Twist of Fate

Posted on Sun Nov 15th, 2020 @ 3:19am by Lieutenant Victor Barclay de Tolly & Lieutenant Tonya King ( Barclay de Tolly ) & Lieutenant Tate Sullivan Ph.D.

Mission: Season 4: Episode 2: Rest And Relaxation
Location: Doctor Sullivan's Office
Timeline: Current
1333 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Thantophobia is the fear of loosing someone you love. Tonya has already lost four finances and now she wants to be whole again. Each fiancé degree she lost left a void in her heart and when the next one died, the void just became bigger than before. After the last one, she felt totally empty. Then by a twist of fate, a man and a young girl came from another reality who the man named Victor Barclay de Tolly was her husband in that reality and the little girl named Lara was her daughter. She in that reality died in the line of duty.

Past few years, she sought escape by adrenaline escapes like bungee jumping and sky diving. It was like she was not afraid of herself dying.

Victor walked her to the office. "Tonya, it is okay. You will get through this. I am not leaving you."

She knew in his heart, this was true but she was afraid to love now. Only love she had to give were to others but not a man. She walks into the office. "You must be Doctor Sullivan. I am Lt. Tonya King. It is nice to meet you."

Tate smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, I'm Tate Sullivan and it's nice to meet you as well." She gestured towards her office's seating area. "Please, make yourself comfortable. May I get you anything from the replicator?"

"Orange spice tea will be lovely," Tonya replied. She sits in the seat as she crosses her legs. "Nice Office you have."

"Thank you," Tate replied, from her position in front of the replicator. In short order, she had ordered the requested orange spice tea. "I tried to keep things simple without making things appear too sterile." The room was decorated with soft pastels and cushions seating of various sizes and shapes to accommodate individuals of different sizes and species. Handing her the warm mug, she offered gently, "How can I help?"

After she placed the tea in her hands, she knew she was new to the ship, so she said, "I kind you might have read my file but I rather tell you who I am. I am Tonya King. I grew up in California. I graduated from the Academy in Engineering. I have served on a few ships." She paused as she takes a deep breath. "I am not married mainly due to fact four of my Fiances died due to mysterious circumstances. JAG is looking into this."

Sullivan got the clear impression Tonya was used to presenting herself with those particular words, but she also got the sense it didn't get easier to say with each recitation. "I appreciate your candor. Please no I am not here to judge you. My only concern right now is how you're handling all of this."

"I am holding up as fair as can be expected," Tonya says with a single tear. "I will sometimes have nightmares."

Seeing the tear fall down her face, Tate leaned in closer, naturally trying to close the physical distance between them. "I am really glad you chose to come here and talk things out. That's what I'm here for and I promise, you're not alone. Many of the crew are struggling with nightmares after our recent misadventure in the mirror universe. Talking his things out really does help with that. Did you come here with someone? I thought I noticed you with a man in the lobby earlier. It's always important to have people for support."

She smiles. "What brings me here is Lt. Victor Barclay de Tolly and his daughter Lara. They come from another reality where I was married to him and Anna was my child. Unfortunately that Tonya died years ago."

"I see," Sullivan said, making a mental note to clarify just how many people from alternate realities were aboard ship. "So you decided to see a counselor to adjust to this new relationship?" Tate wasn't entirely sure what had brought Tonya here, but she could definitely tell she had a lot to deal with.

"So you want to know about Victor and Lara," Tonya cracked a smile. "Victor is the new Chief Engineer here and Lara is helping the Chief Science Officer. Both are very brilliant, kind and genuine."

Tate smiled at the characterization. After what they had all just been through, it was nice to hear someone speak of her fellow travelers with respect instead of hatred. "So you've told me what you've been through and you've told me who brought you here, but I'm wondering, how may I help?"

"Just help me deal with the lost of love ones," Tonya says sadly. Then her face then showed some sign of improvement as she says, "I have the possibility with Victor who is so kind and patient. Thing about love now, I feel numb. Even when little Lara hugs me, my emotions are not coming out. She like her father are both patient. Biologically Lara is my daughter but I have never been pregnant in my life. I know this all sounds confusing because it sounds confusing to me as well. Where Victor and Lara are from is another reality. Some might call it a Myriad Universe. I do feel hopeful but what if I can not return the love to them. Plus there is another one from that universe that showed up at my parents house which is a little three year old son of Victor and that reality version of my sister. I am afraid to invest in love to anyone because I am afraid I would loose them, including my sister. What should I do Counselor?"

Sullivan listened carefully, taking everything in slowly. It was a lot for Tate to process, so she could only imagine how difficult it was for Tonya to make sense of it all. "I think talking about all of this with me is a good start," the counselor began. "I think it's also important to stay focused on what you know to be true in this present moment rather than worry about what might happen in the future." She paused, then added with a smile, "You know, it's interesting. When most people think of the future, very few of them consider that things will go well. Many times, when people think of the future, they are focused on what could go wrong. I suppose that's partly because they've had experiences which have taught them not to hope. Do you suppose that could be what's happening here?"

Tonya pondered what Tate just said. "I understand what you are saying. Yes I worry about the future but you are right. How do I focus on today and not tomorrow. That is easier said than done for me. I will give it a try." She paused for a moment. "I do believe in God and maybe Victor and little Lara coming into my life is a way of placing the stars back in alignment. I do feel love from both of them and I hope I can return the love. Thank you for the advice." She stood up as she felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders and she feels at this moment this was a good stopping point. "I hope I can see you at least once a month and if your worlkload becomes too much, we can change how many times."

Tate hadn't expected their conversation to end so soon, but she supposed Tonya had decided she had enough to ponder for now. "If you like, I can see you weekly. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot, and i'd be happy to check in with you. We can always decrease our sessions as time goes on, based on your progress."


"That would nice," Tonya says as she ponders her life now as the advice Tate gave her, would it be enough to jumpstart her life now. "Till next time." Tonya gave her a smile before she exited.

End Post