''You did what?!'' Helen yelled.

Pitt sighed and turned to Cruise. ''I told you she wouldn't like it.''

Cruise didn't look the least bit bothered by the daggers in Helen's eyes. He looked around at the camp that the Crew had made for themselves when night fell. They worked to distribute food and water as evenly as possible with the colony. It was easier than expected as many were preoccupied with watching the sky. Even if it was just the clouds passing by and turning dark, many stared in wonder at the changing scenery. Even their dreams paled in comparison to this.

Helen clicked her fingers in front of Cruise's face to get his attention. ''How many people heard your broadcast?''

''I can't say,'' Cruise admitted with a casual shrug. ''It was an open signal.''

For a moment, Pitt wondered if he should stand between his leader and Helen as it looked like the historian was ready to explode. She hissed through her clenched teeth and appeared ready to punch them both. ''That makes things worse. Didn't you consider that other Drakes might be listening too?''

''I did!'' Cruise said without missing a beat. ''I told the world about what your daughter did to give the people hope and the Drakes something to fear.''

''And now we no longer have the element of surprise. Isabel now has a target on her back.''

''She killed and Drake and discovered she can grow stronger when she has fire at her disposal. I feel more sympathy for the poor sons of bitches that try and attack her.''

Helen paced back and forth. ''It's rare, but I've had the chance to study Drake bones. Unlike Dragons, they are not immortal. However, the only dead Drakes I've known about have died from old age. Lacron was young. There are Drakes out there older and most likely more powerful. We still don't know the full extent of Isabel's power. There's always the chance that she will come across something too great for her. And next time, she might not get the chance to adapt…''

''Then she should adapt beforehand.'' Cruise rose to his feet and leaned forward until his face was inches away from Helen's. ''This is our chance to take back our world. I'm done hiding. I'm done pretending we can't win. This is the beginning of our revolution.''

Helen met Cruise eye-to-eye, refusing to back down. It was clear that nothing she could say would sway the Viper away from his way of thinking. Besides, what's done was done. For all she knew, the last of humanity now looked to her daughter as their savoir. What kind of pressure would that put on Isabel? What if it becomes too great a burden for her to bear? All Helen knew was that she had to be by Isabel's side through thick and thin.

Worried that things would escalate, Pitt stood between them. ''You know, Dragon Slayer might not have been the correct codename. Technically, she only slew a Drake.''

Cruise smirked. ''We'll fix that once we find our weapon. For now, let's give everyone a chance to rest and celebrate. We move out tomorrow. I hope that your council will be cooperative?'' he glared at Helen.

''They will. I am on the council now.''

''See, you and your daughter are moving up in the world. This time next year, you'll have statues in your honor.'' He laughed, pointing to the statue of liberty in the distance before walking off with Pitt to join the celebrations with his Crew.

Helen groaned and tried to compose herself. She wondered if staying out like this in the open was a good call. Cruise assured them that they were in an empty void of land where even other creatures don't venture into. But, when she was told about Cruise's radio message, her anxiety flared up and she feared that Drakes from all four corners of the world would descend upon them to kill her daughter. All seemed well for now. In fact, things were good. People were happy for the first time in a long time. Helen felt her heart lift knowing that Isabel was the reason behind this happiness.

Looking ahead, she could even see Isabel now mingling with others in the colony that used to ignore her. However, she couldn't help but notice the other women getting a little too close to her daughter. While Isabel was now fully clothed, Helen could see the way other women were gazing at her as if they could stare through and see her naked body. She stormed over to the group. As she approached, she noticed one woman begin to rub her hand up and down Isabel's arm, grasping her bicep. Before Isabel could say or do anything, Helen grabbed her and dragged her away from the other women.

''Mom, what's wrong?'' Isabel asked.

''I don't like the way those women were getting handsy with you.''

''Right now, you're the one being handsy with me.''

Once they were away from the others, Helen finally let go and turned to Isabel. ''It doesn't feel right. Everyone has treated you like dirt all your life, but when you save them they then treat you like a hero. They should love you for who you are, not what you do.''

Isabel smiled. ''Can't people love me for both reasons?''

''That's not the point I was trying to make,'' Helen sighed. She gazed at Isabel and felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn't sure what to think about feeling weak in the knees whenever her daughter locked eyes with her. It was such a sinful thing to comprehend, yet, it was how she felt. ''I actually wanted to show you something.''

''Oh,'' Isabel looked to her left then back to her mother. ''Before you do, can I go see how Jess is doing?''

Helen nodded. ''Of course.''

The two of them walked together. Even as they passed through other members of the colony, people stopped to thank and congratulate Isabel. For the young woman, it was all still strange and new. She was getting praised by people who either belittled her or didn't even know who she was before. Now, everyone recognized her face. Although, she had a feeling that for some it wasn't her face that was her most memorable feature. If the way some women were now throwing themselves at her was anything to go by, Isabel had made quite the impression when she wrestled a Drake while nude.

They came to a small tent that had been set up and stepped inside. Two doctors had bandaged Jess's wounds and helping her stay hydrated with the water that the Crew shared. Fortunately for Isabel, Jess was away, and her friend's face lit up when she spotted her visitors.

''Isabel?''

''Hey, Jess.'' Isabel greeted before turning to the doctors. ''How is she?''

The doctor stared at her with a hopeful expression. ''The bleeding has stopped and there doesn't appear to be any sign of infection. I reckon after a good day's rest she'll be able to move. It seems that cauterizing the wound when you did helped her greatly.''

''I still can't believe you did that,'' Helen said.

