Alrighty friends, here's chapter eleven. Cranking it up and reaching the end of Sonia's experience here on Earth.

The sky was darkening as Jackson and I neared the house, and the air had taken on a sharper chill as the temperature fell, the clouds gathering. Looked like that snow was on its way. While parking in the pole barn I noticed the addition of a vehicle that wasn't there when we'd left, indicating Jasper and Marcus' return with my eldest brother and his family.

I was suddenly nervous and not looking forward to the awkwardness. The staring, the obvious avoidance of certain topics and the careful handling; as though they all expected me to explode. I jumped slightly when Jackson put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. I gave him a small smile, I'd be okay, now.

We'd barely made it through the door when a blonde woman started racing towards us, a huge smile on her face.

"Sonia! I can't believe I'm getting to meet you!" she beamed, giving off a friendly air.

I dodged a hug, and stepped closer to Jackson, unsure of what to think of Wes's wife, Amber. Her light blonde hair was tied back simply, and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. She wore tight, black cloth pants and had on a hooded pullover. Her scent was clean and pure, without the scent of wilderness and fur; human.

I peeked around Amber to see her husband grinning at me as he strolled down the hallway. He stopped partway and reached for the woman, gently pulling her towards him.

"C'mon, honey. Give her some space, we don't know what she's been through," he said with what sounded like loving patience. My eldest brother, Wessel Iversen, stood at an average height and shared the rest of the family's darker features. Black hair, just starting to show a few flecks of gray, was trimmed neat and his dark green eyes shone with laughter, clearly pleased to see me and seemingly unphased.

Maybe this would be easier than I'd anticipated. I settled at the table next to Jackson, joining a brown haired kid who regarded me carefully, Shawn. I glanced over to him, and then to the corner where Marcus was standing, acknowledging them both in turn before turning my attention back to Wes.

"So I hear you have been causing quite the stir around here," Wes said, smiling. "Dessie sure had quite a few… choice things to say about you." Marcus chuckled, having witnessed a few of the squabbles personally.

I sighed, "She doesn't like that she can't control me."

"I don't know what she expected, I can't imagine you'd be here now if you weren't a fighter," Wes' tone was light and easy, as though this were any other gathering. I warmed a little at his statement, accepting of his respect.

"Until she fell in love," came the comment from my side.

"Jackson," I growled the word, wishing he'd said nothing.

"With a space pirate?" Marcus asked, eyes wide, and face cracked into a giant smirk.

"I smell an epic romance," Amber said in a singsong voice. I scoffed.

"Hardly."

"It's still a story I want to hear," Wes replied, pressing me to elaborate.

"Were you really in space this whole time?" Shawn suddenly asked, having seemed uninterested in speaking up until now.

"Yes," I told him. "And I will be returning soon."

Wes and Marcus exchanged a somber look, as though they both doubted my words in some way.

"What's it like out there? How many aliens have you met?" Shawn was incredibly curious and his eyes grew wide as he kept spitting out questions.

"Shawn," Wes said sharply, capturing his son's attention, who gave a small, embarrassed smile in reply.

"Don't worry, buddy, you'll get your chance, but right now we need to get going," Jackson told him, "I promised Sonny a drink." He grinned.

"Craze?" Wes asked, knowingly. Amber's eyes lit up.

"You betcha," Jackson answered. I patiently waited for an explanation as Jackson stood up and started down the hallway.

Marcus stated following suit and ruffled Shawn's hair on his way by while shooting him a sympathetic look and saying, "Sorry pal, but it's for big kids only."

Shawn smoothed out his hair and let out an annoyed sigh, "I know, I guess I'll go see what Matty is up to." He shuffled off and slunk upstairs, bummed to be left out.

"Bye honey! We'll be home before you go to bed!" Amber called after her son, bent over to tie on her boots.

