Cause Tonight I'm Lovin' You

Posted on Wed Oct 31st, 2018 @ 11:38am by Captain Akiva ben-Avram & Warrant Officer Laena ben-Avram
Edited on on Mon Dec 10th, 2018 @ 3:34pm

Mission: S1E2: Half Past Dead
Location: Administrator's Quarters
Timeline: MD 4 | 1900

Ding!

Akiva scurried away from the place settings at the table back to the makeshift kitchenette opposite from the dining area. It had taken some doing, but nothing that his extensive experience in colony maintenance and subsequent starship operations couldn't manage. All in a neat row on a worktable sat a portable skillet, an open flame gridiron grill, an easy-bake oven, and a pressure cooker. When he looked at it from afar,, Akiva couldn't help but think of various portable labs he'd come across in his day run by sketchy enlisted officers. Tonight's labors were far more noteworthy and honorable -- Akiva was cooking a homemade meal from scratch. Or as close to scratch as one could manage with raw materials from the replicator. Even so, he hoped the gesture would be noticed and appreciated. If he didn't burn the bread first.

Fortunately, once he waved the steam away, he saw that it was a perfect golden brown. He set the pan on the dining table to cool before returning back to the rest of the proofing loaves that required different bake times and temperatures. In all he had pretzel rolls, a loaf of rosemary and sourdough, banana bread with walnut and currants, and focaccia with parmesan. Each loaf was accompanied by various butters flavored with everything from asiago to honey to -- much to Akiva's chagrin -- bacon. It would not be the only non-kosher item on the table this evening.

When Laena had first offered dinner this week, Akiva had been taken aback. And when she agreed to an evening even earlier than he assumed, he was dumbfounded. There was little time for him to prepare everything he had in mind. Two days ago when they had met in his office to discuss professional duties, he was given a surprise second chance at life. A life with Laena. Everything was riding on tonight, try as he did not to think that way. He just wanted everything to be perfect.

The table setting left a little to be desired. At first Akiva set the traditional centerpiece with the family crest of the ben-Avram line. Though he doubted Laena was fluent in Hebrew, the family value reminded him of his android daughter whose name was taken from the virtue inscribed on it. And he simply was not ready to face the full reality of that yet. Rather than fully break from tradition, he left the placard in the center of the table and set a replica of the holo-emitter he had once gifted to Laena. With the lights dimmed, it would cast a full-resolution image of her favorite sector of space against the walls and ceiling. Once he had tested it worked, he nodded with approval. Far better than the menora candlestick he had originally planned.

Akiva checked the time and realized he was running a bit late. It seemed Laena was, as well, for which he gave bittersweet thanks. The lobster bisque was finished, so he set it to simmer while the krumpli salata finished. There was some kind of bread pudding that he had already tried and failed to make yet neglected to put in the replicator for disposal. Akiva had nary atomized that culinary failure before the timer on the prime rib sounded an alarm. The tongs could barely hold the big slab as he slid it from the gridiron to the silver platter waiting for it. Just as he lathered it with a horseradish glaze, the chime came from the front door.

"She's here!" Akiva quickly rinsed his hands and set the platter on the dining table. The rest would just have to wait. "Come in!" he called as he hurried to the entrance.

The doors opened and Laena stepped in. Her hands gently hung by her side but one was grabbing a tuft of the fabric of the dress she was wearing. While a little on the revealing side, this outfit was one of Laena's favorites. She always felt black accented her skin and hair perfectly and the low cut on the back and front gave just enough of a peek to leave them wanting more. But the short hemline is what really made her feel good, as it showed off her legs. Of all the body parts she shared with Akiva, she knew he was especially fond of her legs and thighs.

She stood in the entryway, allowing him to look upon her before she came closer. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said, taking a few steps forward with her stilettos leading the way.

Akiva felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight of her. Once he managed to swallow it back down into his chest, he managed to stammer, "You... you look beautiful. Truly. Please come in." He set his hand across her shoulders, his skin flaring at the bare contact. "I've been preparing our meal all day, so I hope you're hungry."

