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Chapter 26 – Lance Makes a Decision

The lights automatically turned on when Lance arrived in his bedroom, carrying Jane in his arms. She held him tightly around the neck and continued to laugh. "You are so mad!"

The white duvet and mountain of pillows on the bed, was extremely inviting after such a long day. The room was white, and trimmed in silver and light blue. The large oval window showed the beautiful view of the canyon and the night sky. The blue moon, hung over the mountain across from them, making the trees below it appear green in the light. Lance had tossed their clothes they had brought for the week, across a chair that sat in the corner. Jane had teased how much of a slob he was. He had simply insisted that he was on holiday.

Lance gently lay her down on the large bed. She wore a pair of jeans and one of Lance's oxford shirts open on top of a tank top. He lay down on his side in front of her with his football shorts and a black t-shirt.

She laughed at him. "I can't believe you carried me in here."

He propped his head up on his fist and smiled at her. "You, are stunningly beautiful. It's hard to even catch my breath when I'm around you."

"You, have let me drink too much."

"I'm not going to tell you not to do something. Besides, you are on holiday. So what if you have drank too much?"

She laughed. "Lance. This has been so much fun. I love it here."

He continued to look at her with a smile on his face. "How much have you laughed?"

She lay back on the pillows and covered her face. "I'm going to be so sore tomorrow!"

He stroked her leg. "Good holiday, then?"

"Oh, Lance. This has been the best." She said softly.

He smiled as he looked at her.

She felt his eyes on her and sat up slowly. "Lance. What is it?"

He rose his eyebrows. "Why do you think there is something? Everything is fine."

"You have had this look. Not since we've been here, but since...yesterday-"

"It's not something I need to talk to you about right now. I'll wait until you have a clearer head. Can I help you get more comfortable?"

She unfastened her jeans. He helped her slide them off. She ran her hands through his hair as he began to kiss the cloth of her knickers and her thighs as he pulled off the jeans. Lying against the pillows in only her knickers and Lance's large shirt, felt amazing to her. She ran her hand through her long, dark hair and relaxed.

"Lance?" She asked him quietly.

He sat up and dropped her jeans in the floor. "Yes, Jane?"

"There's something."

"We'll talk about it later-"

"We'll talk about it now." She insisted. "Are you...cross?"

He smiled at her, "No. Hand me the lotion there."

She looked next to the bed where she had put a bottle of lotion that they had used on one another during a massage the night before. "Why?"

He sighed. "Just, hand it to me."

She gave him the lotion and watched as he put in his hands and began to rub her feet. She lay back and groaned. "Oh Lance. I've never been into this."

He laughed. "Does that make them feel better?"

"I didn't realize how bad they really ached until you started that."

He continued to rub her small feet in his large, strong hands. "You have such, tiny feet. I don't even know how they carry you around."

"Calling me fat, Quauthin?" She playfully fussed at him.

He laughed and shook his head. "Not at all."

She closed her eyes and relaxed, "Oh, you worry me. Why are rubbing my feet? Are you trying to butter me up?"

"I have no idea what that means." Lance confessed.

"You are going to tell me something bad-"

"It's not bad. I shouldn't have said anything."

She watched him continue to rub her feet. "I've never had anyone do that."

He grinned at her. "Do what?"

"What you're doing. Massaging my feet. Lance. I've never known any man like you. You bring me a warm towel when I'm leaving the shower-"

"I like the view."

She giggled, "And taking me all of these places here. I can't wait to see how these pictures turn out."

"They will be beautiful."

"But, I can't show them to anyone!" She realized.

He laughed. "Tell them you were in the mountains. John told me some….place. I'll have to ask him again."

She giggled and ran her hands through her own hair again. "Yes, ask him. Oh, Lance. You treat me like a princess."

He let go of her feet and rose up to kiss her. "You are a princess. My beautiful princess."

She giggled as he went back to work massaging her feet. "I'm so drunk. Have I made a fool of myself?"

He smiled at her. "No. I saved you from that."

She pointed at him, "Jealous! That's what it is!"

He laughed under his breath. "I'm not a jealous guy-"

"All guys are jealous-"

He shook his head, "Not me. Especially with you and Pete Tyler. Jackie would break his neck. Forget his arm."

She laughed. "I imagine you're right. So, Samuel is happy with your shoulder?"

"Sam and John have both said I am free to return to duty."

She smiled, "Lance, that's wonderful!"

He sighed.

"That's what it is-"

"It's not anything I should talk to you about-"

"Start talking, Quauhtin. Or you're sleeping with Pete Tyler." She demanded.

