Here's the next chapter. Thank you to all of you who are reading. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Kenzie raced down the hall as she heard Cydney scream. When she made it into Ma'iss' bedroom, she found the young girl looking around frightened with her bear clutched in her hands. When her eyes landed on Kenzie she immediately calmed down, but then began to scream again frantically.

For a moment Kenzie was confused until she realized that the young girl was not looking at her, but behind her. Looking, over her shoulder she found that not only had Viper followed her down the hall, but the others had gathered as well and she was sure the child was frightened of them. Even more so than she had been the first time, due to the fact that they were not wearing their masks.

"Let me talk to her alone for a few minutes." She requested. With that she stepped fully into the room and the door closed behind her.

Making her way onto the bed, she gently placed a hand on Cydney's cheek. The little girl stopped screaming, but still looked utterly terrified as she began to cry.

"Monsters." She stated through her tears.

Kenzie sighed, pulling the little girl into her lap and allowing her to cry on her shoulder. She couldn't blame her. Had she not been so used to the Glass Mouths by the time Viper had come into her life, she would have said they were monsters too. However, she knew that was not the case. At least not with her and it wouldn't be with Cydney either.

She allowed her to cry, until her tears ceased and she began to hiccup. The entire time she just held her and rocked her. When she finally stopped, Kenzie pulled Cydney's face out of her neck and looked her.

"I promise you, they are not monsters. Those...black things...they were the monsters and my friends got rid of them."

The little girl shook her head emphatically. "They're big and scary looking."

Kenzie chuckled a bit. She couldn't deny the child was right. "Yes, but that makes them good protectors."

"Protectors?" Cydney questioned.

"Yes. You know that mean man? They made him go away. They told him if he ever laid a hand on you again, they would hurt him." Kenzie stated, fibbing to the child. She figured she didn't need to know that Viper had killed him. She was already scared as it was.

"They did?" She questioned in awe. Kenzie nodded, marveling at the fact that children could be more easily reasoned with than adults most times. However, she needed to forge on and make sure the little girl understood that she was safe.

"Yes. They even went out and got you some things while you were sleeping." She told her.

That part wasn't exactly a lie. While Cydney had been unconscious, C'bra had stayed with her, being as he was only one who had been around a human child, while she had dragged the rest along with her to get some things.

She had gotten the little girl all sorts of clothes and toys, things to keep her occupied. She had even gotten quite a bit of food and other items. She had found a drug store and stocked up on all the tampons they had in there along with the ones in the super market that she found. She had found so many, even those in the stores back stock that she wouldn't be running out for a few years at least.

Kenzie had even been nice enough to grab some gifts for Sonja, Jay, her brother, grandfather and Boo. She had even got more clothes for them. Hoping she had guessed all the sizes right. In the end, one side of the kehrite was filled with boxes. However, she felt it was okay since she didn't know when she would be returning to earth.

"What kind of stuff?" Cydney inquired curiously.

"Clothes, shoes, toys, coloring books, crayons, paint..."

"Coloring books?!" She child questioned happily.

Kenzie smiled at her. "Yes."

"Can I have one now?"

Kenzie almost nodded, but stopped herself. Cydney still had her cuts and bruises and she was still dirty. Climbing off of the bed, she picked the little girl up and helped her off since it was so high.

"Tell you what. Let's get you cleaned up and dressed in some clean clothes and then we can color together."

She watched as Cydney seemed to contemplate this before nodding. She allowed Kenzie to lead her to the door, but she noticed as it opened the child quickly hid behind her. She figured she had convinced her that the yautja weren't bad. However, the child was still slightly scared and it was only normal.

Going into the room she shared with Viper she led Cydney into the bathroom there. She helped the little girl undress as she eyed the large tub in wonder. Kenzie stood her on the seat in the bathing pool that Viper usually sat on and the water came up to the little girls chest. Kenzie told her to sit on the side of the tub and not move until she came back.

Making her way into the kehrite, she went over to the boxes and crates. She'd had the foresight to have them pack specific things in each box as she picked them out and labeled them. So, it wasn't hard for her to find the boxes she was looking for.

She grabbed Cydney some under wear and comfortable clothes and socks, forgoing shoes. Since she was in there she grabbed a coloring book and a big box of crayons. When she made it back to her room, she sat the items on the bed before going back into the bathroom. There she found the little girl swimming around the pool with a smile on her face.

Viper watched as his mate and the child colored, as she had informed him upon entering the kitchen. They were seated at the table and the little girl had been a bit scared at first, but was now smiling as she concentrated on the task at hand with Kenzie.

The child was now bathed and clean. His mate had dressed her in new coverings. He could not help, but noticed that the color of their skin was almost the same. They were both hues of brown, however, his mate's was a shade or two darker.

He watched as his mate stood up and the child instantly reached for her. She informed her that it was okay and that she was simply going to fix her something to eat. He watched as the little girl nodded slowly before going back to her coloring. The child had taken a liking to his mate. Perhaps it was the fact that she was the only other ooman on the ship.

