Chapter Thirteen

Kyle sighed as he came back to consciousness.

Good morning, Kyle, Sophie greeted with a gentle purr as she kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and chuckled as he felt the warmth of his beloved mate's mind gently and lovingly intertwine with his, filling his whole body and soul with the wonderful warmth of her love and affection.

Good morning, my beloved, Kyle replied as he opened his eyes and gazed at the one he treasured most. He cupped Sophie's cheek, and she cupped his as they smiled softly.

"Good morning, you two," Sam greeted as she stood from her cryotube. Kyle smiled and Sophie purred. Kyle looked over at Seth, who still slumbered in his closed cryotube.

Sam had set his cryotube to stay closed until they actually were on Zerichs II. With so many unknown factors and so many variables, she wanted to be as ready as possible for when Seth's Bonded was ready to be born. Kyle's smile grew as he looked back at Sam, who also carried a little miracle inside. Sophie was purring as she stroked Sam's belly with curiosity and wonder. Through their link, Kyle could feel his mate's fascination with human pregnancy. He smiled further as he stood up and stretched. MacReady looked in good spirits as he rolled his shoulders.

"Ah, feels good to be back," said Mac as he walked over and placed a gentle hand over Sam's shoulder. Sam smiled up at Mac.

After a short, but excited breakfast, they filed onto the bridge, Kyle again taking Terry's former position as Mac took the Captain's chair. The whole group was excited as they stared at their home, Zerichs II through the window. Mac smiled at the beautiful sight as he switched on the radio and transmitted.

"This is Vortex to Zeraven, we're back and coming in. Are the skies all clear?" There was a brief hiss of static.

"This is Zeraven, the skies are crystalline. We missed you, Mac. Where the heck have you been for three years?" replied the voice over the radio. Mac chuckled.

"Out, and I mean waaaay out," Mac replied.

All told, with the trip to HS-90, then to Ossia, and then back, it had taken them a total of three years to return. A little uncommon, but hardly unheard of. Everyone on board was looking forward to standing on soil and breathing the fresh clean salt-air of Zerichs II again.

When the Vortex set down on Mac's island, there was a small group of people there to greet them. Almost as soon as they opened the door, Kyle and Sophie were enveloped in a soft, warm, furry embrace as Shiloh squealed with joy at her friends' return.

"Kyle! Sophie! We missed you so much! We all were so worried!" Shiloh sounded close to tears. Barnabas, still looking as dapper as ever, stood behind, a soft, subtle smile on his face.

"Good to see you all in one piece," he greeted softly. He looked at Sam as Mac squeezed her shoulder. Barnabas, ever intuitive, seemed to know instantly, and smiled wider. "Good to see you again, Luv." Sam smiled at Barnabas, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Thanks," Sam replied. Leon chuckled as he almost had to pry his wife off of Kyle and Sophie.

"We're glad you're back. Shiloh's right, we were worried about you guys," said Leon. Kyle smiled at Leon as Sophie purred.

"Thanks. It feels good to finally be home," Kyle replied. Leon patted Kyle's shoulder.

Brother Shaun and a number of monks stood to the side, watching and smiling.

"Your home is as it was when you left, with the exception that the forest now has seen the return of many local creatures, now that the Serrex are gone," said Brother Shaun. Kyle smiled and Sophie purred. Barnabas frowned lightly as he cleared his throat.

"Speaking of those vile little beasts, they actually helped us catch the rest of the Gerries that were hiding here," said Barnabas. Everyone looked at him. "I'll explain over a cup of tea . . ."

Over some tea and a good half-hour, Barnabas filled in Kyle and the rest on what had happened while they had been away.

A few weeks after the Vortex had left, there had been a massive storm. Unknown to anybody, the storm brought some floating Coralyte, which had been home to several packs of Serrex. The nasty little creatures got loose in Zeraven and seriously wounded a few people, but, there was some good that came of it. When the Celts had been tracking the Serrex in the city, they accidentally ran into the group of Nazis that had been flushed out of hiding by the Serrex. Both the Nazis, and the Serrex died in a hail of Celtic gunfire. Barnabas chuckled as he finished.

