"Anyway the Anguis and other alien species have been attempting to fight off the Morbo and rescue people like us throughout the universe." Hope finished the basic explanation.
"I am sorry we failed to intercept them sooner." Viper said morosely.
Hope knew he took it as a personal failure. Eradicating the Morbo was a cause that he held near and dear to his heart, with good reason.
"Hope, I still don't get how you got them to find us. You were on vacation in California. Didn't they put you to sleep?" Faith asked.
"Well here's where I tell her the next level of crazy news." Hope sighed.
As it was Faith was giving Viper the look that said 'You're sitting too close to my baby sister.'
"I couldn't tranquilize Hope when I found her. It went against something inside me." Viper said as he looked at Hope with smoldering eyes.
Faith's gaze narrowed.
"Viper and I are getting married." Hope said quickly, like ripping off a bandage.
"I think I misunderstood do you mind repeating that." Faith replied incredulously.
"Faith you heard me." Hope stared at her stubborn overprotective sister.
"You have barely kept a boyfriend for a few weeks at a time and now you're going to marry an alien. Do you even know what you are doing?"
Hope watched as Viper got down on his knees in front of Faith, Cody and the kids. He bowed so that his head almost touched the floor which was saying a lot considering how tall he was.
"I humbly request that you accept our mating and give it your blessing. I would give my life in exchange for Hope's. She will want for nothing and my only desire is to see her happy." Viper spoke solemnly as he placed his fist to his forehead.
The man was about to make Hope cry the way he asked her family for her hand. She wondered if it was a tradition among the Anguis like it was among humans.
Faith looked at Viper with shock and a bit of amusement. Cody nodded approvingly.
"Well Lord knows once you've made up your mind Hope, there's no changing it."
Hope grinned.
"Good luck man, you're going to need it with that one!" Cody chuckled.
"Hey!" Hope cried as she took Viper's hand and helped him up, not that he needed it.
"I get to be the flower girl." Charity announced as she pulled away from her dad and launched herself at Hope. "Right Aunt Hope?"
"Sure thing peanut." Hope replied although she still wasn't quite sure how the ceremony would work out. "Well Sis, Cody, you want to check out the house? Viper and I are in the one next door and Tara and JP are beyond that." She explained as they got up from the seats in the living room area.
Viper started pointing out features of the kitchen slash dinette area that was connected to the living room. Cody was a tech geek and in awe with the food replicator.
"We make communal meals the traditional way too, but this is easy for day in day out." Viper said.
Hope was happy her family seemed to be handling everything well so far. Of course they hadn't taken a peek outside yet, but one moment at a time.
Viper was captivating. She'd gotten used to the fact that all the Anguis men were always shirtless, it made it easier for their shifting color to blend in to an environment. Right now he probably wasn't conscious of the fact that half of him was the tan color of the wall and the other half blue like the drapes. However her niece and nephew were in awe of the fact. Hope enjoyed the sight as well. She admired how Viper's muscles were delineated on his chest. His pecks and abs rippled as he bent and pointed out the waste recycler.
"Man that's efficient. What other gadgets do you guys have?" Cody was enamored.
"Show him the comm-unit Viper." Hope suggested.
"I think my husband has a crush on your fiance." Faith whispered to her with a giggle.
"I heard that Faith. Zip it. I don't have a crush on Viper. I'm in love with the magical box that makes food." Cody hugged and kissed the replicator, making the children squeal in hysterics.
Viper laughed. That deep sexy rumble always turned Hope inside out.
"We were able to retrieve some of your culture's entertainment before the meteors damaged your communication satellites." Viper explained to Cody.
"Oh man I hope so. There's a few video games I'm going to really miss otherwise."
"You guys are coping really well." Tara chimed in.
"Oh no don't be fooled. I'm losing my mind quietly." Faith tapped her head then glanced at her children.
Hope understood Faith was being strong for the little ones.
"I'd worry if you weren't a bit freaked out." Tara replied, always the doctor. "This is sooooo not normal." She agreed with Hope's sister as she waved her hand about.
"I think it would be worse if I didn't have my family with me and you guys weren't here." Faith wrapped her arms around Hope and they hugged tight.