Heritage (Under Revision)

Chapter 20 - Stella

The day has passed by relatively slowly, filled with pacing, indecision and butterflies anxiously fluttering around my stomach.

It’s Saturday already and Leon s party starts in just one hour. I’m putting the finishing touches on my look for tonight and I can already feel the excitement getting to me. As I lift my hands to pin my hair up, I notice that my hands are shaking.

Calm down, Stella...

After applying a thin coat of lip-gloss and making sure that my hair is securely in place, I take my brand-new dress off of its hanger and admire it for a moment before slipping it on. I bought it online and had it shipped to me straight from the ship-town, since I haven’t had time to go shopping this week.

The dress is strapless, light blue and gathers under the bust in an empire waist, reminiscent of the gowns of Greek goddesses. The material is light and shimmering, with intricate beading covering the entire bust. I chose the gown because blue is Leon s favorite color, and it complements the color of my eyes so well.

After pulling the dress up over my hips, I zip it closed and turn left to right in the mirror to take in the full image.

Not so bad, if I do say so myself...Now let’s just hope Leon agrees...

I spray myself quickly with my favorite perfume, glance one last time in the mirror and have just enough time to grab my handbag when the buzzer on my HabMod door sounds.

I take a deep breath, glance quickly in the mirror and open the door to find Leon standing there, clad in his formal dress uniform, looking as gorgeous as ever. He’s leaning against the doorframe and when he looks up at me his jaw drops for a moment.

“Oh wow...” he says, as if he’s just run a marathon.

“Do I...look ok?” I ask him shyly, smoothing out the skirt of my dress.

“Stells, I’ve never seen a woman look more amazing than you do right now. You re stunning.”

“Thank you, Leon. You look very handsome tonight. Happy birthday,” I say to him, smiling as I place a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Aw, come on, it’s my birthday! All I get is a kiss on the cheek? Not even any lip action?” he replies, with his signature smirk in place. I hadn’t noticed until now that his hand was behind his back, but he moves it and presents me with a corsage. A single white rose on a silver band.

“I wasn’t sure what color you were going to wear, so I asked my Mom and she said white was safe,” Leon admits sheepishly.

“It’s beautiful, Leon. Thank you,” I reply, stepping closer and placing a kiss tenderly on his lips. His hand slides gently to the nape of my neck, while his other curves around my waist, the corsage still clutched in his hand. The kiss intensifies when at the same time, our tongues meet, dancing around each other sweetly.

After a few long, breathless moments, we pull apart finally, both of us blushing. Leon uncurls his arm from my waist and without a word, extends my arm, slipping the elegant corsage on my wrist.

I gaze at it for a moment, smiling at the simple, yet amazingly thoughtful gift, when he kisses my cheek.

“Well, it’s your birthday, so I got you something too,” I say to him, smirking.

“Babe, you didn’t have to get me anything!” Leon protests as I turn my back to him, picking up a small box wrapped in shiny blue paper. I smile as I hand it to him and he takes it, kissing my cheek softly.

“Open it,” I say softly.

He slowly unwraps the gift, handing me the discarded paper and holding the black velvet box in his hand. He opens the lid, revealing the sleek platinum watch that I ordered along with my dress. The watch face is pale blue with diamonds around the bezel. This is one time in my life that I’m thankful to have a wealthy family. My monthly allowances made it possible for me to purchase his gift at the last minute.

“Oh my...Stella. I can’t accept this, baby! It’s too much,” Leon says, still gazing awestruck at the wristwatch.

“It’s your birthday, Leon. I wanted to get you something nice. Please accept my gift,” I say to him quietly.

“I didn’t mean to sound rude, I’m so sorry. It’s amazing, Stells, really! I love it, thank you so much,” he replies, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me, slightly lifting me off my feet and kissing me.

I can’t help but to smile and I giggle a little when I see the giddy smile on his gorgeous face. He sets me down and hands me the watch.

“Will you put it on me, please?” he asks, smirking, his hand still on my waist.

I just nod and smile up at him, kissing him softly and clasping the watch into place on his wrist.

“It looks great on you, Leon.”

“Thank you, babe, I really do love it. You re spoiling me already,” he replies, grinning.

“I can’t help it. You deserve it, Leon.”

“Are you ready to go to the party?” Leon asks softly, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. I just nod in return, grab my clutch bag and head for the door of my HabMod.

We chat casually during the short walk to the Grand Hall, and when we reach the double doors, General and Commander Blake are there, waiting to greet their son.

