CHAPTER 12:
Oliver Johnson
"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing up." - James A. Baldwin
Amaya hated the sunlight as it poured into her bedroom to announce the unwelcome arrival of a new day in Johannesburg. She had been regretting this day for nine months and groaned into her blue pillow at what awaited her. Another form shifted in the bed beside her and she poked their back with a fond smile. Elenor had shared her bed for the night due to her parents objecting that their seemingly 'pure' daughter (she'd laughed at that old-fashioned belief of theirs in her head) couldn't spend the last night before the wedding with the fiancé to prevent bad luck.
Actually, their luck had just gotten worse with the passing hours. Her dad's back hadn't gotten better and he refused to watch Elenor's yoga videos because at his age, he was liable to cause more damage. Damario's stomach hadn't adapted to the different time zone yet and he was now carrying indigestion medicine in his jean pockets. Davin's sister, Jeanette, had gotten a bad hair dye and now sported limp orange-blond hair. Tania dropped out last night as a bridesmaid because of a recent missing report involving Wikus. And poor Wikus, well, no one really knew where he was since he disappeared from the emergency room and the police was now looking into it. Amaya had stayed with her distraught friend as she explained the ordeal at the hospital and gave a few hours of her time until Tania was sleeping soundly.
"Elenor, you awake?" Amaya asked softly as she huddled inside her warm covers and faced the white ceiling. Sleeping next to her sister reminded her of their days as children when the two huddled together to escape the scary thunderstorms in Tangier or for teenage girl time there in Jo'burg.
"Hmm? Oh!" Elenor cried out in exclamation when the direct sunlight struck her in the eyes and she groaned at seeing hazy starbursts of red and yellow in her vision. She covered her eyes to spare them from another attack and sunk under the blankets, leaving only a tuft of black hair on her pillow as she hid to reprimand aloud, "Don't you have darker shades, Amaya? I'm going to be seeing blobs till church time."
Amaya simply laughed at her sibling's crankiness as Elenor wiped her eyes with one hand and used the other to poke her sister's stomach. Once Elenor calmed down at remembering that she wasn't ticklish, Amaya took the moment to whisper in worried admittance, "I'm nervous about this."
"You'll be fine, you got a nice home and a hunky man" her sister assured with a wide smile to cheer her up and smooched the pillow beside her for emphasis on their upcoming nuptials. Wagging her eyebrows for humor purposes, Amaya didn't seem happier at the comment and Elenor tried one last attempt by jesting impishly, "Give his butt a grab and you'll be fine."
"It's not that, I just. . .I don't know if I want to be married" she whispered softly and hoped she could admit some of her hidden feelings to the younger woman. Unlike her mother and Zara who didn't like the Poleepkwa much due to the social stigma, Elenor was always curious but too afraid to venture into what Amaya had bravely done. She was certainly open-minded with that brash temper of hers which Amaya found admirable since hers was more on the calm subtle side (not to say she wouldn't strike either when provoked). She was never one to fight battles without plenty of ammunition, hence the lawyer in her, but Elenor would jump in regardless if she had any.
"It's the jitters ma talks about, they'll be gone by the ceremony" Elenor smiled assuredly to Amaya's fretful mood and smoothed out her sister's frizzy black hair with her hand. She wanted everything to go smoothly for her on this special day and hugged her supportively, patting her back with a big smile as she piped up brightly, "This should be the happiest day of your life. You're marrying the guy of your dreams!"
"I. . .I don't. . .what if he's not? A hypothetical question: let's say he's not" Amaya spoke up boldly with a slow drawl to make Elenor understand and pointed to her platinum engagement ring, "What if this bride thought marriage would protect someone they loved but it turns out she doesn't love that guy but the other guy?"
. . ."I lost you at hypothetical," was her sister's deadpan reply.
"Elenor! I'm serious" she groaned miserably to Elenor's flat stare and yanked her pillow to place it over her face exasperatedly. What had her life suddenly become? Yes, most women yearned for a partner in life and a home to raise a family but the family she wanted lived in squalor due to their physical differences. She wanted to hold sweet little Oliver in her arms and just ignore the world around her, blissfully unaware to everything but her precious child. She'd promised so much but in the end, he would live without her and without knowing who she truly was. Her hands shook as she held the blankets, her resolve breaking at what she was forcing herself to do that day, and she whispered weakly with a breaking voice, "I don't think I can do this. I thought I could but looking at the dress-"
"It's a gorgeous dress and you'll be happy, Davin loves you!" her sister comforted to keep her cheerful since she'd been reading brides could get brutal cold feet on their wedding day and patted her sister's back from her spot in the bed.
"But. . .but what if I don't love him?" she whispered nervously to the truth she denied everyone for more than a year and Elenor sighed to the proposed idea. There was no possible way on Earth-
However, one look at her older sister's upset face told her that Amaya was being completely honest on the subject. After all, it was rare for her to lie to anybody with her high morality sense and Elenor's stomach sank at the sudden realization that laid out before her.
"Oh no, don't tell me you want to back out" she hissed lowly in case anyone was listening outside the room and wringed the bed sheets as if she were the bride herself. This was not good for anybody and almost restrained herself from beating her sister with the pillow. Was it too late to sprint away with Amaya on foot to Botswana or Zimbabwe to never be heard from again to prevent a wedding catastrophe? She glanced at her older sister with disbelief written across her face as Amaya chewed on her bottom lip nervously because Elenor looked ready to either yell to kingdom come or strangle her with the sheets. The younger Turin sister did neither as she balled up a bed sheet hastily, throwing it off the bed in an attempt to pent out rage and stress, and snapped quietly, "Amaya, 4 hours! 4 hours until you're Mrs. Bedeau and you pop out with this? Why didn't you say anything before?"
"Everyone's been all crazy over this wedding, I couldn't unless I wanted to get mobbed all the way to Madagascar!" Amaya shot back weakly to the mess she'd created by lying and bit her fingernails to release the turbulent stress her mind was plagued with. The battle between her heart and duty was winding down to the final hours where one would be the victor and Amaya knew neither side would come out unscathed without consequences. To follow Christopher would shame her family and oust her as a liar while marrying Davin would protect Christopher but create a chasm between them. She hesitated as she gathered her turbulent thoughts, finally admitting the truth to her younger sibling quietly, "Elenor, I don't love Davin. He's a great guy, minus the MNU suit, but. . ."
"Then why would you agree to the engagement in the first place?" she demanded shrilly as she struggled between worrying for her sister and berating her for the sudden change of heart. Since her arrival, she'd only seen Amaya friendly and chirpy towards the wedding and the houseguests but now. . .she looked crestfallen and ashamed. Nothing like the fearless and bold lawyer that she was in public. Not wanting to drag out a fight this early in the morning, Elenor ran her fingers through her own hair to calm herself as she tried to avert a possible crisis with the sudden news and pointed out firmly, "As your maid of honor, I should've been the first to know this!. . .Plus, I'm your sister, Maya, you can tell me anything."
"It's very complicated and ma really wanted me to say yes" Amaya admitted softly as she felt guilty for admitting it and gripped her hair to pent out stress. Oh, what she'd give to have Christopher with her for sagely advice; he never failed her. No, she was on her own now and would have to make the tough decisions for herself, even if they were for the best and not what her heart wanted. She gripped her pillow close as if it would shield her from everyone's expectations of her and murmured dejectedly, "I have to marry Davin but I don't want to."
"You are screwed, you know that, right?" her sister pointed out with a miserable groan to her sister's upset appearance and Amaya nodded quietly to the lousy rut she was in. Elenor felt sisterly empathy for her, instantly remembering their younger days where Amaya was the troublemaker due to being an alien supporter, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. If nobody wanted to stand by her decision, she'd be by her side. Besides, she was used to picking fights without a reason. With a sigh, she rubbed Amaya's shoulder to lighten her depressed mood and muttered flatly in regards to the main problem, "This is like one of those damn cheesy soap operas. What will you do?"
"I have to do it, I'm scared but I have to" she whispered regretfully to the logical choice since she'd put the wedding off for so long and Christopher was ready to leave her world. Her life was now her own without his input and she would bear the agonizing feeling of a caged bird in this marriage as he took to the stars. Sluggishly, she stood up from the warm bed as Elenor watched her with a solemn gaze and Amaya wandered towards her bathroom to shower; water always blended flawlessly with tears.
I just wish Christopher could've said no and kept me locked up in the command module, she thought miserably to what the day had in store. There would be celebrating throughout the afternoon and evening for everybody, except her, and hated having her dream wedding be without the one she loved. And I wish I could hold my sweet little boy once again.
8 years ago. . .
Christopher watched his egg fondly as the dark silhouette inside gave a small kick before becoming still again. Five months had passed and his child survived all of the statistics stacked against it since its premature exit from the womb. Soon, with careful care, it would hatch into the world and he would hold his first child. Amaya had left District 9 a few days after the miscarriage but she spent her last hours with him, watching their little egg with a tender smile in Jane's home as the older poleepkwa lectured her on birth control. To make certain that her message got through, Jane brought in Christopher to relentlessly lecture both of them and quizzing the two afterwards on proper mating habits. To be honest, the appeal of mating ever again had gone right out the window for both after the entire dreadful event and Jane's scolding.
Christopher hadn't seen Amaya since she'd left the compound but he'd always mailed a letter to her about the egg's condition. He had to use his weekly paycheck to find a trustworthy carrier in the slums to mail it for him since he himself couldn't leave the district and hoped Amaya received them. It was hard to remain inconspicuous about their interspecies connection without raising alarm if the letters fell into wrong hands and shifted between snippets of her languages that he learned to get his message across. Also, he hoped immensely that her feelings hadn't changed for him due to the sudden stressful incident of birth and for becoming a parent at an age humans weren't often ready for. They weren't in any romantic relationship and she could decide to end her pursuit of him after he'd unknowingly impregnated her. How could he expect her to pick up the reins of parenthood when a child had never entered their minds once? Would she see the child as hers despite its phenotype was dominated by his genetics? He knew she wanted children as an adult but she was barely experiencing independent life to take care of herself so how could he expect her to drop everything she was working for? Their child had completely shifted their roles overnight but Christopher hoped it was for the better. He found it hard to soothe his mind about her and but was fully prepared to keep their hatchling safe for its arrival in the harsh environment.
