Skin Deep

Posted on 26 Nov 2013 @ 7:01pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeroen Adlar & Commander Scarlet Blake & Lily Blake

2,091 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Blake's Quarters
Timeline: MD 06 - 2000

[ON]

Jeroen smiled warmly as he sat with Lily. He was so proud of the little girl through the entire ordeal. She was calm, she was well behaved...and fantastic. So he had treated her to something sweet for pudding and drawing with her. "I thought I could read you a story tonight," he said to the girl, his eyes warm. "Your Mummy will be tired when she gets back from meeting the new aliens..."

"Do you think they're dragon-aliens?" Lily said thoughtfully, even though her eyes were focussed on the colouring that she was working on.

He laughed warmly as he lay down on the floor, watching her. "I don't know. I think maybe they are more like...like fairies...with tiny wings and tutus..." he said playfully, his eyes warm.

"I wish I had wings..." Lily smiled at the idea of it before pointing to him. "You too!"

He smiled as he reached to touch her cheek, stroking it. "Princess, you are perfect the way you are."

"Jeroen, are you in there?" Scarlet's voice sounded through the room from where she was outside her quarters, speaking through the comm. "Don't open the door, just, go to another room."

Jeroen smiled gently as he looked over at Lily. "Scarlet.." he moved to the door, chuckling. "Come on, it's almost Lily's bedtime..."

"No, seriously, I'm not coming inside if you're in there. I need to at least go to my bedroom first to get...something..." Scarlet insisted from outside the quarters.

He frowned at that, swallowing as he looked down. "Scarlet...do you want me to take Lily to another room as well?" If she was injured, he understood the need to protect her daughter.

"Yes," she said firmly. The last thing she wanted to do was freak her out.

"Okay," Jeroen said and smiled weakly, taking Lily. He carried her to her room, sitting her down on the bed. "Mummy is playing a game with us. So you stay here and play with the dragons..." he took the PADD, bringing the interactive story where you had to direct the dragons to do things.

Scarlet slipped inside her quarters, letting out a breath of relief at them not seeing her baldness. She didn't even have eyebrows. Just horrific. She sneaked into her bedroom, trying to find a hat, or scarf, or something she could put on.

Jeroen moved out of Lily's bedroom, frowning as he moved through to Scarlet. He was worried. And if she was hiding from him...well, he wouldn't stand for it. "Scarlet?"

Scarlet lifted the scarf to let it fall open, not having had time to get it around her head. She lifted it so he wouldn't see her face. "I'm fine! Really, just - need a minute here..."

He watched her, frowning as he moved to her. "Scarlet..." he said, touching her arm. "Whatever it is...it's me we are talking about."

Scarlet was unsure for a long moment, biting her lip. "I know you, Jeroen, you have to promise not to laugh..."

"I promise," he said as he watched her, searching her face...what little he could see of it. "Show me."

Scarlet hesitated for a long moment before finally letting the scarf drop, letting him see her lack of any hair.

Jeroen watched her with surprise before moving to her. He reached to touch her smooth head, stroking gently. "Oh darling...what did they do to you?"

She was surprised by the reaction, giving a half smile. "It seems we were unclean. So they made us clean. Like this. It's hideous. As soon as things settle in sickbay I'll be hammering their door down.."

He watched her before leaning close, to kiss her head. "You look oddly beautiful like this," he said softly. "Although...I do prefer your hair..." he chuckled as he touched her scalp, feeling a bump. "I remember when you hit your head on the base...it bled. And looks like it left a little bump."

Scarlet blushed despite her best efforts and she covered her face with a laugh. "I am not beautiful, I look terrible!"

He laughed warmly as he pulled back, to take her hands. "You are beautiful. End of."

Scarlet smiled gratefully, but shook her head gently.

"When are you coming in...." Lily moved into the room, but one look at her mother looking so strange, and the young girl screamed.

Jeroen smiled and moved to Lily, quickly sweeping her into his arms. "Hey...it's Mummy's new look, for a few days. I call it...sweet little egg, what do you call it?" he asked Lily, watching her face with a warm smile.

Lily looked at Jeroen with wide eyes and then back to her mother. She suddenly burst out laughing, dissolving into giggles. "Mummy...looks...like...like...a...shiny...easter...eggy..." she gasped between giggles.

Jeroen held onto her, stroking her back. He looked over at Scarlet, with a small smile...almost as if to say it was better than her freaking out over how her Mummy looked.

Scarlet moved to them, tickling Lily's sides in 'punishment'. "Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky, huh!" but in truth, she felt the same as Jeroen.

Lily laughed warmly until she suddenly gasped and gripped her own long, dark hair. "Oh no! I don't have to lose my hair too do I? I don't want to be an eggy!"

Jeroen smiled warmly, his eyes shining. "No...it was something that they had to do when visiting the new aliens..." he said and smiled as he kissed Lily's hair. "She is still beautiful Mummy, right?"

"Hm....beautiful for an eggy," Lily said, but there was a distinctly mischievous look in her eyes.

Scarlet laughed softly, moving to catch a hold of her, holding her close in a hug. "Oh I missed you," she rubbed her back with a sigh before looking to Jeroen with a smile. "Thank you for looking after her."

"More than welcome," Jeroen said and smiled, watching them both with love before he let out a breath. "Let me get the kettle on. You need some tea."

"Now that sounds just about perfect," Scarlet sighed softly, carrying the small girl to the sofa so she could settle on her lap. "How have things been here, Jeroen?"

"Alright...we have been alright," he said softly, moving to put the kettle on as he chuckled. "Drawing, talking..."

"And you?" Scarlet asked with a small, fond smile. As long as she'd known him, all those years ago, even then he'd been the same. Dismissive of any concern his way.

"Oh, just spending time on the ship. I was not on any away team," Jeroen said and smiled warmly. "Unless the walking dolls want to learn terraforming...I would bring very little to the discussion."

"Now there's a thought. Borg terraforming planets to take over. Let's not give them that idea," Scarlet shook her head, holding her friend and mentor's eyes with a small smile.

Jeroen laughed softly, shaking his head. "Would take too long," he said before turning his head to watch her. "After Princess is asleep, we can sit down and talk?"

"I'd like that," Scarlet nodded gently with a small smile, stroking the sleepy girl's hair as she slumped against her. "It's been a mad few days."

"I know," he said and smiled gently. "Put her to bed...I'll set up things here."

"Thanks," Scarlet said softly, carrying her through to her bedroom. She tucked her into the bed before putting the nightlight on. She took a few moments, just stroking her hair, wanting to feel she was okay as much as see it. Needing it. She finally left her to sleep, closing the door behind her on the way out. "She must have been exhausted."

"I have kept her very busy," he admitted openly, watching her with gentle eyes. He had made sandwiches...things she could pick at. And a pot of tea. And brandy. "Here...sit down, close to me."

Scarlet did it all too readily, catching her breath with a small smile as she dropped down, tapping his thigh gently. "I think we're over the storm," she nodded firmly, reaching for the brandy.

He smiled as he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her. "Scarlet...that's good and all that...but how are you?" he asked gently, holding her eyes.

She looked to the man who had asked her that a lot back in the Maquis. He had always been generous. "It's been - intense," she admitted. "Losing the Captain and XO was as much a blow as suddenly having the ship to look after in a losing battle."

Jeroen nodded as he watched her, before touching her head, stroking over it. "But you held it together. I...I know I have no right to say this, but I am proud of you."

Scarlet watched him with surprise before smiling gently, sipping her brandy carefully. It meant a lot. "It's not a matter of right. I've respected you all these years, your opinion matters," she assured firmly.

He smiled gently, sipping his own as he watched her. He leant close, to kiss her cheek. "Now tell me what happened down there."

Scarlet shook her head, shivering slightly. "Yes, that wasn't exactly easy either," she admitted quietly. "We were cleansed, completely. All lasers, we were stripped down and the next minute? All our hair is gone."

He frowned as he shook his head, swallowing as he held her eyes. Humiliation. Vulnerability. "That...is not a good thing."

"No," Scarlet sighed, shaking her head with a frown. "In exchange for allowing our people free from the Borg, I agreed to let them examine me. I was - submerged in this gel. It - entered me. I mean, literally soaked me to the soul. I had to let it fill my lungs," she looked down into her glass, unsure how much he knew about her having been held captive during her time in the marines.

Jeroen frowned as he watched her, reaching to stroke over her neck for a moment. He swallowed, reaching to touch her cheek before kissing her forehead. "Bastards, you know..."

"Oh, they weren't doing it to be cruel," she said quietly, shaking her head. "It was just - difficult. But the thing that really stings? It was for nothing. The away teams from the ship had already got our people off the cube."

"Even if it is not to be cruel...it was intrusive," he said as he frowned, holding Scarlet's eyes for a long moment. "And it touched on a lot of your fears."

Scarlet held his eyes and swallowed tightly before taking a shaking breath, finding it hard to show any kind of weakness in front of anyone. No matter how much she trusted and respected Jeroen, and always had from the Maquis days, it was still difficult at times. "He liked using water in the interrogation rooms," she said admitted quietly.

Jeroen frowned as he watched her, swallowing as he stroked tenderly over her shoulder before hugging her tightly. "And that is something you never shake...no matter what you do."

Scarlet held onto him tightly, letting out a long, unsteady breath as she closed her eyes. "I dreamt about it. Not long before I went down there."

He cradled her close, like he had when she was younger. "You have always had a good instinct," he said quietly. "Sometimes, to a really...frightening extent. Let me stay tonight. You won't sleep much and I want to make sure you are okay."

"I wanted to ask you, but I wasn't sure how," she admitted quietly, but was angry at herself for having to admit it. "Lily always seems to know when I don't sleep well. I don't want to worry her."

Jeroen smiled gently as he rested his forehead against hers. "So I will stay. And we will be okay, I promise. You are strong...but right now, you don't have to be."

"Thanks," Scarlet gave a small smile. She also appreciated he didn't make a big deal out of it. That it was just one of those things. "I'll make it up to you at somepoint."

Jeroen nodded as he kissed her forehead before smiling warmly. "You always do. By spending time with me."

[OFF]

PO2 Jeroen Adlar
Geoengineer
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Aria Rice]

LT CMDR Scarlet Blake
Chief Counsellor/2XO
USS Galileo

Lily Blake
Civilian Child
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Scarlet Blake]

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