Jessica moaned in her sleep and tossed fitfully. Her lips moved slowly as if fighting to get a word out but only a mumbled uha uha uha cut through the silent bedroom. Over the years, Jessica had learned to hide when things bothered her behind a smile and her famous catch phrase ‘I got this’ except when sleeping. When she was sleeping, Jessica often would dream and sometimes those dreams showed the things she hid from others. Jessica’s breathing became a bit louder and her moans grunts as if she was trying to say something but had a hand over her mouth stifling the reply. While her body was frozen in place her face showed that whatever was bothering her was about to bring tears to her face. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Aedan looked over, feeling himself startled awake as he looked over at his Puppy. “Baby, wake up.” Aedan said as he pushed her awake. He had never seen her white this way. “What’s wrong buttercup!” He said as he kept nudging her. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ~Aedan Teller : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Jessica’s eyes flew open and she tried to get her breathing under control. She sat bolt upright and looked around with a stunned expression on her face. Oh my god you were not barking, please god say you are not barking,Jessica said to herself as she tried to take stock of the situation now facing her. The breathy whine bark, as her family called it, was the tell tale sign she was upset or mad, never happy. Still Aedan didn’t know this tidbit. “I was having this dream,” Jessica tried to force a smile on her face. “You were at the beach,” she felt a lump forming in her throat and her eyes filling up. Jessica needed a good cry but not in front of Aedan. Getting up she moved off the bed and to the replicator keeping her back to Aedan. “You got nailed by a wave,” she got the word out before her voice hitched as she stared at the replicator. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “A dream? That was no dream pumpkin, what on Earth was wrong? Was the wave made of acid?” he said looking at her discerning. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : A shrill cry filled the air from the nursery next door to the master bedroom. “I’m coming,” she called out to her daughter as if Cera could reply. While the placement of the nursery had been a sticking point between the couple since before Cera’s arrival, Jessica was just happy for it to be close enough right now to make an escape. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BUMP : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Aedan sighed, the baby was awake and while Conusela was paid to watch her Jessica would never let her. Getting up he followed wanting to make certain everything was okay. They had been together for over a year, and this was something new. He wondered, he feared he knew what it was. Not too long ago she almost died, something the crew, and damn near anyone knew nothing about. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Teller : : : : : : : : : : : “Hey you,” Jessica said reaching in and picking up the baby from her crib. “There is no reason to be upset,” she told her daughter placing her on her shoulder. Half knowing Aedan would be behind her and half hearing something she turned towards the door. “You should go to bed. Who knows how long she will be up,” The baby only sniffled once before nuzzling Jessica’s neck and instantly going back to sleep. : : : : : : : : : : “Miss Jessica,” Consuela clasped her hands and let out a deep sigh. “The baby is now sleeping. It is not good to come every second she cries or toss her in bed with you every night at 2 AM.” Few people were comfortable enough to chastise Jessica since she had taken up with Aedan but Consuela had been under Aedan’s employ long enough to know when it was appropriate. : : : : : : : : : : “Thank you but you can go or go permanently,” Jessica said far sharper than she intended or maybe she did mean it as threat. As much as she knew Aedan loved her, Jessica did doubt that Aedan would toss Connie to the street but she knew he would toss her as the nanny. Giving Jessica a curt nod, Connie left the room without speaking. “Oh baby girl what is your mommy going to do,” Jessica said softly rocking her gently in her arms after kissing the top of Cera’s head. The past few weeks had been hard on Jessica. Far harder than most knew but Jessica could deal with it. She just needed time to find solid ground beneath her feet. : : : : : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : : : : : “Hey, you don’t normally snap at her that way. What’s wrong puppy.” Aedan said, his voice was even as he eyed her. He wasn’t being particularly loving but he wasn’t distant either. He wanted to know the root of her issue, and he wasn’t going to ignore it either. : : : : “There has to be something wrong with me not wanting someone else to tell me what my kid needs?” Jessica’s word had a harsh quality to them as if she were addressing a junior officer and not her fiance. “I an second in command of several hundred people on this Outpost Aedan. I think I can figure out what Cera needs without someone lecturing me.” Jessica walked to the large window Aedan had installed so the Cera could sleep under the stars. It was way too extravagant and costly of a renovation for a child but so far, Aedan was sparing no expense when it came to his daughter. “Go to bed Aedan. I have this. You have a meeting in the morning,” Jessica said with herr tone softening some but her back still to him. : : : : It’s okay Mommy. You are doing a pretty good job, Cera said before nuzzling Jessica’s neck and letting out a deep sigh. While she loved sitting on her daddy’s lap at night drinking her bottle as he read to her under the stars, in the middle of the night when she woke up, the stars were a bit scary. That is why she loved to wake them up at 2 am. Mommy always came and Daddy was not far behind her. Tonight was not as funny as some nights though. The first few nights she had woken up and cried her Daddy came in so fast he tripped over the footstool. He used a few words that she had never heard of but did a funny dance to stop from falling over. : : : : ::”Talk to me, this isn’t like you. Is… is it about.” Aedan paused, not saying anything he turned for a bit. Their romance and their life was always rocky it felt but they stood strong. Their biggest test came just a month before their child was even born he knew. Something no one on the station knew of but the two of them. : : : : : : : : ~Aedan Teller : : : : Jessica got a bit stiff as he brought up the topic she was so deftly trying to avoid. “No Aedan. That was not my first rodeo in a situation like that. I am fine. Go to bed,” she tried to keep the tension out of her voice and her face looking out the window. Lying to Aedan was hard enough with her back to him. One look in her eyes however and she would break. There was no way she could lie to his face convincingly enough to pull it off. Maybe what she needed was to change the topic completely. : : : : “You know what,” she forced a smile on her face. “I think I know what I need. What if the three of us go to bed,” Jessica said not facing him but heading towards the bed she and Aedan shared still holding Cera in her arms. : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : Taking her arm he spun her around gently as he looked at her, not saying anything he pulled her into his chest. He didn’t need her to talk to him, he didn’t need her to acknowledge anything. He just need to let her feels safe. With their small child held close next to them as he caressed her she would feel his lips finding her forehead as he softly kissed her. “Yes, bed… bed sounds wonderful.” he finally said, simply as he looked down at her. : : ~Aedan Teller Jessica smiled at him and before she felt Aedan’s hands tighten on her arm. His face morphed into someone else. No one she could place but still one she knew. Jessica began to pull back hard on the grip. “Ahhh puh. Ahhhh puh,” she fought to get her words out but it felt as if someone had placed a hand over her mouth to silence her. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaye,” she finally felt her words coming out slowly but they were coming out. Her limbs felt heavy as she struggled more to get free but felt the grip tightening more. The man holding her began to speak but Jessica could not understand his words. “Aaaaaaaaaye,” she tried again to call Aedan’s name but he was nowhere to be found. Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO