Summary: Even a Scarran half-breed can fall in love. A/U

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Farscape

Rating: T+

Pairing: Scorpius/Sikozu

HYBRIDS:

PART I

COUNCIL CHAMBERS:

Scorpius sat, listening to Emperor Staleek and the Vice Chancellor negotiate the new boarder between Scarran and Peacekeeper controlled space. With eight Eidelons purposefully positioned about the room, they ensured that cooler heads prevailed. He was held in willing thrall to the serenity that pervaded the council chambers. To his left, the doors opened, and a security office came over to him. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Captain Braca wished for this message to be delivered to you post haste," The lieutenant spoke softly so as not to draw the gazes of the others around him. "Sikozu has been admitted to the medical bay."

Scorpius felt the icy breath of fear slice right through him. Sikozu. Her name was enough to shake him loose from the tranquil state the Eidelons inspired. Without looking for leave from the Vice Chancellor, Scorpius removed himself from the room. Out in the corridor he was able to breathe freely, coming back to himself. The anger was there the moment he exhaled. He followed the lieutenant down the passageway where he saw Braca waiting. A very Scarran snarl left him, as his hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around Braca's throat. "Explain," he roared. "Now!"

Braca felt his face turning red, his head building with pressure as Scorpius cut off his oxygen supply. "Sir…" he could barely gasp. "She… didn't… gi...give me…a choice…"

Scorpius dropped Braca to the ground with another snarl. His second in command coughed, drawing in ragged gasp after ragged gasp. "Oh, get up Braca," Scorpius ordered. He glared at the group of spectators that had formed crowd. The threat of violence in his eyes was more than enough for the officer to disperse quickly.

Braca got slowly to his feet, a wave of dizziness overtaking him from the microts of limited oxygen. "The last thing…" he coughed, "I remember is this… uh… powder…"

Scorpius fixed Braca with a deadly stare. He knew immediately what Sikozu had done. Turning from his second, he set off towards the medical bay. His intentions were unclear; he just knew he had to get to Sikozu.

MEDICAL BAY:

Sikozu groaned, her eyes opening to bright lights beating down on her. She was groggy, and her head was pounding. The last thing she recalled was passing out with Keerza's face contorting into a horrified expression. It was almost worth it. Sikozu pushed herself up, her right hand resting on her sheet covered abdomen. Her eyes scanned her surroundings looking for Keerza. There was no sign of the genetic hacker, and she was grateful for that. For the storm coming her way, it was best very few were around to play witness.

Dr. Pele crossed the medical bay to check on her patient, the only patient she'd had for the last three arns. The Kalish was sitting up, looking around with a confused expression on her face. Making herself known, Pele asked, "Sikozu, do you know where you are?"

Sikozu turned her head to the right, seeing a blonde who had called her name. "I'm on the Armistice Station," she answered. Discretely, she looked past the doctor's shoulder. So far, Braca had not come looking for her, and that meant it would be a matter of time before Scorpius found out she was here.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Pele asked, standing next to the examination bed with the patient chart in her hand. In the notes she found the nurse had done a full bio-scan on the Kalish, noting the pregnancy, as well as the DNA results.

"I remember calling out for help…" Sikozu placed her right hand to the back of her head where the pain was strongest. "After that, nothing. How did I get in here?" She could already guess. Keerza had picked her up and brought her in.

"I heard your call for help," Pele confirmed. "When I came out to investigate, I found a Charrid standing next to you. It helped me get you in here so I could examine you." She flipped through the pages of her preliminary notes. "Do you have an idea as to why you passed out? Could it be due to your current condition?"

"I'm pregnant," Sikozu nodded. "Am I alright?" She had made sure that the fyang powder would not be damaging to her or the growing offspring. Scorpius had demanded that she not put her life in danger. He would furious enough at her as it was for luring Keerza into a deserted passageway.

"Yes, you and the fetus are perfectly healthy," Pele responded, flipping through another page. "You could do with more rest, and you most certainly need to eat more." She was familiar with the Kalish physiology, and their need to only eat ten times a cycle.

"I've been trying," Sikozu replied honestly. Eating hadn't been the problem for her the past three solar days. If anything it gave her the chance to take meals with Scorpius and not just sit around and watch him dine.

"The hunger will be more noticeable in few solar days when you enter the next phase of your pregnancy," Pele answered. "From the scans, I can see that this child will be born in five standard months. The father isn't Sabacean, is he?"

"No, he is not," Sikozu confirmed. Intuition had her gaze going to the entrance just in time for the doors to open and see Scorpius enter with Braca behind.

Pele heard the movement behind her. "Excuse me for a microt," she excused herself from her patient's side.

Scorpius clenched his hands into fists, restraining himself from going to Sikozu while the doctor on duty was present. He specifically told her not to endanger her life. She had better have the most amazing explanation he'd ever have the privilege of hearing.

"Commander, is there something I can do for you?" Pele stood in front of the infamous Scorpius. The man had a reputation that preceded him wherever he went.

"You can step aside and allow me to speak with Sikozu," Scorpius would not be deterred from going to her. Under the bright lights of the medical bay, she looked fragile from all that had happened to her.

"My patient needs rest, not your reprimands Commander," Pele stood her ground. "As a doctor, my authority supersedes yours." She, unlike other Sabaceans, did not inherently fear the Scarran half-breed who had chosen to be a Peacekeeper.

"Is that so?" Scorpius stared down the diminutive woman standing in front of him. In her brown eyes he saw not one hint of fear, but of loathing. It was the same look he got from nearly every other Peacekeeper he encountered.

"It's alright," Sikozu moved so she was sitting on the edge of the gurney. She gained the doctor's gaze, "He will not harm me, I know him." Her eyes linked with his as her words hit home. She had said the exact same thing to Noranti.

Scorpius stepped around the doctor, and motioned to the Braca to stand at the examine room entrance. The moment he was close to her, the anger he'd built up washed away, but he was not about to let her get away with putting her life in danger. "You did the one thing I warned you against," his voice was razor sharp and just as cold.

"No, I did not," Sikozu hissed, reacting to his anger. She knew doing things the way she had would court his displeasure with her. But it had to be done this way. She told him as much. Scorpius was a man who hated being left out of the planning. More importantly, she hated to leave him out of this. Sikozu had grown so used to plotting, scheming, and executing plans with him.

"You left Braca unconscious, and then walked through this station on your own where any number of Peacekeepers, who are not as tolerant of aliens, could have accosted you." Not to mention that the Kalish parading around as a Charrid could have taken Sikozu to the Scarran ship, held her, and resumed experimenting on her. He would not be so unwise as to voice that last thought. When he walked in, he saw Keerza loitering in a corner. To gather his calm, he turned from her.

Sikozu grabbed the pillow from the gurney and hurled it at him, where it connected with the back of his head. She stood up by sheer force of will, "Do not turn your back on me. I am not a child you can chastise."

Scorpius looked at her, shock radiating through him as her words sank him. No, she wasn't a child, but there were cycles between their ages. She'd been out in the galaxy, experienced horrors, but she was still younger than he. Going to her, his hand fisted in her hair, yanking her head back. The sound she made was not of pain. "A pillow, really?" He hissed.

Sikozu placed her hands on his abdomen, "It was the closest thing I could get my hands on." In all their time together he had never purposefully turned his back on her. He was keeping his emotions in check while there were others around. When they were alone, that would be when he would truthfully voice his displeasure with her and her actions.

"You gained Keerza's attention," Scorpius stated. "She's still here." He made sure to keep his voice low, "You did well, but we are not finished discussing this."

"I realize that," Sikozu replied. Having Scorpius show as much anger at her as he had was about all he would allow others to witness from him.

Scorpius released her, but remained close, "What did you use on Braca and yourself to render you unconscious?"

"Fyang powder," Sikozu answered. "I saw Noranti mix a batch while we were still aboard Moya." She always made it a point to watch and learn from others, even when she thought they had nothing to teach her. Noranti was eccentric, but she also had 239 cycles of knowledge that Sikozu could learn from.

Scorpius hissed in disgust. He clearly recalled the time the elder cook used it on him. It was during one of the many troubling interludes he had while aboard the living ship, Moya. "Clever girl," he gripped her chin. Releasing her, Scorpius left Sikozu to lean against the bed. He placed his hand on Braca's shoulder, squeezed, and then returned his hand to his side. To the doctor he said, in his best authoritative tone, "If Sikozu is not severely hindered by her condition, she'll be released to continue her duties."

Pele leveled a frosty glare at Scorpius, "I won't advise her to leave with you."

"She can make up her own mind," Sikozu called out, leaving the examine room to once more stand beside Scorpius. She pulled the zipper of her vest up, resisting the urge to stare at Keerza loitering in the corner.

"Sikozu, you'd be safer staying here," Pele advised.

"Why does everyone feel compelled to tell me that?" Sikozu grit her teeth. "You did a medical scan, and if you are as smart as I hope you are, you also did a DNA test." The doctor shifted her gaze back to Scorpius. "Then you know…" she shook her head.

Scorpius placed his left hand on the small of Sikozu's back while his eyes kept a close watch on the Charrid watching him. If all of this went according to the plan she devised, then he sensed that later tonight, Keerza would seek them out. He wasn't sure if Sikozu was prepared to face her creator again.

RED SECTOR:

TEMPORARY QUARTERS:

Sikozu breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled off her vest, dropping it on the bed. The throbbing to the back of her head had lessened, only to be replaced by Scorpius burning two holes in her back with his hard stare. He was still irritated with her, and it was not soon to dissipate. "Let it all out," Sikozu said, her hands dangling at her sides as she waited. In private she could speak to him this way. In private she was his woman, not a subordinate. When they were alone she could challenge him.

"Do you understand how dangerous your plan was?" Scorpius stayed where he was, keeping distance between the two of them. Now that they were alone, not even Braca was there to bear witness, he could rage at her. "That chameleon could have taken you off this station, and been metras from here while I was otherwise detained by these pointless negotiations." Not many situations stirred his ire, but where Sikozu was concerned, he found any hint of a threat to her had his protective instincts red lining. "Did that not even occur to you?" His voice lowered, a snarl emphasizing each word.

"I told you, it had to be this way," Sikozu placed her hands on her hips. "Now, she will be compelled to seek us out, not watch and wait. She had to know I would be here, but not why. Forcing her to come to me as I did, it derailed any plans she had." She wasn't going to tell him that she had thought Keerza would have simply abducted her, because she hadn't. Scorpius would have known she was lying.

Scorpius took a step closer to her when the chime at the door sounded. He growled, "What is it, Braca?" The Captain would be the only one to disturb him.

"That woman is here."

"She came here sooner than I thought," Sikozu muttered, earning her a glare from Scorpius. Not letting it faze her, she closed the distance between them knowing that he would want her close to his side. Even though he was still displeased with her actions, his hand rested on lower back.

"Show her in, Braca," Scorpius ordered. Now was not the time to continue nursing his displeasure with Sikozu's methods. Logically, he understood why she went about things the way she did. It didn't mean he had to be happy about it. Any number of things could have gone wrong that could have resulted in her being harmed or taken from him again. He would not allow that to happen again.

The door opened, allowing Keerza to enter where she saw Sikozu standing with the Scarran half-breed. A silent snarl curled her lip. It was disgusting to see that one of her perfect creations had aligned herself with such a mongrel. "Sikozu Shanu, how far you've fallen."

"You dare stand in judgement of me?" Sikozu glared at Keerza. The old resentments, the hate, flooded through her. Embolden by her rage, she took a step away from Scorpius. He hissed in warning.

"I came here hoping the doctor's assessment of your condition was wrong," Keerza ignored Sikozu's anger. She chalked it up to the petulance of youth. "Seeing you now, I am forced to accept that ignorant Peacekeepers diagnosis." All the evidence was there staring her in the face. Keerza had gone to great lengths to make sure her genetically engineered Kalish were sterile, with any species they took to bed. Looking at her now, Keerza's blood ran cold. Sikozu's slightly rounded belly told another story. As much as she didn't want to be, she was intrigued as to why Sikozu was able to carry a child.

Scorpius remained silent, watching every move Keerza was making. He flicked his gaze to Braca, who guarded the door. The good Captain nodded slightly, signaling that he would be ready to act the moment it was required. Then, after no more than a microt had passed, his eyes returned to the Kalish scientist. Mercifully she was not assaulting their eyes with her borrowed Charrid appearance. She had returned to her true persona. That did not incline Scorpius to lower his guard, however.

Sikozu swallowed her righteous anger and her pride as she balled her hands to tight fists. "You took great pleasure in telling us we were unable to create life," she reminded. "It would appear my current condition had proven your original claims false." The wheels in Keerza's mind were spinning, running through the gauntlet of explanations. Sikozu went to her, no fear showing in her face. She took the scientist's hand, placing it on her abdomen. "This is what you said I could never have." Leaning in to whisper, Sikozu added, "Scorpius is the father of my child."

