Olive Branch

Posted on Sat Oct 12th, 2019 @ 3:35am by Commodore Jane Saulitis

Mission: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: Lhaes's Quarters
Timeline: MD 11 19:30 Hours
1097 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Beatrice swayed on the spot. There were so many things going through her mind on why this was a bad idea. He'd asked her to leave and he hadn't contacted her since. She felt so guilty for not accepting his proposal but she really needed to know if he really loved her or if the device in his head was playing tricks on him. She finally stopped outside his quarters with a basket in her arms and pressed the chime.

Though he could use his empathic sense to 'see' who was at the door, Lhaes never used his extra senses for such purposes. He understood the dangers to him if he did so. Yet, as he stood to meet the prospect visitor, he couldn't help but pick up some of the emotions emanated from the person on the other side. They were so strong, he didn't need to put in much effort to sense them.

What he sensed made him decide to physically walk up to the door to open it. "Bebe," he said as the door slid aside and he was met with the captain's mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I brought you something. I didn't know what to give you except I like to bake, especially when I'm nervous so I borrowed a few ingredients and made some cookies from scratch. I thought your kids might enjoy them too. You can call me Beatrice." She finally said a bit of a blush to her cheeks.

"Beatrice," he acknowledged, "I like that much better than your nickname. More suitable for a lady like yourself." Lhaes glanced down at the basket. "I am certain the children will enjoy them, thank you. As for me, I need to know if they are safe to consume."

"Oh, are you allergic to something?" Beatrice stood there outside his door. "I didn't know that. They're brown sugar cookies. A bit richer than traditional sugar cookies, not the type you roll out with frosting. Those are an old earth favorite but my mother always made these when I was growing up and they're my favorite."

He stepped aside to let her inside, looking slightly apologetic for even leaving her outside his home. "Milk," he answered softly, "and any substance derrived from it. As long as there is no milk or substance in it, they should be safe."

"Well they have butter, it's replicated though. So I don't know if that's safe or not." She was kicking herself for not knowing this about him but she couldn't recall him having mentioned it. Had she not been listening?

"I don't know." He gestured for her to sit, then sat down across from her. "Just to be safe, I won't eat them, though i do appreciate the gesture." He offered her a small smile though he made absolutely no effort to get near her. It was almost as if he was afraid to get close. Afraid he might lose his self-control. His entire being screamed at him to get near, but common sense told him that wouldn't be a good idea. And since he didn't know which feelings were real, he chose to remain distant.

Noticing that he hadn't even gotten close enough to take the basket from her she set it down on the coffee table as she sat. "I'll make you something else, something that has no dairy in it whatsoever." Beatrice assured him.

Nodding slowly, the Romulan remained a little distant. "Fortunately, the children have not inherited my allergy," he confessed, "I'm sorry I haven't told you before. I'm not very good at sharing my weaknesses, for fear they'll be used against me." He paused. "I have been betrayed before."

That sounded like a long story but she also got the feeling it was one he didn't want to share. "Well I should have asked, but I sort of wanted it to be a surprise. And it was a peace offering. Because I really didn't mean to hurt you. In fact, I decided something." She was almost trembling. "I don't care if you have an implant because I do love you and I will marry you, implant or not. I don't care what Jane says."

"Jane didn't seem to mind when we were dancing. At least that was the impression she gave me." He paused, sighing softly. "But what if we do marry, and this implant is removed and my feelings aren't real? What then?" This time, he did reach out to take her hand. "I do love you, but as you said before we can't be sure if they're real feelings or implant induced."

"Then we move on." Beatrice said simply. "We can go our separate ways. But I can't stand to have you miserable when I know there's something I can do about it."

"I'm not..." He started, then shook his head. Who was he kidding? "I feel broken," he finally told her, "without you, I don't feel like myself. Since meeting you, I've felt more alive than before. Even my daughters have had the courage to tell me they like to see me happy." He drew in a deep breath. "We probably should tell your daughter, though I absolutely do not want her to call me father or any equivalent thereof. She is, and always will be, my captain."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," Beatrice laughed. "I don't think she'll call you anything other than Lhaes if the occasion permits it. She's very much like her father and is almost always professional. So . . . . does this mean we're doing this?" She had held any sort of emotional response back for fear that she had misunderstood him.

Lhaes nodded. "Yes, we're doing this," he replied firmly. "And no-one will stop us." He moved to sit next to her, and there was a visible and palpable shift in his demeanour. "Do you still want to bake?" he asked.

"I should make you something you can eat." She grinned at him, reaching for his hair. "But I don't have to do so right now."

Tilting his head a little, he gave her a genuine smirk. "No, you don't," he agreed, leaning into her a little. "The question is, do you want to?" he paused, his eyes taking on a mischievous sparkle. "There is something I'd like to do now," he added mysteriously.

"Really," she smirked back. "I think I might be able to figure out what that is." Beatrice kissed him passionately without another word.

---

Beatrice Benjamin
Jane's Mother

Lieutenant Commander Lhaes Sommers
Chief Tactical/Security Officer