making a difference. He was reminded of what the Commander and Nico said last week about shining a light, making a difference. The fact that he was feeling remorse for someone who didn't deserve it was exactly what they were talking about; that no matter how bad someone was, the spies still bent over backwards to save him because even he didn't deserve to die in a horrible way.

Even though they were unsuccessful this one time, it was the sadness they felt that showed they really cared and that they really wanted to save him. And now Conner understood why he felt the way he did about the death of his father and only remaining family member.

Conner suddenly realized how tense he was. He dropped his shoulders with a short exhale and looked down at the water again. _What can I do to make a difference?_

An idea suddenly bloomed in his mind. "That's it…" he murmured to himself. Standing up, he turned and flew to the ground. He landed in the still moist grass, which made a light squish sound as he walked. The flooded forest had eventually dried up, but the ground was still really wet. However, a lot of the plants flourished and were now bigger than before. Due to the Rio heat, most of the wood laying around dried to a crisp.

Walking around for a few minutes, he eventually found a small, rectangular plank of wood small enough for him to carry in his talons, yet big enough for birds to see. He heaved the wood back to the cave's top and carefully landed; he gulped at the water, not wanting to fall in. The large hole was dark, deep and creepy—not something that looked too welcoming, considering the circumstances.

He shook his head to clear it and focused on his task at wing. He took the wood and saw two small protruding pieces of rock; the wood could fit there perfectly, if only he had a way to keep it there…

He left the wood on the rocks for a minute and flew off to find some vine and a small sharp rock. When he returned, he took the next few minutes to drive two small holes in the piece of wood at the top and knot the vine through each. He then made an ink mixture that birds used; a mixture of mud and a thick berry juice that surprisingly lasted a long time.

In big bold letters, he used a leaf stem to write **TANNER'S CAVE** on the wood plank. He blew on the ink for a minute before hanging up the finished product on the rock "hangers".

He hovered in midair and looked it over from a few feet away. Anyone who flew by and looked at the cave's entrance would surely see it. With a smile, his heart felt a little lighter and not as sad as he turned and left the memorial he created for his father.

**Xxx**

"Yo dude, where is he?" Pedro asked for the millionth time.

Nico lay on the couch backstage of The Branch, his bottlecap covering his eyes. He didn't move, only calmly replied, "He'll be here."

Pedro sighed heavily, "But we've been waitin' the past hour!"

"Pedro," Riley smiled from beside her mate. "You need to relax! Conner will get here soon; he's probably stalling because he's nervous."

"Well he ain't got no reason to be nervous, he's better than Nico!"

Nico finally raised a bit of his bottlecap to send a short glare his best friend's way. Pedro chuckled and looked away innocently, humming to himself.

Ellie sighed from her seat, plucking her guitar strings. Riley looked over at her, "You okay?"

"Oh yeah," Ellie smiled, "I'm just about as ready as Uncle Pedro to get a move on."

"So what're you waiting for?" a voice asked from behind her.

"Conner!" Ellie turned and scowled. "Where were you?"

"Sorry…I got a little… distracted." He smiled sheepishly.

"A little? A LITTLE?! You're an hour late!" Pedro grabbed his wing and dragged him to the curtain. "Now get out there and-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Conner yanked his wing from the cardinal and ran back to the laughing others. "I'm not ready yet!"

"Wha? You've been plannin' this all week!" Pedro crossed his wings.

Nico smiled from underneath his bottlecap, "He's right Conner. You asked for a week's prep time, we promised you a week-"

"I know! I'm not saying that I'm not ready to go out there, but I kinda need some assistants first." Conner smiled knowingly.

"Assistance doing what?" Pedro asked.

"Well, not that kind of assistance… assistants. Like, a certain couple of birds to help me." Conner smiled.

Nico raised his bottlecap fully and chuckled at Pedro's confused look, "Who exactly are these assistants? Need someone specific?"

"I do, actually."

"Who?"

Conner rolled his eyes a bit, "Only the best."

Nico smiled and stood, "Well your wish is my command. What're we singing?"

