by Magus Tor
“There,” said Jonathon, pointing.
A transport pod was already hovering, and Jonathon opened the door.
“Hop in.”
He keyed in the coordinates, and the pod elegantly slid away from the deck and joined the traffic leaving the bay.
“I'll arrange for rooms for you two at the house, if that's okay with you,” he said to Nicholas and Elza.
“I suppose I can hardly go back to the hospital,” said Elza.
“Probably not,” Nicholas said, grinning. “But on the bright side, you get to stay with me.”
Aurelia half listened to them tease each other as the pod headed directly into the City. She was surprised at how dark everything was. Half the screens were turned off; there were no wildly dressed Elite kids on the streets. The whole place looked sombre and dull, not at all like the glitzy Lunar that she'd come to know.
“We're officially in mourning until the day after tomorrow,” said Jonathon. “Then with the flick of a switch, everything will go back to normal—don't worry.”
She hoped it would; she didn't like this dark city. Without its lights and bright clothing, Lunar City looked dull and slightly frightening. Even the dome itself was dark, the normal night-time glow dimmed.
The pod slid down a level and then slowed to a halt in front of the security gates. Jonathon looked briefly out of the window, allowing the sec Worker to see his face. Then the gates opened, and they flew on. Coming home. When the pod stopped, the door opened and Aurelia smelled the scent of the fresh grass and trees welcoming her.
“Come in, come in,” said Jonathon, striding towards the front doors. He opened them and led his guests into the house. “Okay, I've had two rooms prepared for you two on the next floor up,” he said to Nicholas and Elza. “I'll just show you where they are so you can leave your bags and clean up if you want to. Aurelia, you can put your bag in your normal room.”
He took Nicholas and Elza with him, and Aurelia did as she was told before heading back to the living room. She poured herself a little of Jonathon's whisky, feeling a need for the warmth it would give her, and was standing at the window looking out into the gardens when he came back.
“I gave them rooms with connecting doors,” he said, grinning and coming to stand next to her.
“I think that might be appreciated,” she said, offering him her glass.
He took a sip and handed it back.
“What are you going to do with the gardens after? You'll hardly be able to keep this place if you're not Ruling Class anymore.”
Jonathon put an arm around her. “I don't know. I was thinking about turning them into a park maybe, somewhere that anyone who wants to can come and visit.”
She approved of that idea and leant her head on his shoulder. He held her for a moment before he spoke again.
“Aurelia, I spoke to your father before we left Earth,” he began, hesitantly. “And now there's something that I want to ask you.”
“Mmm?” she said, half drowsing on his warm shoulder.
He pulled away and turned to face her. “I know that the future is uncertain. None of us know what will happen in the next few days or months. But there is one thing that I'm absolutely certain of.”
His eyes were deep blue, shining with love; and she held her breath, knowing what was going to come next.
“Aurelia, I want you by my side, whatever happens, for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
She didn't even have to think. She just nodded, and his arms enfolded her.
Tomorrow they would start planning for the election. And then they would start planning for the future. Their world was about to be turned upside down, and who knew what chaos the next weeks would bring. There would be destruction—death, even—Aurelia had reconciled herself to this. But whatever happened, whatever chaos resulted, Jonathon would be there, and she would be by his side.
“I love you,” she said quietly.
“And I you,” he said, kissing her head.
She was completely happy. They could deal with tomorrow tomorrow. For now, the only place she wanted to be was right where she was. She lifted her head, closed her eyes, and let Jonathon softly kiss her lips.
