Love and War

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"Maggie, you were attacked." Kandros replied firmly, though he still didn't open his eyes. "I never hated you, only what that bastard did to you."

"Brave? That woman?" Quinn snorted. "I hardly think so. She was a brainless idiot who only cared what would make her dear husband happy."

Kandros groaned quietly, clearly making every effort to regain consciousness and defend his family.
"We should get her back to our ship, the child is almost here." Betty remarked with all the compassion of a rock.

"You're telling me... That heartless bitch is my mother?" Quinn growled, her fists balled up tightly when she saw Hunter in the video. "I guess some things never change." She added with a bitter snort. "So what's happened? Why is she Hunter's puppet, and Tyros broke free?"

"I'm not leaving." Maggie said firmly. She felt the talons sliding around her ankles and found her bravery returning. "There's nothing you can do to scare me." 
Hunter gave her a dark laugh, his own talons sliding around her neck. He lifted her up and slammed he against the wall. "This isnt designed to scare you. It's designed to prepare you for death, little one." He purred. 

"If you are right about your mother she found the man with power and a sense of monstrous behavior like her own." Qim muttered. "Her behavior hasn't changed. Which means...she knows exactly who Maggie is...Keelah...we have to hurry..."

Betty was right there beside her partner, continuing to take readings as Maggie struggled for breath. "Not too hard, I want to see her interact with the child at least a little."

Quinn stared at the video link for a moment more, then nodded. Since they had settled here, she had rarely worn her armour, or picked up her gun. That had been a life she was leaving behind. For now those dreams of a simple life would have to wait, no matter what awful things Maggie had said to her, she was still her sister. "We need to leave five minutes ago."

Maggie was digging her nails into Hunter's wrist, her lips turning blue. "Does the turian like his bond mate better this color?" He asked, glancing down at where Kandros lay. 

"Already ahead of you, my love." Tyros' voice came to her over her omni tool. "I'm prepping the ship as we speak. Just get your gear and we will save your sister. We do make a great team aafterall." He laughed softly.

Kandros's back arched as he tried it stand up, his arms seeming to only support him for a moment, though he continued to try.
"Why does he keep trying? You are clearly superior to him." Betty remarked with an indignant snort.

Quinn smiled, the same far off way she often did when she was speaking to Tyros over their ear piece. "Reason seven hundred and twenty two why I don't deserve you." She breathed in reply.

Hunter dropped Maggie beside Kandros and kissed Betty roughly.  "I love it when you talk that way."
Maggie rested a hand on Kandros forehead., feeling guilty for being the reason he was yet again in pain.'

"Repeat that please?" Tyros said, genuinely not hearing her. "Are you okay, Quinn? I'm worried about you."

Betty smiled, not in the way that her youngest had be moments ago, but because they both knew Hunter was right. She was a cruel woman. "Bag the cargo, this ship making me feel sick." She remarked, tapping away on her banner again. 
"Princess..." Kandros breathed, knowing her touch and feeling ever more of a failure. 

Quinn didn't repeat her words, but did tell her key husband that she would be there soon. "I'm fine, you know me." She told him a little louder before turning her gaze to Qim. They both knew there was every chance she may not come back from this, the risk a soldier took every time they stepped foot outside.

"Pick her up, Turian. You will help deliver this child." Hunter ordered Kandros, stepping hard on his shoulder until something snapped. 
"How can he do that when you are hurting him, you moron?!" Maggie shouted, grabbing her husband's gun and taking aim at the enormous kett. 

"I will take care of the boy but you..you must come back to him. He will die of a broken heart without you, girl." Qim reminded her.

Kandros grunted though made a valiant effort to get to his feet and lift Maggie into his arms, despite the pain. 
"Funny, how they aren't of the same species, yet he would clearly die for her." Betty commented, though she wasn't even looking up.

Quinn nodded, tears quite clearly welling up in her eyes. "He saved me... in more ways than he will ever know."

"And he will. Much sooner than he thinks." Hunter smiled. He motioned for Betty to follow them, taking the gun out of Maggie's fingers as he moved to the other side. "This will be more fun than the asari." 

"Sounds to me like you need to return the favor." Qim said gently. "Not to mention you and I still need to get to know one another better."

"You enjoyed that one far too much." Betty commented thinly as they walked. These aliens were obviously no more than specimens to her, like a child with a bug collection, so to speak.

Quinn nodded and turned her face away; she had never told Qim the price she had paid for Tyros' freedom not long after they had met. Or that that same human still believed she owed him payment for her step father's debt.

Maggie didn't say anything say Kandros carried her onto the kett ship and laid her on the ice cold table. She could see the agony in his eyes but she knew it had nothing to do with his broken shoulder.
Hunter handed him an enormous knife and began tearing at her dress. "Get the baby out." He ordered. 
"No!" Maggie didn't know why Kandros was obeying these monsters but she wasn't going to do that same. She turned into a wild cat, fighting with everything she had to keep the kett male away from her. Her nails caught him in the eye and he let out a guttural roar. He grabbed her hair and slammed her head back on the table until she could do nothing but moan. "Betty," He hissed, this is your mess. You deal with it. I have to get myself cleaned up."

Betty huffed and narrowed her eyes at Hunter. "My mess? You're the one who waited this long to board their ship!" She snapped, glaring at him once more before she pushed Kandros away from Maggie to inject her with something would make her a little more docile during the birth.

"It is because I know how to get what I want without causing a scene. You seem unable to catch on to this fact. I'm glad you and I did not meet when you were human. I'll bet you were a real piece of work."
Maggie reached her hand out for Kandros when she saw him weaving. She could barely stay focused herself but she needed him. The pain was already more than she could bare. ."I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling like that was all she ever said.

Betty's eye twitched slightly, much in the same way her youngest daughter's did when someone was pushing her too far. "You could not have handled me as a human." She warned thinly. 

"For what? I failed you... both of you." Lad rose breathed once the two left were distracted. He lightly rested his hand against his wife's belly and closed his eyes. "It's allm have ever done, despite all my promises."

"Perhaps..." Hunter snorted. "You are lucky  that I desire you. I move the galaxy itself for you. There is nothing I will not let you have."

"You say some of the craziest things some times...its a good thing I never listen to you." Maggie smiled weakly. "How do we always get into these messes?"

Betty was surprised to hear these words from Hunter, they seemed so familiar, but... not spoken by him. "The Archon is gone." She suddenly commented. "Do you not thirst to claim his power?"

"Just lucky... I guess." Kandros breathed, stroking his fingers lightly over Maggie's hair. Neither of them would know help was already on the way. Their ship was already being tracked, even if the pilot hated the idea of coming to their aid.

"You know I do and I will. You will be by my side the entire way." Hunter purred. He pulled her against him for another rough kiss before pushing her away. "Now go play with your toys, my darling." 

"The baby's coming..." Maggie ground out. The pain was getting the better of her. "Kandros...save him...I'm begging you..."

Betty gave Hunter the finger before returning to checking her scanner. "Toys, I'll show him..." she muttered, though his kiss had left her smiling. 

"No, don't say that. Don't you dare make me choose, because you won't like the outcome!" Kandros warned, his hands squeezing hers hard. "These monsters want your baby, they won't let anything happen."

"Tiran!" Maggie screamed her husband's name. Pain feeling like it was tearing her insides out. "You promised...save him!" She wailed, fixing her gaze on him as Betty approached.

Tyros felt abandoned as he watched Quinn's tiny ship latch onto the kett one. He knew she was ever the soldier and she needed to do something to make herself feel alive. He found himself wondering if he even made her truly happy.

Kandros didn't answer. He was soon pushed aside as Betty came charging in, her strange kett eyes lighting up like a child with a shiny new toy. Maggie was given more drugs to keep her from trying anything foolish.
"Interesting... I never thought it possible with such weak genes..." She mused as she looked over some readings she was getting from the machine beside Maggie.

It would have broken Quinn's heart to hear her husband didn't know how she felt about him. This mission was not something she had wanted to do. Leaving Tyros behind had been the hardest part, given Maggie's feelings towards her sibling's choice of mate. But Qim... she had seen how happy he was watching the vid of Maggie's wedding, she had known then that once more Maggie would have everything.

Maggie buried her face in Kandros' shoulder as she began to push. The kett woman was digging her talons into the tiny woman's knees.
 She held tight to his arm as the baby finally slipped into the kett woman's hands. "Connor...Tiran..." She whispered their son's name moments before darkness over took her. She didn't even get to hear him cry or see that he looked nothing like a salarian or even a turian. The infant with one blue eye and one golden one was completely human looking.

Betty already had hold of the child and was cleaning him off. Even she seemed surprised by the child's rather human looking appearance. The surprise only lasted a moment and she was soon grinning, wanting to tell Hunter the news right away. She didn't even glance at Maggie now the birth was over, it was up to Kandros to aid his lover as he did his best to make her comfortable until he could figure out how to get them out of this mess.

Hunter frowned down at the new born, not liking the way it was looking at him. The honey haired boy seemed to be challenging him if that was possible. "He smells Quarian. He has turian fingers. There's nothing salarian about him. That lizard lied to us. At least from what I can tell..." He grumbled. 

Maggie felt nothing but pain. She called out to Kandros but got no response, only coldness on her forehead. 
She called out for her sister but as always she got nothing but silence.

"Know may quarians out here in Andromeda, do you?" Betty asked thinly, not overly thrilled with Hunter's reaction. This was her new toy, and she felt he would want her to rid them of it sooner rather than later.

Kandros had thought it a good thing that Maggie was unconscious once he was certain her heart was at least still beating. No pain then, or so he thought. He had left his wife for only a moment to try and find her some medi gel to at least dull any pain she may feel when she woke.
It was as he left that a gloved hand was replacing the cool compress on Maggie's forehead. "You could never do anything right, huh?" Quinn commented, wishing she could hate her sister for the things that had been said. But seeing her look so small and childlike in that bed, it just wasn't possible.

"Don't be foolish." Hunter hissed. "Get rid of that thing. It's disturbing me." 

Tears slipped down Maggie's cheek in the darkness. She'd ruined someone else's life. It was easier than it looked.

"Disturbing you?" Betty mocked. "Look at it, it can't even hold it's own head up!"

Quinn gently wiped the tear away, though she didn't remove her glove. "Forgot what happened... I have to be the hero, it's what I do, right, big sis?"

"I'll get you another if their kind..." Hunter muttered, reaching for the baby. "Just not that one..." An announcement was made over his ear piece that the ship had guests.  It was enough distraction for the time being. "Get rid of it." He snapped as he stormed off.

Maggie opened her eyes, shivering in pain and now shock. "I want to go home, Quinny." She breathed, using a name she hadn't since they were small. "Tell them to stop hurting us..."

Betty pulled her tongue out at Hunter's retreating back. She wasn't about to give her toy up just because he said so. The female kett stomped in the direction of her lab, intent on running every test she could to find out just what this child was.

"What did they do to you?" Quinn breathed, trying not to look at all the blood that covered the bed Maggie lay on.

"You are not going to hurt our grandchild." Qim was waiting for Betty in her lab. He leaned against a table, a gun in his long fingers. "Give him to me, woman. I will not ask you twice."

"They took my baby." Maggie choked out. "I had everything ready for him and they...they took him."