He dismounted, watching cautiously as Winston and Blackie touched noses.
“Hello, Kami. Does your horse mind when other horses come to visit?”
“Nope. He likes ‘em,” she said confidently, but she was watching him, not the horses. She suddenly grinned and nodded. “You’re like Daddy. I knew it. I told Mama that Auntie Seena needed a husband like Daddy.”
Husband? The thought hadn’t even occurred to him but now that Kami had mentioned it, he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more. He looked over at Serena and saw the tide of pink washing her cheeks, but her eyes were smiling. Excellent. Now all he needed to do was find a minister—or a judge…
“Does your Daddy do weddings, Kami?”
“Yep. And I do flower girl.”
He laughed, and the three of them turned towards the habitat just as the Judge emerged, accompanied by a petite, curvy blonde woman. She wasn’t exactly what he had pictured when Serena said she was a scientist.
“Serena. You disappeared.” The Judge’s tone was remarkably neutral, and John found himself bristling on her behalf.
Kami looked from one to the other. “What’s the matter, Daddy? Aren’t you happy to see Auntie Seena?”
“Of course he is. We were worried, Serena,” Addie said quickly. “No one knew where you were.”
He saw Serena’s icy mask resurface, but then she looked at him and sighed, and she was back to being his Serena. “We went after another lab.”
“Another lab?” Addie turned pale. “More hybrids?”
“Not exactly.” She looked at Kami, listening intently. “It’s no longer a threat, but I did want to discuss it with you.”
“Of course. Come on inside.”
Serena looked over at him.
“I’ll take care of Winston and be right there,” he assured her.
Still carrying Kami, she disappeared inside with Addie, leaving him with the Judge. The older man studied him thoughtfully, and he had the oddest urge to salute.
“Do you have somewhere I can put this equipment?” he asked.
“The supply shed will do. I’ll give you a hand.”
Together they unloaded Winston and the horse butted John’s shoulder affectionately before moving back over to join Blackie looking out over the desert below.
“General Biggs says you can be trusted.” The Judge broke the silence as they stowed the gear.
“He didn’t mention you to me at all.”
The other man barked a laugh. “I’ve known him all my life. He still treated me like a person, even after I became a cyborg.”
“If more officers were like him, I might have been happier in the military,” he admitted.
“A lot of fools there. I was one of them. But Addie straightened me out.”
The Judge’s face softened when he mentioned his wife, and John decided it was a good time to mention his request. “Kami said you perform weddings.”
“So it’s like that, is it? Interesting woman, your Serena.”
“I’m sure you mean that in a positive way,” he said coldly.
“Oddly enough, I do. I wasn’t sure at first, and I still don’t trust GenCon, but I trust her.”
“You should. She gave up a lot to try and keep this planet safe.”
The Judge raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Instead, he clapped John on the shoulder. “Then I suppose congratulations are in order. I should warn you that Addie and Kami will take over as soon as they hear the news.”
“I believe your daughter has already elected herself as a flower girl.”
The other man laughed. “My daughter is very fond of weddings.”
When they entered the habitat, Serena was nowhere in sight. Addie was sitting at a big table, looking oddly thoughtful. Kami informed him that she was drawing flowers for the wedding. He thanked her gravely but was more concerned about Serena.
“She’s through there,” Addie said softly. “Second door on the right.”
With a muttered thank you, he went to find his woman.
She was sitting on the padded floor of an empty room, looking out over the desert, her expression remote.
“Is something wrong, love?”
“No.” She smiled up at him, holding out her hand, just as she had done that first night. “I’ve been thinking.”
He sat down behind her and lifted her onto his lap. “About what?”
“About love. You know the reason that Kami doesn’t have to wear a mask is because she received a blood transfusion from the Judge and now his nanites are active in her system.”
“You knew about this?”
“Oh yes. And she’s not the only one. Another cyborg saved his baby son with a transfusion.”
“I don’t understand. If the process works…”
“It doesn’t always. You remember Kami said her mama ‘melted a man?’”
“Yes?”
“That too was the result of a transfusion. One that went horribly wrong. Addie originally thought perhaps it worked for Kami and Brian because they were children. But she just told me about someone else—an adult woman whose cyborg husband saved her life with a transfusion.”
He thought about the little girl, bright-eyed and inquisitive, seemingly completely human. But he also shuddered at the thought of something going horribly wrong. “Does Addie know why?”
“She has two theories. One is that the adrenaline created by an emergency situation may be a factor. The other is… love. That in each successful case, the person giving their blood loved the other person completely.”
“If that’s the case, you would have nothing to worry about,” he said neutrally, even though the words “horribly wrong” still echoed in his head.
She looked up at him, eyes bright. “I know that, John. But I think… I think I’ll wait.”
Oh, thank God. Relief swept over him.
“Addie is still making progress, and the information from the other lab may help. It’s not that I doubt your love,” she added quickly, “but even though I still want a child, I don’t need one. I’m not alone anymore. I have you.”
“Always,” he vowed, drawing her close.
“Are you nervous?” Addie whispered to Serena later that day.
They were standing inside the airlock, waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.
“I don’t have any reason to be nervous. I know we love each other.”
“But…”
“But I’m nervous anyway,” she admitted. “Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Not at all. I felt the same way—and we had waited a very long time.”
The airlock
