Killer Queen

Posted on 09 Aug 2014 @ 1:36pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Commander Scarlet Blake & Lily Blake

1,986 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 1 - Corridor
Timeline: MD 07: 06:45

ON:

It felt really strange to walk down the corridor of the USS Galileo again. Extremely strange. She wasn't even in uniform yet, just in a pair of jeans with her high boots and a tight top. Her hair was in bunches today, dark streaked with bright red. Aria Rice hadn't been gone that long, yet it felt like she had been gone a lifetime. Only now she was back and she felt better for it. A whole lot of better.

A pair of young, blue eyes spotted her a mile off. "Mummy, Mummy!" Lily hooked over her mother's shoulder, the young girl pointing towards the figure down the corridor. "Princess is back! My princess is back!"

"Hm?" Scarlet glanced to Lily with distraction, continuing to walk with the little girl in her arms. They'd enjoyed an early morning walk around the arboretum, but now she had to get ready for the Away Mission. It weighed heavy on her. She always tried to spend time with Lily before possibly dangerous missions...just in case. "Come on, you can play when we get home, but not out here."

"My princess!" Lily wriggled in the grip, letting herself go floppy to slide out of her mother's arms and land on the ground. The young girl made a run for Aria, zooming fast, her long, dark hair flowing behind her. "Princess!"

Aria laughed warmly as she knelt, to catch Lily. She hugged the girl tight, closing her eyes. "My little queen! Look how much you've grown!" she kissed her cheek, giggling as she met her eyes.

"Your hair! Your hair is black and red today!" Lily giggled, pulling close in a hug to her to get her head under the hair to see what it would look like on her.

Scarlet caught up, catching her breath. She was about to rebuke her daughter before she saw who it was...and suddenly understood what she'd been going on about. "Aria!" she smiled warmly.

Aria smiled, looking up at Scarlet as she stroked Lily's side, letting the girl play with her hair. "Hello there, Scarlet..." she said gently. "I'm back."

"So I see!" Scarlet laughed, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "And looking better than ever, might I add..."

Aria grinned as she met her eyes, picking Lily up as she stood. "You think? I feel better!"

"Good," Scarlet smiled warmly, reaching to squeeze her arm. "But then, anyone with a waist as tiny as yours in an outfit like that is going to look very well indeed," she teased. "Well, seeing as I'm your First Officer now, I'm ordering you to get yourself into my quarters for a drink."

"On'a'double, Mister!" Lily pointed to Aria before saluting with her small hand in a pretty good impression of the real thing.

Aria laughed warmly, nodding as she saluted in return. "Aye aye, ma'am!" she said and smiled as she walked with them. "We should have this be my official meeting too. I always thought they were improved with booze."

"What's booze?" Lily asked with wide blue eyes, tilting her head with curiosity.

"Adult treat drinks..." Scarlet chuckled softly, shaking her head as she led the way. "Many many years away for you."

"Don't worry, when you're old enough I will take you out and teach you," Aria said in a stage whisper. "Just don't tell Mommy!"

"You know Aria, I'd laugh if I didn't know that was true," Scarlet pointed at her, but with a smile and a playful glimmer in her eye as she led them into her quarters.

Aria smiled warmly, her eyes gentle as she placed Lily down once they got inside. "Oh, this place is as beautiful as ever. I admire your style..."

"My style is trying to at least tidy the mess this little monster creates," Scarlet laughed, shaking her head as she pulled a couple of books off the sofa for her to sit down.

"Dragon, Mummy, not monster, dragon...." Lily giggled, moving to kneel at the low table with her paper and pencils.

Aria smiled as she watched them, fondly, her eyes shining. "A strong dragon...a messy dragon!"

Lily bit her lip, glancing up to Aria with a soft smile. "Messy dragon," she admitted in a whisper before moving to sit in Aria's lap, having missed her.

Aria smiled as she hugged her close, kissing her hair. "Makes two of us, my firecracker," she said and looked at Scarlet. "You been okay?"

"Oh, same as usual," Scarlet chuckled softly before her eye caught movement behind Aria. She hopped up and caught hold of the ball of fluff with a frustrated sigh. "Apart from these things..." she murmured, moving to drop it in a cage with others she'd found.

Aria looked at the tribble, her eyes widening. "And now I see why I was shoved off the shuttle..." she said lightly. "They're...infesting?"

"Yes, you, my dear, have rejoined us right in the middle of a tribble infestation," Scarlet shook her head with frustration, shivering slightly.

"This one is Belle, and that one's called Sock, and that's Snowball..." Lily said with a grin, pointing each one in the cage out.

"Lily, they do not have names!" Scarlet said with the weary tone of a mother who had had to say it more than once. "Only pets have names. These aren't pets."

"They could be...." Lily said with an innocent smile, tilting her head to try and win her mother other with the bestest smile she could. "They're so cute..."

"No, they're really not going to be," Scarlet grimaced at the idea of it, waving her finger at Lily to make it clear it was a firm no. Despite how many times they'd had this little talk.

