Endless Moment

Tony and Maya quietly strolled through the Bio Center. They didn't need to talk. They were content just walking and listening to the canaries sing. They watched the colorful fish swimming in the artificial pond. Fish that were originally brought to Alpha in fishbowls and aquariums grew larger in the less confined space. Two white rabbits, the descendants of laboratory animals, playfully chased each other past Tony and Maya's feet. They sat down on a bench by a waterfall and under an orange tree, one of which Tony planted himself from salvaged pits.

The Bio Center evolved gradually on the base. After the moon broke from orbit, the Alphans saved every seed from every fruit and vegetable they had in food storage. Some fresh beets, carrots, and other root produce from the kitchen were replanted and brought to seed. Everyone was asked to plant cuttings and seedlings from personal house plants and hydroponic specimens. They set up planters and hanging gardens in their quarters so they could each grow a share to contribute to their food supply. Wastes were composted for potting soil. After several months, the moonbase inhabitants held their first plant exchange so everyone would have a variety. A section of Alpha that was used for tracking and controlling Earth's satellites and for monitoring weather patterns no longer had its purpose. The equipment was put to other use or put in storage and the section was converted into the Bio Center. It was filled with vegetation the Alphans had cultivated. Laboratory animals and small caged pets became Alpha's wildlife. The moonbase provided an ideal, controlled environment for scientific experiments on animals, without Earth's pollutants and contaminants. Few survived the breakaway trauma. Those that did were encouraged to multiply. Along with the usual rodents, they also had sheep that were used for cloning, pot-bellied pigs for studying allergies, and rhesus monkeys for studying various human conditions. They even had worms that had been used for garbage eating experiments and microbiology's bacteria samples to complete the Center's food chain. A waterfall was constructed, not just for aesthetic purposes, but to pump water through filters and oxygenate it for the fish. The new Bio Center made life on the base a little more tolerable.

Two sheep named Matt and Kitty lingered near by. Kitty approached the couple, bahhed, and sniffed at their shins. Her hind legs were short and weak, a result of generations of inbreeding, and she walked with a waddle.

"Well, hello there, Kitty." Tony patted her head. "Are you here to check up on us?" She bobbed her head up to get the two to scratched her ears.

"See, Kitty." said Maya. "We're behaving ourselves."

"You have the six hour shift this afternoon, right?" Tony asked Maya.

"That's right." She answered.

"I've got special plans for dinner for us tonight as soon as you're off duty. You remembered that it's our anniversary, didn't you?"

"Yes, I remembered. What do you have planned?"

"How about I surprise you?"

"Surprise me? Are you afraid I won't like it?"

"You're going to love it." He held her hand and patted it. "Well, I sure don't feel like going back to work, but break time's almost over. I've only got a couple minutes left to get back. I'll see you when you're done with your shift, okay."

"Okay." They got up and slowly walked down the tree-lined path towards the Center's exit.

"I love you, you know." said Tony and he pecked Maya on the lips.

"I love you more." she replied back.

"I love you more."

"I love you more."

"I love you more." They repeated back and forth as they went on their way.

"See you after your shift." said Tony as he went to the other side of the door.

"I'll be ready." Maya replied.

As the door closed, Tony barked, "More! Bye."

Tony's shift was finished two hours before Maya's and he hurried through his special dinner preparations. He paced, grinning and rubbing his hands together as he waited out Maya's last fifteen minutes in Command Center. They walked through the corridor with their arms linked.

"Why are we going this direction? This isn't the way to the cafeteria." said Maya.

"Remember? I told you we're going some place special." Tony answered.

"Where?"

"That's part of the surprise."

They continued to walk towards the recreation section. They finally reached the door to the hot tub.

"Here we are." said Tony

"The hot tub?" Maya asked. "You said we were going to dinner."

"And we are." Tony answered.

"But there's a sign on the door that says, 'Out of Order. Electrical problem with the pump.'"

"I know." Tony answered. "I put it there."

A note was taped over the lock. Maya took it off and read it. "'U toucha this door, I breaka u face.'? Now who else would write that?" she said with a chuckle.

Maya was pleasantly stunned by what she saw as they walked in. Lit candles surrounded the hot tub. Dozens of colorful flowers floated on the water. The steam off the tub carried the scent of roses and apple blossoms. Next to it, a table was set for two, complete with more flowers, candles, chilling wine, and a lasagna dinner that Tony made himself.

"Tony, you did this yourself?" Maya asked in awe.

"Just for you, dear." Tony turned on a portable stereo near the table and they sat down. He poured a glass of wine for each of them.

