The Space Between

Chapter Thirty-Three: "Going Home"

Mark shifted off Sean, letting him dress in some of his spare clothes and let him buckle the belts to himself. Mark pulled on his thermal suit again, then laid on the bed over the belted down blanket. The bed wasn't big enough for both of them. So, he was using Sean's grogginess against him to put him to bed. Forcing himself to change back, Mark ran his hand through Sean's hair to try and help him drift off. Sean's eyes were closed, but he sleepily asked him. "Mark...? Why haven't you told your mom?" Mark inhaled slowly, then told him in a low tone. "Because... I don't want her to worry. Knowing about all this... She'll live the rest of her life afraid. I don't want her to stop living out of fear. I want her to live." Sean hummed, whispering to him now. "That's a heavy secret to carry on your own." Mark smirked, leaning over Sean's ear to whisper to him lovingly. "Not anymore. Now that I have you to share it with." Giving Sean a brief kiss to his chilled cheek, Mark adjusted the heated blanket a bit to cover him better.

When he was sure that Sean was fast asleep, he slipped from the bed and gathered any floating clothes to put away. Quickly slipping out of the hatch, the Captain and the Commander immediately headed in with sleepy expressions. They could barely keep their eyes open. Mark felt a little bad having kept them from the bedroom, but they were too tired to scold him for it. Miles hugged his son, then gestured him off to join the others. Logan yawned loudly as he passed him, slipping into the room to take his father's bed with a pretty white snake around his neck. Leaving both Miles and Mark without a place to really sleep. After the hatch closed, Miles beckoned Mark over with a clawed hand. Mark floated closer, pulling himself down into a seat to buckle himself in. Miles's own grip with his taloned toes kept him down in his seat. Grabbing a full plastic bag of hot coffee, Miles handed it to him and asked nicely. "Everything good with you two?" Mark blushed, mumbling out as he turned the valve for the attached straw. "Ya. We're good. Sorry... I didn't know we were going to do that... and I didn't think we'd take so much time."

Miles chuckled very softly to himself, before replying in a distant voice. "Don't apologize. Trust me. Those moments are precious... because you never know how many more you get with them." Mark tensed a little, replying gently. "Your wife...?" Miles gave him a small smile, then answered casually. "My first mate. Logan's mom. I was working. She took him on a trip with our friends to rock climb. A skill she wanted Logan to learn. I should have done it... but there was never enough time. Logan barely knew how to do things other kids did because it's the father's job to teach them survival skills..." Mark stayed quiet, watching Miles grip his own bag tightly as he added grimly. "Logan lost his grip... She saved him... but the rock she was on gave out." Miles bowed his head, trying to hold back the water brimming his eyes. After a minute, Miles told him shakily. "After she died... Logan blamed himself and I blamed myself. Life prepares you for a lot of things... but losing someone that makes you feel whole... There is no pain in this galaxy that hurts more... because it should have been me..."

Miles draped a hand over his eyes, taking shaky breaths to collect himself. Mark reached out to touch his arm. There wasn't anything he could say to make him truly feel better. Miles wiped his eyes before the tears could float away, sniffling out. "With my daughter's mom, my second mate. I swore I'd be different... took me a long time to open myself up to her. I cherish her... and it kills me to know that I will outlast her and probably my daughter." Mark swallowed, holding back his own distress over that. No one knew how long the hybrids lived for. Most of the time their medical problems took them early in their lives. Miles hefted a sigh, drinking some of his coffee to calm himself. Leaning back in his seat, Miles told him seriously with gentle eyes. "Like I said. Don't apologize. Because I would do the same thing." Mark nodded, squeezing his own coffee bag a little when he said softly. "Logan didn't seem to turn out so bad. He killed Rip-fang on his own." Miles chuckled, stating out sarcastically. "He had help from you and your mate. And for that... I'm more grateful than I can express into words. As an Ambassador, I can reward you with anything you want. But as a father... nothing will ever equal the value of what you both did."