The sitting room of the Morgan Castle was filled to the brim - several men standing when the seating availability ran out.

It didn't help that Lucy was currently asleep, sprawled out on one of the couches - her head in Anderson's lap and her feet in Marco's. Her hand cradled her slightly bulging belly gently, and every once in a while they'd catch her thumb swirling - as if trying to soothe the young primary inside.

She had lost the fight with consciousness not long after dinner despite trying desperately to stay awake and engaged in the conversation. She knew it was important, and she was adamant about being involved - but when the General had returned just before they sat to eat, she had already been struggling.

By the time her belly was full and she was snuggling close to a beaming Anderson... She was a goner.

"These tarts really are incredible Flynn," Lieutenant Colonel Zhang muttered, snatching another peach tart from the tray - much to Wyatt's chagrin.

They were all still chatting quietly, though the major points of the plan were all worked out. It was clear no one was in a hurry to move Lucy, and thus not in a hurry to wrap things up.

Instead, they had poured a few drinks and settled into casual conversation while enjoying the treats Flynn kept bringing out from the kitchen.

"Rachel made them," Flynn admitted quietly, a soft smile dancing on his lips as his warm gaze flicked to the sleeping woman on the couch, "I haven't mastered them quite yet."

Lieutenant Colonel Zhang nearly choked on the bite in his mouth, and Flynn giggled quietly as the solider hacked and coughed as quietly as he could in an effort to not wake Lucy.

"Rachel... cooks?" the General's slack jaw and wide eyes were a mirror of the Lieutenant Colonel's feelings - even if the Lieutenant Colonel was still struggling to catch his breath enough to make his features match.

He still hadn't recovered from the fact that he'd eaten something made by a primary.

"She does," Rory confirmed, sipping his tea casually despite the General's gawking, "She is particularly fond of baking."

They had stopped hiding the idiosyncrasies of Lucy's behaviors from the General long ago, but that didn't mean they'd sat down and told the man everything that made her different. If Rory was honest, he enjoyed these moments when someone learned another thing that made Lucy special.

Someone might think he was a peacock-hybrid, he mused to himself at the way he couldn't help but show off a bit now and again.

"You think that's wild, wait until you find out we have to guilt her into letting us take over the chores she assigned herself," Rob muttered, shaking his head with a smirk at the woman that still argued to this day about doing her part.

All six of Lucy's guardians had been battling with her from the day they moved into the castle, insisting that the least the 16 hybrids that lived with her could do was ensure she didn't need to lift a finger to clean. So far, they'd managed to win despite the renewed effort Lucy brought to each argument - usually relying on the doctor's orders and her hovering matches to convince her to rest for the baby's sake.

"You're bluffing," Lieutenant Colonel Zhang accused, squinting at Rob with a look that said 'you can't fool me.'

"He's not," Zachary laughed quietly, "Even with the unit size doubled, she insisted she be added to the chore schedule. Said that the house grew at the same rate as the unit, and that everyone had to do their fair share."

"Are you really surprised, General?" Jasper asked with a chuckle, eyeing the man with amusement, "With the way she reacted to your explanation earlier?"

The General went silent, recalling earlier with the same shock as when it had first happened...

'Welcome, General,' Lucy had greeted him when he'd returned, just after Lucy and Flynn had sat down to rest.

The General didn't know at the time that they had been baking together earlier, and had just put several trays of goodies out to cool so they'd be ready to eat after dinner.

'Rachel,' General Hao had nodded, clearly tense, 'How are you doing?'

'I've been better, but I've certainly been worse,' Lucy had shrugged, burying her nose in Flynn's hair and holding him in a tight embrace.

The other men of her unit had all started arriving home by then, and the second Anderson arrived he had rushed to sit beside Lucy. He was clearly anxious, inspecting her as if looking for physical evidence of what had happened. He had been mid-inspection when Marco had walked in like his feet were on fire - scanning the room the second he walked in and zeroing in on Lucy with those intense snake eyes of his.

The General remembered thinking Marco was an amusing man, always keeping his face neutral, trying to remain composed and put together... but his eyes and his shoulders always gave him away. The way he tensed when Lucy was struggling, the way his eyes warmed when she smiled at him.

He hadn't been the only one to rush in and give her the once over, either. Even Everett who tried just a bit too hard to make it clear how little he cared about everything gave himself away when he nearly barreled through the door.

General Hao had had to keep his chuckles in by the end, the way they all clearly ran home the second they were done with work and made it a point to inspect her - to make sure she was okay.

All primaries may be valued and respected, but the General highly doubted there was another primary on this entire planet as loved and cared for as the woman he watched greet each match with a smile.

His own match had never smiled at him like that, he'd sighed to himself. In fact, if it were his own match he was about to ask help from... he very much doubted she'd be willing to risk the city's backlash in exchange for his life.

Lucy though... he had hope she'd listen and agree. She didn't owe him that - a primary owes no hybrid anything beyond fulfilling her duties to her matches - and yet... he had hope.

Because he believed in her goodness... in her kindness. What a strange thing to think of a primary.

'Come, General,' Lucy had finally waved him over from where he had stood watching the men fuss around her in their anxiety and worry, 'Tell us what you found, so we can figure out what we're doing next.'

He'd been incapable of holding back a smile at the time then. It was the way she assumed they'd all work together to find a solution. She was always like that... insisting they talk things through, hear different perspectives, and strategize together.

She never told them what to do, and never left it all to them without bothering herself with the details either - it was always a combined collaborative effort. Writing the contract when they'd first offered her the job, coming up with the schedule for her work and school, and even the press conference all those weeks ago... she always took the same approach to every problem.

An approach where they all worked together like equals.

He had sat across from her on the couch that he had come to think of as his designated seat, and his Lieutenant Colonel had sat beside him stiffly. He hadn't come to know the woman the same way the General had, and was still adjusting to the public affection they showed each other when they were around.

The General knew it made the Lieutenant Colonel slightly uncomfortable, but he had told his subordinate that they were guests in this primary's home. She could interact with her family however she damn well pleased in her own house, especially given the stress she was under.

If he didn't like it, he didn't have to come at all.

The Lieutenant Colonel had stared at him in shock, and the General recognized he may have over-reacted slightly to the man's relatively innocent comment.

He was quite protective of Lucy, after all.

'We have confirmed Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's theory, I'm afraid,' General Hao had begun with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, 'A singular nanobot containing a compressed file was in Mrs. Houst's lotion. When she held your hand, she had held on to give the substance time to coat the watch and for the nanobot to travel along it until it found an entry-point into your watch. She would have no idea when it succeeded, so her best bet was to simply hold your hands as long as possible.

Once it was inside, it connected to the I/O pins in order to access the programming of the watch directly. All it needed as a few seconds to connect and download the package, which sought out the base code for the device itself, installed, decompressed, and began replication. The moment the replication was complete and the new, replicated package sought out a network connected device, Octavia's security features were triggered. Your watch was immediately powered down, and you were notified - effectively freezing the entire process in its tracks.'

'Your watch is compromised, and had to be completely decommissioned, I'm afraid,' Lieutenant Colonel Zhang noted, 'You will need a new secondary device to be connected.'

Lucy had sighed, looking toward Jasper with an awkward smile, 'that was my last one. General Eldric destroyed the other one. We'll need to buy a new watch, I guess?'

'You only had two watches in total?' Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's jaw had unhinged at the statement, gawking at the primary that was constantly surprising him.

'What possible reason would I have for more than two?' Lucy had ask, tilting her head in confusion.

The General had chuckled then, eyeing the shocked Lieutenant Colonel who had served under him for several decades now.

How many times had the man said the same phrase when complaining about his own primary? He'd often confided in the General after years of friendship, including venting more than once about the excessive wardrobe and accessories of his primary - which now took over an entire second bedroom in their unit's home, apparently.

'Let me get you a new one,' Zachary had piped up suddenly, straightening from where he was standing near a scowling Evan and drawing everyone's attention.

Evan looked even grumpier than usual, the General had thought passively - noticing how the fish kept glaring at Zachary. He was pretty sure their unit was relatively cohesive... but with so many hybrids, it was natural for tension to pop up.

That was their first husband's job to handle, he'd dismissed mentally, not his drama to deal with. His own unit was stressful enough, and he wasn't prepared to play first husband for a second group. Rory and Anderson would handle it.

Lucy had looked at Zachary in surprise, blinking several times as she processed his excitement.

'You know you don't have to-' she'd started sheepishly, but Zachary - ball of energy that he was - cut her off excitedly.

'I want to! Please?' Zachary may be a shark, but he looked like a damn wolf-hybrid pup the way his eyes went big and he stuck out that bottom lip at Lucy.

The General had nearly cringed at seeing a grown man act that way with a primary.

'Okay,' Lucy had given in instantly, smiling at him indulgently, 'I know whatever you pick I'll love.'

She spoiled them - that was all he could think as Zachary beamed and shot a smirk at Evan, whose scowl deepened even further. If they asked her for something and it was in her power, she denied her husbands absolutely nothing.

Several of the husbands has snickered, clearly not surprised by the display at all. The General, on the other hand, was still adjusting to being around such a primary, even now.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhang was practically frozen in shock at the display.

'So, my watch aside,' Lucy has chuckled, shaking her head at her matches' behavior before redirecting her gaze to the General, 'What comes next? I'm guessing you haven't had time to track back yet to see where Susie got it?'

'We have not,' the General confirmed, 'That will take another day or so. In the meantime, I highly recommend your not going out - let them think it worked. Don't give anything away. Once the investigation wraps up, we can take the next step.'

