The shuttlecraft carrying Sirak’s body, Mateo, Tayalla, the queen and two of her children left for Aquarius and the pilot announced they would be entering light speed in a manner of moments. The side wings extended as the vessel escaped Earth's gravimetric pull and emerged into the inky blackness of space. Aquan shuttlecraft are slower than the bigger vessels in the fleet and it would take them six hours to finally reach Aquarius, which was a good thirty light-years away.
Mateo tried his best to calm his fiancé, her brother and queen Yeena. He held Aquita close as she looked out at the passing stars and appeared to be a million light years away herself. Mateo knew the princess had to be strong and Aquita was reading Mateo's thoughts as she kissed Mateo's hand. Aquita thought to herself that she and her family needed to confront the people once they landed. A press conference was probably necessary and despite being in the public eye, Aquita never made nearly as many speeches as her father. She did however know she would try her best.
"'Quita..you gotta be strong. For me and for little Sirak. I think we should name the little guy after your dad." Mateo whispered.
Aquita smiled and continued to look out the window and pecked Mateo's cheek. "He'll need a middle name. Jésus sounds good."
Mateo smiled as Queen Yeena entered Mateo and Aquita's cabin. Her emerald eyes were a little red from crying. Sirak meant so much to her and the Aquan people. He was the one who led the Aquans from home when their world turned into a desert and setlted the population under the seas of Earth. Slowly, the queen sat in a seat close to the door.
"Your highness..I..I'm so sorry about Sirak. He was a great man. B-Before he died. He told me to be strong for Aquita and he blessed our wedding. But, there's more..." Mateo's voice cracked a bit. There was so much he wanted to say.
"More?" Yeena ran her fingers through her emerald hair. She attempted to make herself less upset than she really was. "What is it?"
"Yeah." Mateo nodded. "How do you feel about being a grandmother?"
Yeena's eyes lit up and she mustered a smile as wide as she could. She could tell Mateo and Aquita were going to be good parents. It didn't matter that the two were from different worlds. All that mattered now was the baby. She clasped her hands together and rushed out to tell Shrall the news. Mateo knew Shrall would be happy and he needed something positive while dealing with this crisis. He and his brother, M'anta needed to be strong and the family needed him and the other Starbolts to find the assassin.
It was then that it dawned on Mateo. He was going to be a father and married to the beautiful woman in his arms. He placed his hand on Aquita's belly and felt something hard. It had to have been the egg. Aquan biology was different than human and yet they were obviously similar. Aquita's face, although light blue looked angelic despite the hard time she was having. She had the best smile that lit up any room she was in and Mateo would have given everything to make sure she smiled again.
Mateo thought back to the day at the ranch when this new adventure into parenthood began. Aquita and Mateo took a vacation from the team to Mateo's grandfather, Jésus Arlandero's cattle ranch in El Paso, Texas. The ranch had a herd of cattle fenced in a large field and behind the brick and stucco ranch house was a large pool where Mateo, Angela and their two brothers would play every summer vacation as kids. Their grandparents would let them ride horses and play all kinds of games but that day, Mateo's grandparents were in Santa Fe, New Mexico visiting Mateo's parents.
Aquita wore a white shirt Mateo's mother bought for her a few days ago and she looked very beautiful in it. Mateo’s parents often admired the princess for being herself around their family and she respected them more for doing so because Aquita never wanted to be treated differently. The shirt accented her skin tone and green hair perfectly but, according to Mateo, she looked beautiful in everything including the ceremonial dresses she wore at palace functions. After a stop at the Arlandero homestead in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the two heroes arrived at the ranch for a nice romantic retreat.
" Here we are, 'Quita." Mateo grinned. "Feel that desert heat! The hot El Paso sun can do a number on a person"
"I can feel it, Mateo." Aquita kissed his cheek. "Let me go set up our picnic. Is it getting hotter here all of a sudden?"
" No more than usual, mi amour." Mateo kissed Aquita's hand.
"Flattery..." Aquita took her hand back. "Will get you everywhere, Earthling. So will assanda. ***-kissing. "
"Duly noted, my princess." Mateo bowed and folded his wings. "This porch will be your throne for the next few hours and I will be your humble servant."
