Pervert! Pervert!

Eureka and Renton were now lying close together on the grass. Renton's hands supported the back of his head, while Eureka leaned slightly forward, supported by her arms that were stretched back on the grass behind her, enjoying the view of the plain, framed by the far off mountains and forest.

Despite what she had said, Renton could tell that Eureka was anxious about meeting the kids, gramps, and the Gecko. And despite what he had said, he wanted Eureka to himself, at least for a hour.

He sat up to look into Eureka's eyes, and assured her, "Don't worry. They'll come looking for me soon. Besides, they'll all be excited to see the windmill working – they're sure to have noticed that the trapar is back by now."

Renton's reassuring gaze was intense, and Eureka looked away. This time she wasn't ashamed, but embarrassed. She was glad that Renton was letting her be selfish for a while, and she hoped that her intuition was right.

'He wants to be with me right? . . .alone.' At the thought, Eureka decided that she couldn't possibly hide her blush from Renton by just turning away, so she decided to roll over onto him. Renton was knocked back, and Eureka was glad that he was too startled to notice the redness of her face.

'He's so–"

"Warm..."

"What?"

"You're so warm, Eureka." Eureka thought that she had begun to calm down, but now she felt the renewed urge to hide her face in the crook of Renton's arm, so there was no chance of him seeing it.

After some silence, broken only by the occasional breeze, and the distant sound of an engine, Renton was getting nervous. The girl he had loved for over two years was lying on top of him, and his. . ."position" was about to become compromised. He tried to think of anything else: trapar, reffing, wrenches, gramp's spit when he was yelling at him – but none of what working very well. The tent in his pants was beginning to grow.

'Eureka's sure to notice –' Then an entirely obvious thought occurred to him. 'I just need to let off some steam. I mean, I won't force her to do anything, but. . .she wouldn't hate it, right. I'm sure we love each other, she must be thinking–Wait, what are you thinking? She's not like everyone else' Renton looked down on Eureka, whose cheek was lying on his chest, so that he saw her flawless profile. 'She's not even human. . .'

That last thought seemed to do the trick. He wasn't excited anymore, but his urge to put his emotions – and hers – to the test was still growing.

One thing Renton got right, Eureka didn't have a single promiscuous thought as she lay on Renton's chest. While Renton knew that he could experience total bliss if he had just a small taste of his love's lips, Eureka didn't think it was possible to be any happier.

'I'm home. Not Earth, Not Belforest, Not a house with four walls and a roof– but here. . .with Renton. I feel so safe. . .and warm.' Eureka shifted her body to conform more easily to Renton's: her chest pressed against Renton's side, her bare foot rested over his ankle, and her thigh ground against his pelvis – which it was caused Renton to start thinking about reffing and his gramdpa.

"Renton."

"Hhmm?"

"I don't think I could be happier." There was a mechanical sound, thumping on the ground, and a murmur of noise – but Renton had just decided something, and couldn't be bothered with anything other than–

"Eureka," Renton gentle applied pressure to her body with his hands, and she gave way so that Renton was in a half-sit up, and Eureka faced him, with each knee planted on the ground on each side of his leg, as if she were about to crawl over him, her right hand holding his left, and the other supporting her weight.

Eureka breathed, more than she spoke, "Yes, Renton?" Her face was hot, and she shivered with anticipation of–she didn't know what.

Renton began to lean in when–

'MAMA!"

"EH!" exclaimed the pair of unfortunate lovers.

Maeter, Linck, and Maurice ran full speed down the hill, and the former two tackled Eureka off of Renton and proceeded to squeeze her with all their might.

"You're back, Mama. Mama!"

"Yeah, you're back!" Linck started to cry first (though he would later deny it to no end). "Mama! They were ** saying *ha* that you weren't–weren't. . .*uah* coming back!"

Now Maeter was crying as hard as Linck, "But we didn't ** believe it! We didn't, Mama! Promise!"

"Yeah, Yeah–Promise!"

Eureka was crying harder than anyone, but her words were as calm and steady as ever. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry– I'm so sorry. . .Maurice. . ."

