Resting By The River

Posted on Sat May 23rd, 2015 @ 11:58am by Commander Angelica Fairchild & Commander Sinek

Mission: The New Sydney Fiasco
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Follows "What would you like to do?"

True to her word, Angel had finished that one report and promptly escaped the confines of her office, going down to one of the holodecks. Sinek had said he would meet her there, and she wanted to have a program chosen and ready when he arrived. Fortunately, the holodeck menu had plenty of simulations that included peaceful rivers... and several that weren't as peaceful. She picked a program with a gently bubbling river and lush grass on the banks, grinning a bit as she did so.

Sinek had taken the short time to freshen up. He put on his fresh, clean uniform. While he did so, he thought about the program Angel may have prepared for the two of them. Again, he had only used holodecks in the past for training or experiments. He did not fully understand using them for personal leisure activities.

The CSO strode to the holodeck and saw a program had already been activated. The one that he loved was awaiting him inside. Entering, he glanced around, seeing the lush green banks. His sensitive hearing heard the river before he moved forward and saw the water. He didn't see Angel right away, so he said her name, louder than usual, but as even as ever.

"Over here!" Already sitting on the river bank, Angel got up and waved to get Sinek's attention. Like her, he was still in uniform, but even from a distance she could see that his was freshly pressed and hers... hers was not. Hers was still rumpled and creased from long office hours, and she was suddenly acutely aware of it.

Sinek calmly walked over to Angel and sat in the grass next to her. "This is an excellent environment," Sinek stoically replied. "I understand why you enjoy the river. It is calm, peaceful. This is an ideal place to seek reflection in solitude."

He leaned his back against a nearby tree. Opening his arms in an encouraging way, Sinek invited her to lean back against him. "It is also an ideal place to be alone with someone for whom you love."

Sitting back down in the grass, Angel positioned herself so that she leaned back against Sinek, allowing the tree behind him to support both of them. "Yeah, it's pretty perfect for either activity. Decent for swimming too, if the temperature's turned a bit higher... I wanted the cool breeze though. It feels nice."

"Indeed," Sinek agreed.

What felt better than the breeze was Angel leaning against his chest. Sinek wrapped his arms about her waist and gently held her.

Sinek had been concerned for Angel. It seemed she was not getting much sleep. The human metabolism could not take that as the Vulcans' do. Angel needed to experience true down time.

He spoke softly, "it is a good place to relax."

"If I relax too much I might fall asleep." As if to prove her point, Angel yawned, blushing bright pink as she did so.

Leaning forward and kissing her cheek, Sinek asked, "Would that be a terrible thing? You must listen to your body, Angel. Take this time to rest. I will still be here holding you when you awaken."

"Guess it wouldn't be so bad." Angel had to admit that at least she'd be falling asleep in a comfortable place with the person she loved. "The other thing my body's been telling me is that office needs a new chair. My back's been killing me lately."

Sinek was never one to sit too long in a chair. He accomplished more effectiveness by being mobile. However, when all departments needing Angel's authorization, she had been bogged down with administrative duties. He had seen this in Angel's office.

Sinek spoke softly into her ear once more. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you too, Sinek." Angel snuggled a bit closer to him, enjoying how the warmth from his body felt on her sore back.

Sinek was certain if the roles were reversed, Angel would do something soothing that she had learned from her mother. He had learned no such thing from his, nor from the caretaker with whom they left him while they were on business. It was only when he was older that he was permitted to travel with them. This was to encourage Sinek to pursue the path they had determined for him.

"Tell me about your mother and father." The words came out as a statement, but was more of a request.

"Well they were pretty surprised when I decided to join Starfleet." Angel smiled a bit at that memory, the shocked expressions they'd both given her. "Most humans would consider me a spoiled child while I was growing up. No brothers or sisters, and for a Federation family we were pretty high-class. Anything I could dream up, I had it. Not something I like to tell fellow officers about, you know? People hear that and think I'm some sort of rich snob. Way I see it, I was just one hell of a lucky kid. Never had to worry about anything. It's what childhood should be, but so many people don't have that." She sighed a bit. "Always had pets of some kind, so it's been hard not having one. If I was sick or I had a bad day, Mom would put one of the cats in my lap and we'd just sit together. On a really bad day, there would also be chocolate involved. Or a shoulder rub, if she thought I was too tense. I'm sure she thought I'd die at the academy without that."

