There was a look of genuine worry on the girl’s face as she looked at her uncle for answers.  She was experiencing something that, prior to that moment, she clearly never had… and, she didn’t know how to handle it.  For a moment, neither did her uncle.  However…
	“Come– c’mere.”
	When he sat up and shimmied over to the edge of the bed, beckoning her close, she was very quick to hop up into his waiting arms and tightly hug him.

	“I feel all… squirmy…” Rose told her uncle.  “And– and– and…!  I feel super-warm!  D-down there…  Unca Theo, what’s wrong wif me?”
	“Nothing’s wrong with you, sweetie…” Joseph told his niece with a comforting smile.  “Your body’s just reacting to what we were doing.”
	“M-my body…?  Reacting…?”
	When she made a soft, worried sort of whimper, he gave her a little squeeze to calm her.
	“I know it probably feels weird…  Maybe even a little scary…”
	“It is scary!” she told him as she looked up.  “I feel like… like… I dunno!  I wanna pee… but, it tickles, too… b-but…”
	The fox blinked as, without even the slightest bit of modesty, she suddenly reached down and started rubbing between her legs.
	“I don’t– I dunno what… what…”
	And, that’s when she realized…
	“H-hey…”
	That she’d found the solution to her own problem.

	“You know how I told you that, um… ‘playing’ with my thingy makes it feel good?” Joseph asked, watching his niece clumsily paw and rub herself, trying to find just the right angle of attack.  When she gave a nod, he continued with, “Well… the same thing goes for girls, too.”
	“M-Mommy never tol’ me this…” she panted, her body giving a shiver as she settled back against her uncle.  “G-gosh…”
	“Well, it’s supposed to be a ‘grown-up’ game.”
	“L-like… kissing?”
	Joseph shuffled a little, helping the little girl get a little more situated on his lap before he said, “Like kissing, yes.”
	Rose went silent for a moment, grinding the bottom of her hand against her lap and shuddering.  She was still trying to find her particular “groove,” it seemed.
	“I won’ tell Mommy…” she cutely whispered before looking up and smiling.  “It’ll be anudder super-secret!”
	He smiled, as well.  “Our little secret…” he whispered, giving her a tap on the nose.

	It was an odd situation, for Joseph.  Initially, he was hesitant to look at his niece as anything but a “niece.”  But, after the accident in the bathtub… and, given all her curiosities and questions… he was starting to look at her like he would any other first-time lover.  All of his concerns and cares had escaped him and all he wanted to do, then, was show the girl just how much fun she could have.  With herself… or, with him.

	“H-how long… um…”
	The start of a new question caught the fox’s attention.
	“How long’s… this take?” is what she ended up asking as she switched hands, seeming a little more in-need of relief than a moment prior.
	“It could take a little while… or, it could take a long while,” he answered, still content to let his niece work herself over while on his lap.
	“Th-this feels good…” she panted, looking down at herself.  “But…”
	She looked back his way, her blush returning.
	“A-am I doin’ it wrong?  C-can… can you teach me how t’ do it?”
	On the one hand, he hadn’t been expecting her to ask him that.  On the other, however…
	“E-eep!”
	He was very glad that she had…

	“I-i-izzit nekkid time, again…?” the young fox nervously asked.  Her uncle had taken her robe by the shoulders and was pulling upward on it, hoping she would get the hint.  His smile became more of a grin when she lifted her arms, letting him literally “dis-robe” her.
	“Lay back with me, Rose?”
	When she looked his way, she noticed that he was removing his own robe and setting the two to one side.  It wasn’t until he shuffled back and laid down that she started to wonder what he was doing… though, she didn’t ask.  Instead, she just went along with things, crawling up and laying on top of him.  Unfortunately…
	“Er… turn around?”
	She’d laid front-to-front.
	“But…”  She offered a smile, her little tail wagging as she said, “I wanna see your pretty eye!  It looks like Mommy’s!”
	“Well, for this to work, you need to be on your back…”
	She’d pouted… but, when he gave her a little kiss on the nose, she giggled and wiggled.
	“Can you turn around for me?” he asked in a soft, polite tone.
	“O-okay!” was her response as she rolled over, putting her back to his front.  “Like this?”
	“That’s peerrrfect…” he purred, drawing another giggle from her.

