The pile of boxes that James dropped onto the table was a complete surprise to Krolia. They were all different designs and colors, and came in different sizes and dimensions. None of the containers seemed to be empty, judging from their weight when she lifted them.

Still, the gaudy appearance of the packages convinced her that they were not here for any practical reasons.

When James returned from his quick trip to close the door, Krolia took the chance to question him.

"What are all these for?" She asked, carefully inspecting one of the smaller boxes. "I did not think it was yet time for you to go and get some supplies."

James stopped and suddenly looked rather sheepish.

"Ah, uh, no…" From the corner of her eye, Krolia identified a small trace of pink on the others face. "They were, uh, kinda… kinda spur of the moment kinda thing."

"Oh?" She put the box she was holding back onto the table. "And what are they exactly? Some type of human toy?"

If possible, James managed to turn an even deeper shade ot pink.

"Not toys. No. They're, uh, gifts."

"Gifts? For who?"

"You."

Krolia blinked and looked at him.

"For me?"

James nodded in the affirmative.

"I-I just got to lookin at the calender this morning and saw what day it was. So I while I was in town getting the gas for the truck and the stove and heater and things, I just popped over to one of the shops and… picked up some stuff."

"But," she glanced over and made a quick count. "There are at least ten boxes here."

"Thirteen, actually."

This was a bit too much for Krolia. She had, of course, heard about how some species tended to heap gifts onto potential mates as a way to win their favor. But she had assumed that they were well past that stage at this point.

Hell, she was pregnant with his child. That more than anything, Krolia thought, would have sealed the deal. Even if it was a somewhat spur of the moment, and ill advised decision on her part.

But she was fond of James, and sincerely wanted to have something like this. Though the corners of her mind still haunted her with thoughts of her abandoned duties and responsibilities.

"Is that not a bit… much?" she asked trying to sound as polite as possible. After all, there was still much about the earths culture that was foreign to her. She didn't want to inadvertantly come off as being ungrateful. But she couldn't think of how else to properly find out more.

Thankfully James seemed to read her thought. Or at least get the general outline.

"Like I said. It was kind of spur of the moment." He admitted. "But its just… well its our first so I kinda… wanted it to be special."

James looked so hopeful that Krolia suddenly felt rather ashamed for not having just kept her mouth shut and eagerly thanked him for the gifts.

"I, well, thank you." She managed. "Though I do not know quite what you mean by first."

Here her mate and husband suddenly looked even more awkward than he had before.

"Oh, uh, well ya see." he cleared his throat and carried on. "Do, uh, do your people ever celebrate anniversaries?"

Krolia must have allowed her feelings to slip into her expression somehow because James carried on.

"Right, well. Humans, after we get married, like to sorta celebrate afterwards. So we remember the date when we got married, or the closest thing we can think of, and then the following years spend time with our husbands or wives or whatever and just kinda... remember."

He stopped and looked at Krolia, hoping he had properly explained everything.

Krolia's face had become rather terse with the effort of understand.

"So…" she began attempting to clarify. "It is sort of like birthdays, but with mates."

"I, uh, I guess."

"But… you use the word 'married'. Not to put too fine a point on it. But you and I are not, in the eyes of your planets laws and traditions, 'married' in the strictest sense."

"Well," James managed a shrug and a rather bemused smile. "We might as well be. I mean, we live together. We're more intimate than with other people, at least I am with you. A-and we love each other. Really, thats all that really matters when you get right down to it."

Krolia wasn't sure this argument really held up against logic, or at least not against the bare bones definition of marriage as she understood it. However, the sentiment was something she whole heartedly accepted, dissuading her from making any further argument.

"Alright, but strictly speaking it hasn't quite been a year has it?" she asked still racking her brain. "I mean… an earths 'yeah' is 12 earth 'months' isn't it? And we only consummated about-"

Here Krolia stopped to do a quick count in her head.

"-five months ago if I am not mistaken."

James flushed at the plain speaking way that she referred to their lovemaking.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh, yes. But that wasn't really the date I went with you see."

"Oh?" she asked raising her eyes. "Did you pick one at random then? I suppose we'd have to since we never really had a ceremony."

"No." James explained. "See, anniversaraies are about the two people involved. So it just being some random Tuesday wouldn't do. It had to be a date thats important to both of us. So…"

"So?" She tilted her head a bit in inquiry.

"So, I decided to go with the day you came here. One year ago. Today."

Krolia stopped and stared, and chuckled.

"You… You actually remembered the exact calendar date?"

It was something of a shock. The stress of their first meeting hadn't exactly been slight. In fact, when Krolia herself looked back on it she couldn't even name how many days it had taken her to recover from her crash. Let alone how long ago it had all been.

The idea that it had actually been an entire year was incredulous.

"Oh, I couldn't forget that day if I tried." James spoke warmly. "Most exciting thing to happen to me, really."

Krolia couldn't help let out a small laugh at that.

"You… Exciting is something of an understatement!" she then reminded him. "I almost stabbed you in the face."

"Almost." He pointed out. "You wouldn't have done that for real."

"You don't know that." She said sharply. "I could have blinded you and left you alone in the desrt to fend for yourself."

"Oh no you wouldn't have. I may have thought so at the time, but I know you much better now."

Krolia herself flushed at that.

"I… well still. You must admit it is a rather odd thing to have an anniversary of."

"Perhaps." He agreed. "But then again, we're a rather odd couple."

She fell silent at that and turned her gaze back to the pile of presents James had gotten for her.

It really felt like a rather uneven deal, if she were being honest.

Here was James. Allowing her to stay in his home, eat his food, and carry his child. Trusting her alone in his private rooms while he was out. Even remembered odd dates and special rememberaces in a warm sort of way that Krolia had never seen anyone do before.

By all rights, she should have something for James. For a man so impossibly understanding and gentle, nothing seemed like too much. It rather gave her a bad feeling to know that she really had nothing of great value to give.

"Really you know," she sighed rather wistfully. "It does seem rather unfair. Here you have prepared all of this for me, and I have nothing at all for you."

James seemed to find some humor in this, because he chuckled.

"You don't have to worry about that." he reassured. "As long as you're right here, and we're together thats really all I need."

Krolia felt like a logical protest was necessary and opened her mouth to begin. But then she caught the way James looked at her, and shut it again.

After all, it wasn't such an unreasonable thing to say.

And as far as she was concerned. In this moment, at this time, she didn't want to be anywhere else.