The metal doors of the commandeered Zin ship slid open. Shaundi's back was to him. The Boss leaned up against the wall to look as nonchalant as possible. "Hey, Shaundi. Umm, you got a minute?" She looked up from the glowing monitor, that somehow managed to hit all the right contours of her face - making it look... angelic . The chair squeaked as she pulled away from the desk.

Shaundi tucked a few loose hairs behind her ear that had wriggled their way out of her tight ponytail. "Sure Boss. What's up?" As her eyes met his, he felt all his thoughts come crashing to a halt. Any forethought had been for naught.

"It's been a helluva ride, hasn't it…?" What was he doing? He was acting like some awkward teenager. Come on, man up! You aren't a virgin.

She smiled in response. Despite everyone on board wearing the same green-grey jumpsuit, she managed to make it suit her. "That's an understatement."

"You changed so much." And he meant it. She was stronger now, but somehow... softer. Ever since Johnny came back; it was like Gat brought back something Shaundi had lost.

"We both have."

How much he wanted to touch her. Hold her in his arms. To… kiss her. Instead, he settled with crossing his arms over his similar grey jumpsuit. "Hey whatever happened to that guy who won your dating show?" It might have sounded dumb, but he couldn't help it. He was curious if not a little jealous.

"Puerto Rican Thunder God? He was sweet and all, but... performance didn't live up to the name." There was a smirk on her lips that hadn't been there before, and he gulped slightly.

"Look I gotta tell you something…it always drove me crazy that you had ex's in every city and were willing to go on a dating show, but not once did you give me a shot." It wasn't often that he spilled out his guts to someone, well besides the paramedics who dragged him back to the hospital on more than one occasion. He just wanted to say it, more like he needed to say it.

She leaned in coyly. The Boss didn't know where she got the perfume, but she was definitely wearing something… lavender? "You never asked for one."

"I'm asking now." Nailed it.

"Then let's make up for lost time…" She grabbed his wrist and despite the thermostatically controlled air, her touch felt like fire.

XxxxX

The blue-grey metal of the Earth space vessel slowly came into focus as he opened his eyes. He felt the cool press of the mattress beneath him and realized it had been a dream.

It's been close to a year since the Saints won their battle over the Zin, but it came at a cost. While those that still remained of the Saints were allowed passage between the ship and Earth for their efforts against the Zin, the Boss was less fortunate. He had been exiled from his home, his planet - Earth. Debate ran long on his crimes and despite the Boss' hand in defeating the Zin leader the decision remained firm on his banishment. Politicians worried there would be too much civil unrest should he have been allowed to stay with all that had transpired due to him.

The Boss was not one to mind rules, no matter how severe, and those world leaders that had survived made sure to take note. To enforce his lifetime exile, the Boss was given two choices. Either be injected with a nano bomb that would detonate and kill him should he re-enter Earth's atmosphere; or be stuck with Cyrus monitoring him 24/7. The Boss didn't even want to consider why Cyrus volunteered for such a proposition. Regardless, there was little hesitation when the Boss chose the former.

For now he was alone on the ship, save for CID who claimed to be more comfortable in space. It was good enough that they let the Saints keep the ship, not that the Boss couldn't have taken one of the Zin's ships. It somehow felt a little closer to home to be in an Earth's vessel, even if it still felt like a prison. A real nice prison… in space.

He lay in the bed letting it all sink in again. Despite all this time, it still didn't feel real. Being with the simulated Shaundi felt more real than anything, but that was because he had been wanting her so badly for far too long. He didn't even know if the real Shaundi was interested in anything beyond a physical relationship, and who was he to force his feelings on her. The Boss closed his eyes, trying to get back to his dream. No luck.

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his face. Was it day? Night? Not that it mattered much in space, it was just nice to know. The Boss pulled himself away from the comfort of his mattress and headed to the ship's small bathing room.

It was isolated from the rest of the ship with only a small filtered vent for air in the side of the wall. He figured the reason was to prevent mishap if the gravity generators went down while someone was taking a shower. Water in the machinery never sounded like a good idea. A large tank of clean water possessed the majority of one corner of the 5'x5' room while another similarly sized collector tank sat in another. The Boss ignored much of the technobabble from the ship's mechanic. To him, there wasn't much he needed to know about a shower beyond it working. Clean water came out of one tank and the other collected the runoff, purified it, then pumped the distilled water back into the first tank.

Yawning he reached out for the spouts handle. Hot or cold today? While the ship was designed with many common commodities it seems a temperature control for the shower had been too much to ask for. He let it sputter for a few seconds then put his hand tentatively into the constant stream. Cold. He slept naked so he didn't have to strip down before stepping into the water.

He had forgotten he had fallen asleep with his hair dye in, and it was now pouring down his muscled body in red rivulets. It had taken awhile, but the Boss finally had regained the muscle mass he had lost during his four year imprisonment with the Zin.

