Sheila lay on her bed, flipping through magazines as she waited for her appointment time. A group of friends from the studio had dropped by earlier to see her and they had brought a care package consisting of a year's worth of magazines, some of the new videos produced by the studio, and a few "toys" for her in case she got bored. Although she did appreciate the magazines, Sheila wasn't really interested in the rest.

"Miss Vixen?" the nurse asked, sticking her head in the door. "It's time for your appointment." She nodded towards the clock on the dresser.

"Oh. Thanks," Sheila replied as she closed the magazine she'd been reading and tossed it on the bed next to her. Climbing from the bed, Sheila took a moment to adjust her appearance in the mirror, making sure that her hair wasn't pressed down in the back. Satisfied with her appearance, she made her way down to the doctor's office. Entering his waiting room, she nodded to his secretary.

"Hello, Sheila," the secretary cheerfully said. "Just take a seat and the doctor will be with you in a minute."

"OK," the vixen replied, taking a seat in one of the comfortable chairs which had been spaced strategically around the room.

After several minutes the door to the inner office opened and the doctor stepped out with his hand on the shoulder of a teenage deer mouse. "OK, Josh," the doctor said opening the outer door for the young male, "Now remember what we talked about and keep that in mind for our next session, OK?"

"Sure thing, Doc," the teen replied before stepping out of the room.

The doctor turned to Sheila and beamed her a smile. "Hello, my dear," the orangutan said as Sheila rose from her chair. "How about we do something different today?” he asked and led her from the office

"Um, yeah, I guess so," the confused vixen replied as she followed the doctor from the room. Curious as to what he had in mind, Sheila trailed him through the front foyer and outside of the building. It wasn't until they were halfway down the block, that she decided to speak up. "Were we going?"

"To get a good cup of coffee," the doctor replied, pointing towards a Roebuck's just past the intersection and on the other side of the street.

"What's wrong with the coffee from the cafeteria?" Sheila asked glancing back towards the hospital entrance as they continued their walk.

"Nothing really," the doctor replied with a smile as he glanced back at her. "I just thought it would be nice to get out of the office for a change."

"Um, yeah, OK," the vixen replied

The doctor nodded to her. "So, how have you been sleeping?"

Sheila just shrugged. "OK, I guess," she replied nonchalantly.

"That's good to hear," the doctor replied as he took the lead. "It may take a little while for you to get fully settled in, but I'm sure you'll soon get used to that bed. I understand some of your friends stopped by. How did the visit go?"

"It was OK, I guess," the vixen replied with as small shrug.

The doctor's brows furrowed, "It was just OK? These are people you haven't seen in over a year. I would think you'd be happy to see them."

"It's not like I wasn’t happy to see them," the vixen replied. "It’s just that everybody was so worried about what to say and what to do around me that it made it hard for us to have any kind of coherent conversation. I think that Zig Zag may have said something to everyone about not upsetting me. It's like they were all walking on eggshells. Only Brad had the balls to ask me any real questions."

"You're probably right," the doctor acknowledged, nodding. "Zig Zag is concerned about your well being, and it's only natural for her to warn her employees not to upset you."

Noting that the light had changed, the doctor lead the vixen across the street, only to have to wait for the light to change so they could cross again. "Maybe you should see about visiting the studio," the doctor suggested thoughtfully, "It might help you and Zig Zag get the feeling that things are returning to normal."

Sheila rolled her eyes. "Pshaw. Yeah, like she’ll ever go for that," the vixen complained.

"Oh, I'm sure she would have no objections if I were to recommend it to her," the doctor replied, giving the vixen a reassuring smile.

The conversation lapsed as the pair waited for the light to change again. Soon they were able to cross the street, leading them to the parking lot for the Roebuck's coffee shop.

The doctor once again held the door open for the vixen before he himself entered. Taking out his wallet, he removed a credit card. "Order anything you want," the doctor said as they joined the line.

Sheila was momentarily taken aback by the wide variety of drinks and snacks that were available. The customer in front of her had just been served at approximately the same time her eyes locked onto something on the list.

"Welcome to Roebuck's," the feline behind the counter cheerfully said. "What can I get for you?”

“Give me a large, hot chocolate, please,” Sheila said with a wide smile.

“All right,” the cat replied, punching it into the register.

“I’ll take a cup of cappuccino, please,” the doctor said.

