Tara watched Zoe sleep peacefully on the blanket she had spread on the grass just beyond the Sanctuary of Poseidon in Attica. Though it was nothing but ruins near a cliff over looking the sea, it had been one of her favorite spots when she had lived in Greece. And even now, it held a tranquility for her. She wanted Zoe to know this place. As she looked just a little ways away, there was another temple. One to Athena. She sighed as she remembered when she said good-bye to Ta'al. She hadn't know it was going to be their final good-bye. She took a deep breath and let it go as she finally sat up to go through the picnic basket she had brought. She pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink, placing it to the side of her as she rummaged through the basket again for something smal l to nibble on. She decided on a couple of cubed of feta cheese and a piece of pita bread.
Suddenly the holodeck doors opened and Ryan entered, for a moment disturbing the tranquil scene.
"I thought I might find you two here!" Ryan said happily as he approached Tara and Zoe's picnic. He felt a little self-conscious about raising his voice in these hallowed ruins (or at least the replication thereof).
Tara laughed softly as she looked at him. She then reached into her basket, pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to him. "Why don't you take seat and stay for bit?" she replied. "What's that American phrase - take a load off? I never did use that while I was there."
"Thanks! Don't mind if I do!" Ryan said as he sat down on the picnic blanket. "So what brings you back here?"
Tara shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know... I just started thinking of Earth... Our Earth... and of Greece... This was my favorite place, you know. I found peace here. Sometimes when there was none... I want Zoe to know this place, the way I remember it." Tara smiled gently, but there seemed to be more in her green eyes.
Ryan looked around at the ruins. "I can see why it would be," he said. "I liked it here too. I wish I'd gone more often when I had the chance--and I had plenty of them."
"Being a shuttle pilot gave you all the opportunity you needed... I lived in Greece most of my life... I loved visiting all the ruins. But here... This was the most peaceful," she replied. She turned away to look at the sea. "Despite the fact this was the last place I went before I saw Ta'al for the last time... Do you remember bringing me here that day?" she asked.
"Of course I do! I'll never forget it!" Ryan said wistfully. "As for having the opportunity, duty calls. I wouldn't have dared be away from my post." Then he grew quiet for a moment."I think Ta'al's death hit us all badly. I wish I could have done more for you."
"Well," Tara smiled softly, "You didn't exactly know me that well at the time. You hadn't known who I really was. What Ta'al had really done with my CVI... It was all speculation until Grace stopped me from..." she suddenly turned her eyes away. "Well, you know what happened. Ta'al and Boone brought me into the resistance by their deaths... But it's where they wanted me, I think. At least then..."
"And here we are today," Ryan said. "At the time I felt badly for you even though I didn't know you that well. How does someone get through something like that?" he asked rhetorically.
"Well, I never have gotten over it, I don't think... I just move forward," Tara replied. "Though Grace helped me out a lot during that week. Of course, so did you," she replied, but almost immediately regretting saying it, afraid it would bring up painful memories.
Ryan sighed, remembering the incident with Tara and Ron. "Yeah. Some help I was!" he said bitterly. "If that wasn't a setup I don't know what is!"
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to trigger the other memories," Tara replied, with a sigh shaking her head. "There is so much I miss and yet, it's bittersweet... Pain to go with what good was there."
"It's okay," Ryan said. "Any trip down Memory Lane is bound to do that. These people don't know what a charmed life they lead. I have no idea where our world would have ended up in four centuries, but I'd like to think we'd be doing at least as well as these people. I wonder if they ever managed to get the Taelons off their backs?"
"Perhaps humans and Taelons can eventually learn to live together... That was Ta'al's hope... and Da'an's and Na'ar's as well," she said. "I wonder if Jen and James have been able to keep things sane for Na'ar in the UK. Sometimes I miss them and Grace a great deal and wish they could see Zoe..." Tara took another drink of her water. "Don't get me wrong, I love it here and I've accepted this is where I'm suppose to be, but they were like family and that's not something I had a lot of in my life."
"I know, me too. It's been hard, especially since I still had family back home, but it is what it is..." Ryan suddenly looked off in the distance at the temple. "We all think things will last forever. Then something happens to prove us wrong."
"Very true..." she replied as her mind went to Ron. She tried not to think of him too often, but sometimes, she still did. As she looked at Ryan, she smiled gently. "How's Miranda and baby?" she asked, suddenly bringing things to the present, including her own mind, which had wandered dangerously close to the past.
"They're doing great!" Ryan said, his mood suddenly shifting. "We've already started talking about having another one--one of our own. And we'll probably make things permanent between us in the near future. You and Jayson are invited, of course."
"That's good to hear," Tara replied, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
"How are you and Jayson doing?"
"We're very happy," Tara replied with a soft smile. "He's fantastic with Zoe and he and I together... We bond... "
They both turned in response to hearing the door open. Jayson walked in. "Hey, I like this!" he said as took Tara's hand. "You've told me so much about Greece--how much longer were you going to hold out?" he asked teasingly.
Tara laughed softly. "I'm glad you join us!" As he sat down beside her, she tenderly kissed his cheek. "This is the Sanctuary of Poseidon in Attica. One of my favorite places, if not my favorite place, in Greece."
Ryan sensed that perhaps he was a bit superfluous at the moment. "You know, I have some things I need to do. I'll talk to you folks later," he said as he turned to leave.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us for lunch?" she asked. "I probably have enough goodies in my basket for all of us." She smiled at him as she cuddled up closer to Jayson.
"That's okay," he said. "You two enjoy yourselves. I really do need to take care of some things," Ryan said as he left.
"Well... do you care for some feta cheese and some pita bread? I also have some Greek olives and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes..." she said as she looked at Jayson. "Or are you not hungry?"
"Sounds good, but I think I'll pass on the cucumbers, if you know what I mean," Jayson said. "I wonder what's got Ryan going?"
Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Ryan decided not to let the situation eat at him further. Why am I still acting this way? It's not like I don't have someone! He tapped his combadge and contacted Miranda. "You up for a picnic?" he asked.
[A picnic? Where?] she asked, completely off guard.
"A favorite place of mine. Meet me at Holo Pursuits. Bring the baby!"
Tara ended up feeding Jayson a piece of feta cheese with her fingers. There was something very pleasant about being there with him. It was as if it felt right, and yet for a moment her mind wandered off. She quickly reigned it back in. After all, Jayson was who owned her heart now.
"Do you care for another piece?" she asked softly, almost seductively.
"I'll always take another piece when I can get it," he said with a grin.
Suddenly the door slid open again. Ryan, Miranda, and Caprice entered, carrying a basket of their own. "Thought we'd join you after all!" Ryan said with a smile.
Tara suddenly laughed as she kissed Jayson sweetly. "Some things might have to wait until tonight," she whispered into his ear. Then she looked at Ryan and his family. "Welcome! Please have a seat!"
"Great!" Ryan said as he and Miranda spread another blanket next to Tara and Jayson's.
"So this is Greece?" Miranda said. "I've never been. It's beautiful! The sky and the water are so blue!"
"It's the most wonderful place on Earth..." Tara replied as a peaceful smile lit her face.