Chapter 12

Yikes!

As I came back to the medical room with Spiky, the roll of cloth in hand, I noticed a tension between Scar and Junior.

My eyes immediately shift to Kanani, who's totally oblivious to what's going on, as she reclines in her lazy manner, her head bobbing to the beat of whatever music she's listening to.

However, her cheeks are pretty dark. She's the only person with dark skin who can still blush.

Something serious must have happened, cause the two younger hunters freeze as Spiky growls something at them.

I cast a cold glare at them both as I ask,"Where's Lex?"

Jr. doesn't give a flipping' fly, apparently as he shrugs, eyeing Spiky warily.

Scar points out the door.

I feel bad for this guy. I think I can understand the empathy Lex feels for him.

As for the other two… I scowl as I turn on Sir Spiky, "Ok, all you men folk, out. Now. I have to dress Kanani, and I'm not going to do it in front of you OR your two buddies there… No offense, Scar." I add as kindly as I can.

"I cannot move Setg'in Thwei just yet!"Spiky argues adamantly.

"Too bad. I'm going to dress my daughter, whether you like it or not… if you don't move your minions out of here, so help me I will make you regret the day your mama met your papa!"

He snorts as he glares down at me.

I add quietly, "Please. Let me take care of my daughter."

He grunts, glaring at me with stony contempt and an incredibly indomitable will, before whirling on Junior, barking at the poor guy and catching him completely off-guard.

The smaller Hunter falls flat on his back in an attempt to get out of the room. Kanani bursts into laughter… Oh no! SHE'S UNCOVERED!

With a yelp, I make a dive to grab the jacket before it falls to the ground… except I lost my footing over Junior's leg. With a screech and a momentary feeling of vertigo, my arms flail, clutching at whatever's in front of me…

Damn.

Didn't realize Spiky was that close to me. Cause I've got my arms around his waist, the side of my face pressed into his sweaty, oily, scaly and fish-netted skin. He doesn't like this anymore then I do, backpedaling as he tries to get away from me.

All at once, I find myself splayed over his body. He's tripped.

SEVENTH CIRCLE OF HELL.

I'm… Lying right… right over his…

I scream, as does he, and as I try to get off of him without touching him any more then I need to, Junior takes off like a shot. Lex walks in, surveys what's going on and grins.

"If you say anything, I will rip out your tongue and feed it to your friends here." I warned with a ferocious scowl, gesturing to Spiky, Scar and the general direction Junior ran off.

"Well… I see you and Yeti warmed up to each other." She grins wickedly.

Ok. That's it.

Lex… DIE!

I run for her, as hard as I can, before we all hear Kanani's voice wail, in tones of self-pity, "YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! I"VE GOT IMAGES THAT ARE GOING TO GIVE ME FRIKIN' NIGHTMARES!"

…

I can't take this.

I turn around. Kanani is going to get a piece of my mind. As I march back to the room, noting the absence of Scar, I tap my foot as I glare at my daughter. She's glaring back at me.

And all at once, I can't take it. I rush forward and hug her.

I can't believe I almost lost her. My daughter… I thought I HAD lost her. I...

"I'm sorry, Kanani," I whisper as I hug her tightly, choking back emotional tears as a shitload of overwhelming grief suddenly grabs me by the throat and throttles any memory of my humiliating experience for the moment.

"Mom… I'm sorry too… but my ribs hurt." She croaks.

Damnit.

I pull back softly and stroke her hair," I'm sorry about that, baby girl," I apologize again.

She gives me her toothy smile. Her teeth are crooked. We never got them fixed, for obvious reasons. I didn't want her dentist to notice how canine they are, even though they're pretty blunt, compared to how they look in her transitional forms.

Her eyes dance as she shrugs. "Mom, now what do we do? It's not going to be safe anymore in the USA for us… probably not ever. If they found us when we were already doing a damn good job of hiding-"

"I know, I know." I frown softly as I kiss her forehead.

"Mom? Would… Do you think Dad's proud of me?" she suddenly blurts.

