Author's Note: Although I normally use real-life locations, I didn't feel like my personal favorite hotel chain has the same timeless quality of the Ritz or the Four Seasons. Though I'm not naming it in the story (unlike places I frequently mention, such as Magnolia Bakery, Per Se, Russian Tea Room, etc.), Sven's hotel room is based on the Spa Suite in NYC's Muse Hotel. FYI: this is the hotel room that the Garrison books for all of its important guests, so expect to see it again soon.
To Emie Mac - Thanks for the love, Babe. And yes, I hope it works out for Sven in the end, too. Just b/c I love Hawkins doesn't mean I don't love the Viking too.
To Sally On - Why yes, Aidan does happen to have an engagement ring floating around in the back of his closet. And as everything comes together...wow. The suspense is killing me & I can't wait to get there!
To Craze - Good to hear from you! And you just summed it all up; it IS kinda arrogant for Sven to think that Lenora's just gonna leave her husband, isn't it?
To bknbu - I, too, adore Aidan. I always said he was my favorite. ;)
To Wade Wells - Grumpypants returns! You make me laugh. All I can say is, Lenora's not stupid. That's all I'm gonna say. :D
Title Song: "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol
When he woke up the following morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was. Sunlight was filtering into the hotel room, which was decorated in black, white, grey, and slate blue. He thought for a moment, as his eyes fluttered open, that there had never been a room that better matched his appearance in his entire life.
Then there was the hot tub. He definitely didn't have one of those on Pollux.
He thought back to yesterday. Everything rushed by in a blur after the Explorer landed. He remembered being greeted and thanked by the Space Marshal. He remembered embracing her, and how she told him in his native language that she loved him and would always love him. Then he remembered Kelly by his side, taking care of everything for him while Jon Hawkins led Lenora away.
He was too upset to remember anything after that. Seeing their fingers entwined had nearly killed him.
Otherwise, it felt good to be back in New York. He'd forgotten how the city never slept. He'd forgotten about the frantic pace, the bustle of activity. For the first time in eleven years, he felt like he was home.
He ran the hot water in the shower. The suite he was in was large and luxurious, and he was grateful for it. As she showered, he thought about his plan. He would call and make reservations for two sometime in the evening at the Russian Tea Room. He would meet Lenora there. They would drink, they would talk. He would convince her to leave her husband for him. Once she agreed, he would contact Pollux and tell Romelle that their marriage was over, and he would ask for full custody of Erik. He knew his wife wouldn't give up their son without a full-on war, but he was prepared to fight. His happiness was worth it.
Sven was tired of being unhappy. All he wanted was his son and his elskede. Anything after that was unimportant. He didn't care where he lived. He didn't care what else he did with his life. If he had Erik and Lenora, that was all he would ever need. It was the only way he could be happy.
He thought about his plan as he stepped into the shower and let the hot water rush over his body. Everything would fall into place. Lenora would be his again, the way he needed her to be. He could sort out all of the other details later.
"Mmm," she purred, wrapping her just-showered body around her husband. "I know you haven't been gone that long, but I've missed you." The skin-to-skin contact felt delicious. Lenora closed her eyes and laid her head against Jon's bare chest.
"I know. I've missed you too." He kissed her forehead. "I won't lie, I spent a good chunk of time thinking how hard it was to leave. I was lucky that I had family and friends with me. By the way, that little cadet misses you terribly, so we had something in common."
"My Mina. I miss her too."
The commander exhaled, happy to be back in his bed with his wife in his arms. "I was really worried about Christiane for a while," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I'm so glad everything worked out."
"Thank God."
He stretched, deciding to change the topic before it grew too morbid. "When is the Explorer taking off again, Space Marshal?"
"I wanted to talk to you about that." Lenora planted a long kiss on his lips before answering. "I'm grounding the Explorer for now. You'll forego this mission entirely, and take off for the next one as scheduled. I figured I would let Jeff and Chris spend some time together as newlyweds before he went back on the Explorer." She paused. "I know what that's like, watching your new husband take off on a stellar ship for eight weeks."
"And Jeff's about to learn what it feels like to take off on a stellar ship for eight weeks, and leave his new wife behind. I know too well what that's like." He drew her in more tightly. "Rich has been talking to me about retiring."
