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 Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) 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 (33) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“You aren’t choosing anything for anyone except yourself, Sharah.” Charles said and then he just looked at her for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly and he looked at V and rrhen back at Sharah. “Sharah… I know you don’t trust yourself right now. But do you trust me? Do you trust Yavia? And you don’t have to answer that.. I know you do. I can feel it. So....” and he squeezed her hand tight, “… let it go.”

Tenkiller

He was staring at her and then at Yavia and then they were both staring at her. Sharah was shaking her head no before he ever opened his mouth again. That was not fair! No. No no no! What would they do if it all went horribly wrong? Knock her out? Would that even work? She shook her head no again.

Yavia was not playing fair either. It was like she was poking at all the places where Sharah felt things were escaping and seeping out. ‘Sharah you have to do something, before it hurts you. We have you, sweetheart.‘

She didn’t even know how. It wasn’t a pressure valve that simply let a little bit out, it was like the whole gasket blowing. They were waiting…trust them or…or what? It wasn’t a choice, it was simply trust them. She would have curled into herself, try to hold herself together if they hadn’t been holding onto and squeezing her hands. She began to cry, and what little hold she had snapped. There was no warning or slow build. It hit them like wrecking balls, over and over again. It wasn’t just emotion but the physical signs as well. Terror, hopelessness, and despair. It didn’t stop, it wouldn’t stop.

Yavia was an average empath/telepath for a Deltan but she had not expected the enormity or the strength of it. It rocked her backwards into the pillows and she gripped Sharah’s hand tighter to keep from letting go. She felt sick to her stomach as the terror hit and the ache in her heart at the hopelessness and the metallic taste of blood as she bit her cheek to stop from screaming fear.

Charles wasn’t an empath. Or a telepath. Or an anything path. He had no training in psychic combat or combating a storm of emotions from one. So when the force hit him… he let it. As the waves of pain and fear and torment swept him away, he simply went along with it. It was awful… and he felt Sharah’s pain as his own. He was drowning in it… until he saw… felt?… a hand steady him. He looked in his mind’s eye and saw his people standing in a circle around him. The waves raged and pounded and the noise was immense. His circle. Sacred and all-encompassing. He saw V next to him… and Sharah… and he held them to him. And the storm raged around him, but he… they… were safe.

It was horrible and terrifying even without the terror that Sharah felt. The noise was deafening and made Yavia’s physical ears ring with it. She felt Sharah tug on her hand and when she looked she saw Sharah crumple onto the bed. Mentally…Sharah was being dragged down by the waves, further and further away, being drowned, slipping away from them. She felt TK there with them. He had them both and he and Yavia had Sharah. Yavia felt the presence of hundreds or more. They all felt like TK, a spark of his essence.

They were safe, but the storm raged on. Yavia looked up and her heart constricted. It was massive and dark and horrible. A monster born of the chaos and nightmares of milliions of minds. It raged and pounded the outside of the circle clawing to get in, to get at Sharah. Yavia wasn’t sure who the mental image belonged to, but it evoked very real terror.

Finally…it stopped, as it burned through the psilosynine in her paracortex. The input stopped and the pain stopped and Sharah blacked out.

Sharah

Tenkiller rose up from where he had fallen on the floor, his hand still grasping V and Sharah. His nose was bleeding and he had a massive headache. He looked at V and Sharah and said “Are you okay? SHARAH! V! SHARAH!” and he scrambled back next to Sharah and knelt next to her. “V, is she okay?”

Tenkiller

Yavia pushed herself up and scrambled over next to them. She blinked to clear her vision. “Are you okay? TK?” She placed a hand on his shoulder. Her head felt raw and like millions of glass shards were stabbing her brain. “I am. Disoriented and a headache.” Sharah was totally unconscious, but she was breathing. Was she okay? “I don’t know.”

She looked at him and grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down beside Sharah. She needed a medkit, she didn’t bring with her. Then she remembered, Sharah had one in her bag. She leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Stay here with her.” She slipped off the bed and out to Sharah’s room. V kept a hand on the wall to steady herself. Her heart broke in those moments for Sharah. How could anyone live like that? She dug through Sharah’s bag and found the medkit she’d packed.

