Posted by Colonel Calvin Harris (Commanding Officer) in Shipwide Side Sim: Catching up with Lucas Holloway

Posted by Captain Molly Wright (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Shipwide Side Sim: Catching up with Lucas Holloway

Posted by Colonel Calvin Harris (Commanding Officer) in Shipwide Side Sim: Catching up with Lucas Holloway
Posted by… suppressed (19) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Even though Molly’s quarters were just like those of any other officer on board the Dresden, her choice in ‘décor’ was not the most traditional one. To the right, the wall leading into the small dine-in kitchen was lined with multiple unopened crates. To the left, there was a small standard Starfleet issue sitting area — it had a couch, an armchair, and a coffee table. Besides the crates, the only other personal items in the room were a small pile of books that sat on the table, and what looked to be a modern rendering of an old Earth photo album. Among the books were two of Erin’s yearbooks, and piled on top of the album were a few pictures of Erin as well. It looked like a small side project Molly had been recently working on.

Lucas smiled as he saw the yearbooks, he had each of the yearbooks the girls had been in a bookshelf in his home office along with tons of pictures from their childhood and a few others from important moments clearly taken with a telephoto lens. Although Lucas had long ago resigned himself to watching his beloved nieces grow up at a distance, he did his best to keep up with their lives… if even at arms reach.

Alongside the books there was a single framed picture. This one of a happy couple laying on the grass of what seemed to be a park. Lucas would be able to recognize both people in the picture — one clearly being his oldest niece, and the other the Dresden’s CO, Colonel Calvin Harris. Apart from that, everything else in the room was as Starfleet issued as they came.

The air felt caught in Lucas’ throat in the moment he saw the picture, stunned that one of his oldest friends was involved with his niece. He wasn’t… upset… more surprised at this unexpected turn of events. He knew the highlights of Calvin’s romantic past… his lost loves… and was one of a handful of people to know of his fling with now Lt. Colonel Devri Hudson following his divorce from Vanessa.

Walking inside, Molly didn’t wait for the doors to shut behind her uncle. Instead, she stopped on her tracks, turned to her guest, her arms crossed over her chest in a clear defensive stance. “Do you really think you can just waltz back into our lives?” She started in an aggressive tone. “You didn’t bother taking us away from dad when you had the chance, and after we left you didn’t seem too keen on looking for us either.” Molly paused for a second, but resumed shortly not giving Lucas time to respond. “Some of the best times we had were when you came to visit. I thought you were fond of us… it seems I was wrong.” She paced the small hallway as she talked. “And now… I find out that our family owns Holloway Heavy Industries! That you of all people had the resources to search for us! You…” Molly sat down on the couch, her voice cracking. It seemed that suddenly, everything she had bottled up inside for years was finally coming out. She shook her head. “Mom and dad fought about money all the time… after she died…” Molly glared at her uncle as if she had remembered something new. “Hell! Maybe she would not be dead if they weren’t so broke! Maybe dad wouldn’t have gone so hard into drinking if mom hadn’t died in the first place! If he didn’t need a dead end job to single handedly take care of his two infant daughters!” For the first time in her life, Molly found herself almost freeing her father from blame. She had found someone else to place it upon. “You… you could have changed everything… but you didn’t… Why the hell are you even here? Why do you even care?”

Molly

Lucas let Molly vent and get it all out of her system and then, methodically, Holloway responded to each question. “OK, first and foremost…” Lucas began with a sigh, but in a tone that was still a loving, caring one. “… I didn’t fly halfway across the Sector after personally requesting… hell… demanding an injunction from the President of the UFP to keep that lunatic from throwing your ass in prison for the rest of your life under some delusional belief that you would welcome me with open arms. I’m not stupid Gracie.”

Pausing, knowing that her next question was the one that had haunted him for years, Lucas patiently continued. “Don’t think for one second I didn’t want to come for you and your sister… because I did. I have and still do love you both more than you could ever know. I knew you were in San Francisco before you even tried stealing that bread off the cart at the Market. The only reason I didn’t come for you before was the fact I was in Grad School… in dorms… at NYU. I couldn’t have taken you on if I wanted to and certainly never knew Peter was as much of a prick to you girls until he was crying on my dorm room floor after you had left.”

A pang of guilt hit Molly, but only for a second, at the thought of their father in tears over their departure. For the first time in her life, she considered the pain her actions might have caused. But she shook the feeling away. After all, he was the reason why they had left in the first place. And she knew that she had made the right choice. Her brow furrowed slightly as she wondered how did he know about the bread stealing episode… but she let her uncle continue.

He wiped a tear from his eye and pushed on. “Gracie, again, I have never… ever stopped loving you girls… and our days together at Central Park have been some of the best of my life. I’m sorry Gracie… cause you’re right… I should have never left you in that mess and when it comes down to it, it is a shame I have carried all my life.”

Molly remembered those days fondly, and as he mentioned them, a small hint of a smile ghosted her lips.

Then came the hardest topic she could have raised. “Molly, your Grandfather’s personal physician, the doctor that attended to mine and your dad’s birth, beamed immediately to the hospital the night your sister was born and did everything in his power to save Mary’s life.” More tears came as he continued, his voice cracking. “You didn’t just lose your mom, Gracie, I lost the closest thing I had in this world to a sister. Your mother’s loss weighed on every member of the family because honestly… I think dad finally realized the impact of cutting your parents off. It was not something in my power to fix at the time and by the time it was, the two of you had found a great guy that loved you and did a hell of a job with ya both. I did what I could, I blocked any chance your dad might have had to interfere with the adoption, made sure Robert had whatever financial resources he needed to care for you girls, and when time came for tuition… I made sure your schooling fully funded. But we were always there… when you graduated from C.A. Riley, from the Academy… I watched… in person. I have never missed a Bruins event where Erin cheered and when she graduated last spring, I was there too. It was the least a failed uncle could do, be there to watch the two of you accomplish amazing things.”

As he spoke, Molly too was struggling to hold back tears. But to no avail. Her eyes glistened slightly as she understood the lengths that their uncle had gone through to still be in their lives.

Holloway closed his eyes for a moment before adding rather breathlessly. “I came because I care… I came because the President of the Federation contacted me when this mess hit the fan… I came because I have let you down enough in this life and I intend to do everything I can to help. Whether or not you want to ever have anything to do with me or your grandparents after this is up to you.”

Lucas

Questions flooded Molly’s mind and she sat down on the couch. Their grandparents had cut their parents off? Their uncle had been financing all the schooling they had done? Plus, he had been present at every major event in their lives? Molly seemed lost for a second, and Lucas would be able to see it in her frame. “So that’s why we never talked about them…” Molly muttered under her breath as if a sudden important realization had hit her.

Finally, Molly spoke again, almost as if she had regained her voice. “What do you mean, your parents cut my parents off? Does that mean…” He would almost be able to see her thoughts coming together. “… does that mean dad had money too? And that’s why we struggled so much? Why did they cut him off? What did he do?” Anger flashed in her eyes as she spoke.

“The day your father got bounced out of Fordham for poor grades…” Lucas began. “… he came home to find your mother in hysterics. 18 years old… together with Peter for less than six months, and she was pregnant… with you.” Holloway ran a hand through his hair before continuing. “Our father was livid to say the least. Your dad had a pregnancy scare with a girl his junior year of high school and dad told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t keep it in his pants and screwed up again, he’d be cut off. When he told them about Mary, common girl from a blue collar family in the Bronx, dad had had it. Although they met your mother several times, they made it clear that they thought they were being childish and the day they found out about you, took them out of their will.”

Molly didn’t know what to feel. In part, she felt guilty, knowing that everything that had happened had been because of her. Because she existed…

“If you’ve been at all those events… at my graduation… at Erin’s games… why didn’t you come and say hello?” For a moment, Molly’s expression saddened. “I… we would have loved to see you… why didn’t you say anything?”

