Meeting His Parents

I woke with a start. Something was wrong and I knew it. I had been in this "hospital" room now for about three days. I visited Oliver about five times a day, for my one-hour period with Lara guarding my door to ensure I got every minute of my hour. Yet, for some reason, I knew that deep in my gut, something was wrong. The alarms no longer ring when I get up so I slipped carefully out of my bed and walked over to Oliver's room. The door slid open and I screamed. Oliver was gone. I began searching Oliver's room for clues as to where he was at as Iman entered the room and touched my back.

"He is gone Alexis Perry," said Iman.

Tears fell from my eyes as I sobbed, "Why didn't you wake me? Why did you let me hold his hand so he wouldn't die alone?"

Rashad looked at me with a confused expression and said, "He is not dead Alexis Perry."

"What?" I asked confused.

"The Queen ordered he be taken home," said Iman. "It all happened rather quickly."

"He... he's home?" I asked.

"Yes Alexis Perry," said Iman, "and the King and Queen wish to see you."

"You're not going without me," said Lara as she stood by the doorway.

I smiled to see the only creature who I felt was on my side. "I want my clothes."

"I knew you would," said Lara.

Lara helped me dress as I could still barely move my arms. It felt nice to wear my jeans and t-shirt again and soon we were in a small shuttlecraft, flying to the planet's surface. My shoulders ached from my getting dressed and my frantic search for Oliver. Now was the first time I was glad I was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt so it didn't bother my wrists. Iman wanted my arms secured so I wouldn't cause more damage to my shoulders, but I refused. As the shuttle flew to the planet's surface, I looked around and saw a beautiful world with colorful plants and trees, well; they looked like trees, and large buildings. Creatures of all kinds seem to walk around freely, and pay little attention to our craft as we flew over.

We landed at what I presumed was the castle, or the home of the King and Queen. Lara and I were escorted from the craft and down a long hallway with unique carving and designs on the walls. I wondered if this was a history of their people or just artwork, but chose not to dwell on it. Soon, we entered a large room, what I would call a throne room, where I saw a large crowd had gathered. Our escorts led us through the crowd and stopped at the edge. Before us were two people, a man and a woman. They were dressed in bright colors, and wore what appeared to be fine jewels on their hands and around their necks. I heard the clicking sounds I had become familiar with and Lara leaned down and whispered, "We're being announced."

I nodded my head but said nothing. The King clicked back and the escorts stepped away. I started to follow but Lara grabbed my arm to stop me and I quickly understood. The King began to click at us and Lara put her hand up as to stop him. I heard what sounded like a gasp from the crowd behind us as Lara said in English, "My Lord, Alexis Perry does not understand our language and she will not be able to answer any of your questions."

The King looks furious and the Queen said, "So you are the one they call Alexis Perry from Earth."

"Yes Your Highness," I said with a quick curtsy. I heard a gasp from the crowd around us as everyone looked at me with a confused expression. I was like I'd just insulted the Queen. I looked at Lara and she had the confused expression on her face so I said quickly, "Forgive me. In my world, this is how we greet royalty."

The Queen smiled and said, "I see. Here that is seen as an act of disrespect and war."

"Oh," I said. 'Great! I'm getting off to a fantastic start with his parents.'

"My Queen," said Lara, "I am Lara. I am the sworn guardian of Alexis Perry."

The Queen raised her hand and said, "I know who you are Lara. Your father was a fine guardian. His loss was profound."

"Thank you my Queen," said Lara.

"So," I said, "you wanted to see me. What's this all about?"

Maybe it was because my body still ached from the pain, or the fact she'd stolen the man I love from me without warning, but I wasn't in the mood for the formal hullabaloo. The crowd gasped again and Lara nudged me, as if to tell me to be quiet. I raised my hand at her and ignored her. The King snapped, "Watch your tongue Earth creature."

"Hey!" I snapped. "You're not the first bully I've dealt with! I mean, just because you weren't willing to get your royal hands dirty doesn't mean I'm going to cow down to you now!"

"You need to show respect you inferior Earth creature or I will—"

"You'll what?" I barked. My temper was at its max and I just wasn't in the mood. "What more can you do to me that your psychotic nut-job trackers didn't already do? I've been tortured with nightmares from hell, beaten, kidnapped, choked to the brink of death, nearly raped multiple times, and I watched the only man I've ever truly loved beaten senseless and nearly killed before my eyes. SERIOUSLY! What the hell more can you do to me? Honestly, King, death would be a blessing at this point."

Before the King could respond, the Queen raised her hand to stop us and said, "What do you mean?"

"Oliver told me-"

"Who?" asked the Queen.

'Shit!' I didn't know his name and I only heard the clicking sound once that I recall. "Oliver, your son. That was the only name I have ever known him by," I said truthfully.

"She is speaking the truth my Queen," said Lara. "She has always called him Oliver."

"Continue please," said the Queen as she nodded her head.

I swallowed and spoke in a calmer voice. I realized my shoulders were starting to really hurt. "Oliver told me that he always wanted to explore space, and you encouraged him to do so. You even gave him a gift to give to the one he wanted for his life-mate. He also told me that the King hired these trackers to find me and to retrieve the item. What Oliver didn't know was who the trackers were, I knew as Fleck and Wyman, or just how ruthless they could be."

"Continue," said the Queen.

"Well," I said. I felt a bit braver, a bit calmer, but more achy and sore. "About three and a half Earth years ago, I met your son. He took me out for a magical night and then disappeared. He said to me later that he left because he feared the trackers would bring me harm, but he left some guardians behind to protect me, just in case."

"Wait," snapped the King. "What guardians?"

"My father and my brother, My Lord" said Lara coldly.

"When Oliver learned they had been killed he came back, only the trackers had already found me. One of them put this thing in my arm and used it to not only follow my movements, but torture me with these horrid nightmares. It was only when the trackers nearly killed me in my apartment that Oliver took me to his ship and had his medical staff heal me. They saved my life. It was then we learned there was a tracker on his ship and neither of us was safe."

"How did he find the tracker?" asked the Queen. I could tell I had her attention.

"When the trackers kidnapped Alexis Perry, she sent a coded message that told us who among us was the traitorous tracker," said Lara.

"Who was this traitor?" the Queen asked.

"Valente," Lara and I said together.

The Queen gasped and looked at the King. He seemed to shrink back into his chair but said nothing. "Continue," the Queen said.

"It was during the rescue attempt that Oliver got injured. He and Fleck fought hard while other guardians fought the creatures."

"Why was my son fighting?" snapped the Queen.

"We were under orders to fight all but the one called Fleck my Queen," said Lara.

"Continue," said the Queen.

"Oliver fought valiantly, and you would have been proud of him. He finally killed Fleck after he told him that the ring he sent wasn't the item you gave him. In Fleck's rage, Oliver was able to throw something into his chest, like a spear, thus killing him. After Fleck was dead, he stood up, and was looking at me, smiling, when Wyman stabbed him in the back."

"Continue," said the Queen.

Suddenly, I couldn't remember what happened next. 'Why? I could see Oliver rise from the floor, looking at me, smiling, his face changes, he falls, Wyman, then... DAMN!' My mind went blank. I looked up at Lara and mouthed, "Help."

"Alexis Perry used a weapon from her world and killed the one called Wyman," said Lara finishing my story.

"Wait... What? I shot Wyman?" I remembered finding the gun, then SNAP! I remembered everything. "I remember," I whispered.

"What was that?" asked the King.

I swallowed and said loudly, "I remember! Lara had hidden me by a cabinet. A dead guardian was thrown into the cabinet, and it popped open. I looked inside and found the gun with the suits that Fleck and Wyman had worn when I first met them. I grabbed the gun, checked it, and discovered it was loaded, so I took it to protect myself. I watched Oliver & Fleck, then Fleck stabbed Oliver with something and Oliver went down. That was when Oliver told Fleck he hadn't sent the actual gift. Shortly after, Oliver killed Fleck.

"When I saw Oliver kill Fleck, I thought it was over. I remember how he looked at me and smiled so sweetly one moment, and how horrid it looked when that smile disappeared and his face contorted. Then he fell forward and Wyman was standing behind him, laughing. Laughing at him. Laughing at me. Oliver was lying on the ground with what looked like a knife in his back and Wyman was laughing. I wasn't thinking, I just raised the gun, but it was so heavy, I had to grab it both hands, then I fired. Only, he didn't... he didn't fall, he just kept laughing and taunting me. So, I kept firing, again, and again until Lara touched me."

"When we heard the sounds of the weapon, we all stopped and watched," said Lara. "Then the sound of the weapon changed. I only stopped her because I could see her face becoming pale. I didn't know the weapon was no longer dangerous until I touched her arm, and she dropped it, and then collapsed into my arms. The remaining guardians captured the rest of the trackers' fighters, who put up little fight once they witnessed what had just occurred. We took our injured back to the ship for treatment, gathered our dead, and sent the prisoners to the incarceration quarters.

"Considering the injuries Alexis Perry sustained to her arms, it is amazing she was able to operate the weapon," said a voice from behind us.

The crowd gasped and parted as Iman and Rashad stepped forward and stood by us. "Iman? Rashad?" questioned the King. He did not look too happy to see them.

"My King. My Queen," said, Iman. "Alexis Perry is a brave Earth woman. Her only concern has been your son. She sustained great injury to her body and underwent traumas that would break a weaker creature, and her only concern has been your son, and his happiness."

The Queen nodded and said, "Thank you for that Iman. Alexis Perry, I have only one question for you."

"Okay," I said.

"Did my son give you the gift?" she asked.

My heart sunk. "No ma'am, he didn't."

The King seemed to perk up at this.

"Do you know what the gift is?" she asked.

"No ma'am," I said, feeling rather sick all of the sudden. "Oliver told me he couldn't tell me what it was unless he decided to give it to me."

Now the King was smiling, beaming even. He said, "Then you have to leave."

"What?" Lara and I exclaimed.

"He is correct," said the Queen. "I told my son he was to give the gift to the one he wished to share his life with. This was to be done before he came home, and she had to know what the gift was. I am sorry Alexis Perry, you must return to your home."

I wanted to protest, scream, argue, but I knew she was right. Oliver hadn't given me the item. I wasn't the one he wanted to share his life with. I was just an inter-galactic fling like all the others. I was his Earthling fuck. I was just like so many female creatures before me. I stood up straight and said, "I understand. How soon may I leave?"

The Queen's reaction surprised me, as if she expected me to fight, to argue, but the King quickly said, "We have a smaller ship that moves much faster and can have you back in half the time the ship that brought you here took."

I swallowed hard, hoping I could maintain my stoic front a little bit longer, "That will be fine, thank you."

"I wish to join Alexis Perry," said Lara quickly.

The audience gasped at this and the Queen asked, "May I ask why?"

Lara sighed and said, "I swore an oath to be the guardian of Alexis Perry. I fully intend to uphold this vow."

I smiled and hugged her. Lara stiffly patted me on the back. I didn't care what anyone thought. "Thank you," I whispered.

"No!" screamed the King as I jumped back.

The Queen raised her hand and said, "If you made an oath Lara, then you must honor it, as that is part of the guardian code. Now, I wish you a safe journey Alexis Perry."

"Wait!" I cried.

"What?" asked the Queen.

"I want to say goodbye to Oliver," I said.

"I'm sorry," said the Queen, "but that is not possible. Safe journey Alexis Perry."

It felt like I had just been kicked in the stomach. I knew no matter what, I wouldn't get to say goodbye to Oliver. I stood straight and nodded my acknowledgement. "Please take care of him, and tell him thank you for everything."

"I shall," said the Queen.

I turned around and started to leave, when I stopped. I turned back and faced the King and Queen one last time. "For what it's worth, your majesties, I do love your son. He is the only man I have ever loved, and the only man I ever will love."

The Queen smiled and said, "That Alexis Perry, I do not doubt."

Lara and I turned around and left. We were led from the room to a large bay with several ships. We were escorted to a small ship, told to board, and led to a room, with two beds. We were informed that this was where we'd be for the entire journey, and to not attempt to leave or explore the ship. Once Lara and I were alone, I saw a small package on the bed. I opened it and found my iPod, my cell phone, and the picture of Oliver and me he had in our rest quarters. I didn't even think to question how this was already here and waiting for me. As the ship began to move, and take flight, I took the picture from the box, wrapped it in my arms, threw myself onto the bed, and cried myself to sleep.