JPL - Com Ivanova, Cmdr Waterhouse, Cmdr Dahe'el, Capt Neyes, Cmdr Neyes, LtJG Charlson & Noah Waterhouse - "I'm Dreamin' Tonight Of A Place I Love" Pt I of II

Posted on Fri Jan 9th, 2015 @ 11:33am by Commander Amelia Waterhouse & Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Commander Tristan Neyes PhD. & Captain Landon Neyes

2,585 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: A Spot To Kill

Amelia was a little giddy, it'd been a while since she'd seen her grandparents, and even longer since she'd actually been on Earth for Christmas. Not only that, but both her parents and Noah would be able to make it. Her aunts and their extended families had all spread to the four winds because they hadn't expected their brother and his family to be in the system for Christmas this year. This meant it would be a relatively quiet Christmas without them, and this also made Amelia glad. It also meant that it took no effort at all to convince Gram to let her bring Rochelle, Landon, Almar, Tristan, and Zed along.

Rochelle didn't know about today's outing, as she had insisted she was going to isolate herself today. Amelia knew it was because of her friend's birthday, but she also knew that Landon agreed with her that Rochelle should come join everyone else to celebrate. Amelia was perfectly fine neglecting to tell everyone who didn't know about Rochelle's birthday, but she wasn't going to let her friend hide. She'd defeated another year by living through it, and this one in particular required celebration considering some of the things she'd gone through.

She waited outside of Rochelle's room for Landon to arrive. She received a few looks from staff and other guests who'd passed by while she waited due to her lime green converse, fishnets, and green velvet dress with white fur trim. She much preferred a punk twist to Christmas attire over the ugly Christmas sweaters that her father and brother embraced... granted, she was pretty sure they did it to tease her mother.

Both humming a little song, Landon and the young master Irelle strolled down the hallway. The older uncle struggling to keep a straight rhythm as the little nephew bounced down the corridor upon seeing Amelia. In contrast to the first officer, Landon had on what he considered to be casual attire. A pressed jacket with a open collar leading from shoulder to shoulder, exposed the scarf and unbuttoned henley shirt underneath. The broad vertical trim of the jacket clung to him, and built upon his already sturdy frame, while adding to his collected demeanor. Zed barreled down the hallway in a similar outfit, minus the jacket, and fit for a five year old.

"Tristan will be along in a minute," Landon said, breaking from song to address Amelia. "She ready to go?"

"She doesn't even know I'm here yet," Amelia admitted, "I suspect I'll need your help in convincing her. Last I heard, she intended to hide from the world today." Her eyes fell on Zed and she smiled wide at him. "You want to knock?"

Landon eyed the two, raising an eyebrow. Zed had taken to accepting Landon without a moment's hesitation, but the new uncle was less sure about how to be one. The boy was both shy and careful around strangers, but almost too willing to accept anyone who his father deemed as trustworthy. Landon knew the two had been forced into hiding after the attack on his family, so perhaps now the boy was making up for lost time.

"I would like to do that, yeah. I mean- yes." Zed imitated Landon's rigid posture and took a few paces towards the door, rapping on it politely when he was in reach.

Sweatpants that were easily two sizes too big and cocoa seemed fitting for the day. They gave Rochelle a chance to breathe and unwind from the stuffiness of party life and the spectacle that was Christmas, even if she had slid a Santa embellished tank top over her head instead of something plain and boring. Shortly after three in the morning, she'd turned twenty-seven and was inching that much closer to thirty with each tick and tock of the antique clock that hung on the suite wall. As far as she was concerned she wasn't Scrooge, but Christmas had been celebrated the night before and birthdays had long since lost their charm post the disappearance of her mother. Her aunts simply hadn't cared enough to celebrate her birth. Both of them had children of their own to fawn over and she, without a doubt, had been nothing more than a tag-along. So much so that they'd quickly cast her in the role of trouble maker and dare devil. The day was best reserved for being alone and the firebrand had just finished laying food down for Helsa when there came a tapping at her suite's door. Her brows furrowed in a mock scowl as she set her mug down. She'd only just folded her legs beneath her and flopped onto the couch when the disturbance occurred.

