Rixie Tam’s eyes glued to the screen as she watched the vote tally tick higher and higher. She was watching the final vote on human emancipation. On her shoulder Alex sat, tracking the tally on the screen as well. With each vote cast, his weight on her shoulder seemed to grow heavier and heavier as each of the legislators cast their vote.

Rixie held her breath as the last of the votes began to trickle in. four-hundred and ninety-eight… four-hundred and ninety-nine… five-hundred….

“Come on…” She heard Alex mutter from her shoulder.

Five-hundred and one.

Rixie’s eyes widened and for a brief moment she couldn’t actually believe it. It was done. Alex… her son Ryan… they were people again.

They’d always been people; Rixie knew that, of course. But, now the government knew it too.

“You know what this means right?”

Rixie blinked. “You mean other than the fact that you’re no longer technically my pet?”

“Yes, besides that.”

“What?”

“It means we have a wedding to plan.”

Rixie sighed. She could already feel the headache coming on.

“Are you certain you don’t just want to elope?” She asked, gently pinching him between her fingers and bringing him in front of her face while cradling him in her palm.

“I’m up for whatever, Rix” Alex said with a shrug. “But I feel I should remind you that this whole ‘wedding’ thing was your idea.”

“I know.” Rixie groaned exasperatedly. “I know. But now that it’s finally time the idea of planning an entire wedding sounds exhausting as hell.”

Alex leaned back against her fingers. “It does. But, you know, if we’re really trying to make a statement, being the first to legally marry as co-citizens, there should probably be an actual ceremony.”

“Yeah…” Rixie sighed and lowered Alex to her thigh. “What kind of ceremony do we want to have, though? Something from Earth?”

Alex shook his head. “No way am I giving up a chance to have a cool alien wedding.”

“Of course you aren’t.” Rixie snorted in amusement. “But, what if I want a cool alien wedding?”

Alex thought about that for a moment. “All right, we’ll have a Ler wedding ceremony then.”

“Sorry, can’t do that.” Rixie responded. “Ler ritualistically cut off their tails during their ceremony. It’s meant to symbolize an end to the former life and beginning of a new one. Or something like that, anyway.”

“A nice thought.” Alex admitted. “Although kind of disturbing at the same time.”

“Yes, well, unfortunately you and I don’t have regenerating limbs.” Rixie laughed.

“Or tails, for that matter.”

The two of them sat in thought for a moment. Finally, after a long pause, Alex broke the silence. “Why not just have a Jotunn wedding” He asked, quietly. “You know I’m always trying to get you to reconnect with your heritage more. This seems like a good way for you to do so.”

Rixie blanched. “Oh uh, I…I don’t know Alex, I mean Jotnar ceremonies are really uh… complicated, you know? Maybe we should try for something a bit simpler.”

“But, Rix…”

“Anyway!” Rixie suddenly plucked Alex from her thigh and shot to her feet. “I uh, have a meeting with Pryvani I have to get to; we’ll discuss this more a little later, okay?”

And without giving Alex a chance to respond, Rixie practically fled the room.

*.*.*

“It’s not that I don’t want to have a Jotunn wedding.” Rixie told Pryvani in the latter’s office a few minutes later. “But there are things… Alex doesn’t… I mean it’s not his fault of course, but he doesn’t understand.”

“Like what, darling?” Pryvani asked, mildly.

“What?”

“What sort of things doesn’t he understand, dear?” Pryvani repeated; her lips upturned in amusement.

Rixie sighed and stared at her boots. After a moment she looked up again and ran a hand through her braids. “There are a lot of things that have to happen before the ceremony in Jotunn culture. Things that rely on family… clan… neither of which I have.”

“I see.” Pryvani nodded. “You know…If it helps, you do have a family, after all.”

Rixie smiled. “I know I do, thank you. But none of you are Jotunn. This is something you can’t help me with. No, we’ll just have to have a different kind of ceremony. That’s all there is to it. Alex will get over it, and so will I.”

“Well, if that’s how you feel, dear.”

“It’ll be fine.” Rixie said with a shrug before standing. “But thanks for letting me talk.”

“Of course.” Pryvani responded

“I should probably go. You looked busy before I burst in here.” Rixie turned to leave.

“Not at all, dear. You know my door is always open for you.” Pryvani chuckled as Rixie left the room.

She waited just long enough for the door to close before turning on her datapad.

As usual, Pryvani had a call to make.

*.*.*

“All right boys and girls, the next round’s on me!”

Alex looked up from his place behind the bar amid the cheers that rose from the announcement.

The man who had made the proclamation grinned widely as the door to the street outside shut behind him.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in.” Alex laughed and put his bar rag down long enough to shake the newcomer’s hand. “Sam Rodriguez. You finish shooting your next flick already?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wait staff make the circuit to the occupied tables for their next drink orders. Nobody called ‘round’s on me’ in Rixie’s unless they meant it, because Alex would hold them to it.

“Yes I did, and for the first time in over a damn century of doing this shit, I got a paycheck in my own name. And that, my friends, is something to celebrate!”

A loud cheer rang through the bar.

“Speaking of celebrations,” Sam continued once the noise had died down. “I hear you got a party of your own to plan soon.”

