Taylor/Sareth

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705

Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705

Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705

Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marines smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and now his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and not his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

"When I almost died I...it made me realize that I might not ever be an adult." Sareth admitted timidly. "That Vulcan rite of passage? I don't think I'll make it through it. What if I don't have a future? What if like my father, I don't make it because of some Vulcan thing?"

Sareth was afraid and he was sad, but he smiled and shook his head like he was trying to get Taylor to forget he said anything about it. The kid had been having nightmares because he was thinking about how he was probably going to die and he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't want to do this rite of passage anymore. Maybe he just wanted to live and be a normal kid.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and not his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

"When I almost died I...it made me realize that I might not ever be an adult." Sareth admitted timidly. "That Vulcan rite of passage? I don't think I'll make it through it. What if I don't have a future? What if like my father, I don't make it because of some Vulcan thing?"

Sareth was afraid and he was sad, but he smiled and shook his head like he was trying to get Taylor to forget he said anything about it. The kid had been having nightmares because he was thinking about how he was probably going to die and he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't want to do this rite of passage anymore. Maybe he just wanted to live and be a normal kid.

Taylor stopped dead at what he was doing, just stopped in the middle of making breakfast and pulled up a seat. He picked up Sareth and put him back in his lap with a look of concern etched on his features. Personally Taylor wouldn't want Sareth to do any such rite where his life would be in danger but he wondered what if Sareth regretted it later in life?

"Your father was a brave man. I never met him in my life but I knew from what your mother has told me of him...I would gladly fight along side him and give my life for his if it was possible. You see...Vulcans believe bravery is an emotion, something that isn't needed when making a choice. Instead they turn to logic and would say that a man giving his life for others to live is logical. Forget that; anyone risking his life for others is brave because he's fighting fear to do it. Your father fought fear and put on that uniform every day knowing that he could die in it. Nothing Vulcan killed him Sareth, his inability to bow to fear was what killed him and he saved others."

With a weak smile Taylor decided to recall a story. "I was sixteen when I was in my first firefight as a marine. I was so scared then, I always get scared in a fight. My first reaction is to get my shovel and dig a hole to crawl in. My training takes over instead. I do my checks, sight my targets and I shoot back. I'm still scared but if you're trained well then there is nothing you can beat. If you want to do your rites then I'll train you. If not then don't fuss. You have nothing to prove to myself, your mother or anyone. You only have to prove yourself to yourself."

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and not his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

"When I almost died I...it made me realize that I might not ever be an adult." Sareth admitted timidly. "That Vulcan rite of passage? I don't think I'll make it through it. What if I don't have a future? What if like my father, I don't make it because of some Vulcan thing?"

Sareth was afraid and he was sad, but he smiled and shook his head like he was trying to get Taylor to forget he said anything about it. The kid had been having nightmares because he was thinking about how he was probably going to die and he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't want to do this rite of passage anymore. Maybe he just wanted to live and be a normal kid.

Taylor stopped dead at what he was doing, just stopped in the middle of making breakfast and pulled up a seat. He picked up Sareth and put him back in his lap with a look of concern etched on his features. Personally Taylor wouldn't want Sareth to do any such rite where his life would be in danger but he wondered what if Sareth regretted it later in life?

"Your father was a brave man. I never met him in my life but I knew from what your mother has told me of him...I would gladly fight along side him and give my life for his if it was possible. You see...Vulcans believe bravery is an emotion, something that isn't needed when making a choice. Instead they turn to logic and would say that a man giving his life for others to live is logical. Forget that; anyone risking his life for others is brave because he's fighting fear to do it. Your father fought fear and put on that uniform every day knowing that he could die in it. Nothing Vulcan killed him Sareth, his inability to bow to fear was what killed him and he saved others."

With a weak smile Taylor decided to recall a story. "I was sixteen when I was in my first firefight as a marine. I was so scared then, I always get scared in a fight. My first reaction is to get my shovel and dig a hole to crawl in. My training takes over instead. I do my checks, sight my targets and I shoot back. I'm still scared but if you're trained well then there is nothing you can beat. If you want to do your rites then I'll train you. If not then don't fuss. You have nothing to prove to myself, your mother or anyone. You only have to prove yourself to yourself."

"You'd train me?" Sareth asked him slowly as he snuggled into Taylor and looked up at him. "I don't want to let my father down, but I also don't want to die and Momma...Momma doesn't like to talk about it. She wants to raise me her way but wants me to understand my Vulcan heritage and so do I, I just have never been away from her. We could do simulations on the Holodeck. Use the simulation Momma made that she doesn't really take me into. She's stressed enough with the baby, I think."

