Family Matters

Posted on Fri Feb 10th, 2023 @ 12:00am by Lieutenant Ramat'iklan & Lieutenant Paisley P'rar

4,641 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: No One Gets Left Behind
Location: Personal Quarters

ON:

Paisley was dressed to the nines. Date nights were always a fun time to flaunt what she had, and she had a few assets to show off. Especially for her friend/lover-they had decided to not label themselves, let it go where it would. No strings. She was definitely fine with that, but now she was regretting her decision to dress like this-tight leather skirt, shirt that left little to the imagination, and heels. She was used to wearing jeans and sweaters, casual, tomboyish, and comfortable. But she decided that efforts needed to be made and it did make her feel good about herself. A bit of makeup completed the look-she never wore much, but more than usual plus a red lipstick was really the icing on the cake. She rang the chime at Ramat's to let her in. He answered, and she smiled. "Hey. Hope my being early is ok." She had been just a little excited to see him again.

Ramat'iklan could've sworn that the temperature of the hallway went up a few degrees as he laid eyes on Paisley's outfit for the night. By herself Paisley was certainly her own kind of sexy, but that revealing shirt, tight skirt that hugged her curves and that little bit of red lipstick somehow took her all the way to a hundred for him. It took him a couple of moments to realize that he'd been staring. Just a bit. Like, wow. He'd never seen this side of her before.

"I really don't mind at all." He responded, gently taking her by the shoulders and leading her inside. "I'm afraid Kinaa isn't here tonight. She's away at therapy animal training with lieutenant Bradford in sickbay - he is an expert at it and has successfully trained several animals in the task." Which meant that they'd be by themselves for a long, long while, of course. "Can I get you something to drink? Or eat?" He glanced back at her then, adding a cheeky "You look good, by the way. Almost good enough to eat."

She shook her head, and rolled her eyes, but she was glad it had the affect she was going for. "Thanks." She let him lead her inside, and looked around for Kinaa, before hearing his explanation. "Ah. She IS good therapy." Paisley was gaining a fondness for the animal-they still weren't best friends, but they were coming to an understanding. "Maybe something a little stronger tonight. Got any gin? Kanar?" She asked. Anything would do. She didn't care. She felt maybe a little reckless; he was good for her in that way-made her open up, not be so stuck on properness and the like. "Thanks. You can have a taste later..." She had other things on her mind, as well. "How are you? It's been a little bit." Eighteen hours since they'd spoken; busy lives they led. "Mind if I take these off?" She pointed at the shoes. "They're sexy but they hurt my feet. I don't know why we women put up with them. The Dominion should use them as torture devices." She settled in on the couch, feeling comfortable in his space. They were moving fast but she was comfortable with the pace.

"I'm afraid I don't drink gin. Kanar on the other hand... I do have an aged bottle a friend gifted to me before I left the Bradford." He replied, as he walked to his cupboard and withdrew the spiral-shaped bottle. "Feel free to take the heels off if you like, I don't think they're very comfortable to wear, as much as they certainly look appealing." He made his way to the replicator, procured two wine glasses and sat down next to her, practically hip to hip. Where they were now, he felt that it would be quite appropriate. "I should warn you. I have never tasted kanar. But I am certainly willing to try it." He'd heard stories about the strong Cardassian liquor - including how bad it tasted to most non-Cardassians. Only one way to find out if they were true, he supposed, as he poured them each a glass.

"Well, you'll either like it or hate it. If you like it, it's said to make good men do bad things. If you hate it, well...more for me." She wasn't prone to overindulgence, but one glass wouldn't hurt. Mostly, she talked a big game but really wasn't much of a partier. He poured out the liquid, and she noticed how close he was sitting to her. "You like Terran pancake syrup so at least the texture won't be a surprise." She was growing pretty bold as she felt the heat radiating from him. A heat that she knew she caused, because otherwise, her reptilian friend was cold to the touch. She sipped the liquid, closing her eyes to the burn that followed the swallow. Ah, there it was. It dulled her Bajoran genes pretty quickly-a side of her she didn't like to admit because she hated all things Cardassian as a general rule, but it would take a bit more before it really messed with her head. "What do you think?" She asked him as he took a swill. "ALSO! I have news. I got a hologram from my father. How weird is that?"

