They sat there and drank, light banter laced with innuendo and outright sexual promise until they retired to the huge bed, closing the curtains and spending a very long time discovering new things about each other and about themselves. When sleep finally did come they lay entangled in each other without energy to even move into more comfortable positions

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And Now

Stacy was out in the garden areas with Mikhail, each of them laughing at the other’s clumsiness in the powered exoskeletons they were using for rehab. The suits kept them from exerting excessive pressure on their breaks but allowed as much loading as possible to promote quick healing and they were just getting used to moving about after being effectively immobilized for over a week. It turned out Stacy was as addicted to green spaces as he so when they finally got to leave sickbay this was the place they’d come and it had been good for their morale as the laughter attested.

“Dammit, I’m used to powered armor but this thing won’t let me move properly!” Mikhail was trying his best to get up from where he’d managed to fall into soft vegetation.

Stacy laughed at him for a moment before carefully reaching out to help him up, the exoskeleton making light work of the task and balancing itself against his sudden surging pull to gain his feet. “How did you even manage to fall over anyway? This thing is supposed to make that pretty well impossible!”

“The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer” he replied in lofty tones with a smile.

“Hah! You’re no engineer!” Her smile matched his, they were both enjoying the banter.

“Well Marines have the same saying… it just goes in opposite directions. You build the indestructible thing, we figure out how to destroy it. Perfect symmetry!”

“Perfect indeed…” Stacy’s tone was different now and she found herself looking at Mikhail with the same fascination as before, the angles and planes of his face so… not perfect in any conventional sort of way but perfect for him. Her face heated as she realized he was studying her with equal intensity and they both stood for a long moment looking into each other’s faces until she finally realized that all she could see was his eyes and his lips barely brushing hers. She didn’t pull back though, enjoying the softness of them and the gentle pressure that demanded nothing more than what she was willing to give.

It wasn’t a lengthy kiss but when they both drew back slightly she found herself staring into his eyes and wondering at just how many shades of grey could exist in the tiny space around his enlarged pupils. She could tell that his feelings mirrored her own, down to the uncertainty that caused him to look away from her gaze and drop his head a little. For some reason it made sense to her, that it wasn’t dislike or anything negative… he just didn’t know if he’d done the right thing, if she would reject him for his advance, however tentative.

Stacy saw those emotions and fears as though his face were reflecting her inner turmoil and self-doubt and knew that she had to be the one to move even though she was as deeply uncertain as he. As she opened her mouth to speak another truth came to her and it was that which came out of her mouth instead in a single word.

“Jeff…”

She regretted it instantly, expecting him to react … well she wasn’t exactly sure but weren’t people supposed to be jealous in this kind of situation? Instead she saw his face soften in a way that spoke to her of some other emotion she didn’t understand.

“He’s a good pilot. He’s pretty easy on the eyes too…”

“You…” She couldn’t finish the thought.

“Am willing to enter a plural relationship, yes. Will anything happen between Jeff and me? I have no idea… honestly I’ve never really had any sort of relationship worthy of the term with anyone. Being who… what… I am… it doesn’t lend itself to learning that kind of thing. I don’t know what it will be like going forward but before the war I spent a great deal of time deployed. It wrecks relationships, the loneliness, the waiting...”

“I don’t understand…”

“That’s fine… I don’t understand either but we’ll figure it out. Now… I really think there’s another person that should be present for this conversation, don’t you? I know his com code and he’s been off duty for about an hour and before you ask yes, I checked him out…”

“You…?”

“Planned this? No.” he smiled a little at the expression she must have shown.

“I’m trained to stay alive by being hyperaware. I don’t know how to turn it off… sometimes its not a good thing. I saw… I don’t even know what I saw but I realized that if there was to be a path forward it would somehow mean that we three had to interact… good, bad, whatever…” he took a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts.

“I want it to be good. I want to create happiness, build something, be a part of something… something that isn’t focused on destruction. I need this in my life and I think you do and Jeff does… I just think for some reason or maybe no reason… I want to make sure that it all adds up, nothing subtracts and this way makes sense to me… if its what you want. If its what he wants.”

“Call him before I lose my nerve…” Stacy was desperately afraid that somehow she would lose both of them but she realized that what he’d said was true… and if they could make it work… then maybe…?

She couldn’t help giggling a little as Mikhail tried to key in the com code and hit the wrong numbers several times. He muttered under his breath in some language she didn’t know although his tone made it clear he was cursing the awkward movements his time in sickbay and the exoskeleton imposed on him.

