[ussbansheec] The Swiftwind Family Fortress
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 19:05:41 -0400
_ The Swiftwind Family Fortress_
by Aki Midorikawa, Jeff Cameron, and Hakan, Kimi, Kawee, JT, Ellison, &
Luna Swiftwind
When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life.
~Antisthenes
The guards at the door of the Swiftwind cabin didn't even blink when the
youngest of them, against his father's orders to them, left without an
escort. They'd finally caught on and simply nodded a greeting when
Hakan slipped out. No, the guards weren't Hakan's problem. His mother
was. He loved her to pieces but he wanted to keep his secret to
himself, for the sheer pleasure of it, a little while longer before she
either found out on her own or he told her and his father. He realized
Kawee must have had an inkling that he wasn't acting the same but he
also knew she didn't know why. Only Kimi knew for sure though he
supposed Nightwalker did. If the old man really did know, he said
nothing and left Hakan in peace.
Now that their mother was in the bedroom, Hakan took a few quick steps
toward Kimi. "I'm goin' out, Kimi," he said softly.
"Be quick, I can hear Mama coming back out," Kimi warned with a wink and
a smile.
"Thanks, sis," he said quickly before ducking past the guards. Once the
doors were closed, he nodded at the guards and headed for Aki's place.
Kawee wandered out to the sound of doors hissing and she frowned at her
daughter. "Who was that?"
"No one," Kimi said absently as she focused on her bad novel.
"I heard someone go out."
"Ah."
Kawee gave her daughter a hard look, grabbed her coat and pushed past
the guards. "Try to stop me," she said firmly, "and I'll set my husband
on you."
Hakan let out a soft sigh as he pressed the chime to Aki's door.
Meeting her fathers had been alright, even if the one didn't really seem
to like him much. He just hoped they weren't in so that he could spend
some time alone with her.
It hadn't taken long for Kawee to catch up to her son enough to follow
him. Where on Earth was Hakan going? Sneaking out in the middle of the
night... Knocking on strange doors... Who did he know? When the door
was answered by a small oriental girl who subsequently kissed her son
soundly, all she could do was stare.
"They've gone out to find their Romulan friend," Aki chimed as she
pulled Hakan inside.
"Not that I mind, mind you," Hakan said with a grin as he wrapped an arm
around her waist, "but I wanted to be able to kiss you without one
giving me that look."
"I'm their littlest, he's bound to be sensitive," she sighed.
The door had shut but Kawee was left dumb-struck. Her boy had found
someone. Was he so ashamed of his family that he couldn't introduce
them to her?
"I know," he said with a sigh. "My father's no different. It's just
that I've never been on the receiving end of any of it, from anybody.
It's a wonder anybody ever came back to our house after the third degree
from both of 'em."
"You came back here," Aki said softly. "Or are you just coming back to
say it's over? I understand that my family is a bit too weird. I've
seen my brothers and sisters lose lovers because of it. So I get it."
"What? Not a chance," Hakan said as he flopped onto the sofa in the
main room. Jack wasn't in, her fathers weren't in, and neither were the
Romulans so they had the place to themselves. He held an arm out to
her, beckoning her close to cuddle. "So they're weird? Big deal.
Normal're people you just don't know very well. Three of us've found
their other half on the res and that meant three people who had to deal
with my parents. Everybody got through it. My folks were devastated
when my oldest brother's first wife died."
Dropping down next to him, she snuggled close as she held on tightly.
"Am I going to get a chance to be cross-examined by them before you
leave? Or is this a secret you want to keep?"
"Of course you are. You've already met my father but not like this and
my mother's come now, too. I think they'll love you but I just don't
want them to overwhelm you," he said softly after he kissed the top of
her head.
"They're not going to," Aki protested softly. "But then maybe your
father will think I'm only doing this to get close to you."
"He's never been the cynical sort but...I really hope not. Things get
awfully unpleasant when we disagree," Hakan said with a soft snort.
