Hunter Hunted: The Chronicles of Clan Mason

by Ghostnobody

This will be the tale of the original members of Clan Mason, how thier lives of freedom began on the world of Jack Mason and Tik eleth Mason, each chapter will follow a different couple and chronicle thier lives, thier triumphs and thier failures, thier loves and thier heart breaks, so come with me now and see not only how the mighty Clan grew but how they lived. (HumanXAlien sex)

8. Chapter 8

Hey Peeps GhostNobody here checking in with everyone, well here comes the sad news as some of you who are in my discord already know this is the final instalment of Chronicles, I've done all i can do with this one and as I promised covered all the main characters from the first Hunter Hunted.

We walked in their shoes, seen their lives, their loves, their hope and their dreams together and its been a fun ride if I do say so myself.

I've shed a lot of tears writing this as an author it's never easy to kill characters off, in a way it feels like killing a part of yourself, you created them and brought them to life for everyone to enjoy their antics and when the time comes for them to lie down it hurts.

But the show will go on as always, my attention will now be more focused on Hybrid Wars so the updates on that will speed up and thanks to the happy people in my Discord constantly whispering in my ear and bouncing ideas with me there will be another instalment of Chronicles coming in the future, Chronicles the Next Generation, (Insert Picard face palming meme here) it will follow the after story for many of the main characters from Enemy of my Enemy, so if you want to know what happened with Rose and Jet, or Aiden and his girls stay tuned people, its coming.

If you feel like getting in on the conversation and want to have your say, pitch me ideas, or just stop in and say hi then come to my Discord i do answer my messages on Fan Fic or AO3 as those I've replied to know, but it far easier and quicker to drop in there as I'm there every day, discord . gg / hES52zn just take the spaces out and you're good to go.

Well enough of my rambling, this is GhostNobody signing off and saying on with the show...

Chapter 8: Stargazer.

Grace was completely and utterly in her oils, an alien world filled with new species and flora for a biologist and xenobiologist like herself to study and catalogue, granted she didn't exactly have a lab to work with but Jack and Tik let her use the facilities aboard the grounded ships where she could use the sensors and could note her findings down.

Though in all honesty it was just good to be able to move around freely without fear that a shadow was going to morph into a Bad Blood warrior and kill her.

Though Tik eleth had warned her that there were plenty of dangerous animals on this planet that would not hesitate to kill her if she went either unarmed or unescorted into the woods or the jungles or even onto the plains which she understood, as a biologist she knew all to well the power of nature when you took her chains off.

So Jack assigned her a guard for when she wanted to venture into the field to do her studies, she was surprised by how many of them did it so willingly without any kind of argument or problem, back on Earth whenever she'd had to have an armed escort to do field studies the mercenaries or soldiers always seemed disgruntled or like the work was beneath them, but here everyone was just so friendly and happy, it was more like a giant family rather than a fledgling society with everyone helping each other.

She also took silent notes and observations on the interpersonal relationships she saw blooming among the people of Clan Mason, the Yautja females seemed to her to be rather sexually aggressive and dominant, but that wasn't to say that they didn't respect the human males they were chasing after, in fact, that was far from the truth, it was obvious that they utterly adored them and were going to extreme lengths to impress them just to get the chance to be their suitors, she found it fascinating as it seemed to be an almost mirror opposite to how Earth's gender politics worked, but from what she saw when the female obtained her male it wasn't like she utterly dominated him or 'wore the trousers' so to speak, but rather treated him as her exact equal, her parter in all things.

The Xenomorphs on the other hand were an even more interesting bunch, despite their obvious size and power, the queens were models of gentleness around both the humans and the Yautja, though from what she observed, the queens were only interested in humans, a fact that was confirmed as when the months ticked by the three queens paired off with three human males that they referred to as their kings.

The Clan built her a lovely little house that became half lab, half home to her, and despite doing her best with what she had she kinda felt like she could do more, so she went to Jack and Tik to get permission to set up a proper lab, as she sat in their living room marveling at all the trophies that decorated the walls, everything from polished skulls to teeth and claws of all sorts of shapes and sizes, not to mention weapons, their whole house was like an armory.

Tik brought both Grace and Jack a cup of the amazing tea that they made here, Jack had told her proudly that Tik grew the leaves herself as well as picked and dried them, "Thank you, Grand Matriarch," she said, accepting the ceramic cup and taking a sip of the sweet tea and Tik smiled in that unusual way that her kind did by drawing their mandibles up which gave her face an almost scrunched up, pinched kinda look, she dropped into the seat next to Jack and leaned on him, one thing that Grace had observed was that Yautja females were very, very possessive of their claimed male, they seemed to display a kind of guarding behavior, maybe in Yautja society itself females fought over males, or maybe their birth rates made them competitive, or maybe it was a throw back to their ancestral past, it was fascinating either way and it was just one of the many, many things she wished to study.

Tik wrapped her arms around Jack and leaned herself against him and he regarded her with those incredibly sharp blue eyes of his, it was like they seemed to glow with a kind of inner light, his kind called themselves Dream Warriors and they were incredibly powerful beings, both Jack and his son Ryan were among their number and given she'd seen with her own eyes how powerful they were and could be when they wanted to only a fool would disrespect them.

"So, Grace, how can we help you?" Jack asked, taking a sip from his tea before pausing to kiss his wife's mandibles gently in thanks, she purred softly and extended her mandibles to stroke his face, one thing that Grace had observed was that all Yautja females seemed to share was that they were utterly unashamed when it came to expressing their love for their chosen male, no matter where they were or who they were with, public displays of affection were the absolute norm here, though whether it was simply out of love or as a signal to all other females that this one was claimed was a matter for debate, though who she would debate it with was yet another question.

"I need a lab, I want to really study this place and all the things in it, I've been doing what I can with what you've already given me and I am immeasurably grateful for it, but I want to be useful to the Clan, I'm not a warrior like the rest of you, I'm a scientist, I need to research and to study, but I need a place to do it, a place dedicated to it," she said, and Tik clicked her mandibles in a way that was thoughtful.

"You could always ask Citrus and Yoshi if you could join their hive, they're turning the place into a place of engineering and of study I'm sure if you asked they'd let you join, they could probably use your expertise, though they may very well ask you to help them grow their number," Jack said.

Grace cocked her head curiously, "Grow their number how exactly?" she asked.

"The Xenos are born through parasitic implantation and the Xeno grows inside you, taking on both characteristics from you and its parent species, the queens are all asking for volunteers to help them grow their hives, now normally this process is lethal to the host as the implanted Xeno bursts its way out of the chest when fully matured, not pretty, trust me, but fortunately for the people and Xenos here as, believe me when I say, none of the queens here wish to see a single hair on a single head here harmed, the Yautja have extensive experience when dealing with their species, given that they've hunted them for generations, a process that earned them their full blooded status, a rite of passage if you will, one that is utterly and completely banned here, they are our brothers and sisters and they will never be mistreated here, they are free Xenos under our protection, what I'm saying is this, we have the medical technology in the ships medical bays to extract the Xenos from their hosts without any risk to either, so the Xenos, for the first time in their history, get to have a relationship not only with their queens and siblings but with their surrogate parent as well, wins all around because all three queens have told me the same thing independently, that it is a Xeno's greatest sorrow that their birth ends the life of the one who brings them into the world," Jack said.

Grace was thoughtful, "So if I do this for them they'd let me into their hive?" she asked, and Jack nodded.

"To them you'd be family because one of them is born of you, but all the queens have quite clearly stated to me in no uncertain terms that they will never ever push this on anyone, it is a choice, nothing more, no obligation and no pressure," Jack said, and Grace nodded, his words had given her a sense of security and safety and she nodded.

"Thank you both, I will head over to their new hive tomorrow and speak to them," Grace said, and she finished her tea before rising to her feet and shaking both of their hands in thanks and then making her way across the small town to her little cabin home, Jack was already talking about expanding it and bringing in fresh blood to the place, more humans who met a very strict criteria, this would help alleviate some of the problems like there not being enough of them to go around all the human loving aliens that they now had a growing surplus of.

Grace looked out at the large conical shaped biological structure that was Citrus and Yoshi's hive, it was utterly incredible how fast she'd constructed the thing, Grace had sat on a little wooden stool taking notes and sketches, not to mention voice notes as she'd watched the huge queen scurrying around molding and shaping the place, it was a huge structure made from some sort of bio-organic resin and polymer, she'd been meaning to get closer and take a look at it, the stuff was utterly incredible and both durable and all weather proof, she'd watched her secrete it and and form it, though not from close enough to see how or where from, but once dry the stuff was utterly water proof, having endured the rain storms they got around here with zero effect.

That night she had nervous dreams, some excited at the prospect of becoming a mother of sorts, the others were not so pleasant with images of a baby Xeno bursting out of her chest, but the call of the scientist won out over her fears, so after a hearty breakfast Grace made her way over to the huge conical shaped hive of Citrus and Yoshi.

She couldn't find anywhere to knock for the huge door like structure which to her surprise swung in easily as she touched the solid structure, this was truly incredible stuff, the place was kinda maze like with lots of winding tunnels made entirely of the polymer that was surprisingly soft under foot, "Hello?" Grace called out repeatedly as she walked.

"Can I help you?" a feminine voice suddenly hissed out of nowhere, making Grace nearly jump out of her skin and she whirled on the spot to find the giant Xenomorph queen had seemingly materialized out of thin air, she utterly towered over her but she didn't seem threatening somehow.

