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more or less played Pointer for us again.)
" " "
Demi awoke next morning, sick again with additional complications. There was no doubt that she had to
see a doctor. She reported in sick to the Media office, called her real mother in Virginia, and took off for
a consultation.
Now, you re a Titanian polymorph. You re a voluntary expatriate because you prefer life on Terra,
as many Titanians have down through the ages, and you enjoy your role as a respected physician. What
is the permanent persona you adopt? What do you think a lady doctor should look like? Demi s mother,
Dr. Althea Lenox, had taken the great queen, Elizabeth of England, as her model.
The consultation was in Titanian, of course. Since it s impossible to depict a chemical conversation
on paper, I ll leave it blank and you can fill in with three of your senses; taste, touch, and smell. It won t
be easy; Titanian grammar is tricky. For example, the feel of wool cannot be used as the verb for the
smell of wood smoke unless the object of the sentence has a pleasant flavor.
There was only one Terran word spoken during those three days:
Rabbit.
Demi returned to New York, terrified.
" " "
In Demi s apartment, Winter finished the excited account of his adventures on Ganymede and disengaged
the psycat s embrace around his neck. She d been captivated, either by him, the vibes of his voice, or the
promise of eye spots in the future. Rogue cosseted her on his lap and examined Demi perplexedly,
somewhat surprised by her appearance or, more specifically, her lackof appearance.
After a three-week separation he d expected her to greet him transformed into the role of the
vivacious hostess, perhaps even her namesake, Madame Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaide Récamier
(1777 1840), entertaining literary and political society in her fashionable salon. Instead, Demi looked
washed-out. She asked a few indifferent questions.
And Dr. Yael?
I left him behind as my regent.
Will you have to go back?
I m not sure. Certainly next year, for another kill.
Did you have to eat the heart?
Both. My people nearly went out of their minds. I m a double-king and, by God, I m proud of it. I
certainly earned it.
(He was and had indeed and, most significant of all, had abandoned the masking spectacles.)
And that girl? Demi asked. The one you Did you see her again?
Ah-ha! he exclaimed. So that s it.
That s what?
Why you re so cold tonight. No, I never saw her again. Odessa Partridge was right; the hit-crowd
got lost after the coronation. He didn t think it wise to worry her with an account of the confrontation
with his stepsisters. And please believe me, love, absolutely nothing happened between me and their
zapette; no bang, just a bite on her ass to teach her a lesson. So no jealousy, please. Warm up and look
me one of your looks that I ve been missing for weeks.
I m not cold, Rogue, just tired and depressed, and you re on a high roll, so please to go home,
dear, and leave me alone.
You never called me dear before, it was always darling. Why now?
Please stop nagging me.
What s wrong? You re so nervous.
No I m not.
And you ve got that same expression you had when you propositioned me in the conference room,
scared but determined.
No I don t.
Come on, tell Daddy what it s all about. Give me three guesses. You ve been fired.
No.
You re in love with another guy and don t know how to hand me my congé.
Don t joke.
You owe money. You re being dunned.
Nothing like that.
I give up. You ll have to tell Daddy.
You won t let it alone?
No. Stand and deliver.
She took a deep breath and firmed her lips. All right, Daddy. You re a Daddy.
What!
I m pregnant. She began to cry.
He was incredulous. But you said it s never happened between Terrans and Titanians.
N-never, b-but I suppose there always has to be a first.
You said our eggs and sperms don t love each other.
Maybe I l-love you so much that it it sort of magicked us. I don t know. She was sobbing.
Maybe jus nother ccosmic joke and n-not funny.
How d you find out?
I I m-missed my period last week and
You have them? he broke in.
All females do& and usually I m like clockwork. So I went to m-my mother my real doctor
mother and she made some tests and& and you know now, and I m scared to death. I don t know
what to do.
Winter let out a sustained yell. The psycat scatted off his lap.
Rogue! The neighbors!
One night. Knocked up in one glorious night. By God, we ll beat the insects yet! Come here,
Starmom. Come on! He enfolded her: If it s a boy he ll be named after both my fathers, Te Jay. If it s a
girl she ll be named after all of you, Demure Delicious Double-jointed Gay Deceiver Demi. We ll call her
Decalcomania for short. There s only one problem, he added, owing to a surfeit of tradition.
What?
The sunbursts. He ll be King Te Jay Uinta, eventually. Is it fair to put a boy through the royal
cheek-bit? His hand reached in the automatic tic for the spectacles he wasn t wearing.
That isn t the problem.
Think not?
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