From: Erik (felldoh_at_voyager.net)
Date: Wed Mar 21 2007 - 23:06:16 PDT
“Scratching at the Old Paint, Part II” Continued from "Meetings and Receptions" Location: San Francisco, EARTH Stardate: Scene: Street “So how’s life on the SHAMERAN?” Ben asked. It was twilight, and they waked side by side down a mostly empty street. “I imagine doing supply runs isn't very exciting.” Daisy smiled. Ben was not one of the few in Starfleet who knew about the PROPHECY and her true mission. He, like the rest of her friends and family, believed she had spent the last two years on a resupply ship. “Oh, we try not to let things get too dull.” Ben nodded as if that was the answer he expected, which forced Daisy to suppress a giggle. “What was that?” He asked with a quizzical grin. “Nothing.” She replied quickly, regaining her straight face. It warm for the season, and might have been unpleasantly so if not for the breeze that caught her hair, now down and more carefully styled that it had been in months, and made it frolic in a way she hoped was more glamorous than messy. She wore an elegant dress, short but not immodest, that clung to her newly restored frame in a flattering way. Perhaps it was true that shed spent more time than normal picking it out, but she told herself she was only very eager to look her best again, after so long, and it had nothing to do with seeing Ben. She had noted with some satisfaction, however, that, even though he hadn't commented, he had noticed the dress immediately, and enjoyed the way it made her look. “How’s life been on the PATRIOT since I left?” It was Ben’s turn to smirk. “It has its ups and downs like always. We had a pretty high crew turnover after the Selyara incident. Aside from Mav and I it’s a whole new senior staff since you left.” At the thought of Sely the smile slid off Daisy’s face. They'd served together on the DISCOVERY before she made captain. In fact, Daisy had followed her to the PAT after that promotion. The defection wasn't news anymore; it had been all the reporters could talk about for months after the fact, but the thought of the hybrid in prison was not something Daisy had gotten used to yet. “That must have been hard to deal with. I was shocked when I heard.” She realized how limp the words sounded and wished she hadn't said them, but Ben continued nonplussed. “It was…difficult.” It was gone already, but for a moment she thought she'd seen his face tighten. Perhaps it was only some trick of the moonlight on his firm jaw line, or perhaps for an instant his defenses had failed him and the tiniest hint of some repressed emotion had snuck out. She knew Ben to be an expert at hiding his emotions when they didn't suit him, and, given that, she couldn't decide which scenario was more likely. “What’s the new captain like?” Daisy asked. Then, hoping to lighten the mood, she put on a mischievous smile and added. “Is she cute?” “She’s a bit outside even my age range.” Ben replied, humor in his eyes. Daisy was fully a decade his senior, and he rarely missed an opportunity to tease her for it. “But she’s pleasant enough. She’s one of those new age captains: really informal and no use for protocol. Drove me crazy at first, but at least she doesn't insist on calling me ‘Ben’ on the bridge anymore. It could be worse too, she let’s me do things by the book, even if she doesn't. Better than nothing, I suppose, though it makes me look like a hardass.” “You? A hardass?” Daisy replied, a hand on her chest in mock disbelief. “But you’re so fun-loving and easy-going?” Ben shot her a glare, and she couldn't help but laugh. “You don't have to be fun-loving to not be a hardass.” He replied, feigning offense. Years ago she would have been unable to restrain herself from joking about how much she liked his hard ass, just to watch him get embarrassed, but now she was content to just smile. “Maybe we should trade jobs.” Ben continued. “You'd love Captain Jones. You could braid each other’s hair on the bridge, and gossip about who’s kissing who in the ready room.” “I don't think so,” she replied with a laugh. “You wouldn't like Maddie at all…Captain Zanders I mean.” She interjected with exaggerated seriousness. “She’s practically a mother to the whole crew.” She laughed again, and noticed to her satisfaction that his eyes were focused on more than her face, and that his smile was not only for the joke. “Besides, what would the great Benjamin Kenta do on a supply ship? I doubt it would convince Starfleet to give you a command, and it certainly wouldn't get you in the news.” Ben’s smile didn't disappear, but he stopped laughing. Had it been slightly too abrupt, or was she imagining it? Had she gone too far? Maybe she was just trying to make something out of nothing. He *was* still smiling, his eyes were friendly, and she saw no sign of tension in his face. She must just be worrying too much. They walked on in comfortable silence. They didn't hold hands, but with each step their fingers brushed against each other. Neither made any move to correct it. The breeze had picked up a bit, and Daisy closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of it. She felt it on her face, cool and refreshing, and she smelt the lingering hint of salt that betrayed its origin. She felt it catch her dress and blow it tight against her legs and imagined Ben must have noticed, and certainly would approve. She felt the chill of it blowing against her unclad skin making it almost tingle. She opened her eyes again, and turned to Ben. His eyes were cast skyward. She hadn't noticed before, but they were slowly escaping the lights of the city, and the stars were mustering the courage to shine openly. He had always had an affinity for stars, she knew. They had been a source of wonder in his youth, a source of comfort during his captivity on MARS, and now a source of beauty that followed him across the galaxy. She watched him without speaking. He wore simple clothes in a style that was at once classic and uniquely modern. She never knew if it was his choice of attire or his confident bearing that made him seem to be in uniform even when he wasn't. In either case, she thought it suited him well. He noticed her watching him, and flashed a smile that made her feel as though her hand were