Joint Personal Log - CO & CINTEL - aCapt Rhodes & LtCmdr Rinehart - "The Danger of Desire" pt II

Posted on 241407.10 @ 8:06pm by Commander Tierney Rinehart

Oh if he only knew, and maybe someday he would -- but for now she kept her family strain tucked neatly away as yet another secret. From what she'd heard and read, Captain Rhodes was not unlike her grandfather as far as personality was concerned. The smiling, twinkling eyes, iron hearted command figure. Jovial, but firm. She couldn't help but be taken with him, swept away in the tide of personal revolution that he signified in his most basic attempts to woo her... Or so she assumed, yet paused on the pinnacle of that brave assumption. He had, after all, promised to kill her. That fact, above all, continued to stick out in her mind like a warning beacon, adding an element of danger to the pleasure.

"My parents would have been delighted to see me where I am now," said Mark taking a sip of wine. "But to be honest I never thought I was going to make it to Captain, but here I sit. When I left the Genesee for the work at Jupiter Station I moved back because my parents were sick, and when they passed I never really wanted to leave Jupiter at that point, I would have rode the rest of my career out to retirement working there unless it was for this ship," said Mark. He rarely spoke of his parents’ illness, but for some reason he felt if she didn't already know the story opening up would solidify a blooming friendship.

Tierney's brow couldn't help but furrow at the news of family illness. Her mother's death had been sudden, the result of a horrible accident -- and her father... He'd never die. Too stubborn. Too dogged and determined to be acknowledged by the mainline to ever give up and just lay down for death. "I'm sorry to hear about your folks. Things happen for a reason, I'm very much a believer in that." She replied, spearing a piece of broccoli with her fork.

"Indeed," said Mark. "Had they not gotten sick, I wouldn't have come home. I wouldn't have ended up here. The 'verse is filled with many of mysteries and I don't pretend to know a thing about 'em," said Mark realizing the irony of being at dinner with a woman he swore he would kill if her allegiance wavered even once. "So what sent you into Intel?"

"Funny how that goes," She said after swallowing her bite, toying with noodles and winding them around her fork, "I thought by doing Intel I'd never have to say I'm sorry." Her response came with a sad smile on its coat tails and she was quick to punctuate with a shrug and stilled her tongue with another bite for food. Oh how wrong she'd been. If anything the former tactical officer felt more regret and sorrow than ever before.

There was a moment of quiet as Frank Sinatra switched to The Way You Look Tonight. Mark smiled a wide warm smile. He quickly rose out of his chair and moved over to his living room without saying a word. He pushed his coffee table out of the way and made a large open area. He walked back to the table, "Care to join me?" he offering her his outstretched hand.

With eyes wide, she watched his sudden flurry of activity and set her fork down on a spare folded napkin. "I care to." She replied, placing her much smaller hand in his palm.

Taking her hand Mark lead her to the open area and put one hand on the small of her back and the other hand in hers as her other hand found his shoulder. They began to sway to the music. Holding the Chief of Intelligence close he started to sing softly in her ear. "Some day, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you. And the way you look tonight." He let Frank take back over singing as the lyrics got a little more meaningful. He hadn't known Tierney but at this moment, to him, it felt right. Tomorrow was another day.

Tierney shivered at their nearness, the sudden unexpected closeness that they shared. Her eyes closed as her pulse quickened and her body fell into his rhythm. The hard warmth of his shoulder gave way to the back of his neck as she allowed him to guide her, to touch her. The whisper of his voice in her ear, crooning the lyrics of the song -- all of it was almost too much. The stalwart little Commander was in danger of losing herself to the Captain who could ever so easily snap her delicate neck. Part of her yearned to be consumed by the fire he created deep in the pit of her belly, daring it to test its binds and run away with her. In worry her tongue soothed her lower lip, easing the new tension away as she allowed her fingers to lace with his. It was... Magic.

In that moment Tierney wasn't afraid of being attacked for her alien heritage, or forgotten as an illegitimate granddaughter of a gentleman legend. She didn't mourn the forgotten moments between her and Kerenal -- nor lament the could have beens -- and she wasn't afraid of the crew sneaking in to end her life. If this was to be the end she'd graciously accept it. For once in her young, tumultuous life, she felt free while bound in the strong arms of the Enterpise’s Captain. Something this beautiful surely was never meant to be tasted by someone as unfortunate as her.

The song ended and they both continued to sway to the music that was no longer there and with it came the fall of an age of ruin.. "I shouldn't, but no one has to know," said Mark stopping and looking down into the eyes of his dancing partner. "But the thing I have to realize is that you know everything on this boat before I do, so it makes sense to be like this with you," said Mark with a boyish smile. In a night with a long list of spontaneous moments Mark leaned in to kiss Tierney.

Her head lifted and her eyes opened to gaze up at Mark Rhodes the man as he grazed the surface of Mark Rhodes the Captain. Her hand lifted from his neck to touch her finger tips to the softness of his lips, capturing and extinguishing the kiss.

