117 comments/ 113657 views/ 150 favorites A Ta'Narian Christmas By: nomoretears00 Special thanks to talismania for her wonderful editing job; you're the best. Merry Christmas, guys! This is a copyrighted work of fiction by nomoretears00. All rights reserved. * Dale was just finishing up reduplicating water pistols for his young, Szin and Raiden, to use while they played at the waterfall near their house. "Hold on Szin, it's almost done," Dale said as Szin shifted impatiently from foot to foot. The Ta'Narians didn't have many toys that were geared strictly for play so he'd made some based on his own childhood playthings. Plus, something else was driving this. Szin didn't have any Ta'Narian characteristics except for one thing, one major thing... the womb. Many years ago, the Ta'Narians had started a war with the reptilian planet Onfre and lost. In retaliation the Onfre had seeded Ta'Nar's atmosphere with a chemical that destroyed the female reproduction system of the Ta'Narians, leaving them unable to reproduce. This started what the Earth termed "The Harvest." After the threat of attack and subsequent negotiations, Earth had agreed to supply Ta'Nar with a thousand young human males each year for the next five years. The collection was done by lottery. The Ta'Narians took these males and subjected them to the one process they'd discovered that allowed their species to reproduce: they genetically altered the males to grow wombs and conceive young for their Ta'Narian mates. Dale had been taken in the last harvest by the Ta'Narian warrior and starship captain Keyno Shou. It had been a harrowing, illuminating time, one that had changed him irrevocably . . . and yet he had also changed his captors. He'd even changed Ta'Nar, he liked to think for the better. Dale was instrumental in opening King Duran's eye, who happened to be Keyno's uncle, about how the harvest affected the young Earthlings and other species. It was Dale who suggested the Ta'Narians ask if any Earthlings would be interested in being mates instead of forcing them, and the response had been surprisingly good. King Duran had also agreed to let the new mates decided when they were ready to be injected with Ta'Narian DNA instead of doing it right off the bat the way it had been done with Dale. While Dale considered himself Ta'Narian, Szin looked completely human. The belief was Dale's fertilized egg split and the genetic material split, too, a sort of "magnet effect," with the human genetic material gravitating toward one fetus and the Ta'Narian genetic material gravitating toward the other. Because of this, Dale was kicking the idea around of introducing some Earth customs into their family. Szin pulled on Dale's pants. "Almost done, just let me fill it up with water." The idea had really come to a boil during his and Keyno's latest trip to Earth several months ago to collect the young men who wanted to be mates. While there Dale had taken the time to see his parents, who he had last seen the day he had been harvested and dragged out of his home. Truth be known, Dale missed his parents. The time he and Keyno had spent with them hadn't been enough. Okay, call him a wuss, but damn it, he missed his mom. And this time of year, the Earth year, wasn't helping matters. Yes, he had a ppa on his com with the Earth year. There was an ache in his heart that was getting harder to ignore. Family had always meant a lot to Dale and now part of his family was millions of miles away. With a sigh he finished filling up the water pistol and sent Szin on out. "Raiden? I'll have yours ready in a minute," he called out to his other young. He heard a loud growl followed by a startled meow then a crash from the living area. "Oh come on, what now?" Dale muttered as he walked into living area. There stood Raiden soaking wet, his pointy ears laid flat, one of the many plants in the house turned over and Szin grinning madly. It didn't take much for Dale to figure out what had happened. "Uh huh, you were waiting to ambush Szin, weren't you?" Dale asked. "Yeah," Raiden said, staring at the floor, trailing his toe through the dirt that had spilled from the plant. "Well, looks like you bit off more than you could chew," Dale said, while trying not to laugh. The emotions on Raiden's face ranged from disgust to guilt. Raiden had hidden on one of the many elevations in the house, waited for his twin, then had leaped out at Szin. And gotten the shock of his life when Szin unloaded on him with the water pistol. Dale was blindsided by a memory of Susan hiding and jumping out to scare him. How many times had his sister done the very same thing to him? He would've paid good money to do to her what Szin just did to Raiden. God, he missed her. "Dad? You okay?" A light breeze ruffled Dale's hair bringing him back to the present. Their family lived in a rooftop home near a stream that ended in a waterfall. Their tree house was nearly one hundred thirty feet in the air. It was built around the upper trunk of the tree and had a porch that opened up to a large indoor space. The inside was open and spacious with a huge variety of plants, many from other planets Dale and Keyno had traveled to. The thatched roof looked like it was part of the treetop. Keyno could land and park the flyer in a building on the ground or park off the side of the house, too. There was a force field around the house. "Yeah. Well, good thing we're going to the waterfall, huh?" Dale said to Raiden. "Leave your brother alone and come with me into the kitchen. I'll fix up your water pistol." "Then we'll go to the waterfall?" Raiden asked. "Yes. Guess I'll clean up the mess you made later. Of course, if you hadn't been trying to pounce on Szin I wouldn't have a mess to clean up, now would I?" "Sorry, dad," Raiden said, eyes downcast. Dale turned away but not before he caught Szin's smirk and Raiden's responding stuck out tongue. Shaking his head, he herded Raiden into the kitchen. Szin might look human, but he was smart. Raiden took after the Ta'Narians with their feline features. Raiden looked like Keyno; he had the same white hair, deeply tanned skin, pointed ears, long tail and cat-like yellow eyes as Keyno. From the way he was growing he would be just as tall and muscular as Keyno. But unlike Szin, Raiden did not have a womb. Dale had once, long ago, told Keyno he reminded him of one of the big cats from Earth. And like all cats Raiden like to climb, stalk and pounce. Szin, more often than not, was ready for him. Szin was the second born and favored Dale. He had Dale's ash brown hair and hazel eyes, when Dale still had hazel eyes, but Szin did have a womb. Szin was smaller, weaker and much less muscular than his older twin, Raiden. Dale had a strip of white hair near his face that matched Keyno's hair color. This came from Dale being dosed with Ta'Narian DNA. Due to the genetic mutations that enabled Dale to have children, and being double-dosed because of a disease, his eyes had changed to looked like the Ta'Narians. "Szin," Dale called from the kitchen, "don't spray any more water in the house." "Okay." Dale finished Raiden's water pistol, loaded it up with water and they headed out to the waterfall. There they could spray each other to their little heart's content and maybe burn off some of that endless energy. "You can jump off some of the lower rocks at the waterfall but don't go too high up," Dale said. Dale leaned back against a rock, his hands behind his head as he watched the twins play. The sun shone down, lulling him, and his mind drifted, thoughts turning to memories of the past. He and Chad had spent several hot, lazy days at the lake they lived by, swimming and fishing. Dale stared at the waterfall, not seeing it. In its place was Chad fighting with the old tent they used when they went camping. Dale's mom always baked brownies for them before they left. God, what he wouldn't give for just one of those brownies or one of those she fixed at Christmas, with a pecan in the middle. Dale rested his head against the tree... Christmas was his favorite time of the Earth year. "Dad looks comfortable," Raiden whispered to Szin. Szin grinned. "But hot." "Think we should cool him off," Raiden said. "You go around to the left, and be quiet, okay." Next thing Dale knew he was being blasted on both sides. "Oh shi—" Dale jerked as the cool water hit his warm skin, barely stopping the word he had been about to say. "You little buggers! Turned your water pistols on me, will you? Now you're in for it." Raiden and Szin splashed off, both laughing as Dale jumped in the water, chasing after them. Dale managed to catch Szin and threw him up in the air, letting him land in the water. Unfortunately Raiden had climbed up onto one of the rocks and Dale didn't have the cat-like ability to go after him. Later Keyno showed up and joined in the fun. "Oh yeah, now you two are in for it," Dale said as he splashed after Raiden. "Get'em Keyno." Keyno leaped into the water, a water rifle in his hands. "Hey... Oh man, no," Dale ducked as Keyno sprayed him, Szin helping. Raiden was busily spraying Keyno. Talk about outmanned and outgunned. * * * * "Dale, what's the matter?" Dale stifled the sigh that threatened to break loose. Szin and Raiden were playing in the shallow part of the pool, splashing each other. Keyno and Dale were in the shade resting against a large, fern-like tree, drying off. Most of Ta'Nar was covered in what on Earth would be called a tropical rain forest. Of course there were industrialized cities and a palace for the king, but the Ta'Narians took much better care of their planet than the Earthlings did. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you keep asking me that?" "You've been quiet since we returned. Even Chad has commented about it," Keyno said. "You do realize listening to anything Chad says is the surest path to insanity, right?" Keyno brushed a stand of hair out of Dale's face. "My point is he's noticed something's wrong." "Keyno, there is nothing wrong," Dale said. "I guess I'm just tired. The trip back was long, keeping up with two young is hard, and okay yeah, I do miss my parents some . . . but nothing is wrong. I promise." "Maybe you're going into estrus again," Keyno teased. Estrus was the physiological state during which mates could be fertilized. It was a long and arduous cycle that involved hours and hours of sex. To say Dale had been concerned about his ability to walk once the cycle was over had been an understatement and a standing joke among their friends. "Oh hell, it isn't time yet, you fiend," Dale said as he reared back from him, "so bite your tongue." "Hmm, think I'd rather bite yours instead, my chosen." Keyno leaned over and kissed his mate. The soft purrs started before his lips even touched Dale's. Keyno's bonding scent, a sweet smell of cloves, drifted up from him. A simple brush of lips quickly turned into heat and aggression as he deepened the kiss, his tongue dueling with Dale's. His hand slipped around the back of Dale's neck, holding him close. Dale raised his hand, his fingers caressing Keyno's jaw. Keyno's long white hair writhed on his back, wanting to touch Dale. Keyno released him and Dale tilted his head back, baring his neck. Keyno rubbed his cheek against Dale's throat, scent-marking him, as a strand of his hair wrapped around Dale's wrist. Keyno pulled him closer, his other hand pressing into the small of Dale's back, urging him nearer. Dale moaned, his head thrown back as Keyno nibbled at his throat. Just a simple touch from his mate had him panting for air, his body inflamed, dick hard as steel. He was ready to crawl in Keyno's lap when their young reminded them where they were at. "Szin..." Raiden hissed as his younger brother yanked his tail. "Dabba!" The Ta'Narian language didn't have a word for "dad". Dabba meant "parent" but Dale was teaching both of their young to call him dad and Keyno dabba. "Now what?" Keyno rested his forehead against Dale's. "Duty calls," Dale laughed breathlessly. "There's always tonight," Keyno said as he stood up, the promise clear in his eyes. "I'll handle it, you just take a break." "Much appreciated." "Szin," Keyno waded into the water where the young were getting ready to tie into it. "Do not pull his tail like that, it hurts. Raiden? What did you do to Szin? And don't shake your head at me, young, you did something..." Dale leaned back and closed his eyes, letting Keyno deal with it. He grinned as he heard squeals, giggles and loud meows coming from the water. Keyno might just find himself overwhelmed by the two, even if he was a dangerous Ta'Narian warrior. Dale drifted off to sleep listening to the three males he loved the most play fighting in the water. * * * * "Dale, wake up." "Hmm?" "Think it's time to go. They're hungry." Dale yawned and stretched. "Gotcha." Keyno held both young. Szin was resting his head on Keyno's shoulder and Raiden was patting Szin's back. The twins were closely connected, had been since before birth. The fact that they could both communicate with Dale while still in the womb had saved Chad and his young's life. Once everyone believed Dale about his baby-centered premonitions, the ability to communicate while still in the womb was put down as a possible side-effect of his being double-dosed, just one of many. They had told Dale he bore two young, something that was so very rare on Ta'Nar it was almost unheard of, and that Szin would have problems at birth. Even before they were born, Raiden had been adamant Szin be kept right next to him... or Szin would die. Even now Dale was pretty sure they could communicate with each other without words. "If you'll fix them a snack, I'll get the drinks," Dale said as they walked in the kitchen. "Okay," Keyno said. He set Raiden and Szin down, then programmed the reduplicator. They got the twins fed. Raiden could barely hold his eyes open, his head nodding while he ate. Then Szin would elbow him making Raiden snap awake. He'd growl at Szin who just laughed. Dale suddenly saw Susan sitting at the dinner table holding a Popsicle, her head bobbing as she drifted off to sleep. It was Christmas night and they had been up since the crack of dawn. Unable to resist, Dale had shrieked in her ear, causing her to jerk and hit their dad upside the head with the sticky mess. Their dad had knocked over his drink. Susan was crying, his dad was muttering and his mom was giving him the death glare. Boy had he gotten in trouble for that. But it sure had been funny watching Susan jump like a scalded cat. "Dale?" Dale frowned as he pushed the memory away. "Uh, yeah, let me finish cleaning up in here and I'll be on." Dale hurried into the twin's