Dathrow

by Leora Gonzales

  “Spill the beans, Pix.” Poppy leaned forward and took up a “ready to listen” pose.

  “Well, these last few days have been amazing.” Pixie knew she was gushing but couldn’t seem to stop herself. “So amazing that I signed the bride contract before coming over here.”

  “Already?” Poppy exclaimed.

  “I know, I know. It seems so fast, doesn’t it?” Pixie said quickly. “It just feels…right. That’s the best word for it. It feels right. Like he’s the one I’m supposed to be with. Somehow I was destined to find him. This whole thing is crazy but at the same time I don’t have any doubts that I love him.”

  Poppy sat back in her chair and gave her a hard stare.

  “What?” Pixie asked.

  “Give me a minute to absorb this,” Poppy said before becoming silent again.

  “Just tell me what the fuck you’re thinking!”

  Poppy held out her hands as if to calm her down. “Okay, my initial thoughts were ‘damn, that’s fast’ but now I’m thinking about it, I admit that I understand what you’re feeling. I feel the same way about Wheaton. This is what I wanted for you from the beginning.”

  “You wanted me to be with Dath from the beginning?” Pixie asked, confused.

  “Not him in particular, but someone who makes you happy,” Poppy explained. “I can safely say I never saw this reaction when you were dating Brian. Maybe a smidge when you first met him but never this. It’s like I have my old Pix back, ya know?”

  “I get it,” Pixie admitted with a sigh. “I really did let myself become a Stepford girlfriend for a while, didn’t I?”

  Poppy reached across the table and held her hand. “I was going to start checking you for batteries soon. You snapped out of it just in time,” she deadpanned.

  “You’re such a bish.” Pixie smacked the hand holding hers lightly. “I hate to admit it but you were right.”

  “Let’s make a deal. From now on, we will not be swayed to changing who we are or how we act for any man. They love us or they can go fuck themselves.” Poppy nodded sharply once.

  “Deal,” Pixie instantly agreed.

  “Now tell me all the dirty details about your new hubs.” Poppy leaned forward and whispered, “Have you two done the deed yet?”

  “Well…we actually attacked each other my first day here.” Pixie felt her cheeks turn pink as she remembered their encounter.

  “What?” Poppy sat back as if scandalized.

  “Don’t judge me, bish!”

  “I’m not judging. I’m just shocked you didn’t tell me,” Poppy said, rolling her eyes. “So, how was it?”

  “I can’t even… It was perfect and totally amazing,” Pixie said on a gush of air. “And that’s all I’m saying.”

  “Tease!” Poppy laughed.

  “You never gave me the deets on Wheaton, so it serves you right,” Pixie argued. “Plus, we held off after that first time until I was sure I was staying.”

  “Wow, that’s some willpower.”

  “I didn’t say we didn’t do other stuff. Just nothing that could knock me up. We just signed the paperwork this morning but he had to go into work before we could celebrate.” Pixie added an eye wiggle to the last word, letting Poppy know exactly what she meant by celebrate.

  “What was he called in for anyway? Wheaton got a message this morning that made him leave early too.” Poppy frowned into her cup as she finished off her tea.

  “Finch!” Pixie yelled into the living area only a short distance away.

  Finch jumped where he was sitting on the couch. “Was it necessary to yell at me? I can hear the two of you talking from here.”

  “Have you been listening this whole time?” Poppy gasped in mock horror.

  “It would have been hard not to,” Finch said with a grimace directed at the women. “And no, I do not know why your men were called into meetings today.”

  “Dammit, Finch! What good are you to us if you can’t give us the low down?” Poppy’s voice showed her disappointment.

  “Pops, that was mean.” Pixie shook her head at her sister before smiling at Finch. “She didn’t mean it. I think she may be carrying a demon baby. Just ignore her.”

  “My baby isn’t a demon! Take it back!” Poppy yelled at her sister while clutching at her baby bump protectively.

  “Well then stop acting like a crazy person!” Pixie snapped back. “Poor Finch looks like he doesn’t know what to do with you.”

  Poppy looked over at the couch where their escort was sitting still with wide eyes.

  “I’m sorry. This emotional roller coaster is hard to stay strapped into. Sometimes I feel like I’m gonna fly right out of my seat,” Poppy grumped.

  “I did not understand any of what you just said,” Finch said in a confused voice.

  Pixie laughed at the conversation they were having. “Finch, just nod and say ‘okay’.”

  Finch nodded seriously and repeated after Pixie, “Okay.”

  “Now that we’ve sufficiently confused and frightened our friend, what do you say we go exploring?” Pixie suggested, picking up the empty plates from the table.

  “Sounds good to me,” Poppy said, looking at Finch for agreement.

  “I will need to check with your warriors and make sure that is acceptable but I do not see a problem.”

  “Why do you need to ask them?” Pixie asked.

  “The security level is still high from our last attack. There may be parts of the ships that we should avoid as a precaution,” Finch explained.

  “Oh, I guess that sounds fair.” Pixie nodded. “Pops, do you have any yoga pants I can change into? I think I got syrup on these.”

  “Geez, it’s just a little drop.”

  “I hate having spots on my clothes. You know this, so stop stalling and get me some pants, bish.” Pixie nudged her sister into the apartment’s bedroom.

  “Apparently you’re still OCD,” Poppy teased while rustling through a closet. “Will these work?” Holding out a pair of crop yoga pants, she waited for her sister to nod before she balled them up and tossed them at Pixie’s face playfully.

  Catching them before she got a mouthful of cotton, Pixie stuck out her tongue at Poppy. “I only brought two pairs of these,” she said while slipping them on. “For some reason I expected the ship to be cold so I packed some new jeans but donated my lounging clothes.”

  “Dumb move, sis,” Poppy pointed out, flopping down onto the bed.

  “I know. I have a feeling I’ll need to add some to the list I have for Dath.”

  “List?”

  “Yeah, he said I could order some stuff to make our apartment more comfortable. I like that throw you have in the living room. Where did you get that?” Pixie asked, adjusting the pants.

  “The Pleasure Sector,” Poppy answered, relaxing into the pillows.

  “You went to the Pleasure Sector?” Pixie asked, her voice a mix of amazement and jealousy.

  “Not me. We just had some stuff picked up when the shuttles were going back and forth,” Poppy said. “We won’t be able to get anything from there until the ship starts moving back to the home planet though. It might be easier to just order it from Earth and have one of the men pick it up the next time they go down.”

  “How often do they make trips?” Pixie asked, sitting down on the bed next to her sister.

  “I think daily…but the trips are all different.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Pixie rolled onto her side, propping herself onto her elbow. “Sometimes it’s a council trip where they meet with the government. A few trips are for supplies but those are made by regular warriors.” Pixie giggled at her sister before adding, “Wheaton said some of the warriors even go down to ‘watch’ Earth people interact. Apparently that’s what he was doing the first time I saw him at MegaMart.”

  “Oh Jesus. He thought going to a MegaMart to people-watch was a good idea? Talk about a bad idea,” Pixie joked.

  “It made me laugh when he expla
ined it too. They were driving around and saw all the cars there and wanted to know what all the fuss was about.”

  Both of the women laughed at what they imagined the warriors’ reactions were once they got into the giant store. That place was awful on a slow day. Add into the doomsday preppers with their normal shoppers and Pixie knew the aliens had gotten an eyeful of human society. She was amazed they’d stuck around after what they might have seen.

  “Do you believe in fate?” Poppy asked seriously.

  “I don’t know. Why?” Pixie asked, wondering why her sister was suddenly quiet.

  “I saw Wheaton at that store the first time I went out after all the shit went down. Then I happened to be matched to him…” Poppy sighed, her thoughts obviously heavy. “It just makes you wonder, ya know? Like was this some sort of grand plan and everything is playing out how it’s supposed to.”

  “I don’t know, sis. I guess with everything that happened it does make you wonder. I mean, what are the odds I would meet Dath when he came to Earth to pick you up and then be matched to him?” Pixie said, staring at her sister.

