STF

CO quarters 2000 hours

Posted Oct. 4, 2022, 9:38 p.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) (Kate O'Neill)

Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in CO quarters 2000 hours

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in CO quarters 2000 hours

Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in CO quarters 2000 hours
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
He had two small cups of soup. “It ox tail soup. It hasn’t been made out of the actual tail… we’ll replicated tail in years. It’s pseudo beef, slow roasted, or braised…” Calvin really didn’t know what recipe the computer followed. “The cut of meat historically had a lot of fat which breaks down and make the soup rich and meaty. Sometime people think its a very spicy beef stew.”

Marius

“It’s like you read my mind. We Slades are all about the beef stews,” she let out a laugh. “The difference between ours and yours is two things,” Vanessa stirred the soup as she talked. “The first is you can see the beef. We played a game called can you get to five and tried to count who got the most. Then we cited that whoever had the most was mom’s favorite.” The smile she wore was no longer flirty but that of someone remembering a happy memory. “The second is your food is tiny. Tiny food is fancy food and we didn’t have the credits for fancy.” Taking a bite she let her shoulders sad and let out a small groan chewing to savor the bite.

“Its not small because it’s fancy…” He didn’t know anyone who called ox tail soup fancy. “It more because of the number of courses. If I used full sized portions, you’d never get to the end… or you’d be so bloated you wouldn’t want to do anything after finishing but nap.” He left off the part where he didn’t want her to go right to sleep.

“Says the man who obviously did not grow up on potatoes and pasta,” she laughed. “I will grant you the idea of portion sizing being small so you can sample a lot however no one in the history or anyone ever plopped down a cereal-sized bowl of caviar and said here is your spoon.” Extravagant or exotic food was small because the ingredients were expensive. Too large of a portion took the cost out of reach. While Ox-tail soup might not be that exotic, for someone raised on chicken soup it was.

“Does your family like own a restaurant or something back home? So far both of these things are amazing.”

Vanessa Slade.

“No nothing like that,” Marius kind of had two families. “I just wanted to come up with something a little special and to put some thought into it. Its five courses from different parts of Earth. The fried tomatoes, is a North America thing, pork bellies, that’s Chinese, Ox tail soup is African. That leaves more than a few area for the main course and desert.”

Marius

“And a whole lot of pressure on me if I invite you for dinner,” she let out a laugh. “There are a lot of us which means a normal meal is like a holiday dinner and run with the precision of the Academy mess hall. With twelve of us, replicator credits didn’t go far so we cut back in logical ways. Pancakes are a staple for breakfast and there was always a pot of something on the stove. Oddly enough we eat a mack ton of seafood but it was because my Uncles were fishermen. So you said you put some thought into this…why,” she asked taking a bite of her soup. “What makes all of this special to Calvin Marius?”

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Now obviously there dozens of classical dishes from South America, but I took the easy way out and picked a Parilla, or steak house selection.” He stood and walked over to the replicator. Even before he reached it a large dish glowed into existence. The savory smells wafted to her before he was even able to pick it up.” The platter was covered with five selections. Each slightly different but all clearly beef. “This is Lomo, filet ojo de bife, rebeye; pulpon, rump; asado, short ribs, and finally morcilla.. which is blood sausages. Its pretty good, I like them better with eggs but you can have them with dinner as well.”

“And I have no idea what you just said,” she picked up a fork, “but I am going for this one.” Taking a bite of the filet ojo de bife she groaned. The juices and texture took her to a happy place as she closed her eyes and chewed very slowly savoring the bit. It was perfection in her mouth.

“Its Spanish names for cuts of beef. I’m sure the universal translator couldn’t understand my accent well enough to translate. In English that the rib eye. Everyone likes that cut of beef. People say the filet is better, and it certainly is softer more tender, but the rib eye - particularly the cap is fatty, juicy, and very beefy.” Which was pretty stupid to add. How could beef not be beefy… but whatever.

“Oh I am not wearing it,” she waved him off. “It was a safe bet you spoke English and it allows you to resort to another language without me knowing what you said. Everyone needs some privacy at times to vent. It also lets you learn other languages because if that little puppy breaks you are left with miming and no one likes mimes.” She let a playful shudder ripple down her body. Mimes were like spectral clowns to her. They weren’t funny, neither talked, but instead of being colorful, they reminded her of a ghost.

