Alien Tango

mean.”
    “Give me a reason.”
    I wanted to, but I had a feeling Lorraine would kill me if I actually did.
    We reached the front door finally. I recognized the humongous entryway from our last visit. It looked bigger coming in through the front door than it had coming up from the basement. Either my perspective was different or it had been designed to instantly create feelings of inferiority for those entering the “normal” way. I looked down the hallway I knew we’d come from last visit—it just looked big and long. I gave up trying to figure out if M.C. Escher had done the architectural design and focused on getting Martini resting as soon as possible.
    The A-C assistants ushered us all into the family room and faded back against the walls, just like the Secret Service. There were four doorways in this room—one we’d just come through, the one I knew led to the kitchen, and two others. Alfred came in from one of the others. He looked worried and upset but also relieved, as any father does when his errant children are finally home safely.
    Christopher was closer to him than we were, and Alfred grabbed him and hugged him tightly. I could see Christopher’s expression—he was shocked but in a good way.
    That embrace finished, Alfred headed toward us. I disengaged from Martini just in time. Alfred grabbed him just as he had Christopher. Martini looked shocked, too, while he hugged his father back tightly.
    They disengaged and Alfred turned to me. “And you.”
    “Huh?” I wasn’t sure what that meant.
    He grabbed me and hugged me. It was reminiscent of the bear hugs my mother had given me during Operation Fugly. I wondered if he’d let me breathe soon. “Thank you,” Alfred whispered to me. “Thank you for saving my boys.”
    I hugged him back while I tried to get air. “Dad, she can’t breathe.”
    “Oh? Oh!” Alfred released me and I gulped air. “Sorry about that.”
    “No problem. You Martini men aren’t aware of your own strength sometimes.”
    Martini got a funny look on his face. “Yeah. Let’s get everyone settled. We need sleep in the worst way.” His voice sounded funny, too, as though he was upset, but quietly. I didn’t think Alfred picked it up.
    Alfred nodded. “As soon as I greet the rest of the family.” He went over to Gower and Reader. They got the bear hug treatment, too. He moved to Michael next and then the girls.
    I went back beside Martini. “Jeff, what’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” He wasn’t looking at me.
    I thought about it. “Baby, I know you don’t know what you’re doing after I harpoon you.”
    “I almost killed you twice.” His voice was low and he was staring at the ground.
    “Christopher created a distraction, and I got you under control. It’s okay.”
    “What’s it like when we’re alone? When there’s no one to distract me?” He looked straight into my eyes. “How many times have I almost killed you?”
    I put my arms around his waist and leaned my head against his chest. “Many fewer than you’ve saved me or protected me.” He clutched at me, and I decided Lorraine was right. Martini needed to sleep. “Let’s get into a room and go to bed, okay?”
    “Sounds good.” He was still upset, I could tell, but I didn’t want to discuss this in public any more.
    “Who’s sleeping where?” I asked Alfred as we walked over to him.
    “We figured the bachelors could take the guesthouse.”
    “That sounds like a good plan, but where are we going to put Serene?” I didn’t want her sleeping with Brian tonight. Not that I suddenly wanted him for myself, but she was too fragile and still drugged, so we had no way of knowing what she would or wouldn’t do.
    “Lorraine told me what was done to her,” he said softly. “I think it will be best to keep her with me and Lucinda.”
    “Um, in the bedroom with you?” This sounded beyond freaky.
    Alfred grinned. “Not quite. We had to install a . . . special annex in our bedroom.”
    “When I was born,” Martini said, voice clipped. His body was tense again.
    Alfred nodded and looked straight at him. “Yes. We didn’t mind. We minded that you were suffering, not that we had to find ways to deal with it.”
    “So, why put Serene there?” I asked before this turned nasty or weepy, neither one of which I thought Martini was up to right now.
    “It’s something of an isolation chamber, but it also monitors other functions, including brain waves. Under the circumstances, until we can