Arkology Revisited Chapter 8, an andromeda fanfic

Author's Notes: Italics signify thought or emphasis.

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Alura was awakened a few hours later by one of the twins putting pressure on her bladder. Achilles was still sleeping, one arm draped possessively over her, holding her close to him. She tried to roll slowly away from him, but couldn't escape his grasp.

"Kill," she whispered, gently prodding his thick bicep.

A wordless murmur was her only answer before his light blues eyes fluttered open to immediately focus on her. A slow, warm smile spread across his lips, and Achilles buried his mouth in the curve of her neck to give her a tickling kiss. She laughed and tried, once more unsuccessfully, to escape from his arms.

"Kiss me good morning and you can go take care of business," Achilles told her with a crooked smile.

"I can do that," Alura replied softly.

She teased him by first lightly skimming his lips with hers. When he growled in frustration, she smiled and pressed her lips to his fully. The kiss deepened quickly, but Alura pulled back after a few moments.

Through their connection, Achilles knew she didn't mean anything by it. "Go ahead."

When Alura came back, Achilles was already out of bed and dressed. She sent him a questioning look when he smiled.

"Danny popped in while you were in the bathroom," he told her. "We're about half an hour out from Tarazed."

"You should go tell Odin while I get dressed," Alura responded.

Achilles moved closer and pulled her into his arms.

"In a minute," he murmured.

Feeling the wave of love and intent coming from her Bond mate, Alura lifted her chin so that their mouths met in a passionate kiss. Achilles' arms were wrapped firmly around her, holding her up, and her hands crept up to cling to his broad shoulders. When they were both breathless and pleasantly heated, Achilles pulled slightly away from Alura. One large hand went down her body in a soothing caress to rest lightly on her belly.

"We didn't hurt them last night, did we?"

Alura was quick to reassure him, "No, we're… safe for another couple weeks."

"Good. Now get dressed before I take advantage of you again."

Alura laughed and blew him a kiss when he left the bedroom to go find his father.

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Achilles found Odin on command deck. His father was instructing Danny to land the Dance in the Valhalla Pride compound's shipyard, assuring the AI that there was plenty of room and that top-notch security guarded the area. Danny glanced his way and Achilles nodded. If Alura wanted to later move the Dance, she could, but he knew she would be just as anxious as he was to let everyone know they were safe as quickly as possible.

"I sent a message to your mother letting her know we're on our way," Odin told Achilles when he saw him.

"I'm sure she was very relieved," Achilles responded.

Odin nodded, studying his second son.

"Something's different about you," the older man said.

Achilles smiled, clapping a hand on his father's arm, "I'm a married man, Dad."

Odin returned Achilles' happy smile and said, "Congratulations, son. She's an amazing woman."

You have no idea, Achilles thought as Danny appeared to tell them they'd be landing in a few minutes.

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Cassandra and Ariadne met them in the shipyard, Ariadne hugging her brother as soon as he stepped off the Dance. Cassandra embraced Odin, Achilles and Alura individually. The older woman wiped tears from her face as she visually inspected all three of them for wounds and found none.

"What happened?" Cassandra asked. "Was your Vision wrong?"

"No, it wasn't," Alura answered, unsure how much more she should tell Achilles' mother.

Odin took the decision out of her hands. "Our son almost died, but Alura saved him. And they're married now."

Ariadne squealed excitedly and hugged Alura, saying, "I always wanted you for a sister."

Alura and Achilles thanked Ariadne and Cassandra for their well wishes, pride and happiness from his family's reaction flowing from Achilles to Alura.

"Where are Drago and Britta?" Achilles asked.

"They're at school," Cassandra answered. "I didn't want to worry them, so we just told them that Alura was going to pick you up after you had engine trouble."

"That was probably best, thank you," Alura said as they moved as a group toward their family's section of the Pride compound.

After promising to make an appearance at family dinner to officially announce their marriage, Achilles and Alura went to her suite. Jess was waiting in the living room, an anxious expression on her face.

Achilles held Alura back for a moment to tell her, "I need to go report to Tri Lorn what happened. I'll keep you out of it, but I need to tell him something. I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Alright," Alura nodded, lifting her face for a parting kiss before turning her attention to the waiting redhead.

Jess had evidently come home early from work and immediately come to see Alura. She was still dressed in her uniform, the one worn by the Police Force of Tarazed.

"We caught the second man from the kidnapping attempt a few hours ago," Jess told her quickly. "My partner and I were able to take him to a safe house by saying we were trying to get him to tell us about his employers in exchange for a lighter sentence."

"Has he said anything?" Alura asked.

"No," Jess shook her head. "But I thought you might like to do the actual interrogation."

Alura's eyes widened. "Won't that get you into trouble?"

"My partner understands the situation, and he wouldn't report it. My superiors aren't likely to listen to any accusations the prisoner makes, and if they do…" Jess shrugged. "I've been thinking of retiring."

Alura was silent for a minute before saying, "If you're sure, I guess we should do this right now."

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Alura knew something was wrong as soon as she and Jess approached the safe house. She could only make out one mind in the building, and it was weak, probably unconscious.