"It seems," game the even Vulcan tone, "you have the understanding you were loved."

He did not have that understanding for himself. Compared to the relationship he developed with Angel, the one he had with his parents seemed cold and distant. He gently squeezed her. One thing Sinek knew, he did not want this relationship to be distant.

"Very much so. They were so relieved when I called them after our time travel adventure. If they could get their hands on a ship, they'd be here." Angel grinned a bit at the idea. "What were your parents like?"

"They were...distant," Sinek explained without inflection. "Their duty carried them all over the known multiverse. I rarely saw them in my early years. They ensured that I would receive care. But it seemed to be from duty as parents, not love. Vulcan families are much different than Terran."

"I got the impression that Vulcan families were different, but that's... kind of depressing, from a human standpoint. Anyone can provide for a child's basic needs... food, water, shelter. But kids need more than that." It was merely an honest opinion, and Angel's tone suggested it as such. "I'm sure they do love you, but they don't know how to express it."

Sinek momentarily reflected upon his parents, while listening to the gentle currents of the river. He may never have the understanding about his parents that Angel has of hers.

He understood the bond he and Angel had formed was a good thing. As far as he knew, he was the first full-blooded Vulcan to understand love in this way. He gently brushed his cheek against hers.

Quiet and even he spoke again, "I may never know if that were truth. My parents view me as a rebellious son because I chose the path of Science above diplomacy. I have not spoken with them in fifty years."

"Vulcans and family traditions. I swear, they feel more strongly about such things than Klingons do." Angel thought it was a bit silly that Sinek and his parents hadn't spoken for so long, but she politely kept that thought to herself for now. "Imagine what they'd think if they saw us together..."

"Indeed," Sinek replied. They would rather he would be mated to T'Vas, who was a daughter to another diplomatic Vulcan family. She had chosen to follow in the same path. Sinek would not agree to the arranged marriage.

"If I had thought my parent's paths were logical for me, I would be an ambassador. The probability of us meeting near nil."

He gently squeezed her once again. "I know I have correctly chosen the proper path for my life."

"I'm glad you chose this path and not the path of diplomacy." It required some flexibility, but Angel twisted just enough to kiss his cheek. "Never thought I'd say this to anyone but... I needed someone like you in my life." She knew it was no secret that she'd been immeasurably calmer - and easier to deal with - since meeting Sinek, and the more they explored the bond forming between them, the more noticeable it was getting. Not once in her life had she ever thought she'd be dating a Vulcan. Or that through dating said Vulcan she'd find herself feeling more balanced and centered. She hadn't given much thought to dating at all, really, and any prior relationships that had presented themselves had quickly fallen flat or disintegrated completely. Just when she'd finally thought she was just incompatible with people, Sinek had proved her wrong. And boy had he been insistent about it.

Her warm lips pressing against his cheek stimulated the nerve endings on his cheek. He craned his neck so that he could look into her steel gray eyes. Even the neutral color of her eyes spoke to Sinek of the balance Angel brought to him.

"You were much needed in my life. You have brought balance to my life. If not for you, I would most likely be working myself off of my third ship."

He bent his head forward and kissed Angel on the lips as he brought his right hand up to brace her head.

Angel lingered there for a moment, still a bit awed by the seemingly electric spark between them with that sort of contact. She didn't know if it had something to do with Sinek's telepathic abilities, but she'd certainly never felt it with anyone else. "Tell me what you mean by that. Working yourself off another ship."

Sinek again paused for reflection, listening to the flowing river. He never knew what he missed out on aboard his two previous ships until he experienced it here. The fact that not just one, but two people have reached out to Sinek as friends caused him to become aware of the void in his life caused by the distant relationship he had with his parents. He knew these two could not replace his parents. But already, the had become closer than anyone else ever came to Sinek. And the fact that one of these two actually loved him and he had mated with her outside of pon farr, was astounding.

Sinek moved his arms about her waist once more. He held her snugly to himself, placing his left cheek next to Angel's right.

When he spoke, he was at peace. "I never saw the need for relationships before the Hera. If it were not for the wisdom of an ancient half-Vulcan and yours and the Doctor's willingness to allow me into your lives, I would most likely still be referred to by the human term 'Cynic.' Even though I had served with distinction in my previous posts, the Captains transferred me because I did not have my team's respect. You have helped me to see the importance of those relationships. You are my counterbalance."

Angel listened quietly to what Sinek had to say, nodding slightly. "I think I understand. And I'm happy to be your counterbalance. I mean, I had some friends before you joined the crew, but none that had reached out to connect with me the way you did."

Just the corners of Sinek's lips turned upwards as he remembered his first few meetings with Angel. "Perhaps you did not fascinate them as much as you did me."

Angel smiled a little. "Maybe. Most people on the ship think I'm a bitch anyway."

Sinek raised a brow and flatly replied, "Female yes, but you are not a canine. The truth is that there is a similarity. The female canine reacts to a potential threat to her brood. You become dangerous when someone or something is a potential threat to your crew. It is a good quality for a First Officer."

"Well, yes." Angel couldn't help giggling a bit. "But that's not what they mean. It's a human colloquialism... it's a crude word for a mean woman."

Sinek tilted his head as he tried to grasp that concept. "I do not understand the logic of someone referring to another in that way. The very act indicates that the person making that identifying the other in such a way is mean his or herself."

He then spoke quietly in her ear. "Besides, I do not believe I have ever seen you in a mean state."

"I've never arrested you or had to pull rank on you either," Angel reminded him sweetly. "Though to be fair, the only person I've arrested on the Hera was that Deltan woman, and the only people I pulled rank on were the security goobers I worked with." Even as she called the security team 'goobers' there was a note of affection in her voice. "Funny enough, they all liked me just fine." Sinek also hadn't seen her at the end of a long day when she'd used up more patience than was humanly possible, but she decided to just not mention it.

"You added discipline," Sinek suggested. "Discipline is necessary for effectiveness and efficiency." Gently squeezing his arms about her, Sinek softly asked, "is there anything you wish to do planet-side?"

"I thought we could find a place to eat, maybe go for a walk. Just get off the ship for a few hours." Angel didn't crave sunlight or natural air the same way other people did, but it was still nice to get off the ship for a while.

"I have," Sinek began before pausing, seeming to search for the right word, "enjoyed holding you and conversing with you. I am curious about the culture on New Sidney. If it is as polluted as they say, how can the people live there. Could there be a solution? Do you wish to put on a casual attire?"

"It's just the river that's gross... the air is fine, and they have a modern water system, so the people manage. They're a mining community. They're not exactly worried about the welfare of the planet, which is strange to me too but they're not going to accept anything that changes that, Sinek. It's how they provide for their families." Angel paused as she considered the final question, the only one he'd asked that was on a different topic. "I think casual clothing is better if we're going to the planet. It's not a Federation world."

"Then I suggest we prepare for the planet surface," Sinek suggested. "I am sure that Temporal Investigations has worn you thin. Taking some food should replenish you."

"You have no idea." Angel sighed theatrically, trying not to giggle. It wasn't really that funny, but she was burned out on dealing with the investigation team. And anything could be funny after that sort of stress. "Let's go change then."

Sinek stood and helped Angel to her feet. Before he let her go, he pulled her in to himself and gently kissed Angel's lips. Gazing into her gray eyes, he softly spoke, "I will meet you in transporter room 2."

"I'll meet you there." Angel gave him another quick kiss before slowly departing, letting her touch linger against him until she could no longer reach. Then she vanished through the door, heading home to get changed.

When Angel left the holodeck, Sinek spoke, "Computer, save holodeck program Fairchild/Sinek-River." He was certain this could be a place for them to come and enjoy each other's presence. Then he too followed to prepare for the surface.