Project X

All Rights Reserved

© 2015 Luna Black

~*~

Her heart was thudding in her chest faster than the engine of a locomotive. Her palms were sweaty and clammy as she wiped them down her black shorts. She took a deep breath, staring at herself in the mirror and silently tried to pep-talk herself.

It was just a shower. Nothing more; she'd just see him naked for the first time, no biggie.

A mix between a nervous snort and a giggle scraped past her throat and she breathed in deeply; they seemed to be the only calming things she could do. In. Out. In. Out.

Just like she wanted Xander to – Alexa, breathe!

Alexa gulped, bending over the sink and splashed cold water on her face. It felt refreshing and it seemed to calm her down a bit. The feeling reminded her of the first time she kissed a boy.

It was in tenth grade, during a homecoming dance. He shoved his tongue down her throat and almost suffocated her and she vowed then to never tongue-kiss again. Of course, Xander changed her entire perspective on them, but the nervous and strange feeling was bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

It was as if the situation was out of her control. Knowing that Xander had been with a woman as beautiful as Corah brought some type of inferiority to her. She felt as if though he wouldn't like her body as much because she wasn't a Xrionian woman.

He had clearly stated that he didn't mind her appearance, in fact he liked how she looked, but the doubts were still in her mind. And they were making her more nervous than a teenagers sneaking out of their house.

"Just close your eyes," she whispered to herself, "and think about puppies. Don't look at him and you won't see the disappointment."

Puppies?

Puppies.

Cute golden retriever puppies with long floppy ears and a cute little nose. Yes, puppies.

Alexa rolled her eyes at her absurd thoughts and began reaching for the bottom of her t-shirt. She would be lying if she said she hadn't been preparing for that moment for the past couple of weeks. She had taken care of she – she had shaved.

She hadn't done it because Xander asked, but because she had learned the hard way that sex was more pleasurable for her when her bikini area was completely clean-shaven.

Just as her shirt reached the top of her head, a loud crackle flickered around the house, making all the lights go on and off and she cried out in shock. Her elbow smacked against the frame of the doorway and she began huffing profanities under her breath as she held it gingerly.

No matter how strong her skin was becoming against pain, her funny bone would always fück her over.

"Alexa?" Xander walked into the room quickly, taking her in his arms as he looked over her body. His eyes were filled with concern as he turned her arm over to inspect it and she nodded.

"I'm fine," she flashed him a small smile, "I just smacked my elbow on the wall. What happened?"

He shook his head, releasing her arm. "I do not know. The General just requested a private meeting so our shower will have to wait until another day. I do not know how long the meeting will take, so please do not wait up for me; you have training tomorrow morning."

Alexa pouted her lips and said, "So, I'll be sleeping by myself?"

He wiped her bottom lip, trying to get rid of the pout and said, "I am sorry, mielle. I will try to be quick, if it is allowed."

"It's fine, I guess." She hugged him, pressing her cheek against his chest, "Just be careful, okay? Come back to me in one piece."

He frowned, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Would you not rather I return in the same state I left?"

She rolled her eyes, but giggled and kissed his cheek gingerly. "It means to come back unscathed. Go before you get in trouble."

He nodded, leaning down to steal a quick kiss and whispered, "We will try saving water another day."

A dark blush began to grow across her cheeks and she nodded, trying to hold the schoolgirl giggles that were threatening to spill past her lips. It was quite sickening that he could make her want to act like a teenager.

With another kiss Xander disappeared, leaving in his place a quick flash-blinding light.

Alexa sighed, pulling her shirt completely off and shimmied out of her undergarments. Half of her was disappointed that she didn't get to see him naked, but the other part was preoccupied. If their technology was so advanced, why would shortages like that happen?

As she stepped into the shower, she could only contemplate on the worst and hope that none of her horrible theories would happen. She didn't know much about the Xrions and it worried her; she simply knew the basics that Xander had told her, but it didn't feel like enough.

Xander knocked on the General's office door and frowned once he entered; Trent was nowhere in sight. Whenever the General called for a private meeting, Xander and Trent had to be present immediately. He had taken a bit of time to arrive as he was trying to make sure Alexa was alright, but Trent had no partner.

He was one of the few Xrionians who believed the Earth women were incapable of carrying their lineage, but he had helped the General to influence the President into cooperating.

"Xander," The General smiled, standing up from his leather chair and said, "I apologise if I interrupted your personal time with Ms. Dominick, but I am sure that you notice the sudden power shortage."

He nodded, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood up straight. "Should we be concerned?"

"Trent just came back from Sector 5 and they said it was nothing to worry over. Apparently, they accidentally fuelled the power lines with more power than what was needed; nothing big."

"General," Xander frowned, "that was a strong power signal. If any of the Griods pick up on it, they might find us."

General Jenks shook his head and said, "I spoke to Lieutenant Saldana and her reports state that everything seems to be in the clear. The Griods have been very quiet with their affairs and have not caused trouble. I believe that they are not coming anywhere to look for us."

"My fear is not them looking for us; it is them finding Earth. We specifically chose the planet from this galaxy over the Selyts in the galaxy over because their environment was exhausted. Yet when we entered, we have been cleaning it up. This will attract the Griods, General. I am in no way challenging your commands, but it worries me."

He nodded, clenching his jaw and slid his finger around the crystal clear desk. "Xander, you are a bright young man. After your parents' death, I took you in because I saw the potential you had to lead our people and you have proven my choices right as time goes by."

"Thank you, sir," He bowed his head in reverence.

"Have you ever wondered," The General continued, "what it would be like if this war finally ended? If we could just put our differences aside and unite the eight planets once again?"

Xander raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him. "Ever since my parents died, sir."

"I am not saying that this is my intent," he cleared his throat, staring deep into Xander's eyes, "but if it comes to it, we will end this feud here. We are four galaxies away from our home; no harm will come to our people back home if we decide to end this war."

"Sir," His throat suddenly dried up, "are you suggesting-"

He shook his head, clearing his throat once more. "I am not suggesting anything, son. I am simply stating what is best for our people. Earth does not have many resources that we cannot find in other planets, we could even try saving some of their people; but if I have to make a decision and the Griods find us, we fight the last battle here."

"Sir," Xander widened his eyes, immediately thinking of the catastrophes that would occur. They only had 1000 men in the island and only 900 were warriors; that wasn't enough to fight a battle against the Griods and return home victorious.

"Do not worry, Xander," The General reassured him, "Lieutenant Saldana is making sure that no warships have left Griod. Anyla and Griod have a surprisingly peaceful contract; they just hate us. You may return home now, I just wanted to let you know that everything is okay. Trent and I already spoke, but I wanted to speak to you privately."

He nodded, bowing his head once and waited until he dismissed him verbally. Once he was home, he ran his fingers through his hair worriedly and took a quick shower. The image of Alexa cuddled up to his pillows brought him a sense of tranquillity; she was still there and okay.

After he no longer smelled of sweat and felt the sand around his body, he crawled in the bed and smiled as she quickly turned her body to face him. Alexa placed her head on his chest and wrapped her hand around his waist.

"Is everything okay?" Her voice was slurred with sleep.

He nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, not wanting to worry her with insignificant theories. "Just a malfunction in Sector 5; they are the ones in charge of the power source that powers everything we use."

"Oh," she mumbled, snuggling closer to him as she sought for his warmth, "I couldn't go to sleep without you here."

He chuckled, raising her head with his chest and said, "Why is that?"

Alexa shrugged, entwining their fingers together and mumbled, "I'm so used to sleeping with you that if you're not here now, I can't. It's like sleeping with this huge, sexy teddy bear."

Xander laughed, rubbing his hands against her back caringly and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Well you may go to sleep now if you wish."

"Good night," she kissed his jaw blindly, dropping her head on his chest as exhaustion took over.

He, however, stared up at the ceiling for a while longer, praying to any god that would listen to ensure that a war would not come. Losing someone else was a pain that he could not bear once more.

~*~

The next morning Xander felt surprisingly relaxed. Alexa was sleeping soundly in his arms and the sun was slowly rising, illuminating the room as it did so.

He glanced at the clock beside him and then down at Alexa. Her leg was entwined with his and her hands were holding him to her. The position made him smile; it was such a huge contrast to how she had been when they first met.

Her blonde hair was spread throughout his chest and shoulder, allowing the lemon-scented shampoo, that he had grown to adore, to consume his senses. His hands subconsciously rose towards her head and he began running his fingers up and down her hair.

Alexa moved slightly, snuggling closer to him, but didn't wake up from her peaceful sleep.

Xander sighed quietly, placing his hand next to his body and looked up at the white ceiling. When he was alone and the only companion he had were his thoughts, he knew he was endangering himself.

It was during those rare occasions that he would think of his life back home and the flicker of memories he had of his life before the war and outbreak, would perturb him. He would remember walking to the beach hand-in-hand with Corah, talking about their future and silently acknowledged that they were giving in to what everyone else wanted.

He also remembered the slight scent of strawberries that came present whenever his mother was around. She had long black hair with piercing brown eyes; they almost resembled melted chocolate ponds. Her smile was equally warm and her overall presence brought about tranquillity to the room.

After they passed away, he vowed to find a woman that would look at him the way his mother looked at his father and look at her the way his father looked at his mother.

Alexa breathed in deeply, making him glance down at her and smiled. She wasn't exactly one of his kind, but she was his. He, without a doubt, looked at her the way his father looked at his mother.

It was filled with devotion and admiration. He wasn't sure if he loved her yet, but he was very close to. If she allowed him the honour, he would spend the rest of his life with her. He loved every bit of her, starting from her strange habits to her compassion and even her angry outbursts.

All of her strange qualities, made her unique – as if she had been made just for him.

Xander looked at the clock again and sighed. It was time to start getting ready to train. He wasn't one to complain about his responsibilities, but after the strange occurrences that repeated through his mind, he only wished to stay home sleeping with Alexa and be as worry-free as she seemed.

He slowly removed Alexa's hand from around his waist and quietly tried to leave the bed. But as soon as his warmth disappeared, Alexa grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the bed.

"Where are you going?" She moaned.

He chuckled at the way her voice croaked and said, "It is 5 in the morning, mielle. We have to leave at 6:30. I want to take a shower and eat something quickly before we go."

"Can't we skip the day today?" She groaned, pulling him towards her and hugged him.

Xander laughed, placing his knees on either side of her waist and murmured, "Alexa, we cannot just skip our responsibilities."

She groaned again, nuzzling her nose in the crook of his neck and said, "You're just so warm and I'm so tired. We should just stay in bed and tell them that our alarm clocks didn't go off."

"Come on, mielle," he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I wish I could stay by your side as much as you would like to sleep, but you do not want your team to suffer because you were late."

"Ugh," she huffed, pulling the covers over her head and muttered, "you're ugly."

"Ugly?" He laughed loudly, shaking his shoulders as he did so. "I am ugly because I do not want others to hate you and make your experience as a soldier uncomfortable?"

"No," Alexa grinned up at him, cheekily, "you're ugly because you don't want to stay here with me."

Xander shook his head, kissing her forehead again and said, "I am going to shower. You may stay here today if you wish, but know that Dram will punish you for it."

She pouted her lips, hiding her arms under the covers to keep them warm and said, "Fine, meanie. Go take a shower and I'll wait here until you're done. This bed is freaking amazing and I'm going to have trouble getting out of it for the rest of my life."

He grinned, standing up from the bed and walked towards his closet. After he grabbed his uniform, he winked her way and closed the door behind him.

Alexa squealed like a schoolgirl and snuggled against the pillows as she waited for him to leave the bathroom. When he was done, she took a shower and he waited for her so that they could eat breakfast together.

Since she didn't feel like cooking, she toasted some bread and spread jelly as a topping. They spoke about their plans for the day and briefly mentioned the deadline of the six months. It would be over in two days.

Then, she would either have to get the sperm insemination or finally sleep with him. She preferred the more traditional way, but with his demanding and tight schedule, they wouldn't be able to get to it until after the deadline.

The doctors had stated that she could choose between either after the deadline - she just needed to have an option chosen.

After giving her a quick kiss on the lips, Xander made his way to his side of the field and began jogging alongside his regime. Alexa arrived just as Dram began explaining their goals for the day.

He'd finally give them the real stálos and practise a couple of rounds of self-defence, after they jogged around the field.

Alexa sighed, jogging next to a woman named Jordan. They had become quick acquaintances, but only spoke when it was needed. Their friendship wasn't the same as it was with Kelly.

Jordan was an inch shorter than Alexa; she had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. However, her stature would usually mislead her opponents for she was a great fighter. Her self-defence skills were better than Alexa's, but she could handle the makeshift stálo better than Jordan.

"I'm kind of happy they're finally giving us the damn stálos. Hugh and I were practising all this weekend so hopefully I'm better."

Alexa nodded, feeling her ponytail swiping back and forth against her dank neck. "Xander helped me practise this weekend too. I should've asked him for help in my self-defence, but I freaking love swinging the stálo."

Jordan laughed, slowing their jog as they neared the end line. "Out of context, that sounds really gross."

She rolled her eyes in response, but felt her lips turning upward in a smile. She stretched her arms over her head, patiently waiting for the other women to catch up before Dram would start the next step.

Two soldiers were holding black bags in their hands and joking in their native language. For a moment, Alexa would feel jealous that they could speak in a language that she couldn't, but then it disappeared when she remembered she learned nothing in Spanish class.

Xrionian sounded much more difficult and she was too lazy to try and learn a new language at twenty-two.

"Good run," Dram nodded his head once, motioning for the men to step closer to him, "each of you will step up to these bags and grab a stálo. Then form a line and wait for further instructions."

Jordan and Alexa waited in line to get their weapons quietly and stood completely straight as the last couple of women received their stálos. Dram grabbed one from the bag and stood in an intimidating position before them.

"This is not a weapon; you cannot swing this around without paying attention to what you are doing. These stálos are different from the wooden staffs you practised with. Once you swing them in the air, the pressure inside will contract and blades will be released, like this."

The soldiers standing near Dram took several steps backwards and he swung the stálo above his head. Sure enough, shiny elongated blades protruded from the end and shone brightly when the sunlight reflected off them.

He let out a low chuckle as the women ooh'ed in surprise and stuck the stálo on the ground. "These blades are sharper than any kitchen knife you've dealt with. If you use it irresponsibly, it may be a fatal mistake."

Alexa rolled her eyes at the knife comment, but felt adrenaline rushing through her veins. She was excited to finally experiment with the real stálos but she wasn't expecting them to have blades. She thought it was just a bow staff with a fancy name.

Jordan raised her hand after Dram finished speaking and said, "What if we don't want to use the blade?"

"Trust me," Dram replied, "when you are in battle, you will want to use them. The chances of a battle happening with the Griods are very slim, but if it ever happened, the only way to kill them is by piercing their heart. The stálo is the quickest way to do so without having to get so close to them. If it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, the stálo can be shortened and used as a dagger."

"Is that how you guys are killed too?" She muttered.

Dram raised an eyebrow, watching her carefully and after a couple of seconds of silence said, "Any way to kill a person from the Eris galaxy is by piercing their heart. Regeneration will prevent any other wound inflicted on other parts of the body, so if killing them is your goal, the heart is the best way to go."

Jordan nodded, tightening her hold on the stálo and stood a little straighter. He chuckled, walking closer to them and said, "If you are asking for future reference against us, Ms. Young, I will advise you against it. Remember that our genetics are formed differently, therefore we have physical advancements that your people lack."

She shrugged. "I was just asking, sir."

Dram stared at her for a couple of seconds and then turned his back to walk down the line. "Now that you know the basics of a real stálo, you will pair up with one of my men and practise some self-defence. If you are feeling adventurous, you may try to use the stálo, but be warned of the consequences."

Alexa groaned quietly and said, "I hate doing self-defence, I always get my ass kicked."

"Practise with your man," Jordan snorted, chuckling, "he's a Lieutenant; he'd probably teach you better than Drass."

She laughed, shaking her head as they walked towards the group of men that were waiting and said, "I don't know why you hate Dram so much. I mean, I know he's an ass, but he has been trying to be nicer."

Jordan shrugged in response, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't know; I just hate men like him. He's such an egotistical ässhole, but he's a hot one."

"You like him?!" She asked with an incredulous tone.

"God no!" Her face quickly morphed into an appalled look, "I'd choose Hugh over Dram infinity amount of times. But there's no denying that Drass is hot."

Alexa eyed a dark-haired man that approached them and muttered, "All of them are."

"Ms. Dominick?" He spoke, his voice deep and rich. She nodded and he bowed his head quickly. "My name is Justin and I was wondering if you had a battling partner."

"Nah," She shook her head.

"Would you like to be mine?"

She nodded and saluted Jordan as she and Justin made their way to an empty spot on the field. "You know, if someone heard that out of context and told Xander, he'd beat your ass and I think mine."

Justin widened his light blue eyes, fixing his posture and said, "You are Lieutenant Nix's partner?"

Alexa mocked a courtesy and in a posh-tone replied, "The one and only – I hope."

He stared at her curiously as she snorted at her joke, but she shook her head telling him to ignore it. Justin stood before her and said, "So, would you like to use the stálo now or later?"

Dram walked up to them, with his hands clasped behind his back and turned to Justin. "Practise self-defence first. Ms. Dominick excels with the weapon, but that will not always be at her disposal."

She pouted her lips but nodded her head once. "Alright, just go easy on me-" He grabbed her hand and flipped her over his shoulder. "Oof," she huffed, "damn! How about a warning next time?!"

Justin chuckled. "Your enemy will not give you a warning, Ms. Dominick. You must be prepared at all times."

"Holy crap," she groaned, still lying on the cool grass. "I think you shattered my spine."

He quickly widened his eyes, walking over to her and extended his hand to help her up. Alexa smirked, grabbing his arm and pulled him down with all her might. Justin stumbled, losing his balance and smacked his face against the grass.

Alexa stood up, dusting her thighs and said, "Ha! Never underestimate a damsel in distress; she'll kick your ass."

Justin laughed, holding his hand to his bloody nose and said, "Great move, Ms. Dominick; sneaky, I like it."

"Good," her smirk widened, "then you're going to love when I kick your ass."

He stood up and wiped the blood down the pant leg of his uniform. As he glanced at her, he waited until it was the perfect moment before charging forward and tried to tackle her to the ground.

Alexa quickly dodged out of his way and turned around to throw her fist at his face. Justin grabbed her fist and twisted her body away from him before wrapping his arms around her neck and held her against him until she was immobilised.

"Holy shït," she gasped after he released her and she held her neck, "I was totally not expecting that."

Justin smiled, standing in front of her again and said, "As Lieutenant Dram always says, we have to be prepared for the unexpected."

"Sounds like it was taken out of a corny ass movie," she coughed before holding her fists in front of her face. "Let's try this again, mister, I'm kicking your arse."

He laughed, but nodded and slowly circled her. After the fourth time he walked around her, Justin stalked forward, almost too fast for her to see and tried to flip her over his shoulder again.

This time Alexa saw the move coming and used his force to power her own. Once he had her feet a couple of inches off the ground, she kicked her knee into his stomach and grabbed his hair. She yanked his head backwards and smacked her palm on his nose, making it squirt blood out again.

She grimaced, stepping away from him when he sighed and cleaned his bloodied fingers on his pants again. "What has my nose done to you, Ms. Dominick? I will return home without one if you keep this up."

Alexa laughed, shrugging one arm and said, "It's either your nose or your manhood; which do you prefer living without?"

Justin narrowed his eyes, chuckling and said, "You remind me of my sister; she would always threaten when she knew she would lose a battle. You are trying to speak confidently to threaten your opponent, but in reality you are afraid."

"I am not scared of you," she deadpanned, "you should be afraid of me, 'cause I can dismember you with a rusty knife."

He raised his eyebrows, still chuckling at her in amusement and said, "Ms. Dominick, your self-defence is not bad, you just rely too much on the same moves. You need to have a variety of positions so that your opponent doesn't catch up to your tactic. I can show you some, if you would like."

"I don't have the same moves," she frowned and motioned for him to move closer. Once he did, she turned around, grabbed his hands and flipped him over her back. He landed face-first on the grass and she twisted his right arm over his back as she held her foot to his neck, to keep him down. "See?"

"Yes," he huffed, spitting out the bits of grass that were brushing past his lips and yanked her down to her knees, "but your hold on my arm was not strong enough to keep me down."

Alexa rolled her eyes, rolling off his back and said, "I still kicked your ass."

~*~ =