Chapter Six: A New Home

_{© Lady Owl}





Neelix turned on the lights as he entered his quarters. As usual, the place was a mess. Thick wires were sprawled about along with crates and tools. It was obvious he was a mechanic.. and a bachelor. Both for a very long time. The girl was limp in his arms as he carried her inside, carefully moving between the crates and over the wires, to his bed.. or really, a large mattress like padding that laid on the floor in a far corner of the room. He knelt down with her beside the mattress, delicately pulling the fabric from around her body and quickly shoved it aside. He then carefully laid her down onto his bed.

She groggily opened her eyes, looking up at him. He smiled at her and ran a hand along her face, "It's ok.." he whispered, but she just weakly stared at him. He lowered his gaze down to the end of the bed and grabbed at his wrinkled and disarrayed sheets, pulling them up and over her as she continued to watch him through tired eyes. He knew she was still worried about what would happen to her and he wished so much that she could understand him so he could tell her everything was going to be ok... That she was safe now... He sighed to himself, frustrated with this language barrier as he carefully moved over her and laid down in the bed beside her. He was very tired and stressed, as well, for he had spent the entire night worrying about her and trying to sell his ship.. and then, of course, the auction. It had all happened so fast.. but she was his now. Safe with him in his quarters. And though he knew it was still early, he hadn't slept since the night before... but he knew he had no right to complain, compared to her. He had no idea how she hadn't just passed out completely. She was very strong and very brave, and he admired her for it.

But he didn't want to think about it anymore as he laid his head down, never taking his eyes off her. She had turned her head so that she could continue to look at him. Both of them staring at one another for awhile.. until he could see her eye lids becoming heavy and he moved his hand to her's, taking it and holding it softly. He felt her give him a quick squeeze but her grip lessened as her eyes slowly closed. Her lips parted as she began to breathe deeply and he watched her for awhile more, making sure she had fallen asleep, before he, too had slowly slipped off...



The day was almost over when Neelix finally woke. He moved his hand to his eyes, rubbing over them and then slid his hand up to his forehead, realizing he was still wearing his work goggles and slipped them off, setting them down on the floor beside his bed. He looked over to his side, seeing the girl still fast asleep. He smiled as he reached over to her and gently caressed her cheek.. but winced as he felt his stomach gurgle, realizing he hadn't eaten anything since the night before. He knew she must be so hungry, too but... what would he feed her? He had no idea what she would like or even be able to eat.

He carefully moved from his bed, trying not to disturb her as he stood, and walked to the back of his quarters where he could find something to eat. He opened a drawer and cold mist leaked out as he looked inside. He rummaged through it finding nothing but a couple pieces of left over fruit... He didn't have much because he spent a lot of his time out, working. He sighed and closed the drawer, moving to another. There was some togalin beast in here... would she eat meat? He hadn't gotten a good look at her teeth to make a guess at her diet, but the shape of her face suggested she might. He turned his head back to look at her, she was still asleep... and he frowned, turning back to the drawer and took the slab of meat out. He'd have to try, he guessed.


Heather woke to a sweet smell of cooking food. She grasped her stomach in pain. She was so hungry the very smell of food made her nauseous. She sat up, looking around the room. It was dim and cluttered but a decently sized area, reminding her of a small apartment.. or a small warehouse..  but she noticed these strange tubes running along the walls.. or really, built into the wall. What was even stranger about them, was that glowing balls of violet light dimly pulsed through them. Was this some kind of art? No.. it looked more like some kind of power system.

She was jerked from her thoughts as she heard a voice; his voice. It was coming from the direction of the bright light source around the corner. She leaned forward to peak around the wall, seeing the creature talking to a screen. Leaning a tiny bit more, she could see that he was talking to that other creature that was usually with him.

"- -nly ---- a ----le bi- --- -- ide- --- sh- mi--- ---- -o eat.. ---- -o --- --uall- -eed --- -----"

She shook her head in frustration. Would she ever understand these creatures? Her eyes widened as she thought the one on the screen was pointing to her, her suspicion confirmed as the other quickly turned around to face her. She gasped, feeling her heart skip a beat and quickly leaned back out of sight.


