Peeking In

Posted on 11 Jan 2020 @ 12:52am by Ensign Kelly Khan & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

3,078 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Epilogue
Location: Captain's Personal Quarters
Timeline: May 13, 2389

It was a week after debriefing and nearly double and triple shifts as well as trying to sort things out in her head about what had happened, and more specifically how it had happened and ultimately, who had done it to her. She had told him don't and she did love him, but things got twisted in her head and she was trying to act normal while mentally freaking out every time she was in the same room with him and needed to turn her back.

Kelly muttered to herself as she picked up two wrapped packages, one pink and one blue and headed out of her quarters wearing a pair of leggings that looked like her legs had no skin and a midriff top that had a hologram of the galactic core on it with the words "You Are Here" pointing to a tiny speck on it. With everything set, she headed down the corridor and soon came to the quarters that she wanted and pressed the chime.

Joey opened her eyes and looked toward the door. She'd been relaxing on the couch while both of the babies slept soundly inside their bassinet that was settled just off to her side. Of course, Rico and Pequeno weren't too far away, because their hairless brother and sister needed protecting even if they didn't know it yet. The new mother pushed herself to her feet and closed the distance between the couch and the door. Of course, she could have called for whoever was on the other side to come in, but they Joey would run the risk of waking her children up, and she didn't want that.

She glanced back at the sleeping babies, then turned toward the door to open it manually, smiling when she saw the young woman standing on the other side. "Kelly," she said softly, stepping aside and gesturing into the main living area. "This is a surprise. Come on in."

Kelly smiled and stepped in and her eyes went to the bassinet by the couch. "Hey, Mrs. G," she said quietly since she didn't hear any fussing noises coming from that area. She held up the two gifts and offered them to Joey. "Since you didn't get a baby shower."

"Thanks, Kel, but you didn't have to do that," the taller woman said as she accepted the gifts, then gestured toward the bassinet. "You can go peek in on them if you'd like to. They're sleeping right now, but I'll be getting them up to feed them in about twenty minutes."

If the transporter suddenly had no hum or light display when it moved a person from point A to point B, then Kelly was the first to use it because she was suddenly by the side of the bassinet. Her hazel eyes took in the little girl with the full head of hair and then the little bald boy and her smile seemed to make her glow. "They're so gorgeous," she murmured.

Joey was amazed at how fast the young woman moved. She made her way back over to the couch, grateful neither of the dogs were growling at Kelly for getting so close to their babies, but they did know her from past visits. "Thank you. They're definitely keepers," she said, setting the gifts aside and moving over to the replicator. A few moments later, she returned with a hot chocolate for her guest, and held a cup of tea for herself. "If you'd like something else, I can get it for you. I figured this would work given your appreciation for chocolate."

"Look at all that hair...and her poor brother. She must have driven him bald in the womb," Kelly lightly joked before the scent of chocolate brought her out of her baby stupor. She turned to Joey and smiled. "I hope they're keepers. If not, can I keep them?" she asked as she accepted the hot chocolate.

That was a rather odd question to ask, but Joey had an answer for it. "I'm not parting with my children," she said. "I plan on keeping them. You could have one of your own, though."

"Maybe later," Kelly said with a bit of reluctance before she looked down into her hot chocolate. "Oh! Marshmallows!"

"I'll tell you what, though," the taller woman began. "When we're in need of a babysitter, I'll be sure to keep you at the top of my list."

"Really?" the petite brunette said as she perked up. "I was helping with my younger siblings for years before I entered the Academy from the time they were born until they were old enough to talk back and annoy me."

Joey nodded her head. "Really. Of course, that's not going to be anytime soon, mind you. I'm on maternity leave at the moment, and I'm just not ready to let them out of my sight yet. However, you can come hang out with us."

"Oh, I don't blame you at all," Kelly said. "Mom was the same way with all of my siblings. I have a good hand, though, and it'll give me a little more experience for when my time comes."

"Are you and Quinn ready to take that step?" she asked, looking toward Kelly as she retook her seat on the couch. Truth be told, Joey never thought she'd ever be ready for such a step considering the thought of having children never crossed her mind. Alison and Jameson's pending arrival had definitely come as a surprised to their parents, but for Joey, it was a surprise she'd be thankful for every single day for the rest of her life.

"I don't know if we'll ever reach that step," the Ensign said quietly. "I forgave him, but there's a lot for both of us to work through."

