Wow... this took way too long to get posted... Sorry, guys, I got sidetracked on the road of life... Teehee! XD

Now that I have some focus, I'll get back to writing.

Chapter 33

Joseph stood outside of the balcony door, looking in, hoping that Sheeva was asleep. If so, he could just pry open the doors and sneak inside. His vision was blurry; the rainfall being too heavy against the windowpane. He was drenched, and he was sure that his boots would make a squishing sound as he crept across the floor.

He took them off after a bit of a struggle, as his socks were wet as well.

As he stood back up, however, a flash of lightning illuminated the other side of the door. He screamed and backed off, almost falling over the rail of the balcony.

Sheeva was glaring at him from the other side of the door, still in her war-outfit, arms crossed. She was not pleased, it seemed.

She opened the door and pulled him inside, then slammed the door so quickly that the storm outside didn't make its way in. Without a word, she kept her back turned to him as he dripped. They didn't have much to say to each other, it seemed, but that was not the case.

Joseph's knees threatened to buckle, and he shed his cowl, wincing as a pain shot down his back. The rains had been cold, and he'd been slouching for the majority of his absence. Sheeva noticed, and shook her head, walking into the bathroom. She returned a few seconds later with a clean, fluffy towel.

Ignoring the fact that Joseph had just stripped down to his boxers, Sheeva pushed Joseph by the shoulders into a nearby wooden chair, and set the towel on his head, drying his hair.

"C-Captain, what are you—

—Shut up, Joseph." She growled. Joseph froze, and let her continue whatever she was doing.

"It is two in the morning, Joseph. I returned here at ten." She stated, voice emanating her displeasure. She dried behind his ears, and then his chin. She dragged the towel down his chest, then walked behind him, grabbed the back of the chair, and effortlessly threw him into the middle of the room. The chair made a nails-on-chalkboard grinding noise as it skidded along the floor.

Joseph clung to the arms of the chair, somewhat awed, and somewhat terrified. She was reminding him of her strength.

She then began to dry his back, rubbing his shoulders. He arched, first out of nerves, and then relaxed as she began to massage his shoulders. He gave a sigh, and his eyes closed, almost involuntarily.

"'m sorry." He murmured.

"What is done is done. We can leave tomorrow." She muttered, seeming to calm down some. She walked back around to his front, rested on her knees, picked up his left foot, and rested it in her lap, beginning to rub that as well.

He jerked when she pushed a point in his foot, gasping.

"You will get used to it." She stated, continuing. He jumped again when she hit another point, and gripped the arms of the chair to keep from laughing. She did the same to his other foot, and then stood, bunching up the towel and tossing it at him. He didn't move to catch it; instead, it landed in his lap.

"Take a shower, then get some rest." She ordered, striding over to the bed and crawling into it.

"Th-thanks, Capt—

—Sheeva is fine. Cannot be serious all the time, can we?" She dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand as she turned her back to him. Joseph remained in his chair, trying to process what in Guyana's name just happened. As a chill swept across the room, he shivered, and rushed to the bathroom, eager to get under some warm, welcoming water.

When Joseph emerged from the shower, Sheeva seemed to have been passed out. He sighed, and sat down at the side of the bed, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His eyes were drooped, baggy and darkened. As he gazed at his reflection, he felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked terrible.

He pegged his state to being so irate from... Donna. Could he still say she was his mother? Even if she wasn't his birth mother, she'd raised him like he was her own.

"Thinking about your mother?" Sheeva asked, making Joseph jump. Joseph shook his head.

"She is not my mother. Not anymore." He muttered, his heart aching and heavy.

Sheeva wanted to smack him for his stubbornness, and felt her jaw clench tight.

"At least you had someone that you could call 'mother'. My own was... not worthy of the title. Honestly, compared to what I have seen and been through, her disowning you is... nice." Sheeva stated, a foul taste in her mouth at the distant memory. She wanted to get out of the bed, rush to the balcony, and spit as much as she could off of it.

Joseph looked at her, wondering what she could possibly be talking about. He watched her in the mirror as she sat up, and propped herself up on her knees, crawled up to him from behind, and jerked his shoulder to make him face her.

"I want you to try to make peace with Donna before we leave today. That is a direct order from your Captain, Cowles. If you do not attempt, you are not to return to Earth with me, is that clear?" Sheeva ordered, grabbing his face to turn it to her, maintaining stern eye contact. Her gaze bored into his, and he shuddered.

"What business do you have, butting into my mother's side of my family when you don't even want to do the same to yours?!" Joseph barked at her, pushing her away. Sheeva grabbed the collar of his shirt, threw him to the bed, and pinned him, glaring down at him.

"I will never forgive the woman that gave birth to me! She beat me, starved me, every damn day of my miserable life on Mayfil! SHE KILLED MY OWN BROTHER!" Sheeva yelled at him. She stopped, and sat up, getting off of him.

"What's happened to you, Sheeva?" He asked. This wasn't like her, not one bit. She forced her gaze at the ground, ashamed of herself. She'd lost her temper, for the first time in a long time, and lashed out at someone other than herself.

He stood shakily, eying her cautiously, as though she would strike him again. He flinched when she stood as well, walking up to him.

To his surprise, she pulled him into a hug.

"I apologize. I hate to lose my temper, and it was wrong of me to lash out at you. I just… you have a woman you call mother. Even though she did not give birth to you, she raised you. You look up to her, do you not? I know it is not my business, but you need to hold on to that. Everyone needs a mother, or at least, a figurative one." She explained, resting her head on his chest. She could hear the pounding of his heart, terrified as it probably was.

Joseph had so many different things running through his head, he almost didn't want to process it. Her stunt of pinning him down had scared and excited him. His chest hurt at the mention of Donna, and as Sheeva's words sunk in, he admitted that she was probably right.

He also had a foul taste in his mouth as he remembered what she'd said about her own mother. It made his stomach churn with disgust and pity. Child abuse was something unheard of on Kadessa; the Senator had taken many actions to ensure the safety of the children of Kadessa. He began to tremble.

When she shifted her hold on him, he realized that she was crying slightly. Shocked, he looked down at her, and thought to himself that she looked rather cute against him. He shook his head, and awkwardly patted the back of her head lightly.

"It's… ok. I… understand now. I'll talk to Donna… before we leave." He muttered. His throat was tight, and he struggled to get the sound out. He recognized his body's actions, and forced a deep breath. He couldn't cry. Not in front of the Captain… Sheeva… whatever the hell she was to him now.

His knees shook, and finally, they caved, and he sunk to the floor, almost bringing Sheeva with him. His knees hit the floor hard, and he clung to her as he buried his face against her stomach, attempting to hide his embarrassing state.

Sheeva looked down at him, pity sweeping over her faster than she could stop it. She fought a chuckle at his reduced state, as it was about damn time he showed this side of himself. He was too stubborn for his own good. She rested a hand on his shoulder, and the other patted the top of his head lightly, and she ran her fingers through his hair in comfort.

He kept his arms locked, held securely around her waist.

You fool. Why'd you have to go and be a damn crybaby? He chided himself. As her nails brushed the back of his neck, he shuddered, and his eyes snapped open. He tensed and bit his lip, trying hard not to let a small moan escape his throat.

His skin broke out in goosebumps, and he forced himself away from her slowly, trying not to alarm her.

This couldn't happen, no matter how much he wanted it. To betray her, her husbands, and her children? He'd never be able to forgive himself.

"We should get some sleep." Sheeva stated as she turned away from him and crawled back into the bed they shared. He took a few deep breaths, trying to focus on the negative effects of being intimate with Sheeva.

"What is today's date?" She asked, her soothing voice echoing through the room. Joseph arched an eyebrow, taken by surprise by the sudden off-the-wall question.

"Um… it should be the 20th." He answered. Sheeva sat up, and turned to look at him.

"Oh." She stated, the tone of dismay not lost to Joseph's ears.

"Why?" He asked.

Sheeva sighed.

"Draco's birthday is tomorrow. He will be turning… 45." She whispered sadly. Joseph blinked, and wondered why she sounded sad. It seemed that it would be something to be joyful about.

"You'll be back there soon." He assured her. She chuckled, and smiled, but then her smile faded as she shook her head slowly.

"I know. But that is not what bothers me. Again, I am forced to face the fact that while I do not age, everyone else around me will. They are twice my age, you know… my children will be as old as I am in a few years." She muttered, letting her thoughts loose. She figured that since they'd both been so bluntly honest with each other in the last hour, they might as well keep going.

Joseph nodded as he mused over what she was saying. It even made him feel miserably lonely. Almost helpless, as though it were some twisted fate she had to endure.

"Why can't you die, Sheeva? I mean, I know it was the gods and all, but why did they do it?" Joseph asked. Sheeva shrugged, and heaved a sigh.

"They felt that it was necessary for someone to guard the Humans. To watch over them, and ensure that our kind didn't do what Mayfil does to its own people. The weight of Earth is on my shoulders, and oftentimes, I forget why." She mused.

Joseph lied down on his back, and folded his hands behind his head, propping himself up on the pillow a little bit. He smirked.

"Maybe this Kadessian-Human alliance might not be a bad thing. There's definitely some stuff we get to learn from them, and they'll learn something from us, right?" He asked. Sheeva thought on what he said.

Reflecting on the interrogation from yesterday, the elders seemed impressed. If this was going to work out, they'd have to start small, and most likely, whatever missionaries they sent to Earth would be limited to the wizarding world until the muggles had become aware and comfortable with wizards. At the thought, she felt a small smile curl on her lips. It seemed like it'd been a while since she'd smiled, as it felt somewhat foreign.

She turned to look at him, grinning now, a genuine curve in her lips. Joseph arched an eyebrow, as it was slightly creeping him out.

"What?" He asked, on edge. Was she going to pin him down again? He couldn't disagree and say that he wouldn't mind…

"I think… I just realized something." She whispered, lying down next to him. Before she could stop herself, she turned to him and wrapped an arm around his middle, resting her head on his shoulder. Joseph froze, his eyes widening. He forced his gaze to remain at the ceiling, not wanting to look at the woman lying partially on him.

"I hope… I hope you are right, Joseph." She muttered, eyes closing as she felt sleep overtake her.

Joseph needed to move his arms, badly, as they were beginning to cramp. Seeing as he had no choice, he rested one at his side, and one draped lightly over the dip in Sheeva's side. When she curled into him a little more, muttering Draco's name, he shook his head, and found that he was able to relax a little bit.

These bizarre moments would stay between them.

Alrighty then... On to the next chapter!