After praying and thinking further, Alexis' decision to go with Airaih left her with a peace she hadn't expected. She had grown attached to the Vildan over the months that she knew him, more than she had prepared herself for.
The ceremony that followed was short. Filled with words and phrases that her translator couldn't interpret. Airaih interpreted for her, letting her know that the dialect was an ancient one and used during times of long ago. The exchange wasn't that different from an Earth marriage ceremony. By the time the connubial vows were finished, they traded arm bands, elaborate metallic symbols of their pledge to one another. She was surprised to find the silver band cool to her skin and light; it molded to her arm and wasn't as uncomfortable as it first looked. She kissed him, lifting on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. His mouth was warm, the startled breath that he released from her action fanning her face.
"It's customary on my planet to..." she said, holding onto his eyes, feeling heat rise in her cheeks from the simple gesture as she put a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"...I see." His bright eyes lingered on her eyes, shifting to her mouth when she pulled back.
Alexis had managed to get a dress for the occasion. And while it wasn't white but a dark cream, it was the first one she had worn in a long time. The dress was sleeveless, pulled in at the waist and its multilayered skirt floated lightly around her legs. The gown had taken the last of her saved up creds to get made, but was worth it for the unexpected assurance it gave her.
They ate dinner together, talked some, but mostly stared at one another. Getting to his home planet was going to take two weeks, two weeks that he was going to teach her more of his people, preparing her for what to expect.
She found she looked forward to it.
Directly talking to her brother for the first time in five months and actually seeing his face on the vid screen, watching his expressions and hearing him immediately reply to her was just what she needed.
He was shocked by her new circumstances, but not so astonished that he didn't ask to talk to Airaih. She stood behind her husband as he talked to her brother.
They talked for longer than she expected. Her brother had a lot of questions. When they were through, Alexis spoke more to her brother. Airaih gave her privacy.
"I can't just leave everything right now, Lex," Josh told her, his voice soft and reflective. "But I will come as soon as I can. You're right. We need to stay together." He leaned closer to the vid screen and stared at her. "Are you happy, Lex?"
She thought about his question, perhaps taking longer than necessary to answer, but she wanted to give Josh a truthful answer.
"Happiness is a delusion of the masses. An ephemeral emotion that has no..." she cut herself off when her brother looked at her with concern.
She laughed. "Sorry. I am good, Josh. Really good."
"And Airaih?"
"He's just what I needed."
"You love him?"
"I care for him."
Josh frowned at her evasiveness but didn't press further. Instead, he talked to her about what he had been up to. She listened intently, thirsty for current news.
The two weeks passed quickly. Alexis and Airaih had talked a lot during that time, shared their meals and walked the corridors of his small ship several times. She told him more of her faith. He explained their sciences. She spoke of the love for her family and the desire to see her brother again. He told her of the complexities of their culture. She explained how not all humans were as pale as she. He told her about the differences of their anatomy, and that he had two hearts. They didn't share quarters. Alexis' small room wasn't even on the same part of the ship as his.
She ignored the indecent, angered texts of Sunstreaker until Airaih showed her how to block the Autobot completely. She ignored the realization that Sideswipe had stopped texting her all together. None of that mattered. What mattered was the future she was trying to build with an authentic good person that continually fascinated and enticed her.
By the time they landed on his homeworld, Alexis was genuinely, if not nervously excited.
The first thing that came to Alexis' mind when they made their way to his estate was how uncomfortably hot Renth was. She expected to find relief after making her way inside the large house, and while it was less humid inside, it was in no way better.
Flushed, sweating and the temperature working on unbearable, she tried to cope by drinking the water that was given to her, but it hardly helped. She was having a hard time focusing. Her stomach was beginning to cramp. She felt so weak and disoriented that when one of her just introduced servants asked where she would like her small things unpacked, she was surprised as much as them when she responded by passing out on the carpet underneath.
Nudged awake, she found herself in what looked to be some sort of medical laboratory. Airaih stood by the tall cot she was resting on.
"I should have foreseen this," Airaih said softly with soft blame. "How do you feel now?" He handed her a cup of water which she sipped slowly.
Alexis sat up, legs dangling over the medical bed, her feet not touching the floor. She felt cool, felt like she could breathe.
"Much better. How?"
His eyes sparkled. He liked how curious she always was, even seemed to take pleasure from her questions. So much better than having her curiosity held against her, her questions thrown back at her as if they were some form of insult.
"I made a coolant band for you." He pointed to a thin metal strap around her wrist. "As long as you wear this device it will keep your body temperature nominal."
"So under normal circumstances, I could not withstand your planet?" She asked, not exactly stunned after feeling how the heat had gotten to her, but a little wary of what that might mean.
He frowned, detecting her unease. "Perhaps in time, but adapting would prove needlessly painful." Airaih helped her stand. She leaned against the cot, still a little wobbly.
"Great first impression, huh?" Alexis joked.
Airaih merely watched her, his brows furrowing ever so slightly. "I don't understand the implication of that phrase."
Alexis shook her head and chuckled softly. She explained, "It just means how you first meet someone is usually how you remember them the most."