I freeze in the midst of hugging her. Where did that question come from?

I think on the matter seriously. It's true, Kanani's not perfect. She has a smart mouth, is extremely disrespectful and has an atrocious taste in music. (She either listens to that horrible mainstream station, where practically every song is about getting laid, breaking up or partying or other shallow happenings, or head-banging, suicidal, depressing, electrical heavy-metal symphony of chaos. Ugh.)

She's headstrong, wild and mean tempered at times…

But she's been my only reason for living. And even though she's so many horrible things… she's my daughter. She's willing to kill for me, for Lex, and for Raphael. (Rosy, it's not noble to be willing to die for an ipod and you know it)

She's proven to be strong, in the face of danger. Strong willed and strong spirited in the face of death.

Malachi would be proud of her. He would be proud of his daughter. His baby girl.

"Yes, Nani. Malachi would be very proud of you." I tell her quietly. "Why did you want to know?"

"He… he told me."

I try not to cry as I soothe her, as tears shine in her amber eyes. Her eyes look so much like his. Malachi didn't have any hair, but her hair is thicker and darker then mine. I pull her close for a second, just holding her.

My baby.

I try not to picture her as the tiny little creature she once was.

So helpless, feisty and a little squeaker. She's grown surly and proud… with a rare thoughtful side. I kiss her forehead. I haven't been THIS close to her for a while, her being so independent and all. I missed hugging her like this.

She looks up in my face. "Mom, I dreamed about him. About dad. I've never seen him, but I dreamed about him. He told me that he was proud of me… and that he misses you. He's sorry for being dead and he wishes he was more careful when he was alive. He also said that things are not as they seem… whatever that means." She adds with a more characteristic snort.

I feel tears prickle my eyes. The Malachi I knew was deep, deep enough to be shockingly shallow at times. I miss him. And... I believe that it's possible... that he actually did speak to her. I try not to dwell on this too much, just to accept it and let it pass. Cause if I don't... well, I may become crazier then I already am...

Kanani sniffled before asking," Can I see that stuff you brought? I'd like to get some sort of clothing on."

I nod as I let her go and gently lay her back down. I've never been much of a seamstress, but I'm going to try.

I've already decided she needs at least a dress that will go to her knees. And I have a design in mind for that. She will also need some undergarment things, and some shorts and shirt… but hey, one step at a time, right?

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The ship is… very steamy. I didn't really pay attention to it at first, but in some places, there is a very thick smog that comes up to my waist. Very hot in here. It's a nice change from the usually freezing temperatures I'm used to putting up with, but still… my back itches from the amount of sweat that's accumulating there.

Squirming slightly, I look at Yeti, who's helping Scar to sit down on a chair. He reclines it and Scar trills slightly as he relaxes. I walk over, settling myself by Scar's side, I leaned against the seat, looking up at Yeti as he looked at the laptop curiously.

"Is Scar going to be ok?" I finally asked.

Yeti's eyes switched from the laptop to my face, his brows knitting curiously.

"Scar?"

"My name for this guy." I gently poked Scar on the shoulder as I looked upwards at him.

Scar chuffed and rumbled," M'ohkay."

Yeti grunts," Will survive."

"Not what I asked, Smart Ass. Is he going to be ok?" I ask, in a very patient tone.

"Yes."

"Good." I respond as I untuck the laptop from underneath my arm.

I booted it up as I began to explain my discovery. "Yeti, we have a problem. A serious problem. One of the scientists… a dude named Ryan Kepler, e-mailed all his info to another lab… actually to a number of labs. Everything that was destroyed was preserved, in a way… and that's not, uh, that's not all."

No, I'm not a hacker… but the guy wasn't high on security, not for his personal laptop. When I opened the damn thing, it was on Sleep mode… and the guy had several programs running. Several rather… well, informative programs. Made me want to scream and bite and kick something. Which Rosy ended up doing for me, attacking Yeti and all...

