If Beauty Is Born From The Stars

by Kialaoffire123

Summary:

Evelyn Herbert has work he entire life to visit the stars. When the opportunity comes up to visit an alien planet she's quick to join. But when she gets there she finds more than shes bargain for in a Handsome alien military general.

Notes:

Ok Her last name is pronounced A-Bear. I'm from south Louisiana and so is she.

Also give me some critique! I welcome it!

Also made a tumblr for this! https://www.tumblr.com/ifbeautyisbornfromthestars

Chapter 1

 The day my dad bought me a telescope for my tenth birthday was the day my dream of becoming an astronaut began. Witnessing the stars so close for the first time evoked a sense of wonder I’ve never felt before or after. I made up my mind that very evening: I wanted to see them in person.

I really put in the effort. My routine involved late-night study sessions, weekend trips to the plant nursery, and constant reading at the library. I’m barely sleeping in college, studying hard to master math.

When I received my diploma for aerospace engineering, it felt like was on cloud nine.

The day I stepped in to the Kennedy Space Center was the greatest day of my life. Years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears had finally paid off. Being able to put on that suit felt like I was truly myself. Watching the rover leave orbit almost gave me that same since of wonder I had experience as a little girl. Browsing through the images of rocks that were sent back from an alien world was amazing. Hell, I wasn't even mad when they decided to send that dofus pretty boy to plant the flag. I was a part of this. This wonderful experience.

Then Baker returned.

It wasn't the baron wasteland that we thought it was, but had honest to goodness alien life.

“It’s like the 1950s”, he all but screamed, going though the pictures the pod took. Green people dressed in button-down shirts, Doir inspired dresses, and ...… no pants? When asked, Baker just shrugged. “I didn't ask, and they didn't tell,” was all he responded.

The more he spoke about the planet, the more angry I became. This was supposed to be a there and back mission to plant a flag on a rock, yet this baboon WHOS greatest achievement before this was getting slimed at. The kids choose awards just made the most important discovery in the history of humankind.

I wanted to punch him; I wanted to scream in his face, but I didn't. I wanted in. When we went back, and I KNOW we were going back, I wanted to be on that rocket. So I played nice with the Brass. I pretended that he had deserved this moment in front of the media. Helped with the design of the new rocket. Made myself as useful as, possibly. Hell, I even played nice to Chuck encase that helped. And like my journey to get to NASA, my hard work payed off. I was on that rocket.

Or should I say, am on that rocket. Sitting in the copilot set next to that big goober as we approach the so-called Planet 51.

“You're going to love it here, Hebert”, He said, eagerly pressing the boosters buttons as we approached the planet. I don't think he has stopped talking since we left Earths atmospheres. 4 months ago. “I wonder if Liam is still with Nadia? Or maybe he got a promotion to senior junior curator. I mean, he should. Dude expanded, like their whole world. Well universe, but whatever. I can’t wait to see what they've been up to.”

“Chuck....”, The radar was going off.

“I wonder if General Grawl got a promotion. Dude should. Even though we did blow up his base......”

"Chuck!" I could see the satellite surrounding a blue planet with a ring. I almost forgot to breathe as it became clearer.

“A year and a half is a long time. I wonder if they re in the 60s now......”

"CHUCK!"

His head immediately turned to me. I didn’t look at him though, as my eyes were focused on the planet. There it is. The only other planet in the known universe that was capable of supporting life. And I’m here. Just outside of its atmoseshpere. Amazing.

A firm slap on my back snapped me out of my daze. I turn my head to look at him. He had this big smile on his face, turning away from me.

"Cool, isn’t it?" He said. All I could do was nod my head.  10-year-old me would be losing her mind right now. Hell, 30-year-old me is losing her mind. "Ready to get down there?"

"Yeah"

The process of leaving the ship felt like minutes and hours all at the same time. My hands were shaking so badly in the landing pod I could hardly push the closing button.

The descent was as smooth a landing as one could ask for. Thank God because I don’t think my stomach could hardly it. I had never been so nervines in my life.

Chuck clicked his belt off like we didn’t just land on an alien planet. This time my shanking hands betrayed me and wouldn’t let me undo the set belt. He reached over and with one finger freed me from my confinements. I looked at up at him. He was standing at his full height now, smiling with all his teeth now. I wonder if his face ever hurts from smiling. "Ready to go?"

Just as I was about to answer, there was a knock on the pod. My heart skipped a beat.

It was as if you had told him he had won the lottery and Natalie Portman was in love with him all at the same time. His fist slammed on the open button and when the door flew open, he was out in what seemed like a flash. I could hear sounds of welcome and greetings. Shouts of joy and happiness. It sounded like a hero coming home from war.

That’s when it truly hit me. Suddenly all at once.

Oh my God.......OH MY GOD! There were freaking aliens right outside this pod! Oh My God! I had to hold on to the side of the pod to keep myself from falling over. I can’t believe I’m actually here. My chest feels so tight. Oh my God...Oh my God....

Chucked pecked his head through the door. "Hay! You coming? Everyone’s pretty excited to meet you." I just stared at him for a second. His blue eyes started to turn from happiness to worry. " You ok, Hebert?'

"Umm" I wasn’t. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Just as I started to hyperventilate, a small frame pasted him into the door. A small green body with pointed ears, antennas, and what looked like a baseball cap. Its eye grew wide on its noseless face with a smile that could rival Chucks.

"Oh, wow Commander! You brought someone with you this time! Hi! I’m Elkal! I’m president of the Commander Chuck Baker Fan Club! What’s your name?" It took my hand and started to shake it vigorously. Its question ignored as I looked down at the tiny hand holding mine.

"Th-Three fingers.." was all I could muster.

"Three Fingers? That’s a wild name." Its head tilted to the side.

"Elkel! My Man! I'd like you to meet Mission Pilot Evelyn Herbert." Chuck walked back in to the pod, wrapping his large arm around my shoulders, grounding me. "She’s the other human our people sent with me. She is an engineer and one of the people that helped me get this return trip and......."

His voice began to fad away as I stared out just beyond the young boy. I could see several of the green people pecking in to the pod, waving as Chuck and Elkel spoke. Some had what I could only describe as tentacles coming from their head done up in beehives. Others wore button up shirts and nothing else but glasses. All muttering eagerly to themselves. Waving at me as if we were old friends and I could swear I could hear someone asking if I was hungry.

It was all too much. Too much happening at once. Too many new things entering my space at once. As my vision went dark, all I could think about was were where their pants.

.

When I started to wake up, I notice I wasn’t in the landing pod any more. Pushing myself up on my elbows, I noticed I was in what looked like a hospital room. I heard the familiar sounds of beeps and going on outside of the door. Moving the blanket off of myself, I realized I was no longer in my flight suit. Just the navy blue jumpsuit zipped down to my waist. Without thinking too much about the idea of being examined, I swung my feet over the side of the bed to get a better look at the room.

It was a small. Just a bed and a table to my left with a clipboard on it. I get up, tie my jump suits sleeves around my waist, and pick up the clipboard to see it. Surprisingly, it’s in English. I wonder if that’s Chuck's doing.

It mainly consisted of basic thing. Blood pressures, height, weight, ect. All standard things that would be a physical exam. It was what was at the top right-hand corner that caught my eye. A star symbol with a comet around it inside two circles with the words special forces on it. This is a military hospital. On a military base most likely. Well Shit.

"Oh good, you’re awake!"

I whipped my head toward the door. I was greeted by a, what I guess was a female, Doctor. She was about my height with bright blue eyes and shoulder length green hair tentacles let loose. She was wearing a white lab coat over a yellow sweater and a black pencil skirt. Gold circular glasses framed her noseless face. "Commander Baker was quite worried about you. Luckey, the general, was made aware of your descent and was close by. Im Dr. Kalmie Suu."

She put her hand out for me to shake. I stared at her for a second before taking her hand. "I-I'm Evelyn Herbert."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn. Now, I know this has been a big day for you." She smiled at me so warmly, putting her other hand on top of mine. "Its been a big day for those of us who had not had the pleasure of meeting Commander Baker on his first visit. I myself am taking over for Doctor Kipple at the Base 9.."

"Base 9?"

"Yes', she chuckled," It’s a top secret military base just outside of Glipforg. Well, the new Base 9. The old one blew up. That in of its self a whole can of gilp. Chuck said it is similar to your Area 51." She lets go of my hand and put hers in her coat pocket. "Now, if you are feeling up to it, Chuck and the General would like to know that you are up and ok. If not, I can inform them myself if you prefer."

I blink at her for just a moment before snapping out of it. "No, no I'll, uh, I'll come with you." I set the clipboard down as she waves her hand for me to follow her out of the room.

The hallway we entered was buzzing with personal. Some talking to others about the news, nurses wheeling injured soldier into large rooms, doctors reviewing charts at different stations. If it wasn’t for the pants less green aliens, this place could probably pass for Brookes back on Earth.

"Here we are. ," Dr. Suu knocked on the door before opening it. "General? Commander? Miss. Hebert is awake and ready."

"Very good, Doctor," a male voice that most certainly wasn’t Chuck responded. "Let her in, please." Dr. Suu stepped aside so I could step in.

The room looked to be a conference room with a large table in the middle and what i could guess was their county or planet’s flag next to a chalkboard. Chuck was to the right, leaning against the table, talking to the person whom the voice belonged to. When he saw me, he pushed himself off the table.

"Eveie! Glad you’re awake! Come here, I wont to introduce you to someone." He slaps his hand on the other mans shoulder as a signal to turn around. "This is General Grawl. He’s the head guy in charge and owns me his life."  The general shakes his head and smiled.

He stood tall. About Chuck’s height, or possibly even more so. From what I could tell, he was a tall, lean man about 6’3" with broad shoulders and a tapered waist. His hair, green with yellowing at the temples, was slicked back and a couple of short strands were neatly combed into place.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Herbert. My Name is General Clarg Grawl. I will be in charge of your stay here. May I call you Evelyn?". He said as he took the few Stepps toward me, offering his hand when he closed the gap. His voice was a husky baritone. The kind I would hear in the old radio drama my grandmother would listen to.

Yes, was the only thing I could muster as I took his hand to shake. He smiled at me with his large brown eyes. I could feel the heat from my cheeks start to spread down my neck.

I jumped when I felt Dr. Suu's hand on my shoulder. " Are you alright, Evelyn? Your turning a red color. Are you feeling faint again?"

I inedited dropped Grawl’s hand and turned toward the doctor, face even redder. "NO! No! I-I’m ok. Just, umm, still getting my bearings."

"Sure you are," Chucked chimed in. I piped at him from around Grawl and there he set with a shit-eating grin.

"As I was saying," Grawl cough to get our attention back to him. His tone was stern and authoritative. "I will be in charge of you and Commander Baker’s stay here. He informed me of your mission and the time period in which you will stay. Now.." He looked at the watch on his left hand. "I have other business to attend to. The sooner we can get the two of you settled in Glipforg, the better."

"You're not going to keep us at the base?" Chuck asked.

"No." he says, turning toward Chuck. "Because you and Evelyn will be staying on the planet for over a planetary year, I have arranged for the two of you to stay at a house in town." He checks his watch again. "Now I really must be on our way. Oh! Before I forget. There is a small group of teenagers waiting to see you again in town, Commander."

His gaze returned to me, accompanied by a tender smile. "Evelyn, I will be checking in with you and Chuck on a frequent basis. So If you need anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask me. It would be my pleaser to help you. I hope your stay here is pleasant."

And with that, the General nodded goodbye to Chuck and the Dr. and took his leave.

Chuck slid off the table to be beside me. He gave my shoulder a playful nudge. “That’s so annoying,” I swatted his hand away in frustration. “So, you find him attractive, huh?” I was about to strike him when he started walking out the door. "Come on, Eveie. Ill introduces you to Lem and the gang."

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

Evelyn goes shopping

The next few weeks were just as chaotic as the day we arrived.

A crowd of people from the neighborhood when we reached our assigned housing surrounded us. The idea of employing the aliens excited large corporations outside of our area. The news reporters were constantly after us for the juicy scoop. Fortunately, the chief of police would spray them with water until they gave up.

The townspeople’s kindness made me feel at home, even amidst all the craziness. The historical society members collect furniture and household items that were not supplied by the military. Lem’s mother made sure Chuck and I had a home cook meal every night. Neera offered to take us down to the local shops to get us some clothes to help us fit in better.

One shopkeeper even gifted us a grill. “Every man should have one. “ He told Chuck jokingly. I just rolled my eyes.

After explaining how it worked to us, Chuck got a twinkle in his eyes. He turned to me and asked, “Wanna hold a BBq?”

“A BBQ?” I asked

“Yeah it’ll be fun!” He said, fiddling with the knobs on the grill."I think it would be a great way to thank everyone for helping us".

To be honest, it’s not a bad idea. Thanking everyone would be a great way to learn about their culture and how their society functions. Their society mirrors the patriarchal norms of Earth in the 1950s, with the difference being that their technological advancements surpass Earth’s. They even include a hint of The Red Scare. Chuck mentioned that Grawl was going to be ruthless in dealing with “stopping him” when he was last here, even though now he’s been nothing but helpful. I suppose a near-death experience can really change a person.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard him shut the led. “Yeah, I think that would be a great idea. When do you want to do this?”

“How about Saturday?” He said walking in our houses opened the back door.

I sighed, following him. “Dude, that’s the day after tomorrow. Having a party like that needs a little more planning. How are we going to invite people on such short notice?” I crossed my arms.

“You leave the invites to me Eveie,” He said, getting a soda from the fridge."Ill talk to some of the niebgher today and start spending the word. All you need to do is handle is getting the food. Ill even help you cook it."

My sigh was full of frustration as I looked at him. I couldn’t determine if his misogynistic remarks were already getting to him or if he was truly sincere but simply oblivious to the offensive nature of his words. Nonetheless, I took it. Grabbing his wallet and heading out the door to begin my walk to the market.

It was a long walk, but an enjoyable one. Many of the townsfolk stopped to greet and talk to me. Giving me kind words and advice. Some ladies even complimented me on my dress. I even had the local high school teacher ask if I was able to come talk to the students about Earth and my own career path. Something I was more than happy to do. It really reminded me of home in how everyone knows everyone.

The grocery store wasn’t much different from the one one on Earth. I grabbed a buggy and began going down the aisles. After putting a few things in, I noticed that the words on the packages were in English. I pickup a box of mac and cheese. The letters read a brand I didn’t know, but I could read them never the less.

How did they know English? Ive heard of coincidence words but not an either language. Is that even possible? Two totally different socialities on two different planets develop the same language and culture exactly. I need to check out the library as soon as I can. This is too big of a concordance to ignore. Maybe I can ask Dr. Suu some questions as well. She has been most helpful in answering my questions these far.

“Is it a good read?”

I looked up from the box to see the General standing to the right of me. He was wearing a brown sweater vest with a white shirt under with the sleeves round up to just above his elbows. It was almost alien, no pun intend, to see him out of his uniform. Even without with his BDUs everything about him gave off officer. From the way he stood, to keeping one arm behind his back, even the way he held his basket seemed controlled.

quickly placed the box back on the shelf. “I-I was-um- just looking at the ingredient. You know, making sure we could eat it”. I wanted t kick myself.

He grabs the same box and inspects it carefully. “Personally, I consider it a good brand. As a boy, whenever I had a bad day, my mom would make this for me.” He said smiling. It felt warm and soft. It must have been a very special memory. He returned the box to its place on the shelf. “Looks like you’re doing some shopping,” he said, gesturing to my full shopping cart.

“Oh yeah! Uhm, Chuck and I have decided to have a BBQ to get to know the neighbour. Its Saterday. You’re more than welcome to come if you're not busy.” It was a struggle to get that out. I could feel my cheeks going hot. I never had this issue back with Earth men.

His smile widened, and I could swear his antennae and ears wiggled. “I would love to actual. I just move here recently myself see and had very little time to meet people.” He gestured with his free hand for us to move.

“You’re not from here?” I asked, moving down the aisle. I stopped briefly to grab a can of beans.

“No,” he shook his head, “I was born in the more northernmost part of the country, But Father was also a military man so we moved around a lot." He looked straight a head when his brow furrowed. Almost like he didn’t want me to see it. His smile returned suddenly. “But I am happy to settle down in one place finally. Spend my golden years in one place is a pleasant idea.”

The smile on his face softened again. We approached the meat counter at the end of the aisle. I give the butcher my order and Clarg gives him his. He wasn’t getting a lot. Just enough, it seems, for one person.

“Clarg? Are you married?” I asked

A smirk played across his face. “Why, Ms. Evelyn. Thats quite forward of you.”

I’m sure my face turns a brilliant shade of red. I could not find the will to bring myself to talk in this moment.

He let out a hardy laugh just as the butcher was coming back with our orders. “My apologies,Ms. Herbert. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. And no, I’m not married.” He took both packages from the , butcher placing mine in my buggie. “I was too busy rising up the racks in my youth for courting, but now I am quite comfortable in my bachelorhood. My, I ask, do you have a bae back on Earth?”

I tried my damnedest to push the humiliation down. We began walking to the registers. “No, I don’t. I’m kinda the same way. I spent all my free time studying. I barely had time for friends, let alone boyfriends.” Clarg motioned for me to check out first. “I have issues with math, so I had to study extra hard to get my engineering degree.” I handed the check-out girl the money from Chuck’s wallet.

“I remember Chuck saying you were a scientist”. The check-out girl rug up his items. He sighed for me to not pick up my bag. After he paid, he picked up both of our bags."It’s quite impressive, I must admit. I haven’t met many females in your position."

Unlike Chuck’s earlier, somewhat sexist blunder, I could tell he was impressed. I understand that women in STEM fields were rare, even in this era on Earth. The numbers aren’t completely in our favor, even at this point. “What about Dr. Suu?” Isnit she the head scientists at the base?”

“She is.” He said, motioning toward his car, silently asking if I needed a ride. I nodded yes. He brought the grocery to the trunk and put them in." But you have to understand this is a rarity. Dr. Suu also get the position because she was Professor Kipple's assistant and was most familiar with his notes."

He shut the truck and walked over to the passenger's side. He opened the door for me as he continued."That’s not to say she’s not brilliant, she is, and I have enjoyed working with her, it’s just she would not have been commands first choose."

I got into the passengers’s side and he shut the door. I understood what he meant in what he said. That doest mean it sat right with me. All the issues I faced must have been tenfold for her.

He got in on the driver’s side and started the car. The ride was uncomfortably silent for a few minutes. He spoke with a sigh. “I would like to apologise, Ms. Herbert. I did not mean any offence. I should have chosen my words more carful.”

"It’s alright. It’s not so such your words but the truth behind them. But I would like to move away from this subject if you don’t mind." This is not how I wanted our first actual conversation to go. “Would you mind if I ask you a question?”

With the nod, he gave his antennae bounced. “Of course. Ask away.”

“What do you like to do in your spare time?” I asked as we turned down my street.

“Well, I enjoy radio dramas.”

“Really?”

He chuckled a bit. “Yes. I’m able to listen to them while filling out reports or with a glass of whiskey after a long day.”

Whiskey, huh? Seem more like a bourbon guy to me. I bet he smokes cigars, too.

Not long after, we pulled up to the house. “Stay right there.” He told me as I was about to get out. He rounded the front of the car and opened my door. Offering me his hand to help me out of the car. I just looked at his hand."Please. I’m nothing if not a gentleman."

I swear this man has only seen my face in a red hue. I took his hand as he helped me out of the car. His hold was much more gentle than the handshake we share at the base. I stepped out of the car to be face to face with his chest. He really was a tall man. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

“Grawl!!!”

Before my mind could wander any further, Chuck burst through the front door. With a smile, Clarg looked up at him. Right before he left to greet Chuck, he gently rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. For just a second, I thought my heart was going to explode.

Both men talked as they retrieved the grocery. Clarg had informed him that I had found him at the market and told him about the party. He even offered to tell Dr. Suu about it to save us both a trip to the base. We both happily agreed.

After helping us put away the food, Clarg to his leave. We had decided on Saturday at noon for the party.

“Ill see you both then.”He shake Chucks hand goodbye and turned to me. He took my hand in his again."I apologize again for the convention earlier. I hope it did not leave a poor impression."

I tried to swallow but couldn’t."I-it di-didn’t". Was all I could stager out.

“Good,” he said, his gaze intense. He lifted my hand, pressing a soft kiss to the back. “I wouldn’t want you to have a negative opinion of me.”

I was dead. The whole of the blood in my body was now on my face. I thought my face was actually going to explode now.

He put my hand down gently and nodded at Chuck. “I wotn’t take up any more of your time. Commander.”

“Later, Grawl.” I could feel Chuck's smile digging into me from the door frame.

With that, the General took his leave. Before he could say anything to embarrass me more, I rush to the bathroom. Hoping a cold shower would put out the fire going on in my face.

Chapter 3

Summary:

The party doesn't go quite like Evelyn thought.

Notes:

I had such a hard time with this chapter. if there are some editing mistake im sorry.

The short planing of the party was absolute chaos. The little BBQ with maybe 20 people had turned into a massive block party. People from two streets over wanting to be involved. Thank Jesus and the saints for the Korplog and the Edralson. While the husbands helped with the setup and grills, the wives made sure the food and guests were taken care of. By the time the guest started to arrive, we were ready.

Well almost ready. We were so busy setting up that we almost forgot to get dressed. I was just about to zip up my party dress when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in!”

Dr.Suu pushed the door open. “Wow! You look great!” I told her after looking over my shoulder. She had her tentacles pushed back out of her face with a headband. Her dress was a pink, strapless, and tea lengths. It fit her fream great.

“Thanks! So do you!” She said, walking over to me. She reached for the zipper on my back. “Need some help?” I nodded and with one quick motion, she pulled the zipper up.

I looked at myself in the mirror trying to fix the dress. The floral halter dress Neera gave me was a little tight around my bust and it felt strange seeing my bare feet at the end of the tea lengths skirt. Both Chuck and I decided to forgo shoes. To blend in a little better, we told ourselves. He wanted to for go pants, but I told him I would super glue them to his legs if he tried.

“Sorry about that.” I told Suu, stepping away from the mirror. “Its been a busy morning and I only just now able to get dressed.”

“Dont worry about it.” She said, waving her hand."We just got here. I had to feel out a couple of forms at the base before we left."

“We?” I asked hastily. I could feel my pulse start to race.

A sly smile played across her face. She knew exactly who I was talking about. “Yes. My boyfriend and I. His a civilian contractor with the military.” Her tone was playful."Grawl was already here when we arrived."

My eyes grew huge and my face felt like it was on fire. She gave out a hardy laugh. “Oh relax. Every woman in town has been going crazy over him since he moved here.” She put her hands on my shoulders and guided me out of my bedroom door.

When we reached the kitchen, I could hear to going ons outside. Music playing, people talking, and kids running around playing. Suus grip on my shoulders tighten as she contued her statement. “Besides, he was asking about you.”

I whipped around to face her."What!?"

“Yeah,” she nodded, "When I first got here, he was talking to Chuck. Asking where you were."

The heat in my face only grow as she continued."Heck, the other day when he told me about the BBQ, he asked me what do I think you would like."

That caught my attention. Why would he ask her that? We’ve only spent a little time together. “Really?Why?”

“Well”, she started to move forward again to the to the front door."He probably wants to get to know you. “

With that last line, she all but pushed me out of the door. I almost fell flat on my face but was caught at the last second. My face pushed into the person’s chest. My arms wrapped around them instinctively.

“Are you alright, Evelyn?”

I looked up to be greeted by a smiling but concerned Grawl. His averters were perched on top of his head. The button up he was wearing was soft and white, with the sleeves rolled up tight on his biceps. He even had a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

Before I could offer any reassurance, Suu appeared from behind me. “Oh My Gods! I’m so sorry, Evelyn. I might it as a gentle push. I should have realized you re not used to walking without, what do you call them? Shoes?”

She took one of my hands as she and Grawl help me stand up. She even brushed off my dress a little. I waved her off and promised her that I was fine. After a moment more of fusing, she left to go find her partner. With her gone, I was finally able to thank the general for caughting me.

“Please, there’s no thanks needed.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “I couldn’t just let you fall and ruin your pretty dress, now could I?” He used his other hand to put a few strands of my hair back into place. “Now let’s go and enjoy the party”

.

Time seemed to go by so quickly as day turned into night. I meet so many of the people in the neighborhood and beyond. Alot of the women were asking me questions about Earth fashion, manly about pants, and about how I could keep my hair up in a bun with it having so many strands. When I let it down later in the evening, many were amazed at how tight the curls were.

I wasn’t the only popular one there though. Suu was right about Grawl being popular with women. If the ladies weren’t talking to me, they were hovering around him. Hell, even the men flocked around him. He spoke with such conviction and confidence. You almost had to hold on to every world. No wonder he was as high ranked as he was.

The evening saw the party thinned out to the point it was on our back patio with only Suu and her partner, Grawl, Chuck, and myself. Chuck and I were quite drunk, having discovered that their sprites hit us a little harder. Not that anyone minded, as most of the adults had been drinking for most of the afternoon. So naturally, they decided to ask some interesting questions.

“So wait, you don’t lay eggs?” Jem, Suus’ boyfriend, asks with an amazed look on his face.

“Nope. We have live births.” I slurred, taking anther sip of my drink.

“That’s crazy. Do you guys at lest have an incubation period?” Suu asked, snuggling up next to Jem.

“9 entire months in the baby maker.” I responded, patting my belly.

“Wow,” Suu huffed," now I defiantly want to know how you guys reproduce."

“Well, how do you guys bone?” Chuck slurred throwing his arm around Grawl, who was lighting a cigarette between his lips. All three paused at the statement.

“Well, um..” Suu cleared her throat. Her cheeks were turning a light blue. A blush, if I were to guess.

“That’s classified information Commander.” Grawl said, saving Suu from the embarrassment. He took a drag of his cigarette."Wouldn’t want the good doctor here to get in trouble with the brass now." Chuck gave a very serious, and very wobbly, head nodded.

I couldnt help but giggle at that. Hes full of it but Chuck doesnt need to know that. He rewarded my laugh with a smile. I couldnt help but smile back.

“I think I would like anther beer.” He said removing himself from chuck."There in the fridge, right?"

“Yes! Here, let me show you.” I jumped up from my set to escort him.

I followed after him as we made our way through the house. Because of his stature, I noticed, he had to duck at almost every door. I wondered where he gets his height from. Most of the people I had met and spoken to had been around my height of slightly taller. Even at the party he towrd above everyone else. Maybe it’s were he’s from? He said he’s from the northernmost part. Maybe it’s common to be that tall there.

As he opened the fridge, he bent down to look in it. I just noticed the lit cigarette in his mouth. I don’t know what possessed me to lean in and pluck the cigarette from his mouth. He turned to give me a puzzled look. Our faces so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“No smoking in the house,” I whispered in his ear.

He huffed and mumbled something about me being diabolical. I bit my lip and smiled. He stud up to his full height and looking down at me. My smile fades looking up at him. The blank expression on his face had me think for a moment that I had maybe crossed a line with my so-so flirting.

I was about to apologize when he took hold of my chin. He stared down at my face, focusing on my lips. He ran his thumb along my bottom lip, smearing some of my lipstick. After a second though, his face changed. The blank expression was gone, but what it was replaced with I couldn’t tell. Concern maybe? No. That wasn’t... Oh....

I wrapped my hand around his and took his thumb between my lips. Never breaking eye contact. He rewarded my action with a soft gasp. His mouth was slightly a gasp and his eyes begin to droop. There it was. The tell-tell look of lust.

He put his other hand on the back of my neck. Using the move to draw me closer to him. My body just about touching his.

I closed my eyes and ran my tongue along the underside of his thumb. The taste of his skin was a savior-sweet. I could even feel the callouses from years of work. It was intoxicating.

His other hand began to travel down my back, putting a gentle presser to have me flushed to his chest. I could feel a thudding in his stomach. I took this opportunity to fully in case his thumb in my mouth.

The shove came almost immediately after.

I tumbled back a bit, managing to catch myself on the kitchen table. I sobered up quick. Did I misread the situation? No, I couldn’t of. He even pulled me in closer.

After steading myself, I looked up at him. His hair was tossed in his face. His pupils were dilated and his breathing was heavy. He looked scared.

Not even a moment later, his face was back to blank and composed. He swiped the out-of-place hairs back with his hand. “My apologies, Miss Herbert.” He coughed in his hand before continuing." In my drunken state, I have behaved inappropriately. If I had hurt you it was not my intent and again, I would like to apologize"

The action was robotic in nature. Like it had been re hurst many times. He even reach for a none exiting tie to straighten.

I stared at him for a quite a long moment. The surrounding atmosphere became quite uncomfortable until I finally tried to break the silence. “Clargg....”

His hand raised to cut me off. He couldn’t look at me as he spoke."I think it would be best if I take my leave. Thank you for being such a kind host." He said as he marched right past me, out the kitchen door.

I wanted to run after him. I wanted to yell at him. Make him feel as bad as I do right now. But I didn’t. I told myself it was my drunken state that prevented it. The spinning in my head was from the alcohol. The heat on my face was from anger. And the pain was from the cigarette I had forgotten I was holding.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. After snuffing out the cancer stick on the table, I reached in the fridge to grab a beer. I took a big swig and let out a sigh. This is not how I wanted the moment to end.

Muttering to myself, “What an asshole,” I slowly made my way back to where the others were. I was hoping to avoid too many questions from them.

Notes:

Its a slow burn I swear! Part of me wanted to show both are a little be repressed and the other part wanted to show some spicey! We're going to get more into Evelyns feels on this next chapter.

Chapter 4

Summary:

Eveie and Suu have some girl talk

Notes:

If this chapter seems a little more polished that's because I got an editor!!!Yeah!!!! Also this kind of mentions possible SH, but nothing explict. Sorry its kinda short.

 Over the next month, I tried to act like business as usual. When I went to the base, I tried to be as professional as possible around him. Despite my efforts though, I could barely look him in the eyes for more than a few seconds at a time. What seemed odd was he seemed almost completely unbothered, maintaining his usual level of curt professionalism. Unfortunately, both Chuck and Suu seemed to take notice of my change in behavior. I assured them both everything was fine, but Suu insisted that I undergo a checkup back at base and didn’t bridge any room for argument.

I sat in an awkward silence in Suu’s office. The hum of some medical machines and the scribbling of Suu’s pen on a chart were the only sounds that broke up the uncomfortable quiet.  "So what really happened between you and Grawl?" She asked, sticking a needle in my arm to take a blood sample.

I winced at the minor pain. "Like I told you and Chuck earlier, nothing happened." I was beginning to get annoyed at how many times I’d already answered this same question. When I rejoined the party after Grawl had practically sprinted out the door, Chuck was the first to ask where he was. I lied and just said he had changed his mind about drinking and gone home. I must be a terrible liar because ever since then, both of them have been asking about it.

Suu sighed as she placed a cotton ball on the puncture mark. After taking the vial to the table, she wrote something on her clipboard, only to stop midway and turn to face me. "Did he do something inappropriate to you?"

The question hit like a slap to the face. "What?!"

Suu set her clipboard down and approached me again. An angry frown tugged at her mouth, yet her eyes were soft and concerned. She stood in front of me and she took both my hands in hers. She looked straight into my eyes as she continued. "Was Grawl inappropriate to you? Did he do something to you while you were drunk?” She sounded genuinely frightened before her voice suddenly took on a far more aggressive tone. “Gods help me if he did! I’ll find a way to make him pay! Dont you worry!”  She squeezed my hands tight as fury filled her eyes.

I had only been here for a few months and I wouldn’t really call us close friends. Yet here she was, willing to go to bat for me. Had she been harassed before?

I shook my head and gave her a sincere smile. "No... he wasn’t." The look she gave me told me she didn’t believe me. I frowned and tried to prepare myself mentally. "Look, to tell you the truth, I was the one who might have crossed a line."

Her grip on my hands loosened, and she gave me a puzzled look.

I took a deep breath and tried to think of how best to formulate what I was going to say. "When we... were... in the kitchen, I... may… have put the moves on him." I ended those last three words in air quotes using my fingers.

The look of pure confusion she gave me would have been comical if this conversation hadn’t been so serious. "What?" she asked.

"We were in the kitchen and I took his cigarette out of his mouth. He put his thumb on my lips and I kinda sucked on it..." My face was burning red, both from having said it out loud and the memory of the event itself. "Then he got upset, pushed me away, and he left right after."

She fully let go of my hands now. "You sucked on his thumb?" Her confused expression somehow now more pronounced than before.

"I thought it would be sexy! I don’t know!" I felt the need to defend myself. Like she was judging me.

Her expression softened and she chuckled a little. " Oh thank the Gods," she mumbled to herself. She stood back up and smiled down at me. "So just to be clear, you and Grawl got a little too close in the kitchen, then he panicked and left. Correct?"

I nodded my head .

Suu let out a sigh of relief and sat down in her chair. She rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. "Well… " she continued, "… it sounds like a little miscommunication to me. Things may have moved a little too fast for him and he didn’t know how to handle it.”

I smiled at her as my nerves calmed back down. "You’re probally right. His heart was beating so fast in his stomach I thought it was going to burst."

She gave me another puzzled look. "His heart in his… stomach?"

"Yeah." I pointed to just below my belly button. "Right here. It was going a mile a minute."

Suu’s face turned a deep shade of blue. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile."Oh my..."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Well.." She giggled again," That’s not where our primary heart is."

"Primary heart?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We have two, one in our abdomen." She put her hand just below were the human sternum would be." And another..." She began to trail her hand downward.

Oh......... OHHHHHHH!!!!!

My face was as red as Mars at this point. I buried my head in my hands. I wanted to scream.

She tried her damnedest to hide her giggles before she continued. “It’s to aid with reproduction. See, it pumps extra blood to...”

"AHHHHHH" I threw my hands up to stop her from elaborating further. Her laughter rung through her office now.

"I guess you can take some solace in knowing that Grawl does really does like you." She struggled to get out between fits of laughter. "I dont know how dating works on Earth, but things like courtship tend to move at a pretty slow pace for us." She wasn’t even trying to hide her giggles anymore. “What you did would be more of a third or fourth date kind of move.”

"I mean, that was pretty forward by human standards too." I ran my hand down my face, feeling the heat from my blushing cheeks. "I never dated much when I was younger, my nose was too far in the books to really have anything serious. So this is kinda unfamiliar territory for me.”

I lowered my head and stared at the floor. “Looking back on it, I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper relationship. A few scattered hookups here and there, but never anything serious. Where would I even start? Do I just go talk to him? Would he even want to talk to me?! I barely know the guy! Am I reading too much into this?”

Suu’s snapping fingers pulled me back to reality. “Slow down, honey.” she said in a soothing tone. “One step at a time, okay?”

"You’re right. I think I’m going to go talk to him." I stood up from my chair and walked toward the door. I didn’t really have a plan and had no idea what I was going to say, but this is something I needed to do.

"Oh." I stopped at the door and turned around to face Suu. "Thank you for earlier."

"For what?"

"When you thought Grawl took advantage of me, you were ready to defend me. I really appreciate it."

She looked a bit surprised at first, then she beamed. "Your welcome! Us girls in this boys club have to stick up for one another. Gods knows one else will."

I offered a smile and felt a sense of pride welling in my chest. It’s good to have someone besides Chuck supporting me. I gave her one last wave before closing the door.

Notes:

This one was hard to write (haha get it). I wanted to give a good foundation for when they talk. Also well learn a little bit more about our favorite green general.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Summary:

Grawl and Evelyn have a little talk.

It didn’t take me long to find his office, but it gave me enough time to think and to plan what I was going to say to him. My talk with Suu had given me a newfound confidence. But all of that went out the window when I found myself outside his door, staring at the bronze plaque with his name engraved on it.

I raised my fist to knock on the door, but it froze before touching the door. Scenarios began playing in my head, ranging from light, playful banter to harsh rejection filled with plenty of yelling. Doubt crept into my mind like an icy chill as I desperately tried to confront the reality of actually talking to him. What if it was just a drunken mistake on my part? He doesn’t even seem bothered by what happened? Does he even want to talk to me?

I began lowering my fist, ready to give up and retreat back to Suu to tell her what a coward I was, when I heard muffled voices through the door. Was he talking to someone?

“I shouldn’t eavesdrop,” I whispered to myself. But curiosity quickly got the better of me. I looked up and down the hallway to make sure no one else was around before I pressed my ear to the door. Damn my inquisitive nature!

“....thinks she did something wrong.” That was Chuck’s voice, and from the sound of it he had had the same idea Suu did. Had they already spoken about this? They must have! There’s no way Chuck could have known otherwise. My feelings shifted from nervous to annoyed. I should have known they were in this together.

“She did nothing wrong. I was the one who was being indecent.” Grawls voice sounded thick with a mixture of guilt and frustration.

I could hear Chuck sigh, his own voice sounding tired and aggravated. “I don’t think she sees it that way, dude. I think she feels guilty.”

“But why?!” I could hear his pen hit his desk. "I shoved her away like some scared teenager on Gloam night!" he paused and let out a long sigh, " She won’t even look at me now Chuck."

“Ma’am?”

I yelped as the soldier tapped me on the shoulder. He shouted in return and recoiled, helmet almost falling off his head if not for his antenna. He quickly backed away, holding his hands up. “I’m sorry ma’am! I just wanted to see if you’re lost!”

I was about to go after him when I heard the door open. Grawl was holding the doorknob with Chuck right behind him, peaking over his shoulder.

“You alright, Evee?” said Chuck as he rushed to my side, almost knocking Grawl over. He looked me over. “You’re not hurt, are you?!”

I stared at him for a minute, then behind him. Grawl looked disheveled. His tie was crooked and his ‘bangs’ were falling in his face. His breathing was very heavy, like he had run to the door. Behind him, I could just make out the shape his high-backed leather chair overturned on the floor beside his desk.

I gave Chuck a smile. "I’m fine. a soldier spooked me, that’s all. In fact, I think I scared him more." I gave both men a halfhearted chuckle and a weak smile. Then I took a deep breath and looked up at Chuck. “Hey do you mind if I have a quick talk with the general?”

He gave me a surprised look but a flash of knowing came into his eyes. He looked back at Grawl, who was fixing his hair back in place. Almost like he could tell what Chuck was about to ask, Grawl gave him a quick nod. Chuck nodded back and smiled as if this were some unspoken bro code.

“Ok.” He put his hand on my shoulder and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "He feels super bad about everything, so try to take it easy on him. If you need me, I’ll be with Suu." That all but confirmed my earlier suspicions. He patted me on the back and headed in the direction I just came from. I’ll deal with them later.

I wanted to say something snarky to him but couldn’t bring myself to voice it. I turned my attention to Grawl. He was standing in the doorway, straight-backed, like a soldier at attention. He looked almost regal, but I could tell he was as nervous as I was. He cleared his throat and motioned for me to enter his office.

His office was much larger than I had expected. The decor was minimal, giving the room a spartan aesthetic. The walls were mostly bare except for a few framed documents that could’ve been diplomas, some plaques that looked to be awards, and the planet’s flag mounted in a large frame on the back wall. A hat rack sat by the door, holding up a long coat and his formal uniform hat. A large wooden desk dominated the center of the room, with two chairs positioned in front of it. A plethora of small picture frames were scattered on the desktop.

“Excuse me.” Grawl placed his hands on my shoulders and moved around me as he reentered the room. He walked behind his desk to pick up the plush chair and take his seat. He motioned for me to take one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Please have a seat, Miss Evelyn.”

I took the chair to the right. Sitting down, I felt like I was a little girl in the principal’s office, about to be scolded. Except the principal was a handsome green alien who looked just as nervous as I was. “So who are the pictures of?” My voice was shaky. Was that really the best I could come up with? How I really wanted to open this conversation up?

He gave me a bit of a surprised expression. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t at all what he was expecting me to say. I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t expecting to say that either. “Oh, well..” He turned one frame around. “Most of these are of my sister and her family.”

The picture was of a much younger Grawl in what looked like a new recruit’s uniform with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder next to a girl just about his ear height. She had long ‘hair’ done up in a braid and was wearing a plain yellow dress. Her face was soft and kind, with a hint of freckles on her cheeks. Grawl himself had a noticeable black eye that was close to healing. They both were in a hug and smiling.

“I had just returned from boot camp.” He turned the picture around and smiled at it. "Sara damn near tackled the other grunts in her way to welcome me back." His voice took on a warm tone that made him sound uncharacteristically gentle.

“Are you two close?”

His smiled widened, then he looked up at me. “We were as children, but grow distant after I had to join the military. Said I was too much like Father.” His brow furrowed a little. Remembering the grocery store, their father must have been a piece of work. "But thanks to Chuck and Lem, my minds opened up allowing us to reconnect."

That genuinely made me smile. I knew what it was like to reconnect with your siblings. It made me really want to get to know Grawl better. Unfortunately, that’s not what I’m here for.

I straighten up in my chair. “So I...Uhm...think we should talk about what happened at the party.”

His smile faded. He set the picture down gently and folded his hands to rest on his desk. He looked directly at me. His large brown eyes focusing on mine with that same professional intensity he was known for but this time there was a subtle softness behind that gaze. “Yes, I believe we should. I would like to apologize for the way I behaved that night. I was...surprised by your... actions.” He coughed in his hand trying to hide the slight blueing of his cheeks. “But, never the lest, I should have acted in a more dignified manner.”

It was formal, direct. It felt rehearsed.

I took a deep breath. "I shouldn’t have....done what I did." My eyes kept darting from his face to my hands in my lap and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. "If you wanted to do....something like that..I should have cleared it with you first."

“I..” He began, but stopped himself. He looked off to one side to what I guess was to gather his thoughts. Perhaps he was thinking about his earlier conversation with Chuck. A moment later he took a deep breath and continued. “To my understanding, Earth is a bit more forward with their....advances. You did what you thought was an appropriate action. And while I… we do participate in those.... activities, we tend to take thing a lot slower than you may be used to.”

That’s when my conversation with Suu hit me, and why the shove happened. It wasn’t that he had been outright rejecting me, he just didn’t want me to ‘feel things’ that were happening to his anatomy, I almost wanted to laugh but I restrained myself. “So you were just… surprised.” I asked holding back a smirk.

He nodded his head, then coughed in his hand before speaking. “I was, and I would like to make it up to you.” He set his hands flat on top of the desk as he looked at me. “I would like to take you to dinner. Court you properly, if you will.”

It was my turn to feel surprised. “Court me?” My eyes must have been the size of dinner plates.

His face turned a deeper shade of blue. “Yes, court you. I find that I enjoy your company and would like to get to know you better. If that is something you wish, of course.”

Almost like floodgates had been opened within me, the giggles began spilling out of me. Just minutes before, I was worried that I had damaged things beyond repair, and here he was asking me out. It was too cute.

He gave me a troubled look before I had composed myself enough to respond. “Yes, I would like that very much.”

His ears perked up, and a handsome smile graced his face. He reached into his deck and pulled out a small day planner. “Fantastic! I know a lovely place just outside of town. Is the 15th at 20:00, I mean... 8 ok with you?”

I nodded yes.

“Excellent!” He jotted down the time and date in his planner. When he was done, he placed the book neatly at the corner of his desk. “I’ll pick you up around 7:30. That should give us enough time to get there. Oh, it is rather on the formal dress side if that is alright with you.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. After a momentary pause, a portly man opened the door and offered him a salute. “Sir! You’re needed in the control room. Coronel Luika needs to speak with you.”

Grawl’s face dropped when he heard that name. He mumbled something sounding like ‘that old bastard’. He took a deep breath while pinching the bridge of where his nose would be. “Tell Colonel Luika I will speak with him in a moment. I have some business I need to attend to.”

The soldier’s eyes darted to me for a second. Grawl must have seen. He stood up from his chair so quickly his bangs fell out of place. “Is that understood?!” He barked. The poor soldier practically fell over himself as he tried to salute and open the door at the same time. “Yes, sir!” he replied hurriedly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

He fixed his hair and stood from his chair. I took that as my cue to stand up as well. His smile returned, and he rounded the desk until he was in front of me. “My apologies. Luika has a gift for catching me at the right moments.” He gently placed his hand on my back and guided me to the door. His thumb stroking my shoulder blade as he opened the door for me.

I stepped into the hallway and turned to head toward Suu’s office. “I’d better go. Chuck and Suu are probably losing their minds right now.” I said with a smile

He let out a quick chuckle. “Oh, I have no doubt. I’ll see you on the 15th, Miss Evelyn.”

“The 15th it is then. And Clarg, you can just call me Eve.”

Notes:

Finally some communication! Next chapter is going to be a big character and lore dump. Also I have been thinking of doing a little on shot about Chuck and Suu talking about what happened. Let me know what you guys think!
Kay love yall bye!!!

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Summary:

Eveie and Grawl go on a little date.

While I wanted to fuss at Chuck and Suu, the goofy smile they both gave me after I returned to her office stopped me. Both swarmed me the minute I had shut the door, wanting to know every detail that had happened, excited to learn about my upcoming date.

Over the next few days, Suu gave me a crash course in dating for their species. For starters, no ordering for myself and let him pay (not like I have a lot of money here), and, to quote Suu, “For the love of the Gods, nothing beyond kissing!” She says no kissing is the standard rule, but we are way beyond that now. She was even more critical of my dress choice for the occasion. Picking me a red sleeveless pencil dress with a Queen Anne’s neckline and showing me how to do my makeup the way they would. If I was being honest with myself, I’d say she was enjoying herself dressing me up.

The night of the date, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. It had been so long since I had been on a real date, let alone one with an alien. Putting the finishing touches on my make-up, I tried not to let the events of the party play in my head. Hopefully, with all the prep Suu gave me, I don’t make any more social faux pas.

“EVEIE! YOU’RE MANS HERE!!!!!”

I sighed so loud, I’m pretty sure they could hear me in the living room. Every time I found myself taking a liking to Chuck, he would do something to remind me what an absolute goober he was.

“I’ll be down in a minute!”, I shouted back at him. I checked myself in the mirror one last time. My hair, (the only thing Suu allowed me to do myself) was drawn back into a low bun, with just a few strands coming out at the sides. The dress itself hugged my hips rather well, showing off a bit of my figure more than I’m used too. I’ve been told by a couple of the ladies here that hips are really well liked by the men here. Maybe that’s why only the females wear bottoms.

I head out of my room and round the corner to the living room. Chuck, for some unknown reason, was talking to Grawl in only his NASA sweat pants.

“I mean, they mainly keep my legs warm but also just feel nice, ya know?” Chuck gestured to the navy blue pants with bold NASA down one leg in the air as Grawl tugged at the fabric near the knee.

He let go of the fabric and rubbed his fingers together. “It feels...unnatural, but soft. Is it comfortable?”

Chuck nodded. “Yeah. Great to sleep in. I brought a few pairs with me. I can give you one if you like.”

I coughed in my hand to let them know I was here. Chuck dropped his leg, and both men turned to face me. Chuck’s face immediately went into that goofy smile he does. Grawl’s face, on the other hand was the complete opposite. His eyes were locked on me that reminded me of a sniper staring down a scope. His jaw hung open so much that I could see his bottom teeth.

He quickly recovered with a shake of his head. “You look lovely, Miss Eveie.” I noticed his eyes shifting briefly to my hips.

“You look handsome as well.” I touched the lapel of his grey blazer. A cream vest was peaking out over a crisp white dress shirt. His tie was just a shade lighter than his jacket.

A childish sounding snicker let us both know that Chuck was still there. We both turned to look at him, me glaring and Grawl giving a slight smile.

“Now don’t keep her out too late, son.” Chuck patted Grawl on his shoulder before putting on a fake serious face and wagging his finger. “I want her back by 12 young man. Not a minute later!”

Grawl let out a roar of a laugh. “I’ll have her back at a decent time, I swear.”

Chuck let out a soft laugh of his own and gave us a warm smile. “Really though, you two have fun.” We both gave him a quick nod and hurried out the door.

The drive to the restaurant was a pleasant one. Grawl told me about his day and I told him about the crash course I had received from Suu over the last few days. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was surprised at how nice it looked. When Grawl gave the valet his keys, the man gave me a double look. That was a common theme of the night was the intriguing looks we got from the patrons.

After being seated by the clearly shaken host, I remembered the training Suu had given me. Look over the menu and let him order. In truth, I didn’t know what half of the things on the menu were, let alone if I could eat any of it. In our time here, both Chuck and I had gotten a rough idea of what we could eat here, but I still didn’t want this date to end in anaphylactic shock.

“See anything you like?” The server asked. She was giving us that fake customer service smile that you master after years of dealing with the public.

I was about to answer when Grawl beat me to it. “Give me just a minute, if you please. Do you know what you want, Miss Eevie?”

“Um” I stammered a bit. “No not yet”

“How about a drink while you decide?” Her face immediately turned back to Grawl.

“That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll have a whiskey, neat.”, He nodded in my direction, silently asking what I would like.

I honestly wasn’t prepared for this. From everything Suu had told me, I was expecting Grawl to dominate the evening. “Uhm... red wine, if you don’t mind.”

The waitress nodded and took her leave. Grawl scanned his menu. Then, after a minute, nodded and set it down. “I believe I’ve found what I would like. Would you like any help?”

“No, no! I’m good! I’ll just..umm.. let you know what I want.”

He chuckled a little while pulling a cigarette from inside his jacket pocket. “You can order yourself if you would like, I don’t have to order for you.”

I peeked up at him from behind the menu. With his forearm on the table, taking a drag of the cigarette, he looked just like a character from Mad Men. The dim light shadow highlighted every hill and valley of his face. God, was he handsome.

“Chuck informed me on some of your courting habits, as well.” He continued as he tapped the cigarette on the ashtray. “This old dog can learn a new trick or two.”

I was a bit surprised. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me that Chuck would help him just as Suu helped me. After the sexy blunder at the party, it would make sense that he would want to prevent something like that from happening again.

The server came over with our drinks. Grawl gave his order, and I gave mine, which was something she seemed a little confused about. After she took her leave, he took anther drag off the cigarette, slowly blowing the smoke out of his mouth.

“Ok, I have a strange question, but do you have a nose?”

It was the 10 second pause before the laugh that kind of annoyed me. The entire restaurant was staring at us. I sipped my wine to hide both my embarrassment and annoyance. When he finally calmed down, he was able to answer.

“My apologies,” he wiped a tear from his eye, waving his hand in the air. “But yes, we do have noses. They’re just not as visible as yours.” He took his finger and pointed to just beyond the corner of his eye. I could barely see it in the darkness of the restaurant, but there was a tiny slit. He even flexed it for good measure. With how small the hole was, though, it didn’t seem very efficient.

“The Brass will be happy the cultural exchange is going well.” He chuckled to himself. “Since we are asking questions, I have a question for you. What is your family like?”

“Oh! Well… um... I’m the middle of three kids. An older brother and younger sister. My brother owns a restaurant with his wife and they have two kids. My sister is medical student. We’re all a kind of workaholics. Got it from our dad.”

“And your mother?”

I frowned a little. It had been a while since she crossed my mind. “She left when my sister was 2 and didn’t come around much when I was growing up.”

He reached across the table to take my hand in his. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. What kind of mother would do that?”

I smiled up at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “Its alright. Trust me when I say I’m better for it.” I could tell he was uncomfortable with it and tried to change the subject quickly. “Speaking of families back at the base, you said you have a sister?”

He nodded and reluctantly released my hand. He finally took a sip of his drink before he began. “Yes. My sister older sister Sara. Took care of me most of my life.” He reached into his jacket for his wallet. He pulled a picture out and handed it to me. It was a grainy black-and-white photo of a girl of around 12 or 13 and a little boy of about 10 smiling with a missing tooth. “Gods know I needed looking after. I was always getting into trouble.”

I handed the photo back to him. “Is that way you had a black eye in that photo coming home?”

He nodded, taking the photo. “I had gotten into a fight and beat the other boy pretty badly. It was my third strike, so it was either jail or the army. Father pulled some strings and got me in bootcamp that same summer.” He tucked the photo gently back into its place.

“Sara wasn’t happy, of course. With the Unifaction War going on, she was terrified I was being sent to my death. She yelled at father from the time I left till the time I got back.” He lit another cigarette and took a long drag. The look on his face was numb. Like it was a memory, he forced himself to remember to ease the pain. “She moved on, though. Got married to a good man and had a few kids. My niece’s little one just hatched recently, making her a grandmother.”

The smile he gave me was one of both happiness and regret. Maybe he was a bit envious of her. Maybe he wanted a family more than he was letting on.

“She would like you.” He almost whispered as he snuffed out his cigarette and downed the last of his drink. Stopping short of slamming the glass on the table. “Enough about me, I want to hear more about you. “

The whiplash of attention told me his life is a subject he doesn’t want to talk about anymore than he had to. “Well, like I said, I’m a middle child raised by a single dad. He worked a lot, so we manly stayed with our grandparents. I think my first real memory of him was when I was ten years old. When he gave me my first telescope.”

“It must have been hard on you three.”

“It was at times. Liam had it the hardest, truth be told, being the oldest and all. In fact, if he hadn’t met Grace, I think me and our sister Celeste would have been his top priority forever.”

That waitress arrived with our food before I could continue. The poor young man helping her almost dropped our plates, staring at me. She gave him a quick jab and apologized. The food looked amazing! Grawl’s steak and potatoes(?) looked like something out of a movie and while I only got a soup, it smelled heavenly. I dug in embarrassingly fast.

“Sorry,” I said, covering my full mouth. “Its been months since I had had something that smelled this good.” I shoved anther spoonful into my mouth. “It reminded me of home.”

“Your brother’s cooking I presume?” He chuckled, cutting into his steak.

I nodded. “Yeah. He got his love for cooking from taking care of us. He’s about five years older while my sister and me are about 15 months apart, so he felt like a surrogate dad at times.”

“We’re more alike than I thought.” He said, taking a bite of his food. As he chewed, his ears wiggled a bit. I guess that means he likes it. “So when did you want to become an astronaut?”

“The moment I looked through that telescope and really saw the stars.”

I knew the answer straight away. There was never any doubt that after that first look at cosmic heavens that one day I would be up there among them. Viewing the giants up close. Marveling at the unknown. And here I was living that dream.

“Marvelous,” He whispered.

I look up at him. He was smiling at me. Not the polite smiles we had been exchanging prior, but one of almost pride. He was proud of me. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

We finished the rest of our meals with more small talk and pleasantries. Asking me a little more on where I lived and my line of work. When the check finally came, he insisted on paying, much to my relief. The drive home was filled with quick jokes and asking of things we like. When we arrived at the house, he even walked me to the door.

“I had a really pleasant time tonight.” I was smiling from ear to ear. It had been so long since I did something that didn’t involve work somehow. The company wasn’t bad either.

“I did as well.” He smiled down at me, taking my cheek in the palm of his hand. I closed my eyes and leaned into it. “And I hope we can do this again soon.”

“Of course.” I put my hand over his. Meeting his eyes. It felt like a scene from a romantic movie.

“May I kiss you?”

It took me a moment to register what he had said. Maybe it was me getting lost in the moment. Maybe it was the haziness from the wine. How could I pass this up?

“Yes.” I almost whispered.

A smirk played on his face as he leaned down. I held my breath as he cupped my face in his hand. His lips hovering ever so close to mine, but hesitant, not touching. He nervously licked his lips. Almost the same look in his eyes at the party, possibly not wanting a repeat of what happened those weeks ago. This time though, with clearer heads, I knew what to expect. I quickly closed the gap between us.

He held back for only a second before exhaling into it. His lips were soft. Softer than any human I had ever felt. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip. He chuckled a little, allowing just enough space for me to slip my togue in, deepening the kiss. He tasted of whiskey and tobacco. Not the unpleasant stale taste of modern cigarettes, but the natural earthiness of a fine cigar.

He left my mouth to move his lips down my cheek to my jaw. His hand coming from my cheek to the back of my neck. The other hand dipped down to the small of my back. His lips found the junction between my jaw and neck and kissed it roughly. I’ll most definitely have a mark there in the morning. With my limited range, I gave a kiss to his cheek, encouraging him to continue.

“EWWWW GET A ROOM!!!”

I ripped my head from Grawl to see Chuck and Suu at the base of the driveway with him holding a pizza box. Suu slapped his shoulder. He laughs at her and strolls past us. He patted Grawl on the shoulder and gave him a wink. “I’m just messing with y’all. Have fun, big guy.”

“I’m so sorry about him. He wanted take out.” Suu said, running past us, shutting the door behind her.

Grawl and I both just stared at the door, wondering what had just happened. He raised his hand to point at the door. “Isn’t she seeing someone?”

“They broke up recently, I believe.” I said, fixing my hair.

“Oh. I see.”

We looked at each other for a minute before busting out laughing.

“As fun as this is…“ Grawl wiped a tear from his eye, ”I really should be going. I have to be at the base rather early tomorrow."

“Ok, drive safe.”

“I will”, He leaned down one last time to place a small kiss on my lips. I couldn’t help but smile into it and when he pulled away, I followed for just a bit. He chuckled again as he pinched my chin before finally turning away and leaving.

I stood outside the door, just smiling. It had been so long since I had felt this way. I twirled around like a schoolgirl bursting into excited giggles. Looking up at the night sky, I smiled up at the little sparkling light that is Earth. I took a deep breath before finally heading on inside.

Notes:

This went under so many different revisions. The nose scene was inspired by a scene from @Peachflavored_Deodorents fic Space Toy. I dont know why I enjoyed that scene so much but I did! Go check them out by the way!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Notes:

Trigger warnings for PTSD.

Also authors note: The original Godzilla is classified as a horror movie.
A big shout out to my husband for editing this and giving me a massive amount of Godzilla lore.

“You really need to stop throwing last minute parties”

Chuck peeked out from the pantry to give me a questioning look. I had been watching him gather snacks for our guests for almost ten minutes now. He gathered the last of what he needed, only to dump it all on the table a moment later.

“It’s not really a party with only six people. It’s just a movie night. “He shrugged, rummaging though the contents on the table. The pile was a mix of things we had purchased here and things we had brought with us from Earth.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah, six aliens from the 1950s, four of whom were last-minute invites, that I had to explain what a laptop and flat screen tv were too.”

The first movie night invitation was extended solely to Grawl and Suu when he proposed it. It was justified as a good way to share more of Earth's culture with them. Grawl and I both believed he was using it as an excuse to spend more time with Suu. Unfortunately, his teenage friends overheard and practically invited themselves.

“Oh, come on. It couldn’t have been that bad.“ He began laying out the snacks on a large tray and was really taking his time with the layout. His expression was tight and focused. Like he wanted everything to be just right. I don’t think I’d ever seen him focus so hard on a task before. It was kinda endearing in its own way.

“Well, they keep asking questions that I don’t know how to answer.” I reached for the tray to take it from him, but he set his hands on mine, stopping me from moving it. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes said, ‘Not yet, it has to be perfect.’ I gave him a gentle smile, letting him know it was fine. After a moment, he huffed and let go of the tray. I wondered if he was like this with girls back home.

Taking the snacks to the living room, everyone seemed to be off in two groups. Suu and Neera were sitting together gossiping, while Grawl was talking to all the boys about the new space program.

“With the programs we are beginning to offer, I think it would be a good thing to consider.” He was talking to Lem specifically. While to me it sounded like a recruiter at a high school targeting naive kids, his offer was genuine, and probably Lem’s best chance of seeing space again. Looking back on it now, a majority of our initial astronauts came from military backgrounds.

“I’ll... umm..think about it, Sir.” Lem rubbed his shoulder a little, peeking over at Neera. Skife and Ekle on the other hand, were hanging onto Grawl’s every word.

“College would be a big help.” I quickly interjected, partly shoving myself into the conversation. “Can’t get up there at all without an expert knowledge of aerospace engineering. After all, look at me. I helped design both spaceships that got us here. So trust me when I say that it’s a great place to start.” I gave Grawl a playful, smug look. He smirked and moved his hand to rub my lower back.

“As I was telling these young men, we are considering sending our own into space. And even though it’s still a few of years out from seeing any action, they would be at the front of the line for acceptance with a good recommendation. Especially one written by yours truly.” Grawl’s thumb circled just above my tail bone. “But I can see how knowledge of space crafts could be useful.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

All three boys made a gagging face as I reciprocated by kissing him on the lips. I rolled my eyes as I moved past them to put the tray on the table and then made my way to the girls. Suu was in a relaxed position talking to Neera, who was hugging her knees to her chest. She had a very serious expression and I could tell she was hanging on to every word.

I sat myself down next to them, sitting crossed legged. “So what are we talking about girls? Hair? Fashion? Combustion engines?” Both gave me very puzzled looks. I playfully rolled my eyes sighed. “It’s a joke. Nevermind.”

“I was just asking Neera what her plans were after high school.” Suu turned her head from me to Neera. “I told her college would be a great path for a girl as smart as her.”

Neera pulled her legs in a little tighter and a slight blue tint graced her cheeks. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind going. I just don’t know if there’s something I really wanna pursue just yet.”

“Well, what interests you?”

She turned her head away from us like she was embrasured. “Well, I enjoy helping people. You know, standing up for people who have trouble standing up for themselves.”

“Sounds to me like you would make an excellent lawyer.” I said, shifting a bit to adjust my skirt.

“I dont know.” She said, pushing some hair behind her ear. "Lem and I have been going steady for over a year now and he’s been talking about possibly joining the army to go back into space. I just don’t want to get in the way of that."

As lovely as this planet has been to me, I kept forgetting the inherent and subtle sexism these women face every day. It reminded me of meeting Grawl at the market and his discussion about Suu’s promotion.

“I think you’d make an outstanding lawyer.”

All three of us look up at Chuck, who had an arm full of chip bags. He rounded the couch, dropping the bags on it before joining us on the floor. Suu and I exchanged a confused glance before turning our attention back to Chuck and Neera.

Neera pushed her hair back again, a nervous tick I’m guessing. “I don’t want to mess up Liam’s plans...”

“So just go to the same college. Look...” Chuck looked Neera stight in the eyes with an expression more serious than I had ever seen from him. “If Liam loves you, which as his best friend I can say with 100 percent certainty he does, he’ll want you to be happy, too. You are too smart and feisty to not follow your dreams.”

Neera’s face lit up. “I’ll definitely talk with him. Thanks Chuck!” She threw her arms around his neck, causing Chuck to freeze with a wide-eyed expression on his face. After a moment of being stunned, he hugged her back.

I stared at him, completely taken aback. This guy that I had come to know as a total doofus had once again surprised me. He could actually be really mature when he wanted to. I turned to Suu to get her input, but I found her staring at Chuck with a soft smile and the beginnings of a blue blush on her cheeks.

“Everything ok over there?”

All four of us looked over at Grawl, and the boys who were looking at us confused.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I said, getting up and making my way over to them. I stood by Grawl’s side and placed my hand on his back. “Just giving Neera some encouragement.” I give Liam a quick wink.

“OK, enough embarrassing the kids! It’s movie time!” Chuck jumped up from his spot and moved to the laptop. “I think you guys are going to love it! It’s a movie called Godzilla!”

***

(Author’s note: The original 1950s Godzilla film was classified as a horror movie.)

 

When Chuck first told me we were going to show them Godzilla, I thought he meant one of the goofy 1960s ones or even that weird American version from the 90’s. But no, he brought the original 1950’s film, uncut and undubbed.

Despite having to read subtitles, everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Neera and Liam were on the floor together, her face buried in his shoulder every time the monster came on. Ekle and Skiff were shoveling popcorn in their mouths, eyes glued to the tv. Suu settled next to Chuck, his arm resting behind her and her legs draped over his, as she complained quietly to him about how an animal of that size would collapse under its own weight.

Grawl, on the other hand, didn’t appear to be having as good of a time as everyone else. He had taken his seat in the easy chair, with me sitting off to one side on his lap. He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist, his hand gripping my hip. He clenched his other hand into a fist, covering his mouth with his knuckles. He was staring at the screen intensely, his foot bouncing every so often.

“Grawl? Honey? Are you alright?” I whispered to him. His eye twitched before he nodded his head sharply, never taking his eyes off the screen.

I took the candy bar I had planned to eat and tossed it at Chuck. After it hit him square on the side of the head, he looked at me, scowling and holding his ear. I motioned for him to come to me then stood up and moved to the other side of the room. He nodded his head and tapped Suu on the legs. She moved her legs as he got up to come over to me.

“First of all, oww! Second of all, what?” he whispered in a clearly annoyed tone.

“I think we need to turn off the movie.” I said quietly to him.

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Eveie. Its just a campy old movie about a guy in a cheap, rubber monster suit.”

I peered over at Grawl again. His eyes were wide and his foot had stopped tapping. “Chuck, this movie was originally a horror movie about post WW2 Japan. It’s an allegory about the horrors of war! And Grawl is a veteran!”

His eyes went wide and an “Oh shit” left his mouth as realization hit him. Before he could move though, that music suddenly changed. The scene that was playing on the screen was of ruin and desolation. Vistas of half destroyed buildings still smoking from fires, makeshift hospitals overcrowded with survivors, men praying, women and children crying all played out in a brutal scene that through its gritty black and white medium, felt almost uncomfortably real. Grawl’s fist tightened so much that his hand began to shake before he got up suddenly. He moved so fast that neither Chuck nor I could get a word out before he was past us. I gave Chuck a worried glance before I followed Grawl out.

I found him leaning over in the kitchen, one hand on the fridge to steady himself and the other covering his eyes. His breathing was heavy and sweat was pouring down his face.

I could hear the movie being turned off in the background to the sounds of annoyed moans from the kids, followed by Chuck talking. It took all my willpower to fight back the urge to just rush over to Grawl. I took a deep breath and exhaled to steady myself. I tried to remember what I knew about PTSD. ‘Speak calmly, give them space, and make them feel safe.’

“Honey? It’s me, Evelyn. Clarg, you're safe. It’s safe here. You're safe here.”

He pulled his hand down from his face to look at me. I held my hands up submissively to show I had nothing. His breathing began to slow. His arms fell from the fridge and his face and he stood up a little straighter. His bangs had flopped in his face. His face was very serious, but his eyes betrayed a haunted expression that he was clearly trying to hide. “Evie, what is an H-Bomb?”

I give him a confused look. “What?”

“H- Bomb! They keep saying it was what caused that creature in the movie. They spoke about it like it was something so terrible they didn’t even like talking about it! I heard you and Chuck say this movie was based on a war your planet had! What is a H-Bomb? Does it really make giant monsters?!”

I took a deep breath, considering how I answer. “No, it doesn’t. it’s just a bomb.” I looked at the floor, desperately searching for the proper explanation. “But not a normal kind of bomb. It’s… more powerful.” I took a gulp before continuing. “It uses atomic energy… splitting an atom, I think. I don’t really know the science behind it. I’m an aerospace engineer, not a nuclear physicist. I just know it was a weapon from a long time ago.”

He took a few quick, shallow breaths as his left eye twitched. I could see it in his eyes that he was processing this new information. Slowly, his expression began to soften. Then he closed his eyes and took one long, deep breath. He brought one hand up to rub his forehead before plopping down in a kitchen chair. Without looking up, he used his other hand to motion me over to him.

I hesitated for a moment, but slowly made my way to him. As soon as I was within arm’s reach, he snatched me into an embrace. He pulled me as close as he could, burying his face in my dress near my stomach. I could hear him taking labored breaths before I gently wrapped my arms around him. We stayed like that for a few moments as he calmed down.

I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see Chuck at the door. “Everything alright?” he asked softly. I nodded my head, and he gave me a look that told me he understood. “Ok good. I’ll see to it that Suu and the kids get home.” I nodded again as he turned and left.

“Is he gone?” Grawl mumbled into my neck.

“Yeah, he’s gone. It’s just us now.” I began to stroke his hair from the top of his forehead to the back of his neck. Noticing he had a bit of a bald spot for the very first time.

He slowly pulled away from me, leaving a kiss on my neck. His hands rested on my hips as he looked up at me with a face full of shame. “I’m so sorry you had to see me like that, Miss Eveie.”

I smiled warmly at him. “No need to apologize. I had forgotten how... graphic it could be.”

He let out a long, deep sigh and rested his forehead on my chest. “It’s been so long since I’ve behaved like that. It’s disgraceful!“ His hands tightened around my hips.

“It’s not.” I reassured him. “It’s a fear response.”

“Fear has made me do terrible things…”

I could hear the hurt in his voice. From what Chuck had told me about his first visit, Grawl had been willing to take extreme measures in the name of fear and his attempts to alleviate it. Including blowing up a military base with hundreds of people inside just to make sure Chuck couldn’t get away. Letting his fear and hate dictate his actions.

“I know honey.” I kiss the top of his head. “I know, but you are trying to do better. Look at where you are just two years later. Promoted, talking with your sister again, and you have a much younger, sexy girlfriend. “

He chuckles into me, tired but sincere. He looked up at me, his copper eyes looking brighter than I recall. “You're not that much younger than me.”

“You were already enlisted by the time I was born.”

He laughed at that, genuinely laughed. He pulled me in close again, bringing his hand to my cheek. “You’ve made your point, Miss Eveie.” His smile began to fade, though. He let his hand drop back to my hip again. “Eveie, I would like to talk to you about this weapon. Not tonight, but I will need to know about it.”

The expression he wore was one of both guilt and barely hidden fear. He clearly didn’t want to have that conversation, least of all with me, but I suppose his duty as a military officer compelled him. He had mentioned something call the Unifaction War on our first date and I wondered if it could have similarity to WW2 or possibly other human wars. It wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have either because I knew deep down that it would end up being a two-way street. I’d have to tell him about humanity’s dark past and would probably end up learning some unpleasant things about their history as well.

I took his hands in mine and pulled him up to his feet. “That’s fine, but you look exhausted. Why don’t you stay here tonight?“ His eyebrows shot up so fast, I couldn’t suppress my laugh. “No, not like that. I meant just to sleep. You can ether sleep in the bed with me or you can take Chuck’s room if that would make you more comfortable.”

He face fell again and I just couldn’t help but grin. He sighed, returning his hand to my cheek. “Do you think Chuck would mind if he found me sleeping in his bed?”

“He’ll be fine.” I took his hand and began leading him toward the bedrooms upstairs. “Besides, his bed is bigger than mine, so you’ll probably be more comfortable. I also don’t think he’s coming home tonight.” I said with a smirk

He paused on the stairs, looking up at me with the softest expression I’d ever seen on him. “I don’t want to be alone. Stay with me. Please.”

I could feel the heat on my cheeks. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to take him to my room and show him all of what humanity had to offer in terms of love. But not tonight, not until tensions had eased. Plus, I wanted to know for sure that was something he wanted, that I was what he wanted. I gave him the softest smile back. “Ok. But I still suggest Chuck’s bed. I’ll leave a note on the door. Ok?”

“Of course, my love.” The words had rolled off his tongue so easily. It had been the first time he had called me anything other than some variation of my name. I felt it in my heart as I led him into the room and closed the door behind us.

Notes:

Oh boy this one took me a hot minute. This chapter is the where we are going to start get into the meat and potato's of the story.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Notes:

With all the AI and scraping bull going on, I hope this can make people feel a little better.

As always, Much love to my editor and Husband.

I could feel the sun on my face as I began to wake up. My first instinct was to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep, but the realization that I wasn’t in my own bed stirred me until I sat up. The walls were plastered with posters of half-naked women and pictures of Chuck. The events of last night replayed themselves in my head. I looked to the other side of the bed, expecting to see a familiar face, only to find it empty. Instead, all I found was a small note folded neatly on the pillow. It read:

“Miss Eveie, I apologize for leaving before you awoke but there is some business that I need to attend to at the base. Join me when you are ready. Your truly, C. Grawl.” I smiled at Clarg’s textbook formality. We’ve been together for a few months now, and he still has that gentlemanly attitude.

After breakfast, I put on my flight suit and began making mental plans to visit the base. As I passed through the house, I became aware that I hadn’t seen Chuck all morning. I smile as it confirmed what I already knew. On my way out, I stopped by the kids’ homes to check on them. While all seemed well, Neera and Ekle’s mom gave me an ear full for letting them watch a monster movie. Lem’s mom just wanted to gossip about my relationship with Grawl. It was well past noon before I finally left.

The drive to the base is always a pleasant one. Most of the guards know me at this point and said there pleasantries as I walked down the hallway to Grawls’ office.

I turned around to see Chuck running behind me, looking a bit disheveled. His hair was a mess, and he looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept. Just under his flight suits collar, I could make out a distinct reddish purple mark on his neck. “Hey everything ok last night with the big guy?”

“Yeah, he’s fine now. Just needed some sleep.” I reached up and pulled his collar down revealing a plethora of hickies. Chuck swatted my hand away, his face turning a beet red as he walked past me. I smile as I followed after him down the hall.

“That’s good. I downloaded it thinking it was one of the old goofy ones.” Chuck looked at the floor as he walked. “Kalmie said PTSD was really common for people that saw the front lines in the Unification War.”

We turned the corner and arrived at Grawls’ office. The door was locked, which I found very strange, but figured he must be in the control room. “Who?” I asked with a raised eyebrow as I motioned for Chuck to follow me.

He stared at me in disbelief. “Kalmie? Your closest friend here.”

It took me far too long to realize who he was talking about. “Oh My God! I forgot Suu wasn’t her first name!” I grabbed his arm and shook it. “We’ve been here for 6 mouths and I didn’t know her first name!”

“Yeah. She thinks it’s funny, by the way.” He patted my hand and I let go. We continued our walk to the control room. “So he really wants to discuss this today?”

“Yeah. I think last night kinda spooked him.”

Chuck looked straight ahead. His expression look strained like his brain was trying to figure something out. His face scrunched up as though he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to put it into words. “I kinda saw a little of the old him last night. It just got me kinda worried about him.”

“Trust me I was really worried to. He tossed a lot in bed last night.”

Chuck stopped me and gave me a wicked look. “Wait, you two slept together?” He looked almost giddy for a moment, but then he made a horrified face. “Aww Eevie! Seriously? In MY bed?!”

“No!” I almost shouted, stepping away from him. “He’s a big guy and your bed is a lot bigger than mine! We just went to sleep! I swear! Plus, you're one to talk mister neck hickies!”

As we approached the control room, our arguing became more hushed. Chuck’s face turned bright red as he pulled his collar up. “Look, we had a couple of drinks when we got to her place, okay? Also, you need to have a talk with her about their anatomy.”

I nearly froze in wide eyed disbelief as he pushed past me to get to the door. “Chuck did YOU....” Before I could finish the statement, the guards opened the doors for us. I could hear Grawl speaking to someone and chose to put a pause in this conversation for now.

As I followed Chuck in, I could see Grawl seated at a long table talking with another soldier. He came up to about Grawl’s ears and had a bit of a husky build. His left ear was missing and sported a large facial scar. He wore a similar uniform to Grawls, just not as decorated. Suu was seated at the far end of the table, reviewing some notes. I couldn’t help but notice that she chose to wear a turtleneck today.

Both men were made aware of our presence by one of the guards. Grawl smiled that familiar warm when he saw me and the other man seemed to take notice. The ghost of a smirk, barely detectable, played across his face.

“So, Clarg…” he said as he slapped Grawls’ back rather hard. Grawl gave him an annoyed look. “This must be the little lady you’ve been telling us about.” He left Grawls side and walked over to me. He offered me his hand to shake. “Colonel Dyves Luika, at your service. It’s a pleasure to meet ya.”

I took his hand and shook it firmly. “Flight Lt. Evelyn Herbert. And this is Commander Charles Baker.” Him and Chuck exchanged a quick head nod. “General Grawl has asked us here to exchange cultural information.”

“Of course, Miss Eveie…” Grawl walked over to us, giving Luika the side eye. “I apologize for my colleagues unprofessional behavior. Please follow me.” He leads us to two seats with documents laid out on the table in front of them. He bumps Luikas shoulder as he walked past, earning a laugh from the other man.

As Chuck and I took our seats, mine next to Grawls, he smiled softly at me and placed his hand on my lower back, before quickly drawing it away. He coughed in his hand before speaking. “I have asked Colonel Luika here to act as representative on behalf of the Confederation.” Grawl seemed more rigid than usual, as though he were mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. He closed his eyes breifly and took in a deep breath before continuing. “We are here to have an open and honest discussion about our respective planets military histories. This will include both the positive and negative actions and consequences of those histories. We will not attempt to romanticize nor overly embellish our planets conflicts.” He paused a moment before beginning again. “To begin, The Unification War started as a global conflict over territory and resources and lasted well over 40 years. Its ending came a little over two decades ago, with the signing of both the Glipfor Treaty and the Global Unity Act.”

“Damn and I thought the Iraq War is long,” Chuck said leaning on the table. I elbowed him in the side.

“It turned us from warring nations and city-states into a global Confederacy. While each continent makes its own local laws and follows unique customs, there a set of standard laws recognized and obeyed globally.” “Like don’t kill anyone.” Luika added. Grawl gave him an annoyed sneer but continued. “But its how the war ended that has shaped our society.” He opened a tan folder with many pictures inside.

Chuck and I both inched closer. The pictures were of a city that looked more like a battlefield. Buildings destroyed and carnage everywhere. One picture was of a massive satellite marked with the US flag. It was smoldering in the center of a massive crater. The next photos were of the survivors, both soldiers and civilians. There were people with missing limbs and horrendous burns. Two of the pictures caught my eye. One was of a much younger Luika, his face bandaged and a part of his leg missing. The other was Grawl.

He had deep lacerations on his right side and a starburst shaped wound expanding from his upper chest to just above where his naval would be. His youthful face was hard, but the pain he was in was clear.

“Oh Fuck!” Chuck picked up a few of the pictures, then he looked at Grawl. “Is this why you were so hostile towards me?”

Grawl coughed in his hand again, not able to meet Chuck’s eyes. I could see he was trying to disguise the shame he felt. “That satellite was the first time our planet had ever experienced anything of that magnitude. All at once, we and our leaders saw that we were not alone in this universe. And for the first time in centuries, every major leader came together and sat down to discuss this revelation. They eventually came to the decision that if something out there had the technology to send something this advanced across space to our home, then petty border squabbles were now the least of our worries. And thus came the Global Unity Act.”

Luika chimed in, “Of course the entire thing had to be covered up as to not spread planet wide panic. The official story given was that the explosion was caused by a munitions depot. Most of us who were there received heavy compensation for our silence so our government could prepare for ‘the coming invasion’. Most are now retired, but a few of us stayed. One of us even dedicated his life to stopping the alien invaders, only to end up friendly with them.” He glanced at Grawl with a smirk and received an eye roll.

“So that must be why Rover was only active for a few months, and only took photos of rocks.” I said, looking at more pictures of satellites from Earth.

“No, he really just likes rocks.” Chuck said under his breath.

“We extracted images from some of your satellites that gave us an idea of what, at the time we thought you looked like.” Suu chimed in. She handed me a file with images from a probe we sent out in the 80s with pictures of the moon landing. “These lead to the government creating propaganda against your kind with the Humanics movies and comics. It was to prepare the populace psychologically for the idea of a future invasion. We never anticipated them being so popular, though.”

Grawl placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at him. “We had, for a long time, thought of your species as our enemies. The possibility of us being allies never crossed anyones mind until he came.” He smiled at Chuck. He grinned back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Luika staring at us. His face wasn’t that of his playful teasing from earlier, but of concern. When I turned to face him, his face immediately changed to a goofy smile. How strange…

“Now that we’ve shared, I believe it’s your turn,” Luika said, gathering up the files and picture he had shown us rather quickly.

“Right.” I said, reaching into the backpack I had brought to retrieve my laptop. I noticed a slight tensing in Grawl. I opened the laptop and scrolled through all the videos that Chuck and I had downloaded.

While Grawl and Suu had already gotten the rundown on our technology last night, Luika stared wide eyed. He pulled a small notepad from his chest pocket and began scribbling something down furiously. I chose to ignore him and continued.

“Found it!” I said, pulling up the video. “Our leaders recommended that we bring a catalog of videos with us. Subjects like our art, our various cultures and major historical events. We figured since Chuck and I were either children or weren’t born yet during some of these events, this would be the best way to show you.”

****

 

It took them about two hours to finish the videos. Periodically, they would stop to ask us a few questions and we would answer to the best of our abilities. I would catch Luika and Grawl whispering amongst themselves as well.

“That was… informative.” Grawl said slowly closing the laptop.

“It honestly doesn’t seem much different from ours before the Confederation.” Luika said matter-of-factly, his arms crossing over his chest.

Grawl hands me back my laptop, before he and Luika stepped away to talk. As I knelt down to put it in my backpack, Chuck dropped a folded up piece of paper on the floor next to me. I looked up at him annoyed, before he nodded his head toward Suu. I peeked over the table to see her making a subtle ‘open’ movement with her hands.

I stayed low and carefully opened the note. In perfect cursive, the note read ‘I overheard Luika and Grawl. Wanna introduce you and history to big people under guise of a dinner party.’ I narrowed my eyes at the note before stuffing it in my pocket. When I stood back up, both men were rejoining us.

“Well, as fun as this was, I need to be getting back.” Lukia said, walking over to Chuck and I. He first shook Chuck’s hand and then mine. “I’ve got a new granddaughter to spoil and as forgiving as she is, I don’t think my Sara would forgive me if I miss anymore time with her. It was a pleasure meeting you both.”

“You as well, and congratulations.” I said, giving him a bit of a forced smile. His eyes narrowed a bit. Perhaps it looked a little too forced…

“Wait… Your wife’s name is Sara?” I asked him. My mind went back to the first date and Grawl mentioning details about his sister. “Are you married to Grawl’s sister?!”

He paused for a moment before letting out a loud belly laugh. Even without looking, I could feel Grawl sigh and roll his eyes.

“I’m surprised he didnt tell you.” Lukia wheezed while wiping a couple of tears from his eyes. “Yeah. The angry old bastard is my brother-in-law. Still mad that I won his sister over. Adores his nieces, though.”

He peered over at Grawl with a genuine smile. This time I did see him roll his eyes. Grawl placed his hand on Luika’s shoulder to push him a bit away from me. “That’s because the girls take after their mother, thank the gods.”

That had earned another bout of laughter from Luika. “I mean, you’re not wrong!” he said between deep breaths. When he finally calmed down, He patted Grawl’s shoulder. “Say, I have a great idea. Sara and I are planing for a dinner party in a couple of weeks. I think it would be a great opportunity to introduce your new friends to more people.” The way he said ‘friends’ sounded like he’d meant to say something else at first, but changed his mind at the last second. He turned to me and smiled the same kind of forced smile I’d given him. “And with how much Clarg talks about you, I know Sara’s dying to meet her baby brother’s new friend.” Again he said ‘friend’ as though he were being forced to say it.

I tensed at that, and so did Grawl. I could see his eye twitch just slightly. He closed his eyes then, and took a deep breath. “I’m sure she would like to meet Sara.” He snaked his hand around my waist and looked down at me with those big copper eyes. “Wouldn’t you, Miss Eveie?”

I studied his face for just a moment. It was warm and honest, without a hint of ulterior motives. Maybe this wasn’t anything to worry about. It could literally be the both of them trying to get on their superior’s good sides. On the other hand, the concerning look Luika gave us earlier and his mask of smiles had me worried. Another unsettling thought crept into my mind just then. What was Grawl’s level of involvement in all this?

I feel a gentle squeeze on my waist. I must have been quiet for too long. Grawl gave me a soft smile to encourage my answer. I took in a deep breath and gave him a big smile back.

“I would love to.”

Notes:

Well that was fun. Im very excided to introduce Sara and show her and Grawls relationship. Im really considering doing a side story with Chuck and Suu. Im just really digging them together.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Notes:

This is a semi edited version as my editor (Husband) is working.

I'm not very happy with how this turned out but I've been staring at this for a couple of months now and I think I just need to put it out there and move on.

"That's a nice house!"

Chuck and I stood outside Luika and Suu’s home amazed. While not quite a mansion, their home was quite impressive. Like most of the homes here, it had a round motif and appeared to be two stories. Unlike most homes here however, it was at least double their size and sported a massive yard and long driveway, which was filled with cars at the moment.

"Theres no way he makes enough to afford a house like this!" Chuck whispered to me as he fiddled with his undone tie. I stopped him for a moment to tie it for him.

"God no! If their money scales the same, he makes about what we do back home!" I say as I finish. He tugs at it a little to loosen it just slightly. "That hush money must have been good."

"Would the two of you please stop gawking at the house and hurry up!" Grawl said in an annoyed tone. He and Suu were already at the front door waiting for us.

As we approached, I noticed him aggressively pulling at his sleeves, struggling to get his cufflinks in. I offered my hand with a smile as a gesture of help. His face softened as he looked at me and presented his wrists. While the suit he was wearing tonight was the same charcoal grey as the one he wore on our first date, this one was much more well tailored to fit his shape. It accentuated his broad shoulders and tapered waist. Even his vest and shirt looked like they were made of a higher quality material than his normal attire. I could tell he was trying to impress, and it was working. On me at least.

Meanwhile, my dress was something I had borrowed from Lem’s mom. A burgundy number that, while mostly fitting fine, hugged my hips a little tight and showed off a bit too much cleavage for my liking. While both Suu and Lem’s mother said it would be fine, I still felt awkward standing next to Grawl like this. It was like I was both under and overdressed.

As I finished with his cufflinks, he used his finger to tilt my head up to look at him. He gave me that soft, warm smile I’d become familiar with.

"I apologize for snapping, Miss Eveie. I’m just....nervous." His hand brushed my cheek gently. He hid it well, but I could see the worry in his eyes.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling the same. I looked back at Chuck and Suu and saw they were deep in their own little conversation. While Chuck looked goofy in the suit jacket borrowed from Grawl and his NASA sweatpants, which I suppose we could write off as human culture, Suu looked stunning next to him in her flared, royal purple dress.

"Everything’s going to be fine." I said, trying to mask my own anxiety. Grawl offered me his arm, which I gladly took, as he knocked on the door. The seconds felt like hours before the door opened.

"Clarg! You made it!" No sooner she’d opened the door, Sara practically threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. I could just make out the faint splatter of freckles behind her makeup. "I was worried you wouldn’t make it."

He smiled widely as he hugged her back. "I wouldn’t miss this for the world." He pulled back and looked at her with what was probably the gentlest expression I’d ever seen him make. Her eyes darted to me for a moment, then back at him. He put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me forward. "And this is who I’ve been telling you about. May I introduce Miss Evelyn Herbert."

She looked me over for a moment, then smiled. She took my hand in hers and shook it with more enthusiasm than I was expecting. "It’s so nice to meet you, Evelyn! Clarg has told me so much about you! He’s quite….fond of you, you know?" She looked just past me at Chuck. "And you must be the human that changed my baby brother for the better!"

"Guity as charged!" Chuck said, walking up with Suu. He reached his hand out. " Commander Charles Baker, pleased to meet you." Sara takes his hand and shakes it. It was the most formal I’d ever seen him and seemed totally at odds with how he normally was. Just like Grawl, I could see that he was trying to hide some underlying discomfort.

"Now," she says, looping her arm around Grawls. "Please come in!"

She practically dragged him into the house, leaving the rest of us at the door. Grawl offered me an apologetic smile, waving for us to follow them as they disappeared into a noisy room just beyond the main foyer. We hurried behind them.

The living room was filled with people having a good time. Some were lounging on a large circular couch that sat in a dip in the floor, while others stood around the bar waiting for the drinks Lukia was dishing out. Based on how they were dressed, all of them looked to be very important people. Some in military dress uniforms, others politicians in expensive looking suits and their wives. One thing was for certain, they were having a raucous time.

"I thought they said this was a dinner party." Chuck said, having to lean in close to me to be heard over the music and the multiple conversations.

"They did." I said back, watching one man pinch the butt of a woman I assumed was his wife, then drunkenly laugh.

"I’ve never been to a dinner party like this." Suu added, getting a tight grip on Chuck’s arm.

Grawl reappeared with Sara and they made their way over to us. Grawl, with a whisky in one hand, handed me a glass of wine from his other. I took it from him with a smile. He moved my side and placed his free hand on my middle back.

The music was suddenly cut off, and everyone turned to Sara as she tapped a glass with a knife.

"Attention, everyone!" Sara tapped the glass a few more times until she was sure everyone was looking our way. As soon as they saw Chuck and I, eyes went wide. Some even whispered among themselves. "Frist I would like to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to be here tonight. Second, I would like to introduce you all to our guests of honor tonight! Commander Charles Baker and Flight Lt. Evelyn Herbert the aliens from Earth!"

The claps and cheers that ring out from the guest sets sour with me and, from the look on Chuck’s face, him as well. Grawl’s fingers press into my back. We meet at the corners of our eyes. A silent apology.

The guests were upon us in what felt like a second. Asking Chuck and me a million questions. It felt exactly like our first few days here. Too many people invading spaces. This time though I had a bit of a protected against them. Grawl pulled me close as they descended upon us.

The first of the questions was more gentle. Mostly about governments, culture, and our ability to travel in space. I explained the best I could on most subjects. Explaining our ability to travel in space and how our rockets worked. The first time here I got to show off my experts. Most held on to what I was saying in a respect for a collage. Nodding as I spoke. One even asks how they could improve their own ability to explore the stars.

As the party began to whine down, most had said their goodbyes and exchanged cards with Chuck and I to continue farther conversations. Those of us left made our way to a lounge area, where some huddled around what looked like a pool table. I found myself surrounded by a small group wanting to know more details of our spacing history.

"So you guys have had space travel for about 50 years now, and you're able to travel and breathe in space?" A man in a crisp blue military suit jacket said, arms spend out on the couch next to me. He was younger than most of the others. Probably closer to Chuck and my age than most of the others here, who I would guess is in late middle age. His face reminded me of a young Brad Pitt as opposed to Grawl’s Old Hollywood look. The new guard amongst the old. "And that you're under a light year away?" I could hear the scoff in his voice. I take a long sip of my wine before answering.

"Well, we can’t breathe in space. We are able to condense oxygen to use it to breathe in controlled suits.” I used my hands to make a squeezing motion. I could hear clacking of pool balls with Grawl cheering and Lukia drunkenly yelling in the background. “You’re in the same galaxy as us, so the distance isn’t too far away. It was just coming up with a way to modify the current engines to get us here in a timely manner so Chuck wouldn’t be 50 years old when he arrived. Which is why I choose to modify the first time he came here but…”

Before I continued, his mouth formed a smirk. He grabbed my chin a little tight than I would have liked and leaned in close. “You choose? So you're telling me your government put a woman so…” His eyes stared at my cleavage than back at my face. “Interesting in charge of such an important project as putting a man in a rocket to anther planet and home again?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t been through any sexism while here. Most can be attributed to the “time period” the planet was based in. Nothing outwardly malicious. Hell, even back on Earth, it could be a pretty bad “boys’ club”. But this felt different. Like he was trying to put me down. It was slimy. Degrading even.

“Is there a problem here, Major?”

I jurked my head away to look up and see Grawl standing at the back of the couch, looming over us. His face to away one else would have come off as eerily calm, but I could see the boiling rage behind his eyes. The Major swallowed as he moved a set away from me. I could tell see the bit of fear in his eyes before he let out a nervous laugh, stretching his arms out on the back of the couch.

“N..not at all, Genaral. Evelyn here was just telling me about the engine she helped build.”

I could see his biceps strain against his rolled up shirt sleeve as he clenched his fist at the use of my name so casually. He narrowed his eyes at him before turning his head toward me. Grawl’s expression softening just a bit. “Miss. Eveie as graceful as you are, for educating the simple,” he gently began to rub his thumb on my cheek. “Sara sent me to pull you away. She was hoping to talk to you some more.”

I nodded . As I got up from the couch, Grawl took my hand in his, guiding me around there to him. The moment I was by his side, he had pulled me into a kiss. Nothing extremely passionate, but enough to stake his claim in front of the younger man, not that I was complaining.

“…… one way to save your career.” I heard Major scoff under his breath as we were moving to our host. I almost turned around to confront him if not for Sara calling out to me.

She was sitting with her legs on the couch with Suu, drink in hand, watching Lukia and Chuck at the pool table. “Eveie!” she squealed, patting the set next to her. Grawl smiled down at me, nodding his head toward his sister.

The moment I sat down, Sara almost shoved a drink in my hand.

“So, Eveie!” she said again, scooting closer to me. Her wide, drunken smile highlighted her bright copper eyes and freckled face. “I have heard so many wonderful things about you from my Clargie and the amazing Dr. Suu here! My deepest apologies for not chatting earlier. Had to play perfect hostess and all!”

She waved her hand dismissively in the air. I saw Suu smile and rolled her eyes. “Shes been looking forward to this all night.”

Sara gave Suu a couple of shooses before turning back to me. “Like I was saying, I have heard such wonderful things about you. Like you designed that rocket that brought that lovely space explorer to our doorstep that turned our world’s belief system upside down!”

“Guilty,” I said nervously, taking a big sip of my wine. I keep forgetting just what an impact Chuck had the first time he was here.

Sara must have sensed my nervousness. “Oh no, dear,” She placed her hand on my shoulder, “I most certainly approve. Your little…..big friend over there opened up a lot of people’s minds. Including a certain someone whose foolishness nearly got him killed.”

“Sara….” I could hear the false warning in Grawl’s voice. Though she paid him no mind.

“Anyway, like Dr. Suu said, Ive been dying to speak to you! If you’re going to be friendly with my baby brother, I want to know what the two of you plan with each other.” She clicked her tongue at the last word. She sat regally, her eyes peering down at me in a way that reminded me of a queen judging someone lesser. But it was her use of the word friendly that worried me. The same way Lukia said it.

“Well…” I said, taking a big gulp of my wine. Both siblings have a way of flustering me in their present. But from what Grawl had told me, she was a second mother to him and probably very protective. So maybe that’s why I feel like I’m being interrogated. But the longer I thought about the more I realized something. “I uhm, I’m not sure what you mean?”

Sara narrowed her eyes a bit and sighed. “Your stay on this planet is temporary, if I understand correctly. Do you plan to stay here?”

I paused for a moment. While the thought had crossed my mind about what was going to happen when it was time for Chuck and I to leave, it wasn’t something Grawl and I really talked about before.

I sipped my wine again, noticing Sara watching. “Eveie, with all due respect, what are my brother’s feelings for you?”

What did he like about me? I know he at least finds me attractive, and I most certainly find him attractive. My mind goes back to the movie night. How he held me so close after his episode, how he his eyes sparked when I suggested we sleep in the same bed. But we hardly ever spend time alone, just the two of us. Were either in public or with Suu or Chuck.

The thought of Lukia’s looks in the meeting and what the Major said stayed in my head.

“Huh…” I heard Sara say in a deep, disapproving way. Her eyes focused on me. The first time in a while, I felt small. “I thought as much.” She said to herself in a whisper. Her face expression told me she wasn’t thrilled. I saw her eyes dart to the men laughing.

When her eyes turned back to me, a soft smile played on her face. “Eveie,” she said setting her drink down. She reached across and took my hands in hers. “I don’t mean to worry you, I just….know how my brother works. He has a bad habit of diving headfirst into thing’s head first without really thinking of the consequences. ”

Her hand squeezed mine just a little too tight.

Suu coughed in her hand, drawing my attention to her. We chatted about what seemed like nothing for a bit as awkward as the night had become. Drinking glass after glass. Every so often I would see Sara and Lukia looking at each other in a way that meant they were talking without talking. Their eyes hard and intense with each look.

Toward the end of the night, I heard Chuck yawn loudly. We turned our attention toward the men. All looked as tired as us as they made their way to us women.

“Well, as fun as this was,” Chucked stretched, wrapping his arms around Suu. “I’m done taking these jokers in pool.”

A chuckle escaped Grawl. “Is that what you call the cheating you did?” His hand came to rest on my shoulder. It felt quite heavy as he gave them a squeeze.

Chuck stuck his tongue out before he kissed Suu on the cheek, earning him a giggle. Lukia and Sara, on the other hand, were whispering to each other. As Sara finished with her husband, our eyes meet. There was very like warmth there, only a look of accusation. Only it wasn’t at me but Clarg.

“…ady to go?..”

My eyes turn from our host and back to Grawl. His eyes red with drink and concern. His hand griping my shoulder a bit tighter.

“I’m sorry?” I say a bit dazed.

He chuckled as he rubbed my shoulders. He leaned so close that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Are you ready to go? I wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome.“

“Yeah,” I say, my mind a bit fuzzy from the combination of booze and realization. I stand up, taking his hand in mine, squeezing it a little too tight. “Do you mind if I come to your place tonight? It’s closer, and I wanna talk to you about something.” I say into his shoulder.

There was a slight furrow on his brow. “Of course, Miss Eveie.”

We said our goodbyes to Chuck and Suu. Both giggling and drunkenly touching as their cab arrived. Grawl held my hand as we waited for our cab. Rubbing his thumb in my palm, talking about some people at the party. But as much as I tried, I couldn’t tear myself away from Sara and Luika’s quiet, urgent whispers.

Notes:

I hope you guys liked it and can wait to see yall in chapter 10.