XXXXAuthor's Note: A huge thanks to all of you for being so patient, for explanation on my whereabouts for the last year, please visit me at www.darkcosmos. Otherwise, please enjoy the following (note, things move fast, because I don't have a lot of free time).
XXXX Present.
Xhara was the first to burst through the door, hollering as loud as she could for her mother. Lex scolded her right away, seeing Xhara rush down the stairs, a little bundle was in Lex's arms.
"Your Mom's sleeping right now." Xhara stared mouth agape, as the others filed in behind her more calmly, Xhara turned around and glared at her father.
"Dad! What'd'ya go do that to her again for?" She whined, even though she held her arms open towards Lex to admire her new sibling. Av'Lea barreled towards her sister, after hearing her voice out loud, she knew her family had made it home.
"You survived!" Av'Lea spoke with relief. Xhara grinned happily.
"Yeah, you gotta' see the skull trophy I got!" By then their other siblings rushed into the room, the younger ones ever-so-curious.
"What's the Homeworld like?" Nath'ell wondered out loud.
"Did you see gramma?" Mun'Lin tugged on her sister's arm, all of them so human, yet very Yautja too.
Sodan left the company of his children and clan members to find his lifemate resting in her bedroom. While nearing forty years old, she didn't look a day over twenty-five, so peaceful in her slumber. Sodan sat himself on the edge of the bed and reached for her face, the caress stirring her. It took her a few moments to fully awake and know who was with her.
"I was dreaming of you", Lionasha commented softly. Sodan purred lightly.
-I know, I could sense your thoughts- The rich deep tone of his mind-speech sent a warm shiver up her spine, she sat herself up and snuggled up to his warm body.
-You brought them back to me, like I knew you would- She smiled with the thought.
-I see the suckling is another male, he is strong-
-I haven't given him a name, I was hoping you would this time- Sodan hadn't the time to find a name to the newest addition, he had been too busy, but since his children's clan mates were to remain for a while, he would savor his borrowed time on Earth as long as he could.
XXXXXXX
Av'Lea didn't care that they weren't her clan mates, Yan'Ya had devoured the Romeo and Juliet story and bombarded the hybrid with questions. Xhara mean while was raiding Thian's closet (Thian having taken off rather quickly and secretly), digging out size-appropriate clothing for the mates in her clan. She explained the clothing as best as she could to both male Yautja, they of course as eager as could be to learn human culture.
-Put the leather on the tall one- Av'Lea suggested, while in a room down the hall, Xhara's mouth curved upwards. Yo'Shuk, meanwhile, offered his own clothing, dressing in a more punkish style. Caltair loved the baggy, loose jeans. Human clothing was so very unpractical, but so very fun!
"Not bad", Av'Lea complimented, she and Yan'Ya stood quietly in the doorway. Both Yautja males now completely dressed in clothing, Thar in leather and tighter clothing, while Caltair had chosen baggy choices. Everyone had gone quiet, until Xhara's thought process strayed off the behaved path.
"Oh! I should take you to my work-place!" Xhara suggested, grabbing Thar's arm and dragging him outside the room.
"Is it just me, or is Xhara hopeless?" Av'Lea asked her brother, Yo'Shuk merely shrugged, and escorted his own clan mate out to the living room.
Xhara dressed herself in some of her sister's clothing and waited for Thar to adorn his face-mask before taking him outside to their make-shift 'garage'.
"I bought this a year ago, but hadn't gotten the chance to use it yet...it'd be a good lesson for you", she indicated a large object covered with a dusty tarp. She pulled it off with one swift movement, coughing in the process, thinking she should've opted for her own mask. Thar clicked his appreciation, eyeing the motorcycle with keen fascination. "They're not hard to use, you'll catch on", Thar was ready for the challenge, and sat himself on the machine, waiting for instruction. Xhara cosied up on the bike behind him and pointed out how to work it. With a swift kick (wearing a pair of altered leather boots, specially made for Thian), the motor roared to life, exhaust pouring into the dusty garage. Xhara wrapped her arms around Thar's waist and gave a squeeze, "c'mon, let's go for a ride!"
