<USS Avalon> "Sisters, First, Last and Always"

"Sisters, First, Last and Always"
Skyler and Melanie Redgrave   
 
Still a little shaken from her sudden visit with their mother, Melanie made  
her way back to her quarters. The conversation she and Celeste had had 
replayed  over and over in her mind. Stepping into her living room, Melanie had 
hoped 
that  Elijah would be there but instead found a present waiting for her. 
Walking over  she looked at the card.  
"Dear Soliel, I am passing on these heirlooms of our family, so that you may  
share them with your child. I have held onto them long enough. It is time for 
 them to be passed on. I pass them on to you with love and the honor of 
knowing  that you are my sister. I hope they will in some way help you to tell 
your 
child  about his/her grandparent's and about you as a child. It is my gift to 
you. Love  Skyler" 

There were tears in Melanie's eyes once again. "I haven't cried this much  
since Daddy died." She said aloud as she reached for her comm. badge. "Redgrave 
 
to Skyler. Can you come to my place, please." 
Skyler was sitting in her quarter's, having sent the package to Mel, now all  
she had to do was attend the meeting with the Captain. She had just gotten up 
to  get something else to drink when she heard her comm badge go off. now  who
the hell is it? She heard Mel's voice, even though it was strange to  hear 
herself calling herself Redgrave Skyler knew she would have to get used to  it. 
Soon it would be something else. "Skyler to Redgrave, on my way."
Opening the box slowly Melanie began to pick out the items that were inside.  
A rattle, a baby blanket, pictures of their family before the war and the  
Romulans took it apart. "Why do I get the feeling that your going to be one  
spoiled little poppet." 

Skyler made her way to Melanie's quarter's  wondering what she wanted. She 
thought everything had been taken care of on the  planet. Guess I'll find out 
soon enough. Standing outside the door Skyler  rang the chime and waited.

"Come in." Melanie called out just as she was  making her way to the 
replicator. She'd read somewhere that plain saltine  crackers helped with the 
throwing 
up and she'd just been hit with another bout.  

After the doors opened Skyler walked in, spotting Melanie heading toward  the 
replicator. "Might want to get some tea to go with those  crackers."

Melanie nodded and ordered two cups of tea, a Betazoid blend  for Skyler and 
a peppermint one for herself. "This is going to become annoying."  After 
getting the tea and crackers she walked over and sat on the couch. "The  gift 
is 
beautiful, Skyler. Thank you." 

"Didn't the Doctor give you  something for the morning sickness? As for the 
gift you're welcome. You have  more use for it than I do."

"It wore off while I was planet side talking  to..." Melanie stopped before 
she completed the statement. She wasn't sure how  to explain to people she'd 
had an intimate conversation with her long dead  mother. Besides, she still 
felt 
like keeping it to herself a while longer. "The  groundskeeper.. He mistook 
me for Mother. I think I nearly gave the poor chap a  heart attack." 

Skyler decided to let her believe she had scared the  groundskeeper. "So what 
did you do to scare him and where was  Georgia?"

Melanie chased down a saltine with a sip of her tea before  placing both 
items on her coffee table. She picked up the baby blanket and  brought it to 
her 
face. It's smelled like vanilla, spiced tea, and baby powder.  "I went to see 
Mother. He saw me and Georgia walking back up the path. He called  me Celeste 
until he came close enough to really see me." 

I wonder  when she is gonna tell me the truth? It's not like I don't already 
know. "It  has been awhile since anyone had been down there, I just couldn't 
make myself go  down and deal with it all." Taking a drink of her tea she 
watched
Melanie  closely. What am I supposed to do to help her through this? I 
haven't got a  clue. "So how did Eli take the news?"

Drawing her knees up to her  chest, Melanie cling to the baby blanket and 
just shook her head. "Not well, I'm  afraid. He's been avoiding me." 

Skyler didn't like the sound of that. He  should be here supporting her. 
"Maybe I should go have a talk with him, he needs  to be here supporting you. 
Not 
hiding." She was trying to keep her anger in  check hard as it was.

Melanie shook her head. "He's still adjusting to  the news, Skyler. This was 
all so unexpected. He'll come around." Unfolding  herself a little, Melanie 
placed a hand on her belly. "Won't he poppet? Daddy's  just scared is all." 

Skyler shivered a little, watching Melanie talking  to her child, was almost 
like watching their mother talk to Melanie or Soliel  before she was born. She 
got up and looked out the window. "Have you told your  mother yet?"

