Three Square Meals Ch. 032

John's attention was diverted by Calara's third brother who walked up to him calmly, and offered his hand in a firm handshake. Dylan was quieter and much more controlled than his energetic younger brother, and he studied John through his wire framed glasses as they shook hands. "Calara means the world to all of us," he said, flashing a smile at his younger sister. "We'll be forever in your debt for saving her life," he said with conviction.

"It was my pleasure," John replied. "I've got pretty fond of her myself," he joked, smiling at the beautiful brunette warmly.

"I suppose this exotic young lady is your ship's doctor as well?" Dylan said wryly, turning to face Jade.

"My name's Jade and I'm a Lenarran, but I'm not a doctor I'm afraid, I pilot the gunship," Jade said, as she beamed a big smile back at him.

"A Lenarran," Dylan replied, intrigued. "I don't recognise your species, I'm afraid."

"We tend to be referred to as Nymphs," she grinned at him happily.

"How interesting, I have heard of those," Dylan replied, looking intrigued.

Jade hooked her arm around his, and began to chat to him animatedly, leading him over to the patio furniture as they spoke.

Turning back to her mother, Calara's lovely face sported a puzzled frown. "Where's dad?" she asked, expecting him to be there to greet them.

"He's been delayed," Maria replied apologetically. "He was supposed to arrive last night, but there was an 'Important briefing' he couldn't get out of, and he said he'd be late. He should be arriving any time now."

Calara glanced nervously at John, the final and most important introduction she had to make was still looming.

"I've never seen you this worried about bringing a boyfriend home before," Maria teased her playfully and darted a glance at John. "He must be a keeper."

"Mom!" Calara said, flushing with embarrassment.

"Come inside you two, I'll make everyone some drinks." Maria laughed, and led them into the house.

The Fernandez home was modern and open plan, with a big lounge overlooked by a well furnished and spotlessly clean kitchen. John followed after the two women as they walked into the kitchen, with mother and daughter chatting animatedly, as Maria brought Calara up to date on all the family news. Maria turned, and gave him a friendly smile as she welcomed him into her home, gesturing for him to sit at one of the high legged chairs around the breakfast bar.

John sat at the table, and watched Calara chattering away with her mother, the teenager looking relaxed and happy. He then studied Maria, who was obviously delighted to have her little girl back at home with her again. Maria was not much older than himself he thought, probably mid-40's if he had to guess, but she had good genes and looked much younger. He immediately noticed the strong family resemblance she shared with her beautiful daughter, and it was fascinating to see a preview of what Calara might look like in thirty years' time. The Fernandez women finished preparing a tray full of steaming cups of coffee, and Maria sent her daughter outside to offer them around to all their guests.

When Calara left the kitchen, Maria approached the breakfast bar holding two cups of coffee, and put one of them on the table, before sliding it over to him with a mischievous smile on her face. "So, did I pass the test?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"The test? What do you mean?" he replied curiously.

"I noticed you studying us both earlier," she replied coyly. "You were wondering what Calara might look like when she's my age, right?"

John laughed lightly and nodded his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I have a husband and three sons. I'm all too familiar with how the male mind works," she smiled at him archly. "And so, did I put your mind at ease?" she asked him teasingly.

"Not that I was worried before, but if I had been, I would now be quite delighted," he replied honestly.

Raising her own coffee cup in thanks, she smiled at him in gratitude for the compliment, before studying him quietly with her deep brown eyes. She reminded him so strongly of Calara that he felt greatly at ease with her, as they drank sips of coffee in companionable silence.

"Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?" She asked suddenly, interrupting the quiet moment.

"You can ask me anything, but whether I choose to answer is another matter entirely," he countered with a smile.

"That's fair enough," she laughed, before looking at him observantly. "You don't look it, but you're much closer to my age than Calara's, aren't you?"

"I just turned forty a few months ago," he admitted honestly. "Is that a problem?"

"In all honesty it's a bit older than I would have preferred, but the heart wants what the heart wants. There's ten years age difference between my husband and I, so it would be a bit hypocritical for me to object. Besides, I've never seen Calara this happy before, so being with you obviously agrees with her. That's all a parent can really hope for after all, that their children lead happy lives." she said profoundly.