In the junk heaps, he'd been scavenging for whatever useful items he could find to keep his hatchling safe and warm once it was out in the bleak world. He didn't know what kind of bedding his child would need but he'd grab whatever he could; rags, newspapers, boxes, everything that could be compacted for use. There was rarely anything decent and sometimes, he simply hated himself for the dreary lifestyle his child would live in. This wasn't a world he wanted his firstborn to see and the obstacles it would face to survive made Christopher upset even more. How could he protect such a fragile little part of himself against the dangers of humankind and their own environment? He couldn't bear losing his first child after its determined struggle to survive birth and hatch. It would be a disappointing and painful blow to fail his hatchling when it needed him the most. He'd already lost his entire family on Earth and to lose one he created himself was heart wrenching.
"Jane, how- I don't know anything about rearing a child" Christopher sighed worriedly to the older poleepkwa as she changed the feeding bag to his child. She had kept his egg in her own home for private watch due to its delicate condition and he thanked her every time he visited- mostly three times a day. Truthfully, Jane didn't mind one bit since he was the last piece of her friend, a part of her old tribe, and Christopher was a good person than most wandering the district.
"Have you read the list and instructions I gave you?" she questioned firmly because she didn't want the new father to be at a loss on what to do and he nodded hastily, pointing to his worn black messenger bag where he kept her scribbled notes. Christopher stayed up every night to read as much as he could without falling asleep from exhaustion and kept them organized with rubber bands to create a makeshift book. Jane accepted his answer since he wasn't one to lie and informed with the same speech she gave new parents, "Once it's here, keep it in a warm and well-lit area of your home. They need the light to adjust their vision and this planet lacks sufficient light for our sight so keep it safely in your bedroom. The hard exterior of our skin won't develop for a few weeks so be careful with its sensitive flesh because it will be soft so make sure your child is hydrated. Bathe the hatchling every few days with lukewarm water so its skin will be clean to prevent bacteria as the shell grows and to keep them hydrated. Its joints will be sensitive until much older so always keep them covered."
"Hatchlings are heavy criers so be aware of that but a parent's body warmth or trills will soothe them to sleep" Jane advised the apprehensive Christopher and finished her task, gently tapping the side of the egg with affection as she did to all of the eggs she cared for. MNU killed so many of their unborn and the parents that managed to scrape enough money for a license would have little ones to endure the same hardships; many would not live to old age with the oppressive treatment their people received. Nowadays, younglings kept to their parents and never wandered far from the home out of parental fear for their young one's safety. Those that did wander alone had already lost their parents and would either be taken in by a family or left to fend for themselves. She glanced at the egg with a solemn smile because that certain hatchling would have a chance with its father and chuckled softly to reminisce, "I remember when you hatched on the home world, safe in our hatcheries as your parents watched. Your mother was worried that your crying couldn't be normal since you kept her up but I assured Laura you'd grow out of it," she heaved a heavy sigh on this and added in, "Unfortunately, you kept going even after you began walking and scampered after her for attention. That reminds me, hatchlings learn to crawl fast so once yours can roll and lift itself on its stomach, keep your eyes vigilant."
"When will I know what gender it'll take? MNU will pressure me for name and I don't want them to brand him a female if he's a male" he asked her anxiously since MNU was unforgiving on hesitance and would name the hatchling themselves if a parent couldn't decide (or for that matter, didn't know the dominant gender). He traced a finger lightly over the top of the egg, curious for any sudden movement his child wanted to display, and murmured softly, "It cost my entire paycheck to register the egg and the license will be more."
I hate that they're taking my hard earned money, money that I should be using to stock up on food for my little one, he thought miserably with bitterness towards humankind and hoped to shield his child away from the greedy heartless corporation and other discriminative humans.
"That will be in two months, it should develop a pheromone scent depicting its majority gender attribute by then and you'll know" she sympathized with encouragement since the young poleepkwa was doing all he could to give his child a half-decent life. Jane knew the new mouth to feed would be hard on Christopher and dividing his meager earnings among two meant the older would be making sacrifices. Jane could only hope that the human mother would remain in the picture because alone, Christopher would certainly struggle to keep his hatchling healthy and safe. The front door opened to reveal a small youngling female wearing a dusty and torn yellow sundress and Jane turned to her with a pleasant smile. Christopher watched the modest youngling enter with slow steps as she held a small notebook against her chest and couldn't help but adore the children of his people. They were resilient little beings but no child deserved to be wearing torn rags that they prized as decent while humans pranced around with luxurious fabrics and still, the damnable creatures wanted more whenever something 'cool' and 'trendy' came along.
"I finished lesson" the youngling spoke with the basic speech of their language and gave her notebook to Jane with a proud chirp. Christopher missed his old profession of teaching as he remembered those proud smiles that his students graced him with and briefly wondered how life could've been if his mother hadn't passed prematurely.
"Good, I'll see you next time, little one" Jane chuckled with a maternal smile she gave all of the younglings she taught on the other side of her home (her dining area/classroom) and the girl skipped off happily. MNU forced the learning of Basic only but Jane took it a step further by teaching the children history, science, math, and every subject she could cram in. She didn't care what MNU thought anymore, she was too old to change for a species like theirs and would proudly hold her heritage intact until death. If they fired her, fine. . .she'd just hold her schooling unofficially like Christopher. She cherished Laura's oldest as one would a grandson and appreciated all that he tried to do for the district, especially for the younglings.
Christopher mused over his upcoming job as a father and fondly looked to his egg to whisper, "What will you be, my little one?"
Days later, Christopher paced nervously before a wooden table covered with an old faded gray tablecloth but it was clean. It was the best Jane could do with her living conditions but Christopher was grateful as always. His hatchling was ready to emerge into the world and Jane had to keep him at bay as she carefully peeled away each broken piece of the egg his child broke through. He wished his hardest that Amaya could be there to witness every little push as the dark shell gave way but he knew she'd be in trouble if she left her schooling. His yellow eyes tried to peer over the elderly female's shoulder as she worked meticulously to make sure everything went fine but Christopher saw nothing. Oh, how the suspense was killing him! He heard small cracking sounds as his hatchling pushed out of the egg with every fighting ounce a child from any species held when it came to surviving and fought a grimace when slushy gooey sounds came from the embryonic liquid leaking over the table. The seconds felt like minutes and the minutes transformed into agonizing hours of waiting until weak clicks and a fussy growl were heard in the silent room.
Christopher's antennae perked to the new unheard sound and Jane chuckled fondly, "I was there when your father took his sweet time hatching, when your mother hatched beautifully without any mess, you hatched with speediness that demolished half of your egg, and your little one brings a new generation forth with its careful pushes."
"Is it. . .is it all right?" he asked nervously to the sounds that strengthened in volume and raised himself on the tips of his feet to catch a glimpse but received none. Jane used this time to point away from the table to make sure he didn't interfere with the birthing process since first time parents had a habit of either tripping, scaring the child with happy noises, or knocking her away from the hatching egg and creating the aforementioned events.
"It's quite lively for one who was a month premature in the womb" Jane informed the expectant father who now paced the room and cleaned the fluid from the hatchling's face as its pale green arms clutched at her hands in reflex. Its skin was almost as soft as a human's during the first week and the tougher scales would develop over the following days. She smiled as the little antennae flicked wildly to taste the new unknown air and a fearful hiss escaped its undeveloped vocal chords as the child entered its new world. Once the egg was fully broken through from the top, she pulled the hatchling out of its five-month home by supporting its head and hips but it was extremely reluctant to leave with sharp hisses aimed at her. Jane paid the new hatchling no mind since all of them behaved that way and she placed it on a clean blanket nearby to begin clearing the translucent fluid from its closed eyes and body.
She began to gently wipe off the amniotic fluid as the little one cried out to the new sensations on its flesh and she spoke up cheerfully, "You can come up now, Christopher. I'm sure your hatchling can't wait to meet you."
Nervously, he walked up to the table and saw the tiny green form of his child kicking wildly at Jane as its mouth opened wide to let out a sharp cry. It looked so vulnerable with its sleek tender skin and he was afraid that a single touch would injure it. He gave a soft trill as his heart elated warmly at seeing the prone body that carried his genetics and smiled happily at watching the hatchling cry its lungs out. It had survived. . .and it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. It was his and Amaya's.
Their child.
"It's mine" he laughed as the moment completely floored him and sighed raggedly as emotions overcame him, his throat tightening to the rare moment. The fussy wriggling form he stared at was his living breathing child and its cries rang in the news that he was indeed a father now. Christopher trilled softly with pride as he watched the little one, tilting his head to the side to purr affectionately, "I have a child. A beautiful healthy child."
"Indeed you do" Jane sighed with a warm smile in her eyes because she never expected to hatch a hybrid child in all her years but it was as adorable as any hatchling. Only time would tell with the child's characteristics and she wrapped the hatchling in another clean blanket (MNU issued by a case won with human rights groups) to keep its body warm. Its cries quieted down to fearful whimpers at being cozied up in the cloth, the hatchling feeling constricted immediately as it lacked the freedom from its old egg, and she trilled softly to calm them down. Glancing at Christopher who appeared both mystified and worried, she decided to coax him forward by taking a firm initiative, "Well, are you going to hold your hatchling or not? It needs to memorize your scent as its parent. As gorgeous as this little one is, I'm too old to be parenting anymore."
"What if I hurt it? It's so fragile" Christopher admitted nervously as his fingers itched at the thought of inflicting pain to his child but she placed the small wrapped bundle of yellow blankets into his arms as his yellow eyes widened fretfully. What if he messed up and his child feared him? He held his newborn carefully, supporting its soft form securely as Jane guided his hands around the head and under its little bottom, and smiled when he saw his hatchling's bright blue eyes staring up at him for the first time. There was nothing but complete innocence shining through and Christopher knew it was the most precious being in the world to him. The shade reminded him of the perfect mix between his mother's sapphire eyes and Amaya's bluish gray; a crystal clear blue. He couldn't help but miss his mother greatly as he gazed at his newborn child and knew this was the same feeling she'd felt when he'd hatched many years ago. With a tender smile aimed at his hatchling, he murmured softly with disbelief, "They look like Amaya's and my mother's."
He wished both could be there to see the child during its first minutes of life and he trilled happily as the hatchling stared up at him with alert curiosity. Gently, Christopher flicked his antennae against the child's so he would be the first person it would recognize and trilled affectionately when faint uncertain clicks were returned. He was its parental figure and once Amaya visited, she would be the maternal. He held his child to his chest in a protective embrace to let his little one know he would never leave its side and vowed with a whisper, "You survived against all odds and I will never let anything happen to you. I will protect you with my life as any father would and I will try to give you the best life that I can on Earth. It won't be good most of the time but I promise, you will always be my first concern."
