7th Kind 1: Christmas in Dreamland by Cheryl Dragon Page A

she’d cleaned her plate and had a slice of fruitcake.
    “This is disgusting.” Regon set the fruitcake aside and finished his eggnog.
    “Not my eggnog?” Meg looked over at him.
    “No, the cake. Your drink is delicious.” Regon poured another glass.
    Ike walked over. “Be careful. You’re not used to alcohol. It can make you tired or feel funny. Don’t have too much.”
    The caution was good, but Charlie saw it was too late. Two of the guests were kissing under the mistletoe. Maybe, they’d learned a bit about the holidays from Liz last year. Charlie nodded to Meg.
    “Aww!” She grabbed her phone and snapped a picture.
    “Don’t send it,” Charlie warned.
    Meg pouted and put her glass of eggnog down. “You’re so mean. They deserve love, too. Fine, I’ll give it to Liz when she’s back. I get three men. Why can’t she have four?”
    Henry took her cell phone and put it aside. “We didn’t say she can’t have them. We’re all for it. But let her have her holiday and not rush back here to deal with this. Until the commander comes back, we can’t know exactly what the purpose is.” He took her glass. “Meg, my dear, I think you’ve had enough.”
    “I’m fine. I never drink. Well, margaritas in grad-school. There was a great Mexican restaurant our study group went to.” She frowned. “I’m not using them for guinea pigs, no matter what the commander says.”
    Regon walked over. “The weapon you mentioned?”
    “Meg?” Ike asked.
    “Oh hush. I wasn’t tipsy when I told them. They deserve the truth. I want to see if there’s a way to test it without hurting anyone. Plus I’ll make the commander tell me that’s why they’re here in person. Email orders like that don’t fly for me. I won’t do it anyway. I won’t hurt people.” Meg nodded.
    “We don’t want to endanger your job or Liz’s. If you need something from us, we’ll help you. We trust you.” Regon sat next to her.
    Charlie moved in. “She’s fine. We’ve got her.”
    Meg pulled away. “I am fine! I’m not testing something that causes such intense pain. Not without a reversal. The antidote. I’m working on it next.”
    ET hopped up and licked Meg’s hand.
    “When did your cat turn up?” Ike asked.
    “Yesterday. She ran off that first night you guys raided my room. I knew she couldn’t get off the base, but she must’ve hid somewhere. And now I know for sure. Look at her. She’s pregnant. Those strays you let roam the airstrip impregnated her.” She pointed at Ike.
    “You should’ve gotten her fixed.” Henry rubbed the cat’s back until it purred.
    Meg shook her head. “She was a gift from my niece. They raise these cats. It’s what my sister calls a career. Anyway, they’re purebred cats, and they asked me not to in case they wanted to breed her. Now, she’ll have fuzzy half-mutt kittens. But ET likes it in the pod with the aliens. She’ll probably give birth in there.”
    Regon picked up ET. “We don’t mind. It’s nice to take care of something. If Liz has offspring with us, they’d be some sort of hybrid or half breed.”
    “Shh. Don’t say that too loud. I’m not sure what the government plans are for you, but that might piss them off.” Meg walked to the dessert table and filled a huge mug with black coffee.
    Charlie watched her down the mug then pour another. “You okay?” he asked.
    “Fine. I love eggnog, but I hate the buzzed feeling. I usually only drink flavored or fruity things, like frozen margaritas. I overdid it, but the coffee should straighten that out.” She took a long gulp.
    “Now, she’ll never sleep and Santa won’t come.” Henry grinned.
    “I think we better get those four back into their room before the kitchen staff comes to collect their dishes.” Ike nodded to the couple of aliens now half-naked under the mistletoe.
    Regon nodded. “Agreed. I think the eggnog has dulled everyone’s senses, but it’s a holiday. Thank you for sharing it with us.” He and