Dinah giggled as Alex carried her into their apartment in the Visitor's Center. He kicked the door closed and leaned against it, kissing her thoroughly.

"Did you see the look on Hell- lay- na's face when you asked Josh to bring the kids home in a couple of hours?" Dinah asked him when they came up for air.

"She was the one trying to convince us to have more kids." He said as he carried her to the bedroom.

"Well, from what I've heard, she thinks procreation is better than recreation."

"Which is probably why Karim spends his time in the pub ogling every female in there."

"Did you notice him checking out my legs while you and I were dancing?"

"I was busy," Alex said, nibbling her neck and unfastening the tight pink sweater she was wearing.

"Alex, I'm not in the mood for a quick lay," Dinah said, batting at his hand. "We have two solid hours before the kids get here. Seduce me."

Alex gave her a lopsided grin and turned to pick up his slate. He knew just the kind of music she liked. "Alan used to check out your legs too."

"Without making me feel like he was going to jump me at any second. Karim always looks so hungry when he does it. Alan made me feel... appreciated."

"Besides, Em would have blasted him if he'd done more than look."

Dinah unbuttoned her sweater, knowing exactly what her husband liked.

"Maybe that's why there's a trend towards long skirts here."

"Could be." Dinah said thoughtfully. Her own skirt had been noticibly shorter than everyone else in the pub. She picked up a brush and unhooked her long black hair from the twist it was in. She stood in front of the mirror brushing her hair out slowly.

Soft jazz began to play and Alex dimmed the lights and walked up behind her. He took the brush from her and began to slowly brush her hair. He looked over her shoulder at the reflection of her bare breasts in the mirror.

"Remember when we were dating?" Dinah said with a smile.

"And you wouldn't allow anything below the waist?" He watched the way her breasts rose and fell as she breathed, appreciating the view.

"And when it was time for me to get home we'd call each other on our slates?"

He brushed her hair away from the left side of her neck and leaned down to brush his lips against her neck. "You're not interested in having 'slate sex' right now, are you?"

"No, I've kinda gotten used to the real thing over the years."

"Only kinda?" he pulled her hair over her shoulder, and watched it cascade down over her breast. He put the brush down and continued to stroke her hair, fingers touching her skin through the silky strands of hair.

She closed her eyes and sighed, leaning against him. "Mmm, maybe more than kinda." She turned around and he lifted her onto the dresser and leaned down to kiss her, his hand tangling in her silky hair. She leaned against his chest. "We certainly have improved over the last ten years, haven't we?"

"Practice makes perfect," Alex quipped. He leaned a cheek against her silky hair and smiled as he moved his hands under her sweater.

Their wedding night had been less than successful, leaving him frustrated and Dinah in tears. They had both used Emma's wedding as a chance to recover and ask for some advice. Oddly, or perhaps not, Emma and Alan gave them the same advice, separately, and almost simultaneously: go slow and find out what the other person liked, ask questions, talk to each other. Alex's father had also suggested they talk to each other. By the time they left the dinner party after the wedding, there was a copy of the "Kama Sutra" waiting on his slate and a note from his mother not to take it too seriously, but to read it together. Alex wondered who Sal would go to for advice on such matters. But then, he and Hester had probably worked out that sort of thing long ago. Sal had quite a reputation, despite his youth.

Alex trailed kisses down her jaw and moved his hands down her body, then under her skirt. She shifted slightly and wrapped her legs around him. "Oh, Alex," she moaned as his fingers gently explored her. She leaned back with a sigh.

The sound of a call on Alex's slate interrupted the music. "Let's ignore it," Alex whispered in her ear.

"What if it's Josh? What if the kids need us?"

Alex figured it was just as likely to be Josh playing a joke on them, since they'd recruited him to be babysitter for them again, but knew Dinah was too good a mother to be able to relax and forget about the children.

"Don't go away," he said with a smile.

When he touched the screen his mother's face appeared. "Mom? Something wrong?"

She smiled at him. "No, nothing's wrong. Your brother, Evan is here with Crystal. They're planning to head to the forestry center tomorrow and they want you to stand with them while they get married. Will the kids be all right for a short while while you come over? We're only down the hall."

"The kids are with Josh right now," Alex glanced back at Dinah who was still sitting on the dresser. She smiled and nodded in reply to his unspoken question. "Give us a half hour and we'll be over."

His mother nodded and signed off.

"Married?" Dinah said. "I'm happy for them. I hope they're as happy as we've been."

Alex crossed back to his wife. "Me too. They both deserve some happiness."

"You now only have a half hour, Alex," Dinah teased. "The clock is ticking."

Alex lifted his wife without hesitation and headed for the bed.

It was late evening by the time Karim could go to his office. It had been a good day, full of sun and laughter, and Karim felt tired but relaxed. He should really have gone home and stayed there until the morning, but his mind was always full of administrative affairs, and he couldn't resist the temptation to catch up on some work at this late hour. Helena had politely enquired where he was going, but didn't comment on his plan; he had made a habit of making a brief visit to his office on his rest day.

Karim didn't turn on the corridor light as he came out of the elevator, trusting the emergency light to be enough to guide him to his office. In fact, he was pretty sure he would be able to find his way to his office with his eyes closed. As he turned the corner into the corridor where the administrative offices were, Karim could see light coming from under Becky's office door. He hesitated, unsure what Becky might be doing in her office at this late hour. But then he knocked on the door.

"Yes? Come in," he heard, so he obeyed her order.

Becky was sitting behind her desk, reading her desktop screen and evidently mesmerised by its contents. She only had her desk lamp on and it cast a harsh, unforgiving light on her beautiful features. Her light brown hair was loose and simply tucked behind her ears. Karim watched her hazel eyes as they flitted back and forth across the display. The artificial screen gave her tanned skin an eerie green hue. Karim thought about making some comment about Orion slave women, but then decided that the joke would require too much explanation.

Becky glanced up at Karim and smiled brightly.

"Oh, hi. You're in late. Did you have a good rest day?"

Karim nodded and went to sit in the visitor's chair in front of Becky's desk. Her office was opposite Karim's, on the inside of the cliff, so it had no window. Becky had compensated for this by arranging a row of knickknacks on a shelf behind her. There were artificial flowers, various clay figurines and pictures of her daughter Colette, as well as an old plastic doll standing at one end. The doll, "Sasha", was unusual; its sallow features were calm and unsmiling, its painted brown eyes seeming to stare into the middle distance. There were few dolls in circulation on Alpha and Karim found this one particularly disturbing.

Drawing his eyes away from the doll, Karim concentrated instead on Becky's question about his day.

"Yes, it was a good day. Helena and I took the children out onto the Flats. We met up with the Koenigs out there and played with their children and nephews, the Carter children. We had a football match. That was fun."

"Who won?"

"We opted for mixed teams. It was too obvious to pitch Koenigs versus Habibis. Alex and I didn't play, but Antonio's team won in the end. I didn't think it was completely fair, because the children are all different ages. Antonio's about a year older than Bella and Preston, and at that age, it does make quite a difference. Mind you, Bella scored a couple of the goals for Antonio's side. Antonio was very impressed; he's used to his own sisters, who can't kick a ball to save their lives, any of them. Sophie and Maya Souad were off rehearsing this new play Sophie is in. Well, Sophie was rehearsing it and Maya was sort of coaching her. I think it's funny how the theatre group here is suddenly going through every play in the repertoire that has at least one speaking role for a child, just because they always want Sophie to be up on the stage. There's no doubt about it; she has talent. It's lucky we have no Hollywood here to whisk her away and ruin her life for her."

Becky leaned back in her chair with little more than a polite nod. Clearly, gossip about the Habibi children didn't interest her.

"You're becoming a real family man these days," she commented, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

"Well, I'll admit it's a recent development," said Karim. "I'm a lot more interested in my children now they've become sentient and developed some personality of their own. They give me and Helena an endless supply of conversation topics. She and I actually have a few things in common these days!"

Becky nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Children are a great topic of conversation."

Karim assumed she was thinking about her own family situation. Against all odds, or at least against the expectations of Dover gossips at the time, Becky was still married to Jorge Martinez, though they only had one child, Colette. Officially, Colette was an only child for medical reasons, because Becky ostensibly couldn't have any more children. She had admittedly suffered a great deal when she was expecting Colette, experiencing a nasty case of preeclampsia. But Karim knew that the condition wouldn't have prevented her from having other children. She didn't have any because she didn't want any. And although Jorge had occasionally expressed regret at this state of affairs, it was clear that whatever Becky wanted she got. At least, that was as much as Karim knew about their situation.

"Snazzy sweater, by the way," remarked Becky, looking pointedly at Karim's tunic.

He looked down and grinned. "New Year present from the family. I think Helena decided that the clay pots Hester had the children making were too easy, so she got the children to take up knitting. They evidently decided to make up for a lack of skill by using as many different colours as possible."

"It's... pretty awful," said Becky with a chuckle. "I got the 'Mummy' pot from Colette -- a lot nicer than the Daddy design -- and Jorge gave me some cloth flowers that Akiko had people making. So I have the flowers in the pot, here." She pointed them out on the shelf. Karim had noticed them before and had assumed they were her New Year's presents. "I think it was a great idea to have workshops to help people make presents. I got tired of Jorge giving me the latest item of one-size-fits-all clothing from Supplies. It didn't exactly stretch me to go and fetch kitchen utensils for him either."

"I don't know why we have to give New Year presents at all," said Karim with mock seriousness. "It's just the Christian Christmas under another name. They even play those silly songs."

"Hey, I like some of those songs!" protested Becky. "Just not the ones with the religious crap in them, obviously."

"Obviously. My point is that Muslims like me didn't celebrate Christmas on Earth, so why celebrate it here?"

"Because it's fun and you get to hear silly songs. And anyway, the whole point of having the tree and the presents at New Year is that we're not celebrating Christmas. We're celebrating the New Year, which is something that everyone can agree with. Anyway, why are we talking about New Year? That was months ago!"

