Elu held up his hand in response and left the payment office, fuming as he walked towards the elevators. He just wanted to sit alone in his own office and tinker with the information he had collected, far away from the judgmental gaze of the lawyer Jack. When the elevator beeped, he stepped out and walked briskly down to the end of the hall where it was far quieter than the halls downstairs. He sat behind his desk.
A sigh escaped his lips and he turned to look out the great window overlooking the Capital City of the Intergalactic Federation. While those little bodies moved around in their neat suits, Elu sat up in his office considering what he had done. He frowned at the two suns in the sky.
“Maybe I should try calling Anna Leigh again,” he said out loud.
He shook his head at his own voice.
It seemed silly to continue pursuing her when Xander was behind bars, their hearts each torn slightly from the incident at the hospital. He cradled his head in his hands while leaning against the desk, taking deep breaths as he tried to come up with some excuse that would cause him to call her.
Maybe she could be a witness.
“Am I really considering flipping this case?” he asked himself while running his hands through his black hair.
This was unusual. He had never repealed a case from the federal courts once it had been submitted. There was not much he could do to reduce the damage of the evidence against Xander, save for discrediting his own name, thereby calling into question the quality of the evidence he'd submitted. He thought of what Agent Ruo had said, playing the scene back over in his mind before a small grin crossed his lips.
He would just have to interfere with the investigation. Tampering with evidence held huge ramifications, so he settled instead on disrupting procedures. It wasn’t like his feelings about his relationship with Xander and Anna Leigh were unreal. Everything he felt during their time spent together was absolutely genuine, their hearts bonded by the sweet alien girl who had swept them away. Her black hair, her red lips, her green skin, her bright eyes... everything was beautiful in those moments and he hated that he chased them away with his job.
This job has cost me far too much, he thought. And I refuse to suffer through it any longer.
As he tinkered with different plans, his phone rang and he lifted it from the receiver to press to his ear.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Agent Elu, you have a visitor,” said his secretary.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Her name is Anna Leigh Black. Should I buzz her in or make an appointment?” the secretary asked.
Elu froze.
“Sir?” the secretary persisted.
“Buzz her in, Hilda. Thank you,” Elu said quickly.
He set the phone down, quickly tidied his desk, and then waited patiently for her to walk inside. As the door opened, he hastily grabbed for something to busy his hands. He could feel her presence, feel the strong feminine force and beauty that emanated from her body.
He didn’t want to look up.
“Hello, Elu,” she said in a shaky voice. “May I sit or…?”
He raised his eyes to find hers, the swirls of galaxies staring right back. There were already tears welling up in them. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk with a grim look and then looked back down at his desk.
“Hello, Anna Leigh,” he said. “How are you doing?”
She shrugged, offered a small smile, and then looked down at her nails, hair falling into her face.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “And you?”
Elu took a deep breath before responding, trying hard to stifle the sob that was quickly crawling up his throat.
“I’m fine, too,” he said.
“That’s good,” she said while nodding. “I just saw Xander.”
“Did you?” Elu asked, sitting upright in his chair. “How is he?”
“He’s fine. He’s dealing with everything you put him through,” she replied.
Elu sighed as she covered her face and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t mean to sound angry. I am angry, but I also understand what he did was wrong.”
“It was,” Elu agreed. “But I still feel guilty throwing him out like that. It wasn’t my attention to drag you in with it. I’ve been conducting this investigation for years and it finally came to a head...”
Elu bit his lip, begging his body to quit shaking. He placed his hands calmly on the desk and took another deep breath.
“I understand,” Anna Leigh said with tears in her eyes. “It’s just been so hard, Elu.”
“I know. I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for weeks to apologize to you in person. I didn’t expect you to come by.”
“I figured it was the right thing to do. Besides, I have something to tell you,” she said.
Elu raised his eyebrows with interest.
“What’s that?” he asked, leaning forward across the desk.
Anna Leigh smiled nervously and looked towards the digital paintings on the far left wall, her eyes darting across the picture before it faded into another one.
“Well, it seems I am truly in love with you both,” she explained. “In my heritage, the women get smooth scales on their back when they’ve met their life mate. You and Xander seem to be the ones who are meant to make me happy.”
Elu smiled wide while looking at the digital picture of them sitting on his desk. He reached out to take it and then held it up for her to see, beaming when she smiled in response. Tears were freely falling from her eyes and her hands were shaking as she accepted the picture. She chuckled lightly.
“Oh, that day was exceptional,” she whispered. “I can’t believe you two ate that many hot dogs.”
“It was pretty silly,” Elu commented.
“I just wish we could go back to that time,” she said, her lower lip quivering. “I can’t stand being without you both.”
“I’ll admit it’s been a relatively heavy weight on my shoulders. I’ve been trying to come up with something to help Xander,” Elu admitted.
“What do you mean?” Anna Leigh asked.
“Well, I’m considering revoking my charges,” Elu explained.
