Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

When it was finally time to start the shopping Killian dutifully followed Star around while he tried to memorize what the different bottles were. "What's that one for?" It was for bone support to make sure the baby didn't strip her body of calcium. "Oh." One of the prostitutes raced past with their selection of clothing stuffed into a bag. She was so happy looking. Killian glanced at her only momentarily and then back at the toys this was the second them she stopped here to look at them. "Why do they put huge creepy eyes on those things? They trying to disturb kids?" Somehow he missed the memo that these kinds of things were supposed to be cute. Picking up a little fuzzy blanket he put it in the trolley. "Don't want the baby to get cold." As hard as he was trying to let Star take control he wanted to get a few things too and a blanket was the most logical thing that a baby would need.

They weren't really shopping for the baby, but he didn't know of anything else that would be useful. Shopping for the baby was going to be mostly later on when they found out if it was a boy or girl. Finally they were onto the clothing part. Killian hadn't seen a pregnant woman in long enough he had no idea what they were looking for. Looking at a pair of the pants he snorted. "Those look dumb." They had a hut elastic band in the front that dipped ridiculously low. "How big will you get?" Killian's eyebrows raised a little. "Really?"

Swallowing hard he nodded and decided to keep his mouth shut about the pregnancy clothing. Most of the shirts were long and she explained that too. Nodding a little sheepishly he just grinned and let her load whatever she wanted into the shopping trolley. Getting closer to the intimates section he waited patiently while Star dug around and finally held a bra in front of her. It wasn't as pretty or exciting as some of the others. Well that wasn't until she flopped the front of it open. Coughing he lowered his gaze. "That's uh....Unusual." Nobody had ever worn something like that. Either they had a bra on or they didn't. "You uh..." Looking around the store he sighed. "You need anything else you'd want me to go find?"
 
Star gave him a look as he held up the pants. He didn't even know what a pregnant woman looked like!? Did he think she was going to stay this size until it "popped out." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, heaven help us..." She could only imagine how he was going to react when it was time to show him the birthing videos. And then his reaction to the bra had been priceless and he immediately asked if there was anything else she wanted, whilst looking away. Poor man was in for a rude awakening. Hopefully he caught on quick.

The shopping trip finally comes to a close and she suggests eating out at one of the little restaurants before heading back to the ship. She peeks at him from behind the menu, unable to help the teasing smile on her face. "That blanket you got was cute. I do like fuzzy things. I may just have to steal it for myself." She smirks.
"We should be able to tell if its a boy or a girl in about four months. What are you hoping for? Or...do you care?"
 
Regretfully there wasn't anything else that he needed to get. Instead Killian got to stand around and look like an idiot while she piled various items into the cart. When it was finally time to purchase the goods an older woman was the one monitoring the sale. She kept smiling and glancing between the two of them. There was nothing quite like advertising the condition of pregnancy like buying those bras and ugly pants. Star really expected that she was going to be expanding quite a bit.

Killian ate his meal quietly while Star twittered on about the baby. Finally she mentioned the blanket and he shrugged. "You could. We'll just have to get another one." If it was supposed to be a joke he hadn't quite got it. "Uh..." Killian shrugged again. "I don't know if it matters whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Either one is still a person and they'll grow up to be whoever it is they want to be."

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They at least had a few houses built. Killian was still living on the ship with Star. He was miserable at building houses. Mike helped as often as he could, but it seemed that the older man was spending a lot of time with his new 'partner'. Cultivating the land and planting things was equally challenging. This was the first time that Killian found himself feeling utterly stupid and helpless. That feeling was only compounded as he watched Star get bigger and listened to her random rants that seemed to have no point or meaning whatsoever.

Kato had left behind a few instructions from when they returned him to Anna. There were a few notes at the bottom. Killian had the doctor read it to him several times before leaving. He'd memorized most of it and the stuff at the bottom was just saying to be patient with Star. Shoving the note back into the drawer Killian took himself to the kitchen to find Star sitting at the table with her head in her hands. "You ok?" Carefully resting his hand on her back Killian sat down next to her.
 
