Fighting the Stars

by Jessica Killabrew

  “It’s a date then.” He got up and pulled on his pants. They walked together to his door. She turned to say goodbye but he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

  “Stay,” he whispered against her lips.

  She was so tempted to say yes. “I’ll see you in a few hours. Besides, I may take a little nap to rest up. You sure know how to give a girl a workout.”

  “We have years to make up for,” he reminded her.

  “We have a lifetime to do that, if you want.”

  “Oh, I want.” He kissed her one more time before letting her go.

  She gave him a little wave and walked down the corridor. By the time she got to the elevator, she wanted to run back to him. Damn it! They had been back together for hardly one whole day and already she was addicted to him.

  She nodded as passengers stepped onto the elevator and waited for the elevator to reach her floor. When she got off, she noticed Nade lingering near her quarters. She approached him.

  “Nade?”

  He jumped back in surprise. “Captain! Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. We have tried to get hold of you almost all day. We were worried that something happened to you after the fire.”

  “I checked in with the crew a few hours ago and they said that they haven’t seen you or your brother all day since they received their instructions.” She folded her arms over her chest and stared him down.

  “We’ve—” Nade started to respond when the door to her quarters opened and Jaken came out. He froze when he saw Rena.

  “What the hell is going on?” Rena was furious.

  “Captain, we were checking on you because you had not answered our calls all day,” Jaken quickly said.

  “I told her that, Jaken,” Nade said nasally.

  “Today is my day off, as you know. You should be checking on the damages to the fire and the crew members injured during the fire. Did you do that?”

  “The engineers are not finished clearing the debris. When they are, they are supposed to contact me personally, since you were unavailable.” Jaken tried to defend himself.

  “That’s interesting, because I’ve been in contact with the engineers, and they have cleared the debris and are currently making the appropriate repairs. The navigator is working temporarily and will have to do until we can replace it. I have also been in contact with the nursing areas and gotten a report on the injured. What the hell have the two of you been doing besides invading my private quarters?”

  Both of them blinked, as though they couldn’t process the way in which their usually calm and unemotional captain was addressing them. She could tell that she hit a nerve with Jaken. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides.

  “Excuse us for being concerned for your safety. Now that we know you’re perfectly fine, we’ll be leaving.” Jaken stormed off and Nade quickly shuffled behind him.

  She watched them leave and shook with fury. She wanted to punch something — or, more accurately, two someones. She opened her door and entered the space that had always been her sanctuary. Now, it felt awkward.

  Rena walked through her place, looking for any signs that her belongings had been touched. A picture of her and her mother, which she usually kept in the center of her coffee table, had been moved to the right.

  She entered her bedroom and her closet door was open. She knew she had closed it earlier today. A prickly feeling came over her at the thought of Jaken touching her clothes. She pulled a slinky red halter dress out that she wanted to wear tonight for her date with Turk and sniffed it. She didn’t detect Jaken’s scent on it, so that was a plus.

  Going to her bathroom, she undressed and turned on the water. She stepped in and sighed as the steamy water relaxed her muscles. Her nipples were sensitive and she smiled, remembering how they got that way. Turk loved suckling her and he used his teeth in the most delicious ways.

  She closed her eyes and images of all the wonderfully naughty things they had done raced through her mind. Just thinking about Turk and his big thick cock had her hot and wet for him. She wasn’t sure she would make it a few hours without him. She needed him between her thighs in the worst way.

  After her shower, she didn’t bother putting on clothes. She walked to her bed and sniffed the sheets before collapsing onto them. She just wanted a few hours of sleep. She closed her eyes and, for the first time in a long time, felt her life was complete. She was the captain of her own ship, she traveled to exotic places, and she had the man she loved by her side. What could be better than that?