Joey shook her head. "You can't blame him for his part in everything, Kel. He had no control over himself. Those of us who had those things in our heads had no control over ourselves. We were all pawns, and the Dolmoqour would have killed every last one of us if it meant seeing their ultimate goal accomplished," she said. And, as she spoke those words to the young officer before her, she still found it hard to forgive herself for her own role in what happened. Some things were just going to take time to heal.

"It isn't that, Joey," Kelly said. "It's coming to the realization that I have my entire career ahead of me and he has his ahead of him. I don't know what is going to happen in the future other than being scared to death a few times. But me and Quinn? I just need to play it by ear and see what the future brings."

"That's the way to do it, though," the taller woman agreed, glancing over to the bassinet that held the two sleeping newborns before she looked back toward her guest. "I'm the poster girl for that. When I started my career, I had no intentions of ever settling down or having a family. Life was too dangerous for that, and I honestly didn't know if I would survive from one assignment to the next. Then, I got transferred here, and everything changed. I fell in love with someone, got married, and now we have two of the sweetest little babies in the known galaxy. So, as far as playing it by ear goes, I just so happen to be a huge fan of it."

"It works for some," the short brunette said as she looked between Joey and the babies. "I don't even know if I should be in a relationship anymore."

Joey had a feeling Kelly didn't have many people she could confide in about such things. She gestured for the younger woman to sit down. "Why? Aside from everything that's happened, what else has been going on that has you feeling this way?"

Kelly took a seat and a breathe. "It's just that I feel like I'm the driving force in the relationship," she said. "I mean, he's done some things on impulse, but even then, I sort of take control. He didn't even notice me at first until we went to New Risa. I practically had to throw it in his face that I was interested in him."

"Men are definitely interesting creatures, but women are the ones that are supposed to be complex," Joey said, taking a sip of her tea. "Have you tried to talk to him about any of this? Sadly, if a person doesn't know there's a problem, they can't work on fixing it. He's only human, and like the rest of us, has been through hell and back. Maybe, like you, he's just trying to take life one day at a time. None of us knows what tomorrow is going to bring. Or if we're even going to be given a tomorrow."

"You...have a point," the petite flight officer said thoughtfully. "I've always been one to do things all ahead full. I didn't even really ask if he wanted to go out with me. I sort of assumed it, then made him ask me. I've been a horrible person."

"Then, you know what you need to do. Talk to Quinn. Regardless of everything, he wouldn't have been with you this long if he didn't want to be," the new mother pointed out.

"You don't know me very well," Kelly said with a smirk. "I once duct taped a roommate at the Academy down because they were fidgeting."

Joey arched a brow. "So... are you saying there's a possibility he's still with you because he's afraid of what you might do?" She hated asking such a question, but considering what the young flight officer just told her, it was something that needed to be considered. And sadly, it didn't say much good for the kind of person Kelly was. Perhaps, babysitting wasn't going to be happening after all.

The young brunette saw the look on Joey's face and laughed. "I'm kidding, Mrs. G," she said. "I'm just a force of nature and usually get my way. I'll talk to him and see what he says..." she trailed off for a moment, remembering her visit with Quinn in Medical and her eyes started to well up a little.

"Shame on you, Kelly," she said, but couldn't help but to laugh. Her laughter died down when she saw the tears in her eyes. Joey reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "Go talk to him, Kelly. It seems that that's what you need right now. The babies aren't going anywhere, so you'll be able to see them again soon. Who knows? Maybe you can bring Quinn with you next time."

Kelly sighed. "I hope so," she said. "But for now, it's a depressing subject. Did you have a hard time delivering?"

Joey shook her head. "I went in already exhausted, and delivering twins on top of it made that a bit worse, but I wouldn't say I had a hard time delivering. There was a time or two when I didn't feel like I could push anymore."

"Were you still possessed by one of those things?" Kelly asked before she caught sight of the unwrapped presents that had yet to be opened. "Oh! The reason I came here...those. I hope you don't already have matching ones."

"No, I wasn't possessed anymore. As a matter of fact, expelling the Dolmoqour is part of the reason I went into labor," Joey explained as she reached for the presents. She set her cup of tea down, then started to open them, pulling the pink and blue onesies from the respective packages so she could read them. Her mouth opened as if she were about to say something, but the new mother burst out laughing instead.

The Ensign giggled when Joey laughed and had to turn her attention to the onesies instead to keep from looking at what else was moving around a lot. "The combadges are real and always on," she said. "They will act as a baby monitor and have a transporter tag hidden inside, and can be removed for cleaning. The cloth covering on them will also keep them from hurting themselves accidentally on the edges."

