A Peerless Knight

by Lumari

AU elements/ideas. Lacey Drake is a hardworking young woman who strives to perform her very best in any task, but leaves little wiggle room for a personal life, yet one morning will change everything. Human female x Sangheili male.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There are benefits to riding with a much larger alien companion on the tramway. As with the jiralhanae man, people are more than a little generous with the space they leave for the two of us.

I find this both puzzling and sad, but to my relief, Kahlo either doesn't notice or just doesn't care. We take a seat in the center of the car on the right side, having plenty of room to spread out if we want, but Kahlo seems determined to keep close. The sangheili is a bit wider in the shoulders but he seems comfortable enough, even with me wedged in at his side. I'm trying my best to keep my elbows to myself as the tram starts to speed up.

We're making good time as we walk down the sidewalk towards home, the crowds quickly moving aside to allow us more than enough room to pass, probably due to the fact that Kahlo is growling slightly under breath at every lingering gaze. I suppose he's just being overly protective.

Once we're over a section of rolling sidewalk I can see the rise of my apartment. I immediately notice the pile of crates and dark bags piled in front of my door as we near the stoop. I guess those are his things.

Now that we're here, I don't know what to really say, but I don't have to, as I'm left speechless as Kahlo walks ahead of me and begins hauling a few bags over his shoulder. I watch as he manages to cram a small box under one arm along with more than half of the stuff onto his back.

He doesn't seem to strain whatsoever but I hurry to open the door, making sure to squish myself up against the wall so he can get through more easily.

"Secure the door Lacey." He says as he walks by me and towards the living room.

Secure the—oh, he means lock it. Duh. I sigh softly as I close the door. I turn the lock and bolt the door shut. As I turn away from the door I can hear it. Oh no.

The clicking of doggy nails on the wood floor is followed by an almost too eager bark and a slightly menacing growl.

I'm not sure who is growling, but I'm halfway down the hall at a skidding-shoes-on-carpet speed when I hear a strong yip. Oh no.

Once I dash down the short hallway and into the living room, I'm greeted by the sangheili leaning over Clover. She is currently being pressed down to the ground by the nape of her neck, making small yippy cries as he holds her flat against the floor.

"That's my dog! Clover." I say quickly, hoping he doesn't think someone planted a beast into my apartment to kill me. Do they not have pets on their planet? "She's more of a barker than a biter." Probably.

Kahlo looks to me but keeps his grip on Clover who's still whining while smacking her tail to one side against the floor in agitation, "Your animal is protective of you and her home, but she must learn to accept my presence here. We will start setting these boundaries now."

Oh-kay. I guess he's not a dog person.

I watch as he starts to ease up off his toes to push up with his knees, still keeping a firm grip on Clover. He slowly presses off of her until his hand slips away and the dog zips swiftly out from under him. Clover immediately dashes up the stairs. I hear the clacking of her claws on the steps, as she most likely goes to hide under my bed. I feel a little guilty. I hadn't even tried to intervene.

"Please, don't hurt my dog." I tell him firmly, but still with a bit of a mumble, because, I mean seriously this guy is huge, "She's just afraid because you're a stranger."

The sangheili's mandibles twitch and I can't read the expression on his face, but his dark eyes seem to glimmer and there's an irritated note in his voice, "I did not injure your animal. I was establishing authority over her, I can't have any disruptions to my mission."

Your mission? Seriously? Gee, way to be impersonal about it, "Well," I stammer out, feeling a little hurt for reasons I'm not sure of, "Just be gentler, she's more fragile than she looks. She's sweet when you get to know her, it will just take time."

"Hm." He says simply and stares at me for a long moment, as if he is trying to figure something out. I can't help but twitch a bit under his scrutiny. I'm not sure why he's just…staring at me, but as soon as he started, he suddenly breaks away. I watch as he walks past the stairs and to the door less opening. He peers down that hallway, "Where may I place my things?" Oh, yes—that.

