Claribel lies face down and sprawled across her bed, the brown spotted orange scales on her back and tail gleam with sweat in the dim light of her bedroom. One arm hangs off the side of her bed, and her sweaty blonde hair partially covers her doofy smile and glazed, half lidded red eyes.

  Mortimer lays on his back, next to Claribel. He is panting heavily, his orange fur matted and his dark hair messy and clinging to his forehead. Sweat coats his body, and the salty beads move through the caverns of the scars that cover half his face.

  The sheets beneath them are tangled and damp, and there is a crack on the wall plaster lining up perfectly with the bed's headboard.

  “So…” starts Mortimer.

  “Yeah…?” says Claribel airily.

  “That happened…”

  “Yeah…”

  “Was this your first time?”

  “Yeah… You?”

  “Yeah… You were pent up.”

  “So were you." Claribel turns her head, holding her tired smile. “Want to go again?”

  “We went again like six times.”

  “So?”

  Mortimer stares at her tired smile and feels her tail flick against his leg. He sighs and winces as he shifts on the bed. Every muscle is heavy and tight, the scent of both of them leaves his nose tingling, and his groin has a dull throb. But damn it all, that smile coupled with how she feels against him (and below, and on top) really is making it difficult to turn her down. So difficult in fact that he's not even going to try.

  "I need to recharge first. And probably get an ice pack,” says Mortimer.

  “Excellent,” hisses Claribel.

  A comfortable silence settles between them as they remain in their spots on the bed, trying to catch their breaths. Several seconds later, Mortimer turns his head to look at Claribel, admiring how the dim light plays across her orange scales and the brown spots decorating her shoulder,thighs,and tail.

  "So… Claire, what are you thinking about?" asks Mortimer.

  Claribel's tongue flicks out lazily. "That I should've jumped your bones a long time ago." She shifts slightly, wincing in the process and tugging the blanket over her. "Also wondering what other changes this serum thing is going to cause."

  Mortimer props himself up on one elbow. "Does it scare you?"

  "A little," says Claribel, now lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. "But I'm alive and with you. That's all that matters.”

  Mortimer snickers. “You're a hopeless romantic.”

  Claribel slaps Mortimer's chest. His grunt and the loud thump from her palm against his chest brings her to smile again. Mortimer growls playfully and rolls on top of her, trapping her head between his arms and bringing his nose a breath away from hers.

  “Oh, you think that's funny, eh?” says Mortimer.

  “I do,” says Claribel, still smiling. She flicks her tongue out, tasting his lips and nose. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “I'm going to do this!”

  Mortimer presses his chest and hips against Claribel's and their lips lock together, eyes drifting shut and excited breathes moving through their noses.

  Then the door bangs against the wall with a room shaking, ear breaking bang and Ramsey jumps in, making the two lovers scream and flail.

  “GUESS WHO NEEDS BLOOD WORK!” shouts Ramsey excitedly over their screams.

  Ramsey grabs Claribel by her arms and easily lifts her naked body off the bed, grinning widely.

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  “You do! Yes, you do! Oh yes you do, my little reprogrammed snake!” says Mortimer.

  Claribel fumbles to keep herself covered with the sheet as she dangles in the air, and she glares fiery daggers at Ramsey, hissing and rattling her tail. Meanwhile, Mortimer crawls back on the bed, rubbing his head and growling, fur bristled and sparks zipping from his hands.

  “Ramsey, what the hell! Let go of Claribel!” yells Mortimer.

  “But I need her in the lab. It's time for her examination. Examinations are important!” says Ramey hysterically. shaking Claribel in his grip, making her eyes roll.

  "Put her down. Now," growls Mortimer.

  "Fine, fine," sighs Ramsey dramatically, lowering Claribel back to the bed. "But I really do need to run tests. The serum's effects are unpredictable, and I need to ensure she's stabilizing properly."

  Claribel clutches the sheet tighter against her chest, her tail rattling ominously. "Get. Out."

  "But—"

  "OUT!" shout Mortimer and Claribel.

  Ramsey backs toward the door, hands raised. "Alright, relax. Ten minutes. Then I need both of you in the lab." His eyes dart between them, a manic gleam in their depths and a toothy grin on his muzzle. "Oh, and congratulations on the sex!"

  Claribel throws a pillow at Ramsey, but he sucks out and pulls the door shut before the fluffy projectile can hit him. The pillow drops to the floor, the massive cracks surrounding a large hole in the wall is exposed, and Claribel groans, flopping back onto the bed.