  Chapter 15

  Rena had woken up and begun dressing for her date with Turk. She was definitely longing to see him again. She put on her tight red dress and put her makeup on. Once she had her makeup on, she started putting loose curls in her hair. Just as she was finishing up, the doorbell rang. She ran to answer the door, but was left stunned when Tena and her son stood there instead of Turk. “Tena, what are you doing here?” Rena asked, not meaning to sound so crude.

  “I have an interview with the liaison, and JJ’s babysitter backed out at the last minute. would you watch him?” The look on her face was just so sad that Rena couldn’t turn her down. This was the first time Rena had seen her sister all dressed up and ready to go somewhere since their falling out a few years ago. She forgotten how much her sister looked like her until then. Lately, she had just seen her sister wearing jeans and T-shirts, looking like she hadn’t slept in months. The bags that were usually under her eyes were now hidden with makeup, and she wore a dress and heels instead of jeans and a T-shirt. She held a tote that she usually carried JJ’s toys in.

  “I had plans with Turk, but I can just reschedule,” Rena answered.

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t do that. I’ve screwed things up between you two enough. I’ll just call Jesse and reschedule.” Tena was obviously upset.

  “Tena, it’s fine, I’ll watch him,” Rena assured her. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Are you sure?” Tena questioned. “You’re already dressed up. I should have paid more attention before I asked.”

  Rena didn’t have much experience with children, but she knew that, with JJ, it probably took twice as long for Tena to get dressed up. Plus, Rena hadn’t had much time to get to know her nephew. “Yes, Tena, I’m sure.” Rena smiled. “I get to go out and have fun all the time.” It was only a partial lie; she did always get to go have fun, but only after her captain duties were done and taken care of.

  “Thank you, Rena.” Tena urged her son in the door. “I’ll order a pizza to your room for dinner.”

  “I’ll take care of everything, Tena. Don’t worry about it. I have stuff here and I can cook.” She gave Tena a reassuring smile.

  “Thank you,” Tena said one more time as she handed Rena the bulky bag containing JJ’s toys.

  Rena shut the door and squatted down so that she was at JJ’s level. “Let’s find something on the TV for you to watch so I can get into something more appropriate.” She grabbed his hand and stood back up.

  “Okay, Aunt Rena,” JJ answered.

  Rena walked into the living room and turned on the television, bringing up the movie channels. She found the cartoon channels and started naming them off until JJ picked one she liked. She put it on and hurried into her room to change her clothes. Once she was in comfortable sweatpants and a tank top, she walked back out into the living room, pulled out her cell phone, and called Turk.

  “Hey babe, what’s up. Am I late?” .

  “No, no, you’re not. I’m going to have to cancel our plans, though.” She tried not to let her voice reflect her disappointment.

  “What? Why?” Turk questioned.

  “Tena’s babysitter backed out at the last minute, so I’m babysitting while Tena’s out with the liaison.”

  “That’s all?” Turk asked.

  “Yeah. I couldn’t tell her no. I’m sorry.” She felt a little guilty.

  “We don’t have to cancel. I can come help you babysit. We can still have dinner, ju
st nothing inappropriate, I’ll pick up some fish sticks and mac and cheese, maybe even make brownies.”

  Rena giggled. “Maybe something besides fish sticks.”

  OK, I’ll get chicken strips with ranch on the side instead,” Turk returned. I’ll be there in about a half hour.” Turk hung up the phone before Rena could say anything else.

  She was honestly shocked at how he had reacted. It surprised her, and it also made her smile. She sat down next to JJ on the couch and watched the movie with him.

  “Aunt Rena, I’m thirsty,” he said as soon as she got comfortable on the couch.

  “I have orange juice, milk, or water.”

  “Orange juice,.” he said, staring at the television so intently she was surprised that he had heard her at all.

  “Orange juice it is then.” She got up, grabbed JJ’s no-spill cup out of the bag, and walked to the kitchen. Maybe watching a kid would be easier than she thought.

  “I have to potty.”

  “The bathroom is right there,” she said, pointing to the door next to her bedroom door.

