All In the Family

Posted on Thu Dec 5th, 2019 @ 11:07am by

Mission: Promenade
Location: Brig- USS Majestic
Timeline: MD 01 19:00 Hours
1285 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Wilfred's job was to guard the brig. As modern day starships had forcefields in place to hold prisoners in he kind of felt his job was redundant but he stood there day after day and often guarded nothing. These days he didn't really mind because now he had a girlfriend on this ship and she was wonderful. She made him feel loved, appreciated, worthy.

On this particular day though, he wasn't here to guard a prisoner, he was here to see one. His own brother. He couldn't believe that Alanzo was here on this ship and he hadn't known. He rolled his shoulders trying to fight off some of the tension he felt as he and Sadie approached the brig. She'd agreed to come with him, probably for moral support. He squeezed her hand gratefully.

"It'll be alright," Sadie encouraged him, "I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for being here, and perhaps a good reason for having done what he's done?" As a nurse, her first concern should be with the prisoner's health but this seemed more a case of mental health than physical. However, like Wilfred not being on duty, she wasn't here to see a patient. She was here to support her partner.

"I hope so." Wilfred sighed. It was already embarrassing, the way things had been when they grew up. Wilfred was sure that Alanzo was more outgoing than him and would do something with his life. In fact he'd only joined starfleet so that he wasn't stagnant compared to his brother. They entered the brig and Wilfred thought about dropping Sadie's hand but didn't.

"Ah, here he comes, the prodigal son." Alonzo said with a smirk. "Come to lecture me brother?"

"No," Sadie said, "he's not here to lecture, but I might if you don't stuff that smirk... You better have a good explanation for running around naked."

"Oh I have lots of reasons, none of which you'll like I imagine." He looked her up and down. "Who are you anyway?"

"My girlfriend," Wilfred said, his voice was much quieter and less sure than his brother. "So let's hear them then." He wanted to tell him how he was embarrassed in front of the rest of the crew but held that back.

"I'll save you some time then. I did it because I wanted to. Because it was exhilarating and exciting, none of which I get out of life." Alanzo answered.

"It is stupid, and embarrassing, and conduct unbecoming," Sadie scolded him, "and now you're in prison and now what? Do you expect Wilfred to bail you out now?" She was pretty sure he wouldn't do that, knowing how this situation was already hurting him.

Wilfred looked at his girlfriend and smiled a little bit. He had not seen this side of her before. She was rather . . . feisty. Normally Sadie had been a nurturer like her profession, always there to soothe any need he had but he made a mental note not to make her mad in the future. "It's okay," he said, laying a hand on her arm. "I'm not going to let him embarrass me. He's only damaging his career. They can ship him off right away as far as I'm concerned. I'll tell the Captain that."

"Aww, no love for me little brother? What a shame." Alanzo turned his back on both of them.

"Obviously," Wilfred said louder. "He needs professional help."

Sadie nodded. "Looks like it," she told him before rounding back on the twin behind the forcefield. "Have you no shame at all?" she challenged, "no self respect? How exactly would you have brotherly love, when you do nothing to earn it?"

Wilfred smiled at Sadie. Her indignation on his part meant more than anything to him. "He's always been this way, no reason to think he'll change now. Why do you think I joined starfleet? To get away from my family because I was the only one who was different."

"Yeah," Alanzo scoffed. "You were different all right."

"Nothing wrong with being different," Sadie said defensively. "At least he's making a life for himself. What've you achieved in your life so far? Apart from being arrested for running around nude."

Wilfred pulled her toward him, trying not to laugh. For some reason he wasn't the least bit threatened by any of the words Alanzo was using. "It's okay. I was going to try to help him, but now I think I won't. We can just go and leave him here. Starfleet will see that he gets the help he needs."

"He needs a good clout around the ears," Sadie muttered, "and a few lessons in common sense. How is it that he's so different from you, when you're twins. Unless somehow sense and nonsense were split and you got all the sense for both of you."

Wilfred shrugged. "Twins can be different, even if they are identical. I was born first, I was early but they stopped labor for my brother. And I'm the only one in my family that's like me. Think that had something to do with it? Let's get out of here. Or did you want me to lower the forcefield so you can teach him a lesson?" He was grinning. He hadn't seen this side of Sadie before it was kind of . . . attractive.

"Pfff he's not worth my time..." Sadie scoffed, taking his arm. "Maybe he does need some sense knocked into it... It worked for my baby brother." She smirked back at him now. "He's definitely got sense, that baby brother of mine, so who knows?"

"I didn't know you had a brother, I don't think." Wilfred really hadn't known Sadie that long though. "Do you have any sisters I should be worried about?" He asked as they stepped out of the brig to the sounds of Alanzo yelling things at them, trying to gain back their attention.

"Nah, just Adrian, he's six years younger than me. I think you'll like him." She smiled, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked away. "he's a chemist, he did go through the academy, I think he's an ensign or something by now. I actually haven't talked to him in a while. Maybe we can get you two to meet at some point, once I figure out where exactly he's at these days."

"Hmm, I like that name. I had a friend named Adrian when I was little. We were best friends actually," Wilfred said, slipping his arm around Sadie. He couldn't believe how at ease he was around her now compared to a few weeks ago. "But sure . . . I could meet your brother." That made him more nervous but he tried not to let on.

"Oh not straight away love. I did say in time, I have to find where he's at first. Due to our age difference we weren't all that close. Close enough but not as tight knit as siblings closer in age might've been." She smiled at him. "So you're going to leave him there huh..."

"Sure, why not? He's never treated me well and I'm sick of it. It's time I started standing up for myself don't you think?"

"Oh quite so love," Sadie said encouragingly, "and I'm so proud of you for making this decision." She drew him close. "Come, let's go home...all this bravery in one day." She beamed at him. "That deserves a reward, don't you think?"

Wilfred blushed, he might be a bit more confident around Sadie but she could still get to him. He mumbled something unintelligible but let her lead him on.

---

Ensign Wilfred Wexler
Brig Officer
pnpc by Saulitis

PO2 Sadie Sage
Nurse
pnpc Lhaes