A/N: Thanks to those of you that left reviews or PMs. Much appreciated. Sorry for the long wait for this update. I struggled with writing this one.
And thanks to MarkeyDeSad for the beta, once again.
Chuck's ideas had brought about the end to the Frakku threat at the city. He has also proposed to S'ra. Time for celebrations…
Exo
Chapter 11: Celebrations
Chuck was not asked to help with the preparations for their engagement party. That was all being organized by S'ra's parents, with input from S'ra. He was glad in a way. If he had been involved, it would have reminded him of his sister's engagement party and all the other parties with her, both the ones for his birthday, where she tried to set him up with her colleagues at the hospital, and the Halloween and New Year's Eve parties.
Thinking about those parties in the courtyard outside the apartment, he felt a terrible longing to see Ellie. He missed her so much.
S'ra had found him in that state when she returned from one of her trips to discuss the party with her mother.
She knelt in front of him. He'd told her how he was starting to feel earlier in the day, so she knew what his melancholic state was about. "Chuck, would you come with me for a visit to the sea?"
His eyes focused on her. "I thought you didn't like exploring."
She sighed. "I didn't say that, I said I wasn't bothered about it. Anyway, this isn't exploring the planet, it's part of our city state's territory."
"Then, yes, please!"
S'ra's heart swelled with a mixture of pride and mirth. She was incredibly happy to have helped to lift her Chuck's spirit with such a small thing. She'd marveled at his inquisitiveness and his plan to explore her planet had kind of scared her but she was starting to accept it as part of their future.
S'ra flew them out to the sea. They basically followed the same route as the last time they went in this direction. This trip, however, had no stress associated with it. She had reserved them accommodation at one of the hotels near the sea's edge and they had a wonderful view of the seaside from their room.
A couple of times, Chuck was sure that he saw large fish rise from the water in the distance, but he couldn't be sure.
He was pleased that the concept of wading through the edge of the water was not just an activity on Earth, so he and S'ra did that on their first day there.
When they sat and looked out at the water, it reminded him of the spot he used to go to back on Earth. His place to sit and contemplate what to do in various situations or just to reflect on recent events. He reached for S'ra's hand and put it in his lap as he thought about this. Back on Earth, he never had anyone with him on that beach. It was his private space, but also a lonely one if he thought about it. He didn't even take his sister there, although she asked about it.
Here, he could still have a place for contemplation, but he would mostly come here with the love of his life and they could sit together as they were at that moment.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
He told her and she snuggled closer to him. "It is peaceful here. The sea lapping at the shore like that calms me."
They continued to sit there for some time, with S'ra resting her head on his shoulder.
The next day, they set off in search of those large fish, the krattak. At the hotel, they had been told there were quite a few leaping out at this time of year. Chuck thought that would be spectacular to see, so they found out the direction to go and set off.
S'ra was flying higher than on their journey out, to ensure they were well above the height the fish could reach.
One thing that was different about this world to his own was people at the beach. On Earth, or at least in Chuck's experience, people lay on a beach sunbathing. They also did it in parks and in gardens. That just didn't happen here. People splashed and waded at the water's edge, swam in deeper water, and they even sat, as he and S'ra had, looking out at the sea. But no sunbathing. It was a bit disconcerting to Chuck when he realized that.
They saw their first krattak only minutes after they reached the area specified to them. Chuck was adamant that it had seen them and was trying to get to them, but S'ra laughed that off. "It couldn't have seen us all the way up here!" Whatever the creature had seen, they did get to see it "head on," though. And it did open and snap its jaws at them. It was a terrifying sight. That mouth could have easily taken their flier in one go. The teeth were at long as Chuck was tall.
Other krattak they saw were further away, enabling them to see their full length and the coloring of their bodies, a shimmering blue that Chuck thought matched S'ra's eyes. When he'd asked S'ra about what was known of these denizens of the deep, she had told him that their scientists had studied ones that had washed up on the shore, but the skin was a dull color on a corpse, but in living specimens looked fantastic. They were truly magnificent creatures.
S'ra, like Chuck, was amazed at what she saw. These were creatures within easy reach of her city, but she had never seen them before. She'd never even thought about doing that. She looked at her fiancé. Maybe his idea of exploring the world would be interesting. Certainly, his excitement on seeing new things was catching.
They stayed there for two further days. They swam in the sea and found much smaller and harmless fish swimming with them. They also walked along the shore, enjoying the breeze coming off the waters. And they sat and watched the sun set over the water.
As they flew back to face party season, Chuck thanked S'ra for this wonderful gift.
The celebration Chuck least wanted to attend came first. Maybe that was best, because then the one he would remember was their engagement party.
As he sat on the podium facing the crowds of residents and listening to the governor and the commander between them praising his team's efforts and what they had achieved it felt so wrong. They had nearly wiped out the Frakku present. What if that had been the last of their species?
Then, he was singled out as the mastermind behind the solution to "the Frakku problem." They followed with how he and S'ra had led the assault. All of this was an assault on his stomach. He felt like going and throwing up somewhere.
Then, they singled Chuck out as the one who'd come up with and led the offensive attacks that had saved the city from a being savaged by the rapacious Frakku. They'd shown the destruction by acid bomb of the horde of Frakku on the big screens in the square. His stomach was twisting itself in knots as he witnessed the deaths of so many obviously intelligent beings. He felt like going somewhere and throwing up.
S'ra had been watching her fiancé. She knew his thoughts on what they'd had to do and knew this was hard for him to sit through.
As she sat there, she contemplated how he didn't really grasp the fear these people had of the Frakku. They were not something new here. They migrated through this region every hundred years or so. They would sweep through destroying everything in their way. Stories were passed down from generation to generation. What his action had done was change that story. The people obviously wanted to celebrate and thank the man who had shown them a different result.
S'ra clasped his nearest hand and squeezed it, hoping it would help him.
Chuck looked at their clasped hands and traced his eyes up her arm to her beautiful face. A face full of concern for him, but more importantly, one full of love. This wonderful woman was there for him when he needed her most. Their love for each other didn't wash away the horror of what had happened, but looking at her reminded him why it had been necessary. To keep her safe. Same for her parents and friends.
Eventually the speeches and the adulation ended and the music and dancing commenced. Chuck wasn't a dancer on Earth, but here was willing to give it a go. The attention now off them was an enormous relief, but holding S'ra and dancing with her was even better.
However, the two of them made their escape as soon as they could and headed back to their home. They could still hear the music from there. However, they had their own celebration when they climbed into bed.
Chuck had originally assumed an engagement party here to be like his sister's back home in Los Angeles. A courtyard celebration with a group of friends from both sides, eating and drinking, maybe dancing. As she described it to him, he had realized it would be bigger. Now that he was here at the venue S'ra and her mom had selected, he was reminded of that.
Like with his sister's party, the couple had to greet the attendees. This enabled Chuck to know who all the people were. However, it took a long, long time. He hadn't met many before. There were some that he did know, though. His eyes lit up as his pilot friend, Durban, arrived with his wife. Then, the teams that flew with him against the Frakku and their partners. The shared experiences were not ones he wanted to remember, but seeing them in a happier circumstance was great.
When the governor, Chaldir, and his wife, Pal'na, arrived and embraced them, it was both magical and humbling for both he and S'ra. Their two sons, along with their wives, were an honor to meet.
A young man, about their age, dressed in military uniform arrived near the end of the greeting process. S'ra blushed, but told Chuck that this was one of her friends from school, but also the commander's son, Kaldik.
Kaldik laughed. "I was one of S'ra's first refusals."
Chuck looked at her. She nodded. "I wasn't interested in boys back then."
Kaldik snorted. "Or since. I tried again only a year ago!"
She blushed again. "I got a lot of criticism for 'holding out for the perfect man.'"
Kaldik looked at Chuck. "Seems you found him, though."
S'ra gripped Chuck's hand and beamed. "I did."
"I will see you in the spin dance, S'ra," Kaldik said with a twinkle in his eyes as he walked off.
Chuck groaned. "That spin dance again."
S'ra nodded.
She had explained about the ritual dance before. It should have warned him about the numbers likely to attend. This dance was going to start the ceremony.
As soon as everyone had arrived the floor was cleared for the dance. For Chuck, it was quite an experience.
Before it was started, he was blindfolded. He knew the same would be happening to S'ra. He was led to where it would start for him.
The music started and soft hands took hold of his shoulders and he was spun around three times then halted. He was expected to take hold of the woman's hands and follow by sliding his up her arms. If he released her, she would pass him on, but apparently some men held the woman's shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss. They must have recognized the woman from her scent or something, not being able to see her.