The liquor was strong-tasting but not entirely unpleasant, like drinking some kind of thick, viscous sugar syrup with something else that lent it its rather unique taste. "Your father? What does it say?" He asked. Only just? How could that be, many centuries into the future? Had her father waired that long to contact his daughter? Surely not; he had to be dead by now... right? He scooted closer to her and put an arm round her, holding her close to his body.

"I suppose it's been just a little behind me; mail is slow out in this part of the universe. He's dead now. House is mine, I guess, if it's still standing. If the government hasn't seized his money, it's all mine, too, and it's...a lot. I'm uncomfortable with the amount of it, really. I'll probably end up donating most of it to some kind of cause. He was going out on a maneuver he knew would kill him. The follow up statement from his lawyer confirmed it." She had long suspected, when he hadn't come after her, but hearing it out loud was some kind of weird juxtaposition. She loved him while hating him, but she didn't want him dead. She drained what was left of her drink, and set the glass down carefully. She sighed, but leaned in to kiss him. "Anyway. I'll ask around if the house is still there, and what else I need to do. In the meantime, what were you up to these past eighteen hours since I saw you last?"

"Work." Then her kanar-coated lips contacted his, and somehow the taste of the strong Cardassian liquor felt like the sweetest thing in the world. Or maybe it was the kiss itself that was intoxicatingly good. In that moment, every single stressor he had in the universe seemed so far away, galaxies away even. Yes, even the Captain's ridiculous project. He didn't know how long they held it, or that he'd leaned into it and subconsciously taken her into his arms while doing it. "And send Kinaa to training of course." It occurred to him then that Paisley now knew exactly how to touch him to make him melt - they had gotten rather busy last night after all - the Founders would've tutted and shaken their heads and called it a grave mistake.

Somehow, he didn't care at all.

"How about you?"

Her brain was now fully scrambled from his kiss. She smiled a little when he pulled away for air, and to answer her. "Same. Working on getting the science labs up and running; I need a few more hands but the three I have are working well together so that's a plus. Besides the time I took out to listen to the hologram, I've been going nonstop since I clocked in to when I clocked out. Missed lunch, actually." She hoped he wouldn't be too upset with her at that; she just had a lot going on and it was easier and more fair to her to send her three underlings to lunch while she stayed behind, doing the dirty work and such. "So maybe some food later on is a good idea, because I have plans for you later." She smiled wickedly.

"The kind of plans that involves you attacking every sensitive spot you know I have, which I know you do, and making me sore in the morning?" Ramat'iklan smirked. "Your tone implies it, even if this gormless smile on your face doesn't. Food would be an excellent idea, however. Perhaps something sugary or with plenty of carbs. I sense I'm going to need a lot of energy..." He joked, curling an arm around her hips and pulling her in close, into his lap.

She nodded. "Look at you, thinking you know me." He seemed to, actually. When had that happened? "But yes. I think you're right, and I will start here," she said, kissing the sensitive spot at the base of his neck, "And move on. But yes, carbs!! Pasta?!" She laughed, but gazed into his eyes. "Whatever you decide is fine with me."

Ramat'iklan bit back a purr as her soft, warm lips pressed to the sensitive base of his neck. Now that'd have been very unlike him. Or perhaps very like him, something he'd refuse to acknowledge even if the consequence of doing otherwise was death. Well, except maybe only to her. "Pasta it is." He managed. His hands drifted to the soft scales that covered the length of her neck. Part of him wondered if those too were sensitive like a normal Cardassian's, and he gave them an experimental gentle stroke...

His hands were...on her neck and she writhed beneath his touch. "Ramat, slow down, let's eat first, then we'll do...this." She didn't want him to stop but it would be futile otherwise-once they started, there was NO stopping for anything short of an emergency. She let out a ragged breath, and uprighted herself. "Unless...we can skip the meals..." She put her hand against his, as they did, a sort of "palm kiss" and smiled a little more. "That is...nice, though. Remember that for later."

"So you are sensitive there." Ramat'iklan smirked. "Fascinating. I shall have to remember that." He pushed into her hand a little, and curled their fingers together. Somehow the gesture felt right to him - something he'd never tried, but strangely liked now that he had. "As to our dinner - yes, I agree. We should eat before we both decide to throw caution to the wind. Now, if only I can bring myself to lift you off me..." He joked. "Because you are really very, very nice and warm. And I do like warmth."

