Putting Things Right

Posted on Thu Dec 19th, 2019 @ 8:56am by Commander Liselle Qwyyn & Captain Gary Taylor

Mission: 2395 - A Christmas Time
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: MD 1
2264 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

A Mission Post by Commander Gary Taylor & Commander Liselle Qwyyn
Mission: 2396 - A Christmas Time
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 1

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Gary stood outside the holodeck, he had thought about this and had finally decided if he and Liselle were going to get back to having and being the friends they once were this was the best way. The meeting with Counselor Hol had helped. It broke the glacial freeze that enveloped both Gary and Liselle in their dealings with one another since the prison incident. However there was much left unsaid and still to be said.

He tapped his combadge, "Taylor to Commander Qwyyn, Can you please meet on the holodeck?" He knew his message was a bit cryptic put he wanted Liselle to show up and arousing her curiosity was the best way to do that.

There was silence for several heartbeats until finally she answered, her few words spoken with something that only be described as suspicion. "Sure. I'll be there shortly."

When she did show up a few minutes later she was in uniform. Uncertain of how to dress, she figured that this was the safest choice. And when she addressed him she was equally uncertain if she should go with 'Commander' or 'Gary' and so she settled on the safest option: "Hi."

He smiled back at her, noticing she was in her uniform and how she greeted him. *She's as nervous as I feel.* He thought to himself before speaking to her. "Hi, right back at you. I um thought that we needed to right our friendship. I know we said we were sorry and we forgave each other with the counselor's help but I feel we need to do more."

A nervous laugh escaped her, and an embarrassed smile lingered as she nodded. "I think that might be a good idea," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

Gary smiled, relieved Liselle was open to suggestions. "I was thinking of perhaps another adventure in the old west. The indominable sheriff Quane and the steely eyed bounty hunter "Mister". That's if your okay with that idea."

The notion of returning to the old haunts of the Old West brought a smile to her face that she hadn't expected. She nodded. "How about we hold off on any kidnappings this time?"

Gary winced at Liselle's reference to kidnappings. Their time in a Romulan prison still fresh in his mind and obviously Liselle's. Not to mention the pain and humiliation they had suffered along with a brief and painful breakup of their friendship. He had no desire to subject himself let alone Liselle to something like that anytime soon even on the holodeck. "A wise suggestion Liselle and one I agree with one thousand percent."

"How..." the rest of her words died in her throat. After a beat she tried again. "How have you been doing? I don't think I've ever actually asked you that since we escaped."

Gary smiled softly at her, "Liselle other then the meeting in my quarters with the counselor we haven't talked." No malice in his tone. "As to how I'm doing, I'm managing. What about you?"

She opened her mouth, about to respond, uncertain exactly what words were about to come out. And she smartly decided against it. Instead, she cocked her head to the holodeck before them. "Ready," she said. "For an adventure."

Gary smiled at her. He saw and heard Liselle's hesitation in answering his question. *Still a sore subject* He thought not that he blamed Liselle in the least for feeling that way. Their recent escape from a super secret Romulan prison was a touchy subject. One he and Liselle had only scratch the surface on discussing. They had made up, forgiven each other for their parts in the whole sorry affair. Even now he had terrible guilt over the entire episode. Which was compounded by how deeply he cared for Liselle, Lia and Phoenix. Pushing the thoughts aside, he nodded and gestured toward the holodeck. "I couldn't agree more. Lets get started."

Liselle reached out and took a hold of Gary's arm. "Would you mind," she began, "if we did something a little different this time? I want to show you something."

Gary stopped as Liselle took hold of his arm. His eyes met hers. "Not at all Liselle." Truth was he wanted something different. "I'd love to see whatever it is you want to show me."

She walked to the holodeck's arch and keyed in a short sequence, calling up a program from her personal files. The hologrid melted away, replaced by a decidedly alien scene. They were standing at the edge of a beach, along the shoreline, where water lapped up against the sparkling sand. But while the sand was a familiar Earthen white, the ocean was deep and swollen with a dark purple. Enclosing the beach on three sides were sheer cliff faces, black as onyx and stretching impossibly high into the night sky of the heavens above. Everything -- the water, the cliff, the sand, glittered as though it was made of glass.

Qwyyn reached out her fingers to Gary, inviting him to explore the scene with her.

Gary's fingers stretched to meet hers as he looked all around him at the splendor and beauty of the sights around him. The sheer grandeur was beyond any words he had. It was simply majestic, awe inspiring. He felt small and insignificant in the face of such majesty. He continued to look about in awe for several more seconds, his eyes taking in the towering, imposing cliffs, the purple ocean, it's waters lapping at the shore in waves before retreating back into the sea that birthed them. His gaze returned to Liselle, "Is this your homeworld Liselle? Is this Trill?" He questioned in a small voice.

She nodded. Her lips betraying her delight that he'd figured it out so easily. "S'pire'vale sands. It was one of the places that I was hoping to bring you. Well, back when there was still a chance of making it here."

He turned in a circle, his eyes taking in every aspect of the magnificent scene around him. Finally he stopped and his eyes settled on Liselle again. "This is, is …" He stumbled to find the right word. Finally settling on "Majestic." His eyes moved to his friend, "Thank you so much for showing me the beauty of your world."

