Meg spent several moments just staring at the symbol. For something so pretty, so innocuous, it looked angry and hateful. Red paint dripped in blood-like streaks, staining the wood of her front door. The design had started to succumb to gravity even as it was being painted, and every downward-sloping line just took on a sinister look.

She'd met a few Freedom Fighters, as they liked to call themselves. She'd had to patch them up before, which wasn't uncommon for any of the hospitals or clinics she'd ever been stationed at. They were anarchists who liked to stir up as much trouble as they could, all in the name of their cause.

And what exactly was that cause? Meg wasn't sure even they knew anymore. Once upon a time, it'd been just as they said. Freedom from the control the Karuvar could have over them. And back then, Meg had agreed. Right after her parents died, she'd been tempted to join up.

But it'd become warped since then. Changed by so many different leaders that it no longer resembled itself. Now it just stood for hatred and intolerance and indiscriminate violence toward anyone who was Karuvar or seen to sympathize with them.

It made Meg's stomach churn, cold dread washing over her. She looked around, suddenly feeling like there was someone watching her. But the street outside her home looked normal, and only Ash and Verkiir were near.

"What is this?" Verkiir asked.

When she looked at him, his ears were pinned back against his head and his nostrils were flared. Could he sense her own agitation and fear? That was going to be an issue.

"A bunch of assholes," Ash muttered.

And because she was who she was, she marched right up to the door, fit her key in the lock, and threw it open without any regard for anything. Meg felt her whole body tense, but thankfully nothing happened. The house was empty.

"It's a... human supremacist group, for lack of a better term," she answered, following Ash into the house. God, she really needed a shower. And a nap.

"What does this mean?" Verkiir asked.

"It means they think Earth is better off without the Karuvar or anyone else who isn't a human," Ash supplied, rifling through the cabinets.

"There are Karuvar who believe we are better off without the humans," Verkiir said evenly.

That made her tense. She remembered the things he'd said when she'd first met him. She hadn't forgotten he was one of those Karuvar. She'd just... conveniently misplaced the information while they were busy getting to know one another.

"Yeah, well. Humans aren't that great anyway." Ash pulled down some cans and a bag of dried pasta that was who knew how old. "We almost wiped out our own planet, so what do we know?"

Oh, great. Something Verkiir and her sister could bond over. Wonderful. She was too exhausted to say anything in defense of other humans right now.

"I'm going to take a shower," she said. "Do you have food covered?"

A large pot joined everything else Ash was placing on the counter. "On it."

She saw the look of concern Verkiir gave her and her heart clenched in her chest. She wasn't really sure what to do with someone caring this much about how she was faring. "I'm fine," she answered his unspoken question. "I'll be back in a bit."

But he didn't take a seat on the couch and amuse himself. He followed her through the house and into the bathroom, despite the fact that she tried to close the door on him.

"Okay, I get that we're mated now, but a girl needs a little privacy." She placed her hands on his chest and tried to push him away.

"I have seen you without your clothing already. You do not need to hide yourself from me."

Okay. Compelling argument. "It's just... habit."

He snorted at this, giving her that same challenging look he'd had on his face at the Waystation. The expression gave way to something more serious soon after though. "We need to discuss what to do about these humans."

Hadn't she come in here to escape that very topic? Meg looked longingly at the tub. What she wouldn't give for a nice, hot, private bath right now.

"Just... turn around at least," she said.

Verkiir eventually complied, and she stripped out of the two articles of clothing she still had on after this morning, starting the water and running her hand under the faucet until it was warm enough. She stepped into the shower and let out a contented sigh before realizing that Verkiir was still doing as she'd asked.

"Okay, you can look now."

She thought he might do more than look. She thought he might join her and touch, too. As tired as she was, she didn't think she was too tired for that.

But Verkiir remained where he was, guarding the door like it was his job.

"I know these Freedom Fighters scare you," he said matter-of-factly.

Meg closed her eyes and let out a sigh. He probably wouldn't understand. To him, they were just humans. Hardly capable of inflicting any real damage. But every day she saw the damage humans could do to their fellow man, and the last thing she ever wanted was for Ash to end up in a hospital because she dared to say that Karuvar weren't monsters.

"Of course they scare me," she admitted softly. "They're dangerous. And Ashley... you've seen how she likes to pick fights that are way too big for her."

It'd always been like that. She'd had to pick her up from school one day because she'd broken a fifth grader's nose. She was six.

"She is strong." This simple statement of fact surprised Meg as much as it warmed her heart. It was one thing for him to think highly of her. That could be excused as biology. But to have a good opinion of her sister, too? "But you do not need to worry. I will keep you safe."

"I know," she said, reaching for the soap.

He was good at that. Even now, she felt more at ease just having him nearby.

"When the Pathfinder's implant is repaired, we shall return to the Zavellan."

Meg stopped cold, the soap held to the cloth mid-lather. Return to the Zavellan? She'd known the Pathfinder wouldn't stay long, but Verkiir had made it pretty clear that mates weren't to be separated.

Maybe she'd misunderstood. Maybe it was just something she'd secretly wished for; a way to never be alone again.

"How long will you be gone?"

Verkiir didn't answer, so she pulled back the shower curtain to look at him. He had that baffled expression on his face.

"How long will you be on the ship before you come back to Earth?" Back to me.

"We will return when one of our implants need repair, I suppose. I do not see need to return beyond that."

Oh. Great. So he'd talked up this whole mate thing and... what? He was just going to take off now that it was getting a little hard? Was that seriously his way of protecting her?

Meg pulled the shower curtain closed again and went about scrubbing her body more vigorously than she needed to. As she did, though, her mind fought past her initial hurt reaction and put the pieces into some semblance of order.

He'd been confused about what she meant. He'd said we. That meant he intended for her to go with him. To live aboard his ship and never return to Earth again, except for a tune-up.

"I'm not leaving Ash," she said incredulously. "You know I can't."

But Verkiir's voice was just as incredulous. "You both will live aboard the Zavellan. There is plenty of room."

Oh, God. He wanted to just completely uproot them. She knew Ash would probably jump at the chance, but just the idea of leaving and never coming back gave Meg a near panic attack.

"This is our home," she said, trying to focus on washing up and not the panic that was setting in.

"It is unsafe."

He was right. She hated that he was right. It only served to heighten the strong emotions that were already coursing through her. It was anyone's guess as to which one would actually win out.

But so far, anger looked to be a strong contender.

"You know, you talked all about how we needed to be mated and what would happen if we weren't," she said, a bit of resentment flaring in her, "but never what would happen after. Did you just assume I'd abandon my whole life?"

"You are my mate," he said. "You belong with the stars. Not here in this place."

The disgust in his voice made her recoil. She shut off the shower, so hard she was afraid she'd broken the knob. Grabbing the towel, she dried off hastily and wrapped it around herself, stepping out to face him.

His eyes were dark as he took in her mostly-naked form, but she so wasn't in the mood.

"This place is where I come from. I'm human, in case you hadn't noticed." He opened his mouth, but Meg cut him off. "And before you even think about saying it, 'you're not like other humans' isn't a fucking compliment."

"Why are you angry?" he demanded, seeming genuinely at a loss. "I wish to do what is best for us. For you and for Azh'lee. For the kits we will have."

Oh. Oh.

"That's another thing. Kits? I never said I wanted 'kits.' I've known you for less than a week."

"But you are my mate. You will be an excellent mother. And I will help keep you safe."

Meg was sure that in his mind, he sounded perfectly reasonable. For a Karuvar, he probably did. But he didn't understand. This was her home. This was all she had left of her parents. There were memories here she could never replace.

And even if she did feel a strange kind of attachment to him--like he was some perfectly-shaped puzzle piece that fit into her life at just the right time--it was overwhelming. All of this at once was just too much.

"I can't do this right now," she admitted, brushing past him. "I need to eat and sleep and not think about this."

She hadn't expected the hurt she saw in his eyes. She could feel it in her own heart, and it killed her to know she'd done that to him. But she needed time. She couldn't just abandon everything she knew. Surely he had to understand that.

In a bit of a fog, Meg walked to her room and dressed before joining Ash and Verkiir for dinner. She barely said two words, and Ashley made quips the entire time about how great they were getting along.

Afterward, when it was clear Verkiir had no intention of leaving, she said, "You can go back to the Waystation if you need to."

"My place is here," he said, and she couldn't help the flicker of hope that lit in her breast. Maybe he would consider a life here. A life with her.

That chance--and the fact that she was already hating this gulf that existed between them--made her extend an invitation for Verkiir to sleep in her bed instead of the couch. Nothing happened. She was exhausted and Ash's room was close by. But he held her, and as she drifted off, she felt like things were going to work out.

Until she was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of glass breaking and the smell of smoke.

Cold fear gripped her and she was paralyzed, unable to do anything or even see what had happened. Verkiir moved swiftly, and her gaze followed him before finding what had awoken her.

Fire.

Something had crashed through the window and was now setting fire to her bedroom.

Meg finally leapt into action, running to the kitchen to fetch the extinguisher. Ashley was awake, her eyes wide with panic, but Meg couldn't even reassure her. She had no idea what had happened.

When she returned to the bedroom, Verkiir was trying to put out the fire by smothering it, but Meg blasted it quickly with the extinguisher. White gas pillowed throughout the room, snuffing out the fire and leaving her shaking at what remained.

A brick.

Someone had wrapped a brick in a rag, doused it in some kind of accelerant, and lit it on fire before throwing it through her window. Someone who was probably still out there, waiting to see the wreckage.

Meg couldn't control her shaking. It was all she could do to hold onto the extinguisher. Her eyes met Ash's and she saw true terror in her sister's face. Terror, when this place they called home was supposed to be safe.

That was all it took for her to make the decision.

"We'll go with you," she said softly. "We'll go live on your ship."