Chapter 5 Babysitting

Howlyn was a sleep. Well close enough anyway. He was aware that he has in his bed at Renee's and that the sun was starting to pour into his room. He could remember the quiet car ride back and how all Renee wanted to do was sleep when they returned to the apartment. He had kicked off his shoes and passed out face first on his bed soon after. He could even remember thinking that humans were far to easily tired out before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Then for one full instant instinct took hold of him. He spun around on his bed clearing the edge of it and falling flat on his face. His head shot up ward to see what had made him jump clear out of his bed. He almost collapsed back onto the floor. Here sitting with a huge grin on her face was Justina.

"How the hell did you." Howlyn trailed off looking over his shoulder. His door was ajar, he had forgotten to close it all the way. "Dam." He muttered pulling himself off the cold floor. Justina grinned wider holding her arms up to be held. He glared at her.

"I don't know why you decided to escape our crib, crawl through my door, and climb onto my bed but I know the end result if you try anything like this again. Remember the window?" Howlyn hissed through his teeth. She didn't seem to hear but stuck her arms out further. Howlyn looked at her then drew a deep breath through his nose.

"I am not talking to an infant. Because that would be insane." He said sarcastically to himself. He looked at the dark haired kid on his bed again; she still had her arms out.

"You're going back to Renee now so I won't have to deal with you." Howlyn said picking the child up. He carried her at arm length out of his room and down the hall. He was glad that the door was also slightly open so he could just nudge the door open with his bare foot.

"Renee-" He started. He stopped in her doorway a bit surprised; she was still asleep. She was twisted up in her sheets her hair tied back in a pony tail and trailing down the side of her pillow. Her brow was pulled together as if in careful and distressing thought as she continued to dream. //A stunning human. // Howlyn thought for a second forgetting why he had come into her room to begin with.

Then his eyes traveled back to what was in his hands. He faced hardened and he marched across to set the kid in her crib. The gate was still up and Howlyn was having trouble seeing how she had gotten out of it at all. He spun on his heel and was headed to the door till he heard Renee's voice.

"Howlyn?"

He whirled around so fast his head almost came clear off his head. His heart had stopped working; his body set in a defensive crouch, his eyes whirling.

She was still asleep.

He let out a sigh of relief. // Well that could had been bad. // He thought straightening his back. // Wait, is she dreaming about me? // He could just hear her talking in her sleep. He moved closer to her bed so that he could hear better.

"No you don't get it." She murmured shifting in her sleep. Howlyn stepped closer. "That's not it. Yes but-" Her face changed to discomfort. "You don't know who we are, we don't know who we are." She was mumbling but Howlyn was fairly sure that's what she was saying; but what the hell did that stuff mean?

Howlyn backed away from her bed. He didn't want to be here, he wanted to leave now. He rushed out of the room heading straight for the bathroom. He closed and locked the room then splashed water on his face.

"What the hell was I doing?" He asked himself in the mirror. He ripped the hair tie out of his hair letting his mane of hair fall around his face. He rustled it so that his forehead was shadowed giving the impression of his former eye ridges.

"This is me!" He insisted. "I am not weak. This is my planet, I came here, and I will not jeopardize it because of some human mentality. I will regain this planet and I will NOT loose it to that FEMALE!" He was almost yelling at this point. He closed his eyes pushing his hair back again.

"Ok clam down." He said opening his eyes again staring at the more human looking Howlyn. "Take a shower, it will clam you down. And then you can try to under mind the human race again." He said with a painfully chipper tone. He rolled his eyes at his reflection and started to unbutton his shirt. He flung his socks to the side and left his pants on the floor.

//Human's wear too many clothes. What I wouldn't give for my exo-suit right now. Strong, simple, and flexible, what was so hard about that? // He thought stepping into the shower. He eyed it over once seeing how too work it. Not voice activated like on the ship, it had two knobs and some type of faucet with a pull-tab.

He pulled and twisted one of the knobs and water came pouring out of the faucet. One toe hit the hot water and he jumped to the side. He spun the other knob cautiously sticking a toe in till the water was right. He then eyed the tab on the faucet. He pulled up.

"Aaahhh!" He cried jumping forward under the spray of water pressing himself against the wall. He glared up at the showerhead. He had forgotten what a shock it was to the body when a change of tempeture happened. He turned, adjusted the height of the spray, and slowly stepped in to the rain of hot water.

"Ok this is better." He said tipping his head back so that his mane of black locks to catch the water. He closed his eyes in thought.

