Cale stepped into the living room, illuminated by the bluish-white light of the moon through the window. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness as he spotted Gabe on the recliner and Rile on the end of the couch.

          "I want to know why she left the hospital," Gabe said.

          "How's it feel to want?" Rile sneered.

Cale let out an exasperated sigh. "I suggest we follow Alex's request," he said, his tone firm and devoid of emotion. He slouched onto the couch and patted the seat next to him. Rile plopped down, shoving Cale with a huff. Gabe took a more proper seat at the edge of the couch away from Cale's reach.

Rile leaned over to his middle brother and whispered, "He's a jerk."

Cale smiled before he replied in an equally low voice, "He can't help himself. The eldest son and our team leader has his own pressures."

         "Stop sticking up for him," Rile muttered.

         "No." Cale shook his head slowly. "I have my job too." With that, he curled up against Rile's side and closed his eyes.

***

Cale and Rile had been sleeping in a tangled embrace until the faint, wrenching sound of weeping floated from Alex's bedroom. They untangled themselves with a silent sigh and crept to the door on their toes. They pressed their tympanums to it.

          "What are you doing?" Gabe's voice broke through the silence like a gunshot.

They froze at Gabe's voice.

          "Keep it down, idiot," Rile hissed. "I don't want to be blasted."

          "Clan bed, Gabe," Cale said. "Our teammate needs us. Now be quiet." Cale turned the doorknob. "Alex, it's Cale. Please don't blast me." Cale took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob. He stepped into the room to find Alex curled up in a ball on her bed, tears streaming down her face. Gabe was close behind him, standing nervously at the door.

She sniffled and shook her head, "Go away stalker. Please?"

          Cale took a few steps closer and knelt by the bed. "Please let me check that chest tube site," he said as he gently touched her arm.

          "It's fine," Alex murmured, not looking up from her blanket cocoon. "Go away, please?"

"Gabe is angry and won't curl up with me," Cale said, rubbing his arms for warmth. "I'm freezing and stiff."        

Alex looked up at the two boys from her cocoon with concern in her eyes. "You are? Where's Rile? Isn't he with you?"

Rile appeared from the shadows, rubbing his shoulder. "Right here. Those Anolis females beat me up pretty thoroughly, so I can't help Cale out with the cold."        

Alex scowled. "Fire truck all those Anolis females for hurting y'all. Get in and warm up," she said gesturing towards the blanket pile. She shifted onto her side to create the perfect cuddle space for two more. "One of you on each side of me for maximum body heat. No talking. Definitely no praying—it has the opposite effect."

          "No praying," Rile said cheerfully.

He squeezed in on the bed as did his brother. They all were like three peas in a pod — though the creaking and groaning of the mattress suggested otherwise.

Alex said, "I'll order y'all an electric blanket off the internet tomorrow. I've never seen one in a store here."

          Gabe stepped into the room, and his gaze settled on Cale and Alex curled up together under the blankets. "What is going on?"

          "Shut up," Cale said, a low rumble that seeped out of the middle brother. "Either get in with us or leave."

          "Since when do you tell me to shut up?" Gabe asked in astonishment.

          "Since your brain stopped working around Alex. Now shut up or leave," Cale laid his head back down, daring to snuggle a bit closer to her.       

Alex put the pillow over her head. "Sleeping now."

Gabe slid next to Cale, stirring up the fresh, clean scent of Cale's hide with that hint of eucalyptus.

*****

The morning sunbeams slowly brightened the room. It cast warm, honeyed hues on the crumpled sheets of the bed, where four figures lay tucked like fledglings in a nest.

Alex stirred from her slumber, blinking groggily at the surroundings. "Razz?" Alex's hand squeezed Cale's shoulder.

          "No, but I'm here," Rile whispered.

          "Is Razz okay?" Alex turned blurry eyes to where Rile nestled.

          "He's fine. You freed him. Good job." Rile stroked her hair.

          "No." Alex blinked her eyes to clear them and she breathed deeply to calm her usual awakening panic. "No, not good job. New Kuni, same system, same slavery for the Anolis males." She lay her head back down. "Uhm, Cale, why are you here?"