"Hmph, pest-control. One group of pests flushed out another," Mac opined. This brought a few snickers from the group. By the same token, Mac told Barnabas and the rest about what they had found and did on HS-90, and Ossia.

"Wow," said Leon, stunned at the tale. Shiloh was almost wriggling in her seat with joy when she heard about the tiny miracle growing inside of Seth, who still was asleep.

"Oh, that's so wonderful! Sophie's people will love it here! I can hardly wait to see the baby!" Shiloh gushed. A-Mos smiled and chuckled as his eyes slid over to Sam and Mac,

"Seth isn't the only one expecting a little bundle . . ." At this, Shiloh squealed as she hugged Sam.

"More babies! How wonderful!" Kyle and Sophie both smiled at Shiloh's energy, cheeriness and the maternal warmth that radiated from her. Brother Shaun smiled smugly as he looked at Barnabas.

"Kyle, there's something we thought you and your lady might like to see," said Barnabas as he pulled out his datapad and tapped the screen. He walked over and showed Kyle and Sophie the screen. Kyle's jaw dropped and Sophie trilled at the image that greeted their eyes.

In the middle of the garden of flowers that surrounded Mercy's Caravan stood a life-size bronze statue of Tobias Morgan and his wife, Shaloora, holding her baby. It was just like Kyle's sketch. At the bottom of the image, below the names of the three, was the caption: "Designed by Trevor Stone". Kyle blinked with shocked delight as he looked at Brother Shaun.

"Such a lovely and wonderful image deserved to be seen by all," said the monk as he winked at Kyle and Sophie.

I'm so glad Tobias saved their race. They're a wonderful people, Sophie said as she embraced her mate. Kyle wrapped his arms around Sophie.

So am I.

XXX

Seth groaned softly as he woke from the long slumber of hypersleep.

"Good morning, Seth. How're you feeling?" Kyle asked. As Seth opened his eyes, Sophie purred softly as she brushed his hair from his eyes.

"Okay. We home?" Seth asked as Sophie helped him to sit up. Kyle nodded.

"Back home on Zerichs," Kyle replied.

As Sophie helped Seth sit up, she felt a large knot of hard tissue over his left shoulder blade. Feeling his mate's concern, Kyle came over and looked at Seth's back.

The skin over his left shoulder blade was pale and knotted, an old scar. It looked to be a good eight inches across, almost covering the top of his shoulder blade. Sophie moaned softly as she very gently ran her fingers across his back, not sure if the scar was painful. Seth smiled softly as he looked at her.

"Don't worry. That happened a long time ago. It doesn't hurt anymore," Seth comforted as he stood. Kyle sighed softly, resigned as he watched Seth pull his clothes on.

"As soon as you're dressed, come out to the shuttle. You and Sam are staying in our house," Kyle said. Seth looked at him as Sophie purred and stroked his hair. "We need to keep an eye on you. Besides, it might help if you have someone to talk to who's been through this themselves." Seth smiled softly at Kyle's words.

Seth was excited, and, at the same time, nervous as they flew towards Eramore Island. Seth had heard about it, heard some of the tales, legends about it and the Foggy Forest, but had never actually seen it, not even in passing. He was surprised at how densely forested it was as Mac landed the shuttle in the small clearing that Kyle and Sophie landed their own ship in. As they disembarked, Sam and Mac shared a soft, gentle kiss before parting.

"See you in a few," breathed Mac. Sam smiled as she stroked his face. Sophie purred as she hugged Kyle.

I'm so happy for Sam and Mac, said Sophie. Kyle smiled as he stroked Sophie's hands.

So am I, love, he replied. Kyle looked at Seth and smiled.

"Come on. We'll get you settled into the house, and then we'll show your around," Kyle said as he stood with his hands on his hips. Sophie nodded her agreement as they led Sam and Seth to their home.