Kawee bit her lip as she stared at the door her son had entered. He
would be at least mildly peeved if she just rang the chime but if she
stayed out here, she'd have to go home and then explain to JT where
she'd been. Better to do that with Hakan and his lady friend, though,
if she had to admit it, the woman had looked more like a girl. In fact,
she'd be surprised if she was older than sixteen. Sighing at herself,
she decided the only way to relieve the curiosity was to knock and ask
so she padded over and rang the chime.
Aki opened her mouth to respond that she'd rather they didn't argue over
her but the chime rang so she frowned. "I put my fathers on the access
code," she said, "so it's not them."
"Visitors? Your supervisor? The Romulans don't look like they've left
yet," he said.
"We could go and see," Aki laughed as she climbed to her feet. As the
door swooshed open, it was hard to not notice the striking resemblance
of the woman in front of her to Hakan and his sister. ~~Hakan... Your
mother...~~
~~Yeah, that's her alright~~ He climbed to his feet, staring at his
mother as he walked over. A bit flustered, he leaned to kiss her cheek
and asked, "Mama, what're you doing here?"
"You snuck out," Kawee shrugged, glancing from her son to his lady. "I
wanted to make sure you weren't in some kind of trouble. I can see
you're not. Aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Um... come in, Mrs Swiftwind," Aki said softly.
"I'm twenty-nine years old, Mama. I don't need to sneak. I left,"
Hakan said mildly. He completely left out the part where Kimi
threatened the guards if they said anything. Instead, he took Aki's
hand and smiled at her. "Papa's kind of already met her but this is
Aki Midorikawa. I asked her to marry me."
"That's nice," Kawee said with a soft smile. "A word with my son,
please, dear?"
Aki gave Hakan a worried look that asked if she should go.
"She can stay, Mama. I've got nothing to hide from her," Hakan stated,
pulling Aki closer.
"Mm-hmm." Kawee crossed her arms and stared right into her son's eyes.
"You lied to us and you've put your sister in danger, not to mention
yourself and your fiancee. You do realise that you could have been
followed, don't you? I followed you. And if you found it easy to get
out, I'm sure someone would find it easy to get in. Would you be happy
if you came home to find Kimi and your father murdered? How about if
you snuck out to discovered your fiancee to be dead?"
"First of all, Kimi and her man know about this. So do the guards.
That tells me that they're probably still watching me even if I can't
see them or smell them," Hakan said steadily. ~~She has one point,
Aki. I can't lose you~~ "And it wasn't all that easy. It took Kimi
scaring them and me staring at them."
"Hmph!" Kawee glared harder at him. "And being followed? Don't deny
how easy it was for me to follow you. Would it make you feel better if
someone killed you as you..."
"Please," Aki cried, clutching at Hakan's hand so tightly it must have
hurt him, "stop. Take him home, wrap him in cotton wool and don't let
him out again. Please don't let anything hurt him."
"Would it be any different if I got tossed off a horse at home?" he
asked, not budging an inch. "Of course there's a simple solution to all
this."
"Oh?" both women said simultaneously.
If the situation weren't so serious, he might have laughed at that.
Instead, he shrugged and said, "I move over here with Aki til I go home."
"No," Kawee said instantly. "Not a chance. You were intending on
hiding her from us, why should you be allowed to hide yourself as well?
I've barely seen you since I came here. Am I not allowed to see my own
son now he's found a woman?"
"As a matter of fact, I wasn't intending on hiding her. I was simply
enjoying a respite from the Marine induced tension," Hakan told her.
"And I don't know how Papa's going to feel when he finds out."
"Why is that? You don't think your father will be over-joyed that his
son has found someone?" Kawee asked carefully.
"Oh no, it's not that at all," Hakan said, struggling to keep a straight
face. ~~Don't worry, it'll be fine~~ "D'you suppose he'd be real
pleased though if he sees the same reporter who knocked on the door
before coffee and asking for an interview?"
"A..." Kawee turned to stare at Aki then let out a bright laugh.
"You're braver than most people I know. Even the formidable Pim won't
go near him at that time of the morning."
"She knows Aunt Pim, Mama," Hakan said with a touch of pride, hugging
Aki closer with one arm. ~~You alright, Vehpotse?~~
~~You want to stay with me~~ Aki stared about in a kind of vague trance
with a soft smile on her face. ~~I've never lived with a man like this
before. You really want to, don't you?~~
~~Yes, I do. You know I have to go home eventually but I want to stay
with you til I do. Ne mohotatse, Aki~~
There was something else going on, Kawee could almost sense it but she
knew her limit with her son was fast approaching. "There's one thing
you can do to coddle me," she said with a fond smile. "Bring the girl
back to your father's cabin."
Hakan bit back a grumble of annoyance. Talk about not having any
freedom, he thought. Bad enough the whole station was making him
claustrophobic with its lack of fresh air. But it wasn't his decision.
~~Aki?~~
~~Do you want to hide me away? Are you... ashamed of loving the
reporter or someone so young?~~ She stared at her shoes as she held
onto him, knowing he wasn't ashamed but still not sure why he didn't
want to introduce her. To her, family was about sharing. Wasn't it to him?
~~Of course not! I'd marry you right this second if I didn't think your
father would have a fit~~ He stroked her shoulder gently. ~~Your age
and your job have nothing t'do with it. I don't want Papa thinking he
can tell you you can't leave either though.~~
~~Why would he do that?~~ Aki blinked up at him.
Huffing to herself, Kawee bustled past the pair of them and headed to
where she hoped the kettle was. "I'm making tea because I feel like a
spare tyre."
Hakan snorted in amusement. "Poor Mama, you know I love you," he said
with a smile. ~~Ah, because the cabin's supposed to be locked down
tighter than a vault? We can talk to him about it if you want but
there's also your own fathers to consider. You want to bring them to
meet my parents and sister?~~
~~They're not here and I don't know when they'll be back~~ Aki frowned
a little but raised her eyes to smile at him. ~~Does that mean you're
taking me to meet your family properly?~~
~~Of course, Vehpotse. There was never a question of that. Are you
prepared to deal with my father as my father and not as the general?~~
~~I have been from the moment you agreed to marry me~~ she told him as
she hugged him tightly. "I love you, Hakan," she whispered.
"Mama, leave the tea. We're going t'leave Aki's fathers a note and go
back to the cabin. Maybe Papa's back by now," Hakan said brightly, as
if there was never any tension to begin with.
Kawee sighed dramatically. "My fickle son," she teased as she poured
away the tea and Aki wrote the note. The older woman smiled at her,
reaching out to hold Aki's cheeks. "So you're the pretty little thing
who turned my son's head. I was beginning to worry no woman could. But
now I see the great shaman is just as human as the rest of us. Do you
think he's still prone to needing his mother now he has everything else?"
"Everyone needs their mother," Aki said softly.
"Mama," Hakan said as he draped an arm around his mother's shoulders,
"d'you think I was kidding the other day when I said you weren't getting
rid of me? I'm coming home to the res. I couldn't be anywhere else and
Aki knows it."
"You're a fool, Hakan," Kawee teased softly as she hugged her son. "But
you're my fool and Aki's fool. You look happy."
"I am, Mama," he said softly. "She makes me happy. She knows how I am
and takes me that way. My pretty little vehpotse, just like the purple
poppy mallows at home."
"I can see how you would see that," Kawee nodded, letting the girl go.
"Come, ladies," he said with a grin, "let's go keep the old man wide awake."
Aki took one arm and Kawee took the other so that they made quite the
imposing group as they walked back toward the cabin. "He won't be angry
after he's settled down," Kawee said with confidence. "You know your
father to be a reasonable man."
"That's funny," Hakan said wryly as he pointed up the corridor, "he
doesn't look particularly enthused. Doesn't sound it either."
For there JT was glaring down at the two guards and speaking in that
tone of voice that was only this close to actually yelling.
