Christmas Present

by Lauren Wood

  “Do you remember how long it was? I’ll get some water to take along with us.” Derrick asked.

  “Maybe a couple of miles, really not too far, I just happened to sit around and enjoy the scenery for most of the day!” Mac stated.

  Derrick did a few things, packed a backpack and told Mac he was ready. She hadn’t seemed him pack the bag, so she didn’t know why he needed it. She would have carried water it was no big deal!

  They headed out to the trial and Mac led the way, using the markers she had left the day before. It was about 2 and a half miles and Derrick saw one of the most beautiful sites in the world he had ever seen. The waterfall was amazing, but seeing Mac next to the site was even more wonderful. He saw a huge smile on her face, and could see the peace in her eyes as she viewed this site.

  Derrick had always loved the outdoors too, and had wanted for the longest time to live in a cabin away from the world. If he could he would find a location where he could just block himself off from the world. But he looked at Mac and wondered if she would go with him. Really she lit up the area. Even when she had been quiet when he first picked her up on the side of the road Derrick felt better with her by him. She hadn’t held on tightly but enough that he felt the touch of another person. He liked her touch, and had to wonder what a more intimate touch from her would feel like.

  Was it the beauty of the area? The loneliness that covered his life, or maybe it was just Mac, there was something about her. He looked at her and knew that she was special. It had been forever since he had any of the thoughts he had when he was around her. He felt like there might actually be some kind of future for him in this world, if Mac was with him. He didn’t even know her well, but he could tell she was unique.

  “This is really beautiful isn’t it?” Mac turned to Derrick and asked.

  “Yes you are, and so is the waterfall.” Derrick stated.

  Mac looked at him, wondering if he was just messing with her, was she just hearing what she wished to hear, or had he actually said that? Mac looked back at the water, and had an idea. “Hey you want to go to the bottom, maybe there is a nice little spot where we can sit and enjoy the day.”

  “Let’s go.” Derrick said pointing to the trial and letting her lead the way. “Let me know if you want some water by the way.”

  “Sure let me get a little sip really quick.” Mac said, as she waited for him to hand her the drink.

  Taking a sip, she felt the wetness of the water, it tasted great. She hadn’t realized she had been quite so thirsty, or maybe it was nerves.

  Derrick watched her as she led the way once they started down the trail again. She was fantastic. A bit of a tomboy, now that he saw her outside, but when they were in the cabin, and when he first met her, he would never guess her to be like this. Hell he would never had guessed she grew up in the woods. He smiled; she was the type of girl he had always fantasized about. One who wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty, but cleaned up like a model.

  The trail to the bottom twisted and turned quite a bit, and there were a few spots where the trail was dangerously narrow. But Mac kept leading the way, sometimes she would stop to check out the different ways they could go, and see which looked safer.

  Finally, they got to the bottom and the pool the waterfall landed in was amazingly blue. It was clear and they could see the bottom of the pool. Before he knew what was going on she had snuck up beside him and pushed him into the water.

  “What the?” Was all he got out before he was in the water. He laughed hard, and told her. “You have a choice, you can come in the easy way or we can do it the hard way!”

  Mac looked at his face, and laughed. “You would have to catch me first, and I’m out here, not in the water where I might move slower!” She stuck her tongue out as to say come and get me.

  Before she realized it he was on top of her. “What? How did you move so quickly?”

  He held her above him, she didn’t struggle, and she knew it wasn’t worth it. He was a monster compared to her. The fact that he had caught her before she could even move had shocked her. But in his arms she felt no fear, only security, she knew that Derrick would not hurt her. She laid back into his arms a bit more.

  Derrick looked down into her face and eyes. He saw the peace that he felt over her body and his as well. It seemed natural to him to have her in his arms. She was light , so light in his arms. He looked at her lips, he wanted nothing more to kiss them.

  Mac could see the telltale look in his eyes, or so she hoped. Because her next move would all depend on if she had read them right or not. She leaned up and kissed him lightly on his lips. It was just a small little kiss, but she hoped it let him know everything he needed to know.

  Derrick felt her lips lightly touch his and felt the kiss, it was over before he wanted it to end. He lowered his mouth to hers, and took her over. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, not invading it but exploring it lightly. He didn’t try to overpower her at all, but he wanted her to feel his passion.

  Mac could feel it, there was a connection between them, not just her imagination. The kiss he gave her left no doubt. It was a sweet probing of her mouth on his part, and she did the same, pushing her tongue to meet his. Their tongues danced for a few minutes, and they both pulled back.

  Derrick looked down at her, afraid but excited. He really was burned by his ex, and she popped up quickly in his mind to torture him. “Really you think she would ever want you? I didn’t and you threw yourself at me for a while. You thought I wanted you, maybe you are just thinking she wants you right now.” Her voice sounded off in his mind.

  Mac could see the conflict of emotions going over his face. She touched the side of her face with her fingertips. It worked she grabbed his attention. Instead of saying anything though, she put her mouth on his again, and kissed him intensely. She didn’t want sex, no she just wanted to let him know that he was something special to her. As she pulled her mouth from his, she could see the fire in his eyes.