''I can't believe it either,'' Isabel admitted. ''I'm going to need to practice more with that.''

Helen looked down at Jess and her smile widened. ''I never got the chance to properly thank you for saving my life.''

''It's okay,'' Jess said.

There was an awkward silence between them, not helped by the doctors gathering their things and walking out of the tent. ''We'll be outside if you need anything.'' He told Jess.

She nodded and when they left, she weakly turned her head to Isabel and Helen. ''So, what are you two doing now?''

Isabel and Helen shared a look between them. While Isabel was unsure, Helen seemed to know something more and Jess noticed that right away. ''I don't know,'' Isabel said. ''Mom wanted to show me something…''

''It can wait for another time,'' Helen said swiftly. ''If you want to stay with Jess to keep her company, I understand.''

The older woman couldn't keep eye contact with Isabel, but she did manage to look towards Jess. At that moment, Jess understood what was happening. She clutched the sheet blanket over her body and thought about her options carefully. She thought back to what Isabel said to her in the tunnel. Seeing them in her tent like this reminded her of when she stumbled upon their kiss. Despite their relationship, they looked so happy and in love. It pained her to see Helen turn to leave.

''No,'' she spoke up softly, surprising Isabel and Helen. ''I'll be fine. You two can go and enjoy yourselves.''

''Are you sure?'' Isabel asked.

''The doctor said the bleeding had stopped. I'll just sleep it off and I'll be better by morning…'' she paused and giggled. ''I get to see a morning sun. I never thought that would happen.''

''Yeah,'' Isabel went with her mother. Before she walked out of the tent, she turned to her bed-ridden friend once more. ''If anything happens, I'll hear it and come running.''

''It's okay…I'm fine.''

Jess watched the two of them leave and things were eerily quiet once again. Her smile disappeared and she rolled around so that she was facing the other direction. She could feel her stomach sinking as she closed her eyes to hold back the tears. It took her a while to fall asleep as she spent the rest of her time awake trying to convince herself that this was the best decision to make. After all, Isabel and Helen would be happy. Isn't that what matters most?

XXX

Isabel glanced over her shoulder at the camp. She could still hear the voices of the colony and Crew, albeit faintly. Her mother had guided her a fair distance away. That only made her more curious over what her mom was going to show her. She opened her mouth to speak before Helen quickly silenced her by placing her hand over her lips. Helen shook her head and gestured for her to kneel down. The older woman then pointed up towards the sky. Isabel obeyed and what she saw next caused her to gasp into her mother's hand.

''Holy shit, are those…''

''Birds,'' Helen confirmed. Soaring above their heads were three small birds, flying in circles as if they were looking for their next home. ''I spotted them an hour ago while checking the perimeter. I don't think anyone else noticed them, so I wanted to show you before they were scared off.''

Isabel gazed at the small flock in amazement. It had long been believed that all animals on land had died out. The creatures that had made the sky their home were the first to perish due to the Dragons dominating from above. However, Isabel could see them and their colorful feathers. It was as if the world was healing again.

''I'm going to get stronger, mom,'' Isabel said with great confidence. ''I'm going to better understand my abilities and use them to save the world.''

Helen turned her head and smiled warmly. ''I know you will. And I'll be there with you every step of the way.''

The two sat and admired the birds for what felt like hours, even though it was only a minute or two. It seemed that even though they were sitting quietly, the birds were wary about staying for too long, so they flew away to find a home elsewhere. Silently, Isabel wished them well and hoped they find the paradise they were looking for.

Now that she and her mother were truly alone, she looked at her and smirked. ''There's more to this than making me see the birds.''

''What do you mean?''

''I know that you were getting jealous over the handsy women and wanted to get me away from them.''

Helen's expression was blank. ''I don't know what you mean.''

''You don't want to see others throw themselves at me, wanting me to mate with them. You've got nothing to worry about. That won't happen.''

Helen moved closer. ''Why not?''

The whisper tickled Isabel's skin. Her mother's tone was quiet and slightly sultry. It made Isabel's throat go dry as she tried not to appear too flustered. ''I mean…I don't want to mate with those women because…you know…I want to mate with someone I know and love and…''

She couldn't finish her sentence as Helen lifted one leg and came over so that she was now sitting on her daughter's lap. Isabel was paralyzed as Helen threw her arms around her head and then leaned in close. Their lips were inches away from touching.

''I don't want you to mate with me…'' Helen said. ''I want you to make love to me.''

XXX

HELLO ALL YOU AMAZING AND LOVELY AND SWEET SUPERSTARS! I HOPE THAT YOU LIKED THIS NEW CHAPTER. LIKE I SAID, IT WAS MORE OF A CALM ONE TO HELP SETTLE THINGS DOWN AFTER THE ACTION OF THE LAST CHAPTER. ALSO, IT IS A NICE LITTLE BREAK BEFORE WHAT COMES IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THAT CLIFFHANGER IS NOT A FAKE-OUT. THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE ONE MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. IT'S THE FIRST BIG LOVE SCENE BETWEEN ISABEL AND HELEN. COMING NEXT MONDAY. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IT? IT'S GOING TO BE THE LONGEST CHAPTER OF THE STORY YET, AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL SMUT.

THANK YOU ALL YET AGAIN FOR BEING AMAZING. YOU ARE ALL MY STARS. I WOULD NOT BE HERE IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL OF YOU. YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT KEEPS ME FIRED UP. YOU'RE THE BEST.

STAY SAFE. WASH YOUR HANDS. WEAR YOUR MASKS. AND STAY EXCELLENT. TA-TA FOR NOW.