Page 57 of Holiday with the Aliens

When he turned around, Molly and her attacker were still going at it. She hadn’t had the element of surprise, and the blaster lying on the ground a few meters away from them told the story of why she’d been so subdued before.

But two on one, the man didn’t stand a chance. Molly kicked him back into Tav, and Tav reached around the man to choke him until he hung limp in Tav’s arms. Once he was down, Molly grabbed the rope and tied the two guys up, pocketing their blaster and breathing heavily, her hands shaking.

“Are you alright?” Tav asked quietly. Not that she could be, not with how this evening had gone.

But Molly closed the distance between them and fell against him, clutching her arms around him. “I am now that you’re here.”

“Let’s go get security and get this mess cleaned up.”

She took a deep breath and pushed back from him, shaking her head. “We have to get these gifts for the kids. I’m not risking them disappearing again.”

Tav smiled, despite the fear that he’d been running on for the last several minutes. “You are a fierce woman, denya.”

Molly just shrugged.

While the two attackers moaned on the ground, Molly and Tav gathered up the gifts and left. Either their boss would be back in no time or security would be there to collect them once the incident was reported. But the gifts for the children were safe, and Tav had one more thing to give his denya to make the party perfect.

Chapter Nine

Molly was sure they weren’t going to make it back to the heart of the station before the guy that left her with his two goons came back. But she and Tav got further and further away, and by the time they started to see other people milling around, she felt something inside of her relax. Besides, she had the blaster in her pocket, so it wasn’t like she was completely defenseless.

And Tav apparently had claws. She’d only seen them for a second, but they’d looked terrifying. She was definitely grateful that he was on her side.

They detoured from the quickest path back to her quarters and found a guard station. The guards didn’t seem to believe her story of a warehouse full of stolen goods, but when she handed over the blaster, they started to come around. She and Tav had dumped the presents in a closet outside of the party room. She didn’t want them taken in as evidence or something—they were meant for the children and she wouldn’t ruin the party.

When the guards demanded that she and Tav lead them back where they’d come from, she wanted to refuse. Her heart beat too fast and she stood on the edge of a panic attack. But Tav puthis hand on her back and steadied her, grounded her. He was exactly what she needed, and she’d been a fool to think she could live without him when this was all done.

She turned to him, ready to tell him she’d made her decision, but a guard interrupted them and broke the moment. Oh, well. She’d tell Tav later. It would be better to put a little space between the trauma and happiness. But she was giddy with it and all thoughts of her fear washed away with the possibility of things to come.

When they got to the room, it was just as they’d left it. The two goons were rolling around on the ground trying to get free and around them was a feast of stolen goods. Both of the guards looked shocked, and when Molly told him that there was a third man who’d gotten away, they cursed.

But they let Molly and Tav go, telling them they’d collect their statements later.

And so she and Tav made the trek backagain.Molly was happy to head back to her quarters and celebrate their survival in the most natural way possible, but Tav tugged her towards the party hall, a secret smile on his face.

“What?” she asked. She was ready to throw off her clothes, not do any more work. Not after all of tonight’s excitement.

“There’s something I want to show you. To give you.” He laced their fingers together.

“A present?” She’d been so focused on making the party perfect for everyone else that it hadn’t occurred to her that anyone would want to give her anything, not even her mate.

“You deserve it. Come on.”

They continued on to the hall and Tav made her close her eyes when she walked through the door. And then she had to close them for several more minutes while he wrestled with something that sounded heavy, letting out a curse when it thumped to the floor.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, a laugh in her voice.

“Just fine,” Tav insisted, voice strained.

The laugh escaped, but Molly kept her eyes closed as her curiosity mounted.

“Okay, now,” Tav said, suddenly behind her, his arms wrapping tight around her middle.

Molly opened her eyes and gasped. It wassnowing! Right there in the middle of the room, snow seemed to fall all around them, but it wasn’t cold, and when she reached out, her hand went through the flakes. “How?” she asked. She’d spent more than a week trying to figure out how to set something up before abandoning the idea. And here Tav had given her the winter that she’d dreamed of.

He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck. “I worked with my engineer to modify a holoplayer. I wanted to give you the real thing, but that seemed like it could get very cold. And wet. And not at all what would make your party the best one Honora Station has ever seen.”

She turned in his arms and covered his lips with hers, kissing the daylights out of him, kissing him like he was her entire world. “You’re… this… I love yo—it, I love it!” Her cheeks flamed as she realized what she’d almost said. What shehadsaid. It was one thing to decide to fly away with him, but saying those words felt so much more meaningful.

---