The New Family

Posted on 17 Feb 2014 @ 10:01am by Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Lieutenant Teth Miir

7,399 words; about a 37 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Dusseldorf, Germany, Earth
Timeline: MD 23 - 0900 hrs

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Olsam had heard from his brother's cousin's best friend's uncle's barber, who was married to the Caitian midwife's assistant, that Teth's sister had given birth the day before. Without much thought for privacy (or even an understanding of the concept) the Bolian had immediately purchased four tiny little outfits that the store associate had promised would be well-received by a caitian family and set off for Dusseldorf. He'd also brought along with him seven other bags stuffed full of traditional baby gifts from Bolarus IX, including a tiny dilithium crystal meant to bring good fortune to the family.

By the time he arrived at Teth's home, he was panting heavily and sweating profusely; somewhere between Paris and Dusseldorf the bags had become incredibly heavy. As he pressed the door chime, he decided to slump onto the stoop and let the bags drop to give his hands, shoulders and arms some relief.

An older Caitian man, answered the door. He was roughly sixty years old and every bit as tall and imposing as Counselor Miir. His fur was brown with a faint darker brown striped pattern. He wore his mane shaved close, the same length as the rest of his hair, and was wearing what appeared to be mint green surgical garb.

"Are you that doctor friend of Teth's?"

"Uh, well, I'm a doctor friend of Teth's. I don't really know if I'm the only doctor friend he has, but I'll be sure to ask," Olsam said, smiling through heaving breaths.

The caitian man looked down at all of the bags and then back up at the Bolian, a bemused expression across his face. "Were you planning to move in?"

"No, why do you ask?" Olsam said, following his gaze down to the bags. Very, very slowly the light bulb went off. "Ooohh. You mean because of the bags. These aren't for me, these are for the babies. You seem to live in a nice neighborhood, though. Is there a guest room? Maybe I could just move some of my things in there to make visiting Teth easier. What are the dimensions? I have an old bed in storage-"

"Olsam!" Teth yelled from behind his father. "Please, come in, let me help you with those."

Teth pushed his father aside and grabbed Olsam's dropped baggage.

"This is my father, M'zeo." he said, shifting sideways through the narrow atrium into the living room. "And yes, father, this is my doctor friend. Olsam."

"It is nice to meet you Dr. Mott, but I must be going." M'zeo said before sliding out the front door and slamming it behind him.

On a couch, R'lara sat under a pile of partially mobile infants in special tiny pink diapers, holes cut out for their tails. The babies all had a indigo tinge to their grayish fur, save the smallest one who was solid white. They clung to and climbed their mother, making various squeeks and cooing sounds. R'lara just stared blankly at the Bolian, appearing almost amused.

"R'lara, you remember Olsam, right?"

"You decided to come back." the new mother stated dryly to the doctor. "I heard your attempts to "help" my brother were a failure."

Olsam spun around, having been looking at the front door and wondering where Teth's father had gone off to in such a hurry. They seemed like a very blunt family. "Yes, of course I came back. Was I not supposed to come back?" He looked at Teth, on the edge of embarrassment. "Uh, and no. My attempts to remove the implants did not succeed, but I'd be a horrible doctor if I ended my treatment after one unsuccessful surgery. Right now, I'm trying to find a girlfriend for Teth and encourage him to have a lot of sex." He smiled brightly and clapped his friend on the back.

R'lara doubled over in laughter at the last remark while Teth sat on the couch, burying his face in his hands and doing his very best to pretend that comment never happened.

"I didn't know you were having so many problems, little brother." R'lara said, visibly amused. "

"You are ten minutes older than me, R'lara, I am hardly your little brother." Teth quipped, still avoiding eye contact and resisting his urge to strangle Olsam.

"Well you know there is a very reputable brothel a few blocks over, I hear they even have some Caitian and Rigelian girls working there. Or are you even interested in girls?" she goaded.

Olsam gasped and turned to Teth, looking no less shocked than if he'd found out the universe was going to collapse in on itself. "Teth!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me you were interested in sexual experiences with men? Were you embarrassed? You didn't have to lie to me. That makes it a lot easier! There are any number of men on the duty roster who would probably love to have an interspecies sexual encounter with a caitian. I heard the quartermaster will sleep with practically anyone! Hold on, we'll get this fixed right now." Olsam reached up and tapped his commbadge. "Dr. Mott to-"

"I swear to the gods that if you press that com-badge I will rip the eyes out of your skull." Teth screamed, suddenly standing on a nearby sofa, wielding what appeared to be a grape peeler pulled from a nearby fruit basket brought by Dr. Mott. All the while R'lara grabbed her babies and ran for cover.

Olsam's lips froze in an "O" shape, and he looked from side-to-side. Being threatened with ocular extraction and a grape peeler didn't seem to faze him too much. "What, you don't like him?"

"This is just very inappropriate conversation to be having right now, Olsam." Teth said, maintaining his stance.

Olsam looked from Teth to his sister on the far side of the room, lifting an eyebrow in question. His demeanor suggested he didn't really consider Teth a threat; people often yelled and brandished makeshift weapons at the Bolian physician. So far very few people had used them. "R'lara, has he always been this much of a prude?"

His sister laughed. "He's always been very uncomfortable with sexual topics. Every time something like that came up, he would get all anxious and leave the room."

Olsam began to grin. It started off slow and then grew bigger and bigger as he turned to look teasingly at Teth, who he imagined was blushing if he could actually see his skin. "Oh, I had no idea. I'm sorry, Teth. We can discuss possible sexual partners at another, more private time. Or maybe I'll just draw up a list and send it to you. I have a few people in mind."

"I don't even want to comment on that." finally dropping the grape peeler and sitting back down on the couch.

"Is there a reason you came over?" Teth asked feeling defeated and humiliated and hoping to direct conversation elsewhere.

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten," Olsam said, reaching for the bags. He seated himself on the floor and spread them out around him, selecting the largest first. "I heard from my brother's cousin's best friend's uncle's barber, who's married to R'lara's midwife's assistant, that she had her babies! So I went right down to the store and I bought these cute little clothes for them."

One by one he began to produce outfits that were surprisingly fashionable, functional and useful. He reached for the other bags and crowded them around.

"And these are traditional gifts given on Bolarus after the birth of a child. Uh. Most of them are regionally specific. I couldn't decide, so I bought all of them. I know they aren't Bolian babies, but they're my friend's sister's babies which practically makes them Bolian."

"Aww... that is very sweet of you Mr. Olsam." R'lara said holding up a tiny green shimmery baby jumper. "You really didn't have to do all this."

"No, no," Olsam said, holding up a hand to ward off any protest. "We're practically family now! You know, sorta. As family-like as Bolians and Caitians can be. Oh! Look at this."

Somehow he managed to pull an entire tree branch out of one of the oversized duffel bags, holding it aloft. He pulled several shiny ornaments from the depths of the bag and began hanging them from the branch. Most of them looked similar to seashells, sea glass and other oceanic life. They seemed to glow all the more by dangling from such a scraggly looking tree branch.

"This is a donepion," he announced, waving it around so the baubles colliding like a wind chime. "It's supposed to ward off evil spirits or some stupid thing like that. The Bolians who live on the coasts are weird. I think it just looks pretty."

The branch immediately caught the attention of all four of the babies, whose large, jewel like eyes were transfixed on the ornaments.

"Well at least the girls like it." Teth said from the other side of the room.

Olsam nodded. "Oh, I also brought this." He pulled one of the bags to the forefront and opened it, revealing some sort of audio-playback device with a lot of different lights on the front of it. "A lot of Bolian babies are born in orbit near a warp core; some superstitious thing about good fortune, I don't know. My parents did it with me." He fiddled with some of the controls, frowning. "And then others are born by the sea..." His brow knit together in frustration. "So this thing is supposed to emulate the sights and sounds of a warp core or the ocean or..." Suddenly the thing turned a garish green color and filled the room with the squawking sound of birds and ape-like creatures. "...OR THE FOREST," Olsam shouted, trying to shut it off.

"Let me guess!" R'lara yelled over the noise, "It's good luck to be born in the forest?!"

"YES IT IS," Olsam yelled, finally deactivating the device. "Uh...volume control's on here somewhere... Anyway, the manual is in the system's menu. The rest of these things you can just use to decorate their room. Or rooms. Probably a couple of rooms." He looked around at all the bags, blushing. "Maybe I got a little carried away..."

"I am touched by your generosity, doctor." She said. nursing two of the babies, she lowered her voice "And especially for a stranger. I apologize if I have been rude to you. I know you mean a lot to Teth and that you went through great lengths to help him. Thank you."

Teth stared out the window, pretending he was somewhere else. Hearing R'lara talk about him as if he weren't there inspired nothing more.

