Early Arrival

Posted on Fri Aug 25, 2017 @ 9:24pm by Commodore Michael Aravan & Spencer Aravan

Mission: Strange Matter
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD 28 || 1530 Hours

Michael entered the quarters that he shared with his wife and kids and quickly got rid of his uniform jacket as he looked around. "Spencer!" he called out as he sat down and worked on getting his boots off. "I'm home!"

Spencer walked out of their bedroom when she heard him call out and cocked her head to the side. "I wasn't expecting you home so early," she said, moving over to him so she could lean down to press a kiss to his lips. "Piper came by a couple hours ago to hang out for a bit, then she took the kids. They were all too eager to go with their favorite aunt."

When she kissed him, he pulled her into his lap and gave her a kiss that was as hot and passionate as they had been when they first started dating. He put his arm under her legs and one behind her back as he stood up and headed for the bedroom. "Then we have time," he said.

A startled squeal left her lips when he scooped her up, her arms instinctively moving to rest around his neck. To say he'd caught her off guard was an understatement. "Woah... what's gotten into you, Mikey?" Spencer found herself asking as she was carried off toward their bedroom. Hell, she really couldn't remember the last time he'd kissed her like that. Years ago.

"The joy of being alive," Michael said as he set her on the bed and pulled his uniform top off. "The pleasure of seeing you," he told her as his mind pulled up an image of Zahara standing naked before him. "And knowing that the kids won't interrupt us."

Spencer smiled and leaned in to kiss him briefly before she pulled back. "I'll go with that," she said, working on her own jeans and T-shirt.

He returned the kiss as he made quick work of his pants and helped her get hers off as well. "Computer, forward all non-emergency calls to Commander Weisz. I'm not to be disturbed," he said. "Lock doors."

"You don't want to be disturbed? This is new. I like it," she said with a grin as she settled back on their bed. This new side of him interested her in ways she couldn't quite explain, not that she really wanted to. There were far more important things to occupy her mind right now.

With a smile from ear to ear, Michael crawled onto the bed and looked at her. "Prepare to be boarded," he said. "Computer, lights out."

***Much Later***

Spencer was completely exhausted. Her chest was still rising and falling rapidly from exertion, but every single second had been worth it. As soon as she found her the ability to speak again, she looked over at her husband. "I'm not so sure I'll be able to walk after that, and this is definitely the part where you look smug."

Sure enough, Michael wore a smile that clearly said he had achieved his goal and was proud of it. He looked over at her and the smile got even wider. "Did I ever tell you that you're my fantasy?" he asked her.

"No," she answered with the shake of her head. "I don't think that you ever have. But, isn't it come kind of unspoken rule that your true fantasy should not be your spouse?"

"Can I help if I'm not very imaginative?" he asked before he gave her a kiss. "Would you like me to order something to eat or get you something to drink?"

"I guess I'm not very imaginative, either, because you are mine, too," she whispered, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. "Food and something to drink sounds absolutely amazing right now. I need to replenish all the energy you used up before the kids get home."

"How does bacon-wrapped surf and turf with Snickers Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake sound?" He asked her as he got up and stretched, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Spencer watched him with a grin. "Looks pretty amazing to me. I mean... sounds! Sounds amazing!" she corrected as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I bet it does," Michael said with a wide smile and flexed while he stood by the side of the bed with nothing on.

"You're killing me, Michael," she said with a groan. "I need food if I'm going to be able to keep up with you tonight."

He laughed. "I'm going to order the food," he said as he headed out of the bedroom still naked. "Get ready for round two."

"Fates help me," she murmured, rolling onto her side to close her eyes. This new side of her husband was interesting, but Spencer was wondering if she'd be able to keep up with him.

At the terminal, there was a message waiting addressed to him and Spencer. It was from Piper, and simply said, If it's okay with the two of you, I would like to the keep the Squirts tonight. They're having a blast, and have been keeping me busy, which is what I need with Gage being gone. I love you guys, and will talk soon. If you want to say goodnight to Ava and Little Mikey, my terminal will be left on.

Michael checked the message and smiled as he sent a reply. That's fine with me, Piper. I know they'll keep you busy. I'm worried about my brother, too, but he's a Marine and he'll come back fine. Give the kids kisses and love for us. Michael.

After that, he placed the order with The Black Hole and pulled up the Security footage of the detainment facility and watched again as Zahara made her clothes vanish. He shook his head and imagined the things she could do, then he wiped it from the screen and logged out.