The employee looked up and cocked an ear in the pair’s direction. “This all together?”

“Yes it is,” the doctor replied, passing the credit card over. He glanced over at Sheila who was eagerly watching her drink being made before turning back to the register and signing for their drinks. He then turned and joined Sheila. “Isn’t it a bit out of season for hot chocolate?” he asked as she greedily picked up her drink.

Taking a quick sip, Sheila’s eyelids hovered almost fully closed as she let the flavor wash over her tongue. She let out a sigh of satisfaction before swallowing the drink. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I have had a good cup of hot chocolate?”

“At least a year?” the doctor guessed, pulling out a chair opposite from the one the vixen had chosen at a near by table.

“Try a year and a half,” she declared, savoring another sip. February of last year was the last time I had some decent chocolate.

“I guess they weren’t the kind of people who enjoyed such luxuries,” the orangutan commented.

Sheila laughed. “You gotta be kidding,” she declared, taking another sip. “I’d be surprised if any of those Neanderthals even knew about hot chocolate.”

The doctor cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “Oh?”

“Come on,” she replied, making a face at the doctor. “Are you kidding? Most of those people had never seen much less heard of indoor plumbing. Hell, even getting something akin to coffee was a challenge.”

“Do tell,” the doctor replied, leaning forwards some, his drink all but forgotten.

Sheila nodded as she took another drink. “I remember once we were on the road for the better part of a couple of weeks without seeing any real signs of civilization, just the occasional Podunk village. That was a real pain. I had to put up with whatever they could either scrounge or whip up.”

“They?” the doctor asked, cocking his head slightly to one side.

“Arden and Hecate,” she replied, frowning. A moment later, her expression changed as she realized what she’d said. Slamming the chocolate down on the table, Sheila scowled at the doctor. “You tricked me!”

The doctor sat back, surprised by the declaration. “Huh? How?”

“By talking about those two,” the vixen shot back.

“Hey! Don’t blame me,” the doctor declared, holding his hand over his chest. “All I did was ask you about your chocolate. You’re the one who started talking about that other stuff. Hell, I didn’t even realize you weren’t talking about your captors until you got to the part of no running water!”

Sheila stood up, pushing her chair back in the process. “I’m not doing this,” she declared before turning and walking towards the entrance.

“Sheila! You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to,” the doctor called out behind her. He closed his eyes and groaned as she walked out the door. Standing, he quickly followed her out the front door and called out to the retreating form, “If you leave now, I’ll consider this a breach in our agreement!” he shouted. He frowned as the vixen continued walking. “I’ll discharge you from the facility and tell Zig Zag that there’s nothing more we can do for you.”

Sheila stopped in her tracks for a moment, before turning around and marching back to the doctor. “Is that how it’s going to be? You’re going to try and blackmail me into cooperating?”

The doctor glanced down at his watch. “We have approximately forty minutes left to our session,” he declared in a neutral voice. “You agreed to attend two sessions per day. You walk away now, and I’ll have no choice but to consider our agreement null and void.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” the vixen angrily declared.

“Then don’t,” the doctor replied. “Sheila, look at yourself. You’re upset and off balance by what just happened. If there’s nothing else that’s occurred since you came to our facility then you have to agree that something’s going on up in your head right now. I can’t help you if you won’t let me.”

“Who says I need any help?” Sheila snapped back.

The doctor straightened up and gave her a sad look. “Whether you believe it or not, you just did.”

Angry and confused, Sheila looked away. Why won’t he just leave me alone? she asked herself. I just want to go home and be done with all this. Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt his hand on her arm. Looking back at the orangutan she saw him giving her a small smile.

“Come on, Sheila,” the doctor urged, opening the door for her. “Let’s finish our drinks and talk about something else, OK?”

Feeling trapped, but knowing she had no other choice, Sheila nodded and stepped back into the café, all interest in the hot chocolate she had waiting for her, lost.

Zig Zag looked up from the paperwork she’d been reading when the intercom chimed. Dropping the papers, she reached out and hit the intercom. “Yes?”

“Zig Zag, there’s a tube rat out here to see you,” Maurine said with some disdain.

A tube rat? Zig Zag thought, wondering at the sudden derogatory reference. Maurine wasn’t one to drop a line like that without good reason. “Who is it?”

“Logan Furbody from U-62,” the receptionist replied. “He says he’s got the edits of your interview from last week.”

