Moonchild

It had been four years, three months, five weeks, and two days. Stella had been waiting for all that time for Matt to come home, been helping to look for him with the logistics teams, been caring for his little sister and his mother in their time of need.

She'd been caring for their daughter for just over three.

She'd found out she was pregnant after he left for his mission, gave birth to Luna after she found out he was missing; his whole team was.

They had offered their condolences, told her that they were sad Luna never got to meet her father or grandfather- but Stella wouldn't hear it.

She knew- she knew- in her heart, in her soul, that he was alive. That he was coming home.

She'd see him again.

She always told their Luna, "Your dad would've wanted you to have this name. He always talked about it, said he was going to that distant moon so that, when it was your turn to have it, the whole universe would be at your fingertips. If he were here, he'd call you Moonchild."

Luna was small, almost four, but she'd definitely gotten her father's overly analytical mind, along with his kind brown eyes.

She'd already learned to talk a long time ago, almost two months, now, and she'd giggle every time her mother told her that.

"Why Moonchild, Mommy?" Stella would smile at Luna, dark eyes glittering with excitement, "You're his child, born while he was off conquering the moon. Your dad's cheesy like that."

She'd show Luna pictures and tell her stories; Katie, Matt's sister, loved to join in on telling the tales.

When they went to space, it was completely unexpected. They were up there for months; amidst chaos and trouble, Katie and Stella would search for Matt.

Luna, smart as she was, learned languages that shouldn't even exist as easy as she learned her alphabet on Earth. She learned Alien languages, their customs, played their games, even ate their food.

It took them a while, but, eventually, they found him. Well, Katie found him, but she brought him back.

Stella had long since changed, hardened and scarred by battle. Matt had, too, made stronger, more fearless, more determined.

But when they saw each other again, for the first time in years, they felt like they had just fallen in love for the first time, like they were kids again. Like they weren't soldiers ready for battle or travelers always on the move.

Like they were just Matt and Stella again.

Katie had warned Matt that Stella had changed, things with Matt and Stella had changed, but Matt insisted that if Stella had anything she needed to tell him, he wanted to hear it from her. He wanted to hear her.

Neither was sure who initiated, but they were in each other's embrace, clinging to each other like a lifeline, like they couldn't breathe apart.

"Matt. I-I knew you were alive. I could feel your heart beating, could hear your every breath." Her eyes, dark as night, stared into his light brown ones, tears building on her waterline.

Her soft arms had more muscle tone, now; her coffee-toned face marred by a scar in the shape of a four-point star, talking up most of one cheek.

He ran his finger over it; she nuzzled into his hand, tears finally falling to meet his fingers.

"What happened?" Stella smiled, giving a watery laugh.

"I've become something of a protector since you've been gone, Matt. Katie, and her friends- they're all such good kids. I've been helping to keep them safe."

She laughed awkwardly, and Matt couldn't stop himself, cupping her face and pulling her close, pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes fell closed, tears escaping as she gripped his hands, leaning in and hoping to never have to let him go again.

"There's someone else I've been protecting, too, Matt," Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn't pull away; he didn't either. She pressed her forehead to his, calming the whispers of panic creeping into his heart.

"I met her almost a year after you left, and I fell in love immediately. She was so beautiful- just took my breath away. She's kind and smart- and she needed me to be strong for her." Matt felt his throat constrict, heart squeezing as panic gripped his mind. "I realized she'd be with me a few days after you left. Nine months later, she took her first breaths in my arms."

Matt gasped, throat constricting even tighter- but for a different reason, now. His heart raced, nose flushing a bright red as tears stung his still closed eyes.

"Mommy! Mommy, I found a pretty crystal-!" Luna stopped when her mother turned, reluctantly releasing Matt so that him and Luna could see each other. Luna dropped the colorful rock, eyes wide.

"Daddy?"

Matt felt his heart squeeze again, tears pushing up to meet his waterline before they finally overflowed, slipping down his face.

The girl was small, with a caramel tone of skin; her face was small and round, her light brown eyes- his eyes- staring back at him in awe, adoration, affection- she looked at him as though she was seeing a god for the first time.

She loved him, and they didn't even know each other- but they shared a soul, a bond of blood and heart.

She had his curly hair- unfortunately- but it was dark brown, like her mother's. Stella had been right. She was so beautiful that she took his breath away.

"Matt, this is Luna."

He said it before he could stop himself, and Luna knew- she knew- this was really her father, "Moonchild."

She smiled brightly, eyes filling with tears of joy, before she exclaimed something in a language he'd never heard before, letting out a squeal right after, and ran towards him, arms outstretched.

He kneeled, catching her, small and light, in his arms, holding her close.

He finally had them with him- reunited and meeting for the first time- his moon and his star.

Their beloved family.