An Ear to Bend, A Shoulder to Cry On

Posted on Fri Jan 18th, 2019 @ 8:36am by Commander Liselle Qwyyn & Captain Gary Taylor

Mission: Season 2: Episode 3: Determination is not always a good thing
Location: Commander Taylor's Quarters
Timeline: MD 1
2899 words - 5.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Qwyyn paced the same line back and forth in her quarters for so long that she imagined would need the entire stretch of carpet pulled and replaced. She needed to talk to someone. She could go to the Captain, explain to her how badly she didn't want her sister to come aboard...

She shook her head at the very thought. Once she brought a concern like that to Phoenix, she knew that she would be putting the captain in an incredibly awkward position. In fact, Lalor might even go so far as to deny Merella's boarding. No, she would talk to the captain but not until after the Trill government's official request had come through to Phoenix.

For now, she needed someone she could just vent to without having a potential impact on how things might unfold.

Reaching up, she tapped her comm badge, even as she realized that he was probably dead asleep. Gods, and what if Lia were with him? What would she think? Too late now. "Qwyyn to Commander Taylor."

Gary wasn't asleep. He was lying on his couch softly singing along to some old Beatles songs. He was in the middle of singing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" when his combadge chirped quickly followed by Liselle's voice. Muting the music, he tapped his combadge, "Taylor here. What's up Liselle?" He asked as he glanced at the chrono on the wall and noticed the time and quickly decided something was amiss for Liselle to call him at this hour. Sitting up, he waited for her reply.

From her side of the conversation, Liselle quietly breathed a thank you to the room. Not only had he answered, but it didn't sound like she had woken him. Still, it only seemed right to ask the question. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Gary chuckled at her question. "Nope. I was listening to some old Beatle songs." Then realized Liselle probably didn't have any idea what he was talking about. "Some Earth style rock and roll." He clarified.

"Interesting..." Liselle said, although admittedly confused. "Is it any good? I have to assume there's more to it than just buzzing and chirping?"

Gary laughed out loud. It was rich and full of good humor. Liselle's innocent question had tickled his funny bone. "Liselle." he said between laughs "It's the name of the group, comprised of four men not actual beetles." He explained.

"Right, I knew that," she lied. "Hold on a moment. What *are* you doing up so late? Oh no, you're not entertaining, um, a guest, are you?"

"I knew you did." He replied graciously. "I'm a night owl. I'm usually up late and no I'm not entertaining a guest as you so diplomatically put it. Now, why are you up so late?"

She considered deflecting the question. The time they had spent talking was already enough to distract her mind away from her worries. But she knew that if she didn't address her problems, she'd be back to anxiously worrying again as soon as she closed the channel. "I've got some things on my mind," she admitted.

"I see." He answered while thinking they had to be pretty major things for Liselle to reach out and call him so late. "So, do you want to come up here and tell me or would you prefer me coming to you?" He asked, Liselle was his friend his best friend and there was nothing he wouldn't do to help her with something that was obviously weighing on her mind.

"Gods, I thought you'd never ask. I'll be right there."

Without waiting for a reply she tapped her badge and headed out the door on a beeline for Taylor's cabin. She was still in uniform, having not even thought to prepare for bed following the troubling call with her sister. It was probably for the best. If anyone saw her showing up at Gary's door at this time of day in casual clothing, the rumors would certainly fly.

She reached out and pressed the chime.

An instant later the door opened and Gary stood there, he was dressed casually in slacks and an open neck short sleeve shirt. "Liselle." He greeted her warmly. "Please come in and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?" He asked even as he moved to the replicator.

"Oh, whatever you're having," she said, helping herself to a nearby chair. She folded her hands into one another and set them on her lap.

He turned and looked back at her, "Hmm." He replied, "Well that depends once I know what's got you so troubled?"

"I already told you about all of this business with the zhian'tara ceremony that the Symbiosis Commission is putting me through?" She rolled her eyes at her own question as soon as she asked it. "Of course I have. Well, it seems like that still isn't enough for them. They want to have an observer from Trill come aboard temporarily to evaluate how Qwyyn has been progressing."

He stood at the replicator, "Yes you did and I already agreed to help you and I'm not changing my mind. I'm guessing you asked others to help you with the ceremony. So that isn't a problem. So the problem lies in the fact that an observer is coming aboard. So what? You've got yourself covered. They will report that . No worries." He replied not knowing who the observer was going to be.

"It's not so much that there is going to be an observer," she agreed. "One of my former hosts was on the Symbiosis Board, I know I don't have anything to worry about. The problem is *who* is coming. My sister..." Her eyes fell to her twined fingers as she said the last word.

