Tenacious

67

Getting a meeting with the Association of Associations was never an easy process. Of late, it had gotten nearly impossible for anyone to agree on anything, even to meet.

Kris found she’d have to wait for two days for the Association to assemble.

After one day of going over food-production reports that looked good and incidents reports of Alwa-on-Alwa blood and even Alwa-on-human attacks, Kris decided she knew all she needed to know.

That evening, Jack drove her to Joe’s Paradise Cove in time for supper.

Next morning, they sat on the beach, feeling the warm sun on their bare skin, and stared at the ever-the-same, ever-changing ocean.

“So much has changed since we first came here,” Kris muttered.

Jack nodded. “We’ve lost a lot of clothes since that first time,” he said with a sort of leer.

“Do you still love me?” Kris asked.

Now Jack got serious. “You mean with you and me going about our jobs all day long and sometimes into the night, have I somehow forgotten how much love I have for you?”

Kris felt vulnerable, almost little girlish as she admitted, “Yes.”

Jack leaned over, enveloped her in his arms, and kissed her. Seriously kissed her.

One thing led to another, and a long while later, Kris found herself looking up at Jack and him looking down at her.

“Should I take that as a yes, you still love me?”

“If you have any doubt about it, let me say yes, I really do love you, and nothing is ever going to change that.”

Kris looked into his eyes and saw reflected back at her a love that was eternal.

“I promise you, Jack. Someday, we are going to have a job. Me in one office. You in the next one. We’ll have lunch together every noon and supper at night. Maybe we’ll even have a little one to feed french fries to.”

“That would be nice,” Jack admitted. “But that is not a promise I will hold you to, Kris Longknife. You and I both know we go where we are sent.”

“You will not have to hold me to that promise. I will hold myself to it. No one, not even Grampa, his royal-ass majesty, will keep me from that job.”

He kissed her, and they began to make love slowly this time.

There was nothing in the galaxy but the two of them. At least for a little while.