Keerza gasped, the first sign of an honest emotional reaction from her where Sikozu was concerned. From behind her wayward Kalish creation, the Scarran half-breed hissed possessively. A sickening, terrifying thought occurred to her. Could Sikozu have mated the hybrid standing watch over her? There were rumors, unsubstantiated rumors that mated pairs existed in the galaxy. Two beings that the universe deemed to be together. She only had supposition to go on, but now she was getting the chance to make initial studies from the way Sikozu and Scorpius acted around each other.

"You have thought of something," Sikozu said, reading it in Keerza's face. She stepped back, no longer needing to prove a point to the monster that made her. Having to be in the same space with Keerza was enough to make her flesh crawl in revulsion. Sikozu returned to Scorpius's side, craving his closeness.

Keerza ignored Sikozu, and addressed the half-breed. "What do you know of mated pairs?" He eyes never left her, even as she saw his mind working.

Every cell in Scorpius's body went rigid. Mated. It explained everything about how his carefully constructed emotional distance had shattered where Sikozu was concerned. He realized it started the moment she was thrust into that grave with him. The scent of her had been tantalizing, even laced with fear and shock. "They're a myth," he answered, careful to give nothing away.

"No, they are not," Keerza touted. "They're no myth, but they go to great lengths to conceal their bond due in large part to the wealth of scientific knowledge that could be gained from their cells." She pointed her next comment towards the half-breed, "You become enraged when another male stands near her. You hunger for her touch more than normal. Every thought you have is about what's best for her." And there it was, a flicker in his gaze. Her words hit home with Scorpius. "How much has Sikozu told you about her early years?"

"Experimentation. Torture." Scorpius said easily as if he was commenting on a status report. It was all he needed to know about Sikozu's past. Even if there were good moments in her youth, they obviously weren't bright enough to overshadow the horrors.

"Of course," Keerza turned her attention to Sikozu, "that would be the only thing you remember." The hate she could see in the calculating teal eyes was evidence enough.

"That was all there was," Sikozu replied with as much contempt as she could muster. This was getting them nowhere. "Our past is not why I lured you out." She had to get this conversation moving in the right direction, and away from the past she had escaped.

"No, you opened the door," Keerza said. Then she turned her attention to Scorpius, "The reason I know you have mated my exceptionally made Kalish, is because I've seen it before. It's the whole reason I, and others like me, were able to create our weapons to be impeccable replicas of natural born Kalish." She had taken great relish in dissecting the Kalish couple whose DNA combined to make Sikozu. It was amazing to see how their biochemistry had changed, how their aging had slowed down.

"You arrogant, frelling…" Sikozu snarled, and then caught herself before she could insult Keerza. As much as she hated it, she needed the scientist to examine the DNA of their child. Scorpius placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. She growled in frustration; a habit she picked up from him.

"Good, now that's out of the way…" Keerza smiled. "Finally, an honest emotional response from you Sikozu."

"You want honest," Sikozu snarled. "Come a little closer." Since becoming aligned with Scorpius, she'd found an edge of violence inside herself that she'd not been capable of before him.

"All in due time," Scorpius reminded, his fingers digging in slightly signaling she should calm herself. It was taking all his resolve to appear as calm as he could when, in reality, he felt like hurling the Kalish scientist into his Aurora chair and painfully coerce any useful information out of her. To Keerza he spoke, "You have a limited window of usefulness to us. It would not be wise to continue to test our patience." His eyes scanned the scientist, committing her energy signature to memory, and using it as a baseline to tell when she was being truthful and when she was being deceptive.

"What would you have of me?" Keerza asked, her eyes firmly rooted on Sikozu. She could see it now. The foolish girl had actually allowed herself to have feelings for the Peacekeeper by her side.

"We would like for you to examine our child's genome," Sikozu spoke, her tone deceptively calm. Keeping her place next to Scorpius helped her to maintain some semblance of calm that she did not possess a moment ago. She knew that at the wrong moment, her temper would flare, and she would cause this situation to be more tense than it already was.

"And why would I do such a thing for you?" Keerza asked, trying to sound uninterested. In truth, it was the opposite.

"Curiosity," Scorpius said this time. "You believe that I've mated Sikozu. That belief makes you want to see what type of offspring a seemingly sterile Kalish, and a half-breed Scarran could possibly create." He was curious as well.

"Do I get time to think about it?" Keerza asked. "I am soon to be missed if I do not return to Blue Sector within the arn."

"Tomorrow, seek out my second in command, and give him your answer," Scorpius ordered. Sikozu tensed beside him, forcing him to place his hand once more on her lower back. When they were alone they would talk.

"Tomorrow then," Keerza confirmed. "It will give me time to gather the required equipment, should I choose to help you." She already knew she would return. The Scarran was right. She was curious. Without another word, she turned, and followed the Peacekeeper out.

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Almost immediately after Keerza had left their quarters, Sikozu had removed herself from his side, going into the adjoining bathroom. She had drawn a bath and stayed there for nearly an arn. He knew why she had done it. Sikozu needed to relax, to soothe away the stress that had built up do to the tense confrontation with her creator. She needed time by herself, as did he. Even as there was distance between them, he couldn't help but feel the need to be next to her.

Now, she was sound asleep in the bed beside him while he lay awake. Scorpius had plenty to occupy his mind and it was all centered around that Sikozu was his mate. In all the galaxy, this wily young Kalish had been created with the perfect DNA crafted to match him. Turning his head to the side, he gazed at her. She was looking right back at him. "I thought you were asleep," he said quietly.

Sikozu sat up, the blanket pooling in her lap, and the cold breath of air licked along her naked flesh. "I should not have put distance between us earlier. That woman brings out a side of me that I thought long buried." While soaking in the luxuriously hot water, she had time to think, to dissect how Scorpius had handled the situation with Keerza. He handled her as he should have, as the Peacekeeper he made himself into. She gathered the blanket around her body, moving closer to him.

Scorpius, staying where he was, replied, "You were understandably upset." He knew well what it was like to be confronted with a tormentor after so many cycles. His hands tensed as they rested atop his stomach. He was waiting for Sikozu to set the tone. When she sat astride his thighs, he knew things between them were not unstable. Her hands covered his.

Sikozu gazed down on Scorpius, "I was angry at myself." She had let the intense storm of emotions override her common sense. It was due in large part to the hormones. Andal had informed her that she would feel an emotional imbalance, and it would affect the way she reacted to situations. "I allowed my turbulent emotions to get the better of me," she continued.

"Again, this is understandable," Scorpius brought his hands up, pulling the black fabric down to expose her torso. In just a few solar days, Sikozu's body had changed so much. The toll this pregnancy was taking on her came with a hormonal imbalance. If he was going to survive the next five standard months, he would have to tread very carefully.

Sikozu nodded, "Do you believe what Keerza said about us, about being mated?" She could believe it, wanted to in fact. When she was standing by Scorpius, in his arms, her entire being felt stable. He made her feel like nothing could touch her as long as she did as he told her.

Scorpius sat up, his arms wrapping around her waist. "It would explain a lot of things I've been feeling lately." She was his mate. He knew that for certain. The moment he touched her, held her in his arms, the world around him stabilized. When they had been apart on Moya, he couldn't help but think of her, wondering when she would come down that corridor to converse with him. Every molecule in his body craved Sikozu, desired to touch, and be touched by her. No other woman would compare to her.

"What things?" Sikozu asked. She knew she had changed since being with him; she'd grown stronger. With Scorpius, he showed her who she really was. He awakened a hunger inside her that she'd not known before. There were dark pleasures he'd introduced her to that she couldn't imagine going the rest of her life without. She couldn't imagine her life without him, and that thought, at one time had terrified her.

"Protective, possessive," Scorpius answered. "I find that when another male is near you, as Keerza pointed out, I have the split microt reaction where I wish to rip them limb from limb. At the same time, I want to stand between you and whatever danger the universe can throw at you." It all started on Moya, the more she was around him, and the more he allowed her to become embroiled in his schemes. "To know that you, and you alone, are the one woman in the galaxy with DNA perfectly matched to mine; it puts me in a strange place."

"Why?" Sikozu asked. It gave her a thrill to know that she was the only woman in the universe for him.

"I never anticipated having this; you carrying my child," Scorpius replied. He had planned for every contingency, except her. He'd not been able to predict how important Sikozu was going to be to him.

"It is as you said, we will figure this out," Sikozu responded. If they really were mated, then the universe was ensuring they stayed together.

TBC….