Three Square Meals Ch. 107

"I want to apologise, Lynette!" Charles blurted out, wringing his hands anxiously.

She looked at him in confusion, then ushered him over to a sofa in the lounge. Sitting beside him, she asked, "Now, what did you want to apologise to me for?"

Charles grimaced, then took a deep breath and replied, "I saw Lina earlier this evening... and-"

"You were with Lina?!" Lynette hissed, her hazel eyes narrowing dangerously.

*Calm down, Lynette!* Alyssa said sharply, flooding her mind with soothing emotions.

Lynette closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Her Matriarch's abrupt intervention had come as a surprise, but a very welcome one, and she wrapped herself in Alyssa's supportive telepathic embrace as she tried to control herself. She was finally beginning to understand why the other Lionesses loved being connected to her so much.

Unaware of the riot of emotions swirling in the woman sitting next to him, Charles just nodded and continued, "Yes, we were talking about my friendship with you... and how I was going on a date with Marie."

Reopening her eyes, Lynette asked quietly, "So you were just talking?"

He looked at her in confusion and nodded. "Yes, that's what I was just saying. Lina came to my office to ask me out on a date, but then she told me that..." Charles hesitated, his voice fading out.

Lynette's eyes blazed with jealousy, but with Alyssa's help she managed to keep her temper in check. "Told you what?" she managed to ask through clenched teeth.

Charles winced as he looked sideways at the Fleet Admiral. "That you might have feelings for me..."

She blinked at him in surprise, startled and a bit embarrassed at the abrupt turn the conversation had taken. There was a long awkward moment between them, until she finally said, "Lina's much prettier than me... and so is Marie; I can't possibly compete with either of them. I'd be making a fool of myself if I admitted that I'm attracted to you... wouldn't I?"

He looked abashed as he shook his head. "No, I'm the fool. You're a really lovely woman, Lynette. I finally realised that you might have been flirting with me, but at the time I had absolutely no idea. I've behaved like an insensitive ass, drooling over your niece while you've been nothing but sweet and kind. I'm so sorry if I offended you or hurt your feelings, I promise I never meant to do it intentionally."

Lynette's eyes softened at his frank admission, then she felt a pang of guilt when she saw how much he'd been torturing himself over the way he believed he'd slighted her. "It's okay, Charles. Actually, I should be the one apologising..."

Shaking his head, he looked at her in confusion. "You didn't do anything wrong. What could you possibly have to apologise for?" He frowned as he added, "You went to all that trouble cooking me lunch the other day and I sat there daydreaming about Marie!"

"Stop, Charles... please!" Lynette begged, hating to see him feeling so guilty. "You don't understand... I haven't been entirely truthful with you!"

He paused, bewildered by her outburst. "About what?"

She bit her lip nervously. "Lies of omission, rather than outright lying to you... but I never meant for you to get upset. Please forgive me."

"Of course... but I'm still completely confused," he admitted, searching her face for answers. "What didn't you tell me?"

Lynette met his curious gaze and took a deep breath. "I'm a Lioness!" she blurted out. "A secret one!"

Charles' incredulous expression spoke volumes. "No offence, Lynette, but you, ah... don't really look like Alyssa and the others."

She nodded exuberantly. "That's exactly right! I don't look like them at all, not like this."

"So, when do you look like them?" he asked, trying not to smile.

Lynette met his indulgent gaze and sat up straight, holding herself proudly. "When I turn off my holo-disguise."

Pressing the button on the device in her jacket pocket, the holographic projectors deactivated and the illusion was shattered, revealing Lynette as she really was now.

Charles stumbled backwards off the sofa in shock and ended up sitting on the floor. He stared wide-eyed at the spectacular beauty and gasped, "What the hell?! Marie!"

Lynette blushed and quietly confessed, "My full name is Lynette Marie Devereux. It was me all along, Charles. I'm so sorry I deceived you."

"B-but... what? H-how?" he stammered, completely incoherent in his shell-shocked state.

She slid off the sofa to kneel beside him. "When I was shot by Buckingham's men, I was very nearly killed. I was in a coma at death's door for several days, until John and the girls rescued me." Lynette looked him in the eye and continued slowly, "When John healed me, he made me younger... not just in appearance, but he's basically given me the body of a twenty-year-old. I'm one of his Lionesses now and I'm working with him to do everything I can to stop the other Progenitor."

"You're one of his girls..." Charles said dejectedly, his heart sinking.

Lynette shook her head and reached for his hands, stroking them to soothe him. "No, never, not like that. The rest of the Lionesses all sleep with John, but I never did..."

He glanced down at her slender fingers, marvelling at the softness of her skin. "Why?"

"Why didn't I sleep with John? Or why did I lie to you about everything? Or why did I even start using a disguise to conceal my appearance?"

He snorted with laughter. "All of the above?"

"After we defeated Nexus, I was scared of John when he first explained what he was," Lynette admitted. "I greatly admire him as a person and for everything that he's done for the Terran Federation, but sleeping with him was the last thing on my mind."

"So, after he made you look young again, why bother with this disguise?" Charles asked, looking at her askance.

Lynette glanced down at her Fleet Admiral's uniform and giggled self-consciously. "Look at me, Charles. Do I really look like someone who should be leading the Terran Federation?"

He laughed and waved a hand at her to continue. "Alright, I get it. But why lie to me and keep me in the dark?" He frowned and looked a bit hurt as he added, "I thought John trusted me now?"

Lynette froze and her cheeks turned red as she blushed furiously. "He does, but I... err." She went quiet for a moment, then quietly admitted, "It was because I liked you, Charles. I was curious to see if you liked me enough for my personality to consider dating me while I still looked like the old Lynette. I was always going to reveal the truth, but when Lina started flirting with you... well, then I just panicked and got caught up with playing at being Marie."

"You really like me?" Charles asked with a grin. It faded a moment later as he looked at her as if seeing her again for the first time. "But you're easily the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life! You could have any man you want!"

She gave him a coy smile, then straddled his lap, crossing her wrists behind his neck. "I want you, Charles," she purred, gazing into his eyes. "You're kind, loyal, considerate, charming, and a very handsome man." She leaned forward so her lips were only inches from his. "But we're also the same age, we have the same career, we share the same hopes and dreams ... and feel the same regrets. You're like a kindred spirit..."

He gazed enraptured into her bewitching hazel eyes. "You actually think I'm handsome?"

Lynette giggled and asked, "That's all you got from that?"

Charles put his arms around her and pulled her closer, Lynette's laughter dying out as they were now face-to-face.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Lynette whispered. "I promise I'll never do it again."

He accepted her apology with a kiss that left them both breathless...

***

John finished the last of the new Tachyon Lance barrels and added it to the stack of completed parts. He groaned and rubbed his temple, trying to ease the tension there. *This surprise better be worth it,* he grumbled to Alyssa. *Leaving me with this last batch of shaping wasn't very kind.*

She sounded uncharacteristically nervous when she replied, *I really hope you like it. The surprise is all ready for you, if you want to come up to the bedroom.*

*Alright, I'm on my way,* he replied, stretching to get rid of some of the aches in his back. He walked across the Cargo Bay to the corridor and called out, "Faye, I'm all done with the Tachyon Lance shaping."

She appeared in a flash, hovering by his side as he stepped into a grav-tube. "I saw, I was watching you on the internal cameras! I'll send my boys down to start assembling the Tachyon Lances; we should have them all built before we arrive for the rendezvous with the Terran fleet. Congratulations by the way, you just took a huge leap forward in your psychic shaping! You spent most of the day creating Crystal Alyssium that was reshaped 15 times; you've never even come close to doing that before!"

John gave her an appreciative smile. "Yes, that's very true. The headache is fading as well."

Faye looked relieved as she said, "Oh, that is good to hear!"

Arriving at Deck Two, John stepped out of the shimmering blue gravity field and into the corridor. He walked towards his bedroom and could see the telltale flicker of candles coming from inside. Lit candles usually only meant one thing, so he had an extra spring in his step when he strode into the bedroom. He wasn't disappointed.

All the girls were there, including Helene and the four new Nymphs, every single one of them deliciously nude. There was a strange kind of tension in the air when he entered the room and he realised that everyone was staring at him, as if waiting to see his reaction. The sight of over a dozen gorgeous women sitting naked before him was definitely creating a reaction, but as he glanced around at those familiar faces, he realised one was missing.

*Alyssa, where are you?* he asked in surprise.

"I'm right here... Baen'thelas," she said softly, her voice coming from the walk-in-wardrobe.

John turned to look at her, smiling at her use of Tashana's Maliri nickname for him. When he laid eyes on the blonde, whatever he'd been about to say died on his lips. He watched in awe as Alyssa glided regally into the bedroom.

She was wearing a floor length white dress that made her look pure and chaste, despite the way the material clung to her every curve. Her long golden mane had been artfully styled into an up do, a few loose tendrils tastefully framing her face, while revealing the graceful lines of her slender neck. With the blindingly white dress and the elaborate hairstyle, it appeared as if the goddess Aphrodite had deigned to grace them with her presence.

But that wasn't what stunned John into silence. With Alyssa's hair drawn back, he was able to see her ears and his eyes widened in wonder when he saw the delicate pointed tips... the distinctive feature of a Progenitor.