The Other Half of the Family

Posted on Sun Oct 27, 2019 @ 3:22am by Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson
Edited on on Wed Mar 18, 2020 @ 11:27pm

5,575 words; about a 28 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: Rigel V

“Good afternoon. We will be arriving at our destination in approximately thirty minutes. Disembarkation will commence five minutes after. Thank you for traveling with us.”

The occupants of cabin 7-Alpha could not have been happier to be so close to their destination. They’d thought having a first class cabin would be a nice treat during their short, 36 hour trip; however; they quickly found that the cabin was adjacent to an amorous couple who spent almost the entire time testing the durability of the cabin’s furniture and soundproofing in the walls.

The couple had been a bit envious at first, but after half the trip had passed with almost no silence, they were simply stunned. “Honestly,” the husband said, looking at his wife, “even a shuttle sometimes stops.”

The wife had reminded him they were young once, and they did their best to ignore.

The occupants of cabin 8-Alpha, meanwhile, were hurriedly pulling their luggage together to disembark.

“I don’t often pat myself on the back,” Nicole said, sealing up her suitcase, “but this was inspired.”

“It was!” Camille agreed. “I’ve never traveled like this before! I always thought it wasn’t worth the cost.”

“Well, like I said: what’s the point of putting aside some credits, if we don’t use them now and then?” Nicole said, grinning.

“I’m not sure I can ever go back to the old way of flying,” Camille said melodramatically. “You’ve spoiled me, Nicole. And now we must travel everywhere this way.”

"Well I'll have to draw on some back pay, but anything for you, my love," Nicole said,matching her tone and giggling. They felt the transport’s engines subside and Nicole grinned. “Rigel awaits.”

Camille finished gathering her last few belongings, including the PADD containing a hundred new books, of which she maybe got throught twenty pages of the first on the trip, and slipped on her shoes. “Après vous, mon amour.”

They picked up their cases and walked quickly to the transport’s disembarkation room. The transporters weren’t quite Starfleet standards, but they were regulated and safe, and the only sensible way to get to the surface without waiting a couple hours for a private shuttle. As the two materialized, they stepped off and into the crowd, Nicole craning her neck to see a familiar face.

“There!” she said, shouting so loud she made a person next to her recoil a bit. She gave a brief apology, then guided Camille towards the tall, imposingly stern-looking woman who had Nicole’s coloring and smirk. “Mother!” Nicole called, jumping a bit to see over the crowd.

Mina honed in on her daughter’s voice and threaded her way through the crowd smoothly, swiftly appearing before them. She smiled at them and pulled Nicole in for a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re home safe,” she said.

Nicole hugged her bag, squeezing her tight, then stepped back and beamed. “Mother, may I introduce my t’hy’la, Camille Lévesque.”

“A pleasure to finally meet you, Madame,” Camille said, offering her hand, but ever-so-slightly shaking from nervousness. She was more imposing than her pictures implied.

“I recognized her from your transmission, yes,” Mina said, giving Camille a smile and shaking her hand. “The pleasure is mine,” she said. “Now, I have some surprises for you.”

“Oh dear,” Nicole said, smile faltering. “Surprise as in you’ve baked a fresh loaf of re'hsta bread? Or surprise like when you surprised me with having to help you clean out your lab?”

“More the former,” Mina said. “Firstly, your father sends his love.”

“Is he here?” Nicole said, confused.

“No, he’s still traveling back to his University,” Mina said “He seemed eager to get home though. Evidently space travel doesn’t agree with him.”

“He was rather green when we said goodbye,” Nicole lamented. “The Victory being in a battle shook him up rather hard. Maybe we should--”

“Lieutenants, at attention!” a voice suddenly snapped. The sound of rank and authority caused the two Starfleet spines to snap to attention immediately.

“About face!” the voice said. The two women whirled around to find a stern middle-aged man in an Admiral’s uniform staring at them, Borg implants around his eye and along a cheek.

“Anderson!” he barked.

Nicole stepped forward smartly. “Sir!”