He finally got it right and flashed her a triumphant grin before hitting the connect button, waiting for her assent which she gave with a slight nod and an upthrust of her chin as though to say she was ready for whatever the universe might throw at her. He hit the key and the connection chime sounded for a moment before a voice that had occupied her thoughts for the past week at least sounded.

“Yeah?”

“You know who this is?”

“Yeah…”

“I expect you’re hungry just about now. I think the three of us should have dinner, and perhaps a few drinks?”

“What the fuck are you up to man?” Jeff’s tone was querulous but a little worried as well. “Stacy better be ok!”

“I’m ok…. just… he’s right, we all need to talk and dinner sounds good about now. Can you meet us at the park though? These damned exoskeletons aren’t the easiest things to move around in…” Stacy spoke up, touched by Jeff’s immediate concern for her well-being.

“I’ll be there in 5.” The connection closed and Stacy shared a small smile with Mikhail, uncertain of the future but ready to proceed. She wondered just when she had become so decisive, so strangely confident in herself in ways that she never had been before all this horror visited itself upon her sheltered life.

They stood there, neither of them speaking, just waiting and enjoying the greenery. It felt right that they wait before proceeding and the silence between them felt oddly comfortable. Jeff arrived a minute early, strolling into the area where they waited.

“Stacy… Mikhail…” He nodded to them in turn.

“Jeff. Look… There’s an issue here and its something we all need to deal with. I’ve got a few things squirreled away in my quarters and there’s room enough for us to eat there if you like?” Mikhail took the lead before Stacy had a chance to respond.

“You gonna be able to cook in that thing? I think my quarters are likely a little better suited and I wouldn’t mind a chance to show off a little.” Jeff ventured a tentative smile and Stacy began to feel as though it just might all work out.

“I think we both need a bit of a rest so that sounds good.” This time it was Stacy taking the lead, making the decision and it felt right, the way it should be. “It might take a little longer than 5 minutes to get there though.”

“Got something against riding a maintenance skip?” Jeff pointed over to the entrance he’d used.

“That’s perfect, thank you Jeff. I wasn’t looking forward to that walk at all. This whole being wounded thing is exhausting. I’m pretty sure Stacy feels worse, she got banged up a bit more than I did.”

“I don’t know if I feel worse than you or not but I will admit to being a little exhausted. Thank you for the thoughtfulness Jeff.” She tried to link arms with both of them and discovered that it was a much more complicated process than she’d imagined and after a little fumbling and laughing they managed it before she looked up into both smiling faces. “Shall we go gentlemen?”

The process of walking and then disentangling themselves once they got to the skip was the cause of considerably more levity but shortly they were proceeding through maintenance passageways only rarely used by anything other than automated skips like the one that delivered them in a little under 3 minutes to a hatch that looked like many others in pilot’s country.

Jeff ushered them into a space that was larger than the standard singleton’s quarters and was decorated with an interesting assortment of plants and furniture including a comfortable overstuffed sofa which he helped them both to settle into before making his way over to one wall and triggering the kitchen appliances and surfaces to fold or slide out of the walls. He had obviously tinkered with the appliances, making upgrades and additions to the standard equipment and while it folded itself out he went over to a screen, made a few selections and the sounds of a chamber ensemble filled the room at a volume just sufficient to be clearly heard without getting in the way of conversation.

He busied himself in the kitchen and soon appetizing smells began to waft in their direction as he used a wok over a juiced up thermal projector. Whatever he was making contained the usual staple of rice but he picked things from many of the plants to add into the dish and finally plated it all, putting his utensils and containers into the washing cubicle before triggering the kitchen to retract and a table to extrude itself from the floor along with chairs. He took a few moments to set the table properly before going over to help both of them up and then back down.

For some reason they had all remained quiet during the preparation process and Stacy found herself wondering just what that might mean. It didn’t seem like an uncomfortable sort of silence and she’d been pretty well exhausted despite her claims to the contrary so it felt good to just sit and watch, letting the music fill the space.

When he uncovered the first of the dishes in front of them there was a fragrant clear soup in a small bowl. Stacy tried to lean over to smell it, then gave up as the exoskeleton resisted her movements and used the overly deep looking spoon to inhale the scented steam.