Groaning, Zig Zag leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes with one hand. “All right, send him back,” she reluctantly ordered.

A few moments later, there was a light knock on the doorframe as Logan stuck his head in. “Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” he stated, stepping into the room.

“No, not at all,” Zig Zag lied as she stood up to shake his hand. Accepting the videotape he handed her, she glanced at it before returning to her seat. “So, this is it, eh?”

“Not entirely,” the ferret replied taking a seat on the couch. “When you didn’t show up on Friday for the edit, I decided to postpone the broadcast until this weekend.” He looked down at his suit and picked off a few tufts of lint as he talked. “After the conversation I had with David on Monday, I figured I should go ahead and do up an edit since I had no idea when you’d be returning.”

Zig Zag frowned at the reporter’s last statement. She wasn’t too thrilled with the ‘working relationship’ those two had developed. “Well, thanks for dropping it by. I’ll take a look at it a bit later.”

Logan cocked an ear in her direction. “Later? But I was hoping to get your impression when you saw it.” He looked down at his manicured claws as he spoke. “After all, I think this is some of my most---creative work.”

Most creative work? Zig Zag’s eyes widened slightly as the ferret looked up and gave her a rather disturbing smile. “Oh?”

“Most definitely,” Logan replied with a thin smile. “The advertisement alone will be enough to guarantee I’ll ace the ratings.”

She definitely didn’t like the turn this conversation had taken. Removing the tape from its carrying case, she turned on the TV & VCR on the filing cabinet next to her and slipped it in. She was greeted by a brief burst of static before the U-62 logo could be seen.

An announcer’s voice comes on as the logo switches to the Inside Columbus logo. “Tonight on U-62’s Inside Columbus, Logan has an exclusive interview with Zig Zag.” The scene cuts to Logan in the studio.

“During our interview with Zig Zag you’re going to see a whole lot of things that you never expected her to say. Revelations from the sublime…”

Cut to Logan and Zig Zag on the stage. “Why don’t you tell us a little something about ‘Zelda Zumbrowski’.” Logan asked.

Zig Zag let out a long sigh and pursed her lips for a moment. “Zelda Zumbrowski was a dirt poor girl, who grew up in a family where she was treated with disdain. Her parents considered her unusual fur pattern to be a mark of shame and one they didn’t want to have to live with.”

Cut back to Logan in the studio. “To revelations you won’t believe.”

Cut to a close-up of Zig Zag on the stage. “I killed my father,” she stated flatly.

Minor editing cut that most people wouldn’t…“I pulled the trigger,” she declared, her voice filled with hate and loathing. “I pulled the trigger, and I kept pulling the trigger. Even after the gun was empty, I kept pulling the trigger,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

Cut back to Logan in the studio. “This and much, much more on the next Inside Columbus!”

“You son of a bitch!” Zig Zag snarled as she turned away from the TV to see the ferret sitting calmly on the couch. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Aren’t you going to watch the rest of it?” Logan asked, ignoring the outburst. “That’s a real piece of work there. The folks at Insider Edition would be envious if they could see it.”

Zig Zag ejected the tape and threw it at the reporter’s head, barely missing him. She watched him flinch as pieces of plastic struck him in the head. Next door, she could hear the twins start yelling. “Get out,” she ordered in a low growl.

Logan picked up the tape and examined the damaged corner before looking Zig Zag in the eye. “I don’t think I should go… not quite yet, anyway.”

“If you’re not out of that door in thirty seconds,” Zig Zag snarled, getting up from her chair, “I’m going to---I’ll—I’ll”

“You’ll do nothing,” Logan declared, holding up the tape. “Because you even touch me and this will air and if it does, I can promise you a shit storm that will make what the DA did look like a walk in the park.” He put the tape down and smiled. “Besides, that’s not the final edit. We still have time to put together a proper show…” Pausing, he let the smile fade. “Assuming you cooperate.”

Zig Zag glared at him through slit eyelids. “What do you want?”

“An apology, for one,” he replied, folding his hands in his lap.

“What?” Zig Zag barked, surprised by the declaration. “Why the hell should I apologize to you? You’re the one running a smear campaign.”

Logan was up and out of his seat in a flash. He moved so quickly that he was face to face with the actress before she could react. “You pissed on me,” Logan snarled, his muzzle inches from her. “Nobody pisses on Logan Furbody and gets away with it.”

