Dearka & Miriallia
Book II
Disclaimer: It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)
Chapter 22
Relocation
Dearka headed back down the hall and re-entered Miriallia's room. She was lying peacefully, looking out the window on her left side. She hadn't really had the chance to see where she was with all the commotion surrounding her the past day.
After all, it had been a whirlwind of events for her. One moment she was giving birth during a massive battle between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, and next her soon-to-be father-in-law was threatening her while her daughter struggled for life. After all that, her parents had come to rescue her; or so she thought. This had all led to her hearing the sweetest words spill from her new husbands' lips and the most joyous news that could have ever been given to her about Nora's condition. It was enough to make her head spin. Luckily she was lying down making it seem otherwise.
"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Dearka asked walking over to his wife. She quickly turned her head in his direction and gave him a small smile.
"I've been better," she admitted. In all the craziness, she hadn't realized how sick she herself had felt.
"So now is probably not a good time to talk to you about anything serious?" Dearka asked curiously. He was really hoping she wouldn't have the energy, but today was definitely not his lucky day.
Miriallia sat up and looked at him, patting the bedside for him to take a seat next to her. She seemed more than eager to find out what was on his mind. "What's up?"
Dearka's eyes shifted, as they usually did when he felt uncomfortable about the topic. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you have to tell me?" Miriallia asked catching a glimpse of his discomfort.
"Because you're not and I'm hoping this isn't the shortest marriage in history when I tell you what I have to say," he replied dragging one of his hands through his hair while rubbing his sleek fingers into his scalp as a way to relieve some of the stress that was currently overtaking him.
Miriallia moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "I'm not leaving you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't now since there is no way I'd ever walk away from our daughters again," she said jokingly.
Dearka didn't laugh. As humorous as it was to him, he just couldn't bring himself to even smile. What he had to tell her was beginning to make him sick to his stomach. "How do I explain to her all the things I've been keeping from her? All the lies, the disloyalty and everything I've done to the people I claim to care most about?" he thought.
"Okay, now you're scaring me. I know you would have found that funny if you weren't so preoccupied," Miriallia said noticing his tension increasing right before her very eyes.
Her arms slipped from around his neck and fell to the hand he had placed on the bed next to her. She grabbed it gently and squeezed in an attempt to urge him to tell her what was bothering him.
There was only one way he could do what Kelley had suggested and that was to just tell Miriallia everything from start to finish. He couldn't lie to her anymore. It wasn't fair to start their life together with so many secrets hovering overhead. Dearka knew it the moment Kelley kissed him. She had proven a point to him, no matter how much he wanted to be a family with Miriallia, the only way he could accomplish it would be to take away any power others had over him. He had to tell her about all his indiscretions so they couldn't be used against him.
"I'm going to start with something that just happened and I want you to promise you won't freak out on me," he said earning a glare from her.
Miriallia wasn't feeling well as it was and now he was telling her not to be mad at him. How could she promise that when she didn't even know what it was she wasn't supposed to be angry about?
"You want me to promise not to get angry when I have no idea what it is you want to tell me? Somehow I think it's something you already know will upset me," she pointed out the obvious.
He ignored her question but looked straight into her eyes while he still had the courage to do so.
"Do you think we can work through anything? I mean do you honestly feel that way?" he asked trying to rid some of his guilt about telling her.
She paused for a moment before answering. She could feel Dearka's hand starting to get clammy; it couldn't be something good if he was losing his poise this quickly.
"Well… we got through our temporary separation; so I believe we can make it through anything," she answered sounding hopeful that his news wasn't as devastating as his actions made it seem.
Dearka sucked in a deep breath. It was killing him to have to tell her all of this so soon after they made their vows to one another. He felt her squeeze his hand again as a sign to continue.
"Okay then, I want you to know I didn't do any of these things I'm about to tell you to deliberately hurt you," he spoke solemnly.
Miriallia took a deep breath of her own. She knew it was serious when he made that statement.
"I'll start with what happened just now. I went with Kelley just to talk to her a bit. Before I tell you what happened though, I need to tell you about the two of us before and that this had nothing to do with it," he began.
Miriallia's eyes widened in shock from what he began to tell her. "Before? What does he mean by before?" she thought already feeling the anger rising to her face.