He sat up and looked at her. "Are you serious?"

She pointed at herself. "This, is Jane being serious. Drunk, but serious."

He laughed and shook his head. "Oh, that might be the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life-"

She playfully kicked his chest. "Keep it up, tough guy."

"Jane." He continued to rub her feet. "What if, I left the Guard? We came and lived here?"

"Here? On Caihiri?"

"Yeah? What do you think about that? You'd be safe here."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What is this really about?"

"That's it. Honestly-"

"No, it's not. You haven't thought about leaving the Guard-"

"Oh, I have. I had already decided to go before the Cyber Invasion of the homeworld. Then, one thing and another happened, and this is where I am."

Jane lay back on the pillows and crossed her arms. "I love it here...but..."

"But?"

"Well, for starters, I have a job back on Earth."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Quit."

"I'm not quitting that. I love what I do. You love being a bodyguard."

He sat up and put his hands on his hips to look at her. "I don't like it as much as you would think."

"So, get another job."

"I don't need a job."

She looked confused at him. "Everyone needs a job. That's just….strange to even think about. Besides, you have another job you are forgetting about."

"I'll quit it, too!" He insisted.

"Oh, yeah?" She pointed towards the bedroom door, "You march your Quauthin butt in there and tell that baby that you quit being his Uncle. Then, you turn around and tell the adult the same thing! Like Hell you quit."

He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Damn. Walked right into that."

"Lance, you would be miserable after a few weeks of being here. You would miss Arles so much. I think you see him, as an adult, and believe your work is done."

Lance shook his head. "I don't think that. No-"

"Yes, I think you do. And you know what? That's scary. I realize this is something most people never have to even worry about, but...we do. There is a baby, our nephew, who needs you. It's oblivious he's not the only one."

"Sam?"

"Yes. Both of them are so amazing. You're responsible for some of that. This isn't the time to bow out and call it quits. It's time to work even harder. There's not just two of them, now there's four! Of all of these children. I'll never forget who they came to when they first landed here. That, alone, should tell you something-"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Not to mention...Lance. We've known one another less than a month. This might not work out-"

"This. Us. Works. I can already tell."

She rose her eyebrow at him. "How's that?"

"I'm not a master strategist like my brother, but….you're in this with me….completely. No denying it." He insisted.

She still wasn't convinced. "Sure of that, huh?"

He chucked, "Oh, yes I am. I was completely unsure until now. 'Our nephew?'"

She smiled as she realized that is what she had said. "Our nephew."

He stood up and pointed at her as he walked to the loo. "Totally caught that. Ha!"

She covered her face and blushed. "We've not known one another long enough-"

He washed his hands with a huge smile on his face. "Yes, we have. I've made a decision."

She watched him walk back into the bedroom and sit in front of her. He took her hands in his and kissed them. "Jane."

She smiled at him. "You can't make big decisions after knowing someone for such a short period of time."

He grinned at her. "Look me in the eye, and tell me that you're not completely in love with me."

She smiled and looked away. "Well…."

He laughed under his breath and whispered, "Try to deny it. You're drunk enough you can't."

She rose her eyebrow at him. "You said you are trained to withstand torture."

"Yeah. What's your point?"

She pushed him down on the bed and sat on his waist, holding his hands beside of his head. Lance was such a huge, strong man that it was clear to her that he was simply allowing her to "restrain" him.

He laughed. "What is this, Jane?"

She kissed the end of his nose. "You're not trained to withstand the torture I would deliver to you."

"I think I'd like it." He grinned. "Do whatever you want to me."

She rubbed her nose to his and said quietly. "You think I'm completely, in love with you."

"I know you are."

She bit his neck and he jumped in surprise. "Aw! What is this!?"

She continued to hold him to the bed. "I believe you are completely in love with me, Lance. That's the reason you say that."

"I won't deny it." He smiled up at her. "You fill my soul, and make it sing as it never has before."

She smiled at his words.

He smiled up at her. "I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anyone."

She smiled at him. "Really?"

"Yes. I realized it yesterday, and ….just couldn't make my mouth to say it."

"How can you say it now?" She asked.

"Well….." He thought.

She leaned down and bit his chest.

He jumped and shouted again. "Aw! You're like a…." He said something she didn't understand.

She glared at him, "That better be a good thing."

He laughed, "You are so drunk. I don't know if you'll remember this in the morning."

"So." She continued to play the integrator, "If you were to tell me this, and I didn't feel the same way-"

"But, you do. I know you do." He smiled at her.

