The Boys are Back in Town

Posted on Tue Feb 2, 2016 @ 1:00pm by Commander Caden Aldrex & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

2,990 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Liam's quarters
Timeline: MD8, 1445

[ON]

Liam and Cade stood side by side staring at Betsy. He had got rid of one of the lounge chairs and they had already moved the couch as far up to the left side as possible. "I think she'll fit," Liam said confidently at the space they had ear marked for the piano on the back wall to the sleeping chamber. "I'll just have to keep all my music elsewhere, or maybe put some shelves up above her. What do you think?"

"Whatever you say, Liam," the Trill replied as he ran his hand over the top of the piano. Its smooth, shiny surface was certainly appealing to the eyes. "I still can't believe you drag this thing everywhere you go. It must have a lot of sentimental value."

"Oh she does. She originally belonged to my granddads, granddad or something. Named after his wife. Its been in the human side of the family for generations. My gran taught me to play when I was on earth but you know when your a kid you don't take it seriously do you?" he asked. "Well I didn't back then. Anyway I took it back up at the academy, initially to "join a band and impress a girl", the usual."

"Is there any other reason to join a band?" Cade asked rhetorically. "Who was she?"

He grinned. "Actually you know, sorry KNEW the girl. But I got really into playing again, and and went home one day and surprised my gran. I was getting fairly good after 3 years then. She said, Betsy's yours now and she has been with me ever since. Well with the exception of when I was in the other place," he muttered.

"Come on lets do this," he muttered placing his beer down and walking over to the keyboard side. "Remember, got to be gentle. She's a classy lady," he grinned at the Trill.

"A heavy lady," Cade muttered. Then putting his hands under it he said, "Okay, ready? One, two, three, lift!" The two grunted under the strain.

Cade shuffled his feet awkwardly to the left, taking small steps. "Which way? Like this?"

"Betsy," Liam said, "Don't listen. Cade does not think your fat," he grinned at the Trill. Then at his face became serious again, "Yes perfect, like that."

It took them about another five minutes or so of shifting "Betsy" around to get her next to the wall and in place. "AHHHH," Liam said when they finished. "Okay, she's a little heavy," he said lowering his voice as if the piano would take offence. "Another beer?" he asked walking back to the replicator.

Cade only nodded as he panted and felt the dull ache in his legs, arms, and back. He really needed to get back into shape. Then again, maybe he was just getting old. He remembered what that was like, too. He tried to do some mild stretches.

Liam returned and handed him a glass. He was slowly working on getting Cade into some Earth real ale. Liam sat back down on the couch. "Thank you for that. I just need to tune her now and I can get back into my music. Keep my sanity intact. Dinner was very nice the other night by the way," he said added. "Does Amia spoil you with superb cooking like that a lot?" he asked.

"Actually, no. By the time we get home we're usually too tired to cook. So we get something from the replicator or go out someplace on the Promenade." He savored the cold beer and then glanced sideways at Liam with a wry smile. "So..."

"So go on then," he said with a laugh. He knew Cade was dying to ask him something.

"Some of the young girls up in Ops have had a Liam fan club going ever since you got here. Teasing each other about who will get your attention first. The latest rumor, however, is that you may have already been taken, which is causing a few broken hearts. So...is there anything to that rumor?"

Liam chuckled. "I have a fan club. Seriously? Wow. I guess I better spend some more time down in Ops." He took a sip of his drink. Replicated it was good, but it just wasn't .... well real real ale.

"I'm not taken Cade. Come on if there's a girl I'm serious about as my best mate your going to get introduced and opinions asked," he said with a smile. "Plus I'd never hear the end of it if Amia wasn't in the know now would I? In honesty, I have only met a few lady's so far. The one from the other night - Box of delights owner. Scares the hell out of me. Shouted at me the first time we crossed paths in a way that would make my mother proud, and now she's projecting emotions and "memories" I think. Not her fault but not really fun for me. Sorry about the disappearing act half way through dinner by the way. I had to collect myself."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sorry you weren't having as much fun as the rest of us." Cade smiled and took a pull from his beer. He didn't know what else to say about it. In truth he had always gotten a big kick out of Yolanthe. She reminded him of another bartender with whom he'd had a dalliance. Back when Toril was his host, a long time ago. "So the romance rumors are all just rumors then?"

"I have a dinner date the day after the delegation soiree opening with the shop keeper I got your wedding present from. One of those Rowani kind of manoeuvred me into it. I could hardly say no and well," Liam thought about it. "She is pretty and seemed nice. A Bajoran. I'm just not rushing in with anything. I think that was part of the problem with Haku wasn't it? I was head over heels before I knew it. So I need to take my time this time," he said firmly.

Cade nodded his agreement. "Yeah, that's the way to go. Don't let infatuation take root with one person. Get to know several women. Go on a lot of dates. Bajoran women are great. They're very cultured and spiritual. Rowa'ni women are...well, I've heard the stories." He took another sip, then asked, "So just the Bajoran shopkeeper then?"

"Ahh well I met the chief counselor who I have to report too to talk about all this crap in my head that happened in the other place, some I can access and some its drip feeding back and I am NOT enjoying it" he said again pulling a face Cade couldn't quite place on his friend or say he had seen before. "Starfleet stipulated it when I took the job. And you know what?" he said suddenly. "If I was still a counselor we would be such opposite styles of working. She is so by the book and .... well it winds me up. That women needs to learn to balance her work/fun quota more. She's like a mini Frank La Guarda!"

"There's no one in this galaxy like Franchesca LaGuarda," Cade said in all sincerity, recalling the all-too-serious Ops officer from the USS Illustrious. It was only now, thousands of light-years away, that he felt safe calling her by her given name. "Counselor Bennett doesn't seem so high-strung to me." He paused a beat then added, "In fact, she's actually kind of pretty. She's got that swimmer's body. Nice smile..." He shook it off and chugged down the rest of his beer, reminding himself how much he loved Amia. Taking the empty bottle to the recycler he said, "I can't believe you would dislike her so much. She seems exactly your type."

Liam suddenly had a flash of Noelle Bennett in a two piece bathing suit, the sun shining off her hair in front of a golden beach and beautiful blue waters, when Cade mentioned her having a swimmers body and despite it being a very enjoyable image especially when in his imagination she moved forward, actually smiled and handed him some multi-coloured drink with an umbrella in it, he was not going to admit to Cade that he thought her kind of pretty too. He then chided himself, for having in-pure thoughts about his therapist and quickly shook it out of his head again. He could sense some amusement off his friend though.

"I don't dislike her as a person." Liam said trying to chose his words carefully. "I just think as therapists we are exact opposites and well ..... Oh I don't know," he muttered frustratedly. "Maybe I am just really bad at being the patient. Having been on that side of the fence ..... makes it .... well vexing. And her telling me over and over and over," he rolled his eyes, "that she thinks I am withholding when I am not grates," he said grumpily.

"What is my type?" he asked curiously determined to get off talking and thinking about Counselor Bennett. He wasn't really aware he had one. In Liam's eyes all the girls he had dated had been very different. Perhaps Cade had spotted something that Liam was not registering or perhaps he was just winding him up.

The Trill shrugged. "Well, she's a counselor. Like you. She's devoted to helping people. Nevermind that you might have different methods of approaching it. She's compassionate. She's thoughtful." His eyes wandered up to the ceiling as other superlatives issued forth. "Kind. Intelligent. Professional." A few others came to mind but that was enough. "Look I'm not trying to sell you on her. If she grates on you that's fine. Some people just don't mix."

He plopped down into one of Liam's cushiony chairs with a grunt. It was amazingly comfortable. Liam always had the best stuff. The view of Pangaea out the windows was also superb. Cade laced his fingers behind his head, studying the contours of the northern continent, and added in a low voice, "Don't tell me you wouldn't make sweet love to that, though."

Liam didn't quite know whether to laugh or sigh. He settled on sighing as it made him look less of a leech in response to the statement. He leant back looking out the window just as Cade was. "Ex-Counselor," Liam reminded him enjoying the view just as much. He took a sip of his own beer.

"Your right," he said after a long moment deciding to hell, he would admit it to Cade. The Trill knew anyway. Perhaps they could avoid relentless teasing this way, although with it being Cade the chances of that were probably pretty slim.

"And she's all those things, kind, beautiful , intelligent, probably more professional than she needs to be, but maybe like "Frank" there's reasons behind that. Maybe if we could get away from all my "crap" and spend some time together in an out of work setting one on one, ... maybe on a beach with some swimming and cocktails" he muttered, " ..... ..... okay, okay yes she's the sort of women I would happily spend some more time with and want to get to know. Physically too."

"BUT you just told me. "Get to know several women. Go on a lot of dates." That wouldn't be fair, Noelle Bennett is not the sort of woman you juggle seeing other women, even if you were up front about things" he told him, more to talk himself out of deciding to do something about it and getting slapped again any time soon. "She's a senior staff member I will cross paths with inevitably for other reasons than fixing back up what happened to me, AND that's the major stippler ....... she's my therapist," Liam held his finger up to strengthen the point. "It wouldn't be ethical. Not now when I have to go to sessions with her. And what I know of her, she would be the first person to say that. In fact she probably wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in me anyway."

