(Three days later...)

"Uncle Mortie!" Boreas' son chortled, running toward me at a dead sprint.

While Daniel tackled my shins, my old friend embraced his wife.

"Sorry we couldn't come sooner." Boreas breathed. "Things have been...Crazy as of late."

"I can tell. Don't worry love, I understand," Janet assured him, looking over at me right as I picked her son up, "I see you've been busy, Cylus."

"You could say that." I replied, looking down at Alexander. The kid was hiding behind my legs, and I couldn't blame him for being nervous. Alannah, however, was a little more forthcoming: she walked up to Janet and shook her hand when she stepped away from her husband.

"Ah, you must be Alannah." Boreas' wife mused, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "I remember Boreas telling me all about you."

The redhead placed her hands on her hips and regarded her old friend with a cocked eyebrow. "What did he tell you?"

"Oh, he said nothing but good things." Janet assured her, smiling innocently as she brushed a few strands of auburn hair out of her face.

"Didn't dad say something about her stealing Uncle Mortie from him?" Daniel inquired, still in my arms.

Alannah went rigid with agitation as our best friend laughed sheepishly.

"I said nothing of the sort!" he chirped.

While Alannah chased Boreas into his house, I studied the scenery around me. The safe house I had set up for Boreas' family was fairly secluded: the only way to and from it was via a simple dirt road. As for the planet itself, Solara was peaceful enough. The climate was mild, and a steady breeze cooled the surrounding landscape.

Unlike the horrors of Du'Vuna, the wildlife of Solara was far more docile. From what I could hear, we were surrounded by a wondrous melody of tweets, buzzes, and other calls of nature. When Boreas and I decided to send his family to a planet where they'd be safe, I wanted to find a good place for Daniel to grow up in. Judging by his jubilant behavior, I'm guessing he's been doing well enough.

Before we left Erastus, I had to decide if I was donning my armor or not. In the end, I decided against wearing it. Part of me wanted Daniel to see me not as a faceless spectre, but as a person–as someone he could trust.

When we had landed on Solara, the landing ramp had barely managed to hit the ground before Janet and Daniel were outside waiting for us. Humorously enough, Danny charged at me first. This of course hurt my good friend's ego.

"Please, let's head inside." Janet said, a look of pure surprise on her face when she saw I was in regular clothing instead of my usual garb. "I-I can get you all refreshments."

I nodded and set Daniel down. "Sounds like a plan to me."

And so we entered their house. I had made absolutely sure Janet and Danny had all the proper accommodations, and I made more than a few death threats to achieve my goal. Rather than a standard thatch hut you might find on Solara, this house was built out of a fine silver metal. However, the beauty of the building could be found in its built-in camouflage. When not viewed directly, the average on-looker wouldn't be able to notice this house.

Once inside, I studied the interior and smiled. I could tell for sure that Janet had taken charge of decorating since every room was a rich color. From vibrant oranges to rich greens, not a single silver wall could be seen. The living room consisted of a ring of sofas around a circular coffee table. The rich coffee browns of the furniture complimented the deep green paint of the living room perfectly.

Alannah, Boreas, Alex, and I took a seat in the living room while Janet walked off. A few moments later, she returned with a platter of water glasses.

"I hope you all have taken care of yourselves." Boreas' wife began in a gracious tone as she took a seat beside her husband. Daniel quickly settled in beside his parents, and his purple eyes glittered with joy when his father ruffled his auburn hair.

"I've been doing better," I admitted, sparing a quick glance at Alannah, "Much better."

Janet's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hmm, you must be doing better if you decided to come here without your usual attire"

I chuckled and shrugged in response. "I'm trying to better myself, Janet."

"And you're doing a shit job too." my father hissed.

I could've sworn I felt someone's hand grab my shoulder gently. "Do not fear him."

I loosed a drawn out sigh and regathered my thoughts. "I know you've seen me as a cold, reserved individual. If I've ever made you or your son feel unsafe, I apologize."

"Oh, no no." Janet replied, shaking her head. "You've never made me feel unsafe. You've always done your best to ensure Danny and I are taken care of. You and Boreas have both done a stellar job watching out for us."

I nodded to myself and relaxed into the plush cushions behind me. "Good...I don't want either of you getting dragged into our work, so I feel a little better knowing you're safe and sound."

She beamed and shot a knowing wink at the redhead beside me. "He may not seem like much, Alannah, but Cylus is full of surprises."

"I can tell." she mused, her light-hearted laughter causing a smile to appear on my face.

Boreas noticed what was happening and shook his head in disbelief. "Geez...I knew you both would get along, but Alannah has you wrapped around her pinkie finger."

I flipped my partner off, only to hiss off a curse when I remembered Daniel was still here. Both Alannah and Janet glared at me, and I could only blame myself.

"Sorry..." I muttered, staring anywhere other than at the two unamused females. "Force of habit..."

Fortunately and unfortunately, Alannah sat on my left side, so I was able to see her pinch my cheek. "You know better, mister."

I sighed, feeling like a bloody child. "I know...I know..."