She put pressure on his wrists again as she continued to hold him down. "I could lie-"

"You wouldn't do that." He smiled. "You're right. I'm enjoying this. Are you wearing those black knickers? What did you call them? A thong?"

She giggled, "I don't even know why I wear knickers around you."

"I agree! Just….toss them on the chair."

She giggled as she leaned back down and caught his lips. "Maybe we should get some rope-"

"No. I wouldn't like that."

"I have you trapped." She bit his chest again.

"Aw!" He complained and laughed all at the same time. He said something in an odd language. "I could get up if I wanted."

"So, you don't want to-"

"You don't want me to do. You like being in charge."

She grinned, leaned down, and kissed his neck.

He told her quietly, "Oh, those lips on my neck. The most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life."

She leaned down on his chest and looked in his eyes. "So, you're so sure-"

"I know it." He insisted.

"Do you really want to quit being a bodyguard?"

"I….well, what do you think?"

She propped her head up on her hand. He relaxed and looked back at her.

"I don't think you would be happy."

He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "We're not talking about that-"

"You brought it up!"

"You did!" He laughed. "You're never going to remember this in the morning."

She sat up and pointed at herself. "I, big, scary, Quauthin, Lance, am fine."

He quickly grabbed her and lay down in the pillows, pulling her to him. She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. "Just tell me, Jane. I already know."

She giggled, "You won't remember this-"

"I'm not drunk!"

"You should be!" She laughed.

He watched her stop laughing and grab her head. "Oh, the room is spinning."

He pulled her to him. "Shhh…. Go on to sleep. I'm just here."

She groaned. "Oh, I drank too much."

He kissed her forehead, "Shhhh…..it's alright."

"I hope I don't get sick-"

"You're not going to be sick. You're alright. Shhh…."

She wrapped her arms around him and relaxed. He slowly ran his hand across her head. After a few moments, he was certain that she had fallen asleep or passed out. He relaxed and propped his arm up behind his head. Catching the button for the lights behind him on the wall, he dimmed them. He held Jane as he looked out of the window at the stars twinkling in the night sky. She was right. He couldn't leave Terra now. Arles needed him. So did Lewis for that matter. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of Jane's head.

"Lance." She whispered.

"I'm here." He told her quietly.

"I love you, Lance." She whispered, maybe in her sleep.

He smiled, "I love you, Jane."

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Later that same evening, Samuel and Arles sat on the balcony together. Everyone else had gone to bed. Tony Tyler still hadn't arrived yet. Samuel told Arles of the conversation that he had with their Dad as they passed one of the joints that he had got from Scott.

Arles crossed his arms. "Wow. So, you're weird. Proper weird."

"That's not what we should take from this conversation."

Arles laughed, "Proper strange. I always knew it. It's not surprising to me at all."

"Me neither." Sam took a hit off of the joint and slowly blew smoke rings.

"Now, you're just showing out." Arles smiled. "Give me that damn thing. I'll see if I can do it."

He passed it back to his brother.

"I've never smoked this shit before." Arles admitted.

"I really like it. Slows everything down. Relaxes me."

"Is it still illegal?"

Sam coughed and grunted, "Not on Caihiri. Where's the smoke rings?"

Arles laughed, "Lord of the Smoke Rings!"

They both laughed hysterically.

Arles inhaled deeply off of the joint and held his breath long enough that Sam found it humorous again. "And after the tour of the lungs?"

Arles flipped his brother the bird and exhaled. "Oh, that's amazing. I love this shit."

"Where were the rings?" Sam asked.

Arles looked surprised back at his brother. "What rings? I forgot!"

They both laughed hysterically again.

Through the night sky, they both saw a small ship come into the atmosphere. It moved slowly as it descended into the canyon they overlooked from where they sat.

Arles passed Sam the joint, "You think Tony's piloting that?"

"Of course he is." Sam insisted. "Poltious would have landed it at light speed."

Arles watched his brother smoke the remainder of the joint. "Tell me you have another one of those."

Sam smiled, "Oh yes."

Arles lay back and closed his eyes. "Brilliant. Although, I need to wait a bit."

Sam tossed it over the edge, into the canyon, as he slowly exhaled. "Oh, wow. Me, too. That's some amazing shit."

They sat next to one another, feet propped up in chairs they had drug in front of them, and relaxed.

Arles, with his eyes closed still, asked his brother. "Can you feel the planet moving?"

"Yep." He popped.

Arles turned his head and looked at his brother. "I'll tell you a secret, mate. I can too right now."

They both laughed hysterically at one another again.

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