So again, this is a 'normal' chapter and set after "Beyond the Frontier" meaning it kind of starts after the last book ended.

Warning: this chapter contains molesting, sexist behavior and comments, mentions of death and mental breakdowns.

With a bit of luck soon her boring days of just staying at home would be over! Or so Carissa had thought when Jim had told her that he had been to a little restaurant on Yorktown that was looking for a part-time worker for a couple of months. Without really thinking twice, she applied for said job, feeling this was something she could do since she had helped in her parents' restaurant quite often. To her surprise she got invited to a tryout directly instead of an interview. Though, there first would be a short talk before she got to work. The only thing that bugged her a little was that it was supposed to take place on the day Jim had invented all senior staff and department heads for dinner to share some news concerning the continuation of the journey. Officially, she wouldn't be part of the people invited but Jim had let them know that they were allowed to take partners along as well.

As always, she was quite nervous about her tryout, this time mostly because she wasn't actually qualified for the job since she had only served in her free time. Yet, her parents had showed her some basic things about working in service. Which was something she also told Mr. Jordan during the little interview at that start

"Ah that's interesting. Well then I'd say let's go for it" he chuckled and got up "I'll bring you to the changing room. Sybbie can give you one of our spare aprons" she gave a nod and followed him. Unfortunately, this 'apron' turned out to be an actual dress that was shorter than short. When she had pulled it down completely, it only reached about five inches over her ass and she desperately tried to pull it down further

"Do you have a bigger size, maybe?" she then asked Sybille

"I fear no. At least not one's that available right now. Maybe it's because of your stomach" she pointed at it and with a sigh she looked down at her stomach that still didn't look too presentable after the pregnancy

"Yeah" she said "or do you maybe have some kind of pantyhose I could wear?"

"No but if you get the job I'm sure you can get some. It's just one afternoon, right?"

"Right" she gave a nod and then followed her until they met another waitress who introduced herself as Beth.

"Just in advance" the redhead said "there's a table with four to five men in the back on the right. If I were you I'd try to avoid them if possible. I mean, don't go there if you don't have to… they have a tendency to 'accidentally' drop things and when you bend down to pick them up they're always staring"

"Oh" she gave a nod "I don't actually bend over to get something from the floor but by crouching down. Something you learn when you're pregnant" she chuckled "But thanks for the warning" Mr. Jordan came from the kitchen and clapped his hands

"Off, off you go, the customers are waiting. Betty, take Clary with you" if she was honest, she wasn't too happy about the fact that he called her a nickname without asking. And then he even had obviously gotten her name wrong…

At first, everything went quite well but then Mr. Jordan explicitly sent her to the men in the corner about which she had been warned earlier. Sybille looked like she wanted to protest but her boss shushed her. Carissa bit the inside of her cheek, she just had to ignore the guys and they'd lose interest.

"Ah finally you come over here, my dear" one of them purred

"I've got two Draylaxian whiskeys, a Cosmopolitan and a Tequila Sunrise" she started placing the drinks on the table "Here we go. Would you like me to take the empty glasses back?"

"Yes that would be lovely, dear" when he tried to hand it to her, he tilted it, so that the decorative lime fell down "Oh no, what a shame" he said with a grin, nudging his friend in the side.

"Ah that's no big deal" she picked it up "All done" she smiled at him and took the glass, pushing back a strand of hair. When she wanted to take the next glass, the man holding it pulled it back "Oh you'd like to keep it? Alright" she realized she had used her baby voice she sometimes put on when talking to Erik what made her chuckle.

"Actually I'd like you to bend over that table to spank that pretty ass of yours" she gulped and blinked

"Very well, I take it you want to keep your glass then. What about you? Do you want to keep it too?"

"I'd much rather like to keep you"

"Enjoy your drinks" she said, walking away. When she left the customer area, Jordan got into her way with his arms crossed

"What was that?"

"What exactly do you mean?"

"You didn't take their glasses"

"Uh yeah… I only got one"

"Oh were the other ones too heavy to carry?"

"Err no"

"Then may I ask why the gentlemen still have them?" because they weren't gentlemen when I wanted to take them, she thought to herself.