She hurried back into the room and pulled a towel from the bathroom. She pulled out the tricorder and passed it over Sharah, simultaneously pressing the cloth to TK’s nose. “Hold that there and breath deeply.” Yavia didn’t know what to do. “Her blood pressure is 102/60. That’s probably why she passed out…I hope.” Sharah had said earlier that her psilosynine had dropped right after the protest. “Her psilosynine levels are really low.” Setting the tricorder down she carefully stretched Sharah out. Uncrossing her legs and setting her hands beside her. She put several pillows under Sharah’s legs to elevate them. She returned to the bathroom where water could be heard running and she brought a damp cloth and placed it on the back of Sharah’s neck.

She moved around the bed and set a hand on his forehead. “How are you feeling?” She picked up the tricorder again and scanned him. “Let me give you something for the headache. Then some juice and water. Your blood sugar is a bit low, and the water will help.” She scanned herself then. “Same for me.” She scanned the vials in the kit, picked one and slid it into the hypo. She pressed it to his upper arm and there was a faint hiss as she pressed the button. Then she pressed it to her own arm and pressed the button. She looked at Sharah and back at him. Her concern and worry were palpable. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Yavia

Tenkiller held the cloth to his nose for a bit and blinked a few times. His head was pounding. “I… I can get a medevac here in under two minutes. Do I need to call it?”

V shook her head, and then regretted it. “I think we can wait a couple minutes and see if she wakes up. If not we’ll need to call.”

He pulled the cloth away and sat up… slowly… and squinted. “My head feels like I went ten rounds with those Klingons at that embassy… without headgear.” He rubbed the side of his head and looked at V. “Are you okay, hun? Can I do anything for you?”

Tenkiller

“The hypo should help with that. Should kick in in just a moment.” She wiped the corner of her mouth on the back of her hand and it came away bloody. She felt around the inside of her mouth and winced when she touched her cheek. She must have bit through it. “I’m…light headed, headache. Really shaken. I have never felt anything like that.” And she never wanted to again. She picked up Sharah’s hand and rubbed her thumb over the back in slow circles. She put her other hand on his cheek. “Juice would be good for the sugar, and water. Water is always good if there is a sudden onset of pain. Mostly I just really want her to wake up.”

Yavia

Tenkiller crawled over to Sharah and then laid on his side next to her. He took her hand in his and took a breath. “Hey, you…” he said softly. “Sharah… c’mon, hun… wake up for us, ok? Me and V… we’re right here. We told ya it’d be okay, and it is. Ya just gotta wake up for us, ok? Wake up and let us know you’re alright. C’mon, Sharah…” and he kept talking to her softly and holding her hand.

Tenkiller

Sharah hadn’t hit her head, Yavia had checked. Sharah should wake up. As much as Yavia wanted to just sit there, they had to take care of themselves too. She leaned over and placed a lingering kiss Sharah’s cheek. “Wake up sweetheart.” Then she slipped off the bed and hurried, carefully, up the stairs. She didn’t trust herself to carry a whole pitcher so she gathered glasses of juice and water on a tray and brought it back down the stairs to the bed room. She handed one to TK, “Here drink this.” She picked up her own glass as she sat back down on the bed. She opened the tricorder and watched the readings as she held Sharah’s other hand.

Yavia

It was quiet. Like she had cotton stuffed in her head. It wasn’t unpleasant though. She heard a voice, but it seemed really quiet, like it wasn’t quite all there. What happened? There was…pain, it had seared through her head as it left, and…she’d lost hold of Charles and Yavia…no..no she didn’t, she almost did. She remembered holding onto them, or they were holding onto her. And people, hundreds of people she didn’t recognize, the monster in the storm, the noise…then everything went black.

There was that voice again, she knew that voice. Tenkiller and…she thought she briefly heard Yavia too. He wanted her to wake up. What was okay? She moaned softly. She wasn’t hurt or in pain. She was very disoriented and confused. They made her feel like that a lot. That was okay though, she didn’t mind. This wasn’t their fault though. “Wha…what…?” She blinked and then squinted her eyes. The light seemed over bright for a moment. She started to sit up, but her BP hadn’t normalized quite enough for that and she laid back down on the bed rather quickly.

Sharah

Charles smiled and said “There she is…” and he kissed her very gently, but he let it linger a long second or two. “Hey you… are you just going to sleep the whole day away?” and he chuckled softly. A wave of relief came off of him and he looked at V and exhaled a long breath. He took her hand and looked at her and nodded. “We lookin’ ok, Nurse?” he asked with a lopsided grin.

