They took me back to a different room and gave me a full body physical, all while my Dad stood nearby, giving me a look at all the marks Terrance had kissed and sucked and nipped into me. Apparently he had written ‘Little Lion’ on my ass while I had slept and drawn a cartoon lion face going ‘rawr’ and I nearly burst into tears-

I hadn’t gotten to say goodbye, and I didn’t know how I could.

After my physical I was done I asked my Dad if I could call Terrance and he just stared at me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the next area, where I was sat down and made to sign a whole bunch of things while my Dad held on a casual, cheerful conversation with the clerk.

Once my blood test came back, I was given my new ID card.

I stood there staring at it while my Dad shook the clerk’s hand.

Ford Blue.

So I guess I would be the first in the Blue Clan.

There was no longer a Ford Richards, only Ford Blue.

I was numb as I was introduced to the girl I was going to marry – her name was Heaven, and my Dad got a real good kick out of that.

She was lovely, shy, and her parents were there as well with her, holding either of her hands as she sniffled and smiled along as they talked. Her parents explained that she was joining the colony because she was always attracting violent type A males in their hometown of Trinity, and that the matriarch wouldn’t let their family move out of the city because Heaven’s two novus sisters were both top trauma doctors and couldn’t be lost, but she would allow Heaven to join the colony.

The family was very, very torn up about losing her, but they knew she wouldn’t ever be able to have a life at home because her mate would likely just lock her away and she’d have no freedom. They said her only chance at living a normal life was away from them, and that was the terrible cost they were willing to pay.

My Dad nodded and smiled as they spoke, giving sympathetic noises, but I knew he was trying very hard not to give his take on novus, since they had novus daughters.

When the train slowly came into the station, it was announced that none essential persons were to leave the building, and Heaven had a big, emotional goodbye with her parents, both of her parents turning into a complete mess and had to be escorted out by novus when the time came.

My Dad and I stood there a foot apart, watching on.

When he turned to me, I knew it was time, and I turned to him.

“Goodbye, Dad.” I said softly.

He nodded sharply, staring at the floor. After a minute he held out his hand, or rather, he made to, but seemed to decide against it at the last minute. He met my gaze and lifted his chin a little before he nodded at me shortly and turned away.

He left me then, and I watched him go.

He didn’t look back.

I didn’t look away.

When he was gone, I turned to my soon to be bride and went to comfort her, taking her hand to hold it. Heaven gave me a wobbly smile before she reached over and put her other hand on mine, patting it as she looked around at the other couples that were lining up to be processed and married. We didn’t push to get into line and instead stood aside, watching awkwardly.

We were some of the youngest in the crowd, it looked like.

Heaven sucked in a breath then. “Do-” I looked to her and she stilled, looking nervous as she smile. “Do you have any sports you like?” She asked in a light, girlish voice.

I nodded a little. “I really like to watch football.” I said with a little nod.

She grinned wide, “That’s great! I love football! My sister Trina almost got to play for my all time favorite team, the Thunder Gals!”

I burst into tears and she panicked, starting to cry herself. I forced myself to pull it together, wiping my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I struggled, coughing a little, “I just – m-my – this novus I was courting with, his favorite team is the Thunder Gals,” I sniffled, staring at where she was holding my hand in both hers, “And we’d always argue about that because I love the Tornad-Does, and-” I cried a little, squeezing my eyes shut. “And he said he’d love me anyway.” I cried, holding a hand to my face as I thought about Terrance jumping out of a doorway and startling me, dressed in his Thunder Gals sports uniform and declaring them the best before he forced me into a Tornad-Does uniform. We fooled around and wrestled in his dorm after that, playing ‘rival lovers’ and ruining his couch in the process.

That was my best birthday ever.

“Did he die?” She cried, sobbing then “All the novus that were courting me kept dying, b-because they kept k-killing each other!”

I sobbed hard. “No but he’s going to die once I go into the colony!”

We cried together for a while, others moving around us to get married while we sobbed.

When we both had a good hard cry, we then stood there together in silence for a while before she asked about who I was courting, and I told her about Terrance. And about my church. And about...everything, really.

