The peaceful calm that had been triggered by Betryl's sacrifice nearly pulled Max out of character when he was on stage. Luckily for him, he'd have intermission to pull himself together. And by the time the show was over and they'd done their curtain calls, Max was back to his normal self.

In the days to follow, he made a point every day to visit with Juno. He wasn't sure if she could hear him or even knew he was there, but Max went. He brought snacks and fruit juice boxes, bottles of soda; he didn't know if she'd be hungry or thirsty once she emerged from her delicate, yet tough shell.

Tonight, he placed a box of granola bars (chocolate coated, of course) on the shelf in the room, then went to pull the little blanket he'd brought over the chrysalis. Then he sat down beside it and began to talk. "Hey, Juno, it's me. I miss you."

The chrysalis still pulsed with that strange heartbeat of light, emitting a low, gentle hum that seemed almost to breathe, filling the little storeroom with the sound of life. Over the days, the coccoon had grown, almost doubled in size, and still there was no indication of movement from within, no sign of the transformation taking place inside the tough organic shell. But it seemed to know when Max was there. The humming grew softer, the pulse of light a little quicker, a true reaction to having trusted company during this strange time.

Max smiled; he liked the idea that somehow she knew he was there. "The show's ending soon, it's been going great. 'Taya and I can't wait to take you back home. We wonder what?s going to happen when you break out of that thing. Home isn't the same without you. It's so quiet. I bought a bigger bed for you, twin size seems so small. You are going to sleep in a bed, aren't you?"

A quiet laugh touched the air as 'Taya slipped into the room behind him, amused by his slightly worried question to the chrysalis, which hummed a little louder in greeting. "Max, what do you think she's gonna do, hang upside from the ceiling?" The actress bent to wrap her arms about him from behind, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Everyone's gone home," she murmured. "It's just us."

Max smiled again, a little bit embarassed at being caught. He accepted the kiss to his cheek and reached to pull 'Taya into his lap. "How do we really know what?s going on in there and what she'll be when she comes out?" He shrugged and looked over at the softly glowing and pulsing chrysalis. "Doesn't really matter, though. She's our daughter."

Curling up in Max's lap, 'Taya wrapped her arms around his neck, touching a second kiss to his cheek. "We don't," she admitted with a light shrug. "But you know, Evelyn Frey said that the turning thing - this coccoon - was like the aging process for Sanagi. So Juno's only gonna come out of there a little older, I'd guess. She's not gonna be, like, huge with wings and fangs or whatever."

"That would be kind of neat, wings." He chuckled and lowered his head to nuzzle 'Taya's ear with his nose. "I mean, it's a coccoon, right?" His laugh was soft and carefree. It really didn't matter to Max if she'd come out with ten arms, fifteen legs and sharp, pointy horns. She was his daughter. "How much longer do you think she'll be in there?"

"God, I don't know." Smiling, 'Taya sighed softly. "It's been six days now. How long does a caterpillar take to change into a butterfly?" She shrugged, tilting her head to nip at her fiance's jaw. "You did good up there tonight. I nearly lost it when you and Jon got going during 'Notes'."

Max chuckled softly. "We planned that." He leaned to gently kiss her. "And the faces you made throughout made it nearly impossible to keep from laughing. You are amazing. Did you know that?"

"Carlotta is a riot to play," she agreed with a grin. "Seriously, though, dude ....warn me before you pull my corset tight next time. I almost lost my lunch in the middle of the song!"

"Sorry about that," he chuckled. "I got one look down the front and forgot I was pulling." His arms tightened around her a bit and he lay his cheek upon the top of her head. "Once Juno's back, let's get married."

She blinked in surprise, tipping her head back to look up at him. "I'm assuming you don't mean right that minute," was 'Taya quiet response. It might have seemed a strange answer to his suggestion, but they had rushed into things on a whim the last time, and look how that had turned out.

"No, not right that second." He chuckled softly and gently squeezed his fiance. "We've been engaged now for a while and I think we should start making wedding plans. Honeymoon, too." His smile was crooked as he gazed down into her eyes.

The actress chuckled a little, curling her palm to his cheek. "Trying to get to the altar before Jon, huh?" she teased, knowing that their friend's imminent nuptuals were probably preying on Max's mind. They'd been engaged for over a year themselves; Jon was going to be tying the knot almost exactly a year after first getting together with Vicki. But then - Her thoughts were broken off by a strange gasping sound that echoed through the little storeroom. Chocolate brown eyes snapped to the chrysalis, which was moving. A slow ripple stroked along its length from the inside, just recognisible as a hand pressing against the outer shell. "Oh my god," 'Taya breathed, looking back at Max. "Is it starting?"

"I'm not in competition with Jon." He chuckled again and then turned his attention back to Juno's chrysalis. "I think so! Look, there's her hand, maybe we can help." He slid from under 'Taya and inched closer, his hand outstretched towards the chrysalis. He didn't touch though, almost afraid to.

"Wait -" Rising with Max, 'Taya wrapped her hand about his. "We don't know what?s happening, what if we hurt her?" Before them, the chrysalis twisted, the gentle glow from within beginning to fade as the soft hum silenced. A second hand print joined the first, obviously pushing from the inside as the body hidden within the crackling outer casing twisted about. Yes, it was time for Juno to hatch, but could they help at all"

"But if she's ready..." His voice trailed off as the other hand appeared to be pushing and the chrysalis twisted. "I think it couldn't hurt, but then it might make her weak. I read somewhere that if you help a butterfly out of a coccoon it won't fly. I don't know what to do."

