Disclaimer: The author does not own Aliens.

Kindness

by

CelfwrDderwydd

The sound of rough, hacking coughing almost seemed to echo in the small, dark and almost empty office. It was a rather unorganized and messy office to the eyes of a stranger. To the sole occupant, though, it was organized chaos. A lone figure sat at the desk as it coughed roughly. The person wiped their mouth as the coughing fit ended. With a heavy sigh, they picked up a form and began to read it. In the dim light of the lamp on the desk, the face of the figure showed it was that of a man; not a young man, nor old. Perhaps in his middle thirties.

His rusty-red hair was pulled back, but was a little messy in a few places. He mumbled to himself every now and then as he read. He sighed as he took a pen from his pocket and wrote something near the bottom before placing the form on a stack and taking another form from another stack. He repeated the process, coughing a little every now and then. He was almost finished with the eighth form when the door of his office slid open. He glanced up with soul-piercing blue-green eyes.

"Sorry to bother you, Doctor. I have the report you requested," said the petite woman. The Doctor smiled and motioned for her to come in.

"Not at all, Terry. Thank you." The Doctor's voice was a little raspy. Terry handed the Doctor the report. He smiled and nodded as he began to read. Terry took in the Doctor's appearance as he read. His skin looked very pale, and his face looked . . . a little sunken. He noticed her gaze. "Is anything wrong, Terry?" he asked. She flinched.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor smiled softly.

"Why're you apologizing? All you were doing is looking at me." His eyes sparkled with inner humor and Terry smiled. Dr. Galen Lloyd was perhaps one of the nicest people one could hope to meet.

"It's just . . . well, you look so . . .," she trailed off.

"I look like hell," the Doctor laughed. Terry frowned, but he smiled. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you take a break?"

"You look like you're the one who could use a break," she said softly. The Doctor sighed as he set the report aside.

"Terry, you know that no amount of rest or break time is going to help. I'd rather be able to do what I love while I can. I don't want to wait around for the end in a bed or a chair." Terry nodded. He smiled and patted her on the arm. "No more worrying, and that's an order!" She smiled at his words. He stood and made shooing motions. "Now, you go get some coffee and some of those wonderful butter biscuits and take a break." Terry nodded and left.

"Thank you, Dr. Galen." He smiled as he sat back down. He looked over the report Terry had brought and he frowned ever so slightly. He was going to have a long day ahead of him tomorrow. He ran his fingers over his trimmed beard and mustache. He looked at his desk and the piles of forms and documents that he needed to look over. He set his jaw and picked up the next form. The sooner he got it done, the sooner he could get to bed.

XXX

The next day, Dr. Galen sighed as he read a report as he walked through the halls. More demands for studies of various types from the puffed-up, brass-button blowhards that were his superiors. At times, Dr. Galen wondered what had compelled him to work for the United Systems Military in the first place. Especially to be working in a military research asteroid out in the Outer Rim. He smiled slightly at the irony. As he entered one of the labs, the reason he was there was sitting in the middle of the room, titanium restraints on its wrists and ankles, as well as its tail. The great, black creature looked up as he entered. He smiled at the Xenomorph as one of the soldiers saluted.

"No issues, sir," said the green-clad Private. Dr. Galen nodded. The Xenomorph followed Dr. Galen's every move. Most humans with a functioning brain would never come within twenty feet of one of these creatures, restrained or not. Dr. Galen, though, walked up close enough to touch the creature, the gentle smile never leaving his face.

"Good morning, Badb. How're you?" The Xenomorph, Badb, looked at him, right in the face. The soldiers tensed as he did this. Badb watched him, giving a soft sound that was like a hissed moan. Dr. Galen looked at the elegant black creature, taking in every feature and detail. Badb and her kind were the main reason he was there. He had always loved Xenozoology, and the famous Acheronian Xenomorph was one of the most famous of alien species. The chance to study one, let alone several, was like a dream to him. Most people could never get past their appearance or their life cycle. They never thought on how amazing they actually were. As he noted things down, he carefully looked at Badb's wrists and ankles. The restraints were carefully padded to prevent them biting into their flesh.

