Chapter 13

Lucie rose from the worn seat of the liner as the big doors opened, letting in the light and noise of the Charlton City docking bay…along with the faint aroma of warmed grease. The scent made her smile as she stepped up behind the last of the exiting passengers.

She moved down the ramp to the painted lines on the floor of the docking bay, and swung her pack over her shoulder. First things first. She would speak to Barney as soon as she spotted a public terminal. Then?—

A hand gripped her arm. "Lucie," Elijah said. His voice was hoarse.

Lucie's heart hammered as she turned to face him. "You own this ship, too?"

"I own dozens," Elijah said, his tone dismissive. He gripped her arms, as if she might bolt away if he let go.

He was just as tall and his shoulders just as broad as she remembered.

And her heart would not settle down.

"You sent me a message, to come and see you when I can," Lucie said. "I'm sorry it took so long. I had to learn to walk again and silly stuff like that. Apparently a transfer caused by trauma doesn't go as smoothly as normal."

"You didn't change your body," Elijah said.

Lucie drew in a breath and let out a sigh. She looked down at herself, all nearly 180 centimeters of her. "No," she said. "I couldn't imagine looking any other way than this." She looked up at him. "For better or worse, this is me."

"Good," Elijah said.

She raised her brow. "Good? But I thought… Wouldn't it be easier for you, if I didn't look like…like Blake?"

Elijah touched her cheek. Slid his finger along her jaw. "You look nothing like Blake," he said softly. "Not to me. You look exactly the way you should. I can't imagine you looking any other way than this, either. I've been trying to. I thought you would return as a brunette."

"Or a petite blonde, perhaps?" She realized she was smiling.

A ghost of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. "I like redheads."

"I know." Lucie reached up to touch his face, the lines of which she had been able to visualize even without a body. They had stayed with her, a digital imprint upon her awareness. But she couldn't bring herself to assume that he would welcome her touch. So she gripped the edge of his jacket, instead.

"You saved my life," Elijah whispered.

"I didn't mean to. It just happened."

"You acted instinctively." His gaze wouldn't let her go.

Around them, the docking bay was empty. Just the bay crew were left, hooking up the umbilicals and hosing that would service the ship while it was in the bay.

They were very nearly alone.

Lucie squeezed the fabric in her fingers. "Elijah…"

He sighed. "You used my name."

Lucie opened her mouth to speak, but he touched her lips, which instantly silenced her. Her mouth tingled where he had touched it.

"Let me go first," he said.

She nodded.

Elijah smoothed his hands down her arms, leaving warm trails along her arms. "I…didn't react well, when you died. I thought I would die. It felt like it. It actually hurt, Lucie. You see, I've been there before."

"I know. Twice."

"Yes, Barney told me you knew, that you'd found all those public feeds in the unindexed archives. That makes you one of perhaps three people who know the truth about Blake and me. And perhaps that's a good thing, that you found them. Because I want you to know that you…that this time…it's different, Lucie. I'll figure out why it's different one of these days. I only know it is."

"Because I'm a newborn Varkan."

"That might have something to do with it. But I think it's more that you're you."

"I could never blackmail criminals."

"No, that's not you at all. Lucie Jelen is a smart, sweet, wonderful woman who has wrapped herself around me, and…" He drew in a breath and shook his head. "I'm screwing this up completely."

"You're doing better than I would," Lucie assured him. "I'd stammer and blush."

"You are blushing." He stroked her cheek. "I needed to meet you, Lucie, to be able to let Blake go. Does that make any sense?"

Lucie nodded. "It does."

Elijah blew out his breath. "Then you understand. Good." He ran his hand down her arm once more, then picked up her hand. Her right hand. "I want you in my life, Lucie. Say yes. Say you'll try me on for size and see if I fit with your life, too. That's all I ask. Just to try. Because I'll be trying, too. I've been miserable for years?—"

"You've been a bear," Lucie corrected.

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose, yes. I haven't been living at all. I was just marking time. I focused upon building the fleet, upon making money…anything that didn't involve looking inside my head or my heart. But you changed that."

Lucie sighed once more.

"Say you will?" Elijah added.

"I will," Lucie breathed, as happiness rose within her like a bubbling fountain. "But only if you kiss me. Right now."

He kissed her, and it was exactly the way the history books and gossip said it would be and nothing like any other kiss she'd ever experienced.

Captain Santiago was kissing her, Lucy Jelen, the Sky Dome waitress, and it was perfect.