[USS Tempest] Goblins and Bitches

Goblins and Bitches
 by Tawa Pax, B'nn't of Reynam, C'ss'l of  Calhoun, and Aleksander Singh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
***takes place during 'On Edge', before the away teams are locked down 
 
Alright, they were his crew mates but that much tension in one room was  
giving Tawa a damned head ache and it was making him nauseous.  That  usually 
led 
to him losing his temper and doing something stupid.  He nodded  to the huge 
felinoid and said, "I'm stepping into the corridor before I kill  something.  I 
need fresh air."

Fuming to herself, Bennet stormed  toward the Lounge.  'Go and help the 
Georgetown crew settle in,' Aisling  had said.  She snorted to herself as she 
whirled up the corridor, not  looking where she was going.
 
He fairly stalked out into the hall, muttering under his breath.  "Who  the 
hell do those two think they are?  Gotta be heroes and kill  themselves?  
Right...."  He knew he probably shouldn't leave the  general area but that did 
mean 
he couldn't pace.  And pace he did.   Right into something solid.  Or 
someone.  "Hey, damn it.  Be  careful will you?" he snapped.

Bennet lifted angry eyes to the man.   "You be careful, goblin-features!  
What kind of place is this where people  just go about stomping on everyone?  
Are 
you all born rude?"
 
"Yeah, as a matter fact, I was born rude," Tawa snorted.  "What the  hell's a 
goblin anyway?"

"Something really green and really ugly," Bennet  retorted.  "And really 
rude.  Kinda matches you perfectly."
 
He wasn't in a particularly good mood after Josh's little trick (alright  
they were assuming it was his trick) and the scent of that many people in one  
place hadn't helped.  The barb from this rude little... "Yeah?" he  spat.  "And 
what sorta creature's a careless, obnoxious  bitch?"

"She's a Xenexian, you ignorant oaf!"  Pulling herself up to  her rather tall 
height, she fixed the goblin with her blazing purple eyes.   "Don't they 
teach you anything about other races in your precious  Starfleet?"


A full fledged smirk appeared on Tawa's face as he stared right back at the  
woman.  "At least you're smart enough to know you're a bitch," he said  
flatly.  One long, broad finger pointed at her, inches away from her  shoulder. 
 
"And not for nothing, I saw more of the galaxy before I was ten  than I have 
since I joined the Fleet.  So take your ignorant and tack it  onto to you 
because 
any dimwit would recognize part Orion when they saw  it."

"I recognised I just think you're too stupid to be anything but pure  
goblin," she 
 
"Somebody should have tossed you out an airlock, lady," Tawa smirked.   "And 
take a book with you if that happens because I doubt they'd let you back  in."

"If anyone throws me out, you'll be fast to follow," she retorted,  smirking 
back, her eyes dancing.  "Least we'd have someone to be obnoxious  to."
 
"People've already tried.  I put the last guy who did into a recycle  bin.  
You like Klingons?  I could shove you in there with him," he  shot back.

"Love Klingons.  At least they're proper warriors."   She stepped closer, 
pushing her face close to his.  "Not soft little  'fleeters."
 
"Yeah well if you're feeling froggy then go ahead and leap, lady," he  
growled.

Bennet blinked then burst into peels of laughter.   "Froggy?  What the hell 
are you talking about?"
 
He blinked at the sound of her laughter.  "Means go ahead and try  it.  
Frogs're little amphibious creatures on Earth," he explained,  realizing just 
how 
bizarre it sounded to be explaining that so calmly.

"I  know what a frog is, dumb ass," she giggled.  "Man, you really have a low 
 opinion of us non-Fleeters, don't ya, skippy."


"No, just you," he smirked.  "I got enough of my own bad attitude  without 
everyone else's."

"Gee, don't ya just feel the love," she  smirked.  "At least I don't look 
like a goblin with an attitude to  match."
 
"When attitude is all ya have than you flaunt it," he said  smugly.

"And boy do you flaunt it," she grinned, still laughing a  little.
 
"I'm not as bad as my great-uncle, trust me," Tawa said, finally starting  to 
smile on his own.  "That man is walking attitude.  He practically  has a 
banner that says 'don't start with me' on him."

"Sounds like my  father," she chuckled.  "He's got the universe's biggest 
chip on his  shoulder too.  Don't help that he's short!"
 
Tawa held his hand about two inches over his own head.  "That tall and  
bigger than me.  Galaxy's meanest looking Romulan."

"Thought you  were Orion," she said, staring him over and realising for the 
first time how  sexy he was.
 
"Not too observant now, are we?" he asked wryly.  The same finger that  had 
been about to poke her shoulder before that lifted to point out the Trill  
marking along his neck and then toward his ears.  "Orion, Human, Trill, and  
Romulan.  My father was the only good taste my mother ever  had."

"Which was the Orion?" she asked as she peered at his spots.
 
"My mother," he said with barely contained hostility.  "She's Trill  and 
Orion and hopefully crashed into a sun or something."

"Now now, if  she hadn't had such good taste to choose your father, you 
wouldn't be here," she  teased, her eyes following the line of the spots as she 
reached out a hand to  touch them.  To her surprise they felt the same as the 
rest of his  skin.  Kind of soft really.
 
"There wasn't much choosing..." He trailed off as the touch tickled a  bit.  
It was then that the scent of something tickled his senses.   Honey certainly 
and something else.  She smelled good.  "Anyway...I'm  about as unique a 
fusion as you'd find."

"I'm surprise so many things  could blend into something so pretty," she said 
absently, her fingers still  walking over his face.
 
"Ah, so I'm no goblin anymore?" he asked, his mouth curving into a  smile.

"You get pretty goblins."  Her fingers traced his smile too,  now fascinated 
by the man.
 
"Pretty redheads, too," he mused, giving a playful tug at one of her  curls.  
"Only one I know with hair this color's Niamh and she's not my type  aside 
from being spoken for."

Shaking her head to set her curls dancing,  Bennet smiled and blushed.  
"Um... how come?  Don't you like  redheads?"
 
He shrugged.  "I like them just fine but she can probably kick my ass  and 
she's engaged."

"I could kick your ass," she protested, standing  closer so she could play 
her fingers over his hairline.
 
"Yeah but she's been taking lessons from my uncle and could probably kill  
me."  He grinned down at her because she was so close.  "You don't  wanna kill 
me do you?"

"No..."  Bennet lifted sparkling purple eyes  to his.  "Want to see how far 
down these spots go."
 
There was a time when he might have blushed completely at her  
forthrightness.  It still embarrassed him somewhat but it pleased him,  too.  
"Oh yeah?  
Shame I have to stick around this conference  room."

"Real shame," she sighed longingly.  "How long you gotta be  here?  Maybe you 
could come find me later..."
 
"I have no damned idea since my friend decided to pull a fast one on us  
all," he grumbled.  "You're not crew then?"

"Nope, family of  crew.  Aisling of Reynam's cousin.  My name's Bennet."  She 
 couldn't help herself, she brushed down his uniform front to lift up the 
bottom  just a little.
 
Tawa bit back an appreciative growl.  Goddess but she was fiery and he  found 
he liked that.  A lot.  He took the hand that had brushed him  and held onto 
it, his thumb running across its palm.  "Tawa Pax, ensign and  low man on the 
Georgetown's Security ladder."

"Low just means there's  somewhere to climb to," she mused.  "Security?  Does 
that make you a  warrior of a sort?"
 
"Defender of little kids and old people," he said with a nod.   "Bullies piss 
me off and usually get me in trouble."

"Sounds like a  warrior to me," she all but purred.  It was a random idea in 
her constantly  busy mind but she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed him 
soundly.
 
He'd only ever kissed one  woman before.  He loved Dove but not  that way.  
They'd realized that they were better off as friends than  lovers.  She'd taken 
to calling him Seinfeld every now and then even if he  had no idea why.  
Still, he was no fool.  He liked being kissed by a  beautiful woman.  Instinct 
made his arms wrap securely around her and the  kiss was return rather deeply.

The kiss made her head spin until she was  leaning on him to stop from 
falling on her ass and looking a fool.  "I've  never been kissed like that 
before," 
she admitted as it ended.
 
He had to blink his eyes in order to clear his thoughts.  "Wow.." he  
murmured softly before a full grin crossed his face.  "Why not?  Don't  
Xenexians 
appreciate beautiful ladies?"

"Sure, they're just not so into  intimacy," she shrugged.  Pressing closer, 
she nipped at his lips.   "Sex is sex, not making love.  No need to kiss during 
sex.  Gods, we  barely even bother taking our clothes off."  It actually 
embarrassed her  for the first time to talk about it.  To cover that, she 
kissed 
him deeply  again.
 
When he could finally breathe through her scent, Tawa smiled at her, the  
expression on his face somewhat serious.  "That's a shame you know, the  exact 
opposite of what I like.  I don't...it's kind've a personal thing to  just 
leave 
to pure biology, y'know?"

"What do you like then?" she asked  to cover how deeply embarrassed and 
ashamed she now felt.
 
He might have been embarrassed by the matter if he and Dove hadn't talked  
about it so many times, if she wasn't his friend.  One arm stayed around  her, 
absently curing fingers through her hair.  "I'm not my mother's son,"  he said, 
shaking his head.  "I wouldn't sleep with someone unless I cared  about them."

"Pity," Bennet said automatically then blushed  furiously.  "'Scuse me..."
 
"Pretty," he said as the back of a finger brushed her reddened cheek.   "You 
don't think you're worth the effort?"

"No," she said softly.   "Rude and obnoxious...  Not soft and compliant 
enough to marry."
 
"Soft and compliant's for stuffed animals--which I never had as a kid, by  
the way.  Anybody who expects soft and compliant out of a woman just  because 
she's smaller and prettier's a fool," he said with a chuckle.   "Besides, you 
are rude and obnoxious but so am I."

"I don't know how my  cousin did it but she seems to have found the only 
decent Xenexian man that  we're not both related to," she sighed.  Peering up 
at 
him, she felt  herself blush even brighter.  "You do know I don't make it a 
habit of  ending up in the arms of men I trample on, don't you?  I mean, it's 
not 
 that I'm so starved of attention that I have to throw myself at the first  
handsome, interesting guy I run into."
 
"I'm not complaining," he said with a chuckle. "Any woman who gets this  
close to me is worth taking a second look at.  There's only ever been one  who 
did 
and we're still friends."

"Only one?"  Then something  occurred to her and she added, "Only a second 
look?"


"Only one," he said with a nod.  "I only just turned twenty-one after  all 
and I'm not like Mac or Captain Le Beau..."  He felt a flush climb his  cheeks 
at that.  He was very much, as Mac sometimes called him, just a  kid.  He 
tapped her nose then winked at her.  "Well, in the case of  someone as evil 
tempered as me, I'd say a third, fourth, or hell of a lot more  looks are worth 
a 
try."

She brightened considerably, scrunching her nose  then giggling.  "We can 
piss each other off!  It'll be fun.  Just  so long as I get to see how far down 
those spots go."


At that, he finally really laughed out loud.  "I'm good at pissing  people 
off," he said with a chuckle but then he leaned to whisper in her ear,  "You 
wouldn't believe how far."

Bennet actually groaned with need as she  wriggled to slip her hand under his 
uniform again.  She teased soft skin as  she placed a soft kiss on the spots 
at his neck.  "Show me?"
 
"I'm supposed to be on duty," Tawa mumbled as her hand touched him.   His 
head barely moved to indicate the doors behind them.  "My boss is in  there 
along 
with a lot of other people."

"Oh dear," she teased as she  nipped at his bottom lip.  "Wouldn't want the 
great warrior to be caught in  such an uncompromising position."  Even as she 
said it, she started to lift  his shirt a little more.
 
"More like I hate being in the brig," he told her even as he allowed his  
fingers to tighten through her hair.  To stop her from moving his shirt any  
further, he pulled her closer, turning her just enough to keep his hand out of  
view of where he knew the vid cameras were.  Then, he allowed his fingers  to 
caress the outline of her breast.  "Been there way too  often."

