14 years later...
The Eudoran sun beat down on Skyla as she patted down the soil around her freshly planted Nayala flower. It had been a birthday present for her from Ratchet, but she'd only just gotten around to planting it. Standing up, she brushed the loose dirt from her knees and looked over her work with a pleased eye.
"Mama! Mama!" the cry was accompanied by the sound of running feet and Skyla looked up to see a small grey Lombax round the corner, running full pelt towards her. Skyla frowned slightly as the child reached her and proceeded to hide behind her,
"What's the matter, Hope?"
"ROAR!" another figure staggered into view and the small Lombax screamed, burying her head into the back of Skyla's leg. Her mother smiled and eyed the new figure warily,
"Kaden, you shouldn't be scaring your sister like that," she told the stumbling figure.
"I'm not Kaden," came a muffled voice, "I'm an Agorian...ROAR!" the figure yelled, hands outstretched like a zombie. And indeed, they were wearing an Agorian mask which bobbed about comically on their head. When they were within range Skyla reached forward and plucked the mask from the figure, revealing the face of a young male Lombax, with sandy fur, caramel stripes and green eyes.
"Oi!" he exclaimed in objection, then shrunk under his mother's stern gaze, "sorry," he mumbled, then added, "I didn't mean to scare her."
"I no scared!" the small grey Lombax protested, coming out from behind Skyla.
"Yes you were," Kaden retorted.
"No!" his sister cried.
"Were too."
"Were not too," the little Lombax answered stubbornly.
"Enough," announced Skyla and held out the mask for her son. But before he could take it she gave him a look.
"I promise I won't scare her," the boy mumbled before Skyla let him reclaim his mask. His eyes widened as he seemed to notice something behind her,
"Look out, Hope! Cragmites!" Skyla smiled as the smaller Lombax gasped and spun around. Kaden rushed past her, tagging her as he did,
"You're it!" he called as he ran off. Hope stomped her foot as she realised she'd been tricked,
"No fair," she pouted before running after her brother as fast as her little legs could carry her. Skyla watched the two chase each other for a moment.
"Mama, is this alright?" came a voice and Skyla looked over at another Lombax who was kneeling beside a flower bed. Skyla moved over and assessed her work,
"That's wonderful! Well done, Maia," she told the chocolate Lombax. Maia smiled with pleasure and got up, dusting her hands as she did. Then her eyes flicked to behind Skyla,
"Oh good, refreshments." Skyla turned to see that she was right. Ratchet and another young Lombax were approaching them bearing two trays, one with a jug of yellow liquid and cups and the other with a plate of delicious looking biscuits.
"Thought we'd come out and see how you're doing," Ratchet said as they approached, "and we could all use a break." Skyla beamed at him,
"Sounds good to me." They all took a seat on the soft grass, Ratchet and the other Lombax setting the trays down in front of them.
"So how's it going in the workshop, Al?" Skyla asked as she began pouring drinks for them all. The light grey Lombax shrugged, though Skyla could tell from the twinkle in his blue eyes that he was pleased,
"It's ok."
"It's better than ok," Ratchet corrected, accepting a cup from his wife, "Al's nearly built his own thermal screwdriver...which is no easy task." His son blushed and her looked down in embarrassment,
"Well..."
"That's wonderful, Alister," Maia told him, taking a biscuit. Her brother smiled,
"Thanks."
"These biscuits are delicious, Maia," Skyla said as she swallowed a mouthful, "where did you get the recipe?"
"Godfather Clank, he said it was a secret recipe," the young Lombax replied.
"A secret recipe, eh?" Ratchet echoed, "sounds like Clank's been experimenting again."
"They taste lovely," Alister commented, eating away at his own wafer.
"Thank you," Maia smiled.
"Ahoy there, me hearties! I spy booty!" cried a voice and all of a sudden two figures descended upon the group.
"I thought you were chasing Cragmites," Skyla mused aloud as the smaller grey Lombax headed straight for Ratchet and sat herself in his lap. She picked up a biscuit and began to nibble it like a squirrel. Kaden eyed his mother's lap and Skyla rolled her eyes,
"Oh, come on then." Without further ado the sandy Lombax unceremoniously plonked himself in her lap. Skyla let out a whoosh of air as he landed,
"You're getting a bit big for this, Kaden."
"I'm only 7," the boy protested, taking a large bite from a cookie and crunching it up noisily.
"Well, 7's a big age," Skyla replied.
"Not as big as Maia's," her son pointed out, "she's 9 which is bigger than 7."
"Yes, but Maia's a girl and girls are lighter than boys," Alister mentioned.
"Only 'cos boys got more muscle," Ratchet added with a wink at his sons.
"Yeah! We're more...manly," Kaden stated, "if there were no men then..."
"There would be order?" Skyla finished for him with a dry smile.
"No," Kaden answered back immediately, "you'd all be abducted by pirates!" he proclaimed dramatically.
"What about boy pirates?" asked Maia, sipping from her cup. Kaden looked stumped at that.
"Don't worry Kay, boys aren't going anywhere," Ratchet assured him.
"Can I be a boy?" piped up Hope, half a biscuit in her hand with at least a quarter crumbled in her lap.
"Of course not," Kaden snorted. His sister frowned,
"Why not?" she demanded.
"'Cos...you're scared of Agorians," Kaden told her, "boys aren't scared of Agorians."
"I'm scared of Agorians," Alister murmured, but his brother didn't seem to hear him.
"I no scared of 'gorians," Hope protested, her green eyes full of childish indignation.
"Are too," Kaden stuck his tongue out at her.
"That's enough, Kaden," Skyla said in her warning voice, then smiled at her daughter, "being a boy is great, Hope, but being a girl is better."
"Hear, hear," Maia chimed in. Skyla's youngest child looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged comically,
"Ok, I be a girl."
"Eurgh! Who'd want to be a girl?" Kaden exclaimed in disgust, "ow!" he cried as Skyla cuffed him lightly around the head. The sandy Lombax wriggled out of her lap and stood up.
"Right, I'm off to find treasure," he announced to no-one in particular.
"I thought you said this was your booty?" Ratchet asked with a grin. Kaden looked down his nose at the trays.
"What booty? No, I be after real gold, ahar!" With that, he turned and galloped away. Hope looked after him for a short moment before stuffing the rest of her biscuit into her mouth and, scrambling to her feet, she began to run after her brother.
"Finish your mouthful!" Skyla called after her. The little girl stopped and turned around, displaying the contents of her mouth to her mother. Without waiting for the all clear she sped off. Alister sighed, watching the sandy Lombax run around waving a stick he was using as a sword,
"And you're sure we're twins?" he asked Ratchet in a sceptical manner.
"Ask your mother, she's the one who gave birth to you," his father replied with a chuckle. Skyla nodded,
"You are twins, Al." The light grey Lombax looked somewhat bemused at this.
"Thank you for the drink and biscuits," Maia addressed her father and brother.
"Our pleasure," Ratchet responded with a smile, shuffling closer to his wife. Skyla began piling the things onto the tray and made to get up.
"No, it's ok, I'll do it," Alister insisted, picking up one of the trays.
"I'll help," Maia scooped up the other tray and got to her feet.
"Thank you," Skyla said to them as they began to walk away. She suddenly became aware how close Ratchet was and grinned.
"And what do you want?" she asked as he nuzzled her neck playfully.
"You," he whispered back and Skyla's stomach fluttered. 14 years and every touch still felt like the first. Tilting her head back, she kissed him tenderly on the mouth. He was taken by slight surprise but quickly recovered and responded enthusiastically.
"EURGH!" came a cry and they broke apart to see Kaden standing not far away, watching them with morbid curiosity. Before either of them had a chance to reply he'd run off again. Skyla leaned against Ratchet,
"He gets that from you, you know." Ratchet wrapped his arms around his wife, his Soulmate, pulling her closer to him.
"Mmm," he murmured in agreement as he breathed in her fresh scent. There were times when he just couldn't get enough her, and even her smell was enough to make his innards melt and his heart pound. He planted a few kisses up her neck to her ear,
"I love you," he whispered spontaneously.
"I love you too," Skyla purred in reply, snuggling against him, relishing in the warmth and strength of his embrace, how safe it made her feel.
And as the bright sun shone down on them, the two Lombaxes sat tangled up in each other, filled with contentment as they listened to the sounds of their children at play.
And in Skyla's mind she heard the voice of Maia, her old friend, whispering words she would never forget to the end of her days,
"You're not alone."
The End