Page 9 of Dreaming of an Earth Christmas

She’d been ready to immediately say no, but T’kalinth was right. She had already written her list, and if he was willing to work with her staff, there shouldn’t be any problem. She should’ve thought of this solution herself, but she’d been stubborn—she’d wanted to be the one to make her favorites, to enjoy the familiarity of that tradition, to smell the cinnamon perfuming the air of their small apartment. Still, as she’d told Kat, a baby changed everything, and maybe it would be okay to let someone else do the work for once. It didn’t mean she couldn’t handle the baking again herself next year.

“Okay,” she said, and then she forced a small grin.

T’kalinth was looking at her like he wasn’t sure he recognized her. Then a broad smile brightened his handsome face. “Perhaps your Christmas really is a time of miracles. I never expected you to agree the first time I offered.” His smile dimmed slightly as his expression became more earnest. “I’m honored that you trust me, k’lallsa. I will always take care of you, but so often, you don’t let me.” He stepped closer to her side, holding Daniel between them, and placed a brief kiss on the top of her head. “I won’t let you down. Now go sleep, my Alice. You deserve some rest.”

Alice slid her hands around T’kalinth’s hips, pulling him closer. It brought the baby against her chest, and when she tightened her grip, it was like hugging both of them. Oh, she had chosen well. Some people wouldn’t think that what she had now was much of a dream—a husband, fulfilling work, a baby—but to her it had once seemed more impossible than a trip across the galaxy. She’d received both the day that she’d stepped aboard theJ’vinka’s Claw. This was her life. An exhausting, wonderful, beautiful life. She inhaled the soft scent of Daniel’s feather covered head and heard the low vibrations of T’kalinth’s rattle soothing them both. If this wasn’t a miracle, she wasn’t sure what was.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

MIA

“We’re running out of time.”Mia looked up at V’kesth and frowned. “I don’t know why this isn’t working. My colleagues and I back at Mezcar designed one for the annual family holiday picnic, and it worked just fine. This should be simple.”

“Let me take another look. It’s probably just a small difference in our tech that you’re overlooking, or maybe I left out a component. This is my first attempt at creating a snow machine, after all,” V’kesth said, flashing her his fangs as he grinned. “Will you be bringing it back after the festivities in the capital? I can imagine that we have many children here that would be interested in trying out your contraption once you return.”

“I’d be happy to do so if you think your people would enjoy it,” she replied.

“I can’t decide whether it sounds like fun or torture, but I have to admit, I’m curious, especially about these snowmen you mentioned.”

Mia ran a hand through her hair and smiled. “You know, I didn’t grow up with snow either. It was far too warm where I lived, but I’d always wanted to make a snowman—you see the idea often in our entertainment-vids. The first time I ever had the opportunity was with my boys at one of those company picnics. Just make sure everyone has some gloves for their hands, and they should be good,” she added hurriedly.

Reminiscing on when the boys were young was the last thing she needed to be doing. She was leaving with L’xat for Verkissat in the morning, and she couldn’t keep V’kesth in the lab with her much longer. The sun had already begun to set if the notification from her comm device was accurate.

“You haven’t heard from them?”

Mia glanced up. “How do you do that? You always seem to know what I’m thinking.”

V’kesth lifted his feathers with a crooked smile. “You’d been talking about this visit for moon cycles. If they’d arrived, you wouldn’t be here today, and you wouldn’t look so despondent.”

Mia sighed as she activated a model of the prototype on the table in front of them. She held out her hand and pushed the air with her finger, and the model turned in response. “You’re right. John commed two days ago that the pilot who’d promised them passage had backed out. The man didn’t even show up at the airfield or have the courtesy to contact any of the passengers. He told me they were looking for alternatives, but not that many independent ships are traveling between our planets yet. I’m afraid it’s not likely they’ll get here in time for Christmas.”

“Does the exact day of their arrival matter so much?” asked V’kesth.

“No,” she said with a small shake of her head. “Of course not, but it would’ve made it even more special. It’s difficult to explain. There’s a certain magic to Christmas, and when you add in all of the years of memories I share with the boys, it’s only more powerful. With the celebration at the palace this year, I was hoping we’d all get to experience it together—my sons, L’xat, and N’xalith and T’xeta. We’ve never had all of our children meet at once before.” Mia shrugged and shot an irritated glance at the stubborn model. She just couldn’t seem to see what was going wrong. “It would’ve been perfect,” she added more quietly.

V’kesth lifted his bronze-scaled hand towards the floating model. She watched as his expression grew sharp. She knew what that look meant. Had he figured out the flaw? Would at least this one thing go right for her?

“Stay longer in Verkissat. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have that—all of you together,” V’kesth told her. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the prototype. He frowned. “Hand me that viewscreen again, will you?”

Mia picked up her device and pushed it into V’kesth’s waiting hand. He didn’t even turn his head or acknowledge her, but she didn’t mind. They’d been working together long enough that they could dispense with the pleasantries at times without offending one another. She knew he was only like this when his mind was tackling a problem. Excitement hummed through her body, making it hard to remain still. When she couldn’t bear waiting any longer, she spoke.

“Did you figure it out?”

V’kesth grinned before he turned his head to face her. “I think so. Enough playing with the model. Let me make the adjustment on the real thing, and we’ll try it out. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Mia told him with a broad smile.

As they rose from the testing table and headed towards the center of the lab, she felt the first moment of true calm since she’d received John’s message. No, the delay wasn’t ideal, but V’kesth was right. She couldn’t focus on what had gone wrong. The boyswerecoming—the delay was a setback, but she couldn’t let it spoil what her friends were planning. She knew what this meant to Kat. She’d grown close with the younger woman during their occasional visits to the palace, and Mia wasn’t going to show up at her doorstep with a sour attitude and a long face. No, she’d finish her machine with V’kesth, and then she’d spend Christmas among their friends, listening to the joyful shrieks of happy children, and that was close enough to perfect for Mia.

* * *

L’xat was staring intently outat Verkissat. The flyer was rapidly approaching the city. She could see the way his strong hand closed over the arm of the long bench on his side of the passenger cabin. Normally she’d be sitting beside him, but she’d had the urge earlier to double check—okay, triple check—that she hadn’t forgotten any of the components for her surprise. She’d just reentered the passenger cabin, and she plopped herself down on the opposite bench and followed his gaze. Mia wasn’t surprised to see that he was tracking the great pyramid near the base of the temple complex. Even now, it was still the first landmark that drew her own eye whenever they traveled to the capital.

“I’m sure N’xalith is looking forward to seeing you again,” she remarked.

“And you,” L’xat said as he turned his face away from the view. “You have made him feel welcome. At times I believe you are able to speak to him more easily than I am.”

Mia rose and moved quickly over to the other bench. The flyer’s progress was generally steady, but it’d be making a turn soon to take them down at the temple’s landing area. She slid into place against L’xat, taking his hand. “I’m glad he doesn’t resent me mothering him sometimes. I know he’s a grown man now, but sometimes I can’t help it. I miss Justin and Josh so much, and I’ve seen them less than I’d hoped since I decided to stay here.” L’xat’s hand tightened over hers. “I don’t regret it,” she added quickly. “That’s not what I meant at all, but I did think it would be easier.”

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