Anywho, the government knows EXACTLY who destroyed the facility. Not only that… but they have some more proverbial skeletons in the closet. Damn the luck, right?

"Pauk!" Yeti growls as he looks over my shoulder at the information that's running down the screen.

I shrug. Not the word I would choose to say.

Scar groans out loud. "Day…day-yuhhm…."

I grin this time. "Exactly, my friend."

Scar seems to be doing better already. His arm is still mangled, but he's stopped bleeding. In fact, he seems to already be scabbing up. He's conscious, half-reclined and aware at least.

I lean against the seat, resting my head against his ribcage, and he rumbles quietly, purring in a bass tone. I have no idea why, but suddenly, I don't want to be too far away from him.

Which makes me think… What happens when they drop us off? I honestly have no… well, not much of an inclination to leave my fellow-survivor. I don't want to go back to doing suicidal things. I don't even care whether or not some dorky thief breaks into my cabin. I just want to stay here... With Scar.

Wow, Lexy, you really have lost it.

We've already established that, genius.

I don't know what I feel for this guy… but I feel like I belong by his side. And honestly, he really doesn't seem all that adverse to my company. It's ridiculous… but even though I'm already 41 years old, I feel like a teenager all over again.

Yeah, that probably sounds very weird… And as much as I hate to admit it, I've never gotten over Scar. Even after seeing his face. I didn't care. I just didn't.

And before you judge me, I've had past relationships with "normal" guys… but it's safe to say that Scar is like no one I've ever met, and I DO mean that; no one I've ever met is like Scar. And not just for the obvious reasons.

Lex, stop beating around the bush. You love him. Admit it, girlie.

I'm not really sure I'm willing to go that far in my confession. But as his hands drop down, pulling my arm up so he can examine my hands again, I just smile and bask in this feeling of being needed.

Being liked.

Love?

Well, we'll see, I guess. The thought is a bit overwhelming and I quickly push it away. I don't want to allow myself to hope. Not after all the disappointments I've been through.

A menacing and chilling growl broke my thoughts as Yeti scowls.

Back to reality.

The Large Spiky One grumbles quietly as he glares at the laptop. I notice for the first time the pure look of evil and hatred he's giving my piece of human technology. I quickly scoop the thing out of his reach, cradling it, even though it contains such horrible information.

After all, we need to do something serious about this one.

He finally gripes," Must destroy Oomans and their abominations. Restore order."

"Very good." I reply cheerfully. "How?"

Scar clicks, which I assume is his laughter, as Yeti glares at me, repeating my term for him. "Smart ass…"

On a random tangent, I wonder how Kanani's "fitting" is going…

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

I CAN'T believe I'm wearing this CRAP.

My darling mother made like Laura Ingalls and made a dress. I think about refusing to wear it and going au natural… and then I think about Psycho's pervy tendencies to stare… not to mention that there's two other males… two really big males, who are probably just as macho as my partner in crime, Psycho the Perv.

I take the dress. It's a square of cloth with a hole for the head right in the middle. She ties her belt around my waist, twisting the fabric to keep it together. It goes down to my knees, ain't the softest thing to wear… but it covers me at least. I feel more human. She's also given me a strip of cloth to wrap around my lower region… ya know, an underwear thing. I formed a sort of chastity belt with it, not arguing about this, after she returned my moody silence with a grouchy glare. Guess she's really taking no chances...

"Well… not bad."

I cough delicately at my attire. It could be worse… but it could have been better… but worse is more likely.

She smiles ruefully, seeing through my blatant lie.

"Sorry it's not your favorite. I'll try to do better."

"It's ok… maybe we can persuade them to let us stop at a Target or something…"

"Ha ha… I doubt it." Replies my mother. "Aliens don't shop at Walmart."

"Well, maybe they have a Universal Trader Joe's or something."

I hug her gently, careful of my sore ribs, as I comfort her gently. She means well. And besides, since my ribs are healed, I feel like I owe her for brushing her off when she first hugged me.

