The Gift

Posted on Tue Apr 28th, 2015 @ 12:28pm by Commander Sinek & Commander Angelica Fairchild

Mission: The New Sydney Fiasco
Location: First Officer Quarters
Timeline: The Day After Fear

Lieutenant Commander Sinek was full of energy. Yesterday, thanks to a sedative, he had gotten enough sleep to last a week. Now, he was full of energy. The Science team noticed it and advised him to take a break. It was nicer than saying to give them a break.

Sinek thought this to be the best opportunity to keep a promise to Angel. He went to his quarters, wrapped a small lamp in a cloth, grabbed some oil and headed to her quarters. He could tell that Angel had been working on meditating since he taught her some basics. The lamp was to honor her as his student.

Standing just outside her quarters, Sinek reflected on the night before. He had never told anyone he loved them. Many Vulcans would criticize him. However, Sinek's logic and the mind meld with the Doctor had taught him that love is a choice of the will. He has chosen Angel. He didn't want to make the mistake of his parents and other Vulcans. Sinek wanted those he cared for to know it.

He reached and rang the chime.

Having fallen asleep on the couch soon after her shift had ended, Angel woke up with a startled yell at the sound of the door chime. Not quite free of the dream - if you could call it a dream - she looked around frantically before realizing it had just been the door. Feeling a bit sheepish, she went to the door and opened it, finding Sinek waiting outside. "Hey!" Happy to see him, she pulled him into an embrace, cheerfully ignoring the Vulcan custom of avoiding unnecessary touch.

Her embrace of him was warm. Sinek could not resist returning the embrace.

"I have brought what I promised," Sinek said into her ear.

He stepped back and held out the lamp wrapped in a cloth. The lamp itself was a deep brown in color. Engraved into it and painted black were symbols that looked like they belonged on a musical score. He handed it to Angel.

Angel gently took the lamp, folding the cloth back to look at it. "It's beautiful."

"It was a gift from my first mentor to me. It was given to him by his teacher. And now, I give it to you," Sinek evenly expressed. "You honor me as your teacher."

"It's a lovely gift. Thank you." Angel kissed his cheek. "Why don't you come inside for a while?"

The spot on his cheek where she kissed him felt like the Fire Plains of Vulcan. "Indeed."

Sinek glanced about he quarters as if expecting someone else to be there. "I had heard you took in a roommate. I did not wish to intrude upon her."

"I was rescuing her from a night spent with people she'd rather not be subjected to... got her moved into a private cabin today. She needs her space." Angel hadn't told Sinek about Amelia spending the night on her couch, but she wasn't surprised that he'd heard. "I made her my yeoman so she could have that space."

"It is satisfactory that we are alone," came the steady voice of Sinek. He reached a gently touched her cheek, sweeping her hair behind her ear. He feel of her skin ran like electricity from his fingers up his arm. For just a second, it appeared the corners of his mouth rose, then returned to their normal state.

Angel grinned, fighting the impulse to laugh. "Sinek... you can say you're happy. I'm not going to tell anyone." Pulling him inside her cabin, she set the lamp down on her coffee table and gently unwrapped it. "And I'm sorry if I seem a little scattered. Fell asleep when I got home so I haven't eaten." She decided not to tell him about the dream unless he asked about it. So far she was pretty steady; her hands weren't shaking and she wasn't pouring sweat so it was easier to just pretend it hadn't happened.

"By all means, eat," Sinek replied. "We will then meditate together. I will prepare the lamp while you prepare a meal for yourself."

"Very sweet of you, thanks." Angel hated to keep him waiting, but she didn't remember if she'd eaten lunch or not so skipping dinner wasn't going to be an option. She wasn't especially hungry, so she just flipped through the replicator menu until she found something that at least looked appealing... and nearly replicated some sort of cheesy ham casserole before she realized that might be rude. Not wanting to offend Sinek, she backtracked to a similar casserole that instead had a variety of vegetables in it and replicated that instead. She hadn't set up a dining table yet, so she took the plate with her to the couch and sat down there, watching Sinek as he worked with the lamp.

Sinek spread the cloth in the center of the floor. He filled the lamp with oil and placed it upon the cloth. He sat cross-legged on the floor before Angel. He simply sat and watched her eat for a few moments.

From his observation, he stated, "You seem to be doing well with your meditation. You appear more rested."

"I feel more rested," Angel confirmed between bites of her dinner. "But I have to confess something... it's not been peaceful sleep... at least, not as peaceful as I'd like."

"Are you meditating before you sleep?" Sinek asked. "The slowing of the breathing and heart rate should prepare you for a peaceful rest."

"Sometimes. And it does help." Angel smiled just a little, poking at her food with her fork. "But if I forget or I fall asleep before I do it, I have nightmares. Usually the zombie-like creatures on the Romulan research station or putting a bullet in Cooper's head over and over. Today it was Devidians sucking out people's life forces, and I didn't even see any of them do that..."

Thankfully, Sinek had experienced a dream when he was under sedation. He knew this came from the limbic system within the brain. He redirected the dream using the hypothalamus to regulate his sleep cycle after hearing Angel's voice.

Sinek arose, gently took the plate from Angel's hand and brought her to the floor in front of the lamp. He encouraged her to take the seated position as he lit the lamp and took a position directly across from her.

"Tonight, you have the lamp on which to visually focus. Remember, it is symbolic of that which controls the chaos within you. You are that lamp."

Sinek fell silent and focused upon the lamp. He held his hands in the triangle before him. Although meditating himself, he kept his pointed ears tuned to Angel. He would also guide her to the hypothalamus; help her to regulate her sleep to be more peaceful.

It was oddly fitting that Sinek would use those words to connect her to the lamp, Angel thought. After all, she had often been called 'fiery' or 'hot-headed' early in her career. Sitting on the deck across from him, she easily copied his position and almost immediately settled into a more peaceful state. Soon she found that watching the lamp's flame was much easier than trying to focus on Sinek's eyes or a non-moving object in the room. Fire was a captivating thing, and little competed against it for her attention.

"Bring your mind to the limbic system," he coached, his eyes remaining on the lamp. There you will find the hypothalamus, just above the pituitary. The hypothalamus regulates sleep. It is here you will be able to change your sleep patterns."

For the next twenty minutes he walked Angel through bringing herself more peaceful sleep. The next ten minutes, he remained silent, meditated himself, and allowed Angel to work things out. After the session, Sinek extinguished the flame and refocus his eyes on Angel.

Angel remained quiet for several long seconds, taking solace in the quiet space she'd managed to create inside her mind. She was still afraid of the zombie creatures and the Devidians, but she wasn't afraid to sleep. She had the tools to turn the dreams around when they came. When she opened her eyes again, she reached across the lamp to hug Sinek, whispering in his ear, "Thank you."

Sinek held her close as they both stood. Angel's cheek against his brought warmth. The feel of her body pressed into him caused Sinek's body to react. Sinek quietly spoke into Angel's ear as he continued to hold her. "May I stay the night?"

"Yes," Angel answered without hesitation. "Absolutely."

Sinek looked her in those gray eyes, his lips showing a faint curl upwards. He kissed her deeply then stooped, picked her up and carried her to her bed. He also knew nerve centers of the body; knew where to caress her to elicit a response.

That night, as their bodies entwined, Sinek reached out with his mind to Angel's so that their total beings became one. One mind. One body. One Soul. His mind was open for her to know him, not just what she physically had experienced, but all of him. She would realize that in his 79 years, she was the only female he had chosen. She was his first and only love. He was hers physically. His mind belonged to her. She had his loyalty, faithfulness and integrity.