LtCmdr Sky Blake, "From nothing to something." (Part 2)

[Deliera Jay]

((Blake's quarters - though we all know it's not real))

Blake: Scrumbe- What are you doing here!?

::He stood simply with his eyebrows raised, as if having witnessed something surprising. That he was standing in the middle of her quarters, exactly where he shouldn't be, wasn't a big deal to him apparently.::

Ekal: You know, considering Terrans are typically self-conscious, you've seen a *many* of the ones you know in various states of undress.

Blake: Yes, Terrans have physical bodies under their uniforms. Big deal. ::She snapped.:: Why are you here? You've never been in my quarters before.

Ekal:::with a shrug:: This is a house call. You've been unconscious for a good two days. And . . . talking a lot.

::She blinked at the them.::

Blake: What do you mean, "talking a lot"? You just said I was unconscious.

Ekal: Yeah. You speak. While you're unconscious. Random words, primarily, sometimes it's just nonsense, other times they're names and places. It sounded like you weren't enjoying your . . . break. I wanted to make sure you were really okay.

::She rolled her eyes, pulling off her uniform jacket - the older ones, apparently, because they brought in the all-coloured tunics - and tossed it onto her couch.::

Blake: You're melding with me. ::She frowned at him when he pursed his lips, offering no actual explanation and forcing her to come up with one herself.:: Of course. You're Rigelian.

::He was a little taken aback by the remark, but the shock wore off quickly.::

Ekal: I'm only resting on the surface of your consciousness. That's a good sign, I guess, that you're here and not . . . deeper down.

Blake: So you're here for a house call?

::He shrugged again, sitting on the arm of the couch.::

Ekal: I was worried.

Blake: I'm fine. ::beat:: Well. I *will* be fine.

::She glanced around the room, barren and free of any personal items. Her quarters never really held anything of value to her - they were just a place in which her bed was located. She preferred being able to quickly access the crew, which was done outside of her quarters.

::When Ayden moved in, his things added more life to what once was empty.::

Blake: Weird things have been happening.

Ekal: Weird? Weird how?

Blake: Just . . . memories. It started off with people I didn't recognize, events that I don't recall well. Sabor . . .

Ekal: You keep mentioning 'Diego'.

::She glanced back to him, surprised to hear the name coming from him. Brown eyes, strangely familiar brown eyes, were staring up at her with an idle curiosity - though he may have been actively trying to hide it, he came here with the intention to learn about this one topic.::

Blake: I only know one Diego - Diego Herrera. He was a Starfleet captain of one of the ships I served on. Before everything.

Ekal: You remember him?

Blake: Not clearly.

::With a sigh, she took a seat across from the couch, leaning back into the chair and thinking over the clouded pieces of information she remembered.::

Blake: I'm told he was a good friend.

Ekal: What happened to him?

Blake: I'm not really sure, to be honest. When I got access to Starfleet records, I learned that the ship he was in command of went off toward the Romulan Neutral Zone a few years ago, though I wouldn't know if it's back in Federation space. I've only heard his name a handful of times, most of them from Sabor - my bondmate. Never from work, but that's to be expected when we're especially far from the Neutral Zone. I imagine he's still a captain somewhere.

Ekal: You won't approach him?

Blake: I didn't approach Parker. Why would I approach Herrera?

Ekal: You named your son after him.

Blake: And there's good reason for that. Herrera saved Skyleena Blake's life - more than once. But I've no intention on hunting him down to reconnect with him. The woman he knew is gone. I've never liked having to pretend I know the people from those years past, to play the role of someone I'm not. ::She leaned forward, clasping her hands together and resting her elbows on her knees.:: With Parker, I ran into him on pure coincidence - *he* wanted to remain close. He was willing to start from the start again.

::Jhalib made a graceful slide down from the arm of the couch and into a proper seat, rubbing at his chin, somewhat dissatisfied with the answer. Her eyes narrowed as she considered him, and thought back on his question.::

Blake: Ayden bares Diego's name because it's an honor title - that's how it works on Brekka. My middle name comes from my father's personal assistant - Serrella, managed his accounts and was his overall workhorse. He'd have been nothing without her. ::She laughed.:: These are people we appreciate, that we owed at some point for great feats. But it's not the most important part of any child's name - it's rarely even acknowledged.

::He rose an eyebrow.::

Blake: A handful of days after Ayden's birth, I went under, and came back out a different person. And Sabor . . . ::she smiled softly.:: He was the one holding it all together. He named our son, using Brekkian customs. Ayden's name is derived from an old, old language on Delos IV. "Ayeden" means strength - specifically in times of hardship.

::Ayden looked down, rubbing his hands together in silence as he thought more on her words. It was not an awkward moment in time, but it gave way to some recognition between them.

::The familiar brown eyes looked back up to his mother.::

Ekal: You know, don't you?

::She shrugged, tapping her thumb against her other hand.::

Blake: I recognize my bondmate's eyes. Your father's eyes. ::beat:: When we leave Limbo, what happens to you?

::He gave a huff, fighting off an overcoming wave of relief, and pain, wiping away what would have been tears. And then Sky realized.

::Ayden had come here under false pretenses, repeatedly stating that this was for his family. Not her - by his age, she'd have been long gone no matter how she passed - but for his own family, his own children.::

Ekal: I'm not sure what happens to me. Even if I could go home, the Ayden of this year would have already taken my place, assuming my future remained somewhat in tact. But because my timeline no longer exists, I'm . . . I'm not sure when *I'll* cease to exist. Time moves forward, but flows backwards - changes occur at the end of time and move backward through the years to affect everything else. That wave hasn't reached me yet.

Blake: Because of the anomaly we're caught in?

Ekal: I don't know. I wish I knew, but I don't. I'm in uncharted waters now.

::At this, she got up out of her chair, moving to instead take a precarious place on her coffee table and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the man before her. He broke into pieces, sobbing into her shoulder as she gently rubbed a hand against his back.::

Blake: You've done so much, to change how things were, to make them *better*. And it may not seem like it now, but this will find it's place, and you will find your strength. ::beat:: It's going to be okay.


Tbc . . .

LtCmdr Sky Blake
Chief of Security
USS Veritas

C238803SB0