<USS Avalon> Good Influences
- From: TKilyle@xxxxxxx
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 05:40:17 EST
Good Influences
by Li Nalas and Maggie Stuart
A smile creased the face of the grandfather as he lifted his grandson from
the sleeper. "He'll only grow up and too fast for your liking, I'm sure."
"Child, you don't care that you've been held by the Emissary, do you?" the
grandfather asked as he settled the boy into the crook of his arm. The baby
blinked eyes that looked to stay as blue as his father's. "Ah, giving Grandpa
the silent treatment, are you? Then that would mean you don't care that
Grandpa is the renown 'hero of Bajor', do you?"
Of course not, the grandfather told himself as he left the cabin he shared
with his daughter and son-in-law. Oh, there were those who felt that it was
beneath him to simply be a grandfather and nothing more. Surely, they said,
the Prophets returned you to Bajor for a higher purpose. And the grandfather
had smiled, knowing, without a doubt, that the Prophets and the Emissary gave
him the choice to come back and that the only reason that choice even
existed was because of his daughter's wish.
"That Nightwalker was right, child. I am here with you because I want to
be. You may be Blessed by the Prophets, held by the Emissary, and grandson of
the Narvach but you're also just plain old Li Nalas' grandson, Zachan, and
Grandpa loves you."
Maggie giggled lightly as she sauntered down the corridor. That Josh was a
strange wee bunny but seemed nice enough. Then there was Mac. Her old
cheeks flushed a little. "Five," she chuckled. "Then my little Gracie. That
makes six."
With this one, he told himself, you get to start all over, to start as you
would have wanted with the others. He was going to just enjoy the child's
existence and the company of his own daughter and her husband. 'And where
shall
we go, Zachan? Shall I take you on a walk so that you can meet many people?"
Six, she thought, is a good number. "Six," she whispered with awe as she
wandered around mindlessly. "I could be a Nanny."
"Now," Nalas said as he walked in a meandering path toward the viewing
window, "you may be the first one, Zachan, but you won't be the last. Oh no,
your
Aunt Anna's having five. Imagine that. And then your mama's friend is
having two and another lady's having one. As Benjamin would have said, you
almost have a baseball team."
"Oh," Maggie said, startled at the man and the child at the view port, "I'm
sorry, I didnae know there was someone in here."
"It's not our exclusive window, ma'am," Nalas said with a smile. "His eyes
might be big but they aren't big enough to take it all in yet."
"They will be soon," she chuckled as she stepped over to smile at the baby.
"And he'll be stood at your elbow asking why, why, why to everything you
say."
Nalas smiled at his grandson with the light fuzz of auburn hair and couldn't
help but laugh. "Child, that's twice now someone's said that about you.
You're going to be a terror." He held his free hand out to the woman. "Li
Nalas and my grandson Zachan."
"Heard of you," Maggie grinned as she took his hand. "Margaret Stuart,
Lieutenant Davis' holographic aunt."
"Well, as the Humans say: the reports of my demise have been greatly
exaggerated." He looked at her curiously. "A hologram are you? Amazing.
How is
it that you walk about?"
She tapped her broach significantly. "Made for me by a very brainy man.
Cutie too."
"Ah, the quiet one my daughter works with: Joshua? Amazing," he said again.
"I was gone a long time and then a another short time and the things that
pop up. Why are you out and about, if I might ask. I don't know as I've ever
heard of one of your being walking about."
"Stretching me legs," she said as she rolled back onto her heals then up
onto the balls of her feet. "Needed to let my niece and her lovely girlfriend
hae some alone time."
Nalas shook his head. "Do you hear this, Zachan? See what they've done
while I was away?" he asked as he addressed the baby. He smiled at the woman
(hologram?). "I was gone, you could say, for quite a while."
"Aye, I'm aware," Maggie smiled jovially. "You're no exactly low profile.
Even holograms hear news about saviours of Bajor and the like. Don't mean
we're in awe of youse, mind. More aware is all."
Nalas laughed at that. "Well thank the Prophets for that, then. My
daughter and son-in-law aren't quite in awe of me either but the captain
fainted
when he saw me. I'm just glad I've been allowed to stay with my boy here," he
stated, dark eyes smiling down at Zachan. "And what brings a fine lady
hologram like you to being off the deck?"
"Grace. She's to be my niece's daughter by marriage," Maggie stated simply
with a warm smile in her eyes. "They needed someone to help them look after
the wee one so they asked if I would. I love bearns." Her wistful smile was
back as she beamed down at the baby. "Bonny wee things, even of they scream
like the devil himself sometimes. My niece, she's no idea how to look after
a bearn so I'm also teaching her for when she has one herself."
"Now that is a wonderful idea. There's a lovely little Bajoran nurse aboard
and my daughter's quite fond of her but there's nothing like family to help
you take care of your own," Nalas said, nodding in agreement. "I don't mean
this disrespectfully but may I assume that your predecessor walks with the
Prophets now?"
"Who? The real Margaret?" Maggie burst into peals of laughter, tears of
mirth gathering in her eyes. "That old cronie, never. She's my main source
of
gossip back on Earth, if she dies I'm going to heaven or hell to drag her
back."
"Well, I suppose if she doesn't mind then it's all the better. That's just
more of us in the face of the Avalon kindergarten," Nalas said with a
chuckle. He nodded toward his now sleeping grandson. "Does this look like
the
first of many, the many titled and over heralded child? Looks like a sleepy
son
of Ming and Vilya."
"Looks like a well loved bonnie wee baby to me." Maggie leaned close to
smile down at Zachan. "Looks like a tired wee bearn who needs his crib."
"Ah he likes to be with Grandpa though and take walks. He falls asleep
easier that way and Grandpa gets exercise," Nalas told her. "And your niece
had
you created to help out? Wonderful idea."
"Aye," Maggie nodded slowly. "All this modern technology's a marvellous
thing. Though I did have a crazy hairdo for a few minutes until the quinie
turned it back."
"Do you think you'll be busy enough with just one?" Nalas grinned and shook
his head, remembering what little of his children's childhood that he shared.
Findel and Vilya were typical Bajoran children, even under Cardassian rule.
"Apparently there's another five wee ones on the way." Maggie beamed like a
lighthouse. "I'm going to offer my services tae them, maybe give them a
chance to keep their careers."
"Add two more to that then," Nalas told her. "My daughter tells me there's
a Cardassian lady aboard carrying twins. A Cardassian. It's a sign of the
times I tell you. Hated them for years and now...eh, I haven't met the girl
but my daughter values her friendship so she must be alright."
"Aye, things change, hatreds have to be set aside one day so why not today?
My father used to tell me how he and his father hated the Klingons so much,
five hundred years ago on Earth there was a war that left a whole race of
people hating another, the Jews and the Germans, but people move on, they grow
up, they forget a whole lot quicker than maybe they should. And you know, I
think it's a good thing."
"This boy," Nalas began as he hugged his sleeping grandson slightly, just
lightly enough to not wake him, "will learn from his Bajoran mother and his
Human father and all his little soon to be cohorts. Being dead didn't give me
insights, though. It's wishful thinking on a grandfather's part."
"Being a grandfather gives you insight," Maggie told him softly. "Being old
enough to be one makes you at the least worldly wise, if not actually wise."
"I know but you'd be surprised how many people expected it of me when I was
home. Being dead isn't quite what they thought and what I spoke of with
Benjamin...that's between him and me. Maybe the little man here, too, if he
ever
remembers," Nalas replied with a smile.
"Then wait to talk to him," Maggie shrugged, "and keep the rest to yourself.
What's between a man and his god or his friend, should stay that way."
"You're going to be a good influence on them," Nalas stated. "You've got a
good head on your shoulders."
"And as long as you don't let the wee boy get too big for his boots, you'll
be good for him too," Maggie said with a wink.
Nalas rolled his eyes in remembrance of the nauseating fawning attention
he'd gotten on Bajor. Some of it was genuine but there was only so much a man
could take. "Oh, I won't let him and I doubt his parents will."
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