Early morning, the Callen's Quarters brought an unusual sight. Jesa sat down for the first time in a long time to a breakfast with family. The commander was unusually quiet, and although Terah noticed this, she decided not to push it. Jesa's mood was quite nominal until she had read a padd that had been laying around. The Betazoid woman had no idea what was on it, but could only figure one topic that could change Jesa's feeling so severely---Buck.

Stephi seemed unaffected by Jesa's mood, and talked with Terah. She was a quiet girl by nature, and in front of strangers became even more so. But these two had helped her, and she was fairly comfortable around them. From the few words Jesa caught, she was talking to Terah about a book she was reading the night before. Then Peeko added the conversation with a partial narrative, and it came out she had been reading to the bird; which brought a small smile to Jesa's face.

"I'm done!" the girl proclaimed with bright eyes.

Terah smiled, reaching out and squeezing Stephi's hand. "Good, hun. Why don't you go and put your dishes in the replicator and get Peeko back in her cage so we can go on that tour of the Arboretum I promised you?"

Stephi seemed only too pleased to follow Terah's request as she scampered off. Then the Betazoid woman turned her attention to Jesa, as she still sat there quietly stirring a bowl of oatmeal rather uninterestedly. "Jesa?" she asked.

The commander didn't look up. "Yes, Terah?" she returned in a rather automatic response.

"What's wrong?" Terah prodded gently.

Jesa shrugged, still stating at the oatmeal like she expected it to mutate into something else any second. "Nothing," she said neutrally.

Terah rolled her eyes slightly, touching Jesa's arm to draw Jesa's eyes towards her. When she had succeeded in that she spoke. "In all the years I've known you, you've never been able to fool me, Jesa... don't think you can start now," she said with a slight smile.

The commander forced a slight smile back at her sister. "Nothing," she intoned with a little more forced life in her words, "just didn't sleep well, and am disappointed, that's all."

The black-eyed woman nodded and reached out for Jesa's hand. Jesa looked up at Terah and then sighed slightly, not resisting her action, but not encouraging it either. Terah's voice was soft and gentle when she spoke, "You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

When Jesa looked up, she saw her sister's head tilted in a slight quizzical expression. She only nodded once, pausing a long time before speaking. "Yes, I know... some things are just meant to be handled between myself and another..."

Terah smiled slightly. "It's okay..." just then a squawk was heard from the other room. Terah's attention changed focus. "Oh dear, I better go see what the girls are up to." She smiled "Before something happens."

Jesa simply nodded in response, not looking up. Terah went to the doorway, then looked back at Jesa and sighed. 'You've gone through a lot lately, Jesa...' she thought, then disappeared to see what mischief Peeko had gotten Stephi into.

Meanwhile, at the table, Jesa decided her oatmeal had set sufficiently as to not require stirring anymore. It wasn't appetizing anymore regardless of its physical state. She pulled a padd out from under the table and reread it again, the few words that Buck wrote to her declining her invitation to dinner. The only things that really stuck out were not even written in the words... they were: Busy. Not sure when available. Can't talk about it.

He didn't even say that in his words, but those meanings came through loud and clear. 'How can you be so impatient, Jesa? He's been through a lot! He can't just change back into his old charming self for you and shrug off everything that occurred. And it's wrong of you to ask him to do so!' her mental voice chided her feelings. But try as she might, she couldn't help but feel the way she did. And if she didn't act like he was who she remembered him being, how should she approach him? It was a question she didn't know how to answer.

Jesa looked up towards the doorway, as she heard Terah's voice speaking, and Stephi's higher pitched voice talking back. She was glad they were here... somehow they lended a feeling of normalcy to her life. At that moment she couldn't imagine them not being there. Jesa wondered if Terah realized how much of a service she was being, even though in her eyes she probably was doing very little.

Finally, Jesa stood and pushed the chair out from the table. Lifting her dishes of barely touched food from the glass table, she returned them to the replicator and hit recycle. The dishes and food vanished in a swirl of light. Continuing to the coffee table, Jesa scooped up a handful of padds she would need for the day. Without thinking anything of it, she walked towards the door, then paused.

"Terah, I'm leaving now. I hope you and Stephi have a nice day," she called to the other room.

"You too, Jesa." Terah's voice returned with a laugh at something the child was probably doing. "When will you be able to join us for a holo-novel? Stephi has chosen one she wants to see."

Jesa paused "I'm not sure, Terah. Keep in touch with me, but don't hold her up on my account."

"Alright, Jesa. See you later!" Terah called, somewhat distractedly. She gave a laugh a moment later with the exclamation, "You two! Golly!"

The commander smiled, then sighed slightly, departing from her quarters. How she envied the two carefree beings she was leaving behind. But she had duties to attend to, and they weren't going to get done with her moping around.

Loaded: 04.29.2004