Date: 01 Jun 2013 20:18 Title: Chapter 1
Well, this is an unexpectedly sweet story about Malcolm Reed with some nice canon throwback points as well. It always bugged me that after E squared, Malcolm never made a super consistent effort to get to know any more of the ladies on the crew. I mean, sure, it was an alternate future that didn’t come to pass but you’d think knowing you were one of the few aboard to die a bachelor you’d make a larger effort to get on some dates. But, sadly, Malcolm never did that (at least that I can remember anyway). So, with that said here you have addressed that.
Admittedly, it’s a little odd to normal human sensibilities, a group marriage/shared life arrangement that is separated into two parts, but it’s a very interesting arrangement and one that works within your own universe here. Archer’s apprehensiveness at the beginning of it is understandable (as I’m sure it sounded off to him) but by the end the genuine feelings Reed had about it seemed to speak to the man. Thinking ahead, he went ahead and did Reed a nice favor by giving him all that leave time and certainly seems to reflect a bit fondly on his interactions with Deborah. So, all that said, it seems like Archer has come around.
And Reed has found his happiness and his family, which is nice to me. He deserved a happy ending.
Author's Response:
Thank you for reviewing.
I always hated that he had no one in E2, and that was one of the drivers of my earlier fan fic. And into that the fact that, in Shuttlepod One, he's dictating what are essentially generic good-bye laters to faceless old girlfriends who would have likely been really weirded out by the whole thing, and you're left with someone who had a lot of trouble getting close to anyone.
For me, before things work out with Lili, Malcolm pursues only two kinds of women - those who are wholly unattainable, and those who are thoroughly inappropriate for him. Canon certainly supports the latter, as he had something with Ruby, the waitress at the 602 Club, and, in Silent Enemy, his best friend, Mark Latrelle, tells Hoshi that the only reason he and Malcolm ever went to a fish restaurant (and Malcolm hated the food) was because of Malcolm's interest in the waitress, Maureen. His interests in Talas (who was with Shran) and Veylo (who left quickly) point to the former indirectly, plus at Malcolm hooking up with women who he didn't have to hang around with and face later.
But the Malcolm of the 2160s must be, by definition, more mature. And, at the end of E2, he vows to put interpersonal relationships onto the front burner. Hence he's ready for more. But he wants to stay in Starfleet (and he's needed; they've fought the Xindi War and the Romulan War, and the peace with Romulus is not so secure); hence, to have a family means, by definition, separation. The Calafans give him a chance to have intimacy (not just physical) as they can be, more or less, in each others' presence and have the kind of give and take that's a lot easier in person than it is even with videochatting. But it's certainly complicated.
As for Archer and Haddon (Deborah), he does feel some residual affection for her, and wants to do right by her. Plus, this is the first child of two active Starfleeters. He can set the tone here. Plus, with the ship being mothballed, he can afford to be a bit generous with the time as it'll easily be a few months before his next ship, the Cochrane, is really ready to go. Three years off for Deb and Chip is more like 2 1/2. But if the cold war turns hot again, he'll have to see if he can bring them back early, particularly Deb, as she's in Security.
Thanks again for reviewing.
Date: 01 Jun 2013 07:37 Title: Chapter 1
This is nice, jespah. So glad I stopped by to read it. I'm familiar with many of these characters and ideas (the Night and Day lives of the Calafans, and the dream bracelets) from your free writes and challenge entries that I've read, so it feels like I'm visiting with old friends.
The nice thing is, I'm getting additional background; filling in the gaps that of necessity had to be in some of the shorter pieces. I very much like the idea of the 'open marriage,' and that all the children (including the soon-to-arrive Declan) will have parental role models to look up to, even if their biological parent is away doing their service with Starfleet.
I like how Malcolm is reticent and nervous about opening up to Archer. How Jonathan thought he'd like to get to know Reed better, and suddenly found himself bombarded with TMI.
This makes me want to know more about all of them, and how the unique relationship between the five works. And it does seem to work for them - quite well, in fact.
One thing I dearly love about all your pieces is the depth and richness you bring, not just to canon characters but to your OCs as well. They are a vibrant, three-dimensional, brought to life due to your tender and loving handling of them. And that makes them stick with the reader, hence my visit with old friends. :-)
Author's Response:
Aw, your kindness honors me. I do hope you'll find the time to continue, when real life gives you some time. :)
Deb and Chip are, of course, the couple from Where No Gerbil Has Gone Before. And now, of course, things have changed for them as well. I have always loved films where things were happening in the background, where, if you watch them again and again and again, you see and hear things, and understand things, in some utterly different way. In one of my favorite films, O Brother Where Art Thou? there is a scene where Holly Hunter and George Clooney are talking, and they are divorced. She has several mouths to feed and it is the Great Depression. It took quite a few viewings before I realized that the edges of her straw hat were frayed, and I realized that she was a woman desperately trying to keep up appearances for the sake getting her family fed.
So the OCs and the background are that frayed straw hat, or at least its edges, I feel.
The open marriage was devised partly as a way to keep Malcolm in the stories (otherwise, it can rapidly turn into The Doug and Lili Show), but also to give a means for children to be raised better when a parent is in Starfleet. After all, how does that happen? If the child is kept on board (like Wesley Crusher in TNG), then he's in danger every time the ship goes into battle, plus resources have to be devoted to care, education and upbringing; parents are distracted and this is, well, kinda like ballast, particularly when they're infants, as they can't do anything to literally pull their weight. Hence in ENT times, the kids can't be on the ship (except for the E2 episode, which was a generational ship). Getting the kids off the ship means that families are separated, or everyone gets a long leave, and babysitters/nannies are employed, and parents can become strangers to their own offspring. This is, possibly, what will happen with Chip and Deb's child, as they're both going to have to go back to work.
But for Lili and Malcolm, she's already off the ship so Declan will naturally stay with her. Just as good is that Doug will be there, so Declan will have a male role model and will have the economic advantages of more than one person bringing in a salary. Plus Lili can confidently go back to work after a few years, as she and Doug can just juggle their schedules. Often I see in fan fic stories that nobody knows what to do with children who are born, and often there is a designated babysitter character so that the lovers can continue to do their thing.
Life isn't like that. I want Lili - with either Doug or Malcolm - to continue to have a romantic life, but she and they will still change diapers, wash clothes, cook meals, teach kids to read, etc., like people do today, of course. The parallel is Melissa and Leonora - they, too, can have their romantic life together, but they still pick up dropped toys and take kids to soccer practice and the like.
Thank you again for reading, and for your kind review.