She looked up him, tired circles under her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well, the constant shifting to find a comfortable position with the new weight made that apparent. The tear streaks on her face and red in her eyes showed she'd been crying...again. Star quickly wiped her face and took a breath, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Just...bemoaning the days where I could sleep through the night without having to get up every few hours to pee or shift into a more comfortable position..." She could have gone on but he'd heard it all before and she felt bad about how often she broke down for no explainable reason.

She sniffs, wiping her nose with a napkin as she recomposed herself. "Uh, how's the uh...building going? Any body else leave yet?" They'd had a few men take off in a ship a couple weeks earlier and that had made things a bit tense with the remaining former fighters.
"They're getting ansy aren't they? I hear them talking. They want to do something other than sit around and grow crops. Some are really pushing the others to go after the masters with the fleet."
 
Life was starting to press in and it wasn't any better in the ship/home. Killian felt bad that she was still living in the ship. It was comfortable and he liked it, but she probably wanted a house and so far it wasn't moving very fast. Rubbing his head he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Slow...I can't seem to get a darn thing right when I'm building the house. Give me a piece of machinery or equipment and I'm fine." He was trying to avoid the questions about the men, but they kept coming. "A few of them like this sort of life. Rest of them not so much."

Finally lifting his head from his hand he sighed. "Star I have to do something about it. Maybe take them on a short raid. You remember Lisa? She said you could stay with her and Frank." Those were some of the few people that he could think of that would be safe for her to live with for a few weeks. "We'll need to make some money and get a few things from market anyway. Frank was one of the few that actually liked living here and was more than happy to hold down the fort instead of charging out into space. Killian was feeling restless himself and it would be good to get out. However, he didn't want to leave Star either.
 
Star nods but she didn't look happy about it. "I'd prefer my own place, but I know its not ready yet." She put a hand on his. "Be careful? No unnecessary risk. And you'd better call me every night so I know you're safe."

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Star held Killian tightly in their final goodbye before he took off with the crew of fighters. She didn't want to let him go, terrified that some stray knife or bullet would get him and she'd be left alone with a baby to raise by herself. Finally, she must. A last kiss and he turns away for the ship, promising to return soon. She wiped the tears from her eyes she walked back to the home of Frank and Lisa, a hand on her swollen belly. Her things had already been put inside and she'd been given a makeshift bed in the corner of the living room.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with herself for next two weeks or longer that he was supposed to be gone. She could help with the garden a little, but that had never been her forte. Cooking was about the only skill now that she seemed to have now of any use here. She walked inside the house to find Lisa doing that very thing. The two had met in passing but never talked much. It felt strange to be crashing in the home of people she barely knew. "Hello, Star." Lisa says brightly as she enters.
"Hey, want some help? I'm pretty good at cooking."
 
Lisa could almost sense the distress in the poor woman. Naturally any woman pregnant and then displaced for a few weeks would be a little upset. It was a circumstance that couldn't be helped. There were some restless men who needed to get out into the stars and it was better that they did. The offer to help was something that Lisa would never turn down unless it was too heavy for Star. Heavy lifting was at this point not advisable. "Oh that would be marvelous. Everything goes faster with two." A cheerful grin was plastered to her face. "You know I've been wanting to get to know you better and this is the perfect chance."

Like everyone else she had heard the story of the 'Beast' and his little tamer. It didn't seem that way at all when she saw them together. "I know probably every says it at some point...ask you about taming him. Its not really what I see. How did you two meet?" Somehow she expected that the story would be a little more on the sweet end. What she'd witnessed Killian was a little bit of a wild man though she wrote that off from him being forced into the games. "Oh..." Lisa couldn't help her own little chuckle. "Well I guess I couldn't say I'm surprised at the smuggling background, but you too?" Shaking her head some she stirred the meat and vegetables. "I must that how you met was not expected." Star trying to shoot him was probably the funniest part considering where they were now. "Well you already know how I met Frank. Came on board the ship that night. My friend convinced me to come. I was so scared, but you know whatever offered couldn't be worse. So I met Frank and I really liked him. He was a little more quiet than the rest." Her eyes got a distant far away look to them. "I always admired how much courage it must have taken for you to fly all around the galaxies and explore. Then you didn't even bat an eye when we all showed up dressed like this. Somehow I was used to other women looking down on me like I was the husband stealer."