Chuck obviously gently pushed the woman away.
The next woman spun him slightly faster, still just three times. This repeated, getting faster and faster, until the tenth woman did it. Chuck was starting to feel quite dizzy by this time. In fact, he had been since the seventh woman. This tenth one didn't stop him but immediately sent him spinning away from her. He didn't know it, but the woman was grinning from ear to ear.
He immediately recognized the scent of the next woman to catch him, somewhat shakily. This was his beloved S'ra. He held her hips and she span the two of them around each other, her silvery laughter a joy to his ears.
After the second spin, he broke with tradition and pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground and spun them twice more. There were gasps around the room but S'ra just laughed louder and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you, Chuck."
He set her down. The dizziness from the spins gone completely, being replaced with dizziness of their love for each other. He pulled off his mask and eased her off for her. The love he could see in her eyes was magical. He scooped her up again and kissed her deeply. The cheers and clapping around them completely ignored. All either of them could think of was the embrace and the other's lips.
As they separated, Chuck looked back along the line of beautiful women that had passed him along, all of them now grinning and clapping at them. Then, he cast his eyes the other way at the handsome men in S'ra's chain.
He thought back to what she had told him about this ritual "dance."
It was symbolic. Both the man and the woman have their heads turned by others before they fall into each other's arms. If the individual fell earlier, being so dizzy, it used to be seen as an indication of infidelity. Falling for someone else. Now it was usually just laughed off.
S'ra had a glint in her eye as she told him this, though. "Some do fall along the way if the person spinning them pulls them away."
He looked shocked.
"I've seen it happen," she told him.
"There is never any chance of that happening to me," he declared.
She leaned over and kissed him. "I know. Nor me."
Now, the two of them shakily left the dance floor and the normal dancing started while they recovered. They sat together watching others dance.
"There seems to be a lot of throwing the women up in the air," he commented.
She looked at him. "I never got into that sort of dancing. It is supposed to be exhilarating being in the air knowing your partner will catch you. It takes a lot of trust." She blushed. "I've never trusted easily."
He frowned. "You seemed to trust this savage pretty quickly."
She pondered that for a moment. "I didn't really have much choice out there, but I did trust you. There was something about you that inspired that." She looked out at the dancers and said, "I don't know I'd trust you doing that, though. You might throw me too far up!"
He grinned. "Is that a challenge?"
She grinned back and nodded.
He pulled her up and they joined the dance. He had watched what the others did. It seemed that there would be a pause in the music in which the throw would occur. These were preceded by a buildup in the music and then followed by a similar build down. The rest of the dance was slower with the dancers almost embracing.
He pulled S'ra to him. She eagerly started the slow dancing with him.
When he heard that buildup, he put his hands on her waist as the others did with their partners.
When the pause came, he threw her up into the air. Not surprisingly to either of them she rose faster and much further than the other women. She had expected to be a bit scared, but found it exhilarating. She just knew in her bones that her wonderful man would catch her and as she fell, she just closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was caught and kissed. She threw her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
They both realized the music had stopped and the other dancers were either gawping at them or clapping. She laughed. "It seems you impressed them."
"I am impressed too," he replied. "I caught the most beautiful woman in two worlds. The best catch ever."
She knew he was talking about more than just the dance. "I love you, Chuck."
"I love you too, my wonderful catch."
She grinned. "Let's leave this dance to the others or we'll just become a show piece with everyone just watching us."
After that, there were, of course, a lot of well-wishers. Chuck did notice a theme to the comments, though, which he asked S'ra about when they had a chance alone. "Everyone seems amazed that you are betrothed at all, let alone to me. Why is that?"
She blushed. "I was always quite dismissive of the idea of relationships, especially after the one I did attempt." She looked into his eyes. "I just needed to meet a man from another planet to change my mind," she teased.
He looked serious as he replied, "I'm glad I was lucky enough to be the one, then."
She laughed. "Yes. It could have been anyone looking through that telescope."
He laughed at that. "The woman who's terminal I was using might still have impressed you."
She pushed away from him. "I didn't know you were sharing a terminal with another woman!"
He could see the humor in her eyes. "Sharing is a bit more than it actually was. Borrowed might describe it better."
She smiled. "Well, I'm glad it was you, my love."
"So am I," he replied, returning her smile. "So am I."