"No problem," Olsam said, smiling. The concept of "strangers" was a difficult one for him, so he shrugged it off. And being rude wasn't generally something he picked up on. You missed a lot of things when you were an eternal optimist. He started digging around in one of the smaller bags, which seemed surprisingly full of stuff. Whatever he was looking for must have been at the bottom because nearly everything in the container was being dumped out on the floor around him. "Hey, Teth! I brought something for you, too."

"Oh?" Teth quirked an ear, feeling a great deal of apprehension as Olsam tried to dislodge whatever it was that was crammed into that tiny bag.

Olsam finally produced a medium-sized box wrapped carefully and artfully in shimmering blue paper. A white ribbon ran around all sides, seemingly without beginning or end. With a great deal of ceremony, the Bolian sat up on his knees and handed it over before sitting back on his haunches and watching with excitement.

"It's Bolian Friendship Pottery!" he suddenly shouted, unable to contain himself long enough to let Teth open the gift. "I made it myself!"

The piece of pottery was so strangely shaped that it was difficult to tell if it was sculpted at the hands of an amateur or a genius. Despite being somewhat misshapen, it was nonetheless extraordinarily beautiful. The clay had received a cerulean glaze, and delicate lines of gold and silver ran in dazzling geometric patterns all over the surface. The removable top sloped unevenly down the side, though the fit was tight.

Teth just held the thing in his hands for several minutes. Slowly rotating it and analyzing the iridescent lines in intricate symmetry.

"It's beautiful." the counselor said sincerely. This irritated him because he still felt irritated by Olsam's outburst moments before. "Bolian culture seems to be greatly entrenched in ritual. Do most Bolians go through such great lengths to preserve them, or do you have a special affinity for it?"

"We have some rituals," he nodded. "Hm, no. I just like my friends, so I spent a lot of time on it. Don't open it! You're not supposed to open it when I'm around. You can open it later. There are some slips of paper inside, but you can never read more than one at a time. I'm supposed to write friendship memories or compliments on them. When you run out of slips to read, I'll bring some more. Or maybe I can beam them into the pot..." His eyes unfocused as he went into thought, wondering how disastrous that would or would not end up being.

"That is a very touching sentiment." Teth replied, almost tearful from the emotion of the whole day.

"I am quite sorry that I threatened to enucleate your eyes with a grape peeler. I've not really been myself lately-"

"That's an understatement." R'lara quipped, "Dr. Olsam, I don't suppose you're also a psychiatrist? That's really what he needs. He shouldn't be on duty."

"Oh, it's okay, you aren't the first person to threaten to rip out my eyes," he said, smiling and waving it off. "No, I am not a psychiatrist. At all, really. I'm just a physician; I can heal the body but not the soul. However, I have been speaking with a psychologist colleague about some alternative therapies for Teth since he doesn't seem interested in my sex therapy regimen. Have you not been feeling well, Teth? Are you exhibiting any physical symptoms?"

Out of habit he turned to grab his tricorder but found that it wasn't there.

Teth stared at the doctor, hoping to materialize a phase pulse from sheer will.

"But that isn't why you're here today doctor, right?" he pleaded to drop the topic. "This is a time of celebration for the birth of four beautiful if not oddly colored little girls."

Olsam looked from Teth to R'lara and the babies then nodded.

"Oh, you're right. I can probably just use some remote sensing to scan you when you're asleep, anyway. The babies are oddly colored? They look like a normal color to me. Do they glow when the lights are shut off or something? You should probably get a doctor to look at that," he said, speaking as if he wasn't a doctor himself.

"Apparently they aren't entirely Caitian." Teth snipped.

"You see how the three pigmented ones have that iridescent purple quality of their fur? That isn't a naturally occurring trait of our species."

"No, I believe it's a Kzinti trait," Olsam said, squinting for a better look. He nodded. "Yep, mixed heritage. Is that a problem? I can't think of any apparent medical problems from such a joining. I mean, I'm no expert on Kzinti physiology..."

"No problem." Teth said, turning to his sister but still speaking about here as if she weren't there "Except the Kzin are a known hostile race and I wonder why these children came to be to begin with. As far as I know, R'lara never knew any Kzin before she got pregnant and has made no mention of any since. And she wouldn't allow any of us to accompany her to any of her prenatal appointments. I guess she wanted to hide it-"

"I have nothing to explain to anyone." R'lara interrupted, visibly irritated, "We are all healthy and that's all any of you should be concerned about."