"That doesn't surprise me. Out of everyone here, he's your best friend, Jon. He knows how miserable you are when you leave me." She blinked. "Not that I'm any less miserable, of course. I would love it if you retired. Then I could come home to you every night."
"I know." He exhaled, letting the weight of the dilemma hang over him. He didn't have to choose now; that was the beauty of his decision. "So, what do you have in store for today?"
"I'm not even going in today." Lenora shook her head. "I'll be in the hangar all day with the team I originally hired to fix up Albegas. We'll figure out what's wrong with Red, and then reinforce Black and Blue so that it doesn't happen to them, too. Kelly has high command in my absence." She yawned. "What about you?"
"I'm chaperoning the soon-to-be married couple." Jon stretched his arms overhead again. He hadn't realized how much he missed sleeping. "Morgan's teaching Advanced Navigation today, so I told her I'd help out with the wedding planning. Jeff, Chris and I will be going to Per Se sometime today to pick out the catering menu. We're also going to City Hall to pick up a marriage license and choose a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony."
"You're wonderful, you really are." She kissed him again before lifting herself off the bed. "Well, I've gotta get to the hangar. I'll see you later, okay?"
He nodded. "Good luck. I love you, Lenora."
"I love you more, Jon." She slid into a pair of old jeans and a plain black T-shirt, with old Doc Martens she'd bought when she was still dating Aidan. He'd convinced her that with all the systems analysis and hangar work she did, it would be good to own a pair of shoes she could beat up. He had definitely been right about that.
As she slid out the front door, she thought how funny it was that she had done nothing but think about Sven since she left Arus, but now that he was on Earth, he had hardly even crossed her mind. She still loved him, of course, and she always would. She would always wish that things had turned out differently for them. But it hadn't, and she had come to accept - and enjoy - her life as it was now. She hoped he had, too.
Black coffee. Perimeter scan. Waking up with Allura.
Life was good again.
Keith was happy. He was finally getting back to the place he was at before the kidnapping fiasco occurred. But it was an even better place now, because now he was repairing his old relationships and reinforcing the ones he held near and dear. It was like the "before" times, only improved.
The screen shifted to the main balcony. Again, Larmina was out there, practicing her early-morning yoga routine on Lenora's mat. Watching the cadet's usual routine deepened his relief. It made Keith believe that things were really on their way up.
"Well. No surprise that you're up."
Lance stood in the doorway, his customary mug of cream-and-sugar-laced coffee in hand. He stared at the screen for a moment, vaguely interested, then joined his friend by the computer. "What?" Keith teased him. "No comments about me being Captain Crankypants? And no leering at Larmina in down dog?"
The Red Lion pilot shrugged. "I'm whipped," he answered confidently. "There's only one girl for me. Always has been, always will be." He took a sip of his coffee. "All that time when I was acting like a ladies' man, I was really trying to move past Ginger."
"Seven hells." Keith slugged back his own coffee. "I never thought I would see the day when the great Lance Charles McClain told me that he only wanted one girl."
"Shut up, Crankypants."
"Ah, there's the Crankypants reference. But nobody's cranky around here, except maybe you." The captain shot his second-in-command a ridiculously exaggerated smirk. "I think I'm finally learning how to be happy."
"Yeah. Me, too."
As they stood in silence, staring at the screen, Keith felt her presence before she even made herself known. "Am I interrupting anything, boys?" Allura's voice shot into the control room.
"Nope. Not a thing," Lance replied.
"He's just mushy over Ginger," Keith teased.
Allura linked her arm through Keith's. "That's good," she responded, looking over at Lance. "I liked Ginger. In fact, I can honestly say I liked all of them. The Vehicle Team is made up of good pilots, and they're all likeable in their own ways." She grinned, moving her glance towards Keith. "Albegas, too."
"I can't believe you actually grew to like Morgan," Lance commented before taking another sip of coffee.
"I especially liked Morgan," the princess shot back. "She and I have a lot in common. Obviously."
Lance nearly spit out his mouthful of caffeine.
Keith and Allura glared at Lance for a moment, then she turned to gaze up at her boyfriend. "Keith," she said gently, "I was wondering if we could get away tonight, just the two of us. I was thinking that we could go to Heaven Bar to talk and have a drink."
At the mention of the bar that he used to frequent with Allura when Keith was on the hunt for Black - and the same bar that Sven and Aidan had gotten drunk at - Lance raised a curious eyebrow. He said nothing, though, especially not after receiving a dirty look from the princess.
