round 16 JP: Captain Toni Turner & PNPC Major Heath West - "What We Sta

[Hannibal Parker]

(( Captain’s Office, Starfleet Embassy ))

:: Dressed in the green uniform of the Marines, Heath surveyed the Captain’s Office, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. It had been a long time since he had been in there, or been granted access. Unlike Toni, she had used a code familiar to both of them and getting entry had been simple. He looked around the room for anything that might indicate a personal touch, but the Captain had been keeping it rather sparse. Pictures of their children were notably missing.::

:: Fresh flowers, from the gardens of the Embassy, were flowing from a vase on her desk. They filled the room with a delightful smell that invaded the senses. Yet, behind that, the room carried her scent, her smile - everything that a young Kerelian bartender had come to admire, love and cherish.::

:: However, the Embassy was a mausoleum to him. He would tear it down brick by brick if he could.::

::Before going home to the children, Toni decided to stop by her office to pick up her messages. As she approached the door, she had a strange feeling that she was not alone, but looking around the outer office, she dismissed it, and opened the door.::

:: His ear twitched, listening for the sliding of the door and turned his head toward it. His hand slipped into his pocket as the door opened, revealing the Fleet Captain in the red collared uniform on the other side of it. His heart skipped a beat. A reminder of the love that permeated his every fibre for this woman..::

West: Captain.

::At first glance, the memories of their last mission played tricks on her. Surely she had died, and he had come to escort her to the other side. Tears threatened, thinking of the children and having to leave them, but when she rubbed her eyes to keep them from falling to her cheek, she realized it was only a romantic notion that someone she loved would come for her. It was him, the man she had never stopped loving, and he was alive, looking as fit and handsome as she remembered.::

Turner: Major, I... I thought you were dead. Why didn't you let me know?

:: The corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile.::

West: I thought this might be… ::he toyed for the word:: ...easier.

::Tossing her padd on the desk, it was all she could do to keep from running to him, hugging him, kissing him, and never letting him go.::

Turner: Easier? Easier for who?

West: Easier for Vee. For Garth.

::Steadying her urges, she leaned back against her desk and braced her hands on each side of her.::

Turner: I suppose you're right, it would have been a shock to them. You should see them, Vee has become quite the little lady, and Garth... well, he's just like you.

:: He looked back to the vase of flowers, the difference of colour in the room predominantly the colours of Starfleet. He remembered finding her asleep on the Resolution. His beautiful, passionate and ferocious in the right doses partner. Memories filtered through. Dancing in their Quarters, falling asleep wrapped up in her. Those had been special days. Before the onslaught of everything else had taken over.::

West: I’ve seen them. You can see a lot when someone isn’t looking for you in a sea of faces.

Turner: ::dropping her head as she nodded:: Yes, that's true, but I'm not so sure Vee doesn't still look for you. Like her mother, she tends to believe in the impossible... ::raising her eyes to his:: that love overcomes everything.

:: They shared a look for a brief moment, then Heath dropped his gaze back to the desk. Love tried. Sometimes it didn’t win. Sometimes it did. Often it had to patch up wounds that were greater than chasms.::

:: Visions of him in the kitchen teaching Vee how to cook her favourite "Booberry Pancakes," entered her mind, along with making up stories to put her to sleep... and she had been privileged of witnessing the perfect father for the child they had adopted as their own.::

Turner: ::smiling:: You were a wonderful father to her.

:: He hadn’t been. He’d been a ghost, or a shadow.::

West: You’re a better one.

Turner: Garth needs a father. I can't teach him all he needs to know. He is eager to please and misses a man he can look up to in his life.

:: He looked at Toni, a slight frown of disbelief creasing his Kerelian forehead. Garth didn’t need a father like him. He needed a strong, stable man that wouldn’t be bowing to the needs of a Starfleet he didn’t trust.::

:: Then, there was something else. A shadow of a love, of an emotion, floating in the background behind her eyes. She looked at him as though she could see right through him; past the façade of a Starfleet puppet and into his soul, much deeper than anyone had ever uncovered.::

::She wanted to tell him she still loved him, needed him, worshipped the ground he walked on, but she wasn't sure that is what he wanted to hear.::

Turner: I wouldn't be adverse to you being a part of their life. ::moving closer:: But I'll tell you right now, if you die on them again, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself.

