Posted by Lieutenant Commander Richard Marsh (Person Who Keeps The CO In Line (XO)) in Sweet Dreams in Marsh Land

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Pets & 2nd Officer (COP)) in Sweet Dreams in Marsh Land

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Richard Marsh (Person Who Keeps The CO In Line (XO)) in Sweet Dreams in Marsh Land
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(snip)
Amongst the clothes were several pictures. His sister, his parents, him and some woman she’d never seen. He looked happy and Brenna was thankful for that. She put them on a shelf and returned, delving more. Lifting out a blanket she could feel another picture. The blanket was familiar, thin but heavy and warm. Wrapped in the blanket was a picture of the two of them, wrapped in the blanket, roasted marshmallow and melted chocolate smeared over both their faces. She could almost hear the laughter coming from the picture.

At the bottom of the crate was hiking pack. Full of climbing gear. Brenna smiled. They’d spent a lot of weekends in the mountains of Earth, climbing, hiking, and camping. She lifted the pack out and looked down at the sound of a heavy thud as something fell out. She looked down, “Oh.” She set the pack down and picked up the silver and red Swiss Army knife. She opened each blade one by one expecting them to be stiff from lack of use, but they were well oiled and the blades clean and sharp. She didn’t think he still had it. She’d given it to him after the first time they all went camping. He’d kept complaining “why didn’t we take this or that or the other thing.” and this little knife seemed to solve all his woes. She placed it back in the pack, her hand found a smooth round object and she pulled it out. She flipped open the compass as the needle spun aimlessly from being moved but not finding north. Not in a spaceship. But the lid caught her attention. There was picture of her tapped to it. “Oh Richard…”

She stacked the empty crates, repacked his medals and commendations (using that transporter he was fond of to send that create to his office), and placed the pack in his closet. She returned to the living area, wrapping the blanket around herself, tucking her legs under on the couch and picked up the picture, studying it for a long time. Eventually, she set aside, the compass clasped in her hand, the glass of juice still forgotten on the table, and finally succumbed to the sleep she so desperately needed.
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

Richard and Fenris waltzed in their new quarters on the Constellation. His eyes widened as he saw Brenna fast asleep on his couch with his compass in her hand. She had apparently unpacked some of his boxes and discovered a secret or two of his along the way. He knew that she would definitely be questioning him about her picture being in his compass when she returned to reality. He glanced down to make eye contact with Fenris and raised his hand with his left index finger extended upwards brushing his lips as he whispered, “Shhh, do not wake mum.” He wanted to conduct a survey of his new quarters and have a few moments of silence before Brenna became conscious that he had arrived at his quarters.

Geri and Fekri lifted their heads from where they were on floor right in front of Brenna. No warning sound came from them, recognizing his scent as matching the items in the room, and Fenris. The greeted each other quietly and Fenris padded eagerly around the entire area checking everything out. Brenna stirred in her sleep (intel makes one a light sleeper) but when no warning came from the dogs she dismissed the sound. She was that exhausted. A finger tap, and 2 noses touched her hand, and eventually a third. All was well in dream land.

He walked throughout his quarters and saw the she had been hard at work unpacking a few of his boxes. Perhaps she would help him finish up the place and assist him with home decor ideas. Interior decorating was never one of his strong suits and he could really use Brenna’s feedback on the matter. He had always been more of an outdoorsman camping and mountain climbing kind of guy. He uncovered the picture of Brenna and himself from the Academy. There was another pending topic of discussion when she woke up and he took mental note of it. He had always loved Brenna, but was not always as vocal about his emotions as she was at all. Richard was beside himself when she left him originally, but he never put those feelings on display in front of her. Between a mix of women’s intuition, her natural telepathic abilities, the fact that she can read his emotions like a book a good portion of the time, and being an intelligence officer for a living, Brenna always figured out the truth. She was an unstoppable force that could not be reckoned with in those regards.