room just as Keyno got the young down for a nap. Since Dale had napped at the waterfall, Keyno suggested they spend some time sparring in the room they had set up for that. After giving birth, Dale had returned to his pre-pregnancy weight but hadn't been working out. Life had just been too hectic. Dale had earned a black belt in Karate back before Keyno had chosen him to be harvested. He had been teaching Dale to use the hast, which was a lot like the nunchakus Dale favored, and he had learned a lot since Keyno was a Champion with the hast. Dale changed into an old shirt and shorts. "So, do you remember the lesson I taught you on my starship?" Keyno asked as they circled each other. Dale grinned, remembering how that lesson had ended. "Yeah, never underestimate my sneaky, underhanded opp—" Keyno came at him legs and hast flying. "Damn it, Keyno," Dale said as he went into defense mode. "Talking can be a distraction," Keyno smirked as he backed Dale across the mat. Dale shut up and concentrated on seeing if he could read Keyno's next move. For twenty minutes they sparred... well, Keyno sparred; Dale spent ten of those twenty minutes picking himself off the damn mat. Finally he had enough and laid there, panting, while Keyno stood over him. "I give," Dale gasped. Keyno lowered his body over Dale's, straddling his hips. "Say it the correct way." "Oh for god's sake, okay fine, I submit." "Better," Keyno said, "now to enjoy the spoils of my victory." "Look, you crazy ass warrior—" That was as far as Dale got because Keyno ripped his shirt open. "Aw damn Keyno, what is it with you and ripping off my..." His mouth crashed down on Dale's effectively silencing him and shooting his body into overdrive. The smell of cloves filled the room as Keyno trapped Dale's arms above his head; he scooted down Dale's body enough to get to his nipples. His rough tongue caressed the sensitive nub until it was hard and peaked, then switched to the neglected nipple. He knew what a pleasure point Dale's nipples were. Dale's dick swelled to hardness, tenting the shorts he had on as Keyno sucked a nipple into his mouth and rubbed that rough tongue over it. Dale's body arched under Keyno's as he released it and went to work on the other nipple, until Dale was gasping for air. Keyno rose up, tightened his hands around Dale's wrists and looked him in the eye. "Do not move those hands." "Oh god," Dale mumbled as Keyno rolled off him and came to his knees. Keyno tapped Dale's hip and had him lift up so he could pull Dale's jock and shorts off. Next came his shoes and socks. He lay naked on the mat while Keyno pushed his legs open. Dale's shaft was hard and leaking against his belly. Keyno moved between Dale's legs, lowered his head and swiped his tongue through the precum, purring at the taste. His hair came alive, shifting on his back, twisting and rippling as it moved, searching for Dale. Thick strands lifted from his back and wrapped around Dale's knees, holding his legs open. The silky softness of his hair belied its strength. No matter how much Dale jerked and thrashed those strands would keep his legs open. Keyno let the tip of Dale's cock slip into his mouth, sucking on the swollen head. Dale arched his hips wanting Keyno to take more. The vibration of his purrs on Dale's dick was driving him nuts. Keyno rolled Dale's balls as he released the head of Dale's dick and nibbled down the shaft, running his tongue up and down the length. "Come on, suck it," Dale moaned. Keyno grinned then took Dale in his mouth. Bobbing his head up and down he cut his eyes up at Dale. He watched lust, desire and need flitter across Dale's face. Faster he went as he worked Dale with his mouth and tongue while Dale fought to keep his hands where they were. Taking a deep breath, he drew Dale's dick fully into his throat, holding it there for a few seconds, then swallowed. Lights actually flashed in Dale's mind and there was a loud buzzing in his ears. It's entirely possible he made up a new language as Keyno swallowed again. One thing was for sure, the language translator embedded in Dale's brain didn't understand the sounds coming out of his mouth. "Keyno... Keyno, please," Dale begged as Keyno sucked harder. Dale had a hold on his own wrists just to keep from burying his hands in all that white hair of Keyno's. "Undress for me. Damn it, get naked." Dale felt the chuckle around his dick all the way down to his toes. "Keyno, gonna come if you don't stop," Dale warned. Keyno released Dale's dick, stood up and stripped. God he was gorgeous, all hard plains, strong muscles and leashed strength. And the sneaky alien had lube, talk about coming prepared. Dale raised an eyebrow as Keyno settled in between his legs. With a grin he patted Dale's thigh. "Hands and knees, Dale. I'm gonna eat that ass out before I fuck it." Dale rolled over and stuck his ass up in the air, eager to feel his mate's rough tongue. Keyno parted Dale's cheeks then kissed his rosebud, his tongue fluttering around Dale's hole, tickling the sensitive skin. With a grunt Dale lowered his chest to the mat while Keyno's tongue lapped at his hole, wetting him. A Ta'Narian Christmas Keyno stiffened his tongue and pushed, working his way in. Dale relaxed his body and resisted the urge to scream when Keyno's tongue entered him. Pleasure pierced his mind and his legs shook. Keyno removed his tongue and slipped a finger in, twisting it to open Dale up. He was purring so loud it reminded Dale of a well-oiled engine. He pulled his finger out and entered Dale again with his tongue. Then he added a finger, curled it and nailed Dale's hot spot. Dale cried out sharply as Keyno rubbed that bundle of nerves. Dale's dick jumped, slapping against his stomach and dripping precum all over the mat. Between that rough tongue of Keyno's and those wickedly long fingers, Dale wasn't going to last much longer. Then the fuzzball added another finger. "Keyno!" Dale wailed as his balls slammed against his body. "Stop. Gonna come!" Swirls of lights flashed and Dale's breathing stopped as Keyno slid in, a long slow glide all the way to the root. Keyno had lubed up while Dale was still trying to convince his body coming right that second wasn't a good idea. He had prepared Dale so well there was no pain, just glorious fullness, as his dick rubbed over Dale's prostate. He held Dale's hips steady as he eased out, every square inch of him rubbing Dale's channel, then slammed back in... hard. Dale's whole body tingled. His chest came off the mat as he shoved back against Keyno. "Gonna be fast," Keyno growled. "Oh yeah," Dale gasped. "Fast and hard, fuck me, love, hard." He reached around and his hand settled right below Dale's belly button. He pressed into Dale's lower abdomen and worried his fingers back and forth across one certain spot. He was rubbing at some Ta'Narian pleasure point inside Dale that had him writhing and desperate. All Dale could do was undulate wildly under Keyno. The rapture was immediate, intense and Dale was right at the edge, so close to coming. His body was burning hot, prickling and tingling. Every slide of Keyno's cock felt magnified tenfold and when he jabbed Dale's prostate again, Dale screamed. Dale's mind went blank as his body took over. Pleasure ripped through him as he came and a lone tear tracked down his cheek. This one moment