BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 35
 

Cerise sat in the chair opposite of Lemuel’s desk, her eyes wide. “You’re joking, right?” she asked in disbelief.

  The tiger smiled and shook his head, sliding a hard copy towards her. “Here’s the results if you want to look at them yourself.”

  The vixen did just that. She lifted her head, her expression still one of surprise. “How could this happen?”

  The tiger snorted. “Well, I’m hoping you were there for it. If you want I can try to explain the process again, though I was hoping that you would have known the mechanics of it by now. However, there is no doubt that you, my dear, are definitely pregnant.”

  A smile began to spread across her face. “Do you know how many?”

  “Two,” Lemuel said happily. “It’s still too early to tell their gender, though.

  Cerise grinned even wider, then the grin faltered. “How will I tell Elias?” she asked. Almost as soon as those words were uttered, another thought struck her, robbing her expression of all joy. “I’ll have to leave the ship and crew…”

  “You still have a few months before you’re due, four to be a little more accurate, but yes. You’ll have to be taken off the crew,” he agreed. He saw that the prospect of having to leave her husband as well as the Angel was almost painful to the young female. “You…you aren’t contemplating aborting are you?”

  “What?” Cerise asked in surprise. “No! Not at all!”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I had to ask, Cerise. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. I understand. I want to give him children. It’s just…I really want to stay with Elias and you and the others, too,” she said sadly. “I’ve come to love you all and…you’re all just like my family.”

  “We love you, too, Cerise,” Lemuel said. “You do need to tell Elias before we launch, though. The Colonel can make sure that you get transport back to Dennier. If he doesn’t take you back himself.”

  “He would do that, wouldn’t he?” she asked with a smile.

  “Cerise, the way Sander dotes on you, if you asked he’d send half of the SPF fleet with you,” the tiger said with a chuckle.

  She absently put her hand over her belly, contemplating the new life…the two new lives, growing inside her. “Do you think that you can keep this a secret? I want Elias to find out before the others.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “What about helping me plan a special dinner for two? I think I’d like to do something romantic when I tell him.”

  Lemuel leaned forward as he rubbed his hands together with a wide conspiratorial smile. “Tell me what you need.”

***

  Elias sat back on the couch in the cabin that he shared with Cerise feeling content after the dinner that his wife had waiting. She’d surprised him by nixing his plans to have dinner with the rest of the crew and had one of his favorite dishes of Beef Wellington waiting for him along with a variety of seafoods and side dishes. Almost as surprising was the outfit that she wore of a deep green teddy and sheer, transparent lounging robe in the same color. Needless to say, dessert had been a very enjoyable affair as well. They now sat curled up in each other’s arms on the couch.

  “Why do I think that you went to a great deal of trouble to plan this?” the fox asked his mate with a smile, stroking her long hair with his hand as she lay against him, her head on his chest.

  “I can do things like this because I love you, you’re my husband, and I want to. It’s written in the rules,” she replied softly.

  “I really need to find that rule book. Just so I don’t break any of them, of course,” Elias said with a smile.

  She looked up, and he was surprised to see a tear in her eye, but it wasn’t a completely sad expression that she wore.

  “I…I have to stay here. I can’t go with you when you lift tomorrow.”

  He tilted his head to the side, confused by what Cerise said. “Of course you’re leaving with us. Why would you say that?”

  She smiled, even as another tear joined the first. “Because I need to go home so I can make things ready for our family,” she told him, sliding his hand so that it rested over her stomach. “Elias, you’re a father now.”

  Like other sentient males all across time and space, regardless of species, the fox broke into a silly grin at the news his wife gave him. “I’m…I’m going to be a father?”

  Cerise nodded, grinning herself. “I just found out today. I wanted you to be the first to know.”

  He pulled her around so he could hold her, laughing richly. “I’m going to be a father!”

  Cerise melted into his embrace. “I know. I was there, remember?” she joked, also laughing. She pulled back far enough so that she could kiss him. “That’s why I wanted tonight to be memorable for you.” She whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

  “I will always remember tonight,” he said.

  Cerise slid out of his arms and took his hand pulling him towards the bed they shared. She gave him a mischievous smile and the same smoldering look when they had first met. “Tonight’s not over yet, Love.”

***

  The crew celebrated raucously when they heard the news of Cerise’s pregnancy, even the normally reserved Pala joining in on the festivities. While they were all going to miss the vixen, each of the crew knew that it was best that she and the coming litter of two would be far better off at her family’s house on Dennier.

  The party had gone on for a long while when Pala excused herself.

  “Where are you headed to?” Elias asked, smiling with an unlit cigar clenched in his teeth that had come from Sander, who was smiling almost as much as the soon-to-be parents were.

  “I have to pack my belongings,” the Kastan said with a look as if she were talking patiently to a person that was a little on the slow side. “Who do you think will be taking care of Cerise and the children until you come home?”

  Elias stood and went to Pala, taking one of her hands in both of his. “Thank you,” he said simply. “You know we’ll miss you, too.”

  “Feh. It’ll be easier for you without your pet Kastan around. You won’t have to hide me anymore,” she said with a smile. “Besides, I’m looking forward to helping out with the little ones. Children are a joy to watch and hold,” she said with a soft expression.

  “Careful, Pala!” Cerise said. “You’ll ruin all of those misconceptions about your people. And our kits will already have enough extended relatives to spoil them.”

  “It is the duty of relatives, both blood and extended, to spoil children. Besides, this will give me a chance to start shopping for the blades they’ll get on their fifth birthday,” the Kastan said happily.

  “Wow. Wish I had relatives like that when I was a kid,” Melise said.

  “Can we at least wait for them to be born and start walking before we begin buying them the really good toys?” Elias said with a chuckle.

  “Elias, you aren’t Kastan, or Dennieran,” Pala told him with a toss of her long hair. “You wouldn’t understand. Of course I’ll have to teach them how to use them…” the felinoid almost cooed as she left the chamber they’d had their original meeting with Sander in.

  It was a little strange to see the room that had been so utilitarian before decked in bunting, balloons, banners and streamers congratulating the parents-to-be, though there was no denying that it was a festive occasion.

  “I don’t think that your kits will ever have to worry about playground bullies,” Brees said with a shake of his head.

  “You be nice to her, Uncle!” Cerise chided. “Pala has proven herself a real friend several times over. Not only do I trust her, I like her. She’s a sweet person.”

***

  The time arrived for the Guiding Angel to depart, and Sander stood next to Cerise and Pala as the rest of the crew said good-bye. There were hugs and no few tears, especially from the other females. Elias watched as the people filed onboard before turning to the trio that stood on the deck of docking bay. The fox surprised Pala by pulling her into a hug which the Kastan returned with some trepidation.

  “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ll be watching over Cerise,” the fox said. “At least I’ll know one of us is safe.”

  “I swore my life to you and your family, Elias. No one will harm your wife or children,” the felinoid said. “You have my oath on it.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought that he felt a number of lethal objects on Pala, including her father’s swords.

  Elias then stepped to the lion and clasped hands. “Until next time, Sandy.”

  “Stay sharp, son. We’ll keep the home hearth lit until you come home again.”

  Then it was time to actually say good-bye to Cerise. He took her hands in his and looked into her emerald eyes. “Marrying you was the best thing I’ve ever done,” he told her with a catch in his voice. “When we first started out on this, I didn’t want you onboard because it scared me to think that something might happen to you. Now I’m going to have to get used to you not being here with me.” He pulled her into his arms and held her as if he would never see her again. “I don’t know how I’ll get along without you.”

  Cerise leaned back, not breaking the embrace. “The same way you always do,” she said softly, her eyes warm and soft. “You’ll go and do what you are meant to do, Love. It’s who you are. That’s why I’m so proud of you and proud to be your wife.”

  Both of them shed tears and shared a long kiss.

  “Go on,” the vixen said with a chuckle. “If you don’t leave now I’m going to break down right here. I don’t want that to be the last thing you see as you head back out.”

  Elias kissed her one more time before turning to the ramp and into the ship. He paused once more to look at his mate, but all he caught was the sight of her back as she fled the docking bay, a strangled sob echoing in the vast space, Pala close behind. He tossed a wave at Sandy, who nodded in return and turned to exit as well.

  With a sigh, Elias closed the airlock and stood there for a moment, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. It wouldn’t do for the crew to see him like he was. With a heavy sigh and a heart that felt like lead, he pulled his DC from his belt and keyed the bridge.

  “Bring up power, Saul. Lay in a course for Earth. I want to find out what Alistair has discovered.”

  “I’m on it, Boss. We’re ready when you are.” The jaguar said.

  As he walked to the lift, Elias heard the hum of the engines build up. The ship felt colder, empty to him, though he squared his shoulders and entered the lift. Despite heading out without the female that had become the center to his universe, Elias still had a job to do.

  Though he felt that maybe the time was fast approaching for him to finally tender his resignation. He’d be damned if the kits that his wife carried were going to grow up without both parents.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.