  "I'm going to bite him. Just one little nip. Enough venom to make him regret ever being born."

  Mortimer sits beside her, running a paw through his disheveled fur. "As tempting as that sounds, we probably should let him check you out. The serum is not exactly market friendly."

  Claribel scoffs and lifts her head to rub her hair. "No kidding.”

  She sighs again and stretches experimentally. Her muscles feel denser, stronger. Her senses remain overwhelmingly sharp, every texture and smell amplified to extraordinary levels. The cotton sheets feel like individual fibers against her scales, and she can smell the lingering scent of their lovemaking mingling with Mortimer's natural musk and the faint chemical odor that always surrounds Ramsey. Really, it is amazing she hasn’t gone insane or lightheaded from the sensory overload.

  Despite all the little bits and pieces of her world assaulting her senses, Claribel still rises from the bed, wincing slightly as she holds out her hand. "Hand me my pajamas, please."

  Mortimer retrieves her Block World pajamas from where they'd been hastily discarded on the floor. As Claribel dresses, he pulls on his own clothes, both of them stealing glances at each other in the dim light.

  "So," Mortimer says, fastening his electromagnetic equipment back into place, "are we... you know..."

  "A thing?" finishes Claribel, smiling at Mortimer. "I'd say we're definitely a thing."

  "Good," sighs Mortimer, his shoulders relaxing. "That's... good."

  “Damn right it’s good. We should have done this a lot sooner,” says Claribel.

  “Well, you know how it is. Work gets in the way, time flies, and…” Mortimer sighs heavily. “Next thing you know, you’re tormented by a hobo with a magic stick and stuck in a safe house with a ram who is probably a voyeur.”

  “When this is all over, I’m going to ask Mama Bear to give us a vacation. Just a week so I can have you all to myself without having to worry about that manic patchwork rabbit blowing me up.”

  Mortimer sighs again and looks at the ceiling. “I can see it now…”

  *****

  Soft water laps at the white sands. A beautiful sun drifts ever so slowly over the horizon, sending ripples of light across the tranquil waves of the sea.

  Birds caw in the distance, their cries mingling with the salty tang of the breeze that sweeps across Mortimer’s unblemished form. He stands at the edge, his six pack abs and large pecs and biceps taut, and his orange and white fur gleaming under the sun. His beautiful eyes are locked on the horizon, searching for the bright future he so longs for.

  Suddenly, a burst of movement catches his attention as Claribel bursts from the ocean's embrace, her blonde hair cascading like liquid gold around her shoulders. The sunlight dances off her orange and brown scales, highlighting every curve of her lithe figure as water droplets slide down her form in glistening rivulets. The golden bikini clings to her frame, accentuating her hourglass form and making each graceful motion mesmerizing.

  Claribel smirks and Mortimer, holds her hand out to him, her finger crooked as she beckons him. Her mouth opens, and-

  *****

  “Snap out of it. I have a physical to get to,” says Claribel.

  Mortimer blinks away the imagery and watches Claribel pull out a vacuum sealed clothing set from her closet. It is a near direct copy of her other outfit: crisp pants, white blouse, gray vest, black tie, a dark long coat. She puts them on over her pajamas, sets her Stetson on her head, and nods to Mortimer.

  “Ready?” asks Claribel.

  “Are you?” asks Mortimer.

  “No, but I’m doing it anyway, just to get it over with.”

  Mortimer opens the door, and the pair leave the room. Mortimer adjusts his raccoon mask as they walk down the stairs. When they enter the living room, Ramsey is there, leaning against the elevator, and the coyote guards are scattered around, avoiding eye contact with the two Fixers.

  “Ready for your physical?” asks Ramsey.

  “No,” says Claribel flatly.

  “Ah… Well, hop on anyway.”

  Claribel and Mortimer join Ramsey on the elevator, and after a couple of button taps, it begins its gradual descent into darkness. When they are a few feet below the floor, the elevator shaft is sealed and lines of red light flash on, bathing the three in crimson hues.

  “Charming,” mutters Mortimer.

  “Thanks!” says Ramsey.

  Claribel and Mortimer exchange looks but remain silent as Ramsey takes them deeper beneath the surface, and closer to the heart of the Mama Bear Syndicate’s operation in Bliss Town and Bliss County.