"Only bad if I can't come too," she breathed.  Her pulse was  beating so hard 
that she could actually taste it.  "Do I get time for  putting you in this 
position?"
 
"Don't know what they do to civilians on this ship," he murmured, his hand  
still delicately tracing her shape.  "You might have t'answer to whoever  
you're with though."

She moaned as she pressed closer to him, her hand  still caught between their 
bodies.  Moving it up his chest, she teased one  of his nipples beneath his 
shirt.  "As long as I end up in your  cell..."
 
Cassiel left Nurse S'Erienetae in charge in his absence.  He had no  qualms 
about that especially since it seemed Renatus' appearance was bothering  some 
of their guests.  As he made his way to where the Georgetown visitors  were, he 
stopped short, unable to believe what he was seeing
 
"For the love of the gods, woman, go get a room," he grumbled as he  
approached.

"Shit," Bennet gasped as she instantly let Tawa go and her  colour rose to a 
bright scarlet.  "Gods, Cassiel, make more noise, will  ya?  What're you 
trying to do, give me a heart attack?  I thought  doctors weren't meant to make 
more work for themselves."  Her arms still  hung loosely around Tawa's neck but 
she'd stopped her teasing and she couldn't  quite meet his eyes.
 
Out of habit, Tawa straightened up completely, especially when he caught  
sight of the warrant officer's pips on the man's collar.  Damn it, damn it,  
damn 
it....He kept his arm around Bennet any way and met the bright hazel eyes  
with his own.  Damn but he's thin.
 
"And what are you trying t'do?  Give H's'l'ng heartburn?" Cassiel  asked in 
return.  He looked Tawa over with a jaundiced eye.  "You're  an odd looking one 
now aren't you?"
 
"Thanks but we've already been through that," Tawa muttered, not  thinking  
that it was probably fairly rude.

"He is what he is,"  Bennet huffed.  "And Aisling's been on at me to amuse 
myself.  He's  doing that just fine."
 
Cassiel snorted at that.  "Hell of a place to get amused, don't you  think?" 
he asked.  He looked at the man she was draped over and shook his  head.  He 
was just a kid if he was any judge of fusions.  He'd  straightened up  but the 
look in his eyes was defiant.  He pitied the  poor bastard.  "Get a room, kid, 
or take a shower."

"Oh piss off,"  Bennet grumbled, barely resisting the urge to stick her 
tongue out at  Cassiel.  "And 21 isn't a kid.  He's a warrior."  Now why on  
Xenex 
are you defending him, she wondered.
 
"Not a problem, sir.  I'll just take her with me later," Tawa  retorted.  He 
peered at Bennet curiously.  "You like little Vulcan  kids?  I'm in charge of 
one."

"I love kids!" she beamed.  Her  eyes were all for Tawa as she smiled just 
for him.  "I've never met a  Vulcan one though."
 
"Twelve years old , smarter than me, and with a bent toward blowing things  
up," Tawa chuckled.  "Drives me crazy but I like her." 

"Isn't he  the sweetest thing?" she sighed happily to Cassiel.
 
"Yeah, right," Cassiel snorted.  "And you're equally adorable.  I  may just 
get sick from it all."
 
"She is adorable," Tawa protested.  "Look at her!  She's  beautiful."

"I am?" Bennet blinked, peering up at Tawa to see if he was  joking.
 
"I said you were pretty before, didn't I?  I wasn't kidding," Tawa  said 
easily.  He could see the warrant officer getting annoyed and it  somehow 
pleased 
him despite the fact that he knew it was also a very stupid  thing to do.  He 
pulled Bennet a bit closer and whispered in her ear.   "Ah, who is this guy 
anyway?"

"Cassiel, my cousin's fiance and a total  jackass," she whispered back, just 
loud enough for Cassiel to hear as  well.  Just to irritate Cassiel, she 
moulded herself to Tawa, pressing  against him suggestively.
 
"You left out the CMO of the ship," Cassiel said dead pan, enjoying the  look 
on the younger man's face. He leaned forward slightly, staring straight  into 
Tawa's eyes.  "She's a gods be damned pain in my neck but her cousin  loves 
her.  Hurt her and I hurt you.  Permanently."