But Qwyyn shook her head. "Not yet, Taylor," she said. Craning her neck back she spoke to the invisible ceiling somewhere above them. "Computer, set weather conditions appropriate to the third season, mid-polar lunar cycle. Elliptical 5.75 should do it." As the computer acknowledged its response she looked back at Gary with a wink. "Our version of Christmas."

All about them, from absolutely nowhere and everywhere, the sky blossomed with gleaming dots of bright pink. Growing ever larger, those pink dots floated down around them as thick, cotton fluffs of Trillian snow. Soon the snow grew to such an intensity that it seemed as though it might threaten to bury them entirely. The scene was something from a child's coloring book with all the wrong crayons used. But it was truly a sight. The bright pink snow sparkled in the mirror gleam of the onyx cliffs as it settled down into the ocean, melting away into the the purple water.

Gary threw his arms open wide and yelled in absolute joy at the sight around him. His face was one of absolute joy and wonder as the fluffy Trillian snow floated down around them. "I love your version of Christmas Liselle. " His voice full of wonder and awe. Then suddenly he was on his knees, grabbing, scooping up the snow in huge piles. he scrambled around on his knees like a kid. When he got enough he rolled it into a huge ball, then another slightly smaller on placed atop it and finally a third even smaller one atop it. That done he looked around the beach that was rapidly being covered with snow. "Arms, I need arms." He looked at Liselle, "Arms for the snowman!" He exclaimed.

Her finger drew up to her lips as she began looking about the beach for something, anything, that might suffice. A burst of desperate inspiration struck and she raised a hand to Gary to plead for his indulgence. Then, lifting her foot from the sand, she drew up the leg of her uniform. She pulled one long boot from her leg, and then moved to the other. Then, smacking them together to test their sturdiness as sufficient limbs, she handed them over to Gary. Her spotted toes sank into the snow covered sand beneath her and she breathed a happy, worry-free sigh.

He looked at her, "Liselle, no, these are your boots. Put them back on I have another idea." He said taking her hand and moving away from the armless snowman to a clear area of snow. "Here lie on your back in the snow, like this he showed her as he laid down. Then move your arms up and down and your legs in an out and you'll make a snow angel."

She considered the boots that she had taken back from him, still held in her free hand. And tossed them over her shoulder.

Without further prompting she dropped into the snow and mimicked his motions, all the while watching the stars above her. Her stars. Time almost seemed to stop, the snow so light that perhaps it wasn't even falling at all anymore. She closed her eyes. How happy she was here! When was the last time she had felt this way? Not since...last Christmas. There had been no worries then. No imminent threats. No tortured relationships. Just...

"Happy," she said aloud. Even she was surprised by the sudden outburst of the word.

Gary laughed as Liselle tossed her boots over her shoulder and then dropped into the snow to make her own snow angel. Still lying in the snow he turned his head and watched her and saw her eyes dancing with merriment and delight. Something he wasn't sure he would ever see in her again.
"Yes Liselle, happy very happy. It's been a long, long time since I felt like this. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift. As he lay there, happy, content he thought of things he wanted to tell Liselle, but he didn't want to ruin the moment so he stayed silent and enjoyed this moment to the fullest.

From beside him she continued her diligent work of expressing the full shape of her snow angel, with wide exaggerated movements of her arms and legs. Those movements slowed to a stop. Her eyes stayed fixed on the stars above. "Can I ask you something?"

He looked at her, as she stopped working on her snow angel. "Liselle, you can ask me anything." He said honestly even as he watched her stare at the stars above their heads. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you think..." She bit her lip. "Do you think we can ever go back to the way it was before all those terrible things happened to us? What I mean is: do you think there's any chance we can ever have things as good as we had it before. With us?"

He didn't answer right away. It seemed Liselle had the same doubts or perhaps fears he did. When he did think he didn't rush his reply. "Liselle, if I could take away all the horrible things that happened to you, us. I would without hesitating but I can't." He blew out a lungful of air. "However in answer to your question, yes I think we can. In fact I think we can be closer and be better than we were before all the unpleasantness. We have to move forward Liselle, both of us. We said we forgave each other but we need to show we did and not just say the words."

She was quiet for a time, not moving or speaking. And then, slowly, she reached out across the snow to him, wordlessly offering him her open hand.

He didn't hesitate, his hand went out and his fingers intertwined with hers. When their hands touched, he felt a change, like an electrical charge but this wasn't a shock it was more than that. This was pure and illuminating. He felt complete, whole once again. He realized than a piece of him had been missing and that piece was Liselle and her goodness. her friendship, her wide eyed outlook on life.

For her, she was reminded of his strength of character, his conviction, and the seemingly unending depths of his warmth and compassion. More than anything she realized how profoundly she had missed the sense of fierce protectiveness for her that she had always felt from him. "I wasn't sure if I was going to come to the holodeck when you first contacted me," she admitted quietly. "I'm glad I did."

His hand still held hers. "I know." He said quietly. Silence then a moment later he added with heartfelt emotion. "I'm very glad you did Liselle. Very glad, very thankful."

Gary and Liselle continued to lay silently on the snow covered Trillian beach, their fingers still interlaced with each others. The two had rediscovered each other and their importance to one another. However far more importantly they had discovered a message older than both of them, indeed older than time. A message of the enduring quality of forgiveness and friendship.

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