"When did I get into the habit of talking to myself?" He said reopening his eyes. He moved so the water hit his shoulders in direct torrents. "I guess when I became the first to have this happen to them. No that's no true, Renee's done this before." He laughed at the thought.

//Of course she would understand. // He grinned more. //Yeah like that's going to happen. 'Hey Renee it's me, Howlyn. Yes I'm human now. What, no put your gun away.' //

He laughed again spinning so that water hit the front of his throat. //No the truth would get me no where. What I could do was make her fall for me willingly in this form. Not just that but give her my good points when I was normal. Speaking of I wonder if Sandoval has responded to my e-mail yet? // He would have to stay in the house by himself to find out.

"Well if that's what I have to do then that's what I'll do." He said a grin still playing on his lips.

***

Renee was dreaming; she knew it but she wanted to see where it was going. She was back in the hotel where she had gotten the jeweled eyes but this was different. She was alone in the room but she was sure someone was coming and that she did not want to be here when they arrived. She walked rapidly to the door and through it open.

Howlyn stood in the doorway his muscled arms braced on the frame. His hair was loose; he eyes dark and yet somehow amused at the same time. He stepped into the room sending a wave of power ahead of him forcing Renee to step back.

"Hello Ms. Palmer." His voice was cold.

"Howlyn?" Renee asked holding her ground now despite her fear.

"Who else could it possibly be Renee? I told you I would never leave you." He was a bit mad yes. Not the crazy mad but the angry mad.

"You can't blame a girl for trying to save her race can you?" She said taking an involuntary step back.

"No but you find it fit to blame me for trying to save mine."

"No you don't get it." Renee insisted shaking her head.

"No I do get it Renee. We are the same. We are trying to save our people the best way we know how because neither of us is willing to walk a mile in the other's shoes. We want each other but that's about as much as we are willing to admit."

"That's not it."

"Do you want me?" He asked stepping closer.

"Yes, but-" Howlyn grabbed her shoulders.

"I know you Renee and you know me."

"You don't know who we are, we don't know who we are." Renee said looking into his eyes. "I sorry, you're right about us being the same and wanting each other but we can't be together. Not the way we are now, not here."

They looked away from each other in silence. After a minute Howlyn spoke.

"You're still my mate Renee. No matter what happens to us, you're still my mine."

***

Renee eyes flew open as a thud hit her adjacent wall. She looked at it for a second. She could hear the sound of running water on the other side. //Jared must be taking a shower. // She looked at Justina's cradle. Little blue eyes stared back over the top on the crib's rim.

"Good morning sweetie." Renee said getting out of bed. She picked up her child setting her on her knee for a full five minutes before she moved again. It was going to be an interesting day she knew that but she wasn't sure she wanted to see it.

**

Howlyn shut the water off shaking off the droplets of water. He stepped out, grabbed a towel to wrap around his legs, and scooped up his clothes. He was in the middle of opening the door and shaking out his hair when he noticed his was not alone. He followed up the pair of shapely legs to see a very surprised Renee holding a very small Justina.

"Good morning." She said with a slightly cocky grin seeping onto her face.

"Morning." he said slowly; he was slightly frozen into place.

"I need to ask you for a favor once your dressed." She said still standing in his way to his room. They stood there for a moment.

"Ah excuse me." Howlyn said motioning past her. She looked to suddenly realizing what she was doing.

"Oh yeah sorry about that." She said stepping out of the way. He edged out of his room slightly embarrassed and closed the door. At the same time they both said:

"This is going to be a long day."

***

Howlyn open the door to his room. Renee was gone from the hallway but he could hear the TV on. He closed his door and started quietly down the hall towards the living room. When he turned the corner Renee was sitting on the couch with Justina. She had her coat on and it looked like she was leaving.

"Where are we going?" He asked stepping into the room. She looked up.

"Oh no we're not going anywhere. But I do need to go soon. That's kind of why I need to ask you a favor." Renee said standing up.

"What kind of a favor?" Howlyn asked unworried. //If it involves being alone with the computer it's worth it. // Was his thinking.

"Street and I are working with the Resistance today. It could be dangerous and I don't know when I'll be getting back. And well, I was wondering if you could watch Justina for today." Howlyn almost fell over in surprise.

"Wha what?" He stammered. "You don't want me to tell you things I know about the Atavus?"

"Well you could always type that on the computer. You do know how to use a computer right?" She asked walking toward the door. Howlyn stood watching her go still unable to move.

//Do it for the computer Howlyn. All you have to do is just NOT kill the kid. // He thought trying to breathe again.

"Sure I can do that." He said finally.

"Thank you so much. I am sorry to be springing this on you but you're the only one that knows about Justina that can do it. Money's on the counter and my global signal is next to it. See you both soon." And with that she stepped out the door and was gone. He stood there for a minute waiting for his mind to catch up with him. He looked at the baby.

"Even think about crying and let's us say you won't bounce when you hit." Howlyn said plastered a fake grin on his face. Justina grinned back a small giggle escaping her lips. He glared at her and sat down on the couch as far away from her as possible. He had to wait a while to see if Renee would be coming back so he decided to watch TV.

He sat a while focusing solely on the screen. After a while he got the feeling he was being watched. Without moving his head Howlyn looked at the other end of the couch. She was smiling at him. He continued to watch the TV. The longer he watched the harder it was not to check what the kid was doing. He glanced again. She was still smiling.

//What is with that girl? It's been five minutes and she hasn't stopped looking at me. No child has that great an attention span. //

This time he whipped around about ready to bite her head off. Only she wasn't there. He froze, thought a bit, and then got up from his seat. He turned around slowly examining the room.

"Oh human brat.where did you go?" Howlyn asked in a quiet singsong voice. He spun as he heard a giggle from behind him. He leaned over the back of the couch. He came face to face with a coffee table.

He slipped around the side of the couch, paused listening carefully for any sounds of retreat, and dropped to the floor to catch her. Under the table was a teddy bear. This was when he came to the conclusion she was toying with him. And surprisingly he didn't mind.

He knew this game 'Hunt and Hide' had been a favorite of his to play with his brother. He had always been better at hiding, his brother the better hunter. Which had made the games far more interesting than usual. Setting up false trails, playing mind games with the other, and for the most part a lot of ingenious battle tactics. The leaving of the teddy bear reminded Howlyn of something he would do.

"Ok Justina you want to play, we'll play." He said sitting lying on the floor. Instead of standing his moved on to his hands and feet crouching on the ground. He slithered forward under the table till he reached the end of the couch. He paused listening for a telling sound. He could only hear the TV still playing. She was either using it as a cover for her own sounds, she was out of range, or she was sitting still in wait.

//Ok maybe I'm giving her to much credit. Then again that's what I thought a bout Renee. // That decided it, she was out there and very much her mother's equal. He checked around before sticking his head around the side of the couch. His bedroom and the bathroom doors were opened. He stopped.

//Which one? One is most likely a set up so she can slip out of the one she's in. The bathroom. She'll think it's too open and that's why I won't look there. Well she's wrong. // Staying low to the floor he crawled closer to the door. He made no loud sounds as he reached the door. He pushed it open.

Nothing to be seen. She wasn't hiding behind the toilet or standing in the bathtub. He opened the cabinets under the sink. Then in the tub it's self. She wasn't there. Hoping she hadn't thought to leave the bedroom yet he made his way there. She wasn't there too. He moved back into the hall.

"Where the hell-" He froze. A tiny black pair of shoes was sitting at the opening of the bathroom. And not just set there but placed side by side facing him. Howlyn picked them up and walked into the living room. She was sitting on the couch watching TV just like he knew she'd be.

"Ok that was good." Howlyn said. Justina looked at him briefly and returned to watching her show with newfound interest. "I will hind out how you did it."

She looked at him again only this time not moving her head. The look said very clearly what she was thinking: 'No you won't.'

"A draw then?" Howlyn asked. She looked at him a little longer then turned to the TV in agreement. Howlyn grinned slightly and crossed the room to sit in his spot at the end of the couch. Justina paid him no mind. They sat like that till the show ended. Then Howlyn stood and went to the computer. Justina moved her head so she could see what he was doing.

He flipped the thing on and took a seat. He clicked on to the net and typed in the site he wished to see. Sandoval had to have gotten back to him by now. As always he was right, an e-mail was waiting for him at the site. It read as follows:

Howlyn

Both pieces of news are being circulated. I have been informed of what happened on the ship. We need to meet to run tests. Set time and place.

AG. SANDOVAL

Howlyn stared back at the screen, thought a while, and than typed:

Ag. Sandoval

One hour; the corner of 5th and 20th in NY. Bring a baby pen.

HOWLYN

(AN: Next time a discovery is made. You'll have to review if you want the next chapter. And if I were you I would review.)