in time, as their bodies froze together from the pleasure, meant everything to Dale. This was his mate, his best friend... his family, really the only family he had now. This was his one true love. That precious moment passed and with one more deep thrust Keyno held himself against Dale as he came, his barb unsheathing and biting into Dale with a delicious zing. "Oh god, that barb," Dale moaned, shivering from the slight 'nip' he felt as it engaged. Keyno eased them down on the mat, Dale's head on his arm, while they waited for his barb to release. His other hand smoothed the sweaty hair from Dale's face and thumbed away the tear. He then touched Dale's necklace, the physical symbol of their bond, of everything they were to each other. It was a necklace made of small coal black stones that had a clear oval stone in the middle. Three wavy red lines, one on top of the other, decorated the stone in the middle. All mated couples wore these. "Love, please, what's the matter? You've never cried before." "Tears of happiness, that's all they are. I love you, my mate." "I love you, too, but I still feel you aren't being totally honest with me. There's a sadness in your eyes, Dale." "I'm fine, really.... I'm just... Oh fuck that barb..." Keyno's barb released causing Dale to jump from the exquisite feeling. He helped Dale to his feet and they went to their bedroom to clean up. They had barely gotten dressed when the twins woke up. They played outside a little more then herded the twins to the bathroom to bathe. Later they had the final meal and spent some time reading to the twins. Szin fell asleep in Keyno's lap and Raiden was curled up next to Dale. Keyno caught Dale staring off into space more than once and asked him one last time what was wrong and again Dale denied anything was the matter. They put the young to bed and spent some quiet time together before going to bed. Keyno didn't bring the subject back up; Dale wasn't going to talk, so he'd find answers another way. He lay in the darkness, wondering what was going on with his mate before finally falling asleep. * * * * "Dale? I just talked to Chad; he's going to take the flying part of his test today. We're going to keep Dayo for them." Dale's brow knitted as he watched Keyno moving around the kitchen. "Huh. I really should go with them then and take the written part." "Then go. I'll be fine with the young." "Are you sure? Three is a lot to keep up with," Dale said as he finished cleaning up after breakfast. "I'm a starship captain; I think I can handle three young." "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't mind I think I'll go with them. I've put this off long enough. I mean, if Chad can pass it, I can." "Gibor is stressed enough; don't add to it, chosen." "And I warned him, too, remember? I was right there every time Chad ran over a mailbox or jumped a levee." "Gibor still hasn't forgiven you for telling him that." "Ignorance is not bliss, not in this case. But I won't ride Chad's ass too hard, for Gibor's sake." Chad and Dale had been friends since childhood, when they'd lived next to each other. Chad had been harvested a year before Dale and Dale had watched the whole thing take place right in Chad's front yard. If it hadn't been for Dale's dad tackling him he probably would have attacked the extraction team bare-handed, he was that upset over losing his best friend. The harvest was not a good time. Little did he know a year later he would be seeing Chad again. Gibor, Chad's mate, was Keyno's first officer. Gibor had long hair the color of onyx and lime green eyes. He was just a little shorter than Keyno, but built just as big. Chad had blond hair with a strip of black near his face and sky blue eyes. Dale heard the elevator roaring up the tree. "And here comes trouble." "Hey, we're here, and oh look, we come bearing gifts," Chad said as he walked into the kitchen He dropped the yppan bag and Dayo's drink on the kitchen table as Dayo squirmed out of Gibor's arms. "I swear, it's like moving. How do you deal with all this times two?" Dale shrugged as Raiden and Szin ran in the kitchen to meet Dayo. Growls, purrs and giggles followed the young as they rushed right back out. "What else am I gonna do, send one back? Not like I have much of a choice on all the stuff I have to lug around." "Ha-ha. You sure you guys don't mind keeping Dayo?" "Keyno assures me he has it well in hand." Chad looked up from unpacking some of Dayo's things and knocked Dayo's drink over. "Say again?" "If you don't mind I'd like to go with you and take the written part." "Cool, so you're going to break down and do it, huh? Good for you," Chad said as he wiped up the spill. "How hard can it be, you passed." Chad threw a lewot he had used to wipe up the spill at Dale. "John passed the driving part yesterday. So there." "Yeah, but John's a doctor. He has a brain in his head," Dale said as he threw the lewot back at Chad. "Smart ass." "Dick weed," Dale responded. "Crooked dick." "Dumbass, that's you, not me..." Gibor leaned over to Keyno. "Please... I'll stay with the young and you take them." "Ah, see, that's the benefit of being a captain, I have seniority. Have fun, Gibor. I'll take three young any day of the week." "Of all the times to pull rank," Gibor griped, then sighed as he looked at Chad and Dale arguing. "Okay you two, let's get going." * * * * "Damn it, Dale," Keyno muttered. He saved the program he was researching and glanced outside to where the twins and Dayo were playing. He had set up an outside play area for the twins. Dayo and Raiden were climbing and exploring a tree. Szin was swinging, waiting for them to come down. "I really should put you over my knee for this, chosen." Something had been bothering Dale, but when Keyno asked he just shook his head and said all was fine. But Keyno knew his mate and knew something wasn't right. There was a sadness hanging around Dale that hadn't been there before. After several failed attempts to pull it out of Dale, he broke down and did the only other thing he could think off; he sent a deep space message to Dale's mother. The reply had come in less than an hour ago and had explained so much. What he didn't understand was why Dale hadn't talked to him about this. They shared everything. He had just shut the program down when he heard the elevator coming up the tree. Keyno wiped the history and walked to the kitchen to meet everyone. "I..." Chad yelled as they came in, "passed!" "I..." Gibor said as he passed Keyno, "need a drink. Several drinks. Got any reeb?" Dayo, Raiden and Szin joined the adults in the kitchen, adding to the ruckus. Dale got the young something to drink while Keyno got Gibor something a bit more adult to drink. "Was it that bad?" Keyno asked Dale as Chad hugged his young. "He did okay on the test. Of course the area in which he took the test wasn't that crowded. The problem came when he wanted to fly us home and Gibor couldn't come up with a reason for him not to," Dale laughed softly. "Gibor about ripped the door handle off a couple of times at some of the close calls Chad had. But honestly, he flies the same way he drives... balls out. So I wasn't that worried." "How did you do?" "I passed the written part, didn't miss a question," Dale grinned at Keyno then rolled his eyes. Chad was telling the young how well he'd done