Zoey was crying, tears racing across her cheeks, it had been twelve hours since Zoen had gone missing and she was distraught. The others where still outside leaving Elliot to try and comfort Zoey as she balled her eyes out.
"My little girl, my last connection." The blond strained his ears trying to pick up on the words that the girl was crying. Even he was worried, it had been hours since the sun had set and still the others hadn't returned. With every tick of the clock the fear that they would return with a lifeless body grew.
"Hey you've got ears like mine! Can your's change as well?" Dren stared openly at the small girl, her eyes left no doubt that it was his daughter but he was in pure shock.
"No I can't change my ears, little one. Now what were you doing in a creek?" The girl smiled innocently pulling Dren's jacket around her. It was huge on her but her own clothes were drenched. Sardon and Tarb had both been shocked when he had dived into the creek and pulled her out of the rapidly flowing water, until they saw her ears. The girl's voice sounded older than her looks and though she was still young, a typical cyniclon.
"I followed the fox, but then I slipped and couldn't get out and then I got lost and I don't know how to get home!" The tears started, running down her face in large drops. Dren picked her up gently.
"Come on we'll take you to your mummy."
"Mum?" Zoey's head flew up, she'd know that voice anywhere. In a split second she was up, racing towards the front door leaving Elliot to dust himself off and follow her. Zoey pulled the door open and saw her daughter, throwing her arms around the girl she began to cry, totally unaware of the person who was holding her child, she was too happy.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Elliot's voice cut like a whip through the air, pulling Zoey out of her happy daze to look up.
When she saw his eyes, her heart stopped. She didn't need to see his ears to recognize him.
"Dren." The faint smirk that danced on his lips. Then he kissed her. Zoey's eyes shut as the old fire leapt up from the depths of her being. It was like water to a man dying of thirst, as though she was coming home. She had been banished and only here was safe. He pulled away from the chaste kiss, resting his head on her neck. His voice was a demon, blowing warm air across her skin as he spoke.
"As much as I'd love to continue this, I don't like being glared at by a blond and I think our daughter is sleepy. She's had a big day." Zoey gasped pulling away to look at him.
"Do you honestly mean that?" He tilted his head to the side.
"I pulled her out of a river. She was lost so yes, she's tired. Blondy over there is giving me a death look and if it was just us alone I would definitely not be talking. So yes I mean what I said." Zoey shook her head.
"Not that, the part about her being our daughter." Dren smiled softly, and Elliot could feel his anger growing. 'Stupid smart arse alien, he fucked her and vanished! Now he's back and acting as though none of it happened.' But even as angry as he was with Dren he couldn't help but notice that the smile Zoey was giving him was bigger than any he'd seen on her face in a long time.
"Zoey." Dren's hand traced along the girl's cheek, leaving a trail of tingles that raced up and down her spine. "I never knew you were pregnant, otherwise I would have been here so much sooner. I wouldn't have left you to begin with. I promise, this child is as much mine as she is yours and I would like to be part of BOTH of your lives but if you turn around now and tell me to leave, I will. Because it's YOU telling me to go."
It was instinct, her hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him towards her, their lips meeting, blending. There was a cough behind Dren and the two separated. A heavy blush on Zoey's cheeks before she motioned to the house.
"Please come in, I'll put Zoen to bed."
Dren's eyebrow rose in interest. "Zoen?"
Zoey nodded taking her daughter out of Dren's arms and turning away. Warm arms wrapped around her waist pulling her against his chest as his lips brushed the shell of her ear.
"I like it." The mother moved off to put her daughter to sleep, leaving Elliot to glare at the three aliens.
"Hi." Dren offered, a large grin on his face, "I just want to thank you for looking after Zoey." Elliot's mouth hung open in surprise.
"You ditched her then randomly show up on the door step and expect everything to be okay? How thick can you be?"
Dren tensed, moving closer until they were standing chest to chest. Elliot might have been slightly taller but Dren had emitted a feeling of power that threated to make him choke.
"I never ditched her. You were the ones who wanted me gone, so I left. I don't expect everything to be right straight away but I'm willing to work on it so long as Zoey will let me." Elliot tensed standing up as straight as he could, he spat the words before he could stop himself.
"What and make her return to your world to live in poverty as the wife of a military man?" Tarb began to laugh soon followed by Sardon until Dren turned around and glared, instantly both were silent as he hissed at them.
"Keep your damn mouth's shut!" Elliot frowned as Dren turned to him speaking softly.
"You think I would take Zoey back to a life of poverty? I wouldn't take her anywhere that she doesn't want to go. But you can be assured of this, if she did want to come back with me. We would not be living in poverty."
