Yep. I'm on a roll! Enjoy! :)

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The person who summoned me for work was Anya.

As I collected my communication device and looked around wondering if I needed anything else, Anya spoke.

"You lied to Rafe's father," Anya said.

Except she didn't say Rafe, she said his name. His complete one. It took me a few seconds before I realised who she'd been talking about.

I stepped out and looked at her, waiting for the question.

She seemed to understand, lines tightening around her mouth.

"Why?" She said, her blue and white eyes sparking at me, as she stood with her arms crossed in a perfectly poised stance.

Wow, she was angry with me?

"I did what I thought was right." I said to her, crossing my arms and standing opposite her.

She just smirked.

"I do not trust you," she said.

"And what have I done to deserve your mistrust?" I asked her.

"You have done nothing to deserve my trust." She said.

I pointed at her, "But I've given you no reason to doubt me, either."

She leaned forward, "Do not think you can get away with anything."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I told her, truthfully.

Anya's beautiful eyes turned dark in anger, her hands dropped to her sides, fisting. She opened her mouth to say something, when a familiar voice from behind me said, "Amour! Here you are!"

I turned around to see Freesia heading to me from her room. She caught my arm and tugged me away from Anya.

Anya maintained eye contact with me, until I turned away.

What was her problem?

Freesia and I got into the elevator and I stayed quiet wondering what just happened.

"Wow, what was her problem?" Freesia asked.

I was genuinely flabbergasted.

"I really don't know." I said.

"Hey," Freesia said, and I looked at her, "Don't worry about it."

I gave her a small smile, "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"She looked ready to kill you." Freesia said, a flicker of worry creeping into her features.

She really did, didn't she?

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Let's go find Wolf," I said.

"I can't believe you guys weren't allowed to eat lunch." She said.

"And dinner." I added.

Her jaw dropped open at that.

I waved my hand, "Long story."

When we exited the elevator, we walked down the corridor heading to the Hovers. We were practically the last people to assemble.

I looked around and saw Rafe standing outside one of the Hovers. He saw me and Freesia, before his eyes shifted away to someone behind us.

I turned to look at Anya and she met my eyes, a challenge shining in hers.

I watched as she crossed us and walked straight to Rafe. Rafe watched her, his face expressionless. She stepped up really close to him, her long lighter than honey hair slipping off her shoulder, as she tipped her face up to Rafe's. Then gently as a feather, she traced her lips against his jaw. Rafe's eyes were on her, even as she stepped away and got into the Hover.

Freesia and I got into ours silently, not looking in Rafe's direction.

"Wow, talk about Drama Queen," Freesia said.

I just rolled my eyes. We looked around in the Hover we'd gotten into to see if Wolf was there. Sadly he wasn't.

Dammit.

My communication device chimed then and I took it out.

Come to the Hover I am in.

I blinked.

Why would I do that? I asked.

Because.

My eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" Freesia murmured as we sat down.

I showed her what Rafe had sent and her eyebrows rose. Then she snapped her fingers.

"You have Infant Care today." She said.

"God, don't remind me." I groaned.

"No no," she said, "Our Hovers are taking us to the Field."

Oh. None of them were assigned Infant Care.

Damn it.

"Amour Hills?"

I looked up at a deep-blue eyed alien with dark hair.

"Yes?" I asked, tentatively.

"You are to be escorted to the next Hover," he said and gestured that we leave.

I growled out a low curse. Muttering a good bye to Freesia, I stood up to leave, while quickly typing a message to Rafe.

I was coming. You didn't have to send an escort.

You weren't coming fast enough. Was his reply.

That's because you didn't say please.

Royals never say please. He replied.

I regret the day I called him Majesty.

I got off the Hover I was in and headed to the next one, getting in. There were about seven C'Riel inside and I met the eyes of one, glaring into it.

I stalked past him with my head held high, and dropped down on one of the seats, looking out, with a petulant expression.

The Hover took off smoothly, just as my phone chimed again.

I looked down and this time I smiled.

I'm hungry. Wolf had sent.

Aww, poor baby. Next time don't get into a fight. I replied.

You're no fun. He replied.

I shook my head.

Hold on till tomorrow. I sent.

Let me just stop breathing while I'm at it. He said.

Drama queen, I sent.

King. He corrected.

I smirked, keeping my device away. I looked up to see about three pairs of differently coloured eyes on me.

Um. Okay.

I met each of their eyes, wondering what they were looking at, and I realised that they were staring at my hair.

I consciously ran a hand through it, before looking away.

"Amour, right?"

I turned to look at the C'Riel sitting in the seat adjacent to me.