Sophie trilled with happiness as Josey, her pet rabbit came bounding up. Sophie scooped up the black and white rabbit and petted her as Sophie purred. Seth smiled at the amazing display of gentleness. Sophie turned and walked to Seth, letting him pet Josey, who closed her eyes. He smiled.

"She's cute," Seth chuckled. Sophie trilled as she set Josey down, who hopped over and into the bushes next to the house. Kyle smiled as he motioned to their house.

"Welcome home," Kyle said as Seth looked at their home.

"Home, sweet home," said Seth with a small, but happy smile as they went inside.

Once Kyle and Sophie made sure that Seth was comfortable in their home, Kyle piloted their ship, the Talon over and into the end of the clearing by their house. When it was time for Seth's Bonded to be born, Sam would use the Autodoc on board to do the surgery. It did have a manual mode, but that required a surgeon who knew what they were doing. To that end, Sam studied the video of Kyle's surgery repeatedly, learning and observing. She also studied the files from Weyland-Yutani what they knew about the gestation of Queen embryos.

According to the files, the woman who survived all of the first three incidents, Ellen Ripley, had the little Queen in her for about a week before she hatched. Armed with that information, they settled in and tried to stay calm as they waited.

Over the course of that week, Kyle, Sophie, Seth and Sam all got to know each other much better.

Kyle had been surprised, bewildered and saddened to learn that Seth had been born in Smog Point, one of the poorest, most polluted ghettos on Berren Prime. The fact that Seth's mother had been murdered by his father was another sorrowful tale to hear, but that paled when compared to Seth's childhood, running with one of the youth gangs that populated the Berren ghettos. That easily explained why Seth's Thalarium levels had been so high. In fact it was the gangs that saved his life when, hiding in the sewers, Seth was attacked by rats. The bites on his shoulder became infected, and he would likely have died if not for the youth gang, the Laughing Boys, helping him.

However, there were some good things. Kyle smiled when he learned that Seth had frequented the same shop that he had, Copperfield's Curiosities, and knew old Mr. Copperfield just as well as Kyle did. Sophie was elated when Kyle and Seth were able to smile and compare stories of the skills they had learned in his shop, and their shared friendship with the kindly old man. Sadly, it also was Kyle's duty to inform Seth of Mr. Copperfield's death. Neither of them were surprised that the kindly old man, who had let them warm themselves by his old stove on cold days, had made them both promise to leave Berren Prime at the first opportunity. Kyle wasn't sure, but he thought he had seen Seth a few times when he was smaller, either entering or leaving the shop. The irony wasn't lost on either of them.

Kyle and Sophie also showed Seth around their island and the forest. Seth was quickly falling in love with the beautiful island, which seemed like an amazing paradise to him. Kyle also made a special point to make sure Seth had plenty of good, toxin-free food to keep up his strength. Also to give Seth enough protein to support both himself and his partner who grew stronger and bigger every day inside him.

Kyle also talked with Seth about what the gestation was like, and what to expect.

"You'll have times where you feel very tired and just want to sleep. That's perfectly normal. You just want to sleep semi-reclined. Trust me on that," Kyle instructed as Seth sat on the bed of soft silks that Sophie had prepared for him, with lots of cushions. Seth nodded.

"Yeah, I feel a little tired, but not too bad," Seth replied. Kyle smiled and nodded.

"Also, something you need to know is that we humans put up . . . barriers in our minds, dams for our emotions. It's a survival thing for us, I guess, but all of those things will come crashing down." Seth looked at Kyle as he spoke from where he sat in Sophie's lap. "When you're Bonded to someone like Sophie, those kind of barriers just can't exist. So, be ready for it," Kyle advised. Seth nodded.

"Probably also has something to do with hormones while she's growing," Seth surmised. Kyle shrugged lightly, not yet sure of that, but it was a good evaluation on Seth's part.

