Homecoming

Posted on Sat Feb 20th, 2016 @ 3:23pm by Aia Rios Hawke & Admiral Lucius Hawke

* Docking Bay *

Lucius arrived at the Naresta’s berth just as the arrival announcement was posted. He stopped at the end of the umbilicus and took a moment to straighten his jacket and mentally prepare for what was to come. He also took a second to block off his thoughts where Tora and Julisa were concerned. He wanted to bring this up in his way, not have Aia read it. If he was honest, the stress of the day was really getting to him. What he really wanted to do was get home, crawl in bed and let oblivion take him till morning. He’d tried to reach Darwin by comm but apparently the information that their area was inaccessible by comm was true. The first passengers disembarking from the Naresta caught his attention and he put the thoughts aside as he waited for Aia and Saye.

Eventually, Lucius’ two young women left the ship and came along the dock toward him. Aia smiled; her reaction to Lucius was mild compared to Saye’s, who screamed gleefully and ran toward her dad. “And there’s the proof: I didn’t let her forget you,” Aia laughed as she caught up to Saye.

Lucius smiled widely and scooped up his little girl, hugging her close. With his other arm, he drew Aia in, holding them both tight. “I missed you two so very much,” he said. It’s been a rough time since you’ve been gone, Aia. He leaned in to kiss her around Saye’s head.

“I've missed you, too. And you can hear that she has as well!” Aia smiled and held his hand. We’ll discuss it all once the little Hawke is in bed. Perhaps after we've greeted each other properly, too.

Lucius nodded and squeezed her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

* Lucius & Aia’s Quarters *

Once they had arrived home, Lucius took a very sleepy Saye into her bedroom and tucked her in bed. He sat talking softly to her, stroking her back until she dropped off to sleep. He sat watching her another moment, his thoughts jumping back and forth between Saye and Julisa as a baby. Finally, he rose and left, closing her door behind him.

“Aia?”

“Lucius?” She matched his tone of voice. She'd showered and changed and now felt more at home again. She handed him a glass of his favorite whiskey. “I'm glad to be home, my husband.”

He smiled and kissed her as he took the glass. “I cannot begin to imagine how tiring this trip has been. Such a long one….” He stopped to sip the whiskey, then took her hand and pulled her to the sofa with him. “The next few days you do nothing, understood? I’ll take care of Saye and give you some down time. I’m off duty for the next day or two anyway.”

“And Li? Where is she? Is she handling this okay?” Aia worried for her step-daughter, though they were nearly the same age.

“As Max put it so succinctly, she ran away,” he answered. “She’s down on Archadia with Darwin in some remote area that even the communicators can’t reach. I spoke only briefly to her but she said she has to get away from this station just for a bit. That is all I know, unfortunately. I’m expecting a big bang, though.”

She bit her bottom lip, worrying on that. “Is that safe? Not just for her but for Darwin?”

Lucius sighed. “I don’t know my darling, I just don’t know. There’s nothing I can do though. She has to do this her own way. Darwin’s a big boy, he’ll handle it.”

Thinking about how the security officer towered over her, Aia giggled suddenly. “Yes, he is.” She sipped her wine and cast about for a moment before asking, “Are you having an affair with Julisa?”

Lucius lowered his glass and turned to face her. “Am I….what??” The question honestly surprised him, despite Max’s warning. He hadn’t expected it so bluntly or so soon.

“I know I've been gone a long time, Lucius... But...? Julisa? Is she the one you had in here?” She wasn't mad, merely a bit sad.

“No. Julisa has been in these quarters exactly once, while Li and Rick were here, just after we recovered the team that got catapulted back in time. She was one of them, as you know,” he answered. “I would never see her in that manner. I can’t.”

“But something happened there. While I've been gone, you've become ...friends, or something, with her. When you spoke of her yesterday, you sounded so familiar with her.”

Lucius set his glass down and decided it was best to at least field this one. “It’s because she….well...she is my daughter, Aia. She was born the year before Li and Nahi, at the resistance camp on Bajor.” He fell silent, waiting for her to throw something at him.

She stared at him blankly for a moment. Suddenly, she covered her face and her shoulders started shaking. When she dropped her hands, she was laughing hard enough she was nearly crying. It took her a moment to catch her breath and ease down into giggles. “Oh, my... gods! Last night, I told Maxym I thought... I thought you were having an affair with a younger woman!”

Now Lucius did laugh, just a little. “What did he say? You know, of course, that his family and mine have been close for generations.”

“He told me it wasn't likely,” she said. “You mean he knew that she's your daughter?!”

“Most of my family knew, and so did parts of his. It’s complicated, but you recall that Li was originally arranged to marry his younger brother, Rhys? There were few secrets among the families, though that lessened a bit after Rhys’ attempt on her life.” Lucius reached for his glass and downed the whiskey.

That sobered her quickly. “Rhys. Was Julisa betrothed to Maxym, then?”

“What? Oh no, they’ve never met.” He hesitated briefly. “That’s also complicated. I haven’t seen Julisa since she was about five, other than when she graduated law school and I was at the ceremony in a professional capacity. Even then I didn’t get to say more than a congratulations as I did to the rest. It wasn’t until she arrived here last year that I saw her again. She had no idea about me until she returned from 2360. She didn’t remember me, of course, since she was so young when I left Bajor.” He didn’t want to get into the whole houses and bloodlines thing where the Betazoid family was concerned.

“Oh, which is why you weren't familiar with her before.... That must be hard for her, suddenly knowing who her father is.” She smiled slightly. “Look at what a long separation does to us.”

“Especially to find your father is an Admiral on your station. We are taking things slow and not rushing it so we will see how it goes.” For a moment he felt relief. Maybe they would get through tonight without the big conversation….just maybe. He knew he’d skirted around her curiosity about who was here that night he had called her at his parents’ house. “Little by little, as they say.”

“It's good that you are on the same Station - this way she can get to know you.” Aia yawned. “Maybe you could welcome me home in the bedroom?”

Lucius did a rapid mental inventory, hoping to recall if Tora had left anything behind in the bedroom. He hadn’t checked and now, he couldn’t remember. With all the chaos surrounding Li and the team returning, he hadn’t had time to look the room over. He realized his mental wanderings had delayed his answer.

“I’ve missed you more than I think you may know,” he answered, then stood and pulled her to her feet. “Welcome back, my darling.” He kissed her, then drew her to their room. Too late he realized he had said ‘welcome back’ not ‘welcome home’.

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Admiral Lucius Hawke
Treading Carefully

Aia Rios-Hawke
Obliviously Happy to be Home