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The firm knock on her door had Stephanie looking up to find Peter Chamberlain standing there.
"Captain Chamberlain, come in." She gestured to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "What can I do for you?"
"I thought you'd like an update on how the training program is going." He took the seat.
"I would," she said not commenting on why he felt he needed to personally deliver it instead of putting it in the daily report she received.
"Well, I'm pleased to say that so far there's no one that I see that won't complete the course. Your suggestion of pulling from the Coalition was a brilliant one. Not only are you getting fit, well-trained guards, but most are in their prime and will be able to serve for countless cycles to come. I only wish I could do the same for the House of Knowledge."
"The petition was specifically worded that there had to be a sudden and urgent need to properly protect a Royal Family," she reminded him.
"I know. I just wish Cassandra had had it all those cycles ago when she first became Queen."
"There was trouble with the Royal Guards?" She hadn't heard that.
"Not so much with Yakira's, from what I've been told, but all of Audric's were released along with a great many Palace Guards."
"Ouch." She winced thinking about it.
"Yes, but now things are better, for the most part."
"Thanks to you," she told him.
"Will had it handled before I got there, but now I can keep an eye on it 24/7."
"24/7?" she asked frowning.
"Sorry, some Earth jargon still slips out. It means every hour of every day."
"I see." And she did. Peter Chamberlain took the protection of his family very seriously especially after nearly losing them all to the Regulians.
"Most applicants will be fighting for one of the coveted Royal Guard spots, but there's at least one that I can tell you right now would be better suited for a Palace Guard position."
"Who?"
"Major Rocco."
Stephanie sighed, "Why?"
"You know him?"
"He was one of my early trainers in the Coalition. The only one that encouraged me to pursue a career in security."
"Then we all owe him a great deal."
"Still..." she waited for him to give his reason why Rocco wouldn't be a good Royal Guard.
"Major Rocco has spent his entire career making sure those he's trained are some of the best in the Coalition," Peter told her. "You of all people know the toll that can take on a body."
"You’re saying he's physically unable to complete the course?" That surprised her.
"No, he'll complete it with scores placing him in the upper twenty percent of the class." That told her Rocco would be more than qualified to be a Royal Guard. "But the rigorous training necessary for him to maintain that level would be detrimental to him, and could cause him to make mistakes with whoever he was assigned to protect."
"And you don't see him having that same problem as a Palace Guard?"
"No, while Palace Guard training is still difficult, it's not at the same level as Royal Guards, and he has the perfect temperament for dealing with the public."
Stephanie thought about that for a minute and realized Peter was right. How many times had she seen Rocco calmly handle a stressful situation, or calm down two recruits when a sparring match got out of hand? Yes, she could easily see him dealing with those that came into the Palace.
"You'll keep me informed on him?" she asked.
"Of course, I just wanted you to be aware of my thoughts. Being in command doesn't necessarily mean the one with the best score is the best fit for a certain task. There are always other things to consider."
"Personality. Motivation. Adaptability." She reeled off without a thought.
"I noticed you didn't mention following orders without question."
"No, because..." her eyes narrowed as she trailed off, "You heard about what happened in the training room."
"Yes. I also heard Woodrow instigated the confrontation. I'm sorry, I think I gave you some bad advice concerning him."
"No, you just presented me with honest observations. The decision to accept him was mine and mine alone."
"Perhaps, but you don't have to handle him alone. You not only have your men, who I might say are totally loyal to you, but you have your life mate who happens to be one of those men."
"Which is the problem," she told him.
"Only if you let it be. Nick reacted the same way I would have if someone insulted Cyndy like that. The only thing I would have done differently is I wouldn't have stopped until Woodrow was bloodied."
"I don't believe that."
"Believe it. There's a great deal about Cyndy's and my relationship that you don't know about. Especially in the early cycles before we had Victoria. Cyndy was so out of my league. Everyone knew her, wanted her, and had more to offer her than I did." He looked at Stephanie for a moment. "I'd say she was a lot like you. She had a high-pressure career that kept her in the public eye. That meant there was always someone in the background trying to pull her down because she was more talented than they were."