She told me about having had over thirty fiances in ten years, and that she was very easily fell in love with people - especially strong hunter types, and that her heart was broken every time each of her fiances were killed because she loved them all, even though she only knew them for such a short time.

She always thought they were be her forever mate, but every time, another type A male came to fight for her hand and they always died in the process.

She said she was completely devastated to leave her family, but the pool of novus men that she could be engaged to now were from clans that would keep her locked away in their homes, so she and her family made the decision to send her to the colony, where she could at least be free, and her husband wouldn’t likely be killed.

And it was very important to her that he wasn’t killed, she said. She just wanted a mate that was strong enough to survive, and she figured in the colony, people wouldn’t try to kill her mate.

I asked if she cared that I was attracted to men, and she just shrugged and said that it would give us something to share together, which made me laugh. She said she would rather I be attracted to her, but if she got to be free and I got to be a life long partner that wasn’t going to die on her, then she would be okay as long as I was faithful to her and would be her friend, which I tearfully agreed to.

She was quiet for a minute and asked if I would consider myself a hunter type, and that she would enjoy my company if I was a hunter type, and I told her I was more of a teacher of small children type, and she frowned and nodded, patting my hand and telling me that I was a nice man, and that was good enough.

We both kinda agreed it was time to finally get into line because it was the very end of the line and we had to, shuffling along quietly as we got up to the registration desk where a couple novus female were. They scanned our bracelets and pulled up our files, giving us a congratulations for our marriage and taking part in the colony before they took off our bracelets and handed Heaven a pair of simple wedding bands to hold onto until it was our turn with the priest.

“If you want to make any last calls, now is the time.” One of the novus females said dully as she stared at her screen.

“And if I was being made to join the colony against my will?” I asked quietly. Her gaze suddenly cut to me and her fingers stilled, her head tilting. The female sitting next to her leaned back to stare at me as well. They traded looks then before I lowered my gaze to stare at my shoes. Heaven patted my hand and told me it was okay, and I could tell them. “My mate is Terrance Humblefellow.” I said then, very quietly. “My family doesn’t want me to mate with a man.” I blinked. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Tosser is your mate?” One of the females whispered. “You’re the church mouse?” I nodded. God, I felt so, so tired. My body felt so heavy.

I felt like I was dying.

I felt like I was turning to ash, breaking apart very slowly, a miserable pillar of salt because I was choosing to look back to Terrance instead of moving forward toward a righteous path. My family would hate me.

God would hate me.

“We have a back up.” One of the females said. I looked up to her suddenly to see she was resting her chin on her hand, her gaze soft as it watched me, the female next to her sitting close to her now, resting her cheek on the first females shoulder as she watched me as well. “Your clan wouldn’t know. Your family wouldn’t know. He’d take your place. You can just...disappear, if you want, at least until your replacement had his first child, and then they saw that your blood and his didn’t match up.”

“That would give you time…” the other agreed with a little smile.

I crumbled at that, my eyes watering as I nodded a little. I glanced to Heaven and her tear stricken face and big, hopeful eyes and I frowned, looking back to the novus female. “I want to make sure my replacement is an okay husband to Heaven,” I sniffled. “W-who would be replacing me?”

“A convict.” The women said together easily, Heaven and I both gasping.

“What did he do?” Heaven asked in a wobbly voice, her eyes watering up as she looked on in horror, my stomach tightening. I couldn’t let her marry a bad man she would be terrified with – I couldn’t do that to her in exchange for my own happiness.

The first novus female looked grave, saying then in a troubled tone “He crossed The Wilds and hunted Trinity’s MAN down to brutally murder him.”

Suddenly Heaven’s face relax and she smiled a little, looking up at me. “I’ll manage.” She said with a big smile. She tugged on my arm until I leaned down and she kissed my cheek.

I wrapped my arms to hold her, looking at the novus woman to nod. “Can I use your comm so I can call Terrance, please?” I asked in a little voice, trembling as I took the comm one of the females held out for me. I hesitated before I slowly slid my thumb along the number pad, putting in Terrance’s nine digit number. I cleared my throat before I held it up to my ear, covering my eyes with my other hand while Heaven wrapped her arms around me to hold me, singing she was going to get a real hunter for a husband.