"Ahh, yes, my name is Grace Osbourne, Grand Patriarch Jack and Grand Matriach Tik eleth sent me here, you see, I'm a scientist, a biologist and Xenobiologist specialising in non-humanoid life, they told me that yourself and your king are turning your hive into a place of engineering and scientific study and that if I was willing to help you that you might be willing to help me by giving me a place to work here in your hive," Grace said, and the big queen let out a soft hiss, moving closer as if to inspect her, she was a truly incredible specimen.

"It's ok, my love, I know her, she was on the reserve planet with me," Yoshi's voice suddenly rang out, and he appeared out of one of the tunnels and she turned to look at the small Japanese man who beamed at her.

"It's good to see you, Yoshi, it's been a while," Grace said, hugging him as he got close and he smiled at her.

"Well, me and my beauty queen here have been very busy as I'm sure you can tell," he said as Citrus slid up behind him and embraced him with the small arms on her chest.

"Yes, I can see that, this place is utterly incredible," Grace said, and Citrus hissed happily, obviously pleased at her assessment of their home.

"Thank you, yes, my beauty queen is very proud of it and rightly so, she has built us quite the little castle here, a place that we are going to dedicate to the scientific and engineering arts and pursuits, it is going to be a place of knowledge and of learning that will benefit not only the entire Clan but all of us and maybe even beyond that, a place where problems come to be solved and questions come to be answered," Yoshi said proudly, and Grace felt her heart soar like a bird on the breeze.

"Yes! That is exactly the place I am looking for, if you will permit it I would very much like to become a part of this place, I am willing to pay admittance if need be, Jack and Tik said you needed help with bringing your offspring into the world given how the way Xenomorphs reproduce and I am willing to undergo the procedure to help you if need be," Grace said, and Citrus actually looked surprised.

"Seriously? You would help me bring our children into this world? Just to be a part of our hive?" She said, and Grace nodded.

"Yes, Jack and Tik assured me that the procedure is completely safe and that there would be no risk to me or the fetus with the technology that we possess, so, yes, I am more than happy to do this for you so that I too will have a place in this world, a place that I can be and feel useful," Grace said, and to her amazement Citrus stepped forwards and picked her up into the biggest hug she had ever received in her life.

"Thank you, young human, thank you, you have no idea what those words mean to me, to us, and of course we will have a place for you here, you will help us shape young minds and explore new things, you will help us learn and discover beautiful and brilliant new things, our family will grow and you will be a part of it, a family within the family that is Clan Mason," Citrus said, and Grace smiled.

"So, umm, how does it work exactly?" Grace asked, looking at them both when she got put down.

"Oh, don't worry, we've worked out the details and the process to a tee already, you will be unconscious during implantation as it is kinda unpleasant and we do not wish you to experience any fear whatsoever, we do not wish this experience to be tainted for you, we want it to be something beautiful for you as it is for us, so that you will look on the offspring that you bring into this world with nothing but love as any parent would, no resentment or fear, just love," Yoshi said.

"Are you undergoing it too, then?" Grace said, and Yoshi beamed at her and pointed.

"See, my beauty queen? Told you she was sharp, yes, I will be right alongside you as the first batch of my and Citrus's children are brought into this world, along with a few other volunteers who have so very kindly like yourself decided to take this step with us," Yoshi said.

This made Grace feel a hell of a lot better that she wouldn't be doing this alone, "So, when are we doing this?" Grace asked.

"Well, the sooner the better, i should be able to get everyone together for tomorrow, I'll let Tik and Jack and know and they'll prep the med bays, you will be in the med bay the entire time under very close observation so there will be nothing to worry about, Xenos grow incredibly quickly so you'll be in there for just over a day and then once the time comes the child will be extracted and your body will be lasered up and you'll be as good as new," Yoshi said calmly and with a smile on his face.

"Out of curiosity, how is the embryo implanted?" Grace said, the scientist in her getting the better of her and Yoshi nodded.

"I figured you'd ask, my love?" he said, turning to smile at Citrus who turned and held out her hand to the floor, out of nowhere a small creature that looked like a cross between a hand and a spider but with a long tail scurried out of the shadows and climbed straight into the queen's palm before she lifted it for her to see.

"We call them facehuggers, don't be afraid, they are one hundred percent obedient to their queen, they act only on instruction," Yoshi said as Grace leaned to peer at the small creature which sat in its queen's palm, coiling its long tail around her wrist.

"I guess I don't need to ask as to the exact method of implantation now do I?" Grace said, and Citrus chuckled.

"I wouldn't, it's not exactly pleasant, not lethal by a long shot but the after results are," she said, and Grace nodded.

"It is the the greatest shame in a good Xeno's life that our birth kills the one who carries us, it is the hardest pain to carry, knowing that your life cost the life of another and good Xenos while we know we had no choice but to be born we always honor and pay homage to the one who gave their life for us, when I got here and I saw how life could be and what good people truly were I swore that my hive would not be born on death, that not a single bone of a single sentient being would be laid in the ground because one of her daughters or sons was to be born," Citrus said.

This made Grace feel a lot better about this whole thing and she left their hive with a surprising spring in her step, this was a xenobiologists dream, the direct chance to not only study an alien life form's growth cycle from birth but to also be a direct part of their life, though how much would be utterly fascinating for her to study.

One fairly excited and sleepless night later, Yoshi and Citrus came to collect her from her home, there were nine other volunteers with them, five humans, her making six, and four Yautja who were proud to do their part not only for their Clan but to show their dedication to making up to the Xenos for their past, the group met Jack and Tik at one of the ships that had been prepped for this, the med bay had been prepped to make them comfortable during the procedure.

"Ok, guys, one last chance to back out here, in the sense of pure fairness to all involved and I utterly understand that all of you approached Citrus and Yoshi but in this Clan equality and fairness to all is utterly key, so if anyone is having second thoughts please speak up now, no one will think any less of you, both Citrus and Yoshi want their children born in fully equal love and respect, so there is absolutely no pressure," Jack said, and everyone, including Grace, said they were fine and actually kinda excited to be part of the first Xeno births on this world because they were growing the clan.

This response made both Citrus and Yoshi so incredibly happy, Yoshi actually looked tearful and so, so grateful to everyone and Citrus had to actually cuddle the emotional Japanese man in her arms to steady him and to support him, which actually made all of the gathered group so utterly proud to be a part of this important moment with them.

"Ok, guys, let's get this show on the road then, shall we? All volunteers head into that room there and get changed into the surgical gowns and put your clothes in the lockers, girls to the left, guys to the right, and to the Yautja girls, no sneaking into the guys changing room to sneak a peek, earn it, it's not free, Tik will be watching," Jack said with a playful grin, which Tik echoed as the three Yautja girls in the crowd grumbled as Grace was the only female human in the group, which she thought it was kinda odd but she figured that maybe the guys kinda wanted to know what it was like to carry a baby, which in her opinion was a really enlightened attitude.

Grace went into the narrow changing room and she found a locker with her name stenciled on it and she began to undress and instantly she became aware of the Yautja girls all watching her, "Something wrong, ladies?" she asked as she placed her cardigan and blouse into locker before removing her bra.

The three girls looked down at their own bodies and then back her, the shortest one of the three was eight and a half feet tall and built like she lived in a gym and people pranked her by replacing her water bottle with liquid steroids, "No problem, sorry, we were just comparing and wondering how the males of your species look when naked, your skin looks soft, do the males have soft skin too?" the tallest of the group asked, she had red and orange flecked skin that kinda made Grace think of an autumn painting like that color leaves go when they're ready to fall.

"Yeah, I guess so, males tend to have more body hair than our females, though it does vary from individual to individual, most females of my kind don't like body hair for ourselves so we shave, wax or strip it, males tend not to bother as many females of our kind like body hair as it tends to look manly and masculine, but softness wise, yeah, I guess it's about the same if the skin isn't treated with moisturizer," Grace said, putting the bathrobe-like surgical gown on.

They all made thoughtful clicking noises, "Your males have hair on their bodies as well as on their heads?" the shortest of the three, whose body looked like someone painted a picture of a snow storm at night on a body builder, said, Grace nodded.

"All humans do, it's just thinner on females than on males, it's a throw back to our primate ancestors who had fur to keep us warm, now it's kinda a vanity or fashion and comfort thing, I don't like body hair as I find it really itchy so I utterly strip it all, but I know it doesn't bother most males, take Jack for instance, I know he had kinda thick body hair as I've seen him working at that forge of his in their garden and given how hot it is there he doesn't wear a shirt, how he hasn't burnt it all off with those coals glowing like that I don't know," Grace said, and as one the three Yautja girls made purring, clicking noises.

"You're so lucky, we've all tried to sneak a peek at our Grand Patriarch but we had to run when our Gran Matriarch nearly caught us, she is sooo lucky, she has herself a prime slab of ooman beef and a Dream Warrior to boot, just watching him walk around is enough to get a girl's mandibles clicking and, ohhh, when he bends down or stretches himself it's sooo hard just not to purr right then and there," the middle one, who had skin like a summer golden glow, said.

Grace couldn't help but smile at this and how utterly doe eyed the three of them looked as they were blatantly envisioning Jack caked in sweat working at his blacksmith's forge looking like he was in the Yautja girl equivalent of a Diet Coke advert, in fact, Grace had to try her hardest not to giggle as she had an instant mental image of all of these girls decked out in their battle armor in the middle of a vicious hunt/battle only for them all to pause in place and watch Jack leaning back shirtless and wipe a cold can across his forehead while they were still holding their prey which were also watching him while in the middle of being killed and skinned for some reason.

"Don't worry, girls, I'm sure there will be a human boy out there for you just waiting for his huntress to hunt and catch him," Grace said, smiling at them and earning three bright and hopeful smiles.

"Ummm, do you have any pointers on how to appeal to an ooman male?" the largest of the three asked, looking surprisingly embarrassed and nervous and Grace smiled.

"Honey, I can tell you every cell, bone and part of the human body to the literal Nth degree, but each soul is as different as its owner, just be yourself and don't be too aggressive with them, but be confident, oh, and get to know them, don't assume every human is the same, we all like different things, so talk to them, just remember, all the boys here are receptive to alien advances or they wouldn't be here, would they?" Grace said with a smile as she finished doing up her gown.

All of them smiled at her and nodded, "Thank you, ooman, that makes us feel much better," the shortest one said, and Grace gave her utterly solid arm a pat as she walked by her and back into the operation room.

Grace couldn't deny she felt very nervous and somewhat scared as she was guided to lay down on the bio bed, Jack appeared over her, "Don't worry, Grace, you won't feel a thing, just go sleep like this and wake a mum to be," he said softly.

There was something about the man, whether it was his persona or it was something to do with the Dream Warrior side of him you just couldn't help but feel calm and relaxed around him, he just oozed confidence and it was contagious.

Grace relaxed and accepted the shot to her neck from the hypo that jack was holding and pretty soon he put her on a gas mixture that robbed her body of its strength, it seemed to literally turn her muscles to lead and before she knew it her world was ink black.

Waking up, Grace felt like she had a head full of rocks and a fire in her throat, "Here we go, number five waking up," Jack's gravelly voice said from somewhere over her head.

"Mmmm, you have such a nice voice, you can read me the dictionary any day," Grace slurred, her head all muggy and fluffy like it was filled with clouds or cotton wool.

From above her she heard an angry growl, "Easy, my love, she's doped and doesn't know what she's saying," Jack said softly and soothingly.

"She's the forth one to say something like that and one of them asked you if you were her ooman Angel come to take her away!" Tik snarled angrily.

"Easy, my love, and if I am an Angel then you're the one who gets to stroke my wings," Jack replied playfully.

"Damn right I am!" Tik growled possessively.

"Well, the good news is the implantation took with all of them with zero issues, gotta admit, I'm glad we put them under, that was damn disturbing to watch, to under go it would be bloody horrible," Jack said.

"I agree, I can fully understand how the implantation of my children would be a horrible experience for the host and I dream of the day when it is no longer necessary for it to be this way," Citrus said.

"Don't you worry, my big love, the day will come and we'll both be there to welcome it with open arms," Yoshi said.

Grace's thoughts and feelings began to swim up from the swamp like water of the depths of her mind as the drugs wore off, "Ugghhh," she groaned, louder than she would have liked.

"See? Sounds like she's coming back," Jack said, and Grace lifted her head to see them both standing over her along with Yoshi and Citrus.

Monitors were beeping around her and a scanner screen next to her was displaying a wire frame of a human body, obviously hers, in the chest cavity was a small shape that kinda looked like a cross between a fish and a bogey.

"Is the baby alright?" Grace asked as Jack handed her a cup of water that seemed to have been tinged with electrolyte powder, it tasted vaguely of oranges.

Yoshi tapped the monitor and zoomed in and the fish bogey became a yellow, glowing baby Xenomorph sat right in the centre of her chest just below her heart, it was obviously using the oxygen being fed right from her heart to grow rapidly on the rich blood.

As soon as she saw it she actually felt it moving, twisting inside her and it felt odd, like she had a slimy eel twisting in her guts.

"She looks absolutely fine, very healthy indeed," Citrus said proudly as she leaned her large head down to look at the scan.

"It's a girl?" Grace asked, and Citrus nodded her large head.

"Yes, we're going to have a daughter," Citrus said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Grace, you're not going to have to wait nine months for her to be born, Xenos grow incredibly fast to full maturity, so by this time tomorrow we'll have a healthy baby Xeno and this time the day after she'll be fully grown," Yoshi said.

Grace was utterly amazed by this, two days from conception to basically adulthood, that was utterly amazing.

The ten volunteers spent the day watching the monitors they were hooked up to and all chatting at how amazing it was to not only see the new life growing inside them but how quickly they grew, out of the ten only one was carrying a boy and it was the tallest of the Yautja girls, so nine daughters and one son.

Even on the scans you could see the little mandibles that the baby Xeno had flexing and contracting, "I can hear them, they call out to me," Citrus said softly as she looked at the scans.

Grace looked up from her notes to look at the monitor, she couldn't believe how much the embryo she carried had grown in the day she'd been hooked up, but she now saw part of the reason why they'd insisted on keeping them in the bio beds with nutrient drips hooked up to them.

The little Xenos required so much nutrition to grow so quickly that it made her feel rather weak, but the drips balanced that out, making sure surrogate and baby remained healthy, it balanced both of them out.

Grace felt a few twitches in her chest and a rather uncomfortable pulsing in her chest, instantly the monitors bean to bleep loudly and all gathered turned to look, then another went off and another.

"It's time, put them all under," Jack said calmly, and Grace felt Tik press a hypo against her neck.

"See you in a few hours," she said, and with that everything faded to black.

The loud rhythmic beeping of the monitor faded into her mind and helped to guide her mind out of the depths of the blackness again, when she woke Grace looked around feeling rather confused.

She looked at the ten beds arranged in a circle but now something was different about them, for a moment her foggy mind refused to see it but then it cleared up, at the end of each of the bed was a little crib like bed with a yellow fluffy blanket, in each of them and wrapped up in those blankets was a little baby Xeno.

Citrus noticed that she'd woken up and she stepped up to her, "Would you like to meet her? Our daughter?" she asked softly, her voice hissing.

Grace nodded and Citrus scooped the little swaddled blanket out of the crib and held it out to her, upon taking it Grace instantly saw her, a baby Xeno about the size of a human baby now, her long spindly arms and legs coiled up in her tail and she seemed to have her inner mouth around her thumb.

"She's beautiful," Grace said, feeling an overwhelming rush of emotion, it wasn't her mating that had created her but it was her body that had brought her into the world and it gave her an immense sense of pride and well being.

"Have you given her a name yet?' Grace asked as she gently stroked the little domed head of the baby Xeno who gently fussed before going back to sleep.

"No, I rather thought that you'd like to do that as you are resonspible for her being here," Citrus said.

Grace felt a rush of pride and joy at this, "Abigail, I'll call her Abigail, after my mother," Grace said without a second's hesitation, it had always been her plant to call her first born daughter after her deceased mother whom she'd lost to cancer when she was only eight.

"It's a beautiful name, and don't worry, Grace, she will know she is loved every moment of every day, she was the first Xenomorph child born on this world and the willingness of each and every one of you to help me, no, to help us, bring our family to life humbles me beyond words, you asked for a place in my hive and now it is yours, you are now as much my family as she is," Citrus said, sounding like she was choking back tears.

Grace felt exactly the same and handing back little Abigail to her true mother as she patted the big queen's hand and arm, "Thank you, Citrus, you have no idea what that means to me, I promise you I will do my very best to ensure that your hive will become the place of learning and knowledge that you and your king envision it to be, your hive will do great things for this clan and will be a symbol of what the good, free Xenos can achieve, I swear it to you," she said.

"It's our hive now," Citrus said with a smile, and with that she placed baby Abigail back in her little crib and began checking the others.

They'd been right about how fast baby Xenos grew to full maturity, in just a single day once she'd been transfered from her bio bed to her new home within Citrus and Yoshi's hive, she'd watched Abigail grow from infant into full adult.

Grace's new place in the hive was rather lovely, all her belongings had been transfered as well, she had a rather lovely room that was like an apartment made from that resin polymer, she was the only one of the ten who had chosen to live in the hive but all the other nine swore that they would be a part of their surrogate children's lives as they had something to teach and offer them.

Thanks to the complex way the Xeno hive mind worked, baby Abigail had gained all her queen's knowledge and understanding, it was part of their growing process, from the moment they'd been extracted to the moment she performed her final shed and became full sized she'd been linked to her queen and knowledge had flown into her mind as nutrients had from Grace's body while she'd been growing inside her.

Abigail was as curious about everything as the human woman who had brought her into the world, she wanted so very much to learn and to understand everything she could, she was a true pride and joy for both Grace and Citrus.

"Hey, mom, check this out," Abigail said, appearing in Grace's apartment and making her jump out of her skin, nearly sending the tablet she was working on skittering off her desk.

"Damn it, Abby, how many times do I have to tell you humans can't hear like you guys can!?" Grace grumbled as she heard her daughter snigger.

"Sorry, mom, but you have no idea how funny the faces you pull when you're taken by surprise are," Abigail hissed with a very obvious smile on her face.

"One of these days I'm gonna get your king to tune one of those Yautja hunting cloaks so you lot can't see it and I'm going to scare the crap out of you," Grace said as she took the pad that her obviously excited daughter was waving at her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure Xex will love to get his mandibles into a project like that now wouldn't he?" Abigail hissed playfully, and Grace felt herself flush.

