Page 20 of His to Take

“But John, you were an entertainment lawyer, not a defense attorney!” Mary said, her eyes on her own papers, of which there were far fewer than the number in John’s envelope. “I’m supposed to be your consort, and another branch of the law, should you need it.”

“What does that mean?” John looked puzzled, and Ann answered for him.

“I think she’s supposed to keep you on the straight and narrow. In case your new power goes to your head.” Ann smiled at her father with mirth, as if he’d ever allow something like that to happen.

He’d been a very powerful man in the past, but he hadn’t been cruel or overly power hungry. He’d just been efficient, and good at his job. He could work out contracts in a client’s favor, fix legal problems, and file papers all day long, but he’d done it because he excelled at it, not because he’d wanted to be some kind of king of the realm. That’s why they’d lived in a normal house in their previous life.

Sure, it had been in a good neighborhood, and the house hadn’t been cheap, but it had allowed them all to live a comfortable life without the glamour that so many sought out. Now, they had a virtual palace, and a “realm” to run.

“This is all very strange. I don’t get any of this. I don’t want to be a king.” John looked miserable, but Ann didn’t let that go on for long.

“Dad, we’re alive. A few hours ago, we were certain death was imminent. We were all terrified that we’d reached the end. But now, well, it might not exactly be the life we wanted, but it is life. On top of that, we’ve answered the mystery. Aliens cleaned up Earth for us.”

“I suppose you’re right. I wonder if they’ve fixed any of the optician’s offices. I miss my glasses.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose and Ann blushed.

She’d sat on his glasses the first year they were in the bunker and crushed the delicate frames and the glass in them. He’d left them on a chair and she hadn’t realized it when she sat down, which meant it was really his fault, but she’d been the one to sit on them. It still made her feel guilty when she thought about it.

“We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” Mary said and went quiet as the door opened. James silently brought in bottles of water on a tray and three glasses. Before he left, he paused.

“There are buttons in all the rooms,” he pointed at a clear button on the wall on the left side of the door. “That’s the call button. If you need anything, just buzz and I’ll come find you.”

“Thank you, James,” Ann said, and he gave a curt nod before he left the room. Ann watched him go, still trying to get her head around the fact that they had servants. “Should we explore, maybe?”

“I’m too tired to do anything more than find a bed to sleep in. I’m guessing the bedrooms are all upstairs.” Mary stood up, stretched, and then looked down at her feet. “I need shoes too. This is ridiculous. They can zap us with some kind of laser to clean us, but can’t find us any shoes?”

Ann chuckled softly and followed behind her mother as they all climbed up the red-carpeted stairs to the right side of the house. The stairs were marble with oak railings and went up to a landing on the second floor. A hallway greeted them there with five closed doors down the length.

“Do you think the rest of the rooms are on the other side?” Mary said, but Ann knew she was too tired to care by the way her voice trailed off.

“We’ll find out later. Why don’t you take the first room there, and I’ll see what’s left.” Ann kissed her mother’s cheek and then her father’s. The couple disappeared behind the doors, and Ann went on to explore. The first room wasn’t too big, but it was open and light. The problem was that every part of it was white. It reminded Ann of the rooms on the spaceship and she shuddered.

The next room was done in blues and whites, an ocean theme prevalent in the décor. The next room was more grown up, and though Ann wouldn’t have admitted it in the past, far more romantic. Decorated tastefully in reds and blacks, the room had a king-sized bed, doors that led out onto a patio, and a very large bathroom through another door. She loved the darkness in the room, it reminded her of the bunker and simpler times.

She was on the patio, bottle of water in hand, when she spotted Rex mowing the grass by the tennis court. She threw open the closet, hoping there were clothes inside, and laughed in delight when she saw the closet was full of clothes in her size. She pulled out a pair of shorts, threw on a white bra she found in a drawer in the closet, a white t-shirt featuring Stevie Nicks on the front, and then put on a pair of black flips flops.

It was suitable for the moment, when all she wanted to do was find out what had happened to Rex and his family. She ran down the stairs, through to the back of the house, and opened doors until she found one that let her outside. She’d decided to forgive everything that had happened the last couple of weeks the moment she saw him pushing that lawnmower and her love for Rex was right back where it used to be.

They were all free now, they knew what had caused the sky to clear, and life could get back to normal. She still had no idea how many people were left, but there must be a few. And her father had said something about marriage earlier, so they could actually have a real wedding now. He would go back to being the charming boy she’d fallen in love with all those years ago, now that he was free of the bunker and could get on with life as it used to be. Well, almost. Her father hadn’t been a virtual king back then. Just a lawyer.

She ran to Rex and threw herself into his arms, which meant they both promptly fell to the ground. Luckily, the mower was the push kind and stopped when he let go of a bar on the handle. “Rex, you’re here!”

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly to her body. “I thought you were gone, that I’d never see you again!”

“Whoa, Ann! Let me up! If they see me on the ground I’ll be in trouble.”

“If who sees you, silly? My dad’s the king around here now. Nobody can punish you.” She got off of him anyway and sat up on the grass. “Isn’t it glorious? Look at all of these flowers.”

“Yeah, it’s great, Ann. I guess your dad is the new lord and master then?” He didn’t look as pleased as she’d hoped he’d be, but she brushed it off.

“The overlords decided that since he was a lawyer in the past, he had the most knowledge to get the job done.” She brushed back her hair and looked at him. “So, what have you been assigned to do?”

“This, Ann. I’m a wolf. This is what we’re used for.” He got back up, brushed off his pants, and went back to mowing, while Ann sat still, stunned all over again.