DR: A bit more down time here, and Layon meets the Iguanosaur up close for the first time...

Zeke: A suitible moment for that 'jaw drop' smilie?

DR: Ideal. Pierce get's into hotter water, and Sarahhad some news...

Chapter 7: Offers, Rides & Future Plans

Bit grinned as the Fury roared in response to Vega's comment. With three Ultimate X zoids in one place, things were rarely quiet for long. Bit himself had been running a series of diagnostics on the Liger Zero to see if there was any lasting damage from the battle against the Helic Team, when Vega had commented that he'll have to alter his sights. He hadn't meant to scare the hell out of that Tortoise pilot.

#You weren't aiming at him! If that cowardly Shield Liger had stood his ground…#

Vega sighed as he looked up at Bit, who had stuck his head out from over the rim of the Ligers cockpit. Above him, the Iguanosaur was rumbling with zoid laughter. Due to the size of the zoid, not only did it take up two bays, but also the head in fact protruded into the next bay along. Fortunately the bay in question was the Ligers, so there was plenty of room above the Ligers head for the narrow head of the larger zoid.

"Blunt and direct, that's the Fury." Bit joked, bringing a small smile to Vega's face. Just like people, the Ultimate X zoids had differing personalities. While the Fury was blunt and to the point, loving nothing better than a good scrap, the Liger was more laid back, content just to have a daily run with Bit. It liked the excitement of a battle, but didn't live for it like the Fury at times seemed to. The Iguanosaur was even more passive, a true gentle giant. Fiercely protective of not only Leena but also the other zoids and pilots, but generally very calm and soothing.

Vega allowed his eyes to wander across the other zoids, all lined up and in top condition. The Elephander was stood across from the Iguanosaur's shoulders, while the bay next to the base itself was filled with the smaller mounts. Leon's Blade Liger was next along, facing across from the Liger Zero. Then came Naomi's crimson Snipe Master and the black and gold Shadow Fox of Brad, the two lightest ground zoids in the team.

The Storm Sworder of Pierce took the end bay of this row, with Jaime's smaller Raynos perched between it and the Fury. Certainly the Blitz team had one of the most varied collections of zoids of any zoid team, with over half of the team made up of one-of-a-kind zoids, with the remaining four being rare zoids. The multitude of hues would drive some people crazy, yet somehow to Vega they all fitted together, and displayed the core principle of the Blitz: strength in diversity. No matter what they faced, at least one member of the team was out fitted to handle the situation.

As he turned back towards Bit, Vega noticed that not only was Bit almost at ground level now, but Leena was stepping up behind him. When she saw that he had seen her, Leena put a finger to her lips, stilling Vega's tongue. Just as Bit put his foot on the floor, Leena wrapped her arms round him. "So, how's the Liger?"

Bit yelped in surprise, but immediately calmed when he heard the playful tones of his wife. Tuning in her grasp, he scooped her up in his own. "Pretty damn good, but nothing compared to you…"

Leena smiled happily at his words. For a long moment all she could do was just stand there, gazing into his vibrant green eyes…

The Iguanosaur lowered her long head gently, before nudging Leena ever so slightly. #Leena, you forgetting your guest…#

"Oh!" Leena started. She had completely forgotten about Layon! Turning about, she couldn't help but laugh at the look on Dr Layon's face. He was like a kid at a candy store, gazing at the smooth actions of the titanic zoid besides her. He hadn't stayed long at the wedding, so had only seen the zoid from a distance. Besides, his attention had been on Leena rather than the zoids.

"Amazing… it looks even larger in real life!" Layons eyes were almost as round as saucers as he watched the giant shift subtly to look down at him, the head tilted at an angle. He had never seen anything like it before! Well armoured by zoid standards, it was clearly an Ultimate X just by the way it moved and looked at him. Layon was struck by the differences between the three. While the Fury looked like aggression incarnate, and the Liger looked full of pride, this new zoids was somehow softer, protective.

"She's quite a specimen, isn't she?" Bit asked, his arms round Leena. Layon turned his attention to regard the young man. Now standing before him, Bit seemed to exude confidence and talent. Leena had kept her arms wrapped round him, letting her head lean against his chest. Now that they stood together, it was clear to Layon that the two of them belonged together.

"Doctor Layon!" Vega stepped around the young couple, and Layon's face broke into a smile. He had always liked that young lad. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise Vega. I hear you managed to help the Fury yourself."

"Yea, he's no longer a boiling pot of rage anymore."

#Don't remind me!#

Layon looked confused at the identical amused looks on the three young peoples faces.

"I don't think he likes to be reminded of what he once was…" Vega explained for Layon.

"Ah." Layon turned towards Leena. "I got your fathers message about working on your zoid. What exactly did you have in mind?"

Leena sighed. "It's just that since she's a new zoid, getting spare parts is going to be a problem. We were kind of hoping you could do something about that."

Layon's eyes widened again as he realised what she was saying: The Blitz wanted him to create the blueprints for every part on her zoid! Such a feat had not been done for centuries, until he created the Shadow Fox, and even then they had been modified Command Wolf and Liger parts in the main. But to create a whole new set of blueprints for a unique zoid such as this…

"And, if you want, you could do the same for both the Fury and Liger Zero…" Bit put in. All three pilots and their zoids broke out laughing at the stunned look on Layons face.

x x x x x x

Jamie sighed as he stepped towards the stairs. He and Sarah were about to start cooking the evening meal, and Pierce had to be told when it was going to ready. She had been avoiding him for the last couple of days, ever since that fight against the Helic Team. Jamie didn't know why she was doing this. Didn't they love each other? Didn't they say that to each other?

Just as he was about to step up, Pierce appeared at the top of the stairs. Jamie's eyebrow rose as he took in the fact that she appeared to be dressed to go out.

"Pierce, I thought I had better tell you, dinners…"

"Oh it's all right Jamie. Don't bother cooking me anything. I'm going out for the night." She told him as she came down the stairs. Jamie's eyes widened with shock.

"Out?" He managed to ask, his voice quivering.

"Where, and with whom?" Stroller asked from the entrance to the lounge, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going out with an old friend, to catch up and talk about the old times." Pierce told him, shrugging into her jacket as she did so. As she stepped towards the front door, she didn't see the sad look that filled Jamie's eyes, or the sceptical one that filled Strollers.

Pierce sighed as she stepped out the front door. She had hoped not to bump into Jamie on her way out, since it would require her to explain why she was going out. She needed a little time away from him to think things through. Stroller butting in didn't help, but at least she could afford to be snappy towards him…

The throaty growl of an engine caused her to lift her head. A shining light in the twilight came around the bend of the road and rushed towards her. One eyebrow rose as Rico pulled up his heavy motorcycle before her, grinning with pride.

"I thought when you said you'd give me a ride; it would be in a car or a zoid. Not perched on the end of a bike."

"Come on, there's loads of room behind me." Rico waved to the small scrape of spare leather behind him.

"And exactly what am I going to hold onto?"

"Easy: me." Rico grinned even wider than before.

"Oh no…" Pierce took a step backwards. "We may be old friends, but that's all. I'll get my own…"

"Pierce, you still riding that old motor?" Rico asked. "The one you rode while we were at the academy?"

"Yea… what of it?"

"Well, I'm afraid you'll either have to ride with me, or I'll risk falling over." Rico stated. "This baby is fast and responsive, but at low speeds she wallows like a water filled balloon. If I limited myself to the speed that your bike could do, well… I'd be black and blue when we got there. Besides," He now played his trump card. "I booked us a table, five fifteen."

"But that's only a quarter hour!"

"I know, and the only way we're going to make it is if we burn rubber and go like a bat out of hell. So which is it going to be Pierce: we go together on mine, or not at all?"

Pierce stood there for long moment, uncertainty running through her mind. Rico might have been an old friend, but they had not parted under the best of circumstances. If she rode with him on his bike… it was way too forward for her to be comfortable with.

But then again, she needed to get away from the Blitz for a while, even a couple of hours. And Jamie's eyes when she had said she was going out… "All right Rico, you win, this time. But next time, I drive myself!"

Rico grinned smugly as she sat down behind him. "You're going to have to hold on real tight if you don't want to fall off…"

"Rico, I can handle a Storm Sworder. I'm certain I can handle this." She shot back at him.

'Same old sprit, I see…' Rico's grin got even wider as he turned the engine over. 'Oh it's going to be so much fun reeling her in again…'

As they raced off down the road, neither of them realised that the whole time they had been watched. Stroller stood inside the room just to the left of the door, looking through the window. Since he had left the light off there had been no clue as to his presence. A scowl had twisted his features as Pierce had climbed onto the bike behind Rico. Stroller didn't know his name, but there was something about him that he just didn't like…

x x x x x x

Some time later Leon stepped through the doorway into the garden. "There you are, dinners almost ready…" He said to Sarah who was sitting by the poolside, one hand lazily hanging down so that her fingertips just broke the surface of the water. The Koy clustered around her hand, occasionally nibbling at it. She didn't seem to react to Leon's words.

Worried suddenly, He knelt down besides her. "Sarah, what is it?"

At last she turned towards him, her long hair clinging to her shoulders. Leon was startled to see the beginnings of tears in the corner of her eye, and she had a slight smile on her face. He was struck again by how much she seemed glow in the last couple of days. It was as if life itself had decided to invest in her for a time.

" Leon…" She spoke gently, affection clear in her voice. "I don't want to get your hopes up…" She trailed off, her head lowering.

Leon gently raised her chin back up with one hand. "But?" He asked gingerly.

"…I think I'm pregnant."

Sarah couldn't help herself: she burst out laughing at the look on her husbands face. Leon's jaw had dropped faster than the Backdraft, and his eyes were wide in shock. Within those warm orbs, Sarah could see a whole range of emotions. Surprise, shock, awe, and most prominent of all, love and joy.

"…You are?"

"I'm not sure…" Her free hand rested on her stomach. "…But it feels like that."

Leon smiled. "Of course, I keep forgetting that you've already had one child." He sobered up and looked her in the eye. "You sure you want this?"

Sarah stared back, her eyes liquid with love. "Yes… yes I do."

