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After the honeymoon - a blissful two days in the Simulator - reality came crashing back fast the moment Claire and Isaac stepped through the door to her? their? quarters. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to remember the romantic vibe of their tropical island. Even though it was simulated, the Orville wasn’t scheduled to go near any of Claire’s dream vacation destinations for the next several weeks, and she and Isaac deserved that time together now. And with two indignant boys in front of her, she briefly wished she was still there.
“Mom! You’re back!” Instead of the hug she was expecting, Ty stood with his hands on his hips in an accusatory pose. “Marcus has been acting like he was the boss of me the whole time you were gone!” The implication being that it was all Claire’s fault.
“That’s because Mom put me in charge!” shot back Marcus, glowering at his little brother. “I was just making sure you did your homework and your chores….”
“Your chores, you mean,” Tye retorted. “He told me that I had to put his clothes in the cleaner and get dinner and….”
“Boys!” said Isaac, stepping forward. “This is no way to welcome home your mother after two days away. The correct greeting is to provide her with an embrace and tell her that you missed her.”
Claire shot an affectionate look at her new husband. Husband. It still sounded so strange to her. This whole thing - the proposal, the wedding - had been a whirlwind and if she were completely honest with herself, maybe it had happened a little too fast. Then again, taking a chance had been Claire’s philosophy her whole life. If she’d done the ‘sensible’ thing, she would have looked for a co-parent before having children. If she’d done the ‘sensible’ thing, she might still be married to her first husband and would have missed out on a thousand wonderful, terrifying but ultimately rewarding opportunities.
Like Isaac.
She was certainly the first biological to ever romance a Kaylon, let alone marry one. And already it had been a journey she never expected, but wasn’t that the fun of it? To find out how special things could be?
Ty finally stopped frowning and hugged his mother. Marcus followed suit, albeit reluctantly, and for a moment, Claire was sad that her little boy had been replaced by a young man who was searching for that teenage independence. Marcus stepped back and gave an appraising look at Isaac. “So…do we have to hug Isaac too?”
Ty already had his arms wrapped around Isaac’s legs when he said, “Of course we do! He’s our new dad.”
Frowning, Marcus looked unconvinced. “Does that mean we have to call him Dad?” He directed his question at Claire, not at Isaac.
“You may address me in whatever manner makes you most comfortable,” Isaac said. Bless him. He’d obviously been reading the parenting books she’d suggested. “I will endeavour to respond to any name you choose.”
Okay, maybe he’d taken the books a little too literally. Some guidance would be necessary or the boys would walk all over him. “I think calling him Isaac is fine for now,” Claire reassured them. “And if that ever changes in the future, that’s up to you.”
Marcus looked visibly relieved.
Ty, his earlier outrage completely forgotten, excitedly pulled on Isaac’s hand. “You should come see our room! And my new Space Dragon!”
“He’s been here before, dummy,” Marcus called after his brother’s retreating back, but that didn’t stop the pair.
Claire put her bag down and looked around. Now that Isaac was here - as her husband, not just her lover or boyfriend or whatever they were calling it these days - things felt different.
“Mom?” As it was just the two of them, Marcus let the full weight of his uncertainties show all over his face. “Is Isaac gonna live here now?”
Claire paused. In all of the excitement, they hadn’t even discussed it. Sure, Isaac had walked her home from the Simulator, and he’d even stayed the night once or twice in the past, but…living there? Full-time? Co-parenting the boys and helping with household duties and discipline and, well, sharing their lives? Giving up her space and knowing she’d have even less alone-time than before? On past trips with Isaac it had all been so easy, but that’s because they knew it was temporary. He’d quietly removed himself to a corner when they slept, giving the illusion that he, too, needed downtime.
Just what did Isaac do during his everyday life when everyone else was sleeping?
What would he do, now that they were married?
Claire realised that she might never have to work in the home again.
She laughed to herself. From some perspectives, she’d landed herself the perfect man - endlessly willing to do chores, take care of her, the kids, and his stamina in the bedroom was endless. But was there such a thing as making it too easy for her?
“I don’t know yet,” she finally answered. “Isaac’s going to stay here tonight and then we can figure things out.” She looked up (up!) to her son, trying her best to reassure him. “I know this is a big change but change can be good, right?”
“Right,” Marcus agreed, not just to make her happy, but because his whole life had been one big adventure of change.
“And you know that I love you boys more than anything and Isaac wants nothing more than to do right by you. By us.” There was so much conviction in her words because Isaac had promised her this.
“I know, Mom,” he replied.
She pulled him into another hug and this time, with no one watching, Marcus felt free to reciprocate whole-heartedly.
—
Later that night, with the door locked and their romantic interlude concluded, Claire reached over and tenderly traced the side of Isaac’s head. It could be disconcerting, going back and forward between his metallic true self and the more human visualisation inside the Environmental Simulator. But all she had to do was close her eyes and listen to his voice, and she knew who she was with.
She was with someone who loved her. Not in the traditional way, but in every way that was possible. And this grand adventure was both exhilarating and terrifying and calming at the same time, because she knew he would never leave her.
