Disclaimer: don't own predator, you know the rest.

Special mentions

Why are you bothering to read this? I talked to all you people in the last chapter.

Onward minions.


"How's your ass, today Duh?"

Nova asked conversationally, as she flipped through a book full of medical diagrams that she had liberated from the Medic's office.

They were both sitting up on inclined medical tables, similar to that of a dentists chair, only metal, which Nova found surprisingly comfortable. She could even sleep peacefully on the strange table.

"Thwei'duh, my name is Thwei'duh. Why do you insist on shortening it? And my rear is itchy. The stitches come out today, thank Paya"

She had also found her ex-arch enemy's company surprisingly enjoyable for the past couple of days that Nova had been pretending to be sick. The female obviously had a change of heart where Nova was concerned, and she had yet to hear the other woman even refer to her as a human since saving her life.

Every time the Medic came in to check on them Nova would put on a show of being in pain, passed out, or in a similar condition, so she wouldn't have to leave the room. Thwei'duh knew that she was faking it, Nova knew that, but the female never said anything about it. Thwei'duh never really said much about anything really, which was one of the reasons why she enjoyed her company. It gave her plenty of time to think about everything that had been happening in her life lately.

Both of them had developed a routine of companionable silence over the past couple of days in which Thwei'duh healed, and Nova...procrastinated. The only noise that broke up the silence, being the 'shink' of metal as the female sharpened or polished her small arsenal of weaponry that she had ordered be brought to the room.

Thwei'duh sat now surrounded by various weapons, as she polished what Nova assumed was a throwing star.

"Paya? I've heard that name a lot, is Paya some sort of God?," Nova asked, ignoring the others question, while she studied a diagram of the inside of a Yautja hair follicle. Well, she was pretty sure it was a hair.

"Paya is the mother Goddess, highest of all the other Gods,"Thwei'duh answered, "I am surprised you do not know this, you wielded her sacrificial blades against me."

Nova looked up from the diagram, thinking briefly, "Oh, you mean those swords," Thwei'duh nodded, "and she's female? Your highest God is female?"

The Yautja looked confused at the question, "Of course Paya's female, the more powerful sex. Only females can give life. All females should be revered for this."

'Wow'

Was all Nova could think, as Thwei'duh spoke matter-of-factly. She already knew that women wore the pants in this society, now she knew they also owned the holy grail. How refreshing for women to have divine right in society. Big breasted, weapon wielding, baby making, take no shit, women. Actually, it was easier to understand when you added all those facts together.

"How many ki-uh-sucklings do you have?," Nova asked, knowing that she would have some based on what she already knew.

Thwei'duh dropped her polished throwing star, to pick out another, "I have given birth twice in my lifetime, and refuse to raise another suckling."

Well, that didn't make much sense.

"Why? I thought that you guys loved having scores of kids."

"Not when you have to give up hunting to raise them. I have continued my legacy in a female and a male offspring. I see no reason to add to it. They are both full grown now, and I can do as I please. A suckling would only hinder me...again."

Nova nodded, understanding completely. Thwei'duh was a business woman, not a stay at home mum....

Wait.

"If you don't want any more kids, then why were you going to sleep with Ti'kon if you won the fight?"

For the first time since Nova had known her Thwei'duh actually looked sheepish.

"Ah,...there is no danger of conceiving if you are not in heat. I know this is a strange concept, and that sex out of heat is...hard to fathom-"

'You have no idea'

"But, mating with Ti'kon was not the reason why I challenged you. I thought you were too weak to be a part of the clan and I wanted you gone. The mating would have just been a...."

"Bonus?," Nova offered.

"Yes, I was not actually interested in your Mate."

Even though she had already forgiven Thwei'duh for the things she had said, hearing her say she wasn't interested in the Big guy was an enormous relief. The woman's breasts were huge, Nova didn't want to compete with that, she just didn't have the equipment.

"You know, Kin'varn offered to be a replacement for Ti'kon if you won."

Thwei'duh shrugged her shoulders, "A male is a male. If he can survive the beating I give him then he deserves to mate with me."

"You beat your partners?!"

"How else am I supposed to know that if any suckling is sired they will be strong?"

"I can see why you only have two kids now, how many males have passed your Duh test?"

"Two males," she dropped another throwing star to pick out a dagger, "When I knew they were strong enough, I did not let them leave until I had conceived, and it's Thwei'duh."

'How wonderful, she turned them into giant alien sex slaves'

Nova now understood what Ti'kon had hinted at before the match. And Kin'varn thought he could 'tame' her. Looking at the other woman's arsenal the very idea was laughable. Kin'varn had some balls.

Either that or he was insane.

Nova froze, as she head someone approach their room. She quickly dropped her book, and sprawled out on the table, pretending to be asleep. Thwei'duh acted like nothing unusual had happened and continued to polish her weapons.

"How is she today?"

Nova would know that deep, bassy, concerned voice anywhere.

It was Ti'kon on his daily visit, in which she was always miraculously asleep. Nova knew what she was doing was childish, but she just wasn't ready to talk to him yet. As much as she loved the Big guy, her soul searching had to be done alone. And if she was honest with herself, she also wasn't ready to hear what he had to say about her conception. She had hated being a science experiment when they had taken her, but to know that she had always been a science experiment, was too much.

"Alive," Thwei'duh grunted her usual reply to his question.

It amused Nova to no end that Thwei'duh was so short with everyone, everyone that wasn't her. On several occasions the female would blatantly ignore what the Medic had to say about her condition and healing process, to turn to Nova and ask her if she wanted to look at one of her weapons. Nova always eagerly said 'yes' and then ended up holding a dangerous, and most times, pointy object, while Thwei'duh proceeded to explain to her how it worked. The Medic would then huff, before walking away, and leave them alone for Thwei'duh's version of 'girl talk'. Nova almost felt privileged with the way the female Yautja treated her.

'I should save lives more often'

She could hear Ti'kon coming closer to her table.

"I see her ear is healing well."

Nova felt the soft touch of one of his talons to the newly mended flesh.

"Has she been eating? I know she is always hungry."

'He knows me so well'

"Yes," Thwei'duh grunted.

"Has the Medic said anything about her condition?"

"That she needs rest."

Ti'kon started to play with her hair, smoothing out the different lengths of black. Nova knew that her hair must look a sight after Thwei'duh severed a huge chunk off in the arena, but apparently Ti'kon didn't mind.

'He must like the feel of it'

"She should be resting in our quarters," Ti'kon sighed.

It took everything for Nova not to react to his mournful tone, and the use of the word 'our'.

"Yes," Thwei'duh spoke harshly, "but she chose to recover here, where no males could bother her."

She could feel Ti'kon's hand tighten in her hair.

Did Thwei'duh always have to pick a fight?

"Has she said...anything about what she...overheard?"

She could tell how hard it was for Ti'kon to say those words, his voice strained.

"No," Thwei'duh snapped, "not that it would be my place to say anything if she did."

Ti'kon's hand left her head.

"Well, when she wakes up tell her...I'll be there for her when she needs me, and give her this."

Nova heard something rustle as whatever it was exchanged hands.

"Sure, whatever, Male," Thwei'duh grunted.

Nova waited until Ti'kon had left, and she could no longer hear his footfalls to open her eyes and sit up. As soon as she did, fabric was thrown in her face.

"Your Mate brought you clothes," Thwei'duh declared unnecessarily, as Nova unfolded the bundle.

It was some sort of animal hide that she held. A soft leather tanned dark brown. As she examined it Nova noted that it was a dress, rather then the normal skirt she saw Yautja women wearing. Granted it was still a very short dress. It would probably come up to her mid thigh, or higher. She would have to improvise with bandages to make some sort of underwear, otherwise she'd end up flashing aliens.

"Your Male must have had that custom made. I've never seen a female that wants to cover her glands like you do," Thwei'duh huffed, "Now you can get rid of the useless bandage you wear. Turn it around see what he has put on the back"

"Hey, not all of us are blessed with firm, perky...glands. If I stop wearing this bandage my breasts will be touching my knees by the time I'm thirty," Nova snapped as she flipped the dress around, only to pause.

Spread across the back in a lighter brown, was a creature she had only ever seen once before in her life. With no eyes, freaky elongated head, and long pointed tail. The animal was shown curled up in a ball, the tip of it's tail clenched in it's mouth between sharp teeth. Nova also knew from experience that it had a inner mouth as well. Thankfully it wasn't depicted on the dress.

That appendage creeped her out a little.

"Uh, why did he have to put one of those ugly, monster bastards on it," Nova grumbled to herself.

Thwei'duh looked shocked, dropping the dagger that she was polishing onto her lap.

"You have seen one?"

"Yeah, and it was a freaky, mean bastard. Kept trying to get at me. Good thing they got rid of the...thing. It's blood burnt huge holes in the floor when they finally killed it. Making a messed up screeching noise as it went...drooled everywhere too"

"That is a Kainde amedha," Thwei'duh said pointing at the monster, "A Hard Meat, one of the most challenging prey to hunt. By putting it's image on your clothing, your male is declaring you as a warrior, worthy of being his Mate, and my Hunt sister."

Thwei'duh paused in her explanation, looking more serious to Nova then she ever had before.

'Well, I guess,...this dress really means a lot...then'

"I haven't said anything to you about this before. But that Male...he worships the ground you walk on. Why are you running from him?"

"I'm not running," Nova snapped, defending herself, "I've just had a lot of shit to think about, and I'd rather do it by myself, he would have just...complicated things."

Thwei'duh nodded, like she understood, when Nova hardly understood herself.

"And you have had three days to think," the Yautja declared, "That's more then enough time to come to a conclusion. Why are you still here?"

"Well excuse me," Nova hissed, dropping the dress onto the metal bed, "learning that your entire childhood was all just an elaborate scheme is so fucking easy to get over. Knowing that all the carefree shit was all just a lie. I even got a puppy for Christmas one year. A fucking puppy from my parents, and apparently it was all just for looks, because they knew the asstard scientists were just gonna take me back anyway, so why the hell would they fucking bother in the first place? And my little brother, well I guess he wasn't my brother after all, and all those noogies, and full nelsons I gave him!...."

Nova had to stop, tears were pouring down her face, and she was yelling at Thwei'duh. Before she could continue, a fist slammed into her face, a Yautja fist. Knocking her back on to the bed, and rattling her teeth. Nova grabbed her nose as blood started to pour out.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"Do you feel better now?," Thwei'duh asked calmly.

"What?!"

"Do you feel better?"

Nova paused in her anger, realising that the Yautja wasn't going to hit her again, and tried to wipe the blood and tears from her face. The pain helping her focus, as her tears dried up.

"I guess, I...really do," Nova said, surprised at herself.

"Good," Thwei'duh nodded, "because all that c'jit you just said....is in the past. And if I were you, I wouldn't be sitting next to my amazing self, moping and pretending to be injured,.... there is no honor in that," Nova flinched, knowing the female was right, "You have two males out there, that their only wish is to see you happy-"

Nova hung her head in shame, making more blood pour from her nose.

"Now, your going to put this dress on," Thwei'duh picked the dress up, throwing it in her face again, "and then you're going to be the female I know you are, and go face your neglected male,... and ride his worthless hide until he can only scream your name. Now get the pauk out of my room!"

Nova could only sit there gaping at the Yautja. No one had ever ordered her to have sex before.

Just then the Medic stepped into the room, pausing as he saw the two females that appeared to be at each others throats. Nova bloodied, and Thwei'duh still holding her dagger.

"Paya, what have you done to the Ooman!," he shouted, rushing forward to tend to her nose.

That night Nova marched into the dinning room like she owned the place. In her new dress and sporting a puffy nose, she ignored all the looks she received, and walked straight up to Ti'kon at the head of the table.

"I'm hungry,"she declared, parking herself in his lap, and pulling his plate of food forward, "What are we eating?"

She looked up at her startled Mate to see his mandibles spread in a huge grin. He didn't answer her as he started to purr, weaving his tusks into her hair. Nova smiled herself, leaning into his chest. Enjoying the hell out of their unconventional reunion.

"Hey Dad!," she screamed down the table, ignoring the strange looks she got.

Shocked. The heavily scarred male sitting at the very end of the table, looked confused up at her.

"Yes, you Dad. Come up here and sit with your daughter. You too Little Knife. Get your asses up here!"

Nova ignored the whispers her bold declaration had caused, and focused on the two beaming figures ascending the table towards her.

"And the clan was never the same again."

She heard Kin'varn mumble to himself next to her. Nova only smiled wider, winking at her new brother-in-law, more than amused at his statement. She could hear Ti'kon chuckling through his purr as well, his chest rumbling.

The past was the past, this was her future...and her family.

She hoped that Duh's ass healed quickly, so that she could thank the female while she was standing.

It sounds like an ending to the whole story, but it's not. I haven't finished this show yet. So you can all stayed tuned.