Moments of Solitude

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 5:11am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Emilie Temple
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:30pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 2 - Senior Crew Quarters

ON:

Nyx was returning briefly to the Pandora in-between meetings. Today had so-far proven to be quite the busy one, with new crew members arriving, a clandestine conversation with the Irokari, and yet more intrigue from Paradise Outpost. He was grateful to have a quiet moment back in home just to have a break from the demands of this day.

Arriving at the Temple family quarters, he was not surprised to find his heavily pregnant wife, Emilie, having a nap on the couch. Their daughter Katrine was also napping on the floor, surrounded by a large gathering of her toys and teddybears. Clearly afternoon play had gotten too much for the two and they had fallen asleep. Nyx smiled at the sight, grateful that no matter where he was in the galaxy, he would always come home to see his family. Quietly closing the door behind him, he watched his footsteps as he tried to move about the room as silently as possible. After discarding his PADD and jacket, and taking the lunch dishes to the recycler, he moved back to the family area where Emilie and Katrine slept still. Pulling his hair out of it's usually tied-back style, he let his locks fall freely about his face as he kicked off his boots and sighed in relief.

He turned off the movie that was playing unwatched on their main screen, and gently covered Katrine with a blanket, the five year old stirring a little but not waking up. Looking back to the couch, Emilie was lying flat on her back with an arm and leg hanging off the edge of the seat, her head titled back with just the smallest hints of a snore coming out of her mouth. Nyx tried hard not to laugh at the scene, knowing how much strain the baby was placing on her body. He carefully lifted her leg and arm back onto a more comfortable sleeping position and tenderly took a seat on the arm of the couch.

After a few moments, Emilie wearily opened her eyes. She smiled broadly as she saw Nyx by her side, looking over her. "Hello." She whispered.

"Hi there." Nyx said softly, smiling just the same.

The Captain leaned over, as uncomfortably as it was, to give Emilie an upside down kiss on the lips. She kissed him back, enjoying this tender moment between them. Nyx had been so busy with the station and ship business lately, it felt like she hadn't seen much of him over the past few days. She knew that was the downside of being a Captain's partner, but she hoped he would be more available in the lead-up to the baby being born. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a few moments." Nyx replied, gently pushed aside a few loose strands of hair out of her face, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"I'm not." Emilie said earnestly, reaching up to hold his hand. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost four. How's baby today?"

"Quiet, for once." Emilie sighed, looking down at her large round belly. "He was kicking all night and I didn't get much sleep."

Nyx frowned, "I'm sorry. Not much longer now, right?"

"Yeah. Then there will be crying and screaming instead." Emilie laughed dryly, rubbing her eyes to wipe away the sleep.

"Can't wait." Nyx rejoined, shaking his head.

The couple had been through this all before with Katrine, of course, and although that was five years ago now, it was still quite fresh in their minds. Nyx was secretly hoping that the second time around would be easier, that they would be more prepared. But the pregnancy was going so fast, the new baby would be with them sooner than they had realised and he definitely did not feel prepared. He wanted to be back in Federation territory at least, preferably at a Starfleet starbase. He did not want to be in the middle of a mission, deep in unknown territory. All of this just added a sense of urgency to his actions; the thought in the back of his mind that he wanted - no, needed - to protect his family first and foremost.

For Emilie, she would just be grateful not to have the physical strain of pregnancy on her body for much longer; and relieved that modern medicine would soon see her recovering and back to normal not long after the birth. Although she had joked about it, it was starting to dawn on her that there would be a whole new person in the world, a tiny little bundle of joy that was entirely dependant on her and Nyx for everything. She hoped she was up to the task of looking after two children, she hoped Nyx would be present enough to help, and most of all she just hoped everything went alright.

Seeking a distraction from the topic of births and new babies, Emilie changed the subject. "By the way, I met the new Doctor and her daughter today. She's enrolling in our school."

"Oh good." Nyx replied with a nod, casting a glance over to Katrine to see if she was stirring. She was still fast asleep. "Alves' daughter is... Veronica?"

Emilie nodded, "Yeah. Lots of attitude with her, though. Seems like she gives her mother quite a hard time."

"Something else to look forward to." Nyx smirked. Their daughter was already head-strong and occasionally more stubborn than a Klingon, neither parent was excited to experience the teenage years of Katrine.

"Ow." Emilie suddenly moaned, holding her stomach. "Looks like the little one's heard your voice." She said as she placed a hand over to her right side.

Nyx leaned forward again and placed his hand in the same spot. After a few moments there came the tiniest little thud against the palm of his hand as the baby kicked again. "Wow." He marvelled, the smile returning to his face.

The couple stayed like this for a moment, as the baby continued to make it's presence known. Nyx moved around to the side of the couch and rested his head, tenderly of course, against Emilie's stomach. Emilie watched him enthuse over the baby with a grin, as she said, "They're going to be a strong kid."

Nyx laughed a little and turned to look at Emilie. He held her hand again, looking into her eyes with a faint mist over his own. "We can do this, Ems."

She squeezed his hand, "I know. We will."

Nyx nodded, "Things are a little chaotic right now - "

"When are they not for us?" Emilie interjected with a smile.

"True. But Katrine turned out wonderful and this baby will have an entire ship full of aunts and uncles." Nyx continued. "Not to mention the best Medical team in Starfleet. I can't wait to be a parent again with you."

"Me either." Emilie quietly replied, her own eyes tearing up a little now. "Do you have to go back right away?"

"Hopefully not." Nyx answered, resting his head again, "I want to stay here."

Emilie gently combed her fingers through his loose hair, as Nyx closed his eyes and enjoyed the quiet solitude. Katrine must have heard them speaking as she silently got up from her position on the floor and wondered over to the couch, immediately sinking herself down into Nyx's lap and pulling his arm around her. The Temples sat in silence, a family appreciating this time together.

OFF