"You see, when we were separated the first time and I was forced into the relationship with Cadey, Kelley and I had a one night stand. She was angry at Ian about something and they were already on the verge of breaking up. Of course, as you know, Cadey could have cared less what I did back then, so I ended up accepting Kelley's offer," Dearka said now looking away from Miriallia.
"I was caught a bit off guard when she moved closer to me a little while ago. And when she did, she ended up kissing me," he admitted.
Miriallia closed her eyes. She wanted to rip the girl she had met apart. Already she didn't like that girls' pushy demeanor and now she was making a move on her husband. The jealousy almost overtook her, but in order to calm herself down, she tried to utilize some breathing techniques she had failed to remember during Nora's birth.
"So what? As long as you stopped her, it doesn't matter. You did stop her didn't you?" Miriallia asked trying to be as reasonable as she could about the situation.
"After all, he was caught off guard; he didn't have control of that woman's actions," she rationalized in her head.
"That's the thing I wanted to tell you, I hesitated when it happened. I was really caught off guard by it all," he admitted.
She tried to remain calm, she could tell there was more he wanted to tell her and she knew if she overacted now, she would never know what it was. Doing the only thing she felt she could do to keep her anger in check, she asked another question about their past relationship to avoid the pain of the present issue.
"Does Ian know about your one night stand with her?" she asked slightly concerned for her friend still aboard the Rousseau.
Dearka shook his head from side to side. Seeing he wasn't going to give her much more of a response than that, she went back to today's incident.
"And today, you hesitated when she kissed you?" Miriallia confirmed.
He felt terrible. She was doing her best not to tear him apart that he began to worry about when he got to the part about his night with Cadey.
"She wasn't doing it to be malicious. In fact, I'm betting she expects you to call her on it later. In all honesty, it is her way of making sure I'm telling you the truth," he said carefully choosing his words.
Dearka turned back to her as he tried to defend Kelley's actions. The only positive thing he had going for him was that she hadn't released his hand the entire time he spoke to her about Kelley.
"I swear, it was only a split second before I realized what was happening, I pushed her away immediately and she practically told me to tell you," he stated.
He could see the tears slipping down her soft cheeks. Her face was flushed from the apparent anger that had crept upon her features. Again trying to avoid the issue at hand, she changed the subject back to the past.
"Cadey doesn't know either, does she?" Miriallia asked sounding more composed than she looked.
Dearka shook his head again the same way he had when she asked him about Ian's knowledge of the situation.
"Well, I guess what goes around comes around, huh? So…what, am I supposed to just sit back with this woman running around our home and trust that you'll keep your hands off her if she makes another move on you?" Miriallia snipped angrily.
"I…" he tried to say something but the words eluded him.
What could he really say though? As he had told her, it wasn't malicious. Although, he could have thought of a better way to prove the point, this was the way Kelley chose and now he had to deal with most of the repercussions. He couldn't even figure a way to explain that to her in the state she was in now. He had no intention of giving any woman other than her the time of day from here on out.
The only thing that did concern him still was part of the conversation he had with Kelley earlier in the day, had Cadey not kidnapped Belle in the first place, he couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't have fallen into her seductive traps. But his only intention was to take the power out of everyone else's hands, not to destroy his future. To tell Miriallia something like that was like helping them with their plot to destroy his family and he wasn't about to let that happen.
"Dearka, do you really love me the way you say you do?" Miriallia asked cornering him.
"Of course I do!" he cried out passionately.
She was angry with him, but she heard the difference between his manner of speaking with them and the one with her. He never hesitated at her question. He didn't need to think or weigh his options. He really did love her. The conviction in his statement proved it to her.
"Then we need to get some help. I have to know I can trust you," Miriallia stated her ultimatum.
Dearka's eyes widened in shock from the cruel comment she made to him. Did she just say what he thought she said? "I'm not crazy Miriallia and I don't think some random doctor should hear about our personal issues! Not to mention there is nothing going on between Kelley and I. Like I said before, she was just doing the only thing she could think of to make sure I told you everything. She's trying to help us in her own screwed up way," he demanded now becoming upset at the accusation himself.
"I didn't say you were crazy. I said we needed help. If you can't control yourself here, in a hospital, when I'm around the corner. How can you control yourself when you're on that ship without me around?" she questioned.
"You make it seem like I'm going to go back to the ship and sleep with every woman on board. I'm not like that! How many times do I have to say it? I walked in the door and she kissed me. I know I hesitated, but it was only because I was shocked, not because I'm some sick jerk that can't keep my hands off the ladies," he said trying to make his point.
