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Chapter 13 - Michael Carbonell

Genie was extremely relaxed as she lay in the bed. Her nude body was warm against the sheets as she closed her eyes and embraced the ending of her orgasm.

She could feel the weight of Legate's head on her stomach. She ran her hand through his hair.

"That was amazing." He told her.

She giggled. "Yes, it was."

She opened her eyes to see the interior of Legate's small ship. He had taken it to Jupiter to refuel, and to show Genie a meteoroid storm that was passing close-by.

At least that's the excuse they had used to leave together.

The soft, full sized bed, sat within the space surrounded by metal cabinets. Knowing Legate, and his passion for odd items that were questionable as to their legality, she wasn't sure what she may find in there.

Genie continued to play with his long hair. "Legate. Can this even work?"

Legate sat up and looked into her eyes. "I'm determined to make it work, Genie."

"This is going to be such a problem-"

"You're worth it. Believe me."

She stroked his cheek. It had been a week since the Lighthouse confessions.

He propped his head up on his hand, "Genie. This is your decision too. I won't ever make you do anything you aren't comfortable with."

"I know, Legate." She said as she watched him lean down and kiss her chest between her bare breasts. He turned his head and peppered one with tender kisses.

She smiled, "It feels so right."

His eyes met hers again. "I love you, Genie. So much that it has consumed me. My every thought. My every waking moment. It's nothing without you."

"Legate."

She grabbed his head just as he moved to kiss her lips with his own. His sweaty body lay on top of hers as they began to snog again. Her hands were in his hair while he cupped her breast gently, and began to tease her nipple with his finger.

The speaker broadcasted a familiar voice, "Legate. Everything alright?"

They broke apart.

Genie looked worried, "They know."

He smiled, "They don't. Shh. It's alright." He rolled over and pressed a button on the wall. "Legate here. Everything is fine, John. Why?"

The Doctor spoke, "I'm just seeing that you've activated auto pilot. The storm is really close to you."

"Yeah, I can see it out of the window." Legate lied. Where the bed was at, there wasn't a window anywhere close-by.

"Oh, alright. Well, I was just curious."

"Relax John. This isn't the first storm I've been around."

"Well, is Genie with you?"

Genie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad."

"Enjoying the storm?"

Genie and Legate were lost looking into one another's eyes again.

Genie said, "Amazing."

Legate chuckled, "I'll have her back later, John. She's fine."

"Alright. Cheers." The Doctor said.

Legate pressed the same button to turn off the transmission.

He lay back on the bed. "When do you think we need to start back home? Do you have to be back tonight for anything?"

Genie sat up and opened one of the cabinets above the bed. "No. Not until morning. We don't have to go right away."

He rubbed the hair on his chest. "I'm good with that. I need to rest a bit. You have rather worn me out."

She giggled. "Every night this week."

"The best week of my life. Although, I think Arles suspects us."

"I doubt it." She took down a box of condoms from the cabinet.

Legate's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Again? I won't last very long."

She smiled, "What do you think? With, or without?"

"Genie, that's completely up to you."

She straddled his waist and took another look inside of the box. "Well, there are only the ones missing that we used today. We need to get another box for your place. I mean…if you want to…"

He held her sides. "I don't mind wearing them. It makes it easier to clean up."

She told him quietly as she leaned down and began to kiss his lips again, "I don't mind being a bit sticky."

He moaned at her confession. She met his lips with her own again. He rolled over to lie on top of her again while their tongues danced together. She dropped the box onto the floor.

She wrapped her leg around his back. His fingers found their way to her opening between her legs.

Her clit was numb from all of the attention he had already given it the last few times they had made love. She began to climax quickly from his touch.

He whispered to her as he continued to tease her. "Be loud. Come on. No one can hear you out here. Shout, Genie."

She held onto him tightly as she lost herself.

"It's me, baby. I'll never hurt you. I'll never let anyone hurt you." He told her as he continued.

She panted loudly.

"You can be yourself with me. I love everything about you. Go on. Be loud."

She gripped him tighter.

He continued to tease her. He moved two of his fingers inside of her and began to feel the walls of her vagina flutter. "Yes. Come. I know you can."

She moved her hand to her head, which was beginning to feel as though she may black out from the pleasure. "There's none left-"

"Oh, there is. I know there is." He told her as he kissed her neck and continued. "Push through it. Come on. Push me out-"

She shouted just as she began to come again.

"Yes. Oh wow. Yes, more." He told her and continued to tease her. "Push it out. Push my fingers out, or I won't stop."

She panted, "There's no more."

He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth. He rolled his tongue around it causing her to come again.

She shouted and moved her legs straight up. The bottom of her feet rested on the ceiling.

"More." Legate insisted and continued to tease her. "You have more."

She panted. "You."

He kissed her neck. "Are you ready for me?"