Conner grinned, "I was hoping you'd say that. And something I wrote."

"Great!"

Having caught on at last, Pedro threw his wings in the air, "Whoo hoo! So let's go prep, come on!" He ran forward and grabbed both canaries by their wings and dragged them away.

Ellie laughed with her mom, "This'll be good."

**Xxx**

Rafael smiled at the large crowd in The Branch, glad to see birds milling about in the open again. After last week, most birds were afraid to leave their hollows but thankfully it didn't last forever. The only thing needed was time and patience.

"Hey, Rafael!"

He turned to the voice and saw Carlos sitting with his family at a table a few feet away. He joined them almost immediately since he hadn't seen them since last week. "Hey amigo! How are you doing?"

"We're doing well! And I haven't had any problems either; seems we're all on the mend." Carlos smiled.

"That's great! Thankfully not many were hurt in the whole ordeal. Rio will be back to normal in no time." The Toucan gave a thumbs up, "Which reminds me, how's the squad doing?"

"Oh, they're fine. Should be heading out in the next few days though…" Carlos tapered off.

Rafael nodded in agreement, "I see. Do you know where they're going?"

"Sao Paulo I think. Some important meeting they have to go to. It's usually an annual type of thing where they get new recruits and new leaders, that type of thing. I think they'll mostly be getting a new mission; that's the usual when you crack your biggest cases. Now that Tanner's gone, along with all his cronies, they've got nothing to really track down besides the average enemy," Carlos replied.

"I see. What happened to Vanessa and Nigel?"

"Vanessa was taken to Rio's zoo; they just dropped her off near the reptile department. She'll be fine there, I'm sure. And Nigel…" Carlos paused, thinking. "I'm pretty sure they still have him at the hideout. They aren't about to the let him get away again. They'll take him to Sao Paulo with them and he'll get put in something similar to a bird jail."

Rafael nodded, "Okay. Birds were asking about them and for once, I didn't have an answer."

Carlos smiled, "It's fine; the squad isn't too particular about handing out answers to anyone, but since it's you and then the community at this point has a right to know, what can we do about it?"

"Right." Rafael looked up to the stage, "So this is Conner's debut, huh?"

"Yep. He should do fine." Carlos smiled.

Maggie suddenly piped up from the next seat over, "I can't wait to hear Mister Conner sing!"

"Me too!" Rafael grinned back at her.

Sarah then added with a twinge of sarcasm, "I'm sure he'll recruit Ellie to sing with him-"

"Sarah, be nice." Lindy warned.

"Well seriously! I mean they do sound good together, but do they have to do _everything_ together? Blech…"

The adults laughed, Rafael replying, "Someday you may not mind so much. You'll be in the same boat-"

"Don't even go there Raffy." Carlos interrupted.

"Pah, yeah don't even go there Raffy." Sarah added, "I'm good with me, myself and I."

Lindy rolled her eyes with a smile, "You say that now."

Excited shouts and cheers arose from the crowd when Nico and Pedro flew out from backstage and swooped around the crowd a bit. Pedro landed onstage and grabbed a few stools, putting one in the center and the other two on each side of it while Nico spoke to the crowd.

"Hey guys, great to see you! My family has a couple of numbers for you, but first off our friend Conner has written a song that I know you'll love. So sit tight and enjoy the show!"

Nico took the stool on the left side of the stage while Pedro took the one on the right, taking comfortable seats. Conner soon walked out with Ellie's guitar in his wing. The crowd cheered, making him smile but he waved them off. While he sat on the stool and tuned the guitar's strings, the crowd continued to cheer, but at Nico's short wave, they finally stopped.

When he was done tuning, Conner looked up at the crowd with a smile. "Hi, I'm Conner. I'm sure by now most of you know who I am. But this song I wrote myself and I think that it tells my story really well. I hope you like it." He looked over to Nico for a second, who smiled and gave him a short nod. Conner swallowed and started playing the opening notes on the guitar along with an instrumentalist playing a piano.