Miriallia was livid with him now. She was trying to be supportive and understanding, but felt hurt and betrayed at the same time. For a split second she lost her patience with him. "All I know is that Tolle wouldn't have ever cheated on me and I can't say the same for the man that I just married and the father of my children from what you've told me! I don't even know if I can believe what you say right now," she said the anger rising in her voice and pulled her hand from his grip.
It cut him to the quick, the words and the gesture alike. "How can she bring him up like that? It's not like... Stupid, it's not like you didn't do what she's accusing you of anyway and that she's only pointing out that someone who loved her as much as I claim to love her would have never done anything like this to her. I guess if for no other reason, I'm going to have to do this anyway when she finds out about Cadey and I. I might as well do as she wishes," he thought scolding himself in mid-thought.
"Fine, you want me to see someone with you, I'll do it, but I'm not doing it for the reason you think I am. I'm not guilty of what you're accusing me of with Kelley or what you think I'll do when you're not around. I just want to make sure we get that straight," he said knowing he technically had the upper hand due to her predicament with the agreement. Although, the agreement didn't matter to him and he knew this was the only way to prove it to her.
"But I have a condition for you," he said piquing her interest.
"Oh really?" she asked feeling like she wanted to smack the hell out of him for even acting like she owed him anything.
"When I tell you the worst part, and yes, that wasn't the worst part of all this, you won't hold it against me for the rest of our lives together. The thing with Kelley is one thing, but what I still have to tell you is a completely different scenario and this is the only reason I'm agreeing to do as you ask. I want to make this work for our sake and for the sake of our children," he pushed for the answer he was looking for.
Miriallia's shoulders slumped as she huffed and rolled her eyes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Was he going to name off a list of women making a physical move on him aboard the Voltaire or something? Her head flopped down before she found the strength to bring it back up to regain eye contact with him.
"Fine, whatever it is, I won't hold it against you forever, just for now," she said getting a word in against his harmless threat.
It brought a small smirk to his face, even though he knew she wasn't happy with him as it was.
"Okay, here goes the worst part of it all. And again, I need to set the scene here for you so you realize how I felt about it before you assume to know. You are the only woman I love and I would do anything to keep our family together," he began so she knew how he really felt about the person he had been with.
He didn't want any mistake to be made between his flirtatious feelings for women like Kelley and the disdainful feelings for women like Cadey when he told her what happened. Even though, in a way, he would always care for Cadey since they had been together for so long, he no longer respected her for the stunt she pulled using his daughter. Maybe he wasn't as bad of a father as he had once thought he was.
"Ah, so this is something that happened between you and Cadey," Miriallia connected.
Dearka blinked with surprise, but the shame was evident on his face.
"So, tell me, when did it happen? And was it more than just a kiss?" she asked already knowing the answer.
"When you were abducted by the EAF, Yzak found Belle on PLANT and brought both her and Cadey back to the ship. I wasn't ready to tell my parents what I had done. In all honesty, I was still embarrassed that it happened in the first place," he began.
Normally Miriallia would jump down his throat, but she knew better than anyone the embarrassment that came along with finding out you were a parent unintentionally at such a young age. The way people looked at you, the way they judged you, she had felt it all herself and at a much younger age than he had to.
"Go on," she pushed.
"We were doing fine and I knew as long as I was on the ship, I could hide her from them. As you know, there isn't a soul on the ship that would defy Yzak's orders," he continued.
"Fair enough," she said agreeing with him about his obstinate, menacing friend and Commander.
"I actually had Cadey helping me with Belle though. She had been with her for so long and already got the hang of taking care of her despite her lack of mothering skills. I had no idea what I was doing and I really needed help and there weren't many people on the ship I trusted with Belle," he stated.
"So you're telling me, you trusted Cadey with our daughter? The same woman that kidnapped her in the first place?" Miriallia asked thoroughly annoyed with him.
"Really Mir, she's harmless when she's contained. Trust me," he said.
"Trust you? That's a laugh, don't you think?" Miriallia scolded him.
Dearka shifted uncomfortably but was adamant about his trustworthiness when it came to his children. "When it comes to Belle and Nora, you have to know I wouldn't do anything that would put either of them in danger!" he snapped back.
