by TC Blane and February Grace
80120.13
--=During the Captain's Dinner: Arboretum=--
80120.13
--=During the Captain's Dinner: Arboretum=--
TC had arrived at the dinner party with more than a long face.
In actuality, he had contemplated not going, preferring to stay in his quarters and brainstorm a way around his current predicament. Yet, he knew that his absence would draw more questions than he was willing to answer at this juncture, so he had made his way down to the gathering.
After making polite small talk, he had made his way to his marked place at the table, near the head and to the left of the captain’s chair, and plopped himself down. He unfolded the napkin into his lap and waited impatiently for the meal to begin. He wanted nothing more then to be out of this room and away from his shipmates. He felt as if he was betraying them.
He glanced at the Captain. *Betraying her,* he thought.
Zander Blakeslee on the other hand, had been looking forward to the dinner. He was still getting to know his new shipmates and he felt that this was to be one of the best opportunities to meet and greet. He had met many over the past week as they worked to get the Sera ready for her maiden voyage. Sadly, most had been in either engineering or his own tactical department.
As he entered the room he nodded to Lt. Commander Lair and her husband, Commander Salvek. He wished that his waif was here for this, as she was the charming one. But her ship was still delayed, so he would have to make do by himself.
After procuring a drink he made his way to his assigned seat at the table. He was seated between Commander Blane and Lieutenant Grace. He pulled out his seat and plopped down into it placing his drink on the table next to his plate. He nodded to TC, who did not seem to notice his arrival.
“Greetings, Commander.” He held out his hand. TC continued to stare forward and did not acknowledge Zander’s presence. Obviously the commander had something on his mind.
“Commander?” Zander prompted again. TC snapped out of his daze and saw Zander's extended hand.
“Sorry, how do you do?” He shook Zander's hand firmly Zander smiled. “Fine, sir. Zander Blakeslee. You must be Commander Blane. I figured I’d say hi, since our departments will most likely be working closely with each other.”
TC frowned as he looked at Zander. “Oh right, you are the new Tactical Chief.” He released his grip. “I am sure we will work well together.”
Zander nodded. “Yep, one big team.”
“If you’ll excuse me.” TC suddenly got up and left the table and made his way over to one of the large view ports that looked out into the expanse of space. He leaned on the sill and stared out into the blackness.
Zander’s brows knitted together as he watched the commander get up. “Of course.” He turned to February who had just taken her seat next to him along with her husband. “Now there is a guy with something on his mind.”
He then smiled broadly at the couple seated next to him and extended his hand. “Zander Blakeslee, nice to meet you.”
"Dabin Reece. Poet, Artist, Romantic, oh, and I do this little thing called science on the side." Reece said, extending his hand. "Sorry I didn't get to meet you sooner, we were, well,"
"We were on our honeymoon!" February chimed in proudly. "I know I've passed you on the bridge once or twice Mr. Blakeslee but I don't think we've officially met. February Grace. Senior Flight Controller, and as of recently, Mrs. Dabin Reece." She said the word "Mrs." and felt a thrill, as if she were saying something illegal or immoral, it felt so strange to say it out in the open after concealing it so carefully.
"Oh, well then I suppose congratulations are in order." Zander shook Grace's hand as well. "As a man married, and one with children, I offer you my sincerest hopes that you will have a long and happy marriage. And lots and lots of kids."
The smile on February's face seemed to melt away despite her bravest attempts to keep it there. She pasted as close to a reasonable facsimile of the expression as she could muster and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Blakeslee."
*February,* Dabin thought to her.
*It's all right. I'm all right. I'm just going to take a walk okay?* Her voice seemed to echo in his head as she replied.
*OK. . .*
"Well, it was wonderful to meet you Mr. Blakeslee. If you'll excuse me a moment, I need to check in on a friend."
As soon as Grace had walked away, Zander observed the expression on her face and frowned at Reece.
"I seem to have that effect on folks tonight. Did I say something out of line?”
"No," Dabin smiled at him, but the expression in his eyes did not match that of his other facial features. "Not at all. Thanks for the congratulations and well wishes, much appreciated."
Dabin drew a breath and clapped his hands once. "So, Blakeslee, you're a father? How many rugrats ya got anyway? I've been a father and a mother," Dabin smiled now more warmly, thinking back. "Mother was harder. They call it labor? They're not kidding."
February moved toward the edge of the room. She knew that the trees that lined along the walls of the arboretum to make it feel more garden like still concealed walls behind them- walls with windows. She needed to get to a window, even if only for the perception that she was in, or near, a very wide open space.
She pushed her way through the foliage and bumped smack into TC Blane.
The two jumped back, and looked at each other, and sized up the mental condition of the other instantly.
"What's wrong? I don't want to talk about it."
"What's wrong? I don't want to talk about it."
They both blurted the automatic inquiry, as well as the immediate, knee-jerk response simultaneously to each other.
Then, silence prevailed. Neither was in a hurry to explain.
"Do I need to have a talk with Reece?" TC's role as February's 'adopted big-brother' had settled in and taken hold of him. He was in just the proper mood to get into a fight, and would only need the slightest, if any, provocation to do so.
"No, no." February assured him. "He's wonderful. We're wonderful. It's not the two of us-" As Bru spoke, the sound of little-girl laughter filled the air, and she and TC peered out from behind the tree that obscured them.
They saw Lair Kellyn holding a cookie up high, just above where Arie could reach, teasing her with it.
Finally, Kellyn started to laugh too. She handed Arie the cookie and scooped her up, kissing her small daughter's face. February looked at the grass beneath her boots.
"Bru,"
"It's not the two of us. It's that there can't ever be three of us. Not like that." She gestured toward Kellyn and Arie, and her shoulders sank.
