Epilogue
GEMMA
Gemma opened the window, letting in the cool night air. Curled up on the window seat, she tried to focus on the night noises and not her racing thoughts.
Conversation and gentle music drifted up from the garden below.
The pre-wedding day dinner was still going strong.
Gemma slipped away early with claims about needing beauty sleep.
She just needed a minute to herself. The last few days had been go-go-go with planning the “simple” wedding and meeting Zalis’ family.
She tilted her head back, soaking up the moonlight. “I’m getting married tomorrow,” she whispered.
Technically, she and Zalis had been married for months now. They did the tea ceremony to seal the deal. Throwing a human-style wedding was just icing on the cake—pun intended. But somehow, exchanging vows in front of their combined family made it real.
This was real. Tying the knot tomorrow on a bright autumn day. Couldn’t get more real than that.
Having the wedding this quickly wasn’t her first choice.
She’d rather wait a year to mark their anniversary, but the Val Mori refurbishment ended, and Zalis had some well-deserved leave.
With things heating up with the Suhlik and raids happening more frequently, they needed to seize this opportunity for a little vacation while they could.
The concept of a human wedding confused Zalis’ mother, Lyresh, but she was absolutely onboard to host a party.
The backyard of their family home was just the right size for a small gathering, and small was what Gemma wanted.
Keeping it small was a struggle. Lyresh was very social and wanted to invite everyone.
After long negotiations, the guest list was limited to Emry and Ren, Havik and Thalia, and Loran and Wyn.
Gemma could tell her mother-in-law wasn’t satisfied with hosting only six guests, but Gemma really couldn’t handle a crowd right now. Her emotions felt too raw.
She started therapy with an older gentleman who, while he didn’t have any experience with humans, had parents that lived through the Suhlik invasion of Sangrin. He had some idea of what she went through and the effects of generational trauma.
Ines, Maria, Scarlett, Amariah, Madilyn, and Jessica had been found along with other survivors from the starship the Suhlik exploded.
They talked a lot about that, the frustration and guilt of such a shared trauma.
Gemma shared a bond with the other women, a terrible bond, but their abduction would always tie them together.
Anyway, therapy was a process not a bandage, as the doctor said. Gemma had to do the work.
The work made her feel like an exposed nerve but also… good? More like herself, for the first time in a while. And excited.
The ceremony would be a simple exchange of vows in the backyard. She wished her parents could be part of the celebration, but she had Emry and Ren, and now Lyresh and Zamos.
His mother was a lot, but in a highly enthusiastic way.
Gemma already knew that from their video calls but in person was wow.
Lyresh had the kind of personality that adopted strays, and she was utterly thrilled to be presented with Gemma and Emry, especially when she learned of Ren’s estrangement from his family. Emry effectively had no in-laws.
“I will be mother to you both. Can you imagine, twins!” Lyresh proclaimed.
Gemma braced herself for the bad luck comments.
“How fortuitous!” Lyresh clapped her hands. “I have two daughters now. Has anyone ever been so lucky?”
Zalis’ father, Zamos, was like looking at Zalis in forty, maybe fifty years in the future.
They were identical: same build, same face, and same nose.
Even their horns curled the same. As far as Gemma could tell, they had the same shy and quiet demeanor.
The only difference was time adding white hair and softening Zamos’ hard edges.
Gemma got the feeling she was going to like being their daughter-in-law.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door a half-second before opening. “There you are,” Emry said. “You said you were going to bed.”
“You checking up on me?” Gemma asked as Emry sat next to her on the window seat.
Mittens trailed behind Emry and flopped down on the ground at their feet.
“Hey, Mittens.” Gemma held out a hand for Mittens to sniff. Having passed whatever standard the cat held, she bumped her head against Gemma’s hand.
Cute. Still terrifying.
“Wanted to make sure you’re not going to do a runaway bride,” Emry joked.
“Never,” Gemma answered, and then because the mood was getting too heavy and humor was a defense mechanism— thanks doc— she added, “I saw the cake you made. I’m not missing out on that.”
“Hey, that was a surprise.” Emry banned Gemma from the kitchen while she spent the afternoon baking the oatmeal cake with a gooey coconut frosting from their dad’s notebook.
“I have a nose.” The aroma was unmistakable. It was a simple recipe but one of Gemma’s favorites.
“So Zalis’ dad? Wow.” Emry fanned herself. “You lucky girl.”
“Gross, that’s my father-in-law you’re talking about.”
“I mean, you’ve got all that to look forward to.”
“Please don’t say anything I won’t be able to get out of my head for twenty years,” Gemma pleaded.
Emry chuckled, bumping her shoulder to Gemma’s. “Hey, Mom and Dad would be happy for you.”
“You think?” She had wondered.
“Well, Dad would give himself a stomachache trying all the new food.”
Gemma could see her father stuffing himself at an alien buffet. “That’s on brand for Dad.”
“Mom would cry so hard.”
Gemma swiped at the tears in her eyes. She was a bawler, just like her mother. “True, but she wouldn’t like the dress or hair.”
The dress was nontraditional, a sleeveless concoction of ruffles with splashes of ivory, seafoam, and deep navy that made her feel like a goddess rising from the ocean waves.
Emry tugged on a strand of Gemma’s cotton candy pink hair. “Who doesn’t like candy fluff?”
Gemma batted away her hand. She liked that hair color made it easier to tell her apart from Emry.
Before, Emry’s scar was how people kept the twins straight, as hurtful as it was.
Now, thanks to the pink hair, they were no longer the pretty one and the other one with the face, but the blonde and the weirdo with cotton candy hair.
“I think it would have grown on her,” Gemma said.
“I wish they were here.”
“Me too.”
Emry bumped shoulders again. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mittens lingered a few minutes, tail thumping against the floor, before she followed Emry. Gemma smiled because while Emry was convinced the massive cat didn’t trust her, she knew the cat had a favorite and it was so obviously Emry.
The night sounds of birds and chirring insects returned.
Autumn in this part of Sangrin was stunning.
The leaves turned a deep maroon and aubergine.
The breeze carried the scent of fruit ready for the harvest. Paper lanterns decorated the yard, sitting along a gravel path and hanging from trees.
She couldn’t wait to see them glowing tomorrow night.
“Nervous?” Zalis’ voice drifted over from the next window over.
“When did you get here?” Her body perked with excitement. She hadn’t seen him for weeks while he finished the project on Val Mori. The plan was for Gemma to arrive on Sangrin days ahead of time to help Lyresh with the final details, while he would fly in from Val Mori the morning of the wedding.
“I just arrived.”
“I miss you,” she said.
“I’m coming over.”
“No, it’s bad luck to see the bride,” Gemma protested.
“That Earth superstition makes no sense. I have seen you several times.” There was a rustling of leaves and Zalis appeared outside the window. “I would like to see you again.”
“Don’t look,” she whispered, scooting over to make room for him on the window seat.
He covered his eyes with a hand, then spread his fingers apart to peek through, and grinned.
Gemma laughed at his ridiculous behavior. “That’s not what I meant. I suppose it’s not midnight yet, so we’re okay.”
His hand fell away but the grin remained. “It is good to see you, my mate.”
“Right back at you.” She leaned in for a soft kiss, pulling back before it could grow too heated. This was his parents’ house and there were some lines she was unwilling to cross. Their fingers laced together. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”
It felt unreal.
“We are technically already married,” he replied.
“Legally, but now we get to have a party about it. Did you decide on your outfit for tomorrow?” she asked.
“I have.”
“What is it?”
“It is a surprise.”
Gemma frowned. “It’s something that you like, right?
You didn’t pick something you think I want you to wear?
” Zalis did that. He wore outfits that made him uncomfortable because they pleased someone else, like how he gladly wore the over-the-top soap opera starship captain outfits his mother kept giving him.
Or how he wore a human-style suit because he thought it would make Gemma like him.
Or how he named his adopted dog Doggo because it made scared and injured people laugh during Earth’s alien invasion.
Okay, his willingness to please wasn’t so bad, but it was their wedding day. He should wear what made him comfortable.
Zalis pointed to the dress bag hanging on the back of the bedroom door. “Is that your outfit?”
“Don’t look!” She pushed his hand down, like he had magical powers that operate a zipper from across the room.
Then again, the way he made my clothes vanish was pretty damn magical, so maybe, yeah.
“You have many rules. I am uncertain about these Earth customs,” he said. “I suspect you are fabricating them.”
“Ask Emry. She’ll tell you that you’re not supposed to see the bride’s dress. It’s tradition.”
“Whatever it is, it cannot be more stunning than you at this moment.” He tucked a strand of her cotton candy pink hair behind an ear. “I missed you.”
Communication between the Judgment and the Val Mori surface hadn’t always been reliable.
There had been a stretch of nearly two miserable weeks without being able to send a text, let alone have an audio call.
Escalating Suhlik aggression made the future uncertain, but at least they would be together.
More skirmishes and raids would be certain, though.
Gemma had already experienced a handful of raids on the ship.
The first one she spent with Emry, sitting in a dark room, waiting for the all clear.
It very much was a flashback to their childhood.
Another one happened while she was helping Vanessa make birthday cupcakes for Jaxar.
Gemma wasn’t ashamed to admit she had a panic attack.
Vanessa’s fretti, Snacks, sat with his head in her lap during the whole thing. He was a superstar.
“I have information for you,” Zalis said.
“You sound so serious.” Gemma tensed, ready for bad news.
“Earth authorities have arrested your abductors.”
She let out a sigh. Good news. “Really?”
When Ren told her that he had a contact at the FBIA and they would take her abduction seriously if the police would not, she didn’t have a lot of hope.
Nothing ever happened, right? The system had loopholes and snakes were particularly good at slithering away through those holes. No offense to actual snakes.
“Really,” Zalis agreed. “When it comes to trial, we can be present if you desire.”
“Yes, I want to attend the trial.” For closure, if nothing else.
“There is more. The chip the doctor removed from you contained a serial number linked to Niklas. He is now in custody.”
“Really? Wow, that’s a pretty awesome wedding present. Thank you.” She put her hand behind his head and pulled him in for a kiss.
Gemma melted into him. She could live in this moment forever with the moonlight, the bird song, and her secretly whimsical alien.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” she confessed.
“It is a small gathering, as you requested.”
“It’s not that, I’m just—” She rubbed her chest, like that could help relieve the swelling emotions inside her heart. “I’m happy and it feels too big for one person.”
He placed his hand over hers. “You understand that you do not have to carry this feeling alone. I feel the same.”
“I do.”
“You know I love you with every atom in my being.”
“I do,” she repeated. “I love you more than I believed possible and it’s wonderfully terrifying.”
This was home. This was real.