"Oh, Mom, no," Ariel whined.
Kiernan glanced at her, seeing a flush of pink on her cheeks. "I'd really like to see them."
Seth and Leigh jumped up, jostling each other as they ran over to a bookshelf. They grabbed a digital album at the same time and tried to pull it out of the other's hands.
"I had it first," Leigh said.
"I did. Let go." Seth tugged it away.
"Alright you two. Hand me the album." Joanna held out her hand to a pouting Seth who relinquished it with ill humor. She gave it to Ariel, and Seth and Leigh hastily took seats by their sister. Joanna admonished the twins. "You two behave," and left for the kitchen.
Ariel sighed. "Here goes." She clicked on the album. The first picture displayed the typical newborn shot that hospitals provide to parents. Ariel was wrapped in a pink blanket, lying in a hospital baby bed. Underneath the picture were her name, Ariel Lynn Thorsen, and date of birth, April 21, 2073, 10:20 PM, weight 8 lbs. 1 oz. Length 22 inches.
Kiernan couldn't help but wonder whether their baby would favor Ariel. "Aww, you were a beautiful baby."
This comment set the twins to giggling. Kiernan looked across the album, seeing them rolling their eyes. Apparently, they didn't share her sentiments.
The next was newborn Ariel in the arms of a proud, handsome, and tall man with light blond hair.
Ariel said, "This is my dad holding me right after I was born"
"I can see where you got your height and blonde hair. He was a very handsome man,"
"Ariel's a red raisin," Leigh said.
"No, a sun-dried tomato," Seth said.
"Will you two put a lid on the comments, or leave?" Ariel said in an irritated voice.
"Nope," Seth said.
"Mom!" Ariel called out.
Reluctantly, Leigh said, "All right, I'll behave."
Seth said, "Me too."
"Yeah, well, see that you do." Ariel clicked to the next picture which showed a young Joanna holding a wide-eyed Ariel who wore a yellow knit cap on her head. There were more pictures of her being held by parents and sleeping in her crib.
Ariel came to one of her dressed in a light blue jumper and sitting, or rather propped, against the back cushion of a sofa. She appeared to be around three months old and wore a light blue ribbon with a bow around her head.
Kiernan examined the picture closely, thinking Ariel's hair was so pale and fine she appeared bald. On closer inspection, Kiernan saw, in fact, that she was bald, and teased, "My, what big beautiful blue eyes you have--and beautiful locks of golden hair."
Seth snickered. "Ariel's a buzzard head."
"Bald as a buzzard and stinky diapers I'll bet," Leigh teased.
"Yeah," Seth said, "so stinky a momma buzzard would tote Ariel away to her nest thinking she was her baby."
Kiernan was losing the battle to keep a straight face. A sharp elbow poked her in the ribs. In a low voice out of the side of her mouth, Ariel muttered, "Et tu Brute? Now see what you started?"
Both twins giggled, and Kiernan bit the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing, but an undignified choking sound escaped.
Ariel scrunched up her nose. "Ha, ha, look who's talking. You two weren't even around when I was born, but I sure was around to see both of you--and smell you, too. You two had heads shaped like buzzard eggs. We couldn't put you two in the sandbox to play without every cat within a six block radius getting a whiff of your stinky diapers and coming over to cover you up."
Kiernan burst out laughing, and Ariel joined her.
The twins were not amused. They crossed their arms, their faces sullen. Leigh stuck out her tongue.
Kiernan focused once again on Ariel's picture, wondering whether their child would be that precious--and bald. "I think you look sweet and adorable."
"Sweet! Adorable! Yuck!" Seth blurted. He stuck his tongue out and jabbed his right forefinger toward his open mouth while making retching noises.
Leigh giggled and said, "Ariel sure was one u-glee bay-be!"
"Mom! Make them leave!" Ariel called out toward the kitchen. She clicked off her album.
"All right you two," Joanna said as she walked into the living room, "get in the kitchen now. I need some help,"
"But, Mom, I want to see the pictures," Leigh protested.
"Yeah, me too," Seth said.
"You two have seen those pictures a hundred times. Now," Joanna said sternly, "I need some help in the kitchen."
"We never get to have fun." Seth got up from the sofa, and headed toward the kitchen, Leigh following.
Joanna said, "I'll keep the kids occupied and out of your hair."
"Thanks, Mom," Ariel said.
"Dinner should be ready in thirty minutes." Joanna headed back to the kitchen.
Kiernan reached for the album on Ariel's lap, but Ariel clutched the album tightly and said, "Oh, no you don't."
"But I want to see more pictures."
"Only if you promise to show me pictures of you growing up."
"Sure. I have an album with nothing but baby pictures, and another one full of childhood pictures."
"I bet you had a bald head."
"Did not. I was born with hair, and kept it."
"Red hair?"
"Let's say, redder hair. It darkened when I grew older."
"You know what they say about redheaded babies," Ariel said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"No. What do they say?"
"I'll think up something and tell you later." Ariel poked Kiernan lightly in the ribs with her elbow, then clicked the album back on to go to the next picture.
For the next half hour, Kiernan was engrossed in viewing the pictures of Ariel at various ages. She discovered her wife was quite a tomboy when viewing a picture of her at nine holding a bullfrog she had caught. There was one of her and a friend swinging their legs out of a tree house they had built. And of course, several pictures of her wearing a blue cape, a bicycle helmet painted silver, a pair of goggles, and swinging a toy light saber while standing in front of the cardboard boxes she'd made into a spaceship to save the universe from evil in her role as Major Marvel.
The last few pictures were of Ariel's graduation from Beaumont Accelerated School. There was one of her in a blue graduation gown with her mortarboard set at a cocky angle and her arm around her mother's shoulders. Another was of her at the graduation podium delivering the class speech as class valedictorian. And the last was of her and a group of friends throwing their mortarboards in the air.
Ariel placed the picture album on the coffee table and leaned back against the sofa. "Umm, I can smell the food. I hope we eat soon."
"Smells good and I'm hungry. I need to make a trip to the bathroom."
"Come on, I'll take you to it."
Following Ariel down the hall, Kiernan passed by two rooms containing neatly made beds. At the end of the hall was another bedroom, and on one side of the hall was a room with a closed door across from the bathroom.
"Here we are," Ariel said. "I'll wait out here for you."
"This won't take long," Kiernan said as she entered and closed the door.
A short time later, she exited the bathroom to find Ariel leaning against the wall, and said, "There, all done."
Ariel headed back to the living room.
"Ariel, would you mind showing me your bedroom?" Kiernan asked.
"Sure, right this way." She walked the few steps to the closed door across from the bathroom, opened it, and allowed Kiernan to enter before her.
Kiernan looked around, curious to see Ariel's private space while growing up. Where she slept, and dreamed, planned her future, talked to friends on the IMP, and shared secrets with school chums she would invite over for slumber parties.
Festooning the walls were MIT school pennants and a few posters. Kiernan smiled to see a Star Wars poster. But there were also posters of various astronomical phenomena.
A bookcase displaying model spaceships on one of the shelves caught her attention. She stopped to ge
t a better look, impressed by what she saw. "Oh, Ariel. These must be the model spaceships you told me about constructing. They're wonderful."
Ariel flushed slightly. "Thank you."
A beautifully crafted and painted model drew Kiernan's interest. The colors were silver, with black and turquoise designs, and fashioned after the old comic book rockets, complete with tail fins, but with the addition of two slim rockets on each side. "This is beautiful, and the detail is astounding."
"That's one I kit bashed. Go on and pick it up."
After carefully picking it up, Kiernan held it at different angles to see the details. "Is this modeled after a particular craft from a movie or show?"
"No, it's strictly from my imagination. That's the one I always imagined I would fly around in saving the universe. I named it Dragonfly."
"I'm jealous. Celeste isn't nearly as pretty, or I bet, as fast as this one."
"She could travel one hundred times the speed of light to reach the far ends of the galaxy in a few minutes and outrun the bad guys." Sheepishly Ariel said, "Of course, going that fast would defy a lot of the laws of physics and is probably impossible."
Kiernan said, "Anything is possible in the imagination." While turning to put the ship on the shelf, one of the side rockets fell off to the floor. Letting out a gasp, she hastily set the ship in place. She bent to retrieve the piece but the top of her head bumped against Ariel's, who was also bending for it. She staggered back, but Ariel grabbed her shoulders, steadied her, and pulled her forward into an embrace.
"Are you all right?" Ariel asked with concern.
Kiernan reached up and felt the top of her head. "Yes, I'm pretty hardheaded." She looked up into Ariel's eyes. "How about you?"
"I'm okay." Ariel still held her close against her breasts while gazing into Kiernan's eyes. Her pupils were slightly dilated, and Kiernan stilled, almost in shock, as Ariel's eyelids fell. She lowered her head, her lips parting, and only a hair's breadth away from Kiernan's own.
Kiernan closed her eyes in anticipation, relaxing her mouth to receive the kiss she knew Ariel was about to give her.
Hurried footsteps sounded right outside the door, and Ariel abruptly let go of Kiernan. She stepped back as Leigh came in and said, "Hey, dinner's ready."
"We're on our way," Ariel replied calmly. Glancing at Kiernan, her face red, she said, "Let's go. They're waiting for us." She didn't wait for a reply before she whirled and headed for the door.
It took a moment for Kiernan to gather her wits and follow.
"LEIGH, DON'T PLAY with your food," Joanna said, imparting a chastising look to her youngest daughter, who had a string bean perched under her nose, pretending it was a mustache. She looked down to the end of the table where Ariel was seated, busily eating. "Ariel, would you like more dressing or anything else?"
"No thanks, I have plenty."
Joanna examined Kiernan, seated to Ariel's left side. "How about you, Kiernan?"
Kiernan glanced up from her plate and said, "Nothing for me, thanks."
"Mom," Seth said, "I want another crescent roll."
"No. You've already had five and you need to leave some for others."
"Man can't live by bread alone," Ariel wryly said.
"I'm not a man. I'm a boy, and I'm still growing, so I need plenty of food." Seth glowered at Ariel.
"Then finish what's on your plate," Joanna said. She glanced at Ariel, seeing her and Kiernan trading brief smiles.
When Ariel had first seated herself at the table, she had seemed subdued and not as inclined to talk as usual. Kiernan was also quiet. But Joanna didn't know Kiernan well enough to know whether this was normal for her, though she had been quite talkative during dinner at Le Pierre's. A few times, she did catch Ariel and Kiernan glancing at one another with slightly dazed expressions.
They were talkative enough while going through Ariel's photo album. Whatever occurred happened when they disappeared into the back of the house right before dinner. Joanna had a suspicion something of a personal nature, maybe romantic, occurred. Both were slightly flushed when seating themselves and it didn't appear they had fought or were upset.
Right after they arrived at the house she had noticed they both seemed at ease with each other, sitting close together, their arms brushing, and exchanging glances with softening expressions.
Joanna would almost bet their relationship had advanced to the newly in love--or falling in love stage. But this was only conjecture on her part. Ariel was always reluctant to discuss Kiernan, except for telling her some of where they went and what they did on their dates.
She hoped Ariel wouldn't get hurt. She was willing to accept Kiernan into the family, if Ariel so desired--with reservations of course. Those reservations were hinged on how she treated Ariel and the child they were going to have--her grandchild. She would be willing to let bygones be bygones, if Kiernan did right by them.
ARIEL GAZED OUT her bedroom window at the black mountains silhouetted against the indigo night sky. The night was clear, and cold, perfect for viewing the constellations and planets. Her sight took in the distant pinpoints of shimmering lights, and some portion of her brain registered what she was seeing as her thoughts turned inward, to memory, and emotion.
She'd almost kissed Kiernan and would have if Leigh hadn't interrupted. That brief moment illuminated the budding emotion she tried to keep hidden in the shadows. Somehow, light managed to slip into the darkness, feeding this emotion until it grew and bloomed into love.
Ariel was of two minds about her love for Kiernan. On one hand, Kiernan was considerate, funny, caring, giving, and warm. This Kiernan was the one she had fallen in love with, who brought the light. But, there was the other side of Kiernan, the one she wasn't ready to trust. The ruthless side that let no one and nothing stand in her way to get what she wanted. Though, the more Ariel interacted with Kiernan, the more she had her doubts that Kiernan had framed her mother. But she wasn't quite ready to believe otherwise.
Now, her reasoning and desire warred. She desired Kiernan and knew Kiernan desired her. Every day that desire broke down her resolve not to involve herself in a sexual relationship, knowing that once she surrendered, there was no turning back. She would belong to Kiernan in every way.
For the time being Ariel would do nothing, could do nothing but control her desire and, most of all, guard her heart.
KIERNAN SAT IN the old rocker in front of the fireplace, her attention not on the flickering flames, but turned inward, remembering the day's events, especially what had happened in Ariel's bedroom, or, she should say, what almost happened.
After their almost kiss, they joined the others in the dining room. Ariel was a bit subdued, but soon was back in good spirits teasing her siblings and even Kiernan herself.
On the way home, they discussed the visit and laughed over things the twins did or said. Neither one brought up the almost kiss. Kiernan was tempted, but refrained, thinking the ball was in Ariel's court, and it was up to her to broach that subject.
She sensed Ariel was battling back and forth with succumbing once again to having sex. Kiernan must tread carefully, knowing she could easily lead Ariel back to her bed. Ariel had made it clear she wasn't ready for that to happen again. But it was so hard to mask her desire. She was sure Ariel was aware of it.
And it wasn't 'just sex' that was involved. Kiernan loved Ariel. It was so hard for her not to tell Ariel she loved her. She needed to be patient and not declare her own love first. Ariel didn't trust her and would think she was lying. She would wait and see whether Ariel fell in love with her before she revealed her own heart. And if Ariel didn't fall in love with her? It would hurt, but she was willing to be whatever Ariel wanted her to be.
Chapter Thirty-Two
KIERNAN HELD ARIEL'S hand as they strolled through the shuttle door into the umbilical and walked down its length into Celeste's corridor. A thin, gray-haired man who appeared in his early fifties greeted them. Two silver bars gleamed from the left chest
of his blue jumpsuit.
"Welcome aboard, Ms. O'Shay," he said. To Ariel, he gave an acknowledging nod. "And Mrs. O'Shay."
Kiernan surreptitiously examined him, noticing his loss of weight and haggard appearance since she'd last seen him a year earlier. "Welcome back, Fred, it's good to have you here in command of Celeste."
"It's good to be back, Ma'am," he said in a flat voice, his demeanor unanimated.
Kiernan said with pride, "Let me introduce you to my wife. Ariel, this is Captain Fred Pearson, commander of Celeste."
"It's nice to meet you, Captain Pearson."
With a wan smile, he took Ariel's hand in a gentle shake. "I'm glad to meet you, and congratulations on your recent marriage. I wish both of you much happiness."
After returning their thanks, Kiernan took Ariel's hand back in hers, and said, "Let's go to our quarters and get settled in."
As they left, she gave a final nod to Captain Pearson whose eyes were dull and lifeless. Kiernan briefly wondered if he had recovered enough from his grief to return as Celeste's captain. But his psychologist reported he was fully capable to function in that capacity. She had provided him a year's paid leave after the death of his wife, Jennifer, who had worked as a copilot for Stellardyne. She was on a typical delivery flight from Earth to the O'Shay Orbiting Docks and was performing a routine check of the shuttle's cargo bay when the cargo of engine parts shifted, crushing her against the bay wall. The containment belts had loosened for no known reason. Stellardyne hired professionals to investigate and conduct tests. The report concluded it was human error and not an equipment malfunction. Kiernan had fired the personnel who had the job of securing the cargo properly.
Once in their quarters, Kiernan turned to Ariel and said, "I'm giving you the master bedroom."
"Kiernan, no, I'll be perfectly satisfied with the other bedroom."
Kiernan held up her hand to stop any further protest. "No. You're taking it, and that's final."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. We have two hours until launch, and as is custom, the crew will gather in the mess to drink a toast to a successful trip. Of course they will insist on drinking a toast to our marriage, and then another one to my beautiful bride."
The Dreamer, Her Angel and the Stars Page 27