  “I don’t know what I can offer you, I’m broken, and I don’t know how long it will take to fix myself.” Derrick said looking down at her, he had walked into the water, but was still holding her close. He didn’t want to lose the contact of her skin on his, it felt so nice, so odd after so long without a person.

  “Everyone is broken in all honesty, in one way or another. Maybe not by someone else, but there could be a part of their past that haunts them through the years, and makes them feel they are unlovable even. But you have to realize that there may be someone who will help you feel better as you fix those broken parts of you.” Mac said.

  “You are so beautiful, and such a good person. What if I’m not a nice guy when you get to know me? I don’t want to be hurt again, I can’t take it.”

  “Love is always a gamble, you will never find it if you don’t give yourself to another person. You either throw the dice, or you hold them close and never find someone. Me? Well I’m willing to take a chance to find another person who will love me like I love them. If it’s you, this would be great. I think there is a good chance, and you know what? I’m very willing to take that chance. The ball is in your court though, I can’t force you into this. I learned my lesson if you love someone you can’t make them love you no matter what, if they don’t at the start.” Mac said, the whole time thinking of the past mistakes she had made, but willing to try it with Derrick.

  Derrick looked at her. “You know I’ve not stayed in a place more than a month for the past 3 years. I don’t want to drag you around and never give you a home. A place where if we want we can grow a family, have memories that will last a lifetime, even have our grandchildren visit there one day.”

  “So why can’t we find this? We just have to find a place where we feel is home. I can work, you can get a job. We start together, we help and support each other . That is after all what love is all about.” Mac said.

  “Why not, why shouldn’t we try it. Like you said, it may work, but if we really want it we can ma
ke it last. We can have it all, everything and we can build it together.” Derrick stated. “Maybe we can even get married, I think I would like that a lot.”

  Mac stopped and smiled. “Are you asking me to marry you right now?”

  Derrick shrugged his shoulders as if to say why not?

  Mac smiled and laughed. “Well one thing is I don’t even know your last name. I mean it can’t be anything to messed up that will make me sound funny. You know if there is a guy out there who has a last name like Roni, well could you imagine that , my name would be Mac Roni.” All I need is the middle initial A and it would be perfect.” Mel laughed hard, so did Derrick.

  “You really are something else. I swear you have made me feel so alive, and I barely know you. My last name is Jonas.”

  “Oh are you related to the band members?” Mac joked.

  “No sorry to say.”

  “Okay so Mac Jonas, not bad at all. I could get used to that.” She pulled herself up on his shoulders and kissed him.

  “So it’s acceptable to you?” Derrick laughed.

  Mac gave him another kiss to show him how acceptable it was to her.

  Derrick hugged her closely. “So let’s go find a place to get married. I’ll get you a ring in one of the towns around here, find the justice of the peace office and then it will be done!”

  “Seriously, you want to do it now?” Mac asked, shocked, she had thought it was part joking on his side.

  “No I’m serious I don’t want to let this go. You really do make me feel great. There is something about you that I want to keep around. We can wait until tomorrow, but I want to tell you I want to wait to make love to you until we are married. I want us to be husband and wife first, then we can do more.”

  Mac looked at him, it was like he could see deep inside of her mind, and it was what she had always wanted. A guy who was more about being morally correct instead of one who didn’t want to make a commitment to get her body.

  She smiled up to him. “I will be more than happy to be Mrs. Mac Jonas, it will make me very proud.”

  Derrick kissed and hugged her. He looked around at the scenery. He had never really been in Pennsylvania, but he could see them finding a cabin in this area, having woods surrounding their property. Kids who could learn to play in the woods from their mother. He smiled, she really would and had already changed his life around. He couldn’t wait until they were husband and wife!

  THE END

  ENSLAVED BY ALIEN LORD

  Chapter 1

  “I have no idea why you continue to play the field, Scarlet. You do know that you are close to the age of choice and that your days of casual dalliances are almost over. Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed the way that the guys have suddenly gotten a little bit more anxious around us lately. We are all ready to take that plunge, but I’m not sure that you can say the same thing. I know that having fun is one thing, but it’s time to grow up and become what you have been destined for.” Scandal was Scarlet’s best friend, but she was the only one that could accept that she was mutated. Scandal’s skin had a tinge of blue, not unlike prince Niles Starr. He was the one that everyone was waiting for and also terrified that they would be chosen.

  Standing at the window in a flowing white gown, Scarlet looks down on the town and knows that eventually her time of freedom will be over. She thought that there was plenty of time, but the age of choice was not something that she could deny. “If it’s all the same to you, Scandal, I would really like not to talk about this anymore. It gives me a cold chill down my spine to think that I’ll have to spend my life with one man.” She saw the many suitors with some that had tails and others that had glowing green eyes. This was a melting pot of alien entities. Her herself had one strange feature and that was a string of purple hair that looked out of place on her almost platinum blond locks.

  “You can’t stick your head in the sand forever. Two days from now, we are to stand and to choose our mates. I’ve already given my hand to Justus. He’s very kind and I do hope that his family approves.” “I don’t see why she is, so worried. She has the pedigree and Justus’s family should feel honored that she is going to stand with them. I on the other hand have no idea what I’m going to do. There are so many eligible bachelors and so little time. I’ve been sowing my wild oats and I have to say that I’ve enjoyed the variety.”

  Scandal moved her hand through her very short shorn hair that had the kind of spikes that you would find on some wild animal on earth. They knew of its existence, but this was the river planet. It was named accordingly. This world was entwined by many rivers and that one person that held the power of passage didn’t exactly do it out of the goodness of their hearts. She knew that the royal family with the name of Starr held those rights with grim death.

  “You’re lucky that you have chosen already. I’m sure that others have already done that as well, but I just don’t feel that flutter of nervousness in my stomach. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy exploring their bodies and finding the differences. You know that one and he will remain nameless has the kind of anatomy that actually comes out like a turtle?” She remembered seeing it and touching it and thinking that it was not much to look at. It was only when it sprung out of its shell that she realized that it had a mind of its own. “I’ve come here from the distant planet of Delta. I was given the right to come to this planet, as an emissary to my family and their way of life.”

  Scarlet turned from the window, disgusted by her behavior, but secretly delighting in the feel of those bodies that had come to her in the middle of the night. She welcomed them with open arms and found that sense of freedom something hard to give up. “I don’t want to have only one lover and that seems cruel and unusual punishment. So what that I’m a little promiscuous and I like to share the wealth of my body.”

  “You are the most incorrigible woman that I have ever met in my life.” Scandal had come from her own planet and this melting pot of entities was here by the bequest of each of their leaders. They were here to make sure that the best interest of the planet that they served was met with favorable results. “I don’t know how you plan to get out of this and I really don’t need to know. The less I know the better, as far as I’m concerned. I’m afraid that I can’t take this journey with you. I implore you to rethink your decision and going against the age of choice is not something that you should do lightly. Besides, it has never been done before and you have no idea what the punishment for that kind of thing is. Between you and me, I really don’t want to find out and I don’t think that you do either.” Scandal was wearing a red dress that had strategic cuts all around, so when she turned it floated around her like it was a part of her.

  “I hold the hopes and dreams of some man out there in the palm of my hand. They have no idea that I can be stubborn and stuck in my ways. I don’t want to be a part of this tradition. I’m going to do everything in my power to find a way out of this. There is nothing in the rules that state that I can’t remain an island onto myself. Let them do their damnedest. They can court me all they want, but I don’t think that there’s anyone alive that will make me feel anything, but mild curiosity.” Coming here was the best thing that she could ever have done. Back on her own planet, she was cloistered and pretty much told by her parents what to do on any given day.

  Without them around, she was able to break free and there was no way that she was in any hurry to put those bonds of matrimony around her wrist. Those bracelets were meant to signify a unity between the trust of two people that had found each other. To her, it was prison. She had no desire to walk down that path anytime soon. It didn’t matter to her that her parents had requested that she find a way into the prince’s good graces. She had seen him in passing in the last five years that she had been on the river planet. She did notice that he was looking at her from time to time, but she tried her best to dissuade his interest. Frankly she was hot for his form.

  “I know that I came here for my parents, but what I found was a
haven from their tyrannical ways. You have no idea what I had to put up with. I was anxious to spread my wings and they were just, as anxious to clip them. I tried to rebel, but my father was adamant that I keep my opinions to myself. He had made it virtually impossible for me to find a suitable mate. He claimed that I was better than that.”

  The door had a resounding knock. She was presented with a bouquet of flowers from the hills. At the first contact of sunlight, they began to stretch and turn different colors. They fed off the fuel of the two suns and off the emotions of the person that they were given to. “The prince has requested that you come to him for the bicentennial dinner. This is quite the honor. The one thing that you cannot do is refuse. This is part of the courting tradition and one that you must abide by.” Sousa was the man that the prince respected enough to do his bidding. He was a squirrelly fella, but he had always found a way to do what was needed to be done.

  Scarlet was about to say something in argument, but Sousa turned around and walked away before she had the chance. She looked at the flowers and she knew that she was obligated to at the very least sit down and discuss things in private with the prince.

  “I’m not sure that I should call you lucky or cursed. It’s the highest honor to be chosen for the bicentennial dinner by the prince himself. It’s also the one thing that all of us girls have been trying to avoid from the moment that we got here.” Scandal knew that five years planting the seeds of their own planets best interest was a tedious task to say the least. There were many functions that required them to dance to the tune of the prince and his royal family. Five years and in all that time, she noticed that Scarlet was not exactly shy about her affections. It kind of sickened her, but she was secretly envious of the way that she was able to make the best out of a bad situation.

  “I guess I’m going to have to break out the ceremonial robes.” “I never wanted his attention and why he deems me appropriate for this dinner is beyond me. These robes are not very flattering, but maybe I can do some alterations to make the prince stand up and take notice. This might be the only way that I can get him off my back once and for all. He’s sophisticated, charming, but I doubt that he’s going to like my attitude, not to mention the scantily way that I dress.” She gave Scandal the bum’s rush, pushing her out the door with a glint in her of mischievousness.