Miriallia blinked up at him and her mouth fell open from his short temper with her. She had really struck a nerve with the comment. Her eyes softened before speaking again, "I'm sorry, I know you are a wonderful father and that you would do anything for our girls. I didn't mean to insinuate otherwise," she apologized.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, but you're right, I would do anything for them and for you for that matter. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I know I can be the man you need me to be and this is something I have to do if I want to become that man," he said sincerely.
"Then, by all means continue," Miriallia urged him.
"Okay, where was I?" he asked forgetting his place.
"Cadey was taking care of Belle with you," she reminded.
"Right, so she was helping me on occasion with Belle. I really didn't know what I was doing with her in the beginning and she's quite a handful and when Cadey wasn't needed, she was on a shuttle back to the Rousseau to stay with Ian. Yzak thought it was best because they were best friends and it would keep her out of my hair while I was trying to figure out where you were," he reminded her that he never stopped looking for her.
"Poor Ian, the things you and Yzak have been doing to him lately. You know he doesn't have many real friends and I don't think Cadey is the best influence on him," Miriallia defended.
Dearka quirked an eyebrow at her for her comment, maybe he wasn't the only one that needed to be watched.
"Don't give me that look Dearka Elsman. He's as handsome to me as Cadey is beautiful to you. And I'm not the one who couldn't control myself," she said shortly.
"Yeah, but I'm still thinking it was only because you were already pregnant at the time," Dearka stated showing his insecurity over her relationship with Ian.
"And at the time, I didn't know who you were, but I remembered him. I was drawing upon my eventful short-term memory then and meeting him in the rental car line, being asked out for coffee with him and then having him save my life, was something eventful," she explained.
"So you're telling me, our time together at your family's home wasn't eventful?" he asked feeling slightly hurt.
"It logs a bit differently in your brain Dearka. Although, it was a part of my short-term memory, it was a continuation of a long-term memory event that I had with you. My mind was seriously looking for something short and powerful," she tried to defend.
"And now you're saying creating Nora wasn't a powerful event," Dearka teased.
"Stop it! You know what I mean. I remembered you, didn't I? And unlike you, I didn't do anything inappropriate with Ian," she reprimanded.
"Now that's not fair, I didn't do anything inappropriate with Ian either," he joked.
He felt her release one of her hands from his and then felt the palm of her hand strike him in his chest gently as they both shared a small laugh. It was much like it used to be so long ago, before the nervousness of getting their lives together had taken hold.
"So, what happened between you and Cadey then?" Miriallia asked not really wanting to know.
Dearka stiffened a bit when she brought them back on the subject he had wanted to avoid and took another deep breath to continue.
"The dedication ceremony, you remember it, don't you?" he reminded.
"I wish I could forget," she said honestly.
The nightmares of what she had done and what she had become capable of haunted her every night since her memory returned. She knew it contributed to part of her complications with Nora, the drugs she had been given was the other.
"I had to be there that day," he said beginning to tell her the events that led up to what had happened.
"You… were there?" she asked.
She was never told that he had been there and anything she did remember other than the sheer destruction she had caused had been wiped from her memory upon her return to the ship.
"You really don't remember, do you?" he asked moving off the subject at hand again.
He had thought she might not remember the incident. She didn't remember much from prior battles, except actually piloting the Valor and attacking the targets. It seemed the only things she did remember that she had an emotional attachment to had been from the last one she fought. The doctor said it was probably due to the fact that she was no longer given the memory altering drugs along with the ones for enhancement.
"I know you heard my voice when you attacked Aprilius One, but I don't think it registered at the time. You were about to destroy the control tower I was in. I never brought it up again when you regained your memory because I didn't feel the need to make you feel any worse about what happened than you already had, but it seems I don't really have a choice if I stand a chance against your anger so I can stay by your side after you find out what I did," Dearka reasoned.
"Seems like you've come up with a pretty good strategy, you're right, knowing you were there does make me feel worse and a little guilty. Now, would you just tell me what happened already so we can get on with our lives then?" she asked trying to make him feel a little less fearful about telling her the truth.
It seemed to work, her voice was soft and gentle and he began to calm himself slightly. He loved the way she made him feel and knew she was right about needing to see someone. She was the only one he truly wanted to share his life with, but his desires had become out of hand since he left her after the first war. He blamed himself for some of it, but the rest he tossed back to his father for making the arrangement in the first place. Had the arrangement with Cadey never been made, he may never have gone looking for comfort from all the other women he was with. But the fact was he had done all that stuff and if this was the only way to convince Miriallia that he had it under control, then so be it, after he told her the truth though.
