Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

It probably wasn't a good idea to get Kato any water, but he was dying anyway. Killian started to dig through the pack he had stripped off Kato and he pulled out the bottle for water. "There." He'd gotten them moved away from the spot where he had been shot earlier. It would have been too dangerous to stay there in case the Gillick came to check on his kill. Unfortunately it would also give him away as a Chippeqouti. So far as Killian knew his race were the only ones with skulls that hard. While Kato drank he gave a very brief rundown of where they were and what happened.

All of Kato's prattling was starting to get on Killian's nerves and he laid down on the ground next to the doctor. "You keep talking like that and I'll give you a few more holes to think about while I drag you around."

Kato chuckled weakly, more relieved than anything else that Killian's response. He didn't fully understand why the man wasn't leaving him...it would have been the logical thing to do, but maybe this was yet another sign of how much he'd changed in the last few years. "Thank you...we get out of this...I'll owe you."

"You're sentiment is overwhelming." Killian growled though he was trying not to let a slight sense of sick humor show. "I risked my life for cargo before you. Let's just say I made a promise and I don't lie."

"So you're saying Anna is paying you to bring me back?" Kato scoffed with a slight tease and groaned softly as he shifted. "Well, good thing to know you're not risking your life for me over friendship or something sentimental like that that."

A chuckle sounded and Killian shifted a little. "I told her I would watch out for you. That and I kinda felt bad you didn't last longer. Had to drag you around out of curiosity. See how much good that transplant did for you."

"No broken bones yet at least. And considering how much blood I've probably lost...I should be worse off, but, I think Chippequoti bone produce blood more quickly during times of trauma to deal with blood lost. If that's true...it might just save my life. Until infection sets in..." His doctor's mind was already running through the dozen different ways he could die in the next 24 hours. He didn't even know if their was still shrapnel in the wound. It was impossible tell with current equipment.

"Uh huh." Wrinkling his nose he looked over at the doctor. "You do realize I'm gonna have to dig around in there at some point and now would be as good a time as any. Need to find if you got stuff in there and try to pull it out. There's a good chance it would kill you or infection might do it slowly over the course of a few days or weeks. If I get it out and clean the wound real good, and it doesn't kill you then you'd have a fair chance." Killian sat up slightly and rubbed at his arm that was still aching from the chunk of wood he had removed himself just the other day. "Believe me you know if there is something inside. It hurts ten times worse if you do. You tell me what you want. Wanna leave whatever it is alone or do you trust me try to help you?"

Kato hesitated. Not liking either option, but he knew he had to do whatever he could to get back home to Anna. "I trust you." He gestured to his pack. "There's a light in there and surgical tools. The scanner was probably damaged by the water but you can try and see if it works."

It seemed that the doctor wanted him to try and Killian unzipped the pack. The scanner flickered a few times and he ran it over Kato's abdominal area as best he could. Looked like the shrapnel and debris had settled near some organs though it hadn't hit anything vital, at least he hoped not. The image was pretty poor on the scanner and Killian squinted at it. Sliding his hands into a pair of gloves he pulled out a small set of sterile tweezers. At least this field scanner had a tripod that it stood on and a light that shone on the wound. "Alright here we go." Killian held the tweezers in his left hand and he used his right hand to hold the wound open. He could feel all the muscles the general area tense up on Kato. "Hold still if you can." The environment was less than ideal, but it was the best they had. Leaning a little closer to the scanner he felt Kato move again and Killian glared at the doctor. "I'll knock you out if I have to and it'll be the hard way. Just a thump to your head. Now lay still."

Kato gritted his teeth. That was easy for Killian to say when he wasn't the one getting probed by the tweezers. It took all his self control not to open his mouth and yell or move too much as Killian dug for the pieces of shrapnel. Even his breathing he had to keep steady for the man. After what felt like an eternity he ventured a pained question through clenched teeth. "How much more?"

Digging into wounds wasn't a great pass time or a hobby of Killian's. He winced a few times when he tried to grab the last piece and it wouldn't come with the tweezers. Glancing over at Kato he had a semi sick expression. "One and I have to dig with my fingers." Just the feel of pushing his hand into the wound made Killian want to throw up. He never liked that feeling and it was only worse with the muscle spasms that gripped his fingers until he got hold of the last piece and began to withdraw it. When the final chunk came out Killian's gloves were covered in blood and he stripped the gloves off to grab another pair and begin packing the wound with cleansing powders that would foam and then the clot inducing packing for the wound. Finishing it off with a firm wrap Killian stripped those gloves off too and grabbed Kato. "We need to move. Too much blood here and the damn animals will eat you alive if we don't get out of here."

Kato was barely able to stand even with KIllian's help. His body was on the verge of collapse and yet, there was a drive to survive that had been steadily increasing. "The pack...we're going to need it." He reminded Killian to grab it.

With a small step back Killian grabbed the pack and swung it over his shoulder. Leaning down slightly he grabbed Kato behind the knees and carried him that way. Bent knees relaxed abdominal muscles and Killian doubted the doctor would make it much longer if he had to walk or even attempt it. "We'll stop in a little bit when I find a safe place for us to hide in for a few days. Then we'll make for the rendezvous and see if we can call in a ship to pick us up."

The doctor drifted in and out of consciousness while Killian carried him to the next spot. He had to stop as much for himself as he did for Kato. Already a little blood had leaked through the bandages and Kato was still pale. Killian stopped at a cave. Setting Kato down he then settled next to him and pulled out the blanket from Kato's pack. At least the blankets were wrapped in water proof packaging and they had dried over night so the doctor was dry. Kato didn't even keep body heat that well so Killian curled into his own blanket and laid close. That was the only way to keep Kato from freezing no matter how uncomfortable it was. Early in the morning Killian woke and his arm ached badly enough to rouse him. Since Kato was asleep and it had warmed some Killian gave his blanket to Kato and then went to take watch near the cave entrance.

There wasn't much for rations either and Kato would need everything he could eat. Killian divided them out ensuring that more was set aside for Kato in smaller meals. It wasn't likely that the doctor would want to eat it all at one time. During the times that they were between meals Killian crouched near the edge of the cave. They were alone for now and that was good. As long as they could keep it that way a few days and then he would have to make the final push for the final pick up point.

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By now the men were 4 days later than they should be and Anna was starting to get worried. Then she heard a knock at the door and nearly raced to it. Instead both her and Star were greeted by an officer. "I'm sorry to tell you Mrs. Laulorin your husband is missing in action."

Anna shook her head. "I'm Dr. Kato Smith's wife. Star is Killian's wife. What about Kato?" Anna gazed at him. "Just check your pad. I'm not at home and I haven't been for months. Tell me please." Once more the man said that Kato was missing in action and they had no information on him. Anna nodded and then shut the door. Peering behind herself she saw that Star had heard it all and Anna took a deep breath. "This isn't the time to panic. It's when I do what I used to." Grabbing a coat she walked out the door and left her boys with Star. It was about time that they took this into their own hands. If the men went missing than she was going to find them. A trip to some of her friends and a little hacking got her the name of a planet.

Returning to the house hours later she presented Star with a map and a few charts. "Thanks for putting all the kids to bed. I got this. We need to go find them. Military won't do it. Area is too dangerous and they are waiting for them to reach a rendezvous point and signal from there. If they are in bad shape they may not make it to the point and if they have damaged equipment they're stranded."
 
Gunshots. Men screaming. Rockets exploding. Blood everywhere. More screams followed by painful deaths. He couldn't get away from his, as hard as he tried. The bullets chased him, the rockets blocked him and there were far to many men around him to heal. He tried. But they died the moment he knelt by their sides. He didn't even have a chance. And then, he was dying to and there was only Killian left. The lone chippequoti. He could see Anna and the children at home, screaming for him to get, screaming for him to return and come back home.

"Anna." Kato blinked, looking around for the danger that he felt he was in. For the moment, there was only Killian, crouching by the mouth of the cave...on lookout danger. "Everything quiet out there?" He asked. Sounded like it was but not for long. There were no doubt people still looking for them. There was a ration set out for him near his hand. He didn't feel much like eating but he knew he had to if he was going to survive this. Even the simple move of reaching for the ration pack and lifting it to his lips caused him pain. Oral medication could only help so much and they were in too much danger for him to be drugged up with anything stronger.

Kato felt so useless, laying there...in too much pain to even move. The skin and muscles around his hip burned like hell-fire but he could feel the pain difference with the shrapnel now removed. Now it was a fight against the clock and infection which was undoubtedly already setting in. He'd also noticed that his right ear felt odd. Yesterday his entire head had been pounding, this morning the pain focused in that general area, occasionally stabbing him sharply. It also felt as if his ear was plugged, sometimes ringing as if with tinnitus. No doubt signs of an erupted ear-drum. The problem with being a doctor was how easily he could diagnose himself and sometimes be unable to do anything about it.

He sighed wearily as he swallowed the last piece of the meager meal, his head lolling to the side to stare out the cave. Oh Anna. How I would give anything to be back home with you. If we don't survive...please...move on. Marry a better man, less of a stick in the mud. A tear sprang to his eye. When he got home, he was going to be that man. Less nervous, more confident, more of a father than he had been already. He would be the man she deserved. Wait for me. I will come home, whatever it takes. I will come back to you.

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Star had to bite her fist to keep from crying out when the officer approached and declared Killian and then Kato MIA. She knew...after four days...something was wrong. Anna looked towards her with that look that she was going to do something about this. She grabbed her coat and left Star with the five other children who were all wanting to play in the pool but needed supervision. Star wanted nothing more than to collapse on the couch and start crying, but she couldn't. There was no time to break down. "Ok, let's get your bathing suits on." She helped them each get changed and put floaties on them before opening the gate that bared off the pool from the mischievous munchkins.

She smiled weakly as Joseph and Mikey splashed in the kiddie pool with no more than a few inches of water as the older kids jumped into the actual pool, determined to get everyone as wet as possible. A stern look from mom warned them she was the exception to this game. They played happily but Zack kept looking back at Star as she stared off into space with a hidden look of fear and concern. The eight year old, soon to be nine, climbed out of the pool and sat beside her. "Why are you upset, Mom?" He questioned in concern.
Star looked over at him and tried to smile. "Nothing, baby. Nothing for you to worry about." She stroked his wet hair. "Go play. I'm ok."
"Is it about dad? Is he ok?" Zack asked worriedly.
Star bit her lip and finally shrugged. "I don't know, Zack. But...your dad is very strong. He will come home. He always finds a way." She assured him with a determined nod.
Zack nodded, less certain but joined back in the pool games anyway.
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Baths, Dinner, story time and finally bedtime for 5 hyper children kept her too preoccupied to think much about what Anna was doing. It wasn't until the last tyke had been tucked in that Anna returned home, a determined look on her face. She laid out the maps on the table and updated Star on the situation.
If the only thing keeping their husbands from coming home was injuries or damaged equipment she was all on board with rescuing them. The military might have been yellow-bellied cowards but she was not, not if it meant getting their husbands home.

"How are we getting there?" Star asked, confirming her approval to Anna. The little woman told of a stealth air-craft they could buy and fly over the planet using specific life-scans to locate Killian and Kato (whom she had found out had been deployed together, gratefully.) They spent the rest of the afternoon planning the rescue operation. Star called Charis (even so late at night) and literally begged her to come over in the morning and watch the children for a couple days. Charis agreed thankfully and Anna confirmed she knew where to get the stealth ship.

The next morning Star and Anna left the moment Charis walked through the door, giving her sincere thanks on the way out. They bought the ship from a shady looking black-market dealer who had loaded supplies for them already (for an extra fee). A fee which would have normally been considered expensive but it meant nothing with the lives of their husbands on the line. Star let Anna pilot the craft since it was her ship and she knew where they were going. Now they had three days of torture till they got there.

The first day, Star did her best to clean up the junk left from the last person who'd owned the craft, made the beds, prepped the med-bay and cooked. By mid-afternoon there was nothing left to do but wait and it was torture. Neither woman felt much like talking with the situation so serious. Star couldn't help but feel a bit of concern that this was the right thing to be doing. What if they were killed while trying to rescue Killian and Kato. Their children would become orphans. But if they didn't do this, and their husbands really did need them...then they would become widows, which almost felt worse at the moment. Please let us get there in time. Hold on Killian...hold on Kato. We're coming. Don't give up yet.
 
After days of sitting in the cave it didn't seem that Kato was much better. Killian had done his best to keep infection out though he could see a slight start of it in the doctor's side. Carefully wrapping Kato's side again he walked to the edge of the cave and crouched there once more. Day's on end of this position had his back sore and his legs were beginning to tire of rarely being straightened. Yet there wasn't enough to complain about. If they were safe here for now it was better than nothing. Killian didn't need for the doctor to be dying on the route. So long as they were safe then they were going to stay here.