He smiled, “I excluded common dishes like Mollejas, which is the sweetbreads and chincjulin, intestines. they are a little more of an acquired taste.”
\
Marius

Instantly her eyes opened and she stopped chewing. A long stare passed between them. Raising a hand to her mouth she covered it as she spoke still holding the bite between her teeth. “You um said Excluded right. See I was just having a culinary orgasm,” she swirled at her lips, “and my brain turns into a goldfish during one so I need to make sure,” she began to chew the bite as if it is were a cross between tar and peanut sticking to her teeth and the roof of her mouth. Swallowing the bite she took a long drink of her beverage. “That was EX and not In.”

“Yes, EX cluded.” Marius shook his head, “I always wondered why people cared so much about those things.” For the most part organs didn’t really taste that great because they weren’t muscle and the did things that made them tough or bitter. “You know you eat intestines all the time when you have sausages… right.”

“Okay,” she gave him a playful look. “I am going in again,” she speared another piece of meat and placed it on her plate. While she might be acting like she was on Galactic Survivor and debating each bite of food she sampled at times, Vanessa was enjoying every moment of this.

“So you deftly avoided my question about why the food you picked was important to you and while informative, responded by just reading the menu. So,” she cut another bite of food, “you either want to impress me..which you have but don’t need to,” she popped the bite in her mouth nodding at how much she liked it, “you took dinner dating advice from Lt. Bobby ‘the boink her’ Zellers which is always a bad move or this means something to you.” Cutting another bite of meat she ate it and looked at the plate for another selection. It was amazing and so far she loved it all not yet finding a favorite. Vanessa had given him several outs for replies and would take any of them.

Vanessa “going to avoid any dessert that looks like a sweet bread” Slade CNS

“No, they really aren’t important to me,” He thought he kind of explained it. “I was..” he smiled, “trying to put in some effort and I decided that I should give you a tour of Earth and I picked a dish from different regions.” He paused, “Well not Australia, they are only famous for shrimp.”

Marius

“So you are trying to put in some effort but not look like you are trying to put in some effort,” she smiled back at him. Leaning in she wiggled her finger for him to lean in also. “Noted and so far breakfast is looking more and more like a sure thing.” Vanessa leaned back and continued to eat as she deftly changed the topic. Calvin was a big boy and an intelligent one. She was not going to explain or connect any dots, especially after last night.

“Oh, I’m not trying to hide it. I absolutely want you to see the effort and feel completely beholden to me and if you don’t, I at least want the guilt.” Men have gotten pretty far using guilt. He leaned forward as he spoke.

“Oh there will be no guilt tomorrow. That is the sign of a good date. When you wake up and your first thought isn’t coffee but good god what was I thinking last night yet still have that nagging feeling in the back of your head that says is it too early to ask about dinner again? I will save you the trouble. It is not.” Vanessa winked at him before sitting back in her seat.

“So where is the most exciting place you have ever been to?” There was no point in worrying about getting too personal with her questions on some level. Calvin and she had skipped a lot of conversational steps last night. The whole tell me about yourself might seem trite but whatever this dinner lead to, she did find him interesting on a lot of levels.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Well once on Galnondon Core my marine detachment and I had to repel a Cardassian-Breen incursion on that death sentence of a planet. They were trying to cut off the Romulans from the Federation or visa versa. Between random mortar shells and wondering when your nervous system was going to break down from the electromagnetic storms I would call that a pretty exciting place.” He looked at her, he didn’t think that was exactly what she was looking for, but it was never a bad idea to remind you date of the fact you were a war hero.

Marius

“So that means if we survive whatever this is between us for longer than a week fling I plan the weekenders and you plan all the rescues?” Her smile was wide and happy filling her face. “I promise you will only have to knock out the two or three blokes at the beach bar trying to pick me up as I saunter up to the bar getting us drinks if I plan it.” Her comment was tongue in cheek but Vanessa had seen him at the gym. She also saw him on the bridge. The two sides seemed to be in total contrast to each other. Calvin was built like a tank and could probably put a Klingon through a bulkhead if he was motivated enough. He was also very reserved and tended to be rather laconic when on duty. This did not mean however Vanessa was not curious or turned on by his story.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“You have a very glamorized view of rescues and bar fights.” Calvin didn’t much like getting punched.