Olsam thought that logic was a bit faulty but decided to keep that to himself, for once. "I thought I remembered something about a war... I'm not very good at history. Maybe she went on holiday and met a lovely a Kzinti man?" He turned to R'lara and smiled."I'm sure they have artists and poets and scientists, gentle loving souls, right?" He turned back to Teth and fought back the urge to say that at least his sister had sex, unlike some other caitians he knew. Again, discretion seemed best so he stayed quiet about it. For now.

"Oh, no doubt." Teth agreed, only somewhat sarcastically. "They're pretty into running drugs and weapons and the trafficking of sentient and intelligent lifeforms. But I am sure a lot of them are just misunderstood. Just like the father of my nieces. Right, R'lara?"

"I think we should stop discussing it." she said, trying to calm the albino child who seemed very distraught all of a sudden.

Teth just stared at her, the albino mix breed child. He wondered if she could sense his disdain and distrust of the Kzinti. In what flashes of memory he had from the attack some fourteen years before, he could only remember one of the men. A great white Kzin. Probably not much older than he was at the time. He knew some Kzin had telepathic abilities, and he remembered that one in particular seemed to have bade a presence in his mind, leaving him paralyzed and compliant for what came next.

"The gifts were very nice, Mr. Olsam. They were very thoughtful, thank you." R'lara said, diverting attention back to the Bolian.

Olsam beamed, always happy to be the center of attention. "Well I'm so glad I could buy them for you! All my siblings just refuse to start having children of their own; they're all too busy focusing on their careers and dumb stuff like that. So I have to live vicariously through other people's families. I can babysit, too, if you like. I'm a pretty good babysitter. I've only lost one kid. Oh, but I found him later. Like...four or five hours later. He was mostly unharmed."

"You could always have your own." Teth said. "You're so concerned with my sex life. I think you're projecting."

Olsam blinked at Teth, then shook his head. "I'll have you know I have a very healthy, active and engaging sex life, thank you very much." He huffed for emphasis.

"Really? I feel like we've spent a lot of time together, I've never even heard you mention anyone." Teth proded.

"It seems to me you both have a mutual problem." R'lara interjected, raising a single slender finger in the air to emphasize her point, "Maybe you should just help each-other out? I am sensing a great deal of sexual frustration from both of you."

Olsam looked at her for a long moment; one could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "Help... You mean like, some sort of two-for-one special on prostitutes? I don't think they have those on Earth, do they? That sounds like a Risian thing." He turned to Teth for confirmation.

Teth seemed just as confused and just offered Olsam a shrug.

"No no no." R'lara explained. "You have chemistry together, don't tell me you haven't noticed it yourselves."

Clueless, Olsam look at Teth with greater confusion. "Did you enroll us in a chemistry course together? How do we have chemistry together? How much do I have to pay? Or is it free? I hope it's not organic chemistry. I hate organic chemistry."

Teth squirmed in his seat, "That's not what she means-"

"I think the two of you should have a sexual relationship." R'lara corrected, not wanting to leave anything to the imagination. "Since you seem to get along so well, it seems like a good fit."

Olsam stared, mouth agape. "Oh, I don't think..." He looked at Teth out of the corner of his eye. "I just, uh. He's a very nice friend and all, but I don't... I mean. You know, I... I get along with a lot of people. I don't sleep with all of them."

Teth was burying his face in his palms again, muttering to himself. He wanted to throttle his sister, but as a rule had been suppressing all of his violent impulses. Much like the others, he was sure that this impulse was a vast overreaction.

"Suit yourselves." the sister shrugged. "I was just trying to be helpful. It's the 24th century, I thought most people were past homophobia... especially the enlightened members of Starfleet."

"I am not homophobic!" Olsam said emphatically, looking offended at the mere mention. "Bolians as a species are quite open, and I'm no exception. Sure, we did fall asleep on a couch together once. Maybe I even cuddle him sometimes. But that's what friends do! It doesn't matter anyway. Teth only likes caitian women, he said so himself. And it's made it very difficult finding a potential sex partner for him. There just aren't many of them!"

R'lara raised browline at her brother.

"Cuddling?"

"He's joking." Teth explained, sounding perhaps just a bit too exasperated "That never happened."

R'lara turned her attention to Olsam, chosing to ignore her brother's obvious lie. She could tell he was lying to the annunciation of his words. "Teth never told me you two were that close. No wonder I'm making him uncomfortable, perhaps my suggestion hit a little too close to home."