"Well, I guess we could ....I don't know." 'Taya bit her lip hard, worried for the little girl who had disappeared into the organic wrapper only a few days before. "If she's not out in like, half an hour, then we cut her out?"

Getting Juno into the shower stall was easy enough for Mataya. The newly changed Sanagi was even smaller than 'Taya herself, barely topping five feet in height, and sweetly in proportion in a way that many human women would envy on Earth. As the hot water beat down on Juno, she began to revive, the blue tinge to her pale skin flushing to pink as the whiteness of her chrysalis' fluid washed away beneath soap and 'Taya's careful hands. The actress even shampooed the young woman's hair, startled when it became clear that the mousey brown they'd known was a thing of the past.

Finally Max settled on a pair of jeans, a deep blue t-shirt and a pair of white footie socks. Gathering her clothes, he slipped into the bathroom only long enough to hide his eyes and place the clothing on the toilet before escaping back into the dressing room. "Out here, when you're done!"

Laughter followed his escape back into the outer dressing room, 'Taya's familiar silvery peal and a lower, huskier tone that could only belong to the new version of Juno. A few moments later, 'Taya slipped out of the bathroom herself, drying her arms off as she smiled over at Max. "She's just getting dressed," she told him quietly. "Try not to stare when she comes out."

Max turned when 'Taya emerged from the bathroom. "She's....how am I going to keep the jerk offs and a$sholes away from her when she looks like that?" Max had definitely noticed Juno's femininity when he was carrying her up to the dressing room. "She's grown up so fast!"

"Aw, Max." Grinning, his fiancee reached up to stroke his cheek fondly. "You're just gonna have to admit that the cute kid is a pretty stunning woman now." And that was going to take some getting used to. 'Taya was still reeling from seeing Juno in all her newfound glory herself.

Max was calmed by the gentle caress to his cheek. He reached to cover 'Taya's hand and grinned proudly. "She is stunning, then?" His smile turned into a scowl just as quickly. "She's not going to meet any of those Grangers. They procreate too quickly."

"She's gorgeous," 'Taya admitted reluctantly, rolling her eyes. "And still shy. Guys are going to be tripping over themselves to get her to like them." She snickered, knowing that wasn't exactly reassuring Max but enjoying the fact that he was going to be the world's most over-protective father for the foreseeable future. A soft voice interrupted the teasing. "I'm not that different, am I?"

Juno stood in the doorway of the bathroom, swathed in the shirt and jeans Max had found for her. Small and apparently perfectly formed, she offered a shy little smile to the two humans who had taken her in when she was helpless, unaware of how very new she seemed. Hair the color of fine claret coiled down over her shoulders, already halfway to dry and promising to be thick and lustrous when the dampness was gone, highlighting the delicate flush of pink that warmed the porcelain pale of her skin. She was small, yes, slender, very feminine, very different. But the eyes ....those were the same. Still that gentle shade of green, still shy of the world, still trusting of the two humans watching her. She was still Juno, for all she looked like a new person.

Max was about to give his rebuttal when that soft voice filtered through the air. He turned and in an instant he had no breath to breathe. He took in the young woman who had emerged from the bathroom, from the top of her head down to her little toes. She was more than stunning, more than gorgeous, she was beautiful. He couldn't stop his eyes from widening and his jaw from dropping. The change was so drastically dramatic that he simply couldn't hide that shock. And then he locked onto her eyes and there was the little girl that they'd promised to shelter and care for; and who had wriggled her way into their hearts. Finally, he took a breath and shook his head.

"Outside, you're different, beautiful. Inside, you're still my girl." He didn't move except to open his arms to her, if she wanted the embrace.

It wasn't just the eyes that were the same. It was the smile; that tiny, shy hint toward pleasure that lit up the new face of the little woman standing before them at Max's words. It didn't take a moment for Juno to push from the wall, wrapping her arms around Max's waist in a warm hug for the man she still thought of as a father, the man she was always going to consider a father, closing her eyes in relief that her change hadn't resulted in her being cast aside. 'Taya watched as Juno thumped into Max's offered embrace. Another woman might have been jealous, but she knew Max now. She knew Juno, no matter how different the girl looked. They were family.

Max kissed the top of Juno's head, then looked up and over to Mataya. He pulled one arm free from Juno's grasp and reached for his fiance. There was definite pride in his eyes as he looked at Mataya. While they couldn't biologically produce a family, they'd found a way and the trio shared a common bond of trust and love.

'Taya grinned, curling under Max's oustretched arm to wrap her own about her fiance and the ....the young woman they had fostered into their family. They wouldn't need to adopt Juno, to become her official guardians, not anymore. She was an adult, at least on the surface, though time would tell just how much further she had advanced during her time in the chrysalis. But for now, at least, things were almost as they had been before the demon had found the little Sanagi wrapped up in their arms. A tiny laugh escaped Juno's lips as she felt Mataya's arm wrap about her back, her head turning to let her look at the woman who had risked RBF just to save the life of a little girl she'd never even seen before all those months ago. This was safe; this was home. Betryl, the brother she had known only a few days, was gone now, and she would never see him again, but it didn't matter. She had Max and Mataya.

((Duckling to swan, caterpillar to butterfly, larva to ....maggot' Yeah, that last one doesn't work. :grin: Juno's all growed up! Thanks to Max for the scene!))