She nodded that she was.

"Condom or no?" He asked quietly while kissing her neck and ear.

"I want to feel you." She panted.

He pressed his erection into her opening as deep as he could. She shouted and grabbed his back tightly as he began to thrust into her.

"More!" She exclaimed.

He panted. "Oh, you feel so good. So, perfect."

He continued to thrust, giving them both the friction they desired. Moving his hand down between her legs, he teased her clit while he was inside of her. She shouted.

"Yes. Be loud. As loud as you want. No one can hear you, but me."

She panted loudly as she began to climax again. She wanted to remember this moment. She realized that the edges of her vision were becoming black, only to realize her eyes wasn't opened.

"What…how are you doing this?"

He was lost in his strokes. His face was over her shoulder, and he had pressed her leg back to get a better angle into her.

He moaned. "Oh. You. Are. So…."

"More….." She moaned as her voice trailed off.

He panted. "Push me. Out. Come on. Come again. You can…oh..."

She felt him come inside of her. She held onto his bum to keep him from moving as he pressed deep inside of her. He voice became strained, and then his body relaxed on top of hers.

They both lay there, trying to catch their breath while they recovered. She could feel his erection beginning to shrink as he lay inside of her. His juices, mixed with hers, were all over her inter thighs and the bed.

He rolled over off of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to crush you."

She laughed at the thought. "I'm alright."

He turned his head to meet her eyes with his own. "Genie. That was amazing."

She giggled and turned on her side to stroke his face with her hand. "You are amazing. And I think I prefer, without a condom."

He laughed under his breath.

He looked so handsome, lying there with that just shagged look on his face. She smiled at him as her heart seemed to swell with the love she felt for him.

"You are beautiful, Genie." He told her and rolled over to face her.

She smiled, "I'm a mess."

"I'll clean you up. Every nook and cranny."

They both laughed together.

They lay there, holding one another. Genie closed her eyes, again. "I love this feeling."

"I need to clean you-"

"Just let me lie here a bit more."

He rubbed her back. "As long as you want, Genie. Relax."

"I've not been so relaxed in ages."

He kissed the end of her nose. "I want to ask you something."

She didn't open her eyes. "Sure."

"Describe how it feels."

She smiled as he continued to rub her back. "Like I'm safe. I'm loved."

"You are loved. So much, Genie. More than I could ever tell you."

She relaxed even more in his arms.

He whispered to her. "Can I ask you something else?"

She whispered back. "Yes."

He asked her quietly, "Make the Promise with me. Please?"

She opened her eyes to see herself reflected in his worried eyes. "Legate, are you sure?"

"I've never wanted anything so much in my life."

"We've only known one another-"

"Your entire life." He smiled. "Don't answer now. But, I know I want this. I want us. I'll do anything for you, Genie."

"Legate, be reasonable."

"Never."

"It's just not as simple as that."

He continued to stroke her cheek. "I'll move the universe to be with you. Think about it. Don't answer now. I know it's a lot to ask. I can be a pain in the ass."

She smiled. "Legate-"

"I want you to be sure. I know I am. Don't answer now. Think about it."

He kissed her lips again. "I need to get up and move the ship. Stay here and relax."

Legate slipped on his jeans. He took a blanket from the end of the bed, and covered her with it. He leaned back into the bed and rubbed her back. "Close your eyes and relax, Genie."

She closed her eyes. "We need to get back."

He chuckled. "Nah. We're going to stay out here."

She looked at him in surprise. "Dad will suspect-"

Legate grinned. "Nah. I'm going to put us on the other side of the storm. We'll simply be delayed."

She giggled. "How are you Rixarlian when you're so good at lying?"

"I'm just way more Quauhtin." He told her as he leaned down to catch her lips with his again. He moved the blanket to cover her shoulder. "Rest. I'll be straight back to lay down with you. I know you fancy a cuddle."

She giggled, "Yes, always."

More comfortable than she had ever been in her life, she closed her eyes. She heard a beep that she knew was the radio channel opening back up again. Legate's voice explaining to The Doctor that they were safe, but delayed, faded away as she began to slip out of consciousness.

He flipped switches and she heard some beeping. The ship moved as he flew it to put them behind the storm.

The beeping became louder.

"What is that?" She asked.

She heard mumbling. She fought the sleep that she was falling back into. She tried to open her eyes to find that her eyelids were too heavy.

"Just rest." She heard a voice say.

"What? What is that beep?" She asked.

She was becoming aware of her body. She was nude, but warm under some blankets. The bed was soft that she lay in. Her arms hurt, as did her back, shoulders, and the back of her head.

"What is that beep?" She asked again.

A male voice spoke, "Go fetch the doctor. She's coming round."

What was happening? She had just fallen asleep with Legate. Why was she so sleepy? Hadn't she rested? The beep became louder.