Chuck enjoyed himself far more than he expected that night. Everyone they had spoken to had been so happy for the two of them. He guessed that was normal, but it was still surprising to him how easily these people had both accepted him and were happy for him to be with S'ra.
Her parents almost gushed over him. He now felt part of their family, even though, strictly speaking, he wasn't yet.
After the party, hey returned home.
Their lovemaking was slow, gentle and sensuous. It expressed everything they felt about each other. They continued well into the night.
When they finally stopped, they lay holding onto each other. Both were thinking about the next step for them. In six-months' time, they would marry. This was quick on this planet, as it was on Earth. However, there were no cultural expectations on the length of an engagement, so they had decided that waiting was pointless. That would be another big event, though.
"What do people of Urth do at their weddings, Chuck?"
Chuck explained the typical marriage as he had experienced them. "Then, they go on a honeymoon." He had to explain the concept of a honeymoon to her.
She chuckled. "This ties in with your world's fascination with exploring, doesn't it?"
"For some people. It is a time for them to be away from their normal life, just the two of them together to celebrate the beginning of their new life together. Some just explore each other and sunbathe somewhere different."
He had to explain the concept of sunbathing, as he hadn't mentioned it before.
She thought just lying 'catching the rays' sounded boring. She did cast her mind back to when they were at the sea and her thoughts back then. She looked at him and said, "Let's have an exploring honeymoon."
He gaped at her for a few seconds, then stood, picked her up and twirled her around, while whooping.
She laughed at his antics and gave him a gentle kiss.
A/N: S'ra has agreed to go exploring with him. I haven't started the next chapter yet, so please be patient, if you are waiting for it.
Drop me a review or a PM to let me know if there's still interest in this story…
Glossary (pronunciation in brackets)
People:
B'rack (Bur-Rack)– S'ra's previous boyfriend (we never meet him)
Chaldir (Charl-Dere) – governor of the city state Grillain
Thrace (Thrase) – military commander of the city state Grillain
Durban – (Dur-Ban) Air Sargent helping Chuck
Flack (Flack) – one of the generals under Commander Thrace
Frakku (Frack-Ku) – purple-skinned savages
Garron (Gar-Ron) – S'ra's father
Gralik (Grar-Lick) – second son of Praid
Kaldik (Cal-tick) – son of Commander Thrace
Pal'na (Paal-Nar) – wife of Chaldir
Praid (Pray-Id) – governor of the city state Sanklin
R'lna (Rul-Nah) – wife of Praid
S'mia (Sur-Mere) – S'ra's mother
S'ra (Sur-Rah) – first person Chuck Bartowski meets on the new planet
Tald (TarlD) – first son of Prad
Verzian (Verr-iss-ien) – chief astronomer in Sanklin
.
Plants and animals:
Clarek (Clar-Rek) – plant that produces leaves that people use to clean themselves
Conith (Con-Eeth) – leaves of this plant produce fast-acting, healing liquids
Deak (Dee-Ack) – small plants that manage to grow in the crevasses of rocks in the mountain ranges
Gritch (Grit-Ch)– flesh of this plant used to clean teeth and breath
Ixtag (Eecs-Tag) – black-colored predator that live in forests
Krattak (Crat-tark) – terrifying, huge sea creature
Landic (Land-Ick) – deer-like herbivore
Pake (PayK) – plant, the flesh contains pain-killing properties and is used for that purpose
Vetia (Vet-Ia) – leaves of this plant very flexible and used by Chuck to cover himself. Sap burns people from the planet but didn't affect him
Xaxic (Zacks-Ick) – foul smelling leaves of this plant used to ward off predators
Xynth (Zinth)– flying predator
Zryth (Zreeth) – stone-colored cat-like predator. Related to the ixtag
.
Places:
Garverd –(Gar-Vert) mountain range
Grillain (Grill-Ain) – city state S'ra comes from
Niteth (Nee-Teth) – largest of three moons that circle the planet
Pallain (Pall-Lain) – neighboring city state
Retith (Ret-Teeth) – the planet Chuck was now on
Sanklin (Sank-Lin) – city state governed by Praid
.
Other:
Bract (Br-Act) – nutritious bars carried to eat when access to other food hard to achieve
Chendia (Chen-Dere) – powerful anesthetic, like chloroform
Flaxik (Flack-sic) – new drug created to induce ovulation
Merriclat (Merry-clat) - device for rebuilding and repairing lungs