"I.....I don't know.....To many ghosts from the past...their all showing up...I even remember you as a little kid...you were so little you wouldn't remember...you dad was yelling at you and you were just crying....I shot him in the head with my slingshot...." He said softly. "I put that bandage on your knee that time when you fell off the slide and cut it open..." He looked down.

Alora couldn't help a small sad smile from coming onto her face. "I have scares from that slide you know." She said softly though was trying to hide the fact him mentioning ghosts in the past brought up that memory... The one that haunts her dreams.. Even now... It's still so fresh in her memory as though it was still happening... Just... Not so close... The sounds would be dimmed though in her nightmares they were laud and clear... "You're so much like my father... And so different... Like Callence..." she said her voice a little shaky as she sat the half empty plate down and had her head lowered so her bangs covered her eyes to hide the long hidden pain.

Ratchet looked at her for a long moment remaining silent. A sad look in his eyes. "You still love him don't you…" He said in a voice that was barely audiable. "Stupid…" He cursed. Who it was directed to was unclear though.

"I... I don't know... He's gone... I accept that... It hurt... It still hurts... Though it also hurts to think...... No... It's stupid to say...' Alora said softly not lifting her head back up to look at Ratchet. She didn't know what she was going to say exactly... though she knew nothing good could possibly come out of it.

Ratchet looked at her, "What...what were you going to say?" He frowned a bit looking at her. He felt angry and sad....and desprate....did he really feel that. He shook his head. It had to just be sleepiness.

"It hurts to think... That... Of... Of....... It hurts to think... You... Could end up like him somehow." Alora murmured the last part so low it was barely a whisper. She felt so... Odd saying that... And at the same time... It felt right for it to be on her lips. She didn't understand... He kidnapped her... Raped her... Beat her... Neglected her... Got her pregnant... And somehow it seemed... As though she... Could love him...

Ratchet looked at her a twisted frown on his face. "You mean dead?" He paused looking at her, "Alora that's ridiculous…how am I going to die. No one has the stength. And the people who do don't have the will. And Ive never gotten sick. And I'm a lycan it's not like I'm going to die of old age!" He laughed shaking his head. "But thanks anyway…" He added softly.

"I said it was stuppid...." Alora murmured softly not looking up... Just the thought of Callence... Hurt... She had gotten better... She had become numb to the pain in her chest for the most part... She had stopped crying in her sleep... She had become slightly desincetized to it... She just didn't know why the thought of Ratchet dying bothered her... These thoughts had slowly pushed her farther and farther into the... You could say depresion, she had gotten into when he said he couldn't do anything to help their own doubter...

Ratchet looked at her then sighed, "Don't Alora…don't fall for me…I see it in your eyes and just don't." He said looking at her. "It will kill you…" He frowned. He was warning himself more than he was her.

"You're so much like him..." Alora said in a pathetic laugh that held nothing but for the most part pain... It hurt to realize this... It really did... The one that was snickering when Callence was dying... The one that hurt Alora so much... The one that raped her so many times... The one that got her pregnant... Why would he have to be the one that she was falling for!... How could he be the one she was falling for...

"Alora please....just stop...I'm I can't....Alora I CAN'T MATE WITH ONE PERSON DAMNIT!!!" He yelled looking at her with an expression of angst as he lept off the bed and quickly went down into the dungeon. He was pacing quickly unsure what to do.

Alora twitched slightly as he yelled and didn't look up for a few minutes as she let the conversation sink in a bit... She couldn't believe how it had went... One minute everything's fine and they seemed content for the most part then the next... It felt like he had ripped a hole through her chest. The pups had moved slightly in their sleeps so she could get up and carefully sat Heiwa down on the bed. She waited a few minutes to make sure they were all sound asleep before slowly and quietly walking down the stairs into the dungeon... She didn't look around really she didn't even move from the foot of the stairs... She didn't know what to say or do at this point... She, for some reason, felt bad and felt like it was her fault that it seemed he was so upset... She didn't know why that's just how she felt... Other then slight pain from what he had said... Again she didn't know why.