"I-I-I wouldn't know," Grace stammered, and Abigail grinned at her.

"Course you wouldn't, mom, it's not like you spend your entire lunch break every day praying to the gods that his overalls either become see through or mysteriously malfunction and fall off, you know you don't have to feel weird about liking him, he's not related to you in any way, I know humans have hang ups about certain things, but you don't have any link to him and he has none to you so there really wouldn't be an issue would there?" Abigail said as Grace tried to focus on the complex equations in front of her.

"I dunno, it would just feel weird, you know? He's your brother so in a way I kinda feel like his step mom," Grace said in a very soft voice, and Abigail chuckled.

"All this time living in a Xeno hive and you still don't get us, do you?" She said, and Grace scowled at her.

Abigail twinged at that, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I mean that just because I'm linked to him via our queen and our inception you are not, biologically anyway, and if it's this cradle robbing thing that I've heard humans speaking about you know better than anyone that Xenos don't age like your kind, it took me just two days to look like this and I'll still look like this when I'm a thousand years old, well, unless I become a praetorian anyway, so you could date him and no one would bat an eye lid, well, metaphorically anyway," Abigail said.

"I dunno, Abby, I mean, sure, he's the cutest thing on two legs, but aren't I a little old for him?" Grace said, doing her best to evade the question.

"There you go again, mom, thinking like a human, he's not human, mom, he's a Xeno and as hard as we're working here to give us these human gifts he's still going to be a Xeno after all's said and done, age is irrelevant to us," Abigail said.

"Hmmmm, we'll see," Grace said, using her usual dodge to shut down the conversation.

"Wait a moment, wait a moment, look, right here, if we extract these base pairs and adjust this acid," Grace said, drawing on her daughter's pad before handing it back to Abigail who looked at it before her mouth dropped open.

"Mom, that's it! This will give every single Xeno reproductive organs like a human!" Abigail exclaimed excitedly.

Grace grinned at her, "This takes the gene that allows queen Xenos of the evolved genus to mate with any species and combining it with a bit of human DNA will alter the genes of every Xeno here, even those born of Yautja, and give them reproductive organs," Grace said.

"But they still won't be fully active yet, according to what I'm seeing here this will only allow males to reproduce with other species," Abigail said, sounding a little deflated and Grace placed a hand on her surrogate daughter's shoulder.

"It's a step forward, Abby, and a bloody big one, this proves what we've been saying all along, that non-parasitic conception and fertilization is not only possible but doable," she said.

Abigail smiled again and nodded her face, looking determined again, "We'll do this, mom, just you watch," she said, and Grace hugged her surrogate daughter who was easily a foot taller than her.

"That's my girl, now, let's get these results down to the lab and start testing, we should send it over to Cortez and Zara's hive as well, have them double check it," Grace said, and the pair headed down to the bustling labs.

Citrus and Yoshi's hive had, in the couple of years that she'd lived here, turned into the beacon of knowledge that Citrus and Yoshi had dreamed of, after the ten thousand humans had been brought here direct from Earth and more Yautja had followed the path of Tik and had found their way to the world more volunteers had become available and added more genes to the growing pool.

It had given them such focus and a pool of knowledge to draw from, Grace and Yoshi weren't the only humans that lived in the hive and every single one of the ones that did had at least one surrogate son or daughter running around in here.

There were Xenos of all shapes and sizes running about dressed in either engineers overalls or scientist style lab coats, there were weird and wonderful machines being built, experiments being run or Xenos arguing with both other Xenos, humans and Yautja over equations drawn on white boards.

To Grace it was paradise, she and Abigail entered their section of what kinda looked like a giant bee hive with all the little cells being different labs.

Instantly her team turned to look, her team was pretty much all Xeno and only Grace herself and a large Yautja male were the only non Xenos in the team, stood next to the Yautja was a female predalien dressed in engineer overalls.

"Here, I finished those equations you needed, hope they help," the Yautja called Samrathanal, who everyone just called Sam, said.

"Thanks, Patriarch, this should help a ton, I'll see you tonight at home," the female predalien said, patting her surrogate father's shoulder and taking the pad and heading for the door.

"Hello, Doctor Grace," she said as she passed her.

"Hey, Lessa," Grace said as the huge predalien girl walked past, the predaliens were a sub genus of the Xenomorphs born from implantation into a Yautja host and there were quite a few of them in Yoshi and Citrus's hive, not as many as the evolved genus born from humans but no less important.

"Alright, people, we've had a bit of a breakthrough here, let's crunch these numbers and go over these equations," Grace said, bringing up Abigail's work on their main screen and they all gathered around to look and there were hisses and clicks of amazement.

The whole group began working with the new equations and their numbers checked out, Grace contacted Zara and Cortez's hive and linked them in on it as they really seemed to have a handle on everything medical over there and Zara's sons and daughters were all expert doctors and medics so it only made sense to group them in.

Grace's team went into overdrive as this breakthrough was by far the most important thing for the Xenomorph people as it freed them from their dependence on other races and would put them on equal footing with everyone else.

As she was buried in her notes and utterly distracted a large shadow fell over her and Grace glanced up to find herself staring at broad overall covered chest which she managed to drag her eyes away from to find a truly beautiful and handsome face looking down at her and smiling with his oh so pretty mandibles.

"H-hello, Xex, what can I do for you?" Grace stammered in surprise at the incredibly handsome male predalien who was beaming at her so innocently, oh, how could this pretty male have absolutely no clue just how utterly stunning he was?

He had all the best parts of both Xenos and Yautja crammed into that beautiful body of his, he was built like Mr. Freaking Universe, muscles like a Yautja body builder with the grace and litheness of a Xeno, he had a tail so long and luscious that it gave a girl every kind of snake fantasies you could imagine.

Add on top this a face that had the absolute best of both, he was like a predalien male model and the absolute best part as he seemed to have absolutely no clue about it, he was just such a nice, polite and gentle person as you could ever wish to meet and would go to the ends of the Earth just to help someone out.

In short, he was utterly perfection personified, he was the son of the tallest Yautja girls that was with her that day that her surrogate daughter was born, which meant that Xex had also inherited his surrogate mother's skin tone, which gave his skin this delicious rich red, orange and black swirl pattern.

"Hello, Doctor Abigail told me there was a project you'd thought up that you'd like me to help you out with?" Xex said, smiling so innocently that Grace wanted to just kiss the mandibles right off his sweet, handsome face.

Grace leaned her head and saw her surrogate daughter grinning sweetly before miming someone kissing before something rather more lewd behind Xex's back, making Grace flush.

Without even thinking because she was so flustered, "Do you think it's possible to adapt Yautja hunting cloaks so Xenos can't see right through them?" she said.

Xex being sweet and innocent as he was took her seriously, "Hmmmm, you know, that's a rather good idea, some of the guys in the engineering sector have been toying with upgrading our current cloaking tech but thats a fantastic idea, using Xeno sight as the basis we could probably crack a sonar and sonic defeating cloaking system as well! Oh, that's brilliant! Grace, I could kiss you, I'd have never thought of that!" Xex said.

"Oh, you totally should," Abigail said suddenly, and Xex turned to find her standing there and he looked confused.

"Huh?" he said, obviously confused.

"Kiss her, I mean, I mean what better thing could there be to make a pretty woman's day than getting a kiss from a guy she thinks is beauty personified, right?" Abigail said with such sweetness in her voice that it almost disarmed Grace's utter shock at having her secret feelings outed to the man of her dreams.

Xex looked absolutely stunned, "Y-Y-You think I'm handsome?" he stammered, looking rather flustered as he turned back to look at Grace who was feeling just as flustered.

"Xeno, she thinks thinks you're gorgeous, can't you smell her mating pheromones?" Abigail said sweetly before Grace could speak and Xex took a deep breath and his face looked even more stunned and he looked lost, like he didn't know what to do.

"I-I-I, err, ummm, I should go," Xex said, before literally fleeing from the lab, taking Grace's hopes and what felt like her dignity with him.

Grace was utterly furious, mostly out of embarrassment, "Why the hell did you do that!?" she yelled at Abigail, who looked utterly stunned and taken aback by both Xex's quick exit and now even more so at her surrogate mother's anger.

"I-I-I was just trying to give him a shove, I didn't think he'd react like that!" Abigail exclaimed.

"How else did you expect him to react!? You put him and me on the bloody spot and you had no right to do that!" Grace snarled angrily as her embarrassment flared like hot fire in her chest and skin, she felt utterly mortified.

Abigail looked utterly shocked and lost, she'd never heard her mother raise her voice or get angry at a person, she'd seen her lose her temper at failed experiments or corrupted data but never at a person, let alone at her, "I-I-I'm sorry, mom, I didn't think..." Abigail began, and grace cut her off.

"No, you got that fucking right! You had no right to do that to him or me! What were you expecting? Me to just swoon and fall into his arms and for him to carry me off into the fucking sunset? This is not one of those fucking romance novels you and all the other bloody Xeno girls love reading by that fucking stupid bloody GhostSomebody guy! This is real life!" Grace snarled angrily.

"Its GhostN..." Abigail began, but Grace cut her off.

"I don't fucking care!" Grace snarled.

"I-I-I'll go and find Xex and apologise," Abigail said in a small voice, hanging her head in shame.

"Don't you fucking dare! You've done enough damage, just bloody leave it," Grace said, and as her embarrassment hit its peak she turned to her second in command who was trying to look as busy as possible as was everyone else in the lab as to not be drawn in.