"Actually there's a room upstairs next to mine you can have, I have to clean it out a bit." I blurt out, hoping he doesn't head down the hall anyways to see the embarrassing sloppy mess of dirty clothes in the laundry room. I really need that new washing machine.

I lead the way upstairs and I hope as we head up that he doesn't fall backwards with the load he's carrying. He has such quirky legs, and I can't help but flinch at every sharp creak that accompanies almost every step we take as we walk up. He's heavy enough that one jump could probably sending his feet crashing through my floor.

We make it to the top floor alright though and my mind is buzzing with activity. Ok guest room! It's practically a storage closet, but hopefully more manageable than I remember. I hope.

I flip the light switch and I step into the room next to mine—the prospective guest room—and I stand awkwardly in the doorway, "Here we are." I suck in a long breath as I take in the colossal pile of junk in front of me. Where the heck is he going to sleep? It's all neatly stacked boxes, but it's all at the center of the room, and there's so much of it. I had never fully sorted and unpacked these things when I moved out of mom's house. "I'm so sorry, I'll clean up first. Just drop your stuff anywhere, I'll get it."

The sangheili sounds amused, "Lacey, you needn't trouble yourself. I don't wish to offend, but even the males of your kind seem to have trouble with my equipment."

Equipment? What does he have in those bags, bombs? I imagine my house going up in flames and I faintly visualize trying to stifle the flames with my dirty clothes. I guess I'm trying to think humorously so I can try and forget the fact that someone may try to kill me soon.

Maybe I should ask him to sleep on the floor next to my bed. OK, maybe that's too soon…strange guy, alien, I mean, yeah. No. And I'd probably fall on him in my sleep, I roll around a lot. Clover is the only thing keeping me from sleeping on the floor but since she probably hates me now, the waking up on the floor thing is inevitable.

"I can clear a space for myself." He says before I can speak, "I'll be careful with your items."

"I'm sorry." I apologize again, feeling it's necessary because of this mess. It really is. "I honestly wasn't expecting any of this to happen, so I didn't think about clearing out a room..."

"You don't have a mate?" He inquires, and it's an innocent question but it still takes me by surprise.

I freeze, one hand stuck in the air where I had been moving to scratch an itch on my shoulder. I fold my arms across my stomach too quickly. 'Mate'? This is mom all over again…

"Uh, no!" I say, "It's just me. Me and Clover. Used to be me and mom, at home, before I moved out. Just me now." Oh, I'm blabbering again. Well, unsurprisingly, the question is more than a little awkward. I didn't expect him to ask about my relationship status.

"My employer tells me you are twenty-six years of age, yet you are unmated, I don't mean to pry, but I find this curious." He says, and I can't meet his brown eyes. Ugh, I'm staring at my toes again.

"Why?" I ask, and I look up so I'm not talking to the ground, "Do women on your planet marry early?"

His mandibles switch again, both sets, and he leans on the wall behind him, the bag on his shoulder settling onto his knee, "Most women are claimed before their twentieth birthday, but a few refuse a mate for occupational responsibilities. Those females are cared for by male relatives."

Claimed? Well, isn't that sexy. Like one of those sappy romances I used to read in high school where the word 'trembled' is used in every few paragraphs. Trembled with need, trembled with desperation, and trembled as he stroked her…. yeah… "So no girlfriends then?" I ask with a smile, "You just pick a girl and marry her?"

His lower mandibles flare out in what I feel is a smile, and he drops his things at his feet with a clanking thud. He bends his knees forward, toes splayed, and begins to undo the ties on a large bag with deftness, "We have elaborate courting formalities, but unwedded males can take paramours." He paused for a moment before continuing, "A swordsmen can have any female he desires, and there are those who have bedded hundreds of females."

"Probably not at the same time." Oh shit. I can feel a familiar heat on my cheeks and I feel ready to smack myself. Why do I say such stupid things? What does that even mean?

