For continuity's sake, this takes place after the end of my fanfiction 'Prisons'

Epilogue

Alley was both sorry to see them go and relieved. Elizabeth may or may not ever be a friend, but Falcon and her Mother were good souls. Saving Falcon was a good thing in a world filled with bad things. Alley understood Elizabeth far too well now. The woman was simply incapable of giving up. She had nearly killed herself fixing things, more than once according to the odd blue armored woman called 'Lotus' or 'Natah'. Some things that Elizabeth herself had broken and others that her family had. She was devious and set in her ways. That said? She wasn't a bad person, Elizabeth. She had a core of ethics and decency that Alley could not help but admire. She was never going to trust the woman, but she did admire Elizabeth a bit. Just the little bits and pieces she had heard as well as what she had sensed of Elizabeth frightful self inflicted injuries had horrified the kindly Viper.

She would not dwell on that. Better for all if she forgot this odd visit and everything to do with it. She smiled as the door to her office opened and Jane stood there. The human looked tired and aggravated, but she smiled when Alley met her eyes. Alley spoke before Jane did.

"There were ripples, Jane." Alley said softly and Jane's eyes widened. She closed her mouth as she rethought whatever she was going to say. "The Lady isn't happy, but everyone is alive. That is a win in my book."

"Mine too." Jane said as she entered the office, found the sole piece of human furniture by the wall and sat down with at thump. "Bradford insists I am in command, but both of us will continue pretending the Commander is still here until we can figure out what else to do."

"The Commander is here, Jane." Alley nodded to her partner, her face set. Jane shook her head. "You are it."

"I know that and you know that." Jane buried her face in her hands, a rare show of fatigue. "Hell, Bradford knows that. But the resistance? They don't and they won't accept me. I made a lot of enemies when I was off globe trotting."

"I bet Asaru made just as many if not more." Alley reassured her partner as she finished up what she was doing and spun to eye Jane. "He had longer, after all."

"Yeah." Jane would not meet Alley's eyes.

"Jane?" Alley inquired and then stilled as she felt shame across her connection. "Oh. They… They said 'No', didn't they?"

One of Alley's worries was that the higher command XCom personnel under Asaru might not accept her nest as allies. After all, the humans were not really human anymore after all of the genetic modifications that had been done to them and the Vipers? They might have been grown on Earth, but they were not human. Many humans had problems with snakes before the Vipers had come on the scene. Now? Worse. Her nest had been the absolute worst kind of enemies once upon a time. The kind you never saw coming.

"Tygan and Lily want to use you and Arisha, but basically put you in cages when not using you." Jane shook her head savagely. "Over my dead body, Bradford's and Syndrome's. The whole Resistance hierarchy are talking about detention camps for aliens, Alley."

"'Detention'?" Alley asked carefully.

"Nothing more." Jane said with a growl. "There will always be hotheads, but we will need the personnel. I told you what happened in that horrid place when I lost Jenni. I know that we didn't beat the Elders. We stopped their plan and maybe drove them away, but they may come back. Or worse…" She trailed off and Alley nodded.

"Their enemies. The ones who drove them here, may come instead." Alley sighed deeply. "Ah well, my nest work better in the shadows anyway." Her smile was melancholy but her mental touch was gentle as she sifted her partner's feelings. She did not like what she found. "You are going to bed, Jane. Right now."

"Alley…" Jane protested as Alley rose and slithered to her side.

"You are out on your feet, woman." Alley did not try to pull Jane up. Instead, she offered her hand. "The kids are asleep and you will be shortly. Every strength has limits and you are not alone now." Jane rose to her feet, but unsteadily. Alley took her hand and guided her towards one wall that slid open to show a dark hallway.

"Alley?" Jane asked, not quite concerned, but certain she should be. "What is this?"

"What kind of secret agents would we be without secret passages?" Alley asked as she led Jane into the hall. "I refuse to leave the kids defenseless in any way. Having them on the surface is bad enough even with the clan's aid. I will not jeopardize their security."She smiled at Jane's expression. "Besides, this is the only one. So far."

"And it runs…" Jane paused as she felt amusement across the link. "Let me guess. Your office to my assigned quarters?"

"We will never have an erotic relationship, Jane." Alley reassured her. "I am not human, you are not alien. That said? I will not leave you to suffer if I can alleviate it. You will need my help and I will need yours." She paused and then smiled. "Director."

"What?" Jane asked as she stumbled after Alley. She was very tired.

"You need a different designation." Alley replied as she tapped a wall and Jane was not surprised when Alley led her into a set of quarters that had been set up for her. A shotgun and sword hung on one wall along with a set of XCom armor. Neither of the weapons looked human made and Jane eyed them, but Alley pulled her towards the bed. "Sleep now, play later."

"Yes, Mistress." Jane quipped and then paused as the bed inclined a little to let her ease into it. "Um... Alley?"

"Smart furniture is something my nest have been working on for a bit. The pregnant women in the clinic think our beds are wonderful." Alley slid up onto the bed. "Advent was very good at making people comfortable while they brainwashed them. You will not be brainwashed. Anyone who tries, I am going to bite." Not a threat, a promise. "Both of us are survivors. Walking wounded, hurting in so many ways, but now? We are not alone. If you wish, I will let you sleep alone, but I will make sure you sleep." Again, a promise.

"I remember." Jane was weaving and Alley eased her down to the bed. "I am scared, Alley. I dreamed of Jenni when I napped earlier."

"Was it a bad dream?" Alley inquired gently as she pulled Jane's boots off.

"No." Jane sighed as Alley moved to take Jane's boots off the bed. "Please don't leave me?" Almost anyone who knew her would have been astonished by the sudden change in her, but Alley knew her on a level that few ever had and just coiled up next to her, letting her own body's heat and rhythm soothe the exhausted woman. In moments, she was fast asleep and Alley still lay there.

"Mom?" Lizbeth's quiet, worried voice heralded the girl appearing nearby. "Do you need anything?"

"Just make sure Sam sleeps. He got such a high flying today it will be hard to keep him on the ground." Alley said sadly. Lizbeth made a face and nodded. "Also, keep an eye out for the Elders or Asaru. I refuse to let any of them hurt Jane again."

"I will, Mom." Lizbeth promised. "Rest well." Then she was gone.

For a moment, Alley just lay there. Then she spoke aloud. "We are as alone as I can make us."

"Director is good idea, Matron." Jian appeared near where Lizbeth had been, her face serene. "Different enough to seem separate, but close enough to be right there when decisions need to be made. They can pull it off. Hide what she really is until it doesn't matter anymore."

"You will keep an eye on her?" Alley pleaded. "I do not know what I will do, if I will survive. I know I won't want to when my nest start dying off. But I cannot leave Jane alone again. I am sorry for the mess I made."

"Everything that happened was Elizabeth's mess and I will take it out of her hide." Jian waved the concern away. "I did some research. You are the only one who can go down there, Matron and it will hurt you every time." Alley nodded, not responding and Jain sighed. "The survivors are all carriers. They had no idea. None of them."

"I figured." Alley paused as Jane mumbled in her sleep. "Are you doing anything?" She did not quite demand that.

"No." Jian reassured her. "She ran from her emotions for so long, that now? She is afraid of them. Show her the truth, matron. Show her the depth that she has been missing. Give her a reason to stay with you and she will. The two of you separate were formidable. Together? There are no heights you cannot achieve. She in the light, you in the shadow. Equal and opposite."

"And tomorrow, we see about helping the kids have futures besides flying until they die." Alley lay back, laying her head next to her partner. "They deserve better."

"So do you." Jian's voice was a bit husky but Alley just shook her head. "Matron."

"You know what I am going to say, Jian. I already know too much, about too much." Alley sighed deeply. "I have to take the oaths or forget it all and I refuse to leave Jane to face this alone."

"You don't have to choose now." Suddenly, Jain looked unsure. "Matron…"

"I did choose, Jian." Alley laid a hand on Jane's scalp and the woman relaxed as Alley's power soothed her. "So did Lizbeth. When I finally do shuffle off the mortal coil, you know what to do. Where to take me."

"My life is not fun, Matron. You have suffered enough." Jian pleaded.

"And one person, or even an exceptional group of people, cannot ward this reality alone." Alley replied. "Lizbeth is pledged to keep the Warlock form returning, but we both know there are other threats even without Elizabeth's insanity. Or Jenni's." She smiled at Jian who stilled. "Or did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

"It wasn't her fault." Jian said slowly. "We all know it wasn't her fault. She didn't mean to break the barrier the way she did."

"Fault doesn't come into it." Alley replied, closing her eyes. "Jenni is dead, but not gone, is she?" Jian did not answer and Alley had hers. "I see. I will keep Jane on the straight and narrow until she can do whatever she has to. Tell the Lord of the Darkstorms, the answer is yes and I will swear to your order when the time comes. Until then? Count me an ally."

When Alley looked, Jian was gone. She shrugged a little and went to sleep. She would see how hard it was to fly as a Darkstorm soon enough. For now? She had more important things to handle.

She fell into darkness dreaming of winged horses smiling and she was not afraid. For the first time since she had lost Mark, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. She had a family, a duty and she was not alone.

There would be time to stretch her own wings after she taught all of her own kids how to fly for themselves, not for anyone else. Until then, the sky was the limit.