“Wow… this smells really good…. like flowers almost except its food…” She took a cautious sip, then another and simply let the flavors roll around her tongue. It was utterly unlike anything she’d tasted before… salty, a little sour and with a bitter tang but it was a bitterness that served to enhance everything else with the the floral fragrance as another distinct layer of taste. “It tastes so different to the smell! Really awesome in a whole different way... I can’t wait for the rest!”

“She’s right, this is fantastic!” Mikhail chimed in between spoonfuls.

“I’m glad you both like it….” Jeff seemed to glow a bit from the praise as he watched and listened to their reactions. The soup was finished in near silence if you didn’t count enthusiastic slurping and little moans of pleasure. The main course was unveiled next and Stacy and Mikhail simply stared for a moment, dumbstruck by the beauty of the plating arrangement and the relative unfamiliarity of so much color in their food.

Mikhail was the first to speak, in almost reverent tones. “This is almost too beautiful to eat…”

“I’ve never thought of food as art before but this shows me what it can be. Do you mind if I take a picture before we eat? I want to see how this looked when I remember the taste…” Stacy was a little less reverent in her approach but no less heartfelt. At a smile and affirmative nod from Jeff she proceeded to take multiple shots of the dish from different angles, turning it back the way it had been set and looking to the others. Jeff took a pitcher and filled each of their glasses with a darkly colored fluid that seemed to catch the light in the room and amplify it, almost glowing an odd blue color. That required even more pictures of the filled glass, both by itself and with the plate in frame.

Once she’d finished Jeff held his glass and gestured for them to join him.

“I’d like to offer a toast to the best company I could ask for and the pleasure of dining together. May it be only the first of many meals shared between us.” Mikhail and Stacy voiced their agreement and traded a glance as the rim of each glass clinked against both of the others. “I hope you both like the taste as much as the view!”

Stacy had to fight to keep from grinning as Jeff realized what he’d said and turned a shade darker as he looked down at his plate. Mikhail managed a creditable poker face but he colored slightly as well and they turned their attention to the food to avoid the topic they were clearly all thinking about.

“Oh wow… beautiful, delicious sacrilege… first food as visual art, then food as texture and taste and smell and its just as awesome! I’m so weirdly conflicted between eating it and looking at it…” Stacy took another bite and made enthusiastic noises while chewing slowly, swallowing and taking another sip of the… whatever it was which sent another burst of flavor over the taste buds before leaving a clean taste. “Conflict over! I’m definitely on the eating side of that one!”

They both laughed and agreed before digging back into their own meals and soon they had finished with surprisingly little conversation beyond noises of appreciation and compliments to the chef which he accepted with lessening evidence of embarrassment. He cleared away the dishes quickly once they had finished and they all moved over to more comfortable seating with Mikhail and Stacy back on the sofa and Jeff ensconced in a comfortable chair facing them after making certain they all had a full drink within easy reach.

Mikhail and Stacy looked at each other, then over at Jeff at the same time and both opened their mouths to speak but Jeff beat them to it.

“I didn’t want to say anything because I figured out, I think, what we all need to talk about and why. I hadn’t even considered… well… anything really but I needed a little time to process it and just in case I was wrong I wanted to have the memory of the dinner with both of you.” He made a point of stressing the word both so that they would be clear about his meaning. “Now… We’re here to talk about the 3 of us, a plural relationship.”

Jeff paused while both of them nodded, Stacy having a thrill of emotion at his words. “If you both want this, then I am very much willing to try, to make it work. I know what the life of a pilot is and I’m pretty sure that of a Marine is even less fun in terms of relationship dynamics. Stacy, whatever you wind up doing may well be just as difficult as either of our choices but none of us can ask the others to change who they are… what they are… nor should we. This way of doing things… of finding and keeping love and family… is fairly common among Marines, a little less so with regular Navy but in civilian life is much more uncommon.”

“I don’t really know what is normal… I’ve always been pretty isolated. I didn’t even realize I was any different from other kids until I heard the doctor talking and it took me a while to process it but when I did it made so much sense of… things my dad taught me… like how there wasn’t really any difference between being male or female, really… I think he must have been like me, or maybe my mom was… maybe he was my mom… I don’t guess I’ll ever know now.” Stacy had to take a moment to get back on track.

“Anyway, I don’t really have any sort of reference for what is or isn’t normal with other people and I don’t much care. I know it seems fast and maybe it is but somehow I’ve managed to develop feelings for both of you. You’ve both let me know of your willingness to give this a try and I… I can’t see another way forward that wouldn’t hurt at least 2 out of 3 of us. If this dinner, this moment, is anything to go by then I think we will all be better and happier for it.”