Sareth smiled a little and then slipped off of Taylor's lap and went back to the breakfast so they could wake his mother up with food. Besides, he liked eating breakfast as a family and it had been a while since he had gotten to do just that and this was fun. He knew he could confide in and talk to Taylor and he also had his mother there--they would always be there for him...no matter what.

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and not his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

"When I almost died I...it made me realize that I might not ever be an adult." Sareth admitted timidly. "That Vulcan rite of passage? I don't think I'll make it through it. What if I don't have a future? What if like my father, I don't make it because of some Vulcan thing?"

Sareth was afraid and he was sad, but he smiled and shook his head like he was trying to get Taylor to forget he said anything about it. The kid had been having nightmares because he was thinking about how he was probably going to die and he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't want to do this rite of passage anymore. Maybe he just wanted to live and be a normal kid.

Taylor stopped dead at what he was doing, just stopped in the middle of making breakfast and pulled up a seat. He picked up Sareth and put him back in his lap with a look of concern etched on his features. Personally Taylor wouldn't want Sareth to do any such rite where his life would be in danger but he wondered what if Sareth regretted it later in life?

"Your father was a brave man. I never met him in my life but I knew from what your mother has told me of him...I would gladly fight along side him and give my life for his if it was possible. You see...Vulcans believe bravery is an emotion, something that isn't needed when making a choice. Instead they turn to logic and would say that a man giving his life for others to live is logical. Forget that; anyone risking his life for others is brave because he's fighting fear to do it. Your father fought fear and put on that uniform every day knowing that he could die in it. Nothing Vulcan killed him Sareth, his inability to bow to fear was what killed him and he saved others."

With a weak smile Taylor decided to recall a story. "I was sixteen when I was in my first firefight as a marine. I was so scared then, I always get scared in a fight. My first reaction is to get my shovel and dig a hole to crawl in. My training takes over instead. I do my checks, sight my targets and I shoot back. I'm still scared but if you're trained well then there is nothing you can beat. If you want to do your rites then I'll train you. If not then don't fuss. You have nothing to prove to myself, your mother or anyone. You only have to prove yourself to yourself."

"You'd train me?" Sareth asked him slowly as he snuggled into Taylor and looked up at him. "I don't want to let my father down, but I also don't want to die and Momma...Momma doesn't like to talk about it. She wants to raise me her way but wants me to understand my Vulcan heritage and so do I, I just have never been away from her. We could do simulations on the Holodeck. Use the simulation Momma made that she doesn't really take me into. She's stressed enough with the baby, I think."

Sareth smiled a little and then slipped off of Taylor's lap and went back to the breakfast so they could wake his mother up with food. Besides, he liked eating breakfast as a family and it had been a while since he had gotten to do just that and this was fun. He knew he could confide in and talk to Taylor and he also had his mother there--they would always be there for him...no matter what.

"Course I'd train you, train you the best I could." said Taylor with a nod as he set about making breakfast. Soon he started the put the batter on the frying pan, turning it into pancakes. "I'd train you to fight, to take care of yourself. To be resourceful and to face fear. These things I will give you to. That, and breakfast." he added a smile to his statement as the smell of pancakes wafted through the quarters.

"Breakfast is up!"

(over?)

||USS Fenris
||Lillian's and Taylor's Quarters
||0705


Unlike Sareth earlier that morning Taylor had no nightmares or thoughts that kept him awake. He didn't suffer from guilt or anything like that. Not even the Betazoids he had to kill for Gabe to get to the bomb weighed on his mind. The marine had a clear conscience from the moment his head hit the pillow and his refreshed look showed that not even Sareth having to sleep beside him and Lillian had woken him up. If this had been the frontlines of the Dominion War he would have slept with a phaser pistol under his pillow and woken up at the slightest sound of a photon shell or plasma burst. Now no one was trying to kill him and he was able to get solid six hours of sleep which was all he needed.

Fully showered and dressed in his duty uniform with his silver oak leaf rank pip polished to a gleam Taylor was sipping down a cup of black coffee reading a PADD. His marine detachment had been posted to Deep Space something or other so he was in a rather dark mood. However SFMC command had given him the chance to piece together a crack squad. It was part of a new line of thought; did starships need seventy-odd marines on them when they had security detachments? The old rivalry between yellow and green had obviously surfaced and Security had won this round. Only planetary garrisons and starbases needed large amount of marines for deployment and protection. Starships would instead get a squad or two of marines. Good squads, no rookies but hardened veterans. Still enough to keep Security down during holosuite training simulations.