Bennet  huffed and glanced over at Cassiel.  "I can take care of myself, old  
man.  I'm not some silly little girl, you know.  I'm just as much  warrior as 
you."
 
"Shut your mouth, girl, and think instead.  Not that I wouldn't be  glad to 
be rid of you but don't you think H's'l'ng would be upset?  Maybe  it's you 
that ought to go cool off instead," he said, shaking his  head.

"Aisling wants me out from under her feet," Bennet retorted.   "She wants you 
all to herself again.  I piss her off just like I piss off  everyone else.  I 
don't see how me leaving would make any difference to  her.  She was happy 
before I came, it'll make her happy when I leave  again."
 
Tawa tapped her on her shoulder then lifted her chin up so he could look at  
her, his vivid blue eyes quite serious.  "Don't say that," he said  soberly.  
"Family's important, even you do piss them off.  What little  I have taught me 
that."

"Family's something to be pissed at me," she  replied, her cheeks flushing.  
"He's family, see how he reacts to  me."
 
"You started it in Quark's," Cassiel muttered.

"You weren't family  in Quark's, jackass, you were just a jerk," she snorted.
 
"And you are still a mouthy little pain in the ass," Cassiel  returned.
 
It was probably yet another stupid thing to do but Tawa couldn't help  it.  
He snorted in amusement.  "Sorry," he said, his eyes dancing with  amusement, 
"but this sounds familiar."

"Oh?" Bennet asked, flicking her  shining eyes back to his.  "Who do I remind 
you of?"
 
"Oh some careless obnoxious bitch and an ignorant goblin," he said with  
citrus scented amusement.

"Ignorant goblin with spots," she corrected  mischievously.
 
"See?' he asked brightly.  He turned to Cassiel, still standing  respectfully 
but with an easy smirk on his face.  "I have no intention of  hurting her, 
sir.  I tell people if I'm going to inflict pain.   Subtlety's not in my 
repertoire."

Bennet laid her head on Tawa's chest  and peered at Cassiel.  "He's sweet, 
C'ss'l.  I'd like to spend time  getting to know him.  Can't I do that?"
 
"I didn't say you couldn't, B'nn't," Cassiel said, softening his tone just  
slightly.  He didn't really dislike the girl.  She just irritated the  hell out 
of him.  "I just said to get a room.  The Feds have different  norms."

"Find us a room nearby so he won't get into trouble and we'll  go," she 
replied sweetly and smugly.  "Until then..."  Her fingers  found the bottom of 
his 
uniform again and started tickling beneath it.
 
"Hey!" Tawa yelped.  He grabbed at hers hands and said, "Not fair,  you.  I'm 
ticklish."
 
"Must be something with those Reynam women," Cassiel said with an almost  
chuckle.  "Besides, it isn't up to me about rooms.  Cammick says  something's 
screwy and I'm not sticking my nose into it.  You'll just have  to behave."

"No and no," she laughed, ducking beneath his arms and  kissing Tawa firmly.  
"Make me behave."
 
"Mmm..."  Tawa returned the kiss just as soundly as it was  given.  "Look at 
it this way, if I'm locked up for disappearing or  dereliction of duty, I 
couldn't even think of taking you away from all  this."

"Pity," she sighed as she cuddled him tightly.  "I've been  sent to make the 
crew settle in better, maybe I can come in with you."
 
Tawa had been simply breathing in her scent (and Goddess but she smelled  
good) but he brightened further at her suggestion.  "I don't see why not,"  he 
told her. "I can introduce you to my friends."

She grinned even though  she was reluctant to let him go.  "D'you think 
that's more acceptable, oh  Dr Grumpiness?"
 
Cassiel fought the urge to swat her like a misbehaving child (not unlike  
what his sister used to do to him) and gave a thin shouldered shrug.   "You're 
on 
your own with this woman, kid," he said with a genial snort.   "Those Reynam 
women are something fierce."

Bennet stuck her tongue out at  him.  "I still can't believe you even come 
from the same town as our  hero."
 