I can't help but feel embarrassed when the sangheili utters a gruff laugh. Kahlo does that I-think-he's-smiling thing again, but this time with both sets of mandibles. "Our women can be as passionate in bed as a male on the battlefield. It would be a messy ordeal, oh yes, but entertaining, if you could find the energy to stay awake through it all."

I get it, yeah, because there's no way one man can last with all those women—ok stopping now. I'm talking about sex with an alien man I just met. I really don't understand how these things can happen to me, it's time for a subject change.

I clear my throat, a little loudly, and I can't help but smile as the sangheili quickly looks up, as if he was alarmed about me randomly choking or something, "Do you need anything from me right now? I could maybe help clear out some of my things?"

He shakes his head, lower mandibles dipping, "That is not necessary Lacey. I will meet with you once the task is done."

"Okay, just let me know if you change your mind." Cue leaving from awkward conversation. Ugh.

"Certainly." He says and continues to busy himself unpacking things. He has already pulled out two long cases that look as if they contain guns, maybe something as long as rifles…or whatever. Yeah I don't know anything about guns, human or alien I guess.

I shuffle out of the room quickly to allow him privacy to unpack, still feeling lame about my awkward banter earlier. I say such dumb things sometimes, and I don't know where they come from. A distraction would be nice, and then I recall that I have little to no groceries left once I hit the bottom step.

I groan and turn to trek back upstairs. I slip back into the room, ready to ask what he would like for me to pick up for him at the supermarket, and freeze when I watch Kahlo admire something in his grip. I can't look away from it, because it's absolutely beautiful…

"What is that?" I ask, and I'm too curious to feel embarrassed about my sudden intrusion on his space. I stare at the long two pronged weapon that is literally glowing silver-blue, like it's on fire; and it is…ripples of light catch on the flat blue surface and an image comes to mind of crystal blue water lit under the sun. It also gives off a soft shine of white light that sends sparkles reflecting off his chest armor.

He turns to regard me easily, looking unbothered by my sudden re-entrance. His mandibles curl into what I decide is a fanged grin, and he holds the blade up for me to admire, "This weapon is a blade of my people."

Oh… "You're a…swordsman?" Of course he is. This could not possibly get any more awkward as I begin to recall our earlier conversation.

"Yes." Kahlo said, "My uncle trained me to wield it. She is beautiful, is she not?" His voice rumbled with what I determined was pride.

So, a she, huh? I smile, "So…why a she then?"

The sangheili gave me an odd look, baring mandibles, "A woman is beautiful." He explained, "She is a gift to her mate, to her family, and gives life like water."

Oh my, that is poetic. I know I'm blushing, but I can't help it. He really does have a way with words. Everything out of his mouth just sounds different from anyone I've ever met, and it's not just that deliciously thick accent he has.

I can't seriously be thinking this right now, "That was poetic."

His lower mandibles shrug at me but I see a smile in his shiny brown eyes, "Poetry is part of our culture. We often recite it before a major conflict and it is a large part of the courting process."

I'm fascinated, and it's easy to be. His culture is so different from my own and I can't help but want to romanticize and gloss over it like some sort of pretty fable. The little girl lingering inside that I can never deny asks, "Do you write a poem for a proposal then? For marriage?"

Just like that, the atmosphere changes. The arm holding the blade seems to stiffen and I watch, confused, as he slowly drops the arm to his side. The prongs of the weapon almost rest on the floor, "No. It is not necessary for me." I frown at the almost somber note in his voice. Oh no…what did I say now?

"What do you mean?"

Kahlo looks at me and I can't read the expression in those dark eyes of his, but his mandibles are pressed over his mouth, "I have chosen my path in life. Since the great betrayal, some of our old ways have changed, but this has not. I cannot marry."

I stare, "Why not?"

He bows his head into his shoulders for a moment before meeting my gaze again. I can't help but flinch a bit, my eyes moving away from the sudden intensity of his eyes, "My children will benefit from my ability. It is forfeited." I watch as the sangheili holds up his blade again and he stares at it as if he is seeing a new reflection on its surface, "I will take many females, bring many children into the world, but keep no wife."

