The walk back to Everton was a lot less stressful than the walk to the Pit.

Meg, Ashley, Verkiir, and Drann found the safest route out of the ruined city and followed the winding road back to civilization. As the newer--but admittedly far less grand--buildings began to come into view, Meg felt relief wash over her.

Ash was safe. She didn't need to worry anymore.

And she and Verkiir...

She cut a glance to him, finding him watching her with those intense gold eyes. Her face flushed, and she did her best not to let her thoughts wander. Not while Ash was around, at least. They could figure out how to get some privacy later, because she really wanted to thank him for everything he'd done.

But beyond that, she had no idea where she and Verkiir were going. Karuvar said mates were forever, and while Meg thought that prospect would terrify her, she found herself strangely calm. Even relieved, because it was a pain in the ass to try and find the right man and tiptoe around everything so she didn't scare him off. Verkiir was upfront with everything and he didn't play games. He was a good person, and he would protect and support Meg and Ash.

She wanted to believe the rest would work itself out, but eventually they'd have to talk about it. Where were they going to live? Was there going to be some kind of a marriage ceremony? What was this business about kits? And how would they handle cohabiting with her younger sister?

Out of everything else, that concern was most pressing on her mind. As the four of them loaded onto the bus to get back to Waystation Helios, she slid into the seat beside her sister before Drann could claim it, leaving he and Verkiir to sit together across the aisle.

Ash didn't waste any time. "So what's the deal with you and Boner Patrol over there?"

"Ashley!" Meg hissed, blushing beet red.

Her sister gave her a grin and a little shrug. "Seriously, though. You were barely able to be in the same room with him a couple days ago, now he's stuck to your side like glue."

Had it only been a couple of days? It felt like a lot longer to Meg.

"It turns out there may be some truth to the whole 'mate' thing," she murmured, looking at the seat in front of her. "A lot of truth."

Ash's eyes widened and she studied her sister. Maybe Meg had been forced to adopt the parent role, but she and Ash had always been friends above everything else, and now she waited for the opinion of her closest and dearest confidant.

"So you two are a thing now?"

Meg followed her sister's gaze as she looked across the aisle. Verkiir was speaking to Drann, but when she glanced at him, he met her gaze. A small smile touched her lips.

"Yeah. I know it's fast, but--"

"I think it's good," Ash suddenly said.

Her attention turned back to her sister and she considered the smile that came easily across her features. Ash had never been duplicitous. She didn't have it in her to lie that way, even for someone else's benefit.

She didn't even lie about things she knew she shouldn't be doing, for fuck's sake.

"You think so?" she asked, trying to keep the hope from overwhelming her voice and failing.

Ash straightened in her chair, her expression growing uncharacteristically somber as she glanced out the window. "I know we don't talk about it a lot, but I know all the things you had to give up to take care of me, Meg."

That stopped her in her tracks. She was right; they didn't talk about it. There was only one time, a few years ago, when Ash had been particularly bratty and Meg pulled that card. She'd regretted it ever since.

"Nothing important. You're not a burden to me, Ashley," she said, waiting until Ash looked back at her.

"Okay, calm your tits." That was the Ash she knew and loved. "I'm not trying to spin some woe-is-me sob story here. It's just that there's obviously stuff you can't do because you have to worry about paying our bills and taking care of me. If him being your mate lets you do those things, then I'm all for it."

Meg smiled at her sister, feeling tears prick her eyes. God, when had she gotten so emotional over all of this? Maybe the moment when she'd realized she truly could lose Ash for good.

"You're pretty alright," she said, smoothly covering for the wavering of her voice by wrapping her arms around her sister.

Ash hugged her back, and Meg just savored the moment. She'd been forced to play the role of Ash's mother, but right now they just felt like regular sisters. Sisters who'd only had each other for so long, and now had a little help.

"Besides," Ash said, pulling back from Meg, "it's not exactly selflessness on my part."

Meg followed her sister's gaze to Drann. Something tensed inside of her--some sense of dread and misery that was directly related to taking care of a hormone-ridden teenager.

"Oh really?" Meg asked, trying to play it cool.

"Ugh." Her sister let out an angsty little huff and turned away, but not before Meg saw the slight tint of red in her cheeks. "He's a nice guy, and he's into the same things I'm into. We're friends. That's it."

"That had better be it," Meg warned, "because I really don't want to have the sex talk with you."

Ash paled visibly before turning even redder than before. "Yeah. no. Trust me, you're not the only one who doesn't want that."

She took some pleasure in the fact that her sister seemed suitably mortified. Maybe there would be something between she and Drann someday. Meg had no idea how that would work, since he was the Pathfinder's son and--she assumed--his heir. And there was the fact that the tattoos from the implants didn't match, something that seemed really important for the Karuvar.

But God willing, it would be a topic for another day far down the road.

As her sister lapsed into silence, the bus ambled onto the road that led to Waystation Helios. She expected traffic at this time of day--buses going to and from, people walking around, shuttles carrying out their tasks. But as they came closer, it was impossible to miss the sea of people all gathered in front of the main intake entrance.

"What the hell?" Ash asked.

There was some mumbling from the other passengers, and she could practically feel it when Verkiir rose from his seat, his whole body on alert.

"Stay here," he ordered, and for once Meg didn't balk at that tone of voice.

She knew where it came from now; the concern behind it. He just wanted to keep them safe.

She watched as he moved down the aisle, the bladed edge of his halberd nearly scraping against the seats. The other passengers looked at him with wide eyes--apparently they hadn't actually realized there'd been a Karuvar warrior aboard--but they stayed out of his way, allowing him to leave the bus when it came to a stop.

Shouts arose from the gathered crowd and Meg felt a hint of fear. That feeling only intensified when she saw some of the signs the crowd was holding.

Her stomach turned and she suddenly felt sick. It felt self-centered to make this about her, but... what else could it be? The general public must have gotten tipped off to the fact that Verkiir's implant was a match for hers. And now, like cockroaches scurrying out of the walls after dark, everyone and their brother had something to say about it.

"Fuck that," Meg muttered, taking a page out of her sister's book.

She rose and made her way down the aisle. No one got in front of her, either, and she was able to step down from the bus without incident. But that was the very last easy step she took.

Seeing the crowd from the bus, it didn't look so intimidating. Now, on the ground with them, she felt like she was being closed in on by an angry mob. And when Ash and Drann followed her out, that feeling only intensified.

Verkiir looked back at them, anger and panic flashing across his features. "I told you to stay."

Well, so much for that. She had no excuse for herself, and a part of her now wished she'd listened to him. The words being hurled at her--everything from "alien slut" to the ever-favorite "bitch"--rose in a cacophony that was almost deafening. And the fact that those words were being leveled against Ash, too? It made her want to grab Verkiir's weapon and clear a path.

Fortunately, his presence was menacing enough. Oh, they'd shout and snarl about human rights and diluting the gene pool, but when it came down to it, they were terrified of the Karuvar.

Meg wrapped an arm around Ash, keeping her by her side as she followed close to Verkiir. They made it into the intake hub and were all but waved through when Verkiir snarled at the man on duty. Glass surrounded them, supposedly shatter-proof, but it didn't make Meg feel any safer. Especially when a rock came flying from the crowd.

"I will kill the human who dares to hurt you," Verkiir promised, his voice murderous.

"They're just idiots with signs," Ash proclaimed. "They can't hurt us."

For her sister's sake, Meg hoped that was true, but she still stuck right next to Verkiir as they made their way through the tunnel. She half expected another angry mob inside, but she let out a sigh of relief when she saw two friendly faces--Drol'gan and Dr. Monroe.

"Drann, you are safe," Drol'gan said, and to Meg's surprise, Drann actually went to clasp his father's arm, their tattoos side by side in the embrace of the Karuvar.

"Pathfinder. I understand if you wish to remove me as First Guardian, but I would like a chance to speak with you."

His voice was so formal and he deferred to Drol'gan so much that Meg almost didn't recognize him. She felt a stab of guilt pierce her, too, at the thought that he might lose his position on her behalf.

Apparently, Ash felt that guilt, too. "It's not his fault. I'm the one who took Drann to the ruins."

Wow. That was twice in one day that her teenage sister had accepted personal responsibility for her actions. It was almost enough to make up for the fact that they'd had to wade through an angry throng of protesters. Almost.

"I do not intend on removing your status as First Guardian, Verkiir," Drol'gan said. "But yes, we must speak. If you will excuse us for a time?"

Meg looked at Verkiir, and the reluctance to let him go must have been obvious in her features.

"I will return shortly," he promised her, and despite the chaos, she believed it.

The three Karuvar walked to a nearby room, leaving Ash and Meg alone with Dr. Monroe. The woman's expression was worried and she kept glancing out the window of the Waystation.

"How did all of this happen?" Meg asked.

"A member of the press got through," Dr. Monroe said. "We have vetting procedures to prevent unauthorized entry, but everyone was so distracted by the Pathfinder's arrival that they didn't think about it. And now..."

Now Everton's worst had come to show their support for a cause that, if Meg was being completely honest with herself, she might have supported even a week ago. Her skepticism toward the Karuvar had been immense, but she had been so very wrong.

Somehow, she didn't think these people would see it that way.

Verkiir spoke with the Pathfinder for some time, finally emerging without Drann. Meg had taken her sister over to the waiting room, and she stood when he approached.

"What'd he say?" she asked.

"Word of our mating has reached the other Karuvar outposts," he said, and Meg flushed. Great. Just what she wanted. Word of their "mating" out everywhere. "Many males have put in applications to visit Earth in hopes of finding their mates."

"That's good, right?" Ash asked.

"Yes. If more Karuvar mate with humans, we will ensure the continuation of our species."

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to go over so well with the humans," she muttered.

Verkiir's hands rested on her shoulders, immediately infusing her with a comforting warmth. "There is nothing to fear. I will keep you safe."

She smiled up at him. She believed that now. "I know," she told him. "But right now I need to be fed and showered."

"Amen," Ash said.

The outtake hub wasn't nearly as crowded, and they were able to make it back to Everton in relative peace. Part of Meg expected to see more protesters surrounding her home, but she was pleased to find it as dull as it ever was.

At least... that's what she thought. As they drew nearer, past the fence, she saw that wasn't the case. At all.

There on her front door--the door her parents had once hung wreaths on--was a painted fist, raised to the sky, ablaze in a bright red flame. The symbol for the Freedom Fighters.