XXXXXXX
Thian looked up at the tall building before him. This location had been familiar to him since he was two years of age, he had spent a lot of his life here. Finally heading into the building, he ascended the stairwell to the roof, he could sense her there, alone in her thoughts. Making it to the roof faster than any human could, she sound of the door opening startled Rose. She quickly turned towards the noise and let out a gasp.
"Thian!" Rose Mao hurried toward her best friend and launched herself into his arms. Thian squeezed her protectively.
"I missed you", he softly said, his voice deep and rich like his father's, although very human. He put Rose down and inspected her newly-acquired purple hair, "I think I prefer the green, you odd-ball", he said with a smirk and gave her a well-practiced kiss.
Rose and Thian had kept their more-than-friends relationship a secret for a long time, knowing the difficulties such a relationship could cause. Thian liked who he was and the same with Rose, each had grown up accepting each other for who they were. Thian felt guilty for the secret, but his mother had enough problems of her own to deal with. Instead the young couple kept to themselves in quiet enjoyment, until the time was right.
XXXXXXX
Thar'kii'lin's enthusiasm was infectious, Xhara whooped loudly as they sped down the city streets. To any spectators, Thar could've been human, with a strangely-crafted helmet. Little did Thar suspect, that Xhara was planning to show-and-tell at her workplace, a little revenge plot brewing in her head. She had to quickly explain driving rules to Thar to make sure he didn't run a red light.
Xhara grinned evilly, a car pulled up right next to them, and sure enough Jay's face turned towards her, his eyes widening in recognition, he then stared at Thar, but a honk behind them alerted the light had turned green.
Jerry's eyes lit up like it was Christmas when he saw Xhara walk into the Night Club. He ignored the drinks he was mixing in front of him to shout a greeting to his employee. Nearby Jay gave her a sour look. Behind her, a much taller, muscular figure followed closely, his helmet still secured to his face. Xhara waved a salute toward Jerry and approached the bar.
"Welcome back, who's the boyfriend?" Jerry motioned towards Thar.
"Sorry, Jer, can't talk now, where's Geanie?" Jerry offered a smile and jerked his thumb towards the back.
Club patrons carried on around them while the hybrid and the Yautja headed back stage. Geanie had been Xhara's best friend, one of the regular strippers, and knowledgeable of Xhara's true identity.
Half a dozen naked women moved about the dressing room without a second glance at the new arrivals. One of them, however rushed to give Xhara a hug.
"Heya girl! Nice to see ya back in town", Geanie, a tall, bubbly blond had absolutely no shame. She took a moment to look Thar up and down. "Yummy! Who's the hunk?" A couple of other girls took a quick glance after hearing her comment.
"This is Thar", Xhara answered, then leaned in close, "he's like my dad", she whispered. Geanie's baby blues sparkled in excitement.
"No shit?" She smiled up at Thar, "you guys naturally built that way, or what?" Xhara flexed her own biceps.
"Nah, we work out", Xhara purposely hammed up, Geanie giggled and continued to study Thar appreciatively, "he and two others are here to study human life".
"Really? Need a pet project?" Geanie asked, "does he got a brother?" She added, quietly. Xhara grinned.
"No, but he's got a clan mate, who's single". Thar was starting to feel uncomfortable, and Xhara could sense it. "We'll come back when you get off, alright?" Geanie nodded and waved as the couple quickly left.
XXXXXX
The New York harbor created calm scenery for Thar and Xhara, where they sat and rested. Thar had gotten a little more of humanity than he wanted on his first time out.
"It was strange", he commented, Xhara watched an approaching tug boat.
"Yeah, maybe we should go on a hunt, just to feel normal again?" Xhara suggested, and if Thar could've grinned, he would've just then.
XXXXXXX
Past.
Mingh filled her sink with lukewarm water, ready to do her dishes. Young Rose was already asleep in her bed, her husband having dropped Rose off for Mingh's weekend visitation. The divorce had been long before Mingh's trip to Cambodia, Rose was now seven and growing into quite the little beauty. Having returned from her work overseas, it was nice to have the luxury of an upscale New York apartment.
The dish slipped from Mingh's fingers as a click in the next room startled her, she turned to look at the doorway, thinking her cat knocked something over.
