Rounded Corners

Posted on Mon Aug 24, 2015 @ 11:03am by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson

5,199 words; about a 26 minute read

Mission: All this has happened before...
Location: Sickbay/7-Forward/Holodeck
Timeline: Friday Evening

Nicole sat back in a chair, foot propped against a biobed watching Halloway put his shirt back on. She had her arms folded over her chest, still in her camouflage. "Feeling better?" she said.

“You sure know your way around a dermal regenerator. Too bad this won’t scar,” Chris replied while looking at the hole in his tunic. Turning to the attractive doctor, he asked, “So was that at all fun for you, or was it too aggressive?”

"I see the appeal," she said. "Although, where I come from, we typically don't use holograms for sport. My opponents are usually flesh and blood. And I tend to find recreation in ways that don't make me bleed." Her eyebrows bobbed. "But I admire the Klingon-like way in which you view it. I just hope that isn't your only way to have fun."

Chris smiled. “Of course not, but our first encounter seemed to imply an interest in the aggressive, so I thought I’d start there. I had other, more traditional ideas to on how to spend the evening as well. Although, I would like to hear about your interests too.”

Nicole shrugged a bit. "Back home, sometimes I'd go out to visit one of the clans, listen to their storytelling, dance, play with the kids." She smiled a bit. "They were always so eager to see my equipment and get a 'checkup.'" She stood up and nodded her head towards the door, indicating they should free up the bed. "In my free time on board though...I don't really do much. I would keep to my quarters, have a drink, maybe read. I'm learning to be more social."

Chris approached Nicole and offered his arm. “I don’t have anything involving storytelling or playing with kids lined up. I’m terrible at dancing, but I’m willing to give it another shot next time. How does a simple dinner sound? There’s both Seven Forward and my quarters available.”

She looked down at his arm curiously. "I will never understand the Terran custom of offering an elbow to hold. Such an odd body part to stick out, don't you think?"

Chris chucked. “Sometimes even I forget that my ears are pointed. I believe it’s supposed to hold one’s companion close to the body.”

She took his hand and led him out of Sickbay and back down the corridor. "So, answer me this, Mister Halloway, is it your typical modus operandi to introduce yourself to your crewmates by forcing them to show off their job skills? You got stabbed for me, will you be causing a security breach for Mister Taggart? Overload the engines for Mister Torres?"

Chris chuckled. “Well, I was sent because of a security breach issue. My collateral skills as a fighter were weighted due to your Raeru incident. And, no, I won’t be overloading the engines for Mister Torres. However, I am endeavoring on a project which might give the transporters and communication systems some trouble, but hopefully not for long.” Chris grinned and added, “In any event, I offered to allow you to poke me hard with something sharp when we met. You seemed to like the idea.”

Nicole had growled slightly in the back of her throat at the mention of "her Raeru incident" but stifled it quickly. She cleared her throat and took a breath. *Great, another Tommy-Gun,* she thought. "I still do," she said, "so best not to give me ideas." She stopped and turned to face him once they were back in the corridor, looking him up and down. "So you're an Earth-born, Vulcan/Betazoid hybrid with an affinity for Klingon weapons and attitudes," she said. "Should meet my friend Penny, she'd find you fascinating."

She started on down the corridor towards the forward section. "A fan of Klingon food as well?"

Chris smiled at his beautiful companion. “I’m rather fond of the taste of gagh, but it gives me bad indigestion. The whole iron blood versus copper blood thing. It’s the same with most other red meats. What about you? What do you like?”

"Well, generally if it's red meat, I'm game," Nicole said. "And I never turn down fresh racht. Back home it was usually spit-roast meats if I was out visiting a clan, or replicators if I was in my office or apartment."

“Well, there’s nothing worse than half-dead racht. I'm one of the few Vulcans you'll meet that eats meat at all,” Chris said. “I've developed a taste for rare Vulcan bovine. It’s about the only way to get a good steak and not get an upset stomach. Unfortunately, I can usually only get it replicated.”

Chris and Nicole reached the turbolift and stepped in when the doors open. “Any other favorites?” Chris asks. “Desserts?”

"Deck seven, forward," Nicole said and the lift took off. She leaned against the bulkhead and folded her arms. "Any kind of cobbler is fine," she said. "Harder stuff like chocolate I love, but it gets me drunk." She looked him over again. "You're very inquisitive," she said. "Why so curious about my eating habits? Could just see what I'm going to order in a moment."

The lift stopped and the doors opened. She stepped out and aside to let him catch up.

Chris exited the turbolift behind Nicole. “True. I’m just trying to get a feeling for your interests and preferences. All types of relationships run smoother when one is aware of what others like.” Grinning mischievously, he added, “Besides, it was you who brought up food.”

Chris reached out and took Nicole’s hand again as they began their walk toward Seven Forward. He sensed her mood becoming more at ease as they were progressing, although she still felt guarded. Either way, he took it as a good sign. She was certainly as smart as she was beautiful, if a bit conflicted. He was already coming to enjoy her company greatly.

Nicole looked down at their hands in surprise. She had initially ignored his flippant use of the word 'date' but now she was beginning to think she'd misinterpreted something. She was about to chastise him for his over-familiarity at the gesture, but then she realized that perhaps she'd been leading him on unintentionally. He had referred to it as a date, and she did agree to meet with him and now have dinner with him. She'd have to be gentle.

She wasn't against dating more than one person. On her homeworld, communes were common in the farmlands. Often multiple couples were together to balance out each other's numbers. Still, if things were going to go well, she wanted them honest.

"Chris," she said gently, pulling her hand back slowly. "I don't want to mislead you. I'm sort of seeing someone else, and I don't want you feeling led on."

Chris sensed her hesitance as she pulled her hand away. He closed his eyes momentarily to rein his thoughts before reopening them. “I see,” Chris said, returning his own hand to his side. His mood darkened slightly, and he struggled to keep from frowning. Instead, he peered directly into Nicole’s eyes. With a steady, even voice, he questioned, “If you’re seeing someone, why did you accept my invitation for a date? I believe I made my intentions perfectly clear. It was also you who took my hand first.” This woman was certainly an enigma.

Nicole almost took a step back at his sudden change. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean it that way, I was just pulling you out of Sickbay. And...well I thought you were being flippant. I didn't think bloody fighting was a genuine romantic overture. I just realized that this was more 'official' than I first thought, I wanted to be as upfront as I could at this point. I'm sorry if it came too late." She straightened her posture, folding her arms over her chest, her guards coming up in force. "I'll leave you to your dinner. I have paperwork in Sickbay I should finish."

She turned quickly, not wanting him to see the color rising in her cheeks.

Chris recognized his harshness as she shut him out again and turned away. “Nicole, wait,” Chris requested. “Please.”

She stopped, her posture still stiff. *No more fear,* she thought. She turned around, her arms still folded in front of her chest. "I really am sorry," she said. "I just...it's not...I mean..." She stopped and rubbed her forehead. "There really isn't a way to get out of this without sounding like an idiot."

She ran her hand over her face and walked up to him slowly. "Fancy having dinner with an idiot?"

Chris smirked. “Takes one to know one. Why don’t we save the familiar touching for later then?” He was relieved. He’d almost blown a shot with an incredibly beautiful woman before the night was even over.

Chris gestured for Nicole to come along side as he turned back toward Seven Forward. “So, how about some rare meats suited for our respective blood types. Oh, and potatoes. You can’t have steak without potatoes.” Chris smiled openly at Nicole.

Nicole cracked a small smile. "Sure. We'll see if we can sneak a vegetable or two in there, while we're at it."

“Potatoes are vegetables, so mission accomplished,” Chris wise-cracked, grinning.