Molly’s uncle sighed. “Gracie, don’t think I didn’t want to but…” He took a deep breath. “… by the time you were in high school, I thought it would be… inappropriate… to just stroll in like everything was perfect.”

“As for the funding…” Her face softened. “I had no idea… thank you.” She smiled at her uncle for the first time. Her eyes still watery. Speechless, she walked towards Lucas and, in an uncharacteristic gesture, wrapped her arms around the only family that, in her mind, she had left. As she did so, the interaction took Molly’s mind back to the past. To the days spent playing and laughing with her dad’s brother, and to the last time she had hugged him before they ran away.

Tears flowed from Lucas as he held his niece for the first time in nearly twenty years. It was a moment he had dreamed of and had longed for for so long that if it wasn’t for the seriousness of the visit, he’d have thought it a dream. “You’re quite welcome Gracie.” He said in a soft, cracked voice.

Sitting back down on the couch, Molly smiled briefly, as she pondered on whether to ask the question that had crossed her mind many times during the last eighteen years. With a sigh, she tried to speak as casually as possible. “So… is Dad still spending six nights a week at Mickey’s?”

Molly

As Lucas sat down across from Molly in the chair, the question hit Lucas like a ton of bricks and Molly would see its impact on his face as he looked away and took a slow, deep breath.

His expression… his expression told her everything she needed to know.

“Gracie… honey…” Holloway pursed his lips and then, with effort, pushed on. “… your daddy‘s gone baby.” He looked back at Molly, tears in his eyes. “Peter jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge 17 years ago. It was the night of what would have been your mom’s 29th birthday and a couple days after his lost his job with the Port Authority because of a goddamned failed sobriety test.”

Molly gasped slightly at the unexpected news. In her best days, she had hoped that her dad had found love again. A family that loved him and that he loved in return. A family that had made him a better man. Worth him giving up his drinking for. On her worst days, she wished he still roamed the streets, living the life he had built for himself. But she had never wished him dead.

Seventeen years… that had been a year after they left. The pang of guilt struck her again. It had been her. Her choice that had ultimately killed her father. She felt dizzy… sick… she could feel the world spinning around her and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Getting up, Molly paced in the small hallway again, hands in her head, trying to straighten her thoughts… and fighting back tears.

Holloway could barely face his niece. “I…” His voice cracked. “… I’m so sorry you had to find out like this Gracie. Your dad was never the same after you & Erin left. He was a madman in his efforts to find you but… refused to go to the NYPD over fears he’d be arrested on child abuse charges. He had completely quit drinking for a while… totally focused on finding you girls. He even went to dad, who blew him off… for multiple reasons, the first being that by the time he did… Robert had you two and dad thought it best for his grandchildren not…” Lucas’ jaw clinched in anger. “… not to grow up with a loser for a father.”

Molly didn’t have words for the whole situation. She wanted desperately to believe her dad was a good man, but she found herself agreeing with her grandfather’s words. She thought about San Francisco, about the happiness she had been given growing up… all the opportunities she had had… all the while, her family stayed painfully behind… and in the meantime… in the meantime her dad killed himself.

“Your dad had his vices, Gracie…” Lucas continued. “… but he was a good man that just…” There were tears once more, this time for his lost brother. “… just couldn’t handle the challenges life put in his path. But he did love you girls… very much. It makes me sick to think of the life you all would have had had our parents not been so stuck up. I might still have my brother… and you girls… the family you deserved.”

Lucas

Shaking her head, Molly sat back down, tears streaking her cheeks. “No…” She said faintly. And then repeated the word more assertively. “No.” She looked at her uncle. “We had the family we deserved, Uncle Luc… Erin did, at least.” She fell silent for a moment, as if trying to figure out the words she wanted to say. “It’s my fault… all of it… You said it yourself… dad was cut off of the family because of me… because I existed. If it wasn’t for me, mom and dad would have lived well, maybe they still would have had Erin, and they might had had a good life.” She looked down at her shoes. “And then…it was my idea to run away… the decision that ultimately killed my father.” Molly’s tears stopped. She felt numb. “I guess I deserved the beatings after all… It was my existence that took everything away from him… his family, his wife, and lastly, his daughter.” It was clear that Molly was not referring to herself. “I deserved it.”

Molly

“Now don’t you go and start…” Lucas quickly chided his niece. “… cause every word out of your mouth just now tells me just how much you didn’t understand and wouldn’t have even if we’d have had this conversation last month, last decade or even the day your dad died.” Holloway dried his eyes and looked Molly in the face. “Gracie, nothing… not a goddamn thing… that happened to you, your sister, your mom or your dad is your fault and I never wanna hear that nonsense out of your mouth ever again.”

His tone was fatherly and not mean, but firm and insistent. “Your mother died because a worthless ass doctor didn’t do his job. My father sued that piece of garbage into the ground and made sure that bastard lost his medical license. It didn’t bring Mary back but it made damn sure no other family went through what ours did. Your father’s death was due to the damage a near lifetime of mental illness can take on the human soul. Peter was given every chance in this life and pissed it away… every damn time!”

Molly’s gaze was steady on Lucas’s as he spoke. It was clear that the affection and respect she had for him were almost to a fatherly level. And to a certain extent, her uncle had been almost more of a father to her than her father had ever been.

Lucas unconsciously cracked the knuckles in his right hand as he drew it closed. “Your mother nearly left him more times than I can count and don’t even get me started on the nights you & Erin slept at my dorm with me because of Peter’s drinking. The only thing your dad ever did right by that girl was to not abandon her. They were kids Gracie, stupid… horny… lazy kids that ended up with a baby and instead of taking an easy way out, they pulled together and pushed through.”

Molly pondered her uncle’s words. She remembered the nights. And even though she pretended not to know why they were staying at a university dorm with their uncle instead of staying at home, Molly had always known very well why the sudden sleepovers happened. She wondered how many midterms and finals, her and her sister had barged in on… For a moment, she wanted to argue that they should have taken the easy way out. It had been a lot less complicated for everyone. But instead, she kept her silence, letting her uncle continue.

“As for the man that raised you…” Lucas continued. “… had he not found you when he did, arrangements would have been made to bring you two back to Chesterfield. But after Robert became determined to raise you… we collectively thought it for the best. Honestly Gracie, had you girls came home to Chesterfield, mom & dad would have probably had a nanny raise you till you were both old enough to be shipped off to TJS and that would have been that. Robert, in my opinion, gave you girls the life you deserved.”

Lucas

Molly raised an eyebrow. “TJS?” She asked curiously.

Lucas chuckled. “Sorry, mine and your dad’s junior high… a boarding school called the Thomas Jefferson School. Oooold money kinda school.”

Molly thought about what would have been like to go to a boarding school… she had her own experience at C. A. Riley, but she was sure it would not have been the same thing.

Finally, Molly sighed. “Maybe you’re right… it’s just… it’s hard to think that it was not my fault when mom being pregnant with me was what triggered everything…” Thinking back at her own life and at the recent events, Molly shook her head. “… and for what?” She continued. “It’s not like I’ve done anything good with my life… Erin is set to be a brilliant scientist. Maybe she’ll change the world some day… but me? I’ve done nothing worth of notice… look at where I am… I thought I could change something being in Starfleet and all I managed to do was to be kicked out of my ship and now to serve as some sort of scapegoat for someone with delusions of grandeur… I can’t seem to do anything right…” She sighed again. “Maybe mom and dad should have taken the easy way out…” Molly paused for a moment. “I know what you’re going to say, Uncle Luc… but… it just feels like mom and dad’s death would be justified if I had done something important… but I’m pretty sure that if I died tomorrow, the universe wouldn’t miss me…” Her eyes darted to the picture of her and Cal. “I’ve disappointed more people than I helped in this life.” As she spoke, she reached forward and lowered the frame to face the table. It was just another reminder of yet another person that she had hurt by being around.

Molly

“I’d miss you…” Lucas said with a sad tone, the thought of the loss of his niece nearly making him sick. “… and…” He added with a soft smile. “… I’m pretty damn sure Calvin would miss you too. How long have you & Raven been together anyway, Gracie?”

Lucas

For the first time, a soft smile crossed Molly’s features, only to quickly fade away, as the last question left his lips. Molly looked at her uncle, an eyebrow raised quizzically. Then she shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you know him… after all, you seem to know everyone today…”

Lucas gave a slight smile and simply shrugged. He wondered, if that shocked her, how floored the young woman would be once she realized just how much he really /did/ know.

With a soft scoff, Molly continued. “Calvin wouldn’t miss me.” She stated dryly. “I don’t know what that FCIS Agent got through his head, he believes I am guilty as charged. Even if everything goes for the best, I doubt I can ever get his trust back.” Her expression was visibly saddened by the thought.

“I somehow seriously doubt that.” Holloway said with not a drop of emotion.

“Calvin was assigned as the Marine Commander of the Montgomery, four years ago. That’s when we met. He eventually became the Turing’s Marine Commander when I was made Captain. He was always a good friend… was there when I needed him the most, and supported me through some of the hardest times…” For a second, her smile was back as her mind recalled distant memories. “Commander Harper… his daughter was our Chief of Security. He dated her for a while before she was killed… and I tried my best to be there for him.” Molly shrugged. “When I was kicked out of the Turing, he was there… he left because I did.” She scoffed slightly again. “A year later, when I came back from the Farm, he was the first person I visited, and seemingly the only person that truly understood what I had been through. I thought he was just a womanizer that gets laid with everything that walks, but turns out he can be sweet and caring when he wants… I found someone in him I never knew was there… and one thing led to another… we were together for two years. And now… now he’s gone.”

“Calvin Harris is callus, stubborn as a damn mule and…” The man locked eyes with his niece and continued flatly. “… and the biggest goddamn flirt I’ve ever met.” He paused and then continued. “That being said…” Lucas smiled softly. “… Cal is a reasonable enough person once he cools that hot head of his off. And knowing him as long as I do, if you had Calvin Harris for two years… and you don’t do something incredibly stupid like giving up without a fight.... he’ll come around. Trust me on that.”

Indeed, her uncle knew Calvin, for she had never heard a more accurate description of the man.

“How do you know him anyway?”

Molly

“We first met…” Lucas replied. “… through his father when Calvin was brought in to advise on the design of a new Marine LAC. It was a rather long term project and honestly, spending that much time with a guy like Cal… your either love him or hate him. Let’s just say that Calvin Harris is one of four people I trust with my life.”

Lucas

Molly let out a small scoff that almost sounded like a sigh. Reaching back to the picture frame, she took it in her hands and stared at it for a moment. “I know the feeling… I hated the guy during the first half of his time on the Monty.” She placed the picture back on the table. “But… he’s pretty great.” She smiled a sad smile at her uncle. “I hope you’re right about him coming around. I mean… I hope I’ll be clear enough of this mess to even be able to ask him for another chance.”

Looking back at Lucas, a hint of despair tinted Molly’s tone. “I didn’t do it, Uncle Luc… I didn’t deceive anyone… I didn’t use my connections or… or… anything to rise through the ranks. I didn’t plan on killing Tomas… I didn’t lie to anyone.” She covered her face with her hands. “And I sure as hell didn’t use my relationship with Calvin to try and steal the Dresden.” She paused and looked up at her uncle once more. “It was… it was horrible… They tortured us… they almost killed us… And then the shuttle–“ Her voice faltered. “I confessed… I was desperate. Calvin had stopped believing in me… I felt like I had nothing left. So I confessed… I don’t know what to do.”

