Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: I'm really grateful for all the suggestions, guys! I'm not too computer savvy, if anyone's noticed. But I do have a DeviantArt account now. You just go and find my stuff under this same author name: BlueBastard. I'll be posting some other pics too.

-------------------

Before: The dead body wasn't Lex's. Scar hears her calling his name and sprints off to find her. Winston is back and as annoying as ever. After her battle with two hard meats, Lex had ended up trapped underneath a dead kainde amedha and ensnared in netting. Winston took advantage of this and stole the Queen's talon, attempting, in the process, to kill Lex as well. His first stab wrenched a scream from her throat, drawing Scar even faster to her location. His second, final stab never came as Scar was suddenly there, dangling the Ooman from an unforgiving fist. He tore the talon from Winston's grasp before slamming the Ooman against the far wall, where he crumpled in unconsciousness. Lex's voice draws him out of the flood of rage consuming him, giving him time to realize it would be smarter and safer to free Lex first before something bad happens. Grid stops Scar from freeing her and Rave stops another Drone from implanting Lex with an egg. As the ship starts tilting, Scar ignores a dazed Grid and slams away a metal crate that almost crushes Lex. Freeing her, a shaken Lex asks so many unspoken questions with a single word: "Why?". The two have a moment, Scar promising he'd never leave her. Rave, in the meantime, defeats his Drone and informs them quite frankly that he'd rather not be in the ship when it sunk. Or rather, in his exact wording: (You know... we're still inside a sinking Ooman vessel. And I don't know about you two, but I'd rather NOT be inside it when this place is flooded with fucking cold water.)

------------------

Wondering if Scar would back down on his word, Lex looked at him.

He gave her his own, incredulous look, (Even if I WAS going to back down on my promise, which I'm NOT, I wouldn't leave you to die inside this ship.)

(If you two love birds are done, can we get a move on?) Rave demanded, almost feeling the urge to tap his big clawed feet.

Scar had an urge just then as well. The urge to punch Rave in the face. But he knew the big guy was right. They didn't have much time to waste.

Surging to his feet in a bundle of muscled power, Scar held an arm out to help Lex to her own feet.

But the moment she stood, she yelled out in panic, "My legs! They... I can't feel them."

She almost collapsed back to the ground. But Scar was there, laying her arm across his broad shoulders as he weaved a muscled arm around her. All that power in a single limb, and yet he held her as gently as if he feared she would break.

(Should we cut them off?) Rave questioned.

(NO. She couldn't have lost the circulation for that long.) Scar growled to the bigger Yautja. But then his look twisted with doubt as he turned back to Lex, (Right?)

Fear clouded her mind and Lex could only stare dumbly and say, "I don't know..."

(Unless you feel like gathering trophies, I suggest we all-) Rave started to say.

But Lex interrupted as Rave's words sparked a memory, "The talon! Where is it?"

They all turned their heads at once, but to no avail. The ship was as cluttered as it could be, not to mention their previous battle hadn't done much to make it look better.

Noticing something else, Lex frowned, "Mr. Winston's gone too."

(Who?) Rave questioned, feeling very inclined to just drag the both of them out of there if they didn't start moving.

The ship shuddered and through some part of the ship, they heard the load roar of water.

(The Ooman that tried to...) Scar couldn't even say it. Just thinking about it stoked the embers of his dormant fury.

The ship groaned once more, shuddering so violently they were almost thrown off their feet. Lex gasped once more, but this time out of pain, "I think... my legs are just asleep. I can feel the feeling coming back." And the feeling was very painful.

(We don't have time.) Scar said, scooping her up before she could begin to protest.

"H-hey!" She managed to utter before Rave quieted her.

(Would you rather wait to use your legs in here, where you'd most likely drown?)

As expected, the statement got the stunned yet acquiescent response Scar had been aiming for.

The trio darted off less than a breath later.

-o-o-o-

Jet watched as a few figures hurled themselves out of the ship at the last minute. She wasn't sure how long Oomans could survive in this cold weather AFTER dunking themselves in the freezing water, but she doubted it'd be for any length of time.

That's when the oddest thing happened. An Ooman and a kainde amedha were on the ice.

And they were running straight towards her cloaked vessel.

-o-o-o-

Lex wrapped her arms around Scar's neck, hanging on for all she was worth.

She knew he was making his running as smooth as possible, but she had almost been thrown off a few platforms down when the ship decided to shudder again. She wouldn't risk it again, if she could help it.

Scar himself tightened his own grip, remembering the same scenario.

But he knew he had to focus on where he was going and turned his concentration to where it was meant to be. As hard as it was to ignore the warm body in his arms, he managed to keep his eyes ahead.

They had been running around for what seemed like ages, encountering more than a fair share of dead ends and a handful of loud curses from each person.

(All I'm saying is that we'd better not be going in circles in this... this- damn OOMAN vessel!) Rave growled.

"Hey, I didn't build it." Lex stated aloud.

(Of course not.) Scar said, (Someone so idiotic would not have been able to join our Clan.)

"Thanks." Lex said dryly.

Skirting past a few torn cables, each sparking dangerously as they whipped around with a life of their own, Rave reached forward to yank open a door. He had barely shoved his head through before he closed it again, declaring firmly, (...We're not going that way.)

Before anyone could question his motives, they heard the sound of huge liters of water slamming against the closed door.

"Now what?" Lex questioned.

(This is taking too long.) Scar muttered, placing the Ooman on the floor. Lex was too shocked to argue or even keep her arms locked around his neck.

Lex stumbled slightly as she managed to right herself with the steadying arm of Rave. But a question rang through her mind.

Was he leaving her after all?

Taking a few steps away, Scar ignored their questioning gazes and looked directly upwards, forcing his aiming reticule to lock upwards through his mask. His target was the many levels of steel and tin above them.

His Plasmacaster hummed a split second before it lit up and fired a brilliant shot of blue energy.

ZHOOM!

The moment he fired, Scar dodged back towards them and out of the way, managing not to get stabbed through with the raining debris.

-o-o-o-

Dusting her hands off after such a simple task, Jet looked at her captive once before her attention was snagged by a loud explosion.

It had sounded like a plasma blast.

And sure enough, there was the blue ball of energy, hurling itself into the sky before it started to unravel its charged power.

That must be her cue.

-o-o-o-

Having a rare moment of thinking ahead for once in his life, Rave had placed his huge body in front of Lex's, acting as a physical barrier. She had been in the process of trying to head over to the yellowish-brownish Yautja just as Scar fired the Plasmacaster. Being the smart woman she was, or maybe simply having the instinct and will to survive, Lex ducked hastily behind the sudden shield of muscle and brawn before her.

(Are you okay back there?) Rave asked before the dust cleared.

Coughing, Lex replied, "Yeah -cough- Yeah, I think so."

(A little bit of warning next time?) Rave directed the light growl towards Scar.

Grunting in reply, Scar walked past Rave to scoop up a protesting Lex into his arms, "I can walk now! I think..."

(Oh. Can you fly as well?) Scar questioned with heavy sarcasm.

"Yea-" Lex started to snap back before his words hit her, "wait. What?"

All the warning the two big Yautja's gave her was a suspicious smirk.

Frowning, Lex started to demand what they were talking about.

But the next words were literally ripped from her mouth as the Yautja leaped into the air. For a split second, Lex dared to believe they could actually fly. Or at least, she thought they'd have to as a torrent of water finally burst through the door Rave had slammed shut earlier. Water rushed in below them, filling the empty corridor faster than Lex could fill her lungs with oxygen. She flinched slightly as a few stray droplets splashed against her, fear gnawing at her as she wondered if they could jump high enough to escape the icy grip of the water below them.

But they merely landed with rough grace on the edges of the ripped hole, only to bound quickly upwards once more. The most irritating thing Lex found was that they made it look so easy.

Irritation aside, she was glad they could go as fast as they were, because the hole was quickly filling up below them.

Gazing upwards, Lex could see the bright grey sky at the end of the hole. The opening was a few levels up, though, and the water below them was churning and catching up quickly.

Lex was afraid to ask if they'd make it, so fearful was she that the reply would be 'no'.

All she could do was cling tighter to Scar's armored frame.

Even as he leaped and scaled the jagged, vertical plasma-blasted shaft, Scar blinked and looked down at the creature in his hold. He didn't even break his concentration as looked back up at the hole's opening, willing his muscles faster.

Rave spared them a glance, making a calculated leap near the front of Scar's vision.

Their eyes locked and Rave gave an almost invisible nod.

They wouldn't make it out of there at the pace they were going. The water was too fast. Too relentless in its growing urge to escape the holds of the sinking vessel.

ALL of them couldn't make it, but with the right boost, at least two of them could.

Scar knew he didn't have time to think of the repercussions. He knew Rave's plan was the only sure way. And if he wanted the small chance it gave, he couldn't waste the time questioning it.

His thigh muscles rippling as he bunched them tightly at the next landing, Scar surged upward with sudden power, the small Ooman in his arms making a sharp gasp as the breath was literally torn from her mouth.

Then Rave was there, crouched two levels from the top, his hands linked in front of him. Moving as one, Scar's foot barely touched Rave's hands in passing before Rave shot upwards as well, lending most if not all his power into Scar's leap.

