Wedding Reception.

My first disappointment was the marriage of the beloved Martian Queen to the foolhardy duck known as Dodgers. This earthling, who I loathed with every fiber of my being, had somehow taken the heart of the woman that I strove my entire life to try to please and failed. I botched in every meaning of the word.

I felt numb the entire day of the wedding. My body was only going to through the motions, my face only twisting itself into a hollow smile, and the pain in my chest weighted me to the chair in the reception hall. I sat alone, obviously, because no one else wanted to sit with me. Who would, really? The queen had put some other commander's seats at my table but the chairs were gone and I continued to stare at the dance floor with feigned joy and emotionless laughter.

O how close I had been to being in Dodger's position! The agony of being seated into the far left corner with nothing but a small glass of wine in my hand while the love of my life enjoys the happiest day of hers! How could I not possibly reach the star that that duck had so easily plucked from the sky?! I could have left and went to try and see my dying mother – cancer never left the patient. I could have left to see my father's grave – it had been a long time since I gathered enough courage to see the grey stones in the red stained dirt.

A call for me, so said the waiter, and I left to catch the phone call smiling all the while. The hospital, how quaint! What's that you say, my mother has gone into cardiac arrest? What's that you say –? The phone just would not stay in my hands a moment longer and the clang of metal to metal sounded as the device hit the cold floor. Mother, mother, mother. Had I written her earlier that day? I could barely recall! Heaven forbid I forgot and she lay alone with not even a message from her concerned and only family member! I faintly heard the voices around me – asking for my wellbeing and what had possibly gone wrong. There was only one thought that continually crossed my mind and I was not able to constrain myself from repeating how everything was fine – nothing happened – nothing – was – wrong.

The pain that had throbbed in my heart was now doubling its pressure on my chest and breathing was impaired. I floated back to my seat on a wave of light-headedness and bewilderment. No one had noticed my absence other than the wine glass I had set so gently back onto the white, laced napkin. The music had gone on without me and now there were other couples dancing merely across the floor. It all felt so surreal! The horrific realization that my smile had never left, the tight muscles in my face had never once relaxed, and as the queen glanced over in my direction it appeared as if I was beaming with complete happiness for the two. She smiled back and resumed her trot with the Captain – now King – Dodgers. Her look of appreciation was too much for my shattered and tainted soul – I turned away and quickly slide through the doors so that I had left unnoticed once more. The hospital was where I belonged then – not acting as if I were in heaven when my soul was truly in the deepest corners of hell.

The halls were full of servants and chefs running around trying to create an environment most perfect for their queen. One had asked where I was headed so early into the night – I answered with nothing more than the lie that I had come down with the flu. The sandy winds bit my cheeks and scarred my arms, as I had not taken into account that I did indeed forget my jacket at the entryway at the far side of the reception. I immediately decided that it wasn't worth going back to face the festivities and so I trudged on until I came into the parking lot that was just as barren as my heart. A soul was not to be found in sight. My ship was there and had I known that it would be my last flight in my own vehicle, I would have taken the opportunity to admire how well I had been able to keep it since I received it as a boy at the age of thirteen.

It was small – the queen had taken my size into account when ordering it for me – and even though it made it much easier for me to operate I could not shake the fact that every other commander (generals, even) had a ship of greater size and proportion than mine. I started the ship as soon as I possibly could and then drop off through the dark, mystical air that had once entranced humans to first look for life on Mars. Driving as fast as I could, I swerved around corners and dodged other ships whose drivers were probably cursing at my driving habits… I really thought I was going to make it in time. I really truly did. Unfortunately, luck has never been a fan of me – my luck ended from the moment I was appointed Commander X-2. When I saw her… she wasn't even in the hospital bed anymore. I stayed at the hospital overnight and waited to see her face as it was uncovered by white plastic, and even though I waited all night – I turned away at the first sight of her snowy-white, curly locks of hair.

Pick Up.

