Nestled upon Zava’s magnificent breasts, listening to her breathing and heartbeat get calmer and calmer as she held him with both hands against her like he was a priceless gem, Mark could not help, nevertheless, be worried for Zava.

Since he had reunited with her, he had noticed her watchful eye following his every move, even when she was talking with Betty, or when he was being briefed by McAllister and Poole about the quarantine procedures and the cavalcade, a little ways from her. The others had noticed too, and were getting really nervous from being trailed everywhere by her big, observant eyes. Despite her mostly outwardly calm appearance, he knew Zava and he could feel she was scared and uncertain, but even he did not expect her to burst into a small panic attack as he said he was going to leave her for a while for some much necessary shopping.

Zava had always been a brave, independent, outgoing woman, and he had never seen her get insecure and clingy, which meant she was shaken to her core by recent experiences. Thankfully, she really had not been mistreated not hurt, only restrained against her will and uncomfortable. He knew from experience, from when the people of the Spindrift had realized they were stuck with no immediate (or even none at all) way to return home from an alien, hostile place, that psychological shock was to be expected under such duress.

In their case, in the few weeks before the crash, it took different forms for every crew member, according to her or his personality. Burton was irascible and snapped at everyone, as he did not want to be blamed for the accident. Valerie did not want to be left alone at any time, and kept following Dan, Mark and Burton everywhere they went and did not want to eat, Betty cried a lot and did not want to leave the ship, especially after seeing the first giants. Dan, being a kindhearted, brave soul, tried to keep things going, cooking and cleaning after everyone, chatting as if they were in a camping trip. Fitzhugh kept screaming at everyone with his shrill voice till Mark wanted to punch him in the face.

Mark himself now acknowledged that he himself had become sullen and aloof, clashing especially with Burton, who insisted in ordering everyone around as if they were crewmembers under his command and not simply passengers who happened to be on a trip. Valerie was a tease, trying to avoid work by flirting her way out of all chores shamelessly. He bonded with Betty from the beginning as she was much braver and more reasonable than the others, which is why they often got paired together for scavenging trips. Her cool-headed and kind demeanor had helped in many a confrontation with giants, when Mark just wanted to shoot his way through.

He knew Zava, unlike Mark, whose parents had died years ago, was very attached to her family, particularly to her father and older sister, and she had many friends from both sexes at college. She also had lost, with her departure from giantland, all her clothes, jewelry, and the little things every woman treasures and hoards over the years, like mementos from her childhood, letters from former boyfriends, birthday gifts from friends and family, books, pictures, magazine and newspaper clippings, etc. Not to mention her studies, although he knew Zava could study much more advanced and interesting subjects now that she was on Earth, with the whole internet at her disposal.

He did not want to give her false hopes, though. Unlike the people from the Spindrift, who had clung to the slim but real possibility of fixing the ship and leaving giantland, it was really, really unlikely she would see her giant loved ones, or indeed anyone her own size, in the near future, or ever.

He had a plan, though, to allow her to talk to her parents and friends. He knew radio transmissions could be sent through the dimensional rift, and he hoped to be able to send messages to her parents through the equivalent of HAM radio on giantland. They only had to find someone on that network who would be willing to phone the Casafus-Djacome family, so they could be ready to talk to Zava by radio, and if this could be done and Zava’s dad bought a HAM set, they could talk regularly. Video would be more difficult because of the technical limitations on the giantland side, but in time anything was possible. He did not want Zava’s family to think she had been kidnapped or died on some wilderness trail leaving no trace.

This would likely have to wait, however, for the end of the probation period for Zava (and him!), as trying to send messages through the rift would surely be detected by the government and they, always suspicious, would surely try to restrict such efforts, and always someone could accuse them of sending coded messages as preparation for invasion; others (like Burton was at times) could be fearful that the giants’ government detected the transmissions and could try to find the rift and come to attack Earth. He was going to talk to the president about it, or someone he could find amiable along the way, in the government.

Mark kept racking his brains to try to come to an explanation of why they had been teleported to Earth, and the only thing that made sense is that it had something to do with him, as they ended up on his planet and nowhere else… residual, unknown energies clinging to him after his passing through the rift, perhaps… but so many years after the Spindrift accident, what could be left on him to cause such a dramatical, and specific phenomenon? If he did not knew better, it would seem as if someone did it to them on purpose (but who??)… because a random teleporting phenomenon could have, just as well, transported them to the core of the sun or somewhere in the empty, colossal void of outer space.

Arriving on any planet, an insignificant mote of dust in the unimaginable big, mostly empty cosmos was much more unlikely.  Arriving on planet Earth, and on land (it would have been, statistically, much more likely to appear in the ocean) was like hitting the galactic jackpot. These things simply did not happen. He was sure more than one ‘expert’ of the probation panel was going to come to the same conclusions, and his only answer: “no fucking idea” was going to satisfy no one; it did not satisfy even him.

The uncanny event still made him very nervous… could the teleporting be reversed without warning, ever again? He just hoped that if it happened, both were transported together. After last day events, he now was certain if Zava was gone from his life, he would have nothing to live for anymore.

He was determined to get the very social Zava to get to know many people, go to many social events, and indeed, become a celebrity. She deserved the spotlight and he knew that although it would take a toll on their privacy as lovers, it was the best way to keep her protected from the government, and her best chance at earning her own money, as the costs of keeping her fed, clothed and entertained were going to be astronomical, and if anything happened to him (always possible!), she would have her own income. I will do everything in my power to make you happy, he thought, resolutely. You’ll have the life we’d never be able to afford on giantland, here on Earth.

“Mark?” Zava’s sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Did you really want to marry me or was it all only a show to garner some public support and sympathy from the people?”

“I would never lie to you Zava. You know I love you!”

“Yes… but…”

“Zav… please look at me”

Zava held her hand, palm up in front of her face, palm up, with Mark sitting on it. Her enormous, innocent eyes fixed on his.

“Dear, sweet Zava. Sorry for not asking you to marry me sooner. I just felt so unworthy, so insignificant that I thought I had not earned the right to ask you to marry me. After all, who would marry us there? I confess I thought of it often, but was ashamed to pop the question for fear that you would laugh at me”.

“Mark! I would never belittle you! You’re my whole life… If anything happened to you… she inclined her head, tears overflowing her beautiful, enormous almond-shaped eyes”. She sniffed and continued in a firmer voice, steading herself. “I even THOUGHT, many a time, of asking you, Mark, to marry me, but well, I knew no official or priestess would consent… and I consoled myself that we were married already, in all ways that counted, ever since we made love for the first time”.

“I know that here, on my turf, as I told you, Zav, we’ll have no such impediments, and so I wasted no further time and asked you right away. After I put my affairs in order regarding my identity, bank accounts and my company, we’ll start preparing our wedding. I plan to ask Betty to help us”.

“Yes!!! I’d love that!! Do you think she’ll do it?” Zava’s countenance brightened.

“I know she loves such things from many conversations we had, and she likes you. Not only her, darling… if everything goes according to my plans, wedding magazines, tv shows and venues will be tripping over each other, fighting tooth and nail to have you choose them for the wedding. In our country, different religions are not an impediment for marriage, either.  We can get a local priest to perform the ceremony, or we can even draft one according to your Five Gods of giantland”.

“Giantland?” Zava laughed.

“That’s what Betty says the Spindrift people call your world now, Zav. Valerie even wrote a book about her experiences there as well, calling it just that. She was a movie star and a socialite even before the crash on giantland, you know”.

“I’ve been wanting to write a book about ours, too, Mark”.

“By all means! It would sell, believe me. Zav, everything you do here will be a goldmine for you. You’re the most special person on Earth, and not only because I love you, you really are unique here! You’re already famous!”

“All thanks to you, Mark… you really saved me! If I was alone I would never had pulled it off…  I thought I was going to be a prisoner forever… I… I… had never been pointed at with a gun before… never been tied and arrested before… I was really afraid, but did not want to show it” she looked wistfully at her carbon handcuffs. Mark caught her look and said:

“As I told you, we’re not out of the woods yet, but we’ll get better, you’ll see”.

“I will never see my parents or friends again, will I?” It seemed now Zava’s fears were surfacing one by one, thought Mark, heartbroken… Poor Zava… I know how you feel.

He then started talking and went over his earlier thoughts and plans to help Zava keep in touch with her family. Zava’s heart swelled in her chest as she listened to Mark’s ideas. As usual, he’s thought of everything! I love him so much!!  It was evident he was always two steps ahead, trying to think always of ways to keep her comfortable and happy, catering to her every need, present and future. That’s why they say love hurts, thought Zava, as she looked lovingly and listened to Mark talking, animated with his plans. Because, deep down, we know we are mortals, all happiness is fleeting, and our loved ones will be taken from us by time, chance or death. That’s why cherishing every happy moment, every hug, every kiss, every loving word, is so important… at any time, it could be our last. I hope I don’t forget this.

“Mark…”

“Tell me, Zav”.

“You know what I was thinking as I walked here” she said, slowly, mouthing every word and now holding Mark in her fist, her ring finger pressing lightly but meaningfully at his groin as she got him closer to her face, eyes alight. Mark was now looking at her smiling mouth very closely.

“I’ve got a feeling I’m going to find out…” said Mark, grinning as he shimmied his hips against the pad of her finger, poking it.

At that moment, they heard a knock on the hangar’s door.