After a moment she noticed that she had prattled along through most of the dinner. "Oh I'm so sorry. You'd probably like to talk about the baby. There I was talking on and on about travelling and seeing things beyond. I had a baby once...I wasn't allowed to carry full term, but I was excited and did a whole bunch of reading just in case they let me. Maybe that wouldn't make me too much help. I'd still like to help though. Have you started to feel the kicks yet?"

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Killian was sitting at the navigations charting out recent activity. He could probably get a raid in on by the Rayon star. It was a good distance and it shouldn't be something that they would trace back to the planet. Partly he wanted to keep the planet safe. "All crew follow the coordinates sent. We will be raiding the Thurst cruiser and selling the goods at a market in a few days." There were only five ships of men and that was good. Earnings might be meagre the first time or enough. Either way it would sate the wanderlust for now.

Picking up the pad he sent a call to Star and waited for her to pick up the other end. When she answered he grinned. "Hey thought I'd say hi real fast." Of course she wanted to know what was going on. "Ooh I expect we'll make a small raid in here a few hours."
 
It was nice having someone else hold the majority of the conversation for a change. Sometimes, trying to get Killian to talk was like pulling teeth. With Lisa, all she had to do was answer a few questions and she could just listen the rest of the time as she cut the vegetables for the soup or cleaned up the mess that was left behind.

"I always admired how much courage it must have taken for you to fly all around the galaxies and explore. Then you didn't even bat an eye when we all showed up dressed like this. Somehow I was used to other women looking down on me like I was the husband stealer."
Star smiled at Lisa lightly. "I'm just glad Killian was able to give you guys a chance to be free and choose your man for yourself...not remain in prostitution if that wasn't something you wanted." She says sincerely. "You seem really nice Lisa. Frank is lucky to have you."

And then the topic switched to the baby of which she was still feeling nervous about. Lisa talked about her forced abortion so causally, it made her sad. She couldn't imagine having to kill this baby just because some man didn't want to her to keep it, even if she were nervous about it. "I've felt some strange movements but I wasn't sure if they were kicks or just my stomach being funny." Star admits. She places a palm on her stomach as another one of the strange flutters starts again. To think this baby was already kicking and moving. She's already grown quite a bit and from what she knew of the pregnancy process she was going to grow even more significantly in the next few months. Perhaps by the time Killian got back she'd be a whole size bigger and fitting into those ugly pants he'd teased her about.

A sudden cramp takes her away from the feeling of wonder. She drops the rag, gripping the table tightly and gritting her teeth. "You should move...it'll help." Lisa encourages her.
Move? Its like trying to move with a Charley horse. Star follows her advice though and takes a few steps away from the table and it begins to abate. "Oh thank god. Shi*...I can't believe that in a few months I'm going to have to go through several hours of that." She sighs and sits at the table.
 
Lisa couldn't help feeling a little worried that the cramps were so severe this early. "Do know if it's normal to have cramps with Chippequoti children?" Sounded like it was normal, but it still made her a little concerned. Gradually a little grin came to her face. "Well you'll be going to a doctor and they might be able to give you an epidural. Make things a little easier. Very little risk these days. They've got it down to perfection. Shouldn't be too bad when you decide to give birth." Pouring a little broth into the meat and vegetable mixture she put a lid over it and joined Star at the table. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Maybe Star wanted a surprise.

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By now Star had been with them a few weeks and Lisa was getting used to it. Too bad the crew was supposed to be getting back soon. They would be returning and then she wouldn't have company here anymore. "So have you heard from Killian yet?" Last she'd heard the man missed a night. Hadn't been like him this whole time to miss a night and not answer any calls.

"Probably busy or maybe tired. Should be finding out in a few days. Want to come out to the gardens with me?" Grabbing a basket the woman started for the back door. It was getting cool for an afternoon. Also looked like it would be raining soon. Peering out over the hills she saw steam rising rather than the mist that one would have expected from the clouds. "I wonder wha...." It all cut short when she saw a spark of red in the distance. "It's erupting." Having never been around a volcano before she rushed back into the house with star and called in on the communications line for the settlement. "We've got an eruption!"

Frank came running through the yard and toward one of the ships. He and a few of the other guys were going to take on surveillance to see if there was any threat posed. So far there wasn't a lot of smoke or ash. Not as much to be worried about. "Lisa, I'll be back in a while. Keep the communications pad open."

