Space Ghost

Chapter 33

"I know," Ador replied quietly.

"You know!?" How could he know? The two races looked alike on the outside as far as she could tell.

Ador corrected his words. "Well, I didn't know, I suspected. You forget I can see you. At least part of you. You aren't really with the police, are you?" He had begun to suspect that as well.

"Yes, I am. I just happen to be a homicide detective on a different planet." She'd been telling him the truth. Just not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "I can bring my weapon next time if that would help. Except I would likely get arrested, wouldn't I?" She was betting they had a way to determine if people had weapons on them especially one like hers.

He nodded. "Probably."

"I'll go." Kate turned to leave.

"Why? I mean you agreed to sit and pose for me. And being an alien from a different planet doesn't mean anything to me. Besides now I get to ask you a whole set of new questions." He smiled at her. He had another thought and his smile disappeared. "Or do you mean you don't want to go on a weekend date with me?"

"I…I do." Kate walked over to her stool and sat down. "Paint away."

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

Kate had just made it home and she was still reeling from earlier. She'd come clean that she was a human from a different planet and she had still said yes to his proposed date and location. She stopped and watched the bots still making something. They seemed to be forever making something.

"Kate, come in out of the heat." Lais was at the door.

Now in the cool inside Lais began peppering her with questions. "Okay what happened. You look like someone who hasn't had a good day. Don't tell me he dumped you." It was possible but if he had he was an idiot.

"What?" Kate wasn't really listening. "No, he didn't dump me. He actually invited me out on another date."

"That's great!. So what's wrong?" She still looked down in the dumps.

"It's a weekend date. In a hotel on a beach. It's a three hour train ride from here. There's an amusement park across the street and a waterpark next door," Kate explained.

"So?" There had to be something that had her looking so down.

"He kissed me." Actually they had done a fair amount of kissing, truth be told.

"And?" That didn't sound so bad to her.

Kate told her a little more. "I kissed him back."

"Okay…" Lais still didn't get it.

"There's only one bed and I'm going to have to wear a bikini. What you got me is almost nothing." Her two bikinis were tiny, like really tiny.

"They're Brazilian bikinis, they're supposed to be tiny. OH!" Then it hit her. One bed and Kate was going to be showing almost everything. "You don't want to have sex with him." Lais thought she'd finally worked out what the problem was.

"No… Yes… I don't know." It wasn't as easy as that. Hell, her entire life wasn't easy and she really didn't know why.

"So if he sucks in bed dump him and find someone else." It sounded simple to her. "Wait, you like him. I mean really like him." Okay now she was really starting to understand.

"What am I going to do?" Kate sat down on the sofa and flopped back. Lais sat down next to her.

"Do you know what you want to do?" Lais began with that. Seeing Kate shake her head wasn't helping.

"I'm not sure I can help you. I fell in love with Rick and I still love him dearly. So what has you worried? That you're not compatible? You have a doctor's appointment in a couple of days. Long before your weekend date." Lais didn't get it.

"Come on." Lais got up, pulled Kate up with her, and escorted her to Kate's room where she shut and locked the door. "All right, talk to me." They were completely alone now.

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

Lais sat there and listened to Kate tell her everything. About her mother, her dad, and what he did. About why she joined the police and worked really hard at becoming a homicide detective. That Rick had gotten her her mother's killer and then the Xindi came along and ruined everything. She had even told her about her wall and that Ador could see her wall. That Lais had seen her wall in that painting.

Kate had finally shut up and just sat there in misery. Then Lais moved over and sat next to her on her bed.

"I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you what I wish you would do. You know that you're never really going to be happy until you let go of your wall. You built it and only you can take it down. Ador or anyone else may claw at it for years and still never get past it.

"Rick got your mother's killer and he'll do it again. Not because I tell him to, though I'm going to tell him to, but because he wants to. That's who he is, and if he doesn't do it because I ask him I'll sic Alexis on him." Lais smiled and Kate chuckled.

Lais sighed. "Go on your date. Wear your Brazilian bikinis and if he makes love to you, try and make sure you enjoy it. Then tell me how big he is. I've never seen an Enthosian naked."

Kate laughed. "Now you sound like Lanie." It was just what Lanie would want to know.