"But he's gorgeous when he's angry," Kawee sighed happily. Letting her
son go, she slid up beside the furious JT. "Don't eat them, my love,
they won't taste good."
JT wondered if a person's head could actually explode from sheer,
outright anger. He'd been that close to actually yelling at the two
guards when Kawee slipped her arm around him. He turned around and
settled those dark eyes on her, feeling a bit of the weight of worry
fall off of him. "Where have you been?"
"Around," she said easily, grinning at his almost purple face. She
placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I found a wandering man and his new
girl."
"What?" he asked before realizing that Hakan was standing there with
some girl latched onto his hand. No, not just some girl but..."You?!"
His eyes narrowed as he stared at Aki.
~~Shhh...it's okay, Aki~~
"Me," Aki agreed easily. ~~It's fine, it's what I expected~~ "Good to
see you again, General."
"Could we all step inside, please?" JT asked easily, not even blinking.
"I thought you said he wasn't going to be angry, Mama," Hakan muttered
as he ushered Aki in.
"He'll settle," Kawee said with total confidence in her husband's
ability to rationalise any situation.
As soon as the doors were closed behind them, JT stared at the three of
them. "I don't much appreciate having my authority undermined by my own
family nor do I like the idea that you all could have been killed.
What's wrong with you anyway?"
"I wasn't undermining your authority, sir," Hakan said levelly, "I was
underscoring my own."
Aki folded her arms as she sat on the first available seat but said
nothing, her face totally blank and her thoughts empty.
"But we weren't. Don't you trust us to have at least some common
sense?" Kawee asked softly.
JT let out a sigh of frustration and held Kawee close for a moment. "Of
course I do but Heckle and Jeckle out there said you threatened to set
me on them which means you were going after our boy. Am I right?"
Kawee nodded as she rested her head against her husband's chest. "I
wanted to make sure he wasn't in any trouble. He isn't."
"And how are you involved in all this, Miss Midorikawa?" JT asked,
finally turning to look at Aki.
Aki turned her empty eyes on the General as she said, "I seduced and
manipulated your son." Her cheeks coloured slightly to belie her
words. "It's what you're thinking, isn't it? That's what reporters do."
"Don't put words in mouth--that's what reporters do," JT replied.
"Papa..." Hakan began in a warning tone.
"Quiet, son. I asked her, not you," JT said in a conversational tone.
He folded his arms over his chest and looked at Aki still. "Well? Can
the smart mouthed answers if you please and just give me the truth."
"No, I answer to no one but my own fathers and my editor, and rarely
even to him," Aki responded. "If Hakan wishes to explain, he can. As
for me, accept me or don't, it makes no difference to me."
Hakan skewered his father with a dark stare but his mouth was bordering
on a smirk that he knew would really make him angry. "She's got you
there, sir," he said mildly. "To answer the question for her, since she
asked me to, what she's got t'do with all this is that I've been seeing
her since the day she came here to interview you. No, she hasn't poked
and pried for information and yes, I love her. Actually, we're getting
married. That's what she's got t'do with it."
~~Thank you~~ Aki wanted to hold Hakan tightly and kiss him for that
but she remained where she was, her arms folded and her face paling but
blank. "You have your explanation, sir."
~~Always, Aki~~ "Well, sir, is that answer sufficient? Because
honestly, I can't stand the thought of being kept behind closed doors
like a nun. It isn't right. I want t'stay with her or, if she'll
agree, have her stay with us."
"JT?" Kawee nudged.
JT stared at Hakan. He was never under any sort of delusion that his
son was merely normal but he was still his son. There had to be some
sort of compromise, especially with a lunatic running loose. He settled
his eyes on Aki, though. "Well, what do you suggest?" he asked her
curiously.
"I will do whatever is necessary to keep Hakan safe," she told him
honestly. "Even stay away."
"Listen, darlin', this has become a matter of you being safe now, too.
I'm sure you realize that," JT said in a softer tone. "I trust my son's
judgement and I don't dislike you. In fact, you really kind of amuse me
so you tell me, Miss it's not even sunrise yet, what can I do to make
sure you and my son are alright?"
"I honestly have no idea," she admitted. "I am not exactly used to
being in this situation."
"Would you object to an unseen guard?" he asked eventually. "Either of
you?"
"Depends how unseen they are," Aki said carefully. "Hard to be a
reporter with someone obviously following you."
At that, JT looked up at Kawee. "You remember Stan, Kawee?"
"Not exactly what I'd call an unseen guard," Kawee laughed. "Sweet as
anything though, a real favourite with the nurses."
"No, not back then but he's gotten much better. It took me a few days
to realize he was even on the station. He's still about as big as a the
side of a house but he's gotten much quieter over the years. I think he
might be just right for the job," he said with a smile. He was still
crouched down in front of Aki. "Trust me on this one, little one, the
man I'm talking about's a good Marine. He's quite learned when to keep
his eyes open and his mouth shut."
Aki nodded once. "He'll keep Hakan safe?"
"Well, yeah but that was meant for you, too," JT told her matter of
factly. "I know you know a lot about what's going on and now you're
really in it."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she said softly, her eyes lifting to
glance at Hakan.
"And you," JT said to Hakan, finally skewering the younger man with a
look full of fond exasperation, "are entirely too old to be sneaking
about like a teenager. Promise you won't give Stan the slip at least."
~~And he knows I can~~ Hakan returned his father's look without batting
a lash. "Yes. sir, but tell him to watch her first if it comes to it.
I got a bit more t'keep me out of the evil eye."
"I can see we will argue over this," Aki sighed. "I am not exactly
defenseless. And you are more likely to be targeted."
Hakan grumbled softly under his breath but he finally dropped in an easy
position at her feet. Resting his head on her knees, he looked up at
her. "I'm easy. If it came to it, I'd come back here. That alright,
Vehpotse?"
"Having you safe would be, living without you would not," she said as
she stroked his hair. "I would have to come with you."
Watching that, JT slipped his arm around Kawee. "Isn't that a pretty
sight, Kawee? They adorable."
"Ha!" Kawee crowed, "I knew you'd be a soft pushover when you saw them
like that." Laughing brightly, she tickled JT's ribs. "Silly old man,
you're just a romantic at heart."
"When have I not been?" he asked with mock offense. "Our family is my
life, Kawee, and you're its heart. Mine."
~~Compromise, Aki~~ Hakan said as he enjoyed her touch in his hair.
~~We both come back here if that happens then you can go back out with
Stan. If he's the same as I remember, he's a neat kinda guy.~~ "Papa
likes you, Aki."
"So I see," she chuckled as she took some of his hair and played with
it. ~~I can live with it if it means keeping you for a little longer~~
"Papa," Hakan said from his comfortable spot, "I think we can both deal
with that idea but don't blame me if the guy gets weirded out by me."
JT snorted in amusement. "That's fair enough I guess."
"But we have t'introduce you all to Aki's fathers. They're on station
somewhere."
"Oh sure," Aki groaned, "that'll go well."
"Do I even want to know what's with that tone?" JT asked as he dropped
onto the sofa.
"Oh yeah, I'm their regular poster boy kind of guy," Hakan said with a
snort.
"Well, sure," JT agreed, "you looked at their girl."
"And he was there when they came round this morning," Aki sighed. "That
just didn't go well."
"In which case, I'll promise to be on my best behavior," JT said mildly,
"so long as Hakan is."
"And when am I not?" he asked indignantly.
"When you decide to get assertive," Aki giggled, leaning down to tickle him.
~~Told ya I could be overwhelming~~ "Part and parcel of the good genes
I got," Hakan said with a grin. "Hey, is Kimi hiding? I want her to
meet Aki properly."
Kimi peered out from her room, grinning from ear to ear. "The lil
reporter survived, huh?"
"Am I really that bad?" JT asked, looking up at his wife.
"Hey, hemeho, come meet my soon to be wife," Hakan said with a grin.
"Aki Midorikawa, this is my third sister Kimimela."
"Hey," Kimi waved, pulling Jeff out of his room after her. "Glad my lil
bro got over himself and finally went to meet you."
Aki grinned, kissing Hakan's head. "Isn't he sweet?"
"Oh, a charmer," Kimi laughed.
Hakan hmmphed from where he was. "I'm being picked on," he said happily.
"You don't seem to mind so much," Kimi observed.
"Mmm...no, not really. I missed you and I have my vehpotse here with me
so I think I can handle it. Aki, the big guy with my sister's
her...what is it y'all are anyway? His name's Jeff Cameron and he's a
decent sort, right?"
"Oh definitely," Kimi grinned. "He's my boyfriend. Sort of..."
"Sort of?" Jeff laughed, pulled her into a hug and kissing her head.
"I think we're going t'have to hand out nametags when everyone's home,
Kawee," JT observed. "Good thing Ellison calls his Kimimela Mimi though."
"I told them all," Kimi said quietly.
Hakan looked mystified for a second. "Told who what because I don't
think I was here if I missed something."
"I called them, before Mama left," Kimi explained. "Elli, Aiyana,
Mahkah, all of them."
"Oh no," Hakan said with a groan. "Don't tell me you told Mahkah I was
sneaking out. I'll never hear the end of it."
"Not about you, you silly great moose, about me," Kimi huffed. "They,
y'know, didn't know I breathed and such."
Hakan took a lazy swipe at her with his foot but it was off by a wide
margin. "Did Elli show you our new niece then?"
"No," Kimi said softly, almost sadly. "Her and her mama were out. He
said he'd call back. Guess he's been busy."
JT hadn't been too pleased to hear that Kimi made outside calls but he
couldn't fault her for calling home. "Kimi, El's been helping Nameseme
with the construction business," he said gently.
"See? Too busy," Kimi nodded with half a smile. "It's fine, Papa,
really. I'll call back in a few days maybe. Or, y'know, when we get
back to Earth or something. No rush."
"I'll smack that man upside his head if he's being stupid about this,
Kawee," JT muttered.
"He isn't," Hakan stated with no doubt. He looked up at Aki and added,
"El's the one who kept me and Mahkah from killing each other when Mama
and Papa weren't home."
"I'm glad someone did," Aki smiled.
"Do not hit our son," Kawee warned, knowing JT never would.
JT hmmphed at Kawee and hugged her with one arm. "Never have, silly
swan lady. Kimi, doll, don't worry. If little brother says it's so,
then it's so."
Kimi just shrugged. "Hakan knows." Though she sounded slightly doubtful.
"Scuse me, Jeff," Hakan said as he moved himself from his comfortable
spot at Aki's knees. He moved to rest his chin on Kimi's shoulder.
"Oh, sister dear, your little brother hates the comm with a passion but
he loves his sweet little Aki. Call El for me so I can introduce her?"
"Oh brother dear, it's a time of learning new things, so do it
yourself," Kimi replied, elbowing him.
Hakan grunted at the well placed elbow then grabbed her hands from
around back. "Nice shot," he said with a snort but he left his chin on
her shoulder, close enough to whisper in her ear. "C'mon, hemeho, you
know I don't do that stuff. Please? El's not afraid of you."
"Not by much," she whispered back sarcastically. "But for you, I'll do it."
"He won't have t'worry about Papa smacking him in the head if he's being
stupid," Hakan grumbled to her but, after kissing her cheek, in a more
normal tone, he continued, "Thanks, Kimi. I can't be hiding my Aki,
y'know."
Rolling her eyes, Kimi slumped over to the comm unit and dialled in the
code for her brother's home. "Done," she called as she slipped away
from the seat. "All yours now, bro."
The face that appeared on the screen was not quite like looking in the
mirror but Hakan knew it all the same and he grinned when it saw it.
Fortunately, it grinned back at him. "Hey, little brat--I mean little
brother," Ellison said. "I thought you hated these things."
"I do but I didn't do the coding--Kimi did," he replied.
Ellison, only three years older than Hakan, managed to look entirely
like a ten year old boy. "Is she mad at me? I screwed up the code and
Luna wasn't home to unscrew it up for me."
"Don't whine," Kawee chuckled as she moved up behind her son. In a
softer voice, she added, "I think she's tired of being stared at by her
family, Ellison. She wants us to just accept but she expects us to turn
our backs."
"Well sure I'm gonna stare at her. I thought she was gone and I'm glad
she's back," Ellison stated. "That isn't why I didn't call, Mama. I
really did mess up the codes. I got too keyed up y'know. She gonna
talk t'me?"
Kimi held onto Jeff as she curled up on the sofa and shook her head.
"He can call here if he wants to talk to me."
Turning to stare at her daughter, Kawee folded her arms. "Now that's
just childish. Come and talk to your brother."
She shrugged one shoulder and pushed to her feet, her dark eye hard as
she stared at Ellison.
He'd heard what Kimi said and Ellison let out a sigh. The thought never
occurred to him that Kimi didn't know about his problem. Hakan and his
parents certainly knew but it never struck him that his other siblings
didn't know. Still, he grinned widely when he saw her. "Kimi! Baby
sister, I'm so sorry. There's a good reason i didn't call back but ask
Hakan or Mama and Papa to explain. Forgive me? Please?"
"No, Elli, you explain," she said, folding her arms and suddenly looking
for all the world like her mother.
Ellison's face took on a detached look as he looked his sister straight
in the face. "I really thought you knew this but didn't you ever notice
how long it takes me to figure out anything that isn't a blueprint or
something solid, Kimi?" he asked carefully. "Never wondered why I did
so good at geometry but not at anything that required a lot of reading?"
"No," she said softly. "Why would I? You're not thick so what does it
matter if reading's not your strong point. I'm not good at math. What
difference does it make?"
"Ah, brains have nothing to do with it, Kimi," Ellison said with a
slight smirk. "I can't read things straight sometimes. Even after all
these years, if it isn't something familiar, I mess things up." He
tapped his temple. "The wiring's not too straight up here. That's why
it tales me so long to do things that aren't familiar. If Luna had been
home, she would have read me off the code and I would have remembered
it. As it was, it got bumped out of the stored list when I called her."
"Oh," was all she said, her eye still slightly distrustful, still
waiting for the punch line if not the punch.
"Is that who I think I hear?" a woman's voice called from the
background. There was the patter of bare feet on a wood floor and a
heavy set woman with her hair in a single braid came into view. Her
round face broke into a broad grin when she saw Kimi. "Kimi! I thought
he was teasing me when he said our Mimi's auntie was found."
Kimi felt herself smile as she flushed. "Hey Luna. Not mad then?"
"Mad? Silly woman, you're my sister by choice, aren't you?" Luna asked
as she joined Ellison in front of the comm. Nudging her husband with an
elbow, she added, "Poor Elli here was so upset about the codes but you
should have heard him, Kimi. He was telling the baby all kinds of
stories about you."
Ellison reached to widen the view of the comm so that they could see the
baby Luna held in the crook of her arm. Smiling at the sight of his
daughter, he looked up at Kimi. "Kimi, this is Kimimela Ominotago," he
said softly. "She knows you already."
"She's beautiful, Elli," Kimi sighed. "Just so long as she doesn't
become a Marine, she'll be perfect."
"Hey!" Kawee prodded her daughter. "Both my daughter and my
granddaughter are perfect and always will be."
"Yeah and my daughter's a Marine and a fine one at that, not to mention
being beautiful," JT added.
"Aki, come see my niece and meet my brother and his wife," Hakan said,
holding his hand out.
Aki smiled as she slipped over and sat on Hakan's lap. "Hi," she said
softly, blushing a little.