Wait. Suddenly I can comprehend our earlier talk better now, "So you're supposed to mate with many different women because your people believe that your ability can be inherited?" That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard, but I wait patiently for his answer.

He replies, "It is like our blood. It is inherent to us, deeply rooted not just to body but to soul. This weapon is sacred to my people, and a worthy warrior of the blade is a hope of the same destiny onto our children."

"Oh." Because that's all I can say. He just spouted a bunch of pretty sentences that sounded a lot like poetry again and told me he was pretty much capable of having as many females as he pleased without being labelled a man-whore by society.

Well…that's nice. Wait—how many children does he have?

I'm shaken from my thoughts as Kahlo suddenly reaches out to me with his free hand. I don't flinch as he places his too-large four fingered hand onto my shoulder. It looks out of place there, I'm sure. He's just big everywhere.

Well, let's not travel anywhere with that particular thought.

He holds the blade up again, for me, and I admire the shimmering, almost ethereal, beauty of it, "I have drawn my blade for you Lacey Drake." He recites, thankfully changing the subject. I'm breathless as I listen, uncertain but curious, "This means I must use it, and I will. I will defend you, your home, and your animal."

I smile but I don't laugh at the reference to my dog. He is being honest, serious, and I appreciate it. This is practically a poem…to me, and I can't even describe how nice that feels. I know my face is probably still the color of an overripe tomato and that I'm trembling in this bizarre, yet cool moment, but I don't care.

"Thank you," I say with sincerity, and almost unconsciously my arm moves and my hand is suddenly grasping the hand he has placed on my shoulder. His skin is warm, and thick, smooth, not rough. I'm stunned by my own audacity, wondering where it stemmed from—but I don't want to offend him by moving now.

He doesn't seem offended, and instead he bows his head at me, and gently squeezes the fingers on my shoulder. A moment later we pull away from each other, bumping fingers and palm for a moment before my arm does a hasty retreat behind me, and I know I'm blushing again because apparently I was a tomato in a past life.

Kahlo doesn't notice my color or just doesn't comment, instead I watch as he does something to the wide curved gray pommel in his hand and with a flicker the sword's light ceases entirely. In its place is cold metal that shines with an almost rainbow sheen as it catches the light.

"That's neat." I say, though I could have used choicer words to describe just how 'neat' such an alien weapon is. For a moment I can visualize what it would have been like to be faced with such a weapon in the convent war, but I wisely force my thoughts away from those particular imaginings not a moment later.

"I deactivated the plasma." Kahlo told me, interrupting my thoughts, and I watch as he carefully places the blade on a nearby box, "It will be active again when I have use for it."

"Hopefully you won't have to use it." I say, and I hope so. I don't want to see what a blade like that can do to a person, dangerous or not. I was never one to stomach violence well.

The sangheili gives me this straight forward look, his whole body postured towards me, "Lacey." I tense at the serious tone is voice is taking, "I will use whatever I have at my disposal to ensure your wellbeing, but you must understand. Your people would not have requested my presence if the situation wasn't one that could turn dire quickly."

I can feel a chill roll its fingers down my neck and I shudder slightly as I hug myself, nails clipping into my arms. I'm too afraid to say much of anything, and I'm trying to be brave in my own way, but it's mostly pandering to this sense of security I've imagined I have. He's pulling the wool from my eyes and now I have nothing but this bleak feeling of fear as I remember why he's here to begin with.

"I promised you my blade Lacey." Kahlo says with a softness that is almost endearing in his deep voice, "No harm will come to you as long as I'm here."

Tears come, of course, and I wipe the moisture away onto the back of my hands. I sniffle, trying to correct my stooped posture while alternately forcing a smile, "Thank you." I can't conceal the emotion in my voice, and I don't try to. I hate getting emotional in front of people, but I'm indebted to him, and I want him to know how much I appreciate his help, "I never imagined I would be in this situation, but I'm glad you're here."

My voice cracks as I say his name, "Kahlo. Thank you. I can only hope I can be a good host to you while you're here."

The sangheili smiles with his mandibles and in a pleasant thrumming voice he replies, "I will try and clean up after myself and assist you with whatever you need. Now, what is it that you wanted?"

Huh? "What?"

"You left the room, but then you came back. Was there something you wanted to ask?"

I remember now, feeling sheepish, "So…I'm going to the supermarket, for food, what would you like?"

Kahlo pauses with his hand on a container. He had bent to continue working but stood up now and regarded me before he spoke, "We can go now. This work will not take much time, I can finish later."

I blink, "You want to come with me?" I imagine him pushing a grocery cart in front of him, and I can't help but find the image silly…and now that I think about it, I haven't seen any aliens at any of the three grocery stores in the city that I visit.

The sangheili releases air between his mandibles with a slight whistle, "Lacey, I have been sent to guard you, I can't very well let you run off alone."

I want to smack myself by the obviousness of it all, but I just sigh, "Sorry, I forgot. I'm not used to this yet."

"In good time." Kahlo says with some cheer. He walks by me and pauses, "Now let us go to this 'supermarket'."

I follow him out the door and we start downstairs. I notice this time that he is placing his feet sideways as he goes down the steps, I guess to keep from losing his balance. I patiently wait for him to reach the bottom, trying to imagine how this all is going to end.

00oo00oo00oo00

"This is strange, and you can eat it too?" Kahlo asks me about another fruit he has randomly picked up in the fruit section of the market. I notice it is a bundle of bananas, but he has detached one from the bunch and is holding it up to admire it.

"That is a banana." I tell him, "Yeah, we can eat everything here. Well, I can. I hope you're not allergic."

"You enjoy them?" He asks and I tell him yes and I drop them at the front of the cart with bags of grapes in three different colors, along with a peach, a plum, and a cantaloupe.

So far our grocery shopping adventure was finding fulfillment in the way of our cart which was full of all the fascinating things that Kahlo wanted to try. I found his excitement refreshing, and kind of cute, and I couldn't deny the shine in his eyes. He asked for nothing, but I grabbed what I knew he wanted.

I just hope he isn't allergic to anything. I don't need to kill my protector with a banana or a cumquat. I don't think they write poetry about sangheili warriors who perish from a bad reaction to fruit. With how serious they are about their culture, I myself don't find it that amusing.

Ok, it's a little funny.

"I can contact Dr. Markab." Kahlo said enthusiastically, "She will know what I can safely consume."

"Who?"

We walk by a stand full of strawberries and raspberries. Kahlo immediately leans over to admire them, "She is not a practitioner, merely a researcher, but she will know. These here." He picks up a tiny berry in his finger, and I hold back a wide grin at how absolutely adorable the image is, "They look of kahlu fruit, do you like these?"

"Strawberries." I finally smile as he holds the berry up to his face, practically squinting those dark shiny eyes as he examines it, "I love them, so yes." I grab a package and I can almost see the childlike glee in his eyes. He opens the package I placed in the cart and tucks his berry in and we continue on.

Soon we're past the fruits and going onto the vegetables, and I know we're in for a long haul. I begin to worry as I realize I'm stocking my cart full of food items I don't usually buy. I appreciate Kahlo's intuitiveness as he speaks up.

"I can share in the payment." The sangheili tells me passively as we walk towards the squash on display, "I was given funds to cover my stay."

"I appreciate that, I just hope you can consume half of what we're getting today." I don't just mean the allergy thing either, produce has a shorter expiration date, and we currently have a lot of it.

"I'm fond of all these shapes and colors." Kahlo says, and I can see he is already admiring the eggplant in the cold produce shelves, "Perhaps they will taste as well as they look."

I laugh at that, "Star fruit cuts out into stars, and it's pretty as a garnish, but its super gross. Not a fan of blackberries and raspberries either. They're too seedy for me." I point to the vegetable in his grip, "That purple thing is an eggplant, my mother likes to slice and fry them."