"Well uh… I asked if they still wanted the glasses and when they made sexist and almost harassing comments, I figured it was a yes"

"Oh come on, they do this with all my girls… just go over and take those damn glasses" she gulped then walked back to the four men

"Ah look, lovely to have you back. I thought we'd never see your pretty face again" she didn't reply and picked up the first glass but already the second one pushed his at the back of the table

"Come and get it" he said

"I fear it's a little out of reach. Could you move it a little closer?"

"Ah come on, we don't mind if you lean over the table a little"

"In fact we'd appreciate that" she considered what she was supposed to do but before she knew it, she leant over the table, trying to get the glass

"Further. Further" one of them tried to guide her

"Sir, could you please pass me the glass?"

"Sir? I quite like that" to her relief, he actually moved the glass closer but when she tried to move back, she felt how one of the others smacked her ass. A part of her wanted to lash out at him but she took a deep breath and decided to ignore it.

"Finally one that doesn't protest" and another slap. She shot up and almost ripped the empty glass out of the last man's hand before she marched back to the kitchen, shaking her head

"Oh dear, are you alright?" Beth asked

"Yeah. Are they always like that?"

"Usually. But they also can be worse. Just wait until they had another two drinks"

"And Mr. Jordan does nothing?"

"He's asked them to leave the comments be and not touch us but well…"

"Oh okay" she gave a nod.

"Clarissa, my office" the boss ordered

"Give me those" Beth said, taking the glasses while she went to the office of Mr. Jordan

"Would you mind telling me why the fuck you ripped a glass out of a customer's hand?"

"Well you see, they were making very inappropriate comments and they even slapped my ass"

"So what? They do that constantly"

"Look, I don't know about the others but it does bother me. They have no right to treat me or other women or other people in general like that"

"Then maybe you're not fit for the job"

"But honestly… I don't think there are many women that are okay with such behavior. Maybe there's a way to prevent other such instances?"

"By doing what?"

"I don't really know, but maybe if they saw that their action have consequences they might stop"

"They don't mean harm so why scare them away?"

"Forgive me but… as the owner of this restaurant you should well, take care of your subordinates and make sure they're protected"

"I am protecting them but these men are no danger"

"They're not but they're still unpleasant"

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"I don't expect you to do anything. But maybe you should discuss it with Beth and Sybille or any other subordinates you have" he let out a grunt and looked out of the window

"Fuck" he said and when she followed his gaze she saw that rain was pouring down as if there was no tomorrow "Not another error in that god-damn weather control center" he barked then glared at her "You, go outside and get all the electronic devices inside. They shouldn't get wet. Also help the customers getting inside"

"Err yes" she didn't really think twice and left through the door of his office. After only five seconds she was already drenched and started shivering. As it seemed most customers were already running inside but she still grabbed some plates and glasses to carry them inside as well before going out again to pick up all the advertising signs and menu-cards. When she was back, she tried to wring out her hair and dress but to no avail. Jordan looked at her and laughed.

"You look like a wet poodle. Go and dry up, I don't want you to soak this place"

"Yes" she said and hurried to the back, ignoring the catcalls of the stupid men in the corner.

"Nice underwear" she heard Jordan say and she glanced down, seeing the smileys of her bra and the cartoon cats on her panties showing through the wet cloth of the bright pink dress, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Why don't you just take the childish underwear off, huh?"

"And the dress too? It's all soaked"

"If it makes you feel any better I can remove my clothes too"

"And we'll find something to warm you up"

"Though it'll probably make you wet in another way" they roared with laughter and she wanted nothing more than to run away and start crying.

"Go get yourself more appropriate underwear" Jordan said

"Excuse me?" she asked "Can't I just put on a new dress?"

"It's just water. That'll dry in no time. Besides, it'll entertain the guests a little" he winked at her "Not with that underwear though. You really should reconsider getting yourself more appropriate underwear if you get the job" she could only nod and left. To her surprise, Sybille followed her to the changing room and gave her a towel.

"I know they're assholes but try not to mind them" Carissa felt tears running down her cheeks

"Why did he do nothing? I mean, Jordan kind of just joined their behavior" Sybille sighed

"Superiors often act that way" she shook her head

"Not mine. He'd never do such a thing or make comments about such a matter" though it wasn't exactly the truth. After all, her first superior had gone much further than those guys. And in a way she did talk about similar things with her current superior. Just that they were off duty when she had such discussions with Spock. But she knew he'd never judge her for her choice of underwear. In fact, he had admitted he preferred that she was wearing non-suggestive underwear just like he assured her that he thought make-up was utterly illogical and unnecessary. The thought of him made her smile and she couldn't help but imagine what would happen if he was here and had witnessed the scene.

"I think I know that smile. You thinking about someone important?"

"My husband"

"Screw your husband, Clary. Sybbie back to work" she winced when she saw Jordan standing in the doorframe

"That's our changing room" she almost exclaimed

"Oh yeah? And that whole building's mine. So I can be wherever I want to be. Now get into a new dress or I'll tear it off you and send you back out there naked. I'm sure our friends would love that" Sybille threw a glance to her and left while Carissa pushed some wet hair out of her face. She walked to the locker where she had put her bag and own clothing and opened it, taking out her things "What are you doing? Get changed"

"I'm getting changed! Into my own stuff! I've had fucking enough. I withdraw my goddamn application. Find yourself a bitch who's made for the job. No offence to Sybille and Beth" she strutted over to him while retrieving the device she had used to note down the orders and slammed it against his chest "Besides, my name is Carissa!"

"Where are you going? I need you!"

"You need me?" she asked incredously.

"Yes! I don't have enough waitresses if you leave. I told Elly she doesn't have to come"

"Well" she said "a tryout is there so that both parties can see if it's a good idea to get the job. And I definitely don't want that job so why should I waste my time?"

"What if I told you that you got the job?"

"I said I don't want it anymore. If you don't want me to leave, good luck trying to stop me" he took hold of her arm

"At least tell me why you changed your mind"

"Well, I think that you should be a bit more on our side rather than on the customer's side. Their behavior was unacceptable and you know that"

"They're men. What am I supposed to do?"

"We live in the goddamn 23rd century. I had believed we had gone a great way in development since the 21st century. There are animal males that respect women more than certain humaniods!" she rushed to the employee bathroom and managed to peel off the wet dress and underwear before drying herself a little and changing into her own clothes. Once she left the bathroom she winced when she saw Jordan still standing here. She only flung the dress at him as she tried to walk past him

"You're not seriously willing to go out in that rain?" she stopped. He had a point.

"And what do you suggest I do until it stops raining? Let those guys have 'fun' with me?"

"That would be an option" he chuckled, making her grunt and without thinking twice she left the building, not caring about the rain. While she was walking she searched her bag for something she could use to cover her somehow but also made sure the inside of the bag didn't get too wet. Then she gave up and arrived at the shuttle station and hurried under the covering, letting out a sigh. She then wanted to take out her PADD to write her husband that she was already coming home but her heart skipped a beat when she couldn't find her PADD. Not quite able to believe it, she started unpacking some of her things but nothing.

"No" she muttered "No, no, no" had she actually forgotten it at the restaurant? She knew she had it with her, after all she had used it during the interview. A part of her started to believe someone might have taken it. She felt tears in her eyes and didn't know what to do, so she absentmindedly put all her belongings back into her bag. She then threw a glance into the direction she had come from and let out a whimper. There was no other way than to go back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she hurried back to the restaurant but stopped when she saw something reflecting in a puddle. She went closer and recognized her PADD, completely underwater "Oh no, no, no" she yelled, picking it up and staring at it. Next thing she knew was that she was running back to the station where she picked some napkins and one of Erik's diapers out of her bag, trying her best to dry the device, paying extra attention to all parts that had an opening. Although she was trying to protect it from water, it got wet with her tears. Once it was sufficiently dry, she tried to switch it on with trembling fingers. Luckily, the screen came to life but it displayed a huge message that water had been detected inside the device and that she should refrain from using it until it was dry. Despite this, she tapped the message to get further information, hoping there would be no permanent damage. When her PADD got unlocked, she caught a glimpse of a message her father had sent her.

