Lying on the shore, Scar hugs Teresa tight to his chest. The settlement leader is fast asleep. Teresa stares up at his face, angling her head to do so. She gently removes one of Scar's muscular arms from around her. Wriggling upward, she whispers in his ear. Scar's eyes shoot open and his mouth gapes comically.

  "Where did you—? Who taught you our language?" Scar says without thinking, such is his surprise.

  "I'll have you know, Halyiis has been teaching me. Between our extremely long and exciting history lessons. As settlement elder, I thought you knew everything. Yau-tala is aware of my lessons."

  "Yau-tala is a trickster. She would never have told me. Not if she knew you were planning to surprise me. As you have just done. What others have you sworn to silence? Hmmm. Halyiis? Should I be jealous? To teach another the words of the oath is not to be taken lightly. How did the subject come up?"

  Teresa props herself up on an elbow and stares slyly down at Scar.

  "What do you think?"

  Almost instantly, a rush of memories and emotions slams Teresa's mind like a train going full speed ahead. Memories of N-Vorl, his comedic mimicry of her favorite phrases, repeated in her exact voice. The casual lean onto her desk, eyelids lowered, mouth twisted into a sly grin. The salty musk of N-Vorl's skin, the feel of his mouth under her chin, the gentle caress of his hands as they explored her body. The time they'd spent together, aboard the doomed human vessel, had been wonderful and full of exciting danger. Their increased passion for each other had been boosted by their prior hatreds, realizing they had much more in common than either of them truly realized.

  Staring down at Scar's satisfied face, Teresa feels a shiver course her spine. She swallows hard and calmly sits up. Scar does the same, sensing her growing sadness.

  "You are thinking about...The other."

  "I'm sorry," Teresa says, dropping a hand absently to her stomach. "I'm so sorry. I never realized how hard it would be to forget him. My mind. It can't let go. I've been that way pretty much my whole life. Most people would claim it is dedication. It's a lot more than that. It's more like an obsession. That's why I accepted the Judas Project. And accepted reassignment aboard that damned science vessel. I wanted a challenge. Something I could overachieve at, and no one would fault me for it. I wanted to do great things. I wanted my mediocre life to mean something. I wanted others to remember my life, my struggle, my energy. I always try way too damn hard. But it never works. I truly believe the universe despises me. Why else must I suffer all of the time?"

  Angry tears stream down Teresa's face and she slams both fists into the sand. Scar has seen similar displays of raw emotion before. He places his right hand behind Teresa's head and draws her to his chest, his left arm wrapped around her in a consolatory fashion.

  "You have explained this before. There is no need."

  Teresa withdraws and stares up at his solemn face. Her eyelids droop and her skin grows hot from embarrassment.

  "How can you stand to even look at me?" Teresa says, her voice dry and full of bitterness. "I'm an utter failure. As a scientist, as a lover and certainly as a moth—,"

  Scar does not allow her to finish. He has heard enough nonsense. Drawing Teresa to arm’s length away, he glowers down at her with slight impatience.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Why do you insist on saying things which are untrue? Are you looking for an excuse? An easy way out? Is it your intention to drive me away? It is not working!"

  Teresa remains silent, only blinking very slowly. Scar grows even more impatient at her silence. The set of her face tells him that she is not in a good place. Whatever is going on in her head, it will rear itself again. Unless, he gets to the root of it and stamps it out.

  "You feel as if you have betrayed your vil'par. You blame yourself for the torture of your son. You think you deserve all of the horrid things which have been done to you...Because of the experiments you once performed. You are wrong. The universe does not punish. It simply exists. Just as you do. The universe doesn't know...Or care...If you or I live, flourish, or die. You did not call down the universe's wrath. There is no such thing. We fantasize that the universe cares and knows our desires...Our worst fears. But that is all it is. A fantasy. As one who descends from a race which devotes itself to gods and heroes...You should know this."

  Scar lowers his head so that it rests upon the now disheveled mass of hair at the crown of Teresa's head. He deeply breathes in her scent. She is now reaching a state of calm. His words have managed to do some good.

  "When I first saw you, I wanted to believe that the universe had been kind to me. That in return for my patience and dedication to my vil'par...Even after she was lost to me forever...The universe had seen fit to send you to me. But then, I learned of your troubled past. It occurred to me, that to orchestrate such a horrid path between lovers would be the act of one so vile...I could never think to consider it fortuitous. I would never wish such horrors upon you. Even to gain your love and your trust. The universe did not orchestrate our meeting. Although, I would love to believe so."

  Scar caresses the flesh of Teresa's back with a large hand. He traces the curve of her spine with a solitary finger.

  "But now we have a choice to make. Do we continue on? Or do we go our separate ways? Can you live with being apart, should your vil'par eventually return? If not, and if your worries are too great, we should end things now. It will only make things much harder later."

  "But I don't want to end it!"

  "Why?"

  "What do you mean, 'why'? Because I need you, Scar."

  "That does not fully answer my question. Why do you need me? Why is our love affair so important to you? Why put yourself through such emotional turmoil? Why can't you let go?"

  "I don't know! I just can't. It's not like with N-Vorl and me. Our love was practically forced on us. I had no other options...For what I wanted and needed. Everyone else was out of the question. He was so much like myself. Inwardly brooding. Trying so hard to be contrary to his nature. I saw through him in almost the same way that he could see through me. When I realized what I felt was attraction...Not hatred...It was almost too much to handle. Not to mention, he carries what I've playfully coined the 'Elder Aphrodisiac Medicine' gene. It's what makes elders...Well, elders. The whole reason for the blood serum you guys carry. But, why am I telling you this? I'm starting to wonder if maybe you have the gene too."

  Teresa allows herself a tiny chuckle. This earns her a tender kiss from Scar. He gently tilts her head back with one hand, clawed thumb pressed against her chin.

  "One does not need a gene if one knows the proper way," Scar teases, a sly smile drawing up his mouth.

  "That is true," Teresa giggles childishly. "But I did love him. I still do. Yet, I can't help but feel like N-Vorl and I have somehow twisted the meaning of your yautja love oath. I didn't know what I was getting into. I thought what I felt would last forever. It was that strong. But, my time aboard Weyland Station Thirteen changed me. How I think. How I feel. I feel like a totally different person now. I just have the memories. What I feel for you is different. Like you once told me, I feel like I’ve known you for ages. And I want to continue knowing you."

  Scar's answer is another deep, and passionate, kiss. He separates long enough to wipe silent tears from Teresa's face.

  "Is that enough?"

  "It is for now. And right now...Is all I'm worried about."

  Scar releases a deep sigh. He is not so sure. Reaching across the sand, Scar grips his elder's robe in a large clawed hand. He places the robe around Teresa's naked shoulders, and stares deep into her moist brown eyes.

  "I will retrieve your clothes. Then, we can return to the settlement."

  4/1/25- Not an April Fool's joke! The previous chapter is about 98% NOT intimacy for those who may skip such things. It's like three sentences combined and mostly implied. Usually, it will be thoughts of love and talking before or after the act.