Preparing For The Sullivan Clan - Part One

Posted on Mon Feb 24th, 2020 @ 1:40am by Commander Siaxx Warfield & Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan

Mission: Mission 10: Holding on and Letting Go
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: 2000Hrs - October 20th, 2389

Having returned from the mission, Phoenix was a woman on a mission. She wanted very much for her family to have a warm welcome and according to the shuttle departure logs from the prison colony, that was only two days away.

...And another problem with her family coming was that she and Siaxx were not exactly a couple. And she had not really talked all that much of her parents to Siaxx, nor talked to her parents about them.

Everything about her relationship with Siaxx was so new and interesting. And she knew her parents would accept the same-sex relationship. But they were not the type of parents that approved of a frivolous and non-serious method to which the Bolian and the human ladies treated their friendship/relationship.

So the first step for Phoenix was to spend their first dinner back from their mission, showing Siaxx her family holo album and preparing her for meeting her parents.

She'll appreciate my take'n the time to shower, Phoenix thought a bit skeptically as she straightened out her burgundy polo shirt, and wiped her sweaty palms on her khaki cargo jeans.

After she checked her tan messenger bag to make sure she did not leave out a holobook, Phoenix then hit the chime on the door of Siaxx's door.

Concealed within was the Bolian of the hour though she didn't know it yet, Siaxx Dvald was wearing her workout gear, a tank top and a pair of shorts which showcased her lean but muscular legs as she stood before the replicator trying to decide what she wanted for dinner.

As usual she was drawing a blank as she could almost hear her friend and mentor, Commander Torilla Yamaguchi laughing at her as the doorbell beeped at her.

"Its open!" Siaxx called loudly and upon seeing who wanted to visit, a smile spread across her lips. "Phoenix... what's up?"

"You did say you were fixing dinner, in celebration of my heroic return," Phoenix answered with a Cheshire grin.

"Yes. I was expecting you tomorrow... and I can't decide what I want for dinner tonight." the Bolian sighed. "Feel like Bajoran?" she inquired. "or how about Andorian..... No Klingon though.... can't stand Gagh... I prefer my food when its dead."

"I aint into live food either," Phoenix laughed, then waved her hand aside. "You pick, Goddess."

She sighed. "Human food it is..." she looked at Phoenix. "So.... what are you allergic to?" she inquired.

Phoenix truly did not want to tell her about the rash on her chest. It was a rare occurrence that happened when Bolians' sweat glands mixed with the skin of humans. Brislan surmised that in large part, Phoenix reacted to the sexual encounter due to the poison in her skin. Special analgesic cream helped to clear the reaction up, but Phoenix would have to keep applying the cream after every encounter.

"Coconut is the only thing I'm allergic to," Phoenix noted off the top of her head, then tapped her duffel. "Thought I might tell ya 'bout my family and show ya some albums while we eat."

Siaxx raised an eyebrow as she regarded the other woman as an impish smile appeared. "Your family?" she inquired. "You've never mentioned them before now... are they coming here?" she inquired as she turned and ordered a Pizza and two large platefuls of French fries with a half dozen types of dipping sauce, clearly Siaxx liked her French fries.

"I aint really into personal talk with most folk," Phoenix informed semi-apologetically. "But you're part of my life, for ever how long or short a time. So since my folks just got paroled, it's only right I involve you in that aspect of my life."

Siaxx slowly nodded. "Fair enough." she responded quietly. "Its not the welcome home feast I promised but... I can make up for that later." she then smiled. "Are you spending the night?" she inquired.

"I can if you want me to," Phoenix spoke happily as she sat down at the table. Then she began to pull out several specially designed, but old, rusty holo albums. "Mom separated a lot of these into categories. Family vacations, sibling books. Sporting events - my twin brother was an ace keeper on the soccer field."

Siaxx smiled. "Sure, spend the night... gives us time to chat about things..." she moved the food over to the table which took her a few minutes. "So... tell me about your family... what are they like?"

"Irish... Sorta." Sullivan answered bluntly, and picked the family photo album first. Every time a child was born, a new family photo op was in the holo album.