	Joseph seemed to forget what he was doing, for a moment, as he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and cuddled her close.  She was quick to hug his arms and wiggled a little more… but, when he nuzzled her, she started laughing, again.
	“U-Unca Theo…?” she called between giggles.  “Wha’cha doin’…?”
	“Nooothin’…” he whispered, kissing her neck before giving it a little nibble.
	“Unca Theo…!” the girl gasped.  “Th-that feels… it feels…”
	She had to pause, then.  He’d given her a slow lick along the shoulder.
	“I-I feel… I feel funny, again…”
	And, without even waiting for him… the girl spread her legs, letting her feet rest on either side of his thighs, and started pawing at herself, once more…

	The girl’s uncle gently groomed and kissed at her neck, making her blush, squirm, gasp, and even pant a little.  He knew what he was doing… and, he had a good idea of what he was doing to her.  She really was her sister’s kid, given how much she enjoyed the attention to her neck.  However… he knew of an even better spot than that to tease…
	“Yeek…!”
	And, he didn’t hesitate to use it.
	“Unca…  U-Unca… Unca…”
	Joseph had pulled his niece down his body… just enough to go after what he considered to be the family’s “secret weak spot.”
	“Uhn– Uuuncaaaaa…!”
	The ears…!

	As the uncle and niece continued their engagement, the former kept the latter held close, relentless in his oral assaults to her flicking, fidgeting little ears.  He kissed and licked… whispered and blew on… and, once-or-twice, even bit one or the other… all of which drove the girl absolutely wild!  She’d never experienced anything like what she was going through…  Instead of fearing it… she was starting to embrace it.  And, it wasn’t long… before her cute, little noises… started driving him wild…

	“Rooosey…” he lovingly whispered into her ear.
	“U-Unca Theo…?” was her panting response.
	She hadn’t stopped rubbing and grinding in-between her legs the whole time…
	“Are you having fun…?”
	“Y-yeesss…” she said in a breathy voice that melted into a low, rumbly sort of purr.  It was pretty obvious that she was really turned-on… and, that made him grin.
	“Do you still need help?” was his next question.  After a long delay… she gave a shaky nod before curiously asking, “Sh-show me… how…?”
	“Are you suuure…?” he teased, letting one hand slide along her body while the other arm continued to hold her.
	“Pl-pleeease, Unca…?”  She paused, again, before saying… “I-I want you to…!”
	“Love you, Rose-Blossom…” he purred, giving her a gentle kiss between the ears.
	“Love you… too…” the girl panted.  “Mm… Unca Theo…”
	“You have such a cute little body…” he told her as his hand slipped down and ran along her leg.  “I’m glad you let me see it… feel it…”
	“Th-that’s weird, Unca Theo…!” the girl said with a hyper sort of giggle.  She definitely wasn’t bothered by what, to her thinking, was an unusual compliment… but, she also didn’t know how to react.
	“I’m glad this happened…”
	“Me, too…!” she purred…  “G-gosh, Unca Theo…  You’re so c–!”
	Rose stopped, blinked, and looked down.  Her uncle’s hand… was right on her lap.
	“C… cool…” she quietly finished before asking, “Unca Theo…?”
	“Shh…” he hushed.  “I’m gonna start, now.”
	His niece tensed, feeling nervous, suddenly…
	“Unca Theo… s-somethin’ feels weird ‘bout this… I– aah…!”
	But, the time to back out had passed.  He was prepared to see things through to the end.

