Chapter 49 #3
They had nothing but time. She hadn’t even planned on bringing up the topic again until they were back on Turv.
But here he was, addressing it now. She fumbled a bit, but quickly reacted like this was normal.
“She’s your daughter. She’s strong enough to handle a little excitement.”
“Scarlet said we need to keep you calm.”
“I’m pretty sure Scarlet would have said we have to keep me from stressing out. But side question: When did you talk to Scarlet about this?”
“Yesterday.”
She started in surprise. “Really? Like, you went to her to specifically ask about… our pup.”
He hesitated just a moment before turning and lifting her up. He clutched her to his chest, her legs bending in the air, as he cupped her ass in one huge hand.
“I wanted to know what you would need,” he said, his voice deep and deliciously rumbly, vibrating through her entire body. “What I should do for you. She said to keep you calm.”
Hattie giggled, running her fingers along the back of his neck. “She meant stress. Stress isn’t good for the baby. Happiness is just fine for the baby.”
“We need to be careful,” he insisted, looking her over carefully. “You’re so delicate. So soft. I have to make sure that your pregnancy goes perfectly so you… so both of you can be safe. If I can’t take away the pain, I can at least make everything else easier.”
“Aw, Tuvo,” she breathed softly, looking in each of his three eyes. “So, you’re okay with… this?”
“With you? With our pup?”
She nodded meekly.
He looked surprised before his face softened, and he rested his forehead down against hers. “Oh, vi adassi kyrya. Forgive me.”
“For what?”
“This is never something you should have to ask if I’m happy about. Of course, I’m overjoyed that my mate is going to be bearing my pup. It is a priceless gift and treasure, kyrya. My fear cannot eclipse the love I have for you. Both of you.”
“Oh, Tuvy-bear,” she melted against him, encircling her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”
“I am eager to get you to my home. To your new nest. I’m going to hover. I’m going to worry. I might panic when I think about all the things that could go wrong. But never doubt, kyrya, that I’m eager to hold our daughter in my hands.”
She sniffed, joy bringing tears to her eyes.
They stood there, holding each other, until they heard the distinct metallic thuds of the landing shuttle coming into dock.
Gasping, she lifted her head. Heart pounding as Tuvo set her gently back on her feet. She beamed as she stared at the lights over the door the shuttle connected with. It was red right now – indicating it was locked. She stared, bouncing on the balls of her feet again.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the light turned purple. Only a second later, the doors were whooshing open.
And there were her parents.
They had her late in life. Hattie liked to joke that she was the very last of her mom’s eggs.
As a result, the two were quite old now.
Their hair was snowy white. Her father had a moderately lined face, but her mother had been fighting against the ravages of time for decades and, as a result, her skin barely sagged and bore few wrinkles.
They were both beautiful. Smiling. They rushed forward, arms outstretched. Hattie yelled in delight, running into their embrace.
It was the first time she had seen them since originally landing on Earth. Since she had gone missing in the . Her mother was already crying and, after a second, Hattie was joining her. Sobbing against her parents as she laughed – the relief bringing out conflicting, powerful reactions.
Her dad’s arms came around both of them. He smelled like leather and bourbon and all things comforting. He said something about loving her, but she barely heard him over her sobs. He kissed the top of her head, and she beamed up at him.
Around them, Tuvo was directing a few workers in unloading her parents’ luggage. They hadn’t just brought suitcases with their clothes. They had boxes. Not storage boxes. They were items bought in bulk – chocolate, dried pasta, her father’s favorite cigars-
“Is that coffee?!” She asked, staring in wide-eyed wonder at one of the boxes being offloaded.
“We know you like your coffee,” her father chuckled. “Figured, we’d bring a bunch of it back for you to enjoy. Supposed to be a two-year supply.”
“Psh. I bet I can cut that time to six months,” Hattie laughed, wiping at her tears. “Thank you, daddy.”
A weight on her shoulder had her turning. Tuvo was behind her now, giving her parents soft smiles.
“Take to room now, yes?”
Her parents gave him curious looks, from his hand to his face then back again.
“Mom, dad,” Hattie smiled at them before putting a hand on Tuvo’s chest. “I’d like to introduce you to First Warrior Tuvo. My mate.”
“Your mate,” her mother repeated, surprised. “Oh, my. He’s so much bigger than I remember.”
“Nothing wrong with a strapping young man,” her father added, though he was looking at Tuvo curiously. They hadn’t really paid him much attention before.
Hattie smiled, face warm with joy. “Tuvo, these are my parents. Larry Sweet, and my mom, Candace Sweet.”
He saluted them gently, fist over his heart. “Family of vi kyrya. Honor to meet.”
“Oh, hello,” her mother waved with a quick smile, always friendly and polite. Hattie had inherited her short genes from both of them, and she could tell that Tuvo was trying very hard not to loom over the three tiny people in front of him.
“What happened to that Keith boy?” Her father asked, confused. “He was saying that you two would be together now that you were back.”
Tuvo’s eye twitched as Hattie rolled hers.
“Dad, don’t even start. It’s like a whole thing,” she said, taking his arm.
Tuvo led them through the Stor as Hattie explained her relationship with Keith – specifying that it ended before she had even been abducted. Something that surprised both of them since Keith had sworn otherwise.
“Never did like him,” her father said as Tuvo opened the door to their room. “Always thought you could do better, sweetie.”
“Yeah. I agree,” she said, smiling wide as her parents walked into their room and looked around in delighted surprise.
It was luxurious and comfortable inside.
Their luggage had already been brought up – except for the bulk boxes that had likely been put in storage.
Hattie would deal with those later, after she got everyone settled.
For now, she focused on showing her parents how to work everything.
The doors, the lights, the pod bed. She gave them their new combots that Tuvo had bought for them, because he was a good male who was happy to take care of her parents.
There was probably nothing sweeter he could have done.
If she hadn’t already loved him, she would have fallen then.
“Oh, goodness,” her father grimaced, breaking out his comically tiny reading glasses as she showed him how to use the holodisplay off the combot. “Barely understood them newfangled smart phones. Now this fancy little thing.”
“It’s super easy to use, dad,” Hattie laughed. “And the more you use it, the more it will learn your preferences and be able to work better. Let me just program it to you. And then we can probably take you to the med bay.”
“I’m not sick,” her father grimaced, leaning back and squinting even through the glasses.
“I meant to fix your vision, but that’s not true anyway. It can fix your cholesterol too, though. And mom, your arthritis. And anything else you might not realize you have.”
Her mother chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulder, stopping her excited chatter. “Calm down, sweetie. We’ll get to all that, but we’re old. We’re not good at all this abrupt change. Let us get comfortable first.”
Hattie chuckled sheepishly. She had gotten excited about them being here and just realized that, with advanced alien technology, she could fix all her parents’ pains and problems. She wouldn’t have to worry about her mom hurting or her dad having a heart attack.
They were elderly, but simply by being here amongst alien technology, they would live for years more.
After giving them the basics, and showing them how to use the privy facilities, she and Tuvo left to let them rest for a bit before dinner.
As they walked down the hall, Hattie let out a sigh, her head coming to rest against his arm.
“Something wrong?” Tuvo asked, stopping them before a long window which offered them a fantastic view of the silvery-white moon.
“No. Why?”
“You sighed.”
She smiled. “That was a happy smile, Tuvy-bear. I’m just… so happy.”
He looked at her carefully for a second, as though making sure that she was telling the truth, before relaxing with a small smile.
“I’m glad. Your parents seem nice.”
“Oh, they’re the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing them.”
He chuckled, turning and picking her up. He set her down on the windowsill, which was just a bit too narrow for her butt to comfortably rest. But he stepped between her legs, offering his chest for her to lean against so she wouldn’t slide off.
“You know I would do anything to make you happy, don’t you?” He asked, running his hands up her thighs, to her hips, around to her butt.
“I know,” she smiled, straightening the lines of his uniform.
“I may not always say things right. And I know I can be dense when it comes to feelings. I’m sorry for that. For all the times I’ve done it in the past, and all the times I know I’ll do it again in the future. Please, kyrya, know that I don’t ever intend to hurt you.”
“Oh, Tuvo…”
“I’m better at doing things. I’m good at taking direction. If you ever doubt my feelings for you, Hattie, ask anything of me. Tell me to do something. Let me prove myself. I’ll do anything for you. And if I say something stupid, just tell me. Let me know so I can fix it.”
“I will,” she promised. Not just to him, but herself. “But it goes both ways, you know. You need to talk to me too. Especially if I do something you don’t like or if I hurt you.”
He chuckled. “Kyrya, you could stab me, and I wouldn’t be mad.”
“No, I would never,” she laughed, kissing his shoulder.
She was still smiling when he tilted her chin up to claim a proper kiss. The warmth of his lips moving against hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth, made her sigh again. He was so perfect. And he was all hers.