Tis the Season

Posted on Wednesday, 30 December 2020 - 3:11pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Ouroboros
Location: Alex and Soral's Quarters | USS Standing Bear
Timeline: 2393

ON:

Soral stood up and scooped up Bones. He closed the bedroom door and entered a code to lock it. Alex would be home soon. After his meeting with Adrianna and her he'd returned to their quarters and then ran a few errands on the station with Solek trying to hide that he was following Soral. The PO really seemed to be concerned. He was unsure what to make of it. He'd have to look into Solek....something was off there. With a shrug he set about cleaning the living area a little while Bones happily chewed on a toy on the sofa. Alex would be off shift soon.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten so I stopped by and picked up some Italian food...” Alex said as she entered their quarters, stopping in mid stride and instantly suspicious. Something about Soral’s expression made him seem suspicious.

Soral straightened. "I...you are early." He unconsciously stepped to block the way to the bedroom.

Her eyes narrowed, “uh huh...”

"Food, yes eating is good." He took the food from her. "Let us eat."

“What is going on?” She demanded, “even Bones looks guilty and that is saying something.”

Bones whined and covered his eyes with his paws.

Soral sighed. "You, dog, are of no help."

Bones covered his other eye with a paw.

Soral turned to her. "If I said nothing would you believe me?"

She raised an eyebrow. “If it was nothing you’d not be saying nothing,” she reasoned, “and you wouldn’t be implying that Bones had failed you in some way. So, what are you up to, husband?”

"Very well. I have a confession. I did not rest today. I visited Jupiter station on some... secret errands."

“Soral -“ she stopped herself, took a deep breath and sighed. “You were supposed to rest. What kind of secret errand?”

"Very well," He took her hand and lead her to the bedroom door. He stepped behind her. "Close your eyes."

Frowning, she nevertheless did as he asked. Closing her eyes she felt him step around her and unlock the door before guiding her forward.

He lead her into the room to the center of it. It had taken hours but he'd decked our the room with twinkling colourful lights. The ceiling projections he'd mounted created a colourful holos of nebulas swirling in all colours. The bed was decked out with a green blanket and red velvet sheets. Pillows in shapes of reindeer, elves, and Santa. In the corner was a four foot plastic tree. It was decked out in lights with a lavender sash on the bottom. Several decorations hung on the three pictures from Alex's past with her parents as well as ornaments highlighting things she loved from food to hobbies. Laura had supplied many items when she'd arrived. He'd asked her to bring them. Ornaments she had as a child but no top yet. He would allow her to put that up.

Soral had known that what was called Christmas on Earth was coming and he wanted to honour that tradition for his wife. The tree was stuffed with presents underneath it. He hoped that she liked it.

“Can I look now?” She asked with a hint of almost childlike impatience, especially when Bones rushed into the room and began running around the room in his excitement.

"Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes and for a moment stood in stunned silence. Her eyes widened as she took in every little detail. It was like a million little elves had just descended on this one little part of the ship and it was... amazing! The surprise gave way to a delighted smile as she threw her arms around him, "it's amazing! How did you...?"

He smiled. "It took much secrecy. I wished to ... make you smile."

“It’s amazing, thank you,” she breathed, stepping back so she could study the room and lift Bones before he could chew on a bauble from the tree. Now that she could see them more clearly she recognised many of them, reaching out to pick one out, “I made this is nursery... how did you..? My mother.”

"Indeed." He paused. "There is ... a special gift under the tree. Your mother said it was something your father picked out for you to give you when you were married."

"Huh..." she frowned, curious as she knelt down in front of the tree, Bones trying to lick her face with differing degrees of success. "You know he told me that I wasn't so much as allowed to go on a date until I was at least thirty..."

"Indeed. It is a clause I am contemplating with Severine...the same clause...perhaps I was thinking 100."

"Go for two hundred, she wont listen anyway," Alex pointed out with a grin. She patted a spot on the floor, "come help me open it?"