“Really?” she asked, sitting up straight in the chair. “That would be amazing because...”
When she trailed off, Elu gave her a concerned look. He reached across the desk to take her hand.
“What is it?” he asked.
Anna Leigh blushed, looking down at the digital photo in her hand with hope in her eyes. She traced the picture of Xander with a red nail and then looked up at Elu as the tears came faster.
“I’m pregnant.”
***
Anna Leigh bit her lower lip and tittered when Elu practically flew across the desk to embrace her. It caused her a joyful giggle and she stood to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders, immediately buckling when his hands touched her body.
“I’m so happy, darling!” he cried while tears of joy ran down the length of his face. “I can’t believe it... Is it ours? I mean, it’s Xander's, too, clearly, but how does this work?”
“My species is capable of combining the sperm of two men. It was only a matter of time before the three of us made a child,” she explained.
Elu blushed.
“Does Xander know? Did you tell him when you visited him?” Elu asked excitedly.
“I didn’t get the chance... the guard scooted me away after ten minutes because he’s a moderate risk felon, or whatever he called it,” Anna Leigh replied.
“Well, we can certainly fix that,” he said.
“How?” she asked.
“I have some clearance in extending his visiting times,” Elu replied.
“But your evidence put him in jail. If you were to interfere, wouldn’t that cause someone to become suspicious or maybe even hold it against you?” Anna Leigh asked, her hand immediately covering her stomach.
“My job no longer concerns me. This is my fam
ily we’re talking about now. I wish only to secure us a safe place to live where we can raise our beautiful child together,” Elu replied.
Anna Leigh smiled warmly. Her thoughts had been fuzzy since she found out earlier in the afternoon, her stomach bubbling with excitement as the little plastic pregnancy test beeped. In an instant, she was out in the living room crying with her mother while also expressing her concerns.
“Everything will be alright. I’ve said my prayers for you and your boys. There’s no way the gods will ignore us at such a stressful time,” her mother had said.
“But what if Xander can’t get out of prison? And what if Elu wishes to keep him there?” Anna Leigh asked. She stirred her cup of tea.
“It’s only a matter of time before he comes to his senses. He can’t ignore you now that you’re going to have his child. You just need to go talk to him. Be strong and take this charm with you,” her mother replied.
She held up a golden amulet with purple stars in the center, a symbol of their ancestors that had been worn since the dawn of their species. It was said to hold good luck during hard times as well as the sacred ashes of the first Kuhlarai child. Her mother carefully attached it around Anna Leigh’s neck.
“Wear this everywhere you go and you will feel the protective light of the two suns,” her mother said with a smile. “And don’t forget who you are. It is deeply rooted in who you will be.”
Elu touched her face, bringing her back to the present moment. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips, his touch alone resurfacing the emotions she had felt prior to Xander’s arrest. She succumbed quickly and parted her lips to allow his tongue entry while moaning softly. Fingers tangled through her hair and she felt him press against her, his erection evident through his jeans.
“My goodness,” she whispered when he pulled away. “I can tell you’ve missed me.”
He chuckled.
“I couldn’t even begin to tell you,” he replied. “And I feel so guilty without Xander being here.”
“I do, too,” she admitted.
“Let me make a few phone calls and see what I can do about his visitation clearance,” Elu said before kissing her forehead.
Anna Leigh smiled and nodded, returning to the chair in front of his desk. She watched as he lifted the phone and spoke heatedly through the speaker at whomever was on the other end, smiling every so often at his passionate determination in getting Xander more time out with visitors. Behind him, the two suns were quickly descending and she would have to return to her home for dinner. She pulled out her phone to look through her messages, her heart jumping as she scrolled over the ones from Elu. They were dated weeks ago.
Now, he was sitting in front of her with hope written all over his face. She gripped the charm around her neck and prayed for the first time in years that Elu was genuine in his efforts to ease Xander’s punishment. Xander had mentioned the plea bargain to Anna Leigh while she in the cell, but he had also hardly looked at her. He seemed ashamed of his actions.
“I don’t know, Anna Leigh. I feel like I should serve my time and get it over with,” he'd said.
Anna Leigh cradled her belly. She wasn’t showing yet, but she also felt compelled to touch her stomach at every turn, even while walking around tables or people. It was a protective response that seemed to come from a place of maternal instinct. She placed her free hand on Xander’s shoulder.
“I’m really proud of you for recognizing you’re wrong in this situation, but the Federation is brutal,” she whispered. “They’re going to hang you out to dry.”
“I realize that,” Xander said. “I’m willing to take whatever punishment comes my way. I regretted doing all of this as soon as those guards came for me. All I could think about was how much I had hurt you.”
She grimaced and looked down at her knees. A finger rested underneath her chin and brought it up to level with his, eyes shining as she sniffled.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s all my fault.”
She shook her head.
“Something has to give. Maybe my family can hire you a better lawyer,” she said.
“No, I’ve got a good lawyer,” he said. “Some of my private funds weren’t taken when they arrested me. I’m paying him well.”
“That’s good. I’m just worried. I would feel better hiring another lawyer for you. Two heads are always better than one,” Anna Leigh said.
“I realize that, darling, but I think I have everything under control,” he said.
Anna Leigh nodded and sighed.
“Alright,” she said. “Look, I should really tell–”
“Time is up,” the guard said.
Anna Leigh looked up at him and frowned, her eyes returning to Xander as she stood. She instinctively reached for her purse that she usually carried on her left arm, but it wasn’t there. They had collected it upon her arrival. She couldn’t even carry her cell phone inside. Before she left, Xander gave her a quick kiss on the lips and squeezed her hand.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said as she left.
She didn’t want to turn around. She didn’t want to see the miserable look in his eyes as she walked away from him. It was hard enough seeing him in the orange suit with stubble on his cheek. He wasn’t even allowed to shave, which seemed strange to her, but she hardly knew anything about prison life. Passing by the other cells was difficult because the prisoners cat-called her. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders to keep herself from screaming.
“I’ve got it,” Elu said while setting the phone down.
Anna Leigh raised her eyebrows. Getting lost in thought had made her exceptionally tired and now she wanted a nap.
“I’ve been granted permission to see him in a private interrogation room and the cameras will be turned off, so we won’t have to worry about being watched,” Elu said while standing. “I might get into a little trouble for doing that, but it should be fine.”
“Well, I don’t want you to get into trouble,” she said as she stood up.
“It’s all for our family. I don’t care,” he said.
“You should care,” she insisted, taking his hand in hers.
“I care more about the three of us than I do this wretched Federation,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say that too loud,” Anna Leigh advised while looking around. “I have no knowledge of how this usually proceeds, but I feel like we’re getting ourselves into a little trouble.”
“I know. Doesn’t it feel exhilarating?” he asked while wrapping his arms around her.
Anna Leigh giggled.
“I didn’t know you could be such a rebel,” she teased.
“I might be an agent, but I do like to cut loose every so often,” he joked. “Let’s go see our boy.”
With that, Anna Leigh took his hand and led him out of the office, only stopping when Elu informed his secretary that he would be in a meeting for two hours. They walked up a long hallway, ducked down into a private staircase, and then walked down another hall that led to a private interrogation room. The guard standing outside the door nodded to Elu and then opened the door to allow them entry.
Standing in the corner without a steel cuff was Xander. He looked rather timid sitting in the room all alone. When Anna Leigh walked in, he instantly took her into his arms and sighed heavily.
“I thought I was about to be interviewed and I couldn’t stop freaking out,” he said into her neck.
Anna Leigh smiled warmly and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling away to look into his eyes.
“It was just us,” she said.
Xander looked over at Elu timidly. They hadn’t seen each other since the incident. It was awkward standing between the two, but Anna Leigh knew they would eventually come to this point. They just needed some time to adjust. She knew they likely missed each other because they were so close, but it was difficult to tell whether they would recover.
“Well?” she asked while looking between the two of them. “Say something. Apologize.
Hug. Just stop gaping at each other.”
“It’s just been so long,” Xander commented.
“It has been three weeks and a few days,” Elu said.
“Too long,” Xander said.
“That it has,” Elu agreed.
The two nodded and continued to stare, causing Anna Leigh to take a step back as she studied their features. Xander looked almost horrified while Elu remained relatively calm. It was remarkable to watch them interact.
“I’m sorry,” Elu finally said.
Xander nodded.
“I know,” Xander said.
“I really am very sorry for everything. I didn’t know we would form such a strong bond, and then Anna Leigh...” Elu trailed off as his eyes filled with tears.
She held her arms out for him, but he shook his head and took a step toward Xander.
“I miss you as my brother and as my friend. My only wish is to fix what I’ve done and have our family back again,” Elu said through tears.
Xander stepped forward and held out his arms for Elu to collapse in, allowing him the time to start to cry before beckoning Anna Leigh to join. For some time, Elu cried. His sobs shook his body and echoed off the walls of the small room where they stood for what seemed like forever.
It was the first time in weeks they were holding each other. Anna Leigh felt overwhelmed with joy. In the same moment, she also felt fear—this wasn’t going to last forever. Xander would eventually have to return to his cell and she would have to go back home to her mother. A stern expression crossed her face and Elu stood up, wiping his nose.
“Are you alright?” Xander asked.
Anna Leigh raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Are you sure? You look worried,” Elu pointed out.
She sighed heavily, her shoulders falling forward as she pressed her forehead to Xander’s shoulder and reached for Elu at the same time.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Xander,” she said.
“What’s that?” he asked, leading them over to the table to sit.
Anna Leigh sat in the chair and then reconsidered, standing up immediately while shoving Xander down into the chair.
“You should really sit for this,” she advised.
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