The child's glittering blue eyes bore into his as its tiny throat uttered a weak gurgle and Christopher purred softly with fatherly affection, "You're beautiful."
Weeks later, Amaya would return to surprise Christopher with a bassinet for their bundle of joy and a cart full of items hidden underneath a dirty blanket with open empty cans on top to disguise it. Christopher had given up most of his blankets to keep his little one warm in a makeshift nest of paper, cardboard, cotton, and cloth while he grabbed wrinkled old newspapers and ratty scraps of cloth to cover himself at night. The nights were chilly for him as he slept on his lumpy mattress but his hatchling would survive the elements and that's all that really mattered. Jane kept the little one company for free as he ran to catch the early bus to work after a night of rocking the crying hatchling to sleep and hoping he could also catch a few good hours of sleep until sunrise.
It was hard work to support both himself and the child, sometimes he had to give up the money for his entire meal in exchange for his child's so it could have its small belly full. Its painful cries of hunger were excruciating to hear when he couldn't scrape enough to buy a full meal for both and he always made sure to never have them in his household. His child needed to be safe and happy in its new world, never in pain or distress. He bathed his little one in water he left warming up in the sunlight because there was no way in the universe he would wash its tender skin with cold water and risk a respiratory illness. Christopher smiled every day despite the exhaustion when his hatchling gazed at him with a weak but happy chirp reserved only for him. His little one apparently appreciated his decent parenting (how he wished to give his child the best but shamefully couldn't) and Christopher was joyous when he saw that its outer coat was developing as the softer skin in between was gaining a light green hue. His child, according to Jane, was developing perfectly fine and reflected Christopher's physical characteristics rather than his human mother's. For now, it would be enough to ensure his little one's safety against MNU but only time would tell.
The afternoon was thankfully lukewarm with no humidity or wind; the humans called it 'perfectly sunny' weather. Christopher had just finished giving his fussy hatchling a bath in a large washing bowl when Amaya arrived with her cart, sweating profusely from the heat and the thick garb she wore. He smiled with excitement at finally seeing her again since the expulsion of the egg and could hardly contain his enthusiasm as she entered with ragged pants escaping her lips. He motioned for her to enter quickly and didn't curb his enthusiasm as he trilled happily with cheerful clicks, "Amaya, you're back."
"This was the soonest I could get here without missing my finals" she sighed tiredly after her trek through the district and pulled the metal cart inside with a few sharp tugs. She threw the metal cans outside and placed the dirty blanket on the floor, telling herself to wash it for Christopher to use. Amaya's spirits were the same as Christopher's as she was happy to be back home where her heart belonged after reading his secret letters and hoping nobody was intercepting them. Christopher might not have been able to wander throughout Johannesburg to buy things, or even afford to, but as a human, Amaya would do whatever she could to make sure their baby was safe. With a giddy smile, her small hands pulled out a white wicker bassinet lined with plush satin to keep a baby comfortable while folded cotton blankets lay inside along with a small pillow already sewed at the top. He watched her place it on top of his clean meal table as he held their bundled hatchling and she beamed happily to present, "Cost me 940 rand but it was worth every coin. Nothing is too good for my one and only so let me fix these blankets so you can tuck our baby in."
Amaya let out a bashful chuckle at saying the new word aloud and gazed at the soft unused baby blankets to murmur breathlessly, "Goodness, it's so surreal to say it. Our baby."
She fiddled with the blankets like any new mother would as he stared at her modesty with amusement and her voice wavered as she informed him, "I got your letters. You've no idea how happy I was to know the egg was all right, Christopher, I was so worried about its survival when I left. You shouldn't have risked yourself by sending letters. . .but when you told me it was born, I had to find the quickest getaway to see our child. I collected as much items as I could and told my parents I was staying for an extra semester at the university while students take their vacations."
"You're staying up there?" he asked faintly, his antennae flattening against his head in disappointment that she would leave again so soon and involuntarily clutched their little one closer. The companionship Amaya provided over the years kept his spirit from being crushed by the bleak loneliness of the district and the thought of brief visits after not seeing her for months caused him to feel incredibly alone.
"No, silly, I'm staying with you" Amaya soothed with a warm chuckle to ease his worries and walked over to plant a kiss on his tendrils. No, there was no way she would ever stop her visits or leave him alone; he was everything to her. His forehead touched hers and she smiled at his silent affection but her blue-gray eyes peered down at the small bundle cuddled up against Christopher's chest. What was this? At first, she'd thought it was a simple black blanket bundled in his arms since she didn't hear a peep but when a bright blue eye peeked up from the black blanket over its head, Amaya felt her heart skip a beat.
"Is this. . ." she whispered in awe as her eyes watered instantly at seeing their little hatchling playing hide-and-seek inside the blanket. Jade green skin peeked through as Christopher shifted their little one in his arms and she clasped her hands over her chest at finally seeing the precious treasure within the egg she'd carried to its father on that rainy night. Her voice broke as she fought back tears, pressing her fingers to the inner corner of her eyes to dab at any droplets, but she managed to whisper tenderly, "Oh, my little baby, look at you."
"I haven't named it nor do they have genders until two months" he explained sheepishly to her since human children were very different and didn't want her to feel left out regarding their child. He'd never spoken on the subject since he never thought such a thing was possible but here he was with an endearing child and a loyal. . .actually, Christopher would wait on labeling Amaya because she'd yet to speak about their entanglement. Amaya, however, was on cloud nine and he indulged her with information about their child to keep their reunion as joyous as possible, "I've had the toughest time deciding what to call it so I've decided on Little Johnson for now, or CJ for short. I think it is fitting with them being the youngest in my family. . .well, what's left of it. Either way, I'm sure we'll find a suitable name in time."
"Our baby has the most beautiful eyes" she whispered faintly as she noticed the perceptiveness of the hatchling's stare and reached out to tentatively touch its soft cheek with her index finger. The hatchling flinched to the unknown hand since she remained a stranger due to Christopher's lack of company and kept its bright blue eyes fixated on her. Oh, their child was simply divine. She leaned down with a smile to coo at the adorable hatchling trying hide in its blanket and spoke gently with a caring smile, "Hello there, darling, I'm your mama. You look mostly like your papa here but I've thought of nothing but you for the last five months- well, seven months counting the whole thing. You are simply beautiful, little one."
"You should hold our hatchling while I fix the cradle" Christopher suggested so the two could be properly acquainted and leaned forward to hand the child over. He chuckled when the same expression on his face from weeks ago crossed onto hers and he assured gently, "You'll be fine, it's just like holding a human child but make sure the antennae touch you so it'll recognize your scent. Otherwise, it'll cry nonstop and I just managed to settle its bath time sobs which is why its bundled up warmly in the blanket. Water makes it scared instantly, oh, my mother would be ashamed at seeing her only grandchild squirm."
Amaya grabbed the hatchling into her arms with a shaky smile as the hatchling squirmed at being taken away from its parent, uttering a little chirp for hopeful acknowledgment. Christopher chuckled as their child eyed Amaya with innocent mistrust but stopped fussing when it saw that he wasn't coming to the rescue and her soft coos intrigued it. The lightest clicks escaped its little mouth to reply back to her and she pressed her forehead against its own to softly say, "You're the cutest little CJ I could imagine and you're ours. I prayed for your safety so much and here you are. You're our little miracle."
Its antennae pressed against her forehead to sniff the air around her and she resisted from crying on the baby's sensitive flesh as she gazed into those large sparkling blue eyes. Christopher watched her hold their child close as she struggled to contain her emotions and his eyes glittered with a silent smile of gratitude to what Amaya would do for their child. She believed nothing was out of reach, giving him the motivation to finish his project and to squash any negative thoughts that lingered. She would be staying with him, even if it was for a short while, but she would be there with him and their hatchling to help carry the burden of daily survival.
"I love you so much" Amaya whispered with a motherly smile and pressed her cheek against the baby's as CJ's little hands sought to grip her by the nose since poleepkwa lacked one. She had held it as an egg for hours to make sure it would survive the arduous trip to its father, praying for its safety until birth and there it was before her. Living. Breathing. Cooing. It had been excruciating to keep away from both father and child as she studied far away to help his people but she would stay for a few months with them. Time would be short but memorable as she returned to her loved ones. Its blue eyes watched her curiously and it babbled out a few nonsensical chirps to her cheerful tone which made her chuckle fondly to CJ's enthusiasm to converse with her. She held its small three fingered hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over the smaller digits, and smiled proudly to coo in reply, "Yes, baby, whatever you want. Your mama will give you everything your little heart desires and one day, your papa will take you home to live free."
"I'm happy you're staying, I've really missed you" Christopher spoke up with a modest tone as he picked up a suitcase filled with clothes for their hatchling from the cart and placed it on the floor. She'd brought her own in a backpack since she could only carry so much and wanted the entire thing to be full with items for the two to last them for months. He smiled at seeing cans of food, warm blankets, clothing for himself, and hygienic products all over the cart which made him feel like the luckiest person in the world for having her in his life. Amaya walked over to him with a smile as she cuddled the hatchling close to her chest and pressed her cheek against his own chest fondly. The fabric of his vest tickled her skin as she breathed in his scent, a faint citrus but woodsy smell, and picked up a vanilla scent in the room which she assumed were from the room deodorizer sprays she brought to keep any smell from overpowering the household her loved ones lived in.
"I've missed you too, Christopher, and our little one" she sighed softly to the nice welcome home she received and held their child between them as its bright blue eyes stared up at both with innocent intrigue. Her fingers caressed the baby's as its little digits clutched the blanket and she chuckled warmly to speak dotingly, "Isn't it the sweetest baby you ever saw? I wish. . .I wish the others had survived but I'm thankful this one lived. Can you believe we made this little hatchling? We gave it life. We actually have a child, Christopher. It'll look just like you, up to the point when we met at that plaza. Remember?"
