Madrid, June 1986
"¿Quién es ella?" Caught up in a hit that had taken longer and been messier than expected, forcing him to return home to clean up and change into more suitable clothes, Miguel had arrived at his cousin's engagement party a little more than fashionably late.
Spotting Diego leaning on the bar, he'd made his way across the dance floor, ignoring the strains of Hijo de la Luna, a recent and very popular song that he'd liked the first time he'd heard it, and maybe even the second and third times, but which had been played so many times he rather thought it would be too soon if he never heard it again… deftly weaving his way in and out of the dancers. It was mostly the younger members of their extended family on the dance floor, the older members busy chatting at the buffet tables and directing the occasional disapproving glance at the antics of their offspring.
He was halfway across when, having stepped sideways to avoid a collision with one of his teenage cousins, he caught sight of her, standing at the edge of the dance floor, chatting with another one of his many female relatives. Afterwards, he could not have said what it was about her that had captivated him. She was no great beauty and was in no way like the elegant, sophisticated women to whom he was usually attracted. Despite that, he wanted her. Maybe once he'd done his duty and greeted the happy couple, he could persuade Diego to introduce them.
Diego was on his own, he noticed with some surprise. He'd assumed that the woman next to him was the novia, but if her blatant interest in the man on her other side was any indication, he'd been mistaken about that. Miguel frowned at that. It was poor form to abandon the girl at her own celebration. Still, in the interest of his own love life, he decided to ignore his cousin's shortcomings and try for the introduction.
"Who is who?" Diego turned his attention away from the whisky glass he'd been nursing and looked up at his cousin. "And when did you get here anyway? You're late."
"Job took longer than expected," Miguel said easily. "You wanted it done. It's done."
Diego nodded, satisfied by that. One less problem to deal with, one less rival for the Hernandez contract. Picking up the glass, he knocked its contents back in one gulp. "Good. So who has your attention? Maybe you'll get lucky and score tonight. Think of me when you're having fun – I have to behave myself until the wedding. Or…" and he offered his cousin a sly smile, "at the very least, make sure I don't get caught. For the moment, it's all about discretion."
Miguel suppressed a frown. That did not sound like a good start to an engagement if his cousin was already planning to cheat. "So… not a love match then?"
"Love?" Diego scoffed at the idea. "She is… suitable. People like us don't marry for love; you know that." He lowered his voice. "Mama was trying to set me up with that horse-faced daughter of Doña Mercedes. Absolutely no way I'm getting stuck waking up with her for the rest of my life.
"It would be a good business alliance," Miguel said thoughtfully.
"Diego shuddered. "She's had more lovers than hot breakfasts. I'd spend half my life watching out for a knife in the back and the other half wondering who fathered my children."
That was true enough, and Miguel was glad that he was only the enforcer and protector, not the heir to Martinez Enterprises. There was no pressure on him to make an alliance and when the time came, if it ever did, he would be able to marry someone of his own choosing. He was quite impressed, actually; he hadn't expected his cousin to rebel against his parents' wishes, let along get away with it.
So anyway," Diego was continuing. "Who is this girl you're eyeing up?"
"Over there." Miguel turned his head to look at the object of his interest. "The pretty one talking to Carmen. One of her college friends, I imagine. Can you introduce us?"
"That," Diego said icily – and the change in him was almost shocking in its suddenness, "is my fiancée and you will keep your hands off her. Christa is mine and I will not share her."
London, July 2018
The phone rang, loud and shrill, the strident sound bringing Miguel forcibly back to the present. Cursing under his breath, he put down the half-eaten burger and reached across his desk to answer it. "¿Si? Dígame." It was probably a good thing, he decided as he spoke into the receiver. He'd wasted far too much time daydreaming about his wife, and if he didn't get out of here soon, he'd be late for the gala, which would not present the professional image he needed and could cost him some very lucrative contracts.
"Code red… We have an emergency at…"
The charity gala instantly forgotten, Miguel was out of his office and running down the corridor almost before the call had ended. He was in a helicopter and on his way to the airport before he realised that he hadn't even called his wife.
author's note: In case it is not clear, the 1986 scene is a flashback. Miguel is thinking back to the day he first met Chrissie. This flashback scene is true for both the Chrissie who lived through the invasion and married Krang AND the Chrissie who lived in the world where the invasion didn't happen. The 2018 scenes, naturally, refer to the second Chrissie, the one who never met Krang and instead married Miguel.
If this is the first of my stories that youve read, you may be a little confused. So some background. Chrissie met and married Diego and he was abusive. Miguel is Diego's cousin. In 'The First Heart' he rescues Chrissie and gets her to safety but is killed by the Klingons. She eventually marries a Klingon named Krang and ends up living in the 24th century. In the other universe, the Klingons did not invade and Chrissie marries Miguel out of gratitude.
If youre reading this, and apparently someone is... please leave a comment to let me know what you think. Some encouragement would be much appreciated... and a question.. what scenes would you like to see, and what unlikely conversations would you like to see between the characters of the two universes? (Yes, there will be a conversation or two between Krang and Miguel...)