"Cadey had to come with me because my parents were attending the function and there wasn't anyone on the ship I trusted enough to leave Belle with, so I had to ask her for a favor," he stated matter-of-factly.
"What kind of favor?" Miriallia coaxed with her eyes slit.
"I asked her to pretend she and I were still a couple and to convince Ian to come along to help both Yzak and I out of the predicaments we found ourselves in. With Shiho insisting on going to the thing, Yzak needed a way to tear her from his mother if a fight ensued and I needed someone to hold on to Belle while I was mingling with Cadey. I didn't want her too far from me at the time," he said sounding protective.
"So, it's not really the favor you asked her, but what she asked for in return," Miriallia surmised.
"Exactly," Dearka admitted.
"Basically you're telling me, you slept with her in order to have her keep your secret and to convince Ian to help you and Yzak sneak around with both of your secrets," Miriallia said before Dearka had a chance to tell her the truth himself.
Dearka looked away from her for a moment with his own tears falling down his face. He wasn't as cold-hearted as he came off sometimes and he knew he'd hurt Miriallia, which was something that was almost unbearable to him.
Her hand moved closer to his face as he felt her wipe away his tears. "Look at me Dearka," Miriallia insisted.
He obeyed her not caring how pathetic he looked and felt her move in to his arms. Her lips softly touched his before pulling away again. Within a second, he felt her lips again and he answered her kiss allowing it to deepen each time they pulled away and connected again.
Slowly she slipped her tongue in to meet his, passion growing between them. His hands slid around her waist and moved up her back, gently rubbing her. It was the closest he'd felt to her in a long time.
Even though they had been next to each other every night since she regained her memory, there was rarely any time to be intimate with one another. With her pregnancy, Belle sharing the room with them, and now the constant fear that someone would barge in uninvited he hadn't even thought of moving in on her other than when they said their vows earlier. He was definitely not a public sort of guy when it came to intimacy.
But Miriallia had enough of his hesitation and wanted nothing more than to be with him, regardless of who may walk through the door. In her opinion, they were married now and if someone else didn't like her kissing her own husband, she figured they could go to hell. He was with her and she was going to make damned sure everyone knew he was off limits, starting with Kelley and then, if she ever met her face-to-face, Cadey.
Unfortunately for Miriallia, Dearka couldn't think straight. He slowed their passionate kiss down slightly before moving from her grasp. A look of confusion spread over his features. "What's the matter?" Miriallia asked with concern.
Dearka shifted uncomfortably in his spot and began rubbing the back of his neck once again showing his nerves. "I guess I didn't really expect you to let me off the hook that easily," he admitted.
"I can't say I'm happy with what you've been up to, but you told me the truth for once and I know you love me and our girls enough that you are willing to do whatever it takes to make amends. Everyone needs a second chance, don't you think?" she asked with a small wink.
She couldn't hide the flushed color of her skin from the anger she'd felt during his confession, but she was able to hide uncertainty in her voice about their relationship. She wanted more than anything to make this marriage work, with or without the looming threat from Dearka's father.
It had taken them a long time, but they were finally in the same place, going in the same direction and she knew she would be a fool to throw it all away over something he was willing to fix. The small character flaw he had could become a thing of the past if she just kept an open mind and her arms wide open. She knew if she was stubborn and held it against him for too long she would lose everything she held dear, her children and Dearka himself.
"I'm tired of watching you fight this battle alone Dearka. I'm going to help and with both of us working together, we'll make them wish they never crossed our path. But in order to do that, we have to forgive each other for everything we did back then and start fresh from this moment. Although, I would have thought it was going to have started when we were married, but you kind of screwed that up pretty quickly," she teased with a small smirk on her face.
"You're not going to let that go easily are you?" he asked knowing what he'd set himself up for it by telling her about Kelley.
"Not a chance," she winked again at him.
"Fair enough I guess, but please don't take it out on her. She isn't interested in me and again, she was just trying to help us. She knew it was the only way to make sure I told you the truth. Kelley kind of warned me with some of the things she's hinted at that the thing with Cadey is what everyone has over me," he defended their new assistant.
"What, you mean everyone as in your father?" Miriallia asked more serious.
"If you found out about it from someone other than me don't you think it would destroy us?" he asked awaiting her honest opinion.
