The group of, now seven, went back to the mothership. Marissa had contacted them and said she needed some time, so they left without her. When they returned to the mothership they weren't expecting the welcome they recieved. Many Yautja greeted them. They all let out celebratory roars when Claire, Nadia and Blade unboarded. Claire and Nadia were shook, Blade, however was normal. "What is all this for?" Nadia asked. "You killed a Kiande Amedha queen, mate. By our standards, you are greater than myself and Archer now." Blaze answered her. "Besides you, Seară killed the hybrid. Claire took many trophies, and even freed one of our own." Archer added, Blaze nodded his head once. "But we didn't take any trophies or souvenirs from that." Nadia said. Blaze responded by tapping a claw against his bio-mask. "They know." He simply replied. "But it almost killed us." She said again. "But it didn't. Even if it had you'd still be remembered, Nadia." He told her. Nadia clung to his waist, or at least she started to. One second she was standing and the next she was lifted up onto the shoulders of other Yautja. They did the same thing with Blade and Claire. The Yautja paraded them around for a bit, the roars only getting louder. Claire and Nadia couldn't help but laugh. They hadn't ever seen the Yautja break their character before. Knowing they could celebrate and have a good time just like humans could made them happy. It wasn't always about sacrifice, missions, glory and honor. Claire and Nadia smiled brightly. Roxy of course joined right in with the celebration. Archer looked down at her. He grabbed her waist, and lifted her up and over his head so she was sitting on his shoulders. Roxy just cheered more. Yautja couldn't smile physically, but their eyes could at least reveal it. Currently Archer and Blaze were swelled with pride, and smiles in their eyes. The Yautja all carried them to their ceremonial hall. Noian, the Shaman, and the Elder were all waiting there. When Claire saw the Shaman she smiled brighter and waved at him. The Shaman bowed his head to her. To everyone's surprise, Raptor was there, and Marissa was standing beside him. Even Eli and Alec were there. Beside Noian, a pregnant female Yautja stood with a baby Yautja cradled in her arms. She was grey like Archer, with the markings of Blaze. Roxy gasped. "That's you're mother?" She asked. Archer nodded. "And she's holding?" Roxy questioned. "Our baby brother. She birthed him while we were doing our Chiva." Archer answered again. "And she's pregnant again? Your father is relentless." Roxy commented. Archer snorted. "What makes you think my father incites it?" Archer chuckled. Roxy made an O with her mouth. "But she looks like she should be so sweet..." She added. Archer scoffed. "Our females are many things and sweet is not one." He retorted and Roxy burst into laughter.
When they reached the front of the ceremonial hall, Archer and the rest of the Yautja put the four individuals back on their feet and stepped away. The female Yautja made a gesture with her head to Archer and Blaze. Archer and Blaze approached her. When they did she passed the baby to them. They of course took him, since they hadn't gotten the chance to meet him since he was born. She bowed her head to Blade and Blade returned her gesture. Then her green eyes fell on the three females. She began to walk circles around them, and honestly the humans never felt more threatened. "You have been with my sons for long. Why am I not yet a grandmother." She dead panned. Nadia and Roxy both snorted and quickly covered their mouths. She looked at Blaze and Archer. "Are you two performing poorly in the mating chambers?" She dead panned again and Roxy couldn't contain the laughter. Nadia had her lips pursed and eyes closed trying to hold back her laughter. Archer and Blaze simply shrugged. "Mate... They are different species." Noian tried to defend. The female scoffed. "Different species is no excuse. I want my grand babies." She said stubbornly. "I can assure you Gheaţă performs very well in the mating chambers." Roxy decided to save them. The female looked at her, then to Nadia. "Zgură too." Nadia said as she felt her face heating up. The female nodded in approval. "...May I?" Nadia asked quietly. The female looked at her curiously and Nadia looked to the baby. The female nodded and Nadia smiled going to Blaze who was currently holding the baby. Blaze lowered his arms so Nadia could see. Nadia smiled brightly. His back was black, his abdomen was grey, and the stripes looked like the stripes Blaze had, but they were orange and blue. Nadia looked at the queen and she smiled. "He's beautiful too." The queen dipped her head in gratitude. Claire and Roxy went over to see too. Blaze handed him to them so they could take their turns holding him. Claire noticed Shark was looking curiously. She smiled, tapping Nadia's arm. When Nadia looked at her Claire motioned to Shark with her head. Nadia walked over to Shark and passed the baby to him. Shark trilled as he held the baby. Claire went to Noian whispering to him. Noian nodded as she spoke. "Sineală." Noian said and Shark looked at him, bowing his head. He passed the baby back to Nadia. "If you are fine with it. Claire and Seară would like to care for you." He said. Shark glanced to Claire and Seară. Claire smiled at him brightly and tenderly. Shark nodded once. Claire squealed and she rushed to Shark hugging him tightly. Shark hugged her too. Blade cooed watching his mate embrace their now adopted son. She definitely didn't have that discussion with him. He'd have said yes regardless though. "In celebration of their achievements, tonight, we feast!" Noian announced. As usual the ceremonial hall erupted into roars. The girls cheered right along with them. After that, everyone was dismissed to begin their preparations for the party.