Taylor had selected his team already, or at least part of it. He still had to find a medic or heavy gunner he liked. Lieutenant Sondag had high praises about him and his trail run score was impeccable but Taylor raised his eyebrow at the fact the man was genetically enhanced. Apparently everyone in his race had the same enhancements and since joining the Federation they had an influx of Vulnian officers wishing to try their luck within Starfleet. He had also found a steady sniper and Nayla was going to be his tech expert.

"Least it'll be less paperwork..." he said to himself, putting the PADD down on the kitchen bunker.

Sareth woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, smiling at his mother and kissing her forehead as he woke himself up and then turned to see that Taylor wasn't there and so the boy got out of the bed and then looked at Lillian once more before leaving the room.

"I love you, Momma," he told her softly.

"Love you too, Buddy," she responded as she yawned and then turned over to sleep a little more.

Sareth smiled and headed out into the kitchen, looking at Taylor and smiling a little as he walked up to him, climbing up on his lap. His stomach rumbled and he hugged Taylor close as he smiled to himself, glad to be home and with his parents.

"Morning, Daddy." Sareth said cheerfully. "What are you doing?"

When Sareth referred to Taylor as 'Daddy' the marine smiled bashfully since he was just used to the pointy-eared child referring to him by first name. Kissing the top of Sareth's head absent-mindedly as he looked at the PADD with a sigh he just shrugged. He doubted he could find a medic or a heavy gunner within seconds so he just left the downloaded personnel files for now.

"Marine stuff, son. What can I get you for breakfast?" replied Taylor rather monotonously.

Taylor was a rather good cook and not just with marine rations either. Sometimes he surprised even himself when he made meals for Lillian and now he had another mouth to cook for. All he'd do is replicate the ingredients and then cook it so the smell would waft through the quarters. If that didn't get Lillian up nothing would.

"I don't know," Sareth mused slowly as he scrunched up his nose a little like Lillian did when she was in thought or trying to be playful. "Pancakes?"

The five year old smiled at Taylor and honestly felt a lot better after getting to sleep in their bed because he felt safe with his parents. That was just it too--Taylor was being the dad he didn't have to be and Sareth felt protected and loved and he liked being around the Marine. He looked up to and love him just like he was his real father and he liked that Taylor was back.

"Can I help you cook?" Sareth asked him.

"Pancakes." echoed Taylor who looked down at the boy's face with an almost mystical expression. "One of these days you'll turn into a pancake. Get me some milk, flour and an egg from the replicator. Off you pop."

Letting Sareth down from his knee Taylor went to the sink and washed his hands. Even though he had been to the shower he always washed his hands before he cooked anything in a kitchen. It was a habited drilled into him by himself just to make sure no one ended up ill from his cooking. Fetching the equipment needed to make Sareth's favourite breakfast item Taylor clattered around making sure that the area he was using to cook was spotless. The quarters were spotless since Taylor was a marine and a stickler for detail. Everything was dust-free, folded and pressed to exact specification. He might be rough around the edges but he adhered to everything the Corps had taught him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you son...what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Sareth got the items that Taylor wanted from the replicator and brought them over with a smile on his face. "Momma and I love pancakes. We should probably have sausage too and maybe add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. You know Momma. Maybe fruit too?"

The boy started to wash his hands because he was just excited to spend some time with Taylor and he liked to help. He liked to help cook and clean and paint and all of that and he thought for a moment about what it was that he wanted to do and he honestly didn't know yet. Right now he was just being a kid and worrying about the day he turned 7.

"I don't know yet...doctor like Momma or a marine like you. A marine medic." Sareth said with a shrug. "You both help people and I love that about you. You're the best parents ever."

Chuckling at the sugary intake that his step-son was planning Taylor took the items from Sareth and then walked to the replicator to get some chocolate chips as they had been suggested. With his ingredients all to hand Taylor began to place a sieve over the bowl and pour the flour through the sieve. Gently tapping the side he managed to fine the flour. "Pour the milk and get some water in there too. About a hundred millilitres, son."

