It was a relatively quiet day. Musa had held fast to her promise and had taken Tecna to Stella's, providing some respite for Timmy. While Tecna had been an absolute thorn in his side, after their conversation the day before, Timmy didn't feel as much animosity towards her as he did before. She was still a bit cold, but she hadn't shared one of her annoying and critical opinions for the rest of the night which definitely was nice. Instead, she asked him more questions about life on Earth and never once did she tell him that the way that things were done on Earth was impractical.

Timmy was now seated on the couch, reading over articles once again. The life of a student was a busy one. He looked over to the small pile of metal pieces on the end table by the couch, the communicator repair further along than the night before. Well, at least it looked like it. What did Timmy know of machines from different planets? He barely had a grasp on what machines were like on Earth.

Tecna had worked hard on the communicator and even as they talked the night before, she kept working. He was hoping that it would take her a while to finish, at least until the end of the month, so that he would be able to buy and play Doomsday Battalion V, but the way that Tecna was working had him worried if he would even see the end of finals.

"You still working on that?"

Timmy turned around and saw Helia enter the living room and making his way to the kitchen.

"I have to submit my literature review by finals and defend my topic." Timmy sighed as he set down the article.

"You have been doing that for weeks."

Timmy stretched his arms forward, his joints cracking before he slowly stood up

"I'm a PhD candidate, Helia. It's kinda what I have to do."

"Still…" Helia shrugged as he pulled down a plate from the cabinet and placed it on the kitchen counter before turning his attention to the refrigerator.

Timmy chuckled, "You know that I am not a fast reader like you. I am STEM, you are liberal arts."

"Was liberal arts." Helia replied as he pulled out a jar of pickles.

"Don't you still read a lot for your job?"

"Yeah," Helia popped open the jar and took out a pickle, "but the museum doesn't need me to read that much. I just need to examine the artifacts enough to date them."

Timmy knew that Helia was just trying to make his work not sound as intense. Helia had gotten his masters in classics and became a curator for the Magix History Museum, examining and dating artifacts with the senior curators at the museum. Helia had what it took to get a PhD but he would tell the guys that he couldn't because Flora was in medical school and when he finally married her and they had children, he would be the one who needed to work while Flora was still on track to become a doctor.

"Then maybe you can help me read my articles then." Timmy chuckled as he grabbed a pickle for himself.

"I think that you might have better luck asking Tecna. When did you say she was going home?" Helia asked.

Timmy told Helia that she was staying for a while but didn't really say when she was leaving, nor did he really give a great explanation as to why she was there. First, he said that she lost her key, then it turned into that there was something wrong with her apartment. Now Timmy had no idea what to say. He had been glad that Helia was someone who never asked too many questions, but Tecna had been at their apartment long enough that Timmy needed to come up with something.

"I am not sure, but Tecna is hopeful that she will be out by winter break."

It wasn't a complete lie. The repairs on the communicator were coming along well and Tecna would call whoever it was she needed to call and then she would be picked up and he would be vaporized into space dust.

"No hurry," Helia took another bite of the pickle in his hand, "I was just curious. Though I am concerned that she sleeps in the bathtub. I know that you said that there was nothing between you, but have you not offered your bed?"

"I told you that I offered her the couch and I am just as confused as you are as to why she sleeps in the bathtub."

Helia simply shrugged as he placed the lid back on the jar of pickles and placed them back in the refrigerator.

"Speaking of Tecna, where is she now? Usually if you are here, so is she. It's like you can't let her out of your sight."

Timmy wanted to roll his eyes because it's not like Helia was wrong. He felt scared when Musa took Tecna to go to Stella's house to pick out something to wear to the ballet. What if she let the big secret slip? What if she said something super offensive? What if she just murdered them all in Stella and Brandon's home? What would Helia do then? So he was terrified of letting Tecna out of his sight, much like a parent who has let their child fly the nest for the first time.

"Musa took her over to Stella's to pick out an outfit for the ballet."