She laughed. "I bet you do, Dino man. Let's go." She stood up, reluctantly, and pulled him along to the kitchen. "Replicator or cooking?" She asked. She'd prefer they cook together, but if he was tired, she could understand that. She was, too. "And yeah. It IS sensitive there, even for us half-breeds." She shivered, still feeling the sensations. She was keyed up, but hoped the mundane task of dinner would help to clear her mind. "Dinner conversation: NO WORK." She was bored to death of that.

"No more work." He promised. "I can cook if you like, though I should warn you that I still require some practice with pasta. What kind of sauce do you like? I'm afraid I only have the kind humans keep in jars." He opened an overhead storage cabinet, surreptitiously brushing a finger along the length of her neck along the way up. You know, because he could. It seemed to be mostly tomato sauce, one jar of cream and sausage... and was that some kind of brownish sauce, too? The label definitely wasn't in Standard. Was that Tellarite, perhaps? Hmm...

"Red sauce is fine. I can do the noodles if you'll heat the sauce up. Maybe something for a side, as well? Surprise me." She shivered under his touch as she playfully swatted his hand away. "Where do you keep your pans?" She opened some cabinets, hoping she wouldn't come across anything that she shouldn't-like the skulls of his enemies or something. "Ah, here we go." She bent down a little, careful to avoid a full show, and pulled out a heavy pan. "Where'd you get this thing? It looks like some kind of weird Terran antique for fire cooking when they'd sleep outdoors or something." Terrans were strange. She filled it with water. "Ten minutes." She looked at him. "Hmm, I can think of something to pass the time." She leaned forward for his kiss again.

Ramat'iklan tipped tomato sauce into the pan along with a few slices of cut sausage, then leaned into her lips once more. Exactly like the previous night, somehow their lips fit perfectly together. "Is that all?" He teased, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You seem to be unable to keep your hands - or lips - off me now, Paisley. I wonder why." His tone was lighthearted, though, and a cheeky little smile blossomed on his lips. "Is it something I did?"

She giggled and kissed him back. "Yeah. You got under my skin. I think you did it those years ago, at the party. I should've kissed you that night, but...well. Here we are now." She had been thinking about that; why she hadn't made a move. She was single then, and so was he. She had a chip on her shoulder, though, back then, if she were honest, and was only dating a certain type of person-one that made HER look good. She had needed to mature, she supposed, because it might not have been sustainable. "But I am glad you did. I thought you might have pulled away that first night...I was going kind of fast but I don't want to lose you again." She bit her lip then; it had just come out and she didn't know what she was saying. She felt herself blush again, and then turned her gaze to the water. It was close to the boil.

"You will not lose me, regardless of what happens." For a Jem'hadar to promise himself to someone like that was usually a tall order considering the entire species was purpose bred to fight and die in battle - but somehow Ramat'iklan felt certain enough to make it. Especially for Paisley. He put an arm around her hips, squeezed firmly with his hand and pulled away before dropping the pasta into boiling water together with a generous amount of salt. "That I swear upon my life." He took her hand then and squeezed it firmly. The pasta would take a while anyhow.

"I wonder if we should perhaps entertain the thought that we might want to start a family someday. You and me. I doubt we will ever find a way back to our time." He muttered.

She smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate that." She reached out and stirred the noodles after he dropped them in. "Got any fat, preferably vegetable oil?" She asked him. "I understand what that means for you and..." she trailed off; she was unused to talking about her feelings. His final words sent a chill through her body, and she coughed. "What?? Like...with a child?" She felt the room spin and her knees buckle. Children weren't in any vision of the future she'd had. "Um...well. I would...what do you MEAN? After the Burn, there's nothing left. And you...can't. Can you? Not naturally..." She wasn't making sense. "No....I...yes. I don't know." She sat down in a chair. This wasn't what she'd expected to discuss. "I had never considered myself a mother," she said, her voice low.

Ramat'iklan turned the heat down - the sauce needed to simmer for a while, anyway - and sat down next to her, taking both her hands. A sharp, painful pang of guilt ran through his being. He should've guessed that the topic of family and parenthood and everything else that came with it was probably too heavy and too soon to discuss. Especially for someone with a family as messed up as Paisley's. "A topic we can discuss another day." He said softly. "Tonight is not the night for that. You're here to enjoy yourself. I would do well to remember that." He pulled her in close, offering a hug. "I don't think I am ready for such a discussion, either." He admitted softly. "Not when I have only just begun to explore life itself."

