Crash
Chapter 3
It was morning, and Kate woke up and found her husband missing. She didn't like it, but she was getting used to it, assuming he was in the kitchen making breakfast.
She flipped the covers off and got up. Yawning, Kate stretched and went into the bathroom, where she stepped into the shower after stripping. Ten minutes later, she grabbed a towel and dried off, then went to her closet and decided what to wear. She dressed and exited the bedroom after running a brush through her hair.
Kate didn't see him in the kitchen. She tried the study next, where she found him. She came up behind him. "What are you doing?"
Rick his laptop to show her what was on the screen. "What do you think about Atlantis on Paradise Island? It's in the Bahamas for a vacation spot. It has a 141-acre Aquaventure Park, suitable for families. There's also an aquarium."
He clicked and showed her pictures of the room. "We could get a two-bedroom Regal Suite."
Kate studied them. "How long are you thinking?"
"Five days, maybe a week. We could rent a car, go to Nassau, and do some shopping," Rick said, knowing how much she loved to shop.
"I say book it, I'm in. Any time is fine with me. Good work, husband." Kate kissed the top of his head. "I'll work on breakfast while you book it." Kate kissed the top of his head again and left him.
Kate was cracking eggs when Rick showed up. "It's booked. Alexis isn't up yet?"
"I haven't gotten her up yet," Kate said as she fished a piece of eggshell out of the bowl. She was getting ready to make scrambled eggs for breakfast.
"I'll go get her." Rick went up and got Alexis out of bed and into the tub. She giggled when he tickled her as he dried her off. Then he dressed her and took her downstairs, where they both saw plates with scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit waiting for them.
"Your daddy arranged for us to go on vacation. We're going to Atlantis. They have a water park with rides."
Alexis raised both her arms high. "YAY!" She wanted to go on vacation!
Kate smiled. "I thought you might like that."
~oo0oo~
Flashback
~oo0oo~
"Where do we go?" Kate asked him.
"Your English is getting pretty good," Rick commented. "You just might pass for a native."
"I better. Except for what I'm wearing." She and Rick were still in their hibernation suits that were skin tight, covering everything from neck to ankle, and had these tubes running from place to place.
"Maybe no one will notice or say anything," Rick suggested.
Kate sighed. "Here's hoping. Now, back to my original question – where do we land?"
"That's a good question. We could land in Europe. Maybe the farmland of France." Rick held back, pausing for Kate to share her thoughts.
Kate made a face and shook her head. "We don't speak French. Can you believe the number of languages this planet has? There are 7,100 languages spoken!" She shook her head, unable to believe the number.
"True. So France is out. So are Spain, Germany, Russia, and China. That leaves us with the United States." Rick waited for her to say something.
"Yeah, perhaps some small town. I don't know." Kate offered an option. "A small town in Kansas, maybe?"
Rick considered it, but shook his head. "I don't think that will work. Everyone knows everyone else in a small town. Just think of our own small towns."
"You got a point there. So where do we land?" Kate queried.
"It needs to be someplace large," Rick said thoughtfully. "Somewhere where we can fit in while we find clothes to wear. Somewhere we can land and not be seen."
"That's a tall order, babe."
Lucile spoke up then. "May I suggest something? What about New York City?"
Kate blinked. "New York City? Are you mad?"
"Hear me out, please. There's a place called North Brother Island. It's twenty abandoned acres and no one goes there without permission. You can land there and hide the shuttles and barges. You will need a boat to get off of it, though. There may be something in one of the barges you can use."
"That might work. I say we try it," Kate said.
"We might as well. Just remember, by the time we land, we won't have enough fuel to take off again," Rick told her.
~oo0oo~
End Flashback
~oo0oo~
"Let's get you packed for our vacation," Kate said. Alexis opened her own little backpack with a little pink unicorn on the exterior. Kate didn't want to overpack it, but she wanted Alexis to carry some of her own clothes to make her feel like she was going on vacation. So, Kate let her choose an outfit and a nightgown to put in her backpack.
Alexis clutched her favorite toy close. "Monkey Bunkey?"
"Of course, we're taking Monkey Bunkey. You hold onto him while I carry your backpack." Kate picked up her backpack and took it and Alexis downstairs. She would be back up to pack the rest of her clothes.
They had an 8:00 a.m. flight and put Alexis to bed early so she would be up early. Thanks to Security, they needed to get there by 5:00 a.m. They had a 40-minute layover on Atlanta.
They made it through Security. "Mommy, go potty."
"Rick, watch our bags while I take her to the restroom."
They were flying First Class and decided Kate would sit with Alexis going and Rick would sit with her on the way back.
They had to hustle a little to catch their next flight.
They arrived at 1:05 p.m. They headed for baggage claim and then went to the rental car desk, where the clerk told them they had to pay to get onto Paradise Island.
Then they checked into their hotel. Rick opened the door and let Kate and Alexis go first. "This is great, Rick, so nice." Kate liked the look of it. "Let's go find your bedroom." Kate took Alexis into her bedroom, leaving her to open her backpack and get her toys and books out while she checked her and Rick's bedroom.
"This is nice, babe, very comfortable looking." Kate kissed his cheek. "It's just after 2:30, so what do we do first?"
"Shopping or water park?" Rick asked.
"Water park. I'll go get Alexis into her swimsuit." Kate left their bedroom and entered Alexis' room, where she found her looking at the view instead of unpacking. "We're going to the water park and need to get you into your swimsuit, sweetie."
"'Kay!" An excited Alexis began to remove her clothes, leaving her mother to find her swimsuit.
Each had a towel, and they walked to the water park. Rick paid for them to enter, and their only decision was what to try first.
Kate covered Alexis with sunscreen and told her she was all set. So Alexis ran off for the first ride she could find. She found Poseidon's Playzone and didn't leave until she got hungry. Since there wasn't any food at the park, they went to their hotel, where they found a restaurant while still dressed in their swimsuits.
~oo0oo~
"She's all tuckered out and sleeping like a baby," Kate told her husband and sat beside him while still in her bikini.
Eventually, she felt her husband's hand on her thigh, inching its' way to her inner thigh. She instinctively spread her legs just a little, giving him access. After just a minute of stroking her pussy through her bikini bottom, she got up. "Bed. Now, husband." Kate led him to the bedroom, closed the door, and took off her top, followed by her bottoms.
~oo0oo~
A nude, satisfied Kate was resting next to an equally naked Rick. "What do we do tomorrow, big man?"
"Shopping, I think."
"I can go shopping." Kate snuggled in nice and close. "I love you."
Rick held her tight. "I love you too, Kate. So much."
~oo0oo~
The next day, they went shopping in Nassau. They found a place to park the car and walked from store to store. Kate bought a few things, small things that she could pack.
They made it back to their hotel. Kate was putting away her purchases when Alexis shrieked, "MOMMY!" and began to wail.
Kate ran to her room. "Alexis, you're burnt!" She came up to her. "My poor baby." She began to run her hands over her but pulled them back. "I'll get you some lotion." Kate hurried out of her bedroom and into hers, where she searched her bag and went back to her with some lotion. She applied it everywhere she was burnt.
"Feeling better?" Kate asked. "Never mind, that's a stupid question. Of course, you don't feel better. Come into the main room and sit with us." She took her into the main room and sat her down.
Kate went and used the bathroom. She washed her hands when done and looked in the mirror. "AHHHH!" She was burnt too, but not as bad as Alexis, given how pale the little girl was.
"How did this happen?" Kate asked Rick, whose skin was as red as hers.
"We were outside a lot, going from store to store," Rick said patiently.
"I know that. I meant, how am I burnt given that I'm an alien?" Kate asked him. He didn't have an answer for her, so he was silent.
They didn't go anywhere the rest of the day, and Kate applied more lotion to their sunburns.
They went to bed in the same bed since Alexis didn't want to be alone.
~oo0oo~
After a quick shower the next morning, which hurt, thank you very much, they didn't go anywhere except to the restaurant to eat and to the store for more lotion.
They sat around watching TV and playing Go Fish. They didn't dare go outside into the sun. In fact, they didn't go anywhere at all, right up to when it was time to go to the airport for their flight home.
They had a one-hour layover in Atlanta again.
Finally, they were home and happy to be there. "Well, that was a bust. Stupid sunburn!" Kate moaned. "Come on, honey. Let's get some more lotion on you." Kate guided her upstairs to her bathroom, where she stripped her so she could see Alexis' sunburn and apply more lotion. Then she put her to bed even if it was early. "You stay here, sweetheart, and let the lotion work." Kate kissed her forehead and left her.
She went down to her bathroom and saw Rick standing there naked. She couldn't help but laugh at what she saw. "Sorry, sorry," Kate told him. She took off her clothes and saw the difference in her skin. "I look silly."
"I wasn't going to say anything, but…" Rick stopped talking when he saw the look she was giving him. "Come here, let me put lotion on you."
"Damn it, Rick. I can't let you make love to me. It hurts."
~oo0oo~
The next day, she felt better and went upstairs to check on Alexis. "Feeling better?" Alexis nodded. She felt a little better. "Come on, let's get you in the tub and downstairs for breakfast."
"We're never going on vacation again," Kate proclaimed.
Rick opened his mouth to counter that, then closed it again. He decided she would change her mind eventually.
"You're susceptible to burning, or so it would seem," Lucile told them.
"You think!" Kate retorted. "I don't understand how we're out in the sun during the day here and don't get burned, but get toasted there. What's so special there? Besides there being a lot of sun."
~oo0oo~
Flashback
~oo0oo~
"qaH, maHvaD Hu'tegh," Rick told Kate, who was back in her own shuttle. ("Okay, let's get this over with.")
"English, speak English," Kate admonished.
"Sorry. Powering up."
They took off and headed for the planet. "We're going to land in the dark just as planned," Rick confirmed.
They entered the atmosphere and felt the buffeting. They came in for a landing, and landed nose to nose. Kate actually waved at him, and he waved back.
"My fuel is down to 2%."
Kate checked hers. "Mine reads as 4%. Looks like we're not going anywhere. We're here to stay."
"Let's see what we've got. Let's start with your barge." Rick exited his shuttle, went to the back of her barge and joined her.
Kate opened the barge, and both saw it was filled to the brim. If they wanted something in the back, they had to remove everything up front first.
"It looks like everything is marked. Let's get started." Rick took the first container, carried it out, and put it down.
~oo0oo~
"What have we got?" Rick asked after they created a path to the very back.
"I'll tell you what we don't have, and that's a boat," Kate said.
"Yeah, we've got stuff to build a house with. And stuff to build a medical room with, including equipment. Which you'll like since you're pregnant."
"Everything else is mostly food with a few exceptions, and it'll be light soon." Kate looked up and was able to see more than she had just ten minutes ago.
"So, do we start building or do we empty my barge?" Rick asked.
Kate looked around. "I say we start building. We build until there's nothing left to build."
"Let's hope we're not missing anything. Okay, let's get started," Rick said. "First things first; we need to find the directions."
"That should be easy enough," Kate told him, and showed him what she had in her hand. "Since it should be on this tablet." She checked it and grinned. "Found it!" The next thing they needed to find was the tools.
~oo0oo~
Rick wiped his forehead. "One dome done. Ready for the next one. Then we can break for a real lunch, no more emergency rations."
Kate sighed. "I am so ready for lunch and real food."
~oo0oo~
"Second dome done," Rick announced. "Now we just need to find everything that goes in it, including the exam table, which will require some assembly."
"Lunch first," Kate insisted and broke into the food containers.
"This is sooo good," Kate moaned with her mouth full. "I'll find everything that goes into the medical section if you'll work on the medical bed."
Rick rolled his eyes. "Oh, leave me with the hard part, how kind of you."
"I thought you would love that idea. I love you." Kate kissed him.
"That's still not helping," Rick informed her. He watched her smile at him, and she left him to start her search. He groaned and opened the first container filled with stuff for the medical bed.
~oo0oo~
They stood back and looked at their work. "I like it," Kate declared. "Now we need to power it up to see if it works."
Rick shook his head. "Not until the solar panels, which is the entire dome in this case, have had time to build up the power."
"In that case, I guess we could work on the house. Build the bed and such. After a break and a drink," Kate told him.
~oo0oo~
"Done!" Rick announced and looked at what they'd accomplished.
"Time for dinner now that we have a kitchen, albeit a mini kitchen," Kate said.
They ate at their very small dining room table, which had just two chairs. "What do you think is in yours?" Kate queried.
He shrugged. "Could be anything, but I'm hoping it's full of equipment like a boat and other things. Maybe even a Mosquito."
"Ooo, maybe two of them." Kate clapped her hands together. "One for you and one for me."
Rick crushed her dream. "Could be full of stuff for an art studio or a power core meant for a power building."
"A power core would be nice, I suppose." Kate thought about it. "Nah, it's full of equipment, including a Mosquito. At least I hope so. I wish I had mine." She sighed and looked a little downcast.
"Well, it's time to break in the bed." Rick meant it was time for sleep.
"Yes, break in the bed." But Kate was thinking of sex.
~oo0oo~
End Flashback
~oo0oo~
It took them five days until they all felt better, five very long days. "Lesson learned, I guess," Rick offered.
"We didn't get burned at the water park because we used sunscreen. We didn't use any when we went shopping," Kate mentioned.
"Was it worth it?" Rick teased her.
"NO!" Kate snapped. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just so frustrated with it all."
"Apology accepted, Kate. Like I said, lesson learned. We use sunscreen whenever we plan to be outside for long periods of time. So where do you want to go on our next vacation?"
"Alaska, where it's dark most of the time," Kate replied as Rick burst out laughing.
"Well, preschool starts soon anyway, so it doesn't matter," Rick told her.
Kate bit her lip. "You think maybe we stayed on that island too long?"
"We stayed until we ran out of food. No, I don't think it was too long. We needed the medical building for your pregnancy," he reminded her.
"Yeah, that building came in handy," Kate agreed. "You're right; we stayed as long as possible. It's a pity we had to blow up everything."
"We didn't have a choice, Kate. If we had visitors while we were there we could have dealt with them. Can you imagine what would have happened if they found all that – the shuttles, the barges, the medical building?"
Kate shuddered. "There would have been a manhunt to find us, without a doubt."
"As it is, we left the boat and the Mosquitos," he recalled. "We didn't have enough explosives to handle it all. I still miss flying my Mosquito, though."
Kate checked the time. "I'm going to go get Alexis up and into the tub. We can start school a little early."
Rick thought about that. They could homeschool her because of everything they brought along with them, mostly pads and Lucile. Speaking of Lucile... "Is there anything you need, Lucile? More memory, perhaps?"
"There is nothing in this level of technology that will benefit me. I'm far beyond this world's level of technology," Lucile responded. "Thank you, though, for bringing the core of the medical bed. That came in handy."
"You're welcome, Lucile. I don't know what we would do without you," Rick said and he meant it.