The Boss grabbed the bottle of soap he had left previously and began to wash. Soapy suds joined the red water making the room appear to be the sight of a most peculiar bath time murder. It took two more wash and rinses before the water began running clear. With partially numb fingers, he fumbled for the nozzle and shut off the freezing water. The Boss grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before leaving the bathing room.

Despite the cold water, his head was still filled with the fuzzy remnants of his tantalizing dream, and he didn't notice her when he entered the usually empty hallway heading back to his room.

"Umm, hey Boss." The voice belonged to Shaundi, and she seemed somewhat surprised to have caught him in nothing more than a towel.

Not as surprised as he was. "Heyyy…" He managed to say, a flushed embarrassment rising on his cheeks.

"I see you dyed it red again." The Boss couldn't tell if she noticed his beet face, but Shaundi had moved her eyes away from the fallen towel and was now looking at his hair.

"Yyyeah." With one hand he nervously plucked at the coiled tendrils of his drying chin-length hair; the other hand was preoccupied with regaining his fallen dignity now on the steel floor. It wasn't until the towel had been retrieved, re-wrapped around his waist, and two of its ends firmly clenched in a hand did he continue. "Pierce brought the dye by earlier." The free hand, finding itself with nothing to do, awkwardly fumbled with the hair on the back of his head.

"Oh, ahh… it looks good. Makes you look like you were never… gone…" The Boss could feel the pain locked behind her hazel eyes.

For the Boss, it felt like he had never been apart, but for the Saints… it had been a hard four years. "Shaundi…"

"No, it's okay." Shaundi didn't want his sympathy, and her body language made it obvious. She shook her head as if to clear away the memories. "I just came by to drop off the rest of the stuff you asked for." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of his cabin.

"You know you could have just got someone else to do it. I may have been exiled, but the big-wigs downstairs seem obligated enough."

The semblance of a smile returned to her face. "Well, I guess that's what happens when half the world thinks you're a hero and the other a dangerous sociopath."

He leaned against the nearest wall and raised an eyebrow, ignoring how cold the metal felt on his bare skin. "Oh, so which one do you think I am?"

There was little to no hesitation in her answer. "A crazed mother-fucker."

The Boss had to laugh. "At least you're honest about it. Everyone else around here just grins and bears it." It was the truth, and beyond those that had fought with him against the Zin, he was nothing more than air to the crew, more specifically those not yet replaced by a member of the Row.

"I guess that's how it's going to be around here, for a while at least. We're trying to get together the crew so we have enough manpower to operate out here… but it's going to take some time..."

"Look, don't rush it. We need people we can trust, and that ain't going to be something you can just ask for." He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. To her, his touch seemed to be nothing more than the assurance that she needed, but the Boss was hoping for her to see slightly more in it. With minor regret he let his hand fall awkwardly by his side.

"Well, you still got some of us at least." Was it his imagination or did her eyes linger on his just a tad longer than usual? She started walking back to the docking port behind him. The Boss could have let her go, but he couldn't.

"Shaundi?" He called out to her departing figure.

She stopped and turned, a slight puzzled expression on her face. His mind raced. What was he doing? "Yes, Boss?" Her voice punctured through his clouded mind.

"Are you… ummm. You know… seeing anyone right now?" He stammered.

There was a pause. A moment of complete confusion. "What?" Not the best response I was expecting. "Wait… are you asking if I'm dating anyone? Or if I'm sleeping with anyone?" She yelled back.

"Both?" Now it was his turn to be confused, and shouting down the narrow corridor wasn't helping. A crewmember, one he didn't recognize, quickly walked between Shandi and the Boss, their eyes glued to the clipboard in their hands. The Boss waited till they were once again out of sight. "Look I gotta tell you something…it always drove me crazy that you had ex's in every city and were willing to go on a dating show, but not once did you give me a shot." It worked once, it might work again. There was a stunned silence, and for an agonizing second the Boss didn't know what to think.

Shaundi stood there, her figure silhouetted against the warm white lights of the ship's hallway. He couldn't see her expression and didn't know what to expect from her extended silence. "You never asked!" Came her eventual response. And with it, she was gone.

He stood in the hallway clutching his towel for a few more awkward seconds before heading back to his room.

XxxxX

After dressing himself in a pair of briefs and blue jeans, he rifled through the box left on his bed. Beyond basic necessities - soap, underwear, condoms, pants - Shaundi had managed to sneak in two .45 Fletchers. A woman after my own heart. The Boss admired the pieces and placed them back into the bottom of the cardboard box, making sure to tuck them out of sight.

The smile that had snuck on his face, slowly faded as he thought back to the meeting in the hallway. He had to fight the urge to throw the box. Anywhere really, provided it made a loud satisfying noise. The cardboard crushed under his tightening grip.

