The Parent of Faith
Lt. Commander TC Blane
And
Lt. February Grace
71218.21
--=In the Galley/Mess of the Alchemy=--
Lt. Commander TC Blane
And
Lt. February Grace
71218.21
--=In the Galley/Mess of the Alchemy=--
"Here comes the bride."
TC Blane's words jostled February from her over-tired trance as she slowly meandered into the galley.
She hadn't even known where she was planning to go, really, and ended up following the inviting aroma of food. Specifically, of the steaming pot of beef stew that Fleur had been working on in anticipation that the crew would need a substantial meal of some sort soon.
Bru turned toward the general direction of the voice that had spoken, and she felt her cheeks begin to burn.
"Yeah, um, about that," she took a seat beside him, and without even being asked Fleur appeared and set down a plate of stew, some slices of buttered bread and a glass of club soda before the Alchemy's helm officer.
"Bless you, Fleur." February picked her fork up immediately, realizing that she was a lot hungrier than she thought.
"So, how was the wedding?" TC prodded. "Was it the social event of the season?"
"Oh, yeah. We were all over the local newsprint on Yensul. The headline was something like, "Rebel Trills disobey rules of Society and Wed in Parkas on Secluded Ice Cube. Film at 2300."
TC lifted another forkful of food to his lips, and paused to blow the steam away from the inviting piece of beef dangling before him. "The bride wore pink, I'll bet."
"I did, actually, but not intentionally. The whole thing was pretty much. . . unintentional."
TC laughed. "How does one get married unintentionally? Sounds like a good trick."
"That was a poor choice of words. The word I should have used was 'spontaneously'." February looked at her plate and moved the potatoes around until they were in a straight row, separated from the carrots. "If you'd been there, I'd have asked you to give me away, you know."
TC chewed his food slowly. “You know. I never understood that term ‘Give me away’. It implies ownership.” He grinned. “I would have been honored, but you really do not owe me any explanation.”
He scooped up another piece of food and blew on it, waiting for it to cool to an edible temperature. “Oh, of course there would have been stipulations.”
“Stipulations? Like what?” She asked with a curious frown.
TC put the food in his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the meal. He took his time keeping his ‘little sister’ in suspense. Only when he had swallowed his food did he respond.
“Well, there is the ‘no return policy’ that needs to be explained and of course the whole warranty issue.” He grinned broadly.
February wadded up her napkin and pitched it at him.
TC ducked out of the way, laughing. "Come on, Grace, you old geezer. That's the best you've got? You throw like a girl."
"I am a girl. Well, I am now, anyway."
"Six previous lifetimes and none of those hosts could pitch?"
"Gentry could. He was good at everything, sports included. He was actually very fond of lacrosse." She swallowed a bite of food before going on. "Yeah, he was great at everything, including being married. I only hope I can live up to the example he set for me."
February had absent-mindedly lined the carrots up beneath two chunks of meat, forming a 'smiley face' on her plate. "Now, I can't eat that, it's smiling at me."
She hurried to push the food into a random pattern again, and eventually returned to eating. "When we got back to the ship, we just didn't want to tell everybody for awhile, you know? It's such a big place, but everybody knew everything about everybody else and for once, it was nice to have something just for us. Well, us, and Commander Salvek. And Kellyn. And Simon. And Xhian was there too. Soon as we got back I couldn't wait to tell you, but the timing was never right."
"Is there anybody besides me who didn't know by the time we left?" TC arched a brow. "I mean, there were four thousand people on that ship but it seems like I was the last one in the dark.”
"Nope. Jariel still doesn't know," February poked at her food as if half expecting it to get up and walk off her plate. "I didn't think the timing was right for that, either.
TC thought for a moment. “You might be wrong about that. Sometimes when we are suffering, we need to be reassured that life is still going on outside of our grief. Your marriage is a perfect example of that. In effect, hope.”
He put his utensil down and looked at her. “He might actually need to hear this news because hope is the parent of faith.”
February poked her food one last time, and then she rolled big blue eyes heavenward.
"You can stop trying to kill it, Bru. It's already dead." TC assured her, taking a sip of his beverage and indicating the fork in her hand.
"You really think so?"
"Yep, I’m sure. It's never going to move again."
"No, no. Not the food. The Vedek. You really think now is the time to tell him?"
"Yes." TC said, cleaning the last bite from his plate and rising to go for a refill. "I really do."
"Thanks, big brother," February took a few more quick bites and chased them down with a gulp of her drink. She rose from the table. "You always seem to know just the right thing to say. I'll catch up to you later, okay? I need to go and see a Bajoran priest about a marriage blessing."
TC saluted her with his cup, and turned back to his food. A moment later he observed Dabin Reece standing in the doorway.
"Hey, where you goin’?" Reece pouted catching Bru by the hand as she exited the galley, "I just got here." The two stood in silence a moment, apparently having a conversation that only they could hear. Dabin finally nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and she went on her way.
He moved toward the table just as TC was sitting down with another helping of stew. "I trust someone else is minding the store?"
"Of course!" Dabin squinted a little. "I've never been accused of dereliction of duty in my life. Well," he paused, "Once. But you know that was just the label they put on it when we broke the rules to help save the pretty girl from certain doom."
"It was worth it." TC said, looking at the food February had left behind on her plate, which still somehow looked like a smiley face.
"Boy howdy." Reece replied, borrowing one of Bru's favorite exclamations.
"Sit, Mr. Reece," TC said, motioning to the open seat with his fork. “We need to talk.” A stern expression was on his face but a smile grew within his mind.
