Chapter XLVII

Eve sat patiently waiting on the third step, confident she ’d done the right thing in agreeing to Nathaniel fetching Mary from her lair.  The last couple days had been... difficult... and she saw no reason to put Mary ’s back up any farther.  She could understand and almost appreciate the other woman ’s reluctance to mingle with the rest of them.  Aside from the responsibility Mary felt for the kids – both missing and hidden - involved in the Project, there was the added stress of the Council hearing as well as the continued physical pain she was experiencing.  Eve had been patient – biding her time in the hopes that Mary would come to realize that they were all family, and they were only looking out for her... something Mary was clearly unused to.  But the healer had delayed the direct approach until now... until she knew she couldn ’t put it off any longer.  Mary was becoming increasingly worse.

It hadn ’t been as obvious when they had communicated strictly long distance – Mary had learned a long time ago how to hide many things.  So Eve had been shocked by her visage when Mary had come downstairs on Caleb ’s arm a couple days prior, but she had been so angry afterwards that Eve had delayed speaking to her immediately.  But now that she had been exposed to the truth – now that her eyes were opened to just how well Mary wasn ’t, she could see her incrementally getting worse.  She chided herself for not seeing the signs before, but now that the Council hearing was past, she was determined to confront Mary, and get her healing back on track... despite the niggling voice in the back of her mind that told her it was going to be too little, too late.

She rose when she heard the door close behind them, turning and running her gaze over Mary with a jaundiced eye.  She could see the pain and exhaustion clearly, but she could also see the slightest hint of relaxation in her frame.  She hoped it would carry over once she recognized Eve.

To her credit, Mary barely hesitated when she saw Eve waiting for them.  Before she could comment, Nathaniel patted her hand.  “Please, Mama,” he whispered, even as he continued to help her down the stairs.  When they stood one step above Eve, making them almost eye to eye, Nathaniel allowed Eve to take his place as Mary ’s main support before Mary could even think to object.  She did chance to wonder how she managed to be surrounded by so many tall individuals, then her train of thought was disrupted by Nathaniel speaking.  “If you ’ll excuse me, ladies, Ian and I are on table duty.  And the sooner we get them set up in place, the sooner we eat.”  He offered a snappy salute and departed without another word.  Eve and Mary followed his progress until he disappeared from sight before turning to one another.  Eve had the grace to blush under Mary ’s accusing stare.

“Please,” she said quietly as she motioned to the living room.

Mary raised an eyebrow.  “Perhaps we should take this back upstairs.  We ’ll have more privacy there.”

“On the contrary,” Eve replied as she helped Mary descend the final few steps.  “The rest have scattered at my behest.  We ’ll have the room to ourselves.  Besides, then you ’ll already be downstairs when Joy announces dinner.”

Mary smirked.  “And how did you manage such a miracle?  I know good and well we need practically every inch of space Joy has to accommodate everyone that ’s here.”

“I asked,” Eve answered honestly.  “And Joy opened up her rehearsal area and the lab to make certain I got it.”

Both brows shot up into the dark hairline.  “I ’m impressed.”

Eve led Mary to the couch and gently seated her before returning to the double doors and closing them behind her.  “Don ’t be... at least not by me.  They were all too willing.  We ’re... concerned.”

“So why send Nathaniel to fetch me?  Were you so uncertain I would invite you in?”

“Partially,” came the honest reply.  “But mostly because he asked.  He wanted to speak to you alone first.”  Eve pushed away from the door and approached Mary slowly, hands folded and fingertips touching her lips.  “I don ’t think you understand....”

Mary shifted and winced, unable to hide the flinch the movement caused.  “Despite what everyone thinks; despite my anger at everyone being pulled away from their lives to come here – I do get it.”  She shook her head and sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned back to lie on the couch.  “I probably get it better than most,” she added softly, reaching down to rub at her thigh.  “And it ’s not that I ’m ungrateful... not really.  But I ’m embarrassed... mortified if you want to know the truth.  None of you should be here – not for this.”

“You said we were family,” Eve reminded her.

“I know... and we are.  But....”

“Uh uh... no buts. We either are or we aren ’t; there is no middle ground here.”  Mary opened her eyes a slit to glare in Eve ’s direction.  Eve snorted.  “Try harder.”

Mary closed her eyes again and released a deep breath.  “I ’m dying, Eve,” she said softly.  “And there ’s nothing you or anyone else can do to change that.”

“You ’re so certain?”  Mary nodded and continued to push at the spot giving her so much pain.  Eve moved to stand beside her and grabbed her hand.  “So you lied to the Council today?”

“Not exactly,” grimacing slightly when Eve ’s hand replaced hers on the thigh.   She shifted and winced when Eve started prodding.

“I need to take your trousers off,” Eve declared.  Mary chuckled.

“You ’re awfully forward on a first date,” Mary teased, opening her eyes to find Eve looking at her severely, though the light blush and twitch of her lips belied her strictly serious demeanor. 

“Not exactly a first date though, is it? I mean, we have been here before,” reminding Mary of the first time she had stood before the Council.

“I suppose,” she drawled, not making any effort to remove her pants.  The truth was, she was exhausted and the effort just seemed beyond her at the moment.  Eve tapped her fingers on her crossed arms and cocked an eyebrow.  Mary huffed.  “It ’s gonna take me a minute.”

“Or, you know, you could just let me help.”

“Not really known for your bedside manner, are you, Doc?”

Eve snorted.  “I am a warrior, and I predominately treat warriors.  I learned long ago not to give a hair ’s breadth of opportunity.  It quickly becomes a kilometer if I do.”  She stuck out her tongue.  “I can never catch up after that, and I am too old to try.”

Mary laughed long and loud at Eve ’s words and expression.  Eve didn ’t truly understand the cause, but she was certainly gratified by the effect, and it allowed her to strip Mary ’s slacks without notice until it was done.  Her laughter died down to chuckles, only to bubble up again when she took in her state of undress.  “Damn, Doc!  You weren ’t kidding.”

Eve smirked.  “Of course not.  That would require a sense of humor, and we all know that warriors aren ’t issued one of those,” rolling her eyes at the obvious fallacy.  “Now lay back and close your eyes,” her voice turning serious.  “I ’ll be as gentle as I can, but it ’s going to hurt.”

“I know,” Mary replied as she closed her eyes and braced herself for what was coming.

Eve placed a tender hand on her shoulder.  “Relax, Mary.  You anticipating what ’s coming isn ’t going to make it easier.  Tell me something.”

“What?”

Eve chuckled and shook her head, even though Mary couldn ’t see her.  “No - I mean tell me something... anything.  Something you ’d like to share.  Doesn ’t have to be anything important or big.  Just something you ’d like to talk about. I promise to keep it in confidence.”

“Caleb loves me,” she said softly, surprising herself with the admission.  Eve ’s eyes widened, but her hands didn ’t slow their examination.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not really.  I mean he ’s a wonderful man – kind, patient; strong, resilient; reliable as the day is long and honest to a fault.”

“He ’s quite good looking too,” Eve added with a sly grin, easing her touch when Mary flinched beneath her again.

“He is,” Mary agreed.  “It ’s that rugged, confident warrior thing,” she added with a smile before biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain as Eve hit yet another infected area.  She was silent a moment, just breathing, but Eve remained silent, waiting for her to continue.  “He has a surprising sense of humor,” she said at last.  “He reminds me a lot of Edward that way.  In fact he reminds me a lot of Edward.  It ’s one reason....”

This time the silence dragged on interminably and Eve was compelled to break it.  “It ’s one reason...?” hoping Mary would finish her thought.  Mary shook her head.

“It doesn ’t matter.”

“It does,” came the firm, immediate response.  “If it would make you both happy, even briefly, it matters.  Life is harsh and difficult enough. Why wouldn ’t you take whatever happiness it offers and hold on to it as long as you could?”  Not accusing, but with genuine curiosity.

Mary opened her eyes and met the green and gold eyes of a woman who had become a trusted friend in her life... family by any definition.  She shook her head.  “Caleb is a wonderful man,” she reiterated.  “He was Edward ’s best friend, and has been my friend for more than half my lifetime.  He became my rock after Edward ’s death... my confidante.  But he rates more than I can give him.  If I was a better person, I ’d cut him loose – send him away from me so he could find the happiness he deserves.  But I need him – I ’ve come to depend on him... for practically everything.”

“But you don ’t love him?”

“I don ’t know!” shouted in a whisper.  She closed her eyes and relaxed back into the couch, releasing her breath harshly as she tried to bring her heart rate under control.  “And that ’s not fair,” her words so soft, Eve had to concentrate to understand her.  “He should have someone who knows – someone who can give him everything.”

“And you can ’t?”

“I don ’t think I have anything left to give.”

Before Eve could formulate a reply, there was a sharp knock, followed by the door opening as Caleb strode into the room, eyes on his Pad. “Chief, I think....  Oh, excuse me!” whipping around to face the door in an effort to give her some privacy when he noticed her distinct lack of pants.  Mary didn ’t move, too drained and embarrassed by her confession to be concerned with being caught half-dressed.  She knew without asking something important had happened.  Caleb didn ’t usually barge in anywhere unless it was urgent.

“Talk to me, Caleb,” she asked.

He cleared his throat, but kept his back to her.  “You need to hear this,” holding up the Pad he was utilizing as a mobile comm device.  Not ideal, but better than depleting the few reserves Mary had... especially after a day like today had already been... to return upstairs to the room that now served as both office and bedroom  “Gideon has picked up some garbled transmissions; he ’s working on cleaning them up now.”  He turned and faced Mary, ignoring her state as his eyes met hers.  She cocked a brow.  “It ’s from Matthew.  They think they ’ve found the kids... alive.”

Mary extended her hand eagerly.  “Who knows?” she asked even as she powered up the unit, feeling a shudder tremble through Eve, though she remained silent.

“The three of us and Gideon.  We ’d prefer to have some concrete facts before sharing this information.  Speculation is just going to make everyone start clamoring for answers we can ’t give.”

“My lips are sealed,” Eve promised.  “However,” she said somberly as she turned back to Mary.  “Despite the Council ’s decision to reverse your suspension, you ’re going to let your team continue handle this until there is actually something you can confirm – doctor ’s orders,” she added before Mary could argue.  “There are some things I ’d like to try – treatments I think will make a difference.  But you ’re going to have to trust your team to take care of things for a little while longer.  I ’m going to need your full attention for the foreseeable future if I have a hope of making this better.”

“And do you really think you can?” sincerely and without sarcasm.

“I do – quality if not quantity.  But I think I can improve both significantly if you ’ll work with me a little.”

“Listen to her, Chief.  We ’d hate to have to get violent with you,” said with a smile that was belied by the seriousness and concern in his eyes.

She smirked.  “You and what army?”

Caleb cleared his throat again just slightly and jerked a thumb toward the door.  “I don ’t know if you ’ve noticed, Chief, but we kind of already have our own army here.  And they ’re like the annoying relatives you just can ’t get rid of – pretty sure I could find plenty of volunteers.”

Mary narrowed her eyes.  “I hate you, you know.”  Eve sat still and quiet, watching the byplay with newfound interest.  Given her conversation with Mary that Caleb had interrupted, she was more than a little curious about what was truly between them.

“I know.  I hate you too.”  He held his hand out for his Pad, but she shook her head.  “Mary, the doc just said....”

“I am well aware of what the doc just said.  I will not, however, be cut out of this loop.  I will allow you and the team to continue on as you have been, but I expect to be made aware of everything in a timely manner – immediately... not days or weeks after the fact.  Do I make myself clear?”

He glared at her.  “You are the most frustrating, stubborn woman....”

“I know,” she sighed quietly.  “It ’s how I ’ve survived as long as I have.  Caleb,” more gently, “I have to know.”

“I know you do, Chief.  I just wish you ’d worry about yourself a little more for a change.”

She snorted.  “Fairly certain that would just make me more unreasonable.”

He stared at her a moment before snorting out a guffaw of laughter.  “Dear gods... the world would never survive.”

“Probably not.  Let me listen real quick,” noting the communication was less than a minute long.  “Is this all we got?”

“It was the clearest bit and what Gideon cleaned up first.  He ’s working on the rest now.  But given what we got, this is likely the most important.”

“When did it come in?”

“Less than an hour ago.  Even cleaned up, it ’s pretty garbled – there ’s a lot of interference.”

Mary nodded.  “Because of the Nebula, of course.”  She tapped the screen, and white noise filled the room before the sound turned to crackling static and an undertone of voices.  Then Matthew ’s words sounded clearly in the space.

“ ... ound Outreach.  Re...t... ve fou... each.”

She frowned when the transmission went silent.  “That ’s it?”

“That ’s all we ’ve got for now.  There are still several minutes worth of transmission Gideon is trying to filter out.”

She reached the Pad back to Caleb and he accepted it without comment, waiting for her directive. She leaned back and closed her eyes, releasing a slow breath.  “Have Gideon pull Ben, Sarah... maybe Michael.  Whoever he needs to get it cleaned up quickly.  It ’d be nice to be able to give these folks some kind of reassurance.”

“You got it, Chief.”  He turned and walked to the door, stopping only when he reached the portal. “Um... Joy is waiting for you to finish up here before she announces dinner, and um... I ’m starving.  Can I tell her...?”

Mary snorted before laughing aloud.  “Yes, Caleb.  Have her announce and the rest of you get started.  Eve and I will be out in a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Chief.  You got it.”  He strode out without a word, closing it firmly behind him.  In another minute, the two women could hear the stir of noise as all and sundry made their way to the tables Nathaniel and Ian had prepared.  There was a moment of hushed silence before they could hear the cacophony of a family meal wash over them. 

“How can I help you, Mary?” smiling when Mary furrowed her brow in confusion.  “C ’mon, Chief,” garnering her a surprised expression at the moniker, “you didn ’t ask me to wait her with you in silence.  So what can I do?”

Mary chuckled wryly.  “Actually, I didn ’t ask,” causing Eve to grin and shake her head.  “I need....”  She blew out a self-conscious breath.  “I need some help getting up without tripping over my pants.  This couch is lower than my bed and....”

Eve held up a hand.  “It ’s all right, Mary.  I would have insisted anyway, but thank you for asking.  It means so much to know I have your trust.  And if you ever want to continue our conversation....”

“Not now.”

“No... not now.  But maybe someday.”

“Maybe someday,” Mary agreed reluctantly.  “But if we don ’t get out there soon, Caleb will come back in here looking for us.  Besides, have you seen the way this family eats when they sit down together?  There won ’t be anything left for us.”

Eve offered both hands and pulled Mary to her feet so smoothly, she hardly noticed the change.  When she was certain Mary was temporarily stable, she knelt and pulled the trousers up around Mary ’s hips, holding them in place until Mary secured them.  Then she slid into place, wrapping an arm around her waist wordlessly and guiding them to the door.  Mary paused them before Eve could open the portal and she cocked an eyebrow in Mary ’s direction in silent question.

Mary sucked in a deep breath, then another.  Finally... “All right.  Let ’s do this.”

Eve chuckled and patted her arm.  “Relax.  Today you ’re a conquering hero.”

“And tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow will have to care for itself.”

Chapter XLVIII

There was a moment of complete silence when the living room doors opened, then a cheer rose from the gathered assembly.  As awkward as things had been in the beginning of this congregation of people – with Mary ’s anger; the Alpha Team ’s parents ’ frustration; the Beta and Gamma Team ’s parents ’ bewilderment; and Mary ’s team of agents ’ dismay and concern  – Mary had been right about one very important factor.  They were family... they were ALL family.  And like most families, there would always be squabbles and disagreements... especially over little things.  But when it came right down to it, they were family, and they stood together... looking out for one another despite themselves and each other.

And though they hadn ’t been around from the first – from the initial incident that had put the Alpha Team in jeopardy and caused the wound that continued to plague Mary – the parents of both the Beta and Gamma Teams understood all too well what had happened... and what was happening in front of them now.  So they were more than happy to stand in solidarity with the Alpha Team parents and Mary ’s own agents to watch her back and see that she took care of herself.

When she and Eve emerged from the living room, all eyes went to them; then a cheer arose as recognition of Eve ’s success dawned.  For the first time since their arrival, Mary, though in obvious pain, no longer seemed angry at their presence.  Part of that, they knew, came from the Council ’s rendering a verdict in her favor and returning her to her full working status.  But part, they suspected, was due to Eve ’s success in convincing Mary that they were all in this together and that a way could be found to help her recover her health.

A light flush covered her face and neck, and when Eve leaned over to whisper in her ear, Mary simply laughed and blushed even redder.  After another moment, Mary held up her hand and waited for quiet to reign again.  She looked around at the myriad of cultures and peoples currently eating together in her daughter ’s home and smiled at the diversity that made up her ever-expanding family.  Never would she have ever thought to be surrounded by so many people from so many places and be able to call them kin... even if only by choice and not blood.  She bowed her head and closed her eyes, saying a prayer of gratitude for the unexpected blessings this Project had brought into her life.

They let her have her moment of silence, and when she looked up and opened her eyes again, there was the distinct sheen of tears, though they never fell.  She gazed at them again and then smiled.  “Thank you all... so much... for your patience with me.  I know I ’ve been a brat lately, and I ’m sorry.  I really don ’t have a good excuse....”

“Miss Mary,” a parent from the Gamma Team broke in, “how are you doing... really?  I know I ’m probably overstepping, but we ’ve been concerned.”  He watched her gaze go inward and held up a hand before she could reply.  “Honestly – no crap.  We can ’t help if you won ’t let us.”

She looked around again, recognizing the genuine concern reflected back at her now that her anger had been pushed aside.  She would have smacked herself but realized that would likely cause a panic.  She shook her head and smiled sadly.  “Not well,” she admitted softly.  “The poison... whatever was coating those bullets,” absently rubbing at her leg.  “It ’s not something I can beat – it stayed in my system too long,” meeting the eyes of her children with sorrow in her own.  “I ’m not giving up and the Doc here thinks she can do something to help.”  She blew out a shaky breath.  “But the fact is that it is slowly killing me.”

“And you ’re sure there ’s nothing we can do?” meeting Eve ’s eyes briefly before returning to Mary ’s.

“I don ’t think there ’s anything to be done for it at this point, but like I said, the Doc here has some ideas, and we ’re going to try everything we can to make this better.”

“We ’ll be right there beside you, Mary,” Aurora assured quietly.

Mary smiled more genuinely this time, though her eyes held a sheen of tears.  “Thank you, Aurora.  You don ’t know....  For so long it was just me and my kids and then there was my team and their job was to look out for my daughter and then our various clients.  It ’s been a long time since I had so many worry about me.  That ’s my job as Chief, you know,” smirking slightly.  “Worrying about everyone else.”

“Well, you worry about everyone else; we ’ll help Caleb and your kids keep an eye on you.”  Caleb ’s eyes widened and Noah snorted and nudged him in the ribs with an elbow.  “C ’mon, Caleb – did you really think the rest of us hadn ’t noticed?” causing the other man to pale and Mary to blush furiously at the same time.

“Noah….” Eve said warningly.  Mary couldn ’t see Eve ’s expression, but from the look on Noah ’s face, it must have been quite fierce.  He immediately stood and changed the subject.

“Come sit.  Joy has outdone herself.”

“I had lots of help,” she said, motioning around the table as she helped moved the focus of the conversation beyond her mother and Caleb.  “But I ’m definitely gonna add these recipes to my collection.”

“You should put out a book,” Eve noted as she took the chair Noah offered after Mary had been seated.  “I for one would love to have some of those cookie recipes.”  There were several sounds of agreement from around the table.  Joy turned to Mary who was carefully tucking her napkin onto her lap.

“What do you think, Mama?”

“I think you would probably be very successful publishing a cookbook.  But I ’m not sure the world is ready for that.”

“Why ’s that, Mary?” Noah asked sincerely, leaning forward so he could see her face.  “I know that I for one would love to have those cookies always available in my kitchen.”  He smiled in Eve ’s direction.  “Pretty sure my warrior would as well,” winking when she nodded her agreement.

“Oh, I ’m sure,” Mary agreed with a grin.  “Right up to the time she had to add an extra hour of workout time to her daily regimen... if she wants to keep her warrior shape.”

“Really?” looking her over carefully.  “You don ’t seem to have an issue, if you don ’t mind me saying so,” smiling.  Mary burst into laughter.

“Thank you, Noah.  You would have made a wonderful politician and an exceptional diplomat,” returning his smile so he would know she was teasing.  “But if you ’ve noticed, I rarely eat Joy ’s cookies when I ’m here, and I give most of them away when I ’m elsewhere.  Aside from making friends and influencing people with them, I ’d be a roly poly if I didn ’t... and that ’s with the extra exercise.  My girl can cook, but she doesn ’t cook light.”

“Of course not!” Joy replied, affronted.  “I like flavor!”

Now Noah laughed and held up his hands in surrender.  “I give up!  But I would still like to have them.  I could make them as an occasional treat.”

“I ’ll see what I can do,” Joy said, garnering her applause from around the table and causing a light blush to run up her face.  Then everyone ’s attention turned back to finishing their meals.  Mary took the opportunity to speak to Aurora, who was seated beside her, allowing them a semblance of privacy at the crowded, noisy table.

“How are you doing, Aurora?  We ’ve been so crazy around here lately, it ’s like we can ’t find a minute to catch up.  And after today....”

“I ’m good. I think the Council placing Fernando in a rehabilitation sanitarium for a while might be just what he needs,” Aurora said sadly.  “You have to understand... he ’s not the man I married.”  She smiled sadly.  “Don ’t get me wrong – we were never wildly crazy in love like my mija and her querida.  But we liked one another; got along well; had a lot of common interests.  It was just after....” she hesitated in embarrassment and Mary spoke gently.

“Arianna discovered fuission?”

“Yes... exactly.  All he could see was what it would bring to him – the wealth, the power.  It destroyed the man he was.”

“Do you think they can get that back for him?  The man he was, I mean?”

“I don ’t know.  I hope so.  He will have to lose his taste for power though.  He was truly corrupted by it,” shaking her head sadly.

“If they can help him overcome, will you take him back?  If you don ’t mind my asking, of course.”

“I do mind a little maybe, because the whole situation is humiliating for me,” Aurora answered honestly. “But as Arianna ’s other mother and the woman who protected her from him, you deserve to know.  And no.  I loved him after a fashion, but it was never a great, grand passion.  And while I could forgive him for that – after all, I am also guilty of not loving him enough - for what he did to my mija... no.  I won ’t ever forgive him for that. The Holy Father has offered me clemency for the dissolution of our marriage because of extenuating circumstances.  But Arianna will be pleased to note that steps are now being taken on our planet to bring a democracy to our home.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

Before Aurora could respond, Gideon ran to the living room, pounding on the doors in his excitement.  ”Chief!! Chief!!  I ’ve got it!!”

“Over here, Gideon!” Mary called as she slowly rose from her place at one of the extended tables, not realizing Caleb stood with her and moved to her side.  Gideon froze at the first sound of her voice, recognizing his mistake immediately.  There was a reason he mostly stayed behind the scenes doing research.  He turned slowly and met her eyes, hoping to keep the embarrassment from showing on his face.  Mary smiled at him.  “What can I do for you?”

Gideon cleared his throat softly and moved his eyes to Caleb briefly before retuning his attention to Mary.  She observed the action and frowned, making a mental note to find out what that was all about later.  For now, Gideon ’s news took precedence.  “Oh... um....  Can we talk privately?  It ’s about that thing earlier?”

“You got it cleaned up?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“And is it good news?” watching Eve still, trying not to react.

Gideon rubbed the back of his neck.  “Um...maybe?  I mean… I got confirmation, but I ’m not sure....”

A touch on Mary ’s hand caused her to look down into twinkling brown eyes.  Aurora grinned back at her and Mary felt a hint of a smile crease her lips.  “Go put the boy out of his misery, Mary.  It ’s obvious he ’s uncomfortable and wants to talk to you alone without an audience.”  She chuckled.  “I promise not to let anyone take your plate before you ’re done.”

Mary smirked.  “Yes, but can I trust you to keep from eating it?”

“One time!” Aurora exclaimed.  “It was one time, and I didn ’t know it was yours!” mock huffing when she felt the laughter rumble through Mary ’s frame.  “Go on,” she commanded regally.  “We - AND YOUR PLATE – will be here when you get back.”

“My FULL plate?” with a teasing grin.

“Yes, your FULL plate, you terror.” She turned to Caleb.  “Please remove Mary to the living room.  I imagine the rest of us would like to finish eating in peace.”

Caleb bowed his head in true noble fashion.  “As you decree, majesty.  Come along, Chief.  We have our instructions, and I want seconds.”

“You haven ’t even finished firsts yet!” pointedly looking at his half-full plate.

“Exactly, so can we move this along, please?”

Mary covered her eyes and shook her head, mostly to hide her smile more than anything else.  “All right,” she finally said after a steadying deep breath.  “Let ’s go, gentlemen,” not surprised to find each of them on either side of her before she could take a step.  She allowed them to steady her, and in another moment, they were ensconced behind the closed doors of the living room.

They remained quiet for another moment before a Beta Team parent spoke up.  “Do you suppose...?”

“I suppose,” Eve cut in, “that Mary will share with us if we need to know.”  The Alpha Team parents nodded almost as one.  Eve glanced around at the others.  “She ’s been good about keeping us in the loop as much as she can.”

“We ’ll keep our fingers crossed then,” A Gamma Team parent offered.  “I can ’t imagine being where you all are at right now.  At least we know our kids are safe and protected at the moment.”  He looked around.  “Can someone pass me a roll?”

“I ’d like some of that pink stuff down here please,” Noah said without missing a beat, though he flinched slightly when Eve gave him the stink eye.  “Whaaaat?” he whined.  “It ’s good, and I ’m hungry.  We ’ve got nothing to do but wait right now.  I may as well eat.”  Eve just covered her eyes and shook her head, only to glance up startled at the soft touch on her hand.  She glanced up to find Aurora watching her with concern and a hint of amusement.

“I believe that is what is called ‘a man thing ’ , my dear.  There ’s always a reason to eat, and very few reasons not to.”

Eve rolled her eyes.  “I suppose you ’re right.  Besides, I ’m hungry as well, though it seems like we ’ve done nothing but eat since we got here.”

“Perhaps, but with food like this, I think we could be excused.  Even the Holy Father wouldn ’t turn down this kind of opportunity.”

Eve met Aurora ’s smirk with one of her own before picking up her fork again.  “Your Holy Father must be a very wise man,” she said, then lifted the utensil to her lips and resuming her meal.  The rest were quick to follow suit.

************

“I ’m sorry, Chief,” Gideon muttered when the doors were shut behind them.  “I didn ’t realize... I didn ’t think....”

Mary squeezed the arm beneath her clasp.  “It ’s all right, Gideon.  It ’s not like they ’re not going to find out the news sooner or later.  I just like to know what ’s coming before I have to explain it to anyone else.”  She patted his arm lightly before blowing out a shaky breath.  “Do I need to sit for this?  Are we going to be here a while?”