But, he didn't. He let the anger and frustration subside. Throwing a tantrum wouldn't solve anything, least of all, having Shaundi come running into his arms. The Boss released his death-grip on the box. It fell back onto the mattress with a light tup. It's contents rattling softly against each other.

A worried apprehension gripped him. Did I really mean nothing to Shaundi? Did she only see me as her Boss? Getting progressively lost in his thoughts, he didn't even hear the automatic door whoosh open.

"Boss?"

His heart nearly leapt out of the confines of his chest; instead, it hammered against the bones of his ribcage. Gathering what remained of his startled senses he turned and saw Shaundi standing in the soft blue-glow of his bedroom lights.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her generous hips accentuating the action. "CID said you wanted to see me about something? I assumed he meant somewhere you weren't flashing the whole ship." Shaundi leaned up against the nearby wall, her arms crossed under her ample breasts.

Any possible thought was blown clear of his head. Any possible quip, any possible comment, anything. There was nothing left. Shaundi was still expecting some form of a response from the Boss beyond the dumbfounded expression currently plastered to his face. While CID may have likely sent Shaundi to his quarters as a friendly gesture, being caught unawares made the gesture somewhat void. "Ah… Ummm." The Boss struggled for words, particularly anything intelligible, but nothing was jumping to mind.

Her lips drew back to a most curious smile. She was clearly enjoying his struggle and was suspiciously in no immediate hurry to hear his response. Shaundi teased a strand of hair loose from the tight ponytail on her head, and twirled it with a finger. "Well…" Inspecting the strand, she continued. "If you don't need me for anything else." She dropped the hair and pulled herself away from the wall.

Without thinking, the Boss had closed the short distance between them blocking the path with his bare arm. "Wait." The almost pleading sound of his own voice surprised him.

She turned her face away from the door to meet his eyes. "Boss?" Her voice was questioning but it held a twinge of expectancy.

Her eyes. Those large hazel eyes drew him in. They drew him towards her. Closer. Closer. He was within mere inches of her now, the pleasant scent of her supple body wafting into his nostrils. The Boss breathed deeply, filling himself with her smell. To him, it was as if Shaundi were suddenly made of glass. He touched her with a shaky hand, brushing a few strands of loose hair away from her face. His thoughts turned to the drug-loving party girl he had met so many years ago, and the woman of his desires that now stood in front of him. "You've changed so much." The Boss' fingers lingered on her cheeks, his voice barely above a whisper.

She cupped his hand with hers. Her eyes coyly drifted to floor and back. "We both have."

Her words acted as a sudden release. Emotions he had kept bottled away raged to the surface, erasing any self control he once had for her. Gripping Shaundi tightly, he pulled her in. The Boss kissed her. Kissed her with more passion than he had ever felt before, and for a few brief seconds he hoped she felt the same for him. The kiss felt like it would last forever; that time had slowed between them, freezing this perfect moment. They parted lips only briefly to take a breath of air, only to once more engage each other's lips.

As their bodies writhed together, the Boss' hands slipped down to her waist and began a slow ascension, raising her stretchy tank-top with his trailing fingers. Shaundi's hands were busy as well. Within moments, his belt clattered unheard to the steel floor. In a rhythmic dance of pushing and pulling, they somehow made it to the edge of his king-sized bed. Falling upon the mattress, it protested under their combined weight.

While he lay on his back, Shaundi's hand reached for him beneath his jeans. In a quick motion, he reversed their positions. The Boss steadied himself atop her, his hands bracing his weight to either side. His lips finally left hers as he released an exclamation of ecstacy at her grasping touch of his manhood.

Flashing him one of her mischievous grins, Shaundi stated with a child-like glee, "I lied about CID."

"I know." Was all he could reply with, dropping her shirt and bra to an empty space of the mattress. With a twist of his hand her jeans opened easily, revealing a purple Saints brand thong. The Boss raised a teasing eyebrow, "Really?"

She punched him lightly on his chest. "Like you should talk, Mr. Heart Boxers."

"Guilty as charged." He leaned down and kissed her.

In the following moments, they were no different from beasts acting on primal urges. The mattress groaned and squeaked under their persistent pounding, threatening more than once to break under the force.

They finally separated, panting from their prior exertions. Sometime during their lovemaking, Shaundi had lost the elastic holding her ponytail together. Instead, her hair spilled against the white sheets of the mattress, surrounding her head with a chestnut halo. Her bare chest rose and fell with each breath.

She turned and a warm smile spread across her face; she had caught him staring. "You know, after being let down by the Puerto Rican Thunder 'God', I'd figured that 'Boss' wouldn't be much of an improvement. No offense."

"So, I'm taking that as 'you were pleasantly surprised?'"