At the same time, Lex realized what was going on.

"Wait-" She started to say, prying her eyes open against the rush of wind as she whipped her head to look at Rave below them.

She caught the glint of his mask and his form slowly falling back into the hole. Then the water overtook him.

"RAVE!" Lex shouted, flinging out an arm.

But they were next to be swallowed by the water if they didn't get out of that shaft.

Then, suddenly, they hit the cold air and were out, still leaping at a forty-five degree angle from the belly of the ripped hole. With a hiss and unrelenting strength, the water surged out milliseconds behind them, clipping Scar's back foot.

Even with that miniscule power of the water applied to Scar's boot, the two found themselves tumbling wildly in the air, landing with a loud CLANK of Scar's armor against the Piper Maru's surface. The two lay there for a moment, both Yautja and Ooman trying to get their senses back.

Lex was the first dazed one up, her head lifting to survey the sinking vessel around them. They were on the lowest deck and more than three-fourths of the ship was under the icy surface.

Eyeing the approaching level of the water, Lex realized the cargo ship was sinking even faster after the water had surged out of their plasma-created hole.

"Scar?" Lex shook him, he gaze still on the water that was lapping quickly towards them.

"SCAR?" The brown Ooman repeated, looking over her shoulder at the water that surrounded them.

They needed to reach higher ground. But if this bastard didn't wake up NOW, they wouldn't be going anywhere but DOWN!

"If you don't get up right now, Scar, so help me... I'll kick you so hard you won't be able to continue your bloodline!" Lex threatened.

A dazed Yautja instantly struggled to lift his head, protests of, (I'm up, I swear. I'm up.) spilling from his groggy mandibles.

Half-dragging, half-helping the muscled warrior up, Lex moved both of them towards the radio tower near the center of the Piper Maru. It was the highest structure in the entire vessel and it was their only hope of keeping above the water for a few more seconds. Lex didn't know what they'd do after that, seeing as how there weren't any blocks of ice close enough for Scar to leap to, even with his incredible jumping abilities.

For some reason, Lex also knew the Yautja probably wouldn't last too long in the water, even if he would last longer than her.

Predators were a heat-loving species. Their planet the temperature of the hottest place on earth times three, at least. Even with the thermal netting, who knew what effects the freezing water would have on him.

(Rave...) Scar managed to utter as he stumbled alongside the Ooman, his limbs quickly coming back under control.

"I don't want to think about it." Lex said below her breath, grateful when she noticed Scar was fully functioning once more, "But we need to get to higher ground."

Scar's form tensed as their predicament finally sunk in, his head whipping around quickly to take in their surroundings.

Without hesitation or another word, he wrapped an arm around Lex's waist before leaping upwards, an arm outstretched to catch the rod at the top of the tower. They both just stood there, looking down at the black water that was slowly eating the rest of the ship below them.

For the first time, Lex noticed the many lifeboats floating far away, filled to the brim with survivors.

"Help! HELP us!" Lex shouted, waving an arm.

But they were too busy rowing for their life away from the sinking boat. They didn't want to be anywhere NEAR its undertow. And none seemed willing to travel back to pick up Lex or the form of what all thought was a very large man. Some, however, recognized Scar from his earlier rampage.

Of course, this only made some row even faster away from them.

Silence settled over the two on the top of the dying vessel. Scar didn't even notice he was still holding Lex beside him until she shivered.

With a light growl, Scar pulled her against him, letting his warmth wrap around her smaller form.

Grateful, Lex looked up into her masked comrade's eyes. She glanced at the water surging below them before returning her gaze to Scar's face. They only had a few more seconds, at the most.

"Now what...?" Lex said softly.

Scar's answer was to gaze back at her, shutting everything else out. This was not how he thought he would die a second time.

Knowing the pointlessness of speaking again, Lex just clung tightly to him, tensing at the thought of the icy water enclosing them like the cold coffin it was. Imagined it sucking them under just like it had Rave.

That's when a few droplets of water landed on their heads.

This wouldn't have surprised them if the surface of water below them hadn't been so calm. And if the drops hadn't come from ABOVE them.

(Now what?) Rave clicked incredulously, (Now I come and save your asses so you two could owe me big time later.)

As the two jerked their heads up in surprise, they heard a growl of pain trill from Rave's large mandibles.

(HEY. WHO's driving this transport? WHO just saved your ass back there?)

(All right, all right...) Rave grumbled begrudgingly, looking back at Yautja and Ooman looking up at him from the remains of the Piper Maru, (JET came and saved your asses...) At a threatening growl from further inside the transport, Rave added hastily, (AND mine. And my ass. Jeeze, happy now?)

(I will be once you get those two up here before they, you know, DROWN. You ass.) Jet snarled.

As if remembering they were in a sort of dire situation, Rave grimaced, (Oh, right.)

Before either Scar of Lex could blink, Rave had them both up inside the transport, lifting with only a hand gripping Scar's free arm.

Deposited safely inside the warm interior of the transport, Lex and Scar both glanced back at the dark water below them, the last of the Piper Maru sinking down with a sickening SPLURCH.

Then the door of the transport was closed and they were off.

Dripping and slightly shivering, Rave rumbled out a question, (Are you two all right?)

(We're not the ones looking like a drowned kitten.) Scar said lightly.

(Kitten?) Rave frowned.

"You know... a small bundle of fur and cuteness. Totally harmless." Lex informed helpfully.

(Fur?..CUTENESS?), Rave demanded with a rising voice. (...HARMLESS!)

Before Jet, Lex, and Scar could burst out laughing at the picture Rave was in his smoldering anger, a small groan came from a fifth inhabitant in the small transport.

(You wouldn't believe who I found, running in terror, from a hard meat.) Jet grinned, (I would've ignored him if I hadn't spotted this thing.)

Jet, in the meantime, held up the Queen's Talon for all in the transport to see.

At the same moment, Scar and Lex's eyes narrowed.

Surging to her feet, Lex stepped around Jet and spotted the man immediately, looking worse than she remembered. But she didn't care, she could only snarl, barely refraining herself from slitting his throat then and there.

The man was trussed up.

But that didn't stop Scar from roaring his fury and launching himself at the man.

The small soft meat squeaked in terror as he came fully awake to the sight of a Yautja charging at him.

It was a small transport, so Rave bounded easily over to Scar and managed to hold him back. Barely.

(Woah, what's gotten into you two?) Rave demanded, knowing Scar was a notch away from attacking Rave himself in order to get to the soft meat trembling on the floor.

(He. Tried. To. KILL...) Scar couldn't even finish the though, his muscles trembling with his anger.

"Why don't you tell them?" Lex said coldly to the man cowering before her, "Why don't you tell all of them exactly HOW you tried to do it... Mr. Winston?"

"I-I... I... I don't know w-wha-" The Weyland Company's man stuttered.

"Like HELL you don't know!" The Ooman shouted, her eyes narrowing to slits, "I was trapped. Helpless. And you tried to spill my lifeblood."

Rave was rendered speechless, his stunned gaze flickering between the Ooman, to Lex, to Scar and back again. And he had been trying to protect that... THING?

"Not only that, but you STOLE my trophy." Lex snarled.

Mr. Winston didn't even doubt his chances of survival were low, if even existent at this point. Three... monsters were glowering at him and Lex herself was mere inches away, her face twisted in cold disgust.

(Such dishonor...) Jet managed to utter.

For such a slight to a warrior's honor, the only solution would be a battle to the death. But would rules apply to such an obvious weakling and an outsider to the Clan?

Rave didn't care. He released his hold on Scar, hoping very much that he'd kill the Ooman as slowly and as painfully as possible. Scar advanced steadily, that same thought in mind.

But Jet was quick to get back her voice, (Wait!) When the two male Yautja's fixed her with a disbelieving stare, she explained, (It is for the soft mea- er... for Lex to decide, is it not?)

All four gazed were then turned on Lex's hunched form, her eyes closed.

The silence stretched no one moving.

Winston didn't even dare breathe, feeling the cold sweat dripping down his forehead and back. He was staring at Lex, knowing she was his only chance for survival at this point. He didn't really like the look he had read from the two bigger monsters' stances. For prey always knew when a hunter wished its death. And those two were willing him to just die on the spot from the places they stood a few feet away. He didn't even know what the slightly smaller and slimmer monster right by Lex's side was thinking, though at least he recognized she must have been a female of the monsters' races.

And for some odd reason, they were treating Lex as one of their own.

Never one for patience, Rave sighed and opened his mandibles to speak.

But Scar beat him to it, (Shut up.)

Snorting gruffly, Rave still complied, knowing something important was going down but just wishing she wouldn't take so long to reach a decision.

Finally, Lex opened her eyes, her brown gaze meeting Winston's wide and fearful ones.

"I want you dead." Lex said softly, earning an approving grunt from Rave, "But..."

(You're not going to kill him... are you?) Jet clicked softly.

(HOW can you give him another chance?) Scar inquired with a soft trill, stepping behind her, (How could you be so forgiving after what he's done?)

"I'll give you a second chance." Lex said to the man before her, waiting for him to stand before continuing, "And you'd better fuckin' USE it and hope I never see you again."

"Thank you. Thank you, Lex. You don't know how grateful-"

"SHUT UP!" Lex shouted, turning away in disgust. She couldn't look at him anymore.

As she strode away, Winston attempted to follow her. But Rave stepped into her place, effectively stopping the soft meat in his tracks. Silent, Rave crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at the puny soft meat.

Then it hit Winston and he shouted around the Yautja's large form, "Wait! Where am I supposed to go!"

Punching open the transports doors, wind rushing in as they continued flying, Scar walked up to the small man. Without a word, Rave and Jet watched as Scar dragged the pleading man to the door.

Then there was a silence that filled the hold as Jet closed the door again.

Lex was still turned away from all of them. She faced away from the door and the sensors. She hadn't looked.

"Did he fall in the water...?"

(...No.) Scar said sullenly.

Sighing, Lex stepped forward and leaned her forehead against the transport's cold, metallic wall.

Her next words were so soft even the three Yautja's behind her had trouble catching it.

"Now what...?" Lex repeated, "What happens now? Where do I go?"

Was she to be left on Earth, forgotten by the warriors she had grown close to through their survival in the pyramid? Would she be able to return to normal life, climbing mountains and doing odd jobs on the side? For some reason, she didn't think any of it would ever be the same.

Especially if she wouldn't get to see Scar ever again...

Questions about what they would do with the Ooman ran through Jet and Rave's minds. Would she be accepted by the others? Would she survive in their way of life? Would it ever be the same, or as interesting, without her?

But for Scar, there were no questions. He would accept no other solutions.

In the next moment, he was pulling Lex from the wall, wrapping her instead in his warm and muscled embrace.

"What happens now...?" Lex murmured softly, lulled by the safety of his arms, barely aware of the words slipping past her lips.

(What happens...?) Scar trilled, his head tilting slightly to the side, even as Lex turned slightly to meet his gaze. Lex leaned back into his embrace, placing her hands over the arms that wrapped around her waist. She rested the back of her head on his upper torso as she waited for his reply.

Glancing briefly at Jet and Rave, Scar squeezed her slightly in his embrace as he clicked deeply, (We are all going home.)

"We?" Lex questioned, turning to look at all the Yautja's present, unfortunately taking her out of Scar's hold. But she had to make sure. She had to make sure she wasn't hoping for the impossible, "As in... ALL of us...?"

Grinning at the slight sense of worry he sensed in her, Scar nodded, (Yes... ALL of us.)

"Including me...?" Lex said in a hushed tone.

Unable to stand it anymore, Rave sighed loudly and complained, (How hard headed ARE these Oomans? Yes, Lex, we are taking you with us. We didn't go and rescue you for no reason. And it's not like you're blind too. I mean, isn't it obvious that Scar-)

The yellowish-brownish Yautja growled, interrupting the bigger warrior and searing Rave with a glance.

(Should I toss him out of the transport as well?) Jet suggested.

(No, let me.) Scar growled, a grin touching his mandibles as he advanced towards the sorry-looking Yautja.

A tug on his arm stopped him as Lex said, "Hey."

Scar turned his attention towards the Ooman beside him, his head tilted.

"We're ALL going back, remember." Lex reminded with a smile.

(Even this big idiot?) Jet inquired, her thumb jerking towards Rave and getting an indignant huff from said Yautja.

Lex nodded.

(Fine...) Scar nodded, stating off-handedly, (It wouldn't be the same without him anyway.)

(Yeah... THANKS Lex, I really appreciate your friendship.) Rave said dryly, giving Scar a dead-pan glare, (Unlike some OTHER friendships I USED to have, you actually have my back.)

(Hunter's Moon, you didn't take me SERIOUSLY, did you?) Scar asked.

(I'm sorry. Was someone talking to me? Lex, would you inform this... supposed warrior that I'm not speaking to him. Ever.) Rave said in mock seriousness.

(Rave, you couldn't stand a day without opening your trap.)

(Excuse me? Was someone trying to talk to me again? Can we get the door open, Jet? I'd like to stretch my arms a bit.)

A light growl and a tackle later, Jet was howling at the two Yautja's on the floor, (If you two DAMAGE my transport EVEN ONCE, I SWEAR I'll toss you BOTH out MYSELF!)

Lex was laughing too hard to even try to help. Her laughing was carefree now, though. The dilemma was solved.

She was going home.

-----------------------

THE END... not, haha. By raise of hands, how many would kill me if I ended the story here?

Anywho, I'm gonna continue this storyline in Scar, Friend or Foe II.

Wonder what'll happen...