  He jumped off the couch and went in. A couple minutes later he came out, a frown fixed on his face. “I can’t button my pants.”

  She finished pouring his juice and walked over to him. She buttoned his pants, then stood up, thinking she was done.

  “My shoe’s untied,” he said as soon as she started to walk away. “I don’t know how to tie it.”

  She went back to tie it and gave him instructions on how to tie his shoes as she did it. He went to the couch and sat back down. “I’m thirsty.”

  Crap! She had forgotten to give him his juice. She walked back to the kitchen and grabbed it for him. He drank over half of it in one long drink. The movie ended.

  “I’m bored,” he said, slightly whining.

  “We can find another movie.” She began to wonder how long this night was going to last.

  “Can we go to the playground?”

  She checked her watch. It was six-thirty. “It’s a little late for that.”

  “I’m hungry,” he whined, rubbing his belly.

  “Food’s coming.” She wondered what was taking Turk so long.

  “But I’m starving.” He whined even louder this time.

  She heard a knock at the door. “Thank god,” Rena said as she let Turk in. “I was ready to start cooking without you. He’s starving.”

  “Aunt Rena, who’s that?” JJ asked. “Is he your boyfriend.”

  “Yes, he is. His name is Turk,” Rena returned with a smile.

  “Don’t you know girls have cooties?” JJ said, looking straight at Turk without smiling.

  “Yes, I do know that, which is why I get a cootie shot right before I come over here.” Turk answered with a smile. “So don’t get a girlfriend unless you want a cootie shot.”

  Rena giggled as Turk walked into the kitchen. Once he had started dinner, he pulled out a board game for them all to play. They played until dinner was ready. Rena was glad that Turk had thought to bring something like that.

  The boy sat on Turk’s lap during dinner. Rena couldn’t help but wonder at the bond JJ and Turk already had. She thought that it was absolutely adorable as the little boy sat there and picked on Turk even while they were eating. “Finish your dinner so you can have some of the cookies I bought,” Turk said.

  JJ looked at Turk. “What kind of cookies are they?”

  “Peanut butter with chocolate chips or oatmeal and raisin, which is Aunt Rena’s favorite,” Turk answered.

  JJ started finishing the rest of his food on his plate. Rena couldn’t help but smile at how good Turk seemed to be with kids. He seemed to enjoy being around JJ. Watching Turk with JJ melted her heart. She was no longer worried about when Tena would get back. She was enjoying her time with her nephew and Turk.

  “There, I finished my food. Now can I have some cookies?” JJ asked.

  “Wait a little bit. We will play this game one more time, just so we can even the score,” Turk answered. “Plus, we don’t want you getting a tummy ache.”

  “Fine, if you want to lose again,” JJ returned.

  Rena started laughing. Yes, that boy definitely had the same blood as Rena. She and Tena had always been so competitive over every little thing. They fought over who took the least amount of time to shower, who could run the fastest, who could do the most push ups, who had better grades, whose tests had a higher score. All of that seemed ridiculous now.

  She wondered, though, if things would have turned out differently if they had been better to each other in their younger years.

  Chapter 16

  “I win again, Turk.” JJ said, breaking Rena from her thoughts. It was so cute the way he stuck his tongue out, mocking Turk. Rena couldn’t help but giggle.

  “There is no beating you at this game, is there?” Turk returned. Rena noticed a little gleam in Turk’s eyes as he spoke to JJ. “What kind of cookies would you like?”

  “Can I have one of each?” JJ asked very politely for a five-year-old.

  “I think that would be all right. Do you want some milk with your cookies?” Rena asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  Sitting there eating their cookies, Rena was surprised at how messy JJ was after eating just three cookies. The chocolate chips were a horrible idea; they were all over his face.

  “JJ,” she started, trying not to laugh. “I do believe you are going to need a bath as soon as you finish your milk.”

  “My momma put pajamas in my bag. She always puts pajamas in there,” he answered. “She put all my bath stuff in there. Even my toothbrush. I hate brushing my teeth, though.”