“Present arms!”

Nicole grinned and threw her arms wide as the Admiral scooped her up and swung her around in a bear hug. “Proud of you, sweetheart,” he said, grinning at her, then looked at Camille. “And this must be the miraculous young lady I’ve heard so much about.” He walked up and took Camille’s hand, bringing it gently to his lips. “Enchantée, mademoiselle,” he said, kissing her hand. “Admiral Alan Markus, at your service.”

The nervousness at meeting Mina, and at being called to attention, instantly melted away as Camille smiled and giggled at the Admiral’s reaction. “I’ve heard much about you, sir. Well, not that much. They couldn’t tell me a lot of the anecdotes I wanted to hear, and your file is heavily redacted. Not that I went looking. Sir.” Awkwardness levels increased as Camille dug herself a hole.

"Indeed," he said, giving her a wry smile. "Well, when we all return to DQ8, we'll have to see about increasing your security clearance," he said.

"One thing at a time, Mister Q," Mina said, amusement in her voice. "First they need to leave their things at Nicole's apartment, and then there are a few people who wish to say hello before we go out for dinner tonight."

Nicole looked at her. "I thought I asked you to sell off my apartment when I shipped out?"

"I didn't have the heart," Mina confessed. "I always knew you'd come back at some point, even if just a visit, and I wanted you to have more than a room waiting for you. It also gave me a place to put your old childhood things so I could have my storage area back."

"How sweet-yet-practical," Nicole drawled, smiling. She looked at Camille. "So, what first? The city? The hospital? Oh! We should track down Harranipa maybe? I do want you to meet them for real."

“Oui!” squealed Camille. “I need to meet this friend of yours! And her family! That adorable little girl Cole and the charming Ja’reth. Oh, wait, how long ago was that recorded? How old are they now?”

Nicole grinned. "Not too long. Cole will still be adorable, Ja'reth will still be lovesick. Let's go dispose of our luggage and we'll knock on her door."

Camille nodded excitedly and followed Nicole to a vehicle.

The transport ride through Ancient Grace was quick, but visually stunning. The city was small by human standards, but the Rigellians were rather proud of their capitol and it showed in their decorations and upkeep. Nicole pointed out various buildings, her tone turning wistful as she showed them the large city hospital she used to head, Camille’s amazement. They arrived in front of her apartment building and she pressed her thumb to the plate, letting them in.

Her apartment was somewhat sparsely furnished, but contained her books, personal effects and countless drawings from the children in the local communes and the city. She'd cherished those pictures, and seeing them brought back a flood of memories of births, checkups, and exams. Compared to her quarters on the ship, this home looked lived in, and she felt a large pang of embarrassment that she'd kept this part of her from everyone, yet missed it so.

“You know,” Camille said, ideas forming in her mind, “if we decide to put holo emitters in our quarters, whether separately or together, we could re-create this art. When you’re homesick, we can look at these pictures together.

"Or...I could take it with me," Nicole mused.

They dropped their gear and left to walk to Harranipa's building. Nicole opened the main doors to the building and let Camille go ahead, taking her up to the correct floor. As they approached, however, she held back and suddenly got a grin. At Camille's confused look, she whispered in her ear and pointed to the correct door.

Camille grinned and chimed the door to Harranipa’s apartment. Her smile was forced down, no easy feat, especially when a cute little pixie with her auburn hair in a long braid opened the door.

“Good day,” she said in a mock serious tone, “I’m from the Bad Clan for Misbehaving Children. I’m here to check if any local children qualify. Are there any misbehaving children here, Miss?”

Cole let out a squeal of terror and bolted from the door. "M'aih!" she wailed, racing through the home. A moment later, a woman came around a corner, looking towards the door. "What is going on? Who is this?"

Nicole inched nearer the door, then swung around. "Trouble, in the flesh," she said, grinning.

Harranipa let out a shout of surprise and raced to the door, pulling Nicole into her arms and holding her tight. "When they told us you were all trapped across the galaxy, I thought the worst," she said. "I'm so glad you're home." She sniffed and wiped her eyes, then looked at Camille, then back at Nicole's lovesick smile, then back at Camille. "And who have we here?" she said with a smile of her own.