and Gibor was holding his head. "Proud of you, love," Keyno said, then kissed Dale. They could hear Chad and Gibor discussing the trip home. "You are not flying home, not with our young in the backseat. Not yet anyway," Gibor said. "Whatcha trying to say?" Chad demanded. "I passed the stupid test." "Gods know how," Gibor mumbled. "What? What did you say?" Chad demanded. "What I mean is you need more practice and I would feel much better if our young wasn't in the vehicle." "Dam—" Chad cut himself off. Chad looked down at the young who were listening attentively. "Ah yeah, we'll talk about this at home... later." "So, how was it here?" Dale asked as Chad and Gibor eyed each other. "Much more calm, peaceful and relaxed." "I heard that," Chad said. Dale had to laugh at the look on Chad's face. "Go argue with Gibor and stay out of my conversations." "I wasn't that bad," Chad muttered. "They were no problems." Keyno leaned down and whispered in Dale's ear. "I'm much less stressed than Gibor." "Who isn't?" Since Gibor had been drinking and flat out refused to let Chad fly again, they ended up staying until the final meal. The young played together until they snuggled up and feel asleep. Later on Gibor and Chad left... with Gibor behind the wheel. * * * * The next morning Keyno had to go to the palace. All the senior officers were meeting with King Duran. There was talk of an upcoming mission to document a star going supernova. All the mates would go and their young. The trip, if permission was granted, would be in a few days. Dale was in the kitchen cleaning the same counter he had cleaned already. Soon Christmas would be here. Well, it would be on Earth. The Ta'Narians had no concept of the holiday, which was understandable, and the calendar year was different than Earth's. Dale considered himself Ta'Narian now but the very idea of letting Christmas pass was eating him alive. His family always got together for the holiday... always. And god help him, he missed that closeness, that togetherness. He wanted... Dale shook his head. He wanted his parents and his sister and her family here, with him and his family. He wanted to see his niece play tag with his young, watch his dad and Keyno talking over the grill, see his mom in the kitchen baking goodies, watch Evan try to assemble a toy... and none of that was likely to happen. Especially with Susan and her family. "Damn, I've got to stop this. There's no point in wanting what I can't have." Chad had buzzed Dale on the com and invited himself over since Gibor also had to attend that meeting. Dale called John and asked him and Neo to join them. John's mate was Doc and Neo was their young. Doc was Keyno's starship doctor and also a senior staff member. John had been harvested at the same time as Dale. Doc had taken one look at the young redheaded doctor with big blue eyes and fallen for him. Now John had a golden strip in his hair that matched Doc's hair color. Both John and Chad lived in treetop houses nearby, as did several other officers from Keyno's crew. Walkways with force fields around them ran between the houses to create a small, close-knit community. "Hey John, Chad," Dale said as they came in. "Raiden, Szin... Dayo and Neo are here." "We want to go to the play area," Raiden demanded. "Say please," Dale replied. "Please!" Three young shouted. Szin just grinned. "Come on, let's take them outside," Dale said. Everyone trooped down to the play area and Chad and John exchanged glances. Once they got the young settled, Chad started in. "Okay, what's the deal?" "What? What deal? What are you talking about?" "You're acting funny, being too quiet. And the smart-assed comments are down to a few a day. What gives?" "So let me make sure I'm hearing this correctly... You're complaining that I'm not insulting you enough? Well hell, Chad, I can fix that. Let's start with your insane flying." "Blow it out your ear, dude. At least I'm flying." "It's entirely possible that flying instructor gave you your license just so he wouldn't have to fly with you again. That guy who gave you the driving test back on Earth was shaking like a leaf and mumbling about retirement once you got done with him." "Know what? You can—" "We're getting away from the real topic of conversation," John said, "which was very well done on your part Dale, but I'm not as easily distracted as Chad. What's wrong?" "It's not fair, he doesn't pick on you like he does me," Chad groused. "What can I say, he knows how to use a scalpel." "You'd do better to worry about the soniclasar scalpel I know how to use," John smirked. "But that's beside the point, and the point is we know something is wrong with you. So spill it." Dale sat quietly for a moment, watching the young play. "It's Christmas, isn't it?" Chad said quietly. Dale sighed. "Yeah." "I know what a big deal that time of the year was with your family." "Mom and Dad went all out, you know? Every room in the house plus the outside was decorated." "Your dad had the place lit up, no doubt about it. Even got my dad into it." "Oh man, that was something. Your dad had no business around anything electric," Dale grinned at Chad. "He was an accident waiting to happen." "Waiting to happen, hell, it was more of when was it going to happen. Remember when he blew every circuit in the house one year?" Chad asked. "I thought your mom was going to kill him, he was messing around with the lights outside right before church," Dale laughed. "But I have to say, for us, it wasn't so much the religious aspect of the holiday. It was more a time for family and, well... I miss celebrating it." "Yeah, I know," Chad said. "The holiday has crossed my mind a time or two lately." "We did the whole deal, too," John said and shrugged. "But it was more a keeping up with the Jones type of thing. Just the way my grandparents were. The servants cooked dinner; we ate, then opened the gifts. Then grandfather retired to his study and grandmother went out to do her charitable works. I ended up alone or went to a friend's house." "I don't mean no harm, but that sucks, man," Chad said. "Yeah, what he said." Dale shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore," John said. "So, the question is, what are you going to do?" "I think you should talk to Keyno about this," Chad said. "I really don't think he'd have a problem with you introducing another Earth custom. He hasn't complained over any of the other things you've introduced." "That's true, but this is different. Christmas is a religious holiday, well, it used to be. It's so commercialized now. And Ta'Narians don't worship the same gods as Earthlings do." "He has a point," John said. "So turn it into a family thing, a tradition for just you guys. Explain what the meaning behind Christmas is and then leave it there. It's not like Szin or Raiden couldn't research it if they wanted." "I know. And with Szin being pretty much human, I want him to know that side of his history. Wouldn't hurt Raiden to know, either..." "There's something more, isn't there?" John asked. "Yeah. I miss my folks." Dale glared at Chad. "And if you start making fun of me—" "I miss mine, too, Dale," Chad said taking the air out of the rant Dale was getting ready to launch. "I feel for you two," John said. "I don't miss my grandparents like I thought I would." "After what they said about Doc and