by TC Blane and Zanh Liis
Stardate 101204.19
Following Constant Beauty
-=The O'Sullivan Residence, County Cork, Ireland, Earth=-
Stardate 101204.19
Following Constant Beauty
-=The O'Sullivan Residence, County Cork, Ireland, Earth=-
“Liisy better hurry home or she’s gonna miss her entire shindig.” Dabin Reece said, settling back onto the porch swing and planting his feet onto the ground. He set the swing into motion and February’s eyes begged mercy.
“Ugh. No moving. Ate too much.” She rested her hand on her stomach as her feet hit the ground and she stopped their forward motion.
“Me too.”
“You two look about as overstuffed as Mama’s Thanksgivin’ turkey.” Dalton McKay said. He, of course, hadn’t needed to eat anything but he was happy to put his mobile emitter to good use tonight. Rarely did he get the chance to observe the crew interacting in such a relaxed setting, and he made mental notes on the appearance and mental status of each member of the command crew and found, for all they’d been through, that they seemed to be in pretty good shape overall.
With two obvious exceptions, women both obviously missing from the event: Landry Steele, and the Captain, herself.
“It’s getting late, and poor Fleur has been on tot-squatting duty for a long time. We really should go up there and liberate her.” Dabin said.
“And return her Vedek to her.” February added. “Where did Jariel get to, anyway?”
“Last I saw, he was holed up in a corner in the Captain’s office with Kellyn.” Dane volunteered. “Looked like they were deep in conversation so I didn’t interrupt to tell them that the party was starting to break up.”
“Yeah.” February slowly rose from the swing. “It really is getting late, do you suppose we’d get into too much trouble if we,”
“No, Bubbles. By all means, go home,” a low and weary female voice now spoke and all heads turned in the direction it issued from.
“Captain, I didn’t mean to sound like-“ Bru stammered. For some reason, to this day being in Zanh’s presence, especially in social settings where she was already out of her element, unnerved her.
“Go home, Bru. Take him with you.” She jerked her head toward Reece, who sprinted with surprisingly renewed energy to her side.
“Liisy, if I didn’t know you loved me so much I’d take that as an insult.” He leaned forward and did something few people in the universe could get away with. He gave her a peck on the cheek, and she almost, but not truly, smiled.
“Go before I change my mind and put you on clean-up duty.”
“Laters!.” Dabin took Bru’s hand and the two of them wandered down the porch steps, and soon disappeared in the glow of the transporter beam.
“I…think I’ll see if Gira needs help in the kitchen.” Dane said. “She had volunteered to help with clean-up duty, last I checked.”
“Don’t ‘help’ her too much, Cristiane.” Zanh warned.
Dane nodded to her and gave a half smile. He moved toward the door and as he grasped the handle in his fingers, he turned back to her. He never would have admitted this six months ago, and a year ago he’d have laughed at the very notion- but yet, he found he was really glad to see that she appeared to still be in one piece.
“You have something to say, Dane?” Zanh asked, slowly lifting leaden feet up the steps one at a time.
“Just…glad you’re back, Sir.” Dane replied, and then he moved on before he could see her reaction.
“Boy has grown a hell of a lot in the past year.” Dalton observed.
“Been a hell of a year for us all.” Liis replied, rubbing weary eyes. “Everyone else gone back?”
“Crowd’s thinned out like a bad comb-over, that’s for sure.” McKay replied. “Commander O’Sullivan said-“
“It’s okay, Dalton. I know how late I am. I didn’t expect them to wait on me all night. I’ll…owe everyone an apology and a make-up party on the holodeck at the Adventurer’s Club when we’re in a more…festive mood.”
“How is your mood, Captain?” McKay asked, not really needing her to answer.
“Go home, Dalton.”
“Aye, Sir.” In a moment he too, was gone.
The door to the house flew open just as Liis was about to grab for the handle, and she jumped back, startled. “Liis,” Keiran rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her so tightly her boots left the porch. He set her down and drew back only long enough to look her in the eyes.
When he saw the expression there, he immediately took a step backward. Her eyes spoke words that her lips couldn’t currently form- and they were asking him to give her a little time to process all she’d seen and been through this day. She couldn’t risk showing her real reaction in front of everyone that remained here, and so he knew patience was the wisest path to take.
“Look who’s here.” William Lindsay stepped out of the house behind Keiran and gave Liis a wink. “We were just about to take a walk around the grounds. Care to join us?” Will offered, knowing she’d decline.
“You two go ahead.”
“Won’t be gone long, yeah?” Keiran leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, and Liis nodded.
“Cristiane, keep those hands where I can see them otherwise I will use my good arm to dismantle you limb from limb.” Another male voice spoke up from the house now, and TC Blane emerged. He read Zanh’s expression in an instant and nodded to her. “Captain.”
“Thomas.”
“Well, c’mon, Keiran. Let’s go.” Will gestured toward the steps, and Keiran reluctantly followed him, casting a single glance back at his wife.
“Right, then.”
TC ducked back into the house and returned a moment later with a hot cup of coffee in his good hand. “Double cream,” he said, handing the mug over to Zanh.
“Commander, I’d promote you again but there’s nowhere left to put you but my chair.”
TC’s eyes sparkled, but he said nothing.
“Seems to me,” Zanh lowered her weary body down onto the swing and held it still so Blane could join her. “You’ve spent a good deal of time in that chair lately. How did you like it?”
TC thought for a moment before responding. "It's a little too comfy for me, and not enough lumbar support."
“Tell me about it, I have to have somebody look into that. Seriously though, you did a fine job, Thomas. Believe it or not, you got a glowing report to Starfleet from someone you’d likely least expect.”
“Oh? Who would that be?”
“Captain Lindsay.”
TC simply grunted. He was shocked but he refused to show it.
“So TI isn’t so bad after all.” Liis sipped from the mug and was surprised how bitter the contents tasted to her tonight. Maybe it was still the lingering impression of the place where she’d spent the better part of her day, poisoning everything she tried to take in to rid herself of the sights, sounds and smells.
“Captain,” TC began, rubbing his chin thoughtfully where the shadow of five o’clock stubble had begun to form.
“Don’t.” Liis’ warned, putting the cup to her lips again and gulping down the liquid so quickly her eyes began to water and her throat stung. “Please.”
TC looked down at his boots and clicked his teeth together in an obvious attempt to resist asking the questions that his soul told him to ask of his captain, his friend.
“I seem to remember once, in a location not too far away from here, you had me cornered at a table in that pub and I wasn’t in a talking mood. Someone wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Someone didn’t want me to take no for an answer,” she observed, setting the empty mug aside. “Not really.”
“And you do?”
Her eyes slowly rose to meet his, and she half nodded, half shook her head.
“Could you be a little more evasive, please?”
“House of cards, Thomas,” she said softly, reaching up and twisting the chain of her earring. “Take one away, they all fall down.”
“You know you can’t run from this forever. Eventually you’re going to have to talk to someone. Or the Counselor…”
“Ah, the Counselor.” Liis’ lip curled up at the corner. “Looks like I managed to dodge him tonight. I know I won’t be so lucky come the morning.”
“So why not start now?” TC asked. “Why not test-pilot what you’re going to say on someone with a foolproof bullshit detector?”
“And the Betazoid doesn’t have one?”
Blane laughed, a rare, deep laugh. “I’d go head to head with him in a Zanh Liis mind-reading contest any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
“That’s a meeting of the minds I’d love to see. But why don’t you do something challenging, like try to read Salvek instead?”
“Why would you say Salvek is more of a challenge?”
“Hello? Vulcan.”
“Yes. Vulcan.” TC looked at her sideways. “Male, and Vulcan. Pretty much an open book. Bajoran women, however…”
“Tread lightly, Thomas. Very, very lightly.”
He laughed more deeply now, but then his eyes took on a new and more vibrant intensity. “If nothing else, you have to talk to Keiran. The man is…” TC shook his head, his eyes following off into the distance along the path that O’Sullivan and Lindsay had taken. “All night, he had his eyes on the horizon, no matter what was going on around him his mind was clearly otherwise engaged.”
“I really pity that man.” Liis shook her head and her earring jingled. “I wouldn’t wish his lot on anyone.”
TC grew silent for a moment thinking of another conversation with his captain not that long ago and wondered if it would indeed be such a bad thing. Sure, at times he could understand the liability of such an emotional attachment, in fact he had convinced himself on several occasions of how much of a liability it was. But now, as he continued to age...
He shook his head and returned back to the matter at hand.
“It’s becoming clear to me,” Blane said, slowly rising from the swing, “that you’re really not in the mood to talk much tonight, are you?”
“No.”
“Well, then I suppose there’s no point in badgering you any more, and I had better go get Cristiane out of your kitchen before he…well.” He shook his head. “That kid is hormones with legs attached.”
“At his age, can you blame him?” Liis asked, suddenly feeling very, very old.
“No but I can’t trust him either.” Blane gave her a grin, and nodded. “Goodnight, Captain.”
“Goodnight, Thomas.” As he walked away, she held up a hand and called him back.
He turned and tilted his head, waiting.
“Target practice tomorrow? Holodeck two?”
Blane chuckled. "You must be feeling better. Sure, five credits a target?"
"Very well. Best of five rounds. Loser has to walk the winner's dog for a week."
---
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012