Sobering Up

Posted on Tuesday, 12 January 2021 - 4:53pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Trail of Tears
Location: Alex and Soral's Quarters | USS Standing Bear
Timeline: 2393 Just after Interesting Turn of Events

ON:

Within moments of their commanding officer’s departure, the smell of coffee filled their quarters as Lieutenant Kingsley filled the biggest mug she could find. That done, she threw together a sandwich, doubting her husband had thought to eat before draining two bottles of alcohol and starting on a third. “How are you feeling?” she asked quietly as she set down the food and drink in front of him.

His response was a moan.

“When you finish that coffee, another is waiting,” she told him. “So drink up.”

Soral started with the coffee and then gingerly moved onto the food. "I will need you assistance." He said.

She eyed him carefully as she poured another coffee, “I don’t remember you ever willingly asking for help. How bad is it?” She assumed he would deduce she meant his headache.

"A phaser set on high stun for the moment." He put his head in his hands.

She moved to sit down beside him, “I’m not really familiar with what Vulcans can take for hangovers,” she confided gently. “What can I get you?”

"Just that my wife, phaser set on high stun." He groaned.

She rolled her eyes, “let’s make that plan z, shall we?”

He sighed, "Rest... I must rest."

“Alright,” she stood, holding out a hand towards him. With great effort on her part she helped pry him from the couch and used both hands to steady him once he was on his feet. “Let’s get you to bed.”

The trip was longer then normal and as soon as he reached the bed he was asleep.



=/\= Next Morning =/\=

Soral woke to see his wife staring at him sitting right next to him and Bones sitting in between them. If anything... the headache was worse and the light was not helping.

“Morning,” Alex offered, leaning down to kiss him. “How is the morning after hangover?”

"Painful." He smiled a little. "Maybe a few more off those will help," he said referring to the kiss.

There was undeniable amusement in her blue eyes as she regarded him. Bones uncurled from between them and decided to retreat, clearly wishing no part in such a conversation. "Is that so?" Alex mused as she shifted a little closer. "It is a theory worth exploring, I suppose..."

"Indeed." Then suddenly the memory of last evening came back. "My wife may I ask a question?"

So much for more kisses... "Of course."

He paused. "I...do not suppose I had a dream about the Captain being here?"

"A dream? No. Well, he was here at any rate, last night. I guess the answer depends on what you were thinking happened," she reasoned. He may very well have dreamed of something happening which was worse than what had happened.

He groaned. "I ... um... did not kiss him did I?"

She hesitated. "Well, you did, yes," she admitted before shifting so she was sitting over him.

"But it was a little one, like this..." she gave him a brief kiss that was over before it started, "and you were really, really drunk. He understood that and it is forgotten. It wasn't our kind of kiss."

"Ohhh my wife. I cannot face the captain again. I must switch to the night shift permanently."

"You can," she countered, leaning in and kissing him again, only much, much more deeply, "and you are not spending the rest of your days on nightshift. It was but a moment, a drunken one, that will never be spoken off again outside of this room. I promise you."

He sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I must apologize to you my wife. I... should not have drunk that witches brew."

"Perhaps not, but for whatever reason, you felt you needed to," she reasoned. "But remember, the only one who can bewitch you, is me."

He took her lips in a deep kiss.


=/\=Few Hours Later=/\=

Soral held his wife gently stroking her arm feeling a lot better then he had when he'd woken up. "I remember your question from last night, you know."

"My question?" she murmured, her head resting on his chest as her hair fanned out around her in a mass of unruly curls. She shifted a little to peer up at him. "I think I asked a few," she added as she cuddled into him.

"About why I was seeing all that had happened as bad thing." He sighed.

She propped herself up on an elbow so she could study him for a long moment. Trying to decide if he really wanted to speak of it or it was an aftermath of his hangover. Or if it mattered either way. "Well, most would see a promotion, and having their record cleared as a good thing," she pointed out quietly. "But you seemed almost angry. I just... I want to understand. I want to help you."

He said. "The promotion ... perhaps but the record clearing. I helped get as many Romulans as I could out. When it was done I was sited and condemned because of the calls from several Federation worlds to let the Romulans to their own devices. I knew what I did was right to save them and I would have done it again. Now, when Vulcans and Romulans again are being hunted. They cleared me but did they acknowledge that I was not wrong to save the Romulans? No. did they acknowledge their own wrong doing in turning away when a world was dying? No. And they have said my rank is dependant on staying here on the Standing Bear, it will be taken if I left. It was to keep me stationary. It was an empty gesture what if I do not accept they can label me a traitor and ungrateful and take my status from me. If I accept it then it would be acknowledging I was wrong and there was something to forgive on their part."

She was silent for a long moment. “I wasn’t there, but I know you. That you did what you felt was right. And that’s all I need to know. As for your record, I don’t know why they placed caveats on that but you can show them, like you always have, that you are an incredible officer. But don’t ever let this get you down, please. You are so much more than a rank and the uniform. Besides, I kind of like you out of uniform,” she teased.

"Indeed. I have come to the conclusion that I wish to adopt one of your Earth traditions when we are in our quarters."

“I’m from Mars,” she reminded him with a grin, “but I’m all ears.”

"This should be a no clothing zone. I believe you Earth people called it a nudist colony." He raised an eyebrow.

She laughed loud enough that Bones came wandering back into the room, tilting his head curiously. "A lovely thought but I think visitors might be a little put off from stopping by and Bones definitely is not ready for this. He's a puppy! Besides ten, fifteen years from now, I will not look this good naked."

"You my wife will always look good." He kissed her. "I suppose I should get up." He said it but made no move to do it.

“If you must,” she replied with a dramatic sigh, rolling away from him and taking the bed sheet with her.

He sat up slowly, mindful of his aching head. Standing slowly he headed the bathroom where he administered a standard headache hypo and then took a long shower. Once cleaned he emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Shall I make breakfast?"

She glanced at him and grinned, “you expect me to concentrate on food when you are wearing only a towel?” She clarified, shaking her head to make it clear it would be impossible. “If you insist that we have to get out of bed at all then I’d like us to see Doctor Rose.”

He looked at her. "Oh?" He padded back to the bed. "Are you well?"

“I just want to know if what happened while you were recovering... maybe it’s a sign that I’m healing faster than Doctor Hades expected?” She said hopefully as she took his hand. She omitted the blinding headache which had followed or the nosebleed after her visit with Haru. “Maybe... maybe we can try again soon?”

"Of course. We shall have breakfast and then go." It was something he would have normally put off but he had vowed to make his family a priority.

She smiled, “okay. Let me grab a shower and then I’ll help you make breakfast. I may even look out a matching towel.”

He watched her go. Walking to the kitchen he took a moment to reflect. He'd been glad at her suggestion to go about the link but a part of him had wanted her to want to go and find out about having a baby. He sighed. No, when she was ready, he would not push.

"We need to talk to Bones about privacy and bathrooms," Alex observed as she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel with Bones cradled in one arm, "especially when showers are involved."

"Indeed. He is a most mischievous being." He motioned to the replicator. "If you will get the drinks I will finish the food preparation."

Setting Bones down who made a beeline for his bed so he could curl up amongst uniform jackets, Alex replicated some orange juice and chilled water. "I'll be two seconds," she told him as she headed into the bedroom to quickly change. The smell of food was already making her stomach rumble, embarrassing when you lived with someone who had such enhanced hearing.

OFF: