Colonel Seeders' Mail Order Bride, Hank

28 Michelle

The next morning, Hawk looked at them all sheepishly. When questioned, he explained that he got the dates wrong. His father had gotten home two weeks after the first snow fell, which meant that it was only the first of October. Apparently no one else measured time according to calendars. They all judged by the weather on Trachtaria.

"What if the snow falls later in the month, or come early?" Michelle asked.

The four males stared at her wide eyed.

Hank said, "I usually go according to the intergalactic calendar. I use it mark off my deliveries."

Xander said, "I've been working according to the orders I get. I'm busiest when they have the functions for the IGMAs. Those pain-in-my-ass actors and actresses send their requests two weeks before they need the clothes. The IGMAs are always the third week of June and November. Which happen to be in exactly three weeks."

Matteo said, "I just go according to how my crops grow. In summer some fruit grow better than others. As soon as the weather changes, I change my crops. And then I depend on these three to tell me when it's Christmas and New Years Eve."

Hawk sat staring at his hands, pulling at the hairs of his fur pants. "I just know that Dad's home in the summer and does most of his deliveries in winter. Summer we go fishing and hunting and winter I study what ever I can. I read the books in the living room or search for dictionaries to learn new languages."

"Well I have always worked according to a calendar. Hank can buy us a big screen and I'll draw one up. We can jot down things that needs to be remembered, like birthdays and a proper study routine for Hawk, special days and anniversaries." To Hank she said, "We also need to slot in a time to get Hawk's hand looked at."

The days sped by quickly after that. They did their shopping. Got the house modernised, though she would not allow him to change the kitchen much. Cooking had become a family affair, something they could do together.

Hawk no longer needed earphones to block them out, but still kept watch for the female that tried to kill her and the vampires.

They trained together when Hank had to go do a delivery, which took him away for three days. Hawk's arms and legs bulked up. Michelle picked up a lot of weight from constantly eating so that Hawk would eat and both of them learned how to kill and clean the stags that got caught in Hawk's traps, though neither of them enjoyed it. Most days they let it go just to avoid carving into the big horned beasts.

When Michelle got tired quicker and ate as though it would be her last meal, she went to Hank in his study, where he sat working on a new chip.

She cleaned every other room twice a week, since she wanted to spend as much time with Hawk as she could.

His study looked more like a workshop and she never knew which parts were meant to be thrown away and which he needed, so she stayed away from all of it.

Hank sat behind a desk, looking through a thick glass case at the tiny chip.

On instinct, she touched her neck where her own chip had been implanted.

The movement must have attracted his attention. He dropped his tools, smiled up at her like he had just been thinking about her and reached out his hands.

She slid onto his lap as though she'd done it a million times before, snuggling close to his warm chest.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of my wife's company?" he whispered against her hair.

"Does there have to be a reason?" she asked.

"Never. You never come in here, so you must have something on your mind."