"More or less." Shaundi stretched to kiss him again. However, Instead of their lips meeting, Shaundi was knocked off-balance by the ship's sudden bucking. Consequently, she ended up sprawled across his equally naked body. "The fuck was that?" She said, quickly righting herself.

"I don't-" The Boss was cut off by a sudden siren blaring over the intercom speakers. The blue lights of the cabin turning red as another shock wave hit.

Sharing a look of concern, the Boss and Shaundi gathered the scattered remnants of their clothing. Seconds later, the Boss was clothed and running toward the ship's bridge with Shaundi close on his heels.

XxxxX

An automatic door whoosh later and the Boss was demanding an answer from the first available crewmate.

A woman, only having recently joined the Saints Row, was the one who bore the brunt of his questions. "I d-d-don't know… sir." She stammered. "They just came out of nowhere." Her body was shaking, obviously frightened by the recent assault on the ship and by the Boss' sudden arrival.

"They?"

The woman pointed to the colored monitor in front of her. Hundreds, no thousands , of unknown space ships clouded the usual starry screen.

Shaundi came up beside him and uttered the same words on his mind. "What the fuck are those?"

"Don't know." He responded.

"I do." Came CID's voice. Even a year later, it was still difficult to accept CIDs new body, well original body , especially when CID went from a floaty three feet of smooth aluminium to a solid ten feet of muscle, fur, and scales. The same siren that had summoned the Boss and Shaundi had aroused CIDs concerns as well. "But it's not good."

The woman still sitting forgotten at the terminal, slunk back, and quickly retreated to some other empty station at CIDs arrival.

"What are we dealing with here, CID?" The Boss' eyes never left the screen.

"Kor'uhx. The Zin are mere infants by comparison."

"What do we do then?"

"We run."

Now out in space there was no better person to ask for advice than CID, but the idea of the tall dragon-like alien sounding even remotely scared, flummoxed the Boss. "You got to be kidding me!"

CID ignored the stunned look stuck to the Boss' face. "I am not. This would be an inappropriate time for kidding. It would be in our best interest to flee while the ship has only sustained light damage."

"Then what. Obviously they aren't here for sight-seeing. We leave I'm pretty sure I can guess what is going to happen to the planet we just managed from the last alien fucks. No, fucking way. We're the Saints! We've taken on guys with worse odds, and won."

Shaundi, not to be forgotten, leaned in to voice her opinion. "I agree with the Boss. Surely, there is something we can do?"

"What you are asking of this ship and crew is suicide. As it stands, this ship is currently barely operable with its skeleton crew and over half are, in fact, not Saints. Not to mention to take on that many Kor'uhx we will need an army, not a barely functioning ship."

CID spoke the truth, and the Boss knew it, still, it didn't stop him from struggling with his inner conflictions. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, an idea hit him. "CID did you and Kinzie ever get that Zin time machine hooked up to the ship's systems?"

The alien hesitated but answered regardless in his monotonous tone. "Yes…"

"I'm guessing you have a plan?" Said Shaundi.

"We'll run for it. CID's right, on our own we can't win, and the only other ships not commandeered by the incompetent Cyrus are miles away by now, not to mention swarming with Zin."

"Boss. Running can't be the answer. We still got guys down there."

"But not enough. We'll grab them first, but for this plan to work we're going to need more Saints."

"I hardly say that this is the time to run a mass recruitment drive, especially considering what Zinyak did to those of ours that were still in Stillwater and Steelport." Shaundi was beginning to sound more and more doubtful.

"Exactly why we aren't going to be in this time." The Boss grabbed the intercom microphone. "CID how soon can you get the time machine fired up and ready to go?"

"A matter of minutes." CID replied.

"Good go start it up. I'll join you in a bit." CID nodded briefly, then withdrew himself from the bridge. The Boss fiddled with the 'on' switch and a loud feedback screech echoed through the system before he had the chance to adjust the volume. "Testing… one, two, three. Okay, everyone can hear me? Alright. It has come to my attention and probably already a good number of you that we are under attack. As it stands we have two choices: flee and leave the good people of Earth to the mercy of these new assholes, or…" The Boss paused for dramatic effect. "Tear these fuckers a new one!" A rowdy cheer went up from his fellow Saints and there was a stifled silence from those not part of the gang. The Boss waited for the cheering to die down before continuing. "This will probably be our most difficult fight yet, but we've prevailed again and again under worse odds, and there's nothing stopping us from doing it again. Right now, trying to fight these guys would be suicide, so instead we are going to do a little time-traveling to even out the numbers. Those not interested in joining in on our adventure feel free to use the escape pods within the next ten minutes, after that we're gone." The Boss shut off the microphone and tossed it aside.

For the first time since his exile he felt a sense of respect from those not yet part of the Saints, and he would later learn not a single one member had used an escape pod. Saint or otherwise.