An Alien Love B. 02

Hello, my friends! I am moved into my new house, but there is so much work to be done! Ugh! I am writing now even though I should be cleaning and painting. There is a mouse in my walls and whenever I hear him I think "He's so industrious! I should be working as hard as that little guy." And then I open up my computer and write something. (I will admit I am knocking out some Ice Era Chronicles, but I am writing on this too.) Thanks to all who are reading. Be well.

M. From C.M. Moore

***

*Chapter 21*

Not alone.

The next day, Sloan chatted with the manager of Dager Gym on the phone. The woman had a spot for Sloan starting next week. JP, as the owner of the health center, had insisted she hire Sloan because of his "great qualifications." Sloan had no idea what those were, but he needed a job, so he just went with the compliment. As he talked with the chatty woman, he got the impression she wanted him to become her assistant manager. Sloan would see. For now, whatever the work was, the job was fine with him. He needed something to do so he would not think about Octnavin.

Sloan took his motorcycle out for a short ride and got everything he needed to make raspberry smoothies. After he came home and ate, he took an afternoon nap. By the time Elijah came over with Chinese, he was just getting up. He had no idea why he was so tired. It had to be all the travel. How long did jet lag last?

"Hey." Elijah set the plastic bags of food on the dining table and then stopped. "Whoa. Are you okay? You look worse. Did you gain more weight?"

Sloan looked down. He'd taken off his jeans when he got home and slipped on pajama pants, a shirt, and a robe. His stomach did look funny. In fact, maybe he wouldn't be able to fit in his jeans right now.

"I've never really traveled before. Am I bloated? Maybe it was something I ate." He frowned. All he'd eaten was the smoothies and they'd tasted fine.

"You look—" Elijah frowned "I don't know. Pregnant." He laughed awkwardly. "Maybe you're right. You're just bloated—"

"Wait a sec. I'll be right back." Sloan jogged into the bedroom and tore off his robe. He lifted his shirt and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His stomach was sticking out like he'd gained weight but only in his middle. The rest of him looked skinny and tired. He studied his once tight abs. No longer did he have a six-pack. Lines of blue were like a spider web under his bruised skin. His eyes were bloodshot with bags under them. How could he have slept on and off all day and still looked this haggard? He looked strung out like a drug addict.

~I'm sure you don't look that bad,~ the little voice commented conversationally.

Sloan paused. He hadn't heard from that little voice since he fell asleep last night. Before, Sloan simply thought the voice was himself, but that tone didn't seem right. Now the voice was stronger and more forceful. That was the voice of a ruler.

~Who are you?~ Sloan asked, but he was starting to think he might already know the answer.

~I'm me.~

That didn't help.

~Where do you live?~ Sloan asked in his mind.

~With you.~

Sloan swallowed hard. All those times he thought Octnavin didn't understand humans and it was Sloan who didn't understand how Dagerstanteens reproduced. Fuck. He should have investigated that more, but there was a saying... hindsight was twenty-twenty. Sloan rubbed his blond hair.

~Are you inside of me?~

~Of course, I'm inside of you. Where else would I be?~

And Octnavin's offspring was as much of a dick as his father. Sloan set his hand on his stomach. He had no idea if an alien took nine months to grow like human babies. Figuring on how fat he looked, Sloan was thinking... no. A dark feeling struck him. If this alien baby could talk already, then it was big and advanced, and— he inhaled. Fuck. Don't panic. He could solve this.

~Solve what?~ the little voice asked.

~How do you come out?~ Sloan tried to keep his fear out of his mind.

Junior was silent.

~Thought so. Just don't worry. I'll think of something.~ Sloan sent a warm hug to the alien inside of him. He would figure this out.

"Sloan?" Elijah called. "Are you okay?"

Grabbing his bathrobe, he yanked on the fabric and pulled the lapels closed. He strode into the living room and shook his head at the fried rice. He was hungry, but now he was scared to eat. If he ate more would Junior-ruler get bigger? What would happen when the alien-baby couldn't fit? Sloan thought about the last time he was with Octnavin. They'd fooled around then Sloan left with Murry and Keltrix. There were two days of travel and then today. It had only been four days give or take.

"Elijah?" Sloan walked up to the counter and grabbed the container of rice. He had to give the baby something. "I have to tell you the truth about the Learning Institute, but you have to promise not to freak out."

"I never freak out." Elijah set his noodles aside and Sloan licked his lips.

"Cool." Here goes nothing. Sloan needed someone right now and Elijah was all he had. Two heads were better than one. Maybe together they could come up with a way to get the alien out of him.

~Three heads.~ The baby alien added in his mind. ~There are three of us.~

Right. Three.

Sloan launched into what happened. He started at the coffee shop and finished with his goodbye to Murry and Keltrix. When he finished the story, Elijah stared at his stomach and didn't speak.

"Are you still with me?" Sloan asked as he opened his robe and showed off the odd blue veins. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

Elijah nodded slowly.

"Do you believe me?"

Elijah's eyes jumped to Sloan's. "Yeah. I've been painting strange alien things since right after I met JP. I dream about that stuff at night. I even dream about the tentacles. All this makes me feel better. I was worried I was losing my mind. None of what you told me is freaking me out...except..." Elijah bit his bottom lip.

"What?"

"How are you going to get the alien out of you? You're not a woman."

"I realize that. I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?" Elijah's eyes narrowed.

"I need to contact JP." Sloan snapped his robe closed and knotted the belt. "Can you call him? Or email him? Fuck, I'll even take the website where you met him. No one knows about Junior and I'm cut off from Octnavin. I didn't even get the cat's phone number." Sloan shook his head. Murry was right. He did say some fucking weird sentences now.

"JP calls me but it's a restricted number. I can't call him back. We met in a chatroom online, but he's not been on for a long time now. I checked."

Sloan began to pace. "Octnavin said he was going to the sanctuary. I tried to contact him, but I'm cut off."

~I tried too, but I can't find my creator.~ Junior whispered sadly.

~You're worried about space in there too?~

~A little. I'm keeping my tentacles tucked in.~

~I'll figure this out.~

Sloan sat and then glanced at Elijah. Now his friend began to pace since the floor was free.

"I have an idea." Elijah rubbed his temple. "I sold one of my alien dream paintings to this guy. It was this weapon that I swear I'd never seen, but I knew the blade in detail. Anyway, the old man I sold it to, he wanted another piece. It's a landscape. I told him no because the work wasn't done, but here's the thing. This old dude, Munroe, he is a computer genius. So, here's my plan. I'll call him up and tell him I'll sell him the painting he wants, but only if he uses his computer skills to look up JP. I bet he can figure out a restricted number. He's a genius."

"I don't think this will work." Sloan leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. Already he was getting tired again.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No."

"I'll call Munroe right now."