For answer, Gideon walked them to the divan and seated her gently.  “The news itself won ’t take long to share, but you ’ll probably want a few minutes.”  He waved his hand impatiently.  “You ’ll understand when you hear it.”  He placed his Pad down on the table.  “First though, you need to know that we ’re having trouble establishing a timeline.”  He shook his head at her confused expression.  “I know that sounds crazy, but the fact is, this message came in bursts – it wasn ’t all done at once... it just arrived that way.  We ’re trying to lock down some kind of timeline, but given all the interference....”  He shrugged his shoulders.

“I ’m sure you ’re doing your best, Gideon.  Given what Caleb shared with me earlier, I ’m actually surprised you got it cleaned up so quickly.”

“Team effort, Chief,” he replied with a sense of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. “And it ’s not complete... not nearly.  This is just confirmation.” He cleared his throat.  “Do you want some privacy to listen or...?”

“Stay,” she invited, motioning him to the chair next to the sofa, even as Caleb assumed the cushion beside her.  “You already know what ’s on it, and Caleb should hear it on general principle,” giving him a grin.  “He is my most trusted right hand,” flushing lightly under his steady regard.  Only Gideon ’s self-conscious throat clearing broke their tableau.  “Right,” she continued, turning her regard back to Gideon.  “Let ’s hear it.”

The sound of white noise and static crackled through the room for a good ten seconds before Matthew ’s voice could be clearly and distinctly heard.  “ ... have a situation, Chief.  We found... Outreach. Repeat, we ’ve found Outreach.”  A stretch of static, then.... “ ... Neb... on the move.  It see... shifting towards... ose kids.  No luck raising the.....”  More white noise that went on so long Mary turned to Gideon.  He just shook his head and motioned back to the Pad.  In another moment, Matthew ’s voice was heard again.  “ ... backing o... sort of... fight.”  Then everything went silent.

Mary turned to Gideon again, and this time he reached for his Pad.  “We ’re still working on it, but the consensus was to get it to you as quickly as possible since we know for certain those kids were found alive in the Nebula.”

“What do you make of the rest of it?”

“Best guess?” sighing when Mary nodded.  “We know the Nebula has shifted – our scientists have confirmed it.  But it sounds like it might be... I dunno, sentient maybe? The movement sounds almost deliberate, but we have no idea of its intent, if there even is any.  And given the interference we ’ve got between us and the rest of the team, it ’s got to be exponentially worse right there... which would explain why they haven ’t been able to access those kids directly.  Not sure about the fight thing, honestly.  That could be any number of things, including the teams ’ ability to maintain systems or contact or even surveillance.  We ’re still working to figure it out.”  A blip on his screen got his attention before Mary could respond, and he nodded his head after a brief moment.  “We ’ve got a little more, resting the Pad on the table between them and allowing it to run.

“Storm Surge is here... as opened fire on Outreach.  The ...bula is moving towa....  Oh my God!  ....agon!”

Mary ’s eyes, which had widened in consternation at the first sentence, creased into a frown at the end.  She turned to meet Caleb ’s eyes, and he shook his head briefly.  Together, they faced Gideon. 

He shook his head.  “I dunno, Chief.  It sounded like he was talking about a dragon, but really?  Why would he?  Maybe there really is something in the atmosphere around the Nebula.  There are reasons it ’s been restricted – it may not be just because of ships disappearing.”

Mary pinched the bridge of her nose and released her breath slowly.  Caleb and Gideon simply waited for her to speak.  “Gideon, get back to the lab and see what else you and your team can filter out for me, please.  I need to know if Matthew and the rest are imagining things or if this is for real before I go out to those parents and give them false hope.”  He nodded and scooped up his Pad before exiting without looking back.  Mary turned to Caleb.

“What do you need from me, Chief?”  She cupped his face gently, smiling sadly when his eyes closed and he leaned into her touch.  He frowned when he realized she was trembling and reached up to cover her hand with his own.  “Mary?” opening his eyes to meet hers and seeing so many emotions swirling in their depths.  He clasped her hand in his and chafed it until he felt a bit of warmth return.  Then he covered it with his larger one.  “Talk to me?”

She blew out a nervous breath.  “I think, maybe, when this is all over... maybe we should talk.”  His eyes widened again, recognizing the truth behind her words.  But he simply swallowed hard and nodded his agreement.  Then he cleared his throat.

“And until then?”

“Until then, I need you to do some research – specifically on the cultures involved in the Alpha Team.  See if you can find a dragon.  It ’s a long shot, but....  I think it ’s important.”

“This is just a ploy to keep me from getting seconds, isn ’t it?” he teased as he rose, still holding her hand.  He let her pick her pace, and after a moment steadied Mary as she stood shakily to her feet.  She smirked and patted his arm.

“Of course it is,” she confessed.  “I ’m helping you maintain your girlish figure.”

He lifted their still linked hands to his lips and brushed a light kiss across her knuckles.  “Thank you, Mary,” his words conveying far more than what was spoken.  She squeezed his hand tenderly.

“Use my office.  I ’ll send Joy up with another plate for you shortly.  And maybe even cookies.”

“You ’re too good to me, Chief.”  Then he opened the door and escorted her back to the table, where only a few of the women remained.  He seated her and scooped up his plate, then gave a brief nod before escaping to the office.

Mary was thankful when talk resumed again.  She had much to contemplate.

Chapter XLIX

“FUCKING HELL!!!” Grayson spat out as her ship ’s inertia slowly stabilized.  Fucking sure I ’m gonna have bruises all over tomorrow, she thought as she loosened the restraints that had snapped into place as soon as the shockwave rippled over them and sent them into a tailspin.  Even now she could feel the remnants of tremors wash throughout the ship, but there was no time to worry about them at the moment.  She had far larger concerns to consider.  “REPORT!!” she barked, looking around at her bridge crew, hoping her face was not as green as those that looked back at her.

“Not sure what to tell ya, Cap,” came the weak voice of her Chief Engineer from one side of the room.  “It ’s gonna take us a few to establish... well, practically everything.  Except for the inertia field and basic life support, nothing is online.”

“Repair and recovery time?”

“Won ’t know until I can get into the systems.  It really depends on when and why they went offline.  If that shockwave overloaded them and took ‘em out, we ’re looking at several days minimum... just for a thorough diagnostic.  Probably weeks to make the actual repairs.”

“So we ’re blind and dead in the water until then?”

“’Fraid so, Cap.”

Grayson sighed and covered her eyes with one hand, pinching the bridge of her nose as she exhaled slowly.  “All right, Chief,” turning to look directly at the man who held the lives of her entire crew in his capable hands.  “Use whatever resources you need to get this resolved quickly.”

“You got it, Cap.  First priority?”

“Communications.  We need to know what ’s left out there.  I don ’t know if Mary ’s been getting any of Matt ’s reports, but we have to keep trying to reach her.  Eventually, those kids ’ parents are going to need some sort of resolution... even if it ’s just knowing that their children are no longer alive.”

“You really think that ’s better...?”

“ ... than false hope?  Yeah, I do.”

Zach nodded after a moment ’s thought, then turned and motioned to two other crewmen. “All right, Cap.  I ’ll send Warren or Reynolds to you as soon as I have a clearer picture of what ’s going on.”

“Coordinate with the XO.  He ’ll be running the deck sweeps to see how everyone fared,” accepting Spurgeon ’s nod with a nod of her own.  “I ’ll be in my ready room for a few minutes – I ’m going to see if I can raise Matt or Hank on the emergency channel.  Then I ’ll start evaluating things up here and will slowly work in the direction of you and Engineering,”

“Sounds good, Cap,” giving a small salute.  He turned and motioned to the small woman who was prying the doors apart.  “You want Reynolds to stay with you to open the doors?” knowing they would be offline and almost impossible for anyone without Reynolds ’ strength to get the bar into the crack, much less pry them open.

“No.  If there is a way to keep them open, do it.  Otherwise, use the hatches for now – that ’s what they ’re for, after all.”  She smiled at the face he made.  “I know, Chief – they ’re not the most pleasant, but they ’re what we ’ve got until we ’ve got the time to spare.  Otherwise, she and Jefferson and the Intaglio twins would be insanely busy simply opening doors for everyone until we get this resolved and ain ’t nobody got time for that.”

He snorted.  “See what we can do, Cap.” And without another word, he and his two compatriots slipped through the jimmied doors and swung onto the emergency ladder.  In seconds, they had disappeared into the semi-dark tube.  Spurgeon stepped up beside Grayson.

“Special orders, Cap?”

“No, Doug.  Do the best you can, but be quick.  If what I think I saw out there was real, we ’re going to have a hell of time explaining this.”

“Sweeps shouldn ’t take long.  Most should have either been in their racks or at their work stations.”  He rubbed his chest and winced.  “We may have to look into some padding for those restraints, though.  That was remarkably unpleasant.”

Grayson chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation.  “Master of understatement there, XO,” careful not to touch any part of her torso.  “Maybe we should let the designers sit through something like whatever the hell that was – you know... besides painful.”  She smiled when he snorted, then winced again.  “All right... let ’s do this.  I want to get back there and see if we can figure out what happened.  And if we got flung as far and as fast as I think we did....”  She shook her head.

“It ’ll be days....”

“ ... or weeks,” she concurred.  She moved towards her ready room.  “Send someone to me as you clear each deck, please.  And let me know if you need me for anything.”

Spurgeon gave a half-bow and headed for the same escape tube the engineer and his crew had vacated through moments before.  Grayson watched him go, then moved to her office, glad the door remained open unless she manually closed it.  Sometimes having an open door policy worked in her favor.  This was one of those times.

She walked to her desk and opened the cabinet behind it, removing the comm device she couldn ’t remember actually using since her training academy days.  She was at once both thankful and terrified of that fact at the same time.  Thankful, because it was only used in dire emergency situations like the one she was currently in; terrified because she wasn ’t sure she would be able to use it correctly now.

She hefted it onto her desk and set about making it operational even as she let her mind retrace the steps that had brought them to this point in time.  Because even their preparations and safeguards hadn ’t kept them out of trouble – though in fairness, there was no way to have known just how much trouble there was going to be... nor what form it would take.

************

They had dropped their markers – a transceiver that would record both audio and video and would continue to broadcast its signal until it was destroyed or its battery drained.  It was hoped that, eventually, the transmission would reach Mary... or at least someone who could get a message to her... especially since they had no way of knowing what, if anything, had reached her yet. Though now, instead of individual messages, there would be a stream, so there was a better chance of someone hearing something.

Once the recorders were dropped, they began edging away as fast as they could manage at sublight speed, though that was much slower than they would have liked.  But with all the interference and particles of who knew what kinds of energy floating around, they daren ’t go faster for fear of making things worse.  They kept their viewscreens focused on the tableau playing out in front of them, maintaining a running commentary because audio radio waves had a better chance of making it to Mary quicker than any kind of visual.  Besides, they had no way of knowing how distorted the visuals could become with all the interference.

Grayson looked around and took a seat in the Captain ’s chair, instructing all personnel to report to their duty stations and strap in, or return to their bunks as a matter of precaution.  Then things started moving so quickly, they could hardly keep up.

************

“Cap?” the science officer called softly into the quiet of their retreat.  “Cap, we ’ve got movement of the Nebula... significant movement.”  In her earpiece, she could hear Matthew making a report to Mary, letting Grayson know the others were seeing what she was. 

“We have a situation, Chief.  We found what appears to be Outreach. Repeat, we ’ve found Outreach! We ’ve been unable to get close as the Nebula is on the move.  It seems to be shifting towards those kids.  No luck raising them either audibly or visually.  There is an insane amount of interference.  We haven ’t even been able to send a recon team in – our scans have been completely unable to penetrate beyond the brief visual that can be confirmed by the other two ships.”

“Confirmed, Chief,” replied Hank immediately.
“Seconded,” answered Grayson.

Matthew continued speaking.  “We are slowly backing out of the area.  There is so much interference and energy here we ’re unable to breach the Nebula and it... it seems almost sentient, Chief.  We ’re afraid if we force the issue it ’s gonna turn into a situation that will get us and all those kids killed.  It sort of feels like it ’s looking for a fight.”

“A fight with us, maybe,” Grayson added.  “It appears to be protecting the Alpha Team.”

“Agreed.”
“Concur.”

The two men spoke together before Grayson cut in again.  “Oh my God – are you two seeing what I ’m seeing?”

“Fuck!” Matthew muttered.  “Chief! Storm Surge is here – repeat... Storm Surge is here and has opened fire on Outreach!  Holy shit!!  The Nebula is moving toward the ships and....  Oh my God!  Are you guys seeing this??  It ’s a dragon!  A motherfucking dragon just flew up from one of the exposed planets!!  Oh SHIT!!!”

“There ’s fire, Chief,” Grayson interceded smoothly.  “I don ’t know how, but the dragon has managed to create fire in space!  This could be really bad.”

************

It had been really bad, Grayson recalled as she finished setting up the comm unit.  That had been her last cognizant memory before waking up who knew how many kilometers from where they had been, strapped in and bruised like she ’d been run over by her ship half a dozen times.  She didn ’t really remember the explosion or the shockwave or the tumbling end over end the ship had done before the inertia dampers had kicked in and slowed their motion to a dead float.  But it was the only thing that made sense, given the state of her ship and its crew.  Hopefully – sooner rather than later – the computer would be able to verify her beliefs and give real time details that would help fill in all the blanks.  Meanwhile, she needed to reach out to her fellow captains.  Maybe they had fared better.

************

“Onyx to Pearl and Racer – Hank... Matt.  You guys out there?  Over.”  Long moments of crackling static before Grayson broke the silence again.  “Onyx to Pearl and Racer – Can anyone hear me? Over.”  More silence and Grayson sighed.  “C ’mon, guys... don ’t leave me hanging out here all by myself.  I don ’t want to have to explain all this to the Chief on my own.”

The sound of coughing laughter broke her tableau and she smiled in relief as she recognized Matthew ’s now wheezy voice. “Chicken,” he muttered before huffing out another coughing spell.  “Goddamn that hurts.”

“The coughing or the restraint marks?” Hank asked in amusement.

“God, yes!” Matthew complained.  “I think we need to sit down with the designers and have a word.”

“Or a demonstration,” Grayson drawled, smiling when both men barked in laughter before abruptly stopping with a hiss.

“Okay,” Hank groaned.  “No comedy for a bit.  It hurts too much to laugh at the moment.  What ’s everyone ’s status?”

“We ’ve got basic life support and the dampers are finally working,” Matt replied.  “Nothing else is, though.  I ’ve got my section heads checking for damage.”

“Ditto,” Grayson answered.  “My XO is checking for casualties and injuries as well, but it ’s slow going.  All the possible damage and the one thing he ’s already decided is that the ship is gonna need a field day or six to clean up the dust bunnies trapped in the emergency hatches.”

“What did I just say about no funny business, Gray??” Hank grumbled, then snorted.  “That is funny though.  My XO said the same thing.  Apparently she ’s not fond of anything less than spic and span, and considering all the debris we ’ve got scattered from pillar to post over here....”

“Same,” Matt said.  “Does anyone know where here is, though?  I know we got flung in different directions, but do we know how far we traveled before we stopped hurtling through space?”

“Our best guess is we ’re looking at a week or so minimum at top speed to get back to the Nebula.  So whatever was happening there will be well and truly over before we get back.”

“Do we expect to find anything there, though... really?  We all saw that dragon creature produce fire – and I ’d kind of like to know how it managed to do that in a vacuum, but....”  Matt shook his head enough for the sound to come across clearly over the radio. 

“Let ’s not forget the protective behavior of the Nebula.  It was moving into position to get between the Storm Surge and the Outreach.”

“Yeah... what was that all about?  And why was the Storm Surge there?”

“A better question might be how was the Storm Surge there.”

Matthew sighed.  “Lots of questions... not a lot of answers.”

“And we ’re not gonna find any until we can get back to the Nebula.”

“That ’s gonna take a while.”

Grayson shook her head.  “Nothing we can do about that.  Even with crews working around the clock, it ’s gonna take a few days before we ’re up and running again.  And we ’ve still got to travel back to the Nebula.  With a little luck, the recorders will tell us enough that we can give Mary some definitive answers about what happened.”

“So until then we ’ll stay in touch?”

“Every four hours?”

“That sounds reasonable for now. I ’ll try to check it every hour in case one of us has an emergency.”

“Good idea.  When we have a better idea of what ’s going on, we ’ll re-evaluate the situation.  But for now I ’m gonna go see what kind of progress is being made and stop by the infirmary to see if I can get something for this bruise.”

“Hopefully your doc didn ’t hurl his guts,” Hank commented.  “Nika did and it wasn ’t pretty.”

“Vomit hardly ever is,” Grayson replied while making a face.  “Hope she ’s feeling better, Hank.”

“She ’s fine.  Gave herself a shot and started her rounds checking out the rest of the crew.  So far it ’s all good aside from bumps and bruises... and a couple other pukers.”

“Lovely,” Matthew groaned.  “And on that note....”

“We ’ll check back in here in four standard.”

Grayson gave an acknowledgement and set the machine to its monitoring position – not completely off, but not actively on either.  Then she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the quiet... until she realized how completely silent it was without the hum of the engines in the background.  With a sigh, she groaned and pulled herself up into a standing position.  “C ’mon, Gray,” she mumbled to herself, “Sooner started, sooner finished.  It ’s the only way we ’re gonna be able to get back there and find out what happened.”

She moved toward the door, but before she reached the threshold, a call came in from her chief engineer.  “What ’s up, Zach?”

“You ’re gonna wanna see this for yourself, Cap.  Come down the secondary hatch from your office.  It ’ll be closer and it ’s not blocked.”

Grayson pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a slow breath.  She wasn ’t fond of the hatchways either, but she was especially leery of the secondary ones, and Zach knew that.  So he must have a really good reason for giving her that directive.  If he didn ’t, well....  Paybacks were a bitch and she could be the queen on her best days.

As if Zach had heard her thoughts and sensed her hesitation, he spoke again more quietly.  “Trust me, Cap.  I wouldn ’t ask if it wasn ’t important.”

“I know, Zach.  I ’ll be there in a few minutes.”  And with that, she put the kids and the Nebula out of her mind and turned her attention to the immediate problems facing her and her crew.  That, at least, was something she could focus on making it better now.  Everything else would have to wait.

************

“All right, Lovely,” Aphrodite whispered in Eli ’s ear.  “It ’s all up to you.  Cue and I ’ll hold on to this bubble for as long as we can manage, giving you whatever air we can.  You do what you need to do to take care of this asshat and get home to your bride.  It ’s time you kids had the chance to be amazing, and we ’re gonna do our best to see that you get it.”

Cupid sat behind her, hands on her shoulders to keep them connected.  Although she was stronger now, Aphrodite still didn ’t have his level of strength and he didn ’t want to overwhelm her so close to their goal.  His main concern was to keep them all – Eli, Dite and himself – alive long enough to get them back to the planet.  Like his mom, he expected to lose his power and immortality, but he was hoping beyond hope to survive.  Selfishly, despite the lifetimes he ’d lived and the loves he ’d shared, he wanted one more... with his wife and son and mom and Athena, and even those pesky other relatives that at one time had been enemies.  If he had to die, he wanted to be with his family.

So he turned his attention back to Aphrodite and Eli, just as Aphrodite leaned back with a nod and a smile.  “Are we ready to do this?”

Eli grinned and nodded, slitted eyes twinkling even in the low light of space.  Cupid squeezed her shoulders and nodded.  “Let ’s do this.”

Aphrodite reached back a hand and briefly patted one of his before reaching forward and patting the side of Eli ’s deep green neck.  “All right, Eli.  You heard him.  Let ’s do this.  We ’ve all got better places to be... and better people to be doing.  Time to rock the house.”

For answer, Eli flew straight up, causing both Cupid and Aphrodite to tighten their grip.  Then she looped around until she could look straight into the bridge of the Outreach.  She shared a fleeting glance with Arianna, then sailed over to where the Storm Surge hovered... just waiting.  She peered into the bridge area, which was completely devoid of personnel save for the body of Admiral Cortez.  She saw his reaction to her, but she was gone before he could make a move in her direction.  She felt Arianna react to him, and sent a wave of love through the connection they were experiencing.  She chanced to wonder about it, and how much of it was due to the influence of the two gods currently ensconced on her back.  Because though it was true that she and Arianna could develop a connection this strong and vivid over time, the truth was, it should take years... not days or weeks or even months.  If she got the opportunity, she would ask Aphrodite about it when this was all over... even if it was only in the afterlife.  But for now, she was content to enjoy the anomaly and unparalleled closeness she shared with Arianna.

Eli felt Arianna relax, and she moved around to the back of the Storm Surge.  She offered up a prayer for the innocents aboard the ship – those who had done nothing but follow the orders they ’d been given.  They would die today, but at least they ’d have a quick death.  She was ready to be done with this... and Mischief.

She sucked in a deep breath, grateful beyond measure for Cupid and Aphrodite and their willingness to help... even knowing the offer had come from the guilt they felt.  She felt Aphrodite ’s hold tighten again, and wished she could reassure the goddess.  But all she could do was allow the fire and the anger and the connection she felt from Arianna to grow until it encompassed everything.  Then she drew back and let loose with everything that she had, aiming for the exhaust port that would allow the fire to rage directly into the reactor core.  She didn ’t expect to survive this – not realistically, she never had – but at least she would be giving the rest of her teammates... her family... the chance to get away and do what they had come out here to do.  She knew beyond a doubt that Arianna would choose to join her, and she was okay with that too, even though it was the epitome of selfishness.  But she knew, as did they, that no one needed them like they needed each other.

She sent an ephemeral thought in Arianna ’s direction, then reared back and blew out a stream of fire.  She never saw what happened next.

Chapter L

It was as though the stream of fire, and the accompanying sirens it set off, woke the Storm Surge crew from a deep sleep.  Suddenly, instead of being frozen... unaware... they were scrambling to contain whatever threat was being made against them.  Their biggest problem, however, was the inability to determine exactly what the threat was.  When Mischief had stolen Admiral Cortez ’s body, and placed his own spirit inside, he had also placed the crew in some sort of stasis.  It hadn ’t affected Cupid, because even incarnated as Joseph, he was still Cupid and therefore still a god.

So they hadn ’t seen the damage or witnessed his actions to have any kind of knowledge on how to defend themselves.  Mischief ’s misuse of the ship had crippled them – rendered them useless and deaf and blind.  They had no way to see out; no way to reach out; no way to know what was happening beyond the walls of the ship.  Only those with viewports were able to see, and what they saw defied description... or belief.  It was something out of a fantasy story... or a nightmare.

As more than one crewman reported seeing a dragon and fire in space, the rest dashed to react to the alarms going off around them, rushing to duty stations in an effort to protect themselves and their comrades from the terrifying threat that had befallen them.  Most chanced to wonder where and how and why, but mostly they wondered why they were not responding to the threat with fire of their own.  They were the flagship – the mightiest of the fleet, and yet they weren ’t loading torpedoes or firing lasers or launching missiles.  What had gone so wrong that they had come to this??

Controls no longer worked.  Everything was as though it was a mock-up... a façade.  Nothing they tried had any effect on what was going on around them, and the bridge crew, save the Admiral herself, was locked out of the command center and the computer.  When they realized there was nothing else they could do – nothing left to try - they gathered together in their duty stations and held hands.  No one was sure who started it, but it didn ’t take long for the song they all knew – a hymn that dated back to when men sailed wooden ships across the water of the Alliance ’s home planet – to swell throughout the ship.  If they were going down, they would do so standing together on their own feet.

It made them strong, but it also kept them from seeing the denouement.

************

Eli felt a surge of strength flow through her – much like what had happened when she and her comrades had stood against Mischief before.  But it was also different... stronger.  It allowed her to breathe deeper; blow longer; spew hotter.  She could literally feel the fire move through her veins, and knew the instant it touched the reactor core.  She knew they didn ’t have much time, and hoped beyond hope Outreach ’s shields would hold when the blast wave rolled over them.

The fire was intended to start a chain reaction – manually re-igniting the transwarp core Mischief had managed to lock.  Given the speed at which they had been traveling when the ship had frozen, she was betting a literal fire would cold start it just enough that it would fly apart at the seams trying to resume its course and speed before the core could explode.  Otherwise, this was all going to be moot.  The blast would kill them all and everything within at least a hundred kilometers.

The ship shuddered and Eli moved to fly away, but she wasn ’t fast enough and the force of the tremor pushed the ship into her, damaging one wing and knocking her unconscious.  Cupid and Aphrodite held on for dear life – hers – and struggled to bring her around while keeping her atmosphere steady and strong.  They both understood how imperative it was for them, but especially Eli, to get away from the Storm Surge as quickly as possible, and they needed her conscious for that.

They couldn ’t hear Mischief ’s mad cackle as he realized what had happened; knowing he had lost everything, but still winning by splitting Eli and Arianna... even briefly – because they would suffer untold agonies during their separation.  He ’d make sure of that.  They never saw the Nebula move and neither did Mischief.  Then it was all over but the shouting. And there was going to be a lot of shouting before all was said and done.

************

Arianna gasped as the warmth and comfort of Eli ’s love encompassed her from a long moment.  Then she realized what Eli planned to do and her gasp became one of terror.  Eden glanced at her and frowned at the horror she saw dawning in Arianna ’s expression.

“Az?”  Arianna shook her head briefly and held out a hand, asking silently for Eden ’s support.  Eden clasped the proffered hand, then almost flinched at the strength of Arianna ’s grip.  “Az?” she repeated, more than a little anxious at Arianna ’s response.  Arianna drew a deep breath and relaxed her grip slightly, willing herself to a more calm state before she tapped her comm unit and began to speak.

“Paul, I need you to stay in engineering to keep an eye on things,” she said without preamble.  “Make sure there is a planet killer loaded and locked and ready to go.  If we ’re going down, we ’re going to take him and everyone else here with us.”  Eden looked at her in surprise – not once had she ever been quite this cold and vindictive, but given the circumstances that had brought them to this moment in time, she couldn ’t claim to be too shocked either. “Titus,” Arianna continued without missing a beat, “get to the bridge, and Isaac get to the depressurization room.  I need you and Jake to be ready to haul the Boss on board as quick as you can.” A trio of acknowledgments sounded from the comm and Arianna sighed softly, even as Jacob spoke.

“You think it ’ll come to that?” asked softly, even as he rose to a standing position without moving his eyes from the viewscreen, trying to keep a steady, parallel course to Eli ’s.

“I think it ’s better to be prepared for the worst.”

“We ’re all in this together, Jake.  No one gets left behind.  She ’d do the same for us,” Eden commented, motioning Titus to the helm as he stepped onto the bridge.

“We ’ll make sure she gets home,” he promised, squeezing Arianna ’s shoulder as he passed her on the way to the lift.  Then he was gone without another word.  Eden turned to Arianna, who simply shook her head and motioned to the screen.  They watched in awe as Eli seemingly sucked in a deep breath in the vacuum of space, then cheered in wonder and delight as she spew forth a stream of bright orange flame. Then they winced in sympathy as the Storm Surge shook and shuddered... before it all went to hell in a greased up hand basket.

Arianna screamed and dropped Eden ’s hand as she felt the pain flood through Eli, falling from the chair into a fetal position in Eden ’s arms as she eased them down onto the floor.  The last thing she knew was the rending – no sense of Eli at all – before merciful blackness took her.

Abigail rushed from behind the chair where she had been standing, shaky from what she ’d briefly experienced before Arianna had pulled away from her and pitched into Eden ’s arms.  “I ’ve got this,” she said to Eden as she eased Arianna into her embrace.  “You take care of....” motioning toward the viewscreen.

Eden nodded.  “Get her to sick bay.  I ’ll let Luke know....”

“I already did,” Esther said softly.

“Thanks,” Eden replied before turning back to Abigail.  “Go.  We ’ll take care of Eli.”  Abigail nodded, but Eden had already turned back to the others.

“Eden?” Titus asked with a glance in her direction, even as he tried to steer the ship closer to the Storm Surge, glad the momentum that had knocked Eli out had actually pushed her closer to them.  Then his attention was drawn back to the viewscreen, eyes widening when he realized what he was seeing, and he swallowed loudly in an effort to get some moisture back to his mouth.  He blinked and turned back to her almost completely.  “Eden?”

She started to bark a response at his impatience - especially when she realized he was looking at her and not their course... or Eli - but couldn ’t manage it when her jaw dropped to her chin.  The Nebula had maneuvered between them and the Storm Surge, gently nudging Eli towards the Outreach, even while slowly cocooning the Storm Surge and shifting it farther away from both the Outreach and the planets below.

Well, she thought, at least we have absolute proof that it ’s actually sentient was her first thought.  She hit her comm unit.  “Jake, are you boys ready?”

“Waiting on your signal, Baby.”

She rolled her eyes at his insouciance, knowing it was his way of dealing with any number of overwhelming emotions so he could get the job done.  “Go” she commanded.  “But be quick and be careful.  The Nebula is sentient and Eli has been damaged.”

“We ’re on it, Baby.  We ’ll keep comms open... in case, but don ’t expect a running commentary.  I don ’t expect....”

“Yeah, neither do I.  We don ’t have enough time... even if we don ’t use the planet killer.  But at least this way we ’ll all go together.”

“Best we could hope for anyway.  Keep an eye out....”  And then they were gone – out the hatch and rocketing toward Eli ’s last known position.

************

Eli struggled to come up from the rocky mire her mind was bogged down in.  She could hear voices... feel something familiar pulling at her hearing and her mind... but none of it made much sense in the warm darkness she was floating in.  Finally, unexpectedly, she felt the presence of her brother again.  After a long moment, she opened heavy lids and gazed into hazel-green eyes that were smiling and slightly worried.  She blinked slowly, several times, before lifting a heavy hand to his face.

“Eli?”

“Hi Ellie,” he replied softly as he stroked her cheek.  “How are you doing?”

She frowned thoughtfully. “I don ’t... I ’m not sure.”  She looked back at him and the frown deepened.  “What are you doing here?  I thought....”  She shook her head, then winced.  “My head hurts.”

“I ’m certain it does.  That was quite an impact.”  He pushed blonde hair gently away from her eyes.  “It doesn ’t... I ’m sorry, Ellie.  I know it hurts and everything is confusing right now, but I need you to wake up.  We ’re having trouble maintaining everything out there, and it is going to become very bad soon.  We need you awake so we can get you to the Outreach and get you the help you need so you and the Alpha Team – your friends – can escape.”

“We?” Eli mumbled.  “Who ’s we?”

Eli sighed, knowing he should have been more circumspect in his wording; he should have expected her to catch that.  He shifted his appearance just enough so she recognized Cupid.  “Me and Mom,” he said a little guiltily as he watched her eyes widened in startlement.  “I promise... if you still remember this conversation when we get through this little hiccup with Mischief, I promise I will explain it to you... all of it.”  She nodded slowly, a little afraid anything more forceful might cause her head to roll right off of her shoulders.  Cupid winced in sympathy.  “Hurts a lot, huh?”  The wry look she gave him spoke volumes and he smirked just a little.  “I can ease it a little,” his eyes and voice serious.  “But I can ’t make it better – you know, like totally heal you or anything.”  He paused.  “At least I don ’t think I can.”  He sighed at her quizzical look.  “In here, you ’re human.  But out there, you ’re still a dragon.  I ’m not sure anything I do here will be enough to fix the things that are wrong out there.”

“Try, please,” she whispered.  “Anything less will be better than what I ’ve got right now.”

He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her forehead, feeling the last of his godhood and immortality drain from him.  He had known, or at least been fairly sure, that any effort at healing her would likely drain the rest of his power.  So now it was truly a race against time, as he was fully human and would need the oxygen his mother was solely responsible for providing.  And he knew her reserves had to be running low – given how drained he had been even before he ’d come to this place in between.  Before he could speak, he felt Eli sigh and relax in his embrace.  He smiled.  “Better?”

“So much,” she murmured.  “You wouldn ’t believe.”

“I could probably guess,” he replied.  “I have been humanoid, you know.  But you need to wake up now, and get back out there.  We can ’t do this without you, and I don ’t think Arianna nor your teammates will leave you out here alone and in danger.”

“Probably not,” she sighed, “despite what I told them.”

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.  “They love you.  Now close your eyes.  We need to get to the ship before the Storm Surge blows to kingdom come.”

“You really think it will?”

“I think we need to get out of here now.  The rest will wait until another day.”  He put his hand over her eyes, chuckling silently when her blinking tickled his palm.  When he felt the fluttering stop, he removed his hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear.  “All right, Eli.  It ’s time to go home. Arianna is waiting for you.”  Then he closed his eyes and let his consciousness return to his place on Eli ’s back, sitting behind his mother and holding on for dear life. 

When Aphrodite felt his grip tighten around her waist, she spared a glance in his direction.  “Everything all right?” she queried.

“Hope so,” he answered, then realized what was happening with the Nebula.  “Oh gods,” he said as the Nebula reached out and nudged them.  Then they were sailing end over end toward the Outreach, praying for something to intercept them gently before they splatted against the side.  Even so, they didn ’t really expect the help from whence it came.

************

When Jacob and Isaac met in the decompression chamber, Isaac was already half dressed.  Jacob scrambled to catch up, and in only a minute, they were both fully geared up and doing their checks and double checks on one another to be sure they were prepared and ready.  When Eden ’s voice came over their comm units and gave them the signal, they burst out of the hatch and headed toward Eli ’s last known position.  Visibility was poor, however – the Nebula ’s movement had created quite a stir in its wake, and the vents systems on their suits weren ’t quite keeping up with the sweating and heavy breathing they were doing.  Isaac made a mental note to check them out later, but currently his attention was focused on trying to discern anything in the murky darkness that surrounded them.

It seemed like forever before the slightest motion caught his attention from the corner of his eye.  Then everything happened so fast, it would take days before he remembered the details clearly.

Eli – or rather, her dragon form – came spinning toward them in what appeared to be slow, lazy circles.  But the fact was, she was moving at a good rate of speed, and by the time they saw her, a collision was inevitable.

She clipped Jake in the back, sending him hurtling into the side of the ship, slicing his arm deeply as he hit the platform and puncturing his suit.  Isaac, who had been floating just far enough away, jerked at her tail in an effort to slow her speed, couldn ’t grasp firmly or quickly enough, and she followed Jacob ’s path onto the platform, crushing his weight under hers briefly before she slammed head first into the wall at the far end of the room.  Cupid and Aphrodite simply fell off... unconscious. Isaac scuttled toward them as fast as he could maneuver his thrusters.  He snatched Jacob by the back of his suit and shoved him inside the airlock, slapping his hand over the emergency control switch and watching the airlock door crash to the floor.  In another second he had activated the airflow, and sighed in relief when he heard it thrum through the room.

He knelt down to remove Jacob ’s helmet and put pressure on the mangled arm, even as he tapped his comm badge.  “I need a med unit down here, STAT!!  I ’ve got three humanoids and one... I don ’t even know.  Just get someone down here now!”  Tears filled his eyes, though they didn ’t fall, and he cringed when he got a look at what was left of Jacob ’s left arm.

“Isaac, REPORT!!” Eden commanded hoarsely.  “What happened out there??”

“Later, Eden!  I need Luke here now!”

“I ’m on my way, Isaac.  Can you describe what kind of shape everyone is in?  I need to know if I need to get Kai to bring any specialized equipment.”

“Yeah... probably, Doc.  Jake ’s arm is mangled... like falling off.  Eli is....”  He tilted his head.  “She ’s not all dragon anymore, but she ’s not really humanoid.  It ’s... I don ’t know – you should probably bring Arianna with you.  The other two just appear to be unconscious.”

“Thanks, Isaac – I ’ll be there in thirty seconds.”

“Thanks, Doc,” not really surprised when Arianna slid into the room, and raced to Eli ’s side.  He kept his attention on Jacob – focusing on stopping the blood flow and giving them whatever privacy he could manage.  Then Luke and Kai arrived and set controlled chaos in motion.

************

“Aphrodite?” the Voice called softly.  She shifted slightly, but her eyes remained closed.  “Dite... open your eyes, Child.”  Now her brow furrowed, grooving deep lines into her forehead.  The Voice was familiar, and reminded her of a time long passed, though she had never truly been a child.  In fact, the only ones who had ever referred to her or any of her siblings in such a manner was....

“Gaia??” sitting up and looking around in confusion.  There was nothing but mist.  “Gaia?” she called out again, and this time felt the mist surround her with warmth.

“Hello, Child.  It ’s been a long time.”

“It has,” Aphrodite agreed.  “But where are you?” glancing at the mist again, straining to see through it.  She felt the mist surround her with warmth again, and a feeling of fondness and caring.  “Wait... you ’re the mist??  How...?  Why...?”

The Voice smiled.  “Technically, I ’m the Nebula.  When we were cast out of our home, I chose to utilize the power I had left to protect my family in the only way I knew how.  I hid them, and kept them from harm by keeping everyone away from them.  I didn ’t realize we had a snake in our midst.”

“You knew the War Contingent was there.”

“Yes, but they were needed to keep things in balance, and they ’ve always played by the rules... more or less.” She paused when Aphrodite huffed and rolled her eyes.  “If I had known of the bet, I would have put a stop to it, but things were too far in motion when I discovered what was going on.  Besides, by that time, those kids deserved the chance to end things on their terms.  No, I ’m talking about Mischief.  He went too far, and now it is time for me to ensure he is never able to do harm to anyone else... ever again.”

“Will it destroy you?  Destroy us?”

“I will become part of a new planet here.  The rest of the family will live the remainder of your natural lives on the planet where you ’ve spent so many millennia.”  The Voice smiled again.  “You will have plenty of company sharing the same planet so no one will be truly alone, and I ’ll still be nearby... in my own way.”

“And after...?”

“I guess you ’ll just have to wait and see.”  The Voice turned slightly away and grew grim.  “I must go now.  Be good to one another and live each day as if it was your last.”

Aphrodite held up a hand.  There was no more power, but she wished her love and affection through the connection it made to the mist.  “Thank you, Gaia.”

The mist passed over and around her as it withdrew and Aphrodite smiled through the tears.

Chapter LI

“Paulie, bring the shields up now!! Divert whatever power you need to but get those shields up!!  Titus, get us out of here... best possible speed!!” Eden yelled.

“I ’m not sure about the shields, Eden,” Paul yelled back as the engines shook at the strain he was putting on them by forcing them past their normal protocols.  “It ’s not like they ’ve been tested on a wide scale.”

“And if they don ’t work, it ’s not going to matter anyway, Paulie!  Get ‘em up!  Otherwise we ’re going to die when the Nebula explodes”

“When the Nebula... wait, what??”  She could hear him running from pillar to post doing everything by hand to ensure their best chance.  “Nevermind.  They should be online in about ten seconds.  Torpedo is also locked and loaded and ready to go.”

“Titus... status!” she yelled, turning back to look at her erstwhile pilot and knowing they were never going to get far enough away before the Storm Surge blew to kingdom come.

“Working on it, but the ship ’s not responding well – like we ’re tethered to something or something.  If we live long enough, I ’ll let you know why, but....”

Before he could finish, several things happened almost simultaneously.  Without warning, the Nebula reached out and pushed against them at almost the exact moment the fuission reactor kicked in fully and jumped them to transwarp speed.  That coupled with the explosion of the Storm Surge caused them to go tumbling end over end, causing them to fall right back out of transwarp far enough away that they were out of the reach of the shockwaves that followed.

Eden looked around the bridge carefully as she removed the locking restraints that had snapped closed immediately as the ship had started spinning out of control.  She rubbed at her aching chest, mind already turning to ways to improve the comfort level of what had been a surprisingly painful experience.  She chanced to wonder offhandedly how many practical tests the original designers had done on the devices given their level of discomfort. But dropped the line of thought almost in the same moment as more pressing concerns were vying for her attention.

“Paulie?!?”

“The engines are down, Eden.  Or the transwarp part is.  It shut down before it overloaded.  We ’re going to have to check everything out before we start bringing it back online.”

“Get to it, and make sure you check the reactor especially.  It ’s been under an enormous amount of stress and the only baseline we have are the projections Az made based on her preliminary experiments and the travel we ’ve done to get here.  Not that we don ’t trust her math, but....”

“But this is still new territory, and we ’ve experienced things already that are well beyond expectations of well... practically everything we trained for.”

“Yeah... and the strain we ’ve put on the systems is just....”

“I know. I ’ll check out everything, but it ’s gonna take some time.”

“We ’ll get you some help.”  Eden turned to her bridge crew.  “Titus... Esther. Report!”

“Shields appear to be holding.  Isaac is on his way to engineering with Kai to give Paul a hand.” Esther paused. “Luke ’s put Jake in stasis.” Another pause.  “Eli ’s still unconscious and still only partially transformed.  Arianna is with her and Gay is standing by.  Everyone else except Naomi is at a duty station.”

Eden nodded and turned to Titus as he began to speak.  “I ’m working on where we are.  I don ’t think we went too far – everything happening at once kind of canceled each other out.  Are we going back to the Nebula – or whatever it is now – or are we heading for the moon?”