Chris and Nicole completed their journey to Seven Forward. Upon entry, he spotted their reserved table in the corner. Making their way over, he pulled the chair from under the table for his date. As she sat down, he walked over to the replicator stations and put in their orders, carrying back a tray with two platters, setting a rare steak with sides in front of her, and a platter with a green-colored slab of meat in front of him. Satisfied, he sat down across from Nicole. He placed his elbows on the table and rested his hands on his knuckles. Peering gently at Nicole he said, “I know I’m being forward, but you are incredibly gorgeous. It’s stunning. Even in camouflage.”

Nicole blushed, realizing she was still dressed in her outfit from the holodeck. "Honestly, Chris, I'm flattered but...you don't need to lay it on so thick. I get it, you're enamored with me. And, I think you're cute too." She took a breath. "It's been a long time since I've had someone look at me like that. I don't know if I can handle it yet. The last person who did..." she caught herself before she choked up.

She didn't want him to see how scared she was, but she knew he was probably picking up on it. *I'm barely succeeding at being close to one man, how do I juggle two?* she thought.

"Let's try getting to know each other, all right?" she said gently. *And give me time to make sure I don't have to kill you too,* her mind chided. She shoved the thought down quickly.

“Fair enough,” Chris responded. He noticed Nicole’s control slipping again, but not much, and she seemed conflicted. He continued to smile but beat himself internally. Come on, Chris. You really need to get this under control. It’s too much too soon. “I’m coming on strong, and you are correct. You’ve simply got me captivated, but let’s not dwell there.” Chris leaned back in his chair, trying to appear and become more relaxed.

Nicole snorted and her hand flew to cover her mouth as she stifled a laugh. "You've got a lotta bottle, boy," she said. "For a non-human, growing up on Earth has certainly given you their bollocks." She shook her head and smiled. "Where on Earth are you from?"

“Literally, I’m from the San Francisco area. My parents were minor ambassadors from Vulcan and Betazed. They wanted as much insight into humans as possible, so I was raised among them very closely.” Chris smirked again and crossed his arms. “But you were asking figuratively, weren’t you?”

"No, I was being literal," she said. "I know Terrans are usually very proud of where on the planet they're from. Same thing with clan members on Rigel. There's a lot of pride in their voices when you ask which commune they're from."

Chris was glad that the mood continued to lighten after his gesture earlier. Continuing to smile, he asked, “Which commune are you from?”

Nicole smiled. "Actually, I'm from the city. Ancient Grace is a bit more cosmopolitan, although not by much, but my mother was used to modern convenience and wanted us to be comfortable there. It was nice though. My schooling was excellent, and Rigel has one of the best medical academies in the Federation. All in all, I'm glad my mother settled there."

“What made you decide to go for the medical field? You obviously excel, but why that area?” Chris questioned.

Nicole paused mid-chew, mulling over a decision, then finally swallowed and put her fork down. "When I was young," she said, slowly, "I got very, very sick. My mother was a chemist, so science was already a big part of my home life, but it wasn't until after I left the hospital that I thought about medicine. I wanted to know more about how my body worked, about how other species bodies worked. I wanted to be one of those people who helped heal others."

She looked back up at him. "So I studied up on anatomy, biology, chemistry, genetics, et cetera, all the things I'd need to become a Doctor. I specialized in surgery and diagnostic medicine, and began my service career."

She shrugged and toyed with her food a bit. "And you? What made you choose Engineering?"

“I have a natural talent and interest in Engineering. I can’t say where the talent comes from, but my interest lies in just being the guy behind the scenes making things work; nothing prestigious.” Chris sliced off a piece of his perfectly mint-green, rare Vulcan bovine steak. “Except in a few cases, I prefer to avoid being noticed until I’m not there.”

"Good way to avoid promotion," Nicole said, thoughtfully. "And, speaking from experience, if you work to not be noticed, you'll find yourself looking back on things and wondering where you've been."

Chris shrugged. “I see what you’re saying, but my work speaks for itself. There’s a reason I was summoned to the Intrepid when they dismissed their Assistant Chief Engineer, and now to here to take on Lieutenant Reylan’s job.” He took a bite of some delicious potatoes. “I don’t always avoid the spotlight. After all, it took stepping out to get you here,” he added with a wink.

