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Paul snuggled closer to Hugh, pulling the covers more tightly around them and keeping his eyes closed. He'd been separated from his partner for too much of their marriage, and they were on vacation. Rare opportunities for lazing in bed with Hugh should be savored.
There was a dull thud from outside the door.
"Oops."
"Jeanie, be careful," Andy hissed. "You don't want to wake up Uncle Paul and Uncle Hugh, do you?"
"No."
Hugh's chest start shaking at their niece and nephew's antics. Paul hid his face in Hugh's chest.
"Should we tell them they're too late?" Hugh whispered, running his fingers through Paul's hair..
"Speak for yourself," Paul muttered.
"You're awake, you're just fighting it," Hugh chided. "How often do we get to hang out with the niblings anyway?"
"How often do I get to snuggle in bed with my husband?" Paul muttered.
"Every day for the foreseeable future, remember?" Hugh ran his finger along Paul's back.
Paul lifted his head to smile at Hugh. "Have I thanked you for transferring yet?" Paul had been overjoyed when Hugh had told him they'd be on the same ship now that Straal had strong-armed Paul into joining Starfleet.
Hugh chuckled. "A lot, actually."
"Yeah, well..." There was a crash from outside the door.
"Jeanie!" Andy snapped, not bothering to moderate his volume.
Paul sighed as he rose, glad he was wearing pajamas, and then went to the door. "What are you two munchkins up to?" The door slid open to reveal a looping race car track that Paul recognized as Andy's. One of the cars was dented and smoking ominously.
"Jeanie crashed one of my race cars." Andy gestured to the smoking car, scowling.
"I didn't mean to!" Jeanie scrunched her face up.
"That's why I didn't want you to start it until I'd checked the track!" Andy jabbed his finger towards her.
"It was an accident," Jeanie sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
Paul picked her up. "It sounds like it was a preventable accident, and if you'd listened to Andy it wouldn't have happened." He pulled her hands away from her face, then tapped her nose with his forefinger.
Jeanie settled her nose into the crook of Paul's neck.
"Also, Andy, I get why you're frustrated, but she's five years old."
"Five and a half!" Andy crossed his arms, scowling.
"I know, but buddy, snapping at her isn't going to solve anything," Paul said.
"I'm sorry," Jeanie sobbed. "I didn't mean to break your cars."
"I bet I can help fix them." Paul patted her back. "After breakfast."
Andy sighed. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me for snapping at you."
"Deal," Jeanie sniffled.
Paul kissed her brow. "Your parents up?"
Jeanie shook her head.
"Nope," Andy said. "I'm sorry we woke you up; we were trying to be quiet."
"Do us a favor tomorrow: don't try to be noisy," Hugh teased, coming to stand behind Paul. He'd put his pajama top back on--probably for the best, given the kids, but Paul couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
"Why don't you two give us a few minutes to get dressed, and then we'll take you to breakfast?" Paul suggested.
Jeanie nodded.
"Okay," Andy said.
Paul set Jeanie down onto her bare feet. "Go find some shoes and socks, kiddo."
He turned and followed Hugh back into their room.
"You're so great with the kids." Hugh kissed his cheek.
Paul smiled. "Except for the part where I hand them back to their parents when they're being difficult."
"Really? You didn't go wake them up just now." Hugh moved in closer, wrapping his arms around Paul's waist.
"That wasn't difficult." Paul leaned in for a kiss.
Hugh returned it tenderly. Paul's heart soared--he was going to get this every morning. There were certain advantages to joining Starfleet.
There was the sound of a crash from outside.
Hugh pulled away. "We should get dressed."
"Yeah," Paul agreed. "And I need to figure out the messaging system so Stacy and Jack know where their kids have gone off to."
* * *
"Would you like to sit inside or outside?" the host asked as they entered the resort restaurant a short while later.
"Are there bugs outside?" Jeanie asked hopefully. She turned in Paul's arms to face the host, her chest inflating.
"I can promise you there aren't any bugs," the host replied, chuckling.
"We might as well sit inside." Jeanie deflated into Paul's arms, settling back against his shoulder.
Hugh snorted, Andy was hiding his mouth behind his hand, and Paul was stifling a giggle.
The host blinked, a little thrown by Jeanie's disappointment. "I uh, believe I have just the table. Right this way," the host led them to a table between windows, where a mess of bees were climbing around honeycomb that was encased in a glass box. The windows overlooked a meadow.
"The bees help keep the plant life on this colony healthy," the host explained as he set menus on the table. "Our specials today include a local vegetables omelette, a bacon sandwich, and chocolate chip pancakes."
Jeanie's face lit up at that last one. "Can I get the chocolate chip pancakes?"
"Would your mom let you get chocolate chip pancakes?" Paul asked her.
"I'm on vacation." Jeanie squirmed, which caused Paul to put her down. She ran for the beehive. "Check out the bees!"
Paul glanced at Hugh, trying to figure out what that meant. Hugh just shrugged.
* * *
Jeanie ate about half of her short stack of pancakes and all of the fruit. Once she was done, she slid off of her chair and climbed into Hugh's lap.
"Oh, so that's how it is," Paul teased around a forkful of omelette.
"Uncle Hugh's done," Jeanie said, leaning towards the beehive, which she couldn't quite see from her own chair.
"Yeah, and it has nothing to do with me sitting near the beehive." Hugh dropped a kiss on top of her head.
Jeanie turned around and hugged him. "I love you, Uncle Hugh."
"I love you too," Hugh said.
Jeanie leaned back towards the glass covered beehive. "Why are the bees wiggling like that?"
"I don't know," Hugh said. He paused. "Um, did anyone bring their padd?"
* * *
Jeanie slid down Paul like a fire pole once they approached the bungalow the family had rented for vacation, running to her parents.
"Mommy, Mommy, they have a Museum of Entomology here!" Jeanie said. She jumped up and down. "They have a whole exhibit about bees and bees dancing--did you know they dance to tell each other where to find flowers--and another one about butterflies, and the whole museum is about how they introduced different species during terraforming the planet. Can we go? Please? Please?"
"Wow, you're excited this morning," Stacy said. "Just what did you have for breakfast?"
"Um..." Jeanie looked at her shoes.
"Jeanie, you said your mom would let you have chocolate chip pancakes," Paul said, frowning.
Jeanie hung her head.
"And you believed her?" Stacy asked, standing up, bringing herself up to her full height. "Paul Stamets, she is five years old."
Paul gulped.
"And as for you," Stacy said, rounding on her daughter. "Jean Louise Carleton-Stamets, I told you yesterday I didn't want you to have that. So no, we can't go to the bug museum. I think that's a fitting punishment."
Jeanie ran out of the room, crying.
Paul rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I can't believe I actually have to tell you why you shouldn't let a five year old have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. She'll be bouncing off the walls..."
"Actually that's a myth," Hugh said.
"You should know better, Doctor Culber!" Stacy jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "Sugar is bad for little kids."
Hugh took a step back. "I wouldn't let her have it every day, but once in awhile..."
"Jeanie is not your daughter." Stacy crossed her arms, glaring.
"No, but..."
"Don't yell at Hugh, Stac, I'm the one who believed Jeanie when I asked her if it was ok," Paul said. "And in retrospect 'I'm on vacation' was an obvious dodge."
"You can't rely on a five year old's word, Fungus Face," Stacy said. "I mean, Mom and Dad..."
Paul huffed. "I'll remind you of the time we ate a whole box of those chocolate matzahs for breakfast one passover."
"I'll remind you we were sick for a week and Dad never bought them again."
"I still maintain that was the Kosher for Passover food," Paul said.
Stacy snorted, shaking her head. "Don't let my kid have sugar for breakfast."
"How complex does the sugar need to be before it's ok?" Paul asked.
Stacy punched him in the arm. "Smart ass."
"Ow!"
"Anastasia Rebecca," their mother said, entering the room, "you're too old for me to have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself."