Eden pinched her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger.  She really, really just wanted to say ‘screw the duck walk ’ or whatever the appropriate colloquialism the humans of Jake ’s planet used, but her scientific curiosity, coupled with the two god type beings that were currently aboard the ship demanded they return to the Nebula.  She blew out an impatient breath.

“We ’ve got two passengers that don ’t actually belong to us.  We should probably return them home before we go to ours,” said with a small smile.

“Got it,” Titus replied.  “I ’ll let you know as soon as I figure out where we are and how long it ’s gonna take once the warp drive is restored.”

She nodded and looked around anxiously.  Silence reigned for an awkward moment before Esther turned around and faced Eden fully, giving her a brief glance of sympathy before allowing her expression to become stoic once again.  “We ’ve got this, Eden.  Why don ’t you go check on them?  There ’s not a lot anyone can do until we know where we are and how things are in engineering.”  She waited, seeing Eden ’s hesitation.  “C ’mon, Eden.  You know you want to go down there.  Besides, this way you can let the rest of us know what is going on.  We ’re concerned too, ya know.”

Eden stared at Esther for another long moment while Titus kept his eyes on his console.  Not that he didn ’t agree with Esther, but Eden scared him just a little bit.  And until Eli was back to being herself, Eden was in charge.  Eden blew out a breath and nodded.

“All right.  But keep me in the loop.  Let me know if anything changes.”

“Will do.  And you let us know how everyone is doing.”

“You know I will.”  She lifted her comm unit to her lips as she stepped from the bridge.  “Guys, this is Eden.  I ’m heading to the infirmary to check on everyone down there before going to engineering to help out there for a while.  Please remain at your duty stations for now and be extra vigilant.  Until we know our status on... well, practically everything, we ’re just sitting ducks dead in the water.  It would be a prime time for someone to attack.  We ’re defenseless.  I will ensure everyone remains in the information loop.”

As acknowledgements came over her badge, she nodded and allowed herself the tiniest smile.  This was a good crew, and they were good people.  Not that she had ever really doubted, but it was nice to have it reaffirmed after the absolute insanity of their journey so far.  She was happy to be able to call them family.

Luke was waiting by the sick bay doors when she crossed the threshold.  He was essentially holding down the infirmary alone – Arianna remained with Eli and Abigail was with them.  Naomi and Jacob were both in stasis, having been injured at a time when it was impossible for him to do more than keep them from dying.  Now, however....

“Status,” Eden asked in a soft voice.

He took Eden ’s elbow and led her over to Naomi first.  “I ’m not sure....  I started giving her infusions as soon as Kai brought her to me, but....”  He shrugged and shook his head.  “She ’d lost a lot of blood.  A lot will depend on how badly she wants to live.  I ’ve been working almost exclusively on repairing the damage done to her since she was put into my care.”

“What are her chances... really?”

“If she wants to survive, she will.  Right now, I ’ve got her at about even odds... just because of the damage that was done to her and the delay in treatment.  She ’s strong, Eden – you know that.”

Eden smiled sadly.  “She ’d live just to spite me.”  Everyone knew she and Naomi butted heads on nearly everything just because Naomi made Eden crazy with her unorthodox methods and ideas.

“You know it,” Luke assured with a smile of his own.

“What about Jake?”

“I put him into stasis as soon as he arrived.  For now, the blood loss has stopped and he ’s resting comfortably and without pain. His arm is going to need to be replaced, and we know who ’s going to give him his best chance with that.”

“How is she?”

“I don ’t know,” meeting Eden ’s incredulous black eyes without flinching.  “I haven ’t been able to get in there and take a look at her.  Arianna is wrapped around her like a... I have no comparison.  Air can ’t get between them right now.  And Gay is the only one they ’ve allowed into their space.”

Eden frowned.  “That ’s odd.  Not just because they allowed her in, but because she was able to go without injuring herself.”

“I think she may be linking them.”

Eden ’s frown deepened.  “How do you mean?”

“I don ’t think....  In her current form, Eli is all about emotion.  There is no real thought process.  I think Gay is helping Arianna connect with her on a more basic level.”

“That makes no sense.  Az was telling us what Eli thought when she was out there doing her dragon thing,” waving her arms wildly in the general direction of the surrounding space.

“I can ’t comment on that as I wasn ’t there, but I know what Az told us before and also what Eli confided in me.  I have a couple theories, though.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Both theories assume that the gods had something to do with this.  I think that either they boosted   the soulmate link between them so that Eli and Az were literally one heart, one soul, one mind.  Or their presence made it possible for Az to feel what Eli felt to a degree that allowed her to explain it as though Eli spoke to her directly.”

“Ah, yes... our visitors,” accepting Luke ’s ideas without comment.  “How are they?”

“From what I can tell, they are simply sleeping from sheer exhaustion.”

Eden raised an eyebrow.  “Seriously?”

“Cross my webbed toes,” Luke replied with a straight face.  “I figure it will probably be at least twelve standard before we hear from them.  That ’s the average for our crew, and I ’m not convinced they are still gods anymore.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Little things.  The depth of their sleep, for one.  Their inability to self-heal, for another,” pointing out the scrapes and scratches that were visible along their bodies.  “Seems to me like a god wouldn ’t have to worry about things like that.  Should be automatic.”

“You ’d think.”  Eden nodded.  “Go ahead and use the regenerators on them... treat them like you would one of us.  Pretty sure they ’re closer to family than any of us would like to admit.  I ’m going to go see if I can talk to Gay for a minute, then I need to get to engineering.  I have a feeling it ’s going to be a long, few days.”

Luke snorted.  “Like it hasn ’t already.  Go on – I ’ll do what I can here.”  He immediately moved to start the regen units assigned to the beds Cupid and Aphrodite were occupying.  Eden paused long enough to feel satisfied, then crossed the room to stand next to Abigail.  She didn ’t enter the room Eli and Arianna were occupying; she merely stood in the doorway and observed silently for a long moment before Abigail turned to face her.  Eden had to swallow the gasp that formed in her lungs when silver eyes faced her, but she managed to contain her reaction... just.  Abigail noticed it, of course – she felt the response viscerally... in her gut and in her mind.  She leaned over and whispered something to Arianna, who gave her the barest head nod, then looked back at Eden even as her eyes slowly faded back to their bright blue color.

She met Eden at the door, curious to know if the other woman would demand privacy for their conversation.  She wasn ’t really surprised when Eden moved neither eyes nor body, and Abigail took up the opposite doorjamb, leaning against it with her back to the room, allowing Eden to keep her focus on Eli and Arianna.  Abigail looked out into the infirmary, noting Luke had finished setting up the regen units and had moved back to continue his work on Naomi.  She wondered at his lack of frenzy, and hoped it wasn ’t because he felt Naomi was a lost cause.

Before she could consider further, Abigail felt Eden ’s hand on her arm and turned her attention back towards her, even though black eyes had yet to move from the tableau in front of them.

“How are they?”

“Honestly?” watching Eden ’s head nod.  “Arianna ’s struggling.  She can ’t... she lost contact with Eli when they got slammed into the side of the ship.  She can feel her... sense her, but the communication they were so clearly sharing before is... just... gone.”  She shook her head.  “Eli... Eli I can ’t really get a read on.  I mean – she ’s all feeling and emotion right now and it ’s all mixed up with the pain she ’s in, which is considerable despite the drugs Luke ’s given her.”

“He given her the good stuff?”

“He doesn ’t dare.  We ’ve got no idea what it would do to her in her present form, and no one wants to make things worse... for any number of reasons.”

“Does she understand?”  Blonde brows furrowed, and Eden could feel her confusion without moving her attention from Eli and Arianna.  She sighed loudly.  “Can Eli understand you?  Is she cognizant enough to comprehend conversation?”

“I ’d have to say no,” Abigail replied with a shake of her head.  “At least not from anyone who isn ’t Arianna.  I ’m not sure she could even understand Arianna at the moment, beyond emotion, I mean.  I was helping Arianna strengthen their bond in the hopes it might help open up communication between them like it was before, but….   Why?”

“I have a theory.  I think her body halted its transformation back to full humanoid deliberately so she could heal first.  I mean - look at her... at her wings.  The one looks mostly okay, but the other one is sort of... mangled.  She doesn ’t keep them out when she ’s like us – they ’re tucked away somewhere.  She can ’t really tuck that thing anywhere... not in the shape its in.”

Abigail turned around and faced Eli again, concentrating on seeing what Eden was trying to show her.  She ’d been so wrapped up in in helping her friends strengthen their bond, she hadn ’t really taken the time to notice much of anything else including the physical, even though it screamed its obviousness now that it had been pointed out to her.

“How did I miss that?” she muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair before shaking her head.  “Doesn ’t matter,” waving her hands.  “What can we do?  How can we fix this?”

Eden sighed again.  “I think I ’ve got the strength to... well, if I can ’t match her, I can probably keep up, at least for a little while.  I think we need to get Az out of there.  As long as she ’s with the Boss, Eli ’s never going to let any of us near her... or them.  She ’ll see us as a threat to them as a couple as well as to her mate.  If we can get Az to leave voluntarily, we might be able to fix Eli enough to allow her body and the regen units do what they need to do to heal the rest.”

“Do you think you can convince Arianna of that?”

Eden smiled.  “I ’m not the one who has to convince her – you are.”  Before Abigail could voice the objections Eden could see forming in her expression, she continued.  “You ’re the only one they ’ve allowed into their space.  You need to persuade Az to at least let me in to hear me out if you want me to have any influence.  I think Eli will listen to me once Az is gone if Az is the one who makes the decision to leave.  She ’ll remember me as a friend and fellow protector.”

“You really think so?”

“I hope so anyway.  I ’m praying somewhere in that lizard brain of hers, she ’ll remember that I was the one looking out for Az when she wasn ’t.”

Abigail nodded.  “What do you want me to do?”

“Let ’s get Luke over here first, then....”

“I ’m right here,” Luke said quietly from around the corner behind Eden.  “I was listening.  Everyone is stable at the moment, and Naomi needs some rest and time with the regen unit before I do any more,”
he added before they could ask.

“Thoughts?”

“I think you ’re on the right track, Eden.  You ’re probably in the best position to deal with Eli in this state.  You have the strength and you ’re her trusted second – even the reptile part of the brain should recognize that... and you.  The only other person who might be strong enough to go against her....”

“ ... would be seen as a threat,” Eden agreed.  “Because I highly doubt the dragon part would remember Isaac ’s apology....”

“ ... or any of the things he ’s done to protect them,” Abigail added.  “And I ’m pretty sure she wasn ’t conscious to realize he saved both her life and Jake ’s.”

“Agreed,” catching Luke ’s hands before he could clap them together.  He looked at her with a frown, and tried to snatch his hands away.  Eden tightened her hold just enough that he stopped struggling.  “Easy, Doc,” she cautioned.  “I ’m pretty certain we don ’t want to get Eli ’s attention that way, especially since I haven ’t really introduced myself yet.  We need you well and in one piece, all right?””

He turned his head just slightly, realizing slitted, golden eyes were observing them from barely opened green lids.  “Yeah, yeah... I see your point.  Sorry, Eden.  I didn ’t think....”

“I know, and normally I enjoy your enthusiasm and all.  But I don ’t think that ’s probably the best way to go about dealing with a cranky dragon.”  She snorted softly.  “It ’s probably not the best way to deal with a cranky Eli, truth be told.”

The three of them chuckled lightly, breaking the tension that had grown between them.  It only lasted a moment, then Eden turned to Abigail. 

“All right, Gay.  See if you can get Az to go to engineering to help Paul and Isaac on the maintenance and repairs they ’ve got going on down there.  Or at least get her to me so I can.  Then we ’ll worry about Eli.  Luke, you....”

“Yeah, I know what to do.  It ’s gonna be a lot of guesswork about how much to give her though.  It may take a couple tries because I don ’t want to give her too much.”

“You do what you think is best, Doc.  Just be ready with whatever you need as soon as I give you the word.”

“You got it, Eden.  I ’ll be just outside the door.”

“Good. Gay, you ready?”

“As I ’m going to get.  Wish me luck.”

“You know it,” Eden replied without touching her.  Then she stood back to wait, highly conscious of those slitted, golden eyes that stared at her, and that long, tapered fingernail that kept a steady, even beat.

Chapter LII

Abigail crossed the room slowly, conscious of Eli ’s regard in a way she had never been before.  She didn ’t sense malice, per se, but there was a lot of pain and confusion and mistrust.  She took a deep breath and continued forward, knowing she needed to portray a confidence she didn ’t feel.  As she drew closer, she could see more of the physical manifestations of Eli ’s injuries and wondered how she had missed them before. She resumed her place at their side, but was startled by the low growling she both heard and felt the moment her hand lightly made contact with the green, taloned hand that had moved from its rhythmic tapping to splay gently against Arianna ’s belly.  She curled her fingers easily around Eli ’s, allowing her to initiate contact between the three of them once more.  Immediately, her eyes glowed silver, and she sucked in a deep breath as Eli ’s feral emotions overwhelmed her for a brief moment.

A full minute passed before Abigail felt herself settle and she turned her attention to Arianna.  “Az?” said with a smile, knowing the moniker would get her a look, but it would also get Arianna ’s attention. Brown eyes peeked open and glared, but Abigail just returned the look with a smile.  “Arianna, Eden has asked me to ask you to go to Engineering.  The truth is, they really do need you down there.  Apparently, our trip to... wherever here is caused the engines and the transwarp drive to shut down in self-defense.  Every little thing in Engineering is going to need going over with a fine tooth comb, and she wants you to head that up.”

“No.”

