I Promised I Would Return to You

Posted on Mon May 13th, 2024 @ 5:34am by Kerilia Dosivi & Teevs Dosivi

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: Elysium
Timeline: S6E4 MD9 - After "Arrival, back to the Barn"
938 words - 1.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The shuttlebay was chaos. The first thing Teevs saw as he exited the Saucy Minx was Naxea trying to strangle one of the rescued captives, the one with pale grey skin and rather unique markings on the forehead and neck. The solider in him wanted to break it up, but he stopped himself when security stepped in. The Lonian knew to not interfere with their business, but was tensed and ready to help. It was obvious that, while the two species were many years separated, there was a vengeful tension between them, mostly from Naxea.

His tension nearly pushed him to action when the humanoid --Josef?-- pulled out a rather archaic weapon in response. He was close enough that, if needed, Teevs could reach Josef and disarm him, but a woman appeared and managed to convince the humanoid that things were alright. So he observed the scene to see if his help was needed.

The other survivors were being treated, and there was nothing else he could do or help with, so Teevs just quietly took his leave to go put his weapon away before returning to his quarters. His mind had been on Kerilia throughout the day, and he knew she would be glad to know he was back aboard. He was still tense from their presence in this area, but the general atmosphere he got in the shuttlebay was that they wouldn't be staying for long. Blessed Thilia for that, Teevs thought to himself. Kerilia would be glad to hear the news.

A few minutes later, the Lonian made it to his quarters and pressed the button to enter. The doors opened, and he stepped inside, pausing just inside the threshold as the doors quietly closed behind him.

The air was still. Hushed. Teevs knew it was late, so he didn't announce his presence when he took off his shoes. The holomovie quietly playing on the tv poorly illuminated the objects around him, so he could see the blanket lump on the couch. Quietly discarding his jacket and the communicator onto the table, he softly approached the couch. Slowly, the lump moved up, then down, a sign of life. Kneeling next to the couch, Teevs could see that the blanket was tucked in like a burrito with a tuft of dark hair poking out of one end and toes sticking out the other.

Teevs watched the sleeping form with a gentle smile. He knew she'd sleep better if she knew he was back. "Pheya..." he whispered, finding her shoulder through the blankets.

Slowly, Kerilia shifted as a voice brought her out of dreamless darkness. What time was it? She had spent a good part of the day in the one spot on the couch, crying, then when her tears were spent she curled up and watched holomovies until she fell asleep. She wanted to fall back asleep, but something was gnawing at her. The voice was familiar... As her groggy mind tried to process, she poked her head out of the blankets and blinked slowly to focus on the face in front of her.

Softly, Teevs reached up and stroked her hair. She was tired. "I'm back, Kerilia. I'm safe, we all are."

Safe. Back? Back! The recognition hit Kerilia's eyes and woke her up a bit more. The blanket shifted, a dimly lit performance of trying to untangle herself from the rather effective blanket burrito, and once she got her arms out she reached forward and hugged him.

Teevs scooted closer to the couch so she wouldn't fall. A pang in his chest brought a mix of relief and a hidden fear into his eyes, and he held Kerilia tightly. He didn't show it when he left this morning, but he was terrified that he would be killed and she would lose a second parent to the slavers. He didn't want the last time he saw his daughter to be when she was afraid. But it was over now. He put a hand on the back of Kerilia's head while he held her close, gently stroking her hair. A shuddered breath came from him as he tried to control the flood of emotion, his wet eyelashes catching some of her hair as he blinked.

"I'm glad you're back," Kerilia mumbled. The hug soothed her, melting away the fear and concern she held onto all day.

"Me, too, pheya," Teevs answered, pulling himself together. "I hope we will be out of this territory soon. Let's get you to bed." Picking her up, blanket and all, he carried her to her bed, quietly asking the computer to turn off the holomovie.

Kerilia just nodded, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Now that he was back, maybe her sleep wouldn't be so restless.

Navigating around the mild clutter in her room, Teevs stopped at her bed and set her down, getting the other blankets out of his way when he had a spare hand. "You really tucked yourself in," he quietly said with a smile, leaving the blanket around her and pulling the others over her. Teevs tucked her in, remembering how Saphse used to do it, and gently pressed his forehead to hers. "Sleep well, Kerilia."

He could easily see how drained she was, because the nod she gave him turned into unconsciousness rather quickly. Teevs watched her for a moment, wiping his wet cheeks as he cherished the moment. Exhaustion from the day's events caught up to him, so he quietly slipped out of her room and got himself ready for bed.

Maybe he would also sleep well tonight.