Dr. Galen wished it had been for their benefit, but, sadly, it wasn't. It was to keep them from cutting themselves and their blood burning through the titanium alloy. Badb watched Dr. Galen as he observed. Once he was satisfied that Badb was well, he turned back to the computer console. The three soldiers stood at attention, a little unnerved. It wasn't just Badb that made them nervous, but Dr. Galen, too. The fact he was able to get so close to them without them at least trying to tear him apart was unsettling.

Dr. Galen Lloyd had been working on that asteroid for almost three years, although the Xenomorphs were the newest subjects. Right from the start, he had been able to get closer to them with fewer problems. Nobody could ever figure it out. Perhaps that was why his superiors had chosen him for the project. Whatever the case, it made most of the soldiers nervous.

The soldiers watched as Badb followed Dr. Galen with her gaze. Despite their training, the soldiers couldn't help a shiver when Badb or one of her sisters looked at them. It felt like they were staring right into your soul. A couple idiots had thought that Dr. Galen had somehow tamed them and that they were not a threat. Big mistake.

Badb watched as Dr. Galen looked at readouts on screens, jotting notes down from time to time. As he moved from terminal to terminal, Dr. Galen frowned. The soldiers only took notice when Badb hissed. Dr. Galen coughed. They looked up as he closed his eyes as he coughed harder. The third cough was harder still as he dropped his clipboard. He began to cough almost uncontrollably as he fell to one knee, his forehead drenched with sweat. Badb shrieked and tried to stand, pulling the floor panels up partially, the soldiers almost panicked.

Dr. Galen was holding his clenched hands to his chest as he coughed roughly, specks of blood flying as he coughed harder. One of the soldiers hit the alarm while the other two tried to subdue Badb, bringing up their shock-sticks. Badb hissed as she tried to tear the restraints loose.

"Get a medic!" yelled the soldier who was trying to help Dr. Galen. Badb hissed and bit one of the shock-sticks, but the other caught her on the neck. She fell to the floor and twitched slightly. One of the other soldiers ran to the intercom.

"We need a medic in Lab Five, stat!" Dr. Galen coughed again as one of the soldiers held him off the floor. His mouth was rimmed with blood as he gasped for breath. The medic arrived just as Dr. Galen's eyes rolled back in his head and the hypoxic seizure hit him.

XXX

Dr. Galen awoke in the infirmary, an oxygen mask over his face. His head was throbbing, but not hurting. He could feel the familiar effects of morphine making his arms feel fuzzy. He looked to the side and saw Corporal Keegan, the medic of the facility, standing at a desk. He turned back and frowned.

"You gave us quite the scare, Doc . . ." Dr. Galen sighed.

"I scared them, he says . . .," the Doctor quipped. Keegan chuckled. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and, sadly, wouldn't be the last.

Dr. Galen Lloyd had been diagnosed with terminal Lung Cancer three years prior, and had been given six months. He had far exceeded that, but now, it seemed the fellow with the scythe was walking in his shadow. Everyone in the facility knew about it now, but Dr. Galen hated it when people treated him differently because of it. He made it a standing order not to make a big deal out of it. Keegan walked over and looked at him.

"That's the second episode in two months. I'm getting worried." Dr. Galen scoffed.

"Ah, what's there to be worried about? I'm dying is all it is." Keegan rolled his eyes. That was so like Galen. Dr. Galen sighed at the look. "Why be worried? We've all got to go someday. Besides, not like there's anything to be done." Keegan sighed again, louder. Dr. Galen was right. Despite all of humanity's advancements, despite the ability to traverse the universe and colonize and terraform whole worlds, they still didn't have a cure for cancer. Especially not cancer as advanced as Dr. Galen had.

Keegan watched as Dr. Galen took another breath of oxygen before he removed the mask. Dr. Galen Lloyd was not a small man, checking in at six feet, three inches tall, but he looked horribly gaunt for someone his size. Effects of the cancer eating away at his insides. As Dr. Galen swung his legs out of the bed, Keegan offered him a bottle of Schlesinger's Drops. Dr. Galen shook his head.

