Page 23 of Alien’s Love Child

CHAPTER 23

JESSE

T he mountain breeze carries the scent of fresh-baked cake through the open windows. Leo bounces on his toes, watching Paraxan put the finishing touches on his masterpiece - a spacecraft-shaped confection complete with tiny edible thrusters.

"Is that my ship?" Leo presses his nose against the counter edge.

"Better." Paraxan's whiskers twitch. "It's a Kaleidian battlecruiser, like the ones your father flew."

"Papa! Look!" Leo tugs at Davin's pants. "Uncle Para made your ship!"

"That's impressive craftsmanship." Davin lifts Leo for a better view. "Though I don't remember the hull being quite so... purple."

"Artist's interpretation," Paraxan says with dignity, though I catch his slight smile.

Rena bursts through the front door, arms laden with wrapped packages. "Sorry I'm late! The local security checkpoint was a nightmare."

"Aunt Rena!" Leo squirms free of Davin's grip and races to hug her legs.

"Careful with those!" Taluk follows behind, juggling more gifts. "Some of them are actually breakable."

"Unlike your last attempt at cargo handling," Rena teases, making Taluk's scales flush darker red.

"That was one time-"

"Three times," I correct, helping him with the packages. "Remember the crystalline sculptures on Fur?"

"Or the liquid nitrogen containers on Entares?" Rena adds.

"Or the-" Paraxan begins.

"Okay, okay!" Taluk throws his hands up. "Can we focus on the birthday boy instead of my past mishaps?"

Leo beams at the attention, already eyeing the pile of presents. "Can I open them now?"

"Cake first," I say firmly. "Then presents."

"But Mama..."

"Listen to your mother," Davin says, ruffling Leo's silver hair. "Trust me, some things are worth waiting for."

The look he gives me makes my chest tight with happiness. Three years ago, I never imagined we'd be here - safe, together, surrounded by family. Different species, different backgrounds, but bound by something stronger than blood.

"Make a wish, little captain," Rena says as we gather around the cake.

Leo screws up his face in concentration, then blows out all three candles in one determined puff.

Smoke curls from the extinguished candles as Taluk leans forward, his scales catching the afternoon light. "So what'd you wish for, little man?"

"Taluk!" Rena swats his arm. "You can't ask that. If he tells us, it won't come true."

"Human superstitions." Paraxan's whiskers twitch as he begins cutting the cake. "On Odex, we believe sharing wishes multiplies their power. The more beings who know, the stronger the intention grows."

"I wished for a real spaceship!" Leo bounces in his seat, silver hair flopping. "Like Papa's, but bigger! With lasers and-and a jump drive and-"

"Whoa there, pilot." Davin's hand settles on Leo's shoulder. "Maybe we start with something smaller. Like a training simulator?"

"But Papa-"

"Your father's right." I catch Leo's disappointed pout. "Besides, what would you do with a whole spaceship?"

"Take everyone on adventures!" Leo spreads his arms wide. "Mama can drive, and Papa can shoot bad guys, and Uncle Para can fix the engine, and Aunt Rena can do the maps, and Uncle Taluk can..." He pauses, scrunching his face. "Uncle Taluk can carry stuff!"

"Hey!" Taluk protests as Rena doubles over laughing.

"At least he knows your strengths," Paraxan says dryly, sliding a piece of cake onto Leo's plate.

The purple frosting already stains Leo's fingers as he digs in, spaceship dreams temporarily forgotten in favor of sugar. I lean into Davin's side, watching our makeshift family crowd around the table, trading jokes and stories like currency.

My chest tightens as I watch Rena help Leo lick purple frosting off his fingers. The encrypted channels we used to contact them might've been secure, but nothing's truly safe anymore. One slip, one traced communication...

"You're doing that thing again." Davin's voice breaks through my spiral. His blue fingers brush my shoulder.

"What thing?"

"That worry-crease between your eyes." He taps my forehead. "The one that shows up when you're overthinking."

"I'm not-"

"Remember the time Jesse triple-checked the nav computer during that milk run to Sector Four?" Rena cuts in, wiping Leo's sticky face. "Nearly drove me crazy with the recalculations."

"That milk run turned into a chase with three patrol ships," I counter.

"And we lost them." Taluk grins, his scales gleaming. "Because you planned for every contingency."

Paraxan's massive form shifts as he serves another slice of cake. "The Old Ways teach us that family gatherings strengthen the spirit. The risk of coming together is always worth the reward."

Leo climbs into my lap, smearing frosting on my shirt. "Mama, can Uncle Para tell the story about the time you saved his ship from the pirates?"

"That's not exactly a birthday story, sweetheart."

"Please?" His silver hair tickles my chin as he looks up at me. "Uncle Taluk says it's the best one!"

Watching my old crew - my family - gathered around this tiny table in our hidden home, I realize something. We might be fugitives, but we're fugitives together. The warmth in my heart grows, melting away the ice of paranoia.

"Well," I say, hugging Leo close. "It all started when Uncle Para's navigation system went dark..."

While the others fuss over Leo and a game of Pin the Tail on the Dronkai, Davin and I slip onto the back porch. The mountain air nips at my skin, carrying the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers.

"Mom would've loved this." I lean against the railing. "She always said birthdays needed proper celebrating. Dad would've smuggled in some ridiculously expensive toy from Earth."

"They sound like good people."

"They are. Were. I don't even know anymore." My throat tightens. "Last I heard, they were running cargo through the Badlands. But that was before..." I wave my hand vaguely. "Everything."

Davin's blue fingers cover mine on the railing. "My father died thinking I was just another military drone. Mother remarried, moved to some Ataxian world. Haven't spoken to her in years."

"We're quite the pair, aren't we?" The sounds of laughter drift through the open window - Rena's bright giggle, Leo's squeal of delight, Taluk's deeper chuckle. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm being selfish, keeping them all tied to us like this."

"They chose to be here."

"Did they? Or did I drag them into this mess?"

"The way I remember it," Davin's thumb traces circles on my hand, "you tried to talk them out of coming. Rena threatened to steal your ship if you didn't let her visit."

"True." I can't help smiling. "And Paraxan said something about the Old Ways demanding family bonds transcend physical distance."

"See? They're here because they want to be. Because this-" He gestures toward the window where Taluk is apparently doing some kind of interpretive dance that has Leo howling with laughter. "This is family. Different species, different worlds, but family all the same."

"When did you get so wise?"

"Must be all that purple frosting. Goes straight to the brain."

I snort, leaning into his solid warmth. Inside, our strange, wonderful family continues celebrating, and for now, that's enough.

Leo tears into the wrapping of his first present, purple frosting still smeared across one cheek. My fingers twitch with the urge to wipe it clean, but I force myself to stay put on the couch.

"A pilot's jacket!" He holds up the miniature leather coat, practically vibrating with excitement. "Like Aunt Rena's!"

"Try it on, squirt." Rena helps him slip his arms through the sleeves. The jacket's a bit big, but he'll grow into it.

"Now you look like a proper spacer," Taluk says, his scales catching the light as he hands Leo another package.

My eyes dart to the windows. The sun's setting, casting long shadows across our living room. Perfect cover for anyone watching-

Davin's hand finds mine, squeezing gently. Right. Focus on the present.

"Mama, look!" Leo brandishes a toy blaster, complete with flashing lights. "Uncle Para made it!"

Paraxan's whiskers twitch with pride. "Carved from mountain oak. The lights run on solar power."

"What do we say?" I prompt.

"Thank you!" Leo launches himself at Paraxan's massive frame, barely reaching the Odex's waist.

"Here's mine." Taluk passes over a lumpy package. "Sorry about the wrapping. Some of us didn't inherit Jesse's smuggler's touch."

"You mean her obsessive need to make everything perfect?" Rena dodges my half-hearted swat.

Leo's gasp draws my attention back. He's holding a model spaceship, each detail meticulously painted. "It's your ship, Mama! The old one!"

"How did you-" I start.

Taluk shrugs, scales darkening slightly. "Had some time between jobs. Thought the kid should know his heritage."

My throat tightens as Leo zooms the model through the air, making engine noises. Maybe our past isn't something to hide from after all.

Leo's curled under the table, silver hair splayed across the floor, clutching his model ship like a teddy bear. Cake crumbs dust his cheeks, and his new pilot's jacket bunches around his shoulders. My heart swells at the sight.

"Remember that run through the Nexus Belt?" Rena's voice drops low as she helps me gather wrapping paper. "When those patrols had us pinned?"

"You mean when you pulled that insane spiral maneuver?" Taluk grins, his scales catching the lamplight. "Thought I was gonna lose my lunch."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"The ship's never been quite the same," Paraxan rumbles, whiskers twitching. "That stress on the port thrusters-"

"Worth it to see those patrol ships crash into each other." I stack plates, trying to ignore the familiar itch in my fingers. The need to wrap them around a control yoke, feel the thrum of engines beneath my feet.

"We miss you in the captain's chair." Rena touches my arm. "The routes aren't the same without your crazy schemes."

"Things change." My throat tightens as I watch Leo shift in his sleep, the toy ship making soft scraping sounds against the floor. "Some things matter more than a good adrenaline rush."

"Who says you can't have both?" Taluk leans forward, voice eager. "We could-"

"No." Davin's tone brooks no argument. "We discussed this."

"But with proper precautions-"

"The answer's no." I meet each of their eyes in turn. "I appreciate the offer, but Leo needs stability. Safety. Not a life running from port to port, always looking over our shoulders."

"Like we're doing now?" Rena arches an eyebrow.

"That's different." I gesture to Leo's sleeping form. "This is... manageable. Controlled. Out there? One wrong move and..." The words stick in my throat.

Silence falls, broken only by Leo's soft breathing and the distant cry of night birds.

Nothing else needs to be said on the matter.