"No, it's ok. I just...it was out of left field. Listen. I am not OPPOSED to the idea. I just...I never thought it could or would happen for me." She shrugged. "I think we should keep the topic open, and maybe I can look into it. The science of it, ya know?" Was he talking about stealing a kid or something from a planet they visit? She wasn't sure. "I don't want us to be *just* about sex. It's nice, but...there's more to life. I just...I guess if we're together, it could work, right?" She smiled weakly. "Want some water?" She asked him, feeling warm. "So. Not no. But...not today. Can we talk about it while we figure this out?" At "this", she gestured between her and him. "In the meantime, I am going to stir the pasta." She did so, calming down. It would be OK if she had him with her to do that. She handed him a glass. "Drink that, even if you're not thirsty. You WILL be when I am done with you," she said, back to herself.

"Of course." Ramat'iklan sipped from the glass of water with an eyebrow raised. How quickly she'd gone back to the original topic of wanting to make sure his legs wouldn't work the next day - to say the least. Weird - but also kind of relieving, somehow. He wrapped his arms around her afterward, and gently pressed his lips to the shallow spoon on her forehead before letting her go. "The sauce will be done soon. I don't have meatballs, but I do have some squid left if you like." He offered, walking back to his fridge and opening the door to search the contents. "It won't take very long to cook."

She melted into him when he kissed her head spot. "Thank you for understanding." She smiled at him. "Yeah, squid sounds ok." Paisley didn't have many foods she wouldn't eat. "Seriously, though. CAN we have children? I mean...I've never tried but lord knows we're not exactly being safe here." She had just realized she should probably report to medical to remedy that. "As far as I know, I am infertile-hybrids generally are." She shrugged. She had never had an opportunity to find out. She finished cooking the noodles, and drained them carefully, testing one with her fingers. "Really good. It's perfect." She looked back at Ramat. "What do you want to drink? More Kanar?" She offered, an innocent smile on her face.

"I don't see why not." Ramat'iklan replied, either completely ignorant or completely uncaring of the possible consequences if she were allowed to finish most of the bottle. Possibly the latter. He dished the noodles out onto two plates and began to pour vibrant red tomato sauce over them while allowing the squid to thaw. "Can we have children? I do not know. Likely not. Perhaps we will have to adopt." Following a brief pause he added, "But then again science has advanced much over the centuries. Perhaps it might just be possible with present scientific and medical technology, as impossible as it may seem to us at the moment."

She considered his words for a moment. "You're probably right. Ok, more Kanar, then." She reached out for his glass, and refilled it, and poured one for herself. "You should stop me after this or we really WILL be having babies," she joked. "It smells really good." She looked at him. "This is nice. Cooking together, talking. I really like this." She could definitely get used to this-coming home after a long day to him, and a fresh-cooked meal.

Ramat'iklan merely smiled as he brought their dinner over, and that was all. "I like it, too." Ramat'iklan replied. "Perhaps we could make this a daily affair if you'd like. I would be happy coming back to a freshly made dinner and your company. I'm sure you'd like the same." He sat down across the table from her, and slid her plate of pasta over. It was a simple meal, really, but it was the company that truly counted. "I hope you like it."

She nodded. "Honestly, I was just thinking that myself. I would like that...maybe rotate-you come to mine for a few days, I come here for the rest. On nights we have duty, we just wing it." She dug into her food, having realized that he didn't start until she did, and it made her uncomfortable for him to wait. "It smells good." She took a bit, and smiled. "Yeah, no, it's perfect. Just what I needed." She *HAD* had a long day, and she was famished. She ate a bit, then looked at Ramat. "What do you think about me keeping a few things here? It would just be easier than using your things or running back and forth to get my things. I can leave a uniform and personal items. And vice versa."

"Certainly. My cupboard has space for them." He said with a tiny smile. It pleased him to see her enjoy what he'd made, or rather, what they'd made together, in a sense. "I might do the same with your quarters, if you do not mind. Some clothes and possibly some of Kinaa's supplies. What do you think. I won't have to keep going back to my quarters then, the same as you."