"I'm heading out for a bit, Jarra, you're in charge," Grace said, and with that she stripped off her isolation gear and stormed off to find a hole to crawl into that wasn't in the hive.

Grace had never felt so embarrassed in her life and tears streamed from her eyes as she stormed out of the hive and headed up to the edge of the forest area and she found an actual hole or rather a fox hole, a small dip in the floor and she sat in it drew her knees up and just cried.

The worst part for Grace was that she had actually began to believe that some kind of relationship for her had been possible, but seeing that look of pure shock on Xex's handsome face at the mere suggestion of kissing her, how had she been so fucking stupid?

Who in the name of hell would want her?

Socially awkward, utterly clueless in regards to the opposite sex, easily embarrassed, the actual template for the geek girl prototype, literally the furthest thing in the world from what the guys wanted obviously.

She felt so fucking stupid for ever having believed that there could be a glimmer of a chance that a man like him would ever look at someone like her.

About an hour later Grace heard heavy footsteps and she poked her head up out of the hole to find Citrus and Lerra, who was Xex's surrogate mother, along with her human mate standing there looking down at her.

"See? What did I tell you? Never question a huntress when it comes to hunting prey," Lerra said triumphantly.

Out of nowhere Citrus rushed up and plucked Grace from the hole and hugged her tightly to her chest, "Oh, Grace, I was so worried about you!" The big queen said.

"I-I'm fine," Grace said a little shakily as Citrus put her back down.

"Abigail told me what happened and she's distraught, she thinks she's pushed you away from the hive because of what she did," Citrus said, and Grace sighed and shook her head.

"It's fine, my queen, honestly I was just embarrassed and needed to get out of there to collect my thoughts, I'm sorry if I made everyone worry," Grace replied.

"Honestly we're just happy you're ok," Citrus said.

"May I ask you something, Grace?" Lerra said, stepping forwards.

Grace turned to her and nodded, "Do you truly have feelings for my surrogate son?" Lerra asked very bluntly as Yautja tend to.

Grace took a deep breath to dodge it but then realized that this woman had come out to search for her, for reason that she was worried that she may be hurt, she deserved the truth, "Yes, I know I shouldn't because he's like family to me and he's so young but yes I do, I can't help it, he's the most beautiful male I have ever seen, but don't worry, I'm not going to pursue him as..." Grace said, before Lerra cut him off.

"Why not?" Lerra asked, taking Grace aback.

"Huh?" she asked, confused.

"Why aren't you going to pursue him? If you like him you should make your feelings known and stand tall and proud and make your heart clear true, let him decide what he wants, I did not help to raise a coward and I will be talking to him about it, if a female tells him her heart he should pay her the same respect and tell her his, whether it be acceptance or rejection, this is the Yautja way, a thing that you yourself reminded me of when you told me that day in the ship not to give up on my hunt, that one day I would find and claim my prey and you were right, here he stands at my side as proud to be caught as I am to catch him," Lerra said.

Grace was utterly stunned, "Oh, no, it's ok, I don't want to cause him any trouble or embarrassment," Grace said, and now Citrus stepped in.

"You know I can feel his heart as I can all my children, right? I won't dishonor him by telling you the depths of his heart, but you're not fighting a losing battle, Xex is just a shy boy, he has absolutely no clue how handsome he is, he's convinced himself he's ugly somehow, so this is exactly what you both need," she said.

Grace was utterly stunned but before she could open her mouth Lerra chimed in, "And do not fear about any anger from me, I personally believe that you would be a very good fit and mate for my surrogate son because I know you will treat him like he is your treasure and cherish him," she said.

She had never heard something so beautiful in her life and it brought tears to her eyes, "Truly?" was all she could say, and the elder Yautja female smiled softly, as did Citrus.

"Yes, Grace, truly" she said, and one by one, Grace hugged them all, including Lerra's mate, thanking them all for their amazing words and believing in her, but she also asked them one thing, to promise not to put any pressure on him as she didn't want any relationship that might bloom between them to have any taint of any kind of pressure from anyone, she wanted it to be his choice, pure and simple, and they all agreed.

When Citrus and Grace arrived back at the hive all the Xeno's who had been out searching were already back because Citrus had called them and told them she had been found and was safe and sound, Abigail was waiting for them at the entrance and before anyone could speak she flew at Grace and threw her arms around her.

"Oh, mom! I'm so, so sorry! Please don't leave! Please!" the young Xeno wailed, hugging her tightly and doing that Xeno version of crying that they did that seemed to happen inside their heads.

Grace hugged her back and began gently stroking the back of the sobbing little Xeno's domed head, "There, there, don't cry, little one, it's alright," she whispered softly.

Abigail lifted her head to look into her mother's face, "I'm sorry, mom, I didn't mean to make you embarrassed or hurt you, I just want you to be happy, I see how much you like Xex and I see how shy you both are and I just want you both to be happy, he's a super nice and gentle guy and I know you'd make him happy but I didn't want to make you both feel bad and uncomfortable," Abigail sobbed.

"It's alright, little one, I didn't mean to fly off the handle at you, I was just embarrassed at having my heart outed like that, but in all honesty I think I truly did need the push you gave me, otherwise I don't think I'd either have the courage or the heart to do what I'm about to, but before I do I want you to know that I forgive you and I thank you, you are the best daughter a mother could ever wish for and you make me and our hive proud and I know our queen is proud of you too," Grace said, with Citrus nodding enthusiastically in the background behind her.

After that Grace let go of Abigail and drew herself up, taking a few deep breaths and then marching into the hive, Abigail went to say something but a quiet command from her queen stopped her, "Upper level in part storage," Citrus called after her, and Grace gave her a silent wave and a thumbs up as she marched on like a woman on a mission, which is exactly what she was, a woman on a mission of the heart.

Xex was exactly where citrus had said he was, he was in one of the rooms where the engineering teams kept rows and rows of their surplus parts for their projects and as he heard her enter he turned around and instantly looked embarrassed and blushing, "O-O-Oh, hi, Grace," he stammered, and Grace wondered if she should rethink this but no, she had to make sure that at the very least the air was clear between them.

"Hi there, Xex, I'm glad I found you, look, I wanted to apologise that my daughter put you on the spot like that, she didn't mean to make you feel embarrassed or in anyway bad about yourself, that wasn't her intention, but at the same time I believe you deserve the truth, so, here goes, yes, she's right, I like you, like, really like you, you are basically the most beautiful man I have ever seen of any species in my life, I would very much like to have a relationship with you but obviously I do not want you to feel pressured or put on the spot at all, so I will take my leave now and simply give you your space and time to think, if you think you could find itself to give me a chance to prove myself then you can find me at any time, but if it isn't something that you'd like or want then there will be no hard feelings at all, I don't want things to be awkward between either us or you and my daughter," Grace said.

Xex looked utterly amazed and Grace took this as her cue to leave, but before she could fully turn away Xex grabbed her arm and turned her back and before she could say a word he clamped her face in his mandibles and gave her the deepest kiss of her life.

It was a little sloppy and uncoordinated but that was obviously due to his inexperience but it was obvious he was trying his hardest to show her his heart without using words, just like every other Xeno, he had a tongue that had a second little mouth on it and as his mandibles gripped her head she felt his lips touch hers, they were warm and very soft.

She felt his inner mouth kiss her lips as well before it wormed its way into her mouth as they parted, the feel of his hot flesh inside her mouth and the slightly sweet taste to his saliva made Grace whimper slightly as she was overcome by joy and emotion, all this time believing that there was no one for her and here he was having been under her nose the entire time, she ran her own tongue over his much bigger one that was filling her mouth.

When they parted Xex contracted his mandibles again and looked at her, she could see a slight tremble shaking his dreadlocks, showing off just how nervous he was which was utterly adorable, "D-D-Did I do it right?" he stammered softly, and Grace reached up and cupped his beautiful face in her hands.

"You did wonderful, sweetheart, and I can't think of a better way to make your feelings known," Grace said a little breathlessly as he held her upright as she did feel a little wobbly on rubber band legs now thanks to the beautiful male predalien.

"I-I-I think you are the most beautiful female I have ever seen, I know you helped raise me but I can't stop thinking about you, every time I get near you my heart pounds like a hammer on an anvil, every time you smile at me I feel like I'm floating on air, I know I am young but if you want me Grace I promise I will do everything in my power to make you as happy as you deserve to be, I swear it to you," Xex said, his voice soft and nervous.

Grace thought it was utterly adorable and amazing to see such a powerful and amazing creature such as him so nervous and humbled by her, but she didn't want to rob him of his strength, she wanted to become his strength, to prop him up and make him feel like there was nothing he could not achieve if he set that beautiful mind of his to a task.

But she also wanted him to become her strength, to feel those huge powerful arms around her protecting her from all harm, to make her feel safer than she had ever been and to be fair, she was about as safe as you could get, being a family member of a Xeno hive that was a part of Clan Mason, it didn't get much safer.

She couldn't help it, she slid forwards and wrapped her arms around his waist and onto his back and she gasped in a mixture of joy and contentment as she felt those huge muscled arms of his wrap around her and hold her tight, she had never liked body builders, she liked her men to have brains, not brawn, but this beautiful male right here was the perfect blend of both, as sharp as a scalpel and as strong as a Yautja.

