Reunion

Posted on Friday 25 January 2019 @ 15:48 by Captain Melody Jones & Commander Save'ena (Sav) Tillatix

Mission: The New Collective
Location: Save'ena's Quaters
Timeline: 23950828 - 2215 hours - Merlin Repairs second day at research base
2503 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Sansa had returned to their quarters and told Melody all about the fantastic time she had with Sav'ena. After Sansa had gone to bed, Melody made a decision. Putting on the little black dress that she had got when she and Sav'ena were shopping at Starbase, she set out into the corridor.

She drew one or two looks as she made her way to Sav's quarters. She had not seen her in some time and from what Sansa had told her from Sav's point of view even more time had passed. Melody was nervous and excited, all at the same time. She could hear her heart pounding as she stopped outside Sav's quarters and pressed the chime.

Sav was relaxing with her romance novel gift from her mom while wearing the silk pajamas given to her by Dr. Ki when she was recovering from the cyrostasis sleep. She had nothing on the evening planned, so when the chime sounded, it took a second for her to realize it was her chime and somebody was outside.

She made sure her pajamas were presentable as she was wearing nothing underneath, then went to the door to open it. She started to say, "Hey, can I help you?", but all she managed was a "Heyyyyyyyyy... " There, in front of her, even though she had heard Melody's voice disappear from the overhead when announcing abandon ship, was that same person as the voice, Melody, and dressed in the black ensemble they had bought together on the starbase before leaving on that fateful journey.

Stunned, Sav stood there, her ears and whiskers forward and focused on Melody, her nose twitching to take in Melody's scent, even as her brain tried to unlock itself.

“Hey Sweetie. Thought you might want to get a drink and catch......”

Sav reached out and grabbed Melody's arms and brought her into her quarters, her body trembling from memories and shock. Now she shoved her nose into the base of Melody's neck, breathing deeply of her scent, even as her hands moved about Melody's body, touching, stroking, and verifying that this was Melody, here, now, and not a figment of her imagination or another doppelganger from another time stream like her dream with Amy, the Doctor, and Melody.

Melody felt the urgency in which Sav was caressing her “Hey Hey Sweetie. Buy a girl a drink first”. She chuckled at first but stopped when she saw the tears matting Sav’s Fur. “Sweetie it’s ok!” She drew Sav closer to her and held her.

Sav broke down into a gentle crying as her trembles lessened. She was saying, "It's you... it's really you.. you're back to me... you're back to me..." She could not stop moving her hands over Melody, not wanting to step away and have Melody suddenly disappear again. "You're here.. you're here... not gone.. not gone..."

Melody started gently stroking her. “Of course I’m not gone. Yes I’m here with you. I haven’t died or anything.”

Sav heard these words, knew her last memories, knew what had happened with the logs and the recordings on her wrist computer, and yet here was Melody as though nothing had happened. Yet, for Melody, it hadn't. The entity protecting its planet made sure of that. Sav mumbled as she held Melody close, "You were gone, gone, wiped away, unknown for how or why, and now, back, Entity found time placement close, not far... your back to me.... back to me..."

Melody drew Sav as close as she could. "Of course I'm back my love."

Sav's mind was finally catching up with the physicality of Melody being there with her. She managed to start to control her body again and shifted back from Melody to begin tugging her towards the main table in her quarters. "This way... please, this way..." She helped Melody sit down, then sat near her, and stared once more at this new Melody before her. "Tell me, what happened? When off the Merlin, for what training?"

Melody sat down near Sav. "To be honest I don't remember how exactly I left the Merlin" She frowned. "Well, I was serving as Chief Engineer on the USS Sarek. Had some interesting times there. That's where I met Sansa's father. He's a Bajoran called Draxx. At first I though he was rather full of himself. He had some rough edges. Turns out he makes this … home brew that really packs a punch. We both got really, really drunk and......… That led to Sansa being conceived. Thanks to my time in a Borg maturation chamber, I was pregnant for only about 2 months. Draxx was shocked but he seems to have come around to being a dad. Then he managed to get himself stuck in a static warp bubble. We managed to rescue him just before the bubble collapsed. Now things get really interesting. A young ensign helped me get Draxx back. It turns out that she was Sansa, sent back in time from some point in the future to help get Draxx.