"Just a minute." She called and sighed, once again finding her feet. As luxurious as they were, hotels in the city didn't believe in modern convenience. They'd chosen to remain firmly rooted in the past, something about the romance of an era gone by. Rochelle simply called it a pain in the ass to have to actually get up and answer a door than simply call for someone to enter. Regardless, the door was quickly unlocked and opened to reveal the trio and her eyebrow immediately shot up at Amelia's choice of dress and the identity of the other two members of the greeting party. Even Landon received a suspicious head tilt as she tugged on the legs of her sweatpants and stooped down to address the obvious knocker. "Hi there," She couldn't help but smile. Zed had easily won her heart long before his father had been considered as anything more than an unnecessary irritation. In short, he'd been the proverbial olive branch, and an adorable one at that. "What can I do for you guys?" She asked the boy, and looked up at Landon and Pond. She'd said no birthday and no Christmas, though it was becoming quite obvious that they'd chosen to disobey her orders.

"As your lawyer," Amelia opened, grinning wide as she let her gaze drop to Zed before flitting back up to meet Rochelle's gaze. "I advise you to get dressed, because you are leaving with us."

"Not happening." Rochelle replied stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest in a manner not unlike a pouty child. "So called lawyer or not, I'm pulling rank and the Commodore says no." She added and straightened her legs to rise back to her full height. It was hardly an impressive sight with the baby of the group coming up to the pajama clad woman's navel and the other two towering over her.

"Don't make me find Rotek." Tristan said as he approached the small group. "You are going to relax, and you are going to enjoy it." The smaller man said, a pleasant tone glossing over his forceful almost-threat. "Eat. Be merry. All that. So get ready, or else."

Landon stifled a laugh.

For a split second, Rochelle considered holding Zed hostage in her little world of cocoa, pajamas and old Earth Christmas movies. Hardly a scary hold, and it likely wouldn't have thwarted the three speckled elves that demanded from her a degree of Christmas and Birthday cheer. Her eyes rolled and somewhere under the heavy fabric of her sweatpants, a foot stomped, completing the childlike image she'd already created. "You suck. All of you, except Zed because he's a victim in your little plot." She huffed and spun on her heel, in a flourish of undone hair, to find appropriate clothing fit for the occasion. "Find seating, I'll do as you ask only because I know if I say no, I'll wind up being carried back in here and dressed against my will or something equally bizarre." She continued as she disappeared around the corner of the suite's bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, and much against her better judgment, she re-appeared sporting a simple belted pewter dress that pleated and played gently around her knees as she walked and folded at the neckline to embrace her shoulders. It was uniquely retro without being obnoxious. No cherry prints, though the thought had crossed her mind and she knew it would have been met with Amelia grabbing her by the ear and telling her to quit being a baby. To further convince them that she'd partially given a damn, Rochelle's wild red mane had been tamed by both brush and a red bow that held it half up. "Happy?" She asked, stopping in front of them and tapping a patent flat clad toe in wait of their responses. If she had to play a role in their bubbly Christmas pageant, she'd do it with a nod to Bing Crosby and old school Terran Christmas cheer.

=/\= Later... =/\=

The holographic tree sat in front of the large window that looked out into the backyard filled with multiple rows of raised bed vegetable garden and a Frank Gehry inspired building that served as a workshop at the far end of the yard. The hologram looked like a redwood and reached nearly to the ceiling of the living room, two stories above. A wad of spaghetti with two meatballs and a pair of eyes floated between the tree top and the ceiling, but otherwise the decorations on the tree were fairly traditional — glass balls in red and gold, garland of silver, and little white lights that twinkled as the light of the sunset flooded the room through the window. Presents in a cacophony of color were piled high below.

A fire roared in the fireplace at the other end of the room, two chairs next to it, and two sofas beyond that with a coffee table in between. Amelia sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, the skirt of her green velvet fur edged dress spread out to cover her fishnet clad legs and converse. To either side of her in the chairs, her grandparents Jasper and Evelyn sat, the former in a knit sweater that had a snow covered forest surrounding a blue police call box on the front. Noah had claimed the end of the couch nearest his grandmother, in a sweater with the Flying Spaghetti Monster on the front in a Santa hat, with a line of alternating Christmas trees and jolly rogers above and below.

Lily was sitting next to Noah, on the couch, wearing a Red and Green striped jumper, and a Santa Hat.

Almar pushed on the door and felt it shift inward, he'd been invited but he still felt out of place on Earth but it was a nice change to be involved in something he had heard about but not experienced in its full.

High heels rung up the front walk behind the Cardassian, and a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Good of you to join us, Commander," Corey said as he moved past Almar to get inside, his hand falling from the taller man's shoulder, and shifting the duffel that hung behind him.

"Merry Christmas, Almar," Diziara said with a smirk, wrapping her arm around him and encouraging him in the door. She guided him down the entry way, nudging the door shut with her heel behind them. They reached the living room on Corey's heels. Corey's sweater looked like someone had taken a stab at recreating in knit Van Gogh's style as applied to a Christmas tree; the ornaments and lights twinkled as if illuminated. Diziara towered above her husband in a midnight blue wrap dress, and cream and navy spectator heels with ankle straps.

"Diziara, Commodore Waterhouse," the Cardassian replied as he was gathered up by the hybrid and swept into the room.

"Sorry we're late," Diziara said as her children and her in-laws stood up. "Someone realized last night he forgot his Christmas sweater, and insisted we go back for it," she explained with an eye roll. Corey grinned wide. "Then I had to drag him out of the Jefferies tubes when he ducked off to check just one more thing, making us miss the shuttle back to Earth and have to wait on the next one. We didn't delay dinner, did we?" She'd made it to the nexus of the seating area by this point and was exchanging hugs. Corey slipped over to the tree to set down his duffel.

"Dinner's ready, if everyone would like to eat," Evelyn answered, looking around at her guests.

Lily got up from sitting next to Noah and headed over to the table, before taking a seat.

Rochelle, still displeased with being plucked from her pajama clad birthday and Christmas solitude, looked up to see Diz, Almar and Corey all blow through the door at the same time. The window had become her chosen roost, the view of greenery and Earth as a whole was change from the usual one of cobalt, navy and the bright twinkling of stars she was accustomed to. "Right on time." She managed a smile in Evelyn's direction and laced her fingers with Zed's as she passed the boy. Out of all of them, he was the least guilty and seeing Almar, she questioned the Cardassian's involvement — even if she was happy to see him off the ship and giving Earth another shot without having to be ordered to do so.

"So. What's for dinner?" Landon asked, half worried.

"Amelia didn't get back to me about if any of you have any special preference, so hopefully I'll have something that appeals to everyone," Evelyn said apologetically, shooting her granddaughter a look as she lead the way towards the dining room. "Garlic and rosemary turkey, Parmesan mashed potatoes, two different gravies — the mushroom gravy is vegan, honey wheat rolls, broccoli lightly steamed, and Jasper just renovated my greenhouse over the summer, so we have a fresh garden salad. There's pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate silk pie, and mixed berries all for dessert."

"She can probably could feed your whole ship, with all the cooking she's been doing," Jasper quipped with a grin. Evelyn shook her head with a smile.

"I don't know." Rochelle cautioned, and looked down at Zed with a knowing grin, "Trill are bottomless pits. The Vindicator is home to several and most of them are male, including this growing one. You might get away with keeping them happy." She winked at him and looked up to catch Jasper's gaze, not daring to look at either Tristan or Landon. The joke, for now, would keep her amused as she looked to find her seat, finding that they'd been assigned.

"You haven't met my mother's cooking," was all Corey had to say on the matter, though he looked up at both his children as if to imply their height was partially the food's fault.

"Gram still won't let Gran'dad install a replicator in the house," Amelia pointed out. "I don't know if it's in my head, or legit, but I swear her food's more filling."

=/\= Continued in Part II =/\=

Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC-78213-E

Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Executive Officer
USS Vindicator, NCC-78213-E

Commander Almar Dahe'el
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Vindicator, NCC-78213-E

Rear Admiral Corey Waterhouse
Head of Fighter Design Team
Utopia Planitia

Captain Landon Neyes
Former CO / Unassigned
USS Vindicator

Captain Diziara
Lead Test Pilot
Utopia Planitia

Commander Tristan Neyes
Chief Counselor
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

Lieutenant JG Lily Charlson
Security Officer
USS Vindicator

Jasper and Evelyn Waterhouse
Parents of the Admiral
Oakland, Earth

Noah Waterhouse
Artist and Pastafarian Minister
The Pelican

Zed Irelle
Mini-Numero-Uno
apb Landon

 

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