Page 27 of His to Take

14

The ceremony was onlya few days away now, and Ann was on the hunt for a dress a few days later. She had been surprised when Rex hadn’t called off the ceremony the day after their talk in the shed. She had been afraid that she might have been too frank with him, too blunt, but he’d waved when he’d seen her at the pool.

She’d had to take her father to a meeting with the supreme overlord, and he’d said he might be there for a few hours. This part of the city hadn’t been destroyed, and it was full of shops. The kind of shops she needed to find the right dress for her big day. And, even if it wasn’t a real wedding, she wanted the right kind of dress.

Once her father left, she turned off their transporter, closed it up, and went out in search of the perfect dress. The first shop had two levels of floor space, and every dress she tried on was beautiful, but the dress would need to be tailored, or it was stained with something, or too old to hold up for long. The dresses might have been kept out of the open elements, but years of constant cold had taken their toll.

She finally got tired of looking, and went to another shop, across the street. This one was only one floor, but she found the dress she wanted, hidden in the back in a box. She’d found the display dress, got the code for it, and had gone back to check, her hopes high. She dug the box with her size out of the stack and opened it.

The dress had been sealed in a bag for at least five years, but it was clean and would serve her purposes. She tried it on and knew with some help to tie the corset back, that the dress would be perfect. She put the dress in a shopping bag, grabbed a few accessories, and a pair of shoes, and headed back to the transporter.

She then went back, found a tuxedo in Rex’s size, shirt and shoes to go with it, and a suit for her father and Stephan. Then she found a dress for her mother, in the exact shade of blue to match her eyes, and one in a shimmery copper color for Amanda. The ceremony was to be a very private occasion, between her, Rex and their parents. Nobody else was invited. Later, the servants would have the day off and John had promised a barbecue for them all.

Chickens had been raised from extinction, somehow, and her father ordered enough to feed them all. It wouldn’t be the wedding, or the reception, she’d dreamed about as a teenager, but close enough. Her father would repeat the vows for them, as the highest-ranking person in their district. Later in the evening, Rex and Ann would leave the party to a room Ann had chosen on the other side of the house, well out of anyone’s notice.

Not a honeymoon, she knew, but she couldn’t ask for much. Not when even sleeping with Rex was forbidden under the laws put in place by the aliens. She’d found rings for them both, a few days before, and now she had the attire that would make the day special. She’d have to take it off almost as soon as she put it on, but it didn’t matter. The moments when she did wear it were what mattered.

Her father came bustling out of the office building she’d dropped him in front of and climbed into the transporter. He paused when he saw all of the bags. “Found what you were looking for, my dear?”

He strapped into his seat and didn’t look at the bags again. He didn’t look at her either. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Let’s get home.” He patted her hand, and then took up his stance as sentry once more.

Ann wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong, or how she knew something was wrong. He’d gone in nervous; he always was when he met with the aliens, but he normally came out all smiles. That was probably what tipped her off then, she thought as she turned the transporter on and headed back home. He’d worn a frown when he came out of the building, and his eyes had tracked everything around him. He still did it, as she guided them into the driveway of their home a little while later.

He got out, grabbed the bags, but kept his gaze on the area around him. He didn’t seem to relax until they made their way indoors and then he still seemed tense. John normally kept up a steady stream of chatter when he was around her or her mother, but today, he was quiet and strained.

“You’re home! Good!” her mother called as she came down the stairs. “What did you find?”

John pecked his wife on the cheek and then left to go up to their bedroom. Ann picked up the bags and headed to the study. “Call Amanda, have her come in too, please.”

Her mother used the buzzer on the hallway door and directed James to send Amanda to the large study in there. The women had long ago learned to not be overly modest around each other. Ann stripped off her clothes, down to the underwear she’d found in her drawers upstairs and pulled the dress out of the bag.

“Oh, honey, that ivory color is beautiful.” Mary’s hand came out and touched the silky soft material of the lace dress, and her voice went quiet. “It’s so beautiful.”

The material had a shimmery shine to it, but not too much. Ann shook out the lace dress and displayed the handkerchief sleeves and the corset back of the a-line dress with a small train. It was elegant, romantic, and stylish. Everything she wanted to be on her wedding day. Her mother’s eyes filled with tears when she slipped into it. Ann turned and her mother did up the buttons and tightened the corset back until the dress fit Ann perfectly.

Ann heard a knock at the door and then Amanda slipped inside. Amanda stopped, stunned at just how innocent and beautiful Ann looked. She said as much as she walked up to the young woman.

“You just… you look so sweet… beautiful and innocent, but sexy too!” Amanda’s nose turned red and her eyes started to fill with tears. “Oh no. I don’t know why I’m crying. You just look so gorgeous, Ann!”

The three women laughed at each other and then hugged as Ann tried to change the subject. “Look, there are dresses in those two bags, a small flower crown I plan to wear, and shoes and stuff. I think I brought everything we need. The two black bags are the men’s suits and Rex’s tux.”

“I think you cleared the store out, Ann!” Amanda laughed and pulled out the copper dress Ann chose for her. “Oh my, that is sexy!”

“I thought you’d like it.” Ann grinned. Amanda never had been the kind to dress up much, always more concerned with serviceability, rather than glamor. But it was a special moment, she deserved the moment to feel glamorous and beautiful. As did her mother.

Both were still young women, after all, in the grand scheme of things, and had plenty of life left in them. She didn’t see why either woman should hide away like matrons now that they’d reached 40. “Go on, try them on!”

“Oh, sorry, I was too busy looking at it, Ann. It’s beautiful!” Mary quickly dropped the dress, wiggled out of her jeans and silk shirt, and put the dress on. It fit her a little tight in the bust, but it would only draw her father’s eyes, Ann decided with a grin.

“You look gorgeous, Mom!”

“Ann, neither one of us can outshine you, honey,” Amanda said, her eyes filled with pride as she looked at the young woman.

“Well, you’re doing pretty well, lady!” Amanda had slid on the coppery silk, and it encased her skin as though it had been made for her.

They’d have probably carried on wearing the dresses and trying on the things Ann had brought them if someone hadn’t started to pound at the front door. They all paused as they heard James open the door. Ann felt the fine hair on her body stand on end and some awareness overcame her.