Once his mate had cut up some meat into little pieces and peeled her some fruit. She poured the child some juice before sitting it in front of her. When the ooman child began to eat, Viper took that as an opportunity to gain his mates attention. He clicked his mandibles and gestured for her to follow him leaving the room. He heard her tell the little girl that she would be right back before she was following him.

He led her down to the kehrite where his clan brothers were standing waiting for them. Ma'iss had called this meeting and Viper had an idea what it was about. When he turned to look at his little mate she seemed a bit skeptical.

"Which one of you is going to attack me this time?" She questioned folding her arms over her chest.

Ma'iss grunted at her. "This is about the ooman child."

"Her name is Cydney." Kenzie stated.

His clan brother's words had confirmed his suspicions and he knew what this was about. However, Viper didn't find himself the least bit annoyed.

"What about her?" His little mate them asked.

"I believe you should take her." Ma'iss stated getting right to the point.

"Why? So you don't have to be responsible for someone other than yourself?"

"Yes."

Well, Viper thought, at least his clan brother hadn't lied. In all honestly, he wasn't sure if Ma'iss would be good for the child. It was true that by honor since he was the first to find her, he was responsible for her. However, that meant he had to either take care of her, or find someone who would and he seemed to be attempting the latter.

"Besides, I know nothing of raising an ooman." He tacked on.

"Then learn. Don't you have to care for her anyway since you found her?"

"Technically, he either has to care for her or find someone who will." Ca'tor supplied.

Viper watched as she cut her eyes at Ca'tor, but didn't say anything. She seemed to be deep in thought. However, it seemed that Ma'iss was impatient and didn't want to wait for an answer.

"Forget it. I will sell her to a suitable guardian when we return home."

His mate glared at him. "You wouldn't." She stated through clenched teeth. When Ma'iss didn't reply she spoke again. "Selfish asshole."

"Lou-dte kale." Ma'iss snarled out in irritation.

Viper growled at him in warning at the insult. However, his little mate simply held one of her fingers up at him before stating, "Your mama."

He then watched her walk from the room as C'bra began to rumble with laughter and Viper trilled in amusement. The others seemed a bit lost. He was sure he and C'bra only understood for the simple fact that their bearer had insisted on being called that.

Shaking his head, Viper excited the kehrite and made his way to the weapons room. He hadn't yet cleaned his armor, but decided that now was as good a time as any. As he walked into the room, he sat down and got to work.

His mind drifted to the proposal that Ma'iss had made. He wasn't against taking in the child. He had not missed the way that his mate lit up when they were together. Perhaps she wanted a child. If that was the case, then Viper figured it was the best way for her to have one. He could not give her one.

For many mating cycles before he met his mate, he had tried to sire offspring. However, none of the females he ever laid with ended up pregnant with his children. He hadn't even tried during the last two mating cycles. Making sure that he was off of the ship and away from the home planet when they came around.

Yes, if his mate wanted a child, then the one they had found was her best options. He made a mental note to speak to her about it. Then, he would go with whatever she decided.

Viper finished his armor and went about cleaning his mates. He didn't mind doing if for her. It kept him occupied. When hers was done as well, he put it away and turned to the Hard Meat skulls that lay on the floor. They were his mates kills. He had retrieved them and brought them onto the ship. Later, he would show her how to skin and clean them.

He had not realized hours had gone by until Ma'iss had stomped into the room, telling him that Kenzie had laid the child in his bed again. Viper simply trilled in amusement, before rising from his seat and heading in search of his mate.

He found her in their quarters. She was propped up against some furs reading one of the books she'd gotten when they had gone through the town. She put it down when he got onto the bed beside her.

"Do you really think he will sell her?"

"Sei-i." Viper was not about to lie to her.

She sighed. "What if he sells her to someone that mistreats her."

"He would not."

"So, he'll sell her to someone that will treat her like their own child?" She questioned with a raised brow.

Again, he would not lie to her. "No. She would be..." He trailed off trying to think of the right word. "A servant."

Kenzie's eyes grew wide and he watched as she cannibalized her bottom lip. She was thinking. So, he remained silent and allowed her to do so.

"I don't know if I'm ready to be a parent. A mother." She finally whispered. "But I've also grown attached to her. At least if he had of taken care of her I would have still been able to see her. If he sells her then I won't. I don't want her to be a servant either."

Viper pulled her into his lap to straddle him. He locked is mandibles around her cheeks softly and kissed her for a few long moments.

"Then we will take her. You do not have to be her mother. You can be her mei-jadhi." When she looked at him in confusion, Viper tried to remember the words human's used instead. "Sister." He finally stated.

Kenzie smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you."

Sonja had been commissioned to make two robes. One for Elder Bantu the other for his life mate Female Elder Me'kri. They were attending a function with another clan along with a few of the other elders. It was in an attempt to form an alliance between the two clans. She had been told that there had never been any bad blood between the two so forming an alliance seemed like a diplomatic strategy. She knew her father-in-law would be attending as well and had decided to surprise him with a new robe.

She was putting the final touches on the first one when her daughter walked into the work room C'bra had added to their house for her. The teenager inspected the garment for a moment before speaking.