“No I have…what did you call it…a football team of brothers,” she let out a laugh. “The only way a bar fight gets past my mother is if the boisterous band of bruisers can sell the story they were defending a woman’s honor.”

“Yeah, eleven on one can make the bar fights a little easier. Also numbers tended to make people feel more confident, and thus more bar fights.” Marius was a skilled combatant. Less so if he was drinking heavily and he was pretty confident he could take almost anyone, probably many pairs of people, but those movies where one guy took out ten didn’t work unless they basically came at you one at a time. Which did happen more often than you thought.

“I’ve done the drunken bar customer thing. It doesn’t happen nearly as often as you might think. Once you get away from the 20 year old’s. For some reason 20 somethings don’t understand pain, but you get punched in the face a few times your don’t try to do it too often in your 30s.” He glanced at her, “although I’ve seen attractive women and alcohol can lead those ‘misunderstandings.’“

“I’ve also been fairly fortunate, a few kind words and most people back down.” His ‘luck’ probably extended from the fact that he was over six feet tall and built from a block of pure muscle.

Marius

“Or the fact you are built like the hulk and rarely smile. I mean you might give the odd lip twitch now and then when someone says something funny but,” she let her words trail off. Setting her napkin on her lap Vanessa fidgeted like she was suddenly uncomfortable. “Calvin,” she said in a serious tone, “can you belly laugh?” Vanessa could no longer hold back her own smile as she teased the man across from her. “You are always so serious. When is the last time you let your hair down and just did something crazy? This is not rhetorical,” she held up a finger as she took a sip of her drink. “I am talking full on what was I thinking moment and it can’t be that you were benching two hundred yesterday in the gym.”

Vanessa Slade CNS

“It was 225.” He didn’t want to be short changed. Plus 225 was the automatic weight that ‘real’ lifters used. Standardized from years ago when there were weight plates. The normal plate, for some bizarre reason was 45 pounds. Two 45 plates on either side, 180, and the bar itself was 45… thus 225.

“I stand corrected,” Vanessa let out a small chuckle. Details were very important to Calvin. In conversations likes this, she didn’t worry about it so much but maybe he was trying to impress her. The fact he could lift almost her and a clone of her was super impressive.

“I have laughed before.” He had to admit those were as frequent as they could be, but he had to be comfortable.

“You mean that harump you did on the bridge two days ago when Ensign Hicks told that joke, Admiral Perkins? And before you say anything that joke was funny and what you did was not a real laugh. I snorted up a swallow of my coffee and Ensign Pope laughed so hard it sent him into an asthma attack.”

“It was a full out guffaw.”

Kicking off her heels, she propped her feet up on his knee under the table as she leaned back in her seat. “As for crazy…I am still waiting for an example of what Calvin Marius thinks that is if last night is not ranking in the top ten.” She kept her tone soft and sensual as she sipped her drink slowly.

“Dating you is pretty crazy. Not crazy, stupid, but crazy risky. The Fleet doesn’t much like dating between officers but they have accepted it because that is just the nature of life. You can’t expect people to be on ships for 5 years and for no one to ever meet someone they like. But even with that, they don’t like their Captains doing it with their crew. I could definitely see a negative fitness report coming in, if the Admiralty finds out about this.” Calvin never cared about his ‘career’ in such of getting promoted and the like, but he did care about his duty.

She found his comment more amusing than serious. “Said the man that repelled a Cardassian-Breen incursion during an electromagnetic storm. Now that was risky. This,” she nodded at the table is just two officers sitting around a table polishing off a bottle of wine.” It was hard not to show interest in Calvin. He was not the typical man she tended to go out with romantically but there was something about him that more than intrigued her. He reminded her of that guy from college that was always present at parties but never overindulged. The guy that seemed to always know the answer but tended to not raise his hand or call attention to his intelligence. In a way, he was the exact opposite of her in personality which added credibility to the old saying that opposites attract.

“Oh that’s what we are doing. I shouldn’t have worn my fancy clothes.” Calvin raised an eyebrow. She might be trying to be coy, but he gave up on that after the first night. If he couldn’t be honest with her now, then they were just playing games. Games were fun, but in his position he like to be clear.