He turned and shook his head again thinking of Spencer and what he was going to do to her next, then got the food when it showed up on the transporter and walked back to the bedroom. "One surf and turf and one Peanut Butter Snickers Brownie Ice Cream Cake," he said as he set them on the stand with plates and silverware.

In the bedroom, Spencer was still on her side, but she was sound asleep. It appeared that the Commodore wore his wife out in ways that hadn't been accomplished in quite some time. She stirred around briefly and mumbled something incoherent, then slept on.

"Spencer?" Michael asked before he saw her laying on her side with her eyes closed. He leaned in close to her ear. "I have brownie ice cream cake with extra goodies on it," he whispered. "And I'm going to eat my slice of it off of you."

In her sleep, Spencer's brow furrowed, and she waved him away. "Mama needs a few more minutes," she muttered, rolling onto her other side.

"The kids are staying with Piper tonight," he said as he moved to the other side and slid into bed beside her and got up close enough to spoon her. "It's just Mama and Daddy now."

She stirred around and cracked her eyes open. "Again?" Spencer asked softly. "Already?"

"Rest for a bit, love," Michael said even though he wanted to do anything but rest. "I can heat the food back up."

"The food is here?"

"It is, but you can rest," he said. "I wore you out more than I thought."

Spencer sat up slowly and stretched just before she ran a hand through her hair. She was in desperate need of a brush, but that was going to have to wait. For now, the former Commander used her fingers to try to make her hair look a bit normal. "I'm okay. Starving, but that can be taken care of as soon as you feed me."

Michael smiled and reached for the plate that had her bacon wrapped surf and turf on it as well as a baked potato dripping with toppings and grilled asparagus. He took the knife and fork and began to cut her steak up for her. "Your wish is my command," he said.

"You're literally going to feed me?" she asked with a smile as she watched him cut her steak. Whatever had gotten into him, Spencer found herself not wanting to complain about it. She could definitely handle being pampered a bit since it was rare things like this happened for her. "I won't complain for a second, either."

"I don't do nearly enough for you," he said as he offered her a bite of the steak which was done the way she liked it. "This is the very least I can do."

"You're a much busier man now, Commodore Aravan," she said, taking the offered bite. Once she chewed the tasty morsel, Spencer swallowed it before speaking again. "We understand, too. Now that you're a flag officer, your time is required much more than it used to be."

"You have no idea," Michael muttered. "The sheer amount of PADDwork has been keeping me locked in the Ready Room every hour I'm on duty if I'm not needed on the bridge. I'm the Executive Officer of our task force and have to approve a ton of minor requests every hour." He cut up the lobster tail and offered her a bite of it with bacon.

Spencer accepted the second bite and looked thoughtful for a moment while she chewed and swallowed. Her husband was an incredibly busy man, and the fact he was home with her right now made her feel pretty amazing. "And we don't need to add anymore to your load."

"You'll never be considered work, though," he said as he cut up the asparagus before he offered her her glass. "You and the kids are and always will be my pleasure."

She accepted the glass and took a sip just before she nodded her head. "I know that, and so do the kids, but your career is only going to pick up more from here. The only way you can go is up," she pointed out, cradling the glass in both of her hands. "Ava and Little Mikey are total balls of energy, and keep me going from the time they wake up until they're finally asleep, so I think our primary focus should be them. It's time for me to go see Doctor Gilah and have myself fixed."

"My career is right where I want it to be. Any higher and they'll take away my ship." Michael paused in cutting up the rest of her steak. "As in unable to have any more kids?"

"Yes," Spencer replied.

"What brought this on?" he asked as he offered her a bite of asparagus.

"How busy you are," she answered softly, taking the offered bite as to not upset him.

"Hey," Michael said softly. "I may be a Commodore now, but that doesn't mean I have to work double shifts every day. I still do Alpha shift and the other two belong to you and the kids unless something comes up."

"I know, but I don't want to out anymore added stress on you. If I did this, neither of us would have to worry about making sure we took our shots every month anymore," his wife stated, keeping her gaze locked on his. "We'd never have to worry about my health again, either."

"We could always adopt when things stabilize," he said as he offered her another bite of steak. "There's plenty of orphans out there."

Spencer took the offered bite and nodded her head as she chewed. It took her a second to swallow it, then she was taken a sip of her tea. "Maybe," she spoke, not dismissing the possibility of adopting in the future. "But things never really stabilize in space. Ninety percent of the time, it's one thing right after the other."

