Alien in the Family

named it, didn’t you?”
    He shrugged. “Calling it ‘it’ or ‘you’ seemed stupid.”
    “What’s its name?”
    He coughed and mumbled something.
    “What? Missed that.”
    He glared at me. I stared him down. “Fluffy.”
    I ran through all the things I could say. “Fitting.”
    “Yeah.” Fluffy purred at Chuckie. “Fine, yeah, back in the pocket.” Fluffy disappeared.
    Victoria smiled. “They attach to the one who names them.”
    I hadn’t considered Poofikins a name, but, apparently, it was. Worked for me. “You sure you can spare them, though? Tenley’s been around a while, right?”
    “Yes, but they can live for hundreds of years.” I heard Martini groan. “We will be fine with the two we have. And, if not, we can always ask one of you to visit.”
    “Wow, Poof breeding. A new career option. Has to be better than this saving the world stuff.”
    “Is there money in it?” Chuckie asked.
    “Doubtful, but who knows?” Victoria laughed. “You think strangely.”
    “Welcome to hanging with humans.”
    Tito bowed to everyone. I hugged Alexander and Victoria and shook hands with Leonidas. Chuckie tried to shake hands with Victoria and Alexander, but they both hugged him. I thought about it. “I’m sure everyone else would like to say good-bye. Would you mind walking down to them? Under the circumstances, I mean.”
    “Of course.” Alexander headed down with Tito’s help, Victoria went after him. Leonidas, on the other hand, stayed put.
    “Mister Reynolds, before you go . . .” Leonidas gave Chuckie a hug, in a manly way, but it lasted a lot longer than normal. I was positive he was whispering something in Chuckie’s ear. Of course, the fact that Chuckie nodded when they were done, then winked at me, was a clue, too.
    “Do I want to know?”
    “Tell you later, boss girl.”
    “Yes, you will.” We went down to the others. Leonidas still stayed put. As we walked, he started talking. Sounded like the typical “bad things have happened but we’ve overcome, and we have a great new king and he rocks” speech. There were no hints that Alpha Four might want to retaliate or argue about our taking down their ozone shield. I hoped that would remain the case, but I wasn’t prepared to place a bet on it.
    Michael was done with his part in the farewell hugging, and his Poof was sitting on his shoulder. I thought about it. “So Paul didn’t name the Poof who was with him during the fighting?”
    Michael looked embarrassed. “I named it for him.”
    “Can’t wait. Spill it.”
    “Fuzzball.”
    “Again, fits.” I figured I’d ask Christopher and Reader what names they’d given theirs later. Reader was too far away, and Christopher was in the midst of getting the “you look just like your mother except” song all relatives seem to love doing. Victoria seemed to think he wasn’t getting enough to eat, which, considering we normally ate at the Dulce Commissary of a Million and One Food Options was sort of funny. Christopher didn’t seem uncomfortable with the attention, of course.
    Martini got a different kind of farewell, from both Victoria and Alexander. Fond, but very formal. Even their hugs were more formal than for anyone else. I decided to worry about this later.
    Though Martini, of course, caught the worry. At least if his wink at me was any indication. He nodded, and I knew what that meant.
    “Victoria, Alex, Leonidas, it’s been real. We need to roll, however.”
    Kitty is ready now? ACE asked.
    Yep. Let’s rock and roll, big guy. I looked around at my team. We all looked as though we needed a really long vacation. “Guys, let’s get our bedraggled flock out of Dodge.”
    I felt ACE gather us up where we were standing. He tossed me, though, straight at Martini. Who caught me easily, flipped my legs around his waist, and kissed me. We did a reverse time warp, I guess. I wasn’t paying attention to anything other than Martini’s kiss. And this time, since it wasn’t going to be the last kiss of his I’d ever have, it wasn’t bittersweet—it was the best ever.

CHAPTER 57

    I FELT A GENTLE JOLT. Martini ended our kiss. “You actually thought I’d choose them over you?”
    “You’re a protector. Good of the many and all that.”
    “Not over you. Never again—no one and nothing else over you—you understand?”
    I nodded and again managed not to cry. Martini shifted me to his hip, and we took a look around. ACE landed us back pretty much where we’d been. All