“Exactly! You’re absolutely welcome to bring whatever you need, and Kinaa, too.” So that was an interesting new development. She decided to stop worrying about it, and just enjoy the ride. “I want you to be comfortable when you come over.” Maybe someday in the near future, they’d just ask to be bunked together but that would require telling AT LEAST a few people and she wasn’t ready for that yet. “It’s really quite good! I know I said that already, but it is!” She was trying to not hurry too much but on the other hand, she wanted it to hurry FASTER. “Even the squid!”

"I know it is. Now slow down, or you'll choke on your food instead of the other thing I know you really want." Ramat'iklan quipped nonchalantly, nudging her under the table. "Hrmmm. Did I ever tell you about my understudy lieutenant Ragh?"

She gave him a LOOK. “No, you failed to mention a mentee. Of course, we’ve been a little busy.”
She did as he asked, though, and slowed down. They had time. “I’ve heard the name; I DID say my Astrometric girl has a big mouth.” Elly Clark was brilliant but talked farrr too much for Paisley’s liking.

"That she does." Ramat'iklan knew of the redhead by word of mouth only - in addition to being a chatterbox she was also a gossip machine, or so he'd heard. "She seems to like me quite a lot, I would say. We did celebrate my birthday together when we first came aboard."

“Aww, that’s sweet. You never celebrated before; I could barely get it out of you! She must have a magic trick.” Paisley ignored his comment about Crewman Clark; everyone knew she was a gossip girl and it didn’t need acknowledging. “And OF COURSE she likes you. Who wouldn’t?” He was kind, gentle, understanding, funny. “Anyone with a working brain cell can see that!” She sipped her drink once more, and looked at him. “I can’t eat anymore!” Not only was she was looking forward to the main event, it WAS a lot of food. “And for dessert…me?” She asked him.

"Now, why would I say no to that." Ramat'iklan replied with a smirk. "Finish your kanar - well, you know as well as I do it spoils if left out too long - and we can get to that. How about it?"

Without a word, she drained the drink-probably faster than she should have-and then stood up, a little unsteady. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet, as well, and FINALLY, finally, was back to kissing him again. Carefully, she led them to the couch, and climbed into his lap, only breaking the kiss long enough to catch her breath then returning to her task. After a moment, she moved her lips to *that* spot at the base of his neck-her sign she wanted more from him. Her shirt was discarded, and she spoke in a low voice. “Move this to the bed? Bring your belt, you can tie me up, if you want.” Note to
Self: two glasses of Cardassian hooch was her limit.

Chuckling, Ramat'iklan picked her up in his arms and carried her off to the bedroom. He'd be sore all over again in the morning, but hey, it was entirely worth it in his opinion...

[FADE]

A noise from the other side of the bed roused her awake. What the hell? Her Kanar-headache-brain struggled to place the sound, then suddenly, she remembered. Ramat’iklan’s quarters. He must be rousing awake. She turned gingerly to her side. “Why’d you let me drink Kanar?” She giggled but kissed him awake. “It’s morning, we gotta get ready for work.” She sighed; she didn’t WANT to go to work, she wanted to stay in bed with him longer. Still, it was only her third week, best not to call off her shift yet. She was well aware that she was fast becoming unequivocally in love with him but she wasn’t going to say that yet.

Ramat'iklan groaned and burbled something in his sleep at firsr before awakening with a tired smile. "Mmmph. Now I'll have to answer to commander Cyrus as to why my legs are now so sore I can barely walk." He grumbled, reluctantly pulling himself out of bed and getting dressed before smiling and taking her into his arms. "Did you sleep well? You certainly look like you did..."

She laughed. “Just tell him you have been exercising a lot lately.” It was true enough. “Replicate me some coffee, please.” She buried her face into him for a moment, inhaling his scent. She let go of him with a quick kiss on his forehead and busied herself with getting her head on straight. She was slightly hungover; she should have finished the pasta the night before. “Good thing I keep a spare uniform in my office.” There wasn’t time for her to run upstairs to change but it would only take her a minute once she got to the labs. “What’s on your agenda today?” She asked, as she joined him in the kitchen. “Can I stop by at lunch and see Kinaa?”

"Of course you can. I'm sure she'd love to see you." He replied. "Like I will be if you're coming over for dinner tonight."

 

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