Sav took in a breath, then let it out, and said, "That is the new now, for you. Here is the now, for me, as I heard you disappear as the Entity translocated you away, even as I though it wiped you away. Here, my recording of the ship dated stardate 69751.75, calendar date 2394, June 21st, Mission Day 25 of the Mission to explore the Lazarus star, just scant weeks after my insides were repaired by Caroline."

Sav activated her wrist computer. It showed her guiding herself and three kitlings to the main medical suite while people were disappearing around them. Over the ship intercom system, Melody was announcing that the ship was under attack by an entities or entity unknown and the order was given to abandon ship. Right as the four got to sickbay, Melody's voice disappeared mid word of 'abandon', sounding like 'aban...'. Once inside Medical, with the two Meditechs, as Sav was setting up the cyrostasis chamber, the meditechs disappeared, and then two of the children. It was just Sav and Sierra, and then Sav climbed into the cyrostasis chamber with Sierra and they went under.

Melody sat listening to the recording open mouthed. "I don't remember any of this. I remember you having surgery for some thing that had been left inside you and counseling for some mental blocks that had to be removed. We found the derelict Merlin in that Nebula. We were heading to the planet...…" Melody looked at Sav worried "I don't remember. Why don't I remember any of this?" It was Melody's turn to start shaking. "Sav, this really worries me. I...… I...…."

Sav took ahold of Melody's hand and said in a low voice, "You probably got acclimated to the time stream. For me, it has been nine months as I was in cyrostasis for six. However, Melody, don't fret, there is another here who is in your same time stream."

She deactivated her wrist computer and said in a still small voice, "Caroline was there as well. She was performing autopsies on crew found on a derelict blown apart Merlin. So, some action by crew, or orders by command staff, prevented the future-past-future of destruction, and the crew was 'lost'. But, now I know not. The crew wasn't found because it is not lost, but situated in the time stream into places not to be noticed gone... except by the Merlin logs.. and two survivors who were not elsewhen translocated."

Sav looked at Melody, tears once more in her eyes, "I'm lucky Caroline and you were only time-place shifted less than a couple of years out... and no, I have not managed to get this information to Apollo yet, but he needs to know. His memories will only be slightly subjected to the time stream rewrites as he was not onboard but was kept appraised of the status of the ship... meaning, to him, you are now also in two places at the same timeline." She sniffled, saying, "You were gone... gone...." Her body began trembling from shock and fatigue, especially after the day before having fought away her Uniqueria personality. "Now... you're here... but.. we lost dating with David, our forays trying to catch the stalker, all gone for you, but a part of me... and you have a husband, a child, and I am not any part of it. Are we still who we were for understanding and intimacy? I... I.. am happy for you, truly, but I also feel lost... sorry."

Melody kissed Sav. "Hey Sweetie. I Still want you to be a part of my life, and Sansa's. As for Draxx... I do love him but we don't really gel when we're together."

Sav calmed down at the kiss, her mind catching up with Melody's words that Melody was still in her life. However, there was now Sansa, and Draxx. "So, not husband, even though have child." That thought was very foreign to the Mephetian culture and Sav could not wrap her head around it, not right now, with everything else happening. "So, still be a father for Sansa, until new husband is found, yes?"

Melody took a deep breath "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it Sweetie. Draxx will always be Sansa's father and I want him in her life.

Sav took both of Melody's hands into hers and looked into her eyes, then said, "Are you still wanting to find a husband, and become a wife with me?" Sav grimaced, then said, "Uh, wait.. maybe not.. umm, you see.. there is... uh, I'm still screwed up."

"You're not screwed up Sweetie." Melody said as she started to stroke Sav's fur again.