“Leon, Stella, you two look wonderful! Oh Stella, you re gown is gorgeous, you look beautiful!” Commander Blake exclaims, smiling back and forth between her son and myself.

“Looks like you caught yourself a looker there, son. Hang on to that one, it’s not often that beauty and brains go hand-in-hand. I guess us Blake men are lucky in that aspect though, eh?” General Blake says to Leon, smirking.

Now I know where he got that from...

I can feel a blush creeping up my cheeks at his kind words as he kisses his wife tenderly.

“Thank you, General, Commander,” I reply, nodding to them both in turn.

“Stella, you’re dating our son now, so I think it’s only appropriate that you call us by our first names when we’re not in uniform,” Elena says to me. I’m taken aback for a moment at her polite generosity.

“Th-thank you, Com - Elena,” I stammer. She simply smiles and takes her husband’s arm, smoothing down the skirts of her stunning black evening gown.

“Well, son, are you ready to enter adulthood?” Ethan says to Leon with a proud smile on his face.

“You bet, Dad. I have my speech right here,” Leon replies, patting the breast pocket of his uniform jacket.

“Good. Now listen, your father and I are going to go in first, everyone is already in there, waiting to greet you two. Stay here by the doors and when it’s time, the door attendants will open them,” Elena tells him.

“Will do, Ma.”

Elena stares at her only son for a moment before letting go of her husband’s arm, crossing the short distance between them and hugging Leon as if he had just fallen off of his first bicycle. Leon wraps his arms around his mother’s small frame as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

“Stella?” sounds Ethan’s voice, as I tear my eyes away from the mother-son moment I was previously consumed with.

“Yes, Gen - Ethan. Sorry, that’ll take some getting used to,” I say to him with a smile.

“Not a problem. While we have a moment, I just wanted to say how happy we are that you’re here tonight, and how happy we are that you re with Leon now. You’re a remarkable young woman and we couldn’t ask for a better match for our son,” Ethan says to me, before opening his arms for a hug.

I can’t help but to smile again as I hug General Blake, and realize just how much I admire Leon and his family. Not only are they an amazingly brilliant and intelligent family, but compassionate, caring, polite and surprisingly down-to-Earth.

After a few moments, Elena and Leon end their embrace and she dabs the tears from her eyes with a lacy handkerchief retrieved from the depths of her evening bag. She gives Leon a kiss on the cheek and a watery smile and after Ethan shakes his son’s hand, they step through the double doors.

Leon takes a deep breath, his eyes a little bloodshot, and offers me his arm. I link mine through his and look up into his eyes.

“Are you ok, Leon? You seem nervous,” I say to him.

“Yeah, Stells. I’m fine, Ma gets a little worked up and I guess it got to me a bit. But you’re here with me, it’s my birthday and we have a night of partying to do, so I’m good,” he replies, placing a tender kiss on my lips.

Just then, the announcement of our arrival sounds from inside the Grand Hall:

“And now, please welcome Senior Cadet Leon Blake and his beautiful date, Senior Cadet Stella Lancaster!”

The applause is almost deafening as the double doors are opened wide to let us in, and my jaw drops at the scene before me. The hall has been meticulously decorated in silver, blue and black, Leon s favorite colors. Balloons, streamers and other decorations are hung, draped and placed on every available surface and a long black carpet is under our feet. The carpet leads directly to the front steps of the vast and immaculate stage set up just for the occasion.

All of the invited guests in attendance, which appears to be most of the ship’s occupants and many ship-town residents, are lined on either side of the lush carpet.

Up above, a huge holographic image of Earth is being projected, depicting a clear blue night sky, stars, moons and planets glimmering brightly, adding to the already magical feeling atmosphere.

As soon as we step onto the carpet, a shower of glittering confetti in coordinating party colors rains down upon us, giving the room an ethereal feeling. Leon and I take a moment to stop on the carpet and wave to the attendees, turning this way and that to get our picture taken.

Leon kisses my cheek just as the flash on Elena’s MacroCam goes off, and he leads me up the velvety black path to the foot of the stage stairs. He turns to me and smiles, kissing me tenderly to a rousing chorus of wolf whistles.

“Time for my speech, wish me luck,” he whispers.

“You’ll do great, love,” I reply, realizing a moment later what I said. He looks almost shocked for a moment, but his surprise turns into a wide grin as he stops again, wraps his arms around me and kisses me passionately.

Love...I really do love him.

More wolf whistles ensue and my face blazes, but at the moment, I couldn’t care less because I’m here with him.

Ethan and Elena approach me and both grin broadly, having heard what I had said to their only son just moments before. I can’t help but to smile back at my two idols, before turning to see Leon stepping up the short stairs to the stage.

As soon as he reaches the microphone, it lights up in a brilliant shade of blue, silencing the crowd.

Leon takes a deep breath and clears his throat, finding me standing next to his parents at the forefront of the crowd and smiles.

“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for coming. You have all been invited here because you know me in some way or another. Whether it is as a friend, former girlfriend, current girlfriend...” he says, smiling at me, “troublemaker, class clown, or just as the General’s son. I’m ok with most of that, but I would like to address the side of me that wasn’t so great to know these past few years.”

Leon looks out into the crowd, his face showing remorse as he holds his speech cards in his slightly shaking hands.

“To the instructors, I’d like to address you first. I did not appreciate you and your teachings throughout my time here. I was destructive and reckless at times and I’m sure that I, in some way, caused you severe high blood pressure,” he says with a grin and a little chuckle.

“But in all seriousness, I want to apologize to all of you for those things.”

I glance around, spotting a few of our instructors, either nodding in understanding or smiling at the genuine apology.

“Next, I would like to address my fellow Cadets. I did not give you the respect you deserved, specifically to the girls I’ve dated. You weren’t given your just do because I chose to do what my old friends told me to. They weren’t a good influence and that’s why they aren’t present here tonight,” Leon says apologetically, gaining a few awes from several girl’s in the room.

“I’d also like to address the two most important people on this ship, the ones who set all of this up. My parents. You have given me everything I have ever asked for, and I apologize for everything I’ve done to upset you,” he states, as Elena leans her head to Ethan’s shoulder beside me, wiping another tear from her eye.

Thank you for everything you’ve given me and thank you for giving me the gift of allowing me to experience these things.

Leon clears his throat and once again seeks me out in the crowd, smiling down at me lovingly.

“Which leads me to the final person I would like to address,” he begins, after I blow him a small kiss. “Stella, we started off so wrong. I annoyed you and you thought I was pompous. I thought you were too much of a bookworm, even though I always thought you were beautiful. The greatest gift I could’ve gotten this year was getting to know you and being able to take you out on our first date. And now, I couldn’t be happier. So, thank you, Stella, for giving me a chance. I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know.”

I can’t help but to get a little emotional, and Elena hands me her handkerchief to dab the tear from my eye. Leon smiles down at me again and I return the smile appreciatively.

“With that being said, I hope that all of you can accept me for my new found attitude and see me as a man, just as you see my father. So now, without any further delay, please enjoy the party, have fun, dance and this toast I’m about to give is to you as a thank you for coming,” Leon finishes, picking up a champagne glass filled with sparkling cider from the podium, lifting it high and taking a drink.

After everyone toasts with their own glasses, they burst into applause yet again. Leon simply smiles, nods and walks off the stage, joining his parents and myself.

“That was a wonderful speech, Leon,” I say to him as he steps off the bottom step, opening his arms for a hug. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead gently. I just smile up at him and lean my head to his shoulder.

“I agree with Stella, son. Great speech, I think you really opened a lot of people s eyes to how much you’ve changed, and I know a lot of people who really will appreciate it,” Ethan says, snaking his arm around Elena’s waist.

We chat for a few moments before taking our seats for dinner. Leon, myself, and his parents are all seated at one of the many small, circular tables. The tables are adorned with either metallic black or blue cloths, placemats in silver and a small holographic projector, playing a slideshow of photographs. Each photograph depicts Leon at a different stage in his life, from baby photos to the one taken of us not ten minutes ago, walking down the carpet.

“I keyed in the photo while Leon was giving his speech. It was just too adorable to leave out,” Elena says to me as I glance at the projection.

“Ma, you’re so mushy sometimes. But you’re right, we do look pretty cute,” Leon replies, smirking and wrapping his arm around my back, pulling my silver chair closer to his.

A few moments later the waiters bring out the food; a five-course Italian meal including Leon s favorite lasagna.

We begin eating, chatting casually for a while about Leon s past and his parents share a few embarrassing stories of his childhood with me.

“Oh, and remember the time he fell asleep on his potty chair and fell off with his little butt sticking up in the air?” Elena says as we all burst into laughter.