Molly

Lucas stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his niece, patting her back. “I know Gracie, I know. Mary and Robert raised you better than that.” The absence of Peter’s name was pointed in that moment. “You were under duress and the tactics used against you should have never even been brought out considering the circumstances of your escape from that madman. I can assure you, when this is all said and done… you won’t see a day behind bars… though that bitch will be buried under the prison if I have anything to say about it.” The last few words were a vicious growl and Molly could feel the man’s trim form tighten in response to his anger.

Once again, her uncle’s embrace took Molly back to the past. To the happy days she and Erin had spent playing with Lucas in Central Park, or whenever he came to visit. His arms emanated a protective feeling that only him had ever managed to evoke. He and her mother… The two people that had made Molly feel safe since the moment she was born. For a moment, she listened to the relaxing sound of his heartbeat, as she had done so many times before.

After a few moments, Lucas sighed and pulled back from his niece. “Gracie…” He looked her dead in the eye. “… have you ever seen Ashley Newton before, do you remember obnoxious jackass from anywhere?”

Lucas

Molly shook her head. “No… I never saw her before. I knew Tomas… he was one of the members of my squad during training. Newton is FCIS. I never dealt with them before.” She paused. “Tomas wanted the Dresden’s command codes. He was the one that wanted to steal the Dresden. But without him it’s my word against that of a dead man. And there’s no way Newton will ever believe me. It is weird though… something that she said… the closest ship to me was Ryan’s… my training partner. This is all too much of a coincidence for it not to be planned… it’s like everyone I stumbled into was connected to my past.” Molly paused. “But connected by whom? At first, I thought that who ever planned this was targeting Calvin… but the more I think about it, the more I think they were targeting me. But why? What did I do?” She shook her head. “I guess that’s a question we’ll leave for our meeting with Commander Harper, no?”

Molly

Molly’s uncle looked in deep thought as he processed what his niece had said. After a moment, something dawned on him that hit so hard it looked like electric shock. “Gracie…” Holloway began. “… what kind of facility did that bastard take you to again?” It was clear the man’s keen intellect was chasing something now and he eyed his niece as he awaited her answer.

Lucas

Molly raised an eyebrow at Lucas’s question. “It was a Starfleet Intelligence base. A deactivated one. Inside there was standard Intelligence interrogation room… two rooms side by side, glass wall between them, and a shuttlebay to access the base… why?” She asked.

Molly

An almost… smirk(?)… washed across Lucas’ face. “I wondered as much from the SITREP Naniette (OOC: UFP President) gave me before I left Paris. Gracie honey, as I’m sure you know, Intel is not really my cup of tea… but I can give you two things to think on for our meeting with Commander Harper. First, try pulling the Thresher’s flight logs… they’re an integrated part of her Flight Control Systems. While I didn’t get the contract to build’er, bastards at Command refused to allow us that honor but they sure as hell used the Mark 9-Alpha FCS (OOC: Flight Control System) and the Mark 9 Series tracks every damn input in the Flight System down to a five click grade. Meaning…” He smiled wickedly. “… if Newton’s ship made unexpected course corrections in the last 30 days, it’s in her Black Box.”

Molly sighed and shook her head. “That’s all very well, uncle Luc… but… even if I wanted I wouldn’t be able to access them… not with this whole mess hanging over my head. I would be the last person in a position to access any kind of information. I’d be surprised if I still have access to this ship’s computer, let alone one as powerful as the Thresher. Maybe Harper can request that information… I don’t know…”

“I am well aware of that Gracie…” Lucas smiled softly. “… Commander Harper’s, however, are perfectly fine and under the direction of the Federation Council and President Bacco…” He tapped the folio on the coffee table. “… he has all the authority he needs to pull the logs and have the clearances… so far as the Mark-9 goes… to pull all the data he needs.” Holloway gave her a confident nod.

“Now…” He continued. “… as for the facility, I don’t know the details of how Intel builds their bases and to be honest…” Lucas scowled hatefully. “… if this is how they treat their own, my ass doesn’t want to know! My only question is… are Intel Interrogation Suites the same as Fleet’s? I mean, don’t they have recording systems, video & audio, comm loggers and bio-signature trackers that all record to a central terminal?”

