Well, this was just kleb-tastic.
He pulled away from the kiss (which had been really nice, much to his surprise) only to see an expression of total shock and fear painting Andy's face.
He didn't understand at first, but directing his gaze down to his hands soon enlightened him to what was freaking her out. He had four of them. Four blue hands.
"Kleb," he hissed softly. He must have forgotten to renew his transduction before he left the house. How could he have been so foolish and reckless? He wasn't a soolian!
She scrambled away from him, visibly frightened. He stood slowly, not wanting to freak her out more than he already had. Great, today was shaping up to end just wonderfully.
"Who the fuck are you, and what did you do with Krel!?" she cried, voice tinged with panic. He took a step towards her, but that only startled her even more. "Don't take another step," she threatened. "I'm a blackbelt in taekwondo."
"I know, I know," Krel said, emphasizing his words with his hands. "I know you are. Please, I can explain-" He had to try to explain this to her without her making a huge scene, and without too much attention being drawn. This was really not the way he had wanted her to find out. In fact, he really would've liked it if she hadn't ever found out.
He took another small step towards her, causing her to scramble back even more. She put her foot down on a loose rock and slipped, foot shooting out in front of her and landing on the rocky outcropping, head hitting the stone with an audible crack that Krel really did not like the sound of.
"ANDY!" he yelped, lunging forward as she fell. He was too far away to catch her. He rushed forward, checking her pulse. Luckily it was regular, but she was out cold and probably concussed. He needed to get her some help and get her to safety.
He scooped her up in his upper arms, holding her gently. He could see there was a little bit of blood on the back of her head, and winced at the sight of it.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Aja. He really needed her right now, she would know what to do. Her phone rang and rang, going to voicemail. He tried twice more before giving up; she was most likely on a date with Steve.
He dialed Vex next, who's phone also went to voicemail. Krel sighed, Vex's favorite game show was probably on right now, and that was why he was not picking up.
Who could he call that could help him? He could directly contact Mother, but she would just send the Blanks and he did not trust Ricky or Lucy to get either of them home safely or reliably. He couldn't call Eli for various obvious reasons... oh! Stuart! He would call Stuart!
Stuart picked up on the third ring. "Yello, it's Stu, how can I help you?"
"Hey, Stuart-"
"Prince Krel! Hey, how's it going! Wait, weren't you on a date with that lady friend of yours? Why are you calling me?"
"If you would just let me explai-" Krel began, but Stuart cut him off again.
"Uh oh, is the date going poorly? What's going on? C'mon, tell Uncle Stuey, he promises not to tell a soul!"
"If you would just shut up for one mekron and let me explain!" Krel shouted, exasperated. Stuart did not say anything, and Krel knew the exact expression he was wearing. It was one of sheepish embarrassment, Stuart often wore this expression after interrupting people. "Yes, the date went poorly. Not in the way you might think, though. It seems that before I left the Mothership, I neglected to renew my transduction," Krel explained, "and she freaked out when I changed. She slipped and fell and knocked herself out, and I think she has a concussion. We're stuck out in the woods."
"Holy shit!" Stuart exclaimed. "Say no more! I'll come get you and take you back to the Mothership!"
"Thank you, Stuart." Krel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wait, where exactly are you?" he asked. "There aren't exactly street corners in the woods, y'know."
"Here, I will send you my location," Krel replied, pulling the phone away from his ear and entering it into the text bar.
"Alrighty, on my way," Stuart said, and Krel could hear the sound of the taco truck starting. He wasn't entirely sure how Stuart was going to drive it through the woods, but with him if there was a will, there was a way.
Krel waited for about ten minutes, the sky getting darker and darker until the last rays of the sun had all but disappeared. It was better this way, actually, Krel was much less likely to be discovered when it was dark. He saw headlights down the hill a way, and sure enough, Stuart pulled up into the clearing in his rattly old food truck. Krel turned around to face him.
Stuart hopped out of the drivers side and rushed over to where Krel was standing with Andy in his arms. "Oh my gosh, is she okay!?" he exclaimed, checking her pulse and lifting her eyelids a little.
"I am not sure," said Krel. "I'm hoping she's just unconscious."
"C'mon, hop in," said Stuart, running back to the truck and opening the passenger's side for the king in waiting, trotting around the other side to hop into the driver's seat as Krel climbed into the truck gingerly, being careful not to hurt Andy. He buckled his seatbelt, and Stuart started the engine.
