Fluffy!

Posted on Sun Apr 4th, 2021 @ 3:55am by Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Cailus Griffin

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Shuttlecraft Ariadne
Timeline: Current

“Okay, I’m ready!”

They had been in the shuttle for several days, traversing through the Corridor in the Ariadne disguised as a Tzenkethi cargo hauler, when Shae had an idea. Shae wanted to see how Eva would react to her more bestial state, so she sent Cailus with Eva to the forward section of the runabout while she disrobed and began the transformation, calling for them as she changed. By the time Cailus came back, Shae was a large vulpine canid with a mix of silver and tawny fur. She wasn’t as large as she had gotten during their abduction, but that was a conscious choice since space was so limited in the cramped runabout.

As soon as Eva saw Shae, she gasped. “Mama?” Somehow the young child recognized her mother even in this strange state. Then she squealed with delight. “Mama fluffy!” Eva declared, then held her hands out towards her Mama.

Callus had been quite ready for Eva to panic at the sight of a rather large (and quite furry) wolf monster, and so he was thoroughly unprepared when instead, Eva recognised her mother without hesitation. Grinning, he held out Eva so that she could touch her bestial mother for herself.

Shae sighed in relief when Eva’s hands touched her fur without a hint of fear, then she lay down so that Eva could crawl about and explore. With the child declaring ‘Fluffy, fluffy!’ as she cozied up to the soft ruff of fur around her neck, it made Shae feel beautiful instead of monstrous. Then, the most magical thing happened, Eva began to change, her face elongating and her nose shifting into a canid’s nose. It was so subtle, she probably didn’t even realize she was doing it, but it excited Shae that Eva was a shapeshifter the same as she!

Leaning against a bulkhead, his arms crossed, Cailus watched with a smile as Eva explored. He still had a gut fight-or-flight reaction to seeing Shae transformed, but he pushed through it, astonished at how natural Eva looked with her mother.

Much more natural, in fact.

“What the…” he muttered, frowning as he crouched down next to them, looking at Eva carefully. There could be no doubt about it; her face was different. Her nose was slightly changed from its usual human-like appearance, her jaw slightly protruded, seemingly in response to her mother. It was shapeshifting. Eva was a shapeshifter.

“Like mother, like daughter,” Cailus said in astonishment, glancing down at Shae as Eva played merrily. “I definitely didn’t see that coming.”

Shae shook her head; she hadn’t seen that coming either. The grand experiment a success, Shae decided to start shifting back, grabbing a nearby blanket for modesty as she lost all the fur, earning a disappointed ‘awww!’ from Eva. And just as before, Eva began to change to, her face reshaping to the same cute face they knew, all by instinct.

“Such a talented little one!” Shae said as she finished shifting, grabbing Eva up into a hug. “That was a very nice surprise. I wonder what other surprises you have for us?” Eva simply answered by blowing raspberries. “Silly girl…” Shae said, then set Eva down to play while she redressed.

Cailus stood, watching Eva play with amusement. “We’ll need to call your parents sometime, to ask for advice,” he commented thoughtfully. “Raising a child is hard. Raising a kid who can shapeshift is going to be an entirely new sort of challenge. If Eoin has the same ability, we’re in for an interesting few years.”

As Shae finished dressing, he scowled in good-natured annoyance. “I shave my beard and Aoife thinks I’m a stranger. You transform your entire body and Eva recognises you immediately. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

“Well, you could always regrow your beard and then you get to be ‘Fluffy’,” Shae remarked.

Cailus raised an eyebrow, grinning. “Love, I could grow a beard that stretches down to my waist and I’d still be no match for you when it comes to ‘fluff’.” He became more serious then. “How did it feel, when you shifted into that...er...state? Form? The last couple of times were a bit extreme.”

“Well, I never felt like I wasn’t in control; I guess without the rage and survival instincts taking over, it’s not so monstrous at all. I was very nervous about how Eva would react, but she made me feel… beautiful like that,” Shae related. Eoin was starting to wake, so she sat on the bunk to hold up some toys to give him some visual stimulation.

Cailus nodded, smiling softly as he leaned against a bulkhead. “You know, after Khitomer, I read a Starfleet Security report about Chameloids,” he said. “Captain Kirk was admiring, but he was worried too. Starfleet spent months being paranoid about Chameloids working for the Klingons, infiltrating the Federation and replacing key people. I sure as hell didn’t expect to marry a Chameloid, let alone raise kids with one. We’ve been through a lot, but there are times when it’s...hell, it’s fantastic.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Shae said with a smile. Eoin’s coordination with his hands was, as with most newborns, severely lacking, but as soon as he got his little hands on the toy that Shae held, that toy went straight into his mouth. “You little goof,” Shae remarked, then tickled his belly, prompting a grin from the little tyke. “Look, love, he’s smiling!” Shae said excitedly. “Oh, with your eyes and grinning like that, he looks just like you,” she said with a hint of awe.

“Does he, now?” Cailus asked with a grin as he stepped over to them, looking down at Eoin. “Handsome devil, aren’t you, Eoin?” He laughed as his son looked up at him in askance. “Yes, my boy, you are. You definitely are.”

With that, an insistent beeping rang from one of the consoles. Cailus sighed. “I’ve got it,” he said, moving to the front of the little ship, working it slowly with one hand. “Tzenkethi ship on the long range sensors. Looks like a frigate. They’re hailing us. The computer is sending the preprogrammed response…” He stopped there, waiting, before he breathed a sigh of relief. “They bought it, no sign that they’ve changed course.”

Shae relaxed on the bunk once Cailus confirmed they were clear. “Goodness, I certainly can’t wait to be back on the Pandora so we don’t have to worry about these interactions,” she said. Shae looked up at him, then back down to Eoin as she considered a subject she wished to broach. “So, how are you coping with… with your discharge?” Shae came right out to say. “You’ve been more silent than usual and I don’t know how to help you right now.”

True to form, Cailus was quiet for a long moment, continuing to work the console as he checked the engines. Nevertheless, he couldn’t avoid it forever, and he knew it. Finally he sighed, turning to face her.

“It’s not something you can help, Shae,” he said heavily, sitting down in the pilot’s chair. He glanced outside at the stars, distorted through the warp field as they zipped past. “We both knew that there’d be consequences. I have thought about leaving Starfleet before. Harriet wanted me to leave the service before I was deployed that last time, and I thought about resigning after they pulled me out of stasis. The reality of it, though...I didn’t see it coming. How it would feel.”

Shae picked up Eoin and moved to the Ops seat where communication would be easier. “I thought when our punishments were pronounced, that they would be similar, I had no idea that they would consider your past like that,” Shae said. She looked down at Eoin who was still contently nomming away at his little toy. “So, how do you feel?”

Cailus opened his mouth to reply, paused, then closed it again. He turned his chair to the side, tapping the console idly, just to buy himself time as his mind worked. Finally he glanced at Shae again, once more looking lost, just as he had back in the courtroom.

“Aren’t you curious?” he said quietly, his tone bitter. “All the things that judge listed off. Not just Menelax, but others. My whole da-...” he stopped himself, looking at the rear of the shuttle as Eva played on the floor. “My whole career has been like that. Battle and bloodshed. Don’t you want to know more?”

“Do you ever want to know more about what I’ve done? Would knowing it change the way you feel about me?” Shae countered. “Sure, I’m curious, but I would never snoop or pry on any part of your life that you weren’t willing to openly share with me. Are you trying to tell me that there’s something you want to share right now?”

“It did change the way I felt,” Cailus said bluntly. “Back when we first met, remember? I was That only changed when I learned why you did the things you did, everything that happened. You were kidnapped, coerced, threatened. You had no choice. The judge was right; you were a victim. I was a volunteer. I had a choice, every step of the way.”

He took a shuddering breath, running his left hand over his face. “I was a cop, Shae, a good one. I upheld the law. Four years on the job, and I never ended up in a fight. Not once. We didn’t even have weapons. Whenever I was in a tough spot, I de-escalated the situation peacefully, every time. The first couple of years in Starfleet, I was the same way, even after I lost my hand. Now, look at me. Starfleet kick me out because I’ve got a body count that would make a Klingon blush.”

“Tell me, at Menelax, did you stop the Genesis device? While I’m sure you regret the body count that achieved the goal, do you regret stopping the device?” Shae asked. “And what about rescuing Eva? Sure, if we could have done that without taking a life, that would be preferable, but we couldn’t. But you don’t regret saving her?”

Cailus frowned. “Of course not,” he said, looking at the child in Shae’s lap. “Not for a second. It’s just...that crusty old admiral was right. We didn’t even consider non-lethal solutions. I don’t blame you for that, not with how you were trained and everything you went through, but it should’ve occurred to me. The fact that it didn’t…” He sighed. “Hell, Shae, I can handle being kicked out of Starfleet. I had a life before Starfleet and I’ll have one after. The bit I’m struggling with is that the judge was right. I’m not fit to wear the uniform. Not anymore.”

“Oh Cailus…” Shae said with a sigh. “I had no idea you felt that way. For what it’s worth, I’ve valued the strength and prowess you’ve displayed; you’re a strong and powerful mate more than capable of protecting me and our children.”

“I know,” Cailus said with a small smile. He stood, moving over to Shae and Eoin. He considered them both at length, taking Eoin’s tiny hand within his own before looking at Shae. “I’ve got some work to do, Shae. This has been brewing since long before we met. I need to figure out who I am, now. I need to figure out what sort of father I’ll be to our kids, what they’ll see when they look at me.”

Then there was a sudden intensity in Cailus’s blue eyes. “Make no mistake, though. You and the kids are worth the cost.”

Shae’s brow furrowed with concern for her mate. “I should certainly hope that we were worth the cost,” she said with an earnest smile. “You take the time you need to figure out who you are, we’ll be here with you every step of the way,” she promised. Then she looked down at Eoin. “What do you think, little guy, ready for more Papa time?” To which Eoin smiled again, and in his excitement he accidently threw his toy with his disjointed flailings.

“I think that was a yes,” Cailus said with a chuckle as he picked up the toy before taking Eoin into his arms, cradling the baby. Just like that, he melted as he held his son, beaming down at the child. “There you are, my boy. There you are.” He glanced up at Shae then, smiling softly. “Thank you, love. For being such a wonderful wife.”

“It’s been my greatest honor and pleasure.” Shae replied, radiating joy and pride at the sight of father and son.