"Oh, little Sis," TC grew concerned, wondering if she'd gotten some bad news from the doctor recently, or what else could be wrong. "If this is about your parents," He knew that their relationship had been bad, and February confided before she'd even gotten involved with Reece that she didn't want to ever be a parent like hers were.
"You're not your mother. You wouldn't be. . .like that to your own child."
"It's not that either." February sank to the grass, still staring out the window, and TC sat down beside her. "It's the Reassociation, TC. I told Dabin that I don't want to bring any more lives into this. I wouldn't want any child of mine to have to live with the stigma, and the prejudice."
"What did Reece say?"
"He said that it's up to us and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." She began, "But he also said that he loves me and that he didn't marry me to have children, he just wants to be with me. He also said that if I ever change my mind to let him know and we can talk about it again. But if I don't," she looked at him, blue eyes full of doubt.
"But I can't, TC. We can't." She ran her hand gently over the tops of the blades of grass. "I never really thought about having children. Hell, I never thought geeky, clumsy me would find someone who really wanted to marry me." "You’re the swan now, no longer the duckling."
"I'm still more duck than anything. I just lost the glasses and got better hair."
She absently twisted strands of that hair, contrasting shades of light and darkness, around her finger as she continued.
"I love Dabin so much, and he'd be such a wonderful father. Reece loved being a father and mother both when it was joined to past hosts. But I can't do it to them. I can't bring our children to life for them to be shunned."
She cast her gaze upward, toward the artificial 'sky' of the carefully engineered ceiling, where imitations of stars shined above her.
"I saw so many babies where we were, on our honeymoon. So beautiful. It was the first time I really thought about what I might be missing."
TC turned his attention up at the artificial stars also. “You don’t know what a child’s life will be. Despite all plans, Fate has a way of mucking things up or making them better. It’s an all purpose crap shoot. All we can do is work at making it as good as possible.”
He smiled. “If you were to bring children into this universe, I doubt they would be shunned ‘cause uncle TC would have to kick someone’s butt.” He turned back to her. “If it means anything to you, I think you’d be a great mother.” He smiled again. “But you have to think that, not me.”
"Thanks, TC," She put her hand to her heart, almost too moved to speak.
"Means more than you know." She shook her head a little in the hopes of jostling her brains free from her own issues, and switching tracks to a more positive train of thought.
Then, perhaps she could be of some help to him, as he had just been to her.
"So, now you know what my deal was. Tell me, what's yours?"
TC's smile faded away. He looked at her and marveled at how much she had changed since he had first met her, much of it before his very eyes. He did not know how to put into words the situation that he was in. He did not care to burden her with it. She had much on her plate as it was and having her worry about him was not something that needed to be added to that plate right now.
He forced a smiled back onto his face. “Just some old ghosts coming back to hunt me kiddo.” He shrugged. “I’ll find a way to handle it.”
February's lips turned fiercely downward. She tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms, in a gesture that he was usually the one displaying.
"I don't like the sound of that. Not one bit. When my ghosts came back to get me they damn near killed me." She couldn't stop herself from reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. "Remember who carried my sorry, unconscious ass halfway across Trill and back?"
TC shrugged.
"Come on, you know who it was. And who embodied my very first host Gentry at my Zhian'tara, when I was so confused I couldn't even remember who I was? Who we were? Who Grace had- oh hell you know what I mean." She shook her head again, hoping to put whatever she'd jostled loose a moment before back into its proper location.
"Finally, who was the one who saved Dabin and I from certain death in that collapsed cave inside the deep freezer they call Yensul V? Who?"
TC cringed thinking about those moments on Yensul. Rescuing Grace and Reece had been the objective of the mission during which he'd undertaken the actions that were now swinging over his head like an axe, being wielded a bit too anxiously for his taste by the person of one Tyra Do'Chal.
"You did all those things, TC Blane." February concluded, stating the obvious for emphasis. "And I'm grateful. I'll have you know that even if Grace's memory wasn't long, which it is, mine would be. I know you think of me as being young, as someone who needs protecting."
She gazed at him with honest eyes. "But I want you to remember, that my symbiont is a very old, curmudgeonly thing and has several hundred years of experiences to draw upon. Now, I ain't bragging," she added hastily. "And what's more, I care about you in addition to being thankful for all you've done for me so don't think I offer out of feeling obligated. Bottom line is, if there's anything in there," she poked at her belly, indicating Grace within.
"Or in here," She pointed to her head, "Such as the brain is, it's at your disposal."
She finished with one last gesture.
"Or here," finally she placed her hand over her heart once again, to indicate her willingness to listen- no matter what he had to say. "Anything at all that could help get you out of a jam? You know I'm right there. You don't even have to say a word. Just give me a look, and I'll know. Anytime, anywhere."
TC grinned at her sincerity. “Yeah. I know it little Sis.” He draped his arm gently over her shoulders. “Believe me if I thought you could help I’d ask, but this time I’ll have to go it alone.” He looked at the grass below. “This is one ghost that can hurt so many others.”
He glanced back to her. “Just remember that I will do whatever I have to keep everyone safe, it may not seem like it, but I will be.”
He smiled and glanced back to towards the party. He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. We’d better get on back before people start to talk like old fish wives. Before you know it I’ll be the dirty old man who ran off with the young married woman.”
They started to walk back. “Oh and little Sis.” She glanced up at him as he smiled down on her. “Thanks.”
Commander TC Blane
Chief of Operations/Special Ops
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
LT February Grace
Senior Flight Controller
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Chief of Operations/Special Ops
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
LT February Grace
Senior Flight Controller
USS Serendipity NCC-2012