“How close was Hannah? How do you know her name?" Damien asked quietly. The boys were talking about the compound during the battle, but he didn't understand how or when they would have come across Hannah.

“When we were in the compound, she dropped out of the sky," Mycah said plopping down on Dara's thigh facing the family.

“The tall, thin aliens were coming toward us and she cut them in half. They cut her, too, but she just roared at them.”

My mouth dropped open and I felt the same amazement from Damien and his Brothers. We had not known aliens had gotten into the compound. No one would have dreamed they'd been that near the children.

"Ra came, too, and then the Warriors all came running. Hannah and Ra made all the aliens fall down and then they talked to the Warriors," Mycah said as his hands explored Dara's talons as her hand lay at his waist.

We sat in continued amazement as Mycah blithely explained how Hannah had introduced herself and quickly taught the Warriors how to fight aliens. She told the Warriors how the aliens moved and how to destroy them quickly. As she talked, she'd plucked Mycah's family from their hiding place and demanded the men put the curious boys in a safer spot.

“War is not a place for Little boys!" Mycah said wagging his finger at us, as he must have seen Hannah do. "You have to do a better job watching them!"

None of us knew what to say and I looked at Kennedy to find her expression sheepish.

"You were worrying so much about him, Mama," she said softly stroking Aiden and Jonathan as they sat on her lap.

“We didn't want you to panic if you heard that. If the men told Damien and his Brothers...we thought we'd just let it happen if it did.”

"No secrets, Sweet Girl," Christof said mimicking the pet name I'd given her. "Mama can't be strong if we don't treat her Like an equal. You have to trust that she'll make the right decision."

Kennedy rolled her eyes in a very human gesture and hmphed before she spoke again.

“Like tearing down the mountain on a transport trying to get into the tunnels?" she asked quietly.

“Be respectful," Bane chastised, “Mama was upset. Many of us wanted to do the same thing when we heard what was going to happen. We all worried for the young ones.”

Kennedy apologized, sounding somewhat like a sulking teenager, and I admitted to my mistake. What I'd done had been foolish. I assured the girls I wasn't going to do that sort of thing again. Protecting our family would be a shared job, as it should be.

We sat and talked for a while longer and the conversation was pleasant. Damien watched Mycah's Little family and knew they were still healing. With no more excitement they started to become sluggish and sleepy. Paterian men healed when they rested and the boys were slipping toward doing that. We would let them rest out here with the family for now.

Mycah's family stayed with Kennedy and her Sisters and, soon, started to doze as the girls held them. They fought to stay awake, but the warm, soft hair covering Kennedy and her Sisters made a nice place to cuddle. The little family started to stretch for sleep as their eyes closed.

Niah was pushed off Eve's thigh and Looked blearily around as Molly and I watched trying not to Laugh. His Brother, Rees, had stretched out and unintentionally shoved him off. He looked disgruntled at the loss of his space.

“Niah, baby," I called out, "come sit with me."

The little boy dragged himself over so I could pull him up on my Lap. He stretched out across Molly and me, quickly falling asleep. My new friend was tentative as she stroked the young boy. He sighed and snuggled against us, absolutely at ease. I felt her tremble and looked over to see tears in her eyes.

"I long to see my baby boy," she said softly.

‘You absolutely will," Dara said as Mycah snoozed on her Lap. "Hannah and her Sister are championing your cause. They are being quite persistent about it.”