"Speak of the devil", Mingh muttered, hearing Fuzzy meow quite loudly. She returned her attention back to the sink, but another sound interrupted her again. Frustrated, Mingh quickly toweled off her hands and went into the next room to investigate what Fuzzy had done. The fat orange cat was standing, quite alert and staring silently towards the intruder. Mingh's eyes went wide, she recognized the style of armor the being was wearing, standing in front of the open window. "No...what do you want with me?" Mingh shouted, backing up in fear. The being immediately held up its hands and walked towards the Cambodian.
"Mo, mo..." Mingh remained where she stood and stared in disbelief.
"Lio?" Lionasha frantically pulled out the wires in her mask and removed it, nodding towards her friend in confirmation.
"No speak English for long time..." Lionasha explained in choppy English, having only spoken Yautja for so long. She stopped just in front of Mingh, her armor almost glittering in the moonlight flooding into the room her twin spears positioned underneath the leathery pouch holding baby Yo'Shuk. Little Thian timidly poked his head around from behind Lionasha's legs and looked up at Mingh.
"Oh my..." Mingh looked down in surprise, seeing how fast the child had grown, large for a two-year-old.
"Mommy?" An equally small child wandered into the room, dressed in her pyjamas. Rose was eyeing Thian suspiciously, then smiled at Lionasha. "Aunty Lio?" She questioned, a delicate eyebrow raised, her almond-shaped eyes wide and innocent. Lionasha kneeled down and offered a hug, which the seven-year-old readily accepted. "Weird clothes", she commented, then offered her hand to the shy hybrid. "Wanna see my room?" Thian looked up at his mother in question, she nodded, he smiled and left with Rose.
"Well-behaved", Mingh couldn't help but notice, Lionasha grinned and turned for Mingh to take a slumbering Yo'Shuk from the back-pouch.
"Yautja discipline", Lionasha mused out loud, Mingh cooed over the baby, cuddling him in her arms.
"Oh, he's so sweet...what did you name him?" Lionasha's eyes were sparkling in pride.
"Yo'Shuk...name from Sodan's brother", Mingh's head snapped up suddenly fearful.
"Where is...he?" She asked and as if on cue, other figures made their way into the window. The crew consisted of Sodan, Aki and those who hunted with Lionasha, they inspected their surrounding with mild curiosity. "They can't stay here..." Mingh was about to make an argument, but Yo'Shuk stirred in her arms and made her forget.
"You find the ooman", Lionasha interrupted, taking Mingh's arm and led her toward the office room. "I know not her name, she have mark like mine", Lionasha pointed to the scar on her cheek, Mingh frowned at her.
"Why did you do that to your beautiful face?" Lionasha frowned in insult.
"Mark of honor", she took Yo'Shuk into her arms as Mingh sat down in front of her computer, waiting for more information. Lionasha rested the baby comfortably, her own belly already showing the signs of a new pregnancy. "I know not her name, she go to temple in cold place, not sure exactly where. Yo'Shuk destroy field, the ooman was only one to survive". Mingh's fingers were resting on the keyboard, she digested the facts and a sudden spark of recognition caused her fingers to start typing.
"I remember reading something about that two years ago, a while crew got killed, including that billionaire..." Finding the old newspaper she was talking about, she pointed at the screen, Lionasha was looking straight at the article. "The only survivor was the expedition guide, Alexa Woods".
"Yes, that her!" Lionasha smiled in triumph.
"It could take a while for me to find out what happened to her." Lionasha nodded and left the office, leaving Mingh to check the medical records she had access to.
The Yautja clan were busying themselves, inspecting the odd ooman dwelling they were in, never having seen such devices before. Aki was most fascinated with the large box in the big room that played ooman recordings, she sat her large body down in front of it and played with the small remote control. The other female of the clan sat herself next to Aki and was also taken in by the strange technology.
Mingh's orange cat timidly came out of its hiding spot and began rubbing its body against Sodan's leg, purring madly. He looked down at the small creature and decided to pick it up with one hand. Fuzzy stared at him with wide golden eyes, its purring stopping for the moment.
"Mo, gently", Lionasha quickly came to Fuzzy's rescue, showing Sodan how to hold the cat properly, and pet it. Fuzzy started purring again. "See? Soft...pet", she added. Sodan looked at her in confusion, "never mind".