“No, you look amazing and it is fun to dress up” she smiled at him.

“Okay so now I have two questions,” she held up one finger. “The first is what would I be on the Calvin Marius’ scale of risk assessment? A mortar attack, an electromagnetic storm, or a dime a dozen?” She did not ask the second but waited patiently for him to respond.

Marius

Marius considered that for a moment. “Not as dangerous as either. A mortar attack is just random death, and sometimes a pretty good chance of it. Electromagnetic storm is definite death eventually, so you have to get away, but it a low risk of growing on you. So, it’s more a very soft mortar attack of electromagnetic radiation.”

Marius

She nodded hearing his reply. Since he did not mention she was a dime a dozen as a choice, it boded well. “What are you looking for here,” she circled a finger at the table. “I am usually really good a reading people but you sir,” she let the honorific roll off her tongue, “…you are sending a lot of mixed signals. Last night I thought you stated it was a friend with benefits. Now you are stating that this could be a risk to your career and me being a splotch on your career. You however got dressed up far more fancy than I thought you would be. Maybe you and I both get dressed up to the nines for random dinners with the crew or maybe we don’t.”

“Am I now?” He questioned. “I don’t remember doing that much talking and deciding what we were doing.” He started. “I don’t think its easy to say what direction we were going yesterday and given what people tend to think and do on a first night, those words shouldn’t be held against a person.”

“Oh, I am not holding anything against you. I came over to be a total wayward woman. The fact dinner was thrown it was just a benny.” Vanessa kept her tone light and a smile on her face. “Talk is cheap and muddles things, especially when you are down to your knickers in the ocean. People click for all sorts of reasons. If you are happy with the way your wavy edges line up with someone else’s in the ten trillion-piece puzzle that is our universe then go for it. No one needs to see the whole picture the second you lay down a piece. You also don’t have to start at the edges and work your way in which is probably exactly what you do. You seem like the type to want to know the borders first before you jump on in. Me,” she shrugged, “I am content with creating chunks everywhere. One day they will all fit together. Besides with as many people as there are in my family, we never had all the pieces so you could be searching forever trying to find out where to start.”

“Creating chunks,” He started, “that’s a way to describe it.”

She hoped Calvin did not see this as counselor rhetoric. While everyone viewed Marius as always on duty, they also tended to blur the lines between when Vanessa was being a girl trying to ask a guy if there was dessert, and when she was Lt. Slade imparting advice a client could take or leave like a grain of salt.

Setting her glass down on the table, Vanessa looked at Calvin. “I am worth a black splotch on a career or hell even a transfer. Maybe not to you but that is okay. This is technically only our first date. I am sitting here wondering if there is desert and you seem to be wondering if I am worth a possible demotion. Relax,” she let out a laugh. “It is not like we have one night to figure out if we can tolerate each other long enough to worry about being a couple. Now get me some desert.”

She watched Calvin rise to get the last course and listened as she talked.

“I doubt it would rise to a demotion, unless it was something more than just dating. One or both of us would have to be derelict in our duties to be demoted. Transferred… now that might not take as much.” He had thought about the consequence of dating in his chain of command.

Vanessa had no idea where the conversation about her being a career wrecker into play but at least for right now, she was only interested in something more carnal and aerobic. They could worry about the next ten years another day.

Vanessa Slade CNS

As Calvin returned to the table still droning on about transfers and demotions, Vanessa stood up. With his hands full, the man was as close to defenseless as a highly decorated Marine and Captain could get. Reaching up she put her hands on either side of his head and kissed him. It was not exactly playful but not entirely erotic. It was somewhere in the middle. It was the type of kiss that would turn the average man back into a teenager who pondered all night what the hell was up with women as they stared at the ceiling debating if it was just a kiss or an audition for a callback.

Calvin had no where to go and very little to do. His hands were full and he was for all intents and purposes defenseless and incapable of any action.