He stood transfixed as Liselle revealed who the observer was going to be. "Your sister? Oh crap." He repeated trying to keep the shock out of his voice and not altogether succeeding. "Hold on." He mumbled and headed into the kitchen. Cabinets could be heard opening and closing. A few minutes he returned in one hand he had two glasses in the other a bottle containing a ice blue liquid. He set them on the coffee table. "We need the real stuff nothing replicated. This is Romulan Ale." He explained as he filled a glass and handed it to her. "Please sip it. It's potent." As he filled the second glass for himself.

Her trepidation melted away as she saw how genuinely he was responding to her worries. "Gary Taylor, I knew I made the right decision coming here," she said, taking her glass. She held it up to clink against his before taking a sip, careful as he had indicated. The sensation was both hot and cold, like an icy fire in her throat. She set the glass back down again, better to resist the temptation to go back to it again too soon. "I know you're going to think I'm being dramatic, but that woman is going to do everything in her power to make my life a living hell once she gets here. Everything."

Gary sipped his drink before answering. "Wow. This better than I remember." He looked across at her. "Okay. You know she's coming. How long before she gets here? What is she going to be looking for to trip you up and what can we do to head her off at the pass or turn the tables on her? More importantly why has her coming upset you so much?"

She shook her head even as she thought about it. "Gary, have you ever heard about how twins can be incredibly close? Sometimes they share a secret language and an unknowable bond? Not us. Every since we were kids we've been competitive. Fiercely competitive. Our looks, playing sports, our academics, our careers. In medical school we were killing ourselves to outdo the other. Finally, when it came to the both of us training as potential hosts for Qwyyn, we were practically screaming at each other." She retrieved her drink once more. "She's never forgiven me for being the one chosen."

Gary listened as Liselle described her relationship with her sister. It was hardly the warm and close relationship he had envisioned. "Well, if you ask me the Board made the right decision in picking you." He said firmly. "Furthermore, I think your sister has an acute bout of jealousy and that's her problem. Unfortunately, your the one who has to suffer. Now, how to we go about handling her and keeping her bothering of you to a minimum? You are after all Second Officer and a very important member of the crew."

"Thanks, Gary. I'm not sure if there's anything to do, but just being able to talk about this helps. It really does," she said warmly, her words heated all the more by the Romulan Ale. "What about you? You never talk about your family."

He smiled at her and her words of thanks. "That's what friends do Liselle they help. "I'm fine. My family?" He repeated, "Not much to tell Liselle, I was an only child so I didn't have to worry about sharing or vying for my parent's attention but neither did I have anyone to tell secrets to. Mom and Dad are still alive and in live in Wyoming. They have a ranch. I'll have to take you there someday." He paused and drank some more of his drink, "I went to the Academy. Met and fell in love and lost her all too soon." He grabbed his drink and gulped it down and refilled his glass.

"In love?" Liselle teased over the rim of her glass. "My, my. You've been breaking hearts all over the quadrant for longer than I thought."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I'm a regular Don Juan. I am." He smiled back at her.

Crossing one leg over the other, she dangled her glass over her knee. "So, tell me about her," she said. Her brow raised at a possibility she hadn't considered until now. "Or...him?"

He smiled but the smile was a sad one. "Her." He replied, saw her dangling her glass, "A refill?" He asked then began talking. Her name was Catlin. We met at the Academy, fell in love and were assigned to the Solstice. It's where I spent time in a Romulan prison after the Solstice wandered into the Neutral Zone." He sighed and got back to Catlin. "You would have like her. She was bright and happy. Made friends instantly. She had a great sense of humor and knew when I was trying to keep something from her. She would pester me to sing to her. Now cooking, that was a learned experience. First time she made pot roast, she forgot to turn the heat down and dried it out. I didn't think would ever stop crying."

Liselle found herself laughing out loud, continuing still as she handed her empty glass to him. "I never understood cooking," she sighed happily at the relaxed conversation. "So much effort, and so little reward. But, I suppose that's what you do for someone when you love them."

He leaned forward and refilled her glass. "No, see the reward is seeing the happy faces and then the contented moans when you fix something you know they like. She was always falling for my jokes, like someone else I know." As he winked at her. "But she had a temper. Well, she did if she found you lied to her or tried to take advantage of her."

Liselle felt a smile dancing on her lips. Her eyes closed and she swayed gently with the memories he was painting. "That sounds absolutely incredible. Young love like that," she said. Her eyes opened again, and she sipped at her drink once more. She wanted to ask about the breakup, about why such an ideal relationship would ever end, but the question seemed to cold for the current direction of the conversation. "Do the two of you still talk?"

