Colonel Seeders' Mail Order Bride, Hank

14 Hank

Hank:

It took Hank a few seconds to realise that she never spared him a glance as she rushed passed him. He could barely take his eyes off her.

When she came down the stairs dressed in the traditional wedding outfit he had selected for her, instead of one of Xander's scientific creations, his heart wanted to burst out of his chest. He had no words to describe what he felt at that moment.

She asked about the snow and then ran straight out into the cold. Any other woman would have searched for something to cover her head, but she turned her face up, stuck out her tongue like a child and then tried to catch the tiny ice crystals. Before he could stop himself, he pulled Hawk out the door so that they could help her catch the snowflakes that seemed to be dancing away from her as soon as she got to near to them.

Soon, he stood blowing them towards her, but they melted from his hot breath, so he waved his arms about, swirling the soft flakes towards her.

His cheeks ached from the grin he could not get rid of, until he remembered that they were meant to be on their way to the church.

"I don't want to spoil the fun, but Father Bart'strot won't be there the whole day. We have about an hour before he heads home. To Earth. He will only be back on Sunday again and we can't go to the Justice of peace. He will ask too many questions."

His harsh tone did not seem to bother her. She shook her hands dry and apologised.

"I haven't seen snow in ages. Seven years stuck in outer space... I missed this. Anyway, we better go. Can't have the priest waiting on us," she said.

Hawk led her to a large metallic eagle - his hover craft - and helped her in. Somehow that annoyed him, but never said anything as he got in and went straight to the front to start up the craft.

"Dad," Hawk said in his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I just want Mom to be happy so that she won't leave us."

"I know. Just give me time to get my head straight. If she is the one, like you said, it will all work out."

Though he thought the words, a little voice in the back of his mind still warned him not to trust any of it. Women left. One way or another, they always found a way to disappear out of their lives.

The flight would have gone a lot quicker if they all flew in their natural forms, but he promised Sebastian that he would give her some time to get used to her new home. She would ask to be changed when the time came, or he would force it on her when he thought she had enough time to get over whatever plagued her.

No one would give him straight answers.

Thirty minutes later, they landed in front of a church. The white paint looked the same as it did when he had been a child. The bell still rang in the small bell tower above the door every Sunday, calling everyone to church, not that he could hear it from his house. The man that came out of the small square building had more grey hair than black, but he still stood up straight and showed his white teeth as he grinned at them.

With her tiny, shaking hand engulfed in his own, he walked towards the priest.

"Hank. It is a real pleasure to see you." He glanced briefly at Michelle and raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me I am to do a wedding or I might be insulted that you went to Conrad instead."

"You know full well I do not enjoy his questioning. We have indeed come to request your services. If you have the time," Hank said.

"We were just finishing up, but I always have time for a wedding, no matter how small. Come. I will ask Cathy and Grace to be your witnesses." He paused for a second and looked at Michelle.

"Father, this is my fiancee, Michelle Steyner. Michelle, this is Father Brad'strot. Cathy is his wife and Grace his sister. They are like Hawk. Part human."

Hank did not know why he needed to add that, but the words left his mouth before he could think them through.

Two things happened at once. Michelle's hand clenched his in a tight grip and Hawk stepped in front of her as the priest reached out to hug her as he had done to so many people before.

"Mom doesn't like being touched," Hawk said, staring up at the older man.

Hank pulled her closer to him and she pulled Hawk along as though to use him as a shield.

"My apologies young man. I meant no harm. I merely wanted to welcome your mother to our community."

"You can say the words. You do not need to touch her to welcome her," Hawk said with a touch of venom in his voice.

"Hawk," Hank warned.

"No. He is perfectly right. I should learn to ask beforehand. Shall we get to it?"

Though he excused it away, the priest still glanced at Hawk and Michelle every chance he got. Hawk's jaw clenched and only relaxed when Michelle bent over and whispered in his ear.

When he looked at Hawk, he spoke to him in his thoughts. "Mom said not to worry about the old fool because he's just jealous that I have special abilities and he doesn't. He only uses fancy words from the bible that was written by someone else."

Hank almost snorted, but covered it up with a fake cough. He had always had the same thoughts and took to reading the bible, and other religious books at home. All of them spoke about a supreme being that created man kind. If they had all been created in His image, what gave this priest the right to look down at his son?

He pushed the thoughts aside when the priest introduced his wife and sister to Michelle and then warned them not to hug her since she did not like being touched, even though she clung to Hank with more strength than her fragile body could muster up.

He held her close, her body trembling against his as they said their vows and as soon as he leaned down to press his lips to hers, something exploded inside of him. Only when someone cleared their throat did he step away from her, missing the contact of her lips and body instantly. She felt so right in his arms. She had to be the one. He needed her to be the one that stayed. If only he did not agree to go to the restaurant for a celebratory restaurant, he could have taken her home and made her his, completely.

It took a while before she opened her eyes and stared straight into her eyes. The questions in her eyes had to wait as the priest asked them to sign the register.

As they left the church, Hank's hair stood on end. He searched the forest around the church, the sky all around them, and around his craft, but found no one. Yet the feeling of being watched did not go away until they got into the hovercraft and flew away.