"How did you handle it?" Stephanie asked quietly.
"Badly," he told her honestly. "I let my male ego and the stupid rumors her haters spread separate us. At least until my little sister got in my face. Cassandra made me face some cold, hard facts, and after that, I got down on my knees and begged Cyndy to take me back. Literally," he said at Stephanie's disbelieving look. "There's an actual video of it. Victoria likes to watch it, thinking it’s romantic."
"I can understand that."
"The only reason I'm telling you this is to hopefully prevent you from making the same mistakes I did."
"They're two entirely different situations, Peter."
"Not if you strip it back to its essence. Yes, you are Nick's Commander but were either of you on duty? And don't pull that 'you are always on duty' crap. Was this you and Nick sparring or the Commander and one of her Captains?"
"It was Nick and me," she told him quietly.
"Then he had every right to go after Woodrow like that."
"We were in the Guards’ training room."
"So what? Look I know this relationship is new for both of you, that you're doing your best to separate personal from professional. Just remember that at the end of the day, it's you and Nick that matter. Don't let others’ thoughts or opinions come between you, because trust me... when the shit really hits the fan, you're going to need each other."
Stephanie found herself thinking about Peter's words long after he'd left her office. Was she looking for a problem that wasn't really there? Yes, Woodrow was a problem, but then he'd always been one. So that wasn't anything new. What was new was that she didn't have to put up with it anymore. If this had happened with any other couple what would her reaction have been?
Going to her comm, she pulled up the necessary report and filled it out, documenting the incident in the training room along with the video footage. She then filled out the appropriate form to report conduct unbecoming of a Royal Guard. After placing it in a personnel folder, she forwarded a copy of it to Burk so he could make Woodrow aware of it.
That done she secured her comm, and went in search of her life mate.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Entering their quarters, Stephanie found Nick on the couch in the sitting area, a cold brew in his hand, the entertainment comm off. Moving across the room, she sat down on the other end of the couch facing him. It was then she noticed the cold brew was full, and there was no condensation on the bottle indicating it was warm.
"Have you been sitting there all afternoon?" she asked quietly.
"Pretty much. I showered then sat here thinking," he told her and setting his brew aside turned to face her. "Look, I know we have to talk about what happened today, but first I need to know. Are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you like that."
Reaching out she cupped his cheek. "I'm fine." At his disbelieving look, she stood and removed her jacket then lifted her shirt. "See, not even a bruise. I told you I'm tougher than I look."
"Still..."
"I just need to do a better job of protecting my right side. Now I know it’s a handicap. Are you willing to help me with that?" she asked, settling back down next to him.
"You know I'll always be there to help you." Reaching out he took one of her hands in his. "To protect you."
"Just like you were when Woodrow tried to humiliate me."
"I should have bloodied the foabhor," he spit out.
"That's what Peter said he would have done too, and as much as I wish you had, I'm glad you didn't."
"Why?"
"Because it would have made what I decided to do harder."
"What did you decide to do?"
"I placed a written reprimand in his permanent file for Conduct Unbecoming of a Royal Guard."
Nick couldn't say anything for a moment. He'd never even considered that. A written reprimand in a file could end a guard's career, depending on for what and who filed it. For Stephanie, as the Commander, a Princess, and Medal of the Ancestors recipient, only the High Admiral would carry more weight, if Woodrow was still in the Coalition.
"You don't agree?" she asked.
"I do, but you know how it will be viewed by some."
"As personal," she said, "and they'd be right because it is. As Commander, I'm responsible for the actions of my men whether I'm in or out of uniform. Woodrow insulted a superior officer while in uniform; two to be exact. It doesn't matter who it was or where. I witnessed it and found it unacceptable. I'm tired of putting up with that foabhor's comments and those like him. I and every other woman like me, which includes my mother, has had to bite our tongues because we were always subordinate officers. Not anymore."
Nick was surprised by the venom in her voice. He'd known there were still those that believed women didn't belong in positions of power. It was one of the reasons Stephanie had wanted to be one of Jotham's Royal Guards, to prove they could. But until today, he'd never witnessed it first hand, had never seen how it affected someone he loved. Now having done so, he knew he'd never allow it to happen again. If he was allowed to.