He dipped his head forward, his words coming out in a silken whisper, "I understand that. I vividly remember when I first met you."
Her skin heated, her coolant band unable to cope with her internal response to the sensual hum of his voice.
"At the repair shop," she spoke up, offering him a small smile, finding herself expectant for his next uttered words. His voice was so soothing, so...
He shook his head and shifted nearer to her. "No," he corrected. "You bumped into me in the corridors."
"Did I?"
He went on, "You weren't the first human I had seen, but were the first that I saw with weapons in hand." He lifted a brow. "I thought perhaps you were to be a future opponent. Something I quickly dismissed with your clumsiness."
Alexis laughed at his bluntness. "I guess you were disappointed in what I ended up being then."
He shook his head, his voice low, "No, merely curious." Airaih took the cup from her hand and placed it on a nearby table. He had to turn to do so, giving her a profile of his beautifully pointed ears. "And when I found out what had happened to your planet by the hands of the Decepticons, I couldn't help but feel... sympathetic."
Alexis lowered her head, mouth shifting down. Thinking about her planet, about her family, it still caused her such deep, tremendous melancholy. She was immediately lost in her past, the hurt there, the pain, the memories that would never leave her.
"You're safe now, Alexis. I will see to it." Airaih vowed, managing to break through the dark clouds of her mind. His words were so sincere, so absolute in their certainty.
"I'm going to owe you so much," she said softly.
Her words made his yellow eyes burn, his mouth twist into a tight frown. "No, not owe. Never that," he said firmly, his voice resonating.
As soon as she unpacked, she properly met her servant, a Vildan female who was one of the nieces of her husband. Seeing Sharaih was her first glance at the females of his race. She was taller than Alexis, completely bald and attractively lean. After the two cataloged each others differences, they settled into a slightly one-sided conversation.
Led to a larger room, Alexis found more of his female family waiting for her. That was when she discovered that yes, the females were naturally flat chested and all were bald, all though each had different patterns of lines on their head and arms, swirls of softened flesh that accentuated and highlighted their scarlet flesh. Like humans, their flesh ranged in different shades. Their eyes, while mainly yellow, also varied in hues of orange and even shades of darkened reds, making for a varied representation of their species.
She was introduced to Fintaih first, the first companion to Zarnaih, her husband's elder brother. The woman was authoritative, stiff in manner and curt in speech.
"You are Alexisaih," Fintaih looked her over, starting with her face and working down her body as she examined her in entirety. She stared a long time at Alexis' loose hair before shifting down. Alexis resisted the urge to cover her chest, which along with her hair was drawing too much attention from the female family.
"Alexis," Alexis spoke up, unintentionally catching the woman's sharp eyes.
The woman stepped forward and frowned. "You are life consort to Airaih. His family name becomes yours and your prodigies."
"I prefer Alexis, Alexandra or," she enunciated carefully, pausing deliberately, "Alexis Aih."
"I see." Stopping the murmur of voices around her with a flick of a hand upwards, Fintaih pursed her lips, the smallest smile shifting along the corner. "Allow me to introduce you to the rest of your sisters and family, Alexis Aih."
She introduced Alexis to the other two companions of her brother-in-law first, then began to work her way through cousins, nieces and other household members. The process took a while. Many had questions, especially the younger ones. Fortunately, they at least stopped staring at her halfway through. And while it wasn't the most warm welcoming she had ever received, it wasn't the worst either. And had gone a lot better than the disaster of a meeting she had the misfortune of conjuring up in her way too active brain.
Besides the comfortable room she was given, Airaih made sure she had clothes made for her, a fitting done by one of his cousins, an older woman who actually laughed when Alexis explained the types of underclothes she needed.
"You have to restrain your flesh?" Rizaih chuckled deeply, but continued to measure Alexis with a small tablet and a slip of thin cloth. "Is there anything else I should know about?"
Alexis shook her head, her mouth still embarrassedly open from the unexpected display of mirth. "Actually, I don't like tight clothes. I would prefer, well, that is, I would love some real pants and t-shirts and..." Rizaih lifted her thick brow, and Alexis eagerly explained and showed pictures of traditional human clothing.
"Leave it to me." She entered something into her tablet, then patted Alexis' shoulder, causing her to flinch back in further surprise from the contact. "I will make you something you will be satisfied with and comfortable wearing."
"Okay, thank you."
Days turned into weeks, turned into two months. The little things stuck with Alexis the most. Like his attentiveness, how he made an effort for her, how he acknowledged her. Making sure her room had an air cooler was one of the first things that let her know that she mattered to him. And when Airaih began to join her during the mornings and sharing in her bible readings, she felt something tug deep inside her, an unexpected intimacy shared.
She didn't think his family approved of all the time the two shared together, the meals and the walks, the conversations. She was already considered abnormal because of the pledge of monogamy. And when Airaih began to teach her defensive moves, she felt a further separation from them. The females of his species were not taught how to fight by the opposite sex. She also knew that if a Vildan female had military aspirations, or any other occupation that involved working closely with males, she had to give up her right to procreate. That seemed stern and unnecessary, but they were strict in their customs, and Airaih had assured her that the female was given ample time to reach a sound decision.