'What is the next step?' Lucy asked, tilting her head and furrowing her brow, 'Susie is a primary... but what she did... is she really just going to get a mark on her record and released? What's to stop her from doing it again? Maybe to someone else who doesn't have the same security upgrades?'

The General had studied Lucy for a long moment before answering her, his palms sweating at what came next.

Would she really be willing to take a risk for him? He wasn't one of her husbands. He had let her get taken while under his watch - kidnapped and abused by a foreign government because he had failed her.

Did he even have the right to ask?

The Lieutenant Colonel had noticed the way the General was hesitating, and spoke up then - clearly determined to convince Lucy one way or the other.

'The only solution is the maximum penalty,' Lieutenant Colonel Zhang had said seriously, holding Lucy's gaze, 'If she is left to do it again, next time she might succeed. If she succeeds, she will have orchestrated a city-wide attack that could endanger hundreds of thousands of people. She, and all of her accomplices, must be held to the maximum penalty to keep the citizens safe.'

Lucy had gone pale, her grip on Flynn and Anderson tightening instinctively even as her eyes had moved to Marco - clearly looking for his guidance.

She did that a lot, the General noticed - Marco and Rory were the two she looked to for guidance more than anyone else. It was clear she highly valued their opinions.

'The maximum penalty - in other words, the death penalty - is the verdict when no other reasonable options exist,' Marco had said, ignoring everyone else in the room as he spoke only to Lucy, 'Primaries cannot be servants of the city. Servants of the city have two roles - defending the wall and working outside the city. Both are highly dangerous, and usually end in a much shorter lifespan. Exile is not fit for this punishment - even if she were sent to a city outside of the GAP, which is unlikely given that she is a primary. She could find and leverage technology or connections to be a risk to her next city or our city in the future. In the end, the death penalty is the only fitting punishment for such a serious crime committed by a primary.'

'Death?' Lucy had whispered, shaking her head, 'There... there has to be another option. Another form of service that isn't in the wilds or... something. Something else...'

'There simply isn't space inside the walls for criminals that risk civilian safety,' Marco had explained gently, 'Space is limited, and crimes often have severe ripple effects on the population. To keep criminals inside the walls is too risky and uses too many valuable resources. It... it is a difficult decision, but a necessary one.'

Lucy looked to the General then, clearly horrified - her face pale, her eyes wide, and her lips trembling at the very idea.

'I... I can't be the reason another person dies, General,' Lucy had whispered, her voice cracking and a tear escaping her eye before anyone could react.

The reaction after had been borderline explosive - every man in the room bound to her, match and guardian alike, had rushed toward her.

She had disappeared from sight as the General and Lieutenant Colonel sat stiffly on the couch opposite where she had been swallowed up by a crowd of men that couldn't bear to see her cry.

Rory had started barking orders then, each man given a task centered on one thing - put Lucy's mind at ease.

The General couldn't have been prouder of Rory's development as a Sergeant in his city's military, and as the first husband of the most special primary to have ever existed. Watching his solider take control of his panicking unit and re-establish order made the General smile - even if the reason it had happened in the first place was still very upsetting.

It had taken another half an hour before they could continue.

'We... I... I want to discuss a proposal with you, Rachel,' General Hao had said hesitantly when things had finally calmed down again, 'and... it... well honestly, it's more of a favor, I suppose.'

'What can I do, General?' Lucy had asked gently, her voice still softened from her earlier emotions yet her eyes just as sharp as ever.

'The truth is,' he had sighed, 'The... the maximum penalty for primaries is almost never used because it causes severe civil unrest. Riots... protests... and... to date... none of the Generals that have issued such a sentence have survive the year.'

'What?' Lucy had gasped, her jaw dropping in horror.

'Assassinated,' Lieutenant Colonel Zhang had clarified, his jaw tight, 'Despite the severity of an act that warrants such a decision... in the end, the General is always seen as a primary killer. A risk to the future of the species, and a traitor - not just of the city, but of all people.'

'If...' the General had hesitated, before finally blurting, 'If you petitioned against Mrs. Houst's being punished before I even issued a verdict, her case would go to the GAP and they would make the final decision instead of me.'

Lucy had blinked, mouthing 'a petition' as if tasting the words, before looking - once again - to Marco.

'Once a crime's severity hits a certain level, judges in the city no longer take the case,' Marco explained academically, 'The General handles them directly. A city-wide terrorist attack, planned or executed, would go to the General for judging. It has to be announced to the city each time such a case arises given the sensitivity and severity of the situation. There is only one way a criminal who commits the gravest crimes can be granted an appeal or a pardon - a primary, specifically, can petition on behalf of the accused to have their case taken directly to the Global Alliance of Peace for a 'neutral' review of the case. Their opinion is final for all allies, and if they grant a pardon, the General must accept it.'