"We are supposed to dress up for it? Has anyone told Riven?" Helia laughed.

"It's an event that Stella will be at, of course we do." Timmy rolled his eyes. "And I am sure that Musa told him and will make sure that he falls in line."

"Stella will have his ass if he doesn't." Helia replied as he walked past Timmy into the living room on his way back to his own room.

"She will have all of our asses if it isn't perfect." Helia laughed.

As Helia walked into his room and shut the door, his parting words left a sinking feeling in his chest. If the night wasn't perfect, Stella would kill them all. The night wasn't even about her, but Stella had always been particular. Usually, nights like that went off without a hitch but Tecna was never part of them. What would Stella think if an alien ruined their night? Suddenly Timmy was dreading the night at the ballet.

Evening rolled around and Tecna still wasn't back at the apartment. Timmy was getting worried and would periodically check the time in the corner that glowed in the kitchen on the microwave. As the night grew darker and darker, Timmy's glances towards the clock on the microwave became more and more frequent.

There was a knock on the door and Timmy quickly sprang to his feet. He hoped that it was Tecna and when he opened the door to be greeted by fuchsia hair, Timmy let out a sigh of relief.

"Where have you been?" Timmy asked as he held open the door for Tecna. He wouldn't ever be this worried, but this was Tecna and the circumstances were different to say the least.

"Your friends are very strange." Tecna replied. Not the reply that Timmy was looking for.

"Where were you?" Timmy asked again as he closed the door and flicked the lock on the door.

"I went to Stella's house. I think that was her name. And then we ate dinner, something called pizza."

"And what happened?"

"I ate pizza and Stella made me wear a million gowns before she finally approved of one. She is quite particular."

"Understatement of the century." Timmy scoffed.

"But something quite unusual happened when I was there."

Oh no, Timmy thought, what the Hell happened?

"Something weird happened inside of me and my face…did something strange." Tecna leaned in to whisper the last part.

"What happened?" Timmy asked, her face looked fine from what he could tell.

"Something inside of me felt…light and my face…"

Tecna smiled.

It was the first time that he had ever seen Tecna smile or show any emotion for that matter. She looked…beautiful. Timmy wished that she had smiled before and that she smiled often. There was something more lighthearted and approachable about her when she did so and it made him momentarily forget about all of the annoying things that she said in the past, the way she hurt him, and how she would be killing him when she finally left Earth. He liked the way she smiled, and Timmy knew that meant bad news.

"Is this normal? Shall I visit a medic? I read about something called a stroke when I was learning about human maladies and facial deformities are a sign. Am I having a stroke?"

Timmy laughed, "No, you are smiling."

"I am? Why?" Tecna asked.

"Something must have made you happy." Timmy shrugged.

"Is that what happy feels like? It felt strange." Tecna replied.

"Really?" Timmy looked at Tecna in disbelief.

Tecna placed the bag she was holding on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. Timmy moved his papers from the couch and placed them back on the side table before sitting down next to Tecna.

"It felt strange, but I think that I liked it." Tecna said as she looked at Timmy, another smile spreading across her face.

"I like it too." Timmy said, not knowing if he was responding to the fact that he enjoyed being happy or if he enjoyed seeing Tecna smile. Maybe both.

"Is it wrong for me to feel this way? Is happiness good?" Tecna asked.

"Happiness is very good." Timmy answered.

Tecna's smile grew larger as she looked at Timmy, "I want to feel happy all the time."

"Most people want the same as well. But life is life and there are so many more emotions to experience."

"How many?" Tecna asked.

"Too many to count and not all of them make sense all of the time."

"The more I learn about these emotions, the more illogical they sound." Tecna's smile fell, much to Timmy's dismay.

"They are." Timmy sighed, "But they are essential for life. At least life here on Earth."

There was a moment of silence where neither Tecna nor Timmy knew what to say to each other. Tecna always had something to say and now, they were both silent and it was up to Timmy to break the silence.