She looked him over again carefully. He reminded her of someone she'd known years before, someone very special to her, and their relationship had started with dinner as well. She still felt a bit conflicted about things, especially thinking of AJ, but she wanted to give Chris a chance. After letting him get hit with an arrow, she owed him that much, didn't she?

Nicole stuck her tongue out. "More like stepping into the path of an oncoming arrow," she said.

She put down her fork, her plate now empty and sat back. "That was very good," she said.

Chris returned the stuck-out tongue. “It was quite delicious. It looks like I won’t have to be upgrading the replicators here.” Folding his arms across his chest, he continued, “And if memory serves, which mine usually does, I just got a knife in the side. It was you who took the arrow, and I’m not convinced that it just skimmed. I distinctly remember you breaking the shaft and giving it a shove. That’s something one does when one gets punctured.”

Nicole stared at him and raised an eyebrow slowly. "I guess your memory isn't as good as you thought. I did break it off and push it through, but that was because pulling back on it would have ripped my gear even further." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand and batting her eyelashes a bit. "And while I'm sure you wouldn't object to my running around without a top on, I was afraid it might distract you to the point where you'd wind up taking a knife in some place harder to stitch up." She smirked and stuck her tongue out again.

Chris paused for a moment in shock. Lifting his eyebrow, reminiscent of another famous Starfleet Vulcan, he teased, “Who’s being forward now, Doc Nicole?” She continued to allow her mental guard to lower. He was enjoying her moderately carefree bantering attitude, but he sensed the overtones of an internal conflict.

“Not to kill the mood, as I’m greatly enjoying our time, but I sense some unrest within you. I have a feeling it’s related to us here. I think it might be best if we just get it out in the open now so that we can work past it or…” Chris paused. Or stop things here, he thought, but didn’t want to say it. I don’t want this to stop. “Or something else. Is this related to you seeing someone else?” Chris asked with some trepidation.

SLAM! Down came the mental blocks so hard that even Nicole blinked and wavered a bit. *This is why empaths annoy me,* she thought. She rallied herself a bit, seeing him blink in surprise and tried to not close off entirely. "His name was Michael," she said slowly, with some effort. "I served with him a few years back on another ship. He was..." She took a deep breath and wiped her suddenly-moist eyes. "He was very special to me. He was the sweetest, most accepting person I'd ever met. He really made me feel that I could have a relationship with someone. In the end..." she choked up. "I took a bad turn, and I had to let him go. I don't regret much, but I regret that." She took a few breaths to steady herself. "He used to look at me the way you do," she said. "And in some ways, you remind me of him. And this is kind of how our first date went. So while it's comforting and nice, it's also bringing up some painful memories."

She wiped her eyes again. "I'm sorry, evidently I'm also a mood killer."

Chris reached across the table to gently grasp Nicole’s hands. “No, the mood killer is still me. I shouldn’t have brought it up. When you mentioned that you were seeing someone else, I felt a tinge of jealousy, and I thought you were trying to decide if you would rather be spending your time with him, whoever it is,” he confessed. “I was trying to figure out whether I had a shot.”

Trying to lighten the mood again, Chris released her hands, smiled, and said, “If it will make you feel any better, you can poke me with something sharp. I still get the hint that you are entertained by the idea.”

Nicole let out a slight chuckle and smiled. "I'll take a rain check," she said. She sniffed a bit and dried her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm not usually like this. It's just..." she gestured helplessly and gave a half smile. "Been that kind of week." She gave his hand a slight squeeze, noting how warm they were, compared to her usually cold skin. "Thanks."

“No problem,” Chris responded, taking a glance at their hands. Returning his look to her eyes he suggested, “Would you like to go for some dancing? I’ve got no holodeck time left this evening, but I’ve got a fairly extensive music collection from across the galaxy in my quarters."

"Actually," Nicole said, "I have a bit more holodeck time. Mind if I take this round?"

