CH51

"Rick where are we going?" Kate wanted to know.

"If a Saber-Tooth Tiger thinks there is something to hunt around here then it must be something for us. I want to save the shuttle fuel for as long as possible. It's already fall. The leaves on the trees are falling so it's going to get cold soon.

When that happens animals will likely start to migrate to other areas, either to breed or eat. That means if we want to hunt we have to go to them." Rick tells her.

"And that means we have to fly." Kate gets it. "Then let's hunt babe since this might be my last one for a while." Kate tells him being four months pregnant.

It took them four hours but Kate shot a deer and they were hauling it back to the lodge.

When they got back they found a lot of people were at the river taking logs out of it and taking them over to their make shift lumber mill. These logs were being cut into still more boards to build something with later, and others were getting chopped for fire wood.

They all knew a better heating system would come from Tellus when the Sun Rises returned, but for now, they had to heat and cook the old fashioned way.

Rick and Kate saw Alexis out in her garden along with a couple of volunteers. It looked like they were pulling weeds. Alexis spotted them caring in their latest kill when she ran for them.

"Guess what we found out that way?" And Alexis points out further into the valley. "Grape vines." Alexis was excited. "They are kind of droopy since they don't have a proper fence to spread out on like back home, but with a little work, we could have a valley filled with grapes." Alexis was still excited.

"You mean grapes like in wine making grapes?" Alexis had Ricks interest.

"Yup, we just need to build them a fence to grow on and barrels to put it in. And I'm betting I know where we can get the wood for the type of barrels we need." If it was like back on Earth.

"Oak trees." Rick remembers. "You know what kind of grapes are out there?" What kind of wine were they able to make?

"Sorry dad, wine making is something I don't know much about." Alexis knew a lot about plants, just now how to use grapes.

"That's ok pumpkin, we'll figure it out. We just need the equipment, sugar and yeast. And make sure everything is sterilized each time we make a batch." Rick is sure the problem can be solved.

Rick went to work butchering what they had brought back. Without traps to set, real ones not ones he dreamed up on the spot, they were all going to have to settle for big game.

The meat would last 2 to 3 days for a group this big, then Rick and someone else would have to go hunting again. Rick had put his foot down about Kate going out hunting again.

Kate of course had complained. "I' pregnant Rick not helpless."

Rick however had noticed that the trip back had looked hard for her. Kate may be in great shape but being pregnant was taking some of her energy out of her. Rick was going to end up with Turner next time he went out.

Rick went to dispose of his kill that he didn't want to use and the parts no one wanted to eat. When he got there he found a very young baby Saber- Tooth tiger cub sitting in his spot waiting for him.

Rick tossed what he had brought with him at its feet and it immediately started eating it. "Damn you're cute! Even the babies have big teeth." Rick started looking around. "Where's your mommy little one. I don't really want to be her next meal." Rick starts backing up.

"You stay right there Tigger (Rick had decided on a name for him/her) and I'll be back in a couple of days with some more." And Rick kept looking for mommy until he cleared the trees. Then he walked with purpose back to the main door to their lodge. He wanted to check on Kate since Alexis and a couple of others were out at the garden.

They were going to get carrots, beets, cabbage, celery, cranberries, eggplant, onions and potatoes. None of them were ready yet, however Alexis had been working very hard to grow as much of it as she could. When the time came likely everyone who could stand would be out in the garden harvesting.

They still had a lot of apples and cherries from when Rick and Kate had gone further north the two or three times to hunt while the Sun Rises was still in orbit. The two people that had volunteered to go with them had picked and packed as much as they could.

Rick had stepped into the lodge and headed for the campfire in the middle to prep for cooking.

"RICK!" Kate yelled out.

Rick turned and looked at Kate who was standing with her weapon pointed at the door. Looking at where Kate was pointing, getting ready to shoot, Rick saw his baby cat slowly enter thru the open door.

"NO KATE! It's ok, he's just a baby." Rick quickly put down everything of his kill he had brought inside except for one piece. "Hi Tigger, you still hungry?" Rick tried cooing at him while approaching slowly.

Then someone from outside started to enter and stopped dead in her tracks. "It's alright, he's not going to hurt anyone. Are you Tigger?" Rick went back to cooing at him, still slowing approaching.

Rick got in close and left his food offering on the floor a couple of feet away.

Tigger moved in slowly and smelled it, then laid down on the floor and started do his best to chew on it.

"That's a good kitty, you're still hungry aren't you?" Rick kept his distance but kept cooing at him. "Kate you want to put some fresh water in a bowl?"

Kate wasn't so sure about this but found one of Rick's bowls near the fire and filled it with some rain water and took it to Rick.

"You sure this is a good idea? It has a mother who is going to rip us to shreds when she finds us and her, baby." Kate didn't like this idea much.

"It's a cub and I don't think it has a mother anymore. It was waiting for me where I drop off the part of our kill that we don't use. He must have eaten all of it and followed me home looking for more."

Alexis chose this moment to enter the lodge. "Wooo, what is that dad?" Alexis easily spotted the cub lying just inside the door.

"His name is Tigger." Rick tells her smiling.

"Rick!? You named it?" Kate knew if you named something it usually ended up staying and a Saber-Tooth Tiger was definitely not staying.

"Wow he's cute dad." As Alexis steps up him.

"Alexis! No!" Kate whispers, afraid a sudden noise would upset it and attack Alexis.

"It's ok mom, it's just a baby and he's hungry." Alexis moves over and picks up the bowl of water she sees and moves it in closer. Then sits down next to it. Dips her hand into the water and lets the drops hit its nose.

The cub blinks at the water assault but keeps on chewing. Then Alexis starts petting it.

"Alexis?" Kate hates this idea.

"It's just a baby mom. … Can we keep him?" Alexis asks hopeful and does her best to use a puppy dog eyes look.

Kate however is not moved. "Absolutely NOT."

"Aawww mom, he's just a baby." Alexis pleads her case once more.

"Yea, a baby that will grow up into a 150 pound man eating machine." Kate tried pleading her case.

"And he'll grow up with all of us all around him all the time. He'll grow up t love us. And we can feed him." Rick pleads his daughter's case.

"Seriously Rick? You want our daughter next to something that has teeth that big and weighs more than she does, can run faster than any of us, plus jump over anything in its way?" Kate tries again.

"Please mom?" Alexis tries the puppy dog look one last time.

Kate looks at these two idiots. "Ok fine. But if it so much as scratches Alexis or my baby, it's gone. Understood!?" Kate still thinks they are nuts. And her too for letting them talk her into it. "And it sleeps outside. End of discussion." Kate waves her hand like a karate chop.

"Thanks mom." Alexis smiles and keeps petting Tigger.

"And when it's done eating take it outside. I don't want to see it in here again. Clear?" Kate directs it at both Rick and Alexis. Since she's not sure which one is the adult.

Alexis got it to follow her back outside using the water bowl and Kate went back to her nap. After she was so rudely interrupted.

Kate was back up in time to eat dinner with the others. Where Rick and Alexis got to explain to everyone else why there was a baby Saber-Tooth Tiger sleeping outside the front door.

After dinner Alexis went outside to sit with Tigger and feed him some of her food that she had saved for him. Others dropped off little tidbits as the exited the lodge. Getting a "Thank you!" from Alexis.

Alexis took some of her clothes and made a bed for Tigger to sleep on before she went inside and they closed and barred the doors closed for the night.

Come morning Alexis was the first one out the door carrying a little something for Tigger for breakfast. Then she went out to work in her garden. The only showers were cold water showers at one of the water storage tanks, outside. They had built a kind of privacy fence around it.

However fresh water was still scarce so bathing was only twice a week mostly. Laundry was once a week the really old fashioned way.

Tigger had followed Alexis out into the garden where he was only too willing to help her dig. Just not where Alexis wanted him to. So he got bored and went off to find what else he could get into.

"ALEXIS!" Tigger had found one of the women in one of the showers.

Still Tigger was fed scraps after lunch left by a few people including Alexis and Rick.

Kate knew that they locked up the lodge at night for security reasons so right after dinner and Rick hand finished cleaning is kitchen tools, bowls, plates and misc. items, with Kate's unexpected help.

"Rick, …. I want you! Please? We need to find someplace private. I want you to make love to me or I'm going to go mad. And I'm going to take you with me." Kate had snuggled in close and reached her hand down the front of his pants to enforce her point.

Kate instantly had Rick's undivided attention. "We can try going where all the others are going. If there isn't someone else already there." Rick offered.

Kate was momentarily shocked. There were others in the group having sex? Not quite sure why she was surprised. "Where?"

"The shuttle." Rick tells her.

Not sure why she didn't think of that. Kate took Rick's hand and started dragging him to the shuttle. They had to pass Alexis along the way. "Hi mom, Hi dad."

However Kate was on a mission and didn't answer back. Rick had tried to respond but the pull from Kate got him walking or stumbling behind Kate again.

The shuttle was empty and Kate instantly started stripping Rick of his clothes. Trying to remove hers at the same time.

Kate was already too big for Rick to be on top comfortably. If you can call the shuttle floor comfortable. So they had to resort to other positions. Not that Kate cared. She wanted skin and she wanted Rick inside her no matter how he got there.

Several screams later and Kate was lying next to Rick. Too big to be on him like she usually was. Kate was unable to listen to his heart beat and she was missing hearing that.