“Ma! Not in front of my girlfriend!” Leon exclaims, his face turning a brilliant shade of red.

“Oh, Leon hush. I’m sure Stella won’t hold it against you,” Ethan replies, smirking.

I wouldn’t mind holding myself against him though...

Stella!

Well! It’s not like I can help it, besides, I’m of age and so is he!

...

Exactly.

Am I really arguing with my own conscious right now?!

“Stells?” Leon’s voice sounds, pulling me away from my rather vivid thoughts.

“What? Oh, sorry. I was spacing out there for a second,” I reply, blushing slightly.

Leon just grins, almost as if he can read my thoughts and I see his parents sharing a knowing look.

After our meal is consumed, Leon is summoned to the front of the Hall to blow out the candles of his massive birthday cake. Everyone in the hall sings a loud chorus of ‘Happy Birthday!’ while the lights are dimmed, making the top of the cake sparkle like a meteor shower.

Leon blows out his candles and everyone erupts into applause.

“What did you wish for, love?” I ask him softly.

“Just one thing. To have you forever, Stells.”

In that one moment, a myriad of images rush through my mind, of Leon and I, together and married like Ethan and Elena. Our wedding day, our first home, our future family. In that one moment, it seems like I’m looking into a glimpse of our lives together. Albeit overwhelming to discover, I’ve never felt more right in my entire life.

“Oh, Leon...” I say to him softly, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him to me tightly. I can feel a tear roll down my cheek as I pull back from the hug, his arms still enclosed around my waist.

“Don’t cry, baby, I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward. I know things have been moving really fast for us and I don t want you to think th—”

“Leon, Leon! Shh. I’m glad things are moving fast with us. It’s hard to believe sometimes that just a couple weeks ago we were enemies, but I’m happy that I’m with you, Leon. I’ve never been this happy before,” I reply, as he wipes the tear from my cheek with his thumb.

“Stella...I...I love you,” Leon says to me, his hand gently cupping the side of my face while is other is wrapped around my waist.

My heart starts beating quicker than a hummingbird’s as my eyes begin to fill with tears again.

“You do?” I say to him in a whisper.

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Stella. I was just too much of a pompous ass to treat you the way you deserved to be treated.”

“Oh, Leon! I love you too!” I say to him, throwing my arms around his neck again as he lifts me off my feet, kissing me passionately as he holds me up off the floor.

We break our loving embrace as Ethan and Elena approach us, having overheard our quiet conversation.

“We weren’t trying to eavesdrop, I promise. We just happened to be standing there. I’m so happy for you two, and Stella, I couldn’t ask for a better girl...woman, for my son,” Elena says to me, rewarding me with an embrace of her own.

“Thank you, Elena, that means so much to me,” I reply as Ethan steps to my side after hugging his son.

Just then, the DJ announces the start of the music, asking Leon and I, along with his parents to share the first dance of the night. It’s a popular slow song from a well-known band back on Earth.

“May I have this dance?” Leon asks, smiling softly at me.

“Of course, love,” I reply, taking his extended hand and following him to the middle of the dance floor.

As the first notes of the song begin, Leon laces our hands while his other rests on my hip. He’s a much better dancer than I ever expected, and he twirls me gracefully around the dance floor. To our left, Elena and Ethan are doing the same thing.

After a few moments, several other couples join us on the dance floor, and before we know it the floor is filled with party guests and their dates. We dance the first three songs, two of them being faster songs and Leon once again astonishes me with his dance skills.

A little while later we join Ethan and Elena at our table and Leon once again wraps his arm around my back.

“So, son, are you enjoying your party?” Ethan asks him.

“Yeah, Dad, it’s great so far. Good food, good music, a beautiful girl by my side that I love. What could be better?” Leon replies, smiling up at his parents and kissing my cheek sweetly.

“Elena, Ethan, I want to thank you,” I say to them.

“For what, hun?” she asks quizzically.

“For raising such a wonderful son,” I respond, gazing into Leon’s eyes.

During our time at the table, several teachers, Cadets and ex-girlfriends of Leon s approach our table, thanking him sincerely for his heartfelt apology.

“Wow, I never thought I’d hear that coming from Instructor Collins. He called me a fine young man and shook my hand!” Leon exclaims. Elena and Ethan just chuckle at his surprise and shake their heads.

“Will you excuse me for a moment, love? I need to use the little girl s room,” I say to him, grabbing my evening bag from the tabletop.

“Sure, babe. Hurry back,” he replies, kissing my hand and smiling.

I excuse myself from the table and cross the crowded Hall, heading for the double-doors that lead into the corridor. After making my way past the throngs of partygoers, I head for the lady’s restroom down the hall, past the Sky Deck.

The Sky Deck is a large observatory-type room, a place to relax, read a book and enjoy the passing scenery. At any given moment, thousands of stars and dozens of planets can be seen through the enormous glass dome encasing the entire room.

The room itself is the size of the Grand Hall, with an aviary of exotic birds enclosed in cages, potted rare plants from various surrounding planets and lush sofas, chairs and small tables. There are also telescopes mounted to the floors for better viewing. A lot of the time, our instructors will bring us up here for our daily lesson, to view meteor showers, nebulas and passing planets.

I head quickly to the restroom as I pass the doors of the Sky Deck, and make my way to the very last stall. I quickly go about my business and just as I’m readjusting the skirts of my gown, I hear the door squeak open and heavy footfalls entering the bathroom.

I open the door, prepared to head for the sink and freshen up when a thick, calloused hand closes around my throat, cutting off my airwaves. It’s a moment before I realize who it is.

Tim Jameson is towering over me, pushing me backwards into the stall I just came out of. I struggle and try to twist away from him, trying to scream to no avail. His hand tightens around my throat as I try to croak out a cry for help.

His knees are pressed into my thighs as I feel myself wavering, becoming dizzy from the lack of oxygen. I can smell stale smoke on his breath and a hint of vodka as he leans his face close to mine, his fetid breath hot on my cheek.

“This is payback for your boyfriend’s stunt in the Mess Hall, you slut,” he says gruffly, his yellowed teeth just inches from my face.

As he pulls his hand back, his knees lose contact with my legs and I take the opportunity to raise my knee into his groin, putting all of my weight into it.

“Ahh, you bitch!” he screams, falling to his knees and clutching his groin.

I grab my fallen handbag and just as I reach the stall door, Jameson grasps the skirt of my gown, yanking me down to the floor with a crash. I have only enough air to scream for help one time before his fist collides with my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

He pins my shoulders down with his massive hand as I gasp for air, trying to scream for help once more as he grasps my thighs through my gown and attempts to jerk them apart.

No! No, no, no! He’s going to rape me, scream Stella!

I kick my legs as hard as I can, as if swimming from an attacking shark, trying with all of my remaining strength to hit some part of his disgusting form.

Finally, my foot collides roughly with his ribcage, the heel of my stiletto digging into his flesh. His face contorts with rage at my bold escape move and he grips my legs tighter, forcing them apart as he attempts to undo the button on his dirty uniform pants.

He struggles for a moment with the fastening and when he does, I use the small amount of air in my lungs to scream as loud as I can for help, still kicking my legs hard at his body.

“You whore!” he screams, slapping me hard across the face and sitting up on his knees, his pants falling the short distance to the tiled floor. He strikes me again in the chest and as the breath leaves my lungs for a second time, spots erupt in front of my eyes.

Just as Jameson is struggling between holding my legs still and pulling his boxers down, the stall door swings open, crashing into Marshall’s head, causing him to tip awkwardly to the side.

It’s Leon, out of breath and disheveled. When he spots me on the floor, my dress hitched awkwardly around my upper thighs, gasping for breath while tears stream down my face, his face shows nothing but rage and anger.

“You son of a bitch!” he screams, aiming a vicious kick to Jameson s ribcage, kicking him repeatedly.

Tim struggles to his feet, grasping at the wall to regain his standing position.

“You piece of shit!” Leon screams, throwing a right hook directly to Jameson’s jaw. As his fist collides, I crawl to my feet, backing into the corner of the stall.

“You fuckin’ Mama s boy, you think you run this station. You’ll soon find out that you don’t!” Tim says stupidly, swinging a sloppy sucker punch towards Leon’s face. Leon blocks it, wrapping his hand tightly around his wrist and snapping it backwards with a sickening crunch.

“Ahhhh!” Tim screams out, while Leon takes the opportunity to bash his head into the thick tiled wall.

Tim’s eyes roll back, his face twisting with anger as he snarls at Leon.

“Is that all you got, bitch?” Jameson says sinisterly, saliva and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“I thought you would’ve learned your lesson the other day, but apparently you haven’t,” Leon growls back in a low, violent voice, his fist colliding again with a fierce punch to his nose.

