Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Wedding Bells- Neutral Territory

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Counter-Intelligence Officer) in Wedding Bells- Neutral Territory

(snip)

Shara held her ground but closed her eyes, musing over the fact that her not knowing what kind of man Gavin was was the whole point. They hadn’t seen each other in person in forty-nine years! She knew what his personnel file told her and she could make decent deductions, but the rest was an unknown. She wasn’t used to being vulnerable in public like this, even if it was just them in the shuttlebay just now.

The shuttle settled onto the deck and soon powered down and it wasn’t long before the ramp descended. Shara steadied her breathing, drawing on her years of endless patience during mission after mission. Yes her reflexes were excellent, her ability to make decisions quickly under pressure beyond reproach. But her ability to wait things out had been the one learned skill that had kept her alive year after year. Shara played the long game. The problem was that Gavin hadn’t factored into hers. It was a struggle.

Taking solace of her about-to-be-son’s large and calm presence, Shara breathed deeply. Don’t make us regret this, she cast out into the shuttlebay before remembering that his wife was Betazoid and his daughter an empath. Shit. Oh well. She was who she was.

Gavin stepped out and Shara’s mind wanted to see the twelve year-old she last remembered. It was hard to reconcile that Gavin with the weathered man she saw before her. And yet… his eyes. They were all Gav. Beside him was a striking woman with medium-brown skin and cropped black hair, her black eyes unmistakably Betazoid. And their daughter Lahala was gorgeous.

Shara smiled, looking for the right words as the trio approached. “Welcome to the Manhattan. Our bride-to-be is currently off on an adventure arranged by the groom here and we’ll see her at the ceremony.” She looked up at Dag. “Daggum Hammor, I’d like to introduce you to my brother Gavin Conner, his wife Taleel Quinari and their daughter Lahala.”

Gavin stepped forward and offered his hand to Daggum. “It’s so great to meet you. In the brief conversations I’ve had with Faye recently, I’m become quite excited to meet the person she’s become so happy with. It’s good to see her thriving.”

“That is my husband making an understatement. He of course went full Captain-mode and looked you up,” Taleel said, her eyes warmth and full of mirth. “I’ve learned that in the Conner family, energy put towards someone is considered approval. It’s a good sign.”

OOC: Gavin Conner: https://i.imgur.com/L2Tl57s.jpg
Taleel Quinari: https://i.imgur.com/UroJmMB.png
Lahala Quinari Conner: https://i.imgur.com/aCsfUX4.png

~Shara & Co.

Daggum took the hand is not-too-firm grip and smiled down at the man. “Captain, a pleasure. And I appreciate the check up… I did the same about you, Sir. Wanted see if I was marrying into a band of reprobate. You can imagine my disappointment when it turns out you are well-respected officer. Ah well… I’ll just have to do my best to rub off on you, Captain.” and he grinned and then looked at Taleel and Lahala. “L’kash-em solir-e. Be’rut han alasera.” he said in Betazoid. (Much joy and peace it brings to us to finally meet you.) and he gave them a small half-bow. He then looked at Shara and said “I can get their things settled in their quarters. Maybe you’d like to show them around a bit? I’m sure they would probably like to meet Pikelsimer. I mean, he probably already knows their here, so why wait?” and he grinned.

Hammor

Taleel bowed her head to Hammor with a warm and appreciative smile. Lahala gave him a warm smile. “We’re honoured to be here,” Taleel said.

Shara met Daggum’s gaze with a knowing one of her own.

“Ahh, yes, the new husband,” Gavin said with a grin. He was a man with a deep set smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. And that smile remained, though it shifted as he finally fully took Shara in. “Shar.” A punctuated name for a complicated moment.

“Gav,” she said, trying to suss out where they stood. She had no idea and it had caused more than one sleepless night in the last couple of weeks.

But her internal questions were answered when Gavin closed the distance and his arms slipped around his sister, all but breathing words into her ear. “You’re real.”

Shara had gone stiff, but at those terribly insufficient words, her arms relaxed and wrapped around him. Closing her eyes, she was all too aware of how public this moment was and he would have no idea how hard it was for her. Or maybe he did. It was anyone’s guess.

“I’m still mad at you,” Gavin said, giving her a tight squeeze, before he stepped back, releasing her. Taleel watched on knowingly, while their daughter’s curiosity spoke volumes.

“I know,” Shara said, forcing her voice to be above a whisper. “And it probably won’t improve over the next few minutes, but there is someone with Micah that you’re about to meet.”

“Oh?” Gavin said.

“Curtis said you head back to Midos often to look in on the old man. I haven’t been able to go back myself.”

“Well, he’s getting on in years and his health isn’t… wait, Curtis told you that? Since when do you talk to Curtis?”

Shara inhaled deeply. “Since I called him to talk to him about our daughter.”

“Your… he- wait, what?” Gavin stepped back, eyes wide.

“I can tell you the whole story but right now we need to go meet up with them and I thought it best to drop the surprise here. For the record, she and I have only just connected.”

Gavin shook his head, feet carrying him away from the group. “How old is she?”

“You know,” Shara said, eyes dipping to the deck.

“How old?!”

“Forty-nine.”

Lahala drew in a small gasp. “But you had to have been really young.”

Shara nodded, swallowing. “Sixteen. I had just turned seventeen when I gave her up for adoption.”

Gavin marched back to the group, slowing down as he approached his sister. “You should have told us, told me. I get why you didn’t want to say anything to Dad, but you could have told me.”

Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. In many ways it didn’t matter anymore. What was done was done. “I made the best decision I could under the circumstances. Was it perfect? No. But I couldn’t stay there and you know that! Something terrible would have happened, and at least by removing my presence I removed something that antagonized him. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me it was terrible for you after I left. I hated leaving you there. But you were safer with him than I was. Was I wrong?”

Moisture pooled in the corners of his eyes. “I wish to everything in the universe it was otherwise, but no, you’re not wrong.”

Relief. That was the only thing she could feel right now. All these years and she had never known if she had made the situation better or worse by fleeing Midos. Shara blew out a breath.

“We can definitely talk about this more, but I’ve love to meet this other niece of ours. What’s her name?” Tahala said.

Thank goodness for the rest of them, for Daggum being here. It would be too easy to feel ganged up on right now. “Nadine. Nadine Wells.”

“Well I for one am excited to meet all this family finally,” Lahala said, a bright smile slipping onto her face.

Shara nodded and looked at Daggum. “Meet you in the Garden?”

~Shara & Co.