I nodded.

"May I?" He asked, indicating the seat next to mine.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Sure," I said, moving a little, so that we didn't touch even accidentally.

He joined me, with a smile and a dimple appeared on his cheek.

Oh shit. So cool.

He was blonde with blue and white eyes, though he had more blue then white, and he reminded me strongly of someone.

I took a breath in.

"You related to Anya?" I asked.

"Cousins," he explained.

I nodded slowly.

"You have beautiful hair," he told me.

I let out a small laugh.

"Thanks," I said.

"Natural?" He asked me.

"A hundred percent," I assured him.

Suddenly, his eyes tipped up and I followed his gaze to see that he was looking at Rafe, who was standing in his usual defensive pose facing us-a few feet away from the entrance-his face impassive.

I cleared my throat and the C'Riel next to me, looked back at me.

"You speak faster than..." Rafe, "the others," I finished.

He laughed, his dimples popping out again, and I got a little mesmerised by them.

"I have always been interested in the human culture, and I picked up your language fast, never got to speak it until today." He said.

Always been? Since when did they know we'd existed?

"Well, you sound great." I told him and he grinned.

"Your name?" I asked.

"Ahh, my name is hard to pronounce," he said.

Et tu, Brute?

"Say your name, maybe I can shorten it up," I said.

He nodded and spoke his name and I was lost. They were syllables I could never pronounce, even if I tried my whole human life to learn it.

"Okay, that didn't work. Can I call you Blue?" I asked.

"Because of my eyes?" He asked and I nodded.

He seemed to contemplate it, "Yes. I like it." He said.

I grinned at him.

"So Infant Care, huh?" He asked.

His language sounded so human, like we speak, that I felt immediately at ease with him.

"God, don't remind me."

"Nervous?" He asked.

"I'm terrified." I admitted.

"You did not get it shifted out?" He asked, curiously.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, I tried. Rafe acted all high and mighty and refused to let me shift." I said.

Blue's eyes widened, probably because I just called his District Leader uptight. But when I looked up, Rafe was just smirking at me and I stuck my tongue out at him.

Rafe started to walk towards us and Blue straightened, like a subordinate would do in the presence of a superior. I just crossed my hands and pouted.

Rafe's eyes glinted with amusement as he came to stand near Blue. He looked at Blue, his face hardening a little and tilted his head as if to say, Move.

My jaw dropped as Blue got up immediately and shifted back to his original seat.

Rafe took his seat and I turned sideways to partially face him.

"That was beyond rude."

"What does beyond rude entail?" He asked, leaning his head back a little in a relaxed pose.

"Asshole is what it entails." I grumbled.

Rafe raised his eyebrows, "Is that the best you could come up with?"

"For now," I muttered, turning back, crossing my hands and looking out. Petulant, again.

"If I did not know better I would say you are angry with me."

"You don't know better, I am angry with you." I informed him.

"And, why is that?" He asked.

"I was talking to Blue." I murmured to him in a low voice so that Blue didn't hear.

Rafe gave me a deadpan expression and I had to control my smile from slipping out.

"What?" I whispered, leaning forward like I was going to tell him a secret. He turned his head slightly to angle his ear to my mouth.

"He has dimples." I explained, then leaned back with a grin.

Rafe raised an eyebrow.

"And I have a dog, where are you going with this?" He asked.

My jaw dropped.

"You have a dog?" I asked.

Rafe's brows furrowed, "He is actually a much more evolved species, but I believe the closest I can call him in human terms is dog,"

Oh my God.

"Rafe. I have to meet him." I said, excitement bubbling up in me.

He had a dog! Oh lord above. I've always wanted a dog!

"I will do anything!" I exclaimed in an excited whisper.

"Anything?" Rafe asked, his lips tilting up and his eyebrow raising in the most suggestive way ever.

I was about to slap his arm, before I stopped myself.

"Pervert!" I chided.

Rafe shook his head, still grinning.

"Please, Rafe? Please?" I asked again, jumping in my seat slightly.

Rafe's hand lifted again and I stilled as his fingers caught my earring again with a look of concentration on his face.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"The wing has moved out of place," he explained as he slowly moved the wing on the small ring to settle it back at the bottom.

Then he dropped his hand. I licked my lips and cleared my throat, "So?" I asked.

Rafe seemed to contemplate it and I started to jump a little on my seat again, turned sideways to face him.

"Come on!" I said, when he still seemed to think I said, "Rafe," in a no-nonsense tone.

A smile lit his face, as he lifted his hand again to catch a wayward strand of my hair, running his fingers down it, without touching my skin.

"Alright." He said.

I clapped, "Awesome."

Rafe still had a small smile on his face as he slowly dropped his hand, his gaze caught on mine.

Someone clearing their throat called our attention away from each other.

I looked up to see Anya looking directly at me.

I straightened, wondering what she was going to say now.

Rafe leaned back a little to look at her.

"You are going to be in the presence of infants. I suggest you be cautious. This is no game." She said, just as the Hover smoothly slid to a stop. She twirled away and was the first to get down and stalk away.

"Nice talking to you too," I muttered under my breath.

Rafe stood up, holding out his arm in a gesture that said I was to step out before him.

I stood up and walked down the corridor, heading out of the Hover, with Rafe at my back. This building was much like the resting stations. Large, white, perfectly rounded at the edges with lots of creepers and wildlife merging with it. I stepped forward and followed the others.

When I came to the entrance, Anya, who had stopped there seeming to have waited for me, spoke.

"You will not have unsupervised access to the Infant Centre, so you will be able to enter only if someone lets you in." She explained and directed me to the entrance that had already been opened.

I nodded and stepped through and I was immediately overwhelmed with the shrieks of delight coming from the children, all of them dressed in their own little silver suits.

A smile I couldn't control lifted my lips their uninhibited sounds lit up the room with its own pure energy.

I perused the various rectangular transparent glass-like cradles and my eyes landed on Jasmine.

My breath hitched as I headed towards the beautiful dark-eyed little girl I hadn't seen since the day I had landed on Xe'Krein.

But Anya came to stand in front of me and my step faltered and so did my smile.

She handed me gloves, "Do not touch them without these gloves."

I obediently took them and slid them on, walking around her and heading to Jasmine, who had seen me and was stranding with her hands on the edges of the cradle to support her, as she jumped a little, excited.

"Hey there, baby girl." I murmured, quickly lifting her up, as she held her arms out to me.

I placed her at my hip as Rafe came to stand beside me, his own hands gloved.

Jasmine, who'd had her hands tangled in my hair, looked up when Rafe came to stand beside me and she smiled, leaning away from me and towards him with her arms out.

I watched in astonishment as he quickly took her into his arms without hesitation.

My heart stuttered, as Jasmine jumped in his arms, excited and Rafe watched the little girl with a soft expression.

"She remembers you," I murmured.

Rafe looked at me, his eyes still soft after looking at Jasmine.

"I have been coming to see her everyday." He admitted.

I blinked, "You have?" I asked, flummoxed.

"I was the one who brought her here." He added, as he looked down at Jasmine, who'd caught on to his gloved index finger, resting her head against the crook of his shoulder.

My breath got caught in my chest.

He'd been taking care of her.

"Has-" I cleared my throat to settle my voice that suddenly sounded hoarse, "Has Kylee been here?" I asked.

Rafe looked back up at me and shook his head.

I bit my lip, but didn't say anything. I didn't even allow myself to think anything.

Except....

William. The blue-eyed boy whose parents I'd promised I would look out for him. I turned around to search for him in the large room of babies and I realised there were little tags at the bottom with the children's names on it. Human babies in English and C'Riel babies in whatever the hell their language was called.

When I spotted the name Willam written on a cradle, I headed towards it. Little William, was sitting with his feet spread and he looked exactly like his mother had described him.

Blue eyes with a patch of blonde hair on his head.

I headed towards him as he stared at me.

I leaned a little murmuring to him, "Hey, William. My name is Amour. I know your mommy and she's really worried about you."

My hair slipped past my shoulders to fall like a curtain against my cheek.

William stared and then reached out to touch it. I stayed still, letting the little boy run his hands through my hair. He let out a giggle and clapped his hands. I held my arms out towards him and he let me carry him.

I picked up the little one and placed him against my waist, bouncing him a little. His mouth was a little open as he took in my face and my hair.

I just smiled and cooed at him. Soon he was giggling and bouncing in my arms as I tickled him. Rafe came to stand beside me with a smile on his face and a sleeping Jasmine in his arms.

William turned to look at Rafe, quietening.

"How long do we get to stay?" I asked.

"We stay as long as the nurses and doctors assigned to the nursery arrive for their turn on the shift."

I nodded looking back at William who was still staring at Rafe.

"I'm not sure if he likes you or not." I joked.

"He definitely likes you." Rafe said.

I snorted. "It's the hair." I said.

Rafe smirked at me, but didn't say anything.

I looked around at all the other C'Riel who were all cooing to a child in their arms, showing no discrimination if the child was human or C'Riel.

"How come everyone is touching them?" I asked.

"The layer of skin that is sensitive to stimuli develops only after the age of four." Rafe explained.

"Oh," I said, looking back at William.

"Come on," Rafe said, "Let me introduce you to some of the others."

He headed back to place Jasmine carefully into her cradle without jostling her.

I placed William back too, quickly whipping out my phone to send a message to his mother.

Your baby boy is beautiful and healthy and happy. They're taking good care of him. I sent.

The response took four seconds to come.

Thank you so much. We truly appreciate your help.

No problem. I sent back.

"Ready?" Rafe asked and I nodded, excited and nervous to meet some of the C'Riel children.

Rafe stopped in front of a little girl, with maroon coloured eyes and dark hair. She was clenching and releasing the fists of her raised arms at him, her lower lip trembling.

He leaned in to pick her up and she immediately hugged his neck, resting her head against his.

Worry pricked at me.

"Is she okay?" I whispered, stepping towards Rafe.

Rafe looked at me, "She lost her mother when she was born and her father," Rafe's brows furrowed, "It would seem that she reminds him too much of her mother, he rarely comes to see her."

I purses my lips, feeling an odd comradeship with the infant who'd lost her mother too.

He murmured something to the child in their language and she leaned back, lifting her hand to suck her thumb and look at me, listening to what he was saying.

I stepped a little closer, holding out one hand to her.

"Hey, beautiful girl." I murmured to her.

She stayed still, her eyes watching me guardedly.

"She has never allowed anyone to lift her before." Rafe confided, "She is one of the most intuitive children I have ever met."

She looked down at my hand that I still held out to her without moving. She removed the hand she held in her mouth and dropping it to my hand. She curled it slowly around one finger and she quickly looked up at me. I continued to smile at her softly, maintaining steady eye contact.

She looked at Rafe and he said something to her again and she looked back at me. She let go of my hand and held hers out in the direction of my head.

She had a very serious expression on her face so I didn't laugh at the action.

I stepped closer, so close that Rafe and me were almost touching. There was a hair-span of gap between his forearm that was holding the child up and me.

"Is this okay?" I whispered to him, not wanting to offend him or make him uncomfortable.

He nodded slowly at me letting me know he wasn't uncomfortable.

The child slowly touched my hair and I let her. She then shifted her hand to touch my cheek.

My eyes slipped to meet Rafe's. Heat skidded over my face to the tips of my toes as I felt energy ripple in between us, building up awareness. My eyes trailed his face, to drop to his full lips. I quickly looked back up at his eyes scared that he might start smirking at me, but his eyes trained on my face was equally intense.

The child moved and the spell was broken. We looked at her as she rested her head against Rafe's shoulder, like Jasmine had. Her eyes remained on me. Less guarded and more curious.

I lifted my gloved hand to touch her cheek gently, "I lost my mom too, baby girl," I whispered to her.

She lifted her head up, considering me seriously. She could not have understood what I said, but she must have seen something in my eyes, because she leaned towards me, her arms stretched out.

Shock flashed across Rafe's face as I took the little girl in my arms, my heart squeezing at her wide trusting eyes. She sucked her thumb, wrapping the other hand in my hair and looking at me.

I spoke to her like I had before, "You're such a beautiful girl, do you know that?" I asked her.

She was looking down at my hair and gave no indication of having her me. She let out a small happy noise when my hair slipped from her fingers. She reached out to catch them again, but not before looking at me, as if she were scared that I might say something. I just smiled. She then relaxed against me, slipping and sliding her fingers through my hair.

I looked away, touching my gloved index to the side of my eyes and wiping away the tear that had formed without my permission and trying to swallow the ball of emotion that had clogged my throat.

"Be careful with her," Anya said to me, her voice low but cold.

I turned to look at her and so did the little child in my hands. The little girl dismissed her almost immediately and went back to playing with my hair. Anya, who noticed this, pursed her lips.

She murmured something in their language and put her hands up, coaxing the girl in my arms to come to her.

The child let out a distressed sound and turned around quickly, locking her arms around my neck and burying her face in my hair.

I stepped away from Anya instinctively.

Anya's hands dropped, her eyes flashing. She opened her mouth, but large shoulders slipped in between us, engulfing my world.

"Anya, she has got this." He said.

He spoke up to Anya.

He spoke up to the girl he'd known from childhood.

For me.

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*fans face* Oh God I think I'm going to bawl. I hope you liked it though.

This chapter is really big it's about 3.9K words. Three chapters! How cool is this?!

Let me know what you think in the description. How many of you almost cried? :(