'You need to understand that the GAP will not grant Mrs. Houst a pardon,' Lieutenant Colonel Zhang said seriously, drawing Lucy's attention, 'What she did... there's too much hard evidence and the crime is too serious. She will be executed, in the end.'

'But,' the General said quietly, looking at Lucy nervously, 'If you petition for a neutral case before I even, formally, review the evidence... it would be the GAP that takes responsibility for the decision and its outcome. It would... it would gain you a lot of negative attention, but it would also save the city from the division that comes of such a case, and... would likely save my life, in the end.'

The General had taken a breath then, ready to launch into an entire explanation of all the reasons he had prepared for why it was worth her taking this on. How important it was to the safety of the city, not just his own selfish desire to keep his position and to survive - he even intended to swear to do it whether she agreed or not, emphasizing he was willing to accept the outcome to protect the city's future.

That time - the time it took him to take a breath - was too long, apparently.

'So, how do I issue the petition, and when do we do it?' Lucy had asked, making the General choke on his planned speech - and his very soul - as she agreed without hesitation.

'W-what?' the General had rasped, emotions bubbling up he hadn't expected at the decisiveness of the woman in front of him.

She hadn't even hesitated.

'I'm going to petition for Susie before you reach a verdict General,' Lucy had said firmly, her face serious and her eyes blazing, 'You will not take the fall for doing what's right for this city, and I wouldn't have stood by if you'd delivered that verdict anyway. I don't care about the negative attention. Her case is going to the GAP so that whatever is decided is neutral, fair, and we can all sleep knowing we did the best we could to do the right thing for everyone involved.'

She had paused then, her eyes softening as she studied the General's face.

'So,' she added warmly, 'How do we do this?'

"No," General Hao choked, his emotions still in disarray, "No, I'm not surprised."

He had been quiet a long time as he re-ran the events of that evening through his mind, but he'd finally gathered himself to finally answer Jasper's question.

"You let your primary do chores?" Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's nose wrinkled in distaste, a small scowl forming on his lips as he looked at Rory.

The one he saw as responsible for this unit's functionality, and thus responsible for the overall treatment of their primary. It was his failing, then, if his primary felt the need to step in and do chores - a failing of the hybrids matched to her to care for her properly.

"Have you met Rachel?" Everett laughed dismissively, "You think you 'let' that woman do anything?"

Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's jaw tensed, his disdain deepening as the matches justified their failing.

"She doesn't clean because she has to, Lieutenant Colonel," Marco said, his tone neutral and his eyes calm, "She believes deeply in the concept of fairness. She wants to contribute because it makes her feel good to do so. We have tried, repeatedly, to talk her out of it. Her choice to insist is hers, and we respect that it's important to her."

The Lieutenant Colonel looked like he'd been smacked, and the men around the room had to force themselves not to laugh at his expense as he chewed on what Marco said.

If a primary wants it, who was he to say it wasn't suitable? Did he dare suggest her desire to contribute was somehow wrong or inappropriate?

He wisely chose, then, to stop commenting on their unit's inner workings. It was clear Lucy was cared for and happy - how their unit achieved that was their responsibility, and it wasn't his place to judge them.

"She'll be excited to hear you like them, Lieutenant Colonel," Flynn said, smiling softly, "It means a lot to her when people enjoy what she makes."

"Did she make any of the other things?" the General asked then, noticing that the Lieutenant Colonel was suddenly looking at the treats on the table with a mixture between wariness and curiosity.

"The lemon bars, the taro bread, the peach tarts, and these cookies here - these were all made by Rachel," Flynn said, pointing each of the items out in turn, "I made the rest."

A little less than half, then, the General mused. They'd been eating food prepared by a primary this entire time and had no idea. He, personally, had had his fair share of the cookies and taro bread.

How many hybrids could make such a boast, he wondered, not that most would believe him if he told them.

For the rest of the evening as Lucy rested peacefully atop Anderson and Marco, there was far more intent to eat the treats Lucy had prepared slowly. As if anything less than full appreciation of who had made it would somehow lessen the flavor.

By the time the General and Lieutenant Colonel finally left, there were no leftovers to put away.

--

Can you believe it's been another 50k words already?!  The story has officially broken 300k words!  What a crazy journey we've been on together, and I couldn't be more thrilled that you've come all this way!

To celebrate, I'd love to hear your thoughts at this incredible milestone.  In the comments, tell me:
- Who is your (current) favorite husband?

- What is your (current) favorite chapter/scene/moment from the story?

- If you could change ONE thing (only one... be nice guys haha) about the story, what would it be?

- If you could ask the author any ONE question about the story, world, or characters knowing for sure you'd get an answer (JUST ONE!!) what would you ask?

Ask your questions HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I look forward to continuing this story together, and again - thank you so much!  As always comments/votes are much appreciated <3