"Not sure. But we want you to remember that we're always here for you. You ever need anything, you just ask me or Sophie. Okay?" Sophie purred as she gently took Seth's hand in hers. He smiled softly at his friends.

"I will." Seth replied, the gratitude clear in his voice.

As the days passed, Seth began to feel more tired, and slept more off and on throughout the day.

Whenever he would sleep, he would dream of sweet warmth, like being wrapped in the softest, warmest heating blankets, and a feeling of unbridled happiness surrounding him. Seth couldn't keep from smiling, or the tears from his eyes as he felt his new partner grow every day. Every time he slept, he felt her mind grow stronger and more aware, and always eager to connect with and enfold his mind so lovingly in hers. Kyle's words hardly did justice to the wonderful feelings of warmth and love he felt.

Finally the time came.

Sophie looked up from where she had been setting the dishes away after washing them. She looked at Seth, who sat on the couch. He frowned lightly as he drew in a breath. Sophie quickly moved over to the couch and purred as she gently stroked Seth's chest.

Kyle, it's time, she said, her tone urgent as she sent warm feelings to calm the little one who was excited to meet her Bonded. Kyle almost dropped a plate as he quickly walked down the hall.

"Sam, it's time!" he called before walking over to the couch, where Sophie was trilling. "Seth, it's time. Just stay calm and breathe evenly," Kyle instructed. Seth nodded as Sam cam into the living room, her medical kit already open.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a tranquilizer, okay? Just relax," Sam coaxed as she gently set the pressure syringe to Seth's neck. Kyle smiled and Sophie purred softly as she stroked Seth's hair. Seth smiled softly as he fell asleep.

Seth's dreams were filled with great warmth, as well as excitement. He could feel the mind of his little partner, his Bonded, excited beyond all belief to be born and to finally meet her life-partner.

He felt her wrap her mind around his, caressing him lovingly and gently, soothing and comforting him.

All through it, he could feel another mind, as if from far away, that seemed to be talking to his partner.

It was soft and warm, but in a different way than his partner was.

Seth was surprised when he woke up. He groaned tiredly as his eyes fluttered open. At first, he was very disoriented, not sure where he was. As his senses came back, he could feel the soft warmth of the silken blankets that Sophie had woven for him. He closed his eyes and smiled softly as he breathed deeply. As he did, he felt the weight of something on the side of his chest. He opened his eyes and looked down. What he saw filled his heart with unrestrained love and affection.

A little, pink form was curled on the left side of his chest. A long tail laid across his chest, as if it were embracing him. Six tiny limbs were curled against it, the crest was small, but unmistakeable. Seth swallowed before speaking, his voice a little raspy.

"Hello, little princess. Welcome to the world," Seth said softly as a tear ran down his face. At the sound of his voice, the little form looked up at him. She opened her mouth and gave a gurgling coo that warmed Seth's heart. She curled closer, her head against his neck as her tail gently curled around his neck to embrace her Bonded. Seth smiled as he gently kissed the little miracle snuggled against him, who cooed again at the warm gesture.

Kyle and Sophie watched from the doorway, both of them filled with warm feelings as they felt the new Mother Bond to her partner.

Welcome to the family, said Kyle. Seth looked up, startled at the voice in his head. Kyle and Sophie smiled as they came closer. Sophie purred as she looked at Seth.

Hello, Seth. It's nice to finally be able to talk to you, Sophie said as she gently took his hand and held it. Seth smiled, his eyes shimmering with tears as his little partner cooed and purred. Seth could feel the warm, friendly feelings from Kyle and Sophie through the link, just as he could feel those of his Bonded. Through the link, Seth could feel them assuring both him, and his new little partner that they would protect and comfort them, and always be there for them.

"Thank you," Seth couldn't hide the tremble in his voice. Kyle smiled warmly as he put his hands on his hips.

"So, have you thought of a name for her?" Kyle asked. Seth smiled as he nodded.

"Selene," Seth replied. Selene cooed at her new name as she snuggled closer against her Bonded one's warm skin.