It took a few seconds for both men to digest all she’d said but the smiles slowly spreading on each face mirrored her own and at that moment, she knew that this would be her future, her family even if she never found any other.

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The once spacious caverns of Archangelsky University’s campus had become a buzzing hive of humanity filled with refugees who’d fled there from the nearby cities for survival, far more of them than anyone expected given the bombardment that had been a part of the war’s beginning. Even with nearly 1 million souls spread out amongst various homesteads and production centers the university’s population had swollen to nearly 5 million from it’s previous 50 thousand and what had been largely empty caverns sealed off to give ample room for experiments and simple roaming were now fully utilized, crops growing everywhere people were not and most of the places they were too. The effect was deceptively beautiful, green and vibrant with activity everywhere masking just how desperate things had been in the early days and how precarious they still were.

“Lissa, can you bring me that spanner? I can’t manage to put this thing down just now…” the young woman balanced a large chunk of unidentifiable machinery on a work table in a precarious position and used an elbow to point at the tool in question. Her stepmother didn’t react for a moment before she pulled her attention from the screen and reached over to supply the spanner.

“Steph, you need to get to a stopping point soon. I want you cleaned up when Shan gets home. I have something very important to share with the whole family and we’re going to want to go out after, ok? That means scrub under your nails and put on a clean shipsuit…” The older woman thought about asking for more but if she got a clean(ish) young woman she’d be happy. She wondered if she should have told them immediately but this was just too important to not have the entire family together and she managed to hold her own excitement down to a bare simmer, focusing on getting her own work done so she could be free.

She was pulled back out of her work focus by a head blocking her view before planting a quick kiss on her lips and moving into the next room. “What is so important you had to get us all together Liss? I had to shuffle bioengineering 508 off to Ben and you know him, he’ll want some sort of favor in return. How that stuffy old git manages to retain a teaching position with his attitude is beyond me but I guess it takes all kinds… and he is a talented researcher.”

If Elissa had responded her wife wouldn’t have heard it as she was off into another room already. She knew Shannon would take 10 minutes or so to clean up and change which gave her 5 to finish her work and another 15 before all the kids arrived. Preparations were mostly completed, not that there was much to do but she wanted to keep herself busy so Shannon didn’t have time to question her as she was certain she’d let the secret slip before time if she didn’t have a ready misdirection. Work of some sort sufficed and trying to get her stepdaughter to give cleaning and dressing more than a lick and a promise definitely qualified as work!

She was back into her work when she felt a gentle kiss on her cheek and heard a murmured “I know what you’re doing…” but before she managed to turn around Shannon had disappeared again and she smiled wryly to herself. If she’d had any idea, Shannon wouldn’t be so willing to wait but her news was still highly secret so she was confident only 4 others at the University knew. It would all be public in another 4 days but her family could be trusted to hold information for much longer than that and even Steph had sufficient clearance to hear if there was need. This might be slightly a liberal interpretation of need but no one questioned her when she made her intentions clear earlier and she was fairly certain no one would think to do so later.

By the time Elissa had finished her work, managed to find something more presentable than just a clean shipsuit for Steph and cajoled her into wearing it by mentioning a certain boy they’d likely see later in the evening it was time and Shannon had everyone else sitting in the common area enjoying their intoxicant of choice. She joined them and took a sip of her own drink, welcoming that first burn as she readied herself.

“You all know the Hermes was thought to have survived. Today we received a communication from an intelligence source telling us that not only did she survive but her own casualties were fairly light. We don’t have a crew roster yet but there is a very high degree of confidence that James and most of his crewmates are alive and well out near Hephaestus Station.” Elissa paused and shared in the moment of warm hugs and happy almost-tears.

“There’s more. Phobos Station has determined that the fleet which boosted from Saturn orbit is bound for Neptune. We still don’t have a clear ID on them but expect clarification on that soon from the locals. We’re assuming they are a hostile Earther fleet and its just possible we may be able to get 3 of the new ships completed in time enough to have them ready to lend aid to the Hermes if we really hustle. This has to be an all hands operation once it passes a vote of the Council so there will be some reassignments going forward. Eric, you’ll likely get a CAG slot given your experience and we have every confidence you’ll do as well as anyone possibly could.”