All the children were either pure redhead or strawberry blond - like Phoenix. The last photo op consisted of Blake Jr, the oldest child and sixteen. He had his arms wrapped around a twelve-year old Phoenix under a massive willow tree.

She looked very thin and scrawny while Junior looked immaculately tall and muscular. Both smiled and were getting ready to throw mud at Tom - Jill's twin brother in the picture.

"Sullivans moved to America some five hundred years ago. But a lot of our Irish culture is there," Phoenix went on to explain as she looked a bit sad at her brother's picture. "Junior. Saved me and Tom's ass a few times, grow'n up."

"Until the war came calling...." Siaxx commented evenly. "Captain Reyth once explained to me that one can't always be prepared for every challenge that comes our way." she commented. "But these guys look adorable." the Bolian then smiled. "So... where are they all now... and why were your mom and dad in the slammer?" she arched an eyebrow in sardonic understanding. "Wait... let me guess... because they stood up to the Cardassians and the Federation didn't like that?"

"Mom's cell was the Maquis, before it was formed by Eddington," Phoenix explained with much pride. "Back when there was a war with the Spoon heads an' the Feds... She hated them more than I did, I think. Seeing as my brother Robby an' I are all that's left of her children, I can't fault her. An' I guess that's why she taught us ta fight dirty in take'n 'em out."

Phoenix's eyes lingered long on her twin brother. Just as scrawny as she in the picture, but had a vibrant red hue to his long curly locks. And the look she had was of haunt. As if part or half of her being was still missing. Twin bonds were often strange that way.

"God," Phoenix laughed bittersweetly. "Tommy an' I used to raz Junior an' his girlfriend Susan a lot by dive bombing 'em with water balloons, when they thought they were alone on their forest picnics. Then again, Junior was a bit of a prick to us when he started dating."

Siaxx chuckled softly as she ate a French fry. "Sounds like there is a lot more sides to your personality then I ever imagined..." she then rose to her feet. "Give me a few minutes... I'm not properly dressed."

With that the Bolian walked into the bedroom, she returned a few minutes later wearing only a dark red negligee which hid very little. "Now I'm dressed properly." Siaxx then came back over as she sat down where she was sitting before. "So... who's coming to dinner and what do they have in the way of food allergies so I can prepare this meal?" she inquired.

Phoenix stopped mid-bite of her pizza as she took in Siaxx. The Bolian knew how to distract her. She gave her that much credit.

"Err..." It should not of taken her half minute to come up with the answer, but it did. "My mom an' dad, an' a kid named Aryssa."

Siaxx raised an eyebrow as she looked at the other woman. "Okay, so feasting for five... sounds easy enough." she commented. "I will make sure a feast is prepared." she smiled. "How old is Aryssa?" she inquired. "so I know what not to prepare."

"Seventeen in three months," Phoenix noted off-handedly. "But I don't know if they have allergies, given the amount of time I've been away from them. I'd expect Mom an' Dad to have a far more worse degree of sickness that I had though."

Siaxx nodded, recalling the last chat about it. "Are you sure you don't want me to look into a cure for it?" she inquired. "Its not too late to change your mind on the matter." the Bolian commented evenly.

"If you want to, sure." Phoenix did not want to make Siaxx feel helpless, even though she knew it was a lost cause for thousands in those prison camps. "It's not that I am terminal either. It's that I don' want no more treatment for it. An' what Doctor Brislan did ta me really... well... Suffer'n is my penance. Don' think she gets it."

"She can't be expected to understand." Siaxx responded. "But you shouldn't have to suffer like this.... " she sighed softly as she knew that Phoenix had her mind set against it and that was how it would stay. "Anyway... tell me more about your parents..." she admitted defeat by changing the subject.

"Mom used ta be a university professor. An' then she met my dad. He's a farmer." Phoenix began to sift through the holo albums for the wedding pictures of her parents. Jillian looked more like her dad in the face. Especially in the cheekbones. But she had her mother's hair and eyes.

Siaxx watched in silence as she looked at the pictures of her family, a smile on her face as she had never guessed that Phoenix had this side to her personality.