Meat Cute?

[Rebecca Talon]

"I know how you feel," Rebecca said as she picked up a wash cloth and started wiping faces free of the mac n cheese, and then gathered up the empty bowls so she could clean them."

[Seraphina Morris]

Seraphina giggled as she watched Becca clean off Ethan's face and then her eyes went wide when she did her own.

"Looks like they enjoyed it." Angel said with a smile. "So... Seraphina, why don't you and Kim and Ethan try out that new water balloon filler thing we made. You all need baths anyway."

"Oh! We could add soap!" Seraphina said with a bright smile. "Bubbles make it even more fun!"

"God that kid is cute..." Nick whispered and shook his head. "That was entirely you at that age Angel."

"I like to think I got it from your side of the family." Angle whispered back. "And T... Seraphina... what do we say after a good meal?"

"Thank you Auntie Becca." Seraphina said and gave her a hug and then grabbed onto Ethan and Kim's hands and ran to the backyard.

"And change... your clothes..." Angel called out but was ignored. "Oh well... they needed to be washed anyway..." she shook her head and laughed. "They remind me of enlisted crewmen fresh out of Basic. Messy and charging into everything full of vim and vigor. Until they crash and pass out on cargo crates."

[Rebecca Talon]

"I guess that makes us the NCOs," Rebecca said with a smirk. "The crotchety veterans ruining the fun."

[Angel Ryder]

"Nope it makes us who we always were, the CO's that walk in and shake their heads." Angel said with a chuckle. "I have to say, being a parent... and a flag officer. Not easy to be both, but I have no idea how either of you managed so long. I've only been a flag a little over a year..." she sipped her drink. "Or maybe I'm feeling like I need more than Trini... Seraphina."

[Rebecca Talon]

"Well," Rebecca dismissed. "I was a sorry excuse of a mom to Aimee, and for youg Ethan... well I've been retired for most of his life." She didn't say thay she was presumed dead for the vast majority of that time."

[Nick Ryder]

"At least Ethan is young enough that a lot of that is a blur." Nick replied. "He's got you now, that's the important thing. And... Aimee's made you a grandma."
,
"That I'm still floored by." Angel said as she refilled her mug. "At least she and Olivia have gotten out of the crazy Intel stuff. Lana sends me pictures all the time. So let's see that's my Seraphina, your Kim, Aimee's Livvy, Lana, we'll see what Trini and Ethan have, we'll have most of a bridge crew with just the girls."

[Rebecca Talon]

"I have a feeling Trinity and Ethan will have a boy and a girl," she shrugged. "Mother's intuition?"

[Angel Ryder]

"I'm seeing that as well." Angel said as she smiled when she heard Seraphina's shriek of laughter. "Thought Trini would have been a twin too, but y'know... guess it skips a generation." she fiddled with her wedding band. "I'm glad Nathan's on his way back early... might actually conceive this time. Every time I was really in the mood, he wasn't, every time he was, I wasn't and we always missed our window. Well, I've got nothing holding me back and well, I still technically outrank him, I can make it an order that he keeps his ass here for as long as I need."

"That's something I never could get to work when I was an Admiral." Nick said as he sipped his coffee. "Your mother gave me a look and the finger when I would 'pull rank' for a booty call."

"Hey, she had to carry the products of that... cut her a tiny bit of slack, and none of us knew that she was carrying another Julie's consciousness the whole time." Angel said and sighed. "I'm not entirely forgiving her but I'm trying to focus on the few good times we had. When she wasn't hiring her guys to kick Liv's and my asses in martial combat. Liv had a toe ring that she couldn't get off because one of them stepped on her foot and broke the toe and that ring was made of something that couldn't be cut off too. Said when Jackson cloned her, that it was one the only parts of her old body that didn't vaporize." she shook her head and sighed. "God we're a screwed up family. Clones and enhanced and altered and brought back from the dead and living for decades in cryo... we're a damn sci-fi novel written by hack authors."

"I'd read it." Nick chimed in.

"I probably would too... " Angel blushed.

[Rebecca Talon]

"I probably wrote it," Rebecca added dryly. "Though, fiction isn't my strength, so I suppose that explains everything."

[Angel Ryder]

"Y'know what's kind of cool... that you and dad have been friends so damn long. Longer than I've been alive. I never really had that, at least a peer. You've always sort of been there for me Becca." Angel said and sipped her tea. "So we share you as a best friend."

"I'm fine with that." Nick said as he leaned back on his chair. "You know I was thinking, maybe this time you're taking off is a good thing. I... kind of think we need to plan the future a bit. If that vision your Aunt Rumiko had is even remotely true... and I know how people look at me if I don't shave in the morning."

"Alice reminds you with a flaming hand right?" Angel giggled. "I love that woman."

"So do I." Nick chuckled. "But yeah, we need to end Dominus fast, but I also want you to stay safe here. This isn't going to be won in a traditional way, that's why the new Agency is going to find a way to degrade his efforts, stop him before he starts something. Like we used to do when we wore Section 31's colors. But without the moral ambiguity. I'm not going to blow up a starbase with people because it stops him. BUT we need to find out who his loyal lieutenants, the true believers are. May need your help in some capacity off the books. Even if it's something innocent looking."

"So in other words, boredom is the least of our problems." Angel said with a wry grin. "My priorities right now are the kids and getting back to our promises to keep the citizens, the civilians here safe and employed. I'm going to expand my portfolio... do what I can to secure this planet's safety and prosperity."