Confused by the turn of events, Zig Zag took a step backwards until her rump ran into the desk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t pissed on you.”

“Oh really,” the reporter growled. “After all I’ve done for you with the interview and warning you about the fact that everyone knew where Sheila was, you turned around and locked me out.” He took a step forwards causing her to step backwards, her rump riding along the side of the desk. “On Monday I called your office to find out when you’d be back so we could set up a time to edit, but low and behold, they’d been instructed not to talk to any reporters, including myself. ME! By name!”

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders as he continued to press her. “No problem, I’ll just call my old buddy Dave, but wait! There’s a problem there too!” His smile turned into a snarl again. “You told Dave not to talk to me either! After all I’ve done for you, you turned around and pissed all over me!”

“I didn’t piss on you,” Zig Zag said, holding her ground, though she leaned back slightly. “I just didn’t want a media circus when I dropped Sheila off.”

“Media circus, eh?” Logan spat. “Your boy friend rented a mini van at just after eight in the morning. You left the hospital around ten thirty, stopping twice on the way. You arrived at the Oak Forest Park Medical Center just before three in the afternoon. Tell me, Zig Zag, did you see any of my people there? Huh? Did you see any cameras taking pictures of you, James and the priest as you escorted Sheila into the medical facility? Did you?”

Each sentence was like a physical assault, forcing her backwards until she finally stumbled and dropped backwards into her chair. Looking up at the ferret she frowned. “If you know all of that, then why did you need to know when we’d be back?”

“Because I didn’t know that initially,” Logan snapped back. “By the time I found out your boy friend had rented the van, you were on the road. It took a little work, but eventually we got a hold of the satellite tracking information on the van and from there, I knew where you were at all times. If I wanted to fuck with you, I could have had every TV station waiting for you by the time you’d gotten to the hospital.”

“Look,” Zig Zag said, repositioning herself so she was sitting upright in the chair, “I don’t know what you think was happening, but it wasn’t personal.”

“Wasn’t personal?” Logan barked, leaning forwards to put his hands on the arms of the chair. “It felt pretty fucking personal to me!”

“OK! OK!” Zig Zag responded, holding her hands up in front of her. “I’m sorry if you felt I was singling you out, OK?” She unconsciously let out a breath of relief as the reporter took a couple of steps backwards.

“Is everything OK in here, Zig?” Marvin asked as he stepped into the doorway.

Zig Zag glanced over at Marvin, then to Logan and back again to Marvin before nodding again. “Yeah, Marvin. It was just a---minor misunderstanding.”

The badger gave Logan a dubious look before nodding. “OK. If you need anything, I’ll be in the Unit-A office.”

“Look,” she said, running a manicured hand through her head fur to get it out of her face, “I never meant for you to feel like it was personal, OK? It’s just that I have a real hard time trusting reporters.”

Logan nodded for a second then walked over and quietly shut the door before taking a seat in a chair by her desk. “Do you know what your problem is, Zig Zag?”

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” the actress grumbled.

“You’re a control freak,” the reporter stated. “Anyone who’s followed you over the years can see it in your relationships, the way you run your company, how you treat your employees, and most importantly, how you react to the press. About the only people you don’t try and control are your fans.” He leaned forwards and rested his arms on the desk. “You don’t like me because I’m with the media and you think all the media are out to get you. If that were true, I could have had a Pulitzer Prize by now and your ass would be in jail.”

Zig Zag frowned at that declaration. “How so?”

Logan leaned back and folded his hands over his belt buckle. “During the trial, there was mention of the money man behind those mercenaries who wound up killing Bjorn. Arden and Tigger had tracked him down and were forcing a trade the night he died.”

“Yeah,” she replied guardedly.

“What isn’t commonly known is the fact that the money man was the DA,” Logan declared, studying her intently.

Zig Zag’s eyes opened slightly at the declaration before she let out a laugh. “Oh, that’s a good one. Tell me another.”

Logan smiled and nodded. “OK. When Arden and Tigger went to kidnap him, they didn’t leave you locked up in the apartment. Rather, you were the one driving the van. You pulled up next to the privacy wall around the enclave, allowing them to jump off the roof of the van and enter the grounds without being seen.

Zig Zag blinked in surprise. How the hell did he know that?