"What is in the bag?" Timmy asked as he pointed to the medium-sized brown bag.

Tecna reached forward and inside of the bag to pull out what looked to be a shoebox. Tecna took off the lid to reveal a pair of silver, strappy heels.

"Stella said that I needed to practice before the ballet. I don't see why I need to wear these shoes anyways. I feel that the shoes that I have now would be suitable. They are of the finest quality. Stella also gave me some clothes. She said that what I was wearing was not suitable."

Timmy chuckled. Tecna had been wearing his clothes ever since she came to Earth and they weren't really the most flattering or stylish. Of course Stella would have something to say about them.

"Do you like the clothes that she gave you at least?"

Tecna nodded her head, "They are adequate."

Timmy nodded before turning the subject back to the topic of the shoes.

"So Stella is insisting that you wear these shoes?"

"Yes," Tecna replied as she picked up one of the silver heels, "she is quite demanding."

Timmy scoffed, "Reminds me of someone else I know."

"Who?" Tecna asked.

Timmy looked at Tecna and wanted to say something teasing but decided against it. How could she not know that he was referring to her?

"No one." Timmy shook his head, "Have you never worn heels before?"

Tecna shook her head as she clutched the shoes tightly, "She says that I look like a newborn horse when I walk in them. I assume that is a bad thing."

"Yes, but with practice you might be able to reach Stella's standards. You have a little over a week."

Tecna took a deep breath and nodded before slipping off the boots that she had been wearing and placed the heels on her feet. She fastened the buckle around her ankle, just as Stella had shown her, and her ankles wobbled as she rose to her feet. Without thinking, Timmy shot up to his feet and grabbed Tecna's hand as she struggled to gain her balance.

"Are you okay?" Timmy asked.

"I feel like I am on the surface of Pyros." Tecna answered.

"Where?"

"A rocky planet filled with volcanoes and the most fascinating creatures. The terrain is difficult to walk on."

"I see." Timmy dropped Tecna's hands and took a step back before he quickly wrapped an arm around her waist as she fell forward. "Careful."

Tecna gripped his arms as she slowly rose back up to an upright position. Timmy's eyes locked with hers and Timmy could swear that something in his chest dropped. He had never noticed the light freckles that spread across her nose bridge, adding a certain human dimension to her porcelain skin. Her eyelashes were thick, and he knew that he eyes were blue but he didn't know how uniquely blue they were. Her lips were a light pink, and her cheekbones were high. But just as quickly he had noticed Tecna's features, she had backed away, teetering once again on her feet.

"Do people on Earth really wear these death traps? They do not seem practical." Tecna remarked as she looked down at her feet.

Timmy blinked and shook his head before responding. He needed to get whatever thoughts he just had about the alien in front of him out of his mind.

"They aren't meant to be practical. Women wear them because it makes their legs look nice and long. At least that's what Bloom told me when she began crying because she couldn't wear them anymore." Timmy laughed thinking back at the memory of Bloom crying while Timmy dropped off some food for her when she was pregnant. What was supposed to be a quick drop-off turned into a bizarre two hours of Timmy playing therapist and telling Bloom that she still looked hot, and that Sky still loved her.

"Not very good for running or completing any kind of mission." Tecna remarked.

"You would think so, but Stella can wear heels for everything, but she is special. I don't know another woman who can. She once chased Flora's cat that had escaped in some of the highest heels I have ever seen without so much as a wobble."

"She is a woman of seemingly strong fortitude."

"She sure is."

"And she is to enter what you called a marriage with some man named Brandon."

Timmy nodded, "It came as a shock to us all. They love each other but there have been other…obstacles…in the way."

"Are they not a compatible match?" Tecna asked.

"Well, Stella comes from very old money and Brandon comes from nothing. Stella also has some commitment issues due to her parent's own divorce and Stella's father had hesitancy about Stella being with Brandon because he is kind of a…playboy." But Brandon quickly convinced Radius that he was trustworthy, and anyone can see that Brandon absolutely loves Stella."

"You speak so…I don't know the word…positively about them despite them being a terrible match."

Timmy's smile dropped, "They love each other."

"I have learned that emotions are completely illogical and when I felt happiness, it came, and then it went. Why should love not be the same? How can one decide to spend their lives based on emotion?"

She was serious? Timmy looked at Tecna as she slightly wobbled on the heels and saw that her face was as serious as it always was.

"Love is stronger than happiness. My mother tells me that love is the strongest emotion there is."

"And when it changes?"

Timmy sighed, Tecna was right. Love was like any emotion and could be fickle and fleeting. It was strong and deep but when the love leaves, it leaves just as strongly and intensely as it came. But still, how could he explain that to her when she barely understood the base emotions?

"I think that is the excitement of it all." Timmy shrugged, "Taking a gamble on such a strong feeling and willing to put everything on the line for the other person."

Tecna looked up at Timmy, "Have you ever felt that way before? I cannot imagine such a thing."

Timmy looked down at his feet and shook his head, "No."

"You speak as though you have."

"Don't get me wrong. I love my family and I love my friends. I couldn't imagine my life without them, but I haven't felt the love that my friends have felt for their girlfriends. And I know nobody has felt the same way about me."

Timmy didn't want to sound self-deprecating, but it was hard when all around him he saw his friends falling in love and dedicating their lives to the people that they loved. Even Riven who would never truly admit how much he loved Musa. He was probably the most smitten out of all of his friends. Sure, Timmy had the occasional crush, and he had a few girlfriends in his past but nothing like the feeling that his friends had towards their partner.

"Do you not want to get married one day?" Tecna asked. "Stella talked of it like it was the most important thing in the world."

Timmy scoffed, of course Stella thought that way. But his smile fell as he shrugged, "I would have but I don't think that I will live long enough to ever know for certain."

His eyes glanced over to the half-repaired communicator, remembering that Tecna was going to kill him when she left. He wouldn't have to worry about marriage, or children, or love, or any of that. And strangely, in that moment, he was fine with that.

Tecna turned around and stumbled over to the communicator. She picked up the collection of parts and sat down on the couch.

"I am almost done with it." Tecna said, "I know that you want me out of here as soon as possible and-"

"Don't worry about it, okay." Timmy placed a hand on the communicator as he lowered himself down on the couch next to her.

Tecna shook her head, "No, I need to return so that I may continue my mission."

"I see," Timmy nodded.

"I…" Tecna looked up at Timmy from underneath her long eyelashes, "I don't want to exterminate you."

Did he hear that right? She didn't want to exterminate him?

"What about that Federation rule? Is the great Tecna considering breaking a rule?" Timmy chuckled.

"When I think about going home and exterminating you…something in me feels heavy. I hate the feeling and I don't want to…"

"Then don't?" Timmy instructed but it came out as more of a question.

"But I must."

Timmy huffed and a smile cracked across his face, "And there is nothing that I can do to stop that from happening."

Tecna shook her head and something else happened that Timmy did not think that he would ever witness. Tecna frowned and her bottom lip quivered as a tear fell from her eyes.

"No." Her voice was quiet as it cracked. "Timmy, what is happening to me?"

Timmy was nearly too dumbfounded to speak, he never thought that he would see Tecna cry. Smiling was one thing but crying? No. Never. Especially not over someone like him.

"I think," Timmy reached forward and wiped a tear from Tecna's cheek, "I think that you are sad, Tecna."

"Sad?" Tecna asked.

Timmy smiled and nodded, "It doesn't feel too great does it?"

Tecna shook her head as she reached up and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes to stop the tears.

"I feel utterly ridiculous." Tecna took a deep breath, "I must exterminate you. It is what I have to do. I regret this incident; that you have seen me behave in such an unprofessional manner."

"I actually prefer you like this." Timmy grabbed Tecna's hand in his, "It makes you more…human."

Tecna stared at Timmy and smiled, "You have made me feel happy again."

He had forgotten that he was holding her hand. It was small, delicate, and warm. He had held it before but never like this. What had happened these past two days had been nothing short of a miracle. He couldn't stand her and was waiting for the day that she would leave. He would have rather been dead then have to deal with her any longer, but Timmy was beginning to enjoy Tecna's presence. Maybe because the cold and robotic exterior was beginning to chip away to reveal a more human part of Tecna.

He liked that part of her.

"Oh shoot, we didn't mean to-"

Timmy turned around to look behind him and saw Helia and Flora standing near the entrance of their apartment. Timmy hadn't even heard the door open and the couple walk in. Helia was hanging up his coat and Flora followed suit before she walked into the kitchen and placed a white bag on the counter.

"Hey, Flora," Timmy quickly rose to his feet and walked into the kitchen, leaving Tecna alone on the couch, "what are you doing here?"

"I brought dinner."

Timmy watched as Flora pulled out a few steaming containers of food from the white bag. He took in a deep breath and smelled the familiar smell of rice, corn, and beans mixed in with earthy spices.

"Did your mom send you home with these?" Timmy asked, recognizing the scent of Flora's mother's cooking.

"I stopped by my parent's house and my mom insisted I take these with me. And," Flora pulled out a container lined with paper towels, "she told me that these are all yours."

Timmy smiled as he opened the container and looked down at the warm arepas. He immediately grabbed one and put it in his mouth.

"Mmmm, con queso too." Timmy let out a satisfied moan as he chewed the bite of arepa, "Tell your mom that she is the best and I love her so so much."

Flora let out a small giggle, "I will let her know. So…" Flora began opening the containers of food as Helia pulled down four plates, "who is that?"

Timmy turned back towards Tecna in the living room as she was taking off the heels that Stella had insisted she wear. He smiled as she rubbed her feet and smiled, thinking about something that must have made her happy. Seeing her happy for some reason made him happy.

"She is someone from school. She's been staying here. It's a long story." Timmy chuckled.

"What is her name?" Flora asked.

"Tecna."

Flora raised her head and called out, "Tecna, come join us. My mother made food."

Tecna rose to her feet and walked over to the trio in the kitchen, the smell of the food entering her nostrils. She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"I like the smell." Tecna stated as she pointed to the containers of food.

"Oh, what wonderful news. My mother will be happy to hear that." Flora replied as she took out some silverware from the drawer and placed large spoons in the containers of food.

"She will be happy?" Tecna asked, a hint of hopefulness to her voice.

"She loves it when people enjoy her food."

"What else does she love?" Tecna questioned.

Timmy sighed quietly to himself as he continued to eat the arepa. People usually don't ask such things but this was Tecna and she technically wasn't "people". But Flora was one of the kindest people that he had met and hopefully, she wouldn't find the question as weird as other people would have.

"Well," Flora giggled, "I suppose that she loves cooking, my father, me and my sister-"

"Are you all married?" Tecna asked.

"What?"

"Is that not what people do when they love each other?"

"I am sorry," Flora's eyebrows came together in confusion, "I am not sure I understand."

"Hey, Tecna," Timmy called out to her in a desperate attempt to distract from the current situation, "come and help me set the table."

Timmy walked past Tecna and handed her two water glasses before grabbing her arm and leading her to the table.

"I have been remiss in not teaching you about the different kinds of love." Timmy whispered.

"There are different kinds?" Tecna asked.

"Yes," Timmy placed the plates on the table, Tecna following behind with the glasses, "A person can love many things and people in different ways. I love my mother, but I am not going to love her the way that I would love my friends. I don't love my friends in the same way that I love working with computer software and if I ever found the right person, I would love them in a different way too."

"Oh, this is all so confusing," Tecna stated as she took some silverware that Timmy handed her.

Timmy left out a soft chuckle before looking up at Tecna who in return smiled back at him.

"Love oftentimes is."