"That looks really good, Mom. Is it for the Elder or Grandpa?"

"The Elder. I'm going to make your grandfather something a bit more prestigious since he outranks this particular Elder."

Jay pulled herself up onto the table and watched her mother work for several moments in silence. Sonja figured the girl wanted something. It wasn't that she never watched her work on robes, it was simply that she kept sighing every so often.

"What is it?" She finally questioned.

"I was wondering when the next time was that we were going to the home planet. I wanted to go to the trading center there and see if they had a camera since it's bigger than the one on the ship."

"There are cameras on the ship." Sonja told her looking up at her.

"No. I'm talking about an old Polaroid camera."

"Oh. Well, why don't you call you're Dad. He's headed to Earth if he hasn't already made it. Why don't you ask and see if he can find you one."

"Oh yeah!" Jay exclaimed completely forgetting that her Dad had left headed towards Earth. She hopped off the table and Sonja was glad she wasn't sewing or the sudden movement would have messed her up.

Getting back to work, she listened to the monitor beep as Jay called the ship to reach her father. It was only a moment before it was answered.

"Hi Uncle." She heard the girl say and Sonja didn't look over to see who she was talking to. She called all of C'bra's clan brothers Uncle. Even those two annoying ones she couldn't stand.

"Hello, Jay." The voice responded and Sonja knew that it was Xile.

"Can I speak to my Dad?"

It wasn't a minuted later before Sonja heard Jay talking to C'bra. She asked him if they had made it to Earth yet and he informed he that they were preparing to leave the next day. She then asked how the hunt was going before asking him for what she wanted.

For a moment it got quiet and Sonja had to look up to see if he was still there. He was and he seemed to be thinking. Finally, he told her he would see what he could do. His eyes then shifted to where she was sitting working on the robes.

"Jay, let me speak with our mother in private."

Sonja watched as her daughter looked between them both, before shaking her head and exiting.

"Come closer." C'bra requested.

Sonja got up from her seat and walked over to the screen. He began to purr lightly and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Remove your shirt." He requested.

She shook her head. "No."

"Come on." He then stated.

Again she shook her head. It was at times like these that she realized they had been together far too long and he was picking up way too many human habits. Granted this one was her fault.

When he would go out on hunts that would take him away for a couple weeks at a time, Sonja would miss him. So one day, she had them engage in a bit of video sex. It had taken some convincing to get him to touch himself, but in the end they had both enjoyed it. Now, every time he left he wanted to partake in it again. Normally, she wouldn't have minded, but he was on the ship with other people. Any of them could have walked in at any time.

"No, there are two many people on the ship with you."

She watched as he sighed and did, what she had deemed, the yautja equivalent of pouting. "Don't worry. You'll be home in about a week. I'll make it up to you then."

"You better." He stated before telling her goodbye and ending the call.

Yes, he definitely had picked up too many of her tendencies.

"A camera that prints pictures?" Kenzie questioned and C'bra nodded. She thought for a moment, and then realized what he was asking for. "Oh. A Polaroid camera. Yes, I know what they are, but they are sort of old. Why do you want one?"

"Its for Jay. She would like one."

Kenzie nodded. "I'm sure we could find one someone around here. We just have to find a place that sold cameras."

C'bra nodded grateful that she knew what he was talking about. They were supposed to be leaving, but he figured they could spare a little time for him to find Jay her camera. She hardly ever asked for anything, preferring to work for anything she truly wanted, so he didn't see the harm in getting it for her.

He and Kenzie left the ship. They didn't see a need to cloak themselves. After she had bathed the child the previous cycle they had asked her if there were any other oomans in the area. She had stated that most of them had left, but those who hadn't weren't very nice and were like Hollis. The man that Viper had dispatched of.

Therefore, C'bra figured if they saw them he could just kill them being that they were bad bloods. It made perfect sense to him. Though the girl wasn't even sure any of them were still alive since she'd run away when one of the Hard Meat had attacked her hideout. He was amazed that she got away.

It had taken them a couple of ooman hours, but they had finally found what they were looking for. It was quite a few of them and after reading the boxes, Kenzie had placed three of them in the carrier with wheels she had grabbed when they entered. She then filled it with what she said was the photo paper for it before going to the back and seeing if there was anymore.

Once they made it back to the ship, she placed the items in a crate and labeled it before letting the carrier roll away down the ramp. He closed it and signaled to Ca'tor that they were ready to take off.

Walking into the kitchen he found his brother with Cydney and it seemed he was attempting to color with her as Kenzie had told them all it was called. He couldn't tell from the picture if Viper was doing an adequate job or not. However, the little girl seemed to be content so that was all that mattered. She was still a bit cautious and suspicious of them at times, but that was to be expected until she got used to them.

"That's a dog. Dog's aren't purple silly." He heard the little girl tell Viper with a laugh. He was sure his brother knew that, but was simply playing with the young girl.

A moment later, Kenzie walked in and he watched as the little girl lit up. He wasn't sure whether or not his brother and Kenzie planned on taking the girl, but figured if they did it would be for the best for all of them.