Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be

Posted by Civilian Yavia Crockett (Nurse - Sacred Heart Hospital) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be

Posted by Major General Charles Tenkiller (Vice-Commander, Colonial Customs and Defense Agency) in Three Isn’t A Crowd If You Don’t Want It To Be
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Sharah laughed, “Exactly like that.” It was weird though how his words were exact to her thoughts…Coincidence, with her levels so low there was no way Sharah had accidently given him the information. It would be at least 7 hours before her levels returned to…well her normal. She grinned at Yavia, “Oh…more of his ma’s food!”

“Gotta keep you ladies happy to keep ya here. No better way than my Ma’s cookin’.” he said with a smile as began cutting circles out of the dough and setting them on a tray lined with paper.

Sharah turned to look over at him in the kitchen, “We are happy. Because you are simply you.” She watched him with the dough fascinated. Sharah had very little experience cooking. When she was young her mother had felt it was too dangerous, too many hot and sharp objects. Then when she was on her own she was in Star Fleet and replicators are amazing pieces of technology. So it wasn’t until recently that she actually started attempting to cook.

Yavia looked over at the counter where TK was kneading away at something. Everything they had had yesterday was amazing. She’d enjoyed it all. Especially the paw-paws. Yavia looked at Sharah and whispered, “Do you think it involves paw-paws? Those were really good.”

“You have an addiction, I think.” Tenkiller said with a quick grin over his shoulder.

Sharah laughed, “I have no idea, but maybe, just maybe if you ask nicely he’ll give what’s left.” She turned in her seat and looked at him, wickedness all over her face and turned back to Yavia. “Actually, I know for a fact he’ll give them to you. Something about since it’s our first day here, we are technically still his guests so he has to provide whatever we ask for.”

Sharah

Yavia sat up and looked at Sharah who winked at her. “Oh…oh! That has possibilities.”

Yavia

He stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around. He pointed at them with a wooden spoon and shook it like his mom had so many times at him. “Now you just listen right here… I’m cookin’ breakfast. And unless ya’ll both want your biscuits browned, I suggest you leave the horseplay outta the kitchen.” and he grinned at them and went back to cooking. The air was already filled with the smell of what Tenkiller referred to as ‘down-home cooking.

Tenkiller

Sharah looked between Charles with that heart stopping grin and Yavia with that mischievous twinkle that made your heart race and wondered for the 100th time in less than 24 hours what she had gotten herself into. Whatever it was, was wonderful. She watched as Yavia got up as if accepting his challenge. Sharah grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the den. “Leave him be. I want breakfast.” The food smelled amazing and her stomach growled loudly.

Sharah

Yavia grinned, if Sharah was hungry she could put off teasing TK for a bit. She followed her into the den and closed the door. Sharah was collecting plates and glasses from the night before and placing them on trays. Yavia walked over and tugged on her hand and pulled her in really close. “You are amazing. And we’re going to keep telling you until you know it like we do and we’ll keep telling you so you don’t forget.” She played with one of Sharah’s curls and bent closer, resting her forehead against hers, her sapphire eyes holding Sharah’s obsidian one. “We’re going to help you figure this out, learn to not have to be afraid. I promise. And when it’s too much and you’re afraid, we’ll be right here.” And before Sharah could look any more on unstable ground she kissed her. Brushing her lips across hers, tender and loving.

Then she let her go and grinned. “Let’s see if we can get him to come in here.” She called toward the door. “Sharah! Don’t you dare! You throw that pillow at me, you’re in trouble!” She followed that by laughter and she picked up a pillow and tossed it hard so it hit the door with a thud.

Whatever other antics Yavia was causing made Sharah shriek and then begin to laugh.

Yavia

There was a pause before there was any response. Then Tenkiller’s voice came from the kitchen. “Alright, listen. The stereotype is women having a pillow fight in lingerie. I’m gonna have to insist that if y’all are gonna play to every cheap, sappy, romantic holonovel in existence… you at least try for a shred of authenticity!” and there was a loud laugh. “And besides that…”

“Pajamas are lingerie!” Yavia called back with a laugh. “Maybe not lingerie you like, but it is!”

The door opened and Tenkuller stood in the doorway wiping his hands and grinning. “Breakfast is served, my loves. Now come and get it.” He jerked his head to the dining room and beckoned them to follow.

Tenkiller

Whatever was going on was not a pillow fight. Sharah was on the far side of the couch watching Yavia with focused playful apprehension. Yavia was standing arms crossed looking like Sharah might be prey. The door opened and when Yavia turned to look Sharah darted across the room and when she was safely behind Tenkiller, as if he would stop Yavia from doing whatever it was she was trying to do, she stopped and looked back at Yavia. “It was not my idea. It was his! His house, his rules, his idea.” She then made a beeline for the table and sat looking like she was totally innocent of whatever it was.

Sharah

Yavia turned, letting Sharah run out of the room. Her look was delightfully determined. “Oh no. It might have been his idea, his house, his studio, but you went along with it. And you were SO convincingly worried he would be mad at you so I would come help you. I told you I was going to get you back. And you my sweet are extremely ticklish.” She laughed as Sharah scuttled away to the dining room. She stopped next to TK and looked up with a grin and shrug. “It kept her distracted.”

She followed him into the dinning room and sat across from Sharah as if nothing at all had happened, until she winked at Sharah, making the other woman laugh.

Yavia

On the table was a feast. Soft poached eggs with bit of grated lemon zest on top (done so the white was firm and the yolk still a bit runny), biscuits and gravy, French toast, bacon, hashbrowns, and sourdough toast with butter and apple butter. Water, milk, and of course paw-paw juice were in small pitchers. The table was round, so no one was at ‘the head’. As they all sat down, Tenkiller looked at V and Sharah and reached out for their hands.

It smelled indulgent, and it smelled even better. Yavia sat there wondering where to start. The eggs of course because he had asked about that. V set her hand in his, and reached across the table for Sharah’s other hand. She closed her eyes with a deep breath that soaked them in and held them close.

Her eyes widened at all the food. They would be too full to do anything other than sleep after all that. She grinned remembering the day before (yep only the day before…that was weird), “There are not 20 of us here. How are we going to eat all of that?” Sharah let them both hold her hands, connecting them all together. It all felt too much, but if it wasn’t, Sharah didn’t think it would be right or whole.

“This isn’t my house anymore. Its ours. And you are free to make your spaces your own. I don’t know how or why or what happened to bring us to this… but I sure as hell ain’t gonna fight it. I meant what I said on the stairs. And once we’re all in the head space to not twitch…” and he chuckled, “… I plan on sayin’ it a lot. And showin’ ya both every day how much you mean to me.” He squeezed their hands and then let go. “V, you go easy on the juice. That’s all we got.”

Tenkiller

Sharah was trying not to twitch too much, but couldn’t help it. It was so encompassing and fast and intense, and so very very unexpected and sudden. She wanted it, all if it. But she was second guessing herself and their safety and her lack of control. Guilt and a life time of negative mantras from her own people hounded her.

Charles could tell she was starting to go down old paths. He squeezed her hand and said “Hey… new home, new relationships… new life. You are allowed to be happy here. And you can be you… all of you. Because all of you is what we want. We don’t hide ourselves from each other, okay?

Happiness and Love - fresh, new, exciting, but deep and steady - raced up his arm from where their hands were clasped. Yavia was more careful for Sharah, happiness and a deep welcoming affection. Sharah still looked confused and overwhelmed. Yavia just wanted to hug her, and then kiss her senseless until everything was better. Yavia let go of their hands and winked at him as she filled a small glass with the juice. “I will be very sparing with it.” She began to fill her plate. She was going to try all of it. Eating proved to be slightly problematic with a sore cheek that ached everything food or her tongue hit it.

Sharah started with the eggs and they were amazing and she hummed happy delicious sounds as she ate. She saw Yavia wince once, then again very soon after. She got up from the table and disappeared down the stairs. She returned, placed a gentle hand under the woman’s chin and held the hand scanner to her cheek. Glancing at the tricorder she gasped, “Yavia!”

Tenkiller leaned and glanced at the display. He wasn’t a medical professional, but he wasn’t a bad medic in a pinch. He looked at V and made a face “Damn! Hun! Say something next time, will ya?”

“I’m fine, but if you insist just kiss it and make it better.” Yavia stared up at Sharah, her arm wrapped around her waist while she did her thing. It was a small thing and would heal on its own, but she understood that this was Sharah’s way of caring for them.

Yavia

“You are not fine you have a nickle sized hole in your cheek! When did you....” Sharah didn’t need to be told, it was easy enough to know when Yavia had done that. “Hold still, and if you’re good, then I’ll kiss it.” Sharah was completely unaware of how that sounded as she worked with the small dermal regenerater. When she was done, “There,” she did in fact kiss Yavia’s cheek before sitting down again.

She tried everything, but very quickly found something she liked - Apple Butter on toast or the biscuits. She wasn’t sure which she liked more, but it was divine. She was trying very hard, and failing, to not look like Yavia with the paw-paws.

Sharah

Charles smiled at her and said “Now unlike the paw-paws that I guess I’m gonna have to have shipped in by freight carriers from now on to keep V happy-” and he looked at V and smiled before turning back to Sharah, “- that you can eat all you want of. I make it. My Dad’s recipie. He got it from my Grandm-” and suddenly he froze. That voice… that was MawMaw Tenkiller… he thought to himself. Visions of him as a boy and older woman walking through the woods, looking at plants and animal tracks and birds spilled into his mind. The thoughts were strong and incredibly powerful, Tears filled his eyes and held his napkin up and tried to dry them but they kept coming… a combination of a long homesickness and relief that Sharah and V were here with him. “The circle… those images… holy s#!t… and he looked at Sharah with a kind of awe. “Is that what it is you see? Those images like that?”

Tenkiller