Breathing Easy

Posted on Wed Jun 10th, 2026 @ 12:14am by Major Mattias Richardson [Reece] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson

Mission: Interlude
Location: USS Elysium, Commodore's family quarters
Timeline: MD 1 / 1910 hours
1661 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

The steam from the bathtub filled the large bathroom as Mattias finished getting everything ready for Phoenix to come home and relax. He knew that she had been run beyond ragged as of late, and had not been sleeping well. Not that he blamed her. He has not been sleeping well either. The whole nightmare that had been the Galatonians may be behind them...but it would take time to heal from those wounds.

After the clean-up had been finished, Mattias had made the decision to now focus on taking care of his wife and family. He had already spoken to both Tristi and Miran, and they had agreed that Phoenix needed at least one night of zero responsibilities. So, they had both taken the twins for the evening, Miran and her nieces and nephew would spend the time bonding.

Once everything seemed ready, Mattias did one more quick inspection. He had included Phoenix's favored bath soaps in the water, which always relaxed her, had soft instrumental music playing in the background, the lights were lowered, the fireplaces were both lit, and he had a chilled bottle of her favorite wine already open and breathing, ready to pour when she walked in. In the kitchen, he already had a delicious meal cooked and in stasis, to keep it from getting cold. All was ready for the love of his life. He was just finishing changing his clothes, when he heard her enter their home and call out to him from downstairs.

Phoenix walked up the stairs slowly, feeling the weight of the past few days. "Matt!?" She called out as she pulled her hair out of its bun.

"Coming!" He called out as he made his way to meet her halfway.

They converged at the top of the staircase. "Welcome home, my Queen!" The look on his face showed just how much this woman meant to him. He spread his arms wide, to allow her to step into a warm embrace.

She all but fell into his arms. "Gods its good to be home." She said, her voice muffled in his shoulder. "I need to lock the door and the rest out for a few hours."

"Well then," Mattias replied as he gently guided Phoenix to their bedroom and then to the bathroom. "Its a good thing that I ensured we would be all alone tonight." He smiled at her when she looked up at him. "Miran and Tris have the twins tonight. It's just you and me, provided there aren't any ship emergencies. And I hope there aren't any," they finally reach the bathroom doors and they swept open, revealing the oasis he had created for her.

Phoenix stared and then turned and kissed him. "You are wonderful" she said softly. "I am truly blessed."

Mattias returned the kiss gently, not wanting to pressure Phoenix in any way. Tonight, he would take care of her. "You deserve all of this and more, my Queen," he whispered into her ear. "Enjoy your bath. When you are ready, I've got you favorite dinner already made and in stasis downstairs, plus a bottle of your favorite wine."

"Hmm sounds perfect." His wife said softly. "Thank you My king." she turned and headed for the bathtub, stripping off her clothes as she went.

Mattias gathered the discarded articles of clothing and deposited them into the reclimator. Once that was finished, and he saw that his wife was fully lowered into the relaxing bath, he poured a glass of wine for her and sat on the edge of the tub, handing it to her. "Here you go, my love. Enjoy." He gave her a smile and look that was filled with devotion for her.

Phoenix sat back and closed her eyes, letting the water sooth her jiggered nerves. She took her time and then after 30 minutes she emerged dried off and wrapped herself in her favorite robe and slipped her feet into a pair of slippers, they were old and ratty, having had them since she was a teenager. With her hair down and damp, she headed downstairs to find Mattias.

As Phoenix was coming down the stairs, Mattias instructed the computer to start playing some gentle Celtic instrumental music. Their quarters was suddenly filled with the soft melodies from collected woodwinds, flutes and guitar strumming. Mixed in were gentle sounds of nature, like what one would hear on a hike through the Irish forests.

He had just finished getting the table set, deactivating the stasis fields that were preserving their dinner. Looking up, he smiled warmly as he saw the love of his life enter the dining room. He pulled out her chair as he said, "My Queen."