Blade and Claire showed Shark to his new room, which was Claire's old room before her and Blade got together. After they left him they went to their room. "It's good he's mostly okay." Claire said. Blade shook his head. Claire looked at him. "What do you mean?" She questioned. "Archer only said that to reassure everyone. There was some tearing and scarring. But the boy is Yautja. So he will be fine." Blade signed. Claire almost screamed. But she covered her mouth instead as she felt tears stinging her eyes. Blade pet her hair. "As Yautja, we aren't as scarred by those things as a human may be. Once he heals, and begins our ways he will forget it." Blade signed to reassure her. Claire nodded, but she still couldn't help the quiet sobbing that happened. "This is a happy day, mate. He is safe now thanks to you." Blade signed. Claire nodded forcing herself to smile. When the celebration began it was even better than they expected. Thanks to the humans there was music, the Yautja provided all the food and drinks, and again thanks to the humans there was dancing and games too. Shark had found some Yautja his age and they were sticking together. Blade was right, he was completely fine. Claire smiled watching them. Nadia rushed over grabbing Claire and Marissa. She dragged them to the dance floor. The humans all began dancing. The Yautja watched in fascination and curiosity. They started pulling random Yautja to the floor to make them dance as well. Blade of course was dancing with Claire. Meaning he just stood behind her, and held her waist as she moved her hips in front of him. "You know what I would kill to see?" Roxy randomly mentioned and the humans looked at her. The group had decided to take a temporary break. "What?" Nadia asked."K-pop, but imagine they were Yautja instead. Y-pop." She stated, and the group snorted. "I don't think they can sing, Roxy." Eli mentioned. "Also k-pop idols are beautiful by human standards. Show Yautja and they will probably grab pitch forks and burn the place down." Marissa agreed. "But just imagine the fan service." Roxy said practically drooling. "Rox, I'm sure Archer would give you a private show." Nadia said as she laughed. The group looked at Eli. Eli raised a brow. "You want to teach Archer how to dance?" Roxy questioned. Eli rolled his eyes. "If they want to learn sure. But I doubt they want to learn because to them it has no point." Eli replied. Roxy scoffed. "The point is it's hot, and fun and it'll make me happy." She said and Eli chuckled. "Honestly I'm more curious about Marissa. Since when did Raptor let you get close?" Claire said as she wriggled her eyebrows. Marissa grinned. "Since I strapped him to a table." She said quietly. "Ohh, good for you." Claire said grinning. The rest of the girls squealed.
The celebration lasted for quite a long time. The humans passed out long before the Yautja got even close. Their stamina was off the charts. Blaze had to carry a sleeping Nadia to their room. Blade had to carry Claire back as well. Roxy was still awake, but definitely drunk. Archer walked her to their room supporting her weight and catching her when she'd stumble. Eli, Alec and Marissa had left a few hours prior. Blaze and Blade both had to strip their mates and gave them sponge baths before they tucked them into bed. Archer was currently struggling to pry Roxy off of himself. "Roxeanne. It's hard to bathe either of us if you do not let go." Archer said patiently. Roxy just groaned and held him tighter. Archer sighed. He decided he'd do his best. He stripped off Roxeanne's clothes. Fortunately she let go enough for that to happen before immediately gluing herself to him again. He also managed to get his own articles off. Then he got them both into the tub after filling it with water. He prepared the soap and began to wash her hair and her body. Again she let him go just long enough for him to reach what he needed before clinging again. When he was finished washing her, he made sure he also rinsed her. Then he moved on to himself. While he cleaned himself Roxy didn't let go even once. If anything she tried to press closer. Naturally Archer let her and worked around her. When he was done he got them both out of the tub and began to dry her and himself. After that he guided her to the bed, and laid down with her. The moment he did she squished herself against his side and buried her face in his neck. He held onto her and they fell asleep together.