"Lio!" Mingh hollered out, Lionasha quickly went back into the office, Mingh having found the file she wanted. The Cambodian pointed to the screen, "they put her in a nut-house, that's all I could find, the case is classified." Lionasha quickly looked for the address of the Institute, finding it, she smiled, it wasn't too far from them as she had hoped. Immediately, she informed her lifemate of the news, he being the leader of the clan even though Lionasha's clan leader was slightly older. The others were ready and alert at the news, eager to get down to business.
XXXXXX
Lionasha examined herself in front of the mirror, dressed in her old clothes again, it was hard to believe how fast she had grown up. She went over the directions over in her head, she planning on scouting out the Institute's property make-up.
It was a fairly new place, but highly secretive. Reserved only for the most severe of cases. Alexa Woods no doubt had been highly traumatized by those events in which she had survived. Lionasha still wondered why it was that Yo'Shuk's clan hadn't taken the expedition guide with them. She had, after all, been blooded.
That's exactly what Lionasha planned to find out as she headed outside the building and stood for the first time in years on the streets of New York City. She sub-consciously rubbed her rounding middle, her skin already ravaged with fading stretch marks, but luckily, she now resided in a society that admired scarring.
"Pfft, battle scars", she amused to herself, the little hybrid steadily growing within her already had a mind presence stronger than that of the first two. And in Lionasha's delight, the mind already resonating female.
The sun beamed down on her with a pleasant warmth, she could sense her lifemate following nearby, he using his cloaking of course. Her clan mates each chose their own routes to follow, knowing once they had the human in their custody, they would need to make a swift escape.
Lionasha walked with confidence, these were the streets in which she grew up. As a child, she had learned to become tough, surviving assault just newly in her teens, she had learned to be leery of others...especially men. But she had no reason to be fearful now, Sodan had constantly reminded her he was there and would watch over her.
"Hey Lio! You've growed up!" Ben Calerari waved to the young woman, a heap of tomatoes piled in front of him, an outdoor display for his market. Lionasha had been a regular customer of his. "Back from the jungle, I see?" Lionasha smiled as she approached him, shaking the older man's hand.
"Yeah, long time no see, Ben, how's business?" Ben returned the grin, looking her over.
"Good as usual, I see you finally found yourself a man." He eyed her middle suspiciously, "Doctor Mao never mentioned anything, but I bet it was a surprise for her too?" Ben reached to touch the swollen belly, Lionasha could feel her lifemate's anxious mind-touch, not understanding human affection. Lionasha backed up a little, not wanting a fight to ensue.
"Listen, Ben, I'm in a little bit of a hurry, could you tell me where the Byereman Institute is?"
"The local nut-house? Yeah, it's about a half-hour subway ride from here." Ben nodded towards the nearest underground stairway.
"What about walking distance?" Lionasha quarried, Ben gave her a toothy grin.
"Not used to the luxuries of life anymore, eh kid? Take my advice and stick to routes with lotsa people around. Too many gun shots these days...besides, whadya want to go there for anyway?" Lionasha gave a nervous laugh and quickly turned to leave.
"Never mind, Ben, nice seeing you". She headed towards the subway station, but then thought better of it, since it'd be crowded this time of day.
-What did he mean by 'too many gunshots'?- Sodan wondered, Lionasha spotted the shimmer of his outline an a stairwell nearby.
-Sounds like the crime's up in this area-
-We could put in a few days of hunting before we leave, then- Sodan's thought caused Lionasha to giggle out loud.
XXXXXX
"When do we go?" Lionasha asked a few days later, feeling rather excited about meeting Alexa Woods, having anticipated such a meeting for two years now.
"You're not going", Sodan firmly stated, Aki moved up behind the human and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You cannot risk the suckling", she softly said, Lionasha nearly four months into her pregnancy. Lionasha frowned in defiance.
"But I want to go", she pouted rather childishly, Aki's grip tightened in warning.
Later that night, the Yautja found their own spots throughout Mingh's apartment to rest after a day of hunting, Lionasha was wide awake to give Yo'Shuk his feeding. She was still pouting and able to hide her thoughts now, she was making her own plans to free Alexa from the Institute. Knowing she was the only human in the clan, Alexa would respond to her better and she was just as capable as any of the others. Settling Yo'Shuk down, and seeing the clock approach one in the morning, Lionasha cloaked herself and quietly left the apartment.