"Call your mother. She's completely out of it because your…" while she read through the device's message she couldn't help but think of her father's message. Finally, she couldn't help but check it out anyway. Instantly, she wished she hadn't. The reason that her mother seemed so upset was because Carissa's youngest cousin, Jeremy, had died. She gulped, switched off her PADD and let her head fall back against the wall behind her, not caring about the pain at the back of her skull. A part of her was that close to throwing her PADD away or screaming out loud but the people that seemed to be waiting for the shuttle stopped her. It took her five minutes to being able to process the message a little and to plan what to do because she knew she had to contact her mother or she'd contact her and if she didn't answer her call, her mother would go crazy and think something had happened to her as well. Suddenly, there was an announcement that said that due to the heavy rain, all shuttles were canceled for about half an hour. Some people started whispering and left while Carissa stared at the speaker and shook her head in disbelief. Then she started laughing, she didn't know why and shortly after, also tears joined her mad laughter and to anyone else it probably looked like she was crying.

"Are you alright?" someone asked, concern in his voice

"Did-did you hear that?" she pressed out before falling back to her laughter "They've cancelled all shuttles. Because of all the water"

"I think you should take deep breaths and relax, okay?"

"It's water. Fucking water. And I've got this dinner tonight"

"What's going on?" a woman asked.

"I've got no idea. Looks like she's having a mental breakdown" Carissa almost couldn't breathe properly because she was still shaking with laughter. She noticed how someone set her down on a bench and took a seat next to her.

"Take a deep breath and try to relax"

"Water" she mumbled before exploding with laughter again, what this time ended in a crying fit. She started to feel bad that she hadn't actually cried when hearing about her cousin's death and cried over trivial things, just like during the pregnancy. "I can't do this anymore. I want to go home" she mumbled.

"Is there someone you can call? Maybe someone can come and pick you up"

"No I can't use my PADD because it fell into a puddle was got soaked for about three minutes at least! I can't use it. I hate it. I hate this day. I just want to go to bed and fall asleep"

"You'll be home in no time. I'm sure your PADD will be fine, as will you"

"You know nothing. Leave me alone, please" she mumbled

"Oh okay. If you need anything…"

"I wish that day never happened" when she looked up she saw that about half of the people that had been waiting for the shuttle had left. She too considered walking but her legs hurt from walking around in the restaurant for so long. Besides, she felt dead tired and a part of her wished she didn't have to go to that dinner anymore. Or that it would take place on another day at least. Somehow she had absolutely no idea what to do so she just sat there, looking at the ground, hoping the shuttle would arrive anytime soon. She didn't really notice when it had stopped raining exactly but she didn't feel anything about it. All she cared about was getting home. If only she could use her PADD so that she could do something to pass time. Finally, she leant her head back against the wall behind the bench and tried to find thoughts that could distract her enough to forget about what had happened today. But unfortunately, thoughts of the events of today returned all the time and she felt close to tears again.

-oO0Oo-

Then, finally, about 45 minutes after she had arrived at the shuttle car stop, the public transport finally arrived and she hurried inside, her legs protesting almost instantly. Luckily, the journey home was rather uneventful, save for a convulsive pain in her lower abdomen. Thinking about it, she realized that also her period was due any day now and she let out a groan, hoping it'd leave her alone for another couple of days. One huge advantage about weather that was controlled by people and not nature was that she knew they surely wouldn't make it rain after a malfunction obviously had caused the heavy rain in the past hours. In the end, she couldn't really recall how exactly she got up and back home. Once the door closed behind her, she let out a long sigh, dropped her bag and leaned her back against the wall. When she heard Erik emitting a happy shriek from the living room the corners of her mouth twitched up. One hand ran over her face as she let out another sigh. Her husband appeared and looked at her before raising an eyebrow.

"Just… don't" she mumbled walking to their bedroom in order to get changed. Despite everything (or maybe because of this) it annoyed her when she heard Erik crying and she was that close to snapping at Spock to do something against it. While she took off her wet clothes and tossed them into the corner, she saw that the Vulcan entered the room with Erik in his arms. As soon as the little one saw her, he held out his little arms and the crying ceased. With a sigh she took him into her own arms and nuzzled his neck "Hi baby" she mumbled, carefully stroking the back of his head

"Is there a reason behind your early return and the fact you are not wearing underwear?" she let out a snort and removed Erik's hand from her hair before placing him inside his crib so that she could get ready for the shower. As it seemed, being away from her didn't please him so he started crying again. That just was too much for her. She tossed the towel to the ground with a growl and sank down on the mattress, crying as well. She felt the bed dip when Spock sat down beside her "Carissa" he said "Do you wish to talk about what has happened?"