"I've told one of them." Melanie replied before thinking.  

"I don't mean Celeste, I mean Mrs. Redgrave."

Looking over at her  sister, Melanie looked surprised over her lack of 
reaction. "Um.. No, not yet."  
Skyler was still having trouble dealing with Melanie calling their mother  
Celeste, but if that is what she is comfortable with then she supposed it was  
okay. Good thing she set up that counseling appointment. "Why haven't you told  
her? I'm sure she would be excited to know she is going to be a  Grandmother?"

Melanie turned her head to look at the picture that propped  up in the lid of 
the box. "This might seem silly, but I needed to connect with  the mother who 
gave birth to me first." Sighing Melanie looked down at her  carpet. "Though 
I think that will end up hurting my Mum." 

Skyler turned  around, leaning against the wall, looked at Melanie. "it's not 
silly, I was  there talking to them both before you were. There is no reason 
you have to tell  your mother (she nearly choked every time she said that) ? 
Celeste is gone and  your mother is here. Just tell her." Skyler's mind was a 
mess. Between Melanie  calling their mother Celeste, trying to decide what she 
should call Melanie, and  now talking about her mother. "She won't be
hurt if you don't tell her. I'm  not going to say anything nor I doubt will 
Eli."

Melanie was quite for a  moment. She couldn't lie, wouldn't lie to her Mum 
about needing to connect with  her Mother. She needed that now more then ever, 
which is most likely why Celeste  had come to her. "I didn't just talk to her 
marker, Skyler." 

"I know.  You forget I can get in your head."

Melanie glared at Skyler. "That was  private!"

"Sorry, you weren't hiding it very well. It's also something  you are gonna 
have to get used to, especially between us." She looked at her  sister, "What 
do you want me to say? That I am happy that after all these years  she decided 
to speak to you, when I have been talking to her for year after  year, getting 
no reply at all. Suddenly, she is talking to you as if there is  nothing 
wrong. I am happy she spoke to you, really I am." Skyler just shook her  head 
and 
went back to looking out the window.

"Sisters or not, Skyler.  Something's in my head aren't open for viewing." 
Melanie stood up and walked  over to Skyler. Sighing she looked out the window 
too. "Maybe she hasn't come to  you cause your not ready to hear what she has 
to say yet? You been running away  from her, from your home, maybe now that you 
remember everything..."  

With a tear in her eye she turned to look at her sister. "What am I  supposed 
to be ready for? To hear how I was left alone, left to think I had done  
something wrong. Hell I don't even know what to call you? You have no idea how  
much 
it hurts every time you talk about Mrs. Redgrave as your mother. Or  when you 
call your "birth" mother Celeste. She was more than your birth mother."  
Skyler didn't know what else to say and she didn't want to hurt Melanie any  
more.

"Skyler," Melanie said firmly. "During this whole conversation have  I once 
called Mother by her given name?" 
"Not during this conversation, no you haven't. But, in others you  have."

"Can't you see that it's different now? I can't explain it, but  seeing her, 
feeling her arms around me, it put back that missing piece." Melanie  sighed. 
"All my pieces fit together now, Skyler. And you can call me whatever  you 
want. Mel. Melanie, Sunni.. Mother called me Soliel."

Letting her  body slide to the floor, Skyler put her head in her hands to 
hide the tears. "I  am glad everything is working out wonderfully for you, I 
really am. I am glad  that you have all your pieces fitting together now." She 
didn't know how to  explain it or how to make anyone understand. She wasn't 
even 
sure she understood  it all. "Maybe someday I will fit."

Melanie sat next to her sister,  taking one of her hands, and lacing their 
fingers together. "Go back down before  we leave. Talk to Mother again." 

"I can't, we are about to start a new  mission."

"Then recreate it on the holodeck. I'm sure mother doesn't care  where you 
are as long as your ready to listen to her." Melanie leaned into  Skyler, 
wanting her sister to feel her closeness. 

Skyler was perfectly  still. She was afraid if she moved she would break down 
completely. "I have been  ready, been waiting, since the day she died and you 
were taken away. What more  am I supposed to do? I can't risk losing 
everything 
again. It hurts too  much."

"She knows that your afraid, Skyler." Melanie replied. "But we're  not going 
anywhere." She placed their interlaced hands over her belly. "Are we  poppet? 
Auntie Skyler's stuck with us now." 

