Home Again

[Liara]

“Liara.” Kaitlyn giggled as she at her ice cream.

“It’s an interesting name.” Selene said as she joined them. “I’ve been Selene for a very long time. I’ll think about it though.”

[Clint Cross]

"Well, you've been talking about making some changes." Clint replied as he took a spoonful of ice cream. "So even with this... news... I'm still planning on staying home for a few days, actually enjoy this place and sleep in my bedroom instead of the Workshop."

"As long as we don't have to go back to the Compound for a while." James said with a smile. "Does this mean Selene's going to stay with us too?"

"Up to her." Clint replied. "And no we didn't elope."

"Give her time... still it feels good to have her here." James said as he looked at her. "I wonder what other things we can introduce her to while you two have time off."

[Cece Ryder]

"Why not her counterpart's original charge." Cece said as she walked in and put her hands on her hips. "I had to see this for myself." she pulled off her sunglasses and looked at Selene. "You sure look like the one I grew up with... and yet... you do seem more familiar than I realized."

[Liara]

Selene raised an eyebrow.

“I take it that’s a good thing?” Selene inquired.

[Cece Ryder]

"Well, you don't seem like a Jackson created clone or a heavily cosmetically altered infiltrator, your mental impressions are very similar to my Selene and yet drastically different, I'm not sensing any bit of Natasha or any of her other personas." Cece said as she walked closer and looked at the ice cream. "And this is just a light surface scan." she sat down and raised an eyebrow at Clint. "You don't seem entirely shocked I'm still alive?"

"Well your mother blew up planets, figured you'd be around somewhere too." Clint said and took a spoonful of ice cream. "You seem... darker than usual."

"Spent months in a dark hole in pretty much gauze in New Georgia." Cece replied and reached her hand out and pulled the whipped cream container from Kaitlyn. "Victoria Underwood is the Ajem'dasis master we've been looking for but apparently Dominus burned her. Killed Porter. Killed Walker. She went underground to plan, I've been trying to make sure that this new Selene wasn't a Dominus plant." she sprayed some of the whipped cream into her mouth and smiled. "Oh god that's good... fresh stuff too." she said after swallowing.

"You okay Cece?" James inquired.

"Other than finding out my boyfriend is in a coma and not expected to wake up... my parents blew up worlds and are off who knows where... oh just peachy." Cece said and closed her eyes. "I need you to keep it under your hats that I'm alive. We're trying to work up some defense against Dominus, but I needed to make sure of two things. One... was Selene. I saw a vision of the future and she was in it, despite seeing her killed by Ophelia."

[Liara]

“You see the future?” Selene asked skeptically.

[Cece Ryder]

"I'm a time traveler and... I've been tapping into some of the Iljuna, hard not to when that's all I had to read, she tried to make me into an Ajem, fat chance of that." Cece scoffed. "But I do have visions of possible futures. Or I'm just perceptive." she took a spoon and started to steal some of Clint's ice cream. "Doesn't take a telepath to know that in a week, you and he have bonded more than he and Selene did at that point in their relationship. Of course, you aren't the object of an nutso Trill scientist and you haven't been captured and beaten. So that's helpful. Of course, the Selene and Clint I knew... would never have gone to that naturalist resort. Where would you hide weapons? So... that's new. You seem to be pretty close to what I always wished our Selene would have been like, less damaged and mentally fractured. Oh you're still damaged, no doubt there, we all are at this table damaged. Except Kaitlyn." she smiled at the little girl. "She's perfect."

"Except she can't say Selene. Hey Kait... say Selene." James said

[Liara]

“Selene.” Kaitlyn said and stuck out her tongue.

Selene laughed, “it’s okay you can call me whatever you want since you told me about strawberry ice cream with sprinkles.”

[Cece Ryder]

"I remember being younger and suggesting 'Lenny' as a nickname and she shot me this death glare. Now Liara... that's actually good. Nice work little K." Cece said and sighed. "Well enjoy the break while you two can, there's going to be some very nasty stuff happening. I'm glad you finished the house ahead of schedule Clint. I trust those shield emitters I gave you that you never installed are actually installed?"

"First thing we put in. And I didn't install them sooner because we didn't get a power source to run them. Surplus shield power cores are hard to get these days. Nick gave us a couple AliceCore systems, now we can take quantum torpedoes at close range and I installed micro torpedo launchers everywhere." Clint said as he ate his ice cream and guarded his bowl from Cece's spoon.

"Good... " She nodded her head and gave him a eye roll. "Maybe I need to adjust my plan. I'll still use the safe house that Tali and Selene set up for me. Thanks for that by the way." Cece tapped her chin. "So Dominus sent Khan, that was foiled. Then a day or so later, an Ajem'dasis suicide pilot crashed into Grandpa Nick and Alice's loft above Leo's. Decker cleaned the scene but not before the locals got wind of it. Maybe I should hang around here, I can operate out of the Workshop, keep the kids safe if anything happens. Selene was my protector, only fair I protect her daughter and son. That is if you don't mind another woman around?" she asked of Selene. "I promise I have absolutely... well okay a tiiiiiny bit of attraction to Clint, but that butt..." she pointed to the news padd. "Who wouldn't? Still, I know better than to touch what's your's. Unlike some others I know..." she glanced to James and pointed to the Widow's bite gauntlet under his shirt sleeve.

[Liara]

“The way I see it he has more right to it then I do.” Selene said with a shrug.