"Winston," Laurel calls. 

"Yes?"

"How do you propose to feed this army this evening? " 

"I had not thought of that, perhaps I should...."

"Too late, I knew you would not think of this," She jumps in, "I have fresh food items coming in, as well as books and supplies for the rabbits. Please when the rabbit truck comes, allow them to go over there," She points to where a large multi-level hutch is being made. "The books can go on my front porch, there on the table please and then have the grocer bring the delivery through the backdoor."

"Okay, I think we can have that done."

"I just need about four of your men to help me prepare the meal. You cannot continue this all day and all night, because honestly, I am getting a headache. Probably due to the rush of blood from  running earlier or I just need to rest," She waves her hand, "Whatever the case, I need to make sure that all of you eat and are ready for work come morning."

"Laurel?" Adrian had come up behind her and she turns, "Could I eat dinner here too?"

"Of course, we still have work to do, but it will be a while. Where is your father by the way? I had asked for you to retrieve him for me."

"He...he left." The boy stammers.

"Oh, okay. Well, I will catch up with him later." She turns and walks in towards the house.

Inside Laurel begins to gather cutting boards and pans, large bowls and spatulas, anything that she thought would be useful in making dinner. She had thought about doing burgers and hot dogs, but where is the variety in that? There aren't any veggies, there isn't any color in hot dogs or burgers other than ketchup, and very few people dress up their burger.

No, tonight it would be Mexican food and NO, not just beans and soft shells, but the full on Mexican food that she could remember. She can somewhat remember her mother, in the kitchen smiling as she cooked up pork in the pan, small cut up pieces that would go in the beans and would taste Heavenly.

Laurel can recall the long table that her mother always placed in the kitchen, and there on that table, was a plethora of colors. Vegetables of  many different shapes and sizes; red tomatoes and peppers, white onions, green peppers, green onions and lettuce, yellow banana peppers, hot chili peppers, the list went on and on. She always like the purple cabbage and would sneak a piece when her mother wasn't looking, but somehow, her mother always knew.

It was while she was reflecting, that she heard a commotion outside, it wasn't very big at first and then it suddenly went off the handle. Shouting as if to the Gods above had erupted and her already aching head, turned into a massive blast that she could barely hold back. As if to lessen this pain, she walked out to confront this noise, and bring with it, the wrath of a very pissed off young woman.

"WHAT IN THE FUCK IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" She shouted very loud..

It was the boy's father, he had the boy by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him around like a puppet on a string. The child looked terrified, tears streaming down his dirty face, as his father shouts at all assembled here. She felt such pain, not just for herself now, but for this child who cannot get away from the rage within his father.

"YOU!" the man bellows, "You and your fucking vegetables and your fucking mannerisms. He is over here all of the time! Never does his homework and is flunking out of school because of you."

"This is the very first time that I have met your son," she looks at Adrian, "If he has been over here, I have never paid heed to it," She tells him flippantly, "Now if he had destroyed something then I might have taken notice, but he has never done anything wrong here."

"Because of you, he will be let go from school."

"NO SIR," she turns on him. "It because of YOU that he will be let go from school. Perhaps if you took the fucking time to care for him, to see that his needs are met, then he would have a better way in life! YOU SIR, are on my property, YOU WILL HEAR ME OUT!" She had began, but the man had turned as if to walk away.

Perhaps it was the pain, perhaps it was the look on the boys face, but she was not having any of this mans crap. "I NEVER met him before today! However, I can tell that he is in need of new clothes, food, and perhaps a LITTLE OF YOUR TIME to help him with HOMEWORK! Instead," She pauses and reaches for the boy, "YOU SMELL LIKE ALCOHOL! So, you what? Sink into a depressive state and blame the child for everything? Or is it something else? Did she leave your sorry ass because you can't hold a job? Or was it that he made more money?" 

The man looked stricken, "She died." He had whispered.

Laurel paused, her face once angry was now soften by this blow, "Is that true?" she asked Adrian.

"Yes, my mom died a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," she looks at his father, " I understand the pain, I lost both parents at around his age. You have to keep going, do not," She implores, "For your sake and your sons, give up. There are places that can offer you help." 

The man looked broken, like a doll that she had found washed upon the shore, weather beaten and dirty. Cracked here and there and all but defeated by the flowing of the tides. She had no energy left, tears now stung at her face, but she turned and walked a few feet away and called a friend that she knew with the police department. It would not take long, they were always good at showing up when she needed them, and he was someone with whom she trusted.

" I have called a friend, " She tells them, "You are not in trouble, and he will help you. Officer Tree has been in your shoes, he is a single father after his wife died in a car accident. Please," Laurel begs the father, "Allow him to help you, give you insight on how to keep moving."

"Yes," The father responds and nods his head, "Yes, my name is Aran by the way."

"Nice to meet you Aran," She shakes his hand, "Perhaps you and Adrian would like to stay for dinner?" she offers.

 

Yuri and his brothers had been out in the woods hunting for rabbit, they had neither heard nor saw the commotion that was going on back at the house. No one for that matter had told them to stop hunting rabbit, so when they returned and saw a flashing police light they were very concerned. All of them wondering if Laurel was okay, if she had had a relapse and no one came to tell them.

Yuri searches and finds Laurel in the kitchen with six of his fathers men; they were in the beginning stages of making a meal, and as bad as he did not want to disturb her, it was important that he know that she is alright. He brushes past two or three of them and heads towards Laurel who is at the end of the counter, showing one of them how to cut vegetables.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, I am fine, I took my medicine." She touches his arm, "But I could really use a bit of us time, if you have it right now." She reaches for his hand and pulls him out to the living room to sit on the couch together.

"What is?"

"I just want to be held," She says softly, "Please Yuri, just hold me."

"Of course."

"I love you." She whispers, and then even if she did not want them too, her eyes slowly close.

An hour or two later, she is awakened by Yuri, who was gently rubbing her arm. "Hey, the men in the kitchen need your guidance, they have all of the veggies cut up and now need to know what to do."

"Oh, I had forgotten," she makes to rise and feels so tired, "Give me a moment, I am sorry."

In the kitchen, she shows them how to cut the pork into very small pieces and then she looks at the vegetables and how lovely they looked. She did not recall, however; the bowls that they now sit in, and inquires as to where they came from. It was then that they informed her, that a few of them made them for her. 

"These are extraordinary! But, if we wish to keep the vegetables fresh, we must pack bags of ice under them to help them stay fresh."

"Already done that," One of them chimes in, "You told me before you went to the other room, so I made sure that every bowl has a bag of ice under the vegetables."

"Perfect!" She remembers the name of the young man asking for her attention, "Paul? Paul isn't it?"

"Yes, I was wondering if using the grill outside would help with cooking these, I mean all four burners are working in here. Perhaps we could grill this and that would help?"

"Yes, we just need a pan." She smiled at his suggestion.

"Have one!" 

"Where on Earth do you keep coming up with these things?" She asked.

"We make them as we need them," Paul tells her.

"Hmm, I would love to see how things are made," Her thoughts roaming around her head were consisting of parts for cars, creating models etc. Her mind went off on a tangent and she became lost in the "what will it be and what can I make?" But she kept busy helping with dinner preparations and allowed her mind to wander.

Seven pm was nearing, dinner was almost ready and she had gone to ask Yuri to gather everyone for dinner. She walked up and took his hand, feeling the warmth and strength of it she smiled. It felt so good and so right to be beside him, to look into his blue eyes and know in her heart that she loves him.

"I love you," she whispers.

Winston, Vorn, and the others looked at her, not in an odd way, but just looked at her. Their expressions one of, "Did she just say that? Or was I hearing things?" It did not matter, because she said it again and Yuri gave her hand a gentle squeeze and responded in the like fashion, "I love you too."

" I think it is time to eat and after," She says shaikly, "Perhaps you and your men can leave and let me rest? Please."

"Of course," Winston tells her.

"I want, no, I need time to be with Yuri, alone." She turns to look at Alexi and Ivan, "That means that I would like it if you two could go home for tonight please."

"Sure," They agree, "We can do that."

"Thank you," She waves away a bug from her face, "I do not want to misplace Yuri in this mess." 

"Not possible," He assures her, "I am here."

She squeezes his hand again, "We have been busy and I don't want to lose focus on us. It feels like it sometimes, and I need to ensure that we are still us."

"I don't understand," Collin says.

"Sometimes, we get so busy with our lives," She begins, "Or things happen, good or bad, that we lose that one thing  that was holding us together."

"You're thinking about Aran and Adrian." Winston says.

"Yes, kind of," she nods, "But I am also thinking about how busy we have been. The doctor appointments, the work here and at the shop, etc. Your brothers have been staying here, which isn't a bad thing, but we need time just for the two of us. To talk freely, and unload our minds and bodies, but to just let go like we do when we are alone."

Yuri nodded in agreement, "Yes, it sounds good, perhaps you would sleep with me tonight?"

"Sleep yes, hanky panky, no."

"What is hanky panky?" Vorn asks, "I have never heard this before."

"Premarital sex." Alexi chimes in, "Laurel has taken this vow of chastity? I think that is what you call it, where there is no sex before marriage."

"On our world, there is no marriage without sex. One must prove one's virility before tying the knot."

Laurel looked confused, "Now I don't understand. You mean that you have to have sex? "

Winston interrupts, "On our world, procreation at one time was a very dignified and magical thing, it was witnessed as a great asset to the people and many watched the."

"WAIT!" Laurel quickly places her hand in the air to stop him, "You are not going to say that they publicly showed this, are you?"

"As a matter of."

"NOPE!" she shook her head and walked away, "I don't want to hear anymore! That is gross! Disgusting! It is a private moment and you ruined it for me! Thanks, bye bye now."

Yuri laughs and runs after her, "It was our people, we do not do that here."

"Better not, I would die from embarrassment! The moment of intimacy between husband and wife is sacred here, not a daily soap opera!" She talks loudly for all to hear, "My curvy assets will NOT be on display for all to see. They are only for my husband, and ONLY my husband." She warns.

Dinner goes off without a hitch, her and the men allotted to her make up a plate for all who gather here to work. Aran, Adrian and Tree all stay to have something to eat  and seem to be a little more relaxed then they were earlier. She walked around and made sure that all seemed content with the food and the camaraderie.

"Thank you, " says a voice that had come up from behind her, "Thank you for everything." 

She turns to see Aran and his son, "Listen, we all need help sometimes. After my parents, I had no one, my only consolation was myself. But there are places now, people who can help, and you can use those resources."

"You were alone?" Adrian asks.

"Yes, no siblings, and relatives that really did not want me. They did not care really, just used me as cheap labor." She points to her boots, "These belonged to my Uncle, he died before I arrived at my Aunt's house, I have worn them since I was ten. I only had hand me down clothes that belonged to my much older cousins. I still wear them to remind me where I came from, and help me on the path before me."

"You have money now," Adrian says, "You don't want new boots?"

"I do, but then I don't. Perhaps if the sole of the boot came away, I would get new ones." She patted him on the head and places her arm around him. "Good night, please do not be strangers."

"We won't," Aran promise and shakes her hand. Tree offers to walk with them back towards their place, and Laurel watches as they vanish into the woods that lie on the southern part of her property.

Laurel slowly walks over to where Winston and his top men were sitting, "His mother was one of yours, wasn't she?"

Winston nearly chokes, "Yes, how did you?"

"The boy, his eyes, they are not quite ours and not truly yours." she motioned around the eye area, "The father, Aran, he was fine until he saw all of you men. Am I right?"

"Yes, but."

"Look, I may not have been out here, but that rumble started low. At getting closer and seeing you, it roared.." She began, "and there is only one reason for it. He saw your eyes."

"You are quite correct, " Vorn tells her.

"He bonded with a U-leyla, and now he is devastated." She pondered, "Would another of your kind accept him and the child?"

"It is possible," Winston began, then noted that a bunch of his men were running helter skelter, due to the heat of the peppers. "What is going on over there?"

"That child needs a mother," Laurel began and walked right up and braced both arms on the table in front of the Lt. Colonel to look him in the eyes, "and Aran needs to feel," she looked for the words, "accepted, loved, respected, important. DAMN IT! What am I looking for!"

"Like he belongs to something or someone bigger than himself," Yuri says softly as he tenderly reaches for her and turns her so that he can hold her in his arms. 

"Yes," she says, as she reaches for his cheek and touches his face tenderly, " You are quite right."

Looking into each others eyes, he whispered softly, "I love you," as his lips met hers.