Part 9 (2/2)

”Looks simple enough,” Kor remarked as they stepped into the forest, which was carpeted in soft dark blue moss.

”Sure does,” Maggie agreed. ”Touch a tree, make a face, move on. Okay, let's go. I want to get done here and go back to the room to take samples.”

”We still have to visit the Remembrance Pool too,” Kor reminded her.

”That's right. d.a.m.n it!” Maggie could scarcely contain her irritation. Here she was on a strange alien world filled with new plant and animal specimens but was she allowed to study any it? No. Instead, she had to prance around in a ridiculous, embarra.s.sing outfit that showed way more of her private areas than she was comfortable with and pretend to take part in some useless social ritual that was just completely- Just at that moment, Maggie's hand landed on a tree trunk. Actually, it was the white satin one she'd first been admiring. And then everything changed...

Immediately, she was transported from the forest and straight to the tiny wedding chapel in Key West where her parents had been married. Her brother and older sister had been married there too-it was a family tradition but one Maggie hadn't been sure she would ever get to partic.i.p.ate in. Because, though Donald had finally broken down and asked her to marry him two years ago, he had shown absolutely zero indication to actually set a date for the actual wedding.

Yet, here she was in the chapel with the warm, tropical breeze blowing through the open windows. The faint cry of sea birds could be heard outside over the low, tuneful sound of an ancient pipe organ playing.

Looking around, Maggie saw the whole place was filled with flowers-white orchids and pale pink roses that gave off a sweet, lovely scent. Her whole family was there too-filling the rows of pews and smiling at her. Her mother was even wiping away a tear. She had been very against Maggie getting engaged to Donald in the first place-mainly because she was certain he would never actually get around to getting married. The relieved look on her face told Maggie she was glad to be wrong.

Suddenly someone nudged her in the back.

”Come on, Maggie-they're playing the march. Better get moving!” hissed her sister, Trisha.

”Trish?” Maggie looked behind her and saw her oldest sister wearing a gorgeous green gown and looking fierce.

”Come on,” she insisted. ”You can't keep Donald waiting! G.o.d knows it took him long enough to agree to a date. If you don't go right now, he might get cold feet and run away from the altar.”

”But I can't...I'm not dressed to...” Maggie looked down at herself and gave a little gasp of shock. Instead of the tight black cat suit, she was draped in white satin. The gown swished against her ankles with a whispery sound when she moved and it had a sweetheart neckline, exactly like what she'd always imagined wearing when she pictured her wedding day.

”Go,” Trisha urged her again. ”Lucy's almost out of flower petals!”

Looking forward again, Maggie saw that her youngest niece, wearing an adorable white lace gown, was just reaching the end of the aisle. As Trisha had said, she was scattering the last of the pale pink rose petals which had been in her little white satin basket. She finished and looked back at her mother for rea.s.surance.

”Good, Lucy,” Trisha whispered loudly at her daughter. ”Now go stand by Auntie Tammy-good girl.”

Lucy toddled off to stand by Maggie's younger sister who was wearing a pale pink bridesmaid's dress and holding a bouquet of pink roses and white lilacs.

”Go on!” This time Trisha practically shoved her and Maggie took off down the aisle though she still had no idea what was going on. She reached the end and turned to face the man beside her.

It was Donald. He was wearing a badly fitting tux which seemed to hang on his skinny frame-probably because he had refused to take time off from his research to go be fitted. He glanced down at his watch, a scowl on his face.

”Margaret, you're throwing off the timing of the ceremony,” he complained in a low voice. ”You promised if we did this, it would be over in time for me to get back to my experiment. The parameters are most specific and if I miss my projected window-”

”I'm sorry,” Maggie gasped. ”But I never expected to get married today.”

”Neither did I but tradition and the expectations of your family dictate that as we have been engaged for two years and in a romantic relations.h.i.+p for five, it is time to formalize our living arrangement.”

”I know that, Donald.” Maggie felt a little less disorientated now-this really was the way Donald talked and the idea of him doing an experiment on their wedding day wasn't surprising at all. Her fiance ate, breathed, and slept molecular biology-it was really the only thing that interested him. Pulling him away from his work-even to get married-would definitely make him irritable. ”It'll be over in a minute,” she a.s.sured him. ”So just-”

”Dearly Beloved,” began the minister, staring at Maggie pointedly. ”We are gathered together here to join these two people in the sight of G.o.d in Holy Matrimony...”

Maggie faced forward quickly, feeling liked she'd been caught laughing at a funeral. The minister was giving her and Donald both the evil eye-had they been talking louder than she'd thought?

”Maggie,” whispered Donald.

”Shhhh!” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

”Maggie!” he spoke again but somehow his voice was deeper.

”Your experiment will have to wait. Now be quiet,” she muttered. Then it occurred to her that her fiance had never called her anything but her full name, Margaret. So why- ”Maggie!” he insisted.

”What?” Fed up with his rudeness on what was supposed to be the most beautiful and important day of their life, she finally turned to face him-and got a shock.

Donald was gone. In his place, Kor was standing there. His broad shoulders filled out the black tux admirably. Maggie couldn't help thinking he looked all kinds of delicious dressed up but the look on his face was worried.

”Kor?” she whispered. ”What are you doing here? I don't understand.”

”This isn't real.” He tugged at her hand. ”You need to come away. You've been touching this d.a.m.n tree too long.”

”What?” His words didn't make any sense. ”But...I'm getting married,” she protested weakly.

”To who? That p.i.s.sed off little male who cares more about his work than you?”

”Donald's just like that. He doesn't mean any harm,” Maggie protested.

”We can debate that later. Right now we need to get you out of here.”

Taking her hand more firmly, he pulled her down the aisle and away from the minister and the a.s.sembled friends and family.

”Wait!” Maggie wailed as he dragged her along. ”Look, I know it's not perfect but I'm finally getting-”

Suddenly she was surrounded by the strange forest again. The soft blue moss under her feet and the strange pale green sky barely visible through the branches reminded her that she was on an alien world.

”Married,” she finished in a small voice. She looked up at Kor who was still holding her hand and looking anxiously down at her. ”What happened?”

”You went into the tree's dream too deeply.” His voice sounded rough with worry. ”For a minute I didn't think I'd be able to get you back. You must want that dream pretty d.a.m.n badly.”

”To get married...” Maggie blushed and put a hand to her cheek. ”Oh, well...it has been a long time since Donald gave me the ring. I-” She shook her head. ”Why am I talking about this to you?”

”Because I was there-I saw it all, remember?” he said patiently. ”Is the male you've pledged yourself to really like that?”

Maggie bristled. ”Like what?”

”Like...” Kor gestured with one hand, as though trying to find the words. ”I watched you walk down the aisle wearing the dress you had dreamed for yourself. You were... glowing.”

”I was?” Maggie put a hand to her cheek which was hot all over again. ”Um, thanks I guess.”

”It was clear you were happy to be a bride,” Kor went on. ”But this Donald of yours didn't look nearly so happy. All he could talk about was getting back to his work. Is that normal for him?”

”I told you, that's just the way he is-he loves his work,” Maggie said defensively. ”We both do. It's one of the things that makes our relations.h.i.+p so perfect-we can concentrate on our research and not bother each other. Sometimes for days on end.”

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