I woke up, feeling pleasantly warm, with a big hairy arm draped over my stomach. It felt like Bear was spooning against me – so I was the little spoon. It felt nice, and safe. It also felt like he had morning wood, and the sensations it was causing were both interesting, and a little scary, if only because I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. It didn’t feel bad in any way – on the contrary, it felt nice – I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to take things further between Bear and I. I stayed that way, resting quietly against Bear for a little while, to not disturb him, but nature called, and in the end I couldn’t wait any longer.

I gently moved Bear’s arm, and crawled out of bed and headed to the luxurious bathroom to do my morning ablutions. I must have disturbed him, because he rolled over, and groaned lightly.

“Good morning, Sarah. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I did Bear. Did you?”

“I slept very well. Very well.” He sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “The weather looks nice outside.”

“That’s nice.” I said, while brushing my teeth and spitting. “Any plans for today?”

“I am going to spend time with my Babushka and tell her of my adventures since leaving the Imperial Scouts. Maybe spend the morning with her, and see if we can’t find some fun this afternoon?” Bear replied.

“I saw a really cool rock climbing venue – I could book it for this afternoon, if you want?”

“Da. Sounds like fun. Then maybe tonight we have dinner with Baba Roga and Drago and see what they have been up to.”

“Sounds good.” I finished up in the bathroom, and slipped out, letting Bear, who had been quietly waiting slip in to do what he needed.

“This is awfully domestic.” I commented, kind of joking.

“Da. My grandmother has strange sense of humor.” Bear smiled.

“Well, I think the trip is going well so far, personally. Maybe I’ll check out one of those specialty restaurants for breakfast. Some of them looked yummy in the brochure.”

“Sounds good. Sorry I cannot join you, but I promised my Babushka.”

“No worries, Bear. I’ll look for Hortencia and Drago and see if they want to go, and failing that, I’ll go by myself. I’ll be fine!” I started getting dressed in some nice clothing for a warm climate. It was a teal and yellow sundress, with some heeled sandals, and I thought it looked nice.

“Okay, then. Have fun, Sarah.”

“I will Bear – you too.”

“Da.” He paused. “Sarah?”

“Yeah, Bear?” I replied.

“I am glad you are here with me.”

“I’m glad to be here, Bear.” I said, coming over to the bathroom door. By now he was brushing his own teeth and spitting. “I’m glad to be here too. I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll see you later too.” He turned, and saw me, and he smiled. “You look very nice Sarah.”

“Thanks, Bear.” I said. I really meant it too. The big guy was really growing on me. “See you soon.”

I headed out to find Drago and Hortencia.

* * *

Finding Hortencia and Drago proved to be somewhat difficult, but I managed it, only after texting them with my comm – the ship was simply too big to find someone any other way. I had heard these cruise ships were the size of small cities, and after seeing the futility of ‘trying to look for someone’ with no idea of where they were, I could believe it. Eventually we met up outside a fancy restaurant, and went in to get some breakfast.

“Hey! How was your dinner with the captain last night?” Hortencia asked. “We had fun dancing and singing Karaoke.”

“That’s great, Hortencia! Dinner with the Captain was great. Prince Alexander and his girlfriend, and the Prime Minister of Squanine were there too. It was fun.”

“Not as fun as Karaoke, I bet.” Hortencia said with a smile.

Drago pinched his nose and sighed. “I don’t think the crowd was expecting an acappella rendition of the ‘Death Chants of the Monks of Vitu Ghazi’, my love.”

“Why not? It’s music! Not like that top 40 trash and pop they were listening to!” Hortencia looked rather wounded. “You liked it didn’t you, Drago?”

“Honey, it was enlightening, educational, and I wouldn’t have missed it. It was a once in a lifetime experience – and you sang it well. I can’t believe you sang it so well... I’m sure none of the other passengers will EVER forget it, especially when you went up to the mike dressed in a gown of bones.”

“But you have to be properly garbed to sing the chants, or its considered sacrilege!” Hortencia exclaimed.

