Six years later
The sky was clear, the temperature was perfect, and the air was almost sweet as I took a deep inhale as I got out of the small cruiser. Gal got out of his side and I waited with a small smile as he walked around and stopped beside me. "Shall we?" He gestured to the path and I nodded.
"We shall." I started down the path, Gal falling into step beside me. Over the years I had learned to take longer strides and he learned to take shorter ones so we were fairly even in our pace. Taking a walk through a park was a hobby we picked up four years ago after Luke and Mare-aidee made their relationship official. I had started it because it got me out of the house while Luke and Mare were... otherwise occupied, and Gal had taken to joining me. Which he said was to keep me company. Which was funny and redundant because I always had at least two of the guys with me at all times.
My eyes flicked over to where Iris and Sarge were scanning the park, keeping their eyes on me as they did so. Always vigilant, even after over half a decade, well three years for those two lovebirds, everyone else was six years by my side. I never went anywhere without them, although over the years I had earned more space and freedoms, which had been nice. But I had accepted Gal'rug's flimsy excuse of keeping me company and the habit of park walks had stuck and we tried to do it at least twice a week. Although the current park was our favourite to take a small trip around. It was always nicely shaded with trees, the planets were always vibrant, and the air always smelled so nice. It was always consistent and I found that was something I needed.
Things had... changed over the past six years. Not necessarily in a bad way, in some ways the change was good, great even, in others it was a bit... it was hard to explain but it left me feeling a touch disappointed with a touch of disquiet. The biggest disappointment was that I was still not allowed to return to earth. There were a few countries that were holding out on signing the Accords, refusing to comply with the terms and were honestly overly bitter about the fact there was really no negotiation for them. I knew the US was a big one. It shouldn't have surprised me as much as it had, or disappointed me, but after Canada and most of Europe signed the Accords, I had expected the US to follow suit.
It hadn't happened.
I knew realistically why. They wanted to negotiate, they wanted their terms to be heard, they wanted to continue on how they were but it wasn't going to happen. The GU stated out what they felt was acceptable and there was no compromise with it. From the GU's perspective, if you wanted to be part of their society and take advantage of the benefits, you had to abide by the rules of that society. The US hadn't liked that and were digging in their heels. I knew Bianca fought with them a lot and I knew it was just plain old stubbornness, that and the nationalism was fairly bad and the xenophobia was too
Although I knew there were cracks forming in the dissenters. Other countries were finding their life expectancies growing, illnesses being eradicated, and their lives becoming over all easier. The technology advancement weren't allowed on earth but they still reaped the benefits of being a member of the GU. That quality of life was overly clear when things were looked at side by side. I knew the public dissent was getting worse and the discontent was growing. By far the biggest was the healthcare.
Medical tourism to the GU was a massive industry for the countries who signed onto the Accords and even the individuals who applied. The education was free, the technology was massively superior, the treatment was far and above what was on earth. And it wasn't hard to choose between getting a three month life expectancy diagnosis due to cancer where the treatment would bankrupt your family in the USA and then going to the GU, having treatments where the nanites cleaned out the cancer, and you be declared completely cancer free within a few hours, all for a low cost. Or no cost for those who signed onto the GU's citizens agreement.
It was a massive bone of contention, especially because the GU was open to just individual civilians signing on, even if their countries hadn't, which meant a fair bit of immigration to the six planets of the Galactic Union. The US was bleeding citizens, so were the other countries who hadn't signed. Which I knew was starting to wear at the foundations of the dissenters. The public was getting upset, wanting what other countries were getting but they were being denied. Healthcare was just the top of a long list of issues that were starting to come up. There were others who would always deny the benefits, the xenophobes, the overly religious, the nationalists but they would never leave earth anyway. It sucked that they would rather die on earth than use the technology available but that was how it was.
I knew the disagreements and struggles to get countries to sign the Accords were normal and to be expected but there were days when I ached to go home, to see Canada, to visit earth, to see thunderstorms, play in the cold snow, to let the elements batter me. I loved Torin, I did, but everything was so temperate and a part of me craved the reckless chaos of earth. It was almost a bone deep urge to stand on earth and let the weather and chaotic environment crash into me to settle me back into my skin
I couldn't have that, so there were days I ached.