She blinked once or twice and focused on his face. She smiled up at him. Oh, he was kissing her again. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with that. Her hand gripped his forearm, holding onto him. She didn’twant him to move away. His question made her brow furrow. How long had she been out?

Yavia held his hand tightly and glanced at the tricorder. Sharah seemed to be leveling out. Her BP returning to normal. Her psilosynine was not. She really didn’t know how long that would take. She was going to have to do some serious research, and get Sharah to tell her all about her medical history. “Yeah you both look amazing to me.” She grinned and then slipped behind Sharah. “Sit up slowly, Sharah. I don’t want your BP to bottom out on us again.” With TK’s help they helped her sit up. Yavia sat behind her to support her. She wrapped her arms tightly around Sharah and kissed the top of her head, her temple and her shoulder because she had to.

He looked down at Sharah and said “Told ya we could handle it.” and he winked as he handed her the glass of water.

Tenkiller

His words were not comforting. It made her think that horrible things had happened. It was okay now but it hadn’t been. Of course she couldn’t feel his confidence, nor hear his thoughts that accompanied his words. So all she could do was nod, but the wink made her grin a little.

Deep aching affection and relief rolled off Yavia. There was no response from Sharah. There wasn’t even acknowledgement. Yavia hugged her closer. Worry rolled off of her until she realized the low psilosynine levels meant Sharah couldn’t hear or feel her, or respond.

She laid her head back against Yavia’s shoulder. She could feel some of that empathic ability. Deltans had the ability to connect with non-telepaths, but Sharah couldn’t respond. It was more like Sharah knew that was what Yavia would be doing than actually experiencing it. Even though, Yavia’s presence was welcome and Sharah craved it. She slowly sipped at the water at first and then finished it almost in one. “How long was I unconscious?”

“You were only out a few minutes. How do you feel?”

Yavia

Only a few minutes? That was better. “My head doesn’t hurt, but feels like an overused muscle that might cramp if used too much.” She tipped her head to the side to look over her shoulder at Yavia and then looked back at Tenkiller. “Are you both okay?” She had flashes of terrifying images of them being swept away and drowning, of demon like monsters trying to snatch them away. She also had a very wonderful impression of them holding onto her, safe in some kind of shelter. It didn’t matter if they were okay now, she was never doing that again. She didn’t care what Charles said. If they got hurt at all it wasn’t worth it, they meant too much. She would rather put a phaser to her own head and press the trigger.

Sharah

Charles grabbed the towel V had given him and started wiping his face. He knew from experience blood cleaned up better after it had dried a bit. His OU shirt was a lost cause though, so he pulled it off and chucked it to the side of the room. “I think we’re okay?” he said with aook at V for acknowledgement that she was, indeed, ok. “That was sumthin’, no doubt.” he said with a single laugh. “And weird images in my head.” He took Sharah’s hand and said “Not gonna lie… I was scared there at first. Didn’t know what to do… so I just didn’t do anything. And then it was like… I dunno… it was gonna be alright. Wasn’t scared for me, just for you and V. But even then I knew we were gonna be fine. How I don’t really know. The images are hard to remember… like their slippery fish I’m trying to catch by hand. I could touch ‘em, but they keep gettin’ away from me.” and he shrugged. Time enough for that later.

Yavia nodded and smiled. “Yeah we’re good.” She wouldn’t recommend it on a daily basis, but they were all okay.

Sharah stared at him in horror as she got her first really good look at him. That was a lot of blood. Well not really, but it was for a nose bleed, brought on by psychic trauma and the brain’s inability to process the input, the pulse and blood pressure rise faster than the body can compensate causing a posterior nose bleed. She could have caused an aneurysm! And he was just talking about it like he had got caught in a rainstorm. She would have gotten up and run from the room if he didn’t have a hold of her hand like it was one of those slippery fish and having finally caught it, it was not going to get away from him.

He looked at the two women and said “I’m glad y’all are ok. I dunno what I’d do without you two.” And then he did something he hadn’t ever done before…

He kissed two women. V first: a full, deep, and genuinely loving kiss. Then he kissed Sharah: caring, compassionate, tender, and loving as well.

Yavia kissed him back, longingly, hungry for the reassurance they were all okay, and the strength of his presence. He was their anchor, their shelter, home. She let go of Sharah with one arm, tightening the other around her to keep Sharah with them, and wrapped her other arm around TK, holding the three of them together. Sharah’s awkward attempt to be ‘comfortable’ gave Yavia a spark of joy. Not because Sharah felt awkward, but she was just so endearing. Everything about her was precious to Yavia.

