Riding Off Into The Sunset
Posted on Sun Sep 20th, 2015 @ 9:32pm by Lieutenant Commander Antos Lev & Lani Gellar
Mission:
Further Challenges
Location: CoronaTech Offices
b>* CoronaTech Offices *
“Hey Mal, I just got another message from Lani, and not the ‘I’m going to be late’ one,” JL called over to his office mate. “She wanted to be sure we were both here, something important she said.”
Malcolm looked up from his view screen with a frown. “First she’s late, now she has something important to talk about? Lani’s never late. I didn’t think she knew how to do that.”
“Well, she was at Lady Ella’s last night, down front with a dark haired woman. Dr. Solis and Commander Antos were playing. The bartender told me that was the table reserved for the musicians’ women and since the Doc’s married It wasn’t hard to figure out that --” The sound of the doors opening cut him off. “Oh, hey Lani.”
Malcolm looked up again, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “A little casual aren’t we?” he asked.
“Casual?” She looked at Mal then JL then at her clothing. Admittedly, she was dressed slightly less stiff-shirted than usual, but.... She shook her head. “Glad you two are both here. How was your time on Charu?”
“Great!” Mal answered with some enthusiasm. “I met Commander Tor and…” He gave a low whistle. “Can I transfer?”
“No, you can’t! Because I need you here while I go to Charu,” Lani said.
Mal’s mouth fell open and all he could do was blink.
“While you...what?” JL asked. “I thought I heard you say something about you going to Charu.” He tugged on his ear. “Surely I didn’t hear that.”
“Why? What? I’ve gone out in the field before. This isn’t unheard of!” She shot back, defensively.
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Mal quipped. “What gives Lani? How’s Niall supposed to manage without you around here?”
“He’ll be fine! We can do everything necessary via conference calls and videos. “It’s not like he needs me to get his cup of coffee for him.” She shrugged, still being defensive, and mumbled, “It’snotlikeI’vetoldhimyetanyway.”
“Whoa, hold up.” JL came out from behind his desk and sat on it. “You haven’t told him? Alright, sit.” He pointed at the chair before his desk. “Start talking.”
Malcolm joined him, perching on his desk as well. “And start at the beginning.”
Feeling like she was being interrogated, she sat and laughed. “Okay, okay. “Look, I’m dating the Colony’s exec, Lev. So I’m going with him to the Colony to help him - and everyone else - settle in. He’s gotten the okay from Gunnar. Clear now?”
Malcolm’s mouth was hanging open again. “You and Lev? He can make Niall look positively giddy, he’s so….what’s the word?”
“Private?” JL supplied. “I was just telling Mal I saw you last night and….” He stopped now understanding her late arrival. “Oh. Ohhhhh.”
She glanced around her desk, looking for something to toss at him. She didn’t find anything. “Oh, hush!”, she laughed. “They’re both private individuals. We’ll respect that, right, you two?”
Mal shrugged. “Of course, though it amazes me that Lev...yeah. never mind. I don’t want you to stab me in my sleep. So...is this something serious?”
“Serious? When is anything ever serious?” She looked away from the two, not wanting them to see how much she hoped it was serious. “So, you know, I’ll go check out the Colony, have some fun with Lev... ha! Some levity with Lev,” she laughed at her own joke and shook her head.
JL groaned aloud. “Bad, Lani.” He smiled back at her. “You’re hooked. It’s obvious.”
Mal scooted closer to her. “Okay, so Niall won’t be back for another two days and he doesn’t know. You’re leaving in what? Two hours? We need a plan, a good cover story as to why you had to take off before he got back.”
“No we don’t,” she laughed. “I’ll contact him, let him know that Lev requested my presence and Gunnar approved it. He’s lucky - it could have been him which would have dragged him away from his fri... ah... friend. Yeah.”
JL pounced on her slip. “Friend? He’s on vacation with a friend? Spill it Lani.”
“He has friends on the station, that’s all. Like that counselor, Swift, he knew Swift’s partner years ago. Before he died.” She tossed in that last bit, hoping they wouldn’t pry further.
JL shot Malcolm a look but let it go. “So, you’re riding off into the sunset with Lev. They were really good last night, by the way. I wish I’d been there for both sets.”
Mal looked at the time and waved his hands at Lani. “If you’re going, you’d better go get you stuff together.” He wrapped an arm around JL’s shoulder and sniffed dramatically. “They grow up so fast. One day here, the next eloping while the boss is away.”
JL wiped his eyes. “Our little girl…” he fake-sobbed.
“I am not eloping!” She laughed. “But, yeah, I need to get going.” Standing, she move around and picked up a few things. She didn’t need to take much. “Okay, I’m going now. Hugs?” Lani held her arms out to them.
The two men swept her up in a joint, rib-crushing hug. “We’ll hold down the fort,” Mal assured her. “Call once you all land and if there’s any problems, we’ll be here. Or at least reachable.”
“Will do. And I’ll be reachable on the ship out there,” she reminded them. “Don’t let Niall get himself into trouble.” She patted them on the back then disengaged from the group hug. “Okay, time to go, before anyone starts crying for real.”
“Have fun kiddo,” JL ordered and saluted. “Talk soon.”
“Yep,” she fake saluted them and headed out.
Hurrying into her quarters, Lani sniffled and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Lev on her couch. “Oh my! Oh!”, she held a hand to her heart, “You scared me! Shouldn’t you already be on the ship? I thought that’s where we were meeting?”
“Surprise,” he grinned and stood. Hurrying over, he took her in his arms. “So? What did the boys say? Were they surprised?”
“Very surprised,” she nodded, kissing him on the cheek. “You and Niall, they seem to think you two are made of stone and have no love lives.”
Lev chuckled. “Well they weren’t far wrong in my case, at least until recently. Now? I’m holding on to it as tight as I can.” He leaned down and kissed her gently. “I had your bags picked up and Tor’s made arrangements for guest quarters for you unless….” He hesitated slightly. “Unless you’d rather stay at my house.”
“Would that be rushing things? I mean... separate housing means that we can hold our farts in till we’re in our separate places,” she joked, “Nothing spoils the romance quite like having your lover fart in front of you.”
Lev laughed heartily. “Too late then. You already have, in your sleep, and I love you anyway. Stay...assuming you can live with a cat?”
“A cat?” She wasn’t sure about that. They had claws, fur, nine lives. “And... did you just use the word ‘love’?”
“Elvis. He’s a big black Betazoid cat. Tammy brought him out with her and they are on the transport already.” He stopped at her other question. “I..uh….” He licked his lips and began again. “I suppose I did.”
“I like your spontaneous use of the word,” she kissed him. “It means more somehow. Now... a big, black, Betazoid cat? Does he read minds?”
“Oh, prophets, I hope not,” Lev said and held her tighter. “He loves women though. So will you?”
“Yes, I’ll stay with you.” She didn’t promise for how long, not that she could make any promises just yet. “Tell Tor not to worry about guest quarters.”
“There’s plenty of time to call her en route.” He kissed her once more, this one much less gentle. “Are you ready to go? We don’t leave for another hour and a half?”
“I am ready to go.... Aren’t you eager to be reunited with your cat?”, she teased.
“Well, I’m attached to Elvis but I have something better to celebrate at the moment. And you know the moment we set foot on the transport, I won’t have a moment to myself for the first few hours so….” He perked an eyebrow at her. “Besides, Tammy has Elvis so….”
“Another hour or so won’t hurt,” she laughed and pulled him into her bedroom.
*****************
JL Axin
Malcolm Trent
Lani Gellar
Lt. Commander Antos Lev