He shifted uncomfortably and met her gaze. "Clan bed, Alex. I'm just sleeping next to you, not with you. Do you want us to leave?"

She rubbed her face and said, "Yes, I need a hot shower. There's nothing for breakfast here, so let's go out after my shower. At least the credit card companies aren't discriminating against me yet. I'll register with a temp agency after we grab some breakfast."

          "Can you shower with a fresh chest tube wound?" Gabe asked. "Doesn't it need to close? I remember the human healer telling me that."

Alex carefully sat up on the edge of the bed, cradling her side. Her voice was tight as she replied, "That's right, your girlfriend stabbed me. Your pregnant girlfriend. Get out." 

"She wasn't, isn't," Gabe started.

          "Her words were brittle and sharp as she snapped at him. "What part of 'get out' didn't you understand?"

Rile let out a deep belly laugh that filled the entire room. "Probably both parts," he said through his chuckles.

Gabe responded with a fierce hiss-growl, causing Rile to jump out of bed with a matching hiss of his own.

"Ow," Alex said, more annoyed than pained by being jostled. She frowned and touched her sore side before continuing, "Fire truck not being able to take a shower. You two macho morons beat the crap out of each other while Cale and I go to breakfast."         

Cale offered her a hand. She studiously did not take it when she climbed out of bed but smiled at him so as not to offend him.

          "I love sweats," Alex said, pushing his hair out of her eyes. "I can sleep in them and go out in them. We'll find a diner, Cale."

          "I'm coming," Rile said. "I want to eat more than I want to fight with Not-So-Perfect-Eldest-Son."

          "Always your appetites first," Gabe said.

          "I didn't impregnate an Anolis female," Rile replied slyly and flicked his tongue at him. 

Gabe rushed him and the fight was on.

Alex and Cale exited the bedroom. There was a loud thud as Rile knocked Gabe to the ground.

          "Wait for me!" Rile yelled.

          "No," Alex replied. "Better make sure Gabe is down for the count."

          There was another thud followed by Rile's yelp of pain.

          "He didn't," Cale said.

          "I'm hungry," Alex replied, without skipping a beat. "Let's go." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Cale and Alex strolled in solitude down the shady avenue. Cale glanced at Alex, obviously hoping to spark a conversation. Alex kept her gaze fixed on the leafy canopy of the live oak trees or the large cracks that lined the sidewalk concrete. The only sound that filled the air was from the few cars that navigated past them, squeezing between two rows of parked cars along either side of the narrow street.

Alex's voice suddenly changed its pitch, and her eyes flashed with an idea. "I changed my mind. Let's go to Atchafalaya Café," she said, already tugging on Cale's hand. They flew through the air, a blur of motion, and before either of them could blink, they were standing in an alleyway, just around the corner from the café.

         "They're known for their bloody Mary bar on Sundays," Alex continued, "but it isn't Sunday. I'm holding out for a martini, but a Mimosa will do in case they get picky about it being morning." She grinned, pulling Cale along until they reached the entrance.

***

The hostess gave them a knowing look as she led them to the back booth that Alex had requested. Cale slid into the booth next to Alex, rather than across from her, and she couldn't hide her surprise. Before she could comment, the server appeared with a pad of paper in hand. With a single raised eyebrow at Alex's martini order, he turned to Cale and asked for his preference. Cale smiled sweetly and requested a Mimosa, which brought an approving nod from the waiter.

The server handed them menus. "Would you like some time to decide?"

          "I don't think so," Cale told him politely, and then asked Alex, "What do you recommend?"

          "Everything. Close your eyes and point at the menu." Alex demonstrated.

Cale followed suit, and the waiter took their order with the same aplomb. When the appetizer came, Cale laid his hand on Alex's, apparently ignoring the heavenly scent of blue crab ravioli.

Cale bowed his head and clasped his hands together. "Let's pray," he murmured.

Alex rolled her eyes, but then shrugged and set down her fork. "Let's not," she said firmly, gesturing towards the steaming dish. "I'll get food poisoning.": She scooped up a ravioli and popped it into her mouth. "Aren't you hungry?"

Cale ignored her comment and prayed. "We thank You, Creator of All, for the food You have provided us. May we use it in Your service."      

"Killing bad guys," Alex said.

          "Executing murderers," Cale corrected. "We don't kill just any criminal."

          "I concede. Not such a bad prayer," Alex admitted. "Mention executing murderers more often."

          "As you wish." Cale picked up his fork.

"Mention killing fire truck Anolis females, too."

          "Next prayer," Cale said.

          "I'll listen to that one." Alex raised her martini glass to him.

"Mission accomplished." Cale started eating.

After the appetizer and two martinis, Cale made his move. He laid his hand on Alex's, firmly trapping it against the table, and scooted close to her.

"Tell me why you're so upset, why you're returning to your ways of self-destruction and crying at night."

Alex stiffened and tried to scoot out of the booth. Cale neatly locked his ankles around hers.

"No, dear team mate, no running away. Did my brother hurt you that badly? He has lost his way. I'm hoping that seeing you injured will knock sense into his skull. If not, I'll have to."

Alex hung her head, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. "Please don't fight with him over me," she pleaded. She took a ragged breath and wiped her cheeks, even though the tears kept coming. "I'm not worth it."

"Yes, you are. His actions with Cla do not reflect on your worth."

"It's not that. I have no claim on him. He's free to do whatever he wishes with whomever he wishes."

"No, he does not have that freedom. We follow the Creator of All and are Guardians. Promiscuity is not our freedom. We do not visit world after world to find beautiful aliens to fall in love with, as the human Captain Kirk did."

"You didn't find a beautiful alien, that's for sure." Alex shook her head at the Star Trek reference and pressed against the wall of the booth, rather than trying to escape.

"That was not what I meant," Cale said, a hint of anguish in his voice. His brown eyes darted to the side, and he toyed with the edge of his shirt sleeve. "You are so beautiful—in an alien and exotic way that is all your own—and I heard what Gabe told you. But..." His voice trailed off.

"But he should never have said the four letter 'L' word," Alex said, her voice barely audible as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "He has to return home and restart the clan and all that."

Cale nodded solemnly, his gaze softening. "I understand how hard it is for you both. Losing our entire clan and being taken from our home exacted a heavy toll on us all, especially on Gabe as our leader and Clan Heir."

Alex signaled the waiter with a wave and point at her martini glass. "I'll break it off with him once I recover from this bender I'm about to go on."

Him and Rile both. They both have destinies and not with a crazy, short-lived alien like me.

"Don't get drunk," Cale said. "You don't deserve the awful wine-head afterwards."

"You don't know what I deserve."

Cale thrust out a finger with each of his arguments. "I do. I saw how you put your life on the line to save those Anolis males from Kuni's lair. I saw you faced her in single combat and were victorious where we could not be."

"And put another one just like her in power. Those poor Anolis males."

"Do you miss Razz?" Cale asked. When she didn't respond, he asked gently, "Do you love Razz?"

Alex's eyes were glassy with tears, and her throat tightened painfully as he considered Cale's words. Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "I miss the way he looked at me; the way his gaze seemed to say I was special. Who wouldn't want that kind of admiration? That very fact confirms what an awful person I am."

Cale furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion. "It does? Who doesn't love it when others hold them in reverence? I find that hard to believe that humans are so different from us Agama in that regard."

"Poor Razz," Alex sighed. "He was so beaten down and just so grateful for being saved. I took advantage of that and allowed him to stay close to me and sleep next to me. I should have known better."

Cale rubbed his muzzle. "Anolis females are very possessive of their males. If you hadn't welcomed Razz with open arms, your dominance over him would never have been established. That's why Deela kept mentioning it during the mission. It's no wonder Rile fought tooth and nail to remain unbroken–he refused to become owned by anyone, even if it meant risking his life. You did the right thing in rescuing Rile, because Gabe wouldn't have spared him from punishment had our mission gone awry."

Alex accepted the martini from the waiter, downing a third of it in one gulp.

Cale eyed her shrewdly and spoke with an acerbic edge to his voice. "So Razz is nothing more than a lovesick fool who admires you because of your heroic rescue?"