Sharah was caught in a very weirdly comfortable embrace as Charles leaned in to kiss Yavia, caught between them. She was trying to look at anything but them. Yavia let go of her with one arm and Sharah would have slipped away, except Yavia had other ideas and tightened her other arm around her. Then it got even more confusing when he kissed her. It seemed to go on forever. Her palms rested flat against his warmth of his chest, intending to push him away. Instead she sighed against him, losing all train of thought.

Yavia decided then and there, TK just needed to kiss Sharah whenever she got scared. It had a rather beneficial effect on her. It might leave Sharah confused, but confusion was much better than despair.

He pulled back and said “I can’t wait to see what happens at the first party we have.” and he laid back and laughed.

Tenkiller

She gave him that same confused, what is going on look she had earlier. This wasn’t funny, it was dangerous and talking about parties. Thanks to him her head was too muddled to really keep up. She could have hurt him and Yavia. No. She shook her head over and over, pushing Yavia off so she could get up.

Sharah

Yavia laughed, “Parties mean all the nurses come, I’m not sure you want that TK.” She looked down at Sharah as she physically and mentally struggled with what she was feeling. She let Sharah move some, but kept her arms around her. She hugged the other woman firmly. “Sharah, stop.” Yavia ran her fingers over Sharah’s hair. “I know you are scared.” She let out a very long sigh and reflected her worry. Sharah needed reassurance from TK, strength, his easy dismissal of it. Like nothing could hurt them because he simply wouldn’t let it. She needed understanding, deep emotional and intellectual understanding and empathy from V.

“Sharah I get it. I do, why you are so scared of yourself. Why your afraid of the strength of your talents. It was frightening, and loud, and confusing, and powerful. But we, the three of us, we’re okay. A little battered is all.” She laced her fingers behind Sharah’s back, holding her close. “No one else got hurt. They might have felt it, but it’s okay. I know that because we are still sitting here. If something had happened, you and TK would have been paged for an emergency. We’d hear sirens going off if something really bad happened. So you know what that tells me? So we took the brunt of it, and we’re okay.” She kissed her forehead. “You’re afraid of what might happen, so let’s do something about that. We’ll help you learn to control it if you let us.” Sharah was going to protest, Yavia could feel it. “Sharah close your eyes and breath a minute. Panic won’t help.”

She couldn’t control it. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. Of course there were a lot of things she had managed to do that she was always told she couldn’t because of her condition. Control could look like a lot of things, but no. She couldn’t let them help. Oh it was so very tempting and Yavia’s stark honest admission it scared her, and she understood what Sharah was so afraid of helped, so much. It gave voice and substance to something intangible, and that was easier to deal with. Eventually, with enough time, Yavia’s honest acknowledgement and Tenkiller’s stubborn refusal to let it be an issue, they would give Sharah strength to deal with the fear and the problem.

But that wasn’t right now, not yet. Sharah closed her eyes, because Yavia wasn’t going to leave her be until she did so and tried to breath and relax. It should be easier. She didn’t have all those minds and emotions running through her head. It was just here in there. Calm should be so much easier.

Yavia glanced at TK with a little smirk and nodded her head for him to come closer. If him kissing Sharah calmed her down, maybe they should both kiss her. That should really confuse her. It only worked because Sharah couldn’t tell what they were thinking or feeling at the moment. Yavia leaned in and kissed her softly on the corner of the mouth, her hand tugging on Sharah’s curls a little.

Yavia

Charles moved in close and put his arms around both women and gently kissed Sharah on the corner of her mouth not currently occupied by V’s lips. He let the kiss linger, holding both women tight… but not confined. He had a growing sense of significance inside, and a voice- not his own- echoed somewhere deep in his mind. “The circle is bound. It will never be broken.” It was familiar, tender, and carried with it a feeling of approval and happiness. Charles smiled and leaned into the kiss just a little bit more.

Tenkiller

Sharah went very very still. Her mind kind of imploded a bit into utter confusion that left no room for panic or fear. Her heart stuttered, raced and then settled. She was confused, weirded out, comfortable, safe, and an astonishing sense of belonging. She wrapped an arm around each of them, holding on quietly.

