JP- Samantha Richards and Talos Dakora - There Goes My Hero: Part 2
Samantha Richards
((XO & Sam’s quarters, deck 2, USS Artemis))
Richards: Have you spoken to him again?
Dakora: No :: shaking his head:: I have no reason to.
Richards: I’m sorry. That couldn’t have been easy.
She hugged him tight and looked up at him as he absentmindedly ran his hand up and down her arm.
Dakora: It wasn’t a complete waste though, I did get a chance to see Adara ::His eyes lit up:: Which reminds me!
He jumped off the bed and ran to his bag, tearing into it before standing up and turning around. Holding up two tiny Hawaiian shirts. Both of them, covered in flowers and leaves with a bright yellow background.
Dakora: For the kids!
Richards: Look at those! ::Smiling and holding out her hands to take them:: Talos these are great.
For as much as she tried to not fall in love with the tacky, brightly colored shirts that Talos wore, she couldn’t help it. Now having two tiny ones for the babies brought her a happiness she couldn’t explain. The pure joy on his face as he handed them over to her was incredibly heartwarming.
Dakora: Yeah, ::Smiling sheepishly:: my sister helped pick them out.
((Begin flashback))
((Advanced Materials Lab - Betazoid Science Directorate - Medara, Betazed))
Talos once again had gone years without seeing his half-sister, but this time, his nerves were a bit more prominent as he handed her a coffee and began to tell her what he had been up to.
Dakora: I guess I’ve made a bit of a one-eighty since the last time we sat down together.
Bentley: Wait. ::Sipping her coffee:: Which part?
Talos gently reminded her about his bold statement of Vostro being the reason he himself had never settled down with anyone. Adara smirked behind her coffee cup, hoping the conversation was heading where she assumed it was.
Dakora: I uh… Met someone. ::Looking up from his cup to gauge her response:: Her name is Samantha. My uhm— my girlfriend.
Adara sat forward in her chair with a grin.
Bentley: This is great! ::Slapping her hand on the table.:: When do I get to meet her?
His hands rubbed up and down his legs before finally looking at her again.
Dakora: Maybe you can come visit. After the twins are born. ::Grinning wryly:: You can also meet your niece and nephew.
Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, but it was still obvious her jaw had dropped as far as it possibly could.
Bentley: Tal! ::Dropping her hand.:: You’re going to be a dad?
Dakora: Yeah. Yes. ::Chuckling.:: Weird isn’t it?
Before anything else was said, his sister had made her way around the table and pulled him into a hug.
Bentley: You’re going to be great.
Dakora: I sure hope so…
Bentley: Talos. Look at me.
He settled his eyes on her as she finally released him from her grip. She put her hands on his shoulders with a squeeze.
Bentley: You are nothing like Vostro. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you are going to be a great father. ::Giving him a reassuring smile:: Now, tell me more about her.
((End flashback))
Sam smiled at Talos, while she didn’t know Adara, he had nothing but good things to say about her. And her reaction was a warm welcome to some of the other ones they’d received.
Richards: Sounds like she is pretty happy for you.
Dakora: Yeah, she said she can’t wait to meet them.
Sam’s hand glided over her belly.
Richards: I couldn’t agree more.
Talos returned the smile.
Dakora: My Govanna though… Her reaction was exactly what I expected…
Her eyebrow raised inquisitively.
Richards: Oh?
((Flashback))
((Govanna Dyrexxa’s Home- Medara, Betazed))
It had been far too long since Talos saw his grandmother. Usually he tried to avoid her and her prying ways of getting him to give her grandbabies. Luckily for her, he was about to deliver that exact news.
After what was possibly the galaxy’s longest hug, his Govanna stared at him with a wide smile— before slapping him in the arm.
Dyrexxa: Talos Aven Dakora, why did you wait so long to visit me?
Dakora: Ow! I'm sorry! ::Rubbing his arm where she smacked him:: I’ve uh… been really busy.
The short woman huffed before hugging him again.
Dyrexxa: I missed you Tally. ::Letting him go:: Now sit sit. Tell me everything! Have you found a good woman yet?
The small but fierce woman pointed to a chair and Talos did as he was told— even if the chair was made for dainty old women and he knew his large frame looked rather strange sitting there.
Dakora: Well, ::Shrugging lightly:: I actually have met someone.
Her eyes lit up with joy and behind that— questions.
Dyrexxa: A nice Betazoid girl I presume? How long have you known her? Where is she from? ::Pausing and raising her eyebrow:: Are they even a she?
He held up his hand in an attempt to belay any more questions.
