At First Sight - Part 2/2

Posted on 15 Jan 2018 @ 7:47am by Commander Scarlet Blake & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Edited on on 15 Jan 2018 @ 7:48am

2,552 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth: England - Vito Residence
Timeline: MD 43 - 19:00

ON:

"It's a beautiful house," Zoie said with a smile, reaching to unzip her bag, glancing at the man beside her. It was a bit strange. This man had adopted Acer. This man had raised him, had shaped him.

James looked to her with a small smile before nodding and moving to the window, looking out as he slid his hand into his pocket. "Stephen worked hard for it," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Well, it's nice," Zoie said and started unpacking, stopping after a moment. "Acer's a good friend. He's smart. Smarter than anyone else I know. He's good at what he does. He'll be amazing in Starfleet."

"I know," James gave a half smile at that, turning to rest back against the window sill, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm just not sure that Starfleet will be amazing to him."

She nodded in agreement, considering it for a moment. "There will always be arseholes around," she said quietly. "It doesn't matter what he did, some will always look at him and judge him. But what Starfleet offers him is a use for his brain."

"He needs that," he acknowledged with a soft sigh, shaking his head. "He can be...destructive without focus."

"He's a bit of a stirrer..." she said with a small chuckle, shaking her head. "He's pretty amazing though."

James watched her with amusement for a long moment. "He says the same of you," he pointed out.

"Does he?" she looked at him with surprise before she chuckled. "Don't tell him you told me..." she looked back to her clothes, frowning slightly. "I think my Dad likes him. They chatted a bit."

"You're frowning though," he pointed out, shaking his head with a smile. "Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know," she said and looked at him, giving a weak smile. "I am never sure with my Dad. I love him. But I got no clue what he did in the Marines and sometimes...I don't know. It's silly. I am glad they got on, I was worried."

"Acer is pretty blunt and matter of fact," James smiled at the thought, glancing out at the garden. "Many military people are the same. It probably helps."

"Makes sense," she said as she watched him, taking a deeper breath before she chuckled. "He stands like you."

James watched her with surprise before laughing softly, shaking his head gently. "I hope that's a good thing."

"It is," Zoie smiled quickly and nodded, watching him before she swallowed. "You're a good person. You've raised a brilliant young man. And you were brave for it, taking in a cardassian orphan."

James watched her for a long moment, smiling weakly before finally shaking his head, his blonde hair falling further forward with it. "No. It was Stephen."

"You still didn't run," Zoie countered before she smiled warmly. "And that is a lot in my book."

"I would never have run," he chuckled, shaking his head fondly as he looked down. "Stephen...fell in love with Acer, the moment he saw his picture. I knew that was it. He was the one. Of course, I was the glass half empty one....concerned about bringing him up so soon after the war, how others might react to him. Stephen didn't care. So I made sure to protect them as best I could."

She sat on the bed and watched him, her eyes gentle before she looked down. "You did a good job. He's strong and smart. And balanced. He has a sense of humour..."

"Oh yes, quite the sarcastic tongue on that young man," James chuckled, his eyes shining. "He's my boy, he always will be. But he was Stephen's first."

Zoie nodded gently at that before she smiled. "I am pretty sure he got sarcasm from one of you two. I am going to guess it is from you."

"How did you guess?" he asked with a grin and a glint in his eyes. "I don't take credit for all of it though. Some of it at least is all...him."

"Oh, I know some of it is him...how he'd be no matter what," Zoie said and shook her head, grinning. "I like that about him."

"I can see that," he nodded, watching her with curiosity. "You seem a very...independent young lady."

"Was raised to be," Zoie said with a small smile and tapped her hand to her chest. "Martian born and bred."

"I've never been," he admitted with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I know. It's so close, I've just never gotten there."

"If you like red, it's pretty nice," Zoie said with a warm smile and a shake of her head. "But it is a terraformed planet. Don't get me wrong, I love it...but it is what it is. Miners and Marines mostly."

"And you didn't fancy either of those prospects?" he chuckled softly. It wasn't really a question. It was clear to see in her.

She shook her head, eyes warm as she met his eyes. "Seen enough Marines in my time growing up. Mum wants me to become a scientist. But my brains aren't wired that way. And a miner? Not sure...I'd be bored I think."

"There's no right or wrong. You've just got to try what calls you and see if it works," James said with a firm nod.

She nodded weakly as she watched him, letting out a breath. "I just hope I am on the right path," she confessed. "I...thank you. For letting me come here."

"This is still Acer's home...he invited you, that makes you our guest," James assured, shaking his head gently. "Besides....we're realistic. We realise it might be...difficult for him to make friends. We want to make those he does feel welcome."

"Oh, he's easy to be friends with if you're as difficult as I am," Zoie said with a straight face, watching him closely.

James grinned, shaking his head firmly as he gripped the windowsill he was leant against. "You don't seem difficult at all."

"Brilliant! Tell that to my instructors," she grinned as she stood, watching him with a small smile. "It means a lot, you know. Being allowed into your home."

"It means a lot that our boy has someone to call friend," he assured in return with a small, half smile, but serious eyes.

"He has me no matter what," she said softly, a promise. "Anyone wants to hurt him has to come through me first."

He watched her for a long moment, arching an eyebrow as he let out a soft breath. "I believe you."

"Good," Zoie said softly before she nodded. "Because it's true. Which is why I will do what I can to be stationed with him."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked softly, shaking his head gently. "You...know he doesn't like spaceships, right?"

"I figured," she admitted with a small smile, nodding. "Don't mind being landlocked if he's with me."

James gave a small smile at that as he watched her. He wondered just how much she really did like him, if that was the case. "Well, you've made me feel a lot better, that's for certain."

"Part of the service..." she said and playfully saluted him. "I've heard talks that you are a good cook."

"I learnt when I was young. Caught myself a man with it too," he teased with a grin. "What can I get you?"

"Access to your kitchen," she said with narrowed eyes. "I tend to cook too. And I'd like to cook for you all as a thank you for having me."

He watched with surprise, shaking his head with a slight frown. "You're a guest, you don't have to do that. I should be looking after you."

Zoie moved to him and gently took his hands in hers, meeting his eyes. "And I want to thank you and your husband for your hospitality. And my only good talent for it is cooking. Just...indulge me. Acer can do the washing up."

James laughed at that, giving her hand a squeeze before leading her away. "Okay, just this once..."

~~~~~

Zoie smiled to herself as she checked on the lasagne in the oven, humming to herself. Almost ready and Acer had help her set the table. She looked over at him, her eye warm. "Think they'll like it?" she asked in a whisper.

"I know they will," Acer nodded with a soft chuckle. "They love Italian. They honeymooned there."

"Wow," Zoie smiled warmly as she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I can't even imagine that. I hope they don't compare this to a proper Italian lasagne..."

"James' isn't either," he shook his head with a small smile, reaching to steal from the salad bowl. "They took me when I was old enough to appreciate it."

She chuckled warmly at the words, nodding as she got the bread to put out. "James is pretty cool," she said softly. "I see a lot of him in you."

His skin darkened at that as he looked down with a slight chuckle. "Yeah...he can be gruff at times too..."

"Nothing wrong with that," she said and took the salad from him, nudging him before carrying it to the table as well. "Want to get them?" she asked, reaching to take the lasagne out.

Acer nodded, moving out to the deck at the back of the house that overlooked the garden. "She's ready..."

Stephen glanced over at James before he nodded, moving to the house. "She any good?" he asked Acer, smiling as he touched his cheek.

"Really good," Acer admitted with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "And she makes great pasta," pasta had been his first real human food that he'd eaten constantly as a kid. Although he was a bit more adventurous with it these days.

Stephen smiled fondly and nodded, touching his arm at the words. "Your favourite," he said softly.

"Yeah, it's worth putting up with her for it," he said drily, but his eyes shone.

Stephen laughed warmly, wrapping his arm around him as they walked inside. "Smells good."

"Hopefully it will taste good," Zoie said with a warm smile and poured the wine that Acer had picked out.

James quickly took a seat at the table, casting an eye over the food with approval. "Where did you learn?"

"My parents," she said with a warm smile, nodding as she reached to dish out the lasagne. "We are all for food on Mars."

"Real food?" James asked with surprise. Most people who preferred to cook over a replicator were usually thrown an odd look or two.

She nodded as she met his eyes, smiling warmly. "We're proud of what we can grow. So what can be grown is grown and cooked old fashioned style in homes. It is going a bit out of fashion now, but I remember doing cooking at school." She motioned to the filled plates and sat down.

"I don't like replicators," Acer said firmly and decisively as he sat down with a frown, gripping his fork as if it would be disputed.

Stephen chuckled softly, his eyes gentle as he watched him. "They are perfectly safe. And healthy..."

"Too healthy," Zoie said softly before she nodded. "Please...eat."

Acer didn't need anymore encouragement. He tucked in, sighing with the strong flavours as he nodded. "Good as always..."

Stephen smiled as he tried it, closing his eyes. It was good. He was surprised. He looked at Acer, seeing his enjoyment. This was spicier than he usually liked. Clearly done with Acer in mind.

James nodded in agreement as he ate, chuckling as he watched Zoie. "You'll catch a lover too with this kind of cooking," he teased, glancing to Stephen.

Zoie blushed but smiled easily. "I find it better to just cook for my friends. They'll be honest and won't tell me how amazing it is just to get under my uniform..."

Stephen laughed warmly, reaching for his wine. "Ah, well...the way to my heart was cooking. He could have had me in his bed any day...convincing me that he loved me? All down to the food."

"Dad..." Acer murmured with a frown at them talking about that, shaking his head as he covered his ears.

Stephen laughed warmly at seeing Acer's reaction, his eyes shining playfully. "Now, now...when a Dad loves another Dad, sometimes things happen in bed..."

Zoie laughed, looking down at her plate. "Oh, don't we all know it..."

"I don't, and I don't want to," Acer said stubbornly with a firm shake of his head.

James laughed softly, squeezing Stephen's hand. "One day, you will have your own children to torment."

Zoie smiled at that before she reached for some bread and threw it at Acer. "Until then, you can just torment your friends."

"I knew you had a use," Acer shot back with a grin, flashing his teeth at her with it, his eyes widening in mock threat.

"Give it your best try, Legolas..." she said playfully, her finger going under her fake eye. "I'll record it and then play it for the whole world to see..."

"Can you do that?" James asked with interest, leaning forward a little to see the eye for himself.

She looked at him with a small smile before she nodded. "It has a transmitter. I have it always turned off, but it's possible. My Dad used to use it to see where I was when I was a kid."

James watched her with surprise before giving a half smile. "I...bet that was an incentive to behave...."

"Pretty much," she said and smiled warmly, shrugging. "He just missed me. Wanted to be there. So he'd ask me to take a walk and I'd walk and he'd watch what I was seeing."

James gave a weak smile at that, looking to Acer. Indeed, they were finding it hard to adjust to him being gone. "It sounds nice," he said quietly.

Zoie smiled gently at the words, watching them for a long moment. She could see the longing. "Well, less cool when I was a teenager..." she said lightly but with a fond smile.

Acer laughed softly at that, looking to her with an arched eyebrow. "He ever chase off your boyfriends?"

"He once told a squadron of Marine fighter pilots that if he ever saw them close to me, he'd personally castrate them," Zoie said before she frowned, considering it. "They seemed to believe him."

"I would too," James assured with a firm, knowing nod. "Never mess with a man on a mission."

Stephen laughed warmly, his eyes warm. "Sounds tough. See Acer, it could have been a lot worse for you..."

"I don't know, you two did your fair share..." Acer said lightly, his eyes glinting as he shook his head with a theatrical sigh.

"Only because we thought you needed tortured stories of how mean your Dads were to tell at the Academy," Stephen said lightly before he kicked his foot under the table with a grin, enjoying the simple warmth of being around the table with his family while he could.

OFF:

Cadet Zoie Herianto
Intelligence Cadet
[NPC Vansen]

Cadet Acer Vito
Intelligence Cadet
[NPC Blake]

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