“I’d be honored,” Chris responded. He stood, reached across the table, and offered his hand this time. “Since you don’t seem too fond of arms. Of course, this is only if you want it.” He once again peered into Nicole’s beautiful, icy blue eyes, a small, gentle smile appearing on his lips.

She took his hand, giving him a chance to be a gentleman and let him escort her out of the lounge. The trip to the holodeck was considerably shorter without the stopover in Sickbay, and Nicole was secretly thankful to not have to make more small talk. Instead of answering his questions about what she had in mind, she just smiled a bit and said it was something he'd appreciate.

As they walked into the once again empty holodeck, she flexed her fingers. "I hope I'm not too rusty. It's been a few years," she said, walking to the center of the room. "Computer, access my personal database and pull up program Anderson-Training-Four please, with equipment for two."

The computer beeped in acknowledgement and they were back in a clearing, surrounded by dense forest. On the ground were two hand-crafted bows and two full quivers.

One of the clans on Rigel was very skilled at bow-making and archery had become one of Nicole's hobbies when she was younger. She hadn't practiced in a few years, but as she slung the quiver over her shoulder and fitted a polished wooden arrow to the bowstring, she felt her hands grip and place with practiced ease. "Computer, first target, fifty paces, please."

The computer beeped, and at the other end of the clearing, a bulls-eye appeared in mid air directly in front of them.

Nicole raised her bow and took aim, then turned her head to Chris and said, "hope you don't mind target practice," letting the arrow fly without looking, but taking satisfaction hearing it hit the target and a the computer signaling a good hit.

Chris grinned. “I’d love to give it a shot. I haven’t spent time with traditional bows. All of my target practice has been with phasers and crossbows.”

Chris stooped down, picked up his quiver, and slung it across his back. He took the bow in his left hand while removing an arrow with the right. Lifting the bow, he drew the arrow between his middle and ring fingers on his right hand with the arrow at roughly neck height and right elbow drooped slightly. Taking aim, he released the arrow, which fell about 5 meters in front of the target.

“Not too bad for never trying before, I guess,” Chris said with a shrug.

"Yeah, good first try," Nicole said. "Aim about a centimeter higher than you think you need to, and pull back to your ear, otherwise gravity wins." She fitted another arrow on her string and pulled back, this time keeping her eye on the target and landing it in the center."

“Okay,” Chris replied. He was slightly confused by the positioning. It didn’t look or seem right, but he trusted Nicole’s judgment. He drew and fit another arrow to his bow. He pulled it back again, this time touching the feathers of the arrow to his ear. “Is this better?” he asked.

Nicole looked him over. "Sort of," she said. "Here, like this." She stood behind him, and grabbed his hips, turning him. "One foot closer to the target, one behind. You want to be to the side, this isn't a crossbow." She put her foot between his, kicking them apart. "Shoulder width, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the target. Straighten your back," she reached around and pulled his chest back, pressing his back against her. "Now bring the bow up and pull back till the feathers are just past your eyes and you can see down the line of fire, and release when ready." She suddenly realized how close they were, pressed against him like that, and gently took a step back, blushing a bit and smiling. "So..off you go."

Chris tried to concentrate on her words with Nicole pressing tightly against and manhandling him. Damn. He closed is eyes and sucked in a deep breath to clear his mind. He opened them, and carefully released his breath. About mid-breathe he paused to focus on his target. Elevating his aim slightly, he loosed his arrow, which arced and landed in the lower right quadrant of the target about halfway to the edge.

Chris relaxed and turned to Nicole, trying to keep the heat out of his eyes. “Thank you for the instruction. That was quite… informative,” he said while making a failed attempt to control his heart rate.

"You're...um...rather excited about hitting the target, aren't you," she said. She could see his pulse radiating from three paces away. She smiled and fitted another arrow, a wicked thought coming to her. "All right, once more," she said, this time staying behind him and putting him in position. "Draw back, nice and smooth," she whispered in his ear. She watched the blood course through his veins faster as his heart picked up speed and did her best not to blow it by giggling. "Hold it steady, watch your target, look straight down to the shaft to where you want it to fly," she said, running her hand down his arm to his bow hand. "And when you've got as much potential as you're going to get, let all that power go, and release."

