The angel was in heaven. Maria held Manuel close as she kissed his lips, and she felt like she never wanted to let go--
"I can tell your mind's elsewhere," Ida told her, drawing back from her kiss.
"I'm sorry," Maria replied, "but you know this would be so much better if Manuel was here."
"You and your young love--or before-middle-aged love, at least. Us old farts see this stuff more clearly. Manuel's afraid of all of us, and especially of me." For the fifth time that day, her tone turned questioning. "Why does he react so strongly to me? Did he love me before he loved you?"
"You know Flora won't let me tell you that. There's too much pain in your memories." Something of Isaac had clearly survived--Ida hadn't reacted well when Manuel fled from her. Only through Flora's influence had she and Maria found solace in each other.
Maria had never loved a woman before, but neither had she held with her church's teachings against the act. She had come to understand that Ida was better off this way, and she was nothing but thankful to Flora for giving her such a soft and tender lover. But Ida had no playfulness in her, and little humor, and Maria couldn't help but miss Manuel's casual wit.
Ida suddenly smiled as she caught sight of something behind Maria. Before Maria could react, she felt a furry tail playing at her naked slit. "Caught you!" Cat yelled out. "If I was hunting, you'd be dead now."
Here, at least, there was playfulness to be found--an excess of it, in fact. But as Maria took Cat's tail in her hand, and guided it inside her, she thought again of the boy she'd once said she loved.
-- -- -- --
Manuel knew that this strange new Maria was not ashamed to be naked--that she now delighted in the way he stared at her. That was precisely why he turned away as he saw her approach.
She was direct. "I miss you."
He, on the other hand, circled around to the point. "You know, I've never gotten a good look at what you've become. You draw the wings back in when you see me coming."
A few days ago, I would have made a joke out of that, he thought. When did I lose my sense of humor?
"Manuel, I know you're afraid of me now. But I'm the same Maria that I always was, and I love you."
"I haven't activated the alert beacon. I keep asking myself why not."
That was enough to shock Maria. "You want them to kill Flora?"
"They'll kill her anyway, when they land. Unless you get them first--infect them, like you infected Isaac and Cap. And from there, they'll keep throwing men and bombs at you. We both know the only way to save her."
"No one will be hurt," Maria said, and he knew that she believed it. "We know from Procne that minds like Flora can spread across space, if someone brings them. All we have to do is reach Earth. We'll help everyone who's in pain--
everyone!
--and no one will be willing to bomb Earth to get rid of her."
