I do not own Aliens.

My son's favorite character was Sergeant Apone. He wouldn't say why.

The Survivors of LV-426

Affirmative

He'd known it wasn't a Xeno when the movement caught the corner of his eye.

Pissed off Drake bad when Hicks deflected his fire.

"Fuck!"

"Hold up."

He hadn't given it a second thought.

And he'd known absolutely who needed to be front and center for what was obviously . . .

"Ripley."

. . . a small human.

Not because she was a woman, built for babies and motherhood.

But because she wasn't like them.

Lock-and-load-balls-to-the-wall-death-before-dishonor types.

Plus, she'd seen the thing before.

He'd stay close and blow it to hell if it was a Xeno.

Pretty sure it wasn't.

"We're not going to hurt you."

And then . . .

"Ouch! Damn!"

. . . the kid went and bit the shit out of his hand.

"Ripley!"

She's being ripped apart, not by grief or pain or a drooling, hissing, towering Xenomorph this time.

"Newt! Oh, Newt!"

But by overwhelming relief so deep it actually hurts.

The little girl she didn't even know existed a week ago is in her arms, all slender frame and delicate bones and silken blond hair.

"I'm so glad to see you, I missed you. They said you were sleeping."

And Ellen Ripley holds back her tears as best she can as she tries not clutch the child too tight.

The child that is not her daughter.

"Well, I'm awake now," she murmurs quietly, trying to control the tremor in her voice. "And I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon."

But may as well . . .

"Not even for a nap?"

. . . be now.

"Well, . . ."

For everything she feels.

". . . maybe that."

And everything she knows.

It never occurred to him to treat her like anything other . . .

". . . touch that. It's dangerous, honey."

. . . than a human being.

She was just a kid, he'd never had very much engagement with kids before.

Only child. Lifer in the service.

He and Rachel hadn't really been together long enough to start thinking about kids yet.

So everything he did . . .

"Hey, you okay?"

"Mmmh."

"Okay. Come on."

. . . was completely instinctual.

Especially the fact that she had watched her parents, her brother, get ripped apart.

And survived, by herself, for an entire month.

With Xenos crawling everywhere.

Jesus.

And now, with everything that had come to pass . . .

If they do anything to her, I'll rip this entire place apart.

. . . he was more determined than ever.

Unless Ripley beats me to it first.

During the first Xenomorph contact, Dallas had never agreed with her.

Never backed her, never listened to what she had to say.

If she said red, he'd say green.

She never thought of it as any particular animosity he had for her.

But it had sure cultivated an animosity of him for her.

And then, the second time, . . .

". . . substantial dollar value attached to it."

. . . there had been Burke.

". . . not authorize that kind of action."

Fucking Burke.

". . . Company property . . ."

Fucking Company. Fucking van Leuwen.

Just.

". . . The Company wants!"

Like.

"Since when is that standard procedure?"

Fucking Dallas.

"Standard procedure is to do what the hell they tell you to do!"

Not even Gorman would listen to her, . . .

". . . out of there!"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

. . . not even when the shit hit the fan and people started dying.

And there they had gone again.

Nobody listening to her.

And she knew.

But no.

Not until . . .

". . . site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

. . . Hicks.

". . . the only way to be sure."

He had listened to her.

"Let's do it."

And continued listening to her.

". . . -standing. Now all we need is a deck of cards."

Which hadn't hurt her growing interest in him . . .

"Doesn't mean we're engaged or anything."

. . . one bit.

"Hey, let's go check on our friend, Hicks. What do you say?"

And Newt . . .

"Yeah? Okay."

. . . nods her agreement.

"Hey, Ripley."

"Hey, Hicks."

She's not as emotional at the sight of Corporal Hicks.

Still in the bed.

Half of his face still patched up.

"Good to see you."

Chest too.

"Yeah, . . ."

But it's still a relief.

". . . you too."

All the same.

Newt beside her moves hesitantly forward, toward the big, tough, Marine sitting up in his hospital bed.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Ripley watches him look to the child, gently smile.

"Yeah. How about you?"

Newt nods.

Reaches out.

And takes hold of his hand, that big strong hand that still bears the indentation marks of her little teeth.

And smiles back.

"Affirmative."

I really can't see not even James Cameron writing a male Marine saying 'honey' like that so I really think that was added by Michael Biehn.

My opinion.

Thanks for reading!