Beth looked a little sad at that. It was something close to a miracle Eric had survived the bombardments and the battle surrounding them and she dreaded her husband going back out to make war almost as much as his mother did. Dread did not, however, equal unwillingness and that was as clearly illustrated as possible by the dark haired young man who sat just a little apart, stiff in a uniform and way of life that was new to him but to which he’d sworn himself when his wife, Elissa’s daughter, was killed in the same battle. There would be private tears but none of them would even think to ask either young man not to go, not in this room at least.

“Rod, your scores from training will likely give you a wing leader spot. This next training phase will be crucial so you’re going to have to stop trying to hide amongst your peers. You’re far and away the best of them and you know it as well as they do but you’ve made it clear to everyone that you don’t want promotion. In the process you’ve proven just how thoroughly you’re suited for command and its time for you to step up.” Elissa tried to hide her smile of pride as the young man who had become an adoptive son to her gulped a little, then managed to look even stiffer than before, this time with a slightly constipated expression.

“What about me? I’m an ace technician and I can be ground crew even if they won’t let me fly yet!” Steph looked like she was about to vibrate out of her chair with excitement. “Can’t you make some kind of waiver or something?”

That broke the tension and drew a general laugh. The girl had been agitating to follow her brother into service since he’d gone off to the Academy when she was in her first year of school and she’d become even more focused since the war began. No one who knew her had any question that when the time came she would serve with distinction but it wasn’t quite time for that yet.

“You know full well there’s no sort of waiver that will let a 15 year old join up. You’re lucky they let you into JROTC a year early and even that required massaging a few rules. You focus on your studies and if you can finish your degree by your 17th birthday your mother and I will talk about it. Sound ok to you?”

Elissa shot her a mock glare and the younger woman glared right back. “Do I have a choice?”

“Not even a little bit of one young lady. Liss is right and I’m not too certain I’ll sign that waiver even then. All of this depends on how you do between here and there so stop demanding something you know we can’t give.” Shannon’s tone belied her words and the whole scenario drew another laugh from the assembled family as Steph stuck her tongue out at her mother. “Now just to be evenhanded about it we will let you work limited hours in one of development shops so you’ll get some hands on experience and make a contribution now, when its most needed. Foggy agreed to keep an eye on you so… Oomph”

Her words were cut off by her daughter trying to hug her to death while jumping up and down at the same time. “You’re welcome now let go before you break a rib or something! Geez you’re strong!”

“Sorry momma… I’m just… so happy and excited and a little scared and… I’m just so glad Jamie’s ship made it and I hope he did and…” she trailed off, uncertain how to talk about her feelings. “I’m just a little overwhelmed, I guess. I’m not handling myself very well, am I?”

Shannon pulled her daughter back into a tight hug of her own. “You’re doing just fine honey. Better than I would have at your age, with all this. You’re stronger than me that way, more like your brother and your mom. Now go change out of those work boots and put some casual shoes on so we can all go have dinner, ok?”

“But these boots are soooo comfortable!”

“And soooo… not right with that outfit. Green flats, black piping, it ties in with the overall color scheme and works with your eyes. The silver infinity necklace and the earrings to go with it. Go on, you know you like everything I mentioned!”

The last was addressed to Steph’s back as she clomped out of the room. The wait was a bit longer than expected but when she came back in it was obvious she’d taken the time to make more of an effort, even adding a little makeup which was rarer than getting her out of a shipsuit or uniform.

“Well I can see we have a little protecting to do whenever our little sister decides to take an interest in something other than books or engines! You look very nice Stephie!” Her oldest brother complimented, to agreement from the others.

“Thanks Eric…” Elissa smiled as Steph looked down. She knew full well the awkward stage the girl was in right now, having seemingly sprouted in every direction at once and not yet used to the way she’d changed in the past 2 years, not yet comfortable with her own attractiveness.

“Massetti’s or Nguyen’s?” Her question deflected attention from Steph and allowed her to recover herself for a moment while the subject was roundly debated and the die cast in favor of French-Viet cuisine. They set off happily chattering amongst themselves with Elissa bringing up the rear, hand in hand with her wife.

“She’s growing up so fast… I swear it seems like it took longer with Jamie.”

“Its always too fast, love. Never enough time in all the world to love them.” Elissa squeezed Shannon’s hand and gave her a quick kiss. The two women followed their brood of children, content for the moment to savor the togetherness, to make memories to carry them through what may yet come.