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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 - Toothbrushes and Truth

Samuel stood in front of the mirror inside of the bathroom in his flat. He had just gotten out of the shower with Karen and had a towel wrapped around his waist. It was late at night, and they had celebrated with Legate, Genie, and Arles for hours.

After they left there, they had transported up to the ship to measure the baby Karen carried. Just as Samuel suspected, she was growing at a fast rate. By Samuel's estimations, Halley would be born in five short months. Karen was thrilled when he was able to print out a few images of the baby for her. He put one in his wallet.

He danced as he sang, Elton John's "Rocket Man" and put shaving cream on his face.

Karen leaned into the doorway of the bathroom. She was wearing one of his soft, brown t-shirts and a large smile on her face. "You're shaving?"

"It's itchy. Go, get off your feet. I won't be long."

She sat on the cabinet top next to him and crossed her long legs. "Will I bother you if I sit here?"

He shook his head. "Not at all."

She smiled and watched him.

"So, did you have a good time with those nutters?"

She giggled, "Yes, I did. They are so wonderful."

He began to shave.

"That was so sweet for you to marry them. And that's official?"

He answered slowly as he shaved. "Completely binding."

He felt her eyes on her and stopped shaving to look back at her. "She was miserable. I couldn't see her like that."

"She's your sister, and she needed your help." Karen finished.

He began to shave again, "And that's all there is to that. And I'm 'One', which is rather a mute point. I'll always run to help her or Legate."

Karen smiled proudly at him. "And our Halley is Four. Wow. She's gotten so big. Will she still grow very fast after she's born?"

"No." He told her. "It's just effects the gestational period. I've anxious to meet her, so-"

He stopped talking as he realized he was getting what he wanted more than anything. A girl. A quick pregnancy. He sat his razor down and looked at Karen.

"What's that look for?"

"Could you pinch me?"

"What?"

He closed his eyes. "I'm serious. Really hard."

"I'm not doing that!"

"Maybe, punch me?"

She sighed. "Samuel. I don't know what you're talking about. You need to sleep."

He groaned and picked back up his razor. He asked her slowly as he focused on shaving, "So, how exhausted are you, Karen?"

"Oh, I don't know. I thought I could collapse until we took a shower. Then, you rather woke me back up."

He grinned back at her. "Shower sex is the best, huh?"

She giggled, "Sex, huh? Not making love?"

"That was sex. Completely. I won't deny it. If you want love making, I need just a few more minutes to regroup."

She giggled.

He continued to shave. "Dancing barefoot for hours deserves a foot rub. I'll get you sorted in a bit. I can't believe you have let me get away without shaving all weekend."

"Well, I think your face probably needed the rest. I don't shave every day."

Samuel moaned, "Oh, there's nothing better than a freshly shaven Karen."

She giggled at him, turned and looked at herself in the mirror.

Samuel stopped shaving and began to daydream about what was under the t-shirt that she wore.

She twisted her hair up and smiled at him. "How stoned are you?"

He began to shave again. "Actually, not bad at all."

She looked at herself in the mirror. "Gosh, I look like something scary without make-up."

"I think you look better without the make-up."

She looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you, Samuel. So, can I ask you about this title of yours?"

"Sure." He told her slowly as he went back to shaving.

"Well, what is it?"

"The tradition of names are different all over the galaxy. A title is what is usually used more. What family you come from, the planet you reside at, that sort of thing. That was one reason that Legate was so angry. He isn't allowed to use one any longer. There can only be one Legate, and he's not him."

"Because of the heir thing. Okay, that makes sense now." She turned back to him and nodded. "So, can you pick it, or is it chosen for you?"

"Some things always have to be there." He told her as he carefully shaved. "But, usually you can add, or subtract to it. For example, Poltious. His title is…ummm… The most Honorable Praetor Poltious, Savior to a thousand worlds, the One of the Quauthin King, and protector of the Princess Maria."

"Princess Maria? So, that was Legate's mother?"

"Yes. She died of some sort of sickness that broke out after Lenox, Legate's brother, was born. Poltious never speaks of her, but Lartius insists that that remain part of his title."

"But, Quauthin don't speak of the dead. How strange."

"Lartius does things the way he wants. I think he purposely goes against all traditions. But, he can. He's the King, and that's his right."

"I met him, and never would have thought he was a King. His wife, I can see her being a Queen, but wow. Him?"

Samuel wiped his face with a towel, "When I was ten years old, Arles, Tony Tyler, and I stole one of Grandfather's cars. We rode around London all day, listening to the radio really loud, and just feeling like Kings. I remember thinking, 'This is what it must be like to be Lartius. I can do whatever I want, and have the freedom to go anywhere I want.'"

"How long were you gone?"

He leaned on the cabinet and looked back at her. "Oh, all day. Dad and Papa alerted the entire Guard and we were grounded from anything, even breathing, once we were found. Uncle Tony found us, using our bracelets. He has a GPS inside of them. You have one in yours. And there's one in my watch."

Karen rubbed her arms. "I asked him about that when you were gone. If you hadn't put that bracelet on me, we could have found you so quickly."

"If I hadn't put that bracelet on you, they would have taken us both. And they only were looking for Soli. They would killed you, or worse. I wasn't going to let that happen."

She cleared her throat. She knew she didn't want to talk about that night. "You stole a car? After growing up and always having to have Quauthin around you for protection?"

"What were we thinking?" Samuel looked at her. "I wasn't thinking. I had no clue how dangerous it was. Tony was 16, and I thought he was much wiser than me. Looking back at it, Arles and I realized that every bad decision that we've ever made, involved Tony. Somehow."

"Still thinking of this fight you had?"

He groaned, "I don't know why he winds me up so. He just seems to know what to say. Every time."

"He's known you your entire life. I'm sure if Arles or Genie had to make you angry, they would know how to do it."

Samuel sighed. "You're probably right. Mum, Dad, and Papa really kept a close eye on us after that. Questioned everything we did."

"Which lead to the fights."

Samuel nodded. "Yeah. But, in that moment, how amazing it was. I remember that feeling of being free. Being normal."

She knew something else was on his mind. "You're having second thoughts about this Vitex deal, aren't you?"

He sighed and put on his aftershave. "I am."

"Because it involves Tony?"

He sighed, "Well, Grandfather asked him first. He said he didn't want it, but….somehow. I don't know. Seems… I just hope I'm making the right decision. I love this feeling of being Samuel Bennett. Not famous. Just, me. And pushing you into this. With our daughter."

Karen took his hand and pulled him to her. They wrapped their arms around one another as she continued to sit on the cabinet. The smell from his aftershave filled her lungs. How she loved that smell. "Samuel. Whatever you want to do is completely fine with me."

"I've already told him I'll do it. I really can't back out now."

"I think it's normal to get 'cold feet' before a major life change. You hear of people being that way all of the time before they are married."

He smiled at her. "May I tell people we are married? Or do you want to wait until we do a proper ceremony?"

She caressed his freshly shaven face. "As soon as Genie and Legate tell everyone, I think they are going to figure it out."

"That's true. I'm sorry." He rubbed her thighs sending the tingle through both of them.

"It's really okay." She smiled at him. "I love that feeling."

"Tell me how it feels, Baby."

"Butterflies. Tingling. Samuel, how do you do that?" She asked him in almost a whisper.

He smiled, "Tell me where you feel the butterflies the most? At this moment?"

"My stomach. Yes. It feels like….fluttering? That's new."

Samuel took his hands off her and put them behind his head. "Still feel it?"

She held her stomach and smiled, "I do. My legs are still tingling from you touching me, but this feels the same."

"That's not me. That's Halley. You're feeling her move."

Karen laughed. "Are you sure?"

He rose the t-shirt she wore and noticed that she had put on yoga shorts under it. He put his hand on her stomach and smiled. "She's dancing around in there."

"My little butterfly." Karen smiled and looked back up at Samuel. "How are you?"

He looked surprised, "Me? Fine."

"You seemed so scared yesterday-"

"No, Karen. I just. I was just confused."

She rose her eyebrows. "Would you like to tell me what's really going on?"

He knew it was pointless to try to keep it from her. He leaned on the cabinet in front of her and sighed. "I remember everything."

"All of it?"

He bit his lip and nodded. "Yes. And that's not all. Karen, I really…feel like something odd is going on. Something is wrong with my head."

She ran her fingertips across his neck and whispered, "Tell me."

He looked at her and debated if he wanted to tell her or not. Would it frighten her?