Taylor was smiling at how clueless Sareth was about what he wanted to do and at the fact he called both him and Lillian 'best parents ever', to him it was the highest praise anyone could give. "A marine medic is called a 'corpsman' Sareth. They're Starfleet Medical enlisted ranked crewmembers who are attached to marine units. They were blue like Mum. Besides...you should do something you feel called to rather than what your parents do."

Sareth nodded and did as he was told, looking at Taylor. "I just...can I tell you a secret, Dad?"

He didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say but he knew that if he told Taylor that Taylor would understand it. Maybe even help him to talk to Lillian about his fear about it all because he was definitely scared. He'd been looking up the whole ritual and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to get through it and he knew that Lillian was scared about it.

"Well I wouldn't be considered a good father for not being able to keep a promise now would I? Lay it on me." he said as he worked with the pancake mix, going through the process of preparing breakfast. The fact that Sareth was confiding in him and not his mother was a cause to raise an eyebrow but he just shrugged it off and awaited for Sareth to say what he had to say.

"When I almost died I...it made me realize that I might not ever be an adult." Sareth admitted timidly. "That Vulcan rite of passage? I don't think I'll make it through it. What if I don't have a future? What if like my father, I don't make it because of some Vulcan thing?"

Sareth was afraid and he was sad, but he smiled and shook his head like he was trying to get Taylor to forget he said anything about it. The kid had been having nightmares because he was thinking about how he was probably going to die and he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't want to do this rite of passage anymore. Maybe he just wanted to live and be a normal kid.

Taylor stopped dead at what he was doing, just stopped in the middle of making breakfast and pulled up a seat. He picked up Sareth and put him back in his lap with a look of concern etched on his features. Personally Taylor wouldn't want Sareth to do any such rite where his life would be in danger but he wondered what if Sareth regretted it later in life?

"Your father was a brave man. I never met him in my life but I knew from what your mother has told me of him...I would gladly fight along side him and give my life for his if it was possible. You see...Vulcans believe bravery is an emotion, something that isn't needed when making a choice. Instead they turn to logic and would say that a man giving his life for others to live is logical. Forget that; anyone risking his life for others is brave because he's fighting fear to do it. Your father fought fear and put on that uniform every day knowing that he could die in it. Nothing Vulcan killed him Sareth, his inability to bow to fear was what killed him and he saved others."

With a weak smile Taylor decided to recall a story. "I was sixteen when I was in my first firefight as a marine. I was so scared then, I always get scared in a fight. My first reaction is to get my shovel and dig a hole to crawl in. My training takes over instead. I do my checks, sight my targets and I shoot back. I'm still scared but if you're trained well then there is nothing you can beat. If you want to do your rites then I'll train you. If not then don't fuss. You have nothing to prove to myself, your mother or anyone. You only have to prove yourself to yourself."

"You'd train me?" Sareth asked him slowly as he snuggled into Taylor and looked up at him. "I don't want to let my father down, but I also don't want to die and Momma...Momma doesn't like to talk about it. She wants to raise me her way but wants me to understand my Vulcan heritage and so do I, I just have never been away from her. We could do simulations on the Holodeck. Use the simulation Momma made that she doesn't really take me into. She's stressed enough with the baby, I think."

Sareth smiled a little and then slipped off of Taylor's lap and went back to the breakfast so they could wake his mother up with food. Besides, he liked eating breakfast as a family and it had been a while since he had gotten to do just that and this was fun. He knew he could confide in and talk to Taylor and he also had his mother there--they would always be there for him...no matter what.

"Course I'd train you, train you the best I could." said Taylor with a nod as he set about making breakfast. Soon he started the put the batter on the frying pan, turning it into pancakes. "I'd train you to fight, to take care of yourself. To be resourceful and to face fear. These things I will give you to. That, and breakfast." he added a smile to his statement as the smell of pancakes wafted through the quarters.

"Breakfast is up!"

Lillian smelled the food and went out into the dining area in her nightgown, kissing Taylor lovingly and then sitting down at the table and resting her hand on her baby bump as Sareth put a plate in front of her. She Eskimo-kissed her son and then kissed his forehead and looked at the breakfast in front of her.

"Looks good. Today is my day off so I'm going to spend time with my men, sound good?" Lillian asked merrily, shrugging a bit. "Just some time training Elena and then I'm all you guys'. You helped Daddy cook?"

Sareth beamed and nodded as he sat down next to his mother. "Yeah...I helped Daddy cook."


(Over, unless you have one last thing to add. You may post it in the Post Mission. ^.^)