"I've had enough," he said as he stood. How he meant it, Keegan wasn't sure. The medic watched as Dr. Galen gathered up his lab coat and headed for the door.

"You can't keep going like this, Galen." Dr. Galen stopped in the door and turned back, the same soft smile he usually wore adorning his face.

"Don't worry about it." With that, Dr. Galen was gone.

The first place he stopped by was the area of Badb's cage. He looked through the glass as he watched her pace. She looked up as Dr. Galen entered the observation room. She stood fully upright on her hind legs and walked over to the window, her face barely an inch from the glass.

As she watched him, Dr. Galen smiled his usual soft smile at her. He always had found them fascinating, but seeing them in person was nothing short of breathtaking. Dr. Galen pulled up a chair and sat, watching Badb as she watched him. He knew she was studying him, just as he studied her. Most people would be frightened by such a thought, but he didn't mind. Despite what people thought, he wasn't crazy, and knew very well just how dangerous they could be.

He had been there when one of the soldiers foolishly stuck his tongue out at Badb when she was restrained in the lab. She had responded in kind, resulting in the soldier's death. Despite that, he never saw them differently. It was, perhaps, out of a sense of irony, and a bit of a morbid joke, that he had name Badb and her sisters. The three, Badb, Neman and Macha, he had named after the three sister-goddesses from ancient Ireland who were collectively called "The Morrigan".

Goddesses of warfare and death.

They were suiting names, but he didn't give them out of a sense of cruelty or insensitivity. He had named them out of respect. He still remembered when they were born. How could he forget? Badb was the first. Any other scientist would have just let the host die painfully, but he had ordered they be anaesthetized when they showed signs of the birth.

Dr. Galen had never liked cruelty of any sort, be it to animals or humans.

Right from the start, Badb had paid the most attention to him. Her sisters did as well, but she seemed to particularly focus on him. When she was restrained in the lab, she almost ignored all other humans but him. He had heard people talking and their theories, but he knew the real reason they paid attention to him and why they were hardly aggressive at all around him: He was nice to them.

He didn't treat them like animals, or hurt them or threaten them or poke or prod them. He didn't starve them or take their food away, nor did he yell or make fun of them. In short, he treated them how he did any other living thing.

He obeyed the Golden Rule.

As Badb sat, watching him, Galen coughed lightly. Until then, Badb had kept her lips over her teeth, but she hissed, baring her teeth as she stood up. Dr. Galen closed his eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths. He opened his eyes and saw that Badb was looking at a small drop of blood on the glass. He smiled, but it wasn't as warm as it had been. His shoulders felt tight and cold, as if the weight of his mortality was weighing heavily on him. He watched as Badb looked at him through the glass. "I wonder . . .," he said softly, almost in a whisper. Badb seemed to look him right in the eyes. "Will you miss me when I'm gone?" Badb tilted her head.

Dr. Galen smiled and closed his eyes as he worked up the strength to rise to his feet, to stand. As it was, it took him a few minutes to pull up enough strength to do anything. He swayed just a little as he stood. "Goodnight, Badb." With that, he left.

XXX

The next day, Dr. Galen was slow to rise and slower to get going. Nobody was surprised.

Whenever he had an attack, it took him a few days to recover. Now, though, the recovery times were lengthening, and his attacks were increasing. Everyone knew the Doctor was living on borrowed time, but nobody knew how long he was going to last. The very fact he had lived as long as he had was a small miracle in and of itself. Were it anybody else, they might be making bets on when he was going to go, but nobody did. The staff liked Dr. Galen. Nobody could figure out how somebody so kind ended out working in a secret military facility.

This day found Dr. Galen taking samples from all three of the sisters. "The Ladies" as he called them. He noted how scared the soldiers looked as he put on his latex gloves and took a few swabs and glass tubes to take samples of mucus from Badb and her sisters. He calmly walked up and gently swabbed the side of Badb's head and placed the swab into the glass tube and closed it. He repeated this with Neman and Macha. The soldiers blinked as he returned, unscathed, and placed the tubes into the machine to analyze the samples. Even though they were restrained, Badb and her sisters were still capable of killing, as muzzles didn't really work on them.

It was almost eerie how calmly he did such things. The soldiers shivered when they saw how Badb and her sisters followed his every move. One of the soldiers noticed how pale Dr. Galen looked. He also seemed to be having trouble breathing. Remembering how Badb had acted the previous day, he quickly headed off another episode as he approached.

"Doc, you don't look so good. Why don't you go sit down? We've got it covered here." Dr. Galen sighed, his face creased into a frown as he nodded. Badb and her sisters watched him go.

XXX

Dr. Galen sat at a table in the cafeteria as he sipped some hot chocolate. The warm beverage was helping, but he was having a bit of a hard time staying upright. His whole upper body felt like it weighed tons. If there was one thing about the cancer he hated most, it was the tiredness. He hated being so tired all the time. There were days he felt like he could sleep for a week and it still wouldn't be enough. In the last four weeks, his coughing and exhaustion had gotten worse. If this kept up, he'd likely be dead in two months at most.

"Dr. Galen?" He looked up as Terry approached. He managed a weak smile. She frowned as she stood next to him. "Dr., you look terrible." Dr. Galen chuckled.

"You should see the other guy." Terry frowned further at him. He always was poking fun at his cancer and how weak he was. It was his way of coping, but it still saddened her to see him wasting away. He smiled at her. "Terry, stop worrying. What will be, will be." She sighed. He was right. There was nothing she or anybody could do. Perhaps it was the fact this was happening to such a nice person. Dr. Galen was a nice man who never hurt anyone, human or animal. He was the best friend the staff and the animals could ever hope for. He had made it a standing order that mistreatment of animals was punished by three days in the brig.

Why was this happening to him? Dr. Galen patted her on the arm. "Well, I have to get back to work. You take care and stop worrying, okay?" Terry nodded. Dr. Galen chuckled as he stood and left. Terry watched him go.

XXX

Dr. Galen sighed as he returned to the lab. Badb, Neman and Macha were still restrained but he noticed they were looking at each other. As soon as he entered, their heads snapped up, their attention focused solely on him. Even though he had been studying them for close to two months, he still hadn't made much leeway in studies of their behavior. Mostly because his superiors refused to let him have them caged in the same enclosure. They also had authorized only three specimens to be allowed in the facility. It was frustrating. If he really wanted to study their behavior, he would need to see how they acted with each other, unrestrained, in a Hive setting. He knew that would never happen.

There was no way they would allow a Queen and a Hive there. The only way they would allow that would be on an asteroid specially set up for it, with remote cameras to watch them with. Sadly, he knew he would never live to see such a research facility/preserve. It would take years to set up. He smiled as he looked at Badb and her sisters. Even if he couldn't make full studies of their behavior, he still had made many wonderful discoveries with them. They had demonstrated an astounding capacity for learning, including problem solving and observational learning. Badb proved to be the smartest of them. Whether that was because she was the oldest, or an individual trait, he didn't know.

Dr. Galen walked forward and gently petted Badb, running his hand over the soft, translucent skin of her head. From what he knew, the smooth carapace would eventually fall away, leaving the ridged skull underneath exposed. Nobody knew exactly why this happened, but Dr. Galen theorized it was a sign of maturity as well as a further defensive adaptation. Badb looked up into his eyes as he petted her. Dr. Galen smiled his usual warm smile. As the soldiers returned Badb and her sisters to their enclosures, he thought he could hear something. A low thrum. He shook his head. It wouldn't be the first time that some of the machinery went on the fritz. He coughed lightly as he turned and checked the readings on the console.

XXX

The next day, Dr. Galen went over the readouts from the computer. Nothing in any of the samples matched anything they had encountered before on any world. There were a few proteins that were familiar, but not in the forms they were in. It was a fascinating mystery. Where had they come from? Did they evolve? Were they engineered? Nobody had any answers. Dr. Galen sighed as he looked over a printout of a scan of Badb's head and neck. There were four large glands in her neck that were a mystery. They were connected with her throat, but their function was unknown. They were functioning, whatever they were.

Perhaps these glands secreted the resin they used to make their Hives and cocoon hosts. It all was a fascinating mystery. Thanks to electron-scanners, the need for primitive dissection and undue harm and unnecessary death of animals was a thing of the past. They could study biologic functions without any harm to the animal. That said, the organs in question had to be performing their function for them to know what they did. With a groan he set the printout aside and brought up the schedule for the day. He smiled. Today they were doing behavioral observation. He liked those days, because they didn't need to restrain them. He hated seeing them bound like that. With a light cough, he stood and went to the enclosures.

XXX

Several other researchers were present, as were two soldiers as he stepped up and watched. Badb was in her cage, sitting on the floor as she pulled knobs to make a piece of meat drop down a tube until it fell out. She succeeded in record time. He smiled. From their studies, they knew that Xenomorphs were color-blind in the truest sense of the word. How, exactly, they "saw" was uncertain, but Dr. Galen theorized they used a mixture of echolocation, scent and some other sense. Perhaps they had an ability to sense electrical activity, the same way a hammerhead shark could.

As soon as Badb was done with her snack, she looked up at the gathered researchers. She ignored the others as she approached the window, looking at Dr. Galen. The researchers watched, awed at the display. Dr. Galen rolled his eyes. He smiled as he looked at Badb.

"Hmm, look at you, smart girl. Gonna have to send you to a university . . ." Some of the researchers chuckled, some groaned. Badb shook herself, almost like a dog would, but her gaze never left Dr. Galen. He chuckled, and then coughed. Another followed. The third was harsher. The fourth sent small droplets of blood onto the glass. The room almost went into a panic.

One of the soldiers put Dr. Galen's arm over his shoulders as he helped him to stand. The researchers backed away as Badb shrieked and hit the glass with her hands. The other soldier quickly opened a plate and hit a button. Badb shrieked louder as she was hit with a brief jet of liquid nitrogen. Not much, just enough to make her back up while they got Dr. Galen out. By the time she looked up, Dr. Galen was gone. Badb walked forward and sat. Nobody was around to hear the low moan she made as she stared at the blood on the glass.

XXX

Dr. Galen laid on a bed in the infirmary, his back elevated as he breathed in from the oxygen mask over his face. Corporal Keegan frowned as he looked at the readouts.

"Tell me the truth, Doc. I can take it," Dr. Galen said, his voice raspy. Keegan didn't smile at the joke.

"This wasn't as bad as the last one, but I'm still worried." He stood over Dr. Galen, looking right in his eyes. "At this rate, you're not going to last another month." Dr. Galen smiled and chuckled weakly.

"Where've I heard that before?" Keegan frowned further.

"Seriously, Galen, you need to take this more seriously than you do."

"Why? What will running around like a chicken with its head cut off, yelling "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" do to help?" Keegan sighed, looking like he had a headache.

"I'm not saying that, what I'm saying is . . . Oh, forget it." Keegan produced a bottle filled with liquid. He handed it to Dr. Galen. "This will help your pain and your cough at the same time. Take it." Dr. Galen made a face as he looked at the brown bottle. The liquid brew inside, Schlesinger's Drops, was one of the most powerful painkillers known to humans. Dr. Galen frowned as he set it on the table next to his bed.

"You look like you need it more." Keegan put his hands on his hips. Dr. Galen blinked.

"What?" Keegan sighed heavily, rolling his eyes.

"I swear, you're the most incorrigible, difficult, irascible patient I've ever known, you know that?" Dr. Galen just grinned. Keegan shook his head. Dr. Galen chuckled.

"I don't need it. I'm not in pain. Besides, that stuff makes you feel all fuzzy and like your head isn't screwed on right. I need all my wits." Keegan sighed and smiled, despite himself. Dr. Galen was the kind of person it was just impossible to stay angry at.

"All right, you scoundrel." Dr. Galen smiled as he removed the mask and stood up. Keegan cleared his throat before Dr. Galen could leave. "However, I suggest you do desk work for the remainder of the day. There's still piles of paperwork to go through." The smile slipped from Dr. Galen's face. Keegan smiled. Score one for the Corporal. Dr. Galen frowned and groaned as he left.

XXX

Badb sat in her cage, growling softly, her long tail swishing. Ever since Dr. Galen had left, coughing, she had been agitated at the very least. Every now and then, she looked up at the blood on the glass and growled again. She looked over at the door of her cage and hissed softly.

Her tail swished a little slower as her gaze seemed to bore into the reinforced door as she sat, staring with an eyeless stare at the closed gateway. For the longest time she sat, her tail gradually slowing until it stopped and rested on the floor, curled around her.

Her gaze never left the door. The way she stared, it was almost as if she was sizing up an opponent. Finally, after hours of sitting and staring, she moved, most gracefully to stand next to the door. She hissed as she looked at a part of the wall next to the door. She bared her teeth as she growled. The growl turned into a rumble as she shivered. She opened her jaws and hissed loudly as a yellow-green fluid flew from her throat and coated a small portion of the wall. Badb closed her jaws and hissed softly as the fluid began to hiss and the metal began to melt . . .

XXX

Dr. Galen sat at his desk, reading in the dim light of his lamp. He carefully read through the form before signing it and placing it in the appropriate pile. He coughed into his hand to avoid getting blood on the papers. He wiped his hand and continued as if nothing happened. He glanced briefly at his diploma, barely visible in its display case under the piles of papers.

Ironically, he had never planned to be an academic. He had qualified for a scholarship and been enrolled in a good university. Quite a feat, considering he was in his mid twenties at the time, and had almost flunked high school. He had wanted to be an archaeologist, but found he had a knack for Zoology, Xenozoology in particular. Although others would disagree, he had made some astounding discoveries while he was a student that got him noticed. He always thought it was just dumb luck. Whatever the case, he earned no less than three degrees in Xenozoology, Xenobiology, and Xenomorphology. That was also when he found out about his cancer. Dr. Galen chuckled and coughed at the memory.

They had thought it was asthma when they had him go see the campus doctor, but as soon as Galen saw his scans, he knew. He was thirty-two at the time. Life is full of ironies. It was hardly a week after that, that the USM approached him to work for them. When they told him he'd have a chance to study live Xenomorphs, he jumped at the chance. With an effective death sentence hanging over his head, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. That was three years ago. So much for only having six months. He laughed again and coughed. He stopped and tried to control his breathing. It was at that particular moment that all hell broke loose.

Alarms began to loudly sound. He looked up, startled as he gasped, rasping as he coughed again. He felt what little remained of his lungs contract, hard as he coughed. His chest tightened to the point he thought his ribs would crack as he coughed harder. He already could tell this was worse than his previous episodes. He gasped as he collapsed behind his desk. Of all the times to have an attack . . .

XXX

Everyone was yelling as they ran for the lifeboats as doors slammed shut, sealing closed.

Terry was frantic as she looked around.

"Dr. Galen!" she yelled as she looked through the crowd of frightened researchers. One of the soldiers ran past her, looking white as a sheet.

"Hurry it up!" he yelled as he ran. Corporal Keegan ran up to her and grabbed her arm.

"We've got to get out of here!" she said as he began to pull her along.

"Wait, what's happening? Where's Dr. Galen?!" Keegan looked at her, his face grim.

"The Xenos got out. They've already killed several soldiers. Let's move!" Terry fought against his grip.

"Wait! What about Dr. Galen?!" Keegan stopped and looked at her.

"I went by his office, but he wasn't there." Terry felt her blood run cold. She looked back and fought to pull out of Keegan's grip. "What're you doing?!" he yelled as he pulled her back.

"We can't just leave him!"

