Page 61 of Married to the All Hallows' Eve Alien

I look into her grey eyes. "I'm not legally married. And my non-legal husband is Swedish. You must be getting me confused with someone else. Sem Svensson. He works on Earth in security."

"Officer Sem of House Alliance Force by appointment of the High Priestess herself has served on the Alliance Force Base for many years."

"No, this is a mistake. Sem is an unusual name. You must have the wrong person. I'd know if I was married to an alien."

"Sem will be back on the base to explain the situation to you soon. You've been completely healed, so I don't think you should have your conversation with him here. I'll take you to your quarters, and you can wait for him there."

"Why can't I return to Earth to talk to him?"

Caroline doesn't answer immediately but finally says, "It's a complicated legal issue. Once it's resolved, you’ll be able to return."

This gives me enough reason to follow her out of the medical center. Caroline leads me through a massive space station. Out of the little windows, I can see stars. I think I must be hallucinating, but even though I want to believe this is all a dream, my mind decides to bombard me with all the little things that tell my gut this might be true. The first one was when he gave me his phone, and there was a spaceship picture on it.

"Do you, perchance, have little spaceships here?"

"Yes, they're for going back and forth from here to Earth."

"Would it be possible for me to see one?"

"If you're thinking of escaping, they don't have autopilot in English. You won't be able to jump in one and go to Earth."

"No, that's not why. I want to compare a picture I saw and what they look like here. As proof, this is real."

Caroline turns back, and I follow her to what looks like a docking bay. We go through large doors, and sure enough, there are little spaceships, just like in the picture that was left on Sem's phone. This could all be in my imagination, but if I'm being honest with myself, my dreams were never so consistent or creative to have conjured all of this up.

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes."

Caroline then leads me to an area that looks like a futuristic hotel, complete with a lounge. "This wing is for married couples without children. You and Sem are the only ones here. Well, you'll be once you marry. For now, you'll stay here and Sem in his own quarters." Then she points down another corridor, "I live down there with my husband, and we have two children." Then, she points down a third corridor. "There is where the single men who are officers live. There are many of them, but don't be afraid. They come from a matriarchy and also know that you're Sem's wife, which makes you off-limits."

Then she leads me to a door which opens automatically. "It's programmed with your DNA. It'll only open for you or Sem. But remember, when he comes here, you'll both be recorded for legality until you marry in the Alliance way."

When I hesitate to walk into 'our quarters,' she puts her hand on my back.

"It's okay, go in. This isn't a trap."

I walk in. It's a beautiful apartment with windows open to space. Caroline says to the computer, "Show New Orleans," and one of the picture windows switches to show Jackson Square. Then, on second thought, Caroline says, "Computer access Sem's most recent requests."

A computer voice answers. "Officer Sem's most recent request was 'home.'"

I look at the picture in the window now, and it's the view from our kitchen window into the backyard. I almost break down in tears. "How can this be happening?"

Caroline offers me a hug, which I reluctantly take. After holding me for a minute, she says, "Let me get you some water and give you time to process all of this. Sem will explain everything when he arrives."

I'm in a daze of complete shock as Caroline briefly shows me how to get water and use the toilet, then she leaves me, but not without also adding, "These quarters are new for Sem too. He didn't tell anyone that you two had exchanged vows. What you did might not be legally binding on Earth, but it is just a hair's breadth away from being married in the galaxy."

"Am I in trouble?"

"You’re both in trouble."

"Is it bad?"

She makes a sign for medium-bad.

"What will happen to us?"

"I don't know," Caroline says honestly. "I'm not Alliance, and this is a special circumstance. They’ve got a very strict culture regarding marriage, and you and Sem have broken some of their most fundamental laws."

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