Neo..." "And John, too," Chad reminded Dale. "It's okay, guys. I've dealt with it; my grandparents didn't accept me like your parents did. I have you guys, my mate and young... Malk and Kia, Cielo and Ti... I'm good," John said. "Honestly, you guys are more of a family to me than mine ever was." "I'm glad," Dale hugged John, "and I may talk to Keyno, see how he feels about this. Of course, that means I'm going to have to admit there was something bothering me." "Like he doesn't already know," Chad snorted. "Yeah. He's probably going to threaten to put me over his knee again," Dale sighed. * * * * "I want you both to read over the link I sent you on the com," Keyno said as he maneuvered through traffic on the way to the palace to meet with King Duran. Several minutes later, Doc looked up. "Hmm, interesting." "It explains a lot, really. Wonder why they didn't mention this holiday to us?" Gibor said. "Knowing John, he figures the social aspects don't apply to him. And I would have to agree," Doc said. "It might be the religious angle," Gibor said. "But Dale has introduced new customs before; the young shower comes to mind." The young shower was what Dale had called the baby shower he threw for Juan, the king's mate. It was such a hit with the Ta'Narians that other males had ended up throwing young showers for their mates. "Didn't you take him on the honeymoon, too?" Doc asked. "That's an Earth custom I believe." "Exactly, so I don't know why he's not talking to me about this winter type celebration. It seems to be very important to him." "How did you figure out this holiday custom of Christmas?" Gibor asked. Keyno sheepishly looked at his passengers. "I sent his mother a deep space message." "Ah, smart. So, how are we going to do this?" Doc asked. "I've researched what is needed for this holiday. It seems to revolve around three things: an older, heavy set male with white hair in a red suit who delivers presents to all, and I mean all the young on Earth, who are good. He is called the Santa Claus," Keyno said. "The parents use this jolly fat male as a bribe to reinforce good behavior." "Why have an older male do that?" Gibor wondered. "No idea. The second thing is a tree that's laden with shiny baubles and lights. It's supposed to have many gifts under it. It seems the humans who celebrate this holiday spend much money then complain about it later. There was a small reference to some sort of religious matter... but I'm not going to try to explain that." A Ta'Narian Christmas "Why do they spend money they don't... Never mind. I often don't understand these humans," Doc said. "I'm going to set up everything at my house, including the preparations for the final meal. That is the third thing. We are supposed to eat then lie on couches and moan because we ate too much. I ran a list off for you both. All I ask is if either of you plan to use the decorations listed... just wait. I want this to be a surprise for all our mates. Is that agreeable?" "Yes. I don't have a clue what to do anyway," Doc said. Gibor laughed slightly. "I have the feeling we are about to learn." They met with King Duran and permission was granted to study the star. The timing was perfect; they wouldn't be leaving until the holiday was over. After several hours of meetings Gibor, Doc and Keyno told King Duran what they had planned. Finally they returned home. Keyno had joined Dale in the kitchen to prepare the final meal. When Dale dropped a plate on the floor, Keyno's hand slapped to his hip where his stunner would have been. "What is wrong with you? You're as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof," Dale said. "I am not." "Yeah, right. If you'd had your stunner on you'd probably have shot me just then." Keyno was horrified. "I would never do that, chosen." "Oh for god's sake, I'm kidding. What's got you so on edge?" Keyno frantically searched his mind and came up with the only thing he could think of... the upcoming mission. "Well, as you know there is always some danger in a mission. A star going supernova is a big deal and it could result in a black hole." "Is there really any danger?" "Probably not, but having the mates and young there is a worry." "And I know you, you'll take every precaution there is. So stop worrying about it. King Duran wouldn't let us go if it was unsafe." "It's just an added worry. You, our young..." Keyno shrugged. "You are my family and I worry." "Yeah," Dale said, emotions running across his face for a second. "But I promise I won't cause any trouble this time." Keyno's small smile had Dale rolling his eyes. "Nice to know, love, but trouble seems to find you regardless." "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dale said as Keyno pulled him close and scent-marked him. "I can't help that. Best I can do is tell you I won't go looking for trouble." "Good to know. Let's bathe the young and get them ready for bed," Keyno said as he pulled Dale to him and nibbled on his neck. "I have plans for you tonight." Dale turned and hurried out of the kitchen. "Waiting on you," he threw over his shoulder with a sexy smirk. * * * * Dale had just finished feeding the young the next morning when Keyno came into the kitchen. "Hey, Juan sent a com message wanting to know if you and the twins could come to the palace while I do a quick check on my starship. All the senior officers are meeting me at the spaceport," Keyno said. "Sure, let me get the young ready," Dale said and gathered what things he needed. Keyno helped Dale buckle the young into the flyer and they left. "I thought we were going to the palace," Dale said as they flew towards the spaceport. "I'm just going to swing by and see if they have docked my spaceship, The Galaxy, yet," Keyno said as he flew closer, then made a lap around the space port. "Hmm, that's interesting, the transport ship from Earth has returned." "Keyno, why the devil are we circling the space port? And why are Doc and Gibor landing? I thought you said we... Oh god, oh my god..." There on the walkway was a female... a human female, an older human female with an older human male beside her. Keyno's Weapons Chief, Second Officer Malk, walked with the humans. Malk was a large sable-haired Ta'Narian with striking amber eyes. He was one of the few Ta'Narians who was bigger and more muscular than Keyno. His mate, Kia, was from Ne Reyn, a planet that was ninety percent covered in water and whose inhabitants were amphibious. He had light gray skin the color of the sky after a spring rain, and his eyes were completely black. Even the sclera was black so that he looked like he had some kind of funky techno-punk lenses covering his eyes. Long, dark cerulean blue hair hung in dozens of finger-thick braids but for several braids of sable brown that perfectly matched his mate's hair color. There was silver wire, as thin as fishing line, wrapped tightly around the ends of each braid and held tiny silver bells that chimed softly when he moved. Malk was speaking to the female, pointing at the flyer that was rapidly descending. Keyno barely got the on the ground before Dale all but fell out of the flyer. "Oh, oh, oh... Mom! Dad!" Dale raced up the walkway. A feminine sob greeted him and his mom, Lyn, burst into sobs as Dale threw himself at her, lifted her off her feet and swung her around. Dale eased her back on her feet