Blue Eyes

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2015 @ 8:07pm by Admiral Lucius Hawke & Lieutenant Bajun Julisa

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: SB900 / Captain's Yacht
Timeline: The Present

* Lucius’ Quarters - The Present *

It had been a long night for Lucius. He’d stayed up late monitoring the progress of the Takei in tracking the missing crew. He’d also checked in with Ehlana but there was nothing new there. The news that the Korenna had simply vanished, leaving an overabundance of chroniton particles behind worried him. That’s when things began to get weird. He’d gotten up to get a drink before turning in for the night and had felt a strange shift in the back of his mind. Nothing else seemed to come and so he gave up finally and crawled into a bed empty of Aia. She and Saye had left just that morning for a trip back to Betazoid to see Lucius’ parents. Already he missed them and the rooms felt too big, too empty.

It hadn’t taken long to fall into a deep sleep. The dreams began immediately - of Bajor, of the Resistance Camp in the hills, things he’d not thought of in too long. It was then that a familiar face appeared, and with her was a young child and a grown woman - one and the same. He cried out aloud in his sleep and jerked awake. He sat up, running a hand over his face, and finally managed to catch his breath. Oh dear gods….Julisa. She had been there with him and Tora and...herself as a toddler. Darhe’el. He leaped from the bed and dashed out to the terminal, wearing only his shorts. He initiated a search for Bajun Tora and ordered the computer to open a channel when it found her, priority one. It was fifteen minutes later that the terminal beeped, alerting him. He hurried over and turned it on and there she was. As beautiful as ever, he thought.

“Tora,” he whispered.

“Lucius,” she echoed his tone and smiled. “I see the Prophets have kept you well, my dear.”

“They gave me white hair too soon and have left you as gorgeous as the day I met you.” He fell silent and reached out to touch the screen, wishing it were her for real instead of just her image. It was then he realized he had on no shirt and likely looked naked to her. He felt no self-consciousness but apologized anyway. “Sorry, I ran out here in my shorts.”

“I assumed you had something on. Is that a sign of how urgent this call is? Is there something wrong with Julisa? You know I’m on my way to see her, don’t you? No, I suppose you might not - you still haven’t told her, have you?” Tora pursed her lips.

“No,” Lucius admitted. “But something’s changed. A man on the station, a real low-life, has taken her, a security officer and another young woman and their ship has vanished. There is evidence of a rift and when I woke up just now, I suddenly have the memories of her being in the camp as an adult. The year she was three.” Only now did her other words sink in. “Here? You’re coming here?”

“Yes, there,” she nodded then her nose ridges tightened, bringing her brows in towards each other. “Taken her? And you recall her being where... on Bajor? Wait, as an adult? Lucius, that’s not possible,” she chided him.

“It hasn’t hit you yet then. Tell me, my darling, do you recall a former Borg turning up in the camp?” The endearment had slipped out without Lucius realizing it until he said it. Seeing her now, so many other memories began to overflow and with it came a rush of excitement that she would soon be on 900.

“A Borg? In a Bajoran Resistance Camp? No, I ...there was a woman... Hmm. It’s fuzzy,” she shook her head.

“Yes. It will come and continue to come as the timeline changes. I don’t know what happens yet but at least I know where to find them.” He paused a moment and smiled. “How soon will you be here?”

“A day or so,” she answered, “You’re saying Julisa isn’t there? What about her boyfriend, is he there? He’s one of the doctors, a Lt. Solis.”

“Yes, he’s here and worried sick. They’re keeping him calm and our Temporal Affairs officer helped a great deal with that, so he’s alright for now.” Lucius stopped to rub his eyes. “Their ship disappeared a few hours ago. Once you're closer in, I suspect the rift will affect you and you’ll recall more. I feel like..suddenly...time has folded back, Tora. In a lot of ways.”

“Including that we’ll be in the same place for once, Luc. Oh, and you’re married again,” she sighed. “Will she preclude us from having dinner together?”

“She’s is on her way to the Alpha Quadrant,” he admitted. “How many hours? Till I have you?” It amazed him how easily he slipped right back into what had been, into the excitement at seeing her, to their old ‘ways’. He should have been dismayed, but knew in an instant that he wasn’t.

“Hours? I haven’t calculated the hours,” she said. “Is there more to Julisa’s disappearance? Could you have Solis meet me at the docks? Jules was going to... but....” She frowned, the only sign of her concern.

Lucius looked at the bottom of the screen, noting she was on a relatively slow transport. She was right, it would be almost a day. He could cut that much shorter. “I will come get you. That tub you’re on will take forever. I can be there in three hours since you’ve already cleared the wormhole.”

“You always were impatient, my dear,” Tora laughed. “If you wish and the Prophets will it, then do feel free to come get me. I’m sure the transport captain might be upset, since you’re implying his ship is too slow.” She smiled at him.

“That just exactly what the hell I'm implying.” Lucius laughed finally. “It’s also somewhat selfish. It means I’ll have you to myself for the three hours it takes to get back here.”

“Very well, then I’ll see you in a few hours. May the Prophets keep you safe,” Tora said, knowing that no argument she made would keep him from doing what he wanted.

“See you soon.” He sat looking back at her, then finally closed the channel, ordered the Captain’s Yacht readied, and hurried to get dressed.

* Three Hours Later *

The Captain’s Yacht approached the transport and Lucius opened a channel. “Federation Transport, this is Admiral Lucius Hawke. I am here to retrieve a passenger - Sulan Tora. She should be in the transporter room ready to beam over.”

There was a brief silence, then a voice came back over the comm. =^= Acknowledged, Admiral Hawke. Initiating transport. Have a safe trip back to 900 sir. Chief Alad out. =^=

Moments later, the hum of the transporter sounded and then Tora was there, standing beside him on the bridge. All he could do was stare at her open-mouthed.

“Lucius,” she greeted him, smiling, and moved to close his mouth for him. “You have seen me in my finest Vedek robes before and yet you stand here catching flies. Whatever is with you? Aia not putting out for you?”

For a moment, time actually did seem to have folded back on itself. He was on his feet in an instant and swept her into his arms. She felt so good, so familiar. “Hush.” His lips found hers and lingered there.

Slightly more reserved, Tora kissed him back. It had been years - so many that she hadn’t counted them once they’d totalled twenty - since they’d been in the same room with each other, let alone alone with each other. Lucius. It’s been forever.

Too long, Tora. He looked down into her blue eyes, a blue that always reminded him of the southern seas on Bajor, and felt himself beginning to submerge. “Much too long. You’re here now though.” Alone, he thought. It seemed to be the great irony of their lives that the times he’d managed to get to her, after he was removed from Bajor, had all been in public.

“The last time was... Julisa’s graduation from law school, I believe. That was good cover - to come as the escort of the graduation speaker,” she complimented him on that ingenuity. “Too bad we couldn’t have stolen some time then.”

“It was. I wanted to, so much. But I got roped into so many official Academy things on that trip and then you were gone. Why do you think I wanted to come get you so much tonight? Do you have any idea how many times I had my hand on the comm? So close to begging you to drop everything and come?” The question was whispered, even though they were alone on the small ship.

“But we have been busy, Luc, both of us. I have not seen Julisa in a few years, either. Now that she is dating someone, someone she deems good enough to tell me about, I have taken time away from my duties to come here. Perhaps I might be able to see her married before I leave,” Tora said. She was afraid that Julisa would end up alone, again; it saddened her that her daughter hadn’t ever known a love like hers and Luc’s.

“We need to decide what we are going to tell her when they are recovered. She is going to remember.” Lucius still held Tora tight against him. “But there’s time to think about that. There’s something more pressing we need to figure out. Now that you’re here….” He buried his hand in her hair, tilted her head back and this time the kiss was deeper, more demanding.

“Is the transport going to beat us to the Station?”, she asked, only partly joking.

“Maybe it will, Tora,” he whispered. “What if I refuse to let you go this time?”

“Not let me go? You are married again, Lucius. Would you become a bigamist?”

He pursed his lips and sighed at the question. “How about we jump that fence when we come to it? You may decide I’ve become too much of an old man for you.” But he smiled. He knew that was unlikely.

“Unlikely,” she echoed his thought without knowing it. “Put this thing on autopilot, dear, and let’s get reacquainted,” she kissed him slowly.

“Computer, lay in a course for SB900, half impulse,” Lucius ordered. “We may make it back just before that transport.” He kissed Tora once more. “I love you,” he murmured. “I never stopped.”

“Neither did I, Luc,” she said, letting him lead her to the yacht's single cabin.

They stepped inside and the moment the door closed, he reached out, unfastening the heavy robe she wore. “I know I said we’d jump that fence later but I have to ask you now….will you stay? I have had to get over you, or try to, so many times. I won’t do it this time. I won’t watch you pack a bag and vanish again.”

Letting him help her with the robe, she stepped out of it, naked as a jaybird. She had planned on this. “Bring my daughter back to me and I will consider staying.”

“Our daughter,” he corrected her gently. “I will. I’ve sent word to TA so they know where she is and science reported they are beginning to work on how to reopen a rift once they have the exact location. We will get her back.” He smiled as she unfastened his shirt and peeled it off. He knew he had a lot of things to figure out, as far as his situation went, but now, all he wanted was Tora. And he intended to keep it that way.

“Come.” He took her hand and led her into the bedroom.

There was little discussion after that, right up until the computer beeped and let them know that they were nearing the Station and needed to take the helm. “Go on, dear. I’ll dress appropriately this time and be out in a moment.”

He kissed her deeply once more and then, with reluctance, slipped from the bed and put his clothes back on. At the bedroom door, he paused and looked back at her, loving the way her long hair lay scattered across the pillow. “You’ll be staying in my quarters on station.” He smiled and hurried out to get to the bridge.

“Whatever you say,” she said, smiling at him. She knew that arrangement would work until Julisa returned. And then they’d have the task of handling her questions about her father.

*********************
Admiral Lucius Hawke
Back Where He Longs To Be

Vedek Bajun Tora
Back Where She Belongs