How much is that doggy in the window? [Arch/Gabriel]

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

As they walked along the path, it gradually became more and more familiar to Archangel.  Slowly, a smile began to grow over her face and her pace quickened as they reached the summit, to the small plateau overlooking the strange geological formation.  She turned to Gabriel, a wide grin on her face.

"I remember it now," she said, using their joined hands to pull him closer to her for a kiss.

Gabe's own grin widened as he saw the look of recognition settle onto Archangel's features. While it had only been a few years ago that he'd brought her up here to ask her to marry him, those years had been anything but uneventful. They'd experienced more, suffered more, than most couples did in a lifetime.

Returning her kiss, Gabriel held her closely and quietly for a while, the occasional cry of a red-tailed hawk floating on the wind being their only companions up here. "The day we got married," he said, his voice low and soft, "I told you that you're the best of me. It's still true, Angel." Gabriel's hand trailed along her jaw, and rested on the lower part of her neck, where he knew she wore her Klingon-crafted ring under her uniform tunic.

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

Gabe's own grin widened as he saw the look of recognition settle onto Archangel's features.  While it had only been a few years ago that he'd brought her up here to ask her to marry him, those years had been anything but uneventful.  They'd experienced more, suffered more, than most couples did in a lifetime.

Returning her kiss, Gabriel held her closely and quietly for a while, the occasional cry of a red-tailed hawk floating on the wind being their only companions up here.  "The day we got married," he said, his voice low and soft, "I told you that you're the best of me.  It's still true, Angel."  Gabriel's hand trailed along her jaw, and rested on the lower part of her neck, where he knew she wore her Klingon-crafted ring under her uniform tunic.

It was all too easy for Archangel to lose herself in the moment, in the quietness of the valley and the closeness of her husband, but things were never that straightforward for the Romulan. She touched his jaw, smiling faintly at him before stepping away, moving over to the edge of the ridge and looking out over the landscape. She couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since the last time they had stood up here. Their brush with the Nausicaans. Her promotion to First Officer. Their transfer to the Chin'Toka. The Jarris Incident. Section 31. How could she still be the best of him when there was so much black on her soul?

She pulled the slim chain from under her uniform, looking at the two rings on her palm, sparkling in the sunlight. "Perhaps," she murmured.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

It was all too easy for Archangel to lose herself in the moment, in the quietness of the valley and the closeness of her husband, but things were never that straightforward for the Romulan.  She touched his jaw, smiling faintly at him before stepping away, moving over to the edge of the ridge and looking out over the landscape.  She couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since the last time they had stood up here.  Their brush with the Nausicaans.  Her promotion to First Officer.  Their transfer to the Chin'Toka.  The Jarris Incident.  Section 31.  How could she still be the best of him when there was so much black on her soul?

She pulled the slim chain from under her uniform, looking at the two rings on her palm, sparkling in the sunlight.  "Perhaps," she murmured.  

"Ain't any perhaps about it," Gabriel said, closing her hand around the rings with his own hands. "It's the truth. You and the girls...you're the best things that ever happened to me." Just to place an emphatic seal on the statement, he kissed her in the fading afternoon sunlight.

After the pair came up for air, Gabriel smiled, touching along her cheek. "Look...I know it's been rough. But that's one of the reasons I wanted to bring you back up here. I wanted to let you know...that I don't regret a second of it, Angel. Being with you...I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

"Ain't any perhaps about it," Gabriel said, closing her hand around the rings with his own hands.  "It's the truth.  You and the girls...you're the best things that ever happened to me."  Just to place an emphatic seal on the statement, he kissed her in the fading afternoon sunlight.

After the pair came up for air, Gabriel smiled, touching along her cheek.  "Look...I know it's been rough.  But that's one of the reasons I wanted to bring you back up here.  I wanted to let you know...that I don't regret a second of it, Angel.  Being with you...I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat."

The Romulan held back from the kiss, not giving herself in fully to it. She pulled back slightly, her expression solemn. She wanted to be able to believe him, but still found that she couldn't. It was something that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do, no matter how hard Gabriel and Chira tried.

"You can't believe that, Gabriel," she replied quietly. "Sometimes... sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't put you and the girls on a shuttle to Earth. At least there, you'd be safe, you could live out a normal life."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

The Romulan held back from the kiss, not giving herself in fully to it.  She pulled back slightly, her expression solemn.  She wanted to be able to believe him, but still found that she couldn't.  It was something that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do, no matter how hard Gabriel and Chira tried.

"You can't believe that, Gabriel," she replied quietly.  "Sometimes... sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't put you and the girls on a shuttle to Earth.  At least there, you'd be safe, you could live out a normal life."

Sighing softly, Gabriel pondered his response. What could it possibly be? What more could he tell her that he hadn't a thousand times over? What more could he do to convince her that he wasn't about to give up?

Gabriel quietly lead Archangel closer to the overlook, sitting down on the ground with her, placing his arm around her shoulders. "I've made no secret that I'd rather live a quiet life on Earth," he finally said, breaking the semi-silence filled by a chorus of tree insects. "But that live would have to include you, too. You and the girls are family, and home...wherever that may be. I stood up here and made a promise to you, and nothing has made me believe that need be changed."

Touching under her chin, Gabe gently turned her face to his, smiling softly. "We're only as real as the promises we keep, Angel. I love you."

"Nothing?" Archangel asked, not looking away from his gaze. "E'lev, since we last stood up here, you have been battered by the Orion Syndicate, almost killed by Jarris, harassed and threatened by Section 31 and for all I know Nemesis as well!" She sighed heavily. "Relationships aren't supposed to work like this and from what I know, neither are families." Lifting a hand, the Romulan laid her fingers lightly on the line of his jaw. "Is love really strong enough of a force to undo the amount of damage?"

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Nothing?" Archangel asked, not looking away from his gaze.  "E'lev, since we last stood up here, you have been battered by the Orion Syndicate, almost killed by Jarris, harassed and threatened by Section 31 and for all I know Nemesis as well!"  She sighed heavily.  "Relationships aren't supposed to work like this and from what I know, neither are families."  Lifting a hand, the Romulan laid her fingers lightly on the line of his jaw.  "Is love really strong enough of a force to undo the amount of damage?"

At least she didn't look away from me, Gabriel thought. That was one thing. He had, indeed, seen and dealt with much when it came to the kinds of things his wife was involved in. However, the thing that often hurt to the core the most was when she walled herself off, closed down, and didn't let anyone in. When she did that, it felt like she was doing some of the hurting, too. That wasn't a fair thought, he knew, but...

"Family's what you make of it. Love is what you make of it. Do we go through the same things other families do? Of course not...we're not other families." Gabriel quickly kissed her again, sudden but passionate, resting his forehead against hers. "I won't give up on you, Angel. Don't give up on us."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

At least she didn't look away from me, Gabriel thought.  That was one thing.  He had, indeed, seen and dealt with much when it came to the kinds of things his wife was involved in.  However, the thing that often hurt to the core the most was when she walled herself off, closed down, and didn't let anyone in.  When she did that, it felt like she was doing some of the hurting, too.  That wasn't a fair thought, he knew, but...

"Family's what you make of it.  Love is what you make of it.  Do we go through the same things other families do?  Of course not...we're not other families."  Gabriel quickly kissed her again, sudden but passionate, resting his forehead against hers.  "I won't give up on you, Angel.  Don't give up on us."

"I don't want to give up on us," the Romulan replied, drawing back slightly so that she could look at him fully. Concern had formed a few faint lines between her ridges and angled her eyebrows even more sharply. "But how am I supposed to protect you? Keep you and the girls from getting hurt? I think it's already been adequately proved that I can't keep you from harm, that I can't be trusted to try. Even Chira was upset by what she read in my file. That's a pretty good sign that there's something very wrong."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"I don't want to give up on us," the Romulan replied, drawing back slightly so that she could look at him fully.  Concern had formed a few faint lines between her ridges and angled her eyebrows even more sharply.  "But how am I supposed to protect you?  Keep you and the girls from getting hurt?  I think it's already been adequately proved that I can't keep you from harm, that I can't be trusted to try.  Even Chira was upset by what she read in my file.  That's a pretty good sign that there's something very wrong."

Chria was upset? Of course she was. Archangel was family. How could she be anything but upset by reading all of that? He said as much, taking up her hand in his. "And I think I've proved the same. You can't keep us safe, and I can't either. I'm trying to accept that there are some thing that are just out of our power, but a part of me still refuses to believe it. A part still wants to find a way." That spark of defiance, no matter how small, would always be there. He just hoped it didn't cause Archangel further harm, some day.

"So." he touched along her face, tucking a few strands of hair behind her delicately-pointed ear. "All of those things, and none of them are things we'd be better off facing alone. I love you, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not giving up on you. I think that about covers the bases."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

Chria was upset?  Of course she was.  Archangel was family.  How could she be anything but upset by reading all of that?  He said as much, taking up her hand in his.  "And I think I've proved the same.  You can't keep us safe, and I can't either.  I'm trying to accept that there are some thing that are just out of our power, but a part of me still refuses to believe it.  A part still wants to find a way."  That spark of defiance, no matter how small, would always be there.  He just hoped it didn't cause Archangel further harm, some day.

"So." he touched along her face, tucking a few strands of hair behind her delicately-pointed ear.  "All of those things, and none of them are things we'd be better off facing alone.  I love you, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not giving up on you.  I think that about covers the bases."

"Yeah, that about covers it," Archangel replied softly. The scars that still haunted her ran deep, and likely would for a long time. She see that he was beginning to tire of hearing her doubts. Making a mental note to start keeping them under wraps, she forced a smile for his benefit.

"I'm sorry. I've pretty much ruined the moment," she murmured, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Anyway, we'd better get back and relieve your parents from babysitting duty."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Yeah, that about covers it," Archangel replied softly.  The scars that still haunted her ran deep, and likely would for a long time.  She see that he was beginning to tire of hearing her doubts.  Making a mental note to start keeping them under wraps, she forced a smile for his benefit.  

"I'm sorry.  I've pretty much ruined the moment," she murmured, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.  "Anyway, we'd better get back and relieve your parents from babysitting duty."

"You've ruined nothing," Gabe said, kissing her on the neck and cheek, meaning it in every possible way that he could. They had a party to plan, of course...though, he doubted that his parents were having any complaints about getting time with their grandchildren. "No rush," he softly said, still holding Archangel around the shoulders. "Sun's going down. The moonrise from here is incredible...and we've got nothing but time tonight."