Karim nodded. He had no idea how they got onto that topic; the "New Year = Christmas" discussion was an old one, and Karim was being facetious when he said they shouldn't celebrate it. He loved New Year. He loved the misshapen little presents the children were encouraged to make in school, the home-made decorations people stuck to their doors, the roast dove and paté the Catering section were exceptionally allowed to prepare for the communal New Year's Eve banquet. He loved scheming with Helena to pick or make gifts for the children; a new football jersey for Antonio, a box for Sophie to put her costumes in, toys for the other children. He even loved the hideous jumper his wife and children had knitted for him. Despite her enthusiasm, Helena wasn't a very patient or meticulous person, and none of the children were particularly interested in knitting. The sweater had some holes where stitches had inadvertently been dropped and one of the sleeves was a couple of centimetres shorter than the other, presumably the result of someone not counting their rows -- or so Layla had suggested when she saw the garment.

While Karim was thinking about New Year, Becky had gone back to her rapt observation of the computer screen. From her expression, Karim gathered that she must be playing a game of some kind. Every now and then a new game would appear on a forum and everyone would play it avidly, until they lost interest and something else did the rounds.

"What are you doing here this late, anyway?" he asked. "You seem very interested in whatever you're doing."

"Well, Jorge's off on the Alpha run for a couple of weeks and Colette's staying with Grandma, so I don't have to go home. I'm looking at this thing instead."

"Let me guess, you're reading a dirty story on the Sex forum."

"Your favourite haunt, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," said Karim without missing a beat. "My alias 'Big Boy' is well-known to the denizens of the forum."

Becky guffawed. "Big boy," she scoffed. "Yeah, I bet. So you spend all your time in there. I thought so."

"Well, just the occasional visit. By the way, that reminds me; I've spoken with Hester and she's agreed to expand the sex education curriculum a bit. Lots of emphasis on pregnancy prevention obviously, but a bit more general knowledge as well. I'm amazed at what people from our generation don't know about human sexuality. A map of a woman's private parts would do kids of both sexes a whole lot of good, for a start."

"Not just the kids," said Becky with a sly smile. "I can think of a few men who could probably do with one too."

"Yeah, and there I was hoping I'd get one for New Year."

Becky glanced at Karim and then returned her attention to the screen. "Maybe I should get you one for your birthday."

"Oh, why go through all the trouble of getting a map?" he asked cheekily. "A live demonstration would do. Seriously, what are you looking at? It's obviously fascinating. Can I be fascinated too?"

Without taking her eyes off the screen, Becky beckoned for him to join her. Karim obediently dragged his chair around to her side of the desk. Becky always liked novelties, and the chair was the very latest model, a plastic seat and back mounted on a steel tubing frame. It was a lot heavier than an ordinary plastic chair, as Karim discovered when he moved it.

"You remember what Richard Koenig said about relatives by marriage having children?" said Becky as Karim sat down beside her.

Karim had some vague recollection of the forum conversation, though it had taken place a few months earlier. "Well..."

"He said that if two families were already linked by marriage, further links would weaken the gene pool by repeating existing mixtures," Becky reminded him. "Only right now, the computer only considers whether two individuals are blood relatives, not whether they have some other relatives already married to each other. Well your little sister Layla has come up with a program that will automatically calculate the relationship between two individuals and then give you a little chart, as well as a guess as to whether a union between these two people would mean repetitive gene sequences."

"And this is what has kept you here until 24 o'clock?" Karim looked at the screen; it just showed a list of Doverian names.

"It's quite fun looking at the relations between people. A bit scary too. Let's take you and me, for example."

"Just a random example, right?" said Karim suspiciously, because he already suspected what the answer would be.

"Totally random. But there you have it. We wouldn't be good candidates for marriage because your brother was married to my sister. If we got married and had children, they would have exactly the same Habibi+Collins combination as Nick and Laura. Which would be counterproductive as far as diversifying the gene pool is concerned."

"Oh, so the fact that we've both already contributed other combinations to the gene pool doesn't matter?"

Becky evidently decided not to answer that. She reselected Karim's name and then did a search on 'Vincent, Helena'.

"On the other hand, you see, you were wise to choose Helena, because the two of you aren't related at all. Now, Brenda on the other hand, was a bit closer, but still more than OK." The screen changed to display a colourful partial genealogy chart. "You're married to Helena, whose brother Duncan is married to Halima, whose sister Aisha is married to Jean-Paul Castellano, whose brother Emile was married to Brenda. So there is a link, but it's very distant."

Karim just looked at Becky affectionately, watching the animation on her features as she enumerated the links between a few of their other acquaintances. For some reason which eluded him, she seemed to find the little program fascinating, as if uncovering the obscure family connections of the Doverian population was a thrilling treasure hunt Layla had just given her a map for.

"You're not really interested, are you?" she said suddenly.

"Nope. It must be a woman thing."

Becky turned on her chair so that they were face to face. "It's an important thing," she said, though her features were not entirely serious. "Richard Koenig said bad things could happen if our genes aren't diverse enough, and you know we should always do what Doctor Koenig says."

"Oh, yes, absolutely," agreed Karim in mock seriousness, moving just a little closer. "But he's talking about marriage and children. There surely wouldn't be any moral objections to a little fling between a man and his sister's sister-in-law."

It occurred to Karim that he had already had a fling with the same sister's other sister-in-law, Kiri. But he was in no mood for self-psychoanalysis, and dismissed the idea.

Even though Karim had moved closer, Becky didn't move back. She seemed to be a lot more comfortable with his flirting nowadays.

"Hmm. Would there be any moral objections?" she said, pretending to give the matter some thought. "Well, I don't know. And since it's never going to happen, I guess we'll never find out."

"Oh, you don't know. What if, say, Matthew fell madly in love with Basma, for instance? It could happen, you never know," he added as Becky started to laugh. Everyone knew that Matthew was as good as married to Mary Osgood. In fact, rumours were even circulating that they might marry for real.

"Yes, I suppose it could happen," Becky conceded reluctantly. She pointed at the screen again. "But I'll tell you something; some of the third generation are going to need a matchmaker or a program like this to work out who they're allowed to marry. Well, I doubt marriage between relatives by marriage will ever be forbidden, but it might get difficult for some people to find partners they aren't related to in any way."

"Examples?"

"If we're talking about avoiding a second intermarriage between two families, then Colette can't marry a Habibi, an Osgood, a Kano or a Silberstein."

"I can't think of any potential suitors in any of those families anyway," said Karim with a shrug. "And she's only five; it's a bit soon to be worrying about her marriage prospects."

"Four and a half, and I was just giving Colette as an example. Now if you take your Sophie..."

"A Silberstein?"

"Hmm?"

"You said Colette couldn't marry a Silberstein. Why not?"

Becky smiled impishly. "Oh that. The scandal of the year brewing up on Ceres II. It turns out that Blake has been going out with Hester's sister Sarah. They seem quite serious from the sound of things, and they're even planning on coming to the wedding together."

"Salvatore's future mother-in-law will be delighted." Karim thought about Mrs Silberstein's probable reaction and chuckled. "Her head'll probably drop off."

"I'm sure Salvatore would be pleased," said Becky with a bright laugh. "But yeah, it was a surprise when Blake told me that. He seems to really like her, and he adores her two children. I suppose they remind him of Nick and Laura."

"Hmm. I think I remember Sarah Silberstein. I met her when her husband Kevin was still alive. Their children had really silly names." He tried to remember his last visit to Ceres II. "Sarah looked, acted and sounded just like Mrs Silberstein is all I remember about her."

Becky rolled her eyes. "Oh not another one. Let's hope she won't get bored of him like your Layla. Why does Blake always go for these dominant types? He's thick as two short planks and as much fun to talk to as, as a two year old. How could a woman who looks, acts and sounds just like Mrs Silberstein be interested in him?"

"Well, from what I remember of Mr Silberstein, he was a pretty quiet man, and Blake isn't very assertive. Maybe they'll be all right as long as this Sarah doesn't mind him being a bit thick. Besides, that's not a very nice thing to say about your own brother."

Becky shrugged her shoulders. "It's the truth. Still, I wish him luck. He deserves a bit of happiness after all this time. He isn't the kind of guy who likes to be on his own. His idea of happiness is a wife and a lot of kids. With his brain, that's probably the most he can hope for anyway. He's never going to do anything memorable on his own."

"He and I should trade places," said Karim with a chuckle. "I could do with some peace and quiet."

"This coming from the man who was just telling me earlier what a great time he had out on the Flats with his kids."

"Hmm," he grunted noncommittally. "Some days are better than others. Still, I'm doing my duty and my life is just slightly better than merely bearable. Helena and I have got used to each other."

"Yeah, Jorge and I have gotten used to each other as well," said Becky thoughtfully.

Karim sighed and leaned back in the chair, feeling its metal frame give and then bounce back. "I guess that's how arranged marriages worked so well back on Earth," he said. "I mean, short of your parents picking a real shrew or a wife-beater, chances were probably pretty strong that you'd simply end up with a decent human being who just wanted to do their duty same as you did."

"It's not much to build a life on, though, is it?" said Becky. "We're more advanced than that. I mean, our generation drew the short straw because of all the pressure to replace our predecessors and produce another generation ASAP, but the basic idea is that each individual can shop around and take their time before picking someone."

"That's what you did."

"Yeah..."

Becky lowered her eyes, evidently lost in thought. The computer had gone into privacy mode, its screen now illuminated with a colourful animation that Davey had designed some years earlier. Karim watched the bright colours as they reflected off Becky's skin and straight brown hair. He leaned forward and gently brushed a strand behind her ear.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

"Nothing."

Karim waited, his fingers still touching her soft hair.

"I don't know," she said finally. She leaned back in her chair, drawing away from Karim's touch, and smiled mischievously. "I wonder if the day will come when we'll have to consult Layla's program to arrange marriages for our children."

"I doubt we'll ever have to do that," said Karim, though he was disappointed by Becky's rapid recovery from her suddenly melancholic mood. "There are enough families around to give our children plenty of choice, even if they avoid blood relatives and relatives by marriage."