On the worst of the days, when I felt especially down about it and the ache made me rub my chest, Gal would pull me into his cruiser and take me to the ocean. We would sit on the beaches, right on the edge where the waves lapped at our feet, and feel the hard push of the salty breeze that had a bite of cold that gnawed on my skin. Those moments eased the ache inside me, just a little bit. Those were the days I wondered hard if humans were hard wired for our crazy little death world in the stars and when we were denied it, we felt off kilter and lost. Like we needed our deathworld because no where else felt quite like home.
The other part of me wondered if it was just me knowing I couldn't return, an aspect of wanting what I could no longer have. I didn't have it in me to figure it out so I let those days pass me by as we sat on the black beaches and stared out into the ocean while the breeze bit at me with a faint reminder of home. Those were the worst days of the past six years, craving what I could no longer have because I chose to give it up so that earth could have a second chance.
Even on the days I ached for earth so bad I wanted to cry. I still knew it was still worth it.
Even with the hold outs on earth, even with those who said the GU was the devil and would bring out the apocalypse, even with those who deemed the aliens monsters, humanity did what humanity always did. Find common interests, share cultures, and above all, make friends. And we had. I still remembered the day Nigeria signed the Accords and the first ships arrived. We always told the signing countries that the biggest thing they could bring with them, was their culture.
The Nigerians on the first official transportation to the GU from their home country had spilled out onto Torin in a wave of vibrant colours, wonderful songs, and so much dancing. The hant and the krent tended to be a bit more shy than the other species but I liked to think they found their people because they were some of the very first to display Nigerian cultures and push for friendships with those who arrived. The trade between Nigeria and Hygarm extensive and the vibrant colours were slowly spreading across the GU.
It made me smile to see. Not only were cultures openly embraced but they were incorporated, shared, and adored. No culture was left behind, the stoicism of the Finnish people had been celebrated by the jygnt and the ilthi, the resilience of us Canadians had been resoundly accepted by the jygnt and the grog and surprisingly our passive aggressiveness was out and out loved by the antwyn. So many cultures, so many celebrated people. No one was left behind.
No country came into the GU without some aspect of their culture being accepted and celebrated. The GU revelled in differences and expanding and sharing cultures. It was at the foundation of the entire union. Excitement to meet others and make friends, to celebrate each other because we were all so tiny in comparison to the universe we lived in. Our lives could be short or long but in comparison to the places we lived, the earth we touched, we were so young, so fleeting. The GU was there as a collective to say 'we looked at the stars and were lonely too, but we are here, do you want to be friends no matter how fleeting we both are?' I was just happy that there we those on earth who answered that question with, yes.
I was happy the guys had said yes too. The missing four from the group had accepted coming to Torin after Bianca accepted the offer to be the Human Ambassador to the Supreme Council three years ago. She had dropped the four off on Torin on her way to the station that the Supreme Council worked out of and the reunion between the guys had been pretty much legendary. I swore I still had a low level headache from the hangover I had developed the day after. But I was happy they were reunited, I really was. Even with the word back from Canada, telling them that if they wished to stay, they would be placed on permanent duty as my personal guards and if they didn't, they would be given the highest honours for their retirement. It was an act of good will towards the GU, showing them that Canada was willing to continue to protect me and that they would never do anything to hurt me,
I thought it was a bit much because they had already signed on to the Accords but there wasn't much I could do about it. But all twelve of the guys decided to stay, I knew the eight who had been with me had made lives on Torin and the other four had wanted to be with the team. They had teased me relentlessly that I would be old and grey and they would have to escort me down the halls using walkers by the time the rest of the countries gave in and signed the Accords and I was allowed back on earth.