  “But brushing your teeth is good for you. You don’t want all your teeth to fall out, do you?” Rena returned.

  “I’d look like a nasty pirate then.” He made a disgusted face.

  “Yeah, we could get you an eyepatch, maybe even a peg leg. But no swords, got it?” Rena joked with him. “Come on, I’ll go get you washed up and Turk can do the dishes from dinner.”

  “Why do I get volunteered for the dishes?” Turk joined in on the fun.

  “Because you’re the only boy that doesn’t need a bath,” Rena joked.

  Twenty minutes later JJ came running out of the bathroom in his pajamas, with wet hair. Turk laughed when Rena came out with wet hair and a wet shirt.

  “Looks like both of you got a bath.”

  Rena smiled. “Remind me to wear my swim suit next time I decide to give him a bath. Could you watch him while I go change?”

  “Sure.”

  Rena went to her bedroom and grabbed another towel to dry herself off. She was already feeling exhausted from taking care of JJ, but she was having loads of fun with him. Turk was a lot of help too, and it made her wonder what their lives would be like if they had never split up. She put on a pair of shorts and another tank top.

  She walked into the living room, and couldn’t help but smile when she saw Turk and JJ sitting on the couch together. JJ was starting to doze off, but Turk just sat there with his arm around JJ’s shoulders, watching another cartoon. Rena sat down on the other side of Turk. “He’s almost asleep,” she whispered in Turk’s ear.

  “We will give it five more minutes, then I’ll put him in the guest bedroom until his mom gets here.” Turk kept his voice low. He put his hand on top of Rena’s.

  After a few minutes, Turk put JJ in the guest bedroom. Rena couldn’t help herself when Turk came back into the room; she had to ask the question that had been on her mind all night. Turk sat back down and Rena leaned into his chest.

  “Do you think this would be the life we’d had if we had stayed together?”

  “What, babysitting your sister’s kid?” Turk asked.

  “No, if we’d had kids and gotten married, or whatever?”

  “I honestly don’t know, but I’d like to think that we would.” He answered. “What about you? What kind of life do you think we would have had?”

  “I’ve never really t
hought about it until now. I was too busy trying to hate you,” she admitted. “But seeing you with JJ — how great you are with him, and how much he likes you — I kind of want that with you.”

  “What?” he asked, looking completely caught off guard.

  “I kind of wish that we had spent the last five years growing our lives together, and perhaps having kids.” A knock at the door kept her from continuing.

  She answered the door and let Tena in. “JJ’s asleep in the guest bedroom.”

  “Thank you so much, Rena.” She started to walk to the guest bedroom but looked shocked when she saw Turk sitting on the couch. “Did I interrupt something?”

  “No, you’re fine,” Rena said, with a smile.

  “Well, I will just grab JJ and head home.” She disappeared into the guest bedroom and reappeared with a sleeping JJ in her arms. She paused for a moment.

  “I have prayed that somehow the two of you would find your way back to each other. I know that it doesn’t take away what I have done. That is something that I will regret and will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for. Seeing the two of you like this gives me hope that maybe one day I can be forgiven,” Tena told them, wiping tears from her face. She turned to leave for her quarters.

  “Wait.” Rena went over to her and leaned down to kiss JJ’s forehead. “Good night, my little pirate.”

  Rena and Tena exchanged a look of acceptance between them. They had a long way to go to rebuild their relationship, but they were in agreement on one thing — JJ deserved both of their loves.

  Rena closed the door and turned around to find Turk looking at her strangely. “What?”

  “You are really good with him. I didn’t know that you liked children.”

  “I’ve never been around any until now. I may be a little partial, but I think JJ is amazing.”

  He chuckled. “You might be a little, but I think he’s great, too.”

  “About what I said earlier, about us having a family, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “When I think of having children and a family, I can’t imagine having it with anyone but you. I think you would make a wonderful mother.”