He Comes in Peace

Skye stood uncertainly as the man left the room. There was no guarantee that he was speaking the truth, but there also was no hint as to why he would lie.

All she could do was hope that the man was not sick enough to feed her a morsel of false hope only to yank it away two seconds later.

She had forgotten to ask when this meeting would take place.

Great. Now I'm going to be tormented until I see Kartayon again.

She slid onto the ground and held her head in her hands. The room was silent as Skye breathed deeply, fighting to get in control of her emotions. Her breath rattled going up her windpipe and down from the back of her throat. She had no idea where this sudden difficulty of breathing came from until she felt something wet drop onto her chained wrist.

Am I crying?

More drops splattered against her skin. She raised her dry hand and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "This is stupid," she whispered, pressing hard against her eyeballs until she stopped crying.

"I'm being a sniveling idiot," she muttered, getting to her feet and swinging herself over and onto the bed. This caused her to be in an uncomfortable position, lying awkwardly on her stomach. Grudgingly, she circled her chained wrist over to the other side of the bed so she could lie down properly.

"If I take a nap right now, will Kartayon be in this room when I wake up?" she whispered, having stopped caring how odd it was for her to speak aloud to herself. "It's worth a shot."

She closed her eyes, but a second later, more tears leaked from the corners and trailed into both sides of her head, dampening her hair. She rubbed them dry on her flat pillow and sighed. Turning onto her side so that her back faced the door, she allowed her eyes to drift shut, thinking to herself over and over again before she fell asleep,

Please let him be here when I wake up.

-x-

"...know the rules, if you..."

"Yes, yes, I know...Will you please..."

"...cameras are..."

"...wouldn't doubt it, now please, just..."

Claaaang.

There was a soft rustling and the quiet clink of chains. Skye still slept soundly on her bed, her eyebrows brought together in a furrow. She barely stirred, only shifted her cuffed wrist once or twice every few minutes.

The springs on her bed creaked slightly. Someone lifted her covers back, causing her to shiver.

Then her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, momentarily forgetting that she was chained to the bed. Her wrist snagged painfully against the cold metal and she cried out in pain as the edge of the cuff made a dent in her skin.

"Motherf— !" She caught sight of the figure sitting tentatively on the edge of her bed before she could finish her sentence.

"Tay!" She made to throw her arms around him but caught her wrist a second time.

"Skye, please, stop doing that. You are worrying me." He scooted forward and held her arm gently in his hands. Both his ankles and his wrists were shackled together, the iron fetters making it difficult for him to hold Skye properly.

After gently running his fingers over her red skin, he raised his hand, well, both, since they were chained together, and touched the spot right under her eyes.

"Have you been leaking?" he asked.

"You mean crying?"

Kartayon smiled slightly and nodded. "Even after my stay here I still have difficulty grasping your English terms. Yes, I meant crying. Have you, Skye?" The smile faded from his face and he leaned forward and brushed his lips across her moist skin.

"I guess. It's nothing," she said, though she did not push him away. She quite liked the shyly intimate feeling she got when he kissed her, even if his lips were on the drier side.

"Was it because of me?" he asked softly, drawing away and tilting her face up so her eyes met his. They were pained, sorry about the trouble he had caused.

"No, no," Skye assured, raising her free hand and rubbing the corner of his mouth. The blood had stopped flowing, thank God, but it stayed there, dried and cracked, a splotch of silver marring his bronze skin.

"Please do not lie." He tipped forward as if drunk and bumped his forehead against hers. A breath whooshed out from his lungs and he swayed sideways. Can we lie down?

Skye hurried to pull them into a more comfortable position. When they were both lying down on the mattress, the blanket draped cozily over them both, she curled up and tucked herself into his chest.

Kartayon awkwardly arranged his arms so that they went around her neck. It was not the best position to be in, but he could do nothing different.

"When did you get here? How much time have we wasted?" Skye whispered urgently, looking up at his face.

He smiled. "I just arrived. Do not worry Skye, I can say what I have to say in an hour's time."

"An hour?" Skye's forehead wrinkled. "That man told me we had forty-five minutes."

"I convinced him to give us an hour. Fifteen minutes should not matter much to them," Tay replied darkly. "They have time to spare."

"What did you tell him that convinced him to give us time alone?" Skye said sharply and suddenly. She narrowed her eyes at Kartayon. Despite the relief and ease that she felt upon his arrival, she could not help but be suspicious and worried. If he was as selfless as he always was before they had even been captured, what had he done to convince the evil man to let them have time together?

"Now is not the time to explain," Kartayon replied lightly, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. He drew her closer so that there was barely an inch separating them. He arched his neck so that Skye had a place to rest her head. When her face buried into his skin and she relaxed her tense muscles, he pressed his cheek to the side of her head.

Can you hear me?

Loud and clear.

Good. Now...I do not believe they know of my telepathic powers, but just to be on the safe side...Shall we speak of ordinary, mundane things while we speak of our master plan?

Skye smiled into his skin, shifting so that his warmth spread onto her cheeks as well. "What was it that you wanted to tell me before I got taken away?" she asked. What kind of plan do you have in mind?

"Would you like to guess?" he replied, thinking instead, I have had a few seconds of contact with my family.

Skye started but tried to hide it. "Um...You said something about a term...And how it didn't exist on Quetz and how humans on Earth use it too lightly." She had difficulty speaking and thinking to him at the same time without getting her words jumbled. You have?

"Oh yes, I did say that." He shifted so that they could communicate better. "Guess, Skye. I have a feeling your assumptions will amuse me." Just a few words. But it was enough for us to work out a plan and for them to locate this building.

"What term do humans use too lightly and also doesn't really exist on your planet?" She could not keep the words from tumbling out in her thoughts. Do you love me, Kartayon?

Kartayon drew back from her and smiled, a full smile that showed his perfectly aligned teeth, white in stark contrast to his skin. "And what would that term be?" he asked, going on the false pretense that he had not heard her thoughts.

"I love you?" Skye repeated, her eyebrows arching.

Tay grinned and leaned in, kissing her without hesitation.

Is this your new favourite pass-time? Skye asked.

Kartayon did not need see her face to know that she was amused.

It might as well be, he joked, tentatively opening her mouth with his.

Skye blinked and pulled back ever so slightly. Tay's mouth promptly closed. He pulled her back to him. Forgive me. I seem a little too eager.

She pressed a playful kiss onto his lips. A little?

Kartayon growled.

Wait...Are they coming? Your family, are they coming?

Yes, they are coming. They will wait nearby. He kissed her hard.

Are they going to break into the building and rescue us? She pressed back with just as much vigour. Oh, this might as well be my new favourite pass-time as well.

He smiled under her lips and drew away to allow them both a breath of air before diving back into the kiss. Not exactly. They will wait for my signal.

And what will that signal be?

An explosion strong enough to break open the roof.