	“U-Unca Th-Theo,” Rose gasped.  “Wait…!  I-I wasn’t ready…!”
	“I’d say you’re more-than-ready, Rosey…” he purred as he let his middle finger run along the seam hidden under her heavily-moistened fur.
	“But…!”  The girl huffed and shivered…  “I-I’m scared…!”
	“There’s no reason to be scared, honey…” the male fox whispered into her ear, making her shudder.  “Your ‘Unca Theo’ is right here… and, all he wants to do is make.  You.  Happy…”
	“I…!  But…!  But…!”
	She shook her head and squirmed, clenching her fists and holding them at her chest.  She really seemed unsure of what was happening… more-so, over what was about to happen.  He was playing between her legs in a much different way than she had…
	“Don’t you trust your uncle…?”
	“Y-y-y-yeeaaah…” she nervously said.  “B-but…!”
	“Then, trust him to make you feel…”  He purred as he whispered, “Gooood…”
	“S-stop… stop being weird, Unca!!”

	Joseph jolted, his ears perking and eye blinking.  His niece had just shouted at him… seemingly from out of nowhere!  And, what’s more… he could hear something else.
	“Rose?  Rose…?!  Are you… are you okay…?”
	“No, I’m not…!” she half-yelled.
	He noticed, then… her body was trembling, her ears were folded, and she was making a lot of huffing noises… not from fatigue or excitement… but, seemingly… out of fear.
	“Rose… did… did I do something wrong?”
	Suddenly, the girl spun around.  And… that’s when Joseph saw something that completely broke him.
	“Oh…  Oh, Trinity…  Rose, I–”
	Rose was deeply frowning.  And… she was crying.

	Joseph knew… he’d screwed up.  He’d screwed up hard.  His “bed talk” had pushed his niece through uncertainty… into discomfort… straight through to fear… and, finally, into a controlled panic.  And, after all that… he was left with was a sobbing, horrible mess of a girl who just wanted to hide in her uncle’s chest and loudly cry.  Which is exactly what she did.

	After draping his robe over her body, the fox held her close, gently rocking her from-side-to-side, letting her cry out, long-and-loud, into his chest while clinging to his larger frame.  There wasn’t much else that he could do, at that point.  He felt so awful… even worse than he had when the whole thing started, in the tub…  He hadn’t just betrayed his niece’s trust… hadn’t just scared her…  He’d, somehow, broken her heart!  In his mind, letting her cry until she wore herself out was the least he could do, for her.

	After a good five minutes of bawling, Rose started to quiet.  She was still trembling and couldn’t seem to let go of her uncle… but, at least she seemed to be calming down.  The fox gently ran his hand along the back of her head, quietly breathing and continuing to let her do what she needed to.  He wanted to say something… wanted to apologize… but, after what he’d done… after what he’d all-but-forced her to do… he didn’t feel like he had any right.

	“Unca…”

	Joseph perked.  Rose had mumbled into his chest.  He wasn’t sure if he should respond… so, he just stayed quiet.
	“Unca, why…?”
	He tensed, then.  The girl had looked up, her eyes red from crying and still filled with water.  She looked so upset…
	“Why’d ya go all… all weird, on me…?” she asked with a sniffle.  “You scareded me…”
	Again, he wanted to answer… but, looking at that hurt little face… those cracked eyes… those cheeks colored from stress rather than anything positive…  It robbed him of his words.
	“I jus’ wanted help…” she whimpered, her face clenching.  “Ya went all weird an’ scareded me…!  I… I…”
	She bit her bottom lip.  She was clearly fighting back another round of crying…

	“Unca…?” the girl said after calming back down.  “Why-come…?”
	Joseph continued to stay quiet, just staring at her, his ears folded and his own eye having cried a number of tears of guilt and sadness.
	“Is it ‘cause… ya don’t like me…?”
	He blinked, then.  “Wha–”
	“You hate me…!” she suddenly shouted, clenching her eyes shut and sitting up.  “That’s why ya went all weird!  I knew it!”
	“What?!  Rose, no!!  I–”
	“Ever since ya spewed on me, I been feelin’ weird, an’ funny, an’– an’– an’–!!”
	She huffed before telling him…
	“It’s all your fault…!”
	Well… he certainly couldn’t argue with that.  But…
	“You hate me…!”
	“Rose, I–!”
	But, it was too late.  Rose was dead-certain that her uncle hated her… and, almost immediately after telling him so for a second time, she leaped off his body and ran out of her room, quick-as-a-bolt!

	“Rose!  Wait!”
	Joseph sat up before getting to his feet.  His ears perked, his fur bristled, and he felt his pulse race.  She’d run off… and, he didn’t know to where.  All he knew was… why…
	“You… you fucking idiot…” he spat at himself as he stared at the floor.  “Look at you…  Look where you are!  What the fuck were you thinking?!”
	Just like that, he’d experienced a total recall of his surroundings.  He was completely naked… in his niece’s room… and, not moments prior… had been molesting her.  With words… with his hands… with his mouth…  He’d broken the trust of the house… the trust of his “sister…” and, most importantly…
	“You broke her trust…”
	He’d broken the trust of his niece.

	“You’re a real piece of work, Joseph Theodore Lithius…” he said in a calmer voice before sitting back on the bed.  “Your other self lets you into her house… gives you a place to stay while your situation gets sorted… then, the one time she asks you to take care of her daughter… a daughter that, up to today, absolutely adored you… you do the one thing that she was afraid you would.  Because… she knows you better than you know yourself.  And, why?  Why?!”
	The fox, angry with himself, slammed his hands into the bedspread with a growl.
	“Is it because you’ve been desperately lonely, ever since Hope died?!  It’s not like you don’t have options!  Jessie, Miri, Ami… shit, even fuckin’ Lyra likes you, for some un-fucking-known reason!  But, no.  No!  You shut all of them out, for the last year, because you’re hung up on some fucking toy that broke!  But, oh, it gets even better, doesn’t it?  Because…”
	He growled even louder…
	“When an eight-year-old girl decides to show you a little affection… you suddenly decide, ‘I’mma stuff my cock in that!’”

	Joseph went deathly silent, then…  He didn’t even dare to breathe…  He didn’t feel like he had the right to, in that house, after what he’d done.  He probably would have continued to not breathe… if it hadn’t been for something getting his attention.
	“Unca Theo…?”
	Or, rather… some-one.

	His “niece” was standing in the doorway… but, he didn’t really pay much attention to her.  He was too lost in his own thoughts to care.  More-than-anything… he just wanted to get out of there… and, preferably, go somewhere where he couldn’t hurt anyone else.  But, as he started to walk toward the door…
	“Wait.”
	His niece stopped him.
	“Rose, I’m not in the mood for childish games,” he coolly spat, not bothering to look at her.  “I just want to get my shit, then get outta Masamune.”
	“No.”
	He twitched.  “What… do you mean, ‘no?’”
	“I said, ‘No!’”
	He blinked, then, looking down just enough to see her block the door with her body.
	“Rose, I’m serious.  Get the fuck out of my way or I’ll–”
	“Or, you’ll what?!” she snapped, sounding surprisingly angry.  “Spit more bads at me?!”
	“I’ll… uh…”
	Somehow… hearing his niece be angry at him was enough to snap him out of his pity party and make him pay attention.  When he did… his ears fell.

	She was standing there, arms and legs spread in the doorway, looking up with ears folded, wearing a scowl and nothing else… and, looking somewhere between hurt… and, furious.

	“I… I did it, again…”  Joseph gave a hollow laugh.  “I hurt you, again.”
	He started laughing out loud, then, in complete disbelief with himself.  He really couldn’t believe that he’d managed to make such a sweet, loving child so cross with him.  But… after what he’d done?
	“I’m such a piece of shit…”
	It was the least he deserved…

	“Ow!  What–?”
	The fox blinked.  He’d just started to get lost in his thoughts for the second time… when he’d felt a sharp sting at his shin.  A look down revealed…
	“Did… did you just kick me?”
	“That’s right!” Rose proudly told him before getting back in the doorway.  “An’, I’ll do it, again, if ya don’t stop sayin’ bads!”
	“Wh–  w… what.”
	“Stop sayin’ bads, dummy!  An’… yer not leavin’ ‘til I say ya can!” she exclaimed in defiance, giving him a stern look that completely took the wind out of his sails.
	“But…”
	“I mean it!”
	When she shuffled and reinforced herself in the doorway… Joseph didn’t know what to do… much less what to say.  So, he just waited for her to speak, again.

