Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Officers Mess - A Family Affair (Tag CNS)

Posted by Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Officers Mess - A Family Affair (Tag CNS)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Officers Mess - A Family Affair (Tag CNS)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The Officer’s Mess on the Manhattan was closed to all personnel for a private function. A lone table sat in the middle of the room with place settings for four. Fresh bread covered in warmed towels sat next to pats of butter, and wine glass stood at attention, ready to convey the evening’s selections to their diner’s lips. Fresh flowers graced the table, but weren’t so high as to interfere with conversation.

At a quarter to seven, Alexander Cochrane walked in dressed in a dark, charcoal gray suit with a light gray shirt and deep purple tie and matching pocket square. He carried three bottles of wine, two in one hand and one in the other. Looking at the table, Cochrane said loudly “You outdid yourself, Chef!” In answer, the doors to the kitchen swung open and Chef Harv stepped out and nodded. “Almost didn’t come. I’m on vacation, you know.” and he grinned. Alex chuckled and said “Yeah… because you can travel so very far, right?” and Harv chuckled and walked up to him. “True, but I met a very nice Brasinian lady on the station, and she and I were supposed to have dinner tonight.” Before Alex could say anything, Harv waved it off and chuckled again. “Easy there, Skipper. She had to work late. So I’ll be joining her afterwards. That my bottle?” he asked pointing at the single bottle in Cochrane’s hand. Wordlessly, Alex handed him the bottle and Harv looked at the label and nodded. “Oooo… thank you thank you.” he said as he moved back towards the kitchen.

“Besides… how else could I put the moves on your sister if I didn’t come!” and quickly shut the door with a laugh. Alex shook his head and set the two bottles on the table, opened them, and let them breathe while he waited for Zef and the others to arrive.

Cochrane

The doors opened again to admit Zef. She was dressed in a mint green gown. It was simple in design, casual, with long sleeves and golden threads woven in and out of the material and shaped into leaves. Her hair was loose and hung in soft curls and just a touch of makeup helped define her features. She was in smiling. “Hello Harv! Its wonderful to see you again—I apologize I won’t be able to indulge in your cooking artistry tonight. Special diet this week.” She held up the bag containing her dinner.

Harv stuck his head back out and said “Your loss, Doc. And you look yummy, by the way. When you’re done with the appetizer -” and he jerked his head towards Cochrane, “- come and get ya some real food.” and he grinned and shut the door before Alex could respond.

Then her eyes found Alex. “And hello to you, too.” Her smile grew wider as her glance roamed over him and she shook her head. “My God you’re a beautiful man!”

“Well, I do have to try and keep your attention somehow, right?” Alex responded and took the bag and set it on the table and then took her hands in his.

Zef leaned in for a kiss.

Alex obliged, holding her to him until she pulled back.

“You know I don’t want to be here though, right?”

—Zef

“I know. But I appreciate you doing it for me. Besides… who knows what the future holds? These women may end up being important to you, too… you never know.” and he leaned in and kissed her again. He then stepped back and pulled out her chair. “Please, love, sit. We still have a few minutes before they arrive.”

Alex

Still smiling at Harv’s blatant suggestion, Zef scooted into the chair Alex held for her. “Please tell me you talked some sense into them?” She fiddled with the contents of the bag, setting the various portions of Bajeen food on her plate in small, separate containers. “The thought of spending the next hour or two with them looking daggers at me is not something I want to experience.”

—Zef

Alex smiled knowingly and said “Ohhh… I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about tonight.” and he smiled at her.

A few moments later, the doors slid open and an Ensign came in, envelope in hand. He walked up to Alex and said “Excuse me, Captain. I was asked to bring this to you.” and he set the envelope on the table. “Thank you, Ensign. Have a good evening.” and the young Antican nodded. He looked at Zef and said “Counselor.” and then nodded once and left.

Alex opened the envelope and read it, then handed it to Zef. “My darling, tell me… do you read Vulcan?” and he smiled.

Alex

She took the paper and looked at the alien vocabulary. “I’m afraid not. What does it say?” Still holding the note, she turned it so he could see it again. “I gather its from your mother…” Zef thought it was either an excuse not to join them, or an invitation to somewhere else and honestly didn’t know which she wanted it to be more.

—Zef

Alex put an arm on the back of her chair and leaned in and said “It says ‘My son, we look forward to joining you and Ms. Rollo tomorrow evening. We need to know dress code and if we are still meeting in the ship’s mess. Please extend mine and your sister’s regards to Ms. Rollo when you speak with her. Vash’tur’.” and he chuckled. “I changed the night. I thought maybe you and I deserved a night to ourselves, give you a break before the actual dinner.” and he winked.

Alex

For a moment, confusion shown in the blue-gray eyes but then relief washed over her entire face. “Alex! Why didn’t you tell me? You could have saved me from hours of niggling doubt that’s plagued me all day!”

But her tone was good natured, not angry. Zef leaned into the pocket of his arm and shoulder, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck. For a moment, she just breathed him in and let his essence wash over her. With that came a relaxed peace she hadn’t known for the last few days. “Thank you, Fyk’iri. A little time with just the two of us is probably exactly what we both need right now.”

—Zef

Alex held her close and said simply “I love you, Zef. More than you know.” The clanking of dishes announced the arrival of Harv and dinner. The cart he rolled to the table had a few covered dishes on it, just enough for one. Harv looked at the two and smiled before saying “Really, Doc. I just don’t see the attraction. You could do so much better…” as he set the three covered dishes near Alex and then sighed. “Ah well, no accounting for taste. Have a good night, you two. Skipper, I’m off. I’ll have everything ready by 7 tomorrow.” Alex nodded and said “I appreciate your flexibility, Chef.” Harv chuckled. “Yeah yeah… like I don’t owe ya.” he said over his shoulder and waved as he went out of sight.

“So now that its just the two of us…” Alex said and took Zef’s hand in his, “… how are you feeling? And how is everything going with the preparations?”

Alex

“Well, this is different than if you and I decided to get pregnant. We’d just let it happen naturally. The Degansa takes a week of special food and drink and purification to put a woman’s body in the most ideal state to become fertile. It’s difficult though. I want meat…and a drink, a real one…and I want to be with you…you know, as in naked and intimate?” She squeezed his hand.

“Well, I think I drank enough for the both of us the past few days, so I can wait for that till you can have one with me. And you know I always want naked and intimate time with you. Always.” and he chuckled.

“I want to ask if I can spend the night in your bed, but do you think we can behave ourselves? The ceremony is day after tomorrow, so we’re almost there…”

—Zef
Alex pulled back and looked at her and said “Ok, let’s get something clear right now. It’s not my bed… its our bed. And you never have to ask. Ever. Okay? I love you, Zef. I want to be with you. That means always.”

Alex

She drew in a deep breath and let it out in an audible sigh. “I’ve missed you since that night on the station. I haven’t been sleeping well without you next to me and its made me a bit on edge.”

Zef reached into the bag again and drew out a container of liquid. She poured a serving into the crystal glass on the table and set the thermos aside. “I have a question for you. Since we are a couple, my being pregnant will be scrutinized to a point. Everyone will think its your baby unless we tell them differently…how do you want to handle that?”

—Zef

Alex nodded and said “I’ve actually thought about that. How would you feel about a series of cultural familiarity vids? For you, you give an overview of Baj culture and then delve into the Degansa as part of that. I have about ten other crew I’m going to ask as well from cultures that are not represented well in Star Fleet.”

Alex

“You know, that’s a great idea. Of course, not everyone will attend, but enough to get the word around. I know I’d be interested to attend the other speakers…”

As she looked over at Alex, she popped a piece of cut fruit into her mouth. “Mmmm, this is my favorite from home—ginsa. Its like a cross between an orange and a strawberry, but has the texture and juiciness of a watermelon. I should talk to Faye about planting some in the space she gave me. Then I could have a little bit of home with me all the time.”

She leaned over and kissed Alex. “Thank you, again for tonight. I think it will help us project a united front to your mother and sister tomorrow—one that they won’t question.” Zef looked at the covered dishes. “You should eat something, dinner is the most exciting thing you’re going to get tonight.” She winked with the tease, long, white lashes touching briefly.

—Zef

Alex lifted the lids off his meal: Reuben sandwich, ceasar salad, and triffle. He looked at the food, looked at Zef, and smiled. “You know… I think I’m going to take this to go. How about you go and get something comfortable… and not too tempting… to wear tonight and come up and we can can just… be… for tonight? As much as I would love to sit and eat with you… I just want to relax and not really have on a suit.” and he laughed.

Alex

“Ooooo, that’s a brilliant idea—maybe we could just watch a video or something?” Zef was experiencing the physical and emotional ‘let down’ of the past few days. She was extremely happy to be alone with Alex and looked forward to their evening together, but she could feel the strain of the past week leeching out of her body and leaving exhaustion in its place.

Snapping the lids back on the containers that held her dinner, she loaded it all back into the bag to include the bottle of juice. “Okay, give me a few extra minutes to take care of a couple of new steps in my nightly routine, and I’ll meet you at your place. Shouldn’t be more than 20 to 25 minutes.”

—Zef