Richard sighed after he saw that his information and electronic devices were placed in the left drawer when he preferred them in the right drawer due to his handedness. He did not know that she was joking and just figured that she forgot about his preferences from eight years ago. He was just genuinely happy that she had taken the time to help him begin the unpacking process. Perhaps he would have dinner with her at his quarters this evening since they have hit it off well to start and she deserved that to say the absolute least. He re-entered the living room, picked up the half full glass of fruit punch, and headed to the replicator to recycle the glass, “Computer recycle.” The glass and liquid immediately vanished in front of his eyes. He thought about a potential drink choice for the two of them and knew she would need a bit of a stimulant to remain awake before bed time, “Computer, two cups of hazelnut flavored coffee with milk and sugar.” Two mugs full of delicious coffee formed in front of him immediately.

His voice registered more as a wisp from a dream. It had to be a dream. Oh how her memory taunted her, from the perfect accent to being beamed away. Just like him, but that was 8 years ago, and she was determined to hold onto that dream for a few minutes longer. And then the voice again, oh that was real. That was VERY real. The cold smooth metal of the round compass in her hand. Her ears began to pick up the sound of soft foot falls and a very happy Fenris exploring his new home. She wasn’t sure she was ready to ask him about the compass, and so it slipped softly from her fingers and between the cushions. The picture, the blanket, the…She’d realized the mistake she’d forced days into her first assignment. There’d been no choice then and she’d been young and had no idea how to fix it. Now, the guilt was just worse, and Brenna was caught between taking the second chance, and not breaking his heart again.

Richard picked up the two beverages and stepped into the living room setting Brenna’s mug on the coffee table in front of her. He rubbed her shoulder softly, just to politely wake her up. She would be upset if she slept and woke up at her usual bed time, so he really was doing her a favor. The tone of his voice was soft as he set his hand back at his side, “Nap time is over sleeping beauty.” Brenna was a gorgeous woman as a matter of fact and was definitely Queen quality all around in his opinion. He stood there mug in hand allowing her to awaken from her slumber so that he could sit on the couch next to her. He already knew that she would want to talk about them a bit more and he also wanted to thank her for her efforts. After she would awaken he would take a seat next to her and enjoy a delicious coffee with a woman he thought highly of without any doubt. He would grin at her and his tone was meant to inflect humor, “Did you get locked in my quarters? Bided your time awaiting my arrival?” He chuckled and then continued, “Thank you for helping unpack a few things. I meant to transport you to your own quarters and it appears that my mistake worked out well for the both of us though. It appears that you have made a few discoveries of my personal items along the way as well.” He raised an eyebrow for a quick moment, raised the mug to his lips taking a sip of his coffee, and then set his drink back on the coffee table in front of him. He leaned back into the couch and turned his head to face Brenna.

• Lieutenant Commander Marsh, XO

She blinked, ‘Sleeping beauty,’ was almost too much. Sitting up and moving, taking the cup, inhaling the aroma. How, how could he remember exactly how she drank it. She held the cup, the heat and aroma waking her up as she sipped it. Locked in? Oh if he only knew she’d left and then come back, breaking into his quarters. Gone through his things, well he knew that didn’t he. His emotions were easy for her to read. And her own in a swirl of exhaustion. She listened to him talk and when he finally leaned back, instinctively she started to lean against him. Richard, for all his craziness and laughter and determination and patience and caring, deserved better than her. Instead she forced herself to put the mug down and stand up. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” Her voice cracked, but she was determined to get out of there before she cried. Exhaustion…right? But the dogs, not prepared for the sudden movement, slowed her down.
Lt Cmdr Atoded, CoP

Richard rose to his feet from the couch, stepped closer to Brenna, and extended his right hand taking her smaller left hand with a comfortable grip. He pulled her in close to his body and then took her right hand softly with his larger left hand. He stood in front of her in a wide stance, made direct eye contact, and lowered both of their hands to waist level comfortably. He was not going to let her walk away this time, he made the same mistake eight years ago and second guessed himself up until that particular moment. He grinned, “What’s the matter? Was the coffee not on par to your liking?” His facial expression went neutral and his voice had a tone that indicated that he was quite serious in what he had to say, “Brenna, please do not go. I want you to stay here with me.”

Brenna stilled as his hand found hers. His touch gentle but his stance implacable. He wasn’t letting her leave…and he pulled her into him, his body heat chasing away the chill that comes from waking up before you’re ready. Her black eyes, shinning from unshed tears, locked to his stunning blue gaze. After all these years her smaller frame still seemed to fit in his embrace perfectly.