Until Yavia slowly pulled back and kind of passed her over to Charles. She kissed Sharah’s cheek and then TK and slipped from the room. They all needed to eat and as far as Yavia was concerned Sharah and TK were hers to take care of, and she was brightly happy about that.

Sharah

Charles didn’t stop, he just squeezed V’s hand as she left and then he focused all of his attention solely on Sharah. His kiss became less reserved, more complete. There was a desire in it, a hunger, but not just for the physical connection so often associated with such passion. It was more that he was trying to still her mind and just let her be; to give her a focus outside of herself… and to be part of him.

And them.

Tenkiller

Sharah was still, but slowly the tension was melting out of her. It was all encompassing. The feel of his arms around her, being held together and anchored in place. The sound of the water feature she had yet to notice. The smell of his soap that still lingered. The wild taste of his kiss. Then slowly she began to respond. Her hands against smoothed up his arms to rest on the warmth of his shoulders. She began to kiss him back. At first like she had no idea what she was doing, and then like nothing else mattered.

Sharah

Her reaction was slow, but soon it was intense. Charles held her to him, diving into their embrace with his whole self. Eventually he rolled over, taking her with him, letting her control them, and following her wherever she felt like leading him. It was intoxicating and wonderful and beautiful… and then a single, conscious thought floated to the surface of his mind.

He was in love with these amazing women.

The realization made his eyes fly wide open in shock and surprise, and at that moment he was very happy of three things: One, that Sharah’s ability to read his thoughts and emotions were on the fritz. Two, that V wasn’t there to catch it. And three, that he had never been happier.

Tenkiller

Sharah didn’t know thought to where she was leading them. She just wanted, ached, needed to be there with him in that space, in that moment, where she felt safe and like she belonged. It was a strange, odd sensation. She had no telepathy or empathy at the moment, but she felt that connection, that sense of being part of him, belonging with them more clearly than if she did have her empathy. She pressed against him, as close as she could, especially where his arms held her. There was passion, of course, but more a need to not let the moment slip away, to know without a doubt he wasn’t harmed, to accept that place, in his circle that he kept insisting she was already a part of.

She had no idea how long they were there, but slowly she came up for air. Her obsidian eyes looked confused, but content, and that falling apart look was gone.

Sharah

Charles looked up at her and smiled. Her black hair was like ebony waterfalls on either side of her face, and he knew in that moment that what he had thought was absolutely true. “Hey, you…” he whispered softly. “Better? ‘Cause I could stand to keep on goin’ if ya need some more distraction.” and he brushed a stray curl from her cheek. His words were teasing, but his tone was much more. Caring… compassionate… loving. He looked into her black eyes and knew that whatever happened now would be happening to all three of them. They were together. Not just in intent and word… but connected in a way no one else would even be able to understand. And it was glorious.

Tenkiller

Sharah was different. Her face lacked that constant look of strain and pain - no more headache. Her gaze was incredibly clear and intense, like he had her whole focus. Without millions of other minds and their thoughts bombarding her mind, her whole being could and wanted to focus on him (except her ears that were also listening for Yavia to come back to them). Sharah’s gaze flicked back and forth between his eyes and she grinned slightly, folding her hands on his chest and resting her chin on them. “Is that what you were doing? Distracting me?” She had to admit it was effective and wonderful. “I don’t know…I think I could stand a little more distraction,” her grin turned into a teasing smile, tentative, but teasing none-the-less.

Sharah

Charles smiled and said “Well, as this is your first day here, that technically makes you still my guest…” and he grinned. He held her close and suddenly rolled over, his hair cascading down and framing her head, neck, and shoulders. “… So I guess I need to provide whatever you ask for, huh?” and he slowly lowered himself down and kissed her, pouring himself into the touch.

Tenkiller

The sudden movement sent a warm shiver racing up her back. “Whatever I ask for? Does Yavia know that? She might take advantage.” Her soft laughter danced over him.
The idea of that outrageous woman of theirs (theirs? Oh…ummm…wow.... that left Sharah confused again) asking for whatever she wanted was delightful and daunting. Sharah turned breathless as he came closer and butterflies, thousands of butterflies took off in her stomach. Sharah had a brief moment of wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into and then she didn’t care. It felt right and complete. Her arms slipped around him, and drank him in.

She was having to work to catch her breath when they finally pulled back. Her gaze was warm and teasing, though her voice held the reality of how not okay she was but also a willingness to let them help her. “So…how much longer is this first day thing? Make sure I get my share of distraction.”