:: He laughed. She’d defused the moment. The blonde man picked up his PADD from balancing on the edge of her desk and handed it to her. However, he didn’t doubt her threat. She probably would, disembowel him from aft to stern. He caught her blue eyes with his, then smiled, a boyish grin, completely thrown by her and awkward, in a strange way.::

West: I’d like that.

Turner: ::ignoring his jest:: So how long will you be here at the Embassy?

West: Temporarily. I don’t want to cause you any disruptions.

::She returned to her perch on the desk certain that he had no love for her, and had only come to warn her that he would be around for awhile. There was no use to get her hopes up so she changed the subject.::

Turner: Have you seen Dade? He thinks you are dead too.

:: He hadn’t let Dade know. Their last meeting had been less than friendly.::

West: Only you. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to murder me first.

Turner: Why would I? The only reason I would is if you hurt my children, and I don't think you would knowingly do that... not Vee, nor Garth, or... ::she caught herself as she didn't know if he knew about the baby.::

:: His eyes shot up to hers.::

West: Or…?

Turner: Yes, another child... Breeana, and fathered by Tallis Rhul and born after he died.

:: He’d heard. It had taken all he had not to come rushing back to the Embassy and pick up the pieces, but how could he do so when Rhul had picked them up after him. He searched her face, finding the hurt had sank deeply.::

West: I’m sorry. He was a good man. He didn’t deserve that.

Turner: That's okay, the marriage was ill fated from the beginning, just like us. He knew my heart lay elsewhere, but he was a willing father to Vee and Garth.

:: For a moment, he dropped his gaze from hers and ran his hand through his darkening hair. His heart was still with hers, wherever she had put it, or locked it away somewhere.::

Turner: I can only hope to find someone who will love all three, doing for his as he was willing to do for yours.

::She was hitting below the belt and she knew it, but something within her wanted to hurt him as he had hurt her. Truth be told, she wanted to rip his heart out, like he had done to hers... But as hard as that was to bear, knowing now how much he hated her, she still loved him.::

::Now she was boxing with bricks instead of gloves. He felt that swing hit, and it would bruise, but it wasn’t uncalled for. They had swung between lovers and fighters for so long; it was hard to tell what the other was thinking any more. The Kerelian returned his brown-eyed gaze to hers and a thought struck him that hadn’t in years.::

West: I forgot how blue your eyes are.

Turner: oO What was that? He's toying with me.Oo ::glancing straight at him:: I'm surprised you remember anything about me.

:: Time suspended for a second or two, a moment caught between worlds that had been on the brink of passing one another in the night.::

West: Meet me for dinner later.

Turner: ::curtly:: No!

West: Come on, there’s got to be something you used to like about me still here. ::he smiled:: Just you and me. I can remind you of why you don’t miss me.

::She gazed at him for a long moment, taking in that boyish grin that taunted her, the flicker in his eyes that teased her, and that baritone voice that lulled her into submission. The moment was no different. She gave into him::

Turner: ::swallowing hard as if expecting him to spurn her again:: Alright, where and what time?

:: His last visit to the Embassy had been under different circumstances and he hadn't had chance to discover the place properly, but he had heard mention of a resort on the coast from his sources. He fought to suppress the smile, fighting a losing battle.::

West: This evening, that resort on the beach... Mishai, is it? ::he exhaled a laugh gently:: I could always cook you something if you promise to wear that dress again.

::Remembering their first date, the yellow eyelet dress he had liked so much, and the first time he had cooked Lamb for her, but that meant being alone in his quarters with him, and she didn't think she could take the pain of rejection under those circumstances.::

Turner: Mishai will do fine. Say around 1800 hours? The children will be asleep by then. Speaking of them, I have to go to spend some time with them. I've been away on a Mission and I've missed them.

West: I'm looking forward to it.

:: He smiled, leaving his PADD on her desk, amidst the rest of them mounting up. The night would progress from there, but fearing she was planning his poisoning, he went back to professional mode.::

West: My temporary arrangements from Starfleet. I hope I won't get in the way too much.

Turner: You won't.

TBC

Fleet Captain Toni Turner

Commanding Officer

Embassy Duronis II - USS Thunder NCC - 70605-A

Deputy Commandant UFOP SB118 Academy - Executive Council Member

&

[Toni]

(( Captain’s Office, Starfleet Embassy ))

:: Dressed in the green uniform of the Marines, Heath surveyed the Captain’s Office, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. It had been a long time since he had been in there, or been granted access. Unlike Toni, she had used a code familiar to both of them and getting entry had been simple. He looked around the room for anything that might indicate a personal touch, but the Captain had been keeping it rather sparse. Pictures of their children were notably missing.::

:: Fresh flowers, from the gardens of the Embassy, were flowing from a vase on her desk. They filled the room with a delightful smell that invaded the senses. Yet, behind that, the room carried her scent, her smile - everything that a young Kerelian bartender had come to admire, love and cherish.::

:: However, the Embassy was a mausoleum to him. He would tear it down brick by brick if he could.::

::Before going home to the children, Toni decided to stop by her office to pick up her messages. As she approached the door, she had a strange feeling that she was not alone, but looking around the outer office, she dismissed it, and opened the door.::

:: His ear twitched, listening for the sliding of the door and turned his head toward it. His hand slipped into his pocket as the door opened, revealing the Fleet Captain in the red collared uniform on the other side of it. His heart skipped a beat. A reminder of the love that permeated his every fibre for this woman..::

West: Captain.

::At first glance, the memories of their last mission played tricks on her. Surely she had died, and he had come to escort her to the other side. Tears threatened, thinking of the children and having to leave them, but when she rubbed her eyes to keep them from falling to her cheek, she realized it was only a romantic notion that someone she loved would come for her. It was him, the man she had never stopped loving, and he was alive, looking as fit and handsome as she remembered.::

Turner: Major, I... I thought you were dead. Why didn't you let me know?

:: The corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile.::

West: I thought this might be… ::he toyed for the word:: ...easier.

::Tossing her padd on the desk, it was all she could do to keep from running to him, hugging him, kissing him, and never letting him go.::

Turner: Easier? Easier for who?

West: Easier for Vee. For Garth.

::Steadying her urges, she leaned back against her desk and braced her hands on each side of her.::

Turner: I suppose you're right, it would have been a shock to them. You should see them, Vee has become quite the little lady, and Garth... well, he's just like you.

:: He looked back to the vase of flowers, the difference of colour in the room predominantly the colours of Starfleet. He remembered finding her asleep on the Resolution. His beautiful, passionate and ferocious in the right doses partner. Memories filtered through. Dancing in their Quarters, falling asleep wrapped up in her. Those had been special days. Before the onslaught of everything else had taken over.::

West: I’ve seen them. You can see a lot when someone isn’t looking for you in a sea of faces.

Turner: ::dropping her head as she nodded:: Yes, that's true, but I'm not so sure Vee doesn't still look for you. Like her mother, she tends to believe in the impossible... ::raising her eyes to his:: that love overcomes everything.

:: They shared a look for a brief moment, then Heath dropped his gaze back to the desk. Love tried. Sometimes it didn’t win. Sometimes it did. Often it had to patch up wounds that were greater than chasms.::

:: Visions of him in the kitchen teaching Vee how to cook her favourite "Booberry Pancakes," entered her mind, along with making up stories to put her to sleep... and she had been privileged of witnessing the perfect father for the child they had adopted as their own.::

Turner: ::smiling:: You were a wonderful father to her.

:: He hadn’t been. He’d been a ghost, or a shadow.::

West: You’re a better one.

Turner: Garth needs a father. I can't teach him all he needs to know. He is eager to please and misses a man he can look up to in his life.

:: He looked at Toni, a slight frown of disbelief creasing his Kerelian forehead. Garth didn’t need a father like him. He needed a strong, stable man that wouldn’t be bowing to the needs of a Starfleet he didn’t trust.::

:: Then, there was something else. A shadow of a love, of an emotion, floating in the background behind her eyes. She looked at him as though she could see right through him; past the façade of a Starfleet puppet and into his soul, much deeper than anyone had ever uncovered.::

::She wanted to tell him she still loved him, needed him, worshipped the ground he walked on, but she wasn't sure that is what he wanted to hear.::

Turner: I wouldn't be adverse to you being a part of their life. ::moving closer:: But I'll tell you right now, if you die on them again, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself.

