~Tracey~
I expected it to be hell outside, but instead it was calm.
Apparently the attack was called off when the body of the professor was found, which meant that the forces that were there soon left the area. The planet was saved, and it seemed like most of the members of the Klanden forces were ready to help at the drop of a hat. I felt great about that, and I was happy that this hell was over for now.
When we got back, the president briefed us that tensions were about to get worse, that we’d have to start with negotiations soon. I felt like I was just another body in the way, but they wanted Jives and I to work together. We said that we would, and that’s what we did.
The next job was to go to these people and start to work it out with them. We spoke to one of the little people that belonged to the planet, and it was discovered that the professor was actually part of a rebel faction, and not really sent by them. So, they were rebels. I thanked them for the help, and the three of us managed to work out a trade deal. I mean, it wasn’t over yet, but we did have a grapple on this situation, so I couldn’t necessarily complain.
I turned to Jives, who seemed completely in his own little world. I felt bad for him, mostly because it was obvious that he didn’t know where to go next. He seemed to always have everything under control, but this attack was a sign that there were still things that we didn’t know. This also meant that the relations between the earthlings and those of Klanden might not be favorable. I didn’t want things to get worse.
“Are you okay?” I asked him one night as we laid in bed after making love.
“Yeah. It’s just… I’m trying to make sure that both of our planets don’t go to shit. I know that Klanden relies on you guys, and you guys rely on us for the defensive power. But, I’m just worried I might not be enough. There is a huge job here, and I know that someone has to do it. It’ll be me, but I worry that I might not be good enough for that,” he told me.
“You know, you worry far too much,” I said with a smile.
He blushed, unsure of what to say in response.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything. I’m serious, Jives, you worry way too much, and it’s obvious that you’re just trying to make this all work. But remember you’ve got me now. I… I’m putting my art to the side. I’ll still do it for you, and for the embassy, but I want to work with you as an ambassador, and to help keep the relations strong. I’ve learned from this that maybe, just maybe, working in the defenses and protecting this planet might be my calling,” I told him.
I did think about this. I mean, Audrey did the same. I wasn’t doing this for anyone else but for myself, Jives, and for the benefit of the planets. But Jives looked at me with a shocked expression, almost wondering if I was lying.
“You’re serious, right? Because once we make this decision, we can’t go back on it,” he said.
“I’ve thought very long and hard about this, Jives, and I know that this is what I want to do. I want to do this… for both of us,” I told him.
He looked at me, and I could tell he was studying my face, to make sure that I wasn’t bullshitting. When he realized that I wasn’t, he smiled.
“Well, that makes two of us,” he said to me.
I took his hand, holding it there and kissing it. I smiled at him, knowing that he was happy about this, deep down.
“Thank you, Jives. For… everything,” I said.
“You’re very welcome, Tracey. I couldn’t have done this without you,” he said to me.
“Same here,” I replied.
“I’m serious. We did save the planet. I know that there are still some rogue factions, but this is the future that I want to have with you, the one I feel we both deserve. We’re so different, and yet so very much the same. I do want to marry you eventually. Not yet, but I’ve thought about it,” he replied.
I flushed. I mean, we both felt the same way, that’s for sure. “Same here. I want to marry you,” I told him.
We kissed passionately, and for the rest of the night, we made love. I did work with him as a co-ambassador, mostly to make sure that everything was falling into place. I still did my art, but it was definitely becoming more of a hobbyist thing. I did go on missions where we’d oversee various buildings and make sure that it was benefitting everyone. At the end of the day, I felt happy, whole, and definitely better than I have before.
I don’t know, something about this just felt so… right. Maybe it was because I stopped thinking only of myself, but of the others as well. Jives was a bit nervous about letting me work with him initially, which I could understand, but after a while, once we worked out the kinks, he saw me as a valuable member of the force, and someone that he could rely on. I definitely felt happy about that, mostly because I knew that deep down, he could trust me. We could trust one another, and we could see through all of the pain that we went through. We did plan on getting married, but not just yet. Right now, the future of the planet was what we both wanted to work towards, and when the time was right, we’d work towards the goal of marriage as well.
I was happy, and I knew that Jives was too. We were so different, but so similar, and I knew that the love we shared was real, and while we were different, love brought us together.