“Yeah, I had a feeling you were going to say that.  The other reason is so she and Luke can get in here and do something to help Eli.  The thing is, they don ’t know what the good stuff might do to her and they don ’t want to overdo, you know, so it ’s going to need to be done in increments.  They ’re... we ’re afraid it might hurt her before it helps her and, well....”

Arianna placed her hand on top of Abigail ’s and Eli ’s clutch that rested on her stomach.  “I understand what you ’re saying, Gay, and I appreciate what you ’re trying to do.  However, I disagree with your line of thought.  Eli won ’t hurt me, and I might be able to keep her from hurting anyone else.  Not that she would on purpose, you understand, but....”

Abigail placed her free hand on Arianna ’s shoulder, ignoring the growling that resumed at her touch.  “We know.  We ’re just trying to do the best we can for everyone here, and that includes protecting you especially.  Eli would never forgive us or herself if....”

“She won ’t have to.  I won ’t let anything happen, and neither will Eden.”

“You don ’t think Eli will hurt Eden?  She ’s still more than twice the size she is normally.”

“Not deliberately... not like she did with Mischief.  She didn ’t actually hurt Isaac when she was like this before, and she was almost twice the size she is now and had a viable grudge against him at the time.  I think Eli might challenge Eden while she ’s in this in-between state, but I ’m confident she will also recognize Eden well enough to make it more playful than anything.  As long as Eden makes it clear she ’s an ally and not a threat....  And I can help with that – if not with words, then with my own actions and responses.”

Abigail studied Arianna ’s eyes for a long moment before she nodded an affirmative.  “All right.  We ’ll do this your way.  Should I ask Eden to come in?”

“Not yet.  I need to... let me... can you help me turn around so I ’m facing her?  I think it will help things immensely if I have eye contact.”

Abigail blinked, wondering why she hadn ’t thought of that.  “Absolutely.  I think you ’re right.  Let me just....”  She eased her hand from Eli ’s, extremely conscious of the way slitted golden eyes examined her every breath.  “What do you need me to do?” asked of Arianna even as she watched Eli ’s arm tighten around her mate protectively.  Arianna sucked in a breath and patted the green-scaled arm lightly.

“Easy, Amado,” she cooed softly.  “I ’m not going anywhere.”  She turned her attention back to Abigail.  “Can you take her hand again?” waiting for her to comply.  “Just hold it for a minute,” Arianna instructed, placing her hand on top and letting Abigail amplify the love she consciously let flow through her to Eli.  She felt as much as heard Abigail ’s quickly indrawn breath, but she kept her attention focused on Eli ’s reaction.  After a moment, she felt the tension ease and started to shift in Eli ’s embrace.  The arm tightened again at the movement, but she rubbed the arm around her gently.  “It ’s okay, Querida.  I ’m right here,” continuing to turn until she and Eli were face-to-face.  “You can let go now, Gay,” Arianna advised without allowing her gaze to drift from Eli ’s.  The instant her hand was released, Eli hugged Arianna to her, shuffling until she could bury her muzzle into the warm neck of her mate.

“Mine,” she growled, lifting up her head to glare at Abigail.  Then she squirmed until she was once more wrapped around Arianna.

“Well, that ’s progress, I suppose,” Abigail muttered under her breath, mock glaring at Arianna when she heard the snickers coming from the smaller woman.  The growling above Arianna ’s head wiped the smile from her face immediately. <Ahem> “Right.  Let me just get Eden in here, and we ’ll see if we can get the Boss healed up, so we can all get back to normal.”  She paused.  “Or, you know... what passes for normal around here.”

Arianna snorted softly as she moved her hands to clasp Eli ’s wrist.  “I don ’t think any of us ever qualified as normal.  I mean, let ’s face it – normal wouldn ’t have gotten us onto the Alpha Team and out here dealing with ancient gods and goddesses and sentient nebulas.”

“You ’ve got a point,” Abigail conceded.  “Is she calm?” noting the growling had tapered off and the golden eyes were once again closed.

Arianna kept up her light touch on Eli ’s pulse point, gently stroking the smooth skin beneath her fingertips.  “As she ’s going to get for now,” feeling the tremors still shuddering through Eli ’s frame.  “She ’s in a substantial amount of pain, but I can feel her again.  It ’s messy... kind of jumbled and confused.  But she ’s not shut off to me anymore.”

“That ’s wonderful, Az!” Abigail gushed.  “Should I...?”

“Stay for now, please.  I think you are helping.  As she comes back to herself more, it should get easier, but for now....”

“I ’ll do whatever I can.  Can I get Eden and Luke in here though?  I think the sooner we get Eli sorted out and back to herself, the better for all of us... especially her.”

“Have Eden come in first, but make sure Luke is standing by.  I don ’t think Eli will see either of them as a threat, but I ’d prefer not to discover I was wrong the hard way.  At least one at a time will allow Eli to adapt to their presence before we try to move forward with anything, and Eden will be seen as less of a threat.”

Abigail smirked.  “Not sure if Eden would see that as a compliment or not, but I ’m going to take it as a good sign and go get her.  I ’ll be right back.”

“Take your time, “Arianna instructed.  “We ’re certainly not going anywhere any time soon.”  Then she turned her attention back to Eli, hoping to break through the haze of pain still controlling the lizard part of Eli ’s brain.

Abigail crossed back over to the door, motioning Eden towards her.  “Az is staying put.  We ’re going to have to work around her for now.”  She held up a hand before Eden could protest.  “She made a good case for herself, and the fact is, Eli is calmer with her around.  Anyway, she wants you to go in first.  Once we get you established, we ’ll bring Luke in.  Hopefully between your presence, mine and Arianna ’s, Eli will be mellow enough to allow Luke to do his thing even if she doesn ’t recognize him initially.”

“You think she won ’t?  He is her second in the infirmary, you know.”

“I know.  But he also represents pain in the form of healing and she may subconsciously associate that with his scent more than anything else.  Remember what I said about her being all feelings and emotions right now.  Better to err on the side of caution.”

Eden let out a long breath and nodded.  “You get all that, Luke?”

“Yes.  You two let me know as soon as you are ready for me to come in.  I already have two hypo-syringes prepped and ready to go.  If we can just get her to relax, I know I can help her.”

“We ’ll get you in there, Doc.  Just be ready to move when we call you.”  She turned back to Abigail.  “C ’mon, Gay.  Let ’s go take care of the Boss.  I don ’t want to be in charge of this circus any longer than I have to be.  Eli ’s always been better at that.”

Abigail smirked, knowing there was more than a hint of nervousness in her ramblings.  She took Eden ’s hand in hers, willing her to calmness. Eden took another deep breath and nodded her thanks, then motioned for Abigail to lead the way.

Brown eyes couldn ’t see them, but she could hear, and Arianna felt Eli stiffen and her heart rate increase as Eden stepped fully into the room.  A low growl started deep in her chest, and Arianna placed a hand over Eli ’s dragon heart.  “It ’s all right, Amado.  She ’s here to help.”  The growling didn ’t stop, but golden eyes opened again, this time studying Arianna ’s countenance carefully before turning her attention to the two women who had reached the side of the bed she was huddled on.  Abigail reached out a hand first, placing her hand on top of the one Eli had covering Arianna ’s back.  Eli growled again, but after a moment, the sound tapered off as she continued to allow the touch.  In another minute, she felt the hand shift and a new touch took its place.  Eli hesitated, recognizing the presence, but unsure about it as well.  She lifted her head and opened golden eyes wide, studying the new intruder.  Her head cocked as she tried to determine why the new individual felt more familiar to her – not as familiar as her beloved, of course, but still well enough known not to pose a threat.

She snorted a little and dropped her head back down, whining when a blast of pain shot through her.  She growled again when she felt the new touch clasp her hand and remove it from her mate ’s back.  But it was the new voice that made her open her eyes again, though she couldn ’t understand the words.  The cadence was soothing and reassuring, and she felt compelled to listen, even without being able to understand.

Eden released a shallow breath when Eli stopped growling.  She didn ’t know if the dragon could comprehend the words being spoken, but Eden at least felt as though they were making progress.  She tugged lightly on the hand she held, not at all surprised when Eli pulled back, but struck by the nature of her control.  She only yanked hard enough to ‘play ’ , but not hard enough to do damage... to either Eden or Arianna.  Eden repeated the movement, only this time she actually indicated Eli should assume a more seated position.  Eli cocked her head in question, but allowed the development since Arianna shifted with her.

Everything was fine right up to the point that Eli actually sat up.  Her automatic reflex was to shake out her wings and stretch them.  The first shiver sent excruciating pain through her body, and she keened her agony loudly for all to see and hear.  At the same time, she tightened her grip on Eden ’s hand, stunned when, not only did she not pull away, but she simple reached her other hand forward and grasped Eli ’s other arm.  Arianna slipped between the two of them, her back to Eden ’s front with Eli ’s face cupped in her two hands.  Eden braced her feet to withstand the jerking movements Eli continued to make as wave after wave of agony rolled through her, grateful for the strength Abigail was lending her from behind.

Luke saw his chance and entered the room as silently as possible, though nothing seemed to get by Eli even in her injured state – her peripheral vision following his progress.  He stepped up onto the scaffolding Isaac had hurriedly cobbled together when he ’d help transport Eli ’s oversized body down to sickbay.  Arianna tapped the high cheekbone, forcing Eli ’s attention back to her.  She spoke soothingly and Eli panted hard in an effort to keep from crying out again.  She howled when Luke injected the hypospray – from surprise as well as pain – then suddenly cut off with a whimper as her misery shifted into a torment that was mostly manageable.  She continued to breathe heavily in an effort to feel Arianna ’s concern beyond the pain she was experiencing.  After several minutes, she loosened her grip on Eden ’s hands and allowed her arms to fall lax onto her legs. Eden didn ’t move, knowing the worst was yet to come.

“Az?” neither of them removing their gaze from Eli ’s face.  “Doc has still got to straighten out that wing back there.  I need her to hang on to me... or at least let me hang onto her.  We need her back, and the only way that ’s gonna happen is if the Doc fixes her up.  But we need her not to damage him in the process.”

“Or you?”

“Or herself,” Eden corrected gently.  “She won ’t hurt me... not too badly anyway.  I can keep up with her for a little while.  But Luke ’s our only healer until she ’s back to normal, and he knows we need her to take care of Jake ’s arm.  And since he has to stand on that platform to reach where he needs to in order to repair the damage that ’s been done....”  Luke nodded around at them silently, not wanting to set Eli off again, though she appeared pretty mellow now that the first shot had taken effect. 

“So you want me to...?”

“Put her hands back in mine.  After Luke gives her the second shot, it should be okay.  She won ’t feel anything for a little while and he can repair that wing.  With a little luck, that will allow her to finish her transformation.”

“And if it doesn ’t?”

“One thing at a time.  If this doesn ’t work, we ’ll figure out something that will.  But try a little positive thinking and go with the attitude that this is gonna work.  We ’re about due for a break here, ya know?”

Arianna snorted.  “Do I,” more a statement than a question.  “Does the statement, ‘if it weren ’t for bad luck... ’ sound familiar?  Jake explained it to me once... when my life was falling apart around me,” glancing briefly at Eden who recognized the remembered sadness in brown eyes, before turning her attention back to Eli.  She smiled tenderly and got the merest hint of a smirk from the dragon, whose eyes promptly closed when Arianna gently brushed a hand over her scaly face and up between her horns to scratch.  What could have been a growl migrated until it was more of a purr and Eden chuckled.

“That ’s some trick there, Az.  Now, can you get her to give me her hands?  The sooner we can get this done, the better.  I ’ve still got work to do in Engineering, and we ’ve got to take those god people home before we can go to ours... as soon as we figure out where we need to go from here.”

“You don ’t think they might prefer to come with us instead?”

Eden shrugged.  “Not really up to them.  They ’re not supposed to be here.”

Arianna nodded her agreement, but didn ’t comment further.  “Um... Eden?  Do you have bracers or something you can put on your forearms?”

“Not really – why?”

“Because if Eli gouges you with her talons, it ’s likely to make you bleed pretty extensively.  It ’s a wonder she didn ’t already, all things considered.  I know she ’s still in a lot of pain and that shot wasn ’t particularly pleasant.”

“Hey,” Luke said quietly from his spot behind Eli.  “We ’ve got a couple of titanium braces for emergency splints.  If we wrap your arms and put the metal frames over the bandaging, it might give you some protection.”

“Only if you can be fast, Doc. She ’s suffered enough – we need to get this done.”

Luke came out from behind Eli and handed a wrap and a brace to Abigail.  “You take one; I ’ll take the other.  It won ’t take but a minute, and it might even keep her mind off her pain.  After all, it ’s not like we bring out the old-fashioned equipment every day.”

By the time he finished talking, they were done wrapping and had slipped the splints over Eden ’s forearms.  For the first time, Eli deliberately chose to turn her attention away from Arianna, and began to study Eden ’s arms with serious intent.  She rubbed a thumb up and down the metal, allowing her fingers to caress the softness beneath.  So taken was she with this new anomaly that she was taken by complete surprise when Luke hit her with the second hypospray.  Her shock made her clutch Eden ’s arms tightly, nails sliding under the wraps to breech the skin.

“Ow,” was Eden ’s only comment, though she kept her grip firmly on Eli ’s arms, locking them both into place.

“You all right?” Luke queried from Eli ’s other side, waiting a long moment before he felt her slump as the second injection took hold and effectively knocked her out.

“Spectacular, Doc... though I think your idea may have backfired a little bit.  She ’s got her nails pretty firmly embedded in my skin now, thanks to her fascination with that old-fashion technology you had me use.”

“I ’m....”

Eden shook her head.  “Don ’t worry about it.  Just get this done so we can be finished.  I think she knows the damage she can do by pulling out – despite her unconsciousness, she ’s still gripping my arms pretty firmly.  So you need to take care of her so we can extract her talons one by one.”