Becky grinned. "They'll just have to get used to consulting the computer before dating anyone."

"Yes."

Karim sat back in his chair, but so that he was actually facing Becky. For some reason, he was tongue-tied, mesmerised by Becky's unusual silence and the perfection of her features in the white light of the desk lamp and the multicoloured shadows from the computer. Almost automatically, he found himself mentally calculating the distance between them and the effort it would take to bring his lips into contact with hers.

"Don't," she said suddenly.

"Don't what?" he asked, startled by her interruption of his rather pleasant fantasy.

"Don't look at me like that, as if... Just don't."

"Oh."

Taken aback, Karim looked at the computer screen instead. The animation involved an Eagle randomly flying across the screen, tracing multicoloured lines wherever it went. The lines were semi-transparent and as they overlapped, they created a bright pattern that changed constantly as the little Eagle continued its journey.

Karim turned to look at Becky again. She briefly met his eye and then looked away.

"Time to go home," she said cheerily.

She leaned over to turn off the computer. It took a few seconds to close and save all the files she had been working on and then blinked out into darkness, leaving the lamp as the only source of light in the room.

Becky stood up and Karim followed suit. For a moment, they were face to face, caught between each other, the chairs and the desk. It was an extremely risky chance, but Karim seized it. He put a hand on the nape of Becky's neck to draw her face up, and then kissed her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" exclaimed Becky as soon as he released her.

"Being very stupid, no doubt," he said. The moment had passed and he was embarrassed at having exposed himself this way.

"I'll say!" She hastily made her way around her desk, into the relatively open space of the rest of her office. "That... that's exactly what I was afraid of. It's the last thing I want."

"Obviously." Karim remained behind the desk and sat down again. "I guess this is where we both agree to pretend it never happened."

"You bet we do."

Karim smiled mischievously, aware that Becky could see him better in the lamplight than he could see her. The lamp was in between him and the rest of the room, and he could only just make out Becky's form beyond it.

"Well, if we're going to pretend it never happened, we might as well go the whole hog and pretend that never happened," he said, hoping the joke would defuse the situation.

He was very relieved when he heard Becky chuckle. "No, I think we should leave things at that," she said. "I... God, Karim, I can't do this. I promised myself I wouldn't."

Karim was sorry to hear that he was up against one of Becky's personal resolutions, but he was at least flattered to know this situation had occurred to her before.

"I swore to myself when I married Jorge that I wouldn't... that I would never be unfaithful to him," she continued. "I thought if I was going to marry him, it would have to be for real. Not some kind of arrangement like you and Helena. Not that there's anything wrong with what you arranged with Helena, but it wouldn't suit me. That's too complicated. I wanted the real thing like the marriage my parents have."

Karim let a moment pass before he spoke. "How can it be the real thing if you don't love him?"

In the semi-darkness beyond the desk, Karim could just make out Becky's figure. She seemed impassive, but there was another pause before she answered.

"I love him."

It was a statement, but Becky's voice wavered slightly as she made the declaration, until it sounded more like a question. Karim wondered whether to press the point and remind her how unsure she had been about marrying Jorge in the first place; how much her unwillingness to have more children when large families were the norm made it look as though she was reluctant to give her husband any more of herself than she had already had. But Karim decided not to start an argument. Becky would only dismiss it, correctly perhaps, as a corollary of his selfish desire to get her into bed, rather than sincere concern about her love life.

"I guess I'll go home now," she said. Karim could just see her heading for the door.

"Becky, Becky, Becky," he exclaimed, rapidly joining her at the door. "What are you doing, doing, doing?"

It was a quote from one of the TV series in the stock library and Karim saw a flicker of recognition in Becky's eyes.

"I won't even grace that with an answer," she said, turning to the door again.

Karim placed a hand on her arm as if to physically stop her from leaving the room. Becky looked up at him, her expression forbidding in the diffuse light; maybe she thought scowling at him would discourage any further advances.

"I'm sorry," he said more seriously. "I don't normally sexually harass my female employees. It's bad management and besides, my wife might find out. Two reasons to steer clear. So I'm really sorry about... that."

"Good," she declared, though her expression was more conciliatory now. "I mean, even if I was into sleeping around, let's face it, Karim: this would never work."

Karim feigned surprise and crossed his arms. "Why not? Haven't you ever seen Beauty and the Beast?"

That made Becky laugh and Karim knew he had been right to stop her from leaving. Just a few minutes of their usual banter and inane conversation would help them both relax and forget their embarrassment.

"That's not the point," said Becky, shaking her head. "I'm your assistant. So I already get enough 'sleeping with the boss' jokes without actually going and doing it. And it would make our working relationship hell. I couldn't listen to all your rude jokes and crap innuendo knowing that it was serious... in fact, I'm not sure I can do that now, either. Because now I do know it's serious."

"Oh, come on. Since when is a pass serious? I didn't say the L word or anything, did I? Or if I did, I was lying. This isn't about anything serious. I mean, come on, it... well..." Karim interrupted himself as he realised he was on the verge of babbling. "Besides, the computer said it all. We can't get serious without disrupting the balance of the Collins-Habibi mixture in future generations."

Becky nodded, though she seemed dubious for some reason. "Yes..."

"Though I still don't see why that precludes a fling," concluded Karim mischievously.

"I really have to go," she said, her hand on the door handle.

"I know."

Karim didn't want her to leave. He wanted to stay in this room, in this moment for a little longer. An hour or so perhaps, enough maybe to wear down her defences a little more, perhaps coax another kiss out of her. And then what? She was right. This was the ultimate taboo: a woman Helena knew, a work colleague, a close friend. An affair with Becky would hurt Helena at a time when he was finally developing enough affection for his wife not to want to hurt her. An affair with Becky would make working with the woman who was his right hand in all administrative affairs strained and uncomfortable. An affair with Becky would destroy the precious, wonderful friendship they already had.

Karim stood aside and let Becky out of the room. He made no move to follow her, lingering a moment longer in her office. He would go home soon; he could catch up on work tomorrow. As he stood in Becky's office, Karim reflected that she really was the last person he should have as a lover. But God, he wanted her so much.

The twins seemed to have a thousand things to tell her at bedtime. They'd hold her hand and say, "Gramma, know what?" over and over again. She found it harder somehow to be firm with these two as she had with her own children. Or perhaps she just wished she had one more chance to let Emma hold her hand and say "Know what?" as she had also done.

Just to look at them, the three boys appeared to be tiny replicas of their father, but upon closer look, the two younger boys had their mother's eyes and mannerisms. Preston was the one with his father's easy-going nature, and even at age eleven, an eye for the girls. Denys and Daniel were already more organized, and like their mother, hoarded small bits of metal and wire and springs and plastic. Their grandfather had handed over Emma's tiny set of tools that he and Alan had fashioned for her when she was small and the boys spent hours building small machines much the way their mother had.

Finally, the two little ones dropped off to sleep and she joined her husband and Preston in the living room. They were playing chess, their evening ritual, no matter where they were. Helena, like her daughter-in-law, was ready to return home. The family would all be on Alpha again for the long summer, and that was fine with Helena.

Headed for the sofa, she detoured at the unexpected knock on the door. The younger version of John Koenig at the doorway nearly took her breath away. It was like looking back through time to Breakaway. His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled shyly at her, much as John had smiled when he would show up at her door when their romance was young. It was, of course, Evan Pulcher who stood in the doorway.

"Hello, Evan. And Crystal! I didn't know you were at Dover."

"Hello, Helena. I just arrived a few days ago. Are we interrupting anything?"

"No, I just got the twins to sleep. Please, come in."

John stood as the young people entered the room. "Hello Crystal, it's good to see you." John offered his hand to her. He turned and put his hand on Evan's shoulder. "Hello, son."

Evan nodded and gave a lop-sided smile, so much like his father's. "Hello, Dad." It had only been during this last season that Evan had begun to feel more comfortable around his father, and his father's family.

Preston stood and gave Crystal a hug. He and his father used to pay weekly visits to her father, and she had always made sure there was a toy or game for Preston to play with while their fathers visited, and sometimes sweets or a snack. "Hi, Uncle Evan," he said with a sunny smile.

"Hi Pres. Played any football lately?"

"We played this afternoon down by the lake with some Dover kids. Bella and I set up a few goals that surprised them, and Hill was our goalie so we did real well."

"That's great." Evan turned to his father. "We wanted to talk to you for a few minutes, if that's ok?"

"Certainly," John said, motioning them to sit down.

"Should I-" Helena began to retreat to the bedroom, but Crystal took her hand.

"Oh, no Helena. Please stay. We want to talk to both of you, really," Crystal said.

Evan and Crystal sat together on the sofa. Helena chose a chair and John sat on the arm of her chair.

Evan hesitated, then took Crystal's hand. "We're thinking about getting married."

Helena smiled, "Oh that's marvelous!"

It was John that picked up the hesitancy in his youngest son's voice. "Only thinking about it?"

"Well," Crystal said. "We know we want to, but our jobs don't exactly mesh well and... well... we've been wondering how that will affect our family."

"See," Evan expanded, leaning forward with an eager expression much like his father. "Crys signed up to help me get the forestry station closed down, so we'll have a couple of months down here together. Then I'll be on Alpha all summer, preparing next season's seedlings, so that will give us nearly three years together, but then I'll need to come back down here for a couple of years-"

"And I know Richard will let me come down as often as possible, but..."

"But if you have little ones by then, it'll be hard on all of you." John concluded. It was not a new concern to him, how to keep three separate bases going and keep families together. As one of Alpha's small staff of physicians and the expert in elderly care, Crystal would be needed on Alpha.

"Exactly," Evan agreed.

"You know, Evan. You could probably transfer to another position in hydroponics on Alpha."

Evan looked uncomfortable. "I like what I do. The forestry area is important."

"And he's good at it," Crystal added. "Plenty of people wouldn't want the isolation or the responsibility. I don't want him to give up his career for me."