The next few days were filled with warmth, happiness and laughter as Seth began his new life with his wonderful little partner, Selene, the first Mother to be Bonded to a human being. Within her first few days of life, Selene's character was already forming, and she was very playful. She loved to play "peek-a-boo" with Seth, popping out from behind his pillows to squeak at him, then scurrying behind them to pop up on the other side before he could catch her and squeak at him again. When he finally caught her by grabbing behind the pillows, she squealed and flailed playfully in his grip. A quick kiss and a loving tickle calmed her. The game made Kyle and Sophie almost burst at the seams with happiness and pride as they watched the Bond form between Seth and Selene.

Selene was a little shy to meet strangers at first, hiding in Seth's shirt the first time she met Shiloh, but, once she found out how warm her fur was, and how easy it was to hide in the bushy Milurian's coat, it was quite a task to catch the little imp. The fact that Shiloh was ticklish only made it more difficult, though certainly entertaining.

While Seth and Selene formed their Bond, Kyle and Sophie looked to the future. Selene would quickly grow to be far too big to fit through their doors, but Seth had found another hollow spire in the forest that would make the perfect home for him and Selene. So, Sophie filled it with silks and blankets while Kyle traded a few more furs and some gold to the monks for some furniture and other necessities for the new home.

Finally, five days after she was born, Selene went through her first molt. By the time a week had passed, Selene was about the size of a human child, and had turned a deep gray, on her way to a deep, obsidian black. Seth felt it was time for the Zerichs Citizens' Council to meet Sophie and Selene.

As they were preparing, Kyle typed on his datapad. Seth raised an eyebrow as he looked at him.

"What're you doing?" Seth asked. Kyle grinned, as did Sophie. Selene squeaked curiously from where she was holding onto Seth's shoulders.

"Just a little parting shot . . .," Kyle said as he plugged in Catherine's hard drive into the datapad and began to upload the data. Sam looked over Kyle's shoulder and her eyes grew wide as she saw him uploading all of Dr. Reinhardt's research files, and those of Weyland-Yutani to a public website. With a final tap, the screen displayed, in large green letters : File uploaded. Kyle grinned from ear to ear as he turned off the datapad. "Consider that my official resignation!" Seth snickered at that. Sophie gave a stuttering hiss, her mirth flowing through the link and reaching Selene, who, while not completely understanding the facts, understood the amusement this meant and chittered.

Outside, it was the very first time the monks met Sophie. Although they had been told about her kind by Brother Shaun, they were awed to meet her face-to-face. They also were charmed to meet little Selene.

MacReady and Sam smiled from the ramp of Mac's shuttle.

"Come on, folks! Let's get this show on the road!" Mac barked. As they filed in, Barnabas couldn't help smiling at little Selene, who clung to Seth with her tail wrapped around his waist.

Selene looked at Barnabas and squeaked. Seth looked at her and smiled before looking at Barnabas.

"She says "Hello"," Seth said as he walked over. Selene trilled as she looked at Barnabas, who smiled wider than anyone had ever seen.

"She's adorable, wot," replied the Bar-Master. Seth smiled wider at that.

"She's calling you 'Uncle Barney'," Seth said with a grin. Sam couldn't hold in her laughter at the comical stunned look on Barnabas' face. Mac decided to take pity on him.

"Strap in, folks," Mac advised. The gathered passengers did as he asked, Selene on Seth's lap, purring she she held onto him.

The trip to Zeraven was uneventful. As they unstrapped from their seats, Kyle and Seth both took a deep breath as they and their Bonded ones prepared to go out into public for the very first time.

Sophie and Selene both cuddled their Bonded mentally and physically as the door opened and they stepped out into the shining sunlight, Brother Shaun and the monks surrounding them.

Nobody was surprised that some of the people stopped and looked at the new arrivals. Through Sophie, Kyle could feel that the people were fascinated, rather than frightened. That comforted their minds as they were ushered into the Council Building.

The "government" of Zerichs II was very small, and the people represented themselves, rather than through elected officials. The Citizens' Council were all average people. Thankfully, Barnabas knew several of them, and had told them of the state of affairs before hand.

The room they were shown into was small and comfortable. A group of chairs sat in front of a large desk of carved Coralyte. Behind the desk sat the Citizen's Council. Selene squeaked uneasily as she cuddled closer to Seth at the strange surroundings. Seth kissed her gently on the head as he adjusted his grip on her.

The Council was of seven people; three humans, two Arcurians, one Shamolene and one Milurian. As one, the Council stood, all smiling.

"On behalf of Zerichs II, we would like to welcome you!" said the gray Milurian. Kyle sighed with relief. They were about to take their seats when one of the humans stopped them.

"That won't be necessary, we've already heard from witnesses everything we need to know," said the woman. Kyle stared in confusion and Sophie trilled. The Council walked from behind the desk to stand in front of them. The Milurian took Sophie's hand and held it, smiling as his tail swished from side to side.

"We must say it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Sophie! We've heard so much about you from Barnabas!" Kyle glanced over his shoulder at Barnabas, who wore a devilish grin. Next to him was a familiar figure with red hair in a suit that seemed a few sizes too big.

"Peter!" Kyle laughed. Peter smiled wider as he walked forward.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, Sophie," said Peter before looking at Kyle. "Just after you left, we told the Council about Sophie and all the rest. We wanted them to be protected by the Sanctuary Laws, too." Kyle smiled as he watched the gray Milurian tickle Selene's chin. The little Queen cooed and chirped at the attention. The woman smiled at the group.

"We've already confirmed that Selene was, in fact, born here, and is a native by law." Kyle glanced at Sam, Leon and Shiloh, who all smiled. "And you and Sophie are official citizens, since you've lived here long enough. From this day forth, the Xenomorph is recognized as a sentient species, and shall be given full status as citizens of planet Zerichs II. Rest assured, they'll be protected by the Sanctuary Laws," announced the woman. The rest of the council agreed. Barnabas chuckled deeply as Sophie hugged Kyle and Selene squeaked happily as she bobbed her head.

"This calls for a celebration. Drinks and food are on me at the Lantern!" the Bar-Master said cheerfully. Mac and Sam grinned wider. Sophie purred deeply as she wrapped her arms around Kyle.

Kyle, this is wonderful, said Sophie, the joy flowing from her like warm rays of sunlight.

It really is, Sophie. Now, this truly is home, Kyle replied as his mate kissed him gently.

As they walked out of the doors, Barnabas talked with Kyle, Sophie, Seth and Selene.

"And Sergei has hardly stopped talking about everything he saw on Ossia. I swear, he's going to have a heart-attack from sheer excitement," said Barnabas. When Kyle looked up, there was a crowd gathered in front of the building. The group stopped as they stared at the crowd.

The large group of people, composed of many different races, seemed to stare at them. Kyle felt a little uneasy at the silence. It was broken when an old man stepped forward and spoke.

"Give me your tired," he said. A woman stepped forward and spoke.

"Your poor," said the woman. A man stepped forward and spoke next.

"Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," Another person stepped forward to say the next line as Sophie held Kyle's hand. Selene trilled from her place on Seth's back as she tilted her head.

"The wretched refuse of your teeming shore," Kyle and Seth both had tears in their eyes as three children recited the next lines.

"Send these,"

"The homeless,"

"Tempest-tost to me," Then, the entire crowd cried out, grandly and proudly, in one voice:

"I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Welcome!"

The End

Author's note: Well, here we are, at long last. I want to thank all my dedicated readers for their ideas and support. I also want to thank my mother for her help on what turned out to be a far larger, longer and more complicated project than I ever imagined. I also want to thank my beloved Grandma, who passed away while this was being written. Thanks, Grams.

This story was inspired by two songs: If Everyone Cared, by Nickelback and Imagine, by John Lennon.

Thank you for reading!