For Vanessa, she knew exactly what type of kiss it was and toed the line of making Calvin throw both items in his hands over his shoulder and sweeping her off her feet for destinations unknown. As her lips parted and took the act of intimacy past what would gain a scowl from a grandmother she let out a soft moan. In the two times, Vanessa had kissed him like this, she felt a flicker of Cal. The side where he was no longer her boss and always on duty but a general schmuck like the rest of them stumbling their way across the galaxy. Only time would tell if she was right or if he was just multi-tasking and the slight relaxation in his shoulders as he leaned in to participate in the kiss was part of her imagination.

“Wait, what…” Calvin still was put slightly off by the suddenness of the kiss. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been kissed before or was surprised they kissed now. They had done more yesterday. Then she disappeared back into her seat.

“The correct response should be ‘damn girl’ but I will let it slide for now.” Vanessa kissed him gently on the lips one more time before breaking the kiss.

Vanessa then resumed her seat as if the kiss never happened. Folding her napkin over her lap, she looked up innocently. “You made cooked pudding,” she smiled brightly. “Oh my god, you have no idea how much I love this stuff. So much better than the non-cooked kind.” Vanessa had no idea how the man managed to burn the top of it instead of the bottom but Calvin was full of surprises.

He continued to stare for a moment, that was not the next sentence she was supposed to say. “I think you missed like four steps.” She had just kissed him like a returning hero from WWII and now she was acting like he brought her a box of popcorn at a movie.

“Well you did only bring me dessert and while it looks amazing I need a tad bit more to get weak-kneed than vanilla pudding,” she winked at Calvin. The problem was Calvin did make her weak-kneed. It had been a long time since she had been with a man that knew exactly what he was doing and why. Last night had given her a glimpse. Tonight’s dinner was rounding out the picture. Calvin Marius was a guy that was more than piquing her interest. “However nothing about tonight has been what it seemed on the surface. I am pretty sure this is not just pudding so tell me about this.”

“Well, the desert is both simple and rich. Creme brulee, is literally burnt cream in French, its more of an egg, cream, sugar custard put under a torch leading to a hardened sugar crust. It’s so divinely rich, I feel like I can get diabetes just by looking at it. It’s also wonderful to share.” He raised an eyebrow. He did have one bowl with two spoons.

Marius

“So it is not cooked pudding,” she let out a laugh. One day Calvin might understand how she seemed to be like a small town bumpkin arriving in the big city. Everyone had a backstory and one day she might curl up by a fire with a blanket around them as Vanessa read Calvin hers. Tonight however was not that night.

“Well kind of, with the crust created by a flaming torch.”

Putting her hands in her lap, Vanessa opened her mouth and waited. Her comment about mixed signals again played out in her head. Calvin was interesting and fun. One minute he seemed to be playing Captain Marius and the other he was Calvin the romantic. The bump bumps in her chest were her body thoroughly enjoying the ride, not knowing whether this date was going to be a ten on the Richter scale of weak knees walking home or a one indicated by a gentle ride on a moving sidewalk.

As the spoon entered her mouth, Vanessa closed her eyes and savored the bite of custard on her tongue as she let out a deep moan. It was unexpected just like him. Parts of it were silky and smooth gliding effortlessly in her mouth. Other parts were rough and bumpy from the sugar crystals providing an interesting texture and some resistance. It was not plain old cooked vanilla pudding but a culinary experience that made her want to grab the bowl and scream ‘it’s mine go get your own’. Opening her eyes she smiled at him. “Okay, it is official. I am definitely a multi-foodgasmic kinda girl. Everything has been amazing and like all desserts, this capped off an amazing meal. You are going to be sorely disappointed when you come over for dinner at my place.” Picking up her spoon she dipped it in the dessert and held it out waiting for Calvin to reciprocate her previous gesture.

“And get your head out of the gutter. A foodgasm is the euphoric feeling of utter happiness that one gets when they eat something, particularly satisfying like a cold beer on a hot day or that one thing your mom makes when you come back for shore leave because it was your favorite as a kid.” She winked at him with a big smile. “So what is your go-to comfort food that says ‘damn life is good.’“

Vanessa Slade CNS

“I know what the difference is.” He answered. “Creme Brule is one of my real cheats. There is absolutely nothing about this that is good for you. Cholesterol, fat, sugar and fire, but its like swallowing Joy.” He smiled as he ritualistically cracked the shell of the creme and spooned a mouthful. There is nothing, nothing, healthy about this.” He closed his eyes, “it’s all sensual sensation of pleasure.”