Sharah

Charles laughed and said “Well… how about I make ya a deal? You agree to stay here with me and V, and I’ll be happy ta distract ya as often as you like… and V will p’rolly want in on that action, too.” He looked at her and his face grew serious. “Say you’ll stay with us… please. We want you here. And I think you know you want us too.” He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her, and a low moan escaped him as he told her how he felt with that one point of contact.

Tenkiller

He wanted her, all of her, he wanted her to stay with them. It was all so much so soon…was it soon? Sharah wasn’t sure, but it didn’t feel rushed or strained, it just felt right. She could feel it in a place much deeper and pure than her telepathy/empathy, how much he needed her to say yes, wanted her to What about Yavia? It was so strange to not know, to not feel her, to reach out and just ask. But should she? Could she? What if she really lost control of it, or the strength of it finally broke her. How could she leave them like that? He was kissing her again though and whatever worry she had was chased away. He moaned and she sighed.

Yavia appeared at the door, a happy smile forming on her face, she waited for Sharah’s answer to his plea. There was no answer though because TK was too busy distracting Sharah again. When they seperated, Yavia slipped onto the bed and leaned in kissing them both, TK and then Sharah, and leaned back. “Much better.” She winked at Sharah, and grabbed her hand and then TK’s. “Please stay. TK wants you to, and I want you to. We, none of us, will be whole without. I think you know that, even if it’s kind of scary.” Then she squeezed her hand and let go, gently, giving her space. “And right now is a good time to decide, yeah? No one’s thoughts or feelings to influence you. We’ll all three know it’s what you want. No influence, purposeful or accidental.

Sharah inhaled sharply as Yavia kissed her. There was that same deep connection that tugged and coaxed her closer to both of them. Yavia asked her to stay and then gave her the space to decide. Yavia was right, though, now was the best time to think and decide. Did she want to stay? She opened her mouth to say something, but Yavia had other ideas.

Yavia sat up and tugged both their hands. “Now come on. Breakfast is long past due. I was going to bring it down here, but it seems we can’t even manage water or juice if we stay here.” She looked at the tray of drinks she’d brought down earlier with a laugh and waggled her brows at both of them. “So up stairs, both of you.” She looked one more time at Sharah, “And you can tell us what you decide after we’ve all eaten.”

Yavia

Sharah slipped off the bed and out of the room behind them. She stopped at her bedroom, watching them. This was so weird, incredibly, astonishingly, amazingly weird. She tried to imagine her life without them and was stunned by how much that hurt, how easily she could imagine what her life would be like…what it would lack without them. How much they had both become part of her life even before yesterday. Was it right to be with them though, when she had so much healing to do. She could easily hear their responses to that and she smiled. Where better to heal than with people who l…cared for you. Their feet hit the bottom step…

“I’m staying.”

Sharah

Charles froze and he slowly looked at V. “Did I just hear that right? Did she just say-“

Yavia paused at the same time and looked at him. Her smile was radiant. “That she’s staying. Yes I heard that too.” She glanced back at Sharah and then wrapped her arm around her waist.

Charles looked back at Sharah and smiled. “Well, then… welcome home, Sharah.” and he took her hand in his free one and looked at her, then V, then back at Sharah, then back at V. “I never formally asked you. Are you staying too, V. I would really like you to. We would really like you to.”

Tenkiller

Oh their smiles were everything. She leaned a little into Yavia’s hug and squeezed his hand smiling up at him. Then looked at Yavia, “You’re going to stay aren’t you?” Was there worry there? Ah she was so attached to them.

“Oh, you shared that amazing tub with me, you were never getting me out of here.” She chuckled and turned on the stair so she was facing them both, and slipped her other arm around TK looking serious, and a serious Yavia was gorgeous and moving. “Of course I’m staying. I belong to both of you and you both belong to me because we choose to. You are home, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” She winked at Sharah, “What does he keep saying? A circle?”

Yavia

Sharah nodded, “A circle, it’s sacred. Circles are part of everything, life, nature, family, tribe.” She squeezed them both, “This is his…our circle.” Then Sharah reached up on her toes, and Yavia leaned in, and they both kissed him, at the corners of his mouth.

Sharah

Tenkiller’s mind went blank. Not in a bad way, but just… peace. The voice from before echoed softly from somewhere far away. “Tribe is sometimes chosen, my boy. Be happy with yours.”