With a cry of joy, Leon pulled her into his arms. Both of them wrapped their arms round each other, Leon not caring about her wet fingers. They clung together for a long time, drinking of the passion that flowed between them both. Leon had secretly wished to someday have a child with Sarah, but he had not raised the idea with her, for fear that she would not wish to go through the ordeal of childbirth again. Sarah's answer had lifted that fear from his heart.

He pulled back just enough so that he bring his face to hers. "I love you Sarah…"

"I love yo…" Sarah's words were cut off by his mouth, both of them wrapped together in their love. At that moment, any thought about the meal, the team, or anyone else in the Blitz completely left their minds as they focused on the other. Their bodies were pressed together as they both clung to each other, knowing in their hearts that nothing would come between them.

After a long moment, their heads drifted apart. Leon smiled as he saw that she had kept her eyes closed, a smile on her lips. 'God I love her…'

"Sarah?"

"Hmmm?" She opened her eyes slowly to look at him with those wonderful sea-green orbs of hers.

"When are we going to tell the others?"

"Lets hold on for now, until we're sure." Sarah sighed. "And the when will have to come after I've figured out how. I know that their all good people, but I'm not sure how everyone would react…"

"Don't you mean how Vega would react?"

"Yea…"

"Don't worry yourself. Steve will be over the moon, while everyone else will be happy for us. As for Vega… well you brought him up right. And wasn't he the one pushing you onwards before?" Sarah smiled as she recalled how Vega had acted before the marriage. He had practically thrown her into Leon's arms. But that was about her being happy. How would he react when he learned that he was no longer going to be her only child?

"Whatever happens, you know that I'll always be right there besides you." Leon continued, gently rubbing her shoulders. "I'll never leave your side…"

At that moment, Jamie's voice came from the corridor. "Leon, Sarah? Where are you guys? Dinners ready…"

Sarah chuckled. "He's our regular mother hen."

"That he is." Leon smiled with her. Reluctantly he stood upright before offering her his hand. Smiling broadly, she took it and stood up with him. Arm in arm, they stepped out of the garden to meet Jamie who stood at the top of the stairs. He frowned when they emerged.

" Leon, you said you'd be right back. Don't blame me if your food is getting colder, or if someone eats it for you…" He turned and started down the stairs out of sight.

Sarah turned to Leon. "We need to get him a girlfriend."

Leon sighed. "I think he already has, but neither of them will act on it." Sarah's eyebrow rose, so Leon explained. "Pierce. The two of them shared a bed after that fight. I don't know for sure, but I think they didn't do anything. Since then they've been separated."

Sarah frowned now. "If they feel that way with each other, why haven't they acted?"

"Well, I know that Jamie has not had anything like this before, so maybe their both going slow. But it's Pierce who's holding them back. I've seen the look in his eye when he looks at her. He loves her, no doubt. But recently she's been avoiding him…"

"When she gets back, I'll have a word with her."

"Good luck. Naomi tried earlier and barely managed to get anything out of her."

"Oh, I know how to handle her."

"Hey you two! If you want food you had better get down here before Bit, Leena or Naomi has your shares!" Jamie yelled up from the dinner table. Smiling at each other, Leon and Sarah headed down.

x x x x x x

Pierce sighed as she climbed off the back of Rico's bike. "Thanks for the ride, but next time I'll drive myself."

"Don't tell me you weren't thrilled at least a little bit?" Rico asked, his face falling.

"Rico, I pilot a Storm Sworder. Compared to that, everything is slow."

"All right, fine. So," Rico pulled another grin out. "When will I see you again?"

Pierce took a step back. "Excuse me?"

"When are we going out again? I know this nice little…"

"Uh huh Rico. I went out with you tonight because I needed a little time away from my team, not because I wanted to be with you."

"So you're saying I'm not attractive?" Rico's voice had a note of shock.

"No, I'm not…" Pierce paused, before changing her line of thought. "…It's just that I've already got someone."

"Man, he must be a real pretty boy then, if you prefer him to me."

"Actually, he's a bright young lad. Absolutely brilliant in the air…"

"Who?" Pierce remained silent. "Come on, who?"

"Rico, I don't want to talk about it!" Pierce snapped. "And if you keep bugging me I won't go out with you again!" Pierce paused then swore to herself. She had just implied that she would accept a second date.

Rico clearly got the message, as his grin returned. "Okay, so how about Tuesday? I've got nothing planed…"

Pierce sighed in frustration. "All right, fine. Pencil it in. But I'm likely to be away with the team at a match, so don't say I didn't warn you."

"Sure, I'll await your call to confirm it. If I don't hear anything from you, I'll assume we're on." Pierce smiled brightly on the outside while inside she cursed again. "Same place as before…" Rico said just as he gripped the bikes handlebars.

"Actually…" Pierce began, but her words were drowned out by the roar of the bike's engine. Before she could try again, Rico had already pulled away. Shrugging in surrender, she turned round to enter the base.

Shadow: She really dosn't know what she's getting into...

DR: Nope. Next time we have another battle (I told you I was going to put more into this one!) and we meet up again with a couple of old foes... Till then! Don't forget to R&R!