"Calara warned me that her father and brothers like to put her prospective boyfriends on the spot, to see how they'd react under pressure. But she never warned me about her perceptive mother," he said watching Maria's face closely.

Maria laughed at that, and smiled at him in acknowledgement of the compliment. "I'm just curious about the man who my daughter is so obviously smitten with. You can't fault me for that, surely?" she asked him playfully.

"No, any good mother would want to know. I am curious how I'm doing in your evaluation so far, though?" he asked her in return.

"Not bad, not bad at all," she answered with a smile, taking another sip of her drink.

Calara returned to the kitchen with her empty tray, which she tucked away into a drawer. "The boys are asking what time we're having dinner," she said rolling her eyes.

Maria laughed merrily and stood up from her chair. "I think I've been asked that question daily for the last twenty years. I better get started I suppose," she said with a smile.

"Why don't you take a seat Maria, I'd be happy to prepare dinner for the family," John said, rising to his feet. "As long as I have my sous chef to assist," he added, grinning at Calara.

"You're our guest, I couldn't possibly..." Maria said, genuinely shocked.

"John cooks all our dinners for us," Calara explained, moving around the kitchen, pressing buttons to unfold racks of knives and chopping boards. "His grandparents owned a restaurant and taught him to cook, he's an excellent chef!"

"Anything in mind Maria, or should I get creative?" John asked the stunned woman with a grin.

"The boys normally like me to make them a Paella when they're back home on shore leave," she said falteringly, as she sat down.

"One Paella coming up," he said cheerfully.

Calara went to the fridge and took out the ingredients, handing the prawns and chicken to John to prepare, while she got to work on the vegetables. The knife was a blur in her hands, as she chopped up the vegetables cleanly and efficiently, before adding them to a large frying pan and turning up the heat.

"You can cook now?!" Maria asked her daughter, in wide eyed amazement.

"John's been teaching me," Calara replied with a self conscious smile.

"But you always refused when I tried to teach you. You were always too busy studying battle reports and tactics," Maria said in bewilderment.

"Maybe I just lacked motivation before," her daughter replied, looking at John with a gentle smile.

"Can you just keep an eye on the pan while I prepare the seafood please, honey," John asked Calara while looking at the squid speculatively.

"Sure thing, commander," Calara giggled happily.

"Thank you lieutenant," he said with a smile, before turning to Maria. "How does your family feel about Calamari?" he asked her curiously.

Maria stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Very much pro," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. He smiled before returning to the chopping boards, and expertly began to prepare the squid into neatly cut rings. She sat and watched entranced by the domestic scene, as John and Calara laughed and joked together, working flawlessly as a team to get dinner ready for ten people. Delicious smells began to circulate around the kitchen, and once all the prep work was done, and the Paella was simmering away happily, John and Calara joined her at the table.

"All done," he said with a satisfied smile, "It'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

Maria laughed again, shaking her head in amusement, and was about to reply, when the familiar sound of retro thrusters sounded out from the garden, followed by Mateo's voice calling to them.

"Dad's here!" he shouted loudly.

Calara started to look nervous again, and John slipped his hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him apprehensively, but was surprised when her mother rose and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"From what I've seen so far, you've got nothing to worry about," Maria said comfortingly. "Come on, let's go welcome your father home."

They got up and headed out into the garden, where a Terran Federation dropship was gently hovering a couple of feet above the garden. A tall man in a naval officer's uniform hopped lightly off the loading ramp, and landed cleanly on the lawn. He strode out purposefully, before turning to wave off the dropship, which soared away smoothly.

"Captain Fernandez reporting for duty!" he called out to his family, who rushed over eagerly to greet him.

Maria got there first and gave him a big hug and a kiss, followed by the three elder brothers who welcomed him home with a hug and big enthusiastic grins. Finally Calara stepped up to meet him, and he wrapped her in his arms protectively.

"Calara! It's wonderful you were able to make it home," he exclaimed, with delight. "We were all so worried about you!"

She looked up at him with a big beaming smile on her face, and hugged him back fiercely. "I missed you too, Dad!" she said happily.

