Galactic Love

Chapter 16

Cleo sat in the Great Hall watching her siblings. Alexander was busy with Nephyths while Hannibal and Lizzie played with their adoptive cousins. Cleo still couldn't believe that a family here had taken them in. Opal and Onyx were the sweetest people Cleo knew here. She was glad that they were her adoptive parents. It helped ease the ache that the death of her parents had caused.

Laughter escaped Cleo as she watched Alexander make a fool of himself as he tried to show Nephyths the Chicken Dance. Nephyths had a hand in front of her mouth as she struggled not to laugh. Nephyths friends weren't that nice as they giggled amongst each other. Alexander laughed as he wiggled his butt which caused Nephyths to lose her composure.

Tethys stepped up next to Cleo. "It is good to see so much laughter amongst the young. This war has been hard on us."

"Is there any way to stop it?"

A shrug was the only answer Tethys gave. Cleo frowned as she thought about the sorrow she'd seen here as families realized that their loved ones weren't coming home. A sudden thought struck her.

"I think I know how to stop it."

Hope flared briefly in Tethys's eyes as she turned to look at Cleo. "How?"

Cleo motioned to her siblings. "We are proof that this war is hurting our people, but we have learned to love you as if we had been born to your race. What if we get all of Earth to stand on your side against the Golden Ones? Earth has over 7 billion people. Not all of them will be able to fight, but even if you get a third of them to fight, that will give you the advantage over your enemy. And it would save my planet from utter destruction."

Tethys nodded as she thought about what Cleo had said. "This needs to be run by the War Council. My people have fought against the Golden Ones for so long that we have all but given up hope of ever defeating them. If we could get your planet to help us then we would be able to stop them once and for all."

Conan appeared in the crowd and Tethys took off after him. Cleo watched as Tethys waylaid him. They disappeared into the crowd. Cleo sighed as she looked at the people who had shown them nothing but kindness. She wanted to believe that she was safe here, but in the back of her mind she knew that he would find her. It was only a matter of time before he realized where she was. That man had an uncanny knack of knowing where Cleo was. It had always scared her to know that he could so easily find her.

"Are you alright?"

Cleo jumped and almost screamed at the sound of Alexander's voice behind her. She looked from him back down to the floor where he'd just been.

"How'd you do that?"

Alexander laughed. "I've always been able to move without you seeing me."

"Yes, but please don't do that unless you have to."

A worried look crossed her brother's face. "What's the matter Cleopatra?"

"I'm not sure," Cleo admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I have a bad feeling. That's all."

"Is he here?"

"I don't know, but I always get this feeling just before he shows up. He's on this planet, I'm certain of that."

A fierce look appeared in Alexander's eyes as his features hardened. "He will not get to you."

"I know but it still worries me. Everything is going along smoothly for once and I don't want to ruin it all."

"It's not your fault Cleo. It never was. That man is sick and he deserves to die."

"And he will especially if Conan gets a hold of him."

"Come," Alexander said as he held a hand out to Cleo. "Nephyths doesn't quite understand some of the dance moves I've been showing her."

Cleo laughed as she stood and took her brother's hand. "I doubt any of them do."

Alexander led Cleo from the balcony where she'd been down to where Lizzie and Hannibal were. Alexander grabbed Hannibal while Cleo caught Lizzie. They both complained as they were drug away from their cousins.

"Let go of me," Hannibal said as he tried to twist away from his brother.

"Nephyths wants to see some of our dances so you are going to help us."

"Does that mean we get to do the YMCA?" Lizzie asked in excitement.

"Yes and all of the others that Mom and Dad taught us."

Lizzie skipped in excitement behind Cleo at Alexander's words. "Maybe we can get everyone to do the Cotton Eye Joe."

Hannibal groaned and rolled his eyes as he tried to hide a smile. Cleo giggled as Alexander led them out into the middle of the hall to where Nephyths was waiting. She gave him a curious look. Alexander threw a smile her way before he began to do the Chicken Dance again. Cleo joined in with her siblings and by the time they were done they had Nephyths laughing so hard that she was crying.

"Is this is how you really dance?" Nephyths asked while trying not to laugh.

Alexander offered her one of his grins that always got him in trouble with their mom. "Oh we're not done yet. There are more dances that we're going to show you. These are usually done at school dances. No one does the more complicated dances unless it's for some function or on the set of a movie."

Nephyths just shook her head as Alexander started dancing to the Macarena. Cleo laughed as she joined him. Everyone in the hall was watching them and there was quite a bit of laughter going around. The laughter really picked up when several of the younger ones joined them. Soon everyone was dancing along with them.

Cleo laughed as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. "I have never seen my people act like this.  I'm not sure if I want to laugh or go hide in a corner."

Cleo turned in Conan's arms so that she could look up at him. She rested her hands on his chest as she smiled up at him. "All we have done is taught your people how to laugh again. My mom used to say that everything looked brighter when you were able to laugh."

Conan gave her a grateful kiss. "Dance with me."

"Yes," Cleo whispered as Conan spun her away from him. Cleo's laughter joined the others as they all acted silly and danced as if no one was watching.