Charles smiled and a single tear of sheer happiness rolled down his face. He looked at one of them, then the other, and he said very softly “I love you.” and moved up the stairs. Thefe was no doubt he was speaking to both of them.

Tenkiller

She reached up and wiped the tear from his cheek. What was wrong or right? It was only a breath before they had the answer. Sharah stood stunned. What? For all the times she had wished not to have her talents....she was truly happy they were off right then. She was shocked and surprised (which didn’t happen often for her) and happy. But Love? Then of course every thought she had, every reason to stay or not, the feelings behind his words and actions told her he was right. Not just for himself but for them too. Oh that was a revelation, a truth, she was not prepared for at all.

Sharah

Yavia was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Poor Sharah looked so stunned she didn’t think the girl could make her feet work if her life depended on it. V kept an arm around her and urged her up the stairs. She pulled out a chair and let her sit. Then she walked over to TK, laced her finger behind his neck, standing close enough to feel his warmth. She kissed him, gently, with depth and caring and promise. Then pulled her head back just a breath, her voice whisper soft. “I love you too. But I think you surprised our girl. Judging by her smile I think she likes it. She’s just a little stunned. Maybe I should wait to tell her I love her too till after breakfast?” She laughed softly and then hugged him tightly, laying her head on his shoulder.

Yavia

Tenkiller eyed Sharah and smiled. He then looked at V and whispered “Go sit with her. I’ll make breakfast. Maybe some food will help.” He squeezed her tight and gave her a quick kiss. “And I figured you knew how I felt ‘fore I did.” and he winked at her.

“Well it would have been rude to say so.” She slipped away with a wink. She sat next to Sharah and nudged her playfully. Sharah looked up at her. “What are you thinking?”

Turning to the cold storage, he began pulling out food. Eggs, bacon, milk, cheese, jams, jellies, butter and a plethora of others were soon piled on the island. From a cabinet he took out flour and baking soda, a liaf of bread, and some small vials of various spices. In a matter of minutes, bacon was frying, French Toast was being prepared, and biscuit dough was being kneaded. Tenkiller sincerely doubted either woman had had an Oklahoma-style breakfast, but he asked anyway “So my lovlies… how do y’all like your eggs?”

Tenkiller

Scrambled with cheese and milk and only a pinch of salt. It brought back a memory, several in fact. Happy ones that she hadn’t thought about in awhile. Her smile was bittersweet. “I have only ever had them scrambled, so surprise me.”

Yavia shrugged, trying new foods was something she delighted in. “I don’t have a preference.” She looked at Sharah and tipped her head. “What is it?”

Yavia

“Just thinking about someone. He was very specific about how he liked his eggs. Wouldn’t let anyone else make them. I haven’t thought about Joseph in a long time.”

Yavia looked at her. There was love and sadness and resolve there. “What happened?” Yavia reached over and squeezed her hand.

Sharah shook her head. She was okay. “He wanted me to use my telepathy to figure out who was guilty of a crime. To invade their privacy, guilty or not, rather than putting in the work to investigate. I wouldn’t do it. Sometimes I think it was a test. In the end I figured out he felt he had to protect people from me. There was an accident on my last mission on the Ark Angel. I was in a coma for a week. When I woke up he had left a letter saying we wanted different things. I had to mail the heirloom ring back to his mother.” There was more to it, but that pretty much covered it. At the time it had really hurt, but that hadn’t lasted long.

Sharah

Tenkiller stopped kneading and looked at her, a cross expression on his face. “Whatta d!<k.” and he went back to the kneading. “So how did he eat his eggs? I bet like some pretentious city-boy. Proll’y something like ‘scrambled with cheese and milk and only a pinch of salt’ or some s#!t.” and he laughed derisively. He then turned and winked at Sharah and smiled. “I got you, hun. I’ll make ya eggs like my mom made us.” and he went back to making breakfast.

Tenkiller

Yavia hugged her tightly. What a horrible thing to ask someone to do. He obviously either didn’t know Sharah very well or didn’t care. How morally and personally difficult that would have been for Sharah. Yavia was glad Sharah had told him no. Sharah hugged her back. “It’s okay. At the time he asked I was on Earth doing my doctoral defense and he was on the Academy ship Challenger as he COS. I just figured it was the strain of not finding who committed the murder to make him ask. I didn’t find out different until we were together again.” She shrugged, “I’m better off.”

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.

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