"We are omnivores, but we eat more meat." Kahlo says, "I myself have always enjoyed a balanced diet when I can be allowed it." He continued to admire the eggplant, flipping it around in his grip, he gives it a light squeeze, "I served under a ship master many years ago. All we had to eat was dried meat and dako nuts. It was a terrible time." He dipped his head slowly, as if considering something, "Yes, I will enjoy sampling these."

I watch as he drops the eggplant into the cart, then moves to grab up another. I explain to him about produce bags and help him bag the items he wants so the cashier will be able to get through them easily at checkout. I hold open the bags for him and we continue on our way.

Soon enough we're through the produce aaisles, and I hold back the urge to throw a tomato at someone as two women practically sprint out of the next aaisle at the sight of Kahlo. He doesn't seem to notice and as soon as we head down the freezer aaisle full of frozen desserts and ice-cream, I know we're going to be here for a while. Kahlo immediately asks me what pie is and grabs up a carton of pistachio ice-cream, reveling in the 'vibrant' green color of it.

When we're at the meat section of the store, the sangheili seems almost startled and he turns to regard me with his head a-tilt, "Your meat is neatly wrapped but there are pieces missing."

"What do you mean?" I ask, because I have no idea what the heck he's talking about. Pieces? Is he not sure what hamburger came from what part of the cow?

He motioned with a large hand at the hamburger on display, "There are no organs, only flesh."

Ew.

"Well." I swipe some hair out of my face with a finger, trying to hide my distaste. If he likes organs he likes organs…"There are chicken hearts…somewhere. I think liver too."

"Your meat is always packaged this way?" He shakes his head, lower mandibles making a dipping motion, "It must be terrible to have to consume such old meat."

What? Oh, no way. "You eat things alive?" I gape.

The sangheili stared, "That is an old tradition practiced by some ancient religious leaders, but no, I do not." He stared at the packaged hamburger meat again, "Your meat, is it only found here?"
"Well, I guess you can go elsewhere, I know there's a butcher shop on White Street. I like to shop here because, well, they tend to have everything I need." Please don't make me go there, I get uneasy enough around packaged meat.

He continues to ask me about meat, and about the animals humans regularly consume…the kinds of fish we have on Earth, etc. He seems astonished that most of us have never killed anything to eat ourselves, but instead depend on other humans. Our conversation continues as we start down the first next aaisle, and he discovers bread, which is apparently a novelty item to a sangheili perspective.

In all, it takes us two hours to leave the grocery store, as Kahlo is utterly fascinated with everything. The print on the boxes, the sizes, the shapes…he most definitely hasn't been in a grocery store before. Maybe his company or whatever had ordered food for him? I'm not sure, but as much as I bore of grocery shopping, he had made the whole thing feel like a new experience for the both of us.

Now we're back at home and I'm trying to shove everything into my bloated refrigerator. It gets packed enough that I'm forced to go into Kahlo's 'room' to retrieve my old mini fridge. It once came in handy in college when I had the habit of locking myself in my room to study. It helped to have a ready supply of cream soda, my favorite kind, stashed in the fridge under my desk.

Kahlo watches as I hook up the mini fridge at the only available outlet, located on the counter near the toaster. It slides almost too-snugly under the kitchen cabinets, but it fits well enough. Once it's ready he assists me in placing the rest of the produce within. I stack the shelves full, bags of grapes bulging on the top shelf, but I leave out the strawberries, and a melon, both foods that Kahlo expressed great desire in trying out first.

I make a motion like I'm dusting off my hands when we finish up, a habit I received from my mom who loves to express every finished action with, well, action, "Done!" I say, feeling celebratory, "Now, let's see about slicing up this melon."

Kahlo informs me, once I finish cleaning the strawberries, that his doctor had messaged back a list of foods he could consume safely. I receive the go ahead on what we left out, so I finish preparing the strawberries and cutting the cantaloupe.