"What is that?" She asked.

She heard the voice again, "She just began speaking."

Another male voice asked, "Do you know where you are?"

She moved her head and a stabbing pain shot through her forehead. She must have grimaced because the man asked, "What hurts? I can give you some pain medication."

"My head. Arms. Back." Genie said as she tried to open her eyes. The lids were still too heavy.

She heard the doctor move next to her. Was it Sam? It wasn't her Dad. She wasn't sure of the voice at all. "Alright. That will help."

The pain stopped. She relaxed and felt very heavy. The voice spoke again. "Alert Lord Auctor that she has woken up. But, I want her to rest some more."

Genie fought to open her eyes, but they were so heavy she couldn't. "Legate." She mumbled as sleep overtook her once again.

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Karen had woken up that morning, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. She started to take a shower, but didn't want to wake up Halley. The baby was still asleep in her cot that sat next to Samuel and Karen's bed. She had only returned to sleep about an hour ago after waking up and needing a change and a feed.

Karen looked at herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair up. Deciding she would take a shower later, when someone could watch the baby, she pulled on her dressing gown and went downstairs for some coffee.

Walking back through the bedroom, she looked in on Halley. The baby had her hand in her mouth and was sleeping peacefully. Karen smiled at her and then looked back over at her and Samuel's empty bed.

Samuel had not returned from the ship last night. He had sent her a text, about an hour after he had left, explaining to her that he had an emergency come up that needed to be taken care of. She picked up her phone to reread the message. It showed that it was 6:08 am in the morning.

She sat her phone down and rubbed her face. "Karen, why are you up so early?"

She tied her dressing gown together before walking down to the kitchen. Although she was careful going down the steps, she still walked down them with only her eyes halfway opened. All she could think about was a cup of coffee.

She stopped once she reached the bottom of the steps in the sitting room. Was that coffee that she smelled? Was her mother already awake?

Karen walked into the kitchen to see a huge, muscular man, cooking something on the stove. He had dark hair and wore a short sleeved black t-shirt with jeans. On one arm, was the familiar bracelet that everyone in the family wore. Only, his was a bit larger and trimmed in brown leather on the edges. On his other arm, was a brown leather sleeve that covered half of his forearm.

"Soli?" She asked.

He turned and smiled at her. "Good morning, Karen. I'll get you some coffee and toast. Just have a seat."

She walked over to the bar and sat down. Within seconds, Soli sat the toast and the coffee in front of her.

"And there you are. Two sugars, a bit of cream, and a tiny bit of butter….just because."

"Butter?" She asked in surprise. She noticed his American accent.

He grinned. "Well, yeah."

She was too tired to argue. She brought it to her lips and sipped it. The magic beverage, with the added butter, seemed to touch her soul. She closed her eyes and savored it. "Oh, wow. That is really good."

Soli's apprehension disappeared. He smiled and went back to the cooker. "I'm making some breakfast for everyone. I've already had some eggs and such."

She watched him at the cooker. It appeared that he was making enough food for an army.

"Who all are you cooking for?"

He picked up a skillet and moved it to keep the sausage from sticking to the bottom. "Just us. Why?"

She shook her head and sipped her coffee. "I usually only have toast in the morning."

He grinned in the same sort of way she had seen Tony Stark grin. "Oh, I know that. Don't worry Karen."

She sipped her coffee, "Oh, that is really good. Thank you, Soli."

He finished up with everything on the stove, and then made himself a cup of coffee. She noticed that he put sugar, cream, salt, and butter in his. He sipped it and then shook his head. "Blah."

She watched as he opened the pantry door and came out with a jar of peanut butter. To her surprise, he took a large spoonful of it and stirred it into his cup of coffee.

She was certain her face held a look of horror. "What on earth are you doing?"

He didn't look up as he put the spoon in the sink. "Making a cup of Joe." He sipped it and nodded. "Yes! Perfection. The best thing on Terra. Peanut butter."

"They don't have peanut butter on other planets?"

He leaned against the cabinet and ate bacon, one piece right after another, while he sipped his coffee. He shook his head. "Nah. It's something unique here. I always make sure to carry some with me when I travel."

She sat her cup down and shook her head. She mouthed, "Oh wow."

"I'm sorry if I gave you guys a scare last night."

She shook her head. "Believe me. I'm getting used to this crazy family."

He smiled, in the same way that Tony did. "I bet. How long has it been? Is Halley here yet?"

She looked surprised. "Not long. Halley is upstairs."

He continued to eat the bacon while he listened to her. "How old is she?"

"Three weeks."

He stopped for a moment. "Wow. Just three weeks."

"Samuel sent a text to tell me that he's had an emergency. He'll be home anytime."

Soli grinned, "Yeah. I got the notification, too. Protocol H20. Arles and his damn water problem."