and Jerry, Dale's dad, patted Lyn on the back and discreetly wiped tears from his eyes as he hugged both his wife and son. A few feet behind them, Kia walked with Chad's parents, Linda and Howard. Another heartbreaking shout echoed across the walkway as Chad ran to his parents. Gibor, Doc, Keyno and John stood by, waiting, all their young staying close. All of them had big smiles on their faces. Chad was crying and hugging his mom and dad at the same time. "Missed you, god, I missed you both." "Oh my Lord, I can't believe you're here," Dale gasped as he pulled away to run his hands over his mom's shoulders. "You came here, jeez, I can't believe you really came here." Antigravity transports, several loaded down with huge boxes, floated down the walkway. "Oh sweetie, we missed you," Lyn sobbed as she hugged him tightly, causing Dale to grunt. "Keyno? We missed you, too." Lyn held out her hand to Keyno and the twins, wanting them to join the hug fest. Szin and Raiden were soon darting around the adults' legs as Lyn placed both her hands on Dale's cheeks, wiping the tears away. "Sweetie, we have another surprise for you." "What... what..." Lyn turned Dale around so he was facing up the walkway to where the transporter was docked. She rested her hands on his shoulders and squeezed as he looked at the dark doorway. Another female stepped into the light with a man behind her. This female was younger, much younger than the first female. Black dots swam in front of Dale's eyes as he struggled to breathe. It couldn't be, just couldn't be. "Susan? Susan!" "Dale? Oh Jesus, Dale..." Susan darted down the walkway and launched herself at her brother. Dale wrapped his arms around her, taking her weight and somehow keeping his feet. Susan's husband, Evan walked self-consciously, holding their child, Lindsey. Dale hugged his sister hard, smelling the shampoo she used, the same one she had always used. Sharp memories of his childhood assaulted him and the urge to cry started all over again. "But, but... how? I thought Evan wouldn't let you... I thought he hated the... How are you here?" Evan stopped shy of the group, his face a study of grief. Tears swam in his eyes as he watched them. "I'm sorry Dale, so sorry. My not letting Susan come over when you were at your parents was wrong, stupid. Hurtful. My loving wife came very close to leaving me over that." "I never should have let him stop me," Susan cried as she hugged Dale. "Biggest mistake of my life." "Whoa, whoa, the last thing I wanted was to cause trouble between you guys," Dale said, pulling away from Susan. "But that's just it, in my anger with how the harvest was done, and losing some friends... my best friend... I took it out on you. And man, I was wrong. Your mate, all these guys," Evan gestured to the group, "had nothing to do with the first few harvests. Malk was the first Ta'Narian I actually sat down and talked to..." "Wow, really? Damn Malk, you..." Dale, eyes wide, turned to look at Malk, stunned. "I don't know what to say. Thank you." "You owe me no debt of thanks; you befriended my mate and bought him out of his shell," Malk said. "This was the least I could do." "And that's what got through to me. Malk told me everything that had happened since you left. You hadn't changed. You may look a little different, but you are still the Dale I've know ever since I started dating your sister. Plus finding out that many of the Ta'Narians didn't like the way the harvest was done helped." "I'm... I'm just floored," Dale said. "Even though I acted like an ass, Malk was nice enough to offer his help in finding my friends. Yes, I want to know about my friends, but the reason I'm here... god help me on another planet... is to say I'm sorry," Evan held out his hand. "Can we be still be friends?" Dale loosened the death grip Susan had on his neck and stepped forward. He grasped Evan's hand and pulled him into his arms. "You're my brother. Of course we are still friends. You're family." "Forgive me?" "You bet." Gibor and Dayo joined Chad and his parents. Doc, John, Malk and Kia were included and the group nearly took up the whole walkway. Mini-translators were hooked to the ear so the humans could understand what the Ta'Narians were saying. The young crowded around Lindsey, the first female human child they had ever seen. Lindsey was older but Raiden and the others were as big as she was... all except Szin. Laughter from the young while they eyed each other and jokes drifted up the walkway as everyone talked. "Okay, so what's really going on here? I figured it would take an act of Congress to get you guys here and what are all these boxes?" Dale asked then looked at Keyno. "You evil alien, I can't believe you hid this." "I set up passage for them, and no, I didn't want you to know. I sent a message to King Duran requesting extra passengers on the transport ship that was leaving Earth," Keyno said as he hugged Dale. "Now you know why I was so jumpy." "I told him if he was bringing your parents I wanted to request Chad's parents come also," Gibor said. "I... ah, took the liberty of asking Dale's parents to invite John's grandparents. They, um, sent a message asking not to be disturbed again," Keyno said then looked at John. "I'm so sorry, John." "Those people..." Doc sighed but John shushed him. "I expected nothing less," John shrugged. "Fact of the matter is I don't want them here. They aren't my family, you guys are." "Always," Dale said with a quick hug to John. "Okay, what's in the boxes? I'm dying here, guys." "Every ornament, knickknack, rolls of wrapping paper, ribbon... everything I have that's related to Christmas. Years and years of Christmas memories," Lyn said. "We, all of us, are having Christmas here; our very first Ta'Narian Christmas, sweetie." * * * * Turned out it was a good thing Doc and Gibor, along with Malk, had their flyers at the spaceport. Keyno's, and the other three vehicles, were loaded down and Keyno still had to rent a small public U-Flyer to haul all the things the parents had brought with them. Chad parents had some personal Christmas things with them, but the main celebration would be held at Keyno's home since he and Dale had more room. Dale's mom and dad, plus his sister and her family, were all staying with Dale and Keyno. After everyone got settled, they turned their attention to the mound of boxes. "Good grief, Mom, you brought everything. Where's the kitchen sink?" Dale asked as he, with the help of Szin, unpacked a box. A roll of red wrapping ribbon had Raiden perking up. "Keeping looking, I'm sure she packed that, too," Jerry said, completely deadpan. "Your mom got everything else." A loud hiss and a low snarl rang across the room as Raiden attacked the roll of ribbon. Within seconds he had it wrapped around him as he rolled back and forth. "I think Raiden just killed the big, bad red ribbon," Jerry said. Szin was giggling as Raiden tried to unwrap himself. Lindsey was watching Raiden's antics with a small grin on her face. "Is the kitchen sink something that has to do with the Christmas?" Keyno asked, frowning down at a box. "I did not see that listed in my research." "Yeah, and it's very, very important, too. Keep looking," Dale said as he dug through another box while Evan tried to turn a laugh into a cough. "We must have that or Christmas will be a bust." "Dale!" Lyn