Jess noticed the look on Alura's face and asked, "What is it?"

"Something happened," was all Alura could safely say.

Almost as one the two women picked up the pace of their movement, almost running inside the small, nondescript structure.

"Nick!" Jess gasped as she went down to her knees to check on her unconscious partner.

"Is he okay?" Alura asked, feeling guilty for her part in putting the man in danger, no matter how indirect.

"He seems fine," Jess said, relief in her voice and mind. "He might have a concussion from the blow to the head, but his pulse and breathing are normal."

Alura nodded. "Where was the kidnapper being held?"

"This way," Jess said, standing and leading the way into a back room.

A man Alura didn't recognize lay on the floor on his back, sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling. The amount of blood pooled around him left no doubt that he was no longer among the living. But it was the cuts on his neck that made Alura's own blood run cold. Two horizontal slashes, each more than deep enough to kill, intersected to form a grisly 'X' on his throat. She had seen bodies with that particular 'calling card' before. She knew now who was behind the kidnapping attempt. What she didn't know was why.

Jess looked at her and frowned. "Are you alright?"

Alura smiled without warmth. "I'm fine. I should leave, it would be better for you if I wasn't here when you report this."

Jess nodded.

"If I'm not back before you," Alura added as she left the room, "tell Achilles I'll be home soon and not to worry."

She was gone before Jess could ask where she was going.

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Achilles was waiting for Alura when she came back home two hours later. She could see Britta and Drago playing in the courtyard through the glass doors that led outside. They had obviously not been told the full scope of what had happened to Achilles, and Alura could only be glad. Both children had more than their share of the harsh realities of life already in their young lives, the least she and Achilles could do was guard them from what they did not absolutely need to know.

"Where did you go, baby?" Achilles asked as he pulled Alura into his arms. "I was worried, and I couldn't feel you for a little while, until our connection came back about half an hour ago."

"I assume Jess told you about the second kidnapper?"

Achilles nodded soberly. "She told me to let you know that her partner, Nick, is okay, just a mild concussion. And there's going to be an inquiry into the attack on Nick and the death of the kidnapper, but it won't touch us."

"That's good to hear. As long as Jess doesn't get into trouble over it."

"Alura, are you going to tell me where you went?"

Alura sighed and went to sit down on the sofa, curling into her Bond mate's side when he sat beside her.

"I went to make sure the one responsible doesn't threaten our family again," she said softly. "But I couldn't take care of it myself without drawing too much attention and putting the twins at risk. So I went to go see someone who could."

"Can this person be traced back to you?" Achilles asked.

He knew through their connection that she was reluctant to tell him who this person was. And he respected her need to shield anyone but herself from the knowledge. It didn't make him worry any less about her, however.

"I'll be fine," she assured with a loving smile.

After they had sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, Alura asked Achilles to retrieve the metal box from the side table where it had stayed since the night he rejected her. Flinching slightly at the memory of his greatest mistake, he did as she asked and brought it to her. Setting it in what was left of her lap, she lifted out the smallest of the three helix bands and handed it to him. Achilles was surprised to note the changes in her band, diamonds and rubies added to the piece, including a fair sized diamond and a similarly sized ruby on either side of the starburst pattern he remembered her telling him was designed by her father.

He studied it for a few silent moments, then asked, "The ruby is Rhade, right?"

"Yes," Alura confirmed. "And the diamond is you."

"I can guess that you chose a ruby for Rhade because he is your first love and has your heart, but why diamond for me?"

"I could say it's because our souls are Bonded, but I chose it before that happened," Alura stared into his eyes before continuing. "When I got my Avatar abilities back, I was able to once again see the Light in other beings. My mother's and mine are understandably bright, but Dylan's and yours are nearly as much so. And even without that, you brought light back into my life when I was at my darkest."

Achilles took a deep breath, his eyes slightly watery, "Thank you for telling me, baby. It means a lot to me."

"Anything for you," she whispered against his lips as he slipped her helix band onto her arm.

A deep, slow kiss had them losing track of time until one of the twins kicked, nudging both of them because of how entwined they had become. Achilles slid a hand down her belly, curving over the spot where one of the babies inside of Alura had just decided to become active.

"I hope that means you approve little one," Achilles said to the spot.

A flurry of small fluttery movements answered the query and Alura laughed.

"She's responding to your voice," she told her husband.

Achilles' eyebrows rose, "How long have they been doing that?"

"I've been communicating with them internally for about a month and a half, but it's only been a week since they started reacting to voices. Mine, Drago's and Britta's, anyway. The kids like to say goodnight and good morning to the babies."

Achilles smiled at the mental picture that presented.

"Do you…" he started, "do you want more children?"

Alura opened her mouth to answer, but Achilles cut her off.

"It's alright if four is enough for you, I was just wondering."

"Kill," she said firmly, capturing his gaze with hers. "Yes, I want to have more children. I want to have lots of babies with you."

A smile curved his generous mouth. "I'm not going to love the twins any less because they aren't mine."

"I know," Alura responded, pulling his helix band out of the metal box that had somehow ended up beside her on the sofa.