"Water problem?"

He nodded as he began to eat the pancakes by rolling them up and biting them.

"What water problem does Arles have?"

Arles drank some of his coffee. "Arles is a Flower Pot. You know."

She was completely confused. "No, I don't know."

"Oh, come on. You know."

"No, I don't know."

Soli looked confused. "Do you really not know about this?"

"That's what I'm saying."

Soli rolled his eyes and went back to tossing bacon in his mouth. "Arles had some childhood disease. Something about it causes the person to always have a problem with water absorption throughout their life."

"This hasn't happened yet."

Soli didn't slow down eating. "Sure it has. How much fruit salad is he eating?"

Karen looked surprised. "He eats it all the time."

"Because, it gives him a quick blast of water along with calories. Natural sugars. It's something Pata worked out for his diet."

"Really?" She sipped her coffee as Soli continued to explain.

"Yeah. He can't drink things like, soda. Some alcoholic beverages, odd things. But, he does drink a lot of water. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

"He drinks a lot of water because he works out all of the time."

Soli shook his head and rubbed his hands together. "No. He drinks a lot of water because he has POTS. He's a Flower Pot. See?"

She shook her head. "No."

Soli held out his hand to count on his fingers. "He wears compression socks-"

"I didn't know this."

"Takes salt pills-"

"I've never seen him do that-"

"Eats really salty foods-"

"Says the man who just ate an entire pound of bacon in front of me-"

"And…..he sleeps a lot."

Karen shook her head. "He sleeps normally."

"For a Quauthin, it's a lot. See?" He sipped his coffee again.

"His mom was human." She pointed out.

"Quauthin genes are strong. If they weren't, he would have an easier time dealing with it. It's harder for a Quauhtin."

"What does that have to do with a flower pot?"

Soli rose his eyebrow, "Huh. I don't know. Maybe because he needs watering?"

Karen laughed.

He sat his coffee down and walked over to her. "Forgive me. I'm only realizing now that this is the first time we've met." He held out his hand to her. "It's very nice to meet you, Karen. I'm Soli Stark."

Karen shook his hand and watched the hair on her arms rise.

Soli let go of her hand and returned to the cooker. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well-"

Their conversation was interrupted by young Genie. She stumbled into the kitchen holding her Pluto doll in one hand, and rubbing her eyes with her other fist. She yawned as she spoke. "Karen?"

Karen put down her coffee and went to her. Kneeling in front of the young girl, she took her hand, "Genie, sweetheart. It's early. You can go back to sleep."

"I heard odd voices."

Karen spoke, "I'm so sorry we woke you up. Everything is alright."

She stopped rubbing her eyes and looked over at Soli. "Who is that?"

Karen smiled. "That's S-"

"Michael." Soli said quickly. "My name is Michael Carbonell. I'm sorry we woke you. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure!" Genie agreed quickly.

Karen looked back at Soli in surprise. "Umm. Okay-"

Soli returned to the cooker while Karen helped Genie into a bar stool. Genie was fully awake now and full of questions.

"Michael?"

Soli didn't look back as he busied himself preparing a plate for Genie. "Yes, Genie."

Genie stopped speaking and looked surprised, "I didn't tell you my name."

Soli grinned. "Karen did. She's told me a lot about you."

She looked at Karen. "Did you?"

Karen sipped her coffee, "Well, that's what he says."

Soli placed the plate in front of the small girl. "And your favorite. Pancakes, rolled with whipped cream and topped with chocolate. With fruit on the side."

Genie's eyes lit up. "This looks amazing, Michael!"

Indeed, it did look like a professional chef had prepared it.

Soli smiled proudly and pointed to her as he stepped over to the food replicator. "And for your drink…..because I know you don't like sweet stuff…."

Genie giggled at him.

He made some movements that Karen didn't see, and then presented Genie with a tall glass of milk. He took a strawberry and squeezed it into the liquid. "Actual. Proper. Strawberry milk."

Genie's eyes grew large.

Soli grabbed a towel, wiped his hands, and tossed it on his shoulder. "Now. What else would you like?"

Genie looked up at him. "How did you know about the milk?"

"What do you mean?"

"My mom used to make this for me."

Soli continued to smile at the little girl. "I've known your brother for a very long time. He told me. Would you like a straw?"

"You don't have to." Genie relaxed and sipped the milk. "It's perfect!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, right."

Soli reached in the cabinet and got her a straw anyway. He walked over and playfully tossed it into Genie's glass. It caused the young girl to laugh.

Soli returned to speaking to Karen, "But, in regards to what we were talking about. The flower pot is most likely, perfectly fine."

Karen grinned. She knew he was speaking that way to keep Genie from knowing what they were talking about. "Thank you. I hope you're right."

He sipped his coffee and winked at Karen.

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