After a few moments he began singing from the depths of his heart, stunning the audience with his talented voice. Carlos and Nico's family and friends watched on with pride at how much the young teen had grown in the past month since they had met him.

_I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons_

_Finally content with a past I regret_

_I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness_

_For once I'm at peace with myself_

_I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long_

_I'm movin' on_

_I've lived in this place and I know all the faces_

_Each one is different but they're always the same_

_They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it_

_They'll never allow me to change_

_But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong_

_I'm movin' on_

At the reprise, Nico and Pedro joined in to harmonize the notes. Riley, Ellie, Lindy and even a few of the guys wiped a few tears away from the tenderness of the song.

_I'm movin' on_

_At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me_

_And I know there's no guarantee, but I'm not alone_

_There comes a time in everyone's life_

_When all you can see are the years passing by (Nico: all the years passing by)_

_And I have made up my mind that those days are gone_

The pianist and Conner played a bit of the melody for a few bars before Conner continued to the climax of the lyrics—the message and reason he wrote the song.

_I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't_

_Stopped to fill up on my way out of town_

_I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't_

_I had to lose everything to find out_

_Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road_

_I'm movin' on_

_I'm movin' on_

_I'm movin' on _

The crowds whooped and cheered at the final notes, making Conner look up and smile. Nico walked over and gave him a short hug; Pedro also offered a fist bump, which the teen gladly accepted. Conner then hopped off his stool and carried the guitar backstage real quick as Nico took center stage.

"That is definitely an amazing song and he's certainly talented for his age, as you can tell. You'll be hearing more from him, I promise you." Throwing a wink to one side of the audience, he grinned and said as the lights began to slowly dim, "Okay, so now we're going to take this performance a whole 'nother direction. Shed the lights boys, and prepare to be blown away."

Nico was soon lost from sight by a shadow of inky darkness. The crowd murmured in excitement at what the canary family and friends could possibly have up their sleeves. Ellie's voice was the first to break the silence, echoing through The Branch. The lights gradually came back on when a steady, catchy beat picked up with the lyrics.

_We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fama-mily  
But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be  
_

When the lights came on, Ellie's entire family was strewn across the stage including her brothers, cousins, and aunt and uncle. The ladies echoed some of the lyrics and the guys stood by grinning, waiting for their dance cues. Pedro and Zac were at the instruments and technology, making the sound echo throughout the club at top volume.

As Ellie sang passionately she gestured to her family and friends on stage with her, throwing her wings out at the lyrics referring to those who didn't like them. She didn't care; her family wasn't ordinary. And that's the way she liked it.

_So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me  
We got every kind of lover  
We're so lucky indeed  
They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me cause  
We are, we are family_

We are are are are (Girls: We are are)  
We are are are are (Girls: We are are)  
We are are are are (Girls: We are are)  
We are, we are family, family, family  
We are, we are family

Nico took over the lyrics, dancing with Riley on center stage.__

So what?  
We don't look, we don't act  
We don't walk, we don't talk  
Like you do  
So what?  
If we hang just a hang and no shame  
We both do what we want to

Conner appeared next to Nico and sang his part of the song that he helped Ellie write. He sang with passion because the lyrics came from personal experience.__

Cause we come from everywhere  
Searching for ones to care  
Somehow we found it here  
We found us a home

We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fami-mily  
But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be

So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me  
We got every kind of lover  
We're so lucky indeed  
They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me cause  
We are, we are family

Riley took over the lyrics with her wings around her twin boys' shoulders, everyone still dancing in the back ground. Birds around the club were dancing happily with their own families.__

Okay, so the links in our chains makes us strange  
But really they make us stronger  
And no one would replace not a thing  
Mother or father  
Cause we...

Lindy and Carlos slid from the back and sang the relatable lyrics, giving their own dance moves. Lindy added her own twist on her final note, making the crowd scream.__

Cause we come from everywhere  
Searching for ones to care  
Somehow we found it here  
We found us a home

We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fami-mily  
But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be

So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me  
We got every kind of lover  
We're so lucky indeed  
They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me cause  
We are, we are family

Family  
We are, we are  
We are, we are family

**xxx**

After the performance, the performers were told that the screams and cheers of the crowd could be heard from blocks away and they didn't stop for nearly ten minutes! The regular frequenters of The Branch had sorely missed their headliners for the longest time, and now that they were back, they were beyond excited anyway. But that performance blew it out of the water. No amount of Nico and Pedro's shouts, or Miguel's, could calm them down. The family and friends didn't dare leave the stage until things did calm down… Wouldn't want a riot, now would we?

Ellie introduced Conner to a bunch of teens who she knew from school. He got to meet a bunch of cool birds and he made instant connections with some of Dodger's friends who were trying not to be so "tough and cool" anymore. She was glad that he was able to have some guy friends too.

Ellie sat down at her family's table with a tired sigh. Nico smiled, "Big party, huh?"

"Oh yeah. It's kinda sad that Dodger couldn't come though."

"Eh, he'll be fine. This won't be the last, so he's got plenty to make up for it." Nico smiled.

Pedro suddenly appeared by Nico's side with a slightly concerned face, "Um dude… h-have you seen the boys?"

Nico sighed, anxiously looking around, "D'aww man! Not again!"

Riley was also looking around, "Where could they be?"

In the meantime, Conner was just leaving the group of guys he just met. Spotting Ellie at her parents table, all looking around with slight concern, he headed that direction. He was in mid-thought about how great life was getting when someone yelled, "HEADS UP!"

Conner looked up and saw a big red Dixie cup that humans drank out of come crashing down. Before he could lunge out of the way the cup fell over top of him, effectively trapping him inside.

Conner stood there in the darkness for a few moments, staring at the place where he had just seen Ellie. Then he sighed and knocked on the cup. He heard somebird sitting on top of the cup and snicker, but he repeatedly knocked.

"Boys, what _are_ you doing now?" Nico asked as he approached the boys sitting on top of a big red Dixie cup.

"Ohhhh nothing dad! Nothing at all!" Cody grinned a little too suspiciously.

Mason elbowed and shushed him, "Be cool."

"Like I need lessons from you on how to be cool. I am cool. No, scratch that, I'm awesome!" Cody grinned, smoothly giving Zac's wing a high five.

"So what's with the cup?" Nico asked, most birds in the general area, along with the rest of the family, standing around in curiosity.

"We just found it outside, ya know. Liked the color." Mason fibbed.

Riley's eyes narrowed but a smile was evident. "Uh-huh. Why really?"

"No seriously, we got it because of the color!" Cody nodded with wide eyes. Zac quickly rolled his own and started to stand, but both canaries yanked him back down on top of the cup.

Ellie blinked and shook her head, "You guys are weird. And you've never really liked red anyway, but whatever." Looking around, she asked, "Where's Conner? Surely he would've come over by now." Even by this point no one had noticed the faint knocking inside the cup.

"Oh don't you worry about him, I'm sure he's around. Hehe." Cody winked at Mason, who almost grabbed him but decided on glaring instead.

"Be. Cool."

"I already told you, I AM cool! No wait, I told you to scratch that cuz I'm awesome. I'M AWESOME! Fear me!"

"Fear you? Pah, why in the world would anyone be afraid of you? You're a pipsqueak!" Mason smirked.

Cody dead panned, "You're the same size as me."

"But not in heart, my friend. You are most inexplicably, inconceivably puny. Yep, I went there."

"I don't think that word means what you think it means." Zac frowned.

Mason sighed, "Dude work with me!"

Suddenly the cup jumped from the inside, making the three boys almost fall off. Everyone stared at the cup, then Nico looked up at his sons with exasperation, "Who'd you trap in there?"

"What?"

"Trap?"

"Nu-uh!"

Zac suddenly spilled, "It was their idea! They were just trying to impress that chick because her favorite color is red and they accidentally caught him instead!"

"What?" About four birds asked in sequence, all thoroughly confused.