She smiled slightly in response to his grin, his was contagious. It was no mistake he asked her about the coffee. He’d asked her the same thing on their first date. He had ordered two bitter black coffees. She didn’t touch hers and he’d asked her the exact same thing. She had proceeded to tell him she didn’t like coffee but drank hot chocolate instead. The small shop only served coffee. Richard had spent the next hour finding something she found tolerable-hazelnut flavored coffee with milk and sugar. Richard didn’t express his feelings with words, it wasn’t the way he was; he expressed himself quite clearly in his actions and his thoughts. The coffee was chosen specifically to remind her, and to remove the sleep and cobwebs. What was wrong was that she desperately wanted him to tell her to stay, but afraid she was ‘feeling’ from him what she wanted, influencing him.

Her eyes never left his; he wanted her to stay. Even though it was what she wanted to hear, she needant worry, he wanted it to. The seriousness of his tone, his body language, the way his gaze captured hers, clearly stated that, and of course his thoughts and emotions were quite clear.

He released her hands and rolled his head for a moment while he sighed, “Listen, I know that you have a lot to process with us reuniting after a long period of time and having to work with me could be overwhelming I know. I understand that it probably stresses you out. I get it completely.” He nodded once indicating that he knew where she was coming from, “However, the truth is, I never really completely let you go. My heart was broken when you left me, but after reflecting on it over the course of time I learned that I should have stopped you from walking out of my life that day. That was my fault and mine alone. I made the bed of rocks and laid in it for far to long at this point.” Richard paused for a moment looking down at the ground clearly thinking about what he would say next.

His blue eyes then darted upwards slightly to meet her gaze once again, “Listen, I saw the compass in your palm when I came into my quarters, you can sense my feelings with your supernatural kickass Betazoid empathic ability, and you already know my desires for our future. Feel free to read me, I can not hide much from you as it is, you are the best damn intelligence officer I have ever met. I am not always an expressive man, but I will say this one time. I want to make us work and see this opportunity as a second chance. However, if you do not feel comfortable with me being on the Constellation, then I will request a transfer.” He sighed again, “Wow, I just said a lot.” He raised his index finger on his left hand, “But I meant every word of it. I would love to hear your honest thoughts Brenna. That is in your DNA as a Betazoid right? Isn’t your race always blunt as all get out? Give me the blunt version please. I felt something in my gut when you kissed me earlier and I am rolling with that feeling now. I believe in us.” Richard had true conviction behind his words and definitely believed in what they stood for as a whole.

• Lieutenant Commander Marsh, XO

By the four Gods when the man finally decided to talk, he really talked. Supernatural kickass Betazoid empathic abilities. Some hold over to those super heroes he was always referencing-she had no idea about any of them. “I didn’t want to break heart. I was hand picked for my first mission. I was told to settle my afairs, to take that seriously, it wasn’t just lip service. The risk was high…” She bit her lower lip, her gaze never leaving his. He would see the haunted expression on her face, feel the shiver go through her body where he’d pulled her close, and ‘feel’ fear from her memories. “I didn’t want you waiting for me if I never came back.” She thumped his chest, hard, “You weren’t supposed to wait for me! You were supposed to hate me and move on. You weren’t supposed to…” Her voice trailed off as the years tracked down her cheeks. She made no effort to hide them. “I always loved you, Mouse heart.” Normally she meant to tease him with the term but it carried a wealth of memory and emotion that Richard could feel. Her mental touch was like sun warmed velvet. ‘We were always a good team. And as far as the ship goes, please don’t give it up. I want you here, you’ve worked hard for it. If nothing else I’ll be the ship’s number two.’ She took his hand placing it over her heart. Her mind, her superpower, connected them easily. ‘I feel it here, I always have. I love you, I always will. I promise I won’t leave unless you tell me too.’ The blunt was that she felt he deserved the second chance but that she didn’t. She would take it anyway-he would feel that clearly along with her promise. ‘But I don’t want to be your number 2.’ She smiled softly but genuinely, the whole time her eyes still locked on his. But she would not kiss him this time; he would have to make that choice if he would trust her promise.
Lt Cmd Atoded