Ratchet paused and looked at her. He sighed giving her the come here gesture with a frown. "Alora..." He said softly.

Alora fallowed the gesture a little sheepishly... That's what's to be expected since she hadn't been in the dungeon for... almost three months? She of course wasn't really scared he would hurt her... He had said earlier he wouldn't... And he had told her he was a man of his word... So...

Ratchet sighed once she was close enough. He quickly wrapped his arms around her in a hug, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to explode like that....your...your just changing me...I...I can't deal with it...your just like Crysa too...."

Alora was shocked when she was pulled into the hug and couldn't help a small smile from coming onto her face. She was so used to not showing very many emotions around him that it felt a bit odd and wonderful at the same time. She was very hesitant at first then she finally slipped her arms behind his back returning the hug. "It's ok... It's not like you haven't went off on me before..." She said softly with a slight laugh... Though it was a real laugh.

Ratchet smirked lightly tilting her head back kissing her possesively, "Good…" He said before pulling away.

Alora's face got a little red with surprise when he kissed her... Though it seemed she had met his possessiveness with a bit of willingness. She didn't understand herself again when he pulled away. That longing feeling was back and she just couldn't understand... How could she meat possessiveness with willingness? It didn't make any sense to her... She had changed so very much since he took her... She had been so unwilling... So scared... So meek... And now... What could she say she was? Willing? Loyal? Longing? Did she really miss it? This was the first time since she had the pups that she's been completely alone with him... And it didn't really feel aquared... She kinda missed it...

Ratchet looked at her silently. He too had missed having her alone. He missed having his way with her. But somethig had shifted something he hadn't felt before a sort of need. He wanted her. He wanted her now. But it was more than possesion.

Alora looked like she was about to say something when her face went pale as she heard Heiwa start crying. Her face twisted slightly with motherly pain as she turned and went up the stairs to get her whimpering doubter who had woken up her siblings. Alora cradled Heiwa in her arms and rocked her slightly to get her to stop crying. She looked so much older then she normally did when she was taking care of her pups... Well older as in more mature... Not so much like a kid like she normally looked.

Ratchet too looked like he was about to do or say something bur sighed as Heiwa cried qucikly going up the stairs. What he saw next made his heart swell. He hated that. That this normal scence was causng his heart to skip and beat. Quickly he put it out oc his head. Reminding himself that Alora was couldn't be any more than a toy. A pet. Even thogh he knew that that truth was dying.

Alora rocked Heiwa gently and hummed softly as she sat back down on the bed where her other pups wer. The pups sat and laid around their mother listening to the soft tone she was humming with awe at how butiful it was. Once Heiwa was back asleep it seemed the others fallowed. It didn't really worry or surprise Alora that they were all asleep they had had an unexpected twist or two to their day so they were a little worn out. She leaned her head against the wall quietly and closed her eyes as she thought of what had been going on that day and for that matter the whole time she had been with Ratchet.

Ratchet let out a low sigh as they all fell asleep. He hopped up on the bed gently only waking Delta up for a moment as he sat next to Alora looking at Heiwa worriedly. "How is she?" He asked gently looking up at Alora.

"She hurts I can tell that though I won't know much else for a few days... Give her time to get up again... After she starts getting up then I'll know how she is...I think that should only be like a day or so..." Alora murmured softly not opening her eyes. 'she'll never live!''I don't care! You're not killing her!''You knew the rules Alex and you broke them!''what difference does it make that she's the runt?''Look she's nothing but trouble! I told you, she was worthless!''The medicine doesn't cost that much.''I don't care it's a waist!''She's my doubter too you know!''I'm ashamed of you!' Alora whimpered slightly at all of the old conversations she had heard about her that were held with her father, mother and siblings. Alex had always stood up for her and her father couldn't do anything to him... She was always the weakest in her fathers eye and he tried several times to get her away from her mother or Alex so he could kill her...

"I'll pull whatever strings I can Alora..." Ratchet said softly looking down pained. "I'll try what I can...but there isn't much I can do..." He sighed. "What's wrong?" He asked gently looking at Alora with worry.