" Not too humble, young squire." Aquita replied as she played along and fixed Mateo’s t-shirt collar. “I prefer my gentlemen callers to be more noble."
" I can go with that." Mateo straightened up as Aquita walked over to the picnic basket they brought.
Mateo stood back and looked at Aquita. He thought to himself that he was the luckiest man alive. Aquita took out what Mateo thought was a couple of tuna sandwiches, a couple sodas and a blanket for them to sit on. Aquita also took out a cd player, which had her own cd in it. Mateo suggested one day that she should record her songs on a cd so they could hear her sing. Mateo wondered what she was up to with the romantic mood being set. Not that he didn't mind.
It was getting to be nearly noon and the hot sun would soon be very unforgiving. Desert birds flew over the ranch and into the clear blue sky. The lovers sat on the blanket watching the birds fly and sometimes even snuck in a kiss or two here and there while the other pointed out a bird they liked.
"Mm..." Mateo munched on his sandwich. "Tuna sandwiches are so good."
"Actually.." Aquita munched her sandwich. "That's really an Aquan fish called a freeba. Glad you think it tastes like tuna."
Freeba were an Aquan commodity and fish was a major part of Aquan cuisine. The freeba was the Aquan equivalent of the Earth tuna and before Aquita left Santa Fe, she had her mother transport some over so Mateo could sample the fish without having to go all the way to Aquarius.
"Freeba freebee." Mateo smirked as he took another bite. He was no stranger to Aquan cuisine after all. "All that really matters is that I'm here with you, my best friend, my true love. I'm glad we're here. Alone."
Aquita leaned in and spoke softly. "No one to bother us. No Marcus doing five million things at once."
Mateo leaned in to kiss Aquita and held her face for a moment and his hand slid off as if her skin was greasy. Aquita's face was drenched in so much sweat that her skin felt slick to the touch. The sweat made her white shirt transparent as well and Mateo blushed a bit at what he saw. Aquans did not like dry deserts and extreme heat as it caused excessive sweating and eventual drying out. Their element was the water and Aquita shook her emerald hair to let loose some of the sweat.
"I-I'd better go to the pool in the back." Aquita got up and made tracks for the pool at a fast speed.
Mateo noted that she didn't seem embarrassed that he could see through her shirt and. Mateo was feeling the heat as well finally and decided to take his shirt off too and head toward the pool, himself. As he walked, he placed a special harness on to keep his wings close to his body. Swimming with wings spread out would cause problems despite his wings being waterproof. As Mateo walked, he wondered what Aquita was up to at the pool since he heard her singing a soft version of her song called “Oasis of Love” which she sang to him on their first date.
When Mateo arrived at the pool, He saw Aquita's green hair waving in the summer breeze as she bathed in the shallow end of the pool, completely nude. Mateo noted the gill slits on her neck pulsing as it took in water when she knelt. She then saw who she considered to be her soul mate. She merely smiled and Mateo was in love with her all over again. Her blue lips curled into one beautiful smile in Mateo’s opinion and her emerald eyes glistened in the daylight. Aquita's personality and her body made her very attractive. She had many suitors on Aquarius and every time she visited home, they would try to get Aquita to forget about Mateo and get her to be with them. It never worked because Mateo won Aquita’s heart, years ago when they first met.
"I knew you'd come, Mateo." Aquita motioned for Mateo to come closer by curling her index fingers. "It's not just a telepathic thing. It's also not just the desert heat. I..I wanted to do this for a long time and I've been thinking about us. Getting ready for taking our relationship to the next level. You remember how we met and how we "hooked up"?"
"Yeah." Mateo placed his bare feet in the pool after taking his black sneakers off. " After meeting you that first day on Earth, I had this crush on you. You looked so beautiful despite you being so concerned for the fate of Aquarius. Jenna tried her damnest to get me to ask you out after the adventure. I got the nerve after a pep talk from your loving brothers and here we are."
Aquita swam closer to Mateo smiling. " Can I tell you a secret?"
" Of course, 'Quita." Mateo tried to remain calm and gentlemanly despite talking to his naked alien girlfriend. “You can always tell me anything.”