The Chippeqouti knew that if they held the high ground it was still far better than the chance of being caught out in the open. At this point an enemy only had one direction of approach. They would have to fight them head on. Killian wandered back toward Kato again. Peeling the edge of the dressing back he added a little more disinfectant powder. "You really need to work harder at keeping that infection away. I've had to ration this too and then we'll have to move and I hope your in shape to do that." Thankfully for now Kato didn't need as much water since he was the one laying down all day long. Killian was taking a quick accounting of their remaining supplies. Kato was still in rough shape and he doubted that the doctor could pull through a long walk.

Part way through separating and dividing the next few days of supplies he heard a ship fly overhead and then circle again. It was quiet, but his ears had healed enough that he knew the sound. "You stay here." Killian didn't even think about the fact that Kato wouldn't be able to move, but it was something out of habit to say. Leaning against the cave wall he pulled the hand gun from its holster and peered around the edge of the cave. Moving further inside the cave he scooted himself about 10 inches away from the cave wall. That little extra distance would help guard against ricochet. He could only hope that this was a small patrol. If it was Killian figured they would take the ship and get out of here as fast as possible. "Might be our ticket home." Sending a quick grin at Kato he noted the slight expression of doubt. Of course the doctor would doubt something like this. "You're just pessimistic when it comes to this sort of thing. Gotta learn to think like me." Moving to lay on his stomach he reached into his other pocket to grab the monocular. Killian wanted to know who those figures were moving along the ground out there. They looked to be pretty small to be Gillicks.

"Oh shit." Putting the monocular away he shot a look at Kato. "If you weren't laid up I'd drag your lousy ass over here. I think the girls came to get us." The military wouldn't even fly in this zone and he wondered how or what the women did to get here. "I'm going down there. In the even the Gillicks are watching I'll need to make sure they stay out of the open." The girls had been pretty amazing and yet here they were walking over the ground asking to be shot.

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Anna had Star turn on the scanner. Anxiously the two women watched as they made the scan while flying. A bleep sounded and Anna stared at the screen. "I wish it wouldn't make that sound unless it found the temperature we're looking for." Setting it to look for Killian was their best option. If Killian was alive hopefully he had kept his word and Kato was with him. So far as she knew Star's husband didn't lie about things and he said that he would watch out for Kato. Gradually the lump in Anna's throat rose as they were coming to another sector in the planet. How far did they get into the enemy territory? Were they in a prison? If they were it would turn into an entirely different ball game.

Bleep.....Bleep....Bleep...Bleep..Bleep.Bleep, Bleeeeeeeeep. They were getting closer and then it was a constant. "So this is it huh?" Anna stared at the screen and turned the ship to land it. So far she hadn't seen anything that would indicate they were here. If the heat signal was right then they should have found them and if there was a heat signal at least Killian was alive. Anna wanted so badly for Kato to be with him. She needed to know if he was alive. A constant fear had begun to grow. What if Kato was dead? If he hadn't survived this one single mission. Perhaps there was some merit to marrying the sturdy fellow. Star had seen Killian survive much more than dozens of men could have and then Killian had been through dozens of missions already and he was obviously still alive according to the scan. Kato...He was a gentle man and he wasn't made for this kind of life. It was one of the things that she had always loved about him. Poor Kato, she had done everything possible to be sure that he wouldn't die and yet she had a sinking feeling that grew with each step that they took.

They were nearly to the base of the hill and she could already feel the tears welling in her eyes. Still she pushed herself to go on toward section indicated by the scan. Suddenly a ridiculous green beret rose from the grass and she leaped into Star's arms. "Eek!"
 
Killian had done his best to keep the infection at bay, but in an environment like this it wasn't surprising that some had begun deep in the wound. He could feel the ache in his bones from the low grade fever that had begun last night. Killian reprimanded him about not fighting off the infection better. As if he had control over that. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to survive this long. Probably had the chip blood to thank for that.

He was just about to drift off to sleep again when Killian said something about the girl's being here to rescue them. Either he was dreaming or the man was hallucinating. No way Anna and Star would leave the children, and just happen to make their way to this random planet and happen to find the exact spot where they were. If they were in for a fight, he knew they'd probably lose.

Star walked with Anna from the ship, gun in hand, ready for anything. She could see the fear and worry in Anna's eyes. They both knew there was a high chance Kato hadn't made it, even if Killian had. Suddenly there was a rustling ahead of them and Star raised her gun only to have Anna jump in her arms unexpectedly. The figure was covered in dirt, blood and smelled like something had died, but those green eyes were unmistakable. "KILLIAN!" Star dropped Anna and the gun without a thought and tackled him in a tight hug. "I knew it! I knew you were still alive. You just had to be!" She cried, giving him a strong kiss on the lips.
Anna was dropped to the ground and she stared at the strange uniting. Her friend had practically tackled Killian to the ground. Those two....And yet she wished that would be her soon enough. With a grunt Killian was knocked to the ground and he found himself looking up at Star. "Uh...." In the middle of his reply she smothered him with a kiss and it sort of died out for the moment. Taking a breath he was about to respond again and then Anna was interrupting him, asking about Kato. "Yeah, well you'd better hurry back to that ship and get it started up. We'll have to get out of here as fast as possible. Kato got hit pretty bad."
Star stood up, letting Killian back up to his feet. She looked over at Anna. She knew full well her relief at knowing her husband was still alive. "Where you guys camped? We'll try and bring the ship closer." Star offered. If Kato was in bad shape it would be better not to move him to much.
"We're up in that cave." Killian pointed to the spot. "You got yourselves a couple of live cavemen here." With a growl he added the last note. "Sure as hell feel like one." Motioning for Anna he figured she would be the one to want to come with and check on Kato. "Star we'll meet you wherever you land at." Taking Anna with him into the brush he had her get down and crawl up to the top of the hill and then slither into the cave. Anna barely made it inside the cave when she saw Kato laid out and he looked horrible pale. "Kato!" Racing over to his side she gently brushed the hair at the top of his head and kissed him. With her other hand she rested it on his chest. "Honey..." It was difficult not to cry, but doubtless he was just as close as she was for possibly different or the same reasons. "We're gonna get you two home and....maybe they'll release you for a few weeks to come back to me and the kids. You just hang on ok?"

It was too quiet. Killian hadn't returned yet, but there had been no sound of gunshots. Was he still scouting? Then footsteps. There were multiple people. The enemy? Were they about to be captured or killed, after all this? And then her voice. That beautiful voice. His eyes opened, his expression widening in shock at the face of Anna appearing above him. "Anna." Tears welled up in his eyes at seeing her face, feeling her hand on his head, her lips on his own. "I've still got plenty of fight left in me." He assured her, reaching up to touch her face. "You shouldn't have come, though...its far too dangerous."
Through her misty eyes Anna nodded at Kato. "I had to come though I see why you two protest at being gentlemen in distress." In the background she could hear Killian give a snort of disdain at the label. Anna still gazed at Kato and she smiled gently. "You've already rescued me once." A little smirk came to her face. "I don't know if you were more shocked at my condition then or if you look more surprised now."
"Oh believe me. I'm far more shocked now. Your rescue is the last thing I expected." Kato nodded to Killian. "He saved my life...wouldn't leave me behind, though it would've increased his odds of survival."
Star landed the ship as close to the cave as she could without clipping the wings. She ran back to the ramp as she watched Anna and Killian emerge with Kato. She couldn't help that feeling of relief that it was other women's husbands who had died and her's and Anna's that had survived. "The med-bay is prepped and ready to go." She said as they climb aboard the ship. "Anna take care of them? I'll fly the ship." As much as she wanted to be with Killian, Anna needed to be with Kato more.

Killian gathered up the rest of their gear and he walked over to where Anna and Kato were at. Despite the wincing and groans from the doctor the Chippeqouti lifted him and nodded to Anna to make sure that the place was clear and to spot for him on the way out to the ship. Anna led the way to the ship. Giving a quick nod to Star she started for the med bay immediately. The little woman immediately started to take the filthy clothes off Kato with a little help from Killian and she quickly removed the bandages to start a scan. "I even brought your electro-magnetic machine." It was a miraculous thing and hopefully Kato could think clearly enough to instruct her in how to use it.
While Anna was busy with taking care of Kato, Killian took himself to the bathroom to try and wash up a little bit. He noticed that the women had brought clothing for both of them and he was glad for that. Once he finished washing Killian slipped into a t-shirt and his favorite vest that he had been deprived of the company of for several months now. Wandering into the med bay he held onto his arm that had been injured. It started bleeding again and he stood at the sink in the med bay to wash his hand and then he grabbed a few supplies to get himself stitched up. By now they should be getting close to breaking the magnetic barrier and he could go sit with Star while she did the navigating. Soon as they hit the outer system she might have some time and he could watch for her while she worked on his arm.

Kato instructed Anna on how to clean the wound, repack it with the necessary things that would help kill the infection and how to use the electrode device. He also instructed her in how to set up the I.v. to help replenish the nutrients his body needed to give his immune system a boost to fight off any infection that may have gotten into his blood stream. After a few minutes of the device and I.V. working and Anna sitting close by, the pain eased from his face and he fell into the first restful sleep he'd had in a week.

"No I'd rather not have pink thread." It showed up very well and bright against his brown skin and he hated that. If he was pale like Star it might look quite as obvious. "Mission went wrong from the start. One of the guys got shot during the drop and it all went down hill from there." Killian couldn't say much though he suspected she got the idea.
"Have alot of missions been like that?" She questioned.
Shaking his head he kept his eyes down. "No. Had one before this and only one of the guys got hit. Nothing too serious and usually that's all that happens."
Star finished stitching and wrapped it up in a bandage. She put a hand on his face and kissed him. "Hey, you're safe now. You stayed alive and you got Kato out. You did amazing."
Slowly he looked up to meet Star's gaze and he gently returned the kiss. "I know." As soon as he finished saying that Killian couldn't help the smirk that came to his face. "How are the kids doing?"
"Trouble as always. But good. They miss their dads." Star took a breath and leaned back in the chair, still holding his hand. "Don't suppose they'll let you come home now?" She asked, knowing what the answer would probably be.
Nodding a little his smirk grew at mention of the kids and it faded again when she mentioned coming home. "I don't know. Considering I could get back on the field they'll probably have a long debriefing concerning the mission and perhaps attach a furlough if I ask really nice." Of course he added a little humor with the asking really nice. He needed something to talk about besides the war. It was stressful enough as it was.

"Well, if you ask me really nicely...I'm sure I make your furlough here very nice tonight." She kissed him again mischievously. "If you're up for it." She knew he would be. They both knew full well to take as much advantage of this moment as they could, because it could be gone again in an instant, with no guarantee that there would be another.

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Kato slept for almost 12 hours straight, aside from a brief bathroom, snack and shower break. Most of his sleep was wracked with nightmares, his bone aching from the fever, especially his hip. Almost every time he woke, Anna was there either holding his hand or stroking his head, or simply sitting nearby. He'd missed her terribly. He didn't want to go back. He didn't ever want to have to go through anything like that again. So many lives lost, so senselessly. Nearing dying himself. The worst part was seeing the pain and fear on her own face and he wished he had the strength to do more than hold her hand.

Kato breathed a sigh of relief when he woke the next morning without the ache in his bones or the uncomfortable heat of the fever. He found Anna resting on a medical bed that had been pushed close to his own so that she could rest beside him. She was so beautiful. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be worrying everyday if her husband would be coming home alive or not. In a way he was grateful for this injury. Perhaps they would let him remain home for several weeks to recover. That would be optimal but he knew unlikely. He would be on his feet in 10 days or less. Still, a week and a half would be better than nothing. I'm sorry, Anna. I wish you and our children didn't have to go through this. I'm so sorry.
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Star cooked for everyone, making lavish meals for her hungry husband and for Kato when he finally woke up. She sat close beside Killian as they ate, absorbing ever moment they could get together before they were separated again. She called Charis on the datapad so that Killian could say hi to the children. She almost cried as they screamed in delight upon seeing their father's face, and Killian's look of joy of seeing theirs. It wasn't fair they had to be separated from him for so long.

When Killian was done she took the datapad to Anna and Kato in the infirmary. Kato was propped up on pillows, his eyes watering as he heard the cries of his children. "Jacob! Joseph. Look at my strong men. You boys good? You playing nice?" He had to swallow down the emotion that kept rising. "You caught a frog? Really? What color was it? Did you keep it?" He talked with the boys as long as he could, but even toddlers got ansy and soon dashed off. He turned off the feed and relaxed back into the pillows, wiping away the tears that had come to his face. "I'm ok..." He whispered as Anna patted his arm gently.
 
Patiently Anna waited for Kato to wake and she helped him where she could. It was horrible not knowing what to do for him and having to rely so heavily on him when he was the one that shouldn't have to be worrying about how to take care of himself. During the night she woke a few times to hear Kato murmuring or his irregular breathing which she came to recognize after a few times as being nightmares. Still it was better to have him back no matter what happened. He still loved her and he still wanted her and that was what mattered.

Killian slept until nearly lunch time. He was exhausted and they were still far from safe, but no one could sneak up on them without the scanners going off. With a contented grunt he rolled over in the bed and sat up. His wife had already piled a tray full of food for him and he chuckled. "Oh you must think I'm half starved." Setting the tray on his lap he started to much on it and almost immediately started to hum happily with each bite. "Didn't remember I could be this hungry. Rations and army food isn't nearly this good." Almost ravenously he began to shove the food into his face. Killian had gotten into a bad habit of eating as quickly as possible in the camps and ships. If he didn't eat fast he didn't get nearly enough to eat and there was no such thing as seconds. Within only a few minutes he had finished the entire tray of food and he set it aside. "That was good."

Before he even got dressed again Star had brought the pad over and the kids were on the other side. Killian's eyes darted across the screen and they lit up with energy as the kids squealed with glee. "It's my little chipmunks!" Claire was almost bouncing in place as she tried to get her face closer to the screen. Of course she took it all up for a moment and Killian smirked. "Hey let the other kids see." Eventually Claire did move over and Zack told him all about the naughtiness of the other two as if he should fix things. Finally all the kids wanted to know when he would come home and that was always the most difficult part to answer. "I don't know. Maybe the general will let me come see all of you for a few days. Working really hard to end this war so I can come home. Love you guys and I'll be there soon as I can." When he finished he handed the pad back to Star. "Thanks. I needed to see them. Nothing like seeing them smile and those little laughs." Children were precious that way. They had no idea what was going on, Claire and Mike still hadn't anything beyond the knowledge that he was gone and Zack was obviously bothered more. Still it was heartbreaking to see the children's faces when they asked when he was coming home and all of them saying they missed him. Nothing broke his heart more than that. No matter how he explained it they didn't understand.

When Anna received the pad she dialed up the kids and let Kato talk to them. Just watching his conversation was precious. It seemed that the boys were too busy with their little lives to realize at this point that it could be weeks or months before they spoke with their father again. They may not ever see him again if anything happened. "You'd better be alright." Anna smiled a little and kissed him. "I love you. Remember that no matter what you can always come home." Even if he thought he had done the unforgivable in the war she would find a way to forgive him.

****************************************************************************

Later in the afternoon Killian was sitting in the navigation room with Star and the red lights started to go off. They'd been detected by another ship and it was quickly approaching. "Move over!" Almost pushing Star out of the seat he took over the flying and switched the controls to manual. "Tell Anna and Kato that we're about to get boarded if I don't outrun this ship." There was a good chance in such a tiny craft that they wouldn't be outrunning a full sized battle cruiser. Outmaneuvering was a possibility. Tilting the ship he saw a rocket fly past and another showed up on the screen. They might get shot down too.

The ship jolted and he screamed at the controls while he jammed several buttons and gave full thrust to the engines. Even at that the missiles sent their direction had damaged the ship and a stealth ship didn't stand up to much. "Damn piece of garbage!" Cursing again he dove with the ship straight down and tried to loop behind the cruiser. It would have worked except that they were hammered with fire from smaller guns. Still it managed to severely damage the engines and he put everything left into the ship. Star was in the second seat desperately working every other control as he called for the different power sources to be cut and then others to get the boost. Still it wasn't enough and he saw that they had begun to send out several little fighter ships along with a line and tug to pull them into bay.

Killian lowered his head. "I'm sorry. Did everything that I could. You and the others try to hide somewhere on the ship."

Star put a hand his shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. "You'll be captured...or worse."

"Better me than all of you. Somebody has to go home to the kids. Kato won't survive even one interrogation." Killian looked at Star and hardened his gaze. "Do the math. 1 man is better than 4 or 2 or 3 people getting captured."

"I don't care about math or logic. I care about you." She whispered in protest, trying not to break down. The ship rattled as it was pulled into docking. They didn't have any other options. Their children needed at least one parent. "You better come back to me." She gave Killian a long kiss before releasing him and hurrying off to help Anna and Kato into hiding, tears in her eyes as she feared for his life.

There wasn't time to argue and Killian put a hand on her hip. "You need to go." Star gave him one last kiss and he nodded to her. As soon as she was out of sight he sat down again in the pilot's seat. Turning slowly he figured he would face whoever came through the bay doors. A final clatter sounded as the ship was fastened to the edge of the bay and light cut out from space as the bay doors closed on the ship. Within a matter of a few minutes the doors came open and Gillick guard stepped in. One of the officers smiled at him and had Killian rise from his seat.

Sniffing the air the Gillick chuckled. "Our long noses are much more sensitive than yours Chip." Saying the last word with obvious distaste he almost chortled his next sentence. "We smell humans aboard this ship. You ally with them." Sending a few of the other guards in search he grinned. "I"ll take you to the admiral."

Star must have hidden his uniform and any sign of his involvement in the war because the Gillicks had said nothing, or they were waiting for some kind of cruel moment to bring it up. Almost sick to his gut, Killian watched as the Gillick guard brought the others out and Kato still in such poor shape though he had improved greatly with the help of the machine. A momentary rage took over and Killian clenched his fists. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew they would taunt him with Star he would have lashed out and killed at least one of the enemy here. However, the glances from Star made it obvious that they were connected and he knew the Gillicks would use it against them.

Kato was helpless to do anything to protect Star and Anna as they dragged them out of the hold and back up to the deck. He tried to hide the pain, being shoved and dragged about caused. Still, this pain was nothing compared to knowing Anna was now in grave danger because she had come for him. He remembered what they had done to Star, what they had done to Killian and his blood ran cold.

Star held tightly to Anna, trying to keep the fear from showing. She glanced at Killian. This was one of the worst possible things that could've happened. Being captured alive by Gillicks. Killian was famous...too famous. What if they put him in the games again? She could barely stomach the thought of it. "We have money." She says suddenly. It was they're only chance. Maybe these Gillicks could be bribed to release them. "Leave us, forget you saw us...and we can make it worth your while." She said.

Laughing the Gillick exclaimed. "What is the money of an enemy worth? We have a new currency." Turning on his heels he gave motion to his men to bring the others with them to see the admiral of the ship.

The admiral stared at the group of captives in front of himself for a long time. Carefully he stroked his uneven and disproportionate face. “A cousin race that has not admitted they are inferior and now stooping so low as to aid the humans. Those of us born to Jihbis the Great were not of your strength, but we were wise beyond our years. Our elders became your elders. We ruled all of Quoti in peace till your people rose. So much pride in the Chippeqouti. We were driven out and you thought that all the descendents of Jihbis were gone. Yet here we are. Cousins because we were forced to breed with every creature compatible till we found one that could reproduce and so the Gillick was born. Now the Chippeqouti race will die and so will their little breeding mates, humans.”

Carefully adjusting his jacket the admiral stared at them all from behind his incredibly long nose. “We lost record of Quoti and much record of your kind. Yet here you are and we have been reminded of the cursed existence of those that once tried to dominate. It is old blood and I remember my grandfather speaking of his father’s struggle nigh 800 years ago.”

His gnarled hands were still strong despite the deformity and he wrung them with anger. “You called us cursed Chips and yet here we stand, still a greater people. Our wisdom will long outlast your strength. We lost that strength breeding with the underlings. It was forced until a pitiful race of humans came to us and we sheltered them till they chose to revolt. The strong must protect the weak. Strength of mind is far greater than that of the body. What will you gain Chip? Have you thought that your offspring will produce heirs? Is your race dying?” Almost laughing he stepped forward. “There is no worse punishment than to see your tamer die and those you call friends.” Leaning in toward Killian’s face he tilted his head slightly up and tried to uncurl his back so he could look the Chip in the eyes. Still a beautiful and defiant people. “Beast.” Snarling the last word he gazed into the bright green eyes. “It couldn’t be more satisfying than to see you in the games. Let them see what logic has done for the Chippeqouti. Will you kill them all to spare them the pain of the games or will you save yourself?”

Killian’s heart almost stopped at the use of his name from the games. They did know he was the one. What else had they held back? Would the admiral spring anything more at him. He almost shook with rage. The Gillicks had become even more ruthless than any Chippeqouti had ever been. Whatever it was that they originally bred with took almost all sign of Chip out of them. It had dominant blood and it was evil. Curling his lips Killian leaned forward and took a good snap at the Gillick’s nose spitting the tip of it out of his mouth he grinned as the creature backed up holding it’s bloody nose and cursing. This was the only way he could show defiance for now. A sharp hit to his wounded arm made Killian wince and the others were spared for the moment.

The Gillick gave a nasally command. “See to it that after the games you blind him so the last he sees is the death of his tamer.”

Shuffling of feet sounded as the guards turned them and they were all four taken to separate cells. Killian waited till he was in his cell to look down at his guard and spit in its eye. Anything to irritate it would serve him well for the moment. Gillick's were typically gentle with their humans specimens as they wanted them to perform in the games.
 
The explanation of the Gillick Admiral about the cousin race of the chippequoti helped her begin to understand a little more about the intense rivalry between the two. No wonder the gillicks hated the chips, they were outcasts...forced to breed with other races for longevity of their race. The Chips looked at them like cursed bloods and now the Gillicks were determined to show them true strength by enslaving them. It was sick and cruel and they were trapped in the middle of it.

Star nearly panicked as the admiral spoke of sending them all into the games. She remembered Killian's description of the horrors he'd witnessed, of the things he'd had to do. She couldn't kill children. She'd rather die than kill children. Was Killian thinking of killing them to spare them the games? What of Anna? And Kato? Neither of them were really fighters either and Kato was barely walking. There was only one survivor...which meant all of them were dying...on the first round. All but perhaps Killian who would undoubtedly let himself be killed rather than continue on.

Star hugged herself as she sat in the corner of the cell. This was the end of the line for them then? After all they'd gone through, after how hard they had fought to survive. This was their end? Their children left as half-chip orphans?
Kato looked just as devastated. A hand over his wound, as his head rested against the wall. He wouldn't survive. He knew that. But if he could just get Anna out...

"Our only chance is if we escape before we get put in the games." Kato said, breaking the silence that weighed over the group. Star looked over at him. They were in a battle cruiser with dozens, if not hundreds of soldiers around them. They wouldn't make it very far...but perhaps it would be better to die trying to escape than dying in the games.
Killian rolled his eyes at the man. "How do you propose to get out of your cage?"
"They have to move us themselves eventually." Kato says. "I can create a distraction, buy you guys time to fight back and escape. If you have a better plan, I'd love to hear it."
A distraction might have been nice, but of course they weren't going to be able to do that. "Yeah and the guards don't listen to anything you say. Let me think of something. Rest of you just trust me."
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The next two days were agonizingly long with the barest of rations passed through the slot to sustain them. They all felt the weight of was about to happen to them if they didn't escape, and so far none of them had come up with anything better than what Kato had offered. "What happens if we don't escape...if we do get put in the games?" Star asked solemnly the 2nd afternoon. "I can't...I can't kill children. I'd die before I'd have to do that."
"Children?" Kato questioned.
Star nodded. "They'll put kids in the games sometimes."
"Oh my god..." His eyes widened. "They're sick..."
 
Killian sat near the opening of the gate with his legs crossed. He wasn't moving from that spot till the guards made him. For now he was going to play off his reputation as the beast and that gained quite a bit of fear from the Gillick's and those that served them. Unfortunately it gained the fear of many others around him as well. Those that he didn't intend to frighten. Still for now he would resume the posture of the beast. Folding making a fist with one hand and cupping it with the other he slowly rocked back and forth while he thought of what to do. Escaping wasn't a plan and he needed this to be something that the Gillicks would not suspect, nor would the others until they were someplace safe to talk.

The silence was all he needed and then it was broken with talk of the games. "Shhhhh!" Killian turned toward them. "No talking and no escaping. You have to trust me."

Right now trust seemed to be an awfully big word for what he just asked. Anna glared at him for a moment and then she glanced back at Kato and Star. Nobody knew what was going on it seemed and she didn't feel particularly inclined to just go along. Still Star knew him better than anyone else and right now she was the best person to gauge this by. "Star do we go along?"

Star looked over at Anna. "If anyone can get us out, its Killian. So yeah, we do what he says."

Nodding slightly Killian looked at them and then back at the front of the gate. "Good, then wait." Quietly they finished out the last few days of the trip. Oddly enough the Gillicks had made the games the same as before with even more external security. Killian looked all around as he was taken to the dome that now hosted the games. It was made to repel any bombs dropped from above. Completely fool proof. Perhaps the Gillicks were smart though he was determined to show their brilliance had a flaw. They could not reach perfection no matter how hard they thought. It wasn't possible when they conducted pure evil within these walls. He had to find some way to get to them. Proudly the guards let him look about all he wanted and the others. One of them tauntingly whispered it was the last and nearest picture they would have of freedom though the Gillick was sure to keep his nose away from Killian.

Inside the dome they were each loaded into a cage of their own. Killian could see that Anna was behind him, then Star, and finally Kato on the other end. This was not the place to talk either. There wouldn't be any chance to talk until they were at the releasing bay for the games. He would have to make it brief and worthwhile or it would all go to hell. Then he truly would have to make the hardest choices of his life.

The first night day they could hear all the familiar screams of the dying and smell the blood when the doors opened for the second and third game of the day. On the second day their cages were moved closer to the front on the belt that they sat on. Each time the doors opened they could see it a little more clearly. Killian clenched his jaw as the last round was taken outside. He watched intently to know where the fire was. He had to know so that they could safely reach the wall. They had to reach the wall. Snipers were on the four corners and he couldn't tell if they had blind spots, but he knew where they were and that was what counted. During his intense study of the new arena and lay out he heard a sickening laugh.

Killian turned toward the figure and silently gazed at Kafus. Remaining seated he turned his head to watch the games, but the Gillick refused to be ignored. "I remember you, beast." The man's voice almost went silky at the end as if to try and prompt some kind of response. "Now you're here with her and you talk. Are you only mute when you're not in her presence? If you speak to me if you answer only a few questions I will spare her life. She could serve me and be where she belongs. At my side."

Still the Chip remained silent for a time. He watched Kafus prepare to walk away and then he stood in his cage. "Wait." Everyone paused and he looked at the creature standing below him pause. The Gillick turned and smiled. Slowly he made his way a bit closer to the cage though still stood out of reach. Killian looked down at the Gillick almost desperately. "Please take Kato and Anna. I'll fight for as long as you want. Just don't make them do this." He watched a smiled spread across the creature's face as if it was about to rejoice in his defeat.

"So defiant all those years and now you beg." The Gillick chuckled. "I can have Star anyway and I'll make her mine. You remember how she despised you, tried to kill you? I will do it again and she will hunt your children an evil offspring. I will force Anna to kill her husband and then she too will hunt their children. I will take them and spare them this horror." His eyes sparked with a new form of cruelty as he watched the Chippeqouti slump to his knees at the edge of the cage. "If I've decided that they've done enough I will send them here to kill you. Would you sacrifice yourself for them then?"

Hot angry tears fell from Killian's eyes. He knew that the Gillick would do it. With the snap of his fingers he could take the other 3 and that would be it. "Please don't...Not that." At this point anything sounded better.

Kafust turned slightly as if he were going to give the order and then he noticed the tears. "What is this?" A hacking laugh sounded as he tilted his head and came closer to the cage. "The beast speaks and he cries. I've learned two new things about you when you're in the pres...." His words were cut short as Killian suddenly reached from between the bars and gripped Kafus' neck and one arm. Pulling the Gillick tightly against the cage he began to twist the arm of the bent figure until it cracked and the Gillick would have cried out except that his vocal cords were constricted. Only his legs and other arm flapped wildly with his eyes turned toward his would be murderer. Guards yelled in horror as they saw the Gillick get too close to the cage and raced to get the electric prods though they knew that they were already too late.

"Aye....I do speak and cry for her, but you forgot I kill to." Wrenching the arm into the cage he ripped it off and a spurt of blood ran from the Gillick's shoulder and down his body. Grabbing the other flapping arm he jerked that one off as well and he peered into Kafus' fading eyes. "I will slaughter your people tomorrow and they can't stop me." Killian dug his hands into the neck of the Gillick and a warm rush of blood washed over his hand before a long pole was stuck into the cage and the guards began to shock him though none of them stepped in to beat him for fear of their lives.
 
Star covered her ears, her head down as people screamed as they died. It was mind numbing to say the least. Even in the silence of the night she could hear them screaming. I can't do this....I can't do this...I can't go out there...I can't do this...She weeped quietly as she held her hands over her ears. They had no chance. No hope. Their only hope was to receive a quick death at the hands of a sniper. And then something even worse than what they'd been experiencing already came into the room.

Star trembled as Kafus came close, laughing cruelly while eyeing both her and Killian like they were pieces of meat. He tried to make a deal with Killian, and it almost looked as if it would happen. For the longest moment she was terrified they were going to be taken away. That her and Anna would be tortured and bent to this creature's will...again. She almost couldn't bear the thought of it. Her mind twisted so much she'd hunt her own children. It would be better to die in the games. Even Killian thought so as he dropped to his knees, begging for them, even crying. She'd rarely seen him cry, and it brought tears to her own eyes.

Just kill him! She screamed in her mind as the Gillick leaned close. And Killian did. There was the sickening sound of flesh and bone tearing. Hot red blood spraying like a geyser and not seconds later the other arm was removed. Those same hands that had once so cruelly tortured her now lay limp on the ground. A moment later her torture, her former master lay dead, Killian covered in his blood.

Kato nearly threw up at the beastly sight of Killian's horrific attack. He wished he could've looked away, but his eyes had been glued to the horrible seen. He couldn't even speak as the guards began electrocuting Killian in punishment. No wonder they called him the Beast here. He was at a completely different level of brutality. Was he just an example of the sort of men they were about to face here? Kato had gone completely pale. Was some man going to do that to his precious Anna, while he was helpless to stop it? Would he have to become as brutal as Killian, to ensure his beloved survived? He'd never become that beastly...but he knew he was about to have to do some horrible things...be willing to kill to protect her.

He looked at Star as she screamed for the guards to stop and leave him alone. Of course they didn't listen to her, she was just another prisoner like them. He hoped she'd be smart enough to go silent before the rods got turned on her. Kato looked over at Anna with pain filled eyes. He wished he could hold her, assure her. Even if he could though, there was no reassurance from this.
 
One of the guard shoved a prod at Star and they began to shock her too while the others continued with Killian till he hit the floor of his cage mostly unconscious. A few of the men in the surrounding cages nodded in approval at the murder of a Gillick noble. One that had been a particular thorn in the side of the men. Though many of them knew that if this was truly the beast that they would die in creative and gruesome ways. Anna turned her head away when she saw the first arm rip off. It made her sick to know that the Gillicks played with the minds of their prisoners like that. What if he meant it and what if Kafus didn't? Either way she could see how hard they pushed the men in these games. It was a mental game border-lining insanity and absolute brutality. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't sleep and she found herself unable to look at Killian the same way. He was still covered in blood and the image of what he did was burned into her memory. Star saying that he did the unthinkable was one thing, seeing it was another. In her own way she hated him.

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The next morning a man came through with more food and Killian again took the dish they gave him and he picked out the chunks that weren't meat. Everything that might have been flesh he threw back out at the guards. With the gong sounding they were ushered into the pre-game cell all the men, women, and children for the first game. Killian pushed toward the front and everyone let him have it. There were very few seconds to say this while they were in private and the Gillicks could not hear them, nor did they listen. "I have the blood of a Gillick noble on my hands. I have survived over 100 games. If you follow me I will show you the path to the wall. Some of you will be shot for not conducting their game. They put you here to fight for your lives. There isn't anything left if you survive, none of your heart. Defy them today. On the far North East and North West side of the wall there are blind spots for the snipers. At least best I could tell watching the games. You wait there for my signal. When the first sniper falls from his tower you know to start running for the perimeter."

Killian stayed in the front and he waited barely turned to face the opening as their cage opened and the automated guns began firing their rounds. A stream of people filed out after him and he ran for the wall. Behind him he could hear a few sniper shots go out as the men in the tower realized something had gone awry with the game. There was no pause at the door, no one ran off track and not one person tried to kill another. On the other side of the wall most of the folk disappeared.

Lacing her fingers with Kato's, Anna tried to pull him along as fast as she could. They couldn't afford to be stuck near the back of the line. As the wall came into sight she could feel her heart sinking. How was she supposed to get Kato over it? "Help me." Anna cried out at the wall as a bullet struck near her and she jumped slightly. "Kato reach up!" Grabbing his heel she pushed up as hard and as fast as she could. It seemed to get him up a little ways and hopefully enough to make it. "I'm not going to leave you here."

Time was getting tight and Killian knew he had to cut across the field again and this time go into the area of gunfire to give the signal. The other side of the cages would fight to the death if he didn't do something fast. There was a chance that they may come hunting for Star and the others if they won and then discovered that there were others left that found a hiding spot.

Taking himself back to the wall Killian dropped over the side and he felt a bullet rip along the side of his leg. Covering his head with his arms he raced toward the first tower in a crouched run. The tower was a mostly smooth wall, but it was the only chance. Killian jumped for the wall and grasped at it. Grimacing he felt his knuckles begin to bleed as he forced his hands into the small indentation he found. It wasn't quite big enough though he was going to force his hands into it to climb the wall if he had to. Once he found footing he pulled one hand out and grabbed onto a tiny slice of stone that stuck out further than the other bits and pulled himself up further again. Swinging himself to the side he landed on the steps and fell down the first few till he came to rest on a platform. The sniper leaned out his tower and aimed the gun at Killian.

Eyes widening slightly Killian rolled to the side and before he got up a he felt a bullet run into his shoulder. Catching his breath he hunched slightly as he ran up the steps and tore the weapon from the sniper's hands. Immediately he loaded another round and picked the next sniper off. The other two now knew about him, but they were going to be kept busy while the people ran. They had to get out.
 
After the initial pull from Anna, Kato did his best run directly behind her, trying to protect her from the snipers. It was chaos, people dropping left and right as the snipers picked them off. At the very least, no one was fighting, yet. He tried to boost Anna up the wall first but she wouldn't hear of it, making him go first. Perhaps that was for the best, he could pull her up once he was up top. Kato grunted as his finger gripped the wall and he pulled himself up, feeling the stitches in his side painfully tearing. Once up he straddled the wall and reached a hand down to Anna, pulling her up more quickly than she could've climbed. He felt a bullet richote off the wall mere inches from his head. If he stayed up here any longer he was going to get shot, but Star was struggling to get to the wall through the mass of people.

She found herself trapped in the middle of the panicked mob of people all trying to escape the snipers. A woman went down beside her and she heard the echoing scream of a child above all the other sounds. She couldn't ignore it and looked back. A girl no older than Zack was tugging at the now dead woman and screaming for her to get back up. Star saw the wall only a few yards away and Kato gesturing for her to hurry. She raced back for the girl and grabbed her around the waist. "Don't fight, don't fight. We have to run. Your mom would want you to run." Star struggled to carry the panicked girl as she writhed.

She reached the wall and passed the child up to Kato who dropped her back down on the other side. A bullet struck the meaty part of his neck by his shoulder and he grunted, nearly loosing his grip on the wall. He reaching down to help Star up. She grabbed his arm and he pulled her up, dropping to the other side. Kato's wound had opened and the belly of shirt was turning dark with blood, as was his shoulder. "Come one. Almost there." He winced, pulling both woman and close and pressing them close to the blind spot in the wall while trying to protect their heads with his hands.

The gunshots were still going off but it sounded like no more were hitting the group. Star looked up, having picked the screaming girl back up in her arms, and found Killian in one of the sniper's nests, drawing the fire away from the group. How she loved that man. "Now! Run to the perimeter! Go!" Star yelled to the group and three rushed off the wall towards what they hoped would be freedom.
 
Killian was forced to duck behind the wall of his tower while the other two snipers had begun shooting at him. They were alternating and he could barely make out which direction they were coming from. His left shoulder was weak so he held the butt of the gun against his right shoulder. Somewhere there had to be a chance to get the snipers. Even if he could narrow it down to one. Then he got an idea. Scooting out the back of he nest he ran back to the stairs that were partially covered and he took a shot at another one of the snipers. It only worked momentarily as the next one had trained their shot at him. By now they knew better than to take head shots and they aimed for his torso. There had been enough Chippeqouti in the games and Killian's memorable first death that they knew that wasn't how you killed a Chip. The last sniper aimed for the heart. It was an easy target with the 'Beast' turning to shoot at him and the gun tucked into the right shoulder.

Shifting slightly Killian was about to take aim when another bullet ripped into him. He gave a grunt with the impact and slid down the half wall that he was hiding behind. His left shoulder and now the left side of his chest were bleeding. Wincing, he forced himself to sit up again. It was almost impossible to hold the gun by now. The entire left side of his torso screamed with pain every time he tried to lift the gun.

The sniper was sure that he had dispatched the 'Beast'. Even if the Chippeqouti had moved just that slight bit before he shot him. Turning toward the people he started to shoot at the one that he knew to be the tamer. His first shot wasn't quite a successful kill, but the next one he expected would be.

"Rrrrr." Growling, Killian forced his left arm to function as support long enough to rest the gun on the wall. He had the gun loaded and ready for the next shot. Already the sniper had begun to work on the group again and he couldn't have that. It would create chaos. There was already chaos in the stands as Gillicks cheered or fled screaming. There was mixed response to this new version of the game. Killian found the reactions to be disgusting. Of course the Gillicks would be cheering. They always did when there was killing and blood. Carefully taking a step to the side Killian found the head of his target and pulled the trigger. Now they were free of the snipers and he needed to get back to the others.

Anna was trembling as the group from the other side came charging toward them. Obviously they had seen past the center and knew that the fight was going to be over here. She could see that Kato was already covered in blood from his chest all the way to his knees. The blood had run from his side down his pant legs and from his neck/shoulder region to his stomach. Grasping desperately at him she begged. "Don't do it. Kato they'll kill you!" None of them had collected weapons at the wall and those coming at them had plenty of clubs and knives.

No more....no more, no more. Killian repeated the words in his head over and over as he ran back across the bullet infested section. One bullet struck his leg and he stumbled forward till he reached the wall. Pulling himself over the edge with the one arm he dropped to the other side in time to see the two groups had already clashed. He hadn't been fast enough. Some of the people had collected weapons in the little time they had and they were killing each other. Racing into the middle of the fighting he ripped a club out of one man's hand and threw it to the ground. "Enough! There aren't anymore snipers. Climb the walls and get into the stadium. If you want to kill then go for the real enemy." Pointing to the Gillicks above them he heard their panicked screams as any cheering that remained had begun to vanish.
 
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Star raced to the wall where people were already climbing to try and escape the fighting in the center. One man had already pushed a couple women up then climbed up himself. "Hey, take the kid!" She called to him, pushing the child up. No sooner had the man grabbed the girl's arm then a burning pain ripped through Star's back. She fell against the wall, then dropped to her side, struggling to breath through the intense pain in her back and lung. Killian...where are you? Killian... She didn't want to die here. She wanted to return to her children. She wanted to live in peace with her husband. She wanted to take Claire to her first dance, teach Mikey how to date a girl. She couldn't die here. Killian...

Kato's one focus. Getting Anna to safety. Nothing else mattered. Not the children falling around him, not he women screaming in pain and panic. Not his own life which meant nothing in this moment. Just Anna. He pressed her against the wall, acting as her shield. Part way through their run to the wall, all fear had vanished, all emotion was buried, except for that intense feeling of protectiveness directed at Anna alone. He wasn't sure when or how he'd managed to come to such a place of calm, all he knew was that it would be the thing that kept them both alive until they could get back to safety.

No sooner had Killian dropped the last sniper then the other group charged over the wall with clubs and knives. Some of he more ferocious ones were going for the clearly weaker targets. One of which as Anna and himself. A massive giant of a man charged them with a machete. Kato pushed Anna to the ground and turned to face him with a strange sense of calm. He ducked the first swing, coming back up and punching the man in the throat. The attacker staggered back, swinging the machete with random, chaotic movements. Kato evaded another, caught his hand and forced the machete to turn on the attacker himself. With a hard push, the blade slide into the man's abdomen and he dropped to the ground. He hadn't realized just how much he'd picked up from intensive training until this moment...and it was saving their lives. There was a sickening feeling of satisfaction as the light went out in the man's eyes, but he didn't have time to think about it.

Kato turned back to Anna with a cool calm and grabbed her back up off the ground, pushing her up the wall and into the stands. The adrenaline and fight instinct was giving him a sense of clarity and strength he'd never experienced before. He was just about to climb up the wall after her when he saw Star fall, a few hundred yards away. Now that Anna was safe from the arena, he had a debt to repay to Killian. "I'm going to get Star." He began sliding back down, and Anna clutched at his arm. "Don't do it. Kato they'll kill you!"
"Go, Anna. Get to safety." He kissed her hand and dropped back to the arena floor. Anna cried in alarm and he spun just in time to stop someone from stabbing him in the back. The knife dug into his arm instead. Kato pulled it out, grabbed the man around the head and smashed him viciously into the wall, momentarily forgetting about his chippequoti strength. He hadn't even had time to think about restraint and only realized his error as the man dropped to the ground dead.

There was no satisfaction in that kill. Only a sickening sense of grief rising up in his gut, threatening to cripple him. No, not yet. Still have to get them out. Kato pushed the feelings and pain down and raced towards Star, pushing past people who were fighting to get up the walls. He knelt by Star's side, noting the wound in her back and her labored breathing. Probably a collapsed lung, at the very least a partial collapse seeing how she was still getting a good amount of air in. He turned her towards him and lifted her up in his arms. Her eyes were wide with fear, as she struggled to breath. "Kato...Killian. Save Killian." She pleaded, grasping his bloodied shirt.
"After I get you to safety." Kato hurried her back to the wall where Anna was still waiting and watching. He lifted Star up and with Anna's help got her into the stands. "Go, Anna! Get us a ship. I'll be right there."

He hurried back across the field and tackled a man who was about to try and kill Killian from behind with a long knife. A solid punch to the face kept the attacker from rising. "Killian, the girls are out. Time to go." Kato reached out hand to help the man who was in far worse condition than the rest of them. Multiple gunshot wounds...he wasn't certain how the man was still standing. He would definitely need help getting up the wall and into the stands.
 
Anna couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Kato drop back into the arena. He was a different man. Perhaps in another time or place he would have fled with her. Killian could take care of himself and Star. He'd always been able to and now Kato was running after Star again. Part of her worried that he still cared about the woman. For years he seemed to want to see her get away from Killian and he detested the man. Only recently at the games had she begun to both understand and fear the Chip. They were a people prone to violence and that was easy to see. Gillicks just seemed to hone that violence and excuse it with their thought process a little more. Almost shaking she stayed in place waiting for Kato. He shouldn't be running like that with his abdominal injury. It would complicate things and he was already losing a lot of blood. Silent tears had run down her face in a stream. She had never seen anything like this in her life. The sheer brutality of it and the children stuck here. No one could come out of this the same. She was afraid for her children. What kind of parents would they be now?

Grasping for Star she pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "We need to get a ship." They were going to be in a mad race against those that were finally understanding their situation. Men and women were piling over the walls. Children were left wailing if they had survived. Only a few were pulled into the stadium as the parents were so concerned with the survival of their one child or 2 children that they left the others. There wasn't time left to rescue the others.

Guards began to pile through either side and they had shut off the random shot weapons across the field leading to the first wall. Anytime they would be reaching it and piling over to shoot those remaining and the rest in the stadium. Anna pulled on Star harder. "We have to get a ship before the others. Reaching the doors of the dome she pushed it open and saw that many Gillicks had already begun to load into their ships. A new kind of desperation hit and Anna aimed for the ship nearest them. It didn't matter to her if there were Gillicks inside or not. Charging up the ramp she dropped Star just inside the ship and she grabbed a large piece of repair pipe. Racing to the navigation part of the ship she found the pilot and began to bludgeon him to death.

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Killian almost reached the stadium wall with Kato and he noticed the 4 remaining children. "We can't leave em." The kids didn't have any parents and he couldn't live with himself if he left the children here to die. A bullet whizzed past from the guards that had begun to close in. Little screams sounded and the kids threw their hands up to Killian and Kato to do something. Grabbing a boy with his right, Killian swung the kid over the wall. It was a rough sounding landing on the other side, but it was all the better he could do for now. "Run!" Yelling at the kid he grabbed for the next. The next two kids were a bit older and he could only get them high enough for the children to scramble over for themselves. 3 of them stood panicking while the youngest one had already started to run like he was supposed to.

Seemed that Kato wanted to get him over the wall first and then Killian could use his one good arm to help the doctor up. Killian was almost over the edge when a bullet hit him in the skull. Momentarily everything went black. The children remaining held onto his arms and pulled as hard as they could to at least keep the Chippeqouti from falling back over the edge. Eventually the other man was able to help them pull Killian over the rest of the way and they formed a mini group as they stuck close to Kato and Killian. None of them had any place to go.

Watching in the monitor on the ship Anna saw that there were 3 children and both the men coming in. "I'm opening the by for the men." Guard had begun to pour into this area to protect the ships of the Gillicks from those at the games. Shooting at the incoming surge they managed to hit Kato again and shoot 2 of the 3 children. The last child fled and disappeared into the mangled group of legs, arms and wildly swinging clubs.

Anna stood off to the side of the ship entrance and she screamed when she saw Kato begin to fumble. He needed to leave Killian. "Hurry up!" Silently she began to pray under her breath. They had to make it. As soon as Kato reached the ramp she began to close it. Even if they were tumbled haphazardly into bay it was better than not having them there at all. Almost flying back to her pilot seat she shoved the dead Gillick body over and took the ship to air. A voice from the corner of the room sounded and she froze.

"You rescued me. I'll do what I can to help the others." The figure of a tall graceful woman moved into the light. She looked almost like a different kind of alien. Sweeping past Anna she made her way to the main bay to see the bloody mess that the 3 had made.
 
Kato looked back behind him that the children that Killian was insisting on saving. As much as he wanted to get back to Anna, he couldn't agree more and helped Killian get them up over the wall. Killian began to slide back off the wall as he was hit in the head. Kato wasn't certain how the children were managing to hold onto him but it was probably the only thing that saved his life. He helped push Killian up then gripped the wall with his fingers. He was quickly losing energy as his life blood continued to seep from his wounds. He managed one more desperate burst of adrenaline. For Anna and his children. He pulled himself up the wall with a groan and pulled Killian up onto his good shoulder, carrying as one would a sack of potatoes, only he was far heavier.

They'd almost made it to the ship when the unthinkable happened and two of the children they'd managed to save dropped dead to the ground. Kato wanted to scream, to turn a kill the man that had killed them, but the feeling of a bullet lodging into his lower back, wiped away all rage, replacing it with a single minded desperation. He gasped, staggering under the weight of Killian who was getting heavier by the second. He could see Anna crying at him. So close...so close...only a few more steps. He labored forward, collapsing onto the middle of the ramp as Anna began to raise it up. His eyes went dark, as a pool of blood from both men began to grow in an ominous dark circle on the bay floor.

Star was leaning against the wall of the ship, nearly unconscious herself. Tears streamed down her face as she saw Killian's condition. Was he even still alive? Kato...bless that man for bringing him back at the risk of his own life. She looked up at the elegant alien who slide gracefully into the bay, looking at the three of them. "Help...them..." She pleaded, drawing pained labored breaths.
 
The woman's flaming red hair was pulled into a soft bun and she leaned over the men. Lighting in this part of the ship was poor and she wasn't a healer, but she knew about the different races. For now the ones in the most danger were the humans. They were far more fragile. "Shh..." Quietly she gave her command to Star and looked deep into her eyes. "You rest, just breathe." Looking Kato over she took a deep breath and did her best to roll him off Killian's legs. She couldn't do much for any of them. Taking a board she wrapped it with a towel and shoved it under Kato's back. At least it would put pressure on the immediate wound. Then she turned Killian onto his side to ensure that any drool or blood wouldn't choke him.

Racing back to the navigation room she pushed Anna out of the seat. "You type in the coordinates and I'll use the wormhole to get there." It was the single reason that the Gillicks had been winning the war and making such advances. They could almost create their battle front wherever they wanted by creating this wormholes and jumping through them. "Go be with your friends."

Anna almost broke down into tears as she gathered Kato into her arms. His back and side were bloody and a shoulder. "Oh Kato." Rolling him onto his side and cradling his head in her lap she did her best to apply pressure on the most severe looking wounds. Tears ran down her face as she watched his face contort with pain. He wasn't even conscious and yet his body was acutely aware of his injures. "We made it." Lowering her head she rested hers against his and she sobbed bitterly.

Her fingers flew over the keys and the familiar codes popped up. Codes that she had watched the master use many times. For a short instant the ship launched forward and then she stared at the red flashing lights. They were being surrounded. A human captain came on her screen and she nodded. "We are happy to cooperate. Many tried to escape the games and I have 3 severely wounded on board."

"We need remote access to your controls to guide you to the flagship." The man waited warily for the female to give it to him. This was a strange circumstance at the very least. He hated to say that he trusted her and yet he did.

Gradually the ship edged forward and it was pulled into the bay. Killian groaned as he began to wake. Flopping himself onto his back he winced and held his right hand over the left side of his chest and he moved his hand to hold his shoulder and then down to his chest again. It all hurt and he wasn't sure which spot was worse. Almost wheezing with the effort to breath he noticed that a little foamy spot of blood was forming near the bullet wound in his chest. After a few attempts he got himself sitting up and he pushed himself over to where Star was. She looked like she had passed out. "Star?" Lowering his hand he grabbed hers and gently held it. "We're safe....Ugh.....Just hold on, only a little longer."

The back bay doors came open and a team of soldiers stepped on board. A first detachment came and stood over them watching, guns pointed at the wounded, the rest began to scour the ships. Shortly after it was all cleared the medics arrived with beds and began to haul the wounded out.

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Now that the questioning was finished Anna sat next to Kato's bed. He had a long surgery to repair his side and back. Seemed that the injury was serious enough they were going to let him come home with her. Carefully stroking his hand she waited by his bedside. He had to wake up sometime and she was determined to be here. A short distance off she could see the tall alien woman standing in the corner. She was patiently waiting as if she wanted to know that they were going to be alright. Anna nodded to her. "Doctor said that he will survive." As for the rest of his condition it was not entirely decided yet.

Killian only remembered bits and pieces of being carried into the flagship. Somehow he thought he remembered Star trying to talk to him and he couldn't figure out if he'd been delirious, or if she had woke at some point instead of remaining passed out. His entire left side was burning. The leg was bandaged and his chest had a tube running out of it to drain the chest cavity. Somehow every pump from his heart made the wounds surge with fresh pain. A permanent frown was on his face and he shifted to try and get more comfortable. There wasn't anything particularly comfortable about this. A nurse came in a few minutes later and she smiled gently at him. "You're awake. I'll give you a little more pain medication and then some of the officers are going to need a brief from you."
 
The first thing Star saw as she came to from the anesthesia was a human nurse in a white and blue doctor's uniform standing over her. She smiled gently. "Star Laurian? Killian's wife? Hi, I'm Tessa. I know you probably have a lot of questions, I'll tell you what I know and answer what I can." The woman looked down at the datapad. "You received a gunshot injury to your right upper lung which collapsed partially. We removed the bullet and repaired the hole. You'll probably notice you're breathing much more easily now. We'll want you to have a doctor keep an eye on the condition of your lung just to make sure you don't develop pneumonia."

Star didn't care much about herself and it was hard to wait through the nurse's update. "What about Killian? I need to see him." She was already moving to get up, despite the pain in her back. She remembered, as if from a dream, being pulled away from him to be treated. She remember being terrified that she wasn't going to see him again and panicking. She remembered fighting, trying to get back to him, and then being sedated. All those feelings came rushing back in an instant. She needed to see him...now.
The nurse lept forward. "No, Miss...you really should stay lying..."
"Take me to husband, or I'll walk myself." She growled.
The nurse finally complies, rushing off to get a wheelchair and rolling it beside the bed. She helped Star lower herself into it and rolled her to the critical care room. Tessa rolled her in just as another nurse was leaving. Star stood up when she was close to the bed and she grabbed Killian's hand. "Killian." Tears smarted in her eyes. He looked terrible, and that dark look of pain on his face spoke of his suffering. She smiled gently at him. "You look terrible." She teased, so relieved to see him alive.
"I feel terrible." Killian let out a long breath and he looked over at Star. "You don't look like you're feeling good either."
"Took a hit to the back, but I'm ok." She stroked his hair. "Good thing about being laid up like this is that you'll probably be allowed to come home for a while."
Nodding a little he took another breath and winced. "Yeah, they're gonna send me home in a few days." Killian hated it when he hurt like this cause he knew Star felt badly. "Only hurts so bad cause I got an infection from all that stuff at the games. How about you?"
"I'm ok. Part of uh, my lung collapsed from the shot. They just want me to keep in contact with a doctor, monitor it and make sure an infection doesn't set in." Star took a trembling breath, holding his hand tightly. "I thought for sure we weren't getting out of that alive."
"Almost didn't." Killian closed his eyes and his hand started to slowly drop away from hers. "I just need to sleep for a little bit."
"Ok. I'll be close by. I love you." She gave him a gentle kiss and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. She looked back at the nurse. "I'll need a cot or something so I can stay beside him."
Tess nodded and hurried off to find something Star could rest on while staying close to Killian.

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The doctor that had been treating Kato up to this point came back in a few hours after he'd gotten out of surgery. "Mrs. Jones." He shook her hand and sat beside her. "Your husband is doing really well, and he should be waking up any time now. However, there is a chance his left kidney could begin failing due to the infection that he's been fighting off the last several days and the continued injury to it today. If he were a normal human, it might have already. For now we'll continue to monitor it, and I'll send you home with a list of symptoms to keep an eye out for in case the anti-biotics end up not being enough. Do you have a doctor back home that can check up on him every couple days for the next 10 days?" The doctor nodded at Anna's answer and patted her shoulder. "You're a good woman. I can see why Kato loves you so much. We've worked together on occasion. You and his kids are all he talks about." The doctor leaves.

Sure enough a few minutes later Kato took a deep breath, moaning softly as he moved. He blinked open his eyes slowly, barely registering the room around him. The appearance of Anna's face in his line of sight brought him back to reality. "Anna." He looked around. They were in a ship med-bay. From the looks of it a human medbay. "We're safe? We made it out?" He asked, almost not believing it. Kato wiped the tear from her face. "Shh, I'm ok. You're ok. We're headed home soon and that's all that matters." He blinked wearily, his hand drifting down to hold her own. "We're ok..." His voice drifted off as he fell back to sleep.

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Home. Kato had never been so relieved to be home. Anna supported him gently as they walked up the steps to the house, his arm around her shoulders. The door opened and Jacob and Joseph screamed in joy, tackling his legs before Anna could even warn them to be careful. "Jacob! Jospeh! How are my strong men?" He wanted so badly to kneel down or pick them up and hold them. But with his side and back still healing and an arm in a sling, that was extremely difficult. He opted from sitting down on the couch and covering them with kisses as they climbed up beside him. "You've both gotten so big! Look at you." Kato exclaimed joyously, intent on holding them for as long as his body could stand it, but Anna (still worried about his condition) pulled them off long before then. He sighed lightly as he watched the boys run off. "I thought I'd never see them again..."

The baby-sitter who had been watching Jacob and Joseph looked to Anna. "Would you like me to stay and continue to watch the boys?" She offered.

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"Star! Killian! Oh, praise the gods you two are alright! Come in, come in!" Aurora Charis met them at the door of their house (where she'd been watching the children) with a wide smile. Star smiled lightly and pushed Killian up the ramp into the house, wincing a little at the strain it put on her back. Immediately Claire, Mikey and Zack swarmed them in greeting. "Easy, easy. Be nice to your dad, he's not feeling well." She warned as Claire tried to climb onto Killian's lap.
"I've made some sandwiches! And tea!" Charis waddled into the living room with the tray of food. "You two must be so exhausted. Get as much rest as you need. I don't mind watching the children. Then I must hear all about what happened. People have been asking non-stop for details."
 
After 3 days Anna was allowed to take Kato home. She couldn't help worrying and fussing over him. The boys all thought that he was back to play and it was upsetting to see them crawl so close to his injuries. That first day Kato was still tired and he needed to sleep more so she took him back to their room. Heading out to the play room she saw that the babysitter was patiently staying as she'd asked. "You know I've got this handled at night and in the early mornings. If you could just come by mid morning and the afternoons that would be great."

Anna figured that she needed to be getting herself back into the swing of being a mother. Now that she had just the boys to herself she sat down to talk with them. "Jacob and Joseph I need to tell you something very important. I need you to listen to me very carefully." Both boys nodded at her with their eyes wide. "Daddy got hurt really bad. Did you remember his arm?" Again both of the boys nodded. "If you want to sit with daddy you need to ask him. I might have to take him to the doctors again if you hurt his owies." That seemed to get across to them though it wasn't producing the effect that she wanted. Both of them started to get big crocodile tears.

"Is daddy going to die?" Snuffling the oldest of the two looked up at Anna with his big brown eyes.

"No." Anna grabbed Jacob and pulled him into a firm grasp. "Daddy just needs a lot of sleep, treats, and he needs us to be gentle." Since she had the evening with the boys she decided to have them make a little bit of artwork for Kato. "How about you two draw some pictures to show dad? I'll make some dinner and treats for everyone then you two can show him what you have been learning." So far this felt semi successful and Anna found great relief in being able to cook for Kato and just knowing that he was home and safe. It would have been better if he was well, but that was just the way things were for now. Just as she was finishing with the meal and she turned to stove off she heard him start to moan.

Quickly wiping her hands off she ran back to the bedroom and shut the door behind herself. Grabbing one of his hands she squeezed gently. "Kato, honey its ok." Whatever was going on he needed to wake up. If it was pain she had something to help him and if it was something else she was pretty sure that it would take more time to heal. She had dreams about the games and while she hadn't seen how the games actually played out, she'd seen enough to know it tainted a person deep down inside. "We're home and your safe with me." Anna carefully rubbed his hand and moved over so she could kiss the top of his head. "Kato?" Gently calling his name she waited for him to wake.

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Neither of them were in good enough shape to go home and take care of themselves so Killian had to go to Charis' house with Star. He didn't particularly want to be there, just going home sounded much better. His shoulder, chest, and leg were all too sore to even move so he sat in a wheel chair. Star insisted on pushing him around instead of putting him in an electric wheel chair. It was only for a few hours a day and then a few weeks. For now a doctor was supposed to be coming to see them every couple of days and a nurse would come to check on Star and help her get up as well as Killian every morning.

Claire nearly jumped into Killian's legs and he put his one hand out to guard his injured one. "Hey." Offering her his good arm he winced as she held onto it and braced her little feet against him to climb up into his lap. The girl almost moved to his other side and he held her back. "Not over there." Killian pulled his shirt to the side at the neck and let her see all the bandaging. "I got shot and it hurts."

Her eyes got wide and the little girl gently laid her hand over his shoulder. "Shhhh....Its ok. If I kiss it will you feel better?" Claire had a very serious expression to her face. She always felt better if mom or dad kissed her injuries.

Killian shook his head. "No it isn't that kind." Explaining this to kids was way too hard.

A little frown came to her face. "Would you feel better if mommy kissed you?"

"Yes." That was the only way to get her off and currently Killian was finding himself slightly worried that Claire would hurt him without meaning to. Her little fist pushed against his shoulder as she pushed off and started to slide down his legs. Tensing slightly he noticed that Mike had lined right up after his sister. "Its ok." Charis was happily going on about food and whatnot. By the time he had a few minutes to say hi to each of the kids while she talked he was tired out and ready to go to bed. Looking over at Charis he waited till she stopped talking to say something. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but right now I'm tired, sick, and I don't want to see all those ladies." He couldn't help shifting in the wheel chair a little since his leg was beginning to get increasingly sore.

Charis glanced at Star and she noted that the woman didn't look as good herself as she usually did. "Oh I'm terribly sorry. I did get some rooms ready for both of you on the main floor. No stairs or anything. One room has two beds or you could have the room with the extra large bed." She didn't know if they were at the point of sharing beds, or if they slept separate when they were in this condition. It was better not to assume.

As soon as they were shown the two rooms next to each other and Charis left he glanced up at Star. "Either room is fine. I'll just sleep on the side where you won't accidently bump the injuries if we share." Killian let her choose and he could get himself out of the wheelchair with some help and then over to the bed. Gingerly sitting on the edge he sort of had to roll to get himself up on the bed. "Do we still have any of that cream? I'm just feeling sick and kinda over heated. Don't know if I'm running a temperature or not, but I don't want to start seizing. Its the last thing you need."
 
The children. There were too many. Kato spun as dozens of children thronged him. Screaming, crying. Snipers sat in their perches picking them off with bloodied grins, their lifeless bodies falling to the blood-soaked dirt. He was passing them up the wall to safety as quickly as he could but they just kept coming. He saw Jacob and Joseph in the crowd of children, their little brown eyes wide with terror. "JACOB! JOSEPH!" He pushed through the children. He knew a sniper was trained on them. His side hurt so badly he could barely move. "Get down! Get down!" Both fell, blood spilling from their tiny chests. "NO! NO!" Kato held them tightly. He had to save them. He had to try..."Kato"

Kato's eyes flew open, wet tears trickling down his cheek. Anna was holding him, stroking his hair. He took a breath, his hand reaching up to hold his tender side. "Anna, ugh." He wiped his face. "What time is it?" He looked at the window which was covered in a blanket to help him rest. His stomach growled. Hopefully she'd say dinner time.
"It's about 6:30pm. Kids already had sandwiches." She'd felt badly about that, but the kids weren't going to be able to wait for the main meal that she was making and already Anna found that she felt horribly equipped to deal with all the children and her injured husband.
"It's about 6:30pm. Kids already had sandwiches." She'd felt badly about that, but the kids weren't going to be able to wait for the main meal that she was making and already Anna found that she felt horribly equipped to deal with all the children and her injured husband.
"Oh, good. That means we can eat, just the two of us." Kato smiled gently, pulling her hand up to his lips and kissing it, then looked up at her face in concern. "I'd ask if you were ok, but I can tell you're not. I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all this."
With the slight pull from his hand she leaned in toward him and let Kato kiss her. Anna stared back into his eyes and she shook her head. "I was just worried about you. Then of course I'm worried about the kids and worried about all the things we did and if it changed us so much." Gently pulling away she walked to the door. "I'm gonna go get something for us to eat and I'll be back in a few minutes."
Kato propped himself up best he could while waiting for her to return, wincing at the pull on his stitches. He scooted over enough so that she could sit beside him if she wanted and smiled gently as she returned with the food. He took several happy bites before speaking again. "You haven't changed at all...my beautiful princess. You still have that same kind light in your eyes, that same beautiful face. You're still that amazing caring mother, you've always been. I mean that."
Returning to the room she noted the spot next to him on the bed and she sighed. Taking a seat next to Kato she began to eat her own food and then he started to speak. "Well then you'd be lying. I have changed and I would think you have to. I beat a Gillick to death with a pipe to get that ship and then you saw all those things too." Anna sighed. "You don't think that hasn't changed us even a little bit?"
Kato looked down. "Probably. I just...keep hoping its not for the worse." He looked up at her with tender eyes. "I'm not going to become like him, like Killian. I swear it. And you..." He reached over and squeezed her leg. "You just did what you had too. If you're scared that has made you worse as a person...it hasn't. You're still the best wife and friend a man could ask for."
Taking a deep breath she nodded. "I'm just afraid that we won't be able to look at our children the same. Maybe they'll somehow know that we did horrible things."
"I for one, just know I love them more. And would do anything to protect them. If they sense anything about us...they'll sense that." Kato assures her.
Anna sighed and relaxed on the bed. She starting to get comfortable when a knock came on the door. "Mooooom." Giving Kato an apologetic glance she got up from the bed and set her bowl on her dresser before stepping out the door to help the kids who had decided that now they were hungry again.

Kato leaned back in the pillows, waiting for her to return before continuing to eat. He hated to see Anna so uncertain of herself. So terrified their own children would somehow find out what they had done and hate them. He knew the feeling all too well. Like the first time he'd killed a man and now he'd killed three. Him, a doctor...also a killer. He couldn't let her see his doubt and shame...not while she was fighting with her own pain. For now all he could do was try and encourage her. He hoped that was enough.

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"Yes. Please don't start seizing. That would be very bad. For both of us." Star searched through the medical supplies she had brought and found both the healing cream and the anti-seizing cream. She sat next to him on the bed, gently applying both creams liberally to his body. When she finished with him she handed him the open-wound cream and lifted her shirt so he could put some on her own wound. "Will this war ever end, Killian? Have all the lives lost meant anything? Have we even made a dent?" She looked over her shoulder at him. "If we're going to lose this war, there is no point in you going back and risking your life again."
Using his one arm to sort of try and push his shirt up Killian finally gave up and just let Star push her cool fingers under his shirt. Once or twice he winced when she got close to the bandages. He had bruises that reached far beyond the actual entry and some of the exit wounds. Doctors hadn't exactly been gentle with all the surgery and usually bullet wounds left large bruises anyway. Sitting up when she finished putting the creams on he dipped his finger in the cream and gently applied it to Star's back. "I think the war will be over and we had to have made a dent. Did you see how they changed the arena? They've changed it 2 times to stop outbreaks. They will lose ground." Carefully pulling her shirt back down he handed the cream to Star and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Star I don't know if they'll let me back after this anyway."
"They found out about the nightmares when I was in the hospital." Killian looked at her. "Had 1 seizure too and they don't know enough to know that it was related to temperature. Doctors kept thinking it was brain damage and they scanned a few times. All they could find was the concussion from getting shot in the head 3 times the last few days."
"Then let them continue to think that." She put a hand on his chest. "I need you. I need you home."
Killian grinned. "They never asked me and I never had to lie to them. I let them think what they want."
Star smiled and bent down, kissing him gently. "Well, in that case...heal up quick. You owe me a date."

*********************************************************************************************************
Both wives watched their husbands very closely for the next few days, with the doctors on speed dial...just in case. Star's back was healed enough now that she felt comfortable about moving with Killian back into their own home with the children, getting some much needed space from Charis whose questions seemed unending. Star didn't bother taking the kids to school. Both parents needed their children around as much as possible for the time being.

As the days drew on, Star began to worry more and more about Killian having to go back, she knew Anna feared the same. She was still voting for just up and leaving, but she hoped that what Killian had said about the army not letting him back in was true. She debated whether or not to send the army a letter stating what bad health Killian was in physically and mentally but she didn't want to get him in trouble. For now, she just had to concentrate on helping him heal.

Star was watching T.v. with the children when a knock sounded on the door. She stood up and opened it, her mouth dropping in surprise. "Oh my gosh! Lisa! Frank! What are you doing here!? Come on in." She let the two friends inside with their twins who immediately rushed off to play with Claire and Mike.
Lisa was several months pregnant with another but Star managed to give her a good hug. "I hope you don't mind us intruding like this but we uh, decided to leave the colony and move someplace nicer. This planet seemed really nice, and then we remembered you guys were here."
Star sat them on the couch. "Oh well, yes. This planet is very nice. Except for the fact just about every man has been drafted into the civil war with the Gillicks."
"Yes. We heard about that." Frank nodded. "A large number of colonists and Chippequoti went off to volunteer and join the fight as well. The colony isn't much more than a ghost town anymore."
"Did Killian get drafted?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah. Him and Kato. In fact they are on leave right now...they were both injured pretty severally."
"Oh my goodness, Star. I'm so sorry."
"Its ok. He's ok. He's home. That's what matters. Just be sure to know that if you settle here...you'll be safe, but Frank may very well be drafted too."
Lisa and Frank looked at eachother and nodded solemnly. "Thankyou for the warning."

"So, huh, do you guys have a place to stay?" Star asked.
"Yes, we're renting an apartment downtown. Its a bit small, but it fits our needs." Lisa shrugs. "Frank is looking for work and I'm looking for schools that affordable. Its going to be a bit rough for a few months, but, it'll be worth it."
Star smiled lightly. "I'm glad you guys are here and are doing well. I'd get Killian, but..."
"No, no. That's fine. In fact we should get going but we just wanted to stop by and say hello after...what is it now...3 years?" Lisa chuckled.
"I'm glad you did. I've missed you." Star hugged her as they stood to leave. "Keep in contact. Let me know how you are doing and if I can help."
"We will. Have a good evening." Frank and Lisa gathered the children and left. Star watched them go with mixed feelings. It was good to see them again, but it sounded like they were leaving a rough situation with the colony. That made her sad. She had hoped things would get better after they had left. Didn't sound like it. She couldn't help but wonder if this was an omen that things were about to get worse.
 
Killian was never so happy at the thought of going home. Over the last few years he had been happy to get home every night and now he was aching to get into his own home and just be with Star and the kids. He barely got through the door and it felt like he had a lump growing in his throat. "I'm tired." Last thing that she needed was for him to break down right here. After months of missions that seemed to never end and then he was thrust back into the games Killian was almost afraid to set foot outside the house.

Once he was in the room he laid on his side of the bed and made sure that Star had space to join him. Dreams started up all over again. He'd had some, but most of the nights he was too heavily drugged up with pain meds to really respond. Now he was at home and considered to be doing well enough that he didn't have take as much. Sleep wasn't the same anymore. Dream after dream was now flashing through his mind. What Kafus planned and then the slaughter. Despite his best attempts and all his planning he couldn't stop the people, they still tried to kill each other and it made him sick. He had tried so hard to reverse the damage and somehow this time it hurt so much more. It should have been different and he should have felt better because Star did survive. The choice wasn't just about saving himself or dying with them. They all survived and yet it wasn't satisfying.

There was no moving around or walking for a little bit yet. Killian laid in the bed all day and Star typically checked on him enough that he didn't have to worry about needing anything. Rolling to his right side he tried to breathe more deeply and he soon fell asleep only to start into another dreamscape of horrors. "No!" Yelling above the gunfire he tried to get the men to stop. They kept shooting and the people were dying. People were still trying to kill each other. It was pure madness.

Star rushed into the room, finding Killian in the middle of another night terror. She hurried to his side and put a hand on his arm. "Killian. Wake up. It's just a dream."

Rolling to his stomach pushed himself up on his right arm and he rubbed his face. Only half way conscious of himself he started to mumble. "Help me...please just help." Killian flopped onto the pillow and tears started to run down his face as he slowly woke up. "Ugh..." About that time he noticed that someone was in the room. Quickly wiping his eyes he looked at her. "I'm alright."

Star knelt by the bed, stroking his hair, pained that he was suffering so badly again. "No you aren't. But that's ok. I'm not going anywhere. Alright?" She kissed him tenderly. "You're safe now. I'm safe. You saved alot of people."

He wanted to sleep. Something where he could sleep without all those dreams. She still had some of the stronger pain killers and they helped with that sometimes. Killian reached out and grabbed her hand. "I need some of those other painkillers." Killian didn't want to tell her why, but he figured she might think he hurt that badly. Some of those things worked for the mind to and he needed to be numb for a little while. Just to sleep.

"Ok." Star looked at him in concern. He must've been in alot of pain to be needing the stronger ones...buts that why she had them. She leaves him and returns with the pill and a glass of water, stroking his and gently massaging his neck as he took the pill. "You want to talk about it? Talking seemed to help last time."

Laying still in the bed for a few moments he waited for her to return. Killian took the tablet from her when she returned and swallowed it then washed it down with a little water. "It was just more killing." His brow furrowed with the thought of it. "I can't talk about it right now. Need to just sleep a little more."

Star nodded. "Killian...after you're feeling better. Maybe...maybe you should see like a therapist...someone who can help you get rid of the dreams, you know? They've got techniques out there for things like that nowadays. It would probably help you alot."

At mention of a therapist he almost sat up in the bed. "I can't go to a therapist. Star they would have me imprisoned after everything."

"You don't necessicarly have to go to a therapist whom you have to talk to about things like that. I was thinking more along the lines of someone who can give you tools to deal with the dreams and memories. I've heard of rumors of places that can do things like electro-therapy to help the brain re-wire and better deal with tramatic events." Star stroked his back. "I just don't want to see you suffering anymore..."

Killian groaned a little and turned his head. "I want to go to sleep." Talking about this was scaring him. A therapist....What kind of stuff did those people do? He'd never met a doctor before Kato and that was horrifying in itself. Now talking about a person that would try to mess with his brain? "I'll be fine I just need sleep." It wasn't long till he fell asleep again and it seemed to help until sometime in the middle of the night. Reaching across the bed he tapped Star's shoulder gently. "I need one of those other painkillers again. Can't sleep."

“Hmm?” Star murmured as she woke up with Killian asking her for another pain killer. “Ok.” She rolled out of bed and picked the bottle out of the bag. She popped the lid, pouring one into her hand and getting him another glass of water. “We should call the doctor tomorrow. Have him look you over. You shouldn’t be in this much pain all of a sudden.”

He highly doubted that she would actually call the doctor so he nodded for the moment and took the tablet. As long as it meant that he didn't have to dream about those things he didn't care what he had to do. Killian felt like he was about ready to break and the strain had been so great that he snapped at the games and he was about to fall into pieces. The only thing holding him together during was the fight to survive and now it was the medications.

The next day the doctor arrived and he made a quick assessment before he stepped out of the room to talk with Star. "He shouldn't be needing those. Why is he using them? Is pain especially bad at night are there patterns?" If he was going to treat the patient he needed to know if there were certain routines that could be causing pain or if there was just a considerable amount of pain more at night.

Star shrugged. "Usually after he's slept for a bit or is about to go to sleep. I guess laying in the same position for a few hours at a time is really hurting him."

It sounded like something that the doctor had seen before and he nodded. "Alright I'll write a new prescription for more. If he keeps having severe pain like this we'll need him to see a specialist in treating pain."

Star nodded. "There's something else. Killian has been having from pretty horrible night terrors. Stemming from the last time he spent months in the games. I was wondering if there are any therapists or therapies you could suggest. Something where he wouldn't have to share a significant amount of detail."

The doctor took a deep breath. "You never have to share significant detail if you don't feel comfortable. I'll be sure to get a referral in with a therapist. The man is known to be careful. He doesn't push. Would you like the therapist to consider joint sessions if he thinks it would help?"

Star nodded. "Yes, please. And thank you.

A few days later a doctor called the house to make an appointment for a time when Star would be there and Killian would be awake. He had a small idea from the other doctor that this could be a possible joint session. Sounded like the woman was next to desperate for him to visit so he made an appointment for the next day. Usually he didn't cater to those that felt they must see him right away. However, this case was a little different. He'd also received a note about the extra pain medication being prescribed. That was usually a red flag too. Still he knew not to go in judging this right away. That was something he could get to naturally.

Knocking on the door the doctor smiled as the woman opened the door and all the children were playing around in the house. "Good morning. I'm doctor Uri."

"Good morning, Dr. Uri. Thankyou for coming." Star shook his hand and let him inside. "Thank you also for being wiling to meet us here. Between Killian's injuries and the children and not having a shuttle, getting out has been difficult."

"It's not a problem at all. I need out of my office from time to time." The man smiled at her and glanced about the house. It looked like the home of a stressed mother. "I usually like to start with a basic question to put this in the correct perspective, it helps cut down on confusion. Why am I here?"