"I'll call you back later, ok? I want to make sure she's alright." Neelix said and Veeno nodded and was soon replaced by a light blue screen. Neelix quickly moved over to her, stopping at the end of his bed and looking down at her. She had her head lowered as if she had done something wrong, hiding her face behind her hair as her fingers fiddled with the blanket. Neelix moved down and carefully crawled onto the bed to her. She tensed up and he paused, his ears lowered as he spoke to her, "It's alright," he whispered, "Don't be afraid." He slowly moved to her. He was anxious to get her to speak, but as usual, she didn't say a word. He frowned and moved his hand up towards her, "Please let me..." he said, "Let me care for you and help you.." He carefully slipped his finger under her chin, feeling her flinch a little but he lifted her head so she could see him. She looked at him with nervous eyes and then closed them. He slipped his hand to her cheek and gently caressed her before moving his hand away and carefully moved himself up the bed, to the side so he could sit beside her. She looked up at him as he got comfortable and he reached out his hand to her. She looked at it, but unlike before, she nervously reached out and placed her hand in his. He smiled and slowly brought her hand up to his chest and placed it there against him. "Neelix" he said and looked at her, hoping she'd understand what he was attempting to do.

She stared at him and looked down at his hand and then back up at him, and he tried again, carefully patting her hand against his chest, "Neelix..." He watched as she moved her free hand to her own chest. "Hea-", she coughed to cleared her throat and attempted again, "Heather.." It came out in a soft whisper and she swallowed after saying it. He realized she had hardly spoken at all, remembering when he first heard her try to speak, that her voice sounded very unclear and raspy, and he wondered just how long she had been in cryo...

But he repeated the word she had spoken, trying the alien sound out on his tongue, "Heather..." He smiled and moved his hand to her chest, pressing it over her's. "Heather" he said again, and tightened his hand around her hand that still pressed against his own chest, and repeated his name, "Neelix."

He was excited. This was good, very good. He knew she understood enough to get her to speak but... he watched as she laid herself back down, curling into a ball and closing her eyes, moving her hand down to her stomach. He heard it gurgle loudly. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid... and quickly leaned forward, scooping her up in his arms. He stood and carried her around the corner. His cooker had shut itself off when the meat inside had finished. He sat her down at his table and quickly prepared the meal for her, cutting it into small pieces so she wouldn't have too much trouble eating it.

As he came over, holding the plate of food, he saw that she had laid her head down on the table, still clinching her stomach. He quickly grabbed a stool, bringing it right next to her so he could sit down beside her. He moved his arm around her, and carefully pulled her back from the table, allowing her to lean back against his chest. He took the smallest piece on the plate and held it out for her, but she ignored him. Desperate, he moved it close to her face but she turned her head away. "Oh please... please eat for me.." he said, panicking. What if he couldn't get her to eat? Was it the smell? The look? Why wouldn't she take it..? He had to get her to eat, even if she didn't like it.. even if it wasn't very good for her, it was something and he needed her to eat at least a little of it...

Carefully leaning down so she could see him, he reached out to the plate and took a larger piece. Maybe she was just afraid it wasn't safe? He opened his mouth and slipped the piece inside, making sure she was watching him. He chewed and swallowed and waited, hoping for some kind of response. She eventually looked back at the plate and licked at her lower lip but seemed hesitant. He felt some relief seeing that she at least seemed interested in eating, and he picked up the smaller piece to try again, holding it out for her. She looked at it and then slowly moved her hand up, quickly taking it from him. He watched her as she sniffed at it before slipping it past her lips. She made a funny face as she chewed but she swallowed it anyway... but when she reached out to the plate, him thinking she would take another piece, she simply pushed it away and shook her head.

He sighed, "Well.. I only have the fruit.. I guess it's worth a try.." He stood up from the stool and went back to the drawer, opening it and taking one of the pieces out. He didn't really think she would eat this.. since he had taken a bite out of it.. and the other was starting to go bad. He held onto the decent piece as he reached into the drawer and took out the old one and whipped it at his garbage shoot that looked like a simple hole in the wall. His quick and sudden action had startled her and she stiffened a bit as he turned back to her, feeling worried that she may have made him mad at her... but as he sat back down beside her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing softly and moved his hands down to break the piece of fruit in half. He handed her the piece without his teeth marks in it and she took it, examining it in her hands. He was hopeful as he watched her lift it to her mouth and take a bite. Surprisingly, she reached back out to the plate of meat she had shoved to the center of the table and scooped a tiny bit of the fruit onto her finger and smeared it over the small piece of meat. He raised a brow, curiously as she ate it but he simply shrugged. Hey, whatever worked, he thought. Veeno created strang food combinations all the time and perhaps the two flavors reminded her of something back home.

They finished the meal together, Neelix letting her have most of it, knowing she needed it way more than he did. He would definitely have to go to the markets later... and get all kinds of different foods to see what she might like.

