Alien Diplomacy

Adriana, Naomi, and Abigail with her. She hugged Christopher tightly, then looked at me. “Are you sure I’m human?”
    “Yes,” Christopher and I said in unison.
    She shook her head. “How would we know? I mean, my father was apparently best buds with that raging nutcase. What if…what if I’m not really me?”
    I figured if that were the case Chuckie would have known, but maybe not. “You have emotions.”
    “So did they,” Jeff said quietly. “That’s why I killed them. Not because they were androids, but because I could feel that they wanted to kill you.”
    “Great,” Amy said with a sigh. “I’m not going to sleep well.”
    Doreen took her hand and smiled. “You’re human. Trust me.” White, Gower, Michael, and most of the rest of our males filteredin and joined us, Len and Kyle among them. Adriana’s eyes lit up as the boys arrived.
    I examined Doreen closely. “You’re communing with ACE, aren’t you?” She shook her head, a little smile on her face. I thought about it. “Oh. What’s your baby’s name?” Sure, the baby wasn’t born yet, but that hadn’t stopped any of the others from wanting their identities established before birth.
    “Ezra Ira, after Irving’s grandfathers.” Doreen grinned. “I think we’ll be changing our religious views about knowing the sex of our babies.”
    “Probably wise,” Gower said. “Richard, would you help me draft that?”
    “Oh, you’ll be fine without my help, Paul,” White said as he gave me, Jeff, and Christopher hugs.
    “We need to get home. Soon,” Doreen said meaningfully.
    Tito put his hand on her stomach. “Yep.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure I approve, by the way. Not that I was consulted.”
    “Approve?” Jeff asked.
    “Consulted about what?” Christopher asked.
    I thought about it. “ACE kept Ezra inside Doreen—so Ezra would be able to communicate with Jamie and Serene and his mother—didn’t he?”
    “Something like that,” Doreen said. “I didn’t realize until things started to go down, of course.”
    “Yeah, ACE works in all those mysterious ways. So, Ames, stop worrying.” Amy still didn’t look convinced. A thought occurred. “Where’s Mister Joel Oliver?”
    “Right here,” he said, coming up. “Just finished getting all my shots. Great stuff.”
    “Can you please take a picture of Amy here?”
    “Certainly. Why?”
    “Humor me. Doesn’t have to be great. Use a digital camera if you have one here.”
    “Of course I do. Several. And film cameras, too, of course.”
    “Good to know you’re ever the artist.”
    Christopher laughed as Oliver took some snaps of all of us. He put out his hand and took the camera as soon as Oliver was done. He grinned. “Everyone’s exactly who and what we think they are. So, now you have proof from more than one source, so stop stressing.” He gave Oliver back his camera and pulled Amy back into his arms.
    She sighed with relief, then looked around again. “Does something like this happen every time you guys go to a formal event?”
    “You’ve seen my wedding video. Yeah, pretty much.”
    Doreen and Naomi nodded emphatically. “We’re going to keep that designer in business,” Abigail said with a laugh.
    “That settles it,” Amy said firmly. “Justice of the Peace.”
    “Huh?” Christopher said.
    “Screw the big wedding. My parents are gone, thank God in the case of my father, and I spent all night with people pretty much acting all scandalized because we’re living together and not married, like it’s nineteen-fifty or something. Let’s just do whatever your version of going to a judge and saying ‘I do’ is.”
    Gower and White exchanged a very meaningful glance. “You’re sure?” White asked.
    “Totally sure,” Amy said.
    Christopher shrugged. “It’s up to her. I don’t care as long as it abides with our religion.”
    “Conveniently,” White said, “we even have our favorite photographer present. Mister Joel Oliver, if you would?”
    “What, now?” Christopher’s expression was priceless. Oliver clearly thought so, too, since he took a few quick snapshots.
    “Yes,” White said, with a totally straight face. “Why wait any longer?”
    Amy looked at Christopher’s face and laughed. “Let’s do it back at the Embassy. I think all of us could use a shower before the not-so-big event.”
    “I’m all for a shower!”
    Jeff laughed and hugged me. “Only my girl.” He nuzzled my ear. “Love your focus on the