"Rick, thank you." Kate started blinking back tears.

"For making love to you? I'm not sure if you noticed, but I enjoy making love to you." Rick isn't sure that's what she means, but he had to start somewhere.

"No, for being here with me. You didn't have to. I would have had the operation." Kate knew it would occur. She had grown up knowing it was a possibility.

"Kate, there was no way in hell I was going to let them do that to you. Just because I got you pregnant. It's my baby too." To Rick it was a no brainer.

"It would have been fine Rick. We would have had our one child and we would have had two children. There are only a handful of people on Tellus that have two children. It would have been enough. I didn't mind." Kate wants him to not think he had to do this.

Rick lifts up and turns on his side propping his hand under his head with his elbow of the shuttle floor. While his other hand starts doodling across Kate's enlarging breasts.

"Kate I'm more than happy to be here. This is a fresh start for all of us. The very first people on this planet. We're going to end up in the history books. And we get to solve your planets food production problem. This is beyond great. This is monumental.

And I get to do it with you, Alexis and my mother. …. Who is having a blast by the way telling stories to the other people. I'll bet she'll be even happier when there are children to tell them to." Rick knew he was hppy. Martha and Alexis were in their element.

Ricks fingers were getting to Kate and if he didn't stop soon she was just going to have to do something about it.

Kate quickly found tears running down her face. "What's with the tears?" Rick didn't see the point of them.

"I'm just happy. I've got the man of my dreams, Alexis and I'm pregnant. …. Stupid hormones." Kate wipes away some of the tears.

Rick chuckles. Kate was happy now. Tomorrow something would happen and she would be mad at him. All for the very same reason.

Rick leaned in and kissed her and tweaked the nipple he was closest too getting a moan from Kate into his mouth and soon it was time for round three.

Rick went into the lodge to determine what to do for breakfast in the morning while Kate went over to see Alexis who was lounging in their area of the lodge.

"Hi mom. Feeling better?" Alexis was guessing what they had been doing for the last hour and a half.

Kate however already knew that Alexis knew her and her father made love to each other. Obviously since she was pregant. "Yes pumpkin, much better." Kate hugs Alexis as best she can and kisses the side of her head.

"I love him Alexis. I don't know what my life would be like without him. … Or you. I don't think I've told you how thankful I am that you two chose to move here. It means a lot." Kate's tears were starting again. Stupid hormones.

"Mom, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've been praying for you to come into our lives for a while before you crashed at our lake. …. Dad needed someone. I know he has me and he loves me, but he needed you. …. I needed you." Alexis was adding her own tears.

Kate took Alexis in her arms. "Oh pumpkin. …. I love you too, so very much. …. You're sure your not going to miss anyone back on Earth?" Kate still worried that she had done this for her because she was pregnant.

Alexis shakes her head. "I'll miss Paige mostly and maybe a couple of other people. But I have you and dad. It's all I need."

"You won't miss your mother?" Kate decided to make sure.

"You're my mother. She probably doesn't even know I'm gone. … Or care." Alexis adds more tears onto Kate.

"You're going to make a terrific big sister to all of them." Kate tells Alexis crying more tears.

"THEM?" Alexis pulls back from the hug and wipes her tears. "I thought you were having just one."

Kate opens her mouth no knowing she had said so much. Stupid hormones.

"I'll let you in on my little secret. … I saw your father in my dreams before I even crashed here. Then I saw all of us at the fire station before we even got there. Then I saw us living with a really, really, big family. All together, which I think is where we are now.

Since we've been here my dreams are filled with you, your father and our children. This one and others. And we are all in a house like the summer house, except the bedrooms are really small. Barely enough to sleep in. The main house is huge and you and the children are all running around in it.

I see you everywhere pumpkin. You are doing so much. The best biggest sister anyone could ever ask for." Kate confides to Alexis. Something she hasn't even told Rick yet.

"You see having more children than just this one?" Alexis asks. Getting a nod from Kate.

Alexis almost starts hyperventilating. "You mean we're going to have a big family?" Alexis couldn't believe it.

Kate just nods her head.

"I've prayed for a large family since I was five. Alone with my dad was ok, but I secretly wanted a big family. You think you're going to make me part of a big family?" Alexis was having trouble breathing.

It was enough that Kate was now worried about her. "Are you ok pumpkin? I'll go get the doctor." And Kate starts to leave.

Alexis grabs Kate. "No mom, I'm ok. I just never thought, …. It was just a dream. That's all. I've never had my dreams come true like this before you."

This is where Rick shows up and sees the two of them hugging each other with loads of tears.

"Everything ok?" Rick didn't know where all of this crying was coming from. Kate's hormones he could understand, but Alexis?

"We're fine babe. Maybe better than fine." Kate tells him getting a nod from Alexis.