JPL | COM. Ivanova, Cmdr. Dahe'el - "I Was Looking For a Soft Place to Fall" pt. II/V

Posted on Sat Jan 10th, 2015 @ 12:51pm by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova

2,207 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: A Spot To Kill

"So, what are we doing now? Other than keeping warm," Almar replied as he flashed her another quick look and gestured towards the window, "I think I'd struggle out there."

Following his gesture, Rochelle cast a disinterested glance towards the window and the snowy darkness beyond. "Following doctor's orders. You're the one who decided not to hand me back my chair, this is your show." She grinned, turning her attention back to him.

"This is your house, I'm a guest, I wouldn't presume to tell a Commodore what to do in her own home." He added with a cheeky grin.

A wry little smile graced the face of just such little Commodore with its appearance. "But you'll presume to tell me what to do on my own ship?" She countered at the ready, "How does that work?"

"On the ship, the Doctor has ordered you to rest and relax, down here you're in command of your own lif. Starfleet doesn't rule down here." The Cardassian replied quickly.

Her initial reply was a rather undignified snort and the rolling of her eyes. "I call bullshit." Rochelle's hand appeared from beneath the blanket long enough to mime the tossing of a flag, a sign of foul in any number of sports. "You and I both know if I suddenly decided sky diving was a bright idea, you'd hold Rotek's orders against me." She accused without bias, knowing it was true.

"That is true, but there is much more you can be doing down here that doesn't involve the stress of running a ship or the dangers of throwing yourself out of a flying vehicle," Almar replied with a light chuckle, "I can suggest that you think again, but at the end of the day, if you want to do something while we're here, you'll do it."

A slender brow rose a fraction and Rochelle couldn't help but grin. "Skiing it is. We're only a quick hop from Flagstaff." Subject him to the frigid cold? She wouldn't dare dream of it. But the risk and the adventure almost seemed worth getting dressed and ready to go just to further tease and rile the big Cardassian up. The little Commodore, snuggled warm, knew in her heart that he'd tie her to a chair long before he'd let her run off on some death defying excursion. It was the cross he'd chosen to carry, to become her protector, to save her from everything harmful up to and including herself. She knew it well.

"You and I both know that you won't," the Cardassian replied, his eyes flicking from hers to the window and back again, "I'd be forced to come with you and I don't think you'd want to feel like you'd forced me out in that, at least not without a heated EV suit."

Her eyes rolled, shining with the light of challenge, but she ultimately knew he was right. Whether she wanted him to or not, he'd follow her to the ends of the Earth and then straight on across the universe. No matter where she went, no matter how dangerous the conditions were to him -- Almar would be there. "Nothing a good shearling coat wouldn't fix." She retorted dismissively.

"I still think a full heated EV suit would work better, less chance of my extremities freezing off," Almar responded with another chuckle, "An engineer without fingers isn't much use."

"They have pockets, you know, and there's these handy dandy things called gloves. Leather is surprisingly warm." Rochelle moved to study the hand nearest her, the one attached to the arm he'd cast about her little figure. It was large, a broad expanse of sage and steel, and so very capable of amazing things. It was odd to think of just how capable it, and its mate, were of such delicate and refined procedures also. Wire work and circuitry, loving and protecting. Her heart hurt, bucking and fluttering in her chest for a moment as the dawn of realization hit her and displayed the reality of things far and wide across the calloused palm she held in her tiny hands. She couldn't have them both, and more importantly, wouldn't allow herself to have them both. Pressing one of her own palms against his, the size difference was once again so vibrantly apparent.

He could feel it, something tugging at her, nothing needed to be said and nothing needed to be done, but all of a sudden the young redhead felt different, the touch of her hand on his drew the Cardassian in slowly, "What's wrong Rochelle?" he asked, his voice soft and lined with concern.

"Christmas dinner." She replied. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't even beginning to dabble on the other situation... The one that set to break hearts and spiral out of control. Her eyes closed for a moment, settling herself as she gathered her thoughts and forced them to walk a straight and narrow line. "I'd forgotten what it was to have family that cared and people who babbled away over dinner and loved one another and joked and played and exchanged gifts." Even thinking about it was enough to chase away the niggling worries of everything else and allowed the tidal surge of emotion to flood back in. Pain. Sadness. "I panicked." She shrugged, not daring to look at him, knowing how he'd enjoyed the entire thing. They were so exquisitely different, and she felt compelled to be more like him -- a better person entirely. "I just..." Rochelle sighed, fighting the pin prickles that dabbled along her nose as a herald to forthcoming tears. "It's been so long... Almost twenty years. I was so out of my element."

"It was a nice experience," Almar replied as he ran one of his hands through her hair and pulled her close. His lips found her temple and placed a soft kiss before he pressed his forehead against the side of her head, "You'll get used to it, you've found a good group of friends and made them into family."