Conner finally punched the cup so hard that it dented from the inside. The cup pushed over a little bit but it stayed up. Nico hopped over to the cup, smirked at Ellie for a second, then knocked, "Conner, you in there?"

Silence. Then a sigh, "Yeah…"

Nico and a few others chuckled. "You okay in the dark?"

"It's not the dark. It's the lack of oxygen."

"Oh. Well I suppose my _sons_ should get off now, eh?"

The dark look being cast their way made the two canary boys scramble up and fly away as fast as possible—or they would have had Riley not grabbed their feet and pulled them back to ground level. Nico and Pedro both quickly lifted the cup and Conner walked out briskly. He stood by Ellie and inhaled deeply, but crossed his wings. Ellie stifled a laugh with her wing.

"Don't even say it." Conner looked at her with eyes narrowed.

Ellie couldn't contain her laugh and neither could many of the birds standing around.

While some bird got rid of the cup, Nico rejoined his family and smirked at his sons. "So, who's this girl?"

Mason made buggy eyes like he didn't know what his dad was talking about, whereas Cody's face began to turn a little pink and he couldn't keep eye contact. Nico had a hard time keeping a straight face.

"You think he was serious? I don't know no girl! That's all Coooody." Mason made a face at his twin.

"Shut up." Cody murmured.

"Hehe Cody and-"

"Zip it!" Cody quickly covered his brother's beak before he could say another word.

A tap on his shoulder from behind suddenly distracted him, "Cody?"

Cody's eyes widened drastically and he turned around, wings still covering Mason's beak. Mason almost immediately busted out laughing and everyone else standing around could barely hide their grins. The orange female canary standing there with blue eyes and long dark eyelashes couldn't have appeared at a more inopportune time.

"Hey Amy…" Cody smiled shyly. Suddenly aware of this very awkward situation, he turned to his brother and pushed him away with a gesture that meant "shoo". Then he turned to his family, "Amy this is my family… family this is Amy. She's in my class."

A round of "hi's" and "nice to meet you's" went around; Riley couldn't stop smiling, and Nico couldn't decide how he felt. He wasn't even thirteen yet!

Riley's wing wrapped around his and she smiled at him, "Relax. It'll be fine."

Nico sighed, "I know. They're just getting too big."

The adults watched Ellie and Conner talking with some friends nearby, and then had to laugh when Amy introduced the boys to her younger sister by a year, Angie. She looked the same except had black lining through her feathers and green eyes, but what was funny was Mason's face—his eyes widened, beak dropped and he promptly fell onto his back. When asked what was wrong he blamed it on Angie, saying that her beauty knocked him off his feet.

"Quite a day, huh?" Nico and Riley turned to see Carlos and Lindy standing beside them.

"Don't you know it." Nico's voice seemed a little on edge.

Carlos snorted, "Come one, lighten up. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know. Marrying off your babies?"

The others laughed at Nico's pessimism. He frowned, "What? This is a very serious matter!"

"You know what's good about that though?" Lindy asked.

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Enlighten me."

"They get to have normal lives. Something that we never had at that age."

Nico pondered that thought. "That's true."

"See," Riley smiled. "We'll be fine."

Nico shrugged with a lopsided smile, "Eh, what am I worried about?"

"Nothing we can't handle." Carlos replied, turning his attention to the kids. Then he paused, "Except maybe those three. At the rate of their womanizing, they'll be married in a month."

It was true. Mason, Cody and Zac had a small congregation of girls surrounding them, all giggling at everything each of them said.

Nico shook his head, "They didn't get that from me."

"Me neither." Carlos readily agreed.

Their mates made faces at each other and rolled their eyes before walking away. "Uh-huh." Lindy remarked flatly. "Neither of you two is charming at all."

The brothers stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, watching the girls walk away. Carlos finally looked at his brother, "Was it something I said?"

Nico inhaled and exhaled with a shrug, "Maybe we'll never know."

The guys followed their girls back to the tables where Rafael and Pedro were talking. Sarah soon joined them and quickly said, "Hey, we're performing another song. Pay attention, 'kay?"

As she left, Carlos and Lindy frowned. "Bossy much." Her father replied to the empty place where she just stood.

Nico chuckled, "You've got time to break that."

The family quieted when guitar music started playing. The attention of the crowd was drawn to Conner on-stage with the guitar and Ellie in center stage.

_A word's just a word  
'Til you mean what you say_

Conner took his turn at the lyrics.

_And love isn't love  
'Til you give it away_

__Boyfriend and girlfriend took turns with the next two lines, first Ellie, then Conner.

_We've all got a gift  
Yeah, something to give _

__Both finally sang together with a burst of energy; strobe lights lit up the entire stage revealing the rest of the dancing teens, who belted altogether into the chorus.

_To make a change  
Send it on (echo)  
On and on (echo)  
Just one wing can heal another  
Be a part (echo)  
Reach a heart (echo)  
Just one spark starts a fire (all together)_

__Ellie sang the next line above the group…

_With one little action  
The chain reaction will never stop  
Make us strong  
Shine a light and send it on!_

Ellie and Conner backed into the crowd of teens and Sarah and Zac took over the next verses, smiling at the crowd…_  
Just smile (Zac: Just smile)  
And the world (Zac: And the world)_

Will smile along with you  
That small act of love  
That's meant for one  
Will become two

Ellie and Conner took the next small segment, and led up to the chorus a second time…

_If we take the chances  
To change circumstances  
Imagine all we can do  
If we..._

ALL:  
Send it on (echo)  
On and on (echo)  
Just one wing can heal another (altogether)  
Be a part (echo)  
Reach a heart (echo)  
Just one spark starts a fire (altogether)

__Sarah blasted the next part of the chorus…

_With one little action  
The chain reaction will never stop  
Make us strong  
Shine a light and send it on  
Send it on_

The harmonizing of all the teens voices made the crowd go wild, cheering excitedly…

_Oh, send it on (Sarah)_

There's power in all of the choices we make (Ellie)  
So I'm starting now, there's not a moment to wait (Sarah and Conner)

Sarah:  
A word's just a word  
Until you mean what you say  
Ellie & Conner:  
And love is not love  
'Til you give it away

Ellie slid out to the front of the stage as she belted the next lines…__

Send it on (Ellie held the echo out longer for extra effect…)  
On and on (Diego echoed strongly)  
Just one wing can heal another  
Be a part (Diego echo)  
Reach a heart (Sarah echo)  
Just one spark starts a fire  
With one little action (Sarah)  
The chain reaction will never stop  
Make it strong (Conner: Shine a light)  
Shine a light and send it on  
Send it on (Zac)

Send it on  
On and on  
Just one wing can heal another  
Be a part (Sarah echo)  
Reach a heart (Conner: Oh!)  
Just one spark starts a fire  
With one little action (Ellie belted a higher note.)  
The chain reaction will help things start  
Make us strong  
Shine a light and send it on (Ellie: Shine a light and send it on)  
Shine a light and send it on!

**The song is from the lyrics of Ice Age: Continental Drift by Keke Palmer. I love this song! I originally had another song in there but I was thinking about this one when I was finishing the chapter up today and I just had to change it haha I'd say it fits much better!**

**Anyway… the time has come for this version to depart. It's been a great ride! I want to thank every one of you out there who have been so supportive in my three stories! You've all been really great :)**

**I probably won't be writing any more of my own Rio stories. School is way more important and has sucked all the focus out of me (which is for the better in life anyway haha). But! I am co-writing a story called Diamond in the Rough with ILoveNico1000x. If you loved my stories here you will LOVE that one! We don't have many people reading or reviewing it so PLEASE check it out! I'm supposed to be writing the next chapter but I'm too caught up with school now to do it, but it has about 6 chapters up I think. A lot of drama, action, spy-coolness (except not spies!), and romance! You must check it out! :D Do it for me as a parting gift ;) haha**

**Well I think it's time for me to head out. Thanks again for all the support! You ever want to chat, PM me ;) Bye guys!**

**~EmK/EmmerzK out :)**


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Rio, Adventure, Romance