“I trust you are sexually satisfied?” Isaac asked, running a hand down her side. He had learned exactly what she liked and knew how to mix it up as well.
“Completely.” She smiled sultrily, knowing that during this honeymoon period, it wouldn’t be long before another round. “And you?” It was a dangerous question because she would get a brutally honest answer, but then again, wasn’t that what she liked about him?
“I have been able to increase my ability to give you pleasure to a seventy-percent success rate. This is an acceptable improvement.”
Claire laughed. “Well, I’m glad. But I know you’re still striving for that hundred percent, am I right?”
“You are correct. However, given my research on human anatomy, in particular, female anatomy, I am uncertain if this success rate will ever be achieved.”
She laughed, and playfully rolled on top of him. “Well, we can have a lot of fun figuring it out.” And she wiggled her hips suggestively to go along with the joke.
She did, however, still his hand that started wandering back up her thigh. “Isaac, we need to talk about a few things.”
“Of course.” He didn’t seem offended by her rapid change of subject and that was something she adored. No male ego to stroke; she could just be open and honest.
“Do you think…no, wait.” Claire paused, reframing it for both herself and Isaac. “We never talked about where you would live.”
“I live on Deck G, nearest to the Quantum Drive Array, so that I can attend it in case of emergency.” His answer was very matter of fact, as if nothing would change.
“We’re married now. Spouses usually live together.”
He shifted so that he could look at her directly. Probably cataloguing her responses, just like a human would do. (And she really had to stop thinking in these terms. Isaac was a Kaylon and she knew better than to compare him to a human lover.) “Do you wish to live together?”
A perfect answer, asking her thoughts rather than just assuming.
“I’m not sure,” Claire said. “I love you, Isaac, but … I really love my life. Here, with the boys,” she clarified. “We have a great routine and things are easy and…well, Isaac, what do you do all night?”
And that was the crux of her discomfort. What would Isaac do all night? She’d asked him this before, about why he even bothered to have quarters of his own if he didn’t sleep. Isaac hadn’t been able to give her a good answer either. “Captain Mercer insisted that I have a private place to clean myself, and work, when I am not scheduled to be on duty.” It made sense; no one wanted to see a Kaylon scrubbing slime off his body after an unfortunate accident, but it still seemed like a waste of valuable square metres on a ship where space was at a premium. Plus it helped normalise him to the crew.
“I do a variety of things when I am not with you,” Isaac answered. “I frequently take extra duty shifts. I work on scientific research projects. On some occasions, I go to the bar and watch the interactions between the crew. Frequently, Lieutenant Commander LaMarr invites me to participate in what he calls bar games.”
“But what would you do if you lived here?” she clarified.
“My routine would remain the same, with the added duties of taking care of the boys and fulfilling my marital duties.”
“Marital duties?” Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, is that what we’re going to call it?”
“I can be more specific if you would like,” Isaac said. “However, two days ago you said that discretion was warranted and you did not want me to describe our sexual relations in detail unless we were “in the heat of the moment’.”
She nodded, smiling in memory at what that conversation had led to. “But what about spending time together? Family meals? Sharing life?”
If Isaac could have frowned, he would have. “I am not certain what you mean.”
How could she explain what it was like, inside a marriage? The unique comfort that was gained by simply co-existing in the same space? Having your partner right there to ask a random question, to share a passing thought, to smile at from across the room?
And in thinking these things through, she suddenly realised that she did want Isaac to move in. She wanted that with him. Why else had she agreed to marriage? It was a formal agreement to share their lives - to truly share them. He was already so much a part of their family that it should be so easy to welcome him into their home on a permanent basis.
“Isaac… it’s like when we were on that moon together. Except not a life or death situation,” she quickly clarified. “It’s just being together, even in the mundane moments. It’s where you care for each other and ask each other about your day. You listen to the other’s problems, their hopes, their dreams.”
“Like a date?” he asked.
“Yes, but no. It’s like an unending date every day. And you get to see the whole person, not just their best self. You’ll see me when I’m grumpy in the morning, or when I’m frustrated that a patient didn’t listen to me. You’ll see me when I yell at the boys, or when I’m brought to tears because of how much I love them.” She paused. “Are you ready to see all of that?”
“Claire,” he said, “I want to see all of you. How else can I know how to best take care of you and ensure that you feel loved and cherished?”
“Then move in with us,” she whispered. “We can set up an alcove so that you can have your own workstation. And I would very much like it if you would be next to me while I’m sleeping at night, from time to time.” Rolling so that she was more comfortable, she added, “Or at least cuddle me until I fall asleep.”
“Like this?”
His arms shouldn’t feel so good around her, but they did. They made her feel safe, protected. Cherished. Loved.
“Yes,” she smiled. “Just like this.”
“Then as your husband, I will do as you ask,” he declared.
“Thank you,” Claire replied, starting to feel sleepy as her worries were lifted.
Human and Kaylon embraced in the dark, forging a new path together. But more than that, they were simply Claire and Isaac, together, creating a perfect family of their own.