Revelations

Posted on Thursday 30 January 2020 @ 09:43 by Captain Melody Jones & Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding

Mission: Ghost Ship
Location: Captains Ready Room
Timeline: MD1 2230
1248 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

"Come!" Melody called out in response to her door chime. She looked up as Sansa entered and got up from her desk to embrace her daughter. "Hello Sweetie. You're up late, I was just wrapping things up here." She paused and frowned. "You don't normally come up to the bridge to see me." She studied her face for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Sansa took a deep breath. She began. "I've something to tell you mom..."

Ten minutes later

Melody was getting her breathing back under control. She went over to her cabinet and got out an unopened bottle of Aldebaran whisky and poured herself a large glass. Sansa was sitting on the couch. They had both been crying. After taking a drink she pressed the comm button. "Lieutenant Godding! Report to my ready room! NOW!"

From her office, Hayley heard the summons and noted the tone behind it was not a particularly friendly one. So, Sansa had gone to speak to Melody after all. She sighed and moved out from behind her desk. If she was honest, she had feared this kind of reaction from her commanding officer from the get-go, but both she and Sansa had agreed that they could not keep this a secret relationship. If Sansa was serious about them being a couple, then they couldn't sneak around behind Melody's and Draxx's backs like they were doing now. It was unfair on all concerned, especially Sansa who had an incredibly close relationship with her mother. After Hayley's talk with Commander Miller, Hayley and Sansa had elected to have a good long discussion about what they wanted to do. In the end, Hayley had left it with Sansa on who and when she confided in her parents, but that it would need to happen.

"Godding here, on my way Commander." She said, replying to the summons.

It took but a few minutes to reach the bridge and cross it to the ready room. She tapped the chime and once the doors opened she entered, taking in the scene. Being a trained security officer had its advantages. She immediately noted Sansa sitting on the couch, having recently stopped crying, but looking both relieved and scared that Hayley was there. Melody however, looked like a thunderstorm in a tea-cup. She stood by her desk, holding a glass of green liquid in her hand, holding it so tight on Hayley's arrival, that her knuckles had gone white.

"You asked to see me, Captain?" Hayley asked, trying to put as much calmness but conviction in her tone as possible. She would be strong now, not just for herself, but for Sansa too. No matter what happened in the next few minutes, she would not see Sansa hurt.

Melody fixed her eyes on her security chief. "Lieutenant. My daughter means the world to me. I will not stand by and see her hurt or used and then discarded. So, I ask you. What are your intentions?"

Hayley took stock of the moment, deciding there and then to assert her position clearly. "Ma'am, whilst I have only known Sansa for a short time, she means more to me than anything in this entire universe. It is far to premature to ascertain how far things will eventually go between us, for my part, I am committed to nothing more than making Sansa as happy as I possibly can by reflecting back how happy she makes me." She looked dead into Melody's eyes. "I am committed to whatever relationship Sansa wants for us but I do not want what we might have to come between any relationship she has with you and Lieutenant Draxx, hence why we agreed to come forward at the start of things as we have."

Melody rose from behind her desk and came to stand in front of Hayley. She studied her up and down for a moment before she continued. "I always make it my policy never to question the word of one of my officers. Don't make me change that policy. My daughter seems very taken with you, as she explained to me but she will always be my little girl..."
"Mom..." Sansa spoke up, embarrassed.
"I Know Sweetie" Melody looked at her and smiled "But it's true." She looked back to Hayley "And I will defend her with my last breath. But, at the same time and want her to be happy." She sighed "She's grown up so fast and I want her to not to wast any the time that she has. I've got to accept the fact that my daughter is a grown woman who can make her own desicions so... You have my blessing."

Sansa lept off the couch and gave Melody a big hug. "Thanks Mom. Love you."

"Go back to our quarters. I'll join you shortly and I'll rustle up a late supper.

"Ok." Sansa gave her Mom a kiss on the cheek. She also gave one to Hayley and one of her warmest smiles before she left the ready room.

Melody turned back to Hayley. "What you do in your own time lieutenant is your own business. Two things.." Melody added "One. This does not interfere with your duties and two, you might have to work a bit harder to win over her father. Sansa has already asked if you can come over to dinner again sometime so I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities."

She looked at her warmly. "Since I'm off duty now, This is as your friend.." She said before giving Hayley a hug.

Hayley had always known that there were several outcomes of this meeting, one of them being acceptance, but it still came as a shock that acceptance had been the route this journey had taken. Given what Hayley knew of the family, she had been expecting this to be a drawn out process since as far as Melody and Draxx were concerned, their daughter had only been with them a short while, plus there was the whole parental thing. Draxx was always going to be the tough sell, but Hayley was glad that at the very least Melody was on her side. Getting the hug was a shock though. She hugged Melody back and smiled.

"I know to keep duty and off-duty separate, ma'am." Hayley said. "As for Lieutenant Draxx... I'm hoping I can wear him down with time and the fact that as long as Sansa wants me around, I'm not going anywhere. Maybe he'll like the fact that Sansa's dating someone who'll kick the crap out of anyone who even thinks about hurting her. Besides, I'm still teaching her self-defence. I'd rather she be able to look after herself than be reliant on others for her safety."

For the better part of discretion, she didn't mention that of the last five sessions, all five had only been about ten to fifteen minutes of actual self-defence education and the rest of the time on... 'other' activities that now that Hayley had awoken in Sansa, she wanted to experience frequently.

Melody smiled "Very good. I won't keep you any longer and I've got supper to make.

"Aye ma'am." Hayley said, nodding politely before taking her leave of the Captain. One hurdle down, one more to go.

OFF:

●●● Commander Melody Jones
Commanding Officer
USS Merlin

●○ Lieutenant JG Hayley Godding
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Merlin