I hope you all liked the last chapter! Please do not copy the characters or story in any way. Though based on a comic I saw, the storyline belongs to me and the characters are completely my own. Thank you so much for reading this far! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave a review. I would love to hear from you. If I use your idea, I'll be sure to credit you in the chapter I use it in. God bless!

Chapter 2

The crew members left the Skeld gladly, jumping up and down and running to see what they could do first. Someone jumped on another's back, while another grabbed their mother's hand and dragged her to the nearest shop. Jesse stared at it all with unabashed awe. Though increasingly scientific, the world went for a more medieval look when building the town square. Stalls for shops and stables for horses and pigs, he felt he'd landed in a storybook. A large building loomed over the horizon, a far cry from the little haven he'd found himself in. The university stared back at him, threatening him with its large shadow. He turned to face Connor.

"Isn't this great? Come on! I wanna see their weapons." Jesse rolled his eyes, a playful grin on his face. It wasn't a bad idea when he thought about it. A new planet meant new dangers; being prepared was the prudent thing to do, if not the most sobering.

They looked around for hours. The artificial moon shone brightly overhead when they finally made their way to the Lodge. A large mansion built with logs and covered in moose heads, the Lodge was more like a luxury hotel that housed all returning members from the mission. There were three floors of bedrooms: one for the Astronauts, one for the Analysts, and one for the Scientists. The names were redundant, he supposed, seeing as the Analysts were just different types of scientists. Jesse shrugged; it couldn't be helped.

"Dude…" His friend whistled at their surroundings.

"Uh-huh," Jesse said. It was impressive. It was things like this that made him question whether he could leave the Skeld. With his parents dead, he was forced to take their place. Now, there was nothing he could do to change the decision.

"Let's go find our rooms," Connor said. Jesse nodded. When they made their way upstairs, a bellhop looked at their cards. After he pointed them to their room, he gave their cards back respectively.

"Please, enjoy your stay." He bowed slightly in respect. Not knowing what to do, they bowed, too. Shocked, the man gave an understanding, if not unnerved, smile.

The room was large. There was really no other way to describe it. Two beds sat on one wall, mirrored by a large TV. At the end of the room was a jacuzzi, next to a door that Jesse assumed led to the bathroom. Connor jumped on the bed.

"Dude! This is awesome!" Jesse laid on the other bed as Connor jumped on his. "I'm not hitting my head!" As Connor laughed, Jesse couldn't help but wonder. They were treated like royalty when they came back, but at what cost? He shook the thoughts away. There was no use dwelling on something he couldn't change. Connor settled onto the mattress.

"Hey, do you think we'll get to come back here?" he asked, the lightness gone from his voice. Jesse didn't look at him.

"I don't know."

"Then… I guess we'll just have to enjoy it!" He didn't have to look at Connor to know he was smiling. His lips turned up in a sort of grin, but he didn't have anything to say. He hoped with all his soul they would get to come back one day. He hoped and prayed with all he had that this nightmare would be over.

Gray met blue as she stared at him. Shaggy, raven hair was pulled up neatly in a small pony-tail, his black suit labeling him as the Skeld's Security. Yuki blushed.

"Each of you are here to choose who you will reproduce with," Yuki's officer bellowed. "You will be spending the next month getting to know each other before getting married and being sent into space. A word of warning: choose wisely. I don't need to remind you that you only get one chance at this; once you've chosen, you cannot divorce until you get back to earth if your child decides to take your place abroad the Skeld. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" all of them shouted in unison. Jesse grimaced. Marriage was spoken of so crudely, and yet it was the vital lifeline to order while repopulating the earth. As the young crewmates dispersed to find a cadet they found attractive, a woman with long, white tresses stood in front of him.

"Do we know each other?" she asked. "I used to live on the Skeld," she supplied when he raised an eyebrow. Surprise covered his features.

"Yuki?"

"So you do know me!" she gushed. "I knew it! I'm so glad I got to meet you! I was so excited when I found out I might get to see you again. I knew it was a fifty-fifty chance since you might have come back to earth, but-" she giggled sheepishly. Jesse would have smiled, but he had something more pressing to discuss.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" She stopped, looking up at him.

"Sure. About what?"

They sat under a tree ten minutes later.

"No, I had no idea. My mom left me at the Polus and disappeared," Yuki explained. "I never found out what happened to her. I'm so sorry." Jesse nodded. Truth was, she had only been four or five when they'd left; she only knew what she had been told by those who'd found her.

"Thanks, anyway," he said. He didn't look at her.

"What do you think? About being an Astronaut?"

"I don't know, really. I know it's where I'm supposed to be."

"Do you like it?"

"Sometimes," he admitted. "Though it can get a little…"

"Claustrophobic?" she giggled. Jesse laughed.

"Yeah." A few moments passed as they stared at the artificial sky. "Do you still believe in Jesus?" Yuki turned to him, surprised at how blunt he was.

"Why do you ask?" He shrugged. Looking towards the sky, Yuki answered.

"I do."

"Me, too," Jesse said. They smiled at each other, grateful to find someone who understood, who knew. They turned back to the now setting sun, small conversations filling the peaceful silence.

Jesse woke with a start, surprised at his surroundings. Body tense, he looked around and found Connor sleeping in a large bed next to his own. Brain understanding where they were, his body slowly relaxed. Two big, gray eyes stared at him in his mind's eye. A dark blush coated his cheeks. He pulled the pillow over his head. He curled into the fetal position, blue eyes peering over the pillow at nothing discernable. Face turning redder, he buried his eyes into the pillow.

"You what?"

"I want you to marry me." Yuki blinked at his bluntness. Still unaccustomed to it, she protested.

"You can't just say stuff like that!" she yelled, blushing madly. Now Jesse blinked at her.

"Why not?" Yuki facepalmed. Was he really this dense?

"Stuff like that's supposed to be romantic! You can't just go around telling people you want to marry them. You have to plan it out first - make a thing of it!" Jesse cocked his head.

"What, like a picnic or something?"

"Yes!" When he continued to look at her, Yuki groaned, holding the bridge of her nose. She rose her head after a few moments, confused. "Why me, anyway?"

He wasn't sure how to answer that.

"I connected with you."

"We've only known each other for a month," she said flatly.

"We're only given a month," he reminded her. "Please... marry me." Yuki blushed at the unwavering determination in his eyes. He was silent, pleading with his eyes. She saw a soft, tender kindness in them that touched her heart. Yuki smiled.

"So… who should we invite?"