Apparently mushrooms are a no-go, along with carrots, and beets, which is fine with me because the latter is super gross.

Soon I, along with one awkwardly large sangheili, take a seat at my too-small dining room table, and we stare at the platter of sliced summer melon and strawberries sitting between us.

"Go ahead and try what you like." I encourage him, and I feel an almost girlish glee as I wait for him to sample something. It's silly, but I can't help but feel excited seeing someone try something for the first time, especially something like strawberries, which I love.

Kahlo takes a large four fingered hand out across the table and bends two long fingers to take up a melon slice first. He brings the melon up to his mouth and I watch as upper and lower mandibles work in tandem to receive it. Yellow liquid dribbles lightly onto the table as he clamps down with his sharp fangs onto the melon slice once before swallowing.

His mandibles flare out, wider on the bottom, and his eyes widen as he looks at me, mandibles flipping in his mouth, "This is strange. It's like a root on my planet, but sweeter."

"I'm not a mush melon fan." I tell him, "I'm glad you like it though. Try the berries, they are my favorite." I lean forward a bit on my elbows to watch him eat.

He eats a bit clumsily with these small berry slices, and I wish I could have just cut off the green parts and just kept them whole. A few strawberries fall to the table in small chunks when he attempts to snap them down. I'm unsurprised. With a mouth like his, he probably swallows a lot of things whole, and I did slice them a bit thinly…

Once he gets some down by cupping his hands and dipping his mandibles in to collect the fruit, he informs me of the delightful taste and continues consuming the rest of the plate. He asks me after a few more swallows if I would like to 'partake in eating the fruit too', but I just shake my head and watch him enjoy it.

Once we're done snacking, I scan the clock on the wall and I find it's already past three. I remind Kahlo, who is all too eager to sample something else new from the fridge that he has to get a sleeping area set up for tonight.

I won't take no for an answer this time when he tries to go at it alone, and together we work to clear out the space. I decide that we should take some of the lighter boxes downstairs to tuck under the crevice beneath the stairs. The heavier ones we leave in the corner of the room, as I wasn't too eager to try and haul those downstairs.

Soon we have a manageable space, with the rest of the boxes that weren't sent downstairs, stacked against the wall at the back, leaving more than enough room for one sangheili.

I let out a thin whoosh of air as I stretch my arms out over my head. I'm glad we finally finished, because it was fairly exhausting work for me, because I tend to sit around more than do any real exercise. Kahlo of course, seems fine, and is unrolling what looks like a bedroll from the biggest bag in his pile of things.

"At least that's done." I say, as I watch him unpack.

"Thank you for your assistance Lacey."

"You're welcome." I smile, feeling proud, even though he was insanely strong enough he could have done fine without me.

Suddenly, curiously, I can hear a song playing somewhere. Kahlo perks up from his chore and looks at me, and I realize with a start that I left my phone downstairs and it is sounding off with my ringtone, "I'll be right back." I promise Kahlo, and I retreat from the room.

I'm relieved to see that Clover has come out of hiding and is lying out on my sofa panting softly, making a soft whine at me as I move to collect the ringing phone from the coffee table.

"Sorry girl." I say to her softly, and I answer the phone, "Hello?" I can hear fear cut into my voice when I realize I hadn't bothered to check the caller ID. What if some breathy voiced psycho is calling me?

A few seconds later, to my immense relief, Leanne's voice perks up from the other end of the line, "Hey, sorry Lacey, I dropped the phone between the cushion again. I'm such a loser, so, where'd you get off to? You kind of disappeared after stone face stole you away earlier."

Stone face? Well, that man did have a problem with expression I guess, "I'm fine, I'm at home." I pause. I desperately want to tell Leanne all about what's happening to me, and about Kahlo, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.

"We got off with pay!" Leanne practically sings into the phone and I know she's probably doing a little celebratory dance on her end. I sometimes envy her energy. It's only past noon, yet I'm already tired. It's been a long day.

