When Aric got close to the apartment, he could see Maura waiting for him, her face holding a neutral expression. She pulled him close to her and seared his mouth with a kiss, rendering him speechless for a moment after she'd pulled away slightly and grinned. "She's fine, everyone's fine," she said, touching her forehead to his. "In fact, I think you now have her attention, and that's sometimes hard to do."
Aric let out a chuff, and wrapped his arms around his wife. "She scares me when she's cranky, I can't tell what she's thinking then. We cannot be too careful, especially with Theron in the wind." He heard Maura hum against him, and just stood there, righting his mood and letting her love seep into his body. He knew he had to go talk to Miriah, but for now, he was staying put. They were almost bowled over when Corso burst through the door, followed by Lana.
"Going to gather dinner," Corso said, and pointed at Aric. "Miriah said to come inside when you're ready." His face revealed nothing, but Corso knew his wife had mixed feelings about the little scene they'd just had in the hangar. He rushed on, leaving Lana to talk to the couple.
"It's a good thing you got that out in the open," Lana tried to soothe the ragged edges of their emotions. "Truth is, we all needed to be reminded that it only takes one person, one idea, one seed of dissent." She reached out and patted Aric's shoulder. "I think she sees it a little differently now, at least." Aric nodded as they watched Lana make her way across the tunnel, and he envied the get away. Sighing again, he placed his palm on the lock, and when the door swished open, took Maura's hand in his, stepping inside. He glanced around but saw no one, and eventually heard the water. She'll be calmer after a little relaxation, he figured, and mindlessly helped Maura set the table for them. They'd only just finished when Corso came back, his arms loaded with bags.
"Did you just get everything?" Maura teased him, taking items and placing them on the end of the table. He didn't get a chance to speak before they heard Miriah behind him.
"He does that when he's not sure what I want," she said, but she was smiling when they turned. "Let's just all sit down and enjoy." Nodding, Corso took her in his arms for a quick kiss before pulling her chair out and seating her. "No work talk, just family."
Caly had made dinner for Devin and his family and when she turned to leave, he grabbed her sleeve. "Message Torian. Have dinner here, Cal. You cooked it, you should enjoy it, too. You're not a maid," he told her gently, and she blinked, understanding what he was saying.
"That sounds really nice," she finally said, and beamed at her older brother. They had just gotten the babies settled when Torian arrived and Caly met him at the door.
"Great idea," he told her, kissing her cheek as she pulled him inside. The nights were getting chilly, now that the sun had set, and his hands were cold as he placed them on her face. She giggled and pulled him into the kitchen, where Mia and Devin already sat. "Wow, Caly, this looks amazing! But then, I should have known. The mess food is severely lacking now that you're here."
"That is true," Devin confirmed. "We love having her here, and this way, we're still within Mom's guidelines."
"Which we very much want to follow," Torian agreed, and they laughed. Caly spooned food onto her plate, but she was more interested in watching the interaction between Devin and Torian. Mia finally tapped her hand, and pointed to her plate. Caly blushed and nibbled her food while they discussed the current manning levels, the news of the nearby planets and the latest holonet show. Torian had been gone long enough that he was still catching up, and they enjoyed the fellowship. Finally, when they'd exhausted themselves and Merida was crying for her last feeding, Caly cleared the table. She'd put everything away and was pulling on her coat when she realized Torian was waiting to escort her back to the secure area. Instead of being happy, she panicked and then saw Devin.
"I am giving my blessing for this young soldier to escort my little sister to a safe area," Devin said, his eyes twinkling. "If there's any questions, have Mom ask me." Caly didn't speak, but when she hugged her brother, she whispered a thank you, getting an extra squeeze in return. Hand in hand, Torian and Caly strolled, the bite in the air not fazing them as they took their time, enjoying just being in the same space. Once away from the house, Torian pulled her close, his arm around her shoulder, and Caly relaxed, the only thing in her thoughts right here beside her.
Aric and Corso had cleared the food and they were having cake when Miriah put her fork down. "Okay, now. I totally understand how you feel about security, Aric, but I feel like I'm being smothered. I don't know the answers, but I'm willing to talk about what we can do." Aric had stopped chewing for a moment and had to clear his food before he could speak.
"My only goal is to keep you safe. No matter what." He shifted in his seat to put his arm around Maura's chair, more for the moment to gather himself than anything else. He wasn't prepared for what happened next. Miriah pushed the plate away from her and put her head on her arms, and before anyone could really react to that, they realized she was crying. Hard. And when Corso tried to comfort her, she pulled away from him. Aric raised his hands, his gesture signaling his lack of knowledge, and Corso shrugged as well. After a few minutes, Miriah raised her head and wiped her face with her palms before looking at them all staring at her.