"I am, actually," Laena said, her hand going to her tummy that thankfully hadn't started to poke out too much yet. Though she had to admit, the dress fit a bit more snug than it used to.

Though the form-fitting garment held Akiva's attention, his eyes followed Laena's hand toward her midsection. His hand darted to cover hers, but he stopped in mid-motion. "Can I...?"

She nodded.

Akiva gently set his hand over her abdomen. The warmth exchange between his palm and her belly sent a tingle through him. And was that a kick? Even the possibility made him giddy with laughter. "Tell me everything. Are you feeling better? Do you know the sex yet? Have you considered any names?"

"I'm not far enough along for any of that yet," Laena said as the two of them stepped farther inside.

"Oh. Right. Still plenty of time for all of that, then." Akiva ushered her toward the dining table and its full spread. "It's almost ready." A timer went off across the room. "My bisque!" Akiva practically ran to keep it from burning. He grasped the handle with a kitchen towel specifically replicated for the task and pulled the soup pot off the heat to cool. Discarding the kitchen towel, Akiva heaved a sigh of relief. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked once he'd turned his gaze back to her. She truly was breathtaking.

"I would love some tea," Laena said, looking up at the man. She folded her hands in her lap, waiting patiently, though she was incredibly hungry.

"Perfect," Akiva said. He hurried to the teapot resting on the table and poured two cups. Counselor Jaya had once remarked that Laena had enjoyed the Seyalian tea of Delta IV, and so Akiva had brewed a copious pot of it. He put a drop of cream into his. "Cream? Honey? Anything?"

"Yes," she said with a giggle.

Akiva brought her the cup as requested and then guided her to her chair. "You must be famished. Let's get started, shall we?" He brought out the tray of various breads, butter, and chutney that might have served as a small meal in any other context. Hurrying to the ovens and cookers, he turned off the heat and allowed the other courses to rest before serving. Finally able to take a breath, he sat opposite from Laena on the small dining table and bit into a piece of rye bread. "I'm so happy we did this." Somehow he managed to talk, chew, and grin at the same time.

Laena's eyes got big as she saw the amount of food he was preparing. "Akiva, I said I was hungry. I didn't say I was about to pass out from starvation." She smiled as she took a piece of bread, bringing it to her nose to take a deep breath of the warm fresh leaven within. "But it smells divine," she said before taking a bite.

"Then just wait till you try this." Akiva had ladled a mid-sized helping of his lobster bisque into a small bowl which he set beside her bread plate. As a Hebron, he would be abstaining, but he hoped Laena would enjoy it.

The smell wafted through the air and awoke something in Laena that she was not expecting. Her mouth began to salivate as her eyes were glued to the bowl that was set in front of her. "What is it?" she asked but didn't give the man time to answer before she took her spoon and scooped some into her mouth.

Her eyes closed as the warm creamy liquid filled her mouth and awoke a groan from deep in her throat as her taste buds were taken on a wild adventure she had never experienced before. "Oh my," she said under her breath after swallowing what she had. Picking up a piece of the fresh bread, she dipped it into the soup and shoved it into her mouth, barely taking time to chew as she swallowed it and scooped more. "What is this stuff?"

"Lobster bisque," Akiva said. "It's not kosher, but that doesn't mean I can't watch you enjoy it." His gaze lingered but a moment in hopes she would catch his undertones before he rushed off to the assemble the main course. He carved several slices of prime rib, after it had time to soak up the horseradish glaze, and laid several out on two plates. A scoop each of the krumpli salata nestled against the prime rib. Then Akiva finished off each dish with a garnish of steamed greens. Turning back to Laena, he laid down her plate with a flourish. "Dinner is served!"

Laena placed the piece of bread down, taking her napkin and wiping her face. "Why did you do this?" she asked, placing her hands in her lap but not breaking her gaze with Akiva.