“Honey, I know.” Drago said. “I know – and you know. But everyone else didn’t. Remember what I told you about normies, and ‘could and should’?”

“Yeah,” Hortencia sighed, a bit bummed out. “Normies blow.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to see that performance!” Sarah laughed. And see the crowds reaction, she thought.

Drago smiled. “You’re in luck. Hortencia bought a holovid of her performance to show her parents and to keep for our memory book. I’m sure she’ll lend you a copy.”

“Cool!” It was easy to see my reaction cheered Hortencia up to no end, and the rest of breakfast went smoothly and fun. It was halfway through when I noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Herc?”

“Herc was hungry, and saw some sea birds diving for fish, and he thought he’d give it a try. He likes his seafood fresh, and for some reason some of the restaurants on the ship aren’t fond of ‘pets’ so he went fishing. He’ll catch up to us later.” Drago said.

“Does he have a maximum range on his Teleport power?” I asked.

“I think it’s planetary in range. I’ve never left him behind when we’re jumped – it actually kind of hurts us to be separated for too long. We get twitchy, and then upset until we’re back together. I wouldn’t want to think of how bad both of us would feel if we spent a full week apart, let alone two. I’d go crazy with worry.”

I nodded, and filed that away for another day. Apparently his psychic bond with Herc could be used against him. Not good. “Is he having fun?”

“He seemed to be, last time I saw him. I’ll check up on him soon.”

“So, how did you and Bear handle the cabin last night?” Hortencia asked, leering a little. I actually felt my face redden as I blushed.

“We slept. That’s it.” I said. “Were you expecting anything else?”

Hortencia pouted. “I don’t know. Romantic cruise, dancing and drinks, tight quarters – who knows what might happen?”

“Oh my god! Are you shipping Bear and I?”

“Maybe.” Hortencia laughed, still pouting. “Can I help it if I want to share more girl chat?”

“We still can! Can’t we?” I asked, curious.

“Deal! When are you free?”

“Ummm....” I paused, wondering how exactly I walked into this. “After rock climbing with Bear? Before dinner?”

“Great – text me when you’re ready.” Hortencia looked excited.

“Okay, but there’s not much to tell.” I promised, trying to let her down slowly.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She said, smirking. “I’ll bring the vid of the Death Chants at Karaoke too, so you and Bear can watch it later.”

“Thanks.” I said, really wondering what I’d gotten into.

“What are your plans for this morning?” I asked them both.

“Hortencia wants me to join her in trying the zip line between the conning tower and the lower pool deck. It’s supposed to be frightening enough that you’ll think you’re about to die.”

“I know, cool, right?!” Hortencia gushed. “And I get to watch everyone doing it have near-death experiences and get frightened. It’s awesome.”

“We try to take humor and fun where we can.” Drago replied. “I hope those spiders you left with Sascha will be okay.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, honey. I told him not to hurt their idols and he’ll be fine.”

“Idols? The spiders build stuff? Did you give my brother sentient spiders?”

“I don’t think they’re fully sentient, per se... But maybe a little bit.” Hortencia began.

“I’d better call mom. I’ll see you at the Zipline in 40 minutes, okay honey-bunny.” Drago said, pinching his nose again.

“Sorry Drago. He looked so excited. I...” Hortencia looked like she was about to cry.

“Love, it’s all right. I’ll take care of it. I’ll see you soon.” Drago kissed her on the cheek, and headed out to make a call.

Hortencia looked stricken. “I screwed up, big, didn’t I?”

“I don’t know, Hortencia. From the sounds of it, maybe. I know you and Drago will pull through.”

“I tried... I really tried to be normal for him.” She said, a few tears running down her face. “I’m sorry. I should go.”

“If you want to talk about it, Hortencia, please call me. Girl talk works both ways.”

“I guess it does.” She said, sniffling. She sat back down and we finished breakfast, and then went back to my cabin to talk.