"Harranipa, may I reintroduce my t'hy'la, Camille Lévesque," Nicole said.

"'Re'-introduce?” Harranipa said, confused, then lit up. "Oh! That holoprogram? You got it?"

"Yes, and let me tell you, it was a handful," Nicole said. "But wonderful."

"I'm glad," Harranipa said. She turned to Camille and pulled her into a hug as well. "Anyone special to Nicole is always welcome here," she said.

Camille grinned as she was pulled into the hug. “Sorry if I scared Cole.”

"I'm sure she did something to warrant it," Harranipa said. "Cole," she called, turning, "it's all right. It's your Auntie Nicole and her friend playing a little joke."

Cole peeked around the doorway of her room. She saw Nicole and rushed out, leaping into her arms and hugging her tight, then stuck her tongue out at Camille. "I knew she wasn't really from there," she declared.

The three women laughed and Harranipa ushered them in and onto a sofa. "I'm so pleased to meet you," Harra said excitedly. "My husband and sons should be home soon. They'll be thrilled to see you."

“And I them,” Camille replied as she took a seat on the sofa’s left seat. “If the program version of Ja’reth was even slightly accurate, then this ought to be interesting. And entertaining.” She looked at little Cole as she sat on Nicole’s lap. “I’m Camille. I’m your Auntie Nic’s t’hy’la.”

"Oh no, what happened?" Harra said, looking mortified, while Cole perked up. "Oh! Are you going to live here with her?"

“We...” Camille looked at Nicole and smiled as she answered, “haven’t really talked about it. We’re getting a new ship when we report back. Maybe we’ll share quarters. Maybe they’ll be next to each other. As for Ja’reth, all I know is he’s a fantastic dancer!”

Harranipa laughed. "Well that's news to me! He's got two left feet in real life. I suppose Commander Riley wanted to help his ego a bit."

Camille giggled at the thought of the holodeck programmer helping the boy out. He was, however many years earlier, an awkward pre-teen boy, too, and must have felt for the kid. Now she really wanted to meet Ja’reth.

"Can I get you two something to drink? You must be famished. I should start lunch," Harranipa said, realizing she'd forgotten her manners.

"Relax," Nicole said, watching her friend fuss and laughing. "You get more and more 'motherly' every day, I swear."

"I have four children, what do you expect?" Harranipa said, standing and beckoning them to the kitchen. Cole climbed onto Nicole's back for a ride and they followed, sitting on stools at an island in the kitchen.

"So, Camille," Harranipa said, pulling some things out of her cooler unit. "Has she bored you to death yet with stories from our childhood?"

“No, actually,” Camille answered. “A few bits of local geography. How you two met. I asked the holo-you for embarrassing stories and was told to ask you in person!” She looked over Harranipa’s shoulder as she reached into cupboards. “Nicole introduced me to ruskal spice tea, but I’ve only had it replicated. Do you have any fresh?”

"Of course," she said, pulling out a small jar and a teapot. "And don't worry, we will have plenty to talk about." She turned and eyed her daughter. "Cole, sweetie, go play in your room."

"But mom!"

"Go."

"I never get to hear the good stuff," Cole complained, jumping down from Nicole's lap and stomping off to her room.

"It's moments like this I regret not milking your sister for more dirt on you," Nicole sighed.

Before Harranipa could begin, however, the front door opened. "Hello?" Jal'tah's voice said from the entrance.

"In here!" Harranipa said. "We have company!"

A moment later, Harranipa's husband walked in, spotted Nicole and grabbed her, hugging her tight and giving her a huge kiss. "I've missed you!" He boomed, hugging her again.

"You too," Nicole laughed.

"Who's this?" he said, looking at Camille.

“My name is Camille,” she replied. “I really Hope I’ve been pronouncing ‘Nicole’s t’hy’la’ right.”

