12304.14 – 12:57- Ravenswood Main House -
When Sam stepped in Ravenswood's back door, the smell hit him, and his mouth watered.
"Please tell me that is what I think it is." Sam walked over, wrapped his arms around Bea's waist, and kissed her cheek.
"Slow-roasted ham, my mom's heavenly mash potatoes, and your mom's homemade rolls in the oven?" Bea teased as she fed Sam a piece of carrot she was chopping. "Go wash up; you smell like a horse."
"I thought you liked the smell." Sam rubbed his face on her shirt.
"Cut it out, you two." Christine playfully scolded as she walked into the room carrying a couple of bottles of wine. "Robin and Alan will be home soon."
"Spoilsport," Sam kissed Bea's cheek before heading off to wash up.
"Any idea when Jacob is returning from his test?" Bea asked as she scooped the carrots into a bowl and started to prepare a parsnip.
Christine checked the chronometer, "He should be home any minute." Then, with a frown, Christine went over to pick up some pot holders.
"What is the frown for?" Bea asked as she chopped the vegetables.
Christine shook her head and opened the oven door to remove the casserole dish from the oven. "Something is off. I just can't say what."
"You are imagining things." Bea dumped the sweet potatoes she had cut earlier into the bowl and began mixing them with a spatula. "Jacob is fine. It was you that said these last physical tests were all that was left for him to be reinstated."
Christine set the fresh-from-the-oven homemade macaroni and cheese onto a thermal pad. "It's probably just my nerves, but both mom and dad have said to trust my gut."
"If you are that worried, Chrissy, call his doctor's office and ask for an eta on his arrival." Sam walked into the room and tossed a towel onto the counter, "Tell them the truth. You have a big dinner waiting for him and want to know when to expect him."
"It's not a bad idea." Bea pointed out. "Brielle and Josh happily play with Remmy, Ollie, and Ember. But, of course, a few minutes to check on Jacob won't hurt anything."
"I don't want to poke my nose where it doesn't belong." Christine shrugged.
"Too late for that." Sam quibbled, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Bea.
"Christine," Bea eyed Sam, "If it bothers you this much, go to the doctor's office. Who knows, maybe Jacob is in a meeting that is running long. It does happen, you know." Bea gave her a sympathetic look.
Christine thought for a moment. "Oh, fine, as long as you watch the kids while I am gone. It shouldn't be too long." Christine went to the room she and Jacob shared.
"If we can't, Mom and Dad are on their way as backup," Sam said cheekily.
A couple of moments later, Christine returned in uniform.
"Why the suit?" Sam asked.
"When you are going to spy in enemy territory, it helps to blend in," Christine said cheekily as she went to give the kids kisses.
"Maybe Jacob is rubbing off on her." Bea shrugged as she heard the transporter go off in the foyer.
12304.14 – 13:33 hours- Star Fleet Medical- Earth
With a knock on a reception counter, Lieutenant JG Skyler stepped into the office of Doctor Zerkses Warwick. "I was told to meet Lieutenant Commander Holtz here after his evaluation."
"And you are?" The bored receptionist looked up at her.
"Lieutenant Commander Jacob Holtz had an appointment at 0700 hours with Dr. Warwick." Christine kept her tone formal.
The receptionist checked the computer, "Dr. Warwick's first appointment was at 08:15. I don't have Lieutenant Commander Holtz on our schedule with any of our doctors."
"He was to have a special evaluation with Dr. Warwick in preparation for his duty reassessment hearing." Christine's voice took a hard edge.
The receptionist stood to face her, "As I said, Lieutenant Commander Holtz is not here and hasn't been here. So leave, or I'm calling security."
"What is the meaning of this?" A familiar doctor stepped through a side door. So soon as he saw Christine, he blanched. "Stand down, Lieutenant."
"I would like some answers, Doctor." Christine turned to face the doctor. "Where is Lieutenant Commander Holtz?"
With a sigh, Dr. Warwick crossed his arms. "He isn't here." Christine started to growl. "And neither should you be."
"Where is he?"
"He was taken."
12304.14 – 19:36 hours- Clydebank- Earth
"And I thought the view from my mum's front porch was beautiful." Daniel turned back toward the rest of the Skyler family.
"You asked to learn a bit about my family." Katie shrugged and looked up at her Mom.
"I was thinking lunch with your folks, not," Daniel gestured to the landscape before them. "… this."
"The Skyler family has called this place home for generations," Richard explained as he handed the two girls cups of tea. "Much of the family history can be traced to here."
"Care to show me around, sir?" Daniel looked at Katie and back to Richard.
Katie shrugged, "I don't mind." She sipped her tea. "More time for Mom and I to talk behind your backs." She gave them both a mischievous grin.
"Behave," Richard pointed the finger at the both of them and stepped off the porch.
"Not a chance, flyboy." Lynn blew him a kiss.
With a smile at Katie, Daniel followed Richard out into the grounds of the estate.
They had gotten far away from the main house when Daniel said, "Thank you for allowing me to visit your family, Admiral."
"After all you did for Katie, you are welcome in our home Petty Officer." Richard gave him a warm smile.
"She is a special girl, sir." Daniel zipped up his thick jacket against the wind.
"That she is." Richard let Daniel over to the estates' winter garden. "But I think you didn't come out here to see the dying plants of my cousin's gardens, so what is on your mind Petty Officer."
"Sir, I started as Katelynn's bodyguard, but I became close to her during that time."
Richard crossed his arms and leaned back on a short wall.
"I began to see her not as my charge but more." He licked his lips. Richard continued to look at the young man, not saying a word. "I found that I cared about her."
" She.." Daniel looked away from the Admiral's gaze, "She has come to care for and love me back. Not as her hero but as her…." He swallowed. "Partner. Admiral, I would…."
Daniel was interrupted by a piercing alert going off Richard's com badge. Reflexively Richard hit it. "Skyler!"
"They've taken him! Daddy! White Rabbit! They have Jacob! Help!" Christine's voice came piercing over the come badge.
Richard and Daniel shared a look. "We are on our way." Both took off at a run back to the house.
"What's wrong?" Lynn shot to her feet soon as they appeared around the corner.
"White Rabbit." Richard got out as he pulled up short.
"Who?" Katie asked, dropping the tea in her hands.
"Christine," Daniel said and wrapped her in his arms.
"I'll tell your cousins, and we are transporting to Ravenswood." Lynn went inside and focused on the task at hand. Katie squeezed Daniel's hand and followed her.
Daniel went to follow her, but Richard grabbed his jacket sleeve. Daniel stopped and looked at him, "Daniel…."
"Later, for now. Later we will finish this later." Daniel locked eyes with Richard, "Christine and Jacob first."
With a nod, Richard let go of Daniel's jacket, and both followed after the girls.
12304.14 – 13:48 hours- Ravenswood- Earth
"What the hell is going on?" Richard came jogging into the house.
Bea and Sam's heads snapped to where Richard appeared in the hall. "Huh?"
"We just got a call from Christine," Lynn said as she came up next to Richard, "She called a white rabbit."
"That's…" Sam and Bea shared a look.
"She left for Star Fleet Medical about an hour ago to see if Jacob was done with his testing." Bea looked from Richard to Lynn, "A couple of minutes ago, we got a message from her saying she got called into a case while there. She wasn't sure when she would be home."
"She just left the kids?" Katie looked confused.
"She was only going to go an hour, and we can look after them for that long. Besides, my Mom and Dad are at the carriage house if we get into trouble." Sam tried to explain.
"Get Robin and Alan up here now." Richard glared at Sam, and Richard pushed his way to his office, leaving Lynn quickly following him.
Richard sat down at his desk and pulled up personnel tracking sensors. By the time Lynn was in the room, Richard had located Christine. "She is still at Star Fleet Medical Center."
"What about Jacob?" Lynn came to stand over his shoulder.
Richard cursed, "He is not coming up logs."
Lynn pursed her lips and typed in a code, "You might be locked out, but let's see what I can do." Lynn frowned and went to a different system. "Hmm…"
"Lynn…."
"I pulled a familial welfare check on Jacob." Lynn pulled up a different screen. "And before you ask, it is legal, one of the benefits of their marriage contract. Jacob is technically my son." A few keystrokes later, "He arrived for his assessment at 7 AM, and then…." Lynn's voice stopped. Richard nudged Lynn to continue. "His care was transferred to Medic Mambru Curniana."
"Is he all right?" Richard asked, curious.
"Where ever he is, he isn't seriously hurt, but he is unreachable." Finally, Lynn closed down the system. "He is classified on a training mission."
"Training mission?" Richard looked at his wife, confused, "He is supposed to be undergoing medical assessment."
"He is." A female voice came from the doorway. The couple looked up to see Robin standing there, arms crossed.
"I'll leave you two alone." Lynn quickly left the room.
Richard stood and shut the door behind her. "Explain."