  “It’s so weird, right?” Poppy said out loud.

  “Yeah.” Pixie sat up on the bed. “Enough of this serious shit. Let’s see what Finch found out about our exploring.”

  Pixie held out her hand to help Poppy off the bed. “Sweet baby Jesus, Pops. You have gotten heavier,” she teased as she pulled her up.

  “Shut your face, bish. You try carrying an alien baby and see what happens to your ass.” Poppy tried to swat at her but Pixie ducked away too quickly for her to make contact.

  “No hitting!” Pixie laughed as she walked into the living room ahead of her sister.

  Finch was standing at the door with his arms crossed behind his back.

  “What’s the verdict?” Poppy asked their escort.

  “We are able to go everywhere except for the docking bay,” Finch answered, waiting for the women to slip their shoes back on. “There are shuttles scheduled all day and the council would like us to avoid that area as a safety precaution.”

  “Sounds fair,” Pixie agreed watching Poppy struggle to get the back of her shoes over her now-swollen feet. “You need some help there, preggers?”

  “Dammit! I am gonna have to get new shoes. These fuckers aren’t wanting to cooperate anymore,” Poppy muttered with one shoe dangling off her foot.

  “Don’t cry. Let’s just switch shoes.” Pixie toed off her own slip-ons. “These are a little loose on me anyway. Yours will probably fit me better.” Pixie grinned when Poppy sighed in contentment after her feet were in the more comfortable pair.

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” Finch said once the women were ready. At their looks of surprise, he shrugged. “I am trying to speak your Earth slang more easily. Did it sound okay?”

  “Yeah, Finch. It sounded perfect,” Poppy praised, patting him on the back as he led them out of the apartment.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Poppy!” Pixie yelled in an embarrassed voice.

  “What?” Poppy asked with an evil grin. “All I did was ask her what it was like to be married to two men?”

  “Saying ‘How are you still able to walk?’ is not the same!” Pixie rubbed her eyes in exasperation while Andi laughed loudly.

  “Andi doesn’t care,” Poppy defended herself. “Right?”

  “Don’t worry, Pixie. I’ve gotten used to the shit that flies out of her mouth.” Andi waved her hand toward Poppy.

  “I’m going to speak with the doctors,” Finch sighed, his own lack of patience showing clearly.

  As Finch walked to where the doctors were conversing quietly, Pixie looked around the room.

  “Why don’t you volunteer here anymore?” The question was directed at Poppy, who’d moved to scavenge at the donuts sitting unprotected on a table.

  “Since Andi is here now it seemed like a waste of time.” Poppy spoke around a mouthful of carbs. “She’s able to help all the brides and I didn’t want to step on any toes.”

  “Poppy, you wouldn’t have stepped on my toes at all,” Andi admonished. “It would be nice to have the company, actually.”

  “No worries. I’ve been tired lately anyway.” Poppy rubbed her baby bump with a thoughtful look on her face. “When is my next scan, by the way?”

  “I think you’re on the schedule next week, but we have time today if you want to be checked now. Why? Is there something wrong?”

  As soon as the words were out of Andi’s lips, both doctors and Finch rushed over to Poppy’s side.

  “Are you feeling unwell?” Tamin and Rodin spoke in unison as Finch appeared panicked.

  “Why did you not say something was wrong?! Wheaton will kill me if something happens to you during my watch.” Finch helped Poppy to a chair while she chewed her donut calmly.

  “You guys need to chill the fuck out,” Poppy said as she cleared her mouth of food. “I was just curious.”

  “Well then why didn’t you just say that?” Tamin demanded hotly.

  “Maybe because you nuts didn’t give her a chance,” Andi pointed out dryly as she walked to her husbands. “You two need to calm down.”

  Andi wrapped an arm around each man’s waist. Pixie took a moment to take in the scene. The threesome seemed extremely happy and comfortable despite their unconventional relationship. Eyeing the men, Pixie wondered again how Andi was walking. She herself had barely been able to handle one Dathrow. Imagining two men needing sexual attention made her shiver at the thought.

  “So, why did you guys come by today?” Andi asked the group.

  “We were bored,” Poppy admitted while propping her feet up on a chair.

  “Gee. Thanks.” Andi smirked at Pixie and rolled her eyes. “Have you already been scanned, Pixie?”

  “Yeah, I was scanned my first day here when I got my ear thingamabob.” Pixie pointed to the side of her head. “Is there any way we can do another scan on Pops so I can see the baby?”

  “Yeah, can we?” Poppy asked, her eyes pleading to the doctors.

  “I would love to but right now we have appointments coming in that are scheduled,” Rodin responded, checking the schedule on his tablet.

  “Well, shit.” Poppy flopped back into the chair, making a face.

  “It’s okay, Pops. Will Wheaton be okay with me coming next time to your appointment?” Pixie asked.

  “He won’t care,” Poppy answered, her face giving the answer that even if Wheaton did mind, then Poppy didn’t care.

  “How’s everything going with Dathrow, Pixie?” Andi probed as she moved to sit at the table and grab herself something to eat.

  “Great actually.” Pixie felt her face heating as she blushed. “We signed the bridal paperwork this morning.”

  “That’s awesome news!” Andi beamed and clapped her hands.

  “Did you need condoms?” Rodin inquired baldly.

  The question came out of nowhere, causing all the women to choke on the bites of food they had just taken.

  “Wait. What?” Poppy asked once she’d cleared her throat. “Why does she get rubbers and I didn’t?”

  “We just received a shipment,” Rodin said, ignoring the death glare Poppy was shooting his way.

  “And?” Poppy bit out.

  Andi interrupted the fight that everyone could see brewing. “The council recently decided birth control should be available for the couples who want to limit the number of children produced. They also wanted to give the option to space out pregnancies if desired.”

  Andi’s words, with their politically correct phrasing, sounded as if she were reading out a memo.

  “What about the new brides who want to wait to have babies?” Pixie asked with her brows raised in question.

  “Well…” Tamin looked as if he didn’t know how to answer her.

  Rodin leaned back in the chair he’d relaxed in and folded his arms. Staying silent for a moment, he studied Pixie closely. “We were not given instructions regarding th
at situation, but I see no problem with providing condoms to you and Dathrow if you request it.”

  “Rodin—” Tamin shook his head at his friend and partner.

  “Tamin, we considered using them when we courted Andi. It would have happened if they would have been available at the time. Why should we deny that option to other couples?” Rodin argued.

  “Maybe because the whole point of the pact is to increase the numbers of our race,” Tamin said dryly, mimicking Rodin’s pose in the chair.

  “These women are changing their entire lives for us. The least we can do is give them a window to get comfortable before we thrust motherhood on them.”

  Before Rodin could finish his speech, Andi was out of her chair and sitting on his lap. Peppering kisses over his cheeks, she hugged him close. “That is the sweetest answer you could have given.”

  “Andi! I am sweet too!” Tamin said grumpily. “What if the council finds out we are passing out—”

  “It was never said that we could not give them to whoever asked,” Rodin interrupted before he could finish.

  Tamin ran his hands over his face and into his hair, the picture of frustration. “You are going to put our status on the ship in question because of a technicality?”

  “I am not saying that we will supply them indefinitely. We can approach the council and suggest a period of three months for the bride to become acclimated to her new life,” Rodin replied with a shrug.

  The women were all sitting quietly, watching the men volley arguments back and forth as if viewing a tennis match.

  “You guys could call it the ‘honeymoon period’.” Poppy offered. When she was met with blank stares from the men, she explained. “A honeymoon is when the bride and groom go away and have time for themselves after they get married. I think that the brides would appreciate a three-month wait if it was offered. I don’t know if any would take you up on it, but it’s a nice option to have.”

  Andi nodded her head in agreement. “It’s always nice to be given a choice.” When the men started to protest she quickly added, “We know why we are here but let’s face it. There’s a lot of shit we have to get used to. Life on the ship is not an easy transition, guys. With the initial stress of it all, it would be smart to at least give us an option for a short period of time to not add pregnancy into that mess.”