Disclaimer: Once again I don't own TaleSpin. Disney people own it. If 
they sue me they have no lives at all and should be ashamed of 
themselves.

Dedication:To all my friends past, present and future who know where 
the daisies grow.

Note:None this time. Just enjoy.
**************
Gentle breeze and quiet mist
Tell of joys and mindless bliss
How I remember the brilliant past
As I let the stem fall at last

And my memory will never fade
My debt to you never paid
I'll keep you forever in my mind
And hope that joy one day to find

A pile of petals on the ground
And in the air a soothing sound
The words at last "I love you so"
Bring me to where the daisies grow
**********
Baloo was numb. Rebecca, his boss, his friend, his....? It didn't 
matter anymore. She was gone. 

Dr. Cadeever had given his condolences and asked if there was 
anything he could do. Baloo remembered shaking his head, picking up 
Molly and Kit and leaving.

How he got home he had no idea. Molly sobbed on his lap and like him, 
Kit stared vacantly into space.

Gone. Never again would he hear her yell at him, or nag him for being 
lazy. Never again would he have to put up with her hair brained 
schemes. Never again would he see her smile or the bright flash of her 
eyes. Oh to be yelled at once more! To hear her voice echo through the 
docks. Never again.

Gone. Never again to see her mother's smiling face. Never to hear a 
whispered lullybye or her delighted laughter. Never again to feel her 
embrace. Oh to be held forever there! Safe and warm. Never again.

Gone. Never again to see her pride in him. Never again to hear those 
words of encouragment. Never again to know she's standing by his side. 
Oh if she were only there! Comforting him. Never again.

"Baloo?", Molly broke the silence.

"Yeah Button-nose.", Baloo answered.

"I miss Mommy", she sniffled.

Baloo wrapped his arms around the little cub and kissed the top of her 
head. "I know you do Molly. We all do."

Molly was quiet for a while then, "Baloo...you're not going anywhere 
are you?"

Kit looked up in horror as if the thought of Baloo dying suddenly 
occured to him too.

Baloo picked up Kit and held both him and Molly in a tight hug, "No. 
Baloo's going to be here as long as possible. I can't live forever but 
I can sure try my hardest to live for a long long time."
***********
That night Kit fell asleep quickly. He was emotionally exhausted. 
Molly on the other hand was harder to deal with.

"Baloo? Are we going to be okay? Without Mommy?"

Baloo scratch the back of his neck and looked down at the small cub, 
"Molly, I'm going to try my hardest to take good care of ya. I know 
I'm not your mother and I can't replace her. All I can say is I hope 
I do as good a job as she did" Past tense. They had both noticed it.

"She's really gone. Isn't she?",Molly asked so softly Baloo barely 
heard her.

"Yeah, pig-tails I'm afraid she is. But I'm still here, and Kit and 
Wildcat and Louie and we're not leaving. One of us will always look 
after you."

Molly's eyes drooped. "Thank you", she whispered and shut her eyes. 

Baloo sighed and walked away from the bed the two cubs slept in. He 
heard a small voice. "Baloo?", it was Molly.

"Yeah Button-nose?"

"Can I call you Papa Bear?"

Baloo turned and gathered the girl in his arms. "Sure Molly. I loved 
for you to call me Papa Bear", he whispered to her but she was already 
asleep.

Baloo walked down to the office and sat down at the desk. He opened up 
the desk drawers and pulled a pile of business papers out. He and Kit 
would have to go through this. He wasn't a business man but he 
couldn't let Higher for Hire go out of business. He had to keep it 
running. For her and for the kids. He was surprised to find a framed 
picture in one of the other drawers. It was a picture of her and him 
at the Pilot's Ball. He smiled at the picture, surprised and touched 
she had kept it and deemed it worthy of a frame. He touched the 
photograph. She had looked beautiful in that dress. He didn't look 
that bad either considering he had just broken out of a Thembrian 
prison camp. A tear hit the glass. Baloo sobbed over the picture. His 
Becky was gone and it hurt. It hurt so much. Despite all the 
arguements he had cared deeply for her. The tears continued for a good 
portion of the night and the next morning Kit and Molly found Baloo 
asleep at the desk clutching a picture to his chest.

***********
The funeral was small. A casket stood surrounded by daisies in the 
front of the room. Rebecca hadn't had many friends and no family 
besides Molly. Baloo spotted a few of her business associates looking 
somber. 'They're probably happy to be rid of the competition', he 
thought wryly. The priest was still talking about how a gentle and 
delicate creature had been lost and part of Baloo wanted to look 
around and see if there was another funeral going on. Becky? A gentle 
and delicate creature?? Despite himself Baloo chuckled softly. He 
could just imagine Becky's reaction to that. Slowly the small smile on 
Baloo's face faded and was replaced by a look of pain. She wouldn't be 
reacting to anything anymore. He stared at the coffin. No matter how 
hard he tried not to look he always did. He was holding Molly and Kit 
in his lap. Both were crying. The priest finished up and asked if 
anyone else would like to say a few words. All eyes turned to Baloo. 
'Why me?', Baloo wondered. They'd all known her too. Baloo sighed and 
walked over to where the priest was standing.

"Um...I-I want to thank all of you for coming here. I'm sure Becky 
would have appreciated it.", he began shakingly. He looked down at the 
coffin. Her coffin., "Becky was one of my best friends. She meant...
so much to me. She wasn't perfect no...I remember one time..."

And Baloo launched into a long set of stories. Stories of get rich 
quick schemes, arguements and a few of their disastrous dates. People 
laughed and Baloo thought he even saw Molly and Kit smile a few times. 
It was then that Baloo realized that Rebecca would never truly be gone 
cause she'd always remain in their memories and in their hearts.

Later Baloo, Kit and Molly stood in the graveyard. A small stone 
marked the place she was buried and a thousand daisies protected it 
from harm. The stone's inscription had been Kit's idea and Baloo and 
Molly had both agreed to it.

                      Rebecca Cunningham
                      Mother and friend
                      May you find peace 
                      where the daisies grow

The small family walked away hand in hand towards Higher for Hire, a 
picture of Rebecca etched in their souls. They would never get 
completely over their loss but they could continue on. For each other 
and for her.

THE END