"The Doc's dead! Let's get the hell out of here!" said a soldier as he ran past. Terry whirled to look at the soldier's retreating form. She looked back just as the emergency shutter slammed closed and locked. Keegan pulled on her.

"Come on. There's nothing we can do." Terry felt tears as she was led to the lifeboats.

"Dr. Galen, I'm sorry . . ."

XXX

Deep inside the facility, Dr. Galen Lloyd still clung to life where he lay, hidden behind his desk as he fought to breathe. He gasped and wheezed as he tried to pull himself along the floor. He gasped and coughed, blood spattering the floor. His whole body was sweating, and he felt cold. He trembled as he tried to pull himself further and stopped. The effort was just too much. He felt fuzzy as the room began to blur. He felt like he had snot deep down in his throat that he just couldn't clear.

The harder he tried to clear it, the worse it made things. Dr. Galen wasn't afraid to die, but a mild sense of panic crept in as he fought to breathe, and was fast losing the battle. He began to choke and gag as he laid his head on the floor. He coughed again. As his eyes drifted into the back of his head, he thought he could make out a shape moving towards him. His vision blurred further as he finally collapsed and everything went black.

Three shadows fell across the fallen form of Dr. Galen. The shadows moved and took form as they approached. Badb hissed lowly as she walked next to Dr. Galen. She gave a low moan as she nudged him with her muzzle. She sat on her hind legs and gently rolled him over. His eyes had rolled back into his head and blood trailed from his mouth and nose. She hissed louder, and Neman and Macha quickly approached. She looked up at her sisters and a flurry of hissing and growling took place. Badb looked back down at Galen as a tiny gasp escaped his lips. She hissed as she drew closer. Neman and Macha watched as Badb curled her long fingers around Dr. Galen's face in a gentle, almost tender embrace. Using her thumbs, she gently pulled his mouth open as she slowly extended her tongue. Badb and her sisters gave a very soft moan as her tongue disappeared into his mouth.

XXX

Dr. Galen awoke to a feeling of gentle warmth. He moaned softly as his mind slowly began to return from the cold darkness of near-death. He swallowed and shivered slightly. That was when he felt movement. Someone gently touched his cheek with a slightly wet hand. He shivered again, and the touch seemed to solidify. The hand was gently cupping his face. He softly moaned as his eyes fluttered open. He recognized the ceiling as that of his room. His eyes drifted down, and he saw two black shapes. He blinked as he focused, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. They weren't.

Neman and Macha were curled around him, their chins resting on their crossed hands as they curled around him. He recognized them by certain details that were unique and set each apart. Neman, the middle sister, had a distinctive curve to the tubes that shrouded her shoulders. Macha, the youngest, had the longest fingers and a particular pattern on her arms. He looked up, and Badb was curled behind him, gently stroking his cheek with her hand. He always recognized Badb, the oldest, because she had the sharpest facial features of the three, and the sweep of her jaw was unmistakable. That, and she had the longest head. His lips curled up into a smile as he looked at her. His head was resting against her belly.

"Hey, Ladies. How're you?" Badb hissed softly, as did her sisters as they looked at him.

The three of them formed almost a perfect circle around him. Badb behind him, Neman and Macha to the sides. Despite that, the last thing he felt was threatened. If anything, he felt safe. He gently reached up and stroked the side of Badb's head. Neman and Macha curled closer as they urged him to touch them, too. He did. He smiled. "Thank you, Ladies." With that, Badb began to make a low thrum, her throat vibrating. Neman joined in, followed by Macha. Dr. Galen smiled softly as he leaned his head back against Badb's soft belly as the gentle crooning lulled him to sleep.

Badb hissed softly with satisfaction. She hadn't been sure if it would work, but she wasn't about to let him die. He had been kind and friendly to her and her sisters. In a strange place, with no Hive and no Mother, he was a welcome presence. She and her sisters looked forward to seeing him. The few times the other humans had hurt them or scared them, he made them stop. She still remembered when she was small, just a hatchling, cold and scared.