He was also so incredibly gentle and humble, there was no cockiness to this beautiful male, she felt him sigh happily as she hugged him, "If you will be mine, Xex, then I will be yours," Grace said, looking up at him and his beautiful face lit up so brightly.

"Truly!? You'll truly be mine?" He exclaimed, and she smiled and reached up to stroke the soft hide of his face.

"Oh, my sweet boy, I'm already yours, all you have to do is say yes to being mine," she whispered softly, kissing one of his sensitive dreadlocks and he made a soft murring noise and nodded.

"I'm yours and no one else's, Grace," he said, and she beamed from ear to ear.

She reached down and took his hands in hers before turning and leading him towards the door, "Where are we going?" He asked oh so innocently, and his question made her heart skip a beat but also smile.

"We're going back to my room, because tonight I'm going to make you from a boy into a man," she said with a soft smile, and she felt him cock his head.

"I don't understand," he said, again so innocently.

"You will, my sweet one, and I promise you, we won't take any steps you are not ready for, if you don't want something or you aren't ready all you have to do is say so, ok?" She said, turning and stroking his face softly and he nodded, obviously still not understanding, as sharp as he was it was obvious he didn't understand matters of the heart fully yet, but with a little tender, loving, gentle guidance he would.

She led him by the hand through the hive until she arrived at her quarters, as she entered she found Abigail waiting for her, looking both hopeful and nervous, that was until she saw Xex following her surrogate mother, being led inside by the hand and it all vanished and was replaced by a broad smile.

"I'm, err, just going out for a bit, mom, I'll see you later," Abigail said with a sly smile, and then as she passed by him she greeted Xex with a warm smile and a wave and then just like that she was gone and they had the place to themselves.

"Would you like something to drink? I have this wonderful whiskey that Monty has been helping Jack brew that they're calling Dream Walker, it's very smooth but has quite a kick to it," she said, and Xex nodded so she poured them both a glass of the amber colored liquid and handed it to him.

Before he could drink it she led him into her bedroom and closed the door behind them both, Xex looked around and he looked a little confused and a little nervous, Grace moved over to the bed and sat down before patting the bed next to her, the big predalien male walked over and sat on the bed next to her, he was nervously fidgeting with his hands, playing over the glass before he lifted it and took a deep swallow of the amber liquid, copying her as she'd just done the same.

The liquid burned a little on the way down but as it her belly it spread a glowing warmth outwards like having a miniature sun in her stomach, then she looked up at Xex and he looked so nervous, "Hey, sweet one, you don't have to be scared here, you don't have to be scared of me, ok?" She said, resting a hand on top of his, she was no expert at this by any means but compared to him she was an expert, but then if he wanted to he could tap into the hive mind and learn what he needed to, it was like a data archive for Xeno's with the queen at its centre like a living super computer.

"I'm not scared of you, Grace, I'm scared I'll disappoint you," he said softly, and her heart felt like it had been squeezed, this beautiful male was just so sweet and so gentle.

"Oh, sweetheart, look at me, look at me," she said, turning his big head to face her and he looked at her as she stroked his face.

"I don't want to you worry about a single thing, ok, you are utterly perfect the way you are and I already love you, our next steps will be taken together and we will go as slow as we need, baby steps if we need to, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable for a single second and if it does happen you tell me right away and we stop, no disappointment and no worry, because all I want is for you to be happy and for you to know you make me happy, ok?" She said softly, and he nodded before placing his glass down on her bedside table and then embracing her.

"Thank you, Grace, thank you so much," he said, his voice breaking softly and she hugged him tightly against her.

She leaned up and very gently guided his face down to hers, relishing the feel of his hot breath washing over her skin, he obviously felt where she was going with this move and he opened his mandibles for her but rather than plunge right in she took her time, she wanted to relax him and herself, she was no expert at this by any means but she was no virgin either, so she planned on using that heads up in experience for his benefit, she was going to soothe his worries and calm his fears.

So instead of plunging right in she very slowly kissed along of each of the finger like mandibles, stopping to very gently suck on the tooth like tip of each one and she felt the little shiver passing through him, he'd extended his long inner mouth and was gently planting kisses all over her face while she did this, making her shiver too.

She felt the heat rising in her, only this time it wasn't coming from her stomach or the whiskey, her loins were burning up, this was going to be her first time with a non human and she realized something, this was meant to be, it was like a mixture of fate and destiny, like she'd been waiting all this time for one perfect being to step into her life and steal her very heart and soul from her and here he was, about as non human as it got.

Grace lifted her hands up and slowly touched his broad, ripped chest through his overalls, his pectoral muscles felt so solid that she could have done her ironing on them, it was part of his Yautja make up, you literally never saw a fat or skinny Yautja, it was like they came out of the womb pumping iron.

Now normally she didn't go for guys like that, not at all, she was utterly opposed to muscle heads, but with him it was different, he didn't work to look like this, it was all natural, the only muscle he flexed was the one inside his skull, but she had to admit this time she was so incredibly happy though honestly she wouldn't have cared what he looked like, he was utterly perfect in every way.

Strong yet tender, smart yet humble, beautiful yet totally unware of it, he was such a wonderful mixture of exquisite contrasts and she wanted every single inch of him.

Slowly she began to unzip his overalls and very slowly slipped her hands inside of it and onto his super smooth hide, like all Xeno's his skin was smooth as glass even though it looked as colorful and rough as a Yautja's it wasn't at all, but oh god, was it so beautifully warm, hard chiseled muscle beneath glass smooth soft hide.

She felt him shiver and release a very soft gasp, this was obviously the first time someone had touched him like this, "Does that feel nice, sweetheart?" she murrmered, kissing the side of his head and he nodded.

"Y-Yes," he gasped, and she smiled.

"Don't be afraid, my sweet one, you can touch me too if you want," she purred softly in his ear, she wanted to give him the confidence he deserved.

His fingers trembled slightly as he began by slipping her cardigan off her, which meant that she had to take her hands off him, a little begrudgingly, but now she was down to her blouse and bra, two layers to go, his fingers trembled even more as he undid the buttons and while she lowered the zip of his overalls right to his waist, revealing the solid, patterned hide under it.

Oh, how she had to hold herself back so hard, but she wanted slow and steady so rather than plunging her hands into the open gap and reveling in his skin she instead began to peel his overalls off him as he slowly peeled her blouse off her, one layer left on the upper half.

That's when she felt him touch her skin for the first time and oh boy did it send tingles and shocks through her, it lit her nerves up like a lightning storm, his hands sliding slowly up from her hips up her flanks and slipping slowly behind her, where after he reached her bra clasp he hit the time weathered that had challenged teenage boys and men alike, how do you undo a bra?

She felt his fingers slowly and clumsily tugging at the clasp and it made her chuckle but that swift engineer mind got it and with a flick of those long fingers her breasts fell free as the bra fell away.

Now, Grace wasn't heavily stacked like some of the Yautja girls but she wasn't ashamed of what she had, though she would admit she was kinda nervous as to whether he'd like them, but by the way his big hands slid around and utterly smothered them he seemed to and the explosion of tingles that began to turn her brain into mush told her as much.

Grace quickly peeled his overalls and his underwear off before she lost control of her self, forcing him to have to let go of her breasts for a moment while she worked but then those hands on those long arms found their way back onto her sensitive flesh as she moved around him, still sat on her bed before him, oh god, he was beautiful.

"You're exquisite, Xex," she breathed as her eyes drank in every inch of his front.

Those impossibly solid legs like camo tree trunks, his narrow but solid waist, those rippling abdominal muscles up onto those slab like pecs, right up to his solid neck and his oh so pretty face.

He looked so nervous and so delightfully shy, if Xenos could blush he probably would have been bright crimson right now, "You realy think so?" he asked softly.

She stepped forward and took his head in her hands and pulled him into the deepest kiss of her life, this time pushing her tongue into his mouth and tasting every single inch of his inner mouth in its natural habitat, he made a soft little whimper noise that sent a thrill down her spin like an electric current.

"Yes, I do," she whispered as she released him before taking his hands and placing them on her waist, "Your turn," she said softly.

Xex got what she meant and he slowly and gently unbuckled her trousers before hooking his thumbs in and showing off that incredible Xeno flexibility he pulled them down her legs, taking her underwear with them, leaving her stood before him as naked as the day she was born.

"So, what do you think, my sweet Xeno boy?" she asked, feeling a little rush of confidence and giving him a little twirl to make sure he got an eyeful of her entirety, he looked utterly stunned, like a starving man who'd just had a three course banquet drop out of the sky into his lap.

"I never believed in Angels 'till this moment," he breathed, and Grace laughed softly, the line was corny as hell but from him, the words were like honey drizzled lovingly in her ear and they were just what she'd hoped to hear.

She stepped forwards between his parted thighs and took his head in her arms as he looked up her to look into her face, "Tonight, my sweet Xex, I'm going to show you how to be a man, I'm going to guide you and teach you how to give and how to receive, if at any point you are uncomfortable with what is happening or something is going faster than you would like it to please tell me, ok?" she said softly, and he nodded.

"For all of us, permission is key, consent is the most beautiful thing in the universe because it shows so many different aspects of love off all at once, but the biggest one is trust, it shows that you trust the one you are with and you are placing your most sacred possession in their hands and trusting them with it, trusting them with you," she said softly, and he nodded in understanding.