She put the helix band on his arm, watching in amusement as he turned his arm at an odd angle to see the jewels on it.

Drago and Britta came in from playing outside just then, smiling and laughing.

"Momma, I think it's time for dinner," Drago said.

Alura didn't bother looking at the clock, knowing how accurate Drago's stomach was when it came to the time for meals. "Go get cleaned up and we'll head for the family dining room."

"Congratulations," both kids chorused before heading for the bathroom to wash their face and hands.

Achilles laughed. "I don't think they have any objections."

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"Rhade, you have the bridge," Dylan said as he turned to leave command and head for the hangar where his liaison from Tri-Lorn was docking.

It was two weeks before the next scheduled meeting, but Achilles had shown up late a time or two due to various circumstances, so being early was a change, but not too drastic a one.

Trance met Dylan in the hall and the two walked quickly together through the halls. The ramp on Achilles' ship had just started to lower when they reached it.

But the man walking out to meet them was not Captain Achilles Renier.

"Who are you?" Dylan asked.

The human looked about a decade older than Dylan and was wearing a Commonwealth uniform.

The man blinked at Dylan's abrupt question, but stepped forward with a smile and his hand extended. "Commander Martin, your new liaison, it's an honor to meet you, Captain Hunt."

Dylan perfunctorily shook hands with the man, but the frown stayed in place on his face.

"What happened to Captain Renier?" Trance asked, a note of worry in her voice.

"I don't think that's…" Martin started, but seeing that Dylan was also waiting for the answer, he conceded with a sigh. "Renier quit when Tri-Lorn wouldn't give him an extended period of time off duty. Rumor has it he got married shortly after."

"Tell him congratulations for us if you see him when you get back to Tarazed," Dylan said before leading the man to his office.

Dylan had noted the surprise, acceptance and happiness that flitted across Trance's expressive eyes, but he couldn't ask her about it until they were alone. That night when they had dressed, or rather undressed, for bed and turned on privacy mode, he did so.

Trance smiled at him, "You know who Achilles quit for and got married to, don't you?"

Dylan thought for a moment, his eyes widening. "Renier and Alura?"

Leaning down over Dylan's prone form to kiss a line from his chin to the middle of his chest, Trance nodded. Dylan captured her shoulders in his large hands and pulled Trance up to look in her eyes.

"And this is okay with you?"

Trance looked away for a moment but answered, "Yes. He loves her very much, and Alura shouldn't stop living just because things didn't go the way she first wanted them to."

"And Rhade?" Dylan asked with a trace of anger. "He's supposed to just let her go, without even having the choice?"

"Dylan, we've been over this. Alura didn't want to take him away from what he was meant to have. Besides, Nietzscheans are polygamists in order to ensure the continuation of their bloodlines as much as possible, you know that. And if he does want both her and Louisa once he is settled with Louisa, it will be up to them to make that choice."

Dylan sighed, "So he will have the choice?"

Trance nodded and settled beside him, realizing that tonight would be a 'just sleep' night. She didn't like that talking about her daughter tended to put a damper on things between herself and Dylan, but neither did she want them coming together physically when mentally they were on different sides of an issue that was weighing so heavily on their minds.

Dylan pulled the bed covering up and over them, staring at the ceiling blindly. "You promise?"

"Yes, Dylan," Trance answered softly. "As soon as Rhade and Louisa are happily married, I will reverse the memory wipe and let him decide what to do from there."

She didn't add that she was pretty sure things would happen on their own. Trance knew that her being willing to undo her part in what had happened somehow eased the part of Dylan that still thought there was a chance she would leave him as Alura had Telemachus.

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Alura sat bolt upright in bed with a scream. Her breathing was erratic and her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest.

"What in the abyss was that thing?" Achilles asked from beside her.

Alura's eyes widened, "You saw it, too?"

"It was hazy, but yes, I did."

"I'm so sorry, Kill, you must share particularly intense Visions with me now that we're Bonded."

"We can worry about that later, baby. What was that… place?"

Alura ran a hand through her hair, pushing the mass of curls back and out of the way. "Arkology."

"I didn't like it, but to watch it be destroyed like that…"

"I know."

"That scrawny blonde thing was Louisa?"

Alura nodded. "But the Vision never went that far before. I didn't know they were going to…" her voice broke, "oh, Divine help me…"

"We won't let them die," Achilles said firmly, pulling Alura unresistingly into his arms.

"We can't let them," Alura corrected. "Not unless we want the Abyss to win."

Confusion swept through Achilles' mind right before he asked, "But I saw… something… after; Dylan was still alive. He went somewhere."

"I saw it too," Alura answered. "But Dylan must never go to Seefra. It is in a universe where the Abyss has already all but won. It was one of the many places I discarded before choosing this reality. We are just as lost if he goes there as we would be if he died."

"So it's time to leave Tarazed," Achilles said calmly.

"Yes," Alura answered. "But it won't be just us. It can't be."

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Preview: Time to leave Tarazed. Rhade meets Louisa. And Alura isn't the only one with secrets.