The next morning the Yautja were right as rain, but all the humans had hangovers. Blaze nudged Nadia. Nadia just groaned covering her head with a pillow. Blaze chuckled and then slipped out of the bed. He got dressed and then headed out of the room. He decided to head to the laboratory. He went to the medics and got a sort of hangover remedy. He then returned to their room. He ordered her a nice bowl of porridge. He wasn't sure what she liked but he put honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon in it. When that was done he walked over to her. "Nadia eat something. I have some medicine to help you." Blaze said. Nadia groaned more. "Don't make me force feed you." He said and she groaned again, but slowly sit up. Squinting and holding her temples. Blade was sitting on the edge of the bed a foot away from her. He took a spoonful of the porridge and held it to her mouth. Nadia reluctantly took the bite pouting the whole time. Blaze continued feeding her and she continued to accept the bites. When he was satisfied with how much she ate, he opened the package and dropped the capsule in her hand. Then he offered her a glass of water. She popped the capsule in her mouth and nearly gagged. She took the glass quickly and drank the whole thing. After she was done she had the ultimate Mr. Yuck face and Blaze laughed. "Are you sure that was a remedy and not a toxin?" She shuddered. Blaze had an amused gleam and he chuckled. He hugged her, his mandible touched the side of her head. It was their best attempt at kissing without making out. Nadia smiled. "Go back to sleep. You'll feel good as new when you wake up." He said as he stood. Nadia took his hand. "Where are you going?" She asked. "We've got an assignment." He replied and Nadia looked at him incredulously. "Not you guys. You are to stay here for this one." He said. Nadia frowned. "So it's dangerous isn't it?" She asked. "When do we ever do things not dangerous, my love?" He questioned. Nadia turned bright red, and almost melted. He pressed his mandibles to her forehead. "Sleep." He said and then turned and left. Blade had already left a sleeping Claire, and Archer left a sleeping Roxy as well. The trio then set out on their mission.
---------------6 Months Later---------------
Roxy and even Claire were pissed. "How do you just up and leave without saying goodbye!? Especially when it's going to take so long!" Roxy seethed. Claire nodded in agreement. Nadia was just quiet. Shark and Raptor were in the room watching Roxy pace. Eli, Marissa and of course Alec were there as well. "To make it worse they haven't even said a damn word! How do we know they're even alive!?" She yelled. "They've never taken this long! Something is wrong. Something had to have happened. Raptor! You're an Elite. Find them!" Raptor just looked at her. "Yes I'm Elite, not a Tracker." He said plainly. Roxy groaned in frustration. "If they were in trouble we'd have a distress signal by now." Raptor explained. "Some missions just run long." He added. "Just you wait. When he gets back here we are divorcing." Roxy vented. "You cannot divorce if you were never married. Mating doesn't work like that." Raptor said exasperated. Roxy glared at him jabbing a finger in his chest. Marissa tensed. "I do not believe in all the years you've been alive you've never tracked something." She snapped. Raptor pushed her finger away from his chest, and Marissa relaxed. "Of course I have tracked before. But it is not my job to be at your beckon call when one of my princes is AWOL because he's on assignment." Raptor clapped back. "I'm an Elite. Not a baby sitter holding a leash on your mates." He added. "If you are too emotional to listen to reason I am done with trying to reassure you,
as I am clearly wasting my breath and my time. Sineală come." He finished and walked out. Shark hugged Claire briefly and then followed. Since Seară had been gone since they brought Shark back, Raptor was the one that had been training him the entire time. Roxy screamed in frustration and flopped on the bed. "I'm just worried why do they never understand that?" Roxy grumbled. Eli sat by Roxy and rubbed her back. She sighed and used his lap as a pillow, hugging his leg. "It'll be okay, Rox. Raptor is the straightest shooter of them all. If he says they're okay then they're okay. Besides, don't you all have more pressing things? Like a day out with a certain pregnant queen?" Eli offered. Roxy jolted up. "Shit!" She yelled. Even Claire and Nadia gasped and got wide eyed. All three rushed out.
"I will not ask why you three are late. I assume that it has something to do with your mates and them being gone from your sides for quite long now." The queen stated as she watched their orange and blue striped son crawl around on the ground. The girls sighed and nodded sadly. "When Noian went on missions, what was the longest he was ever gone?" Claire asked. The queen tilted her head as she rubbed her round belly. "I believe the longest ever was a year and some odd months." She replied and the girls immediately wilted. "Listen, daughter-in-laws. To make this easier on yourselves, you must accept the fact that our males disappear from time to time. They become hard to contact. Until one day they never come back." She said. Claire and Nadia had to choke back the whimpers that almost came out at the thought. "I believe you all have almost lost your mates once already. It is time for you to accept the idea their deaths will come, inevitably so. And be wiser for it. This is harsh, but it is the reality you chose when you chose to have affection for our kind. You have to be strong and balanced." She said. The women nodded blinking their tears away. "On a lighter subject, I've been in talks with our medical and science staff. They've manufactured a way for you to be able to carry a child from your mates if you choose it. The children of course will be hybrids, but if they mate with Yautja in the future the child will be pure Yautja blood. On the other hand if they choose a human as a mate then their offspring will be fully human." She said and the girls made an O shape with their mouths. After that the subjects were much more pleasant.