Gary smiled as he watched Liselle sway with her eyes closed. When she opened and asked if they still talked he offered up another sad smile, "Sure do. I talk to her every night. Though it's a one sided conversation Liselle. You see Catlin is dead. She was there waiting for me when I was released from the Romulan prison camp. She had taken a job at Starfleet Medical, so she couldn't join me here. Then she was killed in a hover car accident and I....." He got choked up, coughed to clear his throat and started again. "I was too far away to attend her funeral. I missed my wife's funeral." He repeated though much softer this time.

Qwyyn set her glass down and shifted forward to take his hand. "Gary, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I --" Had he told her before? Was this something she should have known, but was too busy so selfishly wrapped up in her own problems to find out. She felt a lump in her throat, but she didn't dare acknowledge it for fear that she would start crying. Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked as she looked up at him. "I am so sorry."

Gary nodded. "It's alright Liselle. it really is." He assured her as he squeezed her hand gently. He didn't want her to start crying. Then he would and they would really have a mess. "It's good to talk about Catlin. The emotional pain of her death has turned into an emotional scar." He smiled at her. "Hey! Don't be glum. I'm suppose to be cheering you up. Come on, lets see a smile."

She obliged him easily enough, the smile reaching her eyes as she fell back into her own chair once more. "Don't you worry, Taylor. You've done your job well. As usual." Her eyes sparkled with shimmering tears. "I'm happy. Honestly. I think this is the first time you've let me be the shoulder. It's...nice." She raised her glass to him in a toast.

He gave a full out bright smile. "Much too kind Liselle but thank you. Please don't cry." As he watched her fall back into the chair. "Thank you for allowing me to tell you about Catlin. You were magnificent. A rock." As he raised his glass in an answering salute.

Qwyyn brought her glass to her lips tilting it back to complete their toast, even as a thought struck her. "Oh! That reminds me!" She barely swallowed her ale before the excited words left her. "You said you were listening to Earth style rocks and rolls? Do you think I could hear some?"

Gary beamed at her. "Of course you can! He exclaimed happily. "What would you like to hear?" Then he blushed at his statement. "Oops sorry. You don't know. Lets see there's the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Segar and ...." He stopped as he realized he was rambling. Okay, some Rolling Stones, "Sympathyy For The Devil." Soon Mick Jager's vocals were filling the room along with Keith Richards fantastic guitar playing.

Cocking her ear to the room's speaker her features twisted in confusion at the opening 'sounds' that accompanied an instrument she recognized as an Earth piano. "It's...interesting?" she ventured carefully.

"Liselle....." He let the song finish. "Here listen to this, the greatest rock and roll group ever. I give you the Beatles. The music began and Paul McCartney's vocals could be heard as "When I'm Sixty four began to play and Gary, forgetting he had a guest began to sing along, gently swaying to the music as he sang with his eyes closed.

She watched him, equally amused and entranced by his love for the music. Unlike the song that had come before, she found she had no trouble easing herself into its rhythms and following its less cryptic lyrics -- at least to Trillian ears. The words reminded her of that other Qwyyn, in that alternate timeline, who had aged to an old woman. As her thoughts lingered the music swelled to a haunting crescendo and Gary's harmony with the vocals excited goosebumps along her skin. She nodded, admiring his talent. "Beautiful."

His eyes snapped opened as Liselle spoke. "Ohhhh Geez!" He shouted even as he blushed scarlet. "I'm sorry Liselle!" His voice conveying his sorrow at singing. "I didn't mean to ignore you. Please forgive me!!!!! I am so sorry!"

She laughed, her eyes sparkling mirth. "Are you kidding me? That was absolutely incredible! I'm going to make sure the Captain knows about this the next time she puts together a party for the crew," she teased.

"Oh no! Liselle you promised! " He reminded her. "You can tell Phoenix but no one else." Though he knew she was teasing. "Computer play Ob-la-Di, Ob-La-Da." Soon the bouncy,happy music was rocking his quarters. He looked at her, "Dance?"

She held her glass to her chest, as though it might protect her from the offer. For a moment even she wasn't sure what she would say. And then she set her drink down and took his hand, a guilty smile blooming. "Oh, why not?" she laughed.

He smiled brilliantly at her as he took her hand.

OFF

Commander Liselle Qwyyn
Chief Flight Control / Second Officer
USS Elysium

Commander Gary Taylor
Executive Officer
USS Elysium