Marius

“Like me,” Vanessa commented, “well except for the cholesterol and fat.”

“So just fire and sugar,” Calvin countered. Vanessa had a very particular self image or was it just a straight flirtatious presentation. She didn’t have anyone to impress. Calvin was already sold and in a way she was bought.

“Absolutely and if you doubt it there is that childhood rhyme about sugar and spice and everything nice to confirm it,” she winked at him.

Scooping up another bite she smiled, “okay this is really good. We don’t tend to get stuff like this back home. My mah and grandmah’s cook the old-fashioned way. Replicator credits were used for things that were harder to come by. It has gotten easier as we have grown up although most people think I am crazy for sending half my check back home to my parents. When I was living with them it was like rent. Now that I have a free roof over my head and the mess hall it is more just a habit.” Vanessa made sure she stayed on her side of the dessert as she scooped up another bite. It was too early to say that they needed a second or a larger bowl but that day would come.

“You can make anything with a good enough replicator and enough programming power.” The cost of food was all the same once the replicator and program was paid for. Power was power. “Making food from scratch, can make more flavorful food, but it can be really expensive. Not to mention with 12 brothers, that’s a lot of mouths.”

“True but the programming credits are what kills the lower classes. Sure you can replicate diamonds and gold and luxury items but then what do you do when your shoes wear out? People always think replicators only pump out food but it also produces clothes, shoes, soap, toothpaste, socks, birthday presents, Christmas gifts,” she let her voice trail off some. If we are not replicating those things we are stuck buying them and clothes cost a lot more than a bag of flour, milk, eggs, and hamburger. Don’t get me wrong. We bought things but not a lot. For what my mom skipped on ingredients for dinners, we got other things.”

“Oh yes, the shoes and socks Christmas presents. Always a big winner with the kids.”

Vanessa let out a laugh. “They are the worst second only to pajamas and a new winter coat. Although one year I got a bubble gum pink one. This normally wouldn’t be something a kid was thrilled about but when you have siblings you always get the hand-me-downs.”

“Has your family ever come to the ship and beamed about how proud they are of their baby boy?” The more she hung out with Calvin the more she was interested in things past the surface. It was hard to imagine the man across from her wearing footie PJ’s and carrying a bear or blanket but everyone was young once. Those stories and images only came out when mom’s showed up and broke out the baby pictures.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“My birth parents are dead.” He said without emotion.

Vanessa did say anything but picked up her coffee to hide the expression on her face much like she did when she was in a session and was surprised by a confession. Her mind however ran with a multitude of questions. It was natural when someone dropped a bomb like that. “I am sorry that happened to you. Were you young enough to remember them?”

“Well, I was the oldest survivor of a colony world. My parents, all the parents of that world packed everyone under eleven into a Constegoa transport and shipped us back to the Federation. Theoretically, I was in charge of that ship. But we were in stasis for the entire trip.” He paused that didn’t answer the question, “yes, yes I remember my parents.”

Vanessa let the moment hover between them. Until now she had no idea that Calvin was an orphan but that sort of information didn’t typically pop up in casual conversation. She pondered on whether Calvin’s response was a good thing or bad one. Kids that lost their parents tended to either create a hero mythos about them or were consumed by feelings of abandonment. Neither option was ideal or one someone hoped for but they each had their own baggage. While Vanessa was not going to turn this into a counseling session, it was helping her understand Calvin Marius more. She had always assumed his slight separation from the crew was from his rank and needed everyone to see him as an authority figure. Now she suspected he partially used his command rank as a shield from letting anyone get too close for fear of losing them again. Losing those that served under you was difficult. Losing someone you cared for was tragic. Vanessa let the pause linger long enough for Calvin to lead the conversation in the direction he chose.

“My adoptive parents and I don’t have a very strong relationship. That’s all my fault, I wasn’t the best child. Lots of rage and defiance from losing my parents.... so the therapist said. Well all of them said.” He confessed.

Vanessa opened her mouth to refute this but did not. Calvin probably was filled with rage at the unfairness of his parent’s death. It was a normal reaction and phase of mourning that ranged from anger to fury. There was also the idea of survivor’s guilt that some bore especially when they were so young to understand the sacrifice made by his parents was out of love and hope for his future.

“They were right, we’ve made amends, but even though you can take things back and be forgiven. You can’t unring some bells. Well that got heavy fast.”

Marius

Setting her cup down she leaned forward resting her elbows on the table. “Okay, I am duty bound to say this not as a Lieutenant but as a human being. Teenagers are arsehats in general. My mom always says that is why god makes babies so cute. So when you are ready to throw them through the wall you see the baby picture on the wall and think twice.” Reaching out she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I have no idea what kind of arsehat you were at six or sixteen but I know the man sitting across from me is someone they are damn proud of.” It was hard for Vanessa to contemplate being estranged from her family. Sure they fought like cats and dogs but that happened when you knew someone close enough.

“Well then I was a perfect teenager.”

“No you were a arsehat. Comes with puberty,” she tried to lighten the conversation slightly, “it is just sometimes teens remove the hat and others wear it like a suit of armor. In the end, however the hat always comes off when we learn our parents are not dithering dipstick and were not blindly stumbling about until we made our appearance at thirteen to guide them.”

Calvin was right the conversation got heavy fast but it was not as awkward as one might think. There was a comfortable thing going on between them. This did not mean she was ready to demand closet space and half the sink in the bathroom but it took the dinner from a one-time thing to the possibility of a regular occurrence.

“You know if you ever want to bring your parents aboard I could time it where I bring mine. Lord my mother would have your mom on her knees thanking god you are her son and not one of the Slade boys.” Moving the bowl of Brulee closer to her, Vanessa took the last bite without even offering it to Calvin. The move was tactical and purposeful. Calvin had wanted to tell her but he was also a man and probably had no desire to dwell on it specifically. Stealing his dessert allowed for Calvin to gracefully exit the conversation or continue it. She had left the last sentence open for Calvin to throw in a quip, change the topic, or share more. Vanessa was actually on the edge of her seat seeing which direction he went.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“An ideal child by comparison. ” He shook his head, “I could always parade Khan Singh in front of old mom and dad too.” He started, “I suspect you aren’t guilty of mass murder.”

Vanessa paused knowing the comment was figurative but not sure how to answer it. Of course, she wasn’t a Khan but that did not mean she wasn’t a Southie Terror for a few years.

He looked at her, “Right?”

“Mass murder no but the arson charges were dropped,” she replied casually enough. Her tone might give him pause to debate whether she was being playfully flippant or sharing a nugget from her past.

“Or was that a secret way of suggesting our parents meet each other.” He didn’t think that was exactly the plan. “I think that would be a little premature.”

Marius

“Oh,” she let out a chuckle that was suddenly followed by a series of oh’s that changed the chuckle to a full-on belly laugh as if Calvin was the funniest man she had ever met. “That is a hard no. There is no way in hell I would let you meet my family. That encounter is not for the faint of heart. Remember I have nine brothers. Lesser beings have run screaming off into the night never to be heard from again. Besides even with your Marine training you are…are,” Vanessa began to stutter realizing she was about to say something that could nip this burgeoning possibility in the bud. Her eyes looked at him as if searching for something to say as her mind went blank.

“You are in Starfleet,” Vanessa blurted out as if it were the most logical response to his question.

“Yes but I am a girl in Starfleet. Theoretically, I can quit at any time and come back home,” Vanessa said as if this was an unwritten rule in Starfleet and something most women did. “Calvin’s Mom and Dad might be fine with that but Vanessa’s mom and dad think she is on Vulcan and this Starfleet thing is a phase I am going through so how can I just roll in the Captain of a Federation starship at my plus one to Denny’s wedding this Christmas? You might be able to stare down a ship ready to blow us to smithereens but you would absolutely crack the first second my mother says ‘so Calv’n what do you do faw a livin’?” Vanessa made sure she let her Southie drawl spill out over the table utterly imitating her mother’s thick drawl.

“However,” she held up a finger, “aside from your terrible career choice,” she let out a laugh leaning back, “you are exactly the type of guy mom’s go nuts over. Frankly, I don’t think I would be able to withstand the ‘Cal is Great’ brigade.”

Vanessa Slade CNS


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