	“Si’down!”
	For whatever reason… he actually did.  Right there on the floor.
	“I– I meant on th’ bed!” Rose clarified, giving him a surprised look.  A second later, though…  “B-but, fine…”
	She cleared her throat… then, she removed herself from the doorway… only to leap into the fox’s lap and snuggle against him.
	“Let’s play a game, okay?” she asked.  “Like earlier?”
	“I–”
	She reached up, grabbing his muzzle and keeping him from speaking.
	“No ‘buts!’” the girl said, offering a smile.  “We’re gonna play a game!”
	When he gently nodded, she let him go before continuing.
	“We’re gonna play… uh, what’s it called?  ‘Pee-psy-ky-a-trist?’”
	“Ps… ‘Psychiatrist?’” he guessed.  When she nodded, he started to say, “I don’t–”
	“No ‘buts,’ I said!” she interrupted with a giggle.  “‘cept yours on that bed, Mister!”
	Joseph… was so confused…
	“Go lay down,” Rose continued to order.  “I’ll get my boardy thing an’ play glasses!”
	The fox made an odd face… but, when his… other self’s daughter… stood up and shot him another stern look… he just shook his head, got up, and walked over to her bed to lay down.

	“Now, zen…”
	After another few moments of preparation, Rose had brought a beanbag chair in from somewhere and seated herself at the side of her bed, one leg tossed over the opposite knee.  She had on a pair of fake, plastic glasses and was holding a clipboard and pencil with a colorful pom-pom on the end.  She’d also spoken in a strange, stereotypical dialect…
	“Tell us about your problemz!”

	“Rose… this is stupid,” Joseph told her as he looked her way.  However, another stern look made him reconsider.
	“Alright, fine.”  He deeply sighed before asking, “What would you like to know?”
	“Start from ze start unt vhen you get to ze end…”  She grinned.  “Stoup!”
	“That’s… that’s not helpful.”  He gave another sigh.  “Rose, you’re not going to be able to help me– what… what are you writing?”
	“Do not mind me!” she continued in her accent as she scribbled something onto her clipboard.  “Please!  Go on!”
	“Rose…”
	She just offered a friendly smile, then, her tail wagging to one side.
	“Seriously…?”
	“Yes!  Seriouzly!”  She gestured with one hand as she said, “Tell us vhat’s wrong!”
	The fox shook his head before putting his hands over his face.  “Where do I begin…”
	“Pick a topic!”
	“You pick a topic!” he retorted from within his hands.
	“Very well.”  She hummed a little before saying, “Vhy not start vith zhis… Hope, vas it?”
	“I already explained that one to your mom,” he said.  “I ain’t gonna explain it to you.”
	“For ze healing process to begin, ve must first find ze rrroot of ze problem!”  The girl smiled before saying, “Zhis ‘Hope’ you talked about zeems to be vhen sings vent wrong, ya?”
	“It’s… I…”  He paused…  “Hope, you don’t want to know about it.”

	“I do!”  The girl leaned forward, giving him a patient smile as she spoke in her usual voice.  “I wouldn’t’a asked, otherwise!  I’m Rose, by th’ way!”
	“Right.  That’s what I said.”
	“Nuh-uh!” she giggled.  “You called me ‘Hope!’”
	The girl’s giggled died down before she offered another compassionate smile.
	“Hope wasn’t a pet or somethin’, was she?”
	“She was…”  Joseph moved his hands away from his face… but, remained staring at the ceiling as he said, “She was my girlfriend.  My best friend…  I’ve… been so lost, without her…”
	“Ah!  Ya, ya… now, ve are getting somevhere!”
	“Hope!” he snapped, giving her a dirty look.
	“Ya did it, again, Unca Theo!” the girl said with another giggle.  “I’m still Rose!”
	“You’re…!  I…!”
	His face curled up and he shivered.
	“E-every time I think about her… I get all screwed-up, inside!”
	“I zee, I zee…” she hummed, scribbling something else onto her notes.
	“She was… I just…”  His eye closed and he whimpered before saying, “I loved her more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life…  Wh-when she was taken away from me… I think a part of me died along with her.  I just…”
	“Gave up?”
	“Y-yeah…” Joseph turned his head toward the girl.  “How did you…?”