Christopher embraced her gently since his mindset had been the same up to their child's birth and smiled at the prospect of watching their little one grow up just like he had. Hopefully, its life would turn out less dangerous than his own and he'd try to survive until their child was old enough to be on its own. He would parent his little one just like his mother had done since the exodus of the homeworld, nothing but his child would come first. Their hatchling let out a few clicks in attention as it watched them converse and didn't want to be left out of the conversation (that and not to be accidentally squished in their embrace). Amaya cooed at CJ instantly for its liveliness and their child chirped happily at being showered with attention, little feet kicking in giddiness as its tendrils curled. Poleepkwa children thrived on social interaction throughout the years and Christopher knew she'd do just fine as a mother. She looked to him with a sneaky smile and told him nonchalantly, "I brought you some cat food. My brand new papa needs an energy boost to get through the first year."
"Oh, how I love you" he sighed contently to the gifts she brought and nuzzled her cheek with his own to display his endless affection toward her. He never thought the words would flow so easily through his mouth without worry after banning their affection and her smile brightened his day instantly as he watched her rock the child gently in her arms. No, there was no going back on what happened between them on that rainy night and the trilling hatchling was living proof of that.
"That's the cat food talking" Amaya laughed to his sudden mood spike although her heart warmed to his words and kissed her baby's soft cheek with a giddy smile. Their hatchling let out a few clicks as the sensation was new, its bright blue eyes blinking widely at Amaya with silent intrigue, but soft cooing from her end eased the baby into happy chirps as she squealed, "Oh, but I love you, my precious treasure."
Her forehead briefly pressed against Christopher's chest and she looked up to catch his golden gaze, softly requesting with a shy smile, "Can we be a family? I know regulations would kill us for this but. . .I love you, Christopher, and our little one- oh, just look at the wonderful hatchling we made. A child this beautiful and innocent can't be wrong."
"Is that what you truly want?" he asked hesitantly, hoping she'd agree wholeheartedly because he needed her as a parental unit and wanted for her to be his mate. He'd used such strong arguments against a relationship between them for the past years but that was before they'd given in to temptation again and created the cooing child. They had unknowingly changed the dynamics of their camaraderie and secured that romantic devotion with a child of their own. An innocent descendant that carried both of their genetics and was truly a part of them from the tiniest gene up to the beautiful sky blue eyes. Amaya nodded instantly without a second thought as she held their child against her chest with a tender smile and he smiled happily to the bargaining image. Who was he to disagree when life managed to throw him a little luck? He would have to be extremely careful with hiding the hatchling's origins as Amaya visited but after having her there for over ten years, Christopher was certain it wouldn't be a problem. He wanted this more than anything ever since she'd told him the news months ago and nodded slowly, a smile brightening her oval face as he stated softly, "Then we're a family."
A month passed by and the first time parents were anxiously awaiting to see what pheromone scent their child would begin to present. Amaya had resided safely inside Christopher's home for the past weeks and disguised herself whenever she traveled outside District 9 to purchase food and other items needed for their small family. Christopher always worried for her safety but she assured she'd be fine since her costumes never failed to warrant success in masquerade. There had been close calls with hostile members of his kind and the nearby gangs but he'd taught her how to hide flawlessly in junk piles or behind homes. Whenever MNU passed by for routine checks, he'd hidden her in the command module with their hatchling to keep both of them safe from harm and discovery.
At the moment, however, the two battled for names in the main room while their child slept soundly in the bedroom.
"Athena, it's English with a Greek origin and represents justice and wisdom. . .if it's a girl" Amaya said wisely as she flipped through a small book while leaning against the wall. She didn't want her baby to have an everyday name, she wanted it to have a meaning that their child could represent one day or at least inspire them. Her fingertips flipped through the pages, tapping her chin absentmindedly every now and then until she spoke up in suggestion, "If it's a boy. . .what about Oliver? It represents olives which was Athena's tree and it represents the same. A baby boy with wisdom? Doesn't that sound nice?"
"They sound extremely bizarre" he commented with a rough snort to her picks and crossed his arms because he wanted a name that belonged to his people. MNU wanted to crush the last shreds of their heritage, even by forcing alien names on their children for easier recognition or as Christopher called it, 'bar scanning'.
"It's English, it will always be bizarre to you" she chuckled at his opinion of the generic names and handed him the book so he could flip through it. They were taking longer than anticipated at picking the name and she preened gently with a wagging finger, "I'll start sorting through Arabic and Spanish right now if you don't agree on one in the next ten minutes."
"Sherry if it's a girl" he spoke up in remembrance to his old student that had stayed temporarily with them and placed the small book facedown on the table, tapping his long fingers against the wood as he looked to her for confirmation. Her left eyebrow raised at the name and she grabbed the book to search the meaning because as a new mother, she wanted her baby's name to be perfect.
"The plains? No, I got dibs on wisdom" she negotiated with a groan for emphasis on her choice but Christopher wasn't buying into it. He was perfectly fine with using any human name since his culture wouldn't be allowed to be weaved into it. She frowned to having a constant stalemate with him on this because it got them nowhere and insisted once more, "I want Oliver. We had Sherry and she's with a happy parent now, I don't think she'd like the competition if we had two Sherry's."
"It's metaphorical and that's my say" he grunted firmly since his free time between parenting and working was growing tedious already and he wanted relaxation alongside his family. He yanked the book from her grasp to stop their brainstorming for the day and threw it aside towards the couch to break them both free from that spell. His hands ushered her away in case she tried to make a last desperate attempt to pick their child's name but he'd have none of it, this was their time and it was not to be wasted on MNU's imposed guidelines.
"Here's a metaphor for you: I brought home the bacon so guess who's not eating?' she replied wittily with an amused smile and walked over to dig through the goodie bag she'd brought for today. During her stay, she insisted on buying the food and other necessities with her own leftover money from financial aid support to help her new family and told Christopher to save his paycheck for later days. The more he saved, the more food he and their little one could buy when she wasn't around but Amaya would leave the rest of her money she had no need of with him. She was certain he wouldn't take it out of polite courtesy like always but she would hide it somewhere obvious so when she left, he'd have no reason but to keep it.
"You're butchering literature" he replied flatly with a shake of his head as he watched her dig through the backpack she hid her groceries inside (which also gave her the stocky hobo costume). Her furrowed brows and scrunched face reminded him of her childhood days when she dug through another backpack to fish out a handmade sandwich or toys she'd brought him. He was grateful to whoever created his Amaya that they didn't crush her generosity or kindness as she matured into adulthood and hoped nobody ever would. Maybe their hatchling would have those same endearing traits because he himself had been a shyly reserved child that stuck to his mother. If it wasn't for Amaya's determination to seek him out, he would never have become her friend and so much more. Of course, as a parent, he didn't want their little one to embark on such dangerous adventures one day but would admire their bravery to do so.
Amaya shook her head with amusement to his little joke and a light bulb went off in her head at the obvious answer they were searching for. Looking to him, she spoke up simply with a small smile, "Laura."
"Hmm?"
"Laura, after your mother" she suggested softly as she saw him eyeing a Fancy Feast can that fell from inside her bag and his eyes darted to hers with silent understanding. He nodded quietly in agreement to her offer and she smiled with delight at reaching a compromise that pleased both members. If they had to choose an Earth name, they would choose the one of his mother and her second maternal figure. There was no question they missed her immensely whenever she popped into mind and Amaya smiled solemnly as she gazed at him, murmuring softly with warm remembrance, "She was a gorgeous poleepkwa, I've never seen another like her here. . .I miss her. I think CJ's eyes take after her with the blue hue."
"And yours" he trilled softly to the two most important people in his life since living on Earth (apart from his siblings that died prematurely) and she blushed lightly to his compliment. How he wished his mother could see his little one but life, especially for his kind, was never fair or easy. He watched his mate assemble the metal cans and plastic containers of food neatly in piles over the table causing him to stare at a handheld digital watch that he used for time since electricity was nonexistent. 6:30pm. He scratched at a patch of clumped dirt at the bottom of his worn blue fleece vest and pointed out with a long sigh, "It's like waiting for the hatchling to be born all over again with this. Some say certain younglings retain a neutral gender until their mate is chosen in adulthood and then develop the needed hormones for it. . .I hope ours isn't one because the tension is killing me."
"I wish I could've seen it hatch" she whispered with a small disappointed frown on the special day she missed but shrugged it away since there was nothing that could be done to reverse it. No, she would have to make sure she saw her child's future milestones and kept her little one healthy and happy in their home. Grabbing a can of beef and corn respectively, she stood up with a perky smile to brighten both their moods and asked cheerfully, "What are you hungry for? Beef with veggies? I'll warm you up a side dish of cat food if you're in the mood for that too."
His arms wrapped around her as she held both cans with an enticing smile that washed away his melancholy and he purred softly to admit, "I like this. We may not have the best home, food, or anything remotely decent. . .but I have you and our hatchling. The two most precious beings in my life."
"We have a family, Christopher" she breathed in surreal disbelief to what they accomplished since admitting their feelings years ago and never would've thought a child was possible. True, she and Christopher would never attempt pregnancy ever again with the new knowledge acquired but life found a way with their genetics. Their hatchling would only see Jane for health checkups as she was medically trained and because they both trusted her with their secret hybrid child. No human doctor would ever be allowed to see their child.
She returned the cans to the table and ran her hands over his shoulder blades to release muscle tension hidden within his scales with a small massage, smiling to the gratified purr he returned. Her cheek pressed against his chest as she soothed his aching back, fingers kneading his sore tight muscles as she whispered affectionately, "I'm still soaring in happiness over it. If I knew you'd be my mate, I would've met you the first minute I moved to Jo'burg. You were so shy and polite, you were perfect. You captivated me the minute I saw you with your little yellow ball and you still do, my bright handsome mate."
"I couldn't think of any other but you" he trilled sheepishly to her endless devotion and before she could move, his hand raised between them to reveal a red carnation that he'd hidden inside his vest's pocket. Her face broke into a surprised smile as her slender fingers took it from his own longer digits and he trilled happily with the proud tone that never wavered whenever he gave her that specific gift, "For you, my beloved Amaya."
"It's beautiful" she sighed weakly to his token of love and touched the ruffled petals, closing her eyes for a moment as she remembered each one he'd given her. It was a sweet doting gesture of his love but her mind always dwelled on his safety, regardless of how many times he'd successful done so. Inhaling the calming floral scent of the carnation, she scolded him gently with a worried face, "Oh, Christopher, I keep telling you not to get me one every year. I don't want you in trouble for this, humans will find any excuse to use against you. Please."
"You never change, my dear one" he trilled amusingly to the routine words that flowed from her mouth and nuzzled her worried face with his to soothe her nerves. Her lips planted light kisses over his cheeks out of habit to settle her own worry as she held the treasured blossom against her chest. His lean arms wrapped around her round shoulders and she leaned in happily to fall into his enveloping embrace to be filled with that sense of security he provided in their home.
