Chance was in the middle of savoring his meal when Roy asked his rather serious question. He didn't know that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' could apply to food.
He ruefully turned his attention from his plate to Roy. After a moment of consideration he had his answer.
"In all honesty, no. I don't think I can handle it." He spoke slowly and observed the impact of his words. The expressions on both Roy's and Fait's faces were rather difficult to define. Neither of them knew how to take his words and they could only wait for him to explain.
"Now that I've tasted betrayal and have hit rock bottom, I'm not sure how exactly I'll continue forward." He stood up and went to the window to look out at the sleeping city below them.
"As you are well aware I don't seem to have the best eye for people. It is possible I will make the same mistakes with Mack's assets as I did with my own. Also, having gone through such an ordeal, I have some fear gnawing at the back of my mind and it is telling me to run. I mean today you may help me to reach the top of the world but what of tomorrow? Will you still support me then or will you get rid of me? How can I guarantee that this isn't another elaborate trap that someone has laid? Keep in mind that I am a man with nothing to lose who was suddenly told he has everything to gain just by signing some pieces of paper." He turned to face them with a solemn expression.
"If you were in my position, would you be able to blindly trust the people that saved you?"
Fait and Roy looked at each other and answered in unison.
"No."
As a matter of fact both Fait and Roy had both been in dire situations before where they had lost everything. It was a certain old man that had rescued them for no apparent reason. And while without him they'd probably be living out hell on earth or dead, neither of them had immediately trusted him either.
Normally, a person wouldn't go out of their way to help someone else without expecting something in return. Right?
They quickly learned that when it came to Mack Lovewell 'normally' rarely applied.
Funnily enough, even though he himself was gone, Mack was still able to find a way to save one last person.
Fait looked Chance in the eye and asked him the question that Mack had asked her, Roy, and all the others he had pull out of impossible situations.
"Does a superhero need a reason to save the world?"
Chance walked slowly back to the table and looked down at Fait.
"No, I suppose not." He gave a slight smile, pulled his chair, and sat back down. He was satisfied with their answer and Fait's counter question.
At that moment Roy was feeling a bit awkward. He hadn't expected the atmosphere to become so heavy after asking what he thought was a simple question.
"So... ummm... yeah..." Here was a brilliant and eloquent lawyer so tongue-tied that he was struggling to string a sentence together.
Fait reached over and punched Roy in the arm.
"Hey! What was that for?!" He whined.
"Don't be such a baby." She rolled her eyes and pointed to the paperwork that needed attention. "We are running out of time so if you would quit causing delays and explain the rest then we can all go home and sleep!"
"Fine then!" Roy, a large scary looking man, stuck his tongue out at Fait before becoming serious again.
It took them two more hours to go through all the papers and make sure Chance had signed everything he needed to sign.
"I'll go make copies of these and get the processing started." Fait neatly ordered and stacked the documents. "Roy, take him home with you to get cleaned up."
Roy looked uneasy as he thought about how to explain to his wife why he was bringing a strange man home.
"Um, can you call Eve and help me explain a little bit?"
Fait helplessly shook her head, "Fine."
She pulled out her phone and drafted a short message to Roy's wife and hit send.
A few seconds later, Roy's phone received a message from Eve. 'Honey, can you call me?'
The color drained from his face and he looked desperately at Fait.
"What did you tell her?"
"Just that you were bringing a friend home with you to sleep over." Fait looked up at him innocently, her grey eyes wide and sparkling.
Roy put his head in his hands rather dramatically, "I'm doomed!"
He picked up his phone and dialed his wife's number. As soon as she answered, he started trying to appease her.
"Baby, it turns out Mack had picked up a stray before he passed and he left him in my care. I am just bringing him home with me for tonight." He paused and listened to whatever she was saying on the other end.
"Don't worry sweetheart, he will go to his new home in the morning... Yes he is house trained... I'm pretty sure he has all his shots... No he doesn't bite..."
Chance turned to Fait and whispered, "Eve knows that I'm not really a dog right?"
She just shrugged and whispered back, "Who knows?"