That wasn't to say the four fell into things immediately on Torin. There had been some things that they needed to get used to. Pinky still got motion sick on the smaller ships, TruckNuts learned he could not handle jyngt spice, Iris learned that no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't get any more 'sexy' scars from his clumsiness unless he requested it, and Sarge learned really quickly to not take things so seriously. And all four had to get used to the aliens. Which was a big adjustment period but I think it helped that Luke and Mare-aidee were together. That and Jetski's on again off again relationship with Kas'tara, that I was now sure was permanently on this time. Not that there was drama with it, both had wanted different things at different times and each break up was amicable and they left on good terms but they seemed in-sync this time around.
I liked to think they had settled in well. Especially once Warhammer 40k had been officially imported into the GU and the antwyn went absolutely nuts. They were the biggest importers of the game and they even had entertainment channels dedicated to watching campaigns. Every antwyn said the same thing, they loved the ease of the game and the fact they could get a small taste of what imagination was like. I had called it completely and totally and Loril had joined the guys' campaign, absolutely having the time of her life with the guys as they played. Shortly after TruckNuts, Pinky, Iris, and Sarge arrived, I had gained four more figurines that rested on my shelf. Not to be used because I had tried one campaign and had given up because it just didn't capture my attention like it did the guys. And that was okay too because despite the differences, we were almost like a family and I appreciated each and every one of them.
And family we were, I had bawled my eyes out when Luke had asked me to a dance with him at his wedding because I was the only sister he had and if he couldn't dance with him mum, he wanted to dance with me. I had been a mess up until the day of because he had been a jerk for being that sweet and the guys kept reminding me of it because they liked seeing my get all tear-eyed and emotional. Luke and Mare had gotten married two years ago and it had been a wonderful, beautiful ceremony and the usually subdued Mare had actually cried when Luke told her he wrote his own vows and in them he promised her that it didn't matter that she would outlive him because every single one of the years he had left would be hers, given freely and with every bit of love he had for her in his veins, no matter where life brought them both.
Which was such a bittersweet feeling. The medical advancements of the Galactic Union were extensive and humans could now live to be almost two hundred if we tried really really hard but they couldn't out right stop death or aging. The knowledge that Mare would, at some point, be without Luke was a sombre feeling and I knew that had been a big sticking point in their relationship but Luke let her know he was going into it, with both his eyes wide open and that he would give her so many children that even if he was gone, parts of him would always be with her.
I didn't know Riveria had it in him to be that goddamn sweet. I had applauded his wonderful efforts.
Which had lasted until they returned from their honeymoon on Itlarian and I was told that they wanted to discuss living arrangements. Basically, that they wanted to perhaps start their own life. Which was code for, you're kind of a third wheel here, Rox. I had teased Luke relentlessly about kicking me out and how neither of them loved me because they were leaving me destitute and homeless. Which just caused laughter from both of them because we all knew I was far from being either of those things.
Outside of being Ambassador on Torin, I was also head researcher for all the inventions I had made with my engine and those magnets. I was very well compensated for the position and royalties were substantial. Which I did bump some to Bianca and her team because they helped immensely and I shared as much as I could with the guys, my family, and friends but it would take almost a hundred years of reckless spending to even come close to draining my accounts dry. In fact I had to spend an awful lot of money a month to even reach what my current wage was. But the GU decided I needed to be well compensated so I wasn't complaining.
My engine utterly revamped the entire transportation sector. There were no more old style ships, everything had been moved over to my engines to keep up with the progress. With Armaan's help we were able to teach the technique for building the engines to hundreds of people over the years. It had made me smile to see the progress. Then my shielding technology had been revamped and made more efficient. Personal shield ports were now standard across the Galactic Union Military. In fact they were relatively cheap to access. Which helped with personal safety and they had been instated as an integral part of PPE for a lot of blue collar jobs, which in turn helped mitigate a lot of accidents and across the GU we had seen a significant statistical decrease of on the job injuries since they had been implemented as mandatory for safety.
That wasn't to mention the fact that they had found ways to counter some of the dangerous ideations of my inventions. They were working on more to this day. It was always like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders when each one had been brought to me to check over. But it had made me smile because that was all that I had wanted when I realized the potentials of my inventions. That they were being used to make things better.
But still, Luke and Mare had politely asked me if I would be okay with moving out of the house. Luke said I could move into the old room he was vacating but I hadn't wanted to move in with the guys. I didn't want to deal with all of that. So I told them I would get it figured out because I wasn't going to be a third wheel and listen to them doing the nasty all the time. I had to laugh at their expressions. Luke's face went red and Mare looked horrified. But I told them I would be fine and to give me a month.
That was when Gal offered his spare room for me if I was moving out of Mare's. I had figured we were really good friends, still toeing the line of 'are we? Are we not?', but still friends and we usually spent most of our time together. It made sense, in a way, to move in together. So that was how I ended up moving into his place. Much to the amusement of the guys. Although I had to believe they had been starting to get frustrated at that point because Gal and I's relationship hadn't changed from how it always had been, even after I had moved in with him. They had been making comments about it, clearly showing their frustration we hadn't made a move. I was even getting tips on how to seduce guys from them. Much to my horror.
Luke must have been really ranting at Mare occasionally about it because there had been times she pulled me to the side and asked me about it, if I had feelings for Gal, and if I needed her to talk to him. Which had been a bit embarrassing and I told her to please not interfere. I think even she was confused because I wasn't entirely shy about dropping hits and leaning into the flirting, it just went nowhere. I was fairly positive he liked me like I liked him but whenever I really leaned into it, he almost got tongue tied and changed the subject. Which a shy Gal'rug wasn't something I had ever expected. I still didn't really know what to class it and after six years I was, quite frankly, irritated as all hell about it to be perfectly honest.
We lived together, had meals together, spent pretty much every day together with very few exceptions. He comforted me when I occasionally woke up from a bad dream, faint echoes of panic filling me up. Those nights were far and few between nowadays but they still happened, especially if I got too stressed. He took care of me when I got sick, helped learn to make my favourite foods so he could surprise me, and when I complained about being cold he would give me the literal shirt off his back. And I was there for him just as much. I went to all his low stakes arena battles, helped him when he knocked himself in the head a bit too much doing something stupid, we laughed together, played pranks on others and each other, and teased each other constantly. He was my best fucking friend and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him but the dude was either oblivious or he wasn't sure how to proceed with it or felt comfortable trying to because he wasn't sure.
Which was something my brother's girlfriend, Ris'ala, had mentioned. She said that he probably didn't really know how to approach a relationship with me because he didn't know human courting customs so he was stuck because he knew what the grogs would do but not humans and he might have been a bit too embarrassed to ask. I had appreciated that perspective and I appreciated Ris'ala for being straight with me about it.
I honestly loved that she and Georgie were dating. She was amazing. They had started dating shortly after he and Jesse moved to Torin to be with me, two years ago. The entire move had made me cry my eyes out when he told me he was moving to Torin because I had missed them so much. It had been four years since I had seen him and Jesse. So hearing that he was moving made me really emotional. Gal rug had been beside himself because of it. But like the great man he was, he calmed me down enough and helped me arrange getting a house set up, a school chosen for Jesse, and everything else for when they arrived.
When they finally arrived I had been a mess because Georgie pulled the worst fucking brother move ever because he had surprised me with our parents as well. I had burst into rather ugly sobs in the waiting area when I saw my parents. Gal had been a touched freaked out even as my dad laughed and pulled me up out of the puddle of tears I had made on the floor and told me he was happy to see me. I had been so happy to see them all that I hadn't been able to stop hugging them or holding Jesse. I knew she was getting too big for that but I hadn't cared and cuddled with her just as hard as I had cuddled with Hint and Liress's two daughters.
Georgie had settled in and Jesse had loved her new school. I was happy to have them close and I had introduced Georgie to Tak'ala and that started me on a massive project because Georgie made it his mission to bring monster trucks to the grogs. Tak'ala had brought in her daughter, Ris'ala, to help. So both of them had begged me to help them make an appropriate, monster truck shaped vehicle that made the noises but fit into the environmental regulations for Torin. It had taken several months but we had made a functional, environmentally friendly monster truck.
Ris'ala and Georgie had introduced the truck wars and the grogs fucking adored it. Afterwards Ris'ala told Georgie she liked him and she would like to try for a relationship. To my surprise he had agreed quickly and that was the end of it. She had a son from a previous relationship, Hek'tek, who was Jesse's age and the two of them got along like a Christmas tree and a house fire but I was happy for Georgie as well. I hadn't seen him so happy since Jesse's mum passed. He deserved that, he really did.
As for our parents, they had stayed on Toin for several months and had spent nearly two years visiting each planet of the GU to see which one they preferred for retirement. I honestly believed they had decided on Jy. My dad said it was the perfect temperature, the radiation wasn't too bad, and they both loved the quiet evenings and the spicy food. That and I honestly believed my mum loved the thrill of being on a planet that could potentially kill her if she wasn't in protective gear. She was the thrill seeker of the family after all. They had been there for almost eight months now and I had been so happy for them. They both looked so happy travelling the universe. My dad even took my mum to where she could see the pillars of creation for their anniversary. She said it was the best present he could have ever gotten her.
All of my friends and family deserved to be happy and I knew they were all making their way there.
I knew Luke and Mare were expecting their first baby. It had taken over a year but they finally had a viable embryo, I was told they wanted baby to have Luke's eye colour and Mare had apparently specified Luke's build, if at all possible. Which had made me remember that teasing conversation Loril and her had after they had both met Luke for the first time and I had just smiled and congratulated them both.
Dunner had gotten married to Duntella, the jygnt scientist. Their wedding had been on Jy and I had of course attended. It had been beautiful and I had nearly been in tears because the ever stoic Dunner had looked so in love with his wife that it made my chest hurt and my teeth ache.
Loril was still single but her and Armaan were the best of friends, plus she had me and the guys. She was living her best life on all accounts. Still giving out baby carnage flowers as a passive aggressive way to let people know they had pissed her off. I was pretty sure she was starting to breed and grow the little demons.
Then At'kat'vo had actually got into a partnership with a human named Adolphus three years ago. The man was an entomologist and loved praying mantises. I didn't care how their relationship worked because I only cared about how happy the two seemed together. I could remember At'kat'vo telling Adolphus that he would give him every single moult he had left if he wanted them. Which had been romantic and the man had blushed hard at that. They had actually been given a third hatchling to raise not that long ago. Which was unheard of for the k'gtar but I liked to think that At'kat's sister just wanted to make her brother and his strange, squishy partner happy. But I knew those younglings were well loved and always would be.
But that had brought my mind to adoption. That had been something I didn't quite think the GU expected. Humans loved kids and we especially liked them when they were cute. Cross species adoption was brought right to the forefront because there had been a lot of humans that offered their homes and their hearts to any child who needed loving parents. I knew that orphaned children were inevitable but the GU had a good system in place for taking care of them. However there had been adoptions that had gone through, even with some human children being adopted by aliens. It was enough to make me smile.
Even Jetski had been adamant that he and Kas'tara, when the time came, would be looking at adopting a puppy or two. That had made me laugh because Kas'tara had put him in a head lock until he apologized for calling their future children puppies. I was happy the two were so in sync now. They were truly a great match. They fought with each other in couples battles in the arena. He traveled all over Torin with her when he was able, supporting her in her fights. They were honestly a great match.
Much like Luke and Mare. Which I knew Mare loved Luke to the ends of the universe and back because she even started going to the arena to watch because Luke and the guys had taken to casually doing low stakes battles there. I knew Mare-aidee didn't quite understand why Luke liked it so much but she loved her husband enough to support him anyway. And it was reciprocated because Luke and her meditated daily and I knew how much it bothered him to sit still like that. They were just straight up adorable.
But life was moving on, going forward. We were learning things and first contact came with growing pains. The biggest one I had seen was the Ambassador positions. Humanity was learning that it wasn't so much about qualifications and prestige, it was very much how well people worked together. Some candidates never made it to even be interviewed because they just shared no interests with those on the councils. It was a learning curve, to be sure, but we were learning.
