One of Those Days

Sally woke up to the sun's rays streaming into the bedroom. Neither her husband nor her wife were in the bed--not surprisingly, given their work schedules. Still, she felt a pang of regret tug at her heart. She dimly hoped at least one of them would be here. It was lonely to wake up by herself, but it was almost balanced with the pleasure of being able to sleep in.
She got up from bed and looked out the window. The red sun painted the morning skies a light pink. Later in the day it would turn a deep crimson. It was beautiful to the mouselike vespin.
Still, she'd rather have had someone to share in the sights.
She turned away from the window and went into the bathroom to shower. It took only a minute for the water to reach her favorite temperature, and as she stepped inside the stall, the water's heat chased away the chill of the morning. She took a moment to relish the soothing water that cascaded down her front, and was about to get the body shampoo when her cochlea implant registered a call.
She barely managed to suppressed the irritation in her voice. "Hello," she said to the open air, answering the call. Only three people would call her this early in the day. Her husband, her wife...
"Hello, Doctor Rose. It's Gabriel."
...or her assistant from the lab.
"Hello, Gabriel," she said, hoping her voice was level and smooth, without a hint of the annoyance building up in her. "Is there a problem?" She had been running an experiment, and hoped to publish the results.
"We need you at the lab today."
It was her day off. Of course they needed her. "Alright, I'll be down there in half an hour." It wasn't as if she could say no. It was her research. Her private lab. When they needed her, she had to be there.
"Thank you, Doctor Rose." Then the call was terminated. Neither Gabriel nor Sally were the types to say goodbye.
Rose tilted her head into the spray of water, then grabbed the body shampoo. It was going to be one of those days, as much as she hoped to be proven wrong.
She stepped out of the high rise, looking at at the tree which she and many others lived in. The forest city was buzzing with activity, so it took her a few extra minutes to reach the tram which traveled to her lab. Getting into the tram proved interesting, as was fining a spot where she could grab a handhold, as the seats were full.
Moments after the tram started moving again, her cochlea registered another call. "Hello," she subvocalized, so as not to disturb the other tram passengers.
"Good morning, Sally," the voice of Reno, her husband, answered. "Did I wake you?"
Sally grinned. "Not even remotely. The lab called. They need me there."
"Ouch. Well, if they can spare you in a few hours, how about we do lunch at our favorite place?"
"I suppose I could indulge myself." She watched the trees pass by. "I'm not getting any younger, after all."
"Your birthday's not for another week."
"I hope you got me something nice."
A chuckle echoed in her large, round ear. "Do I ever fail to find you something?"
"Admittedly, you could get me a kitchen towel and I'd love it."
"That's only because I'd pick the best kitchen towel in the galaxy."
Sally's grin tightened into a smirk, even though Reno wouldn't see it. "You missed your calling in life. You should have been a treasure hunter."
"And compete with Jessica? No thanks."
Sally stifled a sudden giggle. Jessica, their other wife, was a scholar of the ancient temples around the city. "I am so going to tell her you said that."
"You're such a tattletale."
"Promise me something extravagant, and I'll keep my muzzle shut."
"I promise you, Sally, I'll surprise you so thoroughly, you won't see it coming."
The tram started to slow down to her destination. "Can I call you back, Reno? I'm going to have to perform some deft acrobatic maneuvers to get out of here."
"Sure thing," Reno said. "I love you."
"Love you too."
Several vespin were getting off at the same stop along with Sally, which slowed down her progress. Once she away from the tram, she moved quickly down the sidewalk until she reached the lab facilities. She checked her watch. Five minutes ahead of schedule. Not too bad, she thought as she used her ID card to enter the building. Unlike the high rise, this was a structure of concrete and steel. Science could be a cutthroat career, thus there were no windows on the outside of the building. She didn't want her competitors to know the type of experiments which were conducted.
So thus, when she was greeted with "SURPRISE!" by Reno and Jessica, she was completely caught off guard.
"Happy birthday, love!" said Jessica, hugging Sally and kissing her nose.
"But..." Sally said, her thoughts a chaotic cacophony, even as Reno kissed her warmly. "...it's not my birthday."
Reno smiled, reminding her of one of the many reasons why she married him. That smile could charm a barbarian into becoming civilized. "That's why it's a surprise. You might've expected one on your birthday, so we decided to have it now."
"And you got Gabriel in on it." She looked around for her assistant. "Where is he?"
"I gave him the day off. And don't worry, the experiment is running smoothly." He wrapped his arms around Sally's waist, and Jessica did as well from behind. "But now we're going to have lunch at your favorite bistro, and then we're spending the rest of the day with each other."
Sally couldn't help but smile. "That sounds like an excellent way to spend the day, though I'm still going to have to pay you both back for getting me like this."
"You'll have all day to plan your vengeance, my dear."
Later that day, in the arms of Reno and Jessica, she completely forgot her revenge. She was too happy to think up of a single plot.