Just to clear things up, I have every intention of posting a Chapter 37 after I post the rest of blacktalon117's chapters. The first 36 are hers and hers alone. I had no part in the making of the plot or Nova.


"Where do you think you're putting that?"

Nova eyed the male Yautja in green robes wearily. He was most likely a doctor of some sort. She knew this because of the chrome room she was now in, and the metal table Ti'kon had placed her on, and also because of the big ass syringe he was holding.

The needle was bigger than both her hands. Her only consolation was that there was hardly any liquid in it.

When the Yautja stepped closer to her, Nova leaned back, edging away from him and the sharp object. The male paused, holding the syringe up and looked over to Ti'kon, who was leaning against the wall. She could see the silent communication in their eyes, and Nova didn't like it at all.

"Oh, no you don't!" She declared angrily. "Don't look at him. He won't help you."

But, apparently she was wrong, because she suddenly found two very familiar arms wrapped around her, as Ti'kon sat on the table with her. He swung her around into his lap quickly, holding her head to his massive chest with one hand, while the other formed a tight band around her waist. Needless to say, she was pissed. Instinctively she struggled, not being able to see the doctor or the needle anymore, she told them both how she felt about this.

"You can both go fuck yourselves!"

Ti'kon started to purr.

"Oh, no you don't. That's not going to work this time. You can purr all you want, you'll still be sleeping alone tonight."

The purring faltered for a second, only to come back louder, rumbling pleasantly in her ears.

"And the next night," she hissed into his chest.

But it was working. Against her will, her body was softening. Her struggles weakening, as her body melting into his larger one. It was crazy and annoying that she responded to him like this, but the more he purred the more she wanted to relax, and since she was pressed so close to his hard body. . . snuggle. When the urge came to rub her face into his chest, she didn't resist it, mumbling his name as she nuzzled against him.

That's when the doctor struck.

The large needle jabbed into her neck, shattering her calm state. Nova screeched bloody murder. Not because of the pain the needle caused, but because she had fallen for their trick, her pride hurting more then she would admit. She wanted to slap the doctor silly as he pulled the syringe from her, but because she was pressed so close to Ti'kon, she settled for slapping him instead, hoping the Doctor would vicariously feel it somehow.

Again Ti'kon's purr only faltered for a second, before it was back again, and taking all the tension out of her body.

"Don't get cocky green robe," she hissed, knowing the Doctor was near. "I have a good swing saved up for you when this is all over. . .and I wont be holding back, like I did for Big guy."

Too preoccupied with her anger, and the fact that her face was going numb, she failed to notice Ti'kon smothering his laughter with a purr.

Nova palmed her face with her free hand, marveling at the total loss of feeling in her head. She half considered slapping herself to test it. Her wonder died a quick death, however, when a strange, yet terrifyingly familiar, sound rent the air.

"That better not be a fucking drill I hear."

Ti'kon's hold on her tightened as his purring kicked up a notch.

That was all the answer Nova needed. She started struggling with all of her strength, the noise of the drill in the background dragging up memories that she wasn't even aware of. Her subconscious sending her into a panic after years of being experimented and operated on. She lashed out at Ti'kon, no longer seeing that her was her Big Guy, and no longer hearing his frantic purring. She bit, kicked, hit and slapped, thrashing in his grip. Her body going into a traumatic survival mode. Something crunched as she continued to struggle, but she didn't hear it, or the pained roar that followed it. And she certainly didn't feel the two extra sets of massive hands join the fray.

She continued to fight until she was pressed flat onto the metal table, face down, four different octaves of purring surrounding her, a heavy weight thrown across her back, while iron grips held down her appendages. Something was happening at the back of her head, the drill again, but the sound was brief, her skull vibrating along with it. She tensed to fight again, and a noise was barked somewhere above her head, the purring around her intensified.

Slowly, she started to come out of her panicked state. Her breathing evening as her body relaxed. Her head felt foggy, strange. Something was still happening at the back of her head, but she felt nothing. The rest of her body, however, ached, and the weight pressing down on her back was huge, and smothering.

'Thank god the drill stopped.'

Was her last coherent thought, before her brain gave into shock and she closed her eyes. Resting, while her thoughts fuzzed in and out like a radio tuning itself.

She groggily lifted her hand, bringing it to the back of her head, only to find bandages.

When had that happened?

Had she passed out?

She couldn't have been out of it for too long because there was still that heavy weight across her back.

"Get off my Mate, brother," a familiar voice growled. "She does need to breathe, which is hard to do with all your fat smothering her."