"I'm tired. Of everything. I think I need to look for a successor," she said, and they were speechless. "My daughter is having to grow up with a million eyes on her, my own family has to shout at me to get my attention. I don't want to live like this anymore." She stood and made her way to the sofa, Corso following, his concern palpable.
"Darlin', you're over tired. Even having days off isn't enough. You need a real break, from everything here. Away from here." He tried to hug her but Miriah turned away from him, folding into herself before dropping onto the padded seat.
"Commander," Aric said, his voice with a thread of steel in it. "We are going to go now. Take some time, think it through. I believe Corso is correct, you need a real break, not just a few hours here and there. No need to rush out tomorrow, just call if you need anything." He and Maura had made it to the door when he looked back and saw the stricken look on Miriah's face. "We will figure out how to make it all work," he told her, his voice concerned. She nodded at him and they left, Aric's stomach fighting to go back in and talk until he'd gotten Miriah to agree to his plans. They walked in silence, Maura not sure how to smooth this over.
Miriah knew Corso was anxious, but she was just so overwhelmed with everything today. It had started last night then the headache continued today, until she had to have some sort of release. She realized, looking over the day, that Aric had been in the same fix. Upset, unsettled, and no way to fix it. She stood, and before she could turn to Corso, she felt the edges of her vision gray out, and tried to reach out her hand.
Corso saw her stand and the instant she began to fall. He scooped her up and didn't stop, running full out across the war room. Aric and Maura had stopped to chat, and saw him as he raced, Miriah in his arms, her body now heaving to rid itself of the poison it had ingested. No one waited for the elevator, and Torian and Caly saw them as they started down the stairs.
Corso ran into the emergency area, where all activity stopped and turned to help him. "I got food from the mess hall," he explained, "but she's not been herself all day." Miriah continued to purge the contents of her stomach, her breathing raspy and loud. Aric saw his daughter come running toward them, shouting for different medications and equipment.
"That was Mom," Caly gasped, and ran to the stairwell, following them down. Torian was right behind her, and knew this wasn't good. He briefly wondered if everyone who had been on the Mandalorian ships a few days ago had been accounted for, and if there was any current known threats. He shook himself slightly as they reached the medcenter, as far as he knew, the Commander was having an allergic reaction or something. Except his training told him otherwise, and his eyes had not deceived him.
Corso was pushed away from the exam area by the medical team, and felt helpless as Miriah struggled to stop shaking and keep her eyes open. She was ghostly pale and was growing weak, her body simply not in her control any more. He crept up again, forcing himself near her, and took her cold hand in his. This is what was wrong, he thought, and Aric was right. Threats are everywhere. He wouldn't move, his body planted firmly where he wanted to be, and finally, after over an hour, the activity started to settle. He felt a hand on his arm, and looked into his friend's eyes. "She was given a drug," he said softly. "One that is common, but not in the quantity she ingested. We all ate the same food, though." He was quiet a moment before he and Corso both figured it out.
"The chocolate," Corso said, and Aric nodded. "She nibbled on it all day, so she had a steady dose going."
"I'm going back to the apartment for it," Aric said, and they saw Miriah's eyes flutter open on a groan.
"Aric," she whispered, her voice ravaged and raw. "You were right."
"I'd rather have not been," he told her, but her eyes closed again. "Calleigh says she can go home in the morning. I have a detail here already," he said, and Corso nodded, not caring about anything else but that Miriah would be okay. She flexed her fingers against his and he kissed her hand.
"Stay with me?" she whispered, and he leaned to take her carefully in his arms.
"Always."
Aric stopped to tell Caly what had happened, and she burst into tears, prompting Aric to hug her close. "Shh, hon. She's going to be just fine. I promise." He shifted her gently into Torian's arms. "Follow us to the apartment, okay?" Once there, Aric took the package with the tainted chocolate, and turned to the young couple. "Stay here, Caly. Torian, you too. Let me know anything that seems off or anyone coming to the door, okay?" After getting their promises, he and Maura made their way to the elevator, but instead of going home, they found themselves back at the medcenter, neither wanting to be too far away.
Lana had gotten the call from the duty officer, but by the time she had put sentries outside the sweets shop and woken the proprietor, inspected the delivery paperwork for the shipment for the chocolate, and ordered the shop closed until the investigation was done, she was late getting to the medcenter. When she arrived, she saw Aric and Maura huddled together, their eyes closed. Then she peeked in on Miriah, who was in Corso's arms, both of them asleep as well. She shrugged, pulled up a char and got to work, her mind already spinning possibilities and conclusions.
