<USS Avalon> Mutual Friends

"Mutual Friends"
Dr. Georgia Lewis, Ensign Sera Teryn
 
 
    
Having gathered up all her gear, Georgia checked her quarters one last  time. 
She would soon be leaving them behind and heading for Space Station  McKinley 
to wait for the arrival of the Avalon. Once she arrived upon the  station she 
was granted quarter's to tide her over until the Avalon arrived. She  put her 
gear down and left to go walk around the station. 

Once she was  on the main concourse she found herself looking out the window 
at the stars. It  had been some time since she had been aboard a ship and this 
close to the stars.  Just looking at them made her realize how much she 
missed everything and  everyone. Especially Skyler. She wondered  what her
girl was up to. It  was hard to believe that she was now a Captain.  There 
was no doubt in  Georgia's mind that Skyler had earned the promotion. She just 
hoped that she was  happy in her personal life. 

Reaching into her jacket pocket she pulled  out a holovid of her and Skyler 
taken before she had left for Starfleet medical.  

Tery was early; she knew that.  But she always preferred to be  early.  
Besides, this gave her the chance to see the ship come into  dock.  Still, she 
wondered if Skyler would be angry with her, or take her  back, or...
Stop it, Tery.  Just tell her.  She'll  understand.  She hoped so anyway.

As Tery approached the view port,  she saw another woman standing there. The 
picture in the woman's hand; however,  held her attention.  She wondered what 
it meant.  Did she have more  competition than just Moreya?  Was it even her 
right to think that way  now?  She smiled kindly at the other
woman.  "You know our Captain  as well?"  She asked as an opener, motioning 
to the picture in the lady's  hand. 

Georgia turned and looked at the woman who had spoken. "Captain  Skyler? Yes, 
I know her. In fact after the death of her parents I raised her as  my own 
child. She and my husband Henry, would traipse around the hills of  Tennessee 
while he paid his visit to his patients."  

Taking one  last look at the picture she handed it to the woman.  She watched 
her as  she looked at the picture. "How is it you know Skyler? I know most of 
her  friends like Moreya and recently talked to a young girl who is 
apparently living  with her. I must admit that surprises me. I never thought 
Skyler 
would be one to  settle down. Let alone have a child." Georgia smiled at the 
thought of Skyler  raising the girl. 

Tery smiled as she took the picture, a smile filled  with love and 
wistfulness.  "I work on the Avalon.  I met her  there."  But there was so much 
more 
than work  between them.   "I'm returning there now."  And hoping
she still wants me as much as I  want her...

Smiling Georgia nodded. "Before I left I was  Head Nurse  in sickbay. Now 
that I have my medical degree I am not sure where  Admiral  Ketchum will put 
me. 
He has notified me that I am welcome back home  aboard  the Avalon." She 
couldn't wait to get back aboard her home away from  home.  Looking at Tery, 
Georgia could see the love in her face. "You are in love   with Skyler aren't 
you?"

So this woman was "coming home" too.   That  made Tery feel good in a way. It 
spoke highly of the ship and crew  that  people thought of them as home away 
from home.  Georgia's  question caught  her slightly off guard, and she 
blinked.

"Am I that obvious?"  She  asked with a slight flush.   "But to answer your  
question, yes I am.   She's a wonderful  lady, and I miss her..."  A wistful 
look crossed her  features for a  moment as she remembered being with Skyler 
and hoped again that  they could  have more of those moments.


Taking a moment, Georgia seemed to be  sizing up this woman. "Might I  ask 
what your name is? After all if you are  important to Skyler you are  important 
to me. By the way my name is Georgia  Lewis. I will warn you now  I am quite 
protective of Skyler. As long as you make  her happy we will  get
along just fine. I'm not saying that to scare you away. I  just hope  you are 
the person she will finally settle down with and be happy. I'm   sure you've 
heard about Moreya. You have nothing to worry about. They are  very  close 
friends. However I don't think they would risk ruining their  friendship to  be 
in a monogamous
relationship. Moreya is a very special  woman. Skyler trusts  her with her 
life." 

Georgia turned to look  out the view port once more.  Wondering to herself 
what it would be like  returning to the Avalon. Not as a  nurse but now as a 
full fledged  Doctor.

Tery was not at all disturbed by  the "warning."  In  fact, she was pleased 
to know that Skyler had friends  who would so protect  her, even to Tery 
herself. She smiled.  "Sera  Teryn."  She  offered her name in response to 
Georgia's 
question and her  hand in  greeting.  "And I'm pleased to meet you.  Any
friend of   Skyler's is a friend of mine."  She handed the picture back after 
one  last,  loving look at Skyler.  "May I ask how you two met?"  She  asked, 
curiosity bubbling to the surface.