"Because... it's traditional to eat food at dinner time?" Akiva made a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his quip fall flat to the floor. "I've missed you so much, Laena." His voice cracked a little with a surge of emotion, but he held it back. "I've missed us. I've missed this." Outstretched hands swept over the entire meal setting. "There is no way for me to tell you how much I want you back, but there is one thing I am good at. Building. So I 'built' this meal, even the things I cannot eat, from hand-made cooking implements that I assembled from replicated parts, all in hopes of rebuilding the trust that I... I neglected." Looking down at the stain on her napkin and the bisque-soaked bread, he couldn't help but smile. "It pleases me that you've enjoyed it so."

"I just..." Laena looked away, not really sure what to say. "I don't need big gestures, though they are nice. And I don't need you to do all this." Taking a deep breath, Laena looked back up at the man. "What I want is for us to be on the same page and to have a clear understanding of how this family is going to work. You and I come from different cultures and different frames of mind. We both see our roles differently and I think there are things we have to discuss if we're going to be cohesive."

At first Akiva found himself sucking wind, bracing himself for another bout of rejection. But as Laena continued, Akiva focused through the fretful knee-jerk reaction in attempts to hear what she was really saying. Roles. It kept coming back to that, even though Akiva didn't know entirely what she meant, nor did he believe that she truly did either.

"Yediyd," Akiva said gently. The word was a less intimate and more formal form of the nickname he held for Biynah, his other lost love. "All of this? In part, it was to make up for lost time and lost dinners together, but it was also to demonstrate that I finally realized I do not need to forsake who I am or what I believe in order to love you as you need." He reached across the table in search of her hand and a reassuring squeeze of the fingers. Funny. Times used to be that he had to fight to maintain consistent eye contact in emotional times, but at this moment he could not look anywhere else. "And neither do you. You for me," he added with a chuckle, furthering clarifying, "You don't need to forsake who you are or what you believe in order to love me." Satisfied that he finally got the words right, he gave her a hopeful grin.

Laena smiled. This was the first time she truly felt comfortable with him since she came to Memory Theta. So she took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "But we will need to start communicating better."

"True enough." Akiva made to stand, then hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to wait until after dinner, but I think I would like to show you now." Laying his napkin on his chair, he rushed to his bedroom door. When it opened, he turned back to Laena and waved her over. "Come. I want you to see this."

Laena scrunched her forehead, confused as to what Akiva was up to. But she stood and followed him, taking his hand along the way.

"This took the better part of the week," Akiva said as the lights flicked on. The illumination fell upon a dark mahogany bassinet propped up on rocking feet. "Carpentry always was more of a side hobby than a true skill of mine back on Hebron, so I had to take some shortcuts and replicate a few of the finer pieces. But it's solid, even passed multiple stress tests with flying colors and--" He sighed. "I don't always have the words, so whenever communication fails, I hope by my actions I can show you that I will always be here for you and our baby."

Laena gasped as she stepped into the room, her delicate hand going to cover her mouth in a mixture of shock and surprise. Tears glistened as they rolled down her cheeks, lit by the beautiful spectrum of colors that danced across the ceiling. The crib was beautiful, and the fact that Akiva made it by hand was quite endearing. But the piece of furniture wasn't the only surprise in the room. Sitting on a table in the room was a device, very similar to the one Akiva had given to her back on the Vindex. A device that would display her favorite spacial anomaly with a soft musical track embedded into the fold. This device was one of the sweetest things Akiva had ever done for her during their relationship and she hadn't had the heart to tell him it had been damaged in the move to Memory Theta.

But this...this was a sign. Laena turned back to the man, wiping the tears from her chin as she took a step towards him. "You did all this, for me?" she asked but, again, didn't give the man a chance to respond. She should really stop doing that. Another step and she had closed the space between them until their lips met in a soft embrace.

Their relationship still needed work, and the two of them had a lot to do if they were going to be good parents. But tonight, none of that mattered. Tonight, for the first time since they were separated on the Vindex, they wouldn't be sleeping alone.