The softest of smiles managed to cut through the sadness. As always, he'd managed to find the right combinations of words and actions to use as a balm against whatever hurt she'd managed to tangle herself into. "There's an old Terran expression... Blood is thicker than water." She hummed, lacing her fingers with his and squeezing gently, "but... Science tells me that water is the main component of blood. Family is family no matter what their pedigree is... And still it's just so strange and surreal." Another shrug and she rested against his chest, taking momentary solace in the quiet and the comfort while he toyed with her hair and held her. Soothed her. "I think seeing you and Zed so completely lit up and happy was what kept me from excusing myself."

"Amelia truly does have an amazing family, to make a stranger like myself feel as welcome as family," the Cardassian responded with a slight smile, "It felt almost like home."

Rochelle nodded slightly, "She does. I don't think they’ve ever meet a stranger."

Time seemed to slow for a few moments as he held her close, the snow outside even seemed to halt in its descent, the inexorable passage of time halted for what seemed like hours, the Cardassian was relaxed, he was happy and at the moment there was nothing else in the world he would consider asking for.

There was silence, frosted white and glittering as the home's exterior lights played along the edges of the darkness to turn snow to crystals and crystals to diamonds. Each facet seemed to twinkle, not unlike the stars they served and protected. In that moment, the faintest of them, before Rochelle allowed her eyes to close and her body to relax within his gentle grip, she could have sworn that she felt the temporal shift where reality and dreamland seemed to walk a fine line -- where time hit the brakes and life forgot about responsibilities and disappointments and simply allowed people to live as they desired. She could feel his heart beating against her back, and her own pulse thrumming along the sides of her delicate throat. They were things so so often either took for granted or was too caught up in prolonging to truly appreciate how vital and beautiful they were.

The cold outside was more of a threat than she ever could have imagined. It was a world of elaborate uncertainty all painted pretty as a rouse to cover and conceal the hidden dangers within. Snowfall and ice had been the beginning of the end of an era, had given birth to the fire that was the Phoenix, had transformed hate into respect and respect into admiration. It had given way to so much pain and strife, but also so much elegance in the way it had morphed and molded the emotional landscape. Summer had become winter, but there was still so much ground to cover before the spring thaw and that... That's what scared the sanguine one the most as she again squeezed the Cardassian's fingers and traced along the skin and scales that played along the back of it.

"Sometime we will have to move and find something to eat," Almar stated, breaking the illusion for a few moments as he felt his heart rate stabilize and match to her breathing. She was relaxing and her presence soothed him right down to the soul and bought him a peace that he'd rarely found elsewhere.

The tracing stopped for a short moment as if to highlight the fact she was considering his statement, before beginning again "At some point." She agreed. "Dani and her crew ran through here during the war. I can only assume they kept the replicator in working order or restocked supplies." Arching her back slightly, her brows lifted as she strained her neck to peek at the clock above them on the wall. "General store is open for another hour. If you want to hold down the fort, I can make a quick run?"

"If you want to run to the store, I'll see what I can do about getting the fire started," the Cardassian replied as he lent back slightly, "I trust there is a coat around somewhere that might fit me, and perhaps an axe."

Engaging her core, Rochelle forced herself to sit up and not simply allow herself to sink back along with him. Doing so would have been folly and fuel to the ever burning denial she allowed herself to live in. "Back porch, there should be stacked wood under a tarp to the right of the door. As far as coats go," She said while reluctantly finding her feet and stretching, her arms and fingers reaching skywards as she did so. "Hall closet. I like mine ridiculously big. They're warmer that way."

The sound of keys punctuated her next movement as she crossed the den to pluck them from a hanger on the wall. A bright Ford logo chain decoration swung as she palmed them and wandered back towards the same closet she'd directed him towards. Leaving without a coat of her own would have been suicide.

"Be safe," Almar said as he made his way over to the closet and went through the coats, selecting the biggest and trying it on for size, in the back corner was a large splitting axe, it's head clad in leather and it's shaft worn with heavy use, "I'll have the fire going by the time you get back."

"Sounds like a plan." Replied Rochelle as she finished buttoning up her jacket. "Listen... This isn't about work, it's about relaxing. If you get fed up with the wood working business, try upping the climate controls." Opening the door was another task, snow had been blown right up and against it, forcing her to push her way out and instantly reminding her that sandals hadn't been the wisest choice of footwear to wear down to the Arizona high country while winter still ruled as meteorological King. "If I'm not back in an hour, send a search party and don't go looking yourself," She cautioned with a grin, "Too many old mine shafts around here. No one's taken the time to document them all and people just go missing." The chuckle said she was only partly kidding, but with the wave of fingers and the jingling of keys, she was gone and out into the cold and dark. The loud crank and roar of her old pick-up's engine moments later and the red glow of tail lights as it crept down the driveway and onto the partially plowed road beyond was enough to confirm she'd at least made it that far.

If Hark, or those haughty Atlanteans, had seen her then, they likely would have blanched. Their precious crowned Commodore had returned to what had become the closest thing to roots she had; a high country rough rider -- even if her toes felt like they were freezing off.

-- Continued in Part 3 --

Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

&

Commander Almar Dahe’el
Chief Engineering Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E

 

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