His decision was made for him after he had scared at her for 42 seconds. Karen pinched the back of his neck with both hands.

"Aww! What are you doing?"

"You are going to tell me what's going on-"

"Awww! Awww! Awww! Damn it, woman! That hurts!"

She let him go and looked back at him. "Samuel. You're here. You are awake, and this is real. You told me to pinch you. Whatever you feel like is odd, you better tell me!"

He took a step back from her and rubbed his neck where she had pinched it. "Damn. Bitten by the Black Mumba-"

She jumped off the cabinet and pointed at him. "What is odd? You've been dancing around this for days!"

He put his hands on his hips and sighed. "I'm seeing things."

"Things that aren't there?"

"Things, that are there, that wasn't."

"Like what, Samuel? Give me an example."

"The other morning, a few days ago. I pulled toothbrushes out of the drawer and they were all white. I thought how I wanted a green one instead, and suddenly, they were green. You told me you liked yellow, so I thought how nice it would be to have yellow ones. I came back and checked, and all of them were yellow."

She crossed her arms as she stood in front of him. "Maybe Arles is messing with you?"

"I haven't told him anything about this. We were out surfing and….smoking. And after the joints were gone, and I know they were gone because I saw the empty bag, I thought of how much I wanted another one. And then there were four more."

She took his hands. "Tell me more."

"The tea sitting next to the bed in the morning, your coffee appearing when you were working on the computer yesterday-"

"That wasn't you?"

"I don't know!"

She nodded. "Hmmm. Have you talked to your Dad about this?"

He groaned. "Oh, I don't want to do that. He'll put me back on the ship and run all sorts of tests and….ugh. I can't tell him. I really don't want him to know. I don't want anyone to know. I feel like everyone is watching me since I returned, just waiting for me to…."

"I understand." She took his hand. "Well, I don't think you're going crazy, or mental, as you say."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, if you were, I wouldn't be able to see this coffee. You see what I'm saying?"

He rubbed his chin. "That's true. Okay, then. Look at this."

He opened the drawer where they kept the toothbrushes. He pointed at them, "Okay. All of them are currently yellow. Lemon. You see that? You agree?"

"Yes." She said.

He closed the drawer. "Okay. Well, have you ever tried the pink? It tastes like…fruit. That's Genie's favorite."

"No. I've never seen a pink one."

"So, you want to see a pink one? That's what you're saying?"

She put her hand on his chest to stop him. "Hang on. Pink and green. That's your favorite."

He considered and nodded. "Alright. Pink and green. That's what you want?"

"Yes."

He opened the drawer and Karen's mouth gapped open when she saw the same toothbrushes lying there, but instead of yellow, they were pink and green.

Samuel didn't look in the drawer, but instead he didn't take his eyes off of Karen. "You see it, don't you? It's not just me."

"Samuel. How did you do that?"

"I have no idea. Anything I want, it seems that I only have to think about it, and it appears."

"Every time?"

"Well, no. Not every time. But, is…is this too strange?"

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "No, Samuel. It's not too strange."

"But, it's….."

"It's not scaring me, Samuel. Coffee delivered to me just by you thinking about it? I can think of some other things to try."

Samuel looked at her in confusion. "What? Breakfast?"

She grinned, "Wow, you are tired."

He shook his head.

She groaned. "Maybe this is just an odd thing you can do from your Dad?"

He shook his head. "No, my Mum can do this, I think. But, she doesn't talk about it. Dad only recently told me about it."

"But, Rose is a human."

Samuel bit his lip and shook his head. "She's not. Not completely. And I really need to talk to her about this."

"Then call her-"

Samuel was already shaking his head. "No, you don't understand. This is not something she talks about. Even back at home, we don't talk about weird things that happen around her."

Karen wrapped her arms around him and they rested their foreheads together. She told him gently. "Samuel. You are not going crazy. I see these things, too."

He took a deep breath, "I'm so relieved that you do."

She smiled. "In fact, I bet you could control it if you practiced."

He looked at her in shock. "Practiced?"

She held both of his hands and looked at him. "I'm currently wearing your t-shirt and those shorts I had on this morning."

"Do those have knickers in them?"

"They are a combo sort of thing."

"You know, it's actually healthier for a woman to sleep without knickers."

Karen grinned. "I'm not even saying anything about that."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm not kidding. It really is. Anyway. Knickers. What were you saying?"

"It involves my knickers, and you'll like this."

He nodded.

"What I know you probably want, is to have these shorts to be back in the drawer in the closet. So, think about that."

He grinned. "So, knickers? In the cupboard?"

She grinned. "And if they are gone, you can have the next thing you're going to want."

He bounced on his feet and closed his eyes. "Oh, if this ever needed to work, it needs to work now."

He opened his eyes and looked at Karen. "Well?"

She turned and pulled the t-shirt up so he could see her bare hip. It had worked.

He grinned, "Brilliant. This might be alright."

She giggled and took his hands. "Samuel, I love you. All of you. Even the weird parts."

"Karen, there is probably even more that I haven't discovered yet."

"And I'll love it, too. Just, don't think that you can keep something from me. Especially, something that is so clear that you need to talk about. I might not understand it, but I will help you any way I can. Alright?"

He smiled as he looked into her eyes. "I'm such a fool."

"No, you're changing. This has to be what that letter warned us about."

He cleared his throat, "The letters that I haven't read yet."

She smiled, "Those are the ones."

He laughed under his breath. "Thank you, Karen. Really. I don't know what I would do without you."

She rubbed his arms and the pleasurable sensation began to creep up to his shoulders and move into his chest.

He whispered, "I love this."

She led him into the bedroom as they begin to snog. She took his towel off his waist and tossed it to the floor. He lay on the bed and she climbed on top of him. He looked up as she removed the t-shirt she wore and rubbed her breasts to tease him.

"So much more than I even thought I wanted."

She smiled. "Let's use the rings."

He reached over and took the small wooden box out from bedside table. He slipped one on his finger, and then helped her on with other one. They held their hands together, and the rings lit up. Suddenly, he felt full of love, lust, and excitement. It brought a smile to his face. "No nervousness?"

"I'm getting enough from you!" She told him and pushed him down on the bed. "Relax."

She lay down on top of him and began to snog him again. He rolled her over and lay on top of her. He rubbed the tip of himself against her opening.

"Teasing me?" She smiled.

"I love that you are so comfortable with this. All of this."

"That's the reason I wanted to use the rings. I want you to know how I truly feel."

He smiled as he looked into her eyes and whispered. "I adore you."

"Am I the reason, your skin can feel?"

"Absolutely. You, Karen, are what burns brightest in my soul. You are the reason I draw each breath, the reason my heart beats, the reason my skin can feel. You are the one that I choose to be mine. To live to serve. To share my life with. To protect what is most dear to me, your love. Please accept this as my promise."

He begin to kiss her again, and pushed himself inside of her. He stroked slowly and she wrapped her legs around him. He moved slowly and brought his hand up to caress her cheek.

"I want to tell you that. Help me say all of the words correctly."

His heart felt as if it would beat out of his chest. He helped her through the words as he slowly stroked inside of her. She began to moan as she finished her promise.

He kissed her neck and whispered, "Let yourself go. Shout, and wake up the neighbor."

Just as he said that, she uncontrollably shouted and found herself climaxing as he continued to stroke at a faster pace.

He whispered, "That's it. More of that."

She continued to shout and ran her fingernails down his back. Realizing he was getting what he wanted again, he decided that this entire thing may not be too bad at all. Karen was enjoying herself, and he wanted in that moment to make her as happy as he could. His heart swelled looking at her. She was beautiful, and actually loved him.

As fast as it began, it ended just as quickly. She covered her eyes and attempted to catch her breath. He lay down on top of her and relaxed.

She panted. "I really think I'll sleep well tonight."

He rolled over onto his back. "I think so, too."

"You need to sleep." She told him as she rubbed her face.

He took the ring off of his finger and put it back in the wooden case. She handed him the one she wore and he replaced it back onto the drawer. He lay back and took a deep breath. "Oh, that was good."

She rolled over and laid her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her.

"Karen, I'm glad I told you about this."

"Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I do. At least I know you're alright with it. That was my fear."

"Samuel." She sat up and he saw her breasts before he noticed him looking at her. He cupped one and smiled. "So many curves."

"That's sending tingles all through my body."

"I wonder if I can get you to shout just by playing with your breasts?"

She giggled and lay back on his chest. "Go to sleep, Angus."

"Angus." He groaned.

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