"Please don't tell Amia about any of that," he said suddenly. "In fact please don't tell anyone."

Cade Aldrex shrugged. "No worries. I'll say nothing more." He was content to let the matter drop but was amused that the Counselor seemed to gotten under Liam's skin. He was about to ask more about the Bajoran shopkeeper when the chime sounded from Liam's desk monitor.

"Incoming communication from the USS Merlin," the computer suddenly informed him. Liam's jaw set for a moment and then he said determinedly, "Computer decline."

Cade's left eyebrow shot up. "Who was that?"

"That there is brother dear," Liam said again after a long pause. Cade could hear distain in his voice which had never heard from Liam when mentioning his twin before. "And we are not speaking at present."

"Really? What happened this time?"

"He kept something from me for a very long time. Remember when we first met and I said I had, had a fiancé that went missing. We were a few years in with no contact. Nothing. No idea. Well it turns out he had an affair and .... Jon and Sydney slept together. She fell for him and ran off. Disappeared on both of us. He admitted that on Betazed."

"And get this," Liam continued. "He only admitted it because Sydney's been in touch. They have a son. She kept that from him, and they both kept that from me. No one in my family it seems can't cheat and have secret children. I'm long over Syd. If I wasn't then the whole Haku thing wouldn't have hurt so much but ... he's my twin brother. He's always been unreliable and .... well abrasive to some of you guys right? And I have always defended him or placated it stupidly. But that hurt. He wants to talk but I'm standing firm."

"I understand," Cade said, and left it at that. This wasn't the first time he'd heard Liam relay some disappointment involving his brother. "Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"To talk, to sort it out no doubt," Liam sighed. "We had this pack. It didn't matter where we were in the universe we always talked once a week if we could or sent each other messages. My silence will be driving him nuts but he has to learn he can't treat people like that and well I have to stop forgiving everything. Or at least doing it so quickly. I do forgive people stupidly quickly don't I?" He gulped down the last of his beer.

"Forgiving is a good thing," Cade answered. "Not for the sake of the person who has wronged you but for your own sake. That said, sometimes you also need to remove a toxic person from your life." He shrugged.

"So Parisses squares?" Liam asked getting up and ordering 2 more beers. "Computer can you stream the Earth Washington game this evening?" he asked handing the Trill another glass then pulling it back teasingly. "Sure Amia's okay with you having a third?"

Cade looked at the bottle in his hand with a frown. "I don't know. It's been a while since I've had a third." Since becoming first officer here had had grown increasingly comfortable with alcoholic drinks in his hand. Following several years of restricting himself in an effort to grow out of a hard-drinking, hell-raising youth. He grinned at Liam. "This'll be the last. It'll be fine." He propped his feet up on the coffee table as the holo-vid snapped on in front of them.

"It's Synth this time," Liam said. He was aware that in the past Cade had, had some drinking issues but he certainly seemed in control now. Liam tipped his hat to him. He had, had plenty of clients in the past with alcohol addictions and knew how hard getting a lid on something like that way.

The image displayed a huddle of players on the field, quickly conferring about their next play. Their silver, form-fitting uniforms were damp with perspiration. Whatever they were saying to each other was drowned out by the roar of the stadium crowd.

The announcer's voice cut in. "A bit of a delay as Aris Ganel goes over the options with his corner guards. Ganel now going into his twelfth year as captain of this club. A remarkable achievement. Still the championship eludes him..."

"You know, I could picture Amia and Noelle being good friends," Cade said absently.

"I am sure they could be. Doctors and Counselors work together a lot. How do you think Amia and I got so pally?" he stated with a grin. "That and mountains of tea, cake and biscuits."

Cade grunted at that. "It's too bad we can't double date. Would've been fun." Then another idea came to him. "Hey, why don't I introduce you to my friend Sigrun? She's single."

"Just because I can't ask Noelle Bennett out doesn't mean you can't invite both of us to do something with you both. You can hang out with two friends," Liam suggested. "But sure. Introduce me to this girl. Like we said, "Get to know several women." I'm up for it. Thank you."

"Great! I'll bring it up with Sig next time I see her," Cade said. He didn't know if she was interested in dating again, but she had been widowed more than a year now. More than enough time to mourn respectfully, right? As for Counselor Bennett, she might require an altogether different approach. Best to consult with Amia on that.

"Ah," Liam said happily. "Ganel's got his arse in gear finally. Think we are ready for the start."

"Ball down at center square... There's the pitch... Ganel, scrambling, looking for his centre..."

[OFF]

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Lt. Cmdr. Caden Aldrex
XO

 

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