in the cookie jar. She looked away to hide a blush and told herself she was being silly. “So what happened with Zuri?” Ben asked in a tone that tried to be casual, but confessed he'd been wondering for some time. Daisy sighed, simultaneously glad that he'd asked and dreading giving him an answer. “…It didn't work out.” She spit out after some hesitation. “We probably rushed into things.” She hoped he wouldn't question her further, and was relieved when he merely nodded as if no other explanation was required. “Do you still see Gavi?” “Not often, he lives with Zuri and Rachel, but I do get to visit him while I'm here. I saw him once already and he seems to be adjusting well.” She was happy to change the subject. She knew Ben’s opinion of Zuri was not very high after the mission on TERRANA, and while he had never said so out loud, she was sure he had never approved of the marriage. “Erika is staying with him now. She was so excited to see him. It will heartbreaking trying to separate them again.” “Is she doing well?” Ben asked, a small smile on his face. “Mostly. The family breaking up was tough on her, but she’s coping.” “What about Jason?” Ben asked casually, his eyes on the road ahead. “He must be two and half by now.” Daisy stopped walking, and for an instant her composure broke. By the time Ben had turned to face her, concern as clear in his stature as on his face, she looked calm. She wanted to start walking again, to show that she was fine, but knew it would only make her pain more obvious, so instead she just wished she hadn't stopped in the first place. She had hoped to avoid this topic, she'd even been prepared to lie, anything not to spoil the evening. There was no reason he had to know anyway. She should have avoided talking about her kids at all, they'd managed it this long, but she was so eager to stop talking about Zuri that anything had seemed acceptable. And she'd been so busy thinking how nice his silhouette looked with the moon behind it that his question had caught her totally off guard. “Jason died a little over a year ago.” She said at last, realizing there was no point anymore in keeping silent. “It was…” Her voice was cut off when Ben’s arms leapt around her, pressing her against him. “Daisy, I'm so sorry.” He whispered, and she felt more emotion in his voice than there was in her own. It made her seem unreal, as if the words had been spoken by a wooden replica of herself. She forced down the tears that threatened to come, and spoke softly. “Ben, it’s ok. I'm ok.” She tried to push her way gently out of the hug, but his arms held her firm. “No, you aren't. I know you aren't.” He began quietly. “And you shouldn't be. You don't have to explain, you don't have to say anything else at all. You don't have to cry. In a moment, we can go back to our walk, and enjoy our evening as if everything was right in the universe, but right now I want you to know that, as much as is possible, I understand, and I care.” The tears fought harder, and she could no longer stop the first ones from breaking free to race down her cheek. She relaxed into Ben’s body, and hugged him back fiercely. “Thank you, Ben.” She whispered to keep her voice from breaking. “Thank you.” =/\= Scene: Hotel room Ben woke with sun in his eyes. It was early morning, and the sunlight had crept in through the blinds in a room he'd never slept in before. He turned to look at the figure beside him. Daisy slept on her side, with her back to him and the window. It had been a warm night, and the sheets had migrated almost below her waist, allowing the slats of light to lie in stark contrast along her exposed back. It made it seem even longer, and more slender than it was. Ben took the back of his fingers and ran them slowly in a long line from her waist to her shoulder and back again, enjoying the smoothness. He was thinking about last night. A smile moved languidly to his face and his chest rose and fell in a contented sigh. In some ways it had felt more like the first time with a new partner than a reunion between old lovers. He had been slow and deliberate; she had been tentative but eager. No words had passed between them. They communicated with their eyes and their fingertips. They testified their desire with trembling skin, their passion with searching lips, their pleasure with halting breath. Daisy felt his caress and heard his sigh. She too was awake, but didn't let him know it. Instead she smiled and enjoyed the feel of his skin on hers. Her mind was dancing with her own memories of the previous night’s activity. The whole affair had taken hours, building in intensity at the purposefully measured pace that he set. The waiting was torture and bliss at once. When finally they reached the culmination of their efforts she had thought she could not stand another instant no matter how much she begged to. The were both exhausted but lay entwined for hours more, awake but silent, breathing together and holding each other as if the moment might slip away. She remembered the strength of his arms and how she had never felt safer then last night, when she lay under his power, with no concerns left to her. At length she could keep up the charade no longer, and with a sigh of her own, she rolled to face him, and they embraced again. Their eyes met, but neither wished to be the first to speak and break the spell that held them as firmly as they held each other. They both had duties and responsibilities outside this bed, but that was another world, and one they could not now reach if they wanted to. Somewhere in their minds, they both knew that in a matter of days they would once again be EXO’s of starships with vastly different purposes, and vastly different sphere’s of operation. After that it was as likely as not that another two years or more would pass before their next meeting. But now was not the time for such thoughts. Now was the time to simply enjoy each other, and exist. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NRPG: Kim: Challenge Accepted. How'd I do. Erik Walz Commander Benjamin Kenta Executive Officer USS PATRIOT 5781-A & Lt. Seloron Junior ACT Instructor Starfleet Academy, Earth From HyperNews_at_youth.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Feb 17 2008 - 03:10:47 PST