As if reading her mind, Logan continued. “Not only that, but you were the one on top of the hill with Arden when the exchange was made. Tigger was holed up in a barn some distance away with a sniper rifle. To confuse the enemy, Arden had you dress up in a body stocking, taped your tail down so it wouldn’t be recognized and gave you a machine gun.” He leaned forwards and cocked an ear at the startled skunktress. “Don’t you think the trial might have gone a bit differently if they knew you had been one of the people involved in the firefight?”

“How--- How did you…” Zig Zag, stunned by what he knew was flabbergasted.

“Arden told me,” the reporter replied. “We met after Bjorn’s memorial and he spilled the beans.”

Zig Zag bolted upright. “Arden? He told you all that?”

Logan nodded. “That’s how I know that he didn’t leave town the night he and Sheila disappeared,” the ferret stated, leaning back in the chair again. “I’d followed them to the studio that night. Three people went in and only one came out. So, what happened to Arden and Sheila?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Zig Zag muttered as she folded in on herself, curling up in the chair slightly.

“So he really wasn’t from this world,” Logan commented aloud, watching Zig Zag’s reaction. “Like I said, he told me everything. He also made me promise to keep an eye on you and help you out if the shit hit the fan.” He paused and got a very serious look on his face. “I keep my promises, Zig Zag. I did everything in my power to help you out.”

“I—I don’t know what to say,” Zig Zag said, her head spinning at the turn of events. “I had no idea.”

“Now you do,” Logan quietly said. Smiling, he clapped his hands together. “So! When do you want to do the edit on that interview?”

“Huh?” Zig Zag grunted, blinking at the question.

Logan nodded to the tape. “You didn’t really think I was going to put that on the air, did you?” the ferret asked, laughing. “I did that just to shake you up.”

Zig Zag let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, you shook me up all right.” Shaking her head, she smiled nervously. “How about we do the real edit on Thursday, ok?”

Logan nodded. “Sounds good to me.” Standing, he turned and walked to the door, but didn’t open it. “Oh yeah… One other thing.”

Zig Zag looked up at him and cocked both ears in his direction. “Yeah?”

“Any chance I can get an interview with Sheila?” he asked.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” Zig Zag replied, shaking her head.

Logan nodded. “All right. Just keep me in mind when she is feeling up to it.”

“You’ll be first on my list,” she replied.

Logan stepped out of the office and headed for the front door. “Why do I get the feeling that’s a list that’ll never get made?”

Doctor Spivey paused before entering the building and turned to face Sheila who gave him a worried look. “Sheila, starting tomorrow, I’d like to talk with you about your fantasy. I want you to recount everything that happened for me.”

Sheila looked down and away, her ears laid back. “What good will that do?”

The doctor reached out and lifted her muzzle, forcing her to face him. “Today proves that there’s something in your fantasies that is still drawing you. What happened with your kits at the hospital was my first clue, and what happened today cinches it for me.”

“But if I don’t talk about it, maybe it’ll go away,” Sheila whined, pulling her muzzle away. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“The harder you resist, the more difficult it will become,” the doctor replied, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “What if it spins out of control? What if your delusion, instead of being a fond memory, overwhelms you again?”

Sheila looked up, shocked at the suggestion. “That can’t happen, can it? I mean, they’ve got me on all these drugs to keep that from happening, right?”

The doctor shrugged. “I don’t know, Sheila. Nobody’s ever seen a case quite like yours. That’s why I’m so concerned for you. I fear that the harder you fight it, the more difficult it’s going to make your life.”

“It’ll make my life a living hell,” Sheila whispered, remembering for an instant talking with Lucifer on the deck of the ferry. “I---I don’t know.”

“It’s all right,” he replied, giving her shoulder a small squeeze. “You think about it tonight and tomorrow, we’ll talk about it some more, OK?”

Sheila nodded without looking at the orangutan.

“Good,” he said, giving her one more squeeze before releasing her to open the door. “Don’t forget we’ve got a group session tonight at seven, OK?”

“Yeah, OK,” the vixen replied, reluctantly following him into the building.

Stepping clear of the airport terminal and out into the open, the mouse paused to take in the view of the city. His flight had been uneventful and blessedly short. Though he had no qualms about flying, there was something unnatural about these jet aircraft that filled the sky. Nevertheless, he was in Columbus now and had work to do. Lifting his cane, he waived down a taxi.