Jameson groans and loses his footing, slumping down the wall drunkenly. His eyes roll back and slide closed as his head lolls forwards.

Leon steps back and aims one more kick to the bastard’s stomach before turning around and spotting me, standing with my back pressed into the corner of the stall.

“Oh my God, baby, are you ok? I’m so sorry! Please tell me he didn’t...” he asks with desperation in his voice, rushing over to me.

“No, no he didn’t, Leon. You saved me,” I whisper as my body is wracked with shaking sobs.

“Thank God. Stella, I’m so sorry. Please tell me you re ok.”

“I’m alright. He hit me a few times, but I’m ok. Just shaken,” I reply, clutching onto him.

He stays silent, holding me tightly as his own tears flow freely.

“I’m okay, Leon. I promise, I assure him, finally reclaiming my breath.”

“What happened? Tell me exactly what happened, Stells. I need to know so I can tell Dad,” he asks me.

“When I left the Grand Hall, I walked straight to the ladies’ room and into this stall. I did my business and just as I was about to leave the stall, I heard someone come in. I didn’t think anything of it so I opened the door. Before I had a chance to blink, he choked me. I kicked him in the ribs a few times, but he punched me in the chest twice and knocked the wind out of me. He was just about to...when you came in,” I explain to him.

He clutches me tighter for a moment before retrieving his TAPs from the breast pocket of his jacket.

“Dad,” he says, holding the TAPs to his ear, “I need you in the lady’s room down the hall of the West Wing,” Jameson just fucked up big time.

He quickly explains what happened and before he’s finished with his last sentence, Elena and Ethan both enter the restroom, rushing to the back stall.

“Looks like you knocked him out, son. Stella, are you ok? Did he...?” Ethan asks quickly, nervousness and fear plastered on stony face.

“He didn’t have a chance to, Leon came just in time,” I reply.

Elena strides over to me, wrapping her arms securely around me in a motherly fashion.

“I’m so sorry, Stella. Are you sure you’re ok? Do you need to go to the infirmary? I can have Lila come down right away,” Elena asks, visibly inspecting my disheveled appearance.

“I’m ok, really, I promise. Ethan?” I ask, as he stands with his arms crossed over his chest, anger taking the place of fear.

“Yeah?”

“Just...just make sure he gets what he deserves, okay? Please?” I ask as tears form in my eyes again.

“You can count on that, hun,” Ethan replies with a nod.

Elena hugs me once more and Leon takes her place, hugging me to his chest, kissing the top of my head repeatedly.

“Shh, it’s all ok now. It’s over, I’m here. I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again, Stella. I love you, baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

“Come on, guys. I’ll get the guards to take Jameson down to the holding cells until after the party. He’s already fucked up part of your night, don’t let him ruin the whole thing,” Ethan says, taking his TAPs out of his pocket and stepping out of the restroom to call the guards.

Elena motions for us to follow her out into the corridor, but before we reach the Sky Deck, I tug lightly on Leon’s jacket.

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” I ask him in a whisper.

He nods and turns to Elena.

“Ma, can you give us a few? We’ll meet you back at the party in just a bit, I wanna talk to Stella alone,” Leon says to her.

“Of course, hun,” she replies, wrapping us both in a tight hug before catching up with Ethan. Up in front of the couple, two guards are dragging the unconscious body of Tim Jameson down the hallway.

Elena and Ethan laces hands and make their way back up to the doors of the Grand Hall as I turn to face Leon.

“Baby, what’d you want to talk about? Are you alright? I’m so so—” he begins, but I put a finger to his lips to silence him.

“In there,” I say quietly, motioning to the closed doors of the Sky Deck.

The Sky Deck is always open, no matter what time of day, so we grasp hands and make our way inside. Leon wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him, kissing the top of my head softly.

“I love you, baby,” he says to me, cupping the side of my face and kissing me gently.

“I love you too, Leon. That’s...that’s why I wanted you to come in here with me,” I reply, biting my lip and looking up at him nervously.

“What are you doing, Stella?”

“I’m doing what my heart is telling me to...”

“What do you mean, Stells?” he asks me, a puzzle look on his face.

“I mean...what he did to me, it makes me realize, Leon. I want you to be my first. I don’t want to wait. I love you so much, and I want to share that with you, and only you,” I say to him quietly, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks.

“You...you do? With me? Are you sure?” Leon stammers, running his fingers nervously through his hair.