"Fungus Face here let Jeanie get chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast."
"Well, don't let her have dessert tonight and tell him not to do it again," she replied. "There's no reason to make my granddaughter cry or to hit your brother."
"Mom..."
"Really, Stacy, every once in awhile isn't going to hurt the kid."
"See, Mrs. Stamets, that's what I said."
"Hugh Culber, do we have to have this conversation again?"
"No, ma'am," Hugh replied.
Jack coughed quietly from a corner. "Do I want to ask what my son had for breakfast?"
"Bacon and eggs," Paul said. "Which came with hash browns and fruit."
"Please tell me Jeanie got the fruit at least," Stacy said.
"Yeah, she ate most of that and half of the pancakes," Paul said. "Which probably added up to like, one pancake."
"And she drowned them in syrup I suppose."
"Wouldn't let her," Paul said. "That seemed like a bit too much."
Stacy reached up and ruffled Paul's hair. "Well at least you weren't completely irresponsible. I mean, you left a note and you got her to moderate her bad choices--but why you would listen to a five year old, I don't know."
"I'm sorry I was an idiot."
"Tell you what, after I talk to her, if you get her to run off all that chocolate energy I'll forgive you--even if I'm never going to let you live it down." Stacy grinned ferally.
"I'll take that deal," Paul said. He could think of worse "punishments" than tiring Jeanie out. There were nature trails on the reserve--chock full of bugs, he imagined.
"Ok." Stacy sighed. "I guess she's stewed long enough." She took off in the direction of Jeanie's room.
Paul ran a hand through his hair.
"Paul, if the worst thing you do to corrupt our kids is let them get junk food for breakfast, I think we're coming out ahead," Marvin said as he walked into the living room.
"Worst thing?" Hugh said.
"I'm always kind of nervous about him teaching Jeanie to lick the science," Marvin replied.
"Even non-toxic bugs bite," Paul replied, seriously. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Marvin and Hugh exchanged glances and started laughing.
Paul rolled his eyes, and headed for his bedroom to retrieve his padd.
* * *
"Uncle Paul?" said a small voice about half an hour later when Paul was engrossed in his work.
"Hey, Kiddo." Paul set down his padd.
Jeanie stood in the doorway, looking at her shoes, her eyes downcast. She was hugging Polka Dots, her stuffed butterfly.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked softly.
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble with Mommy." Jeanie's voice was so quiet that Paul could barely hear her.
Paul rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think I got myself in trouble. Of course, if you'd have told me she wouldn't let you have the pancakes..."
"You wouldn't have let me have them." Jeanie hugged Polka Dots tighter.
"Or maybe I would have and it would have been our little secret," Paul said. "I guess we'll never know since you lied to me."
Jeanie hung her head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Paul."
"I forgive you."
Jeanie took a couple tentative steps onto the patio.
Paul held out his arms invitingly.
Jeanie clambered into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling into his chest.
Paul wrapped his arms around her, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, kiddo."
"I love you too," Jeanie replied.
"You want to go on a nature walk?" Paul asked.
"In a little bit." Jeanie yawned. "I'm comfortable."
Paul kissed her forehead. "Me too."
* * *
Hugh looked out at the porch where he'd last seen his partner and started laughing. "Hey, Stacy, c'mere a second."
Stacy looked outside and her face melted. "Oh my G-d, where's my padd?"
"I got it," Hugh said, snapping a picture with his own padd. "Told you sugar making kids hyper was a myth."
There was a buzzing several feet away.
"There's my padd," Stacy said, heading inward.
Hugh took another to moment to watch his partner. Paul's mouth was slightly parted in sleep, his head bowed, forehead resting gently against the top of Jeanie's head. Her face wasn't visible, as it rested in the crook of Paul's neck, her arm squashed between her side and Paul's chest.
Hugh drank in the sight, knowing that his favorite memory of this trip would be the vision of his partner, peacefully asleep on a lounge chair, his young niece snuggled in his arms.
End