	“When I was six,” Rose said with a slight smile and speaking normally, “I hadda pet turtle named ‘Lucky!’  Mom named ‘im for me.  I wanted t’ call ‘im ‘Rutabaga!’  Anyways… Lucky was a fun li’l turt!  I gave ‘im water, fed ‘im bugs, played wif ‘im, stuff like that!  When he liked t’ hide in ‘is shell, I tried’a get ‘im t’ come out!  ’e didn’ like that.”
	Her ears folded and she looked down, her smile becoming less confident.
	“Anyways… one day, after school… I came home an’… an’, he wasn’ movin’.”
	Joseph tilted his head.  Rose seemed upset, he noticed…
	“I… I loved that turt like he was my brudder!” she said with a sniffle.  “Then… ‘e was just… gone!  ‘bye-’bye!  He… he…”
	She whimpered a couple of times, her eyes filling with tears.
	“He decided he didn’t wanna be my friend, no more…!”

	Joseph winced as Rose broke down crying, again.  For some reason, he decided not to try and comfort her, though.  Really, the story about her pet turtle had kind of left his brain fuzzy…  Comparing a lost pet to a lost love was a little… disrespectful, to him.  Hope definitely wasn’t a turtle… she wasn’t a pet…  She’d been so much more than that, in so many ways…

	“S… sorry,” Rose said when she’d finally stopped crying.  “I just… I miss Lucky.  I bet that’s how ya feel ‘bout Hope, huh?”
	“More than you can imagine…” he murmured with his ears folded.
	“I think we all lost someone we love, once…” the girl said, putting her smile back on and wiping her eyes.  “Mommy says it’s good t’ ‘member ‘em, but not good t’… what was th’ word she used?  ‘Drill?’  ’Twill?’”
	“Do you mean… ‘dwell?’”
	“Yeah-yeah, that’s it!”  She gave a nod.  “It’s not good t’ dwell on when they went ‘way!  Jus’… ‘member th’ good times an’ happy mem’ries!”
	“Yeah, that’s easy for her to say…”  Joseph rolled his eyes before adding, “She’s never lost anyone like I lost Hope.”
	“She lost ‘er brudder!  Not– not a turtle, I mean.  Her real brudder!”
	“Er…  Jo doesn’t have a–”
	“But, ‘e came back!”
	He had to blink, then.  What was Rose talking about…?
	“Mommy’s brudder is th’ coolest!  He’s fun, an’ cool, an’ has a neat eyepatch!”
	Oh.  She was talking about him…
	“Rose…” he sighed.  “Hope isn’t coming back.”
	“How d’ya know?”
	“Because…”  He looked away…  “Because… I was there when she died.  She died.  She’s not ‘gone.’  She… is… dead, Hope.  Just like Lucky.”
	“She’s not dead, though!  Long as she’s in yer heart!”
	“Wh… what?”
	“‘n , boy…!  She mus’ be super-alive, if ya keep callin’ me that name, ‘n stuff!”
	The fox blinked… before he narrowed his eyes.
	“I’m sorry that I keep doing that, but–”
	“It’s okay…”
	Rose put her “doctor stuff” aside before standing.  Then, she immediately hugged Joseph.
	“If it makes ya happy… I’ll be ‘Hope!’”