Helena smiled. The two young people were a good match for each other. Both were serious and conscientious. Both had also been dealt difficulties to overcome. Evan's mother had revealed his father's identity to the boy in such a poisonous way it had taken him years to recover and build a good relationship with his father; and it had nearly cost Evan his life. Crystal's father's illness had forced her to give up her personal life while still a teen and steered her career in a different direction than she had intended. Evan's reaction to his mother's death had also changed his career. Helena felt a twinge of guilt. If she'd had any idea what legacy Sarah would leave the boy she would never have counseled John to stay away from the boy. It had been a serious mistake and she was only now beginning to overcome the guilt and attempting to form some sort of relationship with John's son.

John thought for a moment then offered a practical suggestion. "Well, three years is a long time. It gives some time to plan things out. Dinah has managed to spend more time on Loki this season so she and Alex can keep their family together. "

Evan nodded. "She's been doing more programming, things that can be written and sent by slate." Alex and Dinah had spent a good deal of the time on the Northern Continent and made the forestry station their main base.

"Crystal, I've heard you say that the documentation in your area of speciality, geriatrics, is lacking. Certainly you could take a research sabbatical to collect information that you've pulled together , and organize it. By next winter-maybe even during the Spring-you'll most likely have young interns in medical center again. They will need to be studying that information."

Preston looked up from his slate. "Bella wants to be a doctor. Uncle Richard said she can start helping out in medical center this summer."

"See there, you already have interns lining up," John said with a smile. "You might also spend some time at Dover. You could both take pilot training this summer, and qualify for operating a Swallow to get you back and forth from Morrow to Dover."

Crystal looked thoughtful. "I did spend the last couple of days consulting face-to-face with Halima. She has her hands full here." She looked at Evan. "Could we spend more time here?"

"Once the trees are settled in I usually have plenty of spare time. Especially when they need pollinators down here, I come down and stay for weeks at a time. Do you think we would qualify for pilot training?"

"Ed was quite a pilot," John said, nodding to Crystal. "And I'm not half bad myself. I doubt our kids will have any problem learning to fly."

Preston came to sit on the sofa by Crystal. "You can take classes with me. I'm going to qualify as a pilot this summer too."

"Good." Crystal said, putting an arm around him. "You can help me with my homework."

"Are you going to be my Aunt?" Preston asked.

"It looks that way, Pres." Crystal said with a laugh, smiling at Evan. Evan smiled back.

"If he changes his mind, I'll marry you." Preston said.

"Not a chance, sport. You're too late." Evan said, putting his arm around Crystal with a laugh.

"Preston, I think you need to keep your options open for a while longer," his grandfather said with a laugh. "So, have we convinced you that it will work out if you want it to?"

The young couple exchanged a look and nodded.

"Yes, you have," Evan said, exchanging identical smiles with his father.

"Then when's the wedding?" Helena asked.

"Right now," Crystal said emphatically. "We're leaving for Morrow in the morning and we'd like the two of you to be witnesses."

"And Alex and Dinah if they can get away for a few minutes."

"You mean, here? Now?" Helena asked in surprise.

"Do you mind?" Evan asked. "We don't want anything flashy, just the official stuff, and get it over with."

John touched Helena's shoulder. "Call Alex and Dinah. See if they can come over for a few minutes." Helena nodded and stood to move to the communications panel. John reached out and grasped his son's hand. "But let's make it a little bit more than filling out the form. Let me marry you."

Crystal put her hand over Evan's and John's. "We would feel honored."

Evan smiled and nodded, evidently not trusting his voice.

Alex and Dinah showed up in a half hour, flushed, slightly out of breath and bearing a bottle of wine for the wedding toast. Alex gave both Evan and Crystal a bear hug and told them that it was about time.

John quickly organized the family into a semi-circle. Evan and Crystal in the middle, Alex and Dinah flanking them. Helena stood next to Alex and Preston next to Dinah. John stood facing the couple. He took a deep breath and began.

"My dear family. We are gathered together here to bring together two dear and special people. My beloved son, Evan, has given us the priviledge of including Crystal in our family. This adds an additional person to share our joys and sorrows as we pledge to share hers. Marriage is an old institution, brought by us from Earth. It is more than a tradition. It is a way of life, a way of blending the hopes and dreams of two individuals into something greater than they could manage, or imagine separately." John glanced at Helena with a smile, and she couldn't help hearing the echo of Victor's similar words to them so many years ago.

"A good marriage also shares the regrets and sorrows of each individual, lessening their burdens in times of sadness.

"Evan, before these witnesses, your family, do you take Crystal to be your wife, to share both good times and bad, thereby doubling the joy and halving the sorrow; do you promise to care for her and protect her from harm, and support and advise her in all her hopes and endeavors?"

Evan looked deeply into Crystal's eyes and smiled. "I do so promise," he said softly.

"Crystal, before these witnesses, those who would be your new family, do you take Evan to be your husband, to share his joys and sorrows; do you promise to assist and support his dreams and works and protect him from harm?"

Crystal turned wide eyes from John to Evan, obviously carefully considering the question put to her. "I do so promise," she echoed Evan's words.

Evan pulled a ring from his pocked. John nodded. Evan had shown them the ring while they waited for Alex and Dinah to arrive. He had explained that the ring had been among his mother's things. It was a wide gold band with three diamonds embedded in it. Evan knew nothing about its origins. An inscription inside the band said E.P & C.P. 6-15-64. Sarah had never spoken of her family on Earth. Helena speculated that it must have come from his grandparents. Evan and Crystal both liked the significance of the initials, as if it had somehow been meant for them as well.

"A ring is a circle, with no beginning or ending. Love is also timeless and endless," John intoned.

Evan spoke up, "Crystal, please wear this ring a token of my endless love." He took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger.

Crystal looked up at Evan. "I don't have a ring for you."

John took Crystal's hand and placed his own wedding ring in her palm. "Use mine. We'll get one made by the time you two come home."

She smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Evan. "Evan, I give you this ring as a token of my endless love." She slid the ring easily onto his finger, and looked up into his blue eyes. She smiled, her dimples showing. She barely seemed to notice when John covered their clasped hands with his own.

"Evan and Crystal, it is my pleasure to confirm your marriage. I now pronounce you man and wife."

Evan gave a big grin and looked down at his wife.

"Kiss her, you fool!" his older brother cried.

Evan took the cue and pulled his brand new wife into his arms. The rest of the family crowded in and they were hugged and kissed. Alex opened the bottle of wine and made a toast to his brother for being clever enough to give them such a pretty new sister. Helena allowed Preston to have a small glass of wine with the rest of the family.

Alex and Dinah had to leave shortly. Josh would be bringing the children home soon. Helena didn't think she had ever seen Evan look so happy. He was a somber young man, unused to smiling. John also looked pleased. Evan and Crystal left when Alex and Dinah did, and John sent Preston off to bed.

Helena settled on the sofa and John came to sit beside her. "You borrowed heavily on Victor's words at our wedding," she said curling into his arms.

"It seemed appropriate." He kissed the top of her head.

"I didn't think you remembered it that well."

"I remember every second of it."

"You looked like you were going to pass out."

"I might have been a little nervous-"

Helena laughed at the understatement.

"It was the best decision I ever made and I hope Evan is as lucky."

"Loki isn't an easy place to survive. It does help to have the support of someone you love."

John handed Helena her wineglass and smiled. She spoke from experience, and from the heart. They toasted each other silently. Both pleased with the events of the day.

Layla fanned herself and watched as Neil played football with Nick and his cousin Antonio. Neil doted on all their children, even her children from her first marriage, but Layla knew he had particular affection for Nick. It was only natural for a man to bond with his son and recapture his own boyhood by teaching him the games of his childhood. Pete had told Layla about his own bond with Neil as a child, and Layla could see the same relationship developing between Neil and Nick.

She often thought it was a pity that she hadn't borne Neil a son so far. Not that he didn't adore Ngaio and Karima, but it was obvious that Neil would also have liked to have a son of his own. Layla's combined duties as Curator and chief computer engineer had put their plans to try for another baby on hold for most of the spring. Layla had enough to do keeping an eye on Davey without morning sickness and breast-feeding. But the desire for another child was still there, and she and Neil had decided to make that their project for the upcoming summer. Their recent holiday at the unimaginatively-named Calais beach on the other side of the lake had given them the necessary time to discuss and plan their future together.

"Gosh, it's really hot, isn't it?" complained Laura, who was sitting with her cousin Sophie under the umbrella.

"And it's raining," added Sophie.

Although the air itself was only moderately warm, it was filled with a light drizzle falling from the dark clouds above. It probably wouldn't last; no need to rush indoors. Layla knew that the off-world visitors who had come for wedding would be disappointed by the changeable weather, but that was what being on a real, living planet was all about. Loki liked to challenge her visitors and remind them that she wasn't some real life equivalent of Star Trek's resort planet Risa.

"Mamma mia! Never did I see so much rain as here!" exclaimed Sophie, in perfect imitation of her grandmother Giovanna. "Zia Layla, can we go back inside?"

"No, I promised your father I'd get a good two hours of fresh air into you," said Layla. "You two spend far too much time lying on the floor in your rooms with your noses on your slates. It's not good for your eyes."

Sophie seemed unimpressed. "Ooh dear. We might actually have to wear glasses just like Four-Eyes in the Pub."

In spite of herself, Layla guffawed at this description of Salvatore. She hid it by hastily covering her mouth with her fan.

"I think he's kind of cute," said Laura timidly.

Sophie tossed her curls disdainfully. "Oh yes, the kind of man who appeals to little girls, for sure. Older women like men who don't look like a Hollywood film star."

"You're not an older woman," started Laura, "and besides, you told me --"

She interrupted herself abruptly and seemed to be looking in the distance. She suddenly scrambled to her feet, a look of sheer delight on her face. Layla followed her gaze, and noticed that Nick was also staring in that direction.

"Daddy? Daddy! Daddy!" exclaimed Nick, his usually nonchalant attitude completely forgotten as he abandoned his game with Neil and ran towards the couple who were approaching. Laura soon joined him and jumped into her father's embrace.