Wes stood and stretched, letting his muscles relax before starting us off on our newest adventure. I felt more relaxed and comfortable than I had since leaving Kraglin's care. I felt safe and loved with my brothers and sister-in-law, her infectious positivity and energy setting the tone for us all. Maybe staying here wouldn't be too bad, if worse came to worse. I felt a pang in my heart as I thought of Kraglin, and shook my head. No. I had to find him again. I had to escape this planet. Maybe I would be more inclined to visit, though.

We took a bigger vehicle to accommodate us all and Wes guided us through the city until reaching our destination, which turned out to be a pub. Marcus had filled me in more about the place we were headed to. Apparently my dad received some strange business advice one year and bought ownership of a nearby pub which had since become a regular hangout for nearby shifters. My dad owned it only in name and financial matters, and the bar itself was run and managed by a panther named Vincent, who owed allegiance to my father but lived off the compound. Unsurprisingly, Marcus, Jasper and Gray were regulars there.

Looking at the building from outside, you certainly wouldn't guess that it was ultimately owned by one of the best architects on the planet (well, at least according to me.) There wasn't much to distinguish it from the buildings next to it, save for the neon sign that I'm assuming spelled out the name; Lunar Craze.

We walked through the door and I was instantly hit with the scent of the wild. Multiple shifters of multiple species had frequented the place over the however many years this place had been open. The strongest scents by far were those of panther and wolf. The bar was moderately lit and rather lively. It appeared as though something of great interest was being shown on the screens dotting the walls.

Jackson stopped and waved across the room over at a woman with a brown braid and light blue t-shirt. She was carrying a flat serving platter under her arm so she could use both hands to jot something down on her little paper pad. She grinned at and saluted my brother before he ushered us towards a larger corner booth that could fit us all comfortably.

Shortly after sitting, we were joined by the woman Jackson had flagged down when we entered.

"Wowee, it's been quite some time since I've seen you boys in here," she greeted with a mischievous grin. "Except for you, of course, Marcus." There was a glint in her eye that I saw was matched by my cousin. I'd seen that look before, but up until now I hadn't the knowledge behind it, and it was clear that Marcus knew this woman on a more intimate level.

"Hey, Sal," he drawled in return, "How's the cub?"

The woman rolled her eyes in response, "She's doing fine, thanks. Gets wilder every day, I swear…"

Amber let out a sympathetic noise, "Tell me about it, I don't know how I'm going to survive the rest of our son's teenage years." She chuckled and smiled brightly at her.

Sal smiled back, "So, what'll it be tonight?" She took out a small notepad and had her writing instrument paused above it, waiting for our order.

"We'll do a round of Jameson and a couple pitchers of Bud," Wes decided. Sal scribbled his words onto her paper, nodded and left to fetch our drinks.

"So, Sonia, what are your plans if you can't make it off of Earth again?" Amber asked curiously.

I shrugged. Glancing over at my brother I said, "Probably move in with Jackson."

Wes and Amber exchanged a look and started laughing. I shot then a questioning look. Jackson looked a tad confused as well.

"You'll completely cramp his style, you know," Wes explained, amused.

Jackson let out a small groan and covered his face with his hand. I was still missing something and waited impatiently for the last piece of the puzzle.

"He's been really living up the whole 'tortured artist' shtick the last ten years," Amber added, "You should come live with us in LA, instead!"

I looked hard at her face to try and figure her out. She barely knew me, why would she invite me to live with her and her family? As she smiled at me, I could tell that she seemed genuine and I felt a warmth in my chest as I realized that everyone here actually accepted me and didn't want me gone. I was still sitting in somewhat stunned silence when Sal returned carrying a tray loaded with our drinks. After we all took the shot of whiskey, Wes took charge of the pitchers, pouring it out amongst the mugs. I took mine gratefully, drinking deeply from the chilled glass. The brew was rather light, if bitter; much nicer than some of the cheaper crap at the dives my owners tended to frequent.

Wes and Jackson chatted a bit about their lives. It was nice to see that they still had a good relationship with each other. I was only vaguely aware of the music overhead until Amber squeaked in surprise, clutching her husband's arm. "Oh! Honey, it's our song!" She grinned up at him. He smiled down at her with his eyes as he took a drink.

"'Your song'?" I repeated, "Did you create it?"

Amber giggled and shook her head. "No, it's the song that was playing when we met. When we first looked into each others' eyes and-"

"'And knew it was true love'" Everyone but me finished in bored unison. I looked around, a bit startled.

Jackson rolled his eyes, "We've all heard that story a billion times," he complained, finishing his mug and reaching over to refill it.

"True, I want to hear about Sonia and her space pirate," Marcus grinned encouragingly. I let out a small sigh.

"Yes, Sonia!" Amber clapped before taking a small sip, "How did you meet your man?"

I looked between them all as they waited patiently. Finally I took a drink and shrugged, "He stepped on my tail, so I tripped him and went for his throat."

Marcus and Jackson instantly starting laughing. Their deep voices rumbling together as they imagined the scene I'd laid out.

"You… tried to kill him?" Amber asked slowly, confused.

I nodded, smiling a little to myself at the memory, "Yeah, and he ended up buying me anyways."

Amber paused, digesting the information I'd given. I took the opportunity to take another drink. If she expected me to tell her more, I'd definitely need more alcohol. With the whole slave/owner element, she might decide she'd be better off not knowing more. Turns out I was wrong.

"So how did he figure out you weren't a panther?" She asked carefully.

"I mistakenly drank too much," I scowled.

Wes was the one who took the greatest humor out of that last statement. Chuckling, he raised his glass, "We've all been there." Jackson grinned and reached out his own mug to tap Wes' before both downed the remains.

Ignoring them, I kept talking, the beer making it easier, "Kraglin instantly saw the advantage of my shifting and he started training me so I could be of use to them. Cap'n was a bit of a harder sell, but after I killed the Kree he decided he could trust me." A look of horror had started to cross Amber's face, Wes gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. He nodded at me to keep going. I took another drink before continuing, "He gave me a mission to test me. I completed the mission, but then we were picked up by the Nova Corps on our way back." I polished off my drink and studied the glass for a second. On the underside of the glass was a maker's brand made up of a few letters. I let out a small sigh as I reached over to grab the pitcher, and soon the reminder of my faults was covered with golden ale. "We got caught because I can't read."

I carefully watched as my company fought with their faces to hide their amusement. After recovering, Wes looked thoughtful before asking, "How did that get you guys caught?"

"I accidentally turned off the scrambler that should have cloaked us from Nova's scanners. Kraglin was pretty pissed when he figured it out."

Amber looked at me with concerned eyes, "So did they take him to jail?"

I nodded while taking a drink, "Yeah, that's why I'm hoping whoever Stark sends me can actually help me get off-planet."

Wes nearly choked on his beer. "You've met Tony Stark?" He asked, eyes wide and still trying to catch his breath.

"Shit you not," Jackson answered, "I called him for her."

Marcus nodded, "He's the one who brought Sonia to the house."

Wes let out a low whistle, clearly as impressed as everyone else who'd heard this particular piece of news. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, he didn't seem all that great to me.

Both of our pitchers were now empty, but the bar had gotten quite a bit more crowded in the last few minutes so Sal was occupied. Jackson and I got up to obtain more alcohol and had to force our way through the crowd blocking the bar. Not only were people waiting for drinks, they were also excitedly clustered around the screen where I could barely make out tiny figures running around hectically on a green outdoor field.

The musky wolfy odor was overwhelming me as I was pushed into one of the massive leather-clad backs facing me. The personal scent was hard to single out, but having recently encountered it, I recognized it. The aggressive wolf from the weapons shop.

He turned and growled at me, his eyes flickering amber and then widening as he realized who I was. He grinned and I tried to take a step back, but was walled in by a couple other wolves. I quickly tried to find Jackson, but he had been swallowed by the mob.

Hope you enjoyed it. As always, feedback is appreciated.

~F2tM