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Killian sold a few more items at the market. By the end of the raid they had a considerable sum to contribute to upgrading the ships and buying a few more supplies. He was sitting up trying to figure out what the individual cuts would be after making a few decisions on how to best take care of the ships. If anything happened they would need the ships as the primary method of escape and survival. Then of course they would have to supply all the ships with medical supplies, food, water, and bedding. Even if he could single handedly in this one trip of raids on the nobles supply all those things for all the ships he knew it would create mutiny.

The men wanted some money and some sense of power. For now the bedding could be cut from the ships and a limited amount of the food and water. They would still get enough on board to reach the next planet and that was it.

"What's this?" One of the men held his hand out with the credits he received. "I should get more than this for my share!"

Looking at the man Killian shrugged. "We need supplies for the settlement, enhancements for the guns on the ships, medical supplies for the ships and town and the people in the town deserve a cut. They work the ground and keep the home base safe while we're abroad." Turning the books toward him Killian let the man look at where all the money came from.

"They shouldn't get the same as us. We risk our lives so they can live comfortably."

This particular man was always difficult. "Then stay home and let someone else risk their life next time." Shutting the book Killian put it away with the rest of the credits. For tonight he slept with his door and ship locked. When he started to buy supplies tomorrow with the remainder of the money he would have to be careful. Somehow the man reminded him of Adam.
 
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"We don't know yet. Honestly...we probably won't find out until the birth." Star says with a shake of her head. "I don't think Killian has any plans of leaving the settlement until about a month before my due date. Kato...our um, doctor, wants to induce early. Apparently he's found research that chippequoti babies tend to grow exponentially in the last two weeks and he wants to avoid a c-section if possible, so..." She shrugs, rubbing her stomach. This baby was getting heavier everyday and still growing... "God, six months still seems like such a long ways away."

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Star had waited up almost all night for Killian's call. He was almost home...and suddenly he doesn't call? It made her want to fly into a panic but she knew it would do nothing to help. To occupy her mind she'd gone out with Lisa to tend to the garden. Still, she couldn't help the fact that all her thoughts were on Killian and where he was or what he was doing, or why he hadn't called. It seemed like their raid had been successful but he'd looked worried about something. Maybe the men were still giving him trouble.

She sighed as she pulled another snow pea off the vine when Lisa began to yell. She looked up, startled by the flash of red and the rolling gray steam cloud headed in their direction. Still small, but noticeable. An eruption? Now? Would it reach the colony!? She hurried back inside with Lisa as the men began to check it out. She couldn't help but go to the window to watch the volcano. It was terrifying and incredible at the same time.
 
Before the sun rose Killian got his engines started on the ship. He had a feeling that he needed to be starting before the rest of them got up. Locking the destination he uploaded the virus. It was a good thing that the general loading had been done that day and all he needed was to lock locations now. It held only a minimal danger. If they were going to end up in a fight he could unlock it. Quietly he waited for the men to begin starting their ships.

Then he remembered that he forgot to call Star. It was early but he could always send her a small voice mail. Just something she could open when she had a chance. "Hey goodmorning. Forgot to call last night and I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight. Might be late so maybe tomorrow morning if you're not up when we come in for landing." Ending the message he then sent it to Star's device. She would be able to listen when she got up. Killian rolled his eyes. He forgot to tell her that he loved her so he opened it back and sent her another message. "Forgot to end my last message the right way. Love you and see you soon." Sending that message off he was satisfied and thought about making a quick morning patrol outside to be sure the ships were clear for flight. Then he could come back in and send a message to all ships to prepare for take off. "Agh!" Killian went back and grabbed the data pad. Opening the voice message center he recorded one more message to send to Star. "Wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. Got one of those fuzzy blankets except it's bigger since you wanted to steal the baby's. I uh...also got something else, but I can't ruin all the surprises. I'll talk with you later. Goodbye....Wait...I love you." Closing the recording session he sent that one and rolled his eyes. "After 3 messages I should have it right.