Chris sensed growing arousal and mischief from Nicole. Screw it, he thought. He let his arrow fly without a thought as to where it might land. He dropped his bow and spun in place, catching Nicole off-guard. “You don’t know what you’ve just done,” Chris growled as desire coursed through him. He took Nicole’s last piece of advice. Rapidly grasping her face, he pulled her close to mash their lips together in a rough and passionate kiss.

Nicole felt a rushing in her ears and when he grabbed her face her instinct was to pull herself away, but he held fast and before she could react he was kissing her. That was in fact putting it mildly. Part of her mind was relatively sure he was going to draw her soul out via her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from returning it even as she felt her knees threaten to give way. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and put her hands on his chest, half in protest, half bracing herself.

Finally when she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stand upright much longer, she gently pushed him back and broke the kiss. She stared him in the eyes, hers flaring red for the briefest of instants. "Well," she said, breathing like she just ran a marathon, "that was....nice," she said finally, trying to put her head back on straight.

Nicole felt a rushing in her ears and when he grabbed her face her instinct was to pull herself away, but he held fast and before she could react he was kissing her. That was in fact putting it mildly. Part of her mind was relatively sure he was going to draw her soul out via her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from returning it even as she felt her knees threaten to give way. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and put her hands on his chest, half in protest, half bracing herself.

Finally when she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stand upright much longer, she gently pushed him back and broke the kiss. She stared him in the eyes, hers flaring red for the briefest of instants. "Well," she said, breathing like she just ran a marathon, "that was....nice," she said finally, trying to put her head back on straight.

Chris struggled to maintain what little composure that remained. Nicole’s own arousal was evident to his empathic senses. He could have sworn he saw a change in her eyes momentarily as well. He breathed rapidly and deeply, his desire nearly controlling him as her eyes returned to their icy blue. “Nicole, if you don’t want to go farther, you must tell me now. Emotions and passion run deep in my people. I can’t hold back much longer,” he murmured, fixed on her eyes. “I warn you, fighting is not the only thing I do like a Klingon.”

*Should see how it is on Rigel,* Nicole thought. She didn't know how much of what she was feeling was transferred from him grabbing her, but it was taking all her self control not to throw herself at him, in spite of his warning. She took a deep, slow breath and looked deep in his eyes, hers turning red again. When his eyes glazed over, she kept his gaze and said, "relax..."

As his breathing slowed and his body began to droop, she caught him and eased him down against a tree. She knelt in front of him, running a finger down the side of his face and over the tip of his right ear. She bit her lip and sighed. She was beyond confused and needed to get her head straight before things went any further.

She grabbed an arrow and scratched out a message in the dirt in front of him, then quickly walked to the other end of the clearing. "Exit," she said, running out as fast as her feet would carry her.

As he sat slumped against the tree, Chris felt like he’d been hit with his own warhammer. Relax. That seems like a nice suggestion, he thought. Blinking a few times, his head finally started to clear, and he realized what had just happened. His father’s mental discipline that Chris had learned was honed to resist mind control and maintain emotional stability during a crisis. This was different.

Panic started to well up when Chris saw Nicole dash from the holodeck. What have I done? he wondered. Looking down, he saw the message in the dirt and his panic left him. He calmly got to his feet and straightened his tunic. He noticed the rip from earlier and smirked. It has been quite an evening even if it didn’t end like anyone would have predicted. Looking up he saw the target and it reminded him of the woman he’d just spent a wonderful evening with. Bullseye.

Chris shutdown the program and went back to his quarters. His mind continued to buzz trying to process the thoughts on everything that had happened. He at least knew he wouldn’t have to hide his face in shame next time he saw Doc Nicole. As he lied down for bed, he smiled because he couldn’t agree more with Nicole’s message with the dirt.

NO REGRETS

JP

LTJG Chris Halloway
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Victory NCC-9754-A

Dr. Nicole Anderson
CMO
USS Victory

 

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