Quiet Little Holiday

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2020 @ 9:10am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Emilie Temple

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Before "Que Sera"

ON:

The fire crackled in the small stone fireplace, as the gentle sounds of falling snow lapped upon the window outside. Emilie Temple was lying curled up on the couch, a deep maroon wool rug drawn around her body and almost-empty wine glass in hand, as she wistfully watched the flames dance in front of her. From the distance she could hear gentle footsteps as her husband attempted to tip-toe down the old creaky stairs from the floor above. The Temple family had been spending a quiet weekend in the Holodeck program that Nyx had created - an exact replica of their first Copenhagen townhouse on Denmark, Earth. It had been a blissful and well-needed break from the constantly churning activity that was active service in Starfleet.

Entering the room, Nyx carefully placed a PADD down on the coffee table, the device being used as a baby-monitor for little William who was asleep in his crib upstairs. Katrine also was fast alseep in her bed, though she had been much too excited to doze off at first. The 5 year old child had loved spending the day watching the boats in the canal, dancing through the nearby park, seeing the glimmering lights of the city in distance. A far cry from the usual cold, steel walls and endless space that she was used to seeing. Naturally, she didn't want it to end.

"How many stories did it take?" Emilie asked knowingly.

"Four." Nyx replied with a smile, as he moved over to the dining table nearby to fetch the decanter of wine. "And the promise of snow angels tomorrow."

"She drives a hard bargain." Emilie remarked about their daughter, holding her hand steady as Nyx filled up her glass. "Thank you." She whispered to him, taking a sip.

Returning the bottle to the table, Nyx moved over to the couch. Emilie lifted up her legs, the rug still draped over them, allowing Nyx to sit down. Nyx sunk into the cushions as Emilie shifted down a little, lowering her legs gently over his lap as he placed two firm hands upon them, giving her lower limbs a gentle massage.

"This has been perfect, Nyx." Emilie cooed at him. "Just what we needed."

"It has. Thank you for coming, and putting everything on hold for a weekend." Nyx replied. "I know there's a lot to do."

"And for you as well, I imagine." She said with raised eyebrows. "Readying the ship to leave and all that?"

"I have Nash back, he was able to shoulder some of the burden." He smirked, "That's what XO's are for, right?"

Emilie laughed softly, "I'll be sure to tell him that next time I see him."

Nyx stretched out a little, reaching up now to rub the small of his wife's back gently. "In truth, the crew have done most of it by themselves. Without pushing, without having to re-iterate any training. The department Chiefs have been able to check off every audit requirement almost completely. They've implemented every procedure one hundred percent to the letter; and I dare think the ship's in better shape now than when we left dry dock."

Emilie looked over to him and saw the pride in her eyes, "She's a fine crew here."

"I'm so lucky." Nyx replied earnestly, his voice going up an octave very briefly as he considered the emotions of the statement. Luck had not much to do with it, of course. He was assigned a strong and talented compliment of Chief Officers who had consistently run their departments with efficiency and skill, to a level Nyx had rarely seen before. 'Dedicated' didn't come close to describing the people who served on the Pandora; he felt honoured - not lucky - to serve with them.

Emilie decided to hazard a delicate subject. "I can see why you'd do anything for them."

Nyx locked eyes with her, feeling a sense of recognition for the subject at hand. The couple had passionately argued over Nyx's actions - once before when the Pandora came under attack by the deadly Ravagers, and just recently when Nyx allowed the murderer Sasha Vieers loose on the planet Hesiod Green. Emilie felt he was acting recklessly and not considering the family he had at home; while Nyx felt like he was doing his job and making necessary choices to ensure a successful mission. Their arguments had gotten quite heated, to the point where they both agreed to completely drop it for days on end. Despite the mutual tactical retreat, tensions had still bubbled under the surface in the Temple family quarters - something Nyx had hoped to soothe over with this quiet little holiday to a holographic Copenhagen weekend.

Now it appeared Emilie was ready to broach the subject once more, in this more genial and quiet setting. The threat of waking the children would be enough to keep both their voices low for now.

"I do." Nyx replied tentatively. "There's a lot of grey out here in the Expanse, I don't know how else to describe it." He sighed, "And maybe I'm trying to take advantage of that to pursue our goals, but my heart is always trying to make things better. For us, for the Pandora, for the Expanse."

"That's a nice thought," Emilie said softly, "I love that you are so passionate about making a difference. But I worry that's too big of a dream. We can't fix the Expanse, Nyx, it's far too wild and problematic."

"I know," He nodded, trying not to interrupt.

"So the choices that are being asked of you..." She took in a deep breath, "I fear they will only get more dangerous, more risky, and more towards the black rather than the grey."

Only the truth, spoken from a loved one's mouth, could rattle a person's position so deeply. Nyx realised the point Emilie had been trying to make and for once was able to really hear what she was trying to say. It wasn't about the actual events that had happened; she was concerned about where those events were pushing Nyx and the Pandora towards. As the saying goes, 'the road to hell was paved with good intentions' and Emilie feared that he was taking too many steps in that direction.

"You're worried I'm going to lose myself?" Nyx almost whispered.

Emilie bit her lip, but her eyes welled, "And you'll lose us, Nyx. Your wife, your kids. Your friends, your crew."

Nyx shifted his body so that his arms could wrap around Emilies. She carefully placed the wine glass down and reciprocated the gesture. He squeezed her tightly to him, his forehead resting against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ems." Nyx breathed, "I'm sorry you've been feeling that way."

"I haven't been able to sleep at times," She confessed, "I worry so much."

Nyx looked up and gently kissed her cheek, "Don't worry, my love, please don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Emilie nodded, so wanting to believe it to be true. She whispered, "Promise?"

"We'll get back to to Earth, I'll tell the Federation everything that I have done. Everything." Nyx said resolutely, "Whatever they choose to do with me, I will be fine with. If my commission is stripped, I will be stay at home dad. If I keep the Pandora, then there's no more grey, no more ends justifying the means."

She gave him a smile, though a part of her doubted whether that last part could ever come true. "I know you'll try." She said supportively.

"I will do it. For us, for the kids, for the Pandora." Nyx said firmly, looking deep into her eyes. "Thank you for always being my guiding light, Ems."

She looked down, bashful, "I thought... I might have pushed too far?"

"Never." Nyx said seriously, never breaking eye contact. "You were right and you were honest. Please, always be honest with me like this."

"I will." She promised in return, looking into his eyes now.

The two embraced, deeply and longingly, like they had not done for some time.

OFF