Stepping outside he started the patrol. Wasn't a whole lot out here. A little scrambling feet sounded and he turned on his heel. Suddenly a ping of a bullet ricocheting off the underside of a ship sounded. Instinctively he turned toward the sound to find that a man with a Billy club swinging toward him. Killian tried to move out of the way, but it still caught him in the stomach. Hunching over he winced. It was one of the few spots was guaranteed to hurt. Pulling his gun from its holster he fired on the man and ran hunched over back to the ship. Locking down the doors he called in to the crews. "We need to leave now. Fire up the engines."

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Late that night Killian checked his scanners again. There wasn't any indication of anything more than that one strange bounty hunter he ran into. Were they really all over the place. A little bit before he landed Killian sent another voice message to Star. "Hey we'll be landing in about half an hour. See you if your up and if you're not I love you...see you tomorrow." Shutting the recording off and sending it he left the pad sit on his bed and walked all hunched over to the navigations. His entire stomach had bruised from it and he felt sick, but that was probably due to a having a bruised bread basket.
 
Frank returned. Their scans had shown that the volcano wasn't any danger to them at this distance, currently it was just a light show with smoke that might haze up the sky for a few days. Star sighed in relief but she still couldn't help but feel nervous. She went back to her bed and found a light blinking on a her data pad. Opening it eagerly she found 3 voicemail's from Killian. She breathed a sigh of relief, laughing as she listened to each one. At least he was alright and almost home.
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The next day she was a new woman. Bouncing around, she packed everything and helped Lisa clean the house.
The woman teased her about her renewed giddy demeanor. Star was almost sad to leave her home. It had become a safe comfortable place where she could say anything on her mind whenever without worrying about adding weight to their shoulders. They just listened.
"I'm going to miss living with you, Lisa. I've really come to enjoy being around you." Star says, serving a cup of cocoa to her new friend later that evening. She planned to stay up until Killian got back later that night. "We need to hang out more frequently. I'll even help out in the garden." Star chuckled. She hated gardening, but it was better with a friend she could talk too.
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Killian had sent the last message half-an-hour ago stating that he'd be arriving in half an hour, but she still didn't see any ships. She was pacing a hole in the floor, watching the landing site in between tired yawns. "Come on, Killian...I need you."
 
A solar storm kicked up shortly before they were ready break the magnetic barrier. "We have to fly through to the other side." The teardrop shape of the magnetic field would be more difficult to break, but blazing through as it was would be dangerous. Potentially if the broke the barrier here it would burn the entire planet up. An alarm came on indicating overheating. "Mike you still ok?"

The engineer answered and kept on working. "I'll do my best to keep it cool till we get to the other side."

Killian called in to the rest of the ships. "We got a problem. Solar storm rolling our way. Make entry at the other end of the planet" Making a direct communication to Star would be risky at this point though he was tempted. Looking over at the spot where he usually kept the data and communications pad for his time to talk he noticed that it was gone. Must have still been in his bedroom. This wasn't a good time to try and find it. Instead he sat behind the controls and geared up for breaking the barrier. Heat sensors increased on the way in and he called back to the other ships. "Turning off location lock. Single file behind me so you don't have to break through more than is necessary. No need to make undue risk.

A gradual heat began to rise in the room till Mike was sweating despite all the cool water he was trying to continually wash over the machine. They were rattling and shaking so bad that he lost half of the bucket before he could get it to the intake manifold.

Finally a crackling sounded and Frank stood up from his place at the table. He was just as anxious as Lisa. While Star was determined to sit outside at the landing fields they listened for any further communication. "This is the captain. We're coming in hot. Get everyone off the landing fields." Killian knew the ships were unpredictable after the storm and other issues of going through a thicker portion of the magnetic field.

With that little message Frank ran outside. "Star get out of the landing field area. They're coming in hot!" Scrambling down the steps he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started to trot toward the steps. Peering up he could see the fleet coming in. So far they didn't look too bad, but it was dark and he was staring into the beams of light. Sliding an arm under her legs he ran with her out of the area or at least to a safe distance before he put her down. "They must have had a problem getting into the planet.
 
Star stood up suddenly as Frank came rushing down the steps to her. She looked back up at the ships as Frank hurried her out of the area. Coming in hot? Were they going to be able to land ok? What had happened? She apparently was moving as fast as Frank wanted her to, thanks to the added weight, so he lifts her up into his arms and carries her far more quickly than she was currently moving herself.