“Of course, I do, Leon. I’m in love with you. It’s not going to matter if we do it now, or wait for two years, that’s not going to change. Why not live in the moment and do it now?”

“St-Stella, I...are you sure? I mean, your emotions are probably running high right now, and I don’t want you to make a rash decision because of what happened, I don’t want you to regret anything about our relationship,” he says to me quickly.

“Leon, nothing will ever make me regret this decision. I want to be with you, I love you. And yes, my emotions may be running out of control because of what happened, but Leon, when you kissed me earlier in my HabMod, I knew. I knew that I wanted to share my first time with you. Only you, ever.”

Leon doesn’t speak, but instead he pulls me into his arms, holding me close to him.

“I want to share my first time with you too, Stella,” Leon whispers to my surprise.

“Y-your first time? You mean, you’ve never...?” I ask him, looking up into his bloodshot eyes as a tear leaks from the corner.

“No...I m a virgin, Stells. I know...most people assume I’m some kind of player, and that I’ve slept around. But I wanted to save my first time for that one girl. And you’re her. You’re it for me,” he replies, taking my hand and leading me across the floor of the Sky Deck, to a secluded spot with a beautiful view of the nearest galaxy.

A nebula in shocking shades of blue and purple looks as if it’s exploding to the right of the enormous glass dome overhead while millions of bright stars twinkle like Christmas lights.

Leon stands behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning his chin to my shoulder.

“Even with this amazing view, I’ve never seen anything as gorgeous as you, Stella. If I could, I would marry you right here, right now.”

My breath catches in my chest at his words and I turn my face, kissing his cheek and smiling broadly. He smiles back and we stand silently for a while, enjoying the view of the vast expanses of space.

After a few minutes of silence, Leon removes his uniform jacket, placing it over the back of a nearby chair along with my handbag. He extends his hand and I take his in mine as he leads me to a nearby lounge chair. I sit down and lean back as he strides to the doors of the Sky Deck, locking them with his TAPs.

“One of the perks of being a Senior Cadet, I suppose,” he says, smirking as he walks back to me. He sits down beside me and takes my hand in his, his other wrapped securely around my waist.

“I love you so much, Leon” I whisper to him, before cupping his cheek in my hand and kissing him with as much passion as I can muster.

“You re my life now, Stella,” he replies as his hand travels gently down my side, coming to rest on my hip. He leans his head to the crook of my neck and begins trailing soft kisses across it to my shoulder blade.

His hands are shaking slightly as they travel further to my thigh, matching the shaking in my own hands as I run them both up his chest. As I begin to unbutton his uniform shirt, his hand snaps up quickly from my leg and grabs my wrist.

“Stella, are you positive that you wa—” he says with wide eyes, nervousness clearly present on his gorgeous face.

“Leon, I’m sure.”

He just nods and continues kissing my neck, his hands roaming freely across my stomach, back and thighs. When I finally undo the last button, I slide my palms up to his shoulders, marveling at the sharp outline of his defined abs in the dull light as I slip the shirt off his shoulders. It drops to the floor just as Leon s hand slides down my back, unzipping the top of my gown.

Nervous anticipation fills me and I smile softly at him as I grip his shoulders and stand, letting the elegant dress slip down my frame, landing in a shimmering heap around my ankles.

Leon’s eyes travel from where the dress is on the floor up to my eyes and everywhere in between, biting his lip as he takes in the site of my black lace thong, necessary for wearing my gown.

“Stella...” he breathes out, “You’re so incredibly perfect. I always knew you were, and I fantasized a million times of seeing you like this. But nothing compares to seeing it in real life.

He gets to his feet, taking both of my hands in his and kissing me deeply, swirling his tongue around mine as I step out of the discarded gown. He runs his hands up my side, and when they reach my upper torso, he tenses for a moment.

“Leon, it’s ok to touch me. Don t be nervous, love,” I whisper as I gently nibble his ear. His hands slide up farther, cupping both of my breasts gently and massaging them in his palms.

Mirroring his movements, my hand travel up and down his chest and abs, coming to rest on his belt. As I move my hands slowly to unfasten his buckle, his hands slide slowly to my back, struggling to find the hooks of my strapless bra.

I stop trying to undo his belt for a moment, pulling back for just a second and smirking as I unhook it in the front.

“Tease,” he says, his voice thick, but a smartass grin appears a moment later. I let the bra join my gown on the floor and his eyes go wide for a moment.

“Wow, Stella.”

“What?” I say self-consciously.

