Quiet Family Healing

Posted on Wed May 27th, 2026 @ 3:56pm by Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Reece [Reece] & Lieutenant Cassia Cavendish

Mission: Interlude
Location: USS Elysium, Cavendish/Reece family quarters
Timeline: MD 1 / 1203 hours
1527 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

After a busy morning in the Intelligence Blister, Nicholas decided that he wanted to have lunch with the two beautiful women in his life. So, on the way home, he stopped by the crew's replimat and ordered up a dozen of Cassia's favorite flowers, and a plush teddy bear for their angel of a daughter. Both gifts in hand, he hurried to their quarters.

Cassia had taken the morning to spend time with Bryleigh. She was stretched out on the floor with Bryleigh beside her banging on a toy xylophone. Cassia was encouraging her to be as loud as she could. She was a believer in music being apart of a child’s development and at nearly 1 and a half years, Bryleigh was meeting her milestones, which was great. She was walking, just, and calling out to Dada and Mama often. And now as she pounded on the xylophone she was saying “Mama! Bah!” and laughing like a loon. And her mother was encouraging it with grins and the occasional hit on a key.

The doors leading our into the corridor slid open and Nicholas strode in, the gifts mostly hidden behind his broad torso. "I thought i heard a concert going on in here!" He said with a loving grin on his face as he stepped closer to the loves of his life.

Bryleigh heard his voice and turned grinning big "DADA!!" She squealed and half walked and stumbled towards him, arms outstretched.

Nicholas beamed with joy and pride at Bryleigh as she moved towards him. Revealing the flowers, he offered them to Cassia. "For you, my love."

Cassia took the flowers having followed their daughter to greet Nicholas. "Hmm thank you, they are perfect."

Nicholas smiled warmly at Cassia's reaction, then turned his attention to the small angel who was tugging on his pant leg. "As for you, Miss Bryleigh," he deep bass voice was full of love for their daughter as he bent down and scooped her up into his powerful arms. Standing back up, he said, "You don't think that Dada forgot about you, eh?!" He kissed her forehead, then wiggled the tip of his nose against hers gently, before revealing the teddy bear to her. "Your Dada will never forget!"

Bryleigh's squeal of delight as she grabbed at the bear rang through their cabin.

Cassia smiled and put the flowers into water while Bryleigh babbled at the bear and Nicholas as if discussing the secrets of the universe.

Nicholas was in heaven, holding their beautiful baby girl, who was happy and healthy. He gently swung her as he moved to the couch and sat down. "Do you know exactly how much you are loved, little girl?' He asked softly as he watched Bryleigh being g fully engrossed in her new toy.

Bryleigh's hand touched his cheek, and she smiled. His brain was suddenly flooded with happiness and giggles.

Nicholas blinked and inhaled sharply, unprepared for the mental assault. To his credit, his face kept the loving, fatherly smile on it.

Cassia came over, having felt the surge. "She is strong" she said gently.

Nicholas nodded, still catching his breath. "Very strong!" He gently caressed Bryleigh's tiny head with his large right hand. "Hopefully there won't be any negative side effects as she grows and matures."

Cassia nodded. Her own abilities were empathic and this was outside her knowledge to be sure. "I will have to review the files we found when Bryleigh was rescued. Maybe there will be something in them."

Nicholas nodded in agreement. A spike of anger shot up in the back of his mind, directed at the creatures who had abducted their child and experimented on her. If he had the chance, he'd kill them all over again and again. "She will never be put through something like that again," he whispered, his tone filled with deadly protectiveness. He then leaned down and kissed Bryleigh's forehead again, filling his mind with nothing but love for her.

Cassia nodded. "We may need to ask Betazed if we ever get home to make sure she is not a risk to herself."

Nicholas nodded in agreement. "It'll be the first thing we do, once HQ is finished debriefing us." He would do anything to keep their daughter safe.

"Have you ever been to Betazed?" Cassia asked curious.

Nicholas started to shake his head, then stopped. "On my cadet cruise, we went past it, heading to one of her moons, but we never went down to the surface. They were still rebuilding from the damage caused during the Dominion War." He then looked at Cassia and asked, "Would you want to see your mother?"

She shook her head. "No. I have not spoken to them in years."

Nodding in understanding, Nicholas continued. "Then our little angel will just have to survive on the unending love from her other grandparents," meaning his mother and father. "Hell," he chuckled briefly, "My mother will probably steamroll right through us to get to her, smothering her in kisses and affection."

"I'll hold her out in front for her grandma to get before she damages us." Cassia smiled.

This made Nicholas chuckle softly. He gently squeezed Cassia's shoulders and kissed her lips before playfully nuzzling their daughter. "That's right, my beautiful little angel! Your grandma is going to just eat you up when she sees you!"

Their daughter giggled and babbled at him happily.

"Do you have work today?" Cassia asked Nicholas.

Sitting back against the back of the couch, Nicholas looked at Cassia. "I've got a class at the Academy this afternoon that I'm scheduled to teach. After that, I should be done for the day, unless of course, something untoward occurs and the Commodore needs all of her Intelligence personnel working on a big problem." He took a breath, then asked, "Why do you ask, Imzadi?"

"I have a class in the flight simulators at 14h. Then I have to organise their exams for the term. But I was thinking we should take her to the pool tonight. Start her swimming lessons."

Nicholas nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a great idea, sweetheart!" He smiled again as he reached over and gently tickled Bryleigh's left cheek. "Hear that, baby-girl? You're gonna have your first swim lesson tonight. It's going to be so much fun!"

Their daughter just grinned at him and snuggled closer.

Cassia considered things. "When we get home where will we live?"

Nicholas turned his eyes towards Cassia. "I guess that all depends on our careers. Did you have a place in mind?"

Cassia took a moment then said "I was looking into a house on Risa but Earth has tropical locals." They both knew why she wanted warm weather.

The two location ideas brought a smile to Nicholas' face as he replied softly. "Im certain my parents would love it if we lived on Earth, which would also be beneficial for Bryleigh, having more family nearby. However, I would be happy where you two are. You are my home. We lost so much time together due to my job. I think it would only be fair to give the choice of where our home is, to you, Imzadi."

"Your parents live in which area?" She could not remember. She knew Samaire would know, but Nicholas's sister in law had a very good memory.

"They live out on Long Island, located on the northeastern coast of the North American continent." Nicholas replied, then added, "While they do still have winters, even with the global weather control net, they are mild where my family live. At most, they will get a couple inches of snow, usually in Feburary. The summers are usually humid and the temperatures can get up into the low nineties."

Cassia nodded. "Not that great with snow as you know. But maybe we can look there. A small house for us."

Nicholas grinned. "We can live anywhere, sweetheart. That's the beauty of planetary transporter stations. We can live in Fiji or Hawi'i, and beam over to my parent's house at any time. Or vise versa."

"Hmm warm climes sound brilliant." Cassia said as she sat there watching them cuddle. "Let's get her down for her nap before we have to get back to things."

Nicholas nodded with a gentle smile. He then stood carefully, holding their tiny angel safe in his powerful arms. They moved to the nursery together and he stood to the side while Cassia got the crib ready. By the time he laid Bryleigh down and her mother covered her with the soft blanket, the infant was faat asleep.

Once Cassia was finished, the two of them stood there, holding each other as they looked down at their perfect little world. "She is so perfect, Imzadi!" Nicholas whispered softly, his words full of love and devotion to the small bundle asleep before them.

Cassia nodded and said, "She is. And she is ours and no one gets to change that."

Nicholas nodded in silent agreement. It was an unspoken agreement...no one would ever take their baby from them again.

Not without killing the both of them first.

~OFF~