"Yay." I know it comes off as weak and of course, Leanne doesn't not notice that.

"What's wrong Lace?" She asks, and I tense a bit at the concern in her voice. I can already feel my resolve crumbling. I just can't keep a secret from my best, hell, my only realfriend.

"Well…stone—I mean, Mr. Clint was an investigator working on the case. He wanted to speak with me and..." I can feel a pressure building in my chest, in my throat, and my eyes. I can't hold back my emotions as I recall everything. My eyes blur, "He said-." I choke. Tears sprang free.

Fuck.

I start sobbing into the phone like a big baby and I'm trying to press a palm to my mouth, and the phone into my neck as I try and quiet the sound. I hope Kahlo can't hear me and doesn't rush down with sword in hand. I can hear Leanne's voice practically shriek into my ear on the phone, and I have to hold it away from my ear as I furiously wipe at my eyes.

"I'm coming right over! Don't you dare lock me out!" I'm numb and I stare horrified at the phone after she promptly hangs up. Oh no.

I stand there for what feels like forever, phone still clasped in my trembling fingers. I start to feel the tension drop off swiftly, and I take in a deep breath. I feel relieved almost.

"You are in distress." Kahlo's voice sounds off behind me.

I sigh.

00oo00oo00oo00

I sit on the sofa with Kahlo, whose leg is practically on top of my own, the sangheili refusing to leave my side. I can hear Clover's low rumbling growl from the hall nearby, and I sigh again as I explain to Kahlo what will probably be occurring any minute now.

"She is your friend." The sangheili rumbles, "Yet, you are anxious?"

"I don't know how she is going to react to…all this." I wave a hand out, but I'm not sure what I'm even motioning to. I just lamely drop it onto my lap again and squeeze my fingers together.

I'm too nervous to be surprised as the sangheili moves his arm to rest a hand on my leg, It's large enough he could easily close his fingers around my thigh. I look up as he speaks, "If she is coming to comfort you, she is a good friend." He seems thoughtful and I watch as his mandibles fold, "My appearance can frighten some humans, if that is a concern, I can wait in the next room."

"No, not at all." I say quickly, "I don't want you to leave. I mean, you shouldn't. You're here for me, it would be rude to just dismiss you. I'm not sure how she'll react, but Leanne is a good friend, you're right, she won't freak out." Probably.

Just like that, life decides that events should happen in a timely matter and there is a crazy pounding at my front door that has Clover barking from the hall.

"That's her!" I blurt and I move to jump up.

Pin wheeling, I squeak as I fall backwards onto Kahlo's leg. One thigh slides in-between his legs, sending the remaining leg striking out at a cockeyed position towards the ceiling.

I realize, mortified, that his hand had been still holding onto my thigh when I had moved to stand, causing me to spill back, off balance, practically in his lap. In my panicked fumbling to remove myself, one hand is suddenly sliding across a very firm chest muscle, the other frantically grasping at the cushion beneath us.

Kahlo makes a sound like a grunt as he tries to assist me in my endeavor, but he's not sure where to place his hands, and we're both touching, retreating, and suddenly his hand is on my waist and I apologize in a continued spill of incomprehensible words as I splutter on his lap. I'm more than a little certain that this is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me.

Then Leanne bursts into the room, the wood door slamming hard enough into the wall that I'm certain that the door knob has left a dent. The blonde woman practically soars across the hall as she sees me, and I watch, stunned, as she grabs the blue vase on the table nearby that my mother gave me as a home-warming present.

She holds it up like a dangerous weapon and screams, her hair wild around eyes that look crazy with how big they are, "I'll save you Lacey!"

Sorry for the long wait guys :P School is here, 18 credit hours. –shivers- Hope you enjoyed nonetheless. Not sure when the next update will be, been crazy busy. And kind of peeved because the stupid xbox broke two of my Halo disks. So thought I'd make time and finish the last page, apologies again, I took longer than I meant to. ^-^ Thanks for reading.