Time on His Hands

Posted on Sun Dec 23, 2018 @ 5:39am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan

1,282 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Ryan Quarters
Timeline: MD04 0700

Aleczandra’s alarm went off and she rolled over and slapped at it, silencing it. She lay there in the dark staring up at the ceiling. Another day. Another day without Teena.

Ugh. Get over it! Zandra scolded herself.

She was just a bitch. A good lay, but no one you can’t replace, Juheni added.

“Shut up,” Aleczandra muttered to herself, throwing off her blankets. “Lights,” she called, blinking as they slowly came up. God, she had to pee!

Taking care of necessaries in the bathroom, Aleczandra then jumped into the shower. She touched up the rainbow colors in her hair and then slipped into bra, panties, and her blue minidress school uniform. She stuffed her school padds into her backpack and headed out to the outer quarters.

Zandra pulled up short. Her father was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, still in the shorts he slept in, bare chested and bed-headed. Aleczandra felt the familiar surge of lust from her mother inside of her.

Ew! Mo-om!

Caleb sipped his coffee, still staring ahead at...nothing.

Aleczandra dropped her bag on the counter and walked up behind her father on the couch. She leaned down, slipping her arms around him -- God, the feel of his bare chest beneath her hands! -- and kissed him on the top of his head.

“Daddy?” she asked. Fuck! Had she put a bit more sultry into that word? Knock it off, Mom! “You okay? Why aren’t you at work?”

Caleb stirred, pulling away from his daughter quickly. They both stared at each other, awkward, uncomfortable, and a bit of hurt in Aleczandra’s eyes as she licked her full lips nervously. She couldn’t help run her eyes over her father’s body and flushed when she caught herself.

Caleb quickly took a swallow of coffee, cursed as he burned his tongue, and then put the cup down. “Ah..well, Ah got suspended for a bit, Zandy-beary,” he said sheepishly. “Ah lost mah temper an’ Ah punched someone.”

Zandra gave a scoff. “That reporter guy on FNN? He got off lucky. You should have thrown him out an airlock for asking about Mom like that,” she said angrily, heading over to the replicator. She ordered a hot chocolate-coffee half and half.

Caleb shook his head. “No, Ah shouldn’t’ve done that,” he said. “So Ah’ve gotta pay the piper. Ah’m just...a bit at a loss what ta do with mahself,” he admitted. He headed to his room and when Zandra turned around he was coming out and pulling on an old t-shirt.

Aleczandra’s heart melted. It was one of his t-shirts Mika had liked to wear. She remembered vividly the scent of him in it as she pulled it over her head, the feel of it on her bare nipples, the heat of his hand as it slid under to cup her pert breast…

Zandra yelped as she splashed a bit of her hot coffee on her hand because it was shaking. She put down the mug and cleaned up the mess, muttering at her mother.

“What, Zandy-bear?” Caleb asked.

“Nothing,” Zandra murmured. “Look, Daddy, why don’t you think of this like a...vacation,” she said.

Caleb gave her a look. “And when was the last time Ah took a vacation?”

Aleczandra stared back. They both knew the answer. Risa. When her mother had been murdered. She swallowed.

“Daddy, it won’t do you any good to stew in here all day,” Zandra said. “Trust me,” she said wryly. “I’ve been doing it for the last three weeks since Teena left.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, her voice threatening to break. “You need to get...out.” She smiled. “You should go to the holodeck and take Walker for a ride.” She grinned further. “Why don’t I play hooky and join you. Make it a father-daughter day. We haven’t been riding together in forever!”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “Ah don’t know that ya should be missin’ school, Zandy-bear.”

“Psh! I already know everything we’re studying right now,” she said. “Or maybe you could go see Opal.” She winced slightly, not believing she had volunteered that he spend more time with his girlfriend. But...she made him happy. He wouldn’t be listlessly sitting on the couch with her.

“Ah don’t wanna bother her at work,” Caleb insisted.

“How about this. We go for a ride this morning. Then I’ll go to school and you take Opal to lunch,” Aleczandra compromised. Maybe do that holonovel of yours with her if you can get her to take the afternoon off.” Zandra grinned wickedly.

Caleb actually flushed and looked away, embarrassed. “How do you know about our holonovel?” he asked.

“Please. I saw your download history,” Zandra laughed. “That isn’t your normal type of recreational entertaining, Daddy. It had to be with Opal.”

“An’ what were ya doin’ lookin’ at mah history?”

“I may have bought a couple holonovels to do with Teena,” Zandra admitted.

There was an awkward silence as the oppressive weight of their situation made itself evident again.

“Ah think it’s a fine idea,” Caleb finally broke the silence.

Aleczandra blinked. “What?” she asked.

“A mornin’ ride. Yer plan,” Caleb prompted.

Zandra blushed. “Oh, right. Yeah. After school I’ll stop by the market and make dinner for us. We can rent a holomovie and chill tonight. Can I have beer?” she asked with an innocent look.

Caleb eyed her. “Fine,” he said. “One.” He paused. “But wait, don’t ya have counselin’ after school?”

Shit! “I can skip it,” Aleczandra said.

Caleb frowned.

“Um...reschedule it?” Zandra tried again.

“Aleczandra, ya really need ta be goin’ to your counselin’ sessions.”

Zandra winced as he used her full name and looked away. “It’s pointless, Daddy,” she said. “It isn’t like I can talk about it with the counselor,” she reminded. “Not what’s really wrong with me anyway.”

Caleb sighed. She was right. They couldn’t risk that a counsellor wouldn’t turn her in to the Symbiosis Commission. “Fine. Just this once,” Caleb said.

“Great!” Zandra said. “You go shower and I’ll go change. We can grab breakfast at Gino’s.” With that, she flounced off to her room.

Caleb couldn’t help but stare after her. She looked so much like her mother it hurt. He pushed that thought out of his head and went to clean up. He dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt under a black button up shirt and added some cowboy boots.

Aleczandra was sitting at the counter sipping her coffee when her father emerged. She had put on some very short cutoffs that left her long legs down to her cowboy boots bare. Her plaid shirt was tied up under her pert teenage breasts, revealing her flat, toned stomach and cute belly button, and it was unbuttoned quite a bit to reveal her cleavage. Caleb flushed with embarrassment. That was the same outfit Mika liked to wear when he had taken her riding when they were at the Academy.

“Ready?” Zandra said cheerily, flashing him that smile so much like her mother’s as she looked up from her padd.

“Ah’m not so sure,” Caleb muttered as he headed for the door, “that Ah’m ready for you ta grow up.”

“What was that, Daddy?” Aleczandra asked, bouncing after him.

He tried hard not to watch her bounce.

FIN

Cdr. Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer, Suspended

Aleczandra Ryan
His daughter
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

RSS Feed