Space Croppers Alternate Universe
Effra Casts the Spell…
Dedication to a Full Recovery…
Part 9
With no after effects of her injury, Judy was restored to her cheerful, glowing self within days. Plans were being made to stage the wedding outside the Jupiter. Music would be provided by Will and Penny; however, there would be few flowers and no white wedding dress. There would, however, be wedding rings.
Before the launch, Don's parents made sure he had rings for both him and Judy. He kept them in a small box near his bed. The wedding was only days away when Don opened the box to check that they were indeed still there. He stared at the rings and reminisced…
It was the night before the launch, and his father, a retired Air Force colonel, had just told Don how proud he was of him. His mother gave him a tearful hug and said, "You know that your father and I wish we could be there when you and Judy marry, Don."
"I know, Mom, I'm sorry… but you'll be with us…"
"We're going to make sure of that because we're giving you these." Mrs. West took her husband's hand and slipped his ring off his fourth finger and he did the same to her. They pressed the rings into his hand and closed his fingers around them.
"But… these are yours…"
"Don't worry, son, we're still married," his father said. "We promise we'll get new rings for our thirty-fifth anniversary, which is only two months away."
Don hugged them both. "Be happy, son," were his father's last words, and his mother added, "And tell Judy how much it means to me to have her wear my ring." As Don backed away from them for the last time, he wiped his tears and whispered, "I love you." His parents held each other and nodded. "We love you," his mother replied, and his father added, "Wherever you'll be…"
Don wiped a tear from the corner of his left eye and sighed. He missed his family, which was large, boisterous and close. He ached to see his parents and siblings again. He remembered when he told his parents about the New Orleans experience and his mother had warned him not to take it lightly. He had laughed her fears off at the time. If he had only known then what he knew now.
As the wedding approached, Don's sleep became increasingly disrupted. He'd wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air. Effra's face would loom before him and his body would, once again, betray him. His habit was to get up and head to his pilot's chair where he would clutch his pendant and think about what his nights would be like with Judy. His biggest fear was that Effra would interrupt those nights too.
Two nights before the wedding, John heard Don climb up the ladder and followed him, and then dropped into the co-pilot's chair beside him. "Nerves?" he asked.
"No… I wish it was," Don replied.
"Then what? Do you still have dreams of that… witch?"
Don closed his eyes and cringed. "The curse of manhood, Smith called it."
"And you're worried that it will interfere when you and Judy…"
Don nodded.
"You have your pendants. They'll protect you."
"I hope so," Don whispered.
"Speaking of… protection… there is one thing I need to ask you, as the commander of this mission and… as Judy's father…"
"Children?" Don asked.
"Now would not be the best time…"
"I know, John. I've thought of that, or I should say, my brother Chuck did. He has a, well, a wicked sense of humor, and his parting gift to me was… lots of supplies…"
John chuckled at that. "Well, I only hope that you and Judy enjoy every moment of your married life as much as Maureen and I have."
Don smiled and tilted his head as he spoke. "You and Maureen are our role models."
The elevator rose to the top level and Judy walked towards them. "May I join my two favorite men, or is this a private conversation?"
John stood and hugged his daughter. "Just talking about men stuff."
Judy raised her eyebrows at her father. "Don't worry. Don handled it well, and now I'll leave you two alone."
"Good-night, Dad."
She fit herself into her father's chair and brought her feet up underneath her. She studied the drawn lines on Don's face and noticed the dark shadows under his eyes. She knew that he had yet to have a peaceful night's sleep since the croppers left. He hadn't told her what was keeping him up at night, but she had a pretty good idea about what it was, and she was determined to talk about it before their wedding night.
"Don," she started, "I think we need to talk about a few things."
He gave her a crooked grin. "You're father's already covered all the bases with me. No kids while we're stranded on this planet."
"I'm not worried about that… whatever happens… happens…"
He grew serious again, "Judy, you should be. I'm not going to put you in a dangerous situation."
"I know that, Don. I brought pills with me and I've started them."
"They take a month to work, don't they?"
"Yes, to be safe."
"Then I've got us covered, so to speak, during that time."
"I wanted to talk with you about why you're not sleeping. Tell me what's going on."
He looked away from her. He hated not having control of his body, let alone having totalk about it.
"Nightmares?" she asked.
He nodded. "The same one… every night."
"Effra?"
"Yeah." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "But that's not the worst of it, Judy. I, uh, that is, my body... well, really my…"
She put her hand up to stop him. It was bad enough hearing about it, without envisioning the details. "I get it."
"So, I come up here to think about what sex will be like with you, and… stop thinking about her."
Judy couldn't resist throwing in a barb. "And her hand?"
"That is not funny."
"I'm sorry…" She supposed she was still angry at Effra for affecting them across the galaxy. "Dr. Smith thinks the spell is still with you."
"Smith talked to you? Why that…"
"Don… I asked him to tell me the words again."
He frowned. "Well, I'm hoping that once we make love, the spell will be totally broken and she'll leave me alone. Your father told me not to worry… that our pendants will protect us."
Judy left the chair and kneeled by Don. She looked up at him and said, "Dad's probably right, but I don't want to spend our wedding night worrying about whether or not Effra is going to join us."
"So…"
"So… 'Sex with none must come undone.'"
He shook his head. "Judy, I don't want your first time to be…"
"Neither do I." She place her hand on his forearm. "I want you thinking about me, not fighting her, but there has to be a first time." She stood and took his hand. "Come with me. I have an idea."
He followed her as she lead him to his room and closed the door. She pulled his tee shirt out of his pajama bottoms and tugged it over his head. His pendant rose up with the collar and then dropped back against his chest. "Judy…"
"Trust me," she replied and pushed him gently onto the bed. She stripped from the waist up and her pendant nestled between her breasts. She sat across his thighs and ran her hands from his wrists up to his shoulders.
He was surprised at her boldness, and hoped that it was a side of her that would carry over into their marriage. "Can I touch you?" he asked, and she nodded. He had done the same to Effra, but this was so… different. When he held her, it was as if he was stroking a soft, delicate flower that blossomed with his touch.
She loved the feel of his fingers on her skin. It electrified her and she wanted more. She had to remind herself that tonight was about him, not her. She moved her hands over his chest and down to his stomach. As she reached inside his pants, he gasped and grabbed her wrist. He froze and suddenly wasn't sure who was in front of him.
"Look at me, Don. Look into my eyes," she stated as she waited for him to release her hand. He focused on those blue eyes and imagined that he was diving into their blue depths, deep into her soul. The intensity built quickly and ended strongly. He felt as if he had just leaped from a high dive. He touched bottom and ascended through the cooling waters, breaking the surface with a glorious splash.
Judy removed her hand and let him catch his breath, but her eyes never left his. Then she softly asked, "Whom were you thinking about?"
"You," he whispered.
"Whom do you want to be with?"
He reached for her cheek. "You."
She titled her head and her eyes softened. "Whom do you love?"
He smiled. "You."
Satisfied, she lay on his chest and murmured, "I think we broke the spell."
"And we didn't need our pendants to do it," he observed.
She lifted her head stated, "That's because the power isn't in the pendants, Don. It's inside us."
To be continued…