The night air welcomed her with a cool, crisp wind, Lionasha used to a much warmer climate. The lighter gravity made it easy for Lionasha to quickly make her way down towards the underground subway station. She found it extremely amusing to walk through a thinning crowd without being noticed, she having opted to use the subway to get far uptown where the Institution was located. Choosing a compartment with less people inside, she stood as to avoid anyone sitting on her. Silently observing the strangers around her, she watched a rather greasy-looking man eye a thirtyish-year old woman down from him. Lionasha easily read his thoughts and moved towards him when he started towards the woman. Lionasha stuck out her foot, the man tripped over the appendage falling flat on his face. The other people in the compartment burst out laughing at the sorry sight, the angry man looked around for the culprit but saw none. Lionasha bent over near him.
"Boo!" She fiercely whispered, causing him to holler in fright and fell for the next compartment, people continued to laugh.
It took nearly half and hour to get to her desired location, Lionasha slipped out of the subway and looked around at her surroundings. She only had a couple of blocks to go and easily made it to her destination in record time. The Institution was well fenced in, but thanks to her cloaking device, she easily slipped past the guard.
Inside everything was very quiet, the lights extremely dim, but Lionasha's mask allowed her to see with ease. She hadn't the faintest clue where Alexa was being kept, she moved form corridor to corridor hoping to sense the right woman's thoughts. She stopped.
-Stay away- Lionasha could hear the woman's whimpering, seeing images flash in her mind as the tormented woman relived her nightmare. Lionasha saw the xenomorph queen's image and knew this was her woman. Walking up to the door, Lionasha quickly examined the hinges, deciding how she was going to break in.
She never had to, a doctor made his way around the corner and stopped in front of Alexa's door.
"Time to help you back to sleep", he announced, holding medication on a small tray. He went to unlock the door and Lionasha quickly moved up behind the man, snapping his neck in a quick second. His body fell to the floor, Lionasha noticing how quickly she responded to things now. Pushing the door open, Lex looked up and shrieked in terror.
"No! No! No!" She screamed, Lionasha held up her hands, worried who had heard the loud voice. Lionasha promptly removed her mask making shushing noises.
"Is ok! I no hurt you!" Lionasha insisted, Lex quieted and stared blankly at her, then her eyes turned to look behind the strangely dressed woman. Loinasha reached for a spear without turning and activated it, the end running through the guard behind her.
"Hey you..." Lionasha whipped around and swiftly kicked the second guard, sending him to the floor. She, wearing specially armored boots, was ready for the fight. She pulled the spear out of her first victim and grabbed for the second one, alert and capable. Three more guards rushed around the corridor, two of them wielding guns. Switching her cloaking device on, Lionasha lunged towards her enemies, they began shooting at random. One of the bullets hit her arm computer and deactivated her cloaking.
"C'jit!" She cursed in Yautja, two more guards came around the corner and easily overpowered the distraught woman, while she continued to curse. One of the guards brought the butt of his gun hard into her un-masked face. Lex's scream was the last thing she heard before blacking out.
XXXXXXX
Lionasha's eyes slowly rolled open, she felt extremely thirsty and didn't know why, her stomach lurched in pain.
-Mommy?- The child's thought brought Lionasha slowly back to consciousness. She tried to move her arms, but something had her restrained securely, and she felt extremely cold. She struggled to free herself, shaking violently, but she tired fast.
"Easy, don't move" a man's voice was the first thing Lionasha heard, then other mechanical noises began buzzing in her ears. She turned her head to the left and saw the man's back covered in a long white lab coat.
"Oh shit", she said in English, 'Sodan's gonna be pissed', she thought to herself. Turning her head about she easily guessed what was going on, the doctor turned to smile maliciously at her.
"The child is fine and healthy", he announced, having several patched wires on her exposed belly, her armor removed leaving only the leather underclothing.
"Don't you dare touch her", the English words flew out smoothly in her anger, in her mind she pleaded for her lifemate's assistance.
"I wouldn't dream of touching the child, you, however, I can't figure out what's different about you. Tell me how you came to be pregnant with one of ...them...?" He asked, leaning over her, Lionasha responded by spitting on him. He causally wiped the mucus off his face and continued to smile, moving away from her. She looked up again, seeing a bottle filling with a red substance. It was her blood, which explained her sudden fatigue. "We've been trying to catch one of ...them...for years, Miss Woods hasn't been any help", he continued nonchalantly, "you, however, we've been trying to find since you spoke with Detective Anderson last".
"Fuck you", Lionasha bitterly cursed, she was being drained and was dying.
"Tsk, tsk", the doctor faced her again, "you're not my interest and if the child dies, I won't be able to speed up my research".
"You can't have any of them!" She hissed at him, his eyes went wide.
"You have other children?" He asked in wonderment, Lionasha clenched her jaw shut. A younger man walked into the room and put down several papers, nodding towards the doctor.
"The tests showed everything's normal", the doctor smiled towards Lionasha.
"That's fine, I already know the child can obviously survive here", Lionasha screamed out in frustration before passing out from blood-loss. The young man checked her pulse as soon as her eyes closed.
"She's still alive", he announced, the other man shrugged his shoulders, he didn't care about her. The door burst open, a guard's body fell limply, a woman's scream rang out. Both doctors looked up to see what was the matter and saw the outside of the door was splattered with blood.
Sodan charged into the room, Aki following closely behind, Sodan's wrist blades immediately punched into the young man, his blades already stained red. The body dropped and Sodan quickly moved to his lifemate, bringing his blades down hard onto her restraints, pulling her limp body tightly into his arms. The older doctor watched in fascination, seeing the creature he dedicated his life to studying, the creature protectively holding the woman, pregnant with his child.
"Ack!" The last noise the man made before Aki's grip tightened, her talons digging into his flesh and tearing his throat. She dropped the dead body and moved to Sodan, checking Lionasha's pulse.
"She is still alive, we should go now", Aki said, her body being larger than Sodan's, she used it to plow through the large window, leading the way out.
Outside, the others were waiting patiently, already taken Lionasha's armor back, Lex was slung over the other female's shoulder, unconscious. They made it back to Mingh's apartment as quickly as they could move, they startled the Cambodian with how much they were rushing, the sun just starting to come up. Mingh was hysterical when she saw the condition Lionasha was in, she and Aki quickly took charge in the examination.
"She's lost a lot of blood", Mingh spoke, hoping the huge female Yautja could understand. To her surprise, when Aki removed her mask, her English, while choppy, was very good.
"Yesss...she need new blood..." Aki said, hoping Mingh could provide such a treatment. Mingh shook her head frantically, Lionasha was lying on the kitchen table, still unconscious.
"My type isn't the same and I don't have enough time to go to the clinic." Mingh looked up at Aki and pointed towards her, "you! Yours might work!" Aki easily followed the thought, it was obvious the two species were compatible and she was female. Mingh quickly gathered what supplies she had and pulled out two syringes, Aki pulled off her wrist-computer, ready to put the needle in. Mingh wiped the sweat from her face and allowed Aki to begin the blood transfusion.
"Jussst time now", Aki forced out as clear as possible. Mingh nodded and poured a cup of juice, sitting it next to the Yautja, she then left the kitchen and went into the living room, seeing the new arrival cowering in the corner of the room. Mingh approached her and kneeled down in front of her.
"You must be Miss Woods", Mingh stated the obvious, but was trying to settle the woman down. Lex looked at her, still trembling, frightened and confused.
"Hi!" Thian toddled up to the former adventurer, pressing his little hands against her knees. Lex looked at him with wide eyes, noticing right away the physical oddity of his looks.
"Thian, not now", Mingh gently scolded, the child was still all smiles but obeyed and left their presence.
"What is that?" Lex spoke finally, watching Thian join Rose on the floor nearby. Mingh smiled at the woman. "Is he a...?"
"Yes", Mingh cut in, Lex looked at her.
"Why did they bring me here?" She asked, beginning to come out of her shock.
"You'll have to ask Lio yourself", Mingh answered, leaving the woman to check up on Aki in the kitchen.
XXXXXXXX
It appeared as though Lionasha's body was accepting the foreign blood, as she rested soundly, curled up in Sodan's warm arms. All the Yautja slept soundly, outside the day went on as usual, oblivious to everyone in Mingh's uptown apartment. Lex refused to sleep, she watched everyone else around her, specifically the human woman in the hunter's arms. Sodan had looked at her a couple of times early that morning, silently acknowledging her presence, although he didn't appear interested in introducing himself.
The group didn't sleep long, soon enough they were up and about around the apartment. Mingh had taken a groggy Lionasha into the kitchen for a checkup and when all was satisfactory, Lionasha joined her lifemate up on the roof.
Thian made another friendly attempt to break through to Lex, gently putting his hand in hers and tugging it.
"Come for breakfast", Thian insisted, Lex having remained in the same spot for hours. The child's persistence caused the woman to get up and go into the kitchen where Mingh was cleaning out her fridge for her large guests. The Cambodian noticed her presence right away.
"Would you like some breakfast before it's all gone?" She asked, handing a carton of eggs to Aki, Lex looked around and noticed the newly brewed pot.
"Coffee?" Lex asked, still a little hesitant about everything, Mingh quickly poured her a cup. Lex didn't bother to add anything to the liquid, she eagerly gulped it down, having being deprived of such luxury for so long.
"This, yours", Lex looked up as the quiet female of the clan deposited her offering on the table in front of the human. Lex recognized the Elder's spear, having no idea where the Yautja could've possibly found it.
"Thank you", Lex acknowledged as the female left the room, Mingh sat down at the table, all smiles. "Is..she..alright?" Lex returned her attention to the Cambodian, Mingh knew right away who the subject of the question was.
"Oh, she'll be fine, but I wouldn't be surprised if the baby's born soon, though, more premature than the others". Lex was looking down at her spear, curling her fingers around the intricately designed weapon.
"I need to thank her", she quietly said, Mingh took the empty cup in front of her.
"She's on the roof, go ahead, then when you come back down, I'll give you some proper clothing". Lex hesitated, knowing Lionasha wasn't alone at the moment, "don't worry", Mingh insisted softly, "he's big and scary looking, but he's a decent guy", she winked.
Lex took a deep breath, still holding her spear protectively and headed up to the roof level, staying near the doorway, seeing the shadows silhouetted against the setting sun.
Sodan and Lionasha were sitting comfortably on the edge of the roof top, watching human life carry on below them. Lex couldn't approach them, she was still afraid of ..his..kind, but saw the creature keep protective hold of his mate.
Watching Lionasha with the hunter, it finally became clear to Lex, the hunter would never leave her, he would never hurt her, never shout at her, never get drunk and hit her, or say he was too busy to spend time with her, he would always be there and he would die to protect her. Of all the would be men that would ever come into Lionasha's life, he was the only one who would ever measure up.
"We have an audience", Lionasha whispered to her mate, warm and comfortable pressed up against him.
"The ooman is frightened of me", Sodan said, not bothering to look Lex's way, her thoughts spoke for themselves.
"I should talk to her", Lionasha said, moving from her spot and walking towards Lex with a comforting smile on her face. "Hi Alexa, I've been waiting a long time to meet you".
"Why?" Lex quickly asked, Lionasha gently took her arm and led her back downstairs, moving slowly due to recovery. Lionasha chose to sit in Rose's bedroom so they could talk privately, Lionasha took a deep breath.
"The one who gave you that mark", Lionasha nodded towards Lex's cheek, "was the brother of my lifemate".
XXXXXXX
Lex was quite nervous, while the Yautja were civil with her, they were anything but friendly. Her only relief would be spending time with the other human woman and her babies. Thian loved cuddling with Lex, it made the trip back to the Homeworld less impending, she not knowing what to expect. Lionasha tried her best to reassure, but their circumstances were not at all alike.
"Don't worry, Nee'Va's nice, don't let her appearance fool you", Lionasha would tell her. Otherwise Aki would be her educator for the most part, and Aki had a co-operative student.
It was harder for Lex to get used to the difference in gravity. She wasn't nearly as strong as Lionasha, who seemed to move around with ease. Comments by other Yautja couldn't be avoided, Lex didn't have the odd mental capabilities that Lionasha possessed, therefore several thoughts were rather audible from her. Lionasha felt helpless to the other woman's fright, but remained silent for the flitter trip to Nee'Va's dwelling.
The Elder ushered them in quickly, as to avoid anymore questions, Lex examined her surroundings with awe, Nee'Va quickly getting the update of her son's adventures, not to mention noticing the female fetus's strong mind presence.
"I have to wonder", Nee'Va spoke in the throaty native tongue, Lex only knowing a few words at this point. "If this female will possess the skills thought to be myth". Lionasha liked the thought of her daughter being powerful, she herself having been nregarded as weak and useless amongst her mate's people.
"If she is, then I'll have a lot to answer to", Sodan commented dryly, Nee'Va let out a very audible snort.
"You already do, but that's beside the point. This ooman here is what now is important." Everyone glanced over towards Lex. Aki and Lionasha excused themselves to head over to the medical lab, leaving Lex to the other Yautja.
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Lex did not have an easy time adjusting at all, in fact, quite the opposite. Nee'Va's clan mates were always edgy around the human, she couldn't make the effort to fit in which left many curious as to how Yo'Shuk ever saw her as a warrior. Lionasha, meanwhile had long since given birth to little Xhara, and had gotten back into shape, going on hunts with her clan. While Sodan still preferred his 'lone wolf' status, he refused to leave Lionasha's side, their clan got along together well, regardless of their oddity.
Lex always remained in Lionasha's thoughts, she knew the Elders had in mind to have the human join their lifestyle, as she had. The younger woman could sense that Lex had not gotten over her trauma, and almost certain death could be the only result in Lex's participation in another hunt. A solution for this problem had yet to present itself, and time to spare Lex from her fate was running out...fast.
Night-time on this particular planet was very quiet and rather relaxing. Lionash shared her feelings out loud with her clan members, even though they couldn't completely understand.
"The ooman is no warrior", the oldest of them concluded, "more a need to survive, that and she had Yo'Shuk to help her". Their small fire crackled, the only illumination in their camp, everyone keeping warm by the flames.
"I agree", Lionasha said, "if Yo'Shuk had survived, who knows, but she's been scared silly."
"That happens to even the strongest of us on rare occasion, only time will heal, and sometimes even that is not enough". Aki offered, she having tried to treat battle fatigue, but usually unsuccessful.
"Some of them become 'bad bloods'", Sodan added, "I had to hunt one down once". The others listened in intently, such a hunt would've been kept quiet by the Elder council, a Yautja-gone-bad was very taboo. "His mind was not right, he caused too much destruction, but I gave him a swift death".
"I don't think Lex will go on a killing rampage, she wouldn't be capable of it. I think she should be returned to -Earth-". Lionasha's comment raised a chorus of clicking mandibles.
"The Elders would not allow it", Aki said, Lionasha frowned unhappily.
"I know, but I'm going to make the suggestion, I don't want to see Lex die just because." That was the end of that conversation, although that was all anyone though about until the trip home.
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Sodan did nothing to stop his mate's plan to speak with the Elder Council about Lex. He himself knew such a request would bring him terrible shame, but Lo'Sha's intentions were honorable. At least Nee'Va's presence on the council would hopefully change a most certain death sentence for Lionasha's treasonable actions, but what decision would be made, he had no idea. His mother had been telling him for years that his rebelliousness would get him into trouble it seemed this day would come.
As he had hoped, Sodan quietly watched as the Elder Council made their judgement, and did not order Lionasha's death. Instead, she was allowed to return to Earth with Lex, and raise her offspring. Banned from ever returning to the Homeworld, that was the extent of Lionasha's punishment, which did sadden her as it had become her home, however hers and Sodan's children were spared of such banishment. As Sodan had become too prominent a leader amongst their society, his lifestyle from before he had met Lionasha would continue, therefore limiting his time for visits with his lifemate.
Nee'Va accompanied her son, his lifemate, her grand children and Lex to the loading docks, keeping quiet, not giving spectators the satisfaction of seeing her sadness. Loinasha hid it well too, she accomplished what she had set out to do, and that was to save Lex's life.
"Paya watch over you", Nee'Va quietly prayed, placing a large taloned hand on Lionasha's shoulder. Toddler's Thian and Yo'Shuk, infant Xhara in her arms, oblivious to what was taking place. "I look towards the day which I will see these little ones again". Lionasha smiled weakly.
"I'll miss you, Elder Nee'Va, you have been a mother to me", Lionasha spoke for the final time on the Homeworld, the journey back to Earth was a bitter-sweet one.
XXXXX XXXXXAuthor's Note: Big thanks to Scarlet Moonlight, who inspired me to get back into this fic, thanks girl! Much love to everyone!