"You are here because Killian and I have been through literally hell these last couple weeks. Um..." Star wrung her hands a little. "Killian was put in the games for several months about 4 years ago. We ended up in the games together with some friends about two weeks ago and barely escaped with our lives. Killian is suffering from some pretty bad nightmares and...I'm worried. I did what I could to help him through it last time, but most of it just ended up buried." Star held up her hands. "Now to clarify...digging for details about what happened in the games exactly is probably not going to be helpful and last time I did it with him he just suffered worse, so...yeah." She stared at him awkwardly hoping he had the answers she didn't for how to help him.

"Ok." The doctor nodded and he took a deep breath. "Do you mind if I sit for a moment?"

"No. Please go right ahead. I'l get Killian." She hurried to the bedroom and pushed the door open. "Killian? The therapist is here."

Turning in the bed Killian sat up and frowned. "Therapist?" He was feeling a little scared and annoyed at the idea.

"Yeah. You don't have to tell him anything you don't want to. He's just here to try and help you...us...get past this. Please, do it for me?" Star looks at him with puppy eyes.

Killian sat up slowly. He hadn't been out of the room since they got here and he didn't want to, but he needed to do it for her. "I just need some help." Wincing a little he moved to the wheel chair and let Star roll him out to the main room.

The doctor waited for them patiently. He could hear them murmuring and when they emerged at last he didn't show any sign of changed emotion on his face. It was important that the man didn't feel like this was awkward. "I'm doctor Uri. I would like to ask you the same question that I asked your wife. Why am I here?"

A slight smirk came to Killian's face. "I really don't know. She thinks you could help me."

"And do you think I can?"

"I don't know." Killian shrugged his only good shoulder for the moment. "Guess I'll have to find out." He was trying not to be entirely hostile though he was somewhat feeling that way for now.

Doctor Uri smiled and he nodded. "Very good. First think I'd like to do is ask a little bit about what you both do for yourselves and each other. I"ll start with you, Killian. What do you do to help yourself and what do you do to help Star?" It was always good to let patients say these sort of things for themselves. Even if they weren't honest with him they couldn't lie to themselves for long. He noticed the man had started to shift a little in his seat and the doctor stared down at his notes for a moment to take the pressure off of Killian and let him answer in his own way.

"Nothing really. I got hurt real bad and I can't walk so I lay in bed. Not much to do for myself or her." Since the doctor didn't immediately say anything he figured that his answer wasn't so bad. Turning toward Star the doctor repeated his question. "What do you do for yourself and Killian?"

"Uh, well...I take care of everything that needs doing..." She had a feeling the doctor was referring to emotionally. "I talk to Killian and Anna usually, about what I'm feeling and struggling with. In turn I ask him questions and make him tell me what he's thinking and feeling." She smirks at Killian.

The doctor nodded again. Writing down a few notes he looked at them both. "I did ask the doctor in advance. Killian how would you feel about being more involved in the home? Star how would that make you feel?"

Killian almost staggered over his words. He didn't see this one coming. "I uh...Yes I want to do something."

"I would be relieved." Star said immediately. "Its really hard when he's away, knowing he's in danger of being killed and not being able to do anything about it."

"Ok." The doctor looked at Star. "I'll let you know that when I come into a home it is a special circumstance and I consider the entire family my patients. So does this difficulty extend to any of the children as well? Is there anyway to change the occupation?"

Star looked over at Killian then back at the doctor. "Can you stop the war draft?" She asked half teasingly.

"No I cannot." The man looked at the two of them and smiled briefly. "I can assure you that Killian will be here at home for a while longer." In fact depending on how these appointments went he wasn't sure that Killian would be able to go back. "So my next question is for Killian again. I want to know if there is any reason that has held you back from being involved in the home while you're here. Is it anything I can help with? Pain, or possibly some ideas of what to do?"

Killian sighed. "I don't really have that much pain if I don't move around. Got it pretty well managed, just haven thought of anything I can do in a wheel chair with only one useful arm."

Doctor Uri marked a few more things on his note page. "Well I think that you and Star could decide on how some of that further involvement will work out. So you mentioned that you don't have pain and it seems to be well managed. Do you have prescriptions to manage the pain?" Nodding at the answer he continued. "That is a heavy duty painkiller. So I take it that the pain is severe quite often if you are still using it."

"I uh..." Killian glanced at the doctor and then Star. "I need it to sleep."

It was a vague answer and the doctor couldn't quite figure out if it was pain that was causing the sleeplessness or if it was something else. Carefully he nodded. "Well then that seems to cover bases for this visit. I'll be back in about 10 days. Check on how things are going around the house." As badly as he wanted to get rid of the drugs it wasn't time to do it yet. That would throw the entire patient trust out the door if he started that way and it had been prescribed. However, he would recommend the other doctor not to prescribe anymore and just see where it went after the next 10 days of medication ran out.

Star stood and shook his hand. "Thank you very much Dr. Uri. We look forward to your next visit." After he left she sat back down beside Killian. "He seems really nice. How did you feel?"

After the doctor was out the door Killian relaxed a little. "Not too bad. Guess we better decide what's reasonable for me to do. I can't even get out of bed or get dressed, showered or anything without your help. How am I supposed to do anything to help you?"

"You can help watch the kids. Keep them entertained, freeing me up to do chores and cooking and the like. You don't even have to hold them. Just, help manage games and make sure they don't hurt one another or themselves."

Killian nodded. "Ok I guess I could do that." Seemed that since he was already up that was going to be starting today. In some ways he couldn't believe that he had just admitted that he needed to do this. In other ways it was good. He missed the kids and they were constantly wanting to stop and show him things. By the evening meal Zack wanted to push him to the dinner table and it felt terribly strange to have the kids line up behind his chair to push and they loved it. When the evening meal was over he went to the living room with the kids to read a story book to them. Killian was able to get himself on the couch and he padded his left side with the decorative pillows so the kids could sit with him and not cause horrible pain.

Two times that night he woke up and asked for more pain medication. Star still didn't protest and she continued to give him pain medications whenever he asked. To be sure that she didn't catch on he tried to limit himself to only the times he slept. However, it was getting harder not to want the tablets more often. With the extra activity he did feel a little more pain though it still wasn't as significant as it had been when he got hurt. Nearing the 8 day mark he started to ask her for tablets in the afternoon. Then the 10 days passed and he ran out in the middle of the night.

When Star called the doctor about a new prescription or possibly a referral to the specialist the man simply stated that the therapist would be better able to make that assessment. Killian was angry. He didn't want to deal with the nightmares and the tablets had pretty well made sure he didn't feel anything and he didn't dream anything. Of course the therapist asked how things were going and Star had her little report then he gave his. "Doctor said I can't have anymore painkillers till you give an assessment. I need them to sleep."

Doctor Uri just nodded. "Do you need them for pain?" The look on Killian's face said it all. "I'll prescribe you something less addictive and it is still for pain, but I don't think you need anything quite that strong."

*********************************************************************

Anna couldn't help feeling a little excited when Kato wanted to start getting up and walking around a little. She eagerly got him up and walked around to his side. "I'll be right here. Just try not to fall over on me. I'm still shorter and you're a heavyweight now." The little woman had done her best to crack a few jokes from better times. At least it was a happy thing. A time when Kato was recovering and he would live longer. Even now he looked better than he did then. "You know what I think we ought to dye your hair an exciting color. What if I dye it blue?"
 
The nights were hard, for both Anna and Kato. Too many times he woke up with her weeping or panicking in the bed beside him. All he could do was wake her and hold her best he could with his good arm. He did his best not to wake her with his own nightmares, knowing they would eventually pass but for now it was like reliving the games over and over. Kato had never fought so hard in his life to return to normal, but even he felt like a different man. As if this whole situation had unlocked a part of himself he hadn't realized existed. He would never admit it to Anna, but being able to defend her from death in such an intense way was liberating. He almost felt disgusted with the amount of pride he had for how well and how easily he had killed the attackers to defend both of them.

No longer was he the nervous, uncertain man he had been. No longer was he naive and hopelessly optimistic. No longer was incapable of doing whatever needed to be done to take care of Anna. He smirked. And no longer was he going to be the stick in the mud she teasingly complained about. A wave of guilt washed over him momentarily. He'd killed men...and he didn't have an ounce of regret, and the sorrow had already faded, replaced by the certainty of his actions. He'd done what he had too. As a doctor, he'd learned to do what he could, and when the patient died, he couldn't hold himself responsible. It was the same as this. He did what he could, he did what he had to. There was no point in beating himself up with guilt. He remembered the day he'd asked Anna how he could be a killer and healer at the same time. He knew the answer now...because he had to be.

Kato was more than happy to play with the children on the bed so that Anna could have time to herself. He knew she was suffering. Perhaps even more than he was. He wished he could do more to help her. The sooner he got on his feet the sooner she wouldn't have to worry over him. For the next few days he worked on strengthening his arms and legs and stretching out his stiffened muscles. He was going to become stronger for her. Someone she could rely on more in every way.

One morning he felt fully ready to start walking again and told her so. That beautiful smile and little laugh made every painful step so worth it. Anna takes him to the living room and he sits on the couch with a sigh. She recommends dying his hair blue. Probably out of a tease but he grins up at her. "Sure. Sounds fun." Kato replied sincerely.
"What?" Anna looked at him and frowned. Leaning a little closer she peered into his eyes. "Indigo blue?" Still she wasn't sure and finally she put a wrist on his forehead half in jest. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Honey, I'm fine." Kato smiled. "If you want to dye it blue, lets do it. We only live once, lets make it count."
Chuckling a little she grabbed a pad. "How about you pick a color you want your hair to be."
"Oh boy..." Kato made a face as he began flipping through the options. "Ew, check out that green...totally want grass on my head." He chuckled then handed the pad back to after a minute. "You pick. You're the one who has to stare at it all day."
"Then if I pick your color you're going to pick mine." Anna grinned and handed it back to him. She loved doing this sort of thing and she could get kits to do it at home.
"Ooh, now I like that." Kato began looking through female hair and colors. After a few minutes he hands it back to her. "This one."
Anna couldn't help chuckling. He picked a deep purple for her hair and she added it to the basket as well as another color that she wanted to put in his hair. On the side she ordered a few extra caps since they were doing it at home. "I'll dye all my hair. You're getting highlights. Don't want to do anything too drastic. I'll just aim for some of those silver strands and leave others. It will look pretty cool."
"I've never had my hair colored, so i don't know what to expect. But, I trust you."

Kato leaned forward and kissed her, stroking her chin. "How have you been doing. You seem a little happier." He noted, hoping it wasn't just a momentary happiness.
"Mmm." Anna gave him a quick wink. "Of course I'm happier. We're home and we have the boys here. I get to do something with your hair and you're still here with us."
"Doing my hair means that much to you?" Kato asked. He'd never thought about what that simple act might mean, and how he might have hurt her if he had turned her down.
"I like you to look sexy." Anna kissed him. "You already are, but its good to see my stick in the mud can be moved just a tiny bit."
Kato smiled. She had no idea he was determined to be fully removed from that term permanently. "What else would you like to do? Something I've resisted in the past that you would really like."
Being offered an open opportunity like that made her eyebrows raise. "Oh I'm not that easy to fool. What did you do?
"I nearly died." Kato said genuinely, holding her hand tightly. "You...nearly died. I've spent far too much of my life being nervous and wary and cautious. You deserve so much more than that. So...what would you like do to do?"
"I'm not talking about that." Anna started to peer around the house suspiciously. "Did you break something?"
"No..." Kato chuckled. "This isn't a manipulation tactic. I'm trying to be genuine."
Anna smirked. "I just had to make sure. You were sounding almost like an adult version of Jacob and Joseph after they do something naughty."

At the last word she grinned even wider. "Speaking of which we have a few things we could do as adults later on when you're up to it, but right now I really want to cook a meal with you. We've never cooked together before."
"That's because I burn just about everything I touch. But, I'm sure you'll teach me." Kato stood with Anna's help and soft grunt. "Show me what to do."
"There's no way to burn the veggies you chop." Anna glanced back at him. "How many times did you cook those breakfasts you used to make me when I was pregnant. They weren't usually burnt."
"Well, pancakes are simply. So are sandwiches and eggs. You'll remember I never made anything requiring more than a few ingredients." Kato sat at the table as she got some things out for him.
Anna glanced at him and frowned slightly. "You are acting weird and I thought that this wasn't going to change us. I don't mind some change, but what is going on?"
Kato looked at her. "Just what I said, Anna. I've had several days in bed just to think and reevaluate things. I want to be the man you deserve. After experiencing what we did...everything else that used to freak me out seems so...meaningless. Even disease is such a little thing. I've spent too long trying to figure out how the body works, and all along I had the most amazing life right beside me...just waiting to be noticed." He stared at her genuinely. You...are my new passion, Anna. I want to learn absolutely everything there is to know about you and how to live life."
"Just don't get too crazy about it. Take everything in pace so you don't decide that its too hard later on. I'm not ready for a giant change." Anna gazed into his eyes. "You can still be a stick in the mud for a few things. I still want to dye your hair though."

Kato nodded and chuckled lightly. "Sure.Whatever you want."
 
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