"She sounds like a very wise woman." Lais liked her already. "The choice is yours, Kate. Let yourself fall in love or don't. Just remember, eventually we're going to be leaving here and quite probably never coming back. You can tell him now or wait until you're sure he loves you."

That had Kate falling back onto her bed. Risk falling in love with him or dump him now before it became too late. Hell of a choice.

"Ask yourself this: do you want someone to fall in love with and have him love you back just as much? Or do you want to keep doing what you've been doing since your mother died? When you can answer that question you'll know what to do." Lais patted her leg and got up but stopped at her door. "I can tell you what everyone here will tell you. Fall in love with someone, dump your wall, and live. And I don't mean just exist and say that you're happy. Really be happy and in love." Lais opened the door and left it open behind her. Then she was back. "Be the Kate you always thought you would be. Want to make your mother proud of you? Do what would make her happy." Lais left her again.

"We're going into the city, Mom. We'll be back late." Alexandre saw his mother sitting there with his brother in her lap, playing with him trying to make him laugh.

"Bye, Dad." Alexis waved when she saw her dad outside with the bots that were still making things.

Kate came in and sit down next to Lais. She actually reached out to take Rafael from her and held him right in front of her face and smiled at him. "When did you get to be so smart?" Kate asked her.

"I'm a mother. My son just left here with Alexis and they're both really happy with each other. Now I get to do it all over again. Don't sell yourself short. You'd be a terrific mother. Rafael likes you a lot and you're not going to convince me that you don't like him, too," Lais challenged her.

Kate had put him down between her legs and had him facing her and was playing with his toes.

"I never really thought about kids. Never really thought I would want one and I still don't. I get to enjoy this one because he's not mine. …Isn't that right?" Kate cooed at him as she played with his other foot.

"Well I'd let you feed him but that isn't going to work. You can change a diaper!" Lais teased.

"I'll pass, thanks," Kate said quickly.

"Never underestimate the power of love. The baby that was inside you is now in your arms and you may have thought you knew love but you didn't. Not until the baby that you just gave birth to is right there. You hold him, touch him, smell him, and you'll know love like you've never known love before. You'll put up with the dirty diapers for the love he or she brings you.

"Maybe after I've pumped enough I can talk Rick into this weekend beach date of yours. You can care for Rafael for a weekend." Lais knew she was teasing. It wasn't going to happen but she could wish.

"Maybe when he's older. Like twenty-something." Kate tickled him to see if that would get him to laugh.

"Thanks." Lais rolled her eyes since it would be far too late by then. "So have you decided to go on your weekend date? In a bikini with only one bedroom?" Lais prayed her answer would be yes.

"Yes," Kate replied.

Lais scrunched up her face. "Yes, you've decided or yes, that you're going?" Yes to what?

"Yes," Kate said again. "Maybe I should bring you with me. You can sleep between us and make sure nothing happens." Kate cooed at the baby still between her legs.

"That will certainly accomplish something all right." Lais was willing to admit that.

"How's the ship building coming?" The bots were always making something.

"It's coming. We've still got two and a half years to go. We have a lot of things to make let alone taking apart the existing ship. You may not understand just all that goes into making a ship, but we're going to need every day of those three years. Trust me, I've done this before. Alexandre grew up while I had our ship constructed," Lais pointed out.

"So when does it start to actually look like a ship?" Kate asked.

"You'll get an idea about a year from now. Then you'll really see it about two years from now. A lot of the final year will be interior work. Then we need time to do a whole lot of tests. We don't want something failing on us. If it doesn't work we want to know before we leave, not on the way there or after we get there." They still had a long ways to go.

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

Kate had one of her bikinis on and was looking at herself in the mirror. Why Lais had chosen a bikini that was a Brazilian bikini was a really big question. This thing had sex written all over it. It was white which was bad enough; it had a micro sliding triangle top with adjustable straps on the halter neck and back, detachable padded cups, and a matching thong bottom with strings. The bottom was in a rib pattern.

Kate took it off and put on the other one. This one wasn't much better. It was burgundy and had adjustable straps tied in the front, cross string on the neck and tie on the back, padded cups, matching thong bottom with tie side strings.

"Oh, boy." Kate found a robe and went looking for either Lais or Alexis. Amazingly she found both and with Rafael who was the only male in attendance.