The two remained in their silent embrace, cherishing the rare tranquility around their home, until a small cry echoed from their bedroom and Amaya smiled to proudly declare, "The hatchling calls."
She kissed his cheek with a wide smile and headed to the adjacent room giddily with hasty kicks in her steps, "I'm coming, baby."
Once she entered their shared bedroom, she chuckled warmly at the shifting bassinet that was home to their rebellious hatchling whom had just awoken from its nap. Kneeling down next to the baby basket, she removed the blanket to reveal her fussy hatchling as its feet kicked the blankets and little tendrils curled in displeasure to its environment. She picked up the small bundle from its sleeping cradle and held the hatchling against her chest vertically with a tender smile as she cooed softly to soothe their fussy cries. CJ's skin had now hardened into its protective shell of a grassy green color, fading away from its gentle pastel green that she'd carefully cleaned with a moist towel, while she had covered the sensitive joints with navy cloth to protect them. Amaya never received enough fulfillment from holding the small miniature form of Christopher in her arms and always smothered her child in kisses to let them know just how much she loved them. The hatchling represented her love for Christopher and it carried their bloodline. . .also, it was a beautiful green hatchling with large and innocent blue eyes she couldn't resist. CJ's tiny fingers clamped onto her purple blouse in reflex as the small tendrils curled sourly while its blue eyes narrowed at her. Uh-oh, that spelled a lot of things in baby language.
"Are you hungry? Need some lovin'?" she cooed sweetly to her fussy child and CJ let out a small growl of displeasure as its slim legs kicked out into the air. Her eyes traveled down to its cloth diaper and the hand holding CJ's bottom felt the diaper was indeed a little heavier and she pouted playfully to ask, "Does my baby need a diaper change?"
Its vibrant blue eyes bored into hers and its little mouth released a needy whimper that melted her instantly. She laid her child down gently onto the mattress and undid the metal safety pins holding the blue diaper in place. Oh yeah, her babe needed a change indeed. With a nod, she grabbed the nearby baby wipes from their plastic container (Christopher liked to store things inside the empty cases afterwards) and set to work as her youngster kicked its lean legs, its small hands reaching for its own feet in sudden curiosity. Amaya chuckled to her little one's perceptiveness and lowered the airborne legs with her hand, letting out an amused chuckle from her lips as she ordered gently, "Not today, darling. You'll dirty yourself even worse and papa and I sleep on those blankets."
With a peppy hum, she cleaned its little mess and wrapped up the dirty diaper to place it aside on the cement floor. She decided to let her child get fresh air on its small bum and kissed their green feet to make little CJ chirp happily. Christopher walked in to see her babbling humorously to their child as her fingers tickled the sensitive skin between the harder scales on its sides and he raised his own brow ridges to the motherly coddling. And here he thought that he was spoiling their child by sneaking CJ fruit treats. Before he could speak, he noticed a strange scent in the room and walked closer to kneel down next to them as his mate cooed to their child while their little one tried to once again grab its feet. He smelled Amaya who gave him an odd look for the close sniffing but she smelled the same as always: sweet with a little salt around her just like the granola bars he ate (of course, he'd never tell her that since humans were a bit self-conscious). His yellow eyes then turned to the last member in the room as the hatchling chirped cheerfully to both its parents.
"If it's about the diaper-" Amaya began since the smell wasn't fresh cut roses but he shook his head because the diaper was the least of his concern at the moment.
Sniffing the child from head to toe as its small hands tried to grab his antennae, Christopher chuckled softly to himself before smiling at Amaya and declaring proudly, "It's a male."
"It's a. . ." she trailed off in shock as the awaited moment finally happened and her lips widened into a beaming smile, leaning down to shower CJ's round cheeks with kisses. Her little one would be a male and knew he'd resemble Christopher beautifully as they grew to maturity. Amaya clasped her hands over her chest as she gazed at their baby, overcome by emotion at witnessing their milestone, and exclaimed happily, "Oh, you're gonna be a boy! The handsomest boy!"
The child trilled with merry chirps to his mother's doting, innocently oblivious to her rambles, and she cooed lovingly to his sounds, "Oh, my little Oliver."
"Oliver? I wanted John or Jake" Christopher protested to her decision on the child's name and tickled the underside of his son's chin as his blue eyes stared up at both parents.
"John? Too generic" she refused with a frown on her face as she stuck out her tongue as if the name soured her tongue and he snorted to her opinion. All right, so he wasn't the best name picker in the universe but his child deserved something nice. Amaya shook her head to his choice because it wasn't suited to their son and pointed out dryly, "And Jake? Jake Johnson? J.J? It's too normal! We're going with Oliver. It rhymes with Christopher and his skin is green too, you know."
"Then we'll call him Green or Leaf Johnson" he commented sarcastically since she was looking for that impossible 'perfect' name and she shot him a small glare for even thinking of it. Christopher wanted the issue to be resolved rather than continuing an argument and decided to relent because it didn't sound as bad as he first thought. The word 'oliver' had a nice ring to it and if their little one asked about the origins of his name, he would lead him straight to Amaya for answers since her culture was also his. Christopher glanced at their hatchling, who was happily kicking his legs for personal amusement, and chuckled softly to finally agree, "Fine, he'll be Oliver Johnson."
Amaya smiled triumphantly at having her choice be the winner and leaned in to kiss his cheek, whispering appreciatively against his skin, "Thank you, I love you."
Oliver raised his tiny hands to be picked up for similar affection since the bed brought him no entertainment and Christopher grabbed the nude hatchling with a tender smile. His antennae flicked against Oliver's as the little hatchling trilled happily and Christopher purred affectionately to his newly named child, "Little Oliver Johnson."
A wet substance hit him square in the chest a second later and he held the child at arm's length to groan in dismay, "Amaya, put a diaper on him next time."
A month later, Christopher would bring back his three-month old child with the degrading MNU stamp after registering his name in the database and attaining a demeaning license for his own offspring. He would soothe Oliver's upset wails from the ordeal until Amaya returned from her undercover shopping outside the district. It would take hours to calm him down from the fright he endured under MNU's cold hands and Amaya's fury would be the same as she held their frightened child in her arms once she arrived home.
Oliver's small hand reaching for her nose lightened her anger slightly as she paced around their home, rocking him in her arms, and she whispered grimly, "How could they do that to him? Christopher, what kind of monsters would hurt our baby like that? They could've traumatized him and he's so timid right now."
She held their hatchling closer and Oliver snuggled up to her with a content whimper for being close in the safe refuge of his mother. His small hands clung to her sweaty gray shirt tightly as he cuddled his face into the crook of her warm neck to huddle close. She stroked his ridged back gently to soothe Oliver's uneasiness and pressed her cheek against his, comforting her child with a soft tone, "We're here, baby. Life is going to be so hard for you and my heart clenches at seeing you mistreated by those MNU pigs but I know your father will keep you safe. Never stray far from your papa throughout life because he is your fortress. I'll have to leave you in two months but I'll be learning so I can wipe the floor with those bastards in a court setting."
Amaya glanced at Christopher with a somber face and admitted weakly with a shaky voice, "I don't want to give up mothering him but I have to do this for both of you. A day without him already breaks my heart and leaving you alone is the same. I wish we could have a normal life where we don't have to hide like this but we'll never have that choice on Earth."
Her fingertips touched Oliver's white stamp gingerly and he gave a soft whimper against her neck as his small fingers clasped her shirt even tighter. She gave his forehead a soft kiss as she tried to lull him to sleep where he wouldn't be plagued with fear and soothed gently with a whisper, "It's all right, Oliver. You're safe here with us and we'll die before anyone touches you like that again. I should put him to sleep in the bedroom, Christopher. He needs to forget about all that and wake up refreshed in the safety of our home."
"I need to work with James in the lab, will you be all right?" he asked softly since the day's events hadn't made him comfortable in the slightest and wrapped his arms around her for self-comfort from all the endured stress. She nodded quickly with an assuring smile to ease his worries since protecting their little one was the number one priority and his hand caressed her cheek fondly. His mate was one of a kind and watching her tend to their child warmed his heart as he purred fondly, "I love you and our son very dearly."
"We love you too, Kraaivyanwe" she whispered in his tongue and kissed his tendrils with a light peck as she smiled reassuringly, "We'll be just fine."
Christopher always felt uneasy at leaving his family alone because the unexpected should be expected in District 9 but Amaya assured she could handle herself if anything happened. With that said, he tapped his forehead against hers affectionately in farewell and departed from the two to go work on his arduous project. Amaya watched him leave with a small smile as the front door closed with a rusty creak and rocked their drowsy son to sleep to chase away the bad memories.
Two months later, a missing five-month old Oliver was being searched for by both his distressed father and James. The two had been enjoying a relaxing beer (smuggled in by Amaya) together and while talking about the latest news in the district, they lost sight of Oliver as he played inside. The hatchling was now able to roll onto his stomach and once his muscles had allowed him to crawl weeks ago, the little poleepkwa had been off to search for adventure.
Christopher moved his dining table and nightstand with a frantic shove as he scanned every inch of his small living room, hoping to find his son hiding somewhere. Anywhere. His antennae flicked wildly in the air and he hissed aloud with worry, "Amaya is going to murder me when she returns from Jane's. What kind of father loses his son?"
"A really bad one?" James offered nonchalantly to the rhetorical question and the other poleepkwa growled heatedly at him because he wasn't about to be a bad parent with his only child. Oliver depended heavily on him and being incompetent would have serious repercussions on his little one; also, his mate would lose trust in him. James raised his hands up to declare peace and defended his previous comment with, "What? You asked, I gave an opinion."
"Keep looking!" Christopher shouted angrily as panic began to claw at his heart and turned over several cardboard boxes, hoping his hatchling would be under one or fall out of one. The idea of having his son out of reach stabbed at his heart fearfully and painfully as every second passed by without progress. He'd searched his entire home within minutes and had found absolutely nothing, leaving the place ransacked with items strewn everywhere as he panted worriedly. How could such a tiny being like Oliver be capable of escaping a locked home?