"So what about me? Am I getting a reprimand too?"
"You?" she gave him a shocked look. "Of course not. One, because you were off duty and out of uniform. Two because if calling someone a fucking foabhor is grounds for discipline, everyone in the Fleet would have a reprimand in their file. And three, you were also one of the superior officers he insulted." At his confused looked she continued. "He inferred that you were trying to undermine my position as Commander."
"I love being under you," he joked for a minute then sobered. "You did give me an order."
"Which I had no right to do. We were both off duty and had agreed that when that happened, we were just a man and a woman."
"Do you really think that'll be the end of it?"
"No, men like Woodrow never quit because they think they are right."
"They're not."
"I know. Now, I think we've wasted enough of our evening discussing Woodrow."
"I agree. So how would you like to spend the rest of the night?" he asked suggestively.
"Not the way you're thinking, at least not yet," she said giving him a little shove.
"Really? So what did you have in mind?"
"I think we should comm your parents and let them know we're life mates."
"You do?" He stared at her in shock.
"Word is going to spread, especially after today. They have the right to hear we're life mates from us, not someone else."
Nick looked at the time. "They'd still be up."
"Why don't you seem excited about telling them?"
"It's not that. They're going to be thrilled, more than thrilled. I'm the oldest, the only one who hasn't had a Union. They've pretty much given up on me ever giving them a grandchild, and now that there's a chance, they are going to be very vocal about it."
"It won't be that bad," she reassured him, "and even if it is, I think I can handle it. Commander, remember?" she said tapping her chest.
He smiled. "I remember, and you're right. If they find out from someone else, they'll be incredibly hurt. Just... prepare yourself."
Stephanie stood as Nick set up the comm to go through the entertainment screen. Picking up his warm bottle of brew, she walked into the kitchen to get them each a cold one.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," she heard him say and turned to study the handsome couple on the screen.
"Nicholas!" The true joy in Crystal Deffand's voice was easily heard. "How are you?" Her face suddenly filled with concern. "What's happened? Are you alright? You never call this late unless something's wrong."
Stephanie couldn't tell the other woman's height as she was sitting down, but she could see she was a force to be reckoned with, and she'd given her son the chocolate-brown eyes Stephanie so loved.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Mom, calm down. I'm fine. Everything's fine. It's better than fine actually." Nick shifted his gaze.
"Nick, it's good to see you."
For Stephanie, seeing Allen Deffand was like seeing her life mate thirty cycles in the future, the resemblance was that strong. It made her wonder what Nick's son might look like.
"Good to see you too, Dad."
"When are you coming for a visit?" his mother demanded and Nick just shook his head.
"You know I can't right now, Mom. The Union is only a few weeks away. I have to be here."
"Well, I would think that new Commander of yours would see fit to give you some time off for a visit since you've been single-handedly running that place for cycles," she said huffily.
Nick coughed to cover his chuckle and looked over his shoulder to find Stephanie gaping at the comm. He'd tried to warn her. Turning back to the comm, he interrupted his mother as she continued to tell him all the things he'd done in the performance of his duty.
"Mom, there's someone here I'd like you to meet."
"What? Meet? You're telling me you let me go on and on like that when you're not alone?"
"It's not like you gave him a chance to stop you, love," Allen's deep voice told her quietly.
"He could have said something in the beginning," she argued back.
"Mom!" Nick interrupted again in exasperation. "Do you want to meet her or not?"
"Her?!" Crystal's brown eyes widened, excitement filling them. "Did you say her?"
"Yes." Standing, he turned and held out his hand to Stephanie. Setting aside the brews, she reached out and let him pull her into the view of the comm. "Mom. Dad. I'd like to introduce you to Stephanie Michelakakis."
"We know who she is," Crystal began before her husband shushed her and stood.
"Commander Michelakakis, it's an honor and a pleasure to meet you." Allen saluted her, telling her he had once served in the Coalition.
"Thank you, Mister Deffand, but please, that's not necessary," Stephanie told him blushing slightly. "And it's just Stephanie."
"Just Stephanie?" he frowned, his eyes widening at his son's arm around her waist.
"Nicholas," his mother whispered. "What's going on?"
"Mom, Dad, Stephanie is my life mate," he proudly announced, pulling her close.
"Oh!" Crystal slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes filling. "Oh, Nicholas, that's so wonderful." Her gaze shifted to her future daughter-in-law. "Oh, Stephanie, I wish you were here so I could hug you. Welcome to the family."
"Thank you, Madame Deffand," Stephanie told her suddenly feeling shy.
"Crystal, call me Crystal," Nick's mom insisted.
"Alright, Crystal," Stephanie agreed.
"And I'm Allen," Nick's dad told her.
Stephanie could only nod her agreement as Crystal spoke again.
"So tell us all about it. When did you meet? How long have you been dating? When's the Union going to be? Oh my goodness, you two are going to make such beautiful babies."
"Crystal," Allen growled warningly.
"Mom." Nick did the same as his father.
"What?" Crystal asked, looking at each of them innocently.
"They only just told us they were life mates. Let's give them some time before talking about babies."
"Oh, alright," Crystal pouted up at her husband. "If we must, but only for a little while. Neither of them is getting any younger." She turned back to face the couple. "So when's the Union?"
Stephanie's eyes widened at Nick's mother's accusation. She'd never considered thirty-four cycles that old.
"We haven't planned one yet," Nick told his mother giving his life mate an apologetic look.
"Why ever not?" Crystal demanded.
"Look, Mom, we both have demanding careers that we love and a lot is going on with them right now. So when we decide the times right for us to have a Union, we will let you know. We comm'd you tonight because we wanted to share the good news with you before you learned of it from someone else."
"You told others you found your life mate before you told your family?"
"We told my family," Stephanie said quietly.
"Because it's more complicated with Stephanie's family since we work together," Nick quickly added hoping to appease his mother, then hitting a little below the belt gave her that sad look he knew she could never resist. "I thought you'd be happy for us."
"Oh, I am," his mother quickly told him. "We are. I just..."
"Wish you'd been informed sooner. I understand, and you have Stephanie to thank that we comm'd you tonight. I," he looked to his father knowing he would understand, "being the man I am, didn't even think of it."
"Nicholas Allen Deffand! I raised you better than that."
"I know you did, Mom, and again I'm sorry."
"Well, at least there's one person in this relationship that has a brain in her head." Crystal's gaze turned to Stephanie. "Thank you, Stephanie. You're going to have your hands full with that one."
"I think I can handle him," she told her smiling, "and you're welcome."
"So when are you two going to be able to come for a visit? We'll gather the whole family and then..."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Stephanie's head was still whirling hours later as she and Nick lay in bed. Crystal Deffand was a force to be reckoned with. She had thoughts and ideas about the Union they hadn't yet planned, the house they could buy in the Baku region they hadn't said they wanted, and the number of grandchildren they should give her.
"I tried to warn you," Nick said sleepily.
"I know."
"She'll settle down. Dad will make sure of it. It's my grandmother you need to worry about."
"Grandmother?"
"Dad's mom," he told her yawning. "No one controls her. She'll have the Temple reserved and invitations sent, then tell us when to show up."
While that worried Stephanie slightly, she knew she had an ace up her sleeve. "Do you really think my mother's going to give up control of her only daughter's Union to anyone but me?"
"No, but... oh, Ancestors," he groaned slapping a hand over his eyes.
"What? Nick, what's wrong?"
"My mother, grandmother, and your mother... all together plotting," he pulled his hand away revealing terrified eyes to her.
Stephanie paled at the thought. "You say she's like your mom?"
"Worse, because she has Dad wrapped around her little finger."
"Mom will back us. She's already agreed that it will be our decision," she said, but even she could hear the uncertainty fill her words.
"That's only because she's caught up in her Union. Once everything has settled down and enough time has passed, you know she's going to start wanting us to be as happy as she and Jotham are."
"No, she..." Stephanie broke off realizing he was right. "Oh Ancestors, we won't stand a chance against all three of them."
"And if Jotham and my dad get involved..."
"We need to run. Now."
"We'd never make it past the Palace gates."