"And I want you to know that you can revoke it at any time, just because you give me permission to start does not mean you have to give me permission to finish, if you do not like something speak up and I'll stop right away, this thing of pure beauty here belongs to you and only to you and no one, not even your queen, has the right to take it from you, it is one of the golden rules of Clan Mason, one of its golden pillars and one that every single soul in this place will die to protect, myself included, I saw terrible things done to some of the people on that world, I survived on things that made the death they got afterwards seem like a sweet release, but having seen it I understand why Jack and Tik forged their Clan with this as one of their pillars, because nothing is more beautiful than consent given and consent received," she said softly.

Xex nodded in understanding, "The same goes for you too, Grace, please tell me if I do something that you do not like, I need to know," he said quickly, making her heart soar as it showed he'd got her message and fully understood it, part of it had been to show him that it applied to both of them and it was message received.

"I will, my sweet Xeno, I promise you, now, I want to do something for you, something that I have never done for a man in my life but for you I yearn to, will you let me?" she asked.

Without a second's hesitation he nodded, which made her smile, he was trusting her without even knowing what it was that she wished to do, "Thank you, Xex, now just relax, you're going to like this, I promise," she said softly, kissing the top of his head between his dreads while hugging him to her chest.

Slowly she began to kneel but as she did she kissed down his body, trailing a path of kisses coming down his face, neck, chest, stomach, onto his pelvis, as she did she gently pushed his thighs apart sho she could kneel between them and as she did she got her first look at his maleness and her breath caught in her chest and her heart jumped a few beats, just like the rest of him it was utterly divine.

It was about eight inches long and over two thick, it was the same color as the rest of him, all little swirls, it was not human shaped in the least, covered in loads of little ridges and grooves, it tapered into a thin point that kinda made it dart shaped, it had a protective sheathe at its base that it hid inside when not erect and this meant that all the flesh that had come out to play was as sensitive as the tip of a human penis, it was all nerves and that meant not only was she going to have to be extra gentle with him, but that if done right she was going to be able to teach him the true meaning of the word bliss.

Underneath it sat two large orbs about the size of tennis balls that were swollen and filled with his essence, a lewd thought came into her mind as she suddenly relished the thought of draining them and shrinking them by pulling every single drop she could from him.

She kissed along the top of his thigh and then moving over she kissed back up along the inside of it because she knew how sensitive it was and she felt him twitch and heard him gasp, a shiny drip of precum bloomed a the end of his tip and she smiled as she very gently scooped his heavy balls up into her hands and began gently caressing them, making him squeak softly.

"That feel nice, sweetheart?" she asked as she planted two very precise kisses on the heavy, smooth orbs.

"Yes!" he gasped, looking down his long body at her in such a way that it sent a shiver up her spine, this made her feel so feminine as well as powerful, she was utterly in charge of this beautiful being's pleasure and she was going to reward that trust with such joy.

"Good, just the way I want it to," she said, and with that she began to kiss along the sensitive nerve packed flesh, making him hiss and gasp as she gently lifted his manhood with one hand while continuing to kiss along it.

When she reached the tip she used her tongue to flick the precum drip off the very end of his tip and pulled it into her mouth, relishing the sweet yet salty taste, before slowly and lazily draw her tongue over his sensitive, exposed flesh, relishing in both the taste and the heat, Xex cried out in both surprise and pleasure which only got more intense for him as in one movement she swallowed as much as would fit right into her mouth.

Xex gave a small cry as she swirled her tongue around on his super sensitive flesh and began to suck on it powerfully, she was rather kinda glad that he was the one getting her very first blow job because it meant that she had a first to give to him along with all the firsts that he would be giving her tonight, though technically he was her first alien to so there was that.

The pleasure that hit Xex must have felt like a sledgehammer to his senses because he was making gibbering, almost giggling noises along with the hisses and screeches, his hands had been bunching and flexing on his thighs until she'd taken one and placed it on her head, feeling him delightfully coil his fingers into her hair and grip tightly but not painfully as she worked for him.

Given that this was his first time receiving any kind of pleasure it didn't surprise her that he didn't last long, especially as she was doing double duty, rubbing her tongue into those little V shaped grooves when she realized that there was something even more sensitive about them, "G-G-Grace! Something's happening, something's coming and I can't hold it!" He wailed, but this made her suck even harder and before he could do anything about it he roared with ecstacy as like a blinding flash inside his head his orgasm hit his brain like a gong struck with a hammer.

Grace really had to fight here because involuntarily he was holding her head in place and jet after jet of sweet and salty cum shot into her mouth, making her fight to swallow it before it filled her mouth to over flow but she won out and once the very last drop had exited him and slid down her throat she pulled her head up, letting his manhood slip from between her lips with a sticky, wet pop.

Xex was panting like he'd just run a marathon as she kissed her way back up him to grip his beautiful and very confused looking young face, "Did you like that, my sweetest of all hearts?" she purred softly, kissing each of his mandibles as they flexed almost confusedly.

"I-I-I've never felt anything like that," he stammered, and she smiled.

"Did you enjoy it?" she asked, and he nodded breathlessly, then he gripped her in a flash and kissed her deeply.

"Please, Grace, please teach me how to make you feel this way! Please, I need to know the secret!" he said desperately, and she smiled and nodded.

Once he'd caught his breath she guided him off the bed and switched places with him, "Do you remember how I started? Nice and slow, don't rush, there's no time limit, just enjoy me like I enjoyed you," she purred softly, and he nodded.

He began to use his inner mouth to kiss and nip his way down her neck, sending electric sparkles into her brain, especially when he came to her breasts and decided to use his inner mouth to suck on her already blood engorged and erect nipples, drawing each of the super sensitive numbs into his mouth.

Once he'd moved off those he trailed slow kisses down her belly and just like she did, he kissed over her thigh tops and back up the inside, managing to use that incredible little mouth of his to nip the sensitive nerve bands down there, making her gasp and squirm with delight, but nowhere near as much delight as what he did next.

Xex with that oh so clever mind of his seemed to realise that he would have to lick what she had rather than suck it because of the way it was shaped, but the Xeno inner mouth wasn't exactly designed for licking really, so instead he used his inner mouth to part her super sensitive vulva and simply swirled it around all over it, making sparks and flashes of pleasure dance in her head, he also used his mandibles to grip her hips to hold her in place while he did which also let her grip his dreads and stroke them, that's when he scored not one but two bingos one after the other.

By hearing the little squeals of delight she inadvertently let out when he brushed her clit from under its deep ebony hood he figured out that it was something supremely sensitive, so taking his inner mouth he caught hold of it, first nipping it to make her squeal and then sucking on it to make her mind go utterly blank, but not as blank as when upon noticing the little pulsing opening below it he decided to explore and pushed his inner mouth inside her.

Grace instantly lost the ability to either speak or form cognitive thoughts or even sentences, the feeling of that long snake like inner mouth of his burrowing its way into her molten inner core was pure heaven, she could even feel his inner mouth nipping at her inner walls as it tunneled in, but her pure white out moment came when he decided to actually kiss her cervix, she had no idea what utter nonsense words were spewed out of her mouth at that point because to her ears which seemed to have floated off somewhere to do their own thing it sounded like she was talking in fucking tongues.

She had never experienced pleasure like it, it was like white hot fire burning her every nerve ending, before she even knew what hit her the most powerful orgasm she had ever had in her life wiped her mind clean like a god damn tsunami of pure pleasure rushing through her brain, what was worse was she could actually feel his inner mouth still inside her drinking her nectar straight from her cervix.

Xex seemed to realise, probably through instinct, that she'd hit her limit because he withdrew slowly and just like she did drew up kissing as he came 'till he was looking into her face, "Did I do it right?" he asked so sweetly and innocently that Grace couldn't help but try to drown him in kisses.

"Sweetheart, no person has even made me feel a quarter of that in one whole night that you just did in one act, I never imagined Angels would be Xeno shaped but I got me one and I'll be fucking damned if I'm giving him back," she panted.

Xex smiled, obviously happy that he pleased her, but now it was time for the main dish of this delicious, masculine shaped meal, she pulled him onto the bed with him and as stong as he was and as easily as he could have resisted he just allowed her to maneuver him about until he was perfectly placed with his long body stretched down her bed and his pretty head resting on her pillow, she wasn't going to need it anyway because her pillow this night had a fucking heart beat.

She hopped up onto him quickly and straddled his belly, leaning down, she showered him with more kisses, "I need you so badly, Xex, I need my man tonight, please, please let me make you into a man and show you how much I love you," she pleased softly, Xex looked at her and again nodded his consent and trust in one movement.

So, reaching behind her, Grace gently stroked his manhood back to life, not that it needed much coaxing, and once it was at full mast she lifted herself up and lined him up, slowly letting her vulva swish over his tip, making him gasp before in one slow, smooth movement she impaled herself on him.

Grace had never felt anything like it, it was like he had been perfectly sculpted by the gods to give her the most incredible pleasure ever, every single bump and groove touched things inside her that no man ever had, he was big but she was determined and she pushed until she felt him stretch her and bottom out, his very tip pushing into the neck of her womb like a cork in the neck of a bottle.

Grace cried out in pleasure and so did he, she sat there for a moment as still as a stone with him buried inside her, then once she was convinced they were both ready she began to move, slowly at first, drawing him out then crashing back down on him, he began to squirm and writhe under her as her molten hot insides began to caress and squeeze him just right, this filled her heart with the purest joy knowing that she was giving him the very same amount of pleasure that he was giving her.

Together they found their rhythm with him pushing up as she pushed down before drawing away and then repeating, both of them lost in a world of utter bliss and heaven, time seemed to stop existing as the pair lost themselves in the other, Grace had never felt anything like it, she'd always enjoyed those rare occasions when she'd got lucky enough to have sex with someone, but this, this was on a whole other level and suddenly it all became clear, this wasn't sex, this was making love.

But like all good things she felt the end rapidly approaching, it was like a nuclear reactor going critical in her womb, she felt it swelling and swelling and swelling until with another mind wiping crash she came and just when she thought it couldn't get any better she felt jet after jet of liquid heat hitting her insides and filling her womb to the brim and she trembled, pleasure instantly turning her into a gibbering wreck that was being held in place by strong, masculine hands, before those same hands laid her down flat on his chest.

When they both came to they were clinging together and they looked at one another, "I love you, Grace," was all Xex could summon the strength to say.

"I love you too, Xex," was all she had strength to reply before the pair of them still locked together like perfect puzzle pieces let sleep claim them.

Everyone in the hive was over joyed for them, Abigail teased her endlessly about her being right but then what are daughters for if not to tease the fuck out of their mothers, right?

There had been a bit of a surprise for Grace when she'd woken up though, she hadn't found Xex where she left him, in fact, when she did find him he didn't even look like Xex any more, he was now taller, broader and with a crest on his head, it turned out that finding your true love triggered something in Xenos and started a metamorphosis, Xex the predalien had gone, in his place was Xex the predalien praetorian.

Grace and Xex were as happy as could be together and thanks to Jack and Tik got married under a star filled sky before the entire clan.

But there was yet more to come, with her new found vigor in the form of her beloved husband, Grace doubled down on the work her team was doing and before long not one but two discoveries were made from their work, the first was the secret to enhancing the human genome, for Grace had figured out that they were attacking the problem from the wrong angle, she'd realized that Xeno biology and genetics adapted to its host species, so going after the Xeno DNA was the wrong play, so instead she went after the human DNA and in a full on eureka moment she cracked it.

First came the genetic enhancement that quadrupled human life expectancies, with that in play and humans now having their life spans altered the second one kinda just fell right into her lap like an apple from a tree, she cracked Xeno non-parasitic birth.

This day was celebrated by the entire Clan, she had done it, she had freed the Xenomorph people from a life based utterly on death to create life, it took a couple of months of tweaking and adjusting but finally with the help of Zara and Cortez's hive they got it, a Xenomorph adaptability like no other, one that not only made them fertile and able to bear their own children but to inseminate other races through simple living intercourse, no more facehuggers, no more queens bound to egg chamber slaves to keep their own hives alive, no more heart broken good Xenos stained with the knowledge that their life had cost an innocent being their life, they were free.

Grace remembered fondly those Xeno girls going out on their first dates as full blown women, among them her beloved daughter, she remembered fixing the pretty pink bow to the top of her domed head as Abigail fretted over her dress before her boyfriend Adam came to pick her up from the hive.

Adam was a charming young human man who had come from Earth during the new arrivals and he'd met Abigail through his work with the Guardian Core, he was a combat engineer, one of Sela eleth's Saviors and the pair just clicked and soon, her hunt complete, she'd caught him and the pair were officially a couple, but it didn't stop Abigail fretting about impressing him.

Soon enough though, there was the patter and scamper of lots of new little Xeno feet all over the hives as Xenos became proud mothers and fathers both in and out of their species and looking on proudly was queen Citrus and King Yoshi, who had an ever growing brood thanks to this new genetic miracle.

In fact, Abigail soon had brothers and sisters thanks to it as well as Xex and Grace became parents to their own little brood, their home was always full of life and Citrus had to, with the help of the entire hive, expand the place three times to counter the ever growing family, though keeping ever curious baby Xenos out of the labs given the little buggers could clamber on every surface was ever a challenge.

But as all good things must, after four hundred short years her time came for her and all Grace could do was smile up from her final bed at her huge family, children, grand children and great grand children all gathered to see the woman who had become known as the true queen of the free Xenos, the one that even the Xeno queens themselves looked up to, for without her none of it would have been possible.

"Please, my Angel, please don't leave me, I don't know what to do without you," Xex hissed softly, his heart breaking through his words. Grace gently stroked his face.

"It's not my choice to go, my heart's truest star, it's just the time that comes to us all, but know this, I will always be watching over you and every one of our children, I'll always be with you in here," she said, tapping his heart.

"It's time, Grace," a soft, unknown voice said, and as she turned she saw a very beautiful Yautja woman stood with Jack Mason and she realized that Paya herself had come to collect her, she nodded and turned back to Xex.

"Goodbye, my love, I'll be waiting for you, my little king," she said, kissing him, and with that her last breath escaped her and she found herself standing, watching as her gentle praetorian howled his grief unashamedly out.

She so wanted to comfort him, to hug him and tell him it was not the end, just a new beginning, but Jack got to her first, "Don't worry, Grace, he's got his whole hive and the whole clan to support him, we'll get him through this, I swear it to you," he said, and she nodded.

"he is my greatest treasure, Jack Mason, you look after him, you hear me?" she said, and jack beamed and nodded.

"You have my word," he said, then she turned to Paya and nodded.

"I'm ready," she said, and Paya smiled.

"Oh, I highly doubt that, but come along, we have something very important to show you and to discuss," she said, and with that a huge gateway appeared and with one last kiss to the top of the still sobbing Xex's head she turned and stepped through.

Beyond the gateway was a luscious green place but it wasn't that that caught her eye, it was the seemingly endless hive that dwarfed everything around it, it was like a planet shaped hive dominating the seemingly endless landscape.

"What's this?" Grace asked, turning and expecting to find Paya but instead finding a whole group of them behind her, men and women alike.

"We of the council of the Divine have come to an agreement, Grace, no one in the entire history of the universe has given so much to the Xenos as you, you freed them from their biological enslavement and you made them into what they are today, when word spreads of this beyond the borders of Clan Mason's territory there will be an uplifting and Clan Mason will be at its heart and that is thanks to you, the Xenos are a created species not born of the Gods, so they, other than a select few who are touched by us, will not have a place to go after death and to us this is unacceptable, so we've decided to make you a god, the Goddess of all Xenos, Grace, the Giver of life and freedom, the Grand Queen," Paya said proudly.

Grace utterly lost the ability to speak but before she could answer all of them gathered around her in a circle and each placed a hand on her, they each began to chant in strange languages, as they did she felt a power surging through her and it felt like her very being was being rewritten from the ground up.

When they were done they stepped back and Grace suddenly realized she felt very, very different, she looked down and realized she'd been changed, she was dressed in a long, white flowing gown but it was more the clawed hands and long tail that gave away the difference, she was now half Xeno Queen, half Human.

"This is your domain now, Grace, and with it the responsibility of shaping it, ruling it and governing it, you decide who enters and who doesn't, it takes some getting used to but you have many friends now, come to us for advice when you need it, oh, and there's a place on the Council waiting for you to, if you earn it, well, that's it, good luck, Grand Queen," Paya said, and before Grace could utter a word they were all gone, leaving her all alone in her very own realm.

Grace was utterly stunned, but that's when she began to feel them and hear them, billions of voices all speaking at once in her mind and it took her a moment to tune them all out and to realise these were the voices of all the Xenomorphs everywhere, not just the ones of Clan Mason, but of all Xenos, it was true, she was connected to them now and them to her, she was a fucking Goddess!

She spent some time learning how to use her power and how to shape her world to her liking, she shaped the grand hive to be a warm and welcoming place to all good hearted Xenos and it wasn't long before they began arriving, Xenos of a good heart, who were kind and loving and gentle she welcomed with open arms and granted a place in her hive, they settled in and soon enough the endless halls were filled with life, the shrieks and hisses that filled her heart with joy could be heard always as the Xenos ran around, exploring their new paradise and relishing this kingdom of love and freedom.

But those with cold hearts who had relished killing and destroying she punished, it was hard at first but once she'd gotten a glimpse of their crimes it got a hell of a lot easier to send them into the Endless Void, a key to which she'd gained from Paya, soon word began to spread among Xenos everywhere once she'd reached out and planted the seeds in their minds.

Then it happened, the day came when a new comer presented himself before her for judgement and she found herself looking into the most beautiful face she'd ever seen, her little king had come home.

"Grace?" Xex exclaimed upon seeing her in her new form for the first time, she had resisted the urge to visit him and revel her new form to him, instead keeping it a surprise and simply just watching over him and her ever growing family instead, as hard as it was.

"It's me, my little king," she said, and instantly Xex's face creased and pure emotion flowed from him as she felt his heart become whole again.

The pair flew together and clung together, sobbing their hearts out as the joy of seeing one another again burned them both, not only that but her joy instantly became the joy of the the whole endless hive, with Xenos flocking to see their new king and to praise him for loving Grace so much that he'd driven her to touch the hearts of the God that they might give them a place to go after their life was done and a Grand Queen of their own.

Today all the Xeno spirits rejoiced for today was the day that Grace's world, love, heart and kingdom finally became whole again, their Grand Queen was whole again and her happiness restored and they all felt it, her joy was their joy, her Xex was back and her love was whole again, for now the Xeno people had two Guardians to watch over them, a king and a Grand Queen, who would for all time, never be separated ever again.

The End