"Nicole? Has a t'hy'la?" he said, sounding perplexed.

"I know," Harranipa said, sounding equally dramatically confused. "Can you believe it?"

"Oh shut up," Nicole said.

"Ah and there's our girl," Harranipa said, grinning. She looked at Camille, then back at Nicole. "Shon-ha-lock?“

"More or less," Nicole said. *Deja vu.*

"Where's Harisa?" she said.

"On her way," Jal'tah said. "But, we do have two others with us."

A tall young man who was his father's younger twin stepped forward and grinned. "Hey Auntie Nic," he said, kissing Nicole's cheek.

"Camille Lévesque, their eldest son, Hemapol," Nicole said. "And you might be able to guess who the other young man is."

“Ah!” Camille said, looking at the younger son with a warm smile. “Ja’reth! I feel like I’ve known you for ages! Are you here to steal me away from your Auntie Nic?”

Ja'reth looked at Camille and his mouth hung open. He was a bit taller than the holoprogram version, and a bit more muscular. Growing up was being kind to him. He walked up and shook Camille's outstretched hand. Dungi-du kal'i'farr-svi terau? he said, breathlessly.

"Ja'reth! Kloshah!"

“I’m sorry?” Camille said, her smile not breaking. “I got that it was a question, but the translator didn’t kick in right.” She laughed and looked over to Nicole. “Is this how you feel when talking to me?”

"Constantly," Nicole said, sounding exasperated. She reached over and gently closed Ja'reth's mouth and patted his cheek as he looked at her. "Hello, dear," she said, smiling. "This is Camille Lévesque, my t'hy'la, so if you don't mind, let's leave the marriage proposals for another time, hm?"

Ja'reth turned a dark shade of green as he blushed and looked at Camille again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

“Pas de problème,” Camille replied, blushing red. “I’m honoured by the request, especially coming from such a handsome young man.” She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

He smiled, but blushed even harder and quickly excused himself and ran to his room.

"Ja'reth se svi'ashaya!" Cole taunted, running after him.

"He's not the only one," Harranipa said, smiling at Nicole.

Nicole blushed as well. "So, you said something about lunch?"

Lunch was thirty minutes of wholesome, home-cooked food. The next three hours that followed were more uproarious laughter as they were treated to as many humiliating stories as Harranipa and her husband could recall. Her oldest child, Harisa, showed up and was thrilled to find her favorite aunt there with a girlfriend.

Nicole was dreading the amount of ammunition Camille was now privy to, but she was too happy to be home to care. Cole had taken turns sitting in Nicole's lap and Camille's lap, asking precocious and embarrassing questions whenever there was a spare moment. Harsia was peppering Camille with questions about her job in the science department and what did she suggest about her courses next year, Hemapol had invited his t'hy'la to join, creating a small competition as to who looked the cuter couple. Ja'reth finally emerged from his room and sat with them, somewhat near Camille and joined in the discussion.

After Nicole couldn't take it anymore and began revealing a few choice secrets about Harranipa, they agreed that mutually-assured destruction was the inevitable end and ceased telling stories, no doubt to Camille's disappointment.

There were hugs all around, and promises to return. Cole cried, Ja'reth managed to sneak a kiss on the lips from Camille when he went to hug her, and Harisa said she hoped to be on Camille's research team someday. As they walked out, Nicole let out a long sigh. "I may never be able to look you in the eye again," she joked, smiling.

“No worse than some of the stories la maudite Mathilde told you about me,” Camille replied. “But now I know to double check our bags before we go camping. And I know to never accept an offer of a home-cooked dinner of barkaya marak.”

Nicole groaned. "I swear, that is not what made her sick," she said. She grumbled and took Camille's hand, pulling her to the heart of the city.

---

Ancient Grace was easily toured in a few hours, so after showing Camille all the milestone landmarks, picturesque spots, the festival area from her holoprogram, the hospital she led, including a brief visit with her former mentor in between patients, and stopping to pick up a bottle of wine, they'd finally arrived at her mother's apartment. Nicole put her thumb on the lock plate and the door opened obligingly. She saw Camille watching her and smiled. "Wouldn't expect me to knock on the door of my childhood home, would you?" she teased, rushing in quickly.