First contact would take time, I had learned that from my years on Torin. It took time.
I closed my eyes and inhaled the fresh air. But things would be okay. That was all I truly knew. We were all right where we needed to be it seemed and I was so grateful I had been there to witness it all. I glanced at Ga'rug and my smile deepened. I was glad I had people I loved beside me to witness it as well. Even if they couldn't take a hint to save their lives.
I turned and watched as Jesse ran through the park, playing battle arena with her soon to be step-brother, Hek'tek and I smiled a bit more before I stopped abruptly underneath a tree. I placed my hands on my hips and watched as Gal'rug came to a stop as well. "Six years, Gal." I said it evenly and he looked at me with that soft smile, the one that made my heart skip a beat, that spoke of familiarity, that softened his eyes.
"Yes, my Rox'ie. Six years. To the day." He nodded, looking out over the park where there were humans mixing with everyone else. It was honestly a sight I could never stop appreciating.
I gave a sharp nod. "Seems fitting, doesn't it?" I asked it evenly as I looked up at him.
He chuckled at that. "Fitting for what, my human?"
"For me to lose my patience and take matters into my own hands." I tilted my head before I reached out and smacked the carefully hidden trigger stick that was close to my head. It snapped and there was a whoosh and the sound of cracking. Gal'rug only had time to give me a rather perplexed look before the hidden rope loop snapped around his ankle and he was yanked into the air rather quickly and with a surprised bellow that startled some of the people close to us. Ris'ala's laughed loudly from her place in the field, laying next to Georgie. She knew what was going on.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gal'rug sputtered and I pulled my hands my behind my back, slowly walking around his dangling form, being sure not to get close enough he could grab me.
"There is only so much a lady can take her hints being ignored before she had to take matters into her own hands, Gal'rug. I've been very patient with you, you know. This is me losing my patience and giving you one last, grog sized hint." I moved over to the nearby park bench as he stared at me, still hanging upside down. "So you're going to hang there until you figure it out and I will sit here waiting until you do." I lifted my chin and looked out into the field. I smiled at the grog that were gathering, pointing at Gal'rug with wide grins as laughter followed. If he wouldn't listen to my human geared hints, Ris'ala told me to go with what a grog would do.
"Rox'ie-"
"I can't hear thick headed grog I'm afraid." I cut him off clasping my hands together and resting them on my lap.
"Can we just-"
"I can't hear you." I sniffed slightly and brushed at the non-existent dirt on my pants, doing my best to look everywhere but him, even as my cheeks went just a touch warm and I wanted to smile.
"Rox'ie, plea-"
"Is that the wind?" I gave a small hum before shaking my head.
"You need to-"
"Must be." I looked up at the tree branches and I did my best to ignore the irritated grog Ambassador hanging in the air by his ankle.
"There are humans-"
"Perhaps someone is watching a movie. That must be what that noise is." I made a show of looking around and fighting to keep my expression completely neutral despite how badly I wanted to laugh at how frustrated he looked.
"Rox'ie, you need to-"
"I think I hear Jesse and Hek'tek, I should go say hi." I made a show of grasping the edge to the bench as if I were going to stand up.
"Woman, if you don't-"
I turned my head and looked out over the park, "Ris'ala! Georgie! It's so good to see you two!" I waved as if excited to see them and as if Ris'ala had not helped me set the entire thing up. It had taken days of planning and preparation and she had helped me pull it off perfectly. Now to see if Gal'rug would get the hint.
There was a heavy curse my translator didn't pick up and the sound of a snap and a heavy thump. That had me turning to look. Gal'rug had either cut or snapped the rope and he was picking himself off of the ground from where he had fallen, kicking the rope off. His expression was severe as he looked at me and I tilted my chin up as I stared back.
"Woman, I swear by the tusks." He rumbled it out as he stalked towards me.
I lifted my chin a touch higher. "What? What do you swear by those magnificent tusks of yours?" I couldn't help but tease him as he came to a stop in front of me.
"You are impatient." He pointed at me. "You never let things lie. You meddle where you aught not too."
"Oh please do go on. I'm feeling flattered." My heart was thumping in my chest hard as I looked up at him. I knew deep down I hadn't misjudged things but there was always that little voice that yelled at you that you had.
"Why?" It came out of him clipped as he put his fists on his hips. "Why me?"
"Because Tel'bak'gorth paired off and you were my second choice." I grinned as he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
Once he was done he looked down at me, "My impossible human." His tone was affectionate as he reached out and cupped my face in those big hands of his. "I was going to catch you after our walk, tie you up myself." He was still chuckling as he bent down and pressed a tusk to my cheek gently and with heavy affection.
"Kinky." I listened to his laughter, feeling it vibrating out of him as he nuzzled his tusk gently against my skin.
"You beat me to it, you impatient woman." He pulled back just a fraction, looking down at me with a warmth to his gaze that made my heart skip a beat in my chest and had me relaxing, leaning my cheek into one of his big palms as I reached up and held onto his large arms.
"I beat out everyone. I'm the best like that." I said it teasingly, wrinkling my nose at him and he bent down, brushing the tip of his nose against mine.
"You are. The very, very best human, my love." He whispered it out, a soft declaration before he kissed me. It was soft and filled with adoration and love and I kissed him back, a warmth moving through me as I leaned towards him.
I never once thought that I would make something that would change the world when I set out to figure out how magnets worked all those years ago. I never once thought that when I left earth over six years ago that I would find life long friends among the stars. And I had never once thought that when I landed on Torin six years ago exactly, that I would find love among them too.
I smiled at Gal'rug as he pulled back and beamed so wide it made my heart hurt with how happy I was as he threw his fists into the air and gave a bellow of victory like he had single-handedly fought against a dragon and won. I could see Iris and Sarge cheering and my cheeks heated as I realized the other guys had arrived as well as the others on the council. Everyone was looking on with excitement.
Gal came back and dropped to one knee in front of me. "I am sorry I took so long. Perhaps I should have listened to the others and given you this when I first got it." He pulled out a ring box and it looked tiny in his hands and I beamed wide as he opened it and a dark grey ring with a shimmering red stone that reminded me of the first time he took me to the arena and Tel'bak'gorth, set in the middle.
I swallowed a gasp at just how pretty it was before I reached out and took it. "How long have you had it?" I put it on and it fit perfectly. I loved it, looking at the intricately carved designs that ringed the band. The grog certainly loved their pretty things.
Gal rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Three years." That had me giving a full blown gasp that I nearly choked on.
"You dummy!" I shoved at him and then laughed, throwing my arms around his thick neck, hugging him tightly. "You stupid idiot, I love you so much." I pulled back and peppered his face in kisses between giggles at just how ridiculously stupid we both were. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you." I never once thought my life could have happened like it had, but it felt good being wrong. With this one, least this one time, it felt like I had done everything right, that it was perfect despite the trips ups and the stupidity of holding back my love.
I nearly squealed as Gal wrapped those big arms around me and lifted me up. I beamed at him before I kissed him again and then again. I love this grog so much. He set me down on my feet and pull me close, holding me tight to his chest, large arms wrapping me up to the point I felt sheltered from the very universe. "I am so happy, my Roxie, I love you more than anything." At his soft declaration, I closed my eyes and leaned against him. I would take no longer having earth if it meant I could forever have him.
There was a loud wolf whistle and I opened my eyes and looked. Luke walked towards us with Mare beside him, her hand on her softly rounded belly, her skin shimmering in the sunlight and her eyes glowing. "About fucking time, you two!" He whistled again and Gal'rug gave another cheer, throwing a fist into the air and I just smiled, leaning against him as I looked at the people I called family. Some weren't blood, some were definitely not human but I loved them all the same.
I smiled as I looked at the large rag tag group that had been with me through thick and thin, who stood with me through it all. And it made me smile because all of this, every single discovery made, every relationship formed, every child adopted, every culture shared across the stars, every new planet discovered, started with one single thing.
It made me smile to think that it all started with magnets.