Personal Log - Dani, Zett and the Levines - Consequences, Pt II - Earth XIII

Posted on Fri Sep 19th, 2014 @ 9:23am by Commodore Andrea Levine PhD & Danielle Atarah

966 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?
Location: Earth

The shuttle door opened with a whoosh, and Smith hopped out, walking to talk to the soldiers at the front. Dani helped Anne climb out, and Zett, helping grandma Levine, received a not-so-surprising but quite very stern shake of the head trying to help with the twins.

"It might be best we go in before you," Roberta Levine muttered at the two women, and both women nodded, bringing up the rear, Anne lagging slightly behind to walk near Dani, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Dani lay a hand on the girl's shoulder, expecting to be pushed off, but Anne accepted the gesture, fighting the tears that kept reappearing on her cheeks.

And then the front door slammed open.

* * *

Worried, terrified, furious, and encouraged forward by an equally emotional injured rat, Andrea almost tore the door open, her arm steadier than her feet, ready to storm out, without any plan of action, moving forward to--

Something between a sigh and a shriek escaped her mouth.

In the doorway, carrying two crying toddlers, stood her mother. And behind her and slightly to the left -- Anne. The breath caught in Andrea's lungs.

"We're all okay. Get inside. And put this away," her mother said firmly, snapping Andrea back to reality, back from the blind fury that grabbed her, back into breathing. She finally took a step back, realizing she was still holding the gun. She shoved it roughly into the back pocket of her pants, tearing the seam. She didn't notice; she crouched, shaking, holding her arms out to her daughter.

And then Schlompi jumped, barking something that could have been excited words, leaping into Anne's arms. The girl, shocked, stared at him for a moment, then hugged the little rat lovingly, crying. "Schlompi! You're okay! You're okay! You're... you're hurt! oh," she sobbed, and Andrea wrapped her arms around them both.

Zett and Dani followed, closing the door after themselves, Dani remaining quiet, barely having the courage to face her former Captain.

Andrea's eyes finally caught up with her brain, tears of relief streaming steadily down her cheeks, cooling her boiling skin. They were okay. They were alive, and, at least it seemed, unharmed. Her heart still raced, and the adrenaline in her blood enhanced her emotions, rushing through her like a whirlwind.

She finally got up and looked at the remaining two women seriously.

Dani swallowed and opened her mouth to speak, but Andrea shook her head to stop her, and the younger woman nodded, shutting up.

"Let's go upstairs, Anne," Andrea's mother -- noticing the increase of tension in the room -- waved her arm to the girl. "We'll see if we can get something for Schlompi's leg. Come help me with your brother and sister..." She walked to the stairs, still carrying the twins without even the tiniest sign of fatigue, and Anne, sobbing into Schlompi's fur, walked blindly after her.

The three remaining women watched them climb up the stairs and vanish in the second floor. Andrea swallowed, taking a breath, and another, and finally turning to look at the women. At Dani.

She didn't know what happened, not yet, and she would likely have to coax the details from her mother and from Anne, at some point. But not today. Today she will be content just being relieved.

Whatever happened, it involved these two women. The children could have gotten hurt -- may have been hurt -- and they were with these two. With Dani and with her friends.

Rage swam in Andrea's mind, blinding and hot. It wasn't Dani in front of her anymore; it was the woman who put her children in danger. It was the symbol of the occupation, of the thugs outside, or the horrors that happened throughout the past three months, of Logan missing, of Rochelle being away, of her family being in constant danger, of her own carelessness at thinking anywhere outside the house is safe.

"Andrea, I... they were... I'm... I'm so sorr--"

For the second time in a month, Dani's head flung to the side, Andrea's open-handed slap throwing her sideways into Zett's arms.

"Get out," Andrea spat through her teeth, her jaw clenched tight so tight, it was a wonder she managed a slap and not a fist.

Zett caught Dani and stared at Andrea in surprise. "Hey! You have no idea what she did for--" she stopped; Andrea's eyes were so intense, the words died in the Trill's throat.

"Get out, Dani." Andrea repeated, reaching the hold the door open, to grab something -- anything -- before losing control completely.

Whatever was left of Dani's shattered heart was now stuck in her throat, like sharp shards of broken glass. She nodded slowly, avoiding the older woman's eyes, blinking away tears, and turned, leading Zett by the arm out the door.

Andrea stared at them, her teeth clenched tight. It didn't even matter whose fault was what. At that very moment, these two women represented everything that happened so far. They were the representatives of the fear and confusion and fury and worry that surrounded Andrea's life for the past few months.

She couldn't deal with "balance" right now. With excuses. With what "really" happened. It didn't matter. It might matter sometime. At some point. Maybe. But not now. Right now, all she knew is that if those two women stayed, she would have killed them both.

She finally closed the door, locking it, and then took a breath and ran up the stairs to hug her children. Repeatedly.

* * *

Commodore Andrea Levine
Professor, Starfleet Academy
Dean of Astrophysics
Tenured Researcher, R&D, Starfleet Command
Federation-controlled Earth

Danielle Atarah
Grifter / Thief
Earth

Kalina Zett
Captain
Bristol Supply ship
The Cardello Syndicate

&

Anne Levine-Planck
Madison and Cooper Levine-Grant
Roberta Stewart-Levine
Schlompi

 

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