<USS Avalon> "Meant to Be"

"Meant to Be"
Elijah Dareth and Melanie Redgrave

Finally! Elijah thought as he walked back to his quarters grinning like the 
Cheshire cat.  He didn't understand why it had taken so long to get his leave 
approved.  Granted, it was for an entire month and he was chief of security 
aboard the Omen, but he had a very competent staff that could handle most 
anything anyway.  He was sure things would be fine.  It was convincing the 
higher ups of that which had proved difficult.  But now it was done.  He 
couldn't wait to tell Melanie.

Entering his quarters, he walked straight to his console.  Last reports had 
Avalon heading to a place called Rish-something or another and he hoped a 
communique would get through alright.  He put in his request for the call and 
they told him it would be about 20 minutes.  Sighing with frustration, he 
walked to the replicator for a cup of tea.  

Tea.  He smiled.  He'd gotten into the habit of drinking it with Mel and still 
hadn't broken it.  That was okay, though.  The little ritual reminded him of 
his beautiful fiance.  How he missed her!

Settling down on the sofa, he thought back to that day in the lounge.  Eli 
still had no idea what had possessed him to offer her a bowl of chocolate ice 
cream and a sympathetic ear.  Maybe it was fate.  Even serendipity.  Whatever 
it was, he was thankful.  

As soon as he'd transferred in to the Omen, he'd requested a transfer back to 
Avalon.  It probably wouldn't happen for at least a year, but he was getting 
started.  Elijah had a keen desire to be with his family.  Melanie and baby 
Grace.

The console beeped, jerking him out of his thoughts.  Eli jumped up and slid 
into the seat, waiting for Melanie to appear on the screen.

The desk chair at her desk in the living room was feeling more and more snug 
with each passing day, but at the moment the chair felt particularly 
uncomfortable. She had known this moment would come she just sorta hoped it 
would happen later rather then now. Turning on her console she sighed and 
waited for the link to come through. 

"Hello, beautiful," Eli smiled.  "You look amazing!"  She had never looked so 
gorgeous as she did carrying his child.

Melanie smiled at Eli's image, though inside she was worried and nervous. "Ack, 
don't lie Elijah, I look like the blood Queen Mary." She teased. "You look well 
if not tired. How's the new assignment going?" 

"You know I'm not lying, sweetheart.  Truly, you look beautiful."  He paused to 
stare at her a moment.  "The assignment is the reason I'm calling."  Elijah 
beamed a smile at her.  "I'll be there for Grace's birth!  The orders came 
through today."

"That's wonderful news, Eli." Melanie replied carefully. "I'm glad her father 
will be there, I'll have to tell Anna so she knows there will be another person 
there."

Elijah's brow furrowed at once.  "What's wrong, Mel?  You knew I wanted to be 
there - was doing everything in my power to be.  You didn't count me out, did 
you?  I've sent you vid letters at least once a week since I've been here... I 
would've done more if I could've.  I'm sorry that I haven't been there as much 
as you've needed..."  His words were pleading and apologetic, knowing that he'd 
failed her - this woman he loved more than anything.

Melanie felt so small. "You've done nothing wrong, Eli. This doesn't even have 
anything to do with you being away. It started months ago, even before the 
baby."

"I - I don't understand."  And he didn't.  The only thing he did understand was 
the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the slow burn under his skin 
working its way up his neck and to his face.  Something was wrong.  Very, very 
wrong.


"I love you Eli, really I do. You've given me such a preuios gift, and nothing 
will ever change the fact that your her father." Melanie said gently. "It's 
just that I'm in love with someone else."

"You... what?"

Melanie tucked her hair behind her ears as she looked at Eli's image. "I didn't 
think much of it at first. I thought it was a side effect of the dream world. 
The emotions, the  connection I felt in my heart, soul, and head, I thought it 
was all left overs from the dream. It's not though, it's as real as feeling the 
Earth under my feet. We've been spending a lot of time together over the past 
few months and we both finally realzied that we were in love with each other."

His head was spinning.  Gone for only a few months and he'd been replaced.  He 
wanted to scream at her, rant and rave - What about the love we have for each 
other?  Does that not matter to you?  Why - how could you do this?  I was 
willing to give up everything for you...

Elijah felt tears stinging in his eyes, but didn't want to let her know.  "I 
see," he said softly.  "Does that mean you... you're not going to let me be 
part of my daughter's life?"  He had already lost Melanie, that was obvious.  
Sitting in front of him was not the same woman he'd fallen in love with because 
she would've never done this.  He didn't want to lose his daughter too.

"Of course not, Elijah!" Melanie replied as she looked at him, the hurt in his 
eyes making her sick. "She only has one father and that's you. You'll always be 
apart of her life, Vevay and I being together isn't going to change."

If Eli had felt kicked in the gut before, he now felt as if he'd been on the 
wrong end of a Klingon bat'leth.  "Vevay?" he asked, trying to keep the tremor 
out of his voice.  "Vevay?"  Once again, he just had to ask.  It was one thing 
to be replaced by another man, but another to be so inadequate as a male that 
he had to be replaced by a woman.

Melanie nodded. "Davis." She confirmed. "Eli you knew that my relationship 
before you was with a woman. This isn't totaly out of the realm of possibility 
here." Sighing she put her hand on her belly where Grace was protesting the 
change in her mother emotions. "I didn't go looking for this, Eli. It's just 
what's meant to be."
"Of course it's not out of the realm of possibilities... I just..."  he sighed. 
 "I just thought you loved me... thought we were getting married."  It was just 
too much.  "I have to go.  I love you.  I'll be there for Grace's birth."  With 
that, he closed the channel and cried.

Melanie sat there for a while before getting up from the chair. She felt like 
shit. She had loved him, she still did in a way, and she didn't want to hurt 
him. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall. She was 
feeling light headed and her vision was blurred. "I'm do sorry, Eli." She said 
softly to the room. "Be happy."

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