Amaya sipped a cup of cold water with Jane as the two discussed little Oliver's energetic spirit in the hatcher's home. She could never thank the elderly poleepkwa enough for what she had done for both her and her family, and always brought her a gift to help her around the house as gratitude. Today, she'd brought her a few pots she could either cook in or use medically since the stores in the city had a nice sale that wouldn't rip her off like it would the poleepkwa. With Laura's passing, she missed having a motherly voice to seek advice from and Jane had a grandmotherly air about her that was both wise and no nonsense at the same time. At first, Jane had been mistrustful of the girl due to the social stigmas and expected her to run off sooner or later as reality sunk in that aliens weren't meant to be friends. However, seeing the human sit next to Oliver's egg after the delivery had shifted her perspective since the girl appeared nothing but loyal to Christopher and their egg. When Amaya popped in for a visit during her first day back to thank her with heartfelt words and a bag of clothing for hatchlings and food, Jane saw what Laura perceived when she allowed Amaya to remain in District 9 all those years ago.
"Since Oliver's hearing is sensitive, I don't know what to do when the gangs roll by and shoot off their guns" Amaya confessed to her as her fingers tapped against the plastic violet cup and closed her eyes at remembering those frightening nights when they barreled through the streets. She sighed softly since each occurrence left her child riddled with fear and admitted glumly, "He's frightened so easily and he cries for hours whether I rock him, soothe his back, wrap him warmly, I even tried singing but the coyotes howled with me. And when the gangs aren't rolling by, Oliver tends to crawl away from his bassinet- one time, he fell into a pile of blankets and woke us up. Good thing he didn't hit the floor or we would've been really worried."
A smile crossed her lips as she recounted her son's little adventures, "He even woke up Christopher as he crawled over his lap and headed for the door. Luckily, he always keeps it locked so Oliver ends up crawling between us to sleep."
"He's rambunctious already" Jane laughed amusingly to the endearing hatchling but her eyes widened when she saw the child pass by on all fours from outside, "Oliver!"
Amaya turned toward her line of sight at the open doorway and gasped in horror when she saw her son crawling by without a care in the open desert wearing only a diaper. She bolted from her chair with motherly concern and ran out to pick up her youngster as he chased the yellow butterflies of the wastes and Oliver hissed in protest to having his adventure end. His small hand reached outwards to the butterflies billowing away in the wind and a disappointed whimper emitted from his throat when he realized his parent wasn't letting him go after them. Amaya quickly checked him for any visible injuries as he whined softly and held him tightly against her chest to exhale fretfully, "Oh, Oliver, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with your father!"
The little poleepkwa simply gave a few nonsensical babbles and clicks before smiling up at his mother, slapping his little hands together with joy. His innocent blue eyes softened her fearful mood since he wasn't hurt or scared and she hugged him again protectively to calm herself. She would die if anything ever happened to him and kissed his cheek in light pecks befitting any worried mother as she hoped this was the only scare he would pull.
"Amaya, get inside before anyone sees you" Jane ordered sharply because a public token of affection could undo everything they'd been trying to hide and the woman listened instantly. So far, only James, Paul, and Jane knew about the child's human origins but MNU was constantly monitoring the area for anything out of the ordinary (sometimes even the ordinary set them off like attack hounds). Amaya didn't want anyone to catch a hint of Oliver's genetics because as a hybrid, MNU would tear him away from his family and use him as a guinea pig for their personal means while Christopher would be killed for breaking regulation and she would most likely be sent to jail. She could never let such a fate befall any of them, especially their innocent child, and always made sure no tracks were left that could pin the spotlight on both her and Oliver.
This is too much for a nineteen year old, she thought to herself and hugged Oliver as his hands reached outwards to grip anything within his reach. His fingers were soon entertained by ruffles on her blouse since necklaces weren't to his liking and he cooed at his mother so she could see what he found so interesting. Little Oliver remained oblivious to the dangers around him as fascination caught him and Amaya sighed fondly, But I wouldn't give it up for anything.
"I'll keep him here while you head back home and give Christopher a talking to" Jane suggested with her nonnegotiable grandmother tone and she nodded in agreement. Amaya didn't know what caused Christopher to lose track of their son but she'd find out. She handed Jane the half-naked hatchling and he trilled happily when she bounced him on her lap, allowing Amaya to leave quietly from the household. Oliver remained entertained for a few minutes but once he took notice that Amaya was gone from sight, Oliver let out a mournful wail for being alone without her but the older poleepkwa showed him a cat wand she used to keep the hatchlings entertained. His blue eyes lit up at seeing the strange yellow toy and his little green hands reached up to bat and grasp the bright feathers. She smiled at the eager child as his tendrils quivered with excitement and trilled amusingly, "You're going to be a handful once you start walking."
Amaya spotted two empty wicker chairs outside Christopher's home as she arrived and noticed the bottom of the closed front door had a hole the size of a cat. No wonder Oliver had sneaked out easily, he'd crawled out right through it! With gritted teeth, she opened the unwashed yellow door of the home and stepped inside to find both male poleepkwa sprawled down on all fours as they searched the home. Christopher dug relentlessly through boxes and pushed aside all objects while James examined the crannies in the home that were more suited for rats than a hatchling. Amaya cleared her throat loudly to catch their occupied attention and Christopher raised his head in high alert, smacking it hard underneath the eating table.
"Fuck!"
He crawled out from the table as he held his pounding head in pain and faked a welcoming smile to his mate as James stood up, slinking along the wooden walls to escape. He didn't know if Amaya truly had a temper but being a mother, she'd undoubtedly have a few colorful words to say when her own child was missing. Amaya gave the yellow poleepkwa a glare that practically told him she knew exactly what was going on and he excused himself hastily, "I, um, I have a shirt soaking so um. . ."
Without further words, he bolted from the Johnson household at top speed to preserve his safety and Christopher stood up with slumped shoulders since he would have to face the fact his child was somewhere in the district. The idea churned his stomach and stabbed his heart but he needed to be looking for Oliver rather than diverting his mate's attention. Oh, his female was indeed going to murder him when she figured it out and he wouldn't blame her for it. He'd lost his only child during friendly chatter and the guilt was incredibly overbearing as the fate of his child weighed on his shoulders alone. Her lips curled into an innocent smile as she tried to play coy on the subject and she asked nonchalantly, "Where is Oliver? I'd like to take him to Jane's, she loves seeing him."
"He's. . .um, sleeping?" he dodged with the quickest answer he could think of and cursed himself for beginning a web of lies that would only dig him deeper. He hated lying to her, it was a huge no-no in their relationship and wasn't about to ruin that (he'd already cut it close during their first mating). The two had always agreed honesty was the key to keeping a relationship strong but at the moment, Christopher was having a very hard time keeping his mouth shut. However, when she headed for the bedroom, he grabbed her by the shoulders to object quickly with a high pitch, "No, we should let him rest."
"I want to see my hatchling" she insisted with a firmer voice this time and crossed her arms to give the 'tell me now before you're in deep shit' look that he often saw human females give their male counterparts. Nobody said parenting was easy but losing their hatchling was the ultimate failure.
He fell to his knees as guilt ate at him and couldn't hold back the tormenting emotions, hanging his head with shame as he confessed everything, "Amaya, I was talking with James outside and I know I left Oliver napping in our bed. The front door was closed the entire time but when we returned inside, he was gone from the bedroom. I searched the house everywhere- everywhere, Amaya- you can see for yourself but we need to find Oliver. He could be anywhere out there, he could be scared, hurt, injured-"
"He's fine."
"Angry, wailing, distraught- what?" he exclaimed skeptically as his mind crashed to an abrupt halt and gripped her shoulders desperately to make sure he heard right. Oliver was everything to him, even their house was worthless in comparison to him. The poor poleepkwa was near hyperventilation at her calm but shocking words, clutching her shoulders tightly as he blurted aloud for clarification, "He's safe? Perfectly safe? Is that correct, Amaya?"
She caved in easily at seeing his disheveled expression and knew that if the same had happened on her watch, she wouldn't want the paralyzing fear to be prolonged. Her hands stroked his cheeks to soothe his fatherly worry and she smiled gently to inform slowly, "He's at Jane's, we spotted him as he was crawling after butterflies. Christopher, I told you to lock the metal door for extra safety, you know he's crafty!," her smile widened in amusement as she added in for afterthought, "He's actually pretty smart for a five-month old kid."
"I will be on guard, I'll even add double-bolt locks in case he learns to unlock them once he walks" Christopher promised with a hasty nod to her reminders on keeping constant vigilance and hoped their little one wouldn't figure out how to work a lock anytime soon. Amaya bit her bottom lip with worry because although this incident was resolved quietly, there could be more instances where Oliver met strangers in the open and that spelled danger for all of them. This first warning managed to shake her sense of safety and Christopher read it from her face clearly. His hold loosened on her shoulders and he brought her closer with a light pull, tapping his antennae against her forehead as he inquired softly, "What is it?"
"Please, promise me that you'll watch him closely and keep him away from MNU when I leave" she requested softly with a small sigh and grabbed his hands into hers to intertwine their fingers. Living in secret was agonizing when each second could be their last before being discovered and Amaya hated feeling that way for their child. She didn't care if MNU found her within the district because a fine could be paid off and she'd be back anyway but Oliver didn't have such a luxury if his true genetics were discovered. Her son was already branded as human property and like cattle, MNU wouldn't hesitate to extinguish life with the single pull of a trigger. Her blue-gray eyes bore into his as she gripped his sweatshirt, pleading quietly with a wavering voice, "I can't stress how much I need to have him safe and protected from my people. Never let him wander without you and hide him to the best of your abilities."
"Don't worry, I will keep him under my watchful eyes and if not, Jane will be here also" he vowed firmly because he certainly wouldn't let MNU place a finger on their child and embraced her tightly to comfort her. He didn't want his mate worrying more than he already was and wanted to instill the safety he would always provide them with by assuring with a soft trill and a warm smile, "Nothing will happen to our child while I'm here. Relax, my Amaya."
She nodded quietly as she sniffled against his dusty blue sweatshirt and remained in his embrace, clutching the back of his sweatshirt with her fingers to keep him close. Parting with both would be heartbreaking but Amaya knew he would have everything under control just like he always had. There was nothing Christopher couldn't accomplish when his mind was set on something. He was the only one she trusted with any matters at hand and their son was a number one priority.
Jane would drop off Oliver an hour later after the youngling tired from playing with the bundles of toys she stored at home and Amaya fixed a hearty dinner for all of them as dusk approached. Christopher kept Oliver in his sights and made certain this time by keeping him on his lap despite his loud whimpers for freedom, little fingers striking air as Oliver tried to appeal to his mother. Jane and Amaya would chat about rearing children until Jane left to go meet her only surviving daughter and tell stories to her beloved grandchildren. Amaya, of course, made sure Christopher walked Jane home since the streets could easily become dangerous for the elderly, no matter the short distance. Afterward, Christopher would give Oliver a small bath in a plastic yellow bathtub (which Amaya had brought to give the washing bowl a rest) while the hatchling thrashed wildly against his father's hold. Amaya would then give Oliver a little bite from a mango to calm his anxiousness which he happily nibbled on while his father finally managed to give a thorough cleaning of his skin. Their hatchling abhorred water and bath time was a hassle for both when they had to wrestle on keeping Oliver calm and finishing the bath unless he managed to splash soap in someone's eye.
The two would then collapse into their bedroom tiredly as a small pillar candle flickered on top of a wooden crate for light and Oliver pointed to the flame with a curious glint in his eyes as he laid between his parents. His antennae flickered towards the flame that supplied their cozy room with its only light source and enjoyed the spicy cinnamon scent it gave off. Amaya stroked his thin abdominal arms, his pajama strategically sporting two holes that she created to fit them, as she kissed his green cheek in pecks and he chirped happily to his mother for the attention. Christopher simply lay on his back to relax since tomorrow would be a work day and was content watching their interaction fondly as Oliver let out a high pitched trill at Amaya's funny faces.
"You're revving him up and he'll never fall asleep" he chuckled good-humoredly to her humoring and stroked his son's head with an affectionate smile. The hatchling turned to him in alarm to the unexpected sensation but his blue eyes glittered at seeing his father instead, his round face relaxing as he trilled to his mother that his beloved father had now joined them. Amaya chuckled to his 'new' discovery but Christopher knew their son wouldn't fall asleep easily if he believed it was playtime and ordered gently, "Put him to bed, Amaya."
She pouted at having her mother-son time come to an end and grabbed Oliver into her arms as she sat up, cooing softly as he gripped her sleeping blouse in reflex. His small body molded against hers as he warbled softly with innocent eyes and she rocked him to sleep against her shoulder as a smile graced her face. Oh, how she loved the feel of his light body in her arms as he trilled noises that neither her or Christopher comprehended. Her hand caressed Oliver's back soothingly as he whimpered in protest to sleepy time but his eyelids dropped over his vibrant orbs of blue until they closed shut. She kept rocking him gently to lull him into deep sleep and hoped the gangs wouldn't drive by again for both their safeties and Oliver's nerves. Christopher rolled to the side to quietly grab a hold of the bassinet and brought it over to his mate so she could deposit their little one inside, parting the blankets with his hands. With a motherly smile, Amaya placed Oliver on the soft bedding gently and covered him with the warm cotton blankets all the way to his chest to keep him cozy during the night. She grabbed another nearby blanket that lay on the bed and placed it over the hood to cover him completely from view.
"He's so precious" she whispered faintly to Christopher with a tender smile. Her mate returned the sentiment with a smile of his own and fixed their own blankets as they prepared to sleep for the night.
The two returned to their bed and Christopher blew out the candlelight as Amaya settled inside his bed. The springs dug into her back due to its old age and lumpy condition but Christopher hadn't been able to find another of better quality in the dumps. Too bad she couldn't bring him one all the way from outside. Still, she was happy to be in his home, in his arms, and share the past blissful (although dangerous) months with him. She'd become accustomed to being his mate and sleeping in the same bed this time (no more separate sleeping bags like back then) where she knew he'd wake up next to her to greet a new day. Her arms wrapped around his sides to cuddle up against her beloved, her fingertips grazing the warm fleece sweater she brought him to sleep in. He trilled softly as his heart elated to her show of affection in the dark and held her close, wishing she didn't have to leave him tomorrow morning. It was an agonizing yearning that remained with him since youth but knew it would never come true; no matter how devoted they were to each other, society would always keep them apart. Amaya sensed that mournful longing as he clutched her tightly to his chest and she whispered with a solemn tone, "These past months have been a wonderful dream and I hate leaving you again, Christopher."
"I will see you again and Oliver will be here waiting" he soothed optimistically to keep both their spirits hopeful and his hand caressed her back the same way she'd done to their son. Their upcoming separation would have each feeling isolated and alone from the other as Christopher would be without his mate and Amaya without their adored child. She didn't want to give up her family again and hated knowing that each semester would bring a repeat of it until she completed her degree. Her head snuggled against the soft crook of his neck and he reassured her unvoiced concerns, "You're the third piece of our family and that will never change."
Amaya smiled to his heartfelt words and leaned over in the dark to search for his neck to gently nibble on it. She wasn't sure where she'd actually land but when her tongue tasted the different rigidity between the soft flesh of his throat and the harder carapace of his chest, she decided to stick to that area before she received a mouthful of sweater. The humorous image lightened her mood somewhat and she sighed against his neck to admit quietly, "I'm going to miss you so much."
Christopher let out a small purr of raw delight as he leaned closer to her touch after rarely feeling caresses on his bare skin during their recent months together. A nuzzle and a kiss was one thing but anything below the chin was sexual entanglement for both. Before he could nip at her neck in return to initiate a mating, logic took hold of him and he pushed himself back from both the idea and his mate. The last time they'd mated, they managed to conceive their hatchling and he never wanted to repeat the trauma his mate endured during delivery again. Celibacy would be a rough pledge to adhere to but for the life of his mate, he would gladly vow to it. He laid on his back to stare at the metal sheets of his ceiling that gleamed against the moonlight filtering through the cracks of his shabby house and it silently reminded him that his abode would not end up being her grave as well after that close call. Her fingers sought his body once again to huddle against him for warmth and he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her by his side, grimly reminding her with a soft hiss, "Amaya, mating got us in this position in the first place. I won't risk your life like that again, Oliver and I cannot lose you."
"I've been taking oral contraceptives" she admitted faintly to the recent medication she'd been prescribed and settled on squeezing his hand for the time being. Touch was a powerful sense but mating invoked all five senses as it brought both individuals to euphoria and Amaya felt complete with him when expressing her love physically. He was her mate and she wanted to fulfill that wonderful part in her role after finally coaxing a true relationship from him (her Oliver definitely helped her chances). Christopher, on the other hand, remained perplexed to her news because he had absolutely no idea on what humans used to prevent pregnancy since his species had no need of it back on the homeworld since they bore many offspring but nowadays, MNU pressed genetically modified substances to all poleepkwa to prevent population increases. Amaya decided to explain the matter since he stayed silent and informed him, "Since the miscarriage, my menstrual periods have been more painful than usual and I received a prescription for them. They help to regulate the workings of my body's reproductive system, along with preventing pregnancy, and Jane said we had to use them anyway so. . ."
"What if it backfires?"
"Morning after pill? It's by prescription and destroys any possible pregnancy" she replied confidently to his skeptical question since he wasn't thoroughly convinced as she was and her hand caressed his cheek in the dark. The moonlight illuminated his outline as he lay in bed with her and she smiled at seeing his body move with each breath he took. Amaya considered herself lucky for finding her other half in life and promised to stay alive for as long as she could to be by his side and love their son. Time was short for a human like her in comparison to their longer lifespan and tragedy could strike easily in the district so she'd never take a minute for granted. Christopher shifted in his space beside her, squeezing her hand every few seconds, and she spoke up gently, "I'm happy with our little Oliver only, I'd never ask for anything more. I don't want to risk another miscarriage, scare you, and piss off Jane ever again."
Amaya sat upright to gaze down at him through the darkness, caressing his covered chest with her hands as she tried to coax him into mating. A small giggle threatened to escape her lips and wake their child when his antennae accidentally poked her face in various areas. Christopher muted his own laugh as he observed her obscured silhouette in the filtering moonlight but knew that his Amaya was beautiful in the night as she was during the day. As long as he could touch her, he was a happy man. He suppressed a shiver when one of her fingers snuck under his sweater to warm his cooler flesh and Amaya closed the distance between them to whisper, "Will you be with me, Kraaivyanwe?"
"I never should've told you my name as a youngling" he lied, faking a woeful sigh because having his name whispered so tenderly by his loved one was an instant aphrodisiac for him. Nonetheless, he abided to her wish for the night.
In the early morning, Amaya fed Oliver applesauce from a small bowl as he chirped happily to the sweet yellow sauce slathering his tendrils. He loved fruit more than any other food staple but she knew Christopher would be lucky to buy any fresh fruit with the price hikes. The butchers and food sellers hiked up the prices without notification, confusing and irritating the poor poleepkwa who barely scraped enough money, and she hated knowing there would be days when Christopher wouldn't be able to eat in order to sustain their son. They cherished their little hatchling but to bring him into such a desolate life caused both Amaya and Christopher guilt for not waiting longer to have him in safer living conditions but then again, neither knew pregnancies were possible between their species.
"I wish we could give you a better life" she whispered sadly as her child ate another bite, his bright blue eyes watching her with intrigue as she fed him from a plastic spoon. His small tendrils tried to wrap around the object but it was to no avail with his weak strength and he warbled softly in defeat. Amaya managed a weak chuckle through her melancholy as silence filled their home, her gaze shifting to the dusty and scratched windows that wordlessly screamed extreme poverty and she murmured sullenly, "I wish I could stay here with you, sweetheart, but I can't. Your father's worked so hard since his mother died and he's treated like crap when he deserves so much more. And you, you deserve the world but we can't give that to you. All we can do is hope your stomach will be filled every day and you'll be warm enough to ward away illness. . .it shouldn't be that way. You should be able to play with new toys and visit the city in my arms as your father stuffs you full of good food while chasing away pigeons. No child, regardless of the species, should live like this."
She wiped away a cascading tear with her free hand as she breathed raggedly, "One day, your papa will take you to his world and you'll run free like the wind without a care. He's going to free his people from this place and return to the safety of the stars, never to return to this discriminating planet. But for now, you're going to have to be a strong boy for me while your father works so take it easy on your little crawls. I know you love them but your papa worries about you every time you're on a roll."
Oliver waved his small hands in the air as his tendrils wiped the spoon clean and his little mandibles clacked rapidly as he savored the sweet taste of the applesauce on his tongue. He swallowed his bite and gave a loud laugh of joy causing her to smile widely at his never-ending excitement. His bright blue eyes connected with hers as he chirped contently, uttering baby babble she'd no idea on, and she placed a firm kiss on his forehead as she laughed along with him. Oh, she would miss her child terribly once she returned back to school but his lively spirit would certainly keep Christopher's heart warm against loneliness in the district. Her own heart wanted to remain there to raise him every day, to see him grow like any mother would, but her mind knew that the poleepkwa needed someone to uphold their rights against MNU. How could she protect her own child if she remained there instead of taking the advantages presented to her as a human and fight back against the oppression? In the end, sacrifices would have to be made that would benefit the entire race of poleepkwa and Amaya hoped her child wouldn't resent her for it.
"Don't grown an inch while I'm gone" she whispered softly and held him close to snuggle his small body against hers with a doting smile. Oliver was oblivious to her motherly words of affection and instead, reached for the bowl of applesauce curiously with his own little fingers to see if he could indeed hold it. Amaya, however, was already one step ahead of her son and grabbed his tiny hands into hers to kiss them in light pecks before they caused a mess all over the table. He whimpered at having his plan foiled by his parent but she gave him another spoonful of applesauce to appease his sullen warbles that melted her heart. Her cheek pressed to his as he swallowed his bite with content clicks and she chuckled pleasantly with adoration, "Oh, how your mama loves you."
She pulled him up by the arms to have him face-to-face, smiling as his little legs reflexively tried to stand but she was there to make sure he didn't actually try it, and displayed a few funny faces that never failed to make him laugh in delight. His blue eyes glittered in the dim house since light never filtered correctly through the stained windows and Amaya cooed to her little one, "Do you love your mama, Oliver? Yes, you do. Yes, you-"
Oliver simply raised his hand and splattered applesauce all over his mother's cheek with a cheerful squeal, proud of his success at getting his hand inside the bowl without her noticing. Amaya sighed with a small amused smile because she couldn't help but love her little rapscallion as he sat in her lap, innocently eyeing her as if he'd never thrown the food and waving his lean arms for self entertainment. Christopher walked in through the bedroom door as he prepared for work, wearing newly washed black shorts and a worn gray t-shirt, and saw the mess his son had created all over the table. His mate always held their son delicately like glass but he warned her multiple times that their hatchling demanded freedom and would wriggle until accomplishing that goal (which is why he kept him secure during every mealtime). He looked to Amaya with an expression of dismay as she tried to feign the same innocent look their son displayed and shook his head to carefully remind, "Don't teach him to waste food."
"I'm not, he's just a very lively child" she argued with a proud grin to her son's giddiness and handed the babbling hatchling to his father in order to clean up the mess. Oliver trilled fondly as his father tucked him close to his chest, enjoying the cozy warmth, while Amaya wiped the fruit off her face with a dishrag cloth. Her gaze lingered on the two as she realized her time was up and found it incredibly hard to leave her family, bolting up from the chair to embrace both tightly. She wanted to remember them as they were at that very moment, happy and safe, and squeezed them close as if letting them go would make them disappear from her life forever. Her heart was shattering into pieces as she stared into her mate's golden eyes, hearing their blissfully unaware son click his mandibles, and Amaya sighed somberly with a shaky voice, "I. . .I have to go before the MNU buses get here and the gang territories are flooding with criminals. Take great care of yourselves and know that you'll be in mind every single second. Always, my darling."
"Please be careful, Amaya, stay safe" Christopher whispered sadly as their joyful days came to a painful end once again but it felt devastating this time because they were no longer dear friends but loyal mates. She was his other half now and the mother of his child; there were no words to describe his devotion nor the agony at having to let her go. It was a painful reminder to how segregated their societies were and he pressed his forehead to hers, tapping it once before brushing his cheek against hers as he closed his eyes. Amaya, as always, took it a step further to show her affection and kissed his tendrils as they curled with somber delight to her feathery caress. His antennae tasted her faint soapy scent to stow it away to memory and he purred softly against her cheek, "Make it home safely. I love you, my dear one, and I will always be here waiting for you."
"I love you both, more than anything" she whimpered as her throat tightened to constrict her heartfelt words and brushed away the cascading tears with the back of her hand, smiling weakly when his own fingers tentatively brushed a few stray tears. Amaya grabbed their son into her arms one more time to remember every tiny detail about her little Oliver. His small form made her eyes blur completely as he clacked his mandibles curiously to her tight embrace, sweetly oblivious to his mother's upcoming departure, and Amaya prayed he'd stay safe and well-fed along with his father. Leaving them felt horrible in itself. . .but leaving them in such awful deplorable conditions hurled daggers into her heart as she stared at both with blurry eyes. Oliver clung to her shirt with a happy chirp, thinking it was time for another nap session with her but she removed his tiny fingers carefully. Her tear stained lips kissed his small fingertips with regret before delivering another to his left cheek and she whispered lovingly, "I'll see you soon, baby. Mama loves you eternally. Stay as sweet as you are, my precious."
With a light affectionate squeeze to Christopher's cheek, she returned their child to him with careful hands as Oliver warbled sadly at having nap time averted. Amaya smiled to his glittering blue orbs that eyed her for a hopeful naptime (oh, how she wished she could oblige her sweet child) and with great reluctance, grabbed her boyish wig off the table to fix it over her tied hair. Looking back would be too painful for her and she slipped past the door quietly, disappearing like air between the creaks of the door's rusty hinges as Christopher lowered his head with painful loneliness at being without her once again. A rackety clank of the old cart she brought with her was the only sound Christopher heard as she departed from the district and from their tiny home. Inside, his heart was bleeding for its other half but he remained composed for his son, he would be strong for his little one as they regained their old routine. . .but it would hurt. Oliver glanced at the doorway, expecting his mother to return at any second with a beaming face just for him but when his father began to walk away, he cried.
No!
He wanted his parent back immediately and yearned that she come back for him just like she did whenever he needed her. Oliver clawed at Christopher's chest as a last desperate attempt as he tried to peek at the door and he let out mournful call for his parent to return. . .for their tender warmth to envelop him with comfort. . .but she never did. His crestfallen blue eyes peered up at his father expectantly for an answer, for a reason to make him believe she'd return to them, and tapped his antennae against his remaining parent's chest. Christopher's heart squeezed painfully to seeing the effect of Amaya's leave on their son and stroked his hatchling's back to soothe his tearful eyes, purring gently to comfort both their woes, "She'll be back soon. Go to sleep, my little one."
Their first separation had been excruciating but none would come harder when Amaya would have to give up her only child to protect him.
Oliver awoke with a quick jolt as his hands sought his pillow automatically with subconscious impulse from the last fragments of his dreamtime. The dream faded away quicker than he could grasp the tendrils of long forgotten memories but he knew he'd been safe and happy within it. There was an affectionate ambience that reminded him of his father's love but this one had been different, perfectly similar but. . .different. All he could remember were locks of black human hair and fabrics of shirts that tucked him close as if he were a precious piece of glass that warranted protection.
The fact that he couldn't remember and yearned to do so brought moisture to his eyes. He wanted to feel that secure comfort and wiped his eyes as he warbled softly to dissipate the feeling of sadness tightening his throat. Oliver didn't like being sad, it hurt and always strived to be cheerful around everyone so they wouldn't hurt as well. His bright eyes spotted his father on the other side and he crawled closer to his body to curl up neatly against him. He might not remember who that person was but he definitely knew his beloved father and smiled at having him close by.
Christopher automatically wrapped an arm around his small form, years of custom rendering his arms on autopilot whenever his child needed skin contact to feel safe. Oliver felt that empty sullen emotion washing away as love radiated his little form into comfortable sleep once more.
Maybe, one day, I'll know. . .
A/N: A long overdue chapter, I know, but I've been sidetracked with other fics, nursing school prerequisites (enough said with that), and health issues. Of course, this chapter had to be extra long to make up for the gap in updating and man, these Oliver centric chapters (there's another one, readers) are long. . .but I love Oliver anyway so it doesn't matter. They also make me sad because I couldn't handle leaving little Oliver, he's such a cute ragamuffin. He may look like Christopher but he has Amaya's sensibilities on making people happy. I edited the chapter continuously so I hope I blasted away every grammatical error but nobody's perfect.
Thank you to my last chapter reviewers (I truly appreciate your feedback immensely with the deepest of gratitude for sticking with my story):
Kaeshe: Thanks for loving my D9 fic and yes, Oliver is the sweetest!
Shippolove844: Yes, we all want Amaya and Christopher to be happy together and I hate keeping the two apart but it makes it tear jerking with the theme D9 portrays. They'll have a happy ending somehow. Christopher came out being a shy romantic type and I'm glad you like it.
Isabella Raventhorn: I'm sorry to leave you hanging like that, I didn't meant to but life piles up on you until you're sunk underneath. You've always been a loyal reader and reviewer so I apologize but if you want any questions answered, you can pm me!
Stardust-satellite: Sorry for the late update, I hate leaving readers hanging with no updates but it's been hard recently to update all my fics (I hate being chronically ill) but I'm not giving up on this story. This one has so much emotions tied in and plots so it's trickier to put together in comparison to my other fics. I tried to make this chapter perfect with the Oliver centric pieces to show his early life with a true family in comparison to the present where Amaya is no longer there.
I love athrun: Thanks for loving the story!
Blueberry the Doom Chicken: Christopher's been a bright bulb in the sea of his species in the D9 film so I had to give him a good background where he rises above the oppression. As to how he handles Amaya's marriage, well, we'll see how the big day plays out in the next chapter.
TheDesertMan: Thank you for the review, I appreciated your words because yes, humankind has been doing the same thing for centuries (and still does in certain parts of the globe). Humankind will get what's coming to them in the end of the story because such treatment won't be forgotten by an entire species. It's almost strange to see it have a Disney ending, although the film gave it a good one with Christopher leaving but then again, you have Wikus who has to wait for years. Thanks for your words of encouragement, I'm hanging on with whatever health problems plague me and I'm not giving up on my stories.
TheBabblingBrooke: Thanks so much for your review, I strive to make Amaya a realistic and down to earth character that we could all relate to. Plus, she complements Christopher perfectly as the story flows along which I'm certainly glad for. The district isn't perfect by a long shot, like you said, and they won't give up until the poleepkwa are free. Obviously, that goal passed onto Oliver, whom I definitely want to develop as a character that could help his people recolonize the homeworld as he grows up watching his parents (he'll know Amaya's his mother one day because he's her precious and there's no way she'd let him keep believing she's a 'friend').
Once again, thank you for reading my story and have a great day/night from wherever each of my readers live around this planet we call Earth.