He finally sets her down and she spins to watch the ships, biting her lips as she prayed for a safe landing. "C'mon Killian. You're almost home. Set that baby down like the pro you are." She murmurs.
 
One of the ships came in at a sharp angle. Killian had to pull his ship up and come back in for another run. Most of them behind him took the same action. The ship still protesting the voyage had begun to overheat and Mike watched with horror when the engine started to surge. "I'm getting out. It's gonna blow if you don't land it soon!" Killian cursed under his breath and tried to find someplace decent looking to land. Finally he found a spot and the ship hit the ground the first time and jolted then landed again planting itself into the earth.

Cautiously he pushed the door open to the navigation cabin and peered out. "Is it alright?"

"I don't know..." Mike kept his eyes on the door and slowly started to back away from it. "Thinking we'd better grab one of those hoses from underneath the landing site and try to cool it off fast." A hissing sounded and both men started to run for the door.

Two black figures shot out from the ship and scrambled underneath it. Frank didn't know as much about ships, but it didn't look good. After a few minutes it all seemed to be well and the crews were all heading home. For those that still lived in their ships they tried to correct as much as they could from the shaky entrance. Mike crawled out from underneath the ship and Killian came out after him. Both of them were streaked with grease, dirt, grass stains, and water.

Somehow it was nice to have a little adrenaline rush. Killian chuckled until he came to face Star. "It wasn't that close..."
 
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She would've slapped Killian if she weren't so relieved to see him alive and well. "It sure as hell looked like it. You scared me half-to-death!" She grabbed him, holding him tightly, the growing baby-bump making the hug between them a bit more awkward. She pulled him down and kissed him tenderly. "No more long trips like that. I've missed you too much. I'm coming along from now on." She nods determinedly.
 
Killian bent his back and wrapped his arms around Star while moving his feet away. He wanted to hug her. Star's stomach was a bit of a problem as was the exact height of her grip. It was painful right across his ribs and stomach. Gradually an air bubble started to work its way up his throat. Turning his head away he belched loudly. "Ugh...That one hurt." After a few more seconds of the awkward angled hug he let Star pull him down toward her face for a kiss. "That could be debated."

Taking Star by the hand he walked with her toward back to Frank and Lisa's house. Apparently she had everything packed and ready to go. Frank and Lisa helped Star collect a few of her things. Killian grabbed the largest back. Bending at the knees he wrapped his arms around the base of it and started to lift. When it hit is stomach he doubled over and set it back down. Growling a little he lifted it wincing a little bit and this time was far more careful about it hitting his stomach. By the second load he had all her stuff in the ship and shook Frank's hand. "I remembered to pick up those supplies for you and Lisa." Wandering over to one of the bays he pulled a little panel out that he had made in the ship. It was habit by now and he had started to convert the ship into another smugglers style vessel. All those cubby holes were necessary for efficiency and space.

Handing a small box to Frank and then reaching into his pocket Killian gave the man a few more credits to go with it. "I'll be giving out the pay tomorrow...Uh...for making sure she was safe and feeding her." Killian wasn't quite sure how all these sort of things worked.

Frank shook his head and pushed the credits back toward Killian. "She's a friend and so are you. If I ever needed you to take care of Lisa you would do the same. No need for payment among friends." With that the man and his wife left the ship.

Now that they were alone Killian pulled a box open sitting on the floor. Inside was the giant fluffy blanket and he handed it to her. "You've been needing one of these. If I remember you like pink." Holding onto his stomach he bent over to reach into the box again. "And then this." Wrapping his fist around a little ring case he stood up again and handed her the box. "Told you I was thinking a lot about you. I want you to marry me."
 
Star noticed Killian's sensitive stomach. He'd been injured probably, but of course he wasn't saying any. It felt so good to be back on the ship. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed the ship as her home until being away from it for almost three weeks. She set down her bag when she got back to the room and sat down on the bed, a hand on her stomach. It would be so good to have him beside her again.

Finally, he finished unloading things he needed to sat next to her on bed, holding his stomach as he reached into the box. She wanted to ask about his stomach, but was distracted by the large pink fuzzy blanket which she couldn't help but giggle over and hug it to her chest.

"And then this." Wrapping his fist around a little ring case he stood up again and handed her the box. "Told you I was thinking a lot about you. I want you to marry me."


Star gasped and took the box in her hand, opening it. She pressed a fist to her lips at the beautiful ring, tears springing to her eyes. She laughed aloud, putting the ring on her finger. "Well, its about time!" She laughed again giving him a long kiss, careful to avoid touching his stomach. She put a hand on his cheek, smiling brightly at him. "I love you, Killian, and I can not wait to have this baby and start a family with you."

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Star smiled to herself as she slowly woke up. She was sleeping on her side, tucked into Killian's arms, their fingers intertwined. She'd helped him rub the anti-bruising cream on his stomach the night before...but without Kato it was impossible to tell if any further damage had been done. Sitting on the night stand was her beautiful diamond ring. She was getting married...to him, and having his child...and she was excited.

Star did her best to silently scoot out of bed without waking him, to make breakfast for them both. It was done by time he shuffled in and she smiled brightly up at him. Her skin had begun to glow with the extra oils her skin was producing. "Good morning. I made your favorite." She couldn't help doting on him now that he was back and being recently engaged she was in higher spirits than she had been in months. "I was thinking after breakfast we could just...spend the day locked away in the room...just us." She smiles at him mischievously.
 
Even though he was pretty sure that Star would say yes there was still that moment of nervousness. Killian held his breath while he waited for her answer. Star practically burst. Smiling a little nervously he hunched slightly as she nearly flew at him for a hug. At least it made him nervous anyway. Oddly enough she was glowing like he hadn't ever seen her before. The excitement didn't really wear out as Star still gushed. "Umm...Just slow down for a minute." Grabbing Star by the shoulders he had to almost hold her still while he kissed her again.

Before bed he pulled his shirt off and changed into a more comfortable pair of pants. Poking at the bruise he winced a little and then Star was ushering him over to the bed with more of the cream. While he didn't like having oily stuff on his skin it worked well the last time to help with the pain. "Just put a little dab on my fingers." Carefully starting near the bottom of the bruising his muscles almost contracted painfully in a guarded position. Star worked surprisingly far more gently than he did so he wiped what was left on his stomach and let her work the rest of it in. Getting out of the bed he wandered over to the wall and turned the light out. By now he'd memorized the location of everything on the ship so he walked to the bed without problems.

Killian grabbed an extra pillow to lay over his stomach so Star could scoot in close like usual. "It's ok, scoot in a little further." Finally she was resting against him and it was comfortable as long as he had the pillow between himself and her. Groaning a little in his sleep he groped the side of the bed for Star. With his eyes closed he turned onto his back and felt his side of the bed. At last he gave up finding her without opening his eyes. Pushing up on his elbows he looked around the room sleepy eyed and wild haired. Sounded like she was out in the kitchen and he smelled food better than what he'd eaten in weeks.

Wandering out into the kitchen he squinted in the light. Star had a whole meal of sausage and waffles with fruit. "Mmm...Whatever you cook is my favorite." It was about the truth too. Killian walked over to Star and kissed her gently. Looking at the plates sitting on the counter he grinned. "This one is just my most favorite. So which one is mine?" Taking the one she pointed to he set it at his place and then turned to grab Stars and put hers at her place. A slight grin came to his face. "I think we should after I distribute the pay to everyone. They'll want it today even if there isn't anywhere to spend it." People were kind of crazy that way. Part way through the meal he glanced up at Star. "Did you do something different? You're skin is getting shiny. Sorta pretty."
 
"Its called the pregnancy glow, Killian." She chuckled. "But thankyou." She ran her fingers through her hair which had grown out a little past her ears now. "Lisa and Frank are a great couple. Its good to see two former slaves so happy." Another flutter had started in her stomach and she grabs Killian's hand suddenly, pressing it against her stomach as the kicks started. "Feel that...that's your son or daughter in there saying hello."
She was smiling so brightly, staring down at the hand that was holding Killian's, her ring shimmering in the light.

*******************************
Star visited Lisa while Killian made his rounds, paying the people in the settlement. She was practically giggling like a school girl as she showed Lisa the ring. "Isn't it beautiful! Ah...I love him so much..." She gushed.
 
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