Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in From the Shadows Comes Hope

Posted by Civilian Micah Pikelsimer (Federation Security Agent) in From the Shadows Comes Hope

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in From the Shadows Comes Hope
Posted by… suppressed (16) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She snorted. “Golden years. You’re such a funny man.” And yet she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It was a strangely lovely idea and one she felt like she might even be able to contemplate. Maybe not today, but later? They had a future again and so it seemed anything was possible.

“Well, we had been talking about building another cabin or two. What’s your solution?”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“You mean what was my solution.” he said with a mischievous smile. “It’s already done. Has been for a couple’a months. You remember the Morgans, right ? Billy Jack, Cloris, and Maybel? Well, I called ‘em a fwhile back and told ‘em the family was gonna be comin’ at some point and that there was a bunch’a lumber and electronics and such comin’ inta’ the depot there in town. They grabbed it all up, took it out to the cabin, and then set to work. Took ‘em four or five months, but now there are two identical, three bedroom, two bathroom, and kitchenette cabins set a little over a hundred meters away from the main cabin on either side. The kids can have their pick, and whatever they choose will be theirs.”

Micah

She smirked. “I shouldn’t be surprised you had it all figured out. And nice of them to help us out.” It was one less worry for sure, even if sometimes she wondered when they’d start deciding things as a couple. But maybe that wasn’t them. Theirs was a different sort of relationship and Shara had always known that. She sometimes really needed that as they generally knew what they could expect from each other and given they had been through much in their own lives, they weren’t out to try and change each other.

Shara gazed out at the streaking stars. The farther they got from the Rabid Pel- Asimov the more she could feel something in her shift. Still, she was trying to figure out what to say to the kids. “I sometimes think it was silly to promise the girls I’d never disappear again. But I wanted it to be true so badly, Pickle. I thought I was done with causing that kind of pain.”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Micah stared out at the same streaks of light as his wife in silence for a long time. “Shar… we can’t guarantee jack-all in this life. And the kids know that. Five gets ya ten that Faye and Nadine knew that you meant you’d try. And ya did. This time it wasn’t on you, your choices. It was me. I did that to us… to them. And I hated every godd@m^ minute of it. So don’t go on thinking you broke any promise to them, okay? You tried. And in our lives, that means something. But I will tell ya this… when it comes time for us to be done with this life, this work… we are gonna plant ourselves and never leave except for family stuff.” He turned his head and looked at her. “‘Cause I wanna be home with you. Home, Shar… with you. And if the string-pullers have a problem with that, they can come into our woods and tell us.” and he grinned and looked back at the stars.

“And good luck them ever gettin’ outta those woods if they are dumb enough ta try.”

Micah

“Woe be to any trespassers,” she said with a smirk.

Dropping her feet to the floor, she got up and moved to the replicator, grabbing a tumbler of coffee. Moving over to Micah, she stood behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “My inclination is to keep everything to myself, but I can’t do that this time. I’ve worked to hard to stay out of the shadows. So I want to tell them stuff. How much do you think we can get away with?” She knew that the kids weren’t the type to go telling anyone, but this was more about how much she and Micah were willing to talk about the stuff they had had to do while renegades.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Tell all you want. I’m the Agent in charge, remember?” he said with a chuckle. “Perks ‘a the job. hun… perks ‘a the job.” He patted her hand. “And I trust them all. Besides, anything we did that was… necessary… is in the file on the mission. Anyone that really wanted to know could pull it.” He looked up at her. “Or are ya worried about what Nadine will think? Faye and Daggum both know and probably have done things similar… hell, Daggum’s childhood was worse than anything we did.” he said with a shake of his head and look that said he felt for their son-in-law and harbored a deep and abiding anger on his behalf for the ones that did it.

Micah

Shara drew in a deep breath and moved to the side of Micah, sliding into his lap. She looped her arms around his neck and nodded slowly. “She’s an elementary teacher. Remember how weirded she was just telling her that being associated with us was dangerous? She’s not naive, but she’s led a very different life. I waited a very long time to allow her to be more than just a secret in my heart and I don’t want to lose her. Not after everything. But I would understand if it was too much for her, wouldn’t you?”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Micah nodded after a moment and then said “Tell ya what. How ‘bout we do like we did last time, and I’ll lay the groundwork. Prime the ‘ol pump a bit and get her chugging along; then you can add fuel and see if she starts to run too hot and we can dial back on the intense crap a bit till she’s more co.fortable. How’s that sound.”

Shara nodded slowly. It was a plan that would do.

He tapped a few commands and then said “But I also think yiu aren’t givin’ Nadine enough credit. She’s got some steel in her, that’s fer certain.”

Micah

Turning her head, Shara flashed a grin. “Well, she is my daughter. The women in this family have always been made of sterner stuff than most, Nadine included.”

She sighed and then chuckled. “Maybe we should be more worried about Faye. “She’s understand, but oof, that anger.” Shara shot her hand up. “Not it!” Childish, yes, but it made her grin more deeply.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“I’ll talk to ‘em both.” he said with a shake of his head and a grin. “And you can talk to the Green Bean with legs about it and make sure he’s on the same page as far as Faye goes.” The comms chirped and Micah leaned forward and looked. “Entering Sol system. We’ll be set on automated flight path in about twenty minutes.” He looked at Sharah. “Still got some time…” and he wiggled his eyebrows and jerked his head towards the sleeping quarters.

Micah Pikelsimer

“And avoid thinking about how my son-in-law is going to tell me off for upsetting his wife? You bet!” Shara said, swivelling in her seat and striding towards the bedroom, pulling her shirt over her head rather nonchalantly with a slight exaggerated movement of her hips. It was always fun to give a little show and she certainly had no qualms showing off her body.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Micah watched her leave and smiled a lecherous grin. He waited for the shirt to hit the deck before moving quickly out of his and following her; his own shirt landing next to hers.

Several hours later…

Vanessa made a wide, slow circle around the cabin nestled in the far back woods of Tennessee. Looking out the viewer, the two new cabins were off on either side with stone paths leading form their front door to the front porch of the main house. “They look good! Morgans really outdid themselves. We’re gonna have to have them over to thank ‘em.” he said as he brought the ship in and settled it in the same spot as he had their first trip here. He looked at Shara and said “Welcome home, hun.”

Pikelsimer

Shara sighed a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, and in that breath was a weight borne of worry. It was as if a part of her mind didn’t believe this would happen, that they would actually make it here, despite all the promises. “Home,” she said softly before breaking into a small smile. She locked down what was necessary as he shut down the engines.

Stepping off the ship, Shara took in the mountains that surrounded their modest home and she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air deeply. “Did the Morgans happen to stock some food or do we have to go foraging right away?”

~Shara

Micah smiled. “Nope, we got a fully stocked chiller and pantry. Venison and some wild boar that they took down a few weeks ago. And there should be all the fixins’ we need to feed everybody for a day or two. Then we’ll see how much work we can get outta Daggum.” and he laughed as he slung his bag over his metal shoulder and walked down the ramp.

“I daresay Faye will be thrilled. It’ll be all nostalgic for her. If we were around more I get her to build us a garden, but that would be a waste of resources given everything would just die and go unused without us here all the time.”

He stopped and breathed deep. “Smells like some rain comin’.” and he put his flesh arm around Shara’s waist and began walking them towards their house.

Micah

She broke into a smile as the simple intimacy of walking together. “Weird to think the last time we were here we were newlyweds. And you became a father,” she said, nudging him slightly with her shoulder. “Any regrets as we approach our first anniversary?

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Last time we were here we here you still didn’t know if you liked me, let alone loved me. I had ta’ getcha drunk to get ya to marry me!” Their ‘accidental’ marriage via subspace net marriage service was still hysterical to him… and the single best drunk choice he had ever made. He stopped at the base of the steps up to the front porch and dropped his bag and then wrapped his arms around Shara. He looked into her eyes and said “And as far our first anniversary goes? Even with all the crap this year has brought, the fact that I got’a spend it with you made it the best year I ever had.” and he leaned in and kissed her like only someone who knew the hardships they had shared could.

Micah

Every time they kissed like this (something beyond just a quick peck), Shara felt grounded. It wasn’t something she could explain other than she felt like her and Micah had been somehow inevitable. Slipping her arms around her, she returned that kiss, grateful for his presence and his love, even on the days when he drove her crazy. No one could say their lives were boring, that’s for sure!

When she pulled back, Shara smirked. “Does this mean you’re going to do something hokey and carry me across the threshold?”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

One of the things most people, especially those who tried to fight him, didn’t realize was that Micah Pikelsimer was exceptionally quick. While the word ‘threshold’ was still hanging in the air, Micah had Shara off the ground and thrown over his flesh and blood shoulder. “Yeah… sumthin’ like that.” he said as he laughed their way inside.

“The pillar of romance,” Shara said between laughs as he carried her into the house.

Once inside, he set Shara on the floor and kissed her again. Off in the distance, thunder sounded and Micah grinned. “Ohhhhh… thunderstorm. How about we don’t unpack and go up to the tub, get it filled with hot water and bubbles, and drop the wall and watch it roll in?”

Micah

She pointed a finger at him. “Now that sounds great!” Shara moved swiftly with her long legs, sweeping up the stairs into the open bedroom and right into the large bathroom. “How much time before the kids get here?” she said, turning the bath on to fill.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Micah followed her with his eyes as well as his feet and said “Supposed to be in about three or four hours. That could be pushed back till tomorrow morning, if ya want a night with just us. I can get them set up in the Waldorf Hotel on Station One. Suites. The manager owes me a few dozen favors.” he said with a grin.

Micah