I must have been in that room for hours standing there. Tears stained my cheeks and my eyes were swollen to an unhealthy red; yet I could not tolerate to look away once my gaze was caught with her corpse. People would always tell me, the doctors would to try and comfort me at times, that when a person dies they look as if they are in a peaceful slumber. After that experience I would tell them that they were wrong. People do not look peaceful when they die. They look dead. She still appeared to be suffering in the last message that was told by her closed eyes; tightly shut and a frown upon her lips. I wasn't even aware of another person entering the room until I felt a feathery hand clasp my shoulder and shake me ever so lightly.

Dodgers. "Well? Who's that?" It was said with such disrespect and carelessness that I thought for the briefest of seconds that her scowl curled into a snarl.

"That was my mother," I responded lightly.

"Ah."

'Ah?' That's it? Was that really all he was going to say?! I contemplated trying to explain how much she had suffered and how long I had been working under the queen to get her hospital bills paid off, but I remembered who was in higher power now. I no longer had a voice in his eyes and now that he was king – he could do anything to me. The thought was so vile that I scrunched up my face to keep unwanted tears away. My job, K-9, my apartment, or anything else that belonged to me now was in his hands to play with. So I decided to settle on a more neutral note that had irked me ever since he appeared. "Um…" I couldn't find my voice, "How did you know where I went?"

He looked at the dead with disgust before turning towards me and releasing my right shoulder. "Waiter told us." He responded quickly and took a swig from a wine bottle that I had previously been unaware of. "Eeeugh! Why are you standing here lookin' at a dead body? You missed the cake!"

I had it. Honestly I had no idea what possessed me to be so out of line as I had been there. My fingers finally received feeling and my cheeks flushed with colors once again; my eyes were red with an entirely different emotion. "Do you honestly think that I was going to spend any more time at your party when my mother DIED? She's DEAD! How can you just sit there and eat cake and drink wine?! How can you think that I would sit and eat while my only remaining family member has just died from lymphoma!" My arms had raised and I could feel my face glowing with passion from hatred and loathing – it was an exhilarating experience to finally release at least some of my frustration for him. It would not be the last.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Listen here, uh, you!" That's correct… he never knew my name. "I am now King. KING! Meaning you cannot yell at me or back-sass me or there will be punishment! You listen to me now, you…"

He didn't care. There lay my mother and not one ounce of compassion from the lame duck; I could not comprehend the lack of humanity and injustice.

I dosed off during his monologue at some unknown point and began to oversee my mother once again. I welcomed the cry that echoed through the room and collapsed at my new King's feet. Normally, I would have been able to fight back at his unwise words and sentences that would make no sense but now it appeared as if I would sniffle at the slightest scolding. "Snap outta it!" He yelled at me, I muffled a whimper as I covered my invisible mouth with my hands. He picked me up by the shoulders and began to lecture me again. The way he shook me violently back and forth was enough to upset my stomach; I sucked in a big mouthful of air to compensate for the sharp pain that had nestled itself in my gut. Duck Dodgers had done this so many times before – my Queen stated that he was able to inspire entire armies to move forward. Mentally, I had commented 'Even if the plan is idiotic and horrifying'? I looked at him; I do not know what he saw but it stopped him in mid sentence. I hadn't been paying attention to what he had been saying anyways so it really did not matter to me at all. Then, although I believe I imagined it, he asked if I was all right. When I did not respond, or maybe I did and I cannot remember the words I used, he embraced me tightly and, sadly to say, I enjoyed the first hug I had received in over a decade. I went limp in his arms and cried until eyes were puffed up and sore. When I entered that stage I hiccupped and choked shakily as I was unable to receive the proper amount of air. Either that or I was receiving too much air; truthfully, I could not tell at the time due to how violently I was quivering.

"…It…'ll be alright, Servant x-2. It'll… be alright." Servant! Dear God! I have already lost my ranking as Commander! Tell me, what more news is there for me to hear!

I thought frantically as I clutched his robe tighter in pure fear of my future; it appeared he took it as a need of more comfort and patted my back lightly while telling me to hush before the Queen returned. He was on a time constraint and had to leave soon, apparently, and he picked me up like a small child to carry me away from my past that was left to be forgotten.

A/N:

I pretty much did this because I was bored one day.

So, yeah – I might continue it later but for those of you

reading my other stories you might as well realize that

this is a one-shot. Ha ha! No Beta Reader either:

Sorry for the grammar \ A Review A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!