Alex nodded. “I guess we do. I don’t know what we were thinking, angling to be ‘first’ and all that. It’s just been a big headache.”

Sam chuckled and took a sip of the dark beer Alex had placed in front of him. “Better you than me.”

“Watch it, pal.” Alex growled mockingly. “Or I’ll make sure Rixie aims the bouquet so you’re next.”

“Ha!” Sam crowed. “I’d like to see her catch it.”

The actor glanced around the room and saw that the waiters had finished passing out the drinks. Before Alex could stop him, Sam stepped onto his stool and then onto the bar top.

“My friends!” He called out to the room. “Raise your glasses! You all have heard the news, I’m sure, and how the vote went.” Sam didn’t have to clarify, everybody knew which ‘vote’ he meant.

“Here’s to no more wards, guardians, and minders; well-meaning though they might have been. Here’s to being able to cash our own checks, earn our own way, and stand on our own two feet again!”

The crowd cheered.

“And on a not-entirely unrelated note: To Alex Carey, who is using his newfound freedom to chain himself even further to a Titan!” Sam toasted with a grin. “But at least he picked a pretty one!”

“L’chaim!” The crowd responded, using the now-traditional toast for Rixie’s.

“Yeah, thanks.” Alex responded sardonically before taking a sip of his own drink. “Now get the hell off my bar before I chuck you out.”

Sam shook his head, but climbed down and lowered himself back onto the barstool.

“So what’s the plan on that front anyway?” The actor asked as the noise in the bar returned to its normal dull roar. “You two jetting off to Vegas for a McWedding?”

“Thought about it.” Alex admitted with a grin. “And believe me; I’d dearly love to see Rix on the strip as her normal self. But, no. Against our better judgement, she and I are going to have a proper ceremony.”

“Ah well, probably a better idea in the long run.” Sam slid his empty glass forward and Alex exchanged it for a full one. “Something to remember in the long years when you two can’t stand each other anymore.”

“You do know we’ve already been together for over a century and a half right?” Alex reminded him, fully aware he was being teased.

Sam took a drink and waved his hand dismissively.

“So what’s next for the great Sam Rodriguez, now that he’s wrapped his latest movie?”

Sam scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Maybe a movie about a young restaurant entrepreneur who takes the culinary world by storm.”

Alex snorted derisively. “Nobody’s going to want to see a movie about me.”

“You?” Sam grinned. “I was talking about Emeril Lagasse.”

*.*.*.*.*

The muscles in Rixie’s arms strained as she raised the weighted bar to her shoulders. She held the dumbbell in place for a ten count then slowly lowered it again, breathing out as she did so. After a moment, she lowered it back to the gym mat with a muffled thud. She’d done over a hundred reps and while her arms burned pleasantly, it hadn’t done much to help her anxiety.

She was having second thoughts. Not about marrying Alex, of course. Even if she were, the ship had long since sailed on that front. No she was having second thoughts about holding a massive production of a wedding. Neither she nor Alex particularly enjoyed being the center of attention; (there was a reason Rixie gravitated towards a sport largely played anonymously, after all.)

Rixie shook her head. No, she’d been right the first time. They needed to go through with it, and publically.

Rixie barely registered the sound of the gym doors opening before a giggly little cannonball suddenly impacted her side, causing her to stumble forward.

Once she’d recovered her footing, Rixie looked down to see her daughter’s grinning face, the little girl’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“Well hello there.” Rixie chuckled and lifted the squirming toddler into a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry Rixie. She insisted on seeing you.”

Rixie turned to see her daughter’s teenage babysitter meandering towards them.

“That’s okay.” Rixie smiled, and brushed her daughter’s brown hair from her face. “I kind of wanted to see her, too.”

The peaceful moment lasted only a few seconds before the little girl squirmed out of her mother’s arms. “Mommy! Watch me dance!” Asteria exclaimed before twirling away on the gym mat, moving to music only she could hear.

Rixie watched her daughter for a moment, before turning to the other kid in the room. “Thanks again for watching her, Khali.”

The teenage titan brushed her long pink hair out of her face. “Oh no problem. I don’t mind, Tria’s adorable and you pay well.”

Rixie snorted. “Since when do you worry about money? Yes, I’m watching you dance, sweetie.”

“It’s not really the money.” Khali laughed. “Alex offered me credit at the Rixie’s near school, which is way better than the mess hall by a few thousand lightyears.”

“You’d think a school that expensive would have better food.” Rixie responded mildly.

“The food isn’t horrible, or anything.” Khali shrugged. “But they don’t have pizza.”

“Ah.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Rixie’s pad suddenly started beeping. She looked at the screen, but didn’t recognize the number.

“Huh. Excuse me a second.” She said to Khali, who nodded and then started chasing after Asteria while making monster noises.

Rixie stepped closer to the door, and pushed the ‘Answer’ button on the screen. She had no idea who was on the other line.

“Hello?”

A split second later, a face appeared on the screen. And while it might not have been the last person Rixie expected to be talking to, it was still pretty far down the list.

“Hello Imperator,” Empress Rajenlif said brightly. “I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment?”