"It did happen," Olsam protested, looking a little upset that Teth would try to hide the occurrence. He wrinkled up his nose at his caitian friend and then turned to his sister to explain. "He was feeling very down, and I was trying to cheer him up. So I invited him over and encouraged him to date. Then he drank too much and got sad. So I held him until he fell asleep. What? Why are you looking at me like that!? Men hold each other and fall asleep on the couch together all the time. He was sad, he needed comfort!"

"Well that's very sweet." R'lara agreed in a cooing tone.

"R'lara." Teth dared through clenched teeth.

"It's too bad you aren't interested in him, doctor. I think you'd be good for him, you seem very supportive."

"I am very interested in him! He's my best friend, and I care about him a great deal. I will always be supportive of him and stand by his side, comfort him in times of difficulty and trauma, cook for him when he's hungry, make certain he's loved and appreciated," Olsam rambled, oblivious to how much worse he was making the situation. "He's even going to be my roommate! I don't mind doing the laundry and cleaning the dishes, making the beds, fixing breakfast. He's had a very difficult life, and I think he deserves someone to go out of their way to make sure his needs are met, so that he can rest easy in the warm and loving embra-..."

The Bolian finally stopped, realizing in mid-sentence all the things he was saying. He began turning a very dark shade of blue.

R'lara nodded and smiled warmly.

"Well, I am happy to hear that. Maybe after you spend some more time together... what with what Teth's last boyfriend did to him, he could use someone more safe and nurturing."

Teth was now standing near the door, his back to the wall and subconsciously taking a defensive stance.

"Shut up, R'lara!"

"I am nothing if not safe and nurturing," Olsam said with no small amount of pride, then frowned after realizing what he said. Though he wanted to say more to defend himself, he couldn't resist the allure of gossip. "Teth, you had a boyfriend? You never mentioned that! Was he not kind to you? That's horrible. How could someone treat you like that? You're so sweet! What did he do? Should we send Nausicaan mercenaries after him?"

"A Nausican? What? No." Teth said flustered, trying desperately to backpedal through the conversation. "There wasn't anyone, I don't know what she's talking about."

"But I thought you told him about Koran, Teth." she said, genuinely confused, she turned to the doctor, "He dated this half Romulan named Koran. He stabbed Teth. In the throat, he almost died."

"Uh, no," Olsam said, looking expectantly to Teth.

"I..." Teth was at a loss for words. "Was just confused. You know that engineer? His name was Koran. He is the one who stabbed me."

Olsam looked totally baffled. "I guess being stabbed would be quite confusing... I just thought..." He furrowed his brow, looking concerned. "I thought it was a Romulan woman? Named T'kora? How many Romulans have stabbed you? I've always heard they can be violent but..."

Teth shook his head, avoiding eye contact. "No, I just lied to you. It was only the one. Koran. We were... involved." he then just sighed and slumped against the wall before sliding down to the floor.

Olsam looked completely different from his ordinary self. Even when confused or frustrated or concerned there was always a glimmer of humor and light-heartedness in his eyes. That was nowhere to be found; his eyes just looked empty. He stared at Teth, brow only slightly furrowed.

"You...lied to me?" he asked, stumbling over the words as if they were an unthinkable crime. It may as well have been a confession of mass murder to the Bolian.

"Yes." Teth confessed, "And I am very, very sorry that I did that. I just needed things to be more... simple."

Olsam understood, of course. Sometimes small lies helped smooth over difficult situations, but they were still lies. The Bolian bit his lip to keep from crying; he wasn't necessarily an emotional person but the lie hurt. He was quick to forgive, but for now he was working on controlling his breathing and blinking quickly enough to wick away tears.

"Well," he finally muttered, "I wish I had known. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Looking dejected, he reached out for one of the pieces of sea glass that had fallen out of a bag and rolled it between his fingers to give himself something to concentrate on.

"I was just afraid you would think less of me somehow had you heard the actual story." Teth said after a long silence, he suddenly felt an intense thirst and his voice was scratched and coarse, "Not that that excuses my dishonesty. I am extremely sorry for that. You have become a close friend and the only person I can seem to depend on, Olsam. I don't want to damage that, ever."

"It's okay," Olsam said, still sulking and rolling the smoothed piece of glass between his fingers. He glanced over at R'lara, feeling a little uncomfortable about being emotional in front of someone he didn't know very well. He looked back at Teth. "Everything else was the same, or is there more to the story?" His head dropped again, looking at the glass. "You don't have to tell me. It's okay." After a long moment of silence, one little tear fell onto the glass, and Olsam sniffled. "I want a pie."