He sat down by her without hesitation. "Oh and I have also read about Saint Nicholas...he comes every year. I did not know this. I have sent a personal message to our check in team on the ship granting him permission to enter and deliver gifts. I also took a picture to them so they would recognize him. Petty Offer Smith seemed...amused. I do not know why though."

Alex bit her lip to silence a laugh as she rested her head against his shoulder, "I think he's a little busy on Earth to start visiting other planets. I can't believe you did all of this. I should be annoyed since you are meant to be resting but it is just we used to do Christmas back home... Is it this one?"

She lifted a small, neatly wrapped gift that was sitting slightly separate from the others.

"Indeed."

She frowned, concentrating as she carefully unwrapped it, trying not to tear the silver paper. Bones got impatient, biting down on a free corner and with a determined shake of his head, tore it away far more efficiently. And with way more mess. "Bones!" she chided him and, for a second, the puppy had the decency to look chastised before dragging some of the paper away to add to his own corner of their quarters. "I think he's part magpie," she frowned.

Shaking it off she turned her attention to the box in her hand, it was small and despite her curiosity, she was somewhat reluctant to open it. What could he have possibly picked out for her? Taking a deep breath she pried the box open, her curiosity winning out.

"It's beautiful..." she breathed, holding open the box so Soral could see inside. A silver bracelet was nestled inside, complete with an infinity symbol intertwined with a heart. A single crystal adorned one curve of the infinity symbol while smaller crystals lined the heart. Under the lights, they seemed to all sparkle like tiny little stars.

"He used to always say he loved us times infinity," she confided as she traced the symbol with her fingertip.

"Of that I have no doubt." He put an arm around his wife. "Thus when you wear it you will always remember him." He lifted the bracelet and held it. "Let us see how it looks on."

She smiled, holding out her arm so he could slip on the bracelet and adjust it. “He would have loved you,” she told him, “well, he’d probably have given you the third degree and followed us everywhere but besides that, he would have been happy.”

"I hope so. I would have loved to thank him for caring for my wife."

"Thing is," Alex confided in a whisper, "apparently when I was a baby he dropped me on my head. Twice. But besides that, he did great."

He wrapped his arms around her. "On your head?" He wasn't sure if she was being truthful or joking.

“Yip,” she nodded. “But babies are resilient.”

"I should think that I would have had words with him over that."

She grinned as she reached up and kissed his cheek, "you probably would have. Thank you for going to all this trouble. It's amazing. And Bones approves too."

He allowed himself a smile, one he only reserved for her, "If I could capture a star and gifted to you I would." He paused. "I wish you to know that you have brought so much happiness to my life. I did not understand that word, or the feeling with it until you."

“Soral,” she shifted so she could face him, “all I want is for you to be happy. I have no idea how to be a good wife, or about many Vulcan traditions and I can be difficult when my temper gets the better of me. But you... you have so much patience and the biggest heart. You deserve all the happiness in the universe. Life doesn’t always work that way, I know. But even if I am long gone, you can still find so much happiness if you are willing to look for it. Your children, your slightly insane mother in law, all of your friends here and everywhere you have been. I don’t think you truly realise how much you have done for others. How much you have changed not just my life, but theirs.”

He held her. "You are my happiness, my wife." He kissed her. "Now...I have one more surprise for you."

“More?” She replied incredulously. “But you did all of this already...”

"Indeed. This one is not from me. This is from...Haru...with respect to your father."

She pulled back a little. “I don’t understand...”

He pulled out a box. "I went to see him...to find out what happened." He handed her a large box. "Inside is a letter about what happened...he can't do much but he can write. And...a thousand paper cranes in memory of your father."

“Paper cranes?” She repeated as she took the box, making no immediate move to open it.

"It has to do with an old Japanese legend, I understand." He kissed her head. "Why do you not go ahead and open your gifts. I will draw you a bath."

OFF: