Posted by Lieutenant Ian Bordeaux (Chief Diplomatic Officer) in Starbase 13 Food Court — 15 Months Ago —

Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Starbase 13 Food Court — 15 Months Ago —

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jacen Drayke (Chief Engineer/2O) in Starbase 13 Food Court — 15 Months Ago —
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Ian didn’t want to be here, this was the last trip he needed right now. Jacen was going to make new modifications to Kelly’s coffee dispenser and he had to make sure he didn’t give her too much. If you gave Kelly a cookie she always asked for a glass of milk. Without his hand to guide and protect the crew from her silly demands he expected every one to have glass tables on wheels and a three deck aquarium by the time he got back. Still his duty as a diplomat often brought him away from the ship he was assigned to.

Sitting in the food court right now with the few free hours he had before needing to rendezvous for the shuttle to take him to the Tirgon VII. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted, the food court was part of the promenade leaving all kinds of shops and eateries he could see but found himself gazing in one direction in particular. “Lexi?” he said with a low questioning tone. He could see her behind a half way as she seemed to be shopping. He didn’t know she was going to be on this Starbase, the Aquarius wasn’t listed to be docked here and three days ago they had just spoke. She knew he would be here on the base, had she purposely got a shuttle to meet him here as a surprise?

Lexi ran her fingertips over the soft cloth with the lettering IF YOU THINK I AM CUTE YOU SHOULD SEE MY DADDY bib. The rack was full of them. It was just trying to figure out what color she wanted. The baby was due any time now which was why Lexi had caught a ride to Starbase 13. It gave her an afternoon to do some shopping before bean showed up. The name bean was short for jellybean which was also a nod to Chris and his love of candy. She had tried half a dozen times to tell Chris she was pregnant but each time came up short. They had passed messages back and forth and even attempted a comm call or two but Starfleet always seemed to find a way to interrupt. There was the time she called and there was a power fluctuation on the USS Odin resulting in nothing more than crickets immediately after the hello. Another time they missed each other by two hours on Outpost 42 when the Aquarius was sent on an emergency rescue mission to the other end of space. The result every time was another failed attempt to break the news to Robbins. At this point, Lexi had to focus on the baby and not act like a love-struck teen. One day Chris would find out and only God knew what would be his reaction. Right now she was buying the bib because Bean’s daddy was the cutest Daddy in the world.

Getting up from the table he made his way to her, smiling he called out as he got closer. “Lexi!” he said, waving as he got closer. He had to admit she seemed to be better lately, their calls seemed to have a glow about her and from here she seemed different. He couldn’t see the bottom half of her but the top half seemed… fuller he thought to himself. She was never the classic busty girl Chris always seemed to chase, but right now he couldn’t deny she fit right into the class. Please God, don’t tell me you got a tit job to try and win Chris back. Ian thought to himself.

Lieutenant Ian Bordeaux

“Ian,” Lexi said with a half-second delay in her face lighting up waving the bib in response. It had been almost exactly nine months since she had seen him. If she couldn’t have Chris to chat with at least she had Ian. “Ian Bordeaux,” she grinned happily watching him approach her until she stopped smiling. The closer he got the more Lexi realized she was in trouble. “How…wow wow are you here,” she stumbled over the greeting and threw the bib off to the side. At least she was behind the counter which hid the literal elephant in the room. It was too late to run but there was no way she could stand here for any length of time and not have Ian start asking questions.

Lt. Lexi Garfield

“I told you I was going to be here… just a few days ago… we talked… told you I was married to Kelly… big changes in my life… are you okay?” he asked with a pondering tone as he looked at her, getting closer he began to turn the corner to see her only to find her seeming to back up and go the opposite direction.

“Pffft yaaaa essss,” she drew out the word moving back slowly and casually like Ian was a Nauccissian in a dark alley and not one of her closest friends. “Why wouldn’t I be,” she rounded the corner of the kiosk’s counter. Realizing she was on the wrong side, Lexi tried to play it by leaning on the counter as if she belonged there. “Can get you something? Lollipop,” she said grabbing the first object in her reach. “They are gourmet from Her..sh..e…yah,” she made up a different sounding pronunciation of the intergalactic candy brand. “I think it is found in the Belcordia system.” With each word, Lexi knew she was raising more suspicion than belaying it.

“What are you doing Lexi?” he demanded as he came around the corner fully as he saw her backing into the food kiosk behind her as he stopped, staring in shock at the sight before him.

“That’s… new… that occur in the few days since I was like hey… any new life changes going on?” Ian asked as he seemed to stare fixated on her large stomach.

Knowing there was no way out of this little pickle, Lexi made the snap judgment to call this a dry run of how to tell Chris she was pregnant. “Surprise,” she threw open her arms. “I am…expecting.”

It was clear she had to be nearly full term as he looked down, then back up at her. This explains the rack he thought to himself as he seemed to shake his head in disbelief. “What… what… I …” stammered Ian as he seemed to loose and words as he tried to understand the sight before him.

Lieutenant Ian Bordeaux

“Enough about me. Tell me how married life is,” she deftly changed the topic coming around the corner and linking Ian’s arm in hers. She had no idea where she intended to go but at least moving around made this situation far less awkward. “How are you adjusting?”

“I think you need to take a seat doll…” Ian said as he deftly bypassed the question as he put his hand on her arm and began moving her to the tables. “I think my marriage is the least of what we need to talk about hon.”

Lt. Lexi Garfield

Meanwhile…

“Why couldn’t we have just gotten these at Risa? Why do you always need to stop by these backwater places when we are on vacation? I mean first there was Outpost 42 and that odd couple we ended up having to help… now we are here and… this is Starbase 13… they shouldn’t even name a base 13.” Shaun exclaimed as he raised his hands in the air as he looked back over at Kate as she kept placing shirts over her frame as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“Okay yes becoming a temporary Captain of some billionaire playboys ship was cool but… you pick the oddest places to go shopping. It’s like back at home when we go on trips, you always pick the rest stops. Those places are filled with germs, no healthy food… public showers… we aren’t in the 21st century Katie bug we are in the 24th century with culture and civilization not…” Shaun paused as he looked at the shirt on the rack that read EVERYDAY IS CHEAT DAY WHEN YOU ARE NOT ON A DIET as he shook his head.

“Like this…” he said pointedly as he picked up the shirt, “What does this even mean… it’s just for fat Ferengi wanting to not be shamed to loose some pounds so I don’t have to constantly do bypasses on them cause they eat too many of those bugs they like so much, it’s gorging and it’s not healthy.

Lieutenant Ian Bordeaux / Shaun Grecken

Lexi looked at Ian and took a deep breath as she slid into the chair he had pulled out for her. “I am not sure where to start,” she hemmed and hawed. Lexi knew the news was a bombshell. It had rocked her world. This chance encounter with Bordeaux was getting extremely awkward and messy. If she had not kept up with Ian over the years, Lexi might have told him it was none of his business and walked away. It was Ian however so Lexi tried a different approach. Taking a deep breath she began to speak. “Well, there comes a special time in every boy and girl’s life where they start to experience urges. These urges are called,”

“Okay,” she leaned back hating more than anything Ian had become a diplomat. It was something about his tone and the way he controlled a conversation. His tone made Lexi want to tell him everything and anything on her mind about the baby and Chris. “I wasn’t careful,” she started the story. “I let my guard down one night and six weeks later I found out what happens when you let emotions run your life.” Lexi tried to keep her tone aloof as she spoke. This wasn’t as hard as it might seem. Lexi was no longer upset about the baby or the circumstances surrounding the baby’s conception. At this point it was just rehearsed facts she shared a million times with everyone from her family to her shipmates. “It’s not like having a kid is the worst thing that can ever happen to you. I always wanted kids. Since I am not getting any younger I figured why not put the cart in front of the horse. I have the baby now and then settle down with a nice guy somewhere, right?” Lexi’s tone was not confident even though she worked hard at presenting like she believed every word seeping from her mouth.

“The baby is not Chris’. I have been with several guys since I saw him last. Oh God now you sound like a slut. Quick, fix that, ” her inner voice chastised. Anyone that knew Alexandra Garfield knew there could only be one of two fathers to the baby: Chris or Noah. Noah and she had remained close but he had gotten married to the other third wheel of the group Kylie Morrison a few weeks back. Lexi dodged the wedding due to her delicate condition allowing the gossip mill to create a million reasons for her absence. One of which as Noah was marrying someone else and she was left in the cold with his child. Lexi never outwardly stated that Noah was the father. She just never admitted he wasn’t.

“Look the baby is my responsibility,” she kept the same topic but put a spin on it. “It doesn’t matter who the father is if I am the one planning on raising it.” Lexi inhaled deeply slouching back in her chair. Everything was true about her statement. Why it was making her feel so bad was the question she needed to answer.

“Ian you know Chris. He is not ready to do the family thing. If I ever told him I was having his baby he....he would,” Lexi’s voice trailed off as she stared at everything and nothing around her.

“Well no I don’t know what he would do but I know what he does. He bolts,” Lexi pointed out the obvious settling her gaze on one of her oldest and dearest friends. “Ian I can’t take the chance he won’t get bored and leave not only me now but his kid. Bean did not ask for all this baggage between Chris and me yet they are going to get it anyway. All I can do is minimize the effects. It’s not like any of the conversations between Chris and I have been productive in the past year and a half. We haven’t seen each other past some comm calls early in my pregnancy. It’s the way it is supposed to be I guess,” Lexi said in a firm tone. “Chris and I are a…beautiful but adult problem. One day he and I might work it out. When that day comes, I will worry about it then. I trust Chris with my life and my heart. I just can’t trust him with my baby.”

Lt. Lexi Garfield