The women returned to their rooms after spending a few hours with the queen. Nadia entered her and Blaze's room. She froze when she saw his armor was on the wall. She sprinted into the bathroom and found him in the process of stripping. He looked up at her, but before he could say a word she tackled him. They both ended up falling into the bathtub with a big splash. Blaze quickly sat up with Nadia taking a breath because they both went under water. Nadia immediately grabbed his cheeks and forced her tongue into his mouth. Blaze reciprocated and their tongues danced together. Nadia continued kissing him until she was out of breath and had no choice but to break it. Blaze looked at her. Once again, before he could speak, she caught her breath and plunged her tongue into his mouth again. She had him pushed against the side of the tub, and was straddling his lap as they kissed. She couldn't seem to get close enough to him as she pressed into him. Claire returned to her and Blade's room. To her surprise, Blade was sitting on his usual spot on the floor, meditating. Claire walked over to him. She poked his shoulders and slightly pushed him. She also quickly jumped back when he was solid. Blade looked at her, his eyes lighting up as he trilled. Claire stared at him as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't even be angry anymore because she was so happy he was back. She got on her knees and she hugged him as she cried into his neck. Blade hugged her too, cooing gently as he stroked her hair. Claire crawled into his lap, never letting him go and still crying into his neck. Blade held her and let her until she was done like always. On Roxy's way back to her and Archer's room, she froze as she thought for sure she saw him. Roxy just shook it off and continued on her way. She was only imagining things. When she got to her room, her eyes narrowed because she saw the door closing. She snuck over to the door, activating her armor. She also extended the wrist blades. She entered their code. As soon as the door opened, she charged in, slicing at the intruder with her wrist blades. The intruder dodged her attack. She realized then that he was Archer. However, she didn't stop attacking. With a frustrated yell she attempted to kick him but he caught her foot. That is when she jumped and kicked him with her free leg. Archer stumbled back and rubbed his jaw. Roxy then went to punch him. Instead of truly punching him though, she just hit his chest lightly and repeatedly. "Why didn't you say goodbye first, you big bastard!?" She lectured. "You were hung over and sleeping I didn't want to disturb you." He replied. "I don't care if I'm half dead! When you have a mission that can take half a year you say goodbye!" She cried. Angry tears slipping down her cheeks as her armor revealed her face. "We didn't hear from you, we couldn't tap into your masks, we couldn't find you. No one knew if you were alive or dead, but we all thought the worst!" She sobbed. Archer just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. They both hugged each other tightly. "I'm sorry, Roxeanne. I will tell you next time. I promise." He said. She buried her face in his diaphragm as she cried, tightly gripping his netting. When she got over her initial reaction, she threw him onto the bed and climbed on top. She even tore the netting from his body. Archer was shocked to say the least. She leaned down, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, she laced it with his as she cupped the sides of his face. The next thing she ripped from his body was the loincloth. She made her armor fully deactivate as she straddled him, and even stripped herself. "I hope you slept well during these six months. Because now we are going to have make-up sex until you pass out." She said as she traced her finger along his mandibles, jaw and neck. Archer simply nodded and she smiled brightly as she buried her tongue in his mouth once more.
Meanwhile, Nadia already fucked Blaze's brains out and they were currently cuddled together in bed. "I'm glad you at least said goodbye. Archer and Blade didn't. Claire and Roxy were furious." She couldn't help but giggle softly. Her head laying on his chest as she drew lazy shapes on one of his pecs, or traced the muscle. Blaze of course was letting her as he gently tickled her arm. Nadia turned her head to place a few kisses on the pec she was using as a pillow. She also randomly bit him, causing him to jump. Nadia giggled as she kissed and sucked the pain away. Once again leaving him a nice hickey. She then slid back over his body to straddle him again. "Round two, ding." She grinned. Blaze got an amused gleam in his eyes in response. Claire was also in bed with Blade. She hadn't jumped his bones like Nadia and Roxy did with their Yautja boyfriends. She was just too happy he was back and fine. She wanted the moment to last. So they cuddled, and were also watching a movie currently. Claire was sitting up and Blade was laying down, holding onto her and using her lap as a pillow. They decided to watch a movie called Avatar. It was a long movie, but there were aliens, humans, action and romance. There was also a red head even though she dies in it. Claire knew that, but Blade didn't. When she was hurt Blade growled, when she died he trilled sadly and held onto Claire tighter. Claire smiled and began to stroke his tendrils. When the movie was over she laid down as well, sliding farther under the covers. Blade opened his arms to let her adjust. When she was comfortable he wrapped his arms around her and he held her again. They fell asleep in each other's arms once more, for the first time in six long months.