"I won't risk losing you  again. I don't care what it takes or what I have to 
do, I won't take that  chance. Dammit, I don't know what to do? I never 
thought I would have to deal  with this again. I don't know if I can do it?" 

"Your stronger then you give yourself credit for, Skyler." 
Skyler leaned her head on her sister's shoulder and cried. "I can't go  
through it again. I couldn't protect you then, how am I supposed to protect you 
 
now? Just tell me?"

Melanie continued to hold her sister's hand on top  her belly as she tried to 
make things better. "I'm an adult now, Skyler. We both  are. It's not like 
before. Besides it wasn't your job back then to keep me safe,  it was Mother's 
and she did that. Just like I'll keep my wee one safe." Melanie  sighed and a 
stillness fell upon them for a moment. Then she smiled. "Speaking  of my wee 
poppet, got any name ideas? I wanna start making a list."  

Skyler couldn't help but laugh. "Names, don't you think that should be  
between you and Eli?"

Melanie smiled brighter. "It will be, but that's  what the list is for. We'll 
need options. It'll help with the inevitable ship  wide pool once the news 
gets out." 

"I don't know, we got sky and sun, so  I suppose there is always Estela for 
the stars or Luna for the moon. But none of  them really go with Melanie which 
is what everyone knows you by." "There is also  Gaia for earth. But I am no 
baby namer."

"Mother was the stars." Melanie  said softly. Then she nodded and smiled. 
"Well, I'm going to have to check with  Anna to see if I'll be having more of a 
human pregnancy or a Betazoid, but  either way we have up to nine maybe ten 
months to come up with something." She  laughed. 

"Your child is going to be at least half Betazoid and half  human. You're a 
scientist you should be able to figure that out? The name should  have a 
special meaning to both of you, you and Eli."

Melanie nodded.  "That will require my hunting him down and making him talk 
to me." 

"Now  that is something I can do. It is also a promise I made and intend to  
keep.'

Melanie glared at Skyler again. "Stay out of it Skyler. This is  between me 
and Elijah." 
"Put your eyes back in your head, I made a promise to our father and I intend 
 to keep it. So you can accept it or kick me out of your life. I am only 
doing  what our father would do."

A flare of anger flickered in Melanie's eyes.  "So what your saying is that 
to be in my life means you get to control it? That  pure bollocks!" 

"No, that is not what I am saying. If you would calm  down you would 
understand what I am doing and why."

"I understand what  your doing." She huffed as she got to her feet. "You plan 
on going to Eli and  placing yourself in our business. Don't." 

"I am not placing myself into  your business. When will you realize I am 
doing the only thing I know how to do  for this child?"

Melanie blinked. "The only thing you can do for her is  confront her father 
on why he's scared and avoiding her mother? Why not try  simply loving her." 

"It's what I have to do for our father. I am not  going to kill him or 
anything like that, and yes I will love your child as it is  a part of mother 
and 
you. Please try to understand it from my side for once? I  only want the best 
for the both of you and if that means having you mad at me  then I will have to 
accept that. But I am doing this because I love you and no  one is going to 
hurt you or your child."

"Elijah would never hurt me."  Melanie huffed as she crossed her arms. 

"Oh for pity sake, would you  quit with the huffing and posturing. Can't you 
let a big sister look out for her  little one. After all I just got you back 
and no one is going to mess with that.  So take a hormone pill and accept it, 
and I am not bull shit."

Melanie  flopped down on her couch. "I didn't say you were bullshit I said 
your plans to  meddle are bollocks."

"I never said I was going to meddle, I am merely  going to speak to Mr. 
Dareth to find out his intentions."

Melanie rolled  her eyes. 

"Rolling your eyes isn't going to help either. Now, are you  going to behave 
or do I have to spank you?"

Anger flashed on Melanie's  eyes again. "The last headmistress who tried that 
ended up with a broken nose.  I'd feel bad later but that wouldn't stop me 
from breaking yours if you tried."  

Skyler sat on the couch next to Melanie. "Just know that I love you and  am 
only looking out for you, just as our father would do. At least let me do  that 
much."

Melanie huffed. "I'm a big girl and can handle my own life,  Skyler, but do 
what you feel you have too. Just don't over steps your bounds."  

Skyler put her arms around Melanie and pulled her close, "I won't  overstep 
my bounds, God forbid that teddy bear might attack me. You may think  you are a 
big girl but you will always be my little  sister."

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