“Ahem, excuse me for sounding like a perverted prick, but you’ve got an amazing chest,” he replies, grinning and letting his hands wander to my breasts once again.

I can’t help but to blush, and to distract myself from the heat crawling up my face I move my hands immediately to his belt again, sliding it out and tossing it to the floor. As his palms gently massage my naked breasts, my breath hitches in my throat and I let out a soft moan.

I can almost feel him grinning against my neck as he sucks the sensitive skin softly. I can feel myself growing wetter while I’m busy unzipping his pants. He cups one of my breasts in his hand as his mouth travels down my chest, stopping at my nipple and taking it gently between his lips while his other hand slides his pants down his legs.

He kicks them off and his body shakes softly as my thumb hooks under the waistband of his boxers.

Aw, he’s nervous for me to see his...manhood.

Manhood, really Stella?

Shut up, conscious! I’m nervous too!

He smiles up at me apprehensively as he helps me slip his boxers down over his hips, kicking them off onto the floor. He chuckles a bit as my jaw drops and I gasp, quickly covering my mouth with my hand.

How the hell is that going to fit...there!?

I’m going to die...I’m going to die a virgin.

“I promise I’ll be gentle, Stella. I know it’ll hurt you, but I’ll do everything I can to make it as painless as possible,” Leon says sweetly, kissing me lovingly.

“I know, love, I know,” I reply as his hands deftly slide to my hips, pulling my panties slowly down my thighs. I kick them off and they join the rest of our discarded clothes on the polished floor of the Sky Deck.

He suddenly leans towards me, grasping the back of my thighs and lifting me into the air, walking me carefully to one of the large lounge chairs, big enough for a couple to sit and watch the stars.

Worrying about protection on this ship is unnecessary, because all Cadets, male and female are required to get a monthly shot, both for protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. At this moment, I’m extremely thankful that we don’t live in the age of worrying about broken condoms and faulty birth control.

Leon’s breathing becomes heavy as he sets me down on the lounge chair.

“It’s ok, baby,” I say to him gently, gazing into his beautiful eyes and kissing him softly.

He nods again and comes up to lay between my legs, his hands roaming freely over my exposed skin, causing me to shiver in erotic anticipation. I can feel his manhood, hard against my thigh as his body slides up mine.

He looks up at me, as if asking if I’m ready. I simply nod and take a deep breath, holding it in my lungs as he lifts my thighs up slightly and slowly slides himself into me.

I gasp in pain as my lower body tenses, a burning sensation coursing through my center.

“Are you ok, baby? I’m so sorry!” Leon exclaims, not moving a muscle.

“Shh, I’m alright. It’ll get easier, don’t stop, I just need a second to get used to it,” I reply, in an assuring tone. I think it’d be easier if I was on top...can I try?”

“Yeah, yeah of course,” he whispers, wrapping an arm around my back and rolling us gently so that I’m on top. He looks up at me and grasps my hips while I grip his shoulders.

The pain slowly starts to recede as I rock my hips slowly, feeling him inside of me. He gasps and looks up at me, biting his lip and gripping my hips tighter.

“Stella...” he whispers out sensually, slowly moving his lower body in rhythm with my movements.

I grip his shoulders tighter, gaining more confidence as he plants soft kisses up my chest, and take a chance by bucking my hips a little harder into his.

He groans out, tilting his head back and biting his lip harder while I lean my head to his neck, nibbling and sucking it while moaning softly. He encircles his arms around my waist, holding me tighter as our moans strengthen, getting louder with each movement.

“Stella, baby, I can’t hold out much longer,” Leon gasps from underneath of me.

It’s ok, baby, let go, I’m almost there!” I reply, rocking my hips faster and moaning out his name.

“Leon!” “Stella!” we both yell out at the same time, as our climaxes push us simultaneously over the edge.

I collapse against Leon’s chest, both of us panting hard.

“I love you baby, God I love you so much,” Leon says to me, holding my face in both hands and kissing me passionately.

“I love you too, Leon.”

He slides my body over slightly and I curl up against his side as he holds me close to him. We lay there staring out of the glass dome at the black sky outside, not saying a word but reveling in our shared passion.

Just as Leon turns his face to kiss me, the panic alarm sounds in the corridor beyond the Sky Deck, red lights flashing brightly.

“What the...” Leon says, puzzled.

“Get dressed, we have to see what’s going on!” I exclaim, jumping up and rushing to retrieveour clothes.