"Oh, swell!" *Here it comes.* Dabin thought. He smiled and sat in the chair that Bru had been in before. "So, what's on the menu tonight?"
TC Blane's words jostled February from her over-tired trance as she slowly meandered into the galley.
She hadn't even known where she was planning to go, really, and ended up following the inviting aroma of food. Specifically, of the steaming pot of beef stew that Fleur had been working on in anticipation that the crew would need a substantial meal of some sort soon.
Bru turned toward the general direction of the voice that had spoken, and she felt her cheeks begin to burn.
"Yeah, um, about that," she took a seat beside him, and without even being asked Fleur appeared and set down a plate of stew, some slices of buttered bread and a glass of club soda before the Alchemy's helm officer.
"Bless you, Fleur." February picked her fork up immediately, realizing that she was a lot hungrier than she thought.
"So, how was the wedding?" TC prodded. "Was it the social event of the season?"
"Oh, yeah. We were all over the local newsprint on Yensul. The headline was something like, "Rebel Trills disobey rules of Society and Wed in Parkas on Secluded Ice Cube. Film at 2300."
TC lifted another forkful of food to his lips, and paused to blow the steam away from the inviting piece of beef dangling before him. "The bride wore pink, I'll bet."
"I did, actually, but not intentionally. The whole thing was pretty much. . . unintentional."
TC laughed. "How does one get married unintentionally? Sounds like a good trick."
"That was a poor choice of words. The word I should have used was 'spontaneously'." February looked at her plate and moved the potatoes around until they were in a straight row, separated from the carrots. "If you'd been there, I'd have asked you to give me away, you know."
TC chewed his food slowly. “You know. I never understood that term ‘Give me away’. It implies ownership.” He grinned. “I would have been honored, but you really do not owe me any explanation.”
He scooped up another piece of food and blew on it, waiting for it to cool to an edible temperature. “Oh, of course there would have been stipulations.”
“Stipulations? Like what?” She asked with a curious frown.
TC put the food in his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the meal. He took his time keeping his ‘little sister’ in suspense. Only when he had swallowed his food did he respond.
“Well, there is the ‘no return policy’ that needs to be explained and of course the whole warranty issue.” He grinned broadly.
February wadded up her napkin and pitched it at him.
TC ducked out of the way, laughing. "Come on, Grace, you old geezer. That's the best you've got? You throw like a girl."
"I am a girl. Well, I am now, anyway."
"Six previous lifetimes and none of those hosts could pitch?"
"Gentry could. He was good at everything, sports included. He was actually very fond of lacrosse." She swallowed a bite of food before going on. "Yeah, he was great at everything, including being married. I only hope I can live up to the example he set for me."
February had absent-mindedly lined the carrots up beneath two chunks of meat, forming a 'smiley face' on her plate. "Now, I can't eat that, it's smiling at me."
She hurried to push the food into a random pattern again, and eventually returned to eating. "When we got back to the ship, we just didn't want to tell everybody for awhile, you know? It's such a big place, but everybody knew everything about everybody else and for once, it was nice to have something just for us. Well, us, and Commander Salvek. And Kellyn. And Simon. And Xhian was there too. Soon as we got back I couldn't wait to tell you, but the timing was never right."
"Is there anybody besides me who didn't know by the time we left?" TC arched a brow. "I mean, there were four thousand people on that ship but it seems like I was the last one in the dark.”
"Nope. Jariel still doesn't know," February poked at her food as if half expecting it to get up and walk off her plate. "I didn't think the timing was right for that, either.
TC thought for a moment. “You might be wrong about that. Sometimes when we are suffering, we need to be reassured that life is still going on outside of our grief. Your marriage is a perfect example of that. In effect, hope.”
He put his utensil down and looked at her. “He might actually need to hear this news because hope is the parent of faith.”
February poked her food one last time, and then she rolled big blue eyes heavenward.
"You can stop trying to kill it, Bru. It's already dead." TC assured her, taking a sip of his beverage and indicating the fork in her hand.
"You really think so?"
"Yep, I’m sure. It's never going to move again."
"No, no. Not the food. The Vedek. You really think now is the time to tell him?"
"Yes." TC said, cleaning the last bite from his plate and rising to go for a refill. "I really do."
"Thanks, big brother," February took a few more quick bites and chased them down with a gulp of her drink. She rose from the table. "You always seem to know just the right thing to say. I'll catch up to you later, okay? I need to go and see a Bajoran priest about a marriage blessing."
TC saluted her with his cup, and turned back to his food. A moment later he observed Dabin Reece standing in the doorway.
"Hey, where you goin’?" Reece pouted catching Bru by the hand as she exited the galley, "I just got here." The two stood in silence a moment, apparently having a conversation that only they could hear. Dabin finally nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and she went on her way.
He moved toward the table just as TC was sitting down with another helping of stew. "I trust someone else is minding the store?"
"Of course!" Dabin squinted a little. "I've never been accused of dereliction of duty in my life. Well," he paused, "Once. But you know that was just the label they put on it when we broke the rules to help save the pretty girl from certain doom."
"It was worth it." TC said, looking at the food February had left behind on her plate, which still somehow looked like a smiley face.
"Boy howdy." Reece replied, borrowing one of Bru's favorite exclamations.
"Sit, Mr. Reece," TC said, motioning to the open seat with his fork. “We need to talk.” A stern expression was on his face but a smile grew within his mind.
"Oh, swell!" *Here it comes.* Dabin thought. He smiled and sat in the chair that Bru had been in before. "So, what's on the menu tonight?"
Lt. Commander TC Blane
and
Lt. February Grace
USS Alchemy NX-53099
and
Lt. February Grace
USS Alchemy NX-53099