“Ayoye!” Camille exclaimed as they entered the apartment. “To be fair, I hadn’t lived there in fifteen years.” A delicious aroma caught her attention right away.

The smell of tomato sauce filled the apartment and Nicole's mouth watered. "What am I smelling?" she said.

"In honor of your visit, your uncle is making fettuccine with his special bolognese sauce," Mina said.

Nicole felt her stomach rumble at the mention and grinned at Camille. "Don't ask what's in it, but we are in for a treat."

“Ever since living in France, I made a point to never ask what I was eating,” Camille joked. “Good to see you again...Mina?” she tried the name tentatively, genuinely uncertain how she should address her girlfriend’s mother.

"You as well, Camille," Mina said, pouring a glass of wine and offering it to her, which she accepted with a thank-you.

As they sat down around the small dining table, Mina served while the admiral did his best not to smile at the two lovebirds. "I hope you're enjoying your leave," he said. "DQ8 is going to be abuzz when your new ship arrives."

“I’ve not had a chance to see any details about our new ship, Sir,” Camille said as she began to collect pasta and sauce on her fork. “Not much information had trickled down to us yet, aside from the fact that we were getting a new USS Victory.”

"It's going to be quite a ship," Alan said, his eyes twinkling. "I can't wait to get a peek at it myself, once it arrives."

"Ah, so that's why it's assigned there," Nicole said, nodding in understanding.

“Can you tell us anything?” Camille asked. “Will it have better scientific equipment?”

"Absolutely," Alan said. "You are going to love the new labs. Sickbay's been redesigned too," he said.

"Which means I'll need to re-redesign it," Nicole said, dryly.

"It's a brand new ship design. Give it a chance," Alan chided. "The children were going on and on about it when they saw the designs."

“Children?” Camille asked. “Do you have kids, Admiral?” She still knew so little about the man that Nicole looked up to.

"Aside from the goddaughters and godsons I dote on?" Alan said, smiling at Nicole. "Yes, I've taken on--or rather, adopted--seven orphans. They're a handful, but they've grown to learn how to behave...for the most part."

“That’s wonderful,” said Camille. “I have an aunt who I think of as a third parent, too, much like your godchildren must think of you, Sir. Nicole just met her the other day, along with the rest of my family. Blood is important, but it’s often the people who choose to watch over you that really have a positive impact on our lives.” She ate more of the pasta. “C’est délicieux.”

"Thank you, my dear," Alan said. "And please, just call me Alan here. We'll save the 'Sir' for the station. I've been privileged to raise quite a number of children, some my own, some others. It's always been the most difficult, yet most rewarding thing I've done. I highly recommend it," he said, looking pointedly at the two of them.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Mister Q," Mina admonished. "They're not even out of the honeymoon phase yet. It's a bit early for that kind of talk."

"I'm an old man. Allow me to dream," he said.

“Alan,” Camille tried tentatively, “why does Mina call you Mister Q? There isn’t a Q in your name. I imagine it’s some old story, but I’m curious.”

"A very old story, between two old friends," Alan said, giving her a small smile. "And I imagine you've got a nickname or two of your own, yes? And as I understand it, you've been collecting a few embarrassing stories about this one," he pointed his fork at Nicole. "I hope you put them to good use."

Camille grinned. “That is my plan, sir.”

"Excellent," Alan said, sharing a small smile with Mina. "Don't give her any leeway. She needs a good humbling now and again." He gave Nicole a loving smile. "But, in the spirit of fair play, I'll share a few of her more admirable moments that she may be too shy to speak of."

Nicole blushed hard, but Camille's hand on hers made her smile for the rest of the meal.

---

0600 comes far too early when you've only fallen asleep three hours before, but Nicole wasn't going to let a lack of sleep keep them from their destination. They could sleep once they set up camp. She rolled over and teasingly woke Camille, ignoring her groans of protest. Showered, dressed and loading up their gear a short time later, they set out just before sunrise for the transporter station to take them across to Peshla lake.