"I-I just want to sleep. I can't do this anymore" she brushed her hands over her cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears. When she felt him wrap his arms around her, she stilled for a moment, then leant closer and melted into the touch

"If there is something I can do to assist you?"

"Dunno" she mumbled.

"Would you like me to excuse us from the evening meal with the senior staff of the Enterprise?"

"No. You-you have to go"

"Then perhaps you prefer to stay at home?"

"I dunno. But to be honest I've had enough of restaurants for a while"

"Am I correct to conclude your sudden aversion to such premises derives from the tryout you have completed today?"

"Yeah. Though I didn't 'complete' it. I left."

"Will you tell me what has occurred to upset you?"

"Well my whole afternoon's been awful" the crying intensified but when he started stroking her back she felt herself calming down a little. She let out a hiccup "Everything was quite well until I was supposed to start work. You know, they have super-short server uniforms. They only went like that far" she tried to show him the length by pointing at her upper thigh. "And-and you know me and that I don't really like skirts that end a lot above the knees. They couldn't even give me a pantyhose or something. Well, then Beth warned be about some perverts that apparently were sitting in a corner and advised me not to go near them. At first everything went okay. Then Jordan, the boss, ordered me to go to these men" she sniffed "You don't wanna know what they said but more than half of their sentences were suggestive. I tried to ignore them and finally just left, like if they can't give me a serious answer, I don't have to take away their empty glasses. But then Jordan told me to go back and get the glasses anyway. And-and one of them moved his glass to the back of the table so that I had no choice but to lean over it. One or two of them slapped my ass and I got so mad that I just ripped the glass out of one's hand. But Jordan didn't like that either and called me to his office. It was like he cared more about the customers than the waitresses!" she told him how it then had started pouring and that she got sent out to bring everything inside that wasn't supposed to get wet. "And then guess what?"

"Were you denied to put on dry clothes?"

"Kind of. But first these perverts and Jordan, mind you, had to make mean comments about my bra and panties. Be-because you could see them through the fabric of the uniform! They've kind of told me such underwear was inappropriate for someone working in service and the guys even made quite explicit statements about how I should take of that dress and they'd like to help me or join me. Then Jordan told me to put on better underwear or so. How dare he? It's none of his right! He should have been defending me instead of agreeing with the customers. So I went to the changing room and Sybille came with me. Then Jordan showed up in the door and wouldn't leave, so I had enough, grabbed my stuff and… well 'resigned'. He tried to stop me but he didn't even apologize or something! He was so unregenerate! I hate him! I hate him!"

"Carissa, please try to calm down. There is no reason for you to ever see him or those customers again" he leaned his head against hers.

"Well anyway, then I left and of course it was still raining. When I arrived at the shuttle stop, I realized that I didn't have my PADD in my bag. Guess where I found it? In a puddle. It's been in water for about five minutes or so". I've tried to dry it as good as I could and when I switched it on, it worked but displayed a warning that water had gotten inside" again she sniffed "And-and then I saw a message my Dad had written. My Mum's not feeling good because my cousin, Jer, has died" now she was crying again and felt how he gently pulled her closer

"May I offer you my condolences?" she only sniffed and dug her fingers into his shirt.

"I can't do this. I had to remember how we played in my grandma's garden when we were little or how he showed me that funny game where you could spawn dinosaurs in cities and watch how they destroyed everything and grew so quickly" she chuckled "But then I heard that due to all the water, all shuttles in the next half an hour or so had been cancelled. And that's when I lost it. I kind of broke down and started laughing like mad. At the same time I was crying. I just was so done with everything and only wanted to go home. Then this guy helped me sit down and asked me what I had. I wanted to contact you but I couldn't because I couldn't use my goddamn PADD! And I also couldn't use it to pass time, so I just sat there, alone with my thoughts and I honestly don't know how I survived the way home. And then Erik wanted my attention and I was mad at him because I had my own problems and he'd never understand. Then he got mad because I put him away and I just couldn't anymore. Everything I do is wrong! I'm always wrong"

"That is not corr-…" he paused and stiffened "I suppose you had rather I did not say it" she couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"See, I'm wrong again"

"Carissa I am certain you have heard that humans tend to say that nobody is perfect. You have had an exhausting and turbulent day, therefore it is only logical you are feeling upset by minor and trivial issues" she only gave a short nod. "Would you rather I held you longer or do you wish to take a shower?"