'Wait. . .a minute. . .here.'

"Fat, brother, I'll have you know I'm all muscle. Is this how you thank family that come to assist you? You were lucky that K'on and I were close, otherwise you would have more than a broken mandible right now."

The weight suddenly left her back.

"I often wondered why K'on could never hold his tongue. Now I know where he gets it from."

'Oh...my...God.'

"My son should take after me. I am, after all, an honored warrior. He would do well to follow my lead. I still do not hear any thanks, brother. Or is your pride still hurting over your Mate's little punch? You should be happy that it took three of us to hold her down, considering how small she is. She would have easily bested both you and the Medic if we hadn't come."

Nova raised her head slowly, to stare at the two Yautja semi-arguing above her, one on either side of the table, and understanding every word. Well, she could still hear the clicking and the growls and the other noises they made, but they suddenly started to make sense. The sounds on their own still didn't make much sense, but by the time they reached her brain it was like they had been magically decoded.

"I would be more happy, brother, if my Mate hadn't been so frightened that she went feral in the first place."

'Feral? . . .Oh, yes-wait Mate?'

"Excuse me, elders-"

Nova's eyes swiveled up to find the doctor, well, Medic (as they called him), standing at her head.

"But, it appears the implant was successful."

Nova rolled slowly onto her back in order to see everyone properly. All eyes turned to her, as she looked back at the Yautja in amazement. Movement at her feet caught her eye, and she saw K'on standing at the end of the table. She was sounded by Yautja males.

"Little Knife-"

'So, that's what Dahdtoudi means...nice'

"How are you feeling?" Ti'kon asked her, placing his big hand gently on top of her head.

"Hungry," she replied without thought, "but I'm always hungry."

Ti'kon looked relieved, his massive shoulders sagging, while the other huge male next to her burst out laughing. She could hear the word 'hungry' in between his huge huffs.

"Ah, yes," the Medic spoke to her directly. "Your malnourishment will also have to be addressed, but first, I'll have to set your Mates mandible, and then you have to have a few scans done. I only received the report on you yesterday, and I do not know the extent of the damaged that your body has been through, or the extent of what the Ooman's did to you. I should also tell you that I have only been studying Ooman physiology for a week now and may have to ask you some strange questions. You should also stay as still as you can for the next few hours, until the translator has time to adjust your body."

Nova's mind reeled with all that the Yautja was saying, but one word was still rolling around her head with a thousand question marks surrounding it, and there was only one person that the word could possibly be referring to.

"My Mate?" She looked to Ti'kon, one of his mandibles was sitting at an odd angle. Nova felt a twinge of guilt, before pushing it aside for more important issues. "Did we get married, Big guy, and you didn't tell me?"

"Married?" He looked as confused as her right now.

Nova racked her brain for a better description. "You know, it's a. . .ah. . . ceremony. ''Til death do us part. To have and to hold', to cherish and all those other things."

"Ah," the other big male spoke up, who was apparently Ti'kon's brother. "Oomans have a mating ceremony. I have heard of such things, they sound very. . .formal and. . .sentimental. I think I prefer the Yautja way of bonding... a good, hard-"

"Father!" K'on spoke up for the first time, looking very embarrassed.

Even though he had been interrupted, Nova was more then getting the picture. She knew her mouth was open in shock when she turned back to Ti'kon, who was looking very worried right now, more worried than he had been before they left the ship.

"Don't look so distressed over the mention of mating K'on," the big male continued. "You are my son, after all, and it will not be long before you have a female screaming and panting orders into your ear while she claws at your back."

If anything K'on looked more uncomfortable at his father's words.

Nova chose to ignore them as she focused on Ti'kon's face, searching for all the answers in his eyes, like she was used to doing before she could understand his words.

"But we haven't..." She started to say, before cutting herself off, not quite sure how to phrase this properly.

But apparently, she didn't have to. Ti'kon seemed to understand, leaning forward so their faces were closer. Filling her vision, and creating the best intimate atmosphere he could with the other Yautja surrounding them.

"As far as I'm concerned, we have."

Nova was silent, looking hard into his eyes. She understood now. Even though what they had shared hadn't been a full home run, all basses thoroughly covered, it was close enough for him, and it counted for something. Meant enough for him to say they were his kinds version of married. This wasn't just an intergalactic fling for him, he was playing for keeps. It was so heart touchingly sweet to Nova, that her eyes started to mist over. Her Big guy was a big softy for her, well in most ways, there was still one part of his body that was rarely soft for her, thank God.

