Lorelei's point of view:
It hit me like a brick when I saw Mihn standing there, a few feet away from me. It was as if God had answered every prayer I had ever spoke in the time I had known and left him. There he was, standing there like some sort of angel that was an impossible dream. I wanted to run over there, to have him hold me in his arms while I cried tears of happiness and awestruck euphoria. However, I didn't, all I could was stand there in complete blankness as my eyes went wide to see him.
"Hello, Lorelei," he said to me, the warm winds blowing in his black hair around his forehead. Something in my stomach felt like it was falling down and exploding when it reached the very bottom depth. My breathing had hitched, my body had solidified, and my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.
"Mihn," was all I could bring myself to say. What was I even doing, sitting here like some foolish idiot? I should be next to him, holding his hand and kissing his lips, but I didn't move a muscle. It seemed as though my body betrayed me in that instant.
"Jacob, is that a letter?" My mother asked as she noticed me standing like a bumbling idiot without a thought in her head. She and my dad walked to him as he nodded and handed her the letter from Carina. This was my cue to leave and bring Mihn with me. So my eyes flitted to him and then I walked off to my tent, hoping to God that he had followed me. When I turned around and found that he did, I had to smile. I still couldn't believe that he was here.
"You came for me?" I asked. He stood a tiny distance away from me but it had seemed like a thousand miles in my current mood. He nodded his head.
"Yes, finding you was just luck," Mihn replied. I let out a relieved laugh and shook my head as I began to cry. He was still standing there, but as I looked back up at him, that all changed.
He and I ran to each other, and as I did I felt his hands lift me up to reach his fresh lips in a passionate kiss. Feeling his exuberant lips was like a liberation from every deity that existed in human religion and faith. My arms wrapped around his neck loosely as his hands held my waist to keep me level with his lips. There was no wall for him to hold me against, so he just gently placed me down on the cot I had and kissed me while on top of me. I needed air but I didn't want to let go. To think I had to decide which I needed more, and it was a close match.
"I just can't believe you're here, that I get to see you again. I thought I never would," I said to him as I kissed all over his face. He chuckled and went for my lips again, filling me with the romance and lushness that I needed from him to feel better. This had by far been the best day of my life and it wasn't even noon.
"I heard on the newscast that the base you were in had been attacked, so I had to come and make sure you were alright. I didn't care what happened as long as I knew you were fine. It's a long story, but I'm sure I'll find time to tell you the whole journey," he said to me. I nodded and began to kiss him once again, relishing in the luxurious heat of his breathe and softness of his rich lips. As I felt his fingers begin to trail up my shirt, like this was starting to go further than just passionate and amazing kissing, I felt myself want it as much as he did. However, I didn't know any of this. I wasn't at all in the experienced level of the field. I hadn't ever done this before, and I didn't want him to feel pressured because of that.
"Wait, wait, stop," I said to him as he kept going further. He stopped like I had requested him to, and then he backed away from me. He sat down as I remained lying on the cot next to him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said to me. I shook my head and sat up, taking his hand in mine.
"No, it isn't that. It's just, I've never done this before. I don't know what I'm doing and I thought you should know before it goes too far," I explained. He nodded when I told him, and his head turned to me. He crawled over to me as I sat on the other side of the bed, and I felt his lips bring themselves to mine for the hundredth time today. Even though it had happened many times, it never failed to have me giddy in his arms.
"We'll do what you want, whatever that is. I'll help you through if I have to," he said. I felt shaky, I didn't know what to do as we stared at each other. I hadn't ever felt so nervous, so out of place in one that I formerly felt belonged. Yet, he sat there, waiting for me to tell him what I wanted to do. I took a breathe, deep enough to help me with my thought process.
"Kiss me again," I replied. Mihn quickly strode over to me and kissed me with aggression that had been harboured within him for a long time. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen me in such a long time, and now that he was here with me all he wanted to do was let out all the want he had. I was still a little scared but I didn't say anything, I just let him move his way on top of me and wrap my legs around his waist. It didn't matter to us that it was the end of the morning and not at night like one would think something like this would happen.
"Don't hurt me," I whispered to him as he kissed me softly but roughly. Mihn stopped for breathe and to answer me.
"I'll be gentle, I promise. If you want to stop, I'll stop, just say the word," Mihn said. I nodded and let him continue as he took me into a world of passion that I never thought I would experience in such a revolutionary way.
•••
Hilda's point of view:
Jack, Jacob and I were sitting down on one of the benches that the base had. I was just sipping coffee with them, we were talking innocently and enjoying our time together. It felt like years since I was able to just talk with some of my family, to be able to just sit and have a conversation like everything was normal again. That was all I needed to rehabilitate from recent events.
"Hey, where's Lorelei?" Jack asked after a while. I stopped drinking my coffee and cleared my throat. I had yet to tell Jack still, and I didn't know what Jacob knew but he seemed pretty alright with it. Lorelei and him must have talked at some point. It was just Jack I was afraid of telling because I knew he would react in a way not many would appreciate.
"She's in her tent," I replied, trying to leave it at that. I eyed Jacob and he gave me a look. I glared to make sure he stayed quiet. Jacob let out a small laugh and went back to his coffee.
"Why? She's never inside that tent in the day. You sure she didn't go for a run or something?" Jack asked. I shook my head, knowing I should have left it at that. But Jack had to figure it out at some point, so I may as well let him find out himself.
"No, um, she's in her tent---with Mihn and all that," I replied quietly. I almost didn't want him to hear me say the last part but who was I kidding? He could sense anything that I hinting at, I didn't even have to talk.
"Why is she with Mihn? And uh, what are you they doing?" He asked. I cleared my throat again and turned my face away so I could ignore the fact that he was watching me like a hawk.
"I don't know just, reuniting," I said.
"In what way?" He asked.
"Do you remember before she was born and I was still pregnant with Emmaleigh and you disappeared for a while? And then you came back?" I asked. He nodded and he looked extremely confused as to what I was getting at.
"I do," he replied.
"Do you also remember what we did the night we came back?" I asked. His brow scrunched quizzically and he nodded. "Well, like that," I added. His eyes went wide then and for a moment he paused, as if thinking about what to do. "Jack?" I asked a while later. There was another pause.
"Yeah, I'm gonna kill him," he said and quickly jumped off his seat and began to run to the tent. I threw my coffee cup off my lap and began to run after him. I called his name loudly, trying to catch up with him before he made his way to the tent. Who knows what he'd find when he got in there? I knew that I surely didn't want to know the details of what went on.
"Jack! Get back here!" I demanded as I kept running. I was coming closer to him but he was reaching the tent as well. Just become he arrived there, I made a jump on his back and took him down on the ground. He dropped down with an oomph about five metres away from Lorelei's tent. He looked at me from laying down on the ground on his stomach.
"What are you doing?!" He asked. I left his back and turned him around, but I kept straddling him so he wouldn't try to get away and go back in the tent.
"Stopping you from making a mistake that could potentially scar you for the rest of your life. Talk to her later when she's out, please? Just trust me," I said to him. I didn't want him to take it like this, to see something like that with his daughter involved. I didn't know what they were doing but I didn't want to risk Jack's conscious, Lorelei's mental stability and Mihn's life.
"Why?! What are they doing in there?!" He asked. I sighed and stopped as I kept straddling him. He stared up at me from the ground and when he took the hint he let out a tiny whine and relaxed on the ground. His eyes shut and he looked like he was about to cry.
"Can you relax now or do I have to be on top of you for longer?" I asked. He nodded his head and I lifted myself off of him. I took his hand and helped him stand back up. He swiped off all of the grass and dirt on his clothes from being on the ground, and walked off, without me. I could tell he was really upset about the fact that his daughter was in there with Mihn, and he didn't even know he was seeing her to begin with. I didn't know how I was going to deal with it and Lorelei sure as shot would be getting a lecture from him about morals or something like that. I had to talk to him at some point, but I knew he just wanted to be alone right now. So I just watched as he walked off into the bush to collect his thoughts.
A while later, Lorelei and Mihn left the tent. He gave her a quick kiss and said something to her before leaving. She said goodbye and walked over to me, a massive smile on her face. Now I really did know what they did in there. She was eighteen and a grown girl, so it didn't bug me. However, I knew Jack probably thought it was on the same spectrum as him trying to run away with her. He would be fine eventually, just like he was fine after he accepted Peter after he married Carina. I knew it would be hard, but he had four daughters and he would have to get used to the fact that they were growing up and they were going to want to see men. How did he think his unborn grandchild was made?
"Your father is upset," I said to her with my arms crossed along my chest. Her smile faded and she sighed.
"Does he know about me and Mihn?" She asked. I sighed and nodded my head. She knew he'd be upset about it, no matter what she did or who she was with, he was going to be upset. I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her close as we walked down the base.
"He wants to kill me, doesn't he?" She asked. I laughed and shook my head as we walked.
"No, no, that's Mihn he wants to kill. I think he's just sad about the fact that you're growing up. Don't worry, you'll talk to him and I'm sure everything will be fine. He was great after he was alright with Carina, and God knows Elora has been around. I actually have no idea what Emmaleigh does with her life, she's a strange one but I'm sure he is alright with it. Anyway, just talk with him," I explained. She nodded and looked to the sky as her brow went to a stressed expression.
"Might as well get it over with. Where is he?" She asked. I pointed to the direction he had gone and she went on running like he was a finish line.
•••
Lorelei's point of view:
I ran up to where my father was and I eventually found him walking down a little path going north from the base. I called for him and when he saw me out there running for him he stopped. I gasped for breathe when I caught up to him. "Mom told me to come and talk to you, I figured I should do that since you didn't find out about my little secret in the most dignified way," I said to him when I had enough breathe to do so.
"Yeah, because dignified is the word to use here. Thanks for the talk," he said to me. I sighed and as he kept walking I kept trying to catch up to him.
"Dad, would you just let me talk for a second in your life instead of telling me what to do and having me do it without protest?!" I shouted at him as he kept walking and I stopped. When I said this, he turned around and stormed over to me.
"You don't get to talk to me like that, I am your father and if I think what I want is best for you then I implore you to do it. It's steered you right all this time," he replied. I crossed my arms and shook my head as I scoffed.
"You know what, yes, you've helped me in a lot of ways and those suggestions were yours. But here's the thing, when the base was attacked and we got separated, I was left with only Mai and myself. I led myself out of that bush and onto a road and eventually to a town then had us return home safely. I did that all by myself without any of your guidance! Just like I can be in love with Mihn without your guidance," I explained. I didn't mean to hurt him, but the look in his eyes showed that I had. He had to hear what I had on my mind, if I didn't tell him and just kept him happy then I never would be.
"You're in love with him?" He asked. Is that really what he took from that entire speech I spent time generating in my mind to impress him? The fact that I was in love with Mihn? I figured he would already know that by now, I guess I was mistaken.
"Yes, dad, I'm in love with him. I really, really love him. I haven't told him that, but I want to. The only way I'll say it is if you approve of it. Even you know that he's a good man," I replied. Dad sighed again and ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair.
"You're my daughter, and not just that, but you're my littlest one. You're the youngest kid I have, even younger than your brother by nine minutes. When I realized you were with Mihn, it just made me realize that you're all grown up and now I just have to wait until I die. You aren't babies anymore, your sister is having her own in a few months! I just---I don't want to let you go yet," he replied. I walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around him tightly, he held me with his bigger arms, pulling me close.
"I won't ever leave you, you're not just going to wait until you die. You have mom and I'll always be around when you need me. Please, dad, let me have this one. I'll listen to whatever you say if I can stay with Mihn," I said.
"Alright, okay, you can be with Mihn. I won't stop you or anything. Please just listen to me from now on. I know you like to go off on your own and you have no idea how proud I am of what you did after the attack. But please, do it for me so I can rest easy," he replied. I laughed and nodded.
"I promise," I replied.