On a random tangent, I think I reverted to my human form involuntarily after passing out cause the smaller I am, the easier it is for me to heal… but the more vulnerable I am at the same time. Good thing I had a guardian angel.

Albeit a somewhat pervy one.

Anyways, I'm already starting to feel better, able to stand and walk around at least. It must be at least an hour or so since we blew up the facility. Maybe two hours. I feel a little hungry, actually, a lot hungry and can't wait to eat.

Mom hugs me gently. I let her. Normally, I'm not very touchy-feely… but we almost lost each other, so I refuse to push her away. I don't know what they did to her… she still doesn't know the things I went though. It wasn't horrible… but still, being caged isn't the nicest thing to happen to a dragon. Trust me. It DOES things to you.

Like making you think of Psycho's sexy abs-

…

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

I hastily wipe out the thought as I kiss my mom's cheek. "We're going to be alright, mom, I swear it."

She smiles wearily at me. "That's my baby girl."

It's been so long since she's called me that. I stand up, wobbling slightly as I eye her. I'm noticing bruises on her wrists… bruises that look like they hurt.

She puts my arm around her shoulder, supporting me. "Where do you want to go?"

"I need to find out what's in the laptop Aunt Lex grabbed."

"Sounds good…" She responds. Interesting, she's already forgotten about the "incident" with Spiky.

Man… she was RIGHT over his crotch too… that must have been really awkward for them. It sure was awkward for ME.

I mean… it's my mom… and…

Ah forget it. Surely you can figure it out.

NOW I understand why kids say "ew" when their parents kiss in front of them… except Big Guy ain't my daddy.

Thank GOD. I have ENOUGH issues being part dragon without having freaking CRAB LEGS on my face! Mm… Crab legs. I am really hungry right now.

We've been through this Kanani. Focus.

I suddenly hear a loud roar and Psycho suddenly darts from around the corner. Knocking me and mom down on our asses.

Mom groans as I yelled at him. "OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, MAN!"

I'm feeling venom build up in my mouth in a defensive reaction. Shit. Now I have to swallow the nasty stuff. It tastes like day-old lemon juice. Not that I really know what THAT tastes like, but you get the idea.

I look up at him, only to realize that... he's looking down at me… OH MAI GAWD!

"YOU SUNUVVA BITCH! I'M GOING TO-"

Too late. My mother's already beaten me to the punch. She screams pretty much the same thing I screamed and is currently beating the shit out of him, hollering obscenities, cursing his lineage and heritage… wow, she got him down… He outweighs her by at least 300 or so pounds and…

Maybe I'd better explain.

See… when I fell down…. my skirt went up… And his eyes went down...

You do the math.

I've already stood up, yanking the stupid skirt back down to my knees, thinking, Thank God I wasn't COMPLETELY uncovered. But pretty far up… my dress went over my hips that's for sure.

OH GAWD.

He saw the chastity belt.

No, hell no, that's IT!

I join my mom in pummeling the creep, adding my stronger hits to her furious ones. He clatters furiously as he tries to throw us off… not exactly fighting back, just trying to get away from us.

This... THIS is why I hate dresses. They don't do SQUAT when you fall, cartwheel, climb trees, flip over rooftops, stand in the wind…

Get knocked over by some pump-iron, pervert E.T…

I could go on.

Suffice it to say… Psycho just got his butt handed to him by "we of the weaker gender".

*Snerk*

I mentioned mom's level 3 in Krav, right? Krav Maga. A kick-ass self-defense system. She's not the best, but damn... that one punch in the mandibles had to hurt…

Him. Not her. Maybe her too...

Yeti came around the corner at that moment, looking... well, definitely unamused, and growling. He stops short as he sees what we're doing. I stop short as I notice him standing there. Me and mom, mercilessly hitting Psycho in the mask with our bare fists.

Mom has straddled his chest, screaming and pounding down on him, ignoring his attempts to get her to stop. I'm holding down his arms, trying to get him in an arm-bar, but he's damn strong…

I'm realizing that we haven't done squat to seriously hurt him, it's more of a humiliation for him, being unable to actually get away. Have to admire that he won't hit back…

My mom pauses as Yeti's shadow covers her and decides to take the time out of her schedule to look up at him.