"Believe it," Cassiel said with a snort as he stepped inside.  "He  might 
even be as crazy as I am."

"Not a chance," she chimed.  "He's  amazing.  You're just nuts."
 
"That's not something I ever denied," Cassiel smirked, leaving them to  cross 
the room to Renatus.  
 
"I'm guessing you two get on like water and oil," Tawa said  mildly.

"More like acid and alkali," she snorted.  "He's just a  grumpy old man that 
my cousin has lost her mind and fallen in love with.  I  assumed it was pity 
at first but not a chance.  That girl's so smitten it's  embarrassing."
 
"I've got news for you--my uncle's a lot worse than him and no way near as  
sociable when he's pissed off."  Tawa pointed out Niamh among the  crowd.  
"Locked her in a utility closet for being disrespectful."

"A  Marine?  Oh Gods, he's going to hang me by my toes," she groaned.  "I  
can't help be anything but disrespectful."
 
"Hang you by your toes or knock you on your ass," Tawa agreed with a  
snicker.  "He has no compunction whatsoever about fighting with  women.  Of 
course he 
might just be amused by you and teach you  instead."  He kissed the top of 
her head, breathing in her scent  again.  "Don't worry."

"Me?  Worry?"  She let out a bright  laugh and kissed his cheek firmly.  
"Nah.  I just don't like all the  blood running to the top of my head.  My 
hair's 
red enough, don't ya  think?"
 
"It's perfect the way it is," he told her.  "Very pretty."  He  nodded toward 
Niamh.  "So that's Lieutenant McLaughlin and see the Andorian  over there 
with the tall blond guy?  My father's bondmate."

Bennet  didn't know a lot about Andorians but that guy looked decidedly male 
from where  she was.  "Not your mother then," she mused.
 
"Did you think I was kidding when I said I hoped she crashed into a star?"  
he asked wryly.  "Hate's a mild word for what I feel for her.  Lish is  
probably only ten years older than me, if that.  Nice guy."

"Oooo, I  know her!" Bennet grinned as she pointed out FRix.  "That's one of 
my  cousin's roomies.  And there," she pointed to Alek, "is another.   They're 
nice people.  I pity them putting up with three Xenexians."
 
"So introduce me?" he asked.  "I used to have a regular roomie before  T'Pern 
but Butler got tossed in the brig."  He snorted with amusement at  that.

"How did you manage that?" she asked as she dragged him to where  Alek was 
deep in conversation with one of the nurses.
 
"Ah, well, that wasn't my doing for once.  Dumb ass got drunk and beat  the 
crap out of Sergeant Major Aigremont in front of Commander Menkara," Tawa  
explained, pointing over to the tall Vulcan sitting against the wall.   
"Commander 
was not pleased."

"Not sure I'd be pleased either, though I'd  end up defending the little 
guy," she grinned.  "Hey, Alek, come meet  someone!"

Alek nodded to Kawee then turned back to Bennet.  "I still  wonder at a 
person's ability to find a patch of joy in the gravest of  situations," he 
mused to 
himself at her bright smile.  Dark eyes settled on  the young man with her 
and he inclined his head.  "Very good to meet you,  sir.  My name is Sergeant  
Singh."




































"Tawa Pax, Sergeant," he said easily enough.  "Nice brig you've  got.  Much 
nicer than the one at the Academy."

Alek smirked at him  then inclined his head.  "More comfortable that the 
Marine Brig, I assure  you.  You should ask Dr Calhoun's shadow about that."


At that, Tawa's eyes found the tall Xenexian and, sure as hell, there was a  
shuttle sized Marine following the man.  "Ah, is that guy keeping people  away 
or is he keeping the doc away?"

"Both," Alek replied with a  chuckle.  "If you ever get a chance to wander, 
our ship has two  particularly different crew members.  One's a Vorta and the 
other's a  Jem'Hadar.  As you can imagine, Dr Calhoun is not too fond of  
either."
 
Tawa shrugged.  "It works out.  I have my uncle to shut me up,"  he said with 
a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"And me now," Bennet  chirped, tickling Tawa's ribs.

