Beauty and the Space Beast: A Space Age Fairy Tale (Star-Crossed Tales)

by J. M. Page

Celine rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course. That’s wonderful, really it is. Can we go back to the thing about love?”

  He chuckled and shook his head, bending down to kiss her. “You’re impossible you know? Of course I love you. Wasn’t that obvious when I squashed a genocidal alien?”

  Her breath hitched in her throat and she threw her arms — both arms — around him, her eyes wet, though she fought to keep the tears at bay. When she pulled away, she was frowning at her mechanical arm and held it out between them.

  “Even like this?”

  Ben nodded. “Even more. This is who you really are. You don’t need to pretend for me, Celine. Your arm is a part of you, so it’s incredible by default. It also helped you save the city, which we’re all quite grateful for,” he added with a teasing lilt to his voice.

  Celine gave a watery chuckle, still in disbelief. “Yeah…”

  Ben cupped her cheek in his hand and looked into her eyes, searching and holding her in place.

  “I mean it. I love you just the way you are, mods and all. Don’t ever think you have to change for me or anyone else.”

  She smiled, content in that moment. Blissful even. Of course, it couldn’t last long and a nagging thought tugged at her until she frowned.

  “I suppose the King will need to be in his palace?”

  Ben tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and Celine leaned into his palm, happy for the contact with him.

  “For a little while,” he said. “Until I can be sure everyone’s integrating properly and the bureaucracy isn’t going to send us into anarchy again.”

  He paused for a beat, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

  “But don’t think I’ve forgotten our trip. We’re still going to tour the galaxy. Besides, it’s going to take a few months before you’re ready anyway.”

  Her brow creased in confusion. “Ready for what?”

  He gave her a grin that could stop traffic and outshine the stars themselves. “Ready to fly, of course. I hope you don’t think I’ve overstepped, but a friend of mine is one of the top instructors in the Space Force. He’s agreed to teach you, if you want, that is.”

  Celine’s eyes went wide as the moon. “Are you serious?”

  Ben shrugged, unable to keep up the nonchalant act when it came to his crazy-broad smile. “No better way to see the wonders of the galaxy than from the pilot’s seat.”

  Celine matched his grin with one of her own and pulled him in for a long-awaited kiss.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  “Your Highness? King Bennett requests your presence,” Aris said, popping her head through the open doorway.

  Celine frowned, sending an apologetic look to Alex.

  “I’m in the middle of a session,” she said. “Is it urgent?”

  Aris looked around and gave a little shrug and a knowing smirk that made Celine suspicious. “I’m afraid he’s insistent.”

  Celine sighed, giving Alex’s new mechanical leg another look-over. “You don’t have any complaints? Phantom pain? Spasms? Anything like that?”

  Alex grinned and stood on his one leg, hopping up and down. “I’ve never been better. Never thought I’d be able to walk without pain again,” he said.

  Celine just smiled.

  Over the past year, Celine and her father worked diligently to create parts for Terrans that needed them. Some had limbs that had failed them, like Alex, others wanted additions, rather than modifications. That provided a whole new challenge — one that Abatu and Celine had bonded a great deal over. They’d spawned a whole new movement of mechanical accessories, but insisted everyone learn how to properly use their new modifications.

  Celine handled arms and she loved seeing tinkerers being born every day. People that never gave any thought to the machines in their lives that suddenly wanted to take everything apart to see the inner workings.

  It warmed her heart.

  Alex was the exception; he was Ben’s best friend and she wasn’t going to entrust his progress with anyone else.

  “Alright, but we’re doing double therapy next time, you can thank Ben,” she said with a little smirk.

  Alex groaned playfully. “You’re killing me,” he teased, wrapping her in a half hug before heading to the door. “Say hello to His Majesty for me, will you?” Alex added with a twinkle in his eye.

  “I will,” Celine said, following Aris out of the examination room.

  “What’s this about?” she asked as Aris led her to another wing of the palace.

  Aris’s narrow shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy, Your Highness.”

  Celine rolled her eyes. “You can stop calling me that, you know. Just because we got married a couple of months ago doesn’t mean you have to start acting all weird around me.”

  Aris just offered a demure smile and opened the door to Ben’s office.

  Celine waited for Aris to leave and close the door before she turned to her husband, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. “What are you up to now?”

  Ben feigned innocence. “Up to? Whatever do you mean my darling?”

  Okay, now she was certain he was up to something.

  She pursed her lips and waited for him to dig himself in deeper.

  Ben cleared his throat. “How are your flying lessons coming?”

  She frowned, really confused now. “Why don’t you tell me? You let me fly all the way home after we visited the Caudata Nebula.”

  Ben faltered, looking like she’d caught him in something. But what?

  “It’s not fair when you look at me like that, it takes all the fun out of surprises,” he pouted.

  Celine couldn’t help but smile, crossing the room in three quick steps to lean over his desk, her lips hovering just above his. “Maybe you should stop trying to surprise me,” she said, her voice low and teasing.

  “Never,” he said, closing the distance between them. His kisses never failed to send a jolt all the way to her toes.

  “Come on, I have something to show you.”

  Celine let her husband take her by the hand and lead her through the palace. At long last, they ended up where they always seemed to end up: the hangar.

  “Are we going flying?” she asked, wondering why it couldn’t have waited until after her session.

  Ben’s expression brightened, like she’d just answered a question for him. “Yes! Yes we are. Come on.”

  He was still acting very strange. Celine resolved to keep a close eye on him.

  “Where to?” she asked, pressing for more information.

  Her husband practically hopped from one foot to the other. “I thought we’d survey the Outskirts and see how things are coming along.”

  Celine nodded and didn’t voice her objection that they’d just done that very thing a week earlier.

  Ben huffed. “You really do take all the fun out of it, you know,” he said, a smile still betraying his words.

  “Just tell me already, then!”

  “Fine! I got you a new ship. Are you happy?”

  Whatever she thought she was going to hear, that wasn’t it. Celine felt her jaw go slack and her eyes go wide. “Really?”

  “Really,” Ben beamed. “And I thought you’d wanna take it for a spin. They just finished everything and are fueling her up now.”

  Celine’s face hurt from how hard she was smiling. “Who says my ship is a girl? Maybe it’s a boy ship.”

  Ben rolled his eyes and gestured. “You tell me.”

  It was the most magnificent thing Celine had ever seen. Sleek, aerodynamic, it looked like it could out-maneuver the nimblest fighter and still want for a challenge.

  “That’s really mine?” she asked, taking a step toward it with one arm outstretched. It was a far cry from the pasted-together ship she’d once tried to build herself. “Can I touch it?”

  Ben laughed. “You’re gonna do a lot more than that, come on!”

  He took her by the hand and pulled her up the steps into the cockp
it of the two-seater. Every surface was shiny and new, begging for her to come closer. She gave Ben one last questioning look, and with his nod of encouragement, plopped herself into the pilot’s seat.

  “I can’t believe you got this for me! It’s wonderful,” she said, her throat closing up with emotion.

  “You like it?”

  “I love it,” she said, spinning in her chair to give him a kiss.

  “Good, now let’s see what she—” Celine shot her husband a sharp look. “—or he can do. Why don’t you start your pre-flight checklist?”

  She did as he said, following the procedure her instructor laid out, an extra layer of pressure on her under the watchful eyes of Ben. He’d always be twice the flyer she was, but she’d never stop trying to match him in skill.

  Soon, they were hovering above the city, heading for the wall.

  Things had changed there, in the last year, too. After she fixed the force field, Celine couldn’t stop tinkering with it, and finally, she managed to extend the borders, giving them land enough to work.

  It wasn’t easy and Ben had brought in countless specialists from across the galaxy, but eventually, they were able to farm the land. Now, where it was once barren and dusty, there were tidy rows of crops, lush green plants, and people happy to be free from the depths of the city. Urban life wasn’t for everyone, after all.

  It amazed her what they’d been able to accomplish together and she wondered how they ever became so fractured in the first place. Just as Celine felt Ben was her other half, the Terrans felt the modders were theirs. The transition had gone better than she ever could have hoped.

  They circled the perimeter of the city before Celine tilted the ship up, aiming for the heavens. Even though she could see them from the palace with the expanded force field, nothing gave her as much joy as seeing the stars past the atmosphere.

  Well, almost nothing.

  “This really is quite a lovely ship,” she said, watching Ben out of the corner of her eye.

  He turned to her, eyes narrowed. “Why do I hear a but?”

  She pressed her lips together, fighting back a smile, and shook her head. “No buts.”

  Ben crossed his arms, his expression still trying to read through her. “So what’s wrong with it?”

  She shrugged. “Oh, nothing really… Although,” she paused, trying to appear thoughtful. “It’s a bit small don’t you think?”

  Ben looked around, frowning. “How many people are you wanting to fit in here? Call me selfish, but I like to have you to myself.”

  Celine’s heart thumped wildly in her throat and she swallowed. Was she wrong, thinking that he’d be happy?

  “Well, I think it would be nice if it were big enough for the whole family…”

  “You know your father hates leaving the ground. Bora’s not too fond of it either…”

  Celine let her hand drift from the steering to her stomach, settling there in a meaningful way.

  Ben paused, took a moment, then sucked in a breath. “Are you… Are we… You mean… Don’t just let me blabber!”

  Celine laughed, relieved with his excitement. She nodded. “Yes. We’re going to have a new heir to the throne. Are you… happy?”

  Ben was out of his chair, his arms around her, his lips on hers in a matter of moments. “Happy? Darling, I’ve never been more thrilled than I am to have you and now, this little one,” he said, his hand covering hers.

  And they lived happily ever after...

  Bonus Epilogue

  “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you,” Ben said, sweeping into the workshop with an air of regal confidence.

  Celine looked over her shoulder at her husband and smiled fondly. “Here I am,” she said, looking down at the workbench in front of her, her eyes glossing over, unable to focus on the task at hand. Her gaze drifted up, to the vast window before her.

  Ben wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled his chin in the crook between her neck and shoulder, kissing her playfully. “What are you doing? Anything important?”

  Celine shook her head, her hand falling to her swollen belly. “I’ve been staring at this hydraulic system for hours,” she said, almost ashamed to admit it.

  Ben’s face fell, she could feel the frown against her neck and he nibbled there gently. “How come?” His hand went from its position around her waist, drifting lower to cover hers. “You’re not worrying again, are you?”

  Celine nibbled her bottom lip, tears springing to her eyes though she tried her best to push them back before she turned to face him. Ben locked his fingers together behind her, Celine’s big belly acting as a buffer between them.

  “Why shouldn’t I?” she whispered.

  Ben bent down to kiss her, a gentle smile curving his lips. “Because our baby is going to be perfect.”

  “What if it’s not? What if it’s born like me? Missing… something,” she frowned, her heart aching at the very thought.

  Ben shook his head. “We’re going to love her the same no matter what. Whether she has two toes, ten, or a hundred!”

  Celine chuckled, swiping at her hormonal tears with a nod. “I know… A hundred toes might be hard to fit into shoes, though.”

  Ben affected a look of mock offense. “You don’t think I can have the perfect shoes made for my little princess?”

  Celine laughed again and looked down at the baby between them, still growing inside her. “You really shouldn’t say things like that. You’re going to jinx it. We don’t know that it’s going to be a girl. You tried to make my ship a girl, too. What’s up with that?” she teased, stretching over the distance to kiss him again.

  Ben grinned. “I can’t help but imagine a miniature version of you.” He shrugged.

  Celine shook her head. “You do know he’s going to have half of his looks from you?”

  “Poor kid,” Ben joked.

  His expression turned serious and he pulled her tight, filling her with warmth from the inside out. Their love was too strong, too powerful, for any silly thing like that to get in the way. Of course they’d love their child no matter what, but Celine still hoped he — or she — would be born completely normal.

  Her husband held her for a long time, understanding her need for silent comfort while a million thoughts raced through her mind.

  After a long time, he kissed the top of her head. “Everything’s going to be fine, love. And when our little one is ready to meet us, we’ll be waiting with open hearts.”

  Celine smiled with a nod, her hand drifting to her stomach again. There was a twinge of pain, deep inside, a cramping feeling and she grimaced, drawing a worried look from her husband.

  “I think he might be ready now,” she said with a little chuckle.

  In a matter of seconds, the whole palace was worked into a frenzy.

  In the aftermath of the commotion, Celine laid in a big fluffy bed in a specific wing of the palace, holding her newborn son.

  “He’s perfect,” Ben said, awed as he gently stoked the soft down of jet black hair on his son’s tiny head.

  “Just the right amount of everything,” Celine said, exhaustion and euphoria warring with each other to keep her in a hazy state of wakefulness.

  The baby cooed and curled his tiny fist against Celine’s chest, nuzzling in against her heartbeat.

  “You’re amazing,” Ben whispered, kissing them both.

  “Is he here? Am I too late? Where is he?” Celine’s father barged in the room and she and Ben both turned to him with a sharp ‘shh’.

  “He’s sleeping, Dad. He’s had a rough day coming into the world and all.”

  Abatu was only the first in the procession of people clamoring to meet the new Prince. Ben’s father was away on a diplomatic meeting, but that didn’t stop the rest of their motley bunch from crowding in.

  Bora managed to barrel her way through the bewildered nurses still lingering with a squealing Rufus attached. Bora didn’t really know what all the excitement was abou
t, but she knew something was going on and wanted to be a part of it.

  As the dog rounded the side of the bed to sniff the baby’s ear, Rufus jumped off her back and rolled his way up the mattress.

  “He’s very small,” Rufus said, skeptical.

  “He’ll grow pretty fast,” Celine said.

  “Faster than you’d believe,” her father added, a wistful sob cracking his voice.

  “Shoo, shoo, shoo. You’ll see him at the presentation,” a clipped voice said from the hallway.

  Aris bustled in, pulling the door shut behind her. “I think the entire palace staff is out there trying to get a glimpse,” she said with a huff.

  Ben and Celine exchanged a glance, smiling. “Can’t say I blame them,” he said.

  Aris seemed to be trying very hard to not roll her eyes or be otherwise disrespectful to the King. “I understand, Your Majesty, but I doubt very much you want to entertain that many visitors,” she said.

  Celine coughed to cover up her chuckle. “Thank you Aris for being the best gatekeeper a girl could ask for.”

  Aris’s elfish face turned pink and she gave a curt nod. “It’s my job, Your Highness.”

  Celine rolled her eyes, “I’ve told you—”

  The door Aris held shut jumped forward and she started, turning to force it closed with all her weight — not that she was more than a slip of a woman. “Heathens, all of them,” she mumbled.

  The door shook again, as if someone on the other side was prepared to break it down.

  Aris pushed against it still, both palms flattened, heaving herself into the effort.

  Ben frowned. “Who is it? I’ll tell them to leave.”

  Aris sighed, looking defeated. Celine knew her well enough to know that Ben’s decree made her feel like she’d failed at her duties.

  She stepped away from the door, reached for the handle and pulled it open a fraction. The moment she did, the door flew open on its hinges, nearly knocking poor Aris to the ground.

  “Of all the…” she grumbled.

  “Can’t keep me from seeing my best friend’s baby!” Alex said, shoving his way in, nearly tripping over Aris.