Before taking the seat she kissed him gently. "Beloved" she said softly. "This is nice." settling into her chair. "So nice to spend time with you."

After helping Phoenix sit, Mattias sat in his chair to her right, on the long side of the table, where she sat at the head. He did not feel threatened by her rank or authority in any way. They both knew and understood where they had to stand in their official lives. In private, they were equals in every way. "Things have certainly been crazy lately. I'm glad we seem to be free of those Galatonian devils." He let out a soft sigh. "I'm not sure how much more the ship and crew can take. And now with the Romulans aboard as well?" he chuckled softly, "I think the only other starship captain to understand what you're experiencing right now, would be Janeway. She had to incorporate a crew of Marquis rebels into her crew, and fight through the unknowns of the Delta Quadrant, until she found a way home." He looked over at his wife and smiled warmly as he added, "I have zero doubts that you'll do what needs to be done, my love. Either we find a way home, or we find a habitable world and build a life here in Circinus. Either way, I'll stand by your side, shouldering the weight with you."

Phoenix smiled at him "I know, Its what keeps me from screaming into the void and panicking." She reached out and took his hand in her's. "I want to get us home so badly. I want to give the crew their homes back."

Lifting their joined hands to his lips, Mattias gently kissed his wife's knuckles, then looked into her eyes as he lowered their hands back down and responded. "I know you do. Just remember, at some point, if it seems that that is not an option, you need to let the entire crew know the facts, inform them that you did everything you could imagine doing, but now what's best is that we find a place to build a real home on. Who knows, perhaps being in one place might make a solution become much more apparent?"

"Maybe." she smiled. "I was thinking of holding a crew wide meeting in a couple of weeks to discuss options and the state of the ship."

"Why wait?" Mattias asked gently. "Given all that has happened recently, the crew needs to hear from you sooner, rather than later." He went quiet for a beat, then continued. "I know im not telepathic in any way...however...my warrior's instincts are telling me that we are sitting on a powder keg here. And now that the Romulans have joined us too?" He shook his head slightly. "You should say something soon, before someone does something really stupid."

She nodded. "I want to get my senior staff in line first." she finished her meal and closed her eyes. "And I do not want to interrupt important repairs."

Mattias nodded in understanding. "Well, I will never doubt you in how you treat your crew." He reached over and gently took hold of his wife's right hand. "As I've said before, I'll say again and again...I'll always stand at your side, supporting you no matter what you decide."

"Hmmm I know." Phoenix squeezed his hand back gently. "We should check on the children and get some sleep, morning is coming way too soon for me these days."

Nodding, Mattias stood and quickly took care of the dishes, grabbing two fresh glasses of wine before following Phoenix upstairs to where the family bedrooms were located. They first stopped at the nursery, where the twins would normally be sleeping. "They're with Miran and Tristi right now, they both thought that you could use a night of quiet."

"They took them willingly? Miran allowed Tristi to take them to her and Raye's cabin? What did you both do? Drug her?"

Mattias chuckled as he moved up behind his wife, and gently wrapped his arms around her front, resting them slightly on her belly. "No, nothing so drastic," he replied softly. "I think, between the battle with those hounds and Cleary being killed, Miran has changed a bit. Actually, since the wedding, I've seen her and Tristi getting closer. Oh, they still have some rows between them...but...I think your sister has finally stopped being a young girl, and has started acting like a woman starting to really come into her own."

"One can only hope." Phoenix said with a smile. "Well then, lets enjoy the peace."

Together, they left the nursery and entered their master bedroom. Mattias instructed the computer to lower the lights, ignite the fireplace and start to play soft, sensual music. He pulled one of the bottle of Erisian spring wine from the cooler in the small bar, which was set off to the side of the bedroom. After popping the top off, he poured a healthy portion in each glass, before moving over to where Phoenix was sitting.

Phee took the glass and waited for him to sit beside her before clinking their glasses together. They sat together and drank and enjoyed their time together.

~OFF~