smothered a laugh. "He's kidding, Keyno. It's an idiom meaning I probably packed things I didn't need. Dale, and his dad, are being smarty pants. Ignore them." Keyno glared at Dale. "Brat." "Oh, like that comes as a shock," Dale laughed, then looked up at Keyno. "Oh crap, don't you dare, fuzzball..." Keyno launched himself at Dale, tackling him. He turned his body so that Dale wouldn't take the brunt of the fall as their bodies crashed together. Dale's screaming laugh got Raiden's and Szin's attention. As soon as he rolled them over so that Dale was on the bottom, Raiden and Szin jumped on Keyno's back. The squeals, growls, meows and giggles had both of Dale's parents laughing, too. Raiden still had red ribbon wrapped around him and Szin had found a pair of Christmas antlers with bells Dale had worn years ago for a Christmas musical at school. Keyno managed to dislodge Szin and stood up with Raiden in his arms. He tossed the young up in the air to delighted shrieks. "Code Red, Code Red! Unidentified life forms on the main deck. Man battle stations," Keyno yelled as he tossed Raiden into the air again. "Reverse engines and thrusts! All power to the shields!" "Me next!" Szin hollered, tugging on Keyno's pants while Raiden flew up in the air. Once he got Raiden on the ground Keyno then threw Szin up in the air, not quite as high as he threw Raiden, then caught him and flipped him upside down before placing him on the floor. Both young were jumping up and down wanting to go again. "Oh now you've done it," Dale laughed. "They're not going to stop until you fall to the floor in an exhausted, limp heap." Lindsey tugged Keyno's pants leg and held her arms out. Dale bit his lip hard as he watched, tears in his eyes. You couldn't fool kids, they knew deep down who was good and who wasn't, and Lindsey wasn't afraid of Keyno. Everyone in the room held their breath. Keyno looked at Evan. "May I? I will be very careful, I give you my bond." "That means his word, and that's a big deal with these guys, just so you know," Dale said to Evan. Then Dale whispered, "You saw how careful he was with Szin. He'll be even more careful with Lindsey." Evan nodded and Dale had to close his eyes at the smile that lit up Keyno's face. God, his heart hurt with joy. Keyno gently lifted Lindsey and tossed her several inches up in the air, nowhere near as high as he tossed Szin or Raiden. Dayo and Neo crowded around Keyno, too. "She's not afraid of heights," Evan said, letting Keyno know he could go higher. "Oh my god, Dale," Susan said looking at Szin, "Szin found those antlers from the musical, remember that? I was a snowman in that thing. I hated that outfit, I looked like a goof." Evan rolled his eyes. "Please, I was Santa. My mom used a pillow to make me fat. I felt like a dork." "Lord, I had forgotten that," Dale said as they watched Keyno. "We were like what... 4th grade?" "I have pictures around here somewhere, let me see if I can..." Lyn said as she went to get up. "No!" Dale, Susan and Evan yelled together. "Oh you three, they weren't that bad. Besides, Keyno would probably like to see what Dale looked like as a kid. And take a break," Lyn added. "Aw man, you just had to bring the photo album, didn't you, Mom?" "That's what parents do, Dale; we live to embarrass our kids," Lyn said then turned to Keyno. "Keyno, take a break. I have some photos of Dale when he was younger. Would you like to see?" "I would, thank you," Keyno said as he eased Lindsey to the floor. Susan had been smirking when their mom brought out the pictures but she didn't stop to think about her pictures being included, or Evan's. They had been friends, then more, and all that had been recorded. Susan wasn't smirking now. There were pictures of Chad, too, which sent Gibor searching through the stacks of old photos. "You were a cute young," Keyno said as he looked at Dale's school pictures. Of course, Lyn had pictures from all the grades and Keyno was mesmerized. "I like this, but why are you in the sink?" Keyno asked. He perused a picture of Dale as a baby sitting in the kitchen sink getting a bath and grinning from ear-to-ear. "He had gotten muddy so it was just easier to rinse him there," Lyn said. "Plus I could see Susan outside playing, too." Then Keyno found one of Dale sitting on the commode when Lyn was potty training him, again grinning. "Interesting," Keyno said. "What?" Dale asked. Keyno turned the picture around so Dale could see. "Oh my god, Mom," Dale made a grab for the picture. "You swore you burned that. Gimme it, Keyno." "I don't think so, chosen. I like this one very much." Keyno held Dale off who was still grabbing at the damning picture. "I do believe Cielo would like to see this." "You... you wouldn't dare," Dale gasped. "No?" Keyno asked with a smirk. Susan laughed hysterically, poking fun at Dale until Lyn found one of her in the same position. Evan had begged for it causing Dale to laugh. "Oh man, can we move on to something a little less embarrassing? Let's get all this Christmas stuff up," Dale said. "Okay, first off, what are we going to do about a tree? We always bought one," Jerry said. "The trees here aren't like the ones on Earth," Dale said. "We could do a search for a picture of a Douglas fir and reduplicate it, but it wouldn't be alive." "I think you should use what's here," Susan said. "This should be your tradition, make it fit who you are, not who you were." "Keyno? All the land in the back is ours; do you have a problem with cutting down a tree for this?" Dale asked. Keyno stood up. "I would prefer not to kill a tree. We could dig something up and sustain it easily. After this is over I could return it to the woods or we could keep it here in the house." "Well, it would certainly fit inside, it looks like a jungle in here," Evan said, looking around. "But I like it." "Yeah, think jungle cat," Dale laughed. "That explains it," Evan said. "It's beautiful," Lyn said. "And it fits you, too. You always had a thing for plants." "Makes me want to get some plants for the house when we get back," Susan said. "Dale takes care of all this, and the plants we bring back from other planets," Keyno said. "I have a tree in mind. If anyone wants to go with me..." Gibor, Doc and Jerry quickly stood up. Everyone else stayed and started putting up the decorations and getting the lights out. Once outside Keyno went to the outdoor parking for the flyer and retrieved a tool to dig the tree up without destroying the root ball. He also brought along an Antigravity transport. "I guess men and their garages are universal," Jerry said. "What do you mean?" Keyno asked. "Go to just about any garage in the country and you'll find tools in it. Even here, millions miles from home... here's a male and his tools." Jerry slapped Keyno on the back. "It makes me feel like we have something in common, besides grilling." "I updated my grill since I last saw you. Dale wanted me to tell you," Keyno said. "Hot damn, I can't wait. Let's get this done so you can show me," Jerry said. Keyno led the other three to the tree he had in mind. It was ten feet tall and the trunk was a deep purple. There were plenty of branches and the leaves were a lighter purple, almost lavender, and lacey. The very tips of the leaves were silver. "Oh man, yeah, no way we can cut this down," Jerry said. "It's beautiful."