reversedpolarity | [future!verse]

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[future!verse]

The problem with letting Helen take care of most of the planning for the wedding meant having to make several trips up north in order to get things sorted out, because even if Helen was doing most of the planning, it was still his and Liz's wedding. He personally would have been happy leaving the decisions to Helen, but at the same time, he was trying to at least attempt to help make a few decisions here and there.

Currently, he was trying and failing to tell the difference between two types of flower, which were apparently different enough that they had to pick one or the other and by the way Helen talked about it, it was apparently a life or death decision. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but flowers were pretty much just flowers, as far as he was concerned. Eventually he managed to untangle himself from the discussion and went back to flipping through the magazine he'd brought with him.

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He smiled then, opening his eyes to glance sideways at his wife. "If I'd ask you tae do that for me? I know. But that's not something I could have asked o' you." He shifted, stretching a bit; sitting on the floor was beginning to take its toll on his back. "Word around the Academy is they're takin' the Enterprise out for a trainin' mission soon. If you don't mind losin' me for a week, I'd like tae go, even if it means havin' tae try an' herd unruly cadets."

"I suppose I can give you up for a week," she conceded, "you can go have your affair with the other woman." She was teasing, of course. She'd shared his heart with the ship for a long time until they both realized that the Enterprise was never going to be able to keep up with Elizabeth. A ship can't love you in return, after all.

He knew he'd miss Liz terribly for that week that he'd be away, but he couldn't resist the chance to pay the Enterprise a visit. Maybe she couldn't love him in return the way Liz did, but even so, she held a special place in his heart. And this was was an acceptable compromise. He'd get to see his ship - and she was still his ship, even if he had left her - and Liz wouldn't have to go back out in space, and he'd come home remembering why he'd followed Liz back to Earth in the first place. "Affair? Hardly. Just a meetin' between old friends," he teased back.

"She's going to put the moves on you. I know women like her.. they're all the same," she smiled up at him, hardly containing her teasing at all, because really, why not? She started to shift her weight, too and finally gave up and wiggled out of his embrace. Liz stood up and held out her hands, offering to help him up off the floor.

He took one of her hands and used the other to brace himself against the bed as he pushed himself up off the floor, pausing a moment to work out the stiffness in his back. "I'll do my very best tae remain immune tae her charms," he replied, chuckling quietly. "But you know how it is... those nacelles, that warp core. Gets me all hot an' bothered just thinkin' about it." He couldn't keep a straight face, and couldn't keep himself from bursting out laughing in the middle of trying to get that all out.

Liz raised her eyebrows at him. There was no way in hell he really thought he'd get away with that. She giggled and and once he was fully standing on his own and now in hysterics she just shook her head. "I never stood a chance."

Liz paused momentarily and looked over her shoulder to the door. She took a deep breath and then back at her husband. "Look, I know he's hard to like. I know that its not a great looking relationship that the two of us have and someday I might figure out how to explain it to you, but my father, as awful as he can be, isn't so bad all the time."

He sobered quickly as Liz began talking about her father again, glancing at the door a moment after she did. He waited until she was finished to reply, "I'm afraid I may end up havin' tae simply avoid him. Just. I don't know, Liz, just something about him..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. It doesn't make any sense, but he just irritates me tae no end."

"No, it makes perfect sense. You naturally want to protect me and defend me and my father appears to be a bully worth fighting. I know. Trust me, I know," she sighs, "but if it makes you feel any better, you are the only man who has ever defended me. Any other guy I dated years ago and even friends just waited for him to leave the room. They were afraid of him."

She shrugged then, "I know it doesn't seem right or pleasant, but please try and be respectful. You don't have to like him. You don't have to really even be around him much. Just tolerate him for the time being."

He nodded, beckoning for her to come close so he could give her a proper hug. "I'll try, love. That's all I can promise, though, is that I'll try." Because his father-in-law got under his skin like nobody he'd ever met, and by now, even just being in the same room as him was uncomfortable. But for Liz's sake, he would try. "Should I apologize, do you think? Tae him, I mean." As much as he disliked the idea, if Liz wanted him to do so, he would.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That's all I want," she replied, knowing that there was nothing more either of them could do but hope the other would try. She already knew that much. When he asked if he should apologize she looked up at him and shook her head, even as much as she wished it was as simple as that. "He'd only say something horrible. It wouldn't be work it."

He nodded, hugging her close when she told him it wouldn't be worth it to apologize. In a way, he was glad that she'd told him not to, because he knew that even if he apologized he wouldn't mean it. There was no reason for him to apologize to Gerald for defending Liz except to try bridging that uneasy gap between them, and if it wasn't worth trying... He sighed, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Liz's. "I'll avoid him, if it comes tae that. Avoid him, an' hope he doesn't go out o' his way tae find me an' say something."

"He doesn't try to find trouble or make it. When it comes knocking, however, he jumps on it and you will never win. It doesn't matter whether you are right or wrong or completely humble, he will tear you apart just because he wants to. And it isn't just you... it's anyone," Liz explained. She hated that she had a father that she had to explain that way. It was horrible that her life basically came down to that. She wished that more than anything, she could make it work. There just wasn't anything more she could do.

He nodded again, trying to suppress a sigh. "Right. So if I just... stay out o' his way, an' keep my mouth shut..." It would be difficult, though. Whenever Gerald said something to Liz, whenever he saw that look on her face when Gerald shot her down... It tore him up inside, knowing that there wasn't anything he could do about it but wait until Gerald was gone so he could try and help Liz pick up the pieces. That wasn't right, but there wasn't really any way to make it right.

"It isn't right. I know. I'm sorry you have to feel like you can't help, but believe me, it makes it worse if we fight him. Someday maybe I'll get up the courage to say something of my own, but until then, we have to let it be," she answered his thoughts quickly. She wasn't going to let that fester for too long or he'd get ideas and have a hard time keeping quiet around her father.

"Right, well." There wasn't much more he could say about that particular subject without getting upset about it again. "What do you say tae you an' me headin' back down tae look over more weddin' stuff, then?" Both of them, he suspected, could use a change of subject, and for once, he'd welcome the prospect of having to sit and look at thirty different kinds of tablecloths, if only it meant getting his mind off what was bothering him.

He was going to stay in a mood until they got home anyway. She knew that much. So she decided to move on and let him move on with her. She managed a nod and decided not to say anything else before taking his hand and heading back down where her mother was still at the dining table going through magazines and ideas. Liz took a seat next to her and Helen smiled warmly, bringing up those stupid flowers again. Liz laughed and protested yet again.

Monty kept his mouth shut on the subject of flowers; he busied himself going over the list of what they'd already picked out, looking for any mistakes, for lack of anything better to do. What are we goin' tae do with twenty strings o' white lights? he asked Liz, sending the question mentally rather than voicing it.

Liz snorted and her mother looked at her oddly. Of course she tried to wave it off as something that wasn't, I'm laughing because my telepathy works for me and my husband to communicate and make funny comments in front of you without you knowing. Instead Liz just shook her head and told her mother to continue while she directed a thought right back at Monty, I'm not sure that's enough.

He bit his lip, trying not to laugh when Liz snorted. Sorry. He wasn't trying to expose Liz's telepathy, after all. Keeping his expression carefully neutral, he continued browsing through the list, or at least continued looking like he was browsing through the list. Clearing his throat, he glanced up, and asked, "D'you think I should mark down a couple more strings o' lights?" And privately, to Liz, he added, Seriously though. What are they for?

Helen almost squealed, "Do we need more? I was thinking we might, but I didn't want to overdo it. Yes, add at least ten more."

Liz again, almost laughed. She was nearly losing it trying to keep quiet and she eyed her husband, Let her have her fun. They're for decorating. It'll be fine.

"Right, that's thirty strings o' lights," Monty replied, making a note of it on the list. He resisted the urge to keep mentally pestering Liz, but it was difficult. It wasn't hard to see that she was trying not to laugh, and he knew that if he didn't stop himself, this was going to turn into a sort of game for him. "Ah. Where are we puttin' them?"

Helen waved her hand at him, brushing off the question - a gesture that Liz had apparently inherited as well since they both did it at the same time. Helen was the one to answer though, "Oh, around. Don't worry. It will make sense when you see it."

Liz giggled and looked up at her husband, a little excited and a little anxious about the wedding. She just wanted it to be over with at this point. It was getting complicated.

He bit his lip and looked back down at the list, shaking his head. Right. No more questions about decorations from me. He really had wanted to know what the plan was, but apparently Helen had decided it wasn't something he should be worried about. I'll just play the part o' lost an' befuddled man in the midst o' weddin' plannin' then, shall I?

Again, Liz was on the verge of giggling and she looked at him with wide eyes and tried to keep her mother from noticing. She eventually shot a message right back, Yes, that is exactly what you should do. I thought you didn't want to be a major part of this anyway?

Her mother interrupted her thoughts by asking another question about something new and unrelated to flowers and lights. She had no idea what they were going to do with a bunch of ribbon like her mother was talking about, but she was just going with it. Liz was just glad that the dress and bridesmaid dresses were taken care of.

I don't want tae spend an hour arguin' about the differences between two types o' flowers, he sent back, a thread of amusement running through his thoughts. But I don't mind helpin', love. He spent a few more minutes going over the list. It was, he'd admit, a little boring, but at least he had Liz to talk to. "What colors did we decide on?" He glanced up at Liz and Helen, looking from one to the other. "For decorations, I mean. I'd feel out o' place if my kilt didn't blend in."

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