Lucas

“They do. But the base was deactivated. I doubt Tomas would have engaged any of those systems when he was going to do something that could have got him in an awful lot of trouble. Not to mention… FCIS has been all over the place already… if they find anything… they’ll probably destroy it.”

“I can assure you…” Holloway snorted. “… FCIS barely has clearances to find their ass with both their hands. Let me talk to Cal and this… Ryan fellow… and see what we can dig up.” He smiled reassuringly.

Molly fell silent. For a moment, her tough exterior cracked and Lucas would be able to see the same scared kid trying to be an adult he had seen so many years ago in his dorm at NYU. Finally, glancing back at her uncle, her eyes pleaded as she spoke. “Uncle Luc… please don’t leave me alone until this is over…”

Molly

“I’m not going anywhere Gracie…” The man across from her said matter-of-factly. “… if the base had the same sort of terminals they have in traditional bases, they’re hardwired into the power grid. If the lights are on, sorta speak, the system is collecting data. I would make the assumption that you are quite right that SOB killed the up-link, but the on-site terminals should have… at the very least… a rolling 60 day window of data before the data is recorded over. The only way to completely power down those systems would be to hook-up another power source. I’d bet the entire company that there’s a whole terminal down there with all you need to clear your name.”

Lucas

For the first time since Lucas had first came on board, Molly’s face lit up with a smile. “I hope you’re right.” She told her uncle.

The prospect of him talking with both Cal and Ryan was not lost on her. She wondered what her uncle knew or didn’t know and what Cal might tell him. “Just… in the interests of full disclosure… and in the interests of you hearing this from me rather than from Cal… me and Ryan… we have a past. We got a little closer than just training partners at the Farm… this was before Cal, but… he might have some interesting remarks to make about it. Just thought you should know, if you speak to them both.”

There was a chuckle that escaped Lucas this time. “Gracie, your a grown woman… and a beautiful one at that… not the freckle faced kid that used to steal and hide one or both of her Uncle’s shoes so he would stay longer and play with you more. Both Ryan and Cal were lucky to have you, for how ever long they did. And knowing your boyfriend, I can only imagine some of the… opinions… I might hear. That said, I will keep both boys on the straight and narrow…” He grinned widely. “… you are my niece after all and I would prefer to keep the racier parts of your love life barred from my head… thank you very much.” Lucas winked and tapped the side of his head twice. “There’s still a sweet, innocent pair of little girls up here and I would prefer to keep them as innocent as possible for as long as I can!”

Molly smiled. She remembered hiding Lucas’s shoes to prevent him from leaving. Keeping him around meant more time to play, but it also meant a smaller chance of her father lashing out on her or Erin. The memories were bittersweet, and for a moment she wondered if her uncle had understood fully the reason for her actions.

With a more reassuring prospect on the table, Molly tried to change the subject while she had her uncle to herself. “So… what else is new in Holloway land? Wife? Kids? Any cousins I should know about?”

Molly

“You’re kidding right!?” Lucas laughed. “I was close, once… long ago.” He looked momentarily solemn. “It didn’t workout though I wished it had.” Then seemed to cheer once more. “Nothing else for a long time. I’ve spent most of the past few years running the company… a few dates here and there… but I think your old uncle might just be tiring of the dating scene.”

“Oh come on!” Molly protested. “If I can have someone interested enough in me, a good looking man like you surely can as well.” She smiled. She meant every word, and Lucas would be able to see some worry looming behind her gaze. “You should talk to Erin. She grew up to be a matchmaker. I’m sure she could set you up with someone.” Molly chuckled and her expression was briefly playful before turning slightly saddened. “You shouldn’t have to be alone. Besides, you’re going to need someone to do your job a few decades down the road…”

“As for Mom & Dad, they’re fine… retired to Aspen little over two years ago.” Holloway sighed softly. “Just a big, empty house in Chesterfield now. Me and the Estate Staff are all that’s around anymore. Had the Head Housekeeper and her family move into the Pool House last month… damn thing’s the biggest place they ever lived in and it gives Rachel more money for the kids.” A warm smile grew on his face before he chuckled. “Dad about had a stroke when I told them I’d let them move in but Mom calmed him down pretty quick. Told him how nice it was to know there were kids playing in the halls again. Dad’s still pissed but he’s backed down.”

As Lucas spoke, a proud smile settled on Molly’s face.

“There’s two full apartments in the West Wing…” His smile radiated love. “… I hope you and Erin will visit when you can. That place should have already been yours by now and it’s halls are missing something without the rest of the Holloway clan not popping in from time to time. When this is all said and done, promise you won’t be strangers anymore?”

Lucas

Molly nodded. “I’m sorry I never reached out, Uncle Luc… I was angry… and to be honest, I wouldn’t have known how to reach you even if I wanted.” She sighed. After the conversation she felt guilty. “Erin… she was too young when we left. Robert is the father she remembers and…” Her voice faltered. “… and I am glad. But…” She looked up at Lucas. “… you were more of a father to me than any of them ever were. Leaving you behind was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life…” Reaching out across the couch, Molly hugged her uncle once again. It was almost as if she wanted to make up for all the years lost, all the time they had missed. Tears fell down her cheeks as she buried her head in his chest and memories came rushing through her. His clothes felt the same against her skin, and he smelled exactly the same way she remembered. Suddenly, she was transported back to those afternoons in Central Park, all those years ago. The smell of his cologne mixed with the smell of the fresh grass under their feet. Erin played happily in a little blanket, looking through curious eyes to a pile of sticks and leaves she had gathered. Molly sat next to Lucas as he taught her about rainforests on a book about Biomes he had brought her. Now that she thought about it, she had left that book behind when they had left New York City, but somehow it had found its way back to her together with a few more items that she still held on to in San Francisco. The thought brought a smile to her lips, even if her face was still buried in her uncle’s chest.

Lucas knew, he had honestly always known, why his beloved niece always hid his shoes. There were times the anger with his brother had nearly spilled out but under most circumstances, he controlled it. The night the girls had run away, such control could not be found and resulted in Lucas kicking his brother’s ass all over his apartment in a rather uncharacteristic fit of rage over what Peter had done. As he thought of that night, Molly’s head buried in his chest… one of the most powerful and influential people in the Federation wept over his niece… holding her tightly and swearing to himself a silent oath to never, ever lose his family again.

Finally, Molly sat up again, wiping her eyes from the tears. Her brow furrowed as a thought crossed her mind. “Wait a minute… what do you mean, ours? We were never around… we are hardly family anymore… at least as far as your parents are concerned.” The lack of use of the term ‘grandparents’ would not be lost on Lucas. “How— Why would it ever be ours?”

Molly

“Gracie…” Lucas smiled softly. “… Holloway Industries was never supposed to /be/ mine. I literally got the company by default when Mom & Dad struck Peter from the will. I may be President and CEO, but only the title of President is mine outright.” Holloway smiled a… suspicious… smile as he looked lovingly at his niece. “Gracie, ownership of this entire company, upon the death of your grandparents… transitions to the complete and rightful ownership of their only living grandchildren.”

He paused for just a moment as the shock sank in. “That’s right…” He smiled. “… I am but a caretaker and guardian of the Holloway Estate, as I have technically passed the bar of having children of my own. Your grandparents… which they very much still are… wished for the company to stay in perpetuity of the Holloway line. It was their choice to name you and Erin as dual owners, 45% each, of Holloway Heavy Industries… Erin as CEO and yourself as Chairman of the Board. Both posts have been, and Mom & Dad agreed that they rightly should remain, hereditary positions held always by a Holloway… per the Bylaws. The day I step down as Executor of the Holloway Estate, you and your sister will both become two of the wealthiest citizens of the United Federation of Planets.”

Lucas