[BACK LOG] JL | CDR Valeese, LCDR Stacker | CMO, CIO | "Five Minutes, Pt. 2"

Posted on Fri Aug 23rd, 2019 @ 3:34am by Commander James Stacker & Commander Valeese Stacker
Edited on on Fri Aug 23rd, 2019 @ 3:40am

Mission: Dust Stirring
Timeline: Two days after "Wishful Sinful" (SD 241905.20)

In the end, it took seven minutes to reach her quarters. The extra time was on account of waiting for a pair of ensigns to disembark from the turbolift fifteen decks below the one that housed her quarters. They had argued in the doorway about which deck was the correct one: were they in fact two decks off, or did this one house the quarters of a third individual not present? Standing there in civilian attire - the fastest and most appropriate clothing he could put on, on such short notice - he had felt slightly ridiculous. Had he been in uniform the debate would have likely moved outside the car. But the ensigns had apparently thought he was just another "civvie" to be inconvenienced.

He muttered something under his breath as he hit the door control pad and heard a bell chiming inside her quarters. The trip had not put him in a good mood. That said, though, his night was about to get infinitely brighter. That alone was sufficient to erase all his moodiness.

Tucking herself deeper into her fuzzy robe, Valeese made the trip from bedroom to door. Bleary eyed, tired, and the slightest bit queasy, there was very little else that would have encouraged her to move that far that fast. The idea of seeing him, touching him... Palming the control, she stood back waiting for the door to open and when it did she couldn't help but step forward and wrap her arms around his waist. He smelled of soap and coffee, warm and familiar, as she rested her head against his sternum. Everything she knew and loved was right there, whole and complete, for just that perfect instant.

The response from him was automatic and instantaneous. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close, as her scent flooded his consciousness. This, he remembered, was why he'd came up here. Not just the proximity but being able to stand this close to her and not have to worry about anything else. At least for a little while. He bent over a little, pressing a kiss into her hair, smiling like a damned idiot as reality caught up to the moment and he realized just how fast she'd gotten her arms around him.

"I missed you." She hummed against his chest, cradled and secure in his arms. There would likely never be another time like this - one where she could pretend that everything was perfect in their little world. Perfect for all three of them. She sighed softly, pulling back enough to catch his smile. It was enough to make her heart skip a couple paces and erase the last tingles of worry that tried, in vain, to hang on. "A lot."

"I never would've guessed," he said. Amusement clearly laced his words, intertwined around and through them like silver in a mining vein. "After all, it isn't every night that I have a gorgeous woman asking me to come to her quarters on short notice." The latter was said with a telltale wink and broader smile. Seeing it, one would have been hard-pressed to suspect that once-upon-a-time, James Stacker had had difficulty even smiling. He hadn't smiled: not once in years. It had been an almost-forgotten skill. Fast-forward by months and the situation was greatly changed. His hands slid along the fuzzy cloth of her robe, up-and-down, reassuring when there was no need to reassure. Finally he gave a nod in the direction of her bedroom.

"I assume you didn't ask me to come up here just so we could hug. Or would you prefer to just sit and enjoy the starscape?" he gently probed. There was no judgment in his voice. Evidently he was fine with either option.

"Mmm. You strike a hard bargain." She hummed in response, forcing herself to step away. It was only enough to welcome him inside and her hands captured his, tugging him through the doors, "I choose both."

Both. Could she have both? In the case of stars and hugs, yes. In the case of everything else? No. Not a fucking chance. But she could pretend for that short while that everything was perfect and enjoy their little family unit.

It briefly occurred to him that were this any other person on the starbase he would not be giving them a lopsided grin and willingly allowing himself to be tugged through doorways. Val was something else, though, and so for a number of reasons - the vast majority of which were personal - he embraced the temporary reversal and let her take charge in an area where she so clearly deserved to be calling the shots. Not that he was about to object to any opportunity to break personal space and find himself holding her as close as possible, mind you.

The trip back to her bed was surprisingly smooth. On auto-pilot and walking backwards, she was able to navigate a woven path through furniture and up a single step, through a door, to find her chosen refuge. The blankets were still somewhat warm, inviting, and pulled back in open welcome. They offered the promise of a warm cocoon made far more complete by the fact they had no bias towards harboring him right along with her. She crawled in first, releasing his hands only because she knew he wasn't going anywhere else while she scooted across to the far side of the bed, tucking her legs under the blankets as she went. It didn't stop her from craving and missing the physical connection, or eagerly anticipating its return, all signs that she was completely screwed and in for hard times when she finally pulled the plug, tore up stakes, and left.