"Maybe I can pull rank and get us some cushy assignments for a while," Michael suggested. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it and offered her a bite of the baked potato.

She took the offered bite, but took the fork from him after she settled her glass on her nightstand. "You need to eat, too. I can feed you for a while, if you'd like." she said, spearing a piece of steak onto the fork and holding it out to him.

"I have a plate but I wanted to make sure that you were being taken care of first," he said as he reached for his plate.

"You've always made sure I was taken care of," she pointed out with a smile as she leaned over to kiss him. "Ever since the day we met."

"And I'll do it until the end of time," Michael promised her with a kiss. He cut his steak up and took a bite, not even caring that it was getting cool. "You're worth every second, too."

"Let's renew our vows," Spencer said, looking back over to him. She was definitely serious. "Our babies can be a part of it this time. We can make it happen next shore leave. On a beach somewhere with both of our families present, and people from the ship that we're close to. Maddy and Tom just right off the top of my head."

"It'll definitely have to arrange for that to happen," he said as he ate a bite of his baked potato. "I'd like to invite Alex Rho as well. Me and Maddy have made him Second Officer today and he seems to be doing very well at it, as well as his commitment to the ship for Intelligence."

"I'll make it happen. All you have to do is show up," she stated, leaning in to kiss him. "And give me a list of everyone you want to invite."

Michael returned the kiss. "I'll do more than just show up," he said before he took a bite of lobster. "I'll make it the second greatest day of your life."

"Well... the day we got married and both days the kids were born are all the best day of my life," Spencer pointed out. She could remember those three days like they were yesterday... date she wished she could revisit. "I love you, Michael."

"I love you, too," he said. "Care for a bite of that cake before it melts?" he asked her while making mental plans.

"Absolutely. We can't have it melting," she replied with a smile.

Michael reached for the two covered plates that had came with the dinner and offered her one as he took the cover off to reveal the decadent desserts which The Black Hole had sent with their order. "I don't think I'll be able to fit in the command chair after I eat this," he said.

Once she accepted it, Spencer gazed down at the goodness that was settled before her. "I'm going into a sugar coma just looking at it."

"Worth it," he said as he reached for his fork. "Oh, Piper is keeping the kids tonight, but has her console up for any messages. She said they're keeping her busy and that's what she needs to keep her distracted with Gage on the away mission with the Marines."

"I'll check in on them soon," Spencer said, taking a bite of her sweet goodness. She looked thoughtful. "How long do you think they'll be gone?"

"I have no way of knowing," Michael said. "They have to get there, rescue the hostages and get out again without being caught. It's a zero footprint mission that isn't even being acknowledged by Command."

Spencer shook her head. "I don't want to know anything else about it. Some things just aren't for my ears, and that would be one of them."

He offered her a bite of the ice cream cake of wickedness and smiled. "I bet you miss Command, don't you?" he said. "Having to keep so many dirty secrets."

"Sometimes, I do miss it," she answered honestly, taking the offered bite. Only a few more of those, or she'd be spending the next week in the gym trying to work it off. Once she came out of her sugar coma, of course. "My career meant a lot to me for a long time, but things happen, and life changes without any kind of notice."

"It really does," Michael agreed as he took another bite of his dessert. "I miss you at my side, giving orders and being my advisor. Now I have a different person there, a new advisor and a Second Officer." He gave a chuckle. "It took three people to replace you, Spencer, but you're still irreplaceable to me."

"Three?" Spencer asked.

"Three," he said. "Lieutenant Lischka is now the Mission Advisor and Lieutenant Rho is the new Second Officer."

Spencer smiled. "You have a hell of a team around you."

"I won't say that they aren't useful, but they aren't you," Michael said before he gave her a sweet tasting kiss.

After returning the kiss, she smiled again. Life was different being outside of Starfleet, and maybe someday she'd make her way back to it, but her focus now was her husband and their children. They needed her more than anyone else. "I'm so glad that things worked out for you, and maybe I'll make my way back to active duty if I can convince them to reinstate me when our youngest is a bit older."

"They have other than needing more time in a shift," he said as he set his plate aside. "And you at my side, but I'm content to have you at my side for two thirds of a day."

Spencer put her own plate aside. She couldn't eat anymore if someone paid her to. "Not always two thirds, but I'll take it."

"So, what do you want to do now?" Michael asked with a grin when she set her plate aside.

"I think you know," his wife said with a grin as she settled back down on the bed.

With an even bigger grin, her husband joined her and ordered the lights out.