Along the way as they walked through the trails between transport stations, Nicole gave Camille a lesson in Rigellian flora and fauna, pointing out interesting plants or woodland animals. Eventually they left the main trails and made their way through the woods, coming out in a clearing at the edge of a large, flat lake.

"Here we are," Nicole said. "Our home for the next forty-eight hours. Far from the city, not quite near the Soul Clan's usual territory, but nearby if we need them, and no tourists allowed." She looked at Camille. "You're with me so you get a pass." She grinned and kissed her briskly, then took off her pack and began organizing their gear. "First thing's first, we need to get the tent set up, then square away our supplies and such."

“Any serious danger from predators out here?” Camille asked as she too set her bag down and joined Nicole in organizing their gear. “Most of the animals you’ve shown me have been small or obviously herbivorous. Is there anything similar to wolves or bears that we should watch out for?”

"Just me," Nicole joked. "Rigel doesn't have many large predators, mostly small ones. The most we'll have to do is keep the food container weighed down so vermin don't make off with our dinner."

“Bonne idée,” Camille agreed. The first thing she removed from her bag was a collapsible table, which permitted her to set out the rest of their belongings. It was all there. She teased Nicole, advising her that yes they had bug spray and the generously large tent, things she historically forgot from camping trips, according to Harranipa’s stories.

"Thank you, dear," Nicole said tersely.

“Uh oh,” Camille said as she finished emptying her backpack. “I may have forgotten something. I hope it’s not something necessary though.”

"Oh?" Nicole said, ready for some petty gloating. "What's that?"

The Terran grinned widely. “Oh, just swimwear.”

Nicole grinned, in spite of her disappointment, and purred gently. "Well that won't be too much of a problem. Only thing in the lake are velka eels, and they aren't too dangerous." She got a mischievous grin and nibbled Camille's lower lip.

“I’ll be okay with a few eels,” Camille replied, grinning as Nicole played with her.

They finished setting up the tent and securing it to the ground, and Nicole squared away their belongings inside the tent. Once they were set up, she gathered a pile of wood and efficiently set up a fire pit and got the wood ready. With their campsite completed, she turned back to Camille. "Hike first, then a swim to wash away the day?"

“Parfait.” Camille found a good walking stick, put on a smaller pack that contained some food and water but most importantly a magnifying glass and some other basic field work tools, hung some lightweight binoculars from her neck, and gestured for Nicole to proceed.

Nicole strapped on two canteens, one with her elixir and one with water, and set out, picking a quasi-clear trail through the trees. They walked a fair distance, but only got so far as Camille stopped them frequently to examine the flora around them and collect samples. Nicole was glad she'd traveled light, giving her some storage space for the sample packs. They'd climbed trees, gone up and down hills, spotted some wildlife and when they stopped for lunch, taken a moment to work out some amorous feelings in the shade of a large tree.

The walk back to camp had been a bit slower due to fatigue and extra weight (Camille refused to give up the leaves, cones, and soil she collected), but arrived with plenty of sun in the sky. Nicole put their gear away, and they quickly shucked their hiking clothes, folding them and setting them neatly in the tent before racing to the water.

They swam, came out and enjoyed the sunset, made love, swam again, and watched the stars come out, curled up together on the blanket. As a cool breeze washed over them, Nicole felt their bodies cover with goose pimples. "I may need to get us something to keep warm," she said, teasingly blowing across one of Camille's now hardened nipples.

“Nooooon!” pouted Camille. “We’re both warm enough together.”

Nicole took a deep breath as another gust came through, then sat up quickly, inhaling again, her nostrils flaring.

“Something’s wrong,” Camille observed, sitting up. It wasn’t a question. She knew Nicole’s reactions. There was trouble.

"I smell ozone. We need to get up," Nicole said, getting to her feet. She turned in the direction of the breeze and looked along the treeline. "See the trees? And the lack of stars by them?"

