Interlude – Part 12 - Trees' Company?
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
Continued:
"GO ALONE?" Came the indignant, horrified, high-pitched, double squeak in response as the two Dunham women leapt in synchronised outrage on top of the Flight Commander in the centre of both their lives.
Kim was faster and landed directly in Rick's startled arms, knocking him backwards and sending him staggering across the veranda almost into the hot-tub. He seemed to manage to collapse beneath her, using his own body to cushion her fall to the decking but ended up pinned by her weight across his shoulders.
As a result of Rick's chivalry in saving his niece's fall, she was unharmed and unlike her winded uncle, perfectly able to take full advantage of his weakened condition.
"Chelsea, help me!" she cried to her apparent co-conspirator.
Chelsea had also leapt to prevent Rick leaving alone but on seeing him floored by his neice she had initially been alarmed that one or the other, or perhaps both of them might get hurt.
Now that it was apparent that they had both survived, despite Rick's gasping for air and Kim's clear exploitation of this fact, Chelsea was relieved and joined in their laughter.
"Doesn't look to me like you *need* any assistance, young lady" Chelsea chuckled, raising one eyebrow at Rick with a smirk. "You're a true Dunham.... invincible! .... or should that be *incorrigible?"
"I'll hold him down, you tickle him into submission." Kim conspired. "Make him promise NOT to go alone!"
Chelsea laughed again, but didn't actually attempt to carry through with the threat. From what she could gather from his puffing breath back into his flattened lungs and trying to shift Kim to get her off him, it looked as if Rick was fairly *imprisoned* as it was and wasn't *going* anywhere, alone or otherwise.
"Will the *pair* of you give it up?" she laughed, sounding as if she was reprimanding them both but actually loving to see how close they were both free to be.
Chelsea silently compared this harmless horseplay with the dry, aloofness of Margaret Dunham and the distant absent-parenting of her daughter Erica, Kim's mum. Adams sighed with contentment that at least Kim had her Uncle Rick to show her how it was okay to be affectionate too.
As Rick recovered his breath, his strength returned and Kim lost the advantage. She began to shriek as he got his own back, pushing her off and threatening a taste of her own intended medicine. Chelsea laughed as he flexed his fingers theatrically and put on a menacing face, causing Kim to quickly free herself with more shrieking and run to escape.
Kim couldn't see, but Chelsea could, that Rick had left his niece an opening and as she scampered off, his grin and wink in Chelsea's direction confirmed that he'd deliberately let her go without carrying out his threat. Chelsea liked that and watched him with love and admiration over the way he seemed to know how to be a salve to the wounded teen's lonliness. Kim had instinctively known where to come when she needed someone and Rick had rightly been her first choice.
Kim herself was running as if the devil was after her with the intention of stealing her soul. Rick loped after her, making a good show of being menacing and the ensuing chase into and around the trees was almost *animated* to watch, reminding Chelsea of one of those corny old comedy films or cartoons.
She laughed so much watching their antics that her sides hurt and by the time Uncle and Niece had exhausted each other and returned to throw themselves down on the grass in front of the cabin, she was almost as breathless as they were.
"IF you've *quite* finished?" she grinned, waving the map nonchalantly. "Shall we get back to the business in hand?" Kim sat up instantly and peered at the map from the opposite angle to Chelsea. "Look" she pointed, puffing a little still. "There's the big tree"
"I think we need to get sandwiches and drinks and go hiking across there to see that tree up close. What do you two think? Or are you too tired now?" she teased, knowing perfectly well they were both raring to go off on an adventure.
"See if I can keep you two from killing each other on the way..." Chelsea grinned, getting up to go and pack a picnic.
Dunham smiled to himself very proud of these formidable and strong women in the face of possible danger. He was incredibly happy to see Kim still able to be a playful child even with all she had gone through with her father being dead, and her mother being away on assignment, and Chelsea who he was so thankful for and loved so much; an amazing women capable of so much generosity and compassion. He felt all most unworthy of her affection and love. Even with an impending murder investigation, it was still a great holiday. Dunham wrapped his arm around Chelsea’s waist and whispered in her ear that he was the luckiest man alive and loved her so much. He then smiled at Kim “Well ladies I suppose there is no stopping you…lets go and have a picnic then”
Chelsea glowed with warmth whenever Rick said such lovely things. She adored him completely and he never failed to do something each day that made her more sure than ever that despite whatever he said, it was *she* who was the luckiest person around. As he slipped his arms around her waist she snuggled closer to him, radiating how happy she was.
A little while later, as she was packing the picnic and Kim was helping, Chelsea wondered silently to herself if Kim's father who was MIA, really was dead or if he might ever return. Kim clearly needed him although Rick was doing an amazing job of stepping up to the plate in his absence.
"Right!" she whispered conspiratorially. "How shall we sabotage your Uncle's sandwich to surprise him?"
Kim's eyes lit up. "Let's put pepper in them...." she hissed back, grinning.
"He'd see or smell that.... " Chelsea rejected the plan. "And we only want to surprise him, not starve him to death.. or that Police Ranger will be back again!
"What about a strange combination?" suggested Kim.
"oooh, good idea!" Chelsea agreed, searching the cupboard for odd things to go together. She found chocolate spread, peanut butter, marmalade and something that looked like Rigellian caviar on the label.
"Tell you what.." she whispered. "Chocolate spread, peanut butter together... and... add some red food-colour to make it look crimson and lumpy....yuk! It'll be hideous when it's squeezed out."
Kim thought about it and found some green pistachio nuts that made the filling look even more gruesome and giggling, the girls put the sandwich at the top, covering a whole load more of the more 'conventional' type fillings beneath.
With the lid on the box they stashed it into a backpack. They put colouring in the drinks too and sealed them up, putting them in a different pack and the cloth, napkins, picky-bits like cake etc into a third. Sharing them out the three set off, hiking boots and happy smiles as they left the little settlement.
Inside the treeline to the north, watching them go were a pair of eyes peering through an old fashioned viewer not much advanced on the ancient 'binoculars' of old.
Watching the watcher, on the highground to the East, were another pair of eyes, a more modern scanner on in his palm, tracking the party of Dunhams as they walked Southwest.
TBC....
OFF:
A Jp Between:
Lt Cmdr Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5
and
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
| Title | Part 12 - Trees' Company? | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham | |
| Posted | Tue May 25, 2010 @ 10:42pm | |
| Location | Gravon IV |
"GO ALONE?" Came the indignant, horrified, high-pitched, double squeak in response as the two Dunham women leapt in synchronised outrage on top of the Flight Commander in the centre of both their lives.
Kim was faster and landed directly in Rick's startled arms, knocking him backwards and sending him staggering across the veranda almost into the hot-tub. He seemed to manage to collapse beneath her, using his own body to cushion her fall to the decking but ended up pinned by her weight across his shoulders.
As a result of Rick's chivalry in saving his niece's fall, she was unharmed and unlike her winded uncle, perfectly able to take full advantage of his weakened condition.
"Chelsea, help me!" she cried to her apparent co-conspirator.
Chelsea had also leapt to prevent Rick leaving alone but on seeing him floored by his neice she had initially been alarmed that one or the other, or perhaps both of them might get hurt.
Now that it was apparent that they had both survived, despite Rick's gasping for air and Kim's clear exploitation of this fact, Chelsea was relieved and joined in their laughter.
"Doesn't look to me like you *need* any assistance, young lady" Chelsea chuckled, raising one eyebrow at Rick with a smirk. "You're a true Dunham.... invincible! .... or should that be *incorrigible?"
"I'll hold him down, you tickle him into submission." Kim conspired. "Make him promise NOT to go alone!"
Chelsea laughed again, but didn't actually attempt to carry through with the threat. From what she could gather from his puffing breath back into his flattened lungs and trying to shift Kim to get her off him, it looked as if Rick was fairly *imprisoned* as it was and wasn't *going* anywhere, alone or otherwise.
"Will the *pair* of you give it up?" she laughed, sounding as if she was reprimanding them both but actually loving to see how close they were both free to be.
Chelsea silently compared this harmless horseplay with the dry, aloofness of Margaret Dunham and the distant absent-parenting of her daughter Erica, Kim's mum. Adams sighed with contentment that at least Kim had her Uncle Rick to show her how it was okay to be affectionate too.
As Rick recovered his breath, his strength returned and Kim lost the advantage. She began to shriek as he got his own back, pushing her off and threatening a taste of her own intended medicine. Chelsea laughed as he flexed his fingers theatrically and put on a menacing face, causing Kim to quickly free herself with more shrieking and run to escape.
Kim couldn't see, but Chelsea could, that Rick had left his niece an opening and as she scampered off, his grin and wink in Chelsea's direction confirmed that he'd deliberately let her go without carrying out his threat. Chelsea liked that and watched him with love and admiration over the way he seemed to know how to be a salve to the wounded teen's lonliness. Kim had instinctively known where to come when she needed someone and Rick had rightly been her first choice.
Kim herself was running as if the devil was after her with the intention of stealing her soul. Rick loped after her, making a good show of being menacing and the ensuing chase into and around the trees was almost *animated* to watch, reminding Chelsea of one of those corny old comedy films or cartoons.
She laughed so much watching their antics that her sides hurt and by the time Uncle and Niece had exhausted each other and returned to throw themselves down on the grass in front of the cabin, she was almost as breathless as they were.
"IF you've *quite* finished?" she grinned, waving the map nonchalantly. "Shall we get back to the business in hand?" Kim sat up instantly and peered at the map from the opposite angle to Chelsea. "Look" she pointed, puffing a little still. "There's the big tree"
"I think we need to get sandwiches and drinks and go hiking across there to see that tree up close. What do you two think? Or are you too tired now?" she teased, knowing perfectly well they were both raring to go off on an adventure.
"See if I can keep you two from killing each other on the way..." Chelsea grinned, getting up to go and pack a picnic.
Dunham smiled to himself very proud of these formidable and strong women in the face of possible danger. He was incredibly happy to see Kim still able to be a playful child even with all she had gone through with her father being dead, and her mother being away on assignment, and Chelsea who he was so thankful for and loved so much; an amazing women capable of so much generosity and compassion. He felt all most unworthy of her affection and love. Even with an impending murder investigation, it was still a great holiday. Dunham wrapped his arm around Chelsea’s waist and whispered in her ear that he was the luckiest man alive and loved her so much. He then smiled at Kim “Well ladies I suppose there is no stopping you…lets go and have a picnic then”
Chelsea glowed with warmth whenever Rick said such lovely things. She adored him completely and he never failed to do something each day that made her more sure than ever that despite whatever he said, it was *she* who was the luckiest person around. As he slipped his arms around her waist she snuggled closer to him, radiating how happy she was.
A little while later, as she was packing the picnic and Kim was helping, Chelsea wondered silently to herself if Kim's father who was MIA, really was dead or if he might ever return. Kim clearly needed him although Rick was doing an amazing job of stepping up to the plate in his absence.
"Right!" she whispered conspiratorially. "How shall we sabotage your Uncle's sandwich to surprise him?"
Kim's eyes lit up. "Let's put pepper in them...." she hissed back, grinning.
"He'd see or smell that.... " Chelsea rejected the plan. "And we only want to surprise him, not starve him to death.. or that Police Ranger will be back again!
"What about a strange combination?" suggested Kim.
"oooh, good idea!" Chelsea agreed, searching the cupboard for odd things to go together. She found chocolate spread, peanut butter, marmalade and something that looked like Rigellian caviar on the label.
"Tell you what.." she whispered. "Chocolate spread, peanut butter together... and... add some red food-colour to make it look crimson and lumpy....yuk! It'll be hideous when it's squeezed out."
Kim thought about it and found some green pistachio nuts that made the filling look even more gruesome and giggling, the girls put the sandwich at the top, covering a whole load more of the more 'conventional' type fillings beneath.
With the lid on the box they stashed it into a backpack. They put colouring in the drinks too and sealed them up, putting them in a different pack and the cloth, napkins, picky-bits like cake etc into a third. Sharing them out the three set off, hiking boots and happy smiles as they left the little settlement.
Inside the treeline to the north, watching them go were a pair of eyes peering through an old fashioned viewer not much advanced on the ancient 'binoculars' of old.
Watching the watcher, on the highground to the East, were another pair of eyes, a more modern scanner on in his palm, tracking the party of Dunhams as they walked Southwest.
TBC....
OFF:
A Jp Between:
Lt Cmdr Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5
and
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader