Page 57 of Married to the All Hallows' Eve Alien

"I'm always very careful," I assure him. "And I've told her my work takes me all over the world."

"I worry about you. We'd have a big mess to clean up if you’re seen as you really are. The High Council wouldn't like it, and the High Priestess would see it as a sign to colonize Earth, and I don't even want to think about how angry Commander Fox would be."

"Well, thankfully, humans still think anyone who mentions the word 'alien' is a lunatic and isn't taken seriously. You've seen their social media; there are thousands of legitimate alien videos, and no one but a handful of humans think they're real. So there's not that much to worry about. And I promise you, I'm vigilant."

"Good. I wouldn't want to have to rescue you from Area 51 or some science fiction romance author's basement."

"I think you can forget about either of those things happening."

Orr curses as we pass the tourism space travel shuttle. "I was just barely able to change course." Ever since humans began going up into lower orbit for fun, we've begun making ourselves undetectable as soon as we leave the moon base, but despite being slow, their patterns are unpredictable.

"Hopefully, this is something that will fizzle out when enough people realize that it's just dangerous."

"This is humanity we are talking about," Orr says. "They're doing it because it is dangerous."

We are silent then as we land in the usual place. When no one is looking, I get out of the transport that looks like an SUV. Then I begin walking towards Ivy and my house. It's evening, and there's a nice feeling in the air. People are coming home from work, lights are turning on in houses, and there's a genuinely nice feel to the neighborhood. I wish more than anything that this could be my reality forever. But I know this will come to an end. Not tonight, though. I think only about Ivy now and sharing dinner with her.

I almost feel human.

I get to the front door and hesitate. I didn't tell Ivy what time I'd arrive. Should I ring the bell?

I decide not to. I get out my old-fashioned key that I wear under my clothing on a necklace so that no matter what happens, I'll never lose it, and it's always with me, and unlock the door. I hear human music playing, and it smells like Ivy is cooking. I don't say anything. I stand there and think, If I were human, this would be my reality.

Then I announce myself loudly so she can hear me above the music, "Ivy, I'm home."

I hear something drop and break. I immediately run towards the crash and find Ivy in the kitchen with a broken bottle of liquid surrounding her feet. She doesn't look upset, though.

"Sorry, you scared the living daylights out of me. I dropped the olive oil." She says but smiles at me. "I'd move and kiss you, but I need to clean up the oil and the glass before I move without shoes. Could you grab me my flip-flops? They're by the front door, and some paper toweling?"

I do as she asks and help her clean up the mess. "Whatever you're making, it smells delicious."

"I'm making cookies for a bake sale at school, but of course, you can have some."

"In that case, I'll buy some from you," I say. I wouldn't want to take profits away from the school she works at. When she told me how underfunded it was, I could only feel bad for Ivy and her students. My education was strict and difficult, but there was always enough of everything.

"That's very nice of you, thanks."

After we've cleaned up, I take Ivy into my arms and kiss her. "I missed you."

"How long can you stay?"

"Only tonight. I have to leave again in the morning, but only for a few days; then, I'll be back."

"Would you like a glass of wine? We can celebrate you being home, and, finally, everything is put away, even if it's only for tonight."

"I'd like that," I say as I watch her open a bottle of red wine. Then she hands me a glass, and we toast our night together. "Show me what you've done."

Ivy begins leading me through the house, showing me where she's put all the furniture, which there isn't enough of; some areas are barren. But what catches my eye is some of the pictures from Greece she has printed out and put in frames. I'm surprised at how strongly this affects me. For a moment, it's as if my life as an Alliance man doesn't exist at all, but I am actually this human man with blonde hair.

I have all of these pictures on my human phone and saved in a special file in my GC account, but it's different to see them like this, displayed in a home as a constant reminder of how Ivy and I felt that day and more importantly to publicly show guests our commitment to each other. "May I take one of these with me?"

"For your quarters?"

I nod. She knows I live on a military base. Wherever I could, I tried to be as honest as possible with her so that when the time comes, I wouldn’t have told her too many lies.

Then, she surprises me with a little box. "I wanted to get you something. You've given me so much, and when I saw this, I thought it was perfect."

A woman has never given me a gift before, and in the Empire, this is forbidden unless we are married, and even then, it's rare for a woman to give a man something. I should resist, but I can't. I want whatever she’s given me. "Can I open it now?" It's hard to keep my hands from shaking. This is an important moment in my life: receiving a gift from my other half.

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