Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Executive 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 (Executive Officer) in From the Shadows Comes Hope
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Micah’s knife moved faster, and more than once the blade went tink off of metal fingers holding vegetables and fungi. “Nadine, I’ll tell you what I told your sister. Shara and I both know it was hard on you all. And we are taking that into account. We always did. Every second we were away we knew it was hard fo you all. But you three need to cut her some fu<&ing slack and stop reminding her at every chance how bad you had it. It’s not a g0dd&mn contest, got it?” His voice was stern, sharp… and carried with it all the care and protectiveness he had for his wife.

Micah

It took all of her control to stifle her reaction (being a primary school teacher had its advantages some days). Nadine scooped up the ramps she had finely diced and dumped them into a small bowl. Grabbing some oil and vinegar, she silently whisked it all together with some salt and pepper, Micah’s words and tone hovering in the kitchen. “No one said it was a contest and no one is making it into one. We’re all allowed to have feelings about the situation, Micah. And we’re going to have to work through them.” She found something to put the dressing into that they could pour it from and carefully transferred the dressing form the bowl. “Shara’s allowed to have her feelings too and she is more than capable of telling us what’s going on with herself, as she has been. And yes, you both might have factored in a general sense of difficulty, but you have no idea what exactly we’ve been going through, and if you keep trying to shut down the conversations we’re trying to work up the courage to have, you never will.”

In the living room, Shara laughed at something Gavin said and their conversation seemed to be continuing without too much fuss.

~Nadine & Shara

The door opened and Faye entered, followed by Daggum. Faye gave her mother a tentative smile. Shara just beamed and waved her over, pointing to the screen. Faye came around the back of the couch adn waved at the sight of Gavin. “Well, if it isn’t my intrepid uncle. How goes it?”

Gavin smiled. =/\=Well. Better now that I’ve heard from Shara.=/\=

“I bet,” Faye said. “It was nice seeing you. We’ll talk again later.” Gavin gave a nod and Faye moved off towards the kitchen. She poked her head in but gave some space and didn’t actually enter. “Anything I can help with?” she asked softly.

~Faye & Co

Daggum went to the couch and took a seat. In the kitchen, Micah turned and looked at Faye and smiled. “Hey, kiddo. C’mon and help me cut these veggies. How ya doin’?” he asked a little softly

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Nadine gave Faye the hug she felt her sister needed and gave the two some space. Faye soaked up that hug and then found a knife, eyeing what Micah was prepping and then setting to work. “I’m okay. I think.” The knife slid through a carrot with precision. “It hurts to love you all so much, you know. And it’s more than just trauma crap rearing its head, which is a part of it, but it’s not all of it. Things have been happening for me Micah. And I want you all a part of it. But you know me, or I thought you did. I struggle with uncertainty, with ambiguity. The time you were away it felt like I was often in a low-key panic attack, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it always has. I thought I learned how to live with the feeling of hope for the future on the Manhattan, but it’s been hard since I left there. The Athena has not been an easy place for me to be, even though I have Daggum and he makes it all worth it.”

Micah deftly chopped and cubed the celery and onions he was working with, his metal hand holding the vegetables as his flesh one moved the knife with practiced ease. He listened to Faye and was cognizant not to interrupt; and when she was finished he held his tongue for a moment before speaking. He then looked past Faye and I to the living room.

Shara gave Daggum a genuine smile and turned the screen towards him a bit so he could see Gavin, who was in uniform and probably in his ready room. =/\=Hey, how’s married life?”=/\= he asked warmly.

~Shara & Co.

Daggum smiled and said “It’s good. Had a few hiccups outside of our control, but we are weathering them okay. How are you? What does Fleet have you doing?” he asked, making small talk but still thinking hard about the past few hours.

=/\=Still captain of the Hampton. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon, though don’t quote me on that because a friend told me my name came up an conversation about a ship that needs an experienced captain in a fleet capacity.=/\= He shrugged. =/\=

Back in the kitchen, Micah scooped up the classic three-vegetable combination called mirepoix. He set them in a pan where some butter was just beginning to melt, added some salt and pepper, and then turned and looked fully at Faye, his arms crossing on his chest.

“I’m really disappointed in y’all, ya know.” he said. “If I expected anyone… anyone… to understand the magnitude and significance of what the past year has meant to your Ma- personally and with the job- it woulda been you all. But ever since you walked through the door, it’s been ‘You don’t know’, ‘You don’t understand’, ‘This was so hard’, ‘Yeah you hurt BUT…’” He shook his head with the look only a father who was truly disappointed in his child could give. “Shar keeps on apologizing, and y’all just keep hammering her. And it ain’t fair, Faye. And it ain’t right. This is supposed to be a reunion. A time to celebrate that we all can be here together. Sure, a time to clear the air and get questions answered. But y’all are just using her as a punching bag for your own shit without even asking what she went through.” He turned and picked up a wooden spoon and began to stir the vegetables as they started to faintly sizzle. “Y’all never even asked what happened. What this was all about. Not a single question. Just bam bam bam bam bam… throwing her being gone in her face over and over.” He shook his head again, and then Faye witnessed something that no living person in the universe had ever seen… tears rolled down Micah’s cheeks, even as his voice didn’t change. “We could’a had a nice long talk, gone over everything, explained the whole thing… but it was more important for y’all ta tell us how bad we hurt ya than it was for y’all to listen. Never even gave us the chance.” He turned his head and looked at her, completely unaware of the glistening in his eyes from a physical reaction he hadn’t had in decades. “I really did expect better of y’all. Especially you. Yeah… I know you’re hurting. I know us up and disappearing… again… was a serious blow. But you are talking like we didn’t give a f¥<k and just did the job because we wanted to.” He looked back at the vegetables, stirring them slowly. He was quiet a moment before he chuckled once softly. “Ya know… me, your Ma, and Blue… we’d sit together and talk about ya. About the Collosal Green Bean. And Nadine. We’d laugh and tell stories. Well… they told more than me, a’course. But we talked about ya a lot. And I was really looking forward to this day. Ta seein’n y’all. Maybe start making some stories together, you and I. Now?” and he slid the pan off the burner so it could start to cool. He looked at her and said “Now I just wanna cook, get drunk, and pass out. I’m worn thin, ya know? I’m tired, Faye. Tired of the drama and the feelings and the emotions and the pain. I just wanted to see my family and know that now, just for now, everything was okay because we are all together.” He shrugged and then turned and began washing glasses that had already been washed.