Taking the picture back,  Georgia  replaced it in her bag. Looking at Tery 
she grinned, "How much  time do you have?  Actually I have known Skyler since 
she was just a little  thing. I used to work  with her parents. Her father 
Maddox was killed by  the Borg, which nearly  devastated Skyler. Then to make 
matters worse her  mother Celeste and her baby  sister were killed by a Romulan 
attack while  they were on a space station."  Pausing Georgia thought back to 
those  bitter times. "Actually I must correct  myself. Everyone
thought her  sister had died but in reality had been found and  adopted by an 
English  couple. For the longest time Skyler put it out of her mind  that she 
even  had a sister. To say the least it was quite traumatic for her when  her 
 sister came and found her."

With a tear rolling down her face  Georgia  had to pause. "Skyler let herself 
lapse into a Betazoid coma and  almost died  instead of facing the truth. If 
it hadn't been for another  crew member and  Moreya, I don't know what would 
have happened to her. I am  just grateful she is  still with us. With her 
family gone I took her home  with me and raised her with  my husband Henry. So 
if I 
seem overly  protective that is why. I feel as if she  is my own child at 
times."   With a wistful look she turned and sat  down.

Tery nodded,  understanding.  She remembered when her friend  Reanna DeMarr 
had lost  her lover in the destruction of her ship.  "It's  quite all right. I  
wasn't put off by it."  She assured with a warm  smile and a light  touch to 
the  other woman's shoulder to offer comfort.    "Actually, I was glad of it.  
I'm relieved to know that there are  other  people looking out for Skyler 
when I can't."  She gave  Georgia's shoulder a  gentle squeeze then took her 
hand 
back  and  looked back out at the stars.   Her expression became somewhat  
distant, as  if she were looking at something  infinitely far away,  and 
longing 
for it.  "She's a very special  woman.  She deserves  only happiness..."  She 
observed, her mind once  more filling with the  image, the Concept, of Skyler.

Georgia hesitated  then looked at the  woman beside her. With a slight smile 
she softly replied, "I  do believe  that you do understand. I also think that 
maybe, just maybe you could  be  the one to bring the happiness to Skyler that 
she is so longing for. I  hope  so." Sighing she looked away. "I hate to 
think of her all alone.  Space can be  lonely enough, more so when you have no 
one 
else in your  life. Come, the ship  isn't due for a while, lets go get 
something to eat.  Perhaps get to know each  other a little better."


Tery had to  agree about space being  lonely.  She knew that first-hand.  And 
 she, too, hated to think of  Skyler out there all alone.  Oh, she knew  that 
Skyler had Moreya, but she  did not know exactly the nature of their  
"friendship", so she still  worried.  Or maybe it was just because she  loved 
the 
woman and wanted to be  there for her, wanted to protect her from  all the 
cruelty of the universe.   Either way, she needed to be out  there WITH Skyler.

At Georgia's  suggestion that they go get a bite  to eat and get to know one 
another, she  smiled.  That would be good,  she thought, to learn more about 
this woman  who seemed to be a sort of  mother figure to her Love.  She nodded. 
  "I'd like that.   You have a food preference?"  She asked with a return
smile as she  turned away from the viewport and back to face her current 
companion. Walking  along with Tery Georgia was quiet. She wondered how Skyler  
really was. How  was she doing without Melanie there? Without Lissi or even  
without  Georgia? "Food preference....no I eat just about anything. As long as 
it 
  is
not moving or talking back to me. If you don't mind me asking what does  
Skyler call you? Your name is Bajoran is it not? Perhaps you can tell me  about 
 
what has been going on with her since I left. I fear I have missed a  great  
deal."

Tery chuckled at Georgia's reference to "Fine Klingon  Dining" as  one friend 
of hers had called it.  "No, I didn't have in  mind to eat  Klingon food.  
Actually, there is a nice little  Bajoran restaurant that  serves pretty good 
hasperat if you're up for  it?"  She explained her plan  and then thought about 
the rest.   "Yes, it is Bajoran.  Sera is my  House Name, and Teryn is my 
given  name."  She smiled at the mention of  Skyler; she always did.   She 
couldn't help it.  "Like the few in my  inner circle, she calls me  Tery."
She looked sidelong at Georgia.   "You may as well."   Anyone that close and 
important
to Skyler was important  to her.   "As to what's been going on... I only know 
a little. I came  on board only  a short time before I had to be called away. 
 But she has  taken in a  charge, a girl named Tavi."  She explained as they 
continued their  walk.  Tavi's very quiet, but she seems like a good girl."  
What   else
could she tell?  What else really did she know?

"That must  be  the girl I talked to the last time I tried to contact Skyler. 
I am  surprised by  this. I would have never in my life thought she would do 
such  a thing." Thinking  of Skyler as a parent made Georgia smile. "I
suppose  in a way this would make me  a sort of step-grandmother. What do you 
think  Tery?"

Tery chuckled  softly.  "I suppose it would."  She  offered in response. This 
 woman was warm and kind, like Skyler.  She  was glad to know Skyler had such 
a woman in her life.  "You'll get a chance  to meet Tavi, I'm sure." She 
continued.  "She's a bright girl; don't let  the quiet demeanor fool  you."

"Oh I learned along time ago not to  let a quiet demeanor fool me."  Smiling 
she replied, "If that were the case  it would have taken me forever to  get 
through to Skyler once her parents  passed. She could be one cool cookie when 
she wanted to be. Actually I am quite  interested in meeting this girl that has 
taken Skyler's heart." The continued  walking until they found a suitable
restaurant.

Entering Georgia  looked around for a quiet booth. Upon  finding one she 
walked over and sat  down. She put her parcel next to her. She  waited for Tery 
to 
join  her.

Tery took the seat across from Georgia,  settling her bag  beside her in the 
booth.  When on this starbase, this was  her  favorite restaurant.  They 
served hasperat the way she liked it...   hot.  "Tavi's a good girl; I was
glad to see Skyler and her getting  along  so well before I left."  She 
offered before grinning, " I hope  you  like hot food."  She warned.  "This 
place 
does hasperat  right!"

Smiling Georgia looked at Tery, "Too be honest I have never tried  hasperat. 
However if I can handle my Henry's jambalaya I think I should be able  to 
handle  this. At least I hope so." Placing their orders Georgia and Tery  sat 
just 
looking at each other, wondering what was going on in each others mind.  What 
did  they really think of each other, and how did they feel about each  
others relationship with Skyler?

Tery chuckled.  That was one of the  Earth foods she'd learned to like during 
her time in Starfleet Academy.  It  had a kick to it that she found to her 
tastes after her father's hasperat.   True, he'd been a Betazoid, but he'd 
learned to make it because her mother loved  it, and he was, truthfully, the 
better 
cook of the two of them.  Not to  mention that her mother would get lost in a 
project and lose track of  time.  Oh, she was never neglectful, but it helped 
that Tery loved to spend  time watching her mother work, asking her questions 
and learning about the  things her mother did.  Yes, those memories belonged t
o the original Sera  Teryn, but they had become hers over the years that she 
had been continuing that  woman's life and work.

"I'm sure you'll love it then."  She  assured.  "Maybe sometime you can 
introduce me to this jambalaya.  I  had a friend in the Academy who made some 
really good jambalaya."  She  smiled wistfully at that memory.  That one was 
hers, 
and she sometimes  missed that girl.

Placing her order Georgia looked at Tery. She could  tell she was thinking 
about someone. She just hoped it was Skyler and not  someone else. "Actually, 
what you need to taste is my Pecan pie. Admiral Ketchum  absolutely loves it. 
As 
do most people who taste it. Although if you were to  talk to Eliza Mae she 
would have a different story to tell you." Taking a long  slow sip of her tea 
Georgia watched the other woman. Was this the right one for  Skyler? She 
certainly hoped so.

Tery blinked out of her memory with a  chuckle.  "Pie... my other weakness."  
She said with a sigh.  "I  only have two, you know."  She added with a wink.  
"And one of them is  Skyler."  It was an admission she was more than pleased 
and proud to  make.  That was one "weakness" that she did not consider a 
weakness but  rather a strength.  If, that was, she could pull this thing 
together 
after  being gone the way she had been.

"Attention all personnel, the USS Avalon  will be docking at docking bay 6 in 
approximately 30 minutes. If you are due to  report aboard please report to 
bay 6 at the proper time."

Georgia looked  at Tery, "Well, it appears as if our ride is approaching. I 
suppose we should  get moving. Wouldn't want to miss our ride now would we? I 
can't wait to be back  aboard the Avalon."

Tery had to admit sharing the woman's excitement,  though hers came from a 
different source emotion.  "Agreed!  I guess  you're safe from the hasperat for 
now!"  She teased with a laugh as she got  up and stretched out her lithe 
frame a bit.  She was *so* ready for  this!
 








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