"Sure," Keith replied. "I'd love that."
"Great. After we finish up for the day, we'll head over. Sound good?"
"Sounds great."
As they made their arrangements, Lance exited the room. He couldn't believe that Allura was taking Keith to the same bar they used to frequent on his trips to Arus when Wade had control of the Garrison. That place was loaded with memories.
Wow, he thought, she must not be done punishing Keith yet.
It was an odd feeling, being back on Earth and so close to Galaxy Garrison after so many years. Without thinking, Sven left his hotel room and automatically made his way over to the Garrison. Specifically, to the office of the Space Marshal. He wanted to see Lenora. They'd barely had any time to talk when he landed, and he needed to tell her about the plans he'd made for tonight.
It was easy to find the office. He remembered a time when he had to bail Lance - and, consequently, Aidan and Cliff - out of Graham's office with shocking regularity. The Garrison hadn't changed much since then; it was still on Garrison Island, while the Academy was on the mainland. It was the people who had changed. Graham and Steele had retired, replaced by Lenora and Kelly. And of course, Instructor Bailey was gone, replaced by Morgan.
He made a mental note of that.
It wasn't easy to get past the front desk. He remembered that part too; it had never been easy to access the Space Marshal, whoever it might be. However, he felt a bit annoyed as he had to gain clearance. Shouldn't his engagement to Lenora have counted for something?
Which was why, when he was finally granted clearance and was allowed to enter the Space Marshal's office, he was so shocked to see Kelly sitting at the desk instead of his elskede.
"Well, well. If it isn't Sven Holgersson, the man who rescued our Christiane," she noted, almost mockingly, as he entered the room. "She's not here, Sven, so don't waste your time."
"Kelly, what is your problem?" he asked. He felt the Haggarium rage filling his bloodstream, and he knew without a doubt that Pidge's antidote was wearing thin. "Why do you hate me so much? You know how much I loved her - how much I still love her. Whatever happened to our family bond we forged at the Academy?"
Inhaling sharply, Kelly rose from the desk to stare at Sven. Her hazelnut eyes scorched into his slate-blue ones. "You know I love you, Holgersson," she admitted at last, "but I love Len more. And when this whole fiasco began, she told me that I was the first person to know about her affair on Arus. With you."
It was Sven's turn to inhale. He stepped away from the desk, not knowing what to say. "What exactly did she tell you, Asimov?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet.
"Everything." She stood up from the desk. She was much taller than Lenora, and in her heels, she was even taller than the Norwegian. "I know everything, including how she almost threw away her marriage to Commander Hawkins for you." She sneered. "You. She cheated on him for you."
"She was going to leave him?" He tried to hide the glimmer of hope in his voice.
Kelly looked like she wanted to spit. "Yeah." She looked down at the desk, and her voice softened. "Sven, did you know that Modoch cheated on me after Wade disbanded the Vehicle Team?"
The Norwegian shook his head. "No. I didn't even know you two were together. Though now it makes sense why Modoch was stalking Taye on the Explorer."
"So, needless to say, I find cheating unacceptable." She looked back up from the desk, and the harshness in her glare returned. "I find the fact that you cheated on your wife and Len cheated on her fiancé to be abhorrent. I know she considered herself to have broken off her engagement when she did it, but it's still disappointing. I'd have expected better from both of you."
He shook his head adamantly. "You don't understand."
"No, I don't."
He sighed. This conversation was going nowhere, and he didn't want to stand there and be lectured by his old floormate for what was a private, intimate moment between him and Lenora. He decided to get out of there as quickly as possible. "Tell the Space Marshal," he changed the subject quickly, "that I have made dinner reservations for the two of us at the Russian Tea Room tonight at 1800 hours. I will meet her there."
Kelly's eyes popped open. "Excuse me, Holgersson? Did you not hear anything I just said to you?"
"If I remember correctly, Commander Hawkins himself wanted to reward me for rescuing Christiane," he replied, keeping his voice in check. "I'd like dinner with the Space Marshal as my reward. When you see her, tell her that I will be waiting for her tonight at the Tea Room." Then, impassively saluting, he turned and headed for the exit.
"Holgersson! Sven! Get back here!" Kelly screeched.
He ignored her as he walked through the doorway.