He stood and went to get them both some water, knowing, with some relief, that it was usually a very common drinking liquid among the majority of races. He set the cup down beside her as he sat back down and watched as she looked at it, trying to figure out what it was... then suddenly, she grasped the cup and began to drink it down fast. "Whoa... whoa there, you'll make yourself sick!" He reached out and placed his hands over her's to slow her down. The last thing he needed was for her to throw up the meal she had just eaten...

He got her another cup of water and she carefully took it and held onto it, drinking slowly as he lifted her into his arms and took her back to the bed. He sat her down and smiled, and left her there so she could finish. He really wanted to take a shower and he knew she'd probably enjoy getting cleaned up, too. He went into the back room directly across from her so he could keep an eye on her as he prepared the shower.

As Heather sipped her water, she suddenly flinched as the door across the room to her left quickly slid open. Her eyes widened as she saw the other familiar creature step inside. He noticed her immediately and smiled at her, raising his hand to wave at her, but kept his distance, noticing she wasn't comfortable with his presence. "I brought some stuff for you," He said, knowing very well she couldn't understand him.

Veeno saw that the light in the back room was on and turned, walking over to the entrance. "Hey Neelix, I brought you some food!" He shouted over the running water. Neelix's ears perked up. He turned his head as he stood and walked over to Veeno. "I didn't even hear you come in. You said you brought food?" Neelix asked and Veeno nodded, "Yeah, you told me before you didn't have much so I just brought over some of my extras. I didn't have much, either but It's not exactly a prime time to be going to the markets right now." Veeno reached out, handing him the bag of food.
"Thank you so much. I did manage to get her to eat some but maybe there will be something in here she'll like." He said as he rummaged through the bag.
"How is she doing?" Veeno asked. "Well, her name is Heather." Neelix replied with a smile. Veeno grinned, "Cute name. Were you able to get anything else?" Neelix shook his head, "Not yet, but I'm trying. She's been too weak and nervous for me to really give it a good attempt. I'll try more later when she's feeling better."
Veeno nodded softly, "Well.. if you're going out this morning, what were you going to do with her?"
"I guess take her with me. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her here alone." Neelix said and Veeno raised his brow, "You sure that's a good idea?"
"Well leaving her here isn't a good idea?"
"She tried to run away... I dunno if taking her out is any good, either.."
"She was afraid before, but I think she trusts me now." Neelix said as he looked past Veeno and over at her. She was watching them, still holding the cup tightly in her hands.
"Trust.. and acceptance aren't the same thing, Neelix. But look, I never finished the things I needed to do with her anyway so I'll stop by again in the morning before you leave for the market district with my stuff. She has the band around her ankle but she needs a proper slave identification chip and I can offer a slave leash so you wont have to worry about her running off again."
Neelix turned his head to look back at Veeno, his brows raised in surprise. "You're joking, right? I understand the chip.. but a leash? How am I any different if I treat her like the very thing I was trying to save her from? How is she going to fully trust me if she is attached to a leash with me holding the other end of it?"
"It was only a suggestion, Neelix. I'm just trying to help. You're not use to dealing with slaves and you're too hopeful that she'll see you differently right now than she sees me or anyone else."
"She lets me touch her, yet is fearful of you." Neelix said, looking at his friend with an unconvinced expression and crossing his arms. Veeno poked Neelix's chest as he spoke, "Yeah, me and every other stranger down in the markets, too. You think it's bad with just me being around her, imagine an entire busy district with people shoulder to shoulder."
Neelix sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Well what am I supposed to do?" He said, feeling defeated. Veeno thought for a moment and finally spoke, "Well, I need some stuff anyway, so I'll come with you. That way if anything were to happen, I'd be there to help." He pat Neelix's shoulder and turned back for the door. "Call me before you go, alright?" Neelix nodded and waved to him, watching as his friend let himself out.

Neelix turned back to look at Heather. She had set the cup down and seemed worried, but also looked tired. He walked over to her and leaned down, slipping his hands at her sides and lifting her up into his arms. "I'm gonna get you all cleaned up, Heather." He smiled at her as he softly brushed away a couple strands of her hair that had fallen across her face. She just stared back at him. He could see she was nervous, but maybe she was just worried about what they had been talking about. He knew she had been watching them the whole time, unable to understand any of their conversation.

He walked into the back room, carrying her over to the shower where the water was still running. Carefully setting her down beside him, he reached out to test the warmth of the water and then pressed a button to adjust it until he was satisfied with the temperature. He then turned back to her, crouching down a bit so he was more eye level with her, nodding his head in the direction of the shower, wondering if she understood what it was. She looked over at the running water and mimicked him; reaching out to let the water run over her hand. She then returned her hand to her side, shaking away the excess water. He smiled and stood, reaching out to press the shower button to pause the water flow and then moved his hands down to his sides and gripped his top, lifting it up and pulling it up over his head and tossed it to the floor. Her eyes widened slightly. She understood that it was a shower and she thought that he had been preparing it for her.. but then why was he undressing?

He looked back at her, seeing her nipping at her lower lip and knelt back down, reaching out and softly taking her hands to massage them gently. She lowered her head, realizing it must be her turn now.. but she was extremely nervous and uncomfortable. He slid his hands from her's and reached out to her sides, moving his arms around her, to hug her softly. He knew she must have been shy but this was another step in gaining her trust. He stood again and gently moved behind her, keeping her close against him as he slid his hands down along her sides to the bottom of her outfit. He took hold of the fabric and slowly began to lift.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, feeling her nightgown lifting up along her body, exposing her. She hesitantly lifted her arms as she felt him reach her chest and allowed him to slip it up and over her head. He carefully tossed her outfit to the side with his top and moved his hands to her shoulders, gently rubbing them to calm her. He could feel she was tense and when he glanced down, he saw her flexing her fingers nervously against her thighs.. but he also noticed that he had not removed all of her clothing, seeing a small, seemingly redundant, white article of clothing around her hips and between her legs. It perplexed him but he moved his hands down and hooked his thumbs around the band that held the item in place around her hips. He slid it down from her, bending his knees as he let it fall down around her ankles. He nuzzled his face against her own, noticing that it had become red; a similar shade from when she had been crying only instead of on the tip of her nose and around her eyes, it was spread out across her cheeks.

She stepped from the piece of clothing that laid around her ankles and he took it and tossed it aside with the rest. As he looked back down at her, he realized that, this was the first time he was seeing her body like this. Just her and no clothing. Nothing to cover her.. nothing was hidden. Nudity usually wasn't a big deal for their society. In fact, many aliens were perfectly comfortable not wearing a single piece of clothing and Neelix himself was use to seeing this all over the station.. but this was different. This was her.. and he was seeing her body for how she really was for the very first time.

He felt warm inside as he stood, and undid his pants. They were slightly large for his frame and so slipped easily down his legs as soon as he had loosened them from his hips; He then shoved them aside. Heather held her hand up against her chest, feeling nervous and anxious as he carefully moved forward, guiding her in the direction of the shower. She took a step up inside the large circular area as Neelix moved her to the center. He then reached his arm up and turned the water back on.

Heather shivered, goosebumps forming all along her body as the warmth of the water ran over her skin. She closed her eyes, feeling comfort as it soaked her long thick hair. It was like a hug from an old friend, washing away all the pain and fear and worries that she had dealt with in the last few hours... She breathed in deep, taking in the thick steam as a clean, fresh scent filled her nose and she felt Neelix lather a cold gel against her shoulders. The fragrance, and his touch, soothed her mind making her feel incredibly sleepy, making it hard to focus.. She leaned against him, keeping her eyes closed as she continued to feel his hands caress her body...



It was so hard for her to keep her eyes open as she felt a warm soft towel fluff around her, but she forced them open and saw Neelix before her. He smiled and leaned in close, kissing her forehead and wrapped the towel around her shoulders, letting it drape down around her. She had lowered her gaze.. only to quickly look back up at him, feeling her face become red hot. All this time, after he had removed her clothing from her, she hadn't even realized he had done the same... seeing now that he was completely naked before her. She gulped hard, watching him turn and grab for something.. she couldn't quite tell what it was until he unfolded it in front of her. It looked like one of his tops, only it had no dirt or stain marks on it like the one he had been wearing before. Thank God.. she thought, he was going to get dressed.. but instead, he moved the towel from her shoulders, letting it fall down around her ankles. She felt her face becoming warmer as she stood there in front of him, eye level, completely naked as well. His eyes stayed on her's and his calmness made the embarrassment she felt, slightly fade. He was showing respect for her privacy and only doing what he needed to, realizing just how uncomfortable she was by all of this. He carefully leaned close to her so that he could slip his top over her head, giving her something clean to wear until he could have her own clothing washed.

She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the warm fabric embrace her and feeling relieved that she was no longer exposes. Neelix smiled, seeing that his top fit her awkwardly, and moved his arms around her, lifting her up to carry her back to his bed. It would still be a few hours until morning and since she seemed very tired anyway, this was the perfect chance to get their sleeping on track.

He set her down in the bed, laying her back and, as he laid down in bed with her, he noticed she was already dozing off again. "My precious little one..." he whispered, as he moved close to her. He gently nudged against her, having her turn on her side so he could cuddle up with her from behind, moving an arm around her so he could hold her close against him. He then closed his eyes, drifting off as well..

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