by Leela Ash
“Right. Mine is far more rare, but his has a treatment. He is going to be okay, they think that remission is just around the corner.”
“Does he know your situation?” Andrea asked softly. “Or are you afraid that if he does he might not want to come and spend time with you anymore?”
“I told him everything,” her mother said, her eyes gentle. “He isn’t put off by it in the least. He just wants to spend time with me. It makes us happy. There isn’t any harm in that.”
“I know, mom,” Andrea said, suddenly regretting prying. “Tell me more about his kids.”
“They adore their father. I have seen them passing by my room on more than one occasion. That means he was a good and fair person as they grew up. Trustworthy. I can tell. And he has kind eyes. But you have met him before.”
“I have,” Andrea agreed. “And have his children met you yet?”
“I met his youngest. A girl. She’s actually a scientist. Very smart. She reminds me a lot of you.”
“I’m no scientist,” Andrea said, laughing suddenly.
“No, but you’re very smart. And you both have a kindness and compassion about you that is similar. Even Bruce thinks so.”
“Bruce?” Andrea asked, raising her brow. “First name basis now, huh?”
Andrea’s mother blushed and looked down at her hands, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the girlish impulse. It was good to see her mother feeling alive and animated about something. No matter how fleeting it may be. A whirlwind hospital romance. It didn’t get much better than that.
“Yes. And he knows my name is Gabrielle. We talk about things, you know. Things I didn’t even talk about with your father.”
Andrea looked away suddenly at the mention of her father. He had passed away when she was very small, leaving the burden of child-rearing on her mother. It didn’t seem very fair, but her mother had managed to do an amazing job in creating the security and stability she needed in order to thrive.
But the absence of her father had always been felt, and deeply, by both of them. Her mother spoke of him frequently and fondly; they had been best friends and had created a beautiful sort of life together that had made Andrea feel as if nothing could ever go wrong. Perhaps that was why it had been so shocking that it had.
And now she was going to lose her mother, too. She would be an orphan. Sure, she was in her mid-twenties, so most people wouldn’t consider it the most tragic story of loss, but it was still her family. She was an only child. She didn’t have any grandparents that she knew of or any aunts or uncles. All she had was her mother. And she was about to lose her to cancer. It left a gaping hole in her chest, even though it hadn’t happened yet.
“Wow. It sounds like the two of you really have quite the connection,” Andrea said, trying to push away her sadness to focus on her mother’s new source of happiness. Bruce. Bruce with three kids. One of which was a kind scientist.
“We do, Drea. It’s incredible. It feels like there’s never enough time with him. We can sit there together and just talk for hours on end, seemingly about nothing. I’ve never felt that way with anybody before. We always had to have a purpose for speaking. Even though your father and I were close, we were also very practical people. We focused on getting our work done and making sure that our responsibilities were taken care of, and in our spare time was when we shared so many treasured moments. And when those were over, it felt like it was okay, it was done. But, with him, it feels like there is always room for more.”
“More…”
Andrea couldn’t fathom it. She had never had a lot of luck on the dating field. She was still relatively young, and in a way, she supposed, innocent, when it came to dating. The idea of being able to spend that much time with someone didn’t seem possible. At least not for her. Maybe she just wasn’t the type of woman who needed love or a man or relationships. She was independent. She had made a career for herself. She loved her job. It didn’t mean anything to her to try to find someone to love her. She was happy just as she was.
“It’s all right. I know you will understand one day. There is someone out there for you, if you decide you want to find them. It seems there is something fated at times that brings you exactly what you need even if you don’t know what it is you have been looking for. It’s out there.”
It was strange to hear her mother being so contemplative and abstract about love. She had always seemed to have a far more down to earth approach. Still, it was kind of nice, really, to know that her mother still had positive thoughts and hopes, even if not for herself then for her daughter.
“I guess we will find out whether or not that’s true for me,” Andrea said, hoping against hope that Eric wasn’t someone fated to be in her life. He was such a pain in the ass. “But in the meantime, tell me more about Mr. Jansen.”
Andrea smiled as her mother began to chatter with the enthusiasm of a school girl about the man that had captivated her attentions. He was intelligent, charming, kind, generous, and genuinely shared several of the same interests. He was honest. He was a good dresser, and always looked presentable even in the face of serious illness and hospital gowns. He was a keeper.
“Knowing him sometimes makes me wish I might have more time,” her mother said fondly. Her eyes were far away, and Andrea could tell she hadn’t meant to say such a thing out loud in front of her daughter. She tried not to look at her mother and make her feel bad about speaking her mind.
“We can look into this treatment they were telling us about,” Andrea reminded her mother, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. “We can find something that is really going to work for you. It will give you more time with Bruce. And with me.”
“Oh honey, you know I didn’t mean it that way, right? I love you so much. The idea of…” her mother trailed off. There was so much about the illness that made topics of conversation unbearably painful and ultimately taboo. The subject of death. Of not getting better. Of mortality. And yet, it was constantly on their minds. What a horrible disease.
Andrea took her mother’s hand. “I know, mom. Everything is going to be okay. No matter what happens, we’re going to get through it.”
“That’s my girl,” her mother whispered.
They spent the rest of the visit in silence.
4.
“What do you think this is for?” Carter asked, holding up a strange object with a long cord dangling from the bottom. It had a handle and a somewhat teardrop shape, and all of the movers gathered around it. Max raised his brow.
“Plug it in and see.”
Carter nodded and followed Max’s advice.
“It looks a little like the device we use to try to locate the potential descendants on Earth,” he said.
“You’re right, it does,” Max agreed. “But the humans would have no need of such a device.”
“That’s true,” Carter said, holding the strange object in the air. He pressed a button and hot steam roiled out of it, hitting one of the other men in the face.
“Watch it, you idiot!” Norris growled, slapping the device out of Carter’s hand. “That hurt!”
“That’s only because you’re a pansy,” Carter retorted, looking from Norris and back to the device.
“You guys need to shut up with your squawking and get back to work,” TJ said irritably. “We have to get this done. I know it’s interesting to see how these humans live and all, but this is stupid. You don’t go through their boxes.”
“I didn’t!” Carter protested. “I found it on the table over there. I think they were leaving it behind. It wasn’t in a box.”
“Then take it with us, we will find out what it does. It is trash now. We will be doing the people whose job it is to clean the place a favor.”
TJ’s voice brought Norris and Carter to standing rigidly and looking at him. They respected TJ, and TJ liked to fancy himself the leader of the group. He had been trying to direct them all ever since they had made it to Earth, and while, at times, he had a great sense
of what needed to be done, there were other instances where his advice was not sound and it would have been better if he were able to humble himself and manage to take in the wisdom of others.
For the most part, the others looked to Max automatically when it came to leadership, though each of them had their own strengths. They wouldn’t have been banished if they had been weaklings. They had posed a threat; that’s what the real issue was. They had been too good at what they did, and it had made them all targets. And now they had to suffer and do everything they could to clear their names. Like finding the descendants.
“What’s the device saying anyway?” Carter asked, turning away from TJ and Norris to look at Max. “I wanted to check this area one more time. You never know when a potential descendant might be nearby.”
“That’s true,” Max said. “Let me check.”
He pulled the device carefully from the pouch he kept it tucked into and glanced around the nearly empty apartment. They had just about finished moving all of the boxes to the truck, and the human was already at his new house setting up his things and wouldn’t likely be back any time soon. Still, it was a dangerous thing to do without caution, and they were already pushing it by talking so candidly about the device.
And yet, Max could sense that everything was going to be all right. And he had to admit that he was curious as well. He had been doing his best to find the descendants that had been lost to his people so long ago, and now that he had a chance to come to Earth himself, perhaps in seeking out the lost ones using the device his grandfather had bestowed upon him, they would be able to reclaim honor back in their home land.
“Let’s give the area a scan,” Max said, switching the device on. The air was suddenly humming as it charged, and they all gathered around to look at the screen.
He didn’t have very high hopes about it. They hadn’t found any other descendants yet, not even potential descendants, and it didn’t seem likely that they would now. So, when the machine started to make a strange whirring noise, and then beeping gently, he stood rigidly and looked around the room in disbelief.
“There’s someone here,” he said.
He didn’t wait another moment for the others to acknowledge the words before running out the door, staring at the device in his hands. TJ ran out after him, but Max didn’t wait. He followed the device; it was glowing brighter and brighter the closer he got to the Potential. Finally, he sped around the corner of the hallway and out of the apartment building, until he froze and spotted a woman. He pointed the device subtly at her and her silhouette in the screen began to glow a deep blood red; the symbol of the potential descendants flashing in her torso. He had found one. At last.
Max fumbled as he put the device away and then ran toward the woman, his eyes intent upon her.
“Whoa,” she yelped when he stopped just short of her. But instead of pulling away, a shocking burst of energy was exchanged between the two of them and Max found himself instantly aroused by it. It was clear that the energy burst had affected the Potential as well, and their eyes lingered on one another’s as they measured each other up, consumed by the consuming heat of the exchange. “I need to get inside. Excuse me.”
Max’s heart thudded in his chest. It was the rumored look of the fated. Their destinies were laid out before them, and they were being pulled together by a deep, ancient force that neither could explain. But it was clear that they both had felt it.
The woman’s beautiful blue eyes caught Max completely off guard and he halted immediately, frozen in her gaze. She started walking away from him, her energy a mess, and Max glanced at TJ, who was watching the whole thing from inside the apartment building. The woman made it inside and Max followed, quickly stepping in front of her before she could get away from him. TJ watched curiously and moved out of eyeshot, curious as to what was going to happen.
“Hi,” Max managed to say, trying to wrack his brain to figure out how he should proceed. “Um. I’m sorry. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said, stepping back, and staring at him. He could tell she was shocked by his presence; many human women were impressed by the powerful physical appearance of men like Max, who had come from a place unlike anything they could ever fathom. “Are you in some kind of hurry or something? I’m a teacher, you know; no running in the halls…”
She laughed nervously and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket. She couldn’t stop looking at him, and a sudden piercing knowledge electrified Max. He could recognize this; the stirrings of fate. The call of the blood that tied his people to hers and had brought them together in this moment. There was nothing more powerful than meeting your fated match, and it was clear to him now, more than anything had been clear to him before, that this was his match. And if that was the case, then she had to be a descendent. There was no other option.
“A teacher?” he asked, attempting to process all of this new information without scaring the poor woman away.
Teachers were noble in his world; it took people of great skill and fineness to be able to pass on information to others. It was actually a sacred career, and finding this small little detail out about this woman filled him with a huge sense of pleasure and pride. His mate was a teacher. A sacred one. All shifters should be so lucky.
“Yes,” she said, suddenly appearing uncomfortable. Was it strange for her to be speaking to him this way? They were strangers. It was not the human custom for females and males to speak as strangers. At least, not without alcohol present. Or that was what they had discovered through movies and literature that TJ had brought for research. Max had studied with the rest of them just in case something like this might happen. Now he wished he had educated himself even more. He hadn’t realized how important it would feel to win over his fated.
“What do you teach?” Max asked, his golden eyes intent upon her.
“High school,” the woman answered.
Max couldn’t take his eyes off her. He had found her. At last. A part of himself he hadn’t even known was missing. But he knew enough about humans to realize he couldn’t just tell her what he knew, even though it was indisputable. Even though, throughout the course of time, his point would be proven, probably repeatedly. It was something he was going to have to approach with caution. There were rituals in place. Human courtship rituals.
“Come to a bar with me,” Max suddenly declared. He had seen enough movies to know that going to the bar was one of the standard mating rituals for humans. He knew it was important for him to be able to follow them to get closer to his fated mate. He would have to go home and brush up further on them now that they seemed more relevant.
Fortunately, he already had a decent understanding. After the date, if all went well, he would go back to the rented house and watch every single movie he could find on dating, just to make sure his mate was happy. He would do anything to please her. Anything at all. His face brightened when he remembered the word for the courtship ritual on Earth. “On a date.”
He was pleased with himself for remembering the word date; it was obscure, and the human languages often left him baffled and frustrated. They lacked the same melody that his ancestral tongue was used to, but there were still some merits to the strange, foreign speech of humans. It may have been more abrupt, but it was still fairly beautiful in its own right.
“A date?” the woman stammered. She backed away slightly, a look that seemed to border on pleasure and panic creasing her face. “You don’t even know my name.”
And yet, it was clear she was in the same deep thrall as Max was. There was something beyond them pulling them together. Something clear and painfully obvious. It was important. It was theirs.
“What is your name?” Max asked immediately, kicking himself for forgetting that part of the ritual. At least she had reminded him. There was still hope.
“My name is Andrea,” she said finally, her dazzling blue eyes boring into his. Her face was flushed an attractive pink color as she studied him, and Max grin
ned, taking in the sight of the beautiful woman. She was more incredible than any other being he had ever witnessed. Her hair was a striking auburn color and her body was so slight and yet powerfully curved. What he wouldn’t give to run his hands along every soft slope…
“My name is Max. Will you come to the bar with me?”
“Um…” Andrea glanced over her shoulder as if looking for some sort of way out. Max furrowed his brow in concern. Did she not feel the same connection he had? Had he been mistaken? What would happen if she rejected him? Was he wrong about her being his fated one?
When she finally spoke, Max hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath. “All right,” Andrea said finally, her beautiful blue eyes piercing into Max’s. He could feel the longing behind them. She wanted him just as he wanted her, no matter how strange and impulsive it might seem. She had felt the connection too. It was obvious. “I will go to the bar with you.”
Max beamed. “Great!” he said, grabbing her by the elbow. “Let’s go!”
5.
Andrea had been deeply startled by the ridiculously handsome man that had come at her out of nowhere. He looked as if he had just walked off the set of a movie about gladiators or something. He was tall, broad, and muscular, and his face had a rugged beauty she felt she could stare at for hours. Where had he come from? Where on Earth did they make men like this? It was insane how good looking he was. A mystery of nature.
She was even more startled by the sudden and intense pull of the man’s golden eyes. They stirred something primal deep within her; something pure and nameless that seemed somehow more powerful than anything else she had ever felt.
Everything about this man was surprising; especially his immediate response to her agreeing to go on a date with him. It was strange. Most men would set a date, work out a time and place. Max seemed to have believed this was all something to do right away, without any prior planning. He had practically thrown her over his shoulder and taken off.