Ti'kon wanted her.

It was probably against all the laws of nature, but he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

"That is only if you want us to be mated. You have a say in this," he spoke, obviously taking her silence as something negative.

Ti'kon looked even more upset when she felt a tear escape. His big hand was soon at her face, carefully swiping the offending tear away with his talon. His eyes suddenly became hard as she watched him, his look changing from worried to determined.

"Tell me these words from your ceremony. If that is what you need, tell me these words so that I can say them to you."

Nova tried her best to blink away her tears.

Words?

She didn't need words now that she understood what the Big Guy was about when it came to her. Or did she? Before she had been captured she had dreamed of a wedding like any other girl. Well, it was more that she expected it to happen one day. That she would find a man and settle down. That was normal right? But she had thrown all of her expectations out the window after her first year in captivity. She had thrown all expectations in life out the window after that first year. No, she didn't need a full ceremony, but a few words would be nice.

"Just ask me," she spoke her eyes clear now. "Just ask me properly to be your mate."

Time seemed to stop for Nova as she waited for the words, looking into his golden eyes, but then the moment was shattered. When a large hand moved into their line of sight grabbed onto Ti'kon's injured mandible and snapped it back into its original position. Ti'kon roared, his eyes turning to glare at the Yautja stupid enough to interrupt them.

"NOT NOW, MEDIC!"

Nova looked at the other male to find him pale. A bowl of strange paste in one hand and bandages in another. The medic was having trouble holding onto both as his hands shook. Looking at him Nova was struck with how much smaller he was compared to Ti'kon

A light touch on her face drew her gaze back to Ti'kon.

"Little knife," he was close to her again, filling her vision and blocking out the others. "Will you be my Life Mate?"

She knew a normal woman would have taken some time to think about binding herself to an alien, but she didn't even pause.

"Yes!"

Ti'kon's mandibles spread into a smile, which was fine with her,, considering she was probably smiling like a fool herself. Looking at his strange mouth, she suddenly wanted to seal their promise in a human way.

"Come here," she murmured, pulling his big head closer.

She placed a fleeting kiss on his large forehead, before moving to his mouth.

"Open up," she whispered, as Ti'kon started to purr.

He complied, his mandibles twitching, as he opened them wide for her. Flashing his pink inner cheeks, and sharp teeth. Nova thought briefly on how frightening this sight would be if he wasn't her Big guy. If she was some normal, boring human woman, who hadn't just gotten married to an Extraterrestrial husband. A normal woman who didn't have a Yautja male that helped her escape from prison and torture. Someone who didn't have a huge, well endowed, male that held her and purred for her in the most delicious ways.

Fuck normal. She had Ti'kon.

Being careful not to bump his injured mandible, she moved her face between his splayed tusks, closing her eyes, she placed a lingering kiss on his inner teeth, swiping her tongue slowly across the sharp points, taking in his strange taste while his constant purring rumbled in her ears.

Then something happened that she never expected. His mouth opened, and something wet swiped against her tongue. Nova gave a small murmur of surprise. Ti'kon also had a tongue. One that she had never seen, so she just assumed he didn't have one. She was so intrigued that when it retreated back into his mouth she followed it, wanting to feel out this new discovering. It was long and thin, and as she rubbed against it learning it's shape, a forked tip brushed back against her. How very...alien. When she withdrew from her exploration, it was him that followed her this time. She moaned as his surprisingly agile tongue returned her treatment. Sliding against the roof of her mouth, and tracing her blunt teeth, flicking against her tongue, mounting his own thorough expedition.

She broke away from him panting, placing one last kiss against his mouth before breaking away completely. Who knew Yautja could kiss? Well, sort of kiss, there were no lips involved, but she could certainly get used to it.

She sort out his eyes, his purring still sounding around her, to find them glowing a familiar gold light. She smiled.

He had enjoyed the kiss as well.

"Yes, I'll be your Mate, Big Guy, but..." She paused for dramatic effect, staring into his golden eyes. "You're still sleeping on your own for the next two nights. I'm a woman of my word, which reminds me."

Nova reach out, slapping the Medic that stood close by so hard he stumbled. The bowl of paste fell from his hand, landing on the chrome floor with a wet splat, only to be quickly followed by the caught off guard Medic, throwing the bandages into the air as he fell.

A stunned silence fell over the room, only to be broken by the Medic grumblings from the floor.

"I think I'm going to like your Mate, brother."