Sure enough, the man who was coming towards them was Blake Collins. Layla had known that he was coming -- Karim always checked the passenger manifests for her -- but it was still a shock to see him again. It was always a shock to see him again. When he wasn't around, Layla liked to tell people how her failed marriage was all in the past and what good friends she and Blake had now become. But every time she saw him, she knew that those were all lies. She could never be friends with Blake. He was a reminder of failure; her failure to be a good wife, her failure to treat him kindly, her inability to be happy with him despite all his efforts. And he was also the reminder of one night in Y23 when both had drunk too much and each expressed their frustrations in their own way: her with her sharp tongue and him with his fists.

Heading to greet him, Layla noticed that Blake was accompanied by a woman. She had dark eyes and sallow skin, but her short hair was a lurid red colour and her lips were painted dark plum. Layla assumed this was Sarah Silberstein. Having already met Jenna and Hester, Layla was beginning to feel that she would never get on with any of the Silberstein women. This one didn't look like an exception. The only question was whether she was going to turn out cold and secretive like Hester, or loud and manipulative like Jenna.

"Hi," exclaimed Sarah, embracing Layla as she approached. "You must be Layla. We were told you were all hiding out here -- Hi, I'm Sarah, Blake's fiancée," she continued, shaking Neil's hand when he joined them. "You're Neil Garforth, right? Well, I'm really pleased to meet you both. Blake's been telling me what a good job you're doing looking after the kids. Isn't Laura absolutely beautiful?" Sarah leaned down and kissed Laura on the cheek, wiping off the lipstick mark as she straightened up. "And you're a big boy, aren't you, Nick? My Avon is a bit younger than you, but he'll be so proud to have a big brother. I can tell you must be the best at football!"

Both Nick and Laura looked pleased, though they also exchanged a puzzled glance. Although Layla had heard a rumour that Blake and Sarah were engaged to be married, she hadn't yet shared this news with the children. As to Sarah Silberstein, Layla didn't just dislike her, she hated her.

"Well, welcome to Dover," said Neil, though he looked a bit dazed by Sarah's enthusiasm. "This'll be a great opportunity for us all to get to know each other."

Sarah flashed a smile at him and leaned over to talk to Nick and Laura. "You two look a bit puzzled. You see, I'm going to marry your Dad, which will make me your stepmom, just the same way Neil is your stepdad."

"Stepmothers are usually bad news," said Sophie, butting into the conversation. She and Antonio were standing just behind Nick and Laura. Karima and Ngaio were also hovering nearby to see what was happening.

"Only in fairy tales," said Sarah, barely looking at Sophie. Instead, she glanced up at Neil and then returned her attention to Nick and Laura. "I'm going to be just like Neil for you two. You like Neil, don't you?"

Nick and Laura both nodded.

"So you'll like me too," concluded Sarah, straightening up again. She smiled at Layla, who was unmoved. "I think they'll get on really well with my children. I have a little boy and a little girl a bit younger than Nick and Laura --"

"Avon and Cally," said Blake. "They're adorable. Just like their mother." He kissed Sarah's cheek with a simper that made Layla feel sick.

"Well... They turned out as well they could considering the circumstances," said Sarah, her hand on her chest and her expression full of false modesty. "It's been hard raising them on my own, with no father for them. Especially Avon. Little boys need a father figure, I think." She wrapped her arm around Blake and he returned her embrace affectionately. "But thanks to Blake, that's all going to change. We'll have a real family for Avon and Cally, and we'll be having some children of our own, just like you two. And of course, Nick and Laura will be spending more time with us after we're married as well. Maybe they can come and stay with us this summer. I always wanted to have a large family, but after Kevin died... Oh, Layla, you don't know how nice it is to meet you in person." She enthusiastically squeezed Layla's arm. "We've heard all about the Temple up on Ceres, Layla, and I think it is such a great endeavour to care for the spiritual needs of people. I actually considered coming to see you when my husband -- first husband -- Kevin died. But it was winter and I had all his family over and I just couldn't get away. So I took comfort in your words of wisdom on the boards, Layla. You're a good spirit. Definitely an influence for the better in our little society."

"Thank you." Layla kept her voice deliberately cold.

Sarah didn't seem to notice the coldness. Instead, she whirled around with a grandiose gesture. "Well, it sure is hot out here, let's all go inside. First one there gets an extra-large portion of ice-cream!"

Seemingly unaffected by the heat, Sarah started to trot towards the nearest airlock. Karima and Ngaio, easy plied by promises of ice-cream from a complete stranger, ran after her. Even though it was probably beneath their dignity to race for ice-cream, the older children followed suit after a glance at Layla and a nod from her told them it was all right. Neil also went with them, taking the hint that Layla wanted to talk to Blake alone.

"What the hell was all that about?" she snapped as soon as Neil was out of earshot.

"Oh don't start!" said Blake, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Let's just have a civilised conversation for a minute, okay?"

Layla took a deep breath to calm herself down, though she was annoyed after seeing Blake's girlfriend turn on the charm for the benefit of her children. The thought that all her four children were right now with Sarah also made her nervous, even though Neil was with them as well.

"Look, I don't want a fight," continued Blake, walking slowly towards the airlock. "But things are sorting themselves out in my life right now. I've been going out with Sarah for two years and we've decided to settle down and have kids and all that. It's really funny, because her children are named after characters in some TV show called Blake's 7! Anyway, I've moved into Sarah's quarters and they're quite big for a place on Ceres II. I have room to do all my modelling and everything. Things are really working out."

Walking alongside her ex-husband, Layla nodded but she had a bad feeling about this conversation. Then Blake dropped his bombshell.

"I was thinking that Nick and Laura could come and stay with us for a while."

Layla had been dreading this moment for the last ten years. So far, Blake had never had the children stay with him on Ceres; his quarters had always been a one-room apartment unsuitable for children, and for the first five years, Blake had also been under security surveillance, which more or less meant that no-one would trust him with a wife, let alone small children. More recently, Blake had sent the occasional invitation for the children to come to Ceres, or hinted that he might like to come to Dover and see them. Layla had always managed to avoid both possibilities, since she wanted as little to do with Blake as possible. But it sounded as if her plans were finally going to be thwarted.

"How long is a while?" asked Layla neutrally.

"Well, I thought a couple of months to start, and then maybe longer."

"Longer?"

It was Blake's turn to take a deep breath. "Layla, we'll take one step at a time, but ultimately, I'd like joint custody. You know, maybe have a school term in each location. Sarah says the curriculum shouldn't be too different in each school, so it won't be too great a disruption."

"Six months in each location? Look, Blake, what children that age need is stability, not constant change."

"Maybe, but they also need their father," said Blake coldly. "Their real father, not just the guy you happen to be married to."

Layla shrugged. "Neil's a better father to them than you've ever been."

"Oh right, and whose fault is that? I'm not saying I'm blameless, but you've been finding an awful lot of excuses recently to stop me from coming here or them from going there. It sounds to me as if you're wishing I'd just disappear. I don't know if this is true or not, but I've even heard that when you talk to Laura and Nick, you call Neil 'your father' to their face. You're even been encouraging them to call Pete Garforth 'granddad'. As if me and my family didn't exist anymore! They've already got a father and a grandfather, you don't need to fabricate some out of wishful thinking!"

"That's not true," protested Layla, even though it was. "And who are you give me lessons? What about that... that dragon woman you call a fiancée? You bring her here and show her to my kids and the next thing I know, she's talking about having a big happy family with them up on Ceres II! There is no way I am ever going to let Nick and Laura live with that woman."

Blake shook his head. "This is just so typical of you. You've only known her two minutes and you think you have her all sussed out. You haven't changed a bit, have you? Sarah is a wonderful mother; it would do Nick and Laura a great deal of good to spend some time with us up on Ceres. It's about time they spent some time with me instead of being down here raised by you and your toy boy."

"Neil is not a toy boy!" exclaimed Layla, feeling her face burn with anger.

"Whatever he is, he is not Nick and Laura's father," said Blake loudly. "And I'm not going to stand by while my children call your husband's father 'grandad'! Their grandfather is my father Eddie Collins, not Pete Garforth. I've obviously been too trusting, letting you take care of the children all these years. They're beginning to forget who their real relatives are! I'm going to remedy that. You never let me have the children before because you said I couldn't look after them on my own. Fair enough. Small children need their mother. I can buy that. But they're nearly teens now, and it's time I started taking my responsibilities. I have a wonderful fiancée who can take care of them, and I think I've spent enough years in the doghouse by now."

"Don't forget how you got into the doghouse," snapped Layla. "What does your 'wonderful fiancée' think of that?"

"She knows what happened. The truth about what happened, not the sob story you told Mr Verdeschi and Mrs Vincent. She knows you would never have broken your arm if you hadn't tripped over Laura's cot."

Layla put her hands on her hips. "Oh, and why did I trip over her cot? Could it be because you had just hit me?"

"If you hadn't been so busy telling me what a lousy lover I was compared to whoever it was you were comparing me with, you would have noticed the cot even so." Blake turned away, walked a few paces further towards the airlock and then turned back. "Do you have any idea what hell it's been for me? Everyone thinking I was the criminal because I dared to fight back when you were constantly on at me about everything. Christ, you can't imagine how many times I've wished I never touched you. Not that night, but right at the very start. I'd have married Mary, you would have found some other mug to seduce. We'd never have been in this mess if you hadn't been such a slut!"

Layla was about to protest, but stopped as she felt a lump in her throat. This was why she hated Blake so much. He was the living reminder of the four most miserable years of her life. Their marriage had started off badly and stayed that way. Everything about it had been wrong. Laura resolutely looked away from Blake and ran towards the airlock.

The cool air of the air-conditioning system hit her as she came in. She assumed that Sarah and Neil and the children would be at the cafeteria, but she didn't want to face them just yet. Instead, she went into the nearest public toilet.

Layla looked at herself in the mirror, critically observing her chubby round cheeks browned by the sun and the curly dark hair that framed her face. She remembered herself at 18, how arrogant and irresponsible she had been in those days, thinking that she could have any man she wanted without ever paying a price. For some reason she could no longer understand, Layla had been jealous of her friend Mary's relationship with Blake. She had even thought, for a time, that she was in love with Blake. So, one night, she had seduced him.

She sighed and turned her back on the mirror. Even assuming that she had been unable to resist the temptation of spoiling Mary's marriage plans, one little shot and her life would have been very different. But no, young and stupid as she was, she had ended up pregnant and then married to Blake. Two kids and a divorce later and Layla's previously carefree life was changed forever. The oldest story in the book.

It was easy to forget her past when Blake wasn't around. The children and Mary's continued presence at Dover no longer bothered her; they were part of Layla's new life with Neil. But Blake was always a disruption.

Layla decided to go and find her children. She passed a few people in the corridors, exchanged a few words with some of them. She was just reaching the cafeteria when Neil came out.

"Oh, there you are, my love. Blake came in ages ago and we were wondering where you had got to."

"I was in the loo," she said. She stopped him as he prepared to go back into the cafeteria. "Neil..."

"He didn't upset you did he? I won't put up with it if he upsets you!" said Neil passionately.

Layla sighed and drew Neil aside. "Of course he upsets me. He's my ex-husband and like it or not, he's Nick and Laura's father... something I tend to forget."

"It isn't as if he sees them regularly," said Neil.

"No... and that's the problem." Layla lowered her eyes. "Neil, he wants joint custody of the children."

"It's a bit late, isn't it?" exclaimed her husband.

"Well... If I fight it," said Layla, "he'll probably go to Karim or Johnson, maybe even Koenig, and I can't see any of them denying him his right as a father. Karim has actually been dropping hints that Blake should see them more often anyway. I got custody initially because the children were so young and because Blake was guilty of physical violence. But he's been in exile on Ceres II for ten years now and his track record has been exemplary. I know, because I checked the security report on him last year. There's no reason why he can't take care of Nick and Laura."

"I can't believe that anyone will think ferrying them to-and-fro between Dover and Ceres II will benefit them. And think of the disruption to our family life. They're used to me now, you and me together as their parents. They'll be confused if they go and stay with Blake and Sarah. And it isn't as if that pair exactly has a long-standing relationship."

"They've been together for two years, and they're both old enough to know what they're doing," said Layla. "And no matter which way you put it, Blake is Nick and Laura's father. I can't just dismiss that fact because it's inconvenient."

Neil nodded reluctantly and they walked back to the cafeteria. It was teatime and the restaurant was full of children, but Layla immediately noticed the table that Nick and the others were sitting at. Layla watched as Blake and Sarah talked and laughed with her children. Karima and Ngaio were giggling furiously at something Sarah said, and both Nick and Laura seemed relaxed and happy, even though both their 'usual' parents were absent. Nick was looking up at Blake with admiration, riveted by a story his father seemed to be telling him. His father, she thought. His real father.

Layla sighed and leaned against Neil. "Who knows, love. Maybe it'll be for the best."

Jorge was home from his trip to Alpha. Colette was thrilled to see him after being gone for two weeks and Becky had to admit to herself that she had also missed him. She hadn't exactly been lost without him, but there was a familiarity in their little family that she enjoyed. They had had a nice dinner together and then Jorge and Colette had played and read together. Becky reflected that it was Colette who was reading. Jorge read along, correcting words that the four and a half year old occasionally stumbled on.

Eventually it was time for Colette to get to bed and after the inevitable protest, the little girl finally headed there. Jorge and Becky were left alone for the first time in weeks. Becky smiled, anticipating an evening of intimacy. It was a nice predictable pattern. Jorge would do his flight to Alpha and when he returned they'd make love. It was nice. It was sweet. It was their routine.

Jorge returned from tucking Colette into bed. He went directly to the kitchen and poured two glasses of vodka over ice. He seemed unusually preoccupied. As he returned to the living room, Becky couldn't help thinking Jorge looked nervous.

"How was your trip?" Becky tried.

"It was ok. The freight got transferred without any problems, and I brought back that new communications prototype you and Karim were so anxious for," Jorge said. He sounded like a school boy reciting a story for his class.

"Excellent," Becky said with enthusiasm. "You were there for a few days. Did you see anyone, pick up any gossip?"

Jorge fidgeted in his seat. "Just the regular stuff. People talking about Sal's wedding. Stuff like that. I saw Willem and Seba. They're expecting again..." Jorge's voice trailed off.

"That will be four. Where will they put them? The quarters on Alpha aren't that big. Do you think they'll move back to Dover?" Becky asked.

Jorge pursed his lips and moved his head slightly, "No. Seba has no interest in living here. They're very happy up on the moon."

"Each to their own," Becky said with a flick of her hand.

"Becky, I was thinking," Jorge began. "I know you don't want a big family."

Becky steeled herself for what was coming. It wouldn't be the first conversation about having more children she and Jorge had had.

Jorge turned to face Becky and took her hands. "You know I love you." Something about the way he said it worried Becky.

"Of course. I love you too," she said.

"I would never want to make you do something you don't want to, but I was watching Willem and Seba's family and it got me thinking about how nice it was growing up in a big family. I want Colette to have that."

Becky stared into Jorge's eyes and said in a soft controlled voice, "Colette is very happy. She has all our attention and plenty of friends."

"Friends aren't the same as family."

"Jorge, you know how I feel. I love Colette, but I don't want any more. I don't want to go through another nine months of hell..."

"I know, I know," Jorge said cutting her off. He let go of Becky's hands and pushed his thick hair back from his face. "I was thinking of a different solution."

A sick feeling came over Becky. "What kind of different solution?"

Jorge looked thoroughly uncomfortable. He took a breath and looked at his feet. "I was thinking, maybe I should marry again."

Becky stared at him in total disbelief. Her mind raced. "You want a divorce?" she said in a shaky voice.

"Becky no, no of course not." Jorge came back to the couch and put his arms around Becky, "I would never leave you. I love you sweetie."

"Then what are you talking about?" Becky face was pushed against Jorge's shoulders.

"I was thinking that I should marry a second time. Like Duncan."

Becky pushed away from Jorge as she realized what he was saying. "You want a second wife." Becky turned away from Jorge.

"Don't be upset. Think about it for just a minute. A second wife will take the pressure off of you to have more children."

"I don't feel pressure from anyone but you to have more children," Becky responded as coldly as she could.

"You didn't have any problems with this when Duncan married Halima."

Becky gave Jorge a quick glance. "That was a totally different situation. Marion and Duncan were heading straight to divorce land. I didn't think we were. Also Halima was already in the picture, Duncan didn't go shopping for bride number two." As she spoke the words realization came over Becky. "Shit, you've already found someone. Who the hell is the bitch?"

"It's not like that. Becky, don't get hysterical," Jorge tried to place his hands on Becky's shoulders but she pulled away and stood up.

"Answer me," she said. "Who's the little twit you've been seeing? Is she on Alpha?"

"Lower your voice, you'll wake Colette."

"I can't believe you've been cheating on me," Becky said in a quieter but hostile voice.

"I have never cheated on you. I've just talked to someone." Jorge's voice pleaded.

"Talk, of course that's all you've done. Who is she?" Becky insisted again.

"Her name is Sydney. She's a medical technician. I think you'll like her," Jorge said.

"And you've already discussed this arrangement with her." Becky spat the words at him.

"We've discussed the possibility," Jorge offered.

Becky paced around the small room. She felt like her whole world was dissolving around her. Jorge was her faithful man. He was supposed to worship her forever. He wasn't supposed to even look at another woman.

"Do you love her?"

Jorge hesitated a moment too long before answering, "No, I don't think so."

Becky looked at her husband. She wanted to hit him. "I have to get out of here. I'm taking a walk." Becky grabbed a sweater and headed towards the door. She heard Jorge call after her but didn't turn back.

Out in the corridor, she headed purposefully for the elevator. She pressed the 'down' button, but her resolve was already weakening. Where was she going anyway? Storming out in the middle of an argument wasn't going to solve anything. Becky thought she should have stayed and argued with Jorge, told him why his proposal was unacceptable to her. But she couldn't argue with him. She never argued with him. He didn't even know how to argue. He'd agree with everything she said, but not because she'd convinced him, just because he wanted to agree with her. Then, later, he'd just come up with the same crap idea and they were back where they started.

Becky came out of the lift and walked down the now deserted corridor that led to the airlock. No, Jorge didn't know how to argue, she thought. He wasn't like Karim, who would present his point of view clearly and then moderate it to accommodate her views if necessary. Karim knew how to argue his case and he also knew how to accept someone else's view. Not because he was too lazy to argue, but because he was really capable of letting someone else's opinion influence his own.

The air was warm as Becky came out of the airlock, but a chilly breeze was blowing in the Dover bay. Becky shivered and was glad she had worn a sweater, though she soon warmed up as she walked through the bay. She thought about something Brenda had told her, something about meeting Karim out among the greenhouses. The first time Brenda had made love to Karim. Becky smiled at the incongruous idea of Karim making love. There was something intriguing and yet repulsive about the idea.

Becky leaned against the tomato house and looked up at the sky. It was completely dark, too cloudy to reveal the stars beyond. Becky lowered her eyes again and sighed. She thought about Karim kissing her in her office a couple of weeks earlier. Had Jorge made the same advances to this Sydney that Karim had made to her? Men were all the same, just dying to get their 'leg over' as Kate used to say.

But Becky was still disappointed by Jorge. She would never have said her husband was the same as Karim. The Cadmin liked to dance with the girls at the pub, and had already had a couple of affairs; no one would be surprised if he suddenly decided to take a second wife. In fact, Becky wondered why he hadn't already done so. He was even of Muslim descent, which gave him a bona fide historical claim to the practice. But Karim wasn't the issue.