* * *

Two hours later, we had talked it out – in detail. Hortencia had been worried she was too weird for Drago for a long time. She knew he loved her – and she loved him, so damn much, but every now and then, she would do something that seemed natural for her, and he would get that pinched expression, sigh, and try to fix whatever she did. He never said anything bad about it, but he covered for her. It wasn’t until I explained it was like an accomplice trying to help hide the bodies, when you made a mistake and put them somewhere too noticeable that she understood. He wasn’t mad – he was covering for her, so people didn’t get hurt, or start looking for torches and pitchforks. He was protecting her, like enabling a serial killer.

Oh – don’t get me wrong, she was still frustrated that she had to try and hide her real self, at least somewhat, but she understood why Drago was being Drago. He was just worried the Sandkings would be too excitable for his little brother to properly take care of them. They needed a good home – with someone who could accept their unique abilities. At least, it made sense to me, when I explained it that way to her.

Oh – and besides commiserating and baring our souls and sharing how she felt, while crying out a lot of stress, apparently it is standard practice for women to eat ice cream, preferably chocolate, preferably from the tub. See – I learn new things every day!

I said farewell to Hortencia, as she left to meet with Drago at the Zipline. It was time for me to find some lunch and meet with Bear. I sighed. It was nice being included with the girl chat with Hortencia, but it was awfully draining too. I really wished I had time for a short nap, but steeled myself and headed out.

The rock climbing event was held on one of the middle decks, inside a gymnasium, with rope safety pulleys and so forth. It looked fun, and I waited for Bear to arrive, along with a dozen or so others who looked like they were joining us. I had changed into athletic gear – and felt more than a bit self conscious in the skin tight black and green spandex outfit – basically short pants, a midriff showing t-shirt, and runners. I did get a lot of appraising looks, though – and most of them seemed appreciative and not creepy, which made me feel better.

As I waited, I felt a gentle hand touch me on the arm... I turned, and saw Prince Alexander’s date from the night before – Miss Kaitlin Rakovich. I looked a bit surprised! She was wearing sexy athletic gear as well, so at least I wasn’t the only one.

“Hey! Kaitlin! How are you?”

“I’m doing well, Sarah. Is your boyfriend joining you?” She asked.

“Bear? He’ll be along soon.” I said, not disabusing her of her notion. Bear and I were complicated, and I wasn’t sure how to explain it. “Will Prince Alexander be joining you?”

“If he can pull himself away from Prime Minister Sokolov. I swear, that man has no idea that you’re supposed to leave work behind on a vacation! He’s trying to get Alex’s help with a trade deal between Squanine and a nearby planet, and they’ve been cooped up all morning. I’m not quite at my wits end, but seriously!”

“Well, if he stands you up for work, he’s definitely an idiot.” I said. “If I can say that?”

She laughed. “Thanks for your honesty. Sometimes, he likes hearing straight talk. A lot of people in court only tell him what they think he wants to hear. I tell him like it is, and I think he appreciates it. I do hope he shows up, though.”

“Is he kept busy by work a lot?”

“Yeah.” Kaitlin replied. “More than I’d like, but it comes with the crown – the responsibilities, I mean. I’ll just have to deal with it.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” I replied.

“Yeah, but it’s not easy.”

“My mom used to say nothing worthwhile ever is.”

“Your mother sounds wise.” Kaitlin replied. “Is it strange, being from so far in the past?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “I’m constantly discovering new foods, new media, new science – almost everything is different from when and where I come from. It’s alien and chaotic, and I feel some days like I’m drowning there’s so much to learn. But I remember I don’t have to dive completely into the deep end all at once – I can do a little at a time until I learn to swim, and once I learn to swim, it’s just a matter of practice until I get better.”

“That’s a great analogy!” She smiled. “Well, at least one of us won’t have to wait for our boyfriends.” She said, pointing.

“I see Bear coming.”

I turned, and smiled as Bear approached, and wrapped me in a big hug. A Bear hug, if you will. “Hey! I missed you too.”

“Sorry,” he began. “I missed you. Talking with Lisette brought back some memories. I hope everything is okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Hortencia and Drago have a few things to work out, but I’m sure they’ll be fine too. Oh! Kaitlin is here too – we met her at dinner last night.”

“Ah, yes. It is nice to meet you again, Miss Rakovich.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Yaroslavovich” Kaitlin replied, smirking. “Please, call me Kaitlin or I’ll call you Polyakov all day.”

Bear raised his hands in submission. “Da, I give. Kaitlin it is.”

“Good.” She replied. “Now all I have to do is hope Alexander shows up.”

“Good luck,” I offered. “He’d be insane to stand you up.”

She nodded. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Now shoo! They’re getting everyone into groups. There’s no need for all of us to miss out on the fun.”

Bear and I nodded, and went to meet the instructors, and I quietly explained Kaitlin’s situation to him.

“Would you rather drop out of this and keep her company, Sarah? I won’t mind.”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be intruding on her?” I asked.

“No – I think it would take her mind off the Prince being busy. I don’t mind – we can always book again for another day.”

“Or do a sim, right?”

“Da! You understand!”

“Yeah, let’s drop out. She looks so bored. Maybe we can go for a few drinks and chat, keep her occupied.”

“Good idea.”

A few moments later, after we arranged the details with the staff, we left the group of eager couples learning to climb, and found Kaitlin, standing by the ships railing, looking out to see. She seemed a bit sad, and depressed.

“Hey, Kaitlin!” I called out.

“Oh, hey?! Aren’t you two missing your fun?”

“Maybe, but we didn’t feel we could have fun, while you were left all alone. Would you like to hang out with us, maybe get a drink or two, and just chat?” I asked.

Her smile lit up the deck. “I’d love to!”

I looked at Bear, and smiled back. We made the right decision.

The three of us relocated to a sun deck, where we sat at a comfortable table shielded from the sun by a large umbrella. A few moments later, we ordered drinks and a light snack to share, and we set down to chat. We whiled away the afternoon, talking about my past on Old Earth that was – before the Imperium and First Contact – and Bear’s adventures on the Fortune’s Favor, and she told us about some of the politics on Squanine. By the time the afternoon was near its end, both Bear and I had decided we wanted nothing to do with politics on that scale.

Kaitlin also seemed grateful for our company, and I just knew she and I were going to be good friends by the end of the cruise. We had a lot in common. We were both driven to succeed. We had leadership qualities, and we were strong independent people. I could tell being friends with Kaitlin was going to be different than being friends with Hortencia – for obvious reasons. Fewer scorpions, for one.

Eventually, her comm buzzed, and she answered it, texting something, and then turning back to us. “Alexander is finally done with Prime Minister Sokolov, and is going to meet me here shortly. He apologized for being late. He’ll be here in a few minutes. He always seems to know where I am.”

“It’s probably his security team, keeping tabs on you, Kaitlin.” I replied.

“Yes, probably. They’re always around, except when we’re alone in our cabin. It’s the only time we really have privacy.”

“I guess that’s part of the cost of being with a Royal?” I said, turning it into a question.

“Indeed. It’s been hard getting used to having my every action filmed on Vid by the media. It’s tiresome some days, but it’s something you get used to.”

“Ah, here he comes!” Bear said, nodding in the Crown Prince’s direction.

“Kaitlin! I am so sorry we missed our time climbing together. Andrei is insufferable until he gets his way. I told him no work for at least the next three days, I promise!” Prince Alexander came up and hugged his girlfriend as she rose from her chair to greet him, then kissed her on the cheek. “We can do whatever you want.”

Kaitlin smiled, and kissed him back on the nose. “I can never stay mad at you, Alex.” She said. “Oh – You’ve met Bear and Sarah, last night? They’ve been keeping me company this afternoon. We’ve had a very entertaining chat. I think you would have liked it.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here, hon. I still have duties.”

“I know.” She said, understanding.

“Thank you for entertaining Kaitlin, both of you.” Alexander told us. “I really do appreciate it.”

“It was no trouble, your Majesty.” Bear said, standing and then bowing slightly to show respect. “Sarah and I couldn’t leave her alone. We can do the rock climbing another day. It was fun getting to know her.”

“I agree. I’d like to meet and hang out again, if you’d like, Kaitlin?” I asked.

“I would too, Sarah. That would be nice.”

“We could maybe do the rock climbing together – with your friends Bear and Sarah, if you like.” Prince Alexander replied.

“Really, Alex? That would be great!” Kaitlin gushed. “Would you like to Sarah, Bear?”

“Sure. It sounds like fun.” I replied, and Bear agreed.

“We’ll have a bit more security with us, honey.” The Prince began. “Davis increased my guards since we received news from the captain that there may be more than one stowaway on board. Do you remember the fire in the galley last night?”

“Yes.” Kaitlin replied.

“The captain isn’t sure it was an accident. She’s having her people search the ship, but the ship is very large and there are many hiding spaces. It will probably take three or four days to search the entire ship – and until the stowaways are caught, we both will have increased security.”

“Do you think there is a problem, your Majesty?” Bear asked.

“I hope not, Bear – but I expect the Captain’s people and my security team can deal with it. It shouldn’t be a serious problem. Our security team thoroughly vetted the Southern Cross before I ever booked tickets, and I haven’t been briefed on any security risks to myself or Kaitlin, so I’m sure it’s just a false alarm or something minor like a few hooligans.”

“I hope so, your Majesty. I hope so.”

We waved farewell to Kaitlin and the Prince, and texted Hortencia and Drago to see where they were at, and if they were free for dinner.

* * *

At dinner, Hortencia and Drago looked like they had worked through their problems, and everything was back to what passed for normal between them. I resolved to ask Drago what he arranged later. We were all dressed to the nines – there was supposed to be dancing afterwards, for those that wished it – and there were a few films in the ships Holovid theatre that looked enticing too.

“How was your afternoon, guys?” I asked Drago and Hortencia.

“It was awesome. There was screaming, and two people almost fell to their deaths!” Hortencia gushed. “One guy was so scared he even soiled himself.”

“Um... Nice?” I replied.

“Yeah, Hortencia had a great time. And so did I. It was fun.” Drago replied. “Herc followed me on the swingline and cooed all the way to the end. He had me do it three more times too!”

“I am glad you had fun.” Bear told Drago. “Even you, Baba Roga.”

“Thanks, Bear. Did you two have fun climbing?” Hortencia asked.

“No – We decided to entertain Miss Rakovich instead – the Prince’s girlfriend – when he stood her up.”

“That’s rude!” said Hortencia.

“Maybe, but it is fact of life the Royals keep busy. She will have to get used to it if she keeps dating him.” Bear replied.

“Hrmph.”

“Hrmph back.”

Hortencia stuck her tongue out at Bear. “I win.”

“If you say so.” Bear replied, smiling. “It is good to see you happy, Baba Roga.”

“Thanks, Bear!” Hortencia did look happy – and she and Drago were just as lovey dovey and touchy feely as usual.

“Oh! One other thing. Keep your eyes peeled for odd things. The Prince says there may be stowaways on board, and some are lighting fires. Better safe than sorry.”

“Think it’s anything serious, Bear?” Drago asked.

“The Prince didn’t seem to think so. Just keep alert.”

“Will do.” Drago and Hortencia nodded.

“Is Lisette joining us tonight?” I asked Bear.

“Um... No. She is having dinner with someone she met this afternoon. An older gentleman she referred to as a ‘silver fox.’”

“Is he an old friend?” Drago asked.

“No idea. I suspect he is new friend, or at least my Babushka would like that to be. She may be my grandmother, but she is still young. Let her have her fun. Maybe she won’t have to live alone for much longer – I can’t stay to be with her, so I know she is lonely. Maybe she will make a friend, and not be so alone?”

“I hope so!” I replied, raising my glass in a toast. “To not being forever alone! To having a special someone in your life!”

Everyone raised their glass, and we drank. While we did, I idly wondered who my special someone would be.