Alex slammed her glass down and spun towards him. Her foot pinned his to the floor as she gripped his wrist, her fingertips pressing into his nerves. "Don't you ever speak ill of Razz again. That courageous little guy was smarter than any of us combined. He discovered Reek's plan to murder me, he organized for my escape into the palace, and he thought to evacuate the Anolis males away from danger. We never considered that option."

Cale smiled gently at her. "There's the confident Guardian from the Anolis home world that I know. The Guardian who executed a murderous dictator and freed the Anolis palace males. A Guardian worthy of the respect and adoration of the Anolis males, who are smart and resourceful."

"Cale! You tricked me!" Alex squealed, and then covered her mouth with both hands in embarrassment that she had sounded like a schoolgirl.

"Do you understand now the value you bring to us as a Guardian?" Cale asked, his voice insistent.

Alex sighed and took a sip of her martini, savoring the burning sensation of the alcohol on her tongue. She relished her memories--defeating Mina, dancing with Lok and Zilik, cuddling Razz, and freeing other Anolis males.

She felt Cale's hand rubbing hers and looked up to see him smiling at her expectantly. After a few moments silence, she smiled back and said "Okay, pushy. But first I'm having another drink." She held up her empty glass and waved it at the waiter.

When he looked at her across the room, she tapped the glass and held up two fingers. He nodded before turning away to disappear into the bar area. He returned with their evening's main courses and two martinis.

Alex waited for Cale to take his first bite of the creative Louisiana version of pho - an udon noodle dangling from his mouth - before she spoke. She watched as he quickly slurped it up and steeled herself for his reaction.

"I need a favor," she said, searching his face for any sign of understanding. "Please. Don't leave me alone with either of your brothers for the next few days."

Cale dabbed his muzzle with the crisp white cloth napkin and swallowed hard. "So, both of my brothers have upset you? Dare I ask about Rile?"

Alex's gaze shifted to the fresh martini on the bar. She slowly reached for it, her fingers trembling slightly as she wrapped them around the cold glass. "Nope. Please, my head isn't clear; between the injuries, the drugs in my system from the hospital—"

"And all this alcohol you're consuming," Cale interjected.

She gave a dry laugh. "Yes, mother. Will you help me?"

Cale nodded solemnly. "If you promise that's your last drink."

Alex snorted and raised her glass in mock salute. "My last drink for the morning, I swear."

"Last drink of the day," Cale said. "Agama can become chronic wine-heads. I don't wish to see that develop in you."

Alex cradled her martini glass between both hands and brought it to her lips. The liquid inside swirled in a mesmerizing pattern before she sipped it slowly. She set down the glass with a soft thud before meeting his gaze. "I agree. My last drink of the day and you make sure I'm never alone with either of your brothers for the next few days."

Cale smiled, the warmth of his eyes crinkling at the corners, and clasped her hand gently. "Bargain sealed."

Sucker. I only said the day. Tonight's a whole other deal.

***

Cale and Alex finished their meals, the server cleared away the dishes, and Alex paid the bill with a generous tip. They made their way back to her apartment, where they found a fuming Gabe waiting outside the bedroom door.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice tense as his fists clenched at his sides.

"Later," Alex replied.

"Now."

"I'm drunk and wounded by your pregnant girlfriend. Go away." Alex slammed the bedroom door in his face.

Rile chuckled and stepped back, waiting for Gabe to make the first move. Cale graciously stepped aside and watched as the two brothers tussled for dominance. After several minutes of physical altercation, Alex's door creaked open and she stuck her head out.

"Cale," she said through a drunken slur, "tell these macho morons to take their fight downstairs! I'm not that drunk that I can't hear them." She shut the door again with a powerful slam.

"You heard the lady," Cale said as he sat back on the couch. He grabbed the book the Portal Guardian gave him and opened it. "Take your fight downstairs. I'm staying here in case she needs me."

"I'm staying too," Rile interrupted from where he and Gabe were still wrestling on the floor.

"Then keep it quiet." Cale settled back into the cushions.

***

A/N

Dedicated to faithful readers

LirahsNanton

Cocosghost

KPMadden