Her father looked up, finally noticing John and the girls, who were standing nearby and watching Calara's touching family reunion. Calara noticed her father's shift in focus, and moved from his side to introduce her friends.

"Dad, this is Commander John Blake, and my shipmates: Alyssa, Dana and Jade." she said formally.

"And this is my dad, Captain Jack Fernandez," she said proudly.

"Pleased to meet you Captain," John said, striding over to shake his hand.

"Likewise, Commander," Jack said, studying him appraisingly and matching John's firm handshake. "I believe I have you to thank for rescuing my daughter."

"Alyssa was there too," Calara interjected, smiling warmly at her blonde companion.

"Well, thank you both so much," Jack said earnestly. "It was such a relief to hear that Calara was safe and sound again."

Maria walked over to her husband, and slipped her arm around his, so that she could lead him back to the house. "Perfect timing as usual, my love," she said to him affectionately, "Dinner's nearly ready."

"Smells like Paella to me, fantastic!" he exclaimed happily, his delight echoed by his three sons.

"Yes, this is a special one, to welcome everyone home," Maria said, grinning slyly at John and Calara.

They all followed Jack and Maria into the house, and across the lounge to the comfortable dining room, which had a long dining table that could easily seat the six members of the Fernandez family, and their four guests. They sat around the table, splitting up so that everyone was intermingled, in a boy/girl seating arrangement. Mateo, Dylan and Eduardo cheered when Maria brought the huge dish of Paella in, which she set down in the middle of the table, and they then looked on curiously as Calara brought out a big bowl of fried Calamari as well.

Not wanting to stand on ceremony, everyone tucked into the tasty dinner and soon the Fernandez men were complimenting Maria on her amazing cooking.

"I'd love to take the credit, but Calara cooked this one up," Maria said, glancing at John who nodded approvingly.

"Oh my god, no way!" Eduardo gasped in amazement. "I still remember when you burnt beans on toast!"

"Seriously, you cooked this?" Mateo asked her in shock.

"With a little assistance, yep!" Calara replied proudly with a beaming grin.

"It tastes absolutely delicious," Dylan said, complimenting her sincerely.

"What do you think Dad?" Calara said, looking over at her father apprehensively.

"I'm sorry Maria, but this is the best Paella I've ever tasted!" Jack replied with a huge grin.

Maria chuckled, while Calara glowed under the praise from her father. The meal was a great success, with lots of good humoured banter between Calara's brothers, and the female members of the Invictus crew.

"So, your mother tells me you've got a little announcement to make, First Lieutenant?" Jack said airily. His sons looked around the table in confusion, before Calara cleared her throat with a cough.

"That's right dad, I got promoted, and they awarded me a Novaburst," she said, slightly embarrassed.

Her brothers cheered exuberantly, and burst into a round of applause for their little sister, joined by everyone else around the table too. Calara blushed, but grinned happily.

"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that TFNN interview!" Eduardo exclaimed in surprise, before turning to John. "I thought you looked familiar, man."

"Did you really wipe out all those pirates and the Kirrix?" Mateo asked John curiously.

"Well I wasn't exaggerating in the interview; Calara did most of the hard work, but yeah, that we did," John said with a smile.

Maria got up and came around the table to give her daughter a big hug. "Congratulations Callie, I've been saving that for you for two weeks now!" she said, while Calara laughed and hugged her mother back.

"I'm very proud of you, Calara." Her father said sincerely, "I requested the after action report from Captain Flintlock on the Indomitable, and could hardly believe what I read. It seems like you managed to pull off the impossible."

Calara gazed over at him, with pride shining in her eyes. When she was younger, she had spent hours poring over reports of her father's battles during his days as a tactical officer, and she could hardly believe he was now reading about her own victories.

"Calara does seem to have a knack for turning the impossible into the slightly improbable," John said proudly.

"Yeah the Kirrix and the pirates actually weren't too bad," Dana said dismissively, "Not compared to the Drakkar at any rate," she added with a shudder.

"You went up against the Drakkar?!" Dylan said in shock, having been well versed on marauding alien species.

"Calara personally destroyed four of their cruisers," Jade said helpfully. "Although she wasn't involved in our final confrontation with their battleship," she said, shrugging apologetically at the brunette.

It took a while for the clamour and excitement at this little bombshell to die down, but John, Calara and the others relayed an edited version of their trip to Grey space, and their elimination of the Drakkar raiders. At the end of their little tale, Jack burst out laughing.

"I think you've packed more action into the last two months, than I did in my first ten years at tactical!" he said to Calara, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It has been a busy few months," she grinned at him with a mastery of understatement.

They finished dinner together, and then everyone moved to the lounge where they sat around relaxing and chatting amiably. They had been resting comfortably for an hour when Eduardo rose to his feet, and grinned enthusiastically.

"We have a little family tradition here John," he began, causing Maria to groan and roll her eyes. "How would you feel about a little sparring session, to work off some of that dinner?" Eduardo continued undeterred.

"If you feel like you need a little lie-down after dinner, I'm happy to help you out," John grinned confidently, rising to his feet.

"Oh, ho! Big talk from the new guy!" Eduardo laughed teasingly.

Calara's brothers and father rose to their feet, leaving the lounge to go and get changed. Mateo paused before he left, and looked at John gauging his size. "We're about the same build, I can lend you some gear if you want?" he asked John considerately.

"That would be great, thanks a lot," John replied appreciatively, and went with Calara's eldest brother to borrow some sparring gear. Calara joined him as they followed after Mateo to his room, and after her brother had handed John a set of clothes and some sparring pads, she took John's hand and led him down another corridor to her own bedroom. It was a big room, filled with shelves full of tactical manuals and a few holograms of Terran Federation capital ships adorned the walls. A hologram of the Cruiser Damocles took pride of place above a large desk, flanked by pictures of Calara's family.

When they were both inside her room, John shut the door after them. He turned around to smile at Calara who suddenly leapt into his arms, catching him by surprise. "Oh god, I'm so hot for you right now!" she exclaimed, panting with excitement. They kissed passionately for a short moment, before Calara broke away from the kiss, her eyes shining with lust.

"I take it that means you're happy with how the visits going so far?" he asked her playfully.

"This is the only time I've ever wished you didn't cum so much," Calara said ruefully, "Because otherwise, I'd want you to christen my old bedroom, taking me whatever way you wanted," she said, looking up at him with fiery passion in her eyes.

John kissed her fiercely before they reluctantly broke apart. "We better get going before we're missed," he said regretfully. Calara nodded her agreement, and then began to strip completely naked.

"I thought we decided that making you look like you were six months pregnant was a bad idea?" John asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"There's plenty of time for that later," Calara winked at him suggestively. "I'm gearing up for something I've wanted to do for years!"

***

It turned out that the Fernandez family took their sparring sessions very seriously indeed. John followed Calara's delightful figure, as she led him into a largo Dojo that had been constructed on the far side of the family home. The floor was covered in training mats, with seating spaced around the outside for people to watch the action. On the walls were various melee weapons, including several practice swords, and a number of carefully displayed Katana that were sheathed in pristine leather scabbards.

Alyssa, Dana and Jade were sitting next to Maria, and they cheered when John and Alyssa walked out onto the ground mats where the Fernandez men were waiting.

"Err, why are you dressed like that Calara?" Eduardo said, with a confused expression on his face.

"She's my student," John interjected. "I figure that if you're good enough to beat Calara, then it might be worth my while to spar with you," he said with a playful wink.

This little challenge was met with shock and indignation from the three brothers, while Jack stood by silently, studying John and his daughter.

"What's the matter Eduardo, scared to fight a little girl?" Calara goaded him.

The howls of outrage got louder until Maria intervened. "Are you gentlemen saying that a woman shouldn't be allowed to fight?" she asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

Jack flashed a look at Maria, and they reached an unspoken agreement, before he stepped back out of the ring.

"Yeah, it's on!" Calara whooped.

John and two of the brothers also moved off the ground mats, but he was surprised to see that it was Mateo who was waiting to meet Calara's challenge. John moved over to sit on the spare seat next to Maria, eager to watch the bout. As he sat down, she leaned across and whispered to him, "Mateo was never into sparring as much as my other two sons. It looks like Calara's got to work her way up the rankings."