"Ben knows better! I'll have a little talk with him in the morning!" she retorted. Erik started to chuckle and simply gave an understanding nod to this. After all, when it comes to food for children, a mother usually know's best.
As he noticed the way she spoke, he allowed her to finish making her point, while resting his head in one hand and looking at her intently. When she mentioned the citizenship paperwork, he perked up a bit, but maintained his composure. Eventually, he interjected with a caring tone "You don't need to do more. If it weren't for you and all the other medical professionals... it wouldn't matter if the Republic won the war, because there wouldn't be anyone left to enjoy victory."
When she mentioned the idea of her getting killed, Erik felt his heart race for a few moments... Indeed, it wasn't something he ever wanted to experience again, not to even mention let the kids go through something like that. He wanted to say something hopeful on this front but, for once, he was at a loss. He just took Doreen's hand in his over the table, caressing her gently.
"Just one thing with this cruise. No talk of work or even of war." "My thoughts exactly." - he yawned. The exhaustion was finally setting in for good. He waited for her to finish eating, after which he cleaned the table, allowing Doreen to head upstairs before him. Moments later, he was entering their room after her.
"You don't need to do more. If it weren't for you and all the other medical professionals... it wouldn't matter if the Republic won the war, because there wouldn't be anyone left to enjoy victory."
She looked down a bit as she sighed at this. She never gave it much thought. To her, it was her profession. More than that, it was an oath she took. She really had no answer. Rather, she looked back up at Erik and gave a light smile. When he took her hand, she knew what it was about. She took it back long enough to take a few more bites and to finish her wine before heading upstairs.
Once in their room, she faced him, reached her arms up around his neck, kissed him and rested her head on his shoulder, staying tight to him as she did. There was a comforting smile on her face. She then looked at him, "Let's get some sleep. We've both had a long day."
It was a chilly morning, with no breezes yet. After a little hustle, a small cruise ship had just departed from New Thessalonica, taking Doreen and Erik into the blue yonder. Peter and Benjen were also aboard, The boys were both more agitated than usual, however one could easily assume that was just because they were on a special cruise around the planet again.
For Erik, this was about to become a moment of truth, whether for the best or the worst. For the past few days, he'd been planning things as best he could... with the help of his son and Benjen. Peter knew pretty much every detail about his father's ideas, yet Benjen only knew about a small part of Erik's intentions - a way for Doreen and Ben to become full citizens of the Republic faster. Provided the two boys managed to stay quiet so far... Erik wanted to take it slow and enjoy the cruise. As such, he moved to one of the windowed areas of the ship and took a seat, looking out at the sea, while waiting for Doreen.
In the meantime, Peter and Ben were already playing some game in one of the ship's private rooms, both eager to see where would the trip take them.
Doreen came out to where Erik was sitting, putting an arm around him, slid down his side and kissed him. Her pager was home so work wouldn't be an interference. She was wearing a light blue lace dress, the lace covering a v-cut at the chest. A gold necklace and pendant was around her neck. Her hair was down and it was clear that she was relaxed but happy. Her arm remained around his neck for the moment as together they looked out into the blue of Yuma. She was speechless. She loved her new home. It was beautiful yet wild and still largely unexplored. The more she saw, the more she understood what it was to be a Crayterian and why they fought so hard for their home. A sense of pride overcame her as she snuggled a bit into Erik and sighed. She enjoyed the moment with him knowing that the boys were elsewhere. She then pulled him up, wanting to enjoy the Yuma sun warming the outside of the ship. The breeze felt so good.
She rested her hands on the railing and leaned on it. Smiling, she took a deep breath of the air as her dress now flowed with the wind. Her back arched as she enjoyed before she returned to standing upright.
She turned and rested against the railing as she faced Erik. "This is perfect, Erik. Just perfect."
After they passionately kissed, he pulled her closer and kept staring at her, rather than the landscape. It all felt so peaceful.
"This is perfect, Erik. Just perfect." "I'm happy you're enjoying it." - he replied gleefully. "But there's plenty more left for today... I asked the kids not to bother us too much. We've barely had any time alone this past week."
He pulled back and went to a terminal right next to them, pushing a few commands in but still side-glancing at Doreen. "Right... so we'll be flying for about two more hours... We'll circle around the continent for some great views, then head to a nearby archipelago and land on a beach there. How's that sound?" - he asked while coming back towards here, then wrapping one arm around her waist and kissing her again.
“I’d love that,” she answered with a smile before accepting his kiss. She enjoyed the moment, closing her eyes and returning the kiss with passion. With the kids doing their own thing elsewhere, she let herself go just a bit. For that moment, Erik was in total control. When he finally stopped, she just looked into his eyes for a moment and then softly smiled. Her heart pounded hard against the back of her sternum and it felt wonder.
Finally, they both came up for air and arm in arm, they went to enjoy the cruise as together they looked at passing islands.
“This is so beautiful, Erik. I never grow tired of this.”
“This is so beautiful, Erik. I never grow tired of this.” - she mentioned. Erik grinned ever so slightly... since he could say the very same thing... yet he wouldn't be talking only about the landscape, but also about the woman right in front of him. Still, he decided to keep quiet for a second.
Eventually, his mind jumped from one place to another and he found himself commenting "You know, I just remembered. Catherine and the others in the old nanite research team want to go for a dinner some time next month. They wanted to know if we could be there too." - he paused, smiling at some aquatic animals that just came at sea-level.
"It always amazes me how easy life on this planet adapted to our arrival... Usually you'd expect ecosystems to shift... or some kind of changes to take place. But no, life on Yuma seems to be as resilient as the people of Crayter." - his voice drifted. He let his eyes gaze away, over the horizon.
Somewhere else on the ship, in a room with no balcony but wide windows, the two boys were enjoying a holographic table game while also admiring the visible landscapes. Still, after being in flight for over three hours now, Peter was growing anxious... and his emotions decided to manifest through hunger. As his stomach growled faintly, he asked Benjen if he's hungry as well.
She pointed at the aquatic life as it surfaced. It made a bright smile even more so. When Erik made a mention of the dinner offer, she turned back to him.
“I’d love to,” she smiled as she turned back to him, placing her arms around his neck. “Catherine is a sweetheart and I would love to visit with her more and of course, the rest of the team.
Her arms still around his neck, she looked out over the water and said, “It’s so beautiful out here.”
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Peter wasn’t the only one hungry. Ben was as well.
“Peter, I need something to eat. I know that we’re supposed to leave Mom and Dad alone but...”
He rubbed his stomach, “....I need something to eat. Let’s go find something.”
Agreeing they're both hungry, the boys started for the door to their playroom. Before going out, Peter mentioned "Dad said there aLe snacks in the main hall... but, uh, i foLgot where that is exactly." He rubbed the back of his head sighing. He then opened the door and took a look both ways into the empty corridor of the ship. It was definitely less appealing than the brightly lit room they were in earlier, but the main issue was he had no idea if they should go left or right.
Aside from the need for some food, Peter was quite ecstatic about today and his enthusiasm showed somehow. He was definitely having a hard time waiting for the day to be over, in a good way. After asking for Ben's opinion on which way to go through the corridor, Peter slipped a different comment "You know, after today... you can call dad 'dad' for real." - at first, he smiled, but then he realised he just may have said something he shouldn't have. He quickly reacted by adding "Ugh, i'm thirsty too, not just hungry. Let's hurry."
Ben was as thirsty as he was hungry. Not himself of where he was, he just chased after Peter. In his mind, they would either succeed or fail together. As fate would have it, they made the right turns and found where it was that they needed to be. As they got what it was they wanted, Peter’s comment finally registered. He gave Peter a perplexed look and said, “Dad for real?”
For a moment, he remembered the chats he had with Erik, the chats about how much he cared about his Mom and the many smiles that would cross his face when they spoke of her. He thought of the times that he and Erik hung out together be it a day at the beach, a few hours where he worked to study science or just a casual game indoors on a rainy day. Between the memories and the comment, he turned to Peter.
“You mean your Dad wants to marry my Mom?” he asked with quiet enthusiasm and a growing smile. “I know they love each other but.....how come you know about it and I don’t?” Then his curiosity grew. Peter would have a new Mom and Ben knew of the mixed feelings Peter might have so he kindly asked Peter in a way that only his mother could ask and he did so with a kind face, “How do you feel about my Mom being your Mom. I mean....well......considering what happened to your Mom and all.” For the moment, Peter was wise beyond his years.