Alexis tried not to judge. And she really did understand that they really didn't understand her, or how humans lived.
She was sure that with time, they would get accustomed to her. And found some humor in that she was considered so risqué to want to spend time with her husband. And since they didn't outright reject her, but more offered her advice and explained normal properties of mated females, she continued to see Airaih. If they painted her an outcast, snubbed her, mocked her, she would have still seen Airaih. And they couldn't have known what a human failing it was that when told what they couldn't, shouldn't have something, the more a human wanted it.
Anytime Alexis left the house, she had to make sure she was properly attired. If seeing others outside the family, she had to wear a veil like head-piece to cover her eyes. Even when she wasn't seeing others, she had to make sure that she was properly covered from the bright sun above. Airaih had explained to her that the sun was much closer than Earth's had been. Not wanting sunburns, she had to coat her body in provided ointment and make sure her skin was covered at all time.
The late evenings and early mornings were when the planet was at its coolest. And as the sun didn't come out until very late in the afternoon, Alexis was given time to adapt to the atmosphere on her own. She sometimes tested herself to see how long it took before she had to put the coolant band back on. Airaih didn't approve, but didn't stop her from testing herself.
This wasn't the first time Airaih had taken her for a ride on a zonth, a large horse like creature that was as gentle as it was fast, but it was the earliest they had departed. His and his brother's estate wasn't obscenely large, but since it held so many of the family, it was far from small. After the months, Alexis still wasn't sure of the dynamics of Airaih and his brother's relationship, but knew the two shared responsibilities over the entire household. She had only met his brother Zarnaih once. But it wasn't an occasion she would easily forget. Yes, he had welcomed her to the household and even gifted her with a small flowery plant, but the detachment behind his eyes and the deliberate coolness behind his words and gestures was unsettling.
"We can stop here," Airaih spoke up. He dismounted the zonth and then pulled a small basket and blanket off from the side of the saddle. He put them on the ground before he secured the animals to a nearby tree, providing each with a bucket of food as he gently patted each.
"Picnic?" Alexis smiled, but then found memories coming that she couldn't block. She saw Timothy and remembered that wonderful day she had spent with him. Remembered the time that had followed when they tried to survive, tried to escape the Decepticon forces. A silly thing, considering that she had been with one all along.
"I do not understand this word," Airaih said, forcing her out of her memories and bitter thoughts. He was extremely good at that.
Alexis forced a smile on her lips. "Food, outside, sitting on the ground and eating... picnic. Although sometimes we cook meat and..." She swallowed the rest of her words, they were unimportant.
"And this causes you distress?" he asked, his brows bunching, his eyes turning dark. Yes, he did have emotions. They were subtle and sometimes hard to distinguish, but she was slowly learning. Again, she felt that breathlessness that came when she identified that empathy of his that unspoken and buried still managed to excite her.
Perhaps it was because he never physically touched her that when his emotions peaked through, she felt a connection to him that was as strong as if he was touching her cheek or holding her hand. Of course, late at night when Alexis over thought things, she told herself that she was probably conjuring up his reactions, letting herself see what would never be there.
"No, not when I am with you," Alexis finally answered.
He took her offered words, spread the blanket on the grassy hill and began to pull out food and dishes. She watched him. Her eyes drifted to his slim wrists and delicate fingers, lifted up to the expanse of his throat and the curve of his pointed ears. Alexis had always thought him attractive, but now, at that moment, with him so close by and so in reach, she felt a physical, inescapable pull to him.
Alexis moved toward him, took the cups out of his hand and pushed him lightly back, leaned against him and did something she had been thinking about for some time, she kissed him. The action was purely instinctual and was conducted before finding approval with her mind.
His eyes widened, and she pulled back in befuddlement. Airaih shifted up on his elbows, allowing her to sit back on her legs. He did tell her to never deny who she was or what she wanted. But she knew in between the unspoken words that physical interaction was something he obviously didn't seek.
So when he sat up, continuing to take the food and utensils out of the basket, Alexis almost didn't cringe when he spoke softly.
"Perhaps," he stopped, looked up at her and then behind her back, away from her searching eyes. "Perhaps we are spending too much time together."
The words hurt terribly. And when she felt tears trying to escape her eyes, she forced herself to get up and turn away. There was only one reason his words pained her so, why she felt an undefinable sensation twist her gut and make her heart tremble.
Alexis felt him come up behind her, his hand pressing lightly on her shoulder and forcing her to turn around. Not wanting him to see her, she ducked out from under his touch.
He was right. She knew that. They were spending too much time together. Time enough for her feelings to change and evolve from the friendship they shared and erupt into a gentle tide of unexpected love.
"Alexandra, I..."
She shook her head.
"I'm sorry," she told him because it was all she could manage. "I know you don't..." She heaved out a tight breath when she felt his hand move, nearly touching her lower back before disappearing. "I think I will head home... alone, if you don't mind." She frowned. "I'm sorry," she said again, and it wasn't until she was a good distance away from him that she allowed herself to turn around and look at him, finding him staring after.