"What the hell do YOU want, Pimp-ass?" She growls.

Psycho takes this moment to give her the slip, flipping her off, he tries to get his rear in gear, but I act quickly, hissing in pain as I quickly shove him into Yeti's grip. Yeti grabs the smaller Hunter by his shoulder roughly, growling.

Crap, my shoulder... It burnses...

I roll my eyes as I try to ignore the pain.

"Psycho, what the hell did you do to piss off yer old man?" He must have been running from Sir Spiky in the first place...

Psycho only clicks sheepishly as Yeti growls in a low tone," Come, Leh'ks has… bad news, that must be heard."

I grumble. "Ah crap. Proverbial shit is going to hit the universal fan, isn't it?"

I'm still trembling, very mad and upset by what just happened.

I can't believe he saw my undies…

My mom whacks me over the head, -softly mind you- getting my attention. "Where'd you get your mouth tailored, Nani?"

"Courtesy of Mrs. Rosalie Woods." I grin as I run on ahead, giggling madly.

My mom yells at me. "Get back here, you smart aleck!"

I look over my shoulder smugly.

She's right behind me.

Smugness gone.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

As soon as the females have disappeared down the hall, I look down an Kha'bj-te as he glances up at me, in a sidelong manner," I did not mean to knock your weapons rack over, R'ka Thwei. It was an accident."

"These so-called "accidents" will be your undoing, Youngblood." I growled in response as I whacked him over the head.

"You will clean and repair EVERY weapon that you knocked over."

My kehrite is a mess, after he went in there to train... Paya, how is this Hunter still drawing breath? Accidents live and breath when he enters a room...

He nods at my admonition, without cringing, and I let him go, glaring at him in curiosity.

"What did you do to infuriate the Ooman?"

"I merely looked at her daughter."

I cross my arms, confused.

"You… simply looked at the Llonng... and her mother turned on you like a Hard Meat Queen robbed of it's eggs?" I echoed, my tusks tapping against each other as I glared down on him.

"Yes." He admits, still extremely embarrassed.

I'm not laughing. There's got to be more to the story here.

"Youngblood, tell me. What happened?"

"I, I ran into the Llonng, and she… ah, she was momentarily uncovered… I did not avert my gaze and-" He looks away from me as he stutters.

I feel sorely tempted to laugh at my young brother's misfortune.

I glare down on him instead and growl," You got what you deserved, you hormonal Pauk-head. Before you go and clean the weapons rack, we need to hear what Leh'ks has to say. There is some very bad news."

He snorts in disbelief as he asks. "How could it possibly be worse?"

I punch him on the shoulder. "Go!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" He snarls, moving before I can hit him again.

I grumble to myself. Yes, I DID say that Kha'bj-te has a good heart…

But he's still a foolish Youngblood.

SO... Thank you to Khalthar, who proofread this chapter and is currently being my advisor on this story. THANK YOU KHALTHAR!

BTW, the rating for this story is going to go higher cause... well, there's going to be a whole lot more violence then I was orignally anticipating. No surprise, since I was high on caffeine and thoughts of flying when I started...

SHOUT OUT!

Megan aka vampireyautja: Quite the penname you have there. Beats mine out of the water i think... Thanks for your bubbling encouragement! As to the question you DID NOT ask... we'll see. *chuckles*

Khalthar: Your plot bunnies are utterly amazing. Thank you for lending them to me!

LynxbyLynx:Thanks so much for your anticipation of more awkward moments, I hope there's plenty in here for your taste! More will come, believe me...

The Silent Hunter: I'm so glad you found the last chapter hilarious! It sure made me laugh... anyways, I hope you enjoy this one as much ore hopefully more!

Luv4Uncas: Here is your update, dude! Hope you like it!

TO EVERYONE ELSE... If you are reading this, then thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to check this out! I really do hope you're enjoying it!