Sav closed her eyes as tears gently moved down between her cheeks and muzzle. She said, "There is still another personality in me... one imprinted in the dungeon... I found out about it yesterday when opening presents... (spits out name) Diostros sent me a congratulations card, and it triggered it, but fortunately Caroline and Kachiko were there to help out. I became this Uniqueria persona, I guess trying to get back to that bastard, but Caroline and Kachiko somehow brought me back." She sighed, whispering, "I'm still not free... "

"We'll get though this together Sweetie." Melody added.

Sav looked up towards Melody with trepidation, longing, and shame. She shook her head slightly, and then said, "Look at you're life... you have a Kitling, Sansa, a distant dad for her, a new career path, you have so much good going on, so much, are you sure you want me involved right now as well? I... don't want to be more worry and burden on you, Melody. I can wait... heck, for me, It's only been nine months since the surgeries.. I am still on light duty, and still get tingles once in a while from that damnable mesh and what it did to me... and here I go, talking about my screwed up life, when you have had it so much worse than I..."

Sav squeezed Melody's hands and said, "I... still would like to be around, be Sansa's Aunt, help out, but we can leave it there, till I am more healed and you settle into your new life adventure... honest."

Melody blinked. After a moment she found her voice. "Oh......". She took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. For her it had been just over two years. Was she being too pushy? She had hoped to get back together with Sav but things had now changed, was that now not possible?

"I.......I........" She tired to find the words "I understand. You need some time. She stood "I better get back to Sansa."

Sav's expression grew confused. She didn't need more time, but was thinking Melody did. Then again, she did leave the opening for Melody to refuse her if needed, and it looked like Melody took it. Sav barely kept in a sob as she replied, "Hrmm, yeah... some time." She drew in a breath and finished with, "Your kitling needs you."

Melody headed for the door.

Sav watched Melody walk away. She felt trembling within her body as her entire life return to crumbling around her after having been propped up, if just for a bit, by Sansa letting her know Melody was back in her life, and now not. She wanted to call out, to say stay, but did not want to drag Melody away from Melody's life with kitling.

Melody paused and turned "Lunch tomorrow?"

Sav's expression brightened at the invite. Maybe Melody still wanted Sav in her life. She truly wanted to be in Melody's, and Sansa's, lives. She wanted to be a lover again once more, but wasn't sure if that was still an option now that Melody had Draxx, or how much the timeline changed on that score. In a trembling voice, husky with emotion, Sav replied, "Oh, yes, Please, I want that, so much..." Sav realized how she just sounded, so needy of Melody, and hoped the offer would not now be rescinded.

Melody managed a smile "See you tomorrow then." And with that she headed out the door.

Only after the door was closed did Sav collapse onto the table with a sob. Melody had always sent out mixed signals, and almost had drove them apart with her antics on the holodeck and perceived notions about what Sav was or was not feeling. Was this again like that? Or had the shift in time and now having Sansa, Draxx, and her new life as a roving engineer really messed up what they were supposed to have?

Sav dragged herself away from the table and collapsed into bed, gently crying herself to sleep.

============================================

Melody walked back to her quarters in a daze. Entering, she found Sansa sat on the sofa cuddling Nibbles. She looked up surprised. "Oh. You're back earlier than I expected."

"And you are suppose to be in bed young lady." She wagged a finger at her but smiled. She went over to the replicator "A double serving of rocky road ice cream and 2 spoons."

Sansa looked up sharply "Red Alert" she muttered out loud "You only get the rocky road out when you're feeling down. What happened?

Melody sat down on the sofa next to her and put an arm around her. "Its complicated Sweetie...."

Sansa thought for a moment "You went to see Sav'ena hoping to either sweep her of her feet or, be swept of yours and it didn't go to plan."

Melody did a doubble take. "Wha...... When did you get so smart?"

Sansa just smiled "Come on Mom, you talk about her all the time. You clearly have feelings for her...... So what went wrong?"

Melody sighed "It's a long story Sweetie."

Sansa tucked her hair behind her ears "Go on......"

OFF:

Commander Melody Jones
Second Officer / CSO

Sansa Jones
NPC

Commander Save'ena Tillatix
CFCO/Bridge Command Specialist
USS Merlin