"Do either of you have a wrap I can wear?" Kate wanted to cover up.

"Why?" Alexis didn't see the need. That had Kate opening her robe since none of the guys were here. "OH!" What Kate was wearing was barely there. It covered all the strategic parts all right but it showed a lot of skin.

"Lais got me this and the other one which is white." Meaning see-through when it got wet most likely. Kate glared at Lais since this was all her fault.

"You have the body for it. Show it off," Lais urged.

"If that doesn't get him interested it's because he's dead. …Or gay," Alexis pointed out and wilted a little under the look Kate gave her. "I don't have anything and my swimsuits won't fit you." She was slimmer and had a smaller bust size.

"Neither will mine. My breasts are bigger now thanks to this little guy. Isn't that right." Lais kissed his cheek and held him to her chest.

Kate groaned, covered up, and headed back to her bedroom.

"I thought she liked him?" Alexis didn't understand.

"That's just it, she does. Then when we're done we'll be leaving and if he doesn't come, provided she doesn't ask him to come, she'll be leaving him behind. Forever," Lais explained.

"Oh." Alexis understood that. Stay here with him, ask him to come with her, and never come back. Or leave him behind and never come back. "How do we help her?"

Lais shrugged, unsure if there was anything they could do. "She's afraid, if that's the right word to use. If she falls in love with him, does he come and can she ask that of him, or does she leave him behind? She has too much happening on Earth to remain here so she has to go back."

"So we help him." If they couldn't help Kate maybe they could help him.

Lais looked at Alexis. "You really are smart. So we wait for them to fall in love, convince her to ask him to come with us, then we talk him into it."

"Well she wears that on her date getting him to fall in love is going to be the easy part," Alexis chuckled. A question crossed her mind. "Is she wearing a stem or does she even need one?"

"She isn't and we don't know yet. Not until she's back from her date. The doctor changed her appointment time. Here, take Rafael. I'm taking Kate to Medical and getting her a stem just in case." Lais left the two behind and was soon back with Kate in tow and then out to the ship.

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

Lais was waiting at the glass doors for Kate. Today was the start of her weekend date. She watched Kate come up to her, carrying a large overnight bag.

"Scared?" Lais was betting she was.

"Petrified." Kate was sure that wearing either of her two swimsuits was going to mean sex for them. While she could really use getting laid, it wasn't as simple as that. They were already past this being a one night stand. They each knew too much about each other.

"Relax, you like him. Focus on that and have fun. If I could leave Rafael behind so he didn't get burnt I would talk Rick into going with me and wear my bikini." Lais leaned in closer. "It's just as small as yours."

Kate pointed out the difference between them. "Yeah, but you two are almost married and have a kid."

"I wore those bikinis long before I met Rick and I would still wear it today if I hadn't. You know how to contact us if you need us. We'll be here for you if you do. Have fun!" Lais hugged her and pushed her out the door so she'd actually go.

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

Kate froze just outside the door to his gallery. She could feel her heart pounding. Letting Lais give her a birth control device only reinforced to her what was going to happen. She also knew she had been masturbating with him in her mind the last few times. She was already practically having sex with him. This, though, was likely to lead to real sex.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside. She immediately saw him standing next to a man and was obviously trying to sell him on something. She decided to just wander around and waste time.

He suddenly showed up next to her and had a bag in his hand. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." A little amazingly she meant it, too.

"We have a three hour train ride ahead of us," Ador reminded her.

"I brought something to read just in case." She was prepared.

They actually took a train to get to the train, though this next train looked totally different. As they walked past the front Kate was struck by the fact that it looked really fast. "This is the front?" Was it going to turn around after it pulled out of the station?

"Both ends are the front," Ador pointed out.

"Oh." That made sense.

Ador took her bag and stored it above them; he did the same for his then sat down. "It's perfectly safe. Really fast but safe." He took one of her hands in his.

"I never thought it wasn't safe. …Or fast." Just three hours at a speed she was thinking of meant hundreds of miles. She kicked herself for not looking up just how far away this was.

"Amusement park, waterpark, or both?" Ador inquired since he would do only what she was comfortable with.

"Both and it better have the scariest roller coaster on the planet." She was sure a planet this advanced could come up with a scary roller coaster.

"A woman after my own heart." Ador was sure this was going to be the greatest date ever.

Kate bit her lower lip to keep from saying something like, That's not the part of you I want…yet.

| 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |

This train took them to a station where they changed trains again. The next one took them right to their hotel that had a stop right on the corner.

"That one's ours," Ador pointed out.

"Holy crap!" Kate saw what he was looking at. All she had seen was what was written. She actually hadn't seen any pictures of it. A hotel was a hotel. Only this wasn't a hotel.

Kate went inside with him to the lobby. The whole thing was made up of large triangular pods. This building was the largest of them all. Inside she found it was mostly all glass. There were black seats up against the glass and there was a black check-in desk that they went to.

She also saw a triangular walkway leading out to the other triangular pods.

She was too busy looking around to listen to him check them in. She heard something about 119 and asking for her to place her hand on a pad. Soon they were walking down that glass enclosed triangle walkway.

Turned out they had a ground level room that was number 19.

She watched him place his hand on the door and saw it open. "That's different." She'd never seen anything like that before.

Kate soon saw that their room was vastly different from anything she had ever imagined.

Their room consisted of different levels, all of them with glass walls. The entry level had a sofa, a chair, table, and a huge screen on the inside wall. The next level up had a huge shower with multiple heads and a tub that had jets. "I'm in love." She was going to put that to use. The third level had their bed with side tables and a skylight in the roof with dark windows all around the sides. Then she found out that there was a basement that had a work desk with everything you would need in an office.

The walls were all glass that she found out could change colors and darken to blackout everything. All the color was done using the furniture.

It didn't have anything for their clothes that Kate could see until she saw Ador open a drawer under the bed. That had her moving to the opposite side and emptying her bag.

"Amusement park, waterpark, or food first?" They still had a few hours before it was dark. They had two nights and three days here.

"Amusement park first. I want to scream my head off." Kate wasn't afraid

"Okay, but just remember you said that," Ador teased her but she didn't change what she looked like. She clearly wasn't afraid yet.

They went across the street and Ador bought them a pass that was tattooed into their hands. "That better come off." She had a tattoo that wasn't coming off but this one on the back of her hand had better or someone was going to die.

Ador took her right to it. "So you want to scream, you said."

Kate could hear the screaming long before they even made it to the ride. Naturally it had a nice long ride that took them 2 hours to get through. But that allowed Kate to see what it did.

"Where are the seats?" People seemed to be standing. Then she saw something that really had her worried and it wasn't the corkscrew that was first to get them started. It was the loops that didn't have a track or anything at the top. Then she watched as ride after ride went up the corkscrew and had screaming people on the way down. She saw a car go up one of the loops, jump through open space, and land on the downward loop. "Holy shit!"

"You wanted to scream," Ador chuckled, watching Kate standing there with her mouth hanging open. "Wait until we go underground."

"We what!?" No roller coaster did any of this, let alone that. Kate turned to look at him to see if he was yanking her chain.

"We plummet straight for the ground which opens up and down we go into the dark," Ador said and used his hand to demonstrate.

"No fucking way." Kate went back to watching and was starting to wonder if she had opened her big mouth.

Finally it was their turn; they were third in line, so basically up front. She stood where they told her to, next to two other people with Ador to her right. Then the spot under her lit up; they took off and rocketed up the corkscrew. Kate and everyone else was already screaming. Then they just stopped there for a few seconds and down they went so now they were three rows from the back.

Somehow she didn't move save for her arms which she instinctively raised high over her head like she had learned on Earth roller coasters.

She saw a loop coming and was still screaming and when they went through the air with no track she screamed even louder. They were going to crash and die, she was sure of it.

Then another loop was followed by being spun in a horizontal corkscrew. Somehow they shot straight up; she'd missed seeing that earlier. They stopped again and were held there. Then they went down and now they were the third row from the front.

"HOLY SHIT!" They were headed for the ground when suddenly they were underground and in the dark and went round and round before they shot back out. Everyone including her was screaming their heads off.

The next moment they slowed way down and just coasted into the terminal where they started. Kate was still screaming before it changed to laughter. They were still alive!

She was told to get off and realized that her feet could move again. "THAT WAS AMAZING!" Kate grabbed his head and kissed him soundly. "We are so doing that again," she crowed. In fact as many times as she could talk him into doing it.