Born of Ice

Chapter Twelve

   He eyed her with suspiciously as he cradled her. What did one do in this kind of situation? He surely did not know. He stood with her, leaving the office and headed towards his room. He kicked the partly open door, striding through and towards the master bathroom with his Jacuzzi tub. He sat her down on the sink before turning to run a hot bubble bath. As he let the water warm up, he grabbed bath salts for the tub he had been recommended, having felt to awkward to explain to the lovely lady that he had not in fact have a lady to enjoy them.  Now, he was glad that the lady had insisted on helping him pick out some for his new tub. He added a liberal amount to the tub with the corresponding bubble bath before turning back to Tisha. He slipped her shirt up and over her head before unhooking her bra and lifting her bottom off the sink to remove the pants she wore. He set her down momentarily to strip his own clothes off before lifting her back up to step into the tub. He cradled her between his thighs and turning on the jets. He heard a sigh as the tension left her body, relaxing against him as the jets massaged their bodies. He did not know much about comforting the female race but it seemed to be working for them both.
   After awhile, he realized that she had fallen asleep against his chest as the water began to cool down, giving them both goose bumps. He shut the jets off, standing with her cradled against him. He toweled them off before carrying her towards the bedroom depositing her under the blankets. He slipped a pair of shorts on before thinking, grabbing one of his tshirts to slip over her head as she slept soundly. He peered down at her sleeping face, wondering where he would be in his life had he not found her when he had. His life was so bleak before that fateful mission and it seemed like nothing but problems he had brought to her since. He had initiated a bonding she may or may not have wanted, the foreign government wanted her for crimes she had not committed and she was now stuck in hiding until his commander could get her name cleared of the accusations. He seemed like such a catch for her. He sighed with exasperation, knowing full well he wouldn't give her up even if she wanted him to. Did that make him a monster? Probably so but she was the first bit of light he had seen in centuries. He climbed into bed next to her, pulling her up against his chest. He reveled in the feel of her against him as he began to feel himself slipping into slumber.
   He found himself in familiar surroundings as he peered around himself. His old home was before him, welcoming smoke coming from the stone chimney he had built himself. He slowly made his way towards the hut he had painstakingly built all those centuries ago. He knew subconsciously that he was dreaming but could not stop the forward momentum of his feet.  He did not want to see the scene that would play out every time he entered his hut but it was as if his brain was stuck in a revolving door. He was surprised when he walked into his hut and was greeted with a new sight. His wife stood before him in her hand made dress. She had a smile on her face as she motioned for him to come to her. He went to her, feeling as if he were betraying Tisha with his wife in his dreams. She sat him in a chair before taking a seat herself. He peered around him, searching the small area for his daughter and seeing no one else. His wife patted his hand gently, shaking her head slightly.
"She is not here, only me. You have been in great distress for so long about our deaths. Now you are distressed about something new. I have been granted this small favor to see you one last time to settle your distress. I know that you are no longer human as you once were and that the species you are now does not have wives as humans do. I wanted to tell you that it is ok for you to love someone else and that I fully support it. You have been without life within your soul for so long even as you walk the earth that my soul as been unable to settle. Now that you have found your bonded female, I will be able to go into my eternal rest with our daughter until you both come to the afterlife. Which from what I understand is quite a long time if you ever do come. I want you to let your pain go of our loss and embrace her anew with our blessing. We shall always look over you with love in our hearts."
"I will always love you both."
"That is but what love is. You can still hold love for us in your heart and still wholly love her to. Go now and let this weight drop from your shoulders. We will always watch over you both."
"Thank you for this. I will always look to the stars and know you look down on us. I wish she were here for me to hug one last time but to know you both rest easy in the next life does lift a weight I did not realize I carried."
   With a blink of an eye, he awoke in his bed with Tisha curled into his side. He felt the weight lift from his chest as he felt the love he was afraid to feel swell in his heart. He drew her closer as he slipped back into a peaceful slumber for the first time in centuries, a smile dawning his lips as he held onto his future with both hands.