Aria looked at them, arching an eyebrow. She shuddered and sank back. "You realise that they are zombie fluffy slippers...." she said, her voice hushed so that Lily had to pay attention to it. "And that they can make all your shoes into zombies? That's why there's so many of them, they zombiefied all other shoes...so now, people are walking around in bare feet!"

Lily watched her with wide eyes, holding her breath. "But...but...they're so pretty....pretty pets to keep...."

"That's how they trick you," Aria said with a slight frown. "They're not nice pets, they'll make all your pretty shoes into zombies too....including your pretty sparkly ones!"

"Nooo!" Lily covered her mouth, shaking her head. "Mummy, don't want a tibble pet now..."

"Good!" Scarlet laughed gently, looking to Aria and mouthing the words 'thank you'. It was clear the battle between mother and daughter over keeping the stray tribbles as pets had been going on and on.

Aria hugged Lily protectively, kissing her hair. "Don't worry, darling dragon. Maybe when you are older you can ask your Mummy if you can have a kitty or a dog?"

"In an enchanted kingdom far away...." Scarlet said lightly as she moved to get them coffee, laughing gently as she sat with them. "Go on, Lily, go and wash up for breakfast."

Lily nodded, leaning to kiss Aria's cheek before hopping off her lap to run to her room.

Aria smiled gently, her eyes shining as she looked at Scarlet. "She hasn't changed. She's still perfect."

Scarlet smiled warmly at that, shaking her head quickly. "Oh far from perfect. I don't know though, I feel like that's what makes her perfect some days...other days, I just want to go to bed early."

Aria smiled at that, nodding as she took a deeper breath. "Well, she is kind and funny. You're lucky."

Scarlet nodded, watching her with warmth. "Now, Aria, I want to hear all about you...."

Aria met her eyes before looking down. And then she grinned and looked up at her. "I'm an Ensign again. Finally!"

Scarlet laughed, watching her with surprise at the excitement with the words. "And this is a good thing....?"

"Yes! It is..." Aria stood and hugged her. "It's brilliant because it means I am not in charge. I run around with a phaser, I sort minor things out, I go home and I can rest easy," she pulled back and met her eyes. "I can be me again."

Scarlet searched her eyes for a long moment and she could see she meant it. "I'm glad you're happy," she said seriously, squeezing her arm. "If that's what suits you, good on you for keeping hold of it."

She nodded, her eyes gentle as she touched her arm in return. "Hey, if I had known you could make a demotion happen so easily, I'd have done it sooner!"

"You haven't changed a bit," Scarlet chuckled, shaking her head slowly as she looked down with a small smile. "And there's been nowhere near enough colour without you around."

"I knew it!" Aria smiled as she pulled back, her eyes gentle. "I knew it was fate that I'd return here."

"Well we need something to brighten our dreary lives, Aria," Scarlet said softly, with an earnest expression, but her eyes shone with humour.

She smiled as she sat back, taking a deeper breath. "So, you glad to have me back then? I will make sure I get on a shift so I can spend time with my favourite little girl!"

"She's missed you," Scarlet replied honestly before shaking her head with a soft laugh. "If you couldn't tell..."

"I could," Aria said as she sighed softly. "I missed her too. I like spending time with someone who still has imagination. My department was really deprived of that. Except Stark."

"Yes, well, that boy can be a little too creative for his own good," Scarlet arched an eyebrow and widened her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. "Hold his leash back a little would you? He listens to you."

"Hey, I will just advise as his friend," she said and shrugged, looking down. "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

"I think that's why he listens to you," Scarlet said with a knowing smile, shaking her head as she watched her almost slyly.

Aria chuckled as she met her eyes, nodding. "Alright, I can do that. Just because he is a good guy."

Scarlet gave a small, approving nod. "I'll make you into my good little spy yet," she teased, slapping her thigh.

"I know you will!" Aria laughed, her eyes warm as she relaxed. "Sneaky woman you."

Scarlet sipped her drink with a smile, shaking her head dismissively before tilting it to the side, frowning slightly. "Lily's been a long time...."

Aria stood, her eyes gentle. "I'll go and see," she said, moving to knock on the door before poking her head in. "Dragon?"

"Mmm hm?" Lily looked up from where she was crouched on the floor by her wardrobe, carefully moving things around.

"What are you doing?" she asked, moving in and sitting down beside her, her eyes gentle.

"I'm hiding my shoes from the tibbles," Lily nodded seriously, pushing another pair under a coat.

"Good plan," Aria said and moved to help her. "I think you're a smart girl for that."

"Specially the sparkles one!" she said firmly, shifting to let her get to the dress up ones to hide them safely for her.

Aria smiled as she hid them before looking over it all. "I think you have done well...and if they turn any of your shoes, I promise I will get you new ones," she said, serious.

"Like those!" Lily grinned, pointing to the spectacular knee high, stiletto heel boots that Aria was wearing.

Aria laughed warmly, her eyes shining. "When you're older, I will get you some. I promise. And you will be amazing in them."


OFF:

ENS Aria Rice
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

Lily Blake
Civilian Child
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

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