Valeese's heart lurched at the thought.

"Pretty decent view from here, not a whole lot of traffic." She offered by way of chasing away the melancholy.

"There's a ship coming in on the other side of the station," he said as the mattress dipped under his weight. The slightly-warm sheets slid over his legs before he reached down, grabbed hold of the blankets, and pulled them up to his waist. Such an act sealed the heat in, which was a good thing so far as he was concerned. It also let him move without fear of possible entanglement in the sheets and blankets. Which was also a good thing, considering that he too scooted across the bed in pursuit of this woman. He didn't stop until his legs brushed hers, and his fingers were stroking her hair. A shoulder pushed up one of the pillows, moving it under his head, letting him lay there and eyeball her with that dumbass quirky grin on his face.

It didn't take her long at all to trade sitting up for a chance to snuggle in close. The stars weren't her priority, she'd seen them thousands of times over the years - but that crooked smile and the way his eyes lit up in the darkness... Those were things she'd so much rather burn into her memory to have and hold forever and ever, amen. Her head found his chest, sensitive ear pressing against him and the comforting beat of his heart - the steady metronome combined with the sound and feeling of him breathing - erasing the bits of stress and pieces of worry that still lingered on. "I think most ships come in on that side of the station." She hummed in response, "Big one?"

His arms automatically closed around her smaller frame, trapping and holding her close. As if she was going to flee the bed! He almost chuckled at the momentary spurt of humor, trying to imagine her suddenly fleeing the warmth and contact with him. The thought wasn't successful; he let it disappear back into the ether of his mind, and went back to concentrating on her. "Yes. One of the largest I've seen out here," he added, as his fingers brushed across her shoulder and then wandered down her spine. "Not Starfleet, though. Passenger liner maybe." He inhaled, breathing in that wonderful smell he'd always associate with her. Vanilla and all sorts of other scents. His eyes glanced down, looking at her lavender ones blinking up at him.

"Figured as much. Only fleet vessels we generally see out here are the Vindicator and Endeavour and Vindicator is in orbit somewhere over there..." A single hand lifted, lazily gesturing to some vague area above and beyond them. It would be the only part of her that tried to 'escape' only to return just the same as it had left. It wasn't long before it found his sternum, idly stroking him in an attempt to be useful while his touch was steadily turning her to putty once again. If it wasn't for the possibility of conversation, more smiles, she'd have easily drifted off to sleep. Instead she offered him a small, contented smile of her own.

He expressed his own contentment at the moment by the hand that gently enveloped hers. It lifted it up, off his sternum, to where he could press a kiss into the small palm so easily enveloped by his. "I'm sure I'll be able to find out who it is, in the morning. Could ask now, but..." He gave her a small shrug and momentary lift-of-the-eyebrows and head-tilt that indicated, in his way, that it wasn't a very high priority. Certainly not like this moment. His head turned and lips found her palm again, delivering a slow and lingering contact.

Her smile broadened at the feel of his lips pressing to her palm, "Not important." She nodded gently, dismissing any responsibility for him to go track down the name of whatever ship was docking. It didn't matter to her - at least not at that moment - now that he was here and they were happy to simply be. Loving him came surprisingly easy and left her chest feeling swollen and achy - full with the emotion she wanted to share so very badly. She could taste the flavor of the words 'I love you' as they set, poised, on the tip of her tongue - but refused to free them. Admitting to that love, more than she already had, would make her disappearing act all the more difficult on them both.

Valeese couldn't, and wouldn't, go that far or inflict that much damage. The present set up was bad enough. No. She wasn't going to think about that. She was going to live in the moment, enjoying him, loving him, allowing herself to be loved in return. Her toes flexed against the mattress and his legs, propelling her up enough to be able to deliver a quick kiss to his scruffy jaw before her head returned back to its spot on his chest, "Much better end to the night than I'd anticipated."

He nodded in agreement, enjoying the tingling sensation from the kiss. It still didn't alleviate some growing sense of concern, though. There was something ... amiss. Something off. Something wrong. In layman's terms it would have been represented as a distant flashing yellow light in the back of his mind. What bothered him was that he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Before it could creep up and onto his face he put it aside, reasoning that if it persisted he'd do a security sweep of her quarters. For now, he focused on holding her. "What end did you anticipate?" he asked, lazy fingers coming up to fluff her hair and swipe across the back of her neck.

Shrugging gently, Valeese shivered at the combined sensation of feathery hair and his fingers tingling along the nape of her neck, "Spending it alone, waking up alone... I think I've gotten more used to you being around after hours than I care to admit." Sometimes it was better to be blissfully unaware of the things that ran through his mind. It allowed her to bask in nirvana and relax in the gentle security of his embrace and presence. Had she known that his mind was working overtime, hunting to put his mind's finger on something that troubled him, things may well have been different.

But there, swaddled in her favorite plush robe and the arms of her favorite person, she was ignorant to this inner investigation. More than happy, she moved her hand from his grasp long enough to run her index finger over his eyebrows and down the length of his noble nose until it met his lips, tracing his full lower lip before moving to his chin and falling away back to this chest.

He had been tempted to capture the fingers between his lips, but in truth his mind was letting itself get a little distracted. On what? Who knew. He scooted down in the bed, retreating under the covers thanks to a leg and foot and some hip and arm movement, until he was able to plant a kiss on her cheek and whisper in her ear. "You make that sound as if it's a bad thing." It was followed by another kiss, this one on the edge of a delicate fan-like ear. "I used to think waking up alone would be my lot in life." Another kiss. "Then I met you."

"That... That would have been the bad thing." She hummed, closing her eyes out of sheer pleasure - relishing the feel of his breath and lips against her ears, "The you waking up alone being your lot in life. Not the meeting me." Her tongue wet her lips as she fumbled through her final response to his words. Tired as she was, her body couldn't help but respond to his ministrations, pressing closer to him, stroking his shoulder. It was a dangerous game to play given her predicament, but so worth it.

The response he felt encouraged him to keep going. The fumbled words made him smile. He kissed her a few more times, then let his head settle back to the pillow and watch her eye-to-eye. "It really is too bad that I want to keep you in my life," he gently teased as fingers brushed her hair. "All those interesting things we might get up to someday." He paused, savoring this moment in time. "What would you say to getting off the station sometime? I'm sure there's an away mission somewhere that needs a spook and doctor for a field trip."

"Too bad, indeed." The Vorta chuckled softly, far from coming down from the tactile stimulation based high he'd induced with just a few well placed kisses and the stroking of his fingers through her hair. "Away mission? Doubt they'll want to send me anywhere anytime soon." And that suited her just fine at the moment.

Away missions held an element of danger, made it more difficult to defend and protect herself. It also meant a full physical upon return by a physician other than herself. Than was a big hell no. "Guess we're stuck being a couple of homebodies." Her expression may have faltered for a second, reminded that the ninety of interesting things they'd encounter were so very limited now, "Could be worse." She offered, encouraging the continuity of her good humor.

"Yes indeed," he replied, in a manner that was quite grave but also laced with good humor. "I guess so long as we're stuck being homebodies we'll just have to make the most of it." His eyebrows waggled suggestively, but the laugh he let out just seconds later completely and utterly undercut it. As did the sigh that came afterwards and the hand that crept around her waist to press into the small of her back.

"Won't we?" She grinned, her eyes closing as his hand palmed her and guided her closer to him by pressure and design of the touch. Christ... She could have stayed like this forever, laughing and touching and enjoying one another with no holds barred. If it hadn't been for her sloppy handling of very adult situations, she could very well have spent forever with him. That said, she refused to harbor ill will towards her baby... Their baby. She'd made her decision, her plans, and in a way she'd always have a part of him. Learning to live without him would prove difficult regardless.

Her lips found his in a brief, charismatic brush. "Thank you for coming up here and making me laugh."

"Yes, it would've been a very dull night otherwise," he replied before his lips returned the favor. A moment later his brain caught up to reality and he chuckled as his head back slightly away, letting him look at the loose fluffy robe she'd been wearing when she met him at the door. "Now, are you going to wear that robe all night long, or am I going to have to work to get you out of it?"

"Oh!" She exclaimed, laughing softly at the realization that she'd managed to keep the robe on to the point she'd forgotten about it. Just another barrier between them, another way to conceal the slow changes her body was going through. "I think you've worked hard enough tonight." She hummed, reaching to untie the belt at her waist, "Poor substitute for being in your arms anyway."

True story.

It didn't take long for the robe to be discarded and her body tucked back under the blankets and up against the warmth of him.

The two of them lay there for quite some time without speaking - just enjoying a closeness that might otherwise have been denied to them, tonight, without her invitation. He could only guess what she was thinking. As for him, as he lay there on his back and let her cuddle - for his chest did seem to make a nice pillow, as least from her perspective - he weighed just why the flashing light was back. It was right there, at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite make the connection. Darkness. Skin. Robes. Somehow it was all intertwined. He sighed and fluffed up the pillow with his free hand. The other was gliding to-and-fro along her lower back, teasing the upper swell of her rump.

There was a hum of appreciation, a purr more than anything, but even that sound was fleeting at be - yielding in deference to comfortable silence. At least for her. The gentle stroking of his hand promised that he was lost in thought, but tranquil. It wasn't dragging or worrying, but rather soft and secure... Maybe even questioning, but she ignored that in lieu of hooking a leg over one of his.

"Bet you're wishing you hadn't had coffee." She could still smell it, thick and sweet, on him. Another small comfort even though she couldn't partake.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said. The hand on her back ventured lower before reversing, letting the fingers lazily drag across her skin as they came back upwards. "Admittedly I thought the conversation wasn't going to end up with me in your bed, but I would much rather be awake than half-asleep and trying to converse." The fingers had found their way to her ribcage. From there they went around to her back. Just sliding. Gliding, really. Going nowhere in particular. His other leg bent out to one side, letting his foot find hers and slide atop it. Trapping it between his legs, but not so harshly as to preclude its withdrawal should she choose to do so.

Another low rubble of a chuckle shook her shoulders, "Yeah... Well... Neither did I, but what can I say," The Vorta's own hand was happily toying with the soft jersey cotton of his shirt over his chest. She smiled as he captured her leg, making no move to retreat or escape. "I can appreciate your logic, though." She could appreciate a lot of things about him. His loyalty first and foremost.

Her man made a soft sound of agreement and pleasure, although whether it was caused by her toying with the shirt or the words was unclear. Perhaps it was derived from both. "It didn't seem quite nice to drift off to sleep while we were talking. Which was a definitely possibility," he stressed as he gave her a soft squeeze, emphasizing his words. "I didn't think that was such a good idea. Wouldn't have been respectful." The last was said with that particular style of firm nod that seemed to brook no disagreement. Even though it was delivered up towards the ceiling, which was unlikely to disagree with him.

"More endearing than disrespectful." The hand on his chest patted him gently before resuming its play along the folds and creases of the fabric covering it. Disagreement was just one of her many talents - as a doctor she'd been well equipped with the ability to forge ahead when someone decided to be difficult. Not that he was difficult, he was simply stubborn and a touch chivalrous... Maybe even old fashioned. In so many ways he reminded her of the heroes found in so many of her books, even if he was a sniff jaded.

"Regardless, you're here and I'm tempted to take a second day just to enjoy it with you." That... And be absolutely certain that her game plan of crackers and toast within a few minutes of waking would indeed keep sickness at bay. While it was normally a memory by the time most women entered the second trimester, each pregnancy was different and her body, and its stowaway, had decided different. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought.

He mistook the wrinkling of her nose for something else, going to the wrong conclusion even though it gave him pause to do so. "You don't have to take a second day if you don't want to. I won't mind playing the role of neglected lover." Try as he might, he could not erase the tease from his voice. But why was her nose wrinkled? What was wrong about time off with him? An eyebrow lifted involuntarily as he looked down his chest at her, head cocked to the side so as to give him a better view.

"Wait.. What?" Both of her eyebrows rose in surprise and question as she met his eyes, her own searching his for some sort of answer to her confusion. And then it dawned. He'd seen her nose wrinkle at her thoughts. "No." Valeese shook her head. The demanding child seemed to be making ground when it came right on down to it, but her mother was far more clever than most, "I wasn't looking forward to the idea of going back to work at all. That's all."

"Ahh..." The acknowledgement trailed off and he lay there, still looking at her. There was something ... something ... His eyes flicked to-and-fro across her face. After a moment, though, he evidently saw something that made him relax. And then he slid to the side and sat up, blankets spilling away as his hands went to his shirt and began pulling it over his head. "Well if we're going to stay in bed and you're tempted to play hookie, I might as well do my darnedest to convince you that it's a good idea. Hell, I'll join you," his muffled voice said. The eagerness was back again. If it hadn't been for that slight pause, it would've been like nothing amiss had happened.

Naive. She was naive for thinking he wasn't suspicious, that he'd dropped it right there - or even for thinking that his passive-aggressive little comment had been the first light of any suspicion he may have had. Maybe it was the desire to enjoy his company for the limited time they had left together, or the enjoyment of her little game of make-believe that was going on, but she discarded any and all concern or worry and grinned, scooting back and keeping the blankets folded back against her thigh to give him the space necessary to strip, "Consider me convinced." Valeese grinned.

It took a little doing. The shirt was one thing easily discarded - thrown, more accurately, to crumple against the wall and slide to the floor. The pants, on the other hand, were a little more difficult. Blankets and sheets on a bed were not necessarily the most conducive things to stripping right now to full-glory bare-ass nakedness. More than once it threatened to tangle around his leg. Finally, though, he succeeded and tossed them away. Where they landed he had no idea, and to be perfectly honest he really didn't give a damn. What he did care about was getting as physically close to her as possible. He slid back under the sheets and the blanket again and moved back to her, arm sliding around her waist to pull her close and legs sliding against hers. The only additional thing was, really, a prerequisite.

"Enjoy the show?"

"I'd give it a ten," There was a gentle shrug and a smart assed smile that steadily began to radiate as something bigger and better. Laying against someone you loved, skin on skin, was as close to magic as one could get. It was warm, safe, wonderful. It was the closest two people could get and often more tender than making love. Valeese snuggled in close, dropping a kiss to the tip of his nose.

He chuckled in pleasure as a warm and contented glow spread inside. Her being pressed to him felt right and natural by now. Tucked under sheets and blankets, even more so. Had he known her thoughts on the subject he would have agreed, no doubt, but being ignorant of them the best he could do was ... this. His lips landed on the tip of her nose, returning the favor. That quirky grin spread across his face as he pulled away. "I feel like I'm a teenager again. Can't imagine the reason why. There would probably be a few shocked folks around here if they heard that, too," he said before he moved in again to nuzzle her.

"Can't imagine at all," Her lips found his chin in a quick peck that punctuated her verbalized thoughts a second, "I mean... What with sneaking out at night and hiding in bedrooms and the copious amounts of sex... Nah I can't see it." In her quest to re-claim his chest, she scooted over a touch and her shoulder met the cool rounded edge of the little communication device she'd used to reach out to him earlier in the night. It took a bit of effort, mainly contorting, to reach for it and free it from beneath her pillow and shoulder - but once freed she held it up and towards him. "Don't need this anymore tonight," She couldn't help the humor that filtered over her words, "Would you kindly stash that in my nightstand for me?"

If anything, the off-set smile on his face got a little larger as he let out a renewed sound of amusement. His fingers, in the meantime, were sliding atop hers and gently plucking the tiny device from her grip. "As a gentleman, I promise not to fixate on the idea that we've been enjoying in quite a bit of ... 'fun'," he assured her, though accompanied by a telltale waggle of eyebrows. The mattress shifted, however, as he broke away from their delightful faux-entanglement and rolled over onto his back, reaching to the drawer to comply with the request. It slid open easily enough, and the device was quickly dropped inside. There was, however, a slight crinkling sound and the feel of fingers-on-plastic. Judging by the look on his face, and how he shut the drawer without pause, it appeared - 'appeared' being the operative word - not to have registered.

"So, where were we?" he asked as he rolled back over and the hand slid around her back, ensuring a renewal of the close proximity they'd had mere seconds before.

Had it not been for the way he rolled back to her, joking all the way, she'd likely have thought more of the subtle noise of a cracker sleeve being messed with. It went without a care, her sharp ears discarding it and more of that naivety rose up and claimed her, allowing her to curl back up against him. Maybe if it hadn't been for the dark, or the fact she was all too happy to rest with him and close her eyes out of sheer contentment, she'd have noticed something - but that wasn't on the docket. "You, me... Bed... Engaging in the great thing called 'cuddling' and agreeing that we've been acting like a couple of teenagers." She half chirped, half hummed, in reply before resting her lips against his chest.