Jorge was the last person Becky would have imagined having an affair. As far as she knew, he'd been faithful to her ever since they had first started going out, even when she still considered herself unattached. As far as she knew... but then what did she know? He'd been seeing this Sydney person without her finding out. Maybe there had been others before. More than the actual infidelity, it was the idea of not knowing all the details of her husband's life which hurt Becky.

She had been faithful to him. She had promised herself to be a good wife and what had she gotten for it. He wanted another woman, to make babies. There was a lot to think about, but there was one thing Becky knew for sure. She wasn't going to be one of Jorge's wives.

Salvatore was having a wonderful time. Despite a slight hangover from his bachelor party the previous night, he felt none of the nervousness normally expected of new grooms. He had been afraid he might find the crowded ceremony daunting, but in fact, he was delighted with it.

Since neither Salvatore nor his mother had any particular demands for the ceremony, most of the marriage was based on Jewish traditions Jenna had described to Layla. The space where ceremonies were usually performed, at the back of the Temple, contained a small marquee suspended on four poles. This chupa apparently represented the new home Hester and Salvatore would be building when they were married. As a nod to his Psychon ancestry, Salvatore had painted a pair of toharos on the awning -- apparently animals which had once represented good luck in some ancient Psychon civilisation. These paintings would be his gift to the Temple for the wedding.

Hester's face was concealed by a white veil which was part of Layla's ample collection of wedding accessories. The crocheted lace veil had originally been manufactured by Aisha Ofori for her sister's wedding in Y25, but was now Temple property and served for any bride who wanted it. A veil was apparently a requisite for a Jewish wedding; something to do with the Biblical character Abraham marrying a woman he couldn't see.

At least Salvatore knew who he was marrying, and although he couldn't quite make out Hester's expression under the veil, he could sense how happy she was. He could also feel the goodwill from the crowd around them; Salvatore usually closed his mind to his empathic senses, but he was deliberately relaxed now, and enjoyed the affection he felt from all the people. He felt accepted and loved, as though the grandeur of his wedding to Hester had suddenly made him a figure of admiration for the population of the solar system.

"Now we need to do the official marriage," said Layla, indicating the computer on the altar.

The computer ceremony was a mere formality, where Salvatore and Hester both had to identify themselves by a thumb print and voice recognition, and then state their desire to be married. The computer confirmed that they were suitable for marriage and then displayed the Alphan marriage guide, a brief document stating the various rights and responsibilities of a husband and wife. Layla had made sure both the spouses had read the document beforehand, so they confirmed their acceptance of it and the computer finally "performed" the marriage. Hester and Salvatore's names were now linked in the population database, and an automatic announcement would be posted on the bulletin boards.

"I now declare you husband and wife," announced Layla grandly.

Some people in the crowd beyond the chupa started to cheer, but Layla wasn't quite finished. She handed the bride and groom a glass of wine from the altar. Salvatore had been rigorously instructed in what he was supposed to do now. As soon as he and Hester had drunk the wine, he handed the glass back to Layla. She placed it on the floor and Salvatore crushed it with his foot.

"Mazel tov!" exclaimed Layla. The guests in the Temple repeated the wish of good luck, and Salvatore was allowed to lift Hester's veil and give her a kiss.

At last the ceremonies were over. Hester and Salvatore were married. Salvatore had to repeat this thought several times in order to convince himself it was really true. He was married to Hester. Even though they had been living together for a year and he was used to the idea that she loved him, it felt strange to think she was now his wife.

Salvatore put his arm around Hester, guiding her through the Temple, past their mothers and her sisters under the chupa, past Karim and all the Dover officials, through the crowd who showered them with the token presents that had become a Dover tradition: coins and banknotes from Earth, artificial flowers and knickknacks which would be recycled and given out again at the next wedding. Everyone was congratulating the young pair; Salvatore had rarely felt happier.

The reception took place in front of the Temple, though it gradually spilled out onto the hillside and into the nearby amphitheatre. The Catering service at Dover had prepared a considerable amount of food, but Salvatore's now experienced eye determined that there wouldn't be quite enough for the number of people who had turned up for the wedding. Still, people who were hungry would just have to go and eat at home.

Salvatore was soon separated from Hester in the crowd. People he was pretty certain he had never met before kept coming up to him to congratulate him, though there were a few people he knew as well. His former boss Manny Chakraborty and his wife Sharhi gave him a garland of artificial flowers; they had another one for Hester and soon left Salvatore to go off and look for the bride. Most people were really more interested in congratulating her than Salvatore.

During a lull in the congratulations, Salvatore went to get himself a drink. The drinks table was manned, since alcohol was too precious to be wasted and someone had to make sure no one under eighteen was helping themselves. The barmaid for the occasion was Kiri; Salvatore knew this was a slight case of leaving the wolf in charge of the sheep, but at least Kiri could be trusted to mix people's drinks correctly.

She was currently serving Mary Osgood a glass of pure apple juice. Salvatore knew Mary was not a teetotaller and he noticed how she winced when she sipped the drink.

"Apple juice?" he queried. "Have you gone on a diet?"

Mary smiled politely and didn't answer; she seemed to be waiting for someone. Salvatore didn't know her all that well, despite his connection to her brother. And awkward silence ensued, during which Salvatore noticed that Kiri was looking significantly at Mary and discreetly pointing at her belly. This was evidently Maori semaphore to indicate that Mary was expecting. Salvatore mouthed an exaggerated "oh" and helped himself to his own cocktail. With not too much alcohol, as it was apt to affect his prowess and he was going to need that later.

"Have you seen Mike?" asked Mary suddenly.

Salvatore looked out at the crowd and shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him all day. I thought he was coming with Ahmed, but I guess that idea is in the water." He could see Ahmed talking to a young woman near one of the food tables.

"Yes, I think Mike was barking up the wrong tree there," said Mary neutrally. "Well, I'd better go and look for him. And it's time I found Matthew too..."

She wandered off into the crowd. As she left, Salvatore got a bizarre sensation, as if he was hungry. But the sensation wasn't his own; it was more like the intense projection of a puffball's mind, but lacked their focus and aggressiveness. Pets were not allowed at the Dover base due to concerns about the food stocks, so Salvatore knew it couldn't be a puffball. In any case, the sensation was different and soon disappeared. Looking around, Salvatore couldn't see any obvious source for the sensation. The people around him were all human; Kiri at the drinks stand, Alex Koenig with some little dark boy Salvatore didn't recognise, Manny and Sharhi and their children, Aisha and her sister Halima... Salvatore assumed that the sensation was a fluke. Maybe he really was relaxed enough to pick up the infinitesimal vibes of the humans.

He turned back to Kiri. "So Miss Osgood has a bun in the oven," he said conversationally.

Kiri nodded. "It's supposed to be a secret, but Matt told Neil, who naturally told me. There's a lot of that going around; Neil and Layla are talking about having more kids too."

"Something in the air, no doubt," said Salvatore with a grin. "Or they're all making work for themselves this summer. Mind you, I can't remember a time when I didn't know at least one person who was reproducing or planning to reproduce."

"I suppose you and Hester will be next."

"Well, we'll see. I suppose if we're jumping on the bandwagon, we might as well go the whole hog. But maybe later."

"Yeah," said Kiri thoughtfully. "It's difficult not to bandwagon. I mean, here I am completely single and with no intention of shacking up with a guy, but I sometimes feel broody with all these babies around. But I don't think it would be fair to have a kid when I can't give it a father."

"That didn't stop some of the first generation," Salvatore reminded her. "Though I think it's wrong to underestimate how important a father is. Mine was certainly pretty important to me."

"Yeah, mine too. If a man like that could be interested in me, I'd snap him up in a minute," said Kiri. She shrugged. "But I'm not wife material so it would never work. My Dad's a great grandfather to Neil's kids, though. I sometimes think I should have children now, while he's still alive, so that he can see them before he dies. He's seventy, you know. Time's definitely running out. I wish he'd spend more time with us. I don't see why he should spend the last years of his life with Dragon Lady up on Dustworld. He should be here, with his grandchildren. Yeah, maybe I should give him some grandchildren while he's still around."

As Kiri spoke, Salvatore found himself thinking about Maya and wondering if she would live long enough to be a grandmother if he and Hester had children. There was apparently no obvious medical reason why Salvatore wouldn't be able to father children, but he had got used to the idea that he might be sterile, as most interspecies hybrids were. Maybe it would be best if he and Hester found out one way or the other now, rather than waiting until a more convenient time. Salvatore did want his mother to have grandchildren.

He took his leave from Kiri and made his way through the crowd. He bumped into Mary again; she was with Matthew, so Salvatore congratulated them. He knew they had lost the last pregnancy they had had, but the couple seemed pleased rather than embarrassed, so he assumed they had already got the all clear. Mary said that Michael had turned up and was somewhere in the throng. Salvatore promised to look out for him, though he was more interested in finding Hester again.

Salvatore greeted Hester's teaching colleagues Louisa Martinez and Derek Worcester as he passed, and was almost immediately engaged in conversation by Friedhelm. The gentle giant was very much the worse for drink; he seemed intent on giving Salvatore a blow by blow account of how he and his wife Sylvia had come by their six children. He evidently thought Salvatore, as a new groom, needed this valuable advice. Fortunately, Salvatore was rescued when Friedhelm's sister Astrid came to drag him back to the drinks table.

Still no sign of Hester. Salvatore placed himself on a rocky promontory for a moment to survey the crowd. He caught a glimpse of Hester in the middle of a large cluster of giggling women. Salvatore decided to stay clear, as he had no doubt that he was at least one of the subjects of the women's conversation. He hopped off the promontory.

"Ah, Salvatore, there you are. Congratulations."

Salvatore turned to him himself face to face, or at least face to shoulder, with Commander Koenig. The old man's wrinkled face was creased into a benevolent smile, his blue eyes surprisingly keen and bright under bushy white eyebrows. Dr Koenig and Karim were nearby, both dwarfed by the man's stature.

"Thank you, sir," said Salvatore. He shook Koenig's offered hand and was surprised how soft and warm the shrivelled skin felt.

"We wanted to see you before we went back," said Dr Koenig. She surprised Salvatore by embracing him. "Congratulations. We have to go back; we don't want to stay in this crowd too long."

"Oh... I'll walk you back," offered Salvatore, thinking that the elderly couple might need help to cross the uneven terrain to the lift.

Koenig smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Karim will see to that."

The Cadmin nodded. "Any excuse to bend your ear about Dover's needs," he said with a deliberately sly smile.

Salvatore accompanied them to the back of the Temple and then left them to go on to the lift further down the hill. It felt good to be away from the crowd for a moment. Looking around, Salvatore realised he wasn't alone at the back of the Temple. Becky was also standing there, apparently observing the view westward over the fields.

She looked at him as he approached. "Nice flowers," she said with an amused twinkle in her eyes. "They suit you."

Salvatore looked down at the garland Manny had given him. "Something my old boss Manny decided I couldn't live without."

"Hmm." Becky nodded disinterestedly. "I see you've been talking to Karim and the Koenigs. Have they told you about the next big thing?"

Salvatore shook his head. "What big thing?"

"Democracy. Koenig has evidently just realised that he isn't going to live forever after all, and that it's about time someone else got a shot at running this place. So now he's having a talk with Karim and various other people to find out how to pick his successor."

"Well, I know at least one person who will be happy about that," said Salvatore, thinking of his friend Delores.

"It won't happen for another couple of years at least," said Becky dismissively. "So how are you enjoying your wedding? There's quite a crowd back there. A bit OTT, really."

Salvatore frowned. "I don't think so. Marrying Hester is probably the most important thing I'll do in my life. We might as well make the most of it and give everyone a party while we're at it. It isn't as if we're planning on ever getting married again."

Becky guffawed humourlessly and shook her head. "Yeah, that's what they always think. That once you're married, it's going to be the same forever. But that's just crap. It's only a ceremony and a bunch of empty promises. Promises from one flawed human to another flawed human, neither of whom can keep the promise in the end."

Firmly repressing the anger he felt at Becky's pessimistic view of his marriage, Salvatore smiled insincerely. "Well, we can always dream, can't we?"

Becky didn't say anything, so Salvatore remained quiet as well. He also turned to look at the view. Shiny carbonite surface constructions cluttered up the hillside, becoming more scarce as they reached the edge of the crop fields. Expanses of maize cut long green strips into the golden fields of wheat, or rye, or barley... whatever the yellow stuff was. The sky was blue, but streaked with high clouds.

"I'm sorry I'm so down," said Becky suddenly. "It's not about you and Hester. I know you're happy together."

Salvatore didn't get the feeling she thought it would last, though. But then he knew Becky was a miserable sort anyway.

"I take it things aren't too hot between you and Jorge, then."

Becky sighed, making it clear Salvatore had guessed right. "Yeah. I guess that wasn't so hard to figure out, right?"

"Why don't you leave him?" asked Salvatore. "I really don't understand. You were miserable about him before you even got married, and as far as I can tell nothing has improved since. You just don't love him. You're not happy with him. Just admit it and find someone else. Don't stay stuck with him just because of Colette; that's not doing anyone any favours."

"Oh well, thank you for the free marriage guidance. I guess a wedding makes everyone an expert."

Salvatore shrugged. "There's no reason to take it like that. You know I'm right. Every time I see you, you tell me you're unhappy. I remember you telling me you didn't even want to marry him. Then you did, and you had Colette, and then you came and saw me on Alpha, and you told me you were 'working on' being happy. Well, I have worked on being happy since them, and I am. But you're just the same."

"You don't understand..."

"No, you're right. I don't."

There was another silence as Becky evidently considered what Salvatore had said. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, but a strand had become loose and flew in the wind. Becky tucked it behind her ear.

"Jorge wants to marry again," she said finally. "Take a second wife."

"Well, at least one of you has some sense," said Salvatore amicably. "Who's the lucky candidate? Or is he just thinking about looking for someone?"

"He's found her. On Alpha. She has some stupid name... Sydney, I think." Becky turned to look at him, her large hazel eyes inquisitive and intense. "Do you really believe that this is sensible? That it's right for a man to abandon his wife and child just so he can get a younger, more attractive model?"

"Well, I don't know about younger and more attractive," said Salvatore. "If the woman's name is Sydney, there's only one of those that I know of. Sydney Broekhuizen, and she's about your age. She's been married too, with kids, but I think her husband died or ran off or something. She..." He smiled. "She's definitely not more attractive. More your lumpy, pink Scandinavian type."

Becky was still staring at him, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "Pink? Scandinavian? Sounds like Karim's dream girl." The smile faded and Becky looked away again. "I guess if she has children, that would explain a few things... Oh, shit, Sal. You've no idea how much I hate him right now. He hasn't said any more about it since I said he couldn't marry again, but I just know it's working away in his woolly head... as Kate used to say," she added with a reluctant smile, as if amused to find her mentor's influence still with her after all these years.

"Then leave him. If he won't give up on the idea for your sake, he's not worth holding on to. He can have his 'Melbourne' and you can find someone else." Salvatore placed his hand on Becky's arm so that she looked at him again. "Becky, believe me, you deserve someone else."

"Yeah," she breathed on a sigh. "I guess I have a lot of thinking to do in the meantime... Anyway, shouldn't you be with your lovely wife... planning a life with none of these problems?"

"Oh, we're never going to have any problems," said Salvatore with an exaggerated sweep of his hands. "Well, you take care. I'll go and see if Hester has torn herself away from that gaggle of geese she was in."

When Salvatore left Becky and returned to the front of the Temple, he was disappointed to find that Hester was still talking to her sister Sarah. Salvatore did not particularly like Sarah. He found her presence embarrassing because he remembered her flirting with him back in Y31, and the fact that she was engaged to Blake Collins didn't help either. Salvatore remembered all the palaver of Blake and Layla's divorce, and although he knew he should be more forgiving when Blake's record had been clean for ten years, Salvatore didn't much like the idea of socialising with the former wife beater.

In any case, he just didn't like Sarah.

"Oh, here's the groom at last," said his now sister-in-law, grabbing his arm as if he might run away. "We've been talking about you."

Salvatore exchanged an amused glance with Hester. "I'm sure you have."

Hester grinned and put her arm around him. She had removed the veil she had worn during the ceremony and Salvatore was able to see her clearly for the first time in ages. The Chakrabortys had obviously found her before he did, since she was wearing the same necklace of artificial flowers as Salvatore.

"I can't believe my baby sister has finally tied the knot," continued Sarah. "And with Alpha's favourite heartthrob, too. Who would have thought it! You know, Sal, there were times when I really thought Hester would end up an old maid. Not that it would have been a very bad thing, of course; not everyone has to bandwagon, after all. But I did always think it was a pity, because she does so like children. I hope you're going to have a few little ones!"

"Oh yes, little ones, little twos--" Salvatore interrupted himself as Hester kicked him.

"Threes and fours as well?" said Sarah with a grin. "Mama doesn't believe in having too many children, but believe me, there are plenty of facilities to take care of them. Blake and I will be having more children when we marry." She seemed to notice someone behind Salvatore and Hester. "Oh, speaking of which... Isn't that Blake with his sister?"

Salvatore turned to look in the same direction. Blake was talking to Sue Ellen and admiring her son Cyril. He signalled for Sarah to join him once he noticed her looking at him. Sarah gave Hester a kiss and whispered some congratulation, and went to join her fiancé. Salvatore finally had Hester to himself.

"Wow. What a day! I never thought so many people would turn up," he said.

Hester smiled. "Well, we certainly sent enough invitations. And there's nothing like a public wedding to get everyone's attention. I swear some people use the weddings of strangers for entertainment!"

"Yes, I was just thinking that there were some people here I didn't know," said Salvatore. "And I have an excellent memory, as you know."

"Hmm." Hester nodded. "So, did any of your ex-girlfriends turn up? You were worried a whole pile of them might come here just to spite you. I've only counted one; unless there are some you haven't mentioned."

Salvatore shook his head. "No," he said, lowering his voice, "Becky's the only one I've seen too. I was surprised Fatuma didn't come..." He paused and sighed. "A bit disappointed, too. I mean, I think we sorted things out the last time I saw her in 31, but... I can't help feeling guilty."

"Why? Why do you always have to beat yourself up about all this?" said Hester in a loud whisper. "You were worried about Michael; that I can understand. But you don't owe Fatuma any apologies. You went out with her for a couple of years and you've both moved on now. Hell, she's got someone new and you've just gotten married."

"Yeah, I know. I'm being silly," he said with a sheepish grin. "Anyway, how does it feel to be Mrs Verdeschi?"

Hester's lips parted into a pretty smile. "Like I'm your mother or something. I don't think I'll go around calling myself Mrs Verdeschi. It's not the usual thing to do these days anyway. And what do you think of being suddenly related to so many people?"

"Feels a bit weird. I was already surprised to be promoted to 'Uncle Sal' in the New Year's wishes, but now I guess I really am an uncle. Also, I didn't fully realise that marrying you was going to give me indirect connections to the Edelsons and the Collins."

"And the Dohertys," Hester reminded him. "None of them exactly top ranking families, but it does mean you're finally related to someone else than your mother. I remember you remarking on that when we first met."

"Yeah..." Salvatore paused thoughtfully and then smiled. "I thought I was just getting a wife, but it turns out I'm getting a whole new family. A mother-in-law, two sister-in-law and assorted spouses, and three nieces and nephews. And that's not even counting the children we'll have ourselves. Before we know where we are, we'll be related to more people than the Vincents!"

He hugged Hester and looked around at the wedding guests. He reflected that he had come a long way from his days as an outcast on Alpha to being the co-star of the wedding of the year. His job at the pub had given him a whole set of friends, and his marriage to Hester had even provided him with a larger family. Salvatore was no longer just the Psychon hybrid; he was a friend, a brother-in-law, an uncle, a husband. And some day -- soon, hopefully -- he might even be a father. All thanks to Hester.