He had come into the room she was in, and gave her food. She had been very frightened until he took off his shirt and dropped it on the floor for her. It was so soft and smelled so nice! She felt safe when he was around, as did her sisters. As she had grown, and become more aware, she became aware of the Sickness. She could smell it, she could feel it, eating away at him from the inside. When he coughed and she smelled his blood, it smelled even worse. It smelled of Death.

To the humans, it was just a hiss, but to them, they were tears. She cried. She cried to see this nice man slowly dying, and not be able to do anything to help. When he coughed so badly in front of her, she tried to break her bonds, so she could hold him and make him safe. The last time she smelled his blood, she knew he would die soon. There was no way she would allow that, nor would her sisters. Badb hissed softly as she stroked his face.

The Life-Jelly had worked. It had stopped the Sickness and killed it. She could smell it fading away. Her sisters hissed as well. Satisfied, they settled down to finally sleep. Her sisters curled closer, forming a protective ring around him. He was safe. He always would be safe around them.

XXX

When Dr. Galen next awoke, he was surprised how much better he felt. He didn't feel nearly as tired. Badb was still curled behind him. Neman and Macha were still where they had been. As he drew in a breath, he was startled how easy it was. He took a deep breath, and no coughing started. He blinked. He looked up. Badb appeared to be asleep. Neman and Macha seemed to be asleep, too. He lightly shook his head. He settled back down, his head against Badb's belly. She curled closer in her sleep. Dr. Galen smiled as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

It seemed like no time at all had passed before he woke. He groaned softly as he opened his eyes. Neman and Macha were sitting, watching him, almost expectantly. He looked down and saw they had brought a small pile of things and placed them on his lap. As he looked, he realized most of it was food and bottles of water. He blinked and looked at them. He smiled and they hissed softly. "Thank you, Ladies," he said as he opened one of the bottles of water. With that, they all curled close around him. Galen shared some of the food with them.

Although primarily carnivorous, Xenomorphs were able to eat virtually anything that could provide protein. They could easily eat many foods that would kill a human, or many other species, for that matter. That said, they seemed to like the canned tuna and other rations, and seemed delighted he shared with them. Dr. Galen spent the day in bed, still feeling too weak to get up. He was improving, though. He was perfectly content to stay where he was. Nobody else would believe that these amazing beings were capable of anything besides death and killing, but here was the proof: Three Xenomorphs curled around him, and not a hint of aggression from any of them.

Dr. Galen knew they had something to do with his recovery, but he didn't know what. In the end, it didn't matter. He couldn't help smiling at how affectionate they were. Neman and Macha were perfectly content to lay against his side and have him pet them. They almost shoved him off the bed at one point from rubbing their heads against him. Dr. Galen just laughed. They seemed to be just delighted to be so close. Through all this, Badb stayed where she was, stroking his face or shoulder and keeping watch. When he looked at Badb, he almost could feel a strong emotion from her.

At one point, he was certain her saw the edges of her lips lift up into a small smile. He always had known how smart they were. He smiled at the warmth and safety they enshrouded him in. "Thank you, Ladies." At this, they curled closer. They stayed like that for untold minutes, Galen's head softly against Badb's as she wrapped her arms and tail around him. As evening settled, he thought of an idea. He looked over and saw a few books on the small night stand next to his bed. He reached out and picked up a book.

Badb, Neman and Macha were curious as he sat up a bit and cleared his throat. He opened the book as Neman touched the book with her long fingers. He smiled as he felt Badb shift so she could see better. Macha mimicked Neman's actions as Galen began to read aloud.

"Once upon a time, there lived three little girls . . ."

END

Author's note: This story is a one-shot that's been rattling around in my head for a while. Thanks goes to my mother for her medical knowledge, which has been extremely helpful again and again. The "Life-Jelly" Badb mentions is inspired by the "Royal Jelly" of Earth bees, which, despite the name, is produced by workers, not by the queen. This story stands on its own, and isn't connected to any of my other stories.

Thanks for reading, and be kind to creatures!