"Oh right." The pleased little chirp pleased him to no end, even as his fingers unconsciously found their way up to play with her hair. For some reason he took an odd pleasure in stroking it gently and sliding the spaced-out digits through its magnificent strands. Fluffing it and sliding fingers along the nape of her neck. Her lips pressing to his chest felt nice, too, he had to admit. It spoke volumes to mutual affection and pleasure. Which made him even more content and relaxed. "I give it twenty minutes before the teenagers come out to play," he said. A moment later he found himself winking at her and sliding a hand down to cup her rear, squeezing it affectionately before he chuckled in amusement that undercut the seriousness of his words. A little flirtation was good, after all. Especially with her.

"Keep dreaming," The Vorta found herself patting him comfortingly as if to offer a consolation prize, "Some of us..." Her voice strained as she stifled a yawn, "like to sleep... Sometimes." More often than not, now-a-days. Energy was proving to be a fleeting thing, easily sapped and gone within the blink of an eye. Warm, safe, and comfortable, the steady cloud of tiredness began to settle in over her - dulling some of her senses as her body capitulated to the warm realization that he was there and when he was there, there was nothing to worry over - at least that was in their control.

His lips found her forehead, pressing a soft kiss there. Any sound of flirtation, or thought of it, had been banished when she yawned; he realized then that while he had coffee rattling around his system she did not. Come to think of it why didn't she? It was a fleeting question - here one moment, gone the next - quickly replaced with his natural air of protectiveness where she was concerned. It was why his other arm loosely enveloped her. In this case, it meant settling atop her hand while he slid that fraction-of-an-inch closer. A step that made absolutely, positively, sure that they were together and she was both safe and secure. "Then get some sleep dear," he whispered to her. "I'll be here."

"That's what I was counting on." Her lips quirked into a subdued smile as she practically whispered her response in the dark. It was more than comfortable and an easy situation to wind down in. Valeese was fading fast, her eyelids suddenly heavy weighted and gritty with whatever the sandman had thrown at her. It didn't take long enough before her breathing evened out and her body softened as sleep stole away what tension remained and left her in peaceful slumber. This was the antithesis to the tossing and turning she'd have endured, a night struggling to get comfortable with a pillow - or two - crammed between her knees to help alleviate the growing ache in her hips and back. With him there, she was perfectly at ease with all discomfort nothing more than a fading memory.

She'd be thankful for it in the morning, without a doubt. Even more so because she was blissfully unaware of the way his brain was storing information and playing connect the dots with information obtained on the sly.

The flashing light in the back of his mind - the one that said that something was amiss - had never really gone away. While she slept he turned back to it and what he knew, staring up at the dark ceiling as if the answers were hiding there, temporarily ignorant of the arm that ran down her back and fingers that rested on her hip. His way of keeping her close, short of more drastic measures.

And what did he know, he asked himself? She had expected to spend the night alone. A tad unusual for an affectionate woman such as herself. Both of them embraced - no pun intended - physical affection and contact, as much as possible behind closed doors. And she'd needed a personal day. Right. People could be like that.

The robe. Big and fluffy, and she'd worn it to bed. It was comfy and she liked it. But that led to another thing: was she hiding her body? Neither of them were nudists but he'd ... The corner of his mouth flattened as he tried to think back on the last time he'd seen her naked under the lights. For that matter, when was the last time they'd showered together? Lately she'd taken to being up, showered, and dressed before him. No milking-out-the-comfort. A tad odder, he conceded.

Her energy levels. For that matter, when was the last time he'd seen her drinking coffee? That was definitely interesting. He knew she liked it almost as much as himself. But she hadn't had any in weeks. If not months. Oh, and crackers in the nightstand drawer? That was new. Was she sick? Ill?

He mulled all this over for several minutes and got nowhere in his thoughts. Whatever it was - if it even was something to be concerned with - it made for an interesting and stimulating series of developments, but ... he had to concede that it felt like he was fishing for an answer that didn't exist. Yet at the same time his gut was saying that this was something to be concerned with. Not necessarily alarmed at, but this was something he'd have to think about. Because why would she hide herself in darkness and under uniforms and fluffy robes? Why swear off coffee? He made a thoughtful sound and let his eyes close, content in having her at his side.

A moment later, when his mind made the connection, his snapped open. No fucking way...

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To Be Continued...
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Lt. Commander James Stacker
Executive Officer
COLD STATION THETA, SB-1170

Commander Valeese
Chief Medical Officer
COLD STATION THETA, SB-1170