R'lara looked from Olsam to Teth and saw the pained expressions and deafening quiet. She also noticed that all of the babies had fallen asleep.

"I'll go replicate you one." she said, wanting to give them time alone together.

Teth watched her walk out the room. He turned to Olsam and wondered if the tearfulness was legitimate or some form of emotional manipulation. At present, he didn't care.

"He wasn't my patient, he was my professor. Advanced cybernetic theory. Pretty much everything is different except the end. He did stab me with a letter opener."

"I have epiphora," Olsam lied, wiping at tears. "It's a terrible leaking eye condition."

Wiping at them only seemed to encourage them so he just covered his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. He kept them covered and looked up in Teth's direction - it seemed easier to do if he couldn't actually see him. His aim was a bit off, so he was looking about ten feet to Teth's left.

"Relationships between professors and students seem to be a common occurrence," blinded Olsam offered, trying to help him feel better. "Not so much the stabbing, though, I think." He tried to smile and finally dropped his hands from his eyes; the redness in them stood in sharp contrast to his blue skin. "I'm sorry your professor stabbed you. I don't think that's part of the advanced cybernetic theory curriculum."

Teth shook his head, pulling his knees into his chest.

"I was sixteen, he was thirty seven and married. I was probably six inches shorter at the time, too. I was definitely quite confused, reluctantly involved. He kept getting more aggressive with me, and I went to break it off with him. In his apartment, because I was extremely naive and stupid. He attacked me... sexually" he explained, choking on the last word, "I fought back, he stabbed me. I hit him in the face with a wrought iron lamp. I was put on academic suspension during the investigation. He works Utopia Planetia shipyards now. His wife left him. I got to continue my studies."

Olsam remained quiet, contemplating the story. Rape and sexual molestation may have been relatively commonplace in some portions of the galaxy, but they were virtually unheard of within the Federation. He was surprised the man had been allowed to keep his job; ordinarily not a violent man, Olsam thought in a brief flash of anger that he should be killed. Off the top of his head he knew at least five methods of killing a person that left no forensic evidence.

He dropped the sea glass on the floor and wordlessly crossed the room to Teth. He plopped down beside his friend on the floor and leaned over to give him a hug. It was awkward - Olsam was a portly man and Teth was tall with his legs pulled up to his chest in a protective self-embrace - but the Bolian didn't seem to care about the awkwardness of the gesture. It seemed important to him that it be offered, regardless. He settled in next ot the caitian and kept a protective arm loosely around the shoulders of his much taller friend, giving him the option to ease out of it if the contact made him uncomfortable. The height difference was putting a strain on Olsam's shoulder, but he ignored the pain.

"I don't think less of you," the Bolian finally said.

"Thank you." Teth said dryly. He sat there silently for what seemed like a very long time, aware of Olsam's arm that seemed to be pressing on a nerve in his neck, causing a painful tingle down the left side of his body. But he was preoccupied with other things. The story he told. The truth.

"I still care about him. A part of me really did love him. And the knowledge of that part nauseates me" Teth added, "I haven't discussed it since the investigation, though. I didn't personally press charges, so he only had to face Starfleet's criminal inquest. I didn't want my family to know. R'lara caught wind of it through her friends at the Academy, but as far as she knows he was just some one off person I dated when I was young. I've just never admitted any of it to anyone since. I've been telling myself a lie for over a decade now. I've been telling myself a lot of lies, and now they keep coming to light."

The caitian was tearful toward the end of his diatribe. He was becoming intimately acquainted with the feeling of humility. Or perhaps it was just humiliation.

Olsam had been listening, but he'd also been battling the damned nerve in his arm. He finally gave up and just moved his arm into a more comfortable position across Teth's back; it wasn't much of a shoulder embrace, but it still seemed comforting. Or at least he hoped it did. The poor Bolian was almost as distraught as his friend, back to blinking quickly again to keep his so-called "epiphora" from flaring up again.

"Sometimes I lie to myself, too. I think everyone does it. The important thing is when we finally tell ourselves the truth," Olsam offered helpfully. There was no doubt Olsam was one giant walking case of lying to one's self, living blissfully unaware of everything around him like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand. "It was unfair of your sister to tease you. And it's natural to still care about people, even when they hurt us. I can explain the neurobiology of it if you want." He gave a small crooked smile to emphasize his joke.

"I think we're both familiar with how physiology effects emotional attachment." Teth said with a forced smile at his friend. "I understand the mechanisms behind all of it. Why people become violent or manipulate others, why trauma victims react the way they do to certain stimuli. But it's still just so surreal... feeling all of it myself. I feel like I'm watching myself lose my grip on sanity. I can analyze my own behavior but I feel helpless to stop it."

"I think in some ways that must make it worse, Teth." Olsam lost himself in thought for a few moments but then offered a genuine smile, though it looked a little silly with bloodshot eyes and little streaks of off-color blue running down his cheeks. "I don't think you're insane, though. You have had a lot to deal with lately. What can I do to help?"

Teth leaned into Olsam and sighed.

"Just don't tell anyone about any of this." he finally answered, talking into his hands. "No one from the crew, especially Dr. Carlisle or M'ressa. I don't think I could face them anymore."

Olsam gave Teth a squeeze and shifted to offer his shoulder. He felt a strong empathy over his humiliation and wished there was something he could do to help ease the sense of shame that seemed to hang over the young caitian. He figured it would take a long time to work through it, as well as the Borg trauma, but friendships were lifetime commitments as far as the Bolian was concerned.

"Don't worry, I'll take all your secrets to my grave," Olsam said firmly and honestly. He cut his eyes to look at his friend still covering his face with his hands. "You don't need to be ashamed or worried about anything with me. I'm not going to look at you differently or value our friendship any less no matter what's happened to you in the past. I don't think that's how friendship works, full of judgement and conditions. I love you and care about you very much, Teth, and on Bolarus that comes without judgement. " He couldn't help but grin. "There's also a small service charge, but I'll just send you the invoice later."

"Now you just sound like a Ferengi." the counselor joked, his voice still choked and grating.

"I hope you can better understand my reluctance for your match-making services."

"Sometimes we're close; the Bank of Bolarus didn't prosper on its own accord," Olsam quipped. He wrinkled his brow at the latter comment and shook his head. "I guess I understand your reluctance...for now. I think eventually you'll come around. I have a proven track record. I'm a good match-maker." The Bolian smiled, despite his insistence. "But I do understand. Don't worry, I won't ask you about it for like...72 hours. Maybe even 96."

"I suppose that will have to suffice." he said, laying his head on Olsam's shoulder. An action that only caused further confusion for him.

He had grown very close to the doctor in recent weeks. He wondered if his sister wasn't far off the mark. He felt safe and secure in the embrace of this other man, a closeness he had never quite accomplished with any friend from his past. He tried to pinpoint the difference in his feelings for Olsam versus his admiration of M'ressa. Love versus lust? He had little idea what either was supposed to feel like and he certainly didn't want to ask the good doctor for his opinion.

Olsam smiled, seeming to feel better now that Teth was more relaxed himself. He gave him another small squeeze and then leaned his bald head to the side a bit, resting it gently against Teth's. For his part, the Bolian wasn't keen on thinking about R'lara's suggestion, either. Sometimes his amiable nature was a good cover for the keen mind lurking beneath it, so people consistently underestimated him or assumed that aside from friendliness and medicine there was absolutely nothing except empty air between his ears. However, that was rarely the case.

For most of his adult life, the physician had been relatively asexual. He was generally so focused on socializing or doing his work that romance was just about the furthest thing from his mind. Plenty of young men and women had expressed interest in one way or another, but Olsam had either been too oblivious to see the signs, the opportunities had come at the wrong time in his professional life, or he just wasn't interested. He was quite aware of the needs of most species, including his own, but they'd never seem particularly insistent for him. Whenever he felt an urge toward romance, he always tried to divert it toward helping others with their own relationships.

Thankfully, he was saved any further introspection about what he might feel for Teth by remembering R'lara was supposed to be bringing pie.

"Is your replicator broken? I thought I was getting a pie," he said, half-complaining and half-pouting.

"I don't know." Teth said absentmindedly. "Maybe she's lost."

R'lara was standing just outside the door, her hand over her mouth. She'd been there for some time, the rippleberry pie sitting on the small table beside her. She knew she had heard more than she was supposed to hear.

She was angry that her brother, her twin wove a rather elaborate web of lies designed to distance her from him. She didn't want him to think she was eavesdropping, even though she knew she technically was.

With a cordial smile, she picked up the pie and turned into the living room.

"Sorry it took so long. The replicator was giving me problems. Have you ever had rippleberry pie?"

In that moment she had made the decision to pretend to be blissfully ignorant to the confessions Teth had made and the fact that he had been actively and consciously hiding it from her for over a decade. She would ignore the pangs of resentment she felt for Mott, who had apparently taken her role as friend and confidant. He trusted a man he had known for a few weeks more than his own twin.

Olsam took his arm from around Teth and stood up quickly. It wasn't like he was exactly abandoning his friend, but there was pie involved. Sooo... One needed to set priorities. Where was Teth going to go? But the pie, it could be gone in no time.

"Rippleberry? Of course," Olsam said, grinning at the pie though he was speaking to R'lara. "It's one of my favorites! But I guess I say that about nearly every pie. Do you like rippleberry pie, Teth? I'm sure you do. Who doesn't like pie?" Olsam gasped suddenly, remembering. "I once had a commanding officer who didn't like pie. You would see him in the mess hall, everyone eating pie but him. I think he later went insane... Should've known. Odd man... Can I have a double slice, please? It's been a very...intense...day."

"I bet." R'lara said as she divvied the pieces, cutting the largest for herself and a slightly smaller one for Olsam, and then one about half the size of Olsam's slice for Teth.

Teth picked at the pie that was handed to him, he noticed it had chunks of gelatin in it, the texture of which made his skin crawl.

"I like some pies. But I can't say I like this one very much." he said, setting the plate down on the coffee table.

R'lara watched him, the cake knife still in hand, she carefully wiped crumbs off the blade with a cloth napkin.

"I didn't make it for you." she said, shooting her brother a deeply penetrating sneer.

"Is it sufficient, Mr. Mott?"

"Mm-hmm," Olsam managed, mouth stuffed full of pie. He was eyeing Teth's largely untouched slice on the table and wondered if he'd have to fight the new mother over it. The Bolian shoved another impossibly large piece in his mouth and turned to Teth, chewing enthusiastically and having absolutely no regard for manners as he spoke with his mouth full. "Wbhat kindah pwies doou yeew loike, Teff?"

"Key-lime pie." he answered without hesitation. It was a food he had indulged in in secret quite frequently. His own vanity and image of himself as a healthy, well balanced individual didn't allow for him to binge eat a fruit custard pie in the middle of the night because he felt lonely and hollow.

The look of excitement on Olsam's face was almost overwhelming. He swallowed the mostly unchewed bite in his mouth and looked for a moment like he might choke, but it seemed to finally move through his esophagus. "That's my favorite pie!" he gushed. "It's so sweet and tart and sour and delicious and limey and delicious...and delicious. I've always wanted to go to the Florida Keys to have it at its origins. You can come with me if you want! Not on a date." He cut his eyes to R'lara, feeling like her mere presence meant everything he said was under scrutiny.

Teth leaned back and thought about it for a moment.

"Alright." he said, "That sounds fun. Lets do that. Are you free this afternoon?"

"Yes, of course," the Bolian said, smiling enough to make his eyes squint. "I'll just, uh, finish this off..." Carefully, without any sudden moves, he reached for Teth's rejected piece of pie. "Then head back to San Francisco to finish up a few things. Just let me know when you're ready, and I'll meet you at the central transporter station."

"I have some documents to catch up on back at headquarters" Teth watched as Olsam took his pie and began eating it. He wondered how a single person could eat so much and then remembered hearing something about Bolians having chambered stomachs. Or was that terran cows? He couldn't quite recall.

One of the babies started stirring in the playpen at the far end of the living room. As his sister and the doctor ate the entirety of the pie, he walked over and saw that the albino was awake. He picked her up and held her closely, rocking her in an attempt to sooth her. She clinged to him and finally relaxed and became quiet. Her crying and mewing replaced by a soft purr as she drifted back to sleep.

"Babies look good on you." R'lara commented through a mouthful of pie.

"Thank you." He stared down at the sleeping child in his arms. No matter how much the world around him seemed like a whirlwind of change and chaos, some things always remained the same.

It was a sunny morning in Dusseldorf, he was surrounded by family and close friends, celebrating the arrival of a new generation. No matter how important his insignificant problems seemed, life went on. And with that knowledge, he snuggled the child closer and sat between R'lara and Olsam. This time his smile was genuine.

OFF:

Lt. JG Olsam Mott M.D.
Assistant Chief of Medicine
USS Galileo


&

Lt. JG Teth Miir
Counselor
USS Galileo

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