Alana woke to confusion. She had been dreaming about Jaron, and what he would do to her when he found out that she was pregnant. In her dream he had been determined to dissect the baby, and nothing she said would stop him. The silhouette in the room scared her, and for moment Alana thought that she was still dreaming. The silhouette stood, and in that moment Alana knew who it was; no one was as tall as Kalen. Before she knew what was happening, Alana burst into tears. Taken aback, Kalen froze. He had been stepping towards her, and was shocked by her outburst. He placed a small package on the end of the bed, then left the room.
Alana was furious with herself. She had been counting the days to Kalen's return with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, and now he thought that she was unhappy to see him. Alana decided that she had to act quickly; she certainly couldn't let her emotions overwhelm her, and ruin the chance to make things right. Rushing into the hallway, Alana shouted after Kalen. She hadn't bothered with clothes, and for a moment he just stared at her, his eyes travelling over her body.
"No." It was a whisper at first. "No, no, no!" Kalen's voice boomed with an anger that Alana didn't understand. He took a step back, head in his hands, before turning and punching the wall. The white paint was smeared with his black blood.
"Kalen." Alana's voice betrayed her fear and uncertainty. He strode towards her, his huge hands encircling the tops of her arms. He shook her roughly.
"How can this be happening? How?" Alana tried to pull away, but had little success. Shutting his eyes, Kalen took a deep breath. He seemed to realise that he was scaring Alana. In a much calmer voice he muttered into her ear, "I will protect you from this. I will not let this happen to you."
"I don't understand."
"Pregnancy." Kalen spat the word out as if it was something distasteful. Alana was shocked. She had expected that Kalen would be surprised, and maybe a little uncertain, but the anger and the disgust was not something that she had anticipated. Alana thought back the Mia's comment about expecting upset, and Jaron's comments about interspecies mating not ending well. Kalen pulled her gently to his chest, brushing strands of hair from her face. Alana's tear streaked cheeks were tenderly kissed as Kalen reassured her. As Kalen led her back to the bedroom, Alana wondered what could be so bad about the pregnancies. She couldn't imagine anything that would make her want to give her child up, and she was sure that, with time, she would be able to convince Kalen to agree with her, after all it was his child, too.
Settling into bed with Alana, Kalen reached for the package. She snuggled against him as he handed it to her.
"I thought you would like this." His tone was unsure. Alana kissed his cheek as she eagerly opened the wrapping. The contents puzzled her for a moment as she examined them. Once Alana realised what Kalen had given her though, she leapt on him, throwing her arms around his neck and covering his face with kisses until she found his lips. There were several books that were obviously meant for children, a pad of paper, several pens, and a handwritten dictionary translating this world's language to English. The rich, deep rumble of Kalen's laughter filled the air, but his joy at Alana's pleasure was only momentary.
Kalen's large, calloused hand rested on Alana's blossoming stomach. "This will kill you. It must be removed." Alana met his eyes and saw that he was completely serious. She shook her head.
"My baby won't kill me, Kalen." Alana put all the feeling that she could into her voice.
"I'm so sorry, Alana. If I had known that I could get you pregnant..." He looked away, not able to maintain eye contact.
"Why did you think that you wouldn't? Jaron told me about your history with his race. If your species could impregnate them, then why not me?" Alana asked her questions gently. Kalen looked lost, and unsteady, not at all like the warrior he was. For the first time, Alana started to wonder if maybe Kalen and Jaron were right. They certainly seemed to think they were.
"Jaron said that we were incompatible. I didn't consider that he might be mistaken."
"Kalen, Jaron knew that you could do this to me. I asked him for contraception, and he said he wouldn't bring it up with you. He told me if you didn't want a child, then you would tell him."
"He said this?" The growl that emanated from Kalen made Alana freeze in his arms. She could feel the rage. Alana nodded slowly.
"He isn't a good person," she whispered, hardly daring to say the words. A nod was all that she received in response, so Alana decided to carry on. "How will the baby kill me? I don't understand."
"Do you want this baby?"
"Yes."
"Me, too. I am more sorry than you could ever know. On our world, the baby would force itself out, here." Alana felt Kalen's fingers brush against the soft, slightly stretched skin underneath her stomach button. "Our women are strong, and heal quickly. Our babies are born fighters. Their teeth are as sharp as mine." He took Alana's finger and pressed it against his teeth, drawing a drop of blood which he lapped up. "Alana, you are not strong enough for that kind of punishment. Neither were the women of this planet, nor the women of several others. Some doctors tried to make the women give birth early, hoping that they would deliver the baby in a way more natural to them. The women were not capable of doing this as the baby was too large. You are far too small."
"What if I wanted to try?" Kalen shook his head. He kissed her lips, then bit her neck, hard enough to break the skin. Alana yelped.
"What are you doing?" She rubbed at the pain and her hand came away bloody. Quickly, she scooted from sitting on him, and sat wearily beside him.