Maurice was standing near Renton, his expression was unreadable. Eureka's tears stopped flowing from shock. All of her fears were coming true in that second. Maurice hated her, she knew it. She knew that it was too good to be true. Eureka might have ran at that second, but then she caught site of Renton – and felt the other two kids still holding her tight, so that she wouldn't go anywhere. He was smiling. HE knew, Eureka thought, that everything would be fine; but she would have to be brave and make the first move.

"Maurice. . .come here." But Maurice wasn't gonna break. He had promised himself, since the moment he allowed the thought in his head: that his Mama might never come back. He had promised to make her suffer for leaving him, Maeter, and Linck. He promised not to forgive her until she knew how bad waiting had felt. But then–

"Please. . ."

'Come here. . .please' Those were the same words he had first heard Eureka speak, so long ago. He had been protecting his brother and sister from the thing who had made all the bodies cold. But then that thing had held him. . .and it had a heart beat. 'It was warm'. And it had carried them away from the coldness, onto a ship; and fed them, and cleaned them, and clothed them. And when he was scared of all the strange people on the ship, so far above the earth, she had said those words. She told them that she couldn't bring back his mother: she couldn't undo what had happened, but that she would be their mama from now.

"M–MAMA!" Maurice ran to Eureka, and the two kids made room for him. They had had Mama for long enough, and they knew that Maurice missed her the most. Maeter and Linck watched as Maurice sobbed into Eureka's chest, and they smiled when Renton stood by their side, putting his hands on each of their heads.

Once everyone had a chance to breath, after all the tears had stopped, Eureka and Renton had the chance to see Holland and Talho standing at the top of the hill.

"Well," Talho said to break the atmosphere, "that was long overdue." Eureka, Renton, and the kids got up and started to walk toward the couple. "Good to see you again, Eureka."

"Mm." Eureka nodded her assent. She looked to Holland, hoping to get some sign over recognition from her leader. "Holland. . .uummm. . .ah!"

Holland had brought his hand down, hard, onto Eureka's head, and he began ruffling her hair. "Geez. . .making everyone worry like that. You almost killed Renton, you know? He couldn't eat or sleep for weeks–wouldn't stop crying for months."

"HEY!" exclaimed Renton, "That's not true! Stop teasin' her, Holland!"

"You're. . .arm."

Holland looked to his side, as if he had forgotten that his body was now asymmetrical. "Yeah, ha–"

"IT'S MY FAULT!" interrupted Eureka. "It's all cause of me! I'm–I know it doesn't make a difference–BUT! I'm–I'll take any punishment, so. . .PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Eureka gave a low bow, as tears started falling to the floor.

"Hey, dammit," Holland lifted up Eureka's head. "Stop it! This had nothing to do with you. It was my fight: it just happened to be the same fight you and Renton were fighting, alright?"

"BUT STILL, Holland! I–"

"Eureka. . ."

Eureka looked to Talho, whose tone was kinder than she had ever heard before, but still with the same stern countenance. "You're happy now, right? With the kids, and Renton?"

"Uh, yes."

"Hey, I'm serious. You're happy, right! Happier than you ever thought you could be?"

"I–I AM."

Talho smiled, and held Holland's hand. "So are we."

Eureka seemed to understand. "Mm."

"More importantly. . ."

Everyone looked down at Maurice, who was eyeing Renton, suspiciously.

"What were you trying to do to Mama, Renton?"

Renton's face turned red, but before he could speak, Maeter said, "Hey! Renton was trying to kiss Mama."

"Looked like more than a kiss to me," Holland interjected before Talho could elbow him. "Stop being a kid."

"Renton's a pervert!" Maeter laughed.

"Hey! Wait a minute–I wasn't"

"Pervert! Pervert!" echoed Linck.

Renton looked to Eureka to make sure that she wasn't understanding any of this. But the excitement of the last half hour was to much for her. Eureka had quietly fell to her knees, and was sleeping peacefully.

Note: I'm trying to keep to weekly updates. Feel free to scold me mercilessly if I don't.