What happened next is not something Krel likes to remember. It was probably the most terrifying experience in a car he's ever had, even scarier than Driver's Ed. He knew Stuart was kind of a crazy driver, but he never imagined what that would look like careening down a hill at mach 20, dodging trees and animals alike, would be like. His stomach was in his throat the whole time, bracing himself against the truck's walls with his lower arms and holding Andy fiercely with his upper arms.
"STUART!" he yelled, when they almost hit a tree.
"SORRY!" he squawked, swerving at the last minute.
They careened down the hill and into a nearby neighborhood, whipping past Andy's house. "I DO NOT THINK THIS SPEED IS LEGAL HERE!" Krel yelled, desperately trying to hold onto something stable.
"I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP!" yelled Stuart in reply, voice tinged with panic.
"WELL THEN TRY NOT TO GET US ALL KILLED!"
They sped past Eli's house and Steve's house, eventually roaring down the street the Mothership was on, screeching to a halt in the driveway. Krel flung open his door and stumbled out of the truck, clutching Andy and gasping for air, trying to calm his pulse.
"I am never, ever, ever driving with you again," he said between wheezes. "That was the most terrifying thing I have ever done, and I fled a planet being tailed by Akiridion V-Strykers!"
Stuart shrugged, looking sheepish. "You said it was an emergency."
Krel ran to the door, throwing it open. "AJA! VARVATOS!" he yelled, dashing through the living room and ducking through the door to the lower half of the Mothership that was hidden behind the fireplace, Stuart trailing behind him. Varvatos jumped, having fallen asleep in his armchair with the television on.
He swerved around the corner, skidding to a stop in the stasis chamber. He needed somewhere to put her down.
Varvatos walked into the room, arms crossed. "She's injured," said Krel, holding Andy close. "Not badly, but I need to make sure she's okay. I do not know where to put her... The spare stasis chamber is not operational."
"Might Vex suggest your room?" he said, in a tone that Krel knew meant a lecture was coming later.
Krel ducked his head in a single nod, and dashed out of the room past Stuart and Vex. He ran down the hall and into his room, laying Andy down on his bed gingerly, being really careful to support her head and neck. He knew that humans had to take really good care of their head and neck because of how easily they could be injured.
"Mother, scan for injuries," he commanded.
The AI appeared, and blue light scanned Andy's unconscious form. "Minimal injures," she droned. "She is suffering from a minor concussion. She will make a full recovery, as long as she is careful."
Krel sighed in relief, and slumped into the chair at his desk. He barely had a moment to breathe, however, before Vex and Aja walked into his room. He knew from the moment he heard their footsteps that they were unhappy.
"Great, this is just great," Aja drawled sarcastically, arms folded over her chest. "You go on a single date, and you come back with her unconscious in your arms, without your transduction!?"
"Technically, this was our second... date," Krel corrected timidly.
"This was not a smart move, Princeling," Vex growled.
Krel groaned and put his head down on his desk. "I know this," he said, voice muffled by the hard surface. "I know it wasn't." He sighed again. "But I cannot change what happened."
Aja sighed, and uncrossed her arms. She took a few steps forward, and put her right hands on his shoulders. "I am thinking you are probably more upset with yourself than we could be," she said, her tone a caring one rather than sarcastic.
He didn't say anything, she was right. He felt like a huge soolian right now. Of all the idiotic things he could have done, he forgot his transduction at an important time, and possibly lost his... well, he wasn't quite sure what Andy qualified as right now.
"I will let you sort this one out on your own," said Aja. "No use being angry with you at an accident."
"Varvatos Vex is not pleased," Vex grumbled, "but he cannot be angry with people for things they did not mean to happen."
The two of them left the room after a moment, leaving Krel alone with a sleeping Andy. He sighed again, resting his head in his hand, elbow propped up against the table.
Mother's hologram appeared. "You are troubled, my Royal," she said.
He nodded. "You could say that much."
"Would you like to talk about it? I have learned that humans often tell each other what is troubling them in order to work through it."
"I am... just afraid," he said.
"Afraid? Of what?" she asked, hologram circling around to face him, bathing the room in a soft blue light.
"Afraid that she will hate me," Krel said despondently.
"I do not understand why she should have any reason to do so."
"I lied to her!" Krel said, tossing two of his arms into the air in frustration. "I lied to her again and again!"
"But you were protecting yourself, my Royal."
"It is still lying."
"Well, look on the bright side. Now she has to believe you when you tell her the truth."
"I suppose you are right, Mother. You usually are."
"I do my best," she said, in a contented voice, before floating out the door.
Krel looked to Andy's sleeping form again and hoped she would not hate him for lying or for anything else. He didn't know if he could take it.