Nicole>
The Calamarians had been defeated and the force fields were down. Michael and the others must have been successful. I worried about Stacey. She had been fatally wounded during the battle on the streets and Darrax had taken her off somewhere safe so she could recuperate. But they hadn't returned yet. I had to find them, something must have happened.
"Travis, we need to find Darrax and Stacey," I said.
"Right."
I morphed to prairie falcon as Travis morphed to merlin falcon. We need something fast and with good eyesight. We soared above the buildings, scanning the ground below.
I see them,> Travis called. They're in the park.>
I looked to where he said and saw Stacey lying on the ground with Darrax kneeling beside her. He held her hand and stroked her hair affectionately. She was human, but still unconscious. There was something about the way Darrax was acting, like he had a deep affection for her, a type of love. I landed behind some bushes with Travis and returned to my human form. We waited a couple of minutes, I wanted to hear what he was saying.
"I'm glad you asked me to join," he whispered to her. "I wanted to be with you as much as possible, I love you."
"I love you too," Stacey said to him.
She sat up and smiled, staring deeply into his eyes. They embraced each other and remained until I stepped on a twig. Darrax jumped up and assumed his fighting stance, blades poised and tail twitching.
"Who's there?" he called. "Show yourself!"
I stepped out from behind my hiding place with Travis and approached them. Darrax relaxed. Stacey began to blush after she found out it was us.
"How long have you two been standing there?" she asked.
"Long enough," I said. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
She sighed. "Darrax and I sort of have a relationship going. We care about each other a lot and we want to be together."
"Let's take a walk."
Stacey got up and followed me to a nearby bench where we sat down together.
"Sis, I love you, but you are seriously whacked!"
"What's you're malfunction?! I happen to like Darrax."
"He's not even your species," I argued.
"So! Tobias' father was an Andalite and Darrax's great-grandmother was an Andalite."
"But you are a human, an interspecies relationship between the two of you just isn't possible."
Stacey stormed off. "I'm not letting your prejudice come between us," she yelled.
"I'm not prejudice, I just think it's ridiculous!" I yelled back.
What could I possibly do? She wouldn't listen to me no matter what I said. So what if she was a year older than me, I didn't care. I wasn't going to let her get involved in something stupid like this. It was completely useless. How would our parents respond to this? Dad might say it was okay, but Mom on the other hand would have a fit. Her daughter having a relationship with an alien, it wasn't normal. Stacey was silent the entire way to City Hall, she was ticked off at me.
What did you say to her?> Travis asked in private thought-speak. She's really PO'ed.>
I told her the truth: it was impossible to have an interspecies relationship. She couldn't possibly be in love with him.>
A wise woman once told me that true love has no boundaries.>
Who was that?>
My mother. She said that when she was my age she was in love with your father, but the war with the Yeerks had, in a way, turned him cold. He was depressed by seeing his parents enslaved by his own brother, and by the fact that he may one day have to kill him. Mom couldn't love someone who was virtually lifeless.>
I guess you have a point,> I said. I'll try to be more supportive. If it works out for them, good. If not, I'll hand out the tissues.>
There was a large crowd gathered near the building when we arrived. Ketara, Michael, and Cheyenne had returned from their assignment. Reporters took pictures and asked them questions. We landed and demorphed. Cameras and people swarmed around us.
"This is Donna Strickland for Action News. I am standing outside City Hall with a group of amazing young people. People, whom many say, defeated the alien invaders," she said to the camera. "Can you tell us who you are?"
Stacey stepped forward. "We call ourselves the Animorphs."
"Do you have any connection with the earlier Animorphs?" another reporter asked.
"They're our parents," Cheyenne said.
That got quite a few comments and remarks from the journalists and crowd. They seemed amazed by the fact that we were the next generation of Animorphs.
"Why have you emerged? Is it possible the Yeerks have returned?" Strickland asked.
"That is unbeknownst to us at the moment," Stacey said. "If however, they decide to come back, they'll have to get through us first."
The crowd cheered. We answered a few more questions then went home. Stacey was still not speaking to me. I had to make amends, but how? I had an idea.
Darrax, Jason, and Michael I need you three to come with me for a minute. We'll catch up with you guys later.>
I veered off towards a wooded area with the others following closely behind. I dove for a small clearing and landed softly on the grass. We stood as three humans and one Hork-Bajir under the shade of the trees.
"What is it Nicole?" Jason asked.
"I really only need to speak to Darrax, you two can go in a minute," I walked over to Darrax. "I need you to acquire their DNA. Trust me on this."
Darrax stepped up to Michael and Jason and placed one clawed hand gently on each one's shoulder. A look of tranquility was upon their faces as their genetic code became a part of him. Once the acquisition process was finished Jason and Michael left, leaving Darrax and I alone.
"You wanted to speak to me?" he asked.
"I know how you feel about my sister, so I figured I'd make it up to you."
"How?"
"Morph human, I think it would be difficult for you two to make out with those blades of yours."
Darrax agreed to my plan after careful consideration. We headed back to my house to find Stacey. I hoped she would forgive me for what I said earlier. Maybe Travis was right, maybe true love does have no boundaries.