"Well it's about time!" Ellison crowed. "Our baby brother finally found
some one willing to put up with him."
"Shut up, Elli," Hakan said good naturedly. "Aki, the wise guy on the
screen's my second brother and the two lovely ladies are his wife Luna
and my niece Mimi. Folks, this is Aki Midorikawa. I asked her to marry
me."
"Oh, aren't you a cute little thing," Luna exclaimed. "Don't worry,
hun, these Swiftwind men are made of fine stock. They're worth the
trouble."
"I know," she beamed. "Besides, I think it was me who asked you to
marry me," she giggled, cuddling Hakan tightly.
"Hmmm...she's right about that," Hakan said happily. "When she comes
home, she comin' t'stay in Oklahoma, too."
"Oh yeah, my fathers are going to just love that," Aki laughed.
"They'll never leave us alone, you know."
"S'okay. Elli can build on a guest room or three," Hakan said brightly.
"And an office for me and a huge garden for the dogs and cats," she
grinned as she started planning.
"Olivia's a foot sleeping kind of critter actually," Hakan said.
"Oh. Her," Ellison grumbled as he rolled his eyes. "She's taken
t'sleeping under Mimi's crib."
"Warm and cozy under there," Aki giggled.
"She's being a good Marine mascot is all," JT opined, "following the
general's orders to watch the baby."
Kimi wrapped her arms around her father and cuddled him rightly, laying
her head on his shoulder. "All Marines gotta do what the General says,
right, Papa?"
"Especially when the general would never ask anything of a Marine that
he wouldn't do himself," JT agreed, kissing her cheek.
"If you go undercover," Kawee warned, "or put yourself in any more
danger, I swear I'll move out. No more, JT, I won't do it any more. If
I had my way, Kimi would be out too."
"I'm not doing anything of the sort, darlin'. I think maybe Kimi's had
enough, too, but I could be wrong," he told her, hugging her close.
"I want something behind a desk or as a trainer, I can't go back out in
the field right now, papa," Kimi said softly.
Kawee leaned close to JT's ear and whispered, "I need to tell you
something, love. I need an answer from you about something."
"Alright. Let's go over there," JT said as he stood up. He waved a hand
at the young people and said, "We're just gonna go talk about you all a
minute."
"Oh great," Kimi laughed, "just don't go all gooey and lovey-dovey, okay?"
"As if we would," Kawee smirked. Taking JT's hand, she drew him to
where their children couldn't hear and looked up into his eyes. Her
hands rested on his cheeks as she brushed them softly. "I can't do this
any more, JT. I see her, my little girl, and all I can think is it
could have been you. Or worse, I could have lost you."
He kissed her forehead, not caring whether the kids were watching or
not. "I know, baby, I know. What answer is it that you want?"
"What I've stopped myself asking all these years - me or the Marines,"
she whispered, her eyes tightly shut now as she held onto her husband
for dear life.
JT settled a hand on either side of her face and lifted it so that he
could look into her eyes. "All you would have had to do was ask just
once, Kawee. I promise you, darlin', as soon as this business with
Kimi's done, I'm going home t'stay."
She let out a small sob as she kissed him deeply, passionately and
pulled him as tightly against her as she could manage. "Promise me,
swear it, please..."
"Would you look at that, Kimi?" Hakan teased. He glanced at Ellison on
the screen. "Mama and Papa are at it again."
JT almost gasped at her strength but he managed to hold a hand upright.
"Kawee, on everything I hold sacred and holy, on our family, I swear it."
"Don't leave me again," Kawee murmured, stroking his face, making sure
she knew he was there, that something wasn't about to happen to him just
because she'd finally had the strength to ask him.
"Not unless you get sick of me being underfoot at home," he said with a
soft chuckle. "Send me off t'babysit like we used to do with my dad."
"No, baby," she said softly, kissing him once more. "No. More like I
won't let you out of my sight for a moment."
"Then I count myself a fortunate man," he said happily.
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