“They ’re that deep?” Luke asked, even as his attention remained on making the repairs he needed to as quickly as possible.

“Pretty sure she ’s touching bone in a couple places, actually.  Not really the most pleasant sensation I ’ve ever experienced.”  She felt Arianna chuckle.  “What?” she growled defensively.

Arianna shook her head as she took a deep breath.  “Nothing.  I ’m certain Eli would be amused by your description of your injury.  You know how she is about us acting all macha and warrior-like by underplaying our symptoms and the pain we ’re feeling.”

Eden laughed lightly and felt Abigail do the same.  “Yeah, maybe.  But until she ’s up and able to scold me herself, I can do the stoic warrior routine without fear of reprisal.”

“You know she ’s going to remember.”

“And I ’ll look forward to the lecture at that point.  Until then....”

“Until then, I ’ve done all I can do,” Luke announced.  “I ’m going to put a regen unit on her for the next few hours at least and will keep her sedated until she ’s totally healed.  The good stuff doesn ’t seem to be having any adverse effects that I can detect, so I ’m going to make certain she has plenty of time to let her body do its thing.  Once she ’s healed, she ’ll wake up naturally, and if everything is like it ’s supposed to be, she will have resumed her humanoid form.”

“And if not?”

“If not, we ’ll see what we can do to help her make that transition.  But have a little faith, Az.  She ’ll know what to do and when to do it.”

“Kind of like holding onto my arms to keep me from ripping away from her when she dug her claws in,” Eden said.  “I would have done irreparable damage, if not outright bled to death, had she not made sure – even while unconscious – that I didn ’t jerk away.  She ’s got this.”

Arianna nodded, despite the tears in her eyes.  “Can I stay here... with her for a while?  I won ’t be in the way.”

Luke nodded.  “I think you being here will probably help her heal faster.  Put your hand over her heart and let her know you ’re here.  It might help keep her calm while I work on disengaging her from Eden ’s forearms. Gay, I ’m going to need your help with this,” waiting for Abigail to come around to one side.  “If you can help keep Eden still and calm....  You ready?” letting his eyes meet Eden ’s and recognizing the sheer amount of pain she felt.

“As I ’m gonna get.  Let ’s get this done.  I ’ve got work to do.”

Luke nodded once and turned his attention to Eden ’s arm.  Abigail met Eden ’s eyes and said, “Talk to me, Eden.  Tell me something only you know.”  Luke smiled, appreciating the diversionary tactic for what it was.  Just thinking about Abigail ’s question would keep Eden ’s mind too busy to worry about what his hands were doing.

Chapter LIII

Golden eyes slowly blinked open, though the green body they belonged to remained as still as possible.  It remembered all too well the agony it had experienced earlier when it had moved and it was more than a little hesitant to make that mistake again.  There was warmth to one side, and Eli smiled despite herself when she recognized the feel and scent of her mate.  She turned her blonde head slightly, breathing in deeply as her lips caressed the brown hair beneath them.  She covered the hand that was over her heart, relishing the slight clenching she felt that signaled Arianna ’s coming to wakefulness.  After another full minute, sleepy brown eyes blinked open in her direction and a bright smile was turned her way.

“You ’re awake!” Arianna exclaimed with excitement, allowing her hand to slide from Eli ’s chest to her face.  “How do you feel?” studying Eli ’s countenance before she slid from her arms to walk around to the other side of the bed.  Since Eli had regained her natural, humanoid size, the scaffolding was no longer necessary, and Arianna pushed it to one side to allow her to look at the wings that Eli had yet to move.  She ran a hand over the one Luke had so painstakingly healed, grinning when Eli fluttered them in response.  She placed her hand between them and scratched the skin there firmly but gently.  Eli started growling and turned to cut golden eyes back at her, though she never said a word. Arianna grinned impishly.  “Good to know that hasn ’t changed.”  She scratched for another couple of minutes, until the growl became a contented purr, then came back around to stand between Eli ’s legs as she slowly sat up.

Arianna waited for her to extend her wings and shake them out with a satisfied sigh before she spoke again.  “I guess Eden and Luke were right, huh?  You really are all better, aren ’t you?” watching them quiver and shake as Eli slowly put them through their paces before tucking them away.

It took her a moment to realize Eli wasn ’t responding verbally, and she turned her eyes to meet Eli ’s confused, still-golden ones.  It was then that the truth dawned on her.  “Oh no – you haven ’t completely morphed back into your humanoid form, have you?” watching as Eli shook her head sadly.  Her eyes widened.  “But you can understand me now, can ’t you?” seeing a smile light up Eli ’s features as she nodded.  “I love you,” she said softly.

For reply, Eli leaned her forehead against Arianna ’s and focused the love she felt on the bond that still ran between them.  After a moment, Arianna looked up with tears of joy in her eyes.  “I felt that!  Oh, Eli... I felt you again and you feel wonderful!”

Eli smirked a little as she let her hands wander over Arianna ’s body, waggling her eyebrows when that body responded to her.  Arianna rolled her eyes and leered good-naturedly.  “Yes... that feels amazing too!” she conceded.  “I have missed you, Amado.”

Before she could say anything else, Luke entered the room with a clap of his hands.  “You ’re awake – excellent!  How are you feeling?” He walked around to look at her wings, surprised to note she had already tucked them away out of sight.  He traced the skin on her back lightly, and only for a moment before a frown crossed his countenance.  “Eli?” moving to stand in front of her.  “Hmmm....” was his only comment when he noticed her slitted, golden eyes staring back at him.  He reached for his diagnostic device and started running it over and around her even as he turned his attention to Arianna.  “Has she spoken to you at all?”

“Not verbally.”

“But...?”

“But our bond is back like it was before, or mostly, anyway.  I can feel her again without needing Gay to help boost or be a go-between or interpreter, and she can understand when I speak to her now.”

“So her comprehension has returned, but she ’s still unable to respond orally.”  He finished running the scanner over Eli ’s body, and met her eyes... not surprised to find a raised eyebrow facing him.  He gave her a sheepish smile.  “Sorry, Boss.  Do you think you can answer some questions if we keep them to a ‘yes or no ’ reply?”  Eli nodded.  “Good.  First, you should know that the scans aren ’t finding anything wrong with you... at least on a surface level.  We may have to sit down and come up with some more extensive tests, because obviously this is happening for a reason.  We just need to find it.”  She nodded again.  “Okay then – first, do you feel okay?” A nod. “No pain?” Hesitation, then a shake.  Luke cocked his head at her.  “So, some pain, but not enough to mention.  Great... we ’ll come back to that.”  She rolled her eyes at him and gave a little smirk before nodding her head at his perceptiveness.  “Do you remember what happened to you?”  This time she hesitated, then waggled a hand back and forth.  He sighed.  “You remember Mischief?”  A nod.  “You remember your dragon self flying out with Cupid and Aphrodite?” Another nod.  “Do you remember returning to the ship?” A slow shake.  “All right.  How about I let Arianna fill you in on the stuff you ’ve missed, and I ’ll contact Eden.  Pretty sure she ’ll be thrilled to know you ’re back among us again.  I really don ’t think she ’s crazy about that whole ‘being in charge ’ thing.”

Eli snorted and Arianna covered her lips with her hand to try and contain her mirth.  Everyone knew how Eden felt about being the boss.  Luke nodded.  “Exactly,” he said, then moved away to give them a bit of privacy while Arianna brought Eli up-to-date.

Eli listened carefully, a frown marring her features as she listened to Arianna ’s recap.  When she got to the point of Jacob ’s injury, Eli slid from the bed slowly, steadying herself before taking a step.  Arianna was right beside her, placing a cautionary hand on her arm and gazing at Eli with concern.  Eli smiled briefly and patted her arm in assurance, then crossed the room and walked out into the infirmary with determination.

Luke noticed her, and started to move in her direction before a shake of Arianna ’s head stopped him in his tracks.  So they both watched and waited as Eli naturally assumed her role as their chief physician.

She walked to stand beside Cupid ’s bedside first, head tilted in question as she tried to remember what about him seemed so familiar.  She looked at his chart, then ran her eyes over him again as she checked his vitals, the niggling at the back of mind annoying her, but not enough to keep her from moving on.  She repeated the process with Aphrodite, though nearly as confused by her presence.  She gave Aphrodite a thorough scan, then noted something in her chart before she strode to the unit holding both Naomi and Jacob.

Naomi was resting comfortably, her breathing slow and deep as though she was sleeping.  Eli picked up her chart and scanned the Pad, pleased to see all of Luke ’s hard work and efforts on her behalf seemed to be paying off.  She was a long way from healed, but she was much closer to recovering than she was to dying at this point.  Mostly, she needed to rest to allow her body to recuperate and heal.  It would take some time – after all, she had lost quite a bit of blood, but barring some sort of freak incident, Naomi should have a complete recovery.  Eli smiled.  That was one weight off her mind.

She turned to face Jacob, and her smile fell.  Though his being held in stasis meant his condition wasn ’t deteriorating, Eli could easily recognize the damage done – harm she had caused, however inadvertently – to his arm.  She covered her mouth to strangle the sob that wanted to bubble up.  He didn ’t deserve her tears – he warranted her help.  She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.  She would do everything in her power to make this right for him.  He had earned nothing less.

“He would do it again, you know,” Eden whispered in her ear and she wrapped Eli up in a hug from behind.  “He and Isaac were determined that you were going to make it home to us... and to Arianna.  We ’re family, you know.  Any of us would have done the same for any of the rest of us... including you.  Don ’t take that away from him... or from us.”  Eli turned and embraced Eden, gratified with the strength of the hug she returned.  “God, it ’s good to have you back, Boss.  Just do me a favor, huh?” pulling away to meet Eli ’s golden eyes.  “When you fix him up with that new arm, don ’t make him as strong as I am.  I like being able to wrestle him and come out on top.  I don ’t want him having an advantage that could put me at the bottom of the dog pile.  I ’d never hear the end of it.”

Eli couldn ’t help it – she roared with laughter, her face flushing a bright, deep green.  Eden grinned, pleased she ’d managed to break Eli out of her funk, but she rolled her eyes and slid out of Eli ’s arms in apparent exasperation.  “Really??  Laughter??  I come to you and ask you something in all seriousness, and you answer me with laughter??  I get no respect around here.”

She glanced up with mirth twinkling in her black eyes to find Eli looking back at her with her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised almost to her hairline, lips smirking and eyes glinting with mischief.  Eden broke into peals of laughter.  Eli just shook her head.  After a minute, Eden ’s laughter died down to a chuckle, and she drew in a deep breath.  “So, Boss... what ’s the plan?”

Eli turned on her heel and went towards her office.  Eden ’s gaze followed her with confusion, and she turned to meet Arianna ’s eyes when Eli disappeared through the doorway.  Before Arianna or Luke could respond to the question so clearly written in Eden ’s eyes, Eli returned with a Pad in her hands.  Eden frowned.  What was she missing??

Before Eden could formulate a question, Eli had passed her the Pad, and she accepted it without a word.  Her eyes tracked Eli ’s progress back to Jacob ’s bedside, then they turned back to the Pad she held, widening in shock when she realized what the words Eli had written meant.  She looked back at Eli, then at the words again before crossing to stand beside Eli.  “So everything is all right – you ’ve got all your mental faculties and motor skills – except for your ability to speak?” Eli nodded.  “Good – we can work with this situation until we figure out how to fix this little issue,” smirking when a blonde brow arched at her description of Eli ’s condition.  “Look, Boss... this is miniscule.  You got this – sooner or later this little glitch will work itself out.  Meanwhile....”

“Meanwhile, she ’s still recovering from a pretty traumatic injury,” Luke cut in.  Eli placed a gentle hand on his arm and shook her head.  She reached for the Pad, and Eden handed it over without hesitation.  In another moment, she passed it to Luke, who read the words and then studied her carefully.  “Are you sure?”  Eli nodded, and Luke sighed.  “All right.   I want my objection noted.  I think you need more rest first, but I ’d like to be the first, <ahem> the second,” he clarified at Eden ’s glare, “to welcome you back, Boss. It will be a great relief to everyone... especially Eden, though she certainly did a wonderful job of keeping things on track while you were indisposed.”

Eden, stunned beyond words at Luke ’s flattery, flushed a shade of red rarely seen on human skin.  This was why she liked staying in the background – it wasn ’t nearly as embarrassing.  Eli and Arianna exchanged glances and grins, and Arianna stepped up into Eli ’s embrace, even as she reached a hand towards Eden. Black eyes looked down at the warmth, before Eli used a finger to lift Eden ’s chin so she could meet Arianna ’s brown eyes.  “Thank you, Eden.  You managed to keep us all together when Eli couldn ’t.  I... we... appreciate it.  And you.”

She cleared her throat awkwardly.  “Yeah, well... how about we agree to never do any of this again, all right?  Except maybe the dragon thing – that was pretty cool.  But the rest??  Yeah... not so much.”

Eli typed quickly, then handed Eden the Pad back. You ’ll have to continue being my mouthpiece for a little while – just until we can figure out how to fix my voice.  But I ’m willing to assume command again if you ’re sure.

“Sure??  Boss, repeat after me,” giving Eli the Pad again.  “Eden doesn ’t like to be in charge.  Eden does not want the responsibility of making decisions.  Eden is perfectly happy being the second in command and she ’s really good at it.  I will stop doing things that will force Eden to assume command for any length of time,” watching Eli stare at her with a bemused look.  She gestured to the Pad.  “Go on.  Write it down.  I don ’t want you to forget.”  She made shooing motions.  “Go on.”  

Eli scribbled for a minute, then turned the Pad so Eden could see she ’d written down exactly what had been dictated – word for word.  Eden grinned.  “Good.  Now that we have that understood – orders?”