The Waltz

Posted on Fri Jun 14th, 2019 @ 2:14am by Commodore Jane Saulitis & Hak

Mission: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: A Few Days Prior To The Wedding
1072 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

"There are definitely perks to being a captain." Jane said as she stretched out on her sofa, putting her feet over Hak who was sitting on one end of it. "Sheer terror on occasion and a bath in a real tub when I want it. Hard to pass that up," she joked. "Now if it came with a lifetime supply of chocolate, I don't know how anyone could refuse."

Hak nodded to the replicator and chuckled. "In a way, I suppose you have that too," he said, amusement in his voice as he slipped off one of her boots and then the other, dropping them onto deck in two consecutive thuds. He rubbed her feet absently, hitting a pressure point just under the arches.

Jane sighed, snuggling into the cushions of the sofa. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around, but as for the replicated chocolate it's just not the same. I need to make a quick stop in Switzerland the next time I'm on Earth." She studied his face for a bit even though he was looking at her foot. "Well . . . what do you think of Majestic?"

"She's beautiful," he replied without missing a beat, though he wasn't looking at any of the finery of the captain's quarters when he said that, he was looking into the eyes of his wife. "And elegant. A right classy dame," Hak continued with a little wink. "But not someone you'd want to get into a fight with. I get a sense she's uncompromisingly fierce, like a scrappy little fighter who doesn't always fight fair."

"Wow," Jane said, a small grin on her face. "You got all that from the ship? Maybe you married the wrong person. We could get divorced and Captain Barrett can marry you and the ship, I'm sure he'll get a kick out of that."

"I married the perfect person," Hak said, running his finger in a ticklish movement across the bottoms of Jane's toes. "Besides, you tell people you married a starship and they look at you really funny."

"Hey," she said in a breathless giggle. Jane flopped her foot around a little bit in protest. "You've never cared how people look at you, that's one of the things I love about you. You've always been completely you, no matter what."

"I think that's true... most of the time. I mean it's all good until the counselor certifies that you're crazy and that's probably what would happen." Hak gently moved her legs off of his lap leaned across her a kiss. "So... it's probably best we stay married. For my sanity. Completely selfish reason, I know."

Jane rolled her eyes but she was amused. "I have no plans to get rid of you yet. It's only been 20 years. But just in case I'll keep you away from our counselor. Don't want her getting any ideas. "Are you ready for tomorrow? First time was easy, Didn't have to worry about tripping in front of anyone because there was no aisle to walk down. Now, in front of all our friends, family . . . going to be interesting."

"I'm not nervous," he said easily. "Remember, I'm Betazoid. We do weddings in the nude. You haven't reconsidered my offer on that front, have you?" He flourished his hands in a sweeping motion across his body. "I have nothing to hide."

"I have the perfect solution for both of us. You go nude, and I'll wear my dress. That way everyone will be sure to look at you and I won't have to worry about tripping in front of them. I have no objection to the entire crew showing up nude, but I really want to wear the dress. I plan on only getting married once. That reminds me, have you heard about our streaker? Is he a friend of yours?"

Leaving the obvious 'I plan on only getting married once' statement alone -- because this was, in fact, their second ceremony -- he instead sounded curious at the streaker news. "You have a streaker?! No, please, tell me more."

"I don't know who it is. Incredibly frustrating when you're trying to look professional and a naked man runs by you. To top it off he wears a mask so unless someones's been hanging out with him au naturel we can't identify him unless we catch him." Jane didn't bother voicing how she really felt about it. It was as if the streaker were making fun of her because it was her ship. And she took all actions on it personally.

"Well, I wouldn't take it personally. It's probably not a rebellion against you, directly... maybe," Hak offered. "Huh. How many sightings have there been? Certainly the computer should be able to narrow down personnel locations and who's on duty versus who's off-duty and unaccounted for. He'll slip up eventually, surely."

"Two that I'm aware of, both times he appeared to me. The first time I was alone and was so startled I didn't think to do anything. The second was in front of Captain Ehestri while I was giving her a tour of the ship. Kinda hard not to take it personally. Unless someone else has seen him that I don't know about."

"He's playing with fire then. If anyone can catch him, you will," Hak laughed. "Wanna go for a run then?"

"Naked?" Jane joked. "You know how I feel about running, it's torture. I'll go for a swim, or you can run around the lake while I swim." She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Hak laughed, "Oh, trust me, I didn't forget but if you're going to catch him, you'll need to practice..." His voice trailed off for a second. "Actually." He looked thoughtful. "On Andoria, they say you don't catch a vrombjit by outrunning it, you catch one by outsmarting it. Maybe you need to lay a trap."

"Possibly," Jane raised her eyebrows since she wasn't sure what a vrombjit was. "Got a specific trap in mind? Maybe he'll make an appearance during the wedding and your mother can marry him." She stretched and moved closer to Hak, tucking her head under his chin so that her ear was against his heart.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly as he held her. "I'm sure we can come up with something, though."

OFF:

Captain Jane Saulitis
Commanding Officer

Hak
The Man, The Myth, The Legend