“Should’a known it wasn’t. Wishful thinkin’ on my part, I guess.”

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Faye watched him and it might have appeared that she wasn’t paying attention, but in actual fact her mind was rehashing every moment since they had landed here and analyzing each one in turn.

She frowned and felt an unbearable tightness in her chest before her own eyes welled with tears.

“Micah… you’re right. And I’m so sorry!” Her whole body felt rigid and she was almost shaking. “And I’d really like to give my Pops a hug right now. If that’s okay?”

~Shara & Co.

Micah shook his head and turned and wrapped Faye up in his flesh and metal arms. “Kiddo, ya never have ta ask. I’ve never been much of ‘a hugger; but fer you I’ll make an exception.” he said and then held her tight against him.

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Faye sank into the embrace, burying her face against his shoulder. Her arms held him just as tight and she felt like a small child being comforted by her parent. It didn’t matter that she was a grown woman in her forties. After a moment she turned her head, facing outwards. “I am glad you are both here, safe. Just for the record. And I’ll tell her that too.”

~Faye

“You damn well better.” Micah said softly. He held her tight for a few moments and then said “Okay. Enough of the heartache. Let’s cook, drink, and laugh. There has been a real shortage a’ that stuff.” He let go of her after a final squeeze, and then said “So you using that rock ta’night, or are we raw-dogging a jar or three?” and he laughed.

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Faye sucked in a breath. “I don’t know. I know I’m not in the same place I was before, but I haven’t had any alcohol since the night I started to spiral. I know I’m safe here though and I don’t think I’d overindulge, but then again, if you’re serving your moonshine, maybe we all better be careful. Considering it led to marriage for you, there’s no telling what might happen,” she said, breaking into a tiny grin.

~Faye

“Too true.” Micah said and chuckled. He looked at Faye and then have her a conspiratorial grin. “Hey, you wanna know somethin’? That night your Ma and I got hitched… yeah… it came back to me. I remember what happened.” and he laughed. “Haven’t told her. May hold ont’a that one for when I’m really in the doghouse.” and he laughed again.

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Faye’s grin grew, lopsided though it still was. “Probably for the best. You know she’s still weirded out by that right? The whole not remembering bit. I think it scares her because of her dad. Some of the stuff she told me when I was younger made it seem like he used that sort of stuff as an excuse.” Faye shrugged. “But you probably know better than I do.”

Out in the open living area, Gavin signed off of the call and Shara set the terminal to the side. Something about the conversation with her brother and the ease to it (despite having to start off with difficult topics at first), left her more content. Yes, there were things that needed to be hashed out between them all here, and she still had news to share, but Shara felt like she could take a breath for the first time. She smiled at Daggum and Nadine and rose to her feet. “Back in a minute. Going to get some water.”

Shara moved to the kitchen and watched Faye and Micah cooking, her smile deepening. She new how hard it had been for Faye to open her heart to another father, but once she had it was clear how much Faye loved Micah. That blow-up between the two of them was evident to not just their strong personalities, but their strong feelings. Only loved ones could get under your skin quite so deeply.

She moved around Micah and planted a kiss on his cheek before reaching into a cupboard for a glass. “What do you want me to set the table with, Chef?” Shara asked, teasingly, but also asking a genuine question.

~Shara & Co.

“Oh, just the standard. Nothing fancy. But give Faye a big girl glass. No sippy cups this trip ” Micah said with a grin.

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent

Shara smirked even as Faye rolled her eyes. She filled her glass and took a sip, setting it to the side so she could grab the needed cutlery.

Faye stepped away from the counter and intercepted her. “Yes?” Shara said, amusement threading through her voice. Faye threw her arms around her mother and held her tightly. Startled, Shara gazed at Micah wide-eyed and then she enveloped her daughter.

“I’m glad you’re here. Both of you. I forgot in all the chaos to tell you that, and I’m sorry,” Faye said.

Shara’s breath caught in her throat as the emotions swirled around in her gut. She squeezed a little, and rather than stuff down the emotions, she sighed them out, releasing some more of the tension within her. “I know, my girl. And I know you always have the best intentions. You have an incredible heart. Don’t think I don’t see that.”

Faye pulled back and gave a lopsided smirk. “Well, I think my execution could use a little work.”

Shara laughed and leaned in, planting a kiss on her forehead. “The same could be said for all of us. Family is like that sometimes.” She move over to the counter and gathered the cutlery, nudging her hip against Micah. “ETA on dinner?”

“Fifteen minutes for chow.” Micah said.

Out in the living room, Nadine move to one of the large windows and leaned against the frame with ehr side, gazing out over their majestic surroundings.

~Shara & Co.

His presence was not hard to miss as Daggum walked up to stand beside her. “It’s really beautiful here. Hard to imagine there are still aces like this in the galaxy.” he said while taking in the view.

Pikelsimer, FedSec Senior Agent