"Thank you, Kel. That was very sweet of you," Joey said, setting them down so she could wipe away the moisture from beneath her eyes. She really needed that laugh.

"You're welcome," Kelly said. "I hope the Captain gets a laugh, too."

"Oh, I think he'll laugh, and maybe blush a little, too."

"He needs to get out more if that's enough to make him blush," the young woman said with a laugh. "Be certain that he sees the onesies when you and he are out with them. Hide them with a blanket or something."

"I'll make sure he sees them, but I can't promise it will be when we're out in the ship," Joey told her. "We're pretty private people, you know."

"I know, but you out a lot more than he was when you first joined, or I never would have met you in the recreation center," Kelly pointed out. "I have faith you can do it."

How would Kelly know if she did or didn't do it that way? She'd humor the young woman. "I'll definitely see what I can do."

"It'll do the babies good to get out, too," the little brunette pointed out. "He can take turns with the strollers, too."

"We don't have strollers. Should we?" Joey going herself asking.

"Well...you could carry them everywhere," Kelly said. "Or put them on an anti-gravity cart and push them around, but a stroller would be a better idea."

"I'm going to have to say no to the idea of an anti-gravity cart. That just sounds way too dangerous," she stated, peeking in on the two little ones. She noticed Jameson stirring around, and unable to help herself, Joey reached in to scoop the baby up and settle him against her chest.

"They're so cute!" the younger woman exclaimed when Joey picked the little boy up. "And you're such a natural."

Joey had to completely disagree with that statement. There were so many things she still didn't know, but she was learning as the days went by. "You're welcome to hold Alison if you'd like. Just don't jostle her too much, and she'll stay asleep. As for being a natural, there are still a lot of things I'm learning."

"It's easy once you get the hang of it," Kelly said as she scooped up Alison with practiced ease after holding her own younger siblings as babies. She tucked the little girl against her chest while supporting her and smiled. "See?"

The new mother arched a brow. Did she not just see her pick her son up only seconds before? "Kelly, I know how to pick a baby up. I did it right before I told you you could pick Alison up. Hell, you even commented on me being a natural," she pointed out. Joey knew babies had a way of making people go a little gaga, but that would have to be the quickest case she'd ever seen.

"Oh, sorry," the petite brunette said with a mild blush. "I'm stuck on the cute." She gazed down at Alison and then back at Joey. "Anytime you need a babysitter for these two angels, let me know."

"It's not difficult to get sucked in by their cuteness. It happens to me daily," the taller woman said with a smile, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her sleeping son's head. "I can't promise I'll need a babysitter often, but when I do, I'll definitely keep you in mind. Hell, I fully plan to smuggle them into my office when I go back on duty full time again."

"Take Jeffries Tube Forty-Seven and turn at junction C and...." Kelly stopped, realizing that she was telling the Chief of Intel how to smuggle them into her office.

"Going through the Jeffries tubes won't be easy with two babies. I'd have an easier time just walked into Intel with them," the new mother pointed out.

"Or that, too," the petite pilot said. "Do you have everything you could possibly need for them?"

Joey looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm sure there are things we could use that we don't have, but for the time being, it seems like we have everything we need with the exception of a stroller. Though, I'm still not entirely convinced we do need one of those."

"Do you have a diaper bag?"

"I think we have about three of those," she replied.

"What about portable cribs?" Kelly asked.

Joey nodded her head. "If by portable crib you mean a playpen, then yes, we have one of those. I got quite a bit back on DS15 before we even made it onto this side of the barrier. That seems like ages ago," she mused.

"Anything else can be replicated," the Ensign said. "But they have awesome onesies!"

"They do, and I like them a lot. Thank you again, Kel. That was very sweet of you."

"You're welcome and it serves several purposes, which we need on this ship" Kelly said.

"Absolutely. Can never be too careful in space," Joey stated.

"Anyhoo, I just wanted to pop in and see the little joys and drop off the gifts," Kelly said. "I'm sorry you didn't get a baby shower."

The taller woman smiled and looked at the little boy snuggled against her chest, then over to her little girl. She shook her head. "I'm not sorry, but I appreciate the sentiment. While I may not have gotten a baby shower, I did get babies, and to me, that means the world."

"Well, I better give you Alison back before I accidentally walk out with her," Kelly said. "It's happened before."

"Don't be a stranger, Kel," she said, holding out an arm to accept her daughter. "And, if either of them ever comes up missing, I know who I'm searching for first."

The petite brunette laughed after she transferred Alison back to her mother. "You know where I stay," she said. "See ya later, Missus G!" With a wave, she headed out.

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