“The fuck JC you high and why didn’t you share?”
“We landed Chris, JC is trying to entertain the kids, be nice and please refrain from using profanities in front of my son.” Lance wriggled his eyebrows and pulled a face at the five little boys all strapped securely in their seats. “Uncy Chris used a bad word.” Jewel said a serious look on his face “Poppa spank, spank him.”
Lance looked at JC under raised eyebrows. “Probably not a good idea.” Then in a voice only JC could hear he added, “He’d enjoy that way too much.” JC laughed covering his mouth and coughing to cover the light flush of pink he had turned.
“Shuttle two please send conformation of your coordinates we wouldn’t want to put the Big Bird down on top of the roosting chicks would we.” Justin voice held an edge of humour getting into the spirit of the adventure. The pregnant brunettes face hardened as his ex lover spoke. “25 degrees latitude by 55 longitude just north of the clearing that you located on your scouting party.”
“You sound stressed Josh, are you ok?”
“Justin I’m doing my job now if that’s all I have five little boys that I need to get fed and settled in a secure area.” JC flicked off the communication line.
“He is concerned about you JC.”
“Yeah well he should have been concerned before he switched my birth control on me.” He snapped at Lance. Three of the small boys started to sniffle, their little lips trembling.
“Poppa not shout at uncy Lance, daddy knows he was bad, it not uncy Lance’s fault.” Jovian ever the voice of reason un-popped his seatbelt and clambered onto his poppa’s lap. He settled down and opened a com line. “Daddy we can see trees, you and uncy Chris come down now please, cus then we can have dinner.”
“We will be right there baby, put poppa on darling.”
“Justin it’s Lance JC has started to disembark with the boys, don’t push him, he’ll come round you’ll see. Now just concentrate on getting you and my baby’s father down here in one piece. “
“Lance if something goes wrong, tell JC I love him more than anything, more than life.”
Lance looked over his shoulder at his stony faced friend listening in the open doorway a baby resting on each hip. “He knows that Justin, and he loves you too.” JC gasped at the audacity of Lance’s statement. “He just doesn’t trust you. Out.” he quickly cut the open line,
“You had no right to say that.”
“Did I lie?” Lance demanded.
“”You still shouldn’t have said that.” JC turned and walked carefully down the ramp depositing Jaren and Jared in the playpen, he blew a kiss to them both and turned intent on collecting two more of his sons almost bumping into the blond doctor who had Jewel and Joshua, Jovian stood by him holding Jaden’s hand. “I was just trying to console him JC. He misses you and the boys so much.”
The pregnant brunette lifted Jewel, kissed him then popped him into the playpen. “I never stopped him from spending time with his sons Lance. It’s been his choice to stay away.”
Lance lifted Joshua over the high netting laying him in the crib JC had already set up. “He has been busy calculating landing the ship, working all hours. He loves you and he loves your children, give him a chance and he will love this little one too.” Lance placed his hand on JC’s extended belly.”
“I can’t trust him Lance, what’s stopping him from doing this to me again?” he lifted Jaden to the confines of the netting.
“He won’t.”
“He did it once.”
“He’s sorry.”
“So am I.” JC held out his arms to Jovian who was listening intently to the two men’s conversation and lifted the little boy into the playpen.
“Poppa?”
“Yes sweetheart?”
“New baby is sad, says you don’t love him anymore.”
JC staggered in shock reaching out holding onto Lance suppressing his urge to vomit as his world turned topsy turvey. “It’s not true.” he barely breathed the words “It’s not true. “The colour drained from his face as Lance struggled to hold him on his feet.”
Five little voices screamed out “POPPA.”
JC clutched at his belly protectively. “I want my baby. Don’t let me lose my baby.”
The alien doctor raced into the shuttle ripping open the medical supplies, urged on by the pained cry of the older man. Finding the hypo-spray he needed he hot footed back to JC pressing the injection against his neck, his hand pressed against the contracting bump. “Jovie, Jovie please ask the baby to stop.”
“Won’t listen to me uncy Lance.”
“Please Jovian, Tell him poppa loves him please.” JC gasped. Jovian concentrated hard.
“Not listening poppa.”
“Baby stop.” Jewels clear shrill voice rang out. As suddenly as they had started the contractions stopped. The baby boy sat down cross legged and started playing with his building bricks. “Baby listen to Jewel not Jovian, Jovian bossy.”
Lance ran his scanner over the panting brunette. “There’s a lot more to your offspring than meets the eye JC.” he whispered. “You need to rest, stay here with the children I’ll unpack and set up the camp.”
“Lance …. I’m sorry. I let you down”
“Big Bird will be here soon. And for the record …. You have never …. Never let me down. You were there when I needed you .. Without you I don’t think I would have Joshua.” The com line spluttered and crackled from the shuttle.
“Shuttle two this is Big Bird commencing decent on my mark. Three … Two …. One …. Mark.” High in the sky ten bright flares lit up the stratosphere and vibrations rocked the massive metal hull. The alien man and his human co-pilot shared a look of concern their eyes bulging as the ship groaned and creaked under the stress.
“It can land?” Chris asked.
“Technically yes.”
“Is there an escape pod?”
Justin thought hard. “Yes.”
Chris bit his lip as another loud groan ripped through the hull. “Maybe we had better use it.”
Justin shook his head, “Its no use, can’t use it if you are landing.”
“You are kidding me?”
“No, it’s a safety thing.”
“Warning stress levels reaching critical.” the ships computer gave the information casually as the sound of tearing metal filled the air.
Down on the ground two pairs of eyes stared up towards the heavens at the bright burning light high in the blue sky. Flames shooting from the hulking mass descending rapidly towards the earth.