:: He laughed. She’d defused the moment. The blonde man picked up his PADD from balancing on the edge of her desk and handed it to her. However, he didn’t doubt her threat. She probably would, disembowel him from aft to stern. He caught her blue eyes with his, then smiled, a boyish grin, completely thrown by her and awkward, in a strange way.::

West: I’d like that.

Turner: ::ignoring his jest:: So how long will you be here at the Embassy?

West: Temporarily. I don’t want to cause you any disruptions.

::She returned to her perch on the desk certain that he had no love for her, and had only come to warn her that he would be around for awhile. There was no use to get her hopes up so she changed the subject.::

Turner: Have you seen Dade? He thinks you are dead too.

:: He hadn’t let Dade know. Their last meeting had been less than friendly.::

West: Only you. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to murder me first.

Turner: Why would I? The only reason I would is if you hurt my children, and I don't think you would knowingly do that... not Vee, nor Garth, or... ::she caught herself as she didn't know if he knew about the baby.::

:: His eyes shot up to hers.::

West: Or…?

Turner: Yes, another child... Breeana, and fathered by Tallis Rhul and born after he died.

:: He’d heard. It had taken all he had not to come rushing back to the Embassy and pick up the pieces, but how could he do so when Rhul had picked them up after him. He searched her face, finding the hurt had sank deeply.::

West: I’m sorry. He was a good man. He didn’t deserve that.

Turner: That's okay, the marriage was ill fated from the beginning, just like us. He knew my heart lay elsewhere, but he was a willing father to Vee and Garth.

:: For a moment, he dropped his gaze from hers and ran his hand through his darkening hair. His heart was still with hers, wherever she had put it, or locked it away somewhere.::

Turner: I can only hope to find someone who will love all three, doing for his as he was willing to do for yours.

::She was hitting below the belt and she knew it, but something within her wanted to hurt him as he had hurt her. Truth be told, she wanted to rip his heart out, like he had done to hers... But as hard as that was to bear, knowing now how much he hated her, she still loved him.::

::Now she was boxing with bricks instead of gloves. He felt that swing hit, and it would bruise, but it wasn’t uncalled for. They had swung between lovers and fighters for so long; it was hard to tell what the other was thinking any more. The Kerelian returned his brown-eyed gaze to hers and a thought struck him that hadn’t in years.::

West: I forgot how blue your eyes are.

Turner: oO What was that? He's toying with me.Oo ::glancing straight at him:: I'm surprised you remember anything about me.

:: Time suspended for a second or two, a moment caught between worlds that had been on the brink of passing one another in the night.::

West: Meet me for dinner later.

Turner: ::curtly:: No!

West: Come on, there’s got to be something you used to like about me still here. ::he smiled:: Just you and me. I can remind you of why you don’t miss me.

::She gazed at him for a long moment, taking in that boyish grin that taunted her, the flicker in his eyes that teased her, and that baritone voice that lulled her into submission. The moment was no different. She gave into him::

Turner: ::swallowing hard as if expecting him to spurn her again:: Alright, where and what time?

:: His last visit to the Embassy had been under different circumstances and he hadn't had chance to discover the place properly, but he had heard mention of a resort on the coast from his sources. He fought to suppress the smile, fighting a losing battle.::

West: This evening, that resort on the beach... Mishai, is it? ::he exhaled a laugh gently:: I could always cook you something if you promise to wear that dress again.

::Remembering their first date, the yellow eyelet dress he had liked so much, and the first time he had cooked Lamb for her, but that meant being alone in his quarters with him, and she didn't think she could take the pain of rejection under those circumstances.::

Turner: Mishai will do fine. Say around 1800 hours? The children will be asleep by then. Speaking of them, I have to go to spend some time with them. I've been away on a Mission and I've missed them.

West: I'm looking forward to it.

:: He smiled, leaving his PADD on her desk, amidst the rest of them mounting up. The night would progress from there, but fearing she was planning his poisoning, he went back to professional mode.::

West: My temporary arrangements from Starfleet. I hope I won't get in the way too much.

Turner: You won't.

TBC

Fleet Captain Toni Turner

Commanding Officer

Embassy Duronis II - USS Thunder NCC - 70605-A

Deputy Commandant UFOP SB118 Academy - Executive Council Member

&

PNPC Major Heath West

Marine Officer, Honour Guard

USS Nautilus, Temporary