"Don't... Not for that reason. I'm loyal to you not because you can end me, not because you're the Captain, but because I want to be." She all but whispered, feeling fear and hurt once again welling in her core. Her body pressed ever so little closer to his, quietly begging for the dream to continue. "Do this for the right reasons..." She added, letting her fingers drop from his lips to his chest over the beating of his heart before stepping back to regard him almost wistfully.

"You are loyal to me because you want to be. We are here because I want to be. This, to me, is right," said the Captain looking into her eyes.

"Then don't be attracted to me because of what I know and what you don't" She breathed, allowing her eyes to search his, the beauty of that moment found in the uncertainty, the wonder, the hesitation. It was all of it -- bound into nothing but heartbeats -- that made that very instance and situation beautiful in spite of the sadness it evoked. "Want me because your heart asks you for such a thing, for the uncertainty, the adventure, not for my position or my connections. Want me as me, the woman, not the officer."

Tierney blinked then, her eyes dropping to the perfect shape of his lips, the strength of his jaw. She could imagine the feel of his stubble against the porcelain satin of her skin. He'd be her undoing. "I'll leave you to your thoughts. Dinner was wonderful." She nodded softly, daring not to be tangled in him. Not yet. Not so soon. He'd need to work to steal her heart and soul no matter how badly each wanted to race headlong to his. Her inexperience troubled her when compared to his suave, experienced psyche -- troubled and thrilled her something fierce.

"In all good things that a gentleman is, I would be wrong not to offer to escort you back to your quarters," said Mark studying the woman before him.

She considered this for a good moment, blinking and slowly offered a nod. "On this ship... I'll need an escort." In truth, she wasn't ready to let him go. Not just yet.

"My lady," said Mark holding his elbow out for him to escort her.

"Thank you." She admonished gently, looping her arm through his and enjoying the warmth that he provided once again. She knew that he was risking his neck potentially being seen with her in such an intimate fashion, but couldn't help but choose to live in the moment.

Mark took the Commander and walked casually through the ship. The hour was late and the corridors were barren, except for a lowly Ensign, who looked like he was coming from a social engagement and was pretty wobbly from a few too many adult type beverages. They walked in warm silence until finally Mark and Tierney ended up somewhere on deck 17, around the corner from Main Engineering when Mark stopped the pair and stood for a second. "Forgive me, I thought if we walked long enough you would start to lead the way to your quarters to drop you off... I have no idea where they are," admitted Mark looking to Tierney with a warm smile.

The not so distant humm of the engines were oddly comforting to the young star-child, drowning out her own thoughts as she simply kept in stride with the much taller Captain. On his arm she felt momentarily invincible, as if his mere presence would save her from the wolves ever so constantly at her back and stepped in as a powerful cure all for the renegade doubts that lingered about his intentions. The deep rumble of Mark's voice, however, brought her back, reminding her that they'd spent the better part of half an hour strolling along the decks of the ship together.

"I'm sorry," Tierney was quick to apologize, lifting her gaze to his, "deck four, senior officer's quarters." She explained, offering him a small, sheepish smile.

He looked down to her and smiled, "No you are not." They slowly made their way back up the ship to deck 4 and finally to the door of her quarters. "Commander," he said looking down into her beautiful blue eyes. "I had a lovely evening, but alas it has come to an end. I would like to see you again sometime, maybe a little less spur of the moment?"

If Tierney was honest with herself, and she often was, she'd find she wasn't sorry in the least for their little midnight wander - though she'd never admit it to him. Not now. Not yet. Instead she smiled demurely and engaged him in small talk the entire way back to her quarters.

Mark wasn't going away. He wasn't being chased off by her aloof nature or the challenges surrounding his choosing to romance the woman she was instead of the intelligence officer he held captive in this civil war. She turned to face him at the entrance to her quarters, leaning her back against the bulkhead beside the door. Warning bells chimed in her head that it was a vulnerable position, that his much bigger form was far superior should something happen, and yet Tierney allowed his nearness and couldn't help but smile at boyish glint in his eyes. "I could be convinced to do this again." She responded with a gentle tilt and nod of her head.

Without a second thought Mark, leaned in and kissed Tierney -- allowing the feel of her to linger for a moment before he backed away and said "Goodnight" with a wink. Then, without skipping a beat Mark turned down the corridor and began heading toward the turbolift, whistling the tune to The Way You Look Tonight.

His answer, the feel of his lips against hers, left her feeling breathless. Her eyes closed for that fleeting second, sharing that kiss, pressing her lips back but dare not chasing.

And then it was over.

The heat of him and the tingle on her lips were all that was left of him as she fought to catch her breath and watched him saunter down the halls. Curse him, she thought, and the danger of desire he left coursing through her veins. Curse him.

--

Acting Captain Mark Rhodes
Commanding Officer
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-F

Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS ENTERPRISE