"I see your point. I'm still mad you know, but when we get settled we'll go see someone and work through everything that's been bothering us," she restated her ultimatum to him.
"Fine, as long as you know I'm not going down without a fight," he snipped playfully.
"And what did I do that you think you have to use against me in therapy?" she asked curiously.
"Well, if you're bringing up everything I've done to hurt you, I'm going to bring up everything you've done to hurt me," he said with his eyes slit in a playful manner.
"I haven't done anything half as hurtful as you have," she defended with a cute little pout forming on her features.
He rolled his eyes at this. She knew full well what she had done to contribute to their current predicament. "Not telling me we had a daughter when you knew you had a way to reach me and telling everyone that might have contact with me not to say anything. And then all the flirting you were doing with Ian," he reminded.
"First of all, I didn't tell you about Annabella because you never came back to me like you said you would and I only flirted with Ian because he's the first guy since you that showed any interest in me. You know, it's not easy to get someone to pay attention to you when they find out you already have a child," Miriallia said with a wave of sadness overtaking her from the past few years she had spent alone without Dearka.
"I didn't think of it that way, I'm really sorry I left you in such a state. With that said, two wrongs don't make a right and you're not going to guilt me out of telling the whole story to whatever shrink you find for us," Dearka playfully tickled her to bring a smile back to her features.
"Stop Dearka, you know I'm really ticklish!" she cried out with more laughter.
Their laughter slowed as they heard the door open. "I'm so sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt you guys," the apologetic voice slipped in.
"Don't worry about it," Dearka replied while Miriallia let out the last few giggles softly as she caught her breath.
"We just wanted to check on you and see what the plan was," Yzak's voice rang from behind Shiho.
"I guess the plan is what my father-in-law said," Miriallia spoke up.
Everyone's eyes focused on her as she made herself comfortable again on the bed. "You'll have to take Dearka with you back to the ship and until he is officially released again, my parents and I will get everything sorted out at our new home. Of course, I'll contact you when we are finally allowed to take Nora from the new hospital she's being transferred to," Miriallia stated.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, I can go with you until you're settled," Dearka tried to convince her.
"No, she's right. If you do anything against you're father's orders you'll have to face the consequences and I'm sure he won't even think twice about taking his wrath out on your baby girl," Yzak responded.
"Especially after what Yzak's mother reported to us when she reacquired Belle from them," Shiho chimed in.
Dearka looked back at Miriallia and saw her nod her head at him. "I'll be fine Dearka. I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I'm more than capable of pulling it off again. But you better release him to me the moment I call Yzak," she said with a warning gleaming in her eyes.
Yzak saluted her respectfully before answering her, "You have my word he'll be returned to you the second you need him."
"Why am I starting to feel like a stamped package that's to be signed on delivery," Dearka quipped.
"Because you are, come on Lieutenant, I'll brief you on the current situation from above," Shiho said snickering.
She walked over and grabbed his arm and began pulling him away. But before he was too far from Miriallia, he slipped from Shiho's grip and returned to Miriallia's bedside. He leaned over and kissed her fully on the lips before pulling her in to a loving embrace. "You call me the minute you hear anything on Nora's condition, even if you don't need me right away. I want to be kept up to date on all three of you," he ordered softly.
"I will, I promise," she replied holding him tightly.
He didn't want to let her go, but felt Yzak tap his shoulder indicating that it was time. "Go with Shiho, Dearka. I'll meet you at the shuttle. I have a couple of things to do myself before we head out."
Dearka blinked in confusion as he released his grip on Miriallia. "For once, just do as I say and don't question your commanding officer," Yzak warned calmly.
"Sir," Dearka said saluting and following Shiho out, but not before turning to Miriallia again and sending a wink in her direction.
Miriallia laughed to herself at his playful side. He was too adorable in her opinion. Yzak saw the exchange and gently smiled as his friend left the room. He turned back to Miriallia with the softened expression remaining across his features, "if you will excuse me Mrs. Elsman I do have some things I need to attend to as I mentioned and I'll make sure Dearka remembers to have Belle brought here before we leave." He saluted her once again and headed out of the room.
"Thank you Commander," Miriallia replied with the same respect she had shown to her.
Miriallia sighed softly to herself as she watched the last of her company leave the room. Having the place to herself once again, she slipped under the covers and closed her eyes for some much needed rest. She had a long day ahead of her and realized this would be the last time she had any peace for a while.