"Dunno. Both sounds good… Though I don't want to take a water-based shower and I don't think a sonic shower will be necessary" she sighed and buried her face in the crook of his neck "So I'll guess I'll just stay with you for a little longer and decide then"

"I do not mean to upset you in any way but you might want to consider putting on underwear"

"Oh right. Totally forgot" she chuckled a little "Funny somehow that those guys wanted me to undress and here I am now, completely naked" with a sigh she let go of him a bit and then went to the wardrobe to put on new underwear and even a shirt before she picked up Erik from the crib and pressed him against her body "I'm sorry, little one" she said, kissing his forehead. He clumsily wrapped an arm around her too, at least he tried to. "Are you trying to comfort me by hugging me?" she leaned her forehead gently against his "You know, I need that" he tilted his head and put his free hand into his mouth. "Now what? Are you hungry? Didn't you get anything, huh?" she tickled his chin

"I doubt this is what he is trying to express with his action"

"Oh I know" she muttered and moved her head back with a disgusted mien when he placed his wet hand on her cheek "If you don't mind I've had quite enough of water today" she sighed trying to remove his hand, making him emit an unhappy croaking sound and tried to get his wrist out of her grasp. When she let go, his hand landed on her face again "Yeah okay, if that's what you really want…" she sighed and seconds later he was crying. And just like that, she burst out in tears again. She was glad when Spock got up to take Erik into his own arms and she almost stared at her son "What have I done wrong now? Why does he hate me so much?"

"Carissa, I assure you that Erik does not think negatively of you in any way. In fact, he is eminently fond of you"

"A-are you just saying that to cheer me up?"

"No, I am telling you because it is the truth"

"And how would you know?" she crossed her arms. She knew the answer when she saw how her husband took the babies hand and how shortly after the crying ceased. Touch telepathy, of course, how could she have forgotten that "Oh okay" she said

"As a matter of fact he has been attempting to communicate with you moments ago. However, when he has found out that you did not respond the way he expected he has gotten frustrated" she hiccupped

"You're saying he's mad because I basically couldn't understand him?"

"Indeed"

"What did he try to tell me then?"

"He wanted to comfort you and attempted to bring his affection for you to your notice"

"Oh" she glanced at her son who was looking at her again and she started to feel bad that she had not known what he was trying to do. Then she leant closer and tickled his cheek "I'm sorry, little one. But I love you too"

"Carissa, you do not need to apologize you cannot have known what he was trying" she only shrugged and took Erik into her arms again, nuzzling his neck. He let out a squeal and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

"Oh fuck. I still need to call my Mum. Because of Jer or otherwise she'll go crazy. But I can't use my own PADD… in fact I don't even know if I can talk to her right now. I mean I probably should but it's my Mum and ugh…"

"If you wish you may write her a message with my device and explain her that you do not have time to discuss it today?"

"Would be great… but then she'll be calling you and asking why I don't want to talk and she'll tell me I don't care about Jer and that I should come home for the funeral and all" she let out a groan.

"I am certain your mother is aware that you do care about his death even if you do not return to earth or talk to her today. After all, everyone grieves in another way and your mother has to accept this" she sighed

"Okay, I'll write her a message" she said "Do you have her contact details saved?"

"No, I do not"

"Shit"

"I do, however, know them"

"Ah great" she pecked his cheek and asked if he could get his PADD so she could write the message to which he agreed. A part of her was surprised that her mother didn't almost instantly call her back after she had gotten the message and that worried her. It really meant her mother was beside herself at the moment. For some time she considered calling her but then decided against it. She couldn't always handle her mother when she was feeling well, so how could she handle her now, when she herself wasn't feeling well. When she returned to the kitchen, she saw that Spock was examining her PADD "Is something wrong with it? Does it not work anymore?"

"It does. However, it is unwise to utilize it until it is completely dry. If you do not mind, I will unclose it to ensure a proper drying"

"Oh okay" to her surprise he did not only open it but also started removing some components. She wasn't too happy about it but didn't say anything because he surely knew what he was doing. Erik seemed to have noticed he was doing something that interested him and he held out his arm as if he wanted to hold one of the pieces from inside her PADD "No sweetie, you can't have this. You could get hurt when you swallow it or then my PADD doesn't work anymore. That's something very important to your Mommy, which she needs all day" he stared at her and put a finger in his mouth "Exactly, that's something you can't do with those components. But I'm sure sa-mekh will tell you everything about them you want to know when you're older" Erik removed his finger and started babbling.

"You may give him to me" Spock said

"But doesn't that bother you? I mean…"

"No, he does never bother me"

"Oh okay" she placed him in his father's lap and saw how one of his little hands shot forward and touched one of the pieces from her PADD until Spock removed it what he didn't seem to like. So Carissa left to return with one of her son's toy which he accepted gladly.

-oO0Oo-

When it was time for them to get ready for the dinner, she almost only wished to be able to go to bed and considered whether or not she was supposed to wear a uniform. After all, she was not officially invited for being in Starfleet but because she was married to Spock. But when she asked him, his answer, to wear whatever made her comfortable, wasn't that helpful

"I mean… I feel more comfortable in my own clothes… but if I'm the only one not wearing a uniform it's also weird. Who's even gonna be there besides me? As a partner, I mean"

"I do not know, Carissa" she gave a shrug

"At least I'll know the others" with a sigh she pulled out her drawer with underwear and began rummaging in it

"May I ask what you are searching?"

"Dunno. I just want to see if I have some nice underwear somewhere" she stopped digging "No wait, the thing I bought with Nic is on earth. I left it at home"

"What are you referring to by 'nice'?"

"Uh… sexy?" she giggled "Don't ask why, I just kinda wanted to see what I got and why I've never worn it again after well… Finn. And it's not like I don't want to show you or think you wouldn't like it but I had no reason to believe our relationship would go so far during the mission or otherwise I might have taken them with me. But somehow I just wanted to put them on and see why I found them uncomfortable in the first place"

"Carissa, if you find such underwear to be uncomfortable I advise you do not wear it" he explained that the fabrics that lingerie was made of, was usually not healthful for the genital area and since it was underwear's job to 'protect' said areas it was illogical to create another problem by wearing the wrong underwear. He also mentioned that mostly the fit of said underwear was not optimal.

"Okay, nice to know. But I wouldn't like wear it a whole day or so and to be honest… the only reason to wear such lingerie is to… well with the ultimate goal to have them removed as soon as possible which kinda makes them needless anyway. Oh and did you know that it actually his healthier to sleep without panties? Or naked in general? I even used to do this before I went to the Academy, then I found it was a bit… weird if Nicole noticed" she sighed "but you know what also annoys me? That I can't find any good and cute panties I like for women. I mean, such with those cute little imprints on them. The best you get is dotted or maybe with an ornament. But I want butterflies, ice creams or funny comic figures on my panties" she pouted "Why's it almost impossible to find yourself some cute panties from a certain size or age? That's sexist! If a woman wants to put on underwear with illustrated pictures on them they should be able to do it! I know, I might sound illogical but I don't care"

"It is good to hear that the events of today have not made you feel insecure about wearing such underwear and I am certain that you will find something that pleases you by putting forth effort into your search" she hummed

"Well that stupid guy or any of these perverts has nothing to say about my choice of underwear. The only person who should be allowed to say anything about it at all is you. Which still doesn't mean I have to listen" she glanced back at the drawer "It's my body and I chose what I put on"

"This would seem like a wise conclusion"

"Okay anyway, enough of underwear. I should put on something nice as a top. Because that's something people actually see" while she got changed someone was at the door and she sent Spock to open because she was certain it was Tomita who had agreed to watch Erik for the evening.