The music on the stereo were songs Tony carefully chose for the occasion. He picked Air Supply's "Love Out Of Nothing At All," "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole, "Open Arms" by Journey, Johnny Mathis' "Misty," "You're The Inspiration" by Chicago, Anne Murray's "You Needed Me," "My Girl" by the Temptations, "Don't Know Much" by Linda Ronstaadt and Aaron Neville, Elton John's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?", "Forever Tonight" by Peter Cetera and Crystal Bernard, and "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. As they sat down, the first lyrics out of the speakers were "Don't Go Changing" by Billy Joel.

Tony raised his glass for a toast, "To everything that is."

"To everything that will be." Maya clinked her glass to his.

They gazed and smiled at each other as they ate lasagna, zucchini, and garlic bread sticks. Dessert was peach cobbler. Tony wasn't a bad cook, but even Maya was surprised he could make a meal so delicious.

"What kind of wine is this?" Maya asked. "It's pretty good."

"Apricot. I made it on our wedding night."

"Really? It's not bad at all." Sometimes Maya needed to remind herself that even though Tony's beer wasn't always the best, his wines and brandies were always good.

"I made it special to save for our anniversary. I knew we'd have a lot of years ahead of us. How was your dinner?"

"It was wonderful! You must have gone through so much trouble."

"Nothing's too good for you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and to Alpha." Maya blushed and was at a loss for words.

Tony stood up and held out his hand. Maya took his hand and stood with him. They embraced, kissed, and slightly swayed to the song "Unforgettable." She pulled off his shirt, revealing a body reminiscent of a Michelangelo statue. She ran her hands over his sparsely haired chest, toned pectoral muscles, rolling abdominals, and bulging biceps. He peeled off his trousers, exposing his firm legs and sculpted buttocks. His black pubic hair starkly contrasted his skin. His genitals looked like a work of art. Tony took off Maya's belt and tunic. As he kissed her, he unfastened her bra and skirt. She let her bra fall from her arms as she pushed off her skirt and panties. After so many years, Tony was still in awe of the sight of Maya naked. He was amazed by her auburn stripes like those on her face, just above her breasts, along her lower rib cage, and on her hips that came to a point in the center of her front and back. She had no body hair, and her nipples were the same color as the rest of her skin. Her breasts were small, but firm and shapely. He loved how they fit into his hands. He ran his hand over her breasts, down her satiny-textured skin and down between her thighs. He was still fascinated by her lack of hair and the slightly different placement of her body openings without the usual skin folds. Humans and Psychons were built different sexually, but after much experimenting with positions and techniques, their love-making became more satisfying than they had even hoped for.

Tony stepped into the hot tub and took Maya's hand as she stepped in. "Open Arms" played on the stereo. They kissed, then kissed again more deeply and passionately. She felt his erection sticking into her hip. She held her body to his with her head on his shoulder.

"Tony, I didn't bring my diaphragm. Did you bring a condom?" Maya had a hard time forcing the words out during the mood.

"We can get by at least once without worrying about that, can't we?" Tony said as he nuzzled her neck.

"I guess you're right. The timing should be safe."

Maya held on to the edge of the tub and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held onto her hips and slid inside her. They thrusted together, slowly building a rhythm. The flowers stirred in the waves with their movements. The candlelight shimmered off their wet skin.

After some time, Tony learned that one of the ways he could bring Maya to orgasm was by sucking on the rim of her ear. He loved her lobeless ears, both when they were flesh-toned and when they were auburn. Most of the Alphans assumed her ears had changed from auburn to flesh-toned because of environmental or dietary changes. Tony was the only one she had told that Psychons have dark ears until they lose their virginity.

They both groaned in ecstasy as he released within her. They held each other, panting. Flower petals stuck to their skin. They relaxed against each other with their legs entwined, taking in the candlelight and the floral scent.

Suddenly, the door opened and Alan Carter walked in.

"Oh, Jeez! I am sooooo sorry!" Alan exclaimed as he put a hand over his eyes. "I'm on maintenance rotation and I just wanted to see what was wrong with the hot tub. Forget I was here!" and he turned around and walked back out the door. Tony and Maya both blushed and giggled as they pressed their foreheads together.

Tony knew that the chief of maintenance would get after him for clogging the hot tub's filters with flower petals. And he knew he had a lot of work ahead of him when he had to clear everything out of the tub room. But for now, he felt like life could never be better as he and Maya held each other with their skin shriveling in the water. He would have given anything to make time stand still. He never wanted this moment to end.