Hanging With The Boys

Posted on Sun Dec 20th, 2015 @ 1:20am by Lieutenant Seren Hawke & Aros
Edited on on Sat Feb 6th, 2016 @ 12:54pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: The Arboretum

* The Arboretum *

"Okay little man, let's try this. You've done it before, I know you can do it again." Aros held D'veidh's hands, keeping him steady as the two sat facing each other on the grass. Keep your eyes on me and your head up, like this. Ready?

Aros shifted his position a bit to demonstrate, knowing that the baby had understood the mental instructions clearly. He felt D'veidh's corresponding shift in his hands and smiled. Very carefully he let go, keeping his hands close in case the baby started to fall over. As he watched, D'veidh sat steady on his own. When Aros smiled, the baby squealed with delight and raised his arms over his head. It was just enough to throw him off balance and he listed to the left. Aros caught him and both began to laugh.

Very good. You're beginning to get the hang of it.

I'd say so. Very impressive. Something you need to tell me Aros? The voice in his head made Aros look up quickly to see who had invaded his thoughts. The shadow that fell over them belonged to Seren Hawke. Aros smiled immediately and scooped up D'veidh in one arm as he jumped to his feet. The other he wrapped around Seren's shoulder and thumped him on the back in a one armed hug. D'veidh protested and he shifted the little one to a better position.

"Seren! This is where I exclaim 'you're alive!'. So sit down, tell me how you got out. Straighten out that blanket, will you?"

"Certainly." Seren knelt down, smoothed the blanket, then dropped to the grass. "Long story, my friend."

"We have time." Aros settled D'veidh on the blanket, and he promptly rolled to his stomach and propped up on his arms, staring at Seren. Aros sat down as well and stretched out his legs. "I have to say I was certain we wouldn't see you again."

"Alright but first..." he pointed at the baby. "I didn't think I was locked up that long."

Aros laughed again. "No, you weren't. Seren Hawke, may I present D'veidh. He's the son of our Chief Science Officer and the Chief Diplomat. Survivor of a trip to Qo'nos and a Klingon plot to kill his whole family and cart him off to who knows where. And now he's learning to sit up by himself."

Pleased to meet you, Seren passed to the young one. "So why do you have him?"

"You do have a lot of catching up to do. You first though. What happened on the Devore homeworld?"

Seren related the story of his time being locked up, and of the rescue by Leto and Eldren. "Then we had to cut through Hirogen space after spending a day hidden in an asteroid field to get away from the Devore. But we made it in one piece. It was touch and go for a while though, on the planet. I was lucky in a way. I skipped the detention centers but spent the time locked in a house and drugged most of the time. They demanded to know what I had done with...it." He looked around, relieved to find no one was close enough to overhear. "They also wanted you and were convinced I had you tucked away somewhere."

Aros nodded. "I am sorry you had to go through all that. I shouldn't have let you be so heroic. You put yourself in grave danger. We both know if you had taken in those drugs long enough, your telepathy would have been permanently disabled."

Seren nodded. "It all worked out alright in the end. Now you."

Aros watched as D'veidh scooted across the blanket and reached out to tug at Seren's pants leg. Seren scooped him up and settled the boy in his lap.

"Well, a lot has happened. That day you shoved me into that hidden passage and they took you...I stayed hidden there through that night and all the next day. When I was sure no one was still searching, I emerged under the cover of darkness and managed to get out of town. I found Jens just where you said he would be and he managed to hide me away on a Talaxian ship coming this way. They used the old Voyager trick of hiding me in the transporter buffer till we cleared their space but the crew said they were searched several times on the way out."

"Damn." Seren shook his head. "At least you're here and safe, and apparently having interesting adventures. And the item?"

"Safe," was Aros' answer. The arboretum wasn't the place to discuss that. We can talk about that later.

"Gotcha." Seren nodded. "I look forward to it. So how did you get to be a nanny?"

"Well, Kh'ali needed one and quickly. Her previous one is a....a large arachnid and she was actually on an away mission. She's sentient and telepathic and D'veidh is used to a telepath."

"So I see," Seren replied. "He's quite..um...talkative."

"He is." Aros laughed. "Anyway, they were going to Qo'nos so it was the perfect opportunity to get really far away in case things got hot here. Even here, who looks at domestic staff? We are practically invisible."

"Perfect cover, you're right." Seren settled D'veidh on the blanket before him, helping him to sit up once more. This time he managed to remain upright on his own, despite waving his arms in glee. "I think he's figured it out."

"Besides, I like the family and D'veidh's a blast. It's a good place." Aros fell silent as he watched the baby.

Seren studied him a moment. He picked up on an undercurrent of emotion in Aros and understood immediately. "I get it. She's a very interesting woman."

Aros waved that aside. "No. Not going there and stop that. It's a nice, relaxing position...well...when Klingons aren't trying to kill us. Those in our line of work need a break now and then Seren. I hope you'll stay and take one yourself."

"I am. That reminds me, I need to get going. I have dinner tonight with Li and the Admirals. I left her shopping and I need to get back and carry the bags." Seren handed D'veidh back to Aros. "What about you?"

"I'm taking a friend out for dinner. She's had a rough time lately," Aros answered.

"You two kids have fun then. We'll get together tomorrow and brief Dad. He'll need to know all the details." Seren ruffled D'veidh's hair, then rose.

"Sounds good." Once Seren was gone, Aros turned back to D'veidh, who pursed his lips at Aros. No, and that will be our little secret, huh?

D'veidh clapped his hands together and squealed once more.

"Good. Now then, what about....oh?" Aros paused as an image popped into his head. "Ice cream? I suppose so. Just don't tell the Commanders."

**************
Aros
The Indulgent Nanny

Seren Hawke
The Lifesaver

D'veidh Leroy
The Indulged