	The fox was… at a loss for words.  His other self’s daughter… that little eight-year-old who couldn’t possibly understand what he was going through… even after all the horrible, unforgivable things he’d done to her… was still so quick to hug him…  She’d even offered to be “Hope,” if it made him happy.  He… he couldn’t take it.
	“Unca Theo…?”
	So, he did just what she had, earlier that day…
	“U-Unca Theo?!”
	And… completely broke down, crying.

	“I’ve had so many sleepless nights, Rose…”

	After a good seven minutes of crying – and, two more spent softly simpering – into his understanding “niece,” Joseph had finally calmed down enough to form words.  All-the-while, Rose never left his side, gently stroking his head as he had with hers and keeping her body cuddled up next to his own.  There was nothing she wanted more than for him to smile… and, if she could do anything to make it happen… even if it was just listening… she would.

	“I’ve lost so many hours of my life…” he quietly told her, gently nuzzling along her cheek and shoulder while trying to keep calm.  “Losing Hope was… was easily the most horrible thing to ever happen to me…  Even my crappy childhood couldn’t compare.  One night, I was holding a happy, loving Hope in my arms…  Then, the next morning?  Gone.  Completely gone.”
	“I wanna know ‘bout when you was my age, Unca Theo!  But, later.”  She sweetly smiled, giving him a little nuzzle in return.  “Get it all out, Unca.  Better out than in!”
	“There’s… really nothing else to say, Rose…  She was just… gone…”
	“Like Lucky…”
	He frowned…  But…
	“Yeah…  Like Lucky.”
	Rose squirmed, cuddling closer and nestling her head against his shoulder.
	“Not like Lucky…” he heard her whisper.  “Lucky wasn’t a person.  I know…”
	“Rose…”
	“I never lost a person…  Dunno what I’d do if I lost Mommy, or Daddy, or Ringo, or–”
	“‘Ringo?’”
	The girl leaned back, looking at her “uncle” with a smile.
	“‘Ringo’s’ my BFF!” she said, her smile brightening.  “I love him, lots!”
	“Friends are nice…”  Joseph folded his ears and looked away.  “I’ve… been neglecting mine.”
	“Like… Aunt Jessie?”
	“Huh?”
	“Ya said ‘Jessie,’ when ya were yellin’!”  She giggled.  “Izzit anudder ‘Jessie?’”
	“Well, if you’re thinking of the bat-girl with the funny accent…”
	“That’s her!” she squealed with another giggle!  “I didn’ know ya knew Aunt Jessie!”
	“She’s… I…”
	He hummed, not wanting to tell the bright-eyed girl the full truth.
	“We’re close,” is what he settled on.  “Really close.”

	“Ya know Ms. Raine, too?” Rose asked, changing gears.  “She gave me that cool teddy wif th’ colored hair!”
	“Yeah…” he said with a nod.  “We’re close, too.”
	“Gosh, ya know all th’ cool people my Mommy does!”
	The girl giggled and wiggled for a moment before pausing to ask…
	“D’ya know Ms. Faun?”
	“Who?”
	“Ms. Faun!” she repeated with a bright smile.  “She’s suuuper-nice t’ Mommy an’ me!  She really likes Mr. Magus, too!  I think she has a crush!  But, shh-shh!  It’s a secret…”
	“‘Mister…?’”
	“Mr. Magus…!”  Rose leaned back and started laughing.  “Ya gotta know Mr. Magus if ya know everyone else!  Brown hair?  Neato glasses?  Does magic?”
	“Oh… oh!  You mean… Professor Magnus?”
	“S’what I said, silly!” she giggled.  “Mr. Magus!”
	He wasn’t about to correct the girl.  She seemed absolutely stuck on that nickname.

	“So, wait…” he said, deciding to change the topic up.  “Who’s Miss Faun?”
	“C’mon, you know Ms. Faun!” she said like she believed he did.  “She works the front desk at th’ Tower!”
	“Wait.”  Joseph’s fur bristled.  “The… the green-eyed girl with shoulder-length–”
	“That’s her!” Rose said with another hyperactive giggle.  “Ya do know her!”
	“I mean… not that well, but…”
	“Oh, Unca Theo…”  She snuggled back in and gave him a squeeze.  “Ya really do know all th’ coolest people…  I’m sure ya could find a new ‘Hope,’ when ya wanna…  ‘til then?”
	She lovingly purred, making him blush.
	“I’ll be yer ‘Hope…’ an’, give ya hope.  ‘kay?”
	Again, Joseph didn’t know what to say.  At least… not at first.

	“Hope– er… dang it…”
	Rose giggled before leaning back with a bright smile.
	“S’okay!  I said I’d be ‘Hope,’ if ya wanted!”
	“No,” he flatly told her.  “I can’t get in the habit of calling you that.  You’re not Hope… nor, do I want you to be.”
	She tilted her head.  “Ya sure…?”
	“Rose… you’re…”  He paused to look away before saying, “I want to apologize.”
	“Apologize?”  She blinked, then she asked, “Wha’cha sorry for?”
	“Earlier, when we… when I… when I made you… do things…”
	“Wha’cha make me do?” she interrupted, sounding genuinely curious.
	“Wh-when you were… doing things… to my ‘thingy…’
	“Oooh…”  She hummed… then, she giggled.  “That was fun!  You made such weird noises!  I wanna do it, again, sometime!”
	He blushed… but, he quickly regained his composure and continued.

	“When I made you do that–”
	“But, ya didn’t!” she interrupted, again.  “I did it aaall by myself!”
	“When I made you do that…” he firmly repeated, causing her to blink and stare.  “And… when I made you feel funny… down there…  Rose, that was wrong of me.  That was incredibly wrong of me.”
	“I-it’s okay, Unca Theo…”  She offered a smile.  “I didn’ do anything I didn’ wanna!”
	“Rose…  Family members… aren’t supposed to do that sort of thing.  Not even kiss.”
	“Why not?”  She tilted her head the other way.  “Mommy an’ Daddy kiss, an’ they’re family!”
	“That’s… that’s different.”
	“How come?”
	“Well, for one…” the fox started, “they’re adults…”
	“I’ll be an adult in ten years…” Rose said with another giggle.  “Buuut… I dun wanna wait that long!  That’s ten whole birthdays away!”
	She leaned in, giving him a little kiss.
	“I wanna play ‘adult games’ wif my Unca Theo right now!  Don’t you wanna play wif your ‘li’l Hope?’”
	“Gods damn it, Rose…” Joseph said, his blush growing.  She was manipulating him, again… and, even though he knew it wasn’t intentional, it still irritated him.

	“Ya said another bad!” Rose gasped, suddenly changing the topic.  “Daddy says bads, a lot…  I didn’t even know they was bad ‘til Mommy tol’ me, though!  Are… are you mad…?”
	He blinked, then.  Rose had folded her ears and leaned back with a little frown.
	“I didn’ make ya mad, did I…?  I jus’ wanna make ya happy…!”
	“R-Rose, no!” he told her with a frown of his own.  “I’m just…”
	He whimpered, then, closing his eye.
	“E-everything’s just so… confusing…!  And… and… unfair!”
	“What’s’a matter, Unca Theo?” she asked with genuine concern.
	“I… I want to love you!” he admitted, surprising even himself.  “I… I want to love you.  Oh, Gods… I want to love you, Rose.”
	“Okay?”  She smiled and softly giggled.  “What’s stoppin’ ya?”
	“E-everything…!”
	“Like?”
	“We’re… I…  What if…  But…”
	“Unca Theo?”
	“What?”
	He blinked, then.  She’d kissed him… but, it was a little longer and deeper than a peck.  And, as she leaned back a moment later, she whispered… “I love you…” with a purr.  The fox had to take a second to analyze her… and, when she did… he was very surprised.

	Her face had reddened under her black fur and her eyelids and ears had lowered.  Plus, she was giving him the sweetest sort of smile… one that, if he didn’t know better, said that she was in a… certain mood, again.  Which… of course… put him in a certain mood…  But… could he really let things play out the way he wanted?  Or, the way she wanted…?