Dakora: Govanna breathe... Her name is Samantha. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now.
Dyrexxa: Let me guess, you came here to ask about your mothers ring? ::Grinning widely:: Are you finally settling down and getting married so you can give me the grandchildren I’ve always wanted?
He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
Dakora: Woah, don’t get ahead of yourself. I didn’t even know M’adi had a ring.
Dyrexxa: Yes. It has been passed down for generations. But before I will even consider handing it over, I need to know if she is even worthy.
He chuckled and rolled his eyes, remembering why he had waited so long to tell her about his recent life developments.
Dakora: Ok. Sam is from Earth. Human. ::Lowering his head but looking up at her:: And she is pregnant.
Dyrexxa: Oh. ::Sighing:: Well, I’m sure if things work out that someday you and she can have a few of your own.
He was confused for a moment, but then quickly realized that she didn’t understand what he meant.
Dakora: No- uh… Govanna. ::Tipping his head towards her.:: They are mine.
She blinked hard a few times, the words registering somewhere behind her now watering eyes.
Dakora: Twins. ::Holding up two fingers.:: A Yinda and Yinadi.
((OOC: Yinda- Son, Yinadi- Daughter))
Dyrexxa: Two? ::Her tone was low, but squeaky as she held in her burgeoning emotions.:: Two babies?
Talos nodded proudly, a smile playing across his face. That was until she stood up and began to replicate some boxes and place her items in them. He sat there confused as the small woman continued to place her personal belongings into a box.
Dakora: Wh-what are you doing?
Dyrexxa: Packing. I’m coming with you. I will not miss a single second. DS224 is going to have a new resident. ::Pausing and her eyes widening.:: Oh! ::Walking into her room and quickly re-emerging with something small in her hand.:: Here. For when you’re ready.
She handed him a small box, inside of it was his mothers ring. A thousand emotions crashed into him like a ship at warp. Did he love Samantha? Of course he did, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind about that. But marrying her? He almost shuddered at the thought, it was another level of commitment that he hadn’t even considered.
The internal struggles were immediately shaken up even further when his grandmother looked at him with a grin.
Dyrexxa: While you are here, you can go ahead and talk to the sixth house about your position there. ::Putting her hands on her hips:: Everything is coming up Dakora.
Talos rubbed his temples. What had he gotten himself into?
((End flashback))
As Talos told her about his visit with his Govanna, he decided it was best to omit the part about the ring. At least for the time being.
Dakora: I’ll be honest, I don’t know if she was joking about moving to DS224 or not…
Sam chuckled and shrugged before curling up in his arms. Talos absentmindedly played with her long red hair as she made herself comfortable.
Richards: Sounds like that whole trip was a bit of a wild ride.
Dakora: Yeah, it was. ::Tilting his head to the side.:: But it gave me some insight. After some self reflection, and seeing Vostro again, I have decided to take a step away from Starfleet. At least for a little while.
The firmness in his voice had told her he had made up his mind already, but she still proceeded to ask.
Richards: Are you sure? That feels like a pretty big decision.
Dakora: I want to be able to focus on our family. To be everything our kids need. I don’t want them to ever feel like I don’t love them or that I wasn’t there. ::Shrugging:: At some point I might start to miss it, and want to come back, but this is what feels right for me– for all of us.
It caught Sam off guard. Part of her was happy that he wanted to do this, the other part, felt inherently guilty. Her support for Talos and his choice was unwavering, but she hoped he wasn’t expecting her to also take a step away from her work. It wasn’t what she wanted.
Richards: What does this mean for us? For your position as XO? ::Slightly panicking:: What about where we live?
Dakora: Someone else will take my place as XO, meaning we are moving to deck six. Family quarters Sammy. More room for all of us. ::Grinning.:: We have some time to move and get settled into our new quarters and prepare for the babies. Once they arrive, we will spend some time together as a family, until you are ready to go back to all that sciencey stuff. Then I will stay with the kids and just– ::letting out a grateful sigh.:: –be a dad. That’s really all I want.
She felt a warmth spread through her. Even though everything they did seemed a bit unconventional, it worked for them. This would be no different.
Richards: Talos, ::Placing her hand on his cheek:: If this is what you want, I’m behind you one hundred percent.
He felt the redness begin to take over his face as a sort of sheepish smile formed.
Dakora: Thank you.
Richards: If I had to pick anyone to get together and have a couple unintended kids with, I’m glad it was you.
Dakora: You are the wildest – and most unexpected– surprise of my life.
Richards: A good one I hope?
Dakora: The best.
END
Samantha Richards