A Time for Love

Day 27

Bang Bang Bang

I open my eyes. Did I make it up? Sounds too real

Bang Bang

Fine. It is real. I crawl out from under the covers. Covering myself with a blanket, I hobble out of bed and open the door

To find Steve staring back with bloodshot eyes

"Annie" he says

His breath smells of whiskey

"Are you okay?"

"No" he says, looking at me. "I am not.

I grab him under the hook of his arm, and bring him into my room quietly, as to not wake Callie. I turn on the lamp.

"Hey. It will be okay. You've gotten through plenty before"  say, wrapping my arms around him.

He grazes his lips behind my ear.

"Yeah? I know why" he says.

A shiver runs down my spine, as he kisses my cheek, and then my lips.

We stay still, afraid to move, lest we break away from this moment.

"Steve."

He kisses from the crook of my neck all the way to my collarbone. I'm nearly breathless when I sputter out, "Why the sudden change?

He looks down at me with intensity.

"There was never a change Annie. All of these years, I've only thought of you."

I smile half-heartedly at his kisses, turning slightly away.

He sighs.

"You want to go back, don't you?"

I gasp as he entraps me from behind into his arms.

"Ah, um."

I politely wiggle out of his grasp, and he laughs.

Lining up the objects on the table, I catch a glimpse of the green bracelet. I stare back at him.

"That's it?"

"You need to hold my hand" I order.

He firmly clasps mine, and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Ah" I sigh, biting back my happiness. "Here we go."

...

Traveling through a portal of green and black, we hold onto each other until we tumble out onto a town street. Women parade up and down in parasols, accompanied by friends or male suitors. Factory men are in a hurry to get from one building to another. Smog rises from the pipes in the factories to the air. A rumbling fills the ground, showing several rocket ships going off to a glittering spaceship above.

A roadside bar appears head of us. Sitting at the counter is Mae Lu.

"Mae?"

She turns to me.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"What are you talking about?" she bickers. "We had just broken into Area 51, remember? Where's David?"

"He's... I think he's taking care of his family right now."

"And who's this?" she asks, sizing up Steve, who is stunned to look back into the face of his ex-girlfriend. "He won't be any trouble, will he?"

"Oh, him? He owes me a debt. I saved him."

He scowls at me, unamused, but Mae just laughs.

"You're catching on. That's good. You're going to need a whole more of that where we are going."

"Where's that?"

"The Space Queen mission. Have you forgot already? One of those monarchs are going to kill her if we don't get to her first. I have a rocket out ready, and a crew. Beware, however, they are space pirates. A little rough around the edges."

We follow Mae to the spaceship where we are greeted by rough looking men wearing both tuxes and warrior gear. We strap in, as the rumble of fire spurs out, hurling us from the planet, to the black starry sky. I stare back down at the planet, back to the stars, smiling at myself. Whatever happens, it's going to be fine.