" A few months before Aquarius became a desert, I lost my first love, Robkas." Aquita started. "He disappeared on a diplomatic mission, dumped me and I thought I'd never love again. After seeing you, I felt a deep connection with you. I felt something. I wasn't sure what it was until Jenna and Angela talked to me about you. They wanted me to know that I could trust you with anything. And I trust you now. Baring my soul...as well as my skin."
Mateo was at a loss for words. Aquita was so admired by Mateo. He loved her with every fiber of his being and she felt the same way about him. Mateo disrobed and slid right in and faced her. He couldn't say anything and just hugged her tightly. Aquita placed her webbed hand on Mateo's cheek and caressed it as she waded closer.
"I..."Mateo began. "I have no words. I mean. Oh God I love you. I think...no I know we're ready for anything. We faced lots of battles and the future's bright because we're in it. There are no more words. Just our love. It'll make us stronger. Always."
"No more words, Ya A’mas ti, Mateo." Aquita breathed heavily as they got close to the pool's edge.
Mateo then passionately kissed Aquita and things made more sense. They both understood their love more as Aquita read Mateo's thoughts as they continued to kiss inside the pool. As they continued, their thoughts became one and every thought; sensation and feeling became shared by the other. Their lives would different after that day because a bond that could never be broken was formed.
That day was one of Mateo’s greatest memories of the last few years by the princess’s side and looking back on it made him realize that Aquita needed him now to help her deal with her people. Once the ship landed on Aquarius, numerous questions would have to be answered and unfortunately, funeral arrangements would have to be made. The queen herself would rule without a king and a heavy burden would be cast upon her shoulders, as she had to lead the people into a new era without the king at her side.
“Thinking about that day?” Aquita asked as she looked up at Mateo. “I am, too. Can’t lie to a telepath. It’s demeaning.”
“Of course I am.” Mateo gazed out at the stars streaking by like tiny flashes. Mateo had been to Aquarius before with his friends many times and felt happy to be visiting there again despite the circumstances. “That day was incredible and now we’re bonded in a way that’s really indescribable.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking of another way we can be bonded.” Aquita began. “It’s an Aquan tradition for two lovers to be bonded telepathically when they care for each other so much and their hearts would have to be pure for it to work. M’anta and Jenna are bonded in that way and I was thinking this could be a way for you to say hello to your son. Also, since we’re going to be married soon..”
“No objections, here.” Mateo smiled. ”I’d love to say hello to our son. Plus, I’ve been meaning to ask you about the bonding.”
Aquita placed her hands on the sides of Mateo’s face and closed her eyes gently. She appeared to be concentrating her telepathic energies and Mateo felt honored that Aquita wanted to share a bond with him. “This is going to be interesting and well worth it.” Mateo thought as he sat and watched Aquita.
“Now place your hands on my head.” Aquita responded. “It’s going to get more interesting. This is an intimate process for my people. We need to do this because I think I’m going to need your strength when we get to Aquarius.”
As soon as Mateo placed his hands through Aquita’s long emerald hair and onto her head, he started seeing pictures in his mind as she recited words to initiate the bonding. Mateo saw images of Aquita growing up on Aquarius such as Aquita singing for Sirak, attending school with her brothers, the last days with her ex, Robkas and what she saw when Mateo came into her life. She saw Mateo visiting the ranch as a child, the day wings sprouted from his back and his first awkward flying lesson. Both now had a greater understanding of the other and the bond was now complete.
“Ni’tai coan zeatu ita.” Aquan chanted. “Two shall become one. Mateo Arlandero eeta siak a Aquita J’arrsti. Mateo Arlandero is now bonded to Aquita J’arrsti. Repeat.”
“Ni’tai coan zeatu ita.” Mateo chanted. “Two shall become one. Aquita J’arrsti eeta siak a Mateo Arlandero. Aquita J’arrsti is now bonded to Mateo Arlandero.”
While Aquita and Mateo were bonding in such an intimate way, Shrall, Yeena and Tayalla appeared in the cabin to see them uniting in such a way that it brought a smile to the others faces despite the king being lost forever. Shrall thought he’d better call M’anta once they landed on Aquarius and after the bonding was complete, Shrall went up to Mateo and placed his hand on Mateo’s shoulder.