Everyone laughed, and I saw Boreas smile brightly. Even if he gave me shit about it, I could tell he was glad I was able to laugh at my own blunders.

And so I allowed myself to sit back and relax as Janet was caught up on current events. Danny had nodded off a few moments into the discussion, and he used his father as a pillow while everyone else continued to talk.

When we reached the topic of Alex, I decided to tell Janet the truth. She was understandably horrified when I told her how his parents had treated him, and she looked at me in a new light when I told her I was the one who decided to bring him with me.

"That was very kind of you to help him out." she mused.

"I told the little spitfire it was no big deal." I began, jerking a thumb toward Alannah. "But she insists on telling me otherwise."

"Stop being humble, damn it!" she snapped at me. Since Boreas' boy was still out cold, she hissed her curse out.

I looked her dead in the eye and offered the fiery redhead my best grin. "I don't know what the big deal is."

"You are the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunter." Alannah pointed out in an even tone. "Common sense dictates you should be a deadly, badass motherfucker who takes whatever he wants."

I cocked an eyebrow in question. "That's not how I tick, Ali. I may be a stone-cold bastard, but I know when to keep to myself."

"Well, at least you don't take shit from the UTF..." she murmured, only to squeak in surprise when I turned, leaned forward, and cupped her face in my palms.

"I may not take whatever I want, but I do know when I've happened upon someone precious." I murmured.

A fierce blush appeared on her face, and I chuckled as I watched her struggle to find her voice.

"Damn." was all she could say. "Boreas, why didn't you tell me your partner was such a lady's man."

"I didn't know that either..." my best friend replied. "Cylus, you hidin' shit from me?"

I chuckled to myself, only to pause when I saw Alannah staring at my left sleeve. When I don't have my armor on, I usually wear a black long sleeve shirt and a glove on my left hand to conceal my prosthetic. However, my shirt had been pulled up enough to expose my metallic wrist.

"Cylus..." she breathed. "What's that?"

"It's...A prosthetic." I breathed out, feeling myself shrink back into my shell as I removed my hands from her face and leaned back. "Most...Of my left arm's not organic."

"Why?" Alannah asked me, her amber eyes glittering with concern.

I opened my mouth to offer the same lie I gave to Boreas and Alex, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. I...Can't lie to her...

"It's...Complicated..." Was all I could offer. Boreas noticed my hesitation, and the concern on his face told me more than I needed to know.

"Excuse me." I said, rising to my feet and leaving the living room. I resorted to heading outside in an attempt to get a hold of myself.

I leaned against the side of my friend's house and pulled the sleeve of my shirt up to gaze at the faded metal of my arm.

"You're too afraid to admit the truth." my father purred, leaning against the wall beside me. "Just say it."

"No."

"Say it, coward."

"I...Will not."

"Fine, I'll say it for you." he growled. "You lost your arm because of me."

"Shut up." I rumbled, squeezing my eyes shut.

At this point, everything seemed to close in around me. Faintly, I heard my mother. However, she was too far away to help.

I slid down the wall and began to hyperventilate as my father laughed at me. "You were pathetic then, and you're pathetic now. Don't you understand I have tried to help you? Time and again, I have offered you my guidance–my tutelage, and you were too stupid to listen."

I ignored him–I had nothing worth saying.

A few heartbeats later, I heard the front door open. I opened my eyes to find Alannah standing in the door way. When she saw me sitting on the ground, she hurried over to my side.

"Complicated my ass." she breathed, kneeling before me. "Cylus, what's going on."

"Go on, admit it to your beloved Alannah."

"I will not."

"Do it, you coward! Tell her why your dear father treated you like a mangy mutt!"

"I can't!" I snapped, covering my face in my hands. "I can't I can't I can't!"

Even when I was on the verge of pure hysteria, Alannah didn't back away. Instead of fleeing, I felt her embrace me.

"If it's too much for you to discuss, I'll leave it alone for now." she murmured. "I'm sorry if I pushed you too far."

"I should be the one apologizing." I managed to get out, still hiding my face in my hands. "I'm a fucking wreck..."

"We all have our down days." she said, laughing to herself. "Trust me, I should understand. For now, Let's head inside. If you need a minute to collect yourself, I'm not stopping you. I'll make sure Boreas doesn't barrage you with questions when we get back."

"Good luck doing that..."

"I've known the dork longer than you have. Trust me: I got you."

I looked up from my hands to find her beaming at me. I suppose it was out of relief, but I returned her embrace.

"What are you doing to me, Alannah?" I murmured more to myself than anything else.

She laughed. "I'm working my magic." she booped my nose. "Feel better?"

I couldn't help but huff out a laugh in response.

"See? It works! I'm a motherfucking sorcerer!" Alannah cheered, only to calm down a little. "Alright, let's head back in before Boreas shits himself."

Nodding to myself, I allowed her to help me stand up. "I owe you an explanation–."

"–Later." she finished for me, placing a finger on my lips. "I can wait."

This woman is too good for me...I thought to myself while we walked back into the house. I hope to whatever god is out there in this forsaken world that I don't fuck this up...