"Allah protect you!" Alek laughed  outright.
 
He had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out with laughter.   Grabbing at 
Bennet's hands, he said, "Warriors aren't ticklish.  Cut that  out."

"Then you're not a warrior," she teased as she fought to get her  hands free. 
 Instead, she bounced on her tiptoes and kissed him as deeply  as she could.
 
Alright, in a toe then in the whole foot.  He didn't care if his crew  mates 
and, worse yet, his CO were watching.  Tawa kissed her rather whole  
heartedly.  "My reputation's so shot," he said with a wink.

Alek  felt a blush rise on his cheeks and he turned to give them what little 
privacy  he could.

"Yup and it only gets worse from here," Bennet teased, her  bright eyes 
dancing.  "From here, I get to be as cute as I can and you have  to put up with 
it."
 
"Hmmmph," Tawa said merrily.  "I wonder if Uncle and General Quon are  like 
this when they're alone."

I shouldn't be listening in, Alek told  himself firmly.  But he was and he 
couldn't help it.  "General Quon?"  he asked as idly as he could.
 
"His bond mate," Tawa explained, wondering why the guy was so  interested.  
"I'd say his wife but I don't think they're technically  married.  Nice enough 
lady I suppose but she scares the hell out of  me."

Alek turned to face him completely, frowning.  "Has she ever  mentioned a 
Sergeant Singh to you?" he asked softly.
 
"Sir, I'm not too sure she even likes me since I wasn't too fond of her at  
first.  She was pretty ticked about something a few weeks ago,  though.  What 
did you do?" Tawa asked.

"I turned her down," he said  with guarded eyes.
 
"For what?  Not for nothing, sir, but you aren't her type and the  enarrain 
would kill you," Tawa told him.

His cheeks flushed again and he  almost choked.  "I'm engaged!" he said, 
clearly perturbed by Tawa's  bluntness.  "She... that is the General asked me 
to 
be her personal  physician.  By Allah, do you have smut for brains, boy?"
 
Tawa tried for a straight face.  It was what Dr. K was always warning  him 
about, about thinking before he spoke but it was still funny to see the  Marine 
react that way.  "No, sir, not at all but he really would kill  you.  Uncle's 
got no sense of humor that way," he said dead pan, smelling  of citrus the 
entire time.  "I can guess why she asked though."

"Why  is that?" Alek asked, barely coddled.
 
"She's pregnant," Tawa told him.  "I think you're safe though.   My father's 
moved her and Uncle into his quarters."

"Hmm, that I shall be  eternally grateful I never took that assignment.  Two 
pregnant women at  once would be entirely too much for me," Alek chuckled.
 
"Yeah but you miss out on such sterling characters like me," Tawa said with  
a snort.  "Ask the Andorian over there if you want.  He's my father's  bond 
mate."

"I shall take your word for it, Ensign Pax," Alek  chuckled.  "I can draw my 
own conclusions from your choice of  woman."

"Hey!" Bennet huffed, pouting a little.  "I think I've just  been insulted."
 
"He's just jealous because I got you first," Tawa said with grin as he  
pulled her closer.

Alek actually laughed at that and rolled his  eyes.  "No, thank you, I've got 
my own fireball."

"Pim!" Bennet  grinned.  "She's got a wicked sense of humour.  Almost as good 
as  yours," she purred as she snuggled against Tawa.
 
"And she probably has no spots either," Tawa mused.  "No offense,  sir."

"No, no spots and no offense."  Alek winked at Tawa as he  added, "Neither 
does young Bennet.  As a Xenexian, she would be  spotless."
 
"Yeah but she threatened to kick my ass and then asked to count the  spots.  
How could I pass that up?  The lady is beautiful and has  nerve," he said 
happily.

Bennet grinned dappily, idly playing with the  bottom of his uniform.  
"Gorgeous," she sighed.

"You're stuck now,  Ensign," Alek laughed.  "You'll never be rid of her."
 
"Don't want t'be rid of her," Tawa said softly, kissing Bennet's  nose.  "As 
weird as my family is, she'll fit right  in."

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