Camille found her glasses and stood next to Nicole, following her eyeline. “Oh wow. Yes, I see it.”

"Front moving in. Those are dark, dark clouds. We're about to get a flash storm. It must have slipped past the weather bureau."

She picked up their blanket and took Camille's hand, going back to the tent. "Box up your gear," she said, gathering their food and belongings, while Camille did as she was told and packed up her tools and their clothes.

"We won't make it to the Soul Clan's commune in time," Nicole said. "We're going to have to hunker down in the tent. Don't worry, the material could take a crossbow shot and not get punctured. We'll just need ballast to hold in place." She started moving their things inside the tent along the edges, keeping it held down as the wind picked up.

Thankfully most of their gear was heavy enough. Camille stuffed as many heavy objects into the corners and edges of the tent, and checked the lines that held it down. She wasn’t confident they would hold, but every little bit helps.

Finally they were down to just the portable table, which Nicole folded up and slipped into a storage flap in the tent's wall lining, giving them some extra solid support. They cleaned off and crawled inside and sealed the entrance, just as the first drops began to fall.

Camille found the battery-powered lantern, being used to weigh down the tent, and activated it. The interior of the tent was bathed in a warm glow coming from one edge. She nestled into their shared sleeping bag, shivering not from cold, but nervousness.

"Oh hang on," Nicole said, grinning. "I have something better." She pulled Camille back to the entrance of the tent and put the sleeping bag flat, then laid out the rest of their blankets, making a cushy bed, then pulled out a soft rolled package. She opened it and rolled out a large full-lined blanket, and smiled. "That will keep you cozy in a snowstorm," she said, diving under it and making room for Camille, who joined her promptly.

As they snuggled up, the lightning and thunder began, and the tent shook from the wind. Nicole held Camille tight and kissed her ear. "It'll be fine, promise."

“I always feel safe with you,” Camille admitted as she cuddled Nicole tight.

Nicole reached over and into her rucksack, pulling out an old, worn and frayed book. "And to pass the time...an old book of Rigellian children's fables, if you're interested. It was my favorite growing up."

“That’s really sweet. I’d love to hear them. Are they Terran or Rigelian? Either way, you’ll need to probably explain some things as you read. But I’m very interested. Read them, please.”

The storm raged, the thunder pounded their ears, the wind shook the tent and howled around them, but the two girls were tucked in tight and safe. Nicole occasionally felt Camille tighten her arms in fear during particularly bad moments, but Nicole read quietly, translating the Rigellian stories into English.

"And when Grandfather went to his youngest grandson, the boy cried," she read. "he said, 'Grandfather, I have done all that I can. I have used the ratios of water and soil, sun and food, love and patience, and no matter the balance, I have grown no flowers. I have failed.'

And Grandfather smiled and said, 'no flowers is not a failure. To have zero flowers after your efforts is no shame. Zero is an honest number, for since it has nothing, it has nothing to hide. And your zero flowers are more honest than your siblings, who purchased their flowers. I gave you seventeen seeds, a number of deception. Did you not notice they were boiled? They cannot grow.'

The grandson looked at the beautiful flowers in his siblings' pots and knew the truth: they had been deceived.

Grandfather then took his youngest grandson by the hand and led him to his home, where he taught him how to grow the most beautiful plants of the clan, and the boy became a loved worker of the land, bringing life and beauty wherever he went. The end."

“That was beautiful,” Camille said, her eyes closed. She could have fallen asleep if not for her interest in the story.

She closed the book and as the tent shook again, she turned to look at Camille. She let her eyes study every line, curve and color of her girlfriend's face and smiled. "Hell with the ship. Let's just say here forever," she said, grinning.

Camille smiled, happier than she’d been in a while. Every day of this holiday brought new joys, but right now in her girlfriend’s arms, faced with the prospect, even if it wasn’t a serious one, of living the rest of her life like this, she was truly content. She stretched, kissed Nicole gently on the cheek, and closed her eyes again. Sleep enveloped her in seconds.

 

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