Therese was back in the Cowffee Cup.
“Kara, wait.” Therese told her. Then Therese went behind the counter and made her favorite drink, the one Erin first made for her. Therese still liked the smell of it and savored the aroma. She put a lid on it, and walked over and gave it to her.
“What you do hurts me because we are friends.” said Therese, handing Kara the cup. Kara teared up at Therese’s choice of “are” instead of “were”.
“If you don’t like it, it is free.” Therese told her as she handed Kara the drink. Therese remembered being friends with Kara when they were little. They were good friends, but they changed in different ways and as the years passed, they had changed apart. “Try it, but be careful it’s hot.” Therese prompted her.
Kara sipped the drink, it was amazing. “How much do I owe you?” asked Kara.
Therese pointed at Kara’s eye, and looked over at Erin, who nodded back. “Call it even, on everything?” asked Therese.
“Yes, please.” said Kara, fighting her tears and running out of the shop as fast as she could without spilling her hot drink on her.
“Wait!” said Therese. Kara stopped. “I really would like it if you came over for breakfast tomorrow, just come over, early, like seven AM.” said Therese.
“I’d love to. Space-Girl Breakfast?” asked Kara, referring to how they used to eat breakfast and watch Space-Girl Michelle on TV.
“Best breakfasts ever.” said Kara at the same time as Therese, as she turned and started running out the door. Therese smiled her faint flat grin, but the corner of her mouth was a giant grin to those who knew her best.
“We’re right here where we belong.” said the voices to Therese as she stood watching Kara leave to hide her own crying.
“Hammer that steel.” Therese told the voices. Then tears ran down Therese’s face, it was going to suck getting shot again, but then a small smile crept out the corner of her flat expression, she remembered she was going to have her first time with Peter again.
The green lights faded around Therese, and she turned and smiled at Kara. “So we’re in the now.” said Space-Girl Therese.
The timeline shifts unfurled, but Kara noticed the changes in the now, even though she never knew in the then, because now her Space-Girl ring shielded her.
“You could change anything in your life, and you used it to have me at your birthday party?” Space-Girl Kara asked Space-Girl Therese.
“I think it was a great choice.” Said Space-Girl Michelle, “let’s get you guys back to earth, there is a hangar in an old warehouse in the middle of the desert, your coordinates are there, just take the secret tunnel to the Cowffee shop. Have fun, and be Space-Girls. And don’t forget to say your prayers, it is a big Galaxy, and you’ll need as much help from God as you can get!” Michelle tossed a set of spaceship keys to both Therese and Kara, then the two girls saluted and ran to the hangar. Space-Girl Michelle smiled, she was proud of the new recruits.
Space-Girl Michelle then turned and look at Rem Monty and said, “Did we tell Therese her parents are androids?”
“Oh no, the Rabbits like things just how they are.” said Rem Monty.
“Do you want ops or conn?” Therese asked Kara.
“Let me take ops. So what happens next?” asked Kara.
“I don’t know, I didn’t see all the future, just the timeline until the then.” said Therese.
“Then wait, didn’t you have Ed and Buck watch Space-Girl Michelle on TV?” Kara asked, puzzled.
“I did. Space-Girl Michelle always went alone, but we’re different, we have our own family, and we have a team. Michelle knew this, she put these in my jacket pocket.” said Therese, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a bag of Space Rings.
“We have an overwatch.” said Kara, and saw Therese was puzzled by that term. “When Ben and I went in, he had Buck and Ed cover us with a sniper rifle, he called it an overwatch.”
“I like that, Let’s go home and meet Space-Boy Vivo and Space Sailors Buck and Ed.” said Therese.
“No Ben?” Kara asked, a little bummed.
“Not yet, that’s for the Space Agency to decide, but Michelle gave me these, I was told this in the timeline light, but nothing else.” Therese said.
“I’m powering up the engineering cells, environmental controls active, seals intact, you have full power.” said Kara, as easily as if she had flown a spaceship for years.
“Next stop, earth.” said Therese, lifting the ship, angling out the shuttle bay, and flying straight on until she reached infinite speed. The two girls smiled as stars turned to blurs. Kara sat silently and amazed at the sights. Therese grinned boldly.
As the ship decelerated, Kara activated the cloaking system, and Therese flew the ship in evasive maneuvers to avoid a possible ambush as they emerged from infinite speed. No ambush waited for them. “That’s home.” said Kara, looking down at the earth.
“You sure you don’t want to take her down?” asked Therese.
“No, I want to enjoy the view.” said Kara, checking the instrument panels. Therese angled the ship for the old warehouse indicated on their homing beacon outside their city. “That’s got to be it.” said Kara.
“The roof registers as a hologram.” said Therese, angling the ship and landing through the roof of the warehouse. An energy shield opened and allowed the ship to easily pass through, and Therese carefully and deliberately parked the ship, then the girls turned off the controls.
“Do you think we should take our Space-Girl uniforms off?” asked Kara, not wanting to, but acknowledging the need for discretion.
“Yeah, at least for now.” said Therese.
Both girls turned the signet on their rings and a flash of light flew from themselves to their rings, taking their space-girl uniforms with them.
“Michelle said there is a tunnel, I guess we had better find it, but where?” asked Therese.
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“Probably under that elevator.” Kara suggested pointing at an elevator against the wall. Therese shrugged, they walked over to the elevator.
“Welcome Space-Girl Therese and Space-Girl Kara.” an electronic voice said as the elevator opened. The two girls stepped inside and the elevator lowered them. When the doors opened, the two girls walked into a Space-Girl outpost command center. There was a brand-new espresso machine on the table with a bow and a card on it. The two girls walked over and Therese opened the card.
“I hope you two Space-Girls find this stimulating, love Michelle.” read the note.
Therese raised an eyebrow and Kara and said. “I’m sure it will be very stimulating.” said Therese, hoisting a bag of space issue coffee that was on the table. “But first, I want to kiss my boyfriend.” said Therese.
“And I want my Ben to do whatever he will do.” said Kara.
“Yo, Kara.” said Therese, mocking Ben. Kara laughed hard. The two girls instinctively walked over to a door on the wall. Two chairs slid out from the wall, and Therese and Kara sat down, and the chairs accelerated rapidly, with energy shields appearing around them to avoid the wind resistance of their rapid speed.
“I guess this is how we get home.” said Kara, as they flew forward until the chairs slowed, and then stopped. The girls walked to another door, and opened it, and found themselves in a dark but lit underground room. There was a yellow square area, and the girls walked into it, then the floor shifted and they raised into the air and stopped. A regular door was in front of them. The girls opened it and stepped out to find themselves in Erin’s seldom used office in the back of the Cowffee cup. The girls walked out, and into the Cowffee Cup.
Erin looked over and saw the girls standing there in the Cowffee Cup, then she ran and grabbed them and gave them a hug. “I’m so glad you girls are back.” said Erin as she squeezed and hugged both of them. “Ben!, Vivo! Peter close your shop and get over here!” yelled Erin.
The guys came running from the other shop, with Vivo hoisting Ana. Therese ran, and shoved Peter against the wall and kissed him. Ana clapped, Vivo grinned ear to ear.
“Yo, Kara!” said Ben. Kara glared at him, then ran over and kissed Ben.
“I’m sorry we had to go, I can explain.” said Kara to Ben.
Ben pulled out a note from his pocket and handed it to Kara, who read it. “Don’t worry Ben, we’ll be home soon, we have to go save the galaxy. Please bring some pain rub, I am going to get beat down hard but I’ll be okay. Love, Therese.” said the note.
Ben grinned, and reached into his other pocket, pulled out a tube of muscle rub and said, “Yo, Therese.”
Therese turned and caught the tube of muscle rub and said to Peter, “I hurt all over, if only I had someone to rub this on me.”
“Can you please babysit tonight?” Peter asked Erin.
“I can, I’ll be glad to have Ana stay over with her little cousin.” said Erin, rubbing her belly.
“No fucking way.” said Kara.
“Your baby will be perfect.” said Therese, turning and taking a big hug from Erin. Therese grinned at Erin, who broke into tears of happiness as she saw a bold ear-to-ear grin on Therese’s face.
“You’re really smiling, all the way. Ben told me about the implant.” said Erin in pleased disbelief, her smile seemed at least a little brighter, and maybe the Space-Girl ring helped a little too. Therese smiled better without the implant buzzing her brain and the medications flattening her affect, but the voices were already working their way back up as the medication wore off.
“Thank you so much for everything.” said Therese, burrowing her face into Erin’s shoulder and crying. The two girls stood there and held each other. “Call Ed and Buck, tell them to meet here tomorrow, it’s Sunday tomorrow, right?” asked Therese.
“Yes, tomorrow is Sunday.” said Erin, still endlessly pleased to have the girls back.
“We’ll meet here then, and then we’ll explain it all, but right now, I need to hold my daughter.” said Therese, taking Ana from Vivo and holding her. Ana laughed and giggled as she never laughed before as she saw Therese’s bold smile. Therese spun her and Ana giggled more. Then Therese hugged Ana like she never wanted to let her go, and the little girl hugged right back.
The cowbell on the door jingled as customers came in, it was about to start getting busy. Therese took Ana and handed her to Vivo. “I need to wash my hands and get to work, but I’ll be back.” Therese told the little girl.
“A Space-Girl never forgets who she is.” said Vivo, impressed at how quickly Therese was jumping into help Erin at the store.
“Shh.” said Therese, handing Vivo a ring from her pocket. “Don’t turn it on yet, not here.” Therese explained.
Without loosening his support of Ana, Vivo slid the ring on his finger and blue light flickered with an arriving awareness in his eyes. “This is real, I’m a Space-Boy.” said Vivo.
“You were always a Space-Boy, now you have the ring. Shh.” Therese hushed Vivo as she went and washed her hands and started making drinks.
“Space-Boy, I missed you.” said Erin, smiling at Vivo. He grinned, still in disbelief, back.
“How did you know?” Vivo asked Erin.
“I’m retired, I gave up the life after I lost my sister, but I guess in a way, I was always where I needed to be, but damn, I hate those training films, don’t expect me to watch them with you.” said Erin, rotating the band on her finger so the signet was revealed when she rubbed it.
“I just couldn’t do it anymore.” explained Erin, because leaving the Space-Girls was the easiest decision she had ever made.
“But we all got shot?” said Vivo, wondering why Erin didn’t stop the intruders.
“Yah, they got a lucky drop on me, I’m out of practice. I’m sorry, just remember that, even with all that power, the people you love the most are still vulnerable.” said Erin remorsefully. Despite all the amazing things she had ever done as a Space-Girl, she found her time at the Cowffee Cup the most rewarding and her best way to make a difference in the world.
“That’s okay, we’re all okay, maybe that’s what really needed to happen.” Vivo said, kissing Erin. Ana cheered and gave Erin kisses on her cheeks too.
“Just remind the girls, they’re not invulnerable and their real problems in life that sneak up on them in the middle of the night aren’t cyborg gophers.” said Erin, kissing Vivo back.
Therese was glad when the evening ended, and Peter gave her a ride back to his house. Therese still hurt when she breathed, in a way she wished she stayed for a complete healing cycle at headquarters, but she missed Peter too much. Peter had to help Therese out of the car, and up the stairs, and to the bedroom.
“I’m going to look ugly for you, I am sorry.” said Therese as she removed her clothes.
Peter fell to his knee next to her when he saw her beautiful body covered in bruises, cuts and scabs. “What happened?” asked Peter, she didn’t look this bad after she was shot.
“I’m okay, but I need you to believe me, I am a real Space-Girl now. I had to fight the real Space Michelle because she was possessed and she almost killed me twice.” Therese told Peter.
Peter shook his head, it couldn’t be real.
“I’m not a passive victim of my illness anymore. It doesn’t control me, this is real. It really happened.” said Therese, activating her ring and having her Space-Girl armor appear on her body. “Feel the Armor, this is real.” said Therese, taking Peter’s hand and having him press against her Space-Girl suit to feel it, then Therese deactivated the ring and the armor disappeared.
Therese took Peter’s hand and pressed it against her arm on a giant gouge. “This is real too. I could have stayed and healed more, but I missed you.” said Therese, taking the pain rub and handing it to Peter. “Rub this on my back please, my armor cracked a boulder over my back.” said Therese as she turned and lay face first, remembering the first time Peter rubbed her back until she fell asleep again. She decided to not take her medications, the voices were weak and she convinced herself they were leaving.
In the morning, Peter awoke first and let Therese sleep, and sleep and sleep until twelve hours had passed. Therese awoke slowly, the ring had done its best to help her heal in her sleep and she felt a lot better. She looked over and saw Peter left her a cup of coffee on the nightstand, so she carefully took it and began drinking. Therese loved Peter, and she loved coffee. “I am so glad to be home.” said Therese to herself.
“Thank you, I love you.” said Therese to Peter as she walked into the kitchen.
“I love you.” said Peter, kissing Therese, and then he took her breakfast out of the microwave where he reheated it and put it on the table in front of her.
“We really should be going to church, but do you think it is OK if we wait until next week?” Therese asked.
“I’m sure, we’ll keep the Padre’s blessing missing a day here and there.” Peter said, taking his own cup of coffee and sitting across from her.
“So like, you fly through outer space and stuff?” asked Peter, both amazed and worried he would lose Therese.
“I fly through outer space to come home to you. I’ll take you some time, not for a mission, both parents of kids aren’t allowed on missions, but for fun we can go all the time.” said Therese.
“I can’t go on missions with you?” Peter asked, saddened he would not be able to even try to protect Therese.
“The missions can be dangerous. Once a